THE MANILA TIMES |FEBRUARY 20, 2019

LLDA sanctions 18 bay polluters

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•• 5 SECTIONS PAGES • VOL. 120 NO. 131 28

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2019

Marawi no ‘ghost town’ — task force

!. INTER AGENCY TASK FORCE LEADING REHABILITATION EFFORTS IN WAR TORN -ARAWI #ITY ON 4UESDAY DISPUTED A REPORT THAT SAID THE CITY REMAINED A gGHOST TOWNu MORE THAN A YEAR AFTER IT WAS LIBERATED FROM TERRORIST INlUENCE 4ASK &ORCE "ANGON -ARAWI #HAIRMAN %DUARDO DEL 2OSARIO DESCRIBED -ARAWI #ITY AS gALIVE AND BOOMING u CONTRARY to a 7ASHINGTON 0OST ARTICLE PUBLISHED

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The truth about Ressa and her vilification of Duterte

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F not FOR -Aria Ressa and RapPLER S VILIFICATION CAMPAIGN AGAINST 0RESIDENT $UTERTE AND THE 0HILIPPINES AND HER SUCCESS IN GETTING FOREIGN MEDIA ENTITIES TO PORTRAY HER AS A HEROINE OF PRESS FREEDOM HER JOURNALISM CAREER WOULD HAVE CRASHED YEARS AGO

RIG RRIGOBERTO IGG DD. TIGLAO

Trusted since 1898

Third martial law extension legal – SC

BY JOMAR CANLAS

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HE Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday declared as legal and constitutional the third extension of martial law in Mindanao sought by President Rodrigo Duterte and approved by Congress.

NEW GALAXY

This photo released by Paris Observatory shows an image taken with the LowFrequency Array (LOFAR) radio telescope of a galaxy and its supermassive black hole ejecting jets of material, stacked on an optical image of the sky. A new map of the night sky published on February 20 charts hundreds of thousands of previously unknown galaxies.

The international team behind the unprecedented space survey said their discovery literally shed new light on some of the Universe’s deepest secrets, including the physics of black holes and how clusters of galaxies evolve.

AFP PHOTO

4HE DECISION OF THE COURT EN BANC CONkRMED 4UESDAY S 4HE -ANILA 4IMES EXCLUSIVE THAT MAJORITY OF THE JUSTICES WANTED TO UPHOLD THE EXTENSION OF MARTIAL LAW AND THE SUSPENSION OF THE WRIT OF HABEAS CORPUS kRST IMPOSED BY THE 0RESIDENT IN May 2017 in response to a terrorist attack ON -ARAWI #ITY 6OTING STOOD AT TO JUNK ALL PETITIONS QUESTIONING THE MARTIAL LAW EXTENSION

SAID LAWYER "RIAN +EITH (OSAKA THE COURT S NEW 0UBLIC )NFORMATION /FkCE CHIEF -ALACAĂ„AN 0ALACE SAID THE HIGH COURT S DECISION SHOWED UNITY AMONG THE THREE BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT IN ADDRESSING NATIONAL PROBLEMS g7E ARE ALSO PLEASED TO NOTE THAT THE %XECUTIVE ,EGISLATIVE AND THE *UDICIARY ARE ON THE SAME PAGE IN QUELLING THE rebellion as well as combatting and disSIPATING TERRORISTIC ACTS DESTRUCTIVE TO LIVES AND PROPERTIES UNLEASHED BY RUTHLESS AND

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Toward a productive senatorial debate

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FIRST

E THINGS are now FIRST I N T H E middle OF A SE natorial CAMPAIGN AND THE VOTERS MUST CONTEND WITH A NUMBER OF ABSURD AND RIDICULOUS THINGS ÂłTatadA5

FRANCISCO S. TATAD

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What’s inside DUTERTE OKS LIFETIME CELLPHONE NUMBERS LAW

NewsA2

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ABOITIZLAND TO PH FAMILIES:

Go for house and lot DJOKOVIC, BILES WIN LAUREUS SPORTSMAN OF YEAR AWARDS

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MIDDLE EAST REMAINS TOP OFW DESTINATION

NewsA2

16 US STATES SUE TRUMP WorldB6 WIN OR LOSE AT THE OSCARS, GLENN CLOSE IS LOVING THE MOMENT

GOVT DELISTS DENGVAXIA

THE &OOD AND $RUG !DMINISTRATION &$! HAS CANCELED THE CERTIkCATES OF PRODUCT REGISTRATION #02 OF $ENGVAXIA WHICH WAS SAID TO HAVE gAGGRAVATEDu THE BELOW TARGET IMMUNIZATION RATES IN THE 0HILIPPINES

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Q Photo shows vials of the Dengvaxia vaccine manufactured by Sanofi Pasteur.

REACH US AT:

EntertainmentE1

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

2019 polls to allow Duterte to consolidate support, power THE midterm elections on May IS SIGNIkCANT FOR THE $UTERTE administration to consolidate POWER AND SUPPORT FOR THE 2022 polls, political analyst Ramon #ASIPLE SAID ON 4UESDAY “Kailangan ng consolidation

(Consolidation is needed), PRECISELY TO MAINTAIN THE MAJORITY AGAINST ANYBODY FROM THE opposition,� Casiple said in a NEWS FORUM (E SAID THE MIDTERM polls

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News

˜ The Manila Times

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WEDNESDAY February 20, 2019

Middle East remains top OFW destination F

BY NEIL JAYSON N. SERVALLOS

IVE DECADES AFTER THE kRST BATCH OF overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) was deployed to the Middle East during a massive oil boom there in the 1970s, the region still remains the top recruiter of Filipino labor, a jobs company said.

$ATA FROM 7ORK!BROAD PH SHOWED THAT 'ULF COUNTRIES ACCOUNT FOR AT LEAST PERCENT OF ALL JOB LISTINGS IN ITS DATABASE

FOLLOWED BY !SIA 0ACIkC COUNTRIES WITH PERCENT AND THE 5NITED 3TATES WITH PERCENT 2ECORDS ALSO SHOWED THAT

DEMAND FOR /&7S IS UP BY PERCENT g/VERSEAS HIRERS POSTED A TOTAL OF JOB LISTINGS FROM *ANUARY TO /CTOBER 4HIS IS UP TO 21 percent compared to 2017, WHICH HAD

u 7ORKABROAD -ARKETING LEAD 0AOLA 3AVILLO SAID

IN A NEWS CONFERENCE ON 4UESDAY 3AVILLO ADDED THAT -IDDLE %ASTERN COUNTRIES DEMANDED MOSTLY HEALTHCARE AND GENERAL WORKERS AND ENGINEERS !SIA 0ACIFIC COUNTRIES MANUFACTURING AND PRODUCTION WORKERS AND THE 53 RESTAURANT AND MARITIME WORKERS 3HE SAID THOSE WITH LOCAL WORK EXPERIENCE THAT kT THEIR DESIRED OVERSEAS JOBS HAD AN ADVANTAGE g&OR SKILLED WORKERS HAVING SKILLS BASED COURSES FROM TECH VOC TECHNICAL VOCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS ARE ALSO HIGHLY RECOMMENDED u ACCORDING TO 3AVILLO 4HE 0HILIPPINE /VERSEAS %MPLOYMENT !DMINISTRATION 0/%!

SAID DESPITE SOME COUNTRIES NA-

TIONALIZATION WHEREIN COMPANIES ARE REQUIRED TO kLL UP THEIR WORKFORCE WITH THEIR CITIZENS &ILIPINOS WERE STILL PREFERRED WORKERS g!LL -IDDLE %ASTERN COUNTRIES HAVE NATIONALIZATION 4O SOME DEGREE WE CAN STILL ACCESS JOBS IN SOME COMPANIES $ESPITE THIS

most Filipino workers are still able TO GET JOBS 4HEY RE STILL THE PREFERRED WORKERS u 0/%! -ARKETING $IRECTOR ,EVINSON !LCANTARA SAID !LCANTARA ADDED THAT MORE MARKETS HAD OPENED THROUGH COOPERATION BETWEEN THE 0HILIPPINES AND OTHER COUNTRIES g7ITH HIGHER DEMAND WE NEED TO INCREASE PROTECTION FOR OUR WORKERS AND DECREASE WELFARE CASES u HE SAID

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2019 polls are IMPORTANT TO GAIN SUPPORT FOR POLICIES ADVOCATED BY THE ADMINISTRATION IN RELATION TO INDUSTRIALIZATION SUCH AS THE "UILD "UILD

"UILD INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM AND MANUFACTURING #ASIPLE ADDED THAT FEDERALISM WOULD BE lOATED DURING THE election CAMPAIGN (E SAID THE $UTERTE ADMINISTRATION NEEDED TO BUILD SUPPORT AGAINST THREATS OF DESTABILIZATION OR OUSTER

CITING ISSUES RAISED BY THE POLITICAL opposition since President Rodrigo $UTERTE BEGAN HIS TERM IN *ULY “So kailangan din ng matibay na POLITICAL SUPPORT AGAINST THESE THREATS CONVERSELY GUSTO niyang PAHINAIN YUNG opposition, ayaw NIYANG LUMAKI YAN 3O THE ADMINISTRATION NEEDS SOLID POLITICAL SUPPORT AGAINST THESE THREATS CONVERSELY THE 0RESIDENT WANTS TO WEAKEN THE OPPOSITION HE DOESN T WANT IT TO GROW STRONGER u #ASIPLE ADDED 4HE OPPOSITION HE SAID WAS LOOKING TO CONSOLIDATE AND EXPAND INlUENCE (E HOWEVER NOTED A WEAKNESS IN THE ISSUE BASED CAMPAIGN OF THE opposition slate /TSO $IRETSO %IGHT 3TRAIGHT SAYING VOTERS TEND TO BE DIVIDED ON SUCH PITCH #ASIPLE ADDED THAT RESOURCES

connection and personality were STILL THE PRIMARY FACTORS FOR WINNING IN THE elections WHICH ONLY -ANUEL 2OXAS ND AND 3EN 0AOLO "ENIGNO !QUINO TH CURRENTLY HAVE )T IS TOO EARLY TO GIVE FORECASTS ON WHO THE STRONG CANDIDATES RE SINCE THE CAMPAIGN HAD JUST STARTED ACCORDING TO THE POLITICAL ANALYST -EANWHILE #ASIPLE SAID THE mainstream media, especially teleVISION WERE STILL THE STRONGEST MEANS FOR CAMPAIGNING (E EXPLAINED THAT VOTERS WOULD BASE THEIR DECISIONS MORE ON THE CANDIDATES STAND ON ISSUES IN THEIR APPEARANCE ON TELEVISION SHOWS AND DEBATES g)BIG SABIHIN YUNG MAY MAKITA silang BODY LANGUAGE HABANG NAGSASALITA YUNG KANDIDATO HINDI REHEARSED YUN HINDI PEKE YUN -EANING IF THEY SEE THE BODY LANGUAGE OF CANDIDATES THEY WILL SEE THAT IT IS NOT REHEARSED IT IS NOT FAKE u #ASIPLE SAID (E ALSO EXPLAINED THAT WHILE SOCIAL MEDIA HAD AN ADVANTAGE

CANDIDATES EXPOSURE THERE WOULD ONLY BE lEETING (E NOTED THAT BASED ON election TRENDS VOTERS WOULD STILL BASE THEIR DECISIONS ON PROGRAMS OF CANDIDATES SUCH AS POVERTY

CORRUPTION JOBS CREATION AND BASIC SERVICES AS OPPOSED TO ISSUES ON EXTRAJUDICIAL KILLINGS AND WAR ON DRUGS g-ATAAS DIN YUNG AYAW NG MGA tao sa KILLINGS TO BE SURE PERO HINDI nila iDYE JEOPARDIZE YUNG ANTI DRUGS campaign DAHIL LANG DOON )BIG SABIHIN YUN ANG PRIORITY NG MGA tao 4HERE S ALSO A HIGH PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE WHO ARE OPPOSED TO KILLINGS BUT THEY WILL NOT JEOPARDIZE THE ANTI DRUGS CAMPAIGN BECAUSE OF THAT )T MEANS THAT IS THE PRIORITY OF THE PEOPLE u #ASIPLE SAID DIVINA NOVA JOY DELA CRUZ

BAM!

Sen. Paolo Benigno ‘Bam’ Aquino 4th throws coins during the blessing of his campaign headquarters in Cubao, Quezon City on Tuesday. PHOTO BY ROGER RAÑADA

Duterte OKs lifetime cellphone numbers law 02%3)$%.4 2ODRIGO $UTERTE HAS signed into law a bill allowing cellPHONE USERS TO KEEP THEIR NUMBERS FOR LIFE EVEN IF THEY CHANGE SERVICE PROVIDERS OR SUBSCRIPTION PLANS 5NDER 2EPUBLIC !CT 2!

ALSO KNOWN AS THE g-OBILE .UMBER 0ORTABILITY -.0 !CT u PUBLIC TELECOMMUNICATIONS ENTITIES 04%S SHOULD PROVIDE CONSUMERS WITH MOBILE NUMBER PORTABILITY

ALLOWING THEM TO TRANSFER FROM ONE NETWORK PROVIDER TO ANOTHER FREE OF CHARGE #ELLPHONE USERS CAN ALSO CHANGE THEIR SUBSCRIPTION PLAN FROM POST-

PAID TO PREPAID PROVIDED THAT THE NUMBER PORTING PROCESS FOR POSTPAID SUBSCRIBERS IS SEPARATE FROM THE APPROVAL PROCESS FOR A NEW MOBILE SUBSCRIPTION PLAN FROM THE RECIPIENT PROVIDER 'LOBE 4ELECOM REPORTED MILLION MOBILE SUBSCRIBERS AT THE END OF WHILE RIVAL 0,$4 )NC HAD MILLION AT THE END OF 3EPTEMBER 4HE NEW LAW WILL TAKE EFFECT DAYS AFTER ITS COMPLETE PUBLICATION IN THE /FkCIAL 'AZETTE or at least two NEWSPAPERS OF GENERAL CIRCULATION CATHERINE S. VALENTE

Take down poll posters, Bong Go asks supporters !30)2).' SENATOR #HRISTOPHER ,AWRENCE g"ONGu 'O ON 4UESDAY APPEALED AGAIN TO HIS SUPPORTERS to take down all illegal campaign POSTERS IN LINE WITH THE #OMMISSION ON %LECTIONS #OMELEC warning against candidates on VIOLATION OF RULES ON ELECTION CAMPAIGN 'O MADE THE APPEAL AFTER Comelec Commissioner Rowena 'UANZON MENTIONED HIS NAME FROM A LIST OF 3ENATE CANDIDATES WHO HAD ILLEGAL POSTERS g.ANANAWAGAN AKO SA MGA SUPPORTERS ko ) M ASKING MY SUPPORTERS ) M BEGGING YOU

PLEASE TAKE DOWN ;ALL THOSE ILLEGAL POSTERS= u HE TOLD 4HE -ANILA Times IN A TEXT MESSAGE 7HEN ASKED WHAT HE WOULD DO IF HIS SUPPORTERS WOULD NOT COMPLY WITH HIS REQUEST 'O SAID

“Hindi ko na po kontrolado ‘yan 4HAT S BEYOND MY CONTROL u 'UANZON COMMISSIONER IN CHARGE OF VOTERS EDUCATION HAS ISSUED A WARNING TO MORE THAN HALF OF CANDIDATES FOR A 3ENATE SEAT INCLUDING 'O OVER THE POSTING OF ILLEGAL CAMPAIGN MATERIALS g"Y PUBLIC DEMAND CANDIDATES "ONG 'O AND ;FORMER -ALACANANG POLITICAL ADVISER &RANCIS= 4OLENTINO PLEASE TAKE DOWN YOUR POSTERS NOW u SHE SAID ON HER 4WITTER POST 'O DURING A VISIT TO 0ARAÄAQUE #ITY ON -ONDAY AFTERNOON LED THE DISMANTLING OF SEVERAL TARPAULINS THAT HAVE BEEN PLACED IN THE VICINITY OF CITY HALL

0RESIDENT 2ODRIGO $UTERTE S FORMER TOP AIDE REITERATED HIS CALL FOR HIS SUPPORTERS AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC TO ABIDE BY THE LAW g4HAT S PART OF FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION IF THEY WANT TO EXPRESS SUPPORT AND THEIR TRUST IN ME "UT TO AVOID THOSE CRITICISMS ) WENT HERE TO ASK MY SUPPORTERS TO RAKE DOWN THEIR TARPAULINS ) AM BEGGING YOU ) M ASKING YOU

LET S FOLLOW OUR LAWS u 'O SAID (E URGED HIS SUPPORTERS TO HELP VICTIMS OF kRE RATHER THAN PRODUCE ILLEGAL BILLBOARDS OR TARPAULINS BEARING HIS PHOTOS AND NAME !CCORDING TO #OMELEC RULES

CAMPAIGN POSTERS SHOULD NOT EXCEED X FEET AND SHOULD ONLY BE displayed in Comelec-designated COMMON POSTING AREAS 3TREAMERS SHOULD NOT EXCEED X FEET #OMELEC SPOKESMAN *AMES *IMENEZ EARLIER SAID THEY WOULD DOCUMENT ALL PROHIBITED MAterials posted on lamp posts, TREES SIDEWALKS AND HANGING WIRES AMONG OTHERS BEFORE kLING CHARGES 5NDER 2EPUBLIC !CT

#OMELEC SHALL ISSUE NOTICES TO VIOLATORS GIVING THEM THREE DAYS TO TAKE DOWN THEIR ILLEGAL POSTERS OR FACE LEGAL SANCTIONS 4HE DAY CAMPAIGN PERIOD FOR NATIONAL CANDIDATES STARTED &EBRUARY WHILE THE DAY CAMPAIGN PERIOD FOR LOCAL CANDIDATES WILL START -ARCH CATHERINE S. VALENTE

Q LEGAL FROM A1

Third martial law extension legal – SC BARBARIC LOCAL AND FOREIGN ARMED lawless elements,” Palace spokesMAN 3ALVADOR 0ANELO SAID g!S WE FAST TRACK THE REHABILITATION OF THE WAR TORN -ARAWI AND PROMOTE SECURITY AND PEACE AND ORDER IN -INDANAO WE ASK THE &ILIPINO NATION NOT TO WAVER IN THEIR SUPPORT FOR OUR 2EPUBLIC S DEFENDERS u HE ADDED

Ponente overruled 4HE ponente OR JUSTICE IN CHARGE OF DRAFTING THE RULING !SSOCIATE *USTICE "ENJAMIN #AGUIOA WAS OUTVOTED BY THE MAJORITY OF MAGISTRATES 4HE NINE JUSTICES WHO VOTED TO UPHOLD THE EXTENSION OF MARTIAL LAW WERE #HIEF *USTICE ,UCAS "ERSAMIN AND !SSOCIATE *USTICES $IOSDADO 0ERALTA -ARIANO DEL Castillo, Estela Perlas Bernabe, !NDRES 2EYES *R !LEXANDER 'ESMUNDO *OSE 2EYES 2AMON 0AUL (ERNANDO AND 2OSMARI $ECLARO

#ARANDANG 4HOSE WHO VOTED IN FAVOR OF THE petitions and against martial law EXTENSION WERE #AGUIOA 3ENIOR !SSOCIATE *USTICE !NTONIO #ARPIO AND !SSOCIATE *USTICES -ARVIC ,EONEN AND &RANCIS *ARDELEZA 4HE PETITIONERS WERE !LBAY 2EP %DCEL ,AGMAN A GROUP OF ,UMAD OR INDIGENOUS PEOPLES IN -INDANAO REPRESENTED BY THE &REE ,EGAL !SSISTANCE 'ROUP &,!' AND )NTEGRATED "AR OF THE 0HILIPPINES )"0 FORMER ELECTIONS CHAIRMAN #HRISTIAN Monsod AND THE "AYAN -UNA PARTY LIST GROUP 4HE HIGH TRIBUNAL GAVE CREDENCE TO THE CONTENTION OF THE /FkCE OF THE 3OLICITOR 'ENERAL THAT TERRORISM and rebellion in Mindanao conTINUED TO ENSUE AND WERE FACTUAL GROUNDS FOR EXTENSION 4HE GOVERNMENT CITED THE PRESENCE OF COMMUNIST REBELS AND -USLIM EXTREMISTS IN -INDANAO 3OLICITOR 'ENERAL *OSE #ALIDA

ALSO ARGUED THAT #ONGRESS HAD THE POWER TO DETERMINE THE SUFkCIENCY OF THE FACTUAL BASIS FOR THE EXTENSION OF martial law -OREOVER THE NEED FOR MARTIAL law UNDER 0ROCLAMATION did not become FUNCTUS OFFICIO EXPIRED BY THE CESSATION OF THE -ARAWI SIEGE BECAUSE TERRORISM CONTINUED TO HAUNT -INDANAO

HE ARGUED #ALIDA ALSO HELD THAT THE DECLARATION OF 0RESIDENT $UTERTE OF Martial law CONCURRED IN BY #ONGRESS IS NOT SUBJECT OF JUDICIAL REVIEW BECAUSE IT IS CONSIDERED A POLITICAL QUESTION UNDER THE #ONSTITUTION

WERE DISAPPOINTED WITH THE RULING g4HE DISMISSAL BY THE 3UPREME #OURT OF THE CASE QUESTIONING THE THIRD MARTIAL LAW EXTENSION IS JUDICIAL SUBSERVIENCE TO EXECUTIVE OVERREACH u SAID !KBAYAN PARTY LIST 2EP 4OM 6ILLARIN !CCORDING TO 6ILLARIN THE #OURT S DECISION WAS NOT MADE gON THE BASIS OF ACTUAL ADMISSIBLE EVIDENCE u BUT RATHER ON SPECULATION THAT REBELLION STILL EXISTS IN -INDANAO -AGDALO 2EP 'ARY !LEJANO SAID THE 3UPREME #OURT gBOWED DOWN TO THE WHIMS OF THE %XECUTIVE BRANCHu AND DECIDED TO DISREGARD THE 0HILIPPINE #ONSTITUTION g7HERE IS OUR INDEPENDENT Arroyo elated 3UPREME #OURT )NSTEAD OF BEING A VANGUARD OF JUSTICE AND RATIONAL(OUSE 3PEAKER 'LORIA -ACAPAGAL ITY THE 3UPREME #OURT HAS SHOWN !RROYO SAID SHE WAS gVERY HAPPYu OTHERWISE u HE ADDED WITH THE HIGH COURT S DECISION 6ILLARIN AND !LEJANO JOINED (OWEVER MEMBERS OF THE g-AG- ,AGMAN S PETITION AGAINST THE NIkCENT u OPPOSITION IN #ONGRESS THIRD MARTIAL LAW EXTENSION IN

-INDANAO ,AGMAN BLASTED THE INORDINATE IMPLEMENTATION OF MARTIAL LAW AND SUSPENSION OF THE WRIT OF HABEAS CORPUS IN -INDANAO POINTING OUT THAT 0RESIDENT $UTERTE S REQUEST FOR ANOTHER EXTENSION gFAILED TO LINK VIOLENT INCIDENTS committed by local terrorists and COMMUNIST GROUPS TO REBELLION u 4HE OTHER MEMBERS OF -AGNIFICENT BLOC WHO SUPPORTED THE ,AGMAN LED PETITION WERE )FUGAO 2EP 4EODORO "AGUILAT *R

#ALOOCAN 2EP %DGAR %RICE AND ,IBERAL 0ARTY MEMBERS 1UEZON #ITY 2EP #HRISTOPHER "ELMONTE AND $INAGAT )SLANDS 2EP !RLENE "AG AO !RTICLE 3ECTION OF THE #ONSTITUTION SAYS THAT THE 0RESIDENT may only declare martial law in ANY PART OF THE COUNTRY uIN CASE OF INVASION OR REBELLION WHEN THE PUBLIC SAFETY REQUIRES IT u WITH GLEE JALEA

CAUSED BY THE VACCINE )N AN ORDER DATED $EC

THE &$! ORDERED 3ANOFI TO IMMEDIATELY SURRENDER THE ORIGINAL CERTIFICATES OF PRODUCT REGISTRATION OF $ENGVAXIA AND $ENGVAXIA -$ )T WARNED 3ANOk THAT IT IS PROHIBITED FROM IMPORTING DISTRIBUTING AND SELLING THE TWO PRODUCTS 4 H E R E A R E $ E N G VA X I A related criminal complaints FILED BEFORE THE $EPARTMENT OF *USTICE AGAINST FORMER (EALTH

SECRETARY *ANETTE 'ARIN (EALTH 5NDERSECRETARY 2OLANDO $OMINGO LAST WEEK SAID IMMUNIZATION RATES HAD BEEN WELL BELOW THE TARGET OF TO PERCENT &OR THE PAST YEARS $OMINGO ADDED THE RATE WAS ABOUT TO PERCENT (E SAID THIS WAS IN PART CAUSED

BY THE 0UBLIC !TTORNEY S /FkCE LED BY LAWYER 0ERSIDA !COSTA SUPPOSEDLY SENSATIONALIZING DEATHS LINKED TO $ENGVAXIA CATHERINE A. MODESTO

Q DELISTS FROM A1

GOVT DELISTS DENGVAXIA )N A STATEMENT &$! $IRECTOR 'ENERAL .ELA #HARADE 0UNO SAID THE FAILURE OF THE VACCINE S MANUFACTURER 3ANOFI 0ASTEUR )NC TO SUBMIT POST APPROVAL COMMITMENT REQUIREMENTS LEFT THEM NO CHOICE BUT TO gIMPOSE THE MAXIMUM PENALTY OF REVOCATION OF THE #02 COVERING THE $ENGVAXIA PRODUCTS u

4HE &$! FIRST SUSPENDED $ENGVAXIA S REGISTRATION IN AFTER 3ANOFI ISSUED AN ADVISORY

SAYING $ENGVAXIA POSES A HEALTH RISK TO THOSE WITH gSERONEGATIVEu STATUS OR THOSE WHO NEVER HAD DENGUE INFECTION MAY BE AT RISK OF A MORE SERIOUS DISEASE "Y THEN ACCORDING TO A $EPARTMENT OF (EALTH DATA A TOTAL OF

CHILDREN FROM #ENTRAL ,UZON #ALABARZON #AVITE ,AGUNA

"ATANGAS 2IZAL AND 1UEZON AND -ETRO -ANILA HAVE ALREADY BEEN INOCULATED AT LEAST ONCE WITH THE $ENGVAXIA VACCINE $EATHS OF $ENGVAXIA RECIPIENTS WERE BLAMED ON THE ANTI DENGUE VACCINE AFTER THEY ALLEGEDLY SUFFERED FROM ADVERSE REACTIONS

A4

Opinion

WEDNESDAY February 20, 2019

˜ The Manila Times

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E d i to r i a l

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Tax amnesty cannot be one-sided

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has partially vetoed the tax amnesty law passed by the 17th Congress, particularly the provisions calling for a general tax amnesty of all unsettled tax obligations.

The veto was made upon the recommendation of the Department of Finance (DoF) and announced by Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez 3rd to reporters over the weekend. This is the second veto of a tax law, after the DoF successfully blotted out tax perks for expatriates and their Filipino counterparts working in regional operating headquarters from the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law in 2017.

On one hand, the partial veto is a major letdown as many taxpayers, individuals and businesses alike, had been pining for a general amnesty covering 2017 and prior years, so they could begin with a fresh slate and remove any threat of a tax evasion case.

On the other hand, policymakers must weigh the pros and cons. The DoF may have, in fact, prevented indirect revenue losses from tax administration of P53 billion this year alone if the general tax amnesty provision, as passed by Congress, was not vetoed by the Chief Executive. Moreover, the tax amnesty campaign, last implemented by the DoF and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) in 2005, would have raised only P6.8 billon, instead of P13.6 billion with certain “safeguards.�

These safeguards include lifting bank secrecy provisions, allowing the government access to taxpayers’ bank accounts. The DoF wants to “break the wall of bank secrecy� to prevent taxpayers from abusing the amnesty program by hiding their liquid assets.

The proposal is worth considering. Even with a tax amnesty in place, taxpayers still need to get a sense that the DoF and BIR mean serious business.

It cannot be a general tax amnesty as usual; the government should also get something out of it, e.g., more information from taxpayers that the BIR could use to establish benchmarks.

Otherwise, a moral hazard problem could set in; taxpayers would remain complacent and wait for the next tax amnesty to clear their tax problems.

The good news is that there will still be an amnesty on tax delinquencies — those with final assessments or with criminal cases in court. The rates are 50 percent and 80 percent, respectively, on the basic tax.

Also, the estate tax amnesty was kept intact. This will free up numerous estates that have been unsettled for generations because of mounting tax liabilities, and allow heirs to develop these properties for productive use and even help the economy.

We agree with Secretary Dominguez that the amnesty rate of 6 percent of the estate is generous. Thus, the DoF was also justified in opposing a one-time estate settlement given this low amnesty rate. Indeed, it would be unfair to others who had settled their estates in a timely manner and in each step of the way, i.e., every instance of death of an estate owner.

Taxpayers should not be allowed to expect tax amnesties to be periodic, one-sided exercises. The message should be clear: The taxman can be generous and merciful, but he cannot simply surrender his obligation to collect taxes, the lifeblood of the government. ~

WEDNESDAY February 20, 2019

The Manila Times

VOLUME 120 NUMBER 131

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

The source code review findings

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HAT value does the review of the source code of the a u t o m a t e d e l e c t i o n sys t e m being done by representatives of political parties, citizens’ arms, and interested groups serve when the international certification entity, Pro V&V of Alabama, USA, engaged by the Commission on Election (Comelec), has already completed its review?

The representatives of the local source code reviewers presented their findings and recommendations on Feb. 7, 2019 at the public hearing of the joint congressional oversight committee on the automated election system held on the same date.

Presented were the following: — The canvassing and consolidation system uses what is referred to as “store procedures� with the database. The stored procedures or short programs for database services were not included in the review.

The stored procedures may be changed while the canvassing and consolidation system is in full operation. A vulnerability!

The local source code reviewers recommended the implementa-

D

URING the peak of the impassioned display of outrage over the P10-billion Napoles scam in 2013, this I clearly remember. I wrote two columns on what would happen after the outrage shall have died down and the lynching calls from the so-called “civil society� shall have mellowed into stuttering pipsqueaks.

And the screaming news headlines would have been toned down into smaller fonts. Two columns all predicated on the character of Filipinos — their outrage have the shelf life of NFA rice. That any and all outrage is transient and that is validated by history.

First column: Janet Lim Napoles and her three principal cohorts in the Senate — Senators Enrile, Revilla and Estrada — the main SARO-for-cash actors in the scam, can literally “eat in this town again,“ which meant full acceptance, full mainstreaming, after a display of short-lived outrage and their short-lived treatment as pariahs.

Second, Benhur Luy, the heroic whistleblower, who was snubbed in the TOYM awards for 2014, would SOON PAINFULLY kND OUT THAT HEROism and truth-telling has no traction and meaning in this sad country of ours. Soon, I wrote, Benhur may kND HIMSELF AT THE RECEIVING END OF society’s scorn. Who pays attention, I asked, to the Great Unwashed, even the heroic Great Unwashed?

His pedestrian looks, his un-WASP phonetics, his proletarian air and optics, would not get him far, in

tion of database security measures and adherence to database security best practices. — Some vote marks on the digital image of the ballot are enclosed by red boxes. The red boxes indicate that the enclosed vote marks passed the threshold size for the vote marks to be considered as valid. Arguing that the digital ballot image has been processed with the addition of the red boxes, the same cannot be presented as evidence under the Rules on Electronic Evidence because the ballot image is not an exact copy of the original. The local source code reviewers recommended that a raw, unadulterated copy of each ballot image be stored in the SD cards used with the VCM as storage. — The barcode appearing on the ballot has been replaced with QR code. Ballots can only be used in specific precincts within specific jurisdictions and are

marked with unique serial numbers. The barcode represented the precinct-specific information.

Presumably, the QR code serves the same purpose. The election returns generated by the VCM does not have a QR code marking.

The local source code reviewers recommended that the election returns include a QR code. — Machine signature is included with the transmission of election results. The local source code reviewers reported that the Comelec and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) are coordinating for the DICT to be the Certificate Authority (CA). A CA is a trusted third party that issues digital certificates which certify that a signer owns the public key appearing on the digital certificate.

Parties may use the public key to independently verify ownership of the digital signature appearing on an electronic document. Due to lack of time, the Comelec may opt to proceed without the DICT and be its own CA but doing so defeats the purpose of having a third-party CA. The i-button will continue to be used for generating the machine signature. — A folder named “Transmis-

sion Router� was discovered by the local source code reviewers during an unguided review session and noted its existence during one of the trusted build exercises.

The local source code reviewers requested that this be discussed. — The ballots recorded by the VCM had jumping sequence numbers and some ballots lodged in sequence by the VCM were found at the end of the list with different sequence numbers. Smartmatic has not explained the jumping or out-of-sequence numbers. — As in the past three automated elections, election returns are transmitted to the transparency server in an encrypted transmission package. The transmission package is decrypted and processed to convert the data in text format. The data in text format is then passed on to the majority party, dominant minority party, citizens’ arms, the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas, and other Comelec-accredited groups.

The local source code reviewers recommended that the encrypted transmission package be delivered directly to the various accredited groups and the decryption utility be provided to them and allow

ÂłAveriaA5

Springtime for crooks mented history of Janet Lim Napoles, that of being the central figure of a Marine helmet scam supply at a very young age, which led to a court case that practically burned the Supreme Court ambitions of one terms of recognition and respect, in of the Sandiganbayan justices this country that pays premium on who struck a close friendship pedigree and appearances. with the soon-to-be pork queen.

Luy, I wrote then, has the face, An “innocent� Napoles was feel and look of the blue-collar good for some headlines and Filipino, and this is the type that the well-financed effort to polite society would neither vest deodorize the great crimes of with awards nor recognize.

Napoles. Good for the country, Today, in and out of the univer- it did not wash. sity towns that expressed purple But where Napoles is in the rage over the biggest congressional process of wiggling her way scam in the history of the corrup- out of jail, no thanks to the plition-prone Congress, the anti-pork ability of the justice system, her GRAFkTI HAVE MOSTLY VANISHED g#IVIL alleged principal cohorts in that society,� or what passes for it, has SARO-for-cash scam have been moved on into more recent head- blissful beneficiaries of that line-grabbing issues. The bloviation transient rage. Former senators of the TV talking heads — which Bong Revilla, Juan Ponce Enrile anti-pork rants recorded high deci- and Jinggoy Estrada, are not bels then — have ceased and they only out of their detention cells. have stopped their rants altogether. They are now free men running Today, if the scam ever gets for senator. They are even posits occasional media moment, ing as the aggrieved party and the urgent and shrill talk comes that ploy seems to be working. from the Napoles lawyers, who Jinggoy and Bong, believe it equate the travails of the pork or not, are in the pool of posq u e e n t o t h e s u f f e r i n g s o f sible winners and the survey the early Catholics that lan- results send them into fits of guished in the catacombs. endless swaggering. And why The former Justice secretary should they not swagger? Chel even attempted to undertake Diokno and Erin Taùada, who the elementary steps of painting come from families of patriots Napoles as the innocent victim, and who can serve the Senate on lured into the scam through day one with integrity and intelthe coaching and inducement ligence, have languished at the of the evil and conniving duo bottom of the surveys, clearly of Frank (Drilon) and Butch rejected by voters who can’t dis(Abad.) Never mind the docu- tinguish the deserving from the

MIDWEEK COMMENTS MARLEN V. RONQUILLO

crooks. Those jailed on plunder charges are ascendant.

Bong and Jinggoy, who, according to Benhur, used many aliases like “Anak� or “Seksi� or “ Pogi� in receiving the tens of millions of pesos in kickbacks from the greatest scam in congressional history, have been in the so-called Magic 12 , the names of the possible winners.

And no amount of reminders on what they did to destroy the institution of the Senate has swayed the voters to favor them and miss Diokno and TaĂąada.

Is this political season a springtime for crooks?

The transitory nature of the country’s outrage and our marginal, diminished focus on civic virtues have clearly conspired to resurrect what should have been the dead-end political careers of Jinggoy and Bong.

And this is brazenly, shamelessly advertised in this current election cycle.

After brief periods in jail, Bong and Jinggoy are not only in our town to eat again but to be senators of the realm.

What is revolting at its core is now totally acceptable. At the expense of the deserving candidate-patriots whose only excess is to have too much of virtue.

And there is even a suggestion, in this sorry environment where crooks are having a ball and a springtime, to rename the country “ Maharlika .� Ok, if Maharlika means having been stripped of the last sliver of nobility and humanity.

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

WEDNESDAY February 20, 2019

Q TATAD FROM A1

of government, even though in reality even our political parties do not have their own programs of government. And each candidate tries to give the impression that they have a solution to every problem before it arises, or even if it does not at all arise. The ubiquitous Bong Go tops this list. He may or may not even be familiar with the basic rules of parliamentary proceedings, but he wants to assure his audience he’s ready to scratch every itch.

In reality, a senator does not enter the Senate with his or her own legislative priorities. Whether in a parliamentary or presidential system, the legislative agenda is provided by the Executive — the President in the case of the presidential system, the Cabinet in case of parliamentary government. And after the budget, which is the most important piece of legislation for any government, there cannot be more than 20 important laws that a parliament or congress can enact each year. It is therefore ludicrous for a senaTORIAL WANNABE TO TALK OF kLING A hundred legislative proposals to solve all the nation’s woes.

The number of bills

When I was in the Senate, one hardworking colleague refiled under his name over a hundred bills and resolutions which had been unacted upon in the previous Congress. This enabled people to say he was the author of the most number of bills and resolutions in the Senate. But this had little or nothing to do with a legislator’s work, which is not reckoned in terms of the number of bills authored or sponsored.

To begin with, no law is ever enacted on the basis of the work The initial forums of one legislator alone; every legislation is the work of the entire Some institutions have organized Congress, with the support and “senatorial forums� to test the approval of the President. quality of the candidates. And I want to illustrate this statement individuals who have not spoken by citing the case of the late Sen. on anything most of their lives Arturo Tolentino. He was the last ARE NOW ASKED TO DEkNE THEIR PO- great parliamentarian to sit with sitions on matters of public inter- us in the Senate; one of the greatest. The organizers or moderators est minds of his time. It was his ASK THE CANDIDATES TO DEkNE THEIR last term, and he did not have to political platforms as though author a single bill or resolution, each individual candidate were but every time he rose to pose a a political party with a program simple parliamentary question or

SEEK CLARIkCATION ON ANY BILL BEING SPONSORED ON THE lOOR BY THEN Sen. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, he shed so much light on the discussions that you wished every other senator were a Tolentino.

Since the May 2019 elections do not threaten to replace the Duterte administration whose term expires in 2022, even if the opposition candidates should win, a debate on programs of government cannot possibly be usefully undertaken by the senatorial candidates, without two presidential candidates participating. No senatorial candidate is expected to have a program of government, so it would be pointless to ask a candidate who is not supporting DU30, “What is your program of government?�

toward China with respect to the nation’s territorial claims in contested West Philippine/South China Sea waters; —his antagonistic tendencies toward the Church and religion; and —his inclination to threaten with violence people he doesn’t like or who disagree with him.

Gangsterization of our politics

I would like to hear the candidates speak their minds on what the Indian-American conservative author and filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza calls the “gangsterization� of our politics.

By this term, the person who criticizes or exposes the health secrets of the authoritarian leader is not his critic but his enemy; he Change after DU30 must therefore take him out. I apparently fell into this category Why? Because, for as long as DU30 when I wrote about his reported is the president, there is no chance recent kidney transplant, which for an opposition personality to has not been denied. introduce his own program of govThis is very much a current ernment, unless like Juan GuaIdo, issue. I refer to it not because I the head of the Venezuelan nation- am the one DU30 had threatened al assembly, he plans to proclaim to slap in the face for exercising himself the interim president. For my resourcefulness, and whose this reason, it is unnecessary for wife he had threatened to abuse Liberal Party candidate Manuel for being my wife, but simply Roxas 2nd to say “I can work with because it is a fundamental issue the DU30 government.� The way which cannot go undiscussed. It I see it, he is running precisely should not happen at any other because he wants to work with the time, but not particularly at this time when we are preparing for DU30 government.

If elected senator, Roxas will be a new election. But not a single just one opposition senator among CANDIDATE FOR NATIONAL OFkCE OR A many; he will have to work with major news outlet or commentaDU30, even if he doesn’t like it. tor appears to have noticed it.

But a meaningful debate among Although I do not expect the senatorial candidates can still others to fight my own battles, be organized between the DU30 this threat against me could camp and the opposing side, by s o m e h ow b e c o m e a t h r e a t DEkNING THE MAJOR ISSUES INVOLVED to others. It may be easier to and asking the candidates to speak simply pretend the problem to all the issues. does not exist, but if one who has borne storms, floods, volSenatorial issues canic eruptions, earthquakes and political adversities allows There will be no need to examine himself to be easily cancelled, whether it is worthwhile keeping who else will remain? I look $5 IN OFkCE ‡ THAT WILL COME forward to hearing one or two in 2022 when his term expires. of those who have not lost sight But the senatorial debate could of the truly important issues of decide whether or not certain national interest. They have to policies of DU30 should change. speak out. This may be the only These should include: way to have a truly productive —DU30’s brutal war on illegal national debate. drugs and the extrajudicial killings; —his policy of appeasement fstatad@gmail.com

Why autocrats are replacing democrats PENNSYLVANIA: “If you look at Trump in America and Bolsonaro in Brazil, you see that people want politicians that do what they promise,� said Spanish businessman Juan Carlos Perez Carreno.

The Spaniard was explaining to The New York Times what lay behind the rise of Vox, which the Times calls “Spain’s first farright party since the end of the Franco dictatorship in 1975.�

Indeed, the growing impatience of peoples with elected leaders and legislators who cannot or will not act decisively explains two realities of our time: the eclipse of Congress and the rise of autocracy worldwide.

In condemning President Donald Trump’s decision to declare a national emergency and use Pentagon funds to build his wall, Beltway elites have charged the president with a multitude of sins against the Constitution.

He has usurped the “power of the purse� that the Founding Fathers invested in Congress.

He has disregarded the “checks and balances� of Madisonian democracy. He is acting like an imperial president.

Yet the decline of Congress is not a recent phenomenon. And the principal collaborator in its fall from grace, from being “the first branch of government� to the least esteemed, has been Congress itself, its own timidity and cowardice.

Contrast, if you will, the nowinveterate torpor and inaction of Congress with how presidents, declared by historians to be great or near great, have acted.

Thomas Jefferson seized upon

CREATORS SYNDICATE

PATRICK J. BUCHANAN Napoleon’s sudden offer to sell the vast Louisiana territory for $15 million in an act of dubious constitutionality by Jefferson’s own judgment. History has validated his decision.

Andrew Jackson — “John Marshall has made his decision; now let him enforce it!� — shoved aside a Supreme Court ruling denying him the right to transfer the Indians of Florida to the middle of the country.

Abraham Lincoln arrested Maryland legislators to prevent a secessionist-minded legislature from meeting, violated the habeas corpus rights of thousands, ordered Chief Justice Roger Taney arrested, shut down newspapers, and, in January 1863, declared free all the slaves of every state still in rebellion against the Union. “I took Panama!� said Theodore Roosevelt, whose agents helped rebels shear off the province from Colombia to build his canal.

FDR ordered some 110,000 Japanese, 75,000 of them US citizens, into detention camps in 1942 for the duration of the war.

Without authorization from Congress, Harry Truman ordered US troops into South Korea in 1950 to resist the invasion by North Korea, calling it a police action.

Though a Republican House voted against attacking Serbia in 1998, Bill Clinton continued

his 78-day bombing campaign until Belgrade yielded up its cradle province of Kosovo.

Yet while presidents have acted decisively, without congressional authorization and sometimes unconstitutionally, Congress has failed to defend, and even surrendered, its legitimate constitutional powers.

Congress’s authority “to regulate commerce with foreign nations� has been largely ceded to the executive branch, with Congress agreeing to confine itself to a “yeah� or “nay� vote on whatever trade treaty the White House negotiates and sends to the Hill.

Congress’s authority to “coin money� and “regulate the value thereof� was long ago transferred to the Federal Reserve.

Congress’s power to declare war has been ignored by presidents since Truman. Authorizations for the use of military force have replaced declarations of war, with presidents deciding how broadly they may be interpreted.

In declaring the national emergency Friday, Trump rested his case on authority given the president by Congress in the National Emergencies Act of 1976.

The Supreme Court has usurped Congress’ powers with impunity.

While the civil rights acts of the 1960s were enacted by Congress, the desegregation of America’s public schools was simply ordered by the Warren Court in 1954.

In the ‘60s and ‘70s, Congress sat indolent as busing for racial balance was imposed on countless school districts by federal judges.

As the Supreme Court, for

decades, exploited the establishment clause of the First Amendment to de-Christianize all public schools and public places, Congress did nothing. A triumphant court then moved on to declare abortion and same-sex marriage constitutional rights.

Yet Congress had the latent power, in Article III, Section 2, to restrict the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court and every other federal court. But the big stick the founders left for Congress to corral a runaway Supreme Court was never picked up, never used.

High among the reasons Trump was elected was that, for all his flaws and failings, he was seen as a doer, a man who “gets things done.�

And high among the reasons that autocrats are on the rise is that the centrist parties being shoved aside are perceived as having failed the people in their most basic demands — fewer migrants, more secure borders, preservation of national identity, putting their own people and their country own first.

Whatever may be said of the autocrats, be it Trump, Putin or Xi Jinping, they are not talkers but doers. They act.

And they may very well own the future. CREATORS.COM

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

A5

Malthus and the global peril

Toward a productive senatorial debate The Commission on Elections has trimmed down the list of senatorial candidates from over a hundred to 62, from whom the voters are expected to pick 12 new senators on May 13 for a term of six years. Many can hardly name six worthy candidates. A senator is entitled to serve for two consecutive terms, but one candidate is running for a third term, in the company of two blood brothers with different surnames, and one former SENATOR WHO IS DISQUALIkED BY law for failing to submit his statement of campaign contributions and expenses in two previous ELECTIONS )T LOOKS LIKE THE kRST requirement is for someone to violate some laws in order to qualify for election as lawmaker.

A former senator and movie actor who had to hire someone to interpret the English texts of senatorial proceeedings is also being billed as a “sure winner.�

The country’s two notorious polling firms have managed to pick the voters’ alleged top CHOICES EVEN BEFORE THE OFkCIAL campaign period began on February 13, and it’s now a question of who has the machine and the MONEY TO SUSTAIN THE CROOKED kCtion of the fraudsters. The propaganda surveys are no longer mere devices to condition the mind of the public on what election results to expect; far better than that, they announce in advance what the cheating machinery will announce as the “genuine results� of the fraudulent electoral process. They no longer merely predict what the Smartmatic automated system will deliver, they decide what the system will announce. This is the bastardization of the electoral process.

Opinion

I

DEPART from conspiracy theories and speculate on a phenomenon whose impact is now being felt worldwide. The world population currently stands at 7.683 billion ( www. worldmeters.info/world-population). The disturbing statistic is that it took 200K years since the appearance of homo sapiens to reach a billion at the turn of the 1800s; and a mere 200 years to reach 7 billion today. By 2050, at current growth rates, the United Nations predicts the world population could reach 9.6 billion.

Demographic experts argue 10 billion is the earth’s maximum population carrying capacity; predicated too on another projection that earth can afford to feed only this much.

While in college, I was fascinated by the hypothesis of an 18th century philosopher, Thomas Malthus, whose writings centered on world population and its capacity to consume the earth’s resources. “The power of population is so superior to the power of the Earth to produce subsistence for man, that premature death must in some shape or other visit the human race.�

(Thomas Robert Malthus) Malthus postulates that population grows geometrically while world food production only arithmetically — eventually, more mouths will need more of earth’s resources, so that population growth at some point will outstrip food supply. Other writers and philosophers waded into the debate on the carrying capacity of planet earth, where at the turn of the century many predicted worldwide famine and chaos would ensue. Malthus softened this position with his “Malthusian trapâ€? theory stating that excess population would stop growing due to starvation brought about by shortage of food supply. He projected further that certain corrections will intervene in the form of natural preventive checks, either by government and totalitarian methods or “deus ex machinaâ€? forcing population and earth’s resources on an equilibrium or sustainable level. This is his “Malthusian catastrophe.â€? More benign proposals to correct this imbalance were later adopted by governments through population control; â€œâ€Śfamily planning, late marriages and celibacy.â€?

But 19th, 20th and 21st century technology advancement intervened, increasing food supply to go hand in hand with the growing population – again broadening the parameters for population growth and food resources, debunking Malthus’ original projections. But com-

LITO MONICO C. LORENZANA mon sense dictates that eventually, something has got to give.

In an excellent article by author Jared Diamond “The Global Peril of Inequality� ( National Geographic , December 2018), the effects of the Malthusian paradigm has been played out in a parallel venue — with a twist. His theme is that “Life on earth is at risk from climate change, nuclear attack, dwindling resources — and the chasm between the rich and poor.� These were unknown and could not have been predicted during the era of Malthus.

The last two of the four risks are the subject of this article.

The conflict in population vis-Ă -vis use of resources has been translated into the world’s economic divide — the haves and the have-nots; the rich and the poor; the developed and developing countries. For millennia, the encroachment of the colonial countries on the share of the earth’s resources has been implacable. The victims were never totally aware of these striking disparities until exposed to the living standards partly contributed by the resources extracted from the victims themselves. Diamond blamed this on “globalization,â€? the result of the eventual interconnections worldwide. Diamond put this succinctly: â€œâ€ŚUntil recently those poor people elsewhere were no threat to rich countries. ‘They’ out there didn’t know much about our lifestyle — and even if they did and became angry, they couldn’t do anything about it.â€? No longer. They are now a threat not only to the “haves, the rich and the developed world,â€? but even to their own — from whence they came. They see the higher living standards of these countries and they want these for themselves, not accepting the fact that these developed countries have decades and generations to practice their exploitative methods. Diamond further posits â€œâ€Ś people with spartan lifestyle WANT AFlUENT ONES )N MOST DEveloping countries, increasing living standards is a top policy goal. But millions of people in those countries won’t wait to see whether their government can deliver higher living standards within their lifetime.â€? And these developing countries will not be able to deliver in the foreseeable future. Thus, notwithstanding each country’s internal dynamics, Diamond’s assertion will

ÂłLorenzanaA6

Q AVERIA FROM A4

The source code review findings them to decrypt the transmission package themselves.

Additionally, the local source code reviewers recommended the following: — That the Comelec develop and implement an audit protocol for the entire automated election system, particularly, the audit logs of the VCM and the canvassing and consolidation system servers, as deployed prior to any proclamation. The audit team can be headed by the DICT, and participated in by other competent government agencies. — The hash codes from the trusted build stored at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas be compared to the hash codes of the programs deployed in the machines on election day. — A decryption utility be provided to extract the contents of the SD cards for audit purposes. — The review of the source code is highly abstract. Guided and unguided sessions are conducted but the exercise mainly involves going through the source

code line by line. And only selected parts of the source code are reviewed. The local source code reviewers recommended that the source code be compiled (a process of converting the source code into its machine-executable version) and a test run of the programs be included in the exercise.

The review of the source code being done by various groups is still ongoing and will be terminated in March. It was also announced during the public hearing that the source code of the election results transmission system will still be reviewed by the local source code reviewers.

The source code reviewed by Pro V&V has been subjected to trusted build exercises and the executable codes which will be used by the components of the automated election system generated. The recommendations of the local source code reviewers may no longer be implemented.

A6

Opinion

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

WEDNESDAY February 20, 2019

Q TIGLAO FROM A1

The truth about Ressa and her vilification of Duterte Ressa is therefore unlikely to give up her portrayal of herself as a victim of the suppression of the press in a country which she says has a media that have been cowed.

In the description of her in Rappler and in other foreign awardgiving sites, she is portrayed as a distinguished journalist who was given more than seven awards by international media outfits, including one as Time magazine’s “Person of the Year.�

This were all given only in 2018 after Ressa, with the help of Yellow forces, managed to portray internationally as instances of Duterte’s alleged authoritarianism the actions of two state agencies in upholding our rule of law.

First, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s ruled that it had violated the constitutional ban on foreign money in media. And second, the National Bureau of Investigation decided to pursue a private citizens’ libel charge against Ressa.

That is, in just a year of her efforts in portraying the Philippines as under authoritarian rule, Ressa got at least seven awards and international acclaim (or sympathy). In contrast, she couldn’t get a single such award in her 16 years with CNN. (The Wikipedia entry on Ressa reports that she received an Overseas Press Club Award for Best Documentary and the National Headliner Award for Investigative Journalism, presumably before 2018. The two awards’ websites though do not report her receiving such honors.)

Three elephants I had admired Ressa for her audacity in going into broadcast media which, especially in the US, has three elephants in their news studios, which would have quickly trampled her.

First is its bias against nonwhites. Second is the bias for staff whose physical features conform to Anglo-Saxon notions of beauty. And third is the bias against women. A cursory research makes this point obvious. CNN has about 200 anchors and correspondents.

How many are black females?

Two. How many of Asian descent?

Three. How many aren’t AngloSaxon lookers? None.

This is not my opinion but the result of numerous scholarly studies on US media and its biases.

53 MEDIA OUTkTS RUSH TO DEFEND Ressa, I suspect, is an instance of their hypocrisy and their collective guilt for their bigotry.

Ressa managed to stay long at CNN because a major concern of US and its media minions had emerged: The outbreak of Islamic terrorism in the Philippines and in Indonesia.

CNN exploited her: Ressa’s looks and her family links in the two countries (one parent is Indonesian, I was TOLD BUT CANNOT CONkRM MADE IT easy for her to access sources among terrorists and government.

Despite her coverage though, the three elephants in CNN’s news studios eventually got to kick her out. I was told that she WAS GIVEN THAT gRESIGN OR BE kREDu kind of message by CNN early in 2003, when she was Jakarta bureau chief. And she thought she could be CNN’s next Cristiane Amanpour, her career idol. Did you notice that CNN as an institution didn’t issue a statement in support of its former staff?

Resign or be fired ABS-CBN recruited her in 2004 to head its news division, the idea of its president then, a purportedly marketing genius, Freddie Garcia, who argued that Ressa would give the oligarch-owned station the “CNN sheen� of excellence. Chairman Gabby Lopez was said to have been delighted that he would be seen as the Philippines’ Ted Turner.

Ressa though proved to be a big headache for Lopez, insiders in the network reported. (See for instance https://www.thedailysentry. net/2018/10/a-scandalous-messthat-maria-ressa-of.html?m=1) Did you notice that neither ABS-CBN, nor its media bigwigs like its president Charo Santos, Luchie Cruz-Valdez, Karen Davila and Charie Villa have spoken a word in defense of their former colleague, a “kabaro� at that? Yel-

low leader Mar Roxas – if not for his wife Korina Sanchez – would have raised a howl over Ressa’s “persecution,� but didn’t.

All these women despised Ressa, for various reasons, and BUGGED ,OPEZ TO kRE HER -ANY in the network, even Lopez’s conservative relatives, were allegedly also scandalized over Ressa’s open lesbian relationship with Lilibeth Frondoso — married but separated — who became some kind of power in the network because of her closeness to the controversial news head. Gabby’s mestizo executives and friends incessantly asked him: “Are you really comfortable with Ressa being the face of ABS-CBN?�

Gabby Lopez, I was told by insiders, got the excuse to give Ressa the gRESIGN OR BE kREDu MESSAGE WHEN he got undeniable proof that she was moonlighting, that is, giving interviews, for a fee, on Philippine developments with CNN and other 53 MEDIA OUTkTS WHOM SHE WOULD later tap to raise a howl against the libel charge against her). Her services to ABS-CBN was exclusive, according to her contract.

End of career That would have been the end of Ressa’s career in broadcast media.

The Philippine broadcast industry is a small, gossipy world, and no other media enterprise — even Manuel Pangilinan’s new Channel 5 to whom she sent feelers to join — would take her in. Al-Jazeera, which had been pirating CNN broadcasters, was run by British executives and had the same three elephants of bigotry in their studies.

While her work in covering terrorists in the Philippines and Indonesia got her to be a consultant in academic and intelligence institutions in the US, her expertise in Islamic jihad became gradually doubted because of her exaggeration of the extent of the network of the Islamist jihadists in Southeast Asia, and her conclusion that these were all directed by al-Qaeda.

For instance, in her 2012 book Seeds of Terror: An Eyewitness

Account of Al-Qaeda’s Newest Center,� Ressa claimed that the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) was really a part of al-Qaeda, and that its Camp Abubakr was a sprawling training camp for the Bin Laden terrorist group.

She even stridently criticized former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo for undertaking peace talks with the insurgent groups, and even reported claims that her military sold arms to the MILF. In a self-serving way since she had covered two countries in the region that had Muslim terrorists, Ressa’s thesis was that Southeast Asia — because Indonesia had the biggest Muslim population while the 0HILIPPINES WAS WEAK IN kGHTING terrorists — would be the center of Islamic jihad in the world.

Obviously, subsequent events — the peace agreement with the MILF and the decline of al-Qaeda as well as Bin Laden’s killing — made Ressa’s expertise passÊ, if not inaccurate. The US and the West’s main concern became the rise of the Islamic State, which was far, far beyond Ressa’s world of Southeast Asian jihadists.

Her narrow field of expertise in journalism, Islamic jihad in Southeast Asia, became useless.

Devastating That would have been the end of Ressa’s journalistic career which would have been devastating for her immense ego which, going by accounts of those who have worked with her, compensated for her diminutive size and looks.

She found a new career when the Benigno Aquino 3rd camp, after he assumed power in 2010, had the brilliant idea of setting up a news website, in order to control the emerging world of social media, and to form a tag team with the Philippine Daily Inquirer the Yellows had their thumbs on.

The plan became urgent when Aquino decided to undertake the unprecedented project of removing the Chief Justice, Renato Corona. It was his clan’s last-resort move to control the Supreme Court so it would rule that the

Shifting powers in full display

F

OR Filipino voters, I would imagine, what happened politically in recent months and weeks in the United Kingdom, Australia and even my own country of Malaysia and perhaps a few other member states of the British Commonwealth (a loose confederation of mostly former British colonies) is perhaps unthinkable.

In the Philippines, as I understand it, the president who is the chief executive of the country is popularly elected separately from members of the Congress, and may NOT BE REMOVED FROM OFkCE SHORT of impeachment and conviction in Congress for what must have been great offenses. Otherwise, the president stays put to complete his SINGLE TERM OF OFkCE Not necessarily so with the chief executives of many Commonwealth members states which practice parliamentary democracy.

The voters in these countries get to elect only the members of parliament (roughly equivalent TO #ONGRESS -ORE SPECIkCALLY IN the UK and Malaysia, for example, only the lower house of parliament (roughly equivalent to the House of Representatives) is popularly elected, while the members of the upper house (roughly equivalent to the Senate) are appointed. A notable exception is Australia, where members of both houses of parliament are popularly elected.

But the main point here is the voters typically do not get to directly elect the chief executive or head of government of the country, who typically is called a prime minister, with the king, president or governor-general (in Commonwealth member states which still consider the British Queen to be THEIR OFkCIAL HEAD OF STATE TYPIcally relegated to symbolic roles.

Instead, in most of these parliamentary democracies, as the

liamentary majority was achieved and the plurality party forms a government, albeit an unstable one.

Well, what the parliament can form it can also dissolve. Unlike in the Philippines and the United States where a sitting president can only be removed by impeachname suggests, parliament is ment and conviction for actual, supposed to reign supreme, even grave offenses, in parliamentary when it comes to the formation democracies there is usually this of a government. The prime INlUENTIAL POLITICAL TOOL CALLED A minister is typically the member gVOTE OF NO CONkDENCE u !GAIN

of the lower house of parliament in theory, detecting winds of who commands the support of discontent swirling above the a majority of his parliamentary political arena, the opposition colleagues (usually after a fresh (minority) party in the lower general election, but not neces- house of parliament could put sarily so), who is then appointed forward a so-called motion of by the largely ceremonial head of gNO CONkDENCEu AGAINST THE GOVstate. In theory, a house of parlia- ernment of the day, even though ment could be composed of all the opposition votes by thempolitically mutually independent selves could not have carried the members, a majority of whom motion. It was hoped, sometimes coming forward “spontaneously� not so vainly, that some parliato support one among them- mentary members of the ruling selves to be the prime minister. party would “defect� and vote In practice, however, modern against their own government. partisan politics is the order of the This was what the British Labor day. Most candidates for parliamen- Party did after Prime Minister tary (congressional) seats typically Theresa May’s Brexit proposal represent the various political par- was humiliatingly defeated by TIES TO WHICH THEY ARE AFkLIATED )N a large margin, not least by the UK, there are the Conservatives and “defection� of her own ConservaLabor. In Australia, there are the tive parliamentary members. In Liberals and Labor, too. If a party the event, despite Conservative wins an outright majority in the dissension when it came to the lower house of parliament, then earlier Brexit vote, the Conservathe parliamentary leader of that tives quickly regrouped to defeat party typically becomes the prime the motion of no confidence minister. If no party wins an out- against the May government. right majority in the lower house, )F THE VOTE OF NO CONkDENCE as is the case with the UK now, had passed, the government of then the party with the plurality of the day would have to resign, (most) seats would typically form and either fresh election is called a coalition with other smaller par- (which by the way is partially ties until a parliamentary majority responsible for rendering the is reached, and the plurality party’s terms of government in many parliamentary leader becomes parliamentary democracies not prime minister. There were rare to be able to be fixed), or a OCCASIONS SUCH AS HAVING BRIElY new coalition government is atoccurred in Australia, when no par- tempted which must then face a

EI SUN OH

NEW VOTE OF CONkDENCE )N OTHER words, it is the parliament which essentially forms the government holding the executive power.

The real political intrigues, however, typically take part in the ruling or even the opposition parties. Brexit, for example, is a divisive political subject among both the British Conservatives and Labors. There are of course genuine ideological differences over the necessity, nature and speed of Brexit among British parliamentarians of the same party. But more often, Brexit has been utilized as a political weapon to advance their respective political ambitions. May was fortunate that at the end of the day, her Conservative parliamentary colleagues saw that she was still their most viable leader in facing down Labor, and hence did not join the latter in trying to topple her government by a VOTE OF NO CONkDENCE 4HEY ALSO did not mount an intra-party leadership challenge against her. As to the Labors, some parliamentarians have recently left the party to protest their own leader’s ambiguous stance over Brexit, instead of challenging his leadership outright.

In Australia, however, the past decade has witnessed an almost annual or biennial change of prime ministers, mostly due to the alternately ruling Liberals and Labor having mounted intra-party leadership challenges against their respective sitting prime ministers. Some may argue that such frequent change of the head of government is not conducive to smooth and steady running of the government, but others may also argue that the essence of democracy is partly also frequent change OF GOVERNMENT TO RElECT SHIFTING political wills. What do you think?

agrarian-reform compensation for his clan’s Hacienda Luisita would be P10 billion, not the P200 million the Agrarian Reform department calculated it should be.

2APPLER OFkCIALLY WENT ONLINE Jan. 1, 2012 a few days before Corona’s impeachment trial started, WITH EVEN ITS kRST MAJOR STORY ‡ symbolically? — a false one that claimed that the Chief Justice cheated to get his PhD, which is still posted by the website.

As my colleague Yen Makabenta wrote yesterday: “Rappler served as cheerleader for every sordid turn in the impeachment trial up to the very end; it said nothing when the prosecution was caught manufacturing evidence, and when Aquino was exposed in his bribery of the senator-jurors.�

and Fulgencio Factoran.)

An American, Ressa tapped his contacts with the help of Yellow supporters in New York, and got TWO 53 OUTkTS /MIDYAR .ETWORK and North Base Media to invest P100 million in the website to save it from going under.

SEC ruling

An American, Ressa probably had never read the Philippine Constitution with its ban on foreigners in media, or she had such a culture of impunity that she thought she could ignore the laws of this puny nation.

The Securities and Exchange Commission ruled that indeed Rappler was in violation of the Constitution and must be dissolved.

Ressa panicked and claimed kRST THAT THE FOREIGN MONEY WAS Vicious, false articles donated to its managers. When that proved impossible (the Rappler competed in posting managers told her they can’t pay having vicious, false articles that for the taxes for such gifts), she demonized Corona with the claimed that the investments Philippine Daily Inquirer. were in the form of securities, the It was in fact Rappler’s en- kind PLDT and ABS-CBN use to thusiasm in vilifying Corona to go around the constitutional ban justify its existence to its Yellow on foreign money in media. overlords that got it into trouble Oops! The Bureau of Internal It reported in May 2012 that Revenue read about her explanaCorona was using an SUV owned tion, studied it for months, and by a Filipino businessmen involved ruled that Rappler’s issuance in “human trafficking and drug of securities generated capital smuggling.� Of course, that angered gains, which therefore must be the businessmen so much he has taxed. Rappler evaded such paypursued a libel case against Rappler. ment of P133 million in taxes, Ressa has cried to the world the BIR concluded. The Justice that it was just Duterte wanting department had to agree with the to suppress Rappler. ")2 AND kLED A TAX EVASION CASE Because of its huge technol- against Ressa and her executives. ogy expenses to build a big Ressa cried to the world that audience in cyberspace and its she is being persecuted. Ressa has above-industry salaries for Ressa VILIkED HER COUNTRY OF BIRTH FOR and his gang, Rappler got to the her egoistic ambitions. brink of bankruptcy, especially American media are automatiwhen the Yellows lost power in cally biased against a Third World 4HE 9ELLOWS HAD DIFkCULTIES leader who doesn’t pay obeisance bankrolling it either covertly or to the US, and after all this puny overtly such as through contracts country is not that important to with the tourism department. fact-check the lies a fellow Ameri(Because of its success in portray- can tells them. ing Duterte as an authoritarian though, Rappler appears to have Email: tiglao.manilatimes@ been recently infused with new gmail.com Yellow money: Its two new board Facebook: Rigoberto Tiglao directors were with Cory AquiTwitter: @bobitiglao NO S HIGH OFkCIALS 3OLITA -ONSOD Archives at: www.rigobertotiglao.com

Q LORENZANA FROM A5

Malthus and the global peril precipitate three general threats exacerbating the economic and social divide, fueled by globalization. Diamond summarizes these into three categories: health, terrorism and migration.

The spread of disease has been aggravated by â€œâ€Śtravelers from poor countries where the diseases are endemic and public health measures are weak.â€? Airplanes accelerate in hours diffusion of infected food and passengers thousands of kilometers from the source.

Terrorism. “Global inequality itself isn’t the direct cause of terrorist acts. Religious fundamentalism and individual psychopathology play essential roles. Every country has its crazy, angry individuals driven to kill; poor countries have no monopoly on them. But in poor countries today, people are barraged with media visions of lifestyle that are available elsewhere in the world and unavailable to them. In anger and desperation, some become terrorists themselves; others tolerate or support terrorists.�

Migration. One of the greatest hoaxes propagated by developed countries is that adoption of good policies by governments led by honest and incorruptible political leaders eventually result in a similar improvement of quality of life for its people. This has been the guiding principles of the World Bank-IMF, the ADB and the multilaterals preaching the bible of good governance and good economic behavior. This is a cruel deception as the world’s resources are no longer available to emerging economies as they have been co-opted by the developed economies for decades. These countries can no longer enjoy the

consumption rates that Americans, for example, take for granted.

Taking the average consumption of oil as a gauge for a quality of life, rich countries (the haves) with far less population have consumption up to 30 times as high as they are in poor countries HAVE NOTS 4HIS HIGH kGURE IS calculated as being enough for 10-fold the current world population — such a waste of resources!

This is where we revert to MalTHUS 4HE WORLD S RESOURCES ARE knite and technology can no longer mitigate the effects of a disastrous population bursting at the seams.

What is needed is a new global paradigm. Diamond proposes the equalization of consumption rates for all. US consumption is the most wasteful of all advanced economies.

Western Europe, which has a similar life quality, has a consumption rate half that of America (per capita oil consumption) “ — and yet the average Western European’s well-being is higher than that of the average American by any meaningful criteRION SUCH AS kNANCIAL SECURITY AFTER retirement, health, infant mortality, life expectancy, and vacation time.�

To stave off the Malthusian disaster and the Global Peril, Diamond hints of the application by developed countries of their collective political will. America and the developed world need to lower consumption while maintaining a good quality of life and in effect improve the developing countries’ own. Studies also show that improvement in lifestyle stunts population growth.

This is what we must confront today. We only have one home — Planet Earth. We make it livable.

Or we perish together.

Regions DepEd-ARMM suspends services over complaints Army monitors 3 Negros mayors supporting NPA B

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur: The Department of Education of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DepEd-ARMM) temporarily suspended its services after visitors disrupted operations in its regional office in Cotabato City on Monday morning. Reports reaching The Manila Times  said walk-in visitors to the DepEdARMM regional office harassed agency officials as they questioned alleged irregularities in the appointment of teachers.  The complainants accused the officials of appointing “unqualified teachersâ€? facilitated by “fixers.â€?  The DepEd-ARMM released about two weeks ago the appointments of new teachers.  Rasol Mitmug Jr., DepEdARMM regional secretary, said in a statement, “We would like to advise our clients to behave accordingly when doing transactions with our offices and personnel.â€?Â

WEDNESDAY February 20, 2019

Mitmug said they were aware of the presence of “fixers� at their regional office. “We encourage our clients to transact directly with us — not through these fixers as this may invalidate their transactions, including applications with us,� he added.  He said, “should there be issues on your transactions with us, please file a report with the Action Center for Education.  “Lastly, we do not tolerate threats or harassments from our walk-in visitors.

The Office of the Regional DepEd-ARMM Secretary is seriously looking into this incident. We will be working closely with proper authorities to address this issue and will take legal actions against the perpetrators,�

Mitmug said. He then apologized for any inconvenience that the incident had caused. “Please wait for further notice on the resumption of our services,� he said.

MASIDING NOOR YAHYA

BY EUGENE Y. ADIONG

ACOLOD CITY: The military has monitored at least three Negros Occidental mayors who have been supporting the New People’s !RMY .0!

A TOP 0HILIPPINE !RMY OFkCIAL SAID on Tuesday.

Col. Benedict Arevalo, comMANDING OFkCER OF THE 0HILIPPINE Army’s 303rd Infantry Brigade based in Barangay Minoyan of Murcia town, said: “There is one mayor in the south, one in the

central and another one in the north. At least three mayors, so there could be more including SOME OTHER LOCAL OFkCIALS u But, he added, “I cannot name names because I also want to pro-

tect them. We will not judge them and we will not take it against them. It is not our jobs in the military to prove their guilt.�

Arevalo said the Department of the Interior and Local Government HAD ALREADY WARNED THE LOCAL OFkCIALS against this because it was illegal. “The persistent Intel report is that these politicians are giving or GETTING kNANCIAL SUPPORT LOGISTICS

manpower, and private armed groups from the NPAs,� Arevalo said, adding that foreign governments had also declared the NPA

A7

as a terrorist group. “So, I would also like to remind OUR OFkCIALS TO REFRAIN FROM GIVing and getting support from the NPAs. Our role in the army is to maintain and ensure the conduct of peaceful elections,� he said.

Gov. Alfredo Maranon Jr., however, said there was no need to remind the mayors and other local OFkCIALS ABOUT THIS BECAUSE THEY already knew that. “Giving support and favors to the rebels means that they are going against the government,� he said.

Nationinbriefs EJERCITO PUSHES FOR UPGRADING OF MINDANAO CENTRAL SANITARIUM SENATOR Joseph Victor “JV� Ejercito underscored the urgent need to upgrade the health facilities of the Mindanao Central Sanitarium (MCS) in Pasobolong, Zamboanga City to efficiently cater to the needs of the people in the region. Ejercito, chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, had authored Senate Bill 1963, an act upgrading the Mindanao Central Sanitarium into a tertiary hospital, increasing its bed capacity for general care services to 300. “This is the most opportune time to increase the MCS’ bed capacity from 1,200 to 1,500 beds in order to conform with the policy of the State to provide quality and efficient health care service, in relation to the national government’s health care agenda,� Ejercito stressed. MCS is a Department of Health-retained hospital with an authorized bed capacity of 450 beds. Under the Sanitaria Conversion Plan, the MCS will be implementing 275 beds, that is 225 beds for custodial care and 50 beds for general services with secondary capabilities.

JAVIER JOE ISMAEL

TARLAC SETS 3RD KANLAHI FESTIVAL TARLAC: The provincial government had set the six-day celebration of the 3rd Kanlungan ng Lahi (Kanlahi) Festival in line with Tarlac’s 146th founding anniversary, catapulted to give premium on the culture, tradition and people of the province.

Lineup of activities and similarly significant highlights of the festival include the March 4 opening day, with a special feature in a TV program and a Mass followed by a media conference, bonsai exhibit, 3D chalk art festival, food festival and trade fair, Saya-Agri fair, opening of an out-patient department at the Tarlac Provincial Hospital, Night Bike Ride and a variety show. On March 7, activities include Zumba, palaro ng lahi and Binibining Kanlahi; while on the next day, featured events would be a three-point shootout, Mobile Legends tournament, cheer dance competition, and music and musical pyro fests. Concluding day of the celebration will highlight fun run, continuation of mobile legends tournament, Gov. Susan Yap car and motor show, and XCO bike and motocross race. The province of Tarlac was formed on May 28, 1873 from a mixture of municipalities of Zambales, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga and Pangasinan. JERRY M. HERNANDEZ

ANAKPAWIS LEADER, GUN-FOR-HIRE MEMBER KILLED IN PANGASINAN BAYAMBANG, Pangasinan: Police are looking into all possible angles in the gun slaying of an officer of the Anakpawis group in this town, as well as the killing of a suspected gun-for-hire member in Tayug town on Monday night. Senior Supt.

Wilson Joseph Lopez, police provincial director, identified the victims as Robert Mejia, reported leader of Anakpawis and vice president of the Bayambang Farmers Association, and Virgilio Benigno, of Barangay Lawak, Tayug. Lopez said Benigno, a suspected gun-for-hire in eastern part of the province, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen along the village road on February 18. The family of Benigno denied his involvement in gun-for-hire activity, claiming the victim was an ordinary farmer and had no known enemy in their village. Meanwhile, Mejia had been criticizing the alleged inaction of the government to investigate the issue on land dispute in Barangay Buenlag 2nd. He was onboard a motorcycle with his brother, Megulito, at about 11:30 p.m. on February 18 when they were shot several times by unidentified gunmen. Robert died from multiple gunshot wounds at the hospital while Meguelito was unhurt. Mayor Cezar Quiambao appealed to the police to solve the killing of Mejia, saying he was not the enemy of the government and known to him personally as a good person.

JAIME G. AQUINO

Q Former special assistant to the President and aspiring senator Christopher Lawrence ‘Bong’ Go interacts with residents in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte during the kick off of the official campaign period. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

SOLID NORTH RALLIES FOR BONG GO

ILOCOS NORTE: Ilocanos rolled out the red carpet for former special assistant to the President (SAP) and aspiring senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong� Go when he visited Laoag City on Monday during the opening salvo of the Hugpong ng Pagbabago’s (HNP) campaign sortie in Ilocos Norte.

Go and his fellow HNP senatorial candidates interacted with a huge crowd of provincial government OFkCIALS LOCAL LEADERS AND RESIDENTS

The former SAP thanked the audience for their continuing support as he reiterated his support for the administration. “I am supporting to the end President Rodrigo Duterte in his kGHT AGAINST ILLEGAL DRUGS CRIMInality and corruption,� Go said, as he reminded the audience to avoid dabbling in drugs as it tears families apart.

He also discussed his top legislative agenda — the im-

provement of healthcare service delivery in the country, through the Malasakit center.

The Malasakit Center, which now has 23 centers nationwide, is a one-stop shop where satellite OFkCES OF GOVERNMENT AGENCIES ARE housed together in one room to make it more convenient and less costly for people in need to process MEDICAL AND kNANCIAL ASSISTANCE Go said he intends to introduce legislation so that the Malasakit Cen-

ters would remain viable even if its PROPONENTS WERE NO LONGER IN OFkCE He also spoke of his legislative agenda that include programs for agriculture, housing, improved healthcare service delivery, education, long-term sports development, localized peace talks, anti-drug and crime drive, anti-corruption drive, barangay (village) welfare, senior citizen concerns and the creation of a Department of overseas Fiipino workers.

5 Caraga areas named priority investment sites  BUTUAN CITY: The Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) of the Department of Agriculture $! IDENTIkED THIS CITY AND kVE provinces in the Caraga Region as among the priority areas in its commodity investment plan for Mindanao.

In a statement, the DA-PRDP said it had identified 33 priority investment areas in Mindanao — 27 provinces and six cities — for the formulation of the Priority Commodity Investment Plans (PCIPs).

The cities in Mindanao include Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Davao, General Santos, Zamboanga and )LIGAN WHILE THE kVE PROVINCES ARE Agusan del Sur, Agusan del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Surigao del Norte and Dinagat Island.

PCIP is designed to help local government units and other stakeholders in identifying priority commodity value chain and

rural infrastructure and enterprise sub-projects that DA-PRDP will support. “This provincial commodity investment plan will become a platform for investments in tryING TO DEVELOP THE AGRI kSHERY sectors of the respective provinces,� said Cerenio Tila, head of Investment in AFMP planning at the local and national levels (I-PLAN) of DA-PRDP. AFMP stands for Agricultural and Fisheries Modernization Plan.

Tila added that PCIP would also become a venue or platform for leveraging technical and financial investments from various government agencies, including the Department of Science and Technology.

He added that the impact of the investments developed from CIPs to the whole value chain development would be the market expanSION LOGISTICS VOLUME lOW QUALITY

and modernization. “The convergence Memorandum of Agreement becomes a binding instrument that will institutionalize support of participating agencies for CIP implementation and mainstreaming of these support into the regular budget and programs of participating agencies,� Tila said.

The importance of PCIPs was also

emphasized in the statement of Tomas Danner Jr., Project Development /FkCER AND )0,!. #OMPONENT (EAD of Agusan del Norte province. “PCIP is very helpful to us especially now that we are updating our provincial physical framework plan. With PCIP, everything is organized from production to marketing,� he added.

ALEXANDER D. LOPEZ

Parental authority over illegitimate child Dear PAO, My former live-in partner, Gilbert, took our ten-year-old son and refused to return the child to me despite my repeated demand. I decided TO kLE A COMPLAINT BEFORE THE barangay (village) where he is residing. During the confrontation, Gilbert insisted that he would have custody of the child since the latter picked HIM WHEN BARANGAY OFkCIALS asked the minor which parent he would like to live with.

Gilbert claimed that the decision of the child should be followed as this was provided under the Family Code of the Philippines. Is Gilbert correct?

Miriam

DEAR PAO

PERSIDA ACOSTA Dear Miriam, The custody of an illegitimate child is governed by the provision of Section 1 of Republic Act (RA) 9255 (An Act Allowing Illegitimate Children to Use the Surname of their Father, Amending for the Purpose Article 176 of Executive Order 209, Otherwise known as the “Family Code of the Philippines),� which states: “Illegitimate children shall use the surname and shall be under

the parental authority of their mother, and shall be entitled to support in conformity with this Code. xxx xxx xxx xxx.�

The above cited law is clear that the parental authority over an illegitimate child belongs to the mother. “The right of custody accorded to parents springs from the exercise of parental authority (Santos vs. Court of Appeals, GR 113054, March 16, 1995, Ponente: Associate Justice Flerida Ruth Romero).�

Gilbert’s claim that the decision of the child should be followed has no legal basis. The choice of the child as to which parent he likes to live with applies only to a situation where the parents are married. Since your son is an illegitimate child, then he is not given the option to

choose. This is in consonance with the decision in the case of Masbate, et al. vs. Relucio (GR 235498, July 30, 2018), where the Supreme Court through Associate Justice Estela Perlas Bernabe stated: “Xxx xxx xxx. Accordingly, since the statement in Pablo-Gualberto invoked by petitioners, i.e., that “Article 213 and Rule 99 similarly contemplate a situation in which the parents of the minor are married to each other x x x,� was based on Briones, then that same statement must be understood according to its proper context — that is, the issue pertaining to the right of a child to choose which parent he prefers to live with. The reason as to why this statement should be understood in said

MANNER IS ACTUALLY NOT DIFkCULT TO discern: the choice of a child over SEVEN YEARS OF AGE kRST PARAGRAPH of Article 213 of the Family Code) and over 10 years of age (Rule 99 of the Rules of Court) shall be considered in custody disputes only between married parents because they are, pursuant to Article 211 of the Family Code, accorded joint parental authority over the persons of their common children.

On the other hand, this choice is not available to an illegitimate child, much more one of tender age such as Queenie (second paragraph of Article 213 of the Family Code), because sole parental authority is given only to the mother, unless SHE IS SHOWN TO BE UNkT OR UNSUITABLE (Article 176 of the Family Code).

xxx xxx xxx xxx.�

Applying the above-cited decision in your situation, the parental authority belongs to you, being the mother. The only instance where such custody can be removed is when it is shown THAT YOU ARE UNkT OR UNSUITABLE This opinion is solely based on the facts you have narrated and our appreciation of the same. The opinion may vary when the facts are changed or further elaborated. We hope that we were able to enlighten you on the matter.

Editor’s note: Dear PAO is a daily column of the Public !TTORNEY S /FkCE 1UESTIONS for Chief Acosta may be sent to dearpao@manilatimes.net

A8

News

WEDNESDAY February 20, 2019

˜ The Manila Times w w w.manilatimes.net

LLDA sanctions 18 bay polluters T

BY EIREENE JAIREE GOMEZ

HE Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) on Tuesday ordered THE CLOSURE OF kVE ESTABLISHMENTS found to have been polluting Manila Bay.

4HE AGENCY ALSO ISSUED NOTICES OF VIOLATION AND EX PARTE ORDERS TO A DOZEN ESTABLISHMENTS IN THE CITIES OF -ANILA AND 0ASAY FOR VIOLATING ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS 4HE ORDERS WERE ISSUED BY THE ,,$! ALONG WITH THE $EPARTMENT OF %NVIRONMENT AND .ATURAL 2ESOURCES $%.2 AND THE $EPARTMENT OF THE )NTERIOR AND ,OCAL 'OVERNMENT 4HE ,,$! ISSUED CEASE AND DESIST ORDERS TO -AX S 2ESTAURANT 5. /ROSA (ENG&ENG +ITCHENETTE

*OLLIBEE &OODS #ORP -ACAPAGAL "IOPOLIS ,AMER #ATERING AND .IHON "ASHITEI *APANESE &OOD g;7E HAVE= ALREADY SERVED THE ;CEASE AND DESIST ORDERS= AND EX PARTE ORDERS WHILE THE ;NOTICES OF

VIOLATION= WILL BE SERVED IN SERIES TODAY u $%.2 5NDERSECRETARY "ENNY !NTIPORDA TOLD 4HE -ANILA Times IN A TEXT MESSAGE /N THE OTHER HAND EX PARTE ORDERS WERE ISSUED TO /RIX !UTO ,EASING 0HILIPPINES #ORP IN 0ASAY #ITY AND !LOHA (OTEL AND 3ARMITI &OOD #ORP IN -ANILA FOR THEIR REFUSAL TO ALLOW INSPECTORS INSIDE THEIR ESTABLISHMENTS 4HE ,,$! ALSO ISSUED NOTICES OF VIOLATION TO -ANILA #ITY S (ERITAGE #ONDOMINIUM #ORP

-A .ATIVIDAD "UILDING AND -ARINA 3QUARE 0ROPERTIES )NC /THER NOTICES OF VIOLATION WERE ISSUED TO ESTABLISHMENTS IN 0ASAY #ITY INCLUDING THE #ULTURAL #ENTER

PIPELINE CHECK Personnel from the Philippine Navy and the Philippine Coast Guard embark to check an illegal pipeline as part of the Manila Bay Rehabilitation Program on Tuesday.

PHOTO BY DJ DIOSINA

OF THE 0HILIPPINES &EDERAL ,AND

)NC &IRST -ARBELLA #ONDOMINIUM !SSOCIATION )NC 'OLD 1UEST 0REMIERE 2ESOURCES )NC (ARRISON ,ODGE ,IBERTAD 4OURIST $EVELOPMENT )NC /VERSEAS 7ORKERS 7EL-

FARE !DMINISTRATION "UILDING AND 7ELLCROSS &REIGHT #ORP !NTIPORDA SAID THE ,,$! GAVE THESE ESTABLISHMENTS DAYS TO ANSWER THE NOTICES 4HESE ESTABLISHMENTS FAILED

TO SECURE A PERMIT AND CLEARANCE FROM ,,$! AND DID NOT CONFORM WITH THE %FFLUENT 3TANDARDS FOR #LASS g3"u WATERS WHICH REFERS TO WATERS THAT ARE kT FOR ECOTOURISM OR RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES INCLUDING

SWIMMING BATHING AND DIVING 4HE GOVERNMENT HAS ALLOTTED 0 BILLION FOR THE MASSIVE CLEANUP OF -ANILA "AY ! HUGE CHUNK OF THE MONEY WILL BE USED TO RELOCATE FAMILIES LIVING NEAR THE BAY

Court suspends plunder trial of Enrile LTFRB allows political ads on PUVs THE 3ANDIGANBAYAN HAS SUSPENDED THE PLUNDER TRIAL OF FORMER 3EN *UAN 0ONCE %NRILE AND H I S C O A C C U S E D I N C O N N E C T I O N WITH THE 0RIORITY $EVELOPMENT !SSISTANCE &UND 0$!& OR PORK BARREL SCAM 4HE ANTI GRAFT COURT S THIRD DIVISION SAID IT WOULD WAIT FOR THE 3UPREME #OURT TO DECIDE ON ITS REQUEST TO ALLOW *ANET ,IM .APOLES TO ATTEND THE TRIAL 4HE COURT WAS SCHEDULED TO START TRYING %NRILE AND OTHER INDIVIDUALS NEXT MONTH Enrile was allowed to post bail IN ON HUMANITARIAN GROUNDS /N 4UESDAY #LERK OF #OURT $ENNIS 0ULMA SAID NATIONAL PRISONERS MAY NOT BE MOVED FROM THE PENAL INSTITUTION WITHOUT THE 3UPREME #OURT S EXPRESS AUTHORITY .APOLES WAS COMMITTED TO THE #ORRECTIONAL )NSTITUTION FOR 7OMEN AFTER THE 3ANDIGANBAYAN S 3PECIAL &IRST $IVISION CONVICTED HER IN THE PLUNDER CASE FILED AGAINST FORMER SENATOR 2AMON g"ONGu 2EVILLA *R

4HE COURT ACQUITTED 2EVILLA BUT IT FOUND .APOLES AND HER FORMER STAFF 2ICHARD #AMBE GUILTY AND S E N T E N C E D T H E M T O R E C L U S I O N PERPETUA %NRILE AND 2EVILLA WERE TWO OF THREE FORMER SENATORS CHARGED WITH PLUNDER BY THE /FFICE OF THE /MBUDSMAN 4HE THIRD *OSE g*INGgoy� Estrada, was released in 2017 AFTER HE WAS ALLOWED TO POST BAIL %STRADA 2EVILLA AND %NRILE ARE SEEKING A 3ENATE COMEBACK IN THIS YEAR S ELECTIONS %NRILE

SAID HE WOULD START HIS NATIONWIDE CAMPAIGN NEXT MONTH /N 4UESDAY HE VOWED TO PUSH FOR MEASURES TO ATTRACT INVESTMENTS TO CREATE JOBS AND ADDRESS POVERTY (E SAID THAT WITH MORE &ILIPINO FAMILIES CONSIDERING THEMSELVES poor in 2018 according to a Social 7EATHER 3TATIONS 373 SURVEY THE GOVERNMENT MUST FOCUS ON FIGHTING POVERTY BY CREATING JOBS SPURRED BY INVESTMENTS g&OR THE ECONOMY WHAT IS OUR WAY OF FIGHTING POVERTY #REATE JOBS u

%NRILE SAID IN A MEDIA FORUM (E ADDED THAT THE FIRST THING HE WOULD DO TO CREATE JOBS IS TO gENCOURAGE THE OPENING OF THE ECONOMY TO FOREIGN INVESTMENTS u g;7E MUST= REMOVE ALL BARRIERS TO FOREIGN INVESTMENTS IN THE COUNTRY EXCEPT THOSE AREAS WHERE IT INVOLVES OUR NATIONAL SECURITY u THE FORMER 3ENATE PRESIDENT SAID g7HAT WE NEED TODAY IS TO CREATE JOBS FOR THE JOBLESS PEOPLE TO EXPAND THE ECONOMY u HE SAID %NRILE SAID THERE ARE THREE WAYS IN WHICH HE PLANS TO FOCUS IN ORDER TO SPUR ECONOMIC GROWTH g4HE FIRST IS BY INVESTMENT EITHER

BY GOVERNMENT OR THE PRIVATE SECTOR INCLUDING FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC CAPITAL 4HE SECOND IS THROUGH EXPORT BY CREATING EXPORT PRODUCTS 4HE THIRD IS BY CONSUMPTION u HE SAID 4HE 3OCIAL 7EATHER 3TATIONS SURVEY IN THE FOURTH QUARTER OF SHOWED THE AVERAGE SELF POVERTY RATE AT PERCENT HIGHER THAN THE PERCENT IN REINA C. TOLENTINO AND BERNADETTE E. TAMAYO

THE Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has given the go signal for candidates in the May 2019 elections to post their campaign materials on public utility vehicles (PUVs).

In a statement on Tuesday, LTFRB said transit advertisements for electoral candidates would be allowed on passenger jeepneys, buses and taxis.

The agency, however, stressed that strict compliance with the rules and regulations in the Election Propaganda crafted by the Commission on Election (Comelec), as well as LTFRB’s requirements under memorandum circular 2013-005, must be met. The order was amended by memorandum circular 2015-029, lifting the ban on political ads on PUVs. This was after the Supreme Court backed partylist 1-United Transport Koalisyon (1-UTAK) versus Comelec in April 2015. Based on the general rules, transit advertisement must not compromise the public and passengers’

safety and convenience; must not obstruct driver’s line of sight; must conform to the standards relative to morality, decency and public safety; PUV identification and operational information must not be hindered; should not cover the PUV’s trade name, the license plate number and body number of the vehicle; and no permit will be released to PUVs with expired franchises. Campaign materials must follow Comelec’s rules in terms of sizes, such as stickers should be no larger than 8.5 x 11 inches, while posters 2 x 3 feet. “Those who wish to place advertisements must go through the application process to get a permit and pay the required fees,� the LTFRB said. “Failure to abide by the specifications and standards provided under the memorandum has the minimum penalty of P10,000 fine with the maximum punishment of revocation of franchise,� it added.

LISBET K. ESMAEL

Duterte OKs law creating human settlements agency 02%3)$%.4 2ODRIGO $UTERTE HAS SIGNED INTO LAW A BILL THAT WILL CREATE THE $EPARTMENT OF (UMAN 3ETTLEMENTS AND 5RBAN $EVELOPMENT $(35$ WHICH WILL INTEGRATE ALL HOUSING OFkCES UNDER ONE AGENCY 2EPUBLIC !CT OR THE g$EPARTMENT OF (UMAN 3ETTLEMENTS AND 5RBAN $EVELOPMENT !CTu ORDERS THE CONSOLIDATION OF THE (OUSING AND 5RBAN $EVELOPMENT #OORDINATING #OUNCIL AND THE (OUSING AND ,AND 5SE 2EGULATORY "OARD 4HE NEW DEPARTMENT WILL gDEVELOP AND adopt a national strategy to immediately ADDRESS THE PROVISION OF ADEQUATE AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND SHALL ENSURE THE ALIGNMENT OF THE POLICIES PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS OF ALL ITS ATTACHED AGENCIES TO FACILITATE THE ACHIEVEMENT OF THIS OBJECTIVE u 4HE DEPARTMENT WILL HAVE ADMINISTRATIVE SUPERVISION OVER THE .ATIONAL (OUSING !UTHORITY

.ATIONAL (OME -ORTGAGE &INANCE #ORPORATION

(OME $EVELOPMENT -UTUAL &UND AND 3OCIAL (OUSING &INANCE #ORPORATION 3EN *OSEPH 6ICTOR g*6u %JERCITO THE PRINCIPAL

Q ‘GHOST TOWN’ FROM A1

Marawi &EBRUARY WHICH STATED g-ARAWI LOOKS ALMOST AS IT DID WHEN THE BOMBS AND BULLETS STOPPED lYING IN /CTOBER u g-UKHANG MASYADONG OFF TANGENT ito sa KATOTOHANAN AT KUNG ANONG NAGYAYARI TALAGA sa Marawi City ‘Pag sinasabi kasi nating GHOST city, ang papasok sa ating mind EH WALANG nangyayari at napapabayaan ng gobyerno, na WALA PONG KATOTOHANAN )T SEEMS TO BE OFF TANGENT FROM THE TRUTH FROM WHAT IS HAPPENING IN -ARAWI )F YOU SAY IT S A GHOST CITY WHAT COMES TO OUR MIND IS THAT NOTHING CHANGED AND THE GOVERNMENT DID NOTHING WHICH IS NOT TRUE u DEL 2OSARIO TOLD REPORTERS g!NG Marawi City ngayon, IF YOU WILL GO THERE MAHIRAPAN KANG MAKARATING HANGGANG SA CENTER OF THE CITY DAHIL NAPAKAGRABE NG TRAFkC

BUSINESS ACTIVITY ECONOMIC ACTIVITY AND MOVEMENT OF PEOPLE 3O MANY VEHICLES ANG NAGPUPUNTA NA SA -ARAWI #ITY AND THIS TRIGGERS ECONOMIC ACTIVITY )F YOU GO TO -ARAWI #ITY YOU D kND IT HARD TO REACH THE CENTER OF THE CITY BECAUSE OF THE HEAVY TRAFkC ;4HERE S= BUSINESS ACTIVITY ECONOMIC ACTIVITY AND MOVEMENT OF THE PEOPLE -ANY VEHICLES ARE ALREADY GOING TO -ARAWI #ITY AND THIS TRIGGERS ECONOMIC ACTIVITY u HE ADDED $EL 2OSARIO ADDED THAT THE 7ASHINGTON 0OST ARTICLE gOVERLY DRAMATIZED NEGATIVELYu THE CURRENT SITUATION IN -ARAWI #ITY THE CAPITAL OF

SPONSOR AND AUTHOR OF THE MEASURE LAUDED THE 0RESIDENT FOR SIGNING THE NEW LAW SAYING THE DEPARTMENT WOULD BETTER ADDRESS HOUSING PROBLEMS

SPECIkCALLY HOUSING BACKLOG INCREASING NUMBER OF INFORMAL SETTLERS AT RISK AND THE POOR IMPLEMENTATION OF HOUSING LAWS g7E WILL NOW HAVE A ONE HOUSING DEPARTMENT AT THE HELM OF THE HOUSING PROGRAM OF THE GOVERNMENT THAT WILL CREATE THE ROADMAP FOR HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT LEAD IN ITS IMPLEMENTATION SET THE GENERAL DIRECTION

AND MONITOR EACH AND EVERY PROJECT WITH CLEAR POLICIES u %JERCITO SAID IN A STATEMENT g!NG $(35$ ANG KATUPARAN NG PANGARAP NG BAWAT PAMILYANG 0ILIPINO NA WALANG TIRAHAN NA MAGKAROON NG DISENTE AT MAAYOS NA TAHANAN DAHIL ANG AHENSIYANG ITO ANG MAGTITIYAK NG MABILIS at maayos na implementasyon ng programang PABAHAY NG PAMAHALAAN 4HE $(35$ WOULD HELP FULkLL THE DREAM OF &ILIPINOS TO HAVE A DECENT HOME BECAUSE THIS AGENCY WOULD WOULD ENSURE THAT HOUSING PROGRAMS ARE FULLY IMPLEMENTED u HE ADDED

CATHERINE S. VALENTE ,ANAO DEL 3UR PROVINCE IN SOUTHERN -)NDANAO (E NOTED THAT THE MOST AFFECTED AREA WHICH WAS LEVELED DURING A kVE MONTH BATTLE BETWEEN GOVERNMENT TROOPS AND )SLAMIC 3TATE INSPIRED -AUTE REBELS IN ONLY COMPRISED HECTARES OF -ARAWI S TOTAL LAND AREA OF

HECTARES g7E D JUST LIKE TO SAY THE REALITY ON THE GROUND NA ITO AY WALANG KATUGMANG NANGYAYARI THAT THE STORY DOES NOT MATCH ANYTHING HERE na ;IT S= A GHOST CITY BUT INSTEAD IT S FULL OF ECONOMIC ACTIVITY AND ) THINK THIS CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO THE WHOLE GOVERNMENT APPROACH CONVERGENCE EFFORTS na ginagawa ng ating gobyerno THAT IS BEING DONE BY OUR GOVERNMENT .OW city na talaga IT S REALLY A CITY AND IT IS ALIVE AND BOOMING u HE ADDED 4HE TASK FORCE HEAD EXPRESSED CONkDENCE THAT THE REHABILITATION OF -ARAWI WOULD BE COMPLETED IN g4HE CHALLENGE NOW IS THE CONSENT OF THE RESIDENTS TO GIVE THEIR WILLINGNESS THEIR CONSENT FOR THEIR HOUSES TO BE DEMOLISHED &OUR HUNDRED kFTY HOUSES WERE DEMOLISHED LAST WEEK AND WE EXPECT THAT OTHERS WILL FOLLOW u HE SAID 4HE GOVERNMENT HAS SET A 0 BILLION BUDGET FOR THE COMPREHENSIVE REHABILITATION &INANCE !SSISTANT 3ECRETARY !NTONIO *OSELITO ,AMBINO SAID AROUND 0 BILLION HAS BEEN RAISED THROUGH CONCESSIONAL kNANCING AS WELL AS INTERNATIONAL GRANTS (E SAID THE REMAINING PORTION OF THE BUDGET WOULD BE RAISED THROUGH THE OFFERING OF -ARAWI BONDS CATHERINE S. VALENTE

P52.21 TO $1

PSEi 7,883.75 DOWN 0.97%

Business Times www.manilatimes.net

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 20, 2019 ASIAN STOCKS: V S h a n g h a i 0 . 0 5 %

What’s inside PROLONGED PH INFRA DRIVE REQUIRES ROADMAP – CIAP BusinessB2

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PDIC RAISES P14.7M FROM ASSET SALE

ÂťBusinessB2

MCDONALD’S PH, GRAB INK PARTNERSHIP

ÂťCorporate NewsB3

PRIME ORION TO BECOME AYALALAND LOGISTICS

ÂťCorporate NewsB3

HONDA TO SHUT UK PLANT

ÂťForeign BusinessB3

W S i n g a p o re 0 . 1 9 %

W Seoul 0.24%

V To k yo 0 . 1 0 %

W Jakarta 0.05%

FROM WHERE WE SIT

W Hong Kong 0.42%

B2

W

CURRENCY RATE

B1

B a n g ko k ( c l o s e d )

Regulator tells Meralco to use unclaimed refunds U NCLAIMED Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) refunds should be utilized by the distribution utility to lower power rates, the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) announced on Tuesday.

-ERALCO WAS GIVEN DAYS FROM REceipt of the order to submit a proposal ON HOW THE MONEY COULD BE USED TO REDUCE DISTRIBUTION CHARGES ALONG WITH a detailed list of customers — including names and the amounts due.

A status of the refund program as OF THE END OF LAST YEAR MEANWHILE

SHOULD BE SUBMITTED WITHIN DAYS

the ERC said.

“It is incumbent upon Meralco to inform its customers immediately upon receipt of the ERC order through the PUBLICATION IN A NEWSPAPER OF GENERAL CIRCULATION FOR FOUR CONSECUTIVE WEEKS

of a notice to all consumers to claim their refund,� ERC chairperson Agnes Devanadera said in the statement.

4HE NOTICE ALONG WITH THE DETAILED customer list, should also be posted in

ALL -ERALCO BUSINESS OFkCES The ERC order, docketed on February 4, primarily approved a Meralco petition to extend the refund period, the NEW DEADLINE FOR WHICH WILL BE *UNE 30, 2019.

Unclaimed refunds, the regulator said, should be deposited by Meralco in a separate interest-bearing account for “transparency and easy monitoring purposes.�

Sought for comment, a Meralco ofkCIAL SAID THE kRM STILL HAD TO PAY OUT SOME 0 BILLION INCLUSIVE OF WITHholding taxes remitted to the Bureau of Internal Revenue, out of a gross refund

BREXIT CONSEQUENCE

Car sales start 2018 with a 15% plunge

A car transporter loaded with new Honda vehicles is driven out of the Honda manufacturing plant in Swindon, southwest England on February 19, 2019. Honda announced Tuesday it would shut a major plant in Britain, putting 3,500 jobs at risk as the auto manufacturer became the latest Japanese firm to downsize operations as Brexit looms. AFP PHOTO

ÂťSee story on B3

!54/-/"),% sales continued to contract at the start of the year, plunging 15 percent to 26,888 UNITS FROM A YEAR EARLIER FOLLOWing double-digit declines for both the passenger car and commercial vehicle segments.

4HE DROP HOWEVER NARROWED from December’s nearly 30-perCENT CONTRACTION WHICH CAPPED A full-year 16-percent sales decline for the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (Campi) and the Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA).

In a joint sales report on Tuesday,

ÂłPlunge B2

of P30.2 billion. g7E WILL SUBMIT OUR PROPOSAL IN due time,� Meralco spokesperson Joe Zaldarriaga said in a text message to The Manila Times.

The order covers a 2002 Supreme Court decision that upheld a ruling by the ERC’s predecessor, the Energy Regulatory Board, that found the utility guilty of overcharging consumers from 1994 to 1998. At the time of the high court order, Meralco said the amount IT WOULD HAVE TO REFUND WAS A LITTLE OVER P28 billion.

The ERC said Meralco had paid out

ÂłRefunds B2

Public warned against mishandling PH currency IMPROPER handling of Philippine currency is punishable by a kNE AND OR IMPRISONMENT BASED on a Marcos-era proclamation, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) WARNED ON 4UESDAY Presidential Decree 247, issued by then-President Ferdinand Marcos in 1973, states that “banknotes and coins are issued for circulation as medium of exchange and to utilize them for other purposes does NOT SPEAK WELL OF THE DUE RESPECT AND DIGNITY BEkTTING OUR CURRENCY u the central bank said a statement.

The proclamation sets a fine OF NOT MORE THAN 0 AND OR A JAIL TERM OF UP TO kVE YEARS FOR THOSE WHO gWILLFULLY DEFACE

mutilate, tear, burn or destroy, in ANY MANNER WHATSOEVER CURRENCY notes and coins issued by the Central Bank of the Philippines� — the

BSP’s predecessor.

The Bangko Sentral detailed the FOLLOWING AS PROHIBITED r WRITING OR PUTTING MARKS ON banknotes; r WILLFUL TEARING BURNING OR destruction, in any manner, of Philippine currency; r WILLFUL AND EXCESSIVE FOLDING or crumpling that results in a BREAKDOWN OF THE STRUCTURE AND limpness of the banknote; r WILLFULLY CAUSING MULTIPLE random folds across the entire banknote that toughly affect its visual appearance; and r WILLFULLY EXPOSING BANKNOTES or coins to chemicals or other materials resulting in the acceleration of the defacement, DESTRUCTION OR NATURAL WEAR AND tear of the note or coin.

ÂłCurrency B2

BoP surplus Tariffication to start March 5, DoF clarifies Ayala Corp.’s P75-B capitalization hits 6-year M high in Jan THE country’s balance of payments (BoP) surplus hit a sixyear high in January, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported on Tuesday.

January’s $2.70-billion result WAS HIGHER THAN THE BILlion surplus a month earlier and a reversal from the $531-million DEkCIT POSTED A YEAR AGO )T WAS ALSO THE LARGEST SINCE *ULY WHEN THE PAYMENTS position stood at a surplus of $3.182 billion. g)NFLOWS IN *ANUARY stemmed mainly from the national government’s net foreign currency deposits, BSP’s foreign exchange operations and income from its investments abroad,� the central bank said in a stateMENT ADDING THAT THESE WERE partially offset by government payments for maturing foreign exchange obligations.

The Bangko Sentral also said THAT NET INlOWS IN FOREIGN PORTFOlio investments contributed partly to the January BoP surplus.

Net foreign portfolio investments remained positive, rising TO THEIR HIGHEST IN TWO MONTHS at $762.82-million.

The latest payments balance position, the BSP said, is consisTENT WITH THE COUNTRY S kNAL GROSS international reserves (GIR) of $82.49 billion as of end-January. “At this level, the GIR represents A MORE THAN AMPLE LIQUIDITY BUFFER AND IS EQUIVALENT TO MONTHS WORTH OF IMPORTS OF GOODS AND payments of services and primary income,� the BSP said.

ÂłHigh B2

THE NEWLY SIGNED 2ICE 4ARIFkCATION !CT WILL TAKE EFFECT -ARCH INstead of the previously announced March 3, the Finance department CLARIkED ON 4UESDAY g)T S -ARCH 4HAT WOULD BE DAYS AFTER POSTING OF THE LAW ON THE /FkCIAL 'AZETTE u &INANCE !SSISTANT 3ECRETARY !NTONIO *OSELITO ,AMBIno 2nd said in a text message after a Monday announcement that the SHIFT FROM QUANTITATIVE RESTRICTIONS 12S WOULD START -ARCH 4HE LAW WAS PUBLISHED ON &EBruary 18. ,AMBINO EXPLAINED THAT IN APproving the implementation on Monday, National Food Authority Council members assumed that PUBLICATION WAS DONE ON &EBRUARY 15, the same day that President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic !CT INTO LAW ! PERCENT TARIFF WILL BE IMPLEmented for rice bought from Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) neighbors regardless of QUANTITY WHILE A HIGHER PERCENT DUTY WILL BE SLAPPED ON RICE IMPORTS WITHIN THE MINIMUM ACCESS

VOLUME -!6 OF METRIC tons (MT), going up to 180 percent FOR OUT QUOTA SHIPMENTS SOURCED from non-Asean countries.

Finance Secretary Carlos $OMINGUEZ RD SAID THE LAW S implementing rules and regulaTIONS )22 WERE NOW BEING kNALized but he also noted that “there ARE PARTS OF THE LAW THAT ARE CLEAR upfront and can be implemented EARLIER THAN THE PARTS OF THE LAW THAT REQUIRE AN )22 TO IMPLEMENT u “So the heart of the reform, WHICH TARIFFIES RICE IMPORTATION WITH THE LEAST GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION WILL BE IMPLEMENTED ASAP (as soon as possible) to BRING DOWN RICE PRICES FOR MORE than 100 million Filipino rice consumers,� he added. ! DRAFT )22 WAS PRESENTED TO THE NFA Council on Monday, the National Food Authority (NFA) said in a separate statement.

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said the draft )22 WOULD BE SUBJECTED TO PUBLIC consultations.

According to the NEDA, the

“draft IRR contains provisions on the removal of NFA’s regulatory POWERS AND THE STREAMLINING OF IMPORT REQUIREMENTS u It also “provides details on the necessary institutional arrangeMENTS THAT WILL ENHANCE COMPETItiveness and institute safety nets to assist local farmers affected by the removal of the QR on rice imports,� the department added.

The Foundation for Economic Freedom, Inc. (FEF) on Tuesday WELCOMED THE SIGNING OF THE rice tariffication bill and urged President Rodrigo Duterte to focus more on the country’s agriculture sector. “We laud President Duterte for SIGNING THE 2ICE 4ARIFkCATION BILL INTO LAW LAST &RIDAY &EBRUARY

2019. It’s an economic reform that HAS ELUDED PAST PRESIDENTS AND WE commend President Duterte for SIGNING THE BILL INTO LAW DESPITE INtense last-minute lobbying by the .ATIONAL &OOD !UTHORITY OFkCIALS and their rice trader friends,� FEF President Calixto Chikiamco said

ÂłClarifies B2

Foreign selling tagged as PSEI falls THE stock market fell to a month LOW ON 4UESDAY ON ACCOUNT OF FOREIGN SELLING AND INVESTORS WERE also said to have repositioned portfolios ahead of the resumption of US-China trade talks.

The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) declined by 0.97 percent or 76.83 points to close at 7,833.75, a level LAST SEEN ON *ANUARY WHEN THE MARKET kNISHED AT 4HE WIDER !LL 3HARES WAS DOWN BY PERCENT OR POINTS TO kNISH AT 4,802.89.

P2P Trade Online sales associ-

ate Gabriel Jose Perez said heavy foreign selling dragged the index DOWN Foreign funds bought P3.87 BILLION WORTH OF SHARES AND SOLD P4.16 billion for a net foreign selling position of P289 million.

Regina Capital Development #ORP HEAD OF SALES ,UIS ,IMLINGAN

MEANWHILE SAID MARKET PLAYERS WERE IN WAIT AND SEE MODE AHEAD of the resumption of crucial USChina trade talks in Washington.

Overnight, Wall Street’s main inDICES OPENED THE WEEK IN A POSITIVE NOTE WITH ALL INDICES IN THE GREEN

Regional markets, on the other HAND WERE MIXED ON 4UESDAY Tokyo inched up by 0.10 percent and Shanghai eked out 0.05 perCENT BUT (ONG +ONG DROPPED percent.

In Manila, all sectoral results WERE IN THE RED WITH THE PROPERTY INDEX DOWN THE MOST BY percent.

6OLUME TURNOVER STOOD AT billion shares valued at P8.1 billion. ,OSERS LED WINNERS TO

WHILE ISSUES WERE UNCHANGED ANGELICA BALLESTEROS

AURO Babilonia Badiola is VICE PRESIDENT FOR kNANCE AND CHIEF INFORMATION OFkCER OF Boulevard Holdings Inc. (BHI).

After selling 2 million BHI common shares at P0.068 each on Feb. 15, 2019, he still holds 2.75 million BHI common shares, according to a “statement of CHANGES IN BENEkCIAL OWNERSHIP of securities�. ! PUBLIC OWNERSHIP REPORT (POR) as of Dec. 31, 2018 reported Badiola as direct holder of 7.75 million BHI common SHARES WHICH WERE THEN EQUIVAlent to 0.0646 percent of 12 billion authorized capital stock (ACS).

The same POR listed Jose Marcel Panlilio, chairman of BHI’s nine-person board and at the same time company president, as direct holder of 3.502 million BHI common shares and indirect OWNER OF BILLION "() COMmon shares for total holdings of 4.167 billion BHI common shares, or 34.72 percent. His indirect holdings apparently reSULTED FROM HIS OWNERSHIP OF *0 'UILDS )NC WHICH IS LISTED IN THE kLING AS A gPRINCIPAL SUBSTANTIAL stockholder.�

The other directors and their INDIVIDUAL BUT DIRECT OWNERSHIP of BHI common shares are as FOLLOWS $AVID , +HO MILLION -ICHAEL ,ANCELOT & 0ANLILIO

2.46 million; Christopher M. Gotanco, 1.2 million; Reynaldo Y. Maulit, 100,000; and Ricardo S. 0ASCUA +LARENCE 4 $Y AND 6ICTOR 6 "ENAVIDEZ

EACH /NLY ,ORENZO 2 4ANADA RD HOLDS A nominal BHI common share.

BHI common shares opened trading on Feb. 18, 2019 at

P0.068, hit a high of P0.069, DROPPED TO A LOW OF 0 AND closed the session at P0.068. The stock recorded a 30-day high of 0 AND FELL TO A MONTH S LOW of P0.052.

Compensation Badiola, according to a preliminary information statement 0)3 IS ONE OF "() S kVE HIGHEST paid executives. The four others are Jose Marcel Panlilio, chairMAN AND PRESIDENT ,ORENZO 2 4ANADA RD VICE CHAIRMAN 6ICTOR 6 "ENAVIDEZ TREASURER AND ,YRA 'RACIA 9AP ,IPAE &ABELLA As a group, Panlilio, Tanada, Benavidez, Fabella and Badiola WERE PAID SALARY OF 0 MILlion in 2015; and P1.558 million in 2016. In 2017, Boulevard Holdings projected their salary at P1.84 million.

On top of their salaries, BHI also paid Panlilio and company bonus of P318,000 in 2015, WHICH THE COMPANY ALSO PAID them in 2016. In 2017, it said IT WOULD PAY THEM 0 IN 2017.

Boulevard Holdings also said in the PIS that it paid its nineperson board bonus of P780,000 in 2015; P690,000 in 2016; and estimated the amount at P1.3 million in 2017.

Under “other compensation,�

ÂłPerez B2

B2

Business Times

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

WEDNESDAY February 20, 2019

Prolonged PH infra drive requires roadmap – CIAP A T

BY TYRONE JASPER C. PIAD

HE Construction Industry Authority of the Philippines (CIAP) is pushing for a 10-year roadmap for construction to continue the aggressive infrastructure drive in the country even after the term of President Rodrigo Duterte.

Prolonging the government’s g"UILD "UILD "UILDu PROGRAM WOULD HELP THE 0HILIPPINES STAY AT PAR WITH its neighboring countries in terms of INFRASTRUCTURE SAID 2OWEL "ARBA A Department of Trade and Industry $4) UNDERSECRETARY WHO SUPERVISES the CIAP, on Tuesday. “We need another 10 years to sustain [the country’s ] infrastructure development,� Barba added.

(E SAID LEGISLATION WAS NEEDED to effectively implement the infra-

STRUCTURE PLAN OTHERWISE KNOWN AS the Construction Industry Roadmap 2030.

Recently approved and commissioned by the board of CIAP and the Philippine Constructors Association (PCA) and scheduled to be launched on March 28, 2019 in Clark, Pampanga, the roadmap has set construction spending at P40 trillion over a period of 10 years starting this year to sustain “Build Build Build�.

4HE ROADMAP IS EXPECTED TO GROW

employment in the construction sector from 10 percent to 20 percent or 800,000 at most during the 10-year period, Barba said. He said the current WORKFORCE OF THE SECTOR WAS AROUND 4 million.

Barba added that attention WOULD BE GIVEN TO BUILDING RESIdential properties to address the housing problem in the country. A PORTION OF THE SPENDING WILL ALSO be allocated to the development of tourism infrastructures to boost the industry, he said.

-EANWHILE 0#! %XECUTIVE $IRECTOR "ARRY 0AULINO IS BULLISH WITH THE plan, saying “there is a good momenTUM NOW AND WE HAVE TO CONTINUE that momentum beyond the present administration.�

Paulino revealed the roadmap WAS ALSO EYEING TO TRAIN MORE HUMAN

resources in the construction sector, especially those from the younger bracket. g7E ARE DOING NOW SOME ADJUSTMENTS BECAUSE WE ARE TRYING TO TRAIN

SUPERVISORS 3UPERVISORS WILL TRAIN SKILLED WORKERS u HE SAID

NOTING THAT THIS WILL TRANSLATE TO

TRAINED WORKERS To raise productivity, the roadmap ALSO GEARS TOWARD DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF NEW technologies, Paulino said. g)N THE AGE OF DIGITIZATION WE ARE trying to transform the industry into a manufacturing-type of industry,� he said.

Paulino also sees curbing of corrupTION WITH THE USE OF BUILDING INFORMATION MODELLING TECHNOLOGY WHICH can monitor prices of construction MATERIALS MORE EFkCIENTLY

PH tower PDIC raises P14.7M from asset sale sharing attracts more firms THREE more foreign tower companies (towercos) on Tuesday signaled their intent to enter the Philippine tower sharing business. American Tower Corp., Frontier Tower Solutions, and the Philippine Tower Consortium of Myanmar’s Global Network Inc. and Japan-based JTower Inc., signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT). The government’s push for common tower has now enticed a total of 11 groups, including IHS Towers, Malaysia-based edotco Group, ISOC Infrastructures, Singapore’s ISON ECP Tower Pte. Ltd., China Energy Engineering Corporation (CEEC), Malaysia’s RT Telecom, Aboitiz InfraCapital, and Villar Group’s MGS Construction Inc. Opening the industry to more players aims to hasten the deployment of 50,000 cell sites across the Philippines. Currently, the country has less than 20,000 towers.

Globe Telecom and PLDT Inc. said towercos would face the same dilemma in building towers, such as securing more than 20 permits just to establish a single cell site, but the DICT vowed it would assist tower providers. With the implementation of the Ease of Doing Business Act or Republic Act 11032, the agency said the processing of at least 25 permits for the deployment of towers would only take seven days, versus the usual eight-month period. Under the MoU, the DICT will provide support once the groups secured business transactions with a telco carrier, where the entity would use its shared cell sites. Top officials of both PLDT and Globe earlier revealed some towercos had started initiating talks with them for the common tower. “A number of these tower companies have approached us, and we said we’re willing to cooperate in respect to new towers,� PLDT Chair Manuel Pangilinan said last month. Globe Chief Executive Officer and President Ernest Cu also expressed support to the common tower initiative, but still insisted existing telcos must still be allowed to build their own.

LISBET K. ESMAEL

Man up in the name of love!

T the start of the month, or EVEN A WEEK OR TWO PRIOR TO February 1st, all of us begin to see LOVE SYMBOLS EVERYWHERE 2OSES

cards, and chocolates are visibly on sale in all malls. Delivery boys rush to send these items to ensure the receipt of the intended party ON OR BEFORE THE BIG 6 $AY Most people enjoyed the atmosphere of mush and romance ON 6ALENTINE S $AY BUT THERE ARE SOME WHO FOUND IT QUITE bothersome, or even annoying, ESPECIALLY WITH THE HORRENDOUS TRAFkC !ND OF COURSE THERE ARE ALSO THOSE WHO LOOKED FORWARD to February 14 for the perfect opportunity to confess their love or deep feelings for someone. )N *APAN 6ALENTINE S $AY IS A great opportunity for Japanese WOMEN TO EXPRESS THEIR FEELINGS THUS IT IS THE WOMEN WHO GIVE presents to men. Japanese men are supposed to return gifts to WOMEN ON A DAY CALLED 7HITE $AY -ARCH 3ADLY WE DO not have such a practice in the Philippines but, nonetheless, shy Filipino guys still eagerly anticiPATE 6 $AY TO EXPRESS THEIR LOVE 4HE PROBLEM IS THAT 6ALENTINE S $AY WENT BY JUST LIKE LAST YEAR

BUT MANY OF THESE SHY GUYS WERE not able to say a single thing to the object of their affection. One WEEK AFTER THE BIG 6 THESE GUYS ARE STILL WONDERING WHAT HAPPENED AND THEY ARE BACK TO WHERE THEY WERE )T HAS BECOME A VICIOUS cycle, so to speak.

4O ALL THOSE WHO WANT THEIR feelings heard, I say, “Man up!� ) WON T BE THE LAST TO TELL YOU that loving someone or having a crush on somebody is as natural AS WALKING BREATHING EATING AND TALKING "Y THE TIME WE ARE IN OUR S WE WOULD HAVE LOST TRACK OF the total number of our crushes AND INDIVIDUALS WHO BECAME THE objects of our affections.

9ET IT IS AMAZING HOW THIS FACT hasn’t encouraged all of us to JUST GO OUT THERE AND SAY WE RE IN LOVE WHEN WE ARE IN LOVE OR HAVE A CRUSH WHEN WE HAVE A CRUSH 3OME ALLOW THEIR SHYNESS OR LAziness to get the better of them until the person they admire moves out of their lives, because they did not do anything or take any chance to hold them back.

It is never easy to say you like or love someone, but it is also never easy to get anything out of life, like your dream job, your

improvement, three industrial lots, AND ONE INDUSTRIAL LOT WITH IMPROVEMENT WHICH ARE ALL LOCATED in Mindanao. “Proceeds from the sale of closed banks’ properties are added to the POOL OF LIQUID ASSETS OF THESE BANKS for distribution to creditors and uninsured depositors in accordance WITH THE RULES ON CONCURRENCE AND preference of credits,� PDIC said.

Gains from the sale are added to the Deposit Insurance Fund, the

MONEY FROM WHICH WILL BE USED to pay for valid deposit insurance claims.

Selling such assets is one of PDIC’s tasks as statutory receiver AND LIQUIDATOR OF CLOSED BANKS To help ensure that recoveries from closed banks’ assets are maximized, PDIC sells assets through biddings and auctions. Interested parties may buy unsold assets through a negotiated sale.

MAYVELIN U. CARABALLO

by Meralco, and any outstanding unclaimed balances, as part of its kNAL CONkRMATIONu Earlier this month, the Finance department announced that the P25.817 billion out of a gross re- WITHHOLDING TAX ON REFUNDS DUE TO fund amount of P30.229 billion -ERALCO CUSTOMERS HAD BEEN LOWAS OF END 3EPTEMBER LAST YEAR WITH ered to 15 percent, from 25 percent P4.41 billion still to delivered to for active clients and 32 percent for QUALIkED CUSTOMERS TERMINATED CONTRACTS IN LINE WITH The extension of the refund provisions of the Tax Reform for implementation period, the regu- !CCELERATION AND )NCLUSION LAW LATOR SAID gIS WITHOUT PREJUDICE g7E ARE NOW IN A NEW REGULATORY TO THE COMMISSION REVIEWING THE REGIME WHERE CONSUMER BENEkT IS total amount already refunded given primal consideration,� Deva-

nadera said in the ERC statement. g4HIS NEW SET OF %2# #OMMISSION WILL SEE TO IT THAT CONSUMERS DO NOT ONLY GET BILLED WITH JUST AND REASONABLE RATES BUT WE WILL ALSO ENSURE THAT they get the best value for their hardearned money,� she added.

The ERC chief also urged all distribution utilities to “devise WAYS AND MEANSu TO REDUCE POWER RATES WITH #ONGRESS EXPECTED TO approve the proposed “Murang +URYENTEu LAW FROM A REPORT BY JORDEENE B. LAGARE

Q CLARIFIES FROM B1

“We have 4,136 [employees] as of today and immediate casualty is about 400 employees from the licensing and enforcement [departments],� he said. in a statement. “Why are they rushing? Thirty 4HE .&! UNION MEANWHILE days is a very short time and it’s an called the council’s decision to insult to us. There is no matching fast-track the agency’s restructuring price for the forceful eviction of to 30 days, from a proposed 180 EMPLOYEES WHO HAVE WORKED MANY days, an “insult� to employees. years in the NFA.� “We’re actually all in danger The union is preparing to ask ONCE THE RICE TARIFFICATION LAW the Supreme Court to intervene, WILL BE FULLY IMPLEMENTED u .&! Torda said.

Employees Association President MAYVELIN U. CARABALLO, Maximo Torda told The Manila ANNA LEAH E. GONZALES AND EIREENE JAIREE GOMEZ Times.

Q CURRENCY FROM B1

Tariffication

Public warned against mishandling Car sales

! 4/4!, OF 0 MILLION WAS GENerated by the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation (PDIC) from selling the assets of closed banks in a public bidding last month.

4HE AMOUNT WAS 0 MILLION higher than the assets’ minimum disposal price of P12.6 million, the state-run depositor said in a statement on Wednesday.

3OLD WERE RESIDENTIAL LOTS

RESIDENTIAL LOTS WITH IMPROVEMENT FOUR COMMERCIAL LOTS WITH

Q REFUNDS FROM B1

Regulator

Q PLUNGE FROM B1

The Bangko Sentral also discourage the public from stapling BANKNOTES AND OR USING ADHESIVES on Philippine currency as these WOULD COMPROMISE STRUCTURAL integrity. “The BSP encourages the public to report any information on improper handling of Philippine currency to the nearest police staTION OR LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY

for appropriate action, or contact the Currency Management Sector for assistance at tel. nos. 988-4833 and 926-5092,� it added.

MAYVELIN U. CARABALLO

both groups said that the bread and butter commercial vehicle SEGMENT ‡ WHICH ACCOUNTED FOR nearly 70 percent of the market — SAW SALES DROP BY PERCENT TO 18,401 units.

0ASSENGER CAR SALES MEANWHILE

FELL BY A SLIGHTLY LOWER PERCENT to 8,487 units from a year earlier.

Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. remained the market leader for the month, accounting for 42.23 percent of all vehicles sold. The TOTAL SALES OF UNITS HOWEVER WAS DOWN PERCENT FROM a year earlier.

according to the GIS, 6,402 &ILIPINOS OWNED MILLION common shares and 12 million An amended general information preferred A shares; 26 Filipinos statement (GIS) for 2018 listed held 46.86 million preferred B 0ANLILIO AND COMPANY WERE PAID Ayala Corp. having 1.21 billion shares and 11 million preferred P131,000 in 2015; P56,500 in shares authorized capital stock, B shares. The Zobel-controlled 2016; and projected the amount !#3 OF WHICH MILLION ARE listed company also disclosed the at P320,000 in 2017. On the other common shares. The others are FOREIGNERS WHO HELD !# STOCKS )T HAND "() S NINE DIRECTORS WERE 12 million preferred A shares; said it had seven eight Japanese paid P339,000 in 2015; P123,333 58 million preferred B shares; WHO OWNED MILLION !# in 2016; and an estimated “other 40 million preferred C shares common shares, or six percent, compensation� of P700,000 in and 200 million voting preferred AND ONE *APANESE WHO HELD 32.64 million voting preferred 2017. shares.

For comparison, Boulevard When converted into peso, shares, or four percent; and 138 Holdings provided the amounts Ayala’s ACS is authorized to raise of “various� nationalities, 170.64 FOR WHEN IT PAID 0ANLILIO 0 BILLION BASED ON THE FOLLOW- million common shares, or 20 and four other executives salary of ING PAR VALUES 0 FOR COMMON percent, and 140,380 preferred B P1.74 million; bonus of P355,000; P100 for preferred A, B, and C; and shares. The company also classiand “other compensation� of P1 for voting preferred shares. Of kED UNDER gVARIOUSu NATIONALITIES P17,000. That’s a total compensa- the ACS, Ayala could have raised STOCKHOLDERS WHO HELD tion of P2.112 million against their P891,298,801 based on par value, million voting preferred shares.

In the same GIS, Ayala said it projected pays and perks of P2.84 according to the GIS. million in 2017.

Of Ayala’s 1.21 billion ACS, had paid-up capital of P38.265

billion and additional paid-in capital (APIC) of P37.93 billion.

As of 2018, it had subscription receivable of P1.193 billion and total capitalization of P75.002 billion.

Q HIGH FROM B1

BoP surplus 4 H E ' ) 2 I S A L S O E Q U I VA lent to 6.3 times the country’s short-term external debt based on original maturity and

Q PEREZ FROM B1

Ayala

4.2 times based on residual maturity, it added. ,AST YEAR THE "O0 ENDED AT A DEkCIT OF BILLION WIDER than the $863 million recorded IN BUT LOWER THAN "ANGKO Sentral’s $5.5-billion deficit forecast.

MAYVELIN U. CARABALLO

Ownership profile

FROM WHERE WE SIT

OBET CRUZ fantasy gadget, that perfect summer vacation, and practically anything that has value. In fact, these things are precious and rare, because the path to them is LITTERED WITH OBSTACLES 7E MUST KEEP IN MIND HOWEVER THAT WE WON T BE ANYWHERE NEAR A ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP IF WE DON T MAKE THE kRST STEP 4HE kRST step usually involves summoning the courage to be noticed and to establish that crucial connection.

7E &ILIPINOS HAVE ALWAYS described ourselves as hopeless romantics. While it doesn’t hurt to be all dreamy about love, in the end, it is more productive TO BE REALISTIC %SPECIALLY WHEN you’re already getting older, you don’t have the luxury of youth to SPEND YOUR TIME WAITING TO MEET your soul mate one magical day. !S MATURE INDIVIDUALS WE NEED to make things happen.

To me, this shyness in matters of the heart is a manifestation of the typical cultural trait of Filipinos to be indirect. Even in things that do not concern love, WE TEND TO STAY QUIET REGARDING our true thoughts and feelings.

A perfectly simple task, such as VOICING OUR COMPLAINTS AT WORK

for example, can’t be done beCAUSE WE RE TOO SHY Some of us course our complaints through our friends and colleagues, building gossip that never gets any result. Worse, WE MAY BLOG ABOUT IT AS IF THE PEOPLE WHO SHOULD READ IT WILL actually come across our blog ON THE INTERNET )N THE END WE SUFFER BECAUSE WE RE TOO AFRAID to speak up. ,ET US END THIS CYCLE OF COWARDice and frustration by confessing WHAT S IN OUR HEARTS 4ALK TO THAT person, offer her a bite or a drink, WRITE HER A CARD GIVE HER SOME lOWERS‡DO ANYTHING TO MAKE YOUR FEELINGS KNOWN Failure is indeed a possibilITY BUT WE MUST REMEMBER THAT failure is a possibility in anything WORTH DOING !ND ON THE OTHER side of the coin, there’s also that clear chance of succeeding.

"E THE PERSON YOU WANT TO BE Man up in the name of love! !LSO STILL IN SECOND WAS -ITsubishi Motors Philippines Corp.

WITH PERCENT MARKET SHARE on sales of 5,329 units, 22.5 perCENT LOWER COMPARED TO *ANUARY last year.

Continuing to buck the industry DECLINE WAS .ISSAN 0HILIPPINES

)NC WHICH RECORDED PERCENT GROWTH VIA SALES TOTALLING

units. It accounted for 11.53 percent of the market.

Automakers are hoping for a REBOUND THIS YEAR FOLLOWING A DISASTROUS WHEN VEHICLE sales plunged over the year folLOWING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF tax increases and higher-thanexpected inflation.

FROM A REPORT BY TYRONE JASPER C. PIAD

could have noticed the amount of AC’s paid-up capital of P38.265 billion and APIC of P37.93 billion.

This could mean a stockholder among the holders of AC shares, be they common or preferred, Due Diligencer’s take PAYS 0 FOR EACH OF HIS HER holdings.

Who are the beneficial stock4HIS HOWEVER MAY NOT BE THE holders of either common or WAY TO COMPUTE THINGS !DDING preferred shares that are held by P38.265 billion and P37.93 bilPCD Nominee Corp.? This is the LION WILL BE EQUAL TO 0 poser that remains unresolved to billion. Dividing P76.195 bilthis day because nobody, particu- LION BY 0 BILLION WILL BE larly among the public, is heard EQUAL TO 0 WHICH COULD complaining. have meant AC issued each Some majority stockholders of share at P1.991. listed companies use PCD NomiWhat Ayala did not provide the NEE WHICH THEY KNOW ACTS ONLY AS PUBLIC WAS HOW IT ARRIVED AT THE record stockholder. When it does amount of APIC. Did the APIC OWN SOME LISTED COMMON SHARES result from its issuance of common it says so that it is both record and shares? Just asking.

BENEkCIAL STOCKHOLDER "Y THE WAY THE PUBLIC INVESTORS %MAIL ESDPEREZ GMAIL COM

Corporate News McDonald’s PH, Grab ink partnership

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

BY ANGELICA BALLESTEROS

G

OLDEN Arches Development Corp., the sole franchise owner of McDonald’s Philippines, has teamed up with Grab Philippines to strengthen its food deliveries.

!T A NEWS BRIEkNG IN 4AGUIG #ITY on Tuesday, McDonald’s Philippines Managing Director Margot Torres said the partnership aimed to increase the number of the

fast-food giant’s branches linked WITH THE 'RAB&OOD DELIVERY SERvice from the current 60 to 100 by year-end. g4HE BENEkT REALLY IS WE RE AL-

WEDNESDAY February 20, 2019

READY SEEING DOUBLE DIGIT GROWTH for delivery business for the past three years. Partnerships give us lEXIBILITY TO MEET THE ;GROWING= demand,� Torres said. g)N THE END WE WANT TO MEET THE service time and deliver our promise of a certain minute guarantee,� she added. !SKED IF THE PARTNERSHIP WOULD affect the brand’s McDelivery service, Torres said her company WOULD CONTINUE TO GROW ITS IN

house delivery operations and EXPRESSED CONkDENCE THAT IT WOULD remain strong.

Grab Philippines head Brian Cu SAID HIS kRM WAS BULLISH ABOUT ITS delivery business because of shifting consumer habits. “There are 11 million delivery users here in Metro Manila, the BIG PART ;OF WHOM= ARE MILLENnials and younger...and as these people come on board and start changing consumer habits, and

TRAFkC GETS WORSE THE NEED FOR FOOD DELIVERY WILL KEEP ON GROWING u HE explained.

'RAB&OOD HEAD %* DELA 6EGA SAID they see convenience as important for consumers.

The partnership is seen to not only strengthen McDonald’s in the country, but also Golden Arches, A SUBSIDIARY OF !NDREW 4AN LED conglomerate Alliance Global Group Inc. ,AST YEAR 'OLDEN !RCHES SAID

B3

IT WAS ALLOCATING 0 BILLION THIS year to expand its store netWORK AND CONVERT OLD BRANCHES into so-called NXTGEN stores, WHICH WILL BE EQUIPPED WITH self-order kiosks and cashless PAYMENTS )T HAS PARTNERED WITH PayMaya Philippines Inc. for this purpose.

Seventy percent of all McDonALD S BRANCHES WOULD BE CONVERTED into NXTGEN stores by 2021, Torres said.

Prime Orion to become Clark airport revenues hit P1B in 2018 Ayalaland Logistics LISTED Prime Orion Philippines Inc. is planning to change its corporate name to Ayalaland Logistics Holdings Corp. and ticker symbol from “POPI� to “ALL.�

In a disclosure on Tuesday, the Ayala-land company said the move was part of an effort to align with its vision to become the leading real-estate logistics and industrial estate developer and operator in the country.

The plan would be presented at the Ayala Land Inc. subsidiary’s annual stockholders on April 12 for their approval. It would also be subject to the approval of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Early this month, Ayala Land raised its interest in Prime Orion to 63.9 percent by swapping its 20-percent stake in La-

guna Technnopark Inc. with the latter’s 323.9 million shares.

Prime Orion owns the Tutuban Center in Manila’s Divisoria district and logistics facilities in Laguna province, among others.

Last year, it signed an agreement with Japanbased conglomerate Mitsubishi Corp. to build logistics buildings and warehouse facilities, called the Standard Factory Building, in Laguna for a total capital expenditure of P1 billion.

The project covers 11 hectare of land, on which 40 units measuring up to 1,500 square meters each would rise.

It is set for completion in 2020.

Shares of Prime Orion added 23 centavos or 8.58 percent to close at P2.91 each on Tuesday.

ANGELICA BALLESTEROS

#,!2+ )NTERNATIONAL !IRPORT Corp. (CIAC) said on Tuesday it generated P1.07 billion in GROSS REVENUES IN THE kRST time it hit that amount since it began operations in 1995.

In a statement, the stateOWNED AIRPORT OPERATOR SAID THE FIGURE WAS A PERCENT increase from P814.115 million in 2017. Net income, MEANWHILE GREW BY PERcent to P319.11 million from P177.17 million, it added.

The airport’s aeronautical and non-aeronautical operations contributed 53 percent and 43 percent, respetively, of the revenues.

T h e n u m b e r o f “a i r l i n e s, flights, destinations and business activities [has] increased ever since President Rodrigo Duterte called for greater utilization of Clark Airport,�

CIAC President Jaime Alberto -ELO WAS QUOTED AS SAYING IN the statement. “The marketability of Clark Airport and the civil aviation COMPLEX WERE KEYS TO ACHIEVing this milestone,� he added.

CIAC registers an average of about 11,500 flyers passengers daily, and 246 international flights and 480 domestic FLIGHTS WEEKLY The airport recorded 2.6

million passengers in 2018, up from 1.5 million the year before. It aims to register 4.5 million passengers yearly by 2022.

It is expected to hit that figure after the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) signed in late January a 25-year concession AGREEMENT WITH THE .ORTH ,UZON !IRPORT #ONSORTIUM TO expand the air hub.

This came after the consortium — composed of Filinvest Development Corp., JG Summit Holdings Inc., Philippine Airport Ground Support Solutions Inc. and

Changi Airport Philippines 0TE ,TD ‡ WON THE OPERATION and maintenance deal of the Clark International Airport in December.

The four-member group SAID IT WOULD OPERATE THE airport’s existing passenger TERMINAL AND BUILD A NEW ONE WHICH IS EXPECTED TO BE operational by 2021. )T ADDED THAT IT WOULD SPEND about P6 billion to improve and increase the air hub’s capacity to accommodate 8 million passengers annually, doubling the existing terminal’s current capacity.

LISBET K. ESMAEL

GE Philippines eyes unveiling battery storage '%.%2!, %LECTRIC '% 0HILIPpines Inc. is looking to launch ITS kRST ENERGY BATTERY STORAGE in the country, its chief said on Tuesday. )N A LUNCH MEETING WITH REporters, GE Philippines Chief %XECUTIVE /FFICER *OSE 6ICTOR Emmanuel de Dios said his kRM AIMED TO UNVEIL THE STORAGE

WITHIN THIS YEAR According to him, the storAGE WOULD HAVE A CAPACITY OF MEGAWATT HOURS AND BE EQUIPPED WITH A CONTAINERIZED lithium ion battery storage solution.

GE Philippines is also looking into opportunities offered by RENEWABLE ENERGY 2% INCLUD-

ING HYDRO AND WIND ENERGY 4HIS ECHOES WHAT '% !SIA 0ACIkC 0RESIDENT AND #HIEF %XECUTIVE /FkCER Wouter van Wersch said in April 2017 that “there’s a bright future for RE� in the country.

De Dios said higher generation from geothermal, hydro, and solar resources had reduced lessened the country’s reliance

on fossil fuels.

GE Philippines is part of the listed multinational conglomerate GE that has interests in aviation, energy connections, global research, healthcare, LIGHTING OIL AND GAS POWER

RE, transportation and capital, among others.

JORDEENE B. LAGARE

Foreign Business

Honda to shut UK plant TOKYO: Honda announced Tuesday it would shut a major plant in Britain, putting 3,500 jobs at risk as the auto manufacturer became the latest Japanese firm to downsize operations as Brexit looms.

The factory in Swindon, southwest England, is Honda’s only EU plant and has produced the manufacturer’s “Civic� model for more than 24 years, with 150,000 units rolling off the line annually.

The plant will shut in 2021, Honda announced, “at the end of the current model’s production lifecycle�.

The decision “has not been taken lightly and we deeply regret how unsettling today’s announcement will be for our people,� said Katsushi Inoue, chief officer for European regional operations, in a statement.

The firm blamed “unprecedented changes in the global automotive industry� for the decision but it comes amid investment uncertainty in Britain ahead of the country’s exit from the EU. Speaking to reporters in Tokyo, Honda president Takahiro Hachigo said: “I’d like you to understand this is not related to Brexit.�

He said it was “very regrettable� to have to close the plant but said it was the “best choice� given the need to reduce production capacity and reform its global facilities.

The firm also announced it would stop manufacturing the Civic model in Turkey in 2021.

Honda joins fellow car giant Nissan as well as Japa-

nese firms Sony, Panasonic and Hitachi in scaling back operations in Britain ahead of the country’s departure from the European Union.

Analysts say that while Brexit was almost certainly a factor for Honda, other reasons were likely to have played a part, including a massive EU-Japan free-trade agreement recently signed and the wider struggles of the car industry. “Honda seems to have been preparing for this for a long time. Then Brexit happened, which might have pushed the company to make the decision now,�

Seiji Sugiura, analyst at Tokai Tokyo Research Institute, told AFP. Speaking ahead of the formal decision, local finance worker Sue Davis, 49, told AFP the move would be “devastating� for the area. “I think Swindon’s finished without Honda. My ex-husband works there, has done for 20 years. He’s going to be without a job, so I just think it’s really, really bad news.�

Local MP Justin Tomlinson tweeted ahead of Tuesday’s announcement that the decision had been made “based on global trends and not Brexit as all European market production will consolidate in Japan in 2021�.

Earlier this month, Nissan axed production of the X-Trail SUV in the Brexitbacking northeast city of Sunderland, despite government assurances over the consequences from the EU exit.

Nissan Europe chairman

Gianluca de Ficchy said then that the cuts were made “for business reasons� but admitted that “the continued uncertainty around the UK’s future relationship with the EU is not helping companies like ours to plan for the future.�

Auto giant Toyota also warned in February there would be no way to avoid a negative impact in the event of Britain crashing out of the EU without a deal.

Toyota executive vicepresident Shigeki Tomoyama noted that the firm’s assembly plant in Burnaston, central England, which produces 600 vehicles per day, operates under the “just-intime� system that relies on a smooth flow of components from the EU. “We will have to halt the plant if the car parts are not brought in� from the continent, Tomoyama warned.

Japanese electronics giants Sony and Panasonic, as well as several banks, have moved some of their operations out of Britain since the 2016 referendum that set Brexit in motion.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pleaded against a no-deal Brexit in recent talks with his British and German counterparts. Japanese officials have reportedly become frustrated with their British counterparts as they negotiate a potential post-Brexit trade deal.

Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29, but its parliament last month rejected a draft divorce deal May negotiated with the bloc. AFP

Maritime Fatalities, injuries among seafarers rising – study

B4

WEDNESDAY February 20, 2019

T

HE seafaring industry is still seen as a dangerous profession, a s t he n u m b e r o f deaths, including by suicide, continue to rise, according to the Seafarers International Research Centre (SIRC) of Cardiff University, Wales.

Q A research showed all fatalities, excluding suicides, whether natural cause or accidental death, was broadly downwards from the year 2000 until 2008. In 2000, there were 88 fatalities, excluding suicides recorded by four maritime administrations, and in 2008 this number had fallen to 32 fatalities. PHOTO FAS MARITIME sponded to the query and 25 of them indicated that they did collect such data. But, after lengthy negotiations, only 16 administrations provided accident data, with seven of the datasets including information on accidents that involved personnel on-board.

Notwithstanding the patchy nature of the response from maritime administrations, the researchers persisted in gathering data. As a result, they got information for the period 2000 to 2016 and had compiled a dataset, detailing injuries to seafarers and seafarer fatalities relating to those working on board commercial cargo/passenger vessels.

The research showed, all fatalities excluding suicides, whether natural cause or accidental death, the trend was broadly downwards from the year 2000 until 2008. In 2000, there were 88 fatalities, excluding suicides recorded by four maritime administrations, and in 2008 this number had fallen to 32 fatalities. “It is evident that the lack of data from the administration ‘AtLAS IN HAD A SIGNIkCANT IMpact on the decrease in fatalities reported in these two single years. “However, if we add the average number of fatalities re-

corded by Atlas in the period 2000 to 2005 (which stood at 32.3), we still see a decline in fatalities, suggesting that the DOWNWARD TREND RElECTS A GENUine decline for the period 2000 to 2008,� it said.

Researchers took notice of the trend for administrations named only as “Electra� and “Diadem� combined, they saw that there was a broadly downward trend with regard to the numbers of fatalities, excluding the recorded suicides in the period 2000 to 2010. However, fatalities then rose in the period 2010 to 2016. “The years 2015 and 2016 had the joint highest numbers of fatalities with 41 in each year, for the entire period and the year 2013 had the next highest number of fatalities with 37, in the overall period,� it said. “When we combine fatalities such as natural causes and accidental death, with suicides we can observe that, overall, suicides constitute a relatively small proportion of total fatalities in the period 2000 to 2016,� it added.

Out of the total 1,039 fatalities over the 17-year period, 3.7 percent or CASES WERE IDENTIkED AS SUICIDES The data painted a grim picture, if suicide is taken at face value However, despite the sharp in-

crease in recorded suicides in the period 2009 onwards, the evidence strongly indicated that this relECTED POOR RECORDING PRACTICES PRIor to 2009. “In numeric terms, therefore, the picture for suicides was likely to be much worse than represented in these data whilst at the same time we were unable to conclude from the information provided that suicides amongst seafarers were increasing,� it said.

For injuries, the researchers found under-reporting of such incidents by the maritime administrations. The data were least conclusive with regard to injuries to seafarers and as a result, researchers do not feel that reporting their findings in relation to seafarer injuries provided any value. “Ideally, to assess the risk associated with the shipping industry and/or consider whether safety is improving, we require population data as well as consistent reporting and recording of deaths and injuries to seafarers.

From these we would be able to construct fatality rates, injury rates, and suicide rates which would allow for more effective data interpretation,� concluded the research.

Norway assures support to PH on Europe audit THE Norwegian maritime stakeholders vowed to strengthen its cooperation with the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) to ensure that the Philippines will succeed in the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) audit.

Erlend Grimstad, managing director of the Norwegian Training Center (NTC), said they were determined to do whatever they could, in order to help the Philippines in achieving a common goal of providing quality education and training for Filipino seafarers, especially in passing the next EMSA audit. “Philippines had the most number of seafarers in the world.

There were 25,000 Filipino seaFARERS IN .ORWAY S MARITIME lEET

so it’s a major importance for us that Philippines succeed. We really need to succeed,� he told The Manila Times. “If Philippines fail, it could LEAD TO SIGNIkCANT DAMAGE TO THE WORLD lEET OR MAYBE TO THE WORLD trade and the Philippines. Other countries would like to take the place of Philippines. And so, we are here to succeed. We can have a stronger PH-Norway cluster, together,� he explained.

NTC is the preferred maritime and offshore training partner to the global shipping community.

NTC was established by the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association in February 1990.

Grimstad said the reason why many Norwegian shipowners hire more and more Filipinos onboard

Q Norwegian Ambassador to the Philippines Bjorn Jahnsen said maritime stakeholders would soon feel the effects of the optimization in the maritime industry because of more complex ships. PHOTO BY WILMAR ALMERIA Norwegian ships was because they were happy to do so.

He said there were 20,000 to 25,000 Filipinos onboard Norwegian vessels at any point in time. “We want quality training and education for seafarers onboard.

We provide cadetship program. We have scholarships in Cebu, Davao and Zambales universities. We pay for their education. We provide ship board training for a year and they GET A CERTIkCATE OF COMPETENCY AND they were guaranteed a job onboard Norwegian vessel,� he said.

Data from the Norwegian Maritime Authority (NMA) showed there were 22,500 Filipinos with Norwegian endorsements as of 2016. Filipino seafarers comprised 45 percent of the total number of foreign seafarers in Norwegian maritime fleet, while Indians comprised 11 percent of the total or the second largest number of

w w w.manilatimes.net

EDITOR: Carmela I. Huelar

BY GENIVI FACTAO

A research entitled “Fatalities and injuries among seafarers in the period 2000 to 2016� showed that seafarer fatalities had increased from 2008 to 2016. Researchers have seen a broadly rising trend — the strongest was from 2011 onwards, such that in 2016 there were 69 fatalities reported by three maritime administrations. “Considered over a very long period of time, there is little doubt that the shipping industry is generally becoming safer. However, the trends revealed by these data suggest that in relation to seafarer mortality, the industry remains exposed,� the research noted.

In the eight-year period covering 2000 to 2007, based on calculations, the average annual fatalITY kGURE STOOD AT AND IN the eight-year period, from 2009 to 2016, the average annual fatalITY kGURE WAS AT BASED ON the research conducted by Helen Sampson and Neil Ellis of the Seafarers International Research Center of Cardiff University.

The research noted that for the whole 17-year period, there were more fatalities, in numeric terms, in 2016 than there were in 2000.

The researchers approached the top 30 maritime administrations, AS DEkNED BY THE VOLUME OF GROSS tonnage recorded in Lloyd’s Register Fairplay World Fleet Statistics 2005, and IHS Fairplay World Fleet Statistics 2010. Then, asked for data on accidents involving vessels UNDER THEIR lAG AND OR OCCURRING in their national waters.

Twenty-six administrations re-

˜ The Manila Times

foreign nationals.

The International Maritime Organization established a task force team in 2013 comprised of Denmark, Germany, Netherlands and Norway to help the Philippines. Other countries provided personnel for shorter periods, supporting training, monitoring and workshops. The taskforce was dissolved in February 2017 since the terms of reference was already completed. But Marina requested NMA for the Norwegian advisor to remain in Marina.

Norway Ambassador to the Philippines Bjorn Jahnsen said in coming years, maritime stakeholders would feel the effects of optimization in the maritime industry because of more complex ships. “There are big challenges in the years to come and that’s a big challenge for you. I’m happy we’ve been able to continue assisting

Marina,� Jahnsen said.

Marina has already taken measures TO ADDRESS THOSE NOTED DEkCIENCIES based on the assessment report that was submitted by the EMSA to the European Commission.

President Rodrigo Duterte issued Executive Order (EO) 63 that further strengthens the authority of the Marina as the single maritime administration, particularly in the implementation of the 1978 International Convention on 3TANDARDS OF 4RAINING #ERTIkCAtion and Watchkeeping for Seafers (STCW), as amended.

The issuance of such EO is a manifestation of national support, which harmonizes the administration of maritime education programs and fostering inter-agency cooperation framework among various government agencies such as the Commission on Higher Education, Department of Health (DoH), and the Philippine Coast Guard.

John Rey Calderon, of the STCW Research and Development Division of Marina confirmed the European Commission Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE’s) intention to visit the Philippines to see how EO 63 progresses. The DG MOVE will visit the Philippines in the second week of April.

The EMSA inspection should be in March, but they moved it to a later date because they felt that there was no need to do the audit in March so they would just come back next year.

GENIVI FACTAO

Errors: Learning opportunities

H

AVE you ever stopped to think how the ordinary things you use each day get to you? The cell phone in your pocket, the laptop on your desk, your car, the fuel which powers it, the oven that bakes and heats the food on your table, your tablet and e-reader. The list goes on and on.

Very few people would make the connection between these things and shipping, but the fact is, shipping transport is that silent industry which carries 90 percent of goods by volume around the world, at all times, in all kinds weather conditions.

This is because, as maritime historian Lincoln Paine observed in his book The Sea and Civilization: A Maritime History of the World, “Travel by water was often faster, SMOOTHER MORE EFkCIENT AND in many circumstances safer and more convenient than overland travel, which presents obstacles and threats from animals, people, terrain, and even the conventions and institutions of shoreside society.�

And yet, people do not realize the role of shipping in the transport of goods and people unless there is an accident. The most famous of these accidents would probably be the Titanic, ALTHOUGH SEVERAL HIGH PROkLE ACcidents had occurred after that, like the Torrey Canyon, Amoco Cadiz, Herald of Free Enterprise, and Erika to name a few.

A lot depends on shipping, and on keeping sea travel safe.

The work of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) with regard to maritime safety and marine environment ensures that new measures are introduced TO ADDRESS kNDINGS THAT EMERGE from maritime accidents.

After the Titanic tragedy that claimed more than 1,500 lives, swift actions were taken to prevent similar catastrophes from happening. Rules on ship construction, watertight compartments, lifesaving appliances and lifeboats, radio communication, and ice patrols and the updated versions of these areas of safety can still be found in the Safety of Life at Sea treaty.

The lessons learned from the Torrey Canyon INlUENCED THE drafting of MARPOL Annex 1 and 2, underscored the need for coordinated response to oil pollution. The Amoco Cadiz led to the updating of the practices on salvage. The Herald of Free Enterprise influenced safety measures that need to be taken for roll-on/roll-off ships. The Erika led to the requirement for double hulling of tankers.

Marine casualty analyses have shown us the various ways to keep our ships safe and our marine environment protected.

There are four kinds of analyses following a marine casualty: an administrative analysis which could result in the cancellation OF THE CERTIkCATES OF A SHIP OR of the seafarer; a civil inquiry which results in the payment of liabilities by the ship owner; a

FROM THE DESK OF THE IMO AMBASSADOR

CARLOS SALINAS criminal inquiry which could lead to the detention of the PERSON RESPONSIBLE AND kNALLY

a casualty analysis or what is more properly referred to as a safety investigation which looks into the root causes of the accident. It is this last type of analysis that feeds back into the safety framework of IMO. The lessons learned become the basis for the introduction of new regulations.

The new regulations are never static and are further MODIkED AND IMPROVED BASED on later incidents or new technology introduced. New requirements provided in the technical regulations impact on the way ships operate and the work of the seafarers who operate them.

The lessons culled from inQUIRIES ALSO HAVE RAMIkCATIONS on how we train our seafarers.

Human error, considered the top cause of maritime acciDENTS IS INlUENCED BY MANY things — a seafarer’s fatigue, failure of communication and teamwork among ship’s crew, AND INSUFkCIENCY OF TRAINING

to name a few. The incidence of human error as one of the major causes of maritime accidents has made some people open to the possibility of ship automation — if you eliminate the human element, the human error will be addressed.

But ship automation does not preclude the human factor.

The human hand will still be designing the ship’s automated systems and guiding that ship, perhaps not from the bridge BUT FROM AN OFkCE SOMEWHERE else in the world. An error in judgment by the person directing the automated system could still lead to an accident and the cause would still be human error, then the cycle will continue — this will be looked into, lessons learned will be extracted and fed into new regulations. And the new regulations will continue to impact on the way we build and operate our ships so that we do not disrupt trade, and the new model cell phone can reach our pockets.

The truth is, given the unpredictability of the sea and dangers that lurk in its depths, we cannot totally eliminate maritime accidents. We can only be as vigilant and alert as humanly and technologically possible.

As Lt. Garrett Meyer, chief of the incident management division for the Boston sector of the US Coast Guard pointed out, among the threats to safety at sea, “complacency is probably going to be the biggest one.�

Source: Ship-Safe Seas: Could the Titanic Disaster Happen Again? by John Matson in SciENTIkC !MERICAN !PRIL

BALLERS AND BEAUTIES

The Marinerong Pilipino Skippers team managed by the ASsociated Marine, Officers and Seamens Union of the Philippines (Amosup) is the pride and joy of the maritime industry and its more than 400,000-strong seafarers pictured here with their muses — Binibining Pilipinas 2018 Miss Globe International Michelle Gumabao and Miss Supranational Jehza Mae Huelar — during the start of the 9th Season of the Philippine Basketball Association D-League. PHOTO BY JEZREEL CABANDA

˜ The Manila Times

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WEDNESDAY February 20, 2019

Maritime

B5

MOL acquires 20% share of Dutch company Den Hartogh Q M/T Argent Gerbera, a chemical tanker owned by MOLCT PHOTO Mitsui OSK Lines

M

ITSUI OSK Lines, Ltd. (MOL) announced recently that one of its group company, MOL Chemical Tankers Pte. has acquired a 20-percent stake in Den Hartogh Logistics

MOL President & CEO Junichiro Ikeda said that after the acquisition, MOL Chemical Tankers (MOLCT) and Den Hartogh will sign a partnership deal aimed at jointly expanding the leading global logistics company’s approach to the transport OF LIQUEkED CHEMICAL PRODUCTS

comprising tank containers, parcel chemical tankers, and a tank terminal.

Den Hartogh Logistics is a leading global logistics company, operating over 19,000

tank containers transporting liquid chemicals and gases, intercontinental, intraregional and domestic while also handling 7,000 box containers for the polymer and food industry.

The company has accelerated the expansion of its business on a global scale, using proactive mergers and acquisitions to fuel its growth, while reliably meeting customers’ diverse transport needs.

MOLCT operates with a global lEET SIZE OF MORE THAN PARCEL

chemical tankers, including those operated by the newly acquired MOL Nordic Tankers A/S. While leading marine transportation of liquid chemicals, vegetable oils and animal fats, MOLCT has formed a joint venture company aiming to construct and operate a chemical tank terminal in Antwerp, Belgium at the hub of the world’s biggest chemical cluster, and steadily developing towards a chemical multimodal logistics service company.

As capital and business partners Den Hartogh Logistics and MOLCT will further develop a mutual global customer network and strengthen its c o m p e t i t i ve n e s s a s s e r v i c e p r ov i d e r s o f g l o b a l l i q u i d chemical logistics.

C A P T. G A U D E N C I O M O R A L E S PAMI to hold annual convention and election Training seafarers as entrepreneurs THE Philippine Association of Maritime Institutions (PAMI) will hold its 44th Annual Convention 22 February 2019 at the Grand Regal Hotel, Davao City. Taking on the theme “ Maritime Education in the 4th Industrial Revolution,� the convention will focus on the impact of technology and digitization in the maritime education sector.

6ICE !DMIRAL .ARCISO 6INGSON *R OFkCER IN charge of the Maritime Industry Authority and Dr. Ronald Adamat, commissioner in charge of Maritime, Commission on Higher Education, are slated to present the Philippine government’s response to the challenge through the development of e-learning platforms and distance education. Capt. Ronaldo Enrile, vice chairman of the Angkla Party list, shall provide the legislative agenda for maritime education during the convention. From the

academe, Dr. Melinda DP Bandalaria, chancellor, University of the Philippines Open University, will speak on the Potential Role of Open Distance e-Learning in maritime education.

The industry perspective on the topic shall be discussed by Capt. Oscar Orbeta, chairman of the Joint Manning Group, who will talk on “Automation: The Digital Maritime industry,� and Capt. Jitesh Jaipuyirar, CEO, Navozyme, on the “Blockchain Platforms in Maritime Sector.�

The election of the 15 member-Board of Trustees of the association shall take place on February 23, 2019 at the same venue during the General Membership meeting. The association has 74 active member institutions as at December 2018.

Engr. Felix Oca, PAMI president, shall lead the Association’s Annual Convention, 2019.

Marina pushes for legislation to increase ship registry THE Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) has pushed for legislative actions, particularly on bareboat and financing to make the Philippine ship registry attractive.

Atty. Jean Ver Pia, Marina -Overseas Shipping Service (OSS) director, said they have identified ways to attract more foreign ship owners to register their ships in the Philippines and that is to review and amend the bareboat chartering program and ship mortgage law.

Presidential Decree (PD) 760 as amended

by PD 866 and 1711 instituted the scheme for bareboat chartering ocean-going ships and their registration under Philippine flag.

Under the law, the ships should be bareboatchartered by Filipinos and should employ Filipino crew. The scheme was intended to allow Filipino shipowners to have an avenue to eventually own ships. To support the scheme, incentives were given to the overseas sector through Republic Act (RA) 7471. The incentives were available for a period of 10 years and expired in 2002. In 2004, RA 9301 was passed and incentives were again granted to the sector for a similar period of 10 years. The incentives expired in 2014. Instead of increasing the number of ships in the registry and encouraging ship ownership, the number of registered ships has declined to 116 from a total of 400 ships when the bareboat charter scheme was first implemented in 1989, according to Rep. Teodoro Brawner Baguilat.

Baguilat authored House Bill 1288, “An act providing for the registration of ships and incentives therefor and for other purposes.� “Today, many ship registries do not provide for incentives. Instead, most ship registries provide for a tonnage tax system to simplify the taxation scheme applicable to oceangoing ships,� Baguilat said.

Pia identified other components to have an attractive Philippine registry, in line with the planned establishment of a global maritime hub. These include the strengthening of regional and international cooperation such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and other similar bilateral agreements to support the competitive position of Philippine Flag Vessels;Â Â the strengthening of shipping services for Philippine export and import trade transportation;Â Â and devel-

opment and promotion of ship financing schemes, and incentives for ship owning and shipping industry.

The Marina-OSS vowed to strengthen the ship management, ship brokerage, ship handling and ship insurance services; and the maritime administration through ratification and implementation of international maritime instruments and the restructuring of Marina.

Last year, the Philippines has ratified six  International Maritime Organization (IMO) conventions: Protocol of 1997 to Amend the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973 as modified by the Protocol of 1978 Relating thereto (MARPOL Annex VI);   Protocol of 1978 Relating to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974, as amended (SOLAS PROT 1978);   Protocol of 1988 Relating to the International Convention on Load Lines, 1966 (Load Line Protocol 88);  Protocol of 1988 Relating to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974, as amended (SOLAS PROT 1988);  International Convention on the Control of Harmful AntiFouling Systems on Ships, 2001 (AFS 2001) and; International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships Ballast Water Sediments, 2004 (BWM Convention).

Jose Venancio Vero, Marina’s Maritime Safety Service (MSS) director, said they will ensure the strict and full compliance of Philippine-registered ships  with significant IMO instruments relating to safety, security and marine environmental protection. The conceptual framework on the maritime safety campaign would ensure the facilitation of trade and commerce as it would prevent the unnecessary interdiction of Philippine-registered ships by foreign port State control inspectors.

Marina also presented to the stakeholders the draft amendments to the Marina circulars on the “Rules in the Acquisition of Ships under Presidential Decree (PD) 760, as amended; “Rules on the Accreditation of Maritime Enterprises,� and “Omnibus Rules on the Issuance of Special Permit for the Temporary Utilization of Philippineregistered ships whether Trading Overseas or Domestic,� respectively.

Marina has relaunched the Marina-OSS online registration system to promote ease and convenience in doing business in the overseas shipping industry.

BY YASHIKA F. TORIB

SEAFARING can never be a permanent profession. Not in this lifetime.

A mariner can only be as good as his experiences and skills, his employment limited to a mere three to nine-month contract, and come old age, he will be easily exchanged by his employer for a younger, stronger man.

Such career uncertainty is aggravated

BY THE LACK OF kNANCIAL LITERACY AMONG SEAFARERS WHO FULkLL THEIR SELF IMPOSED obligation of sending nephews, nieces and siblings to school, building houses for their loved ones, supporting their extended families, going on vacations, and getting caught in the Filipino tradition of giving away pasalubong to relatives and friends upon their arrival in the country, This stark reality in the life of a seafarer was what Capt. Gaudencio Morales intended to address when he established the Integrated Seafarers of the Philippines (ISP) in 2013. “I knew what it was like to try and escape poverty by going into a dollarearning profession and sustain the basic needs of my entire family,� says Capt.

Morales, known to his friends as Jess. “I’ve been farming with my parents since I was 11 and they were then unsure whether I would even go to college.

7HEN ) kNISHED MY SCHOLARSHIP BACKED education with the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy (PMMA) in 1970, I never stopped sailing until I’ve sent all my younger siblings to school and replaced our old hut with a better house,� the Bicol native continued.

Unlike the other seamen, however, Jess had a clear vision of how his seafaring career would be — becoming one of the country’s youngest ship captains at the ripe age of 29 and retiring at 40, a goal that he accomplished and intended to share with others. “I established ISP because I want my fellow seafarers to ‘graduate’ from sailing at an ideal point of their lives, say, 50-55 years old. I would like for them to realize that they could still provide for their respective families even while on shore and enjoy the remaining half of their lives with their loved ones. They can only do this by being fully reintegrated in the society with sustainable businesses,�

Capt. Morales said.

The ISP’s main advocacy is to provide seafarers the opportunity to learn either on becoming an entrepreneur or an onshore employee. “There are seafarers who are displaced when shipping companies are HIT WITH kNANCIAL CRISIS MANY HAVE TO wait for months to be deployed at sea, while others just have to accept the fact that they are already deemed too old to operate a ship. This is where we come in,� Capt. Morales said.

4HE )30 PROVIDES kNANCIAL LITERACY seminars to the seafarers and their respective wives/families to be able to MANAGE THEIR kNANCES ESPECIALLY WHEN there are no shipboard deployments available for them. “I have observed for several decades now that many seafarers retire with nothing — no savings, no assets, and no investments. They earn a lot in a few

Q Captain Gaudencio Morales, founder and president of the Integrated Seafarers of the Philippines (ISP). months’ time but all of it was quickly terests them. It can be agriculture, animal spent on non-essentials; where did it farming, carwash, ornamental plants, or go? How did they spend it? We under- food business. We give them entreprestand how these mariners are bread- neurship seminars conducted by subject winners of extended families, but there experts, and then we monitor the status are also some of them who are plain of their business.

In a bid to further strengthen the extravagant. We want to educate them on the difference of needs and wants,� entrepreneurial capacities of the seafarers, Capt. Morales established the Capt. Morales explained.

He added that the main person in ISP Cooperative. It offers a 70-30 joint charge of a seafarer’s earnings and sav- venture project to its members, now apings is their wife. “They should also proximately 100,000 strong, who would be educated because they are the ones like to venture into business. The member holding the money; they should learn will provide 30 percent of the capital how to save and invest to sustain their AND THE )30 #OOPERATIVE WILL kNANCE THE family’s needs even when their hus- remaining 70 percent. The member can bands are not able to work onboard,� buy the 70 percent share from ISP as soon as he/she is already capable to take the ISP founder explained.

The Financial Literacy program in- over the business.

These things, according to Capt.

CLUDES THE SIGNIkCANT IDENTIkCATION BEtween “needs� and “wants� that seem to Morales, make the ISP program effectear seafarers when faced with purchases. tive and successful that even the Over“Most of these guys would buy cars seas Workers Welfare Administration before investing on a house; cars are not (OWWA) and various local government a necessity,� Capt. Morales opined, not- units are fully supporting it. “We are able to produce positive and ing the latest ISP survey showing that less than 50 percent of Filipino seamen own successful results, and all these have bena house, while less than 10 percent have EkTED THE COMMUNITY AND LOCAL ECONOMY of the country,� Capt. Morales said. their own businesses.

He further shared that the ISP CooperaMany business do not prosper, others FAILED TO MAKE PROkTS WHILE SOME WERE tive intends to invest in domestic shipbuildscammed. These, according to Capt. Mo- ing where roll-on, roll-off (Ro-Ro) vessels rales, are due to the lack of education in will serve as a trading and training ship entrepreneurship, disinterest to personally along the coastal towns of the Philippines. “The ship is intended for passenger manage the business, or fear of engaging in and cargo, and will be operated by endeavors that are new to them. “The best time to put up a business is Filipino seafarers and maritime cadets. when you are already here permanently. It’s a BOTT Plan — Build, Operate, With your savings, you can put up a busi- 4RANSPORT AND 4RAIN 4HIS WILL BENEkT ness and we will teach you how,� Capt. not only the domestic shipbuilding industry but also the maritime schools Morales added.

This is where the ISP, in partnership that in need of a training ship for with the Department of Labor and Em- their students,� the veteran seafarer ployment National Reintegration Center explained, adding that ISP is indeed in for OFWS, comes in through the Business full support of the Maritime Industry Plan Competition for seafarers and their Authority’s (Marina) 10-year Maritime FAMILIES .OW ON ITS kFTH YEAR THE CON- Industry Development Plan (MIDP) Amid all the projects and businesses test harnesses the capacities for business enterprise development of the seafarers. that are under the care of Capt. Morales, Willliam Gaspay is one of the success- THE VETERAN SEAFARER ALWAYS kNDS TIME FUL SEAFARERS WHO HAVE BENEkTED FROM to “de-stress� through leisure activities this program; he now employs eight to such as singing and playing golf. He also 10 persons from his community and has enjoys spending time with his family established an association of seaweed and invigorates his mind by sharing his farmers in Masinloc, Zambales. Last year, knowledge to sailors. “I feel younger whenever I have projNelson Mejia won the competition for his Metro Cebu Express Coastal Ferry ects and business opportunities to Service, a business plan that intends to handle. With these kinds of success, I connect coastal municipalities in Cebu feel like a young seafarer again — strong, sharp and venturesome. This way, I am AND THEREBY EASE THE ROAD TRAFkC “We encourage our returning seafarers not losing my personal sense of accomto put up a business that personally in- plishment,� Capt. Morales concluded.

World 16 US states sue Trump S B6

WEDNESDAY February 20, 2019

AN FRANCISCO: Sixteen US states sued President Donald Trump’s administration Monday (Tuesday in Manila) over his decision to declare a national emergency to fund a wall on the southern border with Mexico, saying the move violated the constitution.

Trump announced the emergency Friday in order to bypass Congress, which approved only a quarter of the $5.6 billion he wanted for the wall in a spending bill.

"UT THE LAWSUIT kLED IN A FEDeral court in California, said the president’s order was contrary to the constitution’s presentment and appropriations clauses, which outline legislative procedures and DEkNE #ONGRESS AS THE kNAL ARBITER of public funds, respectively.

The move had already been announced by Xavier Becerra, the attorney general of California, who said Sunday his state and others had legal standing because they risked losing moneys intended for military projects, disaster assistance and other purposes.

Critics, including several sena-

tors from Trump’s Republican party, have warned that he has opened the door for future presidents to call on the act whenever they fail to get their way with Congress.

Should the states prevail, the case could work its way up to the Supreme Court, setting up a precedent-setting showdown on the separation of powers.

California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New -EXICO .EW 9ORK /REGON AND Virginia are party to the complaint seeking an injunction.

The states “bring this action to protect their residents, natural resources, and economic interests from President Donald J. Trump’s lAGRANT DISREGARD OF FUNDAMENTAL separation of powers principles

engrained in the United States Constitution,� the complaint said.

It added that Trump had veered the country toward a “constitutional crisis of his own making.� “Congress has repeatedly rebuffed the president’s insistence to fund a border wall, recently resulting in a record 35-day partial government shutdown over the border wall dispute,� it said. “After the government reopened, Congress approved, and the president signed into law, a $1.375 billion appropriation for fencing along the southern border, but Congress made clear that funding could not be used to build President Trump’s proposed border wall.�

The complaint also questioned Trump’s categorization of illegal border crossings as a national emergency, saying data issued by his own administration refuted the notion. “Customs and Border Protection (“CBP�) data show that unlawful entries are near 45-year lows,� it said. “The State Department recog-

nizes there is a lack of credible evidence that terrorists are using the southern border to enter the 5NITED 3TATES &EDERAL DATA CONkRM that immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than are nativeborn Americans.�

The White House says the emergency order empowers it to pull around $6.6 billion from other sources, mostly alreadyallocated funds in the Defense Department budget.

But the lawsuit countered that tapping military funds would result in huge losses for the states’ national guard units which would otherwise use the money for domestic drug interdiction and counter-drug activities as well as for law enforcement programs.

The complaint added that the Department of Homeland Security had violated the National Environmental Policy Act by failing to evaluate the environmental impact of the wall in California AND .EW -EXICO SAYING SPECIES SUCH AS THE ENDANGERED -EXICAN gray wolf, and the jaguar would be at risk.

AFP

7 UK lawmakers quit Labor party LONDON: Seven British lawmakers quit the main opposition Labor Party on Monday over ITS APPROACH TO "REXIT AND ANTI Semitism — the biggest shake-up in years for one of Britain’s major political parties.

The announcement ripped open a long-simmering rift between socialists and centrists in the party, which sees itself as the representative of Britain’s working class. It’s also the latest fallout from Britain’s decision to leave the European Union, which has split both of the country’s two main parties — Conservatives and Labor — into PRO "REXIT AND PRO %5 CAMPS Many Labor lawmakers have been unhappy with the party’s direction under leader Jeremy Corbyn, a veteran socialist who took charge in 2015 with strong grass-roots backing. They accuse Corbyn of mounting a weak opposition to Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May’s plans for leaving the EU, and of failing to stamp out a vein of anti-Semitism in the party.

Those leaving Labor have beTWEEN NINE AND YEARS EXPERIence in Parliament and represent constituencies across England but still make up only a small fraction of Labor’s 256 lawmakers, or of the 650 total members of Parliament. But this is the biggest split in the Labor Party since four senior members quit in 1981 to form the Social Democratic Party.

Luciana Berger, one of those who quit Monday, said Labor had become “institutionally anti-Semitic.� AP

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

US urged to objectively assess China intel laws THE Chinese Foreign Ministry on Monday urged the US to view China’s intelligence-related laws in a comprehensive and objective manner instead of making one-sided, biased and wrong interpretations.

Geng Shuang, spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a routine press conference on Monday that China’s National Intelligence Law stated not only the obligations of organizations and citizens to lawfully support, assist and coordinate with the country’s intelligence service, but also the obligations of the national intelligence service to carry out its work according to law, respect and protect human rights, and uphold the rights and interests of individuals and organizations.

There were many provisions in other Chinese laws to protect the rights and interests of organizations and citizens, including data security and privacy, Geng said.

Geng’s remarks came after US Vice President Mike Pence’s recent remarks at the 2019 Munich Security Conference in which he said that the US had been clear with its security partners on the “threat� posed by Huawei and other Chinese telecommucations companies, as Chinese law required them to provide Chinese security departments with access to any data that touches their

network or equipment.

53 OFkCIALS CLAIMED THAT UNDER China’s National Intelligence Law Chinese companies had to cooperate with the Chinese government on intelligence work.

Geng said he noticed that some 53 OFkCIALS HAD EXPRESSED SUCH views several times.

Geng said that it was an international practice to maintain state security in the form of legislation and to require organizations and individuals to cooperate with national intelligence work. There are similar laws in the Five Eyes Alliance, namely the US, the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and other Western countries. The Chinese government has required Chinese companies to abide by local laws and regulations when doing business overseas. “China opposes other countries bypassing the common cooperation channels and unilaterally using their domestic laws to force enterprises and individuals to provide them data, information and intelligence located in China,� Geng said.

China has not and would not require enterprises or individuals to violate local laws and collect or provide Chinese government data, information and intelligence stored in China through “backdoors,� said Geng.

GLOBAL TIMES

New universe map shows more galaxies

REVEL’S END

Mediums participate in the Hei Neak Ta or Spirit Parade in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on Tuesday. The parade marks the end of Lunar New Year celebrations. AFP PHOTO

Israel’s anti-Polish remarks derail summit JERUSALEM: Poland on Monday (Tuesday in Manila) withdrew from a European summit in Jerusalem, derailing the meeting and embarrassing its Israeli hosts, to protest claims by Israel’s acting foreign minister that Poles collaborated with the Nazis and “suckled anti-Semitism with their mothers’ milk.�

The abrupt cancellation marked a new low in a bitter and longRUNNING CONlICT BETWEEN 0OLAND and Israel over how to characterize Polish actions toward its Jewish community during World War 2.

It also was a diplomatic setback for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had touted the gathering as a milestone in his outreach to the emerging democracies

of central and eastern Europe. Netanyahu has courted these countries to counter the criticism Israel typically faces in international forums.

Tuesday’s meeting of the leaders of Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic — known as the Visegrad group — was to be THE kRST TIME THE SUMMIT HAS BEEN held outside of Europe.

The gathering began to unravel last week when Netanyahu, during a visit to Warsaw, told reporters that “Poles cooperated with the Nazis.� The comments infuriated his Polish hosts, who reject suggestions that their country collaborated with Hitler.

Poland’s prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, announced Sunday that he was pulling out of

the summit and that his foreign minister would go instead.

But Morawiecki canceled Polish participation altogether after the comments made by Israel’s acting foreign minister, Israel Katz, that he denounced as “racist� and “absolutely unacceptable.�

Katz, who was only appointed to the foreign minister’s post on Sunday, made his remarks in a pair of TV interviews.

Noting that he himself is a child of Holocaust survivors, Katz said that “Poles collaborated with the .AZIS DEkNITELY u (E THEN QUOTED the late former prime minister 9ITZHAK 3HAMIR WHO SAID THAT Poles “suckled anti-Semitism with their mothers’ milk.�

AP

Worldinbriefs

expert and professor at the School of Life Sciences at South China Normal University, told the Global Times on Monday. GLOBAL TIMES

PANEL TO REFORM MYANMAR CONSTITUTION

FRANCE RECOGNIZES LIGHTSABER DUELLING AS A COMPETITIVE SPORT

YANGON: Myanmar set up a committee to discuss reforming the country’s militarydrafted constitution on Tuesday, pitting Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government openly against the powerful armed forces for the first time over the incendiary issue.

Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party won a landslide in 2015 elections, but was forced into an uneasy power-sharing agreement with the armed forces. Under a 2008 charter it drafted, the military controls all security ministries and is gifted a quarter of parliamentary seats. That hands the army an effective veto over any constitutional change. Suu Kyi’s party has promised to reform the controversial document. With 2020 polls looming, parliament voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to form a cross-party committee to debate reforms of the charter.

AFP

130 PANGOLINS DIE OF ‘RESCUE FAILURE’ A TOTAL of 130 pangolins seized from smugglers by authorities in South China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region had died by the end of January of “rescue failure,� The Beijing News reported Sunday. The Guangxi forestry department sent 66 live pangolins from 2015 to 2016 to the Guangxi Shengkai Investment Co., which owned a pangolin breading base in Xianggu Village, Beihai. The department also sent another 64 live pangolins from 2014 to 2017 to the Yuehuiteng steel company in Foshan, South China’s Guangdong Province, according to The Beijing News. The 130 pangolins — Sunda pangolins, also known as the Malayan or Javan pangolin, seized by Guangxi authorities from smugglers — had all died by January, The Beijing News reported. Pangolins are listed as extremely endangered animals. In captivity, the armadillo-like animals have a high mortality rate and require a qualified team, special equipment and techniques to care of them, Wu Shibao, a pangolin

BEAUMONT-SUR-OISE, France: It’s now easier than ever in France to act out “Star Wars� fantasies, because its fencing federation has borrowed from a galaxy far, far away and officially recognized lightsaber dueling as a competitive sport, granting the iconic weapon from George Lucas’ saga the same status as the foil, epee and sabre, the traditional blades used at the Olympics. Of course, the LED-lit, rigid polycarbonate lightsaber replicas can’t slice a Sith lord in half. But they look and, with the more expensive sabers equipped with a chip in their hilt that emits a throaty electric rumble, even sound remarkably like the silver screen blades that Yoda and other characters wield in the blockbuster movies. Plenty realistic, at least, for duelists to work up an impressive sweat slashing, feinting and stabbing in organized, three-minute bouts. AP

PARIS: The known Universe just got a lot bigger.

A new map of the night sky published Tuesday charts hundreds of thousands of previously unknown GALAXIES DISCOVERED USING A TELEscope that can detect light sources optical instruments cannot see.

The international team behind the unprecedented space survey said their discovery literally shed new light on some of the Universe’s deepest secrets, including the physics of black holes and how CLUSTERS OF GALAXIES EVOLVE “This is a new window on the universe,� Cyril Tasse, an ASTRONOMER AT THE 0ARIS /BSERvatory who was involved in the project, told AFP. g7HEN WE SAW THE kRST IMAGES we were like: ‘What is this?!’ It didn’t look anything at all like what we are used to seeing.�

More than 200 astronomers from 18 countries were involved in the study, which used radio astronomy to look at a segment of sky over the northern hemisphere, and found 300,000 previously unseen light sources thought to BE DISTANT GALAXIES Radio astronomy allows scientists to detect radiation produced when massive celestial objects interact.

The team used the Low FrequenCY !RRAY ,/&!2 TELESCOPE IN THE Netherlands to pick up traces — or “jets� — of ancient radiation proDUCED WHEN GALAXIES MERGE 4HESE jets, previously undetected, can EXTEND OVER MILLIONS OF LIGHT YEARS “With radio observations we can detect radiation from the tenuous MEDIUM THAT EXISTS BETWEEN GALAXies,� said Amanda Wilber, of the University of Hamburg. g,/&!2 ALLOWS US TO DETECT many more of these sources and understand what is powering them.�

The discovery of the new light

sources may also help scientists better understand the behaviour of one of space’s most enigmatic phenomena.

Black holes — which have a gravitational pull so strong that no matter can escape them — emit radiation when they engulf other high-mass objects such as stars and gas clouds.

Tasse said the new observation technique would allow astronomers to compare black holes over time to see how they form and develop. “If you look at an active black hole, the jets (of radiation) disappear after millions of years, and you won’t see them at a higher frequency (of light),� he said. “But at a lower frequency they continue to emit these jets for hundreds of millions of years, so we can see far older electrons.�

The Hubble telescope has produced images that lead scientists to believe there are more than BILLION GALAXIES IN THE 5NIverse, although many are too old and distant to be observed using traditional detection techniques.

4HE MAP CREATED BY THE ,/&!2 observations, part of which was published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, contains data equivalent to ten million DVDs yet charts just two percent of the sky.

4HE ,/&!2 TELESCOPE IS MADE up of a Europe-wide network of radio antenna across seven countries, forming the equivalent of a 1,300-kilometer (800-mile) diameter satellite dish.

The team plans to create highresolution images of the entire northern sky, which they say will reveal as many as 15 million as-yet undetected radio sources. “The oldest objects in the Universe are around 11-12 billion light years old,� said Tasse. “So we are going to see lots more of these objects.�

AFP

250 WOMEN ACCUSE FAMOUS FAITH HEALER OF SEX ABUSE ABADIANIA, Brazil: For over 40 years, spiritual healer Joao Teixeira de Faria drew people from all over the world to this small city in central Brazil, offering treatment for everything from depression to cancer. His work was both praised. Oprah Winfrey called de Faria “inspiring� while visiting in 2012, and heavily scrutinized. Now, de Faria, who goes by the name “Joao de Deus,� or “John of God,� is in trouble with the law. Since December, more than 250 women, including his daughter have come forward to allege abuse that ranged from being felt up during treatments to rape. The mounting accusations are turning the 77-year-old spiritual guru into Brazil’s first major figure to go down in the “#metoo era,� which has been slow to take off in Latin America’s largest nation, despite myriad problems with gender equality.

Meanwhile, the people in Abadiania, about a two-hour drive west from the nation’s capital of Brasilia, are in disbelief. They also fear for their futures without de Faria.

AP

FRIENDSHIP

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman share a carriage during a welcome ceremony in Islamabad,Pakistan on Monday. Saudi Arabia will invest $20 billion in the country. AFP PHOTO

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Republic of the Philippines NATIONAL POLICE COMMISSION NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS, PHILIPPINE NATIONAL POLICE HEALTH SERVICE Camp Bgen Rafael T Crame, Quezon City TO: ALL INTERESTED/ACCREDITED SUPPLIERS: 6HDOHG %LGV LQ WKUHH FRSLHV 3XUVXDQW WR 6HF RI 5HYLVHG ,55 RI 5$ DOO HQWULHV W\SHZULWWHQ ZLWK WKH LWHP V GHVFULEHG LQ WKH DFFRPSDQ\LQJ %LGGHUÂśV 7HQGHU IRU WKH Procurement of Medical Supplies, Procurement of IT Equipment & Software, Procurement of 2IÂżFH (TXLSPHQW 3URFXUHPHQW RI 'UXJV 0HGLFLQHV DQG 3URFXUHPHQW RI 0HGLFDO (TXLSPHQW and in the total amount of Six Million One Hundred Thirty-Eight Thousand One Hundred Sixty-Seven Pesos and Eighty-One Centavos (P6,138,167.81) for the use of PNP Health Service. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested bidders from )HEUXDU\ WR 0DUFK IURP $ 0 WR 3 0 GXULQJ ZRUNLQJ GD\V DQG upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for their bidding documents. Pre-Bid Conference will be held on February 26, 2019 at 2:00 P.M. Last day of submission of bids is until 0DUFK 11, 2019 at 2:00 P.M. DQG PXVW EH VXEPLWWHG WR +6 %LGV DQG $ZDUGV &RPPLWWHH %$& DW the HS Conference Room. Opening of Bids is on the same time, date and place and will be opened in the presence of participating bidder. *HQHUDO 7HUPV DQG &RQGLWLRQ DQG VSHFLÂżFDWLRQ RI WKH LWHPV XQGHU WKLV ,QYLWDWLRQ WR %LG may obtain on the above address for information and compliance by the Bidder.

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Very truly yours, (SGD.) ALBERTO A AVILA Police Senior Superintendent Chairman, Bids and Awards Committee 07 Âą )HE

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Republic of the Philippines 2IÂżFH RI WKH 3UHVLGHQW Philippine Sports Commission INVITATION TO APPLY FOR ELIGIBILITY AND TO BID The Philippine Sports Commission, through its Bids & Awards Committee, invites interested eligible & accredited supplier/manufacturer/service providers to apply for HOLJLELOLW\ DQG WR ELG DV IROORZV

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WEDNESDAY February 20, 2019 Republic of the Philippines 2IÂżFH RI WKH 3UHVLGHQW Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council HOUSING AND LAND USE REGULATORY BOARD SOUTHERN TAGALOG REGION 675

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REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES REGIONAL TRIAL COURT NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION BRANCH 268, PASIG CITY FINASWIDE CREDIT CORP., Plaintiff, - versus – TERESITA MERCADO YAP, Defendant. x------------------------------------x

CIVIL CASE NO. 74799

NOTICE OF SHERIFF’S SALE ON EXECUTION WHEREAS, by virtue of the Writ of Execution issued in the above-entitled case RQ 'HFHPEHU IRU WKH UHFRYHU\ E\ WKH SODLQWLII WKH IROORZLQJ WKH DPRXQW RI )LYH +XQGUHG 6HYHQW\ )LYH 7KRXVDQG 2QH 3HVRV 3KS SOXV LQWHUHVW SHU DQQXP FRPSXWHU IURP -DQXDU\ XQWLO IXOO\ SDLG ZKLFK DPRXQW RI LQWHUHVW DV ORQJ DV XQSDLG VKDOO HDUQ OHJDO LQWHUHVW SHU DQQXP FRPSXWHG IURP WKH ¿OLQJ IRU WKH FRPSODLQW RQ 0D\ E WKH DPRXQW RI )LYH 7KRXVDQG 3KS DV H[HPSODU\ GDPDJHV F WKH DPRXQW RI 7HQ 7KRXVDQG 3KS 3HVRV DV DQG E\ D\ RI DWWRUQH\œV IHHV DQG FRVW RI OLWLJDWLRQ VKHULIIœV IHHV DQG H[SHQVHV DQG DOO ODZIXO fees and expenses incurred in the service of this execution sale, LEVY was made by WKH XQGHUVLJQHG VKHULII RQ -DQXDU\ WKURXJK WKH 5HJLVWHU RI 'HHGV RI 6$1 FERNANDO CITY, on all the rights, title, shares, interest, claims and participation of defendant TERESITA MERCADO YAP on the herein below described real property, together with the building and all the improvements existing thereon, more particularly GHVFULEHG DV IROORZV TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NO. 042-2012007656 $ SDUFHO RI ODQG /RW RI WKH &RQVROLGDWLRQ 6XEGLYLVLRQ 3ODQ /5& 3&6 EHLQJ D SRUWLRQ RI /RWV %DFRORU &DGDVWUH /5& &$' 5HFRUG 1R

situated in the Barrio of Cabetican, Municipality of Bacolor, Province of Pampanga, ,VODQG RI /X]RQ %RXQGHG RQ WKH 1( SRLQWV WR E\ /RW RQ WKH 6( SRLQWV WR E\ /RW RQ WKH 6: SRLQWV WR E\ /RW DOO RI WKH FRQVROLGDWLRQ VXEGLYLVLRQ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ FRQWDLQLQJ DQ DUHD )LYH +XQGUHG 7ZHOYH 6TXDUH 0HWHUV PRUH RU OHVV NOW THEREFORE, by virtue of the aforesaid Writ of Execution dated December DQG LQ DFFRUGDQFH ZLWK WKH SURYLVLRQV RI WKH 5XOHV RI &RXUW WKH XQGHUVLJQHG sheriff HEREBY ANNOUNCES and GIVES notice to all parties concerned and the 38%/,& LQ JHQHUDO WKDW RQ )(%58$5< DW RÂśFORFN LQ WKH PRUQLQJ 25 6221 7+(5($)7(5 DW WKH PDLQ HQWUDQFH JURXQG Ă&#x20AC;RRHU %XOZDJDQ QJ .DWDUXQJDQ of the Regional Trial Court of Pasig City, the undersigned sheriff will sell AT PUBLIC AUCTION to the highest bidder and FOR CASH, and in Philippine Currency, all the rights, title, shares, interests, claims and participation of defendant TERESITA MERCADO YAP in the above-described real property, together with the building and all the improvements existing thereon, for the satisfaction of the foregoing monitory obligations of the defendant with the plaintiff, together with interests, costs of suit, sheriffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fees and expenses, and lawful fees and expenses incurred in the service of this execution sale.

In the event that the public auction should not take place on the said date, it VKDOO EH KHOG RQ 0$5&+ DW WKH VDPH WLPH DQG SODFH PHQWLRQHG DERYH without further notice.

Prospective buyers/bidders and interested parties are hereby enjoined to investigate for themselves the condition and the title of the property described above, and the encumbrances, if any there be.

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5HSXEOLF RI WKH 3KLOLSSLQHV 2IÂżFH RI WKH 3UHVLGHQW@ HOUSING AND LAND USE REGULATORY BOARD Lupong Nangangasiwa sa Pabahay at Gamit ng Lupa SOUTHERN TAGALOG REGION â&#x20AC;&#x201C; (STR)

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Ipinagbibigay alam na ang DATALAND, INC. (May-ari/Taga-debelop) sa pamamagitan ng â&#x20AC;&#x153;Deed of Absolute Saleâ&#x20AC;? ay naghain sa Tanggapang ito ng sinumpaang aplikasyon para sa pagbebenta ng â&#x20AC;&#x153;residential condominium unitsâ&#x20AC;? sa THE MIREN ENCLAVES na matatagpuan sa BM Road, Brgy. San Pedro, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan at sinasakop ng Lote Blg. /5& 3VG QD VXPDVDLODOLP VD 7LWXOR %OJ 7 $QJ nasabing proyekto ay sumasailalim sa 3' 5HVLGHQWLDO &RQGRPLQLXP

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Ang nasabing proyekto ay ginagamit ang Participation Through InvestmentIncentivized Compliance, sa pamamagitan ng pag deposito ng â&#x20AC;&#x153;THREE MILLION SIXTY FOUR THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED FIFTEEN PESOS $1' 3 ´ VD Trust Account sa ilalim ng Escrow Agreement sa pamamagitan at sa gitna ng DATALAND, INC., HOUSING AND LAND USE REGULATORY BOARD 5(*,21$/ 2)),&( DW $6,$ 81,7(' %$1. &25325$7,21 $8% ELODQJ SDJVXQRG VD 6HNV\RQ QJ 5HSXEOLF Act No. 7279 na na-ameyendahan ng 5HSXEOLF $FW 1R Ang mga kasulatang kaugnay nito ay maaring suriin ng sinumang tao na nagtataglay ng ligal na interes doon pagkatapos ng wastong aplikasyon at kaukulang bayad.

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REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 2IÂżFH RI WKH 3UHVLGHQW NATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION BIR Road, East Triangle, Diliman, Quezon City JOSELINO P. GALICIA Operating under the business name or style (SALUG VALLEY CABLE TV NETWORK Applicant BMC CASE NO. 2019-027 x---------------------------------------------x NOTICE OF HEARING Applicant, JOSELINO P. GALICIA (SALUG VALLEY CABLE TV NETWORK), is a sole proprietorship duly organized and existing under and by virtue of Philippine Laws registered with the Department of 7UDGH DQG ,QGXVWU\ XQGHU &HUWLÂżFDWH No. 05470394 and pursuant to the provisions of Executive Order No. 436 and Executive Order No. 205, request for the issuance of a &HUWLÂżFDWH RI $XWKRULW\ &$ to install, operate and maintain a Cable Television (CATV) System in the DIPOLOG CITY, ZAMBOANGA DEL NORTE. Applicant, further requests for the issuance of a Provisional Authority (PA) SHQGLQJ ÂżQDO GHWHUPLQDWLRQ RI the application.

In view thereof, this will be heard by this Commission on MARCH 11, 0RQGD\ DW WHQ RÂśFORFN LQ the morning (10:00 A.M.) at the Legal Branch, 3rd Floor, NTC Building, National Telecommunications Commission, BIR Road, East Triangle, Diliman, Quezon City, wherein applicant shall present its compliance with the Commissionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s jurisdictional requirements, as well as its evidences, if warranted.

However, should the hearing date be declared a holiday or non-working day due to force majeure, the said hearing shall be held on the NEXT regular working day. $W OHDVW ÂżIWHHQ GD\V EHIRUH WKH date of hearing, applicant shall have published the Notice of Hearing once LQ RQH QHZVSDSHU RI JHQHUDO circulation and have served copies of the Notice of Hearing and the application including all annexes attached therewith to all affected parties by registered mail or through personal delivery, as furnished by the Commission.

Any party opposed to the granting of the application is hereby directed to appear at the scheduled hearing and PXVW ÂżOH LWV YHULÂżHG RSSRVLWLRQ RQ RU before the date of hearing, furnishing the applicant with a copy of the same. Failure on the part of any DIIHFWHG SDUW\ WR ÂżOH LWV RSSRVLWLRQ RQ time and to appear at the scheduled hearing shall be construed as a waiver of its right to be heard and the Commission shall proceed to hear and decide the application on its merit.

WITNESS, the HON. GAMALIEL A. CORDOBA, Commissioner, National Telecommunications Commission, WKLV th GD\ RI )(%58$5< (SGD.)ADRIANO B. CONSUNJI Chief, Commission Secretariat 07 )HE

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Build&Design

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 20, 2019 EDITOR: Mario F. Fetalino Jr.

www.manilatimes.net

mario.fetalino@manilatimes.net

C1

ABOITIZLAND TO PH FAMILIES:

Go for house and lot M

AJORITY of Filipinos still prefer living in house and lots. This is THE kNDING OF AN ONLINE REAL ESTATE comparison, which also reveals a surge in property searches in the provinces because of the rapid organization of roads and highways outside of Metro Manila.

Although affordable costs, shared amenities and proximity to business districts fuel the popularity of condominiums and co-living apartments, the study shows house and lots are still appealing to many Filipino families.

For families looking to elevate their lifestyle, a house and lot is a long-term investment that gives them more reasons to live well.

Analysts point out that lot OWNERS HAVE lEXIBILITY AND CAN grow their property depending on their needs, such as the addition of children or pets.

Unlike in a condo unit or an apartment, they have control of remodeling or modifying the abode to add rooms or outdoor spaces like a garden, yard or extra parking.

Owners also enjoy privacy and security that gated house and lots provide. Moreover, owners are free to add other measures such as a fence or security devices.

AboitizLand understands the advantages of owning house and lots. It now introduces Ajoya, a mid-market residential development offering gated master-planned communities in Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija and Capas, Tarlac.

The former is a 19-hectare (ha.) property located in Baran-

Q More reasons to live well. gay Valle Cruz, Nueva Ecija while the latter is a 13-ha. development located in Barangays Talaga and Estrada in Tarlac. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A secure and comfortable

Q Long term investment to elevate lifestyle.

C2

house and lot improves a familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quality of living and their daily interactions, and gives them a LIFELONG SENSE OF FULkLMENT SAYS John Amon, AboitizLand vice president for Marketing & Reputation Management. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ultimately these are the benefits that we want our vecinos to experience when they become owners of an AboitizLand property including Ajoya,â&#x20AC;?

Amon adds.

Ajoya is inspired by the iconic Filipino Bahay na Bato , with houses featuring traditional elements like the azotea (porch) and ventanilla (small window), evolving to match todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s styles.

Its neighborhood is built around a vibrant town plaza, reminiscent of a traditional Filipino community landscape.

To further foster interactions between vecinos (neighbors,) Ajoya provides a clubhouse, a multi-purpose hall and a pool with an open gazebo.

C3 Company makes waves in real estate tie-ups

Q Room for pets.

The community is designed to encourage walking so vecinos can build rapport and take in nature at the pocket parks and green belts.

All of Ajoyaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s amenities are purposefully designed to contribute to the increased quality of life for

vecinos, while offering all the benEkTS OF AN OWNED HOUSE AND LOT Ajoya Cabanatuan property prices range from P3.2 million to P5.5 million, while Ajoya Capasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; are from P1.7 million to P3.5 million.

C4 Hanergy launches solar technology

Robust growth in property market seen

C2

WEDNESDAY February 20, 2019

Build&Design

Ë&#x153; The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

Company makes waves in real estate tie-ups T

HE mergers & acquisitions (M&A) market is an emerging industry set to make its mark in the country in the coming years.

While the M&A market is already ripe in Japan, United States and Europe, it is only starting to mature in the Philippines, which is ideal because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s when opportunities abound.

This was recognized by Hideki Tanifuji early on, a Japanese national who has made the Philippines his new home. In 2015, Tanifuji already saw the untapped potential of the M&A industry in the country, saying that it was similar to the business climate in Japan in the early 1990s.

Three years later, in 2018, Tanifuji was proven correct. The company that he established, Asian Mergers & Acquisitions Links (AMAL), has been making SIGNIkCANT PROGRESS IN THE 0HILIPPINE - ! kELD AMAL has already closed more than a dozen deals, linking Japanese companies to local partners in need of additional capital to expand their businesses. It is a win-win situation where both parties can capitalize on each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strength. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A lot of the more economically mature countries such as Japan are looking for investments or acquisition opportunities in the Asean SPECIkCALLY IN THE 0HILIPPINES u Tanifuji said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;AMAL is leading the way as we

have the expertise and the credibility to create a successful M&A deal,â&#x20AC;? he added, noting that AMAL has been involved in companies related to real estate, IT, business process outsourcing, manufacturing, consumer goods, among others.

Record breaking 2018

The year 2018 was a record breaking year for AMAL. One of its most successful endeavors is bringing to the country a leading Japanese real estate company Kyushu Yaesu.

AMAL found a suitable local partner, Ecoverde Homes, for Kyushu Yaesu after due diligence and market research. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In the initial groundwork and meetings with the investor, AMAL set a tone of transparency, giving IMPORTANCE TO SPECIkC WELL ARTICUlated value creation in the partnership agreement. This paved the

way for our company and Kyushu Yaesu to reach an agreement that WAS BENEkCIAL TO BOTH COMPANIES u said Giovanni J. Olivares, president of Ecoverde Homes.

Today, the partnership is currently building residential houses for the mid- and low-cost market in Cagayan de Oro. After that, they will be looking in various provinces to build their next projects such as townhouses and condominiums. â&#x20AC;&#x153;AMAL envisions that this project will not only show a successful partnership but will also help

Q Tanifuji, founder of Asian Mergers Acquisition (seated right) and Giovanni, Olivarez, president of Ecoverde Homes (seated left) with officials and personnel from both companies and from Japan real estate firm Kyushu Yaesa.

Q Hideki Q Hideki Tanifuji enhance the quality and expose our local real estate industry to the best practices of foreign real estate companies,â&#x20AC;? said Tanifuji. â&#x20AC;&#x153;At the same time, we want to also show foreign companies that the Philippine real estate industry is not behind in terms of the designs and of the quality houses that our local developers can build,â&#x20AC;? he added.

Aside from closing various M&A deals, AMAL was able to transfer to a more spacious and modern office in Bonifacio Technology Center. AMAL was also able to lay the groundwork of establishing a subsidiary in Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok to cater to the Asean MARKET IN THE kRST QUARTER OF â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are still a young company, but we are continuously growing in operations. In fact, we want to become the top M&A company in the Philippines and one of the leading in Asia. We are now the biggest in the industry in terms of manpower as we have 90 employees composed of the management team, human

resource, IT staff, accountants, marketing analysts, consultants and foreign language speakers/ translators,â&#x20AC;? Tanifuji said. !-!, CURRENTLY HAS kVE JAPAnese speakers, two Mandarin speakers and one Cantonese speaker, proving that it has set its sight in the lucrative Japanese and Chinese investors market.

Opportunities for growth in 2019 Envisioning the long-term growth of the business, AMAL is also aiming to list in the Small and Medium Enterprise board of the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) by 2020. This is also the main growth strategy of Tanifuji to accelerate growth of the company.

Aside from the publicly-listed - ! kRMS IN *APAN !-!, WILL BE THE ONLY - ! kRM TO BE LISTED IN any Asian stock exchange. AMAL is targeting to be the number one in the Asean region and grow its workforce to 200 employees by 2020.

Prime professionals in built environment T

HE architecture profession is much similar to the medical profession particularly in the SPECIAL kELD OF INTERNAL MEDICINE A personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s health and well-being must be properly diagnosed by the right kind of medical expert, who in this case is the internist.

On the other hand, the architect is the right person to consult when it comes to oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s design needs for all known building types meant for human habitation.

Anybody intending to build a dream house or a building complex must think wisely whom to CONSULT kRST Â&#x2021; IS IT THE ARCHITECT or the civil engineer? The general public must know that if they need a building design expert, AN ARCHITECT SHOULD BE THE kRST to be consulted. When a client needs a building design project, an architect is the right person to be approached. But if it pertains to structural concerns, the client needs to consult a civil/ structural engineer.

There is a big difference between the building types design competence of an architect and that of a civil engineer whose education is only meant for pubLIC WORKS PROJECTS Â&#x2021; DESIGN AND construction of roads, bridges, retaining walls, canals, wharves, towers, lighthouses, dams, structural design and other related civil engineering public works.

Building designs, like residential houses, apartment buildings, HIGH RISE CONDOMINIUM AND OFkCE buildings, malls, movie houses, museums, hospitals, transportation terminals, airports, churches, columbarium or architectural structures that need functional planning and aesthetic consideration, fall under the domain of the architecture profession as enumerated in Republic Act (RA) 9266 or the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Architecture Act of 2004â&#x20AC;? as well as the National Building Code of the Philippines (NBCP).

The education of civil engineers centers only on pure mathematics, and applied engineering sciences applied to civil engineering design. The claim of civil engi-

neers that architecture is part of civil engineering is pure baloney and without any legal or historical basis, because while there is a comprehensive historical record about architecture, there is no parallel comprehensive history of civil engineering. Civil engineering works of the ancient past were included in the history of architecture.

Civil engineering is a modern profession that came about only in the 18th century. The profession was born by the need for infrastructures like railways, roads, bridges, drainage canals, ports and harbors, etc. brought about by the industrial revolution of the 18th century when steam engines and machineries for the mass production of goods were invented. This was followed by mass migration to the cities where prospects for a better life seem brighter than in the primitive agrarian environment. The movement resulted to the rapid urbanization of cities as the population rose.

Since the dawn of civilization, architecture was the natural manifestation of manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quest for a well-developed culture and physical environment as well as his aesthetic desire to attain good life and immortality. Such paved the way for the construction in Europe of great cathedrals, churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, palaces, villas, country houses, amphitheaters and coliseums. It gave birth to pyramids in Egypt and Mexico, the byzantine and gothic architectures, Italian renaissance up to the designs of modern times.

There is a maxim â&#x20AC;&#x153;we are a gov-

THE ARCHITECTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S PERSPECTIVE ARCH. ROMMEL R. ALANIS

ernment of laws and not of menâ&#x20AC;? where the rule of law must prevail.

But there seems to be an intent to sidestep the implementation of RA 9266, much more to lump architecture with another profession through congressional lobbying. Resources and connections WERE USED TO INlUENCE LEGISLATORS

an utter betrayal and disregard to public interest. It was claimed that architectural drafting, with the help of the auto computer aided design (autoCAD) program , can replicate the works of professional architects, which is contrary to the purpose and meaning of the provisions of the NBCP. Buildings for habitation are the primary domain of the professional registered and licensed architects.

It appears there is a strategy to disinform the public and besmirch the image of the architect by portraying him as a mere â&#x20AC;&#x153;cosmetic beauticianâ&#x20AC;?of buildings. Of course, that is pure baloney, if not a blatant lie. The architectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s professional education is long, tedious and excruciating, way beyond a civil engineering studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s comprehension.

The architecture student is required to balance math requirements (algebra, trigonometry, spherical trigonometry, analytic geometry, differential calculus, integral calculus, engineering mechanics, strength of materials and structural design in concrete, steel and timber) to that of architectural design, theory and history of architecture, building construction and materials, CAD, COST ESTIMATE AND SPECIkCATION

building systems like electrical, mechanical, plumbing, building automation and electronic principles and acoustics.

Architecture students burn the

Q There is a comprehensive historical record on architecture. PHOTO

BY WIKIPEDIA

midnight oil without respite to meet deadlines for their plates OR THESIS Â&#x2021; AN ACTIVITY TOTALLY unknown to civil engineering students. The last stage of the architecture studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; via crucis is thesis defense presentation in both oral and written which is crucial to determine the studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; understanding of design philosophy and competence in presenting their visual architectural projects to juries. In real practice, they will encounter such questionings from future corporate clients. So each architecture studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s grammatical skills should be above average.

It is common knowledge that architects are excellent speakers and writers.

After the students graduate with an architecture degree, they are required by law to undergo a two-year extensive apprenticeship in an architectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office to prepare architectural presentation and construction drawings, COST ESTIMATES AND SPECIkCATIONS and contract bidding documents.

Internship is not required from civil engineering students but they can immediately take the civil engineering board examination after taking the pre-board review, or self-review in some cases. And thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the difference in education and professional preparation of architecture students from those of engineering students.

At any rate, with all the legal

Q Building designs like residential houses, apartment buildings, high rise condominium and office buildings, malls, movie houses, museums, hospitals, transportation terminals, airports, churches, columbarium or architectural structures that need functional planning and aesthetic consideration fall under the domain of the architecture profession. Photo shows members of the United Architect of the Philippines.

impediments and administrative processes, it seems the main goal is to delay the implementation of the Architecture Act of 2004.

It looks like the general public is given the wrong notion that only CIVIL ENGINEERS ARE THE QUALIkED professionals to design and build houses and buildings.

Again, the public must know very well that building design and construction are the domain of the architect and not of the civil engineer. The confusion started SINCE THE INCEPTION OF TWO LAWS Â&#x2021; RA 544 or the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Civil Engineering Lawâ&#x20AC;&#x153; and RA 545 or the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Architecture Law.â&#x20AC;? Both were enacted

by Act of Congress in 1950. Back then, however, the Bureau of PubLIC 7ORKS "07 Â&#x2021; THE PREDECCESsor of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Â&#x2021; FAILED TO DELINEATE THE FUNCTION and professional prerogatives of architects and civil engineers.

Until such time in 2004, by an act of Congress, the Architecture Act of 2004 was signed into law

by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. It is the duty of the DPWH and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) TO INFORM ALL BUILDING OFkCIALS TO implement the Architecture Act of 2004 without delay throughout the archipelago. Unfortunately however, such duty is not being FULkLLED -ALACAĂ&#x201E;ANG HAS TO KNOW why the Architecture Act of 2004 is still not being observed.

The NBCP must prevail. It is explicit in delineating the architecture profession from civil engineering. Both have respective territorial jurisdictions and limitations.

The author earned his Bachelor Degree in Architecture from the University of North-Eastern Philippines College of Civil Engineering and Architecture in Iriga City, Camarines Sur in 1977 and passed the Architecture licensing board in 1979. A practicing architect in Naga City, he engages In Design-Build services. He is a past UAP district director B-5 in 2010-11, past UAP chapter president in 2000-03. He writes architecture and art criticism, political commentaries, poetry and essays . He is also a vanguard on heritage conservation.

Ë&#x153; The Manila Times w w w.manilatimes.net

Build&Design

WEDNESDAY February 20, 2019

C3

DEPENDABLE The thin-film solar products provide more use than traditional panels.

Q Hanergy products come in the form of tiles and glasslike materials for façade.

R

ENEWABLE ENERGY kRM (ANERGY 0HILIPPINES advocates innovative, sustainable and ecofriendly design in architecture through its THIN kLM SOLAR TECHNOLOGY

In an interview recently in Makati, Hanergy Philippines President Leon Ang said the firmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s THIN kLM SOLAR PRODUCTS PROVIDE more use than traditional panels,

which are just usually mounted or attached to a building. g7E CAN LAMINATE IT THIN kLM solar product) on glass, on different surfaces and it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to

Hanergy launches solar technology

BE lAT )T CAN BE CURLED u HE SAID

adding that it was made possible by nano-element designing.

Ang said Hanergy had been working on the solar panel alternative â&#x20AC;&#x153;for decadesâ&#x20AC;? before coming up with the product that is â&#x20AC;&#x153;ready for practical use.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a concept in architecture world that they call BIPV (building-integrated photovol-

taic). This concept has been there for a while, but we have never had a product that can adapt to it,â&#x20AC;?

HE SAID UNTIL THE THIN kLM SOLAR product was introduced.

BIPV refers to construction materials that can be put in replacement of roofs and facades, allowing solar power generation.

Their products, he said, come in the form of tiles and glass-

like materials for façade. Ang said these materials are strong enough that people could walk on them in case they were placed ON THE lOOR Ang said their products are commercially available now in the Philippines after Hanergy PhilipPINES OPENED ITS OFkCE IN -AKATI in August, August.

Apart from building designs,

the energy firm also developed bio-products like a solar-enabled power bank installed in a backpack AND PORTABLE SOLAR kLMS THAT COULD generate power. â&#x20AC;&#x153;People keep forgetting that thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s environmental awareness THAT WE SHOULD REMEMBER Â&#x2021; CLEAN energy. We are designing for the future,â&#x20AC;? he said.

TYRONE JASPER C. PIAD

Furniture show to revive design, lifestyle event ON March 7 to 9, the Philippines International Furniture Show (known to some simply as PIFS), one of Southeast Asiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s premier trade fairs, will once again offer an extensive range of furniture products, accessories and dĂŠcor at the SMX Convention Center Manila, Mall of Asia Complex.

The event is jointly organized by the Cebu Furniture Industries Foundation Inc. (CFIF), the Chamber of Furniture Industries of the Philippines (CFIP), and the Pampanga Furniture Industries Foundation (PFIF).

Known as the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Milan of Asia,â&#x20AC;? the Philippines has exhibited a strong reputation for innovative and original, often ground-breaking, ideas and design interpretation. That is why PIFS continues to attract buyers from all over THE WORLD WHO WANT TO SEE kRST hand what Filipino design and craftsmanship has to offer. Some come from countries as far as the United States, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates, China, Australia, Saudi Arabia, France, Thailand, Germany, India and many more. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As we organize PIFS, we organize one of the premier venues for all furniture and furnishing products that are up to par to worldclass standards,â&#x20AC;? said Eduardo Zuluaga, overall event chairman for PIFS and CFIP president. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is where we show the world the ingenuity of our local manufacturers and designers, how we interpret the latest industry trends, and in many cases, take the lead in design innovation.â&#x20AC;?

Among the highlights is the iDisenyo Interior Design Competition, which will be showcasing THE TEAMS kNAL FURNITURE PIECES and awarding the winners during PIFS. iDisenyo is a contest for teams of interior design students and professionals and their corresponding furniture manufacturer as partner. Each team will be deSIGNING A FURNITURE PIECE THAT kTS their manufacturerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mission and vision, taking into consideration the increasing limitation of space WITHOUT SACRIkCING FUNCTION COM-

fort and aesthetics. iDisenyo is organized by the University of the Philippines Interior Design Alumni Association (UPIDAA) and CFIP collaboration with Adams Philippines.

PIFS proves to be the ultimate FURNITURE LIFESTYLE EVENT kT FOR ALL design and furniture enthusiasts. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This year, we decided on portraying different kinds of lifestyles and stories behind our featured furniture pieces, furnishings, and kXTURES u SAID #HRISTINA 'ASTON CFIF, event chairman. â&#x20AC;&#x153;PIFS remains to be a curated venue that is truly a feast for the SENSES Â&#x2021; YOU LL SEE DIFFERENT STYLES

techniques, and textures from different designers and manufacturers,â&#x20AC;? Gaston added.

Some of this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exhibitors at the show include Aerostone Inc., Albero Ph, Amc Trading, Artesania Manila Furniture Inc., Azcor Lighting Systems Inc., Cancio Contract Furniture Corp., Calfurn Manufacturing Phils. Inc., Carpetworld Manufacturing Corp., Cebu Fil Veneer Corp., Clear Export )NDUSTRIES )NC AND #OAST 0ACIkC Manufacturing Corp.

Also joining the event are Contemporaneo Design Enterprise, Cymru Fine Furniture & Accessories Traders, Designs Ligna Inc., E. Murio Inc., Fashion Interiors Furniture

Q Known as the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Milan of Asia,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; the Philippines has exhibited a strong reputation for innovative and original, often ground breaking, ideas and design interpretation. Branded as the ultimate design event, the Philippine International Furniture Show (PIFS) will again be held alongside the Interior & Design Manila, March 7 to 9, 2019 at the SMX Convention Center Manila, Pasay City. Pre-register at www.pifs.ph to get your complimentary pass to the show.

Philippines Inc., Feliix Inc., Filipino Creazione De Mano Inc., Furniture Doctor Design Corp., Hacienda Crafts, Hein Chrispijn Metamorfose Phils. Inc. Home Mavericks, Iutis Lighting, JB Woodcraft Inc., Las Palmas Furniture Inc., Lincoln Brooks, Longfor Trading Corp., Luxury Supreme Ventures Inc., Mehitabel Inc. -ORE 4HAN ! #HAIR AND -ULTIlEX Rnc Phils. Inc. More participants include Natural Craft Connection Enterprise,

Obra Cebuana Inc., Ohmm Furniture Manufacturing Inc., P & B 6ALISES %T #OMPAGNIE )NC 0ACIkC Traders & Manufacturing Corp., Philiana Design, Red Heirlooms Furniture And Home Decors Shop, Showcase Carpet Center & Co., Southeast Metro Arts Inc., South Sea Veneer Corporation, Testex Swiss Textile Testing Ltd., and Venzon Lighting Manufacturing.

Last year, PIFS welcomed over 7,000 visitors from 32 countries.

Q PIFS will open its doors to over 8,000 trade buyers and visitors during its three-day show. The event is supported by distinct government officials and prominent industry associations.

Q PIFS proves to be the ultimate furniture lifestyle event fit for all design and furniture enthusiasts. Joined by over 200 furniture manufacturers and designers all over the country, see the newest product offerings and the latest trends when you visit the show in March.

C4

Build&Design

WEDNESDAY February 20, 2019

Robust S growth in property market seen

Ë&#x153; The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

TRONG growth in the property market would likely carry over to 2019 amid a strong demand from locators and home buyers, a global real ES ESTATE SERVICES kRM SAID

BY ANGELICA BALLESTEROS

Colliers International-Philippines Deputy Managing Director Ieyo de Guzman said that in a recent report, vacancy rates in the office sector were seen to settle between 5 to 5.5 percent with the knowledge process outsourcing expected to serve as the main driver over the next 12 months. &OR FULL YEAR ALONE OFkCE VAcancy rate stood between 4.8 and 5 percent, with net take-up estimated at 1.17 million square meters (sqm) out of the 1.18 million sqm total supply.

Colliers said last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s take-up was likely attributed to outsourcing, traditional or non-outsourcing, and offshore gaming companies.

g7E SEE STRONG OFkCE DEMAND BEING carried over to 2019 with the knowledge process outsourcing (KPO) sector [as the main driver] over the next 12 months,â&#x20AC;? de Guzman said.

For the residential component, de Guzman said the segment would reMAIN STRONG AMID THE HIGHER INlATION and policy rates.

To recall, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas hiked policy rates by a total of 175 basis points last year in a bid to tame DOWN THE RISING INlATION AND INCREASED rates translate to higher borrowing costs.

De Guzman said Chinese offshore GAMING kRMS WOULD ALSO DRIVE GROWTH in residential projects particularly those located in cen-

Q Ieyo Q I dde GGuzman tral business districts and its peripheral areas, and would be helped by demand from professionals, local and other foreign investors.

Property awards to honor unique PH real estate market A â&#x20AC;&#x153;STRONG and stableâ&#x20AC;? Philippine real estate market is gearing up for the seventh edition of the annual PropertyGuru Philippines Property Awards.

Scheduled on July 5, 2019 at an exclusive gala dinner at the Fairmont Makati ballroom, the awards will be attended by the industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s MOST INlUENTIAL LEADERS Presented by global brand Kohler, the long-running competition is the gold standard for excellence in Philippine real estate, recognizing development, design and innovation.

It will also highlight corporate social responsibility (CSR), sustainable development, design and construction, building communities, customer care and public facility projects.

Shortlisted nominees in more than 35 competitive categories will be announced in June, including finalists for outstanding condominium and housing development in Metro Manila, Cebu and Davao.

The residential categories are further divided into luxury, high-

Q Christophe Vicic

end, mid-end and affordable segments that follow new pricing eligibility criteria to accurately RElECT CURRENT MARKET CONDITIONS There are also open categories for alternative housing, resort, ofkCE BUSINESS PROCESS OUTSOURCING "0/ OFkCE RETAIL HOTEL MIXED use and township development, as well as their corresponding architectural, interior or landscape design awards.

The independent panel of judges has introduced a new category for Best Co-Working Space, as DEMAND FOR lEXIBLE AND SERVICED work spaces rose in Metro Manila, particularly in the central business districts of Makati and Bonifacio Global City, according to a study.

The newly elected awards chairman is Christophe Vicic, JLL Philippinesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; country head, succeeding Jaime Cura, PhD of the RGV Group of Companies, who remains a member of the judging panel comprising respected industry experts.

Re p r e s e n t a t i v e s from BDO Roxas, Cruz, Tagle & Co. will oversee the fair, ethical and transparent judging process.

Q Philippine Property Awards 2018 winners from leading real estate developer in the country.

Key dates Nominations and entries for the 2019 edition of the awards were opened on Nov. 26, 2018.

Nominations and entries will be closed on May 3 and May 10, 2019 respectively.

Meanwhile, there will be site inspections from May 27 to June 7. Final judging is on July 1. As mentioned, the gala dinner and awards ceremony will be held on July 5.

'RAND kNALE OF THE OCCASSION will be held in Bangkok, Thailand on Nov. 29, 2019.

More than 300 guests are expected to attend the annual awards night in Manila, which will also celebrate the Philippine Real Estate Personality of the Year.

Past titleholders of the Philippine Real Estate Personality of the Year include former Senate president Manny Villar, Philippine Green Building Council ChairMAN 2AYMOND 2UkNO UNICORN entrepreneur Robbie Antonio, and Megaworld founder Dr. Andrew Tan, who was named the firstever recipient of the PropertyGuru Icon Award at the regional Prop-

ertyGuru Asia Property Awards Grand Final held last November in Bangkok, Thailand, where The Podium by SM Keppel Land collected two regional awards.

Jules Kay, business director of the Asia Property Awards, said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Quality developments in the country are being promoted across the region through the Philippines Property Awards programme, which recognises the Philippines as a forward-thinking, fastgrowing and innovative property market that stands along with the best in Asia.â&#x20AC;?

Commenting on the stability of the sector, Kay said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Philippine property sector is unique because the fundamentals here are very strong and stable, with a lot of foreign direct investment and overseas remittances coming in continuously, giving a nice balance of domestic strength and international interest. The Philippines also keeps its property sector well-managed in that the highs and lows are less extreme compared to neighboring countries in Asean.â&#x20AC;?

The 2019 PropertyGuru Philippines Property Awards is support-

ed by platinum sponsor Kohler; gold sponsor Hitachi Elevator; OFkCIAL NEWSPAPER The Philippine STAR OFkCIAL MAGAZINE PropertyGuru Property Report; and ofkCIAL SUPERVISOR "$/ 2OXAS #RUZ

Tagle & Co., CPAs. Established in 2005, PropertyGuruâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Asia Property Awards are the regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most exclusive and prestigious real estate awards program.

The Asia Property Awards are recognized as the ultimate hallmark of industry excellence in the Asian property sector. Boasting an independent panel of industry experts and trusted supervisors, the awards has an unparalleled reputation for being credible, fair and transparent.

In 2019, the awards was opened to more than a dozen property markets around the region. With gala dinners hosting up to 600 senior industry leaders to recognize excellence within each Asian market, each local awards culminate in the PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards Grand Final, which takes place alongside the PropertyGuru Asia Real Estate Summit in Bangkok in November 2019.

Meanwhile, PropertyGuru Group is Asiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading online property company and the preferred destination for over 25 million property seekers looking for their dream home, every month.

PropertyGuru and its group companies empower the property seekers with the widest option of more than 2 million homes, in-depth insights and solutions that enable them to make confident property decision across Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam.

PropertyGuru.com.sg was launched in 2007 and revolutionized the Singapore property market by taking it online and making property search transparent for the property seeker.

Over the decade, the group has grown from a regional property media powerhouse to a high-growth technology company with a robust portfolio of top property portals, award-winning mobile apps; bestin-class developer sales enablement platform, ePropertyTrack and a host of industry-leading property offerings such as awards, events and publications across Asia.

Sports

D1 WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 20, 2019

www.manilatimes.net

Djokovic, Biles win Laureus Sportsman of Year awards

M

ONACO: Novak Djokovic’s stupendous comeback from injury last year which saw him win two Grand Slam titles earned him the Laureus Sportsman of the Year Award on Monday (Tuesday in Manila) at a lavish ceremony.

Q Laureus World Sportsman of The Year 2019 winner Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic poses with his award at the 2019 Laureus World Sports Awards ceremony at the Sporting Monte-Carlo complex in Monaco. AFP PHOTO T h e 31 - ye a r - o l d S e r b i a n — w h o added the Australian Open in January to the Wimbledon and US Open crowns he won in 2018 after coming back from elbow surgery—won the award for a fourth time beating the likes of France’s World Cup winner Kylian Mbappe and NBA superstar LeBron James.

Iconic American gymnast Simone Biles won Sportswoman of the Year for a second time on the back of the 21-year-old’s historic achievement last year in adding a fourth all-around world championship to her full to bursting medals cabinet.

Djokovic was delighted with his award -- voted on by the 68 members of the Laureus Academy which includes sporting legends such as nine-time singles Grand Slam champion Monica Seles and Britain’s sixtime Olympic track cycling gold medalist Chris Hoy. “Last year was an incredible season for me, returning from

Q Far Eastern University’s Celine Domingo and Kyle Negrito try to block University of the Philippines’ Isa Molde during a Premier Volleyball League game at The Arena in San Juan City. FILE PHOTO

LADY MAROONS, TAMS CLASH FOR EARLY LEAD UNIVERSIT Y of the Philippines (UP) and Far Eastern University (FEU) renew their preseason rivalry as they clash for the early lead in Season 81 University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) women’s volleyball tournament today at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.

The Lady Maroons swept the Lady Tamaraws with two five-set victories to grab the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Collegiate Conference crown— their first major volleyball title in 36 years--last September 2018.

UP and FEU, both season-opening day winners, face off anew at 4 p.m.

“I know FEU will be coming for a r e v e n g e . We w i l l b e g o i n g o u t to win against them for the third time. But again, nothing comes e a s y,” s a i d t h e L a d y M a r o o n s h e a d c o a c h G o d f r e y O k u m u .

“I believe if we play hard, we have a chance of winning,” he added. “Most of my players know what they’re doing, they’re good in the game and they know how to handle themselves.”

UP scored a hard-earned first win at the expense of University of the East, 25-12, 22-25, 23-25, 25-19, 15-12, last Saturday.

Okumu will bank again on PVL Conference and Finals MVP Isa Molde, who smashed 23 points on 19 attacks, two blocks and two aces in the previous outing.

Veteran spiker Tots Carlos and opposite hitter Justine Dorog are also expected to deliver the goods for the Diliman-based squad.

On the other hand, FEU mentor George Pascua is not keen on getting revenge but rather on improving their game.

“Knowing UP, they have a different character so we need to level up our game. We still have many things to fix because it’s just the start of the season,” said Pascua.

The last season’s runners-up L ady Tamaraws hurdled National University, 22-25, 25-19, 25-19, 25-12, in their season debut.

Rookie spiker Lycha Ebon, who topscored with 13 points the last time out, is tabbed to lead the Moraytabased volleybelles along with captain Jerilli Malabanan, Heather Anne Guino-o and Celine Domingo.

Meanwhile, University of Santo Tomas also guns for a second win against Ateneo De Manila University in the 2 p.m. curtain raiser.

The Golden Trigresses notched a breakthrough victory after outlasting Adamson University, 25-21, 25-21, 2426, 24-26, 15-6, last Sunday.

On the same day, the Lady Eagles bowed down to four-peat seeking archrival De La Salle University, 14-25, 17-25, 25-16, 19-25.

JEREMIAH M. SEVILLA

injury to win Wimbledon and the US Open is something I’ll remember forever,” said Djokovic.

Seles, also born in Serbia although now a naturalised American citizen, presented the award to Djokovic, who admitted it had been a long hard road back mentally as well as physically.

“Reflecting on it standing here now it seems like a fairytale story but it tells me one thing,” he said.

“In those moments of when you are facing adversity and challenged you should always look inside.

“I did not understand that fully before but now I know where I can always find strength and belief and to keep on going.”

Tennis had a golden night as women’s world number one Naomi Osaka — who like Djokovic added the Australian Open to her breakthrough Grand Slam success the US Open -- became the first Japanese winner of a Laureus award, the 21-year-old taking the World Breakthrough of the Year gong.

American golf great Tiger Woods was rewarded for his return from years in the wilderness due to injury

and personal problems to winning the Tour Championship and going close to adding to his 14 major titles in the British Open and the PGA Championship with the Comeback of the Year award.

“There was a long list of people who wrote him off but I was not one of them,” said former NFL star Marcus Allen.

“When you are anointed with such talent as he is there is always a way back.”

‘To have united them’ Mbappe may have missed out on the main individual award but he along with his World Cup winning teammates collected the team of the year prize.

Manager Didier Deschamps -- who also captained France to the 1998 World Cup triumph -- accepted the award with some members of his backroom staff.

“Being part of the French football team offers one the rare privilege of bringing happiness to the French people,” said Deschamps, who won the same award with his Euro 2000 winning teammates in 2001.

“We are extremely proud to have brought them such joy last summer and to have united them.”

AFP

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Sports

The Manila Times

WEDNESDAY February 20, 2019

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AMA tops McDavid, earns share of lead

BY JEREMIAH M. SEVILLAÂ

P

OWERED by its new players, AMA Online Education notched a breakthrough 80-65 victory at the expense of McDavid in the 2019 Philippine Basketball Association Developmental League (PBA D-League) on Tuesday at the Paco Arena in Manila.

Franky Johnson combined forces with top overall pick Joshua Munzon and No. 5 pick Troy Rike to hand the Titans a rare debut win in the Aspirants Group. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fortunately, we jelled early. At least they played well together,â&#x20AC;? said AMA head coach Mark Herrera, whose squad already eclipsed its winless record in the previous DLeague conference.

Johnson, a former Marinerong 0ILIPINO GUARD kRED A GAME HIGH POINTS INCLUDING MARKERS IN THE kRST half that triggered the Titansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; hot start.

Rike tallied 15 points and eight boards while Munzon drilled in a DOUBLE DOUBLE OF MARKERS AND 10 rebounds on top of three assists.

Munzon, who previously starred

for the Saigon Heat and Westports Malaysia Dragons in the Asean Basketball League, struggled early in his $ ,EAGUE DEBUT BUT MANAGED TO kND his groove as the game went on, scoring nine points in the second half. g)T S DEkNITELY AN ADJUSTMENT ) got to a real slow start out there but my teammates were able to pick up,â&#x20AC;? said Munzon.

Johnson sparked a 10-point blast to start the second quarter for a comfortable !-! LEAD McDavid threatened to within 53-60 on Jason Melanoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s long jumper late in the third period.

But Munzon and Rike ignited a nine-point spurt that restored

the Titansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; massive advantage to 71-53 with eight minutes left in the game.

Lanky forward

Q Joshua Munzon of AMA shoots over Jason Melano of McDavid during the 2019 PBA D-League on Tuesday at the Paco Arena in Manila. PBA MEDIA BUREAU PHOTO

Melano led league rookie McDavid with 15 points, nine rebounds and three assists even as veteran guard James Martinez added 10 markers, four boards and two dimes.

DUTERTE OKS LAW TO CREATE PHILIPPINE TRAINING CENTER PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has signed a law establishing the Philippine Sports Training Center (PTSC) which will be the official home and primary venue of the development of athletes included in the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s national teams.

Duterte signed Republic Act no. 11214, or the PTSC Act, on February 14, copies of which were given five days after.

The state of the art training center will also contribute to sports science and research as the national sports training institution. It will have a funding of P3.5 billion, included in the annual General Appropriations Act. Other amount necessary for other provisions of the act, including the maintenance, operation and management of the PSTC will be included in the budget of the PSC. It will be assisted by the

Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), through the Philippine Sports Institute.

Under the measure, the center will be built within a year and a half, after six months of planning.

The center will include sports facilities and amenities for at least 30 Olympic and non-Olympics sports - aquatics, archery, arnis, athletics, badminton, baseball, basketball, billiard and snookers, BMX and cycling, bowling, boxing, chess, dancesport, fencing, floorball, football, futsal, handball, gymnastics and jiu-jitsu.

It will also house judo, karatedo, lawn tennis, muay thai, pencak silat, petanque, rugby, sambo, shooting, softball, soft tenni, squash, table tennis, taekwondo, triathlon, volleyball, weightlifting, wrestling and wushu.

Other sports that are duly accredited and recognized national sports association not listed may

be part of the PSTC sports training if deemed significant and necessary by the PSC. The PSC will have the authority to manage and operate the center, including the administration of incidental income, security of the complex, assignment of personnel and hiring of managers and other aut horities, as long as they are professional and highly skilled managers, with long and vast experience in sports administration.

The Implementing Rules and Regulations will also be crafted by the PSC, in consultation with the Departments of Public Works and Highways and the Budget and Management.

The law is a consolidation of House BIll no. 5615 and Senate BIll no. 1716, which were passed on December 10, 2018 and December 6, 2018 respectively.

RALPH EDWIN U. VILLANUEVA

A forgotten hero of Philippine basketball â&#x20AC;&#x153;SINO po ba yung tisoy na player na yun namalaki ang tiyan?

One young sportswriter asked this reporter during the shoot around before the Ginebra San Miguel-Purefoods game of the well-attended @2ETURN OF THE 2IVALS BENEkT SHOW FEATURING THE PBA Legends at the Araneta Coliseum.

The guy was pointing at Joey Loyzaga, who he even doubted whether the latter really belongs to the group that included the more illustrious

Robert Jaworski, Ramon Fernandez, Alvin Patrimonio, Jerry Codinera and other PBA luminaries , who represented teams of San Miguel, Ginebra, Purefoods and Alaska in the four-team classic presented by the PBA Legends Foundation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Of course, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a legend in his own right,â&#x20AC;? this writer assured the doubting Thomas. He, not only played in the PBA, but in the amateur rank as well, he even represented the Philippines in several international competitions.â&#x20AC;?

Q Joey Loyzaga (left) defends Ronnie Magsanoc during the Return of the Rival benefit show featuring the PBA Legends at the Araneta Coliseum.

PBA MEDIA BUREAU PHOTO

*OEY PLAYED PRO BALL STARTING IN as one of the two rookies signed by Gold Eagle Beer (San Miguel). When the SMC franchise took a leave of absence in the 1986 PBA season, Loyzaga found his way with what to become the leagueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most popular team - Ginebra and became teammates with older brother Chito Loyzaga.

The Loyzaga brothers, sons of Philippine basketballâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Big Differenceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Carlos Loyzaga, won two championships together with Ginebra, then carrying the banner Anejo Rum 65ers.

Joeyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most memorable performance as a 65ers was during the 1988 PBA All Filipino Finals when he played the heroâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s IN 'AME AND 'AME THAT CLINCHED FOR !NEJO THE TITLE

IN THE BEST OF kVE SERIES against Purefoods. *OEY SANK kVE THREE POINT SHOTS ALL OF them on crucial moments as he topscored for his team to give Anejo a 1-0 lead, 111-105.

4HE (OTDOGS LEVELED THE SERIES

IN 'AME BUT THE 2UM -ASTERS CAME BACK

TO RETAKE THE ADVANTAGE

moving within grasp of annexing the PBA championship, which they did the next time up, again, courtesy of Joey.

Joey and Jaworski halved 56 points BETWEEN THEM IN A !NEJO 2UM steamrolling odd Purefoods in overtime.

Ernesto Jose â&#x20AC;&#x153;Joeyâ&#x20AC;? Loyzaga, born 3EPTEMBER

kRST BROKE INTO THE limelight as a San Beda College Red Cub in the NCAA cage war. He was elevated to the senior Red Lions where he spent the next three years as a starter for then-SBC coach Loreto Carbonell.

He also saw action as a national team MEMBER IN THE !SIAN 'AMES IN .EW Delhi as well as part of the Philippine squad, which brought home the 1983 SEA Games basketball crown.

(E IS THE SECOND IN THE BROOD OF kVE Caloy and Vicky Cuerva that also includes Carmen, Teresa and Bing. Joey is currently based in Sydney with wife Jackie AND YEAR OLD DAUGHTER )SABEL WHO WAS already born in Australia and is graduating in April with a degree in journalism.

Playing as a member of the Legends team, he said is an unforgettable experience he will cherish for the rest of his life.

(IS DAY STAY IN THE COUNTRY HIS THIRD since migrating Down Under, is the most memorable one because â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was given a rare chance, not only to play in the Legends team, but, likewise, for a noble cause.â&#x20AC;?

EDDIE G. ALINEA

Oba-ob shoots for back-to-back crowns RABIE JAYSON OBA-OB aims to defend the menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s open singles title when the 12th Prima Pasta Badminton Championships unfolds on Friday at the Powersmash badminton courts in Chino Roces Avenue, Makati City.

Oba-ob defeated last year fellow Michael Kevin Cudiamat in the finals to bag the crown.

And this year, Oba-ob is hoping for back-toback titles in the tournament powered by the Forthright Events & Sports Management Inc. National player Sarah Joy Barredo, however, wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be available to defend her womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s open single title in the competition sanctioned by the Philippine Badminton

Association (PBA) and affiliated with the Philippine National Ranking System (PNRS). The singles, doubles and mixed open divisions starts on Friday until Monday, while level menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s doubles and mixed categories A to G, womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s level B to F womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s doubles and combined age (non-gender) class begin on March 2 until March 3.Â

WEDNESDAY February 20, 2019

Ë&#x153; The Manila Times

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Tiger joined by DeChambeau, Mexicoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ancer in WGC opener

M

EXICO CITY: Tiger Woods Woods, a 14 14time major winner, is paired with Mexicoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Abraham Ancer and !MERICAN "RYSON $E#HAMBEAU IN THE kRST TWO rounds of the WGC Mexico Championship, organizers announced on Monday (Tuesday in Manila).

Woods, whose 80 career US PGA titles are two shy of Sam Sneadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s career record, shared 15th in last weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tour event at Riviera and remains a fan favorite at age 43 even though he last won a major crown at the 2008 US Open.

H i s group was among four featured threesomes announced early for the

kRST TWO ROUNDS of the match up at Club de Golf Chapultepec, WHICH WILL BE THE kRST COMPETITIVE event played by Woods in Mexico.

Woods owns a record 18 WGC titles from nine different locations worldwide.

DeChambeau has won four of his past 10 worldwide starts, two of them in last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s PGA Tour playoffs.

Ancer won last Decemberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Australian Open and ranks sixth on the

list of Internationals TEAM QUALIkERS FOR THE TEAM showdown later this year in Australia against an American squad to be guided by Woods.

Other attention getting trios for THE kRST TWO ROUNDS WILL INCLUDE 2ORY McIlroy playing alongside Americans Bubba Watson and Brooks Koepka; an all-US group of Phil Mickelson, Justin Thomas and Dustin Johnson plus reigning Masters champion Patrick Reed alongside fellow American Rickie Fowler and Spainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Jon Rahm.

Four-time major winner McIlroy of Northern Ireland, who shared FOURTH AT 2IVIERA HAS THREE TOP kVE kNISHES IN AS HE AIMS FOR A

Sports

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Q Tiger Woods

AFP PHOTO

third career WGC title.

Two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson also owns two WGC victories while three-time major winner Koepka SEEKS HIS kRST 7'# TRIUMPH Fowler makes his first start SINCE TAKING HIS kFTH CAREER 0'! victory at the Phoenix Open while 2AHM HAS TOP kNISHES IN ALL kVE PRIOR STARTS Defending champion Mickelson makes his 600th career PGA Tour start after winning his 44th PGA title two weeks ago at Pebble Beach while Thomas, who lost a playoff to left-hander Mickelson last year in Mexico, boasts the course record at Club de Golf Chapultepec with a 62 and Johnson won WGC Mexico titles in 2015 and 2017.

AFP

PGA Tour approves shorts for practice, pro-am rounds MIAMI: Players will be allowed to wear shorts in PGA Tour practice and pro-am rounds under a change in player appearance guidelines unveiled on Monday (Tuesday in Manila).

The change, effective immediately, applies only to tournaments on six tours operated under the PGA Tour umbrella.

Long pants will remain required attire for all official competition rounds.

This weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s World Golf Championships Mexico Championship and the USÂ PGAÂ Puer-

to Rico Open will be the first tournaments offering golfers the apparel option.

The move follows years of discussions about shorts being worn during non-competition days with positive feedback from players, fans, sponsors and tournaments for the change. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It makes the guys a lot more comfortable,â&#x20AC;? four-time major winner Rory McIlroy said of wearing shorts. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s anything wrong with professional golfers showing the lower half of their leg.â&#x20AC;?

James Hahn, co-chairman of the PGA Tour Advisory Council, informed PGA players of the rule change in a video posted on Twitter.

Shorts must be knee-length, tailored and neat in appearance. Compression leggings worn under shorts must be solid in color.

PGAÂ Tour caddies were first allowed to wear shorts during competition days in 1999.

The European Tour began a policy for players wearing shorts in practice rounds in 2016.

The PGA of America has allowed players

to wear shorts for practice rounds at the PGA Championship the past two years.

Tiger Woods, a 14-time major winner, said he would welcome the chance to wear shorts in practice rounds in a Facebook Live interview last year.

Woods will have his chance to don shorts for the first time in a practice round at the WGC event in Mexico on Tuesday.

AFP

Saso sputters, settles for joint lead at 70 YUKA SASO sizzled in the early going but cooled down at the back with shaky putting, settling for a oneunder 70 and a share of the lead with Thai Khawnuna Yosita and Mafy Singson at the start of the Champion Philippine Ladies Amateur Open at the Manila Golf and Country Club in Forbes Park on Tuesday.

They stood four strokes up on Chanettee Wannasaen, also of Thailand, who shot a 74, while Sofia Chabon and Rianne Malixi turned in identical 75s in windy conditions at the par-71 layout returning as host of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s premier championship after a long absence.

Junia Gabasa, coming off a victory in the W Express RVF Cup in Canlubang last week, struggled with a 76 for joint seventh with Eagle Ace Superal and Taiwanese Sung You-Chuan while Nicole Abelar lay a stroke farther back with 77 in the 54-hole championship organized and conducted by the Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Golf Association of the Philippines.

Just when she thought she had the posh layout all figured out after going three-under with a birdie on No. 1 and an eagle on No. 4, Saso hit an errant approach shot on No. 8 for bogey then groped for her touch on the unpredictable greens at the back, flubbing five birdie chances inside eight feet.

The reigning Asian Games gold medalist three-putted No. 14 after misreading a downhill try, the ball storming past the cup by six feet which she failed to return. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve said, the greens are tough. I couldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve turned in a better round and couldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve taken the solo lead,â&#x20AC;? said Saso, who muffed birdie tries on Nos. 13 (8ft), 15 (6ft), 16 (10ft), 17 (12ft) and 18 (5ft). â&#x20AC;&#x153;My timing was off at the back and that made it worse. But overall, I am still happy with game.â&#x20AC;?

FREE KICK ROMY P. MARIĂ&#x2018;AS

2019 SEA Games: How not to walk the talk R

Q Yuka Saso CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Sasoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s blistering start also failed to rattle her young Thai flightmate, who hit three birdies to negate a double bogey mishap on No. 12, while Singson, 15, also gunned down three birdies against two bogeys in a separate flight to gain a piece of the lead in the early going of the event presented by Champion and sponsored by Hana Shampoo, EVA Air, San Miguel Corp. and Diamond Motor Corp. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The greens are tricky. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re difficult because theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re slick

and undulating. The wind was also a big factor,â&#x20AC;? said Khawnuna, a 16-year-old rising star from Nakhon Thammarat.

Unlike Saso, Singson had to rebound from a faltering start of two bogeys in the first four holes but charged back with birdies on Nos. 8 and 14 before rolling in a five-footer on the last hole. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The greens are tough but the wind was relatively fair,â&#x20AC;? said Singson, bracing for a tough outing against Saso and Khawnuna in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s featured flight among the 93 starters

Wozniacki pulls out of Dubai WTA DUBAI:Â Former world number one Caroline Wozniacki withdrew from the Dubai Championships on Monday (Tuesday in Manila) due to a viral ILLNESS BEFORE HER kRST ROUND MATCH against Switzerlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Stefanie Voegele.

Wozniacki, who won the 2011 title in Dubai, also missed last weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Qatar Open because of the issue, which she kRST FELT AROUND THE #HRISTMAS PERIOD and the problem lingered with her through Q Caroline Wozniacki AFP PHOTO

the Australian Open.

She failed to retain her Melbourne crown after losing to Maria Sharapova in the third round of this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tournament and is yet to return to the court. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It sucks. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve gotten ready to play these

where the 30 percent of the lowest scores and ties after the first round qualified in the centerpiece Open division.

The rest will be classified into Classes A and B. Meanwhile, Manila Golf Club president Martin Romualdez, Peerless Products Manufacturing Corp. president Simeon Tiu and MGC ladies chapter head Lorna Tabuena hit the ceremonial drives to formally kick off the 54-hole championship presented by Champion late Monday. two weeks (Doha and Dubai) where I usually play well,â&#x20AC;? the Dane said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even play at a reasonable level, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no reason for me to go out there and just play one set - I want to go out there and I want to win,â&#x20AC;? she added.

Wozniacki has been replaced by l o s i n g S l ove n i a n q u a l i f i e r Polona Hercog.

Doha champion Elise Mertens was eliminated after a three-hour struggle, losing to Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 107thranked Zhu Lin 5-7, 6-4, 7-5.

The Belgian received treatment at the two and a half hour mark for hip and leg problems as she felt the effects of last weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s victory.

Lin, whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best Grand Slam performance came in losing at the third round of last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s US Open plays world number 23 Lesia Tsurenko next.

World number 56 in Tunisiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ons Jabeur beat Croatian Donna Vekic 6-4, TO CLAIM A SECOND ROUND spot where sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll face the winner of the last two editions of the competition in Ukrainian Elina Svitolina.

With world number one and tournament top seed Naomi Osaka currently putting Asian womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tennis back on the map, Jabeur dreams of doing the same for her own continent.

AFP

OME and the Colosseum, for that matter, were not built in a day. !ND SO VENUES FOR THE 3OUTHEAST Asian (SEA) Games that will be hosted by the Philippines in November could not be constructed at the speed and pace that organizers had aimed for when the regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s premier, 10-nation athletic competition was awarded to the country.

The bad news is that the original budget of P7.5 billion for this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s edition of the SEA Games has been slashed by P2 billion, leaving the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC) a big problem that it would have to solve soonest with the competition just a little over nine months away.

Worse, the budget cut came in an election YEAR

WHEN PRIVATE SECTOR DONORS WHOM the PHISGOC would likely approach to COMPENSATE FOR THE DEkCIT LEFT BY THE SLASHING

arguably would have more important priorities-- political ones for sure--than investing goodwill in a sports spectacle that would last only two weeks and would be forgotten until the next edition comes along in 2021.

The mid-term polls on May 13 will see Alan Peter Cayetano, former senator and former Foreign Affairs secretary, running for a congressional seat in Taguig City, Metro Manila.

Now also the chairman of the PHISGOC, he should not be prevented from also giving his precious time to his bid for a seat in the House of Representatives, should he?

Raising P2 billion is not an enviable task and, arguably, failure on the part of Cayetano TO RISE TO THE OCCASION WOULD RElECT ON HIS candidacy for better or for worse.

Apparently, only Malacanang can save the day for the organizers, despite President Rodrigo Duterte having ordered them to leave nothing to chance in hosting the sports extravaganza, hinting that they were on their own where infrastructure and logistics were concerned.

The President did not even say that the Philippines should win the SEA Games â&#x20AC;&#x153;overallâ&#x20AC;? championship, because that would have been presumptuous.

That absurdity has become more palpable with reports that Filipino athletes who are set to compete in the biennial event have not trained as hard as they should owing to lack of training facilities.

-EANWHILE LOCAL SPORTS OFkCIALS ARE PROclaiming to an incredulous world that the Philippine would sweep this and that event, further burdening the Pinoy high jumper or Pinay swimmer with undue pressure to perform extremely well before Filipino sports fans. /BVIOUSLY THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE SEA Games want to make a good accounting of themselves, if only to show the world their and our boundless hospitality.

The road to hell is paved with good intentions but heaven knows who are trying to overcome the odds, not the least the billions needed to stage the greatest sports show on earth in Southeast Asia in November.

WEDNESDAY W E DNESDAY FEBRUARY 20, 20 2019 019

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ICTSI opens expanded Batumi Terminal

Sheraton Manila extends its 50% discount at S Kitchen NEWLY opened Sheraton Manila Hotel extends its 50 percent off on breakfast buffet at its all-day dining and buffet restaurant S Kitchen, running until March 15.

Catch morning staples such as sausages, corned beef, honey glazed ham, baked beans, and crisp bacon along with the smell OF FRESHLY BAKED BREADS kLLING THE entire restaurant, while the assortment feeds any appetiteâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;from whole wheat, gluten-free, and lAVORED MUFkNS AND CROISSANTS Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not to skip are the Filipino local favorites such as

Q During the ribbon cutting ceremony, from left: Jemal Inaishvili, partner of MSC Georgia and Medlog Georgia, Salvatore Prudente, executive director of Medlog; Giorgi Kobulia, minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia; Hans Ole Madsen, ICTSI senior vice president and Europe, Middle East and Africa head; and Tornike Rizhvadze, chairman of the Government of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara.

P

ORT operator International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) formally inaugurated the expansion of its Batumi International Container Terminal (BICT) in the country of Georgia.

The expansion encompasses both the waterside and landside areas of

the multipurpose terminal, intended to optimize the processing of existing CARGO lOWS AND INSTALL ADDITIONAL CApacity to accommodate new business. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This new investment consolidates and expands BICTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s competitive position,â&#x20AC;? said Hans-Ole Madsen, ICTSI senior vice president

and Europe, Middle East and Africa head. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A comprehensive dredging program, undertaken in cooperation with Batumi Sea Port, provides an 11.5-meter draught in the portâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fairway and alongside BICTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quay line allowing easy access for feedermax vessels at the port and making

it Georgiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s deepest draught port.â&#x20AC;?

Batumi International Container Terminal (BICT), a wholly-owned ICTSI Group company, has been active in the port of Batumi since 2007 when it acquired a 48-year lease to operate a multi-purpose terminal with exclusivity for container handling.

BPI bags two silver awards at 54th Anvil Awards

pork tocino, beef tapa, daing na bangus, tortang talong, and longganisa from Lucban and Vigan provinces. To warm up, there are arroz caldo and champorado made from rich cacao.

For more information, visit www.sheratonmanila.com.

M Butterfly returns for National Tour 2019 THEATER play M. Butterfly National Tour 2019 is all set to spread its wings even wider to reach major cities namely Iloilo, Dumaguete, Cebu, Davao, Manila and Baguio. Presented by Tony and Grammy award winning producer Jhett Tolentino and Frontrow Entertainment (producer of highlyACCLAIMED INDEPENDENT kLMS "HOY )NTSIK AND "WAYA THE - "UTTERlY National Tour 2019 comes back anew to those who did not have the opportunity to catch its 2018 Manila run. The revival production of David Henry Hwangâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s M. ButTERlY IS THE WINNER OF THE !LIW

Awards for Best Play, Best Actor and Best Director. It was also nominated for two Best Featured Actresses in a Play and Best Ensemble.

For more information, visit its Facebook page -"UTTERlY0(.

Clark Marriottâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Forevermore Concert features Joey G Q Receiving BPIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Anvil trophies, from left: Stella Aro, Institutional Brand Management and Digital (IBMD); Arlene Mendoza, Overseas Filipino (OF) Segment; Edelyn Sagales, OF Segment; Kathy HofileĂąa, Sustainability Office; Krystle Gomez, Sustainability Office; Janelle Monsanto, Sustainability Office; Ritche FariĂąas, OF Segment head; Maricris San Diego, BPI Foundation executive director; Owen Cammayo, Corporate Affairs and Communications (CAC) head; Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;artagnan Aguilar, IBMD head; Athena Balleza, OF Segment; Majo Lopez, IBMD; Louie Gaela, IBMD; Don Sevilla, Compliance; CJ Arribay, OF Segment; Ana Jose, OF Segment; Rachelle Dangin, CAC; and Kristabel Penafuerte, CAC. BANK of the Philippine Islands (BPI) recently received two silver Anvil awards for its Overseas Filipino Financial Wellness Program and 2017 Annual Report during the 54th Anvil Awards held at Manila Marriott Hotel, in Pasay City.

BPIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s program engages overseas Filipino workers through various

initiatives to communicate the IMPORTANCE OF kNANCIAL PLANNING

and educate them about saving and investing for retirement. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It serves as an inspiration for us to strive even better in creating relevant programs for them,â&#x20AC;? said Ritche FariĂąas, head of the BPI Overseas Filipino Segment, adding

THAT THIS IS AN AFkRMATION OF THE commitment of BPI to provide value to overseas Filipino customers.

Meanwhile, BPIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2017 Annual Report was recognized for its comprehensive narrative, highlighting how BPI cultivates long-lasting relationships with clients, and how its Sustainability Strategy Framework

RESULTED IN POSITIVE kNANCIAL BENEkTS Chinky Lukban, head of BPI Strategic Corporate Planning Division, said the annual report was a result of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;hard work of an entire teamâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the working team and representatives from each business unit. The award encourages us to do even better.â&#x20AC;?

RWM, Hidilyn Diaz lend a hand to PH weightlifting team TO help the Philippine weightlifting team train better and in comfort, Resorts World Manila (RWM), in partnership with Olympic medalist Hidilyn Diaz, has donated OVER SWEAT WICKING MICROkBER sports shirts to the Philippine Air Force for distribution to the athletes around the country. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There is still much we can do for our national athletes, many of whom also serve in the Armed Forces of the Philippines, who live their lives in the service of the country,â&#x20AC;? said Stephen Reilly, RWMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s COO. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We trust that our humble donation can help boost their morale and let them know that they are appreciated.â&#x20AC;?

The shirts reached various sports clubs around the Philippines including Philippine Air Force

Q RWM CSR Associate Robel De Jesus (extreme left), RWM Assistant Director for Public Relations Archie Nicasio (2nd, L), and Olympic Silver Medalist Hidilyn Diaz (3rd, L) hand over hundreds of training shirts to members of the Philippine Air Force Weightlifting Team.

Weightlifting in Pasay City, the University of the East in Quezon City, Pep Project Angono in Rizal

Province, Cebu Team and Cebu Weightlifting Association in Cebu City, and Madayaw Davao Weight-

lifting in Davao City, among others.

For more information, visit www.rwmanila.com/csr.

ABOUT 400 guests, most of whom ARE COUPLES lOCKED THEIR WAY TO Clark Marriott Hotelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Forevermore Valentine Concert featuring Joey G. Joey G., known for his ballad hits, sold out concerts and former vocalist of Philippinesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; premier band Side A, headlined the show as he serenaded guests with timeless OPM hitsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Got to Believe, All I Need, Tell Me, and Forevermore to name a few.

Opened on September 14, 2018, Clark Marriott Hotel is THE kRST AND ONLY kVE STAR HOTEL in North of Manila and the most

accessible destination for entrepreneurs and travelers with a short 5-minute drive from Clark International Airport.

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Miracle Workers,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Whiskey Cavalierâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to premier on Warner TV &!.3 OF (OLLYWOOD S kNEST ARE IN for a treat as â&#x20AC;&#x153;Whiskey Cavalierâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Miracle Workersâ&#x20AC;? come soon on Warner TV, exclusive and express from the United States. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We think Filipino audiences are simply going to love these new shows,â&#x20AC;? said Jia Salindong-Du, country manager of Turner Philippines, the company behind Warner TV. â&#x20AC;&#x153;With their tongue-in-cheek attitude and easy-to-watch styleâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;as well as some awesome on-screen talentâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;we are looking forward to welcoming them to Warner TV, the No. 1 general entertainment channel.â&#x20AC;?

Catch a sneak peek of Whiskey Cavalier on February 25, and Mira- Cignal Channel 235.

For more information, visit Warcle Workers on March 6, on Warner TV on SKYCable Channel 34 and nerTVAsia.com.

MDH launches hospital-wide measles immunization campaign

Hi-Precision Diagnostics brings quality healthcare to McKinley West

AMID the high incidence of measles cases in the country, Manila Doctors Hospital (MDH) recently launched its â&#x20AC;&#x153;Be Protected. Get 6ACCINATEDu CAMPAIGN TO kGHT THE spread of measles and protect its medical and non-medical staff. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are spearheading this activity to encourage other healthcare institutions to protect its personnel from contracting the measles in the line of duty,â&#x20AC;? said Jocelyn Yambao-Franco, Pediatric Department chairman. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But most of all, this is a message to everyone to protect themselves from preventable diseases by having themselves immunized.â&#x20AC;?

The Department of Health (DoH) has declared a measles out-

HI-PRECISION DIAGNOSTICS (HPD) recently opened its 49th branch at McKinley West in Taguig City.

With over 1,000 tests availABLE IN ITS LABS THE )3/ CERTIkED medical diagnostic facility has the most complete and comprehensive tests in the country.

Fully automated laboratory exams, drug testing, X-ray, ECG, ultrasound, home service, multispecialty doctorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; clinics, mobile on-site services, and online results Q At the opening, from left: Selwyn Cu; Lionell Lee and son, Cooper Lee; Kevin are among the services offered at Tan, president of Megaworld; Justin Ongsue, VP sales and operations for Pacific HPD McKinley. It also caters to Paint Boysen Philippines; Vannessa Ongsue; Melissa Lee (second row); Rachel Taguig-based corporate clients for Uy; Grace Chua; and Laurence Aurelio, AVP commercial property for Megaworld. their pre-employment lab tests and branch is offering a 10 percent cial tests) valid until February 28. discount on all laboratory tests For more information, visit www. annual physical exams.

Moreover, HPDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s McKinley (except imaging services and spe- hi-precision.com.ph.

Q The Manila Doctorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hospital team behind the vaccination program break on February 6 at the National person by sneezing, coughing, and Capital Region (NCR) and has ex- close personal contact. Persons who panded this to other areas in Luzon, lack immunity and are exposed to this Central, and Eastern Visayas. infection can acquire the disease. Just Measles is a viral, highly contagious like any viral infection, measles can disease transferred from person-to- best be prevented by immunization.

WEDNESDAY W E D N ESDAY FEBRUARY 20, 2019

Entertainment

E1

www.manilatimes.net

Win or lose at the Oscars, Glenn Close is loving the moment N

BY JAKE COYLE, AP FILM WRITER

ACT IN HER kRST kLM UNTIL AGE "UT since, Close has unfailingly embodEW YORK: Glenn Close stands dou- ied intelligence and depth in everything from her early breakthroughs bled over laughing in the doorway in â&#x20AC;&#x153;The World According to Garpâ&#x20AC;? to her downtown Manhattan apart- AND g4HE "IG #HILLu TO g3UNSET ment while her loyal white Havanese, Pip, Boulevardâ&#x20AC;? (twice on stage, decades APART SHE HOPES TO MAKE A kLM OF circles an arriving reporter. the musical this year); from her ruthless attorney on â&#x20AC;&#x153;Damagesâ&#x20AC;?

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s star time for both. Close, because Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been an TO HER INFAMOUS !LEX &ORREST IN among the most accomplished actress for 45 years,â&#x20AC;? g&ATAL !TTRACTION u performers never to win an Oscar, says Close, whose previâ&#x20AC;&#x153;Nobody thought I could be MAY kNALLY BREAK THROUGH WITH ous honors include three sexy,â&#x20AC;? Close says of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Wife,â&#x20AC;? in which, ironically, Tony awards, three TIME BEFORE S she plays a deferential spouse (to Emmys and three &ATAL !TTRACTION A an acclaimed author, played by Globes. â&#x20AC;&#x153;People kLM SHE D LIKE TO SEE Jonathan Pryce) who has been have been going remade from the long overlooked. The never-nom- back and lookwomanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s perspecinated Pip has developed his own ing at my basic tive rather than following, thanks in part to an ap- body of work the sympathetic pearance on â&#x20AC;&#x153;The View.â&#x20AC;? The dogâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and the six point-of-view of Instagram account, under the times I lost Michael Douglasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; NAME g3IR 0IPPIN OF "EANkELD u IS a n d w h a t cheating husband. up to 3,400 followers. those roles â&#x20AC;&#x153;In making the Inside, Close hands the reporter W E R E 3 O ) movie a hit, I basia bottle of red wine to open as canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t pretend cally had to betray she recounts how hours earlier, IT S JUST FOR 4HE what I thought was while walking Pip in a park, a lady Wife. But I feel the essence of that stopped her to relate her own story like everybodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s character,â&#x20AC;? says Close. of being held back in her profession rooting for me.â&#x20AC;?

The Wife, a femiby a man. These are the kinds of stoBut thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not to nist parable based ries Close has heard a lot since The say Close will be on Meg Wolitzerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Wife came out and since she gave a crestfallen if she 2003 novel, came show-stopping acceptance speech at DOESN T WIN 3HE to Close about six the Golden Globes where she spoke smiles. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve deyears ago, shortly movingly about how her mother cided if I lose, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m before divorcing sublimated herself to Closeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s father, going to look at her third husband, a prominent surgeon. the camera and venture capitalâ&#x20AC;&#x153;Another woman crossing the say: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m OK.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? ist David Evans street was like, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;I love you, Glenn!â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;?

And she is. Q The 71-year-old actress has 3HAW 7HEN IT S says Close. â&#x20AC;&#x153;People down in the phar- Much more than been nominated six times for an mentioned to macy, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re all cheering me on.â&#x20AC;?

OK, even. Making Academy Award but has never Close that she 3EEMINGLY EVERYONE KNOWS THAT The Wife has been won an Oscar. doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t seem Close, 71, has emerged as the best its own cathartic, empowerlike someone actress front-runner after early ing experience for Close. who would ever sublimate BUZZ FAVORED ,ADY 'AGA FOR g! 3TAR â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s taken me a long time to is Born.â&#x20AC;? The Wife may be a mod- gain control of my own life. When herself to anoth- er, she responds, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Oh, you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know me, personEST INDEPENDENT kLM MILLION I made The Wife, I was in control ally,â&#x20AC;? and lets out a loud laugh.

AT THE BOX OFkCE AND STILL PLAYING of my own life for probably the That The Wife features Close six months after opening), but the kRST TIME u SAYS #LOSE g) FELT LIKE and her daughter (who plays a MOMENT FEELS kNELY TAILORED TO I had new wings. Or maybe my younger version of the same charClose, the most-nominated living WINGS WERE kNALLY DEVELOPED u acter) gives the film an added, actor never to win an Oscar.

Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a startling pronouncement multigenerational layer of meanWhat would an Academy Award for an actress who has for decades ING "OTH #LOSE AND 3TARKE TOMEAN TO HER 3HE PAUSES been one of the most versatile and â&#x20AC;&#x153;It would mean a lot but I SUBTLE ACTORS OF kLM TELEVISION AND gether crafted the character with inspiration from the women of wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want it to be a pity Oscar theater. A late bloomer, she didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t

THEIR SHARED FAMILY TREE &OREMOST in Closeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mind was her mother, who married at 18.

3TARKE ALSO DREW ON HER PATERNAL grandmother, a GE chemist who she said worked on the Manhattan 0ROJECT BEFORE BEING kRED FOR BEcoming pregnant with her fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brother. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I know she always wondered what could have been,â&#x20AC;? said 3TARKE BY PHONE FROM ,OS !NGELES â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was quite a powerful prepaRATION EXPERIENCE u SAID 3TARKE OF WORKING WITH HER MOTHER g3HE keeps telling me that she feels like SHE S AT THE TOP OF HER POWER 3HE S getting recognition for something that hit so close to home. Hopefully the seventh time is the charm.â&#x20AC;?

4HE 7IFE PREMIERED JUST AS THE #MeToo movement was being born. It debuted at the Toronto )NTERNATIONAL &ILM &ESTIVAL IN 3EPTEMBER 3ONY 0ICTURES Classic, which acquired the movie, chose to wait to release it in August, timed to get ahead of the awards season rush.

Close, relaxing on a sofa next to Pip, grants she, like everyone else, thought Gaga was going to win at the Globes. g) WAS JUST KIND OF GOING WITH LOW EXPECTATIONS JUST KEEP YOUR SANITY u she says.) What sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d most like in awards season is the chance to sit with whom she calls her â&#x20AC;&#x153;category sistersâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; all the best-actress nominees â&#x20AC;&#x201D; at the same table.

All through the season, Close has worn her grandmotherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wedding ring, one more reminder of the countless women who, like the protagonist of The Wife, deferred their own self-expression to serve a HUSBAND OR A FAMILY g3HE SHOULD have been an actress,â&#x20AC;? Close says, RUBBING THE RING g3O ) FEEL LIKE theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re with me.â&#x20AC;?

4HE ST !CADEMY !WARDS TAKES PLACE ON 3UNDAY &EBRUARY (Monday morning in Manila) at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, California.

AP

&OLLOW !0 &ILM 7RITER *AKE Coyle on Twitter at: www.twitter.

COM JAKECOYLE

Winwyn Marquez, finally a leading lady BEAUTY queen Winwyn Marquez can hardly believe sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s achieved leading lady status even as her latest movie, Regal Entertainment Inc.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Valentine offering â&#x20AC;&#x153;Time and Againâ&#x20AC;? is about to open in cinemas today.

After co-starring with Vhong Navarro in the 2018 comedy movie â&#x20AC;&#x153;Unli Life,â&#x20AC;? the 26-year-old actress is topbilling Time and Again, which she considers her launching movie. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Parang hindi pa rin nagsi-sink in sa akin na may movie na akong ganito, actually. And I consider it my launching movie kasi yung story umiikot kay Apple. Even then I never thought Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d get to watch myself on the big screen. Hindi ko alam

stepping in to showbiz herself.

As for working with Pineda, she shared, g3OBRANG SAYA KASI itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s so much easier to act when youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re with someone youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re comfortable with and you know.

Âťinfocus

Wala talagang ilangan.

Madali lang kaming m a g - c o m m u n i c a t e.

Magtitigan lang kami alam na namin yung gagawin. It was such a smooth sailing shoot.â&#x20AC;?

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Appleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; of her eye

Meanwhile, elaborating on her character in Time and Again, Marquez said of Apple, g3IYA YUNG no boyfriend since birth. 3IYA YUNG HINDI NANINIwala sa pagkakaroon ng boyfriend. na mabibigyan ako ng ganitong 3HE LIVES IN HER OWN BUBBLE kasi opportunity,â&#x20AC;? she enthused at the writer siya. Yung mga nai-imagine movieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s media conference. niya, sinusulat lang niya, pero in Though she has been active in real life, hindi niya nagagawa, hindi the business for almost a decade, siya maka-explore. Ang life niya yung it is only now that Marquez is books lang niya.â&#x20AC;?

Then one day, she meets Pinedaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s getting big breaks.

Admittedly, the big part of her character Ozzi, and without spilling ongoing showbiz success is be- too much of the story, she continued, cause of winning an international â&#x20AC;&#x153;The overriding question of the movie crown. In 2015, she became the is, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;If bibigyan ka ng chance to go kRST EVER &ILIPINA TO JOIN THE 2EINA back in time, ang question 'don, bakit Hispanoamericana beauty pag- babalik ka in time?â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? &INALLY THE BEAUTY QUEEN eant, which has been dominated

by Latina representatives since it daughter of Joey Marquez and Alma Moreno said she especially started 27 years ago. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dun nag-start at nag-iba ang life ENJOYED PORTRAYING !PPLE BECAUSE ko. After that, parang one dream to she got to deglamorize. another nag sunod-sunod.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ngayon lang ako gumanap sa ganoong klaseng role na hindi Friends at work made up. Lagi akong kontrabida diâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ba?â&#x20AC;? she chuckeld. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But Apple, Time and Again had Marquez sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very special because very working with long-time friend deep siyang mag-isip and sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a Enzo Pineda. regular girl â&#x20AC;&#x201D; someone very melâ&#x20AC;&#x153;Enzo and I go way, way back â&#x20AC;&#x201D; low yet very millennial at hindi ko nine years to be exact,â&#x20AC;? said the actress. pa nagagawa yon.â&#x20AC;?

7HEN 0INEDA JOINED g3TAR3TRUCK u Time and Again is directed the reality-based artista search on by Joey Reyes and opens in '-! .ETWORK -ARQUEZ WAS JUST cinemas today.

Q From beauty queen to movie star, Winwyn Marquez with leading man Enzo Pineda.

A dysfunctional superhero family and a dance of dragons 3HARING THIS WEEK S COLUMN WITH (ANK 3PARROW WHO WRITES ABOUT THE DYSFUNCtional superhero family while I write about the dragons.)

â&#x20AC;&#x153;B

53/'Ă&#x153;u aptly describes the new

Netflix series, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Umbrella Academy.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Umbrella Academyâ&#x20AC;? is based on the award-winning comic books first released in 2007, written by My Chemical Romanceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s frontman Gerard Way with art by Gerard Ba. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the story of seven super powered children adopted by a billionaire eccentric who trains them how to use their powers as a super hero team. This may look like a ripoff of Professor Xavierâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s school for mutants

from the â&#x20AC;&#x153;X-Men,â&#x20AC;? however The Umbrella Academy takes it in a direction more akin to a dysfunctional family, with shades of DCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Doom Patrol.â&#x20AC;?

It also has touches of the ill-fated NBC show â&#x20AC;&#x153;Heroesâ&#x20AC;? and BBCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s g-ISkTS u One may expect The Umbrella Academy to be a haphazard, hodge-podge of superhero tropes, but it works, and it works well. It still feels like something fresh and not DERIVATIVE &ANS OF THE COMICS MAY ARGUE that the story is very different, but that can be a good thing.

Creators Way and Ba are still onboard as

producers. Casting was pretty spot on, most noteworthy are Ellen Page (â&#x20AC;&#x153;Inception,â&#x20AC;? g8 -EN 4HE ,AST 3TANDu 2OBERT 3HEEHAN g-ORTAL %NGINES u -ISkTS

and R&B singer Mary J. Blige (â&#x20AC;&#x153;Rock of Agesâ&#x20AC;?). The Umbrella Academy also has a fun soundtrack that plays a comical counterpoint to the heavier parts in the story. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got Morcheeba, Rancid, 2OD 3TEWART AND OF COURSE -Y #HEMICAL Romance. Gerard Way also does a version OF g(AZY 3HADE OF 7INTERu AND g(APPY Togetherâ&#x20AC;? with Ray Toro.

The Umbrella Academy is a very full and satisfying meal you will not want to miss. You

FAN GIRL KAREN KUNAWICZ

can start your binge watching diet afterwards.

NNN Hopefully youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve seen the new Kit (ARINGTON AKA *ON 3NOW FROM g'AME OF Thronesâ&#x20AC;?) audition video for an â&#x20AC;&#x153;Untitled &ANTASY 46 $RAMAu ON 9OU4UBE (IS CO STAR is the utterly loveable Toothless from â&#x20AC;&#x153;How to Train Your Dragon.â&#x20AC;? Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s way too cute.

It took only that much to convince me to watch â&#x20AC;&#x153;How To Train Your Dragon: The (IDDEN 7ORLD u )T S THE THIRD AND kNAL kLM in a franchise that has done well to take its time, tell a story well, and know where to end!

Beautiful, varied, mighty and magical DRAGONS ARE JUST TOO GOOD FOR THIS WORLD Even if there are people who love them and wish to protect them, there will al-

ways be those who want to enslave them or hunt them to extinction. This is what Hiccup and his friends and family from the Isle of Berk need to come to terms with. Both Hiccup and Toothless also face NEW CHAPTERS IN THEIR LIVES AND THINGS JUST canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t go on like they used to.

Director and screenplay writer Dean DeBlois has steered this franchise and TRULY LET IT lY 7ELL DONE TAKE A BOW (OW To Train Your Dragon.

Oh, to dream of an age where dragons and pixie dust and elves did exist and interact with humans.

Umbrella Academy was released on .ETlIX ON &EBRUARY (OW 4O 4RAIN 9OUR Dragon: The Hidden World opens today.

E2

WEDNESDAY February 20, 2019

Funtimes

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

Solution to puzzle

» CROSSWORD

BY EUGENE SHEFFER

»HOROSCOPE Today’s Birthday (02/20/19). Professional opportunities abound this year. Disciplined practice refines your teamwork. Surprising headlines recur. Fall in love again this summer, before supporting a friend through a change.

Winter team victories lead to a challenge with family or your sweetheart. Prioritize passion at work and home.

To get the advantage, check the day’s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging.

ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19) -- Today is a 7 -- Slow the pace. Communication and physical breakdowns would delay.

Take time to get it right the first time. Practice your moves.

Watch for pitfalls.

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20) -- Today is a 7 -- Romantic dreams could seem distant. Consider how you would like things to be in the future. Pursue a creative or indulgent passion. Follow rules.

BY NANCY BLACK LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22) -- Today is a 6 -- Rest and consider. Enjoy peaceful contemplation. Make plans, and imagine how you’d like things to go. Lay low and take it easy.

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21) -- Today is an 8 -- Share milestones and memories with friends and teammates. These changes turn out for the best in the long run. Support each other.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21) -- Today is an 8 -- Take a creative tack with your career. Practice skills you want to develop. Follow your heart. Focus energies toward activities that light you up.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19) -- Today is a 7 -- What do you want to learn? Teach another what you’re discovering, to get the material at a deeper level. Consider your research from another direction.

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20) -- Today is a 6 -- Family matters have your attention. Someone’s dream could seem dashed. Take a big picture view. Listen, and find a long-term solution in dialogue.

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18) -- Today is an 8 -- Reassess your assets and shared finances. Recent changes may require adaptation. Avoid disagreements over priorities by focusing on facts and data. Consider all possibilities.

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22) -- Today is a 7 -- Communication or transportation may not flow freely. Stoppages and delays could shift your schedule. Focus on practical priorities. Get the homework done with extra time.

P I S C E S (F E B. 19-M A R C H 20) -- Today is a 7 -- Parting is such sweet sorrow. Dear people come and go. Remind them of their gifts to you. Share thanks and appreciations. Focus on new directions.

LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22) -- Today is an 8 -- Develop frugal habits to reduce waste and save resources and money. Practice makes perfect. Find simple solutions. A balanced account is only part of the story.

(Astrologer Nancy Black continues her mother Linda Black’s legacy horoscopes column. She welcomes comments and questions on Twitter, @LindaCBlack. For more astrological interpretations like today’s Gemini horoscope, visit Linda Black Astrology by clicking daily horoscopes, or go to www.nancyblack.com.)

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22) -- Today is a 9 -- Shift toward a new possibility. The road you were on is currently blocked. Grow in another direction. Take time to reflect on what you really want.

» SUDOKU

NANCY BLACK. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

BY ROGER SEVILLA

Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 square contains the digits 1 to 9 with no repeats.

Solution from yesterday’s puzzle.

PAGE FROM THE PAST

Today, we look back at an old front page of The Manila Times, the oldest national daily that was founded on October 11, 1898. (Note: This image was adjusted to fit the page.)

PHILIPPINE CHARITY SWEEPSTAKES OFFICE â&#x20AC;&#x2DC; S A M A - S A M A N G TA L A K AYA N AT L I N AW A N â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

PCSO banners accomplishments in first media forum for 2019 F

BY SHELLY BUSQUE

OR the past two years, the Philippine #HARITY 3WEEPSTAKES /FkCE 0#3/ HAS BEEN CONDUCTING MEDIA FORUMS

ALSO KNOWN AS THE g3AMA SAMANG 4ALAKA YAN AT ,INAWANu ACROSS THE COUNTRY

With the objective to create a space for dialogue between representatives of the media industry â&#x20AC;&#x201D; as the voice of the Filipino people â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and PCSO to embody transparency regarding its accomplishments, this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first forum was held at the agencyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s headquarters in Mandaluyong City on January 29.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Wondering why we are doing this? Because we want to show the public that we are transparent in all our dealings and transactions. This is our way of reporting to the public,â&#x20AC;? General Manager Alexander Balutan told the media as the agency highlighted its accomplishments for the year 2018 AND CLARIkED PRESSING ISSUES BEING

thrown at PCSO as well.

Also present were Chief of Staff (COS) Ted Quiano, new member of the Board of Directors Ramon â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ikeâ&#x20AC;? SeĂąeres, Assistant General Manager for Gaming, Product Development and Marketing Sector Arnel Casas, Assistant General Manager for Branch Operations Sector Remeliza Gabuyo, Assistant General Manager for Administrative Sector Julieta Aseo, and medical doctor Krisch Trine Ramos representing Charity Sector on behalf of Assistant General Manager Larry Cedro. Chairman Anselmo Simeon Pinili could not make it due to pressing schedule.

The forum commenced with the

Q PCSO officials pose with media representatives (from left) Corporate Planning Department OIC-DM Jerusa Corpuz (standing), medical doctor Krisch Trine Ramos of the Charity Sector (sitting), AGM for GPDMS Arnel Casas, COS Ted Quiano, GM Balutan, Director Ramon â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Ikeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; SeĂąeres, AGM for Branch Operations Remeliza Gabuyo and AGM for Administrative Sector Julieta Aseo.

Q General Manager Alexander Balutan wants to show to the public that PCSO is transparent in all its dealings and transactions. welcome remarks by Quiano on behalf of Chairman Pinili. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There is no better way to start a year than to start it in high spirits and good vibes. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why we are here today because we are happy to share with you what PCSO has done for the good of our countrymen,â&#x20AC;? Quiano noted. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We hope that you as our partners in the delivery of reliable information will also share it through your respective media OUTkTS u HE CONTINUED TV host-actor and best-selling author Michael Angelo Lobrin (also known as Michael Angelo) graced the event and gave a come-

dic speech after Quiano.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hindi po tayo magtatagumpay sa paglilingkod kung tayo mismo papatay-patay,â&#x20AC;? he said to the delight of the attendees.

Corporate Planning Department Officer-In-Charge (OIC)Department Manager Jerusa Corpuz presented the 2018 year-end accomplishment of PCSO which was followed by a very engaging question-and-answer portion.

Also highlighted were the 20-percent increase of PCSOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s revenue boosting its income to P63.5 billion from 2017â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s P52.9 billion, PCSO as sixth top paying government owned and

controlled corporation (GOCC) AND THE 0#3/ lAGSHIP )NDIVIDual Medical Assistance Program (IMAP) that served 528,190 patients nationwide. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As you all know, our revenue comes from the hard earned money of individuals who fall in line daily in lotto and STL outlets to buy their tickets. So they must be informed where their money goes and how PCSO spends their money. The paying public should know that they might not have won the jackpot prize, but their P24 pesos have saved the lives of chemo and dialysis patients,â&#x20AC;? GM Balutan emphasized.

271 San Jose Del Monte residents receive free medical, dental services A TOTAL of 273 patients â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 217 for medical and 56 for dental â&#x20AC;&#x201D; from Barangay Muzon in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan were served by the PCSO team during the Medical and Dental Mission spearheaded by Mountain View Subdivision Senior Citizens Association on January 30.

This was the second time that the PCSO Medical and Dental Team conducted the same activity in the said barangay. Besides the services and consultations, free medicines were also distributed to the residents who came to take part of the program.

PHOTO BY KOBI JANAIRO

House Bill No. 3028 gets backing from PCSO, other concerned government agencies CHAIRED by Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate, the House Committee on Social Service Technical Working Group discussed House Bill 3028 on January 30 at the House of Representatives, Batasang Pambansa Complex, Quezon City.

Titled â&#x20AC;&#x153;An Act Granting Fifty Percent (50%) Discounts From Funeral Services To Indigent Families And Granting Free Funeral Services To Extremely Poor Families Nationwide, Appropriating Funds Therefor And For Other Purposes,â&#x20AC;? the Philippine #HARITY 3WEEPSTAKES /FkCE 0#3/ ALONG WITH OTHER CONCERNED government agencies and party-list representatives attended the session and acknowledged the purpose of the bill. /FkCE OF THE #HAIRMAN #HIEF OF 3TAFF 4ED 1UIANO ,EGISLATIVE ,IAISON /FkCER LAWYER -ARISSA -EDRANO AND #HARITY !SSISTANCE Department OIC-Manager Muriel Pajarillo presented the position of PCSO on the proposed measure.

Zarate noted all the suggestions and other additional statements from the agencies to uplift and promote health and well-being of all Filipinos.

MARIA LEONORA ESTIGOY

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Malaking tulong ito sa aming mga kabarangay lalong lalo na sa mga nangangailangan ng tulong medikal ngunit walang kakayahang magpagamot. Bukod sa libreng konsultasyon, mayroon ding libreng gamot.

Sana ipagpatuloy ng PCSO ang ganitong mga proyekto sapagkat marami talaga itong natutulungan,â&#x20AC;? Mountain View

Subdivision Senior Citizens Asso ciation Felicidad Chan said as she expressed her gratitude to PCSO for this endeavor in their village.

The PCSO Medical and Dental Mission Program aims to PROVIDE EQUITABLE EFkCIENT AND effective health care services to indigents in partnership with LGUs, NGOs, civic groups, religious organizations and other government agencies. It involves the provision of medical consultation and treatment, medicines for primary health care, dental consultation and treatment including tooth extraction and preventive dental health education, referral to hospitals for diagnostic procedures and further management and referral to the Charity Assistance Department for availment of IMAP. This program is PCSOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s answer to President Duterteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Universal Health Care coverage.

ROSELLE DELA UMBRIA

PHOTOS BY ERICSON DELOS REYES