Manila Standard - 2016 September 11 - Sunday

Pinoy film in Venice fest VENICE—Another Filipino film was among the movies to be featured in the world’s oldest and coveted Golden Lion film festival.

The film, “The Woman Who Left,” directed by renowned director Lav Diaz, is about a wrongly convicted schoolteacher plots revenge against the exboyfriend who framed her, disguising

herself in a bid to get close to her quarry.

Other films in the 73rd edition of the Venice film festival are: Ana Lily Amirpour (US), “Bad Batch”: In this cannibal love story with Jim Carrey and Keanu Reeves, a young girl wanders a desert wasteland in a futuristic United States before getting Next page sliced up limb by limb.

VOL. XXX • NO. 211 • 4 SECTIONS 20 PAGES • P18 • SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2016 • www.thestandard.com.ph • editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Duterte: Beware of more bombings

By Sara D. Fabunan and Francisco Tuyay

COLORS OF PHILIPPINE WATERS. A young lady marvels at a colorful display of corals at the Manila Ocean Park aquarium in Manila on Saturday. Danny Pata

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday warned the public of more bombings as Philippine National Police chief Ronald dela Rosa confirmed that a group linked to the so-called Islamic State was behind the Davao night market blast that killed 14 people and hurt 70 others.

“There will be more [bombings] because of retaliations, reprisals,” Duterte said upon his arrival at the Davao International Airport after his working visit to Indonesia.

The President did not reveal details because of ongoing investigations and said the matter was an issue of national security.

“But there will be a day of reckoning. Wait for it,” the President said as Dela Rosa confirmed that the suspect in the Davao blast was a member of a group that has pledged allegiance to the terrorist Islamic State.

“They share the same faith as that of the Abu Sayyaf group. They both pledged allegiance to ISIS,” Dela Rosa said at the Mimaropa regional police office which celebrated its anniversary on Saturday.

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Rody: PH no lackey Asserts ‘independent’ foreign policy stance

Digong: Criticism a media obligation

By Funny Pearl Gajunera

D

AVAO CITY—Returning from an overseas trip where he insulted both the president of the United States and the secretary-general of the United Nations, President Rodrigo Duterte declared here Saturday that the Philippines will pursue an independent foreign policy.

“In our relations with the world, the Philippines will pursue an independent foreign policy. I repeat: the Philippines will pursue an independent foreign policy,” Duterte said in his arrival statement early Saturday.

“We will observe and must insist on the time-honored principles of sovereignty, sovereign equality, non-interference, and the commitment of a peaceful settlement of disputes. Let us serve our people and protect the interests of our country,” Duterte explained.

Duterte made the pronounce-

ment after the 28th and 29th summits of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Vientiane, Laos and a working visit to Indonesia.

Duterte reported he had bilateral meetings with Japan, Laos, New Zealand, Russia, Singapore and Vietnam at the sidelines of the Asean summit and he said he raised concerns on peace, security and stability in the region.

“I expressed the Philippines’ concern over the developments of South China Sea. I stressed our Next page

By Sara D. Fabunan

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. President Rodrigo Duterte holds two thumbs up as he reported on his first appearance on the world stage upon his arrival at the F. Bangoy International Airport in Davao City early Saturday.

DESPITE the blame the Duterte administration has heaped on media, President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday urged journalists to criticize him if he is doing something wrong in his job because it is their duty to the public.

“Do not hesitate to attack me, criticize me, if I do wrong in my job,” Duterte told reporters, after being asked if he is angry at journalists for reports that caused tension between him and some foreign leaders.

“I am not at liberty to be angry at anybody. It is your sworn duty to ask questions. It is also my obligation to my people for the money spent in this trip and Next page

Cops nab vice mayor in matrix

154 Sinos arrested in Pampanga

Lawmaker revives bill on new disaster agency

By Sara D. Fabunan and Francisco Tuyay

AGENTS of the Bureau of Immigration arrested 154 Chinese nationals for possible violation of immigration laws and alleged involvement in illegal online gambling in Pampanga.

Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said the foreigners were apprehended during a raid of the suspects’ rented unit at the 2nd and 3rd floors of the Dong Gwang annex bldg. in Clark Field, Angeles City.

Members of the BI Intelligence Division and Angeles City Police Office, led by Sr. Supt Sidney Villaflor, conducted the raid.

The arresting agents were armed with a mission order from the BI chief after the aliens’ presence in the building was confirmed

LEYTE Rep. Yedda Marie K. Romualdez has revived a proposal in Congress to create a Department of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management which shall have its own budget and technical expertise to handle disaster response situations.

In filing House Bill 344, Romualdez, wife of former House Independent Bloc leader and exLeyte Rep. Martin Romualdez, stressed the need to enact a measure that advocates disaster preparedness and effective emergency response protocols to ably help victims of disasters and calamities.

“The Philippines is one of the countries that is often visited by strong typhoons. Around 19 tropical storms enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility in a typi-

ONE of the local government officials in President Rodrigo Duterte’s matrix of drug lords and protectors was brought to the Department of Justice for inquest on Saturday after he was arrested on drug and gun charges and suspicion of involvement in the Davao City bombing last week.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II confirmed that Talitay, Maguindanao Vice Mayor Abdulwahab Sabal, his wife Mohanna, his bodyguard Nasser Maulana and driver Norodin Abas, faced inquest proceedings shortly after they were arrested in Awang Airport in Maguindanao.

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INQUEST. Talitay, Maguindanao Vice Mayor Abdulwahab Sabal and his wife Mohanna are escorted to the Department of Justice for an inquest proceeding after he was arrested at the Awang Airport in Maguindanao.

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By Maricel V. Cruz

cal year and, of these, usually 6 or 9 make landfall,” Romualdez said in the bill’s explanatory note.

She said that the story of devastation brought by super typhoon “Yolanda” (international code name Haiyan) and the story of recovery and rebuildung in the aftermath of the typhoon should move leaders of Congress to create an appropriate agency.

“Notwithstanding all the disaster preparation and coordination plans, there were still significant losses of life, injury, and damage to property when Typhoon Yolanda, considered as the world’s strongest typhoon ever recorded, hit the Philippine Territory,” she said.

“Despite the government’s efforts and preparations, thousands of people perished. Damage to business, property and agriculture Next page

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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2016 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Mexico allows dengue shots M EXICO CITY—While the world awaits a Zika vaccine, the first ever injection against dengue fever is spreading, with Mexico becoming next week the latest country where people can get the shot.

French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi is presenting its Dengvaxia vaccine to doctors at an event in eastern Mexico on Saturday, while people aged nine to 45 will be able to get the shot from their physicians from Monday.

After public programs were launched in the Philippines and Brazil’s state of Parana this year, the company is rolling out the vaccine in the private sector in Mexico while health authorities prepare a public immunization plan.

The head of Sanofi’s dengue program, Guillaume Leroy, told AFP in Mexico City that the company already has one million doses ready in the country.

Leroy said it was difficult to estimate how much the vaccine will cost in Mexico as it will depend

on the distribution networks and the public vaccination program.

The mosquito-borne virus costs governments around the world $18 billion a year, Leroy said.

“We estimate that in Mexico and in other countries that the benefits will outweigh the costs of the [vaccine] intervention,” he said.

The company will have a “fair policy throughout the world and affordable for health authorities.”

Mexico was the first country in the world to give regulatory approval to the vaccine in December last year. Seven others followed suit, including Brazil, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Paraguay, Peru and the Philippines.

Sanofi is awaiting authorizations in 18 other countries.

The fast-growing disease in-

Rody:...

with Ban during the Asean gala dinner, but skipped the AseanUN summit on the same day purportedly because he had to pay a courtesy call on Laotian President Bounnhang Vorachith.

Duterte shared details of his brief chat with Ban but said most of what they discussed are confidential.

“He did mention about human rights, and I responded very well and addressed myself to the body,” he said.

Duterte returned straight from Jakarta where he forged with Indonesian President Joko Widodo an agreement that will allow Indonesian law enforcers to enter Philippine waters in pursuit of pirates.

“My meeting with President Widodo was very productive and fruitful. We discussed ways of strengthening existing bilateral cooperation and identified new areas of partnership, including maritime security and in law enforcement,” Duterte said.

Duterte also raised the case of Mary Jane Veloso who was sentenced to death by an Indonesian court after she was caught with 2.5 kilograms of cocaine inside her luggage at an Indonesian airport in 2010.

The President declined to divulge details of the discussion but Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. said Veloso’s execution has been postponed indefinitely.

“This is not an urgent issue as of now, let’s finish the process,” Yasay said.

“Her scheduled execution had been deferred because she would be testifying in the deposition case against her illegal recruiter. After prosecuting the illegal recruiter and if it turns out that Mary Jane [was] a victim, then we can ask for clemency soon,” Yasay added.

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commitment to a peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with international law, including [the UN Convention on the Law of the Seas].”

“I called leaders to support individual and collective efforts to bring security and stability in the South China Sea through a rulesbased approach for resolving maritime disputes,” he said.

“My message was clear: the Philippines is open for business.

My administration will do its part in providing the environment for businesses to thrive and prosper, including micro, small, and medium enterprises,” Duterte said.

But his first foreign mission also grabbed the international limelight after he called US President Barack Obama a “son of a whore” and described UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon a “fool.”

Obama later canceled scheduled bilateral talks, but the two leaders did have a chance to talk privately shortly before the summit’s gala dinner on September 7.

The following day, however, during the 11th East Asia Summit, Duterte again flashed his well-known anti-American sentiments and assailed the US for the massacre of 600 Tausug villagers during the First Battle of Bud Dajo in March 1906 at Sulu island.

At the same meeting, Duterte also praised China—with whom the Philippines has an ongoing dispute over territorial incursions in the West Philippine Sea—for being “generous” to the Philippines after it committed to help build a national drug rehab center in Nueva Ecija.

He also met and shook hands

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“The respondents had no lawyers during the inquest proceedings,” Aguirre said, adding that the suspects are facing charges of violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act, illegal possession of firearms and explosives.

Aguirre said they are also under investigation for involvement in the Davao City night market blast that killed 14 people and hurt 70 others after the PNP said drug lords may have financed the bombing.

The DOJ chief said the suspects arrived at the department at 10 a.m. and were presented to Assistant State Prosecutor Gino Paolo Santiago for inquest before they were brought to the PNP Detention Center in Camp Crame, Quezon City.

“By next week, we will know if there will be a case filed,” Santiago said, adding that Sabal and other suspects were brought to DOJ for inquest because they were arrested at the airport without a warrant of arrest.

The town mayor was arrested on the same day three suspected members of the Abu Sayyaf Group were nabbed in Zamboanga City Friday.

Supt. Rogelio Alabata, Zamboanga City police spokesman, identified the suspected terrorists as Jamar Musa, 44, Ahmad Tandih, 33 and Omar Kumbing, 36.

Alabata said the three suspects were among the bandits who slipped from Sulu at the height of the military’s massive operations in Patikul town that

left 30 Abu Sattaf and 15 soldiers dead.

“The three ASG members allegedly tasked to conduct bombing operations in Zamboanga City as monitored by the intelligence community after the Davao City bombing that killed 14 people and wounded 70 others.

A day after the Davao City blast, Zamboanga City Mayor Maria Isabel Climaco ordered the intensification of police and military strict security measures against possible terror acts by terrorist at her jurisdiction.

“In fact, we asked for the police and the military to fortify their defenses against potential bomb attack in Zamboanga City,” Climaco said in response to looming threats.

The arrest of the ASG suspects came after personnel of the City’s police office, Special Weapons and Tactics, police Regional Public Safety battalion and Naval Intelligence Security Group conducted operations in Zamboanga City around 3:20 a.m. Friday.

Seized from the suspects were two fragmentation grenades, a caliber 38 revolver with six live bullets and two cellphones. “It is believed that the arrested ASG members belongs to the Ajang Ajang Group,” Alabata said.

Chief Supt. Billy Beltran, acting Zamboanga regional police director, commended his men for a job well done in stopping a possible bombing in Zamboanga City.

The three suspects are now detained at the Zamboanga City Police Station in Sta. Maria.

fects as many as 400 million people every year, according to the World Health Organization, which has endorsed the vaccine.

Sanofi’s research and development work took 20 years, costing more than 1.5 billion euros ($1.7 billion).

Now, Sanofi and other pharmaceutical firms are racing to find a weapon against Zika, which like dengue is carried by the Aedes aegypti mosquito.

“Developing a vaccine against Zika will be easier after developing a vaccine against dengue,” Leroy said, noting that the viruses share genetic similarities.

“All these investments [on dengue] through more than 100 collaborations worldwide allow us today to gain a lot of time on different vaccinal approaches” against Zika, he said.

Some 70 countries and territories have reported local mosquito-borne Zika transmission, with Brazil by far the hardest hit and the WHO declaring it a public health emergency.

Zika causes only mild symptoms for most people such as fever and a

rash, but infected pregnant women can give birth to babies with microcephaly, a deformation marked by abnormally small brains and heads.

Scientists had also long been stumped by dengue, which has four separate strains, forcing researchers to find a drug able to fight all of them at once.

Dengue can trigger a crippling fever, along with muscle and joint pain.

But clinical tests on 40,000 people from 15 countries found Dengvaxia can immunize two-thirds of people aged nine years and older, rising to 93 percent for the more severe form of the disease, dengue hemorrhagic fever.

It was also found to reduce the risk of hospitalization by 80 percent.

Brazil launched a public immunization program for 500,000 people in Parana in August, while the Philippines has injected 489,000 public school children aged nine since it became in April the first country to use the vaccine.

Philippines health department spokesman Eric Tayag said authorities followed WHO recommenda-

tions, which say it should not be given to children under nine years old.

“We are tracking each child” to look for any sign of dengue or side effects, Tayag said.

Some scientists have voiced concerns about studies showing that the vaccine could give dengue to people who have never had the virus.

Scott Halstead, founder of the Pediatric Dengue Vaccine Initiative, told AFP that the WHO was “being hasty” in recommending the vaccine and that people should be tested to see if they have had dengue before being vaccinated.

“It’s not ethical to give a vaccine that harms someone,” Halstead said.

But Leroy noted that Dengvaxia, in addition to the WHO’s green light, is getting approval from government health regulators.

“It is a great solution and the first solution because dengue did not have until now any specific medial solution to treat this illness,” Leroy said, adding that Sanofi is conducting studies in Asia among younger people to see if the vaccine’s reach can expand. AFP

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for all the things that cost the Filipino, I have to make an official report. Wala akong galit sa inyo,” he said.

“Every time you press that button in your camera, you record history of this country and that’s why you’re important,” Duterte said.

The pronouncement was a radical shift from his stance against the media since he was elected president.

In June, then President-elect Duterte said he would boycott the media and decline to hold press conferences after the global media group Reporters Without Borders urged local journalists to boycott him until he apologizes for saying that some journalists deserved to be killed because they were corrupt.

But the President lifted his boycott on August 1 after induct-

154...

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as a result of intensive surveillance for several weeks.

“The sustained effort to weed out illegal aliens and undocumented foreign nationals continues to gain ground with the help of our partners in law enforcement and the community,” Morente said.

The arrested Chinese nationals will undergo summary deportation proceedings for violating the conditions of their stay in the Philippines and for engaging in activities inimical to the public interest.

BI spokesperson Antonette Mangrobang explained that the mission order directed the Intelligence Di-

Lawmaker...

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were in such magnitude that economic activities were placed at a standstill,” Romualdez added.

She also said the threat of climate change—a global phenomenon— warrants the creation of the new department dedicated to disasterresponse operations.

“Due to climate change, typhoons get stronger. We do not know when the next one will strike,” she stressed, adding that the country should also brace for experts warning of the “Big One” earthquake to rock Metro Manila.

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Dela Rosa said the police have already identified the person who actually planted the bomb at a massage booth at the Roxas night market in Davao City last September 7 but declined to reveal the suspect’s name because of the ongoing investigation.

He said terrorism and multiple murder charges are being prepared against the suspect, who was earlier said to be around 30 years old with a slim build and between 5’7 to 5’8 in height.

Duterte said he will have to assess if Davao City is still an appropriate venue for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations that the country will be hosting next year.

“That will depend on the security of Davao City. I would have to listen to the military and the police for an accurate assessment,” he said.

“We do not want any bloody thing here,” Duterte said. “I have stated my case very clearly: we are in a state of lawlessness. I do not need any additional power.”

Pinoy...

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ing government appointees in Malacañang Palace.

While in Jakarta Friday, Duterte blamed the media for “spinning” his remarks when he called US President Barack Obama a “son of a whore” before leaving the Philippines.

“I never made statement … it’s just a media spin. I never confronted Obama—I don’t know him— before taking off from Davao,” Duterte told hundreds of Filipinos at the Indonesian capital.

He claimed that media mistranslated “p****g ina” to mean “son of a whore” when it actually means “son of a b*tch” or “son of a gun” or “f*ck you.”

“A whore is [a] very terrible thing to hear,” Duterte said. “I was talking all along in the dialect.”

But he also said he understands that people commit mistakes, some with malice and some without. If the mistake “is just a mere shortfall of talent, let it slide. I would like

to presume that you did it without malice,” he said, adding that he would appreciate an apology for a shortcoming in reporting.

He also added that it is not his problem if “the other side,” the international media, has interpreted his statement in a wrong way stressing that he is only answerable to the Filipino people.

“If the other side, interpreted it in a way they wanted it, that’s their problem. After all, I am not a player of the international community. I only answer to the Filipino people,” he said.

While he is not mad at the media, Duterte also took a dig at opinion writers are “living a low life.”

“I’m sure that if you’re a Filipino, you’d be proud of me. Well, of course, for the low lifes in the press, some of the columnists, nothing is really too-good-to-be-true.

I’ll leave you with that problem,” Duterte said.

vision to conduct operations and verify status of subjects.

The Chinese nationals are confined in an Immigration facility in Clark.

The arrest of the 154 Chinese nationals happened only three days after the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency arrested seven other Chinese citizens during a raid on a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory inside a pig farm in Magalang, Pampanga.

Wilkins Villanueva, head of the PDEA in Central Luzon, said the laboratory was built underground inside a pig farm, called the Jay Wong Hog Farm, which is near the Regional Training Center of the Philippine National Police and the Central Luzon Drug Rehabilitation Center.

“The shabu lab is a research and development laboratory of an international drug syndicate,” Villanueva said, adding that the laboratory had been operating for more than a decade.

“The seizure and arrests proved that our law enforcement agencies are working as one and that cooperation and the sharing of information are most effective in combating the illegal drugs trade,” said Senior Supt. Graciano Mijares.

A source in Camp Crame said Police Chief Ronald dela Rosa was appalled by the discovery of the shabu laboratory. He asked the police to look into the possible connivance of rogue policemen and government officials in the shabu lab operation.

Stephane Brize (France), “A Woman’s Life”: In this rich period drama set in 19th century France, a childlike baroness is tormented by a dishy local viscount.

Damien Chazelle (US), “La La Land”: This humdinger, starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, about a struggling jazz pianist and his actress girlfriend pays tribute to the Golden Age of American musicals.

Derek Cianfrance (US), “The Light Between Oceans”: Real-life couple Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander play a husband and wife on a remote island faced with a terrible choice when a baby washes up in a boat.

Massimo D’Anolfi and Martina Parenti (Italy), “Spira Mirabilis”: This odd work examines man’s thirst for immortality, culminating with an interview with a Japanese jellyfish expert.

Gaston Duprat and Mariano Cohn (Argentina), “The Distinguished Citizen”: A Nobel Prizewinning author returns to his village for the first time in 40 years in this comedy about fame and art.

Amat Escalante (Mexico), “The Untamed”: There’s something nasty in the woodshed—or rather a cabin in the Guanajuato countryside, where an extraterrestrial, tentacled creature sexually pleasures the brave and foolhardy.

Tom Ford (US), “Nocturnal Animals”: A gripping romantic thriller about former lovers (Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal), with a bitter and violent revenge tale told as a story within the story.

Roan Johnson (Italy), “Piuma”: Cate and Ferro are just 18 when she falls pregnant in this lighthearted teen comedy.

Andrei Konchalovsky (Russia), “Paradise”: Olga is arrested

by Nazi police for hiding Jewish children and shipped off to a concentration camp in this Holocaust drama, which explores the theme of love in hell.

Martin Koolhoven (The Netherlands), “Brimstone”: A mute young woman is persecuted by a vengeful priest in the 19th century American West in this relentlessly gloomy work, dubbed a “Protestant Western” by the Hollywood Reporter.

Emir Kusturica (Serbia), “On the Milky Road”: A milkman risks his life daily to cross the frontline on a donkey and bring his wares to the soldiers, until a mysterious Italian woman (Monica Bellucci) turns his life upside down.

Pablo Larrain (Chile), “Jackie”: A week after John F. Kennedy’s 1963 murder, his new widow (Natalie Portman) gives an interview to Life magazine in this piercing bio-drama.

Terrence Malick (US), “Voyage of Time: Life’s Journey”: The life and death of the universe is portrayed thanks to stunning special effects and real-life images taken from earth’s most sophisticated satellites. AFP

If passed into law, Romualdez said the new department will drastically reduce, if not totally eliminate, the bureaucratic red tape which has caused many delays in the delivery of immediate and much-needed assistance by the victims.

Under her bill, the new department shall institutionalize policies, structures, coordination mechanisms, and programs with continuing budget appropriation on disaster preparedness and emergency management from national down to local levels.

The bill also provides that the department shall be an independent agency of the national government and shall maintain its principal of-

fice in Metro Manila and have regional offices nationwide for the implementation of its operations.

Among its functions would be to advise the government and other stakeholders on matters relating to disaster preparedness and emergency management, formulate standard operating procedures for the deployment of rapid assessment teams, information sharing among different government agencies and coordination before and after disasters at all levels, among others.

Romualdez’s proposal revives the measure filed by her husband who proposed a measure patterned after the United States’ Federal Emergency Management Agency

(FEMA) which operates 24/7, solely focused on monitoring weather disturbances and other calamities.

“In a country threatened on a regular basis by natural calamities like typhoons and earthquakes, we need a populace that knows what to do when disaster strikes,” the former congressman said.

“The painful lessons of Yolanda should prompt us to take steps to ensure that our people are equipped with knowledge that can help them be better prepared for disasters of this magnitude. Education is the necessary first step; a dedicated Department of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management is the next,” he added.

WELCOME HOME, MR. PRESIDENT. President Rodrigo Duterte is welcomed by security officials upon arrival at F. Bangoy International Airport in Davao City on Saturday.

Digong...

Duterte...

News

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2016

Emergency powers may cost P1.15t, Recto says

By Joel E. Zurbano

T

HE cost of President Rodrigo Duterte’s emergency traffic powers may run up to P1.15 trillion, or a third of the P3.35trillion national budget submitted to Congress, but many of the projects do not have price tags while others are non-essential, Senate Minority Leader Ralph Recto said Saturday.

Moreover, Recto said the Department of Transportation’s list of “must-do” projects include “long-gestating“ subways and airports that will take years to complete but lacks simple road

safety items that can be completed in a short time and save thousands of lives.

Recto said the simple purchase of ambulances and tow trucks could help ease traffic within

months because “emergency teams could rush to accident sites to help victims and clear traffic jam-causing road obstructions.”

Aside from saving lives, emergency medical teams (EMTs) can reduce the time when traffic is stopped and a road is blocked by an accident, Recto said. “And when perpetually parked cars narrow the three lanes of a highway into two, a tow truck can restore that road’s full carrying capacity in minutes.”

“And this is more urgent in the Philippine setting where road accidents are a leading cause of death plus the sad reality that

busy national roads are not fully utilized due to illegally parked cars,” he added.

“What use do we have a widened roads if these are turned into parking lots? It will be a waste of the money spent to build them and the time motorists who will be inconvenienced,” the senator said.

By Recto’s estimate, “hundreds” of mobile EMTs and tow trucks are needed. “In Metro Manila, we should have many roving tow trucks with disciplined government employees who will not mulct motorists and are dedicated to public service and not private gain.”He said the

deployment of EMTs together with projects to improve road safety, like street lighting, should be considered in the master plan of projects that can be launched by virtue of the emergency powers being mulled.

“The rising human toll from accidents compel this, especially in Metro Manila whose streets have long been disaster zones,” Recto stressed.

Last year, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority recorded 95,615 traffic accidents. “That’s an alarming 262 incidents a day, or one every five and a half minutes,” Recto said.

Solons support anti-drug campaign

ALWAYS PREPARED.

Malabon City boy scouts were the main participants in a tree-planting activity along C3 Road in Malabon City. Andrew Rabulan

Asean meet in 11 cities considered THE Philippines will host the 50th anniversary celebration of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations across 11 cities nationwide.

These events include the 30th Asean Summit in March and April to be held at Mactan Island, Cebu province and the 31st Asean Summit in August at Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga province.

During turnover ceremonies in Vientiane, Laos last Thursday, President Rodrigo Duterte accepted the Asean chairmanship for 2017 on behalf of the Filipino people. The official launch of the Philippine chairmanship will be on Jan. 5 in Davao City.

In preparation for the hosting, a video presentation was shown after the closing ceremonies of the 28th and 29th Asean Summits in Vientiane. The video highlighted the Philippines’ achievements as one of the Asean’s founding members in 1967 and the country’s contributions to the alliance.

THE Philippine Red Cross gave a lot of children the opportunity to be “lifesavers” on Saturday as they participated in the demonstrations of the skills they need to learn in line with the celebration of the World First Aid Day 2016.

For this year's celebration, PRC had partnered with the Manila Ocean Park to further strengthen their desire to boost the capability of children to perform the basic lifesaving skills they can use in times of emergencies, especially at home or anywhere when necessary.

As part of the partnership, Francis Low, executive vice president for Attraction China Oceanic Phils., Inc. Hotel H2O and Manila Ocean Park in the City of Manila, gave way for the free use of the Manila Ocean Park domed atrium for the activity.

DAYLIGHT KILLING. The girlfriend of alleged drug offender Franklin Bambico cradles her dead boyfriend moments after he was shot dead by men on a motorcycle in Baguio City on Friday. Police are still investigating the case. Harley Palangchao

MMDA chairman bucks abolition yarn METRO Manila Development Authority officer-in-charge Thomas Orbos has brushed aside rumors the agency will be abolished following the creation of a new group tasked to manage traffic in the National Capital Region.

“There is nothing to worry about because there is no truth about this [rumor]. We have to focus on our jobs and we have so much work to be done,” Orbos said during a meeting with employees last weekend.

The rumors followed the directive of Transportation Secretary Arturo Tugade creating the Interagency Council on Traffic (I-ACT) and the designation of Police-Highway Patrol Group

chief Antonio Gardiola Jr. as head of the council.

The council, composed of the MMDA, HPG, Land Transportation Office, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, and Armed Forces of the Philippines, was formed last month to promote cooperation in traffic congestion, commuters’ safety, anti-colorum operations, and enforcement of traffic rules.

Under the agreement, the Transportation department (DOTr) will now the lead agency in managing traffic in Metro Manila, where nearly 13 million people live, and the one that will supervise the team.

Before, the MMDA was the

government agency tasked to manage the traffic situation in Metro Manila.

But it is having a hard time tackling the worsening traffic problem which, it says, has been caused primarily by the increasing number of vehicles, the lack of infrastructure and the lack of discipline among motorists and pedestrians.

“Although traffic management is no longer with us, we still have the engineering and monitoring functions. Also, we now have more time to maximize the CCTVs [Closed-Circuit Television cameras] which [are] very helpful on the ground,” said Orbos.

Bill seeks 3-year limit to military chief’s tour A BILL proposing to prescribe a 36-month tour of duty for the Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff—vetoed by former President Benigno Aquino III four years ago—has been revived at the House of Representatives under the Duterte administration.

In filing House Bill 3402,

IN BRIEF

Red Cross teaches kids to save lives

By Maricel V. Cruz MEMBERS of the House committee on dangerous drugs have rallied behind the anti-illegal drugs campaign of the Duterte government while reassuring law enforcement agencies they would work on their budgetary needs and pass appropriate measures to strengthen their enforcement capabilities.

“Rest assured that each of our committee members will always be there to support you. We are allies in the governnent’s war versus illegal drugs,” Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said in a recent hearing conducted by his panel.

It was there where he assured officials of the Philippine National Police, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, and National Bureau of Investigation of the committee’s full support for their respective anti-illegal drugs operations.

“Each of us are (sic) potential victims of drug addicts and drug pushers. We will definitely give you what you need, as much as we can.

We will provide you with the necessary tools with respect to laws that we will craft in the future or perhaps amend existing laws, and will also give you budgetary support,” Barbers said.

Barbers said the committee is open to proposals which are new or seeking to amend existing laws especially in boosting enforcement capabilities of the PNP, NBI and PDEA to stop the drug problem.

So far, he said, there are 40 bills, four resolutions and four concurrent resolutions referred to the committee as of Aug. 31, 2016.

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mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Surigao del Norte Rep. Johnny Pimentel, member of the House committee on national defense and security, stressed “the quick turnover of AFP chiefs of staff has become counterproductive—even somewhat disruptive.”

“Over the last 30 years, the AFP has had 28 chiefs of staff who

each served an average of only 12 months. In the case of our last 10 chiefs of staff, each actually served only an average of seven months,” Pimentel said.

The AFP chief of staff’s counterpart in the United States—the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff—enjoys a fixed term of two

years, Pimentel pointed out.

“If we are to reinforce the military as our protector and defender of the national territory, we should give its chief operating officer a stable stint to carry out programs and projects with some degree of constancy,” Pimentel said.

Pimentel’s HB 3402 sets a three-year term for the chief of staff. When he or she reaches the compulsory military retirement age of 56 before completing the fixed term, his or her statutory forced retirement would be deferred.

The bill affirms the President’s absolute power, as commander-inchief of all armed forces, to remove the chief of staff “at will”—or at any time before the end of 36 months.

Since the 1986 People Power Revolution, the AFP has had only two chiefs of staff—Generals Renato de Villa and Lisandro Abadia—who were able to serve the maximum three years allowed by the 1987 Constitution.

The chief of staff who had the shortest stint was General Nestor Ochoa, who held the post in an acting capacity for just 10 days.

Maricel V. Cruz

Aside from traffic engineering and monitoring, Orbos said the MMDA would also give more attention on flood control, solid waste and urban planning projects.

“On solid waste, we are considering the waste to energy and waste segregation [scheme],” said Orbos.

Some MMDA officials said enforcers experienced difficulties in managing traffic also because ordinances and other policies of local government units have hampered the implementation of the agency’s programs to solve the worsening traffic situation in the metropolis.

Joel E. Zurbano

7 arrested for illegal modems GLOBE Telecom’s intensified campaign against fraudsters has led to the arrest of seven persons involved in the illegal sale of the company’s long-term evolution (LTE) modems.

Ronald Uychutin, vice president of Globe Telecom’s Security and Anti-Fraud and Investigation Division, said a series of entrapment operations by police and a Globe security team resulted in the arrest of seven suspects involved in the illegal sale of Globe modems.

Arrested were David King Esguerra, 33, from Nueva Ecija; John John Mamuyac, 28, from Quezon City; Marc Searle Arboleda and Ma. Joanna Garcia, both 25, from Bacoor, Cavite; Michael Pascua, 29, from Dasmariñas City; Thomas Jefferson, 33, from Bacoor, Cavite; and Angeline Manlapao, 20, from Mandaluyong City.

DoH head presses Cuba as paradigm

By Macon Ramos-Araneta HEALTH Secretary Jean Paulyn Rosell-Ubial, fresh from a trip to the Caribbean island nation of Cuba, has disclosed Havana’s willingness for cooperation with Manila like bilateral exchanges of visits by medical practitioners.

According to Ubial, the central point of the efficient and effective health system in Cuba is actually the human resource compliment, noting there is one doctor for every 1,075 persons.

While the World Health Organization standard is that for public health, there should be one doctor for every 20,000 population, Ubial noted that in the Philippines setting, the standard is one doctor for every 33,000 population.

She told a recent Senate hearing the Cuban health system produces adequate numbers of health professionals, particularly doctors, such that their human resource to population ratio is more than the ideal ratio

the WHO is actually promoting.

During her visit to Cuba, Ubial said the Cuban government, particularly the Minister of Health, indicated to her that they are willing to have capacity-building and exchanges in the future—cooperation like their doctors coming to the Philippines or Filipino doctors going there to learn from their system.

Ubial said, “Our health system or production of human resource is unlike that of Cuba. In the Cuban model, their school of medicine is under the Ministry of Health. So, they are able to produce medical graduates that are attuned to their health agenda.

“For us, we have only five stateowned colleges of medicine, and our production of doctors is not that many.”

She said even board exam passers for medicine in the Philippines is about 30 to 40 percent. In Cuba, she said, it’s 98 percent because they make sure the doctors they produce pass the board exam.

A4

Opinion

SATURDAY, AUGUST 2016 SUNDAY, AUGUST 21,20, 2016 SEPTEMBER 11, 2016

mst.daydesk@gmail.com mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Adelle Chua, Editor

Shortchanged An unhealthy disposition

EDITORIAL

Quality of growth

H A

SENATOR has fiPaulyn led a bill seeking The medical concernfacilities has plagued the get, millions of consoling We get by,rally anyway, we often do—don’t to the as difficult conditions these they can perhaps age to government’s EALTH Secretary Ubial prohibit expiration of prepaid and mobile phone subscribers in the Philippines, they say Filipinos are a resilient lot?day, a conhealth workers face every themselves with the thought that amid dwindling budgets. says theythe might send undercovstant reminder the this department there some formIt of Ubial reported to Congress80her dis- atofleast er patients to public hospitals so electronic load. an estimated percent which useisprepaid willserbe interesting to seefrom how far newest leadership will likely help bring them vice to begin with. that incredit Cuba, for 28 percent of the —something they could see howRecto, government doc- covery Senator Ralph ofThat Senate theirofaccounts, for so long. the previous bill leaderprogresses. all, opportunities.” did not the President HE economy grewthe 6.9author perthe administration PresicessAfter to these back derision to the fundamental reasons they From thehowever, supply side, is also plain national budget to universal health tors, nurseswants and other staff treat their Bill 848, consumers to be abledent to use up went However much they complain, theit to himself express of the oligarchy—the cent in the second quarter, Rodrigo Duterte has assured ship was not inclined do with This sounds like a realnotplan chose this kind of work and any to see the source ofmuch desperation offew pub-members care.

Back here, health spending corpatients. all theaided load they put into their mobile accounts status quo has held sway.

There is not very of the elite who thethe spending consistency and conown immediate predecessor. sustain the growth, determine and not other. lic health service providers.

The situa- to nerspublic just sixof percent of the annual allo- its A lawmakerby asked secretary that dur- the and without having to beelections mindful of a period choice between the two giant thethat condition and course of the course, rest of the us? accompanied in thebudget May itsratio policies is expected to tion It isis atelecommunicasource of comfort So- just in absolute Previous Alongside this, of terms. agency not something to smile about. cations. in The of doctors to citizens ing the department’s hearing if tinuity beyond which their money goes to waste. tion companies that provide the service.

Leave Lowly prepaid consumers do not complain and, on the supply side, the good maintain the confidence of busicioeconomic Planning Secretary presidents have given emphasis she had heard about grumpy doctors in Cuba—1 doctor for every 1,075 peo- The lack of funds prevents the govern- must work with whatever little it has, The bill mandates to refund subone, and otherThe mayErnesto just from be as bad—even all that muchto because theysupplemental need service so performance of very the companies industry and nesses andtrumps consumers alike.

Pernia said: “The chalachieving high the growth and whatever helpbut is ment paying its employees comple—also thethePhilippines’ and described how sick, very poor scribers their lost credit.

Violators will face worse.

Thus, it may be smarter to stay put, and much and see no alternatives.

But it does not available, that that decentwealth health petitiveiswages and this hiringgrowth enoughincluwork- did 1:33,000. has talked about plans to lenge patients had to suffer the indignity of President services sectors. to make littletotoensure ensure the possibility of fine, imprisonment, and a resuffer. mean we must go easy on demanding basic services are available to those in most ers so they don’t tax themselves with The shortages in funds and in being or dismissively by further relax business restrictions sive so that more people contribute and opportunity are more justly Thetreated strongrudely showing offset the remote locations or in the even poorestascomextended shifts.

Medical staff are also vocation of license. sameold telco giants have responsible professionals are also fare to to, respect fromdistributed. the telco providers we public medical staff. drop in agricultural production and cut taxes The to attract more inandbeen benefit from it. For this, we munities, and the individuals who not given ample equipment to theirit’s jobdomination Filipinos if can employmanageofmust The secretary would look bills The measure isthe notshe new.

Similar in pre-who, forhence thethey dismal quality internet service incompetitiveness the know andthat profits they are brought by said El Niño vestment and spur improve the The Duterte government is truly stylgive their time and commitment to this well. it, resort to more expensive priinto the matter, but it is difficult to bevious congresses have been filed butment havefor notlong-term countrygrowth. amid relativelyof high costs. Again, after. cli- ing itself as one that breaks old phenomenon. our markets and business cause are rewarded recognized.

Nonetheless, the they the vate health institutions.

Those lieve this is all new to her or to theWe pre-suppose gone beyond first reading. big the leaving one brand for the other is not an profession at- of Perhaps government canand stand up for its The gross domestic product Notably, economic managmate to take advantage the new patterns and occasions genuine It’s not quite utopia, but it’s somechose has always had a public service who have no such option get by vious DoH officials who struggle to businessgrowth has itsmakes way ofthe making politicians toe administration tractive option for consumers. givein the people, for once, byWe ensuring big business at (GDP) Philipthis ofProviders investments region. should thing we can begin with.watch how it character.

While it is easy to react natu- change. withofthe poor quality of credited service surge implement health programs and man- ers the line. equally poor quality,ofanyway. the very least playsmake fair. good on its word to pines the fastest-growing country the previous administration Importantly, we must look at the would in Asia and the achievement of the President Benigno Aquino III for sectors and geographic areas that achieve the kind of growth that full-year target of 6 percent to 7 putting in place sound macroeco- have been lagging behind and de- is actually experienced—not just percent likely. nomic, fiscal and monetary policy termine how to improve their ac- read about in the papers.

T

Suburban Taming voters Northshun HAIL TO TrumpTHE inCHAIR 3 Korea key states VICTOR Bloomberg Editorial Board

091116

AVECILLA

By R. Huntyet another IN Albert CONDUCTING

The narco-city of Bistek and Hero Bautista

LONG STORY SHORT

ADELLE CHUA IMAGINE having to be in MakaIN Facebookat post, ti atA 10recent in the morning, the lat-I conducted a poll by asking est, every day, and imagine havfriends would do if ing to what comethey from Quezon they had just one day farther to do City—nor somewhere still—for this anything theyfeat. liked.

You answers can takePOWER the not train,vary of The did course. My Theoretically it’s a like fast much: friends would POINT way to get point and A to go point to catch upfrom on sleep to ELIZABETH B. But that’s the actual train ride. the spa for a massage.

Better be prepared.

ANGSIOCO Some would like to catch Prepare to see the line of people up on their reading, see ata to buy snaking Iwaiting ASKED thetickets participants in movie or binge watch their fathe station, and down to the this reproductive health forum vorite TV ground, andseries. then anothergirls line waitif they know of young who Exercise (or yoga) comes ing to get their bags checked.

On have gotten pregnant. There was up more than once, as well. the platform, warm bodies pile up a chorus of yesses. I again asked as the train getsgo delayed from one Some would to the beach, about the youngest age of these minute the next.

By timefor it go onAatogroup food trip or the cook girls. of young people arrives, the platform is so crowded their loved ones. loudly said: “Ten years youYet could lose your sanity.old!” another would loveproto This alone explains why open and rearrange all pretentidyThe updoors herare home, RH groups not stopping on sions to order fly out the winthings andimplementation. perhaps the law’s dow—everybody just organize wantsWe to those tooneeds busyand to continue tohad gohebeen toorprovinces get to she where she to attend cities help local government be. Iftoto. you’re lucky, you can Oneinyourself said didthis not want units theirshe efforts totrain. make squeeze into If to of bursting anything this important law benefit their it isthink already atattheall. seams constituents.

The provincial is hardly relevant for andThe the question doors can close, you better for government of back Benguet headed those of usstep who, forand fivewait or six the next by Governor Cresencio Pacalso days a one. week, find ourselves Alas, who howthings long is one of these LGUs. bogged downknows by the that write take. thisdointhat Baguio City weI could have to we have Inside, it invited could be the infernal. where I was by neither time nor energy toPhildo Women have the option of staying ippine Legislators Committee the things we want to do. at the women-only section or in on Population and Development And increasingly now, are in the mixed section.

They Foundation Inc. to its “Issue Ori-

equally crowded, and equally uncomfortable. Again, if you’re lucky, the ride would be uneventful and you getto to your responding the destination question station in less than 30 minutes. what we want to the Then again, you cannotdo, budget emerging answer seems to your time so mechanically. Make be... “nothing.” allowance for stoppages and the entation onofReproductive Health I do not mean there is possibility gettingthat off at a preand Sustainable Development no answer.

I mean that the ancarious junction between stations, Goals where I close tackled or walking dangerously to swer is(SDGs)” “nothing.”

“Issues Challenges in the the “Nothing”—“wala” rails,and or smelling smoke and in TaRH Law Implementation.” trying hard notbeen to panic, or movgalog—has underrated ing at a ridiculously slow The other speakers were all for too long. We always pace bebecause moving any faster would among the leaders in the RH lieve all the spaces have to be be more difficult. movement including filled, and that there hasIfugao to be And then tell Teddy yourself: I work Representative Baguilat some agenda written on the so hard, I pay my taxes honestly.

Jr.; DIWA Representative and blank spaces of our organizIChair don’tof deserve this. the House Committee ers. *** on Women and Gender Equality Many think silence is Nanot could take the bus, and EmYou Aglipay-Villar; UNFPA desirable—it has to be broken suffer even longer hours on tional Programme Officer the for road.

Everyor, major intersection is by music, infinitely worse, Population and Development unbearable.

At first you try to enmindless chatter.

Advocacy Vic Jurlano; PresijoyWeekends the airconditioning, or go on and for holidays dent of theor Forum Family Facebook listen to music or must beand celebrated and Planning Development, Inc. read a book, but thengoing you notice spent outside, to Ben de hardly Leon; moving and PLCPD’s you’re either Exbeplaces, people, ecutive RomorDongeto. cause ofDirector, themeeting standstill because cramming up takes so forever many Different LGUs were amply your bus driver things to do that “vacation” represented and young people loading passengers. loses its and turns were participants.

Tryamong not essence tothefall asleep—your Because barriers and chalinto hardmay work. seatmate just be waiting for lenges to who thetofull implementathatThose moment dip your bag do into nothing are tion of boring thewhile lawor remain, and beor pocket you’re either lazy,dozing. missing same ifLGU you take your cause there arethings officials outIt’s onthe many that life own every You suctook who defy the law, particularly has vehicle to offer.

Theday. more acessful loan to get of that car so famyou the provision modern people are those who would be more comfortable, but ily planning to their poor conhave a full plate, live life to what comfort is there sitting stituents who want andinneed to

Our state of mind Leisure

for long hours, negotiating a huge parking lot and getting yourself exhausted and stressed and in a bad mood even before you reach your destination.

Think of the gas you’re burning and the parking fee you have to It’s how fork out. use contraceptives, it is always we keep sane, heartwarming to meet pro-RH LGU officials. and it’s how we We were told that Benguet Traffi c iswants fatalto have create wonders.

Governor Pacalso a to Gender and Development the spirit, (GAD) Code in the province fatal to ourthe assistance and is enlisting ofminds.

NGOs in the crafting of the the fullest, and wear numercode.

The province, through the

Or, you can take a cab or Grab or Uber. It’s slightly more comfortable because you can sit back in Iprivacy be prohave and not actually yet read the ductive, but it eats up a sizable book but subscribe to the chunk of your earnings so that thinking that leisure—mosometimes you wonder whether ments ofwages unburdened conyour daily were not meant of Benguet govtemplation, of provincial absolute presforthe much else. ernment are commendable. enceStill with the universe you tell yourself you To not illustrate the that we will suffer own any fact other means within one’s mind and need on guardYou in to gettoto remain your destination. absolute attentiveness to defending ourthe RHsame gains, I bein-a become not defensive: You as were life—is good student, now are a cluded in my talk theyouactual ing devoid ofand activity. good professional, you work timeline of legal hurdles faced A tragedy, according to hardcontinue and always find and toleisure be something faced by Popova, that You is not newlaw. to learn. owe yourself the Consider these: it was seen as essential to the human some comfort. signed into law on December spirit but a self-indulgent luxBut it’s just an escape from 21, 2012.

However, on January ury reserved for the privileged uglierthe truths others 2,the2013, firstthat work dayhave aforno New deplorable idleness rechoice but toanti-RH deal withgroups every ter Year, served thethat lazy. day.

Youfor find you still have already started petitioning the to deal with arrogant uncouth But who’s being lazy?

We Supreme Court onand assailing cab drivers who take passengers wearlaw’s ourselves out most days the constitutionality.

Just only if it’s convenient to incomthem or of thetwo week that after it is over months (March demand tips that even we before they prehensible can go 19, 2013), the SC issued a Staagree to ferry you.

You accept from day to day without needtus Ante Orderyou on the fareQuo surges because needRH to ing to a This breather.

That is Law. thebreather law could get yourmeant destination; you figleisure. not be implemented yet.

On July ure you can scrimp on other It’s waking on Saturday 16, 2013, the things but not SC onup aextended good rideSQA that morning and to indefinitely.

It was April would help you bedeclaring atonly yourinbest at 2014 after prolonged oral arguyourself to everyone that work that and day. ments, theyou SCbe decided that Andisthat then, ask yourself, today going to your “lazy RH Law NOT unconstitutionisn’t thereismore to life worday”—you will do than exactly rying about to where al save forthings agetting few provisions. just the you’d likeI am to supposed to get?because do,We andrejoiced nothing more. at last, theOften, law’s implementation these*** are the could most Givenstart. a choice, we we would already However, are rewarding things we can think most finding likely obsess about now out that the other SC’s

things—how to do our jobs better, how to be more productive, how to do more for others who need our help. up We on could be ingetour of: catching sleep, workplaces earlier, and back ting aearlier, massage, tidyhome too, reading, and we would ing up, spending time with have more energy to do more lovedis ones, conversing with than expected of us. We think decision has technology put a majoronlegal friends. we can get our impediment in effectively adit is writing sideInonmy this case fight, but that’s often dressing teenage things do not have a deadnot an that option, too.pregnancy, Internet herea most serious problem we have is so bad so expensive. line, butandare as compelling now.

Our are girls gettinghottest pregtheare realities we are andThese urgent as today’s forced to deal with every day. nant left and right.

Our adolesnews. And staring out the We have had enough insencent pregnancy rates areofand among window, feeling small insitive officials who consoled us the highest, if not the highest in significant and yet so alive withworld. phrases like “you’re still the In virtually all counamid the view. alive, aren’t you?” or of “traffic is a tries, numbers teenage dothe not mean to least say we signI of progress” or “at it’s pregnancies are going down— should give in to the leisure of not fatal.” but NOT in the Philippines. doing nothing all the time.

We But it is fatal.

It’s fatal to the The High Court’s decision to are adults—we have commitspirit, fatal to our minds.

Imagine only allow access to contracepthe miracles we could be helping ments to honor, reputations to tives to minors who have been make.

Imagine thepay. memories we uphold, bills to But how given consent by their parents could be creating. the busy we are does Imagine not itdefine and/or guardians very solutions and the makes new ideas we us. difficult for government to adcould be generating.

It is, instead, in the few dress problem of very To the be told that the daily young hassle precious hours when weMinors allow girls becoming we go through mothers. every day is a ourselves to do exactly what have different contexts.

Some state of mind, as the transportawe already feel likesexually doing, whatever it are active,did, even tion secretary supposedly is is, that we with are most alive.is the cohabiting their This boyfriends downright insulting. and no living their Let’s be mind kind to with ourselves state of longer our because this is parents guardians.

Having no and assert ourbeen claim to leisure what weor have given, and we access modern family are just to responding to itIt’s theplanbest reasonably regularly. how way we could. ning methods a problem for we keep sane, isand it’s how we TalkTeenage about pregnancy potential going them. must create wonders. down the drain. be curbed significantly.

Going local on RH Law implementation

ous hats.

These notions are dangerous as they are wrong.

Look at your watch and realpublished last izeAn youarticle are already late. Your Opponents year on the website Brainboss is looking for you and you pickings.org talks about cannot do law anything about it.a of this have book by the German philosoThese days, heavy traffic is not pher Josef Pieper called not stopped in Leian excuse anymore.

Because it’s asure, given, have to plan your the you Basis of Culture. derailing it.” day—your life—around it. Add The author of the online ar-a good two or three hours before ticle, Maria Popova, describes and after your working the book as “aactual magnificent hours.

Do the math and comehuup manifesto for reclaiming help also organwith of a PLCPD, dizzying has figure—this is man an dignity in a group culturewith of ized advocacy that time you could be spending compulsive workaholicalism, includes representatives. the peopleLGU who matter to you, triply timely today, in an age taking up hobby, doing While RHa is already a extra law, when we have commodified work to earn more. doing advocacy both at the loourBut aliveness so levels much totomisno, you’re meant be cal and national remains take making a living forofhavstuck. very important because the ing a life.” hurdles it faces.*** The initiatives

But the anti-RH groups did not adellechua@gmail.com adellechua@gmail.com Turn to A5

nuclear test Friday, North KoDONALD Trump’sitspresidenrea has escalated confrontatial campaign hasofathelotworld. of tion with the rest problems.

Near the top of the The regime celebrated, saying list is this: it had made Suburban progress invoters miniawant nothing to do him, turizing nukes andwith attaching especially three states where warheadsinto missiles.

South heKorea’s needs to compete. president rightly called indicatorrecklesswas it The an actlatest of “maniacal this week’s Washington Post ness.” survey, whichifshowed It’s clear, it wasn’tHillary already, Clinton up by 14 percentage that North Korea is no longer points in Virginia among COUNCILOR Bautista of just looking forHero bribes: Itsreggoal istered voters and eight with Quezon City has finallynuclear admitis to build a full-fledged likely Thecity driving ted thatvoters. heThe is the official capability. only prudent rewho tested positive for drug force: She enjoys a 45-point sponse is to harden sanctionsuse in more than ina week ago. More advantage thegets voter-rich a way that finally the counspecifically, suburbs, the councilor said Washington almost try’s he attention. that hadmargin been using shabu double the rolled up Jong Un’s regime also has andKim marijuana.

Bautista there four yearsordnance ago

by Presibeen blasting left and claimed that although he used dent Obama.conducted a rightBarack this drugs, he year. was aItvictim of the This follows similar find- it nuclear test For inwhatever January, drug menace. ings inworth, Philadelphia’s was Bautista suburbs, suggested launched a long-range rocket in where Clinton’s bigthatlead to the cityfired council drug February, a ballistic misthreatens put be Pennsylvania testing given a new sile off should atosubmarine in August, out Trump’s label—illegal substance abuse andofsent three reach. more hurtling tointake checking.

Good grief!

A Marist College poll out ward Japan earlier this week. word already thisDays weekearlier, shows the pyrotechDemoThese alarming got nominee around with that a 14-point Councilor cratic nics are pushing Eastdrug Asiatest. toBautista flunked the lead inaColorado.

Lee Mirinward new era of instability.

Evendirector the news media goff, of the poll,learned says They the likelihood of the raise incident.

Evidently, that the looking at the statewide reJapan and was South Korea admission made to may presponse, cannuclear extrapolate seek their own deterempt a“You more embarrassing that she has almost a 3-to-1 public exposé national aurent, even as bytensions with lead in the Denver suburbs.” thorities President China riseincluding over plans to inThis aDuterte bigger advantage Rodrigo himself. stall ismissile defenses in the than Obama held while carry-the Hero Bautista is the younger region. They increase brother of incumbent ing the state 2012. chances of in a 2008 clash and thatQuezon would City Mayor andstates ex-film acThese three draw in the world’s twohave leadtor Herbert “Bistek” Bautista been considered crucial for ing the powers.

And they Party bring of abusive Liberal Trump—among the half-dozNorth Korea ever closer toBeits (LP) ofstates former President en or so he has toreach switch goal of being able to the nigno Aquino III and ex-House from the Democratic column continental US withBelmonte a nucleSpeaker Feliciano toJr. win.

The growing suburbs ar-tipped missile.

Although Hero Bautista is ina these states seem be he makfirst-time councilor, was North Korea is to likely exaging that impossible.

If he loses given the chairmanship of the gerating its abilities—it Colorado, Pennsylvania and city council’s comwouldn’t be thepowerful first time—but Virginia, a pathway to victory mittee on public works its weaponry is improving, and and attribisinfrastructure. hardalone to see. this oughtAnalysts to concentrate uteTrump his quick rise to power and minds. is especially unpopinfluence to his brother.

That ular in there these venues, which any sanctions left ideaAre is anotlotfar-fetched because include of college-eduto deploy?

Yes. The United NaQuezon City isrising known for pocated diversitionsresidents, was already mulling stifflitical dynasties. tyer and voters Itwho aredesignate more penalties. could About a week ago, Mayor tolerant social But more ofon North Korea’s Bautista hinted toissues. the compapublic this only is accelerating a po-of that councilor-brother nies forhis sanctions and more litical trend in suburbs outside did, indeed, failforthetravel drug test its operatives and the Deep South,City which have for Quezon officials. trade blacklists.

The US Conbeen Democratic forthe This probably prompted gresstrending should tighten restrictions councilor to insist to the news almost a quarter-century. on traveling to the North,As and media that his brother—the recently as House 1988, they were the White should press mayor—was not protecting Republican bastions. other Demonstrating countries to stop hiring him. a twisted A few things changed.

The North Korean laborers whose sense ofnumbers logic, of theminoritycouncilor growing remittances thethe regime. stressed thatsupport he was one group suburbanites are mainly The Treasury should protecting his brother. intenDemocrats.

White suburbansify its efforts cut off the Right after theto long-belated ites aren’t drawn to the Repubadmission, Councilor Bautista North’s banks and their enlican Party’s campaign to con-on declared thatthe heworld was going ablers from financial nect with religious and cultural an indefinite from publica system.

This leave means building conservatives. office to undergo rehabilitacase against Chinese financial tion.

Belmonte, the city “TheJoyRepublicans’ posiinstitutions, which North Korea vice mayor, announced that tioning resonates with rural uses to procure illicit missile the cityand council appoint a voters somewillworkingNext Turn page to A5 Next page

Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher can be accessed at: thestandard.com.ph

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Published Monday to Sunday by Philippine Manila Standard Publishing Inc. at 6/F Universal Re Building, 106 Paseo de Roxas, corner Perea St., Legaspi Village, Makati City. Telephone numbers 832-5554, 832-5556, 832-5558 (connecting all departments), (Editorial) 832-5554, (Advertising) 832-5550. P.O. Box 2933, Manila Central Post Office, Manila. Website: www.thestandard. com.ph; e-mail: contact@thestandard.com.ph

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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2016 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

As Trump hits low, Clinton fails to rise

By Margaret Carlson

Refugees return to war-torn Syria, preferring the uncertainty back home to Turkey’s camps. AFP

Something is changing

By Bülent Kiliç KARKAMIS CROSSING, Turkey/Syria border—In the five years that I’ve spent covering the Syrian war, this was the first time that I have seen substantial crowds of refugees returning to Syria. I’ve shot thousands of people escaping into Turkey from war-torn Syria, be it through holes cut in barbed wire or by waiting patiently for the border gates to open. And over the past five years you’ve had trickles returning here and there.

But never in such numbers.

Some 350 alone crossed the day I was there, on Wednesday, heading back to the border town of Jarabulus, some two weeks after pro-Ankara fighters recaptured it from Islamic State jihadists. Most of them fled to Turkey two years ago, when the jihadists first overran the town.

You would expect that people returning to their homes after two years would be happy. But the mood wasn’t joyful. I would describe it more as anxious.

Resigned, worried and anxious.

You can understand why— these people were not going back to the homes they left behind.

Lots of things have changed on the ground in the last two years.

They prefer to go home instead of staying in tents in Turkey.

Conditions are very hard for them here. They prefer their poor

EVERYMAN

life there to the refugee camps.

But they don’t know what they’ll find, whether they’ll even have a home to go back to. Or how they will survive.

I, for one, was very glad to see them. I’ve spent two weeks on the border, on and off, playing cat and mouse with the Turkish authorities as I worked to photograph the troops that Ankara had sent into its neighbor, for the first time since war in Syria broke out.

When Ankara sent troops in, it was a long time coming. I think Turkey has been planning to do this for a long time and it finally did it because it wants to change the situation on the ground in Syria. We journalists of course rushed to the border.

But a situation like that is tightly controlled by the authorities. They don’t want us there. So it’s a constant battle to get photos.

We were constantly hiding— on roofs, behind cars, in bushes—trying to get our pictures. You obviously try to get as close as you can. You hide your camera and you try to sneakily take pictures. And the police are chasing you non-stop.

So it was exhausting—we were constantly just running around hiding from them. Plus I don’t really like this type of work, where you’re taking pictures of tanks. I like to tell

the Islamic State stronghold.

And the situation is just so uncertain.

I was very glad to be able to shoot the refugees returning because after two weeks of chasing tanks, it was nice to be able to shoot a story the way it’s meant to be done—through people and emotions.

But those who are returning, they don’t know what will happen. Fighting may erupt again in Jarabulus and they’ll flee again. I’ve seen it before— the trickles that have returned before to a place like Kobane, and then you see them flee to Turkey again. The situation in Syria is just so fuzzy, so uncertain, that you just never know.

I am waiting for the day when thousands of people go back to their homes. I’m waiting to go with them to Syria to find out what has happened to their towns and cities over these last four, five years. I hope that yesterday was a kind of demo, a dress rehearsal and I can’t wait to see the real thing.

I have been covering this war for five years and Wednesday marked something different.

Something is changing. I hope it’s a permanent change and for the better. But this is the Middle East, this is Syria and you really don’t know what’s going to happen. AFP

Has diesel had its day?

By Robert Harland I DOUBT diesel cars will ever vanish from the streets of the Philippines, but in the wake of the Volkswagen scandal, more and more countries are attempting to banish diesel vehicles from their roads.

South Korea is the latest country to seriously crack down on emissions, with diesel engines its latest target. Quite simply, South Korea wants cleaner cars on its roads. The government has vowed to create and apply policies that will bring electric vehicle sales to 30 percent of its domestic market by the end of this decade.

The objective is even more impressive than Germany’s, a country that wants one million electric cars on its roads as by 2020.

The South Korean government is also considering banning diesel-engined vehicles from entering Seoul, its capital city. And the country’s diesel buses will be replaced by modern equivalents that will work on CNG or compressed natural gas.

stories through people, through their faces. It makes it much more powerful and interesting.

Of course I tried to get as close as I could and succeeded a few times. And it is part of the story. But it’s not my favorite thing to do.

Public opinion is split on this operation along the border. There are some people who are proud of the army. Turkish soldiers are clearing the area, they say. But many people are wary. Syria is a country like no other, things are always changing there, it’s like walking on shifting sands.

Everything can change in two hours or two days. Once you step inside, it’s not so easy to come back.

There are people who are not happy that the Turkish army is there. The situation is so complicated. Many people don’t really trust the opposition groups in Syria. They can change their allegiances so quickly. And there are people who feel that Turkey has to find a way to manage the situation in Syria without sending troops.

The situation is complicated, you’re fighting in a really arid region—many of our soldiers have never fought in such a climate. And you’re fighting with people who have been there a long time. There are bound to be high casualties. Especially if they go into a place like Raqa,

According to the World Health Organization, nearly half of the world’s people breathes unsafe air, with populations in developing countries disproportionately exposed.

Meanwhile, the mayor of Paris has called for diesel cars to be banned from the French capital by 2020. Mayor Anne Hidalgo said: “I want to see the end of diesel in Paris by 2020,” but added exceptions could be made for low-income car owners to allow them to use old vehicles but only occasionally.

India, which has a major toxic smog problem in cities like New Delhi, is investigating ways to reduce diesel emissions, such as a ban on the sale of all vehicles with diesel engines larger than a

capacity of 2000cc.

And British ecologists say that air pollution from vehicles is killing tens of thousands of people every year in the UK alone.

According to a recent report, one of the most significant causes of air pollution is cars. Nitrogen oxide emissions from diesel vehicles alone is responsible for around 75,000 premature deaths in Europe each year while air pollution contributes to the deaths of 29,000 people a year in the UK with diesel cars being a key contributor.

Echoing this is the newlyelected London Mayor Sadiq Khan who announced plans to crack down on air pollution, saying his own adult-onset asthma has increased his commitment to tackle a problem that accounts for the premature deaths of almost 10,000 people in the British capital each year.

Khan plans to extend the “Ultra-Low Emission Zone” to increase the congestion charge in central London for the most polluting vehicles and give the

green light to a “Transport for London” program to scrap diesel vehicles.

Hong Kong, which has a major air pollution problem, is looking at banning older diesel trucks from entering the city center.

According to the World Health Organization, nearly half of the world’s people breathes unsafe air, with populations in developing countries disproportionately exposed.

One-third (1.3 billion) of these people live in the East Asia and Pacific region, where in China and South Korea more than 50 percent of their populations are exposed to unsafe levels of fine particulate matter.

Manila air is definitely unsafe. President Rodrigo Duterte has been strangely quiet on the subject of air pollution. One just hopes that in between uttering colorful statements, he would give this pressing subject some attention.

(Robert Harland is a British national based in Bacolod City.)

THIS should have been the week when both presidential candidates, the summer behind them, seized a back-to-school opportunity for a fresh start— No. 2 pencils sharpened, pristine notebooks, a new backpack, a fresh chance to elevate the campaign to a level deserving of the office they aspire to. No such luck.

All hopes for a new narrative were dashed when Donald Trump violated the vow all presidential candidates must take not to reveal anything about the classified intelligence briefings they get. It’s never been dishonored, but at a joint “commander-in-chief forum” in New York on Sept. .7, Trump tried to leverage his access to score some cheap political points.

His first briefing, he said, left him “shocked,” because of the information it contained about an unspecified decision by President Barack Obama and his former secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, that had led to an unspecified “total disaster.” His briefers, he said, were “not happy about” Obama’s failure to “follow what our experts” advised.

Like many other Trump assertions—Ted Cruz’s father was involved in the Kennedy assassination, Muslims cheered as the World Trade Center towers fell, Obama wasn’t born in the US—this one deserves to be taken with a bucketload of salt.

Trump conceded that the officials who delivered the Aug. 17 briefing didn’t say they were displeased with the president, but he is certain that was the message they intended him to hear. “I could tell—I’m pretty good with body language.”

Whatever actually transpired, we now know that Trump can’t be trusted not to weaponize whatever is at hand, however confidential. Doing so, former acting Central Intelligence Agency Director Michael Morell told Politico, crosses “a longstanding red line respected by Democrats and Republicans.”

President George W. Bush’s CIA director, Michael Hayden, said he’d never seen anything like it. “I mean, a candidate used the intelligence professionals who were briefing him in an absolutely non-political setting and he imputed to them views that were politically useful to him in the moment.”

This lulu, along with Trump’s false claim that he had always been against the Iraq War, passed right by the NBC moderator, Matt Lauer. The morning TV host got easily lost in the Republican nominee’s word salads. He failed to bring up the Donald’s shift of position that very day on military spending, when he went from supporting sequestration, which slowed spending, to pledging a huge increase of tens of billions in outlays in what is likely an effort to get votes in military-heavy, must-win states such as Virginia and Florida.

Lauer also didn’t confront Trump on some of the more glaring inconsistencies in his military agenda: that he would allow veterans to go outside the

VA system for care and would cover the additional cost by eliminating that old favorite, “waste, fraud and abuse.” Then there was his earlier assertion that if women hadn’t joined the military, there would be no sexual assaults. That was an echo of his earlier advice to women that if they didn’t like being sexually harassed at work they should change jobs. This was before he hired former Fox Chairman Roger Ailes, who recently resigned in the wake of a multi-decade harassment scandal.

Not that Clinton bathed herself in glory last week, except when she batted back the ridiculous Trump claim that her coughing spell in Ohio on Labor Day indicated that that she’s morbidly unhealthy. Her retort: “I’m allergic to Trump.”

Then there’s the e-mail imbroglio that Clinton just can’t seem to put to rest, ensuring that it’ll be with us until Election Day, and perhaps beyond. Lauer asked the former secretary of state about it three times. She replied wearily, but never quite grabbed back the reins to give her strategic vision for the world. Unlike Trump, she has experience dealing with the military and veterans, but she didn’t get personal. She categorically said that no US troops would “ever” be sent to Iraq and Syria to fight the Islamic State, even though she certainly knows that politicians should never say “never.” When she rose from her seat, she looked like a courtroom lawyer defending a client, which she may well have been doing.

Trump smiled all the while.

And he had reason to be cheerful: He encountered no challenges as he blithely threatened to remove top generals, who he said had been “reduced to rubble” by Obama; said the US should plunder the oil of the countries where it intervenes; and described President Vladimir Putin as “a leader far more than our president has been.”

The high praise was driven in part by the Russian autocrat’s strength and high approval ratings, but mainly by Putin’s good judgement in calling Trump “brilliant.”

As a preview of the debates, the forum was disturbing, at least when it comes to holding the candidates’ feet to the fire.

One future moderator, Chris Wallace, has said that he won’t be a “truth squad,” which is unfortunate. Corrections have to be made when the cameras are rolling, otherwise the door is open to self-serving interpretations. At a rally in Cleveland on Thursday, Trump used an “education speech” to do an instant replay of the previous night’s forum, painting Clinton as the liar and himself as the winner of every round.

Post-Labor Day, Trump had an opening to assure worried Republicans that he is prepared—or at least adequately preparing—to be president.

Clinton, on a new plane with room for reporters, could have exhaustively and non-testily explained the e-mail controversy without expecting full exoneration, which will never come.

So much for that. Bloomberg

Taming...

From A4

and nuclear technology. China’s support in sanctioning those banks would be invaluable, obviously—but the US should go ahead even if that cannot be secured.

China doesn’t want the North Korean regime to collapse, but it ought to see advantages in imposing some restraint. It should help to enforce sanctions already in place, and move against the North’s covert weapons trade. Preventing the North from learning how to miniaturize and deliver its weapons should be as urgent a priority for China as it is for the US.

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News

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2016

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

MIAA manager revamps airport execs in key posts

By Joel E. Zurbano

A

MAJOR reshuffle took effect at the Manila International Airport Authority covering key department heads and personnel as part of the agency’s reform program and improve public service.

In his Office Order dated Sept. 5, MIAA general manager Eddie Villanueva Monreal reassigned Airport Development and Corporate Affairs assistant general manager Raul Austria to the Office of the General Manager (OGM).

Austria was replaced by Cecilio Bobila, officer-in-charge of the Corporate Management

Services Department and concurrent OIC of Systems and Procedures Improvement Division.

Bobila will also stay as concurrent CMSD chief.

Internal Audit Services Office manager Arlene Britanico was reassigned to the Office of the Assistant General Manager for Finance and Administration and was replaced by Budget Division

senior corporate accountant Cesar Villareal.

Ninoy Aquino International Airport-Terminal 2 manager Enrico Gonzalez, who was transferred to the OGM, was replaced

by Finance Department manager Irene Montalbo. Miriam Ilarde, OIC of the Budget Division, replaced Montalbo.

Cashiering Division manager Ma. Felisa Dizon was reassigned as OIC of the Administrative Department and was replaced by head cashier Grace Puzon.

Also affected by the revamp were Ma. Consuelo Bungag, technical assistant at the Office of the Senior Assistant General Manager, who replaced Feliciana Santos as head of the Public Af-

fairs Division while acting information officer Jesus Martinez was transferred as OIC of the Media Affairs Division. Santos, on the other hand, was transferred to the Public Assistance Division.

Administrative Department OIC Rosemarie Ereneta was reassigned as manager of the Human Resources Development Division while Finance Officer Victor Diokno replaced Ilarde at the Budget Division.

Public Assistance Division (PAD) OIC Gavine Mirador was reassigned as PAD supervisor of Naia-Terminal 1 and Grace Apolonio, PAD supervisor of Terminal 4, was reassigned to Terminal 2 replacing Aileen Ocampo who was reassigned to Terminal 4.

“In the interest of the service and effective immediately, the following designations and reassignments are hereby effected.

Upon receipt of this Order, the above named personnel shall report to their immediate superiors,” said Monreal.

The revamp came few days after board of directors formally appointed Monreal to assume his duties and responsibilities as MIAA general manager in replacement for Angel Jose Honrado.

Upon assumption of office, Monreal instituted numerous reforms and improvements to better serve the passengers and airports users of the four terminals of the country’s premier airport.

Book fair set at SMX BOOK lovers, it’s time to get lost in the joy of reading again as one of the country’s most awaited events for readers opens on Wednesday, Sept. 14, and runs until Sept. 18, at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.

Now on its 37th year, the MIBF is the country’s biggest and longest-running book fair with the largest and most varied collection of literature for leisure and academic reading, including bestselling novels, to textbooks, to graphic novels, to religious publications, to stationery and school supplies.

The MIBF will also simultaneously host two exciting co-located events. Anime lovers and cosplayers should watch out for the muchawaited Best of Anime 2016 on September 17-18. Meanwhile, set to equip and inspire teachers and educators is the Philippine International Conference on Teacher Education (PICTE) on September 13-15.

Tollway sets safety awards

Fumigate airplanes, operators ordered THE Bureau of Quarantine has ordered foreign carriers and local airlines with international routes to disinfect their aircraft before landing or takeoff at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in a bid to prevent the spread of harmful insects and disease.

In a directive, the BoQ stated that disinfection is a public health measure mandated by the International Health Regulations of the World Health Organization. It involves treatment of the interior of the aircraft with insecticides specified by the health body.

Quarantine officials said the procedures include treatment of the interior of the aircraft using a quick-acting insecticide spray immediately before takeoff with the passengers on board, treatment of the interior of the aircraft on the ground before passengers come on board using a residual-insecticide aerosol plus additional in-flight treatment with a quick-acting spray shortly before landing, and regular application of a residual insecticide to all internal surfaces of the aircraft, except those in food preparation areas.

Asean Airlines Operators Council chairman Onnie Nakpil and Manila International Airport Authority general manager Ed Monreal welcomed the move, saying the new policy is for the passengers’ protection against viruses.

The new policy covers the spraying or fumigation to maintain and ensure facilities and conveyance used by passengers are free from vectors. Airline staff must submit the canister used in spraying to the quarantine officers on duty as a proof of spraying. Joel E. Zurbano

IN BRIEF

STARTING ’EM YOUNG. Red Cross volunteers teach children basic first aid using dummies during the World First Aid Day 2016 at the Manila

Ocean Park. Themed ‘First Aid for and by Children’ aims to engage and educate children on basic first aid and emergency preparedness. Danny Pata

Lawmakers push Subic modernization

By Maricel V. Cruz LAWMAKERS are urging the Duterte administration to prioritize the modernization project of the Subic Container Port to decongest Metro Manila and ease the traffic jams in the capital which have caused productivity losses of at least P2.4 million a day.

Isabela Rep. Rodolfo Albano III said Saturday goods and commodities intended for Central and Northern Luzon no longer need to pass through Metro Manila if Subic’s operations are optimized.

“It is indeed a great idea. It is

about time we discussed the Subic Port modernization project,” Albano said.

Albano’s statement followed a study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency which showed that Subic, given its strategic assets, is equipped to acquire a higher share of the country’s growing container cargo volume.

Subic’s location will also ensure a shorter point of entry for cargoes arriving from or going to Singapore.

Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone also said prioritizing the Subic port modernization project in the government’s menu of solutions to

the traffic woes in Metro Manila will also spur economic growth across Central and North Luzon.

“I fully support such proposal.

It will greatly help decongest Manila,” he said.

“Anything that will lessen the movement of people and vehicles in Metro Manila is a welcome development,” Parañaque City Rep. Gus Tambunting himself added.

The Subic Container Port is a significant component of the Subic-Clark Alliance for Development (SCAD) strategy, which includes the construction of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTex), and the Clark Interna-

tional Airport to form a global logistics hub and international gateway for Central Luzon.

However, the port, which can easily absorb northbound cargoes, has remained underutilized.

The Jica study showed there is a capacity shortage of 14 million 20-foot equivalent units or TEUs (the capacity unit of container ships) for the Pacific Region, with Singapore already reaching its limit and Hong Kong remaining severely silted.

Subic Container Port has a capacity of 600,000 TEUs, but by 2012, the volume remained at less than 40,000 TEUs.

THE Manila North Tollways Corp. starts its search for this year’s NLEXcellence Safety Awardees.

Each year, MNTC confers this award on 15 bus and trucking companies who can serve as role models to other motorists when it comes to road safety.

Launched in 2013, the NLEXcellence Safety Awards has become a seal of excellence for truck and bus companies who share the same values of safety that MNTC advocates.

“The riding public can be assured that if a company is an NLEXcellence Awardee, it keeps a fleet of road-safe vehicles,” said Grace Ayento, MNTC assistant vice president for marketing.

Ayento said MNTC would like to see more bus and trucking companies send in their nominations so they can be recognized for their efforts in properly maintaining the vehicles and training their drivers.

The NLEXcellence Safety Awards night is held every November, but as early as now, MNTC is inviting truck and bus companies to send in their nomination forms.

The nomination is open to any bus or trucking company that has a fleet of at least 20 trucks or buses, with at least 50 percent of its fleet make three roundtrips a week along NLEX. Interested companies should have corporate initiatives that comply with any one or all of the three award categories: Company Operational Excellence, Vehicle Quality, and Driver Professionalism.

Awardees in the Company Operational Excellence category are recognized for their endeavors in putting operational policies that ensure the safety of their drivers and their fleet.

For the Vehicle Quality category, awardees are those who exert extra effort in ensuring their fleet vehicles are roadworthy and always in tip-top condition. They are recognized for maintaining quality vehicles that’s safe for transport and for business, because we know that less breakdowns mean less inconvenience, less risks and less downtimes.

PhilHealth offers free detox

By Cathrine Mae V. Gonzales pendent needs detoxification be-

MORE DIVING FUND. Tourism Undersecretary Kat de Castro leads the viewing of 100 of the best

underwater photographs currently on display at the Diving Resort Travel Show Philippines. With De Castro are Tourism Director Verna Esmeralda Buensuceso, and DRT Show CEO Jason Chong.

DRUG dependents who seek to break free from addiction can receive from PhilHealth a free detoxification package as part of the government’s campaign against illegal drugs.

The package will focus on patients’ withdrawal stage, the period which experts say is the most critical part of rehabilitation process because it may pose health complications like hypertension or kidney failure to patients.

PhilHealth explained that the health agency and not the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. will shoulder the funds for this project.

“If a doctor sees that a drug de-

cause he shows symptoms of possible effects of illegal drugs, the doctor will then give the package,” PhilHealth senior vice president Ruben John Basa said in a television interview.

Earlier, the Department of Health also said it is expanding rehabilitation and treatment centers to address the heap of drug users surrendering to the police. These facilities have about 500 to 2,000 beds.

Currently, the DOH is only able to accommodate around 5,000 patients with existing facilities.

But President Rodrigo Duterte said on Friday that China has promised to help the Philippines build a drug rehabilitation center in Nueva Ecija.

In a speech before the Filipino community in Indonesia, Duterte said a drug rehabilitation center is being built in Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija.

“China offered to build the rehab.

I think they have already started in Magsaysay. They are bringing the materials there already... only China will help us,” Duterte said. “I would like to thank China for being generous to us.”

Duterte then explained that he has yet to build a rehabilitation center because he is operating on a budget approved by the previous administration.

“The budget does not include treatment and rehabilitation for 3.7 million drug addicts,” Duterte also said.

Checkpoint troops told to strictly observe human rights TROOPS tasked to augment police checkpoints and visibility operations across the country have been directed to strictly uphold human rights and the rule of law.

“The guidance is of course to follow and strictly observe human rights, rules of law and the procedures in the conduct of checkpoint,” deputy commander Col. Vic Tomas of the Joint Task Force-National Capital Region (JTF-NCR) said in an interview Friday.

Some 200 officers and enlisted personnel of the unit have been deployed to five Metro Manila police districts.

Tomas said they also have a standby force to help the police in possible contingencies.

“We would like to inform everybody that they should feel safe with the presence of both police and military. They have nothing to fear as this is not martial law,” he added.

Armed Forces of the Philippines public af-

fairs office chief Col. Edgard Arevalo earlier reminded troopers not to touch or open any vehicle or order its occupant to alight.

Checkpoints must also be well-lighted and personnel manning them must be in full uniform.

Baggage can only be inspected if the owner or passenger gives permission, he added.

Arevalo warned that failure to comply with these reminders could result in the filing of

administrative sanctions and other charges.

“We would like to ensure that as we respond to the Commander-in-Chief’s call for the AFP to help suppress lawless violence in Mindanao and prevent its spread in other areas of the country, the execution of our tasks will always be proper and with due regard to every citizen’s entitlements under the Bill of Rights,” he pointed out.

A “state of national emergency on account

of lawless violence in Mindanao” was declared by President Rodrigo Duterte in the aftermath of the Sept. 2 bomb blast in Davao City that killed 15 and wounded 70 persons.

“We would like to enlist the willing cooperation of our ‘kababayans’ [compatriots] in this endeavor to suppress lawless violence and prevent the spread of similar violent incidents in other parts of the country,” he said.

Sports

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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2016 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

TNT Ka Tropa looms as PBA front runner

By Homer Vidal

W

HEN you rout the defending champions by 20 points and qualify to the playoffs with a twice-tobeat advantage one week ahead of anybody else, then you’re bound to be considered among the favorites to win the championship.

That’s just what the TNT Ka Tropa are. TNT trounced San Miguel Beer, 105-85, in Batangas City last week to gain an outright Top Four finish in the 2016 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup. TNT Ka Tropa (8 wins, 1 loss) leads the standings. Trailing them are Barangay Ginebra (7-2), San Miguel (6-3), the Mahindra Enforcer (6-4) and the Phoenix Petroleum Fuel Masters (5-4).

The other teams include the NLEX Road Warriors (5-5), the Meralco Bolts (5-5), the Alaska Aces (4-5), the Rain Or Shine Elasto Painters (4-5), the GlobalPort Batang Pier (3-7), the Star Hotshots (2-8) and the Blackwater Elite (1-8).

Ginebra, which beat Mahindra, joined TNT in the Top Four a week later.

That’s right. After failing to advance to the semifinals of the 2016 PBA Philippine Cup and not doing any better in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup TNT Ka Tropa now look like the favorite to win the 2016 PBA Governors Cup. Undersized compared to the giant laden San Miguel an Barangay Ginebra rosters TNT relied on speed and brute strength to overwhelm the Beermen at the Batangas City Coliseum last week.

The first half was a tossup as TNT Ka Tropa barely held on to the 46-45 halftime lead.

But the Texters ripped the game apart in the final 24 minutes. Jayson Castro was again at the forefront of the TNT assault. He submitted another double-double performance as he scored 16 points and issued 13 assists.

Ranidel De Ocampo had 18 markers to go with five boards.

Asian import Mike Madanly and Larry Fonacier sniped from the outside for a combined for 24 points, including three three-pointers each.

Import Mike Ammons didn’t supply the points but he limited the productivity of June Mar Fajardo who struggled from the field.

Ateneo’s Ana Gopico (center) hammers a spike through FEU’s twin blockers at the net, Anne Guino-o and Jerrili Malabanan. Gopico knocked in the kill during Game Two of their Shakey’s V-League Collegiate Conference semis duel won by the Lady Eagles.

NU heavy favorite to rule Shakey’s V-League

TNT Ka Tropa power forward Ranidel De Ocampo (33) dribbles past Rain Or Shine Elasto Painters defender Raymond Almazan (right).

San Miguel produced its worst scoring game this conference and endured its worst defeat in a long, long while. It was the third most lopsided loss by San Miguel Beer in the past six conferences under coach Leo Austria.

San Miguel import Mike Singletary could only score 18 points and collar seven rebounds in an underwhelming performance. Asian import Mahmoud Abdeen played his first game and chipped in nine points on three-of-six three-point shooting.

Fonacier scored when needed most. He went three-of-six from beyond the arc. He drained back-toback triples to cap a blistering run by TNT that opened an 80-64 lead for TNT at the end of the third period.

TNT Ka Tropa’s bearded forward Moala Tautuaa (7) glides to the hoop Brought in to score points from for a layup attempt even as San Miguel Beer import Mike Singletary the outside TNT’s Asian import (left) tries to contest.

Madanly fired a trey. Moala Tautuaa reminded everyone why he was Apparently, their Draft Day coup In the Philippine Cup they the No. 1 rookie pick this season by couldn’t even make it to the semi- of getting the top two draft picks scoring on a rim-rattling jam for the finals.TNT Tropang Texters scraped Moala Tautuaa and Troy Rosario Texters. past the NLEX Road Warriors, 90- from under the noses of new teams The victory over the defend- 88, in the first phase of the elimina- Blackwater Elite and Mahindra Ening champion Beermen validates tion but were trounced by Rain Or forcer has finally paid dividends.

TNT’s status as the team to beat this Shine 104-89 in the second phase to The Tropang Texters are still led conference. The team is just filled miss the semifinals. by old reliables Cason and De Ocamwith athletic, hard-working studs They couldn’t do any better po as well as defensive stalwarts Ryan who are dominant at both ends of in the Commissioner’s Cup they Reyes and Kelly Williams. But the the court. tripped the Alaska Aces, 106-99, addition of Tautuaa and Rosario gives De Ocampo, Castro, Madanly in Game One of their quarterfinal them a deep, deep bench of young and Troy Rosario chipped in double matchup. But they lost the next two hard-working athletic studs. digit scores. Ammons supplied the games, 81-85, and 99-81.

Then there are imports Ammons hustle but not too many points.

They could not overcome the and Madanly. Neither are franchise TNT had to go through a wring- stalwart defense of the Aces, who players but they contribute enough er earlier this PBA season before eventually went on to the Finals, to to help propel TNT Ka Tropa to the doing well this conference. top of the standings. yield their quarterfinal playoff.

Princess begins reign in pro ranks stead in her future tournaEVERYONE knew it was ments,” said Lopez. bound to happen. Though An early two-stroke many were still surprised lead slipped from Superal’s when Princess Superal won grasp as she lost her putting her first pro golf title right in touch. But she rallied from her first try. two down on a lost ball on Battling out of a fourNo. 12 with a clutch birdie way playoff dogfight Suon No. 16 to scramble for a peral birdied the first play72 and force a playoff with off hole from 12 feet to the Thai golfers and Del beat Thais Aunchia Utama Rosario, who all submitted and Ajira Nualraksa and under-par cards, at fourformer teammate Pauline under 212s. del Rosario to grab her first Utama fought back from pro crown in her debut by four down to tie Del Rosawinning the ICTSI Sherrio on top with back-to-back wood Ladies Classic at the The lovely Princess Superal birdies from No. 14 but boSherwood Hills Golf Club, beams as she holds up her first geyed the 17th and finished Trece Martirez, Cavite last pro championship trophy. with a 68.

Thursday.

Nualraksa briefly grabbed the lead with a “I feel very happy. Though I missed a couple of putts early, I still found a way to win. This win solid 32 start but dropped three strokes in the first means a lot to me. I really did my best to win,” two holes at the back and needed to birdie No. said Superal who received her first pro trophy 15th to shoot a 70 and gain a crack at the crown.

Del Rosario clawed her way up with a stirand check worth P150,000 after ruling the 54ring birdie-birdie-eagle from No. 12, movhole championship sponsored by ICTSI. The 19-year-old ace finished tied for sec- ing from three-down to two-up and appeared ond in Stage I of the LPGA Qualifying School headed for a romp with four holes to go. But but proved steadier than everyone else to cap a the spearhead of Team The Country Club hit an errant drive on No. 18, struggled to reach smashing pro debut.

One person who wasn’t surprised was her the green and wound up with bogey for a 69, coach Bong Lopez who sees a bright future for setting the stage for the four-player playoff.

Superal picked herself up in sudden death his ward in the pro ranks.

“Princess has been through a lot of tough back on No. 18, coming away with two brilchallenges as an amateur but this one is differ- liant shots, then banging in the blistering a putt ent. She was vying not just for a championship. that shattered Nualraksa’s confidence. The But she handled herself well and rode through Thai lost her poise and missed her chance to the pressure. This win should put her in good extend the match.

THE National University Lady Bulldogs face the rookie laden Ateneo De Manila University Lady Eagles as heavy favorites to rule the Shakey’s V-League Season 13 Collegiate Conference.

The rivals, who also squared off for this same title last year, clash 6.p.m. at the Philsports Arena in Pasig tonight.

NU advanced to the finals after leaning on the heroics of Jaja Santiago to beat University of the Philippines, 21-25, 25-10, 27-25, 25-21.

The 6-5 Santiago was in top form despite playing her second game of the day after leading the losing stand of Foton Pilipinas in the Asian Volleyball Club Championship earlier in the day.

Santiago pumped in 19 kills, including the clincher to cap the sweep over UP in their best-ofthree Final Four series.

The over-achieving Lady Eagles on the other hand rallied from a big deficit in the fourth set then pounced on Far Eastern U’s meltdown to post a 25-23, 24-26, 25-19, 25-23 victory last Wednesday.

Ateneo, which lost Alyssa Valdez who already completed her varsity playing years, will be even more hard-pressed to defeat formidable NU this time around.

Ateneo’s Bea de Leon and Kim Gequillana stepped up and combined for 26 attack points while skipper Michelle Morente, Ana Gopico, Julia Morado, Julianne Samonte and Pauline Gaston backed them up with superb allaround games to clinch the victory for the over-achieving Lady Eagles.

The Lady Bulldogs frustrated the then Alyssa Valdez-led Lady Eagles in a rubber match to nail their second collegiate crown in the league backed by Mikasa as official ball and Accel as official outfitter.

Game One of the best-of-three title series starts today along with Game Two of the Spikers’ Turf Season 2 Collegiate Conference Finals, according to the organizing Sports Vision.

With Valdez cheering her former teammates from the sidelines, the Lady Eagles battled back from six-points down in the fourth to

Games Today

(Philsports Arena) 10 a.m. – La Salle vs UST (S Turf) 12 noon – Ateneo vs NU (S Turf) 4 p.m. – UP vs FEU (best-of-3 for 3rd) 6 p.m. – Ateneo vs NU (best-of-3 for title)

foil the Lady Tams’ bid to send the match to a fifth set.

De Leon turned in a solid outing and finished with 20 hits while Morente, now taking the lead role for a depleted, young squad, put in a 15-point game. Gequillana added 12 markers while Gopico chipped in 10 points.

The tenacious Lady Eagles have exceeded all expectations.

They survived a series of knockout games to snare the last semifinal berth and then upended the top seeded FEU side in the Final Four.

It didn’t hurt Ateneo that Pons failed to see action in the two Final Four games after sustaining an ankle injury during pre-game warmup in Game One. Toni Rose Basas and Mary Joy Palma, along with Celine Domingo, Jerrili Malabanan, Kyle Negrito, Anne Guino-o and Jeanette Villareal carried the fight for the Lady Tams, who looked headed to sending the match into a decider after controlling the early going of the fourth.

But they cracked in the face of the Lady Eagles’ fiery comeback and the Loyola-based school found itself back in the title hunt with an underwhelming roster that seemed uncertain of even getting it past the eliminations.

For NU veteran Jorelle Singh backed Santiago with 16 points, including 12 kills and three aces.

Aiko Urdas chipped in 14 points and Joy Doromal and Risa Sato combined for 15 hits.

The Lady Bulldogs also pounced on their rivals’ poor service reception as they punched in 15 aces.

Diana Carlos and Nicole Tiamzon shot 14 points apiece for UP, which also drew 11 markers from Isa Molde. But the Lady Maroons failed to sustain their own fightback in the third and fourth sets.

Setter Jasmine Nabor was outstanding as she produced 49 excellent sets while adding three hits.

A Sense of commitment THE so-called leaders in Philippine sports, Philippine Olympic Committee president Jose “Peping” Cojuangco and the replaced Philippine Sports Commission chairman and golfing buddy of Cojuangco, Richie Garcia, will desperately try to wring every ounce of favorable publicity from the glorious silver medal triumph of Hidilyn Diaz in the Women’s 53 kilogram weightlifting competition at the recent Rio Olympic Games.

The paucity of medals in the Olympics, where we last won a medal in boxing at the Atlanta Games in 1996 as a result of the exploits of Onyok Velasco and the dismal failure to make any real impression in the Asian Games and even in the low level Southeast Asian Games, demand an overhaul of the system and a fresh outlook to the development of our athletes under the various National Sports Associations.

After four terms at the helm, POC president Co-

juangco can only show our people one disaster after another even in the SEA Games, which is undoubtedly the lowest level in international competition in the region.

Gone are the days when the dynamic Mike Keon stirred our athletes to perform beyond themselves and inspired them by his personal, hands on style of leadership and unsullied integrity to rise from the ASEAN level through the SEA Games level and on to the Asian Games, with such outstanding performers as Asia’s sprint queen Lydia de Vega, 400 meters’ star Isidro del Prado, steeplechaser Hector Begeo, long jumper Elma Muros and hurdler Renato Unso, among many others.

Add to the list triple medal winner in swimming, Billy Wilson, who trained like never before in the US for the Asian Games in New Delhi in 1982, supported by Keon and his Gintong Alay program, which was a model that other SEA Games nations like Thailand and Malaysia among others, replicated.

Since that era and under Cojuangco’s presidency, the Philippines has turned in one dismal performance

after another, with utter mediocrity reflecting the pedestrian thinking in the corridors of our sports agencies.

Garcia boasted of savings of over P1 billion in PAGCOR contributions which were meant to provide proper training facilities, comfortable accommodation, decent food and nutrition for our athletes in various disciplines.

Apparently the funds that were saved were being earmarked for the building of a training center in Clark Field, while the present facilities are left to rot.

We clearly need someone with the vision and the resources to trigger a renaissance in Philippine sports and we can think of no better choice than the esteemed businessmansportsman Manny Pangilinan, who continues to support various sports and funds international tournaments staged in our country that give our athletes the opportunity to compete at the highest level and in so doing hone their skills and reinforce their experience.

Boxing is one sport in which the Philippines has won the most number of medals in the Olympic Games yet the POC and

the PSC haven’t done anything truly substantial to give our boxers the training they deserve both at home and abroad and curtail the release of funds for our boxers and the governing body, ABAP. We can’t blame ABAP president Ricky Vargas, a gentleman to the core who has done more than his share to try and salvage the situation often with the financial assistance of Mr. Pangilinan. It shouldn’t be this way if the POC and PSC have their priorities straightened out.

We are confident that with Butch Ramirez at the helm of the PSC things will improve. But he can’t do it alone. Our National Sports Associations must realize that they need a committed individual like Manny Pangilinan to team up with chairman Ramirez to pull us out of the cesspit of failure and elevate our country into an emerging force in regional sports competitions.

It can hopefully start with next year’s SEA Games. The challenge is there for the NSAs to rally around. We trust they have the guts and the sense of commitment to do so, not for themselves but for the sake of our country and people.

Riera U. Mallari, Editor Reuel Vidal, Assistant Editor sports@thestandard.com.ph sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

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Sports

Boxers Manny Pacquiao (left) of the Philippines and Jessie Vargas of the US share a light moment during a press conference in Beverly Hills, California announcing their Nov. 5 fight. AFP

Pacman wants to box and be a senator at same time

By Ronnie Nathanielsz

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IGHT-DIVISION world champion and Senator Manny Pacquiao wants to prove he can still win the World Boxing Organization world welterweight title currently held by Jessie Vargas and at the same time serve the people as an elected senator.

At the official news conference hosted by Top Rank Promoter Bob Arum at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles, Pacquiao said: “This is my first fight since I was elected as senator and it’s an honor for me to challenge the champion in the 147-lb weight division.

I respect him because he’s the champion, he is the belt holder of 147. It’s a big chance again for me to get the belt again and to prove I can still manage serving the people and being a boxer.”

For his part Vargas said: “I know I’m the underdog in this fight, but what’s changed? Let’s be honest. The media has had me as the underdog so many

times, but I came out victorious in all of them and on one occasion struggled but I found a way. I fight to the end. I am a two-division world champion for a reason. On Nov. 5, I plan to show that I’m the best in the division and any other titleholder that wants to challenge me, I want them to know that I am the real deal.”

Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum announced that Top Rank would be handling the pay-per-view distribution for the fight rather than a premium network.

“Today is a historic moment because today we will take back boxing for the promotion, for then fighters. Years ago in

the 70s and the 80s, Top Rank and other promoters distributed their own events on closed circuit and later pay per view,” said Arum.

“In the last 15, 20 years those events were distributed on premium networks at a charge to the fighters and promoters of 7.5 percent of the gross revenue. Well that’s all changing now starting this event on November 5,” Arum added.

Arum added that Top Rank Pay Per View will be distributing its own event. “We have the capability in our staff to do that. After all we’ve been creating the commercials, the posters, all the other elements into the promotion for many years. We will be distributing the event ourselves and we want to say that if the other promoters would like us to distribute their events, we are available for a helluva lot less than 7.5 % distribution fee,” Arum said.

He assured fight fans that they are going to see “a great production and you’re going to see an announcing team that will asBob Arum speaks during the press conference. AFP tound you.”

PH’s top female netters face off SIXTEEN of the country’s most promising young tennis players are set to face each other during an action-packed qualifier in a bid to earn the coveted slots to represent the Philippines in the 2016 WTA Future Stars tournament in Singapore.

Sanctioned by the Philippine Tennis Association, the Cebuana Lhuillier Girls’ 14-under and 16-under Tennis Challenge will be headlined by the country’s best young Filipina players as only the Top 8 of each category based on Philta rankings have been invited to compete.

The top seed of girls’ 14-under and 16-under categories-Alexandra Eala and Carlyn Bless Guarde, respectively— are joining the tournament along with the other qualified players.

Macie Carlos, Miles Vitaliano, Sydney Ezra Enriquez, Minette April Bentillo, Bliss Bayking, Ellaine Rose Bahonsua, and Kiana Louis De Asis complete the list of those competing under the 14-under category.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth Abarquez, Mary Aubrey Calma, Gennifer Lysandra Pagente, Tracy Cheldette Llamas, Rachelle Patricia Velez, Melanie Faye Dizon, and Rafael Jean Villanueva are joining Guarde in the 16-under category.

“This tournament is an attempt to legitimize the whole process of determining the athletes that will best represent our country in the said international and prestigious tennis competition. Through this qualifying tournament, we hope to have better and higher chances of taking home the trophy for the WTA Future Stars tournament this year,” Philta Chairman of the Board and Cebuana Lhuillier President and CEO Jean Henri Lhuillier said.

Winners will automatically earn the right to represent the Philippines in the upcoming WTA Future Stars tournament in Singapore in October.

“The WTA commends Cebuana Lhuillier for its efforts in organizing a national tournament for the Philippines’ finest junior players. It is with such support that an initiative like the WTA Future Stars can fulfill its maximum potential to encourage the next generation to pursue their passion in tennis. I am thrilled that these two young players will gain amazing experience as they represent the Philippines to compete against their peers from the region and also get to meet with their favorite WTA stars during the event,” said Melissa Pine, Vice President of WTA Asia-Pacific and Tournament Director of the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.

The Cebuana Lhuillier Girls’ 14-under and 16-under Tennis Challenge is slated on Sept. 16 to 18, at Valle Verde Country Club, Pasig City.

Basilan kid, 11 others to represent PH in KL camp AFTER almost two months of traveling around the country, Globe Telecom has finally picked 12 of the best young aspiring football players to represent the Philippines in the prestigious Astro Kem Bola Advanced Training Programme in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from Sept. 13 to 17.

The qualifiers, aged 10-12, include Roniel Vincent Delumpines, a sixth grader from Isabela City, Basilan who even traveled eight hours by boat and 15 hours by land just to reach Davao City where one of the TM Football Para sa Bayan camps of Globe was held.

TM FPSB was tapped by Astro Kasih, the corporate foundation and corporate social responsibility arm of Malaysian media and entertainment powerhouse Astro, to be its partner in discovering talented kids and helping them further harness their

craft. This is in line with Globe Telecom’s sports advocacy which aims to uplift the lives of the youth especially those from the marginalized sector and provide them with a platform to showcase their talents.

“The Astro Kem Bola program aims to provide a comprehensive learning and football development experience. Through it, we have seen talented kids grow into well-rounded athletes playing in the Malaysian national youth team on an international platform. We are privileged to be able to play a role in their development and look forward to do the same for the youth of Philippines and other ASEAN countries,” said Datuk David Michael Yap, Vice President - Community Affairs of Astro.

Delumpines is joined by Leoven Jay Gatungay, San Carlos City, Negros Oc-

cidental; Lance Lawrence Locsin, Bacolod City, Negros Occidental; Martin Joshua Meriño, Binan, Laguna; and Jared Alexander Peña and Ryan Philip Johansson both from Metro Manila.

For the girls division, the representatives include two from Davao City—Jasmine Casandra Agustin and Isabelle Renee Taojo; three from Metro Manila—Astrid Heiress Ignacio, Stella Maria Divino, and Ysabella Samonte; and Mikaela Jacqueline Villacin from Bacolod City, Negros Occidental.

The children were scouted from some 600 young athletes who participated in the TM football clinics held in Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo; Talisay City, Negros Occidental; Davao City; and Metro Manila. They will compete with their counterparts from Singapore and Malaysia to get a chance to fly to Europe for two weeks of all-expense paid

professional football training in December this year.

“For four years now, Globe through TM Football Para sa Bayan has been reaching out to kids especially those from the countryside and from the marginalized sector in order to develop their skills and give them the opportunity to secure a good future, Thus, we are thankful to Astro for partnering with us in this undertaking which we believe will help uplift the lives of the youth and bring them closer to their dreams,” said Fernando Esguerra, Globe Director for Citizenship.

The kids were selected not only based on talent but also on other criteria such a teamwork; discipline, behavior and sportsmanship; communication on and off the pitch; positive attitude towards teammates, volunteers, and coaches; ability to listen to instructions; The children were scouted from some 600 young athletes who participated in the TM football clinics and good personality.

Telcos and TV firms now at the crossroads B2

By Anna Leah E. Gonzales

T

HE Philippines’ first integrated makerspace has opened at Miriam College in Quezon City, providing students and faculty with a collaborative workspace and state-ofthe-art equipment and tools to support a new model of teaching and learning.

Miriam College-Henry Sy Sr. Innovation Center is described as the country’s first makerspace―a place for learning, exploring, discovering, designing, making, transforming, connecting, collaborating and sharing ideas within a campus. The opening of the markerspace coincides with the 90th anniversary of Miriam College, which used to be known as Maryknoll College until 1989.

It is now an all-women’s school.

“It is here at the Miriam CollegeHenry Sy Sr. Innovation Center where we will follow a new model of teaching and learning, one that brings change and improvement to current school and classroom practices―much like what our pioneering and progressive Maryknoll nuns did when they established their first mission in Malabon in 1926,” says Miriam College president Rosario Lapus.

The center was designed by renowned architect Ed Calma and was built through a P100-million donation from Henry Sy Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of SM Investments Corp., the holding company of the Sy family.

A daughter of tycoon Henry Sy, Elizabeth Sy is an alumna of Miriam College and is currently the president of SM Hotels and Conventions Corp., which runs the hotel and accommodation business of the SM Group.

In a statement, Miriam College says MC-HSSIC gives students and faculty the opportunity and space to immerse themselves into 21st Century disciplines of Dream―design, robotics, engineering, entrepreneurship and mathematics.

Aside from the SM Group, other institutions that contributed to the development of the center are Emerson Electric (Asia) Ltd., Power Mac Center, Felta Multi-Media Inc., C&E Publishing Inc., Center for Culinary Arts Manila, British Council, Bato Balani Foundation Inc. and Bangkok University.

The markerspace features eight connected and creative learning spaces, including fabrication laboratory, instrumentation laboratory, engineering and electronics laboratory, multi-media laboratory, performance laboratory, kitchen and cafe, playloft and innovatrium.

Calma says the design of the whole structure represents a water ripple caused by a drop. It is “where innovative ideas are formed and would ripple outward,” the architect says. “The outer labs are incubators of ideas and ideas are worked on as they pass through critique and exhibition, and finally, presented in the center space [innovatrium] as final products.”

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First PH makerspace opens at Miriam College

(From left) SM Prime Holdings vice president Hans Sy Jr., Miriam College president Rosario Lapus, SM Hotels and Conventions Corp. president Elizabeth Sy, Miriam College board trustee Josefina Tan, Maryknoll missionary Helen Graham and architect Ed Calma lead the launching of Miriam College-Henry Sy Sr. Innovation Center. BOBBY CABRERA

Facade of the Miriam College-Henry Sy Sr. Innovation Center, the Philippines first integrated markerspace in Katipunan, Quezon City. BOBBY CABRERA

Miriam College says the markerspace is supported by an integrated program that will engage students in Steam (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) to Dream in preparation for fields of the future.

Emerson, a US-based technology and engineering company, contributed an instrumentation laboratory for MCHSSIC. The Emerson Instrumentation Laboratory is a learning space equipped with

Four Mapúan researchers in top Filipino scientists list ANOTHER professor of Mapúa Institute of Technology joins the ranks of top scientists in the Philippines, according to Spain’s largest public research body.

Dr. Rhoda Leron of the School of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry is the most recent professor of Mapúa to be included in the list of top 450 scientists in the Philippines, compiled by the Cybermetrics Lab, a research group under Consejo Superior Investigaciones Cientificas.

The list also includes two other professors from ChE-Chm—Dr. Alvin Caparanga and Dr. Allan Soriano—and the Institute’s executive vice president for academic affairs Dr. Bonifacio Doma, Jr. The same firm included Mapúa in the roster of the top 25 Philippine universities, which took into account the teaching commitment, research results, perceived international prestige, and linkages of the institution.

The ranking is a list of Philippinebased scientists and researchers in Google Scholar, an online search engine indexing various scholarly works.

Mapúa has always put research and innovation among its top priorities, and included in this thrust is the emerging Internet of Things technology. Researchers of the Institute are now employing IoT in research projects such as

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@thestandard.com.ph extrastory2000@gmail.com

designing wireless sensor nodes in the field of construction, health, and disaster-prevention, among others.

Mapúa is also active in forging partnerships with research institutions and universities around the globe, such as Chung Yuan Christian University and KTH Royal Institute of Technology.

Several researchers are taking up their PhD studies in these partner universities—Dr. Jacque Lynn Gabayno, a physics professor, completed her post-doctoral research on biomedical applications of magnetic nanomaterials at CYCU, while Maria Theresa Artuz studied about biosorption of metals from waste water at Chia Nan University of Pharmacy and Science in Taiwan. Artuz was a scholar at CNU. Mapúa also has other ongoing researches—the membrane technology, a separation process commonly used for the creation of processed water from groundwater, surface water, or wastewater, and the Mapúa-Phil LiDAR 1 and 2, which are currently housed in the Institute’s Research Building.

LiDAR 1 and 2, both grant-in-aid projects of the Department of Science and Technology, provides accurate identification of the country’s natural resources and hazard areas for disaster mitigation and resource conservation.

various tools for testing and conducting investigatory experiments. The facility is designed to teach students the fundamental concepts of pressure, distance and velocity, temperature and mass and weight.

Emerson says its partnership with Miriam College is part of the company’s advocacy to promote Stem, or science, technology, engineering and math education in the country.

The company has already signed partnerships with 12 universities and 12 K-12 schools and sponsored 20 scholars in partnership with AmCham Foundation.

“As a global technology and engineering leader, Emerson’s continuing success depends on being able to attract highly-skilled talents, especially in the Stem disciplines. Our donation and engagement with an educational institution like Miriam College provides us with a unique opportunity to encourage young women in particular, as well as others in the community, to deepen their knowledge and appreciation of Stem disci-

plines in modern life as well as to explore career opportunities in these fields,” says Emerson Philippines vice president and general manager Ed Boone.

“We believe supporting Stem education in the Philippines can greatly affect the country’s progress and development,” Boone asays.

Emerson which is based in St. Louis, Missouri, is a global leader in bringing technology and engineering together to provide innovative solutions for customers in industrial, commercial and consumer markets around the world.

The company is comprised of five business segments which include process management, industrial automation, network power, climate technologies and commercial and residential solutions.

In the Philippines, Emerson provides value-added solutions and services to customers in various areas of engineering, customer support, finance, marketing and business development, information technology and supply chain management. Emerson has 3,500 employees in the Philippines.

Smartphones under threat

By Jasmine Mira M. Dy

Mapúa School of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry professor Dr. Rhoda Leron is now included in the top 450 scientists in the Philippines

HIGH ownership of smartphones and computers increases the threat of ransomware in the Philippines.

Gavin Chow, Fortinet’s network security strategist, says that with smartphones “pushing the boundary to be as powerful as laptops and computers,” they are also “getting to be more interesting as a target” of ransomware.

Ransomware is a malware that infects a computer or mobile device connected to the Internet and executes a cryptovirology attack with an aim of demanding a ransom payment.

“Compared with other countries, the Philippines’ Internet utilization on mobile is huge, bigger than a lot of other Southeast Asian countries,” Chow says in an interview.

He says the Philippines, being the 12th in the world and second in Asia in terms of population, where smartphones are widely used, ransomware can be “a very lucrative business.”

“They are not interested to control your phone. They’re interested in getting money from you,” Chow says.

Ransomware attacks begin with anonymous messages asking for personal information. Having devices infected by ransomware effects encryption and inaccessibility of files and folders. Only by way of compromise

will these files be decrypted after payment is made to the developer of the ransomware.

He says through the use of bitcoin and tor networks, which provide anonymization of websites, spreading ransomware becomes easier to operate as “it’s very hard to trace back who is behind the website.”

Chow describes it as an “opportunistic campaign [that] takes advantage of human psychology, and tricking them to give out information [that they could] leverage on.”

In the Security 361° Symposium held on Sept. 1, FortiGuard, Fortinet’s threat intelligence group, reveals that “.jse” is now the most prevalent ransomware in the Philippines.

With the growth of technology, these ransomware attacks could spread to IoT (internet of things) devices such as cars, washing machines, IP cameras and smart home systems.

“The dangers of IoT is, by connecting more devices to the internet, the risk is not just losing your data but it can even cross over to the physical realm,” Chow says.

“The most important thing is education and awareness of the people that these sort of trends actually exist,” Chow says.

He says there are “not-so-complex ways of protecting oneself … even without any sophisticated security software.”

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Nagra general manager for Southeast Asia Stéphane Le Dreau

Filipinos among top Asia-Pacific travelers

FILIPINOS joined the emerging “global traveling class” visiting more than five countries in 2015, according to a new Visa report.

The report “Mapping the Future of Global Travel and Tourism in Asia Pacific” forecasts that some 109 million Asia Pacific households are expected to go on an international trip once a year in the next decade, up 65 percent by 2025 compared to last year’s figure.

The report maps out travel and tourism trends in the next 10 years (2015 to 2025) and found average annual spending by households during a trip is likely to rise 8 percent to $5,230.

It found that among Asia-Pacific travelers with highest average number of countries visited by a Visa credit cardholder in 2015, the Philippines ranked fourth with five countries visited along with Hong Kong, behind India with 6.8, New Zealand with 6.7 and Australia with 5.9.

The report also identified key drivers expected to impact global travel, including a growing middle class, greater Internet connectivity, improved transportation infrastructure across many countries and an aging global population with more time for leisure travel.

“Traveling internationally will become more common and attainable in the future thanks to changing demographics, combined with technology advances that make traveling abroad easier and less expensive,” said Wayne Best, chief economist at Visa Inc. “What will emerge is an expanding “traveling class” that will spend a growing portion of their household income on cross-border travel. Tomorrow’s traveling class will likely be older and hail from emerging markets – looking very different from today’s typical international traveller.”

Growing income level around the world is creating a new “traveling class”. The study uncovered that worldwide, households that make at least $20,000 per year account for more than 90 percent of spending on international travel today.

By 2025, it is estimated that nearly half of all global households (945 million) will be within this income range, spurring greater international travel and spending, particularly by households from emerging markets.

In Asia Pacific, households in China ($255 billion), Hong Kong ($47.4 billion) and Singapore ($44.9 billion) are likely to be the top markets with the largest outbound travel spend by 2025. However, emerging markets Indonesia (211 percent), Vietnam (132 percent) and India (101 percent) are likely to experience the sharpest increases in spending. The Philippines’ increase is in line with the regional average increase.

Telcos and TV firms now at the crossroads

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SIAN telecommunication and broadcast companies have reached the crossroads, as video content can now be viewed across multiple screens, from television sets to computers to smartphones, thanks to the Internet.

“New formats, from YouTube channels to services such as Netflix are changing the way content is consumed,” says Stéphane Le Dreau, general manager for Southeast Asia of Nagra, the digital TV division of Kudelski SA, a Swiss company.

Headquartered in Cheseaux-surLausanne in Switzerland, the Kudelski Group provides digital security and convergent media solutions for the delivery of digital and interactive content.

Its unit Nagra provides content providers and digital TV operators with secure, open and integrated platforms and applications over broadcast, broadband and mobile platforms.

Le Dreau, a French national, is in charge of establishing Nagra’s presence across Southeast Asia. “I am personally devoted to engage and meet payTV operators to help them understand the differentiators and value add that a worldwide leader such as Nagra can provide,” he says.

Le Dreau says the pay-TV market has faced unprecedented change in recent years because of the rise of over-thetop streaming solutions such as Netflix, which shifted viewing patterns and the proliferation of cloud technologies which transformed the entertainment industry.

“The TV industry is now witnessing the biggest shift in media habits since the dawn of television. Customers are demanding more personalization and flexibility as they consume different formats of content, across a number of platforms,” Le Dreau says in an email interview.

Le Dreau says the other side of the coin is that this also presents a real opportunity for pay-TV service providers to build more innovative and sustainable business models to meet the changing needs of the consumers.

“Pay-TV operators, particularly in the region, are at the crossroads of exciting new opportunities to reach consumers on any screen, anytime and anywhere, as well as engage in a more interactive viewer relationship,” Le Dreau says.

Le Dreau says the same is true in the Philippines, which is catching up with technology developments in other countries. “With advancements in technology and development of infrastructure that are already taking place, the Philippines is well poised to close the gap with more advanced markets,” he says.

Nagra’s customers in the region include StarHub in Singapore, BGCTV in China, TBC, KBro and CNS in Taiwan, Linknet in Indonesia, Skylife in Korea and the Vietnam Satellite Digital Television.

Smart in Fortune magazine’s ‘Change the World’ list WHEN engineer Angelique Caritan was still a college student in Mindanao, she underwent a technology training conducted for free by engineers of mobile leader Smart Communications Inc. The training provided her with practical knowledge of the telecommunications industry, which complemented the theories she had learned in school.

“Because of that training, my industry knowledge widened and I became confident when I was applying for a job,” she said.

Caritan was eventually hired by Smart.

There she joined dozens of Smart engineers sharing their knowledge and experiences with engineering and information technology students, under the Smart Wireless Engineering Education Program or Sweep.

Because of this program, Smart was recently cited by international business magazine Fortune as one of 50 companies that have “changed the world.”

The annual rankings aim to showcase the power of companies to improve the human condition by making an important social or environmental impact through their business strategy and operations.

Smart, the only Philippine company and the only telco on the 2016 list, joined the ranks of global business giants such as GlaxoSmithKline, Nike, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and Unilever.

Launched in 2003, Sweep aims to help schools produce industry-ready graduates and future technology entrepreneurs. Under the program, Smart provides schools with up-to-date telecommunications equipment, as well as hands-on trainings, seminars and internships. Smart also sits in annual curriculum reviews to provide inputs on industry trends, helping schools ensure that their course offerings are rel-

Smart Communications Inc. chairman Manny Pangilinan (center) celebrates the Fortune citation with the people behind Sweep.

evant.

To date, more than 30,000 teachers and students from all over the Philippines have directly benefitted from trainings organized by Smart. About 1,000 students from partner-schools have been hired into Smart’s technology group.

In 2004, Smart launched the Sweep Innovation and Excellence Awards, a competition encouraging students to create mobile and digital innovations that will help solve common problems.

Student teams whose entries are deemed to have market potential are offered seed funding, mentoring and the runway to convert their school projects into actual commercial products. Schools of teams that make it to the finals, in turn, receive grants that they use to set up Innovations Centers.

“We thank our partner-schools for working hand in hand with us to provide quality engineering and IT education to Filipino students. We hope that by doing so, we are encouraging and equipping them to create innovations that will improve the lives of our countrymen,” said Smart chairman and chief executive Manuel Pangilinan.

“I’m elated about the citation, but it doesn’t come as a surprise because I know how hardworking our people are. These people are not only working for the company but are also working for the country.

I’m very happy because these guys are giving back to the community what they have already gained. It’s part of the culture of Smart,” said Mar Tamayo, Smart senior vice president for network planning and engineering.

“The Kudelski Group is present in the Philippines, providing content protection solutions to satellite service provider Cignal TV through its subsidiary Conax,” says Le Dreau.

Le Dreau says pay television continues to grow, exceeding a billion subscribers and $200 billion in global industry revenue. “It is widely expected to approach $250 billion in global industry revenues by 2020. The market in Asia Pacific is also growing, with payTV penetration expected to rise from 61.1 percent in 2015 to 69.2 percent in 2021, adding 127 million subscribers,” he says.

He says the evolution of the television industry provides new opportunities for service providers in Asia Pacific. “However, it also presents new challenges such as managing content protection and ensuring the seamless delivery of content, with a superior user experience, to meet consumers’ expectations. Operators need to be aware of these challenges and have a strategy in place to address them,” he says, adding that Nagra has a broad portfolio of solutions to help service providers overcome these barriers and enable the next-generation of television services for consumers.

He says Nagra, in partnership with research consultancy MTM, launched earlier this year the Pay-TV Innovation Forum―a new global research program for senior pay-TV executives, with the mission of exploring the innovations and strategies that will drive the next phase of growth for pay-TV operators, over-the-top content providers and adjacent markets.

A recently published report shows that the Asia Pacific industry is fragmented, with strong differences between markets in terms of economic wealth, demographics, geography, penetration of broadband and pay-TV and content preferences. As a result, there is a divide in growth and technology adoption between advanced markets and emerging markets in the region.

“Emerging Asian markets such as the Philippines are facing challenges with low broadband penetration, yet this also means great opportunities for growth.

As the market is in early stages of development, service providers can offer broadband and pay-TV products to a broader customer base, justifying larger next-generation investments,” says Le Dreau.

“With improvements in broadband quality and availability, operators will also have the chance to provide consumers access to a wider range of content and TV services, driving take-up.

On the other hand, although advanced

Asian markets such as Singapore, South Korea and Japan have a more highly developed pay-TV industry and higher penetration of broadband, the very same reason makes them more prone to business model disruptions and competition from new entrants,” he says.

Le Dreau says this is where Nagra comes in. Nagra has recently teamed up with StarHub, Singapore’s leading pay-TV operator, to launch the Netflix subscription video on demand service on its Fibre TV platform. He says this is an eexample of how service providers can offer the best of two worlds by blending Internet TV services into a pay-TV offering.

“As consumers continue to demand quality content that can be accessed over multiple devices, anywhere they are, pay-TV service providers will remain focused on strengthening and differentiating their core pay-TV and OTT propositions. Service providers in emerging markets are expected to focus on delivering value-added services such as HD video quality to meet the evolving demands of consumers,” he says.

“With growing device proliferation and usage, multiscreen TV Everywhere services will also form an important part of the value proposition. In addition to the above, service providers will work towards ensuring a seamless video experience across all consumer devices and making content discovery as easy as possible, with IP-based, cloud and data technologies playing an important part in enabling these next-generation features,” says Le Dreau.

At the same time, Le Dreau says telecom companies are well placed to deliver digital solutions as they can leverage their existing networks and infrastructure to offer video content to customers. “Our solutions address the entire digital media ecosystem, offering a full end-to-end solution for telecom providers enabling the delivery and protection of content over IP fixed and wireless networks. Our focus is on bringing premium entertainment to every screen and helping service providers deliver innovation in their markets,” he says.

Nagra explores more opportunities in the Philippine market, which remains in the early stage of development with lower broadband and pay-TV penetration compared to more advanced markets such as Singapore and Japan.

“However, customers in Philippines are embracing both traditional and digital platforms as access points. According to Nielsen, traditional TV viewing continues to enjoy its share of eyeballs while, at the same time, digital video viewership among Filipinos has grown six fold,” Le Dreau says.

“We are continuously working to expand our footprint in the region and emerging markets like the Philippines provide tremendous opportunities for growth and development, especially as consumers’ appetite for content across both traditional and digital platforms remains strong,” he says.

Roderick T. dela Cruz

San Marino Tuna wins gold at Reader’s Digest Awards SAN Marino Tuna has won a gold for the fourth year at the Reader’s Digest Trusted Brand Awards.

The award, published in the Reader’s Digest July 2016 issue, recognizes San Marino as a trusted corned tuna brand in the Philippines. The award was based on an annual poll commissioned by the international publication to identify the brands trusted most by Asian consumers.

Reader’s Digest said a trusted brand enjoys international appeal, yet at the same time upholds a strong local connection. “It has individual relevance for all its consumers, just about anywhere and in any culture,” the international magazine said.

“For the past four decades, Foodsphere, Inc. has prided itself on offering the highest quality food products. Staying ahead of competitors is important and, with San Marino Corned Tuna, we have perfected a winning formula,” said Jerome Ong, president of Foodsphere Inc., the company behind San Marino.

Reader’s Digest, which has given the awards for the past 18 years, is able to confidently dissect precisely what features a trusted brand must possess to maintain relevance and purpose for Asian consumers.

Reader’s Digest commissioned independent market research agency Catalyst to survey a representative sample of people in Asia on the most trusted brands in 44 categories of products and services across a wide range of industries.

Over 7,500 people were polled across Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Tai-

wan and the Philippines. Both members of the public and Reader’s Digest subscribers participated in the survey.

San Marino Corned Tuna was launched in September 2009 to break the monopoly in the local canned tuna industry and provide the local market with an alternative.

“The tuna product was designed to win the taste and preference of the consumers.

The big idea was to provide consumers with a tuna product which combines the health benefits of tuna and the delicious taste of corned beef. Thus, corned tuna was born,” said Ong. Corned tuna became a new category in the canned fish sector and San Marino’s entry made the canned fish industry bigger, to the advantage of the Filipino consumers. San Marino Corned Tuna has rocked the industry and transformed the market since then.

“This delicious and healthy tuna has less oil, lots of tuna and is rich in Omega 3 DHA, which is good for the heart and brain. Foodsphere is continuously nourishing the lives of Filipino families by providing healthy options, excellent customer service and continuous product development,” Ong said.

San Marino products are manufactured in a modern manufacturing and distribution facility situated over a nine-hectare property in Malvar, Batangas. The megaplant, complete with state-of-the art equipment, serves as the production hub of canned fish for San Marino.

This has enabled San Marino to become a game-changer in the canned tuna market and a household brand.

Property

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2016 jdlacsamana@gmail.com

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COMMUNITY STRATEGY. The effects of climate change on poor STAYING IN THE LEAD. Monarch Parksuites, a mid-rise, 4-tower residential property development by Anchor Land Holdings, Inc., is ready to turn over units to its investors in Bay City by 2017. Bay City is being touted as the next premier business district, as well as entertainment and residential hub. Currently, there are five PEZA-registered buildings in Bay City, which include three E-Com buildings in the Mall of Asia complex, and two office towers in Aseana City. A number of luxury hotels and entertainment centers are likewise in the works. Monarch Parksuites has fully furnished spacious units fit for families, and smaller units for single occupants. The property offers a view of the bay. All areas are assured of security 24/7, with CCTV installations and security access cards issued for guests.

WALKING THE TALK. El Nido Resorts in Palawan qualifies

as authentic ecolodges because of the chain’s environmentally sustainable policies. Comprised of the Island Resorts of Pangulasian, Miniloc and Lagen, they will be included in the next edition of ‘Authentic Ecolodges in the World’ book.

communities was one of the issues highlighted in the recently concluded Social Housing Finance Corporation’s (SHFC) multi-stakeholder forum for Cagayan de Oro City partners held at the Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan. Citywide community upgrading strategy - one of the strategies identified to mitigate climate change and address current housing issues — was also highlighted in the forum. The strategy advocates a more proactive and programmatic delivery of housing solutions that entail mapping all the informal settler families (ISFs) in the city, developing a citywide shelter development plan, and systematically allocating resources to prioritized informal settlements. SHFC president Ma. Ana Oliveros (Show in photo) said that housing is a problem that has implications on urban development, hence, the need for a citywide strategy.

“Housing is not a stand-alone issue,” she said. “We should integrate it with the factors of urbanization because it is also a tool in poverty alleviation. We should look at the poor in the center of development.”

Green technologies at Subic this September

Earth-friendly building techniques to be showcased

E

arth-friendly technologies used by tourist facilities will be showcased this September 19 to 23 at the International School of Sustainable Tourism (ISST) in Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

ECOLODGE GURU. Architect and natural

landscape artist Hitesh Mehta will talk about site planning techniques to enable participants to implement ecolodge guidelines and certification standards.

Dubbed the Ecolodge design and planning workshop, the training course will feature eco-architect and natural landscape artist Hitesh Mehta, acknowledged as the world’s ecolodge guru, who will touch on site planning techniques to enable participants implement ecolodge guidelines and certification standards.

Ecolodge seeks to uphold the social and ecological integrity of the environment, and allow for sustained benefits from ecotourism without damaging or destroying the natural resources on which they depend.

Mehta will lecture on the topics ecotourism and ecolodges, site analysis and planning ecoutourism

NEW SYNERGY. Property developer Ortigas & Co. celebrates its 85th anniversary this year, with partnerships with the SM and Ayala groups. The company behind Greenhills Shopping Center, Capitol Commons, Frontera Verde, and Circulo Verde, is planning improvements to unlock the potential of its different parcels. The developer’s 52-hectare landbank is currently under review, and with SM and Ayala’s backing, it is eyeing new retail and residential strategies. Greenhills Shopping Center is under a multi-phase, multi-billion peso redevelopment. Viridian, the 53-storey luxury residential condominium at the heart of Greenhills, is set to welcome residents late this year. On the retail front, the popular Greenhills ‘tiangge’ will be coupled with a department store to serve customers’ shopping needs. Capitol Commons, Ortigas & Co.’s mixed-use hub which now stands in the former Rizal Provincial Capitol, also has several developments underway. Andthe growing number of information technology-business process management (IT-BPM) locators in the country is pushing the company to push Frontera Verde as a choice location for IT-BPM operations in the Ortigas-Pasig area.

facilities, architectural aspects of ecotourism facilities, and creative design, technology and construction trends in ecolodges.

Mehta has done projects in more than 55 countries from ecolodges to housing, community centers, national parks and nature reserve, tourism accommodations, malls, religious and cultural centers.

A collaboration with the United Architects of the Philippine and the Philippine Association of Landscape Architects, the course is designed for landscape architects, land developers, professors and students on design and architects, eco-tour operators, local communities and companies interested in investing in eco-friendly tourism structures.

Presentations include Impact of Tourism on Indigenous Flora and Fauna in the Philippines by Philippine Native Plants Conservation Society president Anthony Arbias, Sustainability Initiatives in Tourism by Palawan Council for Sustainable Development executive director Nelson Devanadera, There will also be an input on contextual Filipino architecture which will take into account the avail-

ability of indigenous materials, topography and local design.

The five-day course will enable participants incorporate renewable energy and efficient waste and water management systems into design and construction, and reduce building footprints by integrating infrastructure with natural landscape,” said ISST president Mina Gabor,.

She said that participants will also conduct an onsite metaphysical and physical analysis of the Dinalupihan Nature Park in Bataan, and present conceptual ecolodge site plans for the plenary workshop.

Gabor said the workshop is in line with the country’s hosting of the first Asia Pacific Natural Landscape Conference and Exhibition in April 2017.

The Ecolodge workshop is supported by Philippine Airlines, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Department of Tourism, Subic Lighthouse Marina Resort, and the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA).

BACOLOD ON THE RISE. Megaworld recently announced that it is building an upscale residential village, Forbes

Hill, in Northill Gateway, Bacolod City. The community will have 197 lots ranging from 449 sq. meters to 916 sq. meters, or approximately 13 lots per hectare. Future lot owners will have a free hand to design their own homes, which overlook the Negros mountain ranges, and surrounding sugarcane plantation vistas. Residents will also have a big breathing space as Megaworld alloted 5-hectares of open and green spaces for parks Forbes Hill is nestled within the 53-hectare Northill Gateway, a joint development of Megaworld and Suntrust Properties, Inc., in partnership with the Lacson Family. The development will house residential villages, mixed-use office and retail developments, leisure and recreational amenities as well as institutional facilities.

Property

Joel D. Lacsamana, Editor jdlacsamana@gmail.com

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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2016

REAL ESTATE INDUSTRY

SEEN TO GROW UNDER DUTERTE GOVERNMENT

IMPROVED BUSINESS CLIMATE TO BOOST PROPERTY SECTOR

By Joel Lacsamana

T

he Philippines’ real estate sector will be a major beneficiary of the accelerating growth momentum being quarterbacked by the government of President Rodrigo Duterte, anchored on rising private investment and public spending on infrastructure.

GIVING IMPETUS TO PH SPORTS. Lending support to Hidilyn

Diaz were 8990 Holdings, Inc. president and CEO JJ Atencio; chief operating officer Willie Uy, as well as Philippine Sports Commission chairman Butch Ramirez; Philippine Olympic Committee president Jose “Peping” Cojuangco; and commissioners Charles Raymond A. Maxey, Ramon Fernandez, Celia Kiram and Arnold Agustin.

RIO OLYMPICS WINNER GETS HOUSE AND LOT Olympic silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz and real estate developer 8990 Holdings, Inc. recently signed a memorandum of agreement granting the weightlifter a house and lot as a reward for her silver medal finish at the recent Rio Olympics.

Januario Jesus “JJ” Atencio, 8990 Holdings president, and CEO and PSC chairman William “Butch” Ramirez signed the MOA which gave Diaz a house and lot at Deca Homes in Clark, Pampanga – a one-story unit on a 53 square meter lot estimated at P450,000.

The real estate windfall were among the latest perks for the 25-year-old Diaz, who became the first Filipino Olympic medalist after her dramatic finish in the women’s 53kg weightlifting event in the Olympics held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. ““We believe that sports develop discipline,” said Atencio.

“We don’t just build houses for families; we also aim to make their lives better.”

Under the agreement, 8990 Holdings, Inc. committed to award a house and lot to medalists who competed in Rio. It also earmarked cash tokens of P10,000 to all athletes who competed there.

“People know what are the right things to do to boost growth,” said Michael Mann, chief economist for Asia of Standard Chartered Bank.

“It’s all about the implementation of existing plans, knowing what can be delivered. If it’s investment and infrastructure, if you provide it, they will come.”

During the Euromoney Philippines Investment Forum in Bonifacio Global City last week, Mann said the growing contribution of investment to gross domestic product (GDP) could provide a key source of extra growth outside the money sent home by overseas Filipinos and the business process outsourcing industry —the two main pillars of the Philippine economy.

“Addressing infrastructure bottlenecks will enable the country to make investments one of the economy’s major growth drivers, thereby unlocking the potential of other sectors,” Mann said at a media briefing during the forum.

He lauded the Duterte government’s commitment to simplify business rules, and cut red tape and enhance the quality of labor, all of which will make the Philippines’ more competitive, particularly in the AEAN market, where counties like Vietnam hold the lead in terms of attracting foreign direct investments (FDIs).

Real estate growth to continue KMC Savills, a global real estate service firm, agreed that the local real estate sector is in for a continued boom in the next six years – a positive impact of the government’s economic growth plans.

The administration’s economic agenda prioritizing countryside development, infrastructure and agriculture growth boosts the Philippines’ position as one of the top three destinations in Southeast Asia for FDIs by 2022, said Antton Nordberg, KMX Savills head of research.

Among the new administration’s plans is to lift foreign

GROWTH BOTTLENECKS. Addressing infrastructure niggles such as traffic congestion in the country’s urban centers, will enable the government to make investments one of the economy’s major growth drivers.

the global market for goods and services.

This will further open the country up to competition, Nordberg said.

“Relaxing restrictions will attract investors in key industries, where they are presently barred from entering and providing competition,” he said.

“Raising the cap on foreign ownership will complement the

said. “Just like in Vietnam, it will be about political will, clarity, level playing field and being liberal in terms of ownership and operation.”

“The government must work on simplifying rules, easing restrictions on foreign ownership and establishing a record of stability and predictability to attract more foreign direct investment,” he pointed out.

Strategic location, infrastructure spending

CALL TO ACTION. SCB’s Michael Mann backs government’s thrust to “simplify rules, ease restrictions on foreign ownership and establish a record of stability and predictability” to attract more FDIs. ownership rules from 40 to 70 percent, at the same time, lifting limits on land lease from 25 to 40 years.

With the ASEAN integration offering the country participation in global production networks, relaxation of foreign ownership restrictions will appeal to investors who look at

country’s bid to become an investment destination, and open the economy to strategic industries.”

SCB’s Mann agreed, saying that more foreign firms are keen on participating in one of Asia’s fastest growing economies. “ “Money is not an issue,” he

Nordberg said that aside from making current investors keen on expanding their foothold in the country, it will also bring in more foreign investors in public utilities and other infrastructure that need big capital investments.

The government’s increased infrastructure spending and countryside development likewise opens more opportunities for Philippine real estate, as infrastructure eases the costs of logistics for industrial firms.

“We’re optimistic that local consumption will offset the declining global demand, leading to an industrial real estate growth of 6-7% this year and exponentially after that.”

Definitely, the real estate industry is in a sweet spot, Nordberg added.

“The Philippines has a strategic location, a large and fast-growing market and knowledge of English,” he said. “Growth rates in the industrial segment could even double in the next years. Office spaces will also continue to be on the rise, as we have a 40-million strong workforce and cheap labor.”

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LGUs

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2016

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

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Japanese company expands operations

By Romeo Dizon

C

LARK FREEPORT ZONE—TRS Philippines, a Japanese firm that manufactures and exports medical supplies to Asia, Europe and North America, is expanding its operation inside the zone through an additional investment of P211 million yesterday.

CASCADE. Towering many times a man’s height, Awao Falls is located at Barangay Awao in Compostela Valley. Roland Jumawan

Girlie Jane Santos, general manager of TRS Philippines, said the expansion includes the signing of the lease agreement with the Clark Development Corp. covering 4,355 square meters for 25 years.

The agreement was signed by TRS Philippines chairman Teuro Hashimotos and Noel Manankil, officer in charge of the CDC. Santos said the expansion program will hire 80 more employees in addition to 126-man workforce.

According to Santos, their com-

pany produces surgical wires for angioplasty, angiogram, endoscopy, disposable surgery suites and medical accessories for medical equipment, among others.

These items are exported to medical companies in Japan, Singapore, USA, Germany, China, Brazil and India, Santos said.

The company which started operation in 2006 provides its mostly female employees with unique benefits including rice subsidy, fruits, milk supplement, vitamins, meals and transportation allowances.

CAR LGUs lead anti-bureaucracy survey Yolanda survivors lack water, drains

By Dexter A. See

BAGUIO CITY—Local governments in the Cordilleras were recognized for excellent compliance with the provisions of the Anti-Red Tape Act by the Report Card Survey (RCS) of 19 local government units, regional line agencies, state universities and water districts over the past several months.

Manila council free of drugs

By Sandy Araneta MANILA Mayor Joseph Estrada, Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna and all 36 Manila councilors passed the recent drug test conducted by the Manila government.

Estrada was elated that none of the members of the city council tested positive for illegal drugs on August 18.

Rank-and-file employees of the city hall, including the department heads, are next in line, he said. “Those who will be found positive will automatically be dismissed from the service,” Estrada warned.

A surprise drug test was administered on the city council

by One Health Medical Laboratory Inc. headed by medical technologist Milagros Dolor.

It was the first time in recent years that a city mayor voluntarily submitted himself to a drug test, which is also the first ever to be conducted at the Manila City Hall.

Estrada said the random drug test was conducted to set an example to the two million Manileños and to show that he is determined to eliminate banned drugs in the capital city.

The mayor’s crusade against drugs began when he was elected vice president in 1992 and appointed head of the Presidential Anti-Crime Commission.

Cornelia Rillera, Civil Service Commission assistant regional director, said the local governments that were given excellent ratings are Itogon, Benguet, Tayum, and Dolores in Abra and Alfonso Lista in Ifugao.

Of the 19 agencies polled by the RCS, 13 received good ratings and two got acceptable ratings.

A rating of more than 90 per-

cent based on the criteria of the RCS is considered excellent, a rating of 80 to 89 percent is good, and a rating of 70 to 79 percent is acceptable.

Rillera added that those that were able to receive good ratings were the Benguet State University, Baguio Water District, Kalinga State University, La Trinidad Water District, Baguio, La Trinidad, Aguinaldo, Luna, Ka-

bugao, Tuba, Tabuk and Lamut.

The Metro Bangued Water District and Lagawe were judged acceptable.

“We were able to note significant improvements in the compliance of our local governments, government agencies, state universities and water districts to the rules and regulations contained in the ARTA,” Rillera revealed.

QC mayor to give condoms to high school students

By Rio N. Araja QUEZON City Mayor Herbert Bautista on Friday ordered the city’s 46 public high schools to teach sex education starting June 2017.

“Included in the provision of reproductive health education is the reproductive health supplies in schools, such as condoms,” a city government official statement read.

Despite opposition of the Catholic Church, the city government vowed to still promote the use of condom to combat human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

During a recent local health board meeting, Bautista ap-

proved the mandatory inclusion of reproductive health in the curriculum of all public secondary schools.

He also approved the recommendation of city health officer Verdades Linga to include in the curriculum demonstrations on the proper use of condom to high school students as well as the other contraceptives, an “important” component of HIV, AIDS and STD prevention.

Noting she also saw the need to promote condom use even in the workplace, Linga said “what the health board will be doing is strengthen condom use in Quezon City and erase the stigma that has always been associated with it.”

In its intensive effort from the city health officials to man-

age and control the spread of HIV, AIDS and STDs, the city government increased its investments for such program from less than P5 million per year prior to 2012 to P24 million in 2014.

“Apart from increased investments for its HIV programs, the city government under the Bautista administration has also taken steps to address broader structural barriers to effective HIV responses, including the passage of local laws against discrimination on grounds of HIV status, sexual orientation and gender identity,” the local government said.

Based on the Philippine AIDS registry, 613 HIV cases were reported in Quezon City from January to October 2015.

TYPHOON survivors, local government officials and advocates decried the lack of water and sanitation in resettlement sites for more than 14,000 families displaced by Super Typhoon “Yolanda” about three years ago.

In a press conference in Quezon City, the survivors said that despite concerted efforts by the government, civil society and international organizations, significant challenges remain in the recovery and rehabilitation of the affected communities.

In Tacloban City, some 14,433 or 40 percent of the affected families were chosen for relocation by the national and local governments to the northern barangays. Up to now, only 13 percent of the internally displaced persons have been moved.

Meanwhile, families who were relocated suffer scarcity of water, the lack of waste water-treatment facilities, inadequate livelihood opportunities and unclear information on tenurial security.

“Until now, those of us who have resettled in Northern Tacloban still do not have potable water. The city government provides some through water trucks twice a week but it is not enough,” lamented Algina Lacaba, secretary of the Coalition of Yolanda Survivors Association of Tacloban.

According to the city govern-

ment of Tacloban, water scarcity has been a problem even before Yolanda.

“For northern Tacloban, the problem is that there is no viable source of ground water in most of the areas. At the same time, the Leyte Metropolitan Water District [LMWD] has imposed a one-subdivision, one-meter policy, which effectively deprives northern Tacloban of water supply,” said Community Affairs Officer IV Tedence Japson.

Philippine Network of Rural Development Institutes operations manager Emynita Tapiru explained that the lack of water has resulted in problems of malnutrition and poverty, inability of children to go to school, and conflicts within families.

“Many families are forced to buy water elsewhere. This diminishes their capacity to buy food. Children cannot go to school because they are asked by their parents to fetch water when it is distributed.”

Lacaba recounted that “whenever it rains, the area outside our houses gets flooded. This causes the water to spill from our toilet bowls. The foul smell from the toilet bowls also comes out of our kitchen sinks. We’re afraid that we’ll all get sick soon if this is not addressed.”

Rio N. Araja

NIGHT LIGHTS. With just a few months left before the holidays, different styles of Christmas lanterns or ‘parol’ are now sold on Aguinaldo Highway in Barangay Talaba, Bacoor, Cavite. PNA

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LGUs

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2016

SM mall plants 60,000 trees

By Dexter A. See

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AGUIO—The management of SM City Baguio has planted about 60,000 tree seedlings in various parts of the city over the past four years to help the local government and concerned government agencies preserve and protect the environment.

The mall management reported that 24,035 trees were planted in the Busol watershed; 30,200 were planted in the Philippine Military Academy; 2,157 in the Forbes Park forest reservation; 2,000 in Dontogan Elementary School; 907 in Salud Mitra barangay; 500 each in Quezon Elementary School and Sto. Tomas Elementary School.

SM hired a company to maintain and protect the newly planted trees over a three-year period and to replace the trees that died.

Busol watershed has a total land area of 336 hectares of which 112 hectares fall in the jurisdiction of Baguio. The remaining 224 hectares belong to the capital town of La Trinidad, Benguet and supply over 40 percent of potable water of

Miss U prelims set in Manila ORGANIZERS of Miss Universe 2017 plan to hold the pageant’s preliminary competition here in Manila.

Tourism Undersecretary Katherine de Castro said she and Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Dino and other members of the organizing committee had agreed “tentatively” to hold the preliminaries, including the swimsuit and evening gown competition, in Manila.

De Castro and Dino met in Cebu recently to discuss details of the much-awaited event.

It was earlier reported that the swimsuit competition will be held separately in Cebu.

However, De Castro clarified that Cebu will not host the swimsuit tilt but the province will only “be featured in the final show.”

“The girls/contestants will be having a dinner, fashion show, culinary experience and beach party in Cebu,” she said.

Among the resorts that have offered to host the event are JPark, Movenpick and ShangriLa, De Castro added.

Other locales that will be featured include the Davao and Ilocos regions, she said.

The prestigious beauty pageant will be held in the country on Jan. 30, 2017.

It was in 1994 when Manila last hosted the pageant.

Tourism Secretary Wanda Corazon Teo earlier said the government would not spend a single centavo for the pageant.

The group of former Ilocos Sur governor Luis Singson will solicit funds from business magnates like Henry Sy and Kazuo Okada.

Hosting the event will entail a budget of $11 million or around P520 million. PNA

residents of the city.

The mall management committed to planting 50,000 saplings in the city-owned property in Sto. Tomas School, with the initial batch of 10,000 seedlings earmarked for the mass tree planting by city officials and employees on September 16. The remaining 40,000 seedlings will be planted in other city-owned properties.

SM vowed to plant at least 500,000 trees in 10 years, which is more than the number required by the environment department for its expansion project.

The DENR required the mall chain to plant 6,000 trees to replace the pine and alnus trees destroyed by the expansion.

SM is making the seedlings available to other interested groups.

Benguet Corp. OKs Minahang Bayan ITOGON—Benguet Corp. announced that it supports the establishment of a Minahang Bayan within its mineral claims to sustain and regulate small-scale mining.

However, lawyer Froilan Roger Lawilao, BC administration head, said there was a need for the concerned local governments, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau and small-scale mining associations to hasten the lifting of the moratorium imposed within the whole Antamok area, and for small-scale miners to organize themselves into a legitimate organization for negotiation purposes.

“We have always supported legitimate means of regulating small-scale mining in Antamok. One of these is the establishment of a Minahang Bayan in our mine site, but the moratorium must be lifted before we start negotiating with the legitimate group of small-scale miners in the locality,” Lawilao stressed.

Former Environment secretary Joselito Atienza in 2009 ordered a moratorium on mining in Antamok.

Lawilao encouraged small-

scale mining associations to organize themselves and bargain with the company for the establishment of the Minahang Bayan once the moratorium is lifted.

Small miners had claimed that the refusal of large mining firms to issue the necessary consent and the absence of the appropriate free and prior informed consent of indigenous peoples were the major obstacles to the putting up of Minahang Bayan sites in the province pursuant to Executive Order 79 issued by the previous administration.

Lawilao said BC recognizes the important contribution of small miners to the overall economy of the municipality and Benguet province. Thus, they initially offered the sharing scheme to small mining groups but the latter were not united in accepting their offer.

He said the adoption of a Minahang Bayan in the locality after all issues and concerns have been addressed will legitimize and regulate the operations of small miners’ groups. A Minahang Bayan will put an end to improper disposal of wastes, Lawilao added.

Dexter A. See

QC launches book of photographs

By Rio N. Araja

PRIMATES. A female monkey keeps her baby safe and warm in Sabang Island in Palawan. Sonny Espiritu

THE Quezon City government will launch a picture book entitled “75+ Things About Quezon City” next week.

The book illustrates the city’s colorful 75-year journey.

Mayor Herbert Bautista and Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte will lead the book launch at the Quezon City Interactive Museum in the Quezon Memorial Circle on Monday at 5 p.m.

Bautista said the title refers to the more than 75 ways of exploring the

Zamboanga allots P3m for Hermosa fest ZAMBOANGA City has allocated P3 million for the Zamboanga Hermosa Festival this year.

City Administrator Marie Angelique Go on Thursday said everything is set for the festival that will kick off on October 1.

“All preparations are set, we have invited guests and the calendar (of activities) has been completed. We are inviting the public to join us in the festival,” Go said.

The highlight of the festival is the feast on October 12 of Our Lady of the Pillar, the patron of the city.

The festival will feature a smoke-out grilled-food fiesta; a grand midnight sale; Cosechas de Zamboanga; little princes Zamboanga; a grand procession of the images of the Virgin Mary; novena masses; an art exhibit; a film festival and red carpet night; a pet parade and blessing; an aqua-fiesta f lowerhorn competition; a world teachers day; an original Chavacano video music festival; the third conference of culture, arts and history; a dance sport competition; medical missions; a night of songs and dances; Miss Zamboanga; the 1st Zamboanga Hermosa climb; a culinary festival; mascot de Zamboanga; regatta de Zamboanga; WOW Sardinas; a f loat competition; a Zamboanga Hermosa festival queen pageant; a balik-Zamboanga night; Danza La Vida; a Zamboanga Hermosa Street Dance competition; and a photo competition.

Go said the venue of the activities have been prepared and security plans are in place to ensure everyone enjoys the festivities. PNA

INSPECTION. An old harvester looks closely at her tobacco leaves in Ilocos Norte. Sonny Espiritu

city and experiencing its delights.

“And what could be more fitting and appropriate than a narrative pictorial of what Quezon City has to offer, be it a culinary treat, culture and the arts, crafts, music, education, leisure and entertainment,” the city’s official statement read.

The city’s tourism department has commissioned Palanca award-winning writers Sarge and Mookie Lacuesta to write a book chronicling the city’s tourist sites and destinations in colorful pictographs.

World

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2016

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COMPASSION. US actress and UNHCR special envoy Angelina Jolie talks to children during a visit to a Syrian refugee camp in Azraq in northern Jordan, on Friday. AFP

Kim a ‘nuke maniac’— Sokor dailies

S

eoul—South Korean newspapers sounded the alarm Saturday over what one termed the “nuclear maniac” Kim Jong-Un, saying the North Korean leader’s fifth and biggest nuclear test is a game-changer demanding a tougher response.

One newspaper urged Seoul to persuade its ally Washington to redeploy tactical nuclear weapons withdrawn from South Korea in the early 1990s.

The Joongang Ilbo also urged China to cut off oil supplies to its ally and neighbor.

“High time for switching gear in nuclear deterrence against North,” read its front-page headline.

Kim had “crossed the river of no return,” it said in an editorial headlined “The North’s fifth nuclear test that expedites its own demise.”

The banner headline of the top-selling Chosun Ilbo read “South Korea left unguarded before nu-

clear maniac,” Splashed below was a cartoon of Kim mounted on a galloping horse, his face distorted with anger and his hands clasping nuclear missiles.

In an editorial entitled “Counter-measures against the North’s nuclear program must change completely,” Chosun said the North had been successful in its “nuclear gambling” but cracks had begun to appear inside its system.

“We must set up and actively pursue a strategy to isolate Kim Jong-Un and his clique from within and topple them,” the conservative paper said.

The leftist Hankyoreh daily also said it “strongly condemns” the latest nuclear test.

But it said the repeated tests reflect a failure in the existing approach to the mounting crisis.

“There won’t be any solution in expressing anger to the North and keeping putting pressure on it. We must go beyond Cold War-style confrontation,” it said.

“We must stop pinning our hopes on the unrealistic theory that the North is coming close to implosion. Instead, a new, comprehensive strategy is needed.” AFP

SpaceX probes Falcon 9 blast MIAMI—SpaceX appealed for help from the public and US government agencies on Friday in the investigation of what made a Falcon 9 rocket explode last week during a launch test.

No one was hurt in the September 1 blast, which happened as the rocket was being fueled ahead of a standard, pre-launch test known as a static-fire at Cape Canaveral, Florida.

“Still working on the Falcon fireball investigation,” SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote on Twitter.

“Turning out to be the most difficult and complex failure we have ever had in 14 years.”

Musk, a billionaire entrepreneur who rose to fame as the cofounder of PayPal, added that the

blast happened “during a routine filling operation.”

“Engines were not on and there was no apparent heat source.”

According to video footage of the incident, the SpaceX rocket and an Israeli communications satellite, Amos-6, suddenly burst into a massive fireball amid what appeared to be a succession of blasts.

“Particularly trying to understand the quieter bang sound a few seconds before the fireball goes off,” Musk wrote.

“May come from rocket or something else.”

He said “support and advice” from the US space agency NASA, the Federal Aviation Administration and the US Air Force would

Coldplay rocks India for free

Facebook restores napalm girl photos SAN FRANCISCO—Facebook backtracked Friday on a decision to censor an iconic Vietnam War photo of a naked girl escaping a napalm bombing, after its block on the historic image sparked outrage.

The online giant stopped short of apologizing, saying the image had been flagged for violating standards regarding inappropriate posts at the world’s leading social network.

“An image of a naked child would normally be presumed to violate our Community Standards, and in some countries might even qualify as child pornography,” Facebook said in a statement.

“In this case, we recognize the history and global importance of this image in documenting a particular moment in time.”

Taken by photographer Nick Ut

Cong Huynh for the Associated Press, the 1972 picture of a naked Vietnamese girl running from a napalm attack is considered one of the war’s defining images. It was honored with the Pulitzer Prize.

An active social media user, Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg defied Facebook early Friday by posting the photograph, helping to bring the weekslong controversy to a head.

Her post was taken down several hours later, deleted by Facebook, she said.

After Facebook reversed position on the image, Solberg told the BBC she was a “happy prime minister.”

“It shows that using social media can make (a) political change even in social media.”

Solberg refused to back down,

re-posting the photo on her Facebook page, along with several other iconic pictures with sections blacked out, in an attempt to illustrate the absurdity of censoring historic images.

“What Facebook is doing by deleting photos like this, as good as their intentions are, is to edit our common history,” she wrote in a post.

Solberg had shared the picture at Facebook in the name of freedom of expression amid a brewing debate in Norway.

The row began several weeks ago after Norwegian author Tom Egeland published a post about war photos, illustrated by the picture.

Facebook promptly deleted it.

Egeland expressed delight in a Twitter message written in Norwegian after the Facebook about-face. AFP

KEYNOTE. Steve Schwarzman, founding trustee of Schwarzman

Scholars delivers a speech during the opening of the Schwarzman college at the Tsinghua university in Beijing on Saturday. AFP

Female jihadists now plot, execute attacks PARIS—Long cast in supporting roles in the shadow of their male counterparts, women are taking an increasingly active role in the organization and execution of attacks by jihadist groups.

That much emerges clearly from Thursday’s arrest of three heavily radicalized women plotting an attack in central Paris using a car laden with gas cylinders.

Anti-terrorism prosecutor Francois Molins says the wouldbe attackers were guided by the Islamic State group in Syria.

“A terrorist cell made up of young women totally receptive to the deadly ideology of Daesh has been dismantled,” Molins said at a news conference Friday, using the Arabic name for IS. Three women, led by 19-yearold Ines Madani, known to intelligence services after trying several times to travel to Syria, were arrested after the car was found abandoned near Notre Dame cathedral in Paris on Sunday.

It swiftly emerged there were close links between the trio and

recent jihadist attacks in France.

Molins said the foiled plot showed a change in the role of women in jihadist groups.

Whereas they were once confined to domestic tasks, that view is now out of date and they are now also viewed as “fighters.”

“The terrorist organization uses not only women, but young women, who get to know them and develop their plot from a distance,” he said.

He added the women had been guided remotely from “Syria-

be “much appreciated.”

The California-based company also issued an appeal to the public.

“Please email any recordings of the event to report@spacex.com.”

The accident—e second of its kind since SpaceX was founded in 2002—came just over a year after a Falcon 9 rocket exploded after liftoff on June 28, 2015, destroying a Dragon cargo capsule bound for the International Space Station (ISS).

Before that, SpaceX had logged 18 successful launches of the Falcon 9—including six of 12 planned supply missions to the ISS carried out as part of a $1.6-billion contract with NASA. AFP

based individuals within the ranks of the Daesh terrorist organization (which) shows that this organization intends to make combatants of women.”

While this marks the first time women have assumed the combatant role in France it is not a novel development for the likes of Syria and Iraq.

It was 11 years ago, in November 2005, that Muriel Degauque, a Belgian convert to Islam, became the first western female suicide bomber when she detonated ex-

plosives in an attack on an Iraqi police patrol near Baghdad, killing five policemen.

Al-Qaeda in Iraq, which morphed into the Islamic State, has organized several suicide attacks carried out by female bombers.

In Europe, a previous, non-fatal, attack in May 2010 saw student Roshonara Choudhry stab and seriously injure British lawmaker Stephen Timms, admitting she intended to kill him for having voted in favor of military action in Iraq. AFP

NEW YORK—Rockers Coldplay will play their first-ever show in India in a free performance as the anti-poverty Global Citizen Festival on Friday announced an expansion.

The festival, which distributes tickets in return for individual actions to fight extreme poverty, said it would release further details Monday.

But it confirmed Coldplay’s participation and said the November 19 show in Mumbai would be free after press reports in India said the concert would be exorbitantly expensive.

The Global Citizen Festival, established in 2012, takes place each year in New York’s Central Park on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly to push world leaders to put anti-poverty efforts high on the agenda.

“Just like our annual festival in Central Park, tickets to the Indian festival will be free. Fans will earn them through taking actions in support of education, equality and sanitation campaigns,” the festival said on its website.

It noted that the Mumbai concert would take place on World Toilet Day, which draws attention to sanitation problems.

While most Coldplay fans likely have indoor plumbing, around half of Indians do not have regular access to modern toilets, presenting a major public health hazard.

Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin serves as the creative director of the Global Citizen Festival.

India is not a new interest for Coldplay, whose video for “Hymn for the Weekend,” released in January, was shot in the country, although critics said it presented stereotypical images.

The latest New York edition of the Global Citizen Festival, to take place on September 24, will feature R&B superstar Rihanna, metal greats Metallica and leading rapper Kendrick Lamar. AFP

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World

Woman named to all-male Cabinet BRASÍLIA—Brazilian President Michel Temer named a woman to his cabinet Friday, after causing outcry by forming the first all-male, all-white government since the country’s 1964-1985 dictatorship.

Temer announced lawyer Grace Maria Fernandes Mendonca as his new attorney general, replacing Fabio Medina Osorio.

Temer became interim president in May when Dilma Rousseff, Brazil’s first woman president, was suspended to face an impeachment trial on charges of taking unauthorized loans to mask a budget deficit.

He was sworn in as president on August 31 when Rousseff was

Trump courting right-wing voters W

ashington—Donald Trump delivered a call to arms for America’s conservative right Friday, urging them to vote en masse on Election Day to defeat White House rival Hillary Clinton, who urged more robust national security efforts.

Trump also took Clinton to task over her diplomatic record, blasting her for a second straight day as a “trigger-happy” secretary of state who emboldened North Korea into conducting yet another nuclear test and put Iran on the path to atomic weapons.

“Her tenure has brought us only war and destruction and death,” Trump said.

The Republican nominee was the star guest at a Washington gathering of grassroots activists, conservative stalwart lawmakers and leaders in the anti-abortion and religious freedom movements.

He sought to lock up commitment from the large and important evangelical and social conservative voting bloc, four years after millions among the religious right opted to stay home instead of support Republican nominee Mitt Romney.

“In a Trump administration, our Christian heritage will be cherished, protected, defended like you’ve never seen before,” Trump said to a rousing ovation.

“You have to get out and vote on November 8. You didn’t vote four years ago,” he admonished the crowd. “You didn’t vote.”

Trump’s attendance at the Values Voter Summit highlights how conservatives are keen to press such issues on the political mainstream as the bitterly fought presidential campaign heads into its final two months.

Conservative activists have painted President Barack Obama’s administration as having rolled back the rights of Americans seeking to practice their religion free from government interference.

Billionaire Trump is under pressure to convince the far right of his conservative values, and while it was the perfect opportunity to reiterate a pro-life position, he largely steered clear of the sensitive issue Friday.

He is well aware of his need to court middle-of-the-road voters including independents, as he trails Clinton in most polls ahead of the November 8 election.

In that vein, his campaign has taken steps to distance the Republican nominee from his years-

long propagation of the “birther” conspiracy theory that Obama was not born in the United States.

“He believes President Obama was born here... He was born in Hawaii,” Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway told CNN. Her comments came a day after Trump surrogate and former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani made similar statements.

Trump himself has so far refused to acknowledge Obama’s presidential legitimacy once and for all, and he made no mention of it Friday.

The real-estate magnate was the most prominent early proponent of a theory that Obama, the nation’s first black president, was not born in the United States and therefore, under the US Constitution, ineligible to be commander in chief.

Trump embraced the longdebunked “birther movement” in early 2011, eager to push the theory as a way to connect with white conservatives and catapult himself to prominence while he mulled his own run for the White House.

Clinton meanwhile convened a Friday working session addressing terrorism and national security in New York with a bipartisan group of experts including ousted former CIA director David Petraeus, former commander of US forces in Afghanistan John Allen and former National Counterterrorism Center Director Matt Olsen.

“I asked them to join me for a candid conversation about some of the most challenging issues facing our country because I believe that America’s national security must be the top priority for our next president,” she said after the meeting.

“I support more special forces, enablers and trainers, as needed, intelligence gathering and reconnaissance” in the battle against jihadists, she said.

The national security gathering came two days before the country marks the 15th anniversary of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington. AFP

convicted in the Senate, and will serve out the rest of her term to the end of 2018.

Rousseff, a leftist and former anti-dictatorship guerrilla, denies breaking the law, and accuses Temer and his center-right allies of ousting her in a “coup.”

Temer immediately stoked controversy with his cabinet picks, naming a team consisting of 22 white men in a country known for its diversity.

He also caused outcry by eliminating the culture ministry—a decision he has since reversed— and naming several ministers implicated in corruption scandals, three of whom have been forced to resign. AFP

Easter Island learns waste recycling

GLAMOR. A model walks the runway at the Pamella Roland fashion show during New York Fashion Week September 2016 at Pier 59 on Friday in New York City. AFP

High-fashion fotog holds retro ROTTERDAM—In the glitzy, glamorous world of high fashion, photographer Peter Lindbergh is a rarity. The clothes are almost an after-thought, and Vogue magazine once tossed a now iconic picture into the bin.

But this modest German, opening his first major international retrospective in Rotterdam, is the man credited with creating supermodels such as Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford and Linda Evangelista.

It was his raw, black-andwhite images of models gazing confidently, almost challengingly into the camera, their faces virtually bare of make-up, that overturned existing glossy

notions of beauty and fashion.

“The way he photographed people goes beyond just the artificial surface that you see when you read a fashion magazine... I discovered the work of an artist,” said curator Thierry-Maxime Loriot who has put together the exhibition “A Different Vision on Fashion Photography.”

Opening on Saturday at the Kunsthal museum in Rotterdam, the exhibition contains more than 220 of Lindbergh’s pioneering photos, many culled from his previously unseen private archives.

It was a 1988 photo of a group of young women in white shirts shot on a beach of Malibu that

was to launch all of their careers, and propel Lindbergh and his work to a new level.

But the then Vogue editor, who commissioned the shoot, was unhappy with the clean, natural look at a time in the 1980s when according to Loriot it was “all big make-up and big hair” and the picture was tossed aside.

It was Anna Wintour, on taking over the magazine’s helm a few months later, who found the photo and promptly hired Lindbergh for her first cover shoot.

The group of new faces included Evangelista, Christy Turlington, and Tatjana Patitz who all went on to become stars of the international catwalks. AFP

HANGA ROA—Every Friday, a cargo plane loaded with three tons of waste cardboard takes off from windswept Easter Island, bound for the Chilean mainland thousands of miles away across the Pacific.

On the first Thursday of each month, it takes two tons of waste plastic for recycling; on the last, an equal load of aluminum.

With tourists drawn by the island’s famous ancient statues churning out seven tons of waste a day, its residents are learning the hard way to recycle.

Officials want them to stop throwing their trash indiscriminately into the garbage dump on an island of just 165 square kilometers (64 square miles).

“If we find takers for all these kinds of waste that we produce, we will send it all to them,” laughed Marcos Haoa, who helps run the island’s recycling center. “We will give it away free!”

Easter Island lies some 3,700 kilometers (2,300 miles) from the coast of mainland Chile, which governs it.

Virtually everything consumed on the island is imported for its 6,500 residents and many times more tourists.

Last year, some 95,000 outside visitors came to the island, drawn by its “moai”—charismatic tribal statues that date back centuries.

The island’s authorities estimate that between now and 2025, it will import 32 tons of cardboard, 18 of plastic, 12 of aluminum cans and nine of glass.

However, only a fifth of the island’s waste is sent for recycling, says its municipal environmental education chief, Varoia Ike. The remaining 80 percent goes into the island’s sole garbage dump.

No more than 40 percent of the island’s inhabitants sort their rubbish for recycling, the council estimates.

Of those that do, “not all of them do it right,” Ike said.

“We depend on recycling companies from the continent. They demand that the rubbish be clean and dry, and only half of ours comes in the right state.”

The island’s recycling center is built from cans, plastic bottles and tetra pack cartons.

Inside lie piles of discarded electrical appliances, old cars and tires, food containers and aerosols.

Elsewhere on the island stands a music school built from recycled waste by the US architect Michael Reynolds, a specialist in environmentally sustainable construction known as the “garbage warrior.”

The island’s garbage threat comes not only from within, however.

It also suffers waves of trash from the sea.

Pacific currents wash together masses of waste plastic in the ocean.

Environmentalists say fishing boats trawling for tuna and marlin in the area dump unwanted nets and plastic that end up on the island’s beaches or in the stomachs of sea creatures.

Islanders in 2014 founded the Mesa del Mar (Marine Roundtable), a grouping of local associations pushing for the establishment of a marine protected zone to stop illegal fishing around the island. AFP

Hilfiger launches click-and-buy collection

STRINGS. Recording artist George Strait performs during one of his

exclusive worldwide engagements, “Strait to Vegas” at T-Mobile Arena on Friday in Las Vegas, Nevada. AFP

NEW YORK—Tommy Hilfiger sought to revolutionize fashion Friday by throwing the most extravagant catwalk show of his life, launching his click-and-buy collection by throwing a fairground party with burgers and fries.

The American designer, who has turned an eye for style into a multi-billion-dollar global enterprise, has lavished millions on upending his production schedule

and teaming up with the supermodel of the moment, Gigi Hadid, to create a fall/winter collection in her image.

It’s a huge gamble that the 65-year-old Hilfiger hopes will pay off in sales. Each piece on the catwalk was available to buy instantly.

He envisions that high sales will cement the revolution and more designers will follow in his footsteps.

“We’re on the cusp of a revo-

lution. The whole industry is changing,” he told Agence France Presse. “People want things now.”

This season’s Fashion Week is in flux, with big names such as Hilfiger and Tom Ford leading the way in presenting fall/winter collections and others sticking to the traditional spring/summer calendar in which clothes typically won’t hit the stores for months.

The digital revolution means cat-

walk shows are now broadcast live and social media zaps pictures of clothes around the world in seconds, meaning that people no longer want to wait before acquiring the goods.

Renowned for his opulent catwalk sets, Hilfiger outdid himself by laying on a truly unique show.

Customers could immediately shop every look online as it went down the runway or at interactive touch screens at the party. AFP

Life

Isah V. Red, Editor Bernadette Lunas, Writer isahred@gmail.com SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2016

D1

SUNDAY LIVING

Sansevieria is among the variety of plants that help purify the air indoors—these plants are available at Marleina’s Garden

BEST PLANTS for clean air

and allergy relief Richelle Torres’ grotto garden in Better Living is laden with air purifiers and mosquito repellants.

Sandra Torre’s santol tree is embraced by 3 varieties of sansevieria plants.

A

CCORDING to the World Health Organization there are seven million premature deaths every year due to air pollution. Indoor air contaminants are ranked as one of the top five environmental risks to people’s health. Stagnant air inside a room or building allows toxins to build up indoors. This is why indoor air is often more dangerous to mankind’s health than the air outdoors.

Living and working in places where there are dangerous amounts of toxins can cause what they call the ‘sick building syndrome.’ This can cause dizziness and headaches, eye, ear and nose irritations and nausea. The bad news is that humans spend around 90 percent of their time indoors. So how do you improve the air you’re breathing right now, especially in your home and office? The good news is there are plants that purify the air we breathe.

The National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) tested plants that remove pollutants from the air— pollutants such as formaldehyde, ammonia and benzene. These contaminants come from many sources around

us including pollution from automobiles, gas stoves, photocopiers, paint, adhesive on floor and wall tiles, and upholstery. NASA’s research concluded that indoor plants are an effective way of cleaning the air indoors. These plants also remove allergens that can cause asthma and sinusitis attacks. Placing potted plants inside a room has been proven to remove poisons from the air.

“When landscaping, I advise my clients to put three vital things into consideration. Air purifying plants, mosquito repelling plants and I also encourage them to grow their own food in their yard,” author and publisher Marlene Aguilar, who is also a landscape artist, said.

Continued on D2

Three types of sansevieria in a pot

Philippines’ first Lifestyle Appliance store SMEG Philippines launched its flagship store at Park Terraces in Makati.

Coming from SMEG President, Ton Concepcion’s speech during the event, “the new Park Terraces store is representative of our brand’s move into the lifestyle space. We are not just here to sell kitchen appliances, we are here to bring out the best in food, to bring people together, and to make dream spaces a reality.”

“The beautiful thing about our SMEG appliances,” Concepcion re-

counts, “is that they are creations of technology with style. Any chef can attest to that.” Dining selections for guests of the event were freshly prepared during live cooking demos using Nutraease cooking ware, demonstrating both the technology of the SMEG appliances, and the functionality of the Park Terraces store. Complimentary to SMEG’s transition into a lifestyle brand is the launching of its lifestyle magazine, Stile de Vita.

Featuring real life SMEG users and

their passion for cooking, the pilot issue visits SMEG Ambassador, Master Chef Cyrille Soenen in his home.

Designed by distinguished architect, Gil Coscolluela, the SMEG Park Terraces store is an embrace of space and light. Upon entering, rows and rows of beautiful SMEG appliances ranging from their wide selection of different design lines welcome the guests.

Thanks to SMEG’s trusted kitchen cabinet contractor, Optimus Space Solutions, the lifestyle store seamlessly fea-

Chefs Alexander Tanco and Dino Dela Concepcion in a live cooking demo at the new SMEG Store with a fully functional kitchen showcase

From left: Chef Cyrille Soenen, Ton Concepcion, Karen Concepcion, Leah Marcos, Rex Decena and Carol Paqueo

tures five different kitchen showcases, from the sleek Linea, to the retro Fab! While having only been in the Philippines for nine years, SMEG is a wellestablished brand worldwide. In the Philippines, the brand has partnerships with multiple prestigious names, including that with Ayala Land Premier, Shangri-la, and Rockwell Proscenium to name a few. “I have a vision of making the Philippines a SMEG country, and it’s coming to life” says Concepcion.

The SMEG Park Terraces store is

now officially open to the public. Interested buyers can drop by the store from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at West Street corner Arnaiz Avenue. While browsing, walkin customers can be treated to refreshments as the well-trained SMEG staff attends to their needs. The Park Terraces store will also be open to private events and small gatherings.

To know more about SMEG Philippines, visit the official website at www. smeg.ph/ and Facebook page at www. facebook.com/smegph/.

Life

D2

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2016 isahred@gmail.com

Exciting weekend cook-outs

B

RIGHT lights, happy vibes and a friendly gathering of foodies and families laughing and bonding over delicious dishes are a delightful scenario at Amaia Steps Sucat Thursdays to Sundays.

It is Amaia Land’s partnership with Barbecuers and Grillers Association (BAGA Manila) to set up grilled cookouts for homeowners, workers and passersby in the area.

Providing convenience and a fun lifestyle to its residents, Amaia Steps Sucat offers its retail area as venue for the weekend event for the next couple of months until the end of the year. Retail shops will likewise be opened to provide a mix of food and service selections.

BAGA Manila is a well-known association of food stall vendors that serve good barbecues, grilled specialties, and quality regional dishes and delicacies.

The group is a fixture at different gastronomic events and at leading weekend and night markets.

Kristel Manalo, project development manager for South Projects, describes the event as a simple treat for residents

as it also serves to showcase the vibrant lifestyle Amaia offers its community.

Manalo likewise points out, “Occasions like this promote stronger family bonds and camaraderie within the community.”

During this open-for-all weekend activity, interested guests can view Amaia Steps Sucat’s model units and retail area. Innovatively and uniquely designed, units in this mid-rise residential project range in size from 23 to 42 square meters.

Situated along Dr. A. Santos Avenue, Brgy. San Antonio, in Sucat, Parañaque, this mid-rise residential project offers easy access to the commercial areas in the South. Amaia Steps Sucat’s retail strip has 37 retail units that will house both food and service merchants.

For leasing inquiries, call 0917-5092044 or email amaialandretail@gmail.com.

Residents of Amaia Steps Sucat and those living and working near the area can enjoy the delicious food offerings at the Paranaque development’s retail strip.

Holiday Inn introduces stay and learn package

(Seated from left) Outgoing TESDA Director General Irene Isaac, SEPCO President Kevin Lee and SEPCO’s Vice President for Consumer Electronics Jun Filart with some graduates of the TESDASamsung Electronic Products Assembly and Servicing Training Program

Recognition ceremonies

HOLIDAY Inn Manila Galleria launched its newest package for students who wish to learn the essentials in the hospitality industry through a customized training program – Stay and Learn. This allows students and teachers to design their own program discussions to fit their course interests in this dynamic industry.

Choose from the list of program discussions with respective course hours available, such as the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) World, a sneak peek into a hotel organization with global structure; Front Office Operations, management, reservations, check-in and checkout, billing requests, addressing issues, and property management system; Effective Complaint Handling, excellent ways in addressing

complaints and how to effectively deal with different types of complainant; Restaurant Operations, types of table service and table setting, dining room organization, staffing, customer sales and service; Service Sequence, guest services practiced in a restaurant; Food Safety Management, the 14 policies in FSMS and its implementation in hotel operations; Housekeeping Operations, management, functions, staffing, sanitation requirements, standard operations procedure and development; IClean, Total Quality Management Project of IHG which uses 21 steps in cleaning a room; Bed Making Techniques, actual bed making session; and Personality Development, proper resume-making and tips to ace your job interview.

for Tesda-Samsung EPAS trainees TO mark their yearlong collaboration in providing technical training for young Filipinos, Samsung Electronics Philippines Corporation (SEPCO) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) held a recognition ceremony for the graduating trainees of its TESDASamsung Electronic Products Assembly and Servicing (EPAS) Training Laboratory program.

Launched in June 2015, the training laboratory ensures that trainees are exposed to the latest technological developments in the consumer electronics industry, with Samsung’s provision of equipment, tools and regular updates on the brand’s technologies. The TESDA-Samsung EPAS laboratory has trained 70 students to date who have also received on-the-job training in Samsung’s accredited service centers.

The Stay and Learn training program features a list of various courses

Divina Fabra’s mission in life “BEING able to help others and see their lives improve day by day, that is the reward and fulfillment I get to cherish every working day.”

This is how missionary Divina Fabra, winner of the 2015 Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Award defines her work. The award honored Fabra for exemplifying the values of selfless service for the poorest of the poor, similar to Mother Teresa. Fabra helped build a school and small church for a remote Aeta community in Zambales province even without proper funding.

An advocate of indigenous peoples’ (IP) rights, Fabra came to the community two decades ago as a member of the New Tribes Mission to help teach the Aeta children how to write, read and count—basic literacy skills that are essential to get a decent job in the city.

As the recipient of the 2015 Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Award, Fabra was able to use half of a million cash prize to build a water pump and a multi-purpose hall for the Aeta community. The local community also earned from a few months of construction work, she added.

“I am thankful to receive the award. The Aeta community is happy because finally, they are able to have access to clean water,” said Fabra.

Prior to building the water pump, Fabra said that the members of the community had to walk for two kilometers to fetch water from the nearest river, where locals do their laundry and where farmers bathe their carabaos.

“Now, the community has a source of clean, drinking water unlike before. It is really a big help,” said Fabra.

Members of the community now hold their regular meetings, including medical missions, at the roofed multi-purpose hall. Before its construction, the Aeta held meetings under a tree so when the rain pours, they had stop and run to the nearest house for shelter.

“When I first came here in the Aeta community, I was challenged because of the situation they are in, plus the limited access to basic services given that they were among the displaced during the Pinatubo eruption,” said Fabra.

“But I also saw resilience and hope among them and that fueled my desire to continue my work with them,” said Fabra. She is proud to say that some of the Aeta youth she had taught now have jobs in the city.

Fabra donated the remaining half of the prize money to her chosen organization, the New Tribes Mission, which in turn used the money to fund the renovation for its training and guesthouse for visiting missionaries.

The 2015 awardee has high hopes that the Filipino youth of today will use their skills, talent and time to contribute in uplifting the lives of people in their community.

Fabra encouraged Filipinos to nominate people who have exemplified service for the poorest of the poor in the recently launched 29th Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Awards by JCI Manila and AY Foundation.

“I wish for the next BTCA winner to use the award as an inspiration to continue helping others and to leave a legacy with the lasting impact of having improved the lives of others,” said Fabra.

“This year is monumental for the BTCA organization as Mother Teresa was canonized on Sept.

4, and through the generosity of various organizations, the prize for this year has increased to P1.5 million that will go a long way in helping the winner’s chosen advocacy,” said Gio Valencia, 2016 BTCA Chairman.

“The BTCA Committee believes that we have everyday heroes such as Ms. Divina Fabra who continue

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BTCA 2015 awardee Divina Fabra advocates for the rights of indigenous peoples

to inspire selfless service for others. We hope that by telling the stories of role models like Ms. Fabra, we can encourage our youth to use their skills and time in serving others,” added Valencia.

The BTCA organizes activities to allow students to meet the past winners and visit themselves in various charitable institutions chosen by the winners.

In honor Mother Teresa’s canonization on Sept. 4, an additional P500,000.00 worth of goods and services will be given to the winner’s chosen charity.

The 2016 Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Award winner will be announced on Sept. 26.

According to Marlene, when considering air purifying indoor plants, you must consider the varieties that will last the longest inside your home and office.

She says she has sansevieria, fortune plant and pothos in every room in her home. She also has them all over her garden. “These plants absorb contaminants from the air in just the same way that they take in carbon dioxide. In addition, there are microorganisms in the mixed soil that are associated with these plants that also purify the air. One of our clients who own a popular chain of food stores had us install several pots of sansevieria around her veranda and inside her home in Forbes Park. She returned over a month later to our garden shop. She said her son told her the quality of air he’s breathing in his room has improved tremendously since the air purifying plants have been placed in their home. So, she bought more potted sansevieria for her offices. Another client of ours claim that she stopped having sinus attacks since she put potted sansevieria in her condo. But you will need to have sufficient plants in every room. Based on my research, you will need around eight to 10 waist high sansevieria plants per person per room to clean the air.”

For further information on other air purifying plants, contact Marleina’s in Katipunan Ave., White Plains, Quezon City at (02) 911-5558 or visit www.marleinasfarm.com

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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2016 isahred@gmail.com

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BS-CBN Integrated News & Current Affairs bagged a total of 29 awards from three different award-giving bodies, including Best News Program for Bandila and Best Morning Show for Umagang Kay Ganda at the 11th ComGuild Awards.

The network’s news arm led the Kapamilya winners at ComGuild, which also presented the “Media Persona of Excellence”

ABS-CBN’s Charo SantosConcio

award to ABS-CBN Executive Adviser To The Chairman, Chief Content Officer, and ABS-CBN University President

Media person of

excellence

Communication Students of the Philippines attended by students nationwide.

Meanwhile, the country’s largest news organization was also recognized at the 18th anniversary of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) and the Alta Media Icon Awards of the University of Perpetual Help.

Anti-crime watchdog VACC named DZMM as Outstanding Radio Station, Failon Ngayon as Outstanding Teleradyo Program, Noli De Castro as Outstanding Male Anchor, and Dominic Almelor as Outstanding News Reporter. VACC also awarded special citations to Gerry Baja (Special Award for Radio Anchor), Dos Por Dos (Special Award for Teleradyo Program), and Failon Ngayon (Special Award for Anti-corruption Campaign) in a ceremony held on Aug. 29 at Malacañang Palace.

ABS-CBN News also ruled in another student award-giving body, with 12 trophies won at the 2016 ALTA Media Icon Awards.

New female coaches invigorate ‘The Voice’

‘She Said Yes!’ features insights from different types of wedding celebrations with testimonies from the brides themselves and firsthand advice from industry experts

StarWorld reveals magic

behind best celebrity weddings GIVING brides-to-be and their grooms an in-depth look at the magic behind the Philippines’ most talked-about weddings is She Said Yes!, which will premiere on Sept. 21 at 10 p.m. on StarWorld, Asia’s leading female entertainment channel.

She Said Yes! features weddings of the country’s biggest celebrities as well as couples who have stopped at nothing to make their special day meaningful and uniquely memorable. The series also introduces the suppliers who made these dream ceremonies possible, allowing other couples to take inspiration for their own weddings.

She Said Yes! inaugurates itself with a bang by featuring one of the biggest weddings in the Philippines in 2015: the union of actress Heart Evangelista and Senator Chiz Escudero. In this premiere episode, make-up artist Albert Kurniawan and event stylist Badang Rueda

take us behind the scenes of this huge event, while the latter joins event planner Rita Neri, wedding blogger Benz Rana and videographer Jason Magbanua to give a state of affairs for the booming wedding industry.

Other weddings to be featured in this first season of She Said Yes! include that of Tricia Centenera and Gab Valenciano as well as brides Kitchie Nadal, Nikki Gil and Pauleen Luna.

The audience will not only see the making of the country’s most beautiful celebrity weddings, but they will also learn about different types of ceremonies— including destination weddings, themed weddings, and those with an offbeat creative slant— and what elements need to come together to make these successful.

The top wedding suppliers of the country will spill their best-kept secrets in She Said Yes! alongside other features on

how brides and grooms should prepare themselves for the Big Day. Charo Espedido, head of Marketing and Programming at FOX Networks Group Philippines, said, “The Philippine wedding industry is booming with more suppliers and more ideas than ever, and StarWorld is glad to be providing brides-to-be with an entertaining and informative program that shows what’s available to them for their special day. She Said Yes! will not only inspire couples to dream big for their weddings by featuring those of celebrities, but it will also be a helpful resource for great ideas and stress-free planning, with tips from the country’s top wedding suppliers.”

Watch She Said Yes! to learn the secrets behind the best weddings in the Philippines of 2015, every Wednesday at 10 p.m., starting Sept. 21, exclusively on StarWorld.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Sunday, September 11, 2016

ACROSS 1 Krishna devotee 6 England’s — Downs 11 Valuable holding 16 Helga’s husband 21 Edible bulb 22 “Wheel of Fortune” name 23 Plains dwelling 24 Maureen of filmdom 25 Get slippery (2 wds.)

26 Put in — — word for 27 Hunter constellation 28 Soothes 29 One who can’t be touched (2 wds.)

31 Fudd of cartoons 33 Naughty, naughty!

35 Take a bough 36 Mao — -tung 37 Loud 38 “— kleine Nachtmusik” 39 PC capacity 41 PBS benefactor 42 Hippie greeting 44 Black playing card 46 Cane cutter 51 Monsieur’s wines 52 Aparicio of baseball 53 Racing-car gauge 57 “Becket” actor 58 401(k) kin 59 Orchestra leader Percy — 60 Sign before Virgo 61 Breaks, corral-style 62 Soothsayer 63 Acts sullen 64 Continental divider 66 Spleen 67 Psychics may see them 68 Crowned heads 69 Other half 70 Tries on for size 72 Business letter abbr.

73 Beethoven’s last symphony 74 Filled with fizz 75 Curly coifs 77 Nips 78 Seeks meat 79 Motorcycle races 82 Clumps of grass 83 Stared at 84 Thou, objectively 88 “Fair” heroine 89 Amusing 90 Repairs a tear 91 Yellowstone sight 92 Flick 93 L, at times 94 Plagued by 95 Pepper or powder 97 Latin lover’s word 98 Rex Stout detective

Charo Santos-Concio during its awarding ceremony on Sept. 4.

Atom Araullo was elevated to the Hall of Fame as Best Male Field Reporter, while also winning Best TV Personality. Ted Failon won Best AM Radio Anchor and Best AM Radio Program for his show Failon Ngayon, a year after being elevated to ComGuild Awards’ Hall of Fame.

Other ABS-CBN News personalities honored were Alvin Elchico (Best Male Field Reporter), Bernadette Sembrano (Most Outstanding Female News Presenter), and Kim Atienza (Best Educational Program Host), while the most awarded educational program in the Philippines, Matanglawin won another Best Educational Program trophy.

The ComGuild Awards, which aims to recognize the efforts of broadcast and journalism professionals who made a mark in their fields, is held annually during the Conference of Journalism and Mass

99 100 101 103 104 105 106 108 110 111 114 115 117 120 121 123

Water-based paint Stiff Rides a bench Bangs into Seine aits Melodious Coin-toss result Quack Alley from Moo Mountaineer’s coup Triangle part Ringmaster Laptops Dallas sch.

Van — Waals force Backup strategy (2 wds.)

125 Gets annoying (2 wds.)

127 Rome’s river 129 Furnish 131 Big wave 133 Chooser’s word 134 Raise spirits 135 Beyond well-done 136 Gourmet mushroom 137 Pint fraction 138 Subscribe again 139 Rats on 140 Bad-tempered 141 “Stir Crazy” actor DOWN 1 Tackle 2 Pizarro foes 3 Female relative 4 Morose 5 Unfasten, in a way 6 Person in a shelter 7 Far East temple 8 Kind of egret 9 The Plastic — Band 10 Neatened the bed 11 Kind of energy 12 Restful 13 Tall peak 14 Want-ad letters 15 Camping gear 16 Pawned 17 “Now I get it!”

18 Ernest or Julio 19 Armadillo’s protection 20 Hoarse 30 He admired Beatrice 32 Rover’s restraint 34 Crush 40 Faced 42 Monklike 43 Amtrak driver 44 Business attire 45 The worst, slangily 46 Theme 47 Video-game pioneer 48 Night sky streaker 49 Garden implement 50 Subway opposites

51 52 54 55 56 58 59 62 63 64 65 67 68 69 71 73 74 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 85 86 87 89

Human herbivore Chortle Kayak owner, maybe — and desist Sharpened up Cobain and Vonnegut Basins in a church Garage contents Conifers Grand Ole — Beach location Burr or Copland Four-footed pal Parakeet treats Riyadh resident Cool!

— we all!

Complimentary Flat-topped hill Glassware brand Thompson and Bovary A Judd Piece of turf Squabbles Slackens off Alpine moppet Burstyn or Barkin Making do Goes limp

90 93 94 95 96 98 99 100 102 105 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 122 124 126 128 130 132

Prevent Thwart a villain Straw unit Journalist — Allan Tropical Egg portion Compare Rain clearer Sault — Marie Nearby Prince Charles sib Grinding down Copes with change Brunch fare Late bloomer Encouraging look From Havana Rebuff Still-life subjects Block, legally Bogus Kid who rode Diablo Curl the lip Soldiers in gray Cellar, briefly Wk. day Summer in Cannes On the — vive Deep distress

SINGING a new tune as it returns exclusively to StarWorld on Sept. 20, The Voice will be featuring two new judges for its 11th season.

Joining singers Adam Levine and Blake Shelton as judges are R&B diva Alicia Keys and pop superstar Miley Cyrus, thus, making this season the first ever with two female judges on the panel. Host Carson Daly also returns to present this exciting reality competition for the 11th year straight.

Alicia and Miley are set to inject the The Voice with fresh enthusiasm, with both performers bringing years of experience in the entertainment business as well as having distinct personalities that will complement that of Levine and Shelton well.

Although Miley’s wild-child persona initially seems at odds

with Alicia’s sophisticated cool, the two artists have the skills and professionalism to offer contestants solid advice when it comes to performing and developing their vocal talents.

Alicia and Miley are replacing Pharrell Williams and Christina Aguilera on the coaching panel for this season, packing the panel with a feminine power that will appeal to a wide audience and inspire more female singers to come to the fore.

Both Alicia and Miley are familiar to fans of The Voice because they appeared on the show on previous seasons: Alicia served as an advisor for Team Pharrell in the Battle rehearsals in Season 7, while Miley was chosen to be key advisor for the Knockout rehearsals in Season 10. Their increased role in the show puts them in a

position to not only determine the best young singers in the US but to also groom them for potentially successful careers in entertainment, lending their expertise and giving them tips for navigating the highly competitive global music industry. Helping the judges develop the talents of their teams as mentors for the Battle Rounds are revered musical artists, including veteran singer Bette Midler for Team Blake, rock legend Sammy Hagar for Team Adam, YouTube success story Charlie Puth for Team Alicia, and rock goddess Joan Jett for Team Miley.

The Voice Season 11 premieres on Sept. 20 live via satellite at 1 p.m., with two primetime encores at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.. Catch new episodes every Tuesday and Wednesday live exclusively on StarWorld.

Music stars Miley Cyrus and Alicia Keys join Adam Levine and Blake Shelton on the judging panel in the latest season of ‘The Voice’

Isah V. Red, Editor Nickie Wang, Writer isahred@gmail.com

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Showbiz

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APUSO programs continued to lord it over rivals in the viewer-rich areas of Mega Manila and Urban Luzon in August, based on people ratings data ISAH V. RED from the industry’s trusted ratings service provider Nielsen TV Audience Measurement.

In Mega Manila, a big majority, equivalent to 21 out of the 30 top regular programs, is on GMA. With its riveting storyline and sophisticated special effects, Encantadia grabbed the no.1 spot in Mega Manila followed by 2016’s highest rating Koreanovela, Descendants of the Sun in no. 2.

The long-running drama weekly anthology, Magpakailanman, also remained at the top of its game landing in no. 3. Tied in 4th and 5th places are GMA’s primetime newscast 24 Oras and the multi-awarded news magazine program Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho.

Completing the list of Kapuso programs in the top 10 are leading comedy show Pepito Manaloto, 24 Oras Weekend and Ismol Family, which now airs on earlier timeslots on Saturdays.

Other top-rating GMA programs in August were the country’s longest-running noontime show Eat Bulaga; undisputed no. 1 Sunday noontime show, Sunday PinaSaya; recently concluded primetimes series, Juan Happy Love Story; and Kapuso weekend offerings, Hay Bahay!, Lip Sync Battle Philippines, and Imbestigador.

Not far behind were Wowowin, Bubble Gang, Karelasyon, Dear Uge, Magkaibang Mundo, GMA Blockbusters, and Sinungaling Mong Puso.

Similarly, more programs (17 out of 30) on GMA also occupied the list of most watched shows in another Kapuso bailiwick, Urban Luzon, driving the network’s continued dominance in the area. Encantadia emerged as the highest rating Kapuso program, with Magpakailanman, Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho, Descendants of the Sun, Pepito Manaloto, and 24 Oras in the the top 30 list.

Urban Luzon accounts for 77 percent of the urban TV population in the entire country, while Mega Manila represents 60 percent. *** During the last day of taping with Angelu de Leon in Encantadia, she received a touching farewell from the young actress who plays her adoptive daughter. Mikee Quintos posted on her Instagram account how she felt during the first taping day with Angelu.

“I was nervous as hell during my first taping day but in between takes you constantly gave me tips on what I should improve on. Thank you sooo much, @angeludeleonrivera! It’s such an honor to call you Mamu.”

As a newbie, Mikee is glad to be in Encantadia to play Lira, the character then newbie Jennylyn Mercado played in the first edition of the fantaserye.

While she feels under pressure, she remains focused on her character that she studies well so she can breathe life to it as the director expects her.

“Pressured of course, because look at her now, how big she is (referring to Jennylyn). I don’t want to compare that much kasi iba-iba naman lahat when you attack a role. I tried researching din and nanonood ako ng dating Encantadia, inaral kung papaano niya ginampanan si Lira.

But then ‘nung dumadami na ‘yung scenes niya, nag-stop ako manood kasi baka magaya ko siya.

Kapuso programs

lead Mega Manila and Urban Luzon ratings

Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo of ‘Descendants of the Sun’

I focused on studying the script and how am I gonna give life to Lira in my own way.”

When Angelu read Mikee’s post, the older actress immediately responded. “Happy to work with this beautiful lady. So proud of our scenes together.

Thank you for taking all my tips. Keep up the good attitude and always be professional. Love you, anak!

I’ll always be your Mamu. Avisala Eshma, Mikee.”

In Encantadia. Mikee plays the daughter of Amihan (Kylie Padilla) that Pirena (Glaiza de Castro) cast into the world of humans where she known by the name Milagros, the name given to her

GMA News personalities, shows shine at this year’s COMGUILD SEVERAL GMA News and Public Affairs programs and personalities were recognized during the 11th COMGUILD Media Awards held recently at Ateneo de Manila University.

GMA News anchor and Peabody awardee Jessica Soho was named this year’s Best Magazine Show Host. Her toprating Sunday program Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho, won Best Magazine Show.

Meanwhile, GMA News TV’s

Mel Tiangco

THE SANG’GRES OF ENCANTADIA. Gabbi Garcia, Glaiza de Castro, Kylie Padilla and Sanya Lopez

Biyahe ni Drew was cited Best Lifestyle Program, while Drew Arellano took home the Best Lifestyle Program Host award.

Senior news reporters Raffy Tima and Mariz Umali won Most Outstanding Male News Presenter of the Year and Best Female Field Reporter of the Year, respectively.

Rounding off the list of Kapuso winners was 24 Oras, which was elevated to the Hall of Fame following its five-year

From left: Mel Tiangco, Raffy Tima and Mariz Umali showing off their awards from COMGUILD

winning streak as Best News Program.

Prior to the Media Awards, 24 Oras co-anchor Mel Tiangco was among the select speakers at COMGUILD’s Annual Conference of Journalism and Mass Communication Students of the Philippines.

Talking about this year’s theme, “Truth, Honesty and Integrity: Media Ethics and Social Responsibility,” Tiangco shared her insights on working in the media and the changes in the said profession.

Tiangco, who is a COMGUILD Hall of Fame awardee, also related her experiences as founder of GMA Kapuso Foundation, saying, “Apart from being a news personality, my passion lies in public service.”

She also encouraged students and media professionals to further hone their craft and use broadcast media to help the oppressed and the marginalized achieve a better life.

This year’s COMGUILD Media Awards winners were chosen by a board of judges made up of college deans, teachers, and other members of the academe from different universities in the Philippines.

Jessica Soho

by her adoptive parents played by Angelu de Leon and Leandro Baldermor. *** GMA Network’s well loved educational and infotainment show I-Bilib brings a fun episode with Kapuso sweetheart Janine Gutierrez as celebrity guest in today’s episode on GMA Network.

Find out if a pile of ruler could make a car engine accelerate in Discover Science and discover if heat could reduce the size of a brittle chip bag in Microwave Magic Experiment.

Be amazed with the things that can still be made

Michael V

out of straw in Straw Lifehacks with Janine and learn how to produce a cellphone case using heated glue in Hot Glue Cellphone Case experiment.

Get quickie kitchen tips and science trivia while learning if there’s science in cooking in Huling Hirit’s Insta-Spaghetti.

Hosted by Chris Tiu, catch the incredible episode of I-Bilib 9:35 a.m. today on GMA. Get the latest updates about I-Bilib from the official website of GMA Network www. gmanetwork.com and from the official Facebook www.facebook.com/GMANetwork.

Arnold Clavio and Tonton Gutierrez

THE fairways of Wack Wack Golf & Country Club became alive once more last Friday as the Mandaluyong Golf Club, Inc. and SM Malls in cooperation with Wack Wack Golf & Country Club, San Miguel Corporation and DDT Konstract held the 9th Mayor Abalos Golf Cup. As early as 6:30 a.m., the golfers started putting and teed off to a sunshiny start. By lunchtime, the double shotgun tee off was underway.

Participating in the tee off was Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, government caretaker while President Rodrigo Duterte was attending the ASEAN Summit in Laos.

The celebrities in the golf tournament included Tonton Gutierrez, Arnold Clavio and Daisy Reyes among many.

This tournament was held to support the advocacies and programs of Ciara Marie Foundation, Inc., a charitable institution that extends health care, educational provisions to the less fortunate members of Mandaluyong and assistance to families displaced by natural calamities like fire. Ciara Marie Foundation chairperson Charisse The foundation is headed by Marie Abalos

participate in 9th Mayor Abalos Golf Cup

its Chairperson, Councilor Charisse Marie Abalos.

The golfing event’s main partners were – Platinum sponsors: Life Oil, Ama University, Smart Communications, Mizuno and Bingo Bonanza. Gold sponsors: 3D by Northern Islands Company, DMCI Homes, Family Inada, The Address@ Wack Wack, St. Francis Sqaure Propeties Holdings, Expedition Construction Corp., Norkis Group, Unilab, Globe Telecom, Greenfield Development Corp., Alexa Trading & Construcion, Guevent Investment Development Corp., Robinsons Land Corp., Monocrete Construction Philippines, Vista Residences, Mighty Corporation, Philippine Airlines and PAGCOR; Silver sponsors: PCSO, Manuela Corp., EVWealth, Mr. HK Paik, Bingo Mania, Land Bank of the Phils., Market Place Shopping Mall, Ayala Land, Tracsom Builders, Ferris Sobell, S & R Membership, Megawide Builders, Shang Properties, Atty. Gilberto M. Duavit, Hotel Sogo, Megafiber, Natures Earth, J & B Scotch Whisky and Cathay Land.