Manila Standard - 2017 January 25 - Wednesday by Manila Standard

7 COPS HELD FOR ‘ROBBING’ 3 KOREAN GOLFERS By Francisco Tuyay PHILIPPINE National Police chief Ronald dela Rosa on Tuesday ordered seven policemen placed under restricted custody robbing and extorting money from three Korean golfers in Angeles City on Dec. 30, 2016. “There were three Koreans who arrived here just to play golf… [T]heir houses were raided by policemen on the pretext that they were involved in illegal online gaming,” Dela Rosa said. After the raid failed to establish any evidence against the Koreans, the lawmen robbed them of their personal belongings including their shoes, Dela Rosa said. After they were robbed, the three Koreans were then brought to police station where they were made to pay the policemen P200,000. The incident surfaced after the Koreans ﬁled a complaint before the Police Region Ofﬁce

3 headquarters in San Fernando City, Pampanga. The three visiting Korean golfers hurriedly left the country after that. Dela Rosa identiﬁed the seven policemen as PO3s Arnold Nagayo, Gomerson Evangelista, and Roentjen Domingo; PO2s Richard King and Ruben Rodriguez; and PO1s Jayson Ibe and Mark Joseph Pineda, all assigned to the city’s police station. Also ordered relieved was Chief Insp. Wendel Arinas, commander of Station 5 and his deputy Senior

VOL. XXX • NO. 347 • 4 SECTIONS 20 PAGES • P18 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2017 • www.thestandard.com.ph • editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Du30 forms probe team on SAF 44

Looks into Aquino hand in failed raid By John Paolo Bencito, Rio N. Araja and Maricel V. Cruz

P GRIEVING SON. Rojan Luther Senin, son of slain policeman PO3 Romeo Senin, sports a different

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte said Tuesday he would form a commission to look into the culpability of former President Benigno Aquino III and other top ofﬁcials of the previous administration for the botched January 2015 Mamasapano raid in which 44 police commandos were killed.

haircut bearing the letters SAF44 during President Rodrigo Duterte’s meeting Tuesday with the kin of the dead 44 Special Action Force at Malacañang, on the eve of the second anniversary of the bloody encounter in Maguindanao. John Paolo Bencito

Senators’ bribery yarn raises Aguirre hackles By Rey E. Requejo JUSTICE Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II on Tuesday lashed back at Senator Trillanes IV for insinuating that he was involved in the alleged bribery by Chinese casino tycoon Jack Lam. Aguirre denied taking any amount from the P50-million cash given by Lam’s camp to dismissed Bureau of Immigration deputy commissioners Al Argosino and Michael Robles. “Why are these senators insisting that I was involved in that bribery? Is it because they could not believe that I turned down the offer because if they were in my place, they would have taken the money?” Aguirre said. Aguirre also attacked Trillanes

By Rey E. Requejo and Maricel V. Cruz SENATOR Leila de Lima on Tuesday asked the Court of Appeals to stop the Justice Department from conducting a preliminary investigation on the string of cases ﬁled against her in connection with her alleged involvement in the illegal drug trade at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City. In a petition, De Lima asked the

Trump drops US out of Pacific trade deal

for raising the allegation only after he left the Senate hearing, calling this an act as cowardice. He added that Argosino and Robles and others involved in the controversy, including dismissed BI intelligence chief Charles Calima Jr. and former police chief superintendent Wally Sombero, who supposedly served as Lam’s middleman, had already said no bribe money reached him. But Aguirre said Trillanes and Liberal Party senators were egging Argosino and Robles to link him to the bribery to get even for his prosecution of Senator Leila de Lima for her alleged role in the illegal drug trade inside the national penitentiary when she was still JusNext page tice secretary.

De Lima wants court to stop drug inquiry appeals court to issue a temporary restraining order to enjoin the Justice Department’s panel of prosecutors from conducting the preliminary investigation, which she said violated her right to due process. The panel, she said, committed “serious errors of jurisdiction,” including issuing verbal and unrecorded rulings, refusing to put these rulings in writing, denying the petitioner‘s right to ﬁle her Next page

His order came as the Ofﬁce of the Ombudsman ﬁled graft and usurpation charges against former Philippine National Police chief Alan Purisima and former PNP Special Action Force commander Getulio Napeñas, also in connection with the Mamasapano debacle. Speaking before the relatives of those killed in the Mamasapano operation on Tuesday, President Duterte accused Aquino of hiding the truth about the botched raid, which he described as a CIA operation. Next page

WEIGHTY WITHDRAWAL. US President Donald Trump holds up his signed executive order withdrawing the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership at the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., effectively ending US participation in a sweeping trans-Pacific free trade agreement negotiated under his predecessor President Barack Obama. AFP

WASHINGTON―President Donald Trump yanked the United States out of a major Pacific trade deal Monday, making good on an election campaign promise and delivering a hammer blow to Asian allies. Trump said he had “terminated” the Trans-Pacific Partnership― a trade deal binding the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, Vietnam and seven other allies against the growing Chinese economic clout. Together, TPP members represent 40 percent of the world economy. Trump dumped the TPP, which he once called a “job killer” pact, even as Australia said Tuesday it was working to recast the TPP without the United States and opened the door for China to sign up after Trump ditched it. Canberra is floating a “TPP 12 minus one”, with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull saying his government was in “active discussions” with other signatories including Japan, New Zealand and Singapore on how to salvage the agreement. Next page

Jee murder part of destab plot? Lacson puzzled By Rey E. Requejo and Macon Ramos-Araneta GOVERNMENT investigators are looking at the possibility that the kidnapping and killing of South Korean businessman Jee Ick-Joo by policemen is being used as part of a plot to destabilize

the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said on Tuesday. “That is one of the theories... That’s why we need to dig deeper and conduct a deeper investigation,” Aguirre said. He made his statement even as

Senator Panfilo Lacson on Tuesday said he wanted to find out if Jee’s kidnapping for ransom was an isolated case or if his killers would go scot-free. He also asked if policemen were using their fight against illegal drugs for their self-aggrandizement.

“Is that an isolated case? The case of the Korean? Or were there other similar incidents?” said Lacson, chairman of the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs. Lacson said he would conduct a Senate inquiry on Thursday on the Next page

Let Asean chart its own course, superpowers told

CONTINUING CONSTRUCTION. The activist environmentalist group People’s

Network for Environment leads a protest picket outside the Chinese Embassy in Makati to condemn the persisting construction of missile bases across reefs in the disputed Spratlys in the West Philippine Sea. Norman Cruz

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SINGAPORE―The Philippines Monday told the major global powers that Southeast Asia was not a “proxy” for superpower rivalries, even as Washington and Beijing compete for influence in the region. Conflicting claims over the South China Sea, which straddles vital commercial shipping lanes and is believed to sit atop vast natural gas deposits, have placed the Association of Southeast Asian Nations at the center of the struggle for regional influence among countries such

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as the United States and China. Philippine Defense Minister Delfin Lorenzana told a security forum in Singapore it was time for outsiders to let the Asean, currently led by Manila, determine its own course. “As host... we will have to remind our friends, firmly if necessary, not to use Asean as a proxy for their rivalry,” Lorenzana said at the Fullerton Forum. “We will reaffirm the unity and solidarity of Asean amid this Next page

CONFLICTING CLAIMS. The Philippines, through

Defense Secretary Delﬁn Lorenzana addresses the Fullerton Forum in Singapore Monday, and tells major global powers that Southeast Asia is not a ‘proxy’ for superpower rivalries, as Washington and Beijing compete for inﬂuence in the region. AFP

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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

'Sayyaf keeping 25 hostages' S INGAPORE―Defense Secretary Delﬁn Lorenzana said Monday that 25 hostages were still being held by Islamic militants in Mindanao but urged that no ransom be paid for their release.

He also told a security forum here that President Rodrigo Duterte had been under pressure to declare martial law in at least three southern islands where jihadists operate, but he did not think there was a need. Lorenzana said the companies that employed two recently freed Indonesians had paid a ransom of

P20 million ($400,000). He did not identify the captives but the Philippine military said the Indonesians were freed last month by the Abu Sayyaf group, which has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group. The two were among seven crew seized from a tugboat off Mindanao in June.

Du30...

a six-month suspension imposed by the Ombudsman over a questionable contract, he was taking orders from Aquino, Duterte said. “I asked the police. ‘Come here. Tell me the truth.’ They were taking orders from Purisima, obviously under your authority.” He also said Aquino’s televised address accepting responsibility for the operation was not enough. Duterte also chided the former president for condoning the corruption inside the PNP under his man Purisima. “You were so dependent on Purisima for everything and you even forgave him for all of his sins of corruption,” he added. In separate three-page charge sheets, the Ombudsman said both Purisima and Napeñas were liable for administrative offenses, grave misconduct, gross neglect of duty and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service. Purisima “willfully, unlawfully and criminally” influenced Napeñas to violate the chain of command and his suspension order on him, the Ombudsman said. A bail of P10,000 was recommended for each case filed against the two ex-police officers. Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales earlier rejected the plea of Purisima and Napeñas to dismiss the finding of probable cause against them. On Jan. 25, 2015, SAF members entered Tukanalipao, Mamasapano, Maguindano to serve arrest warrants for a high-ranking terrorist, Zulkifli Abdhir alias Marwan and Abdul Basit. A total of 44 SAF commandos died in the corn fields of Mamasapano along with 17 members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and three civilians. According to the Ombudsman, Purisima had no authority to run the operation codenamed Oplan Exodus due to his suspension. The filing of the cases came on the second anniversary of the Mamasapano debacle. Deles on Tuesday denied interfering in the decision to send or not send reinforcements during the Mamasapano fighting. “Thank God I’m in Kathmandu and Mt. Everest stands by the truth! I hope media will remind him that I already went through the grill on that,” Deles said in a text message sent to reporters. Leftist groups welcomed Duterte’s creation of a commission on the Mamasapano case. “Two years after the Mamasapano operation, justice has yet to be served, as the real mastermind behind the operation—the US government—has yet to be held accountable,” Kabataan Partylist Rep. Sarah Elago said. With Sandy Araneta

From A1 “I will create a commission of seven. I will appoint men of integrity and honor. If they will accept, I will choose mostly justices of the Supreme Court and few of the civilian sector, maybe a lawyer,” Duterte said. “They will be independent in all aspects. They are free to summon and as President, the executive department, I will order you to honor the process,” Duterte said. “We will bestow on the commission the powers exactly given to the Agrava commission,” he said, referring to the board led by former Court of Appeals Justice Corazon J. Agrava, which investigated the assassination of Aquino’s father, Senator Benigno Aquino Jr. “Maybe I will just give them [until] the end of the year, then we can have the truth,” Duterte added. On Jan. 25, 2015, 44 SAF commandos and several civilians died in an encounter with Muslim rebels in a covert operation to neutralize terrorists Zulkifli bin Hir and Abdul Basit Usman in Mamasapano, Maguindanao. Zulkifli Bin Hir, a bomber also known as Marwan, was shot dead during the operations. Usman escaped but was killed in another operation months later. Although the commission has not yet been formed, Duterte concluded that contrary to the claims of the Aquino administration, US soldiers were involved thoroughly in the police operations. Addressing Aquino, Duterte said: “It was an American adventure with the cooperation of some and apparently with your blessing...You fed [SAF troopers] to the lion’s den.” During Senate hearings, it was revealed that the botched incident was being monitored using surveillance drones to get real-time information on the movement of troops. It was also agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation who received proof of Marwan’s death through his finger that was delivered by the SAF. While the police commandos were being killed, Duterte said, no military reinforcements were sent because then Peace Process Secretary Teresita Deles had reminded them of the possible effects this would have on peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front—a claim Deles later denied. “Why did you not even send a single rocket?” the President asked his predecessor in Filipino. “Why did you enter into an operation which was really placing in jeopardy the lives [of the police commandos], because at the end of the day, you would decide not to send any more?” Even while Purisima was serving

Jee...

Trump...

case of the slain businessman who was kidnapped from his house in Pampanga in the guise of a drug raid. Aguirre said he believed that Duterte’s political opponents were taking advantage of the Korean’s case to attack the Philippine National Police’s war on drugs. He cited the recent calls for the resignation of Police Chief Ronald dela Rosa over the case, which he described as an isolated one. “The thrust of the Duterte administration is really this war on drugs and it is symbolized by our police force led by General Bato dela Rosa,” Aguirre said. “If you want to destabilize the Duterte administration, you really have to destroy first the PNP and General Bato.” Aguirre said Duterte was right in rejecting the calls for Dela Rosa to resign “because there is no evidence that the PNP is protecting these scalawags.” He said House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez had already taken back his call for Dela Rosa’s resignation. He said he believed in the possibility that other police officials were behind Jee’s kidnapping and killing in October last year.

“It is possible that US policy could change over time on this, as it

From A1

has done on other trade deals,” Turnbull told reporters in Canberra, adding that the nominee for US secretary of state Rex Tillerson and Republicans supported the TPP. “There is also the opportunity for the TPP to proceed without the United States,” he added. “Certainly, there is the potential for China to join the TPP.” After signing an executive order, Trump said he would be “going back to those countries one-on-one” to find terms more favorable to the United States. “We are going to have trade but we are going to have one-on-one,” he said. “And if somebody misbehaves, we are going to send a letter of termination―30 days and they’ll either straighten it out or we are gone.” Trump came to office promising to gut existing trade pacts and reclaim manufacturing jobs lost overseas. Trump has also vowed to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada.

Let...

From A1 emerging superpower competition. We will also work for the finalization of a binding code of conduct for the South China Sea.” Asean members Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, along with China and Taiwan, have laid partial or entire claims to the

Security analysts had said ransom was paid for the release by the Abu Sayyaf last year of a Norwegian hostage, although the Philippine and Norwegian governments denied it. Lorenzana told the Fullerton Forum organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies that 25 kidnap victims were still being kept in Jolo. Jolo is a stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf, which is known to behead its victims if ransoms are not paid. The group decapitated a Malaysian in 2015 and two Canadians last year. Lorenzana said the army’s chief

difficulty in hunting down militants was the presence of civilians in the communities where they operate, who also benefit from the ransom money. “It seems that the whole of the community are into it, not everybody but a major part of the community are benefiting from the ransom,” he said. The government is trying to “convince the companies and the families not to pay ransom because every time they pay ransom they make the kidnappers stronger,” he said. “They have more money to distribute to the communities and

they have more money to procure all the gadgets that they need: cellphones, firearms and even materials to manufacture improvised explosive devices.” Lorenzana said the government’s strategy against militants was a “holistic approach”―introducing development projects and providing “incentives for the people to go fishing rather than go kidnapping.” He said many Filipinos wanted the President to declare martial law over South Tawi-Tawi, Jolo and Basilan. But this would be “very controversial” and Duterte was not considering the idea. AFP

3.1-m families forced to go hungry By John Paolo Bencito MORE Filipinos experienced involuntary hunger at least once in the last three months of 2016, but their number remained steady compared to previous quarters, the latest Social Weather Stations survey showed. Conducted among 1,500 adult respondents, the survey claimed 13.9 percent or an estimated 3.1 million families experienced involuntary hunger at least once, 3.3 points higher than September 2016’s net self-rated hunger of 10.6 percent, or an estimated 2.4 million families. The latest rating is also 2.2 points more than the previous record of 11.7 percent in December 2015, estimated at 2.6 million families. Conducted from Dec. 3 to 6,

De Lima... From A1

counter-affidavit, and submitting the cases for decision without first resolving her motions to endorse the cases to the Office of the Ombudsman in view of lack of jurisdiction of the Justice Department. In her petition, De Lima also cited “the institutional hostility that has noticeably been engendered by the personal hostility of the President himself and his men, specifically Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II and Solicitor General Jose Calida,” against her and their prejudgment of her supposed involvement in the illegal drug trade. Because of this, she said, she no longer expected justice or due process in the Justice Department proceedings. The public pronouncements of the President and Aguirre in prejudging her were “indubitably implicit instructions” to the panel to file the cases in court regardless of the actual evidence. She said the preliminary investigation conducted by the panel headed by Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Peter Ong was “all but a charade.” De Lima initially questioned the DoJ’s jurisdiction in a motion submitted to the panel of prosecutors, but it was dismissed. Ong said the panel considered that De Lima has waived her right to counter the allegations against Economists warn those jobs are never coming back and point to automation, not trade, as the main reason. But Trump has sought to tap populist anger and argued for much more transactional trade deals, regardless of the impact on international norms and standards. According to a Peterson Institute analysis, the United States stood to be the biggest beneficiary from TPP, with an annual increase in exports of $357 billion. The Institute also projected that the pact would be broadly neutral for employment levels. President Barack Obama’s administration had also touted the deal as a strategic counterweight to China. Trump’s Republican ally John McCain described the new president’s decision as a “serious mistake that will have lasting consequences for America’s economy and our strategic position in the Asia-Pacific region.” “It will create an opening for China to rewrite the economic rules of the road at the expense of American workers. And it will send a troubling signal of American disengagement in the Asia-Pacific region at a time we can least afford it.” AFP sea, which security analysts say is a potential flash point for conflict. China, which claims almost the entire sea based on alleged historical rights, angered other claimants when it built artificial islands in a bid to bolster its ownership bid. While not a claimant, Washington says it has strategic interests in keeping the sea lanes open and criticized China for its island-building activity. AFP

the survey has a sampling margin of error at ±3 points for quarterly national percentages. Those who experienced “moderate hunger” were at 10.9 percent while those who said they experienced “severe hunger” were at 3 percent, the survey said. Both numbers are higher than those recorded in September 2016, when those experiencing moderate hunger were at 9.1 percent and those at severe hunger at 1.5 percent. The survey also found that the portion of the Filipino population who went hungry at least once in 2016 was the smallest in 12 years, with the average hunger incidence at 13.3 percent, the lowest since the 11.8 percent recorded in 2004. Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella, who welcomed the survey, said the results were a

gentle reminder “that the government needs to continue working double time to implement socioeconomic reforms.” The Palace, however, blamed the increased number of poor to many factors, including increased food prices due to inflation and seasonal demand owing to the Christmas holidays when the survey was conducted. “While the present administration has only been in place for more than six months, it needs to address long-standing economic backlogs,” Abella said in a briefing. “We’d like to assure the people that to the President, inclusive prosperity is part of the President’s agenda, and that it is also admitted there is a lot of groundwork to be done, especially [since] the administration is new, there is a lot to be done.”

her and submitted the case for resolution. The Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption, National Bureau of Investigation, former NBI deputy directors Ruel Lasala and Reynaldo Esmeralda and high-profile NBP inmate Jaybee Sebastian had filed charges against De Lima before the DoJ for her alleged involvement in the narcotics trade when she was still Justice secretary. Leaders of the House of Representatives also filed before the Quezon City metropolitan trial court a charge of disobedience against her for her refusal to attend the House’s inquiry on the proliferation of illegal drugs. De Lima said the panel of prosecutors committed grave abuse of discretion by proceeding with the preliminary investigation since it has no jurisdiction, which belongs to the Office of the Ombudsman. House leaders led by Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez welcomed Tuesday the decision of the Senate ethics committee finding the complaint of the House of Representatives against De Lima sufficient in form and substance. Alvarez said the finding of the Senate committee shows the House leadership has sufficient basis to accuse De Lima of contempt of the House of Representatives in violation of existing laws and for committing an unparliamentary act. “Now she can no longer hide behind innuendos and accusations that

the House leadership is out to persecute her. She has to give valid and convincing answers to our allegation or face sanction from her own peers for violation of the law and unparliamentary acts,” said Alvarez. The House filed a complaint before the Senate ethics committee for advising her former driver-lover Ronnie Dayan, through his daughter Hannah Mae, to go into hiding to avoid testifying before the House committee on justice. Alvarez, House Majority Floor Leader Rodolfo Fariñas of Ilocos Norte and House Justice Committee chairman Reynaldo Umali of Oriental Mindoro are the complainants against De Lima in the charges filed before the Senate ethics committee. Fariñas said the decision of the Senate ethics committee will give them the chance to prove the basis of their complaint. Isabela Rep. Rodolfo Albano III, a member of the House majority bloc, said De Lima must answer the complaint leveled against here within the period prescribes by the law. The complaint said that “as an incumbent Senator, former Secretary of Justice and a lawyer, advising and inducing Mr. Dayan to hide and not to attend and/or appear in the House inquiry for which she was duly summoned, is tantamount to restraining or inducing disobedience to a summon issued by Congress, of which she is a sitting member, in violation of Article 150 of the Revised Penal Code.”

7 cops...

in the next days,” Dela Rosa said, saying there would be a top-to-bottom revamp of the police organization to cleanse the ranks of scalawags and intensify the fight against illegal drugs, criminality and corruption. He said the President has prevailed upon him to stay in office as PNP chief despite calls for his resignation over the Jee case. Malacañang on Tuesday apologized to the family of Jee, who allegedly died at the hands of rogue, and scored Senator Leila de Lima for suggesting that President Rodrigo Duterte tolerated impunity within the PNP ranks. “We wish to take this occasion to express the condolences and sympathies of President Rodrigo Duterte and the Filipino people to Mrs. Choi Kyung-jin, the widow of Jee Ick Joo, the South Korean who met untimely death in police custody,” presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a statement. “We apologize to the South Korean government and the South Korean people for this irreparable loss,” he added. The Palace likewise vowed that Manila will do everything to deliver swift justice for Jee. “We commit the full force of law to ensure that justice is served and not delayed. To the Korean people, please accept our sincerest and deepest regrets,” he said. PO3 Ricky Sta. Isabel, the policeman accused in the killing, allegedly led a group of men who forcibly took Jee and his Filipina househelp from his house in Angeles City, Pampanga, in October last year, in the guise of an anti-illegal drugs operation.

From A1 Insp. Rolando Yutuc for command responsibility. Dela Rosa said the affidavit of the three Koreans will be used for the filling of an administrative case against the accused lawmen for their eventual dismissal from the police service. The three robbery victims bring to five the number of Asian visitors to have fallen victim to crooked policemen. Just last week, authorities uncovered the kidnap and murder of Korean businessman Jee Ick Joo, who was abducted at his house by rogue policemen and later strangled right inside Camp Crame. On Tuesday, Dela Rosa said all personnel in the Anti-Illegal Drug Group and Anti-Kidnapping Group would be subjected to a background investigation. “If they have problems, we’ll remove them,” Dela Rosa said. The office of the AIDG was tainted after one of its officers, Supt. Raphael Dumlao, was implicated in the Jee case. Dela Rosa organized the AIDG soon after he was named PNP chief last July 1. There would also be a reshuffle in the AKG because of the slow resolution of the Jee case, Dela Rosa said. The chief of the unit, Senior Supt. Glenn Dumlao, will retain his post, however. Dela Rosa urged law enforcers to give their full commitment to their mission and remember to put the “PNP before self.” “I will redeem myself, you will see

Duterte likens self to Bacani By John Paolo Bencito PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday accused Novaliches Bishop Emeritus Teodoro Bacani of having two wives despite the latter’s vow of celibacy. Duterte’s tirade came after Bacani, in a speech at the World Apostolic Congress on Mercy, criticized the rising death toll in the Duterte administration’s war on drugs, calling the PNP a “bringer of death.” Bacani also scored the PNP for failing to catch the killers of more than 4,000 suspected drug pushers and users in cases outside police operations. More than 6,700 people have died in the Duterte administration’s war on drugs, while at least 4,146 murders were committed outside police operations, according to the PNP. “E eto, parehas lang naman tayo. Ang opening remarks si Bacani. P— Bacani na iyan, dalawa pala ang asawa. Pareho ko. Parang mayor din ang buang. Tapos kung magsalita itong mga unggoy na ito, ‘tang ina. (We’re just the same. The opening remarks should be, si Bacani. He’s a son of a bitch. He has two wives, like me. He acts like he’s a mayor. The nerve of these monkeys to talk like that. Son of a bitch.) In previous speeches, Duterte had asked leaders of the Catholic Church on why it has failed to help in the campaign against drugs amid their almost daily criticism of the drug campaign and despite the millions in collection its parishes receive. During his lengthy tirade, Duterte showed the book “Altar of Secrets” by the late journalist Aries Rufo, which detailed indiscretions of priests in the country. The President also reminded the Catholic church of their shortcomings as some of their priests and bishop were involved in alleged corruption during the time of former President and incumbent Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. “Pajero, tumanggap ang mga ulol. (Pajero. The fools receive that kind of vehicle). They did not even think of the poor in their communities. Tumanggap sila. (They receive bribes). That is graft and corruption,” he said. The president said he will resign if it is proven that he had told lies about his tirades against the Catholic Church. “Kayo pauna una kayo ng expose, I’ll make you a deal ... Kung binastos ko ang relihiyon ko at nagsisinungaling, I will resign,” he said. (You think you’re good at coming up with exposes. I’ll make you a deal. If you think I was rude to my religion and I told lies, I will resign.)

Senators'... From A1

“They are offering the two deputy commissioners immunity in exchange for pinning me down,” Aguirre said. But Senators Francis Pangilinan and Trillanes denied Aguirre’s accusations. “Aguirre is being haunted by the truth. That’s why he is getting paranoid,” said Trillanes in a text message, adding that Aguirre should just stick to the issues. Trillanes accused Aguirre of telling Argosino to deal with Lam’s group on his behalf even as the Justice chief claimed to have rejected the offer to protect Lam’s online gambling interests during a meeting in a hotel in Taguig City on Nov. 26, 2016. The senator also asked how Aguirre knew about the alleged P50-million to P100-million bribe offer from Lam when no one had told him about it. Pangilinan, on the other hand, reminded Aguirre that there was no such thing as “legislative immunity” under the rules of the Senate. “That info was foolishness and that’s not true. First, there’s no Senate rules giving immunity to those who testified before us so it’s clear there was no illegal way this can be done in the Senate,” Pangilinan said. With Macon Ramos-Araneta

News IN BRIEF DENR employee ordered barred without pay THE Office of the Ombudsman ordered on Tuesday the suspension of a Department of Environment and Natural Resources employee from Paranas in Northern Samar for illegal solicitation. Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas Paul Elmer Clemente, who directed Environment Secretary Gina Lopez to implement the suspension order on Angelito Villanueva, found Villanueva guilty of simple misconduct and ordered his suspension without pay for six months. Villanueva was indicted for violation of Section 7(d) of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Officials and Employees or Republic Act 6713. Investigation found that in April 2013, Villanueva, as hearing officer, solicited money from a respondent in a pending case in exchange for the release of her jeepney and dismissal of the criminal case for violation of the Forestry Code. Rio Araja

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

NUP supports tax reform package of Duterte admin By Maricel V. Cruz

HE administration-allied National Unity Party on Tuesday backed the Duterte administratiom’s tax reform package. The 24-man political party led by party president and Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles and Deputy Speaker and Capiz Rep. Fredenil Castro declared a party stand to

support the immediate passage of House Bill 4774. The bill is authored by Quirino Rep. Dakila Carlo Cua, chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means.

“The NUP will take the lead in ensuring the early passage of the proposed tax reform bill containing the Duterte administration’s ﬁrst package of new measures aimed at generating additional revenues to sustain the country’s high economic growth,” Nograles told news conference. “We will extend our support to the proposal to lower personal income taxes...reduce estate and donors taxes which are designed to broaden tax compliance

among the nation’s taxpayers,” Nograles added. The NUP, one of the members of the House of Representatives’ supermajority of Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, is composed of 24 district congressmen and 17 party-list members allied with the party. HB 4774, if passed into law, is expected to generate P206.8 billion in revenues. The NUP said: “With the administration’s ambitious infrastructure program in the pipeline

and several large scale Public Private Partnership projects in the horizon, we need to muster enough revenues to ensure the smooth implementation of these projects.” The group said “the additional revenues of the government will also contribute to the attainment of the Duterte administration’s 10 point socioeconomic agenda which seeks to reduce the country’s poverty incidence to 14 percent by 2022 from 21.6 percent in 2016.”

Opposition seeks vote on death bill OPPOSITION lawmakers on Tuesday asked the House leadership to allow a “conscience” vote during the deliberations on the Palace-backed death penalty bill. The group also disclosed the alleged attempt of the House majority bloc to silence its members by not allowing them to interpellate during the plenary discussion of the measure scheduled next week. Akbayan party-list Rep. Tom Villarin said they received information that neophyte lawmakers, speciﬁcally members of the House committee on justice as well as members of the House committee on rules, have “no right to interpellate.” “This move to silence members of the House not to speak up is alarming. We are looking at it; this is an attempt to stiﬂe [us on the death penalty bill],” Villarin told a news conference. Maricel Cruz

QUIT CALL. Various transportation groups rally Tuesday in front of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board ofﬁce in Quezon City to call for the immediate resignation of LTFRB Chairman Martin Delgra. Andrew Rabulan

Roque softens removal from Kabayan party KABAYAN party-list Rep. Harry Roque has played down the alleged decision of his party to remove him as its ﬁrst nominee. “I have received word from our friends in the media that the Kabayan party-list has sent them copies of a supposed notice of my removal from the party. The fact that the notice of removal was sent to the media but not to me or my ofﬁce just goes to show that the people behind this plot are after media mileage, not the interest of our party,” Roque said. Roque denounced his alleged ouster from the party which he said had been orchestrated by his party-mate, Rep. Ron Salo. Maricel Cruz

PCSO expands small-time lottery Elderly BUOYED by President Rodrigo Duterte’s clear directive to stop illegal gambling, the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office has declared its own war against the illegal numbers game ‘jueteng’ with the formal launching on Tuesday of expanded smalltime lottery. “Today, as we formally launch the expanded small town lottery here in Malacañang, we finally draw the line and declare that it’s time to put a stop to illegal gambling,” PCSO general manager Alexander Balutan told a Palace briefing. ‘‘Today, we declare that the small town lottery is the only legal and authorized numbers game nationwide. To all illegal gambling operators, we offer you both an invitation and a warning: Go legal,” he added. Balutan said fighting illegal gambling was also in support of the Duterte administration’s campaign against corruption.

“Let there be no doubt, this is not only a campaign against illegal gambling but at the very core, a war to curb and eliminate corruption,” he said. Chairman Jose Jorge Corpuz said the PCSO had partnered with the Philippine National Police, National Bureau of Investigation and the Armed Forces to make sure all illegal gambling activities would be stopped. Corpuz said campaign against illegal gambling might not be like the PNP’s ‘Oplan Tokhang’ against drug pushers and users but he called it an exciting war that would encourage people to shift to legal gambling. “The point here is, we want the war to be exciting. We don’t want it to be like war on drugs. To those in illegal, we are just sending out a warning to them that if you want to be still illegal, that’s your problem. Our law

enforcers are there,” Corpuz said. “The President has said he is serious in stopping illegal gambling and he called on the AFP and PNP commanders to stop illegal gambling, when you stop illegal gambling, we’re stopping corruption,” he added. Corpuz said the expanded STL would be the only legal numbers game in the country that would enue for health, medical and charity programs of the government. Corpuz said from the original 18 corporations in 2006, the STL now had 56 corporations that would operate nationwide. “These illegal operators formed a corporation. They formed a corporation, started paying PCSO with their monthly presumptive retail receipt,” he said. He said the PCSO revenue had increased signiﬁcantly in the last three months of 2016 from P4.7 billion in 2015 to P6.4 billion in 2016. PNA

Marcelino gets ISAFP defense By Rey Requejo THE Armed Forces of the Philippines on Tuesday came to the defense of detained Marine Lt. Colonel Ferdinand Marcelino in his bid to clear himself of illegal drug charges. Public Attorney’s Office Chief Persida Acosta presented to a Manila court certification from the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines attesting that Marcelino had been conducting intelligence operations against drug syndicates when he was caught in a drug buy-bust operation in Manila last year. Acosta stressed the certification signed by ISAFP Chief Brig. Gen. Ronald Villanueva would show that the Marine officer was saying the truth when he said he was conducting sur-

veillance operations at the time when he and his Chinese companion Yan Yi Shou alias Randy were arrested inside an apartment in Sta Cruz, Manila by operatives of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Philippine National Police AntiIllegal Drugs Group. Acosta offered the certiﬁcation before the sala of Manila City RTC, Branch 49, Judge Daniel Villanueva to back up Marcelino’s assertion of innocence. Meanwhile, The Supreme Court has ordered an investigation into the possible administrative liability of the two trial court judges handling the cases against Albuera town Mayor Rolando Espinosa, who was killed by police inside the Leyte subprovincial jail in Baybay City in November last year.

GO LEGAL. PCSO manager Alexander Balutan, during a Malacañang press brieﬁng Tuesday, declares war on jueteng and urges illegal gambling operators to halt their operations, offering them both an invitation and a warning to ‘go legal.’

benefits pushed By Maricel V. Cruz TWO lawmakers have ﬁled a bill seeking to amend further Republic Act 7432, or the “Expanded Senior Citizen Act of 2010,” amid reports some transport providers and terminals have not been providing priority access and assistance to senior citizens. In ﬁling House Bill 4635, Representatives Estrellita Suansing of Nueva Ecija and Horacio Suansing Jr., of Sultan Kudarat, said amending RA 7432 would provide the elderly with full access to public transport facilities. Ms. Suansing said Section 5 (f) of RA 7432, as further amended by Republic Act No. 9994, provides for the development of a program to assist senior citizens in fully gaining access to public transport facilities. “However, there are reports that some transport providers and terminals have not been providing priority access and assistance to senior citizens. In order to ensure the proper implementation of the said law and ensure that senior citizens are granted the privileges they deserve, there is a need to further amend certain provisions of RA 7432, as amended,” said Ms. Suansing, chairperson of the House committee on ecology. Ms. Suansing said HB 4635 intends to cover all forms of public transport such as airports, seaports, train stations, and public utility vehicle terminals, and all ports of entry and exit.

Opinion

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2017

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

EDITORIAL

Adelle Chua, Editor

Failure to communicate

NE of the many lessons that Donald Trump’s election as the 45th president of the United States teaches us is that the failure of media to publish the news in proper perspective can have devastating results. Throughout the campaign, news organizations feasted on the e-mail woes of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, but paid scant attention to Trump’s looming conflicts of interest or the fraudulent practices at his Trump University. News media quoted the bombastic—and often false—statements that the real estate tycoon and reality TV show host made, without calling him out on the facts in the same news stories or headlines. In a rally in November 2016, Trump claimed he watched as thousands of Mus-

lims in New Jersey cheered as the World Trade Center came tumbling down, but nobody—not the police, not the media, nor any witnesses—could verify his account. When he was finally called out on the facts, Trump simply dug his heels in and said he saw it with his own eyes—though apparently, nobody did. The upshot was more publicity for Trump, regardless of the truth. Trump also used social media—Twitter, in particular—to peddle lies that largely went unchecked in the mainstream media. In one Twitter post, Trump shared an image that said: “Whites killed by whites —16%. Whites killed by blacks—81%.” Politico.com, however, noted that most people are killed by someone they know, and someone of the same race. The correct numbers in 2014 for whites killed by whites was 82 percent, while the number of whites killed by blacks was 15 percent. True to form, President Trump used his

first day in office to attack the news media, falsely accusing journalists of inventing a rift between him and intelligence agencies, and deliberately understating the size of the crowd at his inauguration. In a speech at the Central Intelligence Agency, Trump called journalists “among the most dishonest human beings on earth,” and claimed that up to 1.5-million people had attended his inauguration, even though photographs proved otherwise. Later, at the White House, Press Secretary Sean Spicer scolded reporters and said news organizations had deliberately misstated the size of the crowd at Mr. Trump’s inauguration in an attempt to sow divisions at a time when Mr. Trump was trying to unify the country. In defense of her boss, Kellyanne Conway, counselor to President Trump, said the White House had put forth “alternative facts” to ones reported by the news

media—a claim that quickly became the butt of jokes online. Oddly enough, the term recalls a similar one used by Palace officials who urge media not to take President Rodrigo Duterte literally when he says things like he has killed criminals before, but to exercise “creative imagination” when interpreting his remarks. Between the “alternative facts” of the Trump administration and the “creative imagination” of the Duterte administration, what we have is failure to communicate. To nobody’s surprise, President Duterte has expressed his admiration for the new American president, saying that Trump is as crazy as he is. We can only pray that his admiration will not extend to copying Mr. Trump’s penchant for making bogus claims and shamelessly lying to the people. If it does, it is the duty of all of us—particularly the media—to call them out on their lies. VIRTUAL REALITY TONY LOPEZ

Trump good for the Philippines

Back to Mamasapano LOWDOWN

JOJO A. ROBLES THERE are only two cases which, if pursued, could realistically land former President Noynoy Aquino in jail. His successor, President Rodrigo Duterte, has just ordered the creation of an independent commission that will come up with the definitive report on one of the two. Duterte, in a meeting at Malacañang with the relatives of the 44 slain members of the PNP Special Action Force on the eve of the second anniversary of the Mamasapano Massacre, declared that the seven-person panel will finally complete the story for the entire country. The fact-finding body will be patterned, Duterte said, after the Agrava Commission that probed the 1983 assassination of former Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. Ironically, at the center of the

two-year controversy is the son of Ninoy, the president who gave the go-ahead for the disastrous Oplan Exodus and who assigned his favorite police official (who was suspended for corruption at the time) to lead the SAF 44 to their deaths. This is the same president who said he would bring the incident with him to his grave—including, it turns out, all the important details covered up by his ill-starred administration. Duterte took pains to relay to Aquino that he did not want to fight with him. But now that Duterte is president, he said he wants to know what really happened on that cornfield in Maguindanao two years ago— like why government forces did nothing to rescue their beleaguered comrades after they were surrounded by a superior Moro rebel force, who received the $5million reward money offered by the United States for the capture and killing of terrorist bomber Marwan, why only two of the 44 were given the Medal of Valor

and many other important details of the one-sided, day-long battle and its aftermath. Listening to Duterte speak about the massacre, I got the distinct feeling that he has long

Duterte wants to know what really happened in that cornﬁeld in Maguindanao two years ago. been itching to reopen the case, which the Aquino administration tried to bury with all the propaganda power that it could muster. I could feel the famous empathy that Duterte has in spades and which his predecessor (who would not even meet the bodies of the slain soldiers when they

arrived in Manila because he just had to open a car-assembly plant) was totally devoid of. But why reopen the Mamasapano case, the remaining adherents of Aquino must be asking themselves. Why, as the new champion of the Yellows, Vice President Leni Robredo, said recently in so many words, can’t we just move on from the massacre? Because, as Duterte himself said, if it were just one or two policemen killed in the pursuit of a terrorist that the US wanted neutralized, there would really be no problem. Policemen and soldiers die in the line of duty, after all, and even their relatives accept this as a fact of life for our men in uniform. But 44 highly-trained police commandos were slaughtered because the government did not want to risk fresh hostilities with the Muslim rebels, even if it apparently craved the approval of the US and the reward money it offered. And no one has really been held responsible for the car-

nage, two years after, nor have the burning questions surrounding it been answered. That’s why. Does anybody need any more reason to finally see this story to its bitter, bloody conclusion? Oh, and by the way, if you’re wondering what the other case is that has an excellent chance of landing Aquino in jail, it’s the one that will be filed in connection with the previous administration’s short-lived Disbursement Acceleration Program. If Duterte decides to look into the looting of billions in government funds by the previous administration for the purpose of buying off the cooperation of Congress allies, I think Aquino had better start finding a hospital that will take him in as a long-term patient. And I think that eventually, Duterte will get around to investigating DAP. *** Like many Filipinos who followed the developments

WHY is President Trump good for the Philippines? Let me cite some reasons: 1. He has withdrawn from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The TPP, according to the Office of the United States Trade Representative, prohibits exploitative child labor and forced labor; ensures the right to collective bargaining; and prohibits employment discrimination. Philippine agriculture and retail and many small businesses depend on child labor and forced labor. The TPP would have subjected the Philippines (especially its exporters) to charges of violations of child and labor rights, non-payment of minimum wage and benefits for formal work. With the US out of the TPP, the Philippines loses a major excuse for joining it and escapes the consequences that would have ensued with violations. Also, the TPP would have meant high-priced software and medicines produced by multinationals because of the treaty’s strong copyright protection provisions and severe sanctions for violations. Without the TPP, Filipinos would have access to pirated and cheaper software and cheaper medicines. Besides, the Philippines doesn’t really have anything to sell to the world, except humans. It has a very insignificant and weak manufacturing sector, outside of food and beer. 2. President Trump is good for President Duterte and Duterte has been good for Filipinos. He says they “have the same mouth.” Trump won’t mind any human rights violations in Duterte’s current violent antidrugs campaign, unless the violations become so outrageous they trigger worldwide condemnation (such as the killing by the police while under police custody of the Korean businessman who was kidnapped for ransom by the police. I agree that PNP Chief General Bato should resign and form an entirely new Philippine National Police. The present PNP is beyond reform).

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Opinion TO THE POINT EMIL P. JURADO

Bato’s deﬁning moment Dela Rosa said he wants to WHILE the Duterte administration speaks of change, some- melt in shame. If he truly had some self-respect, he should how things remain the same. Recall that former President resign irrevocably. Obviously, he does not. BS Aquino coddled former *** Philippine National Police Alan House Speaker Pantaleon Purisima, who had been suspended for an allegedly anoma- Alvarez now tells reporters lous deal in acquiring a courier there are actually three members, not only two, of the House for gun licenses. Despite the suspension, BS of Representatives who are on Aquino still made Purisima the President’s list of narcooversee that attempt by the PNP politicians. The Speaker refuses to name Special Action Force to serve warrants of arrest on a known them even as he says one of Malaysian bomber and a Fili- them hails from Mindanao. My gulay, now every pino terrorist. This led to the massacre of 44 SAF men by the congressman in the House is Moro Islamic Liberation Front, suspect, particularly those from Bangsamoro Islamic Free- Mindanao. I don’t know if Alvarez dom Fighters and some private realizes that in effect, he has armed groups. Now, in the wake of the bra- condemned all members of the zen killing of Hanjin executive House. They should demand Jee Ick Joo, a South Korean, at that he identify who those Camp Crame—a stone’s throw narco-politicians are. It is this kind of publicity that away from the White House residence of Police chief Ro- erodes public faith in politics. *** lando dela Rosa—and despite The extraordinary number of calls for Dela Rosa’s resignation, President Duterte says his drug users and pushers points to police chief still enjoys his trust some things President Duterte must attend to right away. and confidence. First is the congestion in jails. Trust and confidence, however, are not the issue. The killing Prisoners live in sub-human occurred right under the very conditions. Sometimes they sleep on the nose of Dela stairs or take Rosa. This returns sleepflects on the ing because image of the there is just no entire police He should space. force. This is It’s no wonan organiza- have stepped der foreign tion mandatmedia likes to ed to protect down but he did show photos the citizenry. of these conOf course, not. ditions, for not all memthe world to bers of the see. police force Second, are rogues. But do the people still feel safe special courts should attend to knowing that it is the PNP keep- those who have surrendered. The courts must decide whether ing them safe? My gulay, Dela Rosa admit- or not they deserve to be deted that at least one other Ko- tained. Drug addicts are victims. rean was kidnapped by corrupt Now, pushers have to get the policemen. Kabayan party-list Rep. punishment they deserve. During the martial law days Harry Roque also came up with another morbid tale of a of the Marcos regime, there Filipino-Chinese sugar trader were special courts assigned to taken by members of the Crimi- handle drug cases. This could nal Investigation and Detection be replicated. More drug rehabilitation Group. Roque had interceded, on behalf of Executive Secre- centers must be built. The tary Salvador Medialdia, to get menace can only succeed if the demand is contained. the victim released. *** Roque said the suspects abEvery time there’s news about ducted the victim last August. They said they had a warrant the SM group, whether it is of arrest on the grounds that the building more shopping malls victim was involved in the ille- here or in China where there no gal drug trade. They threatened less than seven malls already, to take his photo with 20 kilos and every time the Sy family of shabu if his family did not is in the news, I get flashbacks. pay ransom. The family soon In 1948, I first met this Chinese man selling imported signature paid P1.6 million. That is only one story. There shoes on Carriedo St. in Manila. could be many more untold I was then a student at Ateneo. That man is Henry Sy Sr., kidnapping-for-ransom and extortion by the police. After all, now the richest Filipino. Back in the day, he bought didn’t President Duterte promise to protect and defend them? surplus shoes from Boston and Now these incidents are com- sold them here. Soon enough, ing out of the woodwork. Some he put up SM, the initials of members of the police have be- Senen Mendiola. He was his partner since at that time, forcome corrupt and brazen. This is why I believe Duterte’s eigners were forbidden to get war on illegal drugs should be into the retail trade. After a few more years, Sy accompanied by a cleansing of started building shopping centthe police force. He needs to retain the people’s ers and megamall. He used to faith and confidence in the PNP. take for coffee and snacks at The President said Dela Rosa Cafe Elysee at SM Makati. Henry is blessed to have his should not be blamed for the Korean’s death because he did children. They pursued their father’s visions and goals. not commit the crime.

Back... From A4

about the massacre two years ago, Duterte seems to believe that all of the pieces of the Mamasapano story are already available, in the reports generated by both Houses of Congress, which investigated the case, as well as the PNP, which conducted its own probe. But all of these details were never completely integrated and synthesized to come up with the definitive report on the massacre. This is because the previous administration did everything it could to prevent the investigating bodies from reaching the conclusion that everybody already arrived at on their own: That Aquino himself ordered the

get-Marwan operation with the help of his best cop buddy and former bodyguard, suspended PNP chief Alan Purisima. And also, when the massacre started, everyone knows that Aquino did not even lift a finger to save the commandos. For him, the operation was already completed with the killing of Marwan—that the 44 SAF troopers were killed getting the terrorist was just unfortunate and something everyone should move on from. Now Duterte has ordered a reopening of the massacre case in an environment that is finally rid of the awesome propaganda machinery assembled by Aquino and is now ready to look at the previous president and his legacy in a more objective manner. May justice finally be served.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2017

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

A license to kill BACK CHANNEL ALEJANDRO DEL ROSARIO IF WE listen to lawmakers talk about the grisly kidnap slay of a Korean businessman right inside the Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame, President Rodrigo Duterte is to blame for giving crooked cops a license to kill. Led by Senator Leila de Lima, herself linked by Duterte for allegedly using drug money to finance her run to the Senate, other legislators like Reps. Rudy Fariñas, Edcel Lagman and Lito Atienza said policemen carrying out the government’s take-noprisoners Operation Tokhang are intoxicated with power because of President Duterte’s pronouncement to back them up at all costs. This became more evident when Duterte ignored calls for PNP Chief Ronald dela Rosa to resign for losing control of his men in the killing of Korean business executive Jee Ick Joo inside PNP headquarters. The crime scene of Jee’s murder brings to mind the gun slaying of Senator Benigno Aquino, Jr. at the tarmac of Manila International Airport. The brazen murder of Ninoy Aquino at the country’s international gate-

way gained worldwide attention because military men and policemen were also suspected of being behind the assassination. They named the airport after Aquino but the crime has never been really solved despite the fact that his widow Cory Aquino and son Noynoy both became president. Jee’s kidnappers and killers—three policemen and their civilian assets—have been accused with the main suspect PO2 Ricky Sta. Isabel arrested. But the buck seems to have stopped with Sta. Isabel while his immediate supervisor Police Director General Dela Rosa was cleared by President Duterte of any culpability. In most police organizations in the world, the head would have been sacked even without any direct link to the crime committed. More honorable men would have resigned in shame for allowing such an abuse of authority to happen in his own backyard. Not Dela Rosa, who smugly left it to Boss Digong to decide his fate. Is there any conspiracy to cover up the involvement of higher PNP officials? I doubt that we would ever know. House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez who earlier was among the first to demand Dela Rosa’s resignation has been appeased as he and Duterte attended Bato’s 55th birthday party. The

trio was photographed smiling and chummy like buddies at a high school reunion. All are from Davao City. The web of crime and corruption at PNP was not the only damning revelation in government. This week, during the Senate Blue Ribbon committee hearing, a story of how Bureau of Immigration officials entrapped themselves into a P30million bribery case unfolded. Through committee chairman Senator Dick Gordon’s probing questions, former BI officials Al Argosino and Michael Robles were made to admit they met with representatives and emissaries of Macau online gambling lord Jack Lam at a luxury casino resort near Manila Bay. The meeting which lasted late into the night, was capped by the turnover of three shopping bags containing an estimated P30 million. The BI officials claimed they took the money purportedly to use as evidence on Lam’s bribery attempt. Gordon questioned Argosino’s story that he took the money home allegedly to use as evidence. The BI officials could not explain or justify why they met with Lam’s reps at a restaurant outside of the Bureau of Immigration offices. The whole scenario as narrated by the BI officials themselves was replete with inconsistencies and what Gordon described as “stupid” explanations.

*** Donald Trump’s first two days in office proved to be bumpy with an estimated one million women marching in protest of his deprecating remarks on their rights. Trump’s White House press office, instead of taking the women’s protest in stride as part of a working democracy, quibbled over the number of people that attended his inauguration at the US capitol. Press Secretary John Spicer and Presidential Assistant Kelly Anne Conway coined a new phrase called “alternative facts” to what they perceived as the press’ false reporting. On his second day, Trump signed an executive order pulling the US out of the TransPacific Partnership comprising Australia, Malaysia, Chile and other Asia-Pacific countries in a new global trade grouping. In the coming weeks, Trump will be meeting with British Prime Minister Theresa May and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto. The meeting with May is expected to be cordial as it has always been with these two transatlantic allies. But the oneon-one with Nieto could be contentious given that Trump, during the presidential campaign, ranted he would build a wall along the US—Mexican border and make Mexico foot the bill. Why would any country allow a wall to be built to isolate it and then pay for that wall?

About-face SO I SEE LITO BANAYO BY HIS immediate actions, principally an executive order reversing the affordable health care program of his predecessor, and then his trumping the almost done Trans-Pacific Partnership which discombobulated the economic thrusts of several countries including long-time allies Japan, Australia, Taiwan, Singapore and even Chile, Donald Trump seems bent to order “his” America to do an about-face in his self-proclaimed march to make it “great again.” Barack Obama tried to reassure his worried allies after the Trump victory, and after listening to his pronouncements, that the Trump victory would just be a “blip,” and viewed from the medium term, it would not be a period, just a “comma.” Trump has the uncanny ability to paint bleakness even if the real facts may not square off with “his” facts, and be credible to a lmost half o f A merica. Listening to his inaugural speech, you would think his country was in the pits. But the truth is, the US economy is less bleak than how Trump described it. For the last six years, jobs

Trump... From A4 “We do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone,” Trump declared in his inaugural address. With his “America First,” Trump abandons America’s commitment declared by John Kennedy in his stirring inaugural speech wherein he said, “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.” So liberty, no. But territory? Now, that’s another matter. Still, Trump’s secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, told a US Senate confirmation hearing “we are the only global superpower with the means and the moral compass capable of shaping the world for good. If we do not lead, we risk plunging the world deeper into confusion and danger.” When he said that, Tillerson, however, might have been just pandering to the Democrats in the Senate to get his confirmation. 3. Trump will try to check China’s island-grabbing military

have been gradually increasing, and the unemployment rate at end 2016 was 4.7 percent, close to what it was before the housing crisis. In the last year of the Obama administration, the economy expanded by some 3.5 percent. The US Federal Reserve raised interest rates for the second time in a decade, confident that the economy is resilient. It is the heretofore industrial belt states like Michigan and Ohio which have lost big, as US manufacturers shifted their laborintensive operations to China, Mexico, Taiwan and elsewhere. Another seemingly ironic promise is that he would “unite the civilized world against radical Islamic terrorism, which we will eradicate completely from the face of the earth.” Ironic because his rhetoric does not inspire unity among the other nations of the world. These countries still remember how the seeds of terrorism began with the US of A’s adventurism with the Taliban, Al Qaeda, even the beginnings of ISIS, and how America under Bush destroyed the “despotic” regimes of Saddam Hussein and Moammar Khadaffy who at least imposed a brand of stability in their fiefdoms. Trashing the Trans-Pacific Partnership would actually be giving China a better hand.

For now the countries that subscribed to the TPP are in limbo, and they constitute virtually 40 percent of international trade. Left to fend for themselves in a highly competitive world economic order, they just might cut their own deals with the second largest economy which is China. And if China deals its hand strategically, taking the longterm vision rather than immediate gains, and managing its currency properly, the Trump volte-face may actually hasten the sleeping giant’s ascent into becoming the world’s largest economy, Numero Uno, faster than predicted. Then Trump would have plunged his country, not into the promised greatness but into international humiliation and defeat. For the “constant” allies like Japan, Taiwan, Australia and others, Trump would only have proven how “inconstant” an ally America can be. And if he should pull the trigger into a full-blown trade war with the current Numero Dos, given America’s huge indebtedness, and given the American consumer’s addiction to lowpriced goods which it perforce imports from other countries, mostly “made in China,” then the inflation it would create may just turn off even his most loyal vote support base.

Hope could turn into sudden disenchantment. We do not know if our own president, Rodrigo Duterte, foresaw the current political maelstrom and the victory of the unpredictable “bigot” (that is how Duterte described candidate Trump when he was yet candidate Duterte), and thus vowed to spare the Philippines from being forsaken by an inconstant ally and sashaying into his independent foreign policy. What a lot of local pundits described as Duterte’s “reckless” foreign policy statements may just turn out to be prescient strategy designed to protect our small country from the coming American about-face. When that reality dawns upon us, and unless Trump and his Kushners think twice about their newly-proclaimed policies, then our president would be hailed not only as a determined crime and corruption nemesis, but as a nationalist statesman sans pareil. I wrote in my previous article how the whole world is now placed on tenterhooks by the Trump presidency and his pronouncements. How the rest of the world reacts to the new American reality in the next few months will be worth watching. Meanwhile, one recalls how Napoleon once said, “let China sleep, for when it awakes, the whole world will tremble.”

and territorial expansion in the South China Sea. Tillerson has referred to China’s island-building to “Russia taking over Crimea.” “They are taking territory or control or declaring control of territories that are not rightfully China’s,” Tillerson said. At a press briefing Monday (Tuesday in Manila), White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer vowed the US would “make sure that we protect our interests” in the resource-rich trade route. “It’s a question of if those islands are in fact in international waters and not part of China proper, then yeah, we’re going to make sure that we defend international territories from being taken over by one country,” the combative Spicer told reporters Monday. Some $5 trillion worth of goods pass through the South China Sea, according to our own Defense Secretary, Delfin Lorenzana. Trump’s belligerent anti-China stance could mean Duterte could play the China card visà-vis the US and his friendship with Trump vis-à-vis Beijing. So Duterte gets the best of both worlds—increased trade, loans, assistance and investments from

China—a great boost to the President’s focus on infrastructure and job generation, while enjoying the protective umbrella of the power of the US Seventh Fleet. Trump is an acoustics and optics-type president. He likes fire and brimstone. That is why he has assembled for his defense and security and intelligence management who are, tough guys, and to use his own words, “the greatest of killers.” In the cabinet, there are three former generals, James “Mad Dog” Mattis (Defense) and John Kelly (Homeland Security and anti-terrorism), both former marines; and Michael Flynn (national security). Described as an intellectual in Genghis Khan clothing, a “Warrior Monk,” and another General Patton, Mattis once said “it’s fun to shoot some people”. At the time he said (in San Diego), he was not referring to the Chinese. He also once told Iraq military leaders, “I come in peace. I didn’t bring artillery. But I’m pleading with you, with tears in my eyes: If you f--k with me, I’ll kill you all.” His favorite slogan: “Marines don’t know how to spell the word defeat.” His advice to his soldiers before the

second Iraq invasion: “Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet.” Meanwhile, a retired Marine Corps four-star general, Kelly, is the highest ranking officer who lost a son, a marine lieutenant, in Iraq (he stepped on a landmine in 2010). So expect fireworks, if not outright firepower, to spark in the South China Sea. And that will be good for the Philippines. As for Mr. Flynn, well, The Economist calls him “a gifted intelligence officer” but recalls that “he was sacked as head of the Defense Intelligence Agency in 2014, allegedly for poor management skills.” In practical terms, such a description would mean: The US has the right info on the Chinese. They send warrior ships. One of the warrior ships, however, fires on the wrong target (Remember: China’s ships in the islets and island it occupies in the South China are not supposed to be war ships but coast guard boats, civilians). How would President Donald respond to such incompetence? Simple: “You are fired!” biznewsasia@gmail.com

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Customs to auction seized smuggled items By Vito Barcelo THE Bureau of Customs said on Tuesday that it will auction more than P16 million worth of seized smuggled luxury cars, a boat, motorcycles and other confiscated items. Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon said that the bureau is expected to earn P16,160,649.62 in revenues from the sale of the seized smuggled goods which were abandoned by its importers. He said the public auction of various items is pursuant to the provisions of Sections 1129 and 1139 of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, in relation to CAO 10-2007 dated Nov. 28, 2007, and other relevant Customs Memorandum Orders. Up for sale are four units of Cadillac Escalade, a Lincoln Navigator with

a floor price of P2,250,000.00; two units of used car pegged at P600,000; two containers of bicycle parts and accessories worth P1.4 million; five containers of 40 footer color sandwich panels color plate priced at P2,963,438.62, and one container van e-bike parts and accessories priced at P1 million. Other items up for bidding are a bunker oil, two used Hyundai Starex Ambulances, two container vans of Mizuno golf bags and shoes, Kawasaki motorcycle, and one unit Valiant rescue boat. Other merchandise includes bags, wallets, and shoes; garments; foamboard; Chumpo e-bike; structural accessories for window covering; sacks of white salt; used household goods; sacks of Portland cement; donated medical supplies and religious books/leaflets.

DEL ROSARIO, 83 JOSE “Peping” Bundalian del Rosario, 83, joined our Creator on Saturday (Jan. 21, 2017) in Las Piñas. Born on March 16, 1933 in San Fernando, Pampanga to Melanio and Pilar (Bundalian) del Rosario (both deceased), he was a former administrator of Nayong Pilipino, a Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas executive and Toyota Alabang manager. Del Rosario graduated from Pampanga High School in 1951 and

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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2017 A6 Standard TODAY Manila

attended Feati University. He is survived by his wife Carmen Abad del Rosario, children Ramon, Michael and Patricia; his siblings Alma, Teddy, Marietta, Jesus and Antonio; 10 grandchildren and two great grandchildren. Viewing of his ashes at the Lisbon Chapel of Loyola Memorial Chapels & Crematorium Sucat, Parañaque is set until Jan. 26, 2017.

Orbos backs new agency By Joel E. Zurbano

CTING chairman Thomas Orbos of the Metro Manila Development Authority is supporting the move to create a separate agency tasked to map out plans, control and manage traffic in the metropolis. Orbos made the statement five days after members of the House Committee on Transportation approved House Bill No. 4334 or the Traffic Crisis Act of 2016, a measure giving emergency powers President Rodrigo Duterte to remedy the worsening traffic problem and prevent billions in economic losses. Under House Bill 4334, the President with the agreement of the Joint Congressional Oversight Commit-

tee, may create a separate Department of Urban Traffic Management under the Office of the President within the last 12 months immediately preceding the lapse of the Act. The said agency shall be tasked with the control, planning and management of land-based traffic in the metropolitan areas. It will also take over and continue to exercise all the powers and authority granted on the Traffic Chief under the Act.

“I fully agree if there is a need to have a separate agency. Urban planning, which is a long-term solution where we put the roads, proper land use, that’s what we need. I fully agree on that if that is the direction of the Senate and the House,” said Orbos. “Based on experience, each agency that is now in I-ACT [Interagency Council on Traffic] lack the authority. Therefore one agency will have all the powers needed to solve and prevent this kind of crisis we have right now,” he added. House Bill 4334 also gives exclusive power to the Department of Transportation to control, manage and regulate land-based traffic and structures in Metro Manila, Metro Cebu and Metro Davao. Under the proposed bill, the secretary of DOTr as the designated

traffic chief, will have supervision and control over MMDA, Cebu Coordinating Council, Philippine National Police-Traffic Management Group, Land Transportation Office, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, Road Board, all other executive agencies, bureaus and offices with roles pertaining to land transportation regulation and the Metropolitan Davao Traffic Administrator. Additionally, the traffic chief, as the alter ego of the President, shall have supervision over all local government units within the covered Metropolitan areas. The Traffic Chief will also implement a unified traffic system throughout each metropolitan areas and carry out priority projects and programs approved in accordance with the Act.

Eco group warns public vs toxic ‘lucky charms’ EN V I RON M EN TA LIST group Ecowaste Coalition on Tuesday warned consumers on buying lucky charms and amulets containing high levels of toxic chemicals, which are unsafe to people, especially children. The group made the warning ahead of the celebration of

the Chinese New Year of the Fire Rooster this Saturday. The group said some Feng Shui items are decorated with paints containing dangerous levels of lead—a toxic metal belonging to the list of “10 chemicals of major public health concern” of the World

Health Organization. WHO reported that lead “is a cumulative toxicant that affects multiple body systems, including the neurologic, hematologic, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and renal systems.” Ecowaste Project Protect coordinator Thony Dizon said that

while many Feng Shui charms and amulets are created equal, some are coated with highlyleaded paints and should carry a lead hazard warning. “Why are these products, which are supposed to attract energy, health, long life, happiness and wealth, coated with

lead paints that the Philippines and the entire world are trying to eliminate?” Dizon asked. “As these products are hardly regulated, we advise consumers to be wary of painted charms and amulets unless these are certified as lead-safe,” he added. Joel E. Zurbano

PRESENT: Vice Mayor Councilor “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “

MONIQUE Q. LAGDAMEO - Presiding Officer SHIRLEY C. ASPILLAGA MARIE ALETHEA SJ. CASAL-UY GRAZIELLE IONY N. DE LARA-BES FERDINAND T. EUSEBIO VIRGILIO V. HILARIO JR. DIVINA A. JACOME LUIS S. JAVIER JR. LEONARDO M. MAGPANTAY ROMEO C. MEDINA MA. ARLENE M. ORTEGA NELSON S. PASIA ENRICO J. PUNO MARY RUTH C. TOLENTINO EVELYN DELFINA E. VILLAMOR MARIA CONCEPCION M. YABUT NEMESIO S. YABUT JR.

PRESENT: Vice Mayor Councilor “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “

LnB President

ARMANDO P. PADILLA

LnB President

ARMANDO P. PADILLA

LnB President

ARMANDO P. PADILLA

================================================================

On motion presented by Han. M.A.S.J. Casal-Uy, which was duly seconded by all Members present, the Sangguniang Panlungsod of the City of Makati approved City Resolution No. 2016-A007 on second and final reading.

On motion presented by Hon. N.S. Yabut Jr., which was duly seconded by all Members present, the Sangguniang Panlungsod of the City of Makati approved City Resolution No. 2016-A-008 on second and final reading.

On motion presented by Hon. M.A.S.J. Casal-Uy, which was duly seconded by all Members present, the Sangguniang Panlungsod of the City of Makati approved City Resolution No. 2016-A-009 on second and final reading.

CITY RESOLUTION NO. 2016-A-007

CITY RESOLUTION NO. 2016-A-008

CITY RESOLUTION NO. 2016-A-009

Authors: Hon. M.C.M. Yabut, Hon. M.A.S.J. Casal-Uy, Hon. G.I. de Lara-Bes, Hon. D.A Jacome and Hon. N. S. Yabut Jr.

Co-Authors: Hon. S.C. Aspillaga, Hon. F.T. Eusebio, Hon. V.V. Hilario Jr., Hon. L.S Javier Jr., Hon. L.M. Magpantay, Hon. R.C. Medina, Hon. M.A.M. Ortega, Hon. N.S. Pasia, Hon. E.J. Puno, Hon. M.R.C. Tolentino, Hon. E.D.E. Villamor, and Hon. A.P. Padilla A RESOLUTION CONCURRING WITH THE HONORABLE MAYOR MAR-LEN ABIGAIL S. BINAY IN HER APPOINTMENT OF MR. ARNOLD C. MAGPANTAY AS CITY GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT HEAD II (GENERAL SERVICES OFFICER), SUBJECT TO CIVIL SERVICE LAWS, RULES AND REGULATIONS . WHEREAS, based on records, there exists a vacancy in the position of City Government Department Head II (General Services Officer); WHEREAS, it is indubitable that the said position entails numerous duties and responsibilities and as such, it needs to be filled by a competent and reliable person who shall lead the office with pride and honor for the welfare and well-being of the City Government of Makati and its constituents; WHEREAS, the Honorable Mayor Mar-len Abigail S. Binay appointed Mr. Arnold C. Magpantay as City Government Department Head II (General Services Officer) pursuant to the authority given by R.A. 7854, otherwise known as the Charter of the City of Makati; WHEREAS, Mr. Arnold C. Magpantay, being a long-time public servant, is a person of proven integrity, professional competence, probity and independence of mind; WHEREAS, it is mandated by the Local Government Code of 1991 and the Charter of the City of Makati to submit such appointment to the Sanggunian for its concurrence; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, AS IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED BY THE SANGGUNIANG PANLUNGSOD OF MAKATI, METRO MANILA, BY VIRTUE OF THE POWERS VESTED IN IT BY LAW, IN SESSION ASSEMBLED, to concur with the Honorable Mayor Mar-len Abigail S. Binay in her appointment of Mr. Arnold C. Magpantay as City Government Department Head II (General Services Officer), subject to civil service laws, rules and regulations. RESOLVED FURTHER, that copy of this Resolution be furnished the Civil Service Commission, Human Resources Development Office (HRDO) and other offices, departments and agencies concerned for their information, guidance and reference. This Resolution is subject to existing civil service laws, rules and regulations and shall take effect upon approval. APPROVED BY THE SANGGUNIANG PANLUNGSOD OF MAKATI, METRO MANILA, in its regular session held on 24 August 2016..

A RESOLUTION CONCURRING WITH THE HONORABLE MAYOR MAR-LEN ABIGAIL S. BINAY IN HER APPOINTMENT OF ATTY. DINDO R. CERVANTES AS THE SECRETARY TO THE SANGGUNIANG PANLUNGSOD, SUBJECT TO CIVIL SERVICE LAWS, RULES AND REGULATIONS. WHEREAS, based on records, there exists a vacancy in the position of Secretary to the Sangguniang Panlungsod; WHEREAS, it is indubitable that the said position entails numerous duties and responsibilities and as such, it needs to be filled by a competent and reliable person who shall lead the office with pride and honor for the welfare and well-being of the City Government of Makati and its constituents; WHEREAS, the Honorable Mayor Mar-len Abigail S. Binay appointed Atty. Dindo R. Cervantes as the Secretary to the Sanggunian pursuant to the authority given by R.A. 7854, otherwise known as the Charter of the City of Makati; WHEREAS, Atty. Dindo R. Cervantes, being a lawyer and a long-time public servant, is a person of proven integrity, professional competence, probity and independence of mind; WHEREAS, it is mandated by the Local Government Code of 1991 and the Charter of the City of Makati to submit such appointment to the Sanggunian for its concurrence; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, AS IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED BY THE SANGGUNIANG PANLUNGSOD OF MAKATI, METRO MANILA, BY VIRTUE OF THE POWERS VESTED IN IT BY LAW, IN SESSION ASSEMBLED, to concur with the Honorable Mayor Mar-len Abigail S. Binay in her appointment of Atty. Dindo R. Cervantes as Secretary to the Sangguniang Panlungsod, subject to civil service laws, rules and regulations. RESOLVED FURTHER, that copy of this Resolution be furnished the Civil Service Commission, Human Resources Development Office (HRDO) and other offices, departments and agencies concerned for their information, guidance and reference. This Resolution is subject to existing civil service laws, rules and regulations and shall take effect upon approval. APPROVED BY THE SANGGUNIANG PANLUNGSOD OF MAKATI, METRO MANILA, in its regular session held on 24 August 2016.. HON. SHIRLEY C. ASPILLAGA

HON. SHIRLEY C. ASPILLAGA

HON. ROMEO C. MEDINA

HON. MARIE ALETHEA S.J. CASAL-UY

HON. MA ARLENE M. ORTEGA

HON. GRAZIELLE IONY N. DE LARA-BES

HON. NELSON S. P PASIA

HON. FERDINAND T. EUSEBIO

HON. ENRICO J. PUNO

HON. VIRGILIO V. HILARIO JR.

ON. MARY RUTH C. TOLENTINO HON.

HON. MARIE ALETHEA S.J. CASAL-UY

HON. GRAZIELLE IONY N. DE LARA-BES

HON. FERDINAND T. EUSEBIO

HON. VIRGILIO V. HILARIO JR.

HON. DIVINA A. JACOME HON. DIVINA A. JACOME

HON. ROMEO C. MEDINA

WHEREAS, it is indubitable that the said position entails numerous duties and responsibilities and as such, it needs to be filled by a competent and reliable person who shall lead the office with pride and honor for the welfare and well-being of the City Government of Makati and its constituents; WHEREAS, the Honorable Mayor Mar-len Abigail S. Binay appointed Prof. Tomas B. Lopez, Jr. as the University President of University of Makati pursuant to the authority given by R.A. 7854, otherwise known as the Charter of the City of Makati; WHEREAS, Prof. Tomas B. Lopez, Jr., being renowned member of the academe, is a person of proven integrity, professional competence, probity and independence of mind; WHEREAS, it is mandated by the Local Government Code of 1991 and the Charter of the City of Makati to submit such appointment to the Sanggunian for its concurrence; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, AS IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED BY THE SANGGUNIANG PANLUNGSOD OF MAKATI, METRO MANILA, BY VIRTUE OF THE POWERS VESTED IN IT BY LAW, IN SESSION ASSEMBLED, to concur with the Honorable Mayor Mar-len Abigail S. Binay in her appointment of Prof. Tomas B. Lopez, Jr. as the University President of University of Makati, subject to civil service laws, rules and regulations. RESOLVED FURTHER, that copy of this Resolution be furnished the Civil Service Commission, Human Resources Development Office (HRDO) and other offices, departments and agencies concerned for their information, guidance and reference. This Resolution is subject to existing civil service laws, rules and regulations and shall take effect upon approval. APPROVED BY THE SANGGUNIANG PANLUNGSOD OF MAKATI, METRO MANILA, in its regular session held on 24 August 2016.. HON. SHIRLEY C. ASPILLAGA

HON. ROMEO C. MEDINA

HON. MARIE ALETHEA S.J. CASAL-UY

HON. MA ARLENE M. ORTEGA

HON. GRAZIELLE IONY N. DE LARA-BES

HON. NELSON S. P PASIA

HON. FERDINAND T. EUSEBIO

HON. ENRICO J. PUNO

HON. VIRGILIO V. HILARIO JR.

HON. ON. MARY RUTH C. TOLENTINO

HON. DIVINA A. JACOME

HON. ON. EVELYN DELFINA E. VILLAMOR

HON. LUIS S. JAVIER JR.

HON. MARIA CONCEPCION M. YABUT

HON. LEONARDO M. MAGPANTAY

HON. NEMESIO S. YABUT JR.

HON. NELSON S. P PASIA

HON. ENRICO J. PUNO

ON. MARY RUTH C. TOLENTINO HON.

ON. EVELYN DELFINA E. VILLAMOR HON.

HON. LUIS S. JAVIER JR.

HON. MARIA CONCEPCION M. YABUT

HON. MARIA CONCEPCION M. YABUT HON. LEONARDO M. MAGPANTAY

HON. LEONARDO M. MAGPANTAY

WHEREAS, based on records, there exists a vacancy in the position of University President of University of Makati;

HON. MA ARLENE M. ORTEGA

ON. EVELYN DELFINA E. VILLAMOR HON.

HON. LUIS S. JAVIER JR.

A RESOLUTION CONCURRING WITH THE HONORABLE MAYOR MAR-LEN ABIGAIL S. BINAY IN HER APPOINTMENT OF PROF. TOMAS B. LOPEZ, JR. AS THE UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT OF UNIVERSITY OF MAKATI, SUBJECT TO CIVIL SERVICE LAWS, RULES AND REGULATIONS..

HON. NEMESIO S. YABUT JR.

HON. NEMESIO S. YABUT JR. HON. ARMANDO P. PADILLA LnB President

HON. ARMANDO P. PADILLA LnB President

Certified true and correct by:

Certified true and correct by: ATTY. DINDO R. CERVANTES Secretary to the Sangguniang Panlungsod

ATTY. DINDO R. CERVANTES Secretary to the Sangguniang Panlungsod

Attested by: Attested by:

Attested by: HON. MONIQUE Q. LAGDAMEO Vice Mayor & Presiding Officer HON. MONIQUE Q. LAGDAMEO Vice Mayor & Presiding Officer

HON. MONIQUE Q. LAGDAMEO Vice Mayor & Presiding Officer

Approved by: Approved by:

Approved by: MAR-LEN ABIGAIL S. BINAY City Mayor MAR-LEN ABIGAIL S. BINAY City Mayor

(MS-JAN. 25, 2017)

MAR-LEN ABIGAIL S. BINAY City Mayor (MS-JAN. 25, 2017)

(MS-JAN. 25, 2017)

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

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Sports

Manila

Standard

TODAY

TNT KaTropa, GlobalPort gun for spot in playoffs By Jeric Lopez

106, last Saturday in Cebu while TNT KaTropa routed Mahindra, 104-92, a week ago. As of now, only San Miguel Beer (8-1), who is already a lock at No. 1, and current second-running Phoenix (6-4) are the two teams which have already qualified in the next round. The No. 2 seed and the twice-to-beat advantage that goes along with it as well as the six other slots in the quarters are being hotly contested by the teams still in the running. Three teams NLEX, Mahindra and Meralco are all ousted and one more squad will eventually join them in an early vacation. The battle between the Elite and the Hotshots are just as pivotal. The victor will also gain an upper hand in terms of positioning while the defeated team will also be in harm’s way. Star is fresh from an impressive 8877 drubbing of TNT KaTropa last week while Blackwater suffered a 90-99 defeat at the hands of Barangay Ginebra last Friday.

EAMS continue to jockey for the best possible position with four squads in desperate need of a win plunge into action in the homestretch of the elimination round of the 2017 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup. In a critical game, TNT KaTropa and the GlobalPort Batang Pier, both at 5-4, go to war at 7 p.m. at the Cuneta

LOTTO RESULTS

6/49 00-00-00-00-00-00 6/42 00-00-00-00-00-00 6 DIGITS 0-0-0-0-0-0 3 DIGITS 0-0-0 2 EZ2 0-0

P0.0 M+ P0.0 M+

Astrodome tonight with a lot at stake. The same can be said between the tiff between the Blackwater Elite (5-5) and the Star Hotshots (4-4) at 4:15 p.m. in the opener. The Tropang Texters and the Batang Pier are in a mad four-team logjam with the Alaska Aces and the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters at third to sixth places with each having a two games left. Their tussle today will have huge implications. The victor will earn a spot in the quarterfinals while the loser will put itself in further danger as it will slip down the bottom half. The Batang Pier is coming off a loss while the Tropang Texters managed to have a solid outing in its last game. GlobalPort bowed to San Miguel, 100-

PRESENT: Vice Mayor Councilor “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “

LnB President

ARMANDO P. PADILLA

LnB President

ARMANDO P. PADILLA

================================================================

On motion presented by Hon. M.C.M. Yabut, which was duly seconded by all Members present, the Sangguniang Panlungsod of the City of Makati approved City Resolution No. 2016-A-010 on second and final reading.

On motion presented by Hon. D.A. Jacome, which was duly seconded by all Members present, the Sangguniang Panlungsod of the City of Makati approved City Resolution No. 2016-A-011 on second and final reading.

CITY RESOLUTION NO. 2016-A-010

CITY RESOLUTION NO. 2016-A-011

Authors: Hon. M.C.M. Yabut, Hon. M.A.S.J. Casal-Uy, Hon. G.I. de Lara-Bes, Hon. D.A Jacome and Hon. N. S. Yabut Jr.

Authors: Hon. M.C.M. Yabut, Hon. M.A.S.J. Casal-Uy, Hon. G.I. de Lara-Bes, Hon. D.A. Jacome and Hon. N. S. Yabut Jr.

Co-Authors: Hon. S.C. Aspillaga, Hon. F.T. Eusebio, Hon. V.V. Hilario Jr., Hon. L.S. Javier Jr., Hon. L.M. Magpantay, Hon. R.C. Medina, Hon. M.A.M. Ortega, Hon. N.S. Pasia, Hon. E.J. Puno, Hon. M.R.C. Tolentino, Hon. E.D.E. Villamor, and Hon. A.P. Padilla

A RESOLUTION CONCURRING WITH THE HONORABLE MAYOR MAR-LEN ABIGAIL S. BINAY IN HER APPOINTMENT OF MR. RICHARD RAYMUND R. RODRIGUEZ AS CITY GOVERNMENT ASSISTANT DEPARTMENT HEAD II (DISASTER RISK REDUCTION AND MANAGEMENT OFFICER), SUBJECT TO CIVIL SERVICE LAWS, RULES AND REGULATIONS.

A RESOLUTION CONCURRING WITH THE HONORABLE MAYOR MAR-LEN ABIGAIL S. BINAY IN HER APPOINTMENT OF MR. RHODERICK R. TORRES AS CITY GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT HEAD II (CITY BUDGET OFFICER), SUBJECT TO CIVIL SERVICE LAWS, RULES AND REGULATIONS.

WHEREAS, based on records, there exists a vacancy in the position of City Government Assistant Department Head II (Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer);

WHEREAS, based on records, there exists a vacancy in the position of City Budget Officer;

WHEREAS, the Honorable Mayor Mar-len Abigail S. Binay appointed Mr. Richard Raymund R. Rodriguez as City Government Assistant Department Head II (Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer) pursuant to the authority given by R.A. 7854, otherwise known as the Charter of the City of Makati;

WHEREAS, the Honorable Mayor Marclen Abigail S. Binay appointed Mr. Rhoderick R. Torres as the City Budget Officer pursuant to the authority given by RA. 7854, otherwise known as the Charter of the City of Makati;

WHEREAS, Mr. Richard Raymund R. Rodriguez, being a long-time public servant, is a person of proven integrity, professional competence, probity and independence of mind; WHEREAS, it is mandated by the Local Government Code of 1991 and the Charter of the City of Makati to submit such appointment to the Sanggunian for its concurrence; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, AS IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED BY THE SANGGUNIANG PANLUNGSOD OF MAKATI, METRO MANILA, BY VIRTUE OF THE POWERS VESTED IN IT BY LAW, IN SESSION ASSEMBLED, to concur with the Honorable Mayor Mar-len Abigail S. Binay in her appointment of Mr. Richard Raymund R. Rodriguez as City Government Assistant Department Head II (Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer), subject to civil service laws, rules and regulations. RESOLVED FURTHER, that copy of this Resolution be furnished the Civil Service Commission, Human Resources Development Office (HRDO) and other offices, departments and agencies concerned for their information, guidance and reference. This Resolution is subject to existing civil service laws, rules and regulations and shall take effect upon approval. APPROVED BY THE SANGGUNIANG PANLUNGSOD OF MAKATI, METRO MANILA, in its regular session held on 24 August 2016..

WHEREAS, Mr. Rhoderick R Torres, being an expert in his field, is a person of proven integrity, professional competence, probity and independence of mind; WHEREAS, it is mandated by the Local Government Code of 1991 and the Charter of the City of Makati to submit such appointment to the Sanggunian for its concurrence; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, AS IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED BY THE SANGGUNIANG PANLUNGSOD OF MAKATI, METRO MANILA, BY VIRTUE OF THE POWERS VESTED IN IT BY LAW, IN SESSION ASSEMBLED, to concur with the Honorable Mayor Mar-len Abigail S. Binay in her appointment of Mr. Rhoderick R. Torres as City Government Department Head II (City Budget Officer), subject to civil service laws, rules and regulations. RESOLVED FURTHER, that copy of this Resolution be furnished the Civil Service Commission, Human Resources Development Office (HRDO) and other offices, departments and agencies concerned for their information, guidance and reference. This Resolution is subject to existing civil service laws, rules and regulations and shall take effect upon approval. APPROVED BY THE SANGGUNIANG PANLUNGSOD OF MAKATI, METRO MANILA, in its regular session held on 24 August 2016.. HON. SHIRLEY C. ASPILLAGA

HON. ROMEO C. MEDINA

HON. MARIE ALETHEA S.J. CASAL-UY

HON. MA ARLENE M. ORTEGA

HON. GRAZIELLE IONY N. DE LARA-BES

HON. NELSON S. P PASIA

HON. ENRICO J. PUNO

HON. FERDINAND T. EUSEBIO

HON. ENRICO J. PUNO

HON. VIRGILIO V. HILARIO JR.

ON. MARY RUTH C. TOLENTINO HON.

HON. VIRGILIO V. HILARIO JR.

ON. MARY RUTH C. TOLENTINO HON.

HON. DIVINA A. JACOME

ON. EVELYN DELFINA E. VILLAMOR HON.

HON. DIVINA A. JACOME

ON. EVELYN DELFINA E. VILLAMOR HON.

HON. LUIS S. JAVIER JR.

HON. MARIA CONCEPCION M. YABUT

HON. LUIS S. JAVIER JR.

HON. MARIA CONCEPCION M. YABUT

HON. LEONARDO M. MAGPANTAY

HON. NEMESIO S. YABUT JR.

HON. LEONARDO M. MAGPANTAY

HON. NEMESIO S. YABUT JR.

HON. SHIRLEY C. ASPILLAGA

HON. ROMEO C. MEDINA

HON. MARIE ALETHEA S.J. CASAL-UY

HON. MA ARLENE M. ORTEGA

HON. GRAZIELLE IONY N. DE LARA-BES

HON. NELSON S. P PASIA

HON. FERDINAND T. EUSEBIO

HON. ARMANDO P. PADILLA LnB President

Attested by:

By Peter Atencio LE TOUR de Filipinas is back for its eighth edition. It will take on the same destinations but the direction that the 75 cyclists from 15 teams take will be different when action begins Feb. 18 in Legazpi City and ends four days later in Lucena City. The riders will take a northwesterly route, the reverse of what riders took last year when they took on the challenges offered over roads from within the Bicol and Southern Tagalog region. “Although we passed through these routes last year, the reverse side is a totally different experience. And that’s what we would like to offer to the participants,” said UCI international commissaire Adolfo Cruz as he describes

MONIQUE Q. LAGDAMEO - Presiding Officer SHIRLEY C. ASPILLAGA MARIE ALETHEA SJ. CASAL-UY GRAZIELLE IONY N. DE LARA-BES FERDINAND T. EUSEBIO VIRGILIO V. HILARIO JR. DIVINA A. JACOME LUIS S. JAVIER JR. LEONARDO M. MAGPANTAY ROMEO C. MEDINA MA. ARLENE M. ORTEGA NELSON S. PASIA MARY RUTH C. TOLENTINO EVELYN DELFINA E. VILLAMOR MARIA CONCEPCION M. YABUT NEMESIO S. YABUT JR.

LnB President

ARMANDO P. PADILLA

ABSENT: Councilor

ATTY. DINDO R. CERVANTES Secretary to the Sangguniang Panlungsod

HON. MONIQUE Q. LAGDAMEO Vice Mayor & Presiding Officer

On motion presented by Hon. N.S. Yabut, Jr., which was duly seconded by all Members present, the Sangguniang Panlungsod of the City of Makati approved City Resolution No. 2016-A-036 on second and final reading. CITY RESOLUTION NO. 2016-A-036 Authors: Hon. M.C.M. Yabut, Hon. M.A.S.J. Casal-Uy, Hon. D.A. Jacome, Hon. G.I.N. de Lara-Bes, Hon. N.S. Yabut Jr., Hon. M.A.M. Ortega, Hon. N.S. Pasia, Hon. V.V. Hilario, Jr. and Hon. E.D.E. Villamor Co-Authors: Hon. S.C. Aspillaga, Hon. F.T. Eusebio, Hon. L.S. Javier, Jr., Hon. L.M. Magpantay, Hon. R.C. Medina, Hon. M.R.C. Tolentino and A.P. Padilla A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE HONORABLE MAYOR MAR-LEN ABIGAIL S. BINAY AND/OR OSPITAL NG MAKATI (OSMAK) OFFICER-IN-CHARGE (OIC) MEDICAL DIRECTOR DR. VERGEL P. BINAY, MD, FPSGS, MBAH, TO NEGOTIATE, ENTER INTO AND SIGN A MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT (MOA), ON BEHALF OF THE CITY GOVERNMENT OF MAKATI, WITH SHINAGAWA LASIK AND AESTHETICS CENTER CORP. (“SHINAGAWA”), REGARDING OSMAK’S PROVISION OF EMERGENCY MEDICAL CARE TO SHINAGAWA’S PATIENTS, SUBJECT TO EXISTING LAWS, RULES AND REGULATIONS. WHEREAS, the Department of Health (DOH) issued a permit to operate as a surgical ambulatory clinic to Shinagawa Lasik & Aesthetic Center Corporation (“Shinagawa”); WHEREAS, in order to maintain the abovementioned license from DOH, Shinagawa must retain a memorandum of agreement with any of the major hospitals in Makati; WHEREAS, Shinagawa desires to engage the services of Ospital ng Makati (OSMAK) to render emergency services to its patients; WHEREAS, the OSMAK manifest its willingness to fully cooperate with Shinagawa in the pursuit of its noble endeavors by offering its medical services; WHEREAS, a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the City Government of Makati and Shinagawa must be executed in order to effectuate the abovementioned purpose; WHEREAS, Section 8 (a) (6), Article III ofR.A 7658, otherwise known as the Charter of the City of Makati, states that the city mayor, as the chief executive of the city government, shall represent the City in all its business transactions and signs on its behalf all bonds, contracts, and obligations, and such other documents upon authority of the sanggunian panlungsod; WHEREAS, the Sangguniang Panlungsod, considering the absence of any legal impediment, hereby authorizes Honorable Mayor Mar-Len Abigail S. Binay and/or Ospital Ng Makati (OSMAK) Officer-in-Charge (OIC)-Medical Director, Dr. Vergel P. Binay, MD, FPSGS, MBAH, to negotiate, enter into and sign such Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), on behalf of the City Government of Makati, with Shinagawa. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, AS IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED BY THE SANGGUNIANG PANLUNGSOD OF MAKATI, METRO MANILA, BY VIRTUE OF THE POWERS VESTED IN IT BY LAW, IN SESSION ASSEMBLED, to authorize the Honorable Mayor Mar-Len Abigail S. Binay and/or Ospital Ng Makati (OSMAK) Officer-in-Charge (OIC)-Medical Director, Dr. Vergel P. Binay, MD, FPSGS, MBAH, to negotiate, enter into and sign such Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), on behalf of the City Government of Makati, with Shinagawa Lasik & Aesthetics Center Corp., regarding OSMAK’s provision of emergency medical care to Shinagawa’s patients, subject to existing laws, rules and regulations. Let copy of this Resolution be furnished to Ospital ng Makati (OSMAK), Shinagawa Lasik & Aesthetics Center Corp. and other offices, departments and agencies concerned for their information, guidance and reference. This Resolution is subject to existing laws, rules and regulations and shall take effect upon approval. APPROVED BY THE SANGGUNIANG PANLUNGSOD OF MAKATI, METRO MANILA, in its Regular Session held on 2 November 2016 2016.. HON. SHIRLEY C. ASPILLAGA

HON. ROMEO C. MEDINA

HON. MARIE ALETHEA S.J. CASAL-UY

HON. MA ARLENE M. ORTEGA

HON. GRAZIELLE IONY N. DE LARA-BES

HON. NELSON S. P PASIA

HON. FERDINAND T. EUSEBIO

HON. ENRICO J. PUNO

HON. VIRGILIO V. HILARIO JR.

HON. ON. MARY RUTH C. TOLENTINO

HON. DIVINA A. JACOME

HON. ON. EVELYN DELFINA E. VILLAMOR

HON. LUIS S. JAVIER JR.

HON. MARIA CONCEPCION M. YABUT

HON. LEONARDO M. MAGPANTAY

HON. NEMESIO S. YABUT JR.

Certified true and correct by: ATTY. DINDO R. CERVANTES Secretary to the Sangguniang Panlungsod

Attested by:

HON. MONIQUE Q. LAGDAMEO Vice Mayor & Presiding Officer

HON. MONIQUE Q. LAGDAMEO Vice Mayor & Presiding Officer Approved by:

ENRICO J. PUNO

==================================================================

HON. ARMANDO P. PADILLA LnB President

Certified true and correct by:

Attested by:

the routes of the Le Tour de Filipinas 2017. He spoke of the coming bikefest with event organizer Donna Lina and technical director Paquito Rivas during the launch held yesterday at the Palacio de Manila, Roxas Blvd. The 15 teams will be composed of 13 foreign continental teams and two local squads. This time, the route covers a total distance of 726.55 kilometers, with Stage 1, which is presented by Air21, taking place from Legazpi City to Sorsogon City, and covering 164.5 km. The majestic Mayon Volcano will be the backdrop when they head up a Category 1 climb, and finish on a flat and well-paved route that has Mt. Bulusan volcano within sight.

PRESENT: Vice Mayor Councilor “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “

HON. ARMANDO P. PADILLA LnB President

Certified true and correct by:

MAR-LEN ABIGAIL S. BINAY City Mayor

Le Tour de Filipinas takes off in Legaspi

Approved by: Approved by:

(MS-JAN. 25, 2017)

MAR-LEN ABIGAIL S. BINAY City Mayor

(MS-JAN. 25, 2017)

MAR-LEN ABIGAIL S. BINAY City Mayor

(MS-JAN. 25, 2017)

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

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

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2017

Miami Heat guard Dion Waiters (11) tries to dribble past Golden State Warriors defender Draymond Greene (23) during their game at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. AFP

Waiters, Heat too much for pace-setting Warriors L OS ANGELES—Dion Waiters scored a last-gasp three-pointer as the Miami Heat stunned the Golden State Warriors 105-102 on Monday to snap the NBA pace-setters’ sevengame win streak.

Anthony Davis. But Terrence Jones proved a more than able deputy, pouring in a career-high 36 points while Jrue Holiday produced 33 points and 10 assists to seal victory despite a dogged Cleveland fightback. The defeat was the Cavs’ sixth in their past 10 games, and left them on 30-13. The Pelicans improved to 18-27 with the win. “We’ve got to figure it out. It’s been a crappy 2017 so far,” said James, who finished with 26 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists. “I’m not complaining, but right now we’re just trying to get out of a hole,” James added. “Coach’ll figure it out, and we’ve got to figure it out as far as minutes, too. We’ve just got to be better as a team.” “It’s not about how many min-

Waiters led the scoring with 33 points as Miami notched their fourth consecutive victory in a dramatic finale at the American Airlines Arena. It was the second straight game that Waiters had scored a careerhigh 33 points. “These are the moments you want to live for, especially against a great team like that,” Waiters said. “I’m in a zone right now,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra agreed with Waiters assessment of his performance.

“He’s not scared,” Spoelstra said. “He wants those moments as much as anybody. He’s been pestering me on those kind of deals, wanting those opportunities in the fourth quarter. He and I go at it all the time.” In New Orleans meanwhile, LeBron James posted a triple double and Kyrie Irving exploded for 49 points yet the Cleveland Cavaliers duo still finished on the losing side against an inspired Pelicans who ran out 124-122 winners. New Orleans had gone into the game missing injured star

Tiger faces hectic schedule

PSC to provide for NSA needs

LOS ANGELES—Tiger Woods said Monday he is confident that his battered 41-year-old body can withstand the rigors of playing in four golf tournaments over the next five weeks. The 14-time major winner, who returned to golf in December at the Hero World Challenge following a 15-month injury layoff, has committed to a hectic schedule which will see him open his 2017 season at this week’s Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego. “I have played one time in the last 18 months,” American Woods said during a news conference Monday at the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles. “I just need to get in some tournament golf. I am looking forward to it.” After the Farmers at the Torrey Pines course, Woods will fly off to United Arab Emirates for the Dubai Desert Classic from February 2-5, followed by the Genesis Open at Riviera on Feb. 16-19. He then travels home to Florida to take part in the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens (Feb. 23-26). The Farmers Open will be Woods’ first full field tournament since undergoing back surgery in 2015. Asked if he is physically up to the task with all the injuries he has endured the past several years, Woods said: “That is a concern but I am looking forward to it. I feel I am strong enough to handle the workload. “I sat out long enough. I have been on the sidelines so long.” AFP

FOR now, the Philippine Sports Commission won’t be providing financial assistance for national sports associations which are busy preparing their athletes in the coming 2017 Southeast Asian Games. Instead, the government sports agency will provide logistical support in their effort to get the athletes ready. Tom Carrasco, SEA Games Task Force on the Philippine Olympic Committee side, said during the weekly PSA Forum at the Golden Phoenix Hotel the NSAs will have until Feb. 4 to do inform the PSC of their needs. This will help the PSC in its efforts to help the athletes be better equipped for competition. “The PSC has taken over the

By Peter Atencio

procurement function of the NSAs. There will be no financial assistance. We told the NSAs to submit their requests,” said Carrasco, who spoke in the presence of newly-designated chef de mission Cynthia Carrion. So far, Carrasco said 80 percent of the NSAs have already complied with the PSC’s request. On the other hand, Carrasco said the task force has identified nine sports which can deliver medals during the Games. These include athletics, aquatics, gymnastics, sailing, sepak takraw and taekwondo. The task force, which is co-led by PSC chairman William Ramirez and triathlon’s Tom Carrasco, have listed down three sets of criteria. An initial list of 535 athletes from 31 sports were submitted to the SEA Games organizing

utes I’m playing right now or being fresh down the stretch. We’ve got to be good right now, and we’re not winning.” Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry meanwhile was happy at how his team had bounced back after a 143-114 drubbing on Friday by the Brooklyn Nets, the worst team in the NBA. “I just thought it was a game that we competed like crazy and played hard and then got a lead, knowing at some stage they were going to make a run,” Gentry said of Monday’s win. Elsewhere Monday, Russell Westbrook delivered a jumper with 1.4 seconds left on the clock – and his incredible 22nd tripledouble of the season – as the Oklahoma City Thunder shaded the Utah Jazz 97-95 in Salt Lake City.

Westbrook finished with 38 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds. Victor Oladipo scored 18 points while Enes Kanter added 14 off the bench. The Thunder win ended Utah’s six-game winning streak and saw Oklahoma City improve to 26-19. Utah are 29-17 for the season. The Heat were made to sweat for the victory, and came within a whisker of surrendering the initiative after the Warriors put together a 12-3 scoring run to go within one point with just over 21 seconds left. The Heat improved to 15-30 with the win while the Warriors fell to 38-7. Kevin Durant led the scoring for Golden State with 27 points while Klay Thompson finished with 22 and Stephen Curry 21. AFP

SEA Games chef de mission Cynthia Carrion (center) speaks to newsmen during the PSA Forum at the Golden Phoenix Hotel. With her are, right: Tom Carrasco SEAG Task Force head and Raymond Lee Reyes of Karatedo federation. Lino Santos

committee last month. According to the criteria listed, athletes who had previous experience in the SEA Games tops the priority list for the selection group. Second are those who made achieve-

ments in other international meets. Third on the list are development athletes. Those with potential for high performances and have measurable achievements as well as those who have excelled in team events.

Federer, Wawrinka advance to Final 4

MELBOURNE, Australia— Stan Wawrinka mastered former finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in straight sets to reach his third Australian Open semifinal after a mid-match argument on Tuesday. The world number four won 7-6 (7/2), 6-4, 6-3 in two hours, 15 minutes for his eighth Grand Slam semi-final appearance and will next face Swiss legend Roger Federer. It puts the three-time Grand Slam champion, the winner in Melbourne in 2014, just one victory away from his fourth Slam final. “It’s not easy to play against him. He’s a strong player,” Wawrinka said of Tsonga. “I think (the) conditions were quite fast today. It was a bit windy. Not easy to control (the ball). “I started to move a bit better and be a bit more aggressive from the first shot. I think that’s what made the difference.” Meanwhile, Federer beat Mischa Zverev in straight sets, 6-1, 7-5, 6-2, in their side of the quarterfinals in a match that took one hour and 32 minutes. It put the no. 17 world ranked Federer on track to add to his world record 17 Grand Slam titles. Wawrinka’s victory over Tsonga was a consummate performance with three service breaks from three break points, hitting 41 winners, 21 of them on the forehand, and just 28 unforced errors. Yet there were some tense moments between the two with an extraordinary squabble breaking out after Wawrinka took the opening set in a tiebreaker. During the terse conversation in French, Wawrinka was heard to tell Tsonga, “You’re the one who’s looking and talking to me” and then, “Relax, it’s just a tennis match.” AFP

So wary of foes in Tata WORLD no. 3 woodpusher Wesley So considers every game as tough in the ongoing 2017 Tata Steel Chess Masters in Wijk aan Zee, The Netherlands. All the players, according to So are talented and dangerous and the level of play is high. The 23-year-old So made this observation during a break in the tournament, which will resume with round 9. In his coming game, he will meet world no. 9 Armenian GM Levi Aronian, and will seek a win which will keep him in the solo lead. “On this level all encounters are tough. You don’t get this high if you are a weak player. Every single player here is talented and dangerous,” said So in an online interview with the Manila Standard. Observers noted that one of his best games in the tournament was in the fifth round when he beat Pentala Hariskrishna in 48 moves of a King’s Indian Defense. It was described as a beautiful game on the part of So, with the game patterned after Vladimir Kramnik’s match against Ian Nepomniachtchi which was played in 2015 in Dortmund. “Both players were following the moves of a brilliant game by Vladimir Kramnik against Ian Nepomniachtchi played in 2015 in Dortmund. They followed it, not for five or ten moves, but a full 15,” noted analyst Albert Silver on chessbase.com. He noted that, ”So had spent one hour and 21 minutes, while Pentala Harikrishna had used up one hour and 31 minutes. Astonishing.” Peter Atencio

Burn Soriano targets another big win in coming bout AFTER scoring a highlight-reel finish in his last bout, Filipino homegrown talent Burn “The Hitman” Soriano looks for another scintillating performance as he is set to have his first scheduled match under the ONE Championship banner in 2017. Soriano will square off against Malaysian standout Saiful “The Vampire” Merican on the undercard of ONE: Throne of Tigers, which takes place at the 12,000-seat Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on February 10. The 30-year-old native of Narvacan, Ilocos Sur eyes a follow-up

to his 15-second knockout win over Mario Satya Wirawan last August. Soriano delivered a well-executed spinning backfist that instantly turned the lights out on Wirawan. His knockout victory was ranked as one of the jaw-dropping wins in 2016 by ONE Championship. “I am a fighter who always looks for the finish. As much as possible, I want to give the fans what they want to see. They didn’t buy a ticket to see a boring fight. They came for an action-packed fight with an amazing conclusion,” Soriano said. “In my upcoming fight, my fans should expect that I will have the same

mentality. I will look for that finish.” Holding a mixed martial arts record of 3-2, Soriano has not gone the distance yet in his nearly seven-year prizefighting career. He owns two submission triumphs and one knockout win. According to Soriano, his threeround encounter with Merican will have no shortage of firepower as he expects his Malaysian foe to stand and bang with him. Merican, 24, is an explosive striker who starts bouts fast, always looking to end matters early. Moreover, he has had incredible success inside the ONE Championship cage with his fan-friendly fighting style.

“I know he also likes to strike and have the fight in a stand-up exchange. This is a favorable matchup for me because I love to trade and bang,” Soriano said. Aiming to continue his winning ways inside the ONE Championship cage, Soriano believes that a win over Merican will push him into the upper echelon of the bantamweight division. “I’m training hard for this fight. If I get the W, I know I will be in a better position because I can get to fight the contenders at the top of the food chain,” he said. ONE Championship is the largest

sports media property in Asian history. Headquartered in Singapore, the world’s most exciting mixed martial arts organization hosts the largest sports entertainment events across Asia featuring the best Asian mixed martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. ONE Championship is broadcast to over 1 billion viewers across 118+ countries around the world with some of the largest global broadcasters, including FOX Sports, Setanta, MNC, Astro, Thairath TV, ABS-CBN, TV5, MYTV, HTV, OSN and more.

Govt sells P15-b bonds at higher interest rates B3

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandardtoday.com extrastory2000@gmail.com WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2017

Victorias allots P2b for power project

SELFIE PHONE. Premium mobile phone brand Vivo unveils the Vivo V5 Plus at the SM Mall of Asia Atrium. Vivo V5 Plus, dubbed as the “perfect selfie” phone, is equipped with the world’s first 20-megapixel dual front camera and breakthrough features that address the needs of selfie-loving Filipino consumers. Shown during the launching are (from left) Vivo Philippines trade marketing director Lindsay Guan, chief executive Ted Xiong, vice president Hazel Bascon, national sales manager Robert John Decillo, singer KZ Tandingan, brand director Annie Lim and after sales service manager Sajid Silvestre.

By Anna Leah E. Gonzales VICTORIAS City, Negros Occidental―Victorias Milling Company Inc. allocated P2 billion for a 40-megawatt co-generation biomass power plant. “VMC is positioning itself to be in the power business through a co-generation plant using bagasse as raw materials for its source of energy,” said VMC president and chief operations officer Eduardo Concepcion. The plant which will be located within the company’s headquarters in this city is expected to be completed by September. Construction of the power plant is ongoing and commercial operations are expected by September 2017. “We will be able to export to the grid about 25 MW. The 15 MW will be for our own use,” said Concepcion. “We are also applying this under FIT [feed-in-tariff],” said Concepcion. Under the Renewable Energy Law, renewable energy projects are given incentives under FIT. Biomass projects that qualified under FIT would have a fixed per kilowatt-hour rate of P6.63 for at least 20 years. Concepcion said the company was also looking at constructing phase 2 of the power plant. “If things go right, we can construct phase 2 [of the biomass plant]. Same capacity but the power that will be exported [to the grid] will be just 20 MW since part of the power from phase 2 will electrify the turbines to convert them to use electric power so that steam from the sugar mill will be concentrated on the power plant to maximize power generation we will use to run the mill,” Concepcion said.

IN BRIEF FDA files case against Sanofi THE Philippine Food and Drug Administration said it filed an administrative case against French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi Pasteur Inc. for violating Administrative Order No. 65 s. 1989 when it aired television and radio advertisements of its dengue vaccine, Dengvaxia. The administrative order prohibits the advertisement, in any form, of prescription or ethical drug. Sanofi was issued a summons with cease and desist order by the FDA in December for airing the subject advertisement. The FDA legal service will hear the case in accordance with the quasi-judicial powers of the FDA under Republic Act 9711 or the Food and Drug Administration Act of 2009. FDA director general Nela Charade Puno said that when FDA filed an administrative case against an entity like Sanofi, it had the power to suspend, revoke or cancel the license to operate of the company or the certificate of product registration of the product itself. “Even if they have stopped airing their advertisements, they can still face administrative sanctions for violating the law in the first place.” Puno said.

Solon eyes perks for rural doctors A CONGRESSMAN has ﬁled a bill seeking to provide incentives to rural doctors to encourage the provision of basic health services in the countryside. “Aside from health workers, the government has rural health doctors to ensure that basic health services are being delivered to our people especially in the rural areas. But being government employees, our rural health doctors receive salaries far lower than their other contemporaries in the private sector,” said Cavite 2nd District Rep. Strike Revilla. Revilla said there was a need for a law giving incentives to rural health unit doctors who provide vital health services to the people to promote their rights and welfare and enhance their sense of work and dignity. House Bill 1669 proposed that rural unit health doctors receive hazard allowance, subsistence or food allowance and scholarships, on top of the incentives and beneﬁts already granted to them under existing laws.

PSE COMPOSITE INDEX Closing January 24, 2017

8000 7600 7200 6800 6400 6000

Govt inviting other bidders for 5 airports T By Darwin G. Amojelar

HE Transportation Department on Tuesday opened the bidding for five regional airports to other groups aside from the five consortiums that passed the qualifications set by the previous administration.

The department posted an invitation to other companies to pre-qualify and bid for the ‘unbundled’ five provincial airport projects. The previously pre-qualified bidders for the ‘bundled’ projects will move on to the next stage of the auction process. The government is bidding out the five regional airports separately after the National Economic and Development Authority

board approved on Nov. 14, 2016 the unbundling of the airport public-private partnership deals. The five provincial airports include the P20.26-billion Bacolod-Silay International Airport, the P30.4-billion Iloilo International Airport, the P14.62-billion Laguindingan Airport, the P2.34-billion New Bohol (Panglao) Airport and the P40.57-billion Davao International Airport. Aside from the previously pre-qualified bidders, the project is now also open to new bidders, according to the department. It said the previously pre-qualified bidders in the bundled projects were also considered pre-qualified in the unbundled projects, as long as there were no changes in their legal, technical and/or financial capacity. The Aquino administration earlier prequalified Maya Consortium led by Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Philippine Airports Consortium of Metro Pacific Investments Corp.,

San Miguel Holdings Corp.-IIAC Airport Consortium, GMR-Megawide Consortium and Filinvest-JATCO-Sojitz Consortium for the project. Aboitiz Equity teamed up with Vinci Airports of France to form Maya Consortium, while San Miguel Holdings Corp. tapped Incheon International Airport Corp. to create SMHC-IIAC Airport Corp. Metro Pacific teamed up with Aeroports de Paris Management SA, while Filinvest tapped Japan Airport Terminal Corp. and Sojitz Corp. The Transportation Department said the bidding of the five airports would be conducted through a two-stage/two-envelope system under the build-operate-transfer law. Under this process, the bidders are first prequalified based on their legal, technical and financial requirements set by the department and Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.

Torre Lorenzo earmarks P30b in 22 projects By Othel V. Campos TORRE Lorenzo Development Corp., the real estate arm of the Lorenzo family, is spending P30 billion to P32 billion to ﬁnance the construction of 22 projects until 2020. “We think out of the box. We want to be ahead of everybody else. We want to be different. So we’ve come up with new offerings and new products. We don’t just do university residences, anymore,” TLDC president and

chief executive Tomas Lorenzo said in a news briefing in Makati City Tuesday. TLDC chief finance officer Emmanuel Rapadas said the company expected to post gross revenues of P60 billion from all 22 projects. Rapadas said the company ended 2016 with P2.4 billion in gross revenues and expected a 29.2-percent growth in revenues this year to P3.1 billion. Lorenzo said this year, the company was set to turn over

four to ﬁve projects to buyers, including Torre Central near University of Sto. Tomas in Manila and Torre Sur near University of Perpetual Help in Las Piñas City. The company plans to open Torre Malvar, a 45-story residential building near UP Manila and St. Paul’s College Manila in 2018. “This is a project that we’re all excited about because we gave everything for this project. Everything that will make living away from home like home with all the necessary security details

and amenities a student requires for a comfy stay,” Lorenzo said. The company has three development models including university residences; stand alone, mixed-used buildings; and townships carrying the Tierra Lorenzo brand. “For Tierra Lorenzo, we have a bigger footprint. We are hitting the returning residents market who have no idea that they will be returning to their home provinces where they grew up. We have several of those lined up,” said Lorenzo.

7,370.65 3.70

PESO-DOLLAR RATE

Closing JANUARY 24, 2017 44.00 45.50 47.00 48.50 50.00

HIGH P49.780 LOW P49.845 AVERAGE P49.810 VOLUME 624.900M

P471.00-P690.00 LPG/11-kg tank P36.34-P48.44 Unleaded Gasoline P27.60-P33.55 Diesel

OPRICES IL TODAY

P28.50-P36.85 Kerosene P20.75-P21.75 Auto LPG Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Tuesday, January 24, 2017

F OREIGN E XCHANGE R ATE Currency

Unit

US Dollar Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

49.8480

Japan

Yen

0.008842

0.4408

Pound

1.250500

62.3349

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128922

6.4265

Switzerland

Franc

1.001703

49.9329

Canada

Dollar

0.753807

37.5758

Singapore

Dollar

0.704871

35.1364

Australia

Dollar

0.757100

37.7399

Bahrain

Dinar

2.652590

132.2263

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266724

13.2957

Brunei

Dollar

0.702395

35.0130

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000075

0.0037

Thailand

Baht

0.028341

1.4127

UAE

Dirham

0.272279

13.5726

Euro

1.074600

53.5667

Korea

Won

0.000859

0.0428

China

Yuan

0.145900

7.2728

India

Rupee

0.014689

0.7322

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.225428

11.2371

New Zealand

Dollar

0.721500

35.9653

Taiwan

Dollar

0.031875

1.5889 Source: PDS Bridge

Finance sees exports rebounding this year By Gabrielle H. Binaday THE Finance Department said Tuesday it expects exports to recover this year on improved trade with China and Russia, following a dismal 5-percent year-on-year drop in the ﬁrst 11 months of 2016. Finance Undersecretary Gil Beltran, however, said the export sector should increase its competitiveness amid the intensifying competition. Beltran said in an economic bulletin the government should implement the necessary agenda and programs vital to improving the export sector. Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed merchandise exports fell 7.5 percent to $4.732 billion in November 2016 from $5.118 billion in the same month in 2015. Total merchandise exports also dropped 5.2 percent in

the first 11 months of 2016 to $51.361 billion from $54.168 billion in 2015. Merchandise imports climbed 13.7 percent in the 11-month period to $73.7 billion from $64.8 billion. This resulted in a record $22.4-billion trade deficit in the first 11 months of 2016, wider than $10.7 billion a year ago. Beltran said that amid slowing exports, the government should pursue infrastructure development, free trade and bilateral trade agreements and the empowerment of micro, small and medium enterprises. “We should continue infrastructure development especially in port areas to enhance crossborder trading; pursuit of free trade and bilateral trade agreements with other economies and regions; and capacitating MSMEs to tap export markets,” Beltran said.

BAG EXPORTER. Angeles Alliance Leatherware Inc. director Ho Ming Fung (left) receives the company’s certiﬁcate of registration from Philippine Economic Zone Authority director-general Charito Plaza as an ecozone export enterprise to engage in the manufacture of handbags/ladies bags for export at the Angeles Industrial Park – Special Economic Zone.

Business

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market declines; Megawide rises Metro Paciﬁc acquires S Ace Logistics for P280m TOCKS declined Tuesday, as investors assessed the impact of US President Donald Trump’s efforts to rework trade pacts with Asia-Paciﬁc countries.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index, the 30-company benchmark, shed 3 points, or less than 0.1 percent, to close at 7,370.65. Despite the loss, the bellwether was still up 7.7 percent this year. The heavier index, representing all shares, picked up 1 point to settle at 4,427.30, on a value turnover of P7.9 billion. Advancers outnumbered losers, 97 to 86, while 49 issues were unchanged. Twelve of the 20 most active stocks ended in the green, led

by contractor Megawide Construction Corp. which jumped 6.2 percent to P15.40 and casino operator Bloomberry Resorts Corp. which climbed 3.5 percent to P7.61. Conglomerate Ayala Corp. advanced 2.2 percent to P830. Meanwhile, Tokyo stocks slipped Tuesday as exporters were hit by a yen rally, fueled by concerns over Trump’s global trade plans and comments from his Treasury Secretary pick over a stronger dollar.

Trump followed up an inauguration speech seen as angry and protectionist by making his first official act the withdrawal from the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership. He also said he would renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico and threaten to impose border taxes, while his chief spokesman warned he would not hesitate to confront Beijing the South China Sea issue. “If protectionism increases, companies that have been operating on the assumption of free trade until now will have to rethink their policies,” said Toshihiko Matsuno, a senior strategist at SMBC Friend Securities. “The market is afraid that if President Trump further intensi-

fies his protectionist colours with border taxes, the global economy will start shrinking,” he told Bloomberg News. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index fell 0.55 percent, or 103.04 points, to close at 18,787.99, while the Topix index of all firstsection issues lost 0.55 percent, or 8.30 points, to 1,506.33. Investors cheered Trump’s November election, hoping he would pursue pro-growth measures such as public works spending, lower taxes and regulatory reforms. The tycoon confirmed on Monday he plans to pursue those priorities, but markets are growing concerned about his lack of detail and the possibility his tough talk will lead to a trade war. With AFP, Bloomberg

By Jenniffer B. Austria CONGLOMERATE Metro Pacific Investments Corp. is expanding its logistics business with the acquisition of certain assets and business of Ace Logistics Inc. for P280 million. Metro Paciﬁc said in a disclosure to the stock exchange subsidiary Premier Logistics Inc. signed a deﬁnitive agreement to acquire some of the assets and business of Ace Logistics. “The assets and business that will be acquired in the transaction

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW TUESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2017

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

FINANCIALS 3.76 12,000 48.3 17,000 91 521,050 4.14 3,000 113 1,875,740 1.4 134,000 38.5 89,000 16.2 14,600 19.2 400,000 1.7 70,000 830 120 0.72 18,583,000 78.5 4,304,040 0.78 3,442,000 14.2 111,300 54.1 18,350 240 1,280 144 160 90 3,480 36 155,600 213.8 773,890 1,750 445 78.1 102,930 1.26 7,000

44,700 820,625 47,487,362 12,450 212,883,318 183,640 3,426,815 235,130 7,683,440 118,790 99,600 13,250,430 336,807,447.50 2,663,050 1,579,732 992,529.50 306,436 23,040 311,652.50 5,612,110 166,035,842 779,300 8,037,319.50 8,820

695,060.00 -11,455,943.50 39,768,168 156,130 -1,726,160 162,260 -93,759,146 -365,631 -7,200 -168,745 -37,013,386 131,750 -

43.7 4.63 0.9 1.5 18.86 11.3 16.2 157.8 22.6 14 57.5 95 95 2.01 6.45 12 12.34 7.68 7 5.56 22.2 69.1 12.16 16.48 6.1 1.75 205.8 71 2.78 30.05 27 14.6 285 0.255 5.19 3.2 9.59 2.23 5.93 1.52 76.8 5.17 243.2 4.9 2.83 12.3 4.18 0.149 1.56 167.1 4.43 1.77 1.09

INDUSTRIAL 43.85 1,246,600 4.68 2,050,000 0.92 3,977,000 1.51 3,285,000 19.18 4,900 11.4 9,880,200 16.28 5,617,700 157.9 60 22.8 123,600 15.6 174,000 57.5 102,130 95 1,240 110 130 2.07 209,000 6.59 585,600 12.04 11,400 12.34 5,536,900 7.85 785,800 7.04 925,100 5.6 15,445,800 22.9 3,309,900 69.15 96,800 12.16 21,300 16.5 529,700 6.11 110,100 1.8 691,000 206 415,040 72.05 460 2.79 110,000 30.65 7,025,400 27 396,400 15.4 11,986,900 286.2 194,880 0.255 10,000 5.34 5,200 3.2 64,000 9.59 5,949,800 2.24 151,000 6 841,800 1.54 164,000 77.25 291,430 5.33 3,382,800 250 10,630 4.99 434,000 2.85 94,000 12.36 6,369,400 4.18 134,000 0.149 1,110,000 1.56 221,000 169.9 1,004,090 4.44 19,000 1.98 27,831,000 1.09 15,000

54,656,285 9,667,730 3,680,580 4,978,540 93,142 114,461,976 91,469,102 9,475 2,808,760 2,821,610 6,119,553.50 121,388 12,504.50 428,410 3,780,764 137,058 68,723,948 6,164,566 6,511,499 86,831,212 75,403,065 6,693,907 259,896 8,740,046 673,150 1,257,350 85,628,444 33,461.50 306,400 214,624,295 10,741,000 180,844,008 55,867,828 2,550 27,171 205,600 57,306,176 338,440 5,039,182 251,170 22,493,107 17,761,241 2,649,950 2,133,180 269,410 78,961,068 560,560 165,500 346,680 169,292,325 84,390 53,045,060 16,350

-4,089,440 893,290 9,110 -30,192,550 28,406,142 -45,600 474,212 -213,822 -34,132,778 -1,125,740 -5,149,142 41,605,143 15,859,410 3,727,244.50 -5,812,950 -29,534 -187,200 -14,476,104 -135,669,340 -8,431,230 47,194,132 -18,075,628 -60,080 -2,593,835 69,130 190,400 30,840 18,650,826.50 15,332,144 1,067,890 -40,576,600 1,600 -62,376,070 914,010 -

0.425 74.9 12.66 1.12 6 0.305 802.5 8.91 13.02 8.14 1,318 76.9 1.13 7.88 12.2 6.9 0.044 1.99 98.3 2.21 701.5 0.85 1.3 261.8 0.285 0.181 0.255

HOLDING FIRMS 0.425 10,950,000 74.95 1,093,100 12.86 5,839,100 1.15 38,000 6.12 100,800 0.305 340,000 834 813,340 9.05 5,200,400 13.1 11,458,400 8.15 70,900 1,345 143,065 77 1,339,040 1.2 17,802,000 8 1,422,300 12.26 19,771,700 6.9 37,426,500 0.044 57,000,000 2 408,000 99 448,770 2.21 30,000 710 1,160,630 0.85 8,000 1.35 829,000 263 3,810 0.295 210,000 0.181 550,000 0.255 30,000

4,746,850 81,941,680 75,017,386 43,460 604,964 103,850 670,882,500 46,811,033 150,106,910 577,812 192,405,300 103,476,310 21,333,120 11,405,542 241,652,624 260,507,759 2,508,700 815,990 44,503,346.50 66,300 823,412,730 6,810 1,115,080 1,001,600 61,550 102,750 7,650

6,027,701.50 -7,016,968 -354,931,725 4,797,814 -33,587,084 15,922,955 29,769,626.50 -15,590 -3,114,888 -6,610,622 12,714,924 439,986 77,217,320 190,980 -499,680 5,580 -

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

AG FINANCE ASIA UNITED BANK PH ISLANDS BDO LEASING BDO UNIBANK BRIGHT KINDLE CHINABANK COL FINANCIAL EAST WEST BANK IREMIT MANULIFE MEDCO HLDG METROBANK NTL REINSURANCE PB BANK PHIL NATL BANK PHIL STOCK EXCH PHILTRUST PSBANK RCBC SECURITY BANK SUN LIFE UNION BANK VANTAGE

3.51 48.25 91.5 4.17 114.5 1.33 38.4 16.1 18.98 1.71 830 0.72 78 0.77 14.16 54 239 144 90 36.3 214.8 1,760 78.05 1.26

3.76 48.3 91.5 4.17 114.5 1.41 38.55 16.2 19.3 1.71 830 0.74 78.9 0.79 14.28 54.2 240 144 90 36.3 216.6 1,760 78.7 1.26

3.51 48.25 91 4.14 112.5 1.33 38.4 16.1 18.98 1.69 830 0.68 77.8 0.77 14.16 53.85 239 144 89 36 213.2 1,750 78 1.26

ABOITIZ POWER AGRINURTURE ALLIANCE SELECT ALSONS CONS ASIABEST GROUP CEMEX HLDG CENTURY FOOD CHEMPHIL CIRTEK HLDG CNTRL AZUCARERA CONCEPCION CONCRETE A CONCRETE B CROWN ASIA DAVINCI CAPITAL DEL MONTE DNL INDUS EEI CORP EMPERADOR ENERGY DEVT FIRST GEN FIRST PHIL HLDG GINEBRA HOLCIM INTEGRATED MICR IONICS JOLLIBEE LIBERTY FLOUR LMG CHEMICALS MANILA WATER MAXS GROUP MEGAWIDE MERALCO MG HLDG PANASONIC PEPSI COLA PETRON PHINMA ENERGY PHX PETROLEUM PHX SEMICNDCTR PILIPINAS SHELL PRYCE CORP PUREFOODS RFM CORP ROXAS HLDG SHAKEYS PIZZA SPC POWER SWIFT FOODS TKC METALS UNIV ROBINA VICTORIAS VITARICH VULCAN INDL

44.05 4.75 0.95 1.56 19.32 11.7 16.3 158 22.6 17.02 60 102.5 95.05 2.02 6.46 12.08 12.44 7.7 7 5.59 22.2 69.15 12.9 16.5 6.1 1.78 208.4 71 2.78 30.4 28 14.6 287 0.255 5.35 3.2 9.74 2.23 5.95 1.53 77.2 5.2 249 4.96 2.84 12.4 4.18 0.149 1.58 169 4.43 1.8 1.09

44.05 4.79 0.96 1.57 19.32 11.86 16.36 158 22.8 20 60 102.5 110 2.07 6.59 12.08 12.64 7.97 7.08 5.67 23 69.2 12.9 16.5 6.23 1.87 208.6 74 2.79 30.8 28 15.4 288 0.255 5.35 3.28 9.74 2.25 6 1.58 77.25 5.33 251 4.99 2.93 12.56 4.37 0.15 1.59 169.9 4.48 1.98 1.09

ABACORE CAPITAL ABOITIZ EQUITY ALLIANCE GLOBAL ANGLO PHIL HLDG ANSCOR ATN HLDG A AYALA CORP COSCO CAPITAL DMCI HLDG FILINVEST DEV GT CAPITAL JG SUMMIT LODESTAR LOPEZ HLDG LT GROUP METRO PAC INV PACIFICA PRIME ORION SAN MIGUEL CORP SEAFRONT RES SM INVESTMENTS SOC RESOURCES SOLID GROUP TOP FRONTIER UNIOIL HLDG WELLEX INDUS ZEUS HLDG

0.435 75 12.66 1.12 6.03 0.305 812 8.93 13.02 8.15 1,345 78 1.15 8.04 12.3 7.05 0.045 1.99 99 2.21 705.5 0.86 1.3 261.8 0.285 0.187 0.255

0.44 75 12.96 1.15 6.12 0.31 837 9.06 13.16 8.15 1,349 78 1.24 8.04 12.32 7.05 0.045 2 99.7 2.21 712.5 0.86 1.36 264 0.295 0.187 0.255

8990 HLDG A BROWN ANCHOR LAND ARANETA PROP ARTHALAND CORP AYALA LAND BELLE CORP CEBU HLDG CENTURY PROP CITY AND LAND CITYLAND DEVT CROWN EQUITIES CYBER BAY DOUBLEDRAGON EMPIRE EAST EVER GOTESCO FILINVEST LAND GLOBAL ESTATE IRC PROP MEGAWORLD MRC ALLIED PHIL ESTATES PRIMEX CORP PTFC REDEV CORP

7.4 1.25 6.11 2.45 0.84 36.1 3.25 5.1 0.56 1.04 1.35 0.19 0.57 51.2 0.71 0.143 1.65 1.02 1.19 3.76 0.17 0.27 4.18 30

7.6 1.25 6.11 2.49 0.85 36.2 3.25 5.14 0.56 1.05 1.39 0.198 0.59 52.5 0.72 0.15 1.66 1.02 1.19 3.76 0.173 0.27 4.3 31.45

7.36 1.21 6.11 2.42 0.79 35.3 3.2 5.1 0.55 1.02 1.33 0.19 0.56 51 0.71 0.143 1.63 1 1.18 3.66 0.16 0.26 4.08 30

VOLUME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

ROBINSONS LAND ROCKWELL SHANG PROP SM PRIME HLDG STA LUCIA LAND STARMALLS SUNTRUST HOME VISTA LAND

26.2 1.6 3.27 31 1.02 6.9 0.91 5

26.8 1.66 3.27 31 1.1 6.98 0.94 5.08

26.05 1.6 3.27 30.65 1.01 6.9 0.91 4.97

26.05 1.62 3.27 30.65 1.1 6.98 0.94 5.02

819,800 18,000 8,000 6,370,700 44,515,000 15,100 720,000 5,208,900

21,608,355 29,730 26,160 195,730,620 46,819,670 105,390 672,350 26,112,259

8,630,675 -39,126,330 101,470 -3,370 -10,024,985

2GO GROUP ABS CBN ACESITE HOTEL APC GROUP APOLLO GLOBAL ASIAN TERMINALS BLOOMBERRY BOULEVARD HLDG CALATA CORP CEBU AIR CENTRO ESCOLAR DFNN INC DISCOVERY WORLD GLOBE TELECOM GMA NETWORK GOLDEN HAVEN GRAND PLAZA HARBOR STAR IMPERIAL A IMPERIAL B INTL CONTAINER IP EGAME IPM HLDG ISLAND INFO ISM COMM JACKSTONES LBC EXPRESS LEISURE AND RES MACROASIA MELCO CROWN METRO RETAIL NOW CORP PACIFIC ONLINE PAL HLDG PAXYS PHIL SEVEN CORP PHILWEB PLDT PREMIUM LEISURE PRMIERE HORIZON PUREGOLD ROBINSONS RTL SBS PHIL CORP SSI GROUP STI HLDG TRAVELLERS WATERFRONT

7.6 48 1.36 0.52 0.055 10.6 7.35 0.071 2.93 95.6 9.8 8.75 2.1 1,750 6.25 16 18 2.9 16.38 110 75.4 0.0099 9.05 0.215 1.38 3.22 14.54 4.12 2.62 4.63 4.17 2.75 11.26 5.12 3.1 138 10.42 1,518 1.46 0.465 43 76.5 6.37 2.78 1.1 3.28 0.36

7.6 48.15 1.36 0.53 0.056 10.76 7.9 0.072 2.94 97.2 9.8 9.05 2.13 1,790 6.26 16.4 18 2.94 16.38 110 77.15 0.0099 9.06 0.216 1.41 3.22 15 4.25 2.62 4.7 4.17 2.79 11.26 5.34 3.1 139.9 10.42 1,554 1.46 0.48 43.2 77.25 6.37 2.9 1.11 3.29 0.38

7.5 47.9 1.35 0.51 0.053 10.6 7.14 0.07 2.84 95.6 9.8 8.6 2.1 1,720 6.2 16 18 2.8 15.82 110 75.35 0.0099 9.05 0.21 1.38 3.1 14.54 4.05 2.6 4.5 4.09 2.71 11.26 5.12 3.1 138 9.97 1,504 1.45 0.465 42.8 76.45 6.19 2.77 1.07 3.26 0.36

SERVICES 7.55 48 1.35 0.53 0.054 10.76 7.9 0.072 2.87 96.4 9.8 8.91 2.13 1,790 6.26 16.4 18 2.94 15.84 110 76.7 0.0099 9.06 0.21 1.4 3.1 14.56 4.14 2.6 4.65 4.14 2.75 11.26 5.2 3.1 139.9 9.99 1,526 1.45 0.475 43 76.55 6.2 2.78 1.08 3.26 0.38

18,400 37,600 17,000 261,000 69,020,000 5,400 24,730,700 4,930,000 5,327,000 611,330 800 1,430,300 10,000 61,425 191,600 66,000 200 5,761,000 13,000 100 2,260,700 6,000,000 485,000 11,170,000 152,000 80,000 3,700 1,592,000 57,000 17,682,000 2,152,000 380,000 10,000 11,600 9,000 12,600 2,174,900 85,800 9,862,000 6,130,000 2,216,800 1,819,160 243,700 10,495,000 21,570,000 235,000 250,000

138,324 1,805,155 23,110 135,230 3,753,110 58,072 187,134,266 351,880 15,362,050 59,025,600 7,840 12,742,652 21,150 108,103,675 1,194,102 1,078,284 3,600 16,465,590 209,394 11,000 172,563,092.50 59,400 4,394,050 2,362,080 211,950 253,990 53,874 6,504,460 148,220 82,040,950 8,883,500 1,044,830 112,600 59,598 27,900 1,761,583 21,873,515 131,717,070 14,306,980 2,897,200 95,377,095 139,240,134 1,513,804 29,732,370 23,358,500 768,680 94,300

-19,040 30,600 -178,000 -55,920 77,419,183 -101,470 -18,310,150.50 -170,695 -5,416,145 -16,400 -57,600 -22,985,693 17,040 15,994 -825,850 -23,170,650 -5,491,990 -32,610 25,650 214,289 -3,664,832 -22,856,330 -22,442,915 7,655,327.50 -4,800,840 14,297,670 -68,640 -

ABRA MINING APEX MINING ATLAS MINING ATOK BENGUET A BENGUET B CENTURY PEAK COAL ASIA HLDG DIZON MINES FERRONICKEL GEOGRACE LEPANTO A LEPANTO B MANILA MINING A MANILA MINING B MARCVENTURES NICKEL ASIA NIHAO ORNTL PENINSULA ORNTL PETROL A PETROENERGY PHILODRILL PX MINING PXP ENERGY SEMIRARA MINING TA PETROLEUM

0.0033 2.78 5.22 10.98 2.17 2.2 0.5 0.465 12.02 2.87 0.255 0.223 0.22 0.012 0.013 2.24 6.52 2.82 1.04 0.012 4.05 0.012 9.01 3.59 139.3 2.93

0.0034 2.78 5.3 11 2.17 2.2 0.51 0.47 12.5 2.91 0.26 0.223 0.22 0.012 0.013 2.27 6.9 2.83 1.05 0.012 4.05 0.012 9.21 3.75 139.4 2.95

0.0033 2.7 5.2 10.98 2.17 2.16 0.5 0.46 11.96 2.83 0.25 0.215 0.218 0.012 0.013 2.21 6.5 2.7 1.04 0.011 4.05 0.012 9.01 3.55 138 2.93

MINING & OIL 0.0033 160,000,000 2.7 3,838,000 5.3 285,000 11 1,200 2.17 5,000 2.2 3,000 0.51 122,000 0.47 540,000 12.28 66,600 2.9 5,367,000 0.255 350,000 0.218 2,860,000 0.22 260,000 0.012 56,600,000 0.013 99,000,000 2.21 759,000 6.85 7,717,100 2.73 198,000 1.05 68,000 0.011 15,000,000 4.05 36,000 0.012 1,900,000 9.11 2,743,500 3.7 2,792,000 138.8 1,312,280 2.95 12,000

528,100 10,419,720 1,490,730 13,196 10,850 6,560 62,200 249,400 818,240 15,509,220 88,950 627,520 57,070 679,200 1,287,000 1,702,180 52,420,381 538,480 71,300 172,000 145,800 22,800 25,048,336 10,177,860 181,924,285 35,320

13,900.00 -2,490 -258,030 130 -10,113,598 1,918,338 107,040 7,357,498 60

ABS HLDG PDR ALCO PREF B DD PREF GLO PREF P GMA HLDG PDR GTCAP PREF A GTCAP PREF B LR PREF MWIDE PREF PNX PREF 3A PNX PREF 3B SMC PREF 2B SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2D SMC PREF 2E SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2H SMC PREF 2I

48.4 105 104.5 550 5.9 1,020 1,040 1.03 108.9 105.4 115 77 80.5 78.5 78.2 79.65 78 78.9

48.4 107 104.5 550 5.9 1,020 1,040 1.03 108.9 105.4 115 77 80.55 78.5 78.2 80.5 78.65 79

48 105 104 520 5.9 1,020 1,040 1.03 108.8 105.3 115 77 80.5 78.5 78 79.65 78 78.75

PREFERRED 48.4 1,071,300 106.9 39,440 104 10,300 520 1,670 5.9 1,695,100 1,020 900 1,040 2,980 1.03 216,000 108.9 410 105.3 5,000 115 1,110 77 30,240 80.55 17,000 78.5 10,750 78 5,500 80 258,520 78.65 26,240 78.75 333,400

51,449,295 4,213,016 1,072,409 870,250 10,001,090 918,000 3,099,200 222,480 44,629 526,550 127,650 2,328,480 1,368,600 843,875 430,000 20,726,845 2,057,201 26,312,030

1,920,260 -10,001,090 -1,027,000

LR WARRANT

2.26

2.3

2.24

WARRANTS 2.25 153,000

346,060

-11,050

ALTERRA CAPITAL ITALPINAS XURPAS

6.98 4.15 8.6

7.05 4.27 8.61

6.8 4.13 8.33

6.9 4.27 8.34

836,174 435,740 11,347,092

34,598 -504,516

FIRST METRO ETF

121

121.5

120.5

550,696

NAME

PROPERTY 7.39 1.21 6.11 2.49 0.8 35.95 3.24 5.14 0.55 1.04 1.35 0.195 0.58 52 0.72 0.15 1.65 1 1.18 3.7 0.162 0.26 4.1 31.45

134,200 1,442,000 100 51,000 31,407,000 10,006,500 626,000 6,700 9,577,000 4,299,000 3,925,000 86,590,000 11,096,000 399,680 231,000 210,000 4,316,000 2,133,000 73,000 44,362,000 54,930,000 110,000 1,301,000 28,000

992,697 1,769,210 611 124,410 25,417,470 357,997,320 2,022,310 34,174 5,280,700 4,386,060 5,283,550 16,834,880 6,350,840 20,770,181 164,310 30,100 7,087,000 2,153,770 86,440 164,203,800 8,997,500 29,600 5,360,470 840,145

-813,600 12,200 -14,700 -106,614,770 -439,360 -253,000 -74,330 2,777,600 27,360.00 4,311,236 2,860.00 -4,011,720 -7,070 -84,639,640 -50,700 -12,750 -

TRADING SUMMARY FINANCIAL

30,640,353

INDUSTRIAL

129,886,087

HOLDING FIRMS

175,206,036

PROPERTY

324,996,133

SERVICES

213,880,945

MINING & OIL

363,100,778

GRAND TOTAL

1,239,286,617

SME

121,400 105,000 1,344,600

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 121.5 4,540

VALUE 1,748.53 (down) 2.80 809,427,474.91 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 11,176.66 (up) 2.21 1,604,571,791.954 HOLDING FIRMS 7,550.21 (up) 23.49 2,793,331,976.98 PROPERTY 3,350.66 (down) 32.70 1,443.82 (up) 16.22 932,640,597.24 SERVICES MINING & OIL 12,290.32 (up) 75.29 1,263,177,110.892 PSEI 7,370.65 (down) 3.70 470,085,994.042 All Shares Index 4,427.30 (up) 1.16 7,886,408,130.222 Gainers:97; Losers:86; Unchanged: 49; Total: 232

will be utilized to further expand MPIC’s logistics business, which continues to offer attractive returns in view of the strong demand in the sector,” Metro Pacific said. The closing of the transaction is subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions precedent, which the parties intend to complete by February. Metro Pacific said an initial payment would be delivered to Ace on the closing of the transaction. The controlling shareholder of Ace will also acquire a 10-percent interest in Premier after the closing of the transaction. Ace is engaged in the business of logistics, including warehousing, courier express and parcel delivery, e-commerce delivery, trucking, freight forwarding, customs brokerage and domestic shipping. Ace also has a strong presence in predelivery inspection in the automotive industry, which Premier intends to expand. Metro Pacific ventured into the logistics and distribution business in May 2016 when it acquired the assets of mid-sized corporate logistics provider Basic Logistics as it saw strong demand for the logistics services in the country. It then formed a new company called Metro Pacific Movers Inc. in joint venture with the shareholders of Basic Logistics to provide logistics, shipping, freight forwarding and e-commerce services. Metro Pacific owns a 76-percent interest in MPMI while the owners of Basic Logistics own the remaining 24 percent and continue to manage the business.

Ayala set to establish drug center CONGLOMERATE Ayala Corp. said Tuesday it will establish a 70-bed drug rehabilitation center in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur. Ayala Corp. said Ayala Foundation would construct a drug rehabilitation facility called Siyapen Center to accommodate drug dependents undergoing outpatient care in the city. The facility, the first drug rehabilitation center in Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, will occupy an existing building owned by the city government of Marawi. Ayala Foundation through the group’s construction unit Makati Development Corp. will oversee the refurbishment of the structure in keeping with the requirements for an efficient and humane drug rehabilitation facility. Ayala Foundation will also provide seed funding for the first year of operations of the drug rehabilitation facility. The refurbishment of the two-story drug rehabilitation center is expected to be completed in April and will then be turned over to local government of Marawi for operations. Ayala Corp. chairman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala said the project was in response to the government’s call for private sector to support its campaign against drug abuse. “The Siyapen Drug Rehabilitation Center is our way of addressing another challenge Mindanao faces, and of responding to the national government’s call for private sector support in addressing the drug problem,” Zobel de Ayala said during the signing of the memorandum of understanding with the Marawi city government. Jenniffer B. Austria

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Business

Manila

Standard

TODAY

Govt sells P15-b bonds at higher interest rates By Gabrielle H. Binaday

HE government on Tuesday sold P15 billion worth of ﬁve-year debt paper despite the high interest rates demanded by investors. Coupon rates for the newlyissued treasury bonds stood at 4.00 percent, up 75.4 basis points from the previous auction rate of 3.246 percent. “The auction committee fully awarded the newly issued 5-year Treasury Bonds, in line with the market expectations, as benchmark rates track global adjustments,” the Treasury said

PRESENT: Vice Mayor Councilor “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ LnB President

in a statement after the auction. Tenders for the government’s P25 billion bond offer were more than double at P35.6 billion. The Philippines last week sold $2 billion from the sale of 25year global bonds that fetched a record low interest rate. The Bureau of Treasury said the 25-year dollar bonds were

MONIQUE Q. LAGDAMEO - Presiding Officer SHIRLEY C. ASPILLAGA MARIE ALETHEA SJ. CASAL-UY GRAZIELLE IONY N. DE LARA-BES FERDINAND T. EUSEBIO VIRGILIO V. HILARIO JR. DIVINA A. JACOME LUIS S. JAVIER JR. LEONARDO M. MAGPANTAY ROMEO C. MEDINA MA. ARLENE M. ORTEGA NELSON S. PASIA MARY RUTH C. TOLENTINO EVELYN DELFINA E. VILLAMOR MARIA CONCEPCION M. YABUT NEMESIO S. YABUT JR.

earlier said the government wants to increase percentage of infrastructure to the economy at 6.8 percent in 2018. The Philippines will use about $1.5 billion of the total $2 billion accepted tenders for liability management and the balance of $500 million in new money to ﬁnance the budget. The tender offer exercise targeted existing bondholders to switch into the new global bonds. Bonds with a total notional value of $3.56 billion were submitted for the switch tender offer and the Philippines accepted a market value of $1.5 billion from the submissions.

PRESENT: Vice Mayor Councilor “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “

MONIQUE Q. LAGDAMEO - Presiding Officer SHIRLEY C. ASPILLAGA MARIE ALETHEA SJ. CASAL-UY GRAZIELLE IONY N. DE LARA-BES FERDINAND T. EUSEBIO DIVINA A. JACOME LUIS S. JAVIER JR. ROMEO C. MEDINA MA. ARLENE M. ORTEGA NELSON S. PASIA MARY RUTH C. TOLENTINO EVELYN DELFINA E. VILLAMOR MARIA CONCEPCION M. YABUT NEMESIO S. YABUT JR.

LnB President

ARMANDO P. PADILLA

ABSENT:

ARMANDO P. PADILLA

Councilor “ “

ABSENT: Councilor

sold to yield 3.7 percent, similar to the coupon obtained by the debt instruments the government issued in 2016. The coupon rate was also lower that the initial price guidance of 3.95 percent and still the lowest coupon ever issued by the Philippine government on a global bond since the 3.95-percent yield in 2015. The transaction was the ﬁrst ever offshore bond sale under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte that aims to fund its ambitious infrastructure projects for the country. The inter-agency Development Budget Coordination Committee

ENRICO J. PUNO

================================================================

VIRGILIO V. HILARIO JR. LEONARDO M. MAGPANTAY ENRICO J. PUNO

CITY RESOLUTION NO. 2016-A-037

CITY RESOLUTION NO. 2016-A-039

Authors: Hon. M.C.M. Yabut, Hon. M.A.S.J. Casal-Uy, Hon. D.A. Jacome, Hon. G.I.N. de Lara-Bes, Hon. N.S. Yabut Jr., Hon. M.A.M. Ortega, Hon. N.S. Pasia, Hon. V.V. Hilario, Jr. and Hon. E.D.E. Villamor

Authors: Hon. M.C.M. Yabut, Hon. M.A.S.J. Casal-Uy, Hon. G.I.N. de Lara-Bes, Hon. D.A. Jacome and Hon. N.S. Yabut Jr.

WHEREAS, Ospital ng Makati (OSMAK), as part of its continuous effort in strengthening its residency training program in CT /MRI, desires its radiology residents to undergo training in the Department of Radiology - CT /MRI section of St. Luke’s Medical Center-Quezon City (SLMC-QC); WHEREAS, SLMC-QC expressed its intent to accommodate the third and fourth year radiology residents of OSMAK in its Radiology Department - CT /MRI Section; WHEREAS, a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the City Government of Makati and SLMC-QC is required to be executed in order to effectuate the abovementioned purpose; WHEREAS, Section 8 (a) (6), Article III of R.A. 7658, otherwise known as the Charter of the City of Makati, states that the city mayor, as the chief executive of the city government, shall represent the City in all its business transactions and signs on its behalf all bonds, contracts, and obligations, and such other documents upon authority of the sanggunian panlungsod; WHEREAS, the Sangguniang Panlungsod, in consideration of the necessity of developing the third and fourth year radiology residents of OSMAK, hereby authorizes Honorable Mayor Mar-Len Abigail S. Binay and/or Ospital Ng Makati (OSMAK) Officer-in-Charge (OIC)-Medical Director, Dr. Vergel P. Binay, MD, FPSGS, MBAH, to negotiate, enter into and sign such Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), on behalf of the City Government of Makati, with St. Luke’s Medical Center-Quezon City (SLMC-QC). NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, AS IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED BY THE SANGGUNIANG PANLUNGSOD OF MAKATI CITY, METRO MANILA, BY VIRTUE OF THE POWERS VESTED IN IT BY LAW, IN SESSION ASSEMBLED, to authorize the Honorable Mayor Mar-Len Abigail S. Binay and/or Ospital Ng Makati (OSMAK) Officer-in-Charge (OIC)-Medical Director Dr. Vergel P. Binay, MD, FPSGS, MBAH, to negotiate, enter into and sign a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), on behalf of the City Government of Makati, with St. Luke’s Medical Center-Quezon City (SLMCQC), regarding the clinical rotation of third and fourth year radiology residents of OSMAK in the Radiology Department of SLMC-QC, subject to existing laws, rules and regulations. Let copy of this Resolution be furnished the Ospital ng Makati (OSMAK), St. Luke’s Medical Center-Quezon City (SLMC-QC) and other offices, departments and agencies concerned for their information, guidance and reference.

Co-Authors: Hon. S.C. Aspillaga, Hon. F.T. Eusebio, Hon. L.S. Javier, Jr., Hon. R.C. Medina, Hon. M.A.M. Ortega, Hon. N.S. Pasia, Hon. M.R.C. Tolentino, Hon. E.D.E. Villamor and Hon. A.P. Padilla A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE CITY TREASURER TO OPEN A SEPARATE ACCOUNT WITH THE LAND BANK OF THE PHILIPPINES (LBP) FOR THE TWENTY PERCENT (20%) CITY GOVERNMENT OF MAKATI’S SHARE IN FIRE CODE REVENUES, SUBJECT TO ALL EXISTING LAWS, RULES AND PROCEDURES. WHEREAS, Section 2 of RA 9514, otherwise known as the “Fire Code of the Philippines”, provides that it is the policy of the State to ensure public safety and promote economic development through the prevention and suppression of all kinds of destructive fires and promote the professionalization of the fire service as a profession. Towards this end, the State shall enforce all laws, rules and regulations to ensure adherence to standard fire prevention and safety measures, and promote accountability for fire safety in the fire protection service and prevention service.;

HON. FERDINAND T. EUSEBIO

WHEREAS, as per Department of Interior and Local Government Code-Bureau of Fire Protection (DILG-BFP) Memorandum dated 4 February 2016, all local government units (LGUs) were directed to submit the complete list of account numbers of the MDS authorized government servicing bank of the City to the Office of Directorate for Comptrollership, BFP National Headquarters to accommodate the execution of Authority to Debit (ADA) upon release of Special Allotment Release Order - Notice Cash Allocation (SARO/NCA); WHEREAS; in compliance with the above mentioned DILG Memorandum and to effectively facilitate the said fund, the Sangguniang Panlungsod of the City of Makati hereby deems it necessary to open a separate account with the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP). NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, AS IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED BY THE SANGGUNIANG PANLUNGSOD OF MAKATI CITY, METRO MANILA, BY VIRTUE OF THE POWERS VESTED IN IT BY LAW IN SESSION ASSEMBLED, to authorize the City Treasurer to open a Separate Account with the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) for the Twenty Percent (20%) City Government of Makati’s Share in Fire Code Revenues, subject to all existing laws, rules and procedures.

APPROVED BY THE SANGGUNIANG PANLUNGSOD OF MAKATI, METRO MANILA, in its Regular Session held on 2 November 2016..

HON. ON. EVELYN DELFINA E. VILLAMOR

HON. LUIS S. JAVIER JR.

HON. MARIA CONCEPCION M. YABUT

HON. LEONARDO M. MAGPANTAY

HON. NEMESIO S. YABUT JR.

WHEREAS, Section 14 of Republic Act 10066 mandates local government units, through their cultural offices, to maintain an inventory of cultural property under its jurisdiction and shall furnish the Commission a copy of the same;

WHEREAS, the Cultural Mapping Program will assist Makati City in establishing its inventory of cultural property and will aid in its culture arts program planning; WHEREAS, Section 10 (e) (16), Article IV of Republic Act 7854, otherwise known as the Charter of the City of Makati, provides that the Sangguniang Panlungsod shall “establish a city council whose purpose is the promotion of culture and the arts, coordinate with government agencies and non-governmental organization and, subject to the availability of funds, appropriate funds for the support and development of the same”; WHEREAS, considering the necessity of espousing the implementation of the Cultural Mapping Program, the Sangguniang Panlungsod hereby authorizes the Honorable Mayor Mar-Len Abigail S. Binay, to negotiate, enter into and sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) regarding the implementation of the same. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, AS IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED BY THE SANGGUNIANG PANLUNGSOD OF MAKATI CITY, METRO MANILA, BY VIRTUE OF THE POWERS VESTED IN IT BY LAW, IN SESSION ASSEMBLED, to authorize the Honorable Mayor Mar-Len Abigail S. Binay, to negotiate, enter into and sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), on behalf of the City Government of Makati, with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), represented by its chairperson, Hon. Felipe M. de Leon Jr. regarding the implementation of the Cultural Mapping Program, subject to applicable laws, rules and regulations. Let copy of this Resolution be furnished to the NCCA and other agencies related to the implementation of the Program for their immediate action. This Resolution shall take effect immediately upon approval. APPROVED BY THE SANGGUNIANG PANLUNGSOD OF MAKATI, METRO MANILA, in its Regular Session held on 23 November 2016.

HON. GRAZIELLE IONY N. DE LARA-BES

HON. NELSON S. P PASIA

HON. FERDINAND T. EUSEBIO

HON. ENRICO J. PUNO

HON. FERDINAND T. EUSEBIO

HON. ENRICO J. PUNO

HON. VIRGILIO V. HILARIO JR.

HON. ON. MARY RUTH C. TOLENTINO

HON. VIRGILIO V. HILARIO JR.

ON. MARY RUTH C. TOLENTINO HON.

HON. DIVINA A. JACOME

HON. ON. EVELYN DELFINA E. VILLAMOR

HON. DIVINA A. JACOME

ON. EVELYN DELFINA E. VILLAMOR HON.

HON. LUIS S. JAVIER JR.

HON. MARIA CONCEPCION M. YABUT

HON. LUIS S. JAVIER JR.

HON. MARIA CONCEPCION M. YABUT

HON. LEONARDO M. MAGPANTAY

HON. NEMESIO S. YABUT JR.

HON. LEONARDO M. MAGPANTAY

HON. NEMESIO S. YABUT JR.

HON. ARMANDO P. PADILLA LnB President

HON. ARMANDO P. PADILLA LNB PreSiDeNT

Certified true and correct by:

cerTiFieD FieD TrUe aND correc correcT By:

ATTY. DINDO R. CERVANTES Secretary to the Sangguniang Panlungsod

ATTY. DINDO R. CERVANTES SecreTary To THe SaNGGUNiaNG PaNLUNGSoD

aTTeSTeD By:

HON. MONIQUE Q. LAGDAMEO Vice Mayor & Presiding Officer

HON. MONIQUE Q. LAGDAMEO Vice Mayor & PreSiDiNG oFFicer Approved by:

aPProVeD By:

MAR-LEN ABIGAIL S. BINAY City Mayor (MS-JAN. 25, 2017)

WHEREAS, Section 15, Article 14 of the 1987 constitution mandates the State to conserve, promote, and popularize the nation’s historical and cultural heritage and resources;

HON. NELSON S. P PASIA

Attested by:

MAR-LEN ABIGAIL S. BINAY City Mayor

A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE HONORABLE MAYOR MAR-LEN ABIGAIL S. BINAY, TO NEGOTIATE, ENTER INTO AND SIGN A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MOU), ON BEHALF OF THE CITY GOVERNMENT OF MAKATI, WITH THE NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR CULTURE AND THE ARTS (NCCA), REPRESENTED BY ITS CHAIRPERSON, HON. FELIPE M. DE LEON JR. REGARDING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CULTURAL MAPPING PROGRAM, SUBJECT TO APPLICABLE LAWS, RULES AND REGULATIONS.

HON. GRAZIELLE IONY N. DE LARA-BES

ATTY. DINDO R. CERVANTES Secretary to the Sangguniang Panlungsod

Approved by:

Co-Authors: Hon. S.C. Aspillaga, Hon. V.V. Hilario, Jr., Hon. L.S. Javier, Jr., Hon. L.M. Magpantay, Hon. R.C. Medina, Hon. M.A.M. Ortega, Hon. N.S. Pasia and Hon. E.D.E. Villamor

HON. MA ARLENE M. ORTEGA

Certified true and correct by:

HON. MONIQUE Q. LAGDAMEO Vice Mayor & Presiding Officer

CITY RESOLUTION NO. 2016-A-040 Authors: Hon. M.C.M. Yabut, Hon. M.A.S.J. Casal-Uy, Hon. D.A. Jacome, Hon. G.I.N. de Lara-Bes, Hon. N.S. Yabut Jr., Hon. A.P. Padilla, Hon. E.J. Puno and Hon. M.R.C. Tolentino

HON. MARIE ALETHEA S.J. CASAL-UY

HON. ARMANDO P. PADILLA LnB President

Attested by:

On motion presented by Hon. E.J. Puno, which was duly seconded by all Members present, the Sangguniang Panlungsod of the City of Makati approved City Resolution No. 2016-A-040 on second and final reading.

HON. MA ARLENE M. ORTEGA

HON. MARIE ALETHEA S.J. CASAL-UY

HON. ENRICO J. PUNO

HON. DIVINA A. JACOME

FerDiNaND T. eUSeBio

=================================================================

HON. ROMEO C. MEDINA

HON. NELSON S. P PASIA

HON. ON. MARY RUTH C. TOLENTINO

arMaNDo P. PaDiLLa

HON. SHIRLEY C. ASPILLAGA

HON. SHIRLEY C. ASPILLAGA HON. MA ARLENE M. ORTEGA

HON. VIRGILIO V. HILARIO JR.

LNB PreSiDeNT

WHEREAS, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, as the prime national agency tasked in the conservation, and protection of the nation’s historical and cultural heritage has launched the Cultural Mapping Program as an assistance to different local government units;

This Resolution shall take effect immediately upon approval.

HON. GRAZIELLE IONY N. DE LARA-BES

MoNiQUe Q. LaGDaMeo - Presiding Officer SHirLey c. aSPiLLaGa Marie aLeTHea SJ. caSaL-Uy GraZieLLe ioNy N. De Lara-BeS VirGiLio V. HiLario Jr. DiViNa a. JacoMe LUiS S. JaVier Jr. LeoNarDo M. MaGPaNTay roMeo c. MeDiNa Ma. arLeNe M. orTeGa NeLSoN S. PaSia eNrico J. PUNo Mary rUTH c. ToLeNTiNo eVeLyN DeLFiNa e. ViLLaMor Maria coNcePcioN M. yaBUT NeMeSio S. yaBUT Jr.

WHEREAS, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) issued Joint Circular NO.2015-01, dated 12 February 2015 which provides the Guidelines on the Release of the Twenty Percent (20%) Local Government Unit (LGU) share from Fire Code Revenues collected by the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and to delineate the responsibilities of Department of Interior of Local Government- Bureau of Fire Protection (DILG-BFP), Department of Finance-Bureau of Treasury (DOF-BTr) and Department of Budget relative to the release of Twenty percent (20%) share of the LGUs in the Fire Code Revenue;

APPROVED BY THE SANGGUNIANG PANLUNGSOD OF MAKATI, METRO MANILA, in its Regular Session held on 2 November 2016..

HON. MARIE ALETHEA S.J. CASAL-UY

PRESENT: Vice Mayor coUNciLor “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “

WHEREAS, Republic Act 10066, otherwise known as the National Culture Heritage Act of 2009, provides for the protection and conservation of National Culture Heritage by the NCCA in coordination with the cultural agencies and other national agencies including local government units;

Let copy of this Resolution be furnished to offices concerned for their information, guidance and reference.

HON. ROMEO C. MEDINA

THE Philippine Association of Flour Millers reiterated Tuesday that the government imposition of anti-dumping duties to Turkish flour imports is within the bounds of law. Pafmil executive director Ric Pinca said in a statement Turkish ﬂour millers had again questioned the government’s imposition of additional duty on their ﬂour exports to the Philippines. “The Turkish Flour, Yeast and Ingredients Promotion Group should not feign innocence of this dumping duty imposition because it took part in the Philippine Tariff Commission hearings on this issue and was

found dumping flour and posing an imminent threat to the local industry,” he said. Turkish flour millers were found dumping flour to the local market that prompted the Philippine government’ to impose a 2.6-percent to 16.9-percent anti-dumping duty on Turkish flour exports to the Philippines. Dumping is defined as the export of products at prices lower than their price in their domestic market. The World Trade organization rules prohibit dumping. “Pafmil raised the issue of Turkish flour dumping with the Tariff Commission, we proved our points and justified our claims with appropriate data. We won our case, Pinca said.

WHEREAS, Section 13 of the same law provides that all taxes, fees and fines provided in this Code, shall be collected by the BFP. Provided, That twenty percent (20%) of such collection shall be set aside and retained for use by the city or municipal government concerned, which shall appropriate the same exclusive for the use of the operation and maintenance of its local fire station, including the construction and repair of fire station: Provided, further, That the remaining eighty (80%) shall be remitted to the National Treasury under a trust fund assigned for the modernization of the BFP;

This Resolution is subject to existing laws, rules and regulations and shall take effect upon approval.

HON. SHIRLEY C. ASPILLAGA

By Othel V. Campos

coUNciLor

================================================================ On motion presented by Hon. M.C.M. Yabut, which was duly seconded by all Members present, the Sangguniang Panlungsod of the City of Makati approved City Resolution No. 2016-A-039 on second and final reading.

A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE HONORABLE MAYOR MAR-LEN ABIGAIL S. BINAY AND/OR OSPITAL NG MAKATI (OSMAK) OFFICER-INCHARGE (OIC)-MEDICAL DIRECTOR DR. VERGEL P. BINAY, MD, FPSGS, MBAH, TO NEGOTIATE, ENTER INTO AND SIGN A MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT (MOA), ON BEHALF OF THE CITY GOVERNMENT OF MAKATI, WITH ST. LUKE’S MEDICAL CENTER-QUEZON CITY (SLMC-QC), REGARDING THE CLINICAL ROTATION OF THIRD AND FOURTH YEAR RADIOLOGY RESIDENTS OF OSMAK IN THE RADIOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF SLMC-QC, SUBJECT TO EXISTING LAWS, RULES AND REGULATIONS..

Pafmil defends duty versus Turkish ﬂour

ABSENT:

On motion presented by Hon. V.V. Hilario, Jr., which was duly seconded by all Members present, the Sangguniang Panlungsod of the City of Makati approved City Resolution No. 2016-A-037 on second and final reading.

Co-Authors: Hon. S.C. Aspillaga, Hon. F.T. Eusebio, Hon. L.S. Javier, Jr., Hon. L.M. Magpantay, Hon. R.C. Medina, Hon. M.R.C. Tolentino and A.P. Padilla

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com

(MS-JAN. 25, 2017)

MAR-LEN ABIGAIL S. BINAY ciTy Mayor

(MS-JaN. 25, 2017)

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Ray S. Eñano, Editor business@manilastandardtoday.com extrastory2000@gmail.com

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2017

Business

Sexist professor in hot water AN OUTSPOKEN news broadcasting assistant professor at a university in Beijing may just end up jobless after a blog post where he disclosed his sexist method in choosing female graduate school applicants who want to take up his class: based on physical attributes. Prof. Quiao Mu’s blog gave a very detailed account on how he makes an assessment on the suitability of a female candidate. Apparently, the professor employs a system: “Breasts first, face second, ass third and legs fourth,” also revealing that after checking out the female’s whole body when she comes in, he then looks at the “first two” (breasts and face) once they seat down. Probably thinking he was being cute, the professor hinted at the frailty that academics like him also face, writing that “We interviewers are people too, you know. I didn’t know if she was testing me or I was testing her”—referring to one applicant who came for the interview dressed in a low-cut V-neckline that more likely than not highlighted her “heaving breasts” as Mu described them. Not surprisingly, many people have expressed their disgust, calling him a dirty professor and describing him as an a-hole and pervert who has no business interviewing and examining students in such a manner. There are also calls for his head, with his university colleagues steering away from the controversy and the administration announcing that it will launch an investigation. The school also revealed that Quiao is no longer a teacher but now works in the library—perhaps as punishment for an infraction he reportedly committed in 2014. Quiao defended his post saying he was merely expressing his feelings—and what he wrote does not necessarily reflect official standards for admission. “In fact, I never judge female candidates by their appearance in my interviews,” he asserted, adding that he treats the women “with the utmost compassion and respect.” Obviously, not a lot of people believe him but there are still some who defended his post, saying that in the news broadcasting industry, looks do matter and that first impressions are also important. For sure, there are many who share Quiao Mu’s “sentiments” —Filipinos even. We remember this story about a female mass communications graduate from the country’s top university who was hired as a reporter by a female news anchor (with a very deep voice, and who was very popular during Martial Law years because people judged the news according to her facial expressions—if she gave a slight smile while reading an item, people concluded that the news item was probably ‘fake’). The female news anchor got incessantly teased by her male colleagues when they found out she hired the new graduate, who was on the hefty side and not a looker. Well, guess what – the reporter that the males discouraged has since become one of the top broadcasts journalists in the country, reaping international awards for her reportage and still recognized as the “most trusted” news personality for many years in a row now—leaving those who judged her according to her looks in the dust. ••• For comments, reactions, photos, stories and related concerns, readers may email to happyhourtoday2012@yahoo.com. You may also visit and like our Facebook page https://www.facebook. com/happyhourmanilastandard. Cheers!

HUMAN MIGRATION. Passengers arrive at the train station to travel to their hometowns for the

“Spring Festival” or Lunar New Year on January 24, 2017 at Beijing Railway Station. The huge movement of Chinese traveling home to spend the Lunar New Year with their families is often described as the world’s largest human migration and overcrowded planes, trains and automobiles are the norm. AFP

Samsung net profit increased 50% in Q4 SEOUL―Samsung Electronics’ profits leaped in the fourth quarter, it said Tuesday, despite the humiliating Galaxy Note 7 recall that hammered the reputation of the world’s largest smartphone maker. The South Korean tech giant took another blow when prosecutors began investigating its involvement in a corruption scandal, which has seen the country’s president impeached, and sought the arrest of the firm’s de facto leader Lee Jae-Yong. In a statement, the group’s flagship subsidiary Samsung Electronics said it posted operating profits of 9.22 trillion won (US$7.9 billion) during the October-to-December period, up 50.2 percent year-onyear. Net profits for the quarter were 7.09 trillion won, up 120 percent. Earnings were “driven by the components businesses, mainly the memory business and the display panel segment,” it said, with the stronger US dollar also boosting profits. Analysts say memory chip prices have been driven up by stronger demand as Chinese smartphone makers release devices with high resolution cameras and bigger storage in a bid to catch up with Samsung and Apple. AFP

Oil above $53 as Iraq keeps Opec cut pledge O IL advanced to trade above $53 a barrel as Iraq said it’s close to implementing its share of pledged output curbs agreed with Opec to trim bloated global inventories and stabilize the market.

Futures rose as much as 0.8 percent in New York after dropping 0.9 percent on Monday. Iraq, the second-biggest Opec producer, has reduced supply by 180,000 barrels a day and will cut a further 30,000 a day by the end of the month, Oil Minister Jabbar Al-Luaibi said in an interview. In the US, crude inventories probably expanded for a third straight week, according to a Bloomberg survey before government data Wednesday. Oil has held above $50 a barrel since the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries

and 11 other nations agreed late last year to curb supply by about 1.8 million barrels a day. While Saudi Arabia says more than 80 percent of the targeted reduction has been implemented since the deal took effect Jan. 1, the International Energy Agency predicts a rebound in shale output as prices rise. US drillers last week added the most active rigs since 2013. “The market is waiting to see how the Opec cuts and US supply situation plays out,” said Jonathan Barratt, chief investment ofﬁcer at Ayers Alliance

Securities in Sydney. “There’s a focus on producers and whether they are complying with their pledged cuts, but it’s a waiting game at the moment.” West Texas Intermediate for March delivery gained as much as 43 cents to $53.18 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange and was at $53.10 at 7:55 a.m. in London. Total volume traded was about 44 percent below the 100-day average. The contract fell 47 cents to $52.75 on Monday. Front-month prices have averaged about $52 a barrel since the start of December. Brent for March settlement added as much as 49 cents, or 0.9 percent, to $55.72 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange. The grade dropped 26 cents to $55.23 on Monday. The global benchmark crude traded at a premium of

$2.49 to WTI. While 90 percent of Iraq’s output cuts have come from ﬁelds operated by companies run by the federal government, Baghdad is also coordinating reductions with the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan and international oil companies, Al-Luaibi said in London. It’s too early to say if the cuts could be extended beyond the initially agreed sixmonth term, he said. US crude stockpiles probably rose by 2.25 million barrels last week, according to the Bloomberg survey before an Energy Information Administration report. Asia’s oil reﬁneries are turning to the North Sea for crude supplies like never before as their primary suppliers restrict output in an effort to eliminate a glut, data compiled by Bloomberg show. Bloomberg

THE BARE ESSENTIALS AS THE students in the 2018 batch of the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) Master in Entrepreneurship (program) reach the end of term one, we have begun to think about shorter programs for entrepreneurs (or wantto-be entrepreneurs) who have specific needs. There are many topics in the list but four are currently in the forefront: a crash course in finance for entrepreneurs; a boot camp for fledgling entrepreneurs; entrepreneurship in the digital era; and a program for entrepreneurs in the creative industries. As we tossed ideas around, I remembered a cheat sheet I prepared for the old Managing the Arts Program (MAP) for which I occasionally handled finance and self-mastery. Yes, I know, they seem completely at odds, a touchy-feely right-brained topic and a hard-nosed left-brained rational subject. In my defense, as one of our musical students once explained of his own predilection for multiplicity, I am a Gemini. The self-mastery portion of the MAP was always interesting to teach. Artists, unlike most of the students we get at AIM, are at the opposite end of the brain orientation spectrum. Where our MBA students are rational linear thinkers, artists are out-of-thebox gestalt thinkers. They are rarely bothered by exercises meant to get

them in touch with their emotions. For the most part, they live every day bathed in a chemical cocktail of emotions. The finance part? That was always a challenge. To be entirely fair, even number-crunching engineers can find accounting and finance a challenge–part of the reason is that accounting and finance have their own jargon. No it’s not penance Before I was asked to teach in the MAP, I was asked to guru (what we now call mentor) a section of our ME program. One of the subjects I found most interesting–and challenging–to teach was finance. There was, of course, simply the basic fact that finance is one of–and for many students, the most– challenging courses in a management program. What was really challenging was that in the entrepreneurship program we had to deal with extremes. Many successful entrepreneurs– translation, they manage profitable, growing businesses–are outliers. I was determined to find a way to make finance accessible. I figured a manager, especially an owner, who could not understand how his decisions affected financials could very easily destroy a firm. Early on, I realized I had at three to four different types of people in my entrepreneur classes. First, I had accountants. They understood the jargon and I could speak to them in

their native language of accounting. Note at this point that accounting is different from finance and even accountants have difficulty with the math of finance. Then, I had the economist (including one with a graduate degree in economics) types. These fellows responded to patterns and charts (which, after all, are just visual patterns). The scientist and engineers responded to formulas. The artists? They needed the drawings. I had entire lectures where I would explain a concept four ways, with strict instructions to listen only to the version meant for them. I actually once had an accountant confess that she felt she would be able to understand all versions. I had started off with the accountant version so that was easy. She said that the engineering version was alright but the economist version already made her head ache. When we got to the artist version, she said she had to close her eyes and stop listening. When I began teaching finance in the MAP, one of the things I ended up doing was to write a short recap of key finance lessons for the MAP students. The coverage of finance for MAP was the bare essentials. This week, I am sharing one part of that cheat sheet. Financial Planning– things to remember You can never over-anticipate The best way to prepare a forecast

is to follow the pioneer’s packing rule. Throw in everything you think you will need, then throw in everything you think you will want, then think some more and throw in some more stuff that you may need if the worst happens or if the best happens―and all things in between. AND THEN, start weeding out enough stuff so that your horses don’t die of the weight. This really does not mean that you put everything in the budget. It just ensures you are able to analyze everything before you move forward. No guarantees- Don’t count your chickens before they hatch! Some of your forecasted revenues will be certain and some of them will be uncertain—seriously, some of them are downright iffy (you don’t put those in your budget). Your expenses will be the same. What you want in a budget is that your “certain” revenues are enough to cover “certai” expenses. Essentially, you must be able to cover your fixed expenses from revenues that are sure. All other expenses should be matched with possible sources of revenue. These expense budgets should only be accessible IF the matching revenue actually comes in. These are discretionary expenses and are contingent on availability of additional revenue. This way, you protect the firm’s ability to turn a profit. Of course, if the expense is a

capital expenditure—an investment that will eventually pay for itself in the future—then you can use other sources of funds—such as debt or internal cash reserves. However, you must understand that capital expenditures will still affect your proﬁtability in the form of amortization or depreciation. Can’t depend on broad stroke assumptions! In forecasting and planning, precision is everything. You need to plan the details so they are implementable. This means you know who is going to do what, how and when. For example, you can’t just say revenues will increase 10 percent. You must explain all of the components of that growth. How much will come from price adjustments? How much will come from volume growth? How will that volume growth be achieved? Current products with more effective marketing? Current products with a geographic expansion? New products? Next week, I will share the mnemonic I used to teach myself accounting— and the way I still teach accounting to entrepreneurs and creatives.

Readers can email Maya at integrations_manila@yahoo.com. Or visit her site at http://integrations. tumblr.com. For academic publications, Maya uses her full name, Maria Elena Baltazar Herrera.

Jimbo Owen Gulle, Editor Roger M. Garcia, Assistant Editor jimbo.gulle@gmail.com mslocalgov@gmail.com WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2017

LGUs LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

SWAMPED CROPS. Floodwaters submerge thousands of hectares of rice, corn, and bananas in Datu Montawal, Maguindanao on Saturday. Heavy rains spread the flooding through barangays in Datu Montawal and Pagalungan, including the latter’s municipal government compound. Both towns in the second district of Maguindanao are marked with swamps and large waterways that connect to the 220,000-hectare Liguasan Delta. Omar Mangorsi

Manila shelves property tax hike M By Sandy Araneta

ANILA will not increase its real property taxes this year, Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada announced on Tuesday.

In one of his first acts as mayor for 2017, Estrada signed into law Ordinance No. 8516, cancelling the 40-percent increase in real property tax rates that was supposed to take effect this January. Estrada said the tax increase is no longer necessary.

“We are debt-free now, that’s why I ordered the stopping of the increase of our real property taxes. We have paid our debts,” he said after signing the ordinance on Monday. Estrada was referring to the city government’s P5.5-billion

debt that he inherited from the previous administration when he assumed office in 2013. Back then, he said he had no choice but to increase the taxes. “We had a bankrupt city, so we have no option but to raise taxes,” he recalled. With an overwhelming majority vote, the city council on Jan. 10 voted to freeze the tax hike, saying the city government can do without the second period increase because Estrada has already rescued Manila from its financial burden. The ordinance was authored by Councilor Anna Katrina

Yupangco and co-sponsored by Committee on Ways and Means chairman Councilor William Irwin Tieng, both from District 5. The RPT increase was supposed to pick up from the 60-percent increase that had been collected starting Jan. 1, 2014 because of Ordinance No. 8330, the city’s new revenue code. Before that, Yupangco said Manila had been operating under a 20-year-old revenue code, and was being pressured by the Department of Finance and Commission on Audit to revise the code. With the 40-percent increase

permanently shelved, Manila will just continue collecting real property taxes using the old 2013 schedule, he added. “The considerable increase in tax collection enabled and capacitated the city government of Manila to pay and settle its debt obligation. The previous debt servicing payments done by the city throughout the years are already eradicated,” the ordinance stated. “Considering there is no more debt servicing in its funds, the city government of Manila can now allocate its funds for the further improvement of its projects and

IN BRIEF

Davao sends P2.2-m aid to flooded towns By F. Pearl A. Gajunera DAVAO CITY—The city government has extended financial assistance to flood victims in different areas in Mindanao. On Tuesday, the 18th City Council approved through suspended rules the allocation of P2.2 million to be distributed to nine different towns and cities affected by flooding due to heavy rains last week. The municipalities of Jabonga in Agusan del Norte, Talacogon and Loreto in Agusan del Sur, Lagonglong and Lugait in Misamis Oriental, Boston and Cateel in Davao Oriental, Malita in Davao Occidental, and Cagayan de Oro City will each receive P250,000. Mayor Sara Duterte requested the council to immediately respond to Davao’s neighboring municipalities with the finan-

cial aid, taken from the city’s Quick Response Fund. According to Councilor Danilo Dayanghirang, Committee of Finance, Ways and Means chairman, it has been Davao’s tradition to extend assistance to different areas affected by calamities. “The amount came from the remaining P98.6 million of the Quick Response Fund for this year, which is only 30 percent of the entire Disaster Risk Reduction Management Fund,” Dayanghirang said. For the entire year, Davao has a total budget of P340.4 million for the DRRM Fund, with P102.1 million allocated for the Quick Response Fund. “Because the city is seldom hit by typhoons, we usually extend assistance to those who were devastated by calamities. They just have to declare they are under the state of calamity,” the councilor said.

Woman, 69, dies in apartment fire

PHASEOUT NIXED. Danilo Mangahas of the transport group Kongreso ng Mananakay at Transportasyon joins Quezon City Councilors Toto Medalla and Ariel Inton (from left) in showing the media their petitions against the planned phaseout of old jeepneys by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board. They called on the public to join their petition to President Rodrigo Duterte to remove LTFRB Chairman Martin Delgra for planning such a move. Andrew Rabulan

Quezon City dads push for free college education PROVIDING free college education to underprivileged students is key in solving the country’s problems of poverty and unemployment. That is why members of the Quezon City Council are supporting the immediate passage of House Bill 181, which seeks to institute the granting of free

college education to poor but deserving students who want to pursue higher education. As provided for in City Resolution No. SP-6933, S-2016 approved recently by the QC Council, the passage of House Bill 181 is necessary to provide indigent students the opportunity to secure a better future,

including their families. Based on the 2013 Functional Literacy, Education and Media Survey of 36-million Filipinos aged four to 24 years old, one in 10 or about four-million Filipino youth are out of school. In general, out-of-school youth in the country ranged from 14.5 percent to 20.4 percent of the

population. The QC Council will furnish a copy of the resolution, principally authored by Councilors Anthony Peter Crisologo, Victor Ferrer, Jr., Ranulfo Ludovica, Eufemio Lagumbay, Godofredo Liban II and Julienne Alyson Rae Medalla, to the House of Representatives, Department of

Education, and the Commission on Higher Education for information. In Quezon City, the Scholarship and Youth Development Program was primarily launched to extend financial assistance to deserving students among the city’s underprivileged families who wanted to pursue their college education.

More Gawad Kalinga houses rising in Nueva Vizcaya DUPAX DEL NORTE, Nueva Vizcaya—More houses are rising in this town with the partnership of Gawad Kalinga and the local government. Engineer Aileen Ellamil, GK provincial coordinator, said 30

houses will be built this year to provide shelter for the poor. Dubbed Barangay Paraiso, the project will be built in Barangay Parai, earlier identified as a safe relocation site. The project is funded by

programs without further burdening the public with additional tax increases,” it added. During the series of public hearings on the RPT increase in the barangays, Yupangco recounted that several property owners were concerned that any additional tax increase would be too much for them. “So our intention was to remove that added financial burden to taxpayers. Of course, additional funds for the city will be good, but we saw that maybe we could stop this or put this on hold,” Yupangco pointed out.

Gawad Kalinga’s corporate partners. The municipal government shouldered labor and technical assistance costs, while the barangay donated the lot, Ellamil said. Dupax Del Norte is also a

host to two other GK Sites, the GK Illinois Villages in barangay Oyao. Ellamil said construction of the Core Shelter Assistance Project is also ongoing in barangay Lamo.

“This will be offered to victims of calamities and those living in flood-prone and landslide areas. This will serve as their permanent abode, and we welcome everyone to help in these projects,” she said. Ben Moses Ebreo

A 69-YEAR-OLD woman died in a fire that gutted apartments in Balut, Tondo, early Tuesday morning. Fire authorities identified the victim as Rosalina Hornilla, who died as five two-storey apartments burned down along Alfonso Street. They said 10 families were left homeless after the flames started before 4 a.m. It was declared under control at 4:42 a.m. Authorities said the fire started from the second floor of the Hornillas’ rented apartment. Investigators have yet to determine the cause of the fire. They estimated the damage at P2 million. Sandy Araneta

General Trias taxes now due Feb. 10 GENERAL TRIAS, Cavite—The city council here has passed a resolution extending the payment of business taxes and fees without surcharges until Feb. 10, 2017. Resolution No. 2017-1, the Tax Revenue Ordinance of 2017, was approved last January 17, 2017 during third and final reading by the council presided over by Vice Mayor Maurito “Morit” Sison. The ordinance will be implemented thru the Business Permits and Licensing Office once Mayor Ony Ferrer signs it into law, said Councilor Florencio Ayos, chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means. “Through this ordinance passed by our Council, we are giving a chance to those paying business taxes to do so without penalty,” Ferrer said.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

LGUs

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2017 Standard C2 TODAY Manila

Leonardia gains TRO vs dismissal B ACOLOD CITY—The Court of Appeals has granted Mayor Evelio R. Leonardia a temporary restraining order against the Office of the Ombudsman, which had ordered his dismissal for grave misconduct and gross neglect of duty over a P49-million procurement of office furniture and fixtures in 2008.

“We are thankful that the Court of Appeals saw our side and granted us a TRO that will now give us more time to make our case even as we continue serving our people,” the mayor said in a statement. Leonardia said getting the TRO “is good news, but our journey has just begun: our quest for justice, our fight for what is right, our search for validation of our brand of public service.”

He stressed that even in the Ombudsman’s resolution ordering his dismissal from public service along with eight other Bacolod City officials, it was clear that “no money was stolen, all goods were fully delivered, there was no overprice, no conspiracy and no bad faith.” Along with Leonardia, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales had directed the dismissal

of then-secretary to the mayor Goldwyn Nifras; city budget officer Luzviminda Treyes; department of public services head Nelson Sedillo Sr.; city engineers Belly Aguillon, Aladino Agbones and Jaries Ebenizer Encabo; city accountant Eduardo Ravena, and city treasurer Annabelle Badajos. The complainant, the Ombudsman’s Public Assistance and Corruption Prevention Office in the Visayas, said the Bacolod officials committed bidding irregularities over the 2008 procurement of office furniture and fixtures awarded to Comfac Corp., of which the city government paid P49.06 million. Leonardia said he would deal with the merits of the Ombudsman’s

case in the proper forum, even as he pleaded his points to the city’s residents and the public in his statement. He said in granting the TRO, the CA said “the abandonment of the condonation doctrine should not have a retroactive effect, as to prejudice petitioner for the acts he committed when said doctrine was still recognized.” “Petitioner’s reliance on the defense of condonation prior to its abandonment should be respected,” the mayor added, quoting the CA decision. “It seems that in the prospective abandonment of the condonation doctrine, the reckoning point should be the day when the administrative infraction was allegedly committed,” the appeals court added.

In the instant case, the CA said, “this would be the day when petitioner Leonardia signed the Purchase Order and other documents in 2008. Thus, petitioner has a clear and unmistakable right to the injunctive relief sought.” Leonardia stressed that after 2008, “we were elected mayor in 2010, congressman in 2013, and mayor again for a fifth term in 2016.” The CA also ruled that Leonardia’s right to remain in office as the duly elected mayor of Bacolod City “should be protected during the pendency of the proceedings so as not to disenfranchise the people who voted for him.” “Indeed, it is more prudent for this Court to preserve the status

quo to avoid not only irreparable injury and damage, but also complications that would arise if the 2 December 2016 Joint Resolution of the Office of the Ombudsman would be implemented,” the CA concluded. The mayor said: “Surely, a political career that has just been given an overwhelming vote of 120,231 by our people again and again, cannot and should not end with doubts over its integrity.” Leonardia said he accepted the TRO “with gratitude—and a resolve to get to the bottom of these issues not just to clear our names, but to show our people and the future generations that the right and the good will always draw favor from Justice.” With Rio N. Araja

Tuba offers 3 sites for Peza expansion PRESENT: Vice Mayor coUNciLor “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “

MoNiQUe Q. LaGDaMeo - Presiding Officer SHirLey c. aSPiLLaGa Marie aLeTHea SJ. caSaL-Uy GraZieLLe ioNy N. De Lara-BeS FerDiNaND T. eUSeBio VirGiLio V. HiLario Jr. DiViNa a. JacoMe LUiS S. JaVier Jr. LeoNarDo M. MaGPaNTay roMeo c. MeDiNa Ma. arLeNe M. orTeGa NeLSoN S. PaSia Mary rUTH c. ToLeNTiNo eVeLyN DeLFiNa e. ViLLaMor Maria coNcePcioN M. yaBUT NeMeSio S. yaBUT Jr.

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eNrico J. PUNo

=============================================================== On motion presented by Hon. N.S. Yabut, Jr., which was duly seconded by all Members present, the Sangguniang Panlungsod of the City of Makati approved City Resolution No. 2016-A-041 on second and final reading. CITY RESOLUTION NO. 2016-A-041 Authors: Hon. M.C.M. Yabut, Hon. M.A.S.J. Casal-Uy, Hon. G.I.N. de Lara-Bes, Hon. D.A Jacome and Hon. N.S. Yabut Jr. Co-Authors: Hon. S.C. Aspillaga, Hon. F.T. Eusebio, Hon. V.V. Hilario, Jr., Hon. L.S. Javier, Jr., Hon. L.M. Magpantay, Hon. R.C. Medina, Hon. M.A.M. Ortega, Hon. N.S. Pasia, Hon. M.R.C. Tolentino, Hon. E.D.E. Villamor and Hon. A.P. Padilla A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE HONORABLE MAYOR MARLEN ABIGAIL S. BINAY, TO NEGOTIATE, ENTER INTO AND SIGN A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MOU), ON BEHALF OF THE CITY GOVERNMENT OF MAKATI, WITH THE MANILA ELECTRIC COMPANY (MERALCO), REGARDING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF MERALCO-MAKATI LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNIT ENERGIZING PARTNERSHIP, SUBJECT TO APPLICABLE LAWS AND EXISTING RULES AND REGULATIONS. WHEREAS, MERALCO and MAKATI wish to establish a strategic partnership to be referred as “MERALCO-MAKATI Local Government Unit Energizing Partnership”; WHEREAS, this initiative is in line with MERALCO’s mission to provide its customers the best value in energy, products and services; WHEREAS, the possible partnership will help Makati’s expansion and growth of it communities, and enable it to respond to the challenge of sustaining its position as the Most Competitive City in the Philippines; WHEREAS, in view of the foregoing, the Parties have agreed to enter into this Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to mutually promote their respective projects and programs for the benefit and greater interest of the customers of MERALCO and the residents of Makati City; WHEREAS, the Sangguniang Panlungsod hereby authorizes Mayor Mar-Len Abigail S. Binay to sign the aforesaid Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) pursuant to Sec. 8 (a) (6) of R.A. 7854, to wit: “the City Mayor, as the chief executive of the city government shall represent the City in all its business transactions and sign on its behalf all bonds, contracts, and obligations, and such other documents upon authority of the Sangguniang Panlungsod or pursuant to law or ordinance”. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, AS IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED BY THE SANGGUNIANG PANLUNGSOD OF MAKATI CITY, METRO MANILA, BY VIRTUE OF THE POWERS VESTED IN IT BY LAW, IN SESSION ASSEMBLED, to authorize the Honorable Mayor Mar-Len Abigail S. Binay to negotiate, enter into and sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), on behalf of the City Government of Makati, with Manila Electric Company (MERALCO) regarding the establishment of Meralco Makati Local Government Unit Energizing Partnership, subject to applicable laws and existing rules and regulations. Let copies of this Resolution be furnished to the MERALCO and other concerned offices for their information, guidance and reference. This Resolution shall take effect immediately upon approval. APPROVED BY THE SANGGUNIANG PANLUNGSOD OF MAKATI, METRO MANILA, in its Regular Session held on 1 December 2016. HON. SHIRLEY C. ASPILLAGA

HON. ROMEO C. MEDINA

TUBA, Benguet—The municipal government, in coordination with residents and land owners, has identified three sites that could be used for the expansion of the Baguio-based Philippine Economic Zone Authority to accommodate more locators eyeing to do busi-

ness in Baguio and Benguet. Mayor Ignacio Rivera said the areas include a 45-hectare property in Barangay San Pascual, a 42-hectare property located within the boundary of Barangays Taloy Norte and Poblacion, and another 40-hectare property at the boundary of

PRESENT: Vice Mayor coUNciLor “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “

MoNiQUe Q. LaGDaMeo - Presiding Officer SHirLey c. aSPiLLaGa Marie aLeTHea SJ. caSaL-Uy GraZieLLe ioNy N. De Lara-BeS FerDiNaND T. eUSeBio VirGiLio V. HiLario Jr. DiViNa a. JacoMe LUiS S. JaVier Jr. LeoNarDo M. MaGPaNTay Ma. arLeNe M. orTeGa NeLSoN S. PaSia Mary rUTH c. ToLeNTiNo eVeLyN DeLFiNa e. ViLLaMor Maria coNcePcioN M. yaBUT

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ABSENT: Councilor “ “

Taloy Sur and Taloy Norte. “We want to make sure the land owners possess the pertinent documents of these potential expansion areas, so that Peza will start evaluating and assessing the viability of the properties as site of its locators in the future,” Rivera stressed.

He said Peza management has endorsed Tuba as the suitable expansion area of the economic zone because of its proximity to existing national roads that will allow the smooth transport of products from the zone to its markets outside. Dexter A. See

PRESENT: Vice Mayor coUNciLor “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “

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roMeo c. MeDiNa eNrico J. PUNo NeMeSio S. yaBUT Jr.

Councilor

eNrico J. PUNo

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On motion presented by Hon. G.I.N. de Lara-Bes, which was duly seconded by all Members present, the Sangguniang Panlungsod of the City of Makati approved City Resolution No. 2016-A-043 on second and final reading.

On motion presented by Hon. D.A. Jacome, which was duly seconded by all Members present, the Sangguniang Panlungsod of the City of Makati approved City Resolution No. 2016-A-042 on second and final reading.

CITY RESOLUTION NO. 2016-A-043

CITY RESOLUTION NO. 2016-A-042

Authors: Hon. M.C.M. Yabut, Hon. M.A.S.J. Casal-Uy, Hon. G.I.N. de Lara-Bes, Hon. D.A Jacome and Han. N.S. Yabut Jr.

Authors: Hon. M.C.M. Yabut, Hon. M.A.S.J. Casal-Uy, Hon. G.I.N. de Lara-Bes, Hon. D.A Jacome and Hon. N.S. Yabut Jr.

Co-Authors: Hon. S.C. Aspillaga, Hon. F.T. Eusebio, Hon. V.V. Hilario Jr., Hon. L.S. Javier, Jr., Hon. L.M. Magpantay, Hon. M.A.M. Ortega, Hon. N.S. Pasia, Hon. M.R.C. Tolentino, Hon. E.D.E. Villamor and Hon. A.P. Padilla

Co-Authors: Hon. S.C. Aspillaga, Hon. F.T. Eusebio, Hon. V.V. Hilario, Jr., Hon. L.S. Javier, Jr., Hon. L.M. Magpantay, Hon. R.C. Medina, Hon. M.A.M. Ortega, Hon. N.S. Pasia, Hon. M.R.C. Tolentino, Hon. E.D.E. Villamor and Hon. A.P. Padilla

A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE DEPOSIT OF THE 20% DEVELOPMENT FUND OF THE CITY GOVERNMENT OF MAKATI TO THE EXISTING DEPOSIT ACCOUNT OF THE CITY GOVERNMENT WITH THE LAND BANK OF THE PHILIPPINES (LBP) J.P. RIZAL BRANCH, MAKATI CITY, SUBJECT TO ALL APPLICABLE LAWS AND AUDITING RULES AND PROCEDURES. WHEREAS, Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) is an authorized depository bank of the City of Makati pursuant to the provisions of the Local Government Code of 1991; WHEREAS, the City Government of Makati maintains an existing LBP Deposit Account with Account No. 003452-1006-80; WHEREAS, it is not only ideal but practical for the City Government of Makati to deposit in the said account the 20% Development Fund of the City Government for convenience and speedy transaction as well as for security reasons; WHEREAS, the said branch requested the Officer-In-Charge Treasurer of the City Government that a resolution from the Sangguniang Panlungsod be approved as part of the banking requirements in depositing such funds. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, AS IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED, BY THE SANGGUNIANG PANLUNGSOD OF MAKATI CITY, METRO MANILA. BY VIRTUE OF THE POWERS VESTED IN IT BY LAW, IN SESSION ASSEMBLED, THAT: Section 1. The City Government of Makati is hereby authorized to deposit the 20% Development Fund of the City Government to the existing deposit account, with Account No. 003452-1006-80, of the City Government with LBP - J.P. Rizal Branch, Makati City. Section 2. Subject to the approval of the City Mayor, the Officer-in-Charge Treasurer of the City of Makati is hereby authorized to deposit in the said account ,the 20% Development Fund and sign the necessary documents for the deposit of the said fund of the City of Makati. Section 3. This Resolution is subject to existing laws, auditing rules and regulations and shall take effect upon approval.

A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE HONORABLE MAYOR MAR-LEN ABIGAIL S. BINAY, TO CONFORM WITH MERALCO’S PROPOSAL CONCERNING THE EXTENSION OF PEAK OFF PEAK PROGRAM WHICH IS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE TO RESIDENTIAL, INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL CUSTOMERS, TO STREETLIGHT ACCOUNTS, SUBJECT TO EXISTING LAWS, RULES AND REGULATIONS. WHEREAS, MERALCO desires to extend the benefits of the Peak Off Peak (POP) Program (formerly known as “Time of Use” or “TOU”), that is currently available to residential, industrial and commercial customers, to streetlight accounts; WHEREAS, by availing the aforecited program, the City Government of Makati will be able to realize instant savings in the City’s total electricity bill while at the same time, providing safety and security to the residents and establishments within the City; WHEREAS, the City Government of Makati, headed by the Honorable Mayor MarLen Abigail S. Binay thru the Sangguniang Panlungsod, deems it necessary to support the MERALCO’s POP Program; WHEREAS, the Sangguniang Panlungsod hereby authorizes Mayor Mar-Len Abigail S. Binay to conform with the aforesaid proposal pursuant to Sec. 8 (a) (6) of RA. 7854, to wit: “the City Mayor, as the chief executive of the city government shall represent the City in all its business transactions and sign on its behalf all bonds, contracts, and obligations, and such other documents upon authority of the Sangguniang Panlungsod or pursuant to law or ordinance”. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, AS IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED BY THE SANGGUNIANG PANLUNGSOD OF MAKATI CITY, METRO MANILA, BY VIRTUE OF THE POWERS VESTED IN IT BY LAW, IN SESSION ASSEMBLED, to authorize the Honorable Mayor Mar-Len Abigail S. Binay, to conform with MERALCO’s proposal concerning the extension of Peak Off Peak Program, which is currently available to residential, industrial and commercial customers, to streetlight accounts, subject to existing laws, rules and regulations. Let copies of this Resolution be furnished to the MERALCO and other concerned offices for their information, guidance and reference. This Resolution shall take effect immediately upon approval.

APPROVED BY THE SANGGUNIANG PANLUNGSOD OF MAKATI, METRO MANILA, in its Regular Session held on 5 December 2016 2016.

APPROVED BY THE SANGGUNIANG PANLUNGSOD OF MAKATI, METRO MANILA, in its Regular Session held on 1 December 2016.

HON. SHIRLEY C. ASPILLAGA

HON. ROMEO C. MEDINA

HON. SHIRLEY C. ASPILLAGA

HON. ROMEO C. MEDINA

HON. MARIE ALETHEA S.J. CASAL-UY

HON. MA ARLENE M. ORTEGA

HON. MARIE ALETHEA S.J. CASAL-UY

HON. MA ARLENE M. ORTEGA

HON. MARIE ALETHEA S.J. CASAL-UY

HON. MA ARLENE M. ORTEGA

HON. GRAZIELLE IONY N. DE LARA-BES

HON. NELSON S. P PASIA

HON. FERDINAND T. EUSEBIO

HON. ENRICO J. PUNO

HON. GRAZIELLE IONY N. DE LARA-BES

HON. NELSON S. P PASIA

HON. GRAZIELLE IONY N. DE LARA-BES

P HON. NELSON S. PASIA

HON. VIRGILIO V. HILARIO JR.

HON. MARY RUTH C. TOLENTINO

HON. FERDINAND T. EUSEBIO

HON. ENRICO J. PUNO

HON. FERDINAND T. EUSEBIO

HON. ENRICO J. PUNO

HON. DIVINA A. JACOME

HON. ON. EVELYN DELFINA E. VILLAMOR

HON. VIRGILIO V. HILARIO JR.

HON. MARY RUTH C. TOLENTINO

HON. VIRGILIO V. HILARIO JR.

HON. MARY RUTH C. TOLENTINO

HON. LUIS S. JAVIER JR.

HON. MARIA CONCEPCION M. YABUT

HON. DIVINA A. JACOME

ON. EVELYN DELFINA E. VILLAMOR HON.

HON. DIVINA A. JACOME

ON. EVELYN DELFINA E. VILLAMOR HON.

HON. LEONARDO M. MAGPANTAY

HON. NEMESIO S. YABUT JR.

HON. LUIS S. JAVIER JR.

HON. MARIA CONCEPCION M. YABUT

HON. LUIS S. JAVIER JR.

HON. MARIA CONCEPCION M. YABUT

HON. LEONARDO M. MAGPANTAY

HON. NEMESIO S. YABUT JR.

HON. LEONARDO M. MAGPANTAY

HON. NEMESIO S. YABUT JR.

HON. ARMANDO P. PADILLA LnB President

Certified true and correct by: ATTY. DINDO R. CERVANTES Secretary to the Sangguniang Panlungsod

Attested by:

HON. MONIQUE Q. LAGDAMEO Vice Mayor & Presiding Officer

HON. ARMANDO P. PADILLA LnB President

Certified true and correct by:

ATTY. DINDO R. CERVANTES Secretary to the Sangguniang Panlungsod

HON. MONIQUE Q. LAGDAMEO Vice Mayor & Presiding Officer

Approved by: Approved by:

MAR-LEN ABIGAIL S. BINAY City Mayor (MS-JaN. 25, 2017)

Attested by:

MAR-LEN ABIGAIL S. BINAY City Mayor

Approved by:

(MS-JaN. 25, 2017)

MAR-LEN ABIGAIL S. BINAY City Mayor

(MS-JaN. 25, 2017)

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

World

Manila

Standard

TODAY

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2017

Trump tipped to thrive H RESERVE ONG KONG―US president Donald Trump will strut through the Year of the Rooster, thriving as Hong Kong geomancers predict 2017 will be marked by the arguments and aggression -- characteristics attributed to the animal. With Trump at the top of the pecking order, the volatile traits of the rooster -- combined with the year’s signature element of ﬁre -- mean rocky times ahead, particularly in the western world, feng shui masters say. “The rooster likes to pick ﬁghts, loves to have verbal arguments and is combative,” Hong Kong soothsayer Thierry Chow told AFP.

Trump’s inauguration was met with mass protests in the US and he has already riled China, prompting fears of a trade war between the world’s top two economies. Chow predicted he would rufﬂe more feathers in his ﬁrst year as president. “There will be a lot of strikes and even riots,” says Chow. Although born in the Year of

PRESENT: Vice Mayor coUNciLor “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “

MoNiQUe Q. LaGDaMeo - Presiding Officer SHirLey c. aSPiLLaGa Marie aLeTHea SJ. caSaL-Uy GraZieLLe ioNy N. De Lara-BeS FerDiNaND T. eUSeBio VirGiLio V. HiLario Jr. DiViNa a. JacoMe LUiS S. JaVier Jr. LeoNarDo M. MaGPaNTay Ma. arLeNe M. orTeGa NeLSoN S. PaSia Mary rUTH c. ToLeNTiNo eVeLyN DeLFiNa e. ViLLaMor Maria coNcePcioN M. yaBUT

LNB PreSiDeNT

arMaNDo P. PaDiLLa

the Dog, Trump can afford to be element of earth, which is compatcocky due to his flock of faithful ible with the fire element defining followers and his personal “bazi” 2017. AFP REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES REGIONAL TRIAL COURT NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION MAKATI CITY BRANCH 136

YOURAD SPACE NOW!

PETITION FOR ADOPTION OF MINOR SAMANTHA RUSSEL AKUT AND CHANGE OF NAME FROM SAMANTHA RUSSEL TO ELISA ROSE

ORDER A verified Petition for Adoption of minor Samantha Russel Akut (with application for change of name to “Elisa Rose Smith”) was filed in Court on December 8, 2016 by petitioner Spouses Mark Robert Smith and Keutsavanh Smith, British and French citizens, respectively, both of legal age and residents of Makati City. Petitioner have no child of their own. They wish to adopt Samantha who was born on November 17, 2015. The child was declared legally available for adoption by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on July 18, 2016 and was placed under petitioners’ care since November 3, 2016. Petitioners aver to be qualified to adopt under the law and that they possess all the qualifications and none of the disqualifications to adopt. They desire to change the name of the child from Samantha Russel Akut to Elisa Rose Smith, should the petition be granted.

email us at advertise@ the standard. com.ph or call us at 832-5547

The Court finds the Petition to be sufficient in form and substance. WHEREFORE, notice is hereby given that this case is set for hearing on February 10 and March 3, 2017 at 9:00 a.m. at this Family Court located at the 12th Floor, Makati City Hall, at which date, time and place, all interested persons may appear and be heard. The petitioners are required to cause the publication of this Order in a newspaper of general circulation to be determined through raffle, once a week for three (3) successive weeks before the abovescheduled hearing. The Court Social Worker is DIRECTED to manifest in Court whether he/she is adopting the previous Child and Home Study Reports regarding this matter. SO ORDERED. Makati City, December 9, 2016. (SGD) RICO SEBASTIAN D. LIWANAG Presiding Judge

MS-JAN. 11,18 & 25, 2017)

Standard Form Number: SF-INFR-05 Revised on: July 29, 2004

INVITATION TO BID The Local Government Unit of San Emilio, through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), invites contractors registered with and classified by the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB) to apply for eligibility and if found eligible, to bid for the hereunder contract: 1. Name of Project

: IMPROVEMENT AND REHABILITATION OF KALUMSING BURAYOC FARM –TO- MARKET ROAD Location : Kalumsing, San Emilio, Ilocos Sur Brief Description : Improvement and Rehabilitation No. of Days : 270 c. days ABC : P 24,250,000.00 Source of Fund : AO NO. 2016-02 Section 2 Exp. 67

SP. PROC. CASE NO. R-MKT-16-03292-SP

SPS. MARK ROBERT SMITH and KEUTSAVANH SMITH, Petitioners. x-------------------------------------x

Prospective bidders should possess a valid PCAB License applicable to the contract, have completed a similar contract with a value of at least 50% of the ABC, and have key personnel and equipment (listed in the Eligibility Forms) available for the prosecution of the contract. The BAC will use non-discretionary pass/fail criteria in the Eligibility Check/Screening as well as the Preliminary Examination of Bids. The BAC will conduct postqualification of the lowest calculated bid. All particulars relative to Eligibility Statement and Screening, Bid Security, Performance Security, Pre-Bidding Conference, Evaluation of Bids, PostQualification and Award of Contract shall be governed by the pertinent provisions of R.A. 9184 and its Implementing Rules and Regulation (IRR). The schedule of BAC activities is as follows: Activities 1. Posting 2. Pre-bid Conference 3. Submission of Bids 4. Opening of Bids 5. Bid Evaluation 6. Post Qualification 7. Approval of Resolution 8 Notice of Award 9. Contract Signing 10. Notice to Proceed

roMeo c. MeDiNa eNrico J. PUNo NeMeSio S. yaBUT Jr.

================================================================ On motion presented by Hon. E.D.E. Villamor, which was duly seconded by all Members present, the Sangguniang Panlungsod of the City of Makati approved City Resolution No. 2016-A-044 on second and final reading. CITY RESOLUTION NO. 2016-A-044 Authors: Hon. M.C.M. Yabut, Hon. M.A.S.J. Casal-Uy, Hon. D.A. Jacome, Hon. G.I.N. de Lara-Bes, Hon. N.S. Yabut Jr., Hon. M.A.M. Ortega, Hon. N.S. Pasia, Hon. V.V. Hilario, Jr. and Hon. E.D.E. Villamor Co-Authors: Hon. S.C. Aspillaga, Hon. F.T. Eusebio, Hon. L.S. Javier, Jr., Hon. L.M. Magpantay, Hon. M.R.C. Tolentino and Hon. A.P. Padilla

ABC 500,000 and below More than 500,000 up to 1 Million More than 1 Million up to 5 Million More than 5 Million up to 10 Million More than 10 Million up to 50 Million More than 50 Million up to 500 Million More than 500 Million

PRESENT: Vice Mayor coUNciLor “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “

MoNiQUe Q. LaGDaMeo - Presiding Officer SHirLey c. aSPiLLaGa Marie aLeTHea SJ. caSaL-Uy GraZieLLe ioNy N. De Lara-BeS FerDiNaND T. eUSeBio VirGiLio V. HiLario Jr. DiViNa a. JacoMe LUiS S. JaVier Jr. LeoNarDo M. MaGPaNTay roMeo c. MeDiNa Ma. arLeNe M. orTeGa NeLSoN S. PaSia eNrico J. PUNo Mary rUTH c. ToLeNTiNo eVeLyN DeLFiNa e. ViLLaMor NeMeSio S. yaBUT Jr.

LNB PreSiDeNT

arMaNDo P. PaDiLLa

A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE HONORABLE MAYOR MAR-LEN ABIGAIL S. BINAY AND/OR OSPITAL NG MAKATI (OSMAK) HOSPITAL DIRECTOR DR. VERGEL P. BINAY, MD, FPSGS, MBAH, TO NEGOTIATE, ENTER INTO AND SIGN A MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT (MOA), ON BEHALF OF THE CITY GOVERNMENT OF MAKATI, WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF THE EAST RAMON MAGSAYSAY MEMORIAL MEDICAL CENTER, INC. (UERMMMCI), REGARDING THE AFFILIATION AND TRAINING OF OSMAK REHABILITATION MEDICINE RESIDENTS, SUBJECT TO EXISTING LAWS, RULES AND REGULATIONS.

================================================================

WHEREAS, University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center, Inc. (UERMMCI) is an institution involved with the treatment and rehabilitation of patients needing prosthetic and orthotic devices;

WHEREAS, the Ospital ng Makati (OSMAK), as part of its continuous effort in strengthening the residency training program of its Rehabilitation Medicine Residents, desires such residents to undergo training in UERMMCI;

CITY RESOLUTION NO. 2016-A-047

WHEREAS, UERMMMCI expressed its intent to accommodate OSMAK Rehabilitation Medicine Residents in their center; WHEREAS, a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), between the City Government of Makati and UERMMMCI is required to be executed in order to effectuate the abovementioned purpose; WHEREAS, Section 8 (a) (6), Article III of R.A. 7658, otherwise known as the Charter of the City of Makati, states that “the city mayor as the chief executive of the city government shall represent the City in all its business transactions and signs on its behalf all bonds, contracts, and obligations, and such other documents upon authority of the sanggunian panlungsod”; WHEREAS, the Sangguniang Panlungsod, in consideration of the benefits of the subject MOA with UERMMCI, hereby authorizes Honorable Mayor Mar-Len Abigail S. Binay and/or OSMAK Hospital Director Dr. Vergel P. Binay, MD, FPSGS, MBAH, to negotiate, enter into, and sign such MOA, on behalf of the City Government of Makati, with UERMMMC for the abovementioned purpose. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, AS IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED BY THE SANGGUNIANG PANLUNGSOD OF MAKATI CITY, METRO MANILA, BY VIRTUE OF THE POWERS VESTED IN IT BY LAW, IN SESSION ASSEMBLED, to authorize the Honorable Mayor Mar-Len Abigail S. Binay and/or OSMAK Hospital Director Dr. Vergel P. Binay, MD, FPSGS, MBAH, to negotiate, enter into and sign a MOA, on behalf of the City Government of Makati, with the University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center Inc., regarding the affiliation and training of OSMAK Rehabilitation Medicine Residents, subject to existing laws, rules and regulations. Let copy of this Resolution be furnished to the Ospital ng Makati, University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center Inc., City Administrators Office and other offices, departments and agencies concerned for their information, guidance and reference. This Resolution is subject to existing laws, rules and regulations and shall take effect upon approval. APPROVED BY THE SANGGUNIANG PANLUNGSOD OF MAKATI, METRO 2016 MANILA, in its Regular Session held on 5 December 2016. HON. SHIRLEY C. ASPILLAGA

HON. ROMEO C. MEDINA

HON. MARIE ALETHEA S.J. CASAL-UY

HON. MA ARLENE M. ORTEGA

HON. GRAZIELLE IONY N. DE LARA-BES

P HON. NELSON S. PASIA

HON. FERDINAND T. EUSEBIO

HON. ENRICO J. PUNO

HON. VIRGILIO V. HILARIO JR.

HON. MARY RUTH C. TOLENTINO

HON. DIVINA A. JACOME

ON. EVELYN DELFINA E. VILLAMOR HON.

HON. LUIS S. JAVIER JR.

HON. MARIA CONCEPCION M. YABUT

HON. LEONARDO M. MAGPANTAY

HON. NEMESIO S. YABUT JR.

Noted by:

(SGD) JONAS O. BERTO BAC Chairman

(SGD) FERDINAND A. BANUA Municipal Mayor (MS-JAN. 25, 2017)

Republic of the Philippines CITY OF SAN PEDRO Province of Laguna BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE

Co Authors : Hon. S.C. Aspillaga, Hon. F.T. Eusebio, Hon. V.V. Hilario, Jr., Hon. L.S. Javier, Jr., Hon. L.M. Magpantay, Hon. R.C. Medina, Hon. M.A.M. Ortega, Hon. N.S. Pasia, Hon. E.J. Puno, Hon. M.R.C. Tolentino, Hon. E.D.E. Villamor and Hon. AP. Padilla A RESOLUTION AMENDING CITY RESOLUTION 2016-A-043, SO AS TO REFLECT THE CORRECT BRANCH OF THE DEPOSITARY BANK, WHICH IS MAKATI CITY HALL BRANCH, SUBJECT TO EXISTING LAWS, RULES AND REGULATIONS. WHEREAS, City Resolution No. 2010-A-043 states that the 20% Development Fund of the City Government of Makati shall be deposited to the existing depositary bank of the City Government of Makati, which is Land Bank of the Philippines CLBP) J.P. Rizal Branch, with Deposit Account No. 003452-1006-80; WHEREAS, however due to inadvertence, it was found out that the correct and existing branch of the abovementioned depositary bank is Makati City Hall branch, instead of J.P. Rizal Branch; WHEREAS, the Sangguniang Panlungsod deems it necessary to amend City Resolution No. 2016-A-043, so as to reflect the correct branch of the depositary bank, which is Makati City Hall Branch. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, AS IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED BY THE SANGGUNIANG PANLUNGSOD OF MAKATI, METRO MANILA, BY VIRTUE OF THE POWERS VESTED IN IT BY LAW, IN SESSION ASSEMBLED, to amend City Resolution No. 2016-A-043 so as reflect the correct branch of the depositary bank, which is Makati City Hall Branch, subject to existing laws, rules and regulations. Let copy of this Resolution be furnished to all offices, departments and agencies concerned for their information, guidance and reference.

HON. SHIRLEY C. ASPILLAGA

HON. ROMEO C. MEDINA

HON. MARIE ALETHEA S.J. CASAL-UY

HON. MA ARLENE M. ORTEGA

HON. NELSON S. P PASIA

HON. FERDINAND T. EUSEBIO

HON. ENRICO J. PUNO

HON. VIRGILIO V. HILARIO JR.

HON. MARY RUTH C. TOLENTINO

HON. DIVINA A. JACOME

HON. ON. EVELYN DELFINA E. VILLAMOR

HON. LUIS S. JAVIER JR.

HON. MARIA CONCEPCION M. YABUT

Interested bidders may obtain further information from City Government of San Pedro, Laguna and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below during 8:30AM to 9:30 AM only.

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders on thedate, time and address below and upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of Php 5,000.00. ISSUANCE OF ELIGIBILITY AND BIDDING DOCUMENTS:

ON LEAVE

DEADLINE OF SUBMISSION OF ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS AND OPENING OF BIDS:

February 13, 2017 10:00 AM BAC Secretariat 4/f Conference Rm. City Administrator’s Office City Hall Bldg., San Pedro, Laguna

PRE-BID CONFERENCE:

January 31, 2017 BAC Secretariat 4/f Conference Rm. City Administrator’s Office City Hall Bldg., San Pedro, Laguna

Bid opening shall be on the same date and time for deadline of submission of eligibility requirements and submission of bids and shall be conducted at the Office of the BAC Secretariat. Bids will be opened in the presence of the Bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address given above. Late bids shall not be accepted.

ATTY. DINDO R. CERVANTES Secretary to the Sangguniang Panlungsod

Attested by:

January 24, 2017 to February 13, 2017 8:30AM – 9:30AM BAC Secretariat 4/f Conference Rm. City Administrator’s Office City Hall Bldg., San Pedro, Laguna

Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before the specified date and time. All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.

HON. NEMESIO S. YABUT JR.

The City Government of San Pedro, Laguna assumes no responsibility whatsoever to compensate or indemnify bidders for any expenses incurred in the preparation of their bid. Further, City Government of San Pedro, Laguna, reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

HON. MONIQUE Q. LAGDAMEO Vice Mayor & Presiding Officer 7.

Approved by:

MAR-LEN ABIGAIL S. BINAY City Mayor

MAR-LEN ABIGAIL S. BINAY City Mayor (MS-JaN. 25, 2017)

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

Certified true and correct by:

HON. MONIQUE Q. LAGDAMEO Vice Mayor & Presiding Officer

DESCRIPTION Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) Engine: In-line 4-cylinder, common rail direct injection diesel engine Displacement: 2,499cc, 5-speed transmission Power kW (PS)/rpm: 163 Ps (120Kw) at 3,400 rpm Torque Nm (Kg-m)/rpm: 320 Nm / 1800-2800rpm Fuel Tank: 65 liters capacity Weight: Gross vehicle weight: 2,650kls Dimension: L=4825mm x W=1860mm xH-1840mm; Wheelbase: 2845mm Suspension: Front: independent double wishbone with coil springs & stabilizer Rear: five-link coil spring & stabilizer bar Brakes: Front: ventilated discs Rear: solid discs Tires & Wheels: 255/65 R17 aluminum alloy; spare wheel 255/65 R17, aluminum alloy Headlamps: projector type w/ multi-reflector Exterior: Projector type w/ multi-reflector headlamps Front foglamps, chrome radiator grille, chrome engine hood garnish, chrome with turn signal powered w/ folding function, chrome door handle& tail gate garnish equipped roof rail w/ 60kgs load capacity Interior: Instrument meters & colored multi-information display (MID); Equipped with navigation system and steering wheel audio controls. Power windows w/ driver auto Up/Down Jam projection, and Timer function; power steering side view mirrors & power door locks with passive entry and start/ stop system, equipped w/ 6-way powered driver seat adjustment w/ 12-volt accessory socket, 19 storage compartments/12 cup holders, equipped w/side step board, 2 hooks, key lock & illumination. Airconditioning system: dial automatic climate control w/ rear cooler controls. Audio: entertainment system; equipped w/ tire pressire monitoring syste, (TPMS); 7” touché screen display, CD/VCD/DVD/Tuner/Aux-in/USB/MP3 compatible, Bluetooth and i-pod connectivity, 10” roof-mounted DVD monitor w/remote Security & Safety: dual SRS airbags, side door impact beams, electronic stability control traction control system, steel under-front skid pkate, engine immobilizer, seatbelts (first, second & third row), anti-theft alarm system, childproof rear door locks, high mount stop lamp, reverse camera (LED type), rear view mirror, rear defogger and reverse sensing system.

Office of the BAC Secretariat 4/f Conference Rm. City Administrator’s Office City Hall Bldg., San Pedro, Laguna

HON. ARMANDO P. PADILLA LnB President

ATTY. DINDO R. CERVANTES Secretary to the Sangguniang Panlungsod

UNIT units

In addition,bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines, and to citizens or organizations of a country the laws or regulations of which grant similar rights or privileges to Filipino citizens, pursuant to RA 5183 and subject to Commonwealth Act 138. 4.

HON. GRAZIELLE IONY N. DE LARA-BES

The City Government of San Pedro, Laguna now invites bids for the following:

Delivery of the Goods is required within thirty (30) days upon receipt of Notice to Proceed. Bidders should have completed, within two (2) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders.

This Resolution shall take effect immediately upon its approval. APPROVED BY THE SANGGUNIANG PANLUNGSOD OF MAKATI, METRO MANILA, in its Regular Session held on 22 December 2016.

The City Government of San Pedro, Laguna through the 2017 Budget Approved by the Sangguniang Panglungsod intends to apply the sum of Php 4,395,000.00 being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for Supply and Delivery of Three (3) Units of Sports Utility Vehicle for Official Use. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

QTY 3

Authors: Hon. M.C.M. Yabut, Hon. M.A.S.J. Casal-Uy, Hon. G.I.N. de Lara-Bes, Hon. D.A. Jacome and Hon. N.S. Yabut Jr.

HON. ARMANDO P. PADILLA LnB President

Attested by:

Approved by:

INVITATION TO APPLY FOR ELIGIBILITY AND TO BID PR NO. 2017-0166

MARIA CONCEPCION M. YABUT-Vacation Leave

HON. LEONARDO M. MAGPANTAY

Maximum Cost of Bidding 500.00 1,000.00 5,000.00 10,000.00 25,000.00 50,000.00 75,000.00

The Local Government Unit of San Emilio assumes no responsibility whatsoever to compensate or indemnify bidders for any expenses incurred in the preparation of their bids.

ABSENT: Councilor

Schedule January 23-30, 2017 January 31, 2017 February 13, 2017 @ 10:00 AM February 13, 2017 @ 10 :01 AM at Municipal Hall February 14, 2017 February 15, 2017 February 16, 2017 February 20, 2017 February 21, 2017 February 22, 2017

The BAC will issue to prospective bidders Eligibility Forms at BAC Secretariat upon their submission of a LOI, and upon their payment to the LGU Cashier of a non-refundable amount determined in the cost of bidding documents shall correspond to the ABC range as indicated in the Table below. Prospective bidders shall submit the Eligibility Requirements to the BAC at the said address. They may also obtain the results of the Eligibility Check by the BAC at the same address.

ABSENT: Councilor “ “

(MS-JaN. 25, 2017)

For further information, please refer to: Mr. Merlin B. Paala Office of the BAC Secretariat San Pedro City Hall San Pedro, Laguna Telefax No. 847.1722 (signed) ENGR. FILEMON I. SIBULO Chairman Bids and Awards Committee

(MS-JAN. 25, 2017)

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2017

World

UN says 750,000 civilians in Mosul at extreme risk B AGHDAD― The estimated 750,000 people living in jihadistcontrolled west Mosul are in grave danger, the United Nations warned on Tuesday, 100 days into a massive Iraqi operation to retake the city.

“We are relieved that so many people in the eastern sections of Mosul have been able to stay in their homes,” the UN’s humanitarian coordinator for Iraq Lise Grande said in a statement. “We hope that everything is done to protect the hundreds of thousands of people who are across the river in the west. We know that they are at extreme risk and we fear for their lives,” she said. On October 17, tens of thousands of Iraqi forces launched an offensive -Iraq’s largest military operation in years -- to retake the country’s second city from the Islamic State group. The going has been tough for federal forces as IS has defended its last remaining major stronghold in Iraq ﬁercely. All central neighborhoods on the east bank of the Tigris River that divides the city have now been retaken and commanders are devising a strategy to tackle the western side of the city. The slightly smaller western side is even more densely populated than the east and is home to some of the jihadists’ traditional bastions. All bridges over the Tigris in Mosul are unusable and the narrow streets of the Old City will make any military offensive into west Mosul a perilous operation both for Iraqi forces and civilians. In most other urban battles Iraq has waged against IS since the jihadists took over a third of the country in 2014, cities had been almost emptied of their population by the time federal forces moved in. But in Mosul, while around 180,000 people were displaced since the start of the operation, 550,000 residents of Mosul also stayed in their homes. AFP

Hollywood set to unveil Oscar bets LOS ANGELES―Hollywood was on tenterhooks Tuesday for the unveiling of this year’s Oscars nominations, with critical darlings “La La Land,” “Moonlight” and “Manchester by the Sea” leading a crowded field of contenders. The nominated films, actors and filmmakers will be made public shortly after 5 am (1300 GMT) during an announcement which for the first time will be streamed online. This year’s crop is expected to reflect a push by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to show more diversity and avoid the social hashtag #OscarsSoWhite that has dogged the awards for the past two years. Industry watchers are predicting that Damien Chazelle’s whimsical, romantic musical “La La Land” -- buoyed by a record seven Golden Globe awards earlier this month -- will triumph at the February 26 Oscars bash with possible golden statuettes for best movie, best actor and in several other categories. But the movie starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling is facing stiff competition from “Moonlight” -- the coming-of-age tale of a black man in Miami -- and “Manchester by the Sea,” about a depressive loner played by Casey Affleck. Both films also received nods at the Golden Globes, though far fewer than “La La Land.” Other frontrunners for best picture are Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi thriller “Arrival”; Mel Gibson’s bloody WWII movie “Hacksaw Ridge”; Garth Davis’s family drama “Lion”; and Theodore Melfi’s biographical comedy-drama “Hidden Figures.” “I suspect ‘La La Land’ and ‘Hidden Figures’ will get a lot of nominations, because the movies impressed people in both above-the-line categories as well as behind the camera -- costumes, production design, music, et cetera,” Tim Gray, awards editor for trade magazine Variety, told AFP. In the lead actor category, Affleck, Gosling and Denzel Washington, who plays an AfricanAmerican father trying to raise his family in the screen adaptation of the Broadway hit “Fences,” are leading the pack. Other contenders are Andrew Garfield, who plays an army medic in “Hacksaw Ridge” and Viggo Mortensen who plays a father trying to raise his six kids in “Captain Fantastic.” AFP

Father seeks mercy killing for his sons

PROMO. Indian Bollywood actress Amyra Dastur attends a promotion for the ﬁlm ‘Kung Fu Yoga’ in Mumbai on January 23. AFP

Brussels airport bombers targeted US BRUSSLES―The Islamic State suicide bombers who attacked Brussels airport last year targeted passengers traveling to the United States and also Jewish people, several sources told AFP. The Belgian-led investigation believes a check-in counter for an American carrier was one of the targets in the March 22, 2016 attacks, the sources said on condition of anonymity. They also suspect that travelers to Israel may have been in the cross-hairs, and that airport security camera footage shows one bomber apparently pursuing Hasidic Jews seconds before one of the blasts. Islamic State bombers Najim Laachraoui and Ibrahim El Bakraoui killed 16 people at Zaventem airport. Around an hour later Bakraoui’s brother Khalid

attacked a metro station near EU headquarters, killing another 16. One source close to the investigation told AFP, which contacted investigators in several countries, that one of the airport bombers “attacked the Delta Airlines check-in”. “We know they wanted to target Americans,” said the source, who asked not to be named. “It’s clear they had quite specific targets.” Asked if these targets included the check-in counter for a flight to Israel, he replied: “We know they were obsessed with the Israelis too.” The possibility that they targeted Russian travelers was an “option” that had to be clarified, he said. There were casualties from at least 40 nationalities in the Brussels attacks, but

investigators and sources believe the Zaventem bombers had speciﬁc targets. “Even early on (in the investigation) there were indications that they targeted US, Russian and Israeli check-in counters,” a US law enforcement source told AFP on condition of anonymity. “That understanding has held up with later investigations, including with Abrini’s alleged confession,” the source said. Mohamed Abrini is the so-called “man in the hat” who ﬂed the airport without detonating his suitcase bomb after his accomplices set off theirs. He was captured a month later. Four Americans were killed at the airport and several injured, while two Israelis aged 23 and 28 were treated in Jerusalem after the attacks. AFP

DHAKA―Desperate to end their suffering, an impoverished Bangladeshi father has begged permission to kill three terminally ill members of his family, sparking a rare debate about euthanasia in a deeply conservative society. “I have taken care of them for years. I took them to hospitals in Bangladesh and India, I sold my shop to pay for their treatment but now I’m broke,” said Tofazzal Hossain as he describes his years-long struggle to cope with the costs of looking after his two sons and grandson. “The government should decide what it wants to do with them. They are suffering and have no hope of recovery. I can’t bear it any longer.” Hossain, a fruit vendor from the rural west of the country, wrote to his local district administration pleading for them to either help care for his loved ones -- who suffer from an incurable form of muscular dystrophy -- or “allow them to be put to death with medicine”, he told AFP. One of Asia’s poorest countries, Bangladesh lacks any kind of free health care and medical treatment is often beyond the reach of the tens of millions of inhabitants who live below the poverty line. An estimated 600,000 Bangladeshis suffer from incurable diseases, yet the country has just one palliative care center and no hospice services. This leaves few treatment options for Hossain’s sons, aged 24 and 13, and eight-year-old grandson, who are afﬂicted with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. This rare genetic disorder is characterized by progressive muscle degeneration and patients rarely live beyond 30 years of age. Hossain said his sons were aware of their condition but could do little for themselves, unable to move and conﬁned to their beds. The grandson can still go to the washroom, but his condition is worsening. AFP

Germany deports more refugees KABUL―Germany deported a second batch of would-be Afghan refugees to Kabul Tuesday under a disputed Afghan-EU deal signed last October and aimed at curbing the inﬂux of migrants. The 26 men, escorted by 80 German police ofﬁcers, landed shortly after 7.30 am (0300 GMT) in Kabul, airport police spokesman Mohammad Adjmal Fawzi told AFP. He said at least one of the 26 was “suffering” and showing signs of psychological distress, adding: “He could be brought back to Germany.” Several of the refugees told AFP they had been arrested Monday morning at dawn and sent to Kabul with just a small piece of luggage or a backpack containing their belongings. The men were the second batch of would-be refugees denied asylum by German authorities and

deported, despite growing insecurity in Afghanistan. The conflict caused some 9,000 deaths or injuries among civilians in the first nine months of 2016, according to the United Nations, which is to publish its annual report by the end of the month. In 2015 the number of civilians killed or wounded was more than 11,000, the highest recorded since 2009, with children paying a particularly heavy price, according to UN figures. Some 250 people staged a protest against the deportations at Frankfurt airport on Monday night, Sarmina Stuman of the Afghan Refugees Movement told AFP. “Afghanistan is simply at war, which is why we are protesting against expulsions to a country like Afghanistan,” she said. In December, German interior minister Thomas de Maizière justified the expulsion of Afghans in

order to preserve the “right” of asylum in the country, the only one in Europe to open its doors wide to refugees. De Maiziere argued that Taliban attacks largely targeted “representatives of the international community” in Afghanistan and not the civilian population. A first flight carrying 34 men arrived in Kabul in December, a third of whom were convicted of crimes ranging from theft to homicide, according to the German authorities. That did not appear to be the case on Tuesday, when the passengers were able to leave the airport freely. They will be sheltered by the government for at least two weeks after which they face an uncertain future, with Afghanistan already so overwhelmed by people fleeing fighting that officials have warned of a humanitarian crisis. AFP

DUSK. A statue of Winston Churchill is silhouetted by the Elizabeth Tower, more commonly known as “Big Ben”, and the Houses of Parliament in central London on January 24, 2017.The British government’s Brexit plan will be put to the test on Tuesday with a landmark court ruling on whether it has the right to kick-start the country’s EU departure without parliamentary approval. The 11 Supreme Court judges are expected to rule against the government in a move that could delay Prime Minister Theresa May’s triggering Article 50 of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty, which would formally begin exit negotiations. AFP

Life

Isah V. Red, Editor Bernadette Lunas, Writer isahred@gmail.com

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2017

FASHION & BEAUTY

FROM GEMSTONES TO FABRIC. In jewelry designer Wynn Wynn Ong’s first foray in fashion design, she created, with the help of Milka Quinn, a 24-piece couture collection in which clothes and jewelry complemented each other.

Wynn Wynn Ong’s first evening wear collection By Bernadette Lunas

Photos by Sonny Espiritu

EMSTONES, jewels and metals have always been Wynn Wynn Ong’s medium in crafting her intricate jewelry pieces and ornate home furnishings. But for her presentation in the 2016 Metrowear Icon, where she was named an Icon, she showcased a 24-piece couture collection made of fabric, and marked with feminism and fiction.

Ong joins the ranks of notable designers that include Francis Libiran, Rajo Laurel, Cary Santiago, and Randy Ortiz. She is the first non-garments designer to be honored as a Metrowear Icon—a sweet bonus as she also celebrated her 15th year in the industry last year. Her journey as a designer and an Icon was told in a three-part show, showcasing her as a mentor to young design students, as a collaborator to some of the most renowned designers in the country, and as an artist who hones her craft and ventures on a different territory. In her 10 years as an educator, Ong has always

encouraged her students to collaborate instead of compete with each other. Hence, the first part of the show, which displayed garments created by her students at SoFa Design Institute (Abi Mercado and Alexine Castillo), De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (Aminah Adriano and Paulo Arucan) and University of the Philippines College of Home Economics (Kyra Buenviaje and Alyssa Tan), showcased a kind of artistry only achieved through mutual respect and collaboration. The six aspiring designers made pieces inspired Wynn Wynn Ong is the first non-garments by Ong’s accessories. The second portion told the story of Ong as a designer named a Meterowear Icon

Thai pieces to love at L’Indochine BACK from one of their many adventures, inspiration seekers Char Carlos and Leona Panutat or C&L as they are fondly called, have brought home Thai finds to love at L’Indochine. With skills that are passed down for generations, Thai crafts have long been a reflection of the people’s creativity and ingenuity. The intricate detail and meticulous methods of Thai artisans show their inventiveness, while their elaborate designs showcase their perseverance. Moreover, the abundance of natural materials such as wood, wicker, palm leaves, rattan and coconuts make it possible for Thais to produce beautiful and inexpensive handicrafts. Thailand has a rich history in their wooden art form. Traditional tools are used to chisel and bring to life intricate and awesome pieces. Some pieces are so exquisite that they can be seen adorning the temples and palaces in and around

Thailand. Each of these exotic woodworks is intricately and exquisitely carved. In L’Indochine’s new collection, there are intricately carved decorative wood panel, mirrors and tabletops by Thai artisans. There are also modern pieces inspired by traditional Thai metal works and ceramics. Animal figurines, vases, bowls and boxes all recall the creamy white slip fine clay in the Sukhothai and Sawanhalok tradition. Thai pottery and ceramics are distinct by mixing indigenous styles with preferences for unique shapes, colors and decorative motifs. Be amazed with these Thai finds for your home available at L’Indochine stores located on the 3rd level of SM Aura Premier and 4th level of SM Mega Fashion Hall.

These intricate wood carving, wooden home decor, exquisite and functional furnishings, and colorful painting are now available at L’Indochine

Life

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2017 isahred@gmail.com

PORTY-designed Oakley eyewear (sunglasses and optical glasses), sports apparel, flashy but durable watches, goggles and other time pieces, jackets, bags and backpacks have debuted in Manila in a fashion show extravaganza at WhiteSpace in Makati recently. This amidst a growing competition in the Philippine fashion and sports fashion arenas now dominated by foreign brands and dwarfing local brands that have proved themselves durable in quality and image for decades in the local market. The fashion show had a backdrop of active and busy streets of Oakley in California, similar to the hustle and bustle of Metropolitan Manila at daytime. Oakley Inc., based in Lake Forest, California is a subsidiary of Italian company Luxottica, that designs, de-

velops and manufactures sports performance equipment and lifestyle pieces including sunglasses, sports visors, ski/snowboard goggles, watches, apparel, backpacks, shoes, optical frames, and other accessories. Most items are designed in-house at the head office, but, in some countries, Oakley has exclusive designs relevant to the market. It currently holds more than 600 patents for eyewear, materials, and performance gear. Chris Tzambazis, sales and business development manager of Oakley for Southeast Asia, India and Korea,

OAKLEY FASHION invades Manila

Oakley designs, develops and manufactures sports performance equipment and lifestyle pieces including sunglasses, sports visros and optical frames, among others.

said Oakley has been operating as a top brand for the past two decades and by end of 2016 it had a total of 20 franchise stores, making it the top franchise globally of the brand. In Manila, its reseller, Meera Enterprises, carries over 150 optical doors

Most items of the California-based brand are designed in-house at the head office

nationwide and lifestyle retailers of over 32 shops and more than 15 kiosks nationwide. “Each year we continue to grow the business and it is an amazing ride full of surprises as Oakley continues its supremacy in eyewear and optics technol-

ogys,” said Meera Enterprise President, Ramesh Dargani. Oakley’s first store opened in SM Aura, Bonifacio Global City, where it unveiled the latest eyewear, apparel, shoes, bags and backpacks, goggles and sunglasses, watches and more.

Attract prosperity in the year of the Red Fire Rooster CHINESE New Year 2017 will mark the beginning of the Year of the Red Fire Rooster, predicted to be a year of luxury, beauty, and abundance. Geomancers or feng shui practitioners likewise reveal that this year will be beneficial to career and financial investments, making it a wise time to take advantage of income-generating opportunities. The Year of the Red Fire Rooster is also foreseen to be an auspicious year for business transactions. Thus, the same experts deem it wise to prepare for the upcoming Chinese New Year by taking tried-and-tested steps to attract wealth and prosperity, such as owning a “lucky wallet” made by McJim Classic Leather. If you’re now thinking of getting your lucky wallet, keep a few “lucky” tips from the feng shui experts in mind: • Avoid buying or using a secondhand wallet. The previous owner’s energy remains in the wallet and may affect your own energy when you use it,

leaving you uncertain if it carries good or bad luck. Instead, choose a brand-new “lucky wallet” from the collection of McJim Classic Leather, which comes in colors seen as money magnets by feng shui specialists. • For instance, black wallets represent wealth and prosperity, ideal for individuals who aim for career advancement and success in business. • Meanwhile, brown wallets are perfect for those who wish to increase their savings, or quit the habit of unnecessary spending or impulse buying. • Green wallets help increase moneymaking opportunities, as green represents growth and life. • Whatever color your McJim lucky wallet will come in, note that McJim Classic Leather wallets have many compartments, helping you organize your bills, coins, and cards neatly—another feng Shui tip for attracting good wealth. • After purchasing your McJim lucky

wallet, feng shui masters suggest keeping it tidy and free from clutter, making room for positive energy to flow. Immediately discard old receipts, credit card bills, candy wrappers, and expired membership cards since these represent debt and expenses. Instead, always keep your McJim lucky wallet filled with money, to symbolize abundance. • Treat your McJim lucky wallet well and expect it to do the same for you. Secure your wallet in a special place in your home and leave it there when not in use, so it will feel treasured. Feng shui masters claim this results in the wallet attracting more wealth into your life. • Avoid tossing your wallet anywhere you find convenient, or placing it on the floor, especially in the bathroom. • Finally, neatly sort out the paper bills and coins in your McJim lucky wallet. Make sure that all notes are arranged in an upright position to positively influence you, your wallet, and your money.

Feng shui experts say organizing your wallet helps attract wealth and prosperity

For a wealthy and prosperous 2017, buy a lucky wallet made by McJim Classic Leather and follow the abovementioned feng shui tips for taking care of it.

Celebrating beauty for a good cause A CELEBRATION of beauty, talent, and humanitarian cause took center stage at the 65th Miss Universe Governor’s Ball held at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City. The candidates, 86 of the ‘most beautiful women in the universe, all gorgeous and dressed elegantly posed, paraded and were introduced one by one on stage. Each of them shared a table with some of the very important personalities in the country. Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo formally opened the evening’s program reminiscing the country’s rather long and difficult journey to hosting the Miss Universe. “When we started negotiations for the Philippine hosting of the Miss Universe pageant in Manila as soon as I started work with the Department of Tourism (DOT), there was one simple goal – to show the universe the best of our country, most particularly Filipino showmanship and hospitality.” As the road to the crown nears, the Secretary adds, “Miss Universe 2016 in the Philippines will be our country’s crowning glory for many, many years with lasting memories and friendship of the candidates and families and friends with Filipinos.” “Every day and night of activities here is getting better organized and better participated in … It’s an amazing Miss Universe 2016 and we join everyone in being proud for your accomplishments here, where we have the largest fan base. It will be with a heavy heart to bid farewell,” 15-year Miss Universe Organization (MUO) president Paula Shugart elaborates as she witnesses preparations unfolding before her eyes since the pageant’s kick-off events in December.

She disclosed how 2015 Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach brought up the idea of hosting Miss Universe in the Philippines. And together they turned to friends and the government to make their dreams come true so they can help empower women around the world through the pageant. Every support fell into place initially with the DOT and then, with the Luis “Chavit” Singson Group of Companies and other partners. Dressed to the nines in elegant

gowns and crisp tuxedos, the audience listened to Governor Luis “Chavit” Singson thanked local and foreign pageant partners with combined support of MUO in making the Philippine hosting here successful. Hosted by DJ Joey Mead-King, the Governor’s Ball was a visual feast that featured different video presentations on Philippine tourist destinations, with marching bands, an international winning hip hop dance group, the University of the Phil-

From third from left: Terry Farris, president of Pass It Forward Foundation; Paula Shugart, Miss Universe Organization president; Tourism Secretary Wanda Corazon Tulfo-Teo; Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach; Governor Luis ‘Chavit’ Singson; Ramon Ang, San Miguel Corporation president and COO; Wilson Tieng, president of Solar Entertainment Television; Edgar Tejerero, SM Lifestyle Entertainment, Inc. and other major partners share the SMX stage at the 65th Miss Universe Governor’s Ball.

ippines Madrigal Singers, among other local powerhouse performers. Terry Allan Farris, president of the New York-based Pass It Forward, the official philanthropy arm of the MUO, was also present that night to thank everyone for their show of support in “creating a positive social movement to inspire everyone to pass kindness forward.” “Everyone has capacity to give with accountability and transparency,” Farris added.

Wynn Wynn... From D1

friend to celebrated fashion designers Ivarluski Aseron, Mark Higgins, Jojie Lloren, Joey Samson, Chito Vijandre, and Santiago—all of whom she said she also admire. “I won’t even call them my peers because I’m only a beginner. Hopefully they also get something out of the interaction,” said Ong. Ong served as the inspiration for the creations the six seasoned designers presented. Fringe details were apparent in Aseron’s clothes, while Higgins’s designs featured sleek and clean lines. Lloren showcased wearable pieces in the shade of black, textures took centerstage in Samson’s barong-inspired creations, colors and details were replete in Vijandre’s set, and elegant pieces by Santiago closed the portion. Finally, the main show presented where Ong is now in her life and in her craft. In her first foray into fashion design, she collaborated with Savile Row-trained Milka Quinn to bring to the runway a collection of clothes and jewelry. Expectedly, Ong had many thoughts before she embarked on designing her first evening wear collection. “Clothing design is not something I have done, so at first I told myself that I have to be very realistic. The second thought was how I can make sure I do it well. And the next challenge was I didn’t want to just design clothes, I didn’t want to just design a separate collection of jewelry,” She said every thing must work together. “I didn’t want to just put a necklace on a gown or a bracelet on a dress.” With the help of Quinn’s expertise, Ong’s visions were translated into pieces that featured rich tones and wide array of fabric textures. The matriarchal-inspired fantasy narrative of Ong’s 24-piece collection displayed painstakingly applied beading, tailoring and pattern play. The jewelry and clothes complemented each other, just like how Ong envisioned them to be. “Each of the piece tells its own story, and each of them is a chapter of a larger story,” she shared.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2017

‘TATLONG BIBE’

R&B Queen Kyla channels her energy into writing songs as she prepares for a new album

nursery rhyme turned into movie

EGIS Films and Entertainment is proud to present its initial offering, Tatlong Bibe with the basic premise of giving love not only on Christmas day. The popular nursery rhyme Tatlong Bibe now a movie is a story about love and hope, and of giving, sharing, and forgiving. It stars Eddie Garcia, Rita Avila, Sharlene San Pedro, Victor Neri, Edgar Allan Guzman, Luis Alandy, Ronnie Lazaro, Dionisia Pacquiao, Anita Linda, JK Labajo, with the special participation of Angel Aquino. The movie features three rising child stars, Marco Masa (Nathaniel), Raikko Mateo (Honesto), with The Voice Kids ﬁrst grand winner Lyca Gairanod. Also in the cast are Perla Bautista, Nikki Valdez, Lou Velozo, Janna Trias, Dianne Medina, and Ernie Garcia. Regis Films intends to produce not only movies, but also concerts and events. Tatlong Bibe premieres on Feb. 13, at Cinema 9 SM Megamall. It opens March 1 in theaters nationwide.

Rising child stars Marco Masa, Lyca Gairanod, and Raikko Mateo

Comedic combination of family fun and workplace wackiness JANUARY is up for grabs - and laughs – as Sony Channel livens Standup comedian Jerrod Carmichael navigates through life with as ROFLing* Sundays presents new year. Enjoy a primetime his liberal girlfriend Maxine (Amber West), and his opinionated combination that raises comedy to a whole family - his admirable brother Bobby new level of fun and laughter with the (Lil Rey Howery) and his oldreturning season of the workplace comedy, fashioned parents, the outspoken Joe Superstore, and the brand new sitcom, The (David Alan Grier) and the deeply Carmichael Show. religious Cynthia (Loretta Devine). Superstore Season 2 Spirited conversations dominate their It’s back to work for the retail employees daily routine as they discuss social of Cloud 9 after their protest they thought issues of the day in humorous fashion. would paralyze the store’s operations. Each argument tests the ties that bind In the new season, things appear to get Jerrod’s relationships with his girlfriend better for Amy (America Ferrera), Jonah and family, and the values they learn (Ben Feldman), Dina (Lauren Ash), Garrett from every verbal tussle they get into. (Colton Dunn) Mateo (Nico Santos), In the end, they forgive and ﬁnd each Cheyenne (Nichole Bloom) and Glenn other in more heartwarming ways than (Mark McKinney). They return to their one. a workplaces and try to keep their acts together The Carmichael Show Seasons 1 & 2 as a team as they haggle through corporate 8 p.m. Sundays. politics, seasonal sales, lost and found items, Sony Channel is available on storage theft, another protest, and more. SKYCable Channel 35, Cignal Digital Superstore Season 2 airs at 7:30 p.m. TV Channel 120, Global Destiny Cable Sundays. The cast of American single-camera sitcom, "The Super- Channel 62, and Cable Link Channel The Carmichael Show Seasons 1 & 2 store" 39.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Wednesday, January 25, 2017

ACROSS 1 Seismic event 6 Druid, for one 10 Hurt all over 14 Lobbies for 15 Burma neighbor 16 Le Sage’s “Gil —” 17 Asimov of sci-fi 18 Drury Lane composer 19 Sudden shock 20 Having a piece of 22 Utter a sigh 23 Tinned meat 24 Rain gear 26 Hula strings 29 Lamb’s pen name 31 Toward the stern 32 Attila subject 33 Dispatch 34 Applied gold leaf 38 Bettor’s concern 40 Talk a lot 42 Olden times 43 Quieted 46 Rowdy crowds 49 — — few rounds 50 Prefix for an ear doctor 51 Bird-feeder

treat 52 9-digit ID 53 Border town 57 Frog step 59 Teen bane 60 Discoloring 65 Blend 66 Motor’s sound 67 “M*A*S*H” site 68 Major nuisance 69 Sorrel or bay 70 Pass, as a bill 71 Lath 72 Able to be verified 73 Cubicle fillers DOWN 1 Smart remark 2 Big Dipper bear 3 Culture dish goo 4 Romantic poet 5 Makes a getaway 6 Alleging 7 Hold down a job 8 Pines 9 Mao — -tung 10 Disconsolately 11 Billowing garment 12 Split in two 13 Organic compound 21 Curly-leafed veggie

22 Stereo (hyph.) 25 Hang back 26 “Oops!” (hyph.) 27 Spiral-horned antelope 28 Boundaries 30 First veep 35 Some boxers 36 Psyche’s suitor 37 Faculty honcho 39 Oughtn’t 41 French port 44 Coup d’— 45 Grandee’s title 47 Borscht veggie

48 Like some gamblers’ decks 53 Packs a pipe bowl 54 Just right 55 Actor Raul — 56 Dislike intensely 58 Make a call 61 Roast pig repast 62 S&L assets 63 Bottle top 64 Slangy pistols 66 PC monitor

KYLA’ S musical journey LIKE many music artists of her generation, Kyla also wants to be relevant and appeal to the millennials, now considered the biggest music consumers. Born Melanie Calumpad, with her distinctive voice, she arrived on the music scene with a bang. Her career took off in 2000 with OctoArts EMI Philippines and rose to prominence with the release of her second single “Hanggang Ngayon.” Due to the massive success of the single, it won the MTV Viewers’ Choice for Southeast Asia at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards. It made Kyla the ﬁrst East Asian female artist to win at the MTV Video Music Awards. The Philippine Association of the Record Industry (PARI) certiﬁed her debut album as platinum. “I can still remember my experience calling every radio station to request for that song. I did that personally because I didn’t have a name yet and people still didn’t know my music, too,” Kyla told Manila Standard in an exclusive interview after her performance at the launch of the newest branch of Blue Posts Boiling Crabs and Shrimps restaurant in Davao. “I would call RX, Magic and Wave and my opening spiel would be ‘Hi, this is Kyla, the singer, can I request for my song?’ Those were the days but I must admit, it’s worth it.” She added as well that she used to ride taxi cabs going to radio stations just to promote the single. It’s the same reason why she considers the song not just her most successful but also as her most memorable single she has ever released. The 34-year-old chanteuse revealed that she’s currently working on an album, which she plans to drop in the third quarter of the year. The new record will be her ninth studio album and

will be her first under Star Music. “We are planning to have all-OPM album but we received a contribution from an American composer. So, his two songs will be included in the album. I’ve already heard these tracks and I am very excited to share them with my fans,” Kyla said. Over years, the R&B artist has been pouring her energy writing songs. And with the new album, people will get to discover her mettle in conveying her emotions through the writing lyrics. She also believes that she’s mature enough to share valuable lessons in life she experienced herself. “Writing your own music is much different from just singing songs written by someone else. The emotions and the story behind the song are easier to interpret when you experienced it first hand,” the R&B queen shared. Also with the new album, Kyla wanted to create music that the younger audience can relate to. She is positive that with her new music label, she would be able to achieve this goal. “People associate me with my first hit. That’s the reason why I wanted to come up with another song that has the same appeal. With ABS (CBN) and Star Music, my audience became more diverse. The exposure became even bigger, too,” she shared. She explained that she’s able to reach a wider audience primarily because she’s now with a network that caters to a wider audience especially those based overseas. And this is one of the highlights of her 17th year in the business. “What I appreciate about the fans, when I transferred to Star Music, they were very supportive. I didn’t hear anyone from them that said it was a bad decision. I didn’t burn bridges and I’m still friends with everybody,” she concluded.

Isah V. Red, Editor Nickie Wang, Writer isahred@gmail.com WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2017

ISAH V. RED CNN Senior News Correspondent Ruth Cabal hosts "Newsroom in Filipino," the channel's newest program telecast in Filipino

INALLY, CNN Philippines has seen where it should be…in the Philippines…and be in the language of the country it has chosen to broadcast its staple of news items …Filipino.

The news channel is set to launch an addition to its roster of Newsroom programs with Newsroom in Filipino, anchored by Senior Correspondent Ruth Cabal. Newsroom in Filipino hopes to reach a wider audience on the latest news and information in the Philippines and around the world. “We hope to connect with more Filipinos—tell their stories and engage with them through Newsroom in Filipino. The additional news program is part of our overall strategy to make sure we are delivering the news as they happen,” says Armie JarinBennett, president of CNN Philippines / Nine Media Corporation. It is part of the network’s programming expansion in 2017 to provide stories that are relevant, timely, interesting and impactful to audiences in the country. Premiering on Jan. 30, it airs at 10 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. weekdays. Newsroom in Filipino takes the place of public service-oriented Serbisyo All Access, which will continue as a special segment within the news program. Cabal will take on the Tagalog news program as its lead anchor. The veteran journalist joined CNN Philippines in September 2016, with 17 years of media experience under her belt. CNN Philippines is seen on free TV Manila RPN – TV9, Cebu RPN – TV9, Davao RPN – TV 9, Zamboanga RPN – TV5, Baguio RPN – TV12, Bacolod RPN – TV8; Cable TV thru Sky Cable - Channel 14 (Metro Manila), Sky Cable – Channel 6 (Cebu, Davao, Bacolod, Iloilo and Baguio), Destiny Cable – Channel 14, Cablelink Channel 14, Cignal – Channel 10, Dream Cable- Channel 13. Connect and engage with CNN Philippines through web (cnnphilippines.com), Twitter (@cnnphilippines), Facebook (facebook.com/cnnphilippines) and Instagram (@cnnphilippines). *** It’s never too early for some jump scare experience especially if it’s with some of the most good-looking and promising young actors of today. VIVA Films proudly presents Ella Cruz, Bret Jackson, AJ Muhlach, Donnalyn Bartolome, Andrew Munlach, Rose Van Ginkel, Caleb Santos, Samantha Capulong, and Jack Reid in Darkroom, a documentary horror movie directed by Pedring Lopez (Nilalang, Binhi). In the tradition of Blair Witch Project and The Ring, the movie follows a group of teenage friends who seeks the thrill of ghost-hunting, and

CNN Philippines TO LAUNCH NEWS PROGRAM IN FILIPINO stumbles upon an old camera. As they carelessly play with it, they unknowingly summon the demon that exists inside. The demon possesses one of them, thus setting off a chain of horrific events that could turn fatal for everyone. Bret and Ella play Vin Flores and Maine Azores who are still in the early stage of a romantic relationship. Vin is a car enthusiast, while Maine is a bookworm and an introvert. She is known as the “Campus Crush,” which makes Vin proud to have her. Though Vin has the ability to lead the squad in any activity he wants to pursue, Mina Montero (RoseVan Ginkel) is his greatest influence when it comes to movies, A Mass Comm Film major, Mina makes it a point to attend every screening of indie films. Crushing on Mina since they were in high school is Yssah Jusay (Donnalyn Bartolome). She is the perkiest person in their squad, and has the ability to make things more fun even/

time she’s around. Another person who likes Mina is Josh (Caleb Santos), the audioman in the group. Mina has a younger brother named Mac, played by Jack Reid. Mac is a balikbayan, and is buddies with Franz, played by Andrew Muhlach. Another pair of sweethearts is that of Gail Brion and Kurt Tuazon (Samantha Capulong and AJ Muhlach) who have a band called “Game of Love”. She has issues over fashion. Everyone knows that she’s the one who courted Kurt, who happens to be the first boyfriend of Maine. Kurt is the leader of Game of Love. He is into body piercing but doesn’t want to have a tattoo. Around the campus, he is referred to as “Rakista” because of his usual get up, Darkroom also stars Lander Vera Perez and Abby Bautista. Watch these diverse yet interesting characters as they experience the most unexpected and terrifying events in their young lives. Darkroom opens in cinemas now. Don’t watch it alone. *** Six, the much-anticipated Navy SEAL drama on History, airs 10 p.m. Thursdays. The series depicts the personal and professional lives of the men of Navy SEAL Team Six, America’s elite special operations unit, as they embark on a dangerous mission to eliminate a Taliban leader in Afghanistan, which goes awry when they uncover a U.S. citizen working as a jihadist fighter with the terrorists. The eight-episode first season, inspired by real-life combat missions of Navy SEAL Team Six, the special forces unit famous for killing Osama bin Laden, authentically portrays the world of these brave and gallant men, how they react when faced with grave danger, how they cope with life-anddeath situations, and how they deal with their complicated personal lives. In the season premiere, team leader Richard “RIP” Taggart (Walton Goggins) makes a questionable decision while on a mission. Two years later, he is captured by the West African terrorist group, Boko Haram. Now, his former Seal Team Six brothers – led by Joe “Bear” Graves (Barry Sloan), Alex Caulder (Kyle Schmid), and Ricky “Buddha” Ortiz (Juan Pablo Raba) – have to do everything in their power to locate their former leader and attempt a daring rescue mission in the heart of enemy territory – before it’s too late. History® is available on Sky Cable Ch 67; Cable Link Ch 43; Dream Satellite Ch 30; Destiny Cable Ch 57; and Cignal Ch 125. HISTORY HD™ is available on Sky Cable Ch 165.

The cast and director of Viva Films' opening salvo, "Darkroom"

Female Solons host ‘Dirty Old Musical’

Leyte's ﬁrst district representative Yedda Marie Romualdez

MEMBERS of the Association of Women Legislators Foundation, Inc. (AWLFI), led by its President Congresswoman Linabelle Ruth Villarica (4th District, Bulacan), took time out of their busy schedule to watch the-run of the Dirty Old Musical (DOM) last Friday night at the Music Musem, featuring the stellar performances of veteran theatre actors John Arcilla, Nonie Buencamino, Carlo Orosa, Bo Cerrudo, and Robert Seña. The show was hosted by the AWLFI as its second in a series of fundraising efforts for the beneﬁt of the Mega Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Center in Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija. The ﬁrst one was a garage sale held in December at the House of Representatives

which sold pre-loved and pre-owned items donated by House Members. Sponsors of the beneﬁt show were San Miguel Corporation, Metrobank Foundation, Philippine Amusement Gaming Corporation, Deputy Speaker Raneo Abu, Majority Floor Leader Rodolfo Farinas, Rep. Yedda Marie Romualdez, Villarica Pawnshop, Halrey Construction Inc., M.S. Ramos Construction Inc., L.R. Tiqui Builders Inc., Philippine Electric Plant Owners Association, Engr. Ramiro Cruz, Earthwork Movers, Prime Construction, AARCON Builders, Triple 8 Construction, Azul Builders, St. Gerrard Construction, Frandel Construction, AKN Construction, WBX Construction Inc. and Ramy Construction.