Manila Standard - 2016 September 28 - Wednesday

TO CHINA, RUSSIA

HILLARY Clinton and Don-

ald Trump leveled sharp and personal charges and countercharges over trade, the US economy, race and foreign policy in their first face-toface debate, an event that put on display their starkly different personalities and visions of the nation’s future.

From the first question posed by moderator Lester Holt, the debate devolved into an exchange of accusations and blame as Trump and Clinton reached into each

others’ past statements and records. On most policy issues they fell back on their standard campaign stances, offering no new proposals for how they would deal with the country’s challenges.

The debate Monday night at Hofstra University in New York ended as it began with testy exchanges―and a few odd moments―between the candidates when Holt asked Trump about a comment he made that Clinton doesn’t present the im-

age of a president. “She doesn’t have the look, she doesn’t have the stamina,’’ Trump said, repeatedly questioning her vigor and endurance.

“Well, as soon as he travels to 112 countries and negotiates a peace deal, a ceasefi re, a release of dissidents, an opening of new opportunities in nations around the world or even spends 11 hours testifying in front of a congressional committee, he can talk to me

about stamina,” responded Clinton, who served as US secretary of state.

Heading into the debate, staged 43 days from the Nov. 8 election, Trump and Clinton were tied at 46 percent in a head-to-head contest among likely voters, according to the latest Bloomberg Politics national poll.

Trump, the Republican nominee, got 43 percent to Democrat Clinton’s 41 percent when third-party candidates are included.

By John Paolo Bencito

THE US State Department said Tuesday that

Washington.

“With

“We believe that we can remain a close friend and partner with the Philippines. It’s one of our most enduring bilateral relationships within the Asia-Pacifi c region and it’s been a cornerstone of stability for 70 years. And again, we’re going to keep up that cooperation until we hear otherwise,” he added. Next page

‘Drug money missing’

By John Paolo Bencito

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte admitted Tuesday he made a mistake linking former Pangasinan governor Amado Espino Jr. and two other provincial officials to the illegal drug trade in the New Bilibid Prison. Duterte said he found gaps in the intelligence information linking the incumbent Pangasinan representative Espino, provincial administrator Rafael Baraan and provincial board member Raul Sison to the drug operations in-

THE peso fell to a seven-year low of 48.25 against the US dollar on Monday as a result of the impending increase in interest rates in the United States, Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said Tuesday. He said President Rodrigo Duterte’s statements had nothing to do with the local unit’s decline as claimed by market analysts.

By Sara D. Fabunan

TAIWANESE animators have por-

trayed President Rodrigo Duterte as a clown, a moron and someone who wants to be like North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un. Their 1:50-minute video, entitled “Philippines President Duterte is nuts,” portrays Duterte as a jumping clown and a triggerhappy murderer of 3,000 Filipinos who nevertheless bows be-

“The depreciation of the peso is no cause for concern. We’ve seen the peso going to P55 in the past,” Diokno said.

“The depreciation of the peso is a result of the strengthening of the dollar more than the weakening of the peso. It has nothing to do with the President’s statements.”

fore China and Russia.

“Duterte comes from humble beginnings as a mayor who ordered liquidation squads to kill criminals and opponents in gangland-style assaults that left about 1,000 dead,” says an English subtitle of the narration.

Duterte’s supporters see him as a hero or a “bad-ass macho action star,” but the news animation shows him leading the killing of drug suspects on the streets.

side the national penitentiary.

“In so far as the drugs, I think that somehow we were negligent in counter-checking the first report. To Espino, Sison and the brother of Baraan, not the undersecretary [because he was really involved there], I

would like to apologize to you publicly,” Duterte said during a visit to a shabu laboratory in Arayat, Pampanga.

“I’ll take the responsibility... When I commit mistake, it comes from the heart. I am very sorry.”

POLICE Chief Ronald dela Rosa said Tuesday they had busted a gang supplying the Abu Sayyaf and warlords in Mindanao with weapons, and that their base of operations was just beside Camp Crame following the arrest of the gang’s leader and four members. He presented gang leader Und-

ing Kenneth Isa and members Hja Risdimona Isa, Aljamer Akarab, Mandih, Hurbin Alhi Sahibul. He said the confiscated armaments were worth more than P6 million.

Dela Rosa made his statement even as a military official said

By Rey E. Requejo

JUSTICE Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II on Tuesday revealed that they have a new witness who can substantiate that P300 million was actually seized during the 2014 raid at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City, but only P1.6 million was reported.

“Ostensibly on paper, they said they only confiscated firearms and other contraband items and P1.6 million but in reality, according to the witness, they were able to get more than P300 million in cash from that particular raid,” Aguirre said without identifying the witness.

Earlier reports said the raid, spearheaded by then Justice secretary and now Senator Leila de Lima, resulted in the confiscation of luxury items inside the detention cells of high-profile inmates at the NBP maximum security compound, as well as firearms, cellphones, signal boosters and P1.6 million in cash.

This paved the way for the temporary transfer of 19 highprofile inmates to the detention facility of the National Bureau of Investigation in Manila. But Aguirre said the proceeds

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

SENATOR Leila de Lima on Tuesday shot back at Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre, saying the evidence that he had against her was like his toupee— fake and only cosmetic.

Aguirre this week said he would file criminal and administrative charges against De Lima over allegations that she used drug money to bankroll her senatorial bid.

“There is nothing into it other than that. Nothing’s authentic,” De Lima said in a statement.

“What is real however are the killings. What is tragic is that these killings continue unabated. And the criminals,

from illegal drug transactions at the national penitentiary easily ran into the hundreds of millions of pesos, adding that 75 percent of all drug transactions in the country came from the NBP. At a House hearing on the proliferation of illegal drugs in the NBP, Philippine National Police deputy chief for operations Director Benjamin Magalong said De Lima had prevented the PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group from taking part in that raid. Magalong said his men and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency were supposed to be part of the raid, but it was eventually carried out only by the Bureau of Corrections and the PNP-National Capital Region Police Office then headed by Chief Supt. Marcelo Garbo,

including these so-called vigilantes, are getting bolder; while the victims are getting younger,” also said De Lima who initiated a Senate investigation into the spate of extrajudicial killings under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte. De Lima was later ousted as chairman of the Senate jsutice and humarn rights committee, after she presented a self-confessed hitman who said Duterte was behind the killing of more than 1,000 criminals and political opponents when he was still mayor of Davao City. De Lima noted that 20,584 minors have reportedly been exploited into drug use and peddling.

Ramos’ Beijing trip canceled

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

THE Philippine Embassy in China announced that its planned meeting with special envoy to Beijing and former President Fidel Ramos today has been canceled.

“The Philippine Embassy in Beijing regrets to inform the Filipino community that the planned gathering tomorrow, 28 Septem-

ber 2016 with former President and Special Envoy to China Fidel Ramos at the Embassy’s Sentro Rizal will not push through,” the

Sinos harassed PH fishers, PCG claims

By John Paolo Bencito

PHILIPPINE authorities on Tuesday expressed alarm after Chinese Coast Guard vessels reportedly harassed Filipino fishermen in various encounters at the Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal, one of the territories disputed by the Philippines and China.

On September 6, three China Coast Guard vessels were seen at Bajo de Masinloc that day with two Filipino fishing bancas, who refused to leave the sea.

“The Chinese Coast Guard Vessel moved to the location of a Filipino banca. Upon reaching the Filipino banca, a Chinese Coast Guard personnel onboard a rubber boat ordered the Filipino banca to leave the area,” the Philippine Coast Guard said.

During that time, the crew of the Filipino banca was asking the Chinese Coast Guard personnel to let them fish in the area.

Another Chinese rubber boat was launched and headed towards the Filipino bancas to scare them away.

During that time, the captain of the Filipino banca signaled to his crew members to return to their mother boat.

After these skirmishes, PCG operatives spotted another Filipino banca approaching Bajo de Masinloc.

“When the Filipino banca was around 3 nautical miles from Bajo de Masinloc, it was blocked by the Chinese Coast Guard. The Filipino banca outmaneuvered the Chinese Coast Guard vessel. Two Chinese rubber boats were deployed to [prevent] the Filipino banca from reaching Bajo de Masinloc. The Chinese rubber boats eventually disengaged and went back to their respective mother boats,” the PCG reported.

The three Filipino bancas were able to fish at Bajo de Masinloc that night but they left in the morning for fear of being

From A1

who was one of the five “narcogenerals” tagged by President Rodrigo Duterte. Aguirre said he wanted to know why only P1.6 million was reported and where the money went.

Several inmates presented by Aguirre in the House’ inquiry

Sayyaf...

From A1

some rouges in the Armed Forces were selling guns and ammunition to crime syndicates.

Dela Rosa said the highpowered firearms were found during a search conducted on

harassed again.

Skirmishes continued the next day when the PCG also monitored a People’s Liberation Army Navy vessel patrolling Vicinity 17 of Bajo de Masinloc.

On September 10, PCG operatives reported another Chinese Coast Guard vessel anchored at Bajo de Masinloc.

The PCG reported the Chinese boat moved closer to the Filipino banca, then launched rubber boats and encircled it. A number of Chinese Coast Guard personnel took photos and videos. The Filipino banca decided to leave the area.

The defense department had released photos of Beijing’s island building in the Scarborough shoal, which the arbitral tribunal ruled was illegal. Philippine officials described the development as a “worrisome” threat to the country’s territorial integrity.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the Philippines will file a ‘note verbale’ against Beijing, attaching released aerial photos of 10 ships in the shoal— four coast guard vehicles, four barges and two ships for civilians will be used to ‘reclaim’ the sand and create land features within the disputed islet.

“The President was angry about the reclamation. The Chinese Ambassador had a slip of tongue when he said to a Cabinet secretary that they would just suck out the sand from the sea and transfer it to create islands,” Lorenzana said during the sidelines of President Rodrigo Duterte’s trip to Laos.

“It is very worrisome. It’s ours. If they create an island out of it, we cannot claim it anymore,” he said.

“We suspect that they’re testing if their technology can reclaim [the sand] underwater.”

Any reclamation of China for an alleged military installation would have a great effect on Philippine territorial defenses, the defense chief said.

claimed the raid was conducted to ensure that Jaybee Nino Sebastian, who allegedly collected drug money for De Lima, would have a monopoly on the drug trade in the NBP.

The witnesses said Sebastian has ordered them to sell illegal drugs to raise funds for De Lima’s senatorial campaign in the May 9 elections, a claim that the former DoJ chief has strenuously denied.

Sept. 24 by members of the AntiTransnational Crimes Unit of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in San Juan City. ACTU head Roque Merdeguia Jr. said the arms cache included M203 grenade launchers, M14 and M16 rifles and thousands of ammunition.

He said the CIDG uncovered

embassy stated.

“The trip to China of former President and Special Envoy Ramos has been canceled,” it added.

Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose claimed that the department was not aware of the supposed meeting.

“The supposed trip of former President Fidel V. Ramos to China is a purely private matter,” Jose said.

“The DFA is not involved in

it. We have no idea why it was canceled,” he said.

As of press time, China Embassy spokesman Lingxiao Li has made no comment.

The Philippines and China have long-standing territorial dispute over islands and waters of the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).

The tension began in June 2011 when Chinese fishermen were caught illegally catching the Philippines’ live turtles and

‘Evidence...

From A1

At this point, she said, the Justice Department should focus its efforts in investigating and prosecuting the syndicates, “the real culprits who force these minors to go into drug pushing.”

Aguirre insisted the government had evidence against De Lima, in the testimony of two National Bureau of Investigation officials who said they delivered drug money to her house.

Du30...

From A1

Duterte said this did not mean Espino was off the hook for accusations that he allowed black sand mining in his province.

The Sandiganbayan Sixth Division had already ordered a 90-day suspension against Espino, who currently faces graft charges for allegedly issuing permits to two companies to conduct soil remediation and magnetite extraction in Lingayen without being registered with the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board.

Duterte earlier tagged the three officials, along with his nemesis Senator Leila de Lima, her former driver Ronnie Dayan, former Justice undersecretary Fran-

US...

From A1

On Monday, Duterte said that he was about to cross a “point of no return” in the Philippines’ relationship with the United States, asking America’s rivals, Russia and China to help the country.

“I’m about to cross the Rubicon between me and the United States, at least for six years,” he said, referring to his meeting with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Mevdevev. He said he would need

Isa and a certain alias Wahid’s operation in July 2016 after receiving information about them.

He said both suspects were natives of Indanan, Sulu, who supplied armaments to the Abu Sayyaf and the warlords in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

“From Manila, they deliver the arms and ammunition to

In an interview on Tuesday, De Lima challenged Aguirre to freeze her alleged banks accounts that would purportedly link her to the illicit drug operations.

“But if he cannot prove his allegation, then he should remove his toupee,” De Lima said.

De Lima said she has grown sick and tired of the allegations being raised against her.

“I can’t help myself so please forgive me if I’m riding on that style. I’m just giving them a dose of their own medicine because these [charges] are ridicu-

cis Baraan and former Bureau of Corrections chief Franklin Bucayu in the so-called “Muntinlupa connection,” the syndicate which allegedly condoned illegal drug transactions happening inside the NBP.

“I had it [the report] validated four times. I was really checking, but there seems to be a gap that cannot be explained,” Duter te said.

In the same media interview, Duterte said the shabu laboratory that he visited in Lacquios, Arayat in Pampanga was connected to the drug lords inside the NBP.

Duterte did not reveal more details about the shabu laboratory allegedly owned by a certain “Sunday Chua,” except that it could produce 400 kilos of shabu every day.

Personnel from the Bureau of Fire Protection and the local

Russian help “and everything.”

The President had earlier said he wanted to buy arms from Russia and China after the two countries enticed him with attractive loan offers to buy military armaments that he wanted to fight terrorism and the insurgency in the country’s south. Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay on Tuesday said that the Philippine government will not be rescinding its commitments to its long-term strategic ally, the United States, insisting that the President simply wants to take independ -

Zamboanga, then to Jolo in Sulu using SUVs,” Merdeguia said.

“Their activities intensified before the 2016 national elections in which Isa reportedly ran for Sulu vice governor but eventually lost.” Merdeguia said that in August 2016 the two and some unidentified Abu Sayyaf members were in Manila to buy M203 and M14 firearms,

other marine animals.

On July 12, 2016, the United Nations Permanent Court of Arbitration favored the Philippine case against China, and invalidated Beijing’s nine-dash line.

The Duterte administration, despite the ruling, has chosen bilateral negotiations to resolve the territorial dispute, a decision that Bejining welcomed.

In the first week of August, Ramos, who was appointed by Presi-

dent Rodrigo Duterte as a special envoy to China, visited Beijing to meet with Chinese officials. Ramos remained hopeful that both countries can settle the issue bilaterally. Asean countries Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei also have territorial disputes with China. The three countries, however, opted for bilateral negotiations and have not filed cases before the Arbitral Tribunal.

Tom Villarin on Tuesday blamed President Duterte’s foul mouth for the falling stock prices.

Rep. Karlo Alexei Nograles, a Duterte ally, said global market forces were to blame for the decline in local stocks and not Duterte’s verbal attacks on western leaders.

“Portfolio investments should not be used to gauge the economy because there are many factors that affect the stock market that are not necessarily reflective of a country’s economic position,” Nograles said. But opposition lawmakers Edcel Lagman, Edgar Erice and

lous so I would like to make jokes because I’m getting sick of seriously denying.... [what] are really lies,” she said.

“I can dare him now if these accounts are true, which are under the names of other people, could he ask the banks to freeze those accounts?

De Lima said she is confident that the banks would not do that because she said the accounts did not belong to her.

De Lima reiterated that the bank accounts being linked to her were fake, and noted the ab -

government accidentally discovered the shabu laboratory during fire safety and sanitary inspections at the piggery located at the foot of Mt. Arayat.

Espino said he was relieved by Duterte’s apology.

“I am humbled by the pronouncement of the President today on clearing my involvement on the alleged drug matrix released last Aug. 25, 2016,” Espino said in a statement issued to House media.

Espino said President Duterte’s apology was an affirmation that he had nothing to do at all with illegal drugs.

“I kept my silence for the past three weeks as I know beyond reasonable doubt that I am not guilty of this allegation,” he said.

Espino expressed gratitude to President Duterte for clearing his name.

ent foreign policy, which is mandated in the Constitution.

Toner said that the US would continue to work closely with the Philippines in many of its mutual interests, including counterterrorism and economic development.

He added, however, that the United States wasn’t deaf to the continued anti-American slurs from Duterte.

“I did say a couple weeks ago, especially after his remarks with—or alleged remarks regarding President Obama, that words do matter. We’re not deaf; we do hear what he says,” Toner said. With Sandy Araneta

explosives and thousands of ammunition on the orders of an unidentified Abu Sayyaf commander.

“Allegedly, the ASG is now strengthening their armaments to fight government forces in Sulu and Basilan and to intensify their kidnapping and bombing operations,” Merdeguia said. Florante S. Solmerin and Francisco Tuyay

“The reckless utterances of the President may be destroying the Philippine economy,” Lagman said.

“It’s not only the slide in the peso―the worst in seven years―but the pullout of investors from the stock market.” Lagman also blamed Duterte’s temper.

From A1

While both candidates claimed victory after the debate, financial markets were judging it in favor of Clinton. US stock index futures reversed losses after it was over, Mexico’s peso rebounded from a record low and haven assets including the yen and gold fell, suggesting investors saw lower risks ahead.

Citigroup Inc. has said a Trump win in November could sink equities and warned this week it may also spur volatility in both gold and currency mar-

kets. With the race deadlocked, both candidates sought to solidify support among the groups they’re counting on to cast ballots in the election and sway the small slice of the electorate that is still undecided.

Clinton made sure to highlight Trump’s past statements about women, a key demographic group in her campaign for the White House.

“This a man who has called women pigs, slobs and dogs, and someone who has said pregnancy is an inconvenience to employers, who has said women don’t deserve equal pay unless

they do as good a job as men,’’ Clinton said.

After Clinton chided him for his statements about women―though she never named anyone―Trump brought up television personality Rosie O’Donnell, who he once called “a real loser” and “fat.”

“Somebody who has been very vicious to me, Rosie O’Donnell, I said very tough things to her,” Trump said.

“And I think everybody would agree that she deserves it, and nobody feels sorry for her.”

As they probed each others’ weaknesses, Trump raised the issue of Clinton’s use of a private

e-mail server while secretary of state, and Clinton questioned why the Republican candidate won’t release his tax returns.

After Clinton repeated her calls for Trump to release his, as has been tradition for the past four decades among presidential nominees, Trump said he would, although with conditions connected to the e-mails that are missing from Clinton’s personal server when she was secretary of state.

“I will release my tax returns against my lawyer’s wishes when she releases her 33,000 emails that have been deleted,” Trump said. “As soon as she re -

leases them, I will release my tax returns.”

Clinton said Trump’s refusal to release his returns suggests “there’s something he’s hiding.”

Among the possibilities, she said, were he’s got foreign business entanglements that would create a conflict if he were in office or that he’s paid no federal income tax for years, which meant he’s contributed nothing to support US troops or veterans.

The two candidates made clear their disdain for each other as the debate wore on. Often, when Clinton was speaking, Trump could be heard off-camera making a skeptical sigh. Bloomberg

sence of any negative findings about her by the Anti-Money Laundering Council. Reacting to De Lima’s statement, Aguirre again brought up sex videos of De Lima and her driver, Ronnie Dayan, videos that the senator said do not exist. Aguirre said he saw all three alleged videos of De Lima, which he said could be used in court.

“If during trial, she will not admit relationship with Dayan, then we will be forced to present these in court,” Aguirre said, referring to the videos.

Animators... From A1

“After finagling his way into the presidency, he’s taken his executions nationwide with his anti-drug campaign, which has left more than 3,000 suspected drug users and dealers dead since taking over in June,” the video says.

The Department of Foreign Affairs refused to comment on the video, but one official who refused to be named said he did not want to dignify the video by commenting on it.

The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office had yet to comment on the video as of press time.

TomoNews, the maker of the video, is a news website where most entertaining and uncensored news around the world are reported through animation. The news agency also made fun of Duterte’s cursing of Pope Francis, his profanity-laced remarks against the Philippines’ longtime ally the United States, and his negative remarks against the United Nations for raising the issue of summary killings and human rights abuses. The video says Duterte’s dirty mouth is wreaking havoc on the Philippine economy.

“Duterte likes to talk tough, but he carries a little stick. His mouth has been writing checks his country can’t cash,” the video says.

“This moron thinks his allies are his enemies, and that he can trust countries like China and Russia.”

Last month, during the Asean summit in Laos, Duterte threatened United States President Barack Obama that he would call him a “son of a whore” if he raised the issue of summary killings in his country.

“We are dimming the opportunity of the Philippines to have a new credit rating that would give us more access to foreign loans,” he said. John Paolo Bencito and Maricel V. Cruz Clinton...

Before that, Duterte also called the US Ambassador to the Philippines an “annoying homosexual son of a whore” for reacting on Duterte’s campaign statement about an Australian missionary who was raped and later killed. He also threatened to leave the United Nations after two rapporteurs urged him to stop the killing of drug users and dealers. And this week, Duterte warned he would establish alliances with China and Russia.

The video shows Duterte bowing down before a bear wearing a Russian military uniform and a panda, China’s famous animal, but in the end he was left with nothing.

IN BRIEF

Govt readies

Zika package

THE Philippine Health Insurance Corp. said it offers packages for patients infected with Zika virus.

PhilHealth spokesperson

Dr. Israel Francis A. Pargas said the existing Zika package are covered by an existing program for diseases from mosquito-borne viral diseases and also covers “microcephaly cases” among pregnant women detected with Zika.

“She [referring to the current Zika pregnant case as of September, 2016] if needed can surely avail of the PhilHealth packages especially if she is a member of it,” Dr. Eric Tayag DoH spokesperson said.

The assurance of existence of PhilHealth packages that will cover the need for confinement and hospitalization was made in light of the DoH’s recent announcement that its recent 12 cases recorded as of September includes a 22-year-old woman who was diagnosed to be 19 weeks pregnant in Cebu.

No budget for pay hike

BUDGET Secretary Benjamin Diokno on Tuesday ruled out any increase in the salaries of the military and other uniformed personnel by the end of the year because of budget constraints.

“I can almost say that that’s not possible by the end of the year, simply because there’s nothing there in the budget for that,” Diokno said in a Palace press briefing, stressing that the 2016 budget does not have appropriations for an increase in troops’ salaries.

“We cannot spend something which is not authorized by Congress,” Diokno said, the government has earmarked P39.59 billion of the proposed 2017 national budget for the salary increase of soldiers, policemen and other uniformed personnel next year.

Meanwhile, the Budget chief said that they are finding a way to include an appropriation in the 2017 budget for the Centenarians Act or RA 10868, which mandates that all Filipinos who reach the age of 100 will receive a letter of felicitation from the President of the Philippines and a P100,000 cash gift, whether they are residing in the Philippines or abroad.

John Paolo Bencito

Zubiri fights suspension

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—

Bukidnon Gov. Jose Maria Zubiri Jr. filed a motion for reconsideration in connection with the six-month suspension meted on him by the Ombudsman.

In a press conference at the Bukidnon capitol in Malaybalay City, Zubiri said he had decided to file the motion for reconsideration at the Office of the Ombudsman in Manila right away.

The suspension order stemmed from the case filed by a former Provincial government employee Carlos Ycaro, who retired in 2014.

The office of the ombudsman slapped Zubirj with a sixmonth suspension for Grave Abuse of Authority amounting to oppression and violation of Section 5(a) of the ethical standards for public officials and employees (RA 6713).

Philconsa: Let’s fight for constitutionalism

By Maricel V. Cruz

PHILIPPINE Constitution Association president Martin Romualdez vowed on Monday to keep the oldest association of legal luminaries the “vanguard and warden of the Constitution” to guarantee freedom and espouse good governance in the country.

“So long as there is vicious or invidious politics in governance and/or incredible politicians with incredulous political purposes, Philconsa shall remain the vanguard and warden of the Consti-

Pimentel pushes federalism anew

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

THE next step in Philippine democracy is to move from decentralization to federalism to ensure a “society which is just and fair” for future generations of Filipinos, said Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III.

“If we truly want to empower the regions, we must federalize. If we want to speed up progress and economic development across the country and lay the basis for a just and lasting peace in Mindanao, we must go federal,” Pimentel told a conference on federalism in Makati City.

Pimentel cited the great disparity between a bustling, modern metropolis in the country’s traditional center of political and economic power called Metro Manila and the poorest and least developed provinces.

“We realize that all the poorest places are far from the center,” he said.

Pimentel said the country is “ready for federalism,” because the “conditions are ripe.” He said, “We must act quickly. There is no time to lose.”

Filipinos want to live in a society “which is just and fair, which saves and shares, which is scientific and objective, which is peaceful and democratic, which is educated and healthy, and which is, most of all, happy and free, with overflowing love of God and country,” Pimentel said.

Tobacco lobby scored again

TWO years after it was ranked high among Southeast Asian countries that reported tobacco industry influence, the Philippines has made significant gains in controlling tobacco industry interference but much still needs to be done to stop unnecessary interaction with cigarette makers.

Citing results of the third Tobacco Industry Interference Index organized by the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance, New Vois Association of the Philippines president Emer Rojas said based on the report, the tobacco industry still finds ways to wield influence in government affairs in many

countries through corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities.

The report, the world’s first ever assessment of tobacco interference in government, and the third one by Seatca since 2014, reveals that the industry invests huge money on CSR activities to circumvent laws regulating their business and gain access to public officials.

“We have a Civil Service Commission guideline that prohibits unnecessary interaction between government and the tobacco industry. Despite that, the industry is able to continue to exercise some influence in

government affairs through fake CSR using legitimate business organizations and foundations that lend support to local government units,” Rojas said.

Rojas was referring to the CSC’s Joint Memorandum Circular 2010-01, a code of conduct banning all government officials from receiving or supporting tobacco industry-related CSR activities. Seatca revealed that as Asean countries implement stricter bans on tobacco advertising and promotion, cigarette giants such as Philip Morris International have recently increased their CSR spending in the region.

tution,” said Romualdez, a former Leyte congressmen who served as independent bloc leader.

Romualdez made the pledge during Philconsa’s 55th year anniversary celebration at the Diamond Hotel Grand Ballroom on Roxas Boulevard in Manila, led by former chief justice Reynato Puno, who is also Philconsa president emeritus.

Romualdez called on Filipinos to renew the spirit of loyalty and patriotism to defend and protect the Constitution for preservation of freedom and the practice of transparency and good govern-

ance guided by the wisdom of the Supreme Court that is free from the tentacles of politics.

“Philconsa encourages and invites other professionals imbued with patriotic duty and necessity to observe, defend and preserve the Constitution, to join in Philconsa’s crusade to impregnate and promote better understanding of the Constitution as the touchstone of what is legally right and morally correct in the governance of the state and socially beneficial,” Romualdez said.

Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno was the guest of honor

on the occasion that was also attended by former first lady Imelda Romualdez-Marcos, retired Court of Appeals Justice Manuel Lazaro, Leyte Rep. Yedda Marie Romualdez, Juliette Gomez Romualdez, former senator Francisco Tatad, Southern Leyte Rep. Roger Mercado, Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor chairman Terry Ridon, Budget Undersecretary Agnes Joyce Bailen and others. In his speech, Diokno lauded Romualdez and Philconsa for protecting the country’s Constitution over the last 55 years.

Special rules Opinion

HOUSE leaders have filed a bill that would stop the anti-graft court, the Sandiganbayan, from ordering the preventive suspension of congressmen who are being investigated for crimes that they allegedly committed in their previous government position.

HB 3605, filed by Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and co-authored by House Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas, House Minority Leader Danilo Suarez and Kabayan partylist Rep. Harry Roque Jr.—comes on the heels of two preventive suspension orders from the anti-graft court on Reps. Lray Villafuerte Jr. of Camarines Sur and Amado Espino of Pangasinan. Both have been accused of crimes that they allegedly

committed when they were still governors of their respective provinces.

A preventive suspension is intended to keep a defendant from using his or her office to harass potential witnesses or conceal, destroy or tamper documentary evidence.

The new bill seeks to amend the AntiGraft and Corrupt Practices Act, so that in cases where the “incumbent officer is no longer connected with the office wherein the offense was committed, the preventive suspension order shall no longer be implemented.”

In an explanatory note for HB 3605, the authors said a preventive suspension is usually imposed to prevent an accused from influencing potential witnesses or tampering with government records.

“The change in circumstances of the public officer effectively removes this

threat, making the provision in line with the spirit and intent of the law,” the House leaders stated in the measure.

This singular explanatory note carries a heavy burden, for it seeks to justify what otherwise appears to be self-serving legislation drafted primarily for the benefit of the lawmakers themselves.

Closer examination of the explanation exposes it as a specious one that ignores reality. While it is true that a congressman, for example, might no longer have direct access to files he may have had when he was a governor, it would be ridiculous to suggest that he or she no longer has influence in the locality simply because he was elected to a different office. Would a congressman not be able to influence—or intimidate—potential witnesses, simply because he was no longer the governor? We think not.

That the bill was filed so soon after two House members were ordered suspended suggests the importance congressional leaders place on their own self-interest. We imagine there are more urgent matters that Congress should take up, such as the freedom of information (FOI) bill— but that’s the same bill that Alvarez said would not pass this year because the lawmakers had their hands full with deliberations on the national budget. Given the full congressional workload, it’s truly remarkable that Speaker Alvarez has somehow managed to so speedily draft HB 3605 and so swiftly drummed up support for his measure. The contrast suggests not only that lawmakers can act quickly when their own self-interest is at stake, but that they view themselves as somehow above all others by virtue of their office, and that they deserve special rules.

Not that important

HILLARY Clinton and Donald Trump held the first of the three debates that they’re scheduled to do before the US presidential elections late this year. And no, there was nothing said during the entire debate that had anything remotely to do with the Philippines.

But of course there wouldn’t be anything about us there. Our obsession with all things American, including their elections, is hardly ever reciprocated by Americans themselves, after all. The sad but true state of USPhilippine relations is—and has been for more than a century now—that it’s mostly been one way. The Philippines hasn’t been really important to most Americans since World War II; you’d have to go all the way back

to the turn of the 19th Century, during the Philippine-American War, if you wanted another example of a time when we were actually given serious thought by the government and the people of the US.

But everything that happens in the US, it seems, is of importance to the Philippines. Even when it’s not, like yesterday’s debate.

And everything that happens here has to be framed in the context of how it will be perceived by the US. Again, even when the Americans don’t care either way.

These days, for instance, some people are still making a big deal about how President Rodrigo Duterte seems determined to court the anger of the Americans by trash-talking both Barack Obama and the American ambassador. And every time Duterte talks about how he wants to build better relations with the Chinese and the Russians, these same people

worry about what Washington will think about our leader’s “infidelity.”

Some have asked: Will Duterte’s potty mouth get us into trouble with the Americans, who

may retaliate by withholding military and humanitarian aid and refusing to trade with us?

Will our president convert our country into some kind of South-

east Asian rogue state, because he will not treat the US with the respect that our former colonial master deserves and has taken for granted all this time?

Others assume that Duterte will come around eventually and become as America-loving as all other Philippine leaders have been, including his immediate predecessor, who was as “amboy ” as they come. If not, they warn darkly that Digong could be deposed by the Americans like some recalcitrant South American and Middle Eastern leaders have been in the past.

My own belief is that we’re not nearly as important to the US as we think we are. And I hold up the Trump-Clinton debate as only the latest illustration of the lack of significance of the Philippines, as far as America, its leaders and its citizens, is concerned.

We feel the debate must be important, because it seems to be important to the Americans. It’s when we start convincing

ourselves that what we consider important that’s happening here must be important to the Americans, as well, that we run into trouble.

The Americans have bigger fish to fry. If we’ve been caught, we’d probably be thrown back into the water.

* * *

Now, of course, there are people who believe that the Philippines has suddenly become more relevant to the US because of the tension in the South China Sea. That’s true as far as it goes.

But we’re only slightly more significant now, as a pawn becomes important in a chess game because of its critical position. The most significant of pawns is still a pawn—and that’s what we are, a pawn in the stare-down between China and the US over extremely vital shipping lanes.

And to take the chess analogy a bit further, our affiliation has heretofore never been in doubt.

Inviting isolation

IN HIS speech at the United Nations General Assembly, Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. lectured the international community against interfering in Philippine domestic policy, particularly its war on illegal drugs. Yasay was obviously mouthing the spiel of President Rodrigo Duterte who lashed out at the UN and the US on the issue of human rights which has caused world concern on the extrajudicial killings of drug suspects. By the Philippine National Police’s own body count, the casualties have reached over 1,500. The number is growing. Law enforcers tell the same tale of suspects resisting arrest and firing guns at law enforcers. They are of course shot on the spot by police with the usual old .38 caliber pistols. Sachets of shabu are found beside their bodies. The methods and police accounts of why and how suspects are killed are always the same—fueling suspicion of summary executions. Yasay, of course, is only doing the bidding of his boss on how to handle criticism of the administration’s relentless and take-no-prisoners antidrug campaign. It will be a relief when newly appointed Philippine Ambassador to the UN Teddy Boy Locsin finally takes over the post. With Locsin in New York, we can expect a more rational and sensible statement of the country’s foreign policy. It may digress a bit from Duterte’s outbursts but it will be a more lucid, clear enunciation of the Philippine position on sensitive international issues. Failure to articulate our foreign policy and even defiance of world opinion would be inviting international isolation.

The Philippines is not a powerful nation that can stand alone like the United States, Great Britain, Russia and China. The country is interlocked with other countries in matters of trade and security. Right now, we need the help of allies in the territorial dispute in the South China Sea. Duterte has it all wrong by courting China and Russia. The president has made known he was going to buy weapons from China and Russia. Why China, which is encroaching into the West Philippine Sea? Russia and China are also human rights violators but nary a word from Duterte is heard—is it because the leaders of these countries don’t meddle in our domestic policy?

TO THE POINT

EMIL P. JURADO

A bigger problem

HAVE you ever endured Metro Manila’s nightmarish traffic that you spent three hours going to your destination and three hours going back?

Have you ever seen a movie, which you enjoyed, but gotten stuck in traffic that by the end of the evening you were once again stressed and hungry?

I have. And on that Friday evening, the traffic was made worse by the rain.

So what can be done to ease the ordeal of Metro Manila’s residents?

With 350,000 vehicles getting registered every year, the situation is bound to get worse. Metro Manila will remain a big parking lot.

I believe that Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade is committed to his job of making traffic bearable for all. He seeks emergency powers for the President so the latter could open up gated subdivisions near Edsa and ban provincial buses from using terminals along Edsa, among others. There are also plans to build subways and expressways. Still, these are just plans that could take years to build.

While I agree that government may be short of money to implement all these plans, there are always the PublicPrivate Partnership program and foreign loans to rely on.

Embattled Senator Leila de Lima gave us some comic relief when she shot back at President Duterte after the latter said she would go to jail, for “screwing not only her driver but the nation as well.”

De Lima shot back, asking Duterte if he had a crush on her, adding “What do you see in me that you find so sexual? Why is your mind in my sexual aspect? You are so obsessed with me. Why?”

When I heard De Lima saying it over television, I could not stop laughing!

The traffic situation in Metro Manila points to other things.

I think these problems are symptomatic of a bigger problem. Consider these:

The National Capital Region has an area of 622 square kilometers, more or less, and is populated by nearly 13 million people. It has a road system of only 5,000 kilometers. There are 2,101,148 registered vehicles as of 2013. And, if you look at the map of the NCR, it is locked in between Manila Bay and Laguna de Bay.

My gulay, with some 6,000 buses coming in and out of Edsa, not counting the jeepneys, the taxicabs, the Uber and Grab vehicles, everybody is fighting for space in a small corridor like the NCR.

Solutions to the traffic situation are not just short-term.

I have been a journalist for over 66 years. I know there used to be plans to extend a socalled Pacific Highway from Cagayan and Isabela provinces all the way to Nueva Vizcaya, Nueva Ecija, Aurora and Quezon province. There was also a plan to construct a highway to connect Metro Manila to the Sierra Madre mountains.

These plans were meant to decongest the small corridor of the NCR and propel the growth and development of the Pacific Corridor. They are grandiose and ambitious plans, but still doable and practical.

Everyone, from the US to our Asean neighbors to China itself, has always figured that we’re on the American side of the board, still playing the role of Washington’s trusted little brown pawn.

And then, at this critical juncture, when we have finally won a legal victory to back up our territorial claims, Duterte is elected. And Duterte immediately starts talking about charting an “independent foreign policy” which has gotten some on both sides of the ocean worried—is he going to forsake the US and run into the waiting arms of the Chinese and the Russians?

Duterte, of course, has promised to do no such thing. His most radical policy shift is to treat all world powers the same, as long as they promise a) to help him improve the lives of Filipinos with trade and b) to stop lecturing him on how he runs his war on illegal drugs and crime.

Unfortunately, Duterte has decided that the US media and

THE peso has fallen against the US dollar to its lowest level in seven years, at P48.25 to one dollar. That’s a depreciation of 5.55 percent from the average of P45.71 just before President Duterte’s election.

The stock market has fallen below the 7553 index-point-level, down one percent from Monday’s index close, and down 3.74 percent from the 7846 level on July 4 this year.

Analysts were telling me stock prices have risen so high to about 21 times projected earnings of listed companies, making them very expensive to buy, they should go down to 17 times earnings. This implies that stocks should go down some more, by about 19 percent, or in index terms to maybe 6400 index points.

Still, the fight is uneven considering the awesome powers of the President. Worse, this is no laughing matter because the drug trade at the New Bilibid Prison is serious. The Senate inquiry on extrajudicial killings has spawned collateral problems like the Davao Death Squad and the trade of drugs within prison walls. How this came about during the six years of BS Aquino as President should be looked into. It is obvious that it proliferated during the past administration. If De Lima is truly guilty as charged, being only the alter ego of BS Aquino III, the real culprit should also be charged for not lifting a finger to stop the drug trade within prison walls. That’s how I see it.

* *

*

Amid injustice, President Duterte asks: Where is God?

This was asked by Du30 in defending his preference for the reimposition of the death penalty. “The problem is, I ask you, what if there is no God?

“When a one-year-old or an 18-month-old baby, is taken from the mother’s arms, brought under a jeep and raped and killed, where is God?”

The President could well have asked where was God when all the bad things in history were happening. Our problem as human beings is that we think God, who is infinite, thinks like a finite being. This is where faith comes in―faith in God doing the right things. And faith is a gift.

That’s why I say to President Duterte, if you have faith in God, you should not be asking this question at all.

the American ambassador have conspired to paint a picture of rampant human rights violations and extra-judicial killings under his fledgling term. And that the Americans are also in league with the United Nations and the European Union in failing to see what he wants to do by going after the drug syndicates and pushers. But even Duterte falls victim to the old temptation of overemphasizing our importance with the US, which is why he talks about “crossing the Rubicon” when he starts getting serious with improving ties with Russia and China. It’s not that radical a shift, I insist, to seek to improve ties with other global heavy hitters—Ferdinand Marcos did all of that before. My guess is the US (especially now, when it’s in the thick of a hotly contested presidential election) doesn’t really have the time or the inclination to deal with its former colony and its anxieties. And we in the Philippines should just wait until a new American president is elected before we push any panic buttons.

The problem is that the peso drop and the stock market correction happened after a number of expletives uttered by our popular President.

First, Duterte suggested American soldiers, numbering a little more than 100, should get out of Mindanao. While these forces seem to be helping us, they are also a magnet for attacks by Filipino Muslim insurgents.

Next, Duterte made remarks indicating he didn’t care whether the Philippines would lose its investment-grade credit rating or whether foreign investors would pack up because of his seemingly erratic policies, err mouth. On

THE first of three debates between Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump was shown live yesterday. Two more are forthcoming, October 9 and October 19, before the Americans decide in November whom they shall elect.

The much-awaited initial debate moderated by Lester Holt started with the issue of jobs and job creation. Hillary warbled about investing in the future, about education programs, providing clean environment, an advocacy she shares with President Barack Obama. Through these, she hopes to not only provide alternative sources of energy but create jobs as well. She did the populist tack about raising national minimum wages and incentivizing profitsharing among big companies, while supporting small business. It was the traditional Democratic line, and hewed closely to her popular nomination rival Bernie Sanders’ platform.

Trump’s appeal to the American worker was a protectionist tack. “Jobs are fleeing the country, for Mexico and other parts,” he claimed. And China was using the US of A to build its own economy, devaluing its currency, and stealing work opportunities from Americans. He cited examples of Ford and Carrier, known all-American brands, relocating their factories to Mexico, and vowed not to allow these under his watch. Further, he promised tax cuts never before seen since Reagan, another Republican, was president. And he vowed to review what he termed to be unfair trade agreements, such as North American Free Trade Alliance as

Our long-time and trusted allies like the US and Japan, the latter having a territorial row with China on the Senkaku/Diaoyo Island, will see the weapons purchase as a reckless and hostile act. There could be repercussions in matters of trade and security. Both the US and Japan have been providing the Philippines with ships and patrol boats to strengthen the country’s maritime border security. Already, the possibility of the Philippines losing $6.7 million as aid from the US for the country’s law enforcement if the two govern-

Why worry?

Sept. 22, in Misamis Oriental, he made the dirty finger sign at the European Union for making warnings about his campaign against illegal drugs. “Fuck you! Why are you complaining?” he sneered at the Europeans.

Monday, Sept. 26, he hinted at a major policy shift by disclosing that in his talk with Russian PM Dmitry Medvedev in Laos, he was about “to cross the Rubicon” in his relations with the US.

Analysts were then quick to blame Duterte’s mouth for the drop in both the peso rate against the dollar and the stock market index.

To me, even if the President had hemmed in his expletives, the peso and the stock market would have lost value just the same. Why? Because of external or global developments.

The US is widely expected to raise interest rates probably by December. This should trigger an outflow of funds from outside the US like Asia, into the mainland.

Also, the global economic outlook is not that good. “The overall weakness in the global economy presents the biggest threat to the achievement of the outcomes desired by President Duterte and the nation as envisioned (in his economic) strategy,” says Albay Rep. Joey Salceda.

Duterte wants economic growth rate of seven percent per year up to 2022 and to cut poverty significantly from 26 percent at present to 16 percent also by 2022 (the reduction would free almost ten million Filipinos from poverty) by ramping up public infrastructure spending to 5.4 percent of GDP (the value of economic output) and to seven

percent of GDP by 2022. That infra spending is equivalent to P8.2 billion in six years, almost a third of my estimated P25 trillion total Duterte spending over the same period.

So should we worry? No.

The Philippines is not that deeply connected to the world. We do only $58.64 billion worth of exports and $66.6 billion of imports. Net income from abroad (P1,540.9 billion at constant 2000 prices) is only 16.8 percent of Gross National Income (P9,134.7 billion at 2000 prices).

As for investments, Filipinos are now investing more abroad than what foreign investors are investing in the Philippines. So if these foreign investors threaten to pull out, Duterte is probably right in saying he doesn’t care. The Philippines, after all, is a net exporter of capital.

Which is why the so-called investment-grade credit rating is not that significant, unlike before. Why? Because the Philippines does not need the foreign loans and the so-called foreign direct investments.

Filipinos have plenty of money.

The savings rate is 30 percent or GDP or P4.2 trillion of idle money. In the central bank’s vault is some P2 trillion worth of deposits under special account by commercial banks. It’s deposits of the people the banks refuse to give back as loans to those who need the money.

In 2015, foreign investments reported by the Bangko Sentral was $2.52 billion.

How much did Filipino expats earn and remit last year? $28 billion—more than 11 times the $2.52 billion investment inflow.

How much did the Philippines

Debates

well as prevent the Trans-Pacific Partnership that Obama is pushing Congress to approve.

Hillary chided Donald for his “trumped up, trickle down” approach to the economy, and beamed about what her husband did for the US economy in his time, and how Obama pulled off the same economic feat after the crippling recession of 2006-2007 when millions of Americans lost their homes and savings, a result, she said, of the abuse of the trickle down by companies that took advantage of federal policies the Republicans presided over.

Presidential debates are not only venues for leading voters to decide on which programs and policies are better. More importantly, they are mirrors of the character the candidates possess. They show their ideological biases, and the differences, if any there may be among the candidates. These biases either appeal or turn off large segments of voters, whether sectoral, as in business or labor, even racial, such as white or black Americans, Latinos or Asian.

From where I sat, it seemed Clinton was the more prepared, but somehow she did not come out dispelling the distrust that a large segment of the voters had. She was not refreshing; she was “traditional.” More of the same.

It’s a pity that Trump did not step up to the plate either. He was dissembling, he was at times caught fudging facts. While he appealed to the disenchanted average American fed up with booms and busts that led their lives no better than before election after election, he was unable to clearly present how cutting business taxes could really perk up the economy and bring in more jobs.

They were both uninspiring on foreign policy and security issues. Trump was daring when he said America should stop being the world’s “policeman,” an advocacy which sat well with an inward-

ments cannot agree on its mode of implementation. Read that to mean no extrajudicial killings of drug suspects. The funds were pledged by US Secretary of State John Kerry during his recent visit to Manila.

The late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Cuban leader Fidel Castro who are known for being anti-American never insulted or used profane words against the US. Using the China card against the US, UN and the EU for criticizing the human rights violation of extrajudicial killings, Duterte could be playing right into China’s hands.

After cursing Pope Francis, US President Barack Obama, and UN Secretary-General

earn as business process outsourcing and call centers last year? $25 billion – ten times the $2.52 billion foreign investments. Will so-called foreign investors make good their dare to leave the Philippines? No. Why? Because they never had it so good in the Philippines. In many of the industrial zones operated by state-run Peza, foreign locators are getting more tax incentives than the value of investments they have brought into the country or the equity they have put into the business. In other words, we are being hoisted with our own petard. No wonder, Finance Secretary Sonny Dominguez wants to reduce, if not withdraw the so-called fiscal incentives given these so-called foreign investors. From now on, fiscal incentives should be “transparent, targeted, performance-based, and time-bound.” Easily P34 billion of such incentives should be withdrawn. However, there are some taxes the Duterte government is planning that you should worry about.

Like the P10 per liter excise tax on gasoline and other petroleum products and the P10 tax per liter on so-called sugary products like soft drinks and orange drinks. Per liter of Coke or Pepsi will easily increase by P20. Your favorite cup of Starbucks will increase by P20. And with the increase in prices of diesel, gasoline and other petroleum products, which are bellwether products, prices of nearly everything will skyrocket. Now, I worry.

biznewsasia@gmail.com

looking America, but did little to assuage fears of continued world insecurity due to terrorism. Clinton, on the other hand, vowed to pursue the same mutual defense agreements America has with a host of countries and regional groupings, but neither came up with definitive stands, even on countering the growth and dangers of ISIS.

In fine, the first US presidential debate failed to go beyond the same doubts and fears people had about the two candidates. One was so prepared, so “coached,” the other was inconsistent, even prevaricating or at best, dissembling.

The beauty of American politics is the two-party system, which fits their presidential system well. In the Philippines, a confused situation prevails, where the same presidential system is fed with a multiplicity of parties, rather, a multiplicity of candidates fueled by ambition more than ideological differences.

In the last elections, for instance, Binay would sound probusiness and at the same time populist. People would ask thereafter, “Ano ba talaga, kuya?” Grace Poe likewise. Everything that sounded good and pleasing she espoused. She came out being bland and uninspiring.

Mar Roxas hewed close to the yellow brigade’s mantra of “k ung walang corrupt, walang mahirap,” and chest-thumped about the PNoy administration’s claims to integrity while sidestepping the issue of incompetence.

Duterte was the only one different: he was authentic, and did not have any pretensions. He let his Davao governance speak for itself, while hatching down on the issue of law and order, and the focus against drugs and crime.

Sure, I agree with many analysts who said Clinton won this first debate. But it was not a knockdown performance, and Trump believers are expected to remain loyal to their champion.

There are two more to go, and both bear watching. In the last Philippine elections, the Cebu debate won it for Duterte. There were nervous moments for his handlers after that, principally the Australian rape remarks. But it seemed people had made up their minds and no amount of mudslinging or self-inflicted wounds would change that. In the Clinton-Trump contest, both sides have a lot more of electoral excitement to arouse in the next 45 days or so. It could be a cliffhanger till the end. Clinton will have to get Americans afraid of the “change” that Trump promises. Trump will have to trump those fears that Clinton and the Democrats will try their very best to blow-up.

In the end, the debates brought out a two-party, two-person debate. And the actual election results showed it: Duterte versus Roxas. But the margin was huge. Those results were a clear rejection of what voters believed to be official incompetence, ineffectiveness, and pretension. And their appreciation of authenticity, sincerity and political will. We also had three debates. The first (Cagayan de Oro) was a tossup between an authentic Duterte and a well-prepared Poe. The second was a knock-out against Binay, with Duterte up-ending Poe with that issue of what three things she would first do if she was awakened in the middle of her sleep and told that China’s navy had attacked our coast guard vessels. Mar Roxas was on staying form in that second debate in Cebu, while Poe was clearly stumped by Duterte. In the final round, Duterte had the wind already beneath his wings, such that even Roxas good performance failed to puncture the Duterte eagle-soaring. The rest was history.

Ban Ki-moon, Duterte has now also questioned God for allowing young girls to be raped and killed by drug addicts which he said is the driving force in his war against illegal drugs, pushers and users. He asked: “Where was God when all this was happening?” Nothing it seems is sacrosanct to this foul-mouthed man who relishes the impudence of his own remarks. Duterte, in his latest profanitylaced latest remark against Senator Leila de Lima, said “she screwed her driver-bodyguard and now is screwing the nation by getting involved in narco-politics.” The Department of Justice is pressing charges against De Lima for

allegedly receiving dirty money from convicted drug lords to finance her senatorial campaign. De Lima shot back describing Duterte “the vilest, lowest kind who abused his presidential powers” to make her life miserable. She asked: “Baka may gusto ka sa akin ( Maybe you desire me?)” in an attempt to explain the President’s fixation with her. It has gotten down to this—a gutter level exchange between the President of the Republic and a senator of the realm. The whole world must be laughing at us for this spectacle going on between two high-ranking elected public officials. It’s enough to make you cringe—or migrate to a more civilized country.

IN BRIEF

BI arrests fugitive

A SOUTH Korean fugitive believed to be a member of a syndicate operating a telephone fraud scheme in Manila was nabbed in Malate, Manila, according to the Bureau of Immigration.

BI Commissioner Jaime Morente identified the Korean as Hang Seun Hun, who was found to have fled to the country after he and three other cohorts were indicted for a telephone fraud scam, known as voice phishing. Hang was arrested at Adriatico Street in Manila and is now detained at the BI jail in Bicutan, Taguig City pending deportation proceedings, Morente said, adding that the three other suspects who remain at large are now the object of a manhunt by BI agents.

BI-FSU chief Jose Carlitos

Licas said Hang arrived in the country last Jan. 30 but did not bother to extend his 30-day visa before it elapsed.

Voice phishing refers to the criminal practice of using the telephone to gain access to private personal and financial information from the victim for the purpose of financial reward.

It is done, for example, when a caller imitates a bank officer or police investigator or prosecutor in attempting to acquire information about the call recipient’s bank account information to trick the latter into giving them money.

Voice phising is said to be a notorious practice in Korea where many victims have already fallen prey to perpetrators of the scheme, some of whom would demand money by threatening to harm the victim’s relatives or harass them with the prospect of being charged with criminal offenses. Vito Barcelo

CEAP hits DepEd plan

THE Catholic Education Association of the Philippines on Tuesday rejected the Department of Education’s proposal to accept teachers who did not pass the Licensure Examination for Teachers in order to achieve their hiring quota of 50,000 teachers for public schools.

“Can you imagine where they will be getting their teachers? I can already foresee an exodus of our best and brightest moving to greener pastures,” said CEAP president Jun Erguiza. Erguiza expressed concern for the private sector’s hired teachers, saying the public sector’s need to hire 50,000 teachers would entice teachers in the private sector to move to public schools because of better pay.

“A corollary concern to teacher education and formation is the proclivity of the government to employ ‘the best and the brightest’ from the private sectors’ pool of resources,” said Erguiza. In 2014, CEAP requested subsidies from the government in order to help keep their schools afloat, especially after the implementation of the K-12 program. However, Erguiza said their request remains unanswered.

Senator arraigned in Binay libel suit

By Joel E. Zurbano

SENATOR Antonio Trillanes IV

on Tuesday entered a not guilty plea in connection with the libel case filed against him by former Makati City mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay Jr. over the alleged overpriced City Hall parking lot building last year.

During the court proceedings, Binay’s lawyer Dan Subido said the presiding judge of Regional Trial Court branch 142 asked both parties if they were willing to discuss the possibility of an amicable settlement of the case.

Subido said Trillanes expressed his intention to seek an amicable settlement but Binay responded to the contrary, thus closing the door to any negotiations for the amicable settlement of the case.

“Despite the previous attempts of Senator Trillanes to delay the proceedings, he was finally arraigned today for maliciously maligning the reputation of the Binays. We look forward to convicting him. Let this be a lesson to him so that he will no longer use his position in bullying and destroying the reputation of people,” said Subido.

On Feb. 9, Trillanes posted P10,000 bail, a week after Makati City Branch 142 Judge Dina Pes-

taño Teves issued an arrest warrant in connection with the libel case that arose from Trillanes’ statements that Mayor Binay and his family bribed justices of the Court of Appeals for the issuance of the temporary restraining order against the preventive suspension order issued by the Office of the Ombudsman last year. Before he posted bail, Trillanes filed a motion asking the court to suspend the hearings and other court proceedings but Judge Teves rejected the plea.

Trillanes posted his bail for his temporary liberty following his official visit in the United States, where he said, he was invited by members of the US Congress. Judge Teves issued the warrant of arrest against Trillanes on Feb. 5 after finding probable cause in the libel case.

Trillanes had said he will continue his personal crusade to expose the truth about the massive anomalies in Makati despite the filing of the libel charge against him.

“If the Binay family believes that I can be intimidated and threatened from exposing them, they are badly mistaken. I will do everything I can to make sure that plunderers will not rule this country again,” said Trillanes when he posted bail last February.

Building of connector road begins mid-2017

By Vito Barcelo

THE construction of the P23.2-billion

North Luzon Expressway-South Luzon Expressway connector road is expected to start in mid-2017 after the Metro Pacific Tollways Development Corp. and its subsidiary Manila North Tollways Corp. completed the submission of post-award requirements to the Department of Public Works and Highways.

Once completed, the fourlane, 8-kilometer elevated toll expressway will help ease traffic congestion in Metro Manila as well as reduce the travel time between NLEX and SLEX to

just 15 to 20 minutes from 1.5 to two hours at present, according to the Public Works Secretary Mark Villar.

The DPWH awarded the project to MPTDC, the origi-

nal proponent of the project, as no comparative proposals were submitted to the DPWH during a Swiss challenge held in July.

“The project involves the design, financing, construction, as well as operation and maintenance of a four-lane, eight-km elevated toll expressway over the right of way of the Philippine National Railways starting at the junction of the NLEX Segment 10 at C-3 Road/5th Avenue in Caloocan City, and connecting to the SLEX through the Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3 Project in the City of Manila,” DPWHPublic Private Partnership Service Director Ariel Angeles told the Manila Standard.

“The hard target schedule for the commencement of construction of the sectional portion of the mega project is on May next year and we would fast-track the completion within two years,” Angeles said. He said the DPWH issued the notice of award for the connector road project to MPIC and Metro Pacific Tollways Development Corp. Villar said the connector road is part of the Duterte administration’s effort to fast-track muchneeded infrastructure projects.

“MNTC’s early submission is consistent with the DPWH’s efficient delivery of infrastructure. The DPWH will be firm in ensuring efficiency, transparency

Filipino inventor gets nods at US conference

PHILIPPINE Airlines recently flew one of the country’s pride, inventor Aisa Mijeno and her brother Raphael, who successfully represented the country and the whole of Asia in the recent Global Grand Challenge Awards held in California, USA. The event is a venue for talented scientists, technologists, designers and other passionate-change agents with the potential to tackle the Global Grand Challenge and present innovative solutions that impact billions of lives.

Aisa is the inventor of the Sustainable Alternative Lighting (SALt) lamp, an LED light powered by salt water, a cheap and convenient source of energy for indigent communities in coastal areas.

Aisa founded the Sustainable Alternative Lighting (SALt), a social movement with Raphael to provide alternative lighting solutions. Aisa was commended by President Barack Obama during the APEC CEO Summit in Manila last year.

The two were chosen by Silicon Valley’s Singularity University from a number of applicants worldwide to participate in the Energy Track of the Global Grand Challenge Awards.

Aside from presenting their social enterprise, they were also selected to participate in the Sci-Fi Design Intelligence Workshop in the Singularity University Labs in NASA Ames Research Center where they had an opportunity to explore the NASA facility with select participants from different parts of the world for future synergy and collaboration.

“We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to Philippine Airlines for supporting us to represent the country to participate in the Global Grand Challenge Awards. Philippines was the only Asian country at SU Global Summit. This opened so many doors for us,” Aisa states.

Now on its 75th year and in line with its vision to become a source of pride of the Philippines, PAL launched its flagship corporate social responsibility program,

Represent Pinoy, to support exceptional individuals chosen to represent the country in global competitions.

The Grand Global Challenges’ perspectives include assurance that basic needs are met for all

people, quality of life is sustained and continuously improving, and mitigating future risks, and skills to unlock their creative potential and build innovative, sustainable solutions to positively impact billions of lives.

Plane’s wheel catches fire after aborted take-off

ONE airline passenger was hurt after a Cebu Pacific flight from Cebu to Tacloban was evacuated when one of the tires of the ATR 72-500 aircraft caught fire for a still undetermined reason, airline officials said on Tuesday.

The airline said in a statement Cebgo Flight DG6577, carrying 67 passengers, was about to take off from the Mactan International Airport in Cebu around 7:17 p.m. on Monday when its pilots decided to abort take-off because of oil problems in one of its engines.

But while the plan was taxiing back to the terminal, one of the wheels of the aircraft burst into flames, forcing them to evacuate the passengers and crew.

“All passengers and crew were safely evacu-

ated. CEB is providing medical assistance to one of the passengers who sustained minor injury during the evacuation process, and is attending to the needs of all other passengers on the flight,” the airline said in a statement.

Cebgo management arranged for hotel accommodations, and provided meals and transfers to the affected passengers. The airline also mounted recovery flights Tuesday (Sept. 27) for the passengers’ reaccommodation. The aircraft involved in the incident is an ATR 72-500 turboprop. CEB’s maintenance team is conducting initial inspection of the aircraft, and has reported the incident to aircraft manufacturer ATR.

CEB has also notified and is fully cooperating with the Civil Aviation Authority of the

Philippines with regard to the incident. The airlines earlier announced the delivery of its first Airbus ATR 72-600 High Capacity turboprops aircraft in replacement of the ATR72-500. The new plane features advanced avionics, enhanced performance in hot and high environments and increased cabin space along with additional seating capacity. Meanwhile, the Manila International Airport Authority said six international flights were canceled on Tuesday due to bad weather condition. The affected flights are China Airlines flight CI702/CI703 (Manila-TAipei-Manila), Philippine Airlines PR428/PR427 (ManilaNarita-Manila), and PR896/PR897 (ManilaKansai-Manila). Joel E. Zurbano

and quality as we continue to roll out more infrastructure and PPP projects under the Duterte administration,” the DPWH chief said. MPTDC president Rodrigo E. Franco said, “MPTDC and MNTC have submitted with all the requirements stated in the notice of award, 10 days in advance, to fast-track the construction of this vital infrastructure.” The NLEX-SLEX Connector Road will traverse 5th Avenue/ C3 Road in Caloocan City passing through Blumentrit and España, connecting with the Skyway Stage 3 at PUP Sta. Mesa. The elevated roadway will utilize portions of the existing right of way of the PNR.

Panel okays DUI bill

By Maricel V. Cruz

THE House committee on transportation has approved a measure seeking stiffer penalties against people driving under the influence of alcohol, dangerous drugs and similar substances or DDD. The committee, chaired by Catanduanes Rep. Cesar

existing penalties under RA 10586, Abu, for his part, said there are still many incidents of injury, death and destruction of property committed by drivers who are under the influence not only of alcohol but also of dangerous drugs. Records of the Highway Patrol Group of the Philippine National Police showed the number of road accidents due to drunk driving has actually increased from 390 in 2013 to 498 in 2014. Meanwhile, the Metro Manila Development Authority reported that from January to July 2015, one of the leading causes of accidents in the country is driving under the influence (DUI). It also said that majority of those involved in these accidents were motorcyclists, resulting in 11,721 motorcycle accidents during the particular period.

UNTV Cup offers P12M this season

THE UNTV CUP is a charity basketball league by Breakthrough and Milestones Productions International Inc., featuring public servants from agencies of the three branches of government.

It was conceptualized by BMPI’s chairman and CEO, Daniel Razon with the goal of fostering inter-agency camaraderie through the most unifying sport in the Philippines, while delivering public service towards marginalized sectors of society.

Every season, the final four teams that qualify for championship automatically receive a sizeable cash prize to be given to their chosen charities. Other participating teams also receive substantial consolation prizes for their corresponding beneficiaries.

The game was launched on July 29, 2013, with seven teams participating. It continuously attracted more government agencies to join due to unique concept of this one-of-a-kind basketball tournament.

The league has already given away more than P20 million, given to the different agencies’ chosen beneficiaries.

In its fifth season, featuring 13 teams Malacañang, Senate, Judiciary, House of Representatives Department of Justice, National Housing Authority, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, Office of the Ombudsman, Bureau of Fire Protection, Government Security Insurance Service, Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines, and new team Bureau of Customs, more than P12 million is at stake.

More than 30 executives from the participating agencies are included in the roster of teams with some notable personalites, such as Senator Manny Pacquiao, Senator Sonny Angara, Senator Bam Aquino, Senator Ralph Recto, Senator Joel Villanueva, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, Sec. Mark Villar, Sec. Bong Go, Justice Midas Marquez and more.

WGM

Beermen eye equalizer; Gin Kings seek 2-0

By Jeric Lopez

CAN Barangay Ginebra follow up its rousing opening act?

It certainly hopes so, while San Miguel Beer looks to reverse the tide as the longtime rivals go at it again in the resumption of their best-of-five semifinal showdown in the 2016 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup.

Following their stunning comeback victory in Game 1, the Gin Kings are now shooting for a commanding 2-0 lead against the Beermen today at 7 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Ginebra coach Tim Cone was thrilled to see his wards step it up after fighting off jitters to start the series.

He knows Game 2 is equally as important as the first one.

“To tell you honestly, it re-

ally looked like we were totally overmatched and that we didn’t belong in the same court with them at the start of the first game,” said Cone. “Our guys raised their game and we all were able to build confidence. Game 2 is a big deal now and hopefully we can use that and get another one.”

After shrugging off a tumultuous start, Barangay Ginebra needed a rousing second half in Game 1 to reverse its fortunes and conquer the talent-loaded defending champions.

The Gin Kings, who trailed the entire first half and as much as 12 points, turned in a sensational second half wherein they scored 69 huge points compared

to the Beermen’s 51 to snatch and take the crucial game away.

“It was such a great win for us. That didn’t win us the series, but now, we believe in our selves more and we have our rhythm at this stage,” added Cone.

Justin Brownlee continued to show his worth and all-around prowess, scoring a game-high 39 points to lead his Ginebra Kings, while Japeth Aguilar had 22, most of which were in stretches where Ginebra badly needed a basket to prevent San Miguel from creating too much distance.

Ginebra got Game 1 despite LA Tenorio going scoreless.

Over at the other side, San Miguel coach Leo Austria is

Frayna is guest of honor in Shell chess opener

THE country’s first-ever woman Grandmaster serves as the guest of honor when the Shell Active Chess tournament holds its national finals this weekend at the SM Megamall.

Janelle Mae Frayna is expected to deliver the inspirational talk among the 48 finalists, who made it all the way to this year’s grand finals set Oct. 1 to 2. Frayna, 20, earned her third and final WGM norm during her stint in the 42nd World Chess Olympiad in Baku, Azerbaijan.

The Far Eastern University standout also competed in the Shell Active chess tournament in 2005.

“We’re indeed grateful to be graced by the presence of our first woman Grandmaster Janelle Mae Frayna at the start of our grand finals this Saturday. She’ll be giving inspirational message to the players as she had also been part of the

tournament in the past,” said Melanie Bularan, Social Investment and Social Performance Manager of Pilipinas Shell in the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at Shakey’s Malate Tuesday.

Meanwhile, gracing the closing ceremony of the tournament now on its 24th year is Asia’s first Grandmaster Eugene Torre.

There are three divisions at stake in the nine-round Swiss system tournament, namely, kiddies (8-12 years old), juniors (13-16 years old), and seniors (17 to 20 years old), with the winners in each category taking home the prize money of P20,000 plus trophy. The top female finisher in each category is also guaranteed to receive additional P10,000.

Two of the finalists in Michael Concio Jr. (kiddies) and Istraelito Rilloraza (juniors) also graced the forum presented by San Miguel

Corp., Accel, Shakey’s, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., along with their respective parents Michael Concio Sr. and Faustino Rilloraza, and tournament director Alex Dinoy.

All finalists—including 15 females—made it after five grueling legs held in the National Capital Region (NCR), Southern Tagalog (Batangas), Visayas, Southern Mindanao (Davao), and Northern Mindanao (Cagayan de Oro), according to Dinoy.

In all, a total of 1,700 players saw action in the qualifying legs.

Bularan proudly disclosed that Frayna is just the latest Filipino to become GM who took part in the Shell Active chess tournament in the past.

Of the country’s 17 GMs, 10 of them once participated in the meet, including Wesley So, Mark Paragua, and Nelson Mariano, among others.

looking to make the necessary adjustments for his Beermen to be able to equalize.

“Maybe it will be a different situation for us in this next game,” said Austria, who added that he is seeking to use more of his team’s depth. “I’m looking to use more players and get more help from our bench.”

Austria’s only fielded in eight Beermen in Game 1 with all five starters doing much of the damage, contrary to Ginebra’s scattered production.

Meanwhile, top seed TNT KaTropa and Meralco are currently fighting it off to see who gets first blood in their own bestof-five semis series opener, as of this writing.

Archers shoot for 6th victory

NOW that La Salle has posted five straight wins, coach Aldin Ayo can now confidently say that they are really making progress in the 79th University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball tournament.

“I’m very optimistic that as the season goes along, nagpo-progress kami. Hopefully, by the second round, semis and hopefully sa championship, sana doon kami mag-peak,” said Ayo.

Ayo talked about his upbeat feeling following their 91-75 win over Adamson last weekend, before they were to meet the University of the East Red Warriors at 4 p.m. today at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Another triumph will be their sixth, moving them three notches ahead of defending champion Far Eastern University Tamaraws, who are in a four-way tie for second with their 3-2 slate.

He said that it was great team defense that’s keeping them going this time.

“We are good on defense, but on offense, it’s always been our drawback. But in this game, we were able to execute our offense,” Ayo said.

The Green Archers’ coaching staff has welcomed former Letran Knights’ guard McJour Luib, who finally accepted an offer to be the team’s assistant coach.

The 23-year-old Luib joined Ayo, his former coach at Letran, during Friday’s practice.

The Red Warriors are still winless after five games.

Centro Escolar 5, La Salle unbeaten

AROUND 800 athletes will see action in the 2016 SMART/MVP Sports Foundation National Inter-School Taekwondo Championships scheduled on Oct. 1 and 2 at the SM Seaside Mall in Cebu City.

It will be the first time that the event will be held outside Metro Manila, giving more provincial participants an opportunity to compete with intensity and achieve better results. According to Organizing Committee Chairman Sung Chon Hong, the twoday competition will feature novice and advance jins in eight categories, namely, Senior male and female, Junior male and female, Cadet male and female and Gradeschool boys and girls.

All schools affiliated with the Phil-

ippine Taekwondo Association all over the country will vie for honors.

Among these are Ateneo de Manila University, St. Paul Pasig, Diliman Preparatory School, Mary Hill School, Emilio Aguinaldo College, Montessori Integrated School, Philippine Science High School, School of Holy Spirit and Pamantasang Lungsod ng Valenzuela. Some schools in Visayas and Mindanao are also expected to compete in the tournament sponsored by PLDT, Meralco, Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, MILO and SM Seaside Mall. Martial arts enthusiasts, especially children who are interested to learn the sport, are invited to watch the competition, which starts at 9 a.m.

Manila North District’s Eunice Agustin (right), shown connecting with an axe kick to Cabuyao Elementary School’s Gemmarielle Willy, is one of the participants in the Cebu taekwondo event.

CENTRO Escolar University and De La Salle Zobel, eyeing sixth straight basketball titles, continued their winning ways, while San Beda College Alabang, St. Scholastica’s College and Miriam College remained dominant in volleyball in the 47th WNCAA over the weekend. CEU blasted Miriam, 74-13, in the senior division last Sunday at St. Scholastica gym for its third win as many starts, while DLSZ made it 4-0 in the midget level after slipping past St. Paul College Pasig, 49-46, on Saturday at the SPCP gym. DLSZ is also unbeaten in three matches in Junior B as it dumped San Beda, 87-39. Defending junior champion Chiang Kai Shek College and Miriam share the Junior A lead at 2-1 with victories over St. Paul (87-29) and Assumption College (5421), respectively. In senior volleyball, San Beda zoomed to a 4-0 card with a 25-14, 25-19, 25-16 triumph over University of Asia & the Pacific at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum. The junior Red Lions also pace Group A in a tie with defending champion Miriam at 3-0. DLSZ and St. Scholastica are on top of the midget field at 4-0, besting Miriam (25-10, 25-9) and Assumption (25-14, 25-19), respectively.

WEDNESDAY,

Day duels Rory in PH, all in name of charity

TWO of the biggest names in modern golf, Jason Day, the world’s number one golfer and Rory McIlroy, former world number one and five-time major winner, will stage an exhibition match in the Philippines on Nov. 29 at the brand new Pradera Verde Golf Club (official partner venue) in Lubao, Pampanga and it’s all in the name of charity.

While most of the money raised will go to both golfers’ foundations (Rory Foundation for McIlroy and the Brighter Days Foundation for Day), an agreement with both golfers has been reached to make sure the monies will be donated locally.

This event also represents a

chance for half-Filipino Jason Day (his mother, Dening, hails from Leyte) to reconnect with his roots. Day is dealing from a position of strength these days. He rose to the top spot in the world on the back of great golf made possible, in large part, to his prodigious ball striking abilities.

Although Day is as long as they come but his real strength is on and around the greens where he leads the PGA Tour statistical categories for putting and scoring. He is a fighter and nowhere does it show more than on the golf course. As invincible as he may seem, Day will have his hands full with McIlroy. The Ulsterman is the best driver of the golf ball in the world today. He is longer than Day with the driver which presents a lot of scoring possibilities. Where he has struggled recently is with the putter and around the green, both areas in which Day is dominant. McIlroy, however, recently picked up a new putter and a new putting coach in American Phil Kenyon. The move immediately

Pacman ‘ridiculously fast’

By Ronnie Nathanielsz

EIGHT-DIVISION world

paid dividends when Rory won the Deutche Bank Masters last week leading the putting stats to do so.

With both men at the peak of their respective games, the Rory vs. Jason match-up is definitely one for the books.

Produced by Dolphinfire and CAA, the charity event will be on Nov. 29, with the charity gala dinner and memorabilia auction happening the night before.

VIP ticketholders will also be given the chance to play the course with the golf superstars on Nov. 30.

Salvador Zamora of Menlo Renewable Energy Corp or MREC, promoter and executive producer of this event, put the wheels in motion to have the two

agree to this charity event.

Over the years, Filipinos have developed a love for golf – a sport that has been in the country for over a hundred years and has since been rising to prominence in the local sports scene. The Filipinos have evolved from being mere spectators and enthusiasts of the sport, to professionally competing with golfers around the world.

CYNA Rodriguez hopes to get back at Princess Superal in another early face-off of the country’s leading lady pros in the P750,000 ICTSI Eastridge Ladies Invitational, which unwraps Wednesday at the Eastridge Golf Club in Binangonan, Rizal.

Rodriguez struggled in her first duel with the newly turned pro at Sherwood early this month which Superal ruled in a four-way playoff. But the LPGA Tour veteran is upbeat of her chances this week although she stressed the need for consistency in a bid to atone for his joint sixth-place effort at Sherwood.

“I need to get back my consistency,” said Rodriguez, who dominated the first two years of the country’s first-ever ladies pro circuit sponsored by ICTSI before gaining an LPGA Tour card last year.

“I could shoot low but there are days I would awfully score high, too. But coach Bong (Lopez) and I are working on it now. Hopefully, good results will happen in the last two legs of this year’s circuit,” said Rodriguez, who will set out with Superal and Orchard leg winner Chihiro Ikeda in the featured 7:40 a.m. flight. Like Rodriguez, Superal also expressed confidence as she guns for back-to-back triumphs in the circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc., armed with an improved power game and a superb short game that has anchored her number of victories during her amateur days, including the 2014 US Girls’ Junior Championship.

“We have put emphasis on how to improve her length in practice. And it’s beginning to show in her game,” said Lopez, who also handles Superal and the rest of the members of Team The Country Club.

“She’s going for her second win and I think the course is perfect for her game.”

But a slew of others is also out to spoil the projected Cyna-Princess duel, including Ikeda, who is raring to nail her second win after topping the Orchard leg of the circuit, backed by Custom Clubmakers, adidas, KZG, Sharp, Summit Mineral Water, Srixon, Champion, TaylorMade, Ping, Yamaha and Pacsports, last June.

Fortune said Pacquiao continues to show the same passion for boxing as he has in the past and should be able to handle whatever Vargas brings into the ring in November.

Fortune told the Manila Standard that Pacquaio comes into training camp at 60 to 70 percent.

“Bringing Manny to a hundred percent is not difficult, even now that he’s older and has a job in the Senate. We just have to regulate the training schedule so it’s not too tiring and doesn’t burn him out. It’s just a matter of reshuffling things, that’s all,” the coach said.

Fortune said he is very happy with the training camp so far,

champion Manny Pacquiao looked good in training at the classy Elorde Gym in the Telstra Building of the Mall of Asia Complex. In the words of his strength and conditioning coach Justin Fortune, Pacquiao is still “ridiculously fast.” He did six rounds on the punch mitts, which Manila Standard was not allowed to shoot, and ran through several rounds of shadow boxing, where his speed and power were evident. Pacquiao showed up at the gym following another hard day at the Senate, but demonstrated his desire to be in top shape for the fight on Nov. 5 with Jessie Vargas.

pointing out that they did the mitts the other day.

“He’s still ridiculously fast and very strong,” said Fortune.

Discussing Vargas, Fortune said: “He’s a champion, he’s young but is not on the level of Pacquiao. He is an ‘A’ fighter and Manny is a triple ‘A’ fighter.”

While he conceded that Vargas is a world champion, Fortune said “he will definitely be out to do some damage. He’s definitely coming to fight. That’s the best thing about Vargas. He won’t run. He’ll come to fight. He’s a fighter.” However, he said that while he “has nothing against Jessie Vargas, he doesn’t have Manny’s speed or strength or skill level.”

Temper expectations for PSL-Manila Team

PHILIPPINE Superliga-Manila may have a rock-solid unit, but expectations should be tempered when it competes in the FIVB Women’s Club World Championship at the Mall of Asia Arena from Oct. 18 to 23.

A week after formally opening training camp, the seven Filipina and seven foreign players are already developing chemistry inside and outside the court in preparation for the most prestigious volleyball spectacle in the world next to the Olympics.

Team captain Rachel Anne Daquis and Jovelyn Gonzaga of RC Cola-Army, Frances Molina and Jen Reyes of Petron, Mika Reyes and Kim Fajardo of F2 Logistics and Jaja Santiago of Foton all reported in perfect shape as they brace for an all-out war against the world’s best volleyball players.

Ekaterina Krivets of Russia, Yevgeniya Nyukhalova of Ukraine, Lynda Morales of Puerto Rico, Yuri Fukuda of Japan, Stephanie Niemer and Lindsay Stalzer of the United States and Tichaya Boonlert of Thailand

will be backing the Filipinas, who are looking to come up with a decent finish in this week-long volleyball spectacle.

But head coach Moro Branislav doesn’t want to make any promises.

“This is a very big competition, maybe five times more competitive than the Asian club championship,” said Branislav, the seasoned Serbian coach being supported by Shun Takahashi of Japan and Sammy Acaylar in preparing the team.

“The competition here is the same, or even better, than the Olympic games. The top players in at least six teams are all capable of playing in the Olympics. We should not be complacent. This is a very important and serious tournament.”

Branislav added that although everybody is already on board, they have yet to train in full force as some of them are also preparing with their mother clubs for the 2016 PSL Grand Prix that kicks off on Oct. 8.

Bosh career with Heat likely over

MIAMI—Miami Heat president Pat Riley said Monday he believes Chris Bosh has played his last game for the team after his failure of a physical exam following long-running problems with blood clots.

Riley told reporters the Heat were planning for a future without their star forward, who has missed large parts of the last two seasons.

The Heat announced on Friday that the 11-time All-Star had failed a physical, but did not explain the reasons, citing medical confidentiality.

Asked if the Heat were expecting Bosh to return at some point in the future, Riley replied: “We are not.”

“I think Chris is still openminded,” he added. “But we are not working toward his return. We feel that, based on the

last exam, that his Heat career is probably over.”

Riley would not be drawn on whether he felt Bosh’s entire NBA career may be at an end.

“That’s up to him,” he replied. Bosh has been battling back to fitness, desperate to persuade the Heat he is ready to resume playing. However, the team were preparing to leave for a training camp in the Bahamas on Monday without him in their party.

“It’s pretty definitive from us, in our standpoint, that this is probably going to be a time where we really have to step back,” Riley said, denying that salary cap issues had played a factor in the handling of Bosh’s case.

“His health, playing and economics—it’s been health, health, health,” he said. “Whatever the cap ramifications are, they are there, but we never ever

thought about that.”

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra meanwhile said dealing with Bosh’s case had been wrenching.

“I love C.B. dearly,” Spoelstra said Monday. “It was tough to watch C.B. and his family go through this the last couple of years. Your heart just goes out to him.”

“I’m going to prepare for this group right now.” he added. “But there’s going to continue to be changes—hopefully not as big of an impact as this. The other 19 players that are going to training camp, my focus will be on them.”

If an NBA specialist rules Bosh is medically unable to play, the player will be paid the balance of his contract—around $76 million for three years. The Heat would receive salary-cap relief going forward from February 9. AFP

Lions earn no. 1 slot in Final 4

By Peter Atencio

THE San Beda Red Lions took charge in the fourth quarter, putting away the Arellano University Chiefs, 80-73, to earn the top seeding Tuesday in the playoffs of the 92nd National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball tournament at the Arena in San Juan. AC Soberano tallied 26 points for the Red Lions, who arranged a Final Four semifinal clash with the fourth-seeded University of Perpetual Help Altas at 2 p.m.

By Darwin G. Amojelar

FOUR conglomerates agreed to end a seven-year deadlock over the location of the common station that will link Metro Manila’s overhead train system in Quezon City.

SM

ment Corp.’s Manuel Pangilinan reached an agreement in a meeting on Sept. 8 for a unified Light Rail Transit station to make commuting more convenient to

Competitiveness ranking falls

THE Philippines dropped 10 notches to 57th place out of 138 economies in the newly-released Global Competitiveness Index for 2016 to 2017. The report showed that of the 12

the public.

The four parties also identified a single location of the common station to be built between SM North Edsa and Trinoma shopping mall, which would connect the three urban transit lines: LRT Line 1, Metro Rail Transit Line-3, and the proposed MRT7, which would run from North Ave. in Quezon City to San Jose del Monte City in Bulacan.

The location of the common

station is important to SM and Ayala because of the additional foot traffic that it can bring to their respective malls.

The station will provide a common concourse or atrium where train commuters can conveniently transfer from one line to another.

The Transportation Department, Public Works Department, Light Rail Transit Authority, SM Prime Holdings Inc., Universal LRT Corp., Light Rail Manila

Consortium, North Triangle Depot Commercial Corp. represented by Ayala Land Inc. will finalize the agreement on Sept. 28.

The Public Works Department also assured that the underpass to be built in the area would seamlessly integrate with the common station.

The parties are set to file a joint motion to the Supreme Court to lift the temporary restraining order.

By Roderick T. dela Cruz

BUSINESSMAN Salvador Zamo-

ra II signed a deal with Boulevard Holdings Inc. chairman Jose Marcel Panlilio to redevelop the 70-hectare Puerto Azul Golf and Country Club and build a 300room hotel in Ternate, Cavite.

“It is a joint venture between me and Mr. Jose Marcel Panlilio,” Zamora, 70, told journalists at Shangri La at the Fort in Bonifacio Global City during the announcement of an exhibition match between Jason Day, the world’s number one golfer, and former number one Rory McIlroy on Nov. 29.

“Hopefully, with the redevelopment of the whole golf course, the real estate development will restart. It [Puerto Azul] is really a good tourist destination,” said Zamora, the chairman of Menlo

By Gabrielle H. Binaday and Julito G. Rada

BUSINESS-LABOR

Trade Departments, members of the House committee on labor and employment and business leaders at Blas F. Ople Hall, Dole Building in Intramuros, Manila. With Bello and Lopez is Labor undersecretary Ciriaco Lagunzad III.

By Anna Leah E. Gonzales ENVIRONMENT

Secretary Regina Lopez said Tuesday only eleven of the 41 operating metallic mines in the country passed the mining audit.

“The audit was finished on the end of August. After that, we had a series of consolidation of results. Eleven mines have passed the audit and 20 need to get their acts together,” Lopez said in a news briefing. The department earlier suspended the operations of 10 mines.

The Environment Department said the companies that passed the audit were Philex Mining Corp., Rio Tuba Nickel Corp., Cagdianao Mining Corp., Carmen Copper Corp., Techiron Res. Inc., Apex Mining Co. Inc., Taganito Mining Corp., Platinum Group Metals Corp., Greenstone Resources Corp., Pacific Nickel Philippines

Renewable Energy Corp., chairman of Philippine Phosphate Fertilizer Corp. and former president and chief executive of Nickel Asia Corp. Zamora, an avid golfer, is the promoter and executive producer of ‘Jason Vs Rory: Battle for a Cause’ presented by PLDT Inc. and Smart. “My vision is to continue bringing in world-class golfing events to the Philippines to thrill our golf enthusiasts and fans, giving them access to the game and the players that they love,” said Zamora. Zamora said he would establish a golf academy at Puerto Azul Golf and Country Club to train young Filipino golfers. “I want to nurture and support our next generation of Filipino golfers by creating opportunities and venues for them to obtain the funding and training that they need,” he said.

Inc. and Philsaga Mining Corp.

Lopez said while these companies passed the audit, she would still make sure their operations would be better. “They are running their operations much better than the others. However, in efforts to get better, even if they passed, I still want to talk to them and push them a little better,” she said.

Environment Undersecretary for environment and head of mining audit team Leo Jasareno said 20 companies did not pass the audit for violating mining and environmental laws and for having inadequate social development program.

“These companies will be given due process. They will be provided with a report and seven days to explain why they should not be held viable for the violations,’ Jasareno said.

“Once we receive the response to the explanation, the department will review the explanation. If the

He said he would lease the 18hole Puerto Azul Golf and Country Club for 23 years starting this year. “Our deal is to rehabilitate the golf course. Our rule of thumb for world-class golf course, it will require an investment of $1 million per hole. So it will be $18 million,” said Zamora.

Zamora said Puerto Azul Golf and Country Club, designed by Gary Player, used to be known as one of the most beautiful courses in the country. “It is a combination of a mountain course and an ocean course. When they opened Puerto Azul, there were comments that it was the best golf course ever,” he said.

Zamora said the downturn of the economy and the lack of players led to the decline of the Cavite golf course over the past decades. “We are trying to rekindle the vision of the Panlilio family,” he said.

department will find that there is a reason for them to stop in the meantime, why they have to mitigate the violations then department will issue the suspension order,” said Jasareno.

These companies include Lepanto Consolidated Mining Co., Benguet Corp., OceanaGold Philippines Inc., Filminera Resources Corp., Strongbuilt Mining Development Corp., AAMPhil Natural Res. Explo & Dev. Corp., Admana Mining Res. Corp., Minimax Mineral Explo Corp. and Carrascal Mining Corp.

Other mining companies that failed the audit were Century Peak Corp., CTP Construction and Mining Corp., Agata Mining Ventures Inc., SR Metals Inc., Wellex Mining Corp., Krominco Inc., Libjo Mining Corp., Marcventures Mining and Development Corp., Norweah Metals & Minerals Co. Inc.,

Oriental Synergy Mining Corp. and Sinosteel Phils HY Mining Corp.

Benguet Corp. expressed surprise and took exception to the findings and recommendation of DENR to suspend the company due to non-rehabilitation of the Antamok open pit, saying “it has continuously exerted efforts to initiate projects including converting it into a bulk water project and a waste to energy facility.”

“Local government units have in fact requested and endorsed the pursuit of the projects, signing memorandum of agreements with BC as early as June 2016. While the company recognizes there was delay in the rehabilitation of the open pit for reasons beyond its control, it has not abandoned it,” Benguet Corp. said.

“Benguet Corp. remains committed to the rehabilitation of An-

tamok. It is well aware of its obligations as a responsible mining company. As an ISO: 14001 certified company, it has always been a step ahead in the implementation of rehabilitation projects that will redound to the benefits of the communities where it operates,” it said. The Chamber of Mines of the Philippines also decried the audit results, saying the mining audit was done “in a punitive manner rather than objectively.”

“When you suddenly change the rules of the game, there should have been an earlier dialog between companies and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources given that the audit report was already finished in August. As early as August, the alleged violations could have already been addressed instead of setting a trap for suspension,” said CoMP vice president for policy Ronald Recidoro.

Chamber: EU companies wary

By Othel V. Campos

THE political noise in the Philippines is dampening the interest of European companies in joining a major business dialogue with their Philippine counterparts.

European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines president Gunther Taus conceded that his group was having a hard time convincing European fi rms to come over during the EU-Philippines Business Summit on October 4, 2016 to be held at the Makati Shangri-

La, Manila.

“It has been increasingly more difficult to sell the Philippines (to EU countries). But that will not stop us from doing what we do. Maybe what happened (referring to the anti-West posturing of President Rodrigo Duterte)

SAMSUNG executives are learning the bitter truth about the saying that goes, “Haste makes waste.” In the haste to take advantage of what they assumed would be a so-so iPhone 7 from rival Apple, the Korean company came out with the Galaxy Note 7 last August–only to find itself in what is likely the worst crisis in its history because the phones are turning out to be faulty. Reports soon started coming out about units displaying spontaneous combustion or catching fire while charging.

The spate of complaints from unhappy customers prompted the company to launch a recall of the 2.5 million units that have been sold in 10 countries, including the United States, from the time of the launch until early this month. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission called the Samsung smartphone a serious fire hazard.

But to a customer who happens to be an only child, the issue is more serious because it would have meant the end of his lineage if the phone went into spontaneous combustion while inside his front pocket. Fortunately, he placed the phone in his back pocket so save for a few minor burns in his backside, he was assured that his capabilities to procreate have not been impaired.

Aside from the damage to its reputation, the Suwon-based company will be set back to the tune of about $2 billion. Customers who were quick to return their Note 7s are not as enthusiastic to get the replacement units though. Besides, the recall process seems to have hit a snag particularly in South Korea, with reports coming out that the new units’ batteries overheat and drain quickly. Samsung claims these cases are isolated and have nothing to do with battery issues—but this explanation is leaving a sour note to disappointed customers.

Are you a digital leader?

A new study by Oxford Economics and sponsored by SAP—a market leader in enterprise application software—shows that only one in five business executives is a “Digital Leader.” Dubbed as the Leaders 2020 Study, the survey included more than 4,000 executives and employees in 21 countries with the aim of identifying the characteristics of organizations that are succeeding in the digital economy. Apparently, there is now an emerging class of new leaders that embraces a digital mindset, resulting in stronger business outcomes.

Among the best reasons why one should be a digital leader includes a stronger financial performance, with 76 percent of executives characterized in the study as digital leaders reporting strong revenue and profit growth, compared with 55 percent of all other executives surveyed. Digital leaders have employees who are more likely to be satisfied (87 percent) at work, compared with 63 percent of all other respondents. Employees are also more likely to stay put with the job even if they have an opportunity to leave.

“It’s clear that a different kind of leadership is required to succeed in the digital economy,” said Mike Ettling, president of SAP SuccessFactors. “People, particularly millennials and the generations behind them, expect more inclusive and social leaders, more diversity at the leadership level, and less hierarchy. Technology plays a role in giving us, as leaders, access to insights needed to make decisions quickly, and to attract and develop the next set of leaders,” Ettling added.

So how do you know if you are a digital leader?

According to the study, 80 percent of those characterized as digital leaders make decisions that are “data driven” and do it in real time. They simplify decision-making and are more likely to be transparent and distribute decision making throughout the organization. Companies led by digital leaders also prioritize diversity and inclusion, likely seen in a higher proportion of female employees compared with other companies. What’s more, they are cognizant of diversity’s positive impact on culture (66 percent versus 37 percent) and equate increased diversity to financial performance (37 percent versus 29 percent).

It’s also interesting to note that digital-savvy bosses listen to younger executives, seen in the number of millennials quickly occupying corporate leadership positions. As the study notes, millennials will soon make up 50 percent of the workforce, so they will have a powerful voice to shift corporate culture. What they say really matters—and they are saying it’s time for change.

“These findings should serve as a wakeup call for business leaders,” said Edward Cone, deputy director of Thought Leadership at Oxford Economics, who oversaw the research program. “Your employees, your younger executives and your financial results are all sending you a clear message about the importance of updating and upgrading leadership skills for the digital age. It’s time to listen and lead—or get out of the way.”

•••

For comments, reactions, photos, stories and related concerns, readers may email to happyhourtoday2012@yahoo. com. You may also visit and like our Facebook page https:// www.facebook.com/happyhourmanilastandard. Cheers!

was just an isolated case. But if we could move on to the right direction, there is hope,” he said in a briefing Tuesday in Makati City.

“It is key that we focus on the fact that despite the president’s strong rhetoric, people in government and in the private sector are continuously working together on further improving the business environment and leveling the playing field for both EU and Philippine companies alike,” the chamber said.

The group said it was focused on the 10-point program of the new administration as the foun-

dation for the future growth of trade and investments in the country.

Despite the unfortunate events, the chamber said it remained optimistic in attracting over 300 participants—ranging from executives of European and local companies, to representatives from the executive and legislative bodies and EU member countries.

Taus said it would be the best interest of the EU and the Philippines to separate politics, issue on extrajudicial killings and human rights violations from business.

The chamber expects the business summit to deepen the ties between the EU and the Philippines and help define the next chapter of economic and trade relations.

Government leaders and representatives from the EU delegation are also expected to give updates on the Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus, or GSP+, an initiative that has already raised Philippine exports to the EU by 13 percent.

The conference will give updates on the EU free trade agreement after the first round of negotiations in May and the second

toward the end of 2016. The summit discuss concerns on foreign ownership as well as restrictions on investments, and issues on intellectual property rights. The summit aims to increase the Philippines’ competitiveness and create a business and investment-friendly economic environment, the chamber said. Trade between the Philippines and EU in 2015 reached $13 billion. The EU is the largest foreign investor in the Philippines, with a foreign direct investment stock in the country of over €6.2 billion.

THE Philippine Competition Commission, after facing an initial setback on the telecommunications sector, is launching an inquiry on the cement industry following a complaint from a previous government official.

PCC Commissioner El Cid Butuyan said the agency was keen on pursuing anti-competitiveness complaints if it saw merits on the case.

“There are still some anticompetitive practices present in the (cement) industry. We just recently received the complaint. In fact, it was just days that the complaint was filed. We are looking into this and we’ll take the necessary steps to proceed with the inquiry,” he said.

The law requires the commission to conduct a 90-day preliminary inquiry before launching a full investigation of the case.

It may engage both the private and public sectors in the investigation.

Butuyan declined to disclose the nature of the complaint nor confirm if it had something to do with price manipulation or a cement cartel limiting local volume by bringing in more imports.

The Trade Department’s Bureau of Import Services said total volume of imported cement reached 1.08 metric tons as of July this year.

The department has acted on reports of a disparity in prices across the country and complaints of possible misdeclaration of imports.

It also launched an investigation freight rates from the countries of origin of cement imports to determine the basis for the price increases.

Data showed that freight cost in Taiwan ranged from $18.66 to $23.58; $16.65-$20.02 in Vietnam; and $10 to $20 in China.

The PCC is pursuing anti-competition complaints and reviewing business contracts that affect consumers and other businesses.

Meanwhile, the commission is optimistic of a favorable ruling on the appeal it filed with Court of Appeals, after two telecommunications companies won a temporary restraining order favoring the controversial sale of a telecommunications bandwidth. Othel V. Campos

PAJ OFFICIALS. Roman Floresca (left), former business editor of The Philippine Star, is re-elected

Lumongsod

Thomson Reuters, VP for external affairs; Ma

Media Source Corp.), treasurer; Michael Alunan

By Jenniffer B. Austria

THE continued outfl ow of hot money from the equities market and the steep depreciation of the peso against the dollar are due to global developments and not because of President Rodrigo Duterte’s tough rhetorics, stock market analysts said Tuesday.

BDO Capital and Investments Corp. president Eduardo Francisco said in an interview at the sidelines of an investment forum hosted by CFA Institute other markets in Asia were also experiencing foreign selling because of other global developments.

“I don’t agree that it is because of how our president talks. There are many factors,” Francisco said.

He noted the that BDO Unibank’s recent announcement of P60-billion stock rights offering was proof that the group of retail tycoon Henry Sy remained confident about the domestic economy.

“Despite what the market is saying, there is P60 billion worth of fresh capital going to the capital markets to support BDO. So why BDO? Because the bank thinks that loans growth is going to grow and we need more capital because we see under this ad-

ministration there will be infra, real estate and real estate despite the negatives,” Francisco said.

BPI Securities chief executive offi cer and managing director Michaelangelo Oyson attributed the market’s decline and the outfl ow of foreign funds to the impending US interest rate hike.

“For now this is really driven by Yellen in the same way the rally we saw this year was driven not by Duterte but because of Yellen. Driven by the fact that we saw negative interest rates in OECD economies so with the rates being low in OECD, you saw outflows of money from developed markets to emerging markets and the Philippines happens to benefit from the inflows from the developed markets,” Oyson said.

“That is why this is just a reversal because the Fed is sort of starting to signal that at some point, it will raise interest rates. The rhetoric of President Duterte may have an impact but this stage is very much driven by the Fed,” Oyson added.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index fell 75.12

PHILAM Asset Management Inc., the asset management arm of Philam Life, once again received acclaim as one of the country’s leading fund management companies after bagging six awards at the Philippine Investment Fund Association 10th Annual Awards Night.

The country’s mutual fund industry association, PIFA, in its annual awards recognizes the top performing mutual funds in terms of returns for one-year, three-year, five-year and ten-year periods.

PAMI Horizon Fund Inc. won first place in the 10-year return, peso-denominated balanced fund category. PAMI’s other peso-denominated balanced fund, the Philam Fund, Inc., won second place under the 10-year return in the same asset-class category.

Philam Managed Income Fund Inc. won second place in both the 3-year and 5-year return under the Money Market Fund Category.

Meanwhile, under the dollar-denominated Bond Fund category, the Philam Dollar Bond

Fund, Inc. won third place in the oneyear return and second place in the 10-year return.

Philam Life and PAMI receive citations from The Asset.

In addition to its awards from PIFA, Philam Life/ Philam Asset Management Inc., was cited as among the Top 5 Investment Houses for 2016 by The Asset, earning the recognition for three years now. This reflects the company’s investments expertise and sound management of its financial assets.

“We are proud to have sustained our place in the local financial markets as a credible and prudent institutional investor supporting market liquidity while upholding ethical standards in securities trading,” said Arleen May Guevara, Philam Life chief investment officer.

points on Tuesday to 7,557.34 tracking the overall downturn in emerging markets in the wake of recent indications of a potential rate increase in the US and volatility in the world oil and commodities markets. The PSE also defended Duterte from the market’s slide.

“We have been experiencing net foreign selling in the market in the past weeks but numbers show that this has slowed down following the recent meeting of the US Federal Reserve,” said PSE president and chief executive Hans Sicat.

“Perhaps it is also an indication of fund managers locking in gains, as the PSEi has delivered double digit returns since the start of the year. Our economic fundamentals remain strong and this should continue to help corporate performance moving forward,” he added.

Ray S. Eñano, Editor

business@manilastandardtoday.com

extrastory2000@gmail.com

B4 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016

ADB says Asia’s growth stable, cites India, China

HONG KONG―The Asian Development Bank said Tuesday that growth across the region was holding stable despite global headwinds, with resilience in China and India keeping it on track.

GDP for developing Asia is predicted to grow 5.7 percent in 2016 and 2017, according to the bank’s latest report―down slightly from 5.9 percent in 2015.

“Strong growth in the PRC (China) and India is helping the region maintain its growth momentum,” said ADB’s deputy chief economist Juzhong Zhuang.

“Still, policymakers need to watch for the downside risks including potential capital reversals that could be triggered by monetary policy changes in advanced economies, especially the United States.”

Although China growth has dropped from 6.9 percent last year, its performance so far in 2016 surpassed the bank’s previous forecast, with fiscal and

monetary stimulus measures behind the increase, the ADB report said.

The bank revised up slightly its predictions for China growth to 6.6 percent in 2016 and 6.4 percent in 2017. Both figures are up 0.1 percent from the bank’s previous report in March.

India saw a boost to private consumption after recently approved increases in wages and pensions, and a healthy monsoon is likely to lift rural incomes, the ADB said.

It maintained its growth forecast for India at 7.4 percent for 2016 and 7.8 percent for 2017, with improvements driven by a recovery in private investment

and bank reforms.

However, a slow recovery in the US, the eurozone and Japan will still weigh on the region, with question marks over monetary policy in those areas.

The report described risks to the regional outlook as “tilted to the downside,” with the possibility of a US Federal Reserve rate hike a possible threat to capital flows.

The ADB also warned policymakers against any move towards protectionism which it said “would only undermine the recovery.”

Looking to the future, the Manila-based regional bank said it was increasingly important for

developing Asia to cut its carbon emissions, which went from 25 percent of the global total in 1990–1999 to 40 percent in 2012.

The effects of climate change, from shorter rainy seasons to droughts and outbreaks of disease could be catastrophic if unchecked, it said.

“If uncontrolled, climate change may lead to economic loss equivalent to 10 percent of GDP in 2100, reversing many hard-won socioeconomic gains in the region,” the report said.

The ADB promotes social and economic development in Asia and has 67 members, 48 from the region. AFP

WALT Disney Co. is working with a financial adviser to evaluate a possible bid for Twitter Inc., according to people familiar with the matter.

After receiving interest in discussing a deal, Twitter has started a process to evaluate a potential sale. Salesforce.com Inc. is also considering a bid and is working with Bank of America on the process, according to other people, who asked not to be named because the matter is private.

Representatives for Twitter and Disney didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Speculation that Twitter will be sold has been gathering steam in recent months, including last week’s news of Salesforce’s interest, given the social-media company’s slumping stock and difficulties in attracting new users and advertising revenue. Disney, the owner of ABC and ESPN, could obtain a new online outlet for entertainment, sports and news. Jack Dorsey, chief executive officer of Twitter, is on the board of Disney. Twitter rose as much as 2.1 percent to $23.09 after being down earlier. The stock soared 21 percent on Sept. 23 following reports of the talks with Salesforce. Disney fell, dropping as much as 2 percent to $91.40.

“It’s a video distribution play,” said James Cakmak, an analyst at Monness Crespi Hardt & Co. “What Disney has to think about is what is its place in a post cord-cutting world. They are investing in technology for distribution—and this would give them the platform to reach audiences around the

Bankrupt Japanese town takes steps to halt ‘ghost’ status

By Chikako Mogi and Yuki Hagiwara

A SLEEPY, former coal-mining town in northern Japan is taking unprecedented measures to combat its biggest challenge: a devastating shrinking of its population. Its success could decide the future for hundreds of other local governments waging the same battle for survival.

Since its peak in the post-war economic boom of the 1960s, the population of Yubari, a little more than an hour’s drive east of Sapporo on Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido, has declined by more than 90 percent to just 9,000 as older residents died and young people moved away to bigger cities. Ten years ago, it became Japan’s first municipality to declare bankruptcy.

To keep from becoming a so-called ghost town―when a city ceases to function due to a precipitous decline in population and is ultimately abandoned―Yubari embarked on a drastic experiment. City officials began merging schools, slashing government jobs and salaries, halting funds for public swimming pools, toilets and parks, curtailing services such as bus routes and snow removal, and downgrading the local hospital to a clinic. The most drastic measure has been the forced relocation of hundreds of residents from public housing on the city’s outskirts to blocks of new, low-rise apartments closer to the city center.

“Yubari can potentially lead the example of a real-time compact city,” said Yoshio Kurihara, senior researcher at Mitsui Global Strategic Studies Institute in Tokyo, who called Yubari’s experiment an “extremely important” model for Japan. “Successful results from the city’s trial can be applied on a nationwide scale.”

By 2040, about half of Japan’s municipalities, or 896 towns and cities, will be on a course to future extinction as their numbers of women of reproductive age drop below levels needed to sustain them, according Japan Policy Council projections. More than 20 percent of residential areas in Japan will become ghost towns by 2050, Japan’s land ministry forecasts. And data from the Na-

A couple walks past commercial buildings in

tional Institute of Population and Social Security Research show a 16 percent population decline country-wide within 25 years, with 20 percent of municipalities experiencing a drop below 5,000 people. The “compact city” solution is being considered as a model for survival by these areas facing depopulation. Some small towns and cities in rural prefectures have been experimenting with merging to reduce public administration costs. That has led to a small local government looking after a large area, making it difficult to provide services to remote residents.

Authorities in prefectures such as Aomori and Toyama also have been trying to implement the compact city strategy, but they have faced strong resistance from residents to relocate even after improving transportation and commercial infrastructure to lure people into central areas. That makes the Yubari experiment, largely being carried out with public support, unique.

“Yubari’s example can definitely be

applied to other municipalities,” Kurihara said. “Yubari shows what the future holds and offers hints.”

Negative reaction

Residents had initially reacted negatively to the relocation plan, according to Tsuyoshi Setoguchi, a professor specializing in urban planning at Hokkaido University, who was involved in creating and implementing Yubari’s compact city plan. He and his students met with relocated residents over the course of a year to provide details of the plan and convince them of the benefits.

“Their first reaction was, ‘We are old and are gone in 10 years so why not leave us alone,’ or that to move was too tiresome at that point in their lives,” said Setoguchi, noting that a survey of a group of relocated residents he conducted showed they gave an above-average rating to their new environment. “Many expressed the merits of being able to live in an assembled community, which provided a sense of security and helped cut costs such as heating.”

Some residents complained about the environment for raising children, with public parks suffering from funding cuts and kids having to leave town for high school. Yet for others, a new home is an upgrade. Convenient bathing

Yoneo Watabiki, 76, who spent a third of his life working at the coal mines, said he had no qualms about leaving the public housing, made of wood, where he’d lived with his family for decades.

“I am glad I moved,” Watabiki said.

“Now I have a bath in my own house and don’t have to go to public bathhouses. I can take a shower when I want to.”

Another resident, Kiyoshi Yanagihara, 97, who moved to Yubari to work in the mines after completing military service in 1943, said he also enjoys having a more convenient place to bathe, as well as a nearby food cooperative and neighbors who cook for each other.

“The current residence is very comfortable compared with the previous one―like heaven and hell,” he said. “I

don’t feel lonely because the people I’ve lived with for 20 and 30 years have all relocated together.”

More housing

Since starting the relocation process in 2010, Yubari had moved 275 households, or 5 percent of total, as of 2015.

As a result, the cost of maintaining and managing public housing has fallen to about 70 million yen ($680,000) annually from about 100 million yen six years ago. The plan is to construct 33 more low-rise blocks for public housing by 2020, as well as build or renovate lowrent apartment blocks for at least 800 workers who currently commute from the outskirts. By 2019, the city plans a complex to potentially house government offices, a library, a cafe, a childcare center and other facilities.

These days, the outskirts of Yubari are dotted with vacated, decrepit buildings. Faded billboards of old movies such as “Roman Holiday” can be seen downtown near a now-deserted entertainment area where closed cafes and karaoke bars provide a glimpse of the hustle-bustle of days of old. The lively town was a coal capital in Japan, and its population grew to 117,000 in the 1960s. Yubari has been in slow decline over the past 50 years.

The last mine closed in 1990.

Most aged Its 9,000 people are collectively the country’s most aged, with those 65 and older accounting for 48 percent of its residents. Yubari’s population is expected to further halve over the next 10 years. Through cost-cutting measures, Yubari has paid back about a third of its debt accrued through bond issuance, but still has to repay 25 billion yen by March 2027.

The city’s revenue has dwindled by about two-thirds since 2009.

Yubari Mayor Naomichi Suzuki, 35, said the city is looking to tap revenue from national resources, namely coalbed methane from the former mines.

“It’s important to balance the defensive policy of the compact city plan with an offensive one of lifting revenue,” he said in an interview.

Even though the population outlook looks grim, the city’s youngest-ever mayor, who took office in 2011, says there are other ways to build a successful community. Bloomberg

‘Police refuse P100,000’

By Jun David

NORTHERN Police District Director Police Senior Supt.

Roberto Fajardo lauded the members of the anti-drug section of Caloocan Police Station for refusing to receive bribe money allegedly offered to them in exchange for the liberty of two suspected drug lords arrested over the weekend.

Erap: 6 schools help solve traffic

By Sandy Araneta

SAYING that the traffic problem in the National Capital region is “more than just a state of mind,” Manila Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada on Monday sought the help of school officials and students in solving it, especially in the University Belt.

Early this month, Transport Secretary Arthur Tugade was quoted in the media as saying that the Metro Manila traffic congestion is just a state of mind.

“We all know that areas near and around the universities experience high-volume traffic so we’ve sought the help of school officials and students directly affected by traffic jams,” Estrada said.

He launched his “Pook Kaayusan Adopt-a-Traffic Enforcer” program that invites universities and colleges are to “adopt” a team of Manila Traffic and Parking Bureau (MTPB) traffic enforcers to manage vehicular and pedestrian traffic.

In return, the school administrations are urged to give traffic

enforcers free meals, allowances, or tuition discounts or scholarship grants for their children.

“Traffic enforcers, as we all know, receive meager salaries, the reason why most of them resort to extortion,” the bureau said.

“They will own the problem,” it added. “And since they know the community better than us, we will engage them in solving traffic.”

Among those that have positively responded to the program are UP Manila and the so-called “Mendiola Consortium”: Centro Escolar University, College of the Holy Spirit, La Consolacion College Manila, San Beda College, and Saint Jude Catholic School, the bureau said.

There are 27 public and private colleges and universities in the University Belt area alone, 13 on Taft Avenue, and four located within the walls of Intramuros.

School officials will also be given authority, in close coordination with MTPB, to deputize their own personnel or students in managing traffic in their respective jurisdictions.

The operatives arrested Christina Quintan who offered a bribe of P100,000 and a .45-caliber Kimber Yonkers gun in exchange for the release of two high-value illegal-drug peddlers, who were earlier arrested in a drug buy bust operation on Gen. San Miguel, Barangay 8 on the midnight of September 24.

The Caloocan police and Region III director Aaron Aquino were tipped by an informant in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan on a high-value drug peddler trading in the city.

Operatives of the Caloocan police and station anti illegal drugs-special operation task group captured Quintan’s husband Angelito and Eddie Paunan in a buy-bust opera-

tion at 4:30 p.m. Friday also on Gen. San Miguel. About 126 grams of suspected shabu in five medium plastic sachets worth P240,000 were confiscated. Police said Quintan has been charged for violation of Article 212 of the Revised Penal Code (corruption of public officials) and Republic Act 10591.

DSWD names 5 child-friendly cities

THE Department of Social Welfare and Development on Monday announced the winners for the Presidential Award for Child-Friendly Municipalities and Cities (PACFMC).

The five cities that won awards are: Buenavista, Guimaras in the first to third class municipality category; Dumalneg, Ilocos Norte in the fourth to sixth class municipality category; Ilagan City in the component city category; Santiago City in the independent component city

category; and Davao City in the highly urbanized city category.

DSWD Secretary Judy Taguiwalo said individuals, families, agencies and organizations who protect the welfare of the children were among the most vulnerable sectors in Philippine society.

PACFMC recognizes local government units who safeguard children’s rights.

“Their individual and organizational contributions, big or small, make our country a better place for our children. The awar-

dees and finalists did their best to provide Filipino children with quality and effective programs and services. We want their efforts to be sustained and replicated in aid of other marginalized and vulnerable groups and families that need our support and service,” Taguiwalo said.

She reminded everyone that much still has to be done for Filipino children.

“Many of them do not still fully enjoy basic rights such as education, food and shelter. We

can reach out to many more of our children. We can all help build a better future for them,” Taguiwalo said. The secretary also thanked the Council for the Welfare of Children for taking the lead in recognizing child-friendly LGUs and providing them with technical support and assistance. She also thanked the LGUs for their efforts to improve the quality of services and initiatives for children’s welfare and development. PNA

EDC helps poor students get into UP

CLARENCE GAMEZ was among the top-ranked graduating students of Ramon Torres Louisiana National High School in Bago City, Negros Occidental. But instead of pursuing a college degree, she simply wanted to find a job as a kasambahay because it meant earning at least P3,000 monthly for her poor family.

Today, more than four years later, Clarence is a proud graduate of the University of the PhilippinesVisayas and looks forward to having a stable, good-paying job in Manila or in her home province, thanks

to an innovative college scholarship and mentorship program of the Energy Development Corp. (EDC), a global leader in geothermal energy and the country’s renewable energy production pioneer.

Recently, EDC officials celebrated the accomplishments of CAREERS scholars in a graduation program at the EDC office in Ortigas Center, Pasig City. Unlike typical scholarship programs, EDC’s College Admission Review and Readiness (CAREERS) program helps prepare underprivileged but high-

potential public high school graduates, some of whom have not yet even heard of the University of the Philippines (UP), for its entrance examinations and those of other top state universities and colleges nationwide.

CAREERS helps produce college graduates who can compete with their urban counterparts for gainful employment in companies to help them secure a brighter future, bring their families out of poverty and empower them to become future nation builders.

Every year, the EDC corporate

6

social responsibility team mobilizes partner public high schools in Albay, Sorsogon, Leyte, Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental, and North Cotabato to invite top performing candidates to sign up for the UP College Admission Test (UPCAT) and help them choose the best courses suited to their capabilities. The next step involves three weeks of intense summer review classes in selected public schools conducted by teachers enlisted by EDC to help prepare the CAREERS candidates for the UPCAT.

By Jun David

MALABON—Six commuters were seriously injured when a bus racing another hit the one they were on in Malabon before dawn Sunday. The Malabon City police-traffic enforcement unit reported the incident took place around 2:30 a.m. on MacArthur Highway in Barangay Potrero. AC Trans driver Rodel Celemenia reportedly got irritated when he was passed by another bus, so he tried to overtake the latter but hit a stalled Pena Liner driven by Brando Tumbali.

Celemenia tried to put on the breaks but his bus still hit the back portion of Tumbali’s bus, damaging its door. The AC Trans bus was also gravely damaged.

Six of Tumbali’s passengers were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment of injuries in different parts of their bodies.

CdO to be R-10 education hub

By Lance Baconguis

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—Mayor

Oscar Moreno on Monday announced the completion of eight threestory classrooms in Barangay Bonbon, adding that his government has built 458 classrooms since 2013, when the local school board was convened.

In 2013, the city government planned to construct 300 classrooms in the next three years, but it exceeded this target. “Now we are planning to construct 600 classrooms more in the next three years,” Moreno said. He said that it was important to invest in education because it is the foundation of stable economies. Moreno wants the city to be the education center of the Northern Mindanao. “We must make sure

that Cagayan de Oro is not only the commercial hub of the region, we must also become the education center, we must develop our education sector,” he said.

The city government has done away with the entire city’s annex high schools which shares rooms with elementary schools.

“The annex high schools were in a sorry state, they don’t get budget allocations from the national high school. Meanwhile, the

Measure

A HOUSE bill calls for the declaration of a “state of traffic and congestion crisis” and gives President Rodrigo Duterte emergency powers and funds to solve what it dubs a “carmageddon.”

HB 3712 titled “Traffic and Congestion Crisis Act of 2016” proposes a traffic policy based on the constitutional directive promoting social justice; emergency presidential powers; formulation of a Decongestion and Transportation Network Development

Reform Plan—for land-based transport, rail and toll roads, air transport, and seaports; designation of the transport department as crisis manager; special modes of procurement; safeguards through the Executive Order on Freedom of Information and a congressional oversight committee; and an initial P20 billion for its implementation. The bill said the President “may reorganize and rationalize the existing structure of the

Department of Transportation, Land Transportation Office, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, Civil Aeronautics Board, Metro Manila Development Authority, PNP-Highway Patrol Group, and other agencies in the transportation sector.”

The bill also provides that within six months from its enactment, the President “may abolish, merge or create agencies, offices and

positions; split, group, or merge positions; adopt a rationalization plan, transfer functions, equipment, properties, records and personnel; institute drastic cost-cutting measures; and take such other related actions necessary to carry out the declared State policy.”

The bill’s author, Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda, also proposes special modes of procurement to immediately provide the facilities and infrastructures and cut through red tape.

city’s population is growing, there is a backlog of school buildings, we need to invest in our education system,” the mayor explained.

The city infrastructure development is funded by the mandatory one-percent income from the real property tax.

“The board as an independent body of government, private and public school officials, academe and civil society identified, prioritized and approved for the con-

struction of the public schools in the city,” Moreno said. City Engineer Elmer Pacuribot said that the new buildings comply with standards on school buildings.

“The passageways are wide, each classrooms have high ceilings and their own restrooms, light are abundant and the roof deck will serve as evacuation centers in time of disasters without interrupting classes,” Pacuribot said.

THE Philippines’ largest rotisserie chain, Chooks-to-Go, recently gave more than P1 million in cash and other exciting prizes to lucky, unsuspecting customers. Under Chooks-to-Go’s biggest nationwide raffle promo, Chooks-to-Win, Janice Bulan, a 34-year-old working student from General Santos City, became P1 million richer when her raffle entry—a stub she earned from buying Chooks-to-Go for a family celebration— was drawn as the grand prize winner. The 54-year-old Margarita Asayas of Mandaue City, Cebu took home the P100,000 third prize while Blesilda Ong of Meycauayan, Bulacan, bagged the P250,000 second prize.

The rotisserie chain also gave away 30 Apple iPad minis. The Chooks-to-Win promo also gave away thousands of free oven-roasted chicken to lucky customers nationwide who scratched winning “Chooks” combinations in their raffle stubs.

TO reduce the carbon footprint of The Coca-Cola Company’s products, Wilkins Distilled and Wilkins Pure are now bottled in environment-friendly PET bottles. PET lessens petroleum use in manufacturing and transportation, and may be recycled into clothing material, plastic lumber or new bottles.

The lighter PET bottles of Wilkins Distilled and Wilkins Pure that use 24 percent less plastic are also approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and the Philippines Food and Drug Administration for food application.

Behind every bottle of Wilkins is a story of the company’s uncompromising commitment to product quality and safety.

Every drop of Wilkins Distilled water goes through eight-

step purification, making it one of the recommended brands by pediatricians and the number one trusted brand among mothers. It follows state-of-the-art purification and distillation process, and complies with a food and safety management system certified to FSSC22000 standard that is recognized by the Global Food and Safety Initiative. This ensures that every bottle of Wilkins Distilled is water in its cleanest and purest form, making it suitable for children. The brand stays true to its claim of being untouched by human hands and suits those who refuse to compromise the health and safety of their families. For the active and on-the-go lifestyle of young adults, Wilkins Pure brings the uncompromised daily hydration and balance that healthy bodies need.

Davao mayor cites 69 model retirees

By F. Pearl A. Gajunera

DAVAO CITY—Mayor Sara

Duterte-Carpio gave 69 model retirees P20,000 each as a reward for their years of service to the city.

Duterte said some of the retirees served for 44 years.

The cash incentive was on top of the P20,000 cash given to those who served the city for 40 years, P15,000 for those who served for at least 30 years, P10,000 for those who served at least 20 years, and P5,000 for those who served at least 10 years.

A message read by the Duterte’s chief of staff, lawyer Raul Nadela Jr. emphasized that the city government has become a “fine, well-oiled machine” because of the 69 retirees’ contribution of “time, talents, and energy devoted to the performance

of their respective tasks.”

Before the awarding program in Grand Men Seng Hotel, the model retirees were also recognized by local employees in a short program in front of the City Hall. Civil Service Commission Regional Director Annabelle Rosell said the retirees are “just retiring from government service and not from life.”

“They should continue to live a healthy life and be active in the community,” said Rosell. Liwayway Caligdong, who worked with the Davao City Social Services and Development Office for the past 24 years, expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve the Dabawenyos. Caligdong said she was happy and proud to be working with a local government that truly “gives prime importance to the people.”

Sino supplied Nokor nukes

WASHINGTON—The United States moved to tighten the economic noose around North Korea Monday, charging and sanctioning a firm owned by a prominent Chinese businesswoman for extensive trade ties with the regime.

In a move designed to chokeoff North Korea’s external economic lifeline, the US government targeted 44-year-old Ma Xiaohong and her vast conglomerate based in China’s frontier city of Dandong.

to fund North Korea’s uranium enrichment facilities, and to design, make, and test its nuclear weapons, the report said.

Some of the items traded included aluminum ingots, aluminum oxide, ammonium paratungstate and tungsten trioxide, materials used in nuclear enrichment centrifuges and missile design.

anshu, Hong Jinhua and Luo Chuanxu on the sanctions blacklist, banning American individuals or companies from doing business with them.

The department also moved to seize 25 bank accounts controlled by Dandong Hongxiang, on grounds that they “represent property involved in money laundering.”

lated nuclear-armed country. US President Barack Obama recently met his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Hangzhou, China and urged stricter implementation of UN sanctions against North Korea.

The firm, Dandong Hongxiang, and a host of officials are accused of making up a “key illicit network supporting North Korea’s weapons proliferation,” according to Treasury sanctions tsar Adam Szubin.

Dandong Hongxiang did more than $530 million worth of trade with North Korea between 2011 and 2015, according to a report by the Asian Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul and C4ADS in Washington. That could have been enough

New South Korea laws crush graft

SEOUL—The owner of Poom Seoul, an upmarket restaurant in South Korea’s capital is seriously considering closing her business, as customers dwindle ahead of new anti-graft laws designed to curb paid-for favours.

The law, which comes into effect Wednesday will make it illegal for government employees, private school teachers and journalists to accept meals worth 30,000 won ($26) or more.

“The number of reservations have recently fallen sharply as customers are apparently worried they might be caught in breach of the law,” Roh YoungHee told Agence France Presse.

“There are meals of different price ranges in the world, but with 30,000 won you cannot produce decent Korean dishes,” she added.

The legislation, the latest effort to curb low level corruption endemic in South Korea, targets teachers bribed by parents to give better grades, journalists paid to give favorable publicity and officials bought off by businessmen to speed up bureaucratic processes.

The law has prompted some restaurateurs to introduce graftbusting menus.

“Instead of expensive Korean beef, we are now using imported US beef for our new dinner set priced at 29,800 won,” Restaurant Condu manager Han YoonJoo said. The ban also forbids teachers, officials and journalists accepting gifts worth 50,000 won or higher, and cash gifts above 100,000 won for weddings or funerals.

Offenders who accept gifts worth more than a million won will face a jail sentence of up to three years, or fines of up to 30 million won.

Department stores have started to prepare cheaper gift sets and rates to play on golf courses have plunged.

In the past, people charged with receiving bribes got away with a slap on the wrist or were acquitted as it was hard to prove that money or gifts changed hands in return for a favor instead of as a token of hospitality.

In 2010, a businessman revealed on a local investigative TV program that he had regularly handed 57 former or incumbent state prosecutors cash gifts or treated them to lavish meals and sex services. AFP

MIST. This composite image released by NASA on Monday shows suspected plumes of water vapor erupting at the 7 o’clock position (bottom left) off the limb of Jupiter’s moon Europa as photographed by NASA’s Hubble’s Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph. AFP

Typhoons shut down Taiwan

TAIPEI—Taiwan went into shutdown Tuesday as the island faces its third typhoon in two weeks, with thousands evacuated, schools and offices closed across the island and hundreds of flights disrupted. Typhoon Megi is expected to make landfall in eastern Taiwan later Tuesday but is already bringing widespread violent winds and torrential rain as it nears the island.

More than 5,000 people have been evacuated from their homes and around 2,000 are in shelters, according to the Central Emergency Operation Center. About 36,000 households have lost power due to the typhoon so far.

US officials said Dandong Hongxiang had acted on behalf of Korea Kwangson Banking Corp., which has already been blacklisted by the United States and United Nations for its support for North Korea’s nuclear and other weapons efforts.

The Justice Department placed three other individuals, Zhou Ji-

The sanctions came after Pyongyang carried out a series of tests on weapons aimed at developing a missile-borne nuclear weapon. On September 9 North Korea conducted its fifth nuclear test triggering international outrage and threats of still further sanctions against the deeply iso-

He later met premier Li Keqiang in New York “and resolved to strengthen coordination” regarding the Korean peninsula, including “invigorating cooperation... in law enforcement channels on North Korea.” Obama’s call appears to have been heeded, at least in part. Shortly after Obama’s meeting with Xi, the Chinese authorities also announced they were investigating the company. Dandong’s provincial public security department said it had placed Dandong Hongxiang and its bosses under investigation for “serious economic crimes involved in trade activities.” AFP

A total of 575 international and domestic flights were canceled as of Tuesday morning, and 109 delayed. Most trains were also halted.

Television footage showed powerful waves surging past breakwaters in northeastern Yilan county and outlying Orchid Island. Ahead of the storm, more than 3,700 tourists had already been evacuated at the weekend from Orchid Island and Green Island -- both popular with visitors. At 0030 GMT, Megi was 220 kilometers (137 miles) southeast of the eastern county of Hualien, packing gusts of up to 198 kilometers (123 miles) per hour. It is moving at 18 kilometers (11.2 miles) an hour -- slower than previously forecast -- delaying the time of landfall to around 0900 GMT Tuesday, according to Taiwan’s weather bureau. AFP

World

Hillary Clinton gains edge in poll debate

HEMPSTEAD--Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump traded insults and sparred over temperament, stamina and judgment Monday, in a fiery US presidential debate that often saw the Republican on the back foot.

to serve in the Oval Office.

Before an anticipated television audience of up to 100 million, Clinton painted the celebrity real estate mogul as fatally out of touch and willing to say “crazy

Mexicans march for 43 missing students

MEXICO CITY--Thousands of people marched on Monday with the parents of 43 missing students in Mexico City, demanding that they be found alive on the second anniversary of their disappearance.

The protesters chanted “we want them alive!” as they rallied across the mega-city’s main boulevard, with the parents leading the demonstration with pictures of their sons.

“It has been two years of pain and suffering,” said Felipe de la Cruz, a spokesman for the families.

“We will topple this rotten government with your support,” he told the crowd.

The students vanished from the city of Iguala on September 26, 2014, after they hijacked buses for a protest in Mexico City and were attacked by local police.

Prosecutors say the officers delivered the 43 trainee teachers to the Guerreros Unidos drug cartel, which killed them, incinerated their bodies at a garbage dump and tossed the remains in a river. The remains of only one student were identified after a bone fragment was found in the river.

But independent experts from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights have rejected the government’s conclusion, saying such a massive funeral pyre at the landfill was scientifically impossible.

The attorney general’s office has since agreed to conduct new searches for the students elsewhere.

Speaking during a visit to Colombia, President Enrique Pena Nieto, whose government has faced criticism for its handling of the case, promised to “expand the investigations” to solve the crime. AFP

things” to get elected.

“You live in your own reality” said the 68-year old Democrat, accusing Trump of launching his political career on the “racist lie” that Barack Obama is not American.

As Clinton projected steady experience, casting herself as the voice of reason, Trump played the populist bruiser, pitching to frustrated blue-collar voters fed up with politicians and wanting change.

“Let me tell you, Hillary has experience. But it’s bad, bad experience,” quipped the billionaire, accusing the former secretary of state, first lady and US senator of being a “typical politician. All talk, no action. Sounds good, doesn’t work.”

The 70-year-old Trump has faced tough questions about his temperament during a deeply polarizing 15 month campaign that has brought right wing populism

to the American political mainstream.

He began the keenly awaited debate at New York’s Hofstra University with a more restrained tone, even ditching his red power tie for a more statesmanlike blue.

But as the temperature rose, he quickly brought out the verbal brickbats, repeatedly interrupting Clinton and even questioning her stamina after a bout of pneumonia. AFP

GENEVA—Nine out of 10 people globally are breathing poor quality air, the World Health Organization said Tuesday, calling for dramatic action against pollution that is blamed for more than six million deaths a year.

New data in a report from the UN’s global health body “is enough to make all of us extremely concerned,” Maria Neira, the head of the WHO’s department of public health and environment, told reporters.

The problem is most acute in cities, but air in rural areas is worse than many think, WHO experts said.

Poorer countries have much dirtier air than the developed world, according to the report, but pollution “affects practically all countries in the world and all parts of society,” Neira said in a statement.

“It is a public health emergency,” she said.

“Fast action to tackle air pollution can’t come soon enough,” she added, urging governments to cut the number of vehicles on the road, improve waste management and promote clean cooking fuel.

Tuesday’s report was based on data collected from more than 3,000 sites across the globe. It found that “92 percent of the world’s population lives in places where air quality levels exceed WHO limits.”

The data focuses on dangerous particulate matter with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers, or PM2.5. PM2.5 includes toxins like sulfate and black carbon, which can penetrate deep into the lungs or cardiovascular system. Air with more than 10 micrograms per cubic meter of PM2.5 on an annual average basis is considered substandard.

In some regions satellite data has been complemented by ground-level PM2.5 measurements, but in much of the developing world ground readings remain unavailable, forcing the WHO to rely on cruder estimates.

Despite these data gaps, Neira said the UN agency now had more information than ever about pollutants in the planet’s air.

Using both satellite and ground measurements “is a big step forward towards even more confident estimates of the huge global burden”, of dirty air, she added. AFP

EU removes Columbia’s FARC from terror

BRUSSELS—The European Union said Tuesday it had suspended Colombia’s FARC rebel group from its terror list, following the official signing of a peace accord between the leftist rebel force and the Columbian government.

Its suspension came into force following the historic signing of the peace agreement Monday in a ceremony in the colonial city of Cartagena.

The move will have a significant practical impact, an EU official told Agence France Presse.

“The effect of the suspension is that the FARC will remain on the

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) was added to the EU terror list in 2002. The list details the “persons, groups and entities involved in terrorist acts and subject to restrictive measures.”

EU list of terrorist entities, but the restrictive measures (asset-freeze and prohibition on making funds available) will stop applying,” the official said.

“As a consequence, EU persons and entities will be able to provide funding to members of the FARC as part of the implementation of the peace process.”

The official said the sanctions would be suspended for an initial period of six months, after which they would be reviewed.

“The FARC have taken a number of positive steps that the Council’s decision acknowledges. However these positive steps will have to be confirmed,” the official said.

A complete removal of FARC from the terror list “could be considered therefore after the six month review depending on the effective implementation of the peace agreement.”

NEW YORK—New York

unveiled Monday a major public campaign to fight Islamophobia, stressing the equal rights of the city’s hundreds of thousands of Muslims.

The campaign -launched in the wake of a Manhattan bomb attack blamed on a radicalized Afghan-American -- initially will use social media to spread the message under the hashtag #IAmMuslimNYC.

“Now more than ever, it is important for every New Yorker to stand united as one city and reject hate and violence,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio in a statement.

“We will not tolerate discrimination or violence of any kind and we will not rest until all New Yorkers, including our Muslim brothers and sisters, are treated with the

dignity they deserve.”

The signing followed a fouryear process to end Latin America’s last major armed conflict. The accord remains to be ratified in a referendum next week. Colombian authorities estimate the territorial and ideological conflict has killed 260,000 people, left 45,000 missing and uprooted 6.9 million. AFP

The campaign begins Tuesday, just 10 days after bombing suspect Ahmad Khan Rahami exploded a device in Chelsea, a fashionable Manhattan neighborhood, injuring 29 people.

Investigators say a handwritten manual recovered after his arrest lauded Al-Qaeda leaders including Osama bin Laden, and criticized US wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria.

New York’s campaign comes amid growing fears among the country’s Muslims of a backlash over jihadist attacks, both in the United States and abroad, in the context of the antiMuslim rhetoric embraced by Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump. Among the recent acts violence against Muslims in New York was the Au-

gust fatal shooting of an imam and his assistant, execution-style, near their mosque in the borough of Queens.

New York is planning workshops beginning next month to give city employees and public and private employers a better understanding of Islam. A marketing campaign using all media is in the works for around mid-2017 -- when de Blasio’s reelection campaign should be in full swing.

Since his first campaign in 2013, the New York mayor has promoted a multiracial and inclusive approach. Before his election, he promised two school days off for Muslim holidays, on a par with Christian and Jewish holidays. That pledge has been in force since the start of the school year in 2015. AFP

FASHION & BEAUTY

Calvin Klein Platinum Fall 2016 Men’s Collection

CALVIN Klein Platinum presents its collection for Fall 2016, an empowering interpretation of the brand’s iconic staples reimagined for today’s generation of nonconformists.

Men’s Calvin Klein Platinum Fall 2016 is all about rebel sport, retro athletic. Expanded, exaggerated and intensified, fusing ‘90s minimalism, sport elements and punk details into a modern, layered and unexpected uniform.

A youthful and rebellious attitude combines in a color palette of dusty powder blues, deep Bordeaux and dark forest, merging with signature black, navy, grey mélange and chalk. The hues clash unexpectedly to create graphic, new looks.

Soft nappa biker silhouettes in colored skins are juxtaposed with mixed media hardware and plastic in amplified zippers and silver snaps. Circular ring snaps are key to the collection, including multi-element zip detailing throughout. High-density embroideries outline edges and details, while heavy and soft top-stitching are applied to tailoring and shirts.

Maximized or minimized geometric jacquards combine in shirtings and knits, and are injected into prints and graphics. Milano stripe and graphic rib trims punctuate knits and sweaters. Athletic track jackets and straight leg vintage-inspired track pants lend to this casual cool look. Spacer jerseys are key in an array of silhouettes from outerwear to sweatshirts to pants. Printed sculptural jerseys create graphic dimension.

Styling is multi-layered; zip up bombers in wool or leather and stripe trim cardigans are worn over zip-up high neck tops, and paired with wool overcoats in jacquard patterns and slim track pants tucked in to lace-up athletic boots.

Masculinity is expressed in the connection between nature and technology at Calvin Klein Platinum Accessories.

Retaining the luxe texture of sturdy leather and suede, the utilitarian edge is resolute in the polished chrome and signature carabiner. Duffles and backpacks come in structured shapes seamed with overlarge chrome details. Unabashedly reclaiming the sensuous tones of Bordeaux for men, the restrained warmth effortlessly balances the cooler platinum and slate greys. Internal padded pockets lined with bonded ultra-suede provide support for all technology needs. Calvin Klein Platinum is located at L1, SM Aura Premier.

Tommy Hilfiger’s collaboration with Gigi Hadid

TOMMY Hilfiger unveils its Fall ‘16 TommyX Gigi collaborative collection, which was de signed by Tommy Hilfiger in partnership with supermodel Gigi Hadid

The TommyXGigi collection features wom en’s sportswear, footwear and accessories, in cluding watches, sunglasses and The Girl fra grance launched on July 15.

The designs celebrate Hadid’s unique take on modern style, fused with Hilfiger’s signature “classic American cool” heritage. Seafaring sta ples are reimagined with clean cuts and fresh embellishments—from buttons and chevrons to naval badges, embroideries and sailor stripes. Sporty-chic silhouettes are further modernized with feminine chiffons, cozy ca ble-knits and sleek leathers. The look is effort less, youthful and cool—it’s Hadid’s new take on nautical with a playful, romantic edge.

The TommyXGigi collection’s global premiere on the runway was on Sept. 9 at New York Fash ion Week. Tommy Hilfiger hosted its first ever consumer-facing fashion show, “#TommyNow,” which is open to the public and live-streamed on tommy.com. This innovative approach reflects Hilfiger’s wider commitment to the democratiza tion of fashion with designs available to purchase the moment they hit the runway.

Tommy Hilfiger announced Gigi Hadid as its global brand ambassador on December 2015, reflecting its commitment to the expansion of its women’s business worldwide. The strategy communicates a fresh vision for Tommy Hil figer women’s wear, reinforcing the brand’s credentials as the world’s leading accessible de signer brand that offers stylish classics with a playful fashion edge.

In the Philippines, Tommy Hilfiger is located at Central Square in Bonifacio High Street Cen tral, Greenbelt 5, Kiss & Fly NAIA Terminal 3, Newport Mall, Rustan’s Makati, Rustan’s Shan gri-La, Rustan’s Cebu (Childrenswear only) and Shangri-La Plaza Mall.

The gateway for luxury finds

By Bernadette Lunas

WHO says shoppers in the southern metro get most, if not all, of the retail fun?

Premier department store Rustan’s at Gateway Mall in Araneta Center Cubao, Quezon City recently unveiled its new and modernized retail space—a treat to shoppers in the north who are looking for more options.

The new Rustan’s at Gateway Mall features brighter, well-lit aisles, bigger space and more expansive specialty levels dedicated to luxurious finds in home, fashion and cosmetics. From its former 3,500-sqm retail space, the four-level Gateway branch of Rustan’s now covers over 9,000 sqm.

Women can restock on their favorite beauty buys and makeup products on the ground floor, which houses a variety of products from Dermalogica, L’Occitane

and Murad, among others. While men need not wait for their female companions on the side as they can shop for casual and business attire, formal menswear, sports and lifestyle wear from Pedro del Hierro, Adolfo Dominguez and Under Armour on the same level.

Shopping becomes more fun and, not to mention, cohesive with new retail features Denim Bar and Nail Bar, also on the ground floor. The Denim Bar makes its easier for shoppers to browse though a wide selection of denim apparel, while the Nail Bar is a retail corner-cum-nail studio where shoppers can buy nail lacquer and get their nails done on the spot.

Retail finds on the first floor are what many women’s dreams are made of. Chic pieces from Lady Rustans, Jill and Rafe, among others, as well as cocktail and evening wear from Tadashi, JS Collection and Laundry are housed on this level. The first floor is also home to Rustan’s Silver Vault, which offers collections of jewelry from Adami & Martucci, The Fifth Season by Roberto Coin and Ippolita, among other brands.

Those looking for home and interior design items and inspirations may head over to the Home section on the second floor. Transform a house into a home through the well-curated selections of Nao, Lladro, Lalique, Royal Albert and Lenox. Brighten up any living space with appliances and furnishings from Dyson, Hurom, Rustan’s Home linens and more.

Up on the third floor, parents and kids are treated to “amped up” selection of children’s toys, clothes and accessories from in-house brands such as Kiddos, Rustanette, Rustan Jr. and Periwinkle.

As Rustan’s at Gateway Mall grows its retail space, it also expands its menu of perks and services, which now includes personal shopping, a nursing station for mothers, and improved restrooms on all floors.

Customers can also experience a more elevated shopping experience through improved after-sales services with a VIP lounge area and East Café on the second floor—all conveniently housed within the department store.

Celebrating fashion and fortitude

TO celebrate its 21 years in the industry, Plains & Prints, the style purveyor of chic, timeless designs for women, partnered up with ICanServe Foundation for its milestone CSR project.

As a partner of every woman for the last two decades, Plains & Prints re-commits to its promise of inspiring and celebrating women through a creative intitiative which brings together the country’s top fashion designers – Rhett Eala, Rajo Laurel, Randy Ortiz, Maureen Disini and Vania Romoff.

This exciting fashion event was held on Sept. 1 at The Gallery, Greenbelt 5. The proceeds of the event would help support ICanServe Foundation’s campaigns and initiatives.

“Unlike any other campaigns Plains & Prints has launched, this campaign is unique because this is our way of fulfilling our responsibility to society by being involved in one of the major issues women are facing today—breast cancer,” explained Roxanne Ang-Farillas , owner and founder of Plains & Prints.

Touched by the journeys of breast cancer survivors, the renowned designers crafted and curated uniquely inspiring collections. From romantic silhouettes to modern, structured lines, the collections aim to show the sheer strength of character and the beauty of each woman/ survivor.

Eala’s collection focused on femininity with pieces that make a woman feel “beautiful, comfortable, sophisticated and sexy.” Rhett incorporated touches of pink—the color of breast cancer awareness, and marries it with navy and white for a strong yet feminine fashion statement.

Laurel shared his inspiration, “It has always been my philosophy to empower women through my designs. I create clothes that women can wear with confidence. The first piece is a soft and flowy wrap dress, which is done in a very modern way, while the other is designed with more architecture. The contrasts reflect the complexity and duality of a woman.” Ortiz showed his masterful touch with a more sporty aesthetic. “The pieces are more structured and for the active woman. For me, a woman is all about being versatile, so I created pieces that you seamlessly and easily transform from day looks into evening ensembles. This is for the 21st century woman.”

Disini, on the other hand, shares, “I wanted to design light, simple and easy to

wear ensembles. I wanted pieces that are relevant to the times, and which can take you from day to night.

Another talented creative visionary, Romoff, captured the feminine mystique with romantic silhouettes. “Taking lead from the colors of femininity such as pink, I built on that with lots of flowers and details. For women, I envisioned ensembles that are soft, easy-to-wear, and romantic.”

Through the beautiful, sophisticated styles presented by the designers, Plains & Prints hopes to inspire women to see the beauty in their ordeal and being.

“My dream is to continuously create meaningful collaborations—touching the lives of women and maintaining a valuable lasting relationship with them. We will continue to fuel women’s devotion to ex-

cel and to bring out their true essence and strength,” shared Farillas.

Since it was established in 1999, ICanServe foundation has become one of the biggest and most influential foundations for breast cancer in the country. A community of passionate cancer survivors, ICanServe has made it their mission to help and support women with breast cancer. They advocate early detection breast exams and initiate community-based programs that extend medical support and empower women through education and information.

This exclusive collection is now available at all Plains & Prints stores nationwide, and will be available for purchase online at www. zalora.com.ph/plains-prints/. For more information about Plains & Prints, visit www.plainsandprints.com.

THE Department of Tourism (DoT), through its marketing arm, the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), is all set for the influx of hundreds of local and international participants and their country leaders in the forthcoming 20th Hair Olympics 2016, the biggest gathering of its kind in the country.

TPB Officer-in-Charge Maricon Ebron cites the beauty industry’s social and economic contribution to the country.

“Individuals from this profession provide essential services fostering income generation and puts his host country on the world map with accolades and recognitions from competitions such as this,” says Ebron.

Asia Pacific Hairdressers and Cosmetologists Association (APHCA), on the other hand, is confident in helping DoT’s tourist arrivals target this year as the event is expected to bring in thousands of foreign delegates and visitors for the competition. The agency’s data showed a rise in visitors receipt attributing to the growing confidence in the Philippines as a safe destination, as well as the effective marketing and promotions campaign of TPB.

“Showcasing the ingenuity and talent in the make-up and hairdressing trade from across 18 Asia Pacific countries, Filipino skill and artistry will again be put to the test this year as they compete with the best of the country, to the best of the world,” says APHCA president Ricky Reyes. Standards for this year’s competition will be extremely high as participants for sure will try to surpass last year’s entries. “I am actually preparing myself to be blown away again by the caliber of the entries,” Reyes said. Slated at Hall 4 of the SMX Convention Center at the Mall of Asia in Pasay City on Oct. 25-26, the 20th Hair Olympics will also have a trade fair that will feature beauty and wellness products and supplies from the Asia Pacific region as well as our own local beauty and wellness companies.

Expected to participate in this year’s competition are industry practitioners—professionals and amateurs alike, and technical-vocational students and trainees who will showcase their originality and panache in a number of visually impressive competition in different categories.

With the theme “Beauty Showdown in Manila,” the 20th Hair Olympics is aimed at strengthening and uniting the hair and beauty practitioners from all over the Asia Pacific region. Supporting the event together with DoT/TPB are the Zen Institute, Air Asia, Skin Care Formula by Dr. Alvin, Philbeauty and Travelpros.

Inquiries on application and booth registration can be directed to the APHCA Secretariat through Bong Soriano via (02) 725-1184 and 09159564266.

Mercedes Cabral is mail-order bride in Danish film

UBTLE acting... an entirely new environment… provocative stories. These were the phrases that came out of Mercedes Cabral’s mouth when she was asked about her experience filming Rosita, a 2015 film about a Filipina mail order bride in Denmark. A stalwart of the Philippines’ indie fi lm scene, the 30-year-old Fine Arts graduate at University of the Philippines is best known for starring in award-winning independent fi lms like Serbis, Kinatay, Captive , and Thy Womb , and for being cast by South Korean director Park Chan-wook in his acclaimed and blockbuster 2009 fi lm, Thirst “Filming Rosita was an entirely different experience for me acting wise. Here in the Philippines, the audience looks for a different formula. In Denmark, you can’t just be an actor if you didn’t have a degree. Their acting is really subtle. They don’t exaggerate. And I had to level up with these guys,”

Cabral said pertaining to the film and her co-stars.

The actress considers being one of the main characters in Rosita a humbling experience, not to mention that she’s the first Filipino actor to top bill a Danish film. She also commends the actors she had worked with particularly Jens Albinus for helping her “break the ice” and for inspiring her to improve her craft.

“I consider him as of the most intense actors I’ve ever worked with. He’s such a brilliant film artist,” she mused.

According to Cabral, language was one of the biggest challenges she encountered when she was filming the movie helmed by Frederikke Aspöck She had to learn the language in a short period of time noting that Danish is spoken differently from the way it is written.

“Memorizing my lines was a bit of a challenge. That’s why I appreciate all my co-actors for giving me an instant language lesson and for being very patient with me,” Cabral shared.

Described by Variety as “a compelling

humanist drama about a Filipino mail-order bride in a small Danish fishing village,” it follows the story of Rosita who arrives on Denmark’s windswept north Jutland peninsula, a rural hamlet where fish dominates the local economy. She arrives on a tourist visa and moves in with Ulrik (Albinus) so the latter can evaluate her suitability as a spouse. In the process, Urik’s son Johannes (Mikkel Boe Folsgaard) becomes more acquainted with his future stepmother.

“This film is really different from what I’ve done before. It’s very simple but it has an element of reality, which people can really relate to. Emotionally it’s really heavy,” she revealed.

The film is one of the films featured in the second of Danish Film Festival that runs from Sept. 29 to Oct. 2 at the Shang Cineplex.

The Danish film fest

The 2016 Danish Film Fest features 11 films that aim to encourage Filipinos to know more about Danish culture, traditions, interests and basic way of living.

Now on its second edition, the film fest highlights the cultural exchange between Denmark and the Philippines and encourages to explore what the Scandinavian country has to offer.

“We are eager to further develop our cultural links to the Philippines and give the Filipinos a chance to experience some of our cultural expressions through film, music, painting and literature. We believe that by engaging each other, we can inspire each other, too,” said Jan Top Christensen, Ambassador of Denmark to the Philippines. Films to look out for are thrillers

The Keeper of the Lost Causes and The Candidate (both by Nikolaj Lie Kaas), the notorious drama Sex Drugs and Taxation (Pilou Asbæk), the crime film

The Hour of the Lynx (Sofie Grabol), the drama thriller The Idealist (Christina Rosendahl), the psychological drama Fear Me Not (Ulrich Thomsen), and family comedy Karla’s World (Elena Arndt-Jensen). For further information and screening schedule, follow the Shang on Instagram @shangrilaplazaofficial or visit their Facebook page.

AirAsia sponsors ‘On The Way To The Airport’

ASIA’S leading and largest lowcost airline, is proud to announce its sponsorship of Korean drama On the Way to the Airport by Korean Broadcasting System (KBS).

The drama, which stars Lee SangYoon and Kim Ha-Neul, explores the relationships of thirtysomethings working in the aviation industry, with the main characters depicted as an AirAsia pilot and cabin crew. All filming of scenes related to the aviation industry and scenes in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, were fully sponsored by AirAsia.

To celebrate the sponsorship and onair debut of the drama, AirAsia will hold a prize giveaway for viewers, which includes goodies such as scale model aircraft signed by AirAsia’s brand ambassador in Korea, Park Ji-Sung

To participate, simply capture images of AirAsia that appear in the first and second episodes of the drama and upload them

to AirAsia’s official Korean language Facebook page. Please visit www.facebook. com/airasiakorea for more details. On the Way to the Airport airs at 10 p.m. (GMT +9) every Wednesday and Thursday on KBS 2TV.

AirAsia North Asia President Kathleen Tan said, “AirAsia has always had a close relationship with popular culture. This sponsorship is a good way to support the Korean entertainment industry as well as to showcase both our brand and the airline industry in general in Korea and elsewhere in Asia, where Korean dramas are widely enjoyed.”

AirAsia services an extensive network to 27 countries and over 120 destinations across Asia, Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East and Africa. AirAsia currently operates 64 flights per week from Incheon and Busan to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Bangkok Don Mueang in Thailand and Manila, Cebu and Kalibo in the Philippines. Lee Sang-Yoon and Kim Ha-Neul in a romantic series that explores the relationships of thirtysomethings working in the aviation industry

FILIPINOTES, a regular open mic dedicated to Original Pilipino Music continues to receive attention and interest from OPM artists, practitioners and lovers of the craft. Fueled with the objective of encouraging more people to experience local compositions by providing a venue and opportunity to perform beautiful music from the Philippines, FilipiNotes gathers people from all walks of life to be one in not belittling music written by our countrymen. Hence, their clever slogan: “Huwag Maliitin ang Notang Pinoy”.

FilipinNotes published in July an online video that featured musicians, composers, and singers including, Dingdong Avanzado Aiza Seguerra, Poppert Bernadas Timmy Pavino, and Kim Molina who gave reasons why people should sing OPM and proudly joined the group’s call to be proud of our “Notang Pinoy”. More artists are joining the bandwagon in support of the group and its endeavor. Recently, the organizers of the OPM open mic did a Facebook Live broadcast that featured The Voice of the Philippines Season 2 contestant, Philippe Go and online sensation Jessah Chichirita, which was shared online by Lea Salonga FilipiNotes co-founder, Amiel Mendoza says, “We are completely overwhelmed and truly grateful for the support from the music industry. We are excited to see more help from artists and organizations who want to join us in bringing OPM to the fore where it belongs”.

To know more about FilipiNotes, follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram or register for the event at http://bit.ly/2cSTxHb.

Editor

Isah V. Red,

Nickie Wang, Writer

isahred@gmail.com

D4

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016

CANNES filmfest-winning director Brillante Mendoza has collaborated with generic medicine brand RiteMED for Pagpupugay, a short film that highlights the dedication of the carers of the sick.

The film captures the struggles faced by a spouse, a sibling, a parent, son, daughter, a family member or a professional caregiver when they care for a sick loved one or patient. According to Mendoza, the challenge for him was to draw out the right emotions from the actors to truly reflect the real struggles of “carers” they portray. The RiteMed people call these people such as opposed to professional caregivers.

The Cannes Best Director’s two-minute film struck a chord with Filipinos right away and has been trending since its release barely two weeks ago. It has been viewed more than two million times on RiteMed’s official Facebook page alone (https:// www.facebook.com/RiteMedOfficialPage/).

It has also been posted on RiteMed’s official website (www.ritemed.com.ph) and YouTube channel.

“The story is beautiful that all I had to do was execute it well. This film is unique because it was the first time I did a project about caregivers and “carers.” It’s also special because this is about

the unsung heroes in our society. We normally forget about the difficulties they go through. Taking care of the sick is emotionally, physically, and psychologically very tiring,” Mendoza said.

The films shows various scenes of what a family member or a professional caregiver faces when caring for a sick person—physically attending to the sick, dealing with his outbursts, among others. Mendoza captured the raw emotions involved, using his trademark style of laying bare the struggles of real individuals.

Ritemed General Manager Vincent Guerrero believes everyone can relate to the film. “All of us, at one time of another, have been taken care of by someone and have taken care of someone.”

The core message of Pagpupugay goes well with RiteMed’s “Tamang Alaga” campaign because it highlights that healing is not only about doctors and medicines. It is also about the love and comforting dedication of those around them, be their family, relatives, friends or professional caregivers.

When there is sickness involved, everyone’s attention is normally focused on the sick. Those who take care of them often go unnoticed and unappreciated. RiteMED, the country’s leading branded generics and a staunch advocate of the Filipinos’ right to health, is aware of the sacrifices of “carers” and their dedication to their patients.

* * *

They have been in the music industry in the

last three years.

Deric Garnale, Levi Montilla, Patrick Abeleda, Sam Ayson and Third Casas familiar to their friends and families as Freshmen, a boy band that has been playing the circuit and slowly gaining a foothold in the industry.

In its third year, the boys decided to hold an anniversary concert that they call 3logy. self explanatory, and it will be at the Music Museum on Friday, 8 p.m. and with HOPE (Helping One Person Everyday) as the beneficiary.

The boys thank Vicky Solis who is producing the show for them.

The group was formed in 2013 by Bobby Nazareno of PasParagon Talent Management Agency. While they may not ring a bell to most music lovers, the group has amassed various awards and citations. (Check them out on their Facebook page.)

Sue Ramirez and Garth Garcia guest on the

Brillante Mendoza’s

EXPECT big things to come when media and retail converge to provide viewers and shoppers with the best in entertainment and retail.

ABS-CBN Corporation, the country’s largest media and entertainment company, will give its followers an immersive experience of its shows, characters, and stories as it tied up with Ayala Malls, the premier lifestyle mall in the country, to open the first ABS-CBN Experience Store in Trinoma Mall in Quezon City in 2017.

ABS-CBN president and CEO Carlo Katigbak and COO for broadcast Cory Vidanes signed the agreement with Ayala Land head of commercial business, Jose Emmanuel Jalandoni and Ayala Malls group head Rowena Tomeldan

“The ABS-CBN Experience Store is the start of a strategic and long term partnership between ABS-CBN and Ayala Malls as the two companies known for innovation and excellence in their respective fields complement each other, with ABS-CBN delivering various ways for viewers to experience the stories and characters that Kapamilyas have come to love and Ayala opening fresh and exciting retail experiences through its malls all over the Philippines,” said Katigbak. Meanwhile, Vidanes said, at the heart of the experience store are the characters and stories that ABS-CBN will bring to life—whether through immersive or digital attractions, games, and merchandise—and give visitors

He is appearing in the fantaserye this week after his introduction in the latter part of last week. Richards himself waited for the day that his character would make an appearance and when he saw himself in the Mulawin costume, he felt with my mom when I wasn’t in

the opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of their favorite shows.

The ABS-CBN Experience store offers an immersive experience of the Kapamilya network by allowing visitors to be part of the shows they follow and play the roles they’ve always wanted to play. Also to be showcased is ABS-CBN’s wide assortment of merchandise that allows customers to own a piece of the Kapamilya stories they follow. The experience store will also be the hub of events that will allow people of all ages to spend time with their favorite Kapamilya stars.

The ABS-CBN Experience Store is the newest addition to the company’s consumer business, falling under the ticketed experiences category. ABS-CBN has been giving its followers chances to experience the company in other forms such as movies, concerts, mall events, and studio tours, and the recently launched mini-theme park Kidzania.

ABS-CBN is home to the nation’s toprating TV programs, box-office films, and best-selling books and music. With the ability to harness the latest in technology and innovation, the company is rapidly transitioning into an agile digital company with the biggest online presence among all media companies, and a growing list of digital properties. ABS-CBN was also first in the country to offer content online and on mobile, and even pioneered digital television in the nation.