THE MANILA TIMES | FEBRUARY 28, 2019

PH expected to miss 2019, 2020 GDP goals ÂťStory on B1 ++

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•• 8 SECTIONS PAGES • VOL. 120 NO. 138 40

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2019

Why the EDSA conundrum? Cory and revolution ‘photo-shopped’ into EDSA coup First word HE Liberals and yellow cultists often accuse the Marcos camp and Duterte supporters of rewriting or revising history.

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OBSERVER YEN MAKABENTA

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Trusted since 1898

Duterte eyes new pact with Misuari

BY CATHERINE S. VALENTE

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RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has made “some arrangements� to allow Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) founder Nur Misuari to travel overseas, saying they were preparing for negotiations for a new peace agreement.

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Why the Church keeps getting elections wrong (The column on multilateral security is deferred, to address concerns raised in the CBCP pastoral letter read at last Sunday’s Mass.)

REPUBLIC SERVICE RICARDO SALUDO

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Why I am so angry with Cory Aquino

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T the IN MY LINE outOF SIGHT set, I apologize to Jackie Aquino, my co-host at the test broadcast of The Manila Times TV Channel on Facebook last Monday, which tackled in its initial program the 33rd anniversary of the People Power Revolution (originally called the EDSA Revolution). ÂłTulfoA6

RAMON T. TULFO

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

TAKE TWO

US President Donald Trump (left) shakes hands with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un following a meeting at the Sofitel Legend Metropole hotel in Hanoi on February 27, 2019. AFP PHOTO Story on B5

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CONSTRUCTION of the multibillion-peso Metro -ANILA 3UBWAY BEGAN ON 7EDNESDAY WITH THE kRST three stations expected to be operational by 2022.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade told reporters the subway, which would use Japanese TECHNOLOGY WOULD BE QUAKE AND lOOD RESILIENT Also at the groundbreaking in Valenzuela City were Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Koji Haneda

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GO PROPOSES MAGNA CARTA FOR BARANGAY OFFICIALS NewsA2 METRO DAVAO

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SportsC1

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METRO MANILA SUBWAY FINALLY BREAKS GROUND

What’s inside

CLARKSON FUELS PHILIPPINE #LETJORDANPLAY WORLD CUP CLAMOR

In remarks before the general assembly of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines on Tuesday night, Duterte said he had yielded to Misuari’s request to allow the latter to travel abroad before participating in peace talks.

The President, who referred to Misuari as his “brother,â€? met with the MNLF founder in MalacaĂąang on Monday night.

IĂ‘IGO PASCUAL, MOIRA DELA TORRE SHARE THOUGHTS ON POSITIVE MUSIC

EntertainmentD1

JV Ejercito: Subway to spur growth SEN. Joseph Victor “JV� Ejercito on Wednesday said the planned 36-kilometer Metro Manila Subway would stimulate economic growth, lauding the Duterte administration for its “political will� to move major infrastructure projects forward.

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METRO UNDERGROUND

Officials and guests pose with a scale model of the tunnel-boring machine that will be used to build the Metro Manila Subway.

Leading the groundbreaking rites in Valenzuela City on Wednesday were Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Koji Haneda, Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno, Sen. Joseph Victor ‘JV’ Ejercito, and Metropolitan Mania Development Authority Chairman Danilo Lim. PHOTO FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Murad hands off on PH’s Sabah claim ZAMBOANGA CITY: Chief Minister Murad Ebrahim of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) on Wednesday said he would not meddle in the Philippines’

claim to Sabah, a federal state of Malaysia, saying the dispute was between Manila and Kuala Lumpur.

The Philippines’ stand on Sabah stems from a claim of the Sultanate

of Sulu to the mineral-rich Malaysian state, which is near Tawi-Tawi, one of five provinces under the Bangsamoro region.

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‘Church will outlast a hundred Dutertes’

National security chief clears 3rd telco player

CATHOLIC bishops on Wednesday dismissed President Rodrigo Duterte’s prediction that the Church would be gone in 25 years.

Novaliches Bishop Emeritus Teodoro Bacani Jr. said the Catholic Church would outlast a “hundred Dutertes.�

Cubao (Quezon City) Bishop Honesto Ongtioco echoed Bacani, saying, “Many people have said that before and where are they now? Six feet below the ground. [The] Church has existed [for] more than 2,000 years.�

Caloocan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, a critic of the Duterte administration’s policies and who allegedly had

THE ENTRY of the Mindanao Islamic Telephone Co. Inc. (Mislatel) consortium as a third telco player would not

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have security implications, even if it had partnered with a Chinese government-owned

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Duterte mulls subpoena vs Trillanes’ mother PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte wants prosecutors to subpoena the 84-year-old mother of one of his staunchest critics,

Sen. Antonio Trillanes 4th, over her alleged irregular deals with the Philippine Navy.

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News

˜ The Manila Times

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THURSDAY February 28, 2019

Go eyes Magna Carta for barangay officials S enate candidate Christopher Lawrence “Bong� Go reiterated his commitment to pursue the enactment of THE -AGNA #ARTA FOR "ARANGAY /FkCIALS toward improving benefits and social PROTECTION FOR VILLAGE OFkCIALS

Go said barangay (village) ofkCIALS DESERVE BETTER BENEkTS AND support from the government as he noted the crucial role they play as frontliners in the delivery of services to communities. “You are the most important GOVERNMENT OFkCIALS )T S YOU WHO face people and bring services to the village,� Go said in Filipino in his speech on Tuesday before the 2019 First Provincial Summit

of the Provincial Liga ng mga Barangay sa Pilipinas-Camarines Chapter, Region 5 at the City State Tower in Ermita, Manila. “The Magna Carta for BaranGAY /FkCIALS IS ONE OF MY TOP priorities. Why? I understand the work of barangay captains,�

Go said, recalling that during his stint as top aide of then Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, he usually coordinated with village

OFkCIALS IN PROVIDING ASSISTANCE to those needing help.

He said as Duterte’s top aide, he observed and joined village officials from Davao City from very early in the morning to late at night delivering services to people.

The candidate for senator said the enactment of Magna Carta WOULD ALLOW VILLAGE OFkCIALS TO GET THE SAME BENEkTS AND PRIVILEGES AS other government workers, such as salaries instead of just honoraria, allowances, insurance and medical, RETIREMENT AND OTHER FRINGE BENEkTS Go also proposed lifting the cap on the maximum number of tanod OR BARANGAY POLICE OFkCERS THAT could be appointed per village, currently pegged at 20, saying villages with bigger area and higher

Q PACT FROM A1

Duterte eyes new pact with Misuari “I said, let him travel overseas, for the sake of [the government’s] efforts in pursuing peace and order in Mindanao, you know, because I still have to craft [a peace deal with Misuari], we in government,� Duterte said in English and Filipino.

He had sought Misuari’s cooperation in the formation of the new Bangsamoro autonomous region whose interim government is led by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which had broken away from the MNLF. Misuari is on trial before the Sandiganbayan Third Division for graft and malversation over the allegedly anomalous purchase of P77 million worth of educational materials when he was governor

of then Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

The ARMM was a result of a final peace agreement between Misuari’s MNLF and the Ramos administration in 1996.

On Tuesday, the Sandiganbayan granted Misuari’s motion to travel abroad for his participation in the 46th session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers in the United Arab Emirates and the meeting of the Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States in Morocco.

-ISUARI IS SCHEDULED TO lY TO Abu Dhabi on Wednesday and will proceed to Morocco on March 11, based on his itinerary. He is expected to return to the Philippines between March 17 and 20.

The talks between the President and Misuari come amid the supposed “rumblings� in the MNLF about the new Bangsamoro autonomous region, which implements a 2014 peace deal between the government and the MILF. The MNLF has reportedly expressed concern about the composition of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), saying it was only given a few seats in the interim government of the new Bangsamoro region that replaced the ARMM. Under the law creating the Bangsamoro region, the BTA or the interim government will be composed of 41 nominees from the MILF and 39 individuals nominated by the government.

MILF Chairman Murad Ebrahim

crime incidents should be allowed to appoint additional tanod.

He said he would also look into the possibility of extending the TERM OF INCUMBENT VILLAGE OFkCIALS because of the postponement of the past barangay elections which cut their term shorter.

Aside from promoting the welfare OF BARANGAY OFkCIALS 'O S LEGISLATIVE agenda, should he win in the May 2019 midterm elections, includes programs for health, agriculture, housing, education, long-term sports development, localized peace TALKS kRE PROTECTION AND PREVENTION

anti-drug and criminality drive, anti-corruption drive, creation of a Department of Overseas Filipino Workers, as well as improved benEkTS FOR SENIOR CITIZENS

has been appointed interim chief minister of the BTA that will govern the region until new regional leaders are elected in 2022.

Duterte said he had a received a commitment from Misuari to hold peace negotiations and craft a “new deal� with the government upon his return to the country.

He added that Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez, DeFENSE 3ECRETARY $ELkN ,ORENZANA and Interior Secretary Eduardo AĂąo would be tasked to help craft the agreement with the MNLF. Misuari led a siege of Zamboanga City in 2013 to protest a decision of the government of then President Benigno Aquino 3rd to hold talks with the MILF. The Misuari faction of the MNLF accused the government of abrogating its agreements with the group when it held negotiations with the MILF.

Q SUBWAY FROM A1

Q SABAH FROM A1

Metro Manila Subway breaks

Murad

and Sen. Joseph Victor Ejercito.

Groundbreaking for the country’s first subway system was initially set in December, then moved to January because of schedule CONlICTS AND THEN TO &EBRUARY The tunnel-boring machine to be used for construction was also unveiled on Wednesday.

The Transportation department aims to start the process of bidding out the subway’s operation and maintenance contract before the year ends, said Timothy John Batan, undersecretary for railways.

The winning bidder might come in as early as 2022 for partial operations, Batan added.

Full operation is expected to start in 2025. &OR THE kRST PHASE THE GOVERNMENT EYES THE completion of three underground stations at Quirino Highway, Tandang Sora and North Avenue, as well as tunnel structures, the Valenzuela Depot, and the building and facilities for the Philippine Railway Institute.

The 36-kilometer subway will have 15 stations from Quirino Highway in Quezon City to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport

Terminal 3 in Pasay City and Food Terminal Inc. in Taguig City.

On Sunday, the Transportation department said in a statement it had sealed a contract for the PROJECT S kRST THREE STATIONS WITH 3HIMIZU *OINT Venture of Shimizu Corp., Fujita Corp., Takenaka Civil Engineering Co. Ltd. and EEI Corp.

The remaining phases of the subway would be bid out by end-2019, Batan said. Awarding of the contracts is set by middle of 2020.

The government and the Japan InternaTIONAL #OOPERATION !GENCY SIGNED THE kRST tranche of the loan agreement in March 2018, AMOUNTING TO BILLION YEN FOR THE kRST phase of the subway.

The Department of Finance earlier said the Metro Manila Subway might cost P356.96 billion or $7 billion. &OR THE kRST YEAR OF FULL OPERATIONS

passengers are expected to utilize the rail system. It is designed to cater to up to 1.5 million riders per day.

LISBET K. ESMAEL AND RALPH U. VILLANUEVA

SEN. Paolo Benigno “Bam� Aquino 4th on Wednesday said an independent Senate would guarantee that the legislature won’t be a rubberstamp and that the will of the people would be followed.

In a statement, the senator, who is running for reelection, said “only an independent Senate that is not beholden to anyone will push the country forward as it will work for the interest of the Filipino people.�

Aquino said an independent Senate would prevent the passage of laws detrimental to the welfare of the public, like the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law that had led to higher prices of food and other goods. “An independent Senate also ensures check and balance between branches of government and serves as watchdog against corruption, guaranteeing that those involved in anomalies will be punished,� he added. “The Senate’s voice is very important because it will ensure that the people’s will be followed and not the whims of the administration,� Aquino said in Filipino. “Also, attempts to change the 1987 Constitution to remove TERM LIMITS OF ELECTED OFkCIALS AND change the system of government TO kT THEIR POLITICAL AGENDA WILL have no chance under an independent Senate,� he added.

The senator said an independent Senate could be achieved by selecting candidates who would work for the welfare of the people, not serve the interest of the administration.

Aquino has 40 laws to his name, including the landmark Free College Law that he had pushed as chairman of the Senate Committee on Education.

Similarly, former vice president Jejomar Binay on Wednesday stressed the need for an independent House of Representatives, appealing to lawmakers to end

Sabah issue to affect it).�

Kuala Lumpur helped broker peace talks since the time of President Benigno Aquino 3rd and even deployed peacekeepers in Mindanao who worked alongside MILF. “We are Filipinos. We are Bangsamoro, but we are Filipinos. We are not Malaysians. So whatever the position of the Philippine government, we are bound to support,� Ebrahim added.

Malaysian media had reported Philippine Ambassador to Kuala Lumpur Charles Jose as saying that Manila was maintaining its claim over Sabah, but the Duterte administration would not actively pursue it to focus on providing assistance to thousands of undocumented Filipino workers in Sabah.

Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry reacted to Jose’s statement, which was made during a recent courtesy call on Sabah #HIEF -INISTER 3HAkE !PDAL 3HAkE The ministry said Manila’s assertion over Sabah had no basis, although Malaysia continues to pay every year the heir of the Sultan of Sulu.

Q SUBPOENA FROM A1

Q GROWTH FROM A1

JV Ejercito: Subway to spur growth “We really need this because this will stimulate economic growth. We will never realize full economic growth for the Philippines if we do not invest in infrastructure,� said Ejercito, who attended the project’s groundbreaking rites in Valenzuela City on Wednesday. “For me, railway is the only way. I’m glad that the President has the political will to really push for this.

He has the political will to bite the bullet even if we sacrifice a bit, and there’s some traffic. But we need to do this,� he added.

Ejercito pointed out that only the Duterte government was able to commit and spend P3 trillion for infrastructure

Ebrahim, also the chairman of the rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which signed an interim peace deal with Manila in 2014, was recently named by President Rodrigo Duterte as head of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority, after a plebiscite THIS YEAR THAT RATIkED THE "ANGSAMORO Organic Law that will run the new autonomous region for three years until elections are held. “Hindi namin papasukin `yan (We won’t touch that issue). It is the central government [in Manila] that should pursue the claim if there are strong grounds to pursue it,� Ebrahim said in an interview with the ABS-CBN News Channel, adding, “We do not want to complicate the peace process. Lalong lalo na sa (Especially the) peace process, malaki ang natulong ng (much was done by) Malaysia to forge the agreement. Ayaw natin ma-affect ito (We don’t want the

Aquino: PH needs independent Senate

over the next six years. “We have a growing population that now stands at 105 million; and 30,000 new vehicles are added to our streets every month — that’s around 1 million vehicles in the next three years,� Ejercito said. “The only way we can spread out development to the countryside and, at the same time, decongest Metro Manila, Cebu and Davao, is through infrastructure development and transport modernization,� he added.

Ejercito said the Philippines was 30 years behind in terms of infrastructure development. “We have a lot of catching up to do.�

Duterte mulls subpoena In remarks during the 2019 general assembly of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines on Tuesday evening, Duterte said he would investigate the deals involving Trillanes’ mother Estrelita, whom he had described as a “supplier� of the Navy. “You (Trillanes) did too much... We will, initiate an investigation like you did and I will subpoena your mother, whether you like it or not,� he added. “You may tell me I do not have power,

there is. We also have the contempt power but we have to go to court,� Duterte said.

The 84-year-old Estrelita Trillanes suffers from advanced Parkinson’s disease.

Duterte lashed out at Trillanes anew, saying the ex-navyman survived the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) only because he was pampered by his father. “This cocky... This PMAer, he was being borrowed by his father. He is there in his room, being fed,� he added.

Trillanes on Wednesday said the

Q Senatorial candidate Bam Aquino excessive partisanship.

Binay, who is running to repreSENT THE kRST DISTRICT OF -AKATI #ITY in the House, said in a forum that Congress has become a rubberstamp legislative branch as most legislators tended to switch to the party of whoever is the President. “The system of checks and balances is abandoned in exchange for total loyalty to whoever occupies the seat of power,� he said in a forum.

Upon the assumption of President Rodrigo Duterte in 2016, at least 80 members of the Liberal Party transferred to Duterte’s PDP-Laban, which allowed the administration to secure a “super majority� in the House.

Binay said it was time for ConGRESS TO REGAIN ITS ROLE AS gkSCALIZER u The former vice president also denounced efforts to amend the 1987 Constitution and extend the control of the executive department over other branches of government. “Congress, in particular, should be an independent and co-equal branch of government, alongside the executive and the judiciary.

Yet in practice, any newly elected President would always move to secure control of Congress, particularly the House of Representatives,� he explained.

BERNADETTE E. TAMAYO AND NEIL JAYSON N. SERVALLOS

“The Foreign Ministry has continued to reiterate Malaysia’s position, namely the claims on Sabah are without basis,� the ministry said, adding, that Sabah has been recognized by the United Nations and the international community as part of Malaysia since the formation of the Malaysian Federation on Sept. 16, 1963. “As such, Malaysia does not recognize and will not entertain any claims by any party on Sabah,� the ministry said.

Malaysia had expressed concern over a proposal by a member of the Philippines’ 25-man consultative committee tasked with reviewing and proposing amendments to the Constitution, to include the Sabah as the country’s 13th federal state.

Sabah is home to about 2.3 million Malaysians and 889,000 nonMalaysians. Malaysia is still paying cession money to the Sultanate of Sulu although it lays claim on the Sabah, a gift given by Brunei to the Sultan of Sulu for helping quell a rebellion in 1658.

AL JACINTO threat of Duterte to subpoena his mother would prove nothing. “Since September last year, Duterte has been saying that he asked different agencies to investigate the supposed anomalous transactions of my mother. But up to now, he has yet to show even a shred of evidence to prove his baseless allegations,� he said in a statement. “Now, Duterte is threatening to subpoena my mother. Just do it and let it be another humiliating episode for you like the fake offshore bank accounts you alleged against me,� Trillanes added.

RALPH U. VILLANUEVA AND JAVIER JOE ISMAEL

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˜ The Manila Times

THURSDAY February 28, 2019

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Opinion

THURSDAY February 28, 2019

˜ The Manila Times

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E d i to r i a l The govt conundrum over ‘sin tax’: Health or wealth?

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HE government has a goal to reduce the number of smokers in the country, saving both lives and the enormous costs of medical treatment for preventable, smoking-related ailments. It also now has a goal, thanks to the recently passed Universal Health Care (UHC) Law, of funding health care for tens of millions of Filipinos who do not have access to affordable care.

Both of these are progressive, praiseworthy initiatives.

They cannot both be satisfactorily achieved, however, with the single tool of the “sin tax� on tobacco products.

Under the current tax scheme, there is P35 per pack excise tax on cigarettes, which will be raised to P37.50 per pack in 2021 and P40 per pack in 2023. From 2024, the tax rate will be increased by 4 percent annually.

There are two competing proposals to replace the current tax regime. The Department of Finance (DoF) and the Department of Health (DoH) have called for an increase to P60 per pack, with annual increments of 9 percent beginning next year. The House of Representatives, on the other hand, has approved House Bill (HB) 8677, which would raise the current tax to P37.50 per pack in July, followed by an increase of P2.50 in each of the next three years, with annual increases of 5 percent thereafter.

The DoF and DoH believe that the imposition of the higher excise tax plan would reduce the number of tobacco users, and at the same time provide revenues to fund the UHC program. Funding for healthcare might be compromised under the House version, the DoF has said, because its projected revenue through 2022 would be P244 billion lower than the other, higher package.

There is an inherent contradiction in the government’s perspective, good intentions notwithstanding. If excise taxes are to be used to fund health programs, then logic dictates that the source of those tax revenues — a population of cigarette consumers — be maintained. If, on the other hand, the real goal is to ultimately end tobacco use and eliminate a serious, yet preventable, menace to public health, the revenue from sin tax would continuously diminish and ultimately reach zero, limiting its usefulness as a funding source.

Of course, the natural counter-argument to all that is that no matter how high excise taxes are, there will always be a certain part of the population that will use tobacco products, so long as they are available; therefore, a certain amount of revenue from the tax can be counted upon, and directed to appropriate uses. This is a cynical point of view, however, no matter how realistic; it consigns a certain part of the population to a risky, LIFE THREATENING HABIT IN EFFECT SACRIkCING A PART OF THE population for the greater good.

When two divergent objectives are pursued, the only certain outcome is that neither of them will be satisfactorily met. In the Philippines’ case, efforts to reduce or eliminate tobacco use will fall short of aspirations, while at the same time, funding for UHC will at best always be below what is considered ideal.

To fully achieve either goal, the government must make a stark choice: It can either commit fully to eliminating tobacco use and its attendant risks and costs by working to prohibit the manufacture, sale, and use of tobacco products in the country. Or it can forego that objective entirely, and maintain the tobacco excise tax at a level which guarantees a consistent revenue stream TO APPLY TO 5(# WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT A SIGNIkcant portion of UHC funding will need to be applied to treating tobacco-related health issues. ~

THURSDAY February 28, 2019

The Manila Times

VOLUME 120 NUMBER 138

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 failures of EDSA and the dangers of idolatry ON THE I CONTRARY WILL be bold to posit that PresiDENT $UTERTE OR SPECIkCALLY THE narratives that led to his ascent to the presidency, and those that now enable and sustain him, are creations of EDSA, or to put it more precisely, the children of its lAWED AFTERMATH EDSA is actually a structural conjuncture in our history that should have been the property of the people, or should have been imaged as such. It should have been an opportunity for the Republic to redeem itself from what martial law had become, and what it had brought to our country. As such, it was a fertile ground to recalibrate our political landscape and bring the people back at its core. But unfortunately, the manner in which EDSA was presented as a moment where democracy allegedly came back to the country was given a spin that once again displaced the people. It became consumed with an unbridled idolatry towards the yellow brand

ANTONIO CONTRERAS of elite politics. The narrative was hijacked to glorify Ninoy and Cory, and demonize Ferdie and Meldy, instead of meaningfully seizing the moment to truly become a revolutionary period in our history.

EDSA was actually a period where the old pre-martial law oligarchs, starved by Marcos of their wealth and power, came back with a vengeance. They presided over the country, and effectively wasted the golden opportunity to truly alter the political-economic infrastructure of the Republic. Democracy just became a subterfuge for the return of pre-Marcos elite privilege.

Meanwhile, the intellectual elites, instead of providing a scholarly domain to truly dissect the oppressive structures of society, which can only be done through

the conduct of fair and balanced inquiries, instead focused on the perpetual demonization of the Marcoses. Thus, the need to provide a holistic, objective and SCIENTIkC BASE FROM WHERE ONE CAN learn lessons, and imagine an authentic future, was displaced by the craving to paint a complex period in our history as simply a play of light and darkness, and no shades of gray. The focus was to paint in the canvas of infamy the hated surname of Marcos, instead of going deep into the anatomy of our political-economic structures and processes. Anyone who attempts to provide a fair and balanced narrative would be derisively labeled as a historical revisionist, a heretic and a pariah in the world of academia.

The academe failed to provide the base for transformation simply because it was stuck in the past, and willingly played the role of acolyte to the idolatrous worldview that revolved around Ninoy,

and was carried by his widow Cory.

It was only a matter of time before THE lAWED ENTHRONEMENT OF THESE false gods eventually led to their son Noynoy inheriting the throne.

It was tragic that the political left, which is in fact the only force that would have provided a more critical assessment, and was sigNIkCANTLY ABSENT AT %$3!

INSTEAD of progressing and adapting to the changing times, was also imprisoned in the past and the demons of Marcos and Martial Law. In fact, instead of harnessing its so-called objective skills to analyze the structural rootedness of poverty and oppression, the left allowed itself to be critical of the post-EDSA political and economic landscape that could have provided a more forward-looking trajectory for political and economic transformation, only to eventually allow its narrative to be appropriated by the larger anti-Marcos rhetoric that held back that dynamic.

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Q MAKABENTA FROM A1

Why the EDSA conundrum? Cory and revolution ‘photo-shopped’ into EDSA coup In the case of EDSA, the Aquino forces started revising the EDSA story while the event was still unfolding in the historic avenue. At the climax, they “photoshopped� Cory Aquino into the event in order to promote a different scenario and resolution of the political situation.

Consequently, in the official EDSA commemoration every year, we always have a wrestling match between EDSA believers and EDSA skeptics about the events of Feb. 22-25, 1986, and their lasting meaning for the nation.

Some people, like the Aquino forces and the Liberals, who claim EDSA as part of their birthright, will always think of the event as a miracle and a revolution, a gift of providence to the Philippines.

Those like the original coup plotters who wanted only to topple Marcos from power, will reject the extravagant claims of a People Power revolution. They will highlight the facts and deTAILS OF THE kVE DAY UPRISING AND will leave to the public and the media the task of comprehending their import.

both the executive and legislative power of the new government; and Third, the reorganization of the Supreme Court and the appointment of a new chief justice by Aquino.

Aquino communicators undertook a herculean effort of painting Cory as a force for the institution of a genuine democracy. But this was contradicted by her very acTIONS IN OFkCE AS SHE REJECTED ALL unsolicited advice. They wound up writing hagiographies.

Immediately after her accession, Aquino issued Proclamation 3, a provisional constitution which established a revolutionary government. The edict promulgated the 1986 Freedom Constitution, which retained or superseded various provisions of the 1973 Constitution that was in force up to that point.

This allowed her to wield both executive and legislative powERS !MONG HER kRST ACTS WAS TO unilaterally abolish the Batasang Pambansa (the unicameral legislature duly elected in 1984).

Bizarre outcome

Most Filipinos living at the time of EDSA are still young enough to remember vividly the events of 1986.

What we remember differs STARKLY FROM THE OFkCIAL CLAIMS To many Filipinos, it was as if Cory Aquino had been photoshopped into the picture of the EDSA revolt, in order to convey a different scene of struggle.

There is no photograph or video anywhere that shows President Cory setting foot on EDSA at the time of the uprising. In fact,

The argument becomes goofy the moment it tackles the bizarre outcome of the seemingly successful revolt: First, the inexplicable anointment of Cory Aquino as Marcos’ successor—she who never set foot in EDSA during the tumulTUOUS kVE DAYS OF THE UPRISING Second, the proclamation by Cory of a revolutionary government, so she could govern by decree as

Photo-shopped revolutionary

she was holed up in a Catholic convent in Cebu at the time. Her security feared for her safety.

The disconnect between the coup leadership and Cory’s group always presented a source of tension and CONlICT IN POST %$3! DEVELOPMENTS In retrospect, the countless coup attempts against the Cory government were entirely predictable.

Their lack of success is more surprising because Cory‘s shortcomings as a leader were epic.

She knew next to nothing about governing. When she brought about darkness 24/7 TO THE COUNTRY SHE WAS kTTINGLY tagged the "Queen of Darkness."

Bogus revolution Who had the idea of calling the EDSA event a revolution?

This is comical because the revolutions in history have trouble holding on to the word.

In an insightful essay, Charles Krauthammer says the French revolution was the father of all REVOLUTIONS IT REDEkNED THE WORD The American revolution is, in the estimate of American scholars, a pseudo-revolution, because it was utterly lacking in the messianic, bloody-minded impulses of the French revolutionary regime.

Irving Kristol wryly notes that the American revolution was NOTABLE CHIElY FOR THIS g)T REARranged the constitutional furniture, its revolutionary leaders died in their own beds.�

The other revolutions of our time — Russian, Chinese, Cuban, Vietnamese — have been savage failures.

How does the People Power revolution fare when we stand

it up side by side with all these revolutions of modern times?

This is too much for EDSA to bear.

People power Associating EDSA with people power is more workable.

The term “people power� was first used by members of the S glOWER POWERu MOVEMENT

as they protested against the Vietnam War. Since EDSA, there have been many like-minded revolts in other parts of the world, that involved the massing of great numbers of people to protest against a reigning government.

In an analysis of the weakness of democracy, Walter Lippmann offered an insightful summary of people power: “What then are the true boundaries of the people’s power? The answer cannot be simple. But for a rough beginning let us say that the people are able to give and withhold their consent to be governed — their consent to what the government asks of them, proposes to them, and has done in the conduct of their affairs. They can elect the government. They can remove it. They can approve or disapprove its performance. But they cannot administer the government. They cannot themselves perform. They cannot normally initiate and propose necessary legislation. A mass cannot govern.�

I think, this should end all talk of people power revolution.

It is unwieldy and indefensible.

yenmakabenta@yahoo.com

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

THURSDAY February 28, 2019

Opinion

A5

Q SALUDO FROM A1

Why the Church keeps getting elections wrong

I

T happens election after election. While Filipinos value the voting advice of local religious leaders, as shown in surveys on endorsement clout, the collective admonition of bishops doesn’t seem to be heeded.

In presidential elections of the past quarter-century, the bishops’ public preferences lost. The late Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin backed the late House Speaker Ramon Mitra in 1992, but former armed forces chief Fidel Ramos won as the first Protestant president, backed by his predecessor Corazon Aquino.

Six years later, Cardinal Sin and Cory Aquino supported former Manila mayor Alfredo Lim against the hugely popular then Vice President Joseph Estrada, the kRST OF FOUR CONSECUTIVE LANDSLIDE presidents winning with around TWO kFTHS OF THE VOTE )N

the Catholic Church opposed the so-called “Team Patay� senatorial candidates who voted for the reproductive health bill. Many of them won anyway.

And in the last elections in 2016, Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, then President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines

inching toward total control.�

If the administration’s grip is supposedly tightening, how does one explain the bitter row Urging Catholics between congressmen and the to play politics Cabinet, backed by Malacaùang, delaying the 2019 budget?

Now, bishops are again advising If the Senate were the sole voters. The CBCP message read holdout, is the Supreme Court no at Sunday mass stressed the need longer reviewing state actions like TO gELECT PUBLIC OFkCIALS WHO ARE martial law in Mindanao and the principled, courageous and who "ANGSAMORO /RGANIC ,AW )S THE have the common good as their Commission on Elections no lonmain concern and not their own ger running the coming May polls, political interests.� and the Commission on Audit Prelates called on “lay groups disallowing dubious expenditures? [to] engage in discernment cirSpeaking of elections, the bit cles to help one another know about the polls being scrapped the candidates well and choose under the House-approved draft the candidates with the common charter was clearly off the mark. good of the whole country in Next time Congress gets back mind ...� (bold text in original). together to deliberate Cha-cha, In the CBCP’s view, “checks the May voting will be long over.

As for eroding checks and and balances in the government are being undermined. So far the balances, one checked what the Senate is the institution ‌ hold- CBCP said about the impeaching out as our country is inching ment of then Chief Justice Renato Corona, for which then President towards total control.�

The CBCP statement does not "ENIGNO !QUINO RD AGGRESSIVELY explicitly favor or oppose any campaigned, despite the indecandidate or party. But it seems pendence of both Congress and to show opposition influence, the Supreme Court. especially in claiming that rePork barrel funds and the ilstraints on the government are legal Disbursement Acceleration being eroded, and the nation “is Program were also used to induce (CBCP), failed to dissuade the electorate from voting Rodrigo Roa Duterte as chief executive.

Q CONTRERAS FROM A4

EDSA Nowhere is this more glaringly illustrated than when the progressive left settled with the compensatory approach to martial-law victims, and less on the adjudicatory approach that could have brought justice not only to Marcos, but also to his generals who implemented martial law, which could have included Fidel Ramos and Juan Ponce Enrile.

It is clear that the political elites simply swept aside the complex landscape of complicity and culpability so as not to disturb the new power structures, even as the idolatrous post-EDSA narrative has effectively elevated Ninoy and Cory to demi-god status. And the progressive forces of the left, and in academe, allowed this to happen simply because they shared THE ANTI -ARCOS kXATION Because the analysis was not structural but cult-like, and the politics was not transformative but restorative, life did not become better for the ordinary citizens. Power relations remained hierarchical, exclusionary and oppressive despite changes in the administration. The people tried to rebel when the elites once again mobilized to oust Erap Estrada whom they imaged as one who is symbolically aligned with them.

They protested when Fernando Poe Jr., who was constructed as an icon of the masses, was allegedly cheated. But the breaking point to many people was when the EDSA narrative reasserted its power through the election of Noynoy Aquino, propelled by the death of the saintly Cory.

It is from the failures of the Noynoy Aquino government that Rodrigo Duterte rose, simply because the people had had enough. They were sick and tired of the Republic being held captive by the elites. And they voted with that anger in their hearts.

That anger is not just toward the elites, but also toward the intellectuals in academe.

But if the people are not careful, we may just see another episode where once again opportunities for meaningful political transformation will be undermined and wasted. The danger now lies once again in the idolatrous worship by many people of President Duterte.

This is not unlike how the Aquinos before him and the Marcoses before them were elevated by their loyal followers to become demigods. We should all be warned of the steep price we have to pay when we subordinate our reason, objectivity, balance and fairness TO THE DESIRE TO DEFEND THE lAWED idols that we worship. This also extends into the irrational ways we demonize their enemies.

W

HEN I was doing my theology studies at the Immaculate Conception School of Theology, the regional theologate for the dioceses of Northern Luzon, the professors at that time — almost all German SVDs with an American among them, truly brilliant all — instituted exchanges between our seminary and St. Andrews Seminary, the Episcopalian seminary in Quezon City, beside the Episcopalian Cathedral. When one visiting Episcopalian priest-professor celebrated “the Mysteries� — what, for us, is the Mass — he told us, before the celebration of the Rite, that at communion time, we would all experience the “wound in the Body of Christ,� as we were not allowed to communicate with them (receive their communion), nor they, with us. And indeed, at Communion time, instead of lining up as we do at Catholic rites, we knelt, as one of our professors read a prayer of atonement, asking God’s forgiveness for the wound that his quarreling and feuding CHILDREN HAD INlICTED ON THE "ODY of Christ, rending what should have been a seamless garment into not just two but several fragments.

The Body of Christ — the Church — is once more wounded. The Vatican-initiated conference of bishops summoned from all over the world by Pope Francis admitted that the fail-

if it would be both unconstitutional and hugely destabilizing.

The plenary asked former Comelec chairman Christian Monsod for his views on the election controversy. The bishops also invited this writer, who was then the Cabinet Secretary, to give the administration side.

This writer presented the facts AND kGURES OF THE CAMPAIGN AND the elections, including the canvassing by both Congress and the watchdog National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel). Plus voter surveys of both Pulse Asia and Social Weather Stations (SWS), and exit polls by Radio Veritas, ABS-CBN, GMA News, and DZRH. Bishops must In the last Pulse and SWS listen to all sides surveys a week before the May )F THE AND STATEMENTS elections, Arroyo led her top rival appear to show a double standard, Fernando Poe Jr. by 6-7 percentthe solution is plain: The bishops age points, the equivalent of should listen to all sides, as they about 2 million votes. She also did at the height of the 2005-06 won in all exit polls, as well as unrest over allegations of cheating Congress and Namfrel counts. in the 2004 presidential elections. The ratio of votes won by each During the CBCP plenary candidate in the Congress results conference in January 2006, the differed by less than 1 percentage Association of Major Religious POINT FROM THE .AMFREL kGURES Superiors, which had called on They were statistically identical.

Plainly, if Poe really won, then then President Gloria Arroyo to resign, urged the prelates to de- Congress, Namfrel, Pulse Asia, mand an election recount, even SWS, Radio Veritas, ABS-CBN, GMA

News and DZRH all conspired to fabricate results. Impossible.

The report persuaded the CBCP to set aside the vote recount idea, and push for electoral reforms instead. (The 2004 election data is presented in the following articles: https://www.manilatimes. net/who-won-the-2004-presiDENTIAL ELECTIONS AND https://www.manilatimes.net/ who-won-the-2004-presidentialelections-2/100448/.)

The lesson here is that engaging in and commenting on politics demand far more than lofty moralizing and motherhood admonitions like voting for candidates who put the nation’s welfare above their own political interests (like who?). Especially if the bishops are unduly swayed by one faction, whatever ideals it purportedly espouses.

Today, the CBCP is rightly appalled over drug-war killings, blasphemies against God, and threats against clergy. But in advising voters, prelates must do their homework on the national situation, tapping a variety of viewpoints. Then the electorate might just listen to the bishops’ advice, not dismiss it as favoring partisan slants, rather than the common good.

The wounded Body the fall of two cardinals, and disturbing applause at the arrest and indictment of so many priests all over the world. That they who do FR. RANHILIO wrong are punished is an elemenCALLANGAN tary precept of justice, even if I have AQUINO always had misgivings about that VERSION OF PENOLOGY THAT kNDS IN b ings and faults off members off incarcerating and locking up perTHE CLERGY HAD INlICTED A TERRIBLE sons for life who should be taking blow. As importantly, it made active part in the process of restorclear the Church’s resolve to ing the order and the balance of be on the mend: by protecting rights they have severely upset. It the vulnerable more vigilantly is ironic that those who champion against predators in cassocks and restorative justice are unwilling to religious habiliment, by cooper- allow for any kind of “restorationâ€? ating with authorities of the State on the part of offending members in the prosecution of offenders, of the clergy, even if it be only and seeing to the exclusion of to save the little self-respect that CANDIDATES UNkT FOR THE PRIEST- is left them after their scourging hood. The fall of two cardinals and pummeling! It seems to me — earlier styled “princes of the like many would like the punishChurchâ€? — has also been devas- ment to be endless, their agony tating, although there have been increased well beyond endurable doubts about the correctness of degrees. The abuse of children is the jury’s verdict against Cardinal wrong — without a doubt — and Pell. But Theodore Mccarrick and it is the function of the law in orgaGeorge Pell are no doubt suf- nized society to protect those most fering immensely, perhaps even vulnerable. But condemnation unbearably, and nobody can be and rejection can never be moral decent who rejoices in their suf- that write a person off completely fering, as no one can condone as undeserving of even just the the injury done victims, where remnants of self-respect and the the injuries are real and not con- RESIDUES OF MERCYĂœ /UR COLLECTIVE jured. And that takes me to my cruelty, if not savagery, towards next and central point. offenders is as grievous a wound There were, to me, unmistakable as the predation of those who signals of barely suppressed glee, USE RANK TITLE AND OFkCE TO EXACT even on the part of Catholics, at wrongful and sinful pleasures.

For starters, let us tear down the pedestals on which we have set the members of the clergy. The Father’s (OUSE IS NOT MADE OF TWO lOORS AN UPPER lOOR FOR ITS PRIVILEGED members — deacons, priests and BISHOPS ‡ AND A LOWER lOOR FOR laity whose only job is to “pray, pay and obey.� We have, thank God, foresworn that kind of ecclesiology for some time now, particularly after Vatican 2. So why think that members of the clergy are any better than lay persons? The frailty of the humankind after the debacle of Eden is our common lot. No exception is made for a privileged class. So, the abuse of children — whether this be fathers raping their daughters, or mothers exploiting the labor of their children or inducing them to crime, or priests molesting women cooperators, or altar boys or choir members — is equally heinous, equally condemnable. But because of a tacit clericalism that stubbornly persists, we hold the “sins of the fathers� to be more condemnable than all the rest. If the pedestals were torn down, then we would be able to see with more lucidity that ordination does not turn a man into an angel and that all the drives of which Freud wrote convincingly remain at work, perhaps even more markedly. What ordination does is bestow on the minister a charism — a gift for the good of the

Church, the gift that enables him to stand before the community in the person of Christ. But it will not take away the “ontological fault,� the “ontological fallenness� that makes sinners of us all.

From the wounded side of #HRIST THE 'OSPELS REPORT lOWED blood and water — and the Sacred Tradition of the Church has taken these to be “signs� of the sacramental life of the Church.

And when Christ rose from the dead, the wounds were still there. In fact, what the Gloriously Risen Lord did was show his followers his wounds. Perhaps, we should take courage from this, for now, we are inclined to be like wounded beasts, retreating to some dark corner where we can lick our wounds. But Christ has carried wounds — and carries them still — and he will show them, not as proofs of his invulnerability — because they did break him, his wounds killed him — but God, who makes all things new, can always make of the wounds the very beginnings of healing and glorious life.

Credo in unam, sanctam, Catholicam et apostolicam Ecclesiam ‌I believe in one, holy, Catholic and apostolic Church!

parks within the vicinity. The Coastal Road will lead them to an open area where they can CATCH A MAGNIkCENT VIEW OF THE Davao Gulf. Because of the great importance Davaoeùos place on their environment and in order to sustain and promote the region’s booming agri-industrial sector, every city in Metro Davao will apply Green Urban Infrastructure — giving people more sustainable sources of livelihood.

An example would be the transformation of the Roxas Avenue Freedom Park into a vibrant, colorful and clean linear park, which many vendors, students and Davaoeùos can eagerly anticipate. Both the night market and daytime establishments will witness increased economic activity and even a rise in sales. A similar effect is expected with the development of the Dacudao Avenue Canal, Sta. Ana Wharf and Roxas Avenue Canal — all in Davao City.

In other cities, we are excited to see the transformation of the Digos City Entry Marker, Panabo City roads, the Carmen Islet Park and countless other projects that will significantly improve the quality of life for

the people living, working and visiting in those places.

Metro Davao will incorporate sustainable principles in the design and use of structures. An example would be the proposed intermodal terminal stations that will connect Davao del Sur, Davao City, Davao del Norte and Compostela Valley. Featuring Mindanaoan-inspired art, the stations will be one of the centerpieces for transit-oriented development. As potential hubs for seamless and efficient mass transportation, the stations will also provide a place for social interaction as they will feature commercial and retail spaces that can be venues for people to meet and travel together.

Tourism will be another main driver of economic growth. The Maco Sports Complex Park where only one school is presently located will attract many visitors, especially those who are interested in health and wellness and outdoor and recreational activities. Sta. Cruz’s rich natural resources, unique topography and rich local culture can entice tourists to seek adventure, recreation and other ecotourism activities.

rannie_aquino@csu.edu.ph rannie_aquino@sanbeda.edu.ph rannie_aquino@outlook.com

Metro Davao

T

HE Metro Davao Urban Master Plan can make Davao and Mindanao the front door of the Philippines for Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, and the gateway to the Brunei Darussalam-IndonesiaMalaysia-Philippines East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). As an architect and urban planner, I see Metro Davao’s potential to SIGNIkCANTLY CONTRIBUTE TO LOCAL and nationwide development.

The Celebes Sea, which is south of Metro Davao, is becoming a significant navigational route LINKING THE 0ACIkC /CEAN AND THE West Philippine Sea (or the South China Sea). With the Davao Gulf opening up to the Celebes Sea, its high potential for port development makes it a prime gateway.

The hinterland of Metro Davao is Mindanao, which is about the size of South Korea. Metro Davao is 10 times the size of Metro Manila, nine times the size of Singapore, and six times the size of Hong Kong. Thus, Mindanao is truly the land of promise.

My colleagues and I at Palafox Associates and Palafox Architecture Group had the opportunity

congressmen to impeach and senators to convict. And what did the CBCP say? )TS 3EPTEMBER STATEMENT criticized pork barrel, but said nil about checks and balances.

Evidently, the dominant faction of bishops found nothing amiss in Aquino’s ouster of Corona and appointment of his Ateneo classmate Maria Lourdes Sereno, despite far more senior CJ nominees. Aquino also named his former election lawyer Sixto Brillantes as Comelec chairman, and removed both the /MBUDSMAN AND THE #O! CHAIRMAN IN HIS kRST YEAR

FELINO A. PALAFOX, JR. to work with the Mindanao Development Authority to create the Metro Davao Urban Master Plan. Through this project, I am convinced we can all bring Metro Davao and Mindanao well into the 21st century. With the plan set for implementation very soon, we can imagine a more livable, sustainable, resilient, smart, green, environment-friendly, diverse, innovative and creative Mindanao.

At the center of this development are eight local government units: Digos City, the municipality of Sta. Cruz, the Island Garden City of Samal, Panabo City, the municipality of Carmen, Tagum City, the municipality of Maco, and Davao’s regional center — Davao City.

Metro Davao’s common vision and mission guide and its theme for long-term development: Build-Better-Berde. Taking off from the unique strengths and current position of each LGU,

all eight will play a key role in the emergence of Metro Davao.

Davao City will be the business, commercial, financial, health, and airport/seaport community.

Digos City will be known as an agri-industrial center. The municipality of Sta. Cruz will become a tourism port and an agri-industrial zone. Panabo City has the potential to operate an international seaport while improving its banana production within its agri-industrial sector. Similarly, the municipality of Carmen can also capitalize on its food production while Tagum City can become a smart city in the south. The municipality of Maco and the Island Garden City of Samal have similar trajectories, each possessing rich and diverse natural resources. They can accommodate exotic tourism, ecotourism, and many kinds of cultural and recreational developments.

In Panabo City, the Panabo Museum Complex will become a walkable and accessible destination from the proposed Coastal Road development. Traversing back through the same road, one may easily visit the city’s ecotourism park and the other industrial

ÂłPalafoxA6

A6

Opinion

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

THURSDAY February 28, 2019

Q TULFO FROM A1

Sequel to a box-office flop

Why I am so angry with Cory Aquino The topic was “33 years after the Edsa Revolution, has there BEEN A SIGNIkCANT CHANGE u I should have been smart enough to know that Jackie is a niece of the late President Corazon Aquino who I did not mince words in criticizing.

The program coordinators should not have partnered me with her since I am a known rabid Aquino basher (both Cory and her son Noynoy).

As an aside, I am not a Marcos loyalist either.

I couldn’t help but express my feelings about the regime of Cory Aquino.

My friends who watched that part of the daytime talk show (1 to 2 p.m.) saw Jackie squirming in her seat though she acted like the compleat lady. She didn’t even contradict me when she could have done so.

But at the start of the show, I said that her father, Butz Aquino, the late Senator Ninoy’s brother, and Jaime Cardinal Sin, should be considered the real and unsung heroes of EDSA and not Cory, who was hiding in a conVENT IN #EBU IN THE kRST HOURS of the People Power Revolution.

I said that it was Butz who gathered the first crowd that marched to EDSA from Isetann Department Store in Cubao, Quezon City, in support of Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile and his men who were cornered at the Ministry of Defense building inside Camp Aguinaldo.

Their plot to unseat Marcos uncovered, Enrile and his men sought SHELTER AT THE -.$ MAIN OFkCE

which was practically unprotected.

The effusive Jaime Cardinal Sin called on the people to gather at EDSA to protect Enrile and his co-plotters, as well as the group of then Lt. Gen. Fidel V.

Ramos, the vice chief of staff of the Armed Forces and concurrent chief of the Philippine Constabulary-Integrated National Police. *** What went wrong with the EDSA Revolution that unseated a dictator and was supposed to have improved the country’s WELL BEING The post-Marcos government started on the wrong foot. Cory Aquino, supposedly a devout Catholic, did not follow the example of Nelson Mandela.

Mandela, who was jailed for many years by the apartheid government of South Africa, forgave his jailers and started with a clean slate when he took over from the oppressive predominantly Caucasian Afrikaners.

Cory’s personal vendetta against the Marcoses is the root cause of the post-EDSA Revolution governments.

We are a divided people because Cory and her followers cannot forgive and forget what dictator Ferdinand Marcos did.

Marcos may have been a bad president in the last few years of his rule, but he must also be credited for many of the good things he did for the country.

Because of Cory’s bile and her vile reign of vendetta, the country did not move forward during her term, which was wracked by many coup attempts.

The government improved somewhat during the administration of Fidel V. Ramos but his successor, *OSEPH g%RAPu %STRADA BOTCHED THE gains Ramos had made.

The administration of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, a great economist, was tarnished by her husband, Mike, in much the same way that Marcos’ reign was destroyed by his wife, Imelda.

"ENIGNO g.OYNOYu !QUINO 3rd, who succeeded GMA, was practically a do-nothing president, leading wags to comment that all he did was kuyakoy (shake his legs in a nervous tic). Noynoy was as vindictive toward GMA as his mother was toward Marcos.

The current president, Rodrigo Duterte, has inherited the ills of the previous administrations, particularly that of Noynoy abnoy kuyakoy’s.

Digong is trying to make people forget their sordid past — kRST

BY BURYING -ARCOS REMAINS at the Libingan ng mga Bayani— and move the country forward.

But he is being blocked by the Yellows, the remnants of the vindictive Cory and Noynoy administrations. *** 7HY AM ) ANGRY AT #ORY !QUINO Because I inadvertently got involved in the second-day unfolding of the EDSA drama.

On that day, Feb. 23, 1986 of the EDSA Revolution, there was frenetic activity at the Ministry of Defense building at Camp Aguinaldo.

I saw retired Armed Forces Chief Romeo Espino and Customs Commissioner Ramon Farolan call on Enrile at his OFkCE ) ALSO SAW MANY CIVILIAN OFkCIALS OF -ARCOS VISITING %NRILE

among them former Information SECRETARY &RANCISCO g+ITu 4ATAD Earlier that morning, Enrile and his RAM (Reform the Armed Forces Movement) boys — Colonels Gregorio Honasan, Red Kapunan, Tito Legaspi and Felix Turingan — attended Mass held at the defense minister’s office where they all received holy communion.

Enrile, with an Uzi machine pistol slung on his shoulder, was visibly nervous because he knew it was probably his last day on earth.

There was only a handful of

soldiers loyal to Enrile that was in the MND building. They would surely be wiped out if Marcos would order an attack, and the attack was imminent.

At the back of the MND building was the headquarters of the Military Police Brigade under Brig. Gen. Pedro Balbanero who was fence-sitting. But he could change his mind at any time.

Enrile and his RAM boys were isolated from the rest of the world; their communication lines had been cut off.

At the hallway, I met Kapunan who, like the others, was moving about like a headless chicken.

He asked me if I would know what the Marcos camp was doing.

With my handheld radio (remember, cellular phones were nonexistent at the time) I called fellow Bulletin reporter Louie Perez. Louie was at Fort Bonifacio COVERING THE gOTHER SIDE u (E WAS at the Marine base. “Mon, lalakad na ang mga tangke patungo diyan (the tanks are about to start moving in your DIRECTION u 0EREZ SAID MEANING Camp Aguinaldo.

After I told Kapunan what Perez told me, he rushed to Enrile. “Sir, sabi ni Tulfo padating na ang mga tangke (Tulfo said the tanks are COMING u +APUNAN SHOUTED Enrile and his RAM boys then decided to go to Camp Crame to join forces with Lt. Gen. Fidel Ramos.

Up until then, Ramos was noncommittal. That’s from my point of view at that time.

I took part in the march of Enrile and his RAM boys to Camp Crame.

The rest is history.

You see, I had a personal stake in the EDSA Revolution, and that is why I am angry with Cory Aquino because she didn’t live up to the promise of a better future for the Philippines.

Hate speech threatens our humanity tural ignorance, unfamiliarity, suspicions, prejudices, animosity and fear-mongering to mobilize their BHUBANESWAR, INDIA and KUALA LUMPUR followings, typically with "half(IPS): $O POLITICIANS WORDS MATTER truths," rather than less credible, Since becoming US President, outright fabrications.

In the era of fake news, fake alerts Donald Trump has dismissed his opponents and others he does not and "post-truth," such half-truths have like as evil, stupid or both. He has become more effective, and hence, referred to undocumented im- more dangerous in abetting the power migrants as animals, and to poor to demean, displace and destroy, especially when driven by ambition countries as shitholes.

SEEKING GREATER INlUENCE AND POWER The recent popularity, mainstreamFostering culture of hate ing and legitimization of ethno-popuAround the world, such harsh words lism and jingoism in the West as well have become normalized as part of as other parts of the world, demand the rhetoric of leaders, against per- attention to how cultural analysis, ceived and manufactured enemies, social psychology and neuroscience to mobilize the intended "imagined can help us better understand the effects of such rhetoric. community" against "the other. " Such rhetoric, increasingly emulated by political, religious and com- Normalizing hate speech munity leaders the world over, has contributed greatly to the growing cli- Unsurprisingly, continuous or fremate of resentment and hatred of the quent exposure to hate speech is "other," the "outsider," the "stranger." known to increase prejudice, resentHate words and speech have be- MENT AND ANIMOSITY 3UCH INlUENCES come widespread globally. They have desensitize people to verbal and even become part of dominant cultures, other forms of aggression, by "norspreading meanings, worldviews and malizing" actions and behavior which beliefs, all with considerable impact. might otherwise be socially con7HEN DOMINANT THEY ARE AMPLIkED demned. The culture of hate seems by authority and power — political, to thrive in the human "ecosystem."

Leaders inspiring prejudice, anger economic, social and cultural, increasand fear among their supporters, stimingly recognised as "soft" power.

The rhetoric of hatred has been ulate surges of stress hormones, such ECHOED AND THUS AMPLIkED BY TRADI- as norepinephrine and cortisol, affecttional as well as social media, includ- ing the amygdala, the brain center for ing the increasingly vicious culture threat. Threatening language directly online, as rivals compete to outdo one stimulates the amygdala, making it DIFkCULT FOR HUMANS TO Ă?WIND DOWNĂ? another, vying for attention.

But often, even more aggressive their passions and emotions in order and vicious is the hate rhetoric of to "think" before acting.

One does not have to be mentally the rising cultural populists, as they manufacture new language to outdo defective or unstable to be "inspired"to one another and the incumbents, aggression and violence by such rhetowhile trying to unify their "imagined ric. Most of us are susceptible to such "motivational" speeches, especially communities" behind them. when conditions are conducive.

BYÂ M.NADARAJAHÂ ANDÂ JOMO KWAME SUNDARAM

Cultural populism for imagined communities Ethno-populists, jingoist nationalists, other chauvinists and their enablers try to convince their followers that they are victims facing threats from exaggerated or even imagined dangers, such as conspiracies by enemy "others" of which they are ignorant due to obfuscation by fake news.

Around the world, they use cul-

Legitimizing violence against others A study, led by Princeton psychologist Susan Fiske, has linked anger and violent impulses to distrust of "outsiders" or "others," especially WHEN ECONOMIC DIFkCULTIES ENCOURage viewing them as competing "unfairly" for better opportunities.

By inducing or exaggerating a

sense of external threat by the "other, " they can be thought of as not only different, but even as threatening. It is generally easier to think of outsiders as less than human, and hence, undeserving of empathy or compassion; both are cultural and sociopsychological conditions conducive to hate, aggression and violence.

A Harvard psychologist co-author of the study reportedly noted, “when a group is put on the defensive and made to feel threatened, they begin to believe that anything, including VIOLENCE IS JUSTIkED u

Dehumanizing others Cultural chauvinists also encourage antagonism to and violence against others by demonizing and dehumanizing them as subhuman or even nonhuman, so that they are not deemed worthy of treatment and consideration as fellow humans.

Earlier, Fiske and a colleague had found that their study subjects were so unempathetic to images of drug addicts and the homeless that they could not imagine how they felt or thought; the brain regions required to empathize with them as human beings deserving of "moral treatment" could not be activated.

Instead, the brain region associated with feelings of disgust were activated.

As Fiske has argued, “Both science and history suggest that people will nurture and act on their prejudices in the worst ways when these people are put under stress, pressured by peers, or receive approval from authority kGURES TO DO SO u Thus, when a politician or some other socially influential person dehumanizes others, they are being put beyond the range of empathy, depriving them of moral protection and legitimizing inhuman treatment against them.

In another famous 1960s study

by Yale psychologist Stanley Milgram, not knowing that the shocks were fake, most study subjects were WILLING TO OBEY AN AUTHORITY kGURE S instructions to give electric shocks to other participants.

3IXTY kVE PER CENT ‡ ALMOST TWO out of three — did as told, delivering the maximum shock, which could have been fatal, if real. Clearly, PEOPLE CAN EASILY BE INlUENCED BY

authority to terribly harm others.

Followers thus follow the leader in dehumanising others.

Positive agenda needed too People are being continuously inlUENCED BY HATE SPEECH "UT AS DEhumanization becomes the norm, tolerated and sustained, not only by individual actions, but also by a socioeconomic culture promoting, even needing dehumanization, then the culture of hatred, including hate speech, becomes normalized.

Hence, it is necessary to take measures to deter, delegitimize and even disallow hate speech in view of its likely consequences and the normalization of hate it thrives on and contributes to.

These threaten not only to undermine social solidarity, peaceful coexistence and mutual respect, but also to do far more damage, not only for international relations, but also for social peace, especially in multicultural societies.

As hate becomes part and parcel of our "way of life," it becomes increasINGLY DIFkCULT TO REVERSE THESE PROCESSes to recapture our lost ability to build reason, empathy and compassion.

7HILE DIFkCULT BUT NECESSARY THIS IS HARDLY SUFkCIENT AS WE REVISIT MObilize and augment our remaining cultural resources for a positive agenda to rediscover the best in our common humanity, drawing on mutual respect and the universal ethos underlying our rich cultural diversity.

While the current culture of hate has a supportive "ecosystem" of sorts in some aspects of neuroscience, human biology and social psychology also recognize our "compassion instinct," an orientation of mind that recognizes pain, the universality of pain and suffering, and the "instinctive" need, indeed desire to help others.

M. Nadarajah is Chair Professor, Xavier Centre for New Humanities and Compassion Studies, Xavier University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India.

Jomo Kwame Sundaram, a former economics professor and United Nations Assistant Secretary-General, was a member of the new Malaysian Government’s Council of Eminent Persons.

U

S President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are now in another historic summit in Vietnam. Mr. Kim is just hopeful that Mr. Donald did not bring his wall with him to allow better communication.

Mr. Trump carries with him a lot of domestic baggage. Many political analysts say that Kim is way ahead of the PR game, and he is expected not to budge a bit in his stand on the topic of denuclearization and Trump is expected to dangle the sanctions again. It is a relief to know that Air Force One will not charge the occupant for extra weight.

The summit is expected to give Trump a chance to post a temporary profile much like Facebook. His positive newsfeed will be posted more likely through his Twitter as he needs an image boost or distraction from his domestic worries, such as: Michael Cohen’s expected testimony before the US Senate intelligence committee on Trump’s alleged criminal behavior since he became president; House voting to junk his national emergency declaration for being unconstitutional; various lawsuits filed against his national emergency declaration; market uncertainties from the US-China trade war; worsening relations with Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro; and the impact of border immigration exodus from Mexico and Colombia. *** The recent EDSA celebration was again used to vilify former President and now Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo who has been working double time during recess to fine-tune pending legislation at the lower house.

This is unfair. Riding on someone else’s devious characterization just to boost one’s candidacy is pure and simple gutter instinct. #ORRUPTION 4HE BLAME GAME is the expertise of the past administration, which was very much at home with demolition jobs and disrespect for the separation of powers. They remain oblivious of the fact that GMA was acquitted by half of BSA 3rd’s appointees to the Supreme Court.

To refresh our memory, the trumped-up charges were filed against Arroyo to keep her in detention, so she could be continuously used as a trophy and a scapegoat to their various failures. All these charges were proven wrong in the courts, including the high tribunal.

Being elected thrice as a representative is enough message that she did no wrong. And she just kept quiet and faithfully served her constituents until she was elected to the top post of the House of Representatives last year.

Let us not forget that even the United Nations ruled that her detention was a human rights violation and was absolutely deemed as politically motivated. Let us be reminded that when she was cleared of the PCSO plunder case, half of Aquino’s appointees to the Supreme Court acquitted her 11 to 4, citing lack of evidence.

It’s really mind-boggling to

MIRRORLESS

ROLLY G. REYES know that in the charges that had kept her in hospital detention for several years, the high court found that not a single exhibit of the 637 exhibits presented by the prosecution nor a single testimony of the 21 witnesses of the prosecution showed that she had acquired or received even a single centavo of the PCSO intelligence fund.

The 11 justices who voted for the dismissal of the plunder charges were Presbitero J. Velasco Jr., Teresita J. Leonardode Castro, Arturo D. Brion, Diosdado M. Peralta, Lucas P. Bersamin, Mariano C. del Castillo, Jose P. Perez, Jose C. Mendoza, Bienvenido L. Reyes; Estela M. Perlas-Bernabe and Francis H. Jardeleza.

The four who dissented were ousted Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno (who was later FOUND TO BE UNQUALIkED FOR THE post), Senior Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio and Justices Alfredo Benjamin S. Caguioa and Mario Victor F. Leonen. *** Many are wondering why the Airbus A380 was discontinued and met the same fate as the French AÊrospatiale’s Concorde.

Many were taken by surprise by the move. But Airbus said that a decision had to be made. The A380 had the largest real estate seating 853 passengers and was flown by 14 major airlines.

Singapore Airlines was the first to order the plane since it was introduced in 2007. Of course, profitability was the main reason for discontinuing it. Because of the expensive operational costs per flight, full capacity was rarely achieved and the limitations by international airports to receive such a behemoth resulted in fewer schedules. *** I have to applaud the creation of an inter-agency Task Force Manila Bay headed by Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu to be assisted by the DILG and DoT. The same triumvirate that made Boracay a poster card destination again.

Under Administrative Order 16, everyone is enjoined to ensure the complete rehabilitation, restoration and conservation of the Manila Bay. I believe that a 360-degree approach should be considered when the restoration is implemented.

First and foremost is the relocation of illegal settlers to give way to any major makeover like dredging, declogging of waterways and tributaries and constant implementation of environmental laws. *** My parting shot to those who are claiming ownership of the EDSA commemoration: Nobody owns EDSA. It is the voice of the Filipino people wanting to change our destiny as a nation. *** Good work, good deeds and good faith to all.

Q PALAFOX FROM A5

Metro Davao First-timers in the municipality can enjoy the existing International Boulder Face Challenge in Mt. Apo and try other types of outdoor adventure, including hiking and bird-watching.

Given that Sta. Cruz also sits on the foothills of Mt. Apo, it has very high potential for cultivating and producing high-value crops. The local government would do well to guide the local farmers through skills development training and cropping techniques. The Island Garden City of Samal is envisioned to continue being the tourism center and be

further developed into a health and wellness hub, providing recreation, adventure, and agri-eco tourism for all of Metro Davao and the Davao Region.

These are only a few examples of the developments we can expect in Metro Davao, hopefully, very soon. Let us support Mindanaoans as they achieve their dreams and visions for Metro Davao. We can do this with professionalism, continuous pursuit of excellence, integrity and honesty. Let us continue to hope because the future of Metro Davao and Mindanao looks very promising.

Regions

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

THURSDAY February 28, 2019

A7

PDEA to rid 827 CLuzon villages of drugs

T

BY JERRY M. HERNANDEZ

ARLAC: Given the marching order to rid the country of illegal drugs, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) is determined to cleanse 827 drug-affected barangay (villages) in Central Luzon this year.

In a statement, PDEA Regional $IRECTOR 'IL 0ABILONA SAID THE kG-

ure came from the 2,439 enlisted villages affected with illegal drugs,

which the agency eyed to eliminate by 2022.

He said, to meet their target, PDEA would utilize more government resources to conduct a harsher campaign against illegal drugs, a menace that is considered a threat to national security. “Instead of limited resources from PDEA and the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Armed Forces of the Philippines as well as other government agencies may

also be tapped for various initiatives,� Pabilona said.

At the regional level, he said they would tap local chief executives and barangay leaders by furnishing them with the list of wanted personalities to be monitored and arrested in their respective areas.

Pabilona added that PDEA would coordinate with the Department of the Interior and Local Government to monitor the AntiDrug Abuse Councils (ADACs) to

Q TELCO FROM A1

DEMPSEY REYES AND RALPH U. VILLANUEVA

He said that as of February 22, PDEA had cleared 119 out of 709 villages of drugs in Nueva Ecija; 118 of 385 in Pampanga; 116 of 118 in Bataan; 43 of 185 in Zambales; 110 of 392 in Tarlac; 35 of 507 in Bulacan; 54 of 96 in Aurora; 2 of 31 in Angeles City and 1 of 16 in Olongapo City.

Operatives of PDEA and PNP, working together, were also able to apprehend about 200,000 drug suspects in the region in 2018.

CEZA opens P24-M training center in Cagayan

National company, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said on Wednesday.

Esperon cited as an example the use of various countries of Huawei Technologies equipment, with the United Kingdom (UK) and Germany even snubbing a ban imposed by the United States.

A report by The Wall Street Journal said an investigation by Berlin’s cybersecurity agency had failed to show that Huawei could use its equipment to siphon off data.

Mislatel’s partner, however, is China Telecommunications Corp. “Just look at the pronouncements of UK and Germany for not really banning Huawei. It is not the equipment, it is the intent and the motive, and we have cybersecurity platforms that are present,� he told reporters in a weekly forum in Manila.

Esperon questioned persistent concerns over China’s entry, saying: “Let me ask you, will there be problem to you if a [South] Korean company would enter? Or any foreign country? Why only China?�

Last year, the National Telecommunications Commission proclaimed the Mislatel consortium of Davao-based businessman Dennis Uy, who is close to President Rodrigo Duterte, as the winner of the open bidding for the third telco slot.

On Tuesday, during the 2019 general assembly of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines, Duterte said there was a need to lower the prices of the two leading service providers, PLDT Inc. and Globe Telecom.

He said that the two companies should not charge Filipinos too much. “You know, we are friends; I respect you. I may not share your dimensions in life. You have money on your minds. But, you know, I could be mean. You cannot just do that to the Filipino people,� he said.

MalacaĂąang on Wednesday expressed hope that telecommunications networks would improve their performance after Duterte warned PLDT to expand the 8888 anti-graft hotline or be shut down.

Speaking at the PDP-Laban Cebu campaign rally on Sunday night, Duterte urged people to report to the 8888 hotline any act of corruption committed by any government official.

He told PLDT to add another “trunkline� for the purpose or face a shutdown, and said the telco still owed the government P8 billion. He did not elaborate.

ensure that they meet regularly, submit watchlist reports, and have rehabilitation programs in place.

These ADACs, he said, would also help the villages meet 14 parameters for a drug-cleared barangay, including the absence of drug pushers, users and drug dens through community-based programs. “We are also tasked to focus our operations in seaports, airports and shorelines,� Pabilona added.

‘KUYA BONG’ Aspiring senator Christopher Lawrence ‘Bong’ Go greets a young boy and his mother during one of the barangay assemblies in the towns of Amadeo and Kawit in Cavite. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Go raises environmental awareness CAVITE: Aspiring senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong� Go visited Amadeo and Kawit towns here to attend Lingap Kalikasan events and a few barangay (village) Assemblies to help raise awareness for environmental concerns. #AVITE PROVINCIAL OFkCIALS LOCAL leaders and residents of the towns of Amadeo and Kawit warmly received Go and his supporters at the Amadeo municipal covered court and at the Barangay Kaingen covered court in Kawit. “If we will be given a chance to

serve in the Senate, we will continue and enhance the administration’s environmental protection programs. This is important to us all because this is our source of life,� Go said.

The former top aide of President Rodrigo Duterte added that as measures were put in place to protect the environment, programs for sustainable community development must be implemented as well.

Aside from the two-day Lingap Kalikasan events, Go attended

barangay assemblies in the villages of Pangil and Halang in Amadeo, as well as Barangay Sta. Isabel in Kawit.

(E TOLD BARANGAY OFkCIALS AND personnel that if elected, he would sponsor legislation that would give them better compensation packages AND BENEkTS FOR BEING FRONTLINERS IN serving their communities.

He added that he would support the proposal to establish a National Senior Citizens Commission that would cater to the needs and issues of senior citizens throughout the country.

TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan: As part of its weeklong 24th anniversary celebration, officials of the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA) formally opened the P24-million multi-purpose building and training center in this city on Wednesday.

Secretary Raul Lambino, CEZA administrator and chief executive officer, said the new establishment would also function as CEZA’s satellite office as well as a training center for its employees.

The center is located along the Dalan na Pagayaya at the Regional Government Center near the City Hall in Barangay Carig Sur in this city. “This is one of the several firsts in CEZA’s 24 years of existence. The office has a training center for job seekers at the Santa Ana town-based Cagayan Special Economic Zone and Freeport (CSEZF),� Lambino said.

The center would function as the labor and employment productivity office (LEPO), which is a section established in CEZA’s commitment to reinforce its one-stop-action center.

CEZA, a government-owned and -controlled corporation tasked to manage and supervise the development of the 54,118-hectare CSEZF, was created through Republic Act 7922 or the “Cagayan Special Economic Zone Act of 1995.�

It covers the entire Santa

Q OUTLAST FROM A1

‘Church will outlast a hundred Dutertes’ received death threats, reshared his 2017 Facebook post in response to the seemingly endless tirades of the President against the Catholic Church. “A lot of people have said the same thing many centuries ago.

Some have even tried to deliberately destroy the Catholic Church.

Well, it appears that not even the sins and human weaknesses of [its] own members could destroy the Church, as long as we have the humility to admit such wrongdoings and do something to correct them, as Pope Francis is now asking us to

do,� the bishop said.

On Monday, Duterte said: “This Catholic [Church] will disappear. In almost 25 years, it will disappear. No more, people will forget it.�

He cited the string of sexual abuses and corruption within the Church’s ranks, a crisis which has riled the Vatican.

Duterte claims he was sexually abused by a priest in high school. He is known for his sharp TONGUE AND EXPLETIVE kLLED SPEECHes, and even called the God of the predominantly Catholic Philippines “stupid.�

Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo on Wednesday said he did not believe the death threats on David and other priests.

This, even after Duterte himself bared that Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle had asked the government for help to stop the threats made to David and other men of the cloth.

In a television interview, Panelo said the threats should be investigated if true. “But me, I think the threats are merely created,� Panelo said.

S e n . R i s a H o n t i ve r o s o n Wednesday expressed outrage over the death threats received by

David, the vice president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.

She said these threats were a direct result of the threats that President Duterte himself made against Bishop David last year. “These are also the consequences of the violent verbal attacks of the President on the Catholic Church and its religious leaders in light of its strong critique of the present administration’s bloody and abusive war on drugs. They further assert the culture of impunity to try to si-

Ana town and the islands of Fuga, Barit and Mabbag in Aparri town. It also includes the Palaui Island which became a popular tourists destination through the US reality TV series “Survivor� and was ranked

by CNN Lifestyle as 10th most beautiful in the world.

P17-M waste management Meanwhile, Undersecretary Raymundo Roquero said CEZA had an ongoing P17 million worth sanitary landfill project for the ecozone’s waste management. “The ecozone has initially developed a two-hectare sanitary landfill for phase one, which is expandable up to 10 hectares,�

Roquero said.

He added CEZA recognized that this initial endeavor would not be sufficient once the operations in the freeport reach its full potential. On Monday, CEZA officials also held the groundbreaking rites and inspection of more than P238 billion worth of big ticket projects, all eyed to spur economic boom in Santa Ana town. “As such, much needs to be done for the liquid and solid waste management of the area, and these are now being studied and open for investment from the private sector,� Roquero said.

LEANDER C. DOMINGO lence valid Church-led criticisms of state policies, particularly those with implications on human rights and due process,� the lawmaker said.

Detained Sen. Leila de Lima on Wednesday said the Catholic Church should not trust President Duterte when he said that bishops and priests should not be harmed, and that those who harm them would have to deal with him. “No one in this Catholic country, whether politician or ordinary citizen, ever had in his agenda the killing of bishops and priests, until Duterte started it,� she said in a statement.

CATHERINE A. MODESTO, RALPH U. VILLANUEVA, BERNADETTE E. TAMAYO AND JAVIER JOE ISMAEL

Torrens Title holder is entitled to possession Dear PAO, I am the registered owner of a certain land that I inherited from my parents. A portion of the said land is being occupied

by Peter, so I demanded that he vacate it because I will need it for a certain project. Peter refused and claimed that he owned the land as this was his inheritance from his parents, and he has been occupying the same for a long period of time. He further said that the land was outside of my titled property. I engaged the services of a geodetic engineer for the relocation of my property, and we found out that the portion being occupied by Peter is really within my property. Do I have the right to possess the land occupied by Peter?

Jaime

Josue Bellosillo).

You have a Torrens Title to prove your ownership over the land, DEAR PAO while Peter cannot present any proof of his claim. Article 428 of the New Civil Code of the Philippines states that “the owner has the right to enjoy and dispose of Dear Jaime, Please be informed that “a title, a thing, without other limitations once registered, cannot be defeated than those authorized by law. The even by adverse, open and notori- owner has also a right of action OUS POSSESSION 4HE CERTIkCATE OF against the holder and possessor title issued is an absolute and inde- of the thing in order to recover it.�

In the case of Abobon vs Abobon, feasible evidence of ownership of the property in favor of the person et al. (GR 155830, Aug. 15, 2012), whose name appears therein. It is the Supreme Court through Chief binding and conclusive upon the Justice Lucas Bersamin stated: “First of all, a fundamental prinwhole world. All persons must take notice and no one can plead igno- ciple in land registration under the rance of the registration� (Heirs of 4ORRENS SYSTEM IS THAT A CERTIkCATE Leopoldo Vencilao Sr., vs Court of of title serves as evidence of an Appeals, et al., GR 123713, April indefeasible and incontrovertible 1, 1998, Ponente: Associate Justice title to the property in favor of

PERSIDA ACOSTA

the person whose name appears THEREIN 4HE CERTIkCATE OF TITLE THUS becomes the best proof of ownership of a parcel of land; hence, anyone who deals with property registered under the Torrens system may rely on the title and need not go beyond the title. This reliance ON THE CERTIkCATE OF TITLE RESTS ON the doctrine of indefeasibility of the land title, which has long been well-settled in this jurisdiction. It is only when the acquisition of the title is attended with fraud or bad faith that the doctrine of indefeaSIBILITY kNDS NO APPLICATION “Accordingly, we rule for the respondents on the issue of the preferential right to the possession of the land in question. Their having preferential right conformed to the age-old rule that whoever held a Torrens title in his name is

entitled to the possession of the land covered by the title. Indeed, possession, which is the holding of a thing or the enjoyment of a right, was but an attribute of their registered ownership. “It is beyond question under the law that the owner has not only the right to enjoy and dispose of a thing without other limitations than those established by law, but also the right of action against the holder and possessor of the thing in order to recover it. He may exclude any person from the enjoyment and disposal of the thing, and, for this purpose, he may use such force as may be reasonably necessary to repel or prevent an actual or threatened unlawful physical invasion or usurpation of his property.�

Applying the above-quoted deci-

sion in your situation, you have a preferential right over the land being possessed by Peter, because you have the Torrens Title as a proof of ownership. Whoever held the CERTIkCATE OF TITLE IS ALSO ENTITLED TO the possession of the land. As an attribute of ownership, you may exclude Peter from the enjoyment or usurpation of your property.

We hope that we were able to answer your queries. Please be reminded that this advice is based solely on the facts you have narrated and our appreciation of the same.

Our opinion may vary when other facts are changed or elaborated.

Editor’s note: Dear PAO is a daily column of the Public Attorney’s /FkCE 1UESTIONS FOR #HIEF !COSTA may be sent to dearpao@manilatimes.net.

Maraming salamat po, Sen. JV Ejercito

Sen.Joseph Victor G. Ejercito

Chairman of the Housing, hƌďĂŶ ĞǀĞůŽƉŵĞŶƚ ĂŶĚ ZĞƐĞƩůĞŵĞŶƚ ŽŵŵŝƩĞĞ Senate of the Philippines

Congressman Alfredo B. Benitez, Housing Committee Chairman at the House of Representatives, CREBA National Chairman Charlie A. V. Gorayeb, Senator J.V. Ejercito and CREBA National President Noel Toti M. Cariño at one of the Chamber’s Annual National Conventions where the issue of a full-fledged human settlements department has been discussed with industry stakeholders.

Creating the DHSUD is the 5th in CREBA’s 5-point Agenda for Housing, a comprehensive package of legislative reform initiatives that aims to provide “A HOME FOR EVERY FILIPINO” providing mechanisms to increase housing production to the level of 500,000 housing units in order to address the current 6.57 million housing backlog and future needs in a span of 20 years.

Naisabatas na rin ang RA No.11201 o Department of Human Settlement and Urban Development (DHSUD) nang mapirmahan ito noong Huwebes, Pebrero 21,2019 ni President Rodrigo Roa Duterte. Bunga ito ng iyong pagsisisikap.

Magkakabahay na rin ang ating mga mahihirap sa mabilis na paraan.

Sa ngayon, di na sila kailangang magpalipat-lipat sa maraming ahensya ng gobyerno sa pag-apply ng pabahay.

Isang departamento na lang ang kanilang kausap ang DHSUD. Subalit simula pa lang ito. Kailangang nandiyan ka lagi JV upang palamnan ng sustansya ang DHSUD at marami pang batas na iyo pa ring lilikhain.

Kailangan ka namin JV sa Senado. Karamay ka namin sa aming hirap, Karamay mo kami sa iyong mga pagsisikap.

Walang iwanan, JV.

Political Advertisement paid for Sen. JV Ejercito by CREBA, 3rd Floor, CREBA Center, Don A Roces Avenue, Quezon City

ASIAN STOCKS: V S h a n g h a i 0 . 4 2 %

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P51.91 TO $1

What’s inside TRABAHO BILL TO BUOY LOCAL OFFICE MARKET

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PH expected to miss 2019, 2020 GDP goals

BY MAYVELIN U. CARABALLOÂ AND ANNA LEAH E. GONZALES

P

HILIPPINE economic growth will fall below target this year and the next, one of the big three debt watchers and an economist from a multinational investment bank said on Wednesday.

Citing high interest rates and weak external demand, S&P Global Ratings

FORECAST GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT '$0 growth of 6.4 percent for 2019 and 6.6

percent for 2020, below the government’s 7.0-8.0 target for both years.

5"3 %XECUTIVE $IRECTOR AND SENIOR ECONOMIST FOR !SEAN $AVID 4EATHER

meanwhile, told reporters that growth was unlikely to hit 7 percent in 2019 and 2020. He tagged the US-China trade war as the limiting factor for this year and pointed to a weak external environment as the likely reason for a

‘This is a good time to be patient’ – Powell WASHINGTON, D.C: $ESPITE SOLID growth and continuing job gains, THE 53 ECONOMY WILL SEE INlATION fall even further below the central bank’s two percent goal, at least for a time, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila).

That forecast added weight to the Fed’s recent announcements that it will be “patient� before making any further changes in the benchmark borrowing rate, a stance Powell re-emphasized in semi-annual testimony before the US Senate Banking Committee. “Recent declines in energy prices WILL LIKELY PUSH HEADLINE INlATION further below the... longer-run goal of 2 percent for a time,� he said.

The US central bank increased the key policy interest rate four times last year but rising uncertainty, especially around the US trade confrontation with China, AMPLIkED CONCERNS ABOUT SLOWING global growth and fears the Fed was moving too aggressively.

And with no sign of rising INlATION THAT PROMPTED THE &ED to signal clearly for the past sev-

MANAGEMENT ACTION

W

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 28, 2019

Business Times

CURRENCY RATE

B1

below-target 2020.

S&P’s forecasts are still an improvement from last year’s growth of 6.2 percent, which also fell below the government’s downwardly revised goal of 6.6-6.9 percent. UBS, on the other hand, expects a slowdown to 6.1 percent for this year and the next.

In the report, S&P said its “relatively

ÂłGSPB2

PSEi back at 7,800; foreign selling tagged

eral weeks that it would tread carefully.

Many economists no longer expect any increases this year, while a few say the next move could be a cut if the economy slows further.

Noting the Fed’s preferred anNUAL INlATION MEASURE SITS AT percent, Powell said “the extent and timing of any further rate increases would depend on incoming data and the evolving outlook.�

4HE DANGER OF HAVING INlATION continually below the target is THAT IT SAPS CONkDENCE IN THE &ED S ability to impact the economy, especially during a slowdown.

"UT THE MUTED INlATION PRESsures and risks on the horizon mean “this is a good time to be patient and watch and wait and see how the situation evolves,� he said in response to a question.

Unlike the reaction to some of his comments late last year, markets largely shrugged off Powell’s testimony, to focus on other issues.

Wall Street closed slightly lower.

Q US Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. AFP PHOTO

ÂłPatient B3

THE stock market fell back to the 7,800 level on Wednesday, with analyts pointing to heavy foreign selling and the absence of positive catalysts.

The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) plunged 1.24 percent or 99.04 points to close at 7,889.12. The broader All Shares declined by 0.96 percent or 46.75 POINTS TO kNISH AT

P2P Trade Online sales associate Gabriel Jose Perez said net foreign selling had dragged the index down.

Foreign funds bought P4.5 billion and sold P4.75 billion for a net foreign selling position of P250.66 million.

In a separate comment, Regina #APITAL $EVELOPMENT #ORP HEAD OF sales Luis Limlingan blamed the decline on the lack of market-moving developments. He advised investors TO WATCH IF FUND OUTlOWS CONTINUED for the rest of the week.

Wall Street closed lower overnight, with investors discounting dovish statements from US Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell that initially lifted Asian markets on Wednesday.

News of an escalation in an India-

Pakistan territorial dispute rattled traders later in the day, resulting in mixed results for the region.

Mumbai was down 0.2 percent while the rupee was down 0.3 percent. The Karachi Stock Exchange sank more than three percent.

Shanghai ended up 0.4 percent, having plunged deep into negative territory, though Hong Kong kNISHED SLIGHTLY LOWER Tokyo, which closed before news that India had downed 2 Pakistani jets filtered through, was up 0.5 percent. Seoul added 0. 4 percent but Singapore was 0.2 percent lower.

Sydney gained 0.4 percent, Taipei WAS lAT AND 7ELLINGTON WAS OFF percent.

In early trade London, Paris and Frankfurt all fell 0.4 percent.

In Manila, sectoral results were MIXED WITH kNANCIALS AND MINing and oil the sole gainers, up 0.84 percent and 0.08 percent, respectively.

Volume turnover stood at 1.96 billion shares valued at P7.4 billion.

Losers led winners, 123 to 69, while 63 issues were unchanged.

ANGELICA BALLESTEROS WITH A REPORT FROM AFP

OFW concerns painting Peso strengthens, returns to P51:$1 Fuel marking could earn PH into a corner govt P40B P ROUGH TRADE – DoF official

HILIPPINE presidential spokespeople of the past two administrations have consistently followed a high standard for making incredulous, facepalmworthy comments, but current Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo is really raising the bar.

In a text message to reporters over the weekend, Panelo clarikED 0RESIDENT $UTERTE S DECLARAtion that he would not seek to deport thousands of Chinese illegal workers in the Philippines, explaining that, “We are threading cautiously and studying how to go about a win-win solution given our countrymen’s situation in China.� Panelo also pointed out that at least some of the illegals were skilled workers “that we may need in the meantime since we are short of supply of [Filipino] workers as most of them have found work abroad.�

Hay naku, Sal. First of all, you might want to check if your boss is really “threading cautiously,� or if he is actually “treading cautiously,� as most people who know the correct form of common English idioms would do. If it is the former, that may be part of the reason for your government’s policy dysfunction.

Also, do you think you “might need� the Chinese workers, or is the administration actually considering if the Philippines “may need� them? There is a rather important difference between the two, and two very different conclusions to be drawn depend-

BEN KRITZ ing on whether the government is impelled by circumstances or by choice.

Panelo was simply restating, albeit in a possibly unnecessarily alarming way, what President $UTERTE SAID DURING A SPEECH at a political rally on SaturDAY $UTERTE SAID THAT HE WOULD not seek to deport the Chinese workers, who have appeared so rapidly and in such numbers that their presence might be better described as an infestation, because doing so might provoke China’s government into taking similar action. There are an estimated 300,000 Filipinos in China, many of whom are also illegal workers.

On a short-term, situationas-it-is sort of a level that makes sense to someone who is a mayor by experience and inclination, that is a practical point of view.

Having the ranks of the unemployed suddenly swell by a couple hundred thousand would be a serious blow to the economy, and having the extent of Filipino willingness to dodge immigration and employment regulations in OTHER COUNTRIES QUANTIkED WOULD be a serious blow to the prospects

ÂłKritz B3

THE peso returned to the P51:$1Â level on Wednesday, hitting a nine-month high on optimism of a continued pause in US interest rates.

The currency, which opened at P52.00 against the greenback and rose to as high as P51.90 during the day, closed up 11 centavos at P51.91:$1, its highest since a P51.80:$1Â finish on May 10 last year.

Michael Enriquez, chief investment officer of Sun Life Financial Philippines, said a strengthening was expected given dovish statements on Tuesday from US Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. “This has made the USD weaker against Asian currencies. Also, the positive development on the trade war has

made the yuan stronger,� Enriquez said in a message.

In a commentary, Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co.’s (Metrobank) Treasury department said “Powell reiterated a more patient outlook on monetary policy as he told a Senate Panel that the US economy is healthy and has no inflation pressure but is however faced with some ‘cross currents and conflicting signals’.� “Powell’s comments showed no bias towards further interest rate increases or cuts and shows that the US Federal Reserve is looking to take a more patient approach with regards to interest rates,� it added.

Meanwhile, Union Bank of the Philippines chief economist Ruben Carlo

Asuncion attributed the stronger peso to “the central bank’s continuing efforts to beef up its dollar reserves.� The country’s gross international reserves stood at a 20-month high of $82.132 billion in January based on latest official data.

Asuncion suggested that a summit in Hanoi between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un also encouraged the market. “Long-term prospects of peace in the region are looking positive,� he said.

Reports have said that Trump and Kim could formally declare an end to Korean War, which ran from 1950 to 1953 but is technically still on as peace talks only resulted in a ceasefire.

MAYVELIN U. CARABALLO

Know the new Revised Corporation Code MORE TO F FOLLOW (MTF) INALLY, the Revised Corporation Code or Republic Act No. 112321 (RCC) was signed into law by the President on February 20, AND PUBLISHED IN THE /FkCIAL Gazette on Feb. 21, 2019. It will thus become effective on March 8, 2019.

The RCC is a very important piece of legislation affecting all corporations. It amended certain registration requirements, provided provisions on good governance, gave more protection clauses for minority stockholders, and most OF ALL DEkNED MORE PUNISHABLE offenses on corporations, directors AND OFkCERS 4HE LAW EMANATED from a bill which was proposed by our regulators, and thus, was unavoidably influenced by the problems and issues they faced in

incorporation.

2. It allows the revival of a corporation whose term has expired.

3. It allows the filing of the articles of incorporation and its amendments in electronic form.

4. It allows the voting by stockregulating corporations. holders in absentia.

We have written several articles 5. It provides that no corporate on the proposed amendments, name shall be allowed if it is ’not and we make a general sum- distinguishable’ from that already mary once again. The RCC’s major reserved or registered for the use amendments are as follows: of another corporation, or if such 1. It grants corporations perpet- name is already protected by law. ual terms, unless otherwise stated In the old code, the standard used IN ITS CERTIkCATE OF INCORPORATION was that the name should not be It also grants perpetual existence to identical, or deceptively or confuscorporations incorporated prior to ingly similar. the effectivity of the RCC, unless 6. It added a new section on majority of its stockholders elects one-person corporation. (See to retain its specific corporate our article on https://www.materm pursuant to its articles of ³MTF B2

EUNEY MARIE MATA-PEREZ

A NEWLY launched fuel marking program could generate as much as P40 billion in revenues during THE kRST YEAR OF IMPLEMENTATION A &INANCE DEPARTMENT OFkCIAL SAID ON Wednesday. “Estimates actually varied. The !SIAN $EVELOPMENT "ANK ESTIMATED around P20 billion but a separate consumer group estimated P40 billion. So we are hoping to capture ... as high as P40 billion and possibly the lowest at P20 billion,�

Finance department director Emee Macabales told reporters.

Launched earlier this month, the program is designed to check oil smugGLING BY MARKING IMPORTED AND REkNED gasoline, diesel and kerosene to ensure that taxes and duties are paid.

The government has said that tax leakages from oil smuggling range from P27 billion to P44 billion annually. #USTOMS $EPUTY #OMMISSIONER Teddy Raval said the government was just waiting for the Bureau of Customs (BoC) and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to approve the program before it can be implemented next month. “We are almost done with the IRR (implementing rules and regulations),� he said.

Raval explained that by March, the chosen fuel-marking provider — a joint venture between Switzerland-based security ink company

ÂłP40B B2

B2

Business Times

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

THURSDAY February 28, 2019

Trabaho bill to buoy local office market TATIVES ON THIRD AND kNAL READING IN $ECEMBER LAST YEAR )T IS NOW awaiting the nod of senators, who are currently on break for the midterm elections in May. 4HE $EPARTMENT OF &INANCE SAID in January that it was hoping for the bill’s passage into law within the year and would push for more discussions if needed to secure the bill’s passage.

Meanwhile, KMC Savills does not expect a recently imposed cement tariff to affect construction costs, describing the additional duty as “negligibleâ€? for now. “What’s concerning is what happens after the 200-day [implementation] period‌,â€? KMC Savills research manager Fred Rara said DURING THE SAME BRIEkNG “If it is just 2019 or maybe on 2020, the market can still absorb it but, you know, we do the numbers not on a two-to-three-year period.

We go for 10 to 25 years. And if it happens like a 10-year tariff, it

will pretty much affect the overall returns for a certain a project,� he explained.

4HE $EPARTMENT OF 4RADE AND )NDUSTRY $4) HAS ORDERED A PROvisional safeguard duty of P8.40 per 40-kilogram bag — almost 4 percent of the average retail price of P220 per bag — in response to surging imports reportedly hurting the local industry. The duty took effect on February 9.

The Tariff Commission is conducting a probe to determine the tariff’s impact on the market following complaints from industry players opposing the duty.

A public hearing will be held on May 6-10 to settle the case.

Should the body deem the safeguard necessary, it will endorse its implementation for the next three to four years.

Cement imports ballooned to over 3 million metric tons (MT) in 2017 from just 3,556 MT in 2013, THE $4) SAID

Teather said UBS also expected INlATION TO FURTHER EASE THIS YEAR

hitting around 3 percent by the second half on account of government efforts to stabilize prices.

Jody Santiago, head of research for UBS in the Philippines, said this would allow the benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index to end 2019 at 8,900.

The stock market, which hit a record close of 9,058.62 on January 29 last year, succumbed to volatility as 2018 progressed. On Monday, it fell by 1.24 percent to 7,889.12, weighed down by foreign selling.

In another development, S&P announced a revision to its Banking Industry Country Risk Assessment (Bicra) for the Philippines, which was raised to group “5� from “6� based on a view that the institutional framework had been improved due to amendments to the BSP’s charter.

Bicra risks run from 1 (lowest risk) to 10 (highest risk) and the revision tags the Philippines as “high risk� instead of the previous “very high risk�. “We believe the amendments to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas charter significantly improve the supervisory powers of the regulator by giving better legal protection to OFkCIALS u 3 0 SAID Other key changes, it noted,

include increased central bank capitalization to P200 billion from P50 billion, expansion of its regulatory powers over the industry, and higher penalties for supervised entities found in violation of the law.

S&P also said that the Philippines’ revised Bicra resulted in a higher starting point for rating banks.

The stand-alone credit profile (SACP) of Security Bank was raised to ‘bbb’ from ‘bbb-’ but its issuer credit rating was kept at ‘BBB-/A-3’ “due to the bank’s lower capital sustainability and earnings buffer compared with similarly rated peers.� )T ALSO RAISED STATE OWNED $EVELopment Bank of the Philippines’ SACP to ‘bb+’ from ‘bb’, saying “we see an almost certain likelihood that the Philippines government WILL PROVIDE TIMELY AND SUFkCIENT extraordinary support to the bank if needed.�

Overall, the debt watcher expects credit growth in the Philippines to hit 14-15 percent this year, tempered by a higher interest rate environment, from 14 percent in 2018..

It also believes that the banking SYSTEM HAS SUFkCIENT CAPITAL BUFFERS and coverage against non-performing assets to withstand emerging risks from currency volatility, higher interest rates, slower growth, and global macroeconomic headwinds. $EPOSIT GROWTH HOWEVER IS LIKELY to remain slower than loans, leading to a gradual increase in the loan-todeposit ratio that rose to 79 percent as of end-2018.

PERIOD u RANDOM kELD TESTING WILL be conducted by the BoC, BIR, and SICPA SA and SGS Philippines to determine the presence and/or dilution level of the fuel marker in 3)#0! 3! AND VERIkCATION AND CERTI- petroleum products. kCATION kRM 3'3 0HILIPPINES ‡ WILL Fuels found to be unmarked start marking a total of 15.2 billion or with marker levels below the LITERS OF IMPORTED AND REkNED PETRO- prescribed dilution level will be leum products for the year.

SUBJECTED TO CONkRMATORY TESTS AND !FTER A THREE MONTH glUSH OUT corresponding duties and taxes will

be collected if required.

A fuel marking fee amounting to P0.06884 per liter of fuel shall be paid by the government to SICPA SA AND 3'3 0HILIPPINES FOR THE kRST YEAR of implementation. For the second TO kFTH YEAR THE FEE WILL BE BORNE BY petroleum companies on top of duties and taxes to be collected by BoC and BIR, respectively.

MAYVELIN U. CARABALLO

BY ANGELICA BALLESTEROS AND TYRONE JASPER C. PIAD

T

HE second package of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (Train) law is expected to boost the domestic property market as it will allow locators to lease anywhere, A GLOBAL PROPERTY SERVICES kRM Michael McCullough, managing director of KMC Savills Inc., SAID AT A NEWS BRIEkNG IN 4AGUIG City on Wednesday he sees the passage and implementation of Train 2, or the Tax Reform for Attracting Better and Higher Quality Opportunities (Trabaho) bill, as a means of levelling the playing field as occupiers will start to locate anywhere even without accreditation from the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA).

Among others, the Trabaho bill aims to lower the corporate income tax rate from 30 percent to

PERCENT AND RATIONALIZE kSCAL incentives enjoyed by companies and other businesses. These are PART OF THE BENEkTS OF LEASING IN A PEZA-accredited building, which has attracted the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry, the MAIN DRIVER OF THE LOCAL OFkCE market. “I believe at the end of this year, Train 2 will be passed and implemented and that will reduce the need for these buildings to get PEZA accreditation,� McCullough said.

The Trabaho bill has been passed by the House of Represen-

expectations of a full stop or possibly some easing. “This dichotomy leaves the potential for market repricing, which could lead to a resumption of presslow forecasts relative to pre-2018 sures on EM (emerging market) actuals reflect challenges from currencies,� S&P said. the lagged dampening effect on Worries over emerging markets the economy� of last year’s policy led to the peso hitting a near 13rate hikes “as well as the weak re- year low of P54.325 to the dollar in gional electronics sector that will September last year but the currency continue to weigh [on] external has since recovered, on Wednesday demand.� closing at P51.91:$1.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ “Another risk to the economy (BSP) policy-making Monetary comes from global trade tensions, "OARD RAISED KEY INTEREST RATES kVE which could exacerbate the ongoing consecutive times last year, for a regional moderation in the electronTOTAL OF BPS AFTER INlATION ics sector,� S&P also said. breached the 2.0-4.0-percent target starting March.

Upside from trade row )NlATION PEAKED AT A NINE YEAR high of 6.7 percent in September UBS’ Teather, meanwhile, said the and then eased beginning Novem- trade war had an upside for the ber, prompting monetary authori- Philippines. ties to pause from further tightening “The term we use is pain before IN $ECEMBER AND &EBRUARY gain,� he told reporters at the sideOutbound shipments of elec- lines of a forum. tronic products — the Philippines’ “In the immediate future you top export — plunged by 15.2 have a disruption to global trade and PERCENT IN $ECEMBER BUT STILL MAN- that’s a break on growth,� he added. aged a full-year rise of 2.8 percent. “Export growth in the Philippines Overall, merchandise exports fell by is not very strong but further down 1.8 percent in 2018. the road, the disruption elements S&P also warned that uncertain- in the trade war will diminish and ties over US interest rates and trade THE GAIN ELEMENT FROM &$) FOREIGN tensions between developed coun- DIRECT INVESTMENT lOWS SHIFTING tries posed risks to the Philippine supply chains, from taking market economy. share of Chinese exporters with The debt watcher said it contin- tariff rates raised on them in the ued to expect the Federal Reserve to 53 WILL DELIVER SOME BENEkTS TO THE merely pause, in contrast to market Philippines.�

Q GDP FROM B1

PH expected

Banking risk assessment improved

Q P40B FROM B1

MONEYMAX.PH

JOSH MASCARIĂ‘AS Due to space constraints, “Money Maxâ€? will be instead published on Friday.

Fuel marking

Q MTF FROM B1

pines. Moreover, partnerships, associations and corporations are now allowed to become incorporators. • Removal of the requirement that at least 25 percent of the lic interest include banks, public authorized capital stock must utilities, insurance companies, be subscribed, and at least 25 hospitals, educational institupercent of the subscribed shares tions, those whose securities are must be paid-up. registered with the SEC pursu• Empowering the SEC to reant to the Securities Regulations MOVE A DISQUALIkED DIRECTOR OR Code (SRC) and/or listed in trustee motu proprio or upon the stock exchange, and public VERIkED COMPLAINT corporations (those with assets • Empowering the SEC (after of at least P50 million and 200 a failure to constitute quorum or more shareholders, with at at in previous meetings and upon least 100 shares of a class of its application by a member or equity shares). stockholder) to summarily order Other notable amendments the holding of a meeting for purintroduced by the RCC include poses of conducting an election. the following: In such meeting, a quorum is • Removal of the general re’deemed’ constituted despite the quirement that directors should absence of the majority of the AT LEAST BE kVE INDIVIDUALS THUS

members or stockholders.

THERE CAN BE LESS THAN kVE AND • Empowering the SEC to issue the requirement that majority orders of inspection of corporate must be residents of the Philip-

Know the new Revised Corporation Code nilatimes.net/opc-an-alternativebusiness-vehicle/450624/) 7. It added more powers to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to prosecute and investigate offenses under the RCC. More importantly, it added offenses punishable with increased kNES WHICH COULD BE AS HIGH AS 0 million), such as (a) concealment by a director of his or her disqualikCATION B WILLFUL CERTIkCATION of incomplete, inaccurate, false or misleading statements, (c) collusion by independent auditors, (d) violation of duty to keep records and allow their inspection, and (e) engaging in fraud, graft and corrupt practices. It also makes diRECTORS AND OFkCERS OF CORPORATIONS jointly and severally liable for such offenses under the RCC. (See our

article https://www.manilatimes. net/offenses-under-the-proposedrevised-corporation-code/435987/ On good governance, it requires corporations vested with ’public interest’ to: 1. Have independent directors comprising at least 20 pecent (but not less than two) of the entire board; 2. Have its material contracts approved by at least 2/3 of the entire membership of the board, with at least a majority of the independent directors approving the same; (AVE A COMPLIANCE OFkCER AND 4. Submit to the SEC a directors’ compensation report, directors’ appraisal or performance report.

Corporations vested with pub-

Revolutionizing corporate law R

ECENT events reinforce the NOTION THAT THE $UTERTE ADMINistration, working closely with the two Houses of Congress, are moving full-steam ahead in making legislation with real and innovative impact on society.

In particular, R.A. No. 11232 (the Revised Corporation Code of the Philippines), is a law with momentous and substantial changes on the corporate sector of the country.

This new law is a timely measure, complementing last year’s %ASE OF $OING "USINESS !CT A LAW ) am proud to have worked on and contributed to. The law had strict provisions in simplifying the way government streamlines business transactions by decreasing processing times for permits, licenses and other regulatory matters needed for private businesses.

This revised corporation code is groundbreaking as it brings the law on corporations into a technological age, as well as amending the provisions that proved challenging during the effectivity of the predecessor law almost four decades its senior.

One-person corporation For instance, the new law provides for a one-person corporation (OPC) formed by a single incorporator, instead of the minimum of five and maximum of 15 incorporators under the old law. The one-person corporation is exactly what the term means, a corporation incorporated by a single entity - either a natural person, a trust, or an estate.

This allows for more ease in the actual operations of a business where the single incorporator is his or her own board, and can make certain corporate decisions without having to convene a board meeting.

The single incorporator is deemed the sole director and president, who then has to appoint the treasurer, corporate secretary, AND OTHER CORPORATE OFkCERS WITHIN 15 days from the issuance of the CERTIkCATE OF INCORPORATION (OWever, the president and corporate secretary cannot be the same person, while the president could be treasurer, subject to certain regulatory conditions.

The OPC is limited by other existing laws, which is why banks, publicly-listed companies, insurance companies, etc., cannot form one. Also barred from forming such corporations are licensed professionals to exercise that profession, an established legal concept I never quite agreed with but still respected.

The OPC is required to display “OPC� after or below the corporate name.

Electronic presence The new law also complements the actions of the SEC in bringing corporate registrations online. To date, one could register a corpoRATE NAME AND EVEN kLL IN THE DEtails for articles of incorporation and by-laws all online. Under this new law, videoconferencing and teleconferencing are recognized way of communication, and stockholders unable to physically attend meetings can now participate and vote.

records after summary proceedings, if a member or stockholder is denied access to such records; • Expressly prohibiting execution of voting trust agreements which may circumvent laws against anti-competitive agreements, abuse of dominant position, and anti-competitive mergers and acquisitions; • Expanding the grounds for dissolution to include the following: a finding (by final judgment) of FRAUD A kNDING THAT THE CORPORATION was used to commit, conceal or aid commission of crime, smuggling, tax evasion, money laundering, graft and corrupt practices, and/ or violate the SRC; commission of fraudulent and illegal acts and/or repeated and willful misstatement OF FACTS BY DIRECTORS TRUSTEES OFkCERS

or employees; and r !LLOWING kNANCIAL STATEMENTS of corporations with paid-up capital of less than P600,000 to BE CERTIkED ONLY BY THE 0RESIDENT

MANAGEMENT ACTION

IRA PAULO POZON Never-ending corporations Another novel concept in the law is the removal of the previous 50-year corporate term, which would have to be renewed. The new law grants a perpetual term, to which the millennials could say, “may forever din pala�.

This addresses the situation where some corporations had been conSIDERED CLOSED AFTER THE OFkCERS HAD failed, perhaps due to simple forgetfulness, to renew corporate papers prior to the half-century term.

The new law also allows those companies that had expired documentation to reacquire corporate existence through revival with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Emergency board The law also allows for the creation of an emergency board in the event a quorum is unreachable due to a vacant position in the existing board of directors. To allow a board to make emergency decisions, the VACANCY CAN BE kLLED BY A VOTE OF the remaining directors or trustees who would then choose a temporary board member from the corporate OFkCERS Once the emergency board is constituted, the corporation then has three days to notify the SEC of that action.

Alternative dispute resolution In line with the growing popularity of modes of alternative dispute resoLUTION !$2 THE NEW LAW ALLOWS FOR !$2 TO BE THE ADOPTED METHOD to resolve intra-corporate issues, instead of bringing the issues to the regulators or the courts. Certain !$2 METHODS INCLUDE ARBITRATION and mediation, both of which have grown in popularity and effectiveness across the globe.

With this new law, it is hoped that businesses can easily be formed, MANAGED AND lOURISH !S WITH OUR experiences in the past, laws must not only be on paper but truly and efficiently implemented to truly realize the intent the framers had in mind. This is not a small step, but a SIGNIkCANT ONE

The author is the founder and CEO of Caucus, Inc., a multi-industry, multi-disciplinary management consultancy firm. He graduated -"! $E ,A 3ALLE 5NIVERSITY *URIS $OCTOR &AR %ASTERN 5NIVERSITY AND LLM in International Commercial Law (University of Nottingham, United Kingdom). He also studied Mandarin Chinese Language and Culture in Fuzhou, China, was a Chevening-HSBC UK Government Scholar, a Confucius Institute Scholar, an alumnus of the US State $EPARTMENT S )NTERNATIONAL 6ISITOR Leadership Program, and a Fellow of the Asia Global Institute - University of Hong Kong. The author may be emailed at iap@caucusinc.com.

and treasurer, and not audited by an independent CPA. The RCC changed many rules to address good governance, minority protection and fraud.

Stockholders, directors, and ofkCERS SHOULD BE AWARE OF THESE changes. Ignorance of the law is never an excuse.

Euney Marie J. Mata-Perez is a CPA-Lawyer and the Managing Partner of Mata-Perez, Tamayo & Francisco (MTF Counsel).

She is a corporate, M&A and tax lawyer and the president of the Asia-Oceana Tax Consultants Association. This article is for general information only and is not a substitute for professional advice where the facts and circumstances warrant. If you have any question or comment regarding this article, you may email the author at info@mtfcounsel. com or visit MTF website at www. mtfcounsel.com.

Corporate News

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

Business inbriefs

DISCOVERY WORLD HIKES STAKE IN PALAWAN COVE DISCOVERY World Corp. plans to buy an additional P10-million stake in Palawan Cove Corp. (PCC) to help increase its working capital. In a regulatory filing on Wednesday, DWC said it would add 10 million shares to the 70 million PCC shares it already had for P1 apiece. It added that it would pay the subscription price in full once the subscription agreement is executed. PCC is a holding firm which own properties in Palawan province, while Discovery World runs Discovery Shores Boracay, Discovery Shores, Platitos Resto-Bar, Sands Lounge, Indigo RestoBar and Sunken Pool Bar. ANGELICA BALLESTEROS

BLOOMBERRY TO DEFEND UNIT VS LAWSUIT ON $81-M HEIST BLOOMBERRY Resorts Corp. said on Wednesday it would defend one of its subsidiaries that was linked to a 2016 heist that saw the Bangladeshi central bank lose $81 million. In a disclosure, the Razon-led hotel and resort operator said it received on February 22 a copy of the summons issued by the Clerk of Court of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York on a lawsuit formally called Civil Action 19-cv-983 or the “Bangladesh Bank v. Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC), et al.� Unit Bloomberry Resorts and Hotels Inc. (BRHI) was one of 17 Philippine companies and individuals named as defendants in the case, it added. “BRHI will defend itself in this case,� Bloomberry Resorts said in the disclosure, emphasizing that it told a Senate hearing in 2016 that it didn’t know that the funds allegedly stolen by North Korean hackers were later remitted to it and used to buy chips and played at its integrated resort and casino.

ANGELICA BALLESTEROS

AVIDA LAND EYES P12.9B FROM MAKATI SOUTHPOINT AVIDA Land Corp. expects to generate at least P12.9 billion from its residential project, called Makati Southpoint, which it is building. Reginald Alabe, Avida Land business area head for Metro South projects, said during a news briefing in Makati City on Tuesday that Makati Southpoint would boast of three towers rising on an 11,000-square meter (sqm) gross land area on Chino Roces Ave. Each tower will have 28 residential floors and 3 podium floors. The first tower — which will offer 924 residential units, 247 parking spaces and 10 retail units — was launched last December, with 40 percent of the units already sold. It is scheduled for completion in 2024.

ANGELICA BALLESTEROS

Value

BY ANGELICA BALLESTEROS

ISTED Ayala Land Inc. is set to raise P45 billion this year from the debt market.

)N A DISCLOSURE ON 7EDNESDAY THE Ayala-led property titan said its board of directors approved during a regular meeting its planned issuance of retail BONDS WORTH 0 BILLION AND QUALIkED buyer notes worth P4 billion, and a bilateral term loan with lenders of up TO 0 BILLION 0ROCEEDS WILL BE USED TO kNANCE GENERAL CORPORATE PURPOSES IT ADDED For this year, Ayala Land is allocating 0 BILLION TO FUND EXPANSION PLANS

The amount is an 18-percent increase FROM THE 0 BILLION IT SPENT IN

with sources to come from a combination of bank debt, bond issuance and INTERNALLY GENERATED CASH Forty percent of the budget will be allocated for its residential portfolio; ABOUT TO PERCENT FOR ITS LEASING portfolio; and the rest for land acquisiTION AND ESTATE DEVELOPMENT Ayala Land also said that, during the same meeting, the board also approved THE APPLICATION OF A 0 BILLION SHELF REGistration program with the Securities and Exchange Commission; the declaration OF CASH DIVIDENDS WORTH CENTAVOS PER common share payable on March 29 to all stockholders as of record date March AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF AN EMployee stock ownership plan, which will

COVER MILLION SHARES AT 0 EACH The company will launch this year NEW RESIDENTIAL AND OFFICE PROJECTS WORTH 0 BILLION 4HE AMOUNT IS A PERCENT DROP FROM THE 0 BILLION PROJECTS LAUNCHED IN -AJORITY OF THE NEW PROJECTS ARE IN the National Capital Region, and the REST IN THE 6ISAYAS AND -INDANAO Ayala Land is currently building

SQUARE METERS SQM OF GROSS leasable area (GLA) for its mall segment;

SQM ',! FOR ITS OFkCE SEGMENT AND HOTEL AND RESORT ROOMS )T WILL also provide 988 seats for its co-working SPACES THIS YEAR Once completed, these additions are expected to contribute to Ayala ,AND S NET INCOME WHICH INCREASED

BY PERCENT TO 0 BILLION IN

PHILIPPINE Airlines (PAL) may push through with its plan to hold a re-initial public offering (IPO) next year, its top OFkCIAL SAID ON 7EDNESDAY On the sidelines of an event in Manila, PAL President and Chief Operating OfkCER *AIME "AUTISTA SAID THE lAG CARRIER would study the plan within this year and take into consideration the recent INVESTMENT OF *APAN S !.! (OLDINGS )NC IN THE AIRLINE

! LISTED kRM USUALLY HOLDS A RE )0/ TO INCREASE ITS PUBLIC lOAT OR RAISE FUNDS FOR EXPANSION The Lucio Tan-led airline expects to close its $95-million deal — or equivaLENT TO PERCENT OF 0!, (OLDINGS )NC S OUTSTANDING SHARES FROM 4RUSTMARK (OLDINGS #ORP OWNED BY THE TYCOON S family — with the Air Nippon Airways OPERATOR IN EARLY -ARCH The investment only showed

!.! (OLDINGS EAGERNESS TO FURTHER expand its presence, and its bullishness about the Philippine aviation MARKET 0!, (OLDINGS SAID IN A *ANUARY DISCLOSURE Once closed, the PAL operator added, its FOREIGN OWNERSHIP WOULD CLIMB TO PERCENT FROM THE CURRENT PERCENT )TS PUBLIC lOAT WILL REMAIN AT PERCENT A s k e d i f h i s c o m p a ny wo u l d WELCOME MORE INVESTORS "AUTISTA

49#//. -ANUEL 6 0ANGILINAN HAS EXpressed interest to acquire a stake in The Medical City (TMC) in Pasig City amid a FEUD OVER CONTROL OF THE HOSPITAL On the sidelines of the Manila Electric #O S PRESS BRIEkNG ON 4UESDAY 0ANGilinan said that, although he was considering purchasing the foreign stake in the medical facility, he wanted the legal BATTLE OVER IT TO BE RESOLVED kRST

Chg

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7,889.12

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4,849.36

-46.75

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Financials

1,761.63

14.59

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Industrial

11,577.53

-145.12

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Holding Firms

7,917.54

-151.83

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Services

1,562.87

-21.33

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Mining and Oil

8,686.65

6.5

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Property

4,018.40

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g7E HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE OUTCOMEu OF that “particular battle,� he added, referring to a rift that started last year when a group of stakeholders, led by TMC #HAIRMAN *OSE 8AVIER g%CKIEu 'ONZALES and Singapore-based Clermont Group, bought a 54-percent stake in TMC opERATOR 0ROFESSIONAL 3ERVICES )NC 03) WITHOUT DISCLOSING DETAILS ABOUT IT 4HIS PROMPTED THE HOSPITAL S FORMER

SERVICES

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFkCER EX HEALTH SECRETARY !LFREDO "ENGZON TO kLE BEFORE THE Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) a complaint questioning the LEGALITY OF THE ACQUISITION ,AST .OVEMBER THE 3%# FAVORED "ENGzon and a special panel charged Gonzales AND HIS FOREIGN PARTNERS INCLUDING 6IVA Holdings, Fountel, FAI and PSI for violating various provisions of the Securities

PSEi

ALL SHARES

MINING AND OIL

FINANCIALS

INDUSTRIAL

PROPERTY

‘They did it anyway’

This is a good time

However, longer-run trends, “such as relatively stagnant incomes for many families and a lack of upward economic mobility among people with lower incomes, also remain IMPORTANT CHALLENGES u HE SAID And the United States has a lower share of prime-age workers participating in the economy than comparable advanced economies, which has the effect of holding back productivity, which IS NEEDED TO BOOST GROWTH HE ADDED Powell said in addition to programs to promote worker training, and dealing with the opioid crisis that keeps people out of the workforce, the government needs policies that do not punish PEOPLE FOR GOING BACK TO WORK He described a training program IN 7EST 6IRGINIA WHERE WOMEN who participated lost “the meager BENEkTS THEY WERE ALREADY GETTINGu because many US aid programs end AS SOON AS THE RECIPIENTS kND JOBS “They had to take a pay cut to go back to work and they did it anyway, which is pretty inspiring,� Powell TOLD SENATORS AFP

He remained upbeat about the ECONOMIC OUTLOOK SAYING &ED OFkCIALS “generally expected economic activity to expand at a solid pace, albeit someWHAT SLOWER THAN IN AND THE JOB MARKET TO REMAIN STRONG u

However, “crosscurrents and conflicting signals� pose a potential DANGER 4HE gPREDOMINANT RISKS are slowing global growth, particularly China and Europe,� which he cautioned “can create headwinds for THE 5NITED 3TATES ECONOMY u "REXIT AND ONGOING TRADE NEGOTIAtions also are issues the Fed “will CAREFULLY MONITOR u The United States and China have hammered each other with punitive TARIFFS ON MORE THAN BILLION in two-way trade, raising prices to producers and consumers and unDERCUTTING ECONOMIC GROWTH

Q KRITZ FROM B1

OFW concerns INDEX HISTORY Low 7,878 7,945 7,895 7,893 7,848 7,831 7,911 7,909 7,921 7,889 7,984 8,062 8,036 8,088 8,058 8,069 8,039 7,999 7,912 8,015 8,042 8,039 8,001 7,902 7,979 7,964 7,920 7,865 7,849 7,976

Close 7,889 7,988 7,962 7,931 7,939 7,834 7,911 7,909 7,991 7,920 8,010 8,062 8,071 8,100 8,058 8,069 8,144 8,007 7,980 8,051 8,054 8,053 8,065 7,990 8,009 8,007 8,047 7,927 7,865 8,013

CLOSE

HIGH

2EGULATION #ODE The agency also said then that the group failed to execute mandatory tender offers, which was required when the deal INVOLVES GAINING CONTROL OF A COMPANY g)T S A VERY INTERESTING SITUATIONwu Pangilinan said of the row, and hoped the SEC would resolve it soon “because the WELFARE OF THE PEOPLE IS AT STAKE u JORDEENE B. LAGARE

Q PATIENT FROM B1

Economic ‘crosscurrents’

Stock indices as of February 27, 2019

High 7,973 7,996 7,962 7,947 7,945 7,939 7,964 8,000 7,996 8,040 8,084 8,106 8,096 8,127 8,214 8,149 8,166 8,099 8,047 8,087 8,144 8,116 8,068 7,990 8,030 8,067 8,058 7,938 7,991 8,028

SHRUGGED OFF THE IDEA g7E DON T HAVE PLANS OF SELLING OR GETting more investors at this time, like the ONE WE DID WITH !.! u HE SAID During the event, PAL announced its seat sale promotion, to run from March TO IN CELEBRATION OF THE COMPANY S TH ANNIVERSARY PAL Holdings shares shed 48 centaVOS OR PERCENT TO END AT 0 EACH ON 7EDNESDAY LISBET K. ESMAEL

Pangilinan interested in Medical City stake

PSEi

Open 7,962 7,996 7,940 7,947 7,849 7,923 7,925 7,965 7,960 8,040 8,077 8,088 8,092 8,093 8,091 8,132 8,039 7,999 8,039 8,087 8,071 8,076 8,001 7,941 8,024 8,055 7,932 7,866 7,983 8,009

FROM 0 BILLION THE YEAR BEFORE ON THE BACK OF STRONG DEMAND )TS CONSOLIDATED REVENUES GREW BY PERCENT TO 0 BILLION LAST YEAR FROM 0 BILLION IN WITH STRONG residential sales and leasing business acCOUNTED FOR GROWTH )NCORPORATED ON *UNE

!YALA Land is into planning and developing large-scale, integrated estates; leasing COMMERCIAL AND OFkCE SPACES BUILDING and running hotels and resorts; and developing industrial and commercial PARKS AMONG OTHERS Its subsidiaries include Alveo Land #ORP !VIDA ,AND #ORP AND !YALA 0ROPERTY -ANAGEMENT #ORP !YALA ,AND SHARES LOST CENTAVOS OR PERCENT TO CLOSE AT 0 APIECE ON 7EDNESDAY

PAL considering re-IPO in 2020 – Bautista

All Shares

Date Feb 27, 2019 Feb 26, 2019 Feb 22, 2019 Feb 21, 2019 Feb 20, 2019 Feb 19, 2019 Feb 18, 2019 Feb 15, 2019 Feb 14, 2019 Feb 13, 2019 Feb 12, 2019 Feb 11, 2019 Feb 8, 2019 Feb 7, 2019 Feb 6, 2019 Feb 4, 2019 Feb 1, 2019 Jan 31, 2019 Jan 30, 2019 Jan 29, 2019 Jan 28, 2019 Jan 25, 2019 Jan 24, 2019 Jan 23, 2019 Jan 22, 2019 Jan 21, 2019 Jan 18, 2019 Jan 17, 2019 Jan 16, 2019 Jan 15, 2019

B3

Ayala Land to raise P45B from bonds, bank loans L

HOLDING FIRMS

Index

THURSDAY February 28, 2019

OF /&7S EVERYWHERE 4HERE ARE &ILIPINO ILLEGALS EVERYWHERE JUST AS THERE ARE ILlegal migrant workers from every other third-world country; they are useful enough to their various host countries that it is preferable to overlook them, because having to acknowledge them is as much an embarrassment to the host countries as it would be to the 0HILIPPINES )T IS AS THEY SAY gONE OF those things,� and Duterte is simply TRYING TO BE PRACTICAL In this, Duterte is also being conSISTENT AS WELL )N SPITE OF CRITICISM

even from some of his supporters, he has always taken the view that it is best not to make waves with a powerful neighbor whose economic and political goodwill is vitally IMPORTANT TO THE 0HILIPPINES 4HE longer-term and moral implications of accommodation can be debated at leisure; on a day-to-day basis, the POLICY IS PRODUCTIVE Sal Panelo could explain that IN JUST THOSE TERMS ‡ BECAUSE THAT explanation would be accurate — or he could take the also practical, mini-

The International Monetary Fund cites the trade war between the WORLD S TWO LARGEST ECONOMIES AS A gMAJOR RISKu TO GLOBAL GROWTH AND CUT THEIR GROWTH FORECAST FOR THIS YEAR "UT 0RESIDENT $ONALD 4RUMP ON Monday said he expected to hold a gSIGNING SUMMITu SOON WITH #HINA S LEADER 8I *INPING TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE and he pushed back a March 1 deadline which would have triggered TARIFFS TO MORE THAN DOUBLE ON BILLION IN #HINESE EXPORTS )N THE 53 ECONOMY LOW INlATION and sluggish wage growth — despite NET JOB GAINS THAT AVERAGED

LAST YEAR AND '$0 GAINING JUST UNDER three percent — have continued to BAFlE ECONOMISTS AND THE &ED Powell noted some signs of stronger wage growth, particularly in lowerSKILLED JOBS BUT ALSO SAID gDISPARITIES persist� in the labor market along racial and ethnic lines, and also between RURAL AND URBAN WORKERS malist approach, and simply say that THE PRESIDENT IS DEFERRING kRM ACTION until the government has the opportunity to discuss the situation with THE #HINESE GOVERNMENT )NSTEAD HE chose to embellish the message — adding his own spin to the spin — and probably made it impossible for the administration to deal with the issue of illegal workers from China in the QUIET INOFFENSIVE WAY IT WAS SEEKING For starters, there is no possible “win-win� in this; at best, there is an opportunity for a solution that minimizes damage, an opportunity that is quickly being lost the more presidential spokesmen and grandstanding legislators abusing their privilege to hold hearings on matters of interest for the sake of PROMOTING THEMSELVES TALK ABOUT IT The suggestion that Chinese “skilled WORKERSu ARE SOMEHOW A BENEkT IS EVEN MORE ASININE 4HEY ARE NOT skilled workers, they are likely not much different than the Pinoy illegal workers in other places: Impoverished, largely unskilled, and driven by circumstance or desperate choice INTO EXPLOITATIVE SITUATIONS 4HE ILlegal Chinese workers here are not engineers or doctors or skilled tech

workers, they are mostly web drones necessary for the functioning of the online gaming business, an unproductive, fraud-ridden industry the government here has irresponsibly ALLOWED TO lOURISH Panelo was not only factually wrong, for him to even suggest that skilled workers from elsewhere are needed here BECAUSE THE COUNTRY S OWN TALENT HAS LEFT for greener pastures simply highlight how little the government is doing to wean the country from its reliance on LABOR EXPORT !ND HE PUTD IT IN SUCH A way as to suggest that the current administration, as every administration in the post-Marcos era has done, is prioritizing the institutionalization of labor export and taking for granted its role as a key COMPONENT OF THE ECONOMY There would not be a problem with illegal workers from China, at least not to the nearly unmanageable extent it has become, if the current administration did not maintain the same pro-labor export mindset as its PREDECESSORS 5NTIL THAT CHANGES THE Philippines and the Filipino people are going to continue to be exploited, BOTH HERE AND ABROAD

%MAIL BEN KRITZ MANILATIMES NET

Green Industries Groups boost water General Solar plant mgmt in Cagayan operations delayed T B4

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

THURSDAY February 28, 2019

BY LISBET K. ESMAEL

HE commercial operation of the General Solar Power Plant has faced a delay, Harbor Star Shipping Services Inc. (TUGS) said on Tuesday.

TUGS told the local bourse that the commissioning of Astroenergy Development Gensan Inc.’s (ADGI) solar power plant has been delayed to end-March from the initial January 31.

The listed firm blamed the delay on the engineering pro-

curement and construction (EPC) contractor’s late completion of the project site’s administration building, dormitory, storage area and substation building.

While the solar power plant also suffered from the delay in the

delivery of equipment and accessories, TUGS said these were now en route to the facility.

In its disclosure dated December 13, TUGS said the solar power plant was already 98-percent complete.

The listed tugboat operator said in October that its unit Harbor Star Energy Corp. (HSEC) acquired an additional 15 percent of the issued and outstanding capital stock of ADGI. The latest deal made ADGI its wholly-owned subsidiary. The ENERGY kRM HAS PERMITS LICENSES

and entitlements to operate a 25-megawatt solar power plant in General Santos City.

It was in October 2017 when Harbor Star marked its foray into the power industry after purchasing 60 percent stake in the energy kRM )T MADE ANOTHER BOLD MOVE in April of last year, acquiring an additional 25 percent of ADGI’s capital stock.

TUGS provides harbor assistance, lighterage, towage, ship salvage, ship management, diving and underwater marine works, and other specialized services.

NURTURING SEEDLINGS Berjaya Philippines recently joined the Buhay Punlaan Native Tree Nursery activity of Haribon Foundation in Lumban, Laguna. The participants helped in soil bagging, root pruning and transplanting of wildings like pili, bitaog, lanete, poas and kamagong. Be part of the Forests for Life movement and learn how native trees become our future forests. Call (02) 421-1209 today. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

QC pushing solar LED lights in street lamps TO further make streets and communities safer in Quezon City (QC), the city council has passed a resoluTION URGING -AYOR (ERBERT "AUTISTA to include in the priority projects the installation of solar light emitting diode (LED) lights in street lamp posts.

City Resolution 7667-2018, introduced by Councilors Hero #LARENCE "AUTISTA AND !LLAN "UTCH

Francisco, emphasized that the savings from using LED lights WOULD BENEkT OTHER PROGRAMS AND services of the city government. “The move to adopt an integrated solar LED light is more advantageous to private consumers and to the government in terms of costs and savings,� the resolution stated.

The integrated solar lights have

a charging time of six hours with eight hours of full power and 40 hours of power saving mode. They can last up 20 years with a lifetime of 50,000 hours. !CCORDING TO THE 7ORLD "ANK 7"

QC street lighting expenses constituted 65 percent of its electricity bill or 5 percent of its overall budget.

7HILE THE 7" SAID THAT INITIAL

investment for solar-powered LED lighting systems was higher than traditional lighting systems, LED lights were 40 to 60 percent more ENERGY EFkCIENT “Cities that invest in LED street lighting can then take the savings and invest in other services, such as sanitation, schools, or public HEALTH u THE 7" SAID THE TIMES

ILAGAN CITY, Isabela: To improve water resource management in Cagayan Valley (Region 2), a network of Asian river basin organizations were convened in an international training-workshop in this city with various government agencies and private sectors, including foreign partners.

The training-workshop on Integrated Water Resource Management was in collaboration with the International River Foundation (IRF), Department of Science and Technology (DoST), Department of Environment and Natural Resources, state colleges and universities (SCUs), among other stakeholholders.

Eva Abal, IRF chief executive OFkCER SAID THEY HAVE BEEN COLlaborating with the Melbournebased OceanaGold to help them in their commitment to restore rivers not only in Cagayan Valley but also in the country. OceanaGold operates the Didipio Gold and Copper Project in the mountain village of Didipio in Kasibu town in Nueva Vizcaya. “Water restoration is for the future generation,� Abal said adding that the IRF would support integrated river basin management for the restoration, protection and sustainable management of Cagayan Valley’s rivers. “We do this by facilitating education, recognition and collaboration,� she added.

IRF said it would also be working with the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) and SCUs to establish real-time information on river behavior as water is crucial for all life and people need healthy rivers, lakes and wetlands for sustainable development.

Abal said they would promote and support effective management of these resources by facilitating knowledge sharing, education and best practice river basin management, and by recognizing and rewarding those making a difference. “We draw upon our large networks, and seek to build new ones, to revive the world’s rivers through multi-sector partnerships around the world. We are committed to supporting posi-

tive ecological, economic and social outcomes through our programs, which aim to change the lives of individuals and communities,� Abal added.

In his message during the training and workshop, Science Secretary Fortunato dela PeĂąa cited the importance of water management and its sustainability for both in agriculture and human life. “We have to utilize various researches in relation to water management because water is an important element to cities and human settlements that are sustainable, livable and safe,â€? he said.

He said that one of the projects of the DoST in water management is capacitating SUCs that include Nueva Vizcaya State University, Quirino State University, Isabela State University and Cagayan State University. “Capacitating these state colleges and universities is through light detection and ranging (LiDAR) technology in producing hazard maps for river basins as well as maps for landslide prone areas,â€? dela PeĂąa said.

He also said t the DoST has been collaborating for Magat Dam’s water management initiatives.

Approximately 350 kilometers north of Metro Manila, the Magat Dam is located at the boundaries of Alfonso Lista, Ifugao and Ramon, Isabela on the Magat River, a major tributary of Cagayan River. The water stored in the reservoir supplies about two months of normal energy requirements. “Magat Dam’s water management initiatives include assessment of its lifeline structure using concrete petrography and automated real-time monitoring system to ensure the integrity of the dam,â€? dela PeĂąa said.

Meanwhile, engineer Sancho Mabborang, DoST-Cagayan Valley director, and Ricmar Aquino, Isabela State University president, assured support and collaboration with stakeholders. “We will continue supporting our stakeholders in Region 2 for the proper management of water resources in their respective jurisdictions,� Mabborang said.

LEANDER C. DOMINGO

Are we on track to decarbonize the global energy system?

Second of two parts N the report titled “Implications of the Paris Agreement for Coal Use in the Power Sector� prepared by Climate Analytics, it was cited that coal was the most carbon intensive fossil fuel and phasing it out was a key step to achieve the emissions reductions needed to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, as enshrined in the Paris Agreement. Most emissions from coal are in the electricity sector and, as we already have the technologies that can replace coal, phase out is a relatively cheap and easy option to reduce emissions.

The research showed that the European Union and OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries must stop burning coal for electricity by 2030, China by 2040, and the rest of the world by mid-century in order to meet commitments made in Paris in the most cost effective manner.

I

Phasing-out of fossil fuels In continuing the discussion on the “Energy Revolution: A Global Outlook,� coal is the most polluting fuel for electricity generation. Therefore, a shift away from coal power generation is essential.

Coal has provided around two-fifths of the world’s electricity for the last 30 years.

This has barely moved over the last decade as the falling

ALL ABOUT CHOICES LUDWIG O. FEDERIGAN share in most OECD countries is being countered by growing electricity demand in coalreliant Asian countries.

The share of coal in global electricity generation has only fallen by 2 percent over the last decade (2008 to 2017). The progress being made in some countries is offset by the increasing reliance on coal in parts of Asia, and a shift in the center of gravity of electricity consumption from Europe and the US (which average 25 percent) towards Asia (which averages 60 percent).

Many Asian countries are strengthening their reliance: Indonesia, India, Japan and South Korea have all seen marked increases. Of all the countries in Asia, North Korea is the unlikely climate champion for having halved its coal reliance to 20 percent over the last decade.

Government support for fossil fuels is a perverse feature of many economies. The change in fossil fuel subsidies from 2007 to 2016 varies considerably, with 15 countries having increased their support over that period. The Philippines, together with China, the United States, Germany, Mexico, Peru, New Zealand, Taiwan, Vietnam, Finland and Sweden have conducted peer reviews to identify

INEFkCIENT FOSSIL FUEL SUBSIDIES When asked: “What would be your message to the members of the business sector who are thinking about investing in more COAL kRED POWER PLANTS INSTEAD OF renewable energy?,� I replied: “The world is changing faster than ever, and it is becoming increasingly DIFkCULT TO KEEP UP !MIDST THIS change leading to Fourth IndusTRIAL 2EVOLUTION IT IS DIFkCULT FOR some companies to understand why industries are evolving in the way they are today, much less predict how they will evolve into the future. Regular investment strategy is to put more money in COAL kRED POWER PLANTS "UT THAT IS an old mindset. We are aware that we are in the process of societal transformation and the business sector cannot simply ignore the signs that business-as-usual is no longer the trend nowadays.� “If one allow his company to build a long-term strategy that is proactive, making sense of where they stand today, then it ensures that one wants to remain relevant and investing in renewable energy is the way to go,� I added.

Despite the recent growth in EV sales in all countries, EVs make up less than 10 percent of newly sold vehicles, with many around the 2-percent mark (i.e. one in 50 new cars sold are electric). This is related to the higher initial cost of an EV compared to a petrol/ diesel one. Therefore, EV sales are currently dependent on a series of measures implemented to stimulate their growth. The higher upfront costs of EVs is a barrier, suggesting that support measures are required to help drive this technology forward.

With increasing EV deployment, governments and private companies are providing greater charging facilities. This will not only encourage further uptake in the technology, but will also help dispel fears around lower driving range.

nario where one-sixth of emissions reductions come from CCS. Many countries possess over 1,000 tonnes of CO2 per person, which is several times an average person’s lifetime carbon footprint.

Improved efficiency across the economy

%NERGY EFkCIENCY IS WIDELY REFERRED TO AS gTHE kRST FUELu FOR ENERGY TRANSItions, as improvements can result in SIGNIkCANT COST ENERGY AND EMISSION reductions. Most countries have reduced their energy consumption PER SQUARE METER OF HOUSEHOLD lOOR area. This is linked to improvements in housing stock, strict energy performance standards for appliances, milder winters (possibly a symptom of climate change) and residual effects of the global recession.

Transport energy intensity is an Carbon capture interplay between several factors and storage such as shifting from petrol to diesel vehicles, modal shifts, imAccording to most scenarios, sig- PROVEMENTS IN VEHICLE FUEL EFkCIENNIkCANT CARBON CAPTURE STORAGE ##3 cies, increased electrification of deployment is required. Despite this, transport, decrease in occupancy progress has been slow and current rates of vehicles, and increased size capture rates represents only around of vehicles (eg, SUVs).

0.1 percent of total worldwide )NDUSTRIAL EFkCIENCY IMPROVEElectrification of emissions. Worldwide, 5 kilograms ments have also varied and are passenger vehicles of carbon dioxide (CO2) can be largely driven by changing comcaptured per person per year, versus position in national industrial The sales of electric vehicles (EVs) AN AVERAGE CARBON FOOTPRINT OF kVE sectors, as opposed to process are increasing rapidly. Over 4.5 tonnes CO2 per annum.

EFkCIENCIES /NLY A FEW COUNTRIES million vehicles on the roads Storage resources are not a — China, India and Japan, among are electric, of which two-thirds barrier to CCS deployment. The others, — have directly targeted ARE BATTERY ELECTRIC "%6 AND International Energy Agency (IEA) industry to implement measures one-third plug-in hybrid electric estimates that 100 billion tonnes IMPROVING EFkCIENCY (PHEV) vehicles. New electric of CO2 must be stored (cumulaIn the local front, the Philipvehicle sales in 2017 surpassed 1.2 tive to 2060) to limit temperature pines will soon have an energy million units. rise to 2 C at least cost, in a sce- EFkCIENCY LAW TO BE KNOWN AS THE

“Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act, after a Congress’ bicameral conference committee approved last month the reconciled versions institutionalizing a framework to ADVANCE ENERGY EFkCIENCY AND conservation practices in the country. The soon-to-be-law will mandate the creation of A .ATIONAL %NERGY %FkCIENCY and Conversation Plan that WILL DEkNE NATIONAL TARGETS

details feasible strategies, and impose a regular monitoring and evaluation system.

It is estimated that a 10-perCENT IMPROVEMENT IN EFkCIENCY will save the country P55.5 billion, according to the European Union’s Access to Sustainable Energy Program. It translates to a P140 savings in the monthly electricity bill of the average household, or P1,680 per year.

Aside from electricity cost savINGS ENERGY EFkCIENCY WOULD also result in reduced dependency on foreign coal, avoiding as many as 290.2 million metric tons in imports over the 12-year period.

N N N I will be the resource speaker on “The Role of the Filipino Youth in Leading the Way on Climate Action� during the 22nd Student Congress: The Filipino Youth at the &OREFRONT OF "UILDING A 3UStainable and Progressive Nation of the Southern Luzon State University on Saturday (March 2), in SLSU Campus, Lucban, Quezon.

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

Cardinal Pell to spend first night in prison MELBOURNE: Convicted Australian Cardinal George Pell will spend his kRST NIGHT BEHIND BARS 7EDNESDAY (Thursday in Manila) following his historic conviction for child sex crimes, capping an extraordinary fall from grace for one of the most powerful men in the Catholic Church.

Once among Pope Francis’ closest advisers and the most senior Catholic cleric ever found guilty of child sex crimes, Pell returned to court for a pre-sentencing hearing a day after his conviction was made public on Tuesday.

Pell has been represented by one of Australia’s most experienced, and expensive, defense attorneys during a year of legal proceedings, racking up a bill experts estimate will top Aus$3 million.

Pell may have been in charge OF THE 6ATICAN kNANCES UNTIL THIS week’s revelation that he had been convicted of sexual assault against two choirboys in the 1990s, but CHURCH OFkCIALS INSIST THEY ARE NOT helping pay the bill.

Melbourne Archbishop Peter Comensoli said neither his archdiocese, where Pell served at the time of the assaults, nor “any other church body� was paying the legal costs.

The Catholic News Agency website carried an article about the 6ATICAN PRESS OFkCE STATEMENT ON Pell’s conviction and appeal. “As already expressed on other occasions, we have the utmost respect for the Australian judicial authorities,� the statement issued Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) said. “Out of this respect, we await the outcome of the appeals process, recalling that Cardinal Pell maintains his innocence and has the right to defend himself until the last stage of appeal.�

The statement confirms that Pell has been barred from public

ministry and from contact with minors during the course of the legal process, and will remain so during his appeal.

The 77-year-old is facing up to 50 years’ jail after being convicted ON kVE COUNTS OF SEXUAL AND INDEcent assault of two choirboys in the sacristy of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in 1996-97, shortly after Pell became archbishop of Melbourne.

Pell, who has lodged an appeal against the verdict, will be sentenced on March 13. His lawyers earlier Wednesday withdrew an application for bail following his conviction, saying the cleric “believes it is appropriate for him to await sentencing.�

At Wednesday’s hearing, Chief Judge Peter Kidd blasted Pell’s behavior at Saint Patrick’s as “callous, brazen offending.� “I think it did involve breach of trust... he exploited two vulnerable young boys. They were entrusted into the care of the church... and the person who stood at the top of that was your client,� he said.

Arguing that Pell should receive a substantial punishment, Crown Prosecutor Mark Gibson said the cleric had “shown no remorse� nor “taken responsibility for his actions.� “There has been a breach of trust... Cardinal Pell was the driving force... and in charge of the cathedral, and these choristers were cogs in the cathedral wheel,�

Gibson said.

"UT DEFENSE LAWYERS ISSUED A statement following the hearing insisting that “despite the unprecedented media coverage, Cardinal Pell has always and continues to maintain his innocence. “Like any person he has the right to pursue his legal rights and will do so.�

AFP WITH CATHOLIC NEWS AGENCY

World Trump knew Wikileaks emails on Hillary – Cohen W THURSDAY February 28, 2019

ASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer is preparing to tell a House committee Wednesday that Trump knew ahead of time that WikiLeaks had emails damaging to his rival Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and that he is a “racist,� a “conman� and a “cheat.�

Michael Cohen suggests in prepared testimony obtained by The Associated Press that Trump also implicitly told him to lie about a Moscow real estate project. Cohen has pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about the project, which he says Trump knew about as Cohen was negotiating with Russia during the election.

Cohen says Trump did not directly tell him to lie, but that “he would look me in the eye and tell me there’s no business in Russia and then go out and lie to the American people by saying the same thing.�

Cohen said that “in his way, he was telling me to lie.�

In the testimony, Cohen apologizes for his actions and says, “I am ashamed that I chose to take part in concealing Mr. Trump’s illicit acts rather than listening to my own conscience.�

On WikiLeaks, Cohen says he was IN 4RUMP S OFkCE IN *ULY WHEN his longtime adviser Roger Stone called Trump. He says Trump put Stone on speakerphone and Stone said that “within a couple of days, there would be a massive dump of emails that would damage Hillary Clinton’s campaign.�

Trump responded by saying “wouldn’t that be great,� according to Cohen. “A lot of people have asked me about whether Mr. Trump knew about the release of the hacked Democratic National Committee emails ahead of time,� Cohen says in the testimony. “The answer is yes.�

Cohen also says that Trump made racist comments about AfricanAmericans, saying at one point that black people would never vote for him because they were too stupid.

Cohen says that he and Trump

once drove through a struggling neighborhood in Chicago and that Trump remarked that only black people could live that way.

He also says Trump once asked him to name a country run by a black person that wasn’t falling apart, though he says Trump used A VULGARISM !T THE TIME "ARACK Obama was America’s president.

Looking ahead to his public testimony, Cohen said Tuesday that the American people can decide “exactly who is telling the truth� when he appears Wednesday before the House Oversight and Reform Committee, setting the stage for an explosive public hearing that threatens to overshadow Trump’s summit in Vietnam with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Cohen, once Trump’s loyal atTORNEY AND kXER HAS TURNED ON HIS former boss and cooperated with special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation. He begins a three-year prison sentence in May after he pleaded guilty to lying to Congress in 2017 and committing CAMPAIGN kNANCE VIOLATIONS WHILE he was working for Trump.

He met with the Senate intelligence committee for more than nine hours behind closed doors on Tues-

B5

day. Cohen said he appreciated the opportunity to “clear the record and tell the truth� after acknowledging he lied to the committee in 2017. )T WAS THE kRST OF THREE CONSECUTIVE days of congressional appearances for Cohen. After the public hearing Wednesday, he will appear before the House intelligence panel Thursday, again speaking in private.

Republicans are expected to aggressively attempt to discredit Cohen, given that he has acknowledged lying previously. White House spokesman Sarah Sanders said in a statement Tuesday it was “laughable that anyone would take a convicted liar like Cohen at his word, and pathetic to see him given yet another opportunity to spread his lies.�

One Republican House member did more than just question Cohen’s credibility. Florida Republican Matt Gaetz tweeted Tuesday that the world is “about to learn a lot� about Cohen and suggested he knew of disparaging information that could come out during the hearing. The Trump ally offered no evidence to support his remarks and waved off the notion that he appeared to be threatening or intimidating a witness.

AP

60 buried in unlicensed Indonesian gold mine JAKARTA, Indonesia: An unlicensed gold mine in Indonesia’s North Sulawesi province buried dozens OF PEOPLE A DISASTER OFkCIAL SAID Wednesday, as emergency personnel dug with bare hands and farm tools as they desperately sought to unearth victims calling for help from beneath the rubble.

Local disaster official Abdul Muin Paputungan said one person WAS CONkRMED DEAD AND PEOPLE with injuries ranging from light to serious had been rescued. As many as 60 people were buried, he said. “Unstable soil conditions make us extra careful lifting rocks because it can lead to new landslides,� Paputungan told The Associated Press. “We still hear voices crying for help from people beneath the rubble,� he said. “Survivors estimated about 60 people are trapped in the rubble of the mining pit,� Paputungan said.

Makeshift wooden structures IN THE MINE IN "OLAANG -ONGONdow district collapsed on Tuesday evening due to unstable soil and the large number of mining holes, burying people in the mine pit.

Informal mining operations are commonplace in Indonesia, providing a tenuous livelihood to thousands who labor in conditions with a high risk of serious

STANDOFF

injury or death.

Miners often burrow straight into hillsides with scant supports and children often are sent into the tunnels to dig and carry out ore hacked from rock faces.

Police, search and rescue agency workers, military and Indonesian Red Cross personnel were all taking part in the rescue effort, but the remote locale was complicating the operation.

Paputungan said the mine and a village connected to it are in a steep area that could only be reached by foot. Earth-moving equipment and ambulances can not reach the location, he said.

Indonesia accounts for about 3 percent of world gold production. Most of that comes from the Grasberg mine in Papua province, said to be the world’s largest gold mine with $40 billion in reserves and up to 20,000 workers.

"UT SMALL ARTISANAL OFTEN UNauthorized mining is on the rise in many parts of Asia and Africa.

A study by a task force, the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development found the number of people engaged in such mining had risen to over 40 million, up from 30 million in 2014 and 6 million in 1993.

AP

Sri Lankan policewomen hold back protesting Higher National Diploma students during a protest march demanding better conditions at state-run universities, in Colombo on Tuesday. AFP PHOTO

AIR DEAL US President Donald Trump (second from left) and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Phu Trong (right) greet Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Kevin McCallister (left) and VietJet CEO Nguyen Thi Phuong (second from right) during a ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi on Wednesday ahead of the second US-North Korea summit. AFP PHOTO

Trump promises ‘AWESOME’ future minus nukes HANOI: US President Donald Trump touted North Korea’s “AWESOME� future if his “friend� Kim Jong Un, whom he meets for a high-stakes dinner later Wednesday, agrees to give up his nuclear arsenal.

Trump’s enthusiastic tweet came hours before a second summit in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi to BUILD ON THE PAIR S HISTORIC kRST meeting in Singapore in June.

He was encapsulating his belief that only his personal brand of diplomacy and business acumen can break a stand-off with the isolated, nuclear-armed state that has bedeviled US leaders since the end

of the Korean war in 1953.

Trump, who has previously spoken of “love� between him and the North Korean strongman, predicted that by abandoning nuclear weapons the country will go on to emulate Vietnam—a communist state once locked in devastating CONlICT WITH THE 5NITED 3TATES BUT now a thriving trade partner. “The potential is AWESOME, a great opportunity,� Trump tweeted.

At a meeting with Vietnamese President Nguyen Phu Trong, Trump described how construction he’d seen from his motorcade as he drove from Air Force One

Worldinbriefs

to his Hanoi hotel late Tuesday underlined that “you really are an example of what can happen.�

Trump has torn up the script by embracing Kim and a regime long seen by Washington as the most rePRESSIVE ON THE PLANET "UT PRESSURE is intensifying on the president to bring back concrete results.

For all the drama, the Singapore summit ended with a vague statement promising to work “towards complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.�

Since then, Washington and Pyongyang have disagreed even on what denuclearization means.

And while North Korea has now gone more than a year without conducting missile and nuclear tests, it has done nothing to roll back the arsenal already built.

The Hanoi summit is more elaboRATE THAN THE BRIEF kRST OCCASION The White House said Trump and Kim will hold a 10-minute meeting before an approximately 20-minute session without aides, followed by dinner lasting around 90 minutes.

On Thursday they are due to meet again, although no details have been released, adding to the impression that much is being decided at the last minute. AFP

opposition challenger Atiku Abubakar, a billionaire former vice president who made sweeping campaign promises to “make Nigeria work again.�

AP

METHODISTS RETAIN BAN ON GAY MARRIAGE

US TO UN: LET AID ENTER VENEZUELA

ST. LOUIS: The United Methodist Church, America’s second-largest Protestant denomination, faces a likely surge in defections and acts of defiance after delegates at a crucial conference voted Tuesday to strengthen the faith’s divisive bans on samesex marriage and ordination of Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) clergy. Emotions were high throughout the third and final day of the UMC’s meeting. Some supporters of greater LGBT inclusion were in tears, while others vented their anger when, midway through the session, delegates defeated a proposal that would have let regional and local church bodies decide for themselves on gay-friendly policies. “Devastation,� was how former Methodist pastor Rebecca Wilson of Detroit described her feelings. “As someone who left because I’m gay, I’m waiting for the church I love to stop bringing more hate.�

After several more hours of debate, the conservatives’ proposal, called the Traditional Plan, was approved by a vote of 438-384.

AP

UNITED NATIONS, United States: Slamming President Nicolas Maduro’s “corrupt, fraudulent and incompetent reign,� the United States said Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) it would ask the UN Security Council to adopt a draft resolution demanding that humanitarian aid be allowed into Venezuela. President Donald Trump’s envoy for Venezuela, Elliott Abrams, said a vote was expected this week at the council, even though such a measure is likely to face a veto from Russia and China. “We will have a resolution this week which will certainly call for the admission of humanitarian aid into Venezuela,� Abrams told reporters ahead of the council meeting. The push for a UN vote marked a major escalation in the US diplomatic campaign in support of Juan Guaido, the opposition leader who has declared himself interim president and is recognized by about 50 countries.

AFP

NIGERIAN PRESIDENT GETS SECOND TERM

PRIME Minister Hun Sen on Tuesday called on everyone to fight against fake news, saying someone was trying to spread false information to destroy Cambodian society. His call came after his Facebook account was allegedly hacked on Monday with a message that the social media platform would soon be blocked in the kingdom. “I thank all of you who have paid attention to prevent fake news that an anonymous person is trying to spread in order to destroy our society,� Hun Sen posted on his Facebook page. He said he wanted Cambodia to become developed in information technology which was needed in society, commerce and e-government. “I support the development of faster internet and more free wi-fi in our country,� he said. He had encouraged and supported people learning skills, especially information technology as an advantage for the nation.

KHMER TIMES

ABUJA, Nigeria: Nigeria’s president was declared the clear winner of a second term in Africa’s largest democracy early Wednesday, after a campaign in which he urged voters to give him another chance to tackle gaping corruption, widespread insecurity and an economy limping back from a rare recession. While many frustrated Nigerians had said they wanted to give someone new a try, President Muhammadu Buhari, a former military dictator, profited from his upright reputation in an oil-rich nation weary of politicians enriching themselves instead of the people. Buhari said he regretted the loss of dozens of lives in election-related violence. Supporters began dancing in the streets of the capital, Abuja, on Tuesday night as vote counting stretched his lead from the weekend election to nearly 4 million votes over top

CAMBODIA PM’S FACEBOOK HACKED

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Classified Ads

THURSDAY February 28, 2019

˜ The Manila Times w w w.manilatimes.net

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES NATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION NTC Building, BIR Road, East Triangle, Diliman, Quezon City Email: ntc@ntc.gov.ph; website: http://www.ntc.gov.ph

Republic of the Philippines City of Lipa BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE INVITATION TO APPLY FOR ELIGIBILITY AND TO BID The City Government of Lipa, through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), invites FRQWUDFWRUV UHJLVWHUHG ZLWK DQG FODVVLÂżHG E\ WKH 3KLOLSSLQH $FFUHGLWDWLRQ %RDUG 3&$% WR apply for eligibility and to bid for the hereunder project: Name of Project:

Rehabilitation of Multi-Purpose Building (Phase 1) and Construction of Various Facilities at LASCA Compound Brgy. Marawoy, Lipa City Approved Budget for the Contract: P85,000,000.00 Source of Fund: SEF

17 January 2019 MR. ANTHONY LOUEN R. FERNANDEZ Legal & Regulatory Dept.

Smart Communications, Inc. 6799 Ayala Avenue, Makati City Dear Mr. Fernandez: This refers to your letter dated 16 January 2019 informing the Commission of the amendment in its Smart Postpaid Surf Abroad 550 Service nationwide starting 21 January 2019.

The amendment of the service is as follows:

The BAC will issue Bidding Documents to prospective bidders upon payment of nonrefundable fee at the BAC Secretariat, Engineering Compound, Marawoy, Lipa City.

Prospective bidders should possess a valid PCAB License applicable to the contract, have completed a similar contract with a value of at least 50% of the ABC and have key personnel and equipment (listed in the Eligibility Forms) available for the prosecution of the contract.

The BAC will use non-discretionary pass/fail criteria in the Eligibility Check/Screening as ZHOO DV WKH 3UHOLPLQDU\ ([DPLQDWLRQ RI %LGV 7KH %$& ZLOO FRQGXFW SRVW TXDOLÂżFDWLRQ RI the lowest calculated bid.

All particulars relative to Eligibility Statement and Screening, Bid Security, Performance 6HFXULW\ 3UH %LGGLQJ &RQIHUHQFH (YDOXDWLRQ RI %LGV 3RVW 4XDOLÂżFDWLRQ DQG $ZDUG RI Contract shall be governed by the pertinent provisions of R.A. 9184 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR).

Existing Service Title Smart Postpaid Surf Abroad 550

Amendment (New Title) Roam Surf Service

All other service details remain unchanged.

The service is intended for peer-to-peer and non-commercial use only.

Please be informed that the request for approval of Smart Postpaid Surf Abroad 550 Service Amendment effective 21 January 2019 is hereby granted. The approval is subject to the condition that SMART shall publish the amendment in a newspaper of general circulation three (3) days prior to the implementation.

Very truly yours, (SGD.) EDGARDO V. CABARIOS Deputy Commissioner MT – Feb. 28, 2019

The schedule of BAC activities is as follows: 1. Advertisement 2. Issuance of Bid Documents 3. Pre-Bid Conference 4. Submission of bids 5. Opening of Bids 6. Bid Evaluation 3RVW 4XDOLÂżFDWLRQ 8. Notice of Award

February 28, 2019 February 28 - March 20, 2019 March 8, 2019 March 20, 2019 0DUFK DW $ 0 &LW\ (QJLQHHUV 2IÂżFH March 21, 2019 March 22, 2019 March 25, 2019

The Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) of the City of Lipa assumes no obligation whatsoever to compensate or indemnify the bidders for any damage that they may incur in the preparation of their bids. The Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) of the City of Lipa also reserves the right to reject any or all bids, to waive any defect found therein to annul the bidding process, and to reject all Bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected Bidder or Bidders and to accept the bids most advantageous to the City Government.

APPROVED BY: (SGD.) ATTY. LEO S. LATIDO City Administrator Chairman, Bids and Awards Committee

MT – Feb. 28, 2019

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES NATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION NTC Building, BIR Road, East Triangle, Diliman, Quezon City Email: ntc@ntc.gov.ph; website: http://www.ntc.gov.ph 17 January 2019 MR. ANTHONY LOUEN R. FERNANDEZ Legal & Regulatory Dept.

Smart Communications, Inc. 6799 Ayala Avenue, Makati City Dear Mr. Fernandez:

The amendment of the service are as follows: Existing Offer 1) Old name: Chat Abroad 2) Roam Chat service allows subscribers to use chat-only access outside the Philippines for 24-hours to 6 popular chat messaging apps, namely: Facebook Messenger, Telegram, Viber, WeChat, Line, and WhatsApp.

Amendment 1) New name: Roam Chat 2) Roam Chat service allows subscribers to use chat-only access outside the Philippines for 24-hours to 5 popular chat messaging apps, namely: Telegram, Viber, WeChat, Line, and WhatsApp/

All other service details remain unchanged.

The promo is intended for peer-to-peer and non-commercial use only.

Please be informed that the request for approval of Smart Chat Abroad Service Amendment effective 21 January 2019 is hereby granted. The approval is subject to the condition that SMART shall publish the amendment in a newspaper of general circulation three (3) days prior to the implementation.

Republic of the Philippines Pasay City Metro Manila OFFICE OF THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR

Subject further, to the condition that SMART shall comply with the applicable NTC Memorandum Circulars and Orders, as follows:

INVITATION TO SUBMIT SEALED PROPOSAL ISSP# 2019-02 “As Is, Where Is Basis�

DISPOSAL OF UNSERVICEABLE PROPERTIES The Pasay City Government through its Disposal Committee invites interested parties to submit sealed proposal for the auction of the following unserviceable properties as indicated in the approved Inventory and Inspection Report of Unserviceable Property (IIRUP): IIRUP Number 2018-10-018 A 2018-10-019

2018-11-021 2018-12-023

2018-11-020

B

2018-12-022 2018-12-024 2018-12-025

2018-12-026 2018-12-027

Particulars Unserviceable Equipment and Salvageable Materials

Location GSO Storage at Pasay City Sports Complex and Guarded vacant lot of Pasay City Government at Macapagal Blvd., near Mall of Asia, Pasay City Unserviceable Motor Vehicles Guarded vacant lot of Pasay City Government at Macapagal Blvd., near Mall of Asia, Pasay City Unserviceable Equipment Storage room at DepEd, Pasay City Division Unserviceable Equipment GSO Storage at Pasay City Sports Complex and DoĂąa Nena Health Center Minimum Bid Offer P 149,707.64 Unserviceable Equipment GSO Storage at Pasay City Sports Complex Unserviceable Equipment and Motor GSO Storage at Pasay City Sports Vehicles Complex Unserviceable Equipment GSO Storage at Pasay City Sports Complex Unserviceable Equipment GSO Storage at Pasay City Sports Complex and Guarded vacant lot of Pasay City Government at Macapagal Blvd., near Mall of Asia, Pasay City Unserviceable Equipment GSO Storage at Pasay City Sports Complex Unserviceable Equipment GSO Storage at Pasay City Sports Complex Minimum Bid Offer P 21,989.30

Sealed proposal shall be submitted to the Chairman, Disposal Committee c/o Atty. Dennis Bernard N. Acorda, City $GPLQLVWUDWRU 3OHDVH DWWDFK FHUWL¿HG WUXH FRS\ RI YDOLG %XVLQHVV 3HUPLW '7, 5HJLVWUDWLRQ 6(& 5HJLVWUDWLRQ DQG 6SHFLDO 3RZHU RI $WWRUQH\ 63$ 6HFUHWDU\ &HUWL¿FDWH IRU DXWKRUL]HG UHSUHVHQWDWLYH LI DSSOLFDEOH 'HDGOLQH IRU WKH submission of sealed proposal and opening thereof shall be on Wednesday, March 13, 2019 at 10:00AM at the FRQIHUHQFH URRP 2I¿FH RI WKH &LW\ $GPLQLVWUDWRU URRP QG ÀRRU 3DVD\ &LW\ +DOO %XLOGLQJ $OO ELGV PXVW EH accompanied by a Bidder’s Bond equivalent to 10% of the total amount of the bid offer and the difference thereof shall be paid in full in the form of cash, cashier’s check, or manager’s check issued by a reputable bank within 3 working days upon receipt of the Notice of Award. &ODLPV VKDOO EH PDGH DIWHU WKH ELG SULFH LV IXOO\ SDLG DV HYLGHQFHG E\ DQ 2I¿FLDO 5HFHLSW DQG VKDOO EH PDGH GXULQJ RI¿FLDO JRYHUQPHQW ZRUNLQJ KRXUV ZLWK UHSUHVHQWDWLYH IURP WKH *HQHUDO 6HUYLFHV 2I¿FH ZLWKLQ WKUHH ZRUNLQJ GD\V upon receipt of the Notice to Proceed.

Bid documents may be obtained starting on Tuesday, February 26, 2019 DW WKH *HQHUDO 6HUYLFHV 2IÂżFH 5RRP GF, Pasay City Hall from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, upon payment of a fee of P40.00 per page and per photocopy or as per City Ordinance No. 1614, Series of 1999, Section 55, Chapter 17 of Pasay City Revenue Code.

Inspection of the properties for auction is scheduled on March 7 and 8, 2019 from 9:00AM to 11:00AM only with UHSUHVHQWDWLYHV IURP *HQHUDO 6HUYLFHV 2IÂżFH The Committee reserves the right to cancel or postpone the date of auction without offering any reason thereof for the advantage of the City Government.

(SGD.) ATTY. DENNIS BERNARD N. ACORDA City Administrator

MT - Feb. 26, 27 & 28, 2019

•

Memorandum Order No. 07-07-2011, Minimum Speed of Broadband Connections.

•

Memorandum Circular No. 07-08-2015, Rules on the Measurement of Fixed Broadband/ Internet Access Service

•

Memorandum Circular No. 10-12-2016, Rules on the Measurement of Mobile Broadband/ Internet Access Service

Very truly yours,

16 January 2019

This refers to your letter dated 16 January 2019 regarding the TNT Giga Surf Plus Promo Extension. ,Q OLQH ZLWK WKH WKUXVW RI WKH JRYHUQPHQW WR ORZHU WHOHFRPPXQLFDWLRQV VHUYLFH UDWHV IRU WKH EHQHÂżW RI the Filipino consumers and Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW), the Commission hereby approves TNT Giga Surf Plus Promo Extension nationwide from 01 February 2019 to 31 March 2019.

The approval is subject to the condition that should SMART decide not to extend the promo, it shall seek approval of the Commission within ten (10) days prior to the date of discontinuance and QRWLFH WR WKH SXEOLF VKDOO EH SXEOLVKHG LQ D QHZVSDSHU RI JHQHUDO FLUFXODWLRQ DW OHDVW ÂżYH GD\V prior to the date of discontinuance. The notice should be posted in all business centers of SMART. The promo offers the following: Promo Price Validity

Data

REG

GIGASURF+ 75 P75 3 days 1GB shareable Data + Unli all-net texts + Unli calls to TNT/Smart/Sun + 1GB/day for YouTube, iWant Tv, iFlix, Cignal, & NBA (nonshareable) Dial *121# and choose GIGASURF+ 75; TEXT GIGAPLUS75 to 4545

Other Availment Channels

GIGASURF+ 149 P149 7 Days 2 GB Shareable Data + Unli allnet texts + Unli calls to TNT/ Smart/Sun + 1GB/day for YouTube, iWant Tv, iFlix, Cignal, & NBA (nonshareable) Dial *121# and choose GIGASURF+ 149; TEXT GIGAPLUS149 to 4545

GIGASURF+ 449 449 30 days

GIGASURF+ GIGASURF 749 + 999 P749 P999 30 days 30 days 5 GB Shareable 8GB 2 GB Shareable Data + Unli Shareable Data Data + Unli allall-net + Unli all-net net texts + Unli texts + Unli calls texts calls to TNT/ to TNT/Smart/ + Unli calls Smart/Sun Sun to TNT/Smart/ + 1GB/day for + 1GB/day for Sun + 1GB/day YouTube, iWant YouTube, iWant for YouTube, Tv, iFlix, Cignal, Tv, iFlix, Cignal, iWantTv, iFlix, & NBA (nonNBA (nonCignal, & NBA shareable) (non-shareable) shareable) Dial *121# and Dial *121# and Dial *121# choose choose and choose GIGASURF+ GIGASURF+ GIGASURF 749; 449; + 999; TEXT TEXT TEXT GIGAPLUS749 GIGAPLUS449 GIGAPLUS9 to to 4545 99 to 4545 4545

Retailer STK Menu, Retailer Keyword Selling, TNT Online Store

The maximum speed is up to 42Mbps for broadband and non-broadband connections. Minimum speed for broadband connection is 256 kbps and 48 kbps for non-broadband connection. Network reliability is 80%. The actual speed experience will depend on the device used, network signal GHWHFWHG FXUUHQW VXEVFULEHU WUDIÂżF SUHYDLOLQJ HQYLURQPHQWDO FRQGLWLRQV DQG WKH JHRJUDSK\ RI the area where the subscriber is located.

The same mechanics of the promo shall still be applied.

The promo is intended for peer-to-peer and non-commercial use only.

Subject further, to the condition that SMART shall comply with the applicable NTC Memorandum Circulars and Order, as follows: • • •

Republic of the Philippines DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS SULTAN KUDARAT 2ND DISTRICT ENGINEERING OFFICE REGION XII Lebak, Sultan Kudarat

Contract ID No. Contract Name

: :

19GMH002 Supply and Delivery of Service Vehicle for use of DPWH 6XOWDQ .XGDUDW QG 'LVWULFW (QJLQHHULQJ 2IÂżFH Contract Location : Lebak, Sultan Kudarat Brief Description of Goods to be procured: Description

Quantity

Unit

4

units

Supply and Delivery of Service Vehicle Body Type : Pick up Truck (Double Cab) Fuel Type : Diesel Emmission Compliance : Euro IV Seating Capacity : Minimum of 5 pax Transmission : Manual Transmission Drive Train : Minimum of 4-wheel Drive Door : 4 Engine Displacement : 2200 cc - 3000 cc Number of Cylinder : Minimum of 4 Output(PS/rpm) : Min. of 180/3400 Torque (N-m/rpm) : Min. of 420/2000 Body Paint : Ditzler Orange Registration : Government Plate

Note: Provided with a Standard Size (12’’ dia.) of DPWH LOGO and (FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY) sticker on both Front side Doors.

The BAC is conducting the public bidding for this Contract in accordance with RA 9184 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations.

Bidders should have completed, within from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section IV. Instructions to Bidders.

(a) Mayors/Business permit issued by the city or municipality where the principal place of business of the prospective bidder is located or the equivalent document for exclusive economic zones or areas;

MT – Feb. 28, 2019

Quantity

Unit

1

unit

Supply and Delivery of Motorized Road Grader a.

d.

h.

The Department of Public Works and Highways Sultan Kudarat 2nd District Engineering 2IÂżFH /HEDN 6XOWDQ .XGDUDW through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) for Goods, invites supplier to submit bids for the following Contract:

: :

Description

g.

i. j.

k.

Engine: 6 Cylinder In-line Water Cooler, 4 Stroke Direct Injection Diesel Engine Engine Rated Power: 100 Kw-110 Kw Operating Weight: 12000 Kg – 13000Kg Transmission: 6 Forward and 3 Reverse Travel Speed: Forward – Minimum 30 kph Backward – Minimum 25 kph Cutter Size: Minimum 3000mm x 610mm x 16mm Blade Inlcination Angel: Forward – Min. 47 Deg Backward – Min. 5 Deg Maximum Gradeability: Minimum 20 Deg Brake System: Caliper Disc Brake Type Attachment: 0LGPRXQW 6FDUL¿HU Cab Equipment: Cabin Type, Seal Type, Air-conditioned

TERMS AND CONDITION 1.

Philippine Supplier Should be the Exclusive Distributor of the Equipment being offered.

2. Bids from Sub- dealer and Sub- distributor will not be accepted.

3KLOLSSLQH 6XSSOLHU PXVW KDYH DQ HVWDEOLVKHG RIÂżFH DQG 7HFKQLFLDQ ZLWK LQ Region 11 and 12.

4.

Philippine Supplier must have a Functioning Service and Facilities with registered business Permit in Region 11 and 12.

5. Philippine Supplier must be atlest 20 years in Existence in Heavy Equipment Distributorship.

6. Philippine Supplier must conduct Training and Seminars on the Operation and Maintenance.

7. Appointing of Sub-service center is not allowed.

7KH 3KLOLSSLQH 6XSSOLHU PXVW EH RQ ,62 &HUWLÂżHG RI 4XDOLW\ 0DQDJHPHQW System.

9. Delivery Period of 60 days upon Receipt of Purchase Order.

10. FOB DPWH 2nd 'LVWULFW (QJLQHHULQJ 2IÂżFH /HEDN 6XOWDQ .XGDUDW 11. Free Standard Tools, Operation Manual & Parts Catalog.

Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC): PhP6,000,000.00 (PR No.: 2019-01-0001) Source of Funds : 2018 SAVINGS Contract Duration : 15 C.D The BAC is conducting the public bidding for this Contract in accordance with RA 9184 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations.

Bidders should have completed, within from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section IV. Instructions to Bidders.

To be eligible to bid for this Contract, a supplier must meet the following major requirements: 5HJLVWUDWLRQ FHUWLÂżFDWH IURP 6(& 'HSDUWPHQW RI 7UDGH DQG ,QGXVWU\ '7, IRU VROH proprietorship, or CDA for cooperatives; (a) Mayors/Business permit issued by the city or municipality where the principal place of business of the prospective bidder is located or the equivalent document for exclusive economic zones or areas; E 7D[ FOHDUDQFH SHU ([HFXWLYH 2UGHU 6HULHV RI DV ÂżQDOO\ UHYLHZHG DQG approved by the BIR; (c) Filipino citizen or 60% Filipino-owned partnership/corporation;

E 7D[ FOHDUDQFH SHU ([HFXWLYH 2UGHU 6HULHV RI DV ÂżQDOO\ UHYLHZHG DQG approved by the BIR; (c)

Filipino citizen or 60% Filipino-owned partnership/corporation;

(d) Completion of a similar contract costing at least 50% of the ABC within [insert relevant period]. (e)

Net Financial Contracting Capacity (NFCC) at least equal to the ABC or in lieu of WKH 1)&& FRPSXWDWLRQ D FRPPLWWHG OLQH RI FUHGLW &/& VSHFLÂżF WR WKH FRQWUDFW WR be bid from a universal or commercial.

The DPWH will use non-discretionary pass/fail criteria in the eligibility checks, preliminary H[DPLQDWLRQ RI ELGV HYDOXDWLRQ RI ELGV SRVW TXDOLÂżFDWLRQ DQG DZDUG The schedule of key procurement activities for this contract is shown below:

ACTIVITY 1. Issuance of Bidding Documents 2. Pre-bid Conference 3. Submission/Receipt of Bids Deadline 4. Opening of Bids

TIME February 27, 2019 to March 18, 2019 @ 9:00 a.m

PLACE %$& 2IÂżFH '3:+ 6. nd 'LVWULFW (QJLQHHULQJ 2IÂżFH Conference Room DPWH SK March 6, 2019 @ 9:00 am 2nd 'LVWULFW (QJLQHHULQJ 2IÂżFH Conference Room DPWH SK March 18, 2019 @ 9:00 a.m 2nd 'LVWULFW (QJLQHHULQJ 2IÂżFH Conference Room DPWH SK March 18, 2019 @ 10:00 a.m nd 2 'LVWULFW (QJLQHHULQJ 2IÂżFH

Bidders shall pay the BAC a non-refundable fee of in the amount of PhP10,000.00 for the Bidding Documents, upon securing hard copies of the Documents. Bidders that downloaded the Documents from the DPWH website shall pay the fee upon submission of the bids. All Bids must be accompanied by bids security in any of the acceptable form and in the amount stated in Instruction to Bidders.

The Department of Public Works and Highway Sultan Kudarat 2nd District Engineering 2IÂżFH reserves the right to accept or reject any bids and to annul the bidding process any time before the Contract award, without incurring any liability to the affected bidders.

Any requests for additional information concerning this bidding shall be directed to the following: LEVIE D. TRABADO BAC Chairman '3:+ 6. QG 'LVWULFW (QJLQHHULQJ 2IÂżFH Cellphone No.:

RODRIGO V. VALDEZ, JR. Head, BAC Secretariat '3:+ 6. QG 'LVWULFW (QJLQHHULQJ 2IÂżFH Cellphone No.: 09129648267

(d) Completion of a similar contract costing at least 50% of the ABC within [insert relevant period]. (e) Net Financial Contracting Capacity (NFCC) at least equal to the ABC or in lieu of WKH 1)&& FRPSXWDWLRQ D FRPPLWWHG OLQH RI FUHGLW &/& VSHFLÂżF WR WKH FRQWUDFW to be bid from a universal or commercial.

The DPWH will use non-discretionary pass/fail criteria in the eligibility checks, SUHOLPLQDU\ H[DPLQDWLRQ RI ELGV HYDOXDWLRQ RI ELGV SRVW TXDOLÂżFDWLRQ DQG DZDUG The schedule of key procurement activities for this contract is shown below: ACTIVITY 1. Issuance of Bidding Documents 2. Pre-bid Conference 3. Submission/Receipt of Bids Deadline 4. Opening of Bids

TIME February 27, 2019 to March 18, 2019 @ 9:00 a.m

PLACE %$& 2IÂżFH '3:+ 6. nd 'LVWULFW (QJLQHHULQJ 2IÂżFH Conference Room DPWH SK March 6, 2019 @ 9:00 am 2nd 'LVWULFW (QJLQHHULQJ 2IÂżFH Conference Room DPWH SK March 18, 2019 @ 9:00 a.m 2nd 'LVWULFW (QJLQHHULQJ 2IÂżFH Conference Room DPWH SK March 18, 2019 @ 10:00 a.m nd 2 'LVWULFW (QJLQHHULQJ 2IÂżFH

Bidders shall pay the BAC a non-refundable fee of in the amount of PhP10,000.00 for the Bidding Documents, upon securing hard copies of the Documents. Bidders that downloaded the Documents from the DPWH website shall pay the fee upon submission of the bids.

All Bids must be accompanied by bids security in any of the acceptable form and in the amount stated in Instruction to Bidders.

The Department of Public Works and Highway Sultan Kudarat 2nd District Engineering 2IÂżFH reserves the right to accept or reject any bids and to annul the bidding process any time before the Contract award, without incurring any liability to the affected bidders.

Any requests for additional information concerning this bidding shall be directed to the following: LEVIE D. TRABADO BAC Chairman '3:+ 6. QG 'LVWULFW (QJLQHHULQJ 2IÂżFH Cellphone No.:

(SIGNED) LEVIE D. TRABADO BAC Chairman OIC-Assistant District Engineer (SIGNED) MAMINTAL T. TAHA, Ph. D District Engineer

(SIGNED) LEVIE D. TRABADO BAC Chairman OIC-Assistant District Engineer NOTED: (SIGNED) MAMINTAL T. TAHA, Ph. D District Engineer

MT - Feb. 28, 2019

RODRIGO V. VALDEZ, JR. Head, BAC Secretariat '3:+ 6. QG 'LVWULFW (QJLQHHULQJ 2IÂżFH Cellphone No.: 09129648267 APPROVED BY:

APPROVED BY:

NOTED:

(SGD.) EDGARDO V. CABARIOS Deputy Commissioner

19GMH001 Supply and Delivery of Motorized Road Grader for use of Maintenance Section, DPWH Sultan Kudarat 2nd District (QJLQHHULQJ 2IÂżFH Contract Location : Lebak, Sultan Kudarat Brief Description of Goods to be procured:

f.

INVITATION TO BID FOR SUPPLY AND DELIVERY OF SERVICE VEHICLE FOR USE OF DPWH SULTAN KUDARAT 2ND DISTRICT ENGINEERING OFFICE, LEBAK, SULTAN KUDARAT

Memorandum Order No. 07-07-2011, Minimum Speed of Broadband Connections.

Memorandum Circular No. 07-08-2015, Rules on the Measurement of Fixed Broadband/ Internet Access Service Memorandum Circular No. 10-12-2016, Rules on the Measurement of Mobile Broadband/ Internet Access Service

Very truly yours,

Contract ID No. Contract Name

e.

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Dear Mr. Fernandez:

The Department of Public Works and Highways Sultan Kudarat 2nd District (QJLQHHULQJ 2IÂżFH /HEDN 6XOWDQ .XGDUDW through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) for Goods, invites supplier to submit bids for the following Contract:

c.

MT – Feb. 28, 2019

To be eligible to bid for this Contract, a supplier must meet the following major requirements:

MR. ANTHONY LOUEN R. FERNANDEZ Legal & Regulatory Group Smart Communications, Inc. 6799 Ayala Avenue, Makati City

INVITATION TO BID FOR SUPPLY AND DELIVERY OF MOTORIZED ROAD GRADER FOR USE OF MAINTENANCE SECTION, DPWH SULTAN KUDARAT 2ND DISTRICT ENGINEERING OFFICE, LEBAK, SULTAN KUDARAT

b.

(SGD.) EDGARDO V. CABARIOS Deputy Commissioner

Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC): PhP7,200,000.00 (PR No.: 2019-02-0008) Source of Funds : 2018 SAVINGS Contract Duration : 15 C.D

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES NATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION NTC Building, BIR Road, East Triangle, Diliman, Quezon City Email: ntc@ntc.gov.ph; website: http://www.ntc.gov.ph

Republic of the Philippines DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS SULTAN KUDARAT 2ND DISTRICT ENGINEERING OFFICE REGION XII Lebak, Sultan Kudarat

This refers to your letter dated 16 January 2019 regarding the Smart Chat Abroad Service Amendment.

MT - Feb. 28, 2019

Classified Ads

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net Republic of the Philippines REGIONAL TRIAL COURT Third Judicial Region BRANCH 72 Olongapo City

as acceptance fee and with appearance fees of Php3,500.00 per appearance in the course of the proceedings, as shall be proven in the course of the proceedings.

F )XUWKHU JLYHQ WKH WUDXPDWLF VLWXDWLRQ RI WKH 3ODLQWLII ZKHUH LW KDV EHHQ SXW LQ D GLIÂżFXOW ÂżQDQFLDO SRVLWLRQ given its expectation of the return of the amounts which Defendant was obliged to pay, the Plaintiff has been made to suffer: 1. Grave disturbance and inconvenience which should be compensated with MORAL DAMAGES in the amount of not less than Php50,000.00; AND

ANIMO JWS CORPORATION as rep. by Its General Manager Gemma B. Baroy, Plaintiff, -versus-

2. As the Plaintiff desires to set an example to the general public in order to prevent a repeat of the reprehensible actuations of the Defendant/s, this should be sanctioned with EXEMPLARY DAMAGES in the amount of not less than Php50,000.00; and

CIVIL CASE NO. 2018-0-146

MR. SHOJI WATANABE Defendant. x------------------------------------------------x

8. To date, the Defendant continue to evade his obligation to return the amounts demanded and has rendered himself evasive and beyond contact. Moreover, there is information that he has already absconded and may already be overseas, much to the defraudation and prejudice of the Plaintiff.

SUMMONS BY PUBLICATION GROUNDS FOR ATTACHMENT

TO: MR. SHOJI WATANABE No. 39-22 Larosca Street, Sunset Estate Subdivision, Angeles City

9. The issuance of a preliminary attachment for whatever real or personal property / assets of Defendant is indispensable if the rights of the Plaintiff is to be protected. Pertinently, given previous information, Mr. Watanabe appears to have property or rights over properties located at No. 39-22 Larosca St., Sunset Estate Subdivision, Angeles City and/or over the property located at No. 75A Darter Terr. New West Kalayaan, Subic Bay Freeport Zone, and such other personal or real property such as but not limited to the following:

GREETINGS: <RX DUH KHUHE\ UHTXLUHG WR ÂżOH ZLWK WKH 2IÂżFH RI WKH 5HJLRQDO 7ULDO &RXUW %UDQFK 2ORQJDSR &LW\ ZLWKLQ VL[W\ GD\V DIWHU WKH SXEOLFDWLRQ RI WKH VXPPRQV \RXU $QVZHU WR WKH &RPSODLQW ÂżOHG ZLWK WKLV &RXUW November 20, 2018 which in substance is quoted herein below to wit:

$11(; ³$ ´ ³$ ´ &RUSRUDWH 6HFUHWDU\œV &HUWL¿FDWLRQ DQG %RDUG 5HVROXWLRQ

a. Real property, or growing crops thereon, or any interest therein, standing upon the record of the registry of deeds of the province in the name of the party against whom attachment is issued, or not appearing at all upon such records, or belonging to the party against whom attachment is issued and held by any other person, or standing on the records of the registry of deeds in the name of DQ\ RWKHU SHUVRQ E\ ÂżOLQJ ZLWK WKH UHJLVWU\ RI GHHGV D FRS\ RI WKH RUGHU WRJHWKHU ZLWK D GHVFULSWLRQ of the property attached, and a notice that it is attached, or that such real property and any interest therein held by or standing in the name of such other person are attached, and by leaving a copy of such order, description, and notice with the occupant of the property, if any, or with such other person or his agent if found within the province. Where the property has been brought under the operation of either the Land Registration Act or the Property Registration Decree, the notice shall contain a UHIHUHQFH WR WKH QXPEHU RI WKH FHUWLÂżFDWH RI WLWOH WKH YROXPH DQG SDJH LQ WKH UHJLVWUDWLRQ ERRN ZKHUH WKH FHUWLÂżFDWH LV UHJLVWHUHG DQG WKH UHJLVWHUHG RZQHU RU RZQHUV WKHUHRI 7KH UHJLVWUDU RI GHHGV PXVW LQGH[ DWWDFKPHQWV ÂżOHG XQGHU WKLV VHFWLRQ LQ WKH QDPHV RI WKH DSSOLFDQW WKH DGYHUVH SDUW\ RU WKH person by whom the property is held or in whose name it stands in the records. If the attachment is QRW FODLPHG RQ WKH HQWLUH DUHD RI WKH ODQG FRYHUHG E\ WKH FHUWLÂżFDWH RI WLWOH D GHVFULSWLRQ VXIÂżFLHQWO\ DFFXUDWH IRU WKH LGHQWLÂżFDWLRQ RI WKH ODQG RU LQWHUHVW WR EH DIIHFWHG VKDOO EH LQFOXGHG LQ WKH UHJLVWUDWLRQ of such attachment;

The PLAINTIFF may be served with the processes of the Honorable Court through the undersigned counsel at VMJ Building 2196, Room 205, E.B.B., Olongapo City, Philippines.

b. Personal property capable of manual delivery, by taking and safely keeping it in his custody, after issuing the corresponding receipt therefor.

2. The Defendant MR. SHOJI WATANABE [â&#x20AC;&#x153;DEFENDANTâ&#x20AC;?] is a Japanese citizen, of legal age, married, and with last known address at No. 39-22 Larosca St., Sunset Estate Subdivision, Angeles City.

However, his address of record with the company is at No. 75A Darter Terr, New West Kalayaan, Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

c. Stocks or shares, or an interest in stocks or shares, of any corporation or company, by leaving with the president or managing agent thereof, a copy of the writ, and a notice stating that the stock or interest of the party against whom the attachment is issued is attached in pursuance of such writ;

â&#x20AC;&#x153;COMES NOW THE PLAINTIFF ANIMO JWS CORPORATION as represented by itsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; General Manager Gemma B. Baroy [â&#x20AC;&#x2DC; PLAINTIFFâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;], to this Honorable Court, most respectfully submitting that: A. THE PARTIES 1. The Plaintiff is a juridical entity organized and existing under Philippine laws with Amended Articles of Incorporation registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission and with capacity to sue and EH VXHG ,W KROGV LWV EXVLQHVV DW LWV SULQFLSDO RIÂżFH DGGUHVV DW 3RFR D 3RFR &RQGR7HO &RUQHU 'HZH\ Avenue, Central Business District, Subic Bay Freeport Zone, Philippines.

The Plaintiff is represented by its Corporate General Manager, with authority evidenced by a Corporate 6HFUHWDU\œV &HUWL¿FDWLRQ $11(; ³$´ FRS\ RI WKH 6(& &HUWL¿FDWH RI ,QFRUSRUDWLRQ RI 3ODLQWLII HQWLW\

d. 'HEWV DQG FUHGLWV LQFOXGLQJ EDQN GHSRVLWV ÂżQDQFLDO LQWHUHVW UR\DOWLHV FRPPLVVLRQV DQG RWKHU personal property not capable of manual delivery, by leaving with the person owing such debts, or having in his possession or under his control, such credits or other personal property, or with his agent, a copy of the writ, and notice that the debts owing by him to the party against whom attachment is issued, and the credits and other personal property in his possession, or under his control, belonging to said party, are attached in pursuance of such writ;

B. CAUSES OF ACTION 3. The present case is a complaint for collection of sum of money arising from a Memorandum of Agreement [MOA] dated December 29, 2012 and with notarial date of January 18, 2013 after they again appeared EHIRUH WKH QRWDU\ SXEOLF WR FRQÂżUP WKHLU GXO\ VLJQHG 02$

e. The interest of the party against whom attachment is issued in property belonging to the estate of the decedent, whether as heir, legatee, or devisee, by serving the executor or administrator or other personal representative of the decedent with a copy of the writ and notice that said interest is DWWDFKHG $ FRS\ RI VDLG ZULW RI DWWDFKPHQW DQG RI VDLG QRWLFH VKDOO DOVR EH ÂżOHG LQ WKH RIÂżFH RI WKH clerk of the court in which said estate is being settled and served upon the heir, legatee or devisee concerned.

4. Under the MOA, Defendant was to pay the Plaintiff the full amount of TWO HUNDRED THIRTY FIVE THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED FOURTEEN AND 26/100 UNITED STATES DOLLARS (U$D235,714.26) Under the MOA, Defendant made the categorical warranties to the effect that: a. In Whereas clause no. 8, MOA dated December 29, 2012, it was warranted by Defendant that he had the credit, solvency and power to faithfully honor his obligation;

10. Thus, the properties sought to be attached as any of the forgoing, may cover at least a portion of or the entirety of his obligations. Thus, its attachment is also prayed for considering that:

b. In Item â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Aâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, par. 2, subpar. 2, MOA dated December 29, 2012, Defendant committed to repay the earlier stated amount without need of further demand or judicial intervention; and c In Whereas clause no. 7, MOA dated December 29, 2012, 'HIHQGDQW XQGHUWRRN WKDW KH ZLOO IXOÂżOO KLV obligation to preserve his honor and integrity as he claimed to have a deep sense of responsibility.

D ,WV DWWDFKPHQW LV MXVWLÂżHG XQGHU 5XOH RI WKH 5XOHV RI &LYLO 3URFHGXUH YL] Sec. 1. Grounds upon which attachment may issue. - At the commencement of the action or at any time before entry of judgment, a plaintiff or any proper party may have the property of the adverse party attached as security for the satisfaction of any judgment that may be recovered in the following cases:

ANNEX â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; copy of the Memorandum of Agreement between Plaintiff and Defendant.

(a) ,Q DQ DFWLRQ IRU WKH UHFRYHU\ RI D VSHFLÂżHG DPRXQW RI PRQH\ RU GDPDJHV other than moral and exemplary, on a cause of action arising from law, contract, quasi contract, delict or quasi-delict against a party who is about to depart from the Philippines with intent to defraud his creditors; (b) In an action for money or property embezzled or fraudulently misapplied or converted to his own use E\ D SXEOLF RIÂżFHU RU DQ RIÂżFHU RI D FRUSRUDWLRQ RU DQ DWWRUQH\ IDFWRU EURNHU DJHQW RU FOHUN LQ WKH FRXUVH RI KLV HPSOR\PHQW DV VXFK RU E\ DQ\ RWKHU SHUVRQ LQ D ÂżGXFLDU\ FDSDFLW\ RU IRU a willful violation of duty; (c) ln an action to recover the possession of property unjustly or fraudulently taken, detained or converted, when the property, or any part thereof, has been concealed, removed, or disposed of to prevent its being found or taken by the applicant or an authorized person; (d) In an action against a party who has been guilty of a fraud in contracting the debt or incurring the obligation upon which the action is brought, or in the performance thereof; (e) ln an action against a party who has removed or disposed of his property, or is about to do so, with intent to defraud his creditors; or (f) In an action against a party who does not reside and is not found in the Philippines, or on whom summons may be served by publication.

C. FACTS IN SUPPORT OF THE CAUSE OF ACTION FOR THE PRESENT COLLECTION OF SUM OF MONEY 5. Stripped to its barest essential, the ultimate facts are as follows: a. Despite WKH ODSVH RI PRUH WKDQ ÂżYH \HDUV counted from the time of signing of the MOA, and the ODSVH RI PRUH WKDQ ÂżYH \HDUV counted from the time of notarization of the MOA, the Defendant has not paid a single cent of his indebtedness. b. Despite verbal reminders and eventually demands, Defendant has remained non-compliant with his contractual obligation, much to the prejudice of the Company. c. Given the lapse of more than substantial time, Plaintiff was constrained to send a Final Demand Letter to his last known address, whereby he was given the following notice and demand: MR. SHOJI WATANABE No. 39-22 Larosca Street Sunset Estate Subdivision Angeles City, Pampanga /Poco-a-Poco Condotel

,I SUD\HU IRU ZULW RI DWWDFKPHQW LV LQFOXGHG LQ D &RPSODLQW YHULÂżFDWLRQ LQ WKH &RPSODLQW LV VXIÂżFLHQW separate DIÂżGDYLW LV QRW QHFHVVDU\

RE: FINAL NOTICE OF REPEATED DEFAULT IN OBLIGATION; DEMAND FINAL DEMAND TO PAY LONG OVERDUE OBLIGATION; DEMAND TO COORDINATE WITH LAW OFFICE OR ANIMO TO ENSURE STRICT COMPLIANCE.

6HF $IÂżGDYLW DQG ERQG UHTXLUHG $Q RUGHU RI DWWDFKPHQW VKDOO EH JUDQWHG RQO\ ZKHQ LW DSSHDUV E\ WKH DIÂżGDYLW RI WKH DSSOLFDQW RU VRPH RWKHU SHUVRQ ZKR SHUVRQDOO\ NQRZV WKH IDFWV WKDW D VXIÂżFLHQW FDXVH RI DFWLRQ H[LVWV WKDW WKH FDVH LV RQH RI WKRVH PHQWLRQHG LQ VHFWLRQ KHUHRI WKDW WKHUH LV QR RWKHU VXIÂżFLHQW VHFXULW\ IRU WKH claim sought to be enforced by the action, and that the amount due to the applicant, or the value of the property the possession of which he is entitled to recover, is as much as the sum for which the order is granted above DOO OHJDO FRXQWHUFODLPV 7KH DIÂżGDYLW DQG WKH ERQG UHTXLUHG E\ WKH QH[W VXFFHHGLQJ VHFWLRQ PXVW EH GXO\ ÂżOHG with the court before the order issues.

Dear MR. WATANABE: On behalf of ANIMO JWS CORPORATION [â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;ANIMOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;], this constitutes your NOTICE OF REPEATED DEFAULT IN OBLIGATION. It also serves as a FINAL DEMAND TO PAY YOUR LONG OVERDUE OBLIGATION in the total amount of TWO HUNDRED SEVENTY FIVE THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED NINE AND 69/100 UNITED STATES DOLLARS (U$D275,709.69). YOU ARE DEMANDED TO FULLY PAY THE SAME WITHIN A NON EXTENDABLE PERIOD OF ON OR BEFORE 5:00PM of AUGUST 31, 2018.

Sec. 2, XXX.

D VXIÂżFLHQW FDXVH RI DFWLRQ H[LVWV IRU 3ODLQWLII XQGHU WKH SUHVHQW OHJDO DFWLRQ 2. the present case is one of those mentioned in Sec 1(a) of Rule 57; WKHUH LV QR RWKHU VXIÂżFLHQW VHFXULW\ IRU WKH FODLP VRXJKW WR EH HQIRUFHG E\ WKH 3ODLQWLIIÂśV DFWLRQ DQG the amount due to the Plaintiff as applicant for attachment or the value of the property of which she is entitled to recover is as much as the sum for which the order is granted above all legal counterclaims; 4. Plaintiff shall post the required bond as may be instructed by the Honorable Court, and shall comply with any other requirement imposed by the Honorable Court:.

It bears emphasis that ANIMO was enticed to oblige in the MOA solely by reason of your aforementioned SULRU ZDUUDQWLHV DQG UHSUHVHQWDWLRQV ZLWK WKH ÂżVFDO SURYLVLRQV PHUHO\ VHUYLQJ DV ORJLFDO OHJDO DQG HFRQRPLF consequences of the instrument. It is therefore your breach of the good faith trust reposed in you by ANIMO which underscores the gravity of your default.

11. Plaintiff reserves the right to pursue other legal action viable under the circumstances including any other cause of action independent of the present case.

Yet to date, and clearly without any sense of accountability, you have continuously evaded and defaulted in your obligation despite your clear accountability relating to what you very well know to be your long overdue, liquidated, and demandable obligation.

PRAYER WHEREFORE, premises considered, it is most respectfully prayed of the Honorable Court that judgment be rendered against the Defendant, with issuance of a decision/order to the effect that Defendant be made to pay Plaintiff the following: 1. Actual damages, viz: a. TWO HUNDRED SEVENTY SEVEN THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED FIFTEEN AND 99/100 UNITED STATES DOLLARS (U$D277,315.99) WITH THE STIPULATED INTEREST AS OF NOVEMBER 15, 2018 plus legal interest;

)DLOXUH WR FRPSO\ ZLWK RU UHIXVDO WR UHFHLYH RU HYDVLRQ RI WKLV OHWWHU VKDOO EH GHHPHG DQ XQMXVWLÂżHG intransigence and refusal. Be advised that, at this juncture, the undersigned shall not hesitate to coordinate ZLWK ODZ HQIRUFHPHQW RIÂżFHV in the event you continue to unjustly refuse to pay -which shall also precipitate- the ÂżOLQJ RI WKH QHFHVVDU\ &5,0,1$/ DQG RU &,9,/ FDVH ZLWK FRVWV GDPDJHV FKDUJHDEOH DJDLQVW \RX WR HQVXUH full enforcement of ANIMOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s legitimate rights.

b. Php75,000.00 for legal services secured as they were forced to litigate the present action by reason RI WKH XQMXVWLÂżHG UHIXVDO WR FRPSO\ E\ WKH 'HIHQGDQW ZLWK KLV OHJDO REOLJDWLRQ DQG 3KS SHU KHDULQJ LQ DGGLWLRQ WR UHLPEXUVHPHQW RI ÂżOLQJ IHHV UHPLWWHG WR WKH +RQRUDEOH 2IÂżFH RI WKH Executive Clerk of Court; and

Be sternly warned that most your preferential attention and prompt compliance is strictly obliged .

ANNEX â&#x20AC;&#x153;Câ&#x20AC;? and series - copy of the Demand Letter sent to Defendant.

c. Costs of suit as may be proven in the course of the trial. d. As a sign of good faith, another demand was again sent to Defendant to his last known address and WR KLV RIÂżFLDO DGGUHVV RI UHFRUG ZLWK WKH FRPSDQ\ %XW VWLOO WR QR DYDLO

2. Moral and Exemplary Damages in the total amount of not less than Php50,000.00 each (Php50,000 as Moral Damages plus Php50,000 as Exemplary Damages); and

ANNEX â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dâ&#x20AC;? and series - copy of another Demand Letter again sent to Defendant.

3. Issuance of a preliminary and eventually permanent attachment over real or personal properties which may be registered under the name of or over which Mr. Watanabe may be found to hold or possess, including but not limited to any rights or interest he may have over properties located at No. 39-22 Larosca Street, Sunset Estate Subdivision, Angeles City and/or over the property located at No. 75A Darter Terr. New West Kalayaan, Subic Bay Freeport Zone, and such other personal or real property as mentioned in paragraph 9(a) to 9(e) of the body of the present complaint/action as may be in accordance with law and pertinent rules.

e. To date, Defendant has not replied to the demand letter. As per information received, he may have absconded as he also has other issues, concerns and potential cases against him by other Filipinos and fellow Japanese who per information relayed he has also prejudiced.

6. Considering its predicament, Plaintiff caused the preparation of the present complaint for collection of sum of money.

7KH SUHVHQW FRPSODLQW ZDV WKH ÂżQDO DYDLODEOH UHOLHI FRQVLGHULQJ WKDW GHVSLWH WKH ODSVH RI VXEVWDQWLDO WLPH and various concessions given to Defendant, including the Plaintiffs act of giving him the chance to rectify his various acts of fraud against the company, as it gave him a chance to make up provided he honors his MOA, yet he has not taken not even an iota of an effort to honor the same.

7. By reason of the act of the Defendant in not honoring the MOA, and the present status of the Defendant who has not contacted the Plaintiff, or taken effort to coordinate for the settlement of his substantial obligations, the Plaintiff was made to suffer damage and prejudice which, among others include:

Other reliefs just and equitable are likewise prayed for.

Pursuant to the Order dated 04 December 2018, let service of Summons upon defendant Mr. Shoji Watanabe be effected by publication in any newspaper of general circulation in the Philippines.

WITNESS THE HONORABLE RICHARD A. PARADEZA, Presiding Judge of this Court, this 13th day of February 2019 in Olongapo City.

D $FWXDO GDPDJHV RI ORVV RI WKH EHQHÂżFLDO XVH RI WKH principal amount of TWO HUNDRED THIRTY FIVE THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED FOURTEEN AND 26/100 UNITED STATES DOLLARS (U$D235,714.26) BUT WHICH NOW TOTALS TWO HUNDRED SEVENTY SEVEN THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED FlFTEEN AND 99 /100 UNITED STATES DOLLARS (U$ D277,315.99) WITH THE STIPULATED INTEREST AS OF NOVEMBER 15, 2018.

(SGD.) MARY KHRISTEL A. DEOMPOC Clerk of Court V

1

ANNEX â&#x20AC;&#x153;Eâ&#x20AC;? and series - copy of the recently demanded amounts. b. Actual damages in terms of litigation expenses and legal services which it was constrained to seek JLYHQ WKH XQMXVWLÂżHG UHIXVDO RI WKH 'HIHQGDQW WR KRQRU KLV REOLJDWLRQ ZLWK LQLWLDO FRVWV DW Php75,000.00

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

NOTICE

NOTICE

Notice is hereby given that HORIZON LAND PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, RZQHU GHYHORSHU KDYH ÂżOHG ZLWK this Board a sworn registration statement for the sale of lots and units at QUANTUM RESIDENCES located at Taft Avenue, Pasay City.

The above project was issued &HUWLÂżFDWH RI 5HJLVWUDWLRQ 1R 029430 dated September 24, 2018 and Temporary License to Sell No. ENCRFO-18-09-007 dated September 24, 2018.

Notice is hereby given that TORRE LORENZO LOYOLA DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION (formerly LOCKHART, INC.) 2ZQHU 'HYHORSHU KDV ÂżOHG ZLWK this Board a sworn registration statement for the sale of lots and units at TORRE LORENZO LOYOLA located at Rosa Alvero St., Loyola Heights, Diliman, Quezon City, VSHFLÂżFDOO\ GHVFULEHG DV 3ODQ 1R (LRA) PCN-E2016000034 covered

by TCT Nos. 004-2016007507 with a total area of 1,100 square meters.

The foregoing project is utilizing the Participation Through Investment/ Incentivized Compliance, by depositing the amount of Twenty Seven Million One Hundred Ninety Thousand Six Hundred Fifteen and 97/100 (Php 27,190,617.97) in a Trust Account under Escrow Agreement executed on December 28, 2018 between the HOUSING AND LAND USE REGULATORY BOARD, H O R I Z O N L A N D P R O P E RT Y D E V â&#x20AC;&#x2122; T C O R P O R AT I O N a n d METROPOLITAN BANK & TRUST COMPANY-Trust Banking Group as its compliance pursuant to Section 18 of Republic Act No. 7279, as amended

by Republic Act No.10884.

The foregoing project is utilizing the Participation Through Investment/ Incentivized Compliance, by depositing the amount of Five Million Twenty Five Thousand Fifty Three Pesos and 87/100 (Php 5,025,053.87) in a Trust Account under Escrow Agreement executed on February 12, 2019 between the HOUSING AND LAND USE REGULATORY BOARD, TORRE LORENZO LOYOLA DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION and METROPOLITAN BANK & TRUST COMPANY-Trust Banking Group as its compliance pursuant to Section 18 of Republic Act No. 7279, as amended by Republic Act No.10884.

All papers relative thereto shall upon request and payment of processing fee, be available for inspection during business hours by any person having legal interest thereon.

Absent any legal impediment, the above-cited project is deemed registered and a certificate, in evidence thereof, shall forthwith be LVVXHG DIWHU ÂżYH GD\V IURP WKH ODVW day of publication.

Quezon City, Metro Manila, FEB 21, 2019 (SGD) ATTY. NORMAN JACINTO P. DORAL 2IÂżFHU LQ &KDUJH M.T.-Feb. 28 & Mar. 7, 2019

All papers relative thereto shall upon request and payment of processing fee, be available for inspection during business hours by any person having legal interest thereon.

Absent any legal impediment, the above-cited project is deemed registered and a certificate, in evidence thereof, shall forthwith be LVVXHG DIWHU ÂżYH GD\V IURP WKH ODVW day of publication.

Quezon City, Metro Manila, ATTY. NORMAN JACINTO P. DORAL 2IÂżFHU ,Q &KDUJH M.T.-February 28 & Mar. 7, 2019

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC 3XEOLF LV KHUHE\ QRWLÂżHG WKDW WKH DA-Bureau of Plant Industry has issued on February 21, 2019 a biosafety permit for direct use as Food and Feed or for Processing (FFP) to soybean DAS-444066 owned and licensed by Dow AgroSciences B.V.-Philippine Branch.

MT â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Feb. 28, 2019

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC 3XEOLF LV KHUHE\ QRWLÂżHG WKDW WKH DA-Bureau of Plant Industry has issued on February 21, 2019 a biosafety permit for direct use as Food and Feed or for Processing (FFP) to maize TC1507 owned and licensed by Pioneer Hi-Bred Philippines and Dow AgroSciences B.V.-Philippine Branch.

MT â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Feb. 28, 2019

NOTICE OF EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF ESTATE Notice is hereby given that the estate of the late JUANITA NG FAN was extrajudicially-settled by and among her heirs on February 11, 2019 and acknowledged as Doc. No. 218 on Page No. 24 of Book No. 1 Series of 2019 before Atty. Germino G. Bagares, a notary public for and in the City of Manila.

MT â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Feb. 14, 21 & 28, 2019

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

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

The Manila Times DOES NOT ask for money to stop news articles from being published.

This paper does not condone any form of blackmail.

c. It is clear that all requisites for issuance of writ of attachment obtain, as the Plaintiff via representative ATTESTS that, viz:

As you very well know also, you conveyed prior warranties and representations as to your â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;credit, solvency and power to faithfully honorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;1 your obligation without need of further demand or judicial intervention2 as you represented yourself to desire preservation of your â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;honor and integrityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;deep sense of responsibilityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;3.

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

B7

E 1RWDEO\ WKH IRUHJRLQJ UHTXLUHPHQWV VSHFLÂżFDOO\ DV WR WKH FODLP IRU D VSHFLÂżF DPRXQW RI GDPDJHV the fraud and misrepresentation made by Defendant as to his credit, solvency and warranty to pay KLV REOLJDWLRQV IRU IXQGV KH LPSURSHUO\ DQG LOOHJDOO\ DSSURSULDWHG WRQ KLV RZQ XVH DQG EHQHÂżW ZLWKRXW MXVWLÂżFDWLRQ KLV FRQWLQXRXV HYDVLRQ RI REOLJDWLRQ DQG WKH UHFHQW LQIRUPDWLRQ KH LV DERXW WR OHDYH RU KDV actually left the country, among others, as shall be proven in the course of trial.

As you very well know, the demanded amount represents the amount which you owe to the Corporation pursuant to the Memorandum of Agreement â&#x20AC;&#x153;MOAâ&#x20AC;? dated December 29, 2012, together with accumulated interest computed as of August 24, 2018, which is still unpaid as of the date of this writing. Initially, you resorted to requests for more time which were granted solely out of humanitarian consideration but without waiver of right / causes of action which already accrued. Unfortunately, you eventually resorted to evasion and have rendered yourself to be beyond contact.

You are thus given this FINAL DEMAND TO PAY YOUR LONG OVERDUE OBLIGATION in the total amount of TWO HUNDRED SEVENTY FIVE THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED NINE AND 69/100 UNITED STATES DOLLARS (U$D275,709.69). YOU ARE DEMANDED TO FULLY PAY THE SAME WITHIN A NONEXTENDABLE PERIOD OF ON OR BEFORE 5:00PM of AUGUST 31, 2018.

THURSDAY February 28, 2019

Whereas clause no. 8, MOA dated December 29, 2012.

Item â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Aâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, par. 2, subpar. 2, MOA dated December 29, 2012.

3 Whereas clause no. 7, MOA dated December 29, 2012.

2

MT - Feb. 28, March 4 & 11, 2019

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

Please email your resumĂŠ at: hrd@manilatimes.net, or you may apply personally at 2/F Sitio Grande Bldg., 409 A. Soriano Avenue, Intramuros, Manila (Formerly TRB Bldg.), or you may call Irish de Guzman at 524-5664 local 122.

TTHURSDAY H U RSDAY FEBRUARY 28, 20199

Public Square

B8 Public Square appears on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

For contributions, email to publicsquare@manilatimes.net

publicsquare@manilatimes.net

Red Cross vaccinates 1,300 children in Baseco I

N its continuing efforts to contain the measles crisis in the country, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) immunized a total of 1,307 children in Baseco, Manila for the kRST PHASE OF ITS COMMUNITY BASED measles control program.

PRC, in partnership with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, DEPLOYED ABOUT VOLUNTEERS composed of doctors, nurses, health workers, and logistics assistants to CONDUCT HOUSE TO HOUSE VACCINATION AND STATION BASED OPERATIONS in Corazon Aquino Health Center.

According to PRC Chairman Richard Gordon, PRC held MASS VACCINATION IN -ANILA FIRST BECAUSE ITS THE HOTSPOT OF THE MEASLES OUTBREAK !SIDE FROM VACCINATING CHILDREN

PRC also took time to educate PARENTS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF VACcination to protect their children from acquiring contagious diseases.

Q A Red Cross volunteer vaccinates a child while Philippine Red Cross Chairman Richard Gordon (behind) looks on.

In addition to its community- PRC has also installed measles care kVE HOSPITALS IN -ANILA -ARIKINA

BASED MEASLES CONTROL PROGRAM units or outdoor hospital wards in Rizal, and Quezon City.

AAP names Kevin Tan as Entrepreneur of the Year

Mega Global Corp moves to new distribution center

AS the producer of the leading sarDINES BRAND -EGA 3ARDINES -EGA #REATIONS 3ARDINES -EGA 4UNA AND -EGA 0RIME 1UALITY -EGA 'LOBAL #ORP MOVES TO A BIGGER BOLDER AND BETTER DISTRIBUTION CENTER IN 6ALENZUELA #ITY g/UR BRANDS AND PRODUCTS CAN BE seen throughout the Philippines and THE WORLD WE BELIEVE THAT INTRODUCING INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS THAT ARE HIGHER quality, healthier, tastier, and affordABLE IS KEY TO OUR EXPANSION IN THE GLOBAL LANDSCAPE u SAID -ARVIN 4IU ,IM -EGA 'LOBAL #ORP S VICE PRESIdent for Sales and Marketing.

!T THE HEART OF THE ,UZON DISTRIBUtion center is a warehouse that can efficiently store goods, sufficiently SUPPLYING THE ,UZON DISTRIBUTION HUB 4HE WAREHOUSE ALSO FEATURES CUTTING edge technology that conforms to international standards, which is in LINE WITH THE COMPANY S AIMS TO HAVE ITS WAREHOUSE )3/ CERTIkED 7ITH ITS NEW DISTRIBUTION CENTER

-EGA 'LOBAL IS SET TO REACH MORE CONsumers with its freshest and highestquality canned products. &OR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.

MEGAGLOBAL COM PH

St. Lukeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Quezon City remains AABB-accredited

Q Presenting the award were honorees and hosts, from left: Rick SobreviĂąas, American Association of the Philippines chairman; Craig Reines, Sitel COO; Steven Reilly, Resorts World Manila COO; Grace Bondad Nicolas, TAG Media Group co- founder; Arnel Pineda, singer and founder of Arnel Pineda Foundation Inc.; Sam Verzosa, Frontrow International co-founder; US Ambassador Sung Kim; Micheal Tolentino, Tolentino Eye Research Foundation co-founder; and May Thorssen, Adapt Innovation Philippines co-founder. ). LINE WITH ITS ST ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION !MERICAN !SSOCIATION of the Philippines (AAP) honored +EVIN 4AN OF -EGAWORLD AS g%Ntrepreneur of the Yearâ&#x20AC;? during its George Washington Charity Ball held at Makati Shangri-La, in -AKATI #ITY ON &EBRUARY +EVIN 4AN IS THE #%/ OF !LLI-

ANCE 'LOBAL )NC !')

ONE OF his companies and one of the 0HILIPPINES MOST DIVERSIFIED conglomerates with interests IN FOOD AND BEVERAGE INDUSTRY

gaming and entertainment, tourism and hospitality, real ESTATE DEVELOPMENT AND QUICK SERVICE RESTAURANTS

4AN ALSO HOLDS DIRECTORSHIPS IN !') COMPANIES INCLUDING %MPERADOR )NC 'LOBAL %STATE 2ESORTS )NC '%2) %MPIRE %AST ,AND (OLDINGS )NC %%,() 'OLDEN !RCHES $EVELOPMENT #ORPORATION '!$# AS WELL AS BEING THE master franchiser of McDonaldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Philippines, Resorts World Manila

and Megaworld Corp.

4HE !!0 IS THE HISTORIC PARTNERSHIP OF ITS MEMBERSÂ&#x2021;THE !MERICAN COMMUNITY THE 53 %MBASSY

AND THE !MERICAN CORPORATIONSÂ&#x2021; which in 1949, successfully helped the struggling local Americans DISPLACED BY THE RAVAGES OF 7ORLD War II in the Philippines.

AXA PH trains coaches for Junior NBA tip-off event !3 THE OFkCIAL INSURANCE PARTNER of the NBA, AXA Philippines, one of the leading insurance companies in the country, recently PARTICIPATED IN THE g4RAIN THE 4RAINERSu PROGRAM THAT TIPPED OFF THE *R ."! 0HILIPPINES PRESENTED BY !LASKA 4HE TRAINING PROGRAM PREPARED COACHES FROM DIFFERent parts of the country for the upcoming Jr. NBA Philippines program, as well as for other important things in life.

AXA Philippines sales head Jotham Manlapaz and training Q Raffle winners Janeth YaĂąez, Gary Logen Radaza, Manuel Mercado, Benedict Gawat and Josephine Bonor with OFFICER AND FINANCIAL ADVISOR Jotham Manlapaz (extreme left), Riemann Lardizabal (2nd, R), and Jr. NBA head coach Carlos Barroca (extreme right).

2IEMANN ,ARDIZABAL CONDUCTED Adding excitement to the talk was VIDED PERSONAL ACCIDENT INSURANCE an engaging financial literacy the coaches can start their game A RAFlE GIVEAWAY WHERE !8! PRO- CARDS WORTH 0 OF COVERAGE seminar and shared tips on how plan in life.

Tim Hortons PH brings goodness to Food for Hungry Minds School 4)- (/24/.3 0HILIPPINES KICKED OFF ITS g-AKE 9OUR $AY 'OODu CAMPAIGN BY SHARING ITS DELICIOUS AND FRESHLY BAKED FOOD to the students of Food for Hungry Minds School Inc., in Pasay. g4IM (ORTONS WANTS TO BRING GOODNESS EVERY DAY TO PEOPLE anywhere. Something as simple as a coffee or a donut can make someoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s day or make them smile,â&#x20AC;? said Stephanie Guerrero MARKETING DIRECTOR OF 4IM (ORTONS 0HILIPPINES g7ITH (UNGRY -INDS 3CHOOL WE ARE ABLE TO share the warmth and goodness WITH CHILDREN IN DISADVANTAGED communities and help them in our own little way.â&#x20AC;?

Hungry Minds is an organization that helps create schools for children in the marginalized areas in the world with the aim of helping them succeed academically through the Philippine education

34 ,UKE S -EDICAL #ENTER 1UEZON Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Institute of Pathology Cellular Immunology and Molecular Pathology Section was accredited FOR THE THIRD CONSECUTIVE TIME BY THE American Association of Blood Banks !!"" FOR 2ELATIONSHIP 4ESTING AFTER a successful on-site assessment on $ECEMBER AND

4HIS SOLIDIkES 3T ,UKE S 1UEZON City as the only hospital with an AABB-accredited facility in the Philippines and in Southeast Asia.

4HE !!"" !CCREDITATION 0ROGRAM promotes the highest standard of care for patients, donors, and products in

all aspects of transfusion medicine, cellular therapies, transplantation, and relationship testing. +NOWN ALL OVER THE COUNTRY FOR HAVING THE MOST COMPLETE LINE OF LABORATORY SERVICES USING TOP OF THE LINE LABORATORY EQUIPMENT 3T ,UKE S Institute of Pathology is composed of a highly competent and thorough team of pathologists, medical techNOLOGISTS AND TECHNICIANS WHO ABLY assists clinicians and other healthcare PROVIDERS IN THE DIAGNOSIS TREATMENT

and prognostication of diseases. &OR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www. stlukes.com.ph.

IBM adds $25-M investment initiative to life-saving technology IBM recently announced Code and 2ESPONSE A NEW MILLION FOUR YEAR DEPLOYMENT INITIATIVE TO PUT OPEN SOURCE TECHNOLOGIES DEVELOPED as part of coding challenges such as Call for Code in the communities where they are needed most.

Code and Response includes RESOURCES TO BUILD FORTIFY TEST AND IMPLEMENT SOLUTIONS AT SCALE 4HE INITIATIVE IS SUPPORTED BY HUNDREDS of IBMers as part of the IBM CorPORATE 3ERVICE #ORPS AS WELL AS GOVERNMENT AND .'/ PARTNERS TO PUT THOSE TECHNOLOGIES TO WORK SAVING LIVES ! NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH THE #LINTON 'LOBAL )NITIATIVE 5NIVERSITY

WILL ALSO HELP PROVIDE COLLEGE AGE DEVELOPERS WITH THE SKILLS AND REsources they need to turn their ideas INTO ACTION )N ITS kRST YEAR #ODE AND 2ESPONSE WILL PILOT 0ROJECT /WL

the winning solution from Call FOR #ODE IN DISASTER STRUCK regions like Puerto Rico, North #AROLINA /SAKA AND +ERALA g7E RE OVERWHELMED BY THE SUCCESS of Call for Code and applaud IBM and their Code and Response initiaTIVE u SAID $AVID #LARK #%/ OF $AVID #LARK #AUSE g#ODE AND 2ESPONSE demonstrates IBMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commitment to IMPACTING REAL CHANGE IN PEOPLE S LIVES

BY TURNING IDEAS INTO REALITY u

QC approves subdivision plans in Brgy Bagong Silangan, Payatas 4/ FURTHER PROMOTE LOCAL LAND OWNERSHIP THE 1UEZON #ITY GOVERNMENT THROUGH THE 1# #OUNCIL APPROVED TWO SUBDIVISION PLANS IN "ARANGAY "AGONG Silangan and Barangay Payatas. /RDINANCE INTRODUCED BY #OUNCILORS 0RECIOUS (IPOLITO Castelo and Franz Pumaren, authoRIZES THE SUBDIVISION PLAN OF -EADOW (EIGHTS 2ESIDENCES FOR SALEABLE lots located along J. P. Rizal Street in Barangay Bagong Silangan.

Councilor Castelo also authored /RDINANCE THAT APPROVES THE LOT SUBDIVISION PLAN OF ,AKAS ng Lower Hasmin Homeowners Association, Inc. along Camia Street, Lower Hasmin, in Barangay Payatas A. 4HE SUBDIVISION PLANS ARE APPROVED IN COMPLIANCE TO /RDINANCE OR THE 1UEZON #ITY #OMPREHENSIVE :ONING /RDINANCES OF THAT PROVIDES ADDITIONAL HOUSING LOTS for the residents of the city.

Every day is a Hollyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day

Q Tim Hortons PH brings donuts and drinks to students of Food for Hungry Minds School. /VER PERCENT OF ITS SCHOLARS completing their college education.

SYSTEM 3INCE (UNGRY -INDS For more details on Food for HAS PROVIDED HIGH QUALITY EDUCA- complete high school and 81 perTION TO UNDERPRIVILEGED KIDS cent of their graduates continue on (UNGRY -INDS VISIT www.foodforTO FURTHER EDUCATION WITH PERCENT hungryminds.org. in Manila and Bulacan.

/. ANY GIVEN DAY MOST OF us use dairy products withOUT EVEN THINKING ABOUT IT But while there are many choices for milk in the market, the freshest option is ALWAYS THE BESTÂ&#x2021;THE KIND OF milk that Hollyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s offers.

4AKEN FROM HYBRID Holstein-Sahiwal cows, Hollyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Milk is honestto-goodness, healthy, and fresh, PRODUCED BY 4HE ,AGUNA #REAMERY of Real Fresh Dairy Farms, Inc. Hollyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Milk is pasteurized in ORDER TO MAINTAIN AS MANY PROBIOTIC QUALITIES AS POSSIBLE )T DOES NOT contain any steroids or hormones

that can compromise the health of ITS MILKING COWS AND THEIR CALVES 4HE COWS ROAM FREELY IN THEIR NATURAL ENVIRONMENT ALLOWING THEM TO consistently produce high quality and great-tasting milk. &OR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www. hollysmilk.com.

Sports

THURSDAY C1 FEBRUARY 28, 2019 www.manilatimes.net

Q The Philippinesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Jordan Clarkson (center) shoots against Syria in the menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s basketball 5th and 6th place final match between Syria and the Philippines on August 31, 2018 during the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta.

AFP FILE PHOTO

Clarkson fuels Philippine #LetJordanPlay World Cup clamor N

BA star Jordan Clarkson is stoking Philippine fansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; clamor to allow him to play in this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s World Cup as their team seeks to hurdle FIBAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eligibility rules.

The Philippine Basketball Federation (SBP) is appealing to basketballâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s world-governing body to recognize Clarkson as a Filipino citizen, allowing him to play for Gilas Pilipinas who won a World Cup berth last weekend.

The Filipino-American Cleveland Cavaliers guard on Tuesday

(Wednesday in Manila) congratulated Gilas and expressed hope of joining the team again after carryING THE lAG FOR THE 0HILIPPINES AT last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Asian Games. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Such a honor for the country, qualifying for the world cup, so hyped!!! hope to see you guys in China!!!,â&#x20AC;? the 26-year-old said in

an Instagram post sharing a photo of himself wearing the Philippines team jersey.

Basketball is a virtual religion in the Southeast Asian nation and enthusiastic fans were quick to comment on the post with their approval using the hashtag â&#x20AC;&#x153;#LetJordanPlay.â&#x20AC;?

Unlike the Asian Games, the World Cup operates under FIBA rules which could classify Clarkson as a â&#x20AC;&#x153;naturalizedâ&#x20AC;? player. FIBA restricts each team to one naturalized player.

This means the Philippines

would have to choose between Clarkson and ex-Brooklyn Nets center Andray Blatche, who acquired Filipino nationality by naturalization.

Philippine basketball boss Al Panlilio told Agence France-Presse the federation wanted FIBA to recognize that Clarkson was a Filipino by blood under local laws, adding he obtained his Filipino passport after the age 16.

The Cavaliers, who currently have the third-worst record in the 2018-2019 season, are expected to miss this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s playoffs.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s perfect timing because the ."! IS ON BREAK $EkNITELY *ORDAN will help us a lot,â&#x20AC;? Panlilio told Agence France-Presse.

Blatche, who led the Gilas victory over Kazakhstan in Astana on Sunday to secure World Cup QUALIkCATION HAILED THE POSSIBILITY of teaming up with Clarkson at the August 31-September 15 tournament to be hosted by China. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If we can get him, that would be huge. If we were to have me and him together with the team WE HAVE NOW WE CAN DEkNITELY GO and make some noise, make some

wins,â&#x20AC;? Blatche told Sports5 television on Wednesday.

Sports fans and analysts have said a Clarkson-Blatche combination in the World Cup would be a â&#x20AC;&#x153;dream teamâ&#x20AC;? for Gilas, ranked 31st in the world.

They said they wanted to see Clarkson play ahead of the Philippines co-hosting the 2023 World Cup. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He should be the face of that tournament. As early as now, FIBA should ease him into that role,â&#x20AC;? said Twitter user @RakiRockefeller .

AFP

Boxing fathers and sons

N

EWS that Manny Pacquiao has discouraged his son to lace up gloves stirred some interest lately, and heaven only knows if Emmanuel Jimuel would relent on his dream of pursuing a boxing career.

While Jimuel showed some form in a two-round bout against an unheralded opponent, the reality is it will be very hard for him to equal his fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s accomplishments like winning world titles in eight divisions and being among the top pay-per-view (PPV) draws in his era.

But then, who is going to stop the sons of ACCOMPLISHED kGHTERS FROM EMULATING THEIR fathers? The sportâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history has numerous stories of boxers following in the footsteps of their fathers, with many of them, however, falling short of expectations especially if their fathers were among the top dogs in their eras.

Case in point was Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., who held the World Boxing Council middleweight (160 pounds) world title from June 2011 to September 2012, racking up three successful defenses before losing it to Sergio -ARTINEZ IN A UNIkCATION BOUT (E IS THE SON of Julio Cesar Chavez, considered one of the greatest boxers of all time, winning titles in three weight divisions and racking up an impressive record of 107-6-2 with 86 knockouts.

While the elder Chavez faltered late in his career against up-and-coming fighters like Oscar Dela Hoya, nobody can take away his impressive legacy making him among the alltime greats in the sport.

Compared to his father, Chavez Jr. was a big kGHTER AT u "UT HE FAILED TO CAPITALIZE ON his size while the elder Chavez at 5â&#x20AC;&#x2122;7â&#x20AC;? relied on grit and raw courage to mow down his opponents. Maybe Chavez Jr. was better off as a movie star given his good looks.

On the distaff, Floyd Mayweather Sr. never won a world title and closed his career with a record of 28-6-1 with 17 KOS. And we all know what his son Floyd Jr. has achieved - winning WORLD TITLES IN kVE DIVISIONS AND REMAINING undefeated to this day. Floyd Jr. was also one of the top PPV draws in his era sharing the limelight with Pacquiao, among others.

At present, there are two sons of now retired former world champions who show potential to be like their fathers: welterweight (147 pounds) Conor Benn, the son of Nigel, one of the best champions at super middleweight (168 pounds); and Chris Eubank Jr. also a super middleweight, the son of Chris Eubank, also one of the best champions also

at 168 pounds.

Conor and Chris Jr but have yet to gain prominence in the sport like their fathers. Chris Jr., however, is ranked at number eight by The Ring in its list of top super middleweights. The younger Eubank has a record of 27-2 with 21 KOs. Now back to Limuel â&#x20AC;&#x201D; I still do not want to see him lacing up gloves because he will always be measured with his fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s accomplishments, which is hard to duplicate.

And I really do not know if Limuel knows of the realities of taking so many blows to the head, especially if he emulates his fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kGHTING STYLE -OST &ILIPINO kGHTERS STILL kGHT THE â&#x20AC;&#x153;sapakanâ&#x20AC;? way, or land one or two blows even if it means getting hit once or twice. While some Filipino kGHTERS HAVE GRAVITATED TOWARDS BEcoming boxers (rather than punchers), do not expect much of them to become highly skilled counterpunchers in the mold of the younger Mayweather.

7E DID HAVE HIGHLY SKILLED kGHTERS before who became world champions like Gerry PeĂąalosa. And thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Donnie â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ahasâ&#x20AC;? Nietes. But they are a rarity. Even the great Flash Elorde was a brawler if the occasion called for it.

Perhaps Limuel can adopt a more â&#x20AC;&#x153;sustainABLEu kGHTING STYLE LIKE HIS FATHER S NEMESIS -AYweather Jr. and initially aim for an Olympic gold.

But truth is, Limuel may not have a hunger his father had when Manny took up boxing, as his FATHER LITERALLY HAD TO kGHT HIS WAY OUT OF POVERTY Somehow, having all of lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s comforts can SOFTEN A kGHTER S RESOLVE IN TAKING VICIOUS PUNISHment in the ring or pushing oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s body beyond its limits when training for an elite bout. Just look at Chavez Jr. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; he obviously did not have his fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s indomitable grit despite having a size advantage over most of his opponents.

So Manny and his wife Jinky are right in restraining their son from lacing up gloves. For sure, Jinky recalls how hard it is for her to watch her husband take terrible blows in the ring.

It is also hard to forget how the son of the late GREAT *OE &RAZIER kGURED IN TWO OF HIS MAJOR BOUTS HE LOST BY kRST ROUND KNOCKOUT TO ,ARRY (OLMES in November 1983 for the world title. In July 1986 in a non-title bout, the younger Frazier lost to Mike 4YSON ALSO IN THE kRST ROUND In boxing, anything can really happen.

Q Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam (No. 43) drives into Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (No. 0) during second half NBA basketball action in Toronto on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila).

ANTITHESIS

AP PHOTO

CONRAD M. CARIĂ&#x2018;O

RAPTORS MAUL SORRY CELTICS NEW YORK: Pascal Siakam and Kawhi Leonard led the way as the Toronto Raptors kept up the pressure on Eastern Conference leaders Milwaukee on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) with a 118-95 rout of the Boston Celtics.

Cameroonian ace Siakam scored 25 points while Leonard added 21 to help Toronto improve to 45-17 in the East, leaving them two games back from the Bucks.

Serge Ibaka added 14 points for the Raptors, while Norman Powell chipped in with 11 from the bench.

But it was another disappointing night for the Celtics, who slid to their third straight defeat as Toronto contained their offense.

Boston star Kyrie Irving was held to seven points during a frustrating out-

ing at Torontoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Scotiabank Arena.

Marcus Morris led the scoring for Boston with 17 points while Jayson Tatum added 11.

Celtics coach Brad Stevens blamed the defeat on his sideâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s defensive lapses as well as an inability to generate offense. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was the same old same old,â&#x20AC;?

Stevens said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Obviously we struggled to score in stretches. But I thought we were all over the place defensively tonight. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And when I say all over the place, we were really taking a lot of short cuts defensively. You canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do that against any team, and certainly tonight they exposed us, and played great. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I thought we were just outplayed every which way.â&#x20AC;?

The Celtics are in fifth spot in

the standings with 37 wins and 24 losses.

The visitors had led 34-30 early in the second quarter, but were soon overwhelmed by a blizzard of Raptors scoring.

The hosts drained 18 unanswered points in the second period to take A kRM GRIP ON THE CONTEST WITH A 14-point lead.

The Raptors surged a full 31 points clear at one stage in the third quarter, and were never fewer than 11 points ahead after their burst of scoring in the second period. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We just werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t together,â&#x20AC;? Celtics guard Marcus Smart. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Not together at all. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s it. Last couple of years we were together. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m sure weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to figure it out. But right now itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s slower than expected.â&#x20AC;?

AFP

C2

Sports

Ë&#x153; The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

THURSDAY February 28, 2019

Arnis finds much-needed exposure through Batang Pinoy

BY JEREMIAH M. SEVILLA

I

LOILO CITY: Philippine Eskrima Kali Arnis Federation (PEKAF) Executive Vice President Gerald CaĂąete said that arnis â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the Philippines' national martial art and sport â&#x20AC;&#x201D; is alive and well in the Visayas region.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very good. I feel that it will grow some more. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very well accepted,â&#x20AC;? said CaĂąete, who is also serving as the tournament manager of the arnis competitions of the Batang Pinoy 2019 Visayas Qualifying Leg at the Il- oilo Science and Technology University here. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The LGUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (local government units) now understand that there is a martial art of arnis,â&#x20AC;? he added.

The four-day arnis contest started on Tuesday with host Iloilo C i t y , Mandaue City and LapuLapu City copping the kRST FOUR GOLD MEDALS in anyo (forms) competition.

Iloilo City bets Kyle Angelo Tiron and Clemence Marie Alag ruled the cadet boys non-traditional single weapon and cadet girls traditional double weapon, respectively.

Mandaueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Althea Kate Razonable

won the cadet girls traditional single weapon while Lapu-Lapuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Kate Iccy Solis topped the cadet boys nontraditional double weapon.

CaĂąete lauded the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) for p r o m o t i n g arnis through its national grassroots program. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It (Batang Pinoy) is an awesome avenue to promote [arnis],â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re very happy that the PSC is giving us full support and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s helping a lot.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Through these games, we can promote more arnis as a sport.

Not just that, we have so many grandmasters out there that are like our unsung heroes.

In Iloilo, there are so many grandmasters in arnis but nobody knows them. So, we can invite and present them. itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also promoting our culture and heritage as a country, as a Filipino.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;So, the PSC is not only promoting the growth of the sport, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re also giving honor [to Filipino arnis grandmasters] and making our indigenous martial arts known to the public.â&#x20AC;?

Meanwhile, in archery, Dumaguete

City cruised to another gold haul on Wednesday at the Western Visayas State University Field.

Silliman University standouts Prisa Herren Lofranco and Nicole Mariel Tagle won two gold medals anew.

Lofranco conquered the cadet girls 50-meter and 60-meter events while Tagle dominated the cub girls 40-meter and 50-meter.

Cadet archer Godwell Maloloy-on won two gold again for Mandaue City even as cub archer Aldremer Igot Jr. did the same feat for Cebu Province.

Over at the Iloilo Sports Complex, Antique tanker Gulliver Clive Clemente joined the winning archers as the maiden quadruple gold medalists of THE WEEKLONG QUALIkERS Clemente, 14, clocked two minutes and 37.46 seconds to bag the gold in the 200-meter breastroke. He previously won t h e 400-meter individual medley (IM), 200m IM and 50m breastroke.

In athletics, Negros Occidental trackster Marden Gabriel Villaruel snared his sec-

ond gold after winning the 200-meter DASH IN SECONDS 6ILLARUEL kNISHED kRST IN THE CENTURY DASH TWO DAYS AGO Villaruelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fellow Negrense Brineth Cupan denied Bacolod Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Krisha Aguilon a triple gold with a victory in the girls 200m (26.8 seconds).

Over at the Holy Rosary Academy, Cebu City captured four gold medals in dancesport through the duos of Sean Alexander Baclay and Jannah Marie Pugoy (Latin juvenile C, standard junior C) and Nigel John Angel and Shadelle Nina Hernandez (Latin juvenile A, standard junior A).

Iloilo City got three gold even as Mandaue City seized two in dancesport.

Over at the SM City Iloilo, Cebu Province bagged 12 gold medals in karatedo while Cebu City had four and Bacolod City and Lapu-Lapu City had one apiece.

As of 10 a.m. Wednesday (February 27), Iloilo City is still leading the medal tally with a 23-16-14 goldsilver-bronze haul followed by Cebu Province with 1912-18 and defending champion Cebu City with 18-24-27.

Q The Cebu City girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; team of performs its routine during the arnis anyo (forms) competition in the Batang Pinoy 2019 Visayas Qualifying Leg on Wednesday at the Iloilo Science and Technology University. PHOTO BY JEREMIAH M. SEVILLA

Powerhouse teams plunge into PSL Grand Prix action SUSTAINING their hot streak will be the order of battle when Petron, F2 Logistic and Cignal march to warzone in the Philippine Superliga Grand Prix today at the Filoil Flying V Centre.

Reigning champion Blaze Spikers test the mettle of Sta. Lucia at 2 p.m. while powerhouse Cargo Movers collide with Foton in the 4:15 p.m. second match of this slam-bang triple-header that has ESPN5 and 5Plus as broadcast partners.

Also seeing action in this womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s club tourney sponsored by Asics, Mueller, Mikasa, Senoh, Team Rebel Sports, Bizooku, UCPB Gen, Cocolife, Hotel Sogo and Data Project are the HD Spikers, who will stake their three-game winning run against dangerous United VC in the night cap at 7 p.m.

After recruiting two of the best imports the league ever saw in Stephanie Niemer and Katherine

Bell while bringing back the core of Mika Reyes, Remy Palma, Aiza Pontillas and Rhea Dimaculangan, Petron raced to a three-game winning streak to occupy the ceiling of the team standings.

But the Blaze Spikersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; bitter nemesis in the Cargo Movers refused to be outdone as they also plucked their third straight conquest, thanks to the arrival of former Most Valuable Player and three-time Grand Prix champion Lindsay Stalzer.

With Stalzer on board, F2 Logistics is now a complete team, leading to a 23-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-22 win over United VC in last Tuesday.

Stalzer, who just had two practice sessions with the Cargo Movers after arriving late Sunday, erupted for 25 kills and five blocks to finish with 30 points while Becky Perry chipped in 16 markers for the Cargo Movers,

who are tipped to challenge the Blaze Spikers in another fierce title duel. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We need a leader on the court, especially the imports. We look up to them because the Grand Prix is a battle of imports,â&#x20AC;? said F2 Logistics coach Ramil de Jesus.

Cignal, however, should never be counted out.

The HD Spikers dropped their opening-day assignment to the Cargo Movers, but they were unstoppable since then, racking up three straight wins over PLDT Home Fibr, Sta. Lucia and Generika-Ayala to emerge just a spot behind Petron and F2 Logistics in the team standings.

Head coach Edgar Barroga said their winning run should be attributed to a small adjustment he made following their setback to the Cargo Movers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I made some adjustments and new rotations

to match the firepower of the imports of the opposing team,â&#x20AC;? said Barroga, who moved Azerbaijani Anastasiya Artemeva to the open spiker spot while national team member Mylene Paat takes the cudgels at the opposite. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fortunately for us, that adjustment is paying off. We have more firepower at the wings while our team campaign â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Rachel (Anne Daquis) â&#x20AC;&#x201D; will be fresh for the tough grind ahead.â&#x20AC;?

Barroga said United VC would be a tough nut to crack, especially with the presence of four US NCAA standouts in Kalei Mau, Alohi Robbins-Hardy, Tai Manu-Olevao and Yaasmeen Bedart-Ghani. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They have the firepower to beat any team,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So we have to do our very best to counter their offense.â&#x20AC;?

Lady Spikers keep lead after fending off gritty NU DE LA SALLE UNIVERSITY kept its hold of the solo lead after repulsing the rookie-laden National University (NU), 25-10, 20-25, 27-25, 25-22, in Season 81 University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s volleyball on Wednesday at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.

Veteran hitters May Luna and Aduke Ogunsanya delivered beyond expectations while transferee Lourdes Clemente contributed crucial points to help the four-peat seeking Lady Spikers fend off the gritty Lady Bulldogs and keep their record pristine at 3-0.

Luna posted a career-high 14 points anchored on 13 kills and Ogunsanya with an equally impressive 13 markers.

Clemente, a former National Collegiate Athletic !SSOCIATION STAR SCORED HER kRST 5!!0 POINTS IN THE crucial third set. The ex-University of Perpetual Help VOLLEYBELLE TALLIED A TOTAL OF kVE MARKERS But La Salle head coach Ramil De Jesus was disSATISkED WITH HIS WARDS PERFORMANCE AGAINST THE young and depleted NU squad. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I already told them to respect NU because they had a solid game against UE (University of the East),â&#x20AC;? said the bemedaled mentor. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We had many service errors. If we fail especially on our service, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on us not on our opponent. I got a little frustrated on that,â&#x20AC;? he added.

La Salle committed 25 errors, with a couple of blunders in the crucial stretch of the third set. Fortunately, Clemente stepped up before Luna closed it out with an off the block spike.

The Taft-based volleybelles then dominated the fourth frame to seal the win.

Princess Robles led the shorthanded Lady Bulldogs with a career-best 18 points built on 17 spikes while rookie Ivy Lacsina and Audrey Paran added 16 and 11 markers, respectively.

NU fell to 1-2, joining Far Eastern University at No. 5.

Meanwhile, in the menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s division, Adamson University earned a share of lead with Far Eastern University after pounding UE, 25-19, 25-19, 25-23.

Paolo Pablico and Leo Miranda powered the SoarING &ALCONS lIGHT TO THE TOP WITH A THIRD STRAIGHT win in as many games.

Pablico pumped in a game-high 15 points on 13 ATTACKS AND TWO ACES WHILE -IRANDA kNISHED WITH markers on seven spikes, two blocks and two aces.

Lloyd Josafat was the lone bright spot with 13 points for the Red Warriors, who suffered their second straight setback and fell to 1-2.

Reigning titlist NU made it two triumphs in a row after clipping La Salle, 23-25, 25-22, 25-23, 25-18.

Last seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Finals MVP Bryan Bagunas exploded with 27 points highlighted by 23 kills and three aces, lifting the Bulldogs to a joint third with University of Sto. Tomas with identical 2-1 slates.

Despite its four players scoring in double digits, the Green Spikers stayed winless in three outings.

JEREMIAH M. SEVILLA

LeBronâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lakers finale veers off script LOS ANGELES: As movie pitches go, LeBron Jamesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; move to the Los Angeles Lakers had all the makings of a Hollywood blockbuster.

An ageing NBA superstar joins a storied-but-struggling franchise and leads a dramatic revival, which transforms the team into title contenders.

"UT kVE MONTHS AFTER *AMES BEGAN training with the Lakers, the perfectly SCRIPTED kNALE HAS BEEN STUCK IN WHAT entertainment industry executives call â&#x20AC;&#x153;development hellâ&#x20AC;?.

After a promising start to their new era, the Lakers have tailed off dramatically since an injured James limped out of a Christmas Day upset of the mighty Golden State Warriors.

At that point, the Lakers were still kRMLY IN THE 7ESTERN #ONFERENCE PLAYOFF hunt with a respectable 20-14 record.

Since then, however, the Lakers have won nine games and lost 17, a slump which has seen them fall out of the playoff rankings into 11th spot in the West, three places adrift of the eighth postseason slot.

Much of that slide can be attributed to Jamesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; prolonged absence due to a groin injury, with the 34-year-old missing all of January before returning for a 123-120 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on February 1.

However, the Lakers have continued to struggle even with James back in the line-up.

A chastening sequence of results has included the heaviest defeat of Jamesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; career, a 136-94 pounding by the Indiana Pacers, as well as losses to lower-ranked opponents who have little to play for.

The most recent of those came on Monday against the Memphis Grizzlies, who are one place off the bottom of the

Q LeBron James West with a 24-38 record.

James later appeared to question his team-matesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; focus after Mondayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 110-105 reverse in Memphis, suggesting that any player unable to cope with the pressure of chasing a playoff berth SHOULD kND ANOTHER CLUB

Locker room turmoil? â&#x20AC;&#x153;At this point if you are still allowing distractions to affect how the way you play, then this is the wrong franchise to be a part of and you should just come and be like, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Listen, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think this is for meâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;,â&#x20AC;?

James told reporters.

Those kind of comments are unlikely to endear him to a locker room which has reportedly been in turmoil since the teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pursuit of New Orleans Pelicans star Anthony Davis ended in failure in early February.

The Lakers were reported to have offered several prominent members of their roster in exchange for Davis, including Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, Ivica Zubac and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

James meanwhile had earlier spoken favourably of a possible link-up with Davis, saying playing alongside the Pelicans ace would be â&#x20AC;&#x153;amazingâ&#x20AC;?.

The perception that the Lakersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; pursuit of Davis was going ahead with Jamesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; blessing was pounced upon by rival fans.

Ingram was subjected to taunts of â&#x20AC;&#x153;LeBronâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gonna trade youâ&#x20AC;? during the loss to Indiana on February 5.

One unnamed NBA executive believes James bears some of the responsibility for the Lakersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; problems by making no secret of his admiration for Davis. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He killed the Lakersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; chemistry,â&#x20AC;? the executive told Bleacher Report. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have been so public about it.â&#x20AC;?

Other pundits, however, believe the Lakersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; problems are linked directly to *AMES kTNESS AND HIS LENGTHY INJURY LAYOFF â&#x20AC;&#x153;The biggest problem with the Los Angeles Lakers is LeBron James,â&#x20AC;? Stephen A. Smith told ESPNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s First Take show. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Age, attrition or injury. Something is not right. He doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t look like himself.â&#x20AC;?

James meanwhile has always cautioned that rebuilding the Lakers would be a long-term project, stating in September that he anticipated â&#x20AC;&#x153;bumps and bruisesâ&#x20AC;? as the team attempted to rebuild AFTER MISSING THE PLAYOFFS FOR kVE STRAIGHT seasons prior to his arrival.

But James must now conjure someTHING REMARKABLE OVER THE kNAL WEEKS of the regular season if he is to avoid MISSING THE PLAYOFFS FOR THE kRST TIME in his career since 2005.

The Lakers face a brutal run-in which includes games against Boston, Denver, Toronto and Milwaukee. ! DAUNTING kNAL SIX GAME STRETCH sees them play New Orleans, Golden State, Oklahoma City, the Clippers, AFP Utah and Portland.

Ë&#x153; The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

THURSDAY February 28, 2019

Sports

C3

Saludar crushes challenger Taniguchi V

BY JOSEF T. RAMOS

IC SALUDAR overcame a sluggish opening round to defeat Japanese challenger Masataka Taniguchi via unanimous decision, retaining his World Boxing Organization (WBO) minimumweight title on Tuesday at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo.

Saludar, a 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games bronze medalist, banked on surgical straight punches and stinging jabs to keep up with Taniguchiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aggression from round two to six.

He then shifted to counterpunching using lateral movements in the remaining rounds. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We just did what we were doing in training. We studied our opponent very well. I saw that heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hurt as he tried to come closer thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why I took the opportunity,â&#x20AC;? the 28-year old Saludar of Polomolok, South Cotabato told The Manila Times in Filipino upon their arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

Taniguchi, 25, changed his offensive strategy in the seventh round by going long-range, trying to reach Saludar with his long straight right but was countered by the Filipinoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s accurate punches as THE kGHT WENT THE DISTANCE All three judges scored in favor

of Saludar â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 118-110 from Puerto 2ICAN ,UIS 2UIZ FROM American Chris Tellez and 117-111 from Thai Surat Soikrachang. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The key to our success was CONTROLLING THE kGHT AFTER LOSING THE kRST ROUND 7E SACRIkCED THE first round, as we studied the movements of his opponent. We got him in the succeeding rounds,â&#x20AC;? said Saludarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s manager Kenneth Ralph Rontal in Filipino. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Vicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s straight right was very effective. He [Taniguchi] was hurt although we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t knock him down.â&#x20AC;?

Saludar improved his win-loss RECORD TO WITH KNOCKOUTS while Taniguchiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dropped to 11-3 with seven knockouts. )T WAS 3ALUDAR S kRST TITLE DEFENSE SINCE DETHRONING 2YUYA 9AMANAKA via unanimous decision last July 13, in Kobe, Japan.

Jojo Palacios trained Saludar while Joey Canoy served as his

Q Japanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Masataka Taniguchi and Vic Saludar of Philippines (right) fight during their WBO minimum weight boxing title bout in Tokyo on Tuesday. AFP PHOTO sparring partner.

Saludar is one of the six current Filipino world champions; the other

five are Manny Pacquiao (World Boxing Association welterweight), Nonito Donaire Jr. (WBA bantam-

weight), Jerwin Ancajas (International Boxing Federation super flyweight), Michael DasmariĂąas

(International Boxing Organization bantamweight) and Donnie Nietes 7"/ SUPER lYWEIGHT

Thai aces ready for TCC Ladies showdown Ceres Negros escapes MULTI-TITLED Yupaporn Kawinpakorn stands at the forefront of a solid Thailand side out to reassert its might on the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour, upbeat but wary of their chances against a star-studded field in the first The Country Club Ladies Invitational unfolding on March 6 at the TCC layout in Laguna.

The Thais nailed five of the 12 titles disputed in last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s LPGT with Kawinpakorn winning twice at Beverly Place and Summit Point and Pavarisa Yoktuan reigning at Splendido, Supakchaya Pattaranakrueang edging Cyna Rodriguez in a playoff at Luisita, Onkanok Soisuwan dominating the Mt. Malarayat stop, and Ploychompoo Wilairungrueng ruling the rain-shortened Champion Tour at Manila Southwoods.

But the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s perennial regional rivals expect nothing but three days of

top-notch competition in the $100,000 event put up

by ICTSI, which features world No. 2 Sung Hyun Park of South Korea and the cream of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pro crop plus aces from Taiwan,

Japan, Malaysia and two other talented Koreans.

While Yoktuan, Soisuwan and Wilairungrueng wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be around to backstop Kawinpakorn, Pattaranakrueang is also in the fold, along with former LPGT leg winners Renuka Suksukont, who topped the 2017 Philippine Ladies Masters, and Wannasiri Sirisampant, who won at Southwoods in 2015.

Other Thais competing are Supamas Sangchan, Chonlada Chayanun, Nattagate Nimitpongkul, Jackie Chulya, Punpaka Phuntumabamrung, Wanchana Poruangrong, Thanutra

Boonraksasat, Nathikarn Raksachat, Preenaphan Poomklay, Arpichaya Yubol, Trichat Cheenglab, Ornnicha Konsunthea, Waralee Atcharerk, Dussavi Soopimjit and veteran campaigner Mookharin Ladgratok.

Though Park, given her world-class skills and immense talent, remains the player to beat in the event organized by the Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc., the Pinays hope to cash in on the proverbial homecourt edge and contend for the championship serving as the fifth leg of the sixth LPGT season and third stage of the LPGA of Taiwan.

But focus will surely be on the crack Thai squad with Kawinpakorn and the rest all ready to prove their worth against a stellar international field at one of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s toughest courses.

Q Yupaporn Kawinpakorn CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Petron-Letran, Cheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Lu make debut today 0%42/. ,ETRAN AND #HE ,U kNALLY make their much-awaited debut ON 4HURSDAY IN THE 0"! $ ,EAGUE AT 9NARES 3PORTS !RENA The Knights and the Revellers are in the main billing of the tripleheader gameday at 4 p.m. in this Aspirants Group battle.

0ETRON ,ETRAN IS EMBARKING ON A new era with coach Bonnie Tan at the helm and NCAA Rookie of the 9EAR ,ARRY -UYANG AND FORMER 'ILAS cadet Jeo Ambohot at the forefront.

It will also see the return of Jer-

rick Balanza after his battle with brain tumor last year. Balanza will pair up with high-scoring reinforcement Alvin Pasaol.

"UT EQUALLY MOTIVATED IS #HE ,U Bar and Grill, with coach Stevenson Tiu hoping to replicate, and even eclipse their last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s backTO BACK RUNNER UP kNISH Sean Manganti makes his debut for the Revellers as heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll team up with 2018 Foundation Cup MVP Jeff Viernes.

Batangas-EAC and McDavid also

EYE THEIR kRST WIN IN THE CURTAIN RAISER at 12 p.m., while Wangs Basketball and Metropac-San Beda dispute the early leadership in the Foundation Group when they face off at 2 p.m.

It was a promising start for the Couriers, which blasted The Masterpiece #LOTHING 4RINITY

LAST WEEK behind the efforts of Arvin Tolentino, Axel Inigo, and Radge Tongco. ! N D C O A C H 0 A B L O , U C A S couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be any more pleased with his sideâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s performance.

But to do that over an NCAA

champion team like the Movers, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We need to exert double and we need to prepare.â&#x20AC;? %IGHT TIME 0"! $ ,EAGUE CHAMpion Boyet Fernandez of MetropacSan Beda also expects a tough draw in the duel as he leans on James Canlas, AC Soberano, and Donald Tankoua, much like in its 85-75 win over Perpetual last week. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I know it will be a tough matchup. All of them are veterans, as we learned in this game, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll move forward,â&#x20AC;? he said.

NADAL EASES INTO SECOND ROUND ACAPULCO, Mexico: Rafael Nadal powered into the second round at the Mexican Open Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila), breezing past Germanyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mischa Zverev in straight sets to advance to a meeting with Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Nick Kyrgios.

World number two Nadal, playing in his first event since being thrashed by Novak Djokovic in last monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Australian Open FINAL WAS ALWAYS IN CONTROL DURING A

VICTORY The 17-time Grand Slam champion completed the victory in 1hr 20min at Acapulcoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Princess Mundo Imperial venue, defeating his TH RANKED OPPONENT WITH EASE The tournament top seed seized the advantage in the opening set, scoring a break to go 3-1 ahead with a delicate lob that left :VEREV lOUNDERING With Nadalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s superior variety proving too much for Zverev, the Spaniard quickly

wrapped up the opening set.

The second set went with serve until the seventh game, when a wild forehand from Zverev sailed wide to give Nadal the break for a 4-3 lead. Zverev hung his head following the miscue, seemingly realising there was no way back.

Nadal then held for a 5-3 lead and wrapped up victory in the ninth game, moving to match point when Zverev could only plop a return tamely into the net.

Nadal then produced a sublime backhand winner down the line to seal a deserved win. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m happy for the victory. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s never easy against Mischa, especially without competing for a while,â&#x20AC;? said Nadal. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll try to enjoy this moment for the next few hours and then be ready for tomorrow,â&#x20AC;? added Nadal, who said he is wary of the threat

posed by the mercurial Kyrgios. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Nick is one of the most talented players on tour,â&#x20AC;? Nadal said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a big challenge for me and I hope to be ready for it.â&#x20AC;?

Elsewhere Tuesday, Zverevâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s younger BROTHER !LEX HAD LITTLE DIFkCULTY IN ADVANCING to the second round, defeating Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s !LEXEI 0OPYRIN

Second seed Zverevâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s service game overwhelmed Popyrin, with the German hammering down 13 aces en route to victory.

Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Kyrgios meanwhile was made to work hard for victory in his win over Italyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Andreas Seppi, battling into the second round WITH A WIN Third seed John Isner of the United States also had a testing opening game, needing three sets to subdue Franceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Adrian ManNARINO

AFP

Myanmar's Shan United

OJ PORTERIA notched a brace as Ceres Negros FC edged out Shan United FC of Myanmar, 3-2, to grab an early lead in Group G in the 2019 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup on Tuesday night at the Panaad Park and Stadium in Bacolod City.

Veteran forward Porteria struck in opposite halves, sealing the Yellow Busmenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s breakthrough victory.

The two-time Philippine champion club grabbed the top spot with maximum points as Vietnamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Becamex Binh Duong and Indonesiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Persija Jakarta settled to a 1-1 draw.

Only the group winner will have an assured seat in the Asean zonal semifinals.

It was fitting start for the Busmen, who exited the top-tier Champions League preliminaries after losing 1-2 to Myanmar champ Yangon United last February 5, also in Panaad.

Ceres Negros dominated the ball possession (70.2 percent) and registered more shots (12-3).

Porteria fired off the scoring just

19 minutes into the game after sending a low shot off a pass inside the penalty box.

Spanish striker Bienvenido MaraĂąon received a hard foul from goalkeeper Phone Thitsar in the box then converted the ensuing spot kick to double the Busmenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lead in the 37th minute.

The Burmese runner-up threatened to within 1-2 as forward Zin Min Tun beat goalie Roland Muller from close range six minutes past the restart.

After escaping his defender with a dazzling display of dribbling skills, Porteria drilled in a left-foot strike to restore a two-goal advantage for the home side in the 87th.

The visiting Shan Warriors, however, closed in anew on Dway Ko Ko Chitâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s header just moments later but Ceresâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; defense held on.

Meanwhile, Kaya FC-Iloilo is playing its first AFC Cup game in three years against Lao Toyota FC at press time at the National Stadium of Laos in Vientiane. JEREMIAH M. SEVILLA

Triathletes Macalalad, Manayon top Subic tilt EDWARD Vince Jared Macalalad and Karen Manayonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s multisport training in Portugal paid off when they emerged as the fastest finishers in the My Daily Collagen Triathlon on February 24.

Macalalad, also of team Tri Gear was crowned male 18-24 champion after completing the 1.5-kilometer swim â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 40km bike â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 10km run standard distance held at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone race in two hours, 13 minutes, and six seconds.

Banjo Norte cruised into the CHUTE SECONDS LATER TO kNISH kRST IN THE -ALE AGE GROUP

followed by Julius Constantino at 2:17:08.

In the womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s competition Manayon made her Cebu City Rider Omega Tri Team proud

BY POSTING TO EMERGE AS champion in the Female 18-24 category. Age proved to be no barrier as Manayon was joined in the top three female finishers

by Ines Santiago (2:41:22) of THE AGE GROUP AND 0ETRO Kuiper (2:48:33) of the 50-54 age group.

Other Standard Distance agegroup champions of the My Daily Collagen Triathlon supported by Smart, Saucony, Vittoria, Rudy Project, ACEA Subic Bay, Court Meridian Hotel & Suites, and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, were Cianyl 'ONZALES ,YLLIAN 'RACE "ANZON AND ,ORIN 0EDRO "AL-

andreau (30-34), Ronald Molit

.YLAH "AUTISTA AND Jeff Valdez (40-44), Bic Ferreria AND 2OMEO -ARQUEZ

Peter Gonzalez (50-54), Rune 3TROEM AND *OSEF 'UETTA ABOVE â&#x20AC;&#x153;The large turnout of seasoned triathletes from the different parts of the country made a major difference. Previously we expected mostly beginners or newcomers among triathletes to join in. We are more than happy with the reception of this race,â&#x20AC;? said My $AILY #OLLAGEN CHIEF SALES OFkCER Oliver Salas.

Champions in the Sprint distance (750-meter swim â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 18km bike â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 5km run) contests were Marielle Estreba and Josh Angelo !VERION !USTINE -ORFE

0RINCESS 1UE AND -ELVIN "ENZON !NA #RISTINA !BANICO AND 2ANVEL %RIKO 2UkNO

-ARGARET +OA #HENG &Emale 50-above), and Ruben Ercilla -ALE Cebu City Rider Omega Tri Team was declared the fastest triathlon team in Sundayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s standard distance race followed by Team Sante Barley and Herbalife Team. The relay category champions were Team Salada (Family), Cebu City Rider Omega Tri Team (Mixed), Prito Fam (All-Female), and Team Balon Dagupan (All-Male).

The complete race results can be viewed or downloaded at www. bikekingphilippines.com

THURSDAY February 28, 2019

Funtimes

Solution to puzzle

C4

Answer to trivia test © 2019 King Features Synd., Inc.

Answers 1. Sweating 2. Michael Douglas 3. Papa Doc 4. Two: Thomas Jefferson and John Adams 5. Wo Fat 6. The Gulf Stream 7. Gringotts Wizarding Bank 8. The outer ear, which is made of cartilage 9. Nebraska 10. Valium

» CROSSWORD

BY EUGENE SHEFFER

»HOROSCOPE Today’s Birthday (02/28/19). Profits rise with your professional influence this year. Work with respected players. Unexpected plot twists make news. Romance and fun blossom this summer. Your shared venture reaps satisfying results next winter, before a new passion phase develops. Weave with heart.

˜ The Manila Times w w w.manilatimes.net

1. MEDICAL: What is the condition that carries the official name “diaphoresis”?

2. MOVIES: Who played the president in the film “The American President” (1995)?

3. HISTORY: What was the nickname of the Haitian president Francois Duvalier, who died in 1971?

4. U.S. PRESIDENTS: How many future presidents of the United States signed the Declaration of Independence?

5. TELEVISION: Who was the nemesis of Detective Steve McGarrett in the original “Hawaii 5-O” TV drama?

6. SCIENCE: What is the name of the ocean current that warms the eastern seaboard of North America?

7. LITERATURE: What was the name of the bank in the “Harry Potter” book series?

8. ANATOMY: Where is the pinna in the human body?

9. U.S. STATES: Which state is nicknamed the “Cornhusker State”?

10. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: What is the common commercial name of the drug called diazepam?

BY NANCY BLACK L I B R A (S E P T. 23-O C T. 22) -- Today is an 8 -- Pour your creativity into making long-desired changes at home. Play with color, texture and lighting. Remove what doesn’t fit. A few upgrades make a big difference.

To get the advantage, check the day’s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging.

S C O R P I O (O C T. 23-N O V. 21) -- Today is an 8 -- Write, edit and publish. Your muses have an open connection. Communications reach a wider audience. Share what you’re learning.

Reach out to your network.

A R I E S (M A R C H 21-A P R I L 19) -- Today is a 7 -- Your career rises with focus and attention. Keep building toward your long-term vision. If you don’t have one, think about it and write something down.

S A G I T TA R I U S (N O V. 22-D E C. 21) -- Today is a 9 -- Push for a lucrative goal. Disciplined efforts succeed. Reinforce foundational supports. There’s extra income available if you’re willing to go for it.

TA U R U S (A P R I L 20-M AY 20) -- Today is an 8 -- Plan a vacation or trip. Your wandering feet miss the road. Long distance adventures begin with one step. Learn, explore and discover the world.

C A P R I C O R N (D E C. 22-J A N. 19) -- Today is a 9 -- Selfdiscipline is your secret power. Keep things simple and frugal.

Personal matters have your attention. Dress for success, and smile for the camera.

G E M I N I (M AY 21-J U N E 20) -- Today is an 8 -- Discuss shared finances. Moves you make now can have long-term benefit. Keep building your future fund. Disciplined efforts succeed. Work together for shared gain.

A Q U A R I U S (J A N. 20-F E B. 18) -- Today is a 6 -- Listen to your intuition. Consider what’s ahead, and review plans behind closed doors. Contemplate different options and potential consequences. Strategize for later action.

C A N C E R (J U N E 21-J U LY 22) -- Today is an 8 -- Collaborate for mutual support. Shared interests deserve your attention. Keep your promises, and make new ones. You’re building something great together.

P I S C E S (F E B. 19-M A R C H 20) -- Today is an 8 -- Huddle with your team. Solutions arise naturally when you work together. Others admire your fancy footwork. Share tricks and techniques. Learn something new.

LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22) -- Today is an 8 -- Discipline with your health and fitness practices provides long-term benefits. Balance work, exercise and rest. Feed your energy with good food.

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.)

V I R G O (A U G. 23-S E P T. 22) -- Today is an 8 -- Lend a helping hand. Provide emotional and physical support to someone you love. Stand together. Listen, and bear witness.

Keep showing up.

» 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.

TTHURSDAY H UURSDAY R S DAYY FEBRU FEBRUARY UARYY 28, 288, 2019

Entertainment

D1 Q IĂąigo Pascual's hit 'Dahil Sa 'Yo' continues to make waves in the music scene.

www.manilatimes.net

IĂąigo Pascual, Moira dela Torre share thoughts on positive music

BY NIKA ROQUE

I

Ă&#x2018;IGO Pascual and Moira dela Torre made sure that their audience left with a lot more love in their hearts when they performed their sweet love songs at the "Cadbury Pop Your Heart Out" Valentine concert.

Because they mostly sang ballads, said artists would probably spend every Valentineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day working but they promised, they will balance it our with time for their loved ones.

Pascual shared that February 14 is actually his lolaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s death anniversary so it became a family tradition to celebrate that more than anything. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t had any Valentineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day na sobrang romantic, wala pa sa point na yun. Pero para sa akin, if someone is special, it shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be just one day. I want to make them feel loved and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d rather do it everyday rather than just one day of the year,â&#x20AC;? he said.

True to his sentiments, Pascual is honored that his hit song â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dahil Saâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Yo,â&#x20AC;? continues to be used to express different kinds of love.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I made Dahil Saâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Yo with the one thought to make a positive song where I could thank those around me, but I never thought that it could have different meanings,â&#x20AC;? he shared. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Some have used it for worship and I also had a fan that was battling leukemia and it WAS KIND OF A kGHT SONG FOR HER u For Pascual, the simplest of gestures from others mean the most. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dedicating and writing a song for someone special comes from the heart and its genuine emotion.

If Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not able to express myself through my actions or my words, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s how I do it. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So, ako rin, I appreciate when a girl writes a song for me or would sing for me. Sa akin, the simpler the sweeter. It doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to be something grand. Kinikilig ako when a girl leaves me a sweet message.â&#x20AC;?

Q Newly married Moira dela Torre soars in singing her love songs.

Surprise!

Dela Torre joined December Avenue for a surprise performance

MNL48 awes Asia Festival 2019 audience MNL48 had the opportunity to represent the country and perform overseas for the first time with their fellow sister groups as they took part in the AKB48 Group Asia Festival 2019 on January 27. It was held at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand (the same venue where the Miss Universe 2018 pageant was held), putting another feather to the cap of the sing-and-dance girl group after their successful debut last year.

MNL48 first performed a set filled with acoustic versions of their songs in a mini-concert, then later took the Main Concert stage alongside Japanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s AKB48, Indonesiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s JKT48, Vietnamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s SGO48, Taiwanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s AKB48 TeamTP, Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s AKB48 Team SH, and Thailandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own BNK48 in a joint performance. They then they performed their version of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Party ga Hajimaru yo,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;First Rabbitâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iiwake Maybeâ&#x20AC;? in their solo performance.

Going international In an exclusive interview with The Manila Times , Shekinah Arzaga, one of the 10 members sent to Thailand for the said event, shared her excitement for the blessing and honor to be part of it. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sobrang nakakatuwa po, and I feel so honored na maging part of the Asia Festival 2019 and parang ito po yung first na meeting namin with the sister groups po,â&#x20AC;? she said. Abelaine Trinidad said in the same interview that it was a privilege for their songs to be heard by other nationalities.

In an announcement made at the concert, both Arzaga and Trinidad were included in the WRD48, shortened for World48, Special Senbatsu (Selected Member) unit along with the other 14 selected members that came from their sister groups.

Both Arzaga and Trinidad performed along with their respective sub-units, with the former performing the Tagalog parts of the song â&#x20AC;&#x153;Blue Rose.â&#x20AC;? The latter performed hers in â&#x20AC;&#x153;End Roll.â&#x20AC;? The performances wowed the audience and on social media, where Arzaga became a Trending Topic on Twitter that night.

Another member, Marsela Guia, stressed another important facet of the event, which was to meet with their international fans. She said in the interview they did not expected MNL48â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fan base to expand overseas.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bawat sulok po ng ibang bansa ay nakilala na po kami. Kaya super nakakatuwa po kasi finally naa-appreciate na po kami ng tao hindi lang sa Pilipinas kundi sa ibang bansa rin po,â&#x20AC;? she said.

After the concertâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s encore performance, Arzaga thanked the Thai audience for their warm welcome and for letting them to perform in front of a jampacked crowd. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our stay in Bangkok, even just for a short period of time, made it memorable. So, we will never forget this for the rest of our lives,â&#x20AC;? she said.

2nd Generation During their guesting on ABS-CBNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s noontime show â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Showtimeâ&#x20AC;? in January, the members had announced that the group has opened its doors for auditions for their 2nd Generation members. The auditions began on January 31 and will conclude on March 31.

Francinne Rifol said that they sare glad to welcome new members to their â&#x20AC;&#x153;familyâ&#x20AC;? and they are willing to teach them lessons they learned from scratch. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Looking forward po kami na magiging â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;as oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; po talaga kami,â&#x20AC;? she added.

Trinidad said the piece of advice she could give to new members is â&#x20AC;&#x153;give all of their heart in performing.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;As (an) Idol, kailangan ibigay mo lahat ng puso mo,â&#x20AC;? she said. Gabrielle Skribikin added that they must be willing to sacrifice everything in order to go through as member of the group.

of their hit song â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kung â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Di Rin Lang Ikaw,â&#x20AC;? during the concert. As always, the impromptu number garnered kilig and hugot feels from

2018 became was fruitful year for them. Their second single, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pag-Ibig Fortune Cookie,â&#x20AC;? earned both Gold and Platinum Record awards. They had several successful mall shows and live events as well. A concert happens at the New Frontier Theater on April 6.

Reminiscing the lessons they learned during their aspirant days, which they still apply to themselves up until today, Aubrey Binuya said it is of utmost importance to relying what their coaches taught them. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sobrang daming coach na dumating sa amin, hindi naman po sapat yung learnings po namin from the past so kailangan po naming makinig sa kanila kasi they know whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best for us,â&#x20AC;? she said.

For Jemimah Caldejon, it is to be God-centered in everything they do. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For us, yun po yung pinakanatutunan po namin, that is before (and) after the performance, nagpe-pray po kami,â&#x20AC;? she quoted.

Their singles Pag-Ibig Fortune Cookie and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Aitakatta â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Gustong Makita,â&#x20AC;? is still available on digital format on Spotify and iTunes, and on CD at Lawsons Convenient Stores.

REGINAN ABANG

affection in public, they said that their ongoing love story is their main inspiration in songwriting. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He drove to Olongapo to ask permission from my dad if he could court me, and then he went all the way to the States to ask my other dad if he could marry me,â&#x20AC;? recalled dela Torre. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve surprised him and given him gifts but I think the little things like respecting and honoring him are the best because sometimes your emotions get the best of you,â&#x20AC;? the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tagpuanâ&#x20AC;? singer ended.

Musical madness for March T

HE country is indeed lucky to be one of the chosens stops of popular international artists. I could still remember a time when they would perform in Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand or Japan.

Philippines is likewise lucky to have a wealth of talented local singers who give their absolute best during concerts.

This March, take your pick among the super loaded scheduled concerts and music festivals that will feature hit international and local artists starting tomorrow with â&#x20AC;&#x153;Playlist: The Best of OPMâ&#x20AC;? concert.

Playlist: The Best of Opm

March 1, 8 p.m., Smart Araneta Coliseum

A mix of OPM hits, with a combination of artists who continue to make music waves in every music platform, will give you a solid PLAYLIST: The Best of OPM presented by VIVA Live.

First time together, Joey Generoso (Side A), Jinky Vidal (Former Lead Singer of Freestyle), Jay Durias (Southboarder), Ice Seguerra, Juris Fernandez (MYMP), Meds Marfil (Truefaith) and Janine Tenoso, all in one stage. This Band, the group behind the current big selling tunes â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kung Ayaw Mo Naâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hindi Na Ngaâ&#x20AC;? will open the show.

Maroon 5 Red Pill Blues Tour

Lessons from the past

the audience. Moreover, it was a rare moment for the musicians as they have rarely performed the song live together.

At the time of the interview, Dela Torre who recently married her best friend, guitarist Jason Hernandez, said they are so happy to share their lives together.

It was on Valentine's Day, in fact, when the coupleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s longawaited wedding video was released online, making their love story go viral anew.

No strangers to showing their

March 5, 8 p.m., Mall of Asia Arena

Three-time Grammy Award-winning multi-platinum band Maroon 5 will return to Manila, this time for their Red Pill Blues Tour presented

by MMI Live and Livenation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Girls Like You,â&#x20AC;? Maroon 5â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most recent single, peaked at No. 1 on Top 40, HOT AC, the Billboard Hot 100 and on iTunes and Spotify, all while accumulating over 690 million Spotify streams and 1.8 billion YouTube/ VEVO views.

Maroon 5 stand out as not only one of pop musicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most enduring artists, but also one of the 21st centuryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest acts.

Wanderland 2019 Music & Arts Festival

March 9 to 10, 3 p.m., Filinvest City Event Grounds An annual music and arts festival,

MUSIC GEEK MUS MARK BONIFACIO Wanderland is a yearly tradition of good music and good people.

Its line up this year includes international artists Two Door Cinema Club (UK), Honne (UK), Gabrielle Aplin (UK), JMSN (US), SG Lewis (UK), Joan (US) and Charlie Lim (Singapore) as well as local acts like Unique, Reese Lansangan, Autotelic and Intertwined for Day 1. For Day 2, it is bannered by The Kooks (UK), Masego (US), Alina Baraz (US), Prep (UK), Clairo (US), Mac Ayers (US) and Adoy (Korea) plus OPM artists Sandwich, Clara Benin, Dayaw and Nathan & Mercury. It will also feature live art by Vena Martinez, Raco Ruiz, Frances Dandan and Joshua Panaligan.

Rita Ora World Tour 2019

March 10, 8 p.m., New Frontier Theater

&OR THE kRST TIME "RITISH SINGER songwriter/ former â&#x20AC;&#x153;Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Next Top Modelâ&#x20AC;? host Rita Ora will be coming to Manila as part of her upcoming World Tour 2019 that include stops in Europe, Asia and Australia, presented by Wilbros Live.

RAMP Music Fest

March 14, 6 p.m., Cuneta Astrodome

4HE kRST PROJECT OF 2ECORDING !RTist Management and Productions (R.A.M.P) Inc., this music festival will see accomplished performers like Hale, Itchyworms, December Avenue, Rouge and with RAMPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s artists like Nisha and many more. Part of proceeds will go to Bukas Palad Foundation.

citing new recording artists and live performers in the world.

Pulp Summer Slam 19

March 23, 12nn, Amoranto Stadium

The Filipino Metal community has been abuzz with a familiar air of excitement â&#x20AC;&#x201D; one that comes around months before we all congregate at the biggest Metal event in the Philippines, the Pulp Summer Slam.

After mounting 2017â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s historic SLAYER in Manila concert, PULP Live World proudly announces that Pulp Summer Slam XIX will be headlined by the mighty Slayer, and crimson rain will descend upon the Slam when Tom Araya, Kerry King, Paul Bostaph, and Gary Holt make their triumphant return. The reigning titans of thrash will be COMING BACK TO -ANILA ONE kNAL time, with the Philippines being the only listed Southeast Asian stop of their massive Final World Tour.

Joining Slayer for this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s installment of the festival is an elite lineup of metal acts â&#x20AC;&#x201D; metalcore beasts Her Name In Blood will be coming in straight from the red skies of Tokyo, as will the tenacious Cult from NYC, Emmure. Also ready to charge unto -ANILA FOR THE kRST TIME EVER ARE 5+ progressive metal stalwarts SIKTH and Australian deathcore giants Thy Art Is Murder.

The Aces

March 30, 8 p.m., Smart Araneta Coliseum The titular â&#x20AC;&#x153;acesâ&#x20AC;? are three of OPMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most excellent singers. Darren Espanto, Jona and Lani Misalucha are set to perform at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Andy Brown Live in Manila

March 30, 8 p.m., SM North EDSA Skydome

Andy Brown, the lead singer and guitarist from popular British pop Ruel Ready Tour 2019 rock band Lawson, will be performMarch 16, 8 p.m., Teatrino ing a one-night only acoustic concert Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s young rising star Ruel in the country. It is presented by will perform in Manila for the very Kbeam Events. kRST TIME IN A SHOW PRESENTED BY Brown embarked on a solo career Wilbros Live. in 2017. During his time with LawShortly after releasing his 2017 son, Andy together with his bandbreakthrough single â&#x20AC;&#x153;Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Tell Me,â&#x20AC;? mates, achieved 7 top 20 UK singles. the now 16 year-old, London-born, And their debut album, Chapman Sydney-raised singer and songwriter Square went multi-platinum all over has emerged as one of the most ex- the world including the Philippines.

D2

THURSDAY February 28, 2019

Special Feature

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

PREMIER BUSINESS AND LIFESTYLE HOTELS

The â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;suiteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; life New trends show guests demand techie, yet comfy, homey accommodation

G

BY MAYLENE BY M AY AYLE LENE NE S STEPHANIE TEPH TE PHAN ANIE IE S. S . VIRAY VIRA VI RAY Y

ROWTH opportunities for the hotel and hospitality industry continue TO lOURISH IN THE COUNTRY TODAY

Most industry players may have been making wise use of the internet and its ability to provide a global platform for these players to attract a bigger market of consumers.

Promotions, discounts, bookings, and even generous restaurant deals must have contributed to the popularity of staycation packages and a boost in domestic travels.

A recent report titled â&#x20AC;&#x153;Lodging in the Philippinesâ&#x20AC;? prospects a property boom in the industry anchored on the increasing volume of tourist arrivals and domestic travels.

The report adds that more hotel establishments, with more rooms, will be constructed to accommoDATE THE TOURIST INlUX The report points to mediumpriced hotels as alternative choices of domestic travelers rather than the high-priced venues most foreigners and well-off visitors prefer.

Industry trends As early as the start of the New Year, trends in the hotel and hospitality sector have emerged which will most likely prevail in the remaining 11 months ahead.

Trivago, a German transnational technology company specializing

in lodging, writes in its business blog the top most likely industry trends in 2019.

Aside from the internet, mobile applications and data-driven personalization are seen to be the top trends for this year, prompting hotels to harness the powers of technology to improve their operation as well as marketing strategies.

What are these trends seen to be reshaping the industry? Here is The Manila Times list: 1. Mobile phones vs. computers While mobile devices handle the majority of online bookings, the good olâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; desktop-website method continues to contribute to bigger hotel revenue shares. This 2019, Trivago advises hotels to focus on optimizing websites and other booking engines that will effectively attract mobile bookers.

2. Lower guest acquisition costs with direct bookings While the industry leverages on technology to compete online, Trivago forecasts a growing number of hoteliers running Cost-PerClick (CPC) campaigns to deliver lower-cost when booking directly through their websites.

3. Virtual communities According to a study conducted

by EHL, a Swiss hospitality management school, virtual communities formed on social media net-

Q Rooms are no longer with uniform design.

PHOTOS FROM PEXELS.COM

Q Hotels will begin to cater to adults and couples by offering a kid-free environment where they can relax sans stressful kiddie noise.

Q Hotels have begun to focus on their own skilled kitchen staff to offer good, traditional local cuisines. PHOTOS FROM ASTORIA

Q Hotels are tapping on the power of technological applications to provide better services and enhance the hotel experience of their guests.

k h as TripAdvisorâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;have T i Ad i h worksâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;such a profound impact on customers and have led to greater transparency in the industry.

The trend has prompted hotels and hospitality companies to fur-

AND ENHANCE THE HOTEL EXPERIENCE 5. Social responsibility is an of their guests. obligation After all, customers nowadays With the challenges of global are aware of modern personalized warming and their damaging imservices hotels can offer and thus ÂłLifeD4 DEMAND SUCH UNIQUE EXPERIENCES

th i services i tto meett ther iimprove th their CONSUMER EXPECTATIONS $IGITIZED GUEST EXPERIENCE EHL says hotels are tapping on the power of technological applications to provide better services

TTHURSDAY H U R S DAY FFEBRUARY EBRUARY 28, 20199

Lifestyle

D4

Easy no-bake cake recipes to go with your cuppa

www.manilatimes.net

A look into the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first coffee houses G

BY CHRISTINA ALPAD

more than a functional drink, it actually became quite a lifestyle and a social drink,â&#x20AC;? Valdez continued.

OING inside coffee houses has become too commonplace nowadays. Be it to order a to-go cup of energy booster before heading to the of- Original coffee houses kCE OR TO WHILE SOME TIME AWAY AMID THE OFTEN COZY At the master class, coffee ambassador interiors, almost everyone swings in and out of cafĂŠs. Bengie Paras introduced two contrasting

What many people do not know, howevâ&#x20AC;&#x153;History tells us differently, however,â&#x20AC;? er, is that this was not the case centuries ago. the website wrote.

During a masterclass by Nespresso, the g4HE kRST EVIDENCE OF COFFEE DRINKING giant coffee label shared that more than appears in the middle of the 15th century, just a place to grab a waking potion, the IN THE 3Uk MONASTERIES OF THE 9EMEN IN WORLD S kRST COFFEE HOUSES WERE DEEMED southern Arabia. It came there from Ethioas social spaces for scholars and artists to pia where it was native.â&#x20AC;? discuss about their passion.

Thereafter, coffee spread to Egypt and But before finding out how coffee North Africa before gaining popularity on houses evolved, it would better to un- the Middle East, Persia and Turkey. From derstand first how the Middle East, coffee reached Italy ever popular coffee was and the rest of kRST DISCOVERED According to historycoffee.net, there are three legends regarding the origin of coffee.

The first one inVOLVES 9EMENITE 3Uk mystic Ghothul Akbar Nooruddin Abu al-Hasan al-Shadhili.

He was supposedly traveling through Ethiopia when he noticed birds with unusual vitality.

He tried the same berries which were being eaten by the birds and felt the same vigor. Berries were the coffee cherries.

Meanwhile, according to the second legend, a Sheik Abouâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;l Hasan Schadheliâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s disciple, Omar, discovered coffee.

When he was exiled from Mocha, Yemen, Q The original Caffè Florian (top photo) of Venice and Kiva to a desert cave near Han of Istanbul PHOTOS FROM QUORA.COM AND Ousab, he found some CAFFEFLORIAN.COM berries from a shrubbery. He found them to be bitter but Europe before Dutch people transported tried to roast and boil them and got a coffee to the East Indies and the Americas. drink from which he felt better. When the â&#x20AC;&#x153;While there is a debate in coffeeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oristories of the drink reached Mocha, Omar gin, all stories show that upon discovery, was asked to return and was made a saint. people got fascinated with its stimulating Finally, the most popular of the legends effect. They were crazy about it,â&#x20AC;? Melissa involved a ninth century goat-herder Valdez, Novateur Coffee Concepts marketnamed Kaldi who noticed that his goats ing head shared at the master class. behaved restless when they eat berries â&#x20AC;&#x153;But with the emergence of worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s coffrom the bush so he tried them himself. fee houses, coffee evolved into something

Q LIFE FROM D2

The â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;suiteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; life

pact on the industry, EHL sees that hotels must implement sustainable environment-friendly measures even if these would mean radically changing existing business models.

6. Longer booking windows Travel Market Report (TMR) sees soaring occupancy rates this 2019, sending an urgent message to future guests: book early and BE lEXIBLE 7. Popularity of local cuisine TMR sees one trend thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s waning is featuring celebrity chefs as a means to compete with fine dining restaurants.

Instead, hotels have begun to focus on their own skilled kitchen staff to offer good, traditional local cuisines.

8. Unique room decorations Rooms are no longer with uniform design.

TMR says that the trend is for guests to feel like their staying in a customized room made just for them.

Gone are the days when simple means homey. Today, comfort tops in making the room cozy.

Hoteliers speak Speaking with Travel Market

Report, some of the leading HOSPITALITY EXPERTS HAVE AFkRMED the trends listed above, and even offered their own observations on whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s trendy now in the industry.

Ricardo Orozco, Solmar Hotels & Resorts VP for Operations, says that luxury travelers will rely on travel agents more heavily in 2019.

Mario Cruz, concept manager for Original Group, says that 2019 will be a year exclusive for adults and couples. He says hotels will begin to cater to this market by offering a kid-free environment where adults can relax sans stressful kiddie noise.

Chris Hornick, Dream Vacations Franchise owner and vacation specialist in Pleasant Hill, Pennsylvania, says that travelers nowadays are looking forward to local, culturally immersive experiences as opposed to traveling to top tourism sites, sightseeing destinations, and major world attractions.

Aside from local and international travelers, business corporations have tapped into hotels as venues for business meetings and other corporate events.

Beatriz de Smith, Hilton Puer-

coffee houses from two continents during its early introduction. â&#x20AC;&#x153;First is the Turkish capital Istanbul [formerly known as Constantinople]. The capital of Ottoman empire, it was considered as the birthplace of the coffee house CULTURE AND HOME TO THE kRST RECORDED coffee house, the Kiva Han in 1555.â&#x20AC;?

According to Nespressoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s research, coffee houses afforded the Ottoman empire THEIR kRST PUBLIC LOCATION OF SOCIAL ENLIGHTenment, forums for intellectual debate, listening posts for news and meeting points for commerce and trade. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They attended those lively places to immerse themselves in a captivating atmosphere full of energy, mingle with others, talk about politics and play backgammon,â&#x20AC;?

Paras added.

This in mind, the brand introduced their limited edition Caffè Istanbul blend, which has an exotic character of intense roasted and black pepper spicy notes.

Meanwhile, in Italy, coffee houses presented a different atmosphere.

Legends say that in the 18th century Venice was the entry port of coffee into Western Europe. Coming from the ancient Ethiopian region of Harrar, coffee would be mixed with Indian Arabica before landing in the Italian city.

Venice is also home to the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s longest continuing coffee houses, Caffe Florian in Piaza San Marco, which is has been operating for 287 years today. â&#x20AC;&#x153;People who would go to these coffee houses saw it as social places where they could listen to music, talk about literature and meet with artists and intellectuals,â&#x20AC;? Paras informed.

Inspired by the characteristic of Venetian coffee houses, Nespressoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Caffee 6ENEZIA HAS WILD AND lORAL NOTES COMbined with a roasted character. The result is a potent and complex coffee.

Both blends are now available in local stores, for a limited time, and surely will take coffee connoisseurs back to the to the 1500s and 1700s, in the original coffee houses in Istanbul and Venice.

to Vallarta sales manager, says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Groups are stepping out from traditional setups and layouts to introduce new space distributions and designs. For example, instead of having a U shape or a classroom set-up, clients are looking for a mix of furniture to create different spaces within the same room, and also looking to incorporate healthy choices in coffee breaks.â&#x20AC;?

Leading PH hotels Most of the trends listed above are already happening in local hotels such as Astoria Plaza and Marco Polo Ortigas Manila.

Despite being located in one of the busiest districts in the National Capital Region, both hotels have successfully provided quiet, comfortable accommodations preferred by both individual travelers and business corporations At the heart of the Ortigas Business District, in Pasig City, beats Astoria Plaza, a new standard of urban living equipped with expansive spaces with both the comforts of home and modern conveniences of a deluxe hotel as well.

With rooms and suites measuring130-square meters and equipped with kitchenette, home has never been this close to the city.

Spend some well-deserved

WHAT can be more perfect with a cup of freshly brewed coffee than a perfect pastry? To enjoy the perfect pairing away from noisy and often crowded coffee shops, The Manila Times Flavors suggests percolating choice beans at home, and yes, making your very own desserts.

While baking can be a daunting task especially for kitchen novices, the good news is that there are easy ways to prepare delicious desserts without an oven to boot!

From fluffy mug cakes and muffins to fruity cold treats, make good use of these quick recipes to put impressive desserts on the table for your whole family, or simply to go with your steaming cup of relaxation.

You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just save time from heading to the patisserie, you also save up on money!

1/2 cup sugar 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream 1 tablespoon gelatin powder, bloomed in 3 tablespoons water Procedure: Prepare a cake pan by lining it with aluminum foil. Cut cooked chocolate hotcakes the same size as the cake pan.

In a bowl, beat cream cheese with sugar to make filling. Slowly, add the cream and beat well until blended.

Place hotcake at the bottom of the prepared pan and pour enough cream cheese filling on top of the hotcake. Repeat this step to make layers, with a hotcake as the topmost layer and chill for a few hours to set

Peanut butter and jelly muffins Ingredients: 1 pack Maya Oven Toaster Butter Cake Mix 200g 2 tablespoons softened butter 3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter 2 pieces eggs ½ cup fresh milk 1/3 cup strawberry jam

Microwave mango graham mug cake Ingredients: 1 pack Maya Happy Mug Caramel Mug Cake Mix 3 tablespoons mango juice/mango nectar Chopped fresh mango, graham crackers, whipped cream, as needed

Procedure: Prepare a two 6-hole 3oz muffin tins. In a bowl, mix together butter and peanut butter and beat until well blended and soft. Add in eggs and milk. Blend mixture until all ingredients are well incorporated. Fold into the batter mixture half of the strawberry jam then pour mixture into prepared muffin pans.

Divide the rest of the strawberry jams on top of the muffin and make a swirl. Bake in the oven toaster for 12 to 15 minutes or using a steamer 10 to 12 minutes.

Procedure: Mix happy mug cake with mango juice in a mug. Microwave for a minute and a half.

Remove from microwave and top with chopped fresh mango, graham crackers, and whipped cream as desired. Serve immediately.

No bake chocolate hotcake cheesecake Ingredients: 1 pack Maya Chocolate Hotcake Mix 200 g, prepared and cooked according to package instructions 1 bar cream cheese Q Peanut butter and jelly muffins.

leisure time at the hotelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s various recreational facilities â&#x20AC;&#x201D; relax at the plazaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s spa and massage center, or go for a great workout at its gym, then splash a few laps at the pool.

Astoria Plaza is within walking distance to the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s premier shopping centers, hospitals, and universities as its way of assuring guests that the hotel is well updated with the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s basic services.

Also nestled in a vibrant and growing commercial business DISTRICT IS THE kRST PURPOSE BUILT kVE STAR -ARCO 0OLO (OTEL IN THE Philippines.

The hotel offers discerning guests 316 spacious and well-designed rooms and suites, including two #ONTINENTAL #LUB lOORS THAT ACCORD UNRIVALED PRIVILEGES AND BENEkTS The hotel is also located in the Ortigas Commercial Business District, set in the boundaries of Quezon City, Mandaluyong and Pasig City.

The hotel takes pride in its accessibility to organizations such as Asian Development Bank, Meralco, San Miguel Corporation, major Business Process Outsource (BPO) establishments and pharmaceutical companies.

Short walks from the hotel are shopping and entertainment areas including SM Megamall,

The Podium, Shangri-La Plaza Mall, and Robinsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Galleria while minutes-away from the hotel are places of interest such as Greenhills Centre, Tiendesitas and Eastwood City.

In addition to Manilaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best dining outlets, Marco Polo boasts of four specialty outlets: Cucina, the all-day dining

restaurant that features live show kitchens; Lung Hin, the contemporary Chinese restaurant serving traditional and authentic Cantonese cuisine; CafĂŠ Pronto, the relaxed and friendly coffee venue; and VUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, the first of its kind sky bar and lounge located on the topmost 45th floor of the hotel.

Q Nestled in a vibrant and growing commercial business district is the first purpose-built five-star Marco Polo Hotel in the Philippines.

PHOTO FROM MARCO POLO ORTIGAS MANILA

Campus Press

A SECTION FOR THE STUDENTS, BY STUDENTS

Ë&#x153; The Manila Times w w w.manilatimes.net EDITOR: Marishelle R. Medina marishelle.medina@manilatimes.net

E1

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 28, 2019

Seriousness of DepEd textbook review doubted T

BY ESTANISLAO ALBANO JR.

HE crusader against error-riddled textbooks issued by the Department of Education (DepEd) will only be convinced that the agency means business in its ongoing textbook review if and when he â&#x20AC;&#x153;sees the proof that they corrected correctly.â&#x20AC;?

Antonio Calipjo Go, academic supervisor of the Marian School of Quezon City in Sauyo, Novaliches, Quezon City, is referring to the comprehensive review of textbooks and learning materials of the K-12 curriculum announced

by Education Secretary Leonor Briones sometime last August.

Go is credited for exposing the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Banana Rice Terecesâ&#x20AC;? mistake in the Grade 7 MAPEH in Action textbook.

He questions the employment of teachers in the review, asking if THEY HAVE THE NEEDED PROkCIENCY to identify errors and come up with precise corrections for these.

Go also asked if the DepEd had the capability to validate the recommended corrections.

Cordillera Administration Region (CAR) Regional Memorandum 357, series of 2018, dated Oct. 15, 2018, states that the reviewers at the division level are â&#x20AC;&#x153;preferably learning area supervisors or teachers.â&#x20AC;?

The memorandum states that the review will be done first at the division level, with the output to be validated and consolidated at the regional level before submission to the Bureau of Learning Resources (BLR) of the DepEd. Go said that the proper process would have been to have had the manuscript reviewed by competent educators before printing

because after printing, it would be much better to â&#x20AC;&#x153;rewrite the entire book or have another textbook call.â&#x20AC;?

He expressed doubts that the review would end in the correction of the textbooks because of the money involved as the questioned books would be pulled out and new copies would be printed.

Go cited as example the case of the Araling Panlipunan Grade 3 textbook, which has 1,300 errors.

It was printed during the past administration, but it was reprinted

by Secretary Briones without correcting the errors because copies were needed, he said.

He said that he complained to the Commission on Audit about the reprinting of the uncorrected textbook, but, so far, nothing had come off it.

Go also said that for the miswriting of Banaue Rice Terraces as â&#x20AC;&#x153;Banana Rice Terecesâ&#x20AC;? in the MAPEH in Action for Grade 7, which he described as the worst error he had ever come across in his 24-year crusade, the publisher wanted to pull out the millions OF BOOKS BUT THE kNAL DECISION was to just come out with an apology to the schools because of the cost.

Go said that correcting just one error costs millions.

Based on Memorandum 357, the review was in response to mounting feedback from the

Q Educator and crusader against error-riddled books Antonio Go shows one of the numerous Department of Education textbooks with hundreds of errors.

He says one error is enough to get a book declared defective. PHOTO BY ESTANISLAO ALBANO JR. public coming through social and mainstream media regarding detected errors in DepEd textbooks and learning resources.

An attachment of the memorandum revealed that 334 textbooks and learning materials for Grades 1 to 10 issued by the DepEd since 2012 were distributed to the 17 regions for review at the division level and then at the regional level.

Nine Grade 4 books were assigned to the Cordillera.

This correspondent learned from DepEd-CAR Education Program Supervisor for Curriculum and Learning Management Ethielyn Taqued that all nine textbooks and learning resources contained errors in content and print.

She said that some serious errors were found in the Araling Panlipunan, Science and Edukasyon sa Pagpakatao textbooks, but declined to disclose these,

saying she needed clearance from THE REGIONAL DIRECTOR kRST Go criticized the DepEd for not being open to the public regarding the ongoing review.

He said that the subject of the activity being a long-standing problem, the DepEd should have adequately publicized it, so that the people would know it was doing something about the matter and to be transparent about the expense of more millions of pesos

for the correction of errors that were preventable.

This correspondent sought more details on the activity and likewise the reaction of the DepEd to the comments of Go, but Undersecretary for Finance-Budget and Performance Monitoring Annalyn 3EVILLA WHO THE ",2 IDENTIkED AS THE RIGHT OFkCIAL TO SPEAK FOR THE agency on the matter, declined to ANSWER THE EMAIL ALBEIT HER OFkCE duly acknowledged the same.

DND-AFP hopes for ROTC revival in senior HS THE Department of National Defense-Armed Forces of the Philippines (DND-AFP) expressed optimism that the PROPOSED REVIVAL OF THE 2ESERVE /FkCERS Training Corps (ROTC) would be passed and enacted into law in the current 17th Congress.

Defense Undersecretary Cesar Yano told an ad-hoc committee of the Senate Education, Arts and Culture committee chaired by Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, that the purposes of the reimposition of the ROTC in senior high school (SHS) or Grades 11 and 12, no longer in college, were values and character formation, not much military affairs.

The methods of instruction would be crafted by the DND, the Department of Education (DepEd) and Commission on Higher Education (CHEd), Yano said last February 20.

In the past, it was the DND alone that had its mode of instruction used, he added.

Since 2 out of 10 high school students are able to go to college, Yano said the ROTC training in the high school level would capture a bigger audience.

4HE 3ENATE HAS kVE BILLS ON THE REIMposition of ROTC, but four bills want the ROTC training be taught in the SHS levels.

The authors are Senate President Vicente â&#x20AC;&#x153;Titoâ&#x20AC;? Sotto 3rd and Senators Gatchalian, *OSEPH 6ICTOR @ *6 %JERCITO 2ICHARD 'ORdon and Aquilino â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kokoâ&#x20AC;? Pimentel 3rd.

4HE kFTH BILL AUTHORED BY BOXING ICON Sen. Emmanuel â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mannyâ&#x20AC;? Pacquiao, wants the ROTC be taught in the elem entary level.

Yano said that the idea of reimposing the mandatory ROTC training came from President Rodrigo Duterte in his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) in July 2016.

The President, Yano said, wanted to strengthen the ROTC that would instill love of country and good citizenship among the youth.

Thus, the Duterte Cabinet in its 12th meeting last February 17 recommended the reimposition of ROTC training.

Since the House of Representatives has already passed on second reading its version of the ROTC bill, Yano expressed hopes that the Senate would pass its version of the measure when both Houses of Congress resume regular session on May 20 to June 7.

The Senate and the House of Representatives are at present on a three-month election recess.

Yano said the DND and AFP were in constant engagement with the CHEd, DepEd and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) on the proposed ROTC training.

He said the military establishment was updating its data and preparing AFP commandants and training staff in anticipation of the enactment of the ROTC bills into law as they would have a bigger

number of ROTC cadets.

Among others, the ROTC bills want the enhancement of civic consciousness and patriotism, and help the country in times of major disasters and national defense.

The Civil Service Commission, through lawyer Ariel Ronquillo, assistant commissioner, lauded the intent of the bills to restore mandatory ROTC training â&#x20AC;&#x153;to equip our youth with necessary knowledge and skills and defending the country in times of national emergency and to establish a comprehensive framework for the training and mobilization of our youth by providing avenues for their participation in public and civil affairs, primarily through the establishment of the Citizen Service 4RAINING #OURSE The DepEd also endorsed the passage of the ROTC bills, but stated that during the ROTC training course, trainors should be mindful of laws against hazing, bullying and on the protection of child protection rights.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Consequently, no form of corporal punishment or other analogous forms of punishment may be utilized in the program.

Only positive discipline may be utilized in THE IMPLEMENTATION THEREOF IT SAID The National Union of Students in the Philippines (NUSP), a nationwide alliance of student councils in the Philippines, opposed the bill.

In a position paper submitted to the Gatchalian sub-committee, the NUSP said that â&#x20AC;&#x153;contrary to the claims of its advocates, especially rightists, militarists and those in the AFP, the ROTC does not teach nationalism and discipline to students.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Rather it seeks to perpetuate a culture of blind obedience and impunity that is inherent in the program. The explicitly fascist and feudal relation between the ofkCERS AND CADETS IS A TESTAMENT TO THIS 4HE ROTC is nothing more than a fascist tool of repression used by the State to instill militaristic mindset among the Filipino YOUTH IT ADDED JAVIER JOE ISMAEL

Choose a course carefully, DepEd Secretary tells graduating high school students

IELTSÂ FAIR 2019

The British Council is set to hold it fourth IELTSÂ Fair on Saturday, March 2, 2019 at the Quest Hotel and Conference Center in Cebu City.

IELTS, short for the International English Language Testing System, is an international standardized test of English language proficiency for non-native English language speakers. It is one of the major English language tests in the world. With the theme â&#x20AC;&#x153;Your access to the world,â&#x20AC;? the 2019 fair in Cebu City will highlight IELTS as the gateway to global opportunities for work, study or migration available for everyone. Contributed photo shows IELTS Fair 2018. Visit the British Council website at https://www. britishcouncil.ph/ to register.

EDUCATION Secretary Leonor Briones advised graduating senior high school (SHS) students to choose carefully the field they want to proceed among the four curriculums of K-12 education.

Briones said the new K-12 curriculum has already two years of basic college education in academics, arts and design, sports and technical-vocational (tech-voc). â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our present curriculum is very diverse.

Gone are the old days when students need to endure four-year college education because there are two years of basic education in four areas that students can choose from,â&#x20AC;? the secretary told The Manila Times in an interview.

However, based on independent studies conducted by different groups, like the Phil-

ippine Institute for Development Studies, 70 percent of SHS students who finished 12-year basic education still chose academic-related courses rather than the three other areas.

Among the three other areas, she said she sees the biggest potential in tech-voc as this area was so wide, thus the potential to earn big was also very big.

She said a graduate of a tech-voc course could choose from being an automotive mechanic to electronics technician to welder, which are all very in demand skills both here and abroad. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Most students still prefer the old mode of studying engineering, law, hotel and restaurant, management and accounting. They

donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t realize the potential to become more successful if they chose the three other areas,â&#x20AC;? she added.

She also corrected speculations that dropout rate was high as it was only 1 out of 10 students who decides not to continue high school education because of the need to work to help in the family.

As of 2016, Briones said, the dropout rate was about 1 million a year, which was comparatively low than the 24 million elementary and high school students in public schools all over the country as of 2018.

Enrollees in elementary and high school in private schools as of 2018 reached 5.4 million.

ED VELASCO

Campus Press

E2

A

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

THURSDAY February 28, 2019

Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s get acclimatized to the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s weather

Times reader wrote me years ago that heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d get so annoyed to hear this statement from TV anchors or come across it in print: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The typhoon has entered the Philippine area of responsibility.â&#x20AC;? His proposal: â&#x20AC;&#x153;I believe it is the obligation of Pagasa to paraphrase that statement in this more appropriate wording: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The typhoon has entered Philippine soil.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;?

Even if the term â&#x20AC;&#x153;Philippine area of responsibilityâ&#x20AC;? does sound OFkCIOUS AND TECHNICAL HOWEVER

) DON T kND IT ANNOYING 3TILL IT S DIFkCULT TO kND A SUITABLE PARAphrase or a synonym that comes close to what that term denotes, so I told the annoyed reader that it was advisable just to let things be.

I then explained to him that the term â&#x20AC;&#x153;Area of Responsibilityâ&#x20AC;? !/2 DEkNES AN AREA WITH SPEcific geographic boundaries for

which a person or organization is responsible in some way. However, THIS !/2 DOESN T DEkNE AN INTERnationally recognized territory, and neither is it a measure of its LAND MASS OR WHAT S REFERRED TO AS â&#x20AC;&#x153;Philippine soil.â&#x20AC;?

This is because the Philippines is an archipelago of 7,100 islands that irregularly jut out from the SEA AND THE NATION S SHARE OF territory on the globe extends way beyond the shorelines of

ENGLISH PLAIN AND SIMPLE

JOSE A. CARILLO those islands. Indeed, although the Philippines has a total land area of 300,000 square kilometers (115,830 square miles), the so-called â&#x20AC;&#x153;Philippine Area of Responsibilityâ&#x20AC;? covers several multiples of that area in terms of sea and land combined.

For those conversant with spherical geometry, the Philippine Area of Responsibility or PAR is that part of the world map â&#x20AC;&#x153;bounded by rhumb lines on the Philippine Tropical Cyclone Tracking Chart/ Map or imaginary lines on the surface of the earth that makes equal oblique angles with all meridians joining the following points: 25°N

120°E, 25°N 135°E, 5°N 135°E, 5°N 115°E, 15°N 115°E, 21°N 120°E and back to the beginning.â&#x20AC;?

The initials N and E refer to the compass directions â&#x20AC;&#x153;northâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;east,â&#x20AC;? the superscript â&#x20AC;&#x153;oâ&#x20AC;? after the numbers stands for â&#x20AC;&#x153;degrees of the %ARTH S ARC u AND THE TERM gRHUMB linesâ&#x20AC;? means â&#x20AC;&#x153;any of the points of the MARINER S COMPASS u 4HESE SOUND LIKE science mumbo-jumbo, however, so IT S MUCH BETTER TO JUST VISUALLY CHECK out this area from the map itself.

Within the PAR, the Pagasa is mandated to monitor tropical cyclone activity and to make the necessary warnings. It has to issue bulletins every six hours for all tropical cyclones within the PAR that have made or are anticipated to make landfall within the Philippines, or every 12 hours when cyclones are not affecting land.

So, I urge everyone not to get annoyed when Pagasa repeatedly

P1.24-B new school buildings in Cagayan Valley completed

BY LEANDER C. DOMINGO TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan: To address classrooms shortage in the Cagayan Valley region, more than P1.24 billion worth of school buildings were newly completed in the different elementary and secondary schools in the region, the regional office of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said.

The Cagayan Valley region, or Region 2, is comprised of the provinces of Cagayan, Isabela, Quirino, Isabela and the island province of Batanes.

Director Melanio Briosos of DPWH-Region 2 said the 104 new school facilities had a total

OF CLASSROOMS WHICH WOULD kLL IN THE DEmand for more classroom by the Department of Education (DepEd) in the region with the implementation of the K-12 program. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have spent more than P1.24 billion for the construction of the said projects in collaboration with the DepEd, which are now being enjoyed by our young learners,â&#x20AC;? Briosos said.

The DepEd-Region 2 said the funding for THE PROJECT CAME FROM LAST YEAR S NATIONAL BUDGET FOR THE REGION S EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES for academic, and elementary, junior and senior levels.

Briosos said the completion of the projects

Mayor Bautista OKs creation of West Fairview High School QUEZON City Mayor Herbert Bautista has approved the ordinance establishing of the West Fairview High School in Barangay Greater Fairview.

City Ordinance 2786-2018, introduced by Councilor Karl Edgar Castelo, seeks to convert the North Fairview High School Annex located at Austin Street, Barangay Greater Fairview into a separate and independent integrated high school to be known as the West Fairview High School.

Under Section 391 paragraph 21 of Re-

public Act 7160, or the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Local Government Code of 1991,â&#x20AC;? Barangay Greater Fairview is mandated to initiate the establishment of a barangay (village) high school.

The QC ordinance aims to address the increasing student population of the North Fairview High School Annex.

West Fairview High School began operating in June 2017 with 1,792 enrollees for School Year 2018-2019, catering to Grades 7 to 10.

West Fairview High School is to be integrated from Grades 7 to 12.

Think tank urges govt to address HR distribution in public schools STATE think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) urged the government to immediately address the human resource (HR) distribution in the Department of Education (DepED) to allow teachers to focus more on teaching.

PIDS, in a policy note released recently, said that there was currently an â&#x20AC;&#x153;insufficient support and administrative, if any, for teachers in public schools,â&#x20AC;? which, in turn, affects the quality of their teaching.

The policy note was reporting the results of focus group discussions with public school teachers and interviews with school and division administrators in seven field sites around the country. The report, written by Clarissa David, Jose Ramon Albert and Jana Flor Vizmanos, highlighted that several additional administrative or student support roles were assigned to each teacher on top of their regular full-time teaching load. â&#x20AC;&#x153;These include paperwork on seminars and trainings they are tasked to attend and additional designations in line with student guidance, budget, disaster response, and health. Teachers are likewise expected to participate in the implementation of various government programs, such as mass immunizations, community mapping, conditional cash transfer, deworming, feeding, population census, antidrug, election, among others,â&#x20AC;? the policy note said.

The authors of the report, however, noted that according to the interviewees, the administrative tasks were not figured into the staffing patterns in public institutions. â&#x20AC;&#x153;While private schools employ administrative staff to do enrolment, registration, records, daily operations, and janitorial services, among others, there is insuffi-

cient support and administrative staff, if any, for the teachers in public schools. This means that the teachers are doing the administrative work â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a situation that while hidden from view of the normal metrics can erode teaching quality,â&#x20AC;? they said.

To address these issues, the policy note urged the DepEd to study its HR shortages.

It also urged the Department of Budget and Management to give DepED the needed support to enable it to hire administrative staff and de-load teachers of administrative and other duties unrelated to teaching. â&#x20AC;&#x153;These posts will fill in for administrative tasks, such as registration and records keeping, secretarial work for the principalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office, financial reporting, guidance counseling, and other additional assignments normally distributed among regular teaching faculty,â&#x20AC;? the report said.

Aside from this, the report also highlighted the need to increase salaries of guidance counselors to provide support to students having disciplinary and attitudinal issues.

The policy note also urged DepEd to initiate evidence-based studies on teacher workload. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Reducing teacher workload needs to be systematic and evidence based. A proper and rigorous time-use study can provide a clear picture of which types of work are necessary to be delegated to teachers and which have to be eliminated from their workload. A more specific breakdown of the exact workload of a regular teacher, the sources of work, and the amount of time left for student contact and actual teaching will allow DepED to pinpoint the sources of the pressures,â&#x20AC;? the policy note said. ANNA LEAH E. GONZALES

WAS IN LINE WITH THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT S COMmitment to address the need for more facilities PARTICULARLY IN THE FAR lUNG AREAS IN THE REGION â&#x20AC;&#x153;This provision of new school buildings is in FULkLMENT OF THE COMMITMENT OF THE NATIONAL leadership to improve educational facilities for children in impoverished barangay (villages) in the region,â&#x20AC;? he said.

Briosos said the project would bolster the K-12 school program of the government. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As soon as the 2019 national budget is released, we will expect more school buildings to be constructed for the young generation to have better classrooms to study,â&#x20AC;? he added.

uses the term â&#x20AC;&#x153;Philippine area of responsibility.â&#x20AC;? Our hardy weather FORECASTERS AREN T REALLY SHOWING big airs when they use that term, FOR THEY DON T REALLY HAVE MUCH choice. It would be much worse for them to warn us with, say, â&#x20AC;&#x153;AOR! AOR!â&#x20AC;? or â&#x20AC;&#x153;PAR! PAR!â&#x20AC;? whenever a typhoon is coming! )N CLOSING LET ME ADD THAT ) kND it odd that our weather bureau had chosen to call itself Pagasa. This acronym oxymoronically means â&#x20AC;&#x153;hopeâ&#x20AC;? in Tagalog â&#x20AC;&#x201D; not a very appropriate denotation of the often dire and disturbing news that the bureau has to report during the typhoon season.

The thing is that Pagasa is actually the Tagalog acronym for THE WEATHER BUREAU S KILOMETRIC %NGLISH OFkCIAL NAME g0HILIPPINE Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration.â&#x20AC;? In Filipino, its official

name is likewise kilometric and tongue-twisting: Pangasiwaan ng Palingkurang Atmosperiko, Heopisikal at Astronomiko ng Pilipinas.

Note though that the acronym for that name in Filipino â&#x20AC;&#x201D; PPA(!0 Â&#x2021; CLEARLY ISN T A NICE EXISTING 4AGALOG WORD AND IT DOESN T RESONATE EITHER SO IT S UNDERSTANDABLE WHY IT S THE 4AGALOG 0AGASA â&#x20AC;&#x201D; oxymoronic, but more easily said â&#x20AC;&#x201D; that has gained currency as ACRONYM FOR THE BUREAU S %NGLISH name.

(Next: Exercising caution in asserting whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s good or bad English)

6ISIT *OSE #ARILLO S %NGLISH &Orum, http://josecarilloforum.com, and on Facebook, https://www. facebook.com/jacarillo. Follow me at Twitter.com @J8Carillo. E-mail: j8carillo@yahoo.com.

Marinduque State College soon to become a university THE Marinduque State College (MSC), whose main campus is located in Boac, Marinduque, will soon become a state university.

MSC President Merian Mani, Ph.D., made the announcement as the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture, chaired by Sen. Francis â&#x20AC;&#x153;Chizâ&#x20AC;? Escudero, approved with no objection on Jan. 23, 2019 the Senate bills endorsing the universityhood of MSC Dr. Mani was exuberant about the passage of the measures and expressed her deep appreciation to Rep. Lord Allan Jay Velascoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sponsorship of the counterpart bill in the House of Representatives, which

was approved mid-part of last year.

MSC started its operation as a National High School of Arts and Trade in 1952 by virtue of Republic Act (RA) 805.

In 1983, it was converted to Marinduque School of Arts and Trade (MIST) through Batas Pambansa 377, and in 1990 its name was changed to Marinduque Institute of Science and Technology (MIST) through RA 6833.

In 1992 MIST was changed to its present name â&#x20AC;&#x201D; MSC â&#x20AC;&#x201D; through RA 7319.

The college has branches in the three other municipalities of Marinduque, namely Gasan, Sta. Cruz and Torrijos.

ANTONIO G. PAPA, PH.D.

Grade 7 students lauded for raising 50K for Pasig River rehab FOR their efforts to help in the rehabilitation of Pasig River, the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC) dedicated the inaugural Asia River Prize to five Grade 7 students from the Multiple Intelligence International School along Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City.

The Asia River Prize is the highest international award for river restoration in the Asia-Pacific region.

PRRC Executive Director Jose Antonio Goitia recognized the Smash Five Bros for raising more than P50,000 for the rehabilitation of the Pasig River and for serving as river warrior

role models.

The Smash Five Bros group is composed of seventh grade students Luis Teodoro Camacho, Luis Alonzo Guevarra, Chollo Javier, Enzo de Leon and Miguel Legazpi. Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;We learned that Pasig River used to be a very beautiful river so we just want to help in the [rehabilitation] process,â&#x20AC;? Camacho said. Â Aside from hosting a Smash Bros video game tournament dubbed as â&#x20AC;&#x153;Smash that Trash,â&#x20AC;? the students also raised funds by selling food and partnering with individual and corporate sponsors.

PASIG RIVER WARRIORS

 Impressed by their support to the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Puso Para Sa Ilogâ&#x20AC;? advocacy, Goitia said that â&#x20AC;&#x153;if these students, at their young age, are already advocating that we must dispose our garbage properly, then adults should know better not to litter.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s that simple.â&#x20AC;?

Now on its second year, Information Officer 3 Alyssa Chrizelle Miclat shared that the proceeds of last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tournament helped the agency in funding its week-long emergency cleanup operations in Estero de Magdalena, a tributary of the Pasig River.

Collectively known as the Smash Five Bros, Grade 7 students Luis Teodoro Camacho, Luis Alonzo Guevarra, Chollo Javier, Enzo de Leon and Miguel Legazpi do a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Puso Para Sa Ilog Pasigâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; handsign with Smash that Trash 2 winners Reese Uy, Kei Shirabe and Raja Dalisay, and Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission Information Officer 3 Alyssa Miclat at the Multiple Intelligence International School in Quezon City on February 16. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Ë&#x153; The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

THURSDAY February 28, 2019

Campus Press

E3

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;From Above and From Belowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; UEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Buklod Sining celebrates 30 years with exhibit

F

BY PROF. SEYMOUR BARROS SANCHEZ

OR the third time, Buklod Sining, the oldest art organization of the University of the East College of Fine Arts, Architecture and Design (UE-CFAD) has been recognized by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) as one of the selected art groups all over the Philippines to receive the 2019 NCCA Gallery Exhibition Grant.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;From Above and From Below: Narratives that Deserve to be Uncovered and Made Knownâ&#x20AC;? is the 30th founding anniversary theme of Buklod Sining. It gives reverence to narratives coming from different classes in Philippine society.

Through this, the participating artists will be able to understand and contemplate about their immense responsibilities in creating relevant ART PROJECTS OUTSIDE THE CONkNEMENT of art studio and salon walls.

This milestone is not only a commemoration of 30 years of being relevant, but also the start of another 30 years of its continuous commitment in helping UE hone young artists in diverse artistic disciplines.

The exhibit opened last February 14 at the NCCA Gallery, Intramuros, Manila and will run until March 6, 2019.

The event aims to inspire a com-

munity of young creative people capable of identifying powerful visual contributions as well as rec ognizing the prevailing impact of art in our socio-emotional, cultural and moral development. This reunion exhibition also connects the works of selected and award-winning alumni artists of UE-CFAD and invited artists in the contemporary art scene today.

The exhibit showcases the works of selected Buklod Sining student members, namely Allan Soriano, Angela Nicole Alarilla, Harmsley Bantillo, James Benedict Calleja, Jayrol Bonito, Jerome Daguplo, Jesse Camacho, Kenneth Sunga, Kiko Moran, Maica Borlagdan, Melo Adriano, Reyster Delos Reyes, Rolandson /PERIO 3HANE $ELkN 4ATEL 6INcent Santos and Ysabela Santos.

Participating Buklod Sining

alumni artists are Jay Ragma, Lei Manto, Olan Ventura, Loren Dayrit, John Rey Aquino, Ace Aquino, Angeline Tabilog, Bernadette Banigoos, John Lanbert Rafols, Trish Dijamco, Elvin Macanlalay, Bryan Marticio, Mars Sanchez, Ayan Padilla, Nico Nunag, Kimi Teves, Richard Soriano Legaspi, Bayani Galera, Ronwell Jason Bacani and Jay Condeno.

Invited artists include Fitz Hererra, Michael Villagante, Wipo, Nikko Pelaez, JM De Olazo, JP Duray and RC Camarines.

Buklod is always true to its core about arts for social change INITIATIVES SINCE 4HEIR kRST exhibition grant under NCCA gave homage to Philippine Cinema as part of their 20th anniversary in 2009 and it traveled to two more relevant exhibition spaces, such as the former PhilAm Life lobby in Manila and Ishmael Bernal Gallery in the University of the Philippines Diliman. The second EXHIBITION GRANT WAS FOR "UKLOD S 25th Anniversary, which was entitled â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pinaeba: Filipina sa Lahat ng Panahon,â&#x20AC;? an art exhibition dedicated to the Filipino woman throughout the century and how they triumphantly surpassed the challenges of the times through their huge global contributions in DIVERSE kELDS

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Middle Groundâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

BY OLAN VENTURA

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Komunidadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; BY BAYANI GALERA

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Bungled Academeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; BY RONWELL JASON L. BACANI

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Lumadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; BY LEI MANTO

UST students win sustainability accounting competition in Indonesia

ACCOUNTED FOR

The team from the University of Santo Tomas-Alfredo M. Velayo College of Accountancy bested 22 teams to win the Asean Sustainability Accounting and Business Student Competition held in Jakarta, Indonesia. Photo shows (from left) Jett Gregorio, Franchesca Allyza Tan, Accountancy Dean Prof. Patricia Empleo, Ph.D, College Secretary Francisco Caliwan Jr., Julia Dominique Ireneo and Vincent Egalloy.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

DepEd recognizes Aboitiz Group for support in nation-building The Department of Education (DepEd) has recognized the Aboitiz Groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s outstanding contribution in pursuing the development of basic quality education in the Philippines.

Seventeen Aboitiz business units and two foundations received DepEd Certificates of Appreciation during its Partnersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Appreciation ceremony held in Pasig City for the long-standing commitment to promoting education and collaboration under the Adopt-A-School Program (ASP). Among these are AboitizLand, Aboitiz Foundation, CitySavings, Cotabato Light, Davao Light, Hedcor, Hedcor Sibulan, Hedcor Davao, Pilmico, Pilmico Animal Nutrition, TMI (Therma Marine) Maco, TMI Nasipit, TMO (Therma Mobile), Luzon Hydro, AP Renewables, Inc. (APRI)-MakBan, APRI-Tiwi, Therma Luzon, VECO, and WeatherPhilippines. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thank you very much to the Aboitiz Group for your generosity and support and continued interest in education. We truly appreciate your assistance all these years and your contribution to the vast improvements that have been made in education,â&#x20AC;? Education Secretary Leonor Briones said.

Aboitiz Foundation First Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Maribeth Marasigan, who led

the Aboitiz delegation, said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have always been grateful to partner with DepEd in our commitment to bridge quality education to employment. We in the Aboitiz Group continuously find ways to keep this partnership alive and effective by carefully looking for strategic points of collaboration. We are happy to witness great results through the successes of our scholars, students, teachers, and schools that we empower.â&#x20AC;?

The Aboitiz Groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s support to DepEd through ASP is part of its strategies in advancing business and communities by co-creating safe, empowered, and sustainable communities. Through its Education program, the Aboitiz Foundation, in partnership with the Aboitiz business units, develop technical vocational high schools and science elementary schools, rewire classrooms, and provide college scholarships.

Through DepEdâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ASP, the Aboitiz Group, along with other companies, are able to contribute in addressing immediate educational needs, raising critical resources, and promoting worthwhile investments in nation-building. DepEdâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s partnerships with the private sector work toward educating Filipinos and providing access to holistic and inclusive quality education nationwide.

Q Education Secretary Leonor Briones (second from left) expresses her gratitude to members of the Aboitz Group delegation, led by Aboitiz Foundation First Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Maribeth Marasigan (center), for their contribution to improving basic quality education in the country under the Adopt-A-School Program. Seventeen Aboitiz business units and two foundations were recognized during the Department of Educationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Partnersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Appreciation ceremony in Pasig City.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

TEAM UST-Accountancy from the University of Santo Tomas-Alfredo M. Velayo (USTAMV) College of Accountancy was hailed champion in the Asean Sustainability Accounting and Business Student Competition held at the Universitas Trisakti in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The team, composed of senior accounting students Vincent Egalloy, Jett Gregorio, Julia Dominique Ireneo and Franchesca Allyza Tan, outsmarted 22 other teams from Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.

The competition was divided into three rounds: elimination, presentation and

quick question. In the elimination round, a case on â&#x20AC;&#x153;Material Flow Cost Accounting,â&#x20AC;? a subset of sustainability accounting, was distributed to and answered by the participating teams.

All the 33 entries submitted were evaluated by the panel of judges and 21 teams were selected to present their answers during the second round. From the 27 teams that presented, only three teams advanced to the quick-question quiz-bowl round. In the end, Team UST-Accountancy dominated the final round in December 2018 and was declared as the overall-champion.

E4

Campus Press

The ˜Manila Times

Beware of your personal account info being phished AS the year 2019 gets underway, don’t forget to protect yourself and your money against fraudsters and their deceitful activities.

Fraud comes in various forms. Shockingly, fraudsters are becoming more and more sophisticated in tricking bank clients into revealing their personal information and account details.

One of the methods these fraudsters have been using

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THURSDAY February 28, 2019

is called phishing. Phishing is the criminal intent to obtain a person’s sensitive bank information to steal their money. It usually involves s e n d i n g a n e m a i l o r t ex t message that appears legitimate but will contain links to a fake website requesting sensitive information like username, password, account details, mobile number and one -time passwords. Once these details are stolen, the

fraudster now has access to your account and is free to do money transfers to his/her account.

Outsmart fraudsters with these tips: 1. Never give out confidential information such as inte r n e t b a n k i n g u s e r n a m e, password, or one-time passwords (OTP). Banks never ask for these.

2. Do not change passwords through an email request sent by suspicious senders. The change of internet banking passwords should be done only af ter customers have successfully logged on to their secure online banking site.

3. Do not click on website links included in suspicious emails. They may redirect to a different site that looks like the official bank website. Tip: Check if the website address begins with “https,” which means that information provided will be encrypted.

4. In relation, never click on any link provided by emails to change bank account details.

5. If you suspect that an email is attempting to phish your information, please report it immediately by forwarding the email to ReportPhish@bdo. com.ph.

6. If you think that you may have responded to a suspicious email, change your account’s password by logging on BDO Per sonal Online Banking at www.bdo.com.ph as soon as possible.

7. Do not hesitate to call your branch and inform them of the type of incident.

Together with BDO, say no to phishing!

FEU launches innovation center

Q Among the student projects showcased at the FEU Institute of Technology Innovation Center is the Responsive Chessboard with Integrated Game Logic developed by Mark Henrick Calix, Roland Aldrick Johm Go, Leah Rivadeneira and Jomarie San Juan under the guidance of their thesis adviser Engr.

Moises Jardiniano. PHOTO BY RENE H. DILAN

BY CATHERINE A. MODESTO

T

HE Far Eastern University Institute of Technology (FEU IT) in Manila launched ITS kRST EVER Innovation Center, a learning space built to unleash the creativity and potential of students.

Q Far Eastern University (FEU) President Michael Alba (right) leads the ribbon cutting of the FEU Institute of Technology Innovation Center last February 20. PHOTO BY RENE H. DILAN

and technology “to support the dream and goals of students.”

“There could be a hundred different ideas playing in their heads. Here they can solve a problem they wish to tackle,” “We acknowledge the poten- Tan added.

Tan stressed the importance of tial of these young minds and the strength of their abilities, which knowing how to put the theories is why we created the Innovation that students learn in the classCenter. I am positive that through rooms to practical use.

He expressed hope that through this new platform, our creative students and teachers will be seminars on intellectual property able to have breakthroughs that RIGHTS kNDING THE RIGHT MARKET AND WILL BENEkT SOCIETY IMMENSELY u obtaining patents and workshops FEU President Michael Alba said on how to build their projects, deduring the launch last February velop products that have commercial value and will complement 20.

It is a space for “outrageous THE STUDENTS GRAPHIC EDUCATION

and ludicrous ideas” of some learners would have more oppor7,000 engineering and IT stu- tunities to create, innovate and dents that might materialize into collaborate.

The center is a 1,170-square-mesomething for the greater good, Senior Executive Director Benson ter area, which has 14 function rooms for discussion and preTan said.

“Because we want our students sentation of project proposals, as to look beyond their degrees. well as a main lounge to cultivate By spending time at the center I business concepts.

The facility was said to have hope they have a mindset change from job seeker to job creator,” been equipped with a high-speed internet connection that could Tan added.

Tan said FEU learners would handle complex operations on be provided with network, tools various computer softwares.

FEU IT said it was planning to purchase a 3D printer to make engineering research easier.

What a creative space means for a student For Samantha Monique Bautista, an electronics engineering student from the FEU IT, who wants to become a chief execuTIVE OFkCER OF HER OWN COMPANY

the Innovation Center is a place where ideas could become realITY WHERE STUDENTS SKILLS COULD be honed to be prepared for the industry of their choice.

Research papers, she argued, should not just gather dust at the library. They are meant to be shared outside the school and change the society for the better.

Bautista is one of recipients of a Department of Science AND 4ECHNOLOGY S GRANT FOR developing a scientific device — a drone with thermal cameras to detect bodies of survivors during calamities, which may help improve the search and rescue efforts of the government.

Intl Rare Disease Day observed through lecture series IN commemoration of International Rare Disease Day and in appreciation of the National Rare Disease Act, the Philippine Society for Orphan Disorders (PSOD) and De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) School of Professional and Continuing Education (SPaCE) will hold a series of discussions and workshops on March 2, 2019 at the College’s School of Design and Arts (SDA) Campus.

Titled “Care for Rare,” the event aims to create awareness on orphan diseases and likewise serves as a venue for both the patients and their family members to learn more on the financial and livelihood management.

Pediatric Endocrinologist and Metabolic doctor Sylvia Estrada will give a broader understanding on orphan disorder, while PSOD Patient and Family Welfare Program Officer Janet Francisco will present the psycho-social aspect of the disease based on the experiences of PSOD member-patients and families and how the programs of the organization has helped ease their burdens.

Headlining the talks will Alexander Gilles, established financial analyst, educator, lecturer on market education for stockbroker company First Metro Securities, and co-author of Guide to Entrepreneurship.

Prof. Reuben Mondejar of the City

Q Go Negosyo awardee entrepreneur Juan Benedicto ‘Dickoy’ Magdaraog, an alumnus Q Philippine Society for of De La Salle-College of Saint Orphan Disorder President Benilde, is an active patientadvocate who has Pompe disease. Cynthia Magdaraog University of Hong Kong will share some tips on how to save money, while Industrial Designer Leo Mario Oaper, a veteran of 23 years both in the local and international scene, who also serves as a professor in DLS-CSB’s Industrial Design Program and SPaCE, will bring his extensive professional experience, to dwell on livelihood programs.

Highlighting real-life success stories inspires the patients and their families. Single mother Maridel Carapatan narrates how she raised her two children, one of whom, the older child Princess Paula, has cranio-facial type of rare disorder called Moebius Syndrome.

Concluding the series will be active patient-advocate and Go Negosyo awardee entrepreneur Juan

Benedicto “Dickoy” Magdaraog, an alumnus from the Industrial Design Program of DLS-CSB, who expounds on coping and living with Pompe disease.

In addition, PSOD, headed by its founding chairman Dr. Carmencita Padilla and president Cynthia Magdaraog, asserts its fruitful partnership with the DLS-CSB by funding the education of selected rare disorder patients in the available programs of SPaCE. It aims to expand the career opportunities for the participants through SPaCE’s wide range of available courses that promote innovation and inclusion.

The collaboration sets forth a ceremonial signing scheduled on March 28, 2019

Ë&#x153; The Manila Times

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Special Feature

THURSDAY February 28, 2019

SHIPPING AND LOGISTICS

Solving long-standing issues Learning the lessons of the past for a better year ahead

Q With vast waters surrounding over 7,000 islands, the Philippines should be enjoying a thriving shipping industry. PHOTO FROM PEXELS.COM

BY MAYLENE STEPHANIE S. VIRAY

W

ITH vast waters surrounding over 7,000 islands, the Philippines should be enjoying a thriving shipping industry.

Yet shipping and logistics experts fear that this positive development may not last long if long-standing issues and concerns remain unsolved.

Industry challenges 3OME MULTIMODAL TRANSPORT kRMS POINT to the return of empty containers, heavy use of the Manila port, and high shipping costs as the top problems that beset the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shipping and logistics sector.

Although the industry enjoys an increase in business volume, stakeholders say the problems have long been formidable challenges for the industry.

In November last year, in an event known as â&#x20AC;&#x153;Truck Holiday,â&#x20AC;? truckers and customs brokers banded to protest against the governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plan to phase out old truck vehicles as part of its modernization program, as well as to the address the empty container- return issue which has caused congestion at the Port of Manila. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We no longer have space for empty containers here in the country,â&#x20AC;? says Teddy Gervacio, president of the Alliance of Philippine Brokers and Truckers Association. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Now that it is peak season, we have container imbalance.â&#x20AC;? !S A RESULT OFkCIALS OF THE $EPARTMENT of Transportation, Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) and Bureau of Customs met in November to discuss solutions to the empty-container problem. $ESPITE THE CHALLENGES 0ORT OF -ANILA kNISHED STRONG IN AS SHOWN BY 00! S 3TATISTICAL 2EPORT 4HE REPORT SAID THE -ANILA PORT RECORDED A TOTAL OF

OF DOMESTIC CARGO THROUGHPUT (m.t) while foreign m.t. ended the year WITH

HIGHER UP COMPARED WITH S

AND

RESPECTIVELY

Government reforms, modernization programs 4HE YEAR HAD BEEN A REMARKABLE year for the industry, with the counTRY LEAPING TO THE TH SPOT IN THE LATEST World Bank Logistics Performance Index ,0) EDITION &ROM RANK IN THE 0HILIPPINES MOVED UP PLACES TO OUT OF THE countries ranked according to their trade LOGISTICS PERFORMANCE RECORDING A ,0) SCORE IN COMPARED WITH THE SCORE IN The country posted an increase in four out of six of index indicators: interna-

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F2

THURSDAY February 28, 2019

Special Feature

Ë&#x153; The Manila Times

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ATI, Shipping Lines join hands to improve port trade flow

A

SIAN Terminals Inc. (ATI) and its international shipping line partners are coming together to IMPROVE TRADE lOW VIA -ANILA 3OUTH (ARBOR to proactively address current logistics challenges, particularly the build-up of empty containers in the supply chain.

In a collaborative session recently hosted

by ATI, major international shipping lines have agreed in principle to cooperate and share vessel resources to immediately evacuate empty containers from Manila and surrounding areas through Manila South Harbor. For its part, ATI will dedicate ample resources to handle the requirements of the shipping lines to ensure quick turnaround time.

The participating shipping lines, namely: CMA-CGM Group, T.S. Lines, Evergreen, Yang Ming Lines, Wan Hai Lines and Hyundai -ARITIME WILL JOINTLY PULLOUT OVER TEUS (twenty-foot equivalent units) of empty containers from the port for recirculation to other Asian destinations on a weekly basis. Other major shipping lines may join the initiative in the near future.

This synergy shows good faith among the shipping lines in support of governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s EFFORTS TO EASE THE lOW OF TRADE INTO THE country.

Over the past weeks, the industry has seen high inventory of empty contain-

ers which has hampered normal truck cycles and has adversely impacted port efficiency levels. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The idea is that after cargo discharge, the vessels docked at the port will load empty containers, regardless of which shipping line owns such container,â&#x20AC;? ATI executive vice president William Khoury said. $OING SO WILL GREATLY IMPROVE THE ENTIRE container recirculation process, fast-track truck turnaround time and ultimately bring port operations to optimum levels. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Today we have come together as one port community, showing that we are committed TO IMPROVE TRADE lOWS FOR OUR CUSTOMERS AND FOR THE BENEkT OF THE ENTIRE ECONOMY u Khoury said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We believe this is the right direction to solve the industry-wide problem,â&#x20AC;? he added.

Meanwhile, ATI continues to encourage its clients to expediently pull out laden boxes, especially during weekends and holidays, opTIMIZING SUCH PERIODS WHEN THERE IS LESS TRAFkC volume on major roads. Manila South Harbor IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS

Business as usual at Port of Manila

Q Customers transact business through the One-Stop-Shop satellite office set up by ATI at Pier 15 in Manila South Harbor.

AF CARGO

IT is business as usual at the Port of Manila, Manila South Harbor operator Asian Terminals Inc. (ATI) assured stakeholders in view of the kRE INCIDENT WHICH HIT THE "UREAU OF #USTOMS headquarters Friday last week.

A fully operational One-Stop-Shop satellite OFkCE HAS BEEN IMMEDIATELY SET UP BY !4) INSIDE 0IER S PASSENGER TERMINAL TO ENSURE uninterrupted port transactions.

4HE SATELLITE OFkCE HOUSES !4) S "ILLING AND Collections unit where brokers can settle port fees, book TABS (terminal appointment booking system) transactions, print gate passes using self-help kiosks and conduct other online

transactions.

ATIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s customer helpdesk, the VerificaTION 2ECEIPTING AND -ONITORING 5NIT OF 0HILIPPINE 0ORTS !UTHORITY .#2 3OUTH

Philippine Export Zone Authority units and BOC-Port of Manilaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (POM) OperaTIONS $IVISION %XPORT $IVISION AND #ONTAINER #ONTROL $IVISION ARE ALSO HOUSED AT the same location.

Meanwhile, POMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Assessment and Formal %NTRY $IVISION IS FULLY OPERATIONAL TEMPORARILY located at the BOC gymnasium.

ATI encourages its customers to schedule their cargo deliveries as normal.

Q ISSUES FROM F1

Solving long-standing tional shipment indicator, tracking and tracing, infrastructure and logistics competence. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are now reaping the fruits of the governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reforms and these are seen globally,â&#x20AC;?

4RADE 3ECRETARY 2AMON ,OPEZ SAYS OF THE RECOGNITION g'UIDED BY 0RESIDENT 2ODRIGO $UTERTE S mandate for a better and more comfortable life for our countrymen, we have developed a program to improve logistics services in the country to address related issues, foster more investments, and generate more jobs.â&#x20AC;? !CCORDING TO THE $EPARTMENT OF 4RADE AND )NDUSTRY $4) THE 4RANSPORT AND ,OGISTICS

SECTOR IS ONE OF THE DEPARTMENT S INDUSTRY priorities under its Innovation-led Industrial 3TRATEGY ) 3 WHERE THE AGENCY HAS BEEN promoting the sector to attract investments and initiate reforms to address reliability, high logistics costs, and customs procedures.

-OREOVER THE $4) #OMPETITIVENESS "UREAU $4) #" HAS BEEN COLLABORATING WITH THE PRIvate sector for better logistics services through regulatory reform, assurance of quality, communication and knowledge management, otherwise known as the Track program.

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Ë&#x153; The Manila Times

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Special Feature

Q ISSUES FROM F2

Solving long-standing 5NDER THE PROGRAM SEVERAL PROJECTS BENEkTTING FROM THE SECTOR WILL BE LINED up for transformation measures which include the establishment of a supply chain and logistics observatory; an online resource tool that will contain relevant supply chain and logistics data; standards development; marketing and promotion; and logistics planning for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). â&#x20AC;&#x153;The recent LPI score is proof that the Philippine governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s efforts to level up our logistics industry are now being acknowledged by global industry playERS u #OMPETITIVENESS AND %ASE OF $OING "USINESS 5NDERSECRETARY 2OWEL "ARBA SAYS in a statement. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And while the quality of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s infrastructure facilitates fastER AND MORE EFkCIENT WAY OF TRANSPORTING goods through the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Build, Build, Buildâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; program, government transactions are NOW BEING SIMPLIkED AND STREAMLINED WITH THE RECENT ENACTMENT OF THE %ASE OF $OING Business law.â&#x20AC;?

Meanwhile, the PPA has been improving its â&#x20AC;&#x153;green portâ&#x20AC;? initiatives following the recognition of two Philippine ports which received the Green Port Award System (GPAS) conferred by the APEC Port SerVICES .ETWORK !03. IN $ECEMBER The Port of Batangas and Port of Cagayan de Oro each received the GPAS award for complying with the stringent requirements on environmental management and occupational safety and health.

This is according to PPA General Manager *AY $ANIEL 3ANTIAGO WHO ASSURES THAT HIS agency is fully committed towards environmental protection and sustainable port operations.

The GPAS program is a green evaluation system for ports in the APEC region, intended to improve environmental awareness and increase the understanding of green port development strategy. The program aims for the following: a balance between economic development and environmental protection in the APEC ports community; sustainable development of ports in the APEC region and protection OF THE PORT ENVIRONMENT FOR THE BENEkT OF the entire APEC community; harmony of regulations and improved interoperability of green port systems in the APEC region; and an APEC green port performance benchmark based on this program, and sharing of best practices and encouraging mutual assistance among APEC ports.

2019 outlook While it contributes to the overall economy of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;even to its positive projected outlookâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the cargo transport industry may be facing a mixed review FOR ACCORDING TO AN OUTLOOK REPORT

by Portcalls.com. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Volumes and opportunities are seen to increase, but issues and concerns affecting operations and costs last year have carried through as major challenges of this year,â&#x20AC;? the report says.

A projected increase in cargo volumes brought about by the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s continuous high consumption was cited as one of the contributing factors to achieving a positive outlook. It also cites business opportunities brought about by the governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s BBB program and a booming e-commerce industry as other contributing factors.

In her interview with Portcalls, Supply Chain Management Association of the Philippines (SCMAP) president Christine 0ARDIĂ&#x201E;AS LINKS THE ELECTIONS TO INcreased spending, translating to a higher need for logistics support. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Innovations in the industry, particularly in e-commerce, should also lead to more opportunities for a buoyant supply chain system,â&#x20AC;? she adds.

The shipping industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s outlook, however, begs to differ.

Philippine Inter-Island Shipping Association (PISA) executive director Pedro !GUILAR SAYS THAT g MAY BE WORSE THAN FOR DOMESTIC SHIPPING OPERATORS u He says that the increased excise tax on petroleum products would result in a hike on the cost of vessel operations.

Association of International Shipping Lines General Manager Maximo Cruz also SEES AS gLESS OPTIMISTIC u NOTING THE CONlICT BETWEEN THE 5NITED 3TATES AND China and its possible trade deals as primary concerns for the industry.

He adds infrastructure as another major concern of the industry, pointing out that modern and bigger port facilities should be necessary to accommodate the arrival of bigger vessels.

Cruz hopes that processes of the Bureau of Customs, the Philippine Ports Authority, and other port operations be made automated to resolve some of the industry challenges.

Improvements The industry challenges over the years have urged key players to improve their operations.

Shipping and logistics company Chelsea Logistics Corp. (CLC) has vowed to enter a â&#x20AC;&#x153;bigger role in moving the ECONOMYu BY EXPANDING ITS lEET Welcome developments are the adDITION OF A MEDIUM RANGER TANKER kVE TUGBOATS SIX CARGO FREIGHT VESSELS ROLL ON ROLL OFF 2O2O AND PASSENGER VESSELS AS WELL AS ONE lOATING DOCK HAS MADE THE COMPANY STRONG lEET DUBBED AS the largest shipping force in the country. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our strategic acquisitions have positioned CLC to harness the opportunities brought about by continued growth

of commerce within and outside the archipelago,â&#x20AC;? company president Chryss !LFONSUS $AMUY TOLD REPORTERS g7E WILL continue growing our capacity and reach to realize more value for our investors, better serve our customers, and contribute more to our economy.â&#x20AC;?

Port operator Asian Terminal Inc. (ATI) is eager on expanding its services beyond its international gateway ports in Manila and Batangas to further enhance logistics cycles for manufacturers, shippers and transporters in support of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s growing economy. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As a trade enabler, we are eyeing to develop more facilities that will leverage on our existing gateway ports in Manila and Batangas to better serve our valued customers,â&#x20AC;? ATI executive vice president William Khoury says in a statement. â&#x20AC;&#x153;These projects will establish greater operational synergies to help the industry cope with current logistics challenges and also create growth opportunities in

the long-term.â&#x20AC;?

ATI leverages on its strength as a major Philippine port operator with an impressive track record and expertise. In line with this, the company expects to have additional capacity for empty containers by mid-year, in addition to its off-dock container yards, empty container depots and other ancillary facilities.

-EANWHILE IN A PRESS BRIEkNG IN !UGUST

!0 #ARGO ,OGISTICS .ETWORK #ORP

ANNOUNCES ITS ADOPTION OF THE 2AMCO Logistics Software to streamline its operations in the country. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The decision to automate our manual systems with a future-ready logistics suite is part of a larger strategy to overhaul our supply chain,â&#x20AC;? AP Cargo President and CEO Virgilio Villacorte told reportERS g2AMCO S UNIkED SOLUTION WILL OFFER real-time operational visibility and better planning capabilities, enabling us to arrest revenue leakage and boost productivity to drive overall growth.â&#x20AC;?

THURSDAY February 28, 2019

F3

Moreover, International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) announces its acquisition of the Japan-made Mitsui ,I ION (YBRID 24' IN ITS lAGSHIP -ANILA International Container Terminal (MICT) to boost the terminalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s container yard productivity. %QUIPPED WITH A K6A ,I ION BATTERY and a smaller diesel engine, the new port equipment allows MICT to fully match the demands in terms of operational performance. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As we continuously drive economic growth in our home operations, ICTSI will always be at the forefront of innovation with ports equipment and adaptive technology that ensures increasing productivity while reducing carbon footprint,â&#x20AC;? says Christian Gonzalez, ICTSI Global Corporate head.

The new equipment is seen to reduce CARBON EMISSION BY PERCENT AND NOISE levels at the container yard as well as up to PERCENT OF BETTER FUEL ECONOMY

in cooperation with

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The 9th Business Forum

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;Riding the Tailwinds: Pursuing Growth and Value Amid Rising Global Risksâ&#x20AC;?

0DUFK _ 5HJLVWUDWLRQ D P _ 3URJUDP D P S P _ 0D\XUHH %DOOURRP 'XVLW 7KDQL 0DQLOD 0DNDWL &LW\ The global economy enters 2019 with decidedly slower growth, continued volatility and heightened risks. Interest rates are normalizing and pushing investors in search of higher-yielding assets, as economic performance diverges across countries and regions. While the US is poised for strong performance, China is looking for a soft landing, and emerging markets are showing signs of weakness. Also heightening risks are populist policies and the prospect of trade wars.

The Philippines, however, remains a bright spot as it forges ahead with its infrastructure drive, expands revenue collections, and sustains growth at above 6 percent. The domestic economy

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Ë&#x153; The Manila Times

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Special Feature

HENRY SY SR

TRIBUTE TO THE LEGENDARY TYCOON He left not only material riches but a wealth of life-enriching values

BY MAYLENE STEPHANIE S. VIRAY

M

5#( HAS BEEN SAID TO DEkNE (ENRY 3Y

3R Â&#x2021;A BUSINESS MAGNATE RETAIL TYCOON

GENEROUS INVESTOR PHILANTHROPIST

AND &ORBES RICHEST &ILIPINO "UT TO PUT IT SIMPLY 3Y S DESCRIPTION CAN BE BOILED DOWN TO AN AFFECTIONATE NICKNAME 4ATANG SM founder Henry Sy, Sr. staunchly stood as a father figure not only to his own children, but to his employees, colleagues, and friends.

He started with a shoe store along Carriedo, Manila, and persevered to make it into one of the leading conglomerates in the country today.

As chairman emeritus of his company, Sy led the SM Group to great heights which marked its 60th founding anniversary last year.

Henry Sy passed away on January 19, 2019.

He left behind wealth estimated at $19 billion.

SM records show that as of August 2018, the SM Group holds 72 malls in the Philippines, seven malls in China, 49 residential projects, nine office buildings, six hotels, four convention centers, t h r e e t r a d e h a l l s, a n d t wo banksâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Banco de Oro Unibank Inc., and China Banking Corp.

His has been a rags-to-riches story, told and retold, and continues to convey hope and i n s p i r a t i o n t o m a ny, n ow, more than ever. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I started with shoes, and w i t h h a r d wo r k a n d d i s c i p l i n e, t h e b u s i n e s s p r o s pered,â&#x20AC;? Sy once said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There is no such thing as overnight success or easy money. If you fail, do not be discouraged; try again. When you do well, do not change your ways.

Success is not just good luck: it is a combination of hard work, good credit standing, opportunity, readiness, and timing. Success will not last if you do not take care of it.â&#x20AC;?

Humble beginnings Henry Sy was born Si ChiSeng on October 15, 1924 to Henry Sy and Tan Sia, said to be of humble means in the provincial city of Amoy (now known as Xiamen), in Fujian, China. Hard life drove the Sys to the Philippines in the 1920s when Henry was only 12 years old.

Settling in Quiapo, Manila, his father started a sari-sari store along Echague St., now Carlos Palanca Sr. St. The younger Sy was unable to speak Tagalog nor English, but early on, he already showed signs of his business prowess. Apparently observing that customers were not buying in bulk, he packed p r o d u c t s t h e y we r e s e l l i n g in small portionsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;yes, the little tingi packs prevailing today as stylized sachetsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; which actually allowed for a little more profit per piece.

Winning in war It is often said that in war, there are no victors. That saying did not apply for Henry Sy. War for him turned out to be a blessing in disguise, making him a winner.

In the 1940s, World War II broke out. Desperate victims looted his fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s store. And as if that was not enough, battle fire eventually razed the store to the ground.

At one time, amid the chaos, Henry himself sustained a shrapnel wound. Fortunately, a friend promptly carried him into a cart and ferried him to a hospital. Henry would reward such a gesture of kindness and he remained friends with his rescuer even after the war.

Apparently dismayed over the devastations of war, Henryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s father decided to go back to China. But undaunted, Henry decided to stay.

T h e r e wa s h a r d l y m e a n s of earning a livingâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;except through buy-and-sell of war remnants. So, like most people rising from the ruins of war, Henry started his own little buy-and-sell venture.

In time, Henry, who finished high school, also earned a degree in commercial science at the Far Eastern University.

Found ations of an em p ire As the war ended in 1945, among the items Henry saw as customers badly needed were shoes. He thus focused his business in buying and selling what were readily available at the timeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;American-branded shoes.

Not long after, he eventually put up his own shoe store.

By 1958, Sy had already put up two stores in Man i l a : o n e a l o n g R i z a l Ave nue, in Quiapo, and the second one in Carriedo, Sta. Cruz, giving them different names and ventured to put up some more. Then, the ever practical Sy decided to have just one name for his shoe martsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;something smart as â&#x20AC;&#x153;Shoemart.â&#x20AC;?

True to his words, Sy made his friendâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the one who helped him survive his shrapnel woundsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;as his business partner. Together, the two put up one of Syâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s early-known shoe stores in Manila during the 1950s.

Fo l l ow i n g t h e s u c c e s s o f his Shoemarts in Manila, Sy went on to enhance his business. To encourage customers

ÂłHenry Sy G2

THURSDAY February 28, 2019

G1

G2

THURSDAY February 28, 2019

Special Feature

Q HENRY SY FROM G1 especially during the hot season—he put up the first air-conditioned shoe store, Shoemart Makati, which opened in 1963. Four years later, Shoemart Cubao opened in 1967.

But as his retail business boomed, his shoe suppliers began to hold him back.

Sy asked his suppliers to give him stocks more than the standard volume. The suppliers, however, did not heed his request, providing him only a limited stock of shoes instead.

Again, dauntless Henry did not get intimidated. Since he did not have enough shoes to sell, he diversified, buying and selling various other merchandise.

And so, the shoe store metamorphosed into a department store— the Shoemart Manila on Echague St., became SM Department Store in 1972. Shoemart Makati became SM Makati in 1975. And Shoemart Cubao became SM Cubao in 1980.

Throughout the Martial Law period, the SM brand flourished. Even in 1983, as some companies were folding up amid the economic crisis, SM was courageously stepping into a whole new venture.

Sy’s medium-sized department stores began to become full-scale malls. He opened SM’s first mall, SM City North EDSA, in November 1985. This was followed by SM City Sta. Mesa in 1990, SM Megamall in 1991, and SM City Cebu in 1993. In 2001, Sy opened his first SM mall in his family hometown in Xiamen, China—SM’s first mall outside the Philippines.

G oi n g fo r g o l d With its avalanche of cash, naturally, SM already needed to have its own bank.

Early on, in 1967, Sy acquired Acme Savings Bank, then a small-sized bank.

With the cash turning out to be as good as gold, Acme eventually became the Banco de Oro (BDO).

Before BDO, in the late 1990s, Sy had already invested in China Banking Corp., more commonly known as Chinabank, one of the leading universal banks in the Philippines.

Sy’s decision to invest in Chinabank cemented SM’s position in the banking industry.

In 1997, he became the bank’s honorary chairman and advisor to its Board of Directors.

He was formally elected as the bank’s hon-

orary chairman in 2007.

Earlier, in 2006, SM also acquired Equitable PCI Bank and merged it with BDO. With BDO under SM’s portfolio, Sy had been able to provide cash management services to his suppliers, tenants, and contractors. As a result, his suppliers kept SM store shelves full-stocked.

As of September 2018, BDO was standing as the country’s leading bank in consolidated resources, customer loans, deposits, assets under management and capital, as well as branch and ATM network nationwide.

But Sy was not done yet.

Pro p e r t y d eve l o p m e nt In addition to banking and retail, Sy added property development under SM’s portfolio.

Drawing inspiration from the success of SM City North EDSA in 1985, Sy then ventured into property development with interests in shopping malls, residential condominiums, commercial office buildings, resorts, leisure projects, and convention facilities.

In 2003, SM Development Corp., the residential real-estate arm of the SM Group, inaugurated its maiden residential condominium project—Chateau Elysee in Bicutan, Parañaque.

Today, SMDC residences have been divided into two categories: SMDC Premier and SMDC Properties.

Meanwhile, SM Prime Holdings, the company’s integrated property developer, established more properties— SM Mall of Asia in 2006, the Batangas-based eco-tourism project Hamilo Coast in 2007, and SM Seaside City Cebu in 2015.

Also in 2006, SM began going to the market— meaning supermarket and hypermarket, the company’s food retail outlets.

G oin g pu blic With its growing business came the need for SM to establish appropriate subsidiaries to oversee the operations of each business.

Thus, the emergence of SM Investments Corp. (SMIC), also known as the SM Group, n ow t h e m o t h e r c o m p a ny o f a l l S M s u b sidiaries, with leading businesses in retail, banking, and property. It became publicly-listed in 2005 under the Philippine Stock

˜ The Manila Times

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˜ The Manila Times

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Special Feature

THURSDAY February 28, 2019

G3

Q Shoemart Makati opened its doors in 1963.

Q SM Prime opens Mall of Asia in 2006.

Exchange (PSE).

SMIC, estimated to worth over $500 million, was considered the largest initial public offering (IPO) at the time.

To handle the company’s retail venture, SM Retail Inc., manages a portfolio of items that range from food, clothing, furniture, and appliances, to specialty retail stores.

Meanwhile, all property development projects of the company fall under SM Prime Holdings Inc. Under SMPH are four of its own subsidiaries: SM Supermalls for mall development, SMDC for residential spaces, Commercial Properties Group (CPG) for development and leasing of office buildings, and SM Hotel and Convention Corp. (SMHCC) for tourism projects and development.

For banking, Sy’s company marked its footprint through BDO Unibank Inc. and China Banking Corp.

In equity investments, his company can be seen in integrated resorts through Belle Corp., copper and mining through Atlas Consolidated Mining and Development Corp., community mall chain CityMall, office towers under the NET Group, logistics firm 2GO Group, and dormitory operator MyTown.

Tatang here on af ter Last month, the SM Group announced that Tatang Henry Sy, Sr. peacefully passed away in his sleep in the morning of Saturday, January 19, 2019. He was 94 years old.

“It is with deep sadness that we inform you of the peaceful passing of our beloved chairman emeritus, founder and Tatang (Father), Mr. Henry Sy Sr. this morning. We join the Sy family in fervent prayer,” SM Group said in a statement.

He was survived by his wife Felicidad and six children—Teresita, Hans, Harley, Elizabeth, Herbert, and Henry Jr. In a separate statement, the Sy family thanked everyone who outpoured sympathy on the passing of their patriarch: “May we respectfully ask for privacy today to give the FAMILY TIME TO RElECT AND TO kNALIZE ARRANGEments,” the family appealed.

Henry Sy, Sr. remains Tatang to those who knew him well because he left for this world not only material riches. He left what to a loving father is much more important to give to his children: a wealth of life-enriching values.

Patience, hard work, ambition, and a

Q Henry Sy at his Shoemart store in Carriedo.

good grasp of business acumen built Henry Sy’s business empire.

Behind these traits was one single mindset parents may well learn from.

“Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always believed in doing my best, that one should aspire to be #1,” he once said.“I’ve always wanted to be a businessman. No other ambitions—I just wanted to be in business, even when I was a child in Fujian provi n c e, s o u t h C h i n a . ” It’s a single thought embedded deep in his mind. And why not? Another age-old saying is that a person becomes his given name. This had been true for Henry Sy whose given Chinese name means “to attain ultimate success.”

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.)

Ë&#x153; The Manila Times

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THURSDAY February 28, 2019

H1

REAL ESTATE FORECAST 2019

A changing view of property Industry leaders foresee that the change rests on two factors: one relating to the market, another to the cities

BY BING KIMPO

I

N the last several weeks and months, various players in the property sector have commented on their industry, issuing their own views on the business. One overriding theme is change.

Based on their respective pronouncements, the change they foresee will rest on two legs: one, relating to the market; another, to the cities.

The market is moving The market is undoubtedly moving.

And it is doing so, in different ways.

It is moving around digitally, hopping from developer-owned websites to comparison-oriented platforms â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and back â&#x20AC;&#x201D; to get a broader and deeper appreciation of the options on offer. Industry players are turning to technology to make every step of the property purchase process as convenient and informative for prospects.

It is also moving geographically, expanding beyond the environs of Metro Manila as property developers and businesses push the perimeters of urbanization further across the archipelago. Previously quieter provincial capitals are now being reimagined to accommodate THE INlUX OF WORK AND WORKERS It is also moving demographic-wise. As PHINMA Properties

describes in the accompanying story, their customers are now buying later in life; consequently, the company is tweaking their product offerings to suit this demographic shift.

It is also more mobile. Phinma Properties observes that apart from outsourcing, freelancing and the shared economy are phenomena THAT ARE ALREADY IMPACTING SIGNIkcantly on the industry. As a result, they are designing their new developments around these phenomena.

Our cities are connecting The much talked-about infrastructure drive of the government is pushing the connections between farms and industries, and their respective markets; between homes and workplaces; between towns and citiesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and even between ports and airports.

The increased intra-archipelago connectivity and its attendant urbanization, are both giving rise to opportunities for the real estate industry.

Cathay Land recognizes this and

is betting big on industrial lots.

Related to connectivity are the growth of tourism and expatriate

labor. These two trends are similarly opening doors for property players in the vicinity of tourist spots

and business hubs nationwide.

The Philipppine landscape is noticeably evolving. Expect more

changes to come as the property sector builds on our renewed markets and cities.

H2

THURSDAY February 28, 2019

Special Feature

Ë&#x153; The Manila Times

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Q Acienda Designer Outlet opens more branded shops this quarter 1 2019.

T

Cathay Land adds more brands to Acienda Outlets

HE wide array of shopping choices at the Acienda Designer Outlet in Silang, Cavite, has grown even bigger with the addition of new fashion stores that offer a minimum of 30 percent discounts on their stocks. These new stores are set to open this quarter.

Their latest store openings include Seoul Optical for fashionable eyewear and Converse, Havaianas, and the World Balance Pop-Up Store for stylish footwear. Moms will have a fun

time shopping for discounted items at the Kidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Depot. Ladies can definitely stretch their budget for their own fashion needs at MacBeth, Terra Nova/ Calliope, New Era and Mango.

Shoppers can refuel with local cuisine on offer at Ibarraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and Krissonâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and get more energy to hunt for even better bargains at up to 80 percent off.

To make it a really exciting family and barkada destination, VR Land arcade will serve up Virtual Reality action for the young and young at heart.

As summer starts to set in, make it a day-out for fun shopping expeditions at Acienda Designer Outlet, where one can spend the whole day enjoying

the big bargains on quality branded items, along with the beautiful Instagrammable spots and cool new activities within the cool climate of Silang. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are quite pleased with the thousands of visitors we have been getting at Acienda Designer Outlet everyday. We are expecting to have even more happy shoppers drop by especially with the opening of our new stores and our added fun attraction which is VR Land,â&#x20AC;? declared Cathay Land President Jeffrey Ng.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The enthusiastic response to our unique shopping concept in the Philippines has strengthened our commitment to providing the best bargains while offering our unique family-friendly experiences at Acienda Designer Outlet,â&#x20AC;? he added.

For his part, Freeport Retail UK Head of Leasing Jayden Lewis declared, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are changing the game on how Filipinos are enjoying outlet shopping.

Acienda Designer Outlet will continue to grow in the coming

months, so watch out for our updates on new stores and even more dining outlets that are opening soon.â&#x20AC;?

Cathay Land and Freeport are the local and foreign partners respectively behind the Philippinesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; kRST TRUE INTERNATIONAL OUTLET MALL Acienda Designer Outlet is located at Km 48 Aguinaldo Highway, Silang Cavite, just a few minutes off the Tagaytay City Rotunda. For more information, visit www.aciendadesigneroutlet.com.

Q The vintage bike area is Instagramfriendly.

Q This duo proudly shows off their finds from the newly opened Havaianas shop at Acienda Designer Outlet.

Expertsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; tips on how to ride in the booming real estate industry EXPERTS say today, Philippine economy is vibrant. The governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Build, Build, Build Program has given a big boost to the construction and real estate industries.

With the booming economy, Filipinos can already afford to buy their own home. Overseas Filipino Workers, particularly, are capable of buying properties right in their home country.

Experts, however, are also saying that not everyone is keen on putting hard-earned money on real estate.

For the businessmen, the buildAND SELL BUSINESS IS PROkTABLE ALL right, but experts say it is a hard business that requires thorough planning, strategy, and clear picture of what clients need and want.

But if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re considering putting your home on the market in the coming months to be able to buy a new one, there are a few tips you should follow.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wise to work with a realtor. According to a survey from the National Association of Realtors, 88 percent of recent homesellers used an agent.

A realtor can provide expert advice and counsel on the selling process, marketing it to prospective buyers and accepting offers and negotiating on your behalf.

Know your neighborhood when setting your asking price. Realtors have real insights in the markets where they do business. A realtor is your best source for accurate, up-to-date information and comparable properties to help you determine a competitive listing price for your home. He or she will give you an idea of how long homes are staying on the market and at what price theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re selling.

While itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to get the best possible deal for your home, a realtor will help you understand the importance of pricing your house appropriately. Overpricing your home could lead to it staying on the market too longâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;compelling you to compromise on the asking price or terms.

Decide on how to market your home. Given the mass amounts of information available today to consumers, the days of just placing an ad in your local newspaper and putting a â&#x20AC;&#x153;For Saleâ&#x20AC;? sign in front of your yard are over.

If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking to sell your home as quickly and easily as possible, you could use the real insights youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll get having a realtor help you through the process OF kNDING INTERESTED BUYERS AND eventually closing the deal.

Q Selling your house to buy another property can be more lucrative with professional help.