Manila Standard - 2017 March 14 - Tuesday by Manila Standard

Rody’s Mercedes up for sale

VOL. XXXI • NO. 32 • 4 SECTIONS 20 PAGES • P18 • TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017 • www.thestandard.com.ph • editorial@thestandard.com.ph

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte revealed Sunday night that he is selling a Mercedes-Benz luxury car that was gifted to him and that the proceeds would be used for government projects. Duterte did not say who gave him the luxury vehicle, now parked at the Presidential Security Group compound in Malacañang.

“This is the truth, someone gave me a Mercedes-Benz, that’s true. Go to the PSG compound, it’s there. I did not accept it, I only left it there,” Duterte said Sunday night during the thanksgiving party of PDP Laban. “To the taxpayers who are interested, they can buy it from the government. I Next page will sell it,” he added.

Gina accused of corrupt acts over mines closure By Rio N. Araja and Anna Leah E. Gonzales THE Chamber of Mines of the Philippines sued Environment Secretary Regina Lopez before the Office of the Ombudsman Monday, accusing her of violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and the Code of Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees. The complaint stems from Lopez’s Sept. 6 announcement that she would close 23 mining companies and suspend five others for violating environmental laws. The chamber complained that the announcement was made even before the affected mining companies were given the results of a mining audit conducted by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. The affected companies were devastated by the turn of events, but powerless to stop the suspension. Several companies demanded to see the actual results of the mining audit but to no avail. The chamber also hit Lopez for her “false and unfounded allegations against mining companies” that created problems for them with the Filipino public and their international clients. In various news reports from September 2016 to January 2017, Lopez revealed her biases against mining companies. Next page

BATTLE OF WILLS. Chamber of Mines Chairman Antonio Disini (left) and its Vice President Ronnie Recidoro show the formal complaint sheet of violation of RA 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and violation of the Code of Conduct of ethical standards for public ofﬁcials and employees, gross negligence against DENR Secretary-designate Gina Lopez at the Ofﬁce of the Ombudsman. Sonny Espiritu

‘Duterte can’t sway CA’ Panel to do job on its own—Lacson

Military, NPAs resume clashes despite truce bid DAVAO CITY—The fighting between the military and the communist rebels continued as their respective peace panels were yet to declare a unilateral ceasefire. On Saturday, the military launched an air strike in Mabini in Compostela Valley after a firefight between the combatants injured three soldiers. President Rodrigo Duterte had ordered the military to go all out

against the rebels and to use the government’s newly purchased fighter planes to “flatten the hills.” Five policemen were also wounded after a police contingent reinforcing their beleaguered comrades were ambushed by about 30 rebels at the Malibcong police station in Abra on Sunday afternoon. The rebels carted away 10 firearms, ammunition, personal

By Macon Ramos-Araneta, John Paolo Bencito and Christine F. Herrera

belongings and ofﬁce equipment after they overwhelmed the policemen around 7:30 p.m. The Armed Forces said Monday the operations against the New People’s Army will continue until Duterte tells them otherwise and the peace talks resume between the government and the rebels. “We will anxiously await the ofﬁcial message of our panel Next page

HE Commission on Appointments will not be swayed by a threat from President Rodrigo Duterte to impose a nationwide ban on mining if Environment Secretary Regina Lopez is not confirmed, Senator Panfilo Lacson said Monday.

“The CA is independent. Like in the case of [former Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto] Yasay Jr., everybody knows that he is very close to the President. But

there was a unanimous decision that he was rejected. So it won’t affect us,” Lacson said of the President’s last-ditch effort to get Lopez conﬁrmed.

Benham Rise is ours, Digong tells China By John Paolo Bencito and Sandy Araneta PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Monday told Beijing that it holds ownership over Benham Rise, a mineral-rich underwater land mass 250 kilometers east of Luzon, and said he would welcome “a friendly dialogue” over the presence of Chinese ships in Philippine territory. “My orders to my military, you go there and tell them this is ours. I say it in friendship. I cannot deprive any Filipino from claiming it,” the President said. Duterte also defended Beijing amid assertions that they might occupy parts of the country’s continental shelf. “They will not do it at this time. That’s just trouble,” the President said. The United Nations conﬁrmed Philippine ownership of Benham Rise in 2012. While China claims almost the entire South China Sea, it has no

claims over Benham Rise, which is located within Philippine waters in bodies facing the Paciﬁc Ocean. In a regular press brieﬁng Friday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang asserted that the Philippines cannot take Benham Rise as its own territory, even as he reiterated that the reported passage of a Chinese survey ship through the Philippines territorial waters was innocent and unintentional. “According to international law including UNCLOS [UN Convention on the Law of the Sea], a coastal state’s rights over UNDERSEA REGION RISES. Former National Security adviser and Rep. Roilo Golez (left) and Magdalo Party-list the continental shelf do not affect Rep. Francisco Ashley Acedillo discuss Monday developments at the Benham Rise, a seismically active region and the legal status of the superjacent extinct volcanic ridge, with the former saying China’s survey ship sailed there to spy on Philippine territory. Ey Acasio waters or of the air space above those waters, nor do they affect foreign ships’ navigation freedom in the coastal state’s EEZ [exclusive economic zone] and on the politan Trial Court on the charges from appearing before the House By Rio N. Araja high seas, or their innocent passhe ignored summonses from of Representatives’ inquiry into sage through the coastal state’s SENATOR Leila de Lima on Congress. the proliferation of illegal drugs territorial sea as supported by Monday declined to enter a plea She is also accused of prevent- inside the New Bilibid Prison before the Quezon City Metro- ing her former driver and lover Next page Next page

De Lima on trial for defying summons

“That’s the beauty of democracy,” said Lacson who had warned Lopez in her confirmation hearing last week that she might suffer the fate of Yasay because her answers to the issues raised by CA members were “not enough” to convince the body just yet to vote in favor of her nomination. While the President has full trust and confidence in his appointees, Lacson said the CA members will not follow him if they see the appointees fall short in qualifications and competence. “Not all the members of the CA will follow what the President Next page

ERC chief blamed for ‘suicide’ By Christine F. Herrera ENERGY Regulatory Commission chairman Jose Vicente Salazar on Monday was tagged as the culprit behind the suicide of lawyer Francisco Villa Jr. Villa had led the bids and awards committee at the ERC, and Salazar is accused of pushing Villa to sign illegal documents and rig P20 million worth of contracts to favor Salazar’s supplier and contractor. During the probe conducted by the House committee on good government led by Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel, ERC executives testiﬁed that it was Salazar who went out of his way to make his favored contractor Prime Arts and supplier Fat Free win the bidding. These companies were owned by Salazar’s high school buddy Luis Morellos. Next page

News

TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Duterte asks Mighty Corp. to increase tax liabilities By John Paolo Bencito

Speaking at the PDP-Laban’s thanksgiving held in Pasay City on Sunday night, Duterte said that Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez did not agree to his proposals to just levy the com-

pany more than P3 billion in exchange for a settlement on obligations with the government. “Dominguez called up, he said that it’s ‘too small.’ The law provided 10 times over. But I’m not

a tax lawyer. What’s my concern about ... I don’t know if he will pay up or not,” Duterte said. The president earlier ordered Wongchuking’s arrest for economic sabotage, but the Finance Department said it would file tax evasion raps against the company. Duterte then said he would clear Wongchuking from obligation, if he is able to pay P3 billion in tax liabilities then latter raised it to P5 billion. The cigarette company has unpaid excise tax of P1.08 billion as it only paid P325 million of P1.4 billion in duties and taxes for the imports made from 2011 to 2013. The President said Wongchuking remains free because no case has been filed against him yet.

‘Duterte...

accused those who opposed Lopez’s confirmation of funding destabilization attempts against him. Speaking to reporters at Malacañang, Duterte made a lastminute pitch for Lopez, whose confirmation before the CA was deemed bypassed since she would not be able to attend its next hearing before Congress takes a break next week. “Let’s talk, if you want among ourselves, or if you want in the presence of media. Explain to me why the situation is like this. Explain well to me why. Explain to lawmakers such degradation of the environment,” Duterte said, holding photos of mining operations that Lopez had ordered closed. “Maybe it’s worth for Gina to impose the ban. Let’s impose a total mining ban first then let’s talk, let’s be frank with each other. What can your P70 billion do to our country? Nothing,” he added. Duterte said he would use the military to enforce a mining ban. “I will give it to the military. Just catch them. Or if they won’t arrest them, I’ll make them enter those pits and close them,” the President said. Duterte also accused several mining companies of funding the opposition against him to undermine his leadership. “The hottest issue of the day is mining... To the miners, I know you are funding the opposite side. I know now who is funding them. I know that some of you are giving funding to the other side to destabilize me. If the police and military will allow it, it’s their problem,” the President said. Lopez came under intense opposition following her orders to close

more than 23 mines and abrogate 75 other mining contracts, prompting Malacañang to intervene. The President said over the weekend that while the government does not intend to shut down the industry, he particularly scored the mining companies for their failure to care for the environment. Duterte added that he is willing to let go of the P70-billion government earnings from mining operations just to keep Lopez as his environment czar. Asked if the reported destabilization plots against him were from to the mining industry, Duterte claimed that while they were allegedly funding the operations, “they did not invent the destabilization.” “Maybe destabilization. To make me unpopular?” he said. Duterte said that while he will appoint Lopez for another ad-interim appointment, Duterte said that her fate will now depend on the CA following its three-strike rule. “If its just a matter of bypassing, they can be reappointed. But if their appointment is taken, its being discussed and put on the table, and you are rejected, then that’s the end of it. They have a rule, on the third bypass, they need to deliberate on the appointment. Once rejected, that’s it,” he added. The President said he was not trying to influence the CA, despite his last-minute pitch and threat of a mining ban. “As I said, I’m not calling anybody for any reason at all,” he said. He said Lopez was telling the truth when she presented the effects of mining on the environment as he told mining companies to explain to government their compliance with

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has ordered Mighty Corp., the country’s oldest cigarette manufacturer, to increase its tax liabilities to more than 10 times its tax deﬁcit even as he admitted his close relationship with the company’s owner, Alexander Wongchuking whom he described as his “mistah.”

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wants,” Lacson said, because the commission is part of the checks and balances of the system of government. Lopez was grilled by members of the CA after she ordered 23 mining companies closed and five others suspended, and canceled 75 mining production sharing agreements. Lacson noted that while the mining companies complied with the standards in place, Lopez’s “environmental social justice” was not among the requirements. A total of 23 parties showed up at her confirmation hearings to oppose her appointment, citing her lack of technical and scientific knowledge and her biases against the mining industry. They also denounced her blatant disregard for due process in her decision to close mining companies and to cancel 75 mineral production and sharing agreements. The environment and natural resources committee headed by Senator Manny Pacquiao is set to meet Tuesday in executive session to decide Lopez’s fate. Lacson said there will be no plenary since Lopez cannot appear because she is on vacation in the United States. “If she we here, we would have the plenary; we would decide whether to confirm or reject [her nomination],” he added. But since Congress goes on break on March 17, Lopez is deemed bypassed—the third time for her. Duterte on Monday threatened to enforce a total ban on mining and

Gina... From A1

“At the hearings at the Commission on Appointments, Lopez showed a lack of knowledge in the laws and process,” the complaint stated. “She could not even define a watershed or a mineral production sharing agreement,” the complaint added. The chamber said Lopez caused undue injury to a party, acted with manifest partiality, evident bad faith or gross inexcusable negligence. The chamber also said Lopez “hired an excess of undersecretaries despite the lack of plantilla positions, using the slot meant for provincial environment and natural resources officers.” During a CA hearing, Lopez said, “I need people whom I trust... The organic personnel do not have the capability to do what I want... What about the work I want to do for our country?” The chamber said Lopez showed “complete and utter disregard of the law and simple regulation in order to fulfill her own personal interest and needs.” Meanwhile, an employee of EcoGlobal Inc. is set to file this week a separate case against Lopez for publicly admitting that she had intervened with the Department of Energy last year in favor of a private company that was awarded a service contract for a $100 million power plant in Zamboanga City. Lester Pascua, a spokesman for the complainant, said EcoGlobal Inc. paid for a trip to France for Lopez and her five-person party which left for Paris on Oct 2, or a day before the DoE awarded it the renewable energy service contract. “Lopez could be found guilty for violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act for

having sought to influence the DoE to award the contract to EI and for traveling to France with all expenses paid by the company to visit one of its partners in Paris,” Pascua said. Earlier reports showed that on Sept. 29, EI CEO Jean-Philippe Henry issued a letter of guarantee to the French embassy in Manila pledging to pay the Lopez party’s “airfare, hotel accommodations, insurance coverage, and travel allowances for the entire duration of their business trip.” Sabrina Simbulan, president and trustee of EFI earlier said that she and the EFI board of trustees did not authorize Henry’s withdrawal of funds for Lopez’s trip. Lopez in earlier reports also admitted that she texted DoE Director Mario Marasigan, head of the Renewable Energy Management Bureau last September to ask him to award the power plant contract to EcoGlobal. Based on internal communications revealed by company officials who have subsequently filed criminal cases against Henry, Lopez reportedly texted Marasigan without the knowledge of Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi. Based on the internal company communications in their WhatsApp network, Henry was in regular communication with Lopez on their difficulties in securing the RESC from the DoE for the proposed $100 million 30 MW solar plant in Zamboanga City which EI applied for in October 2015. In her texts, Lopez scolded Marasigan for failing to more swiftly process EI’s RESC application, which she said should only take only 45 days to process. However, approvals for new energy service contracts can undergo legitimate delays caused by the failure of the project proponent to pass all technical, legal, and financial requirements.

Benham... From A1

international law,” the Chinese official said. Duterte said he would rather not pick a fight with China as “things are going great” between the two countries. He added that he will assert the arbitration ruling on disputed waters in the South China Sea “if things get commercialized.” “Why would I want to fight? I’d rather talk,” he said, noting that the Philippines cannot match China’s military capacity. “I cannot match the might of China. Have you seen how they are prepared to fight terrorism?” he said. Since assuming the presidency last year, Duterte has sought closer ties with China, choosing to downplay the international arbitral ruling on the South China Sea favoring the Philippines, in

Rody’s... From A1

A Mercedes-Benz costs between P5 million and P9 million, plus a 60 percent excise tax, depending on the model and year the car was produced. In a news briefing, Duterte de-

De Lima... From A1

when she was Justice secretary. Judge Maria Ludmila Pio-Lim of Quezon City entered a notguilty plea on her behalf. De Lima is accused of violating Article 150 of the Revised Penal Code for ignoring the summonses issued by the na-

Duterte said he has personal knowledge about Alexander Wongchuking, as they are both adopted members of the PMA “Dimasupil” class of 1967. “What about this Mighty [owner]? You know, I was mayor that time when Mighty [owner Wongchuking] visited me. I could not remember his name but it’s something like Alex. I will tell you, he’s like my mistah. The two of us were adopted by Class 1967 of PMA so I know him. I really know him,” Duterte said. “That’s why when [the issue about him] surfaced – I don’t have anything [against him] because you know, I have to tell you now, the tax cases, the tax evasion

whatever, can really be compromised. The law says there can be compromise,” he added. Duterte earlier said that the business tycoon tried to offer him guns and a package of cash, which he ordered to be returned. Rumors earlier circulated that a group of Mindanao lawmakers tried to bribe the President on behalf of a tobacco firm that had been implicated in tax evasion and smuggling. As this developed, the Bureau of Customs has asked the Supreme Court to investigate the administrative liability of a Manila City judge for stopping its raids and inspections on warehouses of Mighty Corp.

environmental laws. Despite Duterte’s last-minute appeal, CA members said Lopez may not be able to muster the 13 votes needed to get her confirmed. The CA members said they were convinced Lopez showed her ignorance of the law and caused massive demoralization in the agency by bringing in her own team of consultants that were getting as much as P100,000 a month in salaries and placing on a floating status the organic officials. On Tuesday, Senator Manny Pacquiao, chairman of the CA committee on environment and natural resources that heard Lopez’s appointment, said that he and the committee members would meet to determine the appropriate action on Lopez’s ad interim appointment. CA member Occidental Mindoro Rep. Josephine Ramirez Sato said that while she admired Lopez’s passion to protect the environment against destructive mining, Lopez should be guided by law every step of the way. “The law is the law is the law,” said Sato, apparently in reference to Lopez’s insistence that “a watershed is a watershed is a watershed.” “Lopez’s definition of watershed is clearly not in the law, which poses a big problem,” Sato said. Lacson cautioned Lopez against changing the rules in midstream, after she disregarded ISO 14001 and imposed her own standard of “social and economic justice.” “This is where the conflict starts. You change and impose new rules midstream,” Lacson said. During the CA hearing of Lopez’s interim appointment, Sato expressed concern over the sweep-

ing demoralization in the DENR because of Lopez’s decision to bring in undersecretaries and assistant secretaries that took over Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) positions. “As far as hiring of consultants is concerned, it is her prerogative to bring in her own team, but there is a law that protects civil servants against unjust removal from government positions,” Sato said. To this, Lopez replied, “Choices have to be made. I have to choose my team. There are some I cannot work with. Those I floated I cannot trust to do what I want. They don’t have the capability to do what I want.” Another CA member Isabel Rep. Rodolfo Rodito Albano III asked Lopez how many organic officials she had floated because she was allowed to have five undersecretaries and seven assistant secretaries. But now there are 13 undersecretaries in the DENR, Albano said. Sato said Lopez could not rally the workers at the DENR behind her cause because some officials were unjustly removed when she brought in her own team. She added that Lopez needed to follow the Civil Service Law. “The law is there for a reason and if she thinks the law should be amended, then by all means – but let Congress do it.” Lopez and some CA members also clashed over her naming former Mine and Geosciences Bureau chief Leo Jasareno as a consultant. She defended him as an “honest, a good man who cares for the environment,” which was why she appointed him to head the audit team that recommended the closure of 23 mining companies.

exchange for reinvigorated economic ties. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Monday suggested the government erect a structure atop Benham Rise to assert the country’s territorial ownership over it. Lorenzana said he was ready to accept the Chinese authorities’ explanation of their presence off Benham Rise. “Well, they said its just an innocent passage and they have other intention there. So, we will leave is at that. We will trust what they say, but at the same time we will keep on patrolling our area and find out if they will return,” Lorenzana said. Former National Security Adviser and Rep. Roilo Golez on Monday said that China’s survey ship sent to Benham Rise was there to spy on the Philippine territory and conduct a survey on the country’s natural resources. “Benham Rise to me has a very big security and economic impact

on the Philippines. Benham Rise is a body of water that is part of Philippine territory. This is not just exclusive economic zone [EEZ]. But this is a territorial sea as awarded to us by the United Nations on April 19, 2012 after filing [a claim] in 2009,” said Golez, during the Samahang Plaridel Kapihan sa Manila Hotel media forum. “The entry of the survey ship is a violation of our territory. After studying the presence of a survey ship in Benham Rise, it is my belief that China is spying on our territory on Benham Rise,” Golez said. “And considering the capability of China with respect to survey, the ship sent by China can study the characteristics of the water, the sea. Something we studied in the naval academy. They spied on our natural resources. They were there for three months. They gathered a lot of information. China sent a survey ship to spy on our natural resources and that is my belief,” said Golez.

clined to reveal who gave him the luxury vehicle. “I’ll better not reveal who gave it to me [but] it was given by my girlfriend,” the President said, adding that proceeds from the car’s sale will be used for state projects. “I’ll sell it to you. I don’t ride cars. Davao City residents know that, I only use a 1988 pick-up truck. Even

now, when I go to Davao, I only use my truck,” he said. If his children gets involved into corruption, Duterte vowed that he will resign, saying he would never condone any form of corruption under his watch. “Whether you have money or you have none, I do not accept gifts,” he added.

tional assembly, its committee or subcommittees. The complainants are House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, House Majority Floor Leader Rodolfo Fariñas and House Committee on Justice chairman Reynaldo Umali. De Lima’s arraignment pushed through after the court denied her plea against it. The lower court then proceeded

with the preliminary conference where De Lima’s camp refused to stipulate on the copy of De Lima’s supposed text message to Hanna Mae, the daughter of her ex-driver and lover Ronnie Dayan because it was not authenticated. She allegedly texted Dayan’s daughter to tell her father not to attend the congressional inquiry on the proliferation of illegal drugs inside the NBP.

Complaints against me fabricated —Montano By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan FORMER actor and Tourism Promotions Board chief operating officer Cesar Montano denied allegations of corruption against him and challenged his accusers to come out in the open and present evidence to back their claims. In a statement, Montano shrugged off the allegations, saying that the complaints were fabricated to destroy the credibility of the TPB and President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration. “The allegations made against the Office of the COO, through a complaint filed anonymously, are baseless and untrue,” Montano said. “No one knows who is behind this and the said ‘TPB employees’ who filed the complaint have neither come forward or presented any evidence to substantiate their claims. A source within the TPB who asked for anonymity said that Montano has scheduled a meeting with the Management Committee and the employees who were affected by the March 6 reshuffle order. The meeting, however, did not materialize and instead, Montano had an interview with the media.

ERC... From A1

It was also Morellos that renovated Salazar’s office and the boardroom without the benefit of a public bidding. A public bidding was done post-haste but Villa refused to sign the bid documents because the bidding was done months after the renovations had been finished, according to BAC member Cherry Lynn Gonzales. Gonzales said the boardroom renovation was completed in the first quarter of 2016 but the bidding was held months after the completion or in October that same year. Salazar denied he made the request to renovate his boardroom and that he was not aware a renovation was being done. “You’re lying. The boardroom is sitting right next to your office, the Office of the Chairman. How can you not know?” Pimentel said. Salazar’s chief of staff and head executive assistant, Steve Riva, said he got a “verbal” go signal from Villa when he asked if it was all right to go ahead with the renovation. Salazar admitted Riva was his first-degree cousin. Rep. Bernadette HerreraDy, author of House Resolution 565 that sought the House probe, said she could not believe Riva allowed a contractor to do the renovation without proper documents to show that the contractor was awarded the contract to do so.

Military... From A1

and the instructions of our Commander-in-Chief,” Armed Forces spokesman Restituto Padilla said. “Pending this, all military operations will continue and remain at the current state.” Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto said the communist and government negotiators who agreed over the weekend to resume their peace talks next month should make good on their promise to observe a truce before the Holy Week in April. “Whether unilaterally declared or mutually agreed, the people will welcome a break from the fighting,” Recto said. “If their time frame of brokering a ceasefire before April will be met, the peace negotiators couldn’t have picked a better time.” According to Exodus for Justice and Peace spokesman Jurie Jaime, about 5,000 peasants were displaced due to the recent air strikes by the 10-O-1st brigade on Saturday. Jaime said the military conducted intensive operations against the rebels. Pearl A. Gajunera, Francisco Tuyay, PNA and Macon Ramos-Araneta

News

TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

IN BRIEF NBI nabs 3 counterfeiting PH, foreign currencies THE National Bureau of Investigation on Monday said operatives of the NBI have arrested three persons for illegally manufacturing Philippine and foreign currencies. The NBI Counter Terrorism Division identiﬁed the suspects as Richard Ansus and his two cohorts as Anthony Cuatico and Irmalynne Pablo. They were arrested in a joint operation by operatives of the NBI-CTD and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas on March 10, 2017 at the LRC compound in Sta. Cruz, Manila. The operation was based on the request by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas for the NBI to assist the BSP in the implementation of a search warrant issued by Branch 50 of the Regional Trial Court of Manila. Based on intelligence report, Ansus is engaged in the illegal manufacture, production and proliferation of counterfeit Philippine and foreign currencies. Upon approval of said request, the NBI-CTD coordinated with the BSP Currency Issue and Integrity Ofﬁce for the immediate implementation of the search warrant resulting in the arrest on March 10 of the three who were found in possession of several counterfeit currencies. Sandy Araneta

LRA gets ISO award for efficiency THE Land Registration Authority, the country’s sole repository of land titles, was awarded the International Organization for Standardization certification for quality management system (ISO 9001:2008) last week. The LRA was cited ISO for achieving operational efficiency with the successful implementation of documentation and records management, and enhancing customer satisfaction through continual improvement of its system and services. The ISO 9001:2008 Certification is one of the widely accepted and globally recognized standards that enable organizations to link business objectives with operating effectiveness. Companies that receive this certification have clear policies and demonstrate good planning, resource management and commitment to customers, according to ISO standards. “We are truly honored to have earned this certification —a testament to LRA’s commitment to excellence and public service,” LRA OICAdministrator Robert Nomar Leyretana said during the awarding ceremonies at Eastwood Richmonde Hotel. The event gathered LRA employees and officials, including Deputy Administrator Ronald Ortille, Delfin HallareJr., president of Land Registration Systems, Inc., and Atty. Eulalio Diaz III, former LRA Administrator.

LONG ARM OF THE LAW. PNP

Chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa presents Monday to media suspects (standing behind) in the kidnapping of businessman Francis Leo Sta. Maria Maulion (seated middle) following their arrest on March 6 in an encounter with police during the ransom pay-off at the Banga Caves in Ragay, Camarines Sur. Manny Palmero

Senate okays 3 measures including free public Wi-Fi By Macon Ramos-Araneta

HE free public Wi-Fi bill that will ensure availability of internet services to all Filipinos as well as faster and more efficient broadband services was among three bills approved by the Senate on Monday. The other two proposed measures approved were the Free Higher Education for All Act and the National Tech-Voc Day Act. Senate President ProTempore Ralph Recto said the approval on third and final reading of Senate Bill No. 1277 or the Free Internet Access in Public Places Act signified that

Filipinos ﬁnally had begun the march to digital age. The proposal seeks to provide free internet access in all national and local government ofﬁces; public schools, including state colleges and universities; public hospitals and health centers; public parks, plazas, and libraries; and airports, seaports,

and transport terminals. But Recto, one of the original proponents and now the co-sponsor of the measure, stressed “the benchmark in gauging effectivity is not just the number of Wi-Fi spots but also Internet speed.” “If Internet is a human right, then Wi-FI is a basic public service. But for [both] to become one, the hindrances which bar [the] full enjoyment by the people must ﬁrst be removed,” the senator added. With a vote of 18-0-0, Senator Francisco Pangilinan said the bill’s “approval would give students easy access to the Internet for their studies; families could now frequently contact their loved ones abroad; and public government services requiring Internet connectivity could now be accessed by many,” said Pangilinan,

principal author of the bill. Senator Joel Villanueva commended the passage of three bills coinciding with his advocacy on labor and education. He said the Free Wi-Fi Act and the Free Education for All Act were the measures which he co-authored, knowing these legislations “support our ﬁght for the provision of free basic social services for our countrymen.” He said the passage of National Tech-Voc Day which he was privileged to author was another great news as this did not only uplift the dignity of the country’s middle-level manpower but also promoted technical and vocational education and training. The Free Higher Education for All Act, approved also on third and ﬁnal reading, is a landmark

House to push through with revamp By Maricel V. Cruz HOUSE Majority Leader and Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas said Monday the revamp would push through as desired by Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez. Fariñas said he was just waiting for the signal from the Speaker as to when it would be implemented against lawmakers who decided not to support the death penalty bill. Fariñas said the revamp would either happen on Wednesday or soon after that. “The overwhelming sentiment is to push through with the revamp. If we do not implement it, no one will believe us anymore,” Fariñas told reporters after a meeting held by members of Alvarez’s supermajority on Monday. Fariñas said he was prepared to make the necessary motion on the ﬂoor on Wednesday if the Speaker asked him to in effecting the revamp. Congress will adjourn session beginning March 17 for a Lenten break. It will resume session on May 2. Fariñas also said the House

leadership had found replacements for its allies who would be plucked out of their key positions. While Occidental Mindoro Rep. Josephine Ramirez-Sato, being a member of a constitutional body—the Commissiom on Appointments, will not be removed unilaterally by “virtue of the Constitution,” Fariñas said the House leadership would not extend any “special treatment” to former President and Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Arroyo, a deputy speaker, voted against the passage of the death penalty bill. Sato, one of the 54 lawmakers who voted against the Palace-backed measure, appealed earlier to Alvarez not to enforce his plan to sanction his allies for the ‘no’ vote cast to the reimposition of the death penalty. “I appeal to Speaker Alvarez to reconsider his plan to remove the committee chairmanship of legislators who voted against the Death Penalty,” Sato, of the Liberal Party, said in a statement. Sato said it would be the “death of freedom”

in Congress once Alvarez had enforced what the latter said as the leadership’s policy to strip its members of their key positions for not supporting the bill’s passage. “If this pushes through, then the ﬁrst victim of the death penalty would be the House of Representatives as an institution. The bells will toll for the death of freedom and democracy in the House,” Sato said. She added if she would be removed based on her vote then that would be an “infringement of the independence of the Commission.” “In my case, however, I am in the Commission as a designate of the Liberal Party. The Commission on Appointments is a constitutional body whose membership is based on proportional representation of the political parties in the House,” Sato, vice chairman of the House committee on economic affairs, said. For his part, Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali, a former Liberal Party and now PDP-Laban member, said “it will be the Speaker’s call” to decide on Sato’s appeal.

Citizens can now lodge online FOI requests By John Paolo Bencito

PHONY BILLS. Gratia Malic, deputy director of currency integrity ofﬁce of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, shows counterfeited 100-peso and 500-peso bills seized from three suspects identiﬁed as Richard Ansus, Anthony Cuatico and Irmalyne Pablo during the NBI operation at Sta. Cruz, Manila. Norman Araga

CITIZENS can now lodge online Freedom of Information requests to five more government agencies under the government’s e-FOI portal, the Presidential Communications Office said Monday. Among those included in the bigger FOI are the National Economic and Development Authority and its attached agencies, the Department of the Interior and Local Government and its attached agencies, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Central Office, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Department of Budget and Management-Procurement Service.

Citizens can now lodge online requests intended for these agencies via www.foi.gov.ph. The eFOI portal is a central platform for citizens and national government agencies to facilitate requests for information. It is an initiative of the Presidential Communications Operations Ofﬁce which centralizes and digitizes processes involved in implementing the FOI program. More than 600 requests have been lodged in the portal—with the Philippine Statistics Authority having the most number of requests (95 requests), followed by the Department of Health (88 requests), and the Department of Budget and Management (72 requests).

bill that would help accelerate universal access to tertiary education by providing tuition subsidies and ﬁnancial assistance to students in state universities and colleges and private higher learning and vocational institutions. The bill was approved with 18 afﬁrmative votes, no negative vote and no abstention. The bill was sponsored and authored by Senator Bam Aquino IV, former chairman of the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture. He also worked for the passage of Free Internet Access in Public Places Act, seen to complement the government’s approved national broadband plan to help improve Internet access across the country.

‘Emergency powers for traffic delayed’ By Macon Araneta SENATOR Grace Poe on Monday admitted the Senate would not be able to pass the proposed emergency powers for traffic before Congress would go on a Lenten break on March 17. “There are many news, good news. But I must confide to you: I’m sad that until now we are not yet done with the deliberations because of course, many of our colleagues also wanted to ask about the provisions,” said Poe in an inteview over DZMM. Poe, chairman of the committre on public services, related the questioning by her fellow senators had never ended. “We will go on a break this Wednesday so I have always reminded them and already spoke in the plenary that this will be useless if I cannot immediately pass it because it goes precisely against its principles of being an emergency,” stressed Poe. Poe had earlier recommended the passage of Senate Bill No. 1284 or “An Act Compelling the Government to Address the Transportation and Congestion Crisis Through the Grant of Emergency Powers to the President.” She sponsored the bill for plenary approval last Dec. 14 but it has been pending as some senators have indicated their intentions to ask questions on the measure. But Poe said she hoped the bill would be passed when sessions resume on May 2. The 17th Congress will adjourn its first regular session on June 3.

Opinion

TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017

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EDITORIAL

He did not lie

HE man is insistent: After his rejection by the Commission on Appointments, former Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. insists he did not lie in asserting that he did not hold a United States passport.

Records from the US Embassy in Manila however showed that Yasay only formally renounced his US citizenship on June 28, 2016—less than a year ago—just before Rodrigo Duterte was sworn into office and weeks

Adelle Chua, Editor

after he had accepted the Cabinet post offered to him. Asked about these during his confirmation hearing at the CA, Yasay gave a convoluted answer about “having no information about that allegation.”

Days letter, in a television interview, he said he did have an American passport, after all. He also split hairs about his citizenship, saying that even if he took his oath, he was not necessarily a US citizen “ if precisely the basis upon which the grant of American citizenship is flawed and is defective.” Fortunately he convinced no one but himself that he was telling the truth. The commission rejected his ap-

pointment outright and Mr. Duterte named an official to take Yasay’s place at the soonest time. But in a social media post, Yasay said he was at peace at everything he had said and leaves it to God to judge him on that score. He says he looks forward to spending more time with family—and getting a haircut. Whatever Yasay decides to do with his free time, and however often he defends his actions, we can only

be relieved that there is one less liar in government service, not least of all a man supposed to be our face before the international community. We derive some wicked satisfaction out of the supreme irony of Yasay’s difficulties with the renewal of his Philippine passport given his previous high-profile position. Then again, we cannot say he did not have it coming.

These days Yasay has degenerated into a sorry example: Of how not to be sloppy with due diligence among government appointees, of how to not accept or seek a job when you know you are not qualified for it, and how to have the grace and humility to just say we committed wrong instead of insisting on your version of the truth. Yasay did not lie. Sure. He just revealed his true colors.

Loren Legarda and the Paris Agreement

She’s no Doy Laurel LOWDOWN

JOJO A. ROBLES DOY Laurel could be described as the very soul of classiness, compared to Leni Robredo. The Yellows, of course, would never accept that, despite the abundant evidence of Leni’s latter-day brand of whiny opposition and her followers’ quickness to take imaginary offense. Some people are trying to make a big deal out of the fact that President Rodrigo Duterte left out the name of Robredo during his speech at the graduation ceremonies of the Philippine Military Academy over the weekend. That, and the fact that Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana sat between Duterte and Robredo during the same event, which was billed as the first time the two top officials in the land met in public since Robredo resigned from

Duterte’s Cabinet. Understandably, most of the people making noise about the supposed double insult on Robredo are supporters of the vice president. They claim that Duterte’s speechwriter not only slighted Robredo when he or she left out the Veep’s name at the start of his prepared speech, but also that she was disrespected some more when Lorenzana was made to sit between the two of them. I cannot understand what the fuss is all about. First of all, Duterte made a big deal of mentioning the presence of Robredo when he remembered that he had not done so, soon after he started reading his prepared speech. Then Duterte went into his usual jokester mode, declaring that he and Robredo should just beat up the person who wrote his speech. In his usual too-chivalrous way, he praised Robredo’s “beauty” and other good traits before proceeding with the reading of the speech. As far as the seating arrange-

ment is concerned, I don’t think anyone in his right mind would disagree that the PMA graduation is a military event. Lorenzana, as a former general who is now head of the defense and military establishment, should be

The sidelining of a critical vice president is actually revered as a good thing by adherents of the faith of the Aquino family. front and center in the ceremony; while Duterte and Robredo get to award the cadets who receive the traditional presidential and vice

presidential saber, respectively, I’m sure they would not mind if the defense chief is at the center of the whole shebang. The thing about the Leniloving faction is that is so quick to take offense even where none was intended. And adherents of the Yellow faith who have embraced Robredo as the savior of this country keep forgetting that it is the vice president who keeps provoking Duterte into taking action against their idol— and when he does, they pretend that she is being unjustly singled out for persecution. But it is always good to remember, when Robredo and her fans cry that she’s being oppressed by Duterte, that she is no longer part of the Cabinet because she wants to be both working there and to remain critical of almost every action or policy of the president. (In fact, she wasn’t even fired— she just left after she was told not to attend Cabinet meetings anymore since she seemed hell-bent on attending anti-Duterte protest

actions, anyway.) Going further back in the Yellow hagiography, the sidelining of a critical, non-cooperative vice president is actually revered as a good thing by adherents of the political faith of the Aquino family. This is why Salvador Laurel was actually jeered at by the first-generation Yellows when the sainted-but-not-yet Cory Aquino refused to have anything to do with her running mate anymore, early on in her term. Doy was a Batangueno gentleman of the old school who quietly accepted his fate as the designated “fly” in the Aquino ointment—and who faded into the background when Cory’s lapdogs started seeing him as a threat. Leni, who is a new breed of Yellow, just cannot understand that kind of class. *** Senator Panfilo Lacson has been saying it for some time, actually: His colleague in the Senate, the

Turn to A5

TODAY, the 14th of March 2016 promises to be a good day for climate change and for the Philippines. This afternoon, the Senate is expected to perform its solemn constitutional duty to concur in the ratification of the Paris Agreement, the historic accord on climate change agreed upon and adopted by the global community of nations last Dec. 11, 2015. Last March 8, a day when the whole world celebrates International Women’s Day, a woman in the Philippine Senate showed the country why we must honor this gender. Senator Loren Legarda expertly steered in the upper chamber of our legislature the approval on second reading of the Senate resolution concurring with President Duterte’s ratification of the agreement. That day, I was able to personally witness how Legarda, with the sterling support of her fellow women senators Risa Hontiveros, Cynthia Villar, Grace Poe, and Nancy Binay, was able to convince other colleagues who raised concerns about the agreement. She was persuasive, passionate, and insistent that the Senate approve the concurrence resolution by Wednesday so that it can be finally passed on third reading by today, with the senators expected to vote unanimously for the resolution. Senator Loren asked me to stay in the Senate until the resolution was approved in case she needed my technical expertise to answer questions that her colleagues might ask. It turned out that I was not needed but I am glad I stayed to witness how Legarda had mastered the art of passing legislative measures. If the Senate waited until next week to address some of the concerns raised, approval would have to be in May because of the forthcoming Lenten recess of Congress. As pointed out below, that would have been terrible for our reputation. Besides, a month is a long time in politics and the enemies of the Paris Agreement will be able to galvanize efforts to stop the momentum, including working to change the mind of the President. After Monday’s concurrence, a requirement of the 1987 Constitution, the Department of Foreign Affairs will be depositing the instrument of ratification at the United Nations headquarters in New York, making us the 135th party of what is now looking like a universal agreement, with the exception possibly of the United States which, under Donald Trump, might decide to withdraw from the accord. Nevertheless, in our region of the Asia-Pacific, almost all countries have ratified the Agreement and we would have been a laughing stock, as a climate vulnerable country that turned its back on the only hope right now for ambitious global cooperation on climate Turn to A5

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Opinion South Korea does impeachment right By Noah Feldman

decisive role in an American impeachment, except for the symbolic function of the chief justice of the United States presiding over the Senate trial. In South Korea, popular protests against Park were a major element in shifting her party’s perception of its own interests, convincing members that they had more to lose by ignoring the president’s unpopularity than to gain by toughing it out. In particular, it mattered very much that the protests were peaceful and orderly, and did not threaten the democratic process itself. To be sure, there were also very large counterprotests in favor of Park. The opponents put perhaps 2 million people on the streets against her, and the pro-Park forces got roughly a million in their largest protest. But the outpouring of public desire for Park’s removal clearly played a major role in changing her party’s position. The other major reason that the political calculus shifted was the nature of the corruption scandal that surrounded Park. She is hardly the first corrupt official in South Korean political history. Close ties between the presidency and the owners of the major Korean conglomerates, or chaebol, go back to her father’s era. But the scale of the wealth transfer from the chaebol to the president’s family and associates was big enough that it couldn’t be ignored. There were other, more sensational elements to the scandal, such as reports that a close friend of Park’s, who was at the heart of the bribery, was arranging shamanic rituals for the president to facilitate communication with the dead. And there was the strange matter of Park’s apparent disappearance immediately after a ferry disaster that killed 304 passengers and crew. But in the end, these details mattered less than the clarity of the corruption. Ultimately, 62 members of Park’s party voted for her removal. Added to the votes of major and minor opposition parties, this got past the twothirds threshold for removal. That left the constitutional court’s review as the final key element of the removal process. The unanimous decision by the constitutional court was not unexpected. But it provided a guarantee of the democratic legitimacy of the removal process. That legitimacy is what makes impeachment different from a coup. It’s why Seoul Plaza is not Tahrir Square in Cairo. Park’s supporters took to the streets again in the aftermath of the decision Friday, and two of them died in the protests, one reportedly after falling from the top of a police bus. Despite this deviation from the general peacefulness of the protests, the overwhelming likelihood is that the process will be seen as legitimate. The removal system worked. Other countries should be so lucky.

SOUTH Korea’s president Park Geun-hye was officially removed from office Friday after the constitutional court affirmed her impeachment by the national assembly. It’s a remarkable outcome for a relatively new democracy, and the scandal holds some important lessons for how impeachment can take place in a political culture deeply dominated by partisanship. Park’s removal depended on three key elements: peaceful, sustained popular protests; a corruption scandal so egregious that even politicians from Park’s party were forced to admit it merited impeachment; and an orderly constitutional process for removal that was followed to the letter. These elements arguably form a kind of blueprint for presidential removal, a process pretty similar to the one followed by Brazil in the impeachment and removal of President Dilma Rousseff in 2015-16. It’s important to note that South Korea isn’t a natural political environment for impeachment, because its politics are divided between two main parties: Park’s center-right Liberty Korea Party is opposed by the center-left Together Democratic Party. Both are descendants of earlier parties that go back to the period of democratization in the 1980s. Including Park herself, there have been six presidents since the declaration of the Sixth Republic, a useful shorthand for the onset of democracy. Of those, three were left-ish and three rightish. A system that features just two major parties makes removal difficult, because no party likes to see its own president removed from office. And the South Korean legal structure doesn’t make impeachment easy. Under the Korean constitution, an impeachment resolution against the president must be introduced by a majority of the national assembly. Then a vote of two-thirds is required for the impeachment to pass. And that’s not the end of the process. The constitutional court must then adjudicate and affirm the impeachment. As laid out in the Constitutional Court Act of 1988, the court has to determine whether the president violated “the Constitution or laws in the performance of his/her duties.” The law provides for oral pleadings and a hearing. Taken together, the partisan structure of Korean politics, the supermajority requirement in the assembly and the reviewing role of the constitutional court make impeachment hard. The process is harder than the American removal process. That requires impeachment by a majority of the House and conviction by two-thirds of the Senate, measures that bear a family resemblance to the legislative part of the Korean process. But the judiciary has no Bloomberg

She’s... From A4 ever-obnoxious Antonio Trillanes IV, is part of a wide-ranging plot to destabilize the Duterte government. And Lacson is not one to make hasty, unsubstantiated claims against anyone. In his many years in the Senate, Lacson has matured into a tough, deliberate and independent lawmaker who calls it exactly as he sees it, never mind the consequences on himself. Of course, nearly everyone believes that Trillanes is really plotting to oust Duterte. If somebody actually paid him to do it, I’d even wager that Trillanes would attempt yet another military uprising against the president—although I doubt very much if his old Magdalo cohort would still join him. But going back to Lacson’s theory, the senator explains that the plot involves the human-rights organizations, local and foreign media and other groups in and out of Congress that want to remove Duterte. And while Lacson did not say it, I believe that all of these forces are actually pushing Robredo to take over, once they have succeeded in taking out the former mayor from Davao, whom they perceive to be as much of an outsider and political arriviste as Joseph Estrada was —only with a lot more brains and popular appeal who is an order of magnitude better at playing the political game at the highest level. Not that Leni needs a lot of pushing. She would love to be the last man standing who is really a woman, as her adherents say. If Trillanes succeeds, of course. And that’s about the biggest “if” in this country today.

TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017

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HRW again; tax reforms FORMATION GARY OLIVAR [Excerpts from my column “HRW” last Friday]: I LOOKED up HRW’s screed against Duterte online, focusing on their investigation into 24 alleged EJK incidents from last October to January. I found myself agreeing with the assessment of the online NGO Monitor: “[Human Rights Watch] publications reflect the absence of professional standards, research methodologies, and military and legal expertise.” Virtually all the victims in those 24 incidents were admitted drug pushers or users. Nobody was a blameless bystander. An equally unsettling collection of photographs of drug victims—the babies killed, women raped, families massacred—could also be assembled. The photos [of “EJK” victims] prove nothing either way. The HRW report makes one believe that State-sanctioned killing represents the majority—heck, maybe the entirety—of all 7,100 “EJK” incidents. By comparison, the US State Department…cited PNP statistics that 2,155 of those incidents (less than one-third of total) were suspects killed in police operations, with the balance blamed on unknown vigilantes. It extended the blame to insurgents as well, and acknowledged “a very weak and overburdened criminal justice system”. *** [The rest of my Friday column

which was unfortunately deleted by mistake]: So in the end, what does HRW have to say about Duterte’s “criminal responsibility”? “NO EVIDENCE thus far shows that Duterte planned or ordered specific extrajudicial killings…But Duterte’s repeated calls for killings as part of his drug campaign COULD constitute acts instigating the crime of murder. In addition, Duterte’s statements that seek to encourage vigilantes among the general population to commit violence against suspected drug users would constitute incitement to violence”. So there you are. In the end, what upset HRW about Duterte was…too much tough talk. There is obviously a yawning gulf between the patois of macho politicians from Davao and the polite chatter in Western salons. Perversely, though, both sides might agree on one thing: words do matter, albeit in ways different for both. To Duterte’s credit, over a million drug users have already turned themselves in since he took office. Obviously, none of them were EJK’ed into doing so. Instead, they were “scared straight” by tough talk from someone whom they truly believed was capable of doing what he said. What made them believe this? Maybe all those anecdotes they may have heard about this or that pusher prematurely meeting his Maker? Your guess is as good as mine. But before we go wringing our hands endlessly like the HRW types, let’s not forget this: The most fundamental human right of all is the right of everyone to live safely and be secure against lawlessness. Defending that right can be a tricky, often dirty, matter, and certainly nothing we’re

entitled to pass hasty or unthinking judgment upon. *** Here’s another game-changer from the President that, unlike his war on drugs, has received virtually unanimous applause: his comprehensive tax reform program (CTRP). Last Friday the first part of the 3-part program was rolled out before business executives by its architects, House ways & means committee chair Congressman Dax Cua and Finance undersecretary Karl Chua. The combined ages of both these bagets types may not even reach up to mine, something that immeasurably reassured me about leaving this country to the next generation. Obviously the reforms are mainly intended to raise more tax revenues, by hundreds of billions of pesos, all of which will be used to fund ambitious infrastructure, health and education, and social services programs. But as I sat through the presentations, I was also struck by the other major objective of this program: to transfer wealth and income, also in massive amounts, from the rich to the poor. The data presented only confirms widespread suspicion that most of the tax evasion is actually done by the rich. The top 20% of the population gets away with not paying as much as half of what they ought to pay. The top 5% or 1% probably get away with even more than that. No wonder we don’t see too many names from the “100 richest Filipinos” list in the “Top 100 taxpayers” list. The proposed CTRP will try to restore some justice to our taxes. Consider some of the proposed reforms which will effect income redistribution from rich to poor:

Lower the income tax rate over time to 25 percent, except for the very highest tax brackets. Adjust the size of tax brackets for inflation. This will stop the rich from essentially getting a free ride on nominal increases in their wealth. Higher fuel taxes will fall disproportionately on the wealthy owner of a diesel-powered SUV, compared to passenger commuters who share the fuel tax cost of a diesel-powered jeepney. Higher auto excise taxes will fall disproportionately on wealthy owners of luxury vehicles, compared to lower-income owners of low-priced basic models. Within the business sector, several reforms will favor the micro small and medium enterprises (MSME’s), such as allowing the very smallest ones (maximum PhP 3 Million in annual sales) to pay just an 8% gross tax in lieu of corporate income AND value-added taxes. Such reforms are also pro-poor because over 90% of the jobs in this country come from MSME’s. The projections by our two bagets technocrats show that average aftertax incomes will actually RISE for the lower 70% of our population as a result of these reforms. On the other hand, after-tax incomes will fall for the upper 30%. Not only is this program NOT anti-poor, it’s actually “soak the rich”! If you’re one of the leftists who’re virtually the only ones still opposing this program, I really don’t see why you can’t love it instead. If anything, Marx would probably be cheering from his grave. Readers can write me at gbolivar1952@yahoo.com.

An accomplished diplomat must lead the DFA HAIL TO THE CHAIR VICTOR AVECILLA WITH the exception of the President himself, the Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs is the official face of the Republic of the Philippines in the international community. As a rule, he represents the country in world assemblies and conferences, and deals with all foreign diplomats stationed in Manila. He is also the leader of important Philippine delegations to overseas events. During his time, DFA Secretary Alberto del Rosario led the Philippine panel to the arbitration hearings at The Hague in the Netherlands regarding the Philippine protest against Communist China’s illegal operations in the West Philippine Sea. Leila de Lima and Feliciano Belmonte Jr., ex-justice secretary and ex-House speaker, respectively, during the administration of President Benigno Aquino III, tagged along with that delegation to The Hague (at public expense) even if they had nothing to do with the nation’s foreign affairs—but that’s stuff for another essay. Incumbent Quezon Mayor Herbert Bautista (whose taxes have made his city a very expensive place to reside in) was also part of last year’s government peace panel to Norway created by President Rodrigo Duterte, even though his participation therein is illegal—but that is likewise material for another article. Anyway, the recent controversy regarding the nomination of Perfecto Yasay Jr. as Secretary

Loren... From A4 change, if we continued to stay out of the Agreement. That we did not end up shooting ourselves in the foot on climate change is to the credit of Senator Legarda. She led a huge effort by many individuals and organizations in and out of government to get the President to change his mind about the Paris Agreement. President Duterte surprised many of us when he criticized the agreement even before his inauguration. He raised concerns about our commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as a barrier to our industrialization. He was skeptical whether the agreement was consistent with climate justice, a key tenet of which requires developed countries to take the lead on addressing climate change and to help developing countries respond to the challenges it pose through mitigation and adaptation programs. These were valid concerns but the critical language of the President seemed to doom its ratification by the Philippines. I do not exaggerate when I say Senator Legarda was the leading force that resulted finally on the vote last Wednesday and this Monday. This

of Foreign Affairs has been most embarrassing to the Duterte administration. At his confirmation hearings before the Commission on Appointments (CA), it was revealed that Yasay had been an American citizen all along. For this reason, the Commission rejected his nomination. How Yasay even got nominated to head the foreign affairs portfolio is itself a mystery. When President Fidel Ramos appointed Yasay chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission during his term, Ramos failed to ascertain Yasay’s citizenship. Yasay also made an unsuccessful run for the Senate in 2010 and, like Ramos, the Commission on Elections failed to screen Yasay’s credentials thoroughly. Undoubtedly, Yasay has a lot of explaining to do. So far, many advocates of good government are considering filing criminal charges against him. Moreover, Yasay deserves the flak he is currently getting because nobody should take Philippine citizenship lightly, especially if one is seeking employment as the country’s top diplomat. Adding to the problem of the current administration is the controversy surrounding Gina Lopez, President Duterte’s choice for Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). Lopez is facing tough opposition in her confirmation hearings in the CA. She is accused of having no substantial knowledge of how the mining industry works. It is also alleged that her family has interests in businesses which are subject to regulation by the DENR. There was a time when lawyer Salvador Panelo’s appointment as President Duterte’s spokesman

was criticized by the media. The comments against Panelo prompted Duterte to assign him to another post in his cabinet. Indeed, President Duterte needs to appoint cabinet members who will not embarrass him, and who do not have skeletons in the closet to haunt both the appointing authority and the appointee in the future. Yasay’s unceremonious ouster from the DFA has compelled President Duterte to designate a caretaker foreign affairs secretary. Since the President is currently scouting for Yasay’s full-pledged successor, he may be open for some suggestions. That the next DFA secretary must be a seasoned, accomplished, and upright career diplomat is a must. Because Yasay did not possess these qualifications, his departure from the DFA is actually a blessing for the country and for the President. An experienced diplomat will not need to “learn the ropes” upon his appointment. Precisely because he is a seasoned diplomat, he will not waste valuable time training for his job. He can hit the ground running, so to speak. As a rule, experience creates competence. Thus, an experienced diplomat will be competent to discuss delicate issues relating to foreign relations with the president. This way, the President gets to know exactly what he needs to know in the unstable, volatile world of international relations. Unlike a political appointee, a career diplomat heading the DFA will be immune from needless criticism from within the ranks of the department. He will readily earn the respect of other Philippine diplomats and DFA officials and employees as well because he came from the ranks. In other words, he

is one of their own. For DFA secretary, a name that comes to mind is Ambassador Jesus Yabes, an incumbent undersecretary in the DFA. Office records reveal that Yabes is a seasoned and accomplished career diplomat, and a lawyer, too, having graduated from the University of the Philippines in Diliman. Yabes satisfies the experience, career, and integrity requirements —he’s been with the DFA since the late 1970s even before he became a lawyer, and has served in various overseas assignments through the decades. His service record is spotless, having no involvement in any local or overseas anomalies. He also leads a modest, quiet life, unlike many others who maintain ostentatious, even scandalous lives. When the deadly ebola virus crisis broke out in West Africa in 2014, many Filipinos there needed to be evacuated and repatriated before the disease took its anticipated toll. For this purpose, the DFA organized the Philippine Rapid Response Team under the close watch of Yabes. The team went to West Africa and, despite the obvious discomfort of life in a crisis zone, the seemingly unsurmountable threats to their own health, and the possibility of getting killed by native troublemakers, accomplished their mission. Their heroism is told in the book Bring Them Home: The Philippine Rapid Response Team to the 2014 West Africa Ebola Crisis, which was launched last May. I attended that book launch. Appointing Jesus Yabes DFA Secretary will be a step in the right direction in the DFA for President Duterte. Yabes will be someone this no-nonsense president will be glad to have in his cabinet.

was a collective effort with Legarda encouraging, pushing, and guiding all of us. In the end, a unanimous cabinet was able to convince the President that ratification was the right option. For many years now, following the pioneering advocacy of Senator Heherson Alvarez, Senator Legarda has been our legislative champion on climate change and other environmental issues. Among others, she authored the Climate Change Act of 2009 and the People’s Survival Fund, the two principal climate change laws of the country. As Chair of the Special Committee on Climate Change and as the current Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Legarda has not disappointed in pushing the climate change and environment agenda. Globally, Legarda’s leadership and advocacy of the issue has also been much appreciated. Among others, she was one of the original voices that inspired the creation of the Climate Vulnerable Forum, which the Philippines the 2015 Paris conference. The CVF had an enormous influence in the successful effort to have countries adopt, in the Paris Agreement, an aspirational goal of 1.5 degrees as the maximum increase of temperature after the pre-industrial period. Today, the senator is relentless about this am-

bitious goal and has made it clear to the Philippine delegation that we must continue to work for this to become the legal goal of the Paris Agreement. This is possible because the accord has built-in provisions for improvement and raising ambition, with a first examination of the options in the early 2020s. Senator Legarda is of course not just an extraordinary woman because of climate change. She is also the strongest advocate in the Senate of other environmental issues, having authored many of our landmark laws on ecology. She is also prominent in supporting indigenous peoples’ and Moro peoples’ rights, has wide expertise in foreign affairs and security issues, and is a leader, in fact currently the highest-ranking political patron of the arts and the promotion of indigenous culture. Her passion and support for our traditional weavers and musicians is legendary. This is exemplified by the photo exhibit her office has led in setting up in the lobby of the Senate building of the Manlilikha ng Bayan (National Living Treasures) in the Senate. She has supported film makers as well, including the works of Brillante Mendoza such as Taklub and Buhos which are both about climate change. The events her office

organizes is usually the paragon of promoting the best of Philippine culture, whether it is the food, the décor, or the entertainment. Finally, Legarda’s work on getting us to the biennale exhibitions in Europe has been phenomenal. On a personal note, I have worked with Senator Loren since 1996 when I became an environment undersecretary and when she was beginning her political career, transitioning from being a broadcast practitioner to the role of a public servant. I have seen her mature as a politician these last 20 years. As a long-time colleague and as one of her advisers now, I have been able to observe that process of growth. For sure, she has learned how to use power well and for the good; for example, she has been a good shepherd of the national budget in the Senate. But the Loren I met in 1996 is still the Loren I know, a dreamer and a doer. And with this wonderful development on the Paris Agreement, all I can say is how lucky we are, how fortunate for our country and the world, to have Loren Legarda,—Senator, environmental advocate, climate leader, and most definitely a magnificent woman. Facebook: tonylavs Twitter: tonylavs

TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

News

Tesda chief says Pinays should not go overseas By Joel E. Zurbano TECHNICAL Education and Skills Development Authority director general Secretary Guiling Mamondiong on Monday said the government should not allow Filipino women to work abroad to protect them from abuses. “If you ask me, I don’t want sending women to work in another country. They become victims of abuses there. The government must create jobs or livelihood for our women. Working abroad is another form of slavery,” Mamondiong said during an event at the Metro Manila Development Authority central office in Makati City. “What kind of government do we have if we cannot give jobs or livelihood to our countrymen? We are here because of our mothers but we are sending them to other countries to become slaves. We must think about this and help each other to find a solution and solve the problem about our women,” he said. Mamondiong made the remarks during the signing of a memorandum of agreement with MMDA officials for special livelihood training programs for MMDA personnel and their families. He signed the agreement with MMDA acting chairman Thomas Orbos. “It’s okay for Filipino men to go abroad. They can find a house-

IN BRIEF 5 Filipinos nabbed in Malaysia KUALA LUMPUR—The Malaysian police said on Monday they have arrested seven suspects, including five Filipinos and one Malaysian immigration officer, who have been linked to the Daesh. The first Filipino suspect, who has permanent residence in Malaysia, was found to have provided funds for Malaysian fugitives “Dr. Mahmud Ahmad” and Mohamad Joraimee Awang Raimee, who joined the IS in southern Philippines as recruiters for the terror group, said Khalid Abu Bakar, Inspector-General of the police in a statement. Another two are believed to have assisted the transit of three Indonesian IS militants to southern Philippines via the Malaysian state of Sabah, said Khalid. The police believed the arrested Malaysian immigration officer helped arrange the travel for several terror suspects to southern Philippines without valid documents. The suspects were arrested in a series of counter-terrorism operations between Wednesday and Sunday in Sabah and Selangor, said Khalid. PNA

Masbate journalist shot dead THE Presidential Task Force on Media Security is investigating the killing of Remate columnist Joaquin “Jun” Briones in Milagros, Masbate. “As with all cases involving journalists who are threatened, harmed or killed, we are presuming Jun’s case is work related. We have directed the formation of a Special Investigation Task Group through the PNP Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management,” said PTFoMS executive director Joel Sy Egco. The PTFoMS chief said he immediately issued the directive to DIDM chief, Director Augusto Marquez and Task Force Usig acting head, Senior Supt. Eder Collantes. The Task Force is chaired by Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II.

wife there. But for our women being sent abroad to become slaves. They are abused. We have heard too many stories about our women. How many of them are sent to jails? Women being jailed because of poverty,” Mamondiong said. “It’s okay for me and Tim [Orbos] to be jailed, but not our women. We should love them. But sometimes the most empowered group in our country and really around the world are the women,” he added. Mamondiong also said “when the men are empowered, the women become more empowered at home.” President Rodrigo Duterte appointed Mamondiong as Tesda director general secretary in July last year to replace Irene Isaac, the officer in charge at the agency after former Tesda secretary Joel Villanueva resigned in 2015 to run for senator. Tesda is the state agency tasked to make vocational and technical skills training available nationwide in order to develop the workforce and give Filipinos a better chance at finding employment. Mamondiong was transportation and communications undersecretary during the time of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. A staunch ally of President Duterte, the Tesda chief earlier claimed that 90 percent of the 106-million Filipinos supported the tough-talking Chief Executive.

TRINOMA FIRE. Fire trucks line up at the Trinoma mall in Quezon City to fight a fire which gutted the ground floor stock room of the mall.

Manny Palmero

Rule on K-12, SC urged By Rey E. Requejo

HE Supreme Court has been prodded to render its ruling on petitions assailing the K-12 program of the Department of Education, which added two years to the country’s basic education system. In a most urgent motion, parents and teachers from Manila Science High School appealed to the 15-member bench to rule on the merits of their petition filed in June 2015 that seeks to stop the implementation of the program under Republic Act No. 10533, The Enhanced Basic Education Act. Through lawyer Severo Brillantes, the petitioners lamented that it has been almost two years since they filed the petition and the SC has yet to decide on the case. The last action taken by the SC on the case was when it denied in April last year the plea of petitioners

for issuance of temporary restraining order, which paved the way for the implementation of the controversial program last year. “Said petitioners have already suffered the grave injustice and irreparable injury of being compelled to still go through one year of senior high school, which this despotic and anti-democratic education program, pushed by purely selfish private school interests, has inflicted on them. They beseech the Honorable Court as the last bulwark of democracy and the legitimate recourse of their grievances, to once and for

all come to their aid, pursuant to its solemn and sacred obligation under the Constitution, by granting the reliefs they have long prayed for: Stop K-12 by declaring it to be unconstitutional and finally allow them to be admitted to college this coming school year of 2017-2018,” the motion stated. Petitioners said the SC should also prioritize their petitions, even as they lamented how the SC gave priority to cases involving the citizenship of Senator Grace Poe in the presidential election last year and the drug case of Senator Leila de Lima over their case. “They beseech the Honorable Court to now forthwith render its judgment on their Petition without further delay. While they understand the heavy work load of the Honorable Court attending to other cases, most certainly, the fate of millions of students which are the fair hope of the motherland, is no

less important than the citizenship of a presidential candidate last year, for which the Honorable Court took time to allow oral arguments [which privilege was sadly denied to them] or the recent arrest and detention of a Senator, for which the Honorable Court will again take time to allow oral arguments [which privilege, had it been granted to them, would have as early as last year clarified issues and thus expedited proceedings],” they said. Petitioners also stressed that their case has already been ripe for decision as they claimed having been able to prove that the K-12 program “indeed materially and substantially invaded the clear and unmistakable constitutional rights of students.” With these arguments, the MSHS teachers and parents reiterated their plea for the high tribunal to declare the K-12 law unconstitutional for violating their rights to due process and equal protection.

Apart from the MSHS faculty and parents, three other petitions were filed before the SC against the program implemented under R.A. 10533 and Department of Education (DepEd) Order No. 31 by the Council of Teachers and Staff of Colleges and Universities of the Philippines, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and the Suspend K-12 Alliance led by Bayan Muna party-list Representatives Neri Colminares and Carlos Zarate. They all assailed the lack of consultation with parents and teachers prior to the issuance of the order. Petitioners also accused the DepEd of usurping legislative powers in issuing Order No. 31, which implemented the K-12 Basic Education Curriculum and Senior High School. According to them, the assailed order was issued without legal authority since Congress was still deliberating on the law at that time.

Group seeks stop to online gaming

GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS. Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Director General Isidro S.

Lapeña presides over the ﬁrst meeting of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs at the PDEA headquarters in Quezon City on Monday while Public Attorney’s Ofﬁce chief Persida Rueda-Acosta listens to the discussion. Manny Palmero

MMDA eyes road users’ fees THE government is studying the possibility of implementing “congestion pricing,” a traffic scheme being enforced in Singapore where motorists are charged for using major roads during rush hours. The scheme, according to Metro Manila Development Authority acting chairman Thomas Orbos, is one of the measures being eyed by the government and the private sectors, including transport groups, to solve the worsening traffic problem in Metro Manila, particularly along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue. “We need a volume reduction measure, whether odd-even, number coding etcetera and 80 percent of the roads is occupied by motorists, there is a logic to that. A solution to that is congestion pricing,” said Orbos. He said the government of Singapore is offering the Philippine government to study and make plans on

how to enforce the measure. “The Singapore government offered to help us. This is a government to government [project]. Okay, let’s say we lack public transport but are we going to wait? This is why we have schemes whether congestion pricing, odd-even or number coding, prioritizing the public transport,” said Orbos. “What I’m saying is we need to reduce the number of vehicles time bound, not the whole day. There are several measures that didn’t came from us, some came from the public, consumer groups, academe and telling us if we can consider this and this. We are studying all these measures,” he added. The Electronic Road Pricing system in Singapore is a pay-as-youuse scheme which charges motorists when they use major thoroughfares during peak hours. Similar to the epass system in tollways, motorists install a sensor in their unit that deducts

from a stored-value card. In 1975, Singapore enforced its first congestion charging system. The system improved during the years, from a low tech manpowered system to a high tech digital system. Today 65 percent of the commuters in Singapore use public transport and air pollution reductions are consequently significant. In New York City, the congestion pricing was proposed for vehicles traveling into or within the Manhattan central business district. The congestion pricing charge was one component of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s plan to improve the city’s future environmental sustainability while planning for population growth, entitled PlaNYC 2030: A Greener, Greater New York. But the proposal did not succeed, as it was never put to a vote in the New York State Assembly. Joel E. Zurbano

A CIVIL society group has asked the Supreme Court to stop the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. from granting licenses for online gaming operations. In a petition for prohibition, the Anti-Trapo Movement of the Philippines sought the issuance of an injunction against Pagcor’s acceptance of applications, processing and issuance of licenses for Philippine Online Gaming Operations. The ATM also asked the SC to nullify the rules and regulations for POGO issued by Pagcor board, led by chairperson Andrea Domingo, last September and void all existing licenses issued by the regulatory body. ATM chairman Leon Peralta alleged that the Pagcor violated Section 1 of its own charter, Republic Act No. 9847, by issuing the licenses. Petitioner stressed that under the

said law, processing and approval of POGO licenses are “vested only to the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority.” In particular, ATM specifically prodded the the high court to declare the “assumed authority” of Pagcor of continuing to accept applications for, processing of and issuance of POGO licenses as unconstitutional and illegal. The group also alleged that Pagcor should be held in contempt of court for violating earlier rulings of the high court on jai alai and on operations of sports betting and internet gaming. According to the group, the assailed Pagcor rules violate Executive Order No. 13 issued last month by President Rodrigo Duterte, which specifically defined and clarified individual authorities of each government agency. Rey E. Requejo

SC to hear oral debate on De Lima plea today THE oral arguments today before the Supreme Court on the petition of Senator Leila de Lima seeking to nullify the warrant of arrest issued by a Muntinlupa City judge will also be a battle between the former and the incumbent solicitor generals. This came after former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay confirmed on Monday that he will be arguing for De Lima who assailed the warrant of arrest issued by Judge Juanita Guerrero of Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court in connection with the drug trafficking charges filed by the Department of Justice. “Will argue at the SC tomorrow in De Lima vs Guerrero. For the petitioner [De Lima],” Hilbay said in a post on his Twitter account. Hilbay will be facing off with Solicitor General Jose Calida who will defend the validity of Judge Guerroro’s action to order the arrest of De Lima for drug trafficking charges, during the oral arguments at SC. The hearing will start at 2 p.m. today. Hilbay served as solicitor general from 2014 to 2016 under the Aquino administration, and when De Lima was Justice secretary. The Office of the Solicitor General which Hilbay previous headed is an attached agency of the Department of Justice. Hilbay was among one of the Philippine delegates that argued the country’s case before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in our case against China. An author and a professor at the University of the Philippines College of Law, Hilbay topped the 1999 Bar examination. Defending the respondents, Solicitor General Calida was a former justice undersecretary during the time of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and former executive director of the Dangerous Drugs Board. Rey E. Requejo

Sports Harden sparks Rockets; Celtics win LOS ANGELE—-James Harden’s 16th triple-double of the season led the Houston Rockets to victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday as Boston sent Chicago spinning to their fifth consecutive defeat. Harden topped the scoring with 38 points as the Rockets improved to 46-21 to strengthen their grip on third spot in the Western Conference standings in Texas with a 117-112 win. Harden was one of six Houston players to make double figures, with Ryan Anderson the next top scorer with 16 points, while Patrick Beverley and Eric Gordon both weighed in with 13 apiece. Cleveland, who fell to 43-22, were reliant on LeBron James and Kyrie Irving to provide the bulk of their points. James led the Cavs scoring with 30 points while Irving weighed with 28. Only one other Cleveland player—Richard Jefferson with 16—made double figures at Houston’s Toyota Center. With the exception of James and Irving, a weary Cavs lineup looked to be suffering aftereffects from Saturday’s road game in Orlando, where no fewer than seven players had posted double figures. Harden’s virtuoso display ultimately tipped a back-andforth battle Houston’s way. The 27-year-old point guard’s 11-point third quarter was crucial as Houston wiped out a nine-point halftime deficit to haul the Rockets back into the contest. Celtics gore Bulls In Boston, the Celtics crushed visiting Chicago 10080 to leave the Bulls reflecting on a fifth straight loss. Avery Bradley had 17 points and grabbed six rebounds while Al Horford contributed 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Celtics, who scored the first 13 points and cruised to victory. The Celtics improved to 4225, just behind Washington (41-24) and leaders Cleveland. The Bulls slid to 31-35, 10th in the East and 1 1/2 games behind Milwaukee for the final playoff berth. AFP

Masters’ champ joins golf hunt

EIGNING Philippine Ladies Masters winner Saranporn Langkulgasettrin sets out for another major crown here as she joins the hunt in the ICTSI Champion Tour at Malarayat, which gets going Wednesday at the Mt. Malarayat composite course in Lipa City, Batangas. Langkulgasettrin missed last week’s ICTSI Champion Tour at Splendido ruled by compatriot Kanphanitnan Muangkhumsakul but 17-year-old rising star from Phuket is all primed up for this week’s $75,000 event, ready to take the cudgels for the big 25-player Thai contingent against a crack international field, led by the country’s top players. Muangkhumsakul has begged off to

honor a previous commitment to play in China but with Langkulgasettrin as spearhead, together with former ICTSI Ladies Philippine Golf Tour champion Wannasiri Sirisampant, the Thais are upbeat of their chances to sweep the first two legs of this year’s ICTSI Ladies Philippine Golf Tour which also serve as part of the Taiwan LPGA. Langkulgasettrin beat Korean Lee Jeong-hwa by three to win the inaugural

THE composition of the new Philippine women’s and men’s volleyball team will be known today in the weekly Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at the Golden Phoenix Hotel along Diosdado Macapagal Ave. Sunrise Drive in Pasay City. Larong Volleyball sa Pilipinas Inc. officials Joey Romasanta and Peter Cayco will be accompanied by coaches Sammy Acaylar and Francis Vicente to announce the players who’ll comprise the two national squads. The Little League Philippine Series makes up the opening session of the public sports program presented by San Miguel Corp,, Golden Phoenix Hotel, Accel, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. Mayor Ping Remollo of Dumaguete City and Little League Baseball Philippines District Administrator Atty. Jolly Gomez will talk about the April 4 to 12 meet that attracted a total of 60 teams in all divisions.

Phl Ladies Masters at Alabang Golf Club last December but the former Thai LPGA Tour winner expects a tougher challenge this time, especially from the bunch of local aces out to redeem themselves from their failed bid last week. They include rookie pro Pauline del Rosario, who finished joint second at Splendido, and Symetra Tour-bound Mia Piccio, Cyna Rodriguez, Princess Superal and Dottie Ardina. Meanwhile, Langkulgasettrin, Sirisampant and Taiwanese Chen Minjou, Pan Yen-ling and Hsin Lee join the Pinay shotmakers in today’s (Tuesday) pro-am tournament with officials and guests of the event’s chief backers, including ICTSI, BDO, Champion, Custom Clubmakers, Empire Golf and Sports Shop, KZG, Sharp, Summit Mineral Wa-

ter, Titleist and Event Captain. Former LPGT leg champion Hwang Ye-nah of Korea, who bested a tough international field at LPGT Southlinks in 2015, is also in the fold along with Japanese Ai Asano, Ai Tanaka and Hidemi Nakamura, all geared up to vie for the top $15,000 purse. Amateur Hwang Min-jeong, who upended Rodriguez and Superal in a thrilling finale to snatch the crown here in 2015, is also out to contend for the crown along with last year’s LPGT Beverly Place winner Bernice Olivarez-Ilas, and Yuka Saso, the low amateur at Splendido last week. The top 50 plus ties after two rounds will advance to the championship of the second of the 10-stage LPGT set at Mt. Lobo and Mt. Malipunyo nines.

Novak, Federer, Nadal advance

This year’s batch of Slam Rising Stars will again be divided into two teams and face off in the hard court on March 26 at the Gatorade Hoops Center in Mandaluyong City, following a series of tests, training and pre-game preparations.

Gatorade teams up with Slam Rising Stars THE world’s no. 1 sports drink once again paves the way for young basketball stars to make it to the big leagues. This time, Gatorade is teaming up with Slam Rising Stars Classic—the Philippines’ premium high school all-star basketball game which showcases the country’s Top 24 high school basketball players. Established in 2014, the Slam Rising Stars Classic aims to cultivate and elevate the level of play in the Philippines by providing promising athletes exclusive access to elite training sessions and giving them valuable exposure to sports

industry professionals. The partnership with Gatorade will strengthen these foundations by reinforcing the basics and crucial role of proper hydration in dominating the competitive world of collegiate and professional basketball. Slam’s roster of notable alumni includes Ateneo’s Thirdy Ravena, San Beda’s Jayvee Mocon, FEU’s Wendell Comboy, and DLSU’s Andrei Caracut and Aljun Melecio. Slam’s ambassadors for this year are siblings Matt and Mike Nieto of Ateneo and the Rivero brothers of DLSU, Ricci and Prince. “Putting the world’s number

Tigresses... From A8

PSA Forum tackles PH volley team

TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

the Growling Tigers for the No. 2 slot, but the Blue Eagles played the spoiler’s role to the hilt to end the season on a high note. NU, which lost several key players from those previous title runs, has four wins and five losses to show. UST, thus, made it to the best-of-three cham-

1 sports drink together with the country’s premier showcase of basketball’s stars of tomorrow is always a perfect match,” Pepsico Philippines Marketing Manager for Hydration Tony Atayde said. “Exposing these young players to high level coaching and, more importantly, the crucial role that proper hydration will play in their basketball careers, will pave the way for them to reach new heights. We look forward to fueling their basketball journeys through the Slam Rising Stars Classic and beyond.” This year’s batch of Slam Rising Stars will again be divided

pionship round despite losing to elimination round topnotcher University of the East, 2-3. The AJ Lim-led Red Warriors (9-1) and the Growling Tigers (6-3) open their titular showdown on Saturday, 8 a.m. at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center. The four-peat Lady Bulldogs, meanwhile, remained perfect. NU earned the twice-to-beat advantage against UST in the women’s Finals with a 4-1 conquest of University of the Philippines.

into two teams and face off in the hard court on March 26 at the Gatorade Hoops Center in Mandaluyong City, following a series of tests, training and pre-game preparations. “We’re honored to have Gatorade on our team. When you’ve got the best sports drink in the world backing you up, you know these rising stars are definitely in good hands,” Slam Rising Stars Coach Tony de la Cruz said. For updates on Slam Rising Stars Classic 2017, check out Gatorade’s official Facebook (facebook.com/ GatoradePH) and Instagram (@ gatoradeph) accounts.

The 8-0 Lady Bulldogs need only to beat the 6-2 Tigresses on Sunday at 8 a.m. at the same Malate venue to keep the crown. Winning 23 consecutive ties which dates back from Feb. 2015, the NU lady tennisters hold one of the current longest winning streaks in the UAAP, as it matches Ateneo men’s volleyball’s 23-match run. NU’s women’s basketball has a 48-game winning streak, going undefeated in three seasons.

INDIAN WELLS—Novak Djokovic launched his bid for a sixth ATP Indian Wells Masters crown with a two-set triumph over Kyle Edmund as the stars shone Sunday in the California desert. The 46th-ranked Edmund served for the second set at 5-3, but world number two Djokovic broke him en route to a 6-4, 7-6 (7/5) triumph. His reward is a tough thirdround clash with former US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro, a 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 winner over fellow Argentine Federico del Bonis. “I think I played very well in the first set,” Djokovic said. “Second set was obviously up and down. But credit to Kyle for playing some really aggressive tennis. “He made a lot of winners in the beginning and midway through the second. There was not much wrong I did. I did miss some forehands. But other than that, it was a very solid match. Good, quality tennis, a good test.” Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal also reached the third round, Federer flying through with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over France’s Stephane Robert in just 51 minutes. Nadal opened his account with a steady 6-3, 6-2 victory over Argentina’s Guido Pella. The three stars are packed together in a remarkable bottom quarter of the draw. But Djokovic said he can’t afford to think about a possible quarter-final clash with either of his longtime rivals with del Potro coming up. AFP

Cuizon, Milliam bag net titles

Chad Cuizon (center) holds his trophy as he poses with LACTA Tennis Club president Edmund del Castillo (left) and Philta regional vice president Bong Arguelles after ruling the 10-unisex singles and doubles and bagging the MVP honors.

CHAD Cuizon flashed top form to nail a pair of 10-unisex titles while Alexa Milliam logged another multiple wins in the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala La Carlota leg regional tennis tournament cast at the Lacta Tennis courts in Negros Occidental yesterday. The 10-year-old Cuizon from Centrex, Lapu Lapu, Cebu dropped just two games in securing the singles crown, trouncing Giovani Dimate, 4-0, 4-2, then teamed up with Jake Rodriguez to topple Dimate and Louchela Estember, 8-4, for the doubles diadem in the Group 2 tournament sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop and presented by Slazenger. Milliam, on the other hand, sustained her romp in Roxas City last week as she

ruled the girls’ 12- and 14-U classes of the event, which served as the eighth leg of the 54-stage circuit hosted by Mayor Jacky Jalandoni and Vice Mayor Rex Jalando-on. Milliam shut out Willyn Segura, 6-0, 6-0, for the 12-U plum then the local ace held off Wendy Galanza, 6-1, 6-4, for the 14-U title in the tournament sanctioned by Philta and backed by Asiatraders Corp. “Cuizon and Milliam’ feats should serve as inspiration to the other young players and the Palawan Pawnshop circuit will continue to provide them the country-wide, yearround tournaments,” said Palawan Pawnship president/ CEO Bobby Castro. Milliam also partnered with Mika Medina to crush Segura and Psalm Pielago,

8-2, for the 14-U doubles plum and later shared the MVP honors with Cuizon. Valerie Desoyo actually foiled Milliam’s bid for a third title in singles, topping the 16-U side with a tough 7-6(0), 7-6(3) victory, then whipped Kim Galanza, 6-4, 6-1, for the 18-U crown to cap the local bets’ romp in the event. Khenz Justiniani, another La Carlota bet, foiled Cuizon in the 12-U finals, 6-3, 6-3; Bacolod’s Pete Rodriguez took the 14-U crown with a 6-2, 7-5 win over Justiniani; Pontevedra’s Reynan Mahusay overpowered RJ Dejilla, 6-0, 6-1, for the 16-U title; while Karl Baran, also of La Carlota, survived Reyniel Marcellana, 6-2, 5-7, 10-8, to snare the 18-U diadem.

Taekwondo summer program starts April 3 LOTTO RESULTS

Shown above are Metro Manila participants in last year’s taekwondo sports program organized by PTA and supported by PLDT, Meralco, TV5, Philippine Olympic Committee, Philippine Sports Commission and Milo.

THE Philippine Taekwondo Association has announced the launching of the SMART/ MVP Sports Foundation Taekwondo Summer Program on April 3 all over the country. Supported by PLDT, Meralco, TV5, Philippine Olympic Committee, Philippine Sports Commission and Milo, the muchawaited martial art event will be staged up to June 5 by PTA, an affiliate of the World Taekwondo

Federation, POC and PSC. The two-month program will be conducted in all PTA branches in Metro Manila, regions 1 to 122, CAR, ARMM, CARAGA, PNP and AFP. Interested parties may contact PTA at tel. nos. 522-0518, 5220519 and 522-0457 or email philippinetaekwondo@gmail.com/ philtkd@gmail.com. Martial arts, especially taekwondo, is considered the best

preparation for physical conditioning, alertness and selfprotection against all odds. Knowledge in unarmed defense is far better than acquiring deadly weapons. Mastery of taekwondo can be achieved through continuous training, determination and perseverance. By holding the summer program, PTA aims to help in the personal and physical development of an individual.

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

TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017

PNP eyes equalizer Game Tuesday

8 p.m. PNP Responders vs Malacañang Kamao

THREE-TIME runner-up Philippine National Police Responders will attempt to force a deciding Game 3 in their best-of-three title showdown with the Malacanang Kamao in the UNTV Cup Season 5 Finals Tuesday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum. This is the fourth time that the PNP will attempt to claim the championship title of this league for public servants. “Lalaban kami. One hundred one percent we will give all our best to bounce back in Game 2,” PNP Responders Head Coach Erick Samson said. The PNP team admitted they ran out of power during the last seconds of Game 1 where Malacañang Kamao won by a point, 81-82, following backto-back two-point field goals from Eric dela Cuesta in the last 37.4 seconds of the game. The season champion will win P4 million in cash, while the runner-up gets P2 million—winnings which the teams will donate to the charitable institutions of their choice. Each participating team not included in the Final 4 will receive P100,000 for their chosen charities. The third and fourth placers will also receive cash prizes for their beneficiaries: Judiciary Magis to get P1,000,000 for their charity institution, while BOC Transformers have P500,000. Entertainment will be provided by Tawag ng Tanghalan finalist Sam Mangubat, Katrina Velarde aka Suklay Diva and Marcelito Pomoy. The telecast will start at 9 p.m. on UNTV.

Austria hopes Rhodes, SMB will jell quickly THE Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup title is the only jewel missing in the trophy cabinet of San Miguel Beer coach Leo Austria since he took over as the Beermen’s chief mentor. To get their campaign going in the right direction, Austria has high hopes that their new import Charles Rhodes will be able to blend well with the team. “I hope he jells well with the team and he embraces the system quickly,” said Austria as the Beermen celebrated their third straight title conquest of the All-Filipino Conference. Rhodes, a 6’8” veteran of the Korean Basketball League, will soon get his wish to play in the Philippines when the Commissioner’s Cup gets going this March. Rhodes played collegiate basketball for Mississippi State University and earned All-SEC honors on his final season. Austria said the AFC was a tiring campaign as their semifinal series with the TNT Tropang Texters reached Game 7. “Pagod na pagod kami. Kailangan siguro ng mahabang pahinga,” said Austria, who added that winning the AFC crown in five games out of the finals is better than going the distance. “Maganda nang natapos na Game 5. ‘Pag umabot pa ng Game 7 ito, very taxing na sa amin ito,” added Austria.

Sports PNP Responders’ Jay Mann Misola (right) tries to block the shot of Malacañang Kamao’s Ian Vincent Garrido (left) in Game 1 of UNTV Cup Season 5 Finals.

Tigresses seek payback vs Adamson Lady Falcons 14 chosen U to Jr. NBA NIVERSITY of Santo Tomas, banking on the heroics of veteran pitcher Mary Ann Antolihao, completed a sweep of twice-to-beat National University, 2-0, and forced a championship rematch with Adamson University yesterday in the UAAP softball tournament at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium.

Antolihao tallied five strikeouts, while UST mentor Sandy Barredo hopes that CJ Roa had two RBIs in the first inning to his Tigresses will regain the title the Eshelp the Tigresses beat the Lady Bulldogs paña-based batters last won in 2010 and for the second time in the Final Four. rebound from last year’s narrow loss to Third-ranked UST also defeated NU, the Lady Falcons. 2-0, in the softball semis “Payback time. ‘Yun opener last Saturday. lang. So, same thing, Games March 21 The Tigresses will have (Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium) kapag nakundisyon si a chance of ending the 8 a.m. – AdU vs UST (Softball Finals) Antolihao, it’s a different 12 noon – ADMU vs UST story. Pero kapag ‘di siya Lady Falcons’ six-year (Baseball Finals) nakundisyon, talo na,” reign in the best-of-three said Barredo. championship series at 12 Antolihao will have an interesting noon on March 21. Adamson, the No. 1 team in the elims, pitching duel with Adamson University’s bested University of the Philippines, 2-1, Rifayca Basa. In baseball, UST sealed its first chamin the other semifinal pairing.

pionship appearance in six years with a 9-4 victory over Ateneo at the end of the eliminations Sunday. The Growling Tigers (7-2) will face the Blue Eagles (7-3) in the best-of-three title series at 8 a.m. on March 21 at the same venue. UST clinched the remaining finals slot in baseball, as La Salle fell short of its back-to-back bid despite a 9-5 win over UP. The Green Batters, who wound up at 6-4, had a chance to force a playoff for the No. 2 spot, but the Tigers played with a sense of urgency to make a return trip to the Finals. Meanwhile, Ateneo put an end to National University’s four-year reign in the men’s division with a 3-2 victory Sunday, giving University of Santo Tomas a free ride to the UAAP Season 79 lawn tennis Finals. The Bulldogs needed a win badly to have a chance of forcing a playoff with Turn to A7

Manila Bay Seasports lures elite field THE country’s best motorboat enthusiasts square off to determine this year’s “master-bangkero,” while top clubs take part in the dragon boat competition of this year’s Manila Bay Seasports Festival to be held on March 18 and 19. Presented by Manila Broadcasting Company and the City of Manila, in cooperation with the Philippine Coast Guard, the Manila Bay Seasports Festival is now on its 17th year, and is once more expected to draw big crowds to the Baywalk area along Roxas Boulevard. Members of the Philippine national team that copped the ICF Asian Championships and placed third in the World Championship in Russia last year will also see action in the two-day event, which features the Men’s Open,

Team Onslaught in action during the past staging of the Manila Bay Seasports Festival

Women’s Open, and Mixed Open competitions. Among the teams who have signified their intention to join are the Triton, Onslaught Racing Dragons, RCP Sea Dragons, Philippine Blue Phoenix, Rogue Pilipinas, Dragons Republic, One Piece Drakon Sangres, Pilipinas Wave Warri-

ors, Philippine Navy, Philippine Coast Guard, NTMA Dragons, Amateur Paddlers Philippines, Bruins, Speed Devilz, and Maharlika Drakon. Motorboat racers from Antique, Aurora, Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite, Dumaguete, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Mindoro, Navo-

tas, and Rizal will compete in stock and formula races. Races begin at 8 a.m. Top concert artists have been invited to grace the awarding ceremonies that will cap the two-day event. The 2017 Manila Bay Seasports Festival is supported by EO Optical, EyeBerry, and MyJuiz.

PH camp

SEVEN boys and seven girls excelled in the Cebu Regional Selection Camp of the Jr. NBA Philippines 2017 presented by Alaska at the Don Bosco Technical Center on March 11-12. Young campers came from Cebu and nearby provinces including Bacolod, Cagayan De Oro, Leyte, and Misamis Oriental. Abad, Rolando Jesus, 13, of St. Anthony Highschool; Baldonado, Joshua Benedict, 14, of St. John’s Institute Bacolod City; Cabanero, Nicael Dominie, 13, of Sacred Heart School Ateneo de Cebu; Deloria, Jericho, 14, of Cebu Eastern College; Enriquez, Jessrey, 13, of University of San Carlos South Campus; Jumamoy, Reinhard, 13, of University of San Carlos North Campus; Moreno, Zhan Paolo, 12, of Xavier University—were selected as Jr. NBA representatives of the Visayas region. Abella, Ynnia Juanne, 12, of Sotero B. Cabahog Forum for Literacy; Delig. Princess Jeira, 13, of Abellana National School; Denana, Chinnsai, 13, of University of Visayas; Retubado, Maybelle, 13, of Bulacao Community Highschool; Sabalones, Tara Ramz, 13, of Montessori Academy of Southern Cebu; Solis, Aishe Mae, 12, of Marymount Academy; Tagalog, Mecaellah Frenzie Shane,13, of University of Southern Philippines Fo u n d a t i o n — m e a n w h i l e topped the girls’ division.

PSC steps up sports programs By Peter Atencio SPORTS officials will sit down with governors and mayors of provinces in the Visayas and Mindanao regions this week. Strengthening the sports development program in the provinces will be the main agenda of Philippine Sports Commission Chairman William Ramirez when he travels to Cebu on Tuesday and to the Davao region on Thursday. “He will be consulting with the local government units in relation to sports development,” said executive director Carlo Abarquez.

Ramirez will talk to government officials in these regions and persuade them to set up programs that will prepare them for regional tournaments and national championships. The government sports agency is all set to relaunch the Batang Pinoy Games and the Philippine National Games, this time with more involvement coming from the provinces. The PSC chief, who was accompanied by Philippine Sports Institute head Marc Edward Velasco and Henry Daut, went to the municipality of Basista in Pangasinan.

Ramirez

While there, the agency began the challenging task of finding talented athletes. The chairman had talks with Mayor Manolito de Leon and Malasiqui Mayor

Anthony Geslani. They made an effort to identify 10 sports disciplines where most of their constituents excel. “We will go to every city and municipality to help them set up a genuine sports program,” said Ramirez, who had a pep talk with over 300 children, who went through a series of sports clinics in different disciplines for three days. On the other hand, Velasco said they expect the number of national athletes to grow and double with the talent discovery programs of the government in the countryside.

CAGE CHAMPS. The Xavier Stallions won the PAYA Championship title from De La Salle Greenhills following a 58-54 win in the ﬁnals. The team is composed of Marius Guevarra, Nuelle Yu, Gavin Uy, Irus Chua, Brick Dizon, Enosh Esplanada, Kyle Sio, Macray Lee, Hans Yu Chua, Sky Tan, Kerby Ang, Jeremy Tan, Tyler Lim and Alfred Balisi, led by head coach Jojo Imutan, assistant coach Daniel Donato and Basketball Director John Edwin L. Sy.

Market rebounds; SMIC climbs B3

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@thestandard.com.ph extrastory2000@gmail.com TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017

7 Japan ﬁrms investing P198.5b IN BRIEF First Balfour denies open pit mine operation FIRST Balfour Inc., a company under the Lopez Group, denied that it is operating an open pit mine in Batangas province. First Balfour president and chief operating ofﬁcer Anthony Paul Fernandez issued the statement after Prof. Carlos Arcilla of the Asia Oceania Geosciences Society and the University of the Philippines’ National Institute of Geological Sciences said in a congressional hearing that First Balfour “is mining aggregates in a watershed” in Lobo, Batangas. “First Balfour categorically denies the allegation... that it operates an open pit mine. The information is simply false,” Fernandez said. “We further state that we are not operating in any watershed areas. We have applied for a permit to operate an aggregates quarry in Taysan, Batangas, where there is no watershed. Pending approval of the application, we have not started operations there,” Fernandez said.

By Othel V. Campos

APAN’S seven major conglomerates have expressed interest in investing a combined P198.5 billion in energy, mining, agriculture, automotive and infrastructure projects in the Philippines, the Trade Department said Monday.

The Trade Department said these sogo shoshas or Japanese companies with a broad range of business activities included Mitsubishi Corp., Mitsui and Co. Ltd., Sumitomo Corp., Itochu Corp., Marubeni Corp., Toyota Tsusho and Sojitz Corp. “Through sound and consistent macroeconomic policies,

the country continues to attract serious investments. The fundamentals are there in terms of a fast-growing economy, a 109-million population base, standing trade agreements, and a young, talented, and dedicated work force,” Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said. “All these―plus political will

and focused trade and investment policies―act as a magnet for foreign investments,” said Lopez. He said the sogo shoshas were willing to pursue additional investments until 2020. Marubeni expressed interest to invest in coal power plants worth P75 billion over the medium term while Itochu and Sumitomo, through Philippine subsidiaries Dole and Sumifru respectively, were willing to invest an additional P12.9 billion in 2018 to expand their integrated farming projects in Mindanao by 2018. Sumitomo, Sojitz, and Mitsui jointly invested P80 billion in Coral Bay Nickle Corp. and Taganito High Pressure Acid

Leaching Nickel Corp. in Surigao and Palawan. Another ongoing investment in the Philippines is the Comprehensive Automotive Resurgence Strategy that has the support and participation of Mitsubishi, Sojitz, Mitsui and Toyota Tsusho. Lopez said the seven trading houses were also keenly interested in the Philippines’ “golden age of infrastructure,” speciﬁcally in prailway and subway projects, the Clark Green City, the expanded port and RoRo building programs and airport development projects. The Philippine government asked the Japanese trading houses to use their expansive business systems to help in planning an

PSE COMPOSITE INDEX Closing March 13, 2017

8000 7600 7200

Mober eyes to serve SMEs’ logistics needs TECHNOLOGY startup company Mober is optimistic that more small and medium enterprises will tap its affordable, reliable, safe and secure same-day delivery services for their businesses. Mober said in a statement technology enabled the rise of mobile appbased services that helped fuel the growth of SMEs. “With Mober, we don’t discriminate whether your cargo is big or small, we adjust to our clients’ cargo requirements. For bulky items, we have a wide selection of trucks and vans that can accommodate just about everything you need to move,” Mober founder and chief operating officer Dennis Ng said. Mober’s service fulfills the same day delivery requirements for precious goods of businesses that need to get to their end users intact and with its quality safe. “We have closed vans and mini trucks for various bulky item requirements and we are steadily expanding our fleet of vehicles and partnerships to be able to service the SME sector with their cargo needs,” Ng said. Ng said Mober tapped a wider network of partner/drivers and expanded its in-house fleet to accommodate the expanding demand for its services. “Our rates are very cost effective, so businesses get the benefit of same day delivery without the added cost compared to maintaining their own fleet of delivery vehicles, which may take up time and resources the company can focus elsewhere,” he said.

Ayala earned P26b in 2016 By Jenniffer B. Austria CONGLOMERATE Ayala Corp. registered a net income of P26 billion in 2016, an increase of 17 percent from a year ago, led by the double-digit growth of contributions from real estate and banking units. The conglomerate said the aggressive move to expand to new businesses started to bear fruits with strong earnings contribution from emerging businesses in power and industrial technologies. Ayala Corp. said in a disclosure to the stock exchange equity earnings contribution from core businesses expanded 14 percent to 32 billion from a year earlier. Equity earnings from Bank of the Philippine Islands and Ayala Land Inc. jumped 19 percent and 18 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, equity earnings from AC Energy soared 27 percent, while equity earnings from AC Industrials grew 51 percent, as its automotive business surged nearly fivefold during the year. “Ayala capped its five-year strategic target in 2016 with net income expanding nearly threefold and a 23 percent compounded annual growth rate since we put the plan in place in 2011. We believe this was achieved through our disciplined execution and a strong domestic environment,” Ayala Corp. president and chief operating officer Fernando Zobel de Ayala said.

efﬁcient set of economic infrastructure, such as farm-to-market roads, bridges, seaports, airports, railways for cargo, passengers and RoRo vessels and service providers “With DTI’s inclusive business model, our resource-based country has the potential to become a major supplier to the world by fostering value chain linkages and partnerships between the MSMEs as suppliers of goods and services, and the large enterprises as buyers,” Lopez said. The government assured investors that with public sector agencies rigidly adhering to zero corruption program, the investment projects would receive adequate protection and fair treatment.

6800 6400 6000

7,233.09 86.82

PESO-DOLLAR RATE

Closing MARCH 13, 2017 45.00 46.50 48.00 49.50

51.00

HIGH P50.270 LOW P50.330 AVERAGE P50.297 VOLUME 233.400M

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez (standing, fourth from right) and Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade (standing, fourth from left) meet with senior executives of Japan’s seven major trading houses in Tokyo to discuss President Rodrigo Duterte’s trade investment of infrastructure programs. The sogo shoshas or Japanese companies with a broad range of business activities discussed investment interests in the Philippines’ economic development, conservatively valued at P198.5 billion. Present during the meeting are Ambassador-Designate Jose Laurel V. (standing, third from left) and representatives from Mitsubishi Corp., Mitsui and Co. Ltd., Sumitomo Corp., Itochu Corp., Marubeni Corp., Toyota Tsusho and Sojitz.

ICTSI’s net proﬁt tripled to $180m last year By Darwin G. Amojelar PORT operator International Container Terminal Services Inc. said Monday net income surged 207 percent to $180 million in 2016, on the back of a double-digit growth in containers it handled last year. ICTSI, led by businessman Enrique Razon, booked total revenues of $1.13 billion, up 7 percent from $1.05 billion in 2015. The company recognized a non-recurring charge of $23.4 million last year, on the pre-termination of the lease agreement at ICTSI Oregon Inc., the company’s terminal in Oregon. ICTSI handled consolidated

volume of 8,689,363 twentyfoot equivalent units last year, or 12 percent more than 7,775,993 TEUs handled in 2015. ICTSI said the increase in volume was mainly due to continuing volume ramp-up at ICTSI Iraq, the company’s terminal in Umm Qasr, Iraq; new shipping lines and services at Contecon Manzanillo S.A. in Manzanillo, Mexico, Contecon Guayaquil S.A. in Guayaquil, Ecuador and the terminals in Indonesia; and improvement in trade activities in Madagascar International Container Terminal Services Ltd. in Toamasina, Madagascar, Adriatic Gate Container Terminal in Rijeka, Croatia and in most Philippine terminals.

ICTSI said in the fourth quarter alone, consolidated throughput increased 12 percent to 2,254,171 TEUs in 2016 from 2,007,745 TEUs in 2015. ICTSI allocated $240 million for 2017 capital expenditure mainly for the completion of the initial stage development of the company’s greenﬁeld projects in Democratic Republic of Congo and Iraq; the second stage development of the company’s project in Australia; continuing development of the company’s container terminals in Mexico and Honduras; and capacity expansion in its terminal operations in Manila. The company’s capital expenditures in 2016 amounted

to $391.9 million. The capital expenditure was mainly to fund the initial development stage of the company’s greenﬁeld projects in Australia, Democratic Republic of Congo and Iraq; the continuing development of the company’s container terminals in Mexico and Honduras; and capacity expansion in its terminal operations in Manila and Ecuador. ICTSI invested $41.2 million or 69 percent of its $60-million budget in the development of Sociedad Puerto Industrial Aguadulce S.A., its joint venture container terminal development project with PSA International Pte Ltd. in Buenaventura, Colombia.

P500.00-P760.00 LPG/11-kg tank P40.15-P49.25 Unleaded Gasoline P28.75-P34.65 Diesel

OPRICES IL TODAY

P28.50-P36.85 Kerosene P20.75-P21.75 Auto LPG Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Monday, March 13, 2017

F OREIGN E XCHANGE R ATE Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

50.3490

Japan

Yen

0.008717

0.4389

Pound

1.216600

61.2546

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128788

6.4843

Switzerland

Franc

0.990197

49.8554

Canada

Dollar

0.743384

37.4286

Singapore

Dollar

0.708115

35.6529

Australia

Dollar

0.754300

37.9783

Bahrain

Dinar

2.652590

133.5553

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266645

13.4253

Brunei

Dollar

0.705617

35.5271

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000075

0.0038

Thailand

Baht

0.028248

1.4223

UAE

Dirham

0.272301

13.7101

Euro

1.068100

53.7778

Korea

Won

0.000872

0.0439

China

Yuan

0.144655

7.2832

India

Rupee

0.015031

0.7568

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.224770

11.3169

New Zealand

Dollar

0.693300

34.9070

Taiwan

Dollar

0.032227

1.6226 Source: PDS Bridge

Tax reforms seen cleared by midyear By Julito G. Rada THE Finance Department expressed optimism the proposed Comprehensive Tax Reform Program will be passed into law by the middle of 2017. Finance Undersecretary Karl Kendrick Chua said the agency would work hard with Congress to ensure the passage of the priority bill before the budget cycle started in June. “Our target is hopefully by middle of the year. Because once we exceed the middle of the year, the budget cycle starts… So we will work very hard before the cycle starts,” Chua said during the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines’ seminar sponsored by San Miguel Corp. in Subic Bay Freeport over the weekend. Package one of CTRP is outlined in House Bill. No. 4774 that

aims to lower personal income tax rates for 99 percent of the country’s taxpayers while expanding the value-added tax base and adjusting rates for consumption taxes such as the excise tax on petroleum products and automobiles, among other revenue-enhancing measures. VAT exemptions for seniors and persons with disabilities will be retained under the bill. The second package aims to reduce the corporate income tax to 25 percent, coupled with fiscal incentives rationalization. The third is about property taxation, while the fourth one is on financial or capital income taxation. Chua said he was hoping the second package could be passed in the second half of the year. “We estimate that by middle of the year, we will be finished with the data analyses, so we are looking at the second half of the year,” he said.

INFRA DEAL OF THE YEAR. Alpha Southeast Asia awards Light Rail Manila Corp.’s P24-billion ($480 million) loan facility as the ‘Best Project Finance Deal of the Year’ during the 10th Annual Best Deal & Solution Awards 2016 at Le Meridien Putrajaya, Malaysia. SB Capital Investment Corp. was one of the joint lead arrangers while Security Bank Corp. was one of the lenders for the project. Shown are (from left) LRMC head of business development Janet Bautista, Alpha Southeast Asia Magazine publisher and chief executive Siddiq Bazarwala, LRMC head of legal department Philip Ranada, SB Capital senior director Joy Supan, LRMC president and chief executive Rogelio Singson, SBC corporate banking group ﬁrst vice president and relationship manager Yvonne Marcelo, LRMC head of corporate communications Rochelle Gamboa and LRMC analyst Kurt Patrick Yee.

Business

TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market rebounds; SMIC climbs S

TOCKS rebounded Monday, tracking the movement of Asian markets as the positive US jobs report helped investors position for a week of central-bank policy decisions.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index, the 30-company benchmark, climbed 86 points, or 1.2 percent, to close at 7,233.09 Monday, following a 2-percent slump Friday. All six sectoral indices advanced. The heavier index, representing all shares, gained 35 points, or 0.8 percent, to settle at 4,379.01, on a value turnover of P6.5 billion. Gainers matched losers at 94 apiece, while 43 issues were unchanged. Fifteen of the 20 most active stocks ended in the green, led by conglomerate SM Investments Corp. which jumped 7.8 percent to P645.50 and Century Paciﬁc Food Inc. which

gained 4 percent to P17.36. Shakey’s Pizza Asia Ventures Inc. rose 3 percent to P14.40. Meanwhile, Asian markets mostly rose Monday following last week’s forecastbusting US jobs report but the dollar struggled against most other currencies, with this week’s expected Federal Reserve interest rate hike already accounted for. Friday’s employment report reinforced a long-running belief the world’s top economy was on a strong growth track and focus is now on the conclusion of the central bank’s policy meeting Wednesday, hoping for clues about the next increase. The Japanese and British central banks also meet this week. The dollar edged up but was unable to hold above the 115 yen mark breached brieﬂy last week, while the euro beneﬁtted from speculation the European Central Bank could start tightening monetary policy as the region’s economy shows signs of improvement. The greenback was also down against most high-yielding units with South Korea’s won

more than one percent higher and the Australian dollar 0.5 percent up. Most stock markets in Asia started the week on a high—tracking all three main Wall Street indexes—after the Labor Department said the economy created 235,000 new jobs in February, much more than estimated. “There’s some initial upside from the jobs report but most people are waiting and watching to see what the central banks say later in the week,” Andrew Sullivan, managing director for sales trading at Haitong International Securities Group in Hong Kong, told Bloomberg News. Tokyo closed up 0.2 percent, while Hong Kong added 1.2 percent and Shanghai gained 0.8 percent. Seoul jumped one percent and Singapore put on 0.5 percent, with Wellington, Manila and Taipei also well up. Oil prices continued to suffer following last week’s losses of about nine percent in both main contracts hit by a surprisingly big jump in US stockpiles, increased US shale production and concerns about a OPEC-Russia led deal to cut output. With AFP, Bloomberg

Century Pacific Food added in Asian index By Jenniffer B. Austria CENTURY Pacific Food Inc., the country’s largest canned food company, said it will be added in the highly-tracked FTSE Global Equity Index Series for Asia Pacific excluding Japan starting on March 20. CNPF said in a disclosure to the stock exchange the company would be listed under FTSE Index’s Small Cap and AllCap categories. The company’s inclusion in the FTSE Global Equity Index Series

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW MONDAY, MARCH 13, 2017

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

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

3.24 48.75 97.5 4.2 120 1.29 40.1 16 21 1.69 840 0.68 78 0.72 57.6 240 89.2 38.5 201 1,790 79.25

3.26 48.8 98 4.2 121.9 1.29 40.4 16 21 1.72 840 0.7 78.45 0.75 58.2 240 89.2 40 201.6 1,790 79.5

3.2 48.5 97.45 4.2 119.7 1.29 39.9 15.9 20.55 1.67 825 0.67 77.3 0.72 57 238 89.2 38.5 199.7 1,785 79.25

FINANCIALS 3.26 46,000 48.8 19,300 97.6 544,470 4.2 4,000 121.9 2,213,280 1.29 26,000 39.9 206,700 15.9 5,600 20.7 263,300 1.7 17,000 825 220 0.68 2,590,000 77.9 2,687,760 0.74 198,000 57.05 4,640 240 370 89.2 300 39.95 6,100 201 836,790 1,785 250 79.5 36,200

149,010 940,725 53,212,067 16,800 267,363,075 33,540 8,288,740 89,110 5,449,175 28,710 183,300 1,770,710 209,716,437 146,520 266,004 88,360 26,760 239,495 168,170,944 447,250 2,874,426

935,850 15,655,469.50 -111,819,985 977,425 -74,800 -3,456,735 1,380 -13,042,179.50 -160,408.50 119,875 -817,778 2,688,575

ABOITIZ POWER AGRINURTURE ALLIANCE SELECT ALSONS CONS ASIABEST GROUP BASIC ENERGY BOGO MEDELLIN CEMEX HLDG CENTURY FOOD CIRTEK HLDG CNTRL AZUCARERA CONCEPCION CONCRETE A CONCRETE B CROWN ASIA DAVINCI CAPITAL DEL MONTE DNL INDUS EEI CORP EMPERADOR ENERGY DEVT FIRST GEN FIRST PHIL HLDG GINEBRA HOLCIM INTEGRATED MICR IONICS JOLLIBEE LMG CHEMICALS MABUHAY VINYL MANILA WATER MAXS GROUP MEGAWIDE MERALCO MG HLDG PANASONIC PEPSI COLA PETRON PHIL H2O PHINMA PHINMA ENERGY PHX PETROLEUM PHX SEMICNDCTR PILIPINAS SHELL PRYCE CORP PUREFOODS RFM CORP ROXAS HLDG SHAKEYS PIZZA SPC POWER SWIFT FOODS TKC METALS UNIV ROBINA VITARICH VIVANT VULCAN INDL

43.85 5.43 0.83 1.44 19.5 0.27 97.05 8.63 16.74 23.35 14.64 60.45 94.5 95.7 2.13 6.2 12.4 12.58 8.04 6.56 6.03 22.3 72.6 12.5 15.88 6.58 1.65 195 7.6 4.11 29.9 26.8 15.24 295 0.26 6.45 3.75 8.63 3.88 11.44 2.33 6.92 1.92 75.4 4.98 260.2 5 2.99 14 4.33 0.145 1.47 158.8 1.69 31.45 1.1

43.85 5.51 0.84 1.44 19.5 0.27 97.05 8.7 17.36 23.35 15.06 60.45 94.5 95.7 2.19 6.2 12.5 12.6 8.07 6.6 6.03 22.6 72.6 12.8 15.9 6.85 1.65 198.1 8.3 4.22 30.05 27 15.24 297 0.265 6.7 3.75 8.7 3.88 11.46 2.35 7.09 2.02 75.4 4.98 260.2 5 3.01 14.52 4.33 0.145 1.47 161 1.69 31.45 1.1

42.85 5.38 0.81 1.41 18.18 0.265 97.05 8.5 16.74 22.95 14.6 60 94.5 95.7 2.11 6.2 12.2 12.4 7.84 6.47 5.9 22.1 72.3 12.22 15.88 6.58 1.61 195 7.53 3.86 29.9 26.5 15.1 289 0.255 6.43 3.7 8.58 3.88 11.42 2.31 6.92 1.9 73.05 4.82 260.2 4.9 2.92 14 4.33 0.145 1.44 157.1 1.65 31.4 1.01

INDUSTRIAL 43 1,219,300 5.5 565,500 0.82 171,000 1.43 77,000 19 3,200 0.27 2,740,000 97.05 40 8.51 9,788,700 17.36 8,510,100 23.2 276,800 14.7 6,500 60 50,320 94.5 350 95.7 10 2.12 791,000 6.2 11,000 12.34 243,600 12.5 13,631,800 7.85 171,100 6.49 13,644,800 6 7,724,700 22.5 833,200 72.35 17,560 12.5 155,500 15.9 235,600 6.84 1,168,700 1.61 755,000 196.8 400,820 8.3 5,002,500 4 152,000 30 1,394,000 27 74,600 15.14 1,285,800 290.2 193,590 0.265 1,780,000 6.69 143,700 3.75 6,210,000 8.65 2,783,500 3.88 20,000 11.42 4,700 2.35 1,065,000 7.08 631,500 1.98 1,585,000 73.8 240,770 4.82 176,000 260.2 20 4.99 109,900 3 128,000 14.4 7,506,900 4.33 4,000 0.145 40,000 1.44 74,000 160.1 1,378,510 1.65 2,998,000 31.4 1,000 1.01 656,000

52,472,175 3,066,280 141,060 109,030 58,508 727,600 3,882 83,523,406 145,819,332 6,410,940 97,200 3,019,947 33,075 957 1,691,910 68,200 3,004,934 170,126,342 1,349,404 88,725,480 46,348,424 18,735,090 1,270,168 1,953,704 3,741,632 7,944,375 1,227,130 78,679,101 40,304,864 606,740 41,816,920 2,009,580 19,466,968 56,586,694 461,850 944,733 23,285,860 24,085,837 77,600 53,758 2,485,260 4,449,416 3,125,550 17,718,864.50 852,960 5,204 546,703 383,810 107,606,598 17,320 5,800 106,870 218,762,148 4,988,060 31,415 668,760

-5,001,205 585,500 60,950 1,932,581 9,770,150 22,950 75,250 -82,212 19,170 2,467,592 -122,639,574 -147,577 -11,843,552 504,432 13,289,290 82,480.00 -3,644,664 -1,057,641 -324,100 -9,952,667 -134,347 39,600 289,795 -267,330 450,886 -14,621,346 1,825,010 -21,090,442.00 1,808,290 -1,322,544 877,321 -439,740 12,368,272 -48,674,927 146,360 -

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

0.37 74 12.4 1.12 6.28 0.37 815 8.58 12.46 8.07 0.184 1,210 6.46 74.25 4.83 1.11 7.82 14.24 6.6 3.55 0.058 1.98 106 3 648 1.52 272 0.285 0.187

0.38 74 12.6 1.12 6.3 0.37 822 8.73 12.58 8.07 0.184 1,215 6.58 75.45 4.83 1.14 7.9 14.32 6.7 3.55 0.059 1.98 106.2 3.25 652.5 1.52 274.8 0.3 0.187

0.37 73.1 12.34 1.1 6.13 0.365 815 8.58 12.44 8 0.184 1,186 6.2 74.25 4.75 1.11 7.82 14.24 6.6 3.55 0.057 1.97 105 2.95 638.5 1.5 270.6 0.285 0.185

HOLDING FIRMS 0.37 210,000 73.3 1,805,670 12.5 33,602,400 1.1 70,000 6.13 1,610,800 0.365 330,000 822 90,770 8.73 330,200 12.52 1,657,500 8.06 21,800 0.184 20,000 1,191 180,055 6.58 48,600 74.7 1,201,100 4.75 13,000 1.12 4,339,000 7.9 689,400 14.3 4,007,800 6.65 23,075,300 3.55 1,000 0.058 48,710,000 1.97 843,000 105.1 50,820 3.09 2,877,000 645.5 784,480 1.5 482,000 274.6 7,670 0.29 140,000 0.185 630,000

78,000 132,285,909 419,900,442 77,890 10,146,853 121,500 74,275,805 2,849,065 20,742,922 174,500 3,680 214,494,975 313,979 89,720,264 62,310 4,880,330 5,444,991 57,302,228 153,492,027 3,550 2,808,270 1,661,300 5,354,095 8,883,910 507,065,825 723,920 2,082,130 40,550 117,000

11,100 16,725,345.50 -6,223,670 6,728,705 1,497,970 -9,881,142 -65,395,225 -40,160,842.50 991,970.00 698,711 -5,771,112 -68,849,144 624,809 63,740 151,024,230 -261,470 -515,508 -3,700

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

6.79 0.98 2.5 1.53 35.65 3.75 0.51 1.04 1.3 0.158 0.55 53.5 0.7 0.163 1.68 0.98 1.26 3.69 0.171 0.3 0.57

6.79 0.98 2.53 1.55 36.2 3.82 0.52 1.07 1.3 0.16 0.55 53.5 0.7 0.163 1.68 0.99 1.26 3.71 0.171 0.3 0.61

6.6 0.95 2.5 1.47 35.5 3.75 0.5 1.04 1.27 0.156 0.54 52.8 0.7 0.151 1.65 0.98 1.2 3.6 0.167 0.29 0.57

2,603,790 3,448,820 98,190 20,087,590 187,146,555 2,664,650 3,338,250 9,500 60,730 2,932,720 644,480 9,615,359.50 4,900 366,120 23,484,700 383,330 78,950 72,499,100 758,470 41,600 11,922,890

-734,574 -56,480 36,353,810 -749,320 -6,630 -1,701,586 -10,140,510 -24,200 -24,508,850 -111,650.00

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

PRIMEX CORP PTFC REDEV CORP ROBINSONS LAND ROCKWELL SHANG PROP SM PRIME HLDG STA LUCIA LAND SUNTRUST HOME VISTA LAND

4.78 29.95 23.4 1.71 3.27 29 1.02 0.93 4.85

4.78 29.95 23.5 1.74 3.27 29.3 1.05 0.93 4.85

4.73 29.95 23.1 1.71 3.25 28.9 1.01 0.92 4.76

4.75 29.95 23.1 1.73 3.25 29.15 1.02 0.93 4.85

102,000 300 616,700 90,000 203,000 5,317,100 13,405,000 86,000 2,073,000

486,700 8,985 14,281,785 154,470 662,120 154,620,160 13,806,930 79,970 10,010,740

-1,394,165 -37,674,405 2,780 -4,609,680

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

7.93 46 1.62 0.55 0.058 11.3 5.5 8 0.068 2.33 90.6 8.63 2.28 2.93 1,900 6.1 16.1 3.33 3.86 75.1 0.0092 9 0.191 1.36 3.48 14.48 3.75 3.99 2.25 5.7 3.76 3.15 11.3 5.4 3.45 154 9 1,535 1.52 0.405 45 82.2 6.17 2.34 1.16 3.2 0.38

8 46.75 1.62 0.56 0.058 11.4 5.5 8.15 0.068 2.34 91.45 8.64 2.41 2.93 1,960 6.2 16.3 3.5 4 75.6 0.0093 9.05 0.192 1.37 3.74 14.48 3.75 4.05 2.4 5.88 3.77 3.19 11.42 5.4 3.45 156.1 9 1,546 1.54 0.41 45 82.5 6.42 2.38 1.16 3.2 0.385

7.85 46 1.45 0.53 0.055 11.3 5.34 7.9 0.065 2.3 90.3 8.63 2.28 2.93 1,900 6.1 15.26 3.32 3.86 74.8 0.0092 9 0.191 1.35 3.35 14.48 3.7 3.88 2.24 5.65 3.7 2.97 11.3 5.4 3.45 154 8.87 1,521 1.51 0.405 44.15 82 6.17 2.33 1.15 3.18 0.38

SERVICES 8 46.6 1.45 0.53 0.056 11.4 5.34 7.98 0.065 2.32 90.8 8.64 2.41 2.93 1,945 6.15 16.26 3.5 3.99 75.4 0.0093 9.02 0.191 1.36 3.6 14.48 3.72 3.89 2.34 5.7 3.71 3.13 11.42 5.4 3.45 156.1 8.87 1,525 1.54 0.41 45 82.05 6.25 2.33 1.15 3.2 0.385

81,400 4,800 42,000 120,000 150,940,000 5,800 13,100 4,554,900 30,930,000 2,016,000 501,050 17,000 2,000 1,000 52,760 47,700 51,200 2,543,000 76,000 508,150 2,000,000 326,000 2,230,000 410,000 3,430,000 300 358,000 3,644,000 304,000 3,648,500 1,937,000 11,158,000 2,785,300 100 5,000 2,150 278,300 131,740 20,114,000 1,220,000 9,908,300 1,118,640 709,600 2,814,000 5,110,000 1,251,000 140,000

648,609 222,040 63,930 64,440 8,472,790 65,640 70,155 36,493,290 2,030,000 4,654,990 45,484,874.50 146,820 4,690 2,930 102,636,455 294,448 829,102 8,775,850 302,040 38,253,530.50 18,500 2,939,160 425,940 556,150 12,167,760 4,344 1,330,880 14,451,910 697,010 20,995,740 7,194,830 34,524,300 31,529,544 540 17,250 333,130 2,478,112 201,300,980 30,754,650 498,750 442,580,495 91,901,078 4,419,883 6,593,390 5,899,940 3,998,640 53,300

33,012 -1,590 -8,400 -5,290,132 69,600 -11,544,060 51,453,890 -99,710 -4,850,978.50 175,500 6,630 -1,141,370 -940,390 -338,526 578,080 -407,580 323,790 568,285 -745,880 -78,999,240 29,315,976 189,848 -1,885,730 -32,260 -3,260,380 -

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

0.0034 1.89 5.47 1.9 0.43 9.49 2.55 0.255 0.19 0.201 0.011 0.011 1.89 6.38 2.18 0.465 0.9 0.011 4.05 0.014 9.28 3.24 147.4 2.85 0.0091

0.0034 1.91 5.53 1.9 0.43 10.18 2.58 0.26 0.191 0.205 0.012 0.012 1.95 6.45 2.25 0.465 0.9 0.011 4.05 0.014 9.3 3.24 151.4 2.85 0.0092

0.0033 1.87 5.4 1.9 0.41 8.89 2.5 0.25 0.19 0.201 0.011 0.011 1.88 6.28 2.12 0.465 0.87 0.011 4.05 0.014 9.11 3.16 147 2.85 0.0091

MINING & OIL 0.0033 386,000,000 1.87 950,000 5.53 503,500 1.9 1,000 0.415 560,000 9.2 150,900 2.55 1,485,000 0.255 130,000 0.191 24,620,000 0.205 1,230,000 0.012 4,200,000 0.012 145,600,000 1.88 164,000 6.4 5,332,400 2.16 328,000 0.465 40,000 0.9 279,000 0.011 500,000 4.05 5,000 0.014 154,500,000 9.3 441,700 3.22 531,000 151 1,359,510 2.85 7,000 0.0092 6,000,000

1,281,900 1,784,550 2,736,452 1,900 235,850 1,360,526 3,775,410 32,700 4,690,960 248,430 46,300 1,746,600 309,730 33,989,245 701,880 18,600 244,760 5,500 20,250 2,163,000 4,090,419 1,686,000 204,415,292 19,950 54,700

-526,250 -25,956 61,500 -6,600 132,277 234,600 1,044,266 30,875,030 -

ABS HLDG PDR AC PREF B1 AC PREF B2 ALCO PREF B DD PREF GLO PREF P GMA HLDG PDR MWIDE PREF PCOR PREF 2A PCOR PREF 2B PNX PREF 3A SFI PREF SMC PREF 2B SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2G SMC PREF 2H SMC PREF 2I

46 530 528 106.1 106.5 531 5.86 106 1,051 1,125 104.2 2.1 78.2 82 81.1 77.75 79.25 79.25

46.9 530 528 107.9 106.5 531 5.86 106 1,065 1,125 104.2 2.1 78.3 82.2 81.1 77.75 79.5 80

46 528 528 106.1 105 530 5.85 106 1,051 1,125 104.2 2.1 78.2 81 81 77.75 79.25 79.25

PREFERRED 46 12,700 528 1,120 528 20 107.9 35,730 105 19,990 530 19,320 5.85 1,828,500 106 10 1,065 5,005 1,125 1,000 104.2 1,400 2.1 1,000 78.3 21,100 82.2 74,610 81 3,090 77.75 1,000 79.5 86,020 79.95 588,650

584,715 592,140 10,560 3,840,212 2,118,795 10,256,390 10,704,985 1,060 5,330,255 1,125,000 145,880 2,100 1,651,930 6,093,501.50 250,390 77,750 6,835,056.50 47,086,252.50

-455,390 -104,762 -6,016,985 3,280,000 -

LR WARRANT

2.16

2.24

2.15

WARRANTS 2.15 173,000

380,200

ITALPINAS PHILAB HLDG XURPAS

3.8 7.1 9.42

4.05 7.1 9.42

3.78 6.85 9.2

3.99 6.86 9.35

1,319,390 772,962 16,714,228

444,686

FIRST METRO ETF

119.2

119.1

140,592

PROPERTY 6.61 0.96 2.52 1.47 36.2 3.76 0.52 1.04 1.3 0.158 0.54 53.4 0.7 0.158 1.66 0.98 1.21 3.63 0.168 0.29 0.59

393,300 3,611,000 39,000 13,358,000 5,194,100 705,000 6,543,000 9,000 47,000 18,630,000 1,183,000 180,620 7,000 2,410,000 14,150,000 391,000 64,000 19,967,000 4,500,000 140,000 20,004,000

TRADING SUMMARY

FINANCIAL

10,386,922

INDUSTRIAL

120,676,455

HOLDING FIRMS

128,659,460

PROPERTY

139,991,640

SERVICES

292,061,044

MINING & OIL

734,924,722

GRAND TOTAL

1,428,940,781

SME

333,000 111,700 1,794,100

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 119.2 1,180

VALUE 1,816.26 (up) 11.02 825,427,481.016 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 10,973.57 (up) 66.42 1,430,891,972.879 HOLDING FIRMS 7,223.11 (up) 134.89 1,821,772,952.67 PROPERTY 3,275.82 (up) 27.34 1,465.68 (up) 2.94 760,982,795.226 SERVICES MINING & OIL 12,476.03 (up) 128.67 1,336,017,130.91 PSEI 7,233.09 (up) 86.82 265,679,437.13 All Shares Index 4,379.01 (up) 35.62 6,459,722,133.836 Gainers: 94; Losers: 94; Unchanged: 43; Total: 231

is the result of a semi-annual review on more than 7,400 securities in 47 different countries. FTSE indexes serve as performance benchmarks and help in the creation of a broad range of financial products, including index tracking funds, derivatives and exchange traded funds. “We will continue to share our investment story as we believe that the Philippine growth story remains alive and well,” said CNPF chief finance officer Oscar Pobre. “Even as we face a more challenging environment this year, we remain positive on our company’s long-term prospects,” he said. Share price of CNPF jumped 4 percent to P17.36 Monday. CNPF made its debut in the MSCI Philippine Small Cap Index on May 31, 2016. Owned by the Pofamily, the company is engaged in the development, marketing and distribution of processed fish, meat, dairy and coconut. It maintains market leadership locally in the canned fish and canned meat segments, while actively growing its presence in canned and powdered milk.The company is also the Philippines’ leading exporter of private label tuna and coconut products. The company is looking to further expand its branded exports business after it recently acquired distribution companies in China.

AirAsia’s PH unit registers P3-b loss By Darwin G. Amojelar THE Philippine unit of Southeast Asia’s largest budget carrier said it reduced its net loss last year, on higher passenger revenues. Philippines Air Asia said it recorded a net loss of P3.05 billion in 2016, down 1.3 percent from a P3.09-billion net loss in 2015. The airline said revenue rose 21 percent last year to P10.81 billion from P8.93 billion in 2015. PAA recorded revenue of P3.11 billion in the fourth quarter, or 36 percent higher than P2.28 billion achieved in the fourth quarter of 2015. “The positive growth in revenue can be attributed to higher passenger volume which increased by 11 percent year-on-year and the increase in average fare by 16 percent year-on-year,” PAA said. Passengers carried by PAA reached 3.99 million last year, lower than P3.59 million in 2015. Its load factor improved to 87 percent last year from 81 percent in 2015. “The forecast load factor for the ﬁrst quarter of 2017 is at 92 percent,” PAA said. “PAA remains on track with its turnaround plan to rationalize its ﬂeet composition to further reduce its cost structure in the remaining quarters of 2017,” the airline said. Malaysia’s Air Asia, through AA International, owns 40 percent of Philippines’ Air Asia Inc., while Filipinos Marriane Hontiveros, Michael Romero, Antonio Cojuangco and Alfredo Yao hold the balance of 60 percent.

Business

TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com

PH, China set to sign $1.5-b agri trade deal

WILCON LISTING. Wilcon Depot Inc., the country’s premier home improvement and construction supply retailer, will debut at the main board

of the Philippine Stock Exchange on March 31 under the ticker symbol “WLCON.” Shown during the company’s press briefing are (from left) First Metro Investment Corp. first vice president Francisco Javier Bonoan, FMIC executive VP Justino Juan Ocampo, Wilcon president and CEO Lorraine Belo-Cincochan, Wilcon EVP-chief procurement officer Careen Belo, Wilcon founder and chairman William Belo, Wilcon senior EVP and COO Rosemarie Bosch-Ong, Wilcon chief financial officer Mark Andrew Belo, Wilcon investor relations officer Mary Jean Alger and BDO Capital & Investment Corp. president Eduardo Francisco.

NGCP pursuing expansion projects By Alena Mae S. Flores NATIONAL Grid Corporation of the Philippines is set to implement projects to strengthen the country’s transmission system. “When we took over, it was very clear to us that upgrading and improving the failing and aging facilities we inherited from the National Transmission Corporation (Transco) was top priority,” National Grid said in a statement. National Grid took over the operations of Transco in January 15, 2009. National Grid won the right to manage and operate the country’s transmission highway with a bid of $3.95 billion. “At the time this concession was bid out, many of the transmission facilities already reached, or were about to reach its maximum economic life. It was very clear to us that government could no longer continue to fund the massive transmission related projects needed to ensure that the transmission facilities remained relevant, up to date, and able to address the pressing needs of a growing economy,” the company said. National Grid, which holds the 25-year concession contract, is comprised of Monte Oro Grid Resources Corp. led by Henry Sy Jr. (30 percent), Calaca High Power Corp. led by Robert Coyiuto Jr. (30 percent) and the State Grid of China (40 percent) as technical partner. “NGCP has built 2,472 circuit-kilometers (ct. km.) of transmission lines since we took over. This year, 24 transmission projects are set to be completed, 26 are in the middle of construction, and 22 projects will commence. In total, that’s an additional 674.9 ct.km. of lines to be added to the country’s transmission network for 2017 alone,” the company said. National Grid is pursuing the Luzon 500kV backbone to accommodate incoming generating plants, the Cebu-NegrosPanay backbone to improve power sharing between the major islands, and the Mindanao 230kV backbone to reinforce the Mindanao grid as new plants come online. “Another aspect of NGCP’s commitment is to ensure that all its facilities are well-maintained and reliable. Our continuous auditing of existing assets has resulted in a preventive replacement program designed to mitigate any unplanned transmission outages. The program outlines the replacement of aging towers and poles and substation equipment over the next four years,” National Grid said.

THE Philippines and China will sign Wednesday a $1.5-billion trade deal that will signiﬁcantly increase China’s agriculture imports from the Philippines. China Vice Premier Wang Yang will sign the agreement with Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, said Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry chairman emeritus Francis Chua. “No less than the vice premier will sign the agreement. We will continue to push for increased trade between our two countries as strengthen out bilateral ties,” he said Monday. The Trade Department earlier discussed the forthcoming trade deal in a statement. Chua said China would be importing several agricultural products, including ﬁsheries, poultry and dairy items. He added the deal to buy Philippine agricultural products was part of a series of agreements to be signed by both countries as they deepen mutual economic relations. China and the Philippines earlier signed a loan facil-

ity worth $3.4 billion to help the Philippines fund major infrastructure projects—a $53.9-million irrigation project; $374-million dam project; and the $3-billion railway project. The infrastructure projects, Chua said, were important components in building a stronger nation and an economy resilient to the global uncertainties. The ﬁrst two projects are estimated to be ready for signing within the ﬁrst half of 2017, while the railway project will be formalized by the end of 2017. Potential investments from China may reach $10.4 billion from various sectors, such as aviation, energy and shipbuilding. The projects are expected to contribute about 11,500 new jobs to the Filipino workforce. China is also pushing the empowerment of the micro, small and medium enterprises with a program that will enable Chinese MSMEs to partner with their Filipino counterparts. Othel V. Campos

Auto firms eye lower tax rate By Othel V. Campos

HE local automotive industry asked the government to consider its proposal for a seven-tier tax system that will serve as a median between the current structure and the government initiative as contained in the tax reform program.

The Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. and the Association of Vehicle Importers and Distributors, raised serious concerns on the short- to long-term risks the automotive sector would face if the proposed legislation is approved “The proposed increase in excise tax on automobiles is too

heavy. The motor vehicle industry will not be able to bear the resulting burden without having to pass on to consumers and therefore suffer from signiﬁcant market loss,” the groups said in a position paper submitted to the Senate and House committees on ways and means. The position paper attempted to show the beneﬁts of the pro-

posal to the government and the automotive industry. The paper offered to increase the tier system from four to seven to include the segmentation of vehicular units. The proposal also seeks to reduce the excise tax rates and ceiling on each bracket and provide stakeholders a lead time of at least six months from the date of the enactment to adjust to the new scheme. Taxes for tier 1 vehicles or those with value of up to P600,000, based on the industry proposal of a 3 percent excise tax, which is 1 percent lower than the government’s 4 percent, will be increased to P18,000 from the current P12,000. This is also lower

by P6,000 from the proposed P24,000 tax rate of the government proposal. Those on Tier 2 or vehicles worth P600,000 to P1.1 million will be imposed a maximum of P168,000 tax, a median between the current maximum tax of P112,000 and the proposed P224,000 by the government. For vehicles with value of over P1.1 million to P1.6 million or Tier 3 vehicles, the industry suggested a maximum tax of P368,000, while Tier 4 or vehicles worth P1.6 to P2.1 million would be slapped a maximum tax of P618,000, which is reasonable enough from the government’s proposed P1.22 million and higher than the current P512,000.

Vehicles of over P2.1 million to P2.6 million or Tier 5 can be subjected to a maximum of P1.018 million, while those over P2.6 million to P3.1 million or Tier 6 vehicles can be taxed by a maximum of P1.418 million. The government proposal for Tier 5 and 6 carries a maximum excise tax of P2.24 million compared with the current excise tax of a maximum of P812,000. Tier 7 vehicles, or those with value of P3.1 million and above, will be imposed a maximum tax of P1.14 million compared with the government’s P2.24 million and the current P812,000 maximum excise tax.

Modular nuke plants favored ENERGY Secretary Alfonso Cusi has asked the country’s safety and health association to study the impact of using modular nuclear power plants. “If it can be done in other countries with Filipinos working on modular nuclear power plants, why not here in the Philippines?” the energy chief asked. Cusi administered the oath of ofﬁce of the new board Mmmbers of the Safety and Health Association of the Philippine Energy Sector Inc., or SHAPES, at the department’s headquarters in Taguig City. SHAPES is an organization composed of safety, health and environmental professionals. Cusi asked SHAPES to look into the country’s adoption of modular power plants, some of which are being run in other countries by competent Filipino engineers and technicians. Cusi also stressed the need to reintroduce a nuclear energy curriculum in the Philippine academic sector.

Cusi earlier said in the event that repowering the mothballed Bataan nuclear power plant was not feasible, the Philippines could also look into using modular or smaller sized nuclear facilities. “We can be cautious. We can move with caution so we can start with modular. We have to listen to the experts,” he said. The department has issued a department order creating the nuclear energy program implementing organization in the DoE. The NEPIO will produce a comprehensive study and prepare a national infrastructure for the ﬁrst nuclear power plant. Cusi, meanwhile, cited a need to ensure the safety and security of all energy-related undertakings whether in the transport of fuel products or in operating and maintaining energy facilities. “We at the DoE put a premium on ensuring the safety of communities and the environment, especially the energy sector workers,” he said.

THRIFT BANKS’ CONVENTION. The Chamber of Thrift Banks, the umbrella

organization for Philippine thrift banks, gears up for the CTB National Convention, set on March 14 at Dusit Thani Manila in Makati City. Meeting members of the press to drum up support for the conference are (from left) CTB executive director Suzanne Felix, CTB and Wealthbank president Gregorio Anonas III, CTB immediate past president and RCBC Savings Bank president Rommel Latinazo and CTB trustee and City Savings Bank president Catalino Abacan.

King of the Philippine car industry THE content of the annual report of Campi (Car Manufacturers Association of the Philippines Inc.) has come to be as predictable as the annual report of its US counterpart. Anyone about to read the annual report of the American car manufacturers’ group can conﬁdently expect to read that General Motors (GM) was the leading producer, followed by Ford Motor Co.—although at one point during the 2008-2016 recession Toyota Motor Co. overtook the weakened GM as the No. 1 producer—followed by the other American and foreign car manufacturers. In this country the production and sales rankings are pretty much the same. CAMPI and the association of

commercial vehicle manufacturers have reported that in 2016 a total of 452,751 motor vehicles were sold in this country and of the total Toyota accounted for 158,728 vehicles, or close to 30 percent of the total. The rest of the car and truck manufacturers—24 in all—accounted for the balance. The other Campi members are Mitsubishi, Hyundai, Ford, Isuzu, Honda, Nissan, Suzuki, Kia and Chevrolet. Its closest competitors Mitsubishi and Ford, were quite a distance from Toyota (61,400 and 33,668 vehicles, repeatedly). The story was the same in 2015. With 125, 027 vehicles sold, Toyota was way ahead of the pack. In fact, Toyota has been the leading car brand in this country during most of the period following its entry into the Philippine market in the 1960s with its Toyopet and Corolla models. Not only was Toyota the dominant car maker in 2016 but its models were also

the leading nameplates during that sales period. Of the ten top nameplates in 2016 vehicle sales in this country, an incredible six were Toyota nameplates. These were the Vios, Fortuner, Hiace, Wigo, Innova, Avanza and Hilux. The non-Toyota nameplates in the 2016 vehicle sales list were the Mitsubishi Mirage G4, Isuzu mu-X and Ford Everest, in that order. Vios, the favorite car of participants in the Uber ride-sharing scheme, sold 33,173 units. It is not only in the Philippines that Toyota vehicles have been selling extremely well on a sustained basis. That performance has been replicated almost everywhere else, especially in the US and Western Europe, which are the homes of all the non-Asian vehicle manufacturers. How does Toyota do it? I venture to suggest that the list of Toyota competitive strengths includes price competitiveness,

availability of in-house financing— Toyota Motor Philippines is affiliated with Metrobank—good design, efficient parts inventory management and a strong after-sales service system. Since the collapse of the Marcos-era Progressive Car Manufacturing Program (PCMP), Toyota’s principal competitors have been Japanese companies, namely, Mitsubishi, Honda and Nissan. But in recent years Ford and Chevrolet have been strengthening their presence in the Philippine market. However, the best efforts that the competition has been exerting have clearly not been good enough, for Toyota continues to dominate the sales charts. Clearly, Toyota is today the king of the Philippine car market, and, unless its competitors are able to mount an effective challenge, Toyota’s reign is likely to continue for some time.

Ray S. Eñano, Editor business@thestandard.com.ph extrastory2000@gmail.com

TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017

Business

HSBC bares new chief in overhaul HONG KONG―Banking giant HSBC announced the appointment of a new chairman Monday as part of a management overhaul which will also see it choose a new CEO, after a massive drop in profits in 2016. British businessman Mark Tucker will take over from current chairman Douglas Flint in October. Tucker is currently group chief executive and president of insurance group AIA. He will lead the hunt for a new CEO for HSBC to replace Stuart Gulliver who is set to retire in 2018, the bank said in a statement to the Hong Kong exchange. The changes come as HSBC profits were dealt a hammer blow last year, with the bank attributing the decline to protectionist fears under Donald Trump and uncertainties caused by Brexit when it announced its 2016 results last month. That sent new shivers through markets already spooked by concerns over political stability in Europe, Brexit and US trade policies. Shares in HSBC were up 2.3 percent in early afternoon trading. HSBC praised Tucker’s “long track record of successful leadership of complex financial services businesses in both Asia and the UK” in its statement. Before he took the helm at AIA, Tucker was head of insurer Prudential. Gulliver and Flint have led HSBC since 2010 in what has been a difficult period for the bank. The duo were grilled by UK lawmakers in 2015 and apologized for “unacceptable” failings at HSBC’s Swiss division following allegations the unit helped rich clients hide billions from the taxman. HSBC was one of six major US and European banks that were fined a total of $4.2 billion by global regulators in a November 2014 crackdown for attempted manipulation of the foreign exchange market. It was also fined $1.92 billion by US prosecutors in 2012 to settle allegations that it failed to enforce anti-money laundering rules exposing it to exploitation by drug cartels and terrorist organizations. Since 2011, Gulliver and Flint have announced more than 87,000 job cuts and exited more than 80 businesses. AFP

UK to trigger Brexit this week By Alice Ritchie

ONDON―Prime Minister Theresa May is expected to trigger Brexit this week by formally informing the European Union of Britain’s intention to leave the bloc, sending her country into uncharted waters. The legislation empowering May to put Britain on a course that no member state has ever taken returns to parliament for its ﬁnal stages on Monday as European capitals prepare for mammoth negotiations. After heated debate and a delay in the upper House of Lords, the bill could win ﬁnal approval by both Houses by Monday evening―leaving May’s path clear to begin Brexit whenever she wants. The prime minister promised

months ago to invoke Article 50 of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty, starting the two-year withdrawal process, by the end of March. Last week she expressed her impatience, telling reporters at a Brussels summit: “Our European partners have made clear to me that they want to get on with the negotiations, and so do I.” Irish premier Enda Kenny revealed at the same summit that the EU was preparing for Article 50 from Wednesday, while Britain’s opposition Labour party

has also spoken of Wednesday or Thursday. Once May has notified the EU of her decision by letter, the other 27 EU leaders will take some 48 hours to issue their first draft proposal for the negotiations but talks are not actually expected to begin for months as both sides finalize strategies. EU leaders have planned a follow-up meeting on April 6, “provided that the prime minister moves Article 50, I think by March 15th”, Kenny said. Triggering Article 50 this week would put Britain on course to leave the European Union by March 2019―a prospect that has caused concern about the future of European unity in some capitals. But unravelling four decades of membership and forging new trade ties to replace Britain’s membership of the single market

within two years will be ﬁendishly complex. EU leaders are determined that Brexit will not undermine the unity of the bloc, and that the ﬁnal terms do not encourage other member states to follow Britain. There have already been sharp exchanges, although European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker voiced hope that Britain would one day return. “I would like to be in the same boat as the British. The day will come when the British will reenter the boat, I hope,” he said last week. ‘Unprecedented process’ May was forced to introduce the two-clause bill empowering her to trigger Article 50 after the Supreme Court ruled in January that she must seek parliament’s approval to start Brexit. The bill was held up earlier this

month by amendments passed in the unelected House of Lords, demanding guarantees for EU nationals’ rights and a parliamentary vote on the final withdrawal deal. The Conservative government has given assurances on both issues, but says it does not want to tie its hands in the EU negotiations. MPs in the lower elected House of Commons, where May has a majority, overwhelmingly supported the bill in its first stage last month. Ministers are hopeful the Commons will overturn the Lords amendments in a vote on Monday afternoon, although some europhile Conservative MPs may rebel. The bill would then return to the Lords later that evening for final approval, where further opposition is possible, but unlikely. AFP

Crude prices fall below $48 a barrel OIL extended its decline below $50 a barrel as US drillers continued to boost activity, countering Oped’s efforts to drain a global glut. Futures in New York headed for a sixth day of losses, dropping as much as 1.2 percent after falling 9.1 percent last week. Rigs targeting crude in the US rose to the most since September 2015, according to Baker Hughes Inc. In Libya, crude production dropped 11 percent as clashes among rival armed groups led to the closure of some of the Opec nation’s biggest oil export terminals. Oil last week broke below the $50 a barrel level it had held above since the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and 11 other nations started trimming supply on Jan. 1. US crude stockpiles have climbed to a record and production surged to the highest in more than a year, while Saudi Arabia’s Oil Minister Khalid Al-Falih said global supplies are falling slower than expected. “Supply appears to be outpacing demand, putting the focus back on the glut,” said Jonathan Barratt, chief investment officer at Ayers Alliance Securities in Sydney. “Opec is unlikely to react until prices get down to about $40 a barrel.” West Texas Intermediate for April delivery lost as much as 59 cents to $47.90 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange and traded at $48.28 at 8:01 a.m. in London. Total volume traded was about 25 percent above the 100-day average. The contract dropped 79 cents to $48.49 on Friday, capping the biggest weekly decline since November. Brent for May settlement fell as much as 52 cents, or 1 percent, to $50.85 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange. Prices slid 8.1 percent last week. The benchmark traded at a $2.41 premium to May WTI. US drillers boosted the rig count by 8 to 617 last week, according to data Friday from Baker Hughes. Companies have added 92 machines to fields this year. The nation’s crude output has climbed to 9.09 million barrels a day, according to data from the Energy Information Administration. Libyan output has dropped by about 80,000 barrels a day to 620,000 barrels since fighting broke out among armed groups on March 3, according to a person familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified because the person isn’t authorized to speak to the media. AFP

UPBEAT IN KOREA. Currency dealers monitor exchange rates in a trading room at the KEB Hana Bank in Seoul on March 13, 2017. South Korean shares rose 0.97 percent on March 13 following the Constitutional Court’s ruling to impeach ex-president Park Geun-Hye over a massive corruption scandal. The benchmark KOSPI was up 20.24 points to close at 2,117.59 points. AFP

Sun-seeking retirees flock to Hainan: China’s Florida By Julien Girault SANYA, China―Blessed by palm-fringed beaches and balmy weather, the island province of Hainan is fast becoming known as “China’s Florida,” drawing masses of retirees fleeing the biting cold of their hometowns. “At home in Harbin, it (can be) -30 degrees (-22 Fahrenheit), it’s unbearable! But here the climate is perfect,” said a 71-year-old pensioner who gave only her surname, Wang. Hailing from the capital of the polluted, frigid, rust-belt province of Heilongjiang on the Siberian border, Wang and her husband have migrated each winter to the Hainan resort town of Sanya for the past eight years. “Here we can breathe, and that warmth is better for our health,” said Qi Ningxia, a 60-year-old asthma-sufferer from Heilongjiang, who joined Wang in waving brightly colored fans in a group exercise-dance near the shore of the South China Sea. “And we find so many people here from our province! We are sure we will not be bored,” Qi said. Between 600,000 and 700,000 elderly descend on Sanya every winter, almost doubling its population, said Huang Cheng, a sociologist at Sanya University. Nearly half of these “migratory birds,” as they are called, come from the northeastern provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning. The trend began in 2000 as

Elderly people rest along the beach in Sanya, Hainan province, on February 15, 2017. Blessed by palm-fringed beaches and balmy weather, the island province of Hainan is fast becoming known as “China’s Florida,” drawing masses of retirees ﬂeeing the biting cold of their hometowns. AFP

residents of those provinces began buying Sanya apartments, opening businesses and luring friends and family to join them, creating a “snowball effect,” Huang said. Recreational centers with features aimed at the elderly, such as mahjong tables, have mushroomed. “Ping-pong, billiards, chess, calligraphy, painting or computer science” are among the offerings on display, said the director of one such center who only gave her surname Zhang.

Pressure on locals Hainan island itself was once a remote outpost, a place of exile for criminals and disgraced scholars, and Sanya merely a secluded, backward fishing village. Today, Sanya is home to a Club Med resort, yacht marinas, golf courses and luxury residential complexes as local authorities aim to attract both foreign and domestic tourist dollars. The retirees from northeastern China do not fit this profile: the overwhelming majority shop in local markets rather than in

sioners buy apartments. More than 70 percent of apartment-buyers in Hainan in 2015 did not live on the island, according to official figures. Hospitals are also struggling to cope with an explosion in demand from the aging “migratory birds.” “The situation has evolved so suddenly that we have to allow time for local infrastructure to adapt,” said An Honglian, director of the Yihe service center. The Sanya-based Buddhist non-profit helps retirees with practical problems from plumbing issues to health concerns. An said the flood of pensioners to warmer destinations will only intensify as China’s population ages. China has more than 212 million people over the age of 60, who will represent 25 percent of the population by 2030, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. Other southern provinces like Yunnan and Guangxi also are witnessing an increase in the number of elderly migrants. Wang, the Heilongjiang pensioner, is so convinced of the benefits of her winter sojourn that she persuaded her son and grandchildren to join her in Hainan for the Lunar New Year holiday in late January, overturning a Chinese tradition of spending it in one’s hometown. “But here, there is bracing sea air. It’s good for the health of the whole family,” she explained.

shiny new malls, and prefer to play cards instead of golf. One-third of the pensioners who winter in Sanya―many retired steel, petroleum and mine workers―rely on limited monthly income of 2,000-3,000 yuan ($290-$435), while onequarter receive even less, according to sociologist Huang. The inﬂux has put pressure on local residents, who have to contend with surging food prices when the population doubles in winter. Real-estate costs also have soared as some wealthier pen- AFP

City pools safer than dip in bay, says Erap

LGUs

TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

By Sandy Araneta FOR the nth time, Manila Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada on Monday reminded the public, especially Manileños, not to swim in the polluted waters of Manila Bay. Instead, Estrada said Manileños can use the city government’s well-maintained public swimming pools free of charge. “Time and again, we’ve been constantly telling everyone that is not safe to swim in Manila Bay. You’ll contract many diseases there,” the mayor said. “Here in Manila, we have five public pools. They can go there and swim all they want,” he added. Estrada said he was recently briefed by the Manila Health Department about the water quality in the Manila Bay. As in the past years, the bay still has a high amount of coliform or bacteria found in the feces of warm-blooded animals, the mayor noted. Garbage and toxic chemicals in the bay may also cause rashes and other skin infections, and in worse cases dysentery, diarrhea, and viral and bacterial gastroenteritis, he added. Estrada said three large drainage pipes from Ermita regularly flush out its contents into Manila Bay, while refuse from Cavite and nearby towns and cities also empty out in the waters near Roxas Boulevard. Passing ships also bring more waste materials to the bay’s toxic waters, he added. Despite an existing city ordinance banning swimming in any part of Manila Bay, many residents continue to swim in its polluted waters as the summer season approaches, Estrada noted. MHD chief Dr. Benjamin Yson encouraged the public to go instead to the five public swimming pools opened by the city government. Except for District 2, each district of Manila has its own public swimming pool. They are at the Tondo Sports Complex, Andalucia Gym, Dapitan Sports Complex, JCC Sports Complex, and Bagong Buhay swimming pool along Pedro Gil Street, Manila Sports Council coordinator Alex Cortez said. Cortez said these pools are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day.

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

FROM MINE TO PASTURE. Animals graze on land that used to be the tailings storage area of the Lepanto mine in Mankayan, Benguet. The Congressional Committee on Natural Resources recently joined stakeholders in inspecting the suspended mine, which was leaking tailings into the Abra River. Howerve, the Environmental Enforcement Division conducted monthly water tests that indicated just .007 ml of cyanide for every liter of water—safe on all parameters, as confirmed by an independent Australian testing firm. Dave Leprozo Jr.

Baguio garbage crisis averted B By Dexter A. See

AGUIO CITY—A potential garbage crisis here was averted after city councilors agreed to replenish the funds needed to pay garbage haulers and tipping fees.

The City Council agreed to replenish P9 million that it earlier earmarked for environment and sanitary services, the source of the payments to haulers who take Baguio’s garbage down to landfills in Tarlac. The P9 million earmarked by local legislators for the garbage fund for two months was supposed to be depleted last Thursday, which could have resulted in the stoppage of garbage hauling.

Tipping fees are charges levied on a given quantity of waste received at a waste processing facility. In the case of a landfill, tipping fees are generally levied to offset the cost of opening, maintaining and eventually closing the site, and may also include any landfill tax applicable in the region. Councilors, however, did not act on Mayor Maurico Domogan’s motion for reconsideration to re-

turn the full P75 million he allocated under the city budget for environment and sanitary services, after the city council transferred the funds to Baguio’s account for maintenance and other operating expenses. The City Council imposed certain conditions in transferring the P75 million to the account where it should belong. It wants Domogan to submit the terms of reference for the hauling of the city’s residual waste to Tarlac, for the City General Services Office to submit a monthly report on the status of the hauling and the funds allocated for it, and to assign paid city personnel to the transfer station of the garbage hauler in Puguis, La Trinidad, Benguet and

at the sanitary landfill in Tarlac “for cross checking and monitoring purposes,” to ensure the volume of garbage being hauled and dumped will tally. Earlier, the local government allotted P85 million for environment and sanitary services, inclusive of garbage hauling and payment of tipping fees, for 2017. But the local legislative body transferred P75 million from that amount to the MOOE account of the City General Services Office, to compel Domogan to submit the hauling contract to the council for confirmation. Domogan partially vetoed the transfer of the fund, saying the city council was violating existing circulars from the Commis-

Cebu Pacific flights to Surigao resume CEBU Pacific Air resumed its regular flights to and from Surigao City last Saturday, March 11, through its whollyowned subsidiary Cebgo, following successful repairs of the Surigao Airport runway. Cebgo operates two daily flights via Cebu, with the first flight departing at 10:25 a.m. and the second at 1:35 p.m., the airline said in a statement. Cebgo resumed the flights almost a month after the magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck Surigao and cracked the airport runway last February 10. CEB Vice President for Corporate Affairs lawyer JR Mantaring thanked the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines for the swift repair of the partially damaged 1,700-meter runway. “After assessing the repairs done on the Surigao Airport runway, we have determined that we may resume safe flight operations. We laud CAAP for its expedient action to restore the runway after just 12 days of repair,” Mantaring said.

“We are very pleased to once again be of service to every Juan in the ‘City of Island Adventures.’” “We would also like to extend our appreciation to our valued passengers for their utmost understanding. Trust that we will continue working with the relevant authorities to hasten full restoration, and further improve our services,” Mantaring added to the carrier’s patrons. Since CAAP suspended operations in Surigao Airport, passengers were forced to fly in from Butuan City and then travel by land for about three hours to Surigao. With the reopening of Surigao Airport, “it will be more convenient to travel direct to Surigao for as low as P1,882,” the airline said. CEB currently operates flights out of five other strategic hubs in the country: Manila, Davao, Clark, Kalibo and Iloilo. The airline’s extensive network covers 66 destinations with over 100 routes, spanning Asia, Australia, the Middle East, and the United States.

CABANATUAN CITY—Vice Mayor Emmanuel Antonio Umali’s decision to give way to President Rodrigo Duterte’s son Paolo for the leadership of the Vice Mayors’ League of the Philippines scuttled his own hopes for the post, he admitted Monday. Paolo Duterte, who is vice mayor of Davao City, withdrew

at the last minute, allowing Vice Mayor Joy Mejia of Magsaysay, Davao Del Sur to run unopposed for the VMLP presidency, Umali told reporters here. Umali was eventually elected national executive vice president of the group that counts 1,632 members from across the country. The brother-in-law of Nueva Ecija Gov. Czarina Umali and younger brother of former threeterm governor Aurelio Umali,

sion on Audit that defines environment and sanitary services to include garbage hauling and payment of tipping fees, “making the account specific.” “Thus, the contract entered by the local government and the hauler will no longer be submitted to the council for confirmation,” the mayor said then. Instead of heeding the veto, the City Council decided to override it, insisting the hauling contract should be submitted to councilors for confirmation “because the account where the funds had been placed has become generic.” The council reminded the concerned departments of the city to comply with its conditions of the transfer of the garbage funds.

P853-m ‘Ferdie’ Batanes fund set By Jessica M. Bacud

JUNIOR FIREMEN. Students of Noveleta Elementary School are among the hundreds of volunteer fire marshals who signed up in the Cavite town as part of the Fire Prevention Month awareness campaign on Monday.

Duterte son’s flip-flop costs Umali VLMP presidency By Ferdie G. Domingo

“Doc Anthony” also ran unopposed as EVP in VLMP elections last February 17. He said he was “gratified by the outpouring of support” for his candidacy. “My original plan was to really run for president,” Umali recalled, adding he had his certificate of candidacy for the post ready for filing on February 1, the last day of filing CoCs. “Up to 2 pm of February 1— or three hours before the dead-

line—I was dead-set to run for the presidency. However, I was informed that Vice Mayor Paolo was also running, so I started to have second thoughts,” he said. “Being a fellow Mason, I could not imagine myself running against [Duterte], so I decided to instead run for EVP. And the rest was history,” Umali added. Umali said he takes consolation that as the second highest official of the VLMP, he is

now a member of the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines, which is often invited for meetings and conferences in Malacañang. With his latest election, Umali said he now occupies five positions simultaneously. “I am the incumbent vice mayor of Cabanatuan and the provincial chairman, regional chairman and national EVP of the VLMP and a member of ULAP,” he said.

TUGUEGARAO CITY— President Rodrigo Duterte has assured Batanes Gov. Marilou H. Cayco that P835 million in rehabilitation funds for the province will soon be released to the concerned government agencies in the island province. Cayco said the President has finally approved the budget for the rehabilitation of infrastructure and public property damaged by typhoon “Ferdie” last year. “We have to follow-up the downloading of the said fund from the national office of the concerned agencies to their respective regional offices,” the governor said. The agencies given rehabilitation funds for Batanes include the Department of Agriculture Experiment Station, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Education, Department of Public Works and Highways, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, DWBT Radyo ng Bayan, Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration, and the Technical Education Skills Development Authority.

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TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017 Standard C2 TODAY Manila

Town bemoans power woes D By Ferdie G. Domingo

INGALAN, Aurora—This third-class, 54-year-old municipality wants out of its mother province and is eyeing to join Nueva Ecija—or at least its power grid—over electricity woes.

This after the Sangguniang Bayan and the village councils of all its 11 barangays passed resolutions requesting the management of the Nueva Ecija II Electric Cooperative or Neeco II to assist in the transfer of their electricity services from the Aurora Electric Cooperative or Aurelco, citing the latter’s “poor performance and exorbitant power rates.” In SB Resolution 2017-227 passed during the 25th regular session of the 17th municipal

council, the town councilors asked Ramon M. de Vera, general manager of Neeco 2, Area 2 based in San Leonardo, Nueva Ecija, to facilitate the transfer of electric services to its cooperative instead of Aurelco, which supplies power to this town and seven others in Aurora. The resolution noted that Dingalan Mayor Shierwin H. Taay has expressed dismay over the “inefficient services” of Aurelco, a stand supported by the SB. Authored by Taay’s sister,

Councilor Shiela Taay, the resolution was signed by its presiding officer, Vice Mayor Edgardo R. Galvez. The move comes eight months after Taay expressed his personal preference for the town to be annexed to Nueva Ecija from Aurora, because of the distance of the town from the respective provincial capitols. From here, the Aurora Capitol is three hours away in Baler, while the Nueva Ecija Capitol is an hour’s drive to Palayan City. Local media have dubbed this planned move an “Aurexit,” after “Brexit” or Britain’s exit from the European Union. Officials of Aurelco could not be reached for comment at presstime. The barangay councils in Aplaya, Butas na Bato, Caragsacan, Davildavilan, Dikapani-

kian, Ibuna, Matawe, Paltic, Poblacion, Tanawan and Umiray also passed their respective resolutions seeking to move out of Aurelco and to Neeco 2. The Association of Barangay Chairmen in Dingalan, led by its president Vic Maneja of Barangay Caragsacan, supported the move. They cited Aurelco’s “high power rates, inadequate and unstable power supply, fluctuating current which damages appliances, slow response to consumer complaints, disorderly installation of electric posts and wires, erroneous meter reading and questionable computation of bill consumption,” among others. Aurelco collects P15 per kilowatthour of electricity compared with P8.10 per kwh for Neeco 2, which covers the Nueva Ecija towns of Bongabon, Gabaldon,

Gen. Natividad, Gen. Tinio, Laur, Llanera, Peñaranda, Rizal, San Leonardo, Sta. Rosa, and Palayan City. The village councils also said Neeco 2 used to provide electricity to this town since 1997, but this was transferred to Aurelco in 2000 even though the former’s performance “was a lot more satisfactory.” The move to transfer to Neeco 2’s coverage came three months after Taay complained to Aurelco management for erroneous readings in its billing for the electrical consumption of a municipal government-run ice plant last November. Taay told Aurelco general manager Noel Vedad to explain why its statement of account contained several discrepancies in its November billing for the ice plant in Barangay Aplaya.

IN BRIEF Aboitiz subsidiaries gain ISO standards CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—Hedcor Sibulan Inc. and Hedcor Tudaya Inc., subsidiaries of Aboitiz Power Corp., are the first companies in the Philippines to be at par with the new international asset management standard. TUV-SUD, the certification body that audits the compliance of an organization with international standards, recommended the ISO 55001:2014 certification for both Hedcor Sibulan and Hedcor Tudaya. This was after the 56.1-megawatt cascading plants in Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur—namely Sibulan Hydro A, Tudaya Hydro 1, Sibulan Hydro B, and Tudaya Hydro 2—passed the two stages of the International Standards Organization (ISO) audit. Hedcor Sibulan and Hedcor Tudaya passed the two stages with “zero non-conformances” on the operation and maintenance activities. This means Hedcor “has an integrated and effective management system for assets that enables the company to achieve objectives and assure these are attained consistently and sustainably over time,” Aboitiz Power said in a statement. Lance Baconguis

‘Carless Day’ along Session Road soon? BAGUIO CITY—The City Council approved on first reading a proposed ordinance providing for a “Carless Day” along Session Road. The proposal, authored by Councilor Leandro B. Yangot Jr., said all motor vehicles will be prohibited along the stretch of Session Road starting from its foot up to the area fronting the Bank of the Philippine Islands branch on Session Road and the Baguio Post Office. However, Yangot clarified that in extreme cases such as emergencies, or “events involving possible threats to life and limb,” police cars, fire trucks, emergency medical service vehicles, and ambulances may enter the carless zone to perform their assigned duties and responsibilities. Under the proposal, violators shall be fined up to P5,000 or imprisonment of not more than six months at the discretion of the courts on the third offense. Dexter A. See

NEW TOURIST SPOT? Senator Cynthia Villar shows a map of the Las Piñas-Parañaque Critical Habitat and Eco-Tourism Area, which she is pushing to be recognized as an urban tourism destination. Ey Acasio

Energy firm hosts training for health workers in Subic “We will keep in mind the skills and lessons we learned from this training,” said Cawag health worker Norma Rosete. Flocerfida Belen, Head of Cawag Barangay Health Workers, said: “What we have learned in the training increase our knowledge to respond and help the community. The training is a good opportunity for us.” Dr. Solomon Jacaine, head of SBMA Public Health and Safety Department, said health workers must possess the skills needed to become effective. “Health workers are the first to know the situation in the community. They should communicate the correct information quickly to the higher authorities regarding health issues in the community,” he told participants. NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC For her part, Kagawad Aida Turing Be it known that below employees are no longer connected with

SUBIC FREEPORT—Redondo Peninsula Energy Inc. or RP Energy recently hosted a two-day training for community health workers here on emergency first aid, communication skills, and disaster management. Around 50 health workers from Barangay Cawag, Subic took the training along with rural health workers from Subic town proper. “RP Energy, as part of our CSR, wants to help build a healthier and more disasterresilient community, and we believe that this starts with empowering our community health workers.” says Litz ManuelSantana, VP and head, External Affairs of Meralco PowerGen, a major shareholder in RP Energy.

said: “We are happy with the training, the speakers are all very good, and we thank RP Energy.” “It is important that health workers work together to keep members of the community healthy. We are thankful to the sacrifices of health workers,” said Jason Gavina, RP Energy’s Corporate Social Responsibility Officer. The Subic Municipal Health Office, headed by Dr. Leonardo Afable with his two personnel, in support of the training, attended the Usapang Kalusugan part of the activity in the second day. RP Energy also distributed a pair of blood pressure apparatus and portable weighing scale to each of the 13 sitios of Cawag, and 4 blood pressure apparatus and a weighing scale to Subic Rural Heath Office. Butch Gunio

Salceda bill sees poverty reduced THE Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion or TRAIN program proposed by the Duterte administration would ultimately “reduce poverty to single digits, grow the economy by 9 percent, and transform the Philippines into an Asian economic powerhouse by 2028, with $1.2 trillion in Gross Domestic Product.” Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda, the original proponent of TRAIN or House Bill 4688, said the measure will “fairly and effectively” transfer some P170 billion annually from the country’s rich to middle class and low income households. The House Committee on Ways and Means has merged Salceda’s HB 4688 with another tax reform measure, HB 4774, authored by Quirino Rep. Dakila Carlo Cua, but retained most of TRAIN’s provisions as originally designed, among them unconditional cash transfers to indigent families for three years. Both bills aim to lower the personal income tax rates for 99 percent of the country’s taxpayers, while expanding the VAT base and adjusting consumption taxes rates on petroleum products and automobiles. Congress aims to pass the measure this year as the Tax Administrative Reform Act of 2017. Under TRAIN, Salceda said 40 percent of its generated revenue “will go to the Internal Revenue Allotments of barangays, towns, cities, provinces. and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.” Its pro-poor feature, the lawmaker said, has earned it “unprecedented support” from government and private sectors, non-government organizations and civil society groups, making it “a better understood and appreciated proposed piece of legislation.” TRAIN, Salceda added, is seen to break the margin of inequality and injustice between the marginalized and the elite. It would also amend the decades-old tax schedule for personal income, one of the highest within the Asean. The tax reform measure is a “comprehensive resource equalizer” and represents the single largest direct transfer of wealth mechanism via reduced personal income taxes, the Albay solon said. Salceda has been at the forefront of a series of tax reform roadshows with the Department of Finance and various sectors around the country, aimed at “deepening people’s understanding” of the measure and the advantages it would bring about for the country. To ensure it is properly understood and appreciated, the lawmaker has initiated dialogues with local government and business sectors, civil society and NGO leaders in key areas of the country. The TRAIN roadshow has made over 90 stops, the latest at Shangri-La Makati conducted with Finance Secretary Sonny Dominguez and leaders of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

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Officials of RP Energy, Philippine Red Cross- Olongapo City Chapter, SBMA, Barangay Cawag and Subic LGU pose with the health workers who trained on Emergency First Aid, Effective Communication and Disaster Management. Butch Gunio

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World IN BRIEF Charged for holding parties in Tehran TEHRAN―A jailed US-Iranian and his wife have been formally charged with hosting parties in Tehran, while another couple were given the death penalty for running a “cult”, the Tehran prosecutor said Monday. No names were given, but the dual national and his wife are thought to be the high-proﬁle owners of an art gallery in the capital that regularly hosted events for dignitaries and foreign diplomats prior to their arrest last summer. The case “is related to a woman and man who provided alcoholic drinks, and encouraged corruption and debauchery by holding mixed parties,” said prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi. He said 4,000 liters of alcohol had been found in the basement of their building in northern Tehran. The couple are known to be members of the Zoroastrian religion, who are allowed to have alcohol for private use but are banned from sharing it with Muslims. Dolatabadi also described a separate case of a couple who “by founding a cult and attracting individuals, were active in sexual deviation.” They were found guilty of “corruption on Earth”, a charge introduced after the 1979 revolution that carries the death penalty. While moderate President Hassan Rouhani has made good on his vow to improve ties with the West through a deal to curb Iran’s nuclear program, his promises to ease social restrictions at home have come to nothing. AFP

TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017

Tillerson to visit East Asia amid threat from N. Korea W

ASHINGTON―With North Korea’s drive to field a nuclear-armed missile rapidly emerging as President Donald Trump’s first foreign crisis, his top diplomat is heading to a nervous region.

Jailed for six years for killing policeman DENPASAR―A British man was Monday jailed for six years over the killing of a policeman who was beaten to death on a beach on the Indonesian resort island of Bali. David Taylor, 34, was found guilty at a court on the island of fatal group assault over the killing of officer Wayan Sudarsa, whose battered body was found in August last year. The court was due to hand down its verdict for his Australian girlfriend Sara Connor, 46, later Monday. Sudarsa’s blood-soaked body was found covered with dozens of wounds on his neck, chest and head. Taylor admitting getting into a fight with Sudarsa on the beach after accusing the officer of stealing Connor’s handbag, and hitting him with items including binoculars and a beer bottle. However he claimed during his four-month trial that he had been in “fear of his life” and acted in self defense during the late-night brawl, and never intended to kill the officer. Handing down the verdict and sentence, chief judge Yanto, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, told the court in the Balinese capital Denpasar that Taylor had been “legitimately and convincingly proven guilty” of group assault causing death. AFP

Two killed, many injured in rock concert BUENOS AIRES―Two people were killed and many more injured when a crush of patrons thronged a rock concert in Argentina early Sunday, ofﬁcials said. Authorities said more than 300,000 people attended the open air concert featuring the popular singer Indio Solari and his band in the town of Olavarria, in Buenos Aires province. A total of 12 people are still hospitalized, two of whom are in intensive care. Witnesses said crowds thronged the concert stage at the event in the city of some 90,000 -- roughly a third as many people as the number of concert goers -- which led to the deaths and injuries. Mayor Ezequiel Galli said almost twice as many people took in the concert than had been expected. Solari, 68, was questioned by local authorities. Local media speculated that many people paid $50 for tickets to what they thought might be his last show since he recently revealed that he has Parkinson’s disease. For some, the Olavarria accident recalled a far deadlier tragedy in December 2004, when 194 people died, many from asphyxiation and burning, as ﬁreworks were set off during a concert at the Republica Cromanon nightclub in Buenos Aires. AFP

PREMIERE. Actress Charlize Theron arrives for the premiere of the ﬁlm ‘Atomic Blonde’ during The South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference held at the Paramount Theater on March 12, 2017, in Austin, Texas. AFP

Bus ﬂeeing hit-and-run accident kills 38 GONAIVES, Haiti―A bus speeding away from a hit-and-run accident plowed into dozens of street musicians in northern Haiti on Sunday, killing 38 people, ofﬁcials said. Another 13 people were injured in the crash which took place just before 4 am (0900 GMT) in Gonaives, a city of some 300,000 people located about 150 kilometers northwest of the capital Port-auPrince. “We were in the band, having fun! And then the bus passed by crushing people,” says Jean-Renald Edouard, lying on an emergency room bed. “He hit me on the hip, and I fell down hard. After that, everything went black,” said the 26-year-old man, his girlfriend at his bedside. First, the bus plowed into two pedestrians, killing one and injuring the other, according to Marie-Alta Jean

Baptiste, head of Haiti’s civil protection ofﬁce. The driver of the Blue Sky bus then rammed into three groups of street musicians as he tried to speed away, leaving a scene of ghastly carnage. The number of injured was initially 17, but four victims later died at the hospital, the national police in Gonaives said. Police were forced to control an angry crowd after the grisly incident. Drivers in Haiti who are involved in accidents rarely stop at the scene because they fear attack by local mobs seeking to extract vigilante justice. “The people who were not victims of the accident tried to burn the bus with the passengers inside,” said Faustin Joseph, civic protection coordinator for the department of Artibonite, where Gonaives, the regional capital, is located.

The Blue Sky bus line, a private company offering long-distance routes, is an upscale option for travel in Haiti with modern, air-conditioned coaches. Most Haitians generally travel on former American school buses which ply the roads, making frequent stops. Authorities initially said they had detained the bus driver, but he had actually ﬂed the scene, Gonaives trafﬁc chief Jeudy Lisate told AFP. Police were still trying to identify him. It’s not known what caused the crash, which occurred on a straight stretch of a national road without any potholes. On Sunday afternoon, a heavily damaged car was seen in a ditch on the side of the road, but the accident scene had otherwise been cleaned up. In a statement Haitian President Jovenel Moise “expressed his deep sadness following the terrible accident.” AFP

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, a former oil executive with no government experience, has yet to make an impact in Washington, where he has not even appointed a senior staff. But this week he will head as an emissary of the world’s top power to Tokyo, Seoul and Beijing to tackle a nuclear stand-off that threatens to tip into a catastrophic war. Tillerson will arrive in Tokyo on Wednesday for talks with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, who watched Pyongyang’s latest missile tests with alarm. On Friday, he will be in Seoul and a South Korea mired in a domestic political crisis but also still braced for further provocations from its belligerent northern neighbor. The secretary will meet Hwang Kyo-Ahn -who is acting president until an election can be held to replace impeached leader Park Geun-Hye -- and talk with Foreign Minister Yun Byung-Se. Then, on Saturday, Tillerson will be in China, the United States’ nearest peer as a world power and perhaps the only one that retains any leverage over Kim Jong-Un’s regime. China supported previous UN sanctions against North Korea, and has in theory halted coal imports from its smaller neighbor, but it is reluctant to take steps that could see the regime fall. Since coming to office in January, and especially since the most recent North Korean missile tests last week, Trump has been looking for ways to turn up the pressure on Pyongyang. “I think it’s well known that we are looking currently at approaches to the North Korea question and there is a range of things that are being considered,” a senior US official said. Among the other options pushed by the hawkish wing of the Washington foreign policy community are secondary sanctions that would target any Chinese banks that work with Pyongyang. But officials preparing the trip, briefing reporters anonymously at a time when most senior diplomatic positions in Washington are unfilled, said no major announcements are imminent. “We’re trying to come up with what the approach of the new administration is going to be,” one said. No peace treaty was signed after the 1950-53 Korean war, so Seoul and its US ally are technically still in a state of hostilities with its neighbor across a demilitarized zone. Since the peninsula split, South Korea has become an economic power with democratic institutions, but there are still more than 28,000 US personnel deployed to aid in its defense. Kim, the third leader in a dynasty that rules through oppression and a personality cult, has proved just as determined as his father and grandfather to develop a nuclear weapon. North Korea has a small number of bombs and now it is testing an intercontinental ballistic missile and shorter-range rockets that could threaten US bases and cities in the Pacific rim. Most observers see China as the only power with the leverage to get its isolated neighbor to stand down, and existing United Nations-backed sanctions have had little effect so far. The crisis is shaping up to be the key early challenge of Trump’s presidency and the Pentagon has already provoked China’s ire by deploying the THAAD anti-missile system in South Korea. AFP

Turkey warns ‘fascist’ Netherlands will pay ISTANBUL―Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday warned the Netherlands would pay for blocking his ministers from holding rallies to win support in a referendum on expanding his powers, as a crisis escalated with Turkey’s key EU partners. Erdogan also repeated hugely controversial accusations that the Netherlands -- occupied by Nazi Germany in World War II -- was behaving like fascists in its treatment of Turkish ministers. Analysts are predicting a tight outcome to the April 16 referendum on a new constitution and Turkish ministers have planned major rallies in key EU cities to win votes from millions of Turks residing abroad. But Turkey’s Family Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya was expelled after being prevented from addressing a rally in the Dutch port city of Rotterdam. Also this weekend, The Hague refused to allow Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu’s plane to land ahead of a planned rally. “Hey Holland! If you are sac-

riﬁcing Turkish-Dutch relations for the sake of the elections on Wednesday, you will pay a price,” an angry Erdogan told a ceremony in Istanbul, referring to the March 15 election in Turkey’s NATO ally. “They will learn what diplomacy is,” he growled, adding that what happened “cannot remain unanswered.” “If you let horses, dogs on my citizens you have to be held to account,” he said, referring to dogs, horses and water cannons used by Dutch police to disperse pro-Erdogan demonstrators after clashes in Rotterdam early Sunday. But Dutch Prime Prime Minister Mark Rutte ruled out apologizing, saying: “There’s absolutely no way excuses can be made, they should make excuses for what they’ve done yesterday.” Erdogan repeated his accusations that the Dutch response to the Turkish visits was “Nazism, fascism”. Speaking at a rally in the French city of Metz -- which was allowed to go ahead -- Cavusoglu described the Netherlands as the “capital of fascism”. AFP

END OF WINTER. Indian revelers play with colors during Holi celebrations in Chennai on March 13, 2017. The Hindu festival of Holi, or the ‘Festival of Colours’, heralds the arrival of spring and the end of winter. AFP

Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor

TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017

Russia wants Improved ties with US

World

Saudi prince to meet Trump RIYADH―Saudi Arabia’s powerful Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, seeking foreign investment in an economic reform plan, left for the US Monday to meet President Donald Trump, state media said. Prince Mohammed will be the highest-ranking Saudi official to hold talks with Trump since the US leader took office in January. The visit, which officially begins Thursday, focuses on the “strengthening of bilateral relations... and regional issues of mutual interest,” the Saudi Press Agency said. Second in line to the throne, Prince Mohammed is the son of King Salman and holds the post of defense minister, although much of his focus is on economic issues. He is the chief proponent of Vision 2030, a wide-ranging social and economic reform plan begun last year to diversify the oil dependent economy. Washington and Riyadh have a decades-old relationship based on the exchange of American security for Saudi oil. But ties became increasingly frayed during the eight-year administration of former president Barack Obama. Saudi leaders felt Obama was reluctant to get involved in the civil war in Syria and was tilting towards Riyadh’s regional rival Iran. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir has expressed optimism that the Trump presidency will be more engaged in the region, particularly in containing Iran. AFP

Russian czar still prompts debate MOSCOW―Saint or playboy, blood-stained autocrat or family man, incompetent leader or just a victim of circumstance? A century after he ended Romanov rule, Russia’s last czar still prompts heated debate. Nicholas II abdicated on March 2, 1917, or March 15 by the current calendar, in the royal train in the northwestern town of Pskov. “There’s no consensus in society or among historians about Nicholas II,” says Boris Kolonitsky, a history professor at the European University at Saint Petersburg. Independent polling center Levada last month found almost half of Russians feel positively about Nicholas II. President Vladimir Putin, despite his Soviet spy past, has linked his rule to the Romanovs, opening statues and exhibitions and lighting a candle in front of an icon used at Romanov coronations. In December he called for the 1917 centenary to bring “reconciliation”. Nicholas II abdicated after the February Revolution in Saint Petersburg, when troops mutinied as protesterrs demanded bread and condemned tsarism. An online poll by Komsomolskaya Pravda tabloid last month found 33 percent blamed the events on “foreign secret services”, but just 15 percent blamed the tsar’s wavering. Nicholas ﬁrst wanted his ailing son Alexei to succeed, but agreed to choose his brother Grand Duke Mikhail, who refused, ending the dynasty. For Romanov descendant Paul Kulikovsky, the moment of Nicholas’s abdication is a big “what if”. AFP

PERFORMANCE. Trisha Brown Dance Company performs as CAP UCLA teams with The Broad, J. Paul Getty Museum, LACMA, and Hauser Wirth & Schimmel to present Trisha Brown: In Plain Site in Los Angeles on March 12, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. AFP

WASHINGTON―A Russian government spokesman expressed impatience Sunday that bilateral relations with the United States have not improved more quickly since US President Donald Trump took office. Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said his country’s government is eager for improved USRussian relations, calling it “unpardonable not to be in dialogue,” as Moscow presses the new US leader to make good on vows to improve ties. “We certainly would expect our contacts to be more frequent, more in-depth, in order to sit and then talk to each other... because we had quite a significant pause in our bilateral relations,” Peskov said in an interview that aired Sunday on CNN’s “GPS” program. “For countries like Russia and the United States, it’s unpardonable not to be in dialogue, especially against this amount of regional and global problems that we have.” Earlier this year, Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to develop relations “as equals” and establish “real coordination” to fight the Islamic State group in Syria, the Kremlin had said. Peskov echoed that sentiment in the CNN interview, but urged the US to do more to kickstart the dialogue. Trump is “not hiding the fact that he disagrees in lots of things with Russia, but he’s quite pragmatic enough to say that we have to talk,” Peskov said. “We have to compare our positions in order to find some common ground,” he said. “At the same time, he says that we have to come together and start our dialogue. And, unfortunately, we don’t have a better understanding on when this dialogue can begin.” Peskov also voiced concern over the assessment by America’s intelligence establishment that Russia interfered in the US election last year in support of Trump. Several congressional committees, as well as US intelligence agencies and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, continue to investigate how and to what degree Moscow may have helped Trump score his completely unexpected victory over Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. AFP

Park slammed for defiance S EOUL―Ousted South Korean leader Park Geun-Hye was assailed by newspapers and politicians Monday for her defiance over the court ruling that ended her tenure as president.

Park left Seoul’s presidential complex on Sunday, two days after the Constitutional Court upheld her impeachment by parliament and stripped her of executive power and privileges. “It will take time but I believe that the truth will eventually be revealed,” she said through a spokesman after arriving at her private home in Seoul -- her first remarks since the ruling. TV footage showed a broadly smiling Park waving to hundreds of supporters who gathered around her home, taking selfies with some as many chanted “Our president forever!” The conservative Dong-A Ilbo daily, which long supported Park, said in a front-page headline: “To the last... there was no word of acceptance” of the ruling. Thousands of her supporters staged protests in Seoul after the court verdict, with violent clashes leaving three protesters dead and dozens including police and journalists wounded. In an editorial, the centre-right JoongAng Ilbo daily accused her of trying to incite her remaining supporters and hampering an impending probe into allegations against her. “Park Geun-Hye’s defiance -is she trying to break the nation into two?” it asked. Park has been named as an accomplice to the secret confidante at the heart of the corruption and influence-peddling scandal that triggered her dramatic downfall. The friend, Choi Soon-Sil, is standing trial for using her ties to Park to force local firms to “donate” nearly $70 million to non-profit foundations Choi al-

legedly used for personal gain. Park is accused of offering policy favours to businessmen who paid Choi, including the heir to the smartphone giant Samsung, Lee Jae-Yong, who has been indicted for bribery and other offences. A new presidential election must be held by early May, and opposition politicians urged Park’s investigation. “To the last, Park did not say a single word of apology and only talked of the so-called truth in apparent disobedience of the ruling,” said Choo Mi-Ae, leader of the main liberal opposition Democratic Party (DP). She call for a “swift and resolute” investigation into Park and “stern punishment” if she was found guilty. Moon Jae-In, a former DP lawmaker and the presidential frontrunner, described Park’s remarks as an “unacceptable” bid to paint the court as ﬂawed. “This is an unacceptable behavior, after her scandal left the country’s reputation deeply tarnished and South Koreans deeply traumatized,” he said. Another opposition group, the People’s Party, slammed Park for “showing zero willingness” to honor the Constitution and urged her to cooperate with prosecutors. As president, Park repeatedly refused to make herself available for questioning, but has now been stripped of the executive privilege that gave her immunity from prosecution. The prosecutors are reportedly mulling imposing a travel ban on the 65-year-old daughter of late former dictator Park ChungHee. AFP

PARTY. Guests attend the Soylent and Trish Austin Party featuring special guest performer GZA on March 12, 2017, in Austin, Texas. AFP

Violence against Syria’s children ‘worst in 2016’ BEIRUT―Violence against children in war-ravaged Syria was “at its worst” in 2016, the UN’s children’s agency said Monday as the conﬂict nears its seventh year. UNICEF said that cases of children being killed, maimed, or recruited into armed groups were the “highest on record” last year. “The depth of suffering is unprecedented. Millions of children

in Syria come under attack on a daily basis, their lives turned upside down,” said Geert Cappelaere, UNICEF’s regional director. “Each and every child is scarred for life with horriﬁc consequences on their health, well-being, and future,” he said from the central Syrian city of Homs. UNICEF recorded the violent deaths of at least 652 children last

year, a 20 percent increase from 2015, and more than 250 of the victims were killed inside or near a school. At least 850 children were recruited to fight in the conflict, including as executioners or suicide bombers -- more than double the 2015 number. Syria’s conflict erupted in March 2011 with protests against the rule of President Bashar al-

Assad, but morphed into a multifront war. More than 310,000 people have been killed and millions have been forced to ﬂee their homes. UNICEF said that 2.3 million Syrian children are living as refugees in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, and Iraq. Another 280,000 still live under siege across Syria, with no access

to food or medicine, it said. To cope with increasingly difﬁcult living conditions, families inside Syria and in host nations have been forced to push their children into early marriages or child labor just to survive. “There is so much more we can and should do to turn the tide for Syria’s children,” said Cappelaere. AFP

Hong Kong Odyssey concert features a hundred musicians and artists

ONG KONG has long established itself as a world-class art hub, with its flourishing art scene from local artists and influences from all over the world. This is the spotlight every March for the city’s annual Arts Month. Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) lets you in on this year’s exciting events not to be missed. With 1,600 outstanding international and local artists in 129 performances, the 45th Hong Kong Arts Festival ongoing until March 18, revolving around the idea of being “in the moment,” which will reflect in every part of the festival from the operas to the youth programs. Highlights of this year’s performances include the Dream of the Red Chamber, for the festival’s opera section, which will be seen for the first time in an Asian city after its September 2016 premiere in San Francisco. In the section of jazz music, singer and actress Jane Birkin will bring her Gainsbourg Symphonic tribute to Hong Kong, celebrating Serge Gainsbourg’s legacy. The renowned Bayerisches Staatsballett (Bavarian State Ballet) makes its ﬁrst full-company visit to Hong Kong to open the dance section of the festival with their lavish production of La Bayadère. Several plays will make its way to the festival’s theater section, from USA, Ireland, Norway, and more. In the music section, guests can enjoy the Hong Kong Odyssey concert, which features more than a hundred musicians and artists in a celebration of poetry, music and song that has been inspired by Hong Kong history and culture. For the past four years, Hong Kong has been hosting a show of the world’s premier Modern and contemporary art through Art Basel. Staged in Basel, Switzerland and Miami Beach, apart from Hong Kong, Art Basel holds art exhibits and cultural events from leading galleries, both local and international. Their Hong Kong shows are where you can see the latest developments in art across Asia as well as the best from the West. Art Basel Hong Kong show, happening from March 23 to 25, will feature 242 premier galleries from 34 countries and territories. For the first time, Art Basel will introduce the Kabinett sector to the Hong Kong show, with 19 curated mini exhibitions and projects ranging from solo shows to thematic group presentations

Life

TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017

CULTURE & MEDIA

Hong Kong celebrates

ARTS MONTH

Singer and actress Jane Birkin

Hong Kong highlights its flourishing art scene from local artists and influences from all over the world on its annual Arts Month

The Gainsburg Symphonic will perform a tribute to Hong Kong

from galleries within their own booths; apart from the usual sectors such as Discoveries, for emerging artists, and Encounters, for large-scale works. Catch the Kukje Gallery booth which will feature the works of Dansaekhwa artists who spearheaded t h e avant-garde movement

in Korea, alongside the works of contemporary Korean and international artists. The David Zwirner booth will showcase Belgian artist Luc Tuymans, who has been widely credited for contributing to the revival of painting in the 1990s. Galerie du Monde, the longest running and established contemporary art gallery in Hong Kong, will also be

for Metro Manila

European art treasures pieces designed with ivory and precious metal inlays, and a 152-piece Limoge porcelain dining set that is guaranteed to bring splendor to Filipino dining. Lhuillier explains, “We’re the most cohesively European auction house i n Asia right now. Collectors will find that Casa de Memoria offers a more extensive selection of pieces from that part of the world, even when compared to other auctions houses in Asia.” Being the first to house antiquities from Europe’s most privileged to the Philippines, Casa de Memoria promises to bring over masterpieces from Portugal, Spain, and France. These intricately designed and functional art pieces date back to 15th century and are reminiscent of the period when furniture dictated the styling and ambience of homes.

The auction house features various furnishings such as lacquered woodwork

participating in Art Basel Hong Kong. The gallery will present important early works between the 60s and 70s by Fifth Moon members - a group of Chinese artists who were at the forefront of the modern art movement in Taiwan from the 1950s. Happening simultaneously is Art Central at the Central Harbour front from March 21 to 25. The fair will bring together hundreds of galleries from all over the world, with 75 percent hailing from the Asia-Pacific. Catch the thematic street art presentation featuring Invader, Cleon Peterson, Hikari Shimoda, and Jerkface, and the mixed media textile works by Mehwish Iqbal, whose works are influenced by her experiences in her birth country of Pakistan and her current home in Australia. Art Central will highlight representations of galleries from the Americas and

Europe, including photography, experimental art, and rising artists. See the works of Juana Gomez, a Chilean artist who embroiders the central nervous system over photographs of the human body; and Lee Yanor’s video installations, emulsion and holograms made with experimental techniques interweaving art, dance, music, sound, and technology. Numerous art exhibitions and events will also take place in the city during Arts Month. Walk along Hollywood Road, Hong Kong’s center of art and antiques, and be sure to stumble upon exhibits that will catch your fancy. Another go-to area for viewing contemporary art is the South Island Cultural District (SICD), comprising more than 22 local and international galleries and artist studios spread from Wong Chuk Hang to Ap Lei Chau, Tin Wan, and the emerging Aberdeen street. Take a break from your exploring here and check out the many hip restaurants and chic designer shops that Aberdeen Street has to offer. While here, do not forget to head towards PMQ for a vibrant burst of street art in every corner. For a fuss-free and sure way to explore Hong Kong’s art scene is to sign up for one of the many art tours in the city. Check out the Soho Gallery Walk for a closer look at the city’s modern art, or Pedder Building Gallery Tour to learn more about contemporary Asian art in this historic building’s many galleries. Allocate time to catch The Super Pool, a gigantic computerized installation fusing light, sound, technology and human interaction, which will be present to dazzle guests of all ages. The whole city will be buzzing with color and creativity for the whole month of March. Do not miss out on these highly anticipated events, only in Hong Kong. For more information, log on to discoverHongKong.com/best.

Public art

Casa de Memoria’s

BEAUTIFUL azure seats are the first to welcome guests to Makati’s little corner of European grandeur—Casa de Memoria. The detail and trimmings of the furnishings are a sight to behold coming through the simple doors of this relatively new auction house With a quick glance at the periphery, it is easy to get a sense of the craftsmanship and technique on display; this is artistry carved for the aristocrats of Europe centuries ago, and today, these are treasures that can accentuate the Filipino home. “We don’t want these pieces to end up in a museum. We want to be the place where people can find their dining table, chair, and favorite desks. For these items were not made just to be looked at,” says Camille Lhuillier, Casa de Memoria marketing manager. Asked about her favorite, Lhuillier shares she has her eyes on the grand sofa piece and miniature pieces of ivory animals with bejeweled eyes. Further across the floor, varying tones of lacquered woodwork are present, collections of ceramics and porcelain that are generously spread, silver and bronze sculptures adorned tables, and magnificent paintings lined the walls. Sourced from private collections of families and individual collectors, these pieces of nobility all underwent strict authentication and restoration measures and placed under the care of Casa de Memoria’s local curators and European advisers. Art enthusiasts will be treated to masterpieces like the Adoration of the Magi, an oil painting depiction of the Holy Family on wooden canvas, sculptures by French contemporary artist Francis Bérille, Renaissance

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

Camille Lhuillier’s favorite pieces at the Casa de Memoria include the miniature pieces of ivory animals with bejeweled eyes

Operations manager Tiffany Mathay explains the vision of the auction house, “Casa de Memoria is not just an art auction, we want it to be a lifestyle for Filipinos.” She adds that the auction house is there to help Filipinos see that art is not beyond reach. “It speaks to them, brings out a part of themselves, and fits perfectly in their homes.” These two ladies, along with auction house director Angelique Miranda, supervise the transport, authentication, and sale of these historical and personal treasures and their re-appropriation to Philippine homes. Lhuillier says in jest, “How often can you say that I have this piece from the 16th century? It’s in my home and it’s still beautiful.” Casa de Memoria is at 156 Jupiter corner Comet Streets, Bel-Air, Makati City.

THE Pasig River Art for Urban Change is a platform for artistic creation and collaboration around the regeneration of the river. It aims to create more livable and inclusive cities by using public space as sites for discussion and creative expression. This is a great opportunity for early and mid-career artists with a connection to the Philippines to show their works in a public space for a period of at least one year. The works will be on pumping stations along the river, which are visible to ferry commuters and riverbank inhabitants. Some sites can be seen from roads and bridges connected to the river. The artworks will be unveiled through a river art tour as part of the third annual MNL Urban Design Festival, happening on May 27 and 28. Metro Manila is among the world’s cities most exposed to natural disasters

and catastrophic flooding. Pumping stations are common infrastructures found along Pasig River and, although often overlooked, are vital in the city’s flood management. These structures pump out water from esteros or creeks side of the pumping stations into the Pasig River, Parañaque River, Laguna de Bay and Manila Bay in order to prevent flooding in the areas covered during heavy rains and inclement weather. By making these ‘invisible’ infrastructures visible through art, the project increases public access to the river while raising awareness of its important role in sustainable urban development. Through Pasig River Art for Urban Change, the river can once again be Metro Manila’s primary corridor for transportation and cultural activities. Full details can be found at www. britishcouncil.ph/programmes/arts/ visual/urban-change/call-artists

Pumping stations along Pasig River will serve as public exhibition space for early and mid-career artists

Life

TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017 isahred@gmail.com

HERITAGE

Star of TUMAHIK FESTIVAL in Basilan

Yakan’s festival celebrates the Tumahik war dance that shows off the virtuosity of dancers

Text and photos by: Ayunan Gunting-Al Hadj

LUTTERING their arms and strutting to native percussions, men and women in brass-buttoned shirts, loose trousers, sashes, overskirts and headgear, formed colorful formations in the streets. Then men jumped with spears and shields to show off their machismo while the women swayed with their patterned malong and baskets. One of the 13 Muslim groups in the Sulu Archipelago, the Yakans have proud moment in the annual Tumahik Festival in Basilan held from March 1 to 7 in Isabela City. The Yakans are settlers of Basilan, who are distinguished by their proud bearing and colorful hand-woven attire. Tumahik is a Yakan war dance that shows off the performers’ virtuosity. The festival features parades; dance and native costume contests participated by the barangay; a Yakan oratorical and poetry competition that highlights the tribe’s oral tradition. Says ARMM Regional Gov. Mujiv Hataman, “The Tumahik festival showcases the rich culture of the Yakans.” The festival brings to fore the Yakan costumes and its growing fabric industry. This tribe is being recognized as one of the best weavers in the country. Their fabrics are used by exporters to make fashion and home accessories and exhibited in international trade fairs. These fabrics come from pineapple and abaca fibers that are colored by herbal dyes. The Yakans maintain centuries-old tradition of hand loom, which is handed down from generation to generation. Each work is a labor of patience and love. This is why it takes five days to produce only one meter. The results are stunning, nonetheless. No Yakan fabric design is duplicated, as there will be variations in lines and colors. Each design is culled from the weaver’s memory or mood. The most intricate design, the Seputangan or head cloth, is characterized by rhomboids with flowers and geometric shapes. These patterns symbolize good fortune and abundance. The

Palipattang derives its patterns from rainbow colors while the Bunga-sama takes after the python skin. The kenna-kenna is patterned after a fish; the dawen-dawen takes after the leaf of a vine; pene mata-mata, is inspired by the series of eyes while the kabang buddi is the diamond-shaped design. Tumahik Festival is organized by the Basilan provincial government and the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). Anak-Mindanao Representative Princess Sitti Djalia T. Hataman, explains, “Fabric has an extensive importance in the our society. Native textiles are a symbol of cultural identity, family tradition, sense of community, honest work and livelihood. Traditionally, we saw the indigenous fabrics as practical or sacred as they are either worn as daily garments or used in rituals. In keeping with the times, our indigenous fabrics have been integrated into art, modern fashion and home décor. Although the tribes still adhere to tradition, their uses will keep evolving.” The solon adds that while Yakan fabric is one of the great prides of Basilan, the provinces also offers other attractions. Basilan maintains its rural charm. The beaches along Malamawi island is famous for its fine, white sands and fresh coconut drinks directly plucked from the coconut plantations. Lampinigan, is an hour’s drive from Isabela. The rocky coastline opens out to a resplendent ocean view. There are other must-see places in Basilan that show its multi-ethnicity. The Kaum Purnah Mosque in Isabela City is a museum of the cultures of the different indigenous and Muslim

Yakan fabric, which comes from pineapple and abaca fibers that are colored with herbal dyes, is used by exporters to make fashion and home accessories.

groups. For Christians, the Cathedral of Saint Elizabeth of Portugal and the Chapel of Peace on Calvario Peak are sanctuaries for the soul. Near the city center, the Cabunbata Falls is a quick escape, surrounded by a jungle of rubber trees. Pusuac Spring Park offers exotic flora and fauna. The other famous

beaches include Tenusa Island, Calugusan and Palm Beaches in Lamitan, and Sumagdang Beach in Isabela City. In cuisine, the Yakans are known for their dulang, molded sticky rice, piscy native chicken, fried fish and vegetables served on a banana leaf. The chicken or kaliya is prayed over before slaughtern-

ing then cooked with spices, herbs and powdered rice. The sweet, jah panyam pitis is a chunk of sticky purple rice, coconut milk and raw sugar. Hataman hopes that the Tumahik Festival, the tribal arts and crafts and tourist attractions will change the perception of an embattled Basilan.

STAGE

Benilde brings ‘Makbet’ to life Trauma workers‎, composed of teachers, police force, LGU staff, day care workers and social welfare office workers, conduct a trauma healing seminar session during the launch of ‎’Presence: A Primer on Trauma and Recovery for the Use of Trauma Workers’

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Trauma recovery book launched FOUR years have passed since Typhoon Pablo struck Barangay Cabinuangan in New Bataan, Compostela Valley. During these years, the barangay has seen improvements –houses have been repaired, crops replanted, boulders and debris from landslides removed, and major infrastructures made operational. Still, the shadow of Typhoon Pablo hovers. In response to the limited psychosocial and emotional resources available to the hundreds of towns in the country exposed to natural disasters every year, MLAC Institute for Psychosocial Services, Inc. in partnership with TELUS International Philippines (TIP) Community Board and Hijo Resources Corporation, developes a guide that can be used by trauma workers to assist them in helping others towards the road to recovery. This trauma and recovery primer was recently launched in Barangay Cabinuangan. Also, a trauma healing seminar was conducted on Dec. 6 last year.

Presence: A Primer on Trauma and Recovery for the Use of Trauma Workers, the book can be used to aid people who encounter individuals or groups who have gone through traumatic experiences, not just limited to disasters like typhoons but also physical abuse, prostitution, loss of loved ones, and other devastating scenarios. Ideally, one trauma worker can accommodate up to 20 patients in one session, so a primer such as this can go a long way towards empowering barangays and local governments in terms of trauma stewardship and emphasizing the importance of Psychological First Aid. After the book launch, a trauma healing seminar session was conducted for trauma workers, including teachers from nine different schools in New Bataan, the New Bataan Police Force, local government unit staff, day care workers, social welfare office workers, and even representatives from the Philippine Army 1st Battalion 66th Infantry and Battalion 10th Infantry Division. The participants were divided into five groups with

each group facilitated by an MLAC psychologist. They were taught the framework of trauma recovery management and an experience sharing activity was conducted to help them appreciate the importance of compassionate understanding for both the survivor and the helper. TIP and MLAC is looking forward to making copies of the book available all over the country and plans for creating versions of the book in different local dialects is already underway. Other local government units, most recently the local government of Pasig, invited MLAC to hold a training session for their social workers. The Department of Health now also considers psychological first aid as one of the basic needs to be addressed for trauma victims, a progressive step towards ensuring that the impact of trauma especially due to disasters is minimized on a national level. For more information, visit: www.telusinternational.com.

THE De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) will present Makbet, a Filipino version of the Shakespeare classic as translated by Rolando Tinio, for a limited run during selected dates in March 2017. Nonon Padilla, recipient of the Philstage Gawad Buhay for lifetime achievement in theater and founder of Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Tanghalang Pilipino, directs the play. Palanca awardee and playwright for Linggo ng Palaspas and Virgin Labfest entry, Kapit, George De Jesus III plays Macbeth, and Gawad Buhay recipient for Outstanding Lead Female Performance in Mga Buhay na Apoy, and Metro Manila Film Festival 2016 Best Actress Irma Adlawan are playing Lady Macbeth alternately. Andrew Cruz is Lord Macduff. DLS-CSB President Brother Dennis Magbanua FSC, in his first-ever acting role, will star as the father figure King Duncan. “The central issue in Shakespeare’s Macbeth is one of royal succession. Shakespeare chose to focus on the story of a Scottish King during the recent ascension of King James of Scotland to the British throne upon the death of Elizabeth I, daughter of Henry the Eighth.” Padilla shares. Superficially, Macbeth may be about serial murders and the obsessions with bloodlines. But the central drama of Macbeth is the murder of the soul.” he adds. Makbet premieres on March 22, and will run on March 23 and 24, 29 to April 1. Tickets are priced at P500 each and can be purchased at TicketWorld, or from Patricia Bautista at 0917-842 5013. The Black Box Theater is located on the Sixth Floor, De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde School of Design and Arts, 950 Pablo Ocampo Street, Malate, Manila.

TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017

ABS-CBN shows gain more viewers nationwide

APAMILYA programs that promote love for family and good values entertained more Filipinos nationwide last February. Based on Kantar Media data covering both urban and rural homes nationwide, ABS-CBN maintained its lead over its rival network nationwide after it hit an average audience share of 44 percent vs. GMA’s 35 percent last month. FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano topped the list of top 20 most watched programs in the country with an average national TV rating of 37.9 percent followed by Your Face Sounds Familiar Kids (36.8 percent) and “Wansapanataym” (32.5 percent). The Coco Martin starrer continues to captivate viewers with its actionpacked and values-ﬁlled episodes that promote crime awareness, Your Face Sounds Familiar Kids for providing entertainment that bonds the whole family, and Wansapataym for teaching

important lessons to its young viewers. MMK (30.7 percent) continues to touch viewers with its heartwarming and inspiring stories of Filipinos overcoming struggles, while teleseryes My Dear Heart (27.4 percent) and newly launched Wildﬂower (21.5 percent) show viewers the power of love and how it can conquer hate, fear, or anger in anyone’s heart. Heart (Nayomi Ramos) continues to touch and change the life of coldhearted and power hungry Dr. Margaret Divinagracia (Coney Reyes) while Ivy’s (Maja Salvador) quest for revenge gets derailed as she grows feelings for the youngest Ardiente, Diego (Joseph Marco). My Dear Heart beat GMA’s newest primetime offering Destined to Be Yours with just an average national TV rating of 19.6 percent. Its pilot telecast on Feb. 27 generated only 20.2 percent nationwide while My Dear Heart hit 29.1 percent. The now defunct hit afternoon series Doble Kara (19 percent) also made the cut as well as other weekend contenders Home Sweetie Home (25.1 percent), Goin Bulilit (24.5 percent), Rated K (19.3 percent), Ipaglaban Mo (19.1 percent), and It’s Showtime (Saturday)

“Caretaker” director Seymour Sanchez (center) with FDCP executives Wilfredo Manalang (left) and Liza Dino (right)

(18.8 percent). TV Patrol (30.2 percent) remains to be the most watched newscast on weekdays and even on weekends with and TV Patrol Weekend (18.5 percent). ABS-CBN once again ruled primetime (6 p.m.-12 mn) where it scored an average audience share of 47 percent, a 13-point lead compared to GMA’s 34 percent. The primetime block is the most important part of the day when most Filipinos watch TV and advertisers put a larger chunk

of their investment in to reach more consumers effectively. ABS-CBN also beat GMA in February in other areas. More viewers tune in to the Kapamilya network in Total Balance Luzon with an average national audience share of 45 percent versus GMA’s 38 percent; in Total Luzon with 40 percent vs GMA’s 37 percent, in Total Visayas with 52 percent versus GMA’s 30 percent; and in Total Mindanao with 53 percent versus GMA’s 31 percent.

Binibining Pilipinas 2016 Queens with Miss Universe Philippines 2016 Maxene Medina (fourth from left) and Miss International 2016 Kylie Versoza (fourth from right)

Actor’s daughter battles 30 other candidates for Bb. Pilipinas 2017 titles THE search for the country’s bet for Miss Universe 2017 pageant begins with 40 young beautiful Filipino women vying for Bb. Pilipinas Universe 2017 title and several others. Competing for the chance to follow in the footsteps of Pia Wurtzbach include an award-winning actor’s daughter, a pilot and a pair of runners up in Asia’s Next Top Model contest and Bb. Pilipinas pageant. Maria Angelica de Leon, the 23-year-old, daughter of Christopher de Leon and Sandy Andolong, gives the pageant another try after her 2013 semi-finalist finish. An avid surfer, opera singer and dog-lover, De Leon resembles her aunt, former actress Pinky de Leon. Asia’s Next Top Model (Cycle 2) 2nd runner-up Katarina Rodriguez, a 24-year-old graduate of Philosophy and Business Management at De La Salle University and a 5-foot-6 model, finished high school in Orlando, Florida.

Jehza Mae Huelar, a 21-year-old Finance graduate from Ateneo de Davao, was last year’s Bb. Pilipinas 2nd runner up. She is presently the ambassador of Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP) Mindanao Chapter. Nelda Ibe, a 23-year-old 5-foot-10 student of Bachelor of Arts in English at Tarlac State University, was named 2nd Princes in Miss World Philippines 2014. Ibe, who also wants to become a pilot, completed her first solo flight as a Captain Cadet student at the Clark Aviation School. Another favorite is Charmaine Elima, a 24-year-old Sienna College cum laude graduate in International Hospitality Management. The 5-foot-7 stunning beauty from Binangonan, Rizal was Miss Rizal 2012 and Miss Mandaluyong 2013. Elima works as a flight attendant at Philippine Airlines. Another PAL stewardess is 23-year-old Dindi

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Tuesday, March 14, 2017

ACROSS 1 Uses a ray gun 5 Rover’s friend 9 Sharif of the movies 13 Is that all — —? 14 Skunk’s defense 15 More wan 17 Its HQ is Brussels 18 Civil servant 20 Bayou dweller 22 Conceit 23 Ukraine’s capital 24 Ale serving 26 He wrote “Picnic” 28 Throb 32 Bordered 36 Claire or Balin 37 Gambling town 38 Golf links 39 Little foxes 41 Stallone tough guy 43 Bread for a gyro 44 Moral codes 46 Galileo’s home 48 Cartoon voice — Blanc 49 Bulrushes 50 Most turbulent 52 Still-active volcano 54 Fair (hyph.) 55 Proclaim

58 Mongrel 60 Agreed silently 64 Rabble-rousers 67 Modicum 68 Hitachi rival 69 Deli sandwich 70 Like some controls 71 Simpson kid 72 Bygone tyrant 73 Paul Drake’s creator DOWN 1 Nonrust coating 2 Microbiology gel 3 Rozelle of football 4 Bends down 5 Instigators 6 Ms. Lupino 7 Ruler of Venice 8 Roots 9 Make a choice 10 Raised the price (2 wds.) 11 Mountain range near China (var.) 12 Nerve network 16 Race the engine 19 Father’s lad 21 Fibber 25 Ike’s ex 27 College maj. 28 Tightwad 29 Consolidate

30 Wood turner’s machine 31 Energy 33 Dirt 34 Basso Simon — 35 Passed out the cards 38 Joint financial backer 40 Crabwise 42 Life histories 45 Austin hrs. 47 Lhasa — 50 Nabbed 51 Cloud-seeding

compound Sgt.’s status Commercial bits Tender meat All, in combos Is sorry about Unsmiling And others (abbr.) 63 Carnegie or Evans 65 — — few rounds 66 Pitcher’s stat 53 55 56 57 59 61 62

Joy Pajares, a semi-ﬁnalist at 2016 Bb. Pilipinas. The 5-foot-7 native of Balanga, Bataan, like Ibe, is a beginner’s pilot at the Fliteline Aviation School in Lucban, Quezon. Also expected to give the other candidates a run for their money are Filipino-British beauties Sirene Sutton, Rachel Louise Peters, Fil-Aussie Chanel Olive Thomas, known in local showbiz as the exgirlfriend of actor Jake Cuenca, and Fil-Italian Beatrice Valente. With the grand coronation night set on April 30, this year’s search promises to be a highly competitive batch vying for the six titles at stake, apart from Bb. Pilipinas-Universe, the other titles at stake also include Bb. Pilipinas-International, Bb. PilipinasIntercontinental, Bb. Pilipinas-Supranational, Bb. Pilipinas-Grand International and Bb. PilipinasGlobe. Eton B. Concepcion

Industry influencers named as FDCP Film Ambassadors THE Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) recently named its film ambassadors to recognize personalities who have made contributions to the art and craft of filmmaking. Honored during the Annual FDCP Film Ambassadors Night were Jun Lana and Paolo Ballesteros for Die Beautiful, Erik Matti for Honor Thy Father, Cesar Montano for Nilalang, Eduardo Roy, Jr. and Hasmine Kilip for Pamilya Ordinaryo, Mario Cornejo for Apocalypse Child, Paolo Dy for Ignacio de Loyola, and De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde Digital Filmmaking Lecturer Seymour B. Sanchez for Caretaker. Special awards were presented to Brillante Mendoza for Artistic Excellence, and to Gloria Sevilla and Ricky Lee for Lifetime Achievement. Launched in October 2016 as a yearly affair, it is dubbed as an evening of appreciation and thanksgiving which celebrates the victories and strides of Filipino films in the past twelve months. It recognizes those who continue the proud tradition of Philippine cinema, and have not only raised the level of awareness, but also brought prestige to the country. “Our filmmakers are film ambassadors duly representing our culture all over the world through the wondrous power of cinema. Each of their contribution adds to the whole of an already great Filipino heritage that is constantly growing in scale and quality,” said FDCP chairman and CEO Liza Diño. Diño has pledged to champion for the continued growth of Philippine cinema and has introduced numerous flagship programs to support and empower film appreciation, film criticism, film education, and film literacy.

Isah V. Red, Editor Nickie Wang, Writer isahred@gmail.com TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017

Happy and grateful for the continued success of

TV host and comedian Michael V

‘PEPITO MANALOTO’ G

MA Network’s Pepito Manaloto is one the country’s favorite and wellloved family sitcoms.

Lead star Michael V. expressed his gratitude for the overwhelming support of fans and viewers through the years. “Ginagawa naman talaga namin ang Pepito Manaloto for all ages. The people, our viewers, are the ones who inspire us sa bawat episode na pinoproduce namin for seven years. Kung wala yung society, wala kami. Wala ito,” he said. The award-winning actor/TV host also revealed that their unity in the set is one of the reasons for the show’s continued success. “Actually, sama sama kami sa lahat dito e, sabay kami mag-brainstorm para lahat may partisipasyon. Hindi ka lang artista dito, hindi ka lang writer, director. Dito sa set, cool lang kami. Kita naman di ba? Sa seven years namin together, pamilya na kami talaga,” the Kapuso actor held. Pepito Manaloto airs Saturdays after 24 Oras Weekend. ***

ISAH V. RED

From the ASAP stage to a much larger one, the Birit Queens—Morissette, Klarisse de Guzman, Jona and Angeline Quinto—set their first major concert as a collective, 8 p.m.. at the Mall of Asia Arena on March 31. Produced by ABS-CBN Events and Star Events, the concert, titled ASAP Birit Queens is guaranteed to send chills throughout the audience with the four ladies’ eargasmic high notes with stage and TV direction by Johnny Manahan, and music directed by Homer Flores. The four songstresses have been slaying the ASAP stage together, week per week, and have proven their collective singing prowess as their performances trended both locally and internationally. The Voice first season first runner up Klarisse is now known as a soul singer. Also coming a

“ASAP” Birit Queens Klarisse, Angeline, Jona, and Morrissette take their music to a higher level

The cast of “The Better Half” (from left: Denise laurel, Carlo Aquino, Shaina Magdayao, and JC de Vera) shares the valuable lessons on love and family

long way, Angeline is now The Queen of Teleserye Themes or the voice behind the most iconic teleseryes. Another product of The Voice, Morissette is now a sought-after concert performer in and outside the Philippines, earning her the tag The Next Big Diva. While she has found her home on ABS-CBN, among the four singing royalties, Jona has proven to be a favorite Kapamilya performer for her powerful performances. Together, they will set the stage on fire with their performances of their own hits, iconic Original Pilipino Music (OPM), classics and covers of Billboard Top 100. Spectacular performances from special guests such as dance floor heartthrob Rayver Cruz, pop-dance artist Inigo Pascual, and Hashtag hunk Zeus Collins. Following the MOA Arena concert, The Filipino Channel (TFC) and ASAP will bring the live performances from the Philippines to the Middle East on April 7. As part of TFC’s 20th anniversary, the premier network brings no less than Morissette Jona, Klarisse and Angeline together to jumpstart the celebrations. Tickets for the ASAP Birit Queens concert at the MOA Arena can be purchased for P4,770 (VIP), P4,030 (Patron), P3,395 (Lowerbox A), P2,650 (Lowerbox B), P1,060 (Upperbox), and P320 (Gen Ad) at SM Ticket outlets. You may also call 47022-22 or log on to www.smtickets.com. For more information, visit Starmusic.ph or follow Star Music’s official social media accounts at Facebook.com/starmusicph, or @starmusicph

on Twitter and Instagram. *** More viewers nationwide are hooked on ABSCBN’s newest afternoon series The Better Half. Apart from its thrilling scenes, it also shares some valuable lessons on love and family that resonate with viewers. Because of its compelling storytelling, its characters set as inspiration to audiences as they tell stories that give values and inspiration to audiences nationwide. Lead character Camille (Shaina Magdayao) shows women’s strength and resilience. Despite losing her husband after a tragedy, she did not give up and persevered to give her family a good life. JC De Vera’s character Rafael also impressed viewers with his dedication for Camille as he ﬁghts for their love, despite her dark past. Although the antagonist, Bianca (Denise Laurel) sets as the perfect example of love’s limitations. She demonstrates where love can lead if it is full of lies and treachery. On the other hand, more people are educated on the effects of selective amnesia through Marco, which adds knowledge to audiences. The story is bound to get more exciting as veteran actress Carmi Martin, who is returning to television, joins the series as Dyan Soriano, a mayor of a town in Metro Manila. She will be joined by comedian Pooh, who will play Ferdie, Dyan’s executive assistant. Also in the cast as Marco is Carlo Aquino. The Better Half airs weekdays after It’s Showtime on ABS-CBN and ABS-CBN HD (SkyCable 167).

Lifestyle celebrates women’s month Others who willingly shared what makes them beautiful are IN CELEBRATION of Women’s Month, Lifestyle encourages all creative director Kyla Olives, lifestyle blogger Kally Araneta, women to embrace every part of their body with the “I love Me” student Nicolle Bueno, College professor Tin Militante, campaign. photographer Nicolai Melicor-Villaruel and TV host Janeena Portraits of women of different shapes and forms, and in Chan. different stages in their lives will be showcased in a series of Writer and illustrator Kisty Mea, artist Bern Cruz, art director plugs as Lifestyle features ladies with inspiring stories to tell, to Trish Noble, and commercial model Jeff Serrano also revealed highlight diversity and to serve as reminder of their shared desire: their own body issues and how they have learned to love their that each woman wants to feel good about herself. uniqueness. Alexandra Alaba Lao, a chef-entrepreneur who recently got Catch the stories of these ladies on Lifestyle, one of the married, shared how she overcame her insecurities when she was channels of Creative Programs, Inc., a subsidiary of ABS-CBN a working student aiming to help ends meet. For several years, she that aims to give Filipinos a complete lifestyle experience. suffered from depression and eventually gained a lot of weight. This cable channel celebrates the uniqueness of women in “I got into fitness, renewed my faith and had a total change of its continuing promotion of loving life that starts with loving lifestyle,” shared Alex during the ladies’ photoshoot. “I followed oneself. Its various shows on food (Giada At Home, Donna Hay: friends’ advice to have a positivity wall and learned to embrace Basics to Brilliance, FoodPrints, Curiosity Got the Chef) travel the essence of gratefulness.” She is now a proud owner of a fast (Great Escapes, Big Crazy Family Adventure, Rick Stein’s Long food hub and a restaurant called Croque Café + Bakery both Lifestyle Celebrates Women's Month with Kally Araneta, Alex Alaba, Jeff Serrano, Weekends, The Wine Show), entertainment (Il Paradiso Delle located in Makati City. Signore, Unplugged Nation, Secret Lives of the Super Rich, Kids Makeup artist Eica Decepida was happy to share how she and Kyla Olives Do The Craziest Things), and home (Australia’s Best Houses, Of is able to help transform and give confidence to clients who Houses and Ideas, Chic, Socialite Families) aim to be an ample feel insecure about their looks. Rather than changing anything radiates beyond physical looks. Her story as a volunteer of Love about their looks, “I believe in simply enhancing a woman’s natural Yourself, an HIV awareness organization, and as an advocate of lady’s guide to living out her dreams and sharing unique experiences. Lifestyle is available on SKYcable channel 52. For updates, follow beauty,” she said on her five-year passion. LGBT rights, serves as a heartening piece promoting inner beauty Transwoman Janlee Dungca, a public relations practitioner, while encouraging women’s need to take care of themselves and be Lifestyle on Facebook (facebook.com/lifestyletvph), Instagram and Twitter (@lifestyletvph). meanwhile believes that a woman’s beauty inside manifests and mindful of their rights.