Manila Standard - 2017 January 29 - Sunday

SPORTS/ C3

SITYODTONG WANTS ONE UNITED ASIA

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VOL. XXX • NO. 351 • 5 SECTIONS 20 PAGES • P18 • SUNDAY, JANUARY 29, 2017 • www.thestandard.com.ph • editorial@thestandard.com.ph

MILITARY PURSUES HURT ABU LEADER

By Francisco Tuyay

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BU Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon, who has been designated “amir of Southeast Asia” by the terror group Daesh, has been seriously wounded in military airstrikes in Butig, Lanao del Sur, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Saturday.

Lorenzana said Hapilon was “seriously wounded” in military air strikes on Wednesday and was being carried on a stretcher as they flee pursuing government troops.

“As of [Friday, Hapilon] is still being carried by four men in a makeshift stretcher moving northeast of Butig,” Lorenzana told AFP. “Troops are in hot pursuit supported by ground artillery and air support.”

Lorenzana added the military

offensive killed four of Hapilon’s companions including an Indonesian he identified only as “Mohisen.”

The 50-year-old Hapilon was indicted in Washington for his involvement in the 2001 kidnapping of Americans in the Philippines, and has a $5-million bounty on his head from the US government.

The Abu Sayyaf kidnapped American missionary couple Mar-

tin and Gracia Burnham and Peruvian-American tourist Guillermo Sobero from the Dos Palmas resort in Palawan. They were brought to Sulu, the Abu Sayyaf’s main stronghold in Mindanao.

The following year, Martin Burnham and Filipino nurse, Ediborah Yap were killed in a government rescue operation. Sobero was later beheaded and Gracia was able to escape.

Hapilon has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, or Daesh, which named him “amir for Southeast Asia,” according to a 2016 report by the Jakarta-based thinktank Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict.

“Southeast Asians in Syria have pledged their loyalty to him,” the report said.

Hapilon was based in Basilan but Lorenzana said this week that he had moved to Lanao del Sur in

a bid to establish an IS presence there and is “trying to rally” cooperation from the Maute group, another gang which had pledged allegiance to IS. On Friday, policemen arrested a sub-leader of the notorious Abu Sayyaf at his hiding place in Zamboanga City.

The suspect was identified as Faizal Jaafar, who was arrested by virtue of a warrant of arrest at around 12:30 p.m. by combined police and military operatives.

Jaafar is suspected to be involved in kidnapping and serious illegal detention (87 counts) in connection with the Sipadan kidnapping incident in 2001.

Military sources said Jaafar was being enticed by Hapilon to join him in Central Mindanao, particularly in Butig town in Lanao del Sur, where he had been hiding since December last year.

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WORLD / B4

TRUMP: NO VISAS FOR 7 MUSLIM COUNTRIES

GADGETS / D4

HUAWEI MATE 9: FAST IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT

MANHUNT UP VS JEE SLAY SUSPECT

By Francisco Tuyay

SECURITY OPERATION. Government troops secure the perimeter of Butig town in Lanao del Sur where top Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon was reported to have been injured after continuing military operations. Mark Navales

ARMS FOUND IN FUGITIVE MAYOR’S HIDEOUT AT LEAST seven supporters of fugitive Mayor Rasul Sangki of Ampatuan, Maguindanao were killed while five others were wounded in continuing police and military operations against the local official accused of narcotics trafficking.

Muslim Mindanao regional police director Chief Supt. Reuben Sindac reported the casualties a

day after combined security forces found on Friday an illegal cache of high-powered weapons and ammunition at Sangki’s hideout in mountainous Barangay Saniag in Ampatuan town.

Sindac said 12 unidentified government troopers were also wounded in the fight that sparked as security forces tried to serve a search warrant on Sangki, one

of the five Maguindanao mayors whom President Rodrigo Duterte accused of being involved in narcotics trafficking.

After Duterte made the accusation in August, Sangki surrendered to authorities but was later released after the authorities failed to establish evidence against him.

But on Friday, Sindac said law-

men were able to search Sangki’s residence under the watch of barangay officials and they found accessories of armalite rifles, three M60 barrels, and one for cal. 30 machine gun, bolts for M16 rifles, hand-held radios, cellphones, ammunitions for rifle grenade, 14 pieces links to cal. 50 machine gun and components of improvise explosive devices.

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'DIGONG WEALTH GOOD OMEN FOR PH'

By Joyce Pangco Pañares THE Year of the Fire Rooster will bring financial wealth to President Rodrigo Duterte and this will in turn translate into robust economic growth for the country, an international feng shui expert said on Saturday.

“The luck of the country usually depends on the luck of the sitting president,” feng shui expert

Marites Allen said during a Chinese New Year reception at the Marco Polo Ortigas. “And President Duterte’s wealth element has just started. It will mean good luck for the country’s economy.”

Allen, however, cautioned Duterte, born on March 28, 1945 in the Year of the Wood Rooster, against possible security concerns.

“This Year of the Rooster has twitter.com/ MlaStandard

yin metal. Metal would mean guns, knives, assassinations and killings. The President has to be extra careful about security and terrorist attacks,” she added.

Allen noted that previous years under the Rooster sign have not been auspicious to former world leaders.

“Former President Ramon Magsaysay died in a plane crash.

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RITE OF EXORCISM. A traditional Chinese lion and dragon dance is performed at the Marco Polo Ortigas after a reception for the first day of the Year of the Fire Rooster. Joyce Pañares

thestandard.com.ph

THE Philippine National Police ordered on Saturday a manhunt against Supt. Rafael Dumlao, who disobeyed the order of Director General Ronald dela Rosa and bolted restrictive custody over his alleged involvement in the kidnapping and murder of Korean executive Jee Ick Joo. Dela Rosa directed tracker teams to locate Dumlao who left Camp Crame while being investigated on his role in the death of Jee, who was strangled inside Camp Crame on the eve of Oct. 18, the same day he was supposedly abducted by a group of lawmen.

“I am concerned for his safety.

He may get killed if he does not show up and then we’ll be blamed for his death again,” Dela Rosa said.

“So be careful. Look for him. Find him and find him alive.”

Sr. Supt. Glenn Dumlao, chief of the PNP Annti-Kidnapping Group, said Rafael left the police headquarters without permission on Friday accompanied by Sr. Supt.

Benjamin Acorda, who was supposed to be “guardian.”

When pursuing policemen found him at his home in Antipolo City Friday evening, they tried to arrest him on the strength of an arrest warrant that was issued by the court before he was identified by another principal suspect in the case SPO3 Ricky Sta. Isabel.

But Rafael, who is also a lawyer, disputed the validity of the arrest warrant because it was under the name of an “alias Dumlao.”

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MILITARY...

NORTH MINDANAO UNDER ‘CODE RED’

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Last year, video footage posted on the internet showed Hapilon and his followers in Basilan declaring allegiance to IS. The military said Hapilon and other Abu Sayyaf groups are one with the Maute Group; Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, a faction of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front; Ansar al-Khilafa Philippines; and other rogue groups spun away from the MILF and the Moro National Liberation Front have been trying to merge into one coherent organization, the better to be recognized by Daesh as an affiliate.

Military and police intelligence said the group called Dawlatul Isaiah Waliyatul Masrik is shaping to be the umbrella organization of these terror groups.

“They have chosen Hapilon to be their ‘governor’ for the ‘wilayat’ or caliphate. That’s the drift of the information we are getting at this time,” a police intelligence officer said.

ARMS...

From A1

Also included were assorted parts of cal. 50 machine gun, 100 rounds of ammunition of cal. 40, other components and military uniforms.

Sindac said additional charges of illegal possession of weapons and ammunitions are being prepared against Sangki and three supporters who are allegedly harboring him.

The three supporters are commanders of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, a break-away group of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front which has signed a peace pact with the government.

The three were identified as Ameril Katingan, Esmael Ungkag alias Datu Jacob and Bert Guiamelon.

All pieces of evidence were brought to the Muslim Mindanao regional police office in PC Hill, Cotabato City.

Sindac said Sangki is believed to be hiding in satellite camps of the MILF in Barangay Saniag which is adjacent to Camp Busra, the main camp of the rebel movement. Francisco Tuyay

and the component city of Gingoog had been evacuated to safer grounds, provincial Gov. Yevgeny Vincente Emano said.

He said that the provincial social welfare and development had also prepared food packs and relief goods for the flood-stricken residents in Misamis Oriental.

In Cagayan de Oro City, the military has also deployed army personnel to assist the city’s disaster officials in the evacuation of residents and in the distribution of relief goods to flood victims.

So far, disaster officials in Misamis Oriental and Cagayan de Oro City reported no casualties but around 80,000 families have already sought emergency assistance.

Aside from Northern Mindanao, the weather bureau has also issued warning late Saturday for possible landslides and flashfloods in parts

By Francisco Tuyay

T

ENS of thousands of residents started to flee to higher ground Saturday as flood waters continued to rise due to torrential rains spawned by a low-pressure area in Northern Mindanao.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration raised “Code Red” in Northern Mindanao, including the hardest-hit province of Misamis Oriental and Cagayan de Oro City Saturday afternoon as heavy rains continuous to batter the region.

Pagasa official Luz Mercado based in Misamis Oriental said “Code Red” means that forced evacuation can be employed among residents along the river channels due to rising flood water.

Supt. Surki Serenas, spokesperson of the police regional command, said that about 1,000 police personnel from the regional police were deployed Saturday afternoon to augment the disaster officials.

He said that the police contingent and four six by six trucks were deployed in Misamis Oriental and the city to assist in the evacuation of flood victims and stranded residents.

In Misamis Oriental, more than 600 families in the town of Medina

of Eastern Visayas, the Caraga, Davao and the provinces of Bohol, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur and Lanao del Sur. At least 50 families remained trapped along the highway of Carmen, Davao del Norte, failing to move out due to high rising flood waters measuring shoulder-deep and still rising brought by weeklong rains.

Pagasa said the trough of a lowpressure area south of Mindanao and the tail-end of a cold front are bringing moderate to occasionally heavy rains accompanied by thunderstorms over parts of the Visayas and Mindanao.

Evacuees in jampacked temporary shelters are already suffering colds and other respiratory ailments due to chilling temperature brought by continuous rains, officials said.

'DIGONG...

From A1 US President Dwight Eisenhower suffered a stroke. And United Kingdom Prime Minister Anthony Eden resigned due to health reasons,” she said.

In particular, Allen said Duterte has to be cautious in March, which has yin Water Rabbit that is in total clash with the Year of the Fire Rooster.

For Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua, the Year of the Fire Rooster will bring “strength and fortune” not just to Duterte but to Philippines-China bilateral relations as well.

“The Year of the Rooster stands for diligence and perseverance, which are also fundamental characteristics of a successful person. Believe it or not, Dr. Jose Rizal, the Philippine national hero, was born in 1861, a Year of Rooster, and so was President Duterte in 1945,” Zhao said during the Chinese embassy’s lunar new year reception.

“In President Duterte, we all see a firm champion and wise builder who will carry forward the China-Philippines friendship and partnership,” he added.

MANHUNT...

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Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre concurred on Saturday that the police should first clarify to the issuing court the identity of the “alias Dumlao” in the warrant before serving it on Rafael.

“But if Col. Glenn Dumlao has incontrovertible evidence, they can service that and Rafael Dumlao cannot resist.

The best is to have clarify the warrant and have the judge issue another warrant against Rafael Dumlao,” Aguirre said.

Meanwhile, Aguirre said another suspect in the Jee killing was placed under protective custody on Saturday.

“I want to inform you that [the suspect known as] “Jerry” is already under the protective custody of the National Bureau of Investigation,” said Aguirre in a radio interview.

Sta. Isabel’s suspected cohorts SPO4 Roy Villegas and PO2 Christopher Baldovino had earlier said a certain “Jerry” who claimed to be an NBI agent was also involved in the operation to abduct Jee. Aguirre confirmed that “Jerry” is a confidential informant of the NBI and “he has many things to say. He will go to the Senate [hearing on Tuesday] if he gets a subpoena,” he said.

LIFE IN THE ISLANDS. Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol (4th from left) speaks with residents of Bunawan, Agusan del Sur to assure them of government assistance after heavy rains that caused widespread flooding in Mindanao, the latest of which is in Misamis Oriental in northern Mindanao. PNA

CDO TO HOST ASEAN MEETING IN JULY CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—The Association of Southeast Asian Nations will hold one of its key meetings in this port city in July this year.

In a post in the Asean website, the Asean council said that the meeting would be a runup leading to the 50th anniversary of Asean celebrations to be held in November in Clark.

The special meeting of the Asean Socio-Cultural Community Council would be part of the country’s responsibility in hosting the Asean for the whole year of 2017.

The Asean council is focused on nurturing the human, cultural and natural resources for sustained development in a harmonious and people-oriented Asean.

The council said that the Asean meeting would promote a culture of tolerance, understanding and mutual respect for religions and interfaith dialogue.

Various arts, film festivals, and heritage programs would also form part of the meeting as an introduction to the various cultures of the Asean member-states, the council said.

Along the way, special attention would be focused on the 20 Unesco-listed world cultural heritage sites, all found in Southeast Asia.

The council would also document more cultural sites for possible Unesco enlistment in the future, especially sites of historical importance that remind the people’s achievements through the ages. PNA

DRUG WAR MAY CAUSE ROGUE COPS ON RAMPAGE

By Ayee Macaraig

Lacson

PHILIPPINE police allegedly abducting, framing, extorting and murdering people have raised fears of rogue cops going on the rampage under the cover of President Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly drug war, critics and some of his supporters say.

Revelations last week a South Korean businessman was strangled to death inside the national police headquarters after being kidnapped by anti-drugs officers looking to extort money from his wife have led to multiple other scandals being uncovered.

They have fueled concerns that the police force, already widely perceived as one of the nation’s most corrupt institutions, cannot be trusted to prosecute Duterte’s drug war.

“It is hard for the all-out war on illegal drugs to succeed because we have a problem with members of the police

force taking advantage,” Senator Panfilo Lacson, an ex-national police chief and member of Duterte’s ruling coalition, said this week.

“They know the president is mad at drugs, very passionate and ordinary policemen are carried away hearing him say he has signed their pardon and they will believe that.”

Duterte has repeatedly promised to shield police from prosecution if they are charged with killing drug suspects as part of the crackdown, known locally as Tokhang.

Police have reported killing more than 2,500 people they have accused of being drug suspects, while nearly 4,000 others have died in unexplained circumstances.

Often bodies are left on streets with signs branding them drug addicts or traffickers.

The crackdown is fulfilling a campaign pledge that underpinned Duterte’s election win last year—that he would eradi-

cate drugs in society by killing tens of thousands of people.

As president he has expanded on that vow, saying he would be “happy to slaughter” three million drug addicts to save the Philippines from becoming a narco state.

His campaign has proved popular for many Filipinos hoping to see a quick solution to the intractable problem of crime.

But an admission by the national police chief last week that a South Korean businessman was murdered by members of his Anti-Illegal Drugs Group confirmed critics’ fears about rogue officers taking advantage of the drug war.

The businessman, Jee Ick Joo, was abducted from his home in October last year then brought to the national police headquarters where he was strangled to death in a car close to the police chief’s residence, according to an official investigation. AFP

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NO MORE WEEKDAY SALES IN MALLS —MMDA

By Joel E. Zurbano

ENDEMIC MAMMALS. Senators Cynthia A. Villar and Migz Zubiri lead the ribbon-cutting ceremony during the opening of a Senate photo exhibit entitled ’Mammals of Luzon Island: A Biographical Perspective on Evolution of Ecology and Conservation.’ As chairperson of the Senate committee on environment, Villar has been pushing for the protection of the country’s endangered species.

TOP SOLON SEEKS REPEAL OF AIDS PREVENTION ACT

By Maricel V. Cruz

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House leader has raised concern over the World Health Organization report that 70 million people have been infected with HIV since the beginning of the epidemic and about 35 million have died because of it.

House deputy speaker and AAMBIS-Owa Rep. Sharon Garin said there is a need for Congress to take a drastic action to address the problem.

Garin called for a repeal of Republic Act 8504 or the Philippine AIDS Prevention and Control Act that was passed in 1998.

Under RA 8504, minors are prohibited from accessing HIV

testing and other related services without written parental or guardian consent—a legal barrier Deputy Speaker Garin wants removed.

“While we do recognize the critical role of the parents in guiding their children based on how they think should be their children’s way as they tread the path of life, studies from experts and testimonials from health service providers continue

to show how vulnerable young people are to acquiring different sexually transmitted infections because of the influences that abound from the internet, peer pressure and insufficient ageappropriate information, education and communication materials,” said Garin.

Citing WHO data, Garin said the Philippines has now the fastestgrowing HIV epidemic in the world.

It is also alarming, he added, that a report from the Department of Health showed that a total of 758 new HIV cases were reported in the month of November 2016.

Garin said her measure also would seek the creation of the Philippine National AIDS Council.

“This agency, attached to the DoH,

will be the policy-making, planning, coordinating, and advisory body of the Philippine National HIV and AIDS program. This act aims to strengthen the Philippine comprehensive policy on HIV and AIDS prevention, treatment, care, and support,” Garin said.

She added the enactment of her bill will get rid of all barriers to HIV and AIDS-related services by eliminating the stigma that surrounds the epidemic and the people directly and indirectly affected by it.

“It is very clear that HIV in the Philippines is a ticking time bomb, and if appropriate measures are not taken soon, the Philippines will have a full-blown epidemic,” Garin said.

LAWMAKER PUSHES FARMING BILLS THE House of Representatives’ committee on food security has approved the creation of a technical working group that will consolidate various bills seeking to institutionalize urban farming.

During the hearing, Rep. Leo Rafael Cueva (2nd District, Negros Occidental), committee chairman, commended Reps. Estrellita Suansing (1st District, Nueva Ecija), Michael Odylon Romero (Party-list, 1-PACMAN), and Harlin Neil Abayon III (Party-list, AANGAT TAYO), authors of House Bills 2818, 4354, and 4422, respectively, for filing the measures that aim “to achieve self-sufficiency in food production and ensure social and economic access of our

people to available nutritious food in urban areas.”

Cueva said the bills are relevant and necessary since urban agriculture is a priority legislative agenda of the Department of Agriculture under the Duterte administration.

The bills define urban farming as “any act of farming in a city using land or the space of a building, including the roof of a building that is partially or completely covered with vegetation through the use of any growing medium such as pots, plots, and membranes.”

Rep. Jesulito Manalo (Party-list, ANGKLA) moved for the TWG creation after Suansing said the 16th Congress was unable to pass the proposal due

to lack of material time.

He said the progress of the bill in the 16th Congress is already an indication that all resource persons who were invited before agreed to the policy being proposed. Urban farming will encourage employment and help address health concerns, according to Manalo.

“The greening of Manila is so important simply because we are polluted. We are inhaling polluted air.

The medical board of the Department of Health said that 30 percent of our health problems are pulmonary. The greening will be a first step towards curing all these ills. For every day that we delay [action], we are causing health hazards for our-

selves,” he said.

Manalo, chairman of the committee on Globalization and World Trade Organization, further said the idle lands that will be designated to urban farming will be protected from informal dwellers and interlopers.

The bills will also promote key reforms for the development and promotion of modern, appropriate, cost-effective and environmentally safe agriculture technologies to address food security.

Manalo then moved, and was seconded by Rep. Christopher de Venecia (4th District, Pangasinan), for the creation of a TWG to consolidate the various urban farming bills. PNA

MAKATI CITY OPENS SUMMER YOUTH PROGRAM THE city government of Makati announced on Saturday that it would start accepting applicants for its summer youth program dubbed as Sports, Music, Arts and Recreational Training beginning Feb. 13.

Mayor Abigail Binay said the SMART program, which was founded by her brother and former mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay in 2002, offers various events aimed to develop and enhance the youths’ skills in their choice of sports or other fields of interest.

The program will run from April 3 to May 25, 2017 and will be spearheaded by the Office of the Youth and Sports Development Department (YSDD).

Mayor Binay encouraged the parents or guardians of children ages six to 21 years old in Makati City to enroll them under the SMART program.

“If they enroll early, children and

teenagers can choose from a wide range of events being offered under SMART and enjoy their school break while learning new skills or honing their talents,” she said.

Starting Feb. 13, the YSDD office will be open for the registration, screening and interview of SMART applicants from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Mondays to Fridays. Aside from the free registration, program participants will also receive free T-shirts.

The program offers academic tutorial for grades 1 to 6; aikido for 12 to 21 years old; arnis for nine to 15 years old; athletics for ages seven to 15; badminton for ages eight to 15; basketball for nine to 15 years old; chess for seven to 15 years old; classical ballet for ages six to 13; cooking and baking for ages 10 to 16; dance lessons for 12 to 21 years old; and drama/acting workshop for seven to 12 years old. Joel E. Zurbano

NEW CONTRACT. Television and movie actress Liza Soberano (2nd from left) and her talent manager Ogie Diaz (left) are all smiles after renewing Soberano’s contract as endorser for Mega Tuna in a brief ceremony held at Prime Hotel in Quezon City. Also in photo are Michelle Tiu, Mega Global VP for Finance (2nd from right) and Marvin Tiu Lim Chan, Mega Global VP for Sales and Marketing (right) for Mega Global Corp., the makers of Mega Tuna and other leading canned goods. Lino Santos

THERE will be no more weekday shopping mall sales for the entire year, the Metro Manila Development Authority announced on Saturday.

This was announced after MMDA officials held a consultative meeting with mall owners who agreed to the proposal to extend the implementation of the noweekday sales policy to further improve traffic in the metropolis, particularly along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue.

The shopping mall operators also agreed to deliver their goods at nighttime from 11 p.m .up to 5 a.m. the next day.

They also gave MMDA the go-signal to extend the implementation of the said policies, acknowledging that these measures helped ease traffic congestion within the vicinity of their establishments.

MMDA acting chairman Thomas Orbos said he is thankful for the support of the mall owners to the traffic decongesting measures of the agency.

“We invited them, the organization of shopping malls operators to thank them for the cooperation they did last Christmas and we asked them to support again our intention this year to help us once more.

This only shows that everybody wants to be part of the solution,” he said.

As agreed upon during the meeting, there shall be no conduct of sales and other crowd-drawing events during weekdays and deliveries shall only be from 11 p.m. until dawn.

“On both counts they agreed, which will be for the whole year. Effective Friday and that is a big challenge for them because that’s their business and they agreed. They are very thankful and we are thankful for the show of cooperation,” said Orbos.

Orbos pointed out that the noweekday sale of the shopping centers only pertains to mall-wide scale.

The MMDA invited mall operators to participate on traffic management within the vicinity of their malls as it is also for their best interest that traffic is well-managed in their areas.

DOTR, PPA LAUDED FOR UPGRADE OF ABRA PORT

A LADY lawmaker has lauded Department of Transportation and the Philippine Ports Authority for heeding the call to upgrade the Port of Abra de Ilog back to its previous status as a premier port.

Occidental Rep. Josephine RamirezSato said Occidental Mindoro needed the much-needed boost from the DOTr and the PPA through increased budget allocation to improve the province’s existing ports, such as the Port of Abra de Ilog.

“We do not want to be left behind by our neighboring provinces. We demand to be part of the inclusive growth our economic managers have been talking about,” Sato, a former governor of Occidental Mindoro, said.

The Port of Abra de Ilog is the gateway to Occidental Mindoro, Sato said.

Upgrading the port back to its previous status as Terminal Management Office means it will be included in the DOTr and PPA’s radar for various development programs and projects, she added.

Sato earlier appealed for better port facilities and services by reinstating the Port of Abra de Ilog’s previous status as Terminal Management Office.

She noted that the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Occidental Mindoro recently passed a resolution requesting the PPA to reverse an earlier move to degrade the Port of Abra de Ilog from TMO to a mere sub-port.

She said a PPA committee also proposed to revert the Port of Abra de Ilog to a TMO, citing various reasons, including support to tourism development, trade and commerce, and improved management of the port’s day-to-day operations.

PPA general manager Daniel Santiago had said the process is underway for the designation of the port as a TMO, according to Sato.

Sato said she is hopeful that the port will be fully restored as a TMO within the first quarter of the year.

“The designation of the Port of Abra de Ilog to a premier port means more personnel will be hired and facilities will be repaired and rehabilitated,” Sato said.

Maricel V. Cruz

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SUNDAY, JANUARY 29, 2017 Francis S. Lagniton, Issue Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

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PALACE RALLIES MISS U SUPPORT FOR MAXINE

By John Paolo Bencito

M

ALACAÑANG on Saturday urged Filipinos to support beauty queen Maxine Medina, who will represent the country in the 65th Miss Universe pageant’s coronation show on Monday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City starting at 8 a.m.

Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said Medina deserves all “morale boosts” Filipinos can give for her hard work in participating in the prestigious beauty tilt, which the Philippines is hosting for the first time since 1994.

The winner of the pageant will inherit the crown from the reigning Miss Universe, Pia Wurtzbach, who steps down after being the Philippines’ first titlist in

the beauty pageant in 43 years.

Medina hopes to be the fourth Filipina to win the event after Wurtzbach, Margie Moran in 1973 and Gloria Diaz in 1969.

“We convey our most heartfelt felicitations for all the Miss Universe candidates, and especially cheer and throw our support for the Ms. Philippines candidate, Maxine Medina, who deserves all the morale boosts she can get for working very hard

and giving her best in a competition that promotes goodwill and friendship among nations,” Abella said.

Medina, 26, was in top form as she attempts a back-to-back victory for the country in the event, twirling and strutting down the stage at the Mall of Asia Arena during the preliminary competitions last Thursday in an emerald long gown and a green-white striped swimsuit.

“As the country’s representative, Maxine is able to show the beauty, warmth, hope and dignity of the Filipino. We are truly proud of her,” Duterte’s spokesperson said.

Abella said the government is extending its “heartfelt felicitations” to Medina and for the rest of the 86 candidates, who came from their respective countries to Manila for the beauty tilt.

“We are also grateful for this experience of hosting the pageant, assured and confident that the 2016 Miss Universe experience has been joyful and memorable for all the candidates and our foreign guests,” Abella said.

“We invite them to come back and bring more of their friends to explore the various islands of the Philippines, ready to be astonished of the unexhausted beauty of each one, and willing to be moved in every way by the fervent spirit of the Filipino people, and so we say, ‘Mabuhay!’” Abella said.

American comedian Steve Harvey is hosting the pageant once again, a year after the memorable snafu in which he mistakenly announced Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez as the winner over Wurtzbach live on camera.

DOLE MAY STOP OFWS FROM GOING TO KUWAIT

By Vito Barcelo THE Department of Labor and Employment may temporarily suspend the deployment of Filipino household workers in Kuwait.

In a statement, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the planned suspension was meant to stop the rising abuses experienced by overseas Filipino workers, particularly female household workers.

“We are taking this call for a moratorium seriously. We will conduct consultations with our partners and other government agencies,” Bello said.

The labor chief is in Kuwait to check on another Filipino on death row, Elpidio Lano, who was meted the death sentence by the Kuwait Court of First Instance for killing a fellow Filipino, Nilo Macaranas, on June 17, 2014.

“We will make a decision on the proposed moratorium soon,” Bello said, adding there is an urgent need to curb unfortunate incidents befalling Filipino workers.

“Our OFWs leave the country with the promise of a better life for their families, unfortunately they are confronted with their worst nightmare in these countries,” he said.

Bello directed the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration to fasttrack the documents needed by the family of Jakatia Pawa, who was recently executed in Kuwait, for them to visit her grave in the Middle Eastern country.

“We will give them all the assistance they need, if and when the family decides to go to Kuwait,” Bello said, as Pawa’s family has yet to decide on leaving.

“We are just waiting for their reply on when they want to fly to Kuwait and to see the body of the executed household worker,” he said.

Bello has also instructed OWWA to expedite the financial and livelihood assistance to the Pawa family.

TRUMP TAPS FIL-AM AS US ASST PRESS SEC Maxine Medina performs in the swimsuit, national costume and long gown competitions in the 65th Miss Universe beauty pageant. Sonny Espiritu

OVER 9K ALIENS KEPT OUT IN 2016

SALUTE. President Rodrigo Duterte and 6th Infantry Division commander Brigadier Gen. Arnel dela Vega salutes a military honor guard Friday at the 6ID Headquarters in Maguindanao. Mark Navales

THE Bureau of Immigration barred more than 9,000 foreigners from entering the country in 2016 as part of the government’s efforts to strengthen border security and thwart the entry of undesirable aliens into the country.

Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said Saturday the number of aliens barred from entering the country last year totaled 9,738, 45 percent more than those who were turned away in 2015.

“That we were able to stop these unwanted aliens from entering our borders is proof of our continued vigilance in the discharge of our mandate as gatekeepers of the country,” the BI chief said.

Most of the excluded aliens were denied entry after being identified as likely to become “public charges,” Morente revealed.

In immigration parlance, a public charge refers to a foreigner who is likely to become primarily dependent on the government for subsistence due to his lack of capacity to support his stay in the country, making him an added burden to society.

A foreigner may also be refused admission if based on the immigration officer’s assessment his presence here is considered inimical to the national interest, or a threat to public health and safety.

According to Marc Red Mariñas, acting BI port operations division chief, those turned back also included aliens who are in the bureau’s blacklist of undesirable aliens such as fugitives, suspected terrorists, and convicted sex offenders.

Vito Barcelo

OMBUDSMAN DISMISSES TUGUEGARAO MAYOR ANEW

By Abe Almirol FOR the second time, the Ombudsman has ordered the dismissal of Mayor Jefferson Soriano of Tuguegarao City after it found him liable for grave misconduct and abuse of authority in connection with a parking terminal that he allowed to operate without the city council’s approval.

In a 16-page decision, a

copy of which was obtained by members of local online news media on Friday, the Ombudsman said Soriano gave “unwarranted benefit, advantage or preference” when he issued a provisional permit to One-Way Parking Terminal Inc. without a franchise that passed legislative approval.

Also implicated were the Tuguegarao City administrator and six city council members,

but only Soriano was ordered dismissed. The rest of those charged were cleared by the Ombudsman.

The complaint was filed by certain Sany Grace Bayangan, a secretary of a transport group operating in Tuguegarao.

In her complaint, Bayangan claimed that Soriano “harassed, oppressed and coerced” public utility van operators who refused to leave their

present terminals.

Sought for comment on the Ombudsman’s order, Soriano denied “giving favor” to the OWPTI. The mayor said he did not order those in the “illegal parking terminals” to move to the company’s facility.

“I only told them to move out from their terminals because they are not supposed to be there according to an ordinance. How can there be

unwarranted benefits there?”

Soriano said.

Soriano vowed to challenge the Ombudsman’s order, saying it is his “right under a democracy.”

In 2014, Soriano was ordered dismissed by the Ombudsman for “grave misconduct” but the Court of Appeals reduced the verdict to a threemonth suspension, saying the mayor only made a “simple misconduct.”

A FILIPINO-AMERICAN, who became one of the voices of the recent Republican electoral campaign among AsianAmericans in the United States, has been named by US President Donald Trump as Assistant Press Secretary.

Ninio Joseph Fetalvo, the son of Filipino immigrants from Camarines Sur who was born and raised in Southwest Florida, will assist US Press Secretary Sean Spicer at the White House.

Fetalvo, 23, served as deputy director of media affairs for the 2016 Republican National Committee and Florida communications director for the “Grand Old Party” prior to his appointment to the Trump administration.

His duties will include several “issue” portfolios—healthcare, education, transportation and veterans affairs, an RNC statement said.

Fetalvo earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Communications from George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs. He landed his internship with the Republican Party there.

During the Trump campaign, Fetalvo “ensured the conservative message gets across—and is understood—by the Asian community,” the Republican Party said.

As a Filipino-American, his mission is to “improve the engagement” of his community in the political process, the statement added. John Paolo Bencito

Fetalvo

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Opinion

Adelle Chua, Editor Joyce Pangco Pañares, Issue Editor

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

EDITORIAL

POP GOES THE WORLD JENNY ORTUOSTE

PILIPINX POETRY ABOUT ’PUNYETANG’ POLITICS

PROPORTION

I

T’S a good thing the Palace shot down a Quezon City lawmaker’s proposal to declare tomorrow, January 30, a holiday so that Filipinos can stay home and watch the Miss Universe pageant from the comfort of their living room.

People will probably be watching from anywhere they are because these days you don’t need to be seated in front of your television set at home to see anything, real-time. You can be at your office, in school, in a moving vehicle— anywhere.

But that is not even the point. Rep. Winston Castelo’s proposal betrays a misplaced sense of what is important and what should be secondary.

We do not dispute that the holding of the pageant here brings us some cheer. This

is sorely needed—at a time when we can no longer trust those who are mandated to protect us, and when it appears human life is a commodity with a value that varies depending on where one is on the social ladder.

The pageant may also do something to convince the rest of the world that terror threats and killings notwithstanding, the Philippines remains a country worth visiting.

But calling off work and school for the occasion is, at best, silly. Think of the lessons to be missed and productive work to be foregone—and for what?

Then again, Castelo may just be taking a cue from his President who famously said he did not want his day to end when he was visited last week by the dozens of attractive women vying for the title.

The same President also said he was envious of the just-inaugurated US President because the latter was a billionaire and had a statuesque woman for a wife.

This obsession with pageants is understandable but must be tempered with proportion. When the winners are announced and when the candidates return to their respective homes, what we would be left with are the same ugly realities that we sought to forget for a while in our zeal to surround ourselves with beauty.

NORTHERN California-based poet and editor Eileen Tabios has released a spunky collection of verses that add to the literature of the Philippine diaspora.

Titled “Puñeta: Political Pilipinx Poetry,” the 36-page chapbook gathers poems written by 16 USbased Filipinos about politics, race, identity, homeland, and other issues that concern immigrants and those born in the US of Philippine heritage.

Thanks to Eileen for using my artwork “Salitang Makulay: Puñeta” as the cover illustration for this book.

The artwork was an embroidered piece I created for the Chromatext Rebooted art show that ran from Nov. 6, 2015 to Jan. 15, 2016 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. The show, curated by Krip Yuson and Jean Marie Syjuco for the Philippine Literary Arts Council, featured the works of around 120 writers and artists.

Eileen acquired my work immediately upon seeing it from a photo Krip posted on Facebook, and I am moved that she liked it enough to live with it, and now to use it as the cover of this anthology. Some of the poets whose works are in this book even want the design on t-shirts to wear to this year’s Association of Writers and Writing Programs event!

Now that would be something interesting to see.

From the poems in the collection, here’s Michelle Bautista’s “Flow.” It starts: “Hear playful moon in this sacred space. Our afflictions, its laughter of paradise, fire jutting out of a deep pulse. Crafted warriors, sliding, struck upon fire and water, earth and air. Hear guardians in corners split heavy hollow resonance.

Touch earth and air. Red bamboo above flows…” It seems to me more a song, a mood piece with a narrative open to the reader’s interpretation.

Jose Padua’s “Headhunters” tells of a “man in a barrel” wood carving from the Philippine highlands that he had in his home as a child. It’s a poem about negotiating one’s identity—of growing up Filipino in the US, and handling interactions with the country’s privileged race: “…we’re looking at you, we’re paying attention to your moves, your strange exotic speech and your skin / a color you can only see in our teeth and our eyes when we look / at you and smile.

We’re nice and kind and polite and we like / to cook and entertain, but cross us and there’s no way for you / to know if it’s daytime or nighttime or heaven or hell and time for us to start collecting heads again.”

In truth, this awareness of racism is a common feeling among Filipinos in the US, particularly for immigrants with their different accents, gestures, and other traits that set them apart as “not from around here,” “not one of us .”

Why “Pilipinx”? This is a spin-off from the term “Latinx” (pronounced “lateen-ex”), which refers to people from

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ismit 01-29-17

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TROPHIES LONG STORY SHORT ADELLE CHUA

THE Internet is abuzz with comparisons of how Barack and Michelle Obama behave differently from their successors Donald and Melania Trump.

Whereas the Obamas appear to genuinely enjoy each other’s company and treat each other with respect and

trust—that, or they are such great actors—the first images of the current US President and First Lady point to anything but a loving, respectful relationship between husband and wife.

Social media point to body language, using clips and GIFs to show the not-

so-subtle clues.

For example, when the Trumps came to the White House to meet the Obamas, Mr. Trump got out of the car and proceeded to the shake hands with them, leaving his wife to get out on her side of the car, walk around the back of it and then ascend the steps on

her own.

By the time she got to the top of the step, her husband was already on his way into the building. Both Obamas then welcomed her and put their hands on her back as if to prop her up.

Mrs. Trump handed Mrs. Obama a Turn to B2

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PUTIN HAS A CONSTITUTION TO SELL SYRIA

CAN TRUMP WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE?

By Leonid Bershidsky RUSSIA, a country not known for strict constitutionalism, has offered

Syria’s warring sides a draft constitution that will probably get rejected. But the document sheds light on Russia’s goals in the war-torn Middle Eastern nation.

Russia presented the draft constitution to the Syrians last week, at the peace talks it co-sponsored with Turkey in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan. The immediate reaction from the opponents of President Bashar Al-Assad was not encouraging: They pointed out to the Russians that, after US administrator Paul Bremer’s less-than-stellar tenure in Iraq, Syrians wouldn’t put much stock in foreign attempts to lay down the law for them. But Moscow says it doesn’t want the belligerents to accept its proposals wholesale: All it’s doing, according to Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, is offering a basis for discussion.

“We are convinced by the experience of the last five years that unless specific proposals are put on the table, we may never start specific work,” Lavrov said.

That sounds reasonable, but it’s also a well-tested Russian tactic in freezing— rather than resolving—conflicts in wartorn countries.

In May 2015, the pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine presented their proposals on Ukrainian legislation that, in their view, could bring about the country’s reunification.

They demanded self-government, the right to maintain an armed “people’s militia,” permission to maintain close ties with Russia, and a constitutional amendment that would keep Ukraine neutral, precluding its membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

The amendments did not seem to be the work of eastern Ukraine’s “people’s republics,” which are ostensibly run by local thugs; they clearly came from Moscow. The Kremlin’s plan was for Kiev to reject the proposals so the outside world would conclude that it, not Moscow, was the problem.

That was indeed what happened, allowing Russian President Vladimir Putin to claim to Western leaders and anyone else who would listen that Kiev wouldn’t compromise to end the war.

No one in the West publicly agreed with that, but US and European officials have pressured Ukrainians in private meetings to show more flexibility.

As for the stalled conflict, it continued to undermine Ukraine’s stability at a negligible cost to Russia. To Putin, the straightest path to a more controllable, obedient Ukraine was one of attrition.

The Syrian rebels probably didn’t have the time to follow the Ukraine crisis, and to them, any proposals coming from Moscow are tainted and suspect. An out-of-hand rejection, however, puts them in a Ukraine-style situation. Despite Moscow’s claims that it wants final resolution, it may be satisfied with a trademark frozen conflict, in which Russia more or less runs the part of the country that remains under Assad’s rule and Turkey does the best it can with the rebel-held part, taking on the burden of fighting the Islamic State on the ground with occasional Russian support when it’s in Moscow’s interest. That would give Putin a much-needed bargaining chip with President Donald Trump, who hopes Russia will help the US end threats from IS and other terrorists.

Though such an overarching goal would have little to do with the content of the Russian-drafted constitution, the document itself is also noteworthy because it paints the ideal Syria as seen from Moscow. Bloomberg

TROPHIES

From A1

box, a present, and the latter did not seem to know what to do with it. She was frowning, but now it is being interpreted as a frown upon seeing another woman treated the way the former was treated.

When Mrs. Trump walked to the platform of the Capitol just before the swearing in and took her place next to her husband, he merely looked at her.

They did not speak to each other. In contrast, Barack Obama took Michelle’s hand and kissed it.

During the inaugural dance, it was as if Melania was pulling her body away from her husband’s. She smiled when he looked her way but descended into a frown when he was not facing her.

All this is speculation, of course, but if we go by the context offered by these images, it would appear that the woman is repulsed and disgusted by her husband. *** There is a rather patronizing article

British Prime Minister Theresa May and US President Donald Trump meet beside a bust of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in the Oval Office of the White House on Jan. 27, 2017 in Washington, D.C. AFP

By Bloomberg Editorial Board to arise as the Brexit talks adventure in Iraq wrecked Blair’s a benefit nonetheless. Since WITH Britain poised to quit the European Union, Prime Minister Theresa May needs all the friends she can get. That helps explain her visit Friday to the White House, President Donald Trump’s first from a foreign head of state.

The question is, what’s in it for him?

Like so much else in the Trump era, this rapprochement is both unpredictable and, especially for the UK, hazardous. But if the President is so inclined, he could use a productive relationship with the Prime Minister to show that he can cooperate as well as confront.

May’s main purpose is to show that Britain can succeed internationally without being part of the EU. Frictions over trade with Europe are sure

move forward. Closer trade relations with the US, ideally in the form of a new free-trade agreement, would be valuable in themselves but would also show that quitting the EU can be the start of new era of global engagement for the UK. From Britain’s point of view, moreover, a close friendship with the US comes naturally. Culturally and historically, the UK is as much a mid-Atlantic country as part of Europe. British prime ministers have long cultivated close ties with the US. Yet this “special relationship” (as the Brits like to call it) hasn’t always redounded to their benefit. Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher got on famously well, but Tony Blair’s incautious and unqualified support for George W. Bush’s

PILIPINX...

From A1

countries colonized by Romance-language speaking countries Spain and Portugal.

Pilipinx/Filipinx (they are interchangeable) is a gender-neutral (and all-gender-encompassing) alternative to F/Pilipino/a.

However, usage of the term here in the US, as I’ve noticed, sticks with ‘P’ to decolonize the term, because, the reasoning goes, ‘F’ was not, as far as it is known, a phonic (letter sound) in the pre-colonial language.

To clarify, Pilipinx refers to ethnicity, not race. In the US, Filipinos and Indonesians are both classified as Asians or belonging to the Asian race, but Filipinos are not Indonesian.

I’d like to see the “x” adapted for other at The Huffington Post called ‘Melania, Are You Okay?’ It was written in the second person, directly addressing the first lady, asking her questions about how she must be feeling and what thoughts she might be having as the spectacle of her husband’s presidency has begun.

During the campaign, Americans and the rest of the world saw the way Mr. Trump regarded women. He was quite the character, really. He was given to calling women names like “fatty,” or saying they were “nasty.”

He reportedly groped or assaulted women—and then bragged about how they just allowed him to do that given his stature. Mrs. Trump later on came to her husband’s defense, saying this was no longer the man she knew now, and that what he uttered was simply locker-room talk. You know how boys can be, she seemed to say in an interview.

She was not convincing. *** A trophy is something you’d like to be seen with to increase people’s

reputation. Trump’s recklessness poses great political risks for May. Her speech in Philadelphia on Thursday showed she’s aware.

Praising the US, she talked about the responsibilities of global leadership and the need to defend liberty and human rights, traditional themes that aren’t exactly Trumpian. Making “America First” consistent with an enlightened conception of global leadership isn’t high on Trump’s list of priorities, and it’s hard to imagine that he’ll be open to persuasion. May will therefore need to keep a judicious distance.

Nonetheless there’s a chance that a continuation of the special relationship could help both nations. A US-UK trade deal would offer a smaller benefit for the US than for Britain, but

similar ethnic terms to render them genderneutral and thus more inclusive and less divisive. Perhaps we might say, “Ilocanx”, “Kinarayx”. Words such as “Igorot” and “Ifugao” are gender-neutral and would not require such modification.

Such a practice could be seen as a form of political correctness. In this era of Trump, political correctness is coming under attack from conservatives, and certainly exaggerated manifestations of it are humorless, irritating, and abusive.

But political correctness was developed for a reason—to minimize offense and offensiveness based on race, creed, abilities, and other differences that do not minimize nor take away from our common shared humanity, and to reduce the need for defense and defensiveness against bigots, racists,

When you’re a billionaire and your wife is beautiful... regard of you. Believe it or not, it’s 2017 and there remain societies, families and individuals who believe they must get themselves “trophy wives” to boost their stock and to prove they have really come a long way.

A “trophy wife” is beautiful, fairly educated, docile, beautiful, devoted, always smiling, and beautiful. She is always ready to stand by her man however much of a fool he shows himself to be. She makes allowances for his shortcomings, even boorish behavior, because he is so important, and busy, and in need of her understanding. If they have kids, she is most likely an “ideal mom” as well— aware of and involved in her children’s activities in school and outside it. Her family is her life.

the countries’ bilateral trade in goods and services is roughly balanced, and since Britain’s exporters aren’t cheating (as Trump might see it) by exploiting cheap labor, this could be the kind of good deal the President claims to favor.

In other areas, too, the Brits have something to offer. Defense cooperation is already close, and May echoed Trump in saying that Europe’s other governments should keep their promise to spend two percent of gross domestic product on defense.

Intelligence-sharing is another area of mutual benefit.

On these and other matters, May might even be able to help Trump realize a truth (if not a fact) that he seems to resist: The US has a lot to gain from its friendships and alliances.

sexists, and others who hurt those who are not holders of the same type of privileges they possess, often through an accident of birth and no merit of their own.

Using the “x” to defang insensitive terms would help shift society to a mindset of acceptance, harmony, and community, because language influences thinking. Words have power.

And the words in “Puñeta: Political Pilipinx Poetry” are powerful and empowering.

(Available as an e-book or print-on-demand copy at www.moriapoetry.com/locofo.html and www.lulu.com.)

Dr. Ortuoste is a California-based writer.

Follow her on Facebook: Jenny Ortuoste, Twitter: @jennyortuoste, Instagram: @ jensdecember

But she has time to pamper herself, too. She can shop for whatever she wants. She goes to the gym and sees her friends for brunch or coffee regularly. She goes on date nights with the husband and sometimes hosts gatherings for their friends or his colleagues.

Isn’t her man just enviable?

For instance, some people imagine Mr. Trump must be in heaven— because he is a billionaire and his wife is so beautiful. *** Truth is, there is neither genuine pride nor happiness to be derived from trophies.

The trophy possessor will be revealed as unhappy and superficial.

You don’t really need to bother how people regard you—and happiness is not found in what you acquire, anyway. It is what you already have within.

You can work hard and achieve esteem from your colleagues, provide material comforts to your family and

get yourself a beautiful, agreeable life partner so you can be the talk and envy of all your friends. But these are just appearances.

As for the “trophy”—well there must be no trophy to begin with. One person does not and should not own or be under another. Partnership is being able to be yourself and freely express your thoughts. It is being respected as an equal, not somebody to be possessed or controlled or dictated upon. It is to be genuinely cared for—not just when you suit their purposes. And, of course, you do the same.

We started with Melania Trump but this is about the millions of women and girls who may be seen for less than who they actually are by a society that still says the “essence of a woman” (since it’s pageant season) is to serve their men, make them happy and affirm their success.

Nobody needs trophies. Refuse to be one, and vehemently. adellechua@gmail.com

World BANGLADESH RAIL HERO DIES SAVING A MOTHER AND DAUGHTER DHAKA—A Bangladesh railway employee was hit and killed by a train after saving a mother and daughter from being run over, an official said Saturday.

Railroad maintenance worker Badal Mia, 58, was on duty in the capital Dhaka on Friday when he noticed a woman and five-year-old girl trying to cross the track as an inter-city train approached them at full speed, divisional railway manager Arif-uz Zaman said.

“Mia jumped and pushed them away from the track. He managed to save both of them. But he was run over by the train as he tried to jump away from the track,” Zaman told AFP. “He died on the spot. It’s shocking for us to lose a colleague like this but Mia has set an example of gallantry and true heroism,” he said.

The father of eight was only a few months away from his retirement, local media reported.

Fatal railway accidents are common in the south Asian country where some 40 percent of around 2,500 rail crossings are unmanned.

In the last six years, at least 152 people were killed in railway accidents, official figures show. AFP

FIVE INDIAN SOLDIERS TRAPPED UNDER SNOW SRINAGAR, India—Five Indian soldiers were trapped under heavy snow in Kashmir on Saturday just days after another 20 people were killed by avalanches in the disputed territory, a military spokesman said.

The soldiers were approaching a border post in Machil, northwest of the main city of Srinagar along the Line of Control that divides the territory with Pakistan, when the track they were following caved in, Col. Rajesh Kalia told AFP. “Rescue operations to retrieve the trapped soldiers is going on,” the army spokesman said.

Another 15 Indian soldiers died when a patrol and two camps were hit by avalanches in the north of the territory, that is also claimed by Pakistan, on Wednesday.

It took rescuers two days to retrieve their bodies from under tons of snow.

Five civilians were also killed this week, including four members of a family when an avalanche ripped through their home as they slept. A lone survivor was rescued.

Dozens of Indian and Pakistani soldiers lose their lives due to avalanches almost every winter along the LoC. Indian-administered Kashmir has been witnessing one of the most severe winters in recent decades, with heavy snow across the territory and temperatures dropping to minus seven degrees Celsius (19 degrees Fahrenheit).

Authorities have issued avalanche warnings and advised residents in mountainous areas not to venture out.

Police last week evacuated 80 villagers from Waltengoo Nar in the south of the territory where dozens were killed after a series of avalanches hit the area in 2005. AFP

SOYUZ ROCKET PLACES SPANISH SATELLITE INTO SPACE CAYENNE, France—A Russian-built Soyuz rocket blasted off from French Guiana and successfully placed into orbit a Spanish telecommunications satellite, the French launch company Arianespace said.

It said the rocket took off from the Guiana Space Center Saturday aftenoon).

The Hispasat 36W-1 satellite that was placed into geostationary orbit is the first to be built using Europe’s new SmallGEO platform developed by Germany’s OHB System AG under the European Space Agency’s Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems programme, Arianespace said.

It “will provide a wide range of communications services for continental Europe, the Canary Islands and South America.”

It was the first launch of the year by Arianespace, which plans a total of 12 throughout 2017. AFP

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SUNDAY, JANUARY 29, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

FEARS GROW OVER JIHADIST CYBER THREAT L

ille, France—Jihadists have yet to shut down a power grid, paralyse a transport network or banking system or take over a key industrial site from afar, but experts say the threat of such a cyber attack should be taken seriously.

Analysts fear that while extremist groups may not have the necessary skills themselves, they could hire someone else to wreak havoc.

“Digital attacks with major impacts are unlikely in the short term,” said Guillaume Poupard, head of France’s digital security service ANSSI, speaking to AFP at an international cyber security conference in Lille, France.

“However, that could change very fast. Our real fear, and we may already be there, is that they will use mercenaries, people who

will do anything for money,” Poupard said.

The Islamic State group, Al-Qaeda and other jihadist groups are so far using the internet mainly for propaganda and recruitment purposes.

“The skills are complex, though not at the level of a nuclear weapon,” Poupard said. “With a few dozen people, a little money, but not that much, you can be effective.”

Earlier this month, Europol director Rob Wainwright also warned of the use of digital mer-

cenaries by jihadist groups at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

“Even if they don’t have access to the capabilities, they can simply buy it on the darknet (a hidden internet realm of encrypted websites), where there is an enormous trade in cyber criminal technology,” Wainwright said at a panel discussion on “Terrorism in the Digital Age.” “That said, attacking the critical national infrastructures at least of most countries is... not easily done, and it’s something that is not as immediate and showy as firing automatic weapons in a theater or in public,” he added.

Data pirates and cyber criminals from several countries, often linked to organized crime, offer their services on the darknet.

Given the anonymity of the sites, some may help jihadists without

realizing it.

“In fact, that’s our fear,” Poupard said. “It’s no so much that IS can quickly develop cyberattacks but that they will be able to go through intermediaries.”

Speaking in Davos, retired Pakistani general Raheel Sharif said cyber terrorism is a real threat. “As technology improves, the possibility exists that someone can hack into a very sophisticated system and control that resource in such a way as to do maximum damage somewhere.”

Most developed countries are steadily boosting their defenses against the cyber threat, be it terrorism, crime or espionage.

“Terrorist groups that currently use the internet for planning, propaganda and recruitment purposes could become full players in the cyber arena,” French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said. AFP

ROUGH RIDER. Jess Lockwood competes in the PRB Frontier Communications Sacramento Clash at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. AFP

US ‘RESISTANCE’ MOVEMENT COALESCES ON TWITTER

FOREST INFERNO. Chilean soldiers patrol the streets of Llico, 250 km south of Santiago during a forest fire. Raging forest fires in central Chile have killed 11 people, displaced thousands and destroyed entire villages. AFP

WASHINGTON—A social media “resistance” movement is taking shape against the Trump administration, inspired by the new president’s efforts to control information.

It began after the deletion of tweets and data from official US accounts and websites which proved embarrassing to the new president, including government reports on climate change, which have been challenged by President Donald Trump.

Some took to Twitter with “alternative” handles – claiming to be federal employees exercising their free speech rights – and he resistance mushroomed into a movement.

The seeds of rebellion were first planted by the National Park Service, which came under fire from the new administration for its photos comparing crowd size at Trump’s inauguration to the event eight years earlier with Barack Obama.

After those tweets were deleted, tweets from one national park’s account – which according to some reports came from a former employee – offered

links to climate change studies, and when those were removed, a new @AltNatParkSer sprung up and amassed 1.2 million followers in a matter of days.

The account is described as “The Unofficial #Resistance team of US National Park Service.”

“We don’t want any trouble. We just want to keep peer-reviewed ‘factually accurate’ climate science flowing out of US institutions,” the group said in one of its first tweets.

Over the next few days, dozens of “rogue” or “alt” Twitter accounts emerged, including @RogueNOAA (for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), @RogueNASA (for the space agency) and @alt_fda for the Food and Drug Administration.

Another account called AltEPA (@ActualEPAFacts), with more than 150,000 followers, aims to offer data which might be suppressed by the Environmental Protection Agency.

“He can take our official Twitter but he’ll never take our FREEDOM,” the account says. AFP

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SUNDAY, JANUARY 29, 2017 Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor

World

/ Joyce Pangco-Pañares, Issue Editor

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

CHINA QUESTIONS EU’S NEW STEEL TAXES

GOOD LUCK. An Ethnic Malaysian-Chinese devotee burns joss-sticks at the Thean Hou temple decorated with red lanterns in Kuala Lumpur on the eve of the Lunar New Year, marking the start of the Year of the Rooster. AFP

TRUMP: NO VISAS FOR 7 MUSLIM COUNTRIES W

ASHINGTON—US President Donald Trump signed a sweeping new executive order to suspend refugee arrivals and impose tough new controls on travelers from seven Muslim countries.

DRESSED TO KILT. Miss World 2016 Lucy Kerr walks the runway during a fashion show in New York City. AFP

Making good on one of his most controversial campaign promises, and to the horror of human rights groups, Trump said he was making America safe from “radical Islamic terrorists.”

“This is big stuff,” he declared at the Pentagon, after signing an order entitled: “Protection of the nation from foreign terrorist entry into the United States.”

Trump’s decree suspends the entire US refugee resettlement program for at least 120 days while tough new vetting rules are established.

These new protocols will “ensure that those approved for refugee admission do not pose a threat to the security and welfare of the United States.”

In addition, it specifically bars Syrian refugees from the United States indefinitely, or until the President himself decides that they no longer pose a threat.

Meanwhile, no visas will be issued for 90 days to migrants or visitors from seven mainly-Muslim countries: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

During the suspensions of the refugee and visa programs, new rules will be devised for what Trump as called the “extreme vetting” of applicants’ backgrounds.

Some exceptions will be made for members of “religious minorities,” which – in the countries targeted by the decree – would imply favorable treatment for Christians.

Civil liberties groups and many counterterror experts condemned the measures, declaring it inhumane to lump the victims of conflict in with the extremists who threaten them. “’Extreme vetting’ is just a euphemism for discriminating against Muslims,” said Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Romero argued that, by choosing countries with Muslim majorities for tougher treatment, Trump’s order breaches the US Constitution’s ban on religious discrimination.

Ahmed Rehab, director of the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said his group would mount legal challenges to fight the order “tooth and nail.”

Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani activist and Nobel peace laureate who was shot in the head by the Taliban in 2012, said she was “heartbroken.”

She urged Trump not to abandon the world’s “most defenseless children and families.” AFP

US, MEXICAN LEADERS DISCUSS PROPOSED WALL MEXICO CITY—Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto and US President Donald Trump sought to tone down diplomatic tensions over the Republican’s planned border wall, agreeing to seek a resolution to the thorny dispute.

One day after the spat boiled over, with Peña Nieto cancelling a trip to Washington next week in response to Trump’s insistence that Mexico pay for the barrier, the two leaders held an hour-long phone conversation.

Trump described the talks as “very friendly” while the two governments issued a nearly similar statement saying it was “constructive and productive.”

The discussion capped a week that saw relations between the neighboring nations plunge into the biggest diplomatic crisis in decades as Peña Nieto vowed that Mexico will never pay for the border barrier.

While Trump and Peña Nieto “recognized their clear and very public differences” about who should pay for the wall, they agreed to “resolve these differences as part of a comprehensive discussion on all aspects of the bilateral relation,” the statement said.

But the Mexican government’s version of the statement included a line missing from the White House text: “The

presidents also agreed for now to no longer speak publicly about this controversial issue.”

Trump and Peña Nieto spoke about the US trade deficit with Mexico, “the importance of the friendship between our nations” and the need for the neighbors to work together to curb drug and weapons trafficking, the statement said.

The presidents instructed their teams to continue the dialogue, but there was no indication that they would reschedule their own meeting any time soon.

Speaking at a press conference during talks with British Prime Minister Theresa May in Washington, Trump said he had a

“very good relationship” with Peña Nieto.

The US leader said he looked forward to renegotiating trade deals and other aspects of US relations with Mexico.

“As you know, Mexico with the United States has outnegotiated us and beat us to a pulp through our past leaders.

They’ve made us look foolish,” he said, noting that the US has a $60 billion trade deficit with Mexico.

Trump wants to renegotiate the 23-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada.

Both Trump and Mexican officials have threatened to pull out of the pact if they fail to get a good deal. AFP

BEIJING—Beijing has accused the European Union of “protectionist” behaviour after Brussels imposed anti-dumping duties on Chinese steel products, as it seeks to protect struggling steel makers in Europe.

The EU Commission said it would impose taxes of between 30.7 percent and 64.9 percent on certain Chinese steel products, which it says are being sold at a loss in Europe.

The measure, which also applies to Taiwan, is part of an EU push against China – which makes more than half the world’s steel – for allegedly flooding global markets in violation of international trade agreements.

But China’s commerce ministry said the EU move was in breach of World Trade Organization rules and vowed to “take necessary measures to defend the fair rights” of Chinese companies.

“Imprudently taking protectionist measures is just another attack on international trade,” a ministry official said Friday in a statement.

The targeted products are used to join steel pipes and tubes, and are commonly used in industries such as food processing and shipbuilding as well as energy and construction. AFP

VETERAN BRITISH ACTOR JOHN HURT DIES AT 77

John Hurt played Mr. Ollivander in ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.’

LONDON—Oscar-nominated British actor John Hurt, known for his roles in “Elephant Man” and “Harry Potter,” has died aged 77 after a battle with pancreatic cancer, reports said Saturday citing his agent.

The versatile actor, who played Mr. Ollivander in “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” and in two other films in the series, also starred in the movie adaptation of George Orwell’s novel “1984.”

He also played the role of Kane in “Alien,” who dies when the creature dramatically bursts from his chest.

He was twice nominated for an Oscar, in the best supporting actor category for his performance in the 1978 film “Midnight Express” as Max, a British man imprisoned in Turkey, and for his starring role in “Elephant Man” two years later.

He received a BAFTA award for “Midnight Express” as well as a Golden Globe in the best actor in a supporting role category.

Lord of the Rings star Elijah Wood paid tribute to the actor, writing on Twitter: “Very sad to hear of John Hurt’s passing.

It was such an honor to have watched you work, sir.”

Among many tributes to flood in following news of his death, American actor Chris Evans described Hurt as “remarkable.”

Born on January 22, 1940 in Chesterfield, central England, Hurt first began his career as a teacher of drawing. AFP

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SUNDAY, JANUARY 29, 2017

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor / Roderick dela Cruz, Issue Editor business@thestandard.com.ph

PALAWAN OIL FIELD HOLDS MORE RESERVES

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By Alena Mae S. Flores

GERMAN HONEY.

Langnese Honey Fürsten – Reform export manager Mark Baumgärtner

GERMAN HONEY MAKERS NOW SWEETEN PH FOOD T

he large and fast growing Philippine population, considered in the past as a drag on the economy, is now seen as the country’s number one asset in attracting multinational companies.

Among them are top German companies —from consumer brands Adidas, Puma, Hugo Boss and Nivea and automotive manufacturers Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Porsche, BMW and Audi to technology giants SAP, Bosch and Siemens and industrial conglomerates Bayer, Lufthansa and thyssenkrupp.

“The Philippines is indeed a very good location for German companies to be here. You see the growing population of more than 100 million Filipinos. There is a growing middle class that will now be able to purchase products like Langnese honey,” says Dr. Andree Buhl, commercial attaché of the German embassy in Manila during the launch of the honey brand in the country.

Langnese, the leading honey brand in Germany and Europe, is now in the Philippines, after local distributor Fly Ace Corp. teamed up with Fürsten – Reform, the German company behind the brand.

Buhl says the entry of Langnese honey into the Philippine market will help expand bilateral trade

between Germany and the Philippines. “The bilateral economic relations are very good already.

We have a trade volume of about 5 billion euros, with a slight advantage for the Philippines, because the Philippines is exporting more. Maybe now, with Langnese honey, I am not sure if you will be able to close the gap, because it is 1 billion euros. Maybe you can help a little bit in closing this gap between exports and imports,” he says.

“I am sure that this product will be successful because from my time in the Philippines, for one and a half years, I know that the Filipinos like sweet products very much,” he says.

Fly Ace Corp. president Jun Cochanco says Filipinos deserve world-class products such as Langnese honey, which is known for its purity.

“We at Fly Ace Corp. envision bringing the world’s finest food and beverage brands and products into Filipino homes. We extensively research and carefully choose our product sources Turn to C2

Marriott Hotel Manila executive chef Meik Brammer

A CONSORTIUM led by Australian company N ido Petroleum Ltd. hopes to extract more oil from the Galoc oil field located 60 kilometers northwest off Palawan.

Nido Petroleum’s subsidiary Galoc Production Co. WLL signed a binding rig contract with Golden Close Maritime Corp.

Ltd. for the drillship “Deepsea Metro I” to drill an appraisal well at the Galoc mid area on behalf of the Galoc joint venture.

Nido said the Deepsea Metro I is a cutting edge drillship capable of simultaneous, safe and efficient operations. “ The Deepsea Metro I will be contracted by the Galoc joint venture for a period of approximately four to five weeks with a contract commencement window of March 1 to 31, 2017,” it said.

The Deepsea Metro I is capable of operating in water depths of up to 10,000 feet and drilling to a total depth of 40,000 feet.

Golden Close Maritime Corp.

Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Deepsea Metro Ltd. which is 40 percent owned by the Odfjell Drilling group.

Nido managing director Mike Fischer said the consortium was looking forward to drilling operations commencing in the Philippines “as we seek to unlock the potential for extending the field life of our cornerstone asset.”

Nido and its joint venture par tners are pursuing the appraisal well at the Galoc mid area of the Galoc field i n n o r t hwe s t Pa l aw a n i n preparation for the eventual depletion of the remaining reserves by 2019.

“If the Galoc-7/7ST is successful, the subsequent d e ve l o p m e nt o f t h e G MA will materially increase re s e r ve s a n d p ro d u c t i o n , substantially extending the life of the Galoc field,” Nido said earlier.

“Production at the Galoc field is currently declining and based on Nido’s proven reserves, estimates is anticipated to become sub-commercial in 2019,” Nido said.

The successful development of the GMA will extend the life of the Galoc field to the first quarter of 2027. Members of the Galoc joint venture are Nido, Kufpec, Oriental Petroleum and Minerals and The Philodrill Corp.

The Galoc oil field produces an average daily of production of 5,079 barrels a day. The field has produced over 17.8 million barrels since 2008.

CONVERGYS CHAIR APPOINTED MAP PRESIDENT THE country chair of the largest private employer in the Philippines is the new head of the Management Association of the Philippines.

MAP, a multi-industry organization promoting management excellence for nation-building, inducted its 2017 board of governors led by Marife Zamora, chairperson of Convergys Philippines, as MAP president.

Zamora is MAP’s 68th president and the first to come from the business process outsourcing sector since the organization was established in 1950.

A multi-awarded executive, her

contributions to the BPO industry included establishing the Philippine operations of Convergys Corp., a global leader in customer management.

Serving as its first country manager in 2003, Zamora was pivotal in growing Convergys to becoming the Philippines’ largest private employer, where she is currently chairperson.

In her role as MAP president, Zamora will be leading the organization towards the fulfillment of its programs and advocacies together with eight members of MAP’s board of governors, comprised of top executives from

financial services, public utility, media, academe and management consultancy firms.

The induction of MAP’s 2017 board of governors, held at the Peninsula Manila on Jan. 25, was spearheaded

by Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, who also served as guest speaker at the event.

This was followed by Zamora’s inaugural address where she revealed MAP’s theme for this year: “Working Together to Achieve Inclusive Prosperity,” which conveys bringing about positive change and inspiring courage and

optimism to overcome challenges.

The theme is operationalized as the organization strengthens its commitment to integrity; to delivering economic freedom to marginalized sectors through skills generation, education and promoting sustainable business; and to helping create a more equitable workforce and an inclusive economy.

Zamora also disclosed MAP’s five top priority programs which include traffic management advocacy, ease of doing business, entrepreneurship or

Turn to C2

Convergys Philippines chairperson Marife Zamora delivers her inaugural address as 2017 president of the Management Association of the Philippines.

Business

C2

SUNDAY, JANUARY 29, 2017 business@thestandard.com.ph

CYBERCRIME VICTIMS STRUGGLE TO RECOVER MONEY EACH year thousands of Internet users become victims of a cybercrime.

Research from Kaspersky Lab reveals that over half (52 percent) of Internet users who’ve lost money at the hands of cybercriminals have only got some, or none, of their stolen funds back.

With the variety and sophistication of online financial threats against consumers growing, losses from online fraud, identity theft and hacking are now running at billions a year. And with many cases going unreported, the true economic cost is likely to be significantly higher.

The research reveals how costly these attacks are for Internet users, and how lucrative they’ve become for cybercriminals. On average, Internet users lose $476 per attack and one-inten people surveyed said they lost more than $5,000.

A large majority of Internet users say they conduct financial operations online (81 percent) and just under half (44 percent) store financial data on their connected devices.

As more users go online to manage their finances, more cybercriminals are looking for opportunities to cash in, making it important for users to have robust Internet security in place to protect themselves and their money.

Nevertheless, only 60 percent of Internet users protect all their devices.

Fort Bonifacio commercial business district

PH ASIA’S NEW GROWTH LEADER

By Karl Lester M. Yap

A Attitudes to online safety could be influenced by users mistakenly thinking lost money will be automatically refunded to them.

Almost half (45 percent) say that they assume they will be reimbursed by banks for financial cybercrime without any problems, but as the survey shows, over half (52 percent) of people affected haven’t had all their stolen money returned.

“Cybercriminals are continually looking for new ways to exploit and defraud consumers and that’s why it’s important for Internet users to be on their guard at all times,” says Vyacheslav Zakorzhevsky, head of the anti-malware research team at Kaspersky Lab. “Cybercriminals can conduc t financial crimes via malware, phishing and more. Don’t assume you will always get all your money back if you become a target and funds are stolen from you. The best way to safeguard your finances online is to make sure you don’t become a victim, and for that we recommend specialist software that protects your identity and keeps sensitive data out of the hands of the cybercriminals,” she says.

Kaspersky Safe Money, one of key features of Kaspersky Lab home products, such as Kaspersky Total Security, is a financial security suite of technologies, designed to protect the online financial operations of users with three core principles — trusted site, trusted connection and trusted environment. This solution’s ability to effectively protect users against financial threats has been approved by many independent researchers.

fter years spent languishing behind its neighbors, the Philippines is finally catching up with its fellow Asian tiger economies as it posts some of the fastest growth rates in the world.

With the World Bank forecasting expansion of more than 6 percent for eight years until 2019-unparalleled in the nation’s history -- the Philippines is mimicking gains seen in Malaysia and Thailand in the 1990s as they industrialized.

Growth in the Philippines was 6.8 percent in 2016, faster than China’s, data released on Thursday showed.

T h e r e g i o n’s f o r m e r powerhouses are giving way to newcomers like the Philippines and Vietnam, whose younger populations and rising middle classes help lure manufacturers. While Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has alienated some with his anti-U.S. rhetoric and deadly drug war, his ambitious $160 billion infrastructure plan and push for greater investment from China, Russia and the Middle East are strengthening the

outlook.

“We are seeing a transformation to a stronger, more developed economy,” said Frederic Neumann, co-head of Asian economic research at HSBC Holdings Plc in Hong Kong.

“Recent administrations worked hard to ensure macroeconomic stability which serves as its anchor.”

The Philippine economy—now about $292 billion—was more than twice the size of Malaysia’s and 10 times bigger than Singapore’s in 1960. A steady decline since then got it the label “the sick man of Asia” while its peers expanded rapidly.

The nation’s resurgence begun with former President Benigno Aquino, who took office in 2010, raised revenue, curbed corruption and won the nation’s first-ever investment grade credit ratings.

By the end of this decade, the Philippines can achieve upper middle-income country status with per capita income of at least $4,126, the Asian Development Bank

GERMAN HONEY...

From C1 because we believe you deserve only the best,” says Cochanco.

Fürsten – Reform export manager Mark Baumgärtner says the Langnese brand represents German quality. “Everybody is aware of Mercedez, BMW, Siemens which are mainly in the field of automotive, machinery and so on. However, a lot of German food products are representing high quality standards as well and are mainly produced by medium and small enterprises in Germany, which are family-owned,” says Baumgärtner.

“Langnese honey is not only the market leader in Germany and Europe, but is also known in 45 countries. The Philippines is our next market,” he says.

Baumgärtner says honey is a healthy product that is known for its anti-bacterial, anti-septic and anti-microbic features.

This is confirmed by Prof. Cleofas Cervancia of UP Los Baños, the president of Apimondia Regional Commission for Asia. However, she says not all honeys are equal, because many brands in the market are adulterated. “Make sure you buy the authentic one,” she says.

Cervancia says a physicochemical analysis of commercial honey from selected supermarkets in Metro Manila last year found that only 24 out of 39 samples, or 64 percent, were authentic. Six of 14 or 42 percent of local honey were discovered to be authentic, while 18 or 25 or 72 percent of imported honey were found the same.

The analysis also found that only two brands passed the European Union Directive, which has the most strict standards for honey.

forecasts, joining the likes of China, Malaysia and Thailand.

Even with the strong growth outlook, financial markets have been mixed. While the government last week sold $2 billion of global bonds at the tightest spread ever, the peso is among the worst performing Asian currencies in the past six months and stocks have faltered.

The ADB has said that boosting manufacturing is key to creating more jobs. The Philippines is among the least reliant on exports in the region, depending instead on a youthful and growing consumer base. Household spending, which makes up about 70 percent of gross domestic product, rose more than 6 percent for an eighth quarter. “ The economic takeoffs of countries like Thailand and Malaysia were built on their manufacturing prowess and this is where the government must redouble their efforts,” Neumann said. “This is a

Cervancia says other brands had adulterated or low quality honey, with either high moisture content, high apparent sucrose or high hydroxymethylfurfural or HMF. She says the Philippines imports about 80 percent of its honey requirements. “We are producing a very little amount of honey. We import about 500 metric tons of honey every years,” she says.

Fly Ace Corp. brand manager Emie San Beda says Filipinos love honey because of its important health benefits and also because it is a very versatile ingredient in cooking and food preparation.

“However, majority of us do not know that the honey brands you see in the supermarket are not 100-percent real honey. But now, with Langnese brand, consumers can get a honey that is of highest quality and purity. Consumers can have the peace of mind that the honey they are buying is real, authentic and pure,” she says.

San Beda says Langnese honey is available in five variants in the Philippines: acacia, golden clear, black forest, wild flower and lavender.

“When it comes to honey, there’s a reason why Langnese has been around for decades and a consistent market leader all these years—its name is the ultimate representation of what a real and reliable honey should be,” says Canchoco.

Roderick T. dela Cruz

tough nut to crack. It will require infrastructure improvements and attracting more foreign direct investment to turn that into a reality.”

FDI to the Philippines surged more than five times to $5.8 billion between 2010 and 2015, but that still pales in comparison to Thailand’s $9 billion and Malaysia’s $11 billion.

To compete, Duterte is planning to boost infrastructure spending to 7 percent of GDP from the previous administration’s goal of 5 percent.

He is also pushing for changes to tax laws to boost revenue and amend the Constitution to shift to federalism.

“If they manage to push through tax reforms and boost infrastructure spending, manufacturing will now become its next leg of growth, adding to remittances and outsourcing,” said Michael Wan, an economist at Credit Suisse Group AG in Singapore. “This will boost the growth potential to at least 7 percent in the years ahead.” Bloomberg

CONVERGYS...

From C1

enterprise development, employment generation, and women empowerment.

The first two, traffic management advocacy and ease of doing business, are crucial in creating a productive and enabling business environment.

Efforts in enterprise development and employment generation include MAP’s Educated Marginalized Entrepreneurs Resource Generation Program that assists the entrepreneurial poor on business and job generation.

MAP also aims to address women empowerment issues such as the ability to control and benefit from resources, assets, and income, as well as manage risk and improve economic well-being.

Zamora said MAP will continue to push for reforms and policies in these areas, leveraging management excellence to ensure that programs will be implemented with continued collaboration among its members, other business organizations, the government and civic groups.

Zamora concluded her inaugural address with a call for MAP members to share their talent, time and resources to help make the organization increasingly relevant by spearheading critical learning sessions to leverage industry best practices, and more networking fellowship activities this year.

Sports

C3

SUNDAY, JANUARY 29, 2017 reuelvidal@yahoo.com

SITYODTONG WANTS ONE UNITED ASIA

By Reuel Vidal

C

HATRI Sityodtong has a singular vision. He wants to unite all of Asia with ONE Championship a homegrown sports media property.

“Every region in the world has a multi-billion sports media property. North America has NBA, NFL, MLB, NASCAR and UFC. They’re worth four to 30 billion dollars. You go to Europe it’s the same thing. There’s EPL, Formula 1, Bundesliga, Spanish La Liga. All worth two to 20 billion dollars each,” said Sityodtong Founder and Chairman of ONE Championship.

“You come to Asia, there’s absolutely nothing on a Pan Asian basis except One Championship. There’s a billion dollar cricket industry in India. A billion dollar business of baseball in Japan. But nothing on a Pan Asian basis. That’s why I started ONE Championship.”

The choice to unite Asia under the MMA banner is well founded because Asia has been the home of martial arts for thousands of years.

“There’s a martial art in every country,” said Sityodtong. “Our biggest movie heroes all have martial arts background. Jet Li, Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan. The biggest sports hero in all of Asia is a boxer. Manny Pacquiao. So for me, I believed in my heart when I started. I knew ONE Championship would be Asia’s largest sports media property.”

Sityodtong is the quintessential renaissance man who has succeeded in everything he is involved in. He is an entrepreneur, motivational speaker, lecturer, philanthropist, martial arts practitioner and teacher.

“I’ve been doing Muay Thai for 30 years so I’m really an expert martial artist as well,” said Sityodtong. “That certainly helps me in terms of understanding what drives fighters. What their needs are. What their dreams are. What it’s like to step into a cage. Everything from safety procedures to doctors and the entire protocol to ensure safety. I understand that very intimately.

I’ve also been a coach. So I know everything about what coaches go through when they’re in the cage with a fighter.”

Sityodtong has been an entrepreneur the vast majority of his life. He says he’s blessed to be able to combine the greatest

Matthew Wright

MATTHEW MADE OF WRIGHT STUFF Chatri Sityodtong unloads a roundhouse kick while training for kickboxing. The ONE Championship C…hairman is an expert martial artist as well. ONE Championship

passion of his life, which is MMA, with business.

“I’m able to bring 20 plus years as an entrepreneur, from Silicon Valley to Wall Street, to m y experiences here at ONE championship.

At the same time I’m the only person in the company who is able to switch hats, from being a chairman to being a matchmaker, to put in the best fighters, to assembling the best fight cards. I am comfortable at talking to the CEO of a media broadcast company or to the press because of my business background. I feel very lucky to be from both worlds,” said Sityodtong.

ONE Championship is already Asia’s largest sports media property with a global broadcast to over one billion homes across 118 countries around the world. Its founder and chairman is far from satisfied.

“We have 18 events this year. I won’t

rest until we have one event every single week, held in a major city in Asia. Tokyo, Beijing,

Shanghai, Bangkok, Manila. I won’t rest until we have four billion fans in Asia who genuinely love ONE Championship.

I really believe it will become mainstream. Why not? The NBA and the NFL are mainstream in America. And Asia’s missing it,” said Sityodtong.

“Every indication is that martial arts could be the greatest cultural treasure of Asia. I want everyone in Asia to be a fan. I want everyone in Asia rooting for their hometown hero on the global stage of ONE Championship.

I want every broadcast company to say this is my number one rated show. I want every sponsor to say I am so proud to be associated with this property. That’s my vision. And that is why I started this company. I started five years ago because I wanted to create the first multi-billion sports media property in Asia.”

ONE Championship Founder and Chairman Chatri Sityodtong has a singular vision which is to unite all of Asia with a homegrown sports media property. ONE Championship

ROOKIE Matthew Wright is playing like a veteran in his initial conference in the PBA. Flashing his all-around game, the 6-foot-4 Wright stepped up big-time to help the Phoenix Petroleum Fuel Masters beat the NLEX Road Warriors and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, respectively last week to clinch at least a playoff berth for a quarterfinal seat in the 2017 PBA Philippine Cup. The Fil-Canadian wingman averaged all-around numbers of 15.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 7.0 assists for Phoenix to earn the Accel-PBA Press Corps Player of the Week for the period of January 16-22.

The former St. Bonaventure U standout missed just one assist of registering his first triple-double as a pro, tallying 12 points, 12 rebounds and 9 assists to steer Phoenix past NLEX, 102-91 last Wednesday.

Four days later, the sweet-shooting Wright banged in eight of his teamhigh 18 points as Phoenix completed a 79-73 escape act against a Japeth Aguilar-less Barangay Ginebra side.

The 25-year-old Wright, who won an Asean Basketball League title with the KL Dragons last year, before joining the PBA, beat his Phoenix teammates JC Intal, Simon Enciso and Willy Wilson for the weekly citation.

Other contenders for the award were San Miguel Beer’s Arwind Santos, Meralco’s Cliff Hodge, Troy Rosario and Roger Pogoy of TNT, Alaska’s Vic Manuel and Calvin Abueva as well as Scottie Thompson of Ginebra.

Phoenix (6 wins, 5 losses) closed out its elimination round campaign bowing to Alaska. The Fuel Masters are in sixth place behind the San Miguel Beermen (9-1), Alaska (6-4), TNT Ka Tropa (6-4), the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (5-4) and the Star Hotshots (5-4).

The other teams include Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (5-5), GlobalPort Batang Pier (5-5), the Blackwater Elite (5-6), the Meralco Bolts (3-7), the Mahindra Floodbuster (3-7) and the NLEX Road Warriors (2-8).

The loss to Alaska hardly matters because the team has already qualified to the playoffs. And with the way Wright and his teammates are playing the Fuel Masters will definitely be competitive in the playoffs as well. RD

LADY RED SPIKERS WANT MORE THAN FINAL 4 FINISH

Cesca Racraquin (right) of the San Beda Lady Spikers defies the doubleblock defense at the net by College of St. Benilde defenders Ranya Musa (17) and Pauline Cadiente (8). Roman Prospero

SAN BEDA’S irrepressible Lady Red Spikers, who have already achieved a milestone by advancing to the Final Four of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, are not done yet and aim to be competitive in the playoffs.

San Beda coach Nemesio Gavino confessed that advancing to the playoffs for the first time ever is already a milestone.

But he added that his players want more.

“For us, it’s already an achievement to reach the Final 4. But I told my players not to be content. We will strive for more.

Hopefully, we can advance to the finals,” said Gavino.

San Beda team captain Cesca Racraquin echoed the words of his coach expressing how pleased they were at reaching the playoffs.

“The whole team is ecstatic. This is the first time for the team to reach the Final 4.

It’s a great feeling because it was really our goal to reach the Final 4,” said Racraquin.

Like his coach the San Beda players led by team captain Racraquin are hardly satisfied with just making it to the playoffs.

Racraquin said she has been telling her teammates that they have the potential to go deep into the playoffs if they continue to work hard.

“I tell them to trust each other, and that they do a great job. I tell them to just play their game and the win will come, basta team work lang. And aggressiveness,” said Racraquin.

The stepladder semifinals start on Tuesday, January 31. San Beda plays defending champion College of St. Benilde. Sure, the

Lady Spikers lost to CSB just last Friday. But it was just a playoff for the fourth spot.

What really matters is the game on Tuesday with the winner advancing into the matchup against the twice-to-beat Arellano Lady Chiefs. If the Lady Spikers prevail then they advance to the playoff for the crown against the unbeaten San Sebastian College Lady Stags.

It’s quite a mountain to climb. But the De La Salle University Lady Spikers did it just last year to win the University Athletic Association ladies volleyball title.

So don’t write off the Lady Red Spikers just yet. By reaching the Final 4 they’ve already achieved something never achieved by any other previous San Beda ladies volleyball team. And they’re not done yet. Reuel Vidal

C4

Sports

SUNDAY, JANUARY 29, 2017 Riera U. Mallari, Editor / Reuel Vidal, Issue Editor / Randy Caluag, Issue Editor

sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Coach Chot Reyes

REYES: GILAS 5 YOUNG, FIGHTING TEAM

APPBRO members with GAB officials led by chairman Baham Mitra

‘PROTECT YOURSELF AT ALL TIMES’

By Randy Caluag

T

HERE is no denying that boxing is a dangerous sport.

That when a referee tells the boxers before the beginning of the fight to “protect yourself at all times”, he’s actually telling them to be alert at all times and never let their guards down.

From that moment on, the boxers entrust their lives to the referee. While the boxers are there to punch their way to victory, the referee should be on top of the situation to protect them from life-threatening danger.

The referee should be the man in charge of the action. The man on top of the situation at all times in the fight.

International referee Danrex Tapdasan, speaking before his colleagues during a general assembly meeting,

like multi-awarded Silvestre Abainza, Virgilio Garcia and Angeles City-based Bruce Mctavish.

APPBRO recently held its first assembly at the Grand Villa Hotel in Pateros City following the election of the new set of officers led by an equally respected and veteran referee Ferdinand Estrella as newly elected president.

“We have this active organization, first and foremost, to help maintain the high quality of officiating for boxing in

APPBRO president Ferdie Estrella (seated right) and board director Greg Ortega (standing) lead the exchange of ideas during the assembly of the country’s top boxing ring officials

said that foremost of the traits that a referee should have is “he should be able to assert his authority in the ring.”

“Our most primordial concern is the safety of the fighters. We should be able to enforce the rules and that the fight should be done in the most fair and orderly manner,” shared Tapdasan, who is a lawyer by profession.

Tapdasan, one of the top referees of the World Boxing Organization and other international world bodies, is vice president of the (Association of the Philippine Professional Boxing Ring Officials).

It is a group formed by some of the most prominent referees and judges

the Philippines. In our first assembly, we held a refresher course to update the knowledge of our referees and judges,” said Estrella, a former Makati City councilor.

Tapdasan, who was asked to talk about effective refereeing, shared some of his trainings abroad with fellow officials.

“Our training is always focused on preserving life. We may be in the sport of fighting but we are actually putting premium on safety. One that stuck the most in my brain was that it is better to stop the fight one punch earlier, than one punch late.”

He was talking about a fight being

Danrex Tapdasan: It’s better to stop the fight one punch earlier than one punch late

stopped by the referee at the right time when the other fighter is being pummeled haplessly. It’s better to stop the fight sooner than stepping in late that may cause the life of a fighter.

The referee is always on the lookout for fouls like low blow or hitting below the belt, headbutt, boxing after the bell, punching when the opponent is already down, and the kidney and rabbit punches.

The last one, which is a punch on the back of the head, is the most dangerous as it could cause long-term damage on the aggrieved boxer.

Before Tapdasan’s talk, the youthful but very knowledgeable Oliver Garcia shared his thoughts about the referee’s preparation before the bout.

Foremost, Garcia said, is that the referee should make research about the two fighters he was tasked to officiate. “Kailangan malaman mo kung anong klaseng mga fighters ba ito.

Marumi bang maglaro? nakakatagal ba sa laban? Para mas guided ang referee kung kailan dapat ihinto ang laban or alam niya kung anong babantayan na foul sa mga boxers.”

He told the referees, as well as the judges, should carry themselves well upon arriving at the venue and maintain a respectable presence and credibility that we mean serious business.

Jerrold Tomeldan and Zaldy Lopez made a joint presentation of the topic about effective judging as they adopted the modern 3D Scoring Theory developed by the WBC ring

officials Steve Morrow, Barry Lindenman and Hubert Minn.

The 3D simplified boxing scoring to three major factors which are damage, dominance and disruption.

When asked why judges hand down different decisions in a particularly close fight, architect Greg Ortega came up with an answer.

“Iba-iba ang anggulo ng mga positions ng judges, yung nakitang scoring punch ng isa, maaring hindi makita nung sa kabilang judges, laluna kapag nakatalikod ang mga fighters and minsan natatakpan pa ng mga referees,” explained Ortega, an international judge accredited with the IBF, WBO, WBC and OPBF. Ortega said being a being a boxing judge is no easy task. “You have to spend a lot of time studying but the most important is you have to love the sport.”

Estrella said that more seminars and trainings will be held to update the APPBRO members on the latest international practices.

Other members who attended the first assembly for the year were Elmo Coloma, Gil Co, Sammy Bernabe, Al Llaneta, Mike Ochosa, Elmer Lopez, Danny Lopez, Baluyot, Nowel Jaduca, Jojo Llanera, Fernando Batistil, Gerry Tayag, Nikka Ortega and Robert bridges.

Games and Amusement Board (GAB) chairman Baham Mitra graced the affair together with Boxing and Contact Sport division chief Dr. Nasser Cruz, officers Tony Comia and Ralph Diokno.

GILAS Pilipinas head coach Chot Reyes, together with officials from the SamahangBasketbolngPilipinas (SBP) headed by its President Al Panlilio, presented the 24 men that will be part of the pool of Chooks Gilas Pilipinas for 2017.

In stark contrast to past iterations of Gilas Pilipinas, the fifth version of the men’s national basketball team under the SBP will be a potent brew of youth over experience.

Jayson Castro, Asia’s best point guard, leads the cast and will serve as the team’s eldest statesman at 30 years of age.

“We have a very clear picture of the kind of game that we want to play. We wanted the best players that can execute and implement that kind of game. We took a look at 2019 [FIBA World Cup] and our target is 2019,” Reyes said. “We chose, for now, to get players who will be at the peak of their careers in three years’ time.”

Joining Castro in this new journey, supported by Chooks-to-Go, are five players who have also represented the country in past competitions.

Three-time PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo, two-time PBA scoring champion Terrence Romeo, Japeth Aguilar, Calvin Abueva, and Paul Lee—all former PBA champions as well.

“Now, our issue will be the same with what we had before, which is making them come together and making them a team. We like combination of their youth and veteran smarts,” the National Team mentor added. “It’s a good mix and it’s possibly the tallest group of players that we can assemble. I really like its composition.”

Reyes and Panlilio were joined by PBA officials and Bounty Agro Ventures, Inc. (BAVI) President and General Manager Ronald Mascariñas. BAVI is the company behind Chooks-to-Go, the major partner of Gilas for its continued quest to basketball stardom.

In addition to the 12 cadets, rounding-up the pool are Rain or Shine’s Raymond Almazan, Blackwater’s Art dela Cruz, NLEX Road Warrior Bradwyn Guinto, Norbert Torres of Phoenix, Jonathan Grey of Meralco, and Mahindra floor general LA Revilla.

“The team looks very promising especially with a very young core,” Mascariñas said. “It’s going to be fun to watch and will prepare us for the long haul.”

Moreover, Mascariñas reiterated Chooks-to-Go’s commitment to the National Team program, vowing that they will be there for every practice, every game and every moment Gilas will take part in.

MARTIAL ARTS GAMES

DEL ROSARIO, REYES TO LEAD PH CAMPAIGN

TAEKWONDO’S Monsour Del Rosario and karate’s Raymund Lee Reyes were tasked by the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) to lead the country’s campaign in the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games slated September in Ashgabat,Turkmenistan.

Del Rosario was appointed Chief of Mission and Reyes as deputy. They will lead the formation and preparation of the Philippine national team that will compete

in 21 sports disciplines.

There will be 45 countries competing for honors in chess, bowling, dancesport, muay thai, taekwondo, tennis, weightlifting, 3-on-3 basketball, cycling (track), equestrian (jumping), wrestling, billiards, kickboxing, jiujitsu, kuresh, athletics (indoor), football (futsal), aquatics (short course swimming), belt wrestling, sambo and traditional wrestling.

“WE are very honored to be

part of this campaign. We are a hardworking team and we will leave no stone unturned in making sure that will have be able to make our country proud in this competition,” said Reyes, secretary-general of the Philippine Karatedo Federation.

Reyes has been providing able support to PKF president Joey Romasanta in spreading the popularity of the sport in the country as well as product elite athletes that will carry the

national colors in international competition.

Del Rosario, a former Asian champion and Olympian in taekwondo, is a representative of the first district of Makati City and a very active official of the Philippine Olympic Association.

He was two-time Southeast Asian Games champion and bronze medalist in the 1986 Seoul Asian Games and reached the quarterfinals of the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Randy Caluag

Raymund Lee Reyes and Monsour Del Rosario

D1

SUNDAY, JANUARY 29, 2017

Jimbo Gulle, Editor

Roger Garcia, Issue Editor

LGUs

Local Gov’t Units

mslocalgov@gmail.com

AMENDMENT TO ANIMAL FEEDS ACT SOUGHT

Scan this icon to view the PDF

KICK IT. An instructor leads a platoon of the Philippine Army’s 8th Infantry Division in a taebo exercise, part of the physical conditioning 8th ID Commanding Officer General Raul F. Farnacio has prescribed for the troops stationed in Maulong, Catbalogan City, Samar. Farnacio even joins the troops in road runs every Tuesday and Friday. Mel Caspe

30 TRADE ATTACHÉS SELLING DAVAO TO REST OF THE WORLD D

By F. Pearl A. Gajunera

AVAO CITY—Thirty trade attachés from Asian and Middle East countries recently visited the city to sell Davao to the international market as a potential business destination.

Davao City Investment and Promotion Center chief Lemuel Ortonio said the attachés will be the “indirect marketing officers” of the city in their different countries to encourage investors there to trade in President Rodrigo Duterte’s hometown.

Ortonio said the attachés are here to check on the investment concerns of Davao, as he presented the safety and security features of the city to ensure foreign investors it is safe to invest here.

“We presented the safety and security of the city because that is very important when we market our investment opportunities here,” he said.

Ensuring that Davao is safe will not only benefit the city’s business sector but its tourism aspect as well, Ortonio said, noting his office is leading investors to finance projects in the city’s suburban areas with its downtown “somewhat congested.”

Earlier this year, Benito de Leon, Public Safety and Community Command Center chief, said they will convince the Department of Foreign Affairs to encourage different countries to lift their travel advisories to Davao City.

Authorities here are better prepared to combat terrorism and ensure the safety of Davaoeños and tourists alike, De Leon said.

It is evident that the city is safe “since various big events happened in the city without any eventualities,” he added.

Assistant City Administrator for Operation Lawrence Bantiding said his team is assessing how big an increase in taxes Davao will apply, and its possible impact on the business sector here.

If the local revenue code was amended every five years as prescribed by law, Davao would have increased local taxes by 20 percent by now, he said.

Bantiding said there is a need to increase local taxes to add funds to the 10-point priority agenda of Mayor Sara Duterte.

“The increase of local taxes will be a big help to the city.

We can add to the budget of our education, infrastructure ad agriculture programs, among others,” Bantiding said.

New businesses in Davao are exempted from paying real property taxes for three years. Councilor Danilo Dayanghirang, the Committee on Finance, Ways and Means chairman, said this is meant to encourage more investors to do business in the city.

“It has been noted that Davao City has a very low business tax compared to other cities [in the country],” he said.

Dayanghirang also noted the city’s budget would have ballooned to P10 billion if the local revenue code was amended in the last few years.

Despite the low business tax rates in the city, the City Treasurer’s Office managed to collect more than P800 million from businesses for 2016.

City Treasurer Bella Tanjili said they are expecting Davao’s total collection to go up to P7 billion after their real property Local taxes rising? tax collection in March.

Meanwhile, the city government is preparing for the posBantiding revealed that more than P200 million came from sible increase of local taxes, 12 years after the city’s local rev- the top 10 business taxpayers alone, and P96.4 million came enue code was last amended. from the Davao Light Power Co. Inc.

PENDING with the Committee on Agriculture and Food, the Animal Feeds Act of 2016, authored by Deputy Speaker Sharon Garin, seeks to amend the Livestock and Poultry Feeds Act enacted way back in 1956.

“The need for a new and better law that is in tune with the demands of the present time is called for as there are a lot of changes brought about by the continued growth of the industry,” Garin, who’s representing AAMBIS-Owa, said in a statement .

House Bill 3355 seeks to organize, update, and strengthen the livestock and poultry feeds industry in the Philippines.

Some of the amendments proposed are to update many of the outdated definition of terms, policies, and penalties found in the original law passed six decades ago.

The proposed amendments also included a better licensing and registration to ensure the quality of all feeds whether for commercial or non-commercial use will be established.

“We must acknowledge that the success of the swine and poultry industries of the Philippines is also dependent on the Feeds Industry of the country,” Garin added.

AGROFORESTRY PROJECT BOOST FOR FARMERS, CAGAYAN LGUS

By Brenda Jocson SANTIAGO CITY, Isabela—In an effort to help increase income opportunities among local farmers in communities surrounding the Didipio mine in Cagayan Valley as well as propagating forest lands with more trees, an agroforestry company has ventured in establishing an enterprise development through agroforestry projects.

Director Lucy Exconde of OceanaGold Sustainable Agroforestry Inc., an affiliate of Australian OceanaGold miner, said that they have developed a central nursery which has already produced more than a million seedlings distributed to tree farmers.

She said LGUs, school and government agencies are also recipients of their seedlings of various tree species in support of the establishment of around 1,000 hectares of plantation.

In partnership with local government units and community associations in Region 2, Exconde said the enterprise also includes millions of pesos worth commercial tree plantation, wood resources utilization and trade of various agroforestry products which could also be a good source of income to farmers associations.

JAPAN AIDS PAMPANGA HEALTH PROGRAMS

TOP STUDENTS. Awardees of 10MOST (Most Outstanding Students) in Muntinlupa City from 1998 to present gather in the 10MOST Night 2017 at City Hall, as Mayor Jaime Fresnedi and Rep. Ruffy Biazon joined the city’s ‘crème de la crème’ and encouraged the young professionals and students to continue being models of excellence. The next 10MOST batch will be awarded at the Ayala Malls–South Park Activity Center in Alabang.

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga— The Japanese Healthcare system is now being offered as an alternative model for Pampanga by a visiting international liver transplant specialist recently.

Dr. Koichi Tanaka of the International Frontier Medical Support said that he is offering the excellent healthcare services of Japan to the province.

In a courtesy call to Pampanga Gov. Lilia Pineda, the group discussed mutual support and collaboration between the provincial government and the Japanese government in terms of collaboration for improved healthcare services and critical medical

programs for the people of the province.

Tanaka led the group composed of Kozo Kikuchi, president of the International Frontier Medical Support; Takayuki Hiruta, president and director of the Hiruta Riken Co. Ltd. and Cecilio Lagman, coordinator.

The Japanese offer was made in the midst of the full blast implementation on Feb. 1, 2017 of the Cuban healthcare system in Pampanga as encouraged by President Rodrigo R. Duterte.

The World Health Organization hails the Cuban system as excellent and efficient—as it deals with prevention instead of cure and is free—as mandated by Article 50 of their Constitution.

On the other hand, Japan being a member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation Development—a group of semi and rich 30 countries who charge their citizenry 30 percent while the 70 percent is shouldered by their respective governments—is bent on extending their support for the program in the Philippines.

Tanaka who had 2,000 liver transplant visited Diosdado P. Macapagal Memorial Hospital in Guagua and Ricardo Rodriguez Hospital annex in Bacolor. The visiting Japanese group were assisted by Dr. Jose Antonio Rivera, provincial health officer; Dr. Eddie Ponio of DPMMH and Dr. Antonio Ong of Rodriguez Hospital, respectively.

LGUs

D2

SUNDAY, JANUARY 29, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

QC PRESSES LTO TO CATCH DRUGGED, DRUNK DRIVERS ALARMED by the increase in the number of deaths and accidents related to driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, the Quezon City government is pressing for the strict enforcement of Republic Act 10586, otherwise known the Anti-Drunk and Drugged Driving Act of 2013.

As provided in City Resolution No. SP-6932, S-2016 approved by the 36-member Quezon City Council, the city urged the Land Transportation Office to strictly implement the provisions of RA 10586, which seeks to penalize the acts of driving under the influence of alcohol, dangerous drugs and other intoxicating substances.

Principally authored by Councilor Oliviere Belmonte, the ordinance cited as imperative the need to implement the law, including the criminal penalties provided by it “so as to control the drug abuse problem” if there is any as Belmonte takes into consideration that these substances often cause significant physical, mental or social dysfunction not only to the driver but also to the passenger and the people around.

Under existing laws, enforcement officers of the LTO or any authorized officer trained and deputized by the LTO, are mandated to enforce the provisions of the said law.

Recently, the Highway Patrol Group of the Philippine National Police reported that the number of vehicular accidents associated with drunk driving is increasing.

The Philippines ranked 81st among the countries with high alcohol-death rate as reported by the World Health Organization.

MINE FIRM OBSERVES LABOR RULES

By Dexter See

TUBA, Benguet—The management of the Philex Mining Corp. is strictly adhering to the government’s policy against contractualization of its workforce, citing that most of its over 2,100 managers, supervisors and rank and file are hired as regular workers.

Engineer Eulalio B. Austin Jr., Philex president and chief executive officer, said the company is also hiring contractual workers from service providers and contractors that are accredited by the Department of Labor and Employment pursuant to existing labor laws, rules and regulations.

“We have to strictly comply with whatever policies handed down by the present administration as we have already regularized a majority of our workforce even before the President Duterte’s pronouncements against contractualization since it is part of our practice as responsible mining firm,” Austin stressed.

The Philex official revealed the hiring of service providers and contractors are done in consultation with the Philex Mines Supervisors Union and the Philex Rank and File Union because the two labor unions are also monitoring the compliance of the company to existing laws, rules and regulations.

According to him, the company is hiring some 10 to 20 percent of its workforce from duly accredited service providers and labor contractors to allow the available jobs to be done in time because of the company’s need to also comply with their prescribed deadlines.

Because of the existence of the two labor unions in the mine site, he claimed Philex is one of the preferred employees in the region to date because the nearly P600 daily wage is almost 20 percent higher than the prevailing wage in the National Capital Region and nearly 292 percent more than the existing P285 daily wage approved by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board in the Cordillera.

The ’Elsa’ sculpture by Gerry Leonardo sits near the beach as part of the ’Himala sa Buhangin!’ Arts and Music Festival organized by the Ilocos Norte provincial government. Under Gov. Imee R. Marcos, Ilocos Norte is gearing up for its 200th anniversary by promoting its cultural heritage as a catalyst of growth and opportunity.

CULTURAL POLICY DRIVE FOR ILOCOS NORTE BICENTENNIAL

I

N PREPARATION for the province’s 200th founding anniversary, Gov. Imee R. Marcos is accelerating the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte's drive towards developing and promoting its cultural heritage as a catalyst of growth and opportunity.

Established under Provincial Ordinance No. 041-2015 by the ninth Sangguniang Panlalawigan, Ilocos Norte’s cultural policy is founded on Republic Act No. 10066 or the National Heritage Act of 2009 which encourages local government units to incorporate programs and budgets for the protection and conservation of cultural properties whether through environmental, educational, or cultural activities.

The policy implements nine strategies, including the establishment of new art venues; strengthening of institutions involved in the study and research of the Ilocano heritage; provision of training for artists and a cultural workforce; investment in cultural entrepreneurs and

producers; and promotion of the province’s cultural sites, products, and events.

PGIN had already begun the said establishment and promotion of cultural treasures in 2014. To revive the trades such as carpentry, wood-carving, and handloom weaving, the first conservation school in the country was launched in the Paoay Campus of Mariano Marcos State University College of Industrial Technology (MMSU-CIT): the Paoay School for Craftsmen.

It was also under Gov. Marcos’ leadership that Ilocos Norte began spearheading large-scale cultural-tourism events like the Himala sa Buhangin! Arts and Music Festival on the Ilocos des-

PGIN also heavily supports the ert and the Tan-ok ni Ilocano Festival of Festivals, known as House of Inabel opened earlier the grandest display of festival this month in Pinili, which serves to display loom-woven products, culture in Northern Luzon. widen its market, and educate ’Heritage is our living’ young Ilocanos on the craft as a All too often, we take our im- cultural heritage. mense heritage for granted. We “As we grow, we must maintain must urgently put in place a cul- the social networks and compastural strategy not merely to pro- sion that are traditionally Ilocatect heritage sites and museums, no. And while we embrace techbut to promote art galleries and nology and all its devices, we spaces, endow schools of archi- will honor our culture, heritage tecture, design, literature, gas- and the values that define us as tronomy, and renew vanishing a people,” said Governor Marcos. indigenous cultures,” Gov. Marcos

had said in her 2014 State of the Province calls for project Province Address. proposals She added, “In Ilocos Norte, In line with these goals, PGIN culture sells, and for many has called for project proposals for among us today, heritage is our books, graphic novels, research living.” projects, music compilations, Aside from events showcas- comic books, children’s histories, ing Ilocano talents, PGIN con- and other literary works about Ilotinued accelerating its cultur- cos Norte, the Ilocano culture and al-tourism campaign through heritage, Ilocano heroes, and the the opening of new museums Ilocano diaspora.

Entries chosen will receive such as the Ilocano-Cordilleran Taoid Museum in Laoag funding for the proposed project City and the “rice farmer’s and are to be published on or behouse” attraction known as fore the bicentennial celebration in February 2018. the Balay Dingras.

’SCRAP TOLL FEES IN KENNON, HALSEMA ROADS’ BAGUIO CITY—The City Council here passed a resolution strongly supporting and endorsing the immediate passage of House Bill Nos. 4570 and 4571, otherwise known as “an act terminating the collection of toll fees along the portion of the Benguet road, popularly known as Kennon Road, from Klondyke spring to Camp 6 and along Halsema highway, repealing for the purpose Executive Order No. 34, series of 1954 as amended.”

The resolution authored by all members of the local legislative body stated the local government supports the immediate passage of the two bills which will provide the needed solutions to the long quest of road users from paying

multiple fees, traffic jams, road accidents, increment of selling or ceiling price of products and alleged potential source of corruption among those involved in the collection of toll fees.

The Bill, if enacted will likewise protect the interest of traders, farmers and travelers from indigenous cultural communities and its populace as it would help minimize expenses in the transport of goods and services along the corridors of Benguet and Baguio City.

Earlier, the provincial board of Benguet passed a separate resolution strongly supporting the passage of the two pending bills before the House of Representatives.

Dexter A. See

TURNOVER. Cavite Gov. Boying Remulla hands over the ceremonial key of 18 patrol vehicles and 30 motorcycles to Philippine National Police Chief Director General Ronald ’Bato’ dela Rosa at Camp Pantaleon Garcia in Imus, Cavite on Jan. 23. The vehicles will provide a substantial police presence and enhance the emergency response capabilities of the Cavite police force. Benjamin Chavez

Gadgets & Games

VIVO V5: PREMIUM SELFIE PHONE IS HERE

Vivo Philippines launched the Vivo V5 Plus in a star-studded event at the SM Mall of Asia Atrium recently. Photo shows (from left) Trade Marketing Director Lindsay Guan; Ted Xiong, CEO; Hazel Bascon, VP; Robert John Decillo, National Sales Manager; Annie Lim, Brand Director; Sajid Silvestre and Jelly Buan, Service Managers doing a Selfie with celebrity guest KZ Tandingan. Manny Palmero

F

ILIPINOS are certified selfie lovers, as proven by a recent study by TIME, which found that Makati City is the world’s “selfie capital,” and the cities of Cebu, Quezon and Iloilo belong to the top 100 “selfiest cities” across the globe. Taking a selfie is an integral part of the lives of millions of Filipinos from all walks of life, which is why they continue to search for the best selfie phone available in the market.

The entry of top five premium global brand1 Vivo’s flagship phone, Vivo V5 Plus, in the local market marks the end of this search. Dubbed as the perfect selfie phone, the Vivo V5 Plus is equipped with the most advanced selfie technology to date, expected to impress selfie- and smartphoneenthusiasts all over the world.

Here, Vivo shares five reasons why the Vivo V5 Plus deserves its tag as the perfect selfie phone.

• The world’s first 20MP dual front camera. After intensive research and development, Vivo finally came up with the perfect front camera for selfie lovers. If you think that a 16-megapixel camera is impressive, then prepare to be blown away

achieving the true bokeh or background-blurring effect, on the spot.

To achieve this, Vivo engineers studied the blurring effects of 96 large aperture SLR camera lenses, simulated each of them in the V5 Plus smartphone algorithm, and added special enhancements to produce even better selfie results.

• The selfie soft light. With the Vivo V5 Plus’ selfie soft light, beautiful self-shots can be taken even by the Vivo V5 Plus’ front camera: at night or in poor lighting condia 20-megapixel and 8-megapixel tions. The lighting and brightness combo—the first of its kind. of every selfie photo is enhanced, A total of 200 engineers from on the spot—with no need for an Vivo and its partner organizations ‘edit’ button. spent eight months in developing • The face beauty mode 6.0. With this dual front camera, creating an the Vivo V5 Plus’ face beauty mode algorithm specially designed for 6.0, whitening and skin tone enbeautiful portrait shots. hancements of your selfies are easily • The true ‘bokeh’ effect. Vivo’s done. The face beauty mode 6.0 also dual front camera consists of a “erases” blemishes, making skin look primary (20MP) and a secondary either fair or rosy—your choice.

(8MP) camera, with the latter fo• Other advanced phone features. cused on collecting depth-of-field The Vivo V5 Plus is called a ‘perfect’ information. The result? An accurate selfie phone because its advanced separation of objects based on their camera features are supplemented by distance from the camera lens. This other positive attributes such as amazmeans that the subject in focus is ing style, speed, and performance. separated from the background, With its 4GB RAM, 64GB ROM,

Qualcom Snapdragon 625 processor, and Funtouch 3.0 OS, you can be sure that this Vivo phone has superior power and efficiency.

The Vivo V5 Plus also has a long-lasting battery, at 3160 mAh, and a fastcharging feature. Thus, you never have to worry about your phone running out of juice.

With an ultra-slim bezel technology, the Vivo V5 Plus is light and handy, making the act of selfie-taking even easier.

With all these and more, the Vivo V5 Plus truly has the most advanced selfie technology to date. And, as a welcome bonus, the newest Vivo phone is priced at only P19,990.

No doubt, the V5 Plus deserves the ‘perfect selfie phone’ title.

FACEBOOK CRACKS DOWN ON FAKE NEWS

SAN FRANCISCIO—Under pressure to stymie the spread of fake news, Facebook on Wednesday modified its system for showing trending topics.

The leading social network said that instead of simply showing a topic, it will include headlines from articles about the trending subjects along with sources publishing those stories.

“This was the most requested feature addition since the last update we made,” product management vice president Will Cathcart said in a blog post.

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The Carrier Optima, a noninver ter air conditioner, provides inverter like savings for 30% less than the cost of an inverter product.

“We at Carrier are committed to providing customers with the comfort that they need at home and for their lifestyle,” said Mally Zavalla, Concepcion-Carrier Air Conditioning Company Consumer Solutions Group, Marketing Director. “This is why we are proud of the Carrier Optima, our high wall, non-inverter air conditioner engineered for customers who are looking for superior air conditioning with-

“These are the same headlines that appear when you hover over or click on a trending topic, but people told us they wanted these headlines directly within trending, too.”

The headlines that are shown will be automatically selected based on factors including how much people engage with the pieces and with the publisher overall, and whether other articles are linking to them.

The update, which is being rolled out in the United States this week, also changes the

way topics are identified as trending at Facebook.

Instead of measuring how many people are clicking on and sharing a single article, Facebook will take into account how many publishers are posting stories on the same topic and how much attention those pieces are getting.

The change was intended to surface topics quicker, capture a broader range of news, and help ensure that trends reflect real world events being covered by multiple news outlets, Facebook said.

Also, lists of topics will no longer be personalized based on individual interests and will be the same for everyone in a region.

“This is designed to help make sure people don’t miss important topics being discussed on Facebook that might not show up in their News Feed,” Cathcart said.

Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg has sought to deflect criticism that the huge social network may have been used to fuel the spread of misinfor-

mation that impacted the 2016 US presidential race.

‘Tabloid cloakers’

Meanwhile Google on Wednesday said in a blog post that it took down 1.7 billion ads last year as part of its fight against “bad ads, sites, and scammers.”

The internet giant noted the rise of “tabloid cloakers,” a scam that tries to trick people, and Google, by pretending to offer real news but instead taking people to promotional pages. AFP

out the worries of expensive electricity bills.”

The secret to the Carrier Optima’s energy efficiency is in its interior. The air conditioner runs with additional cooling coils, a more compact yet power ful compressor, and stronger motors. It also has a Turbo Function that allows rooms to cool fast as soon as the air conditioner is switched on. All these power ful features are housed inside the Carrier Optima’s sleek exterior—it’s an air conditioning masterpiece that can fit stylishly in any home owner’s space.

Carrier understands that aside from energy efficiency The Carrier Optima, a non-inverter air conditioner, provides inverter like savings and cooling capacity, an air for 30 percent less than the cost of an inverter product. conditioning unit must have features that will make sure hold. That’s why they installed Optima. appliance stores nationwide. every family member is breath- the latest, most advanced air The Carrier Optima High For more information, visit ing clean air within the house- filter technology in the Carrier Wall is now available in major www.carrier.com.ph

D3

SUNDAY, JANUARY 29, 2017 rumallari@thestandard.com.ph

APPLE TIFF WITH QUALCOMM SPREADS TO CHINA SAN FRANCISCO—Apple on Wednesday took its legal war with Qualcomm to China, filing lawsuits there accusing the chip-making giant of illegally wielding monopoly power.

Apple confirmed the suits and referred AFP to comments it released when it filed an antitrust suit against Qualcomm in the United States last week.

“For many years, Qualcomm has unfairly insisted on charging royalties for technologies they have nothing to do with,” California-based Apple said in the statement.

“Qualcomm built its business on older, legacy, standards but reinforces its dominance through exclusionary tactics and excessive royalties.”

Qualcomm, also based in California, told AFP that it had not seen the legal complaints but that a press release from a Beijing court said one of the filings accused the company of violating China’s anti-monopoly law. The other asked for a determination regarding terms of a patent license agreement, the company said.

“These filings by Apple’s Chinese subsidiary are just part of Apple’s efforts to find ways to pay less for Qualcomm’s technology,” Qualcomm general counsel Don Rosenberg said in a statement.

“Qualcomm is prepared to defend its business model anywhere in the world.”

High stakes

Apple last week sued Qualcomm in US federal court, accusing the chipmaker of abusing its market power to demand unfair royalties, echoing recent charges by US antitrust regulators.

The suit accuses Qualcomm of building a business model based on its rights to technologies that are considered telecommunication industry standards and then ramping up royalties when Apple innovated its mobile devices with features such as TouchID fingerprint recognition or digital wallets.

Tech giant Apple said in the US court filing that it has been overcharged “billions of dollars” by its chipmaking partner’s “illegal scheme.”

The company also claimed Qualcomm owes it a billion dollars but is refusing to pay in retaliation for Apple’s cooperation with South Korean antitrust regulators looking into the chipmaker’s actions in that country.

South Korea’s anti-trust watchdog last month slapped Qualcomm with a record fine over $850 million for abusing its dominant market position as a maker of baseband chipsets used in mobile phones.

Qualcomm will appeal the decision, seeking a stay in the Seoul High Court while the process takes place, according to Qualcomm president Derek Aberle. AFP

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From D4

in all Home Credit partner stores offering Samsung phones, from Jan. 28 to March 25.

For those looking for even more affordable options from Samsung, they can also take a look at crowd favorites Galaxy J7 Prime at P13,990 and Galaxy J7 (2016) at P11,990, also being offered by Home Credit at 0% interest installments for six months.

The Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime features Premium Design and Prime Performance.

The powerful 3GB RAM device is housed in a stylish, metal unibody design with 2.5D Gorilla Glass 4, a 5.5” full HD screen, and a 13MP rear camera with F1.9 lens, to ensure bright images even in low light conditions. Meanwhile, the J7 (2016) features Signal Max for wider signal coverage, Ultra Data Saving for optimized mobile data usage, and Ultra Power Saving Mode for power when you need it the most. Home Credit’s 0% promo for these models runs from Jan. 21 to March 5.

“The Christmas season was definitely an exciting time for us and customers alike, as we offered 0% promos for various products,”remarked Home Credit Head of Sales Adam Bernasek.“With January coming in, we know for sure that the demand is still there for people to have something new to welcome a brand new year. Home Credit and Samsung are more than happy to meet this demand with our latest 0% interest promos.”

For more information on the promos, visit www.homecredit.ph

D4

SUNDAY, JANUARY 29, 2017 Riera U. Mallari, Editor rumallari@thestandard.com.ph

Gadgets & Games UPGRADED OPPO F1S TO MAKE PH DEBUT

The smartphone giant elevated the business phone competition a notch higher with a smartphone that becomes faster and more intelligent through time.

HUAWEI MATE 9: FAST IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT

By Peter Paul Duran

S

PEED is the name of the game, and for Huawei’s new Mate 9, fast is an understatement.

The smartphone giant elevated the business phone competition a notch higher with a smartphone that becomes faster and more intelligent through time, boasting of long battery life and bannering the resurgence of the dual camera--the Huawei Mate 9.

Boasting of the Kirin 960 chipset, the world’s highest performing smartphone processor, the Mate 9 is the answer to today’s common handset flaw--performance erosion, but the leading smartphone company is also making giant strides ahead in smartphone photography and battery longevity.

A phone that is born fast, yet stays fast, the Mate 9 becomes more efficient and adaptive to everyday

utilization with longer use. It also brags a 4000 mAh battery with SuperCharge technology that delivers a full day’s charge in 20 minutes.

But the premium feature comes in the form of its dual camera, a second generation Leica duallens camera with 20 MP monochrome sensor, 12-megapixel RGB sensor, Hybrid Zoom, and a superior 2x magnification.

“Mate 9 not only delivers professional smartphone photography quality, but enhances the entire smartphone experience with high-grade processors and a long-lasting battery fit for today’s fast-paced and always on-the-go business lifestyle,” said Mark De Joya during the Mate 9 and GR5’s launch at the Aracama restaurant in BGC. The Mate 9 defies every business phone’s downside of losing their speed over time, which could result to the sacrifice of its responsiveness and momentum. But by optimizing its hardware and software systems, Huawei produced a phone that becomes faster with more usage, thanks to the ARM Cortex-A73/A53 Octa-core CPU and Mali G71

Octa-core GPU. When combined with Huawei’s Machine Learning Algorithm and EMUI 5.0, the phone becomes more intelligent as it understands and adapts to the users’ phone usage behaviors-accelerating the phone’s processor, making the operations smoother and more responsive as time goes on.

Meanwhile, also competing in the dual cam arena is the recently released GR5 2017 that allows users to take beautiful bokeh shots- or the separation of the subject from the background.

The GR5 2017’s powerful signature dual camera can easily take photos that are more vivid and with better detail with just a smartphone. So if you want to take pro-looking shots, give it a try with the GR5 2017.

The Huawei Mate 9 is now available at P31,990, while the GR5 retails at only P13,990. These brand new phones can be purchased in all Huawei Experience stores and resellers nationwide.

For more information, kindly visit http:// consumer.huawei.com/minisite/ph/ mate9/index.htm

AN upgraded variant of the OPPO F1s with increased internal storage capacity and larger RAM for snappier performance will soon be available in Philippine stores.

The upgraded F1s expands storage space from 32GB to 64GB, and sports a 4GB RAM instead of the original 3GB RAM. “The latest upgrades on the F1s shows that OPPO is unrelenting in its commitment to deliver outstanding experience for smartphone users,” said OPPO Philippines Brand Marketing Manager Stephen Cheng. “The F1s was already a masterpiece of technology and design when it made its debut in the country last year, but we never stopped looking for more ways to make it even better.”

The new phone keeps the other specifications of the original F1s including the 16-megapixel front camera for crisp and vivid selfies even in low light, thanks to a 1/3.1-inch sensor and large f/2.0 aperture.

Bigger space, better functionality

Though the upgraded F1s doubles the original’s internal storage capacity, the triple-card slot allows for an extra SD card to expand memory further by up to 128GB, enough to store more than 40,000 photos.

The expanded storage works together with the F1s’ bigger RAM and ColorOS3.0to support the phone’s octa-core processor for fast performance when launching, using, and installing apps.

OPPO Philippines is yet to announce the upgraded F1s’ release date. For more details, stay tuned on OPPO Philippines’ Facebook and Instagram pages.

OPPO is a global electronics and technology service provider that provides customers with the latest and most exquisite electronic devices and mobile Internet service. OPPO delivers customers with the most delightful electronic experience that is full of surprises, through meticulous designs and smart technology. For more information, please visit http:// global.oppo.com.

HOME CREDIT SEALS TIEUP WITH SAMSUNG WHETHER you’re an avid traveler looking for a splash-proof phone, a yuppie looking to take the perfect selfie, or simply not quite done yet with Christmas shopping, consumer finance company Home Credit has you covered, with an exciting selection of 0% interest promos with smartphone giant Samsung to usher in the New Year.

Two of Samsung’s best-selling premium models have fresh new up-

grades to welcome 2017.

The 5.2-inch Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) and its 5.7-inch big brother Galaxy A7 (2017), priced at P19,990 and P23,990, respectively, both sport full-HD super AMOLED displays, and are encased in a metal frame with a 3D glass back, giving them the uberpremium look and feel of Samsung’s flagship models at more affordable prices. The new 2017 models are excellent choices for those with

active lifestyles, as they are certified IP68 for water and dust resistance, and can be submerged under 1.5 meters for up to 30 minutes. Plus, with the front and rear 16-megapixel cameras, expect top-notch images for both selfies and scenery.

These two models are can be availed from Home Credit at ninemonth installments at zero interest, Turn to D3

Samsung Galaxy A5

‘OPPO is unrelenting in its commitment to deliver outstanding experience for smartphone users.’

MAXIMUM COMFORT WITH CARRIER OPTIMA AIRCON UNIT WHAT will you do with up to P10,000 savings a year?

That’s how much savings you can get when you use a Carrier Optima high wall, a non-inverter air conditioning unit that gives maximum cooling minus the worries of high electricity consumption.

With the rising costs of electricity these days, it’s essential to own an appliance that’s energy efficient. With the Carrier Optima, homeowners can save as much as P10,076 per year, compared to other leading non-inverter brands. This is possible because of the unit’s energy efficient and highlyoptimized system design.

Carrier Optima high wall gives maximum cooling minus the worries of high electricity consumption.

The amount of savings became a trending topic among viewers during the recent pilot episode of vlogger (or video blogger) and TV Host Marco Ho’s (a.k.a. Bogart the Explorer) brand new Facebook Live Talk Show: “The Sorta Kinda Late But Still Quite Early Night Show with Bogart the Explorer”.

Held at the XSplit Studios, Bogart tested the superior energy efficiency of the Carrier Optima compared to an inverter and a non-inverter of competing brands through an electricity meter.

In the test, Carrier Optima proved that it not only performs at its rated specification of 660 watts, Turn to D3

E1

SUNDAY, JANUARY 29, 2017 Isah V. Red, Editor

/

Young Life

Bernadette Lunas, Issue Editor isahred@gmail.com.ph

MAXINE MEDINA’S MISS UNIVERSE OUTFITS

By Bernadette Lunas

Photos by Sonny Espiritu

T

HE most “confidently beautiful” day is finally happening tomorrow. But before the much-awaited event, our Miss Universe 2016 bet Maxine Medina showed fans and critics alike that we still have a fighting chance to, once again, take home the crown.

During the pageant’s Preliminary Competition on Jan. 26, Medina was all smiles as she strutted on stage and showed off her playfulness, fierceness and elegance, to the delight of the cheering crowd.

Filipino designer Rhett Eala has been given the honor to create the evening gown and national costume worn by the 5-foot-8 beauty queen.

Prior to this, Eala had the privilege to have the 26-year-old Miss Universe contender wear his creations during the 2016 Binibining Pilipinas finals, where he created a magenta trumpet hem fitted dress for the evening gown portion and a pink Filipiniana terno for the national costume.

In earlier reports,

Medina admitted having a hard time choosing her designer, for which she thankfully had the help of Binibining Pilipinas Charities Inc. chairperson Stella Araneta. “It’s crucial because it’s really hard to choose a gown for the finals, and to even look better on stage,” shared Medina.

Aside from their winning tandem at the BBP 2016, the designer and the beauty queen has already been working together for about five years—with Medina modeling Eala’s creations.

Eala describes the gowns he made for Medina for the preliminaries as “modern and sexy,” a confirmation well received by fans and spectators who have been wanting to see the fiercer side of the Philippine representative.

As per Medina’s request to show off her figure, the gowns were flattering and were indeed oozing with sexiness and sophistication—and green seems to be her color of choice.

Medina looked confident and like she was truly having fun as she strutted on stage wearing her Yamamay swimsuit in green and white. The charming smile she gave and twirl she did when she was introduced showed her playful side.

For the evening gown segment, Medina received loud cheers as she worked the

stage in a vibrant emerald green dress, whose layered fringe skirt made it seem like it was moving with her. Her color preference was a good choice as it made her stand out from the crowd of red and white shimmery dresses.

Medina’s green column dress—with its spaghetti straps, sweetheart neckline and glittered bodice—veered away from the usual pageant gowns with high slits, fitted or balloon skirts and long trains.

Meanwhile, for her national costume, Eala created a show-stopping, Pearl of the Orientinspired piece that made Medina shine during the portion. The crowd went wild when she took the center stage wearing a Mindanao vinta-inspired long sleeve dress, with touches of green, paired with a reportedly million-peso headdress adorned with South Sea pearls.

Now that’s an #OOTD worthy of a crown.

The top 12 of the 65th Miss Universe will be determined by their combined scores from the preliminaries and online public votes. The result will be announced at the coronation night, happening on Monday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Let’s cheer for our favorite contestant tomorrow—may that be Medina or the other beauty queens.

Jeffrey Juanego and son Jeffrey John

SPORTS BRING OUT THE BEST IN KIDS “FULL support is vital especially if you want your kids to excel in their sport,” says Alexander Arabia, a proud father who supports his son Alejandro’s basketball clinic every weekend.

Alexander understands that getting children into sports is vital to their overall development. But more importantly he knows that moral, emotional and financial support are equally important to help kids be better athletes and people, in general.

This is espoused at the recently concluded SBP-Passerelle, the longest running twin tournament in the country organized by BEST (Basketball Efficiency and Scientific Training). The said tournament gives importance on the vital role of parents, coaches and school officials in shaping the kids to become better individuals.

“At BEST Center, we encourage parents to be role models to their kids by imposing good behavior and promoting fair play and sportsmanship,” shares BEST Center founder and former national coach Nicanor Jorge. The said values, he emphasizes, will serve as good foundation for the kids to learn from.

Maxine in Sherri Hill halter dress during the parade of nations

SHE SLAYED IT. Hometown bet Maxine

Medina showed her playful and fierce side during Miss Universe 2016 Preliminary Competition where she wore a Yamamay swimsuit in white and green during the swimsuit portion, emerald green fringe dress in the evening gown segment, and a Mindanao vintainspired long sleeve dress as national costume.

Scan this icon to view the PDF

Alexander Arabia and son Alejandro

Turn to E2

BULLETIN BOARD

ACSLV68 TO HOLD FUNDRAISING SALE

Some of the unique and exquisite items sold at Cabinet of Curiosities pop-up shop

IN A bid to support the 24 scholars of the Assumption Convent San Lorenzo Village High School ‘68 (ACSLV68) Association, Inc, the group will hold the Cabinet of Curiosities pop-up event at Makati Garden Club on Feb. 2-4.

ACSLV68 is an association established in 2004 by high school classmates who have maintained a close friendship spanning more than five decades. They provide scholarship to deserving high school and college students Since 2013, the group holds a fundraising event dubbed Birds in Paradise, where-

in they sell stunning and unique items sourced from around the world. The wares include European antiques, contemporary furniture and soft furnishings, antiquarian Filipiniana prints and maps, 19th century Russian icons, oriental carpets, crystal decanters, silver, tableware, and others exquisite pieces.

This year, the three-day pop-up shop will be called Cabinet of Curiosities.

From supporting a day care center in Lupang Pangako in Payatas, the ACSLV68 has since expanded their program to providing high school and college scholarships “as a

way of helping in community and nation building, and to inspire the younger generation to be responsible citizens.”

Fourteen college scholars are currently completing their degrees in Law, Journalism, Business Administration, Accountancy, Basic Education, Customs Administration, Radiologic Technology, Computer Engineering, Public Administration and Physics in different colleges and universities in Metro Manila. Ten more students are in high school.

For more information, email birdsofparadise2016@gmail.com.

Young Life

E2

SUNDAY, JANUARY 29, 2017 isahred@gmail.com

SPORTS...

From E1

Vanni and Maricel Jugo with sons Camilo and Javi (De La Salle Greenhills SBP) and Julian (De La Salle Passerelle)

Hence Alexander shares how driving them to practice, silently cheering them on at the sidelines, and fetching them afterwards, can help parents get to know more about their kids.

For Yuan Pasumbal of International School of Better Beginnings (ISBB), his parents are not the only ones who fully support his passion—all of his three siblings are also present in every competition he’s in. “We never miss any game, wherever and whenever they may be,” say Yuan’s parents Fredrick and Reinates.

Coaches also play an important role in child development. They are the kids’s role models and are responsible for their performance on the court as well as on how they behave off court.

“Coaches serve as examples for kids to follow,” enthuses coach Ronie Gallo of Ferndale International School of Zamboanga City. Coach Ronie’s son is one of the players of his team, yet he admits to never having any favorites.

“As both parent and coach, I never play favorites, [I instead] emphasize the importance of fair play and teach them to accept the results of the game, whether [they] win or lose,” shares the father-coach.

Contrary to what others think about sports being a hindrance to learning, Bro. Felipe Belleza of De La Salle notes how sports complement education. “While studying sharpens their academic skills, playing sports helps build character. They do not develop talent but also learn life skills which they can use throughout their lives, regardless of whatever profession or path they choose to take.”

Call (02) 411-6260, 372-3066, 372-3065 or email bestcentersports@gmail.com for more information about BEST Center’s classes and tournaments.

BEST Center’s Marilyn Jorge and De La Salle’s Bro. Felipe Belleza

NOSTALGIA TRIPPING: 6 COOL TOYS OF ‘90S KIDS

By John Ray Villanueva

I

N THE time when Internet and gadgets were not yet taking over children’s playtime, kids in the glorious ‘90s era had to be creative and resourceful in coming up with toys they can play with friends.

Indeed, as the philosopher Plato once said, “Necessity is the agility to avoid the sipa from falling on the ground. mother of invention.”

This used to be our National Sports—using a different kind Who would have thought that a small marble could set a of ball—until it was changed to Arnis in 2009. friendship afire, and a piece of teks could end it? Who would have thought that a rubber band would be a source of fun?

Tamagotchi Let’s go and take a trip down memory lane to see the toys This is the first virtual pet device the ‘90s kids have enjoyed. introduced in the Philippines. The aim of the game is to take care of your Teks pet from its birth up to its adult stage.

Every boy in the neighForgetting to feed them or even borhood had probably bathe them are strictly prohibited come home crying from since pets could also get sick which losing these miniature might be the cause of their death. cards to his friends.

Hence many have actually spent Popularly known to Filimore time taking care of their virtual pinos as teks, these cards pals than their selves. are usually played in a betting game where the winView-master ner takes home his oppoIf this generation has VR nent’s cards. goggles, the kids of the ‘90s To play, players toss the cards in the air, and whoever betted had View-master. on the side that came face up won, and will take all the cards This gadget has two reels thrown as a prize. that merge inside. It shows Perseverance is a virtue in this game because once you lose three-dimensional images your teks, you may keep on playing to take everything back again. that are just photographs of the same subject.

Aroma Beads or ‘Kisses’ The reels of View-masWho would ever forget the ter have at least 14 photos to beads that fooled a lot of ‘90s kids? show in 3D scenes.

Technically, these aroma beads are not toys, but it had Brick Game amused a lot of youngsters in Brick Game has arguably honed the that era. So amusing that kids logical thinking of many ‘90s kids. believed these aromatic air It is an affordable, battery-operfresheners multiplied on their ated gadget that comes in various own if you kept them in a cot- designs. ton inside a matchbox or any other container.

It allows users to play a monoThe truth, however, is these kisses are absorbent, that when chrome version of Tetris, among it absorbs liquid, their size increases thus creating an illusion other brick games, using buttons that they multiply. similar to NES. This game used to be popular Sipa among children and adults.

This is most likely the reason why many ‘90s kids have good kicking skills.

Truly, the ‘90s kids had great childSipa, the toy, is made of small metal washer hood. They had the chance to spend and colorful plastic straws. The players must their leisure outside with their playkick it up repeatedly to the air, without it mates, without much influence from touching the ground. This game requires the digital world.

SIMPLE DAYS. With no Internet and mobile devices, the ‘90s kids whiled the time away with toys and gizmos that are simple and somehow unconventional.

LOVE AND CARE FOR CAMBODIAN CHILDREN

Choi Gee-sung gives out goodie bags to children in Cambodia

MORE than 2,800 children in Cambodia benefitted from the second “Samsung Love and Care” of Samsung Electronics.

The company’s annual regional employee volunteer program gathered 56 employees from 11 countries to spend quality time with the youth in a bid to address pressing educational gaps and social issues in the country.

The program, which kicked off on October 2016, will run over the course of three years.

“We are always committed to go beyond business achievements and to contribute back to the communities,” enthused Samsung Southeast Asia and Oceania vice president for Corporate Marketing Irene Ng. She added, “Following last year’s success and earnest positive feedback from volunteers, we are excited to be in Cambodia this year for this meaningful initiative. We believe that technology can go a long way in empowering youths.”

Samsung employee-volunteers, together with nongovernmental organizations Pour Un Sourire D’enfant and People Improvement Organization, organized education and interactive activities for the underprivileged children in local communities in Cambodia, building ties and bringing joy to the community.

Using Samsung tablets and mobile learning apps, the

Samsung employeevolunteers interact with kids using tablet computers and learning apps

volunteers bonded with children over interactive learning games, teaching them numerical and literacy skills.

They also helped with simple refurbishments for the schools, such as giving a fresh coat of paint for the classroom walls and tables. Tree planting, wherein children were taught how to care for environment, allowed for cultural exchange among volunteers and locals.

“By addressing the local needs and focusing on the children’s wellbeing, we want to make a positive difference. For our employees, this is our chance to give our best to the community of Cambodia,” said Ng.

Showbiz

SUNDAY, JANUARY 29, 2017

E3

Miss Dominican Republic Sal Garcia

Miss USA Deshauna Barber

Miss Colombia Andrea Tovar

Miss Brazil Raissa Santana

FEARLESS FORECAST...

From E4

Top6

Miss USA Deshauna Barber If the first part of the competition were the Q and A portion, Barber would be first on the list. Her strong projection, toned body and simple feminine red gown during the prelims have already secured her a spot but Barber needs to work extra once she enters the semifinals because she can only captivate the judges with her strong communication skills once she advances in the top 6.

Miss Colombia Andrea Tovar She may have gained weight but still shone in shimmering gold evening gown with big raffles. Her looking heavy was obvious during the swimsuit round and National Costume parade. Prior to her arrival in Manila, she’s the biggest threat to the crown but as the competition nears, more and more girls are showing their best efforts making the competition much even tougher for the perceived frontrunners.

Miss Brazil Raissa Santana Just like the other frontrunners, Santana started off strong but slowly faded when she hit the stage during the prelims. She worked the stage with athletic-type body and glistening white see-through gown but there delegates who outshone her “just above average” performance.

With her stunning look and figure, Santana is still one of the girls to watch out for.

Miss Germany Lana Broder

Top 9

Miss Dominican Republic Sal Garcia She looked divine and flawless onstage. This international model who walked the runway for popular brands owned the stage with her long, beautiful body and white see-through gown. She looks sensational with led and spotlights training on her but the same thing cannot be said of this pageant queen when people see her up-close.

Miss Germany Lena Bröder She is a total package. With extraordinary performance in swimsuit and aqua serpentine evening gown, she can secure a spot in the semifinals.

And if her performance during the closed-door interview with the judges was even better, we wouldn’t be surprised if this German beauty gets a higher placement.

Miss Spain Noelia Freire The Spanish stunner is very consistent in terms of her style. During the preliminaries, Freire looked like a goddess on stage with her great body and brilliant see-through gown. Just like the two other delegates on this list, she might pull off a great surprise during the grand coronation.

Dashing Derek Ramsay with the reigning queen Pia Wurtzbach host the pageant's crucial event that will determine the 12 delegates that will advance in the final round - Image by Sonny Espiritu

Bubbling up The following delegates are better alternatives: Miss Nicaragua Marina Jacoby - good overall stage projection with stunning face and high slit red evening gown; Miss Argentina Estefania Bernal - was hot in her classy pastel blue evening gown; Miss France Iris Mittenaere - stood out with to die for body and shimmering yellow gown; and Miss Sierra Leone Hawa Kamara– our, and the fans, sentimental favorite. - With Eton B. Concepcion

Miss Spain Noelia Freire

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Sunday, January 29, 2017

ACROSS 1 Falafel bean 5 Figure of speech 10 Colder than cold 16 Pine cousin 21 Historical periods 22 Uptight 23 Conductor Antal — 24 January, in Jalisco 25 Volt or watt 26 High mark (hyph.)

27 Made up for 28 Nobelist from Egypt 29 Water color? (2 wds.)

31 Japanese honorific 33 Famous last words 35 Ltd. cousin 36 “Nick of Time” singer 37 Film, as of dust 40 Baja “Mrs.” 41 Hermes’ mother 42 Tattered cloth 45 Steely, as nerves 46 Ecol. bureau 48 Labor org.

50 Erudite person 52 Votes in 54 Scrooge’s nephew 55 Chilly in Chile 57 Drag along 58 Taboos (hyph.)

59 Brown songbird 60 Vitamin amts.

62 Calculus pioneer 66 1960s space chimp 67 Latin dance (hyph.)

69 Apollo’s priestess at Delphi 71 Luxury car 72 Back down (2 wds.)

74 Rural elec. provider 76 Tizzies 78 Pen part 79 Reebok rival 80 Some Voltaire works 83 Foot pedal 85 Here, to Pierre 88 No longer chic 89 Salvers 90 Town named for a Great Plains tribe 93 Fools with photos 95 Entre — (confidentially) 97 “— be a pleasure” 98 In the wake of 100 Auntie Em’s st.

101 Elephant or swan 106 Simon or Diamond 108 Lens settings 110 Junk food 112 Ogden or old car 113 Horse handler 115 Hobgoblin 116 Thinnest coin 117 Ipso — 118 King, to monsieur

120 Canceled 122 “Star Trek” speed 123 Softly lustrous 124 Anchoring place 128 Fair-hiring abbr.

129 Authorizes 130 Blimp, for short 131 Weathervane dir.

132 “Judith” composer 133 Shale extract 135 El — (ocean current) 137 Olfactory stimulus 139 Pouch 140 Map collection 142 Funny-peculiar 144 Menacing 148 Hot coffee hazard 150 Tabloid staffer 153 Win by — — 155 Fidel’s country 156 J.R.’s mama 157 Some macaroni 158 Talks up 159 Premed class 160 Shoulder muscles 161 Get cozy 162 Mete out 163 Sheet of stamps DOWN 1 Satyr 2 Hindu god of fire 3 Hide 4 Purplish flower 5 Emphatic letters 6 Agent 7 Small bay 8 Columbus sch.

9 Muddle 10 Bell town of fiction 11 Compost 12 — -Magnon 13 Indian Ocean feeder 14 Things 15 Apple juice 16 Reduced 17 Santa — winds 18 Call again 19 They have brains 20 Stolen auto (2 wds.)

30 Worms and flies 32 School (abbr.)

34 Table salt 38 — Wiedersehen 39 Dawdle 41 Ski slope bump 42 Keep subscribing 43 Solo 44 Columbus’ port 46 Builds 47 Phnom — 49 AAA or EE 51 Shade 53 Steppes horseman 54 Herr’s spouse 56 Where Waikiki is 59 Rider’s command

61 63 64 65 67 68 69 70 73 75 77 81 82 84 85 86 87 91 92 93 94 95 96 99 102 103 104 105 107

Go through carefully Evans or Hunt A Bronte sister Pajama coverers XV x X + 1 Raids Pastors Egypt’s cont.

A Peron Far-reaching view Organize (2 wds.)

PFC mail drop Always, to Whitman Weapons cache Striving to win Movie with a posse “City of Festivals” — the wall Crash-probing org.

Small parachute Cellar access Microwave Mantra chants Jacket style Sgt. Preston’s group Pushpins Basso Simon — Avignon’s river “The Maltese Falcon”

109 111 114 117 119 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 130 134 136 137 138 140 141 143 145 146 147 149 151 152 154

villain Bridge tower Can. neighbor Kiwi’s extinct cousin Sitar music “— — Rhythm” Luau welcome Knock on — Earliest Crowded together Ancient consultant Carrying a beeper (2 wds.)

Soprano — Farrell Monte — sandwich King-size spoon Vikings “Don’t tell — —!”

Show biz org.

Citrus coolers Twins, e.g.

PC fodder Popular salad Diplomat Abba — Deem Put a match to Booster seat user Mouse catcher Cambodia’s Lon —

E4

Showbiz

SUNDAY, JANUARY 29, 2017 Isah V. Red, Editor / Nickie Wang, Issue Editor isahred@gmail.com

65TH MISS UNIVERSE FEARLESS FORECAST

By Nickie Wang

M

EETING the 86 Miss Universe delegates up-close allowed us to know a little bit of their personalities and see how different they look in person compared to their pre-arrival studio photos.

And now, seeing them in motion on stage during the preliminaries gave us an entirely different perspective on these women vying for the coveted tittle. On Thursday night, the candidates brought their ‘A’ game in their Yamamay swimsuits and mostly glittering evening gowns.

As expected, some of the girls were a big surprise, some met and exceeded our expectations, and there were those who lost their luster while performing before a set of judges that will determine the 11 delegates (the 12th will be determined via fan votes) who will advance to the finals tomorrow.

Hosts Derek Ramsay and Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach introduced the preliminary round judges, namely, Miss Universe 1993 Dayanara Torres, model Cynthia Bailey, former journalist and publicist Rob Goldstone, People’s Choice Awards Executive Producer Fred Nelson, social entrepreneur and women’s empowerment activist Francine LeFrank and Miss Universe 2007 Riyo Mori.

In what we call our “fearless forecast,” we are coming up with a list of delegates who performed exceptionally well during the preliminary competition held at the Mall of Asia.

Top 3 Miss Venezuela Mariam Habach She is every inch a beauty queen. The 21-year-old stunner had a very strong presence onstage. Her 5-foot-11- frame complimented her killer body well owning one of the best figures in this year’s batch. Her dramatic, white feathery evening gown with down comforter rocked the MU stage, and that performance alone put her on our list as one of the delegates who are likely to win the crown.

Miss Philippines Maxine Medina The classy hometown girl owned the preliminaries if we are to base it on the deafening cheers of the crowd at the MOA Arena.

Medina brought her “A” game strong swimsuit catwalk and stylishly unique emerald green string gown – a standout among mostly glittering white, red and blue ensembles. But, she definitely in a challenging situation. First, only seven candidates have been crowned in their hometown.

Secondly, the first back-to-back victory happened just a few years ago.

Miss Thailand Chalita Suansane She is a social media darling and a crowd favorite. Even local pageant fans were cheering for her during the prelims. She had an excellent catwalk during the swimsuit round and stunned the Arena with her shimmering two-toned gown. Suansane looked confident onstage as if she’d kill just to get the crown. Turn to E3

FRONT-RUNNERS. Among 86 candidates competing for the coveted Miss Universe crown, Venezuela's Mariam Habach, hometown girl Maxine Medina, and Thailand's Chalita Suansane are favored to win based on their performance during the preliminary competition.

BOYZ II MEN PERFORMS

AT MISS U GRAND CORONATION

Grammy-award winning vocal group Boyz II Men will serenade the finalists at Miss Universe grand coronation tomorrow

THERE’S no Bruno Mars but Miss Universe fans should not be disappointed.

The Miss Universe Organization announced Wednesday night that the Grammy-winning group Boyz II Men joins the lineup of artists slated to perform in the coronation night (say in Manila) of the 65th Miss Universe tomorrow.

The group, best known for hits like “I’ll Make Love To You” and “On Bended

Knee,” will perform on the same stage as American rapper Flo Rida.

The group’s other hits include “End of the Road,” “One Sweet Day,” “4 Seasons of Loneliness” and “Water Runs Dry.” They won two Grammy awards in 1994.

This is not the first time Boyz II Men will perform in the Philippines, having held a concert back in 2014 at Smart Araneta Coliseum as part a world tour promoting their album, “Collide.”

Confidently beautiful Pia Wurtzbach

5 REASONS

PIA WURTZBACH IS THE ‘BEST MISS UNIVERSE EVER’ MISS Universe is definitely not just about the glitz and glamor, it is also about fulfilling a greater set of duties and responsibilities as a representative of the organization.

In 2015, the then 26-year old pageant veteran Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach won the prestigious title besting 79 other candidates.

Apart from bringing pride to the Philippines, the reigning Miss Universe has done outstanding work for the MUO she’s now tagged as the best “Best Miss Universe Ever.”

As she relinquishes her crown we’re listing down the reasons why she’s really worthy of the crown.

She is now the Miss Universe Organization ambassador There are few reasons why she’s the “best Miss Universe ever,” and extending her work with MUO as its ambassador even after her reign is just one of those. No doubt that Pia is the best woman for the job as she has exceeded the expectation of MUO. Hence, she’ll continue working for the organization.

Social media darling With over 2 million followers on Instagram, Pia became the most followed Miss Universe titleholder in the history of the pageant. All of her posts, from her crowning moment to her Miss Universe journeys, stunning photo shoots, holiday pictures, and personal posts, her social media followers can’t get enough of her Miss Universe life update.

Unconventional beauty queen She is a modern Filipina and breaks beauty queen stereotypes.

According to former Miss USA Olivia Jordan, Pia knows what she wants, she’s sure of herself, and knows how to get what she wants without putting aside her principles. She’s fearless, she’s brave, and she’s a strong person.

A champion of well-meaning causes Apart from HIV/Aids awareness advocate, Pia is also a champion of the LGBT community. She thanked the LGBT fans right after her win and she consoles the victims of Orlando shooting. She renounces terror attacks against the members of the community.

She is “confidently beautiful with a heart” Part of Pia’s everyday routine is serving meals to people with severe illness through a non-profit organization God’s Love We Deliver based in New York. She also works tirelessly with Project Sunshine to provide free educational, recreational, and social programs to children facing medical challenges and their families.