THE MANILA TIMES | MAY 31, 2019

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Govt debt eases to P7.8T in April – BTr

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FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2019

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TRASH VESSEL

MV Bavaria (right), a vessel hired to ship tons of trash back to Canada, arrives at Subic Bay on Thursday. AFP PHOTO

Canada takes trash back

Vessel arrives at Subic; 69 containers to be returned Testing the New York Times’ fairness

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N the suggestion of a reader, I emailed a letter to the New York Times (reproduced in the latter part of this column). It is my comment on a piece which retired editor Vergel Santos managed to get the newspaper to publish recently. It contained so many lies about our country, at the rate of nearly one per paragraph, that I thought I had to do something about it.

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ANADA IS kNALLY TAKING BACK TONS OF GARBAGE SHIPPED TO THE 0HILIPPINES WITH A CHARTERED VESSEL HAVING ARRIVED 4HURSDAY AFTERNOON TO RECEIVE CONTAINERS IN THE CUSTODY OF 3UBIC "AY )NTERNATIONAL 4ERMINAL #ORP 3")4#

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. earlier this week said the waste would be shipped out May 30, but reports as of press time said loading would only be completed early Friday morning. All updates, including photos and videos, would come from the Department of Foreign

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REACH US AT:

BUSINESS FORUM

President Rodrigo Duterte holds a meeting with Japanese tourism partners at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. PHOTO FROM MALACAĂ‘ANG

What’s inside ONLY P10,000 OF P37M FOR MARAWI VICTIMS USED LAWMAKERS SLAM MMDA EXECS

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TOP US GENERAL: NewsA2

JEWRY, DUE PROCESS 101 AND CJ RENE CORONA

Rene SaguisagA4

Xi broke promise on South China Sea WASHINGTON: The United States military’s top general said Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) that Chinese President Xi Jinping reneged on promises not to militarize the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea) and called for “collective action� to

hold Beijing responsible. Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Pentagon’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he was not calling for military action, but stressed that there was a need to enforce international laws. ³BrokeA8

Duterte junks bidding rule for oil exploration contracts WARRIORS SEEK ‘THREE-PEAT’WHILE RAPTORS HUNT FIRST NBA CROWN

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Incumbents to get first pick – Sotto

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

Affairs (DFA), the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) told the media. Canada originally shipped 103 containers of trash in 2013, but the contents of 34 were “locally disposed� in succeeding years, environmental activists said as they

MEGAN YOUNG DENIES SHE AND MIKAEL DAEZ ARE SECRETLY MARRIED

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PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has signed a measure that is expected to ALLOW A STATE OWNED kRM TO PARTNER with a Chinese company for an oil exploration venture. Executive Order (EO) 80, inked on May 28, repealed a 2006 Arroyo administration order that barred the award of “farm-in� and “farmout� contracts by government agen-

cies, including Philippine National Oil Co. (PNOC) and instead called for a bidding process. The Arroyo-era EO 556 was said to have prevented Duterte from approving a service contract between PNOC Exploration Corp. (PNOC EC) and China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC) covering an area

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INCUMBENT senators will be given priority in the distribution of committee chairmanships if Senate President Vicente Sotto 3rd retains his post once the 18th Congress opens in July. !MID A CHALLENGE FROM kRST TIMERS and comebacking legislators backed by MalacaĂąang, Sotto on Thursday said he would uphold the “equity of the incumbent.â€? “They have work that they have started, they have to continue most of THE BILLS THAT THEY STARTED HEARING OR kLED therefore that is the reason for that, the equity,â€? he explained. Seventeen senators — 12 of them completing six-year terms secured in 2016, and five having won reelection earlier this month — comprise the incumbents. !NOTHER SEVEN ‡ FOUR kRST TIMERS AND three comebackers — complete the 24man Senate. While Sotto has claimed that he would likely retain the top Senate post, a challenge is expected to be mounted by legislators endorsed by the administration-backed Hugpong ng Pagbabago party. Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri admitted that jockeying for committee chairmanships had started, but claimed that an agreement had been reached on incumbents being GIVEN kRST CHOICE Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said tradition and seniority should be respected, with major committees always given to senior senators. “The senior ones would have preference and that’s the tradition. Of course, as I’ve said, it’s up to the majority whether or not they follow this tradition. But the incoming senators, maybe they SHOULD AS WE SAY LEARN THE ROPES kRST

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News

˜ The Manila Times FRIDAY May 31, 2019

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Only P10,000 of P37M for Marawi victims used

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BY REINA C. TOLENTINO

NLY 0 OF DONATIONS FOR -ARAWI SIEGE VICTIMS TOTALING 0 MILLION THAT THE /FkCE OF #IVIL $EFENSE RECEIVED WAS ACTUALLY USED THE #OMMISSION ON !UDIT #O! SAID IN ITS ANNUAL AUDIT REPORT ON THE /#$ FOR

This left a balance of P36,910,725, based on the audit report. “Out of the total donated funds of P36,920,725, only P10,000 was utilized as financial assistance TO ONLY ONE BENEkCIARY OF A dead victim of the Marawi siege,� CoA said. “Clearly, the donations were not utilized to provide for the much needed support of the Marawi siege victims. These should not be restricted only to the grant of kNANCIAL ASSISTANCE AS PROVIDED under NDCC (National Disaster Coordinating Council) Memorandum Order 13 dated June 23, 1998,� it added. The Islamic State-linked Maute

group attacked Marawi City on May 23, 2017. “The OCD had no Appropriated Fund for the Marawi Recovery, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Program nor did it receive any SARO (Special Allotment Release Order) for the same purpose,� the state auditors said. Based on the audit report, P4 million of the P36.92 million received BY THE /#$ FOR kNANCIAL ASSISTANCE to the victims of the Marawi siege was from the provincial government of Bulacan, P5.092 million was from the Embassy of Thailand, P25.57 million was from the Embassy of

India, P500,000 was from the 0HILIPPINE 6ETERANS !FFAIRS /FkCE P100,000 was from the Municipality of Tagudin [Ilocos Sur] , and another P100,00 was from the Municipality of Infanta [Quezon]. Several individuals donated a total of P1,147,225. Two anonymous donors also donated P411,500. “The poor utilization of the donated funds defeated the purpose of donation and that the good intention of the donors for human consideration was not fully served,� the audit commission said. “It was noted that under the NDCC Memorandum Order 13, kNANCIAL ASSISTANCE CAN ONLY be availed [of] if claims are filed at the RDCC [Regional Disaster Coordinating

Council] supported by the documents as follows,� it added. Based on the same audit report, the OCD received donations for Typhoon Yolanda victims totaling P135.39 million as of year-end 2018. Typhoon Yolanda, internationally named Haiyan, hit Visayas in central Philippines in November 2013. “As of December 31, 2018, donations received by the OCD intended for Typhoon Yolanda victims reached a total of P135,391,701.96. Out of which, P94,465,000 or 69.77 percent was actually utilized, leaving a balance of P40,926,701.97,� it added.

PLAYING TOURIST

President Rodrigo Duterte and partner Cielito ‘Honeylet’ AvanceĂąa shop at a Uniqlo store in Japan. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

SC to govt: Explain ‘leftist’ petition

Q TRASH FROM A1

Canada takes back trash warned that the Philippines could become the recipient of even more garbage, given a ban imposed by China — for decades the world’s largest importer of recyclable waste — six years ago. This so-called “Green Fenceâ€? has led to garbage from developed nations being shipped to other countries such as the Philippines and Malaysia, which this week also said it was shipping back tons of waste to Canada, the United States and Australia, among others. In the Philippines’ case, Canada missed a May 15 deadline imposed by President Rodrigo Duterte, prompting Manila to recall its envoys to Ottawa and CURBING OFkCIAL TRAVEL AS PART OF A “diminished tiesâ€? policy. Duterte even said the Philippines would ship the garbage back at its own expense and dump it in Canadian waters if Ottawa refused entry. Manila’s rhetoric prompted the Canadian government to announce last week that it had hired a company to handle the shipment. On Thursday, MalacaĂąang expressed optimism that bilateral ties would return to normal. Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo told reporters that the recalled envoys could “most likelyâ€? return soon. “If the reason for the recall was the trash, then if the trash has been brought back, so there is no more reason [to keep them from returning.] That is the logic,â€? he said. The MV Bavaria docked near the SBITC at around 2:30 p.m., according to reports, while the

RETURN TO SENDER

Environmental activists from the Ecowaste Coalition, Greenpeace, Ban Toxics and Break Free from Plastics hold a rally in front of the Subic Freeport on Thursday, demanding that the Canadian government take back its garbage that it had shipped to the Philippines six years ago. PHOTO BY JOHN ORVEN VERDOTE

DFA said loading would begin at 3 p.m., to be completed by 2 a.m. Friday. An SBMA source, however, said late in the afternoon that loading had yet to start. Environmental groups staged a protest ahead of the shipment’s departure. Aileen Lucero of Ecowaste said the mass action would cap “creative protests� mounted since 2014. “This should serve as a lesson. We need to learn... and make sure that this should never happen again. We should not allow any country to dump their waste in our country for our dignity and for the safety and health of our people and our environment,� she added.

Other green groups also told legislators on Thursday that Canada’s move could fail to deter other countries from dumping their garbage in the Philippines, again citing China’s ban. “We should be wary now that more waste will be coming into the Philippines illegally because of the Green Fence of China,� Mother Earth Foundation Chairman Sonia Mendoza said. “That’s why we have this waste now from Australia, South Korea and other countries,� she added. “The Bureau of Customs has a big duty to check all the ports because countries are not bringing [the garbage] to Manila, but

‘DFA should handle sea row’ SEN. Loren Legarda on Thursday said she had decided not to conduct any public hearing on alleged Chinese incursions in the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea) because the “sensitive issueâ€? must be handled by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). The senator, chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, received several resolutions in 2018 from the minority bloc seeking an inquiry into the alleged Chinese militarization of the disputed sea. “As chairman [of the foreign relations committee] I have to balance security concerns that can be discussed on ‘Facebook live’ that should be left to the DFA boardroom,â€? Legarda said in a media forum.

“What I’m saying is there are things that should not be discussed in public. If we’re going to send additional patrol [to the South China Sea], in the public hearing we’re going to ask the military,â€? she added.  In June 2018, Legarda noted that her panel received Proposed Senate Resolution 722 and PSR 723 “on the China issue.â€?  Sen. Antonio Trillanes 4th on May 7, 2018 filed PSR 722 while Sen. Paolo Benigno “Bamâ€? Aquino 4th filed PSR 723 on May 8, 2018 seeking an inquiry into China’s installation of anti-ship cruise missile and surface-to-air missile systems on Mischief (Panganiban) Reef, Subi (Zamora) Reef and Fiery Cross (Kagitingan) Reef — all within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).Â

“I welcome the call for the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations to conduct a public hearing on the government’s policy toward China,â€? Legarda said in a statement on June 15, 2018  â€œWe will soon conduct a public hearing and I will work with my colleagues, including the committee on national defense and security [headed by Sen. Gregorio Honasan], in determining how best to support current initiatives to [defuse] the tension, while at the same time protecting our sovereignty and territorial rights,â€? she added. Legarda said she maintains “the view that diplomacy plays a key role in finding long-term and durable solutions to the South China Sea issue.â€?  Senate Minority Leader Franklin

TO FAR lUNG PORTS u South Korea shipped back tons of garbage sent to the Mindanao International Container Terminal (MICT) in January, following protests. Container vans of waste from Australia were also discovered at the southern port earlier this month, prompting a warning from MalacaĂąang. Customs officials also found electronic waste shipped from Hong Kong at the MICT and ofkCIALS FROM THE #HINESE TERRITORY have promised an investigation. PATRICK ROXAS, EIREENE JAIREE GOMEZ AND GLEE JALEA

Drilon last year said he supports the call of fellow opposition Sen. Maria Therisia “Risa� Hontiveros to conduct an “audit� of the government’s foreign policy.  “Of the two houses of Congress, the Senate has the primacy in terms of foreign relations. In our system of government, the Senate is the partner of the executive in foreign relations,� he added.  “It is only correct that the Senate be informed of how foreign relations are being conducted; otherwise we will be in the dark, and therefore, I support that proposed review of our relationship with China,� Drilon said.  Aquino sought the probe “with the end view of protecting our national security and interests.�  “Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio and other foreign affairs and maritime experts have repeatedly warned that the Philippine government’s deafen-

THE Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday ordered the government TO EXPLAIN ON A PETITION kLED BY militant groups that had been tagged “leftist.â€? In a resolution made public, the 15-man court approved the issuance of writs of amparo and habeas data in favor of Karapatan Alliance Philippines Inc., Rural Missionaries of the Philippines Inc. and General Assembly of Women for Reforms, Integrity, Equality, Leadership and Action (Gabriela) Inc. President Rodrigo Duterte, DeFENSE 3ECRETARY $ELkN ,ORENZANA National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr., MalacaĂąang spokesman Salvador Panelo, Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Gen. Benjamin Madrigal Jr., Brig. Gen, Fernando Trinidad, Maj. Gen. Erwin Neri, Maj. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr., Lt. Gen. Macairog Sabiniano Alberto, National Intelligence Coordinating Council (NICA) Director Gen. Alex Paul Monteagudo, NICA Deputy Director Gen. Vicente Agdamag, Police Senior Supt. Omega Jireh Fidel, and Undersecretaries Joel Egco, Severo Catura and Lorraine Marie Badoy were named respondents to the case. The writ of amparo, whose issuance began during the stint of then-Chief Justice Reynato

Puno, is a remedy given to any person whose right to life, liberty and security has been violated or under threat. On the other hand, the writ of habeas data is a remedy provided to any person whose right to privacy in life, liberty or security has been violated or under threat by unlawful gathering of information about the person, his or her family and home. The high court gave the responDENTS REPRESENTED BY THE /FkCE OF the Solicitor General until June 13 TO MAKE A VERIkED REPLY It directed the Court of Appeals to conduct a hearing on the merits of the case on June 18 and decide the case within 10 days after the case has been submitted for decision. The petitioners lodged the case for the alleged harassment they were receiving from the military and the “Redtagging� of their group as alleged members of the New People’s Army, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines. 4HE kRST CASE INVOLVING THE SAME ISSUE WAS kLED BEFORE THE 3UPREME Court by the National Union of People’s Lawyers. It has been remanded by tribunal to the Court of Appeals for hearing. JOMAR CANLAS

Q PICK FROM A1

Incumbents to get first of how lawmaking in the Senate runs,� he added. Sotto said he planned to invite all senators to an informal caucus next week to discuss the issue. Asked if the jockeying could lead to his ouster, Sotto replied: “No, I don’t think so. As a matter of fact, right now there are probably only two or three committees that are really giving us a

ing silence and absence of protest over China’s continued incursion in our waters may be interpreted and recognized as acquiescence and an abandonment of our maritime claims. We must act decisively before it is too late,� he said.  Trillanes said the inquiry intends to assert the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and to ensure that China’s alleged militarization of the contested sea “does not pose any threat to the Philippines’ defense and security.�  He noted that the installation of military weapons and structures reportedly supplements China’s recent installation of military jamming equipment in Fiery Cross Reef and Mischief Reef. Such equipment is capable of disrupting communication and radar systems.  In a news briefing on May 3, 2018, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Chunying confirmed the installation of

headache.� As of Jan. 16, 2019, the Senate had 35 major committees and 31 oversight/Ad Hoc Committees. Half of the seats in the 24-man Bicameral Commission on Appointments are also to be filled by senators, with the Senate president sitting as exofficio chairman. JAVIER JOE ISMAEL

these missile systems. Hua said, “Our peaceful construction activities on the Nansha Islands (Spratly Islands), including the deployment of necessary national defense facilities, are meant to safeguard China’s sovereignty and security.� “Altogether, the installation of these weapons and the building of facilities and structures is a clear policy of militarization by China in the West Philippine Sea,� Trillanes said.  “While the Philippines had previously forged economic ties with China, the security and defense relationship is a separate matter,� he added.  “Thus, this alleged militarization of the West Philippine Sea is very alarming and it poses a big threat to the country’s national defense and security,� Trillanes said.

BERNADETTE E. TAMAYO

News House ratifies Murang Kuryente Act 4 ˜ The Manila Times

FRIDAY May 31, 2019

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BY GLEE JALEA

HE (OUSE OF 2EPRESENTATIVES RATIkED ON 7EDNESDAY NIGHT THE PROPOSED Murang Kuryente !CT

The proposed law seeks to remit the net national government share from the Malampaya fund to a special trust fund through the annual General Appropriations Act. A portion of all the proceeds of the net national government share from the fund amounting to P123 billion will be collected

for the payment of the Stranded Contract Costs and Stranded Debts which will be administered by the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (PSALM). The PSALM will utilize the fund up to 2023 to settle its obligations. The Malampaya gas field

project was created by Shell Philippines Exploration B.V. through a joint venture with Chevron Malampaya LLC and the Philippine National Oil Exploration Corp. Touted as “one of the largest AND MOST SIGNIkCANT INDUSTRIAL endeavors in Philippine history,� the project aimed to reduce the

country’s dependence on imported fuel for its domestic and industrial power needs. The Malampaya project was expected to provide 2,700 megawatts of power or substantial long-term revenue of some $10 billion to the Philippine government for 20 years starting June 2002.

The consolidated version of House Bill 8869 and Senate Bil 1950 seeks to allocate the Malampaya fund to the payment

of stranded debts of the National Power Corp. to reduce electricity rates and provide significant consumer savings for Filipinos.

22 vie for next SC vacancy

PCG ACQUIRES MORE VESSELS, EQUIPMENT

TWENTY-TWO justices, lawyers and academicians have submitted their applications for the position that will be left vacant when Supreme Court Associate Justice Mariano del Castillo retires in July. The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) has received the list of applicants for the incoming vacancy. Del Castillo was the chairman of the 2018 Bar examinations, whose result was released last May 3. Associate Justice Henry Paul Inting took his oath on Wednesday, filling the post vacated by Lucas Bersamin when he was named chief justice late last year.  The frontrunners for the vacancy to be left by del Castillo include 16 justices from the Court of Appeals (CA) and two from the Sandiganbayan. The newest CA justices who applied for the post are Rodil Zalameda, Elihu Ybanez, Maria Filomena Singh and Pablito Perez. They will join previous applicants Justices Oscar Badelles, Ramon Bato Jr., Apolinario Bruselas Jr., Ramon Cruz, Stephen Cruz, Edgardo de los Santos, Japar Dimaampao, Ramon Garcia, Jhosep Lopez, Mario Lopez, Eduardo Peralta Jr. and Ricardo Rosario.  From the Sandiganbayan, the two applicants are Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje Tang and Associate Justice Efren de la Cruz. Supreme Court Administrator and spokesman Midas Marquez also applied for the post. The other applicants are former Ateneo Law School dean Cesar Villanueva, Bureau of Internal Revenue Deputy Commissioner Lanee Cui David and law professor Jeremy Gatdula. The JBC is constitutionally mandated to screen and vet nominees to the President for vacant posts in the judiciary and the Offices of the Ombudsman and Deputy Ombudsman. It is chaired by Bersamin, with ex-officio members Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, Sen. Richard Gordon and Oriental Mindoro Rep. Salvador Leachon. JOMAR CANLAS

THE Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Thursday presented its newly acquired vessels, jet skis and vehicles that will be used to boost maritime security and beef up its capacity to respond to disasters. PCG Commandant Adm. Elson Hermogino led the blessing and launching of the 10 multi-role response vessels, 40 12-meter rigid HULL INlATABLE BOATS FROM *APAN four 24-meter fast patrol boats from France, 180 units of Toyota Hi-lux vehicles, 20 aluminum boats, and 20 personal watercraft or jet skis that were acquired for P1.6 billion. The PCG said 73 rubber boats would be delivered next month, while buses, ambulances and trucks are expected to arrive in the third quarter this year. An addi-

tional patrol vessel from France is also expected to be delivered in October. This vessel will be utilized in patrolling contested waters in the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea). Hermogino said the vessels and vehicles purchased were the best in the market, and that their prototypes were inspected and scrutinized months ago. The new rescue assets will be manned by the Coast Guard Special Operations Force and will be deployed in all PCG districts nationwide. The acquisition of the vessels and equipment were in line with the PCG’s Capability Development Project and in accordance with the annual activation of “Oplan Kahandaan: Typhoon Season.� RAFFY AYENG

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Q Philippine Coast Guard personnel test personal watercraft that was recently acquired by the agency. PHOTO BY DJ DIOSINA

INC holds huge outreach activity in Canada THE Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) continues its campaign against poverty worldwide as it recently held outreach activities in several cities in Canada. Executive Minister Eduardo Manalo said the INC’s anti-poverty campaign in Canada this month was “much bigger� than its initial Aid to Humanity program in North America last year. The church provided assistance to needy people and marginalized groups in Montreal, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Toronto, Edmonton and Vancouver through the worldwide Lingap program of the Felix Y. Manalo Foundation. INC General Auditor Glicerio Santos Jr. noted that assistance efforts were heightened for immigrants, indigenous peoples, female lone-parent families, members of racialized groups, persons with disabilities and other sectors where poverty incidence is higher based on Canadian population statistics.

“The Iglesia Ni Cristo has set its sights on the global campaign against poverty. It’s a cause we’ve committed to champion and sustain as a church,â€? Manalo said. “Our focus, like before, is on the needy and vulnerable,â€? he added. In Winnipeg Manitoba on May 19, the INC gathered beneficiaries from the Turtle Island Recreation Center, Ma Mawi Chi Itata Center, Norquay Center Children’s Orphanage and the Indigenous Children’s Orphanage, and distributed 3,000 loot bags. In Montreal the next day, 500 loot bags were distributed to beneficiaries from the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation, Orphan Sun, La SociĂŠtĂŠ de DĂŠveloppement Social, Young Men’s Christian Association, The Open Door, Old Brewery Mission Hall, La Maison Benoit Labre, Mile End Community Mission and La Rue de Femme.

Aid recipients also received checks on top of packages, which had fleece blankets, socks, hats, mittens, gloves, bath towels, soaps, hand sanitizers, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, combs, ponchos, granola bars, canned foods, noodles and ready-to-eat meals. In Ottawa, beneficiaries from the Matthew House Doreen and Ottawa Food Bank, as well as the Le GĂŽte Ami, L’Ami de l’Entraide and Moisson Outauais shelters, received similar financial assistance and care packages. Similar well-attended initiatives were held in Toronto, Edmonton and Vancouver on May 23, 25 and 26, respectively. “These activities fall under the umbrella of our Lingap sa Mamamayan program. Our Executive Minister Eduardo V. Manalo strives to make our North American humanitarian presence stronger and more responsive. His singular vision of alleviating poverty in various parts of

the world is what drives and inspires us,â€? Santos said. The INC also held Fight Poverty activities in Long Island, New York, in Hartford, Connecticut and in Toronto in September last year, targeting low-income localities. Santos said their aid efforts were equally focused on Filipinos, especially overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). In late 2018 and early 2019, big Aid to Humanity and Lingap sa Mamamayan activities were held in Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, Macau and Hong Kong, with close to 8,000 OFWs attending. “Assistance is given regardless of nationality, gender, [and] religious and political affiliation‌our executive minister and the Felix Y. Manalo Foundation do their best to make the INC a meaningful and helpful presence where poverty needs to be addressed,â€? Santos said. GLEE JALEA

PDEA to file raps vs Chinese ‘drug smuggler’ THE Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) is set to file charges against a Chinese businessman allegedly behind the smuggling of P1.8 billion worth of shabu in March, according to Sen. Panfilo Lacson The senator, in a privilege speech on Wednesday, said Zhijian Xu, alias “Jacky Co,� was responsible for the smuggling of 276 kilos of shabu at the Manila International Container Port. Lacson, chairman of the Sen-

ate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs, said Co slipped out of the country days after the illegal drug shipment was seized. He said Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero was set to conduct an investigation on the ongoing “tara� system at the agency, which leads to continued smuggling of drugs and other prohibited goods. “And kahapon may nag- text,

taga PNP (Philippine National Police), inform niya [ako], ang (Yesterday someone from the 0.0 TEXTED THAT 0$%! WILL kLE A case against Co within the week,� Lacson said in a radio interview. “At least kung masampahan ng kaso at ma-issue ng arrest warrant, pagdating niya rito pwede siya arestuhin on the basis of the warrant na i-issue sa kanya (At least if he is charged and an arrest warrant is issued, he can be arrested once he arrives),�

he added. The illegal drugs seized on March 22 were found inside a 40-foot container declared as plastic resin. “We have it on good information that the main person responsible for this shipment is a Chinese national named Zhijian Xu, alias Jacky Co, who was born in Fujian, China,� Lacson said on Wednesday. He said Co was said to be on the International Police

watchlist and among the wanted personalities in China. Co is also allegedly involved in a big kidnapping syndicate in the Philippines. Lacson said Co collects the ransom payment through wire transfer and offshore banking. He owns the Feidatong International Logistics Company in Bulacan. Lacson said Co is facing kidnapping and drug trafficking charges in Fuijian City. BERNADETTE E. TAMAYO

Liability of developer on sold defective units Dear PAO, After six months of staying in a unit, which I bought from James, I noticed the crack on the WALL AND lOORING 4HIS PROBLEM WAS ALSO EXPERIENCED BY SEVERAL BUYERS IN THE SUBDIVISION 4HE LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNIT ALSO SENT ITS ENGINEERS TO INSPECT THE AREA they found out that the crack on the unit sold was caused by the HYDROCOMPACTION OF THE BACKkLL where the units were constructED 7E REPORTED THE DEFECT OF THE SAID HOUSES TO THE DEVELOPER but the latter claimed that it had no liability because the units WERE IN PERFECT CONDITION WHEN THEY WERE TURNED OVER TO US &URTHER THE DEVELOPER CLAIMED THAT IT HAD COMPLIED WITH THE .ATIONAL "UILDING #ODE HENCE IT WAS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SAID PROBLEM 0LEASE GUIDE ME

vendee been aware thereof, he would not have acquired it or would have given a lower price DEAR PAO for it; but said vendor shall not be answerable for patent defects or those which may be visible, or for those which are not visible if ON THIS MATTER the vendee is an expert, who, by Analiza reason of his trade or profession, Dear Analiza, should have known them.� The developer is still responsible Thus, the developer cannot for the cracks or defects of the escape liability by claiming that unit that you bought from them. it complied with the National This is in consonance with Article Building Code. The cracks on 1561 of the New Civil Code of the THE WALL OR lOOR MAY RENDER THE Philippines which states: HOUSE UNkT FOR HABITATION “The vendor shall be responIn Geromo et al. vs La Paz sible for warranty against the Housing and Development hidden defects which the thing Corp. and GSIS (GR 211175, Jan. sold may have, should they ren- 18, 2017), the Supreme Court DER IT UNkT FOR THE USE FOR WHICH through Associate Justice Jose it is intended, or should they Mendoza applied the principle DIMINISH ITS kTNESS FOR SUCH USE of Res Ipsa Loquitur with respect to such an extent that, had the to the liability of the developer:

PERSIDA ACOSTA

“Considering the nature of the damage sustained by the strucTURES EVEN WITHOUT THE kNDINGS of the local governmental agency and the MGB-DENR, La Paz is still liable under the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur. In the case of DM Consunji Inc. v. CA, the Court expounded on this doctrine in this wise: The concept of res ipsa loquitur has been explained in this wise: “While negligence is not ordinarily inferred or presumed, and while the mere happening of an accident or injury will not generally give rise to an inference or presumption that it was due to negligence on defendants part, under the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur, which means, literally, the thing or transaction speaks for itself, or in one jurisdiction, that the thing

or instrumentality speaks for itself, the facts or circumstances accompanying an injury may be such as to raise a presumption, or at least permit an inference of negligence on the part of the defendant, or some other person who is charged with negligence. “x x x where it is shown that the thing or instrumentality which caused the injury complained of was under the control or management of the defendant, and that the occurrence resulting in the injury was such as in the ordinary course of things would not happen if those who had its control or management used proper care, THERE IS SUFkCIENT EVIDENCE OR as sometimes stated, reasonable evidence, in the absence of explanation by the defendant, that the injury arose from or was caused by the defendant’s care.�

Applying the above-cited case in your situation, the developer is liable for the defect of the unit sold to you. The construction or quality of the units built is within the control of the developer. The crack could have been avoided had the developer used proper care to prevent the hydrocomPACTION OF THE BACKkLL WHERE THE unit was constructed. We hope that we were able to answer your queries. 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 Office. Questions for Chief Acosta may be sent to dearpao@ manilatimes.net

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Opinion

FRIDAY May 31, 2019

˜ The Manila Times

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E d i to r i a l These are the times when we miss our old two-party system

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HE free-for-all and contentiousness that mark today the run-up to the inaugural session of the 18th Congress on July 22 would not be so pathetic if we were merely a kindergarten pupil in the school of democracy. But we have been holding democratic elections and running representative government for nearly a century, so it is inexcusable that at this time our democracy appears shaky in organizing the legislature following a successful conduct of national elections. The main reason for this shakiness is the absence of strong and organized political parties in our present political system. Instead of two or three strong parties, we now have a collection of little parties built around single politicians. Corollary to this is the failure of Filipino politicians to spend time and effort in organizing themselves and their supporters into serious political parties that could effectively seek our people’s support for their candidates and policy agenda. Were there real and serious political parties in our political system, we could have avoided the spectacles that are grabbing the headlines today, namely: 1. The alleged buying of congressional votes at nearly a million pesos each in the race for Speaker at the House of Representatives. The accuser is a former speaker himself. 2. The struggle for choice committees in the Senate among senators who are simply motivated to grab what they can. It is a struggle between freshmen and entrenched senators. 3. The lack of worthy candidates for the top leadership positions in both houses of Congress. The organization of work and tasks in Congress is precisely what a strong, cohesive political party can provide. In the words of two political scientists and scholars, political parties provide support for democratic government in three crucial ways: First, they provide a linkage between voters and elected ofkCIALS HELP TO TELL VOTERS WHAT CANDIDATES STAND FOR AND HELP VOTERS TO HOLD THEIR OFkCIALS ACCOUNTABLE Second, parties overcome some of the fragmentation in government that comes from the separation of powers. They help to forge cohesion in national administration. 4HIRD PARTIES ASSIST ELECTED OFkCIALS IN THE TASKS OF GOVERNING AND IN implementing the set of programs and policies presented to the voters. Once an election is won, the work shifts from campaigning to governing. In earlier days, when we had the two-party system led by the Nacionalista Party and the Liberal Party, there was never a confusion about who would lead the Senate or the House, once a party secures majority control. The party always had leaders who could ably discharge the daunting leadership challenge. The party decided who would man the critical posts. In lieu of political parties, what we have today are coalitions of small parties and individuals. Coalitions are essentially the product of bargaining and transactions in which posts and funds are promised in return for support. The chaos we see today in the House and the Senate shows that the coalitions are still being formed. As things are now, the situation is anarchic. Anything can still happen. At some point, President Duterte must step into the picture to help resolve the situation. He cannot be indifferent to the leadership problem because the fate of his legislative agenda will depend on the leadership that will emerge in Congress on July 22. The last time he intervened, he picked politicians from Mindanao to lead the House and the Senate. Neither Speaker Alvarez nor Senate President Pimentel survived at the helm. This time, we believe the President should set strategic goals and considerations in deciding whom to support. He should set his sights on leaders who can credibly bear the banner OF REFORM AND DEVELOPMENT THAT DEkNES HIS ADMINISTRATION There should have been a clear mandate for the administration program from the recent election But DU30 unfortunately did not heed suggestions that he should form his own political party behind his program for the balloting. He opted for a random approach to the election. His preferred candidates won election, but his policy program did not.

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FRIDAY May 31, 2019

The Manila Times

VOLUME 120 NUMBER 230

DANTE A. ANG, Chairman Emeritus RENE Q. BAS, Publisher Emeritus NERILYN A. TENORIO, Publisher-Editor ARNOLD E. BELLEZA, Executive Editor LEENA C. CHUA, News Editor LYNETTE O. LUNA, National Editor TESSA MAURICIO-ARRIOLA, Lifestyle Editor PERRY GIL S. MALLARI, Sports Editor DINO RAY V. DIRECTO 3RD, Motoring Editor CONRAD M. CARIĂ‘O, Special Sections Editor LEA MANTO-BELTRAN, Supplements Editor ALVIN I. DACANAY, Assistant Business Editor MARIO F. FETALINO, Assistant Business Editor REMIA B. EUGENIO, Deskman (Regions) MARISHELLE R. MEDINA, Deskman JOMAR CANLAS, Chief of Reporters RENE H. DILAN, Chief Photographer DANTE F. M. ANG 2ND, President and CEO BLANCA C. MERCADO, #HIEF /PERATING /FkCER RODA A. ZABAT, Advertising Director VICENTE P. CRUZ, JR., Circulation Director DENISE O. CALNEA, Marketing Communications and Services Director Telephone All Departments: 524-5665 to 66; Subscription: 524-5664 Local 222 Advertising: 524-5664 Local 121 Telefax: 310-5895 or e-mail advertising@manilatimes.net XXX NBOJMBUJNFT OFU t F NBJM OFXTEFTL!NBOJMBUJNFT OFU Letters to the Editor THE MANILA TIMES is published daily at 2/F Sitio Grande, 409 A. Soriano Avenue, Intramuros, Manila 1002 The owners, managers, publishers and editors do not necessarily share the opinions expressed and the statements made by individual authors of columns, commentaries and other articles published in The Manila Times.

Jewry, Due Process 101 and CJ Rene Corona

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HEN this piece comes out, I’d most likely be in the US, despite my health issues, to be there on June 1. There, and then, my daughter Lara is getting wed. Any father would like to make such a day perfect, to the extent that he would have anything to do with it. This trip is also what her late sainted mother would have wanted to be taken by me, a SuperTakusa (meaning one who loved her, with that kind of passion what whips the blood, and always will). Our visas were granted only last May 23. We had been booked TO lY OUT THE OTHER NIGHT /UR visa interview had originally been set on July 2. I had to use my tremendous influence with one who looked like our Foreign Affairs Secretary, to advance the interview. Done. Thank you very many, ha, ha, Pareng Ted and Mareng Louie Locsin. So, off to the wedding, to reconnect with kith and kin, made possible by the DFA’s and the Embassy’s kindness, right after my own heart. It also warmed my heart to see Amazing Grace Poe and Nancy With the Laughing Face Binay at their proclamation not thrusting THEIR CLENCHED RIGHT kST FORWARD criminal in nations trampled upon BY (ITLER 4HE .AZI RIGHT kST BUMP that Aussie spymaster Nick Warner got hammered, pummelled and pilloried from pillar to post for,

A

retreated. Yup, our Prez-elect vows to do justice to everyone. It is not his place to prejudge the guilt or innocence of anyone. For him to adjudge anyone innocent or guilty puts undue pressure on the prosecution, judiciary and witnesses after aping Digong naively at the not to embarrass him. Palace in August 2017. How many have been conAnother woman with balls, demned by Digong, from critics veteran diplomat Delia Albert, to alleged narcopoliticians? He had also declined to join the should review our Bill of Rights foolish disparagement. and the Universal Declaration of Aging and ailing like me, Di- Human Rights. We lament the gong, six years younger than I, spectacle of judges inhibiting may not have the strength to raise themselves in sensitive widely his right hand above the Hitler publicized cases, maybe so as not level. But Dr. Sal Panelo tells us to risk offending the appointing not to worry. Reassuring? and promoting power. But, really, we should be more We must reintroduce Digong sensitive to the sensibilities of the to due process as he nears the Jewry. Six million Jews were mas- middle of his term. I hope he will sacred by Hitler (Digong halved back off from the reimposition of it to 3 million in 2016). We credit the death penalty, so anti-poor as Prez Quezon for admitting mem- is his war on druggies. BERS OF ONE OF THE MOST VILIkED AND Back to Charles Manson’s Calipersecuted minorities in history. fornia where I may be away for 4HE REFUGEES WERE lEEING FROM THE a week and where Manson, et Holocaust before World War 2. al. killed Sharon Tate, et al., in Our Prez took an oath to do jus- a most grisly manner in August tice to everyone. Instead of convict- 1969. Prez Nixon condemned the ing anyone by publicity, why not accused for “eight murders without kLE CHARGES AND PROVE SAME ,IKE reason.� A firestorm of protest in the case of the poor Food and greeted the startling prejudgment. Drug Administration chief. He apologized and said “the last When Nixon blasted Charles thing I would do is to prejudice Manson for the killing of actress the legal rights of any person, in Sharon Tate, criticism was swift any circumstances.� Prejudicing the rights of foes is and strong; Nixon immediately

T.G.I.F.

RENE SAGUISAG

WHAT ADMINISTRATION OFkCIALS HAVE for breakfast in a decaying society. It may be ironical that the best basketball player in the planet, Lebron James, playing in CaliforNIA HAS LONG GONE kSHING WHILE the Warriors and Raptors go for the whole enchilada; he is not even in the playoffs. But, he will come back, as the local Opposition will, to rise above the decay and putrefaction. We are now in Macoy’s 1975 when I would get criticized by caring kith and kin for opposing martial law; 1975 was when Uncle Jovy Salonga wrote his Message of Hope which a few of us caring Pinoys signed, pretending not to be afraid. We should maintain our moral stamina. Who had the motive, opportunity and means to arrange a seven-hour gap in the reporting of election results last May 13-14? Not the Opposition, decidedly. And massive poverty distorts the electoral process. Needs we all have. I have no problem then in granting financial assistance to Chief Justice Rene Corona’s family for his years in government, as strongly advocated by brilliant retired Supreme Court Justice Art Brion but I have, in his implying that JPE was a railroad man. Impeachment corrected an egregious error, from where I sat, by the people, working through their

ÂłSaguisagA5

Carrying capacity for leisure

S tourism becomes more extensive, with many more of the world’s populations participating as tourists, the usual problem of extremes comes to fore. In press headlines today, we are shown in graphic detail what happens when tourism — or the adventure of going out of one’s environment to see and feel other environments and the experiences they bring — becomes, in quantitative terms, extreme. Take a look at the news from Nepal and its Mount Everest climbers. See for yourself the unbelievably long lines of climbers who queue for a few minutes to take a photograph of themselves at the top of the world at more than 8,839.2 meters. The experience is not only uncomfortable but life-threatening with at least 11 climbers meeting their deaths in their attempt to make their dream of reaching the top of the world come true. !ND HERE IS WHERE THE DEkNItion of carrying capacity has to be taken seriously. What is carrying capacity? In a vehicle, it is the number of people who can effectively and comfortably be transported in it. In a physical environment, it is the number of people, other living organisms, or crops that a region can support without environmental degradation or danger to life. That means the maximum size that can be CONTAINED INDEkNITELY WITHOUT destructive impact on the fac-

is not enough for human beings to live through. Oxygen supplements are needed. And even with oxygen supplementation, if the wait at the top takes too long and the people too many, the oxygen will run out and people will literTORS THAT DEkNE THE ENVIRONMENT ally begin dying in the waiting concerned — food, water, habitat lines, as has happened. and other necessities of existence. The reason why there has been If there are too many deer in a such a crowd of climbers these forest, the forest will deteriorate past few years is the old money as the deer will eat everything in incentive. Would-be climbers pay it, use up its water, damage its hefty fees to be allowed to climb. topsoil with their hooves, as well Tourist agencies are in the business as exterminate other forms of life of organizing ascents. Lately, they that depend on the same environ- have been taking in anyone who ment. If an environment is made can pay even if not experienced to exclusively and massively grow enough to go through such an only one crop to the detriment ordeal. Climbers of any mountain of its natural landscape of trees, have to have some knowledge, foliage, grass and open space, that training and experience. Climbers environment will become unbal- on mountains like Mount Everest anced with the extreme demands and similar extreme places need for water, space, ecological neces- these factors in multiples. Yet the sities targeted towards only one money incentive for those who crop. In effect, the natural environ- give out the licenses and take ment which is an asset and a gift climbers on climbing expeditions of Nature is distorted enough for disregards these standards. it to become unbalanced and leave And that is the way the modern no room for anything else that was world is barreling its way through EXISTING NATURALLY AND BENEkCIALLY tourist destinations. Too many before like people, their occupa- tourists in unregulated waves occutions, their necessities. pying tourist destinations without What has happened in Mount any control as to carrying capacity. Everest is an excess of climbers We have that in this country this year, which has made for ex- so much so that popular tourist treme hardship for all who have destinations are being trashed ventured to reach its summit. to the detriment of the future To begin with, the oxygen con- as no carrying-capacity rules are tent at the height of Mount Everest enforced. In the long run, the

AMBIENT VOICES

MA. ISABEL ONGPIN

tourist areas play themselves out as attractive, comfortable, enjoyable destinations. The impact on TRAFkC WATER TIME COMFORT AND goodwill become onerous for all — tourists, residents, the region. The sad end is that they become synonymous with ordeal and suffering and bring on a crisis of BASIC SERVICES 3OME PEOPLE PROkT at the expense of others and the environment. It is unfair to all concerned, particularly the coming generations if the extremes of use beyond carrying capacity results in a trashed environment. People, particularly local governments, and in the long run, the national government, with its resources in the service of the common good, should step in and make the necessary rules to preserve tourism destinations for now and the future. A check on carrying capacity and how it should be kept for the greater good should bring on rules that all concerned should follow. It is time to have a vision of how to protect our tourism destinations, our present and future tourists, and our environment as we know it and love it. Otherwise, what would have been leisure moments to enjoy will become contests of unbearable ENDURANCE SELkSHNESS AND BAD behavior bringing out the worst in whoever takes part. There is a better way to enjoy what Nature has given us.

˜ The Manila Times

Opinion

w w w.manilatimes.net

FRIDAY May 31, 2019

Q TIGLAO FROM A1

Academic writing in graduate school

Testing the New York Times’ fairness The NYT has also distributed the piece internationally, and it has been published in several websites of global broadcast media, such as Al Jazeera. The difficult position of our country, illustrated by Santos’ success in having his piece published, is the result of four factors. First, Western media almost automatically and totally, believes claims made by “their own.� Santos is chairman of the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR), which is funded by the US State Department. The noisiest basher of President Duterte is Rappler, headed by Maria Ressa, who is a former CNN staffer, and is a US citizen. Ressa’s biggest PR in the US is Sheila Coronel, dean of a journalism unit of Columbia University in New York. Because of their journalistic laziness, correspondents for foreign news entities have been swayed into joining the mob against Duterte that had been led by the Philippine Daily Inquirer . Second, the issues brought against President Duterte — the alleged human rights abuses in the course of his campaign against illegal drugs and his purported authoritarianism — are those that the US Deep State sees as the main threats to present-day humanity, which it is its duty to fight.

Propaganda Worse, the US Deep State has used these issues as its propaganda tools to overthrow regimes not to their liking and to justify its invasions of oil rich countries, e.g., Iraq’s Hussein and Libya’s Ghadafi allegedly waging war against their own peoples. Duterte, because of his vulgar speech and demeanor, easily fits into that narrative, that he is another brutal Third World tyrant, which Western media must help remove. The third factor is that while Philippine-based bashers like Santos may feel their egos bloated when their articles are printed by globally renowned newspapers like the New York Times , the reality is that such lies get to be published only because Western media sees us only as one of the dozens of really unimportant places in the world, so that they don’t really bother, or are too lazy to check the veracity of such attentiongetting articles. To understand this phenomenon, if you were the foreign news editor of a newspaper here, would you bother to check if a foreign news service reports that kids were really being killed in Brazil’s slums? Santos claims 5,000 extrajudicial killings here. Horrible! But did NYT staffers bother to check that figure? Too much work for that

small country in Asia. The fourth factor involves the usual disease of media, whether it is a tabloid or a respected New York paper, which is encapsulated in that aphorism: “Dog bites man� isn’t news. But ‘man bites dog’ is.� “Results of elections show Filipinos’ overwhelming support for Duterte, who is a gross violator of human rights and a fledgling authoritarian.� That’s attention-getting and very interesting news. “Because of Duterte’s successes in governing, most Filipinos support him.� That’s a ho-hum piece. The following is my attempt to debunk Santos’ alarming news about the Philippines, and I made it exactly as long as his 953-word piece. Let’s see if the NYT publishes it, to demonstrate its fairness.

government defend the Constitution. Second was its nonpayment of taxes of P172 million. The third was a libel case which was filed by a private businessman whom Rappler alleged was a drug lord. Rappler refused to delete the libelous article in its website, despite several appeals by the businessman. The case against “sitting senators� involves first, that of Leila de Lima who was accused of having allowed the national prison to be turned into a command center for drug lords, when she was justice secretary. The witnesses, which include convicted drug lords and her driver whom she herself has admitted had been her boyfriend, claimed she received millions of pesos in bribes for her role. The second sitting senator is Antonio Trillanes 4th, who Email to NYT is now being held accountable for the coup attempts he and Mr. Vergel Santos’ piece (“Rodri- his group of military mutineers go Duterte got another endorse- launched against former Presiment — and more power — in dent Arroyo, but whom her sucmidterm elections�) published cessor Benigno Aquino 3rd proin your paper May 24 contained tected and shielded from justice. several patent lies, as follows: These cases are being under1. He wrote: “Since becom- taken by our regular courts and ining president, Mr. Duterte has dependent of the executive branch. waged a war on drugs estimated If Santos makes the extraordinary to have produced more than claim that these are controlled by 5,000 extrajudicial killings as Duterte, he should present extraorof late December.� dinary proof for such. That figure refers to the 3. Santos wrote: “Mr. Duterte published report of the gov- has cozied up to China, ceding e r n m e n t ’s P h i l i p p i n e D r u g to it access to the resource-rich Enforcement Agency that be- West Philippine Sea, partly in tween July 2016 and the end exchange for loans, despite the of November last year, 5,050 risk of being trapped by debt.� suspected criminals were killed Santos’ source for this alin shoot-outs with the police. legation is an opinion piece in Those 5,050 killed were not Forbes.com, which you yourself “extrajudicial killings,� or sum- would know is hardly the epitmary executions by state entities ome of balanced journalism. that disregard the rule of law. It is just not true that Duterte That report categorically stated has “ceded access� to Philippine that the figure refers to those territory it controls in the South killed by policemen defending China Sea. If Santos is referring themselves in legitimate opera- to the Chinese "de facto" control tions, when the suspects refused of Scarborough Shoal, it was the to surrender. I don’t think an past administration that lost it agency of our government would in 2012 to China because of its OFkCIALLY REPORT THE NUMBER OF bungled handling of the crisis. extrajudicial killings, will it? At this time, the Philippines has There has been so far only no way to recover it, short of war. one case proven to be an extra/FkCIAL )-& MONITORED GOVjudicial killing, involving the ernment statistics show that as 2016 murder of a teenager by of end 2018, the country’s total three Caloocan City cops, who project debt exposure to China was have been convicted. It was the only six-tenths of one percent of police’s internal affairs depart- the country’s total debt to government which filed the case. ments, minuscule compared to the 2. Santos wrote: “Mr. Duterte’s country’s debt to Japan, which is 9 administration has persecuted percent [of total debt]. 4. Santos wrote: Duterte’s his critics, be they journalists (like a founder of the news site “camp holds 20 of the 24 seats Rappler, where I work) or even in the Senate.� Out of the 24 sitting senators sitting senators.� The cases filed against Rap- starting July, only four would be pler, a news website which those who wouldn’t have won if doesn’t deny its stance against not for Duterte’s campaigning for Duterte, involved first its viola- them — his former police chief tion of the constitutional ban Ronald dela Rosa, his former on foreign funds in the media – aide Bong Go, re-electionist Koko which this writer exposed in his Pimentel and Francis Tolentino. columns, and demanded that Their anti-thesis are the four re-

maining hard-core anti-Duterte, Liberal Party senators until 2022: Francis Pangilinan, Franklin Drilon, Risa Hontiveros and the jailed Leila de Lima. Santos is making the preposterous claim that 16 independent senators who won in the recent elections or whose terms expire only in 2022 are Duterte’s stooges. Among these are Grace Poe who ran in the 2016 presidential elections against Duterte; Cynthia Villar, the wife of the country’s richest man who ran for president in 2010; and former president Joseph Estrada’s former national police chief Panfilo Lacson. Two former senators were reelected not because of Duterte but because they were popular action-movie stars. 5. Santos claims: “The voting on May 13 was heavily clouded by election-day violence and anomalies at polling stations and, later, by inexplicable delays by the election commission.� His source for that claim is an article in the anti-Duterte news website Rappler, indicated in the hyperlink embedded in the sentence, But the article itself didn’t even report that it was “heavily clouded.� It merely quoted the press statement from one of the election-monitoring groups run by private citizens that said they were “concerned over election violence, irregularities� in four of the northernmost Muslim-dominated provinces of the country. These provinces, however, have been “hotspots� in every election undertaken in the country. The opposition has not questioned the elections, and all its senatorial candidates have conceded their defeat. The elections have been viewed — except by Santos — as reflecting accurately Filipinos’ choices in an electoral exercise involving 50 million votes undertaken in one day. 6. Santos wrote: “The president’s inner circle has been accused of maintaining links to major drug TRAFkCKERS u (E WAS REFERRING TO YouTube-posted videos in which an anonymous, hooded person makes those allegations. That accuser surrendered to the police two days before the publication of Santos’ piece, and even held a tell-all press conference. He claimed that it was strident Duterte critic Senator Trillanes and other opposition personalities who had asked him to make those allegations in exchange for P500,000 and the dropping of the pending criminal cases against him.

Email: tiglao.manilatimes@ gmail.com Facebook: Rigoberto Tiglao Twitter: @bobitiglao Book orders: www.rigobertotiglao.com/debunked

Finance’s new avatar TIVE CHANGE AS kNANCE BECOMES dominant, instead of serving the needs of the real economy. Financialization involves the KUALA LUMPUR and PENANG: Over r e c e n t d e c a d e s, t h e s c o p e, growth and transformation of size, concentration, power, kNANCE SUCH THAT WITH ITS HUGELY and even the purpose and role expanded size, scope and concenof finance have changed so TRATION kNANCE NOW OVERSHADsignificantly that a new term, ows, dominates and destabilizes "financialization," was coined the productive economy. The role and purpose of fito name this phenomenon. Financialization refers to a nance has been qualitatively process that has not only trans- transformed. Finance used to FORMED kNANCE ITSELF BUT ALSO THE profit from serving production real economy and society. The and trade. Traditionally, financtransformation goes beyond the ing production involved proquantitative to involve qualita- viding funds for manufacturers BY JOMO KWAME SUNDARAM AND MICHAEL LIM MAH HUI

to finance production, and for traders to buy and sell. Financialization, on the other hand, turns every imaginable product or service into financial commodities or services to be traded, often for speculation. Instead of seeking profits by financing the productive economy and trade, finance is now more focused on extracting rents from the economy. Finance is hegemonic, dominating all of society without appearing to do so, transforming more and more things into financial products and services

to be traded and sold. But financialization could not have happened on its own. Its nature and pace have been enabled and shaped by ideological, legal, institutional, and deliberate policy and regulatory changes. Regulatory authorities, both national and international, can barely keep up with its transformative consequences.

Size matters One aspect of financialization refers to the size of finance

ÂłFinanceA6

Part 2 – Main types and brief tips

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CADEMIC writing in graduate school demands a higher quality in written assignments than that expected in college. Given that most graduate students are working professionals, they really have to set aside time to gHARD READ u GIVE THOUGHT RElECT and muster the effort to hone their academic writing skills. “Writing is one of the highest forms of acaDEMIC SKILLS FOR IT RElECTS A PERSON S level of language competence, concept development, and abstraction.� Academic writing cannot rely only on a good command of English. It calls for a combination OF gGOOD kNE MOTOR FUNCTIONS visual-motor planning, attention, sequencing, thinking, memory� besides “knowledge of grammar, sentence structure, vocabulary and the purpose of writing.� What is academic writing? Academic writing is a formal style of writing and is often used as a medium of assessment in graduate studies. It requires formal language, i.e. using the third person. There are, however, instances when THE kRST PERSON MAY BE USED SUCH as writing about one’s learning gains or insights on topics covered by the subject. But even if one uses THE kRST PERSON WRITING SHOULD BE organized and logical, the claims anchored on evidence. To ensure more success in graduate studies and thereafter, one should keep learning and developing this skill while at university. Contractions, relative clauses without a relative pronoun, ellipsis and colloquialisms are taboo in academic writing. “The cardinal characteristic of formal language is the careful thought given to all levels of language structure — choice of individual words, structure of phrases, sentences and paragraphs, relationships among paragraphs, and the structure of the whole document.� Academic writing as formal writing, uses words in their literal sense; “exhibits a CLEARLY DEkNED PURPOSE u gPRESents a certain point,� “supported BY SPECIkC AND CLEARLY CONNECTED and arranged ‘pieces of information’ using appropriate words.� Sentences are “concise, emphatic and correct� <http://jerramari. blogspot.com/2017/07/the-stateof-academic-writing-in.html>. The K-12 and academic writing. The K-12 curriculum in Philippine education has intentionally given due stress to improving academic writing. “English is considered vital in the total development of literacy education and communicative skills among Filipino students.� For the Senior High School (SHS) students to perform well academically, the K-12 curriculum requires students “to acquire certain standards� for academic success, such as “having effective and comprehensive academic writing skills.� Thus, “the SHS curriculum offers different subjects that seek to enhance language communication skills, such as academic writing. Some of these are English for Academic and Professional Purposes, Creative Writing, Research in Daily Life, and Practical Research�<http://www.apjmr.com/ wp-content/uploads/2018/08/ APJMR-2018-6.4. 06.pdf>. Four main types of academic writing. There are four main types of academic writing — descriptive, persuasive, analytical and critical ; each type has specific language features and purposes. While in their studies, graduate students would come across course requirements that call for each type or even a combination

A5

FLASHBACKS/ INSIGHTS TERESITA TANHUECOTUMAPON of these types. An example is writing a research study where each type is used. The Introduction would need persuasive writing — reasons why your research questions are worthwhile investigating. The literature review would best be critical writing since this would need to show the gap or opportunity in existing studies related to the research questions that the researcher has come across. The methodology is mostly descriptive since this will summarize the methods to be used for data analysis. Discussion and interpretation of the results anchored on the conceptual framework will be both descriptive and analytical 4HE SIGNIkcance of the study or its applications impacting on practice will need persuasive writing <https:// sydney.edu.au/students/writing/ types-of-academic-writing html>. Brief tips on academic writing types. Descriptive writing, of all TYPES IS THE MOST lEXIBLE 7HILE academic writing is formal, a reVIEW OF A NOVEL OR A kLM IN LITERAture may allow you some artistic freedom. If the assignment calls for relaying your experience in a company you visited for your immersion site, you need to describe the place, the persons, objects, and the emotions and experiences from your encounter with the people met. By this manner, you are able to render a deeper meaning about the company as a good choice for immersion purposes. Persuasive writing aims to convince someone to adopt a certain viewpoint. If you were asked to make a choice among leadership STYLES PRESENT A JUSTIkCATION ‡ your reasons and concrete relevant examples to convince someone to believe in your choice. Analytical writing focuses on showing “relationships between pieces of information. It compares and contrasts, assesses or evaluates (for example, a number of approaches, theories, methodologies or outcomes).� This is where your essay may compare or contrast or distinguish one approach or method, or theory, etc. from another. Analytical writing is also called for in writing in a clear, consistent way the results of your data collection for a research study. You may translate or write out in prose your analysis of statistical results presented in tabular form. Remember to use correct abbreviations, whether this be singular or plural <https://sydney. edu.au/students/writing/types-ofacademic-writing html>. Critical writing “involves considering evidence to make reasoned conclusions.� Hence, state your reasons and evidence in a well-structured manner. Substantiate these with reliable sources. “Critical� means you challenge your own stand. You state clearly the main point you wish to make. Investigate and test the evidence to back up your stand whether this be relevant, accurate and up to date. Avoid bias. Consider alternative arguments and explanations leading to a conclusion <https://www. kent.ac.uk/learning/.../student.../ criticalthinkingandwriting171015 alg.pd>. Try these tips. Practice makes perfect!

Next week: Using citations and quotes Email: ttumapon@liceo.edu.ph

Q SAGUISAG FROM A4

Jewry congressmen and senators. Marbury v. Madison dealt with midnight appointments made by Prez Adams. Aytona v. Castillo, by Prez Garcia. And Sec. 15 of Art. VII of the Constitution does ban appointments during an interdicted period (as I understood it; of course,

it is said that the SC can correct errors committed below, but its own become the law of the land). Rene’s appointment was, in my humble view, not just midnight, but post-midnight, when the new Prez was even then known (May 17, 2010); PNoy did not deserve a monkey wrench to queer the start of his term. Elementary courtesy, which Ambassador Manuel Mo-

ran showed in 1953, after it had become clear that Magsaysay had won. Rene should have turned down the appointment, like Moran did, leaving it to the next Prez to name CJ Puno’s successor, for a smooth transition. (Doable; I turned down a signed Supreme Court appointment in late January 1987, and life went on. It was just that too many seniors — I was 47

— were in line and to me, public service is its own reward anyway, a line I’d often use and which Rene Corona did in one case). The impeachment court, led by JPE — certainly with no love lost for the Aquinos whom he would not have done an unmerited favor — corrected GMA’s egregious appointment. Rene’s earlier midnight appointment in 1998 was not acted on by the Judicial and

Bar Council, headed by CJ Andres Narvasa, which believed, correctly, in my humble view, that FVR could no longer appoint, beginning two months before the 1998 elections. CJ Rene’s appointment was starkly post-midnight even, from where I sat. But, again, I support the suggestion of a financial assistance, without any reservation (Rene’s father was the wedding Ninong

of my Kuya in the mid-1960s in Pasig; once I was in their Herran, Paco home). Healing we need in a balkanized society ruled by our own Divider-inChief, as it were, for whose good health we all should pray. For the sake of the Motherland. Decisions made while in royal pain — which we should share — may not be the best.

A6

Opinion

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

FRIDAY May 31, 2019

FOCUS

Cameras and crackdowns: Another Tiananmen ‘impossible’ in China BEIJING: Thirty years after the crackdown on Tiananmen protesters, the tanks that lined Beijing’s central avenue have been replaced by countless surveillance cameras perched like hawks on lampposts to keep the population in check. The Chinese Communist Party has gone to great lengths to prevent another pro-democracy movement, clamping down on student activists, labor movements and lawyers with the help of high-tech surveillance. But the party has also pushed economic reforms that have made millions of people wealthier — and less interested in rebelling like the students whose protest ended with hundreds killed on June 4, 1989. Over the past decade, small police booths have been set up block by block across the country to monitor neighborhood disputes, prevent crime, and keep tabs on anyone suspected of disturbing social order. Now China’s obsession with artificial intelligence and facial recognition adds another layer of sophistication to this intricate surveillance web, allowing police to pound on the door of any perceived troublemaker, several activists told AFP. Others said the party’s infiltration of universities and a crackdown on “liberal spaces,� including independent bookstores, has made it difficult for people to even discuss reform. “Enhanced surveillance technology makes it much more difficult to see any mass demonstrations like the Tiananmen protests in 1989 to happen nowadays,� said Patrick Poon, China researcher at Amnesty International. Instead there has been a string of smaller “spontaneous protests� led by labor activists, students or families affected

by vaccine or food scandals in recent years, he said. But even that has become difficult as Beijing tries to “nip them in the bud� and quickly erases any mention of them on social media, Poon said. “Even now, every time I go out of town I have to report to the community police,� said Yi Wenlong, a businessman from northern China’s Shanxi province, whose daughter developed epilepsy after a faulty vaccination. “If we can’t talk about a concrete issue like poor-quality vaccines, do you think it’s possible to put out banners calling for bigger changes?� added Yi, who has protested about shoddy vaccines outside the local and provincial government offices.

Censors and cameras The government has severely reduced the space for civil liberties since President Xi Jinping took power in 2012, rounding up rights lawyers in a sweep in 2015 and Marxist students in the past year. Censors have stepped up their policing of social media, monitoring the activities of millions of people and blocking any politically sensitive material, such as what really happened at Tiananmen in 1989. All language versions of Wikipedia — whose pages include details about the Tiananmen crackdown — were blocked from the Chinese internet weeks before the anniversary. “Freedom of speech is the starting point of all freedoms,� said Hu Jia, a prominent Chinese dissident, “without it another Tiananmen is unthinkable.� The new arsenal of the Chinese police state also includes voicerecognition software that can identify speakers on phone calls

Q Members of the Tiananmen Mothers posing with photos of their relatives, who were killed in the June 4, 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Beijing. AFP PHOTO / TIANANMEN MOTHERS VIA HUMAN RIGHTS IN CHINA and a sweeping program of DNA collection, said Xiao Qiang, a theoretical physicist who became a human rights activist after the Tiananmen protests. Several Chinese activists told AFP they rely on encrypted messaging apps such as Telegram or WhatsApp to communicate, but it is becoming harder to meet in person due to mass-video surveillance. “The space for civic activities is narrowing,� said a political dissident who was imprisoned FROM TO ADDING THAT even data such as hotel bookings and transport can be used to track individuals. I n 201 5 , t h e g ove r n m e n t launched the “Sharp Eyes�

project, which it described as an “omnipresent, fully networked, always working and fully controllable� mass-video surveillance system incorporating facial-recognition technology. China had about 176 million video surveillance cameras monitoring its streets, buildings and public spaces in 2016, compared to 50 million in the United States, according to data provider IHS Markit. By 2022, the number is expected to reach 2.76 billion, in a country with a population of 1.4 billion. Rights activists warn that facial recognition has the potential for errors and mismatches, and it relies on vast databases that may

Asia-Pacific viewed as engine of world economy The same ambition is needed for energy connectivity, information BANGKOK: Since the United Nations and communications technology Economic and Social Commission (ICT) connectivity and trade facilifor Asia and the Pacific (Escap) tation measures. We have an opportunity to join first met in 1947, our countries have traveled a long journey. Our forces to strengthen our work to economies are expected to become combat environmental degradation, larger than the rest of the world pollution and the mismanagement combined, measured by purchas- of natural resources. To protect our ing power parity. It is often said the oceans there is no alternative to stepAsia-Pacific region is the engine of ping up our multilateral cooperation. Transformed and resilient societthe world economy. With multilateralism increasingly ies can only be achieved if we stop questioned, we have yet more to offer. disaster risk outpacing resilience. We can provide the global leadership Intensified by climate change, dito collectively achieve a transformed sasters are five times more likely to affect a person in Asia-Pacific than and resilient society in our region. Empowered societies working in a person living elsewhere. The basis for stronger regional concert to respond to challenges which transcend borders and ac- cooperation is well established. celerate progress towards the 17 Let us use it to give pace to the development of national disaster risk Sustainable Development Goals. With these challenges in mind, this reduction strategies. New technologies have the pocommission is our opportunity to REAFkRM OUR SHARED RESPONSIBILITY AND tential to accelerate our journey to commitment to the ambition of the transformed and resilient societies !GENDA FOR 3USTAINABLE $EVEL- on many fronts. Digital healthcare opment — to build on past successes and education are providing cost and shape future priorities. Let me effective solutions at scale. Smart cities, energy systems and MENTION kVE AREAS WHICH ) BELIEVE ARE central to achieving the transforma- transport solutions are offering alternatives to protect the environtion and resilience we need. We must put people first and ment. Yet for digital solutions to be build a coherent response to popu- unleashed as a force for good, their lation dynamics which are radi- broader implications need to be cally altering our societies and our fully understood and the necessary economies. We can learn from each infrastructure developed. An enabling environment, investother as we strengthen policies, institutions and legislation to em- ment and technological, individual and power people and promote equality. institutional capacity are all needed. This effort should be comple- Escap should be a forum for best practice mented by work to strengthen re- exchange to harness digital technology gional cooperation on population for sustainable development. The Regional Roadmap for Imdevelopment and social protection — but also to promote gender PLEMENTING THE !GENDA FOR equality, disability rights and safe, Sustainable Development is a framework which will continue to guide orderly and regular migration. Strengthening sustainable con- our work. Yet we should also connectivity could make us more resil- tinuously sharpen our policy focus ient to international trade tensions as the situation evolves — including and deliver huge economic benefits. to respond to these five priorities. From an institutional perspective, When it comes to transport and infrastructure connectivity, we have Escap and the United Nations system achievements on which to build — ARE WORKING TO REMAIN kT FOR PURPOSE guided by international standards, You will be discussing the midterm review of this commission’s conferUN norms and values. BY ARMIDA SALSIAH ALISJAHBANA

ence structure during this session. The United Nations Development System reform is well under way. It has moved to its regional phase. In this broader context, I have established an Eminent Persons Advisory Group and am seeking views from all interested parties. Our goal is to identify how we can better serve the needs of our member states and deepen meaningful engagement with all our partners. I believe a reenergized approach to supporting transformed and resilient societies is coming into focus. At subregional level, Escap’s partnerships with subregional organizations must be strengthened. Where common objectives exist, we must work to complement each other. Where best practice can be shared, Escap can facilitate such exchanges. We are supporting the development of a complementarities roadmap with Asean under the leadership of Thailand and will be a partner in its implementation. I would like to explore similar initiatives with other sub-regional institutions. A coherent regional level approach is becoming increasingly important to overcome challenges which transcend borders and strengthen the means of implementation such as financing for development, data and statistics. In Asia-Pacific, least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing states must remain our priority. We should also scale up our support for middle-income countries to ensure their aspiration are met. I am committed to working with all member states to achieve transformed and resilient societies. The evidence indicates we can be more effective if we empower citizens to support this transformation. IPS

This article is from the address to the 75th session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission FOR !SIA AND THE 0ACIkC %SCAP IN Bangkok by Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, UN Undersecretary-General and Executive Secretary of Escap.

have little or no oversight.

Wealthier China Adding to those concerns has been the deployment of surveillance cameras inside mosques, restaurants and other public areas to track the movements of the Uighur ethnic minority in the restive border region of Xinjiang, where an estimated one million mostly Muslim people are held in internment camps. Marxist students are another group now targeted by communist authorities. Dozens have been detained or disappeared after their support for a labor movement last year. The tight policing of what is

taught or discussed in universities and other liberal spaces makes it “impossible� for a recurrence of another “ideological movement� as seen in 1989, said Li Datong, a former editor at Beijing Youth Daily. Li has been under surveillance since he wrote an open letter critical of the 2018 constitutional amendment to remove Xi’s presidential term limits. He sees a second reason why another Tiananmen-like upheaval in China is unlikely. “The current generation is also selfish because they have been lulled into a coma by China’s growing wealth,� he said. “They can’t be compared to the students in the 1980s who were idealists.� AFP

Q FINANCE FROM A5

Finance’s new avatar relative to the whole economy, with the financial sector growing faster and securing more profit than other sectors. The simplest and most popular measure of finance uses national income accounts for "finance, insurance and real estate" (FIRE). In the US, finance’s share of GDP grew from 14 percent to 21 percent between 1960 and 2017, while manufacturing’s fell from 27 percent to 11 percent, and trade’s declined from 17 percent to 12 percent. The financial sector is almost twice as large as both trade and manufacturing sectors. The growth of shadow banking — referring to activities similar to traditional banking undertaken by non-bank financial institutions that are not regulated as banks — is a growing and significant source of credit and accounts for much of the growth of finance. Such institutions include hedge funds, private equity funds, mortgage lenders, money market funds and insurance companies. These kNANCIAL INSTITUTIONS INCLUDING TRADITIONAL banks, have used securitization, "off-balance sheet" derivative positions and leverage to create, manage and trade securities and derivatives, ballooning its business volume. With heightened concerns about growing financial fragility, more sophisticated measures have been introduced to estimate "shadow banking." Most country-level measures show shadow banking increasing rapidly before, and more worryingly, after the 2008-2009 global financial crisis. At the same time, finance has also secured the most gains in the US, taking advantage of the sector’s ability to leverage more than non-financial corporations, engaging in financial innovations and trading complex and opaque products netting super profits. $URING kNANCE ALMOST DOUBLED ITS PROkTS FROM PERCENT TO PERCENT OF TOTAL DOMESTIC CORPORATE PROkTS WHILE manufacturing’s share shrank by almost two thirds from 49 percent to 17 percent. Jim Reid of Deutsche Bank estimated that that the US financial sector made around $1.2 trillion in "excess profits," relative to the previous mean, in the decade before the 2008 global financial crisis.

financial stability. But size certainly does not guarantee either good banking practices or financial stability. In fact, the global financial crisis suggests that the “too big to fail� syndrome encouraged moral hazard. Big banks take on excessive risk as they believe they have a safety net — governments will bail them out to prevent a financial system collapse. Over the years, US banking has become more concentrated. This accelerated with the abolition of the Glass-Steagall Act and its replacement with the Graham-Leah-Bliley Act in 1999, which saw the creation of universal bank behemoths combining commercial and investment banking activities. The top five banks in 1990 held less than 10 percent of total bank assets; by 2007, they had 44 percent. Seven years after the 2008-2009 global financial crisis, the US banking industry is just as concentrated, with the top five banks — JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Citibank and US Bancorp — holding $7 trillion, or 44 percent of total bank assets. Meanwhile, asset management is even more concentrated than banking. Together, the "Big Three" — Blackrock, Vanguard and State Street — are the largest shareholders in four-fifths of listed US corporations, managing nearly $11 trillion, thrice the worth of global hedge funds. Such asset management relies on banks for leveraged access to financial markets. Undoubtedly, many regulators have replaced previously weak regulation, which failed to check spreading systemic risk before the 2008 GLOBAL kNANCIAL CRISIS WITH NEW RULES "UT these do not seem to have effectively checked more recent abusive practices. Recent technological, ideological, institutional and political changes have drastically TRANSFORMED kNANCE ENABLING IT TO PENETRATE and dominate all spheres of life such that kNANCIALIZATION IS THE NEW AVATAR IPS

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

Greater concentration There are contrasting views of whether bank concentration leads to greater or less

Dr Michael Lim Mah Hui has been a university professor and banker in the private sector and with the Asian Development Bank.

Regions

˜ The Manila Times

www.manilatimes.net

Losing Camarines Norte mayoral bet files protest CAPALONGA, Camarines Norte: An elecTION PROTEST WAS kLED BY THE HUSband of a losing mayoral candidate in this town before the Regional Trial Court Branch 64 in Labo, Camarines Norte, alleging massive vote-buying and harassment. Senandro Jalgalado filed the protest on behalf of his wife Editha, against Luz Ricasio who won with 7, 872 votes over the 7,230 votes of Jalgalado. Jalgalado alleged there were massive vote-buying, harassment by more than 20 armed goons riding in motorcycles without license plates, and a considerable number

of defective Secure Digital cards and vote counting machines that bogged down. The petitioners also alleged that shady individuals were involved in preshading the ballots. The same scenario was alleged by the camp of former Daet Rep. Catherine Barcelona Reyes, who said massive vote-buying was rampant in the province. She lost in the gubernatorial race to incumbent Gov. Edgardo Tallado by 40,000 VOTES BUT WAS EARLIER DISQUALIkED by the Commission on Elections, as the 2019 election was said to be 4ALLADO S FOURTH TERM OF OFkCE BELLY M. OTORDOZ

MILF REBELS TO GET FINANCIAL HELP ZAMBOANGA CITY: While kin of police commandos brutally killed by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebe l s a n d B a n g s a m o ro I s lamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in Mamasapano, Maguindanao continue to demand justice, the Duterte government is proposing to provide P100,000 in cash to each of the 12,000 MILF guerrillas as a gesture of goodwill and as part of the peace process.  According to reports, Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez said the proposed financial aid would cover MILF fighters who surrendered their weapons as part of the decommissioning process, although there is no provision in the peace deal that the government will pay for guns collected from the rebel group. The funds, the repor ts claimed, would come from the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity, which Galvez heads. About P1.2 billion is needed to pay off the MILF members, who will also be provided with livelihood skills training to help them integrate into mainstream society.  Families of those who died demanded that rebel leader Murad Ebrahim, now Chief Minister of the Muslim autonomous region, surrender those behind the gruesome murders.  The commandos, members of the Special Action Force (SAF), were sent on a clandestine mission deep inside MILF territory in Barangay Tukanalipao on Jan. 25,

2015 to capture Malaysian bomber Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan. Marwan surived the attack, but was eventually killed. Commandos cut off his finger for DNA analysis. The elite group was on its way to rejoin more than 300 SAF commandos when it was attacked by MILF forces aided by BIFF militants, sparking daylong clashes. At least 18 MILF and five BIFF militants were killed in the fierce fighting that the Aquino government originally claimed was a misencounter. Barely a month after the fighting, the MILF surrendered at least 16 automatic weapons it took from slain police commandos. The surrender of the weapons further bolstered reports of lawmakers and human rights groups that MILF rebels had finished off wounded commandos and collected their guns. The weapons were handed over to the police, but SAF sources claimed the we a p o n s h a d b e e n t a m pered and that many of the parts were either taken out or replaced with defective mechanisms. Because of the killings, lawmakers shelved the Bangasamoro Basic Law (BBL) until investigations into the deadly clashes between SAF and the MILF were completed. The BBL was eventually passed, but families of the slain commandos were still crying out for justice. The MILF said it would not surrender those involved in the killings. AL JACINTO

FRIDAY May 31, 2019

A7

NPAs ambush convoy carrying foreigners BY MASIDING NOOR YAHYA

I

LIGAN CITY: Eleven people were wo u n d e d w he n c o m m u n i s t N e w People’s Army (NPA) rebels ambushed on Thursday a convoy carrying foreign o b s e r ve r s i n I m p a s u g - o n g t ow n o f Bukidnon, the military said. It was not clear whether any of the foreigners were hurt, but the Army’s 403rd Infantry Brigade (403IB) said seven of the wounded were military personnel, who were part of the team that provided security to the group. In a statement, the 403IB said a group of local volunteers and foreign observers from Vietnam, Myanmar, Indonesia and Malaysia were visiting an Indigenous People’s (IP) community

in Sitio Mintapod, Barangay Hagpa, Impasugong to observe cultural preservation practices in the area. While passing Sitio Nasandigan in Barangay Kalabugao of the town, the rebels detonated an anti-personnel mine that targeted the convoy, the 403IB said, adding THAT THE SOLDIERS RETURNED kRE TRIGGERING A GUNkGHT Authorities said three NPA rebels were also wounded. “After the incident, the foreign

delegation proceeded to LaguindINGAN !IRPORT FOR THEIR lIGHT TO their next destination,� the 403IB said. The military said the foreign observers were invited by local IP community volunteers belonging to Higaonon Amamag Malandang Olandok Gagaw, a nongovernment organization that promotes cultural preservation in the area. The international observers were also supposed to conduct a “forest visitation� in the area. “We thought a tire exploded, THEN WE HEARD A BURST OF kRE SOMEbody shouted duck,� the military quoted one of the foreigners. “We were afraid, but we are very thankful to Filipino soldiers for providing us protection,� the unnamed foreigner added. Col. Edgardo de Leon, 403IB commander, said government troops recovered two more unex-

ploded anti-personnel (AP) mines in the area. “These AP mines could have injured the foreign observers. The EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) and PNP SOCO (Philippine National Police Scene of the Crime Operatives) were now recovering those AP mines to avoid harming civilians passing through,� de Leon added. He described the incident as “a direct attack to civilians who are not involved and should be protected from any form of attack.� He added: “This incident deserves international condemnation on the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-NPA terrorists.� The CPP-NPA was listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the Philippines.

ENSURING COASTAL BIODIVERSITY Affirming their commitment to marine protection, at least 10 coastal towns in Cagayan, led by officials of Sangguniang Kabataan (Youth Council), join the coastal cleanup and tree planting activities in collaboration with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Region 2 in observance of the Month of the Ocean. PHOTOS BY LEANDER C. DOMINGO

Romblon co-op starts bidding for power supply AN electric cooperative in Romblon is looking for the supplier of electricity to Carabao Island under competitive bidding, one of the emerging tourist destinations in the province. The National Electrification Administration (NEA) said Tablas Island Electric Cooperative Inc. (Tielco) opened on Thursday the bidding to tap a new power provider for San Jose town on the island. Dennis Alag, chairman of Tielco

Special Bids and Awards Committee, said although six entities WERE DECLARED ELIGIBLE ONLY kVE HAVE CONkRMED THEIR PARTICIPATION under the competitive selection process (CSP) for the procurement of power supply. The agency, through its RegulaTORY !FFAIRS /FkCE 2!/ IS CLOSELY monitoring the conduct of the public bidding. Tielco is the electricity distributor in the towns of Odiongan, Ferrol, Looc, Santa Fe, Alcantara, San

Agustin, Calatrava, San Andres and Santa Maria, all on Tablas Island, as well as San Jose on Carabao Island. Last year, the power co-op halted the CSP for the municipality after receiving the Department of Energy’s (DoE) directive to redo the process of selecting a new electricity supplier for the island. The DoE, in its June 4, 2018 letter, ordered Tielco to repeat the CSP as stipulated in its Department Circular which enjoins

distribution utilities to conduct CSP in securing power supply agreements (PSAs). In 2015, Tielco inked a 15-year PSA with Sunwest Water and Electric Company (Suweco) for Tablas Island’s power requirements. Two years later, Suweco inaugurated the 8.8-megawatt (MW) diesel power plant, located in Barangay Batiano in Odiongan, to address the frequent brownouts and power shortage on the island. JORDEENE B. LAGARE

Ex-inmate yields P3.4-M shabu in Cebu bust POLICE arrested a former inmate who yielded more than P3 million worth of shabu in a buy-bust in Sitio Kaluwasan, Barangay Inayawan in Cebu City on Thursday. Police Maj. Regino Maramag, chief of Pardo Police Station, said Angelito Insila, 21, sold a large pack of shabu for P50,000 to a poseur-buyer, which led to

his arrest. Operatives seized 19 more packs of shabu placed inside Insila’s black sling bag following his capture. The confiscated banned substance, which weighed about 500 grams, was estimated by the Dangerous Drugs Board to be worth P3.4 million. Maramag said Insila, who

Nationinbriefs PAGADIAN CONDUCTS DOOR-TO-DOOR MEASLES IMMUNIZATION DRIVE

PAGADIAN CITY, Zamboanga del Sur: With the increasing cases of measles in this coastal community, Mayor Romeo Pulmones directed City Health Officer Noel Ceniza to intensify its all-out campaign against the dreaded ailment. Ceniza said the city health office personnel had initiated a houseto-house drive against measles, which recorded close to 100 cases from January to April 2019. He assured the residents that the measles vaccine “is safe, effective and inexpensive, and has been used since two decades ago.� Several parents have voluntarily submitted their children for measles vaccination. Mercy Monciller claimed she took her five-year-old daughter to the health center after her neighbor’s child was afflicted with measles, which is a contagious ailment. Joel Dalugdog, a kindergarten pupil, was also accompanied to the city health door-to-door team in their village by his grandmother, who believes that vaccination would keep her grandson from acquiring measles. ANTONIO P. RIMADO

BACOLOD BRAWL KILLS 1, WOUNDS 3 OTHERS

A HEATED argument between neighbors that resulted in a brawl killed

was unemployed, had been in the illegal drugs trade for more than a year. “He (Insila) was detained at the Cebu City Jail after his arrest in 2017 for possession of illegal drugs. His source of drugs is Ruben Carin of Barangay Inayawan, who was [also] detained at the Cebu City Jail for drug pushing,� Maramag told The

Manila Times. Maramag said Carin would contact Insila and instruct him to distribute the shabu. He added that Insila’s brother was also arrested for an illegal drugs case last year. Insila, who was out on bail, admitted his involvement in the illegal drugs trade. RHEA RUTH ROSELL

one and wounded three others in Purok Tapulanga, Barangay 9 in Bacolod City. Police identified the fatality as Villardo Basingcol, 36, while wounded were Alfredo Fermin Sr., his son Alfredo Jr., and Lorenzo Dioso. Dioso was identified as the main suspect in Basingcol’s death. Initial investigation showed Dioso drinking in a nearby store when he heard Basingcol reprimanding someone for passing by his house. Dioso went to Basingcol’s house and called out for him to come out, but, instead, the victim turned off the lights and fired a homemade 12-gauge shotgun. Alfredo Sr., who was a village watchman, and his son responded to the area to pacify the two, but the argument escalated into a brawl, which resulted in Dioso seizing Basingcol’s shotgun. Dioso shot Basingcol in the chest and face, eventually killing him. Meanwhile, Alfredo Sr. is in critical condition after sustaining a stab wound, while his son was stabbed in the nape. Police were hunting down Dioso, who escaped after the incident. EUGENE Y. ADIONG

3 EEL GATHERERS FOUND DEAD IN MT. PROVINCE TOWN

BESAO, Mountain Province: Three young men from Barangay Gawa in this town were allegedly brutally murdered by unidentified suspects while fishing for eels in a river in Pangolposan in nearby Tubo, Abra recently. The lifeless bodies of Jansen “Ayban� Gabaen, Ronnie Macayba and Pedro Sauyen were found by

concerned citizens lying near the sacks of eel they gathered near the river. Report of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office showed the fatalities left Agawa last week to catch eels in the nearby Tubo town and failed to return home. One of the fatalities allegedly died from multiple hack wounds in the body, while the other two sustained multiple gunshot wounds. DEXTER A. SEE

PANGASINAN GETS NEW CHIEF OF POLICE

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan: Police Col. Redgrito Maranan, newly installed provincial police director of Pangasinan, ordered the chiefs of police in the four cities and 46 towns to intensify the campaign against illegal drugs and address the unsolved crimes, as he warned them of sanctions for failure to implement the order. Maranan, former chief of police in Marikina City, issued the order during the first command conference with the chiefs of police after he was installed on May 28. He replaced Col. Wilson Joseph Lopez, who was assigned as new chief of the directorial staff at the Southern Police District. Earlier, Lt. Col. Percival Pineda was also installed as new chief of police in Dagupan City. It was learned that new chiefs of police in three other cities of Alaminos, San Carlos and Urdaneta would be installed next week. JAIME G, AQUINOÂ

A8

News

FRIDAY May 31, 2019

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

Lawmakers slam MMDA execs BY GLEE JALEA

L

AWMAKERS REPRIMANDED OFkCIALS OF THE -ETRO -ANILA $EVELOPMENT !UTHORITY --$! ON 4HURSDAY FOR gSLEEPING ON THE JOBu AND FAILING TO SOLVE TRAFkC WOES

Members of the House Committee on Metro Manila Development, chaired by Quezon City Rep. Winston Castelo, ganged up on MMDA Planning And Design Division chief Emilio Llavor and legal office head Crisanto Saruca, who were unable to present documents or

data during the hearing. Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo Teves slammed the officials for not preparing data on the average number of buses and trucks apprehended every day for violating TRAFkC RULES Llavor had to call a fellow personnel in the middle of the hear-

ING TO ASK FOR THE kGURES REQUESTED by the lawmakers. “Pumunta kayo dito, wala kayong alam? Hindi naman pwede ‘yun. Hindi kayo nakakasagot (You came here not knowing anything? That’s not acceptable. You can’t even answer),â€? Teves fumed. “We will comply with the required data by tomorrow‌ there is data, but we failed to bring it today,â€? Saruca answered. Lawmakers, including former MMDA chairman and Marikina Rep. Bayani Fernando, also questioned the absence of General -ANAGER *OJO 'ARCIA

“I have already spent three years here in Congress, but I have not seen the general manager of the MMDA here. Please take us seriously, don’t be like this,â€? Fernando said in mixed English and Filipino. Garcia arrived an hour after the issue was discussed. “There are certain personnel EVERYDAY WHO DO NOT DO THEIR JOB I think we have to admit that‌ we are not blaming you, this is not a blame game. But the very purpose of putting this into issue is to exercise the power of our oversight function should the personnel of

--$! DO HIS JOB AND DO IT PROPerly,� Castelo said. After searching for data, the --$! OFkCIALS SAID OVER apprehensions were made every YEAR A kGURE THAT 4EVES DOUBTED “If there are only 3,000 buses, it looks like they are apprehended 50 times every year. How many times are they allowed to violate the laws? 100 times? 500 times?� Teves remarked. (E THEN ASKED THE OFkCIALS TO submit an accounting of revenues collected from MMDA’s apprehensions, including a list of units and CORRESPONDING kNES FOR EACH FROM

2018 up to early 2019. Fernando also recommended IMPOSING HEFTIER kNES FOR ERRING drivers. “There are no more enforcers DOING THEIR JOB .AG AABANG NA lang. Wala na, lagayan na lang. Sino pang magpapahuli? (They are resorting to bribery. Who will even bother if they get caught?) P200 is not a deterrent for any driver now,� he said. Violators of illegal parking AND OBSTRUCTION ARE kNED 0 to P1,000 and may be issued a maximum of two citations per day, effective December 2018.

PNP forms task units to address bullying THE Philippine National Police (PNP) on Thursday said it had formed task units to address bullying among students, and gather intelligence information against kidnappings and other threats in schools. “The PNP has formed task units to address bullying in schools and conduct intelligence and information gathering against kidnappings in schools, presence of improvised explosive devices, and other efforts against threats as feared by the public, as part of our police effort,� said Police Col. Bernard Banac, PNP spokesman, in a news conference in Quezon City. The task force was created in preparation for the opening of classes in public elementary and high schools on June 3. Banac said the PNP might inspect dormitories and schools upon the invitation of school authorities. “When it comes to incidents of bullying, it is important that the victims should immediately

inform the police to address these incidents,� he said. However, reports of bullying should be supported with pieces OF EVIDENCE FOR THE 0.0 TO kLE APpropriate charges. The most common form of bullying among youth is cyberbullying, he said, noting that bullying was “not that prevalent� in schools since this was being addressed through guidance counseling. Banac, however, said there was an increase in cyberbullying incidents, with 11 recorded in 2018 from nine in 2017. As of March 2019, the PNP spokesman said they recorded only two. Banac also reminded parents to supervise their children through parental guidance to prevent bullying incidents among students. “For the parents of children being victimized by bullying, we need to show love to them and understanding in these kinds of incidents,� he said. DEMPSEY REYES

LOSING CONTROL

A truck smashes into a power pole in Paco, Manila, leaving the area without electricity for hours. Investigation showed that the truck driver lost control of the vehicle. Fortunately, no one was hurt in the accident. PHOTO BY ENRIQUE AGCAOILI

‘All sin tax revenues should go to healthcare’ MMDA to arrest P2P violators starting June 3

SENATE Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, who authored and sponsored the Sin Tax Law in 2012, on Thursday said all revenues to be collected under the proposed revised Tobacco Excise Tax Law, which would impose higher taxes on tobacco products, should be exclusively used to fund the Universal Health Care (UHC) program. “Thanks to the Sin Tax Law, there are approximately 4 million less smokers in the country today, and at least 40,000 deaths have been averted since 2013. After the passage of the Sin Tax Law in 2012, the total revenue from the sin taxes amounted to P446,513,340,000 from 2013 to 2017,� Drilon said.

“I would propose that the increases in the excise tax on tobacco, as a result of the sin tax that we are working on now, should be devoted solely to the universal HEALTH PROGRAM AND BENEkT THE entire country,� Drilon said. The minority leader said the funds to be generated under the new measure, estimated at around P15 billion, would not even be enough to support the UHC program. Citing the Department of Finance’s report, he said the UHC program would need P257 billion FOR THE kRST YEAR OF IMPLEMENTATION with P195 billion provided for in the General Appropriations Act. “Given the huge funding require-

ment of the UHC program and other health needs of millions of poor Filipinos, we have to prioritize and make clear in the law where these new funds we expect to raise will go. The health of our people should be our number one priority,� Drilon said. A report by the Action for Economic Reforms based on the 2017 General Appropriations Act showed that while the value of tobacco production was at P3.8 billion, the earmarked funds amounted to P14.4 billion under Republic Act (RA) 7171 and P3.61 billion under RA 8240, or a total of P18.01 billion, he noted. “Tobacco excise tax collection allocated for the tobacco-growing

regions is more than four times bigger than the value of tobacco production in 2017,� Drilon said. Yet, he lamented, the tobacco farmers remain among the poorest in our country today. “I hope that this inequity will be addressed in the next Congress,� he added. Drilon also cited a 2016 Commission on Audit (CoA) Report, which shows the irregularities in the utilization of tobacco excise taxes under RA 7171. g4HIS kNDING OF #O! IS JUST THE tip of the iceberg. I am sure that a deeper examination of these funds would reveal more,� he added. JAVIER JOE ISMAEL

Xi broke promise on South

volunteers rescue women who fell from the motorcycle they were riding after they were hit by a vehicle as they crossed Finance road in Manila on Thursday. PHOTO BY DJ DIOSINA

Duterte off Palawan. “The PNOC EC is hereby permitted to enter into farm-in/farm-out agreements through which third parties can participate in the service contracts awarded by the government to PNOC EC and PNOC EC

can participate in the service contracts awarded by the government to third parties,� EO 80 states. “In all cases, Pnoc EC shall enter into farm-in/farm-out agreements only with reputable, technically COMPETENT AND kNANCIALLY CAPABLE companies.� “Farm-in/farm-out� agreements were described as a “practice, recognized in the oil and gas industry, of allowing third party participa-

tion to spread the risks inherent in oil and gas exploration.� “The entity acquiring the participating interest considers the transaction as a ‘farm-in,’ while the entity transferring such interest considers the transaction as ‘farm-out’. Service Contract 57 between PNOC EC and CNOOC gives the latter a 51-percent stake in the venture. Duterte’s order calls on the Department of Energy, in consul-

gers can only board and disembark at designated UV express terminals, not at any point in between. .EBRIJA SAID DRIVERS MIGHT FACE apprehension for “breach of franchise� if they drop off or pick up passengers between the point of origin and destination. Commuters, meanwhile, may FACE kNES IF THEY INSIST ON DISEMbarking along the way. “The passengers who disembark in the middle of the road may be kNED FOR JAYWALKING WHILE DRIVERS may be charged for obstruction of TRAFkC u .EBRIJA SAID NEIL JAYSON N. SERVALLOS

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RED CROSS TO THE RESCUE Philippine National Red Cross

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THE Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) would start apprehending on Monday UV Express drivers who violate the point-to-point (P2P) policy of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB). MMDA Command Center chief %DISON g"ONGu .EBRIJA SAID TRAFkC enforcers were directed to charge erring UV Express drivers and passengers with “breach of franchise.� “Wala na dry run ‘yan, effective ‘yan. Tuloy na kami (There will be no dry run. It will be imposed),� .EBRIJA TOLD REPORTERS Under the new policy, passen-

tation with the Governance Commission for Government-Owned or -Controlled Corporations, to issue the relevant rules and regulations covering the process to be followed by PNOC EC. Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, who previously tagged EO 556 as hampering the approval of oil exPLORATION DEALS WITH #HINESE kRMS was not immediately available for comment.

“The fall of 2016, President Xi Jinping promised President [Barack] Obama that they would not militarize the islands. So, what we see today are 10,000-foot runways, ammunition storage facilities, routine deployment of missile defense capabilities, aviation capabilities, and so forth,� he said in a talk on US security and defense at the Brooking Institution. “So, clearly they have walked away from that commitment.� “The South China Sea is, IN MY JUDGMENT NOT A PILE OF rocks,� he continued, referring to the series of reefs and outcrops that have been claimed as territory by China, reclaimed and expanded to accommodate military forces and large aircraft. “What is at stake in the South China Sea and elsewhere where there are territorial claims is the rule of law, international laws, norms and standards.� “When we ignore actions that are not in compliance with international rules, norms and STANDARDS WE HAVE JUST SET A new standard.� “I’m not suggesting a military

response,� the top US general said. “What needs to happen... is coherent collective action to those who violate international norms and standards. They need to be held accountable in some way so that future violations are deterred.� Washington has been frustrated by an inability to stall China’s aggressive military colonization of the South China 3EA WHICH REJECTS CONFLICTING territorial claims by five other countries: Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and the Philippines. The US has sent navy vessels through the areas claimed by China as “international freedom of navigation operations,� but otherwise has found responding difficult. Dunford acknowledged that building on the Chineseclaimed reefs had slowed. However, he said, “I assume that’s because the islands have now been developed to the point where they provide the military capability that the Chinese required them to have.� AFP

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Govt debt eases to P7.78T in April BY MAYVELIN U. CARABALLO

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HE national government’s outstanding debt eased to P7.786 trillion in April as the peso strengthened during the month, the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) reported on Thursday. In a statement, the Treasury bureau said the amount was a 0.2-percent or P15.447-billion decrease from March’s P7.802 trillion. “Of the total stock, 33.2 percent were sourced from external markets, while 66.8 percent were owed to domestic creditors,� it added. Domestic borrowings totaling

P5.205 trillion — up 0.2 percent from the previous month — accounted for the bulk, while external debt fell by 0.9 percent to P2.581 trillion. Outstanding debt the year before stood at P6.874 trillion, with domestic and foreign obligations at P4.498 trillion and P2.375 trillion, respectively. “For April, net issuance of govern-

ment securities amounting to P8.82 billion brought the increase in the level of domestic portfolio, while P0.27 billion was trimmed due to [the] revaluation of onshore dollar bonds due to peso appreciation,� the Treasury said. A foreign exchange rate of P52.098 against the dollar was used for the latest data, up from March’s P52.629:$1. The exchange rate used a year earlier was P51.734:$1. The decrease in foreign debt for the month was “due to the downward adjustments of both USD (United States dollar) and third-currency denominated debt amounting to P26.29 billion and P0.28 billion, respectively,

[while] offsetting the net availment of foreign loans amounting to P2.57 billion,� the BTr said. Government-guaranteed debt, meanwhile, climbed by P3.315 billion or 0.7 percent to P482.982 billion in April, down PERCENT FROM THE YEAR AGO kGURE The month-on-month increase, the Treasury said, was due to “net issuance of both domestic and external guarantees amounting to P6.44 billion and P0.24 billion, respectively.� “However, this was tempered by the downward adjustments on both peso and third currency denominated guarantees, which trimmed P2.91 billion and P0.45 billion, respectively,� it added.

Agri dept discloses own plan to bolster growth China: US committing ‘economic terrorism’ DAYS after the Philippines’ economic managers unveiled its expenditure catch-up plan to boost the country’s gross domestic product to above 6 percent this year, the Department of Agriculture (DA) has revealed a catch-up plan of its own aimed at reenergizing the agriculture sector and HAVE IT CONTRIBUTE SIGNIkCANTLY TO economic growth.

In a statement on Thursday, the Department of Finance (DoF) cited Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piùol’s presentation before the recent Economic Development Cluster (EDC) meeting in saying that the plan covered productivity enhancement interventions for major crops, such as rice, corn and sorghum; regulatory and support

activities for the poultry and livestock subsectors; and livelihood and safety interventions for the kSHERIES SUBSECTOR PiĂąol was quoted to have said that he expected the full implementation of programs under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund, as provided under Republic Act 11203 or the 2ICE 4ARIFkCATION ,AW TO SIGNIk-

cantly contribute to agricultural growth by the first quarter of 2020. For the rest of 2019, he told the EDC that his department’s catchup plan for the crops subsector involved the early distribution of CERTIkED SEEDS TO palay (unmilled rice) growers tilling a combined 2.2 million hectares of land.

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PSEi goes over 7,800 on foreign buying THE stock market rose for a third straight day on Thursday, thanks to foreign-fund inflows and month-end window dressing. The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) grew by 0.50 percent or 38.80 points to close at 7,836.55, while the broader All Shares grew by 0.36 percent or 17.27 points to end at 4,822.06. In a market note, brokerage firm Philstocks Financial Inc. said the bourse grew amid the foreign buying recorded during the day. Foreigners snapped up P3.5 billion issues and disposed of P3.1 billion for a net foreign buying position of P392.5 million. For his part, Regina Capital Development Corp. head of sales Luis Limlingan pointed to window dressing as having buoyed the index. The local market traded in contrast to its global counterparts. Wall Street’s main indices all fell overnight, but in Asia, Tokyo dipped 0.29 percent, Shanghai slipped 0.31 percent, Hong Kong declined 0.44 percent, and Singapore decreased 0.74 percent. Seoul rose 0.77 percent, Jakarta grew 1.18 percent and Bangkok inched up by 0.18 percent. Sectoral results were mixed, with the services, industrial and financials index the only gainers, up 0.55 percent, 1.37 percent, and 1.44 percent, respectively. More than 694 million issues were traded valued at P6.6 billion. Winners led losers, 97 to 70, while 53 issues were unchanged. ANGELICA BALLESTEROS

BEIJING: China accused the United States of “naked economic terrorism� on Thursday as it ramps up the rhetoric in their worsening trade war. “We are against the trade war, but we are not afraid of it,� Chinese vice foreign minister Zhang (ANHUI SAID AT A PRESS BRIEkNG to preview President Xi Jinping’s trip to Russia next week. “This premeditated instigaTION OF A TRADE CONlICT IS NAKED economic terrorism, economic chauvinism and economic bullying,� he added, stressing that China opposes the systematic use of sanctions, tariffs and protectionism. “There is no winner in a trade war,� Zhang warned. The world’s top two economies are at loggerheads as trade talks have apparently stalled, with US President Donald Trump hiking tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods earlier this month and blacklisting telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. China has hit back with its own tariff increase on $60 billion in US products that will take

WAITING FOR THEIR TURN Customers wait for their vehicles to be filled up with gasoline at a gas station in Manila on Thursday. PHOTO BY ENRIQUE AGCAOILI

Circular on fuel-price unbundling out P THE Department of Energy (DoE) has issued to the public a circular mandating oil companies to unbundle fuel costs, strengthening its monitoring of both local and international price movements of petroleum products. Signed by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi on Tuesday, Department Circular DC2019-05-0008, or the Revised Guidelines for the Monitoring of Prices on the Sale of Petroleum Products by the Downstream Oil Industry in the Philippines, revised an earlier order, DC2005-08-007, or the Guidelines Implementing the Requirement of a Prior Notice on Price Adjustments Pursuant to Memorandum Circular 2001-05-002 and other related rules. “These enhancements will provide the DoE and other relevant government agencies with the necessary data to formulate proactive and appropriate policy INITIATIVES FOR THE BENEkT OF CONsumers and the downstream oil industry,� Cusi said in a statement on Thursday. “Furthermore, the data provided will support the Department of Energy-Department of Justice (DoE-DoJ) Task Force investigations on reported incidents of an-

ticompetitive behavior,� he added. 5NDER THE NEW CIRCULAR OIL kRMS shall inform the Energy department of their respective pump price adjustments not later than 3 p.m. a day before the implementation of pump-price movement (increase, decrease or no adjustment), and prior to any public announcement. For liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) products, industry players must notify the DoE of any price adjustment not later than the end of every month and before announcing it to the public. Price movement for fuel products may be implemented every 4UESDAY AND ,0' PRICES EVERY kRST day of the month. They should send a formal notice to the DoE’s Oil Industry Management Bureau (OIMB) of any fuel price movement via e-mail. In particular, oil companies must provide the detailed computation with its corresponding explanation and supporting documents on the reason of the movement of each itemized price adjustment. Components of crude prices are divided into four categories: international content (product cost, freight cost, insurance

and foreign exchange rate); taxes and duties (duties, excise tax, value added tax, and other imposts); biofuel cost; and oil company take (port charges; refining, storage, handling, marketing and transshipment costs; other costs; and oil company profit margin). Firms should submit the computation, explanation and documents on unbundled items as of Dec. 31, 2018 within two months following the effectivity of the circular or whenever required by the department of the DoE-DoJ Task Force. The same data will be required every Dec. 31 and submitted to the OIMB not later than Feb. 28 the following year. In the case of LPG products, kRMS SHALL PROVIDE THE UNBUNDLED computation, along with an explanation on the price adjustment and portions of the LPG prices: oil company price, hauler’s fee, taxes, fixed and variable costs, profit MARGIN AND TOTAL ,0' REkLLER OR dealer’s pick-up price. The new guidelines shall take effect 15 days after its complete publication in two newspapers of general circulation. JORDEENE B. LAGARE

effect on Saturday, while state media has suggested that Beijing could stop exports of rare earths to the United States, depriving Washington of a key resource used to make hi-tech products.

TV debate -EANWHILE STATE MEDIA AND OFkcials have stepped up the rhetoric as the Communist Party digs in FOR WHAT COULD BE A LONG kGHT with the United States. An anchor for the Englishlanguage state broadcaster China Global Television Network (CGTN) even held a rare debate on Thursday with a presenter from Fox Business Network to discuss the trade war after jousting on social media. The debate between CGTN’s Liu Xin and Fox Business’s Trish Regan was civil, with the American journalist saying “I appreciate you being here� and the Chinese anchor inviting her to come to China, adding “I’ll take you around.� But China’s propaganda apparatus has hardened the tone.

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Stop trades by company insiders

HILIPPINE Telegraph and Telephone Corp. (PT&T) reported capital deficiency of P714,206,501 as of Dec. 31, 2018, down P8,639,987,444 from P9,354,193,945 as of June 30, 2018. The company arrived at this capital deficiency as f o l l ows : s h a r e c a p i t a l o f P10,935,991,894 plus revaluation surplus of P102,102,000 plus accumulated actuarial loss on retirement benefits of P14,898,232 equals P11,052,992,126 minus unrealized valuation loss on equity investments of P306,945 equals P11,052,685,181. When P11,052,685,181 is applied to accumulated deficit of P11,966,891,682, the result is P714,206,501, PT&T’s capital deficiency as of Dec. 31, 2018 as audited by Alas, Oplas & Co. CPAs. As of June 30, 2018, PT&T reported capital deficiency of P9,354,193,945, which could similarly be computed as follows: P2,224,255,313 plus P102,102,000 equals P 2 , 3 2 6 , 3 5 7 , 31 3 m i n u s P 2 7 8 , 9 01 e q u a l s P2,324,545,199. Applying this to accumulated deficit of

P11,678,739,144, PT&T would end up with capital deficiency of P9,354,193,945.

Sale Republic Telecommunications Holdings Inc. sold 560 million PT&T common shares to Menlo Capital Corp. for P264,877,979, which translates to P0.473 per common share. The sold PT&T common shares represent 70 percent of outstanding, according to a filing. When computed, it is 70 percent of 800 million listed PT&T common shares, which are equivalent to 37.333 percent of 1.5 billion outstanding PT&T common shares.

Company execs Jose Luis Santiago was chairman of PT&T’s board, and, at

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FRIDAY May 31, 2019

Pagcor earnings hit P25B in Jan-April BY MAYVELIN U. CARABALLO

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TATE-RUN Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) reported on Thursday its gross revenue increased to P25.09 billion IN THE kRST FOUR MONTHS OF In a statement, Pagcor said the amount was an 11.4-percent or P2.57-billion surge from its P22.51 BILLION REVENUES IN THE kRST FOUR months of 2018. It also surpassed the P23.57-billion target for the period in review by 6.4 percent or P1.51 billion. Pagcor said P23.84 billion of its revenues came from its income

from gaming including fees from licensees and offshore gaming operators. Meanwhile, other income, as WELL AS PROkT FROM OTHER RELATED services, amounted to P1.24 billion. Pagcor Chairman and Chief %XECUTIVE /FkCER !NDREA $OMINGO is hopeful the state-gaming agency

will continue exceeding its revenue targets for the year. “Right now, we are recording a monthly average of P6.27 billion revenues. Of this amount, we remit an average of P4.57 billion to the national coffers and Pagcor’s other mandated beneficiaries,� she said. “We will do our best to sustain this momentum so that the agency can touch the lives of more Filipinos,� Domingo added. Pagcor said it posted a total of P18.29 billion contributions to nation building from January to April, a 12.22 percent increase from the P16.30 billion contri-

butions during the same period last year. Of these mandated contributions to the government, it said P11.32 billion went to the National Treasury as 50 percent government share; P1.19 billion to the Bureau of Internal Revenue in the form of 5 percent franchise tax; P566.41 million for the 5 percent Philippine Sports Commission share; P148.57 million for cities hosting a Casino Filipino branch; P5.03 billion for various sociocivic programs of the government; P18.74 million for the Board of Claims; and P6.93 million for corporate income taxes.

Laws for NEDA: Regional income gap growing more PH ecozones sought LEGISLATORS, including the newly elected members of the House of Representatives and the Senate, are urged to pass laws for more economic zones in the country to help the government achieve inclusive growth. “To our honorable senators and congressmen, we implore for your statesmanship and wisdom in crafting laws that WILL DIRECTLY BENEkT AND UPLIFT the living conditions of our people, the urban poor and those in the countryside,� Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) Director General Charito Plaza said in an event in Pasay recently. Plaza said more economic zones in the countryside can spread development across the country. It would also make idle lands productive, she added. g7E IN 0%:! kRMLY BELIEVE that economic zone development is the best way to spur countryside development,� she said, explaining that highly developed areas have lower poverty incidence and crime rate. 4HE OFkCIAL ALSO CALLED FOR empowerment of local government units (LGUs) so they can establish their own smart towns and digital cities to become more independent. “The development of economic zones and attracting FDI (foreign direct investment) in viable areas in the countryside is a way of developing the local economies to be self-sustaining and attaining inclusive growth,� she added. To bridge regional gaps, Plaza said construction of transportation infrastructures — airports and seaports, among others — should be prioritized. This, in addition to building public work infrastructures, improving information technology facilities and providing quality and affordable utilities. Plaza also cited the need to build food terminals and logistics hubs in every region to connect the small enterprises and farmers to the supply chain. Among PEZA locators, 74 percent or 2,619 are from medium, small and micro enterprises, she said. “PEZA also has set its goal towards closing the supply chain gap through its full support in the development of infrastructure by the national government and in identifying and registering utilities that make use of new technologies that will lower the cost of doing business in the economic zones,� she added. TYRONE C. PIAD

THE government must continue to push for reforms that will help address widening regional income disparities, a National Economic and Development Authority .%$! OFkCIAL SAID )N A BRIEkNG ON 4HURSDAY .%$! /FkCER IN #HARGE AND 5NDERSECretary Adoracion Navarro said regional disparities or inequality in income per capita across regions widened over time. Citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Navarro said for instance, the Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) per capita of the National Capital Region (NCR) was at P181,748 in SIGNIkCANTLY HIGHER THAN THE P14,052 in ARMM. In 2018, the GRDP per capita in NCR was at P253,893, still way higher compared to ARMM’s P14,657. “The disparity did not happen immediately, this happened over a period of time. Inequality in income per capita across regions is widening,� said

Navarro. Navarro said the government must double its efforts in pushing for policies that can reduce such disparities. “ For instance, we need to improve connectivity across regions and enhance the efficiency of transport, communications and overall logistics networks. Poor regions must catch up fast,� she said. “As regional disparities may be the result of high population growth in some regions and poor economic performance, local governments must support the government’s family planning and reproductive health program,� she added. 4HE .%$! OFkCIAL SAID SINCE REgions with lower GRDP per capita also have large agricultural bases, the government must give greater focus on improving the producTIVITY OF AGRICULTURE AND kSHERIES sectors in regions. “We have to integrate small FARMERS AND kSHERFOLK INTO LARGER business enterprises. This is apart from other strategies like farm

diversification, which will help farmers venture into commodities with higher value and market potential,� Navarro said. She said that while the government already provided some interventions to address the disparity, a lot still needs to be done. “We are doing this (redistribution of income) through cash TRANSFERS AND WE ARE kXING OUR TAXAtion system. We are pursuing for a more progressive taxation. But these are not enough. Let’s look at the nuances of the economic growth story,� she said. “We should be glad that we have a high growth trajectory and WE HAVE GOOD POVERTY kGURES "UT income inequality is another story. We should be challenged by that,� she added. Navarro said there is a need to pursue policy interventions that will optimize the demographic dividend by improving the country’s human capital to achieve full potential. ANNA LEAH E. GONZALES

Ballet confronts oneself A FINEX FILES N evening of pure enchantment awaits us once again at the Solaire Theater on June 16, 2019. Malen Claravall, the guiding spirit of the Claravall School of Dance in Paranaque and the British School of Manila will present her version of a timehonored fairy tale, “Beauty and the Beast�. As she did with her presentation of “Snow White and Other Dances� in 2017, when she delightfully delivered the story of Snow White with the theme of “There is always something good in each one of us.,� in this forthcoming ballet, the story of Beauty and the Beast is delivered in such a way that one will have to confront oneself. In Snow White, Malen wanted to emphasize the value that there is good in everyone. But this time, she will show us that each of us has a bit of the “beast� in us. She deplores that in today’s world, there is so much preoccupation with what is evil, what is wrong with society, what corrupted values rule our modern lives. In her own way, through dance, she would like each of us to confront ourselves to see where we can be better persons despite our proclivity to be not so nice SOMETIMES $EkNITELY THIS NEW ballet presentation is something one can anticipate with excitement, whether you are young or young at heart. Of course, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. And so just to let you know that the evening will be well worth your time, let me say a bit about the lady whose genius in dance is well acclaimed. Malen began her school of dance about 32 years ago, with the aim of promoting three basic values – dedication, discipline, and love for the art since its very inception. Since then, it has made great strides in training and honing accomplished Filipino ballet dancers and teachers. In her inimitable way, Malen reaches out to her students,

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Stop trades by company insiders the same time, president and chief executive officer; Maureen Virginia Santiago, executive vice president; Arturo T. Falco, senior vice president and comptroller; Gerardo R. De Leon, SVP and chief finance and admin officer; Pedro R. Santos, SVP for network engineering and technical services; and Alicia A. Arogo, vice president-treasurer. A footnote showed Jose Luis Santiago and Maureen Virginia Santiago retired on Aug. 10, 2017; Falco, May 31, 2018; De Leon, June 30, 2018; Santos, Dec. 31, 2017; and Arogo, Aug. 10, 2017.

Highest paid As a six-person group, the two Santiagos and four others used to be PT&T’s highest paid executives until 2018 when Menlo came in. In 2017, they were paid sala-

ries of P12.12 million; bonus of P360,000; and “other annual compensation� of P864,000. In 2016, they received P11,855,267 ; bonus of P360,000; and “other annual compensation� of P864,000. In a compensation filing, PT&T listed the following highest paid executives under the new owners, who took over the Santiagos: Jaime G. Velasquez, president and chief executive officer; Miguel Marco A. Bitanga, treasurer and chief operations officer; Renato B. Garcia, executive vice president; Alfredo T. Divino Jr., chief finance officer; Concepcion D.S. Roxas, chief people officer; and Patrick Vincent G. Pena, GM, fixed broadband. In 2018, they were paid salary of P20,063,300; bonus of P1,179,058; and “other annual compensation� of P450,000. In a filing, PT&T said it did

not pay its six-person board for the year ended Dec. 31, 2018.

Market performance PT&T common shares were last traded on Dec. 9, 2004. The stock opened trading at P0.310, hit a high of P0.330, its closing price, and dropped to a low of P0.310. It recorded a 30-day high of P0.490 and a month’s low of P0.310. Like other listed stocks, PT&T common shares have not been traded heavily. On Dec. 4, 2014, the stock recorded a volume of only 20,000 PT&T common shares despite having listed 800 million common shares of 1.5 billion outstanding PT&T common shares. SM Investments Corp, for instance, reported having listed its entire outstanding common shares. Of 1,204,582,867 outstanding SM common shares,

only186,520 common shares, or 0.155 percent, were traded on May 27, 2019. The stock recorded a 30-day high of P977 and a month’s low of P877 per share.

Due Diligencer’s take Whether or not all the outstanding common shares are listed, only a few of them are traded each day. The problem, though, is how this affects the ownership of public investors whose holdings are at least 10 percent of outstanding. This is especially true when a company buys back its own shares. Again, it is the public ownership that is adversely affected by this exercise. Will officials of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) look into the possible violation of the 10-percent minimum public ownership rule?

Q GROWTH FROM B1

Agri dept discloses own plan to bolster growth The DA is also distributing fertilizers in areas with enough irrigation covering 42,902 ha in time for the harvest season in the second semester of this year. With an expected rice production increment of 1 metric ton (MT) per ha, these 42,902 ha of land planted with palay is valued at P729.3 million, PiĂąol was quoted to have said. Seeds and fertilizers will also be distributed to corn and sorghum growers, he added. The DA is also targeting an expansion area of 100,000 ha each for corn and sorghum for

the wet season planting, to be harvested within the second half, the Agriculture chief also said. With these measures, PiĂąol said he expected about 600,000 MT of corn, worth P9.1 billion, and about 400,000 MT of sorghum, valued at P6 billion, to be produced. He also cited the adoption of new plant varieties to protect top fruit exports, such as bananas and mangoes, from diseases, and expanding vegetable farming in some 50,000 ha of land in Mindanao. For poultry and livestock,

PiĂąol has proposed importing 300,000 MT of corn at zero tariff, to be sourced from countries free of the African Swine Fever (ASF). “These should not be delivered during the bulk harvest season of the second semester, which covers the months of September [and] October,â€? he said. He also proposed imposing a temporary ban on the importation of livestock for about five months to keep the local industry ASF-free. PiĂąol also introduced a plan to establish in the country four dairy farm complexes, each

housing 6,000 dairy cows in four locations. An estimated 36 million liters of milk, valued at P1.4 billion, are expected to be produced. For the fisheries subsector, the DA plans to help set up 300 fish cages in each region using funds from the Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund Lending Program. The Land Bank of the Philippines will coordinate lending across all regions in the country. This project, PiĂąol said, is estimated to produce 96,000 MT of fish valued at P9.98 billion. The DA will also continue

MERCEDES SULEIK bringing out in him or her what is in their hearts which they can convey through their graceful movement, “Art,� she says, “is a talent, a gift, which is God-given and should be drawn out and nurtured.� Fifteen years ago, the Claravall School of Dance teamed up with British School Manila (BSM). BSM has Royal Academy of Dance education on campus. It adheres and conforms to the strict standards and discipline of the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD), London. It sends its students to take the RAD examinations regularly conducted by a representative from RAD, London. Successful students are AWARDED 2!$ CERTIkCATES WHICH enable them to be recognized in over 100 countries. Malen’s students have been successful in THE kELD SOME OF WHOM AS REPresentatives of the Philippines, BECAME kNALISTS AND WON AWARDS in other countries. Malen is one person who is grateful for all the blessings the Lord had given her: supportive parents, students who have grown in the love of ballet and become soloists and members of professional ballet dance companies, and the grace to make a difference not just in the art, but also in fostering values that truly prove that goodness, and not evil, is in our midst. Malen, a very dear friend and fellow Theresian, is a soul mate – a Theresian through and through. I guess that’s how we bonded with each other from the moment we met and discovered we were both proud Theresians. I wish her all the luck and love as she continues to create beauty in the world of dance.

merci.suleik@gmail.com

The SEC is empowered to impose the rule on companies listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE). As the regulatory authority, it should have disciplined company executives who are engaged in trading their own company’s common shares. Again, as the regulatory authority, the SEC should have by now gone after those violating the market rules. For example, the commission should have reviewed the transactions of company insiders, who are either buying or selling shares issued by their own companies. Because of their position, insiders enjoy a very big advantage over the public. Reviewing the matter is the responsibility of SEC officials, particularly the five-person commission. Being SEC officials, they alone can exercise their power over listed stocks. Will they start reviewing the ownerships of the members of the board? Just asking.

esdperez@gmail.com to monitor water quality and fish stocks in brackish water and freshwater areas in relation to the effects of the El NiĂąo [weather phenomnen], he added. “This whole program now has to be translated into higher growth for 2019,â€? Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez 3rd said. Dominguez convened the EDC again on Tuesday to determine the DA’s plan for the second to fourth quarters, and how this sector can be a significant contributor to economic growth this year. The sector grew by only 0.67 percent in the first three months, slower than the 1.08-percent growth in the same period last year. MAYVELIN U. CARABALLO

˜ The Manila Times

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Corporate News

FRIDAY May 31, 2019

B3

PAL to hike stock to P20B L

BY LISBET K. ESMAEL

ISTED PAL Holdings Inc., operator of lAG CARRIER 0HILIPPINE !IRLINES PLANS to raise its capital stock to P20 billion TO PREPARE FOR WHAT ITS CHIEF CALLED gA possible re-IPO (initial public offering).� Stockholders approved the plan to increase the stock by 48 percent from P13.5 billion during their annual meeting in Manila on Thursday — a move

that PAL President and Chief Executive Officer Jaime Bautista said was necessary before proceeding with the share sale, which he pointed out has no

DEkNITE PLAN YET “This is in preparation for a possible re-IPO, because for us to be able to do that, we’ll have to prepare a prospectus. We’ll have to prepare all the terms and conditions of the IPO. So we’ll have TO APPOINT A kNANCIAL ADVISER TO help us,� Bautista told reporters after the meeting. “For us, we need [the] stockholders’ approval to amend the articles of incorporation. [Once] the articles of incorpo-

ration [are] amended, we can work with the increase in capital stock, and for us to be able to implement it, there should be somebody who will subscribe,� he explained. “It’s a requirement by the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) that there should be at least 25-percent subscription, so [for] this we will work with our kNANCIAL ADVISOR u In a separate statement also on Thursday, PAL said increas-

UnionBank raises P5.8B from 2nd bond offering LISTED Union Bank of the Philippines (UnionBank) has generated P5.8 billion in fresh funds from its second bond issuance. In a disclosure on Thursday, the Aboitiz-led lender said the three-year bonds were almost twice the announced issue size of P3 billion after receiving strong demand from institutional and retail clients. “Our peso bond issuance is part of our ongoing efforts to diversify our funding sources and lengthen the maturity

profile of our liabilities,� said Jose Emmanuel Hilado, UnionBank’s senior executive vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer. The bonds carried a coupon of 6.00 percent, and will be issued and listed on the Philippine Dealing Exchange on June 3. This is UnionBank’s second bond issuance, after its P11.0billion bond issue last December 7. This also brings the bank’s

total issuance to P16.8 billion, of which P5.8 billion was drawn from the newly established P39billion bond and commercial paper program. To further expedite issuances moving forward, UnionBank said it was also the first bank to use program-style documentation patterned after international medium-term note programs. By aligning documentation for issuers that frequently tap the bond markets, UnionBank said it could shorten its ex-

ecution timetable and capture funding opportunities more efficiently. The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corp. Limited (HSBC) and ING Bank N.V. Manila Branch (ING) acted as joint lead managers and bookrunners for the transaction. They were also the selling agents alongside UnionBank. UnionBank shares fell by 40 centavos or 0.67 percent to close at P59.60 each on Thursday. MAYVELIN U. CARABALLOÂ

Ginebra sees profit doubling this year GINEBRA San Miguel Inc. (GSMI) expressed optimism that its net income for fully e a r 2 01 9 w i l l m o r e t h a n double to P2.7 billion from last year’s P1.05 billion. During the liquor producer’s annual stockholders’ meeting in Pasig City on Wednesday, GSMI President Ramon Ang said the optimism was fueled by the increase in its net income in the first quarter. GSMI saw its net profit climb by 141 percent to P616

million in January to March on the back of wider product distribution and higher operational efficiencies. Its consolidated revenues rose by 28 percent to P8.3 billion, while its operating income soared by 122 percent to P986 million. “We are confident that GSMI will have a good year [this year],� GSMI General Manager Emmanuel Macalalag said. On the proposed tax hike on alcohol products, Macalalag

said the firm would expect a “temporary reaction in volume� due to higher prices. “Normally, prices will rise, and consequently we will have to increase prices,� he said, adding that “somehow, we still manage to recover.� “Rest assured that at this point, [the] company is already trying to formulate studies to mitigate the impact of this tax,� he said. Both the Finance and Health departments are pushing for

an increase in “sin� taxes to help raise funds for the government’s Universal Health Care program. Under the bill authored by boxer-turned-legislator Sen. Emmanuel “Manny� Pacquiao that is backed by both departments, alcohol taxes would be increase to P40 per proof liter and tobacco taxes to P60 per pack. GSMI shares finished down by 1.49 percent or 65 centavos to P43 each on Thursday. ANGELICA BALLESTEROS

ing its capital stock would also allow it “to support the ongoing network and fleet expansion initiatives to position PAL as a strong market player.� Bautista also expressed bullishness on PAL’s capacity to return TO PROkTABILITY THIS YEAR “Working together as one team, we will focus our 2019 EFFORTS ON ACHIEVING PROkTABILITY and further building up your airline to be a formidable competitor and a continuing innovator,�

he said in a speech. PAL’s attributable net loss narrowed to P838.17 million in the kRST QUARTER FROM 0 BILLION IN the same period last year. Consolidated revenues c l i m b e d by 7 . 2 p e r c e n t t o P39.27 billion in January to March, buoyed by the increase in passenger volume. Shares of PAL Holdings decreased by 29 centavos or 2.93 percent to close at P9.61 each on Thursday.

DMCI Power sales soar by 20% in Q1 DMCI Power Corp. saw its firstquarter sales grow by 20 percent to 76 gigawatt hours (GWh) from 63 GWh in the same period a year ago, ITS PARENT kRM $-#) (OLDINGS )NC reported on Thursday. In a disclosure, the listed holding company accounted the higher sales to the strong take-up of the Oriental Mindoro Electric Cooperative Inc. (Ormeco), Palawan Electric Cooperative Inc. (Paleco) and Masbate Electric Cooperative Inc. (Maselco). This brought the off-grid energy kRM S CONSOLIDATED NET INCOME TO P100 million in the first three months, up 32 percent from P76 million last year. “The National Power Corp. completed the rehabilitation of the transmission line in May last year. Since then, we have been able to maximize the generation capacity of our power plant,� DMCI Power President Nestor Dadivas explained, referring to Ormeco’s 69-kilovolt (kV) line from Calapan City to Puerto Galera town. The rehabilitated line resulted in power sales of the Oriental Mindoro cooperative surging by 39 percent to 15.87 GWh from the previous

11.39 GWh. Dispatch to Paleco climbed by 19 percent to 33.21 GWh from 27.83 GWh, as tourist arrivals continued to boost energy consumption in Palawan. According to the Palawan provincial tourism office, tourist arrivals there soared by 20 percent to 1.165 million from January to March. And energy sales to Maselco rose by 12 percent to 26.64 GWh from 23.76 GWh, because of “strong economic activities� in Masbate. g7E ARE CONkDENT THAT SALES VOLume to our offtakers will continue to grow in the ensuing months of 2019,� Dadivas said. Established in 2006, DMCI Power OPERATES AND MAINTAINS BUNKER kRED power plants and diesel generating sets in parts of Masbate, Oriental Mindoro, Palawan and Sultan Kudarat. DMCI Holdings was incorporated in 1995 to consolidate all construction business, construction component companies and related interests of the Consunji family. $-#) (OLDINGS SHARES ENDED lAT at P10.40 apiece on Thursday. JOR JORDEENE B. LAGARE

B4

FRIDAY May 31, 2019

˜ The Manila Times

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Foreign Business

FRIDAY May 31, 2019

B5

G20 countries mull tax policy for internet giants T

OKYO: G20 countries are planning a new tax policy for digital giants like Google, based on the business a company does in a country, not where it is headquartered, the Nikkei business daily said on Thursday. The basic policy is likely to be SIGNED BY kNANCE MINISTERS FROM the Group of 20 countries when they meet next month in the Japanese city of Fukuoka ahead of the main G20 meeting in Osaka, the Nikkei said. 4HE POLICY TARGETING kRMS LIKE Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon, would “allocate revenue to countries that provide large user bases for the world’s digital

corporate giants,� the daily said, citing unnamed sources. The countries will seek to reach A kNAL AGREEMENT IN BUT HOW the policy will work remains to be kNALISED One possibility would be to distribute collected tax revenues to countries based on the number of users a given company has in each country. That could mean that Facebook,

WHICH HAS CENTRALISED ITS PROkTS and tax payments in Ireland to take advantage of low rates, would see its tax payments redistributed to areas where more of its users live. But details of how the tax will be collected and distributed and which companies will be affected REMAIN TO BE kNALISED WITH THE Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) expected to help iron out the rules. The issue of how to tax top digital companies has become increasingly fraught, with several European nations going it alone, drawing the ire of the United States. The Paris-based OECD is trying to

forge a new global agreement that WOULD PREVENT THE kRMS FROM SIMply declaring their income in lowtax jurisdictions, depriving other countries of billions in revenue. In April, French lawmakers PASSED THE kRST READING OF A BILL TO impose taxes on digital advertising, the sale of personal data and other revenue for any technology company that earns more than 750 million euros ($840 million) worldwide each year. A bid to agree a law at the European Union level was scuttled by low-tax countries like Ireland, WHICH HAVE WOOED BIG TECH kRMS Austria has proposed similar domestic legislation. AFP

Boeing ‘fell short’ on 737 MAX issues Malaysia to keep using Huawei products

NEW YORK: The head of Boeingacknowledged on Wednesday that the company “clearly fell short� in dealing with the accident-ridden 737 MAX and said that it had not adequately communicated with regulators. Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg’s remarks to CBS News — his first interview since the global grounding of the plane following two crashes that claimed 346 lives — came as a top airline representative signaled that the top-selling jets could be out of service at least through mid- to late-August. Muilenburg was pressed by CBS about failing to notify the Federal Aviation Administration for more than a year that the company had deactivated a signal designed to advise the crew of a disagreement between the plane’s “angle of attack� sensors, which measure its angle vis-a-vis oncoming air to warn of impending stalls. The sensors provide data to the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, a flight handling system connected to the deadly crashes of Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines MAXs. The FAA did not learn of the issue until after the Lion Air crash, more than 13 months after BoeING kRST UNEARTHED THE PROBLEM The design of the MCAS system has been criticized by aviation experts because it is tied to just one sensor at a time, making it susceptible to malfunction. In both of the MAX crashes, the MCAS pointed the plane sharply downward based on a faulty sensor reading, hindering the pilots’ effort to control the aircraft after takeoff, according to preliminary crash investigations. Muilenburg, who has repeatedly rejected suggestions of a design flaw in the 737 MAX, acknowledged implementation shortcomings.

“The implementation of this angle of attack alert was a mistake,� he told CBS. “Our communication on that was not what it should have been.� But Muilenburg, who also issued a sweeping apology to the FAMILIES OF lIGHT VICTIMS DURING THE interview, said he believes in the plane and would have no reservations putting his family aboard. “We’re confident in the fundamental safety of the airplane,� he said.

York that the company will tailor its compensation to airlines for the 737 MAX grounding around customer preference, and they could be paid back in services instead of cash. “We know we’ve impacted the summer schedules for many of THEM AND IT S DIFkCULT IT S PAINful,� he said. “I don’t see this as an additional material event for us, but it’s something that’s going to require individual attention customer by customer.� Lagging timeframe Compensation could include tweaking plane delivery schedules, The interview comes a week after or offering additional training or the FAA led a meeting of interna- services, as well as cash in some tional regulators designed to coor- cases, he said. dinate the process to approve the Muilenburg described last return of the 737 MAX into service. week’s meeting of international Alexandre de Juniac, head of regulators as a “key� event in rethe International Air Transport As- turning the plane to service, but sociation, said Wednesday that the acknowledged that it may take plane -- which has been grounded more time before global regulators since mid-March -- will remain out are ready to approve the plane’s of service “at least 10 to 12 weeks� return. while regulators review Boeing’s “Our hope is that we’ll have a PROPOSED kX TO THE -#!3 broad international alignment A note from CFRA Research with the FAA,� he said at the concharacterized the timeframe for the ference. 737 MAX resumption as “worse� “But there may be some internathan expected, but said Boeing was tional authorities that will operate still well positioned once it exits on a different schedule. So we’ll the crisis. have to tailor our plans, depending “Our thesis on Boeing is based on the regulatory approval to get on long term commercial aero- THE AIRPLANE BACK UP AND lYING u space demand, a strong order 4HE &!! WILL BE THE kRST REGUbook and the likelihood that Boe- lator to clear the plane for serING WILL NOT LOSE SIGNIkCANT ORDERS vice, but aviation analysts say the as long as the plane resumes ser- agency wants at least some other vice safely,� CFRA said. countries to approve the plane “We expect continued volatil- soon after. ity in the shares until the issues Muilenburg said Boeing was hanging over Boeingmove closer PREPARED TO BE lEXIBLE AS MORE to being resolved,� CFRA added. customers get the green light. Boeing has cut it production Compensating schedule of the 737 MAX and customers halted new deliveries, necessitating additional storage capacity in Earlier Wednesday, Muilenburg Washington and Texas, he said. told an investor conference in New AFP

Q TERRORISM FROM B1

China: US committing economic The party’s mouthpiece, The People’s Daily, warned in an editorial on Wednesday that rare earths could be used as a counter-measure, adding that the US shouldn’t “say we didn’t warn you.� China produces more than 95 percent of the world’s rare earths, and the United States relies on the Asian superpower for more than 80 percent of its imports. “It is unacceptable for any country to use rare earth products exported by China to curb and suppress China’s development,� commerce ministry spokesman Gao Feng said on Thursday. Asked about the rare earths threat during an interview, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Americans had “lost and suffered for decades under the current rules� and that Trump’s “singular focus is to push back� on China.

He renewed his attack on Huawei, saying there was a “deep connectivity� between the company and the Chinese state. “If it’s the case that the Chinese Communist Party wanted to get information from technology that was in the possession of Huawei, it is almost certainly the case that Huawei would provide that to them,� he told the Fox Business Network. Huawei has rejected the accuSATIONS AND ON 4UESDAY kLED A motion for summary judgment in a US court, hoping it would swiftly win a lawsuit against US legislation that bars federal agencies from using the company’s equipment. “You have seen that for some time, the US government has tried very hard to fabricate various topics, misleading the public in the US or in other countries of the international community, in order to suppress Huawei,� Chi-

nese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang told reporters.

Russia, China get closer While Washington and Beijing spar, Xi is preparing to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin from June 5 to 7 as the neighboring giants forge closer ties. g4HIS TRADE CONlICT WILL ALSO have a serious negative impact on the development and revival of the global economy,� Zhang said. China and Russia have broad consensus and common interests on the trade war issue, and the two countries will “certainly� strengthen their economic cooperation, Zhang said. “We will certainly respond to various external challenges, do what we have to do, develop our economies, and constantly improve the living standards of our two peoples,� he said. AFP

TOKYO: Malaysia will continue using Huawei products “as much as possible,� bucking a global trend prompted by security concerns and a US ban on the ChiNESE kRM THE COUNTRY S PRIME minister said on Thursday. Mahathir Mohamad, speaking at a conference in Tokyo, acknowledged the security concerns but said they would not deter Malaysia. “Yes, there may be some spying. But what is there to spy (on) exactly in Malaysia? We are an open book,� the 93-year-old said at the Future of Asia forum. Mahathir said Huawei had access to research “far bigger than the whole of Malaysia’s research equivalent.� “So we try to make use of their technology as much as possible.� “Everybody knows, if any country wants to invade Malaysia, they can walk through, and we will not resist because it’s a waste of time,� he added. His comment came after a wave of controversy over the Chinese telecommunications firm, which has been hit by allegations of espionage and faces a US ban. A number of countries have blocked Huawei from working on their mobile networks and companies have stepped back from the firm after the US ban, citing legal requirements. The spat comes as the United States and China raise tariffs in tit-for-tat moves along with blistering rhetoric accusing each other of unfair trade practices. Mahathir warned about the heated exchanges between Beijing and Washington, which come as the powers and their allies lock horns in the hotly contested South China Sea. Mahathir said the United States and “the West� must accept that Asian nations now produce competitive products, and should not “threaten� business rivals. “Yes, I understand Huawei has tremendous advance(s) ove r A m e r i c a n t e c h n o l o g y even,� he said. “The US must compete with China. At times China will win, other times the US will win,� he said. He warned that the tense relations between the US and China might impact the situation in the South China Sea, where China claims sovereignty despite rival claims from other regional nations. And he urged calm in the area, warning that small incidents could easily escalate into violence. AFP

B6

Classified Ads

FRIDAY May 31, 2019

HOUSING AND LAND USE REGULATORY BOARD Expanded National Capital Region )LHOG 2IÂżFH th Floor, Sunnymede IT Center, 4XH]RQ $YHQXH 6RXWK Triangle Quezon City NOTICE Notice is hereby given that FIRST METRO INVESTMENT CORPORATION 2ZQHU DQG GRAND MONACO ESTATE DEVELOPERS, INC. 'HYHORSHU KDYH ÂżOHG ZLWK WKLV %RDUG IRU WKH VDOH RI ORWV XQLWV DW GRAND MONACOHILLS, located at Ortigas Ave. Ext., Brgy. Dolores, Taytay, Rizal, VSHFLÂżFDOO\ GHVFULEHG DV 3ODQ 3VX FRYHUHG E\ 7&7 1R KDYLQJ D WRWDO DUHD RI VTXDUH PHWHUV The foregoing project is utilizing the Participation Through InvestmentIncentivized Compliance, by depositing the amount of Php LQ D 7UXVW $FFRXQW under Escrow Agreement executed RQ )HEUXDU\ EHWZHHQ the HOUSING AND LAND USE 5(*8/$725< %2$5' *5$1' MONACO ESTATE DEVELOPERS, ,1& DQG 5,=$/ &200(5&,$/ BANKING CORPORATION as its compliance pursuant to Section RI 5HSXEOLF $FW 1R DV DPHQGHG E\ 5HSXEOLF $FW 1R All papers relative thereto shall upon request and payment of processing fee, be available for inspection during business hours by any person having legal interest thereon Absent any legal impediment, the above-cited project is deemed UHJLVWHUHG DQG D FHUWLÂżFDWH LQ evidence thereof, shall forthwith be LVVXHG DIWHU ÂżYH GD\V IURP WKH last day of publication. 4XH]RQ &LW\ 0HWUR 0DQLOD 0$< (SGD.) ATTY. NORMAN JACINTO P. DORAL 2IÂżFHU ,Q &KDUJH 0 7 Âą 0D\

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Republic of the Philippines Department of Transportation MARITIME INDUSTRY AUTHORITY FRANCHISING SERVICE, CENTRAL OFFICE $ %RQLIDFLR $YHQXH FRUQHU th Avenue corner Railroad Street, South Harbor, Port Area, Manila 3HWLWLRQ IRU WKH $SSURYDO DQG &RQÂżUPDWLRQ RI WKH 6DOH and Transfer of the ship, MTKR “ANDREA SCâ€? VIA MARINE CORPORATION, Petitioner. x--------------------------------------x ORDER %HIRUH 8V LV WKH DERYH HQWLWOHG 3HWLWLRQ ZKLFK ZDV ÂżOHG RQ 0D\ ZKHUHLQ WKH 3HWLWLRQHU LV VHHNLQJ IRU WKH DSSURYDO DQG FRQÂżUPDWLRQ of the sale and transfer of the ship, MTKR “ANDREA SC,â€? by virtue of a 'HHG RI $EVROXWH 6DOH HQWHUHG LQWR E\ DQG EHWZHHQ WKH 3HWLWLRQHU %X\HU DQG 6XQ 0DULQH &RUSRUDWLRQ 6HOOHU RQ 0D\ The following are the particulars of the ship, MTKR “ANDREA SCâ€?: 2IÂżFLDO 1XPEHU 7\SH RI 6KLS *URVV 7RQV +XOO <HDU %XLOW 3ODFH %XLOW 'DWH RI ,VVXDQFH RI &R 'DWH RI ,VVXDQFH RI &35

GERARDO C. CUI, Complainant,

CASE NO. MNL-2019-019-FS

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Notice is hereby given that the said Petition will be heard by this Authority on 10 June 2019 at 10:00 o’clock in the morning, DW WKH th Floor, Franchising Service Hearing Room, at the above address. The Applicant shall publish this Order once in a newspaper of general FLUFXODWLRQ DW OHDVW ¿YH GD\V SULRU WR WKH VFKHGXOHG GDWH RI KHDULQJ The Applicant shall submit a written Formal Offer of Evidence during the KHDULQJ RU ¿YH GD\V WKHUHDIWHU WITNESS WKH 2I¿FHU LQ &KDUJH RI WKH 2I¿FH RI WKH $GPLQLVWUDWRU VADM NARCISO A VINGSON JR., WKLV th GD\ RI 0D\ DW 0DQLOD Philippines. BY AUTHORITY OF THE MARINA ADMINISTRATOR: 3XUVXDQW WR $GPLQLVWUDWLYH 2UGHU 1R GDWHG $XJXVW

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NLRC-NCR Case No. 10-08899-05

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+& &219(5*(1&( $1' 63(&,$/ 6833257 352*5$0 &216758&7,21 ,03529(0(17 2) $&&(66 52$'6 LEADING TO SEAPORTS- ACCESS ROAD LEADING TO 7$/,%21 3257 9,$ 6$1 -26( %5*< 6$1 )5$1&,6&2 5(9,//(6 67 %5*< 32%/$&,21 7$/,%21 %2+2/ &RQWUDFW /RFDWLRQ 7$/,%21 %2+2/ BOHOL 2ND DISTRICT ENGINEERING OFFICE REGIONAL OFFICE VII Ubay, Bohol INVITATION TO BID MAY 28, 2019

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Bidders shall pay the BAC a non-refundable fee of PhP 25,000.00 for the Bidding Documents, upon securing hard copies of the Documents. Bidders that download the 'RFXPHQWV IURP WKH '3:+ 3KLO*(36 ZHEVLWH VKDOO SD\ WKH IHH XSRQ VXEPLVVLRQ RI their bids. nd

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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.

6KHULII /RPXJGDQJ DOVR WUDQVPLWWHG WR WKLV RIÂżFH &HUWLÂżHG 7UXH &RS\ RI 25'(5 GDWHG $XJXVW E\ +RQ =DOG\ 'RFHQD GLVPLVVLQJ 63 &LYLO $FWLRQ 1R 6&$ 01 UH ERWK WKH FRPSODLQW and counterclaims of Metrobank against herein complainant Gerardo C. Cui and Sheriff Masola and vice-versa. From the documents thus far received, another Notice of Conference was sent WR DOO SDUWLHV WR DOORZ SDUWLHV WR FRPPHQW RQ WKH DXWKHQWLFLW\ YHUDFLW\ RI UHFRUGV EHLQJ SUHVHQWHG for reconstitution.

(AHTN 2017 Subheading Nos. 6907.21.23, 6907.21.24, 6907.21.93, 6907.21.94, 6907.22.13, 6907.22.14, 6907.22.93, 6907.22.94, 6907.23.13, 6907.23.14, 6907.23.93, 6907.23.94, and 6907.40.92)

7KH 'HSDUWPHQW RI 3XEOLF :RUNV DQG +LJKZD\V Âą %RKRO nd 'LVWULFW (QJLQHHULQJ 2IÂżFH through its herein. The Department of Public Works and Highways now invites bids for WKH SURMHFW EHORZ Project Description Contract ID Contract Duration $SSURYHG %XGJHW IRU WKH &RQWUDFW $%& 3K3 Source of Fund

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IN THE MATTER OF THE FORMAL INVESTIGATION ON THE IMPOSITION OF SAFEGUARD MEASURE AGAINST IMPORTATIONS OF CERAMIC FLOOR AND WALL TILES FROM VARIOUS COUNTRIES

Initial courier tracking indicated that service of Notice of Conference was not received. This was UHOD\HG WR FRPSODLQDQW GXULQJ WKH VFKHGXOHG FRQIHUHQFH ODVW 1RYHPEHU 6XPPRQV ZDV WKHQ PDGH WKURXJK SRVW RIÂżFH EXW 7UDFHU 2UGHU VKRZHG WKDW VXFK 1RWLFHV ZHUH QRW UHFHLYHG DV ZHOO

FOR: SAFEGUARD MEASURE (Republic Act (R.A.) No. 8800) Investigation No. SG-2019-OC Ceramic Tiles NOTICE OF FORMAL INVESTIGATION AND PRELIMINARY CONFERENCE 3XUVXDQW WR 6HFWLRQ RI 5 $ 6DIHJXDUG 0HDVXUHV $FW QRWLFH LV KHUHE\ JLYHQ that the Tariff Commission commenced its Formal Investigation on the merits of the LPSRVLWLRQ RI D GHÂżQLWLYH VDIHJXDUG GXW\ DJDLQVW LPSRUWDWLRQV RI &HUDPLF )ORRU DQG :DOO 7LOHV $+71 6XEKHDGLQJ 1RV DQG IURP YDULRXV FRXQWULHV DIWHU HQGRUVHPHQW E\ WKH 6HFUHWDU\ RI 7UDGH DQG ,QGXVWU\ RQ 0D\

As records show that several attempts have been made to ensure the presence of respondents WR YHULI\ DXWKHQWLFLW\ RI FDVH UHFRUGV IRU UHFRQVWLWXWLRQ EXW WR QR DYDLO ZH ÂżQG WKDW UHFRQVWLWXWLRQ of the records is proper. Thus, records in this case as duly reconstituted will consist of all records HQGRUVHG WR WKLV RIÂżFH ODVW 0D\ IURP SDJHV WR DQG DV GHVFULEHG DQG OLVWHG LQ QRV WR 5 above, as well as all subsequent documents including but not limited to the Notices of Conference, 0LQXWHV $XWKRUL]DWLRQ WR WKH 6KHULII DQG FHUWLÂżHG GRFXPHQWV REWDLQHG E\ 6KHULII /RPXJGDQJ WKDW DUH SHUWLQHQW WR WKLV FDVH 6DLG GRFXPHQWV DUH SDJHG WR $V UHFRQVWLWXWHG WKH KHUHLQEHORZ OLVWHG FDVH UHFRUGV FRQVLVW RI WKH IROORZLQJ

All parties on record are required to appear at a preliminary conference which will be KHOG RQ -XQH DW D P DW WKH 7DULII &RPPLVVLRQ &RQIHUHQFH 5RRP WK )ORRU :HVW ,QVXOD &RQGRPLQLXP 1R :HVW $YHQXH 4XH]RQ &LW\ 0DWWHUV IRU GLVFXVVLRQ include the timelines, nature of investigation, appearance of counsel and parties, number RI ZLWQHVVHV QRWLÂżFDWLRQ DFFHVVLELOLW\ RI GRFXPHQWV DQG SXEOLF ÂżOH FRQÂżGHQWLDOLW\ RI GRFXPHQWV VXEPLVVLRQ RI SRVLWLRQ SDSHU V DQG PHPRUDQGD DGMXVWPHQW SODQ FRQGXFW RI LQVSHFWLRQ DQG YHULÂżFDWLRQ RI GDWD VFKHGXOHV RI SXEOLF KHDULQJV DQG RWKHU DFWLYLWLHV and other topics that may aid in the prompt disposition of the case. For particulars, please contact Ms. Ma. Lourdes M. Saluta, Director II, Head of the Task )RUFH RQ &HUDPLF 7LOHV DW WHOHSKRQH QXPEHUV DQG RU DW HPDLO address LQIR#WDULIIFRPPLVVLRQ JRY SK . ,VVXHG WKLV th GD\ RI 0D\ DW 4XH]RQ &LW\ 0HWUR 0DQLOD

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REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 2IÂżFH RI WKH 3UHVLGHQW NATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION Quezon City

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 2IÂżFH RI WKH 3UHVLGHQW NATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION Quezon City

EXCELITE CATV BATANGAS, INC. Applicant. BMC CASE NO. 2019-070 x---------------------------------------------x

EXCELITE CATV BATANGAS, INC. Applicant. BMC CASE NO. 2019-071 x---------------------------------------------x

NOTICE OF HEARING

NOTICE OF HEARING

A p p l i c a n t , E X C E L I T E C AT V B ATA N G A S , i s a d o m e s t i c corporation duly organized and existing under and by virtue of Philippine Laws, registered with the Securities and Exchange &RPPLVVLRQ 6 ( & DQG SXUVXDQW to the provisions of Executive Order 1R DQG ([HFXWLYH 2UGHU 1R UHTXHVW IRU WKH LVVXDQFH RI a Certificate of Authority (CA) to install, operate and maintain a Cable Television (CATV) System in AMADEO, CAVITE.

A p p l i c a n t , E X C E L I T E C AT V B ATA N G A S , i s a d o m e s t i c corporation duly organized and existing under and by virtue of Philippine Laws, registered with the Securities and Exchange &RPPLVVLRQ 6 ( & DQG SXUVXDQW to the provisions of Executive Order 1R DQG ([HFXWLYH 2UGHU 1R UHTXHVW IRU WKH LVVXDQFH RI D Certificate of Authority (CA) to install, operate and maintain a Cable Television (CATV) System in GEN. EMILIO AGUINALDO, CAVITE.

Applicant, further requests for the issuance of a Provisional Authority (PA) SHQGLQJ ÂżQDO GHWHUPLQDWLRQ RI the application.

Applicant, further requests for the issuance of a Provisional Authority (PA) SHQGLQJ ÂżQDO GHWHUPLQDWLRQ RI the application.

In view thereof, this will be heard by this Commission on JUNE 24, 2019, (Monday) at ten o’clock in the morning (10:00A.M.) at the Legal %UDQFK rd Floor, NTC Building, National Telecommunications Commission, BIR Road, East Triangle, Diliman, Quezon City wherein applicant shall present its compliance with the Commission’s jurisdictional requirements, as well as its evidences, if warranted.

In view thereof, this will be heard by this Commission on JUNE 24, 2019, (Monday) at ten o’clock in the morning (10:00A.M.) at the Legal %UDQFK UG )ORRU 17& %XLOGLQJ National Telecommunications Commission, BIR Road, East Triangle, Diliman, Quezon City wherein applicant shall present its compliance with the Commission’s jurisdictional requirements, as well as its evidences, if warranted.

However, should the hearing date be declared a holiday or non-working day due to force majeure, the said hearing shall be held on the NEXT regular working day.

However, should the hearing date be declared a holiday or non-working day due to force majeure, the said hearing shall be held on the NEXT regular working day.

$W OHDVW ÂżIWHHQ GD\V EHIRUH WKH date of hearing, applicant shall have published the Notice of Hearing once LQ RQH QHZVSDSHU RI JHQHUDO circulation and have served copies of the Notice of Hearing and the application including all annexes attached therewith to all the affected parties by registered mail or through personal delivery, as furnished by the Commission.

$W OHDVW ÂżIWHHQ GD\V EHIRUH WKH date of hearing, applicant shall have published the Notice of Hearing once LQ RQH QHZVSDSHU RI JHQHUDO circulation and have served copies of the Notice of Hearing and the application including all annexes attached therewith to all the affected parties by registered mail or through personal delivery, as furnished by the Commission.

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

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

WITNESS, the HON. GAMALIEL A. CORDOBA, Commissioner, National Telecommunications Commission, WKLV th GD\ RI 0$<

WITNESS, the HON. GAMALIEL A. CORDOBA, Commissioner, National Telecommunications Commission, WKLV th GD\ RI 0$<

(SGD.) ADRIANO B. CONSUNJI Chief, Commission Secretariat

(SGD.) ADRIANO B. CONSUNJI Chief, Commission Secretariat

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

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&RS\ )XUQLVKHG GERARDO C. CUI Complainant Nuestra Senora Subd., Brgy. Poblacion Valenzuela City THE OWNER/PRESIDENT/MANAGER RICH CITY APPAREL GARMENTS CO., INC. Respondents %DOLQJDVD 6W %DOLQWDZDN 4XH]RQ &LW\

DICK ONG PATTY ONG (A.K.A. WEUNG WAI MAN) Respondents Mabolo Road, Potrero Malabon City

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FRIDAY May 31, 2019

Q RONALD DANIEL MASCARIĂ‘AS FROM B8

Good to go national and even international media exposure. People are introduced to the picture of a prosperous executive, well respected and widely admired by many. But it was was not always that way for MascariĂąas.

Mother’s sacrifice g4HE kRST TIME ) WATCHED 46 WAS WHEN ) WAS IN kRST YEAR ;OF= COLLEGE u HE RECALLS g;4HROUGHOUT= -Y ENTIRE COLLEGE STAY ) practically subsisted on a tuyo DRIED kSH diet. The vendor once asked me if I was reselling the tuyo because I would buy quite a lot regularly. I had to explain that IT WAS FOR MY MEALS u 4HOSE WERE FROM 1978 to 1982, when he was struggling to survive student life at the University of the Philippines Los BaĂąos (UPLB) where he completed a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, Animal Science with specialization in Poultry Production. UPLB was a long way from his home town of Butuan City, Agusan del Norte. MascariĂąas was only eight years old when his father, Pablo, died, leaving the responsibility of raising five children solely on the shoulders of his mother, Patria Ricaforte, a high school teacher at Urios College. Patria was a strong-willed woman who knew what she wanted for and from her children. “My mother said whatever happens, kailangan makapagtapos kayong lahat YOU CHILDREN MUST kNISH YOUR SCHOOLing). I will give you the best education I CAN GIVE FROM MY TEACHER S SALARY u But despite having barely enough, MascariĂąas says he and his siblings never felt deprived. He reveals more details of his formative years in Mindanao, saying: “We had to share one egg cooked sunny-side up equally among six people, including my mother. We often had tuyo that we ate with condensed milk, which we mixed with our RICE 4HAT WAS OUR TYPICAL MEAL u The MascariĂąases lived 6 kilometers away from the city in Libertad, a town with no electricity. The brood helped their mama with the household chores. Middle child Ronald was assigned to look after her pig. This included cleaning the pig pen and carrying as much as two sacks of kangkong (swamp cabbage) from the mountains that were to be used to feed the farm animal. He was also tasked to GATHER AND CHOP kREWOOD AND TO PUMP water for their household requirements. By 8:30 p.m., it was lights off at home. This became a problem for him when he BEGAN HIS STUDIES IN 50 g-Y kRST YEAR was a major adjustment for me because my entire life, I got used to sleeping at 8:30 in the evening. At UP, my peers were studying until late at night, while I was STRUGGLING TO STAY AWAKE BEYOND P M u he chuckles.

As the company’s youngest farm manager, I was very strict. I was taught farm operations, not how to manage people. What I learned I wrote down on index cards and made the effort to apply good management principles HE DOES IT HIS WAY Ronald Daniel Mascariùas didn’t become a market leader without some guiding tenets. Here are the vital ones.

Q Brand of leadership. I am like a military general when it comes to enforcing discipline; I’m strict and precise. But at the same time, I’m also very compassionate. There has to be a balance. Q Reputation is paramount. Your reputation is your biggest capital, so you have to make sure you take care of it. It’s like glass — once broken, you’ll never be able to fix it. Q Passion for sports. I support sports because it builds character and promotes national pride. But I always advocate fair play, sportsmanship and playing the right way.

Big break It is well-known that Mascariùas is a fervent advocate of basketball, given that Chooks-to-Go is one of the country’s biggest supporters of the sport. This stems from his desire to help promote sportsmanship and national pride, which explains why he poured resources into the Gilas Pilipinas and the 3x3 programs. But this passion for sports is also matched by his devotion to his family. He is married to Lita, who runs a landscaping business called Mother Earth Garden, a 34-hectare farm in Laguna, which is one of the country’s largest nurseries. Mascariùas may be the head of BAVI, but at home, he admits, it is the kids who rule. He and Angelita are blessed with four CHILDREN ‡ 0AULINE WHO JUST kNISHED medical school; Paul David, 27, who has a Cebu-based business; Anne Shirley, 25, a stylist; and Peter Daniel, 16. Mascariùas dreamt of being a doctor, but he was realistic enough to acknowledge that entering medical school was beyond his family’s coffers. He took up agriculture instead at UPLB as a Cocofed scholar. In college, he would take extra units every semester, keen to graduate early so he could begin working and help his family. In his last semester, he applied as a student assistant at UPLB’s Department of Animal Science. It was there where he built good relationships with the university professors who saw in the young man a diligent student with good grades, and one who was not afraid to get down and DIRTY TO kNISH THE JOB This was also the time that the Ayala group through Purefoods started recruiting from UPLB to bolster their man-

LIFE OF BOUNTY

(top) At the Kapasigan, Pasig outlet of Chooks-to-Go, the boss with team members Leonie Joy Trio and Anna Marie Vicente; (bottom) getting romantic with spouse Lita, a landscaper and mother of their brood of four: Pauline, Paul David, Anne Shirley and Peter Daniel. power. One of MascariĂąas’ professors WAS OFFERED A JOB AS MANAGER OF THE kRST poultry breeder farm of Purefoods. There was, however, a twist to the story, which -ASCARIĂ„AS FORTUNATELY BENEkTED FROM He recounts: “My professor, Mr. Navarro, got a PhD scholarship in UPLB before the school year ended, so he turned down the offer. The faculty recommended me to Purefoods. I was a graduating student, but I was offered the role of assistant manager of the breeder FARM u 4HIS SIGNALED THE BIG BREAK NOT merely in his career, but also in the life that MascariĂąas fervently hoped for.

farm of Purefoods. “It was not because mas magaling ako kumpara sa ibang farm managers (that I was better than the other farm managers). But it was because I was there all the time, DAYS A YEAR u His devotion to his career was recognized by his employer, who rewarded him with a study grant at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) where he took up his master’s degree in management. !S A lEDGLING MANAGER -ASCARIĂ„AS ADMITS HE HAD DIFkCULTY HANDLING PEOPLE initially because he was the youngest farm manager in the company. He was tasked to lead people who were all older than him. “Hindi tinuturo sa eskwela Learning to lead kung papano humawak ng mga tao 4HAT kRST JOB EXPERIENCE PROVED INVALUABLE (Handling people was not taught in to MascariĂąas, who was no stranger to the school). rigors of the farm environment. He poured “I was young and very strict. People his heart and soul into the work. He says: resented me. Halos i-petition ako ng “I lived on the farm, so I was working union (my employees were about to sign PRACTICALLY SEVEN DAYS A WEEK IN MY kRST A PETITION TO THE UNION TO HAVE ME kRED two years on the job. I built my career as I was taught how to manage the farm a production man. I was in charge of the operations, but no one trained me how farm in Calauan, Laguna, which was con- TO PROPERLY MANAGE PEOPLE u sistently regarded as the most productive But like a true student of corporate life,

MascariĂąas eventually learned about the principles of interaction management. “I wrote down the things I learned on index cards and made the conscious effort to apply the principles of how to correctly LEAD AND MANAGE PEOPLE u By the time he was transferred to his next assignment in Canlubang, Laguna, he already had a better grasp of team dynamics. So much so that by the time he left in 1988, people were sad to see him go. This resulted in more career gains. By 1995, he was promoted to assistant vice president and in 1999, he became the company’s youngest senior vice president at age 38, when he was put in charge of the poultry business and Food Service division of the organization. All these eventually prepared him for his biggest challenge:He was asked by the owners of Tyson Agro-Ventures to start a new company in February 2002 to be known as Bounty Agro Ventures Inc.

Going retail MascariĂąas organized his own team to launch the fledgling company, which was focused on poultry integration. His

Q Saving for rainy days. It doesn’t matter how much you earn if you do not know how to save. An employee may earn less than the boss, but if the employee knows how to properly manage and budget finances, then he or she will be better off than the boss. I learned this early in life when I had to save and budget the tuyo (dried fish) bought from the market to make it last the week. extensive experience and his impeccable reputation as a straight shooter and a man of integrity allowed him to tap into his nationwide network that helped BAVI establish a foothold in the industry despite being a new player. In 2007, after having studied the market and seeing the danger of being overrun by other Asean countries like Thailand, which had more efficient poultry integration operations, MascariĂąas decided to steer BAVI toward the direction of retail operaTIONS 4HIS GAVE RISE TO ITS kRST RETAIL STORE which did not yet carry the brand name Chooks-to-Go. By 2009, or in just two years, Chooksto-Go rose to become the market leader in roast chicken in the Philippines. 7HEN ASKED TO DEkNE THE COMPANY S success formula, MascariĂąas takes pride in BAVI’s image as an upright business player. He says: “I tell people that we have to be fair when dealing with business partners. "OTH OF US SHOULD BENEkT “In business and in basketball, the spirit of sportsmanship should always prevail. We cannot have the mindset of wanting TO WIN AT ALL COST u

~

The Manila Times FRIDAY

May 31, 2019

RONALD DANIEL MASCARIÑAS President and General Manager Bounty Agro Ventures Inc.

Good to go BY ARIEL IAN B. CLARITO Photos by Hermes Singson LOOKING at Ronald Daniel Mascariñas, president and general manager of Bounty Agro Ventures Inc. (BAVI), the enterprise that boasts of rotisserie giant Chooks-to-Go in its portfolio, you do not immediately see a man whose hardscrabble life can be the basis of a telenovela. Chooks-to-Go has been one of the biggest success stories in the Philippine business space. In an industry long shaped by traditionally unshakable powerhouses, which were considered household names in the roast chicken industry, Chooks-to-Go arrived to revitalize the business landscape and herald the birth of a new player to dominate the market. The meteoric rise of Chooks-to-Go seems to mirror the career trajectory of the man who has led BAVI for the past 17 years, steering the company to its current position as one of the most recognizable brands in the Philippines. Nowadays, Mascariñas is regularly featured in different print and television outlets. His involvement in Philippine basketball has led to

³Ronald Daniel Mascariñas B7

B 8

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Special Feature

FRIDAY May 31, 2019

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COFFEE AND BREAD

The perfect pair Baked staples to satisfy the Filipino palate

Q Whether at home, in the office or strolling around mall, Filipinos have easy access to a near bakeshop. PHOTOS FROM PEXELS.COM BY MAYLENE STEPHANIE S. VIRAY

F

ILIPINOS love carbohydrates: a spoonful of rice, a plateful of pansit and a slice or two of bread for good measure.

Aside from rice, bread is also a food staple Filipinos could not forget to serve at the breakfast table, pack for a long trip or put into lunch bags for recess. From all-time favorite puffy pandesal, Filipinos adjusted their taste buds to try on different varieties — from the sweet and buttery Spanish bread to the savory ham and cheese. And what better way to partner this soft, freshly baked goodie than with a hot cup of freshly brewed or instant coffee on the side.

Coffee and bread have become somewhat an inseparable pair, taken usually during breakfast or as meryenda (afternoon snack). 7HETHER AT HOME IN THE OFkCE or strolling around mall, Filipinos have easy access to a near bakeshop, which is a result of the increasing number of establishments engaged in bakery products. According to a 2013 Annual Survey of Philippine Business and Industry released by the Philippine Statistics Authority in 2016, these bakery enterprises accounted

for 6,618 establishments or 26.3 percent of the total 25,149 manufacturing establishments in the formal sector. With this in mind, The Manila Times collated the best of coffee lAVORS AND BREAD VARIETIES &ILIPInos can enjoy in the morning.

Pandesal An original Filipino classic, pandesal is a traditional Filipino breakfast item served oven-fresh AND WARM TO BE kLLED WITH BUTTER jam, meat or cheese. 3IMPLY MADE WITH EGGS lOUR salt, sugar and yeast, the Filipino staple traces its roots to the 16th CENTURY WHEN IT WAS kRST CREATED with a hard, crusty exterior and a bland interior taste. Over the

years, it transformed to a softer and sweeter blend. A pandesal’s nutritional benEkTS MAY VARY DEPENDING ON ITS recipe, but typically, one roll serving of pandesal contains an average of 120 calories, 4 grams of protein, 25 grams of carboHYDRATES GRAM OF kBER AND grams of total fat, this according to California-based news site SFGate.com.

gains its own following in the Philippines, where its typically eaten as an afternoon snack. A soft, white bun filled with either pork, beef, shrimp or salted egg partnered with sweet or spicy sauces, siopaos provide around 200 grams of calories, a high measurement of fats and carbohydrates and low on protein.

A single monay is packed with 85 grams of calories, 1 gram of fat, 17 grams of carbohydrates and 3 grams of protein, according to nutritional facts counter fatsecret.com. Unlike its smaller counterpart, monays are tasty enough to be eaten on its own.

Pan de coco

A filled-version of monay, pan de coco is literally translated to Sliced loaf Considered as a Filipino brioche, coconut bread that is sweet, mediensaymadas are smothered in UM SIZED AND kLLED WITH COCONUT Called tasty bread, this favorite butter and sugar and topped with meat on the inside. white bread is simply a sliced loaf grated cheese. Another baked good to satisfy or sandwich bread. Calories in a Originating from Spain, Filipi- the sweet tooth, pan de coco are slice of bread varies on its brand nos have put a twist on the recipe, usually plump, round and golden and variety per slice. The size and topping it ube (purple yam), brown with high sugar content. thickness of the slice can vary sig- ham, salted eggs or macapuno (a To enjoy these tasty treats, a NIkCANTLY +EEP IN MIND THAT WHOLE jelly-like coconut variety). good cup of coffee is, of course, grain breads tend Made to satisfy the Filipino sweet the perfect match. to be higher in cal- TOOTH ENSAYMADAS ARE kLLED WITH The simple combination of ories but can gain 165 grams of calories, 5.3 grams of coffee, sugar and creamer is good THE BENEkT OF IN- fat, 51.1 milligrams of cholesterol, enough, but there are other coffee SOLUBLE kBER THAT 10.9 mg of sodium and 25.5 grams lAVORS OUT THERE THAT ARE EQUALLY provides health of total carbohydrates. satisfying to pair with breads and BENEkTS AND IS NOT FULkLL YOUR CAFFEINE CRAVINGS absorbed by the Monay Switch things up by trying a body. cup of French Vanilla for extra A bigger, softer and heavier version sweetness to a bold coffee, a hot Siopao of pandesals, monays are baked Caramel Macchiato for a creamy with milk and eggs to create its soft CARAMEL lAVOR A HUMBLE SERVING Albeit coming and chewy interior characterized of mocha for the new coffee lovers from Chinese tra- by its round shape with a crease to-be or a nutty Hazelnut option to a strong black roast coffee. ditions, siopao on top.

Ensaymada

Q Above are the best of bread varieties Filipinos can enjoy in the morning.

Q The simple combination of coffee, sugar and creamer is good enough, but there are other coffee flavors out there that are equally satisfying to pair with breads and fulfill caffeine cravings.

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Special Feature

FRIDAY May 31, 2019

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GSIS @ 82

Sa GFAL, Gagaan ang Buhay Serbisyong GSIS, Serbisyong Panalo

I

N celebrating its 82nd anniversary, the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) shines its light on its centerpiece program which aims to raise the quality of life of its members — the GSIS Financial Assistance Loan (GFAL). GFAL has been making its mark as the pension fund’s strategy to help address the members’ perennial problem of overborrowing that results Doting mother to three children and wife of a modest jeepney driver from Mataas na Kahoy, Batangas, high school teacher Ana Lee Mendoza understands the importance of FAMILY AND kNANCIAL FREEDOM Like millions of ordinary Filipinos with mouths to feed and young minds to nurture, the Mendoza family makes extraordinary struggles to make ENDS MEET While Mendoza loves her profession as much as she loves her family, she admits that her income as an educator in Bayorbor National High School is barely enough to cover her FAMILY S EXPENSES 3INCE THEY also live with and take care of her in-laws, the couple knew that they had to double their efforts to ensure that their dayTO DAY EXPENSES ARE MET “Tulungan kami’ng mag-asaWA 'INAWA NAMING PAMpasaherong dyip ang aming sasakyan noong Nakakatulong ang kinikita niya sa pamamasada para tustusan ang aming mga pangangailangan,� SHE SHARED IN AN INTERVIEW 3ADly, their combined income was not enough to prepare them for THE EMERGENCY THAT CAME It was when their eldest daugh-

ter was diagnosed with a life-long and rare condition called aplastic anemia in 2017 that Mendoza decided to take out loans from private lending institutions (PLIs) to pay for continual therAPY AND MEDICATION The undeducted obligations as well as expenses for their daughter’s repeated blood transfusions, vitamins, and other medicines, would go on to plague the family, but Mendoza’s determination to erase HER CYCLE OF DEBT REMAINED When she learned about the '3)3 &INANCIAL !SSISTANCE ,OAN '&!, ONLINE SHE KNEW IN A heartbeat that their lives were GOING TO CHANGE !S SOON AS THE loan was granted in November last year, things started to look UP FOR HER AND HER FAMILY g'INAMIT KO ANG PAGKAkataong ito upang mabura na ang undeducted obligations sa aking pay slip‌Mabilis pinroseso ang aking applicaTION Naramdaman ko na agad na lumaki ang income ko,� SHE SAID According to her, the free financial literacy program reminded her on the importance of spending within her means and saving funds for EMERGENCIES

IN REDUCED '3)3 BENEkTS STEMMING FROM UNPAID LOANS )NITIALLY GFAL reached out to the teaching and nonteaching personnel of the Department of Education, the sector that constitutes more than half of GSIS’s membership. It has now been extended to the rest of '3)3 MEMBERS ! TEACHER WHO BENEkTED FROM '&!, TELLS HER STORY below and recounts how the program has greatly improved her life.

Q Ana Lee Mendoza, GSIS member since 2007, takes pride in teaching Technology and Livelihood Education (TLE) at Bayorbor National High School, in Mataas na Kahoy, Batangas. Asked what’s next for the Mendoza family, she enthused that they intend to upgrade their alternative source of in-

come and complete their propERTY INVESTMENT She furthered, “Masarap sa pakiramdam yung wala kang

INAALALA .GAYON NAISASALI na namin ang aming pangalawang anak sa inter-school KARATE COMPETITIONS .AKAKA-

pag-travel na rin kami bilang pamilya na hindi namin dati nagagawa‌Sa '&!, gagaan ANG BUHAY u

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Special Feature

FRIDAY May 31, 2019

GFAL PRIMER

What you need to know about GFAL 1.

What is GFAL? 4HE '3)3 &INANCIAL !SSISTANCE ,OAN IS A PROGRAM BEING IMPLEMENTED BY '3)3 TO HELP ITS MEMBERS IMPROVE THEIR kNANCIAL STANDING '&!, IS A DEBT CONSOLIDATION AND BALANCE TRANSFER FACILITY THAT ENABLES '3)3 MEMBERS TO SETTLE THEIR OUTSTANDing loan balance with lending institutions, such as those privately run, as well as government banks and government cooperatives at reduced interest rate and LONGER PAYMENT TERM

(OW WILL ) KNOW IF ) AM QUALIkED TO APPLY FOR '&!,

9OU ARE QUALIkED TO APPLY FOR '&!, IF YOU ARE A PERMANENT GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE AND ACTIVE '3)3 MEMBER WHO A HAS OUTSTANDING LOAN WITH THE LENDING INSTITUTIONS B HAS NO DUE AND DEMANDABLE LOAN ACCOUNT WITH '3)3 C HAS PAID PREMIUMS OF AT LEAST THREE YEARS D IS NOT ON LEAVE WITHOUT PAY E HAS NET TAKE HOME PAY OF NOT LOWER THAN 0 AFTER DEDUCTION OF MONTHLY OBLIGATIONS AND F HAS NO PENDING ADMINISTRATIVE OR CRIMINAL CASE

3.

How much is the maximum GFAL loan amount that I can apply for?

9OU MAY APPLY FOR A MAXIMUM LOAN AMOUNT OF 0

! 0,) HAS kLED A CASE AGAINST ME FOR NONPAYMENT OF OBLIGATIONS !M ) STILL QUALIkED FOR '&!,

)F A 0,) HAS kLED A CASE AGAINST YOU FOR NONPAYMENT OF OBLIGATIONS AFTER '3)3 LOAN PAYMENTS HAVE BEEN PRIORITIZED BY VIRTUE OF $/ .OS AND FOR DepEd personnel or related agency-issuances for other government employees IN COMPLIANCE TO THE PROVISIONS OF THE 'ENERAL !PPROPRIATIONS !CT YOU ARE STILL QUALIkED TO APPLY FOR '&!,

5.

What is the interest rate and payment term for GFAL?

4HE INTEREST RATE IS PERCENT PER ANNUM COMPUTED IN ADVANCE 4HE LOAN IS automatically deductible from your salary and payable in 72 equal monthly INSTALLMENTS OR SIX YEARS

6.

Does GSIS collect service fees for GFAL?

.O '3)3 DOES NOT CHARGE SERVICE FEES FOR THIS PARTICULAR PROGRAM

7.

I have other loan arrears. Will these be deducted from the proceeds of GFAL? The arrears incurred from your other loans will not be deducted from the proCEEDS OF '&!,

8.

If I have an in-default loan (that has not been paid for more than six months), how can I apply for GFAL? You may opt to have your in-default loan restructured through the Consolidated ,OAN #ONSOLOAN 0LUS PROGRAM 9OU MAY QUALIFY FOR '&!, ONCE THE IN DEFAULT LOAN IS NO LONGER RElECTED IN YOUR RECORDS

9.

What is the basis in computing my loan amount in GFAL? What if I have outstanding loans with multiple private lenders?

9OUR LOAN AMOUNT IS COMPUTED BASED ON THE kNAL STATEMENT OF ACCOUNT 3/! THAT IS SUBMITTED ALONG WITH OTHER '&!, APPLICATION DOCUMENTS 9OU CANNOT APPLY FOR AN AMOUNT THAT EXCEEDS THE TOTAL OBLIGATION INDICATED IN THE 3/! If you have two or more loans from private lenders, your loans based on the SUBMITTED 3/!S WILL BE CONSOLIDATED

10.

What are the documentary requirements that I need to submit?

9OU MUST SUBMIT THE FOLLOWING A $ULY ACCOMPLISHED '&!, APPLICATION FORM SIGNED BY THE !GENCY !UTHORIZED /FkCER !!/ B 3/! FOLLOWING THE FORMAT ISSUED BY '3)3 WITH A CLEAR PHOTOCOPY OF )$ OF the authorized representative of the lending institution who will claim the CHECK FROM '3)3 4HE CONTACT NUMBER OF THE REPRESENTATIVE MUST ALSO BE STATED IN THE 3/! C "ORROWER LOAN AGREEMENT LOAN VOUCHER OR OTHER CERTIkED DOCUMENTS THAT SHOW THE TERM INTEREST RATE MONTHLY AMORTIZATION AND DUE DATE OF THE kRST LOAN AMORTIZATION D "ORROWER S PAY SLIPS FOR THE PAST THREE MONTHS FROM THE START OF APPLICATION 4HE PAY SLIP MUST BE CERTIkED BY THE !!/

/NLY APPLICATIONS WITH COMPLETE DOCUMENTS WILL BE PROCESSED

11.

How can I apply for GFAL?

9OU SHOULD FOLLOW THE SIX STEP GUIDE 3TEP !CCOMPLISH THE APPLICATION FORM AND 3/! COMPLETELY AND CORRECTLY 3TEP #OMPLETE ALL DOCUMENTARY REQUIREMENTS 3TEP &ILE THE APPLICATION AT THE NEAREST '3)3 OFkCE /NCE DONE THE APPLIcant will be given an endorsement slip to attend the Financial Literacy 3EMINAR FROM THE '3)3 OFkCE 3TEP !TTEND THE kNANCIAL LITERACY SEMINAR AT THE '3)3 OFkCE 3TEP 0ROCEED WITH THE LOAN EVALUATION AND COUNSELLING SESSION 3TEP 3IGN ALL LOAN DOCUMENTS 4HE FORM WILL BE GIVEN AFTER EVALUATION AND COUNSELLING

!M ) REQUIRED TO ATTEND THE '3)3 kNANCIAL LITERACY SEMINAR FOR '&!, 7ILL MY ATTENDANCE TO ANOTHER COMPANY S kNANCIAL LITERACY SEMINAR SUFkCE

9ES '3)3 REQUIRES YOU TO ATTEND ITS kNANCIAL LITERACY SEMINAR AS A PREREQUISITE FOR LOAN EVALUATION AND COUNSELLING ON '&!, &INANCIAL LITERACY SEMINARS CONDUCTED BY OTHER COMPANIES WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED A VALID COMPLIANCE TO '&!, REQUIREMENTS '3)3 DESIGNED ITS kNANCIAL LITERACY SEMINAR SPECIkCALLY FOR ITS ATTENDEES TO HELP THEM BETTER UNDERSTAND '&!,

&OR QUESTIONS ON '&!, VISIT THE NEAREST '3)3 /FkCE OR CALL THE '3)3 #ONTACT #ENTER • ,ANDLINE -ETRO -ANILA • 'LOBE 4OLL &REE .UMBER FREE FROM BOTH 'LOBE LANDLINE and mobile phone) • 0,$4 3MART 4OLL &REE .UMBER FREE FROM 0,$4 LANDLINE A lAT RATE OF 0 PER CALL FROM MOBILE PHONE

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World

FRIDAY May 31, 2019

The ËœManila Times w w w.manilatimes.net

Mueller: I didn’t exonerate Trump; Pelosi hesitant on impeachment WASHINGTON, D.C.: Special counsel Robert Mueller said Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) that charging US President Donald Trump with a crime was “not an option� because of federal rules, but he used his kRST PUBLIC REMARKS ON THE 2USSIA INVEStigation to emphasize that he did not exonerate the President. “If we had had confidence that the president clearly did not commit a crime, WE WOULD HAVE SAID SO u -UELLER DECLARED 4HE SPECIAL COUNSEL S REMARKS STOOD AS A pointed rebuttal to Trump’s repeated claims that he was cleared and that the two-year inquiry was merely a “witch hunt.� They also MARKED A COUNTER TO CRITICISM INCLUDING BY Attorney General William Barr, that Mueller SHOULD HAVE REACHED A DETERMINATION ON whether the President illegally tried to obstruct THE PROBE BY TAKING ACTIONS SUCH AS kRING HIS &EDERAL "UREAU OF )NVESTIGATION &") DIRECTOR -UELLER MADE CLEAR THAT HIS TEAM NEVER considered indicting Trump because the

Justice department prohibits the prosecution of a sitting president. “Charging the President with a crime was, therefore, not an option we could CONSIDER u -UELLER SAID DURING A TELEVISED STATEMENT (E SAID HE BELIEVED SUCH AN action would be unconstitutional. Mueller did not use the word “impeachment,� but said it was the job of Congress — not the criminal justice system — to hold the President accountable for any wrongdoing. The special counsel’s statement largely echoed the central points of his lengthy report, which was released last month with some redactions. "UT HIS REMARKS JUST UNDER MINUTES LONG AND DELIVERED FROM A *USTICE department podium, were extraordiNARY GIVEN THAT HE HAD NEVER BEFORE discussed or characterized his findings and had stayed mute during two years OF FEVERISH PUBLIC SPECULATION

Israel sets September parliamentary polls JERUSALEM: Israel faces an unprecedented snap election campaign — the second this year — after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to form A GOVERNING COALITION AND DISSOLVED Parliament instead. Israel’s newly elected Knesset disSOLVED ITSELF EARLY ON 4HURSDAY AND set a new election date for September )T S A SHOCKING SETBACK FROM .Etanyahu, who had appeared to secure a comfortable win in last month’s election. But he was unable to build a parliamentary majority to rule because A TRADITIONAL ALLY !VIGDOR ,IEBERMAN refused to bring his Yisrael Beiteinu faction into the coalition. Netanyahu, who has led Israel for the past decade, now faces another challenge to his lengthy rule. It comes as he prepares for a preindictment hearing before expected criminal charges against him in a series of corruption cases. Assuming they would sweep into power again, Netanyahu’s allies in the

RULING ,IKUD 0ARTY HAD ALREADY BEGUN drafting a contentious bill aimed at granting him immunity from the VARIOUS CORRUPTION CHARGES AWAITING HIM (E WAS ALSO LOOKING TO PUSH LEGislation limiting the power of Israel’s 3UPREME #OURT AND PAVING HIS PATH TO MANY MORE YEARS IN OFkCE But it was a separate issue that SPARKED THE UNPRECEDENTED CRISIS AND FOR THE kRST TIME IN HISTORY THRUST Israel into a repeat election before a NEW GOVERNMENT WAS EVEN FORMED ,IEBERMAN ‡ A VETERAN NATIONALIST and secular politician — demanded that current legislation mandating that young ultra-Orthodox men be drafted into the military ran its course. Years of exemptions for ultra/RTHODOX MEN HAVE GENERATED widespread resentment among the REST OF *EWISH )SRAELIS WHO SERVE 4HE ULTRA /RTHODOX BACKED BY Netanyahu, refused to bend and the SHOWDOWN QUICKLY DEVOLVED INTO A full-blown crisis that imploded the PERSPECTIVE GOVERNMENT AP

Worldinbriefs 75 MIGRANTS RESCUED OFF MEDITERRANEAN VALLETTA: The Maltese navy said Thursday it had rescued 75 migrants found clinging to a tuna pen while trying to make the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean. The rescue took place off the Libyan coast late Wednesday and the migrants would be brought to Malta, the Maltese military said in a statement. It said it had coordinated multiple joint rescue operations in conjunction with the Italian coastguard and “in support of the Libyan coastguard.� AFP

WORLD’S SMALLEST BABY AT 245 GRAMS BORN SAN Diego: When she was born, the baby girl weighed about the same as an apple. A San Diego hospital on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) revealed the birth of the girl and said she is believed to be the world’s tiniest surviving micro-preemie, who weighed just 8.6 ounces (245 grams) when she was born in December. The girl was born 23 weeks and three days into her mother’s 40-week pregnancy. Doctors told her father after the birth that he would have about an hour with his daughter before she died. AP

PELOSI SLAMS FB OVER ALTERED VIDEO SAN Francisco: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi slammed Facebook (FB) on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) for not removing an altered video that has spread widely on the social network in which she appears to slur her words. The altered video had been slowed down, giving the false appearance that Pelosi was drunk, ill or otherwise impaired. Facebook did not respond to messages seeking comment. In an interview last week with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Facebook’s Head of Product Policy and Counterterrorism Monika Bickert defended the company’s decision, noting that users were being told that the video is false when they view or share it. AP

PAPUA NEW GUINEA ELECTS NEW PM PORT Moresby: Former Finance minister James Marape was elected Papua New Guinea’s new prime minister Thursday and immediately issued a fiery nationalistic address that put foreign resource companies on notice. The former Finance minister threatened foreign logging companies and vowed to “tweak� resource laws that underpin a recently inked $13 billion gas deal with Total and ExxonMobil. Hours after being elected, Marape told parliamentarians he did “not intend to chase away our investors,� but insisted “our resource laws are outdated,� a clear reference to the huge Liquefied Natural Gas project. AFP

SRI LANKA FAILED TO ARREST EASTER BOMBER COLOMBO: Sri Lankan authorities failed to arrest the jihadist who led the Easter Sunday attacks that killed 258 people despite mounting evidence against him, the country’s top intelligence official said Wednesday. Sisira Mendis told a parliamentary probe into security lapses leading to the April 21 suicide bombings that the attacks led by Zahran Hashim could have been avoided if he had been detained. “He was reported for hate speech. He had come to the attention of the authorities before the attacks,â€? said Mendis, who is the chief of National Intelligence. AFP

21 KILLED IN MEXICO ROAD ACCIDENT COATZACOALCOS, Mexico: A semi-truck and a bus carrying passengers back from a pilgrimage to a Catholic shrine crashed and burst into flames Wednesday in eastern Mexico, killing at least 21 people, officials said. Thirty others were injured. Most of the victims were pilgrims from the southern state of Chiapas, who were on their way back from a trip to Mexico City to pray at the basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe, the country’s patron saint, said the head of the Civil Protection service for the state of Veracruz, Guadalupe Osorno. “The forensics experts at the scene report 17 bodies of passengers who were traveling in the bus, plus two people who died in the semi-truck,â€? she said. AFP

Mueller, a former FBI director, said 7EDNESDAY THAT HIS WORK WAS COMPLETE AND HE WAS RESIGNING TO RETURN TO PRIVATE LIFE (IS REMARKS UNDERSCORED THE UNSETTLED RESOLUTION AND REVELATIONS OF BEHIND THE scenes discontent that accompanied the END OF HIS INVESTIGATION His refusal to reach a conclusion on criminal obstruction opened the door for Barr to clear the President, who in turn HAS CITED THE ATTORNEY GENERAL S kNDING as proof of his innocence. Mueller has PRIVATELY VENTED TO "ARR ABOUT THE ATTORNEY general’s handling of the report, while Barr HAS PUBLICLY SAID HE WAS TAKEN ABACK BY the special counsel’s decision to neither exonerate nor incriminate the President. 4RUMP GIVEN NOTICE 4UESDAY EVENING THAT -UELLER WOULD SPEAK THE NEXT MORNING WATCHED ON TELEVISION &OR WEEKS HE HAD BEEN NERVOUS ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY about the special counsel testifying before #ONGRESS WORRIED ABOUT THE VISUAL POWER

of such a public appearance. Shortly after Mueller concluded, the President, who has repeatedly and falsely claimed that the report cleared him of obstruction of justice, tweeted a subdued yet somewhat inaccurate reaction: “Nothing changes from the Mueller Report. There WAS INSUFkCIENT EVIDENCE AND THEREFORE in our Country, a person is innocent. The CASE IS CLOSEDĂœ 4HANK YOU u Meanwhile, top Democrats, with almost no support from Republicans, are hesitant to go at it alone on an impeachment INQUIRY THAT (OUSE 3PEAKER .ANCY 0ELOSI HAS WARNED WOULD BE DIVISIVE FOR THE NATION 4HEY PREFER TO CONTINUE THE WORK OF INVESTIGATING THE 0RESIDENT AND BUILDING as Pelosi said Wednesday, a case that was gVERY COMPELLING TO THE !MERICAN PEOPLE u g7E ARE LEGISLATING WE RE INVESTIGATING and we are litigating,â€? Pelosi said at an EVENT IN 3AN &RANCISCO “Nothing is off the table,â€? she said.

“We want to do what is right and what gets results.� 3TAYING THE COURSE $EMOCRAT .EW 9ORK Rep. Jerrold Nadler, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, at a news conference in .EW 9ORK STOPPED SHORT OF CALLING FOR AN impeachment inquiry. “All options are on the table and nothing should be ruled out,� Nadler said Wednesday. Nadler’s committee is among six in the House that are conducting dozens of probes in the Democratic-controlled House into subjects such as Trump’s tax returns, the handling of the Russia probe AND THE RUNNING OF GOVERNMENT g'IVEN THAT SPECIAL COUNSEL -UELLER WAS unable to pursue criminal charges against the President, it falls to Congress to respond to the crimes, lies and other wrongdoing of President Trump — and we will do so,� Nadler said in a written statement issued IMMEDIATELY AFTER -UELLER S REMARKS AP

Taiwan prepares for Beijing invasion F ANGSHAN, Taiwan: Taiwanese tanks and soldiers have fired at simulated Chinese forces in an anti-invasion drill on the island’s coast.

4HE LIVE kRE DRILL ON 4HURSDAY AT a beach in southern Taiwan is part of an ongoing annual exercise designed to showcase the military’s CAPABILITIES AND RESOLVE TO REPEL AN ATTACK PROBABLY FROM "EIJING from across the Taiwan Strait. #HINA CLAIMS THE SELF GOVERNING island as its territory. Taiwan split FROM #HINA AMID A CIVIL WAR IN The simulated response to a Chinese landing included assault HELICOPTERS kGHTER JETS AND MISsiles launched at targets in the sea. The Defense Ministry said the JOINT ARMY NAVY AIR FORCE OPeration tested the island’s combat readiness in the face of the Chinese military threat. The self-ruled island has long LIVED UNDER THE THREAT OF INVASION BY "EIJING WHICH VIEWS 4AIWAN AS PART OF ITS TERRITORY AND HAS VOWED TO TAKE IT BACK BY FORCE IF NECESSARY Chinese military and diplomatIC PRESSURE HAS BEEN SIGNIkCANTLY RAMPED UP SINCE THE ELECTION of President Tsai Ing-wen, whose GOVERNMENT REFUSES TO ACKNOWLedge that the self-ruled island is part of “one China.� 4HIS WEEK 4AIWAN S MILLION INHABITANTS HAVE WITNESSED

READY FOR WAR

US-made CM-11 tanks (in background) are fired in front of two eight-inch self-propelled artillery guns during the 35th Han Kuang (Han Glory) military drill in southern Taiwan’s Pingtung county. Taiwan has been improving its military hardware in anticipation for the looming aggression by Beijing. AFP PHOTO STARK REMINDERS OF THE MILITARY threats they face. On Monday the streets were BRIElY DESERTED AS AUTHORITIES CARried out an annual missile drill across the island’s north, with TEXT MESSAGES SENT TO EVERY MOBILE phone and air raid sirens wailing. 4HE FOLLOWING DAY SOLdiers were mobilized in central Taiwan, as aircraft practiced landing on a closed highway for the annual Han Kuang (Han Glory) war games. Three jet fighters, as well as an early warning aircraft, also practiced refueling and loading missiles and other ammunition BEFORE TAKING OFF AGAIN

4AIWAN WOULD BE MASSIVELY outgunned in terms of troop NUMBERS AND kREPOWER IN ANY WAR WITH #HINA BUT IT HAS DEVELOPED sophisticated asymmetric tactics to hold out for as long as possible AND MAKE ANY INVASION OF THE island hugely costly for Beijing. “There are only a few military air bases, which would become THE PRIME TARGETS IN THE EVENT OF AN ATTACK 4HE HIGHWAY DRILL is necessary as highway strips would be our priority choice if the runways are damaged during a war,� air force Col. Shu Kuo-mao told reporters. Inspecting the drill on Tuesday, President Tsai referred to

THE MARKED UPTICK IN #HINESE NAVAL AND AIR FORCE PATROLS IN RECENT MONTHS WHICH HAVE RATTLED NERVES g4HEY HAVE CAUSED A CERTAIN degree of threat to regional peace and stability. We should maintain HIGH VIGILANCE u SHE SAID 4HE MANEUVERS IN 4AIWAN come after the US, Japan, South +OREA AND !USTRALIA KICKED OFF operation “Pacific Vanguard� near Guam, bringing together MORE THAN SAILORS FROM THE FOUR COUNTRIES LAST WEEK Beijing has also been angered by warming relations between Taipei and Washington since Tsai AP/AFP came to power.

7 SKoreans die, 21 missing Reject Iran interference, Saudi tells Muslims in Hungary boat sinking A MASSIVE search was underway ON THE $ANUBE 2IVER IN DOWNTOWN "UDAPEST FOR PEOPLE MISSING AFTER A SIGHTSEEING BOAT WITH 3OUTH +OREAN TOURISTS SANK AFTER COLLIDING WITH ANOTHER VESSEL DURING AN EVENING DOWNPOUR 3EVEN PEOPLE ARE CONkRMED DEAD OFkCIALS SAID 4HURSDAY !NOTHER SEVEN HAD BEEN RESCUED 0AL 'YORk SPOKESMAN FOR THE .ATIONAL !MBULANCE 3ERVICE SAID 4HEY WERE hospitalized in stable condition following the accident Wednesday night. Two Hungarian crew members are also missing. South Korean President Moon JaeIN INSTRUCTED OFkCIALS TO EMPLOY gALL AVAILABLE RESOURCESu TO SUPPORT THE rescue efforts in Hungary. Moon’s SPOKESMAN +O -IN JUNG SAID IN 3EOUL that Moon also ordered the launch of A GOVERNMENT TASK FORCE LED BY &OREIGN Minister Kang Kyung-wha, which will maintain close communication with the family members of the South Korean passengers. ! TEAM OF 3OUTH +OREAN OFkCIALS WERE TO LEAVE FOR (UNGARY LATER 4HURSDAY

4HE 3OUTH +OREANS INCLUDED TOURISTS ON A PACKAGE TOUR PROGRAM IN Europe, two guides and one photographer, according to the South Koreabased Very Good Tour agency, which organized the trip. !GENCY OFkCIALS SAID THE TOURISTS LEFT South Korea on May 25 and were supPOSED TO RETURN *UNE -OST OF THEM WERE TRAVELING WITH their families, including a six-year-old girl. Her status wasn’t immediately clear, but she did not appear on a list of SURVIVORS PROVIDED BY THE TOUR AGENCY 3ENIOR AGENCY OFkCIAL ,EE 3ANG MOO DISCLOSED THE IDENTITIES OF THE SEVEN rescued South Koreans — six women AND ONE MAN AGED BETWEEN AND 4HE SUNKEN BOAT WAS LOCATED EARLY Thursday near the Margit Bridge, not far from the neo-Gothic Parliament BUILDING ON THE RIVERBANK ,EE THE TOUR AGENCY OFkCIAL SAID THE BOAT WAS ANchored when it was hit by a bigger ship. Employees from the South Korean Embassy in Budapest were assisting (UNGARIAN OFkCIALS IN IDENTIFYING THOSE rescued and the deceased. AP

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia sought to rally support among Islamic nations against archrival Iran, demanding “firmnessâ€? over attacks on Gulf oil facilities ahead of three summits as regional tensions soar. Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Assaf blasted Iranian “interferenceâ€? in the region, just hours after United States National Security Advisor John Bolton said Tehran was almost certainly behind oil tanker attacks. The tough stance comes on the eve of emergency Arab and Gulf summits called by US-ally Saudi Arabia to discuss the standoff and ways to isolate Tehran amid fears of a military escalation. “Tehran’s support for Huthi rebels in Yemen is proof of Iranian interference in other nations’ affairs and this is something that... Islamic countries should reject,â€? Assaf told a gathering of foreign ministers of the 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in western Jeddah city. A representative of Iran attended the gathering of OIC, of which it is a member, an Agence France-Presse reporter said. But, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif was not present. Assaf added that attacks on oil installations must be addressed with “firmness and determination.â€? Two Saudi oil tankers, among four vessels, were the targets of mysterious acts of sabotage off the United Arab Emirates on May 12, and Iran-aligned Yemeni rebels have stepped up drone attacks on the kingdom — one of which resulted in the temporary shutdown of a major oil pipeline. The four ships were attacked using “naval mines almost certainly from Iran,â€? Bolton told a press conference in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. “There’s no doubt in anybody’s mind in Washington who’s responsible for this,â€? he said in a clear reference to Iran. Bolton, however, declined to provide specific evidence for Iran’s hand in the attacks. AFP

Sports

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Warriors seek ‘Three-peat’ while 5DSWRUV KXQW Ă€UVW NBA crown T

Q Stephen Curry AFP PHOTO

ORONTO, Canada: Golden State star guard Stephen Curry likes how the Warriors are playing as they seek a third consecutive title starting in Thursday’s opening game (Friday in Manila) of the NBA Finals against Toronto. #HASING A FOURTH CROWN IN kVE seasons, something no team has achieved in half a century, the Warriors enter the best-of-seven showDOWN WITH MORE kNALS EXPERIENCE THAN THE 2APTORS IN THE kRST kNAL OF the team’s 24-season history. “I like the energy we’re coming in with for game one,� Curry said Wednesday (Thursday in Manila). “We’ve been here before. We understand the hoopla and the pandeMONIUM AROUND THE kNALS AND HOW different things are when it comes to just the schedule and the vibe. “We’ve seen a lot and we’ll be ready for it.� But they aren’t dismissing the Raptors because they are newcomERS TO THE kNALS “They have a very good team and they’re here for a reason so you can’t take them lightly just

because they haven’t been here before,� Warriors guard Klay Thompson said. “They have our respect and we’ll come correct tomorrow.� The Warriors are 5-0 without star forward Kevin Durant, sidelined by a right calf injury, and center DeMarcus Cousins is questionable with a torn right quadriceps muscle. But Golden State relied on solid play from Curry — averaging 27.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.6 assists — as well as reserves and improved play from forward Draymond Green to keep their title quest on course. “His leadership has been great,� Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of Green. “He’s slimmer, sleeker and faster and that CONkDENCE HAS ALLOWED HIM TO

BE MORE POISED ON THE lOOR “You’re seeing the best of Draymond right now. He’s in great condition, an unbelievably high level of play and very poised.� Green is averaging 13.6 points, 9.9 rebounds, 8.2 assists and 1.4 steals as well as backing up his claim to be the NBA’s best-ever defender. “If you’re trying to do something meaningful, if you don’t have the mindset that you’re the best ever, you failed already,� Green said. “That has been my mindset since I can remember -that I am the best ever at what I do. “That will give me a shot at being the best.�

Kawhi sparks Raptors Toronto’s Kawhi Leonard, a two-time NBA Defensive Player

of the Year, gladly bows to Green’s self-confidence. “He should feel that way about himself,� Leonard said. “You have TO COME INTO THESE GAMES CONkdent and know what can you do ON THE lOOR ) DON T KNOW HOW TO just compare myself against him. I don’t really do that. “Both bring energy to the game. We want to play defense. We want to stop the player in front of us. And that’s pretty much it.� Having won an NBA crown and the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player award in 2014 with San Antonio, Leonard has had some advice for his teammates in their NBA Finals debut. “It’s still between the lines,� said Leonard. “You’re playing 5-on-5. We’re still playing basketball. We have a scheme. Just focus on that and don’t

focus on the outside attention.� Leonard is the playoff scoring leader at 31.2 points a game with 8.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists as well. “Kawhi has played really well SO YOU WANT TO MAKE IT AS DIFkCULT as possible on him,� Curry said. “He’s tough. He has been playing amazing this whole playoff run and really all season. He’s always at his own pace and never seems to get rushed or be in a hurry.�

‘I’m in kill mode’ Golden State figures to switch multiple players to defend Leonard. “We have some beyond capable defenders to guard him, take on that one-on-one challenge,� Curry said. “That’s going to be important.

“We’ve had some amazing contributions from everybody on the bench. We’re going to have to play SMART *UST PLAY WITH CONkDENCE We know what we’re capable of.� Just as Curry can expect to see Leonard and plenty of other Raptors defenders. “It just really comes to being smart and being in those situations before and knowing what’s going to happen,� Leonard said, citing years of film study and matchups. Thompson likes rap singer Drake, a devoted Raptors fans, but will skip much of his music this week. “If it’s one of his soft R&B songs, I’m going to skip it because I’m in kill mode right now,� Thompson said. “I’m trying to get these four games.� AFP

Canada unites as Raptors hunt first NBA title Ujiri goes from Nigerian

TORONTO, Canada: Thousands of passionate supporters will be roaring and dancing in “Jurassic Park� outside Scotiabank Arena during the NBA Finals while the Toronto 2APTORS HUNT FOR #ANADA S kRST ."! TITLE The special atmosphere for devoted fans watching on a giant television screen on the west side of the arena has become a gathering place as Raptors backers from across Canada line up for six or seven hours just for the chance to watch games on TV with thousands of fellow supporters. “These are the passionate fans,� said Jay Prateek, who lives in a condo in a nearby highrise. “It’s crazy. It’s a lot of fun just because the atmosphere is so much fun. You have the chance to be part of it. “People are coming from all over, from London and Hamilton and other cities. You can watch at a restaurant with a dozen people or so or you can be out here with hundreds of people.� It’s a sea of red-clad people waiting to be thrilled by Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry AS THEY LEAD THE 2APTORS IN THEIR kRST ."! Finals and looking to boo the defending champion Golden State Warriors. People queue for hours — around the arena and through a tunnel to beyond the train station bringing people from all over to Toronto — just to make sure they have a place to stand in the area, usually a parking garage exit area with a few adjacent shops. The Raptors call it tailgating, though it lacks autos or tailgates, but their slogan says it all — “Where The Loyal Get Loud.� Once security opens the area, fans rush for the nearest spots to the big screen and the pre-game television booths constructed Wednesday, where shows will use the crowd as a backdrop for their analysis of events.

Three blocks of thrills Those who don’t make zone one have a chance at zone two, which takes up the full block beyond the main staging area, or zone three, with the city closing another block further back to handle the masses looking cheer

boyhood to Raptors GM

Q Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard (No. 2) holds up the trophy after the team’s 100-94 win over the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 6 of the NBA basketball playoffs Eastern Conference finals on May 25, 2019, in Toronto. AP PHOTO with their friends and neighbors. “Usually you come in groups and yeah you will see poeple you know or old friends,� Prateek said. “Some people are planning to get here at 12 (noon) and the game is at 9. Nobody knows for sure. We’ve never made it this far.� There are drink and hot dog vendors in the area to feed even the most carnivorous hungers and thirsts. There was a line waiting Wednesday when the adjacent Real Sports souvenir shop opened — good luck getting any of the soldout “We The North� selections — and the next-door restaurant was packed ahead of a special event. Greeters and sales clerks were happy to talk about the event atmosphere, offering an “It’s amazing� and “It’s incredible� before their managers told them they can’t give interviews. "UT #ANADA S kRST FAN 0RIME -INISTER Justin Trudeau, tweets his support, saying: “History made! @Raptors, it’s time to bring that championship to Canada!�

Gets crazier from here And the Raptors recognize how solid their

support is when they see not only rap singer Drake at courtside but the devoted who couldn’t get tickets but showed up anyway, their celebration lasting all night WHEN THE 2APTORS ADVANCED TO THE kNALS but not resulting in any arrests. “What you saw the other night, it’s only going to get crazier from here,� Toronto’s Fred VanVleet said. “It’s a city that’s very supportive,� Raptors Spanish center Marc Gasol said. For Raptors president Masai Ujiri, it’s a SPECIAL THRILL TO HOST THE kRST ."! &INALS games outside the United States and to show off their faithful fans while the world watches. “Unbelievable fans, the support they have given us around the country,� said Ujiri, who is from Nigeria. “There’s so much excitement, passion, energy. “It’s going to be crazy here for a few days because that’s the mentality of our fan base. We know it’s across the world. That’s something special about here. We can reach the world easy from Canada and we’re happy to be the global team that represents the NBA. It’s a really exciting time for us and the city.� AFP

TORONTO, Canada: Masai Ujiri, who only discovered basketball as a teen growing up in Nigeria, made the crucial decisions that lifted the Toronto Raptors from NBA disappointment to title contender. The 48-year-old Raptors president made a deal last July for San Antonio star forward Kawhi Leonard, sending away long-time Toronto standout DeMar DeRozan, and fired NBA Coach of the Year Dwane Casey after a second consecutive playoff ouster by Cleveland, hiring Nick Nurse to replace him. “Caught a lot of us off guard,� said Raptors’ Cameroonian forward Pascal Siakam. “It was definitely something that was a tough pill to swallow. “He’s willing to do anything he thinks is the best thing to put us in position to win. He’s going to do everything in his power to make us win.� So far, Ujiri looks like a genius as the Raptors are facing defending champion Golden State in the best-of-seven NBA Finals, which open Thursday in Toronto. “It’s surreal but when you put the team together, we all dream of a championship,� Ujiri said. “The change was hard at the time but we knew the kind of player we were getting and if we overcame and we dealt with all the issues that we felt that could come together. “We were all positive about this kind of moment and all dreamed about it. Our job is to try and create that team, the atmosphere for them, the workplace for them to prepare and they have done an incredible job.� Leonard has 31.2 points a game in the playoffs and has sparked the Raptors, his four-bounce buzzer beater in game seven to oust Philadelphia a clutch hoop like no other in NBA history. Nurse has stamped his mark on the club as well, but Ujiri stressed that even absent, DeRozan and Casey deserved some of the credit for getting the Raptors into the first final of their 24-season history. “To give Dwane Casey credit, he prepared us for this, too,� Ujiri said. “Dwane Casey and DeMar DeRozan are a part of this, part of our journey and how far this has come.

“Nick has done a great job just taking it from there and building his own identity and building a team that he wanted to coach in a certain way and bringing up us to this moment. He has made the right adjustments.�

NBA team of diversity The first NBA Finals games outside of the United States are in part a result of Ujiri’s moves in assembling a team with five players from outside US borders. “This is what we dream of,� Ujiri said. “It’s overwhelming when I look at all the international players we have on our team, even the people on our staff, it has really brought us together. “It says so much because that’s how our city is, how the country is. We can all relate to the multicultural or the diversity of Toronto and Canada and that’s how our team is. “They talk in different languages on defense, in the locker room, and it’s like that in our organization. And being international myself and being from Africa, I’m proud of that.� Ujiri was born in England to Nigerian students who moved back to their homeland when Masai was two. He played football as a child until discovering basketball as a teen and finding an idol in Nigerian NBA star Hakeem Olajuwon. Ujiri went into scouting after his playing days and was hired by the Raptors as a global scouting director before becoming assistant general manager in 2008. Two years later he went to Denver as director of basketball operations and in 2013 became the first non-American to be named NBA Executive of the Year. In 2013, Ujiri returned to the Raptors as general manager and became team president three years later. AFP Q Toronto Raptors basketball team general manager Masai Ujiri speaks during a media availability in Toronto on May 29, 2019. AP PHOTO

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FRIDAY May 31, 2019

STREAKING ELITE WANT WIN NO. 4 Q Senator Manny Pacquiao and members of his training and security team jog around DasmariĂąas Village in Makati City on Wednesday. PHOTO BY WENDELL ALINEA

Fortune says age no issue for Pacquiao F BY EDDIE G. ALINEA

ILIPINO boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao’s chief trainer Buboy Fernandez and strength and conditioning coach Justin Fortune have dismissed the notion that the 10-year age gap between their ward and Keith Thurman could be a big advantage to the latter when they meet on July 20 at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas. “No, it’s irrelevant with Manny. Age won’t be of any advantage to Thurman,� Fortune, who arrived in Manila on Sunday to join Pacquiao’s training team preparing the WBA regular welterweight TITLIST FOR HIS COMING kGHT AGAINST the super titleholder, declared in an interview on Wednesday. g-ANNY S STILL kGHTING IN THE ELITE level at age 40 and has so far won twice quite convincingly,� Fortune told this writer in reference to the 0HILIPPINE kGHTING 3ENATOR S STOPpage triumph over Lucas Matthysse and an almost shutout unanimous decision of Andrien Broner in his LAST TWO kGHTS “On the contrary, I see Manny

as having a great advantage over Thurman (30) because of his vast experience fighting the best in EIGHT DIVISIONS FROM lYWEIGHT TO middleweight and winning championships after championships in those,� Fortune reasoned out. The former Australian heavyweight now based in Los Angeles as a trainer was referring to the Filipino icon’s, jumping as A JUNIOR lYWEIGHT CAMPAIGNER as a neophyte and emerging WORLD CHAMPION IN THE lYWEIGHT super-bantamweight, featherweight, super-featherweight, lightweight, junior welterweight, welterweight and middleweight in a 24-year pro career.

Fernandez echoed Fortune’s observation. Manny started his boxing career at age 16 and after 24 years lumalaban pa rin at tinatalo ang lahat ng magagaling at malalakas na kalaban sa walong dibisyon na wala pang nakagagawa sa kasaysayan ng boksing, paano mo masasabing matanda na siya? � Indeed, the Pacman is not only recognized as one of the BEST kGHTERS IN THE ENTIRE UNIverse today, but one of the sport’s all-time greats, as well. 4WENTY FOUR OF HIS LAST kGHTS over the last nine years have been against world champions. Fortune admitted Thurman as a SMART kGHTER BUT DOUBTED WHETHer he’s smarter than Pacquiao. g+EITH HAS FOUGHT kGHTS IN HIS young career and is still unbeaten, could he outsmart Manny who has SO FAR FOUGHT kGHTS WINNING losing only seven drawing in two and knocking out 39 of them, “ he surmised. “I doubt it.� Seeing the four-division lineal beltowner work the mitts on Wednesday with Fernandez, four months after outclassing the bad-mounthing Broner, Fortune pronounced Pacquiao

as still fast, very fast and strong, very strong as before. “He hits very, very good,â€? he said with open eyes. “He still throws combinations like before. He still possesses good skills and movement. He is physically strong, tough, determined and in top shape despite a long layoff.â€? This could be explained, Fernandez butted in, by the fact that Manny is coming off a big victory only last January, so nandun pa ang lakas at bilis niya. At walang tigil kalalaro ng basketball. Kaya nandun pa rin ang kondisyon niya. “ Both Buboy and Fortune, though, chorused they are not underestimating Thurman’s capability to turn the table around. “As I have been saying, Keith IS A GOOD kGHTER (E HAS A GOOD trainer and a good team,â€? Fortune said. “Underestimating him would mean disrespect to a champion. And Manny, as everybody knows, never disrespected his opponents.â€? That’s’s why we in the training team, Buboy, Nonoy (Neri), Haplas (Fernandez), Dodie “Boyâ€? (PeĂąalosa) and Jonathan (PeĂąalosa) have agreed to prepare Manny HARD FOR THIS kGHT &ORTUNE SAID

BLACKWATER eyes to regain solo leadership as it hunts for its fourth win against Phoenix Pulse at 4:30 p.m. today in Season 44 Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City. Import Alex Stepheson and hotshot rookie Bobby Ray Parks Jr. led the Elite to three consecutive victories. Blackwater needs to win today’s game to pull away from Northport that is also holding a 3-0 win-loss record. “It’s another chance to improve, another chance to play as a team and hopefully win,� Blackwater rookie coach Aries Dimaunahan told The Manila Times. “As of now, they (Parks and Stepheson) have a great partnership while all the other players are contributing, too, at the same time. We got the result we wanted. We just have to do our best again to win,� added Dimaunahan. 0ARKS DELIVERED IN HIS kRST WEEK with the team earning the Player of the Week plum after averaging 23.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.3 steals in Blackwater’s kRST THREE GAMES

Stepheson had an average of 25 points, 25.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks in three games. Dimaunahan stressed that they have to match Phoenix’s trapping defense to survive. “We have to make stops to avoid being trapped,� he said. P h o e n i x P u l s e, a f t e r a strong performance in the elimination round of the first c o n f e r e n c e, p o s e s s e r i o u s threat to Blackwater. 4HE &UEL -ASTERS WILL kELD IN returning import Rob Dozier in today’s game. Phoenix Pulse coach Louie Alas warns that Blackwater is totally a different team now. “Blackwater is for real, they are No. 1 in rebounding, No. 1 in forcing turnovers, No. 2 in turnover by points. I mean they are stronger so we really need to play our A game to compete,� said Alas. Meanwhile, Meralco (1-2) seeks to bounce back from a loss to Barangay Ginebra San Miguel on Sunday when it meets Rain or Shine in the 7 p.m. match. Denzel Bowles, the 2012 Best Import, will lead RoS against the Bolts. JOSEF T. RAMOS

Q Blackwater import Alex Stepheson battles for the ball against Ginebra’s Sol Mercado and Greg Slaughter (No. 20) during a Season 44 PBA Commissioner’s Cup game at the Araneta Coliseum. PBA MEDIA BUREAU PHOTO

The long wait for Wilder-Joshua

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VERYBODY remembers Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather, THE MEGA kGHT THAT TURNED OUT TO BE A MEGA kASCO !FTER AN AGONIZING SIX YEAR WAIT THE kGHT CAME INTO fruition in May 2015 but turned out to be a huge disappointment. Mayweather won by decision in a kGHT THAT WAS AS EXCITING AS LISTENING to the weather report. Boxing fans can only hope that ANOTHER POTENTIAL MEGA kGHT WILL not suffer the same fate as PacquiaoMayweather. We are talking here of heavyweight champions Deontay “Bronze Bomber� Wilder and Anthony Joshua. Fans are salivating for a matchup between the two hard-hitting heavyweights, but it appears that their handlers have other things in mind. Last May 18, Wilder (41-0, 1 draw, 40 knockouts) posted his ninth defense of the World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight plum by knocking out Dominic Breazeale. Wilder did everything to sell the fight, digging up an old family feud with Breazeale and threatening to “kill� in the ring. The fans showed up, but true enough Wilder needed just 137 seconds and one wicked right hand to send Breazeale to dreamland. !NOTHER DAY IN THE OFkCE FOR 7ILDER and another rip-off as far as the fans are concerned. This Sunday (Manila time), it will be the turn of British heavyweight Joshua (22-0, 21 knockouts) to defend his WBA-IBF-WBO crowns against Andy Ruiz Jr., yet another unheralded challenger. Joshua will be making his United States debut via Madison Square Garden, New York and is looking at a sterling per-

BOXER SHORTS ED C. TOLENTINO FORMANCE TO HYPE A UNIkCATION kGHT with Wilder. Truth be told, there is no need to further publicize such a showdown. Wilder and Joshua should just stop taking on separate foes and face each other. Wilder and Joshua have previously talked about fighting each other, but it has been strictly limited TO SALIVA 4HE kGHTERS ARE FAR FROM AFkXING THEIR SIGNATURES ON A FORMAL contract. Wilder is claiming that it is all Joshua’s fault. Last year, Wilder disclosed to the public that he was ready to accept any offer from Joshua’s camp. Then again, Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, had just inked a huge deal with DAZN (the live streaming application for BOXING MORE LIKE THE @.ETlIX OF boxing) and was not ready to risk his golden goose (Joshua). Former world heavyweight champ Lennox Lewis chided Joshua, claiming that the latter appears more interested in padding his bank account instead of fortifying his legacy in the sport. Wilder is humming a different tune these days, insisting that he deserves nothing less than $100 milLION FOR A kGHT WITH *OSHUA *UST LIKE THAT THE kGHTERS ARE NOWHERE CLOSE to making a deal. In the interim, Wilder is booked to face Cuban Luis Ortiz in his next kGHT 7ILDER WAS TESTED BY /RTIZ IN THEIR kRST MEETING IN -ARCH but he still prevailed by knockout

in 10 rounds. If Joshua prevails over Ruiz Jr., the Briton’s camp is hinting at taking on another pedestrian challenger. The way things are shaping up, Wilder-Joshua could end up like Riddick Bowe-Lennox Lewis, the heavyweight super fight that was hyped but never took place in the early 1990s. Lewis publicly challenged Bowe, but the latter chose to dump the WBC belt he was then holding rather than face the hardhitting Briton. Lewis had knocked out Bowe in two rounds in the 1988 Olympics and not a few thought Bowe chickened out. After years in the doldrums, the HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION IS kNALLY MERITING ATTENTION FROM kGHT FANS #LEARLY this has to do with the emergence of Wilder and Joshua. The last time THE DIVISION HAD A SUPER kGHT WAS in June 1988, when Mike Tyson flattened Michael Spinks in one round. Many see Wilder-Joshua beING A BETTER kGHT WHAT WITH THE SIZE AND POWER BOTH MEN lAUNT 7ILDER offers the boxing skills of a caveman, but the American owns a right hand that can rearrange mountains. Joshua offers a better skill-set, but it remains to be seen if he has the chin to handle a monster puncher like Wilder. It is not too late to make Joshua7ILDER BUT THE kGHTERS MUST NOT simply leave it to their handlers (who are all about making money AT LESS RISKS TO MAKE THE kGHT HAPpen. The last thing fans want is THE kGHT BEING SERVED ON THE TABLE either too late or over marinated. Nobody wants another PacquiaoMayweather dud.

˜ The Manila Times

FRIDAY May 31, 2019

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Sports

D3

Woods targets Snead landmark after PGA flop C HICAGO: A rejuvenated Tiger Woods says he is ready to bounce back from his PGA Championship lOP AT THE -EMORIAL 4OURNAMENT ON 4HURSDAY &RIDAY IN -ANILA AS HE CHASES ANOTHER GOLkNG LANDMARK

Q Tiger Woods plays in the pro-am round of the Memorial golf tournament on Thursday in Dublin, Ohio. AP PHOTO

The 43-year-old former world No. 1 came crashing back to earth at the PGA after his victory in the Masters, missing the cut after a wayward opening two rounds. With next month’s US Open fast approaching, Woods added this week’s Jack Nicklaus-hosted tournament in Dublin Ohio to his schedule in an attempt to hone his game for Pebble Beach. The 15-time major winner practiced on Monday and Tuesday before partnering NFL legend Peyton Manning in Wednesday’s pro-am. Afterwards, Woods said he feels ready to put his disappointing

Nationals pound Braves 14-4 ATLANTA: AnĂ­bal SĂĄnchez finally found the form that made him successful in 2018. 4HE DISCOVERY HELPED HIM kNALLY LAND HIS kRST WIN OF THE SEASON IN near-perfect fashion. SĂĄnchez allowed one hit in six scoreless innings, Howie Kendrick hit a three-run double and the Washington Nationals withstood a grand slam by rookie Austin Riley to beat the Atlanta Braves 14-4 on Wednesday night. SĂĄnchez (1-6) made a triumphant return to Atlanta, where he thrived last season. He allowed one hit and one walk with seven strikeouts. “That was the Braves’ SĂĄnchez that I played behind tonight,â€? said Washington first baseman Matt Adams, who homered and drove in three runs. Nationals manager Dave Martinez also thought SĂĄnchez showed his 2018 form by working the bottom half of the strike zone. “He mixes all his pitches up,â€? Martinez said. “He was very effective. That’s what I saw last year from Anibal, everything down in the zone.â€? Juan Soto also homered for Washington , which swept the two-game series and ended Atlanta’s streak OF kVE STRAIGHT SERIES VICTORIES 4HE .ATIONALS HAVE WON kVE OF SIX SĂĄnchez was perfect through 5 1/3 innings until Ozzie Albies singled to the gap in right-center. SĂĄnchez then walked Charlie Culberson before recording two straight outs. SĂĄnchez said he was thinking about a no-hitter after striking out Tyler Flowers to start the sixth after the right-hander was behind in the count.

“I came back to strike him out and I think ‘OK, I have a chance,’â€? SĂĄnchez said. “... Next pitch, base hit.â€? SĂĄnchez came off the injured list before the game after recovering from a strained left hamstring. He HAD A %2! THROUGH HIS kRST nine starts. Right-hander Kyle McGowin, who replaced SĂĄnchez, gave up four straight hits, including a grand slam to Riley, to open the seventh. Riley said the Braves waited too late in the game to start hitting. “You’ve got to come out and play the whole nine,â€? Riley said. Washington’s hitters didn’t hesitate. The Nationals went through their full lineup in each of the kRST TWO INNINGS 7ASHINGTON HAD five hits, including consecutive run-scoring singles by Adams, Kurt Suzuki and Victor Robles, in the FOUR RUN kRST The Nats scored four more runs in the second. Anthony Rendon’s TWO RUN TRIPLE OVER RIGHT kELDER Nick Markakis was followed by Soto’s line-drive single up the middle, knocking Kevin Gausman out of the game. Gausman (2-4) gave up eight runs, matching his career high, on eight hits and two walks while recording only three outs. The righthander faced four batters without recording an out in the second. His ERA climbed from 4.33 to 5.56. Soto led off the fourth with a homer to left-center off Touki Toussaint. Soto has a 13-game hitting streak. He drove in two and scored four runs. Adams drove in three. AP

Q Washington Nationals first baseman Matt Adams (No. 15) celebrates with Juan Soto (No. 22) after hitting a two-run home run in the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves on Thursday in Atlanta. AP PHOTO

Q FROM MLB.COM

performance at Bethpage Black behind him this week. “I feel a lot better,� Woods said. “I just need to play a little bit more now. And hopefully it will be four solid days this week heading into the U.S. Open.� Woods, who is within three majors of Nicklaus’s all-time record of 18 majors, could equal Sam Snead’s mark of 82 PGA Tour victories with a win in Ohio this week. “To get into those numbers it takes longevity and hot years,� SAID 7OODS WHO HAS kVE PREVIOUS victories at Memorial.

“You need multiple winning seasons and you need to do that for decades. That’s something I’m proud of. That’s not something that happens overnight. To be able to come this close to get to one behind Sam Snead has been pretty amazing. “It’s been a pretty amazing run throughout my 20 some-odd years out here.� One of Woods rivals this week, Rory McIlroy, believes the tally of titles accumulated by Snead and Woods may never be equalled. McIlroy said Woods’ 81 career victories was more notable than his haul of 15 majors. “In this day and age, it’s more impressive than his major tally,� McIlroy said. “If you’re around for 20 years, that’s four a year, every year. It’s very, very impressive. I think if you’re winning multiple times a

year, you’re doing pretty well.� Woods has won nearly twice as many PGA Tour titles than his nearest rival amongst active golfers, with Phil Mickelson on 44 wins, ninth overall. “I think with the way the game is going you’re going to see guys have shorter careers if they want to,� McIlroy said. “I think that COULD DEkNITELY BE A NUMBER THAT stands the test of time, for sure.� Meanwhile Nicklaus, who warmly greeted Woods on the kRST TEE FOR HIS PRO AM ROUND ON Wednesday, said he believes his record 18 majors could fall if Woods remains healthy. “Who knows how long his body is going to stay together? You’ve had as many operations as he’s had, he may be solid enough that it’s all right. And if he is, I think he probably will break my record,� Nicklaus said. AFP

Local bets brace for Asian Elite duel SEA Games gold medalist Claire Adorna headlines the compact cast of triathletes bracing for a fierce battle in the Asian Elite to be held side by side with the centerpiece pro division in the Century Tuna IRONMAN 70.3 Subic Bay presented by Big Boss Cement which gets going Sunday. Joining Adorna in the hunt for top honors and P50,000 prize in the endurance race is Alexandra Ganzon while veteran campaigner August Benedicto banners the men’s roster that also drew Mark Anthony Hosana, Banjo Norte, Benjamin Raùa, Leonard Rondina and Jorry Ycong. Keen competition is also seen in other age-group divisions with 142 vying for top honors in the 40-44 bracket and 125 and 112 disputing the titles in the 35-39 and 45-49 categories of the event organized and conducted by Sunrise Events, Inc. Also on tap are the relay events featuring the male, female and mixed categories with a total of 76 teams chasing the crowns in the event also held to promote an active and healthy lifestyle among Filipinos.

For details, visit www.ironman703subicbay.com or the Facebook page Century Tuna IRONMAN 70.3 Subic Bay and @im703subicbay on Instagram and 4WITTER /FkCIAL EVENT HASHTAGS are #CenturyTunaIM703 #im703subicbay. Close to thousand triathletes from 41 countries are all set for what promises to be another challeng- ing race

on a practically new course for the 1.9km swim-90km bike-21km run event with the race central now at Subic Bay Boardwalk. But focus will surely be on the pro side with Nick Baldwin of Seychelles gunning for another victory at what has become the home of Phl triathlon after ruling

THE kRST EVER FULL )2/.-!. 0HILIPpines last year. But he will be up against a crack list of rivals, headed by former three-time world champion Tim Reed and fellow Australians Sam Betten, Tim Van Berkel and Conor McKay with Colombia’s Rodrigo Acevedo and Oli Stenning of Great Britain boosting the cast. Clashing in the women’s pro section are Swiss Caroline Steffen, Aussie Dimity Lee Duke, New Zealand’s Laura Wood, Manami Iijima of Guam and Lisa Tyack, another star from Down Under.

Q Claire Adorna CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

-EANWHILE THE !LASKA &ORTIkED IronKids will usher in the IRONMAN 70.3 tomorrow (Saturday) with over 300 junior athletes clashingin the swim-run event also held TO PROMOTE kTNESS AMONG THE YOUTH and keep them busy and away from vices. The gun start for the male pros and male Asian Elite will be at 6:20 a.m. with the female pros and those in the Asian Elite kicking off their respective bids two minutes later. The rolling gun start for the age groupers and relay participants will be held 30 minutes later. The swim cut is 70 minutes to kNISH THE KM BASED ON THE ROLLing start, while the bike and run cut OFFS ARE kVE HOURS AND MINUTES and eight hours and 30 minutes, respectively. Backing the event are Big Boss Cement (presenting sponsor), venue host Subic Bay, bike leg racing partner NLEX SCTEX, Black Arrow (ofkCIAL COURIER AND LOGISTICS PARTNER (OKA OFkCIAL FOOTWEAR 'ATORADE TYR, Gu, Lightwater, David’s Salon, Prudential Guarantee, ONE Cignal, the Philippine Star, Trilife, AsiaTri. com, Finisher Pix and Active.

Federer, Nadal enter Roland Garros 3rd round PARIS: Roger Federer breezed into the third round of the French Open for the 15th time on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) by seeing off German lucky loser Oscar Otte, while 11-time champion Rafael Nadal and Stefanos Tsitsipas also progressed, but women’s contender Kiki Bertens retired with illness. The 37-year-old Federer held off a persistent world number 144 Otte, saving all four break points he faced in a 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 win on Court Philippe Chatrier. Next up for the 20-time Grand Slam title winner is a clash with Norway’s Casper Ruud who put out Italian 29th seed Matteo Berrettini 6-4, 7-5, 6-3. “The Grand Slams are incredible. You can meet a player who qualified who (you) have not heard of before,� said Federer, who last played at Roland Garros in 2015. “It was difficult, he really played a great match.� Federer’s only French Open trophy came in 2009, and 10 years on he faces a daunting task to grab a second, potentially needing to beat Tsitsipas, Nadal and world number one

Novak Djokovic in order to come out on top. Nadal continued the strong start to his bid for a record-extending 12th title with a comfortable victory over German qualifier Yannick Maden. The 32-year-old Nadal was in near total control against world number 114 Maden bar some nervy moments in the third set, winning 6-1, 6-2, 6-4. The 17-time major champion will play Belgian 27th seed David Goffin in the last 32. “He (Maden) is a good player. He had already won four matches so was full of confidence,� said Nadal, whose Roland Garros winloss record now reads an incredible 88-2. The Spaniard wasted little time in wrapping up the first two sets on Court Suzanne Lenglen. Maden may have briefly allowed himself to dream of an outrageous upset when he twice broke to level at 3-3 and then 4-4 in the third set, but Nadal put him back in his place with two quick games to seal victory. Nadal appears to be hitting form at just the right time, after following three consecutive semi-final defeats on clay with the Italian Open title before arriving in Paris. He finished the match

with 43 winners against just 23 unforced errors.

Bertens ‘shaking and no enegry’ Dutch women’s fourth seed Kiki Bertens retired from her match with Viktoria Kuzmova with illness while trailing 3-1, 40-15. The 27-year-old, one of the favourites for the tournament, complained of shaking and a lack of energy before calling it quits, leaving Kuzmova with a third-round clash against British 26th seed Johanna Konta. Greek star Tsitsipas did not have things all his own way against Bolivia’s Hugo Dellien on Court Simonne Mathieu, but managed to grind out a 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 7-5 victory on his fourth match point. The sixth seed, who beat Federer en route to the Australian Open semi-finals earlier this year, will take on Serbia’s Filip Krajinovic in his maiden appearance in the third round. “Once I got myself into the right mindset, things seemed to flow my way,� said 20-year-old Tsitsipas. Elsewhere on Wednesday, 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka showed that he can not be ruled out of contention with an impressive 6-1, 6-4, 6-0 success

against in-form Chilean Cristian Garin. The Swiss will play Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov next, after the former world number three beat 11th seed Marin Cilic in a marathon encounter 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-3.

Svitolina gets walkover Ukrainian Elina Svitolina will face 2016 champion Garbine Muguruza in the third round after the ninth seed’s compatriot Kateryna Kozlova pulled out before their match with a viral infection. Spain’s Muguruza, seeded 19th this year, eased to a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Swede Johanna Larsson. Second seed Karolina Pliskova also clinched a straight-sets win, beating Slovakia’s Kristina Kucova 6-2, 6-2 to set up a tie with Croatian 31st seed Petra Martic. Last year’s runner-up Sloane Stephens cruised through with a 6-1, 7-6 (7/3) win over Sara Sorribes Tormo. The former US Open champion, who lost to Simona Halep in the 2018 French Open final, will play Slovenia’s Polona Hercog next after she edged out American Jennifer Brady 6-3, 6-7 (8/10), 6-4. AFP

D4

Football

FRIDAY MAY 31, 2019

Chelsea wins Europa League final B

AKU: Eden Hazard scored twice and and then n aadmitted dmitted it was his parting gift as the Belgian’s brace helped Chelsea sweeps away Arsenal to win 4-1 IN THE %UROPA ,EAGUE kNAL IN "AKU

This match started at 11 pm local time on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) in Azerbaijan, but it was Thursday by the time IT CAME TO LIFE WITH A lOOD OF SECOND HALF GOALS STARTED BY /LIVIER 'IROUD S TH minute opener against his old club. Hazard then set up Pedro Rodriguez for Chelsea’s second before grabbing a double of his own — including a penalty — either side of Alex Iwobi’s consolation for Arsenal. The Belgian is widely expected to leave Chelsea for Real Madrid after seven years in England, and this was the perfect way for him to bow out. “I think it is a goodbye, but in football YOU NEVER KNOW u THE YEAR OLD TOLD "4 Sport. “My dream was to play in the Pre mier League and I have done that for one of the biggest clubs so maybe now it is the time for a new challenge.� It is his, and Chelsea’s, second Europa League this decade, while it is Maurizio 3ARRI S kRST MAJOR TROPHY AS A COACH They will be back in the Champions League next season, but there will be no return to Europe’s top table for Arsenal. Unai Emery’s side had to win here to qualify, yet they were just not good enough on a bizarre night. Emery was hoping to win this com petition for the fourth time. He will get another chance next season, but for now !RSENAL S YEAR WAIT TO BRING BACK A %U ropean trophy to north London goes on. Chelsea will remember their evening with fondness, as will Sarri, who 24 hours earlier had stolen the headlines when he angrily stormed off the pitch here during a training session in front of the television cameras. “Sarri is a great guy, a great coach and he deserves this,� said David Luiz of his

coach, who has been linked with a move to Juventus. “The manager did amazing for this club. I don’t know about speculation, now is the time to talk about the title.� The few Chelsea supporters who came will not forget their night, but the fact there were reportedly only around 1,300 in Azerbaijan will be a source of regret to those at Stam ford Bridge. UEFA’s deci sion to play the game here had been heav ily criticised, with the dif kCULTY AND COST OF COMING to the shores of the Caspian Sea preventing many fans from travelling and meaning !RSENAL S !RMENIAN MIDkELDER Henrikh Mkhitaryan was con troversially absent. Azerbaijan’s President Il ham Aliyev was in the crowd, but there were thousands of empty seats in the Olym pic Stadium, which holds almost 70,000, That meant that, far away from the blood and thunder of a typical der BY kXTURE THIS HAD THE FEEL OF AN END OF SEASON exhibition match on a foreign tour, for MUCH OF THE kRST half anyway. The players seemed short of their usual rhythm in a match played two and a half weeks after the Premier League season ended. AFP

˜ The Manila Times

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Ronaldo joins Portugal camp for NL build-up OEIRAS, Portugal: Cristiano Ron aldo linked up with the Portugal squad on Wednesday as the Eu ropean champions began their preparations for next month’s inaugural UEFA Nations League Finals. Portugal will meet Switzerland IN THE SEMI kNALS ON *UNE IN Porto, with the winner set to play England or the Netherlands for the title on June 9 at the same venue. “Cristiano is our leader and it’s always better to have the best

player in the world with us,� said Lille defender Jose Fonte. Ronaldo sat out Juventus’ fi nal Serie A game of the season AT THE WEEKEND A DEFEAT away to Sampdoria. He finished his debut cam paign in Italy with 21 league goals in 31 appearances. He was recalled by Fernando Santos in March for Portugal’s opening Euro 2020 qualifiers, having not played for his country since the 2018 World Cup. AFP

Blatter to target Infantino, FIFA

Q Chelsea’s Belgian midfielder Eden Hazard (right) vies for the ball with Arsenal’s Greek defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos during the UEFA Europa League final football match between Chelsea FC and Arsenal FC at the Baku Olympic Stadium in Baku, Azerbaijian. AFP PHOTO

Z U RICH: FIFA president Gianni Infantino is running unopposed in his bid for a second term as t h e head of world football’s governing body, but that does not mean everyone approves of his job performance. Least of all his predecessor, Sepp Blatter, who led FIFA from 1998 to 2015, when he was forced out in disgrace amid a global corruption scandal. “I want to sue him,â€? Blatter said of Infantino, the man he blames for a host of offences — both personal and in his stewardship of FIFA, where Blatter worked for 41 years. In an interview with AFP, Blatter accused Infantino and FIFA of failing to return personal items that he left in his old office and of unfairly implicating him

in financial misconduct. Blatter said he wants an admission that he has been “hurtâ€? by FIFA. “Both me and my family, my entire entourage, by saying that this guy was using (FIFA) like a piggybank. This is a question of honor,â€? Blatter said. Blatter, who like Infantino is a Swiss national, remains the target of a criminal investigation in Switzerland, but the case has not yet come to court after nearly four years of investigation. Blatter particularly disputes allegations by FIFA that he received a 12 million Swiss franc ($12 million, 10.6 million euros) bonus following the 2014 World Cup. He said his suit against FIFA and Infantino would be filed “before the end of the month.â€? AFP

FRIDAY MAY 31, 2019

Lifestyle

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The new Hard Rock Cafe: A destination for all genres Q Hard Rock Cafe reopened at S Maison of Conrad Manila to continue bringing entertaining nights out for Filipinos. BY NIKA ROQUE

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ITH almost three decades of presence in the city before it eventually closed down in 2017, there is no denying that Hard Rock Cafe has created countless memories for its patrons.

And so two years after, Hard Rock Cafe came back with a sole purpose — to entertain guests with live music and to serve their SIGNATURE FOOD AND DRINKS Now under new management and at their new home at S Maison at Conrad Manila, Hard Rock Cafe retains its signature to make the relaunch refreshing yet nostalgic for NEW AND RETURNING CUSTOMERS ALIKE “Hard Rock was in the Philippines for 30 years and we have to modernize it,� Steve Yang, Hard Rock International Area vice president of Development and Operations

FOR !SIA 0ACIkC EXPLAINED TO The Manila Times “It is evolving — it’s not just about rock music anymore, it’s ABOUT ALL KINDS OF MUSIC "EYOND just rock performances, we have hip-hop, EDM and DJ performancES )T S ALL ABOUT THE MUSIC AND THE FOOD FOR THE NEW GENERATION u As soon as music and food lovers walk in, there is a merchandise shop with an array of options from clothing to toys, and then more music memorabilia present ALL THROUGHOUT (ARD 2OCK IS ALSO in talks with more musicians to

donate their iconic items to serve AS DECOR 4HEN THE GUESTS CAN ORder from the menu composed of k LLING !MERICAN INSPIRED MEALS BAR GRUB AND A SELECTION OF DRINKS “Hard Rock is a timeless BRAND )T APPEALS TO ALL FROM eight- to 80-years-old, to families, to those who want a drink, to those who want to listen, and TO EVERYONE REALLY )T S VERY DIFFERENT FROM JUST A RESTAURANT u

Highlighting musical experiences In addition to the specialty food and drinks, Hard Rock Cafe continues to take pride in having the best night out with music and live PERFORMANCES )N LINE WITH THIS continued tradition, the guitar smash was done at the Manila relaunch, which is a must at every Hard Rock Cafe opening all

Q Hard Rock Cafe International and The Bistro Group executives at the symbolic guitar smash, the traditional way to open Hard Rock Cafes worldwide. (From left) Steve Yang, Hard Rock International area vice-president of development and operations for Asia Pacific; Pineda; William Stelton, The Bistro Group’s chairman and CEO; Anibal Fernandez, Hard Rock int’l vice-president of franchise operations; and Jean Paul Manuud, The Bistro Group’s President and COO.

Q Rock legend Arnel Pineda began his journey to stardom at Hard Rock Cafe in Manila. AROUND THE WORLD For the opening party, the team also invited Filipino rock legend Arnel Pineda to set the tone for how the bar and restaurant SHOULD BE !ND FOR THE kRST TIME in a while, he performed in front OF AN INTIMATE CROWD Asked why Pineda was chosen, it turned out that the music superSTAR ACTUALLY PERFORMED AT THE kRST Hard Rock Cafe way before he was DISCOVERED AND HIS CAREER TOOK OFF “Our slot was on a Sunday and people didn’t usually go out on that day, so that was a challenge,�

Pineda recalled his early times at THE (ARD 2OCK (E AND HIS BAND covered songs by other famous acts like The Beatles and Led ZepPELIN 3OON AFTER AND EVEN DURING off days, their band started to draw IN LARGER CROWDS Pineda is best known as the vocalist of international rock band Journey but like most artists, it took a WHILE BEFORE GETTING HIS BIG BREAK )T can be remembered that a YouTube video became the tool for Journey to DISCOVER THEIR NEW FRONTMAN “This is a part of my life that I missed doing because when

Journey found me in 2007, I’ve STOPPED DOING THIS u 0INEDA EXpressed, “We have a very, very good RELATIONSHIP ) FEEL VERY MUCH AT HOME ) WOULD LOVE THIS TO HAPPEN AGAIN u HE ENDED Through Pineda, Hard Rock aims to emphasize the music their place OFFERS ! LOT OF UNKNOWN AND STARTUP bands actually had their start by performing at the famous bar and restaurant, such as Imagine Dragons AND A LOT OF + POP GROUPS The new Hard Rock Cafe is located at S Maison of Conrad MaNILA AT THE -ALL OF !SIA #OMPLEX

Q Another famous part of Hard Rock Cafe is their merchandise, ranging from clothing to toys.

Hotel room booking made easy in ‘super app’ Q Brian Cu, Grab Philippines president

GONE are the days when hotel room reservations mean calling the establishment via landline or going directly to its concierge and TALKING TO A RESERVATION OFkCER Today, anyone who wants to reserve a room can easily tap their screens and confirm THEIR BOOKINGS Now imagine having the ease of booking hotel rooms using the same app one would use to book A RIDE GOING THERE Grab, popular among Filipinos as a ride-hailing and later food delivery app, is now adding a special function that allows users to book hotel rooms without LEAVING THE APP “We have partnered with Agoda AND "OOKING COM AND THIS ALLOWS you to book a hotel accommodation without leaving the Grab app,� Grab president Brian Cu noted during the company’s anNIVERSARY KICKOFF CELEBRATION But that is not the only update in this app that celebrates its seventh YEAR IN THE COUNTRY 'RAB WILL SOON

be the super app that will suit the DIGITAL LIFESTYLE OF ITS USERS This year, users will be able to stream on-demand video content through its partnership with Hooq, one of the leading Southeast Asian video-streaming providers that has over 10,000 HOURS OF CONTENT ON ITS BELT 'RAB AND (OOQ S PARTNERSHIP IS THE kRST of its kind integration between a regional digital platform and a leading OTT service provider (online video streaming) in Southeast Asia and represents a hockey-stick moment for both digital services AND ONLINE VIDEO IN THE REGION Likewise, Grab users will be able to use the app to book for their movie tickets in advance through the soon-to-be-launched Tickets service tile powered by its partnerSHIP WITH 3- #INEMAS "UT THAT S NOT ALL 4HE APP IS LIVing up to its label of super app with THE INTEGRATION OF MORE SERVICES App users will soon have access to GrabBillsPay, a solution that

allows GrabPay account holders to use their digital wallets to pay FOR UTILITY BILLS Likewise, through its partnership with the SM Group, Grab is bringing GrabPay outside of the Grab app and into the SM Group’s WIDE PORTFOLIO OF MERCHANTS 4HE partnership will see Grab’s QR code payments solution being deployed across the merchant partner OF THE 3- 'ROUP WITHIN THE YEAR “As an everyday super app, Grab strives to provide the best solutions to the everyday needs of Filipino consumers, bringing them closer to THINGS THAT MATTER TO THEM 4HROUGH constant innovation and evolution, we are turning our super app vision INTO A MORE CONCRETE REALITY 3OON Grab users can use the Grab platform for more services that help them meet THEIR DAILY NEEDS u #U DECLARED

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Biggest celebration Besides its new and upcoming services, Grab users are also in for

a treat as the company celebrates ITS SEVENTH ANNIVERSARY More than P7 million worth of treats are up for grabs until June 6, with the first week focused on Grab services, and the second week giving premium to 'RAB S PARTNERS Promos range from P77 discounts for GrabCar, P777 cashback for GrabPay, P7 Grab BUNDLES AND MORE )T WILL ALSO HOLD A RAFlE FOR ITS Grab Anniversary Gifts, wherein seven lucky winners per day for SEVEN DAYS WILL RECEIVE GIFT CERTIkCATES FROM 'RAB S PARTNERS But the biggest among its many promotions is the awarding of SEVEN RAFlE WINNERS WITH MILLION 'RAB2EWARDS 0OINTS EACH “Sharing the love has always been at the core of Grab, and as we celebrate our seventh year in business, we want to give back to Filipino consumers who helped us reach where we are right now,� #U kNALLY NOTED CHRISTINA ALPAD

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Funtimes

FRIDAY May 31, 2019

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Solution to puzzle

» CROSSWORD

BY EUGENE SHEFFER

»HOROSCOPE Today’s Birthday (05/31/19). You and your partner grow stronger together this year. Carefully nurture shared investments. Extra summer moolah leads to a kink in your shared cash flow. By next summer, collaborative finances gush before an income plot twist. Solutions arise in conversation. To get the advantage, check the day’s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging. ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19) -- Today is an 8 -- Take advantage of a lucrative opportunity. Provide excellence. Hold yourself to high standards. Put love into your work, and demand for it grows. TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20) -- Today is an 8 -- Dress for success. You’re making a good impression. Invite others to participate with a personal passion. Learn from another’s mistake. Friends share opportunities. GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20) -- Today is a 6 -- Finish up old business before starting a new project. Indulge retrospection and nostalgic reflection. Muse over old photos as you archive and file. CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22) -- Today is a 7 -- Not everybody agrees. Stay out of someone else’s argument. Ignore detractors. Engage in positive discussions for practical solutions. Go for distance, not speed. LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22) -- Today is an 8 -- Consider professional HWKLFV ,W¶V SRVVLEOH WR GR ZHOO DQG EHQH¿W WKH ZRUOG WRR $GYDQFH \RXU career in a sustainable direction. Pursue satisfying work opportunities. VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22) -- Today is an 8 -- Plan your adventures, and leave time for spontaneous fun. Conferences, seminars and classes provide valuable information and good connections. Study your best route.

» SUDOKU

BY NANCY BLACK LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22) -- Today is an 8 -- Don’t worry about money, but don’t spend a lot either. Review budgets to monitor expenses. Make payments, and send invoices. Your partner is impressed. SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21) -- Today is a 9 -- Take your partnership to another level. Express your appreciation and admiration. Take advantage of a lucky break. Circumstances dictate actions. Share the love. SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21) -- Today is an 8 -- Practice for a physical challenge. Take your training to new heights. You’re developing stamina and strength. Slow and steady wins the race. CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19) -- Today is a 9 -- Enjoy delicious conversation and curiosity with someone attractive. Cook up something interesting. Raise the level of a flirtation. Love is in the air. AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18) -- Today is a 7 -- Sink into a practical domestic phase. Conserve resources, and cook simple fare. Do laundry, and clean closets and drawers. Tend your garden with love. PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20) -- Today is an 8 -- Consider the situation from all sides. Prepare to make your case. Creative efforts bear fruit. Polish your presentation before sharing. Make key connections.

$VWURORJHU 1DQF\ %ODFN FRQWLQXHV KHU PRWKHU /LQGD %ODFN¶V legacy horoscopes column. She welcomes comments and quesWLRQV RQ 7ZLWWHU #/LQGD&%ODFN )RU PRUH DVWURORJLFDO LQWHUSUHWDWLRQV OLNH WRGD\¶V *HPLQL KRURVFRSH YLVLW /LQGD %ODFN $VWURORJ\ E\ clicking daily horoscopes, or go to www.nancyblack.com.) NANCY BLACK. 'LVWULEXWHG E\ 7ULEXQH &RQWHQW $JHQF\ //& BY ROGER SEVILLA

Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 square contains the digits 1 to 9 with no repeats. Solution from yesterday’s puzzle.

PAGE FROM THE PAST

Today, we look back at an old front page of The Manila Times, the oldest national daily that was founded on October 11, 1898. (Note: This image was adjusted to fit the page.)

FFRIDAY R I DAY MAY 31, 2019

Entertainment

E4 Q Megan Young

www.manilatimes.net

Megan Young denies she and Mikael Daez are secretly married R UMORS circulated fast a couple of weeks ago that 2013 Miss World Megan Young and her boyfriend Mikael Daez have married secretly. The news could NOT BE CONkRMED BECAUSE THE COUPLE WERE out of the country traveling. The more that people started believing the rumors thinking the two were in their honeymoon.

Showbuzz was fortunate to catch Megan in her usual bubbly self when she attended the story conference for her new series in GMA. “Long time, no see,� she exclaimed as she greeted Showbuzz with a kiss on the cheek. “It has been eight months since my last soap. I did not notice that I’ve been away from acting that long. I got busy with so many things.� A big chunk of that eight months was actually devoted by Megan and boyfriend Mikael Daez to traveling, both domestic and international. “As you know, Mik and I love traveling. In those travels, we were able to shoot for our vlog and finally launch our podcast among other things. I’m so glad that we were able to do that before we go back to taping,� shared Megan. When the offer for her to do a new soap came, Megan was somewhat hoping that she would be with Mikael in the show. She really enjoyed working with her boyfriend. “The vibe was good. I learned a lot from him. And even if we have been together for long as boyfriend-girlfriend, I still learned a lot of things about him like yung working habits niya, how he is in the set. But at the same time, I’m also happy na iba naman ang makakasama ko. I feel that I will be challenged more because panibagong co-worker. I’m gonna have

to learn how to work with different people and I always consider it a challenge.� The new series that Megan will do is far from her last soap, “The Stepdaughters.� This

wa nga ako kasi even my mom asked me,

SHOWBUZZ LHAR SANTIAGO

Doing a horror project is something new for Megan. When she was told that she was doing a series with supernatural elements, she immediately said yes. “In reality, sobrang takot ako sa multo,� she admitted. “I don’t WATCH HORROR kLMS ALSO HORROR TV shows. Matatakutin talaga ako because of Chucky. I watched that movie nung bata pa ko at sobrang

takot na takot ako.�

Q Young with long-time boyfriend Mikael Daez

new project will once again challenge her acting ability. What excites her is the concept, something new for the time slot the series will air. “The concept is medyo thriller, horror. Actually, it’s scary, not only because of its genre but because it’s something new and I feel like OK lang na matakot kami because it’s a good sign. We should always be nervous so that you will give your best to make the project work.�

4HIS IS THE kRST TIME THAT -EGAN is working with her co-stars in the new series. There is Kris Bernal, Kim Domingo and Rayver Cruz. “I’m so excited to work with Rayver, Kris and Kim. It’s always nice to have new co-workers. We have already done our workshop for our soap. I feel that the chemistry is there already. We just have to work on it at mangyayari lang yun when we start taping.� The character that Megan portrays is named Yvie, a strong-willed woman. Megan said she can identify with Yvie’s empowered personality. “Solid siya, strong siya, so katulad ni Mayumi, my character in ‘The Stepdaughters.’ Si Yvie,

malakas ang dating niya, malakas ang self-awareness niya at malakas ang loob niya. She’s the type na kapag may nakakatakot, pupuntahan niya. Tapos yung audience sasabihin, 'huwag, huwag kang pupunta dun.'�

After she talked lengthily about work, Showbuzz asked Megan directly if she is affected by the rumor that she is secretly married already to Mikael.

“Hindi, kasi hindi siya totoo,�

she replied quickly. “Natata-

‘Anak, kasal na ba kayo?’ Huh?! How can it happen? Bakit parang alam ng ibang tao bago mangyari? I

just laugh about it but I know that there will always be fake news. We cannot also avoid people from believing the rumors because they see me and Mik together acter is willing to shell out the in different places. Yung mga money but in exchange, Sanya post namin, minsan, sweet, so will have to give herself to Pancho. “We will know kung papayag ba people will think na, ‘ah, ganun na nga.’ But no, we are not mar- ang karakter ko na maging kapalit ried and people don’t have to ng malaking halaga ang kanyang dangal. It has a really exciting believe the fake news.� plot,� shared Sanya. NNN There is one thing though 4HERE WILL DEkNITELY BE STEAMY love scenes in the GMA afternoon that is bothering Sanya when series “Dahil Sa Pag-ibig� top- it comes to doing her daring billed by Sanya Lopez. The story scenes in the show — her older calls for it and Sanya is very much brother Jak Roberto. “Sa ngayon, he is not saying aware that she’ll have to go an extra mile from the usual daring anything dahil wala pa siyang nascenes that she does. It was made kikita. Wait when my love scenes clear to her when the soap was are shown. I could offered to her. Of course, it will almost see his be done in such a way that it will r e a c t i o n . not be offensive to the afternoon T h e r e televiewers. It will still be in good h a v e taste. But Sanya swears that in all b e e n honesty, she feels nervous. What really gives Sanya the strength is her having very supportive co-stars like Benjamin Alves, Pancho Magno and Winwyn Marquez. “I will have intimate scenes with Benjamin because we play husband and wife in the series. With Pancho, I don’t want to say anything. I will not preempt what will happen between his character and mine,� Sanya enthused. In the story, Sanya is the wife of an OFW played by Benjamin who works in the Middle East. Benjamin’s character gets involved in a crime and he needs a big amount of money to be free. Sanya frantically searches for people who could help her send money to her husband. Pancho’s char- Q Sanya Lopez

times when he would ask me, ‘O,

bakit ganyan ang suot mo? Bakit ginawa mo yung eksenang yun?’ Siyempre I would just keep quiet. Very protective kasi yang si kuya sa akin,� she reasoned out. On the set, Sanya is so happy WITH HER CO STARS )T S THE kRST TIME that she is working with Wyn but they are already very close. “She’s my biggest influence when it comes to K-Pop culture. Because of her, gusto ko na rin yung Black Pink, BTS. Grabe si Wyn, sobrang alam niya yata lahat yung tungkol sa K-Pop kaya

nahahawa ako. Ang sarap niyang kasama, sobrang bait,� she said.

“But you will have to wait for my scenes with her,� Sanya cautioned. “Hindi lang sam-

palan, sabunutan, suntukan. It’s more than that. Grabe yung confrontation, yung batuhan ng mga linya. Ay, iba talaga. Bawat salita parang babaon sa dibdib. Be-

lieve me, the audience would love it,� Sanya assured. NNN SHORTS... After Juancho Trivino and Joyce Pring announced that they are already a couple, Showbuzz got info that they are already attending pre-marital counseling in their church. Preparing to take their relationship to the next level?... Aiko Melendez and Eddie Garcia are back as Kapuso. Aiko will start taping for an afternoon series while Eddie is doing a big project for primetime.

Âťglobalspotlight 'Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge'offers new world at Disneyland ANAHEIM, California: "Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge" is on the same land as Disneyland, but stepping into the new attraction transports visitors to an entirely different world. The theme park offered media a glimpse into Galaxy’s Edge. The exclusive tour included a "Star Wars"-themed food tasting, a stroll through the Black Spire Outpost marketplace and four-minute ride on the Millennium Falcon. A firsthand look took place a couple days before Galaxy’s Edge opens at the California theme park on Friday (Saturday in Manila). That’s when guests with a prereservation can experience the largest single-themed land created in a Disney park. Disney officials said it took more the five years to develop and finish the attraction. “I’m very excited about being this close to inviting guests and our biggest fans to join us at the edge of the galaxy,â€? said Scott Trowbridge, portfolio creative executive and studio leader at Walt Disney Imagineering. He spoke in front of the First Order TIE echelon spaceship. “We had the fans in mind the whole time,â€? he said. “We’ve been able to kind of open it up to them and invite them to kind of join us on this remote outpost planet.â€? Disney christened the land with a firework display and an assembly of some of biggest names in the “Star Warsâ€? universe: creator George Lucas and actors Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Billy Dee Williams. Galaxy’s Edge is an adventure through the grungy planet Batuu, a remote world in the newest “Star Warsâ€? trilogy, and the fight between the Resistance and the evil First Order. The sprawling 14-acre land has three different areas including the Resistance, First Order and the Village. Guests can build their own droids and lightsabers and interact with aliens . They can also step into the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon, the exact replica of the ship from the films, measuring more than 100 feet long. The interactive experience allows a team of six people to operate the spacecraft during the interactive experience. Some familiar faces including Rey, Finn, Kylo Ren and fan-favorite Chewbacca will be a part of the adventure as visitors explore the immersive world. Guests can take a swig of the same kind of blue milk that made an appearance with Luke Skywalker in “Star Wars: A New Hope.â€? The dairy-free milk is a frozen blend with dashes of citrus taste. Disneyland was the second most popular theme park in the world last year with 18.6 million visitors. It is second only to Disney World in Florida, where a version of Galaxy’s Edge is scheduled to open August 29. AP

Q Walt Disney Co. Chairman and CEO Bob Iger (second from right) open the attraction with (from left) 'Star Wars' creator George Lucas and actors Billy Dee Williams, Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford.

Q It took more than the five years to develop and finish 'Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge.' AP PHOTOS

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