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Pinoys cautioned against travelTOUGH ON TROS, INJUNCTIONS (Story on A2) HIGH COURT GETS to South Korea; infections rising Bato: Drug lords killed BuCor lawyer By Rey E. Requejo, Macon Ramos-Araneta and MJ Blancaﬂor

THE Department of Foreign Affairs said on Monday that there is no travel ban imposed on Filipinos traveling to South Korea but it advised Filipino travelers to delay non-essential travel to the coun-

try as cases of the potentially fatal novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continued to rise there. “Currently, there is no travel ban imposed on Filipinos traveling to South Korea but travelers are cautioned to delay non-essential travel to the country as a precaution,” the DFA said, in an advisory Next page issued Sunday.

on Thursday. Dela Rosa, who served as BuCor director before he ran for senator, came up DRUG lords at the New Bilibid Prison with this statement based on his own exbe behind the killing Bureau of periences. VOL. XXXIV • NO. 15 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES •could P18 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2020of • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com “Most likely, those behind the killing, Corrections former legal counsel Anthony Fredric Santos, also a witness in the based on my experience, the drug lords Good Conduct Time Allowance anoma- jailed in Bilibid ordered the killing of our Next page ly, said Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa

By Macon Ramos-Araneta and Rey E. Requejo

Virus spreads far, Immigration man wide; 2,600 dead tags 5 in ’pastillas’ Outbreaks fanning fears of pandemic

VOL. XXXIII • NO. 372 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2020 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

House defers action on ABS-CBN Calida seeking to revoke ABS-CBN’s franchise. “What is important is, the President SPEAKER Alan Peter Cayetano said said, they should do something about the House is likely to delay hearings it. Meaning to say, do their job. If on ABS-CBN’s franchise until May or there is a pending application before August, even though President Rodri- Congress, then members of Congress go Duterte said heTHE wantsHOOK. lawmakersThis to photo, shouldtaken deliberate on itshows and adecide NOT YET OFF last Saturday, man discuss the issue before the franchise whether or not to grant or to deny the (left) who has recovered from the COVID-19 coronavirus infection being disinfected by expiresstaff on March extension,” Panelo said.Hubei province. a medical before 30. leaving the hospital in Wuhan in China’s central In a press ng, Presidential are 11 billsquarantine seeking tomeasures extend On Monday, Chinesebrieﬁ authorities slightly relaxed There their month-long in Wuhan, allowing some people leave the epicenter of China’s virusfor epidemic under Spokesman Salvador Panelotosaid the ABS-CBN’s franchise another 25 certain conditions. AFP President had nothing to do with the years are pending, but Cayetano said delay in Congress or the quo warranto the House would be able to tackle petition ﬁled by Solicitor General Jose Next page

By Maricel Cruz, MJ Blancaﬂor, Rey Requejo

20 Immigration men kicked out

COVID-19

source: AFP

BELGIUM 1

By Vito Barcelo THE Bureau of Immigration has relieved 20 immigration ofﬁcers allegedly involved in the “pastillas” scheme―the facilitation of the entry of thousands of Chinese nationals who will work for Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators in exchange for bribes. Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente vowed to punish all immigration ofﬁcers involved in corrupt practices at the airport. He also welcomed the efforts to purge all personnel involved in unethical and corrupt practices. “We will cooperate with any impartial probes and lifestyle checks to be conducted by authorities,” Morente said. “I am very disappointed with the unauthorized activities of some personnel who continue to commit irregularities despite our determined efforts to get rid of the culture of corruption in the Bureau since 2016. “On the other hand, I am certain that

CANADA 8

FRANCE

GERMANY SWEDEN

SPAIN

12/1

RUSSIA

CRUISE SHIP

FINLAND

BRITAIN

621

CHINA

AFGHANISTAN

Cases: 77,000+ Deaths: 2,592

ITALY USA 35

T F

HE deadlyprobe new Syndicate behind scheme exposed in Senate coronavirus

JAPAN

152/5

144/4

LEBANON

SOUTH KOREA

ISRAEL

UAE

HKG

EGYPT 1

830/7

NEPAL

IRAN

KUWAIT 1 BAHRAIN 1

43/50* *Official: 12 According to Qom

CAMBODIA

INDIA 3

LEGEND Peter Paul Duran

PHL 3/1

#INFOGFX

MACAU

AUSTRALIA

SRI LANKA

Cases: Blue Deaths: Red

THAILAND

VIETNAM 3/1 16 MALAYSIA

lawmaker Ahmad Farahani: 50

28/1

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IRAQ

TAIWAN

/ anilaStandardPH /M

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ing progress in containing the virus, citing slowing infection rates thanks to unpreceIn a Senate hearing on and human traffickdented travel lockdowns quarantines ing and prostitution, Immigration in or near the outbreak’s epicenter. officer Allison said these officials But aChiong rising number of new caseswere and behind theother syndicate thatthefacilitated the deaths in parts of world have smooth Chinese nationals who deepenedentry fearsof about a potential pandemic, enter the country to work in Philippine with South Korea, Italy and Iran emerging Offshore Gaming Operators. over the past week on the frontlines. Chiong groups with Bahrainsaid andthese Kuwait alsoworked announced China-based travelfirst agencies, send on Monday their cases of who the virus, them a list of in names of people are as authorities the Middle Eastwho sought about to enter the country. to clamp down on people traveling and “The syndicated groups would eight often spreading the disease following compete deaths in with Iran. each other to gain Nextfavor page from the Chinese travel agencies,” Chiong said. He revealed that they gave bribes ranging from P50,000 and P200,000 so that the Chinese nationals—even those that have been blacklisted—can freely enter Duterte attack ads through paid forImmigration by former the country, passing Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, in Next placepage of counters without any question. the ads that then-candidate Duterte had already paid for. Go played the attack ads in the Session Hall during the hearing, and denounced them as black propaganda aimed at destroying told reporters. Duterte’s reputation and torpedo“If Espenido would wantbid. to ask for any ing his presidential protective measure from the government, “How come this was a then he can so request justad? likeWhat any other political was citizen. Next page Meanwhile, Espenido welcomed the due process granted by Philippine National Police Chief Archie Gamboa to the policemen on Duterte’s latest drug watch list, including him. Next page

ABS-CBN says sorry to Duterte, pays ad refund

Malaysia upheaval: Mahathir interim PM, preempts Anwar

I DO. Immigration officer 1 Allison Chiong (top left) tells a Senate committee hearing Thursday he is the source of the video showing officers facilitating the immigration process funded aboutscheme P4 million to the President for Chinese POGO workers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Chiong named the current formerRamos-Araneta, immigration officials involved in the bribery as Traffi c Control By and Macon Enforcement Unit officers Bien Guevarra, Glenn Comia and Den Binsol. Chiong said these offiRey cials were under Ports Operation Division Chieffor Marc Red Mariñas. Ey Acasio unaired campaign ads, but was deE. Requejo,

MALAYSIAN Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad resigned Monday in a move analysts said appeared to be an effort to form a new coalition and block the succession of leader-in-waiting Anwar Ibrahim. Malaysia’s King accepted his resignation but appointed Mahathir as interim By Macon prime minister.Ramos-Araneta The shock move followed weekend poTHE Philippines has no devellitical drama that saw anbudget attempttoby Anop its own vaccines, which would need war’s rivals within his own “Pact of Hope” billions and billions of pesos it cancoalition—which stormed to that a historic not afford, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said Thursday. In an interview over radio dzMM, Duque said it was more cost-effective to buy vaccines from rich countries that have the capacity to develop the drugs.

(COVID-19) epidemic By Macon Ramos-Araneta spread further outside China and MJ Blancafl on Monday withora surge of infections in South Korea ORMER airport making it the biggest hotspot officials and employees abroad, while authorities in of the Bureau of Europe and the Middle East Immigration are behind the battled worsening outbreaks. “pastillas” system by which The number of fatalities China also Chinese workers andinfugitives continued to soar, with 150 more conenter the country paying firmed deaths taking the by official death toll bribes, a whistleblower said to nearly 2,600. Chinese authorities insist they are makThursday.

and Maricel V. Cruz

election victory in 2018—and opposition politicians to form a new government. That coalition would reportedly have excluded Anwar, Mahathir’s presumptive successor and a former opposition icon who was jailed for years on questionable sodomy charges, blocking his ascent to have economies scale,” Duque the“They premiership. said, adding this made their vaccines Anwar andthat Mahathir—the world’s oldcheaper. est leader, aged 94—have a notoriously He dismissed reports that developing stormy relationship but joined forces to countries are being sidestepped the Nextinpage distribution of vaccines, saying big companies are mandated to lead in developing vaccines for diseases such as the new coronavirus (COVID-19). Duque pointed to research in China

layed in returning the remaining P2.6 million to his camp, which later refused to accept the late refund. “We acknowledge our shortcoming in our failure to release that refund in a timefrom the government lytion manner,” Katigbak said. if he feared for his and assured him that President Butlife,Senator Christopher Duterte Go, would not hurt anyone ‘‘outside “Bong” a constant legal processes. and companion “If aide that isofthe close thefear of Colonel Espenido, then scored we cannot stop him from President, entertaining for such apprehension. But ABS-CBN the President airing anti- will not allow anyone to be hurt outside legal processes or methods sanctioned by law, Panelo

Fund lack blocks move to develop Palace offers govt protection to controversial cop vaccines; Duque prefers buy option

FACED with a possible shutdown as its franchise expires on May 4, ABS-CBN apologized to President Rodrigo Duterte for failing to air his paid political advertisements in the 2016or election campaign By MJ Blancaﬂ period. PRESIDENT Duterte will not let “We are sorryRodrigo if we offended the Presiembattled Lt. not Colonel Jovie Espenido dent. That was the intention of the net-to be harmed, Palace said Thursday after work,” said the ABS-CBN Corp. president Espenido said the government could go and CEO Carlo Katigbak during a hearafter he was included in itscomdrug ing ofhim thesince Senate public services watchlist. mittee chaired by Senator Presidential Spokesman Salvador PanGrace Poe. elo said Espenido Katigbak said could ask for protecABS-CBN had re-

Garbage crisis in Metro: A ticking time bomb

Pundits and critics alike say the National Capital Region’s trash output is a ticking time bomb, indicative of a similar problem experienced across the country, By Jimbo Gulle and recent statements by government ofIF YOU think Metro Manila’s trafﬁc is ﬁcials have only underscored the issue. a problem, the garbage situation will, in Last December, Environment Secretary modern social media-speak, tell you to Roy Cimatu said the country was in the “hold its beer.” middle of a “garbage crisis.” Waste gener-

(First of two parts)

RESIGNED, BUT REASSIGNED. In this file photo taken on June 1, 2018, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad (right) and politician Anwar Ibrahim leave AGENDA. The deadly coronavirus is setinto dominate the agenda aSUMMIT news conference in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia politics was turmoil on Monday. Afterof the high-level Thursday, as China’s foreign minister meets with his sundown, newsVientianne spread thesummit Malaysian king had appointed Mahathir, who earlier resigned, Southeast AsianMinister. counterparts as Interim Prime AFP whose countries’ economies have been hard-hit over fears of widespread contagion. Inset is a photo taken Wednesday showing a laboratory technician holding samples of virus at a laboratory in Hengyang in China’s central Henan province. AFP

Virus control efforts working—China

VIENTIANE, Laos―China’s efforts VARIOUS labor groups have called on to control the deadly outbreak of a new the Filipino people continue ﬁghting for coronavirus “are toworking,” Beijing’s freedom and reject dictatorship as top diplomat said another Thursday, attributing the Philippines commemorates EDSA an easing in new cases to his the country’s People Power Revolution 25, 2020. “forceful action” againston theFeb. illness. A People Power Revolution Speaking in Laos before akin talksto what with happened in 1986 be seen Asian in the peers from the may 10 not Southeast immediate but plans thesaid Duterte (ASEAN) future, countries, WangbyYi the administration to install another dictatoroutbreak was “controllable and curable” ship would enhance a similar despite the global panic it has movementseeded.

building process, according to the Kalipunan ng mgaisKilusang or KKM. “China not onlyMasa protecting its own The group made its statement evenhe as people but also the rest of the world,” Philippine National Police Chief Archie told the summit in Vientiane, referencing said any plot against PresaGamboa recent sharp dropouster in new cases of the viident Rodrigo Duterte not prosper rus inside China, wherewould it has killed more because it will not have the support of the than 2,100 people. police and theForeign military.Minister Teodoro Philippine “That’s what they always every Locsin Jr. thanked China for itssay “unprectime the domestic celebration of EDSA near, edented measures andisquick there is a report of anreferring ouster,” Gamboa action”―apparently to the told reporters.” Nextpage page Next

Turn to A3

GOVT PROHIBITS USE OF PLASTICS

EDSA Revolt remembered: Protests up By Vito Barcelo

ation, he said, had become unprecedented, Filipinos selﬁshly threw their refuse everywhere―mostly into water systems― and massive clean-up drives only moved tons of litter from one place to another. In an environmental forum that month, Cimatu said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources would issue,

NEWS A2

COMPLIANCE HEARING. Senator Grace Poe, chairman of the Senate

PUMP PRICES RISE: GAS UP BY P0.20

Committee on Public Services, fires questions Monday at Martin Lopez, chairman of ABS-CBN, lawyer Mario Bautista, ABS-CBN, Carlos Katigbak, president and CEO of ABS-CBN, Socorro Vidanes, COO-Broadcast ABS-CBN, Carlo Nepomuceno, ABS-CBN, LAKAS GATHERING. Officers and members of Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats led by House Majority Leader Martin Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra during a public hearing on Compliance ofatABS-CBN Romualdez (center) pose for posterity during the lunch meeting of the party the House of Representatives. Romualdez NEWS A2 has said the Corporation with the andofconditions of its franchise. Linothe Santos party will always be aterms partner the administration to ensure swift passage of President Duterte’s legislative agenda. Ver Noveno

News

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2020

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Gov’t bans single-use plastics

jor step to curb the use of single-use plastic items that pollute our waterways, kill marine life and contribute

to our country’s increasing solid waste,” Cimatu said. The DENR will come up with specific guidelines in the implementation of the ban that forms part of the government’s “solid waste avoidance and minimization strategy.” Those covered by the ban are cups less than 0.2 millimeter in thickness, drinking straws, coffee stirrers, spoons, forks, knives, “labo” or thin and translucent plastic bags, and thin-filmed sando bags lower than 15 microns. Undersecretary for Solid Waste Management and LGUs Concerns Benny Antiporda defended the NSWMC for initially including only eight single-use plastic items in the ban. “It was the decision of the NSWMC to come up with a balanced judgment on the use of single-use plastics by taking into consideration that we can only ban those that have available alternatives,” Antiporda said in a statement.

In Iran, authorities ordered the closure of schools, universities and cultural centers across 14 provinces following eight deaths—the most outside East Asia. The outbreak in the Islamic Republic surfaced on Wednesday last week and quickly grew to 47 confirmed infections, prompting neighboring countries to close their borders. Health officials there reported that 12 people have died of the disease. Nearly 30 people outside of China have been confirmed to have died after contracting the virus. Nearly 30 countries have reported infections. In China, the confirmed death toll stood at 2,592 on Monday after 150 more people died of the virus. The number of confirmed new cases fell compared with the previous day to 409, taking the country’s total infections over 77,000. Authorities in Wuhan on Monday reversed a decision that would have allowed some people to leave the quarantined city at the center of China’s deadly virus epidemic, and reprimanded officials who had made the announcement. The city government said in a statement that the previous announcement had been made by a traffic prevention and control group “without the consent” of the local leadership. Wuhan’s government deleted the previous post that had announced the easing of restrictions barely three hours earlier. The city of 11 million has been under lockdown since Jan. 23 after authorities shut down transport links into and out of the city in an effort to contain the new coronavirus outbreak. The now-scrapped decision would have allowed non-residents to leave if they show no symptoms of the new coronavirus and have never had contact with patients, the deleted statement said. People with special reasons to leave the city, including those who needed treatment for other medical conditions and those doing epidemic prevention work, would also have been allowed to exit. In Japan, a third person from a coronavirus-stricken cruise ship quarantined off Yokohama has died, the health ministry said Sunday, as new infections among former passengers emerged. Japan has been criticized in the face of mounting evidence that the quarantine im-

posed on the Diamond Princess did little to stop the virus spreading. More than 20 foreigners evacuated from the vessel have also tested positive after returning home and on Sunday, authorities admitted a Japanese passenger—allowed to disembark after receiving a clean bill of health—had also tested positive for the virus. A Japanese man in his 80s passed away from pneumonia after being taken off the ship, the health ministry said Sunday. Two elderly passengers died on Thursday after contracting the virus. Nearly 1,000 passengers were allowed to leave the ship this week after testing negative, but there are now serious concerns about their status. Among them was a woman in her 60s, who returned home to Tochigi prefecture north of Tokyo by train after disembarking the ship on Wednesday. She later developed a fever and tested positive on Saturday, a local official said. Health Minister Katsunobu Kato admitted Saturday 23 passengers were released without being tested for the virus during the quarantine period. “There has been a judgment that those who disembarked after testing negative had no problem, but it has now become clear that those people can turn positive,” Tochigi governor Tomokazu Fukuda told reporters, urging “additional measures” to contain the spread. On Sunday, Kato said he took the latest case “seriously and will strengthen followup of passengers,” with daily phone calls from local health officials and by asking them to not make any unnecessary outings or use public transport. Those leaving the ship had already been asked to limit travel and wear a mask in public, raising questions about whether the authorities themselves believed a 14-day on-ship quarantine had indeed prevented the spread of the virus. Still left on the ship are some travelers waiting for charter flights home and roughly 1,000 crew—most of whom were not placed in isolation as they were needed to operate the Diamond Princess. About half the crew were Filipinos. Critics suspect they were inadvertently spreading the virus throughout the vessel, which saw more than 600 cases of the COVID-19 disease. AFP

March 31, as earlier reported). Senator Lito Lapid, who rarely shows up at Senate hearings, asked ABS-CBN executives if they were having a difficult time renewing their franchise because of the President’s ire. “Maybe a lot of you are wondering why I suddenly showed up here and I will not lie about it, ABS-CBN is close to my heart because out of all the senators here, I’m the only one who became an artist of ABSCBN,” he said. Lapid played the role of “Pinuno” in the popular ABS-CBN primetime show “Ang Probinsyano” until his character died shortly before the May 2019 election. Senator Manny Pacquiao, co-author of a bill renewing ABS-CBN’s franchise, said it would be a big loss for the Filipino people if the network’s franchise expires. If ABS-CBN committed any violations, Pacquiao said a case should be filed against the TV network, but not to the point of closing down the station. Simplicio Cabantac Jr., head of the BIR Large Tax Payers Audit Division 3 and supervising commissioner Ephyro Luis Amatong of the Securities and Exchange Commission said the network has not committed any violation. Cabantac said ABS-CBN has been regularly filing and paying their taxes for the past number of years. It paid P14,398,464,316.66 in taxes from 2016 to 2019 except for income taxes last year, which will be submitted in April. From 2009 to 2018, ABS-CBN also paid a total of P8.859 billion in withholding taxes. Amatong said he was not aware of any violation or complaint involving ABS-CBN. Katigbak said his company has not broken any law or violated any provisions of its franchise, apparently in response to Solicitor General Jose Calida’s quo warranto petition against the network seeking to nullify its franchise. “In the last years of our existing franchise, we believe we have delivered a service that is meaningful and valuable to the Filipino people,” Katigbak said. “While our commitment to serve is genuine, we also ackn wledge that we are not a perfect organization. Where we have shortcomings, we acknowledge them, and work to correct them,” he said. “Our desire to serve is greater than our shortcomings.” National Telecommunications commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba said they needed

to seek the opinion of the Department of Justice on the question of whether the network would be allowed to continue operating if its franchise expires before pending bills in Congress seeking to renew it are passed. Calida, who filed the quo warranto petition against ABS-CBN before the Supreme Court, failed to attend Monday’s hearing. After the hearing, Senator Franklin Drilon said many issues were clarified, especially the opinion of the Justice secretary who acknowledged a gap in the law on franchise. “While it is pending here in Congress, he cites the rule of equity, meaning that ABSCBN should be allowed to continue broadcasting until the franchise is approved or rejected,” Drilon said. Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto questioned why ABS-CBN should be shut down when the NTC, its regulator, said it had not penalized the network for any violations. At the same hearing, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said ABS-CBN’s franchise will expire on May 4 and not on March 30. While the law on its franchise was enacted on March 30, 1995, it only became effective 15 days from the date of its publication in two newspapers of general circulation. Guevarra also said Congress may authorize the NTC to allow the provisional operation of ABS-CBN when its franchise expires on May 4 and until its application for renewal is approved. He later said the department is unlikely to issue a formal opinion to the NTC query, since this a matter for Congress to decide. Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano on Monday accused senators of grandstanding at the hearing. Cayetano maintained that the Senate was violating the Constitution for starting hearings on the ABS-CBN franchise before the House, when bills of local application should emanate from the House of Representatives. “Why were they holding hearings at the Senate? For what purpose? Just to show ABS-CBN that they were present? Hello, I’m for you,” Cayetano said in a mix of Filipino and English. “It’s like they were taking attendance of those who wanted to suck up to ABS-CBN,” he added.

By Rio N. Araja

HE National Solid Waste Management Commission under the Office of the President has already approved a resolution to ban single-use plastics in all government offices. Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu said the commission passed NSWMC Resolution 1363 of 2020, which ordered the Environment department to “prepare and implement” the ban on the use of “unnecessary” single-use plastic products by national government agencies, local government units and all other government-controlled offices. “The NSWMC resolution is a ma-

Virus... From A1

South Korea has seen a rapid surge in infections since a cluster emerged from a religious sect in the southern city of Daegu last week. Another 231 infections and two more deaths were reported in South Korea on Monday, bringing the total cases to more than 830 people—the most outside China. South Korean President Moon Jae-in over the weekend raised the country’s virus alert to the highest “red” level, as kindergarten and school holidays were extended nationally. The start of the new K-league football season, scheduled for this weekend, was also postponed on Monday. At the main high-speed train station in Daegu, a normally bustling city of 2.5 million people, just a small trickle of commuters were seen. A long line of cabs waited for passengers outside the station, and the streets were eerily still, with masks and gloves standard for the few out and about. Italy reported Monday its fifth death from the new coronavirus. The death of an 84-yearold man was the fourth in the northern Lombardy region, as the number of people contracting the virus continued to mount. It was the third death in Lombardy, where villages have been put in lockdown and security measures enforced in a bid to stem the spread of the disease, the region’s health department said. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has said that residents could face weeks of lockdown in an effort to sit out the virus. The president of the Lombardy region Attilo Fontana said 165 people had now tested positive in the region, the worst-hit zone in Italy. The country now has the most confirmed cases in Europe. “The number is still rising, but we are sure that the measures taken will prevent it spreading further,” Fontana said. Eleven towns—10 in Lombardy and one in neighboring Veneto—are under lockdown, with some 50,000 residents prohibited from leaving. Several Serie A football games were postponed while the Venice Carnival was cut short and some runway shows were canceled at Milan Fashion Week.

ABS-CBN... From A1

your priority—black propaganda?” Go asked ABS-CBN officials present at the hearing. “The President was hurt…he was treated badly,” Go said in a mix of English and Filipino. “The President is not vindictive but someone clearly went overboard in the airing of this black propaganda.” Still, he said he would ask the President to reconsider his stand to deny ABS-CBN a renewed franchise. In a Malacañang briefing, Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said he was glad that ABS-CBN “finally admitted its shortcomings,” but added that “they should have done that earlier.” Panelo said he could not tell yet if the President would accept the apology. “It’s up to the President. I don’t know how to respond to that. It’s a personal decision,” he said. In his testimony before the Senate, Katigbak denied that the network pushed its own political agenda in the 2016 election. “That was not the intention of the network, we felt that we were just abiding by the laws and regulations that surround the airing of political ads,” said Katigbak. Katigbak told the Senate panel that the network had aired all of the P117 million worth of national ads paid for by Duterte at the time. However, he said some of Duterte’s local ads could not be accommodated since local broadcast stations are only allowed two minutes of ads per hour. He also noted that many spots were already ordered on May 3, 2016, four days ahead of the last day of the campaign period. “There had been many previous telecast orders that came in ahead of the President’s telecast order,” he said. Katigbak said Duterte placed an order of P65 million worth of local ads. Out of this, ABS-CBN failed to air about P7 million worth. About P4 million was initially refunded and accepted by the Duterte campaign. But he acknowledged the network was delayed in refunding the remaining P2.6 million—an amount the President later refused to accept. In his public rants, Duterte had repeatedly accused ABS-CBN of swindling him after it failed to air his political ads in the 2016 campaign elections. He has threatened to block the renewal of ABS-CBN’s 25-year franchise, which expires May 4 (and not

Cimatu

Pump prices rise amid talk of oil output cuts, virus fears By Alena Mae S. Flores THE oil distributors raised pump prices by P0.35 per liter of kerosene, P0.30 per liter of gasoline and P0.20 per liter of diesel effective 6 a.m. today, Tuesday. Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp., PTT Philippines, Seaoil Philippines, Total Philippines, Phoenix Petroleum Philippines and PetroGazz made the adjustments while the other companies were expected to follow suit. “Please see fuel price adjustments of Shell effective 6 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25. Gasoline increase of P0.30 per liter, kerosene increase by P0.35 per liter and diesel increase by P0.20 per liter,” Shell said in its advisory. World oil prices rebounded last week amid expectations that the spread of the coronavirus in China is under control as cases fell. The previous week, world prices declined amid coronavirus concerns, but the talks of OPEC cuts provided some support. Global oil demand took a hit as China’s growth was slashed by the coronavirus outbreak. On Feb. 18 to 19, most of the oil companies implemented a price increase/decrease on petroleum products. The price of gasoline has increased by P0.35 per liter while a P0.10-per-liter decrease was implemented on the price of diesel and kerosene. Prior to today’s increase in pump prices,

Pinoys... From A1 South Korea raised its alert on the coronavirus to the highest level on Sunday after reporting three more deaths and 169 new infections. South Korea has seen a rapid surge in the number of coronavirus cases since a cluster of infections emerged from a religious sect in the southern city of Daegu. The DFA, through the Philippine Embassy in Seoul, urged all Filipinos in South Korea to monitor and comply with the advisories from South Korean health authorities and cooperate with efforts to quell the further spread of the virus. It also advised Filipinos to contact the emergency hotline number of the Philippine Embassy in Seoul during emergency situations. Filipinos in South Korea experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 should immediately contact the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention. So far, the Philippine Embassy has not received information that there are Filipinos in South Korea infected by COVID-19. The embassy said it is closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with Filipino community in ensuring the safety of Filipinos living and working in South Korea. The DFA also urged Filipinos in Singapore to avoid large crowds after a Filipino in the country was tested positive for COVID-19. “All Filipinos in Singapore are likewise encouraged to continue to maintain vigilance, observe proper hygiene, avoid crowds or large gatherings and frequently monitor personal health,” the DFA said, in a statement.

Malaysia... From A1

oust a corruption-plagued government at the 2018 polls. Mahathir, who previously served as premier from 1981 to 2003, had made a preelection pledge to hand power to Anwar but has repeatedly refused to fix a date. The weekend push to form a new government appeared to have fizzled out by early Monday, but then Mahathir’s office made the surprise announcement that he had “sent a resignation letter as prime minister of Malaysia” to the king at 1:00 p.m. (0500 GMT). Shortly before, Mahathir’s Bersatu party announced it was leaving the ruling coalition and 11 lawmakers resigned from Anwar’s party, leaving the Pact of Hope in tatters and fueling speculation efforts could be under way to form a new alliance. Anwar was due to see the king Monday, with speculation mounting that he would try to convince him that he had the back-

EDSA... From A1

“They cannot afford it because they don’t have the support of the police and the military. Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority will enforce a traffic rerouting scheme along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue and other areas affected by the 34th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution today. The MMDA will implement area closures on two lanes of EDSA in front of the People Power Monument and the eastbound portion of White Plains Avenue. A two-way traffic scheme will also be observed on White Plains Avenue eastbound. Members of the Alyansa Tigil Mina, Coalition Against Trafficking of Women in Asia Pacific, Kilos Maralita, Partido Manggagawa, Sentro ng Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa, and Union of Students for the Advancement of Democracy will call on the people to continue fighting for freedom and resisting another dictatorship. Union members from the beleaguered ABS-CBN will join the protest action to defend press freedom, demand the renewal of their franchise and the as security of the tenure of the network’s 11,000 employees. With Joel E. Zurbano

the year-to-date adjustments stood at a net decrease of P2.80 per liter of gasoline, P4.60 per liter of diesel and P5.94 per liter of kerosene. On Feb. 20, Phoenix Petroleum offered all its fuel variants at a special discounted price of P20 per liter from 10 a.m. to 12 noon at 10 of its gas stations across the country. Phoenix launched its ‘Twenty on Twenty’ promo as a way to thank its customers and celebrate its win after being hailed as the “Marketing Company of the Year” at the 40th Agora Awards. “For the past years, Phoenix Petroleum has been achieving great business results and attracting more and more partners and clients nationwide. We credit our growth to the hard work of our employees, the trust of our customers, and our continuous pursuit for improvement and excellence in our products and services,” said Phoenix Petroleum chief operating officer Henry Albert Fadullon. Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said the market welcomed lower pump prices. “As we aim for greater goals this year, we want to give back to our customers and treat them with a very special promo. As a homegrown brand that made its way up and competes toe-to-toe with big and established multinationals, we want to share this win to the people we serve, the Filipino motorists, who choose to trust and patronize local brands such as ours,” Fadullon said. The DFA said those who develop fever, cough, sore throat and difficulty in breathing, are advised to see a doctor immediately. The Filipino patient is now warded in an isolation room at a hospital, citing information from the Philippine Embassy in Singapore. Besides the patient in Singapore, some Filipinos have also tested positive for COVID-19 in other countries. These are the 59 Filipinos quarantined at the M/V Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan, one in Hong Kong, and two in the United Arab Emirates. Health Assistant Secretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said of the 59 Filipino crew members on the cruise ship, two have recovered. There were 538 Filipinos on the M/V Diamond Princess, only seven of whom were passengers. More than 400 of the Filipinos onboard the ship have asked to be repatriated to the Philippines. They are scheduled to arrive today, Tuesday, and head for Athlete’s Village in New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac, for a 14-day quarantine. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said strict infection control and quarantine protocols would be followed in the New Clark City facility. A senior Palace official said Monday the country is expected to lose $300 million in total cash remittances from overseas workers in 2020 or a 0.8-percent decline in its project growth due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said the country had been expecting $34.5 billion in cash remittances this year or a projected growth rate of 3 percent, but the government lowered this to $34.2 billion because of virus. ing of enough MPs to form a government. While his role is largely ceremonial, the monarch approves the appointment of the prime minister, who must have the backing of most MPs in parliament. “If he has the majority then Anwar is the next prime minister,” Azmi Hassan, political analyst with University Technology Malaysia, told AFP. But he added that “with Bersatu out of [the ruling coalition]... most probably Anwar won’t have the numbers”. New alliance? Mahathir’s party may now join hands with the United Malays National Organisation—the lynchpin of the forming ruling coalition, and party of scandal-tainted former leader Najib Razak—and other groups to try to form a government, he said. Anwar had teamed up with former nemesis Mahathir ahead of the 2018 elections to oust the government of Najib, who had become embroiled in the massive 1MDB graft scandal, and they led their alliance to victory against a coalition that had ruled Malaysia for six decades.AFP

20 Immigration... From A1

after this exposé, the intense public scrutiny and accompanying trial by publicity that the Bureau has been subjected to will only ensure that we come out stronger as we weather yet another storm. “We have placed all of the accused in the Administrative holding office and have canceled all their privileges. We shall observe due process as we bring the accused to the court of justice. This incident and the corresponding consequences should serve as a strong warning and reminder to others not to engage in any unethical practices.” Meanwhile, the 1,000-strong Immigration Officers Association of the Philippines Inc. assured the public that the majority of its members remained focused on their duties as gatekeepers. “Not even the threat of epidemics and allegations of corruption against some officers will dampen their morale and their vigilance in guarding our borders against unwanted aliens,” Er German Robin, IOAP president, said. Robin said the IOAP fully supported the ongoing investigation being conducted by the Senate, National Bureau of Investigation and the BI Management into the “pastillas” scam, saying the organization would never tolerate any wrongdoing by its members.

News

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2020 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Workers group raps snail-paced POLO action By Vito Barcelo AN OVERSEAS workers group fears that hundreds of job opportunities in Japan for Filipino workers may not be realized due to ineffectiveness and snail-paced action of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office employees in Tokyo, Japan, saying official transactions are not being processed by POLO employees in Japan. Former Labor undersecretary and president of Lilac Center for Public Interest Inc. Nicon Fameronag urged the Department of Labor and Employment to direct its POLO in Tokyo to act fast on verification documents of Japanese employers who wish to hire Filipino skilled workers, saying now is the time to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the liberalization of Japan’s labor market. “There are many complaints of snailpaced action of the POLO in Tokyo on Japanese employers’ official transactions with it. If the DOLE shall not quickly act on these complaints, we will certainly lose to other countries whose nationals are also eyeing the lucrative Japanese market,” Fameronag said Monday. “POLOS should further streamline their processes for the benefit of OFWs,” he said. Fameronag made the call in a symposium which was aimed at familiarizing Japanese employers and Philippine recruitment agencies with the country’s policies, rules, and regulations governing the recruitment and deployment of Filipino workers to Japan arising from the Memorandum of Cooperation on the Basic Partnership Framework for Proper Operation of the System Pertaining to Foreign Human Resources with the Status of Residence of “Special Skilled Worker” between the Philippines and Japan.

Solon wants WP program strengthened By Maricel V. Cruz AN OPPOSITION lawmaker on Monday called on the leadership of the House of Representatives to fast-track the passage of the pending twin-bills that aim to encourage whistleblowers and protect them as witnesses in judicial proceedings. Deputy Minority Leader and Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate appealed to the chamber to prioritize the passage of House Bills 4387 and 4388 to encourage more witnesses and whistleblowers to come forward to expose crime and corruption. “It is sad that one of the witnesses on the ‘GCTA scam’ got cold feet and backed out, while another was killed, but with the enactment of HB 4387 and 4388, there would be a whole new mechanism for their safety among others,” Zarate said. HB 4387 calls for the establishment of a monetary reward system for whistleblowers; protect informants against reprisals, and civil or criminal liability when they make public interest disclosures; and secure the safety of whistleblowers and their family. The bill also ensures public disclosures are made to the proper public authorities, inappropriate publication of unsubstantiated disclosures does not happen, and proper records on disclosures are kept and safeguarded. On the other hand, HB 4388 proposes, among others, the creation of a witness protection bureau an independent and autonomous body attached to the Department of Justice.

INTERNET SAFETY. House Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez (center), assisted by Rep. Yedda Romualdez’s Chief of Staff Jude Acidre (right), welcome the team of Facebook led by head of Public Policy Clare Amador (third from left), Public Policy manager Chris Kuzhuppilly (second from left), head of Safety APAC Amber Hawkes (second from right), Associate General Counsel Jennifer Chan and Lloyf Zaragoza during a consultation meeting to discuss the Internet safety of the Child. Tingog Party-List Rep. Yedda Marie Romualdez is the chairperson of Committee on Welfare of Children. Ver Noveno

COA upholds ruling Abpi ‘culpable’ By Rio N. Araja

HE Commission on Audit has upheld its Oct. 1, 2016 ruling that ex-Department of Public Works and Highways’ Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao caretaker Razul Abpi must not be spared among those culpable for disallowed transactions worth P846.54 million.

In a Jan. 29 decision, COA junked Abpi’s omnibus motion seeking reversal of the 2016 ruling, recall of the Feb. 28, 2018 notice of ﬁnality of decision and his exclusion from the

list of those held liable in the notices of disallowance. The commission’s Special Audit Ofﬁce issued the notices of disallowances on Aug. 26, 2011 based

OPAPP condemns NPA slay of returnee THE Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process has condemned the killing of rebel returnee Antonio Benzon Jr. by members of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army. Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. blasted what he called the “duplicitous” nature of the CPP-NPA, which is carrying out such gruesome attacks but at the same time calling for the resumption of peace talks with the government. “We cannot achieve peace if the other side continues murdering people with impunity. These killings do not achieve anything but perpetuate the cycle of violence,” Galvez said. Benzon, who had only recently left the communist group and returned to the folds of the law, was shot dead in Barangay Colambis, Casiguran, Sorsogon on Feb. 22. The CPP-NPA has claimed responsibility for Benzon’s death. According to Galvez, the CPP-NPA’s portrayal of Benzon as a traitor and a criminal is yet another attempt to discredit the government’s “Whole-ofNation’’ Approach to end local communist armed conflict. The Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program and Localized Peace Engagements are among the mechanisms being implemented under the Whole-Of-Nation Approach. Through LPEs, local governments units and other stakeholders in the community take the lead in finding solutions to address the armed rebellion in their areas.

Honda Cars PH closure ‘unjust’ “THE sudden closure of Honda Cars Phils. Inc., without informing its workers, is irresponsible, unjust and illegal,” the Metro Manila-based Center for Trade Union and Human Rights has said. Daisy Arago, executive director of CTUHR, said in a statement, “The management and the workers through their union are bound by a collective bargaining agreement, and yet everyone was caught by surprise. “It is the workers’ right to be informed of such drastic actions, especially as it costs them their jobs which their families have been depending on for years.” On Saturday, a supposed normal workday for the Honda Cars Phils. manufacturing workers, the weekend

became a nightmare when they were called for a general meeting wherein HCPI’s president and general manager Noriyuki Takakura appeared on a video message announcing that Honda would cease operations in the Philippines. Before the workers could absorb the devastating news, HCPI immediately stopped its operations and other workers were refused entry to the plant’s premises, according to the CTURP statement. Around 70 guards were reported to be watching the plant and police were subsequently assembled at the Gate 1 of the Laguna Technopark Inc. A ﬁretruck was also deployed near HCPI. Benjamin Chavez

on findings that the procurement of construction materials for public works projects were only on paper and did not actually materialize. In a motion, Abpi claimed his appeal was denied on a technicality although its filing had met the prescriptive period. He said the 2016 decision was not officially served to him because of his retirement. While he cited that his appeal was not decided on merits, the COA maintained that the audit team found evidence that the transactions were not subjected to public bidding, and that some were not supported by

invoices or official receipts. In addition, COA said the delivered materials were “inspected and accepted” by unidentified persons. “Contrary to movant’s contention that there were no definite findings of irregularity, there is overwhelming evidence of irregularity in the transactions. Clearly, the above findings of the Audit Team are sufficient to warrant a conclusion that the transactions were spurious and irregular,” the decision read. The decision was penned by COA chairman Michael Aguinaldo, and Commissioners Jose Fabia and Roland Pondoc.

Opinion

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2020

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

The myth of EDSA One TODAY, Feb. 25, is a holiday. We are supposed to mark the so-called People Power Revolution, which is said to have caused the exile of strongman Ferdinand Marcos. This event is also called EDSA One. Santa Banana, through all the years since February 1986, I have been wondering why it is called a revolution. To me it was simply a pocket mutiny of over half a million people on Edsa. It was the breakaway group Reform the Armed Forces Movement under thenLt. Col. Gringo Honasan, but actually led by then-Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile and later joined by PCINP Chief Fidel Ramos, that was actually behind this event!

It was hardly a revolution. I say it was just a pocket mutiny because out of about 80 million Filipinos at that time, only a handful of nuns, priests, students and civil society representatives were present. It was said that this revolution led to the exile in Hawaii of Marcos. The truth was, the Americans abducted Marcos and his family for fear that the mutineers would harm them. How could EDSA be a revolution? A revolution connotes a change in government like people stormed Bastille in France to depose the monarchy, and when the Bolsheviks revolted against the monarchy of Russia. But what happened here in 1986 was simply a change in regime. EDSA was just romanticized by the Marcos haters, the same people who elevated Cory Aquino to being an “icon of democracy.”

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

I was told that Enrile and Ramos were not too sure whether the people would accept the junta. Enrile told me that since Aquino was the face of the opposition to Marcos, the breakaway group made her president, together with Salvador Laurel as vice president. *** The expose of Senator Risa Hontiveros about the pastillas scheme involving Chinese Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator workers at the Bureau of Immigration is actually nothing new. Immigration people are known to facilitate undocumented overseas Filipino workers. They also provide socalled escort service. Santa Banana, I knew for a fact that Immigration personnel used to allow detained foreigners to take a holiday or be released for the weekend, in exchange for a monetary consideration. I don't know if this practice remains today. If the Immigration commissioner is unaware of the pastillas scheme, he is either blind or negligent. The problem is that Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra has admitted that the problem is “hard to crack.” It also involves cartel members who also resort to kidnapping and extortion. That is the reason I believe that President Duterte should take a hard look at what is happening to the country in the wake of his policy on POGOs. These businesses may be giving money to the government in terms of fees and taxes, but they are corrupting our government officials. *** Speaking of corruption, Customs insiders tell me there is also corruption going on there. Because of the great amount of containers being unloaded at the Port of Manila and at the Manila International Container Port, Customs has resorted to the release of imported goods by the container, charging each container P7,000 each. This is where corruption takes place—imports are not unloaded but are just X-rayed. This is why Finance Secretary

No room for complacency

UNDREDS of Filipino crew members of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19)-stricken cruise ship Diamond Princess in Japan fly home today for 14 days of quarantine in New Clark City, Tarlac, yet another grim reminder that we cannot afford to let our guard down.

With 52 of the more than 500 Filipino crew members testing positive for the deadly COVID-19, it has become apparent that even the Japanese, normally known for their efficiency and advanced technology, committed grave errors in their quarantine process that increased the risk of major outbreaks in other countries outside China, where it has already killed more than 2,400 people and infected close to 77,000 others, despite draco-

nian lockdowns in Hubei province. In the Philippines, a decline in the number of new suspected cases may lead to complacency, which we can ill afford. Confirmed cases of COVID-19 continue to soar in South Korea, for example. The total has reached 556 with five deaths, according to the country’s leading media agency Yonhap News. The potentially fatal illness has been identified in many regions, including South Korea’s 17 major provinces and cities, the report said. On Friday, the government declared Daegu—epicenter of the Korean outbreak—and its adjacent county Cheongdo as “special care zones” and Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun has called the situation “grave.” The death toll in Iran climbed to six, the highest outside China, and a dozen towns in northern Italy effectively went into lockdown as authorities tested hundreds of people who came into contact with an estimated 79 confirmed cases there. Two people have died in Italy. Given this situation, health authorities here must tread the line between counterproductive panic and dangerous complacency.

Perhaps in an effort to calm fears and play down the risks of the new disease, some experts have suggested that we should be more concerned with tuberculosis, since it can be easily transmitted and was the eighth leading cause of mortality, with a rate of 25 deaths for every 100,000 population in 2017. In contrast, only one person—a Chinese national from Wuhan—has died of COVID-19 in the Philippines. This view is hardly reassuring, however, since there are already proven medicines to treat TB while no such drugs exist as yet for COVID-19. Furthermore, the rapid spread of the disease in China and the pocket outbreaks elsewhere in the world are truly a cause for concern. Fear of the unknown is a powerful emotion that can be dispelled only by accurate information. As our health officials deal with arriving repatriates from the Diamond Princess, it is crucial that they appreciate the key lessons from the failed quarantine effort in Yokohama, Japan, that made the cruise liner the second biggest concentration of COVID-19 anywhere in the world.

Turn to A5

Weaponizing the law WITH this column, I begin a series on the concept of lawfare, the proposition that law is being weaponized for political purposes—in a good way as when we used law in fighting a military and economic giant, but also unfortunately in an evil way when it is used to violate human rights and suppress our freedoms of expression, press, and dissent. Like religion, morality, and social conventions, law is a normative social practice which purports to guide human behavior and direct human actions and his social, political or economic relations towards a common goal. Apropos is the Latin legal maxim “Lex est sanctio sancta jubens honesta et prohibens contraria” which says that a law is a sacred sanction, commanding what is right and prohibiting the contrary. Along with other social conventions, law is a norm that melds societies together. Without law, there can only be chaos and anarchy. This is why no modern society can possibly function effectively, if not exist, without some form of rule that brings or imposes order on how people should behave in dealing with others. Law is the reason why hitherto small communities are able to transform themselves into great empires. The Roman empire, which originated from an unknown tribe in Latium, was forged not only by military might but by the legal system, to be known as ius gentium or jus gentium (Latin for "law of nations") which created cohesiveness among the different tribes they conquered. The Roman legal system survived the collapse of the Roman empire and was handed down to and inherited by the great Christian empires of Europe, although the traditional ius gentium of the Roman system was now interspersed with canon or ecclesiastical law. When every person in a collectivity operates under the principle of “to each his own,” it will result in the breakdown of order and civility, man being impelled only into action in accordance with his primal instinct of self-preservation. Somalia, Afghanistan, Yemen and a few other countries have been declared failed states due to

loss of control or legitimacy and inability to perform the functions of a state. Factors that drive states into the abyss of lawlessness and anarchy include escalation of communal conflict like in Somalia, Yugoslavia and Yemen, to name a few; collapse of democratic infrastructure such as Nigeria or Madagascar; or crisis in succession like Iran under the Shah or Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein. The quest for peace, security and prosperity is a fundamental necessity that drives humans into setting up some form of rules or laws that will create social cohesion and direct the community into achieving a common good. But to attain this, there is a person, group or collectivity of individuals vested with authority to orchestrate the communal effort, make and enforce rules in accordance with the mandate of the sovereign.

What is the distinction between what is legal, ethical, and just? Since time immemorial, legal theorists have elucidated on the questions: What is law? What is its purpose? What is the distinction between what is legal, ethical, and just? Four major theories of law try to answer these questions: the Natural law theory, Positive law theory, Marxist law theory, and Realist theory of law. The natural law theory is founded on the belief that the source of law is not man or legislation, but “God, nature or reason.” Preeminent classical philosophers of this persuasion are Plato and Aristotle who explained the nature of natural law. The Catholic philosophy of Saint Thomas Aquinas borrows from these Greek thinkers, especially Aristotle. The positivist theory posits the view that law is man-made, enacted to oblige or specify an action. This subscribes that law is only effectual as a guide to human behavior unless the language of the law and the methods to interpret it are useful to ordinary citizens. Laws in society are a subset of the sovereign’s commands: general orders that apply to classes of actions and people and that are backed up by threat of force or Turn to A5

Public interest should be paramount OUR 1987 Constitution contains enough guidelines on the proper conduct or behavior of our public officials. In Section 12, Article VI, "The Legislative Department", it says: "All Members of the Senate and the House of Representatives shall, upon assumption of office, make a full disclosure of their financial and business interests. They shall notify the House concerned of a potential conflict of interest that may arise from the filing of a proposed legislation of which they are authors." In Section 1, Article XI, "Accountability of Public Officers," we have this: "Public office is a public trust. Public officers and employees must at all times be accountable to the people, serve them with utmost responsibility, loyalty and efficiency, act with patriotism and justice, and lead modest lives." My question is: Are our current crop of public officials even aware of these

constitutional provision? If they are, there won't even be any need for the Office of the Ombudsman or the Sandiganbayan, the anti-graft court. To answer my own question: Obviously not. It seems to me that these provisions are honored more in the breach than in the observance, and that's why

What could be the reason for the seeming lack of interest of the Committee on Energy in this hearing? the Ombudsman has more than a handful of complaints against public officials than it can handle. We find it unfortunate therefore that we encounter one too many cases of conflict of interest on the part of our public officials. One such case brought to our attention involves a recent congressional hearing on the national government's

efforts to ensure energy sufficiency and sustainability. This was jointly conducted by the House Committees on Public Accounts and on Good Government and Public Accountability. The hearing was also convened to determine what the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management (PSALM) Corporation should do to collect billions of pesos in receivables from independent power producer administrators (IPPAs). The hearing, we're told, was attended by officials from the Department of Energy and PSALM. The latter manages all existing debts of the National Power Corp., capital lease payments to independent power producers (IPPs), and the outstanding obligations of electric co-ops to the National Electrification Administration (NEA). But wait a second. If the topic of the hearing was energy and the uncollected receivables of PSALM, doesn't it stand to reason, keen observers say, that the Committee on Energy should have been the lead committee? This committee is chaired by Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Jay Velasco. Turn to A5

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Opinion

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2020

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

First-timers LAST week was an eventful one, with several breakthroughs happening under an administration that, well past its midpoint, is still far from being a lame duck. This afternoon’s rallyists at the annual victimization orgy celebrating “EDSA people power” would of course disagree, having adopted the “Oust Duterte” slogan for good. Unfortunately, history continues to pass them by, whether they see it or not. Among the first-time milestones that were passed: Foreign investment pledges more than doubled, from P179 billion in 2018 to an all-time high of P390 billion in 2019. At the same time, industrial construction surged by 30 percent in 2018, with the momentum carrying over into the first nine months of last year. Analysts expect the rest of the region to benefit as many multinational companies reconfigure their supply chains away from China with its recurrent public health issues. Ironically, more than three-fourths of the new pledges also came from China. This ought to improve their local image amid concerns about the corona virus; tax evasion, immigration bribes, prostitution rings, and other misbehavior by POGOs; and of course the unresolved maritime face-off in the West Philippine Sea. A misbehaving POGO was shut down by the BIR—also for the first time—as if to make a point about our unsettled sentiments over the Chinese presence. Of course, investment pledges aren’t worth much until the actual cash comes in, which can take as long as five years later. What will help in this case is the recent passage by the House of amendments to the 84-year-old Public Services Act that lifted the 40-percent limit on foreign ownership in the power, transport, and communications sectors. They did this by the neat trick of distin-

guishing between “public service” and “public utility.” The leftists are belatedly making a fuss over security risks in opening up these vital sectors to foreigners. They may have a point this time, especially for software-driven utilities where hidden back doors can always be tucked away. But any concerns about, say, China shouldn’t be generalized to other, more responsible investors like, say, Japan or Europe. And if they wish, our legislators can always restore restrictions in the future, even as our security establishment ought to stay on the ball anyway monitoring those sensitive sectors, regardless of who owns them.

Is it just a coincidence that the people behind these initiatives are all women? The PEZA under its redoubtable chair Charito Plaza may be tying up soon with the AFP to set up defense industrial economic zones that will produce military equipment for the country and maybe even for the rest of the region. This may be the first time our military will get involved in commercial manufacturing activity. Judging from the exemplary performance of many ex-officers now in public service, we have every reason to expect their success in business as well. A fine example of such performance is the no-nonsense DILG head, former AFP chief of staff Ed Ano, who has ordered local mayors to create and lead task forces to enforce the ban on tricycles using the national highways. Anyone who’s driven long stretches in our country has his own story about how errant tricycles slowed them down or even almost got them into accidents. This ban has long been on the statute books, but is being enforced only now.

Either the tricycles must now be rerouted elsewhere, or else they must sport special stickers and may be restricted only to certain times of the day. This ought to free up our highways for better use by the people they were intended for—long distance drivers—while we’re waiting for all those grandiose promises by our infrastructure agencies about building the Pan-Luzon Expressway to come true. Over in Makati, we may be seeing the country’s first-ever subway system after all, ahead of the proposed Mega Manila subway that inexplicably keeps getting realigned towards—rather than away from—earthquake fault areas. Under the much more sensible Mayor Abby Binay, a Chinese-backed consor consortium called Philippine Infradev Hold Holdings was greenlighted to go ahead with the $3.5-billion, 10-kilometer Makati subway, now dubbed “MkTr.” Much of the cashflow to support construction will come from topside development of some 28 hectares of prime Makati land. It’s a financial model that was successfully used in building the Hong Kong subway system, which also collected signage as well as farebox revenues on the back of its lucrative real estate. Finally, for the first time ever, the country will be holding its first nationwide shopping sale throughout the whole of March. The DOT is partnering with all the major mall operators, as well as airlines and hotels who will offer substantial discounts. Patterned after similar events in Singapore and Hong Kong, it’s a great promotional idea, not just for the tourism, retail and hospitality industries, but also for the bold proposition—too long left unsaid—that we as a people are a lot bigger than whatever virus is thrown our way. Is it just a coincidence, by the way, that the people behind these initiatives—PEZA’s Plaza, Makati’s Binay, DOT’s Secretary Romulo-Puyat—are all women? It’s clear what this says about the fairer sex, though not so clear about what this means for their bitter half. Continued on A6

Gov’t, private sector must join hands vs. COVID-19 WE ARE fortunate that there has been only one new case of confirmed coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the country since last month’s death at the San Lazaro Hospital of the Chinese national who traveled from Wuhan City to Cebu and Dumaguete City with his girlfriend, the first reported case of infection.

The global specter of the deadly disease is for real. The third confirmed case at the San La LaChizaro Hospital is that of a 60-year-old Chi nese national, who also came from Wuhan, and visited Cebu and then Bohol where she was first hospitalized in January. Apparently the travel ban on inbound

visitors from Wuhan, Macau and Hong Kong had helped minimize the possibility of person-to-person transmission of coronavirus. We are at this point truly blessed with such few cases, as global concern grows over the alarming outbreak of COVID-19 cases reported in the past three days in South and North Korea, Singapore, Iran and Italy, among 27 countries affected so far. The global specter of the deadly disease is for real. Now, the authorities must consider the growing clamor from some camps and netizens for the Duterte government to impose the prohibition on incoming and outgoing travelers to South Korea and Singapore. We strongly hope that the Department of Health would continue to do a good job containing the virus thus far, even as they assured us there should be "no worry" of that happening with the scheduled arrival of nearly 500 Filipino repatriates from the virus-stricken cruise ship Diamond Princess in Tokyo, Japan. Certainly, we understand the apprehension of some local officials and residents around the Athletes' Village in New Clark Cty, Capas, Tarlac where the repatriates will be quarantined for

Weaponizing... From A4

“sanction.” In simplest terms, law, according to Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, is the will of the ruling class. Marx subscribe to the idea that law and state are the creation of those who have the means of production contrived to exploit those who do not have in order to protect their private property. This theory assumes that perfect equality can only be attained in a Communist stage where there is no private property, class, state and law. As the name suggests, the realists are more interested in

The myth... From A4

Carlos “Sonny” Dominguez should consider rehiring an international shipment outfit like Switzerlandbased Societe Generale de Surveilance to check imported goods loaded in containers. No less than an oldtimer at Customs, former Customs Commissioner Titus Villanueva who rose from the ranks and later on became commissioner, suggested that rehiring SGS would not only curb smuggling at Customs but even increase revenues. Villanueva attested to the fact that during his time when SGS was still

two weeks. A previous group of 49 Filipino repatriates from Wuhan have been cleared to go home after the compulsory 14-day quarantine period in the same sports facility. We share the sentiment of those anxious about the possibility of the pandemic spreading in the country but we definitely cannot turn our back on our fellow Filipinos who have nowhere to go but home. It is important to note that at least 59 Filipino crew members confirmed to have contracted the disease aboard the cruise ship will not be among those bound for New Clark City today. They will remain hospitalized in Japan as all 3,700 have disembarked Diamond Princess. I do not believe there is a dearth of scientific and medical expertise in this country to effectively minimize, if not to eliminate, the threat of this “mysterious” disease. I believe we can overcome this crisis with a government inter-agency effort and active support of the private sector, particularly private medical entities, who have the needed resources to get things done. There is no reason we can’t, as we have proven the Filipino resiliency.

the actual workings of the law rather than its theoretical abstractions. Based on this approach, rules not applied to address practical uses are dead; they breathe life only when they are put to good use in real-life situations. On this premise, laws are laws only when applied by the judge and not by legislators. As such, the judge, not the legislator, is the real lawmaker. No single theoretical framework discussed can be dismissed outright as false, discredited in its entirety or swallowed as the repository of truth. In the next column, I will propose an approach that will help us understand and defeat evil lawfare. Facebook: Dean Tony La Vina Twitter: tonylavs

operating, smuggling and corruption were at their lowest. It was actually former Prime Minister Cesar Virata who first suggested the hiring of SGS, taking off from the experience of Indonesia who had the same problem as the Philippines. Unfortunately, the pre-shipment function of SGS was stopped during the time of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Congress decided to scrap the contract. The reason for the scrapping was that corrupt officials at Customs started a campaign against SGS. *** Notice that the supply of shabu continues despite President Duterte's all-out war against drugs. My gulay, it is because the Chinese cartels continue smuggling

through Customs' sub-ports. *** Will the franchise of ABS-CBN be renewed? It's up to the House of Representatives. If the Supreme Court decides on Solicitor General Jose Calida's quo warranto petition before March 30, the date of the franchise expiration, any action by the House will be moot and academic. At the rate the Lopez-owned network is soliciting support from many sectors, will Congress relent? *** My book “The Road Never Ends” is now available at La Solidaridad bookstore on Padre Faura and through Brainstorm PH. Just message Carla Diaz de Rivera at 0917-7772337.

Near-zero poverty rate should be principal goal

EVERY administration’s economic managers believe that they are the best things that have ever happened to this country. The economic managers of the administration of Rodrigo Duterte are no exceptions to this rule, and the head of President Duterte’s team—Secretary of Finance Carlos Dominguez III—has in recent months taken advantage of every opportunity to talk about the economic policies and achievements of the administration that he serves. In one of his more recent speeches, the Secretary of Finance discussed the elaborately structured and sophisticatedly argued programs that make up the Duterte administration’s economic agenda. These included the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusiveness (TRAIN) Act—now divided into TRAIN I, TRABAHO, CITIRA and PIFITA—Build, Build, Build, 6.5-7.5 percent GDP (gross domestic product) growth and the quest for an upgrade of this country’s present BBB plus sovereign credit rating. Secretary Dominguez said that the TRAIN reform packages, by leveling the fiscal-treatment playing field, lightening the citizenry’s tax burden and putting an end to the erosion of the tax laws’ revenue yield, make possible greater investment and generate more employment and income. The DOF (Department of Finance) chief has been absolutely justified in singing the praises of the Duterte administration’s economic agenda. The Build, Build, Build program has held out the prospect of correction of this country’s infrastructure deficiency, which would give rise to increased activity in the industries producing supplies and employing manpower for the construction and highways, bridges, airports, seaports and schoolhouses. Though it has been shown to be short on accomplishment, Build, Build, Build remains the Duterte administration’s flagship program. Though only its first package has been approved by Congress thus far, the TRAIN program continues to be assiduously promoted by the Duterte administration’s Congressional-liaison personnel. Given the disorientedness and lack of coordination that has attended much tax legislation over the years, there is need for the TRAIN Act. It is generally a good piece of legislation, and the Duterte administration is right to give it the focus and attention that it is getting. Likewise, the economic managers of the Duterte administration are doing the right thing in striving for a further upgrade of the BBB plus sovereign credit rating that the Philippines currently carries. Not only is a higher rating by the major international credit rating agencies—Standard and Poor’s, Moody’s and Fitch Ratings—an in-

ternational badge of honor, but it also strengthens the fiscal operations of the government by making possible reduced interest rates on the government’s external borrowings. Secretary Dominguez misses no opportunity to discuss the possibility that this country might receive another credit-rating upgrade in the near future.

What real good is a 7-percent GDP growth rate if almost six million Filipinos are barely surviving? And then there is that other obsession—the mother of all obsessions—of the Duterte administration’s economic managers: the annual GDP growth rate. In recent years the Philippine economy has demonstrated a capacity to grow at a pace significantly faster than in the preceding decades; the recent rate of annual GDP growth has been of the order of 6.0-6.5 percent. The 7-8 percent growth rate targeted by the Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022 has proven to be elusive. The economic managers are absolutely right in their fervent striving for attainment of the 7-8 GDP growth target, given the government’s need to provide food, social services and employment for a national population that is not almost certainly in the vicinity of 110 million. All the economic goals discussed above—a higher GDP growth rate, a higher sovereign credit rating, a high level of Build, Build, Build accomplishment and Congressional approval of the TRAIN reform package—are undoubtedly important for the development and growth of this country’s economy, and the economic managers are right in devoting much time, attention and resources to the quest for their attainment. But important though they be, these targets should not be the principal goal of their strivings. That principal goal, the Holy Grail, should be the eradication of poverty, represented by the national poverty rate. According to PSA (Philippine Statistics Authority) data, this rate fell between 2015 and 2018 from 21 percent to 16.8 percent. The latter figure apparently translated to almost 6 million Filipinos. The Duterte administration has said that it expects to bring down the national poverty rate to 14 percent by 2022. Fourteen percent of Filipinos living below the poverty line in the third decade of the 21st century is way too many Filipinos. It is an unacceptable state of affairs. What real good is a 7-percent GDP growth rate if almost six million Filipinos are barely surviving? Until the national poverty rate shall have gone down to near-zero, the government’s economic managers—the present government and the next—are well advised to tone down their characterization of their performance in managing this country’s economic affairs.

Public... From A4

What could be the reason for the seeming lack of interest of the Committee on Energy in this hearing? In the course of the hearing, PSALM said that as of 2019, it had already collected P70.2 billion from various IPPAs. However, the huge amount of P33.6 billion remains uncollected from several delinquent IPPAs. Several IPPAs were forced to pay their debts after PSALM initiated cases in court against them. One IPPA, however, stood out like a sore thumb because it has refused to pay its debt of P24.56 billion up to now. South Premiere Power Corp. (SPPC) operates the Ilijan gas-fired power plant in Batangas City. SPPC is owned by a big business conglomerate whose head honcho is among the richest in the country according to Forbes magazine. This billionaire is said to have stood as one of the principal sponsors during the wedding of Velasco and his wife in 2012. He is is also rumored to have supported Velasco’s speakership bid in 2019, and is often seen as a guest of honor in the latter's gatherings. SPPC’s unpaid account represents more than 70 percent of the total amount of uncollected receivables by PSALM, which has long been trying to collect the amount from SPPC. PSALM president Irene Garcia said during the hearing that if these billions in uncollected receivables remain unpaid, “PSALM will be compelled to contract new borrowings in order to (immediately) liquidate maturing obligations of NPC—a vicious cycle that will result in PSALM absorbing additional interests and other finance charges.” The amount of P24.56 billion that SPPC owes PSALM would force PSALM to incur annual borrowing costs of more or less P1 billion a year, an amount better spent on social development projects such as classrooms and barangay health centers. And there's the rub. The presumed Speaker-in-waiting appears reluctant to stick his neck out and tackle these issues as chair of the House energy committee because it would be perceived as conflict of interest on his part. A good move, we might conclude, as he doesn't want to antagonize his patron, but also a bad one as this may show that he's not his own man and public interest could be the least of his priorities as a lawmaker. ernhil@yahoo.com

News

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2020 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

BI deports 9 Japanese fugitives

Army colonel named as PSG head PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has named Army Col. Jesus Durante as the next commander of the Presidential Security Group, replacing Brig. Gen. Jose Niembra, Malacañang announced Monday. Durante will formally assume the top PSG post in a ceremony at Malacañang Park on Tuesday afternoon, as stated in a media advisory sent to Palace reporters. Durante currently heads the presidential escorts. He is a member of the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1992. He holds a Master’s degree in Defense Analytics from the Naval Post Graduate School in the United States and another Master’s degree in Public Management major in Development Security from the Development Academy of the Philippines. MJ Blancaflor

By Vito Barcelo

Party-list wants ROTC scrapped THE militant Kabataan Party-list on Monday called for the scrapping of the mandatory implementation of the Reserve Ofﬁcers’ Training Corps program in schools. In a statement, the Kabataan Party-list said Congress was scheduled to tackle the controversial bill of mandatory ROTC on Monday. “All students will be required to undergo the mandatory military training of ROTC in schools,” said the Kabataan Party-list. “During previous years, under the ROTC program, several young people have died, experienced harassment and different kinds of abuse,” the group said. Willie Casas

Ateneo names Siy as Board chair THE Board of Trustees of the Ateneo de Manila University has elected Bernadine Siy as its chairman, making her the ﬁrst woman to hold the position. The decision was made during the regular meeting of the Ateneo Board of Trustees last Feb. 1. Siy replaced Jollibee Foods Corp. president and CEO Ernesto Tanmantiong as the Chairman of the Board. Siy founded the Kenny Rogers restaurant chain in 1994 and brought Seattle’s Best Coffee to the Philippines in 2000. She served as president and CEO of the aforementioned companies until she retired in 2012. She remains a member of the board of the two organizations today.

First-timers From A5 *** Ash Wednesday tomorrow will be observed differently for the first time, in reaction to the same corona virus than which I just said we should prove we are bigger. But our bishops place their parishioners’ welfare first, and thus—at least in Manila and Kalookan—communicants will receive a sprinkling of ashes on their heads instead of the traditional cross marked on their foreheads. Regardless of the symbolism, what matters is the same underlying message: for us to die to our sins so that we may accede to new life. In the first reading (Jas 4: 1-10), James, the “brother of Jesus”, admonishes us: “Submit yourselves to God…Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse our hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you of two minds…Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” When the Disciples were arguing about who among them was the greatest, it fell to Jesus to repeat that call to humility (Mk 9: 30-37): “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” It was also His way of letting them know—though they did not understand it then—that He would soon subject Himself to the ultimate humility of dying on the cross for the sins of others—the rest of us—though not His, never His. Readers can write me at gbolivar1952@ yahoo.com.

SUBWAY PROJECT.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade (in white sleeves) together with representatives from the Shimizu Corp. represented by Monichiro Tsuchiya and Akihiko Fujiyoshi of the Oriental Consultants Global, presented the tunnel boring machine components that will make way for the construction of the Metro Manila Subway Project. Norman Cruz

THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources and San Miguel Corp. yesterday launched the Tullahan-Tinajeros river system dredging project. The project is a vital part of the Manila Bay rehabilitation program and will help address flooding in low-lying areas near the river such as Bulacan province. SMC has long been a partner of the DENR in cleanup efforts for the Tullahan river and has pledged P1 billion for this project. It acquired brand-new backhoes, cranes, barges, tug boats and dump trucks and will also provide manpower and logistics support.

SMC set to expand, dredge Tullahan river S AN Miguel Corporation’s P1-billion initiative to dredge and expand the Tullahan river system, will not only give the Manila Bay rehabilitation project a major boost—it will also help solve ﬂooding in Bulacan, ahead of plans to build the country’s largest and most modern airport in the province.

The project, dubbed the TullahanTinajeros River System dredging project, was launched yesterday by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and SMC with local executives of Navotas, Malabon, Valenzuela and Bulacan, at the Navotas Centennial Park in Navotas City, where the 36.4-km Tullahan river drains into the Manila Bay. Spillway to the Manila Bay SMC president and COO Ramon S. Ang described the Tullahan river as a spillway from Angat and Ipo dams that is supposed to drain excess water into the Manila Bay. However, due to pollution—the buildup of garbage, silt, and illegal structures over the many decades—it has become clogged, shallow, and narrow.

This is why whenever there are typhoons or heavy rains, low-lying areas near the river, particularly Bulacan province, become ﬂooded. “This project is a dredging and expansion initiative to address the problems of the Tullahan river,” Ang explained. “First, we will take out the garbage, and then we will deepen the river so water can move more freely to the Manila Bay.” Keeping the Tullahan river garbage and pollution-free, Ang said, is critical to ensuring that the DENR’s efforts to rehabilitate the Manila Bay under Secretary Roy Cimatu, will be a success. It will also help ensure that ﬂooding will no longer occur in low-lying areas

such as Bulacan. He called on local government officials’ help in making sure that once the river is cleaned, it will no longer be a dumping area for garbage and other pollutants. “For our part, we assure you, this will not be a one-time project. We will also do continuous yearly maintenance, and the dredging equipment we have bought will not be removed here anymore” he said. At the event, Ang showcased brand new dredging equipment the company bought from Japan, specifically for the project. This includes backhoes with barges, 55-tonner cranes, also with barges, tugboats, and dump trucks. Ang also assured the public that the airport project will not cause flooding, but will instead solve it. Ang also addressed issues raised by groups opposed to its planned new, US$15-billion Manila International Airport project, to be built in Bulakan, Bulacan, some five kilometers away from the site of the dredging ceremony. The airport, envisioned as the country’s largest and most modern, is being framed by opposers as a potential source of flooding in the province.

NAIA port collectors lauded for 2019 achievement By Joel E. Zurbano CUSTOMS commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero commended the district collection ofﬁce of Ninoy Aquino International Airport for its achievement in 2019 when it intercepted a total of P821.15 million woth of smuggled items. Of the total amount, P430.8 million were from two seized aircrafts—an 80-seater Magnum Air (Skyjet) and a 50-seater twin turbo propeller aircraft of Air Republiq—and P308.3 million from illegal drugs such as shabu, cannabis, cocaine and kush from both foreign and local suspects. From 2018 to 2019, a total of P672 million worth of drugs were intercepted. Also seized were P82.05 million worth

of meat and meat products without Sanitary and Phytosanitary import clearance, illegal wildlife species from illegal wildlife trade, used cellphones without National Telecommunications Commission permit, unregistered beauty products which were found harmful, and guns and ammunitions without proper permits. This accomplishment of the Port of NAIA was recognized last Feb. 7 during the Bureau of Customs 118th Founding Anniversary at South Harbor, Port Area, Manila. The recognition was given to NAIA district collector Carmelita Talusan. “This year, NAIA has already seized P29.5 million worth of illegal goods from different warehouses and we will continuously protect the borders against illegal and prohibited commodities,” said

Talusan. The campaign, according to Talusan, is in support of the reform programs and the renewed 10-point priority agenda of Guerrero earlier announced the revival of the agency’s Priority Program he initiated last year. The program consists of the continuation of the filling up of plantilla positions, full automation of frontline transactions, improvement of the risk management system, implementation of Customs modernization program, attainment of ISO certification, enhancement of trade facilitation, rationalization of penalty regimes, enhancement of management and technical skills, enhancement of stakeholder’s engagement and intensification of border protection.

THE Bureau of Immigration deported nine Japanese fugitives arrested by the bureau’s operatives in November last year. The Japanese were reportedly wanted for committing telecommunications fraud in their own country. BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said the nine Japanese boarded Japan Airlines flight at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 bound for Tokyo and escorted by Japanese police. The deportees were identified as Irie Dai, Ishii Kyogo, Hamaoka Kantaro, Maeyama Takuto, Tanaka Kazuya, Yoshida Takeshi, Murata Seiichi, Kouki Shouji, and Imizumi Ryo. Morente said they are the first batch of deportees from among the 36 Japanese nationals who were arrested in Makati City last Nov. 13 by agents from the BI fugitive search unit. “The schedule for the implementation of the deportation of the others remaining at the BI Detention Center in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig have yet to be finalized,” Morente said. Earlier, a summary deportation order was issued by the three-man BI board of commissioners against said aliens, thus paving the way for their eventual return to Japan. The board also directed that they be included in the bureau’s blacklist of undesirable aliens to prevent them from reentering the Philippines. Morente said Japanese fugitives must be deported from the Philippines as their continued presence here poses a risk to public interest. The Japanese used to conduct voice phishing operations that defrauded many of their compatriots in Japan.

Balintawak closed to traffic for Skyway project By Joel E. Zurbano AUTHORITIES on Monday advised motorists to brace for heavy traffic along Balintawak Interchange as one of its lanes going to North Luzon Expressway was ordered closed to give way to the ongoing construction of Skyway Stage 3 project. “We suggest that motorists plan their trips accordingly because of the possible delays caused by the construction works, especially on Wednesday and the succeeding days,” said Jose Arturo Garcia Jr., general manager of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority. Garcia said the agency gave the private contractors the go signal to start the road works after complying with the necessary requirements, including installation of project signages, traffic advisories and warning signs within the affected areas. Beginning Monday night, one lane closure will be implemented on EDSA Balintawak (going to NLEX) for the construction of a vertical bridge support under the EDSA Bridge. Light vehicles going to NLEX and Monumento may take the Balintawak Interchange ramp going to Cubao and take the U-turn slot after Cloverleaf Market going to NLEX. Meanwhile, two lanes on top of EDSA Bridge (going to Cubao) will also be closed to traffic for the erection of an interconnection platform tower on top of EDSA Bridge. Light vehicles coming from Monumento via EDSA before reaching Balintawak may turn right to A. de Jesus Street then left to C3 to destination.

Sangley Point rides on global success stories THE development of Sangley Point International Airport in Cavite to relieve the pressure off the Ninoy Aquino International Airport is inspired by successful experiences of other countries that resorted to reclamation for the expansion of their respective international gateways that will handle increasing air trafﬁc. Sangley Point’s development is a huge undertaking that would require reclamation of at least 1,400 hectares of land off Manila Bay. During the inauguration of the SPIA development project last Feb. 15, President Rodrigo Duterte stressed he would not allow massive reclamation in Manila Bay initiated by the private sector but those connected with government projects may be allowed to proceed. “I will only allow maybe plans of whatever reclamation if it’s in connection

with the government projects,” President Duterte said. The Provincial Government of Cavite had awarded the initial phase of the SPIA project to the consortium of state-run China Communications Construction Co. Ltd. and MacroAsia Corp. of taipan Lucio Tan. Under the joint venture between the Cavite government and the private sector, the government will reclaim the land and lease it to the winning bidder while the private partner will build the airport and facilities. Many of the world’s biggest and busiest airports like Singapore’s Changi Airport Singapore, which is voted as the World’s Best Airport 2019 by international air travellers for the seventh consecutive year, were erected on reclaimed land. About 870 hectares of land reclaimed were from the sea off the eastern tip of Singapore to accommodate the Changi

Airport. As of December 2019, Changi Airport is serving more than 100 airlines ﬂying to 380 destinations in around 100 countries and territories worldwide. Each week, around 7,400 ﬂights arrive or depart at the airport. Likewise, the construction of Hong Kong International Airport, located on the Chek Lap Kok Island in the western waters of the territory, required the reclamation of 1,248 hectares of land. The San Francisco International Airport, as well as the Kansai International Airport and the Tokyo International Airport in Japan, also involved reclamation to expand their operational capacity. Aside from reclamation activities directly related to the SPIA development, the Cavite provincial government earlier stressed that additional reclamation is necessary.

Sports Sherpa team aims for record Mount Everest winter ascent KATHMANDU—A team of four Sherpas is setting off on Monday to attempt a record winter ascent of Mount Everest in just five days, which would also be the first winter climb of the peak in more than quarter of a century. The last successful winter ascent was in 1993 by a Japanese team. “A winter speed climbing expedition has not happened yet and so we are attempting a new record,” team leader Tashi Lakpa Sherpa, who has summited Everest eight times, told reporters. Sherpa, 34, will not be using supplemental oxygen. Only one climber has previously ascended the peak in winter without supplemental oxygen: a Nepali mountaineer in December 1987. Sherpa will be joined by three other climbers—Pasang Nurbu Sherpa, Ming Temba Sherpa and Halung Dorchi Sherpa—who all have at least two Everest summits under their belt. “I know the mountain ... We are fully prepared and we have acclimatised. The biggest preparation to minimise risk on the mountain is acclimatisation,” Sherpa said. The Nepali climbers will be joining two other teams at Everest Base Camp who have been waiting for the right weather conditions. Spanish alpinist Alex Txikon and his team and German climber Jost Kobusch are also hoping to break the spell of unsuccessful winter expeditions on Everest. Temperatures near the summit of Everest in winter regularly plunge below minus 40 degrees Celsius (minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit), while strong winds make it even riskier. In those conditions exposed skin freezes in less than five minutes, putting climbers in serious danger of frostbite. Hundreds of climbers flock to Everest each year but most attempt the climb during a narrow window of calm weather between late April and May. Last year’s traffic-clogged spring climbing season saw a record 885 people summit Everest, 644 of them from the south and 241 from the northern flank in Tibet. The season ended with 11 deaths on the mountain, with at least four blamed on overcrowding. Autumn summits last year were thwarted by a serac—a block of glacial ice— hanging dangerously above the already treacherous Khumbu icefall that climbers have to cross to reach Camp 1. Nepal is home to eight of the world’s 14 highest peaks and foreign climbers who flock to its mountains are a major source of revenue for the country. AFP

EJ... From A8

SEA Games’ marathon surprise gold medalist Christine Hallasgo proved her victory was no fluke by winning the Milo National Marathon this month in Tarlac City. Hallasgo, an athlete-housewife/mother is aware of the tough Olympics women’s marathon qualifying standards and the absence of qualifying marathons and is now aiming to keep on improving and to prepare for the 2021 SEA Games in Vietnam. While a select few are preparing for the Olympics, the rest of the 50-string PATAFA national pool is preparing for regional meets and national championships and the Philippine national athletics championships in late March.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2020 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Korea postpones football league S

EOUL—South Korea’s K-league on Monday postponed the start of the new football season in the face of the growing novel coronavirus outbreak in the country.

“The K-league has decided to temporarily postpone the start of the 2020 K-league season until the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak eases,” it said in a statement. This year’s edition of the 12-team competition—whose current champions are Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors—had been due to kick off this weekend. “This is a measure to protect the health and safety of the citizens and our players with the highest priority against the outbreak of the COVID-19 which has entered a serious phase,” the K-league said after an emergency board meeting. Authorities have so far confirmed 763 cases of novel coronavirus in South Ko-

rea, most of them linked to Shincheonji, a controversial religious sect, and seven deaths—five of them patients at the same hospital. Matches featuring Daegu FC, based in the city that is the epicentre of the South Korean outbreak, and nearby Pohang Steelers, had already been delayed. Meanwhile, China’s women’s football team has emerged as a symbol of defiance against the coronavirus after coming out of quarantine to move to the brink of a place at the Tokyo Olympics. With sport at a standstill in China because of the outbreak, which has killed more than 2,500 people in the country, the team have become a source of na-

tional pride with their exploits. Despite being quarantined after arriving in Australia for a qualifying tournament—where they stretched in their hotel corridor and ran up stairs to stay fit—the Steel Roses went unbeaten to set up a two-legged playoff with South Korea, with an Olympic berth at stake. State media have heaped gushing praise on the team in the last few weeks, and with all domestic football halted because of the virus, their exploits have won prominent coverage. “Steel Roses’ unbeaten record in Olympic qualifiers brightens Chinese hearts amid epidemic,” said Xinhua news agency, a day after a 1-1 draw with Australia put China into the playoff. Further disruption is in store for the team, who face South Korea on March 6 and 11 but have to play the home leg, the second game, in Sydney because of the virus.

It follows a build-up to the qualifying competition that could hardly have been worse. The tournament was pulled out of Wuhan—the city at the center of the global health scare—at short notice and moved first to Nanjing, then Australia. Authorities there placed the whole Chinese squad in quarantine on a floor of a Brisbane hotel for a week, where photographs emerged of the players doing stretching exercises in a corridor. They also ran on the staircases to stay fit, the People’s Daily said. They were missing four key members, notably star Wang Shuang, the Wuhan native and former Paris Saint-Germain player who was not allowed to leave quarantine at home. “We came here not as individuals, but on behalf of the whole of China,” said midfielder Tang Jiali, according to state media. AFP

Hall of Fame taps sports media for committee

PAL SENIORS INTERCLUB. The 34th Philippine Airlines Seniors Interclub got under way in Bacolod Feb. 23 with Bacolod City Mayor

Evelio “ Bing” Leonardia (4th from left) leading the ceremonial tee off at Negros Occidental Golf and Country Club. A record of 95 teams—local and foreign—are registered to play in the Seniors ‘Tournament. Shown here are (from left) Andy Montelibano, President, Bacolod Golf and Country Club; Jomari Limjap, President, Negros Occidental Golf and Country Club; Russel Jao, PAL Chief Advisor to the Chairman and CEO; (Mayor Bing Leonardia, Bacolod City Mayor); Bong Velasquez, PAL Senior Assistant Vice President, Sales; Atty. Rey Diaz, representative of Gov. Eugenio Lacson; and Gerard Golez, General Manager of Bacolod Golf and Country Club.

James’ ‘dream’ shake lifts Lakers past Celts LOS ANGELES—LeBron James delivered the go-ahead jumper with 30 seconds left to help lift the Los Angeles Lakers to a 114-112 victory over the Boston Celtics Sunday as the two decorated franchises renewed their historic rivalry. “I just gave a little dream shake to the baseline and was able to open up the middle and get my fadeaway,” James said. The NBA powerhouses went down to the wire in a back-and-forth thriller in front of a crowd of almost 19,000 at the Staples Center arena. Boston and Los Angeles have 33 championships between them and have met in the finals a record 12 times. Both are once again title contenders, with the Lakers on top of the Western Conference standings and the Celtics in third in the Eastern Conference. “It’s just special to be part of this rivalry,” James said. “We understand that this has been going on since the ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s, all the way through.” James’ fadeaway shot gave the Lakers the lead for good, and Anthony Davis sealed the win with three free throws over the final 12 seconds. “He got to his money shot, the shot he always makes, a shot he always takes in practice and in games, and he did what he does best and made the shot.” James finished with 29 points, nine

LeBron James

assists and eight rebounds, while Davis tallied a team-high 32 points and 13 rebounds as the Lakers also showed good defensive strategy late in the game. “The more that you’re in that environment of a close game, of an intense game like that, I think everybody just gets a chance to grow together,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. Jayson Tatum scored a career-hightying 41 points for Boston, who have survived all season on their superior offensive balance. All five Boston starters scored in double figures, with Daniel Theis adding 16 points and nine rebounds and Marcus

Smart registering 14 points and seven rebounds. Gordon Hayward scored 10 points but shot zero-of-five from behind the three-point line. Hayward flirted with a triple-double, handing out a team-high nine assists and grabbing eight rebounds. Boston was coming off a Friday’s 127117 win over Minnesota where four Celtics—Jaylen Brown, Tatum, Hayward and Theis—each scored at least 25 points. Career high Tatum’s 41 points Sunday equalled his career-high set January 11th against New Orleans. Eighteen of Tatum’s 41 came in the third quarter, which ended with the teams tied 87-87. The Celtics took a 110-108 lead with 77 seconds left in the fourth when Brown drained a three-pointer. Brown finished with 20 p oi nt s REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES against the COMMISSION ON APPOINTMENTS COMMISSION ON APPOINTMENTS Lakers. ANNOUNCEMENT ANNOUNCEMENT Boston President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has submitted to the played Commission on Appointments (C.A.) for confirmation the ad interim appointments of the following officials in the without allDepartment of the Foreign Affairs: star guard Theodore Andrei Progalidad Bauzon, Juan Ke mba Carlos Cayosa Borromeo, Janina Lourdes Salonga Bustos, Rainier Jaen Casis, Candy Wa l ke r. S. Cypres-Bauzon, Mikhal Cataylo De Dios, Alexander Joseph Ayson Estomo, AFP

FEBRUARY 25 A7 CA3X/14

Go... From A8

The senator also stated that he has already worked and consulted with concerned agencies and government departments on the measure. “In pushing for the passage of this measure, I have closely coordinated with agencies, such as the Philippine Sports Commission, the Department of Education, the Department of Budget and Management and, of course, the Bases Conversion Development Authority, to ensure that this bill, if passed, shall allow us to hit the ground running,” Go stated. The senator also said that these agencies share the same enthusiasm and passion to realize the dream that has already been, for others, “30 years too late.” In a co-sponsorship speech Go delivered on Oct. 1 last year, the Senator also expressed that he has backed other sports-related initiatives in the past, such as supporting the country’s national basketball team, Gilas Pilipinas, and 2016 Rio Olympics silver medalist, Hidilyn Diaz.

THE Philippine Sports Hall of Fame is forming a Review Committee comprised of select sports media practitioners to help them evaluate the nominations expected to come in for the fourth enshrinement set in November. According to R.A. No. 8757 also known P S H O F Act, only a S c r e e n i ng Committee consisting of the Philippine Sports C o m - Ramirez mission Chairman, Philippine Olympic Committee President, Games and Amusement Board Chairman, two members from the POC accredited NSAs, and two members from the private sector are distinguished to select the inductees. “It is for this reason that the PSC, for the longest time, has been seeking the help of our partners from the sports media in the evaluation process of the Hall of Fame. We recognize their knowledge of the history of our country’s sports legends,” said Ramirez. The formation of a “review committee” was first implemented during the time of former PSC Chairman Harry Angping in 2010. The committee is tasked to help evaluate the eligibility of the nominees. There will be seven members to this group. The composition of this group has not yet been announced but a shortlist is now being studied. Nominations of inductees for the fourth enshrinement will open on March 1.

“Even before I became fortunate enough to be part of this honorable chamber, sports has always had a place very close to my heart,” Go said. “Time and again, I have publicly supported various programs and initiatives for the advancement of Philippine sports; from my all-out support as part of the delegation for Gilas Pilipinas, to finding ways to supplement the training of our very own Hidilyn Diaz, I proudly display my support for Philippine sports.” Go also highlighted how the law emphasizes the need for avenues to promote different aspects of nation-building, citing that the importance of sports and education is especially enshrined in the 1987 Constitution. “The Constitution itself provides that the State shall give priority to education, science and technology, arts, culture, and sports to foster patriotism and nationalism, accelerate social progress, and promote total human liberation and development,” Go said.

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has submitted to the Commission on Appointments (C.A.) for confirmation the nominations and ad interim appointments of the following officers in the Armed Forces of the Philippines: Allen T. Paredes – Lieutenant General; Marcelino Randy L. Tibayan, William L. Ilagan, Greg T. Almerol, Glenn E. Cruz, Ariel R. Caculitan and Arthur M. Cordura – Major General; Maning S. Tawantawan, PA (GSC), John V. Oberio (PA (GSC), Rommel R. Hinlo, PA (GSC), Carlito R. Bueno Jr., PA (GSC) and Ramon J. Guiang, PAF (GSC) – Brigadier General; Carlos V. Sabarre, PN (GSC), Alfonspin P. Tumanda Jr., PN (GSC), and Karl A. Decapia, PN (GSC) – Commodore; Rico O. Amaro, PA (GSC), Richard T. Servito, PA (GSC), Franc Y. Mananquil, PA (GSC), Sali A. Limpahong, PA (GSC), Ramil B. Anoyo, PA (GSC), Enerito D. Lebeco, PA (GSC), Dante T. Bermillo, PA (GSC), Rolando D. Orengo, PA (GSC), Hilarion G. Palma, PA (GSC), Palmer M. Parungao, PA (GSC), Joel A. Lobitana, PA (GSC), Eliezer P. Valdez Jr., PA (GSC), Josue M. Caberto, PA (GSC) (Res), Ronilo H. Cudal, PA (GSC) (Res), Froilan B. Labrador, PA (GSC) (Res), Zane B. Fernandez, PA (GSC) (Res), Eugenio E. Garcia, PA (GSC) (Res), Roberto B. Sarmiento, PA (GSC) (Res), Manuel Van C. Genson, PA (GSC) (Res), Jamaloding R. Polog, PA (GSC) (Res), Peter B. Occiano, PA (GSC) (Res), Danilo S. Beltran, PA (GSC) (Res), Nemesio A. Escleto, PA (GSC) (Res), Eduardo V. Domingo, PA (GSC) (Res), Arturo E. Junco, PA (GSC) (Res), Rey P. Pasco, PA (GSC) (Res) (nominations), Manuel Darius M. Resuello, PA (GSC), Harold M. Cabunoc, PA (GSC), Harold M. Argamosa, PA (GSC), Luciano M. Caiman Jr., PA (GSC), Arthur M. Romanillos Jr., PA (GSC), Andrew B. Bacala Jr., PA (GSC), Gaspar B. Panopio, PA (GSC), Arnel B. Bautista, PA (GSC), Rommel S. Pagayon, PA (GSC), Randy N. Espino, PA (GSC), Jamel P. Samonte, PA (GSC), Warlito A. Limet, PA (GSC), Jose Eduardo F. Liboon, PA (GSC), Ramon P. Zagala II, PA (GSC), Jaime R. Datuin, PA (GSC), Edgar L. Catu, PA (GSC), Rustico V. Villanueva, PA (GSC), Jonathan P. Obena, PA (GSC), Darrell R. Banez, PA (GSC), Louie DLS Villanueva, PA (GSC), Maynard G. Camarao, PA (GSC), Edgar G. Mangabay, PA (GSC), Richard B. Rabaca, W PA (GSC), William George S. Cordova, PA (GSC), Jacob Thaddeus M. Obligado, PA (GSC), Davice Christopher G. Mercado, PA (GSC), Richard C. Sibayan, PA (GSC), Ronel R. Manalo, PA (GSC), Danilo E. Estranero, PA (GSC), Ulpiano T. Olarte, PA (GSC), Ernest John C. Jadloc, PA (GSC), Vincent Arnold O. Dy, PA (GSC), Glenn Joy U. Aynera, PA (GSC), Vicente Edgardo C. De Ocampo, PA (GSC), Jessie R. Montoya, PA (GSC), Cesar J. Conte Jr., PA (GSC), Nelson C. Aluad, PA (GSC), Eufracio G. Malig Jr., PA (GSC), Ericson V. Rosana, PA (GSC), Isaclolo H. Diroy Jr., PA (GSC), Prudencio C. Patricio Jr., PA (GSC), Darren E. Comia, PA (GSC), Virgilio C. Hamos Jr., PA (GSC), Vince James D. Bantilan, PA (GSC), Roderick T. Garcia, PA (GSC), Cesar L. Portiz, PA (GSC), Vladimir Lenos T. Villanueva, PA (GSC), Jose Jesus C. Luntok, PA (GSC), Edgar O. Josue, PA (GSC), Ruben G. Aquino, PA (GSC), Haron S. Akaz, PA (GSC), Belinda P. Ganotice, PA (GSC), Ramon Antonio E. Bello, PA (GSC), Tommy A. Deliva, PA (GSC), Neil Alfonso R. Roldan, PA (GSC), Ciriaco A. Lomas-E Jr., PA (GSC), Randy O. Remonte, PA (GSC), Rhojun P. Rosales, PA (GSC), Proceso S. Rebancos, PA (GSC), Amadeo U. Cruz, PA (GSC), Allen Raymund C. Tomas, PA (GSC), Baylon Louel M. Aler, PA (GSC), Bernardo A. Taqueban, PA (GSC), Edmund Paul R. Delos Santos PA (GSC), Darwin F. Hernandez, PA (GSC), Phillipp G. Alvarez Jr., th PA (GSC), Wendell J. Basat, PA (GSC), Rhenante M. Salvador, PA (GSC), Carlo Franco A. Pimentel, PA (GSC), Benjamin L. Leander, PA (GSC), Norberto L. Agbay, PA (GSC), Dennis C. Gutierrez, PA (GSC), Eduardo M. Monjardin, PA (GSC), Roy Anthony O. Derilo, PA (GSC), Emil Rex C. Santos, PA (GSC), Emelito Thaddeus M. Logan, PA (GSC), Samuel G. Yunque, PA (GSC), Edwin M. Paredes, PA (GSC), Melencio W. Ragudo, PA (GSC), Christopher M. Diaz, PA (GSC), Ma. Noel T. Tolentino, PA (GSC), Peter Edwin R. Navarro, PA (GSC), Romulo R. Satparam, PA (GSC) (Res), Camilo A. Saddam, PA (GSC) (Res), Emerito D. Pineda, PA (GSC) (Res), Fernando B. Dulawan, PA (GSC) (Res), Felimon B. Dumoran, PA (GSC) (Res), Jessie M. Trinidad, PA (GSC) (Res), Arnel B. Cabugon, PA (GSC) (Res), Florencio P. Politud Jr., PA (GSC) (Res), Joel D. Aquino, PA (GSC) (Res), Vener Y. Morga, PA (GSC) (Res), Rolando M. Paredes, PA (GSC) (Res), Sofronio G. Abadier Jr., PA (GSC) (Res), Manolo V. Santiago, PA (GSC) (Res), Esteveyn E. Ducusin, PA (GSC) (Res), Ramil P. Corpuz, PA (GSC) (Res), Patricio S. ToOF THE PHILIPPINES males, PA (GSC) (Res), Nonilon T. Lawas, PA (GSC) (Res), Marieto R. Pizana, PAREPUBLIC (GSC) (Res), Leopoldo T. Babante, PA (GSC) (Res), Arnold R. Corpuz, PA (GSC) (Res), Castor O. Bahin, PA (GSC) (Res), Crisanto C. Calit, PA (GSC) (Res), Fernando R. Abubo, PA (GSC) (Res), Reynaldo R. Malapad, PA (GSC) (Res), Augusto N. Padua PAF (GSC), Arman G. Mampusti, PAF (MNSA), Myroade R. De Leon, PAF (GSC), Victorino C. Patricio, PAF (MNSA), Francis Karem E. Neri, PAF (GSC), Denis S. Mangcoy, PAF (GSC), Antonio Rafael H. Abundabar, PAF (GSC), Kim Eric Alexander D. Agatep, PAF (GSC), Ferdinand P. Romano, PAF (MNSA), Arnel G. Baccay, PAF (GSC), Gaudencio M. Lauron III, PF (GSC), Nestor A. Etis, PAF (GSC), Ulysses S. Mancao, PAF (GSC), Arthur B. Balunes, PAF (GSC), Rommel Allan P. Genete, PAF (GSC), Henry D. Estoesta, PAF (GSC), Eulogio M. Nabua, PAF (GSC), Reynaldo D. Gabinete, PAF (MNSA), Emilito T. Lucero, PAF (MNSA), Gilberto T. Esteban Jr., PAF (MNSA), ReynaldoRoa Jose A.Duterte Montoya, PAF (MNSA), Jose Tadeo M. President Rodrigo has submitted toJavier theII, PAF (GSC), Randy G. Buena, PAF (MNSA), Ma. Consuelo N. Castillo, PAF (GSC), Q. Alcarde, PAF (MNSA), Dante S. Aquino, PAF (GSC), Jerome Commission onDennis Appointments (C.A.) for confirmation theErwin S. Santiago, Melvin A. Banua, PAF (GSC), A. Bañaria, PAF (GSC), Marvel C. Sabellon, (MNSA), Ernesto DL. Bautista (MS-FEB.PAF 15,(GSC), 2020) adOliver interim appointments of thePAFfollowing officials inJr., PAF the(GSC), Vicente F. Flora Jr., PAF (GSC) (Res), Ronaldo L. Saragoza, PAF (GSC) (Res), Carlito P. Lingad Jr., PAF (GSC) (Res), Wilbert Manuel A. Buhayo, PAF (GSC) Department of the Foreign Affairs: (Res), Joel M. Lazo, PN(M) (GSC), Stephen L. Cabanlet, PN(M) (GSC), Joel C. Bonavente, PN(M) (GSC), Angelo Gerald P. Ariles, PN(M) (GSC), Ramil B. Densing, PN(M) (GSC), Bladimer B. Caluya, PN(M) (GSC),Theodore Elpio T. Factor, PN(M) (GSC), Gem Eulogio O. Escobido, PN(M) (GSC), Frederick G. Baradi, Andrei Progalidad Bauzon, Juan PN(M) (GSC), Dennis F. Hernandez, PN(M) (GSC), Nephtali V. Padua, PN(M) (GSC), Noel T. Tiu, PN(M) (GSC), Hilario C. De Vera Jr., PN(M) (GSC), Noel E. Carlos Cayosa Borromeo, Janina Lourdes Buncab, PN(M) (GSC), Jessie Jovette B. Cerbo, PN(M) (GSC), Zaldy A. Dioneda, PN(M) (GSC), Joseph S. Tobias, PN(M) (GSC), Filomeno P. Carreon, Salonga Bustos, Rainier Jaen Casis, Candy PN(M) (GSC), Leo C. Frincillo, PN(M) (GSC), Emerson M. Delos Santos, PN(M) (GSC), Erickson L. Gob, MC (GSC), Isidro Alex C. Urriquia, DS (GSC), RanS. Cypres-Bauzon, Mikhal Cataylo De R. Reduble, MC ulfo O. Espera, DS (GSC), Ma. Dolores M. Lim, NC (GSC), Saturnino S. Diaron, JAGS (GSC), Bienvenido F. Simon, PROF (GSC), Jose Rosel Joseph Estomo, (GSC), Judith T. Espejo, MC (GSC), Nelson V. Posadas, MCDios, (GSC), PuraAlexander Lyn P. Epres, MC (GSC), Reynaldo V.Ayson Capuz, MC (GSC), Jonathan L. Dumlao, DS Alan Roi Quilino Gabriola, Ma.DS (GSC), Charmaine (GSC), Eisen M. Perdido, DS (GSC), Maria Teresa P. Boto, DS (GSC), Ben Hur A. Cariño, DS (GSC), Sonny A. Ramos, Rogelio Jerico V. Bonagua, DS (GSC), Reby Ann G. Naldoza, NC (GSC), Allan V. Gulapa, NC (GSC), Ela Gemma J. Taguba, NC (GSC), Michael M. Mangahas, NC (GSC), Vener C. Doria Guevara, Raisa Abrillo Mabayo, Alvin Malabanan, JAGS (GSC), Roy L. Onggao, CHS (GSC), Stephen A. Penetrante,Malasig, CHS (GSC) andShirley Ashraf A. Chio, MAC (GSC) – Colonel; Archibald Dino C. Castañeda Ong Nuevo and Delfin, PN (MNSA), Jeff Rene S. Nadugo, PN (MNSA), Oliver B. Reforba, PN (MNSA), Dwight Steven M. Dulnoan, PN (GSC),Service Ariel S. Palisoc, PN (GSC), Ralf Gagara Cruz Roldan – Foreign Virgilio C. De Guzman, PN (GSC), Sherwin E. Respeto, PN (GSC), Edwin B. Princillo, PN (GSC), Ramilo B. Trinidad, PN (GSC), Mateo G. Carido, PN (GSC), Officer, Class II Norsal D. Dimaporo, PN (MNSA), Norman A. Mutia, PN (GSC), Edwin F. Carpio, PN (GSC), Homel D. Gonzalez, PN (GSC), Noel E. Laurio, PN (GSC), Elpidio P. Natividad Jr., PN (GSC), Miljun C. Peñaflorida,The PN (GSC), Ferdinand Gloria, PN (GSC), Fred R. Correo, PNwritten (GSC), Johnreport, A. Barrameda, public mayP. submit any information, or PN (GSC), Salvador M. Sambalilo, PN (GSC), Gregory Gerald V. Fabic, PN (GSC), Franklin B. Rotoni, PN (GSC), Peter G. Tolentino III, PN (GSC), Emerson C. sworn/notarized complaints or oppositions in thirty - two (32) S. David, PN (GSC), Michael G. Barrion, PN (GSC), Manolito E. Roque, PN (GSC), Jose Rene P. Nartates, PN (GSC), Narciso V. Angelo, PN (GSC), Ronnie th copies on the above appointments to the CA Secretariat, 6 Paba, PN (GSC), Romel T. Marcos, PN (GSC), Teodoro A. Bolanio, PN (GSC), Stephen A. Tuballa, PN (GSC), Federico M. Alcantara, PN (GSC), Levi C. CaPNBPNFinancial Macapagal Blvd., Pasay City, rane, PN (GSC), Boyd P. Amorado, PN (GSC), Rey Floor, Leo Z. Pambid, (GSC), John E.Center, De Villa, PND. (GSC), Lucresia M. Taylor, PN (GSC) - Captain

Alan Roi Quilino Gabriola, Ma. Charmaine Doria Guevara, Raisa Abrillo Mabayo, Alvin Castañeda Malasig, Shirley Ong Nuevo and Ralf Gagara Cruz Roldan – Foreign Service Officer, Class II

The public may submit any information, written report, or sworn/notarized complaints or oppositions in thirty - two (32) copies on the above appointments to the CA Secretariat, 6 Floor, PNB Financial Center, D. Macapagal Blvd., Pasay City, Metro Manila.

For the schedule of the public hearings, the CA Secretariat can be reached through telephone numbers 8834-2713, 88311824, 8831-0527, 8832-9830, 8834-2706 and 8551-1989. 14 February 2020.

COMMISSION ON APPOINTMENTS

ANNOUNCEMENT

HECTOR A. VILLACORTA Secretary

Metro Manila.

The public may submit any information, written report, or sworn/notarized complaints or oppositions in thirty - two (32) copies on the above nominations and appointments to the CAthe Secretariat, 6thof Floor, PNB Financial Center, Macapagal Blvd., Pasay For schedule the public hearings, theD.CA Secretariat City, Metro Manila. can be reached through telephone numbers 8834-2713, 8831For the schedule of the public hearings,1824, the CA8831-0527, Secretariat can8832-9830, be reached through telephoneand numbers 8834-2713, 8831-1824, 8834-2706 8551-1989. 8831-0527, 8832-9830, 8834-2706 and 8551-1989. 24 January 2020. 14 February 2020. (MS-FEB.25, 2020)

(MS-FEB. 15, 2020)

HECTOR A. VILLACORTA Secretary

Riera U. Mallari, Editor; Reuel Vidal, Assistant Editor

sports@manilastandard.net

sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2020

Sports

Rice farmer takes Ronda PH Stage 2 By Peter Atencio LEGAZPI City—Rice farmer Ryan Tugawin of Team Tarlac did the unexpected as he found an opportunity to take the Stage 2 honors of the LBC Ronda Pilipinas Anniversary race. Three past champions, Reimon Lapaza, Ronald Oranza and Jan Paul Morales were at the front of a five-man lead group in a fierce skirmish to take the stage leadership. That was when the 24-man main peloton, led by 7Eleven rider Rustom Lim, caught up with them as they entered Legazpi City with 5 kms left. As Philippine Navy-Standard Insurance George Oconer made an approach to attack, Go For Gold rider Ismael Grospe Jr. followed and so did Tugawin. With the noonday sun blazing overhead, Tugawin pushed forward and overtook Grospe from the right side as a 20-man pack reached the city hall finish line with the same time of three hours, 50 minutes and 30 seconds. “Wala sa plano ito. Inusad ko na lang. Nakatutok si George, umaatake, kaya hinabol ko,” said Tugawin. Stage 2 is 154.5-kilometer ride through the flat roads of Sorsogon City to Legazpi City. Grospe settled for second place in the podium, while Oconer placed third. Philippine Army-Bicycology’s Dominic Perez settled for fourth, followed by Ronnilan Quita, Bike Extreme’s Arjay Kaul and Jerry Aquino Scratch It. Oranza, who last won the crown in 2018, stayed with main peloton as it reached the finish line. Team 7Eleven’s aggressive actions allowed them to claim the team stage honors with Go For Gold, Army and Celeste Cycles, and after logging similar combined times of 15 hours, 22 minutes and 28 seconds. Overall, Bordeos kept his threesecond lead in the overall classifcation, after staying with the main group in Stage 2. Aquino is three seconds behind, while Oconer and Lim are in third and fourth, respectively, some six seconds behind. In the overall team classification, Team 7Eleven emerged as the top team, followed in second and third by the Navymen and Armymen.

Team Tarlac’s Ryan Tugawin, shown here carrying his bike, steals the thunder from the big guns as he ruled Stage 2 of the Ronda Pilipinas.

EJ leads Patafa’s Olympic drive

IVE athletes of the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association, namely EJ Obiena, Eric Cray, William Morrison, Kristina Knott and Natalie Rose Uy are continuing their relentless pursuit of the ﬁrst ever Olympic gold for the Philippines as they bravely brush aside the worldwide threat of the deadly Coronavirus. First 2020 Tokyo Olympics qualifier, EJ Obiena is now mapping out, together with his personal Ukrainian coach Vitali Petrov, their general preparation plans that center around competitions and training in Chula Vista, California and Europe. Obiena, who jumped 5.80 meters to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics and was all set to compete in the Asian Indoor championship and the world indoor in March, both to be held in China, had to alter his plans when both events were cancelled and rescheduled by the World Athletics (formerly IAAF) to protect the health and well being of the world’s top athletes. The new plan of Obiena and Petrov will be unveiled on Feb. 25. Three-time 400 m hurdles SEA Games gold medalist Cray has a strong chance of qualifying for the Olympics, either by meeting the qualifying standard of

48.80 seconds, or by being ranked in the world’s top 50 by the end of the qualifying date of June 29, 2020. The qualifying period started May 1, 2019. Like Obiena, Cray was forced to make adjustments to his preparations after the cancellation and rescheduling of the Chinese championships. Soon after word was received that the indoor championships were cancelled, Cray competed in two indoor meets in New Mexico. He ran the 400m to work on some strength and endurance before the US outdoor season starts in March. Cray ended the indoor season this month with a time of 47.80 in the 400 meters. He will be competing in several top-notch competitions in the United States in the next four or five months. Indiana University-based Morrison achieved a distance of 20.21 meters—a

new Philippine record—in the shotput in a meet in Indiana earlier this month. The record compares very favorably with the qualifying standard of 21.10 meters. In a conversation Morrison had with Patafa President Philip Ella Juico earlier this month, Morrison expressed confidence in meeting the qualifying standard “with a lot of hard work and technical adjustments.” Southeast Asian Games’ 200-meter queen, Florida-based Knott, was also forced to make adjustments because of the events in China. The updated plan is to compete in the Texas relays and then move on to Orlando, Florida and train there until the rest of the outdoor races are confirmed for April and beyond. The rest of the plan will have Knott competing in San Antonio, Austin, all in Texas, and in Japan and Italy. Pole vaulter Uy, the 2019 SEA Games’ gold medalist and bronze medal winner in the 2019 Asian Championship in Doha, Qatar, recently established a new Philippine indoor record of 4.25 meters. Uy, now based in Kentucky under coach Becky Holliday, also competed at the Pole Vault Summit in Nevada. She is expected to compete in a great number of outdoor events. Turn to A7

Perpetual Help spikers seek 13th NCAA crown ]THE UNIVERSITY of Perpetual Help System DALTA players of multititled coach Sinfronio ‘Sammy’ Acaylar now feel more determined to win a 13th crown with the announcement that the NCAA Season 95 resumes on March 16. The defending champion Altas are now in training and conditioning for the Finals after earning an automatic ticket to the best-of-three series following a sweep of the elimination round. Perpetual Help’s opponent would come from the stepladder survivor semifinals -- Arellano University, Emilio Aguinaldo College or College of St. Benilde. The Altas completed a 9-0 sweep of the elimination round with a 25-14, 2515, 25-18 win against the Letran Knights last Feb. 13. The games were postponed indefinitely from there by the NCAA Management Committee due to the threat posed by the Novel Coronavirus or Covid-19. The Altas of team owner Tony Tamayo still needs to wait a little longer, though, since there is still going to be a stepladder semifinal playoffs.

“Maganda na magbabalik na uli ang games ng March 16, pero kami maghihintay pa din kasi may two playdates pa ang men’s team and then may stepladder pa,” said Acaylar. Acaylar and the Altas are aiming for another strong finish this season as they target title No. 13, which would equal the record number of titles of Letran. Under Acaylar, the Altas have won the NCAA championship in 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2019. Acaylar is arguably the most dominant mentor of the decade by winning seven titles in 2011 to 2020. “We do regular practice and tune-up games against other commercial teams and UAAP teams to stay focused,” Acaylar said. Acaylar’s team is powered by team captain Ronniel ‘Buro’ Rosales, leading MVP contender Loiue Ramirez, Kennry Malinis, Hero Austria, ace setter EJ Casaña, liberos Jeric Atentar and Philip Pepito and back-ups JC Enarciso, Ridzuan Muhali, KC Andrade, JR Baggayan, Aljoe Sereño Awie Abdulla and Joshua Zereño.

Perpetual Help coach Sammy Acaylar: A decade of dominance

Go co-authors Philippine High School for Sports bill By Macon Ramos-Araneta SEN. Christopher Lawrence Go, chairman of the Senate sports committee, co-sponsored the bill creating the Philippine High School for Sports. If passed into law, Go said a specialized curriculum to be developed by the Department of Education, will allow the youth to study core subjects such as Mathematics and Science, while simultaneously developing their athletic skills. Senate Bill (SB) 1086, otherwise known as the “Philippine High School for Sports Act of 2019”, provides for the establishment of PHSS. This would enable student-athletes to be enrolled in a sports high school, where they are provided with full or partial scholarships by the government. Go, who has been a staunch advocate of long-term and grassroots sports development in the country, said in his previous statements that the proposed bill will provide opportunities for students to complete high school, while excelling in their chosen sports. They will be trained using the world-class sports facilities in New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac which will also serve as the site for the proposed high school. “With the (establishment) of the PHSS in very close proximity to worldclass facilities, our student-athletes can enjoy a level of training which is at par with the best in the world,” he said. “This type of training and education can catapult our student-athletes to illustrious careers in sports, whether as athletes, coaches, managers, or any other sports-related profession.” In previous statements, Go also mentioned that his advocacy is also shared by President Rodrigo Duterte himself. In his 2019 State of the Nation Address, the President expressed his support for the passage of the bill establishing the nation’s sports academy. Turn to A7

Celebrities stun PBA legends at Wish Olympics

Players of both the PBA Legends-UNTV selection and celebrity squad pose with BMPI-Wish 107.5 President and CEO Kuya Daniel Razon prior to the start of their fund-raising game last Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Team Celebrity won, 102-101. The project was the initiative of UNTV president and CEO Dr. Daniel Razon for the benefit of the families affected by Taal Volcano eruption last month.

TEAM Celebrity rode on the redhot shooting of Rayver Cruz and surprised the selection of PBA Legends and UNTV players, 102101, in the Wish Olympics held over the weekend at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Cruz scattered 23 points to lead the celebrity squad in the event organized by Wish 107.5 through the initiative of its president and CEO Dr. Daniel Razon for the benefit of the families affected by Taal Volcano eruption last month. The Emman Monfort-mentored Celebrity team also drew inspired games from actor Axel Torres

and singer Young JV, who tallied 17 points each to beat the Allan Caidic-led PBA Legends-UNTV selection. A regular fixture in UNTV’s fund-raising events in the past, Caidic did not disappoint his adoring fans as he tallied 25 points, while Chris Calaguio and Jayjay Helterbrand finished with 12 and 11 points, respectively. Former MVP winners Johnny Abarrientos and Willie Miller also wowed the crowd by flashing their old brilliance in the one-day event also graced by local artists. “I am thankful to Kuya Daniel

because of this opportunity to help the Taal eruption victims,” said Caidic. Former Ateneo star and now TV presenter Gretchen Ho was likewise happy to be part of the fundraising event after helping power Team Black to a 26-24, 17-25, 2518, 10-25, 15-09 win over Team Orange. Among the celebrities and former collegiate stars who took part in the volleyball event were Cathy Bersola, Che Sindayen, Roma Joy Doromal, Jem Ferrer, Heather Guino-o, Aya Fernandez, Gwen Zamora and Claudia Barreto.

IN BRIEF

EDC releasing funds to Ormoc, Kananga CONSTITUENTS Of Ormoc City and the municipality of Kananga in Leyte will soon benefit from hosting the geothermal power plants of Energy Development Corp. as the company establishes trust accounts for the local governments. “Being able to directly disburse our partner communities’ benefits as hosts of our geothermal facilities will also help us strengthen our relationship with them as we provide them with the necessary guidance on the use of the funds for community projects” said Allan Barcena, EDC head of corporate social responsibility and public relations group, in a statement. EDC recently signed a memorandum of agreement with its beneficiaries in compliance with an Energy Department directive that requires energy generation companies and resource developers to directly provide benefits, equivalent to one centavo per kilowatt-hour (P0.01 per kWh) of total electricity sales to the host communities. EDC said while the exact amount was still being computed, the company would be able to directly remit the benefit to the beneficiaries on a quarterly basis beginning this year once they opened the trust accounts. Alena Mae S. Flores

Ayala oil unit raises holdings in Palawan ACE Enexor Inc., a unit of Ayala Corp., said subsidiary Palawan55 Exploration & Production Corp. received the approval of the Energy Department to increase its stake in service contract 55 in southwest Palawan. ACE Enexor (formerly Phinma Petroleum and Geothermal Inc.) disclosed to the Philippine Stock Exchange the department approved the assignment of a 37.5-percent interest in SC 55 by Century Red Pte. Ltd. of Australia to Palawan55. Palawan55 now holds a 75-percent interest in SC 55 from 37.5 percent, with Pryce Gases Inc. holding 25 percent. Palawan55 is the operator of SC 55, a deep-water block in the southwest Palawan Basin, covering an area of 9,880 square meters. SC 55 is in the middle of a proven regional oil and gas fairway that extends from the productive Borneo offshore region in the southwest to the offshore Philippine production assets northwest of Palawan. On August 9, 2019, Palawan55 notified the department of the entry of the SC 55 into the appraisal period effective August 26, 2019. Alena Mae S. Flores

Business COVID-19 outbreak slows travel industry By Darwin G. Amojelar

HE Civil Aeronautics Board said Monday the novel coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak significantly impacted the Philippine travel industry, as local airlines reported an increase in canceled bookings. “Overall, they’re taking a hit specifically in Chinese territories [where] there’s a travel ban. There’s a significant impact to local airlines,” CAB executive director Carmelo Arcilla said. Arcilla said 30 percent of Cebu Pacific’s flights were affected by COVID-19, while more than half of the flights of Philippine Airlines and Air Asia Philippines were also dampened. The Philippines imposed a temporary travel ban covering visitors from mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. The restrictions on flights to and from Taiwan were eventually lifted.

Arcilla said the desire of the travelers around the world to travel to Asian destinations such as the Philippines also weakened because of COVID-19. “The number of no-show and [canceled] bookings are increasing. Hopefully, the virus would fade so the sector can recover,” Arcilla said. Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat earlier said foregone revenues from the COVID-19 outbreak were expected to reach P42 billion from February to April this year. She said the country was expected to lose P16 billion worth of tourism revenues in February alone. The International Air Transport Association earlier said an initial assessment of the impact of COVID-19 showed a potential 13-percent full-year loss in passenger demand for carriers in the Asia-Pacific region. It said that with an initial growth forecast of 4.8 percent for the region’s airlines, the net impact of COVID-19 would be an 8.2-percent full-year contraction compared to 2019 demand. The IATA said this would translate into a $27.8-billion revenue loss in 2020

for carriers in the Asia-Pacific region― the bulk of which would be borne by carriers registered in China, with $12.8 billion lost in the China domestic market alone. It said carriers outside Asia-Pacific were forecast to bear a revenue loss of $1.5 billion, assuming the loss of demand was limited to markets linked to China. This would bring total global lost revenue to $29.3 billion (5 percent lower passenger revenues compared to what IATA forecast in December) and would represent a 4.7-percent hit to global demand. IATA forecast a global RPK (revenue per kilometers) growth of 4.1 percent in December. It said the loss from COVID-19 impact would negate the expected growth this year, resulting in a 0.6-percent global contraction in passenger demand for 2020. These estimates are based on a scenario where COVID-19 would have a similar V-shaped impact on demand as was experienced during SARS. That was characterized by a six-month period with a sharp decline followed by an equally quick recovery.

Land Bank exceeded 2019 agri credit target STATE-RUN Land Bank of the Philippines, the fourth-largest lender in terms of assets, exceeded its target of providing agricultural credit worth P231.25 billion in 2019 by actually extending P236.31 billion in loans to the farm and fisheries sector. The bank said the amount represented a 102-percent accomplishment rate. A report submitted to Finance Secretary and LandBank chairman Carlos Dominguez III showed that under the helm of president and chief executive Cecilia Borromeo, the state lender also exceeded its target of assisting one million farmers in 2019 by 32,982 borrowers, representing a 103-percent accomplishment rate. Under Republic Act No. 10000 or the Agri-Agra Reform Credit Act, banks are required to earmark at least 15 percent of their total loanable funds to farmers and fisherfolk, and another 10 percent to agrarian reform beneficiaries. Dominguez said LandBank had been the only lender compliant with the provision of the Agri-Agra Law. LandBank’s agricultural loans of P236.31 billion in 2019 are equivalent to 26.5 percent of the bank’s total gross loan portfolio of P891.77 billion for the year. Julito G. Rada

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2020

Meralco’s core income rose 6% to P23.8b last year By Alena Mae S. Flores POWER retailer Manila Electric Co. said Monday core net income rose 6 percent in 2019 to P23.832 billion from P22.408 billion in 2018, driven by a 6-percent sales volume growth. Reported net income, adjusted to exclude the effect of foreign exchange gains or losses, impairment charges, mark-to-market adjustments and other one-time and exceptional transactions, increased slightly to P23.285 billion last year from P23.017 billion in 2018. Meralco president Ray Espinosa said the primary drivers of sales volume growth were residential and commercial customers. “The property sector is buoyant, not just for POGO [Philippine offshore gaming operators] which is on the commercial side. The more residential units are turned over and occupied. That contributes to energy sales,” Espinosa said. Meralco chairman Manuel Pangilinan said the initial operating results in January and February were also positive. “We will continue to execute our investments with significant ambition in power generation, and other strategic and high growth areas amidst the challenges,” Pangilinan said. Gross revenues went up 5 percent in 2019 to P318.3 billion from P304.5 billion in 2018, as a result of higher energy sales volume and passthrough generation charges brought about by higher average fuel prices, a weaker peso and higher spot prices at the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market from March to July 2019. Meralco chief finance officer Betty Sy-Yap said the year 2019 saw 51 yellow alerts and 15 red alerts in Luzon versus only seven yellow alerts in 2018. “Electricity revenues amounting to P310.1 billion was stable at 97 percent of gross revenues compared with P295.4 billion in 2018. Generation and other pass-through components as a percentage of total electricity revenues was at 79 percent in 2019,” Sy-Yap said.

CIRTEK’S FUND RAISING. Cirtek Holdings Philippines Corp. lists P2 billion worth of commercial paper with Philippine Dealing and Exchange Corp. Attending the bell-ringing ceremony are (from left) Cesar Virtusio, senior advisor to the board; Marilou Cristobal, president of Multinational Investment Bancorporation; Jorge Aguilar, TECH vice chairman and president; Jerry Liu, TECH chairman; Brian Liu, TECH chief finance officer; Michael Liu, president of Quintel Technology; Antonino Nakpil, president and COO of Philippines Dealing & Exchange Corp. and Carlos Gacusana Jr., deputy chief finance officer.

San Miguel asks PSALM to wait Gov’t expects to finalize P102-b NAIA rehabilitation deal next month for court’s ruling THE Transportation Department said Monday it expects to finalize the negotiation on the concession agreement for the P102-billion rehabilitation of Ninoy Aquino International Airport next month. “We hope we will be able to meet the deadline,” Transportation Undersecretary for Planning Ruben Reinoso said. Reinoso said some pending issues needed to be resolved with the NAIA Consortium, including the retrenchment of the employees of Manila International Airport Authority and the real property tax. “The last negotiation was all employees will be absorbed and there will be no layoff, but now we need to clear that,” he said.

Reinoso said NAIA Consortium also proposed to build Bus Rapid Transit instead of the original offer to build “People Mover” that would link passenger terminals. NAIA Consortium received the gosignal from the National Economic and Development Authority board to proceed with the NAIA rehabilitation project, subject to a Swiss challenge. The project was proposed by NAIA Consortium that includes Aboitiz InfraCapital Inc, AC Infrastructure Holdings Corp., Alliance Global Group Inc., Asia’s Emerging Dragon Corp., Filinvest Development Corp., JG Summit Holdings Inc. and Metro Pacific Investments Corp.

Swiss Challenge, which is a form of procurement, is usually required in an unsolicited project, where other parties are given an opportunity to challenge the bid of the proponent. Prior to the Swiss challenge, MIAA, as the primary grantor, and tNAIA Consortium should negotiate the terms and conditions of the concession agreement based on the parameters prescribed by the NEDA board. MIAA will then submit the results of the negotiation to the NEDA board and the negotiated draft concession agreement to the Office of the Solicitor General and the Department of Finance for comments

within 10 days. The project aims to alleviate the worsening air traffic congestion at NAIA and resolve capacity constraints by reconfiguring and renovating facilities and enhancing operation and maintenance. This will allow for the accommodation of more traffic. The rehabilitation project also aims to broaden NAIA’s role as a key economic and tourism driver for Metro Manila and the whole Philippines, deliver capital infrastructure investment to improve the airport’s efficiency and increase its capacity to meet the growing passenger demand from the Philippines and the Asia Pacific region. Darwin G. Amojelar

BOC: Rice tariff collection declines 23% TARIFF collection from rice traders under Republic Act No. 11203, or the Rice Tariffication Law, dropped 23 precent from January to Feb. 14 this year from the same period last year on lower shipments, according to the Bureau of Customs. The BOC said it collected P1.71 billion as of Feb. 14, down from the P2.2 billion it raised in the same period last year. Customs collections from rice imports of private traders since the enactment of RA 11203 in March 2019 will benefit palay growers under the P10-billion Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund. The fund was set up under RA 11203 to finance farm modernization by directly providing local growers with a wider access to credit and training along with funds for mechanization and inputs like fertilizer and high-quality seeds. The excess of P10 billion collected for RCEF will also be used to finance other programs to boost the yields of farmers and improve their global competitiveness. Data showed that as a result of the liberalized rice trade following President Duterte’s signing of RA 11203, the average retail cost of the staple dropped by at least P9 per kilo since the law’s enactment. This trend pulled down inflation as rice accounts for a sizable portion of the food expenses of most Filipino households. The BOC said in a report to Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III that it collected a total of P1.71 billion from imports of 209,320 metric tons of rice from Jan.1 to Feb. 14. This was lower by 61.8 percent from 759,810 MT brought into the country during the same period in 2019, when the RTL was not yet in effect. Darwin G. Amojelar

PROFESSIONAL CHAIR. UP President Danilo Concepcion (sixth from right) presents the Sundial Plaque to PLDT Inc. chairman Manuel Pangilinan, as PLDT-Smart Foundation sponsored a new professional chair for the university. With them are (from left) One Meralco Foundation president Jeff Tarayao, , University of the Philippines Engineering Research and Development Foundation Inc. executive director Tito Aliga, Voyager International president Doy Vea (UPERDFI member and chair donor), Maynilad Water president Ramon Fernandez, PLDT-Smart Foundation president Esther Santos, PLDT chief (People Support) Gina Ordoñez, UPCOE Dean Ferdie Manegdeg, PLDT and Smart Public Affairs head Ramon Isberto and UPERDFI president Rico Trinidad.

DIVERSIFIED San Miguel Corp. on Monday urged the Finance Department and Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. to give the country’s justice system a chance instead of hurling accusations in an ongoing case concerning the 1,200-megawatt Ilijan power plant. “Let us not undermine the integrity of the court and return to basics. We choose to be on the side of law instead of presenting a good yet misleading story. Let us stick to the facts of the case and let the court decide,” SMC president and chief operating officer Ramon Ang said. The Finance Department and PSALM issued statements that they were running after SMC over alleged unpaid debts to PSALM through SMC power arm South Premiere Power Corp., which administers the output of Ilijan plant. The PSALM and SPPC dispute has been pending with the Mandaluyong regional trial court since 2015. San Miguel said SPPC filed a motion asking PSALM to fully disclose the facts to expedite the resolution. It said that instead of proceeding with the discovery process by submitting the requested documents, PSALM filed a motion to hear other defenses unrelated to the merits of the case, which the RTC and the Court of Appeals both denied. The local court indefinitely enjoined PSALM’s termination of the IPPA agreement in favor of SPPC while the case remained pending. Such injunction was upheld both by the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court. “We are one with the DOF and PSALM in wanting to have closure to the case. However, premature closure by distorting the facts through the court of public opinion is only compromising the integrity of our justice system,” Ang said. Alena Mae S. Flores

Business

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2020 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market plunges; Ayala stocks fall T HE stock market sank Monday on growing signs certain sectors of the Philippine economy are feeling the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index slumped 182.34 points, or 2.5 percent, to 7,187.44 on a value turnover of P4.6 billion. Losers overwhelmed gainers, 147 to 44, with 46 issues unchanged. Ayala Land Inc. said over the weekend mall and hotel businesses suffered a 10-percent decline in the first six weeks of 2020 following the eruption of Taal Volcano and the outbreak of the disease in China. Ayala Land dropped 2 percent to P41.40, while parent Ayala Corp. fell 4 percent to P720. Metro Pacific Investments Corp.,

which is into toll roads, water and electricity generation, hospitals and infrastructure, shed 4.1 percent to P3.06, while Security Bank Corp., the sixthlargest lender in terms of assets, tumbled 5.4 percent to P161. Seoul, meanwhile, led a sharp drop across Asian equity markets on Monday as South Korea announced a surge in COVID-19 infections, while oil plunged and safe-haven assets rallied on growing concerns about a possible pandemic. With the outbreak showing little sign of easing, investors are increasingly concerned it could have a much longer-term impact on the world economy, which was already stuttering, with a number of companies warning about their bottom lines. Traders had been broadly optimistic that the virus—which has killed nearly 2,600 and infected 80,000—was being contained outside China but a spurt of

infections and deaths in other countries including South Korea, Italy and Iran has fanned fears of a wider outbreak. “While the coronavirus is probably slowing in China, it is speeding up elsewhere,” said Charles Gillams at RJMG Asset Management. On Monday, South Korea reported 161 more cases, taking its total to 763 and making it the world’s worst-hit country outside China, with seven people now dead. President Moon Jae-in has raised the virus alert to the highest “red” level, in a bid to strengthen the government response to the spiraling outbreak. News of the spread hammered the KOSPI, which sank almost four percent, with market heavyweight Samsung diving 4.1 percent. The won fell 0.9 percent and is sitting at a six-month low. Hong Kong shed 1.6 percent, with Sydney, Bangkok and Manila each

dropping more than two percent. Taipei, Jakarta, Singapore and Wellington were all off more than one percent. Mumbai eased 0.8 percent with eyes on Donald Trump’s visit to India. Shanghai was off 0.3 percent, with losses tempered by a series of economy-boosting measures including support for businesses and other stimulus measures. The losses tracked a selloff on Wall Street, where the S&P 500 and Nasdaq each gave up more than one percent, while US 30-year Treasury yields hit an all-time high, indicating a rush into the safe havens. Reports of the spread of the virus “raised concerns that we could be starting to see the beginnings of a global pandemic, with authorities seemingly at a loss to explain how or why the virus is spreading, particularly in Europe,” said Michael Hewson at CMC Markets UK. With AFP

Manila Standard BuSineSS daily StockS review Monday, FeBruary 24, 2020

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING),

FINANCIALS 52.95 5,350 81.6 2,161,070 143.3 2,079,490 25 184,900 17.96 120,600 11.28 209,900 3.68 38,000 0.63 9,000 1.06 10,000 810.5 10 0.41 510,000 60.1 2,051,930 0.75 104,000 12.04 4,700 31.2 173,500 173 470 52.15 470 20.4 58,800 161 770,140 1,810 205 57.5 13,400 1.17 479,000

283,282.50 177,055,802.50 298,734,835 4,620,325 2,159,650(2, 2,391,890 136,290 4,870 10,600 8,105 209,300 122,834,076 78,000 56,680 5,456,955 81,310 24,395.50 1,202,195 125,719,093 371,195 770,955.50 562,620

-40,203,019 -84,581,309 -674,230 155,973.9999) -74,438 423,730 -72,750 -1,811,860 -82,933,622 -534,905.50 -

31 2.11 7.25 0.62 1.22 2.9 0.225 1.36 14.9 228 7.72 14 60.3 62.05 2.09 5.4 8.15 11.8 8.5 7.58 2.67 19.62 62.45 1.75 35 1.54 12.84 4.9 1.18 185.2 34.05 4.68 2.92 6.54 12 9.62 14.08 260.4 0.153 5.05 1.81 3.48 3.44 9.4 11.2 28.1 4.8 5.2 1.52 1.06 9 72.55 9.16 0.117 0.84 146.5 2.4 1.12 0.93

INDUSTRIAL 31.7 844,100 2.13 4,439,000 7.74 1,648,400 0.65 2,614,000 1.22 12,000 2.91 2,933,000 0.227 320,000 1.41 10,846,000 15 789,200 228 290 7.72 1,112,000 15.4 3,400 60.3 790 62.05 160 2.15 52,000 5.4 200 8.15 724,800 11.8 47,900 8.5 156,800 7.63 1,058,300 2.94 7,802,000 19.9 804,200 62.9 116,850 1.78 26,412,000 35.5 14,700 1.56 6,814,000 13.38 2,021,400 4.96 1,248,700 1.25 422,000 185.6 1,239,120 34.05 800 4.9 57,000 2.92 5,000 6.54 2,000 12.12 3,666,900 9.64 62,400 14.08 476,300 262 368,110 0.158 700,000 5.05 500 1.82 674,000 3.74 28,000 3.46 1,085,000 9.4 100,500 11.2 108,800 28.3 225,000 4.8 1,060,000 5.26 3,000 1.65 1,521,000 1.06 1,969,000 9 49,700 73.25 266,010 9.26 157,300 0.12 70,000 0.9 241,000 146.5 878,060 2.4 9,000 11,325,000 1.16 0.96 389,000

26,537,915 9,559,630 12,489,230 1,673,320 14,640 8,642,120 72,480 15,157,990 11,838,042 66,160 8,746,732 48,540 47,884 9,928.50 109,910 1,080 5,934,965 565,744 1,333,100 8,074,659 23,241,800 15,944,130 7,578,048.50 47,574,370 520,850 10,633,520 26,946,790 6,239,924 525,790 232,575,932 27,825 267,590 14,600 13,080 44,283,102 600,659 6,764,296 96,392,744 107,600 2,525 1,224,190 99,260 3,753,290 955,559 1,230,688 6,407,580 5,088,010 15,690 2,443,120 2,190,800 451,635 19,483,191.50 1,452,686 8,220 209,340 129,983,551 21,600 13,263,870 365,350

-14,544,015 469,720 7,179,685 1,900 -811,090 -189,176 4,570 9,800 -3,226,980 -106,258 1,700 1,244,016 10,240 -6,129,188 -3,992,216.50 -484,610 390,500 -7,051,200 -12,809,430 -2,128,234 -4,886,657 2,944,528 -76,996 -1,592,430 -54,325,834 -15,800 178,930 -128,390 -53,016 -4,937,310 -2,678,410 90 1,640 -40,720.00 9,895 -88,066 -1,200 -23,410,614 21,600 -328,320 -

0.88 50.4 10.28 0.68 6.35 10.28 0.94 0.95 740 2.55 6.26 5.6 12.58 0.22 736 74.15 6.2 0.495 4.05 9.5 0.59 3.18 4.26 1.09 133 1,028 0.8 1.11 160 169.9 0.23 0.194

0.86 49.5 9.93 0.68 6.11 10 0.9 0.95 720 2.35 6.16 5.31 12.3 0.22 721 72.85 6.2 0.485 3.81 9.01 0.59 3.05 4.25 1.05 131.1 1,002 0.77 1.1 155 155 0.22 0.175

HOLDING FIRMS 0.86 17,514,000 49.55 459,270 10.2 12,987,500 0.68 36,000 6.35 200 10.02 26,100 0.93 425,000 0.95 400,000 720 193,290 2.35 1,392,000 6.21 164,400 5.4 10,629,300 12.58 80,100 0.22 100,000 725 65,350 73.5 622,020 6.2 10,000 0.49 110,000 3.96 476,000 9.09 3,001,100 0.59 1,000 3.06 20,033,000 4.25 14,000 1.09 82,000 132.4 165,050 1,010 198,520 0.79 26,000 1.11 181,000 155 100 169.9 5,050 0.23 90,000 0.18 70,530,000

15,179,590 22,760,675 132,188,606 24,480 1,246 263,666 387,260 380,000 140,054,405 3,345,180 1,020,617 57,290,306 989,060 22,000 47,308,690 45,589,644.50 62,000 53,800 1,889,810 27,435,180 590 61,634,200 59,590 88,180 21,793,150 200,607,825 20,580 199,440 15,650 831,869 20,590 13,445,510

803,950 -12,889,831 22,726,450 611 380,000 -61,814,635 421,020 536,351 -27,238,047 571,260 14,250,140 -25,672,961 39,400 -5,617,217 -15,508,650 14,325,049 -61,209,560 -99,200 -559,472 139,950

14.74 0.65 1.75 0.79 41.55 1.58 4.58 0.51 0.73 0.82 0.18 0.365 9 18 1.41 1.04 3.8 0.202 0.455 1.1

14.7 0.61 1.65 0.77 40.7 1.5 4.5 0.495 0.7 0.78 0.171 0.35 8.89 17.3 1.33 1.01 3.62 0.196 0.435 1

PROPERTY 14.7 1,520,400 0.63 873,000 1.7 157,000 0.79 690,000 41.4 10,745,500 1.51 2,928,000 4.51 357,000 0.51 14,207,000 0.73 109,000 0.8 766,000 0.179 1,190,000 0.35 2,080,000 9 33,100 17.3 488,600 1.34 27,653,000 1.03 2,247,000 3.67 35,335,000 0.199 15,090,000 0.455 25,190,000 2,219,000 1.04

22,360,320 536,140 272,640 534,960 442,159,690 4,434,470 1,611,570 7,159,355 77,820 606,760 213,180 746,350 296,691 8,533,070 37,574,740 2,294,760 130,594,670 2,982,920 11,460,450 2,275,320

207,834 -35,610 -80,004,885 -1,429,250 13,600 34,500 7,700.00 300,890 -12,553 3,264,746 -18,494,770 23,094,400 -139,430 -30,600

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

ASIA UNITED BANK PH ISLANDS BDO UNIBANK CHINABANK COL FINANCIAL EAST WEST BANK FERRONOUX HLDG FIRST ABACUS IREMIT MANULIFE MEDCO HLDG METROBANK NTL REINSURANCE PB BANK PHIL NATL BANK PHIL STOCK EXCH PSBANK RCBC SECURITY BANK SUN LIFE UNION BANK VANTAGE

52.95 82.05 146 25.1 18.38 11.44 3.7 0.53 1.06 810.5 0.41 60.85 0.75 12.5 31.85 173 52.2 20.5 170 1,815 58 1.17

52.95 82.45 146 25.1 18.38 11.44 3.73 0.63 1.06 810.5 0.42 61 0.75 12.5 31.85 173 52.2 20.5 170 1,815 58 1.19

52.95 81.6 143 24.9 17.9 11.18 3.5 0.53 1.06 810.5 0.41 59.35 0.75 12.04 31.15 173 51.8 20.25 161 1,810 57.5 1.16

ABOITIZ POWER AC ENERGY AGRINURTURE ALLIANCE SELECT ALSONS CONS AXELUM BASIC ENERGY CEMEX HLDG CENTURY FOOD CHEMPHIL CIRTEK HLDG CNTRL AZUCARERA CONCRETE A CONCRETE B CROWN ASIA DAVINCI CAPITAL DNL INDUS EAGLE CEMENT EEI CORP EMPERADOR EUROMED FIRST GEN FIRST PHIL HLDG FRUITAS HLDG GINEBRA GREENERGY HOLCIM INTEGRATED MICR IONICS JOLLIBEE LIBERTY FLOUR LMG CHEMICALS MABUHAY VINYL MACAY HLDG MANILA WATER MAXS GROUP MEGAWIDE MERALCO MG HLDG PANASONIC PEPSI COLA PETROENERGY PETRON PHINMA PHX PETROLEUM PILIPINAS SHELL PRYCE CORP RFM CORP ROXAS AND CO SFA SEMICON SHAKEYS PIZZA SMC FOODANDBEV SPC POWER SWIFT FOODS TKC METALS UNIV ROBINA VICTORIAS VITARICH VULCAN INDL

31.7 2.27 7.81 0.63 1.22 3.16 0.225 1.49 15 228 8.39 14.32 60.9 62.05 2.1 5.4 8.25 11.9 8.51 7.59 2.67 20.05 66 1.88 35 1.58 13.56 5.27 1.22 190.2 35.05 4.7 2.92 6.54 12.22 9.7 14.6 262 0.153 5.05 1.83 3.48 3.46 9.64 11.32 29.5 4.81 5.2 1.61 1.17 9.05 73.95 9.26 0.117 0.88 148.4 2.4 1.22 0.94

31.75 2.27 7.81 0.66 1.22 3.16 0.227 1.49 15.1 228.8 8.39 15.4 60.9 62.1 2.15 5.4 8.4 11.9 8.51 7.69 3.12 20.35 66 1.9 35.5 1.58 13.56 5.27 1.31 190.2 35.05 4.9 2.92 6.54 12.22 9.7 14.8 263.2 0.158 5.05 1.83 3.74 3.5 9.65 11.6 29.5 4.81 5.26 1.65 1.17 9.2 74 9.3 0.12 0.92 150.9 2.4 1.22 0.96

ABACORE CAPITAL ABOITIZ EQUITY ALLIANCE GLOBAL ANGLO PHIL HLDG ANSCOR ASIABEST GROUP ATN HLDG A ATN HLDG B AYALA CORP AYALA LAND LOG COSCO CAPITAL DMCI HLDG FILINVEST DEV FORUM PACIFIC GT CAPITAL JG SUMMIT JOLLIVILLE HLDG LODESTAR LOPEZ HLDG LT GROUP MABUHAY HLDG METRO PAC INV PACIFICA HLDG PRIME MEDIA SAN MIGUEL CORP SM INVESTMENTS SOC RESOURCES SOLID GROUP SYNERGY GRID TOP FRONTIER WELLEX INDUS ZEUS HLDG

0.87 50.4 10.28 0.68 6.11 10.28 0.94 0.95 740 2.55 6.26 5.6 12.3 0.22 736 73.35 6.2 0.485 4 9.5 0.59 3.18 4.26 1.08 133 1,015 0.79 1.1 160 162.3 0.22 0.183

8990 HLDG A BROWN ARANETA PROP ARTHALAND CORP AYALA LAND BELLE CORP CEB LANDMASTERS CENTURY PROP CITY AND LAND CITYLAND DEVT CROWN EQUITIES CYBER BAY DM WENCESLAO DOUBLEDRAGON FILINVEST LAND GLOBAL ESTATE MEGAWORLD MRC ALLIED PHIL ESTATES PHIL INFRADEV

14.7 0.63 1.65 0.79 41.4 1.58 4.58 0.5 0.73 0.81 0.171 0.365 9 18 1.4 1.04 3.8 0.2 0.44 1.08

VOLUME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING),

PHIL REALTY PRIMEX CORP ROBINSONS LAND ROCKWELL SHANG PROP SM PRIME HLDG STA LUCIA LAND SUNTRUST HOME VISTA LAND VISTAMALLS

0.31 2.05 24.7 1.96 3.04 40.5 2.4 1.7 6.85 5.1

0.31 2.08 25.3 1.96 3.06 40.5 2.49 1.72 6.88 5.18

0.305 2.05 24.6 1.95 3.04 40 2.4 1.6 6.81 5

0.305 2.06 25 1.95 3.04 40.1 2.49 1.61 6.88 5.18

200,000 79,000 1,602,900 6,000 11,000 10,441,500 80,000 5,757,000 2,703,300 71,300

61,200 162,230 39,855,485 11,750 33,540 419,536,450 194,700 9,383,920 18,507,033 363,769

-15,821,305 -128,739,965 -185,768 -

2GO GROUP ABS CBN ACESITE HOTEL ALLHOME APC GROUP APOLLO GLOBAL ASIAN TERMINALS BERJAYA BLOOMBERRY BOULEVARD HLDG CEBU AIR CENTRO ESCOLAR CHELSEA DFNN INC EASYCALL FAR EASTERN U GLOBE TELECOM GMA NETWORK GOLDEN BRIA HARBOR STAR INTL CONTAINER ISLAND INFO ISM COMM LBC EXPRESS LEISURE AND RES MACROASIA MANILA BULLETIN METRO RETAIL METROALLIANCE A METROALLIANCE B NOW CORP PACIFIC ONLINE PAL HLDG PHIL SEVEN CORP PHILWEB PLDT PREMIUM LEISURE PRMIERE HORIZON PUREGOLD ROBINSONS RTL SBS PHIL CORP SSI GROUP STI HLDG TRANSPACIFIC BR WATERFRONT WILCON DEPOT

8.2 19.68 1.32 10.4 0.405 0.047 18 2.72 8.97 0.044 79.6 6.52 4.13 3.81 6.98 890 1,885 5.4 418 1.13 117.3 0.098 1.66 12.14 1.96 10 0.44 1.79 1.97 1.87 2.2 2.04 7 150 3.18 1,012 0.55 0.315 38 72.1 8.73 2.14 0.57 0.236 0.56 18.76

8.38 23.25 1.45 10.4 0.405 0.048 18 2.85 8.97 0.045 79.75 6.52 4.13 4 7.38 895 1,917 5.42 418 1.14 117.3 0.103 1.68 12.14 1.96 10 0.46 1.79 2.14 2.08 2.2 2.05 7.3 151 3.18 1,027 0.56 0.315 38.3 72.1 9.2 2.14 0.58 0.236 0.57 18.78

8 19.66 1.32 10.24 0.39 0.043 18 2.7 8.78 0.044 76.25 6.52 3.88 3.8 6.92 890 1,880 5.38 418 1.05 115 0.095 1.56 12.1 1.93 9.79 0.44 1.75 1.43 1.5 2.07 2.04 6.9 150 2.85 1,011 0.53 0.3 37.55 70.8 8.73 2.02 0.57 0.235 0.55 18.6

SERVICES 8 23 1.45 10.36 0.4 0.046 18 2.77 8.83 0.044 76.25 6.52 3.98 4 6.92 890 1,881 5.39 418 1.09 115 0.1 1.59 12.14 1.93 9.9 0.445 1.75 1.59 1.5 2.1 2.05 7 151 2.86 1,013 0.55 0.3 37.9 71 9.2 2.05 0.57 0.235 0.55 18.66

38,200 4,290,300 8,000 1,500,800 1,120,000 5,900,000 500 138,000 686,000 2,600,000 138,660 14,100 1,362,000 19,000 38,100 9,750 44,595 282,600 130 1,831,000 952,870 2,210,000 19,721,000 4,600 150,000 4,456,700 1,280,000 619,000 24,993,000 1,288,000 1,964,000 5,000 20,500 8,590 3,433,000 69,790 17,629,000 6,100,000 583,800 190,130 57,000 3,494,000 3,386,000 3,380,000 446,000 266,900

313,398 93,987,806 11,420 15,531,512 443,350 261,000 9,000 378,490 6,075,115(2, 115,000 10,854,407 91,932 5,436,520 72,430 269,580 8,684,740 84,129,205 1,524,721 54,340 1,981,790 110,445,355 220,640 31,648,280 55,748 291,110 44,149,509 578,100 1,088,560 43,732,060 2,363,210 4,151,600 10,230 143,430 1,292,890 10,244,860 70,958,450 9,580,300 1,837,500 22,172,635 13,497,554 508,369 7,250,700 1,930,040(1, 794,600 246,490 4,988,242

8,200 -209,434 -9,000 -14,000 604,729.0001) -2,438,917 12,388 86,100 -12,808,665 -884,360 -64,031,311 -40,100 370,580 15,660 13,132,335 -35,430 105,000 34,280 389,890 165,210 -40,184,500 274,550 -424,000 -8,499,260 5,971,103 822,000 452,929.9999) 2,587,458

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

0.0013 7.04 1.1 2.24 11.6 1.1 2.95 0.27 6.89 1.3 0.2 0.094 0.091 0.0078 0.71 2.55 1.01 0.67 0.0096 0.012 0.01 3.03 7.6 19.84 0.0049

0.0014 7.17 1.13 2.25 11.6 1.1 3.03 0.27 6.95 1.3 0.202 0.095 0.096 0.008 0.71 2.55 1.01 0.67 0.0097 0.012 0.011 3.17 7.6 19.88 0.0049

0.0013 6.7 1.08 2.24 11 1.1 2.94 0.27 6.57 1.22 0.199 0.094 0.091 0.0078 0.71 2.5 0.98 0.62 0.0095 0.011 0.01 3.01 7.2 19.4 0.0048

MINING & OIL 0.0014 50,000,000 6.71 141,400 1.12 4,554,000 2.25 102,000 11.46 11,000 1.1 4,000 2.94 1,222,000 0.27 100,000 6.57 7,900 1.23 2,787,000 0.202 480,000 0.095 360,000 0.096 160,000 0.008 8,000,000 0.71 64,000 2.5 2,492,000 1 37,000 0.62 80,000 0.0096 9,000,000 0.012 751,500,000 0.011 32,700,000 3.08 1,786,000 7.24 646,200 19.5 476,700 0.0048 14,000,000

66,000 965,042 5,060,630 229,480 121,980 4,400 3,623,180 27,000 52,651 3,488,880 96,000 33,850 14,700 63,200 45,440 6,250,560 36,720 49,820 86,500 9,017,900 336,500 5,521,680 4,763,358 9,315,374 67,600

-71,947 -35,880 4,400 -123,290 -469,920 7,980 -40,260 152,828 -6,832,720 -

PREFERRED ABS HLDG PDR AC PREF B2R CPG PREF A DD PREF GLO PREF P GMA HLDG PDR GTCAP PREF A GTCAP PREF B HOUSE PREF A MWIDE PREF PCOR PREF 3A PCOR PREF 3B PNX PREF 4 SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2H SMC PREF 2I

16 500 102 101 502 5.3 999 1,001 100 100.5 1,060 1,080 1,050 77.6 76.6 76 76

18.06 502 103 101 502 5.3 999 1,001 100 100.5 1,060 1,130 1,050 77.6 76.6 76 76

15.8 500 102 101 502 5.2 997 1,000 99.85 100.5 1,060 1,080 1,050 77.5 76.5 76 76

17 502 103 101 502 5.2 997 1,000 99.85 100.5 1,060 1,080 1,050 77.6 76.5 76 76

41,912,434 160,580 699,500 787,800 552,200 552,230 8,180,810 310,030 249,866 1,206,000 5,724,000 9,837,020 3,150,000 837,196 1,231,660 76,000 4,909,600

-4,271,540 108,500 -

LR WARRANT

1.09

1.02

WARRANTS 1.08 67,000

69,310

ITALPINAS KEPWEALTH XURPAS

3.2 9.43 0.84

3.35 9.64 0.84

2.9 9.12 0.79

3.01 9.17 0.8

957,580 2,667,158 1,066,510

205,950 -

FIRST METRO ETF

110.5

108.1

1,653,421

89,923

200,368.40

NAME

MS USD DMPL A1

10.26

Trading Summary FINANCIAL

10.28

SHARES 9,122,176

INDUSTRIAL

100,055,579

HOLDING FIRMS

140,266,808

PROPERTY

169,456,242

SERVICES

119,402,739

MINING & OIL

880,714,583

GRAND TOTAL

1,420,966,046

10.26

SME

2,425,600 320 6,800 7,800 1,100 105,900 8,190 310 2,500 12,000 5,400 9,080 3,000 10,790 16,100 1,000 64,600

313,000 288,600 1,328,000

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 108.5 15,170 DDS 10.28

19,500

VALUE 1,693.75 (down) 45.17 763,018,438.38 FINANCIAL 8,805.58 (down) 181.50 INDUSTRIAL 849,990,611.507 7,025.98 (down) 193.00 HOLDING FIRMS 958,668,961.33 PROPERTY 3,850.89 (down) 93.86 1,425.75 (down) 19.06 SERVICES 1,356,620,401.30 6,932.41 (down) 154.49 MINING & OIL 657,585,414.21 7,187.44 (down) 182.34 PSEI 49,343,048.39 All Shares Index 4,265.42 (down) 81.34 4,641,582,306.66 Gainers: 44; Losers: 147; Unchanged: 46; Total: 237

SMC’s food unit finalizes P15-b maiden bond offering By Jenniffer B. Austria SAN Miguel Food and Beverage Inc., a unit of San Miguel Corp., finalized the terms of a planned P15-billion maiden bond offering. San Miguel Food said in a disclosure to the stock exchange the five-year series A bonds due 2025 would have a fixed interest rate equivalent to 5.05 percent a year, while the seven-year series B Bonds due 2027 would offer a fixed interest rate of 5.25 percent yearly. San Miguel Food set the offering period from February 24, 2020 to March 2, 2020. It will issue and list the bonds with Philippine Dealing & Exchange Corp. on March 10, 2020. San Miguel Food started offering the bonds after securing a permit to sell from the Securities and Exchange Commission. The bonds will be issued in minimum denominations of P50,000 each and in integral multiples of P10,000 thereafter. The company plans to use the net proceeds from the offering to fund the redemption of outstanding 15,000,000 Series 2 Perpetual Preferred Shares. San Miguel Food will redeem the shares on March 12, 2020 at a redemption price of P1,000 per share. San Miguel Food said it migh redeem in whole the outstanding Series A Bonds at 101.0 percent on the third year, or at 100.5 percent on the fourth year. For the Series B Bonds, the company may redeem the bonds at 101.0 percent on the fifth year or 100.5 percent on the sixth year. BDO Capital & Investment Corp., BPI Capital Corp., China Bank Capital Corp., Philippine Commercial Capital Inc., PNB Capital and Investment Corp., RCBC Capital Corp. and SB Capital Investment Corp. have agreed to act as joint lead underwriters and book runners of the offering. The bonds received top credit rating from local debt watcher Philippine Rating Services Corp., which means the obligations are expected to have minimal credit risk.

AgriNurture bares $100-m financing offer from Vnesto AGRINURTURE Inc., a company owned by businessman Antonio Tiu, said global investment bank Vnesto Capital expressed interest to extend up to $100 million in long-term financing to the company. AgriNuture said in a disclosure Monday its board accepted Vnesto’s letter of intent to finance projects for up to $100 million with interest pegged at Treasury Bill rates plus three percent. The final amount and terms of the long-term financing deal will be finalized upon completion of a due diligence process. Vnesto Capital is a US-based global investment bank that provides longterm project financing and equity capital to enterprises in emerging markets. The company’s board, meanwhile, approved the move to subscribe to additional shares of Binangongan Rural Bank Inc., which owns one of the few electronic money issuer licenses issued in the country by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. The decision is part of a plan to establish a closed loop agricultural ecosystem being envisioned by the company. Along with BRB, AgriNurture’s e-wallet can now be in sync with Automated Teller Machine cards of the bank and allows farmers to access cash anytime, anywhere. BRB has licensed financial technology platforms that can improve the access of Filipino farmers—especially those in remote areas—to agri agra micro financing. Earthright Holdings Inc., the parent of AgriNurture, acquired a significant stake in BRB through a recent subscription agreement to raise the bank’s capital. The partnership plans to launch the full digital banking platform in the first half of the year aimed at providing micro-financing to farmers. AgriNurture president Antonio Tiu said the company also received the green light from the board to submit unsolicited proposals to the Department of Agriculture and National Food Authority in relation to the DA’s Ri-Co, or Rice and Corn Project. Jenniffer B. Austria

Manila

Standard

World

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2020

TODAY

CESAR BARRIOQUINTO, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Wuhan residents look for ways to find food B EIJING―The lockdown of Guo Jing’s neighborhood in Wuhanthe city at the heart of China’s new coronavirus epidemic―came suddenly and without warning.

buying services, where supermarkets deliver orders in bulk. But in Pan’s community, “no one cares”. “The three-year-old doesn’t even have any milk powder left,” Pan told AFP, adding that he has been unable to send medicine to his in-laws―both in their eighties―as they live in a different area. “I feel like a refugee.” The “closed management of neighborhoods is bound to bring some inconvenience to the lives of the people”, Qian Yuankun, vice secretary of Hubei’s Communist Party committee, said at a press briefing last week. Authorities on Monday allowed healthy non-residents of the city to leave if they never had contact with patients, but restrictions remained on those who live in Wuhan. Demand for group-buying food delivery services has rocketed with the new restrictions, with supermarkets and neighbourhood committees scrambling to fill orders. Most group-buying services operate through Chinese messaging app WeChat, which has ad-hoc chat groups for meat, vegetables, milk -- even “hot dry noodles”, a famous Wuhan dish. More sophisticated shops and compounds have their own mini-app inside WeChat, where residents can choose packages priced by weight before orders are sent in bulk to grocery stores. In Guo’s neighborhood, for instance, a 6.5-kilogram set of five vegetables, including potatoes and baby cabbage, costs 50 yuan ($7.11). AFP

Unable to go out, the 29-year-old is now sealed inside her compound where she has to depend on online group-buying services to get food. “Living for at least another month isn’t an issue,” Guo told AFP, explaining that she had her own stash of pickled vegetables and salted eggs. But what scares her most is the lack of control―first, the entire city was sealed off, and then residents were limited to exiting their compound once every three days. Now even that has been taken away. Guo is among some 11 million residents in Wuhan, a city in central Hubei province that has been under effective quarantine since January 23 as Chinese authorities race to contain the epidemic. Since then, its people have faced a number of tightening controls over daily life as the death toll from the virus swelled to over 2,500 in China alone. But the new rules this month barring residents from leaving their neighborhoods are the most restrictive yet-and for some, threaten their livelihoods. “I still don’t know where to buy things once we’ve finished eating what we have at home,” said Pan NOTICE OF Hongsheng, who lives with his wife and two EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT children. is hereby given that the Some neighborhoods have organized group- Notice intestate of the late Romulo EXTRA-JUDICIAL SETTLEMENT

STILL WARY. This photo taken on February 23, 2020, shows workers wearing protective facemasks amid concerns about the spread of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus, cleaning the handrails as an airport staff member walks by at the arrival area of Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok. AFP

China considering a complete ban on wildlife trade and consumption BEIJING―China’s top legislative committee on Monday began deliberating a proposal to ban all trade and consumption of wild animals, a practice believed responsible for the country’s deadly coronavirus outbreak. The official Xinhua news agency said the proposal was submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC). “It aims to completely ban the eating of wild animals and crack down on illegal wildlife trade,” it said. The report added that the measure was aimed at “safeguarding public health and ecological security”. The Standing Committee is responsible for convening the 3,000-member NPC, but is widely expected to postpone the annual session due to the health crisis. The session was due to start early next month. Chinese health officials have said the virus likely emerged from a market in the central city of Wuhan that sold wild animals as food. Late last month after the epidemic began exploding across the country, China ordered a temporary ban “until the national epidemic situation is over”. The new coronavirus has killed 2,592 people in China, infected some 77,000 so far and paralyzed its economy. It has spread to

at least two dozen countries, infecting 1,500 people and killing nearly 30. It was not clear when a decision would be made on the proposed ban, which is likely to face skepticism. Conservationists accuse China of tolerating a shadowy trade in exotic animals for food or use in traditional medicines whose efficacy is not confirmed by science. China instituted a similar temporary ban after the SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) virus killed hundreds of people in China and Hong Kong in 200203 and was also traced to wild-animal consumption. But the wildlife trade soon resumed. Health experts say it poses a significant and growing public health risk by exposing humans to dangerous animal-borne pathogens. The exact source of the coronavirus remains unconfirmed, with scientists variously speculating it originated in bats, pangolins, or some other mammal. Scientists say SARS likely originated in bats, later reaching humans via civets. Civets, a cat-like creature, were among dozens of species listed as for sale by one of the merchants at the Wuhan market according to a price list that circulated on China’s internet. Other items included rats, snakes, giant salamanders and live wolf pups. AFP

IN BRIEF

Trump begins India visit

Rio de Janeiro carnival opens RIO DE JANEIRO―Rio de Janeiro kicked off its annual carnival parades Sunday in a swirl of glitter, sequins and barely covered skin, an over-the-top spectacle that this year is packed with political commentary on Brazil’s far-right government. Vying for the title of carnival champions, the city’s 13 top samba schools get around one hour each to wow spectators and judges with elaborate shows flush with scantily clad dancers, small armies of drummers and huge floats built on seemingly impossible feats of engineering. The event has taken a particularly political turn after a year under far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who has deeply divided Brazil with his overt attacks on just about every cause close to the carnival community’s heart: diversity, homosexuality, environmentalism, the arts. “This carnival has a lot of protests because we want the world to see what’s going on here. There are lots of people who are against this very extreme government,” said Camila Rocha, dressed as an enormous gemstone as she prepared to enter the “Sambadrome,” the massive avenue-turned-stadium where the groups parade. Her samba school, Estacio de Sa, kicked things off with a show on the theme of “rocks” that featured floats covered in dinosaurs (prehistoric rocks), sparkling diamonds (precious rocks) and, finally, the moon. Director Rosa Magalhaes said that was meant to evoke the Earth turning into a barren, moonlike rock—the kind of environmental catastrophe that critics warn the world could face if Brazil does not do a better job protecting the Amazon. AFP

AHMEDABAD, India―US President Donald Trump arrived in India on Monday for a lightning visit featuring a huge rally at the world’s biggest cricket stadium and other high-profile photo opportunities, but likely short on concrete achievements. Trade tensions have grown between the world’s two biggest democracies as Trump’s “America First” drive collides with fellow protectionist strongman Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Make in India” mantra. While sharing concerns about China and deepening defence ties, India has bristled at Trump’s offer to mediate over the Kashmir dispute with Pakistan, and at unease in Washington over a citizenship law criticized as anti-Muslim. The billionaire and the tea seller’s son were due to address a huge rally of around 100,000 people at the world’s biggest cricket stadium in Modi’s home state before Trump and First Lady Melania fly to the Taj Mahal to watch sunset. Excited crowds began queueing at 4:00 am to get into the brand new stadium for the “Namaste Trump” rally, payback for a “Howdy Modi” event in Houston last year in front of cheering Indian-Americans where Trump likened Modi to Elvis Presley. “We hope the US liberalizes its visa regime for skilled workers. They need it and India has too many young skilled and talented people,” said student Maunas Shastri. Preparations have been feverish for the visit, with workers rushing to finish the stadium and building a wall that locals said was to hide a slum. Stray dogs, cows and monkeys have been moved away. AFP

Notice is hereby given that the estate of the late CARLOS DEL ROSARIO TORT has been extra-judicially settled among his heirs WITH WAIVER OF RIGHTS consisting of parcels of land with improvements, to wit: • 1/5 share in TCT No. 218380; • 1/3 share in TCT No. RT-125115 (350914). As per Doc. No. 225; Page No. 46; Book No. V; Series of 2019 before Notary Public ATTY. VERNA LYNN V. ACEVEDA. (MS-FEB. 11 , 18 & 25, 2020

B. Mangahas, who died intestate and without any will or testament and without any outstanding debts in favor of any person or entity has been settled by way of self-adjudication by heir Bienvenida V. Mangahas, of legal age as per Doc. No. 423 page No. 86, Book No. V. Series of 2020, before Notary Public at Quezon City.

SP. PROC. CASE NO. R-QZN-19-18629-SP For: Adoption and Change of Name MARIA CECILIA PALOMARES ARGANA Petitioner. x------------------------------------------------x

ORDER A verified petition for Adoption and Change of Name was filed by the petitioner, Maria Cecilia Palomares Argana, through counsel, praying that after notice, publication and hearing, judgment be rendered and that the minor adoptee, SAMANTHA KENDALL ATIENZA, be declared for all legal intents and purposes, the adoptive child of herein petitioner; that the name of the minor adoptee SAMANTHA KENDALL ATIENZA be changed to SAMANTHA KENDALL ARGANA. Petitioner is fifty-three (53) years old, Filipino, single, and residing at Unit 9C10 Victoria Towers, Barangay Paligsahan, Timog Avenue corner Panay Avenue, Quezon City. That for purposes of this petition, she may be served with pleadings and other court processes through her counsel.

(MS-FEB. 18 / 25 & MAR. 3, 2020)

Republic of the Philippines Province of Isabela

CITY OF CAUAYAN PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP SELECTION COMMITTEE NOTICE OF INVITATION FOR COMPARATIVE PROPOSALS FOR NO CONTACT APPREHENSION PROGRAM (NCAP) Public notice is hereby given that the City Government of Cauayan, Isabela (City) received and accepted the Unsolicited Proposal of Qpax Traffic Systems, Inc., the Original Proponent, for the implementation of a No Contact Apprehension Program. After completing detailed negotiations, the City is now ready to accept comparative proposals from developers. The project is being undertaken by the City under a Joint-Venture (JV) arrangement which is a PPP modality under section 10(14) of City Ordinance No. 2018-164, otherwise known as the “City Code Pursuing a Public-Private Partnership for the People Initiative for local governments LGU P4) approach towards development, providing for the procedure for selecting the private sector proponent, adopting, a contract management framework and providing appropriations and for other purposes. Interested developers must submit their Notarized Expression of Interest (NEOI) to submit comparative proposals on or before March 3, 2020 at the City Legal Office, Cauayan City Hall, 107 Rizal Avenue, District 3, Cauayan City, Isabela. The notarized expression of interest with supporting documents must contain the following statements: a. The developer is a Filipino citizen or partnership wholly owned by Filipino Citizens or a Filipino corporation with at least 60% of its capital owned by Filipino citizens.

Petitioner is also in possession of full civil capacity and legal rights, and of good moral character. She has not been convicted of any crime involving moral turpitude and is emotionally and psychologically capable of caring for children. She was married to George F. Almazan on January 3, 1986 in Cainta, Rizal and on April 1, 1989 at Santisimo Rosarion Parish (U.S.T.) in Manila. From their union bore two (2) children, Alex Joseph Argana (20 years old) and Martin Rafael Argana (18 years old) who have both expressed their consent to the adoption. Petitioner’s previous marriage with Geeorge F. Almazan was declared null and void on the ground of the latter’s psychological incapacity. Petitioner in this case desires to adopt the minor SAMANTHA KENDALL ATIENZA who was born on June 12, 2013 and was already declared legally available for adoption by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) by virtue of the Certification Declaring a Child legally Available for Adoption with Petition Number FO NCR-2016-1074 issued on December 12, 2018. Petition is in a good position to support and care for the minor Samantha and her two 92) legitimate children, in keeping with the means of the family as she has regular income that is more than sufficient to support her needs and those of the minor child. Likewise, petitioner who has been fostering and providing moral, emotional and financial support to the minor adoptee since January 2014, has been treating and caring for the minor adoptee as her own daughter. Since she has come to love the child as her own, and in order for the minor to enjoy the rights and privileges of a legitimate child, petitioner has decided to formally adopt Samantha.

Advertising Department 8832-5547

(Sgd) Atty. Rogelio J. Bolivar

Republic of the Philippines REGIONAL TRIAL COURT National Capital Judicial Region Quezon City, Metro Manila BRANCH LXXVIII (78) IN RE: PETITION FOR ADOPTION OF THE MINOR SAMANTHA KENDALL ATIENZA, WITH APPLICATION FOR CHANGE OF NAME TO “SAMANTHA KENDALL ARGANA”,

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b. The developer is financially and technically capable to undertake the project and is capable to post the required proposal or security bond. c. The developer and/or business partner has undertaken and completed a project similar or related to the subject JV activity within the relevant period. d. The developer shall undertake to adhere to all applicable City Ordinance, laws and policies and qualification criteria set by the City. e. The developer must be able to comply to the terms and conditions stated in the Terms of Reference and Joint Venture Agreement. f.

The developer shall not in any manner prevent the Award of the project and the carrying out of the project.

Those who filed their Notarized Expression of Interest (NEOI) on or before March 3, 2020 may obtain from the City Legal Office, Cauayan City Hall, 107 Rizal Avenue, District 3, Cauayan City, Isabela a complete set of Tender Documents upon payment of non-refundable fee of PhP100,000. Only those who filed their NEOI on time and purchased copies of the Tender Documents shall be allowed to participate in this competitive selection procedure or open bidding. The following schedule of activities shall be strictly observed: Activity

Date

February 11, 18 and 25, 2020

Petitioner is also physically, emotionally and mentally able to care for the minor adoptee, as evidenced by a copy of her Medical Certificate attached hereof.

Publication of Notice of Invitation for Comparative proposals in a newspaper of general circulation in the Philippines, Philgeps and City Website

February 11, 2020

Finally, considering also that as a consequence of the adoption, a change of name in the adoptee’s Certificate of Live Birth is necessary, petitioner moves that the child’s name be changed from “Samantha Kendall Atienza” to “SAMANTHA KENDALL ARGANA”.

Posting by the private sector proponent or original proponent of a security bond equivalent to 2% of the development cost of the project- either in cash or surety

Posting of Notice of Invitation at the bulletin boards of the Cauayan City Hall, Provincial Capitol and City Public Market

February 11, 2020

Submission of Notarized Expression of Interest at the City Legal Office, Cauayan City Hall, 107 Rizal Avenue, District 3, Cauayan City, Isabela and release of Tender Documents upon payment of Php100,000 non-refundable fee in cash, manager’s check or bank check

On or before March 3, 2020

Eligibility Check to short list qualified Private Sector Propone5nt/s

March 10, 2020

Sending notice of eligibility or non-eligibility to Private Sector Proponent

March 13, 2020

Pre-selection conference conducted by the PPP Selection Committee at the City Conference Room, Cauayan City Hall, 107 Rizal Avenue, District 3, Cauayan City, Isabela

March 20, 2020, 9 o’clock in the morning, at the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) Office

Submission of Comparative Proposals at the City Legal, Cauayan City Hall,107 Rizal Avenue, District 3, Cauayan City, Isabela

April 2, 2020, 9 o’clock in the morning, at the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) Office

Opening and evaluation of Comparative Proposals at the City Legal office, Cauayan City Hall, 107 Rizal Avenue, District 3, Cauayan City, Isabela

April 2, 2020, 10 o’clock in the morning, at the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) Office

Exercise by the Original Proponent of the right to match the superior or more advantageous comparative proposal

Not later than April 7, 2020

Issuance of Notice of Award

IN VIEW THEREOF, and finding the Petition to be sufficient in form and substance, the same is given due course. Accordingly, let the instant Petition be set for hearing on July 8, 2020 (Wednesday) at exactly 8:30 o’clock in the morning at Rooms B13-B14, Basement, Hall of Justice Building, Quezon City. Notice is hereby given that anyone who has any objection to the Petition should file his/her opposition hereto within (15) days from the last date of the publication of this Order or appear in Court on the above-scheduled date of hearing and show cause, if any, why the Petition should not be granted. Let this Order be published, at the expense of petitioner, once a week for three (3) consecutive weeks in a newspaper of National circulation in the Philippines, to be chosen by raffle under the supervision of the Executive Judge, RTC, this city pursuant to P.D. 1079. The Court Social Worker is hereby directed to conduct a case study on the petitioner and the minor subject of the adoption and to submit her report on or before the scheduled hearing. Petitioner is hereby directed to coordinate with the Court Social Worker to facilitate the preparation of the case study report. Petitioner is further required to furnish a copy of the Petition together with its annexes, the Office of the Solicitor General, Office of the City Prosecutor of Quezon City, the Philippine Statistics Authority, the Local Civil Registrar of the City of Manila, the Local Civil Registrar of Quezon City, and the Department of Social Welfare and Development-National Capital Region (DSWD-NCR), and to submit compliance therewith before the Scheduled hearing. SO ORDERED. Quezon City, Metro Manila, December 27, 2019. (Sgd.) FERNANDO T. SAGUN, JR. Presiding Judge Copy Furnished: Maria Cecilia Palomares Argana Atty. Resida Rose T. Rosario Atty. Ma. Eloise R. Castillo Pres. Conrado C. Rosario Office of the Solicitor General Office of the Solicitor General Office of the Civil Registry – Manila Office of the Civil Registry – Q.C. D.S.W.D. NCR Philippine Statistics Authority (NSO) (MStandard - Feb. 25, Mar. 3 & 10, 2020) Social Worker Ms. Coriage

If no NEOI or comparative proposal is submitted, the project shall be awarded to the Original Proponent. Further, pursuant to the above-mentioned ordinance, the Original Proponent shall be given the right to match the superior offer or more advantageous offer to the City. Furthermore, the PPP-Selection Committee reserves the right to (1) reject any and all applications for qualification and eligibility found not in conformity with aforesaid Ordinance or with the requirements above-mentioned without incurring any liability to the affected Private-Sector Proponent; (2) waive any minor defect therein; and (3) accept the offer it deems most advantageous to the City Government. CONTACT INFORMATION: PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP SELECTION COMMITTEE City Conference Room, Third Floor, City Hall NO. 107 Rizal Avenue, District 3, Cauayan City, Isabela Telephone Nos. (078) 652-2205/652-2005

(MS-FEB. 11 ,18 & 25, 2020

JOSE L. ABAD Chairperson

Villagers block fuel delivery to Didipio mine

Jimbo Owen Gulle, Editor lgu@manilastandard.net editor.lgustandard@gmail.com

By Brenda Jocson

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2020

‘Build’ program spurs hybrid solar need across PH By Jimbo Gulle (Conclusion, continued from yesterday) THE “Build Build Build” program of President Rodrigo Duterte is another goal William Che Hon Ngai hoped to meet when he established SunSmart Solar Power Technology Inc. four years ago. “Beyond conventional power, decentralized and modular solar hybrid power generation is really the name of the game here, and by 2022 everything has to be energized,” said Ngai in an interview with the Manila Standard. “We’ve spent two years and concentrated on bringing everything here, researching e ve r y t h i n g , to finally come out with the products we have now,” he added, referring to the time he also spent developi ng sof t wa re SunSmart founder for the soWilliams Che Hon Ngai. lar power systems that can produce as little as 200 watts to as much as 2 megawatts. Now, SunSmart’s i-Series systems “become infinite in capacity as it is scalable or modular in feature,” he said, noting that a typical system takes only three months to install and can supply, distribute and generate “clean, cheap and continuous electricity supply 24/7.” A proof of concept of SunSmart’s i-Smart Mini Grid Hybrid Power Station was speedily delivered, efficiently commissioned and successfully installed in Central Luzon “that will help provide a number of our electric cooperatives to exercise their right of owning an independent and brand-new Power Generation Solar Plant that is isolated from the grid,” Ngai stressed. Some of these areas also boast of SunSmart’s solar street lighting system, which are also both Integrated and Hybrid in feature, he said. “All SunSmart i-Series solar systems are equipped with multi-control and remote energy management system applications that can be accessed by a basic smartphone,” Ngai said. The best part about their system, he added, is that it can be linked or can co-generate with other renewable energy sources such as wind turbines, river-run hydro generators, and biomass gasifiers, making true 24/7 power possible. And while SunSmart mostly caters to businesses and government agencies, Ngai said their i-MoGen or Intelligent Mobile Generators—an ultralightweight, portable, and powerful modular random power system—can provide 300 watts of power to any home for as low as P38,000. This is six times as much power as a traditional solar panel system can provide for the same price, he noted, and it can cater to every individual or SMEs “so they can have immediate access to clean electricity anytime and anywhere.” As for LGUs, SunSmart systems are already being used starting from Mrs. Ngai’s native Pampanga such as Mabalacat, Angeles, Bacolor, and Sasmuan. It has also reached Tarlac, Bulacan, La Union, Pangasinan, Aklan and as far as Davao and Palawan. Still, Ngai encourages SunSmart’s distributors—their partner electric coops and area franchisors—to comb the rural areas for any un-energized villages or islands that could use some light and power. “The Energy department and regulatory agencies have been very positive with what we’re doing. With our niche technology, we were able to emphasize and address solutions to the ‘problematic’ areas that are totally off-grid, and we’re getting there,” he said. With brighter days ahead, what pushed Ngai to remain bullish in the Philippines even through the dark times of his previous ventures? “The technology here is dated, and I felt I could do better,” he said, noting his previous stints in Hong Kong, Infocom and Nextel, which all introduced innovations. “The tech between other countries and the Philippines is still too far away, so our target is to bring it back as close as possible. How close depends on how well people accept it [SunSmart systems]. We just want to provide the best service,” Ngai said. As RE champions often say, the future is in solar, mixed with further innovation to make it more sustainable—and with that, William Che Hon Ngai is only too happy to shine that light on his adoptive country.

LGUs LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

HAPPY TESTING. Local Government Undersecretary Martin Diño (seated, in black) is all smiles as he shares a light moment with 80 barangay chairmen of San Pablo City in Laguna—who all tested negative for illegal drugs—on Sunday. The surprise drug test was part of the two-day drug symposium in Laguna supported by the Association of Barangay Chairmen to strengthen the Barangay Anti-Drug Council and Barangay Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Seminar sponsored by the City Government of San Pablo through the effort of Mayor Loreto Amben S. Amante. Roy Tomandao

Makati earmarks P3.3b for Project FREE in 2020 By Joel E. Zurbano

HE Makati City government has announced it will be spending P3.3 billion for its Project FREE (Free Relevant and Excellent Education) and other major school activities and programs this year. Under the administration of Mayor Abigail Binay, several items have been added to the free school gear and supplies distributed to public school students, which include Special Education learners and students in the Alternative Learning System. “Educating the youth is the best way to prepare them for whatever challenges and obstacles they meet in life. Education is the great equalizer that gives our youth hope and a fighting chance at having a good future,” said Binay. “Makati has always believed in teaching our people how to fish, and this is why

we have chosen to arm our children with the best public education and supplemental learning that we can provide,” she added. In line with her thrust of inclusivity, the city chief executive pushed for bigger investments in programs for the differently abled and students from poor families. From P5 million in 2019, the budget for “Speed for SpEd,” a work immersion program for SpEd learners aged 18 and above, has increased by 71 percent to P8.5 million. For ALS, the budget has been raised to P10.1 million or 33.1 percent higher than P7.6 million in 2019.

At the college level, the city government has made a 557 percent increase in its allocation for the Testing, Admission and Scholarship Program of the city-run University of Makati, which now amounts to P15.7 million from only about P2.4 million last year. “The new college scholarship program we offer at UMak aims to help poor but deserving students obtain a college degree and be empowered to prosper and lift their families out of poverty,” Mayor Binay said. To date, Project FREE has been expanded to include a pair of rubber shoes, white socks, raincoats and boots, hooded jackets, emergency go kits, anti-dengue kits, dental hygiene kits and tumblers. The city has also earmarked P130 million for free educational field trips provided to the students, up by 30 percent from last year’s budget.

DIDIPIO, Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya— Villagers here have blocked the entry of two delivery tankers of fuel into the OceanaGold mines here, citing a “doubtful” ground validation report conducted by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau in Region 2 last Feb. 14. Barangay Captain Ereneo Bobola led the angry villagers in preventing the tankers from entering the mine site, the Manila Standard learned from local folks. OceanaGold has suspended operations at the gold-copper mine and is set to lay off about 800 workers by the end of February, company officials said earlier this month. According to the locals who spoke to the Manila Standard on condition of anonymity, the ground validation report conducted by the regional task force of MGB Region 2, led by Engineer Geoffrey Prado with composite team members Robert Carreon, Demetrio Corsino, Romeo Watchorina and Elmer Bacutan, was “highly suspicious “ because it was all done in one day. “They didn’t let one of us join the ground validation despite being aware of our strong stand against the continuous operation of OceanaGold here in our barangay because they could not explain to us or present the people of Kasibu any rehabilitation plan to the huge crater-like open pit they had dug here in Didipio. That is why there is a very minimal social acceptance to the renewal of Oceana’s FTAA [Financial and Technical Assistance Agreement]. That is the reason why we are on the barricades.” Police Lt. Col. Joseph dela Cruz, Public information Officer of Nueva Vizcaya Police Provincial Office, told media during a press conference that both oil tankers were safely sent back to Manila, with its fuel cargo of 630,000 liters intact. However, on Jan. 21, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea penned a directive to Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu granting authority to the mining company to bring in enough fuel “for the continued operation of the dewatering activities of the Didipio Mines.” In answering OceanaGold’s letter dated Dec. 11, 2019, Medialdea noted that Cimatu’s office was the only one authorized to direct the MGB to closely monitor the implementation of the said authority.

Mayor padlocks Hermosa landfill run by PPP firm By Butch Gunio

‘GANDANG NGITI NI BUNTIS.’ In celebration of the National Dental Month, the city government of Muntinlupa through the City Health Office and Gender and Development Office hails Brgy. Buli resident Christine Fridah Francisco (fifth from right) as this year’s Mrs. Gandang Ngiti ni Buntis at the Museo ng Muntinlupa. The beauty contest for pregnant women in Muntinlupa held Feb. 20 aims to promote healthy pregnancy lifestyle and oral health. Mayor Jaime Fresnedi congratulated all the winners.

GSIS allots P1.1b for ‘Ursula’-hit Iloilo members THE Government Service Insurance System has earmarked P1.1 billion in emergency loan for its 42,141 members and 12,128 pensioners in Iloilo who were affected by Typhoon “Ursula” last December. With a loanable amount of P20,000, the loan is payable in 36 equal monthly install-

ments at 6-percent interest rate computed in advance. It is covered by a loan redemption insurance which deems the loan fully paid in case of the borrower’s demise, provided that loan payment is up to date. To qualify, active members must be working or residing in Iloilo; have updated premium payments within the last

six months prior to application; have no unpaid loans for more than six months; not be on leave of absence without pay; have no pending administrative case or criminal charge; and have a minimum net take-home pay of P5,000 after monthly premium contributions and loan amortizations have been deducted.

HERMOSA, Bataan—Mayor Jopet Inton has padlocked the sanitary landfill facility here being operated by a private company under the Public Private Partnership scheme for alleged violation of environmental laws. The mayor personally served the stoppage order to Econest Waste Management Corp., operator of the Hermosa sanitary landfill facility in Barangay Mambog. “This stoppage of operation order is temporary in nature in view of the investigation being conducted by Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Management Bureau to Econest for their violations,” Inton said. He said the municipal government also issued a notice of violation to the company last Jan. 28. DENR-EMB issued its notice on Feb. 13. “Econest is operating the Hermosa sanitary landfill under PPP with the municipal government. We have the right to stop whatever operation that is harmful to the environment for the welfare of the people. While we are waiting for the technical conference of the DENR-EMB and we are conducting other investigation on their violations, we are stopping their operation for the meantime,” he said.

NHMFC launches BALAI Rewards HOUSING loan borrowers of the National Home Mortgage Finance Corp. can now enjoy points redemption reward through its recently launched BALAI Rewards and Incentives Program. BALAI Rewards can be availed by the borrowers whose accounts are active and updated starting January 1, 2020. Borrowers who pay their monthly amortizations on or before their respective due dates earn one point. For every 12 BALAI Rewards points earned within a 15-month period, a borrower is entitled to receive a gift certificate worth P1,000. A bonus gift certificate will also be given if a borrower earns 12 points for three consecutive years. Eligible accounts under this program

are automatically qualified to the raffle draw. Winners will be picked electronically, and awarding will be every December to coincide with NHMFC’s anniversary. Cash prizes at stake are P200,000 (1st Prize), P100,000 (2nd Prize), P50,000 (3rd Prize), and three consolation prizes of P15,000 each. “For several years, the NHMFC has concentrated on providing repayment incentives for delinquent and non-performing loans, and rarely on the regular or prompt paying accounts. Consider this new program as a reward for our borrowers who religiously pay their monthly amortizations,” NHMFC president Felixberto U. Bustos said during the launch.

NHMFC president Felixberto Bustos Jr. (seated, center) and officers of the Collection and Accounts Management Group join some of the corporation’s housing loan beneficiaries during the launch of the BALAI Rewards.

Life

Bernadette Lunas, Editor manilastandardlife@gmail.com @manilastandardlife @MStandardLIFE

HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2020

Disease surveillance system

versus coronavirus A

S NEW cases of infection and death due to the novel coronavirus surge—over 76,000 cases and more than 2,300 deaths reported in mainland China alone—a US-based business process services company has announced the availability of its disease surveillance and outbreak management platform to track and report COVID-19 cases. Conduent Incorporated will host the coronavirus-enabled version of Maven in its secure cloud which health agencies and other organizations can access. The coronavirus module is expected to be available within the month. The software platform is developed for organizations to manage cases of more than 90 communicable diseases. Its flexible design allows organizations to customize disease tracking most prevalent in specific geographies or communities. In addition to COVID-19, Maven has the capability to track diseases such

as influenza, tuberculosis, and Ebola. More than 40 organizations are currently using the platform, and some have already taken advantage of the its flexibility by configuring it to track the coronavirus’ spread within their respective locations. “Maven is a valuable tool that organizations can use to identify and follow up on people who may have come into contact with a person infected with a communicable or infectious disease,” said Mark Brewer, president of Conduent’s global public sector solutions.

A disease surveillance and outbreak management system helps the government and other organizations manage cases of diseases and collaborate effectively to contain public health crises.

‘‘

In the absence of a vaccine, tracking and analyzing who is at risk from contact with an infected person is one of the most important methods available to contain diseases like the coronavirus. Brewer added, “In the absence of a vaccine, tracking and analyzing who is at risk from contact with an infected person is one of the most important methods available to contain diseases like the coronavirus and prevent widespread outbreaks. “Maven’s technology is scalable and can be quickly and easily configured to changing technologies, protocols, and geographic locations—all of which are keys to effective disease outbreak response. It is also designed to allow for easier data sharing and integration among health agencies on the front lines of battling the disease.” Designed with rich contact tracing, outbreak management, and detection, state and local health organizations can collaborate to quickly and effectively contain public health crises—a muchneeded technology for countries such

Business process services firm Conduent hosts the coronavirus-enabled Maven software in its secure cloud which health agencies can access to track COVID-19 cases as well as discover trends and patterns.

as the Philippines, which as of February 25, has reported three confirmed COVID-related cases. In the Philippines, the company operates in Manila and Cebu. Epidemiologists can use Maven’s reporting capability to search and analyze

the centralized data collected to discover trends and patterns. It can also be used to report externally, supporting the need for automatic case reporting to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States, the World Health Organization, or local authorities.

Alden, Nadine lead the search for next Superbods BODY beautiful stars Alden Richards and Nadine Lustre have become a “fitspiration” thanks to their sculpted physique and active lifestyle—for all of social media to consume. This year, they will heat up the summer season as they headline Century Tuna’s most awaited health fitness event. In an exciting and sexy crossover, Richards and Lustre star in the canned tuna brand’s newest TV commercial which highlights the message that “Everybody can be a Superbod”—with emphasis on everyone, regardless of age and background—through proper diet and exercise. The commercial highlights the two stars as the ultimate “fitspirations,” which they owe to eating fish daily, moving, and making the right choices every day. “Known for their confidence, athleticism, and healthy lifestyle, both of them are great inspirations to enjoin everyone to be more active and fit,” says Greg Banzon, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Century Pacific Food, Inc. This year’s Century Tuna Everybod

Superbod 2020 is upping the ante by opening the competition to anyone who leads not only a healthy and fit lifestyle but is also socially aware and vouches for an advocacy. To qualify, candidate must be a “Difference Maker,” someone who can make a stand to empower Filipinos to be the best they can be. This is their opportunity to promote health as an everyday commitment. They must also be a “Voice Lifter” by amplifying the voice of the Filipinos and communicate positivity to help uplift the confidence of others. And

a “Cause Supporter,” someone who is a fearless advocate of causes relevant to health and wellness. The competition is ppen to male or female with Filipino heritage, 18 to 60 years old. Qualified contestants will be judged based on the following criteria: 30 percent Body, 30 percent Personality, 20 percent Transformation Story, and 20 percent Advocacy and Social Impact. Grand winners (one male, one female) will take home P500,000 each, runners-up (one male, one female) will win P200,000 each, while the rest of the finalists will each take home P10,000.

The H-Pod emits light that promises to deliver skin rejuvenation and relaxation.

Holistic wellness pod

Alden Richards and Nadine Lustre invite everyone with an inspiring transformation story and advocacy to join the search for the next Superbods.

AMID the growing popularity of wellness pods, a skin care clinic introduces its own state-of-the-art Holistic Pod or H-Pod. The H-Pod, which is now available at Stelton Dermascience BGC branch, is a health, beauty, and wellness machine that delivers skin rejuvenation and anti-aging properties, as well as improves both physical and mental performance with regular use. According to the skin care clinic, a 30-minute session can free the body of excess water and toxins and can aid in slimming and relaxation. Clients, especially those with a sedentary lifestyle, are advised to have daily sessions. Those whose goal is to lose weight are recommended to do at least three to four sessions a week for four consecutive weeks, while those who wish to improve their overall body wellness, session of two to three times weekly on a regular basis is ideal. The H-Pod experience comes with an optional vibrating massage and fragrant aroma. LED light emitted by the pod helps skin look younger by enhancing collagen production. In addition, it uses Himalayan salt crystals that is said to promote overall wellness and healing. While doing the procedure, clients can comfortably watch a movie or listen to their favorite music.

A 30-minute session can free the body from excess water and toxins, a skin care clinic said.

Stelton says the machine is also an effective method for detoxification, muscle toning, stress relief, and pain and muscle soreness management. It also improves overall blood circulation, promotes faster healing and recovery of body cells, and boosts the immune system. The H-Pod can be combined with SBody Contouring. It can also be used with MesoShrink or UlthraBody HIFU to help eliminate unwanted body fat. Stelton Dermascience is offering an introductory promo of 10 sessions of H-Pod and S-Body Contouring for P20,000 (original price is P50,000) until Feb. 29. Call (02) 7917-7640 or 0977-855-5769 to inquire.

Life

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2020 manilastandardlife@gmail.com

Improved efficacy of beta-blockers to benefit hypertensive Filipinos

IGH blood pressure remains to be a major health concern in the Philippines, as, often, it does not show any symptom—hence its title the “Silent Killer.” In fact, a 2007 survey by the Philippine Heart Association revealed that 25 percent of adults in the country with hypertension were unaware of their condition. This condition, if left unmanaged, could significantly increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure, aneurysm, and renal failure. However, experts assert, with lifestyle changes and regular exercise, the burden of this ailment can be reduced; and though it cannot be cured, hypertension can be managed with the use of anti-hypertensive medications such as RAS blockers, calcium channel blockers, and beta-blockers.

How do beta-blockers work

When arteries become stiff or clogged, the heart needs to work harder. An overworked heart can become larger than normal, causing the walls of the heart muscle to weaken and underper-

form. This inability to properly pump blood could eventually result in a heart attack or heart failure. Beta-blockers slow down the heart rate and temporarily reduce the body’s natural fight or flight response. They help reduce stress on the heart and on the blood vessels in the brain, consequently lowering blood pressure. This can then help protect afflicted individuals against a heart attack, and can improve the condition of those suffering with heart failure. Beta-blockers also block the hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline in the brain, which activate the fight-or-flight response during stress. Too much adrenaline would lead to an abnormal increase in heart rate and blood pressure even when at rest. These medications help tone down this

Beta-blockers slow down the heart rate and temporarily reduce the body’s natural fight or flight response.

Data confirm new betablockers’ efficacy

The improved efficacy of new betablockers, a kind of antihypertensive medication, is discovered with the help of real-world data in action.

stressr e sponse, resulting in a lower heart rate and lower blood pressure. Nebivolol is one of the newer generations of beta-blockers that act to lower blood pressure by widening the diameter of arteries to help lower patients’ blood pressure.

According to the Benefit Korea study, which uses real-world data in action to provide essential information for people with hypertension, patients who had regular intake of 5mg of nebivolol daily significantly lowered their blood pressure in 12 weeks. The study also confirmed that patients with concurrent medical conditions like dyslipidemia, obesity, and diabetes tolerated the drug well after daily intake. In addition, it also demonstrated the effi-

cacy of nebivolol in reducing blood pressure, regardless if it was used as initial therapy, as an add-on, or as a switch for other anti-hypertensive medications. Menarini Asia-Pacific conducted the real-world data analysis of more than 3,200 patients in a real-world setting to ensure that nebivolol remains efficient and effective for hypertensive patients in the region. The pharmaceutical company said the promising result of Benefit Korea’s study confirms that nebivolol is safe and effective and may be administered to patients in the region with hypertension, regardless of current anti-hypertensive therapy and co-morbidities, by a qualified doctor after assessment.

HEALTH BULLETIN Coconut oil may provide protection against viruses COCONUT oil experts Dr. Mary Newport of Spring Hill Neonatology and Dr. Fabian Dayrit of Ateneo de Manila University have released a report on the potential of coconut oil in fighting viruses, and possibly the novel coronavirus. In their research, it has been found that Lauric acid (C12) and its derivative monolaurin have three significant and powerful antiviral activities: first, it dissolves the cell membrane of the virus; second, it inhibits virus maturation and prevents it from spreading; and third, it prevents the virus from replicating. The antiviral properties of lauric acid, with its derivative monolaurin, have been recognized for many years. As lauric acid is ingested by the body, it turns it into monolaurin. Lauric acid and monolaurin are known to have powerful antibacterial, antiviral, and

antipathogenic properties. Similarly, Capric acid (C10) has also shown promising result against other viruses. According to the study, at least two fatty acids have antiviral properties: C10 and C12. “Both C10 and C12 are present in Laurin MCT, a patented formula that contains a 60 percent blend of capric and lauric acid. These valuable fatty acids give your immune system a broader spectrum of protection against bacteria and viruses,” shared Chemrez Technologies, Inc. managing director Dean Lao, Jr. Lao said the proper way to take it is “to start with one teaspoon a day and gradually increasing intake to one to three tablespoons a day. “Laurin MCT can be taken daily, on its own, or mixed with any food or drink,” he added.

The Nestle Wellness Campus Program is a nutrition education activity in public schools embedded in DepEd’s Music, Arts, Physical Education and Health curriculum.

Campus program increases students’ nutrition knowledge

Lauric acid and capric acid in coconut oil have been found to possess the potential to fight viruses.

GLOBAL food and beverage manufacturer Nestle Philippines reported a 15 percent increase in nutrition knowledge among students in 13,000 schools nationwide following the school year 2018-2019 implementation of its Wellness Campus program. Now in its seventh year, the company’s joint initiative with the Department of Education so far has reached over 200,000 teachers, 7.8 million students, and 4.7 million parents nationwide. Nestle Wellness Campus is a nutrition education activity in Philippine public schools embedded in DepEd’s Music, Arts, Physical Education and Health curriculum. Currently widely implemented in the National Capital Region, CALABARZON, Bicol, and Central Visayas regions, the program imparts to grades 1 to 10 public school students and their parents the importance of choosing healthier food and drink options as well as engaging in physical activities and family mealtimes to promote healthy habits among students. Apart from nutrition education for students, custom dance exercises are injected in the school routine. Expanded nutrition modules are cascaded to parents in the larger school community to ensure that what is being taught to children is also applied at home. Schools are also encouraged to implement their individual projects through the inter-school, inter-region competition. Some notable examples include providing more nutritious options in their cafeterias, starting up school gardens, and providing clean drinking water for their student population. Studies on the program showed 100 percent application of the program’s expanded nutrition modules among students and par-

Students gather for a campus wellness activity.

ents, following the 2018-2019 school year implementation. Students also showed a marked improvement in their nutrition behavior: choosing to eat healthier food and increasing water intake. In addition, parents responded that they began preparing healthier meals for their families at home guided by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute’s Pinggang Pinoy. “Our dream is to encourage more and more Filipino children and their families to lead happier and healthier lives through proper nutrition. Over the last seven years, we are proud of the inroads that the Nestle Wellness Campus program has achieved in moving the needle in the right direction among students and their parents,” said Nestle’s corporate affairs director Ernie Mascenon. “We are working with our partners at the Department of Education to expand the program to more areas as we work join forces with other like-minded organizations to help alleviate malnutrition,” added Mascenon. The Nestle Wellness Campus is a banner program under the larger corporate Nestle for Healthier Kids initiative that aims to help 50 million children across the globe lead healthier lives by 2030. Photos from Nestle Wellness Campus - CAR / Facebook

Entertainment

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2020

nickie.standard@gmail.com

Ogie Alcasid, Carlo Aquino, Karla Estrada, three other celebs stay as Kapamilya

IX Kapamilya celebrities once again strengthened their ties with ABS-CBN after inking their respective network contracts recently.

The lineup of Kapamilya stars was led by singer-songwriter Ogie Alcasid, who signed his two-year contract with the network. Besides his regular appearance in the ASAP Natin ‘To stage, Ogie is also set to appear in another season of Your Face Sounds Familiar this year. Also renewing his contract as an ABS-CBN artist is Pamilya Ko actor JC De Vera. When asked about what his fans can expect from him this year, JC answered, “They can expect a more diverse, more well-rounded JC. I’ve done drama, action, and now I’m still doing comedy. For this new contract, I’m sure ABS-CBN will still give me more challenges, which I like.” Meanwhile, actor-model Kit Thompson shared how thankful he is on signing his first-ever three-year exclusive contract with the Kapamilya network, describing himself as “privileged” for the opportunity. Kit is currently doing an upcoming TV series titled Ligaya with Ivana Alawi, who also signed a network contract with ABSCBN recently. On the other hand, fans can still see more of “momshies” Karla Estrada and Melai Cantiveros, who both signed their respective two-year contracts as ABS-CBN talents. Besides sharing their promise of bringing more

From left: Ogie Alcasid, Kit Thompson, Melai Cantiveros, Karla Estrada, Carlo Aquino and JC De Vera

happiness this 2020, Karla and Melai also revealed what excites them more about this opportunity. “We are more excited about the service that we can give to all our loyal ABS-CBN viewers,” Karla said. A movie is also in the works for Karla

and Melai, together with their Magandang Buhay co-host, Jolina Magdangal. Completing the lineup is A Soldier’s Heart star Carlo Aquino, who shared his gratitude towards ABS-CBN. Carlo, who is a homegrown talent of the Kapamilya network, shared that he can’t

Joshua Garcia almost quit showbiz IN A recent interview in connection with his upcoming film project Ang Mga Kaibigan ni Mama Susan under Regal Entertainment, Joshua Garcia admitted that there were instances in the past when he contemplated on just going home to Batangas because of not getting meaty acting parts. “That’s true,” he stated. “There came a point before when I considered giving up showbiz. There were lots of projects being offered to me but eventually, they didn’t land onto my lap.” It’s good that instead of turning back, the competent young actor opted to be positive and improved himself. “I made it as a motivating factor to hone my craft further. I realized that perhaps, the reason why I wasn’t picked for said projects is that my skills are still not good enough. What I did was to enroll myself in acting workshops sponsored by Star Magic. Looking back now, I’m grateful that I did. “I also considered my family. I had to persevere because I wanted to help my parents and give them a comfortable life. You see, my older sister is not yet fin-

ished with her studies. I would also send my niece to school. Then, my father dreams of opening a bar or a restaurant as a business. I want to make all of these come true for my family!” Interestingly, despite the fact that he’s busy with his acting career, Joshua hopes he can still go back to school. “I admit that I still hunger for knowledge. I feel that it’s something that I lack. I had to sacrifice my studies when I entered the ‘biz. Given the chance, I would love to continue it. “In fact, my early dream was to become a soldier. I told myself that after high school, I would enter the field. But as I’ve said, showbiz knocked at my door. Now, if ever, I don’t know what exact course to get, though my interest already changed. I want something which is related to films.”

Joshua Garcia

Korean... From C4 The hashtag #BTSComeback2020 trended following the release, as well as #WeONWithBTS, with fans posting videos of themselves in tears after listening to the album. Seven years The album›s title alludes to both the number of members in the band and the time since the group made its debut. The song «ON» is «like a diary of our past seven years», member RM told Apple Music before the release.

«We stumble from time to time but we got back up,» he said. «It›s like a declaration that we have admitted our destiny.» The group had managed to «expand out musical spectrum,” RM added. «In 2013 we had a performance in front of 300 people, 500 people. But now we are doing stadium tours, so everything›s got bigger and happier.» Map of the Soul: 7 was the most preordered South Korean album of all time, with more than four million copies sold before its release. The group had rolled out a 30-second preview “ON” exclusively on TikTok

At present, he has no steady love team. After his tandem with former girlfriend, Julia Barretto, was dissolved, he got paired with Janella Salvador in the recently-concluded soap “The Killer Bride.” Given this scenario, Joshua seems to be unbothered. “Actually, in my situation, I guess it’s better if I will not have a resident screen partner at the moment. I can still be in a love team, why not? But I personally believe it’s better if you get to work with many stars. That way, you will be open to more opportunities and possibilities, right? It’s for your career growth.” So, he’s ready to get paired with other actresses? “It is fun and definitely a new experience to collaborate with those whom you haven’t worked with yet. You’ll get to discover lots of interesting things about them. Take the case of Janella for example. When we did The Killer Bride, I learned that she doesn’t complain on the set. So, on my part, I would get hesitant to complain since my leading lady does not. When I was with Julia, she influenced me to speak English during interviews and conversations. It really feels good that I learn from my screen partners,” said Joshua. *** After the long and exciting wait, the verdict is out. The country’s bet for the well-renowned international talent search America’s Got Talent Marcelito Pomoy placed fourth during the grand finals held on Feb. 18. Pomoy, the grand champion of Pilipinas Got Talent (Season 2) way back in 2011 was among ten other grand finalists. Fortunately, he landed in the Top 5. The dance group V. Unbeatable from Mumbai, India romped off with the top plum while Duo Transcend and Tyler Butler-Figueroa copped the second and third places, respectively. Rounding up the Top 5 was the Sandou Trio Russian Bar. The other finalists were Silhouettes, Hans, Angelina Jordan, Boogie Storm, and Alexa Lauenburger. Marcelito’s song piece during the final performance night was the classic Peabo Bryson-Celine Dion ditty “Beauty and the Beast.” Thursday, momentarily causing the app to crash. BTS is the first band to introduce a single via the short-form video platform, and the snippet offered a challenge calling on fans to use the music to create their own videos. More than 33,000 videos were made using the track by Friday morning, showing fans dancing to the song in classrooms, bedrooms, airport terminals and elsewhere. But one dark cloud on the band›s otherwise stellar horizon has emerged: a highprofile concert initially scheduled for March 8 in Daegu has been canceled due to the novel coronavirus outbreak in the city. AFP

imagine life without ABS-CBN. “I grew up with them; this is where I learned to act, to sing, and I know that they will continue this legacy in the next generations to come,” Carlo said. Present in the signing were chief operating officer of broadcast Cory

Vidanes, TV production head Laurenti Dyogi, Star Magic head Johnny Manahan, and head of treasury Rick Tan. Also present were singer Regine Velasquez, talent manager Leo Dominguez, and Cornerstone head Erickson Raymundo.

EXTRA INTERNATIONAL Eilish breaks record with James Bond theme Teenage pop star Billie Eilish scored another record on Friday as her new single enjoyed the biggest opening week of all time for a James Bond theme in the British charts. “No Time To Die” landed straight in at number one, according to the Official Singles Chart, becoming the 18-year-old’s first British chart-topper. The single, co-written and produced by the US star and her brother Finneas, earned 90,000 chart sales and 10.6 million streams, Billie Eilish’s “No Time To Die” is the 18-year-old making it the biggest opening singer-songwriter’s first British chart-topper week for a single so far this year. The ballad has the grungy melancholic feel that has propelled Eilish to star status and caps a remarkable few weeks for the teenager. Last month, Eilish was the breakout star at the Grammys, sweeping five awards including the “big four” prizes: Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Best New Artist. AFP ***

‘Friends’ cast reuniting for 25th anniversary The cast of the hit US sitcom Friends is reuniting for a 25th anniversary special, much to the delight of fans. A celebration of the beloved show which ended its run in 2004, stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer will return to the comedy›s original soundstage on the Warner Bros. Studio lot for an exclusive unscripted special on streaming platform HBO Max. Variety said each actor is expected to receive $2.5 million for taking part in the special, which will be available when HBO Max launches in May. «Guess you could call this the one where they all got back together -- we are reuniting with David, Jennifer, Courteney, Matt, Lisa and Matthew for an HBO Max special that will be programmed alongside the entire Friends library,» Kevin Reilly, chief content officer at HBO Max, said in a statement. AFP ‘Friends’ stars David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, and Matt LeBlanc pose at the Emmy Awards on Sept. 22, 2002.

A pioneering... From C4 with State of the Nation (SONA) with Jessica Soho on leading local news channel GMA News TV. On top of creating online buzz, stories produced by Stand for Truth also created public awareness that led to concerned groups taking necessary actions. One example was Manal Sugadol’s story on what happened to animals left behind in the 14-kilometer danger zone after Taal Volcano’s phreatic eruption. She found pigs floating on ash-covered waters, cows having lung problem symptoms, and other livestock abandoned by owners in the area. This story prompted lawmakers

to include animals and livestock in the evacuation plan. At the same time, private groups also took initiatives to rescue these animals. This year, netizens can only expect more stories from Stand for Truth reporters Nico Waje, Manal Sugadol, Shai Lagarde, Izzy Lee, Eduard Faraon, Mj Geronimo, Bhea Docyogen, Jm Encinas, and Anthony Esguerra as they continue the legacy and the principles the GMA newsroom has always stood for. Stand for Truth is livestreamed from Mondays to Fridays, 8:30 p.m. via GMA News’ Facebook page and GMA Public Affairs’ YouTube channel with delayed telecast after State of the Nation (SONA) with Jessica Soho on GMA News TV.

Nickie Wang, Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2020

Entertainment Korean boy group BTS sets another record K-POP superstars BTS released their new album Map of the Soul: 7 Friday, breaking records even before it came out as the country’s most pre-ordered album ever and its lead single making its debut on video app TikTok. BTS releases its new album, breaking records even before it came out as the country’s most pre-ordered album of all time, with its lead single the first track to make its debut on TikTok.

BTS—or Bangtan Sonyeondan, which translates as Bulletproof Boy Scouts—has gained a huge global following, becoming the first K-pop group to top charts in the US and Britain with a string of sold-out shows in Los Angeles, Paris, and London›s Wembley Stadium. The group’s latest effort was given a simultaneous worldwide release online at 6:00 p.m South Korean time (0900 GMT).

Just 30 minutes later, the video for its lead single “ON”—a song about the artists› aspirations and sense of purpose—had been viewed by nearly half a million fans on YouTube, with more than 134,000 comments. “We’ve voluntarily entered this beautiful prison,» the song›s lyrics read. “Even when we fall, we rise again, as we always have.” Continued on C3

This Band is headlining a concert at the Big Dome M

EMBERS of the indiepop group This Band still couldn’t believe that they are headlining a concert alongside OPM veterans like Wency Cornejo of After Image, Joey G of Side A, Jay Durias of South Border, Meds Marfil of True Faith, Jinky Vidal of Freestyle, and Nina, and rising star Janine Tenoso.

Known for its hit single “Kahit Ayaw Mo Na,” which lyric video reached 208 million views, This Band is composed of members Andrea Manzano, Euwie Von Loria, Miccael Galvan, John Kenneth Macaranas, Melvin Carson, and Reymart Gubat. “Before, we just wanted to perform in front of a few people, never in our wildest dream that we would be performing in a large crowd, moreso in Araneta,” said Andrea.

“For us, as a relatively new band, it’s quite a big achievement to share the stage with artists who are considered seniors and veterans when it comes to making hit music,” the vocalist added. As the band dishes out one hit after another, their music becomes known by a wider audience. This Band’s style and sound attract growing legion of listeners. Today, they have almost an average of 26 million views on YouTube and 1.7 million listeners on Spotify.

Myrtle Sarrosa begins new chapter in her career COSPLAYER, host, singer, songwriter, and actress Myrtle Sarrosa is now officially a Kapuso after she inked a management contract with GMA Network. Present in the contract signing were Senior Assistant Vice President for Alternative Productions Gigi SantiagoLara and GMA Artist Center Senior Talent Manager Daryl Zamora. A cum laude graduate with a degree in Broadcast Communication at the University of the Philippines Diliman, Myrtle is ready for the opportunities and experiences that will be given to her as she embarks on her journey in the Kapuso Network. «I›m so excited to be a Kapuso. Everyone is so nice and they›re so warm. I’m happy to be in a new environment. I›ve really wanted to work with GMA because of the shows they have, these are the kinds of shows that I want to be a part of. I can feel that GMA believes in me and I›m so happy to find people who believe in me,” she said. With all smiles, Myrtle promised to work harder and to stay focused on learning more about her craft in GMA. She is looking forward to

After weeks of speculation, Myrtle Sarrosa has finally inked a management contract with GMA Network. (Inset) Myrtle with GMA’s Senior Assistant Vice President for Alternative Productions Gigi Santiago-Lara and GMA Artist Center Senior Talent Manager Daryl Zamora

working with GMA’s brightest stars including Alden Richards, Julie Anne San Jose, and Ruru Madrid. «I really want to reinvent myself and to experience new things. Life is about making new memories and creating new experiences. I›m so excited for what›s yet to come,» she related. Santiago-Lara revealed that Kapuso viewers should watch out for Myrtle in various GMA shows, “GMA Artist Center is very happy to welcome Myrtle in our roster of talents. She’s a versatile artist so we’re glad that she chose to join us here in the Kapuso Network. We’re also very excited because we will see her soon back on television.”

This Band, a six-piece indie-pop group, found success after sweeping the charts with its breakthrough single “Kahit Ayaw Mo Na.”

Get ready to hear This Band’s music as Viva Live brings back Playlist 2: The Best of OPM on April 3 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum at Araneta Center in Quezon City. Directed by JP Panizales with Jay Durias as musical director, Playlist 2 will feature performance of Joey G’s “Forevermore” and “So Many Questions;” Wency Cornejo “Next

in Line” and “Habang May Buhay;” Jinky Vidal’s “Before I Let You Go” and “So Slow;” Jay Durias’s “Rainbow and “Kahit Kailan;” Nina’s “Love Moves in Mysterious Ways” and “Someday;” Meds Marfil’s “Perfect” and “Huwag Na Lang Kaya;” and Janine Tenoso “Di Na Muli” and “Tag-araw.” “Most likely we would be perform-

ing ‘Kahit Ayaw Mo Na’ and ‘Hindi Na Nga’ and some of our original songs, too,” Andrea said. Tickets to Playlist 2: The Best of OPM are now available at TicketNet 8911-5555 and Viva Live 8687-7236. Ticket prices are WIP P4500; VIP P3500; Patron B P2500; Box Premium P1800; Box Regular P1000; Upper Box P500; and General Admission P300.

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A pioneering force in mobile journalism LESS than a year after its launch, pioneering mobile journalism newscast Stand for Truth has become a game-changer in Philippine mobile journalism, with its daily episodes earning over two million views a night online and being quoted in mainstream newscasts. From 275,000 average daily views last April 2019, data from January 2020 shows that Stand for Truth now bats an average daily view of 2.3 million via GMA News’ Facebook page. On YouTube, Stand for Truth recorded average daily views of 405,000 last January—a 300 percent increase from its average daily views of 129,000 when it first aired. Produced by GMA News and Public Affairs, Stand for Truth prides itself for getting and training a new breed of young reporters from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Bringing new blood to the most awarded broadcast news organization in the country, the Stand for Truth reporters have proven themselves worthy of the spotlight alongside awardwinning broadcast journalist Atom Araullo and GMA resident political analyst Richard Heydarian. Using just their mobile phones to capture stories, Stand for Truth reporters have established a niche in modern journalism. Just recently, its January 30 episode on the confirmed case of NCOV virus in the Philippines became the 8th trending topic on YouTube Philippines. This is the highest record of the online newscast to date. Meanwhile, Stand for Truth’s episodes on the week of Jan. 13 about the ashfall caused by Taal Volcano’s phreatic eruption posted 12 million total

‘Stand for Truth’ reporters (from left) Mj Geronimo, Manal Sugadol, Nico Waje, Bhea Docyogen, JM Encinas, Shai Lagarde, Anthony Esguerra, Izzy Lee, and Eduard Faraon, alongside award-winning broadcast journalist Atom Araullo (center).

views on Facebook. Just this week, Stand for Truth earned its first-ever awards nomination – at the prestigious 2020 New York Festivals, no less – with Atom Araullo’s reportage on the Hong Kong protests making at as finalist in the Best News Report: Coverage of a Continuing News Story category. Stand for Truth reporters are also making their respective names in the industry, proving their journalistic skills in producing and reporting online news consumed by netizens. For instance, Manal Sugadol’s report last Sept. 18, 2019, about a babyfaced teacher in Bulacan (“Baby Face Teacher) has reached 3.5 million views on YouTube and more than 2 million views on Facebook within 48 hours after its first airing. The episode remains the story with highest number of views

with 6.6 million combined views on YouTube and Facebook to date. At the same time, Nico Waje’s story last Jan. 21 about the security guard who posed as a policeman (“Maangas na Sekyu”) and harassed the vendors in Manila earned 2 million views overnight. As of Feb. 19, it already has 5.3 million combined views on YouTube and Facebook. Stories first aired on Stand for Truth have been picked up as well by both GMA Network’s newscasts and Public Affairs programs. This only proves that the young reporters are creating content that can be used not just on mobile devices but for televisions as well. Last August 2019, Stand for Truth made its news and features available to viewers when it started airing back-to-back Continued on C3