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Let people decide on dynasts—solons By Rio N. Araja THREE lawmakers on Sunday came to the defense of President Rodrigo Duterte, whose family members are seeking local elective positions in the 2019 mid-term polls. Manila City Rep. Manny Lopez, and Ako Bicol Representatives Rodel Batocabe and Alfredo Garbin defended the

President’s family from criticism that too many family members are running for public ofﬁce next year. “Real power emanates from the people. For as long as the sovereign will of the people is not subverted, we cannot do anything about it [having family members running],” Lopez said. “Let these observations be an election Next page

VOL. XXXII • NO. 249 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2018 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@manilastandard.net

US, China agree on air control Asean, 6 other nations support rules managing air encounters

INGAPORE—The United States, China and several other countries on Saturday agreed in principle to guidelines on preventing unplanned warplane encounters, the latest effort to avoid military confrontations in Asia.

Risks of chance encounters between military aircraft spiraling out of control have risen in recent years as Beijing becomes ever more assertive in the South China Sea, stoking tensions with rival claimants in Southeast Asia. While not a claimant, Washington has also been drawn into the row as it has traditionally been the dominant naval and air power i n the Asia-Paciﬁc. The Association of Southeast Asian

Nations agreed to guidelines on managing air encounters on Friday, at the annual meeting of the 10-member bloc’s defense ministers. US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and his Chinese counterpart General Wei Fenghe were among eight defense chiefs from outside ASEAN to give their “inprinciple” backing to the guidelines, a joint ministerial statement said. India, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Aus-

tralia and New Zealand have also given broad backing to the new framework, Singapore Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen said. Next page

HIGH RISK. Risks of chance encounters between military aircraft spiraling out of control have risen in recent years as Beijing becomes ever more assertive in the South China Sea. AFP

Palace cautious on peace talks, snipes at Joma for ‘lack of control’ By Nat Mariano

GRIM REAPER. Halloween-inspired masks are sold for P100 apiece at the Lucky China Town in Binondo, Manila ahead of the All Saints’ Day annual celebration on Nov. 1. Norman Cruz

THE Palace on Sunday was cautious about the prospect of reviving peace talks with the communist rebels. Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said even the Communist Party of the Philippines founding chairman Jose Ma. Sison has no control over the rebel forces on the ground. “The problem with Joma Sison is he

wants to talk, but he does not have control over his forces. While negotiating, he ambushes our police forces,” Panelo told radio dzBB on Sunday. “They said, we cannot be killing each other for the rest of our lives, but they have been like that for 50 years. Maybe we should change our track. Let us give ourselves and our families a chance,” he said, pushing for a change of tactics. Next page

Massacre in Negros: 9 workers killed; land dispute eyed By Francisco Tuyay NINE farm workers, including three women and two minors, were killed by a group of unidentiﬁed gunmen in a sugarcane farm in Barangay Bulanon in Sagay City, Negros Occidental Saturday night. Police said the fatalities were members of the National Federation of Sugarcane

Workers (NFSW) who occupied the farm at Hacienda Nene in Purok Firetree Saturday morning. The male fatalities were identiﬁed as Eglicerio Villegas, 36; Paterno Baron, 48; Rene “Dodong” Laurencio; and Rannel “Bingbing” Bantigue, 41, while the females were Angelife Arsenal, 47; Morena Mendoza; and Marcelina “Necnec” Dumaguit.

The two minors were identiﬁed as Jomarie Ughayon Jr., 16, and Marchtel Sumicad, 17. The bodies of Mendoza, Bantigue and Dumaguit were allegedly burned by the assailants, the police report said. Investigators led by Chief Insp. Roberto Mansueto, head of Sagay City Police Next page

Joma Sison

Salvador Panelo

More to gain from VAT suspension—Imee By Rey E. Requejo and Macon Ramos-Araneta ILOCOS Norte Gov. Imee Marcos said Sunday suspending the Value-Added Tax on basic commodities for one year will beneﬁt a wider number of Filipinos at a faster pace―instead of waiting for the suspension of the second tranche of

the excise taxes next year. “The suspension of the VAT would provide immediate relief to Filipino consumers, Marcos said. “Given the magnitude of the prevailing tax rates, the temporary suspension of the VAT on basic necessities would be immediately felt by millions of Filipino Next page families.

Another vacancy at SC in the offing By Rey E. Requejo

GRUESOME. Various images of the victims, some of them set on fire by the assailants, were photographed by Aksyon Radyo Bacolod.

THE Judicial and Bar Council has opened the nominations for the position of associate justice of the Supreme Court that will be vacated by Justice Noel Tijam, who will retire at the age of 70 on Jan. 5 next year. The 70-member JBC said applicants

must submit two complete sets of application, together with all the documentary requirements, to the council’s ofﬁce on the Second Floor, Centennial Building, Supreme Court, Padre Faura Street, Manila, not later than 4:30 pm of No. 5. “The date of actual receipt by the JBC of the complete documentary Next page

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Senate panel takes on 3 telco player rd

By Macon Ramos-Araneta and Rio N. Araja

HE Senate committee on public services led by Senator Grace Poe will today conduct a public hearing to discuss the selection of a third telecommunications service provider that will break the duopoly in the telecommunications sector Poe said the Senate, in the exercise month. of its oversight functions, must be apShe said her committee will play a maprised on the developments on the much- jor role in tackling the applicant’s conawaited entry of the next telecoms player gressional franchise. in anticipation of its being tapped next “We need to have a meaningful com-

petition in the telecommunications that will translate into lower costs and better service,” Poe said. She made her statement even as Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Ray Villafuerte on Sunday urged the National Telecommunications Commission to urge private telecommunications companies to improve their Internet services. A more reliable Internet speed and connectivity alone could spell the success of the looming enactment of the telecommuting law that would not only allow workers to adopt a ﬂexible work arrangement. but also help the government ease the worsening trafﬁc in Metro Manila and

other urban centers, Villafuerte said. “More than telling private telcos to shape up, the NTC should also carry out measures to further bring down the costs of Internet services in the country to encourage more employers to adopt the ﬂexi-work arrangement if and when feasible,” Villafuerte said. Today’s public hearing on the telecommunications sector comes in the wake of reports that the Philippines ranks near the bottom in Internet speed globally and has one of the most expensive mobile and data rates. The Executive, particularly the Department of Information and Communica-

tions Technology and the National Telecommunications Commission and other related government agencies, is expected to brief senators about the issue. Among the resource persons expected to provide a peek into the ongoing negotiations between the government and the private sector for the third telco are DICT Acting Secretary Eliseo Rio Jr., NTC chairman Gamaliel Cordoba, Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Emilio Aquino, Philippine Competition Commission Chairman Arsenio Balisacan, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia, Department of Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato dela Peña.

US, China... From A1

Any incident involving military jets can lead to a “cascade of activities that you cannot control,” warned Ng, who hosted the meetings. “You can have a gung-ho pilot who switches off everything and decides ‘I’m going to intimidate,’” he told reporters. “That would be a disaster.” The guidelines set norms of behavior for pilots to prevent untoward encounters. These include always having twoway communications open and adhering to existing aviation conventions. The new rules follow similar guidelines already in place to prevent naval vessels from unintended mishaps at sea. Early last year, a Chinese warplane buzzed a US Navy surveillance aircraft over the South China Sea, with the US claiming their plane was in international air space. In 2016, a Chinese ﬁghter aircraft also intercepted a US Navy surveillance plane over the sea. Four ASEAN members—Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam—have conﬂicting claims in the South China Sea with Beijing. China claims sovereignty over almost the entire area, including waters near the shores of smaller countries. AFP

More to gain... From A1

“Suspending the VAT on basic food items, fuel and electricity will directly counteract the strong inflation pressures on these goods.” Marcos made her statement even as Senator Sherwin Gatchalian filed a resolution seeking to conduct an inquiry, in aid of legislation, on the potential impact of suspending the excise tax on fuel to ease inflation. Gatchalian, who heads the Senate Committee on Economic Affairs, said he filed Senate Resolution 917 after President Rodrigo Duterte expressed his willingness to suspend the second tranche of the excise tax on fuel in 2019 to counter the effects of rising commodity prices. Marcos, who is running for senator in next year’s midterm elections, noted how Ilocos and Davao were hardest hit by the recent inflationary pressures. “My province has one of the highest inflation levels in the country and my provincemates are really struggling to make ends meet. We need immediate and meaningful relief from the national government,” Marcos said. The Finance department says basic food items such as rice, fish, meat and vegetables have been the major drivers of inflation this year, with the contribution of rice alone rising 10 times to 1 percentage point of the inflation rate. Data from the Philippine Statistics Agency showed that rice was the number one contributor to inflation in September 2018, and that food items in the consumption basket accounted for more than half of the inflation rate in the same month. While the VAT revenues accounted for a fifth of the overall tax revenues, amounting to about P365 billion, Marcos said, the national government had the capacity to absorb the VAT revenue loss given the rising tax revenues with the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law. “While collection efficiency has improved, there are still areas for improvement and taxes to be collected. If, for example, the income tax collection grows by at least 10 percent, the government is poised to earn P102 billion in 2018 and P113 billion in 2019,” Marcos said. “That 10-percent growth rate in tax collections is even an underestimation given that our economic growth remains strong amid the high inflation, and the 2019 mid-term elections will spur economic activity.” The TRAIN Law excise taxes will contribute P85 billion while running after tax evaders more vigilantly could add another P25 billion to compensate for the potential revenue loss if the VAT is suspended.

ASIA-EUROPE MEET. South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha (right) Austria’s Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (2R) EU’s High representative for foreign affairs and security policy Federica Mogherini and Philippines’ Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin Jr.( (left) attend a press conference during the Asia-Europe Meeting summit at the European Council in Brussels on Oct. 19, 2018. AFP

Palace... From A1

Panelo’s remarks came after Sison said the CPP-National Democratic Front of the Philippines is willing to resume the peace negotiations whenever President Rodrigo Duterte is ready. “The standing policy of the NDFP is to negotiate with the GRP anytime he is ready to resume the peace negotiations in accordance with The Hague Joint Declaration and further agreements,” Sison said. In November last year, the President signed Proclamation 360, terminating the peace negotiations with the CPP-New People’s Army-NDFP. Duterte has also started to offer housing and employment assistance for rebels who surrender as a way of ending the hostilities. “Your underground movement will not amount to anything. But I am ready to accept you if you surrender. Bring your ﬁrearms, give it to me, and I will give you a house and a job. You can be sure of that,” the President told the communist rebels in a speech Friday. Defense Undersecretary Reynaldo Mapagu, chairman of Task Force BalikLoob, echoed Duterte’s call for rebels to lay down their arms and “cooperate” with the government. Mapagu asked rebel returnees to tell

Another vacancy... From A1

requirements shall be deemed as the date of filing. The qualification of applicants shall be reckoned from the said deadline,” the JBC said in its advisory. The JBC is the body tasked to screen and vet applicants and nominees to the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Sandiganbayan and the Office of the Ombudsman. Among the documentary requirements that must be submitted to the JBC are the application letter or recommendation letter with conforme, duly accomplished, computerized, and notarized latest version of the Personal Data Sheet (PDS—Version August 2018) where all fields are accomplished, transcript of law school records, birth certificate issued by the Philippine Statistics Authority and the certificate of admission to the Bar with the Bar rating issued by the Office of the Bar Confidant. Applicants and nominees are also required to submit the certificate of payment of membership dues or of lifetime membership issued by the Integrated Bar of the Philippines National Office

Let people... From A1

issue and submit the same to our electorate,” said Batocabe, the president of the Party-list Coalition. “These are all elected in a democratic process so you cannot blame them,” Garbin said. “I think what we should do is to empower the electorate by providing them an informed choice and amend the Constitution to return to the two-party system,” he added. Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte shrugged off criticisms that her family is building a political dynasty when she sought reelec-

their former comrades to come home and reunite with their families for the Christmas season. “I hope they would accept the government’s generosity to come back into society for them to be with their loved ones in time for Christmas,” the Defense official said in a statement. He said former rebels can avail of a housing unit or assistance worth P450,000, skills training, livelihood opportunities, business capital, health care, and education for their children as long as they adhere to the rule of law. “The assistance the government gives is personalized for the rebel returnees. It’s not ‘one size, fits all’ approach that everyone receives the same assistance then ceases,” he said. TFBL implements the government’s reintegration program, calling on communist rebels to take the government’s offer through the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program. It then monitors and assesses the implementation of E-CLIP at the national level. The government’s chief negotiator, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, said the administration would continue to pursue localized peace talks with communist rebels, despite Sison’s offer. “You have to remember that our President already decided that in the meantime we will try the other track of the peace not earlier than May 5, 2018, certificate of employment issued by the current employer not earlier than May 5, 2018, stating the applicant’s present position, annual salary, salary grade and judicial rank, if any, service record of applicants who have been employed in the government at any point, issued not earlier than May 5, 2018, and the certificate of assumption of office or oath of office of applicant’s current position. Applicants are also required to submit certificate of compliance with, or exemption from, the Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Program for the 5th Compliance Period, income tax returns or certificates of compensation payment/tax withheld for 2015, 2016 and 2017, and Sworn Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net worth for the last 10 years. Tijam was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Rodrigo Duterte on March 8, 2017. He was a Court of Appeals associate justice from 2003 to 2017 before his appointment to the high court. Tijam authored the high court decision ordering the removal of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno after it nullified her appointment via quo warranto proceedings. tion, and that her brother, former vice mayor Paolo Duterte, filed his certificate of candidacy for the congressional race. The youngest Duterte sibling, Sebastian, also will run as vice mayor. Meanwhile, Citizens Battle Against Corruption Rep. Sherwin Tugna, House committee on suffrage and electoral reforms, on Sunday said he is batting for the passage of a proposed law to strengthen the political party system. He said his panel recently approved the bill to disallow a politician from running again in the next scheduled election and to ban him or her from being appointed to a public office should he or she transfer to another political party one year after

negotiations, which is the localized peace talks,” Bello said in an interview with the ANC news channel. Despite the talk of peace, the Philippine National Police on Sunday alerted all field units to conduct counter-actions against members of the CPP-NPA following the recent attacks against police officers in various provinces. The PNP said the increased activities by the communists could also be part of its “saber-rattling” tactics to project an image of strength to highlight the forthcoming CPP anniversary on Dec. 26, and bolster its extortion activities in the forthcoming election season. in Negros Island, in coordination with the Armed Forces of the Philippines, launched a manhunt of a group of some 40 armed men who set on fire a bulldozer and a back hoe owned by PhilSouth Construction in Barangay Bolisong, Manjuyod, Negros Oriental in the evening of Oct. 18. No casualties were reported in the incident. Passengers of a commercial bus who witnessed the incident, told police investigators that the armed men shouted “ Mabuhay ang Bagong Hukbong Bayan” while setting the heavy equipment on fire. Investigators are looking intoextortion as a motive for the incident. Local officials of Negros Oriental denounced this latest communist attack,

saying it stalled the construction of a vital farm-to-market road. “Those behind this crime are resisting entry of development in the countryside that would have ushered government presence and availability of goods and services that will beneﬁt people in the barrios,” PNP chief Oscar Albayalde said in a statement. In separate incident, three policemen were killed while three others were wounded in an ambush by suspected NPA rebels in Barangay Napolidan, Lupi, Camarines Sur on Oct. 18. The casualties were assigned as security escorts of Food and Drug Administration Director General Nela Charade Puno. On Oct. 16, suspected communist rebels also ambushed a group of policemen in Aurora that resulted in the death of PO2 Ronald Ruidera. “We condemn these latest acts of lawless terror by the local communist movement against symbols of government authority. We mourn their loss, but assure [the public that] the ends of justice will be served,” Albayalde said. “This is not only an attack on the police, but an assault on a national agency that protects consumer welfare,” he added. The Armed Forces of the Philippines on Sunday expressed support for the President’s fresh alls to NPA ﬁghters to lay down their weapons and rejoin mainstream society. With PNA

Station, and personnel of 62nd Special Action Force team, proceeded to Barangay Bulanon after receiving information about the shooting that took place at about 9:30 pm. The teams learned that the farm owned by Carmen Tolentino was occupied by NFSW members, a day after the harvest. While the victims and their companions were resting inside improvised tents, a group of about 40 gunmen fired at them, immediately killing the nine. Those who survived were able to run and seek refuge in various areas near the sugarcane farm. Operatives from the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Crime Laboratory recovered 12 fired cartridges of 5.56-caliber rifle and seven others of caliber .45 along with a homemade .38-caliber pistol with a live cartridge and a fired cartridge case of the same firerarm. The bodies of the nine victims were brought to FDN Memorial Chapel. The Sagay City Police Station said in-

vestigators are eyeing land conflict as the motive of the incident. Surviving witnesses were temporarily in police custody. Chief Supt John Bulalacao, regional director of Police Provincial Office-6, ordered the use of all resources to ensure the arrest of the criminals. He also ordered all filed commanders within the region to exert efforts to prevent similar attacks from occurring. But the leftist Salinlahi Alliance for Children’s Concerns blamed the attack on the Armed Forces of the Philippine and private armies of the landlords, who continue to harass, threaten and kill farm workers. “The massacre happened during peasant month in the light of massive land grabbing and land use conversion while peasants and hacienda workers continue to push for a genuine agrarian reform and their right to till their lands,” the group said in a statement. “In this continuous struggle of peasants and farm workers, the Armed Forces of the Philippines [AFP] and private armies of the landlords continue to harass, threaten and kill them.” With PNA

their election and one year before the next scheduled poll. “Under Section 13, these are the penalties for political turncoatism,” he said in an interview on radio dzBB. “There is no corresponding imprisonment. The only penalty is disqualiﬁcation to run in the next scheduled election,” Tugna said. Under the measure, Tugna said politicians, including senators, could only be allowed to change their political party during the second year of their term. House Bill No. 697, if passed, would bring stability to the country, Tugna said. The bill’s author, Speaker Gloria MacapagalArroyo, said the bill would give

importance to party ideals and policy agenda rather than political pragmatism and survival. “Our history tells us that political parties in the Philippines are normally used only as political vehicles to win an election. Hence, most political aspirants change political parties for convenience, rather than conviction. This only shows the lack of ideological commitment to the members of a party because they choose parties based on the rise and fall of the tide of opportunity,” she said. “Turncoatism must never be encouraged nor tolerated since it only distorts the concept of word of honor and dignity of a leader,” the former president said.

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News

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2018

Palace deplores ambush of FDA chief, escorts

CEBU LAND DEAL. House Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo witnesses the signing of a compromise agreement between Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III and Cebu Mayor Tommy Osmeña to end a 15- year land dispute that will give more than 2,000 families in Brgy. Apas a chance to own their housing units.

DPWH told: Ensure ROW transparency By Rio Araja

HE Department of Public Works and Highways will do well to draw up a list of payees and properties acquired under the right-of-way scheme to ensure absolute transparency of its P27.5-billion payments for infrastructure projects in 2019, according to Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel.

“The amount is P27.5 billion smaller, or 49 percent less than the P56.4 billion earmarked this year for the DPWH’s payments for right-of-way expenses,” he said.

“To ensure absolute transparency and greater accountability, we would urge the DPWH to henceforth post on its website the list of payees, the amounts paid and the properties acquired to pave the way for the con-

struction of new roads, flyovers and bridges,” Pimentel added. The national government would spend up to P28.9 billion in 2019 for right-of-way payments for infrastructure projects. The Senate Blue Ribbon committee earlier called on the Office of the Ombudsman and the Department of Justice to conduct a lifestyle check on government officials involved in a multibillion-peso right-of-way payment scam. The Blue Ribbon found out during a series of hearings that the scammers had duped even the government of hundreds of million pesos as a result

of fraudulent right-of-way transactions in Mindanao. The right-of-way expenses are authorized by Republic Act 10752, An Act Facilitating the Acquisition of ROW Site or Location for National Government Infrastructure Projects. “Under the law, the national government may acquire real property needed as right-of-way site or location for any infrastructure project via donation, negotiated sale, expropriation or any other mode of acquisition as provided by law,” Pimentel said. The DPWH is required to settle all right-of-way obligations before the start of projects, Pimentel said.

Wage boards, not Labor, set daily pay—Bello LABOR Secretary Silvestre Bello III is for an increase in the daily minimum wage of workers but not in the amount demanded by a trade union. Bello on Sunday also clarified that Labor department has not decided on a P20-wage hike, saying that it is the tripartite wage board that decides when to raise the minimum pay and by how much. The government needs to see first if employers can afford to grant a wage hike to employees, Bello said in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB. If the wage increase is too much, you only end up retrenching workers, he said. A a big labor group filed a petition in June asking for a P320 wage increase. However, the group said it plans to revise the petition to ask for a higher increase, factoring in the 6.2-percent inflation rate in the third quarter of the year. Bello said granting of minimum wage increases is beyond the powers of the Department of Labor and Employment. That is within the powers of Congress. Bello added that the Regional Tripartite Wage Board is the one that recommends wage adjustments after having conducted public hearings on the issue.

READY FOR 2019. A printing press worker along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City wants to stay ahead of competition by printing calendars for the year 2019 this early. Manny Palmero

Promote history, culture of indigenous people—Angara SENATOR Sonny Angara has called for the full implementation of the Integrated History Law that mandates the teaching of indigenous peoples history in both basic and higher education in the country. “By including this subject in our education system, we effectively instill further understanding of IP history, culture and identity in the minds of the youth,” said Angara. “This way, we can better foster a culture of peace,” said Angara, as the country now celebrates National Indigenous

Peoples Month which aims to promote the preservation of their culture. Under Republic Act 10908, which Angara authored, the history, culture and identity studies of IPs and of Filipino-Muslims should be integrated in the formulation of the curriculum for the study of Philippine history, including the writing, printing and publication of textbooks and other reading materials. According to the Department of Education, the law is currently being implemented but only in select schools,

mostly in Mindanao. Angara urged the DepEd to fast-track the implementation of the Integrated History Law, which was enacted in 2016, in all schools nationwide in order to create “a truly inclusive history that accounts for all Filipinos.” Based on data from the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, there are around 15-million IPs in the country, mainly concentrated in Mindanao and Northern Luzon. A United Nations report on the State of the World showed that IPs “make up

one-third of the world’s poorest peoples, suffer disproportionately in areas like health, education, and human rights, and regularly face systemic discrimination and exclusion.” To help address this problem, Angara said he has also filed Senate Bill 978 that seeks to establish Resource Centers in all indigenous cultural communities to enhance the delivery of basic and necessary services such as training programs, grant of scholarships, employment, livelihood, and health services. Macon Ramos-Araneta

MALACAÑANG on Sunday strongly denounced the ambush of DirectorGeneral Nela Charade Puno of the Food and Drug Administration in Camarines Sur, resulting in the death of three of her police escorts. Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a statement Sunday the Palace commends the policemen who sacrificed their lives “in the line of duty.” Three other escorts were wounded during the ambush. “We express our deep condolences to their bereaved families and loved ones,” said Panelo. While Puno was unharmed by the attack, she was advised by authorities to defer attending the wake of the policemen, the Palace official added, praying for the speedy recovery of the policemen who were wounded in the assault. Last Thursday morning, Puno was on her way to a gathering in Daet when her convoy was attacked by 20 armed men. Killed in the ambush were SPO1 Percival Rafael, PO3 Carlito Navarozza, and PO1 Ralph Jason Vida, while the wounded were identified as PO1 Jonathan Perillo, PO1 Rodolfo Gonzaga, and PO1 Ruby Buena. The wounded were brought to Bicol Medical Center in Naga City. The Department of Health, which oversees the FDA, said the agency currently coordinates with the authorities for a full investigation. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III has also condemned “in no uncertain terms” the incident. The Palace said an investigation into the ambush was already underway, to ensure that the perpetrators would be brought to justice. Nat Mariano

House to tackle complaint vs justices Nov. 12 ORIENTAL Mindoro Rep. Paulino Salvador Leachon, House committee on justice chairperson, on Sunday gave the assurance that the 292-strong House of Representatives would immediately act on the consolidated impeachment complaint against seven justices of the Supreme Court when session resumes after the Halloween break. The plenary will act on the matter during the first week of the resumption of Congress’ session on Nov. 12 after its month-long recess. “We will act on it immediately in the resumption of session,” Leachon said. He said the plenary is expected to affirm the recommendation of his panel to junk the impeachment complaint against De Castro, and Associate Justices Diosdado Peralta, Lucas Bersamin, Francis Jardeleza, Noel Tijam, Andres Reyes Jr. and Alexander Gesmundo for being insufficient in substance. The House committee on justice panel earlier voted 23 against one dismissing the consolidated impeachment complaint over failure to meet the requirement of sufficiency in substance. The House rules on impeachment provides the complaint can be declared sufficient in substance “if there is a recital of facts constituting the offense charged and determinative of the jurisdiction of the committee.” Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, Ifugao Rep. Teddy Baguilat Jr. and Magdalo party-list Rep. Gary Alejano filed the impeachment rap against the Supreme Court justices. House Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo previously ordered the committee on justice to resolve the complaint at the soonest possible time to ensure that the process would not hamper the approval of the other legislative bills. The complainants accused De Castro, Peralta, Bersamin, Reyes, Jardeleza, Tijam and Gesmundo of culpable violation of the 1987 Constitution. The seven justices supposedly took away the powers of Congress to impeach when they voted in favor of granting the quo warranto petition against dismissed Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno. Rio N. Araja

Opinion

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2018

Climate apocalypse parodies around the world issued updated prediction models last Wednesday, confirming that global warming is expected to see a “dramatic and deadly” increase the moment Jesus Christ returns in glory. Incorporating climate data collected over the past century and a historical and grammatical reading of 2 Peter 3:10, the scientists came to the “inescapable FORMER US Vice President and environmentalist Al Gore spoke at the and inconvenient” conclusion that the Global Action Climate Summit in San atmospheric temperature would make the Francisco last September and he didn’t entire world uninhabitable in the span of a parse words. “This world is headed few moments. “After studying the data collected from for a global catastrophe of apocalyptic proportions if everyone doesn’t drop all weather stations around the world and other priorities and redirect all spending consulting with top scientists, we’ve come toward buying my books and seeing my to the conclusion that the heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be movies,” Gore said. “I am not messing around,” he added. “I destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare,” a representative am super serious.” Gore went on to present numerous charts for the climate panel told reporters. “We’re all pretty much literally and graphs showing toast, apart from the a direct correlation saving work of Christ on between the destruction the cross, so make sure of the Earth and his ‘I am not you’re at peace with profit margins. God.” “Science deniers can messing around,’ At publishing time, a scoff all they want,” Gore said. panel of dispensational he said while aiming a climate change laser pointer at a chart scientists had disputed showing his prediction the findings as “fake that the Earth will end news,” suggesting that within five years if his new book does not make the top of the New the world would see exactly 1,000 years York Times Bestseller List. “And even that of ideal weather before the sharp uptick in could be too little too late,” Gore said. “To warming occurs. *** really guarantee that this environmental The recent UN Intergovernmental apocalypse doesn’t happen, my books need Panel on Climate Change came to a grim to outsell the Bible.” Several scientists on the panel agreed conclusion regarding the rapid warming of wholeheartedly with Gore’s assessment. the earth, should people not band together “The evidence is irrefutable,” said Dr. Sufjan to give more power over to the government Swami of Johns Hopkins University. “To not in order to turn the tide in the fight against buy Al’s books and movies at a time like this climate change. The report definitively concluded is tantamount to treason.” Various experts on the panel all agreed that it was time for all that climate change will completely countries and communities to come together destroy the earth by 2015 if we do not and commit all of their resources to the take action now. “We’ve run all the numbers, and purchase of Al Gore’s books and movies. At publishing time, sources had it’s absolutely clear: every inch of confirmed that Gore posted simulated dry land on the planet will be totally footage of people melting in a massive submerged by the year 2015,” said inferno in social media for buying the latest one member of the panel. “This is an Dan Brown or Stephen King novel instead absolute scientific fact.” When several scientific researchers of his books. pointed out that 2015 came and went three *** A panel of climate change scientists from Turn to A5

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

Only people lie

ERE there or were there not billions of pesos worth of illegal drugs in four empty magnetic lifters found in an empty warehouse in Cavite

on Aug. 9?

The question is hardly a trivial one, given that the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency says that shabu from that shipment is now ﬂooding the market, bringing a sharp drop in the price of the illegal drug from P6,800 per gram in July to P1,400 today. PDEA adds that tests conducted on a similar shipment that was seized at the Manila International Container Port on Aug. 7 and drug evidence seized from recent anti-drug operations, show that there is a great likelihood that the shabu on the streets today came from the missing shipment. But the PDEA claim has been disputed by the Bureau of Customs, which says its own tests showed that the empty magnetic lifters had not contained any drugs. The PDEA countered that their drug-sniffing dogs had de-

tected the presence of shabu. At the time, President Rodrigo Duterte had come down on the side of his Customs chief, saying the PDEA claims were based on mere speculation. A congressional investigation has failed to establish thus far who is telling the truth. But now, a former chief of the Customs X-ray Inspection Project (XIP) says Customs ofﬁcials covered up a crime by manipulating the X-ray images of the magnetic lifters. A change in color in the X-ray images, said former Customs XIP chief Lourdes Mangaoang, was a telltale sign that something else was inside the magnetic lifters. “Dogs don’t lie, X-ray machines do not lie, only people can lie. I am very sure it was deliberate,” she told ABS-CBN News.

The former XIP chief also dismissed claims that the current Xray machines weren’t functioning well, and therefore could not penetrate the magnetic lifters. “The X-ray can penetrate 11 inches of steel, therefore it can penetrate this,” she said in a mix of Filipino and English. “What the Bureau of Customs officials is doing, they are covering up for the crime.” Customs chief Isidro Lapeña, however, insists there were no drugs in the empty magnetic lifters—and until now, the Palace has said he continues to enjoy the President’s trust and confidence. As more allegations and evidence of wrongdoing surface, however, such general statements of trust and confidence will no longer be adequate to squelch suspicions that while law enforcement agencies pursue the President’s flagship campaign against illegal drugs, corrupt officials are letting the drugs in, right under the nose of the Bureau of Customs.

Systemic barangays. Butuan City, with a voting population of almost 160,000 (my numbers may have changed as of latest registration) has 80 barangays. By land area, the entire city’s territory is bigger than Manila’s. Proportionately unfair. By population, Butuan’s barangays should be a sixth of A FRIEND, after reading my previous Manila’s, not 11 times more. article entitled “Parties,” asked me whether The disparity becomes more glaring if I propose a return to the presidential two- you compare Manila with Quezon City. The party system in the 1935 Constitution. former has almost six times more barangays My reply was, if we are to retain a than its neighbor which has almost one a presidential form of government, yes, we half times more voters than the latter. ought to revert to a two-party system. Review the number of barangays in It’s different if we shift to a parliamentary every municipality and city and my point form, where a multi-party system, hopefully will be proved. The disparities need to be with specific platforms or advocacies, may improved. vie for political power and with it, the I go to my second proposal after having commitment to pursue their core advocacy. rationalized the number of barangays in If we retain our present unitary every municipality and city in the country, government, we ought to remain presidential. which is quite radical. If we shift to a federal structure, I would The barangay chairmen would constitute go for a quasithe legislative or parliamentary policy-making form where a body of the LGU, president who is rather than an head of state and elected set of I propose that we retains fundamental councilors. In responsibility over smaller LGUs with elect a lower number foreign policy and proportionately of officials, which national security s m a l l e r is elected at-large populations, will translate to by direct vote of the number of more efficient policythe entire Filipino barangay chairmen electorate. would likely be making. It would be about a dozen. similar to the French In larger LGUs, quasi-parliamentary which would have, system, which say, less than a although unitary, has a president elected hundred barangays, the chairpersons could nationally, with a run-off election to produce take turns, of say two or three years each. a decisive majority if the multi-party Effectively, there will be no more election does not produce a president voted elected city councilors. Since the barangays by more than 50 percent of the electorate. are representative of the entire populace, Whether unitary or federal, the Filipino why have another layer of policywould want to retain the right to elect makers in the councilors? Policy-making his “supreme” leader in whom, rightly would be similar to a board of directors or wrongly, he would repose his trust in a corporation where each represent toward a better life and a better future. stockholdings, as the barangay chairs would The parliamentary concept of a purely represent stakeholders. ceremonial head of state with a head of Corollary to this proposal is another: government with plenary powers elected not elective terms should be six years, rather directly by the electorate, but by his elected than three. As has already been shown by representatives in a parliament or congress, our experience since the 1987 Constitution would not sit well with our political culture. was ratified, three years is too short a Let me go beyond that proposal. term to achieve good and goal-oriented I propose a simpler model of governance governance. If six years proves too long which could be adopted whether we go for an incompetent and corrupt LGU head, federal or remain unitary. a recall mechanism can be institutionalized. We begin with the bottom rung of If we abolish city and town councils and government—the barangay or village. supplant its councilors with barangay chairs, A first step would be to rationalize our so should we replace the provincial boards barangay size and voting population to (bokales) with the elected town mayors in achieve as much equality as possible. a province. The same principle applies. Let me give an example: Manila with Where we have 20 mayors or fewer, the a voting population of less than a million policy-makers would sit for six years. has six congressional districts and 897 Turn to A5

A discussion on federalism AFTER the nonsense shown by Mocha Uson and her equally puerile partner Drew Olivar about the proposed federalism form of government, a serious round table discussion of the issue is in order. Mocha Uson is out of the Presidential Communications Operations Ofﬁce but her and Olivar’s “pepe, dede” spoof on the matter lingers on. This is the downside of social media. Millions of followers choose to be entertained instead of being informed on such an important issue. If approved under a proposed Charter change, it is going to

How will it affect the lives of millions of Filipinos?

have an impact on all of us. A lengthy, perhaps two-hour, forum on federalism would be an interesting intellectual intercourse. It should be covered live by the major TV networks. Those who are running for the Senate have to prove to the people that they are deserving of their votes.

Senators Aquilino Pimentel III and Francis Pangilinan, former senator Juan Ponce Enrile, former chief Justice Reynato Puno should make a balanced foursome for the federalism forum. Pimentel is president of the ruling PDPLaban. He topped the Bar exams. His father is the original proponent of federalism. Pangilinan represents the opposition Liberal Party. Puno headed the consultative committee that worked on the draft of the new charter revising the 1987 Constitution. If approved by Congress, with the House and Senate voting separately, the proposed new Constitution will be submitted to the people in a plebiscite. Already, there are questions on the Turn to A5

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Opinion

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2018

‘Called to serve with selfless love’ THIS is the title of the missal distributed in all Catholic Churches yesterday which caught my attention as we joined the faithful in the observance of World Mission Sunday. Described in the missal as “a day devoted to prayer and generous solidarity in favor of our brave brothers and sisters who are preaching the Gospel and witnessing to Christ’s love in foreign missions,” it is a fitting reminder not only of the work and sacrifices of the missionaries but of all the faithful as they go about their daily lives. That is, if they remain true to their faith and themselves. As well it could serve as a reminder of what our people must expect from those who just filed to contest positions of leadership from senators to the lowliest municipal councilor in next year’s elections. Indeed, as the nation comes to grip with the developments in the first three years of the Duterte presidency, there is even greater need to remind voters to be more discerning and learn the lessons well from decades of participation in regular elections. More so at this time of flux as the nation grapples with, among others, high oil and commodity prices, the ongoing trade wars among the world’s economic powers, the continuing war on drugs, credit tightening and pressures, local and overseas, on investments and employment. But the big question remains: Can we still expect unalloyed service from our officials? I should think so. We must endeavor to work for it by choosing our leaders well. As the missal said, there must be a way to bring the call for selfless love and service at the forefront of the discussions as we prepare for the 2019 polls. Even as almost everybody has resigned to the harsh realities of our elections as a flawed, money- and intimidation-driven one, there must be a way to exact service from those offering to do so. The missal’s advisory is instructive: “... They are doing this in response to a special

CROSSROADS

JONATHAN DE LA CRUZ call from the Lord. In their apostolic labor they have become the ‘servants of all,” especially of those who are poor, sick or neglected in whatever way. That is why their mission is not only to preach the Gospel but also to make it come alive through hospitals, schools and other forms of help to development. Quite true. So as we go about our daily grind and

Can we still expect pure service from our ofﬁcials?

await the elections next year, we should sk Comelec to do a kind of cleansing within its ranks. Not only in terms of shufﬂing personnel, for example, but in the rules and guidelines to be used in next year’s elections. Will Smartmatic remain our technology provider? If so, what are the main provisions of its contract? Who will be its sub-contractors for all the work it is expected to provide? Are we already going to put in place all the security features of the automated election system? Who takes charge of what in the entire process? Then, as part of its cleansing operations, not only should it make available all information about the rules, guidelines and parties involved in conducting the polls in

2019. It should publish details of the parties and candidates contesting in the 2019 polls: From personal details to programs of government. This early, it should reach out to the private sector, NGOs and yes, faithbased organizations, to assist in collating and disseminating information about the candidates and their platforms. There are more suggestions which have been coming our way regarding how the 2019 elections be conducted and how we can make use of it as the take off point to ﬁnally have our elections, our candidates, their backers and their parties break away from the discredited ways and practices of the past. In this regard, even as the Constitution ordains the separation of church and state, it will be wise for the Comelec and other parties of goodwill to urge all churches of all faiths to come around and have their considerable moral compasses to bear on next year’s polls. Not just by prayers though that should be de rigueur. But in practical and realistic terms without violating the separation clauses in the basic law. For in the end, it is our faith in the Almighty, of a Greater Being who guides the destinies of men and nations which, in my view, will make the difference. As newly resigned US Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Nikki Haley said in her speech in New York at the 73rd Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation fund-raising for the Catholic missions: “Just about everywhere I have been on humanitarian missions, I come across the Church doing incredible work that lifts up millions of desperate people. It is serving God’s will. There are real problems yes but we must not lose sight of the miracles that are performed every day. Those miracles are the way of the Church.” To be sure, not just of the Catholic Church, but of all faiths whose only mission is to serve God and humanity selﬂessly.

Doubly tough for PECO THE controversial Iloilo City utility firm Panay Electric Co. faces tough grilling at the Senate when survey leader Senator Grace Poe convenes today, Monday, the Senate Committee on Public Services. This is to decide whether or not the company deserves to be granted a fresh 25-year legislative franchise. Poe, running as an independent candidate seeking a second six-year term in the upcoming May elections, is certain to be weighing her options carefully on PECO’s case. This follows the overwhelming vote at the House of Representatives two weeks ago to refuse the 90-year-old monopoly a new franchise, and to grant the franchise instead to a More Minerals Corp., a utility firm owned by businessman Enrique “Ricky” Razon. Early this year when she flew to Iloilo City for hearings on the TRAIN bill, an irate Poe may have already prejudged the case when she reportedly declared that she was inclined to deny PECO its franchise renewal application because of the tons of consumer complaints against the company for its record of bad service and its penchant for over-billing Iloilo City residents. Poe was in Iloilo City in May when the over-billing complaint against PECO reached a crescendo. The Iloilo City Council had just passed a resolution urging the National Government to deny its franchise renewal following an intervention by the Energy Regulatory Commission to resolve complaints from Iloilo City households over monthly bills that rose by as much as 1,000 percent. PECO quickly blamed this on its new metering system that recomputed and re-billed from its customers’ uncollected and unbilled previous consumption. The same complaints that faced Poe in Iloilo City, meanwhile, also arrived at the House Committee on Legislative Franchises chaired by Rep. Josef Francis Alvarez, who eventually intimated that what sealed PECO’s fate at the House were financial statements from PECO itself. These showed that while the company was facing complaints of overbilling, it posted successive years of net profits amounting to hundreds of millions of pesos— P198.27 million in 2014, P127.92 million in 2015, P139.26 million in 2015 and P191.1 million in 2016. These profits occurred, Alvarez noted, despite a directive from the ERC itself to refund P631 million in over-billings to Iloilo residents in 2014. Poe and her fellow senators in the Senate

Systemic.... From A4

Where there are 40 or fewer, the mayors could take turns of three years each. Let us elect mayors and vice mayors as a team, and the same goes for provincial governors and their elected second-leads. Vice governors will preside over the policymaking board composed of the mayors; vice mayors over the barangay chairpersons sitting as a council. The same goes for the president, whose vice presidential team-mate in the same party is automatically elected with him. No cross-party voting should be allowed under a new constitution. The vice president is not only the constitutional successor; he should preside over the Senate if we have a two-chamber legislature. Or the speaker of a national assembly if we opt for a single-

the 2019 polls. According to Malay, who also serves as the executive director of The Center, an independent polling ﬁrm, social media sites remain as viable tools of communications that can be employed by candidates in the coming elections. Results of his recent survey rank Facebook as the preferred social media site by registered voters with ages from 18 to 65 years old with 52 percent of those surveyed saying they are glued to Facebook, 29 percent prefer Instagram and 19 percent taking to Twitter. Of these, Malay said 89 percent said they use these sites one at a time, while 11 percent said they use it simultaneously. Results of the survey further bare that some 45 percent of those surveyed said they use Facebook daily, 33 percent said they log on to Facebook weekly and 17 percent said they use it monthly. Malay says that social media sites can be a great inﬂuencer for the coming polls as 38 percent of those surveyed said they use social media for three hours or more a

day. What will be a challenge for political strategists, Malay says, is how to offset the rather high 36 percent of those who said they don’t believe the posts on social media which are politically related. But at the same time, 38 percent said they believe what they see and read on social media sites. Ten percent said they have doubts on the authenticity of what they see and read while 16 percent said they simply ignore it. The impact of these figures, it seems, greatly manifest in the ranking of Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos, who is one of those vying for a Senate seat. According to Malay, of those surveyed, 61 percent said they have knowledge of Martial Law and the issues surrounding the late President Ferdinand Marcos. Some 40 percent said they came to know about Martial Law and Marcos through the social media. This, Malay said, should serve as an explanation to the rather low rating of Imee. Malay’s pronouncement is not actually new. Armand Dean Nocum of Dean and Kings has long been utilizing the social media for his PR firm, and even “before President Duterte and US President Trump proved to the world that social media campaigns can greatly help one get elected to public office.” While only a few took him seriously in 2015 when he pioneered the use of social media for PR purposes, Nocum vindicated himself when politicians who took his words seriously in 2016 ended up winning their coveted posts. Back then, Nocum said campaigning politicians learned from the AlDub (Alden and Yaya Dub) phenomenon. “Politicians running in the 2016 elections can learn so much from the AlDub phenomenon. They too can unlock the immense power of integrated tri-media (print, radio and Tv) and social media campaigns to boost their electoral bid. Both old and new media platforms are strong, but it is their fusion that can create a communication BigBang!” Nocum declared then. And he was proven right. “Now everyone from former Senate president Enrile to Congressman Neri Colmenares are saying they will campaign for the 2019 elections via social media,” Nocum said. So from hereon, with aspirants now having filed their respective COCs, expect heavy traffic on the social media.

chamber legislature. With these proposals, there will be a lower number of elected ofﬁcials, with consequently lower cost for the taxpayers. But it will yield more effective policy-making. Voters will also write on their ballots every six years with fewer names: One vote for the president automatically elects his vice presidential candidate. One vote for governor translates to the same vote for his vice governor. The same goes for the mayor and his vice mayor. Three elected executive ofﬁcials—the president, the provincial governor and the town mayor. Two in the case of highly urbanized cities which do not vote for a provincial governor. If there is a single-chamber legislature, the voter chooses a congressman to represent his district. If we opt to have a Senate, we should elect senators by region, where the candidates are chosen by the party in a convention.

If we have the present number of administrative regions, we would have a 30-member Senate with each region having two elected senators. With a genuine twoparty system, our senators, chosen in regional party conventions, will surely possess better qualifications than the celebrities and other candidates whose only qualification to the Senate is their popularity. Voters will write down only five to six names in their ballots. We don’t even need voting machines like the US-Venezuelan Smartmatic contraptions made in China. We would have two elections in six years, with the barangays alternating with the other officials to be voted upon, from president down to mayor. Will government be less responsive if we had not bokales and konsehales, and our senators elected by region rather than a nationwide popularity contest? Think about it.

committee on public services cannot ignore the political implications of the issues raised by Iloilo City residents and city ofﬁcials against PECO, said Iloilo City Councilor Joshua Alim, one of those leading the campaign against PECO. No sane politician can ignore Iloilo City and Iloilo province with more than 1.4 million voters in an election year. *** Political analyst Ed Malay underscores the crucial role the social media will play in

Senator Poe is certain to be weighing her options on this issue.

Fight corruption with your vote candidates take advantage of and which allows incompetent individuals to be elected. Well into the 21st century, what makes taking this stand so easy is the wealth of information available a click away (although this also makes the propagation of disinformation just as conducive). This IT HAS begun. way, the decision on whom to vote for come When the dust finally settled at the May 2019 will rest on the electorate’s good Commission on Elections office last week, judgment of solid facts about candidates, a total of 152 individuals had signified their their opinions and qualifications and intention to vie for the 12 Senate seats up advocacies, not on stage gimmicks such as for grabs in the upcoming 2019 midterm gyrating onstage to the latest dance craze. elections. Thousands more filed certificates All in all, this can improve the level and of candidacy for congressional and local health of discourse during election season. positions all over the country. A sly kind of corruption, if one thinks As with all electoral contests in about it, is the proliferation of political recent memory, battling corruption will dynasties. Those who defend political no doubt figure in all of the candidates clans—especially members of it—say spiels, platforms, and promises. If you people should have the choice to vote for remember old campaign quotables like their favored candidate regardless of whether Joseph Estrada’s “Walang kaibigan, or not they come from the same family. This walang kumpare, walang kamag-anak—” rationale cunningly masks the entrenched inaugural speech, a creative version advantage that political families develop has been and will be adopted by every after decades of dominating the local or candidate. More than anything, this attests national political landscape, foremost a to the enduring machinery built nature of the on deeply-rooted problem as a connections and a perennial ill that secreted war chest of had bedeviled resources. We shape the government If a democracy service since time is in spirit about a government we deserve immemorial. level playing field and live with. Indeed, despite and popular choice, such repeated an election routinely promises and dominated by scions a number of of political families presidencies built becomes a sham on anti-corruption campaigns, corruption because the catalog of choice is already remains pervasive and systemic. In the unduly restricted from the very beginning, latest Corruption Perception Index of practically barring new points of view Transparency International, the Philippines and fresh voices from joining the political ranked 111th out of 180 countries, more landscape. than 20 notches down from a high of 85th in This is the context in which an anti2014. The explosion of anomalous Priority dynasty law becomes crucial: it will Development Assistance Fund transactions, prevent the undue accumulation of political or the pork barrel scandal, only served to influence in one single family in one underscore a continuous decline for the locality, which in many cases spills over country since then. to economic influence, as well, leading to More than 30 years after the end of issues of corruption and influence peddling Martial Law, the rule of “guns, goons, in that locality’s affairs. After all, many and gold” still rings true during election family fortunes are built on politics, which season, perhaps symptomatic of the for many is the biggest, most efficient systemic quality of the problem and the laundromat for dirty money. overall ineffectiveness of any government On the flip side, it will reinvigorate the intervention to bring a stop to it. In fact, the playing field by allowing more Filipinos electoral process itself can be rife with its with more competence, experience, and own versions of corruption: vote buying, commitment to participate in governance, misuse of public funds, and even electoral ushering in a new revolution of violence. developmental politics. Even so, the institutionalization of This paradigm shift could only happen automated elections—which has become if the tools that come our way during increasingly efficient, quick, and reliable election time are harnessed effectively. It over the last few iterations—still provides is time to end the era of “guns, goons, and an opportunity to challenge the status gold,” of electoral contests that patriarchs, quo and enable the citizenry to do their matriarchs, and children of political part in battling corruption in government. families routinely turn into games of The ballot allows the channeling and musical chairs, of a culture of corruption consolidation of popular frustration toward that always manifests in the conduct of potentially meaningful reform, especially in the elections. the context of built-in checks and balances A good place to begin is to not vote for being hijacked by corruption. plunderers, gambling barons, drug dealers, Because when the political elite murderers, smugglers, and other crooks routinely take advantage of their resources and hoodlums who have used their position to manipulate democratic institutions, only to enable these crimes. Their names and increased popular participation can hinder faces—sometimes in police mugshots— them from achieving their goals of staying should be a sobering reminder that instead in power. of resorting to choosing the lesser evil, What the political elites fear the most Filipinos should instead elevate their is a citizenry with a united position against standards and pick only the brightest of the electoral corruption—in many ways the land. mother of all corruption—and which How we, as a people, exercise our right advocates a program-based policy-intensive to vote in every election will shape the political discourse, not the superficial, government we deserve and will have to personality-driven campaign that many live with.

A discussion... From A4

revised Charter, particularly on the issue of federalism. How will it affect the lives of millions of Filipinos? What will be the enormous cost of a task that is close to creating not only a new form of government but practically a new nation? How will the revenues of each region be allocated by the national government? How will the poor regions compete with the regional provinces with higher-income industries like factories and mining? Under the proposed federalism, the number of Supreme Court justices, senators and congressmen will be doubled. One can imagine the cost of salaries and expenditures will also be doubled if not tripled. These issues and challenges apparently were not taken into consideration and factored in by the committee. It is therefore imperative that all the issues on federalism be illuminated thoroughly by legal experts for the beneﬁt of the people. Senatorial candidates, Mocha Uson, former Philippine National Police and Bureau of Corrections chief Ronald dela Rosa, folk singer Freddie Aguilar and Lito Lapid need not apply to join the legal panel. Needless to say, but let me say it just the same. Federalism and charter change are topics outside the realm of their competence. It would be interesting to see the exchange of views among Enrile, Puno and Pimentel. Pimentel and Enrile were

both former Senate Presidents with JPE remembered for presiding over the impeachment case that removed former Chief Justice Renato Corona. There are some detractors of Enrile who say that at 94 years old, the man may be past his prime. But Enrile, steeped in the law, is gifted with political sense and an amazing memory. If elected to the Senate, Enrile may be one of the oldest living leaders in the world. Malaysia only recently returned to power as Prime Minister Dr. Mohammad Mahathir proving to one and all that experience and knowledge will always come to the fore in a country bereft of true leaders . Khashoggi case In a bizarre murder case, the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey joined the PNP headquarters in Camp Came in Quezon City as one one of the world’s infamous scene of the crime. A South Korean suspect was killed inside PNP headquarters which critics renamed the place as Camp Crime. The Saudi government claimed that critic Jamal Khashoggi was killed in a fistfight during interrogation inside the consulate. After a week of denial, the Saudis finally admitted Khashoggi is dead. He was shown on Closed Circuit TV camera entering the consulate but was never shown to have left the place Supporters of Kashoggi and Turkish officials believed the victim was dismembered, his remains stuffed in a plastic bag and disposed of somewhere, never to be found.

Climate... From A4

years ago, they were informed that the earth was actually destroyed, everybody was killed, and we are all actually ghosts. “Every person on the planet is now a spirit who was killed several years ago by climate change,” said a UN spokesperson. “And anyone who does not believe this will be labeled a ghost science denier.” eric.jurado@gmail.com

NCRPO to deploy 3,300 cops for ‘Undas’ T

HE National Capital Region Police Ofﬁce will ﬁeld at least 3,300 personnel in Metro Manila for the observance of All Saints’ Day next week. “Based on the initial reports from our different districts, we will be deploying around 3,300 police personnel,” NCRPO chief Dir. Guillermo Eleazar said in an interview with dzBB radio on Sunday.

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2018 Standard TODAY mst.daydesk@gmail.com Manila

“This will be augmented by force multipliers. We will have at least 5,000 force multipliers who will help us from different organizations, including barangay and civilian volunteer organizations,” he added.

In Metro Manila alone, there are around 80 cemeteries and 30 columbaries, of which the biggest is the Manila North Cemetery. Eleazar said the NCRPO will conduct dialogs with local government units this week to update security preparations for Undas. The Metro Manila Development Authority, for its part, will deploy over 2,000 personnel for All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day on Nov. 1 and 2, respectively.

This early, members of agency’s Task Force Special Operations have been clearing roads leading to cemeteries. MMDA general manager Jose Garcia Jr. said “Oplan Undas 2018” will be activated on Oct. 27 and will be in effect until Nov. 3. The number coding scheme will be suspended on Nov. 1 and 2, which have been declared as special nonworking holidays. Garcia advised the public to acquaint themselves of the trafﬁc rerouting schemes that local government units will implement in their respective localities. Major cemeteries under the MMDA’s watch are Manila North in Manila City, Manila South in Makati City, Loyola Memorial Park in Marikina City, Bagbag Public Cemetery in Quezon City, and Manila Memorial Park in Parañaque City.

Palace vows to tirelessly work amid high rating By Nat Mariano MALACAÑANG said the administration will continue to “work tirelessly” as it welcomed the latest Social Weather Stations survey results showing a higher net satisfaction rating for President Rodrigo Duterte’s Cabinet. The SWS survey showed the Cabinet’s net satisfaction rating rose from “moderate” to “good” in the third quarter at 32 percent in September from only 25 percent in June. “Notwithstanding the favorable survey numbers, the members of the official family of the President will not grow complacent in addressing national issues but will continue to work tirelessly as we lay down the foundation of a stronger and more robust society,” Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said. Panelo said the survey result only showed the public trusted the administration even when the inflation rate reached record-high in the past few months. “Since the survey was conducted during the month of September when inflation was at 6.7 percent, the findings tell us that our people, indeed, recognize and appreciate the efforts of the administration in stabilizing the prices of basic commodities and bringing a comfortable and dignified life for all,” he added. SWS said the six-point improvement in the overall net satisfaction rating of the Cabinet was due to increases of 11 points in Balance Luzon, eight points in Mindanao, and six points in the Visayas, combined with a five-point decrease in Metro Manila.

CHASING THE BLUES AWAY. Kim Ashley Esperrago, an 11-year-old member of the 30-man Blue Cavaliers Band, finds time to practice playing her horn while on an improvised swing made of an old tire in Poblacion Park in Makati City. Diana B. Noche

Republic of the Philippines Department of Health CENTRAL OFFICE BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE InvItatIon to BId for Procurement of cartrIdge-Based nucleIc acId amPlIfIcatIon test reagents re-BId IB no. 2018-287-a 1.

The Department of Health (DOH), through the General Appropriations Act of 2018 intends to apply the sum of Four Hundred Thirty Seven Million Five Hundred Thirty Nine Thousand Four Hundred Fifty Four Philippine Pesos (PhP437,539,454.00) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for the Procurement of Cartridge-Based Nucleic AcidAmplification Test Reagents Re-bid under IB No. 2018-287-A. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

PUBLIC INFORMATION SHEET FOR DIRECT USE AS FOOD AND FEED, OR FOR PROCESSING PROPOSAL FOR DIRECT USE AS FOOD AND FEED, OR FOR PROCESSING GA21 Corn 1.

Applicant’s Name Syngenta Philippines, Inc.

Applicant’s Address 12th Floor, Two World Square, # 22 Upper McKinley Road, McKinley Town Center, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City, 1630 Philippines

Telephone Number/ Facsimile Number, E-Mail Address of the Applicant Tel. +63 2 370 2100; Fax: +63 2 856 9260; E-mail: c/o jet.parma@syngenta.com

Name of Responsible Officer/Authorized Representative Jet Marcial G. Parma, President and Commercial Unit Head, Philippines Ma. Emeru Bool - Rodriguez, Seeds and Traits Regulatory Manager, Philippines

Description of the Regulated Article for Direct Use (mention the crop, transformation event, new trait conferred, name of the gene transferred, method of transformation, and advantages of the trait conferred) GA21 corn is a genetically modified corn which has been developed through modern biotechnology via microprojectile bombardment of corn suspension culture cells. It expresses a mutated corn 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase enzyme (mEPSPS). EPSPS is a key enzyme in the shikimate pathway, involved in the biosynthesis of aromatic amino acids and is naturally found in all plants, fungi, and bacteria but absent in animals. EPSPS is highly sensitive to herbicide products containing glyphosate. Corn plants transformed with the mepsps gene, such as those derived from GA21 corn, synthesize the mEPSPS protein that confers tolerance to herbicide products containing glyphosate.

The DOH now invites bids for the procurement of the above-captioned package. Delivery of the Goods is required within period specified under Section VI. Schedule of Requirements. Bidders should have completed, within five (5) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project, equivalent to at least twenty-five percent (25%) of the ABC. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the 2016 Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

Therefore, corn plants transformed with the mepsps gene as expressed in the transgenic corn GA21 corn display tolerance to the herbicide glyphosate, whereas non-transgenic corn plants do not display a glyphosate-tolerant phenotype. 6.

If to be imported, Country (ies) of Origin of the Regulated Article United States, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Paraguay, South Africa

Brief Summary of Potential Effects on Human and Animal Health and the Environment GA21 corn has been adequately assessed to demonstrate its safety as food, feed, and its safety to the environment. Studies conducted show that there are no indications that the mEPSPS protein in GA21 corn may be allergenic nor toxic. In addition, the mode of action of this protein is distinct. The mEPSPS produced by GA21 corn has low affinity for glyphosate compared to the native EPSPS, thus conferring tolerance to glyphosate in herbicide products. Furthermore, studies show that GA21 corn is nutritionally and compositionally similar to, and as safe and as nutritious as the conventional corn.

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

Interested bidders may obtain further information from the COBAC Secretariat, G/F, Bldg. 6, Department of Health, San Lazaro Compound and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given above during 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Monday to Friday.

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be acquired by interested Bidders on 22 October 2018 to 13 November 2018 from the address above and upon payment of the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents, pursuant to the latest Guidelines issued by the GPPB, in the amount of Fifty Thousand Philippine Pesos (PhP50,000.00). It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that Bidders shall pay the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids.

The DOH will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on 13 October 2018, 10:00 A.M. at the COBAC Conference Room, Ground Floor, Bldg. 6, Department of Health, Sta. Cruz, Manila, which shall beopen to prospective bidders. Bids must be duly received by the COBAC-D Secretariat at the address below on or before 13 November 2018, 9:00 A.M. All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.

GA21 corn will be imported for direct use as food, feed, and for processing in the Philippines. In the event that there is an accidental release of grains in the environment during the importation of the Third Party Importer, chances of survival of GA21 corn is unlikely since it will generally occur in industrial areas which are highly disturbed habitats unsuitable for significant plant establishment. The spilled grains have to reach the soil and need to be exposed to specific favorable conditions, such as light, moisture, and temperature so that germination and plant establishment will occur. 8.

Brief Summary of Potential Benefits GA21 corn was developed through modern biotechnology to tolerate glyphosate herbicide. GA21 corn offers benefits to the growers by providing a higher and better quality of harvest and a more economical way of controlling weeds because GA21 corn display the ability to withstand post-emergence applications of non-selective herbicide products containing glyphosate. Such herbicides provide excellent post-emergence broad-spectrum weed control. Since GA21 corn will be a traded commodity, the society will be the main beneficiary in case importation will be required to supply the industry with grains of corn and corn products to feed millers, for use in poultry, livestock, aquaculture, and other industries.

Countries Where Approvals Have Been Granted GA21 corn has already been approved in Argentina (cultivation, feed, and food), Australia/New Zealand (food), Brazil (cultivation, feed, and food), Belarus/Kazakhstan (food), Canada (cultivation, feed, and food), China (food, feed, and processing), Colombia (cultivation, feed, and food), European Union (food, feed, and processing), Indonesia (food), Japan (food, feed, and cultivation), Republic of Korea (food, feed, and environment), Malaysia (food, feed, and processing), Mexico (food, feed, and processing), Paraguay (cultivation, food, and feed), Philippines (food, feed, processing, cultivation), Russian Federation (food), Singapore (food, feed, and processing), South Africa (food, feed, processing, and cultivation), Taiwan, province of China (food and feed), Turkey (feed), United States (cultivation, feed, food and processing), Uruguay (cultivation, feed, and food), and Vietnam (environment, feed, and food).

Ex-NBI exec in mega ‘shabu lab’ faces arraignment By Rey E. Requejo A FORMER ofﬁcial of the National Bureau of Investigation implicated in the mega shabu laboratory operation in Catanduanes will be arraigned today before a Makati City regional trial court after the Supreme Court ordered the transfer of his criminal case in June. The Department of Justice on Sunday said former NBI Region 7 Dir. Augusto Eric Isidoro will face Makati City RTC Branch 62 for arraignment. He was charged with violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act in connection with his alleged involvement in the shabu laboratory where authorities seized about P100 million worth of shabu and ephedrine in November 2016. Isidoro, who has been detained at the Makati City Jail, has been charged with conspiracy to manufacture illegal drugs along with four other accused who remain at large, namely: Xian Xian Wang, Pido Bonito, Paolo Uy and Jayson Uy. The other arrested accused, Lorenzo Piñera II, will stand trial for cases of possession and manufacture of illegal drugs along with ﬁve other accused who are also still at large—the Uys, Paolo Palisoc, Phung Yuan Estorco and Sheng Wang. Of the accused, only Isidoro and Piñera have been arrested so far and detained at the city jail, according to Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Juan Pedro Navera, head of the Justice department’s Task Force on Illegal Drugs Cases. Navera said RTC Branch 62 Judge Selma Palacio-Alaras, who earlier convicted Canadian nationals James Riach and Ali Memar Shirazi in a P100million drug possession case in February, will hear the case against Isidoro and company. Earlier, the Supreme Court ordered the transfer of this case from Virac RTC to Makati RTC upon the request of the DOJ, which cited alleged “political connections” of some of the accused in the province.

PH-China better ties can launch natural gas field A HOUSE leader has expressed hope that Manila and Beijing can somehow reach a “modus vivendi” to would pave the way for the development of the Sampaguita natural gas discovery in offshore West Palawan. “The Sampaguita gas discovery is vital to our future energy security. It has become absolutely imperative for us to quickly develop Sampaguita, before Malampaya’s gas production starts to fall off in 2024,” said House senior deputy minority leader Buhay Rep. Lito Atienza. “We really wish that the Philippines and China, through effective diplomacy, can arrive at a mutually acceptable arrangement that would expedite the resumption of all work around

Sampaguita,” he added. The now 16-year-old Malampaya deepwater gas-to-power project still generates up to 3,400 megawatts of electricity for the Luzon grid. However, Energy ofﬁcials told a recent Senate hearing that by 2024, Malampaya’s gas output would fall to just one-third of current capacity. This implies that six years from now, Malampaya’s diminishing gas reserves would be able to produce just 1,100 MW of electricity for Luzon, Atienza said. “Clearly, if we are unable to harness the gas from Sampaguita in time, Metro Manila and its surrounding provinces might reel from considerably higher electricity rates,” Atienza said.

The public is hereby invited to submit their comments to the BPI Director (within 60 days from date of publication) on the Proposal for the Direct Use as Food and Feed, or for Processing of GA21 Corn. Director Bureau of Plant Industry San Andres, Malate, Manila E-Mail bpibiotechsecretariat@gmail.com

Bid opening shall be on 13 November 2018, 9:00 A.M. at the COBAC Conference Room, Ground Floor, Bldg. 6, Department of Health, Sta. Cruz, Manila. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address above. Late bids shall not be accepted. 8.

The DOH reserves the right to reject any and all bids, declare a failure of bidding, or not award the contract at any time prior to contract award in accordance with Section 41 of RA 9184 and its IRR, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders. For further information, please refer to:

COBAC-D Secretariat Department of Health San Lazaro Compound Sta. Cruz, Manila Tel. Nos. 651-7800 local 1625 to 1627; 1650 to 52 Facsimile No.: 741-9775; 740-6830

(MS-OCT. 22, 2018)

__________________________________________ (SGD) MARIO C. VILLAVERDE, MD, MPM, CESO I Undersecretary of Health COBAC-D Chairperson

(MS-OCT. 22, 2018)

REMEMBRANCE. Aiza Terrado lights up candles at the tomb of her parents ahead of All Saints’ Day to avoid the madding crowd at Manila’s South Cemetery. Ey Acasio CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Sports Subic hosts inaugural Black Arrow Express 5150 TOP pros gearing up for bigger battles and triathletes who love to do short-distance but challenging races in a worldclass course setup mix it up for the inaugural Black Arrow Express 5150 which fires off Nov. 4 in Subic Bay. The stellar international cast brace for another grueling test of endurance as they clash for honors and personal bests over the Olympic distance of 1.5k swim-40K bike-10K run race in what has long been considered as the country’s triathlon capital. “Subic has tremendous infrastructure and has been incredibly cooperative in working with us and helping ensure the successful staging of each triathlon event,” said Wilfred Uytengsu, founder and president of the organizing Sunrise Events, Inc. Held in partnership with one of the top cargo movers in the country, Black Arrow Express 5150 is billed as the answer to triathletes seeking to step up for tougher races or get the hang of the tri-sport, depending on their skill levels. “The same commitment to finish to the ‘last-mile’ is often the most grueling part of the race. Same goes for Black Arrow which delivers to their customers’ doors by foot through rain and flood,” said Black Arrow Express president Allan Brizuela. The event, backed by venue hosts Subic Bay and ACEA Subic Bay and major sponsors David’s Salon, Pioneer Insurance and Wicked Active Gear, also caps SEI’s decade-long staging of the premier endurance race. For details and listup, visit www.blackarrowexpress.5 150philippines.com or sunriseevents. com.ph. Close to thousand participants have so far registered for the event, including bets from 21 countries, with competitions up in the pro division, the Asian Elite and various age categories. Also on tap are relay events for male, female and mixed. The second Sunrise Sprint short distance race series or S2 will also be staged, a 750-m open water swim, 20K bike ride, 5K run race which is fit for beginners wanting to immerse themselves into triathlon, for enthusiasts who wants to race without having to worry about long periods of training, or for the triwarrior who has been off the circuit and is raring to make a comeback.

Canlas is NCAA Player of Week DON’T count the rookie out. In the second Finals rematch between San Beda and Lyceum, rookie James Canlas became the Chooks-to-Go Collegiate Sports Press Corps NCAA Player of the Week. Canlas led the defending champions to a 75-68 win over their modern-day rival Pirates in the two teams’ second meeting in the NCAA Season 94 men’s basketball tournament. Never mind the fact that the game featured big names like CJ Perez, Robert Bolick, Javee Mocon, Mike Nzeusseu, and twins Jaycee and Jayvee Marcelino because it was the youngster who went out of his way and dominated. Canlas ﬁnished with a career-high 18 points, a game-high, while also grabbing six rebounds. And half of Canlas’ points were in the second quarter alone. Canlas said he’s aware of a rookie’s role in the team and that was to provide support to the established leaders but he knew he had work harder than everyone else too. “At ﬁrst I was a little bit nervous but once I got to the game I just played good thinking that the game will come to you,” said Canlas. “As a rookie you have to prove something to everybody and not just be the guy who shows up and does nothing.”

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22 2018

Dodgers reach World Series C

HICAGO—Yasiel Puig and Cody Bellinger blasted home runs and the Los Angeles Dodgers advanced to their second consecutive World Series by defeating the Milwaukee Brewers 5-1 on Saturday.

The Dodgers, seeking their first Major League Baseball crown since 1988, will begin the 114th World Series on Tuesday at Boston in the opener of the best-of-seven championship final. Bellinger smashed a two-run homer in the second inning to give the Dodgers the lead for good and Puig belted a three-run homer in the sixth as visiting Los Angeles won the National League Championship Series four games to three. “Every single person in this room has their fingerprints on this season,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told his players in the champagne spray-filled locker room. “We haven’t accomplished our goal yet.

Four more wins to go.” The Dodgers, who lost to Houston in last year’s World Series, make their 20th appearance in the ﬁnal. They last won the title 30 years ago, defeating Oakland in ﬁve games. Left-handed Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw entered in the ninth and retired the last three Milwaukee batters in order to send Los Angeles back to the World Series. “It doesn’t matter how you get there,” Kershaw said. “To get to go back from last year, it’s unbelievable. It’s a testament to these guys.

“We’ll celebrate tonight but we’ve still got more to go. We don’t want to lose again.” The Red Sox will try to conclude a team-record 108-win season with a championship and capture their fourth title in 15 seasons. Boston’s most recent crowns came in 2013, 2007 and 2004, when the Red Sox took their ﬁrst title since 1918. The World Series will feature two of the three oldest ballparks in the major leagues, both classic venues. Boston’s Fenway Park is the oldest major league stage, having opened in 1912, half a century before Dodger Stadium. The secondoldest venue, Chicago’s Wrigley Field, hosted the World Series in 2016 when the Cubs won their ﬁrst title since 1908. “That’s going to be a pretty special series against the Sox,” said Bellinger, who was named the Most Valuable Player of the series. “It’s going to be pretty cool.”

It will also be a baseball version of the Boston-LA rivalry made famous in the NBA by the Celtics and Lakers, notably in the 1980s when Larry Bird and Magic Johnson were superstars. It was a heartbreaking finish for the Brewers, who fell one game shy of making their second trip to the final. Milwaukee lost the 1982 World Series to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games. Milwaukee’s Christian Yelich smacked a first-inning line drive solo homer to centerfield off right-handed Dodgers rookie starting pitcher Walker Buehler to open the scoring. But Los Angeles answered in the second inning when Manny Machado singled and Bellinger smashed a homer to right-centerfield for a 2-1 Dodgers lead. “I just tried to put a good swing on it,” Bellinger said. “And luckily it went out of there.”

Tigers tame Parks-less El Tigre in MPBL meet

The Los Angeles Dodgers celebrate after defeating the Milwaukee Brewers in Game Seven to win the National League Championship Series at Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. AFP

Koepka claims no. 1 spot after CJ Cup win JEJU—Triple major champion Brooks Koepka will overtake Dustin Johnson and Justin Rose to become world number one for the first time after winning the CJ Cup on Sunday by four strokes. Koepka shot a final round of eight-under par 64 at the US PGA Tour event in South Korea, highlighted by a chip-in for birdie on the 16th, to finish 21 under par. The US PGA Tour Player of the Year Koepka captured first prize in the $9.5 million tournament with a four-round total of 267, four ahead of fellow American Gary Woodland, who poured in 11 birdies in a valiant final-round charge to a 63. The in-form Koepka, who this year won his second US Open Championship and the US PGA title, shook off some shaky moments early in his final round at the Club at Nine Bridges on the southern resort island of Jeju. He started the week ranked

third behind Johnson and Rose, who both sat out the tournament, and will leapfrog the pair when the new rankings are officially announced on Monday. Koepka started his final round with a four-stroke lead over fellow American Scott Piercy and England’s Ian Poulter. But it was Woodland who emerged as Koepka’s nearest challenger. Woodland began five shots adrift of Koepka but four consecutive birdies from the sixth put him into a share of the lead at 14-under by the turn as Koepka traded three birdies with two bogeys on his front nine. Woodland blinked first with a bogey at the 10th, and Koepka birdied that hole minutes later to reopen a two-shot lead. Woodland bounced back with two straight birdies at the 12th and 13th, but Koepka matched the feat to maintain his advantage. AFP

Brooks Koepka of the US reacts after winning putt on the eighteenth hole during the final round of the CJ Cup golf tournament at Nine Bridges golf club in Jeju Island on. The triple major champion will overtake Dustin Johnson and Justin Rose to become world number one for the first time after winning the CJ Cup by four strokes. AFP

Pacman named ISPS Handa global ambassador By Paul David Gelario INTERNATIONAL Sports Promotion Society Handa has chosen reigning World Boxing Association boxing superstar and Senator Manny Pacquiao as global ambassador at a press conference at Shangri-La, in Makati recently. “There are no words that can describe how grateful and genuinely honored we

are,” Executive Director for International Affairs Midori Miyazaki said. “It is a great honor to be an ISPS Handa ambassador,” Pacquiao said. ISPS is a charitable organization with active involvement and sponsorship in international golf tournaments. It also promotes blind golf worldwide. ISPS also donated a total of $100,000 to Pacquiao’s charity organization called Em-

manuel and Jinkee’s Heart Organization. The Emmanuel and Jinkee’s Heart organization aims to assist Filipinos living in poverty with medical aid and school supplies. Pacquiao told reporters that his organization will allocate ISPS’s donation to build houses. He later added that his next opponent will be former WBA lightweight champion Adrien Broner on either Jan. 12 or 19.

Bulldogs... From A8

Bulldogs coach Jamike Jarin admitted that they shot badly from the outside, with NU making 4 of 14 (28 percent) from the three-point range, but so did UST, which had a 10 of 36 clip (27 percent). “It’s horrendous. Can I be happy? We were 4 of 14, but I’ll take it. Even though we shot bad, played bad, our defense held, I’m good with it,” said Jarin. The Growling Tigers, who missed a chance to gain a share of third place, now have a 4-5 card in third spot. Henri Subido struck with 18 points for the Growling Tigers, including back-toback treys in the last seven minutes that allowed UST to stay within range, 53-55. With NU behind, 33-44, early in the third, Ildefonso scored two freebies with 8:56 to go to touch off a 7-0 blast that put NU ahead, 41-34. Peter Atencio

sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Boxing superstar and current Senator Manny Pacquiao and Country Manager Kevin O’Brien (right) hold the oversized cheque donated by ISPS Handa. At left is ISPS Executive Director for International Affairs Midori Miyazaki. Paul Gelario

DAVAO CITY — Host team Davao Occidental Tigers devoured their rival Mandaluyong El Tigre even as the Pasay Voyagers continued their winning run, nipping the Quezon City Capitals in the MPBL Datu Cup at the Rizal Memorial College. The Cocolife-backed Tigers pounced on a toothless El Tigre squad that played minus injured Ray Parks and won convincingly, 86-63. Eman Calo finished with 17 points to pace the Tigers, who picked up their seventh straight win and firmed up their hold on solo second squad after improving their win-loss record to 9-3. The El Tigre, backed by Dataland, played without Parks, who showed up in street clothes. Head coach Mac Tan said Parks was not able to join the past few practices, owing to a shoulder injury. Parks and Co. had been struggling lately and the loss against the Tigers extended their woes to four straight. Mandaluyong, once the hottest team in the tournament put up by Senator Manny Pacquiao with PBA legend Kenneth Duremdes, fell to 6-5. Overshadowed by Davao Occidental’s latest triumph was Pasay’s inspiring 83-81 win. Led by the athletic Bobby Balucanag, the Voyagers picked up their third consecutive victory and improved their record to 5-7. Balucanag finished with a doubledouble performance of 26 points and 13 rebounds.

Ferriols, Rodriguez chosen as Metro League top cagers Games Tuesday, Oct. 23 ‘18 (Hagonoy Sports Complex, Taguig) 4:00 p.m. Manila vs. Las Piñas 5:30 p.m. Quezon City vs. Valenzuela 7:00 p.m. Taguig vs. Parañaque

FOURTEEN-season PBA veteran John Ferriols of the Taguig Generals and Jayford Rodriguez of the Manila All-Stars were recognized as World Balance Players of the Week in their respective divisions in the Metro League Open basketball tournament for the recent period Oct. 14 to 20. Ferriols, also the MVP in the MBA’s inaugural season in 1998, starred in the Generals’ twin wins this past week over Marikina and Pateros to help Taguig zoom to the top of the South Division standings with their 4-2 slate and a sure place in the division semifinals of the tournament organized by the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and supported by the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Rodriguez, a second round pick of Rain or Shine in the 2013 PBA Draft but never got to play in the pros, had the biggest impact in the All-Stars’ back-to-back wins over Quezon City and San Juan which enabled Manila to also grabbed leadership in the North Division standings with their league-best 5-1 record in the 10-team tournament which has “mobile app ng bayan” Barangay 143 as presentor, Spalding as the official ball and Team Rebel Sports as official outfitter.

Sports

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

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22 2018

Chris Paul of the Houston Rockets and Rajon Rondo (both partly hidden) of the Los Angeles Lakers fight as LA’s LeBron James try to pacify both during a 124-115 Rockets win at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. AFP

Superliga to hone collegiate players’skills THE Philippine Superliga Collegiate Grand Slam will not just be a battle for pride and glory among the country’s best and brightest young stars. It will also serve as a battleground where their talent is exposed and will groom them for the next phase of their respective athletic careers. University of the Philippines head coach Godfrey Okumu said he will deploy his rookies and other young players when the inaugural edition of this intercollegiate tournament unwraps on Nov. 3. Okumu, who is eager to lead the Lady Maroons back to the Final Four of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines, said seeing action in the CGS would be a big boost to their preparation. “My team is composed of very young rookie and veteran members. So, this tournament will help us get the exposure we need,” he said. “I believe that my team will learn again how to deal with losses and wins every game. So to me, this tournament can help us grow, especially our young players.” Far Eastern University coach Rey Diaz agrees and called the CGS as a good chance for his player to get a taste of the PSL brand of competition.

Bulldogs whip Tigers, 69 to 61 Games Wednesday (Araneta Coliseum) 2 p.m. Ateneo vs UE 4 p.m. UP vs FEU

THE National University Bulldogs pounced when the University of Santo Tomas Tigers missed badly from threepoint range and pulled off a 69-61 win yesterday at the Arena in San Juan. Dave Ildefonso lifted the Bulldogs to their third win in nine games in the 81st University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball tournament. The 6’5” Ildefonso, who shot 16 points, had four rebounds, three assists and a steal, rose to the occasion in the remaining 4:38 with seven points. His inside play off Zachary Huang and three-point play off Germy Mahinay allowed the Bulldogs to take the upperhand, 62-58. UST never got a another chance to move closer after Mahinay turned the ball over and Ildefonso knocked in a layup past CJ Cansino, 65-58. “I just wanted to show that I’m beyond my years in playing. I’m 18 years old, I just wanted to show maturity. I have to attack, create plays and pass to my teammates,” said Ildefonso, the eldest son of retired PBA cager Danny Ildefonso. Turn to A7

Meralco stops Rain, boosts quarterfinal bid By Jeric Lopez

ERALCO carried on with its late push, winning its third straight game at the expense of Rain or Shine, 91-82, to stay in the hunt for a quarterﬁnal berth in the 2018 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last night. The Bolts used a strong fourth-quarter push to take the game down the stretch. Allen Durham paced Meralco with a game-high 19 points. While Durham’s production was expected, Mike Tolomia’s was a revelation. He came off the bench to score 17 points and added six assists to help the Bolts. Meralco enhanced improved its chances of making the top eight as it moved up to 4-6 in ninth place. This second straight defeat was a big blow for Rain or Shine as it dropped to a 3-6 re-

cord for 10th place. Five straight points from Durham midway the fourth period started a key run from the Bolts. A triple from Tolomia with 4:30 remaining completed a pivotal 8-0 run that gave Meralco a key 82-74 lead. Several minutes later, Durham’s basket in trafﬁc with just 1:53 left gave the Bolts a safer double-digit lead, 90-77, heading to the ﬁnal minute. At that point, it was already a 16-3 surge from Meralco.

That proved to be the dagger as the Elasto Painters were unable to have an answer as the Bolts’ critical blitz was the difference. The ﬁrst three quarters were a seesaw battle with both teams exchanging punches and leads. The protagonists found themselves tied at 65 through three quarters. No team was able to gain any signiﬁcant advantage for most part. Rain or Shine missed the services of big men Raymund Almazan and Beau Belga. Norbert Torres led Rain or Shine with his team-high 16 markers. The scores: Meralco 91 - Durham 19, Tolomia 17, Hodge 14, Newsome 12, Caram 11, Hugnatan 10, Salva 4, Amer 2, Jamito 2, Ballesteros 0. Rain or Shine 82 - Torres 16, Watson 14, Nambatac 13, Daquioag 10, Ponferada 7, Ahanmisi 7, Yap 7, Norwood 6, Borboran 2. Quarters: 19-19, 44-43, 65-65, 91-82.

Rockets spoil James’ LA debut in fight-marred NBA game LOS ANGELES (AFP)--LeBron James’s home debut with the Los Angeles Lakers ended on a sour note Saturday as the Houston Rockets seized control late for a 124-115 win in a physical contest at Staples Center. James finished with 24 points and five assists but the Lakers couldn’t stop the Rockets’ dynamic duo of James Harden and Chris Paul, who combined for 64 points at Staples Center arena. Harden finished with 36 points and Paul delivered 28 and 10 assists before he was ejected in the fourth quarter for fighting. “We were right there, we had an opportunity to win the game,” said James. “I am not disappointed at all. Nobody said it was going to be easy.” The four-time NBA most valuable player James signed with the Lakers three months ago after leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to four straight NBA final appearances, including their first championship in 2016. Saturday’s loss left James still searching for his first win as a Laker. In his season-opening game on Thursday in Portland, James scored 26 points in a 128-119 loss to the Trail Blazers. “We will watch film tomorrow. It is one of our best teachers, being able to see some of the things we did wrong,” he said. James was introduced to the sold out crowd of 19,000 by Lakers announcer Lawrence Tanter: “The other forward is number 23, his 16th campaign, St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, LeBron James!” The Rockets scored the first seven points before James scored on his first shot attempt, cutting Houston’s lead to five two minutes into the game. James introduced himself to the Laker fanatics with an 18 foot pull up jumper. A minute later he tried his first three pointer from 26 feet but it bounced away. - ‘Very heated’ It was a more reserved start than the one he had on Thursday when he delivered back-to-back, rim-rattling dunks for his first two baskets to open his Lakers’ era. AFP

Mondilla seeks Luisita golf sweep CLYDE Mondilla sets out for back-to-back title feats at Luisita Golf and Country Club, brimming with confidence after snapping a long slump with a gripping victory in the ICTSI Luisita Invitational in Tarlac last Friday. But the Del Monte ace expects a tougher challenge from a souped-up international field in PGT Asia’s CAT (Central Azucarera de Tarlac) Open with a slew of foreign aces joining the title hunt in the $100,000 event, which reels off tomorrow (Tuesday). Sam Gillis, fresh from a breakthrough victory in the other regional tour, and fellow American John Michael O’Toole along with Thai aces Tawit Polthai, Nattapong Putta, Idtiphat Silasuwan and Nirun Sae-ueng will be among the new faces mixing it up with the stellar cast that slugged it out in PGT season’ finale. Meanwhile, the organizing Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. and host LGCC said they’ll be making adjustments on the course set up to guarantee four days of fierce action and another thriller of a finish. “We’ll have a much longer, tougher set up,” said LGCC’s Jeric Hechanova. Still, Mondilla remains confident of making it two-in-row on the hazard-laden layout and score

another victory after struggling majority of the season coming off an injury and poor form. “I feel good, conﬁdent and I think I have a chance to come out on top again,” said Mondilla, who won four tournaments on his way to copping the PGT Order of Merit crown last year but went on a winless spell until nipping Peter Stojanovski of Macedonia for the crown last weekend. “They’ll toughen up the course but I think the locals will still have the edge over our foreign rivals,” added Mondilla. Meanwhile, unheralded Erwin Arcillas steps up his bid for another title crack at Luisita, towing his team composed of Manny Alarilla, Sunny Donato and Jess Legaspi to victory with a 17-under 55 in the pro-am tournament last Saturday. Mondilla, with Martin Lorenzo, Bones Floro and Aian Arcilla, placed second with a 57 while Elmer Salvador, with Daisuke Hagiwara, Seo Eun Young and Tim Allen, shot a 58 for third. Arcillas came up short of his ﬁrst title win when he lost in a playoff to Aussie David Gleeson in the ICTSI Luisita Championship, which Clyde Mondilla kicked off this year’s PGT Asia last April.

Art Suave Manila breeding ground for rising MMA fighters

By Peter Atencio

OVER 200 fighters, who are in the early stages of learning how to fight in the mixed martial arts scene, are taking part in Art Suave Manila, a Brazilian jiujitsu competition. The competition is now on its fourth year and is enjoying a better than ever turnout ever since it was held Commercenter in Alabang, Muntinlupa. The competition caters mostly to the white and blue belt fighters. “The spotlight is on them. Now that it’s the advent of the internet, everything is happening fast for them. They are getting plenty of support,” said organizer Franco Rulloda last Saturday. Rulloda talked about the competitions with Bianca Pabello, junior

marketing manager of Commercenter Alabang. Rulloda, is the co-founder and president of Triumvirate Fighting and himself is a brown belter with the DeftacRibeiro Jiu-Jitsu Philippines. Rulloda said newcomers in the sport are getting a lot of attention nowadays because of the abundance of support from sponsors and fans alike, who wish to help them advance from their present levels. Organizers noted that the the number of competitors has grown steadily since the very ﬁrst Arte Suave Manila in 2015, with 2018 bringing in a total of 204 ﬁghters. Rulloda observed that the tournament has grown since having 85 entries on their maiden year in 2015.

Now 34, Rulloda said he and his brother are focusing on BJJ for the last six years. He and his brother have been in the fight scene since 2006, moving around from muay thai, boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, judo, jiujitsu and MMA. The growth of jiujitsu in Metro Manila got a boost when the marketing arm of Commercenter, through Isay Roque, proposed that they hold it at the quiet and posh mall located along Commerce Avenue corner East Asia Drive in Filinvest-Alabang. Since then, many fighters are coming not only from within the Southern Metro Manila area, but from other locations as well. Arte Suave Manila is also the first

local event to introduce Superﬁghts, which are 10-minute submission-only bouts featuring a mix of up-and-coming and established names both in BJJ an MMA. Previous headliners from the jiujitsu scene include Myron Mangubat, the youngest black belt of Deftac-Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu Philippines. Then, there’s Kaila Napolis, a purple Belt of Checkmat Philippines and a member of the Philippine national team. Pat Jamlang, a brown belt from Origins Jiu-Jitsu is also around, and so is Justin Ceriola, a blue belt from Deftac-Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu Philippines. Ceriola was recently honored with a Siklab Superkids Award by the Philippine Olympic Committee.

IN BRIEF

Business

Meralco sees slightly higher profit this year MANILA Electric Co., the biggest retailer of electricity, sees a “slight improvement” in net income for the full year amid higher sales volumes. “I think we are expecting a slight improvement in our income because volumes for this year are better than last year,” Meralco president Oscar Reyes said when asked about the company’s full-year income forecast. Meralco posted a consolidated core income of P20.2 billion in 2017, up 3 percent from P19.583 billion in 2016, on higher electricity sales on increased demand. Meralco’s consolidated reported net income reached P20.384 billion in 2017, up 6 percent from P19.176 billion in 2016. “Particularly because of the first few months, very strong but the volume started to soften in August. August grew only by half a percent compared to August 2017. In September, growth was 2.5 percent... what used to be a very high September,” Reyes said. Reyes said sales in the first nine months were “slightly better because of the volume.” “Year-to-date volume for the nine months is around four and half (percent). Both volume and income,” he said. Meralco will release its final nine month financial results late this month. Alena Mae S. Flores

PROPERTY MAN OF THE YEAR. Vista Land

& Lifescapes Inc. chairman Manuel Villar (second from left) is conferred the ‘Property Man of the Year’ award by the International Real Estate Federation or FIABCI Philippines. Handing the award to Villar are (from left) FIABCI Philippines chairman emeritus Florentino Dulalia Jr., chairman Reghis Romero II, president Nestor Mangio and vice chairman Domingo De Vera.

SMC to hike output of San Roque plant SAN Miguel Corp. plans to convert the San Roque hydro multipurpose power project in San Miguel, Pangasinan province into pumped hydro to increase its output. San Miguel president Ramon Ang said the company as the independent power producer administrator was also preparing plans as the future owner of the facility. The government still owns the 345-megawatt San Roque hydro project, “We cannot touch that yet because PSALM (Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp.) still owns it but we have started to plan for it. Once we have fully paid PSALM, we can now convert San Roque to pumped hydro and produce 1,200 MW,” Ang said. SMC unit Strategic Power Development Corp. successfully bid for the IPPA contract of the San Roque hydro power plant and received a notice of award on December 28, 2009. SPDC assumed administration of the San Roque Power Plant on January 26, 2010. The San Roque power project is a peaking plant constructed by a consortium composed of Marubeni Corp., Sithe Philippines Holdings Inc. and Italian-Thai Development Public Issuer Ltd. Alena Mae S. Flores

Dominguez: Govt pushing infra plan FINANCE Secretary Carlos Dominguez III assured the nation that the Duterte administration was going ahead with its ambitious “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure program despite the global headwinds threatening the Philippine economy. In a meeting with top executives of Standard Chartered Bank at the sidelines of the Annual Meeting of World Bank Board of Governors in Bali, Indonesia, Dominguez said the challenges include the sharply rising prices of oil in the world market, which is pushing up Philippine inﬂation. Dominguez also expressed concern over the escalating trade dispute between the United States and China, as well as the US Federal Reserve’s “aggressive” stance on monetary policy normalization through interest rate increases. Julito G. Rada

Tugade now eyes solicited bidding on MRT 3 contract T By Darwin G. Amojelar

HE Department of Transportation is now looking at bidding out the rehabilitation, operation, and maintenance contract of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 system.

“I will make it a solicited proposal for the package, including lock, stock and barrel. The package will also include the issue of equity and loans,” Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said, when asked about the update on the unsolicited proposal of Metro Paciﬁc Investments Corp. for MRT 3. “We did not reject [MPIC’s unsolicited bid]. What we said is that we will change [the bidding process] and make it solicited,” Tugade said.

An unsolicited bid is a proposal made by a company to one that is not actively pursuing an offer, while a solicited bid is a result of an open invitation made by one company or organization. An unsolicited bid is subject to Swiss Challenge. The Transportation Department in September 2017 granted the original proponent status to MPIC which submitted the unsolicited bid for the rehabilitation and O&M of MRT 3. MPIC chief ﬁnancial ofﬁcer David Nichols said the company would look into the new bidding procedures. “Well, let’s see. It might be that the bid-out is on the basis of what we submitted. Anyway, that would be subject to a Swiss Challenge,” Nichols said, when sought for comment. The consortium of MPIC and Ayala Corp. earlier submitted an unsolicited proposal to DOTr to upgrade and rehabilitate MRT 3 system for P12.5 billion. The consortium is also looking at

buying out the stake of the government and private investors in MRT 3. The government through Land Bank of the Philippines and the Development Bank of the Philippines own a combined 80-percent economic interest in MRT 3, while the balance is held by creditors of Metro Rail Transit Corp. MPIC in 2011 offered to buy out the shares of Land Bank of the Philippines and Development Bank of the Philippines in MRT 3 for $1.1 billion. MPIC-Ayala Group earlier said it was expecting to take over the O&M of MRT 3 in six months from the submission of its application as the original proponent to the government in July. MPIC also submitted a proposal to the Department of Transportation in 2011 to invest $524 million to rehabilitate and upgrade MRT 3. The Aquino administration, however, rejected Metro Paciﬁc’s offer that would involve raising commuter fares.

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2018

Peza seeking compromise on tax incentives By Othel V. Campos THE Philippine Economic Zone Authority is seeking a compromise with the Senate on the second package of tax reforms, saying it will agree to a higher tax rate on gross income earned by investors as long as they recover their investments faster. Peza director-general Charito Plaza said locators would accept up to 7-percent tax on gross income earned, instead of the current 5 percent, if the government would allow investors to recoup their investments earlier before all tax incentives are phased out under the proposed Tax Reform for Attracting Better and High Quality Opportunities or Trabaho bill. The Trabaho bill aims to remove most corporate tax incentives, such as the six-year income tax holiday enjoyed by foreign and local investors, and replace it with a 20-percent corporate income tax. New Peza locators currently enjoy a six-year income tax holiday and exemption from payment of import duties and taxes on imported machinery and equipment and raw materials. After the lapse of the ITH, these companies just pay a perpetual 5 percent GIE tax. Plaza said a higher GIE tax would be more transparent than corporate income tax. “Whereas with the GIE, it will be seen in the sales invoice that this much is their gross. And 5 percent or 7 percent of their gross will be the share of the government. This is crystal clear without room for corruption,” she said. Plaza encouraged investors to disclose how long they would need to recover their investments so Peza could propose a more ﬂexible term for income tax holiday. She said the agency would also suggest to the Senate the extension of ITH whenever a new product or a pioneering technology was introduced by a company. The agency is currently identifying the kinds of investments that should merit longer or extended ITH. “We should be able to determine the classiﬁcation of these industries, how much will be the ITH, how many years will the ITH end, or will we add ITH if they introduce new innovations. It should be carefully evaluated and studied,” Plaza said.

SteelAsia starts P25-b wire rod mills STEELASIA Manufacturing Corp., the country’s largest steel manufacturer, said it started the construction of two wire rod mills with estimated investments of P25 billion that will contribute to the country’s industrialization goal. The projects will produce a combined 1 million metric tons of wire rods annually that could serve as the platform for the resurgence of the manufacturing industry in the country, the company said. “At present, the Philippines has zero capacity for wire rods. That means we are importing all our wire rod requirements which have reached 800,000 tons a year and climbing. When operational, this import substitu-

tion will save the country around $600 million a year in foreign currency,” said SteelAsia chairman and chief executive Benjamin Yao. Wire rods are used to manufacture various downstream products like machine parts, springs, cables, welding wires and rods, mesh, nuts and bolts, screws and other fasteners, tools, tire-cord and dozens of others. Small and medium enterprises producing these items would develop and thrive as a result of a local wire rod supply, and in turn, link their supply to high value manufacturing such as the automotive and machinery sectors. This steel-based model for industrialization was seen in

the US, Europe, Japan and more recently in South Korea, Taiwan and China, SteelAsia said. Yao said that because of the high cost of imported wire rods, many SME manufacturers that needed wire rods for their products had difﬁculty competing with the imported version of what they produced. “Hence, the Philippines has been importing its nuts and bolts, wires or alambre, nails, welding rods, springs and even paper clips, staple wire and many other wire rod-based products while all these can actually be locally produced if only the Philippines had wire rod manufacturing,” Yao said. Othel V. Campos

Metro Pacific’s subsidiary set to invest $20m to extend Indonesian toll project METRO Pacific Tollways Corp. said it will invest an additional $20 million to extend an existing toll road in Indonesia. MPTC president and chief executive Rodrigo Franco said PT Nusantara was building a project called AP Pettarani elevated toll road to decongest traffic and build connectivity in the easter region of Indonesia. “Were looking at an additional $20 million [investment] for that project,” Franco said. Franco said the project would be an extension of an existing toll road going to the airport in South Sulowesti. MPTC’s unit PT Metro Pacific Tollways Indonesia earlier acquired an additional 22.68-percent stake in PT Nusantara for P2.86 billion. MPTI now owns a total of 77.94 percent of the outstanding capital stock of PT Nu-

santara on a fully diluted basis from 53.26 percent. PT Nusantara’s infrastructure portfolio in Indonesia includes toll roads, ports, energy and water projects. It also holds the concession of Jakarta Outer Ring W1 section of Kebon Jeruk-Penjaringan, BSD Toll road section of Pondok Aren-Serpong, BMN toll road Makassar for Soekarno Hatta SeaportPettarni and JTSE toll road for Tallo-Hasanuddin Airport toll section. PT Nusantara provides services to over 103 million customers, 550,000 households, 103 million vehicles, more than 210 vessels and connecting millions of people through communications. The MPIC Group operates the North Luzon Expressway, Subic-Tarlac Expressway and Manila-Cavite Toll Expressway in the Philippines. Darwin G. Amojelar

RCBC SUPPORTS SOLAR PROJECT. Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. of the Yuchengco Group is the sole lender while RCBC Capital Corp. is the sole loan arranger for the 50-megawatt solar energy project of the AC Energy-AMI Group partnership in Khanh Hoa, Vietnam. This marks the third cross-border financing of the RCBC Group with the Ayala Energy Group in Vietnam. Shown are (standing, from left) RCBC Trust & Investments Group assistant vice president Arsenio Cruz, vice president Ryan Sinaon, RCBC Capital first vice president Claudine del Rosario, RCBC Trust senior vice president Raoul Santos, RCBC first vice president Manuel San Diego, RCBC Capital president and chief executive Jose Luis Gomez, AMI Group director Bolat Duisenov, AC Energy Holdings Inc. international business head Miguel De Jesus, AMI Group director Duong Dinh Tich, AMI JSC chief financial officer Nguyen Mai and AMI director Phan Cam Ly. Seated are (from left) RCBC first senior vice president Elizabeth Coronel and AMI Group general director Nguyen Thang.

Economists expect high inflation to last until 2020 By Julito G. Rada PRIVATE sector economists expect faster inflation rate this year until 2020 on the back of higher oil prices, the impact of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion law on domestic goods and peso depreciation. Results of the latest survey conducted by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas for September 2018 showed that the mean inflation forecast by private sector economists in 2018 rose to 5.3 percent from 4.5 percent in the June 2018 survey. Mean inflation forecasts for 2019 and 2020 also increased to 4.3 percent and 3.9 percent, both from 3.8 percent in the previous survey, respectively. “Analysts noted that risks to inflation in 2018 remain tilted to the upside. Possible upside risks to

inflation are the higher and volatile global oil prices, impact of the implementation of the Train law on the prices of domestic goods, weakening peso and the rise in the prices of food and other commodities due to adverse weather conditions and supply shortage,” the Bangko Sentral said. Other reasons cited that will trigger faster inflation rate are higher utility rates, rise in wages and transport fares, strong domestic demand during the holiday season and due to the upcoming election, delay in the implementation of the government’s mitigating measures against rising inflation, higher government spending on infrastructure, global trade war and higher inflation expectations. The key downside risks to inflation were seen to emanate from fis-

cal policy actions or mitigating measures such as the Rice Tariffication bill, Pantawid Pasada program and unconditional cash transfers, the recent and expectations of further policy rate hikes by the BSP and slower global growth. “Meanwhile, inflation is anticipated to moderate in 2019 and 2020 as the impact of Train tapers off, global oil prices stabilize and the government implements mitigating measures to temper inflation,” the Bangko Sentral said. The peso averaged 53.54 against the US dollar in the third quarter 2018, depreciating by 2.07 percent from the previous quarter’s average of 52.43 per greenback. The local currency’s depreciation during the quarter was due mainly to concerns over the lingering trade war between US and China.

Business

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2018 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market to move sideways—analysts By Jenniffer B. Austria

NALYSTS expect the stock market to continue moving sideways this week as investors look overseas for guidance ahead of the release of third-quarter earnings results. Papa Securities trader Gabriel Jose Perez said the performance of the US markets would continue to inﬂuence the movement of local equities market this week. US markets have been volatile over the past trading weeks due to lingering concerns on the trade war between the US and China and hawkish remarks from the minutes of the US Federal Reserve Board. But with third quarter earnings results expected to start to trickle in, investors

are expected to start taking positions on stocks that will likely report strong earrings in the third and fourth quarters of the year. “Chartwise, the week’s close at 7,151.52 highlights some room for some upticks towards the 7,300 levels in the near-term. However, failure to clear or test 7,300 levels the could signal a retest of the 6900/7000 levels,” BDO Unibank Inc. chief investment strategist Jonathan Ravelas said. The Philippine Stock Exchange Index last week rose 2.1 precent to 7,151.15 while the broader All Shares Index added 1.34 percent to 4,359.65 Except for services index which dipped 0.03 percent, all sectoral indices ended higher, led by mining and oil (+9.6 percent), ﬁnancials (+4.04 percent), property (+2.62 percent), industrials (+2.19 percent), and holding ﬁrms (+1.04 percent).

Foreign investors were net sellers by P1.9 billion while the average daily value traded stood at P4.76 billion. Weekly top price gainers were Nickel Asia Corp., which gained 14.4 percent to P2.74; Semirara Minining and Power Corp., which climbed 13.4 percent to P29.50; and ISM Communications Corp., which it set to become the listed holding company of businessman Dennis Uy, which advanced 9.9 percent to P3.21. Weekly top losers, meanwhile, were San Miguel Food and Beverage Inc., which declined 5.9 percent after the company reduced the size of its share sale; San Miguel Corp., fell 5.4 percent to P158; and Robinsons Retail Holdings Inc., which declined 4.4 percent to P76.50. Meanwhile, an early rally on Wall Street ﬁzzled Friday as global bourses ﬁnished mixed amid a range of worries that included Italy’s messy budget dispute with Brussels and slowing Chinese growth.

US stocks opened strongly following good earnings reports from Procter & Gamble, American Express and others, but the market lost steam at midday. All three major indices had slumped more than one percent on Thursday. “In a week when developments seem more mixed than bearish, markets are struggling to stabilize from an earlyOctober shock that began in Bonds and ended in Equities,” JPMorgan Chase said in a research note. The analysts said earnings would be a positive catalyst for stocks over the next two or three weeks, but warned of a medium-term hit after the period of “peak” earnings growth ends. The Nasdaq was the worst performing of the three major indices, ending down 0.5 percent at 7,449.03, following a session in which it swung more than 150 points. The S&P 500 ﬁnished with a small loss, while the Dow edged higher.

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS WEEKLY STOCKS REVIEW STOCKS

OCTOBER 15-19, 2018 Close Volume

Value

Asia United Bank Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. Bank of PI BDO Leasing & Fin. INc. Bright Kindle Resources China Bank COL Financial Eastwest Bank Ferronoux Holding Filipino Fund Inc. First Abacus I-Remit Inc. Manulife Fin. Corp. MEDCO Holdings Metrobank Natl. Reinsurance Corp. PB Bank Phil Bank of Comm Phil. National Bank Phil. Savings Bank Philippine trust Co. PSE Inc. RCBC `A’ Security Bank Sun Life Financial Union Bank Vantage Equities

59.45 119.80 82.95 2.27 1.44 28.5 15.7 11.4 4.1 7.81 0.6 1.69 786.00 0.485 66.05 0.93 11.1 19.55 41.40 78.4 102.4 189.9 28.3 152.5 1820.00 66.40 1.18

213,340 8,521,100 6,610,420 280,000 26,000 1,887,500 30,100 6,748,700 235,000 18,900 100,000 50,000 1,520 490,000 8,668,870 1,000,000 18,500 66,300 275,400 8,800 70 600 148,200 6,073,050 460 98,970 36,000

FINANCIAL 12,581,476.50 979,093,799.00 543,911,579.00 636,640.00 34,800.00 53,920,440.00 469,866.00 78,257,432.00 949,420.00 139,835.00 60,060.00 79,280.00 1,209,505.00 220,450.00 578,808,584.00 855,990.00 209,246.00 1,278,940.00 11,257,080.00 650,456.50 7,168.00 111,979.00 4,133,810.00 900,974,033.00 839,130.00 6,528,829.50 42,370.00

Aboitiz Power Corp. Agrinurture Inc. Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. Alsons Cement Corp. Alsons Cons. Asiabest Group Basic Energy Corp. Bogo Medelin C. Azuc De Tarlac Cemex Holdings Century Food Chemphil Cirtek Holdings (Chips) Concepcion Crown Asia Del Monte DNL Industries Inc. Eagle Cement EEI Emperador Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) Euro-Med Lab First Gen Corp. First Holdings ‘A’ Ginebra San Miguel Inc. Holcim Philippines Inc. Integ. Micro-Electronics Ionics Inc Jollibee Foods Corp. Liberty Flour LMG Chemicals Mabuhay Vinyl Manila Water Co. Inc. Maxs Group Megawide MG Holdings Mla. Elect. Co `A’ Panasonic Mfg Phil. Corp. Pepsi-Cola Products Phil. Petroenergy Res. Corp. Petron Corporation Phil H2O Phinma Corporation Phinma Energy Phoenix Petroleum Phils. Pilipinas Shell Pryce Corp. `A’ RFM Corporation Roxas and Co. Roxas Holdings SFA Semicon Shakeys Pizza Sime Darby SMC Food and Beverage SPC Power Corp. Swift Foods, Inc. TKC Steel Corp. Universal Robina Victorias Milling Vitarich Corp. Vivant Corp. Vulcan Ind’l.

35.15 18.1 0.96 1.27 1.3 26.4 0.218 100 16.80 2.22 13.48 190 36.95 39.45 1.6 7 10.800 14.76 8.00 7.00 7.27 1.5 15.9 65 25.90 6.40 11.9 1.700 265.00 59.00 4.79 3.38 25.8 10.9 16.98 0.175 346.80 6.39 1.65 4.15 8.25 4.97 9.00 0.97 10.80 50.65 5.85 4.80 2.32 2.86 1.57 11.4 85.5 84.15 5.19 0.122 0.90 145.9 2.41 1.65 19.98 2.60

12,133,600 3,778,100 23,109,000 177,000 578,000 191,800 1,520,000 90 43,500 65,210,000 6,464,800 210 3,773,800 42,200 1,166,000 38,400 26,130,100 33,400 997,800 1,907,500 9,845,200 25,000 4,086,700 256,640 9,900 190,100 2,259,700 2,724,000 2,381,380 830 110,000 5,000 5,881,600 755,500 34,047,000 2,070,000 1,367,990 8,900 1,935,000 104,000 7,819,400 474,000 186,600 2,160,000 243,200 1,707,490 168,200 144,000 1,962,000 39,000 482,000 622,700 977,140 5,116,180 812,200 70,000 393,000 8,602,620 200,000 6,895,000 400 254,371,000

INDUSTRIAL 419,223,625.00 68,501,398.00 21,857,860.00 225,000.00 743,380.00 5,010,850.00 329,310.00 9,000.00 710,118.00 144,615,840.00 86,821,600.00 39,900.00 137,246,005.00 1,538,135.00 1,893,520.00 267,950.00 276,309,892.00 497,318.00 7,903,774.00 13,353,777.00 70,553,809.00 38,030.00 64,079,766.00 16,489,874.00 252,180.00 1,119,736.00 26,745,310.00 4,686,090.00 610,685,834.00 40,019.00 527,690.00 15,660.00 151,852,240.00 8,230,166.00 565,029,348.00 365,950.00 478,780,828.00 52,857.00 3,232,100.00 423,140.00 64,747,274.00 2,237,620.00 1,674,265.00 2,058,700.00 2,591,680.00 89,403,388.00 958,810.00 692,030.00 4,007,807.00 110,480.00 737,680.00 7,062,148.00 82,863,849.50 437,800,169.50 4,226,390.00 8,540.00 349,270.00 1,243,860,102.00 482,000.00 11,754,020.00 8,133.00 644,706,320.00

Abacus Cons. À’ Aboitiz Equity Alliance Global Inc. Anglo Holdings A Anscor À’ ATN Holdings A ATN Holdings B Ayala Corp À’ Cosco Capital DMCI Holdings F&J Prince ‘A’ F&J Prince ‘B’ Filinvest Dev. Corp. Forum Pacific GT Capital House of Inv. JG Summit Holdings Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp. Lopez Holdings Corp. LT Group Mabuhay Holdings À’ Metro Pacific Inv. Corp. Pacifica À’ Prime Media Hldg Prime Orion San Miguel Corp À’ SM Investments Inc. Solid Group Inc. South China Res. Inc. Top Frontier Wellex Industries Zeus Holdings

0.480 47.80 11.90 0.88 6.15 1.170 1.190 910 6.7 12.34 5.63 5 7.10 0.205 728.5 5.95 48.00 0.53 4.44 13.28 0.530 4.95 0.0370 1.200 2.410 158.00 865.00 1.40 0.81 277.000 0.2310 0.210

HOLDING FIRMS 189,280,000 86,332,000.00 7,691,400 354,398,955.00 20,181,500 237,432,786.00 13,000 10,560.00 96,500 592,471.00 24,347,000 29,034,120.00 11,145,000 13,310,300.00 575,300 519,847,030.00 19,961,600 127,583,258.00 20,306,200 247,529,792.00 300 1,538.00 12,000 58,250.00 5,297,500 37,985,493.00 1,700,000 347,060.00 538,160 388,928,575.00 6,600 39,182.00 7,643,800 1,005,417,050.00 1,692,000 901,670.00 883,000 3,889,600.00 27,875,500 372,334,526.00 2,065,000 1,084,170.00 64,719,800 318,845,062.00 35,500,000 1,297,700.00 82,000 96,090.00 1,834,000 4,293,780.00 1,023,050 165,690,389.00 1,258,520 1,076,715,880.00 171,000 234,790.00 224,000 179,380.00 9,700 2,669,524.00 20,780,000 4,954,460.00 650,000 130,570.00

8990 HLDG A. Brown Co., Inc. Anchor Land Holdings Inc. Araneta Prop À’ Arthaland Corp. Ayala Land `B’ Belle Corp. À’ CEB Landmasters Cebu Holdings Century Property City & Land Dev. Cityland Dev. À’ Crown Equities Inc. Cyber Bay Corp. DM Wenceslao Double Dragon Edsa Prop. Hldgs. Empire East Land Ever Gotesco Filinvest Land,Inc. Global-Estate Interport À’ Megaworld MRC Allied Ind. Phil. Estates Corp. Phil. Realty À’ Phil. Tob. Flue Cur & Redry

7.100 0.78 11.00 1.940 0.640 40.900 2.38 4.39 5.35 0.420 0.92 0.920 0.210 0.390 7.990 20.15 0.53 0.530 0.105 1.43 1.08 2.30 4.4 0.610 0.4150 0.430 38.95

2,590,900 4,744,000 1,100 490,000 4,749,000 33,855,100 3,649,000 1,094,000 232,400 9,190,000 370,000 117,000 4,780,000 90,000 1,898,200 2,687,400 19,000 1,314,000 30,000 51,168,000 2,581,000 74,650,000 72,926,000 115,836,000 1,340,000 900,000 800

PROPERTY 18,156,354.00 3,603,800.00 12,200.00 958,910.00 2,964,250.00 978,417,220.00 8,475,580.00 4,753,920.00 1,239,874.00 3,847,650.00 337,340.00 104,530.00 1,022,980.00 34,750.00 15,044,104.00 51,513,806.00 10,070.00 697,840.00 3,150.00 69,675,760.00 2,741,860.00 169,520,390.00 316,854,770.00 70,106,150.00 556,050.00 372,450.00 31,360.00

OCTOBER 8-12, 2018 Close Volume Value 58 110.00 81.20 2.50 1.30 29.1 15.8 11.56 4 8.59

78,650 14,591,220 5,217,140 38,000 279,000 954,100 20,100 5,556,500 337,000 1,200

4,582,454.50 1,610,239,776.00 426,277,414.50 95,790.00 373,150.00 27,212,115.00 316,088.00 64,503,342.00 1,358,460.00 10,164.00

1.62 829.50 0.490 66 0.87 11.6 23.80 42.10 72.6 102 186 28 140.9 1820.00 66.00 1.17

130,000 1,340 2,762,000 9,004,730 2,512,000 33,700 200 164,900 6,850 1,890 3,370 4,754,200 5,818,920 665 220,680 426,000

211,180.00 1,077,370.00 1,329,070.00 592,472,791.50 2,227,640.00 388,648.00 4,850.00 6,995,720.00 513,447.50 193,518.00 626,070.00 133,471,210.00 811,087,620.00 1,229,295.00 14,538,484.00 498,420.00

34 17.9 0.9

13,000,900 3,252,500 43,890,000

427,234,815.00 58,278,782.00 39,899,340.00

1.27 25.65 0.214 90.2 17.66 2.1 13.38 190 34 37.2 1.69 7.07 10.380 14.64 8.05 7.01 7.09 1.51 15.6 63.85 25.05 5.85 11.7 1.700 262.00 44.95 4.8 3.4 25.2 10.9 15.6 0.183 351.80 6.00 1.64 4.10 8.57 4.4 8.60 0.94 10.84 53.8 6 4.70 2.18 2.8 1.52 11

2,144,000 247,000 15,960,000 80 19,800 41,279,000 6,776,600 20 1,832,100 1,864,800 147,000 36,000 13,068,900 1,032,200 792,700 6,645,700 29,602,500 25,000 3,040,700 1,028,250 68,900 1,053,400 3,079,400 3,600,000 3,664,000 1,300 104,000 32,000 3,868,500 447,000 36,304,500 2,130,000 822,280 1,000 430,000 177,000 1,906,100 426,000 102,700 1,736,000 202,800 1,290,040 1,800 9,142,000 1,870,000 40,000 1,206,000 1,462,000

2,667,990.00 6,328,715.00 3,346,340.00 7,241.00 344,624.00 85,754,670.00 91,173,718.00 3,800.00 63,048,975.00 69,932,755.00 250,110.00 250,237.00 133,848,796.00 15,454,188.00 6,364,651.00 46,538,988.00 209,759,197.00 42,880.00 48,023,094.00 66,251,318.50 1,728,020.00 6,510,880.00 36,747,558.00 6,111,880.00 917,455,704.00 53,650.00 499,380.00 106,460.00 99,638,140.00 4,895,066.00 534,770,394.00 373,270.00 288,289,578.00 6,000.00 707,050.00 719,070.00 16,081,864.00 1,901,270.00 902,752.00 1,650,910.00 2,157,314.00 48,016,526.50 10,705.00 44,245,400.00 4,160,660.00 112,370.00 1,792,740.00 16,152,864.00

89.5 5.2 0.122 0.90 137 2.41 1.73

6,554,300 1,269,000 2,450,000 1,045,000 5,118,060 173,000 14,959,000

571,530,480.00 6,602,890.00 298,930.00 924,300.00 675,985,890.00 419,570.00 25,767,020.00

2.12

23,149,000

48,004,730.00

0.410 46.05 11.72 0.80 6.11 1.160 1.170 900 6 12.00 5.71

88,270,000 7,124,300 19,374,600 72,000 108,700 39,612,000 12,799,900 928,100 17,998,100 13,180,300 600

37,212,450.00 327,783,790.00 226,376,458.00 61,780.00 664,568.00 45,810,060.00 16,864,820.00 833,196,440.00 107,719,431.00 157,888,548.00 3,447.00

7.15 0.202 700 5.81 45.50 0.55 4.52 13.42 0.520 4.94 0.0380 1.220 2.250 167.00 871.50 1.35 0.85 268.000 0.2220 0.196

13,690,600 320,000 768,070 2,900 8,699,800 1,307,000 441,000 30,462,800 14,810,000 78,703,200 45,500,000 209,000 3,245,000 2,193,040 1,199,910 217,000 289,000 43,720 13,510,000 510,000

97,345,577.00 63,750.00 536,474,835.00 16,844.00 405,500,365.00 728,030.00 1,948,520.00 404,821,358.00 8,093,980.00 391,381,884.00 1,692,100.00 243,810.00 7,438,720.00 364,276,095.00 1,036,049,805.00 295,030.00 244,250.00 11,890,510.00 3,129,310.00 99,970.00

7.050 0.75 11.98 1.950 0.600 39.300 2.33 4.36 5.2 0.420 0.90 0.920 0.218 0.400 7.650 1794

506,900 15,879,000 18,700 118,000 4,246,000 39,675,000 5,713,000 855,000 89,800 55,420,000 252,000 642,000 8,870,000 120,000 1,959,000 2,171,600

3,618,293.00 11,786,420.00 201,082.00 232,240.00 2,562,910.00 1,544,210,050.00 13,466,440.00 3,708,130.00 465,176.00 23,241,450.00 229,400.00 580,540.00 1,900,770.00 48,000.00 15,505,275.00 40,572,016.00

0.540 0.103 1.43 0.96 2.39 4.13 0.610 0.4100 0.405 31.00

658,000 920,000 22,355,000 10,063,000 79,777,000 63,403,000 450,187,000 3,823,000 3,000,000 53,400

365,240.00 95,370.00 31,986,890.00 10,458,170.00 194,313,670.00 260,895,960.00 261,133,600.00 1,765,400.00 1,222,750.00 1,673,300.00

STOCKS

OCTOBER 15-19, 2018 Close Volume

OCTOBER 8-12, 2018 Close Volume Value

Value

Primex Corp. Robinson’s Land `B’ Rockwell Shang Properties Inc. SM Prime Holdings Sta. Lucia Land Inc. Starmalls Suntrust Home Dev. Inc. Vista Land & Lifescapes

3.19 21.45 1.94 3.12 34.50 1.12 6 0.750 5.410

13,372,000 6,916,300 142,000 423,000 37,592,800 2,405,000 668,000 15,000 37,196,600

43,961,730.00 141,317,233.00 272,880.00 1,299,610.00 1,276,558,785.00 2,662,130.00 4,022,120.00 11,270.00 203,323,595.00

2GO Group’ ABS-CBN Acesite Hotel APC Group, Inc. Apollo Global Asian Terminals Inc. Berjaya Phils. Inc. Bloomberry Boulevard Holdings Cebu Air Inc. (5J) Chelsea DFNN Inc. Discovery World Easy Call “Common” FEUI Globe Telecom GMA Network Inc. Golden Haven Harbor Star I.C.T.S.I. Imperial Res. À’ IPeople Inc. À’ IPM Holdings Island Info ISM Communications Jackstones LBC Express Leisure & Resorts Lorenzo Shipping Macroasia Corp. Manila Broadcasting Manila Bulletin Manila Jockey Melco Crown Metro Retail MetroAlliance A NOW Corp. Pacific Online Sys. Corp. PAL Holdings Inc. Paxys Inc. Phil. Racing Club Phil. Seven Corp. Philweb.Com Inc. PLDT Common PremiereHorizon Premium Leisure Puregold Robinsons RTL SBS Phil. Corp. SSI Group STI Holdings Transpacific Broadcast Travellers Waterfront Phils. Wilcon Depot

11.28 21.3 1.37 0.435 0.041 13.48 1.69 8.74 0.0560 66 5.67 8.00 2.19 14.12 900 1915 5.18 310.00 2.63 95 2.00 12.38 7.80 0.110 3.2100 3.04 14.8 3.60 0.85 18.22 15.10 0.410 5.1 7.11 2.22 1.39 5.290 10.56 8.38 3.14 8.5 1119.00 3.58 1430.00 0.355 0.840 40.40 76.50 6.72 2.63 0.790 0.54 5.21 0.590 11.200

450,800 119,200 62,000 6,780,000 24,600,000 1,240,900 17,439,000 17,620,200 4,920,000 725,425 17,360,100 24,600 11,000 626,900 80 336,410 655,200 15,250 8,130,000 8,198,330 4,000 6,300 23,000 5,860,000 37,457,000 67,000 1,000 2,019,000 726,000 4,151,700 300 50,000 282,900 17,559,900 8,350,000 262,000 45,625,800 142,100 16,800 2,000 4,000 3,351,570 1,597,000 187,500 2,430,000 13,380,000 4,965,500 3,922,730 228,600 88,415,000 29,111,000 110,060,000 6,807,400 7,408,000 15,434,700

Abra Mining Apex À’ Atlas Cons. À’ Atok-Big Wedge À’ Benguet Corp À’ Benguet Corp `B’ Century Peak Metals Hldgs Coal Asia Dizon Ferronickel Geograce Res. Phil. Inc. Lepanto À’ Lepanto `B’ Manila Mining À’ Marcventures Hldgs., Inc. Nickelasia Nihao Mineral Resources Omico Oriental Peninsula Res. Oriental Pet. À’ Oriental Pet. `B’ Philex À’ PhilexPetroleum Philodrill Corp. À’ Phinma Petro Semirara Corp. United Paragon

0.0023 1.59 2.61 15.06 1.2200 1.4900 1.9 0.305 7.28 1.810 0.212 0.110 0.112 0.008 1.31 2.74 1.07 0.6100 1.0500 0.0130 0.0130 3.22 16.06 0.0120 4.2000 29.50 0.0070

MINING & OIL 1,725,000,000 3,917,000.00 24,047,000 37,534,320.00 946,000 2,493,130.00 44,400 717,940.00 335,000 448,170.00 249,000 334,630.00 1,788,000 3,430,270.00 260,000 78,700.00 159,700 1,176,097.00 1,926,000 3,496,780.00 1,920,000 403,500.00 3,660,000 404,760.00 510,000 56,030.00 32,000,000 238,500.00 230,000 297,910.00 12,950,000 42,429,470.00 158,000 160,970.00 764,000 469,000.00 3,449,000 3,524,100.00 89,400,000 1,170,400.00 9,700,000 126,100.00 7,073,000 22,784,630.00 13,347,400 216,495,972.00 89,200,000 1,094,300.00 1,708,000 7,067,290.00 15,178,900 426,540,210.00 14,000,000 89,800.00

ABS-CBN Holdings Corp. Alco Preferred B Ayala Corp. Pref `B1’ Ayala Corp. Pref ‘B2’ DD PREF First Gen G GLOBE PREF P GMA Holdings Inc. GTCAP PREF A GTCAP PREF B House Preferred Leisure and Resort MWIDE PREF PCOR-Preferred B PNX PREF 3A SMC FB PREF 2 SMC Preferred B SMC Preferred C SMC Preferred D SMC Preferred E SMC Preferred F SMC Preferred G SMC Preferred H SMC Preferred I

21 100.3 460 495 97.7 100.8 482.2 4.95 886.5 881.5 96.05 1.02 100 1019 100.1 1000 76 77 74.7 75 75.2 75 74.9 74.7

214,500 12,000 16,550 100,240 107,320 81,180 103,650 404,500 13,430 980 5,350 187,000 49,930 20 460 8,655 2,020 24,990 89,340 55,060 60,050 4,050 21,650 57,200

LR Warrant

2.450

WARRANTS & BONDS 1,131,000 2,757,840.00

SERVICES 4,908,373.00 2,512,295.00 87,240.00 2,992,550.00 948,400.00 16,132,688.00 29,904,680.00 152,455,836.00 276,220.00 49,513,857.00 92,377,664.00 183,090.00 24,090.00 9,571,406.00 71,490.00 675,866,430.00 3,358,001.00 4,681,530.00 20,882,620.00 767,990,177.00 8,000.00 73,520.00 178,800.00 635,090.00 115,270,300.00 197,390.00 14,412.00 7,125,910.00 620,030.00 72,629,592.00 4,514.00 20,500.00 1,459,759.00 123,830,370.00 19,037,800.00 364,540.00 265,161,086.00 1,558,692.00 137,876.00 6,190.00 34,000.00 352,513,145.00 5,755,990.00 306,436,050.00 845,100.00 11,223,130.00 203,564,720.00 300,275,702.00 1,634,883.00 232,681,470.00 23,065,580.00 57,118,005.00 35,598,651.00 4,369,380.00 169,109,004.00

PREFERRED 4,449,520.00 1,203,828.00 7,692,300.00 49,619,420.00 10,513,976.00 8,259,202.00 49,979,320.00 2,019,235.00 11,905,450.00 885,610.00 518,142.50 190,640.00 5,041,568.00 20,240.00 46,042.00 4,154,475.00 152,417.00 1,930,429.50 6,681,439.50 4,129,500.00 4,497,774.00 303,200.00 1,622,600.00 4,238,363.00

SME 62,740.00 20,266,180.00 9,495,150.00

3.56 19.90 1.93 3.15 34.20 1.14 5.69 0.770 5.700

5,785,000 8,720,200 1,552,000 232,000 38,849,700 3,859,000 1,884,900 565,000 15,564,300

21,463,300.00 172,387,612.00 3,029,710.00 726,720.00 1,319,092,000.00 4,285,590.00 11,031,591.00 423,780.00 90,466,026.00

9.6 20.25 1.36 0.435 0.040 13.86 1.57 8.40 0.0570 67 4.82 8.95 2.23 14.12 890 2100 5.08 310.00 2.59 93.05 2.00 11.6 7.65 0.114 2.9200 3.14 14.2 3.50 0.88 17.04 15.00

103,700 116,300 61,000 12,970,000 17,300,000 1,000 21,901,000 30,529,800 69,460,000 793,440 15,708,700 300 15,000 1,326,900 730 433,515 931,700 15,820 8,220,000 5,487,330 6,000 46,800 43,100 8,470,000 28,796,000 88,000 7,300 3,504,000 316,000 5,990,800 400

1,029,376.00 2,377,440.00 84,010.00 5,765,700.00 674,800.00 13,860.00 36,220,210.00 252,758,344.00 3,968,130.00 52,595,477.00 60,611,037.00 2,689.00 33,450.00 20,639,435.00 652,450.00 964,356,860.00 4,797,856.00 4,840,870.00 21,596,790.00 514,132,834.50 12,390.00 548,228.00 329,365.00 953,470.00 77,131,920.00 267,840.00 105,852.00 12,331,330.00 283,900.00 102,545,112.00 6,000.00

5.2 6.99 2.18 1.44 5.610 11 7.55 3.01 8.8 106.00 3.69 1400.00 0.350 0.820 43.00 80.00 7.00 2.62 0.740 0.51 5.2 0.610 10.860

688,300 25,347,200 4,416,000 173,000 119,937,200 83,000 11,200 74,000 2,000 658,570 8,496,000 399,410 7,170,000 23,863,000 4,058,000 2,758,500 289,100 107,686,000 29,889,000 172,913,000 18,883,500 7,680,000 7,985,900

3,622,076.00 178,015,213.00 9,736,070.00 242,880.00 660,496,227.00 912,502.00 90,105.00 225,790.00 17,600.00 68,676,557.00 29,979,350.00 559,116,325.00 2,462,400.00 20,047,420.00 170,321,110.00 212,305,250.00 2,041,135.00 268,084,840.00 22,076,980.00 88,430,395.00 97,999,409.00 4,731,310.00 88,076,596.00

0.0025 1.46 2.69 16.00 1.0100

1,738,200,000 9,698,000 831,000 49,700 74,000

5,161,100.00 14,136,330.00 2,303,570.00 791,724.00 74,010.00

1.93 0.300 7.09 1.830 0.206 0.107 0.111 0.007 1.28 4.31 1.05 0.6200 0.9700 0.0130 0.0130 3.25 15.20 0.0120 3.5900 26.00 0.0068

4,765,000 683,200 64,800 8,491,000 1,750,000 2,160,000 1,340,000 12,000,000 132,000 3,427,000 730,000 3,722,800 6,509,000 101,900,000 4,400,000 4,062,000 11,318,600 67,500,000 449,000 8,983,200 38,000,000

9,053,050.00 223,268.00 456,958.00 15,385,610.00 351,850.00 233,690.00 146,850.00 84,900.00 156,930.00 14,853,410.00 727,010.00 2,657,860.00 6,453,020.00 1,327,300.00 57,000.00 13,274,610.00 174,357,836.00 795,100.00 1,579,050.00 224,549,715.00 252,700.00

20.2 100.4 475 498 98.9 101 489 4.93 963.5 945 95.55 1.02 100 1037 100 1000 75.5 77.5 74.85 75 75.2 75 74.9 74.7

665,000 10,300 7,410 1,130 216,340 71,150 9,070 471,100 350 1,490 11,150 617,000 24,000 15 30,090 14,460 83,750 52,910 99,820 86,630 234,070 50,330 76,880 176,710

13,167,034.00 1,032,140.00 3,529,580.00 553,590.00 21,499,295.00 7,204,075.00 4,434,750.00 2,370,918.00 319,745.00 1,363,500.00 1,064,044.50 634,540.00 2,398,396.00 15,575.00 3,009,261.00 14,410,132.50 6,283,672.00 4,069,132.00 7,326,343.00 6,456,034.50 17,556,223.50 3,763,163.50 5,743,330.00 13,184,130.00

2.340

718,000

1,689,320.00

4.63 1.93

6,187,500 8,198,000

29,154,986.00 16,229,360.00

Makati Fin. Corp. Italpinas Xurpas

2.92 4.95 1.91

23,000 4,085,000 4,853,000

First Metro ETF

107.4

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 52,970 5,601,810.00

105.1

140,180

14,713,180.00

10 10 1.01

DOLLAR DENONIMATED SEC. 1,010 10,100.00 27,870 278,096.00 1,360 1,373.60

10 10

16,850 36,190

168,716.00 352,893.00

USD DMPL A1 USD DMPL A2 USD TECH B2

WEEKLY MOST TRADED STOCKS Abra Mining Vulcan Ind’l. Abacus Cons. À’ MRC Allied Ind. Transpacific Broadcast Oriental Pet. À’ Philodrill Corp. À’ SSI Group Interport À’ Megaworld

VOLUME 1,725,000,000 254,371,000 189,280,000 115,836,000 110,060,000 89,400,000 89,200,000 88,415,000 74,650,000 72,926,000

STOCKS SM Prime Holdings Universal Robina SM Investments Inc. JG Summit Holdings Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. Ayala Land `B’ Security Bank I.C.T.S.I. Globe Telecom Vulcan Ind’l.

VALUE 1,276,558,785.00 1,243,860,102.00 1,076,715,880.00 1,005,417,050.00 979,093,799.00 978,417,220.00 900,974,033.00 767,990,177.00 675,866,430.00 644,706,320.00

PSE set to top capital raising goal of P200b THE Philippine Stock Exchange expects capital raising from the equities market to surpass the P200-billion target this year despite the current volatility. PSE chief operating officer Roel Refran said in an interview capital raised from the local bourse reached P181.6 billion as of end Oct 18, up 13 percent from P160 billion recorded year-on-year. Capital raised through the stock market includes initial public offerings, follow-on offerings, stock rights offering and sale of preferred shares. “On a five-year average, we are higher in terms of amount of capital being raised driven mostly by banking sector because of their rights offering,” Refran said. “We see this a good trend in terms of people seeing good valuations may also be prime for them to equip their shareholder with additional capital base with the rights offering,” he added. Two of the country’s largest banks—Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co. and Bank of the Philippine Islands—conducted rights offering at the start of the year to raise a combined P110 billion in fresh capital. With several deals still in the pipeline including the planned P49.6-billion follow-on offering of San Miguel Food and Beverage Inc. slated next month, the PSE will likely exceed the P200-billion target it set at the start of the year and may even surpass the record P219 billion achieved in 2012. Refran conceded that the liquidity in the stock was on a decline as average daily value traded dropped significantly from P8 billion in 2017 to less than P7 billion this year, after foreign funds exited emerging markets, including the Philippines. Sun Life Financial Philippines chief investment officer Michael Enriquez in a recent forum said the local stock market had been leaving the market and were struggling to get out of the Philippines because of the the lack of liquidity. “That is why we continue to see foreign selling. I think that is not really new funds coming out but programmed selling which takes a long time for them to execute their orders because the Philippine equities market is not deep enough,” Enriquez said. Jenniffer B. Austria

Megaworld bares residential project in General Trias MEGAWORLD Corp., a leading township developer, is launching its first residential development within the 140-hectare Maple Grove township in General Trias, Cavite, which is expected to generate P700 million in sales. Megaworld said in a statement the 10-story The Verdin at Maple Grove would offer 140 residential units ranging from studio of up to 32 square meters, one-bedroom of up to 51 square meters, and two-bedroom of up to 79 square meters. It will also have two levels of podium parking and a retail row at the ground level, providing convenient access to residents. “Maple Grove will become a sanctuary of urban countryside and sustainable lifestyle. A huge part of the masterplan will be Makati-inspired where green parks and interconnected streets are surrounded by malls, office buildings and residential towers. The Verdin at Maple Grove will be at the center of it all,” said Megaworld vice president for sales and marketing Rachelle Peñaflorida. Located along the township’s main six-lane avenue, the residential tower will be highlighted by its own ‘Sustainability Wall’ in the main lobby, solar-powered outlets in various parts of the outdoor amenity deck, use of recycled and indigenous materials for the pool deck and children’s playground equipment, and the use of energy-generating equipment and machines in the outdoor fitness area. The project is set to be completed in 2023 Megaworld last year announced it was building a 35-hectare ‘Makatiinspired’ business district within the 140-hectare township, offering 363 ‘prime lots,’ where companies and businesses can construct their own buildings and towers. The Maple Grove Commercial District to date is almost sold out. It will be surrounded by seven green and open parks, including an expansive ‘Central Park’ that will serve as the district’s ‘green jewel.’ Jenniffer B. Austria

Business/World

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2018 CESAR BARRIOQUINTO, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Skepticism growing over story of journalist’s death D UBAI―Saudi Arabia faced a growing chorus of incredulity Sunday over its belated explanation of how critic Jamal Khashoggi died inside its Istanbul consulate, as the world powers demanded answers and the whereabouts of his body.

After a fortnight of denials, Saudi authorities admitted on Saturday that the Washington Post columnist was killed after entering the consulate on October 2, a disappearance that sparked outrage and plunged the Gulf kingdom into a spiraling international crisis. Turkish ofﬁcials have accused Riyadh of carrying out a state-sponsored killing and dismembering the body, with pro-government media in Turkey reporting the existence of video and audio evidence to back those claims.

Police have searched a forest in Istanbul where they believe his body may have been disposed of. After initially saying Khashoggi left the consulate unharmed, and then that they were investigating his disappearance, Saudi authorities backtracked and admitted the 60-year-old was killed in a “brawl” with ofﬁcials inside the consulate. But that narrative-combined with the absence of Khashoggi’s body-quickly drew skepticism and scorn from many, including staunch allies. Ankara vowed to reveal all the details of its own inquiry as US President Donald Trump said he was unsatisﬁed with Saudi Arabia’s response to the columnist’s death while the EU, Germany, France, Britain, Australia, Canada and the UN also demanded greater clarity. The controversy has put the kingdom―for decades a key ally in Western efforts to contain Iran―under unprecedented pressure. It has also evolved into a major crisis for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a Trump administration favorite widely known as MBS, whose image as a modernizing

Arab reformer has been gravely undermined. Canada is among the latest countries to question Riyadh’s version of events. “The explanations offered to date lack consistency and credibility,” Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said in a statement Saturday. Senior Republican Senator Marco Rubio was more stark in his assessment. “Saudi Arabia’s changing stories on #KhashoggiMurder is getting old. The latest one about a fist fight gone bad is bizarre,” he tweeted, renewing his call for sanctions against those responsible. Ankara said it had a “debt of honour” to reveal what happened. “We are not accusing anyone in advance but we don’t accept anything to remain covered (up),” said ruling Justice and Development Party spokesman Omer Celik. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said many questions remained unanswered while German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged transparency, adding that “available reports on what happened in the Istanbul consulate are insufficient.” AFP

IN BRIEF Caravan women, children allowed in CIUDAD HIDALGO-Mexican authorities allowed dozens of women and children from a US-bound Honduran migrant caravan to enter the country Saturday but thousands remain stranded on a border bridge between Guatemala and Mexico where riot police barred their progress. Mexico’s ambassador to Guatemala Luis Manuel Lopez told AFP the women and children would be processed by immigration authorities and taken to a shelter in the city of Tapachula, 40 kilometers away. Mexican authorities said around 900 other migrants―tired of waiting on the bridge―resorted to crossing the Suchiate River below on makeshift rafts and police did not intervene as they clambered up the muddy riverbank on the Mexican side. Many of them had spent more than 24 hours on the packed bridge where heat and hunger was adding to a growing sense of despair. Efforts to retrieve them were ongoing, authorities said. US President Donald Trump, speaking at a rally in Elko, Nevada, kept up his rhetoric against the migrants and suggested the caravan was politically motivated. AFP

FASHION SHOW.

Amanda Booth with Cecilia McGarrity walk the runway at the Global Down Syndrome Foundation 10th anniversary fashion show at Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel on October 20, 2018, in Denver, Colorado. Tom Cooper, AFP

Rice farmers face an uncertain future KAZO, Japan―A crop once deemed so important it served as a form of currency, Japanese rice has fallen out of favor with younger, westernized consumers, in a shift that has left aging farmers struggling for survival. Rice consumption has nearly halved over the past 50 years, and as the older generation of farmers and consumers dies out, some fear the industry will be unable to hold its own in a competitive global market. Kazuo Ogura, a 66-year-old farmer, is one of the lucky ones. His son Yuichi decided to follow him into the family business. Ogura senior looks on proudly as his 38-year-old son uses a specially designed machine to plant this year’s harvest, splashing through golden paddy ﬁelds that stretch as far as the eye can see. Surviving in this tough environment is all about “producing quality food at a reasonable price” and harnessing economies provided by large-scale production, Ogura told AFP. AFP

Hundreds of Afghan polling centers open KABUL―Hundreds of Afghan polling centers opened Sunday for a second day of voting in a chaotic legislative election marred by deadly violence and technical glitches that have eroded its credibility. Around three million people defied the threat of militant attacks to cast their ballot in the long-delayed poll on Saturday, official figures showed, but many polling sites opened several hours late or not at all. The Independent Election Commission (IEC), which has been lambasted for its chaotic organization of the vote that is more three years late, said 401 polling centers would open Sunday until 5:00 pm (1230 GMT). “There was disorder, slowness, shortcomings and mismanagement by the IEC,” said Ali Reza Rohani, a spokesman for the Electoral Complaints Commission. A Western official said the ballot was a “victory for the Afghan people who were not deterred” by the biometric machines, administrative incompetence and Taliban threats. Nearly 170 people―civilians and security forces-swere killed or wounded in scores of election-related attacks across the country, official figures showed. AFP

Embracing our blindness A FABLE tells the stoembracing our blindry about six blind men ness means having and how they tried to the values of humility PATRICK make sense of an eland empathy. We need ephant. The first man to be humble because ADRIEL H. AURE thought the elephant we are never infalis a wall, for he felt lible. We need empaits broad and sturdy thy because only then side. The second man, spear, for he touched can we make sense of the harsh realities we its tusk. The third man, snake, for he felt its live in. trunk. The fourth man, tree, for he touched its In the academe, we call this as the pursuit knee. The fifth man, fan, for he felt its ear. The of inter-disciplinarity, wherein scholars go sixth man, rope, for he touched its tail. The beyond their trained disciplines to embrace fable ended with the six men arguing—each emerging world-views from authentic colwere partly right, but their limited senses can- laboration with other experts. But doesn’t not make sense of the entirety of the elephant. Filipino culture already have a term for this? The fable’s moral lesson is still very rel- Bayanihan. Its closest English translation is evant in today’s time. The world has become solidarity and unity, yet it also connotes heroso siloed due to the need to specialize. After ism founded on sacrificing not each other, but all, it is highly focused technical expertise for each other. that pushes the boundaries of a field and creLet us not put ourselves anymore to the ate new knowledge. However, having a very level of the six blind men—arguing, bickernarrow tunnel vision prevents us from get- ing, and even trolling each other to defend ting meaningful insights and solving com- our own limited world-views. As individuplex problems. The failure to be aware of our als and as a society, we may have advanced blindness likens us to the arrogance of the in technology and our lifestyles. But we have six blind men. They reveled in their technical become more blind to our blindness. Instead, rightness based on their subjective perspec- let us acknowledge our limitations. Only by tives, but they failed to make sense of the en- building on each other’s perspectives can we tirety of the elephant because they argued in- truly move forward. As professionals, let us stead of collaborating. In business, this is akin embrace the call for inter-disciplinarity. As to department heads proposing solutions that citizens, let us go back to our values—bayanionly consider their disciplines. In the realm han—and become heroes not against, but for of Philippine politics, this is what’s happen- each other. ing between pro-administration (derogatorily labelled as ‘Dutertards’) anti-administration Patrick Adriel H. Aure is an Assistant Pro(derogatorily labelled as ‘Yellowtards’) citi- fessor at the Management and Organization zens—they continue to troll each other as Department of the Ramon V. del Rosario Col‘keyboard warriors’ in social media. lege of Business, and head of the Social EnWhat we need is to be aware of our blind- terprise Research Network of the Center for ness—embrace it even. Alone, we are limited; Business Research and Development of De La but together, we can build on each other’s Salle University. He can be reached at patperspectives and arrive at better solutions to rick.aure@dlsu.edu.ph. The views expressed complex problems. Embracing our blindness above are the author’s and do not necessarily does not mean choosing to ignore other’s reflect the official position of DLSU, its facworld-views and imposing our own. Rather, ulty, and its administrators.

GREEN LIGHT

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LGUs

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

monday, october 22, 2018

By Brenda Jocson

LocaL government units

ONE LAST TERM.

C. Luzon traders earn P50m from 4-day trade fair

In this collage released by the city government of Manila, thousands of supporters rally around Manila Mayor Joseph ‘Erap’ Estrada as he filed his certificate of candidacy for a third term on Wednesday. The mayor vowed to bring back Manila to its old glory before the end of his tenure.

By Romeo Dizon SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga—About 162 manufacturers and producers sold P50 million worth of products during the four-day 20th Likha ng Central Luzon Trade Fair held at the trade hall of the Megamall in Mandaluyong. The P50 million was the actual total sale of their products during the fair aside from the those under negotiations between the producers and the buyer that is expected to be the same amount. Judith Angeles, regional director of the Department of Trade and Industry in Central Luzon, said this year’s sale was P10 million better than last year’s P40 million take that saw the same exhibitors from the region. The best products sold were mostly features of the seven provinces under One Town One Product program of DTI which aims to help the enterprises mostly small and medium in marketing their products both here and in the global markets, Angeles said. Angeles said products/goods during the fair are the famous sabutan, drift wood products of Aurora, fish and other marine products of Bataan, jewelries and bags of Bulacan, dairy and metal products Nueva Ecija, delicacies and Christmas decors of Pampanga, pottery and wine of Tarlac and mango and delicacies of Zambales. The annual event was opened by Dempha Du- Naga, assistant secretary of DTI, Gov. Susan Yap, president Central Luzon Growth Corridor Foundation Incorporated (CLGCFI), Angeles City Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan and Anthony Torres, president of the Philippines Export Federation of Region III. Naga said that the holding of the annual trade fair aims to widen the market of the small and medium enterprises like institutional buyers both in the country and in the Asia Pacific. She said the Likha trade exhibits in the past had help enterprises not only in terms of earning but also in improving the quality of their products to competitive in the global market. Romeo Dizon

Family farms take centerstage at Searca gab

Estrada: Manila Solar City to provide P50b, 500k jobs T

HE City of Manila stands to earn at least P50 billion in revenues and create more than 500,000 jobs once the Philippine Reclamation Authority issues a “notice to proceed” for the Manila Solar City Reclamation Project, Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada said.

During the Manila City Development Council Convention held at the Manila Hotel on Saturday, Estrada said the 148-hectare Manila Solar City will start early next year, the biggest reclamation project between the Manila-Pasay border to the south and Roxas Boulevard to the east. The project would occupy around 3.5 kilometers of Manila Bay’s shoreline. “Not only will these reclamation projects substantially increase the revenues

of our city, it will also generate approximately 500,000 new jobs for our residents,” Estrada said in his speech. Based on a study made by professors of the University of the Philippines, Estrada said Manila has the highest poverty incidence in the National Capital Region because many of them are jobless. “So, in a sense, these reclamation projects are the answer to our prayers. We will be able to provide decent jobs opportunities to our citizens,” Estrada said.

“With this milestone project, we are getting close to achieving our dream of regaining the City of Manila’s old title, the Pearl of the Orient. This will mean a lot to us in terms of revenues and employment and business opportunities,” said the mayor, who will be running for a third and last term of office. The project involves the construction of three 140-hectare islands in Manila Bay and expected to start with the initial construction and dredging work next year. “As a positive consequence, the RPT share of Barangays will increase accordingly, In the first year, expected additional share will amount to P5 million and P15million per Barangay after 5 more years,” Estrada said.

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna—“Family farms account for more than 90 percent of all farms worldwide and as such they play a critical role in food production.” Thus, said Senator Cynthia Villar who chairs the Philippine Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food during the recently held 2nd National Small and Family Farmers/New and Beginning Farmers Conference. “Family farms are truly key players for inclusive growth and rural development, as well as to our food-secure future,” Villar said. Held in partnership with MoCA Family Farm and RLearning Center, a leading member of the Pamilyang Filipino Farmers, the conference was hosted and co-organized by Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture. The conference aims to promote the creation of systems of farming capable of maintaining their productivity and usefulness to the community with a theme which centered on how to mobilize small and family farmers as well as new farmers for food security, sustainable tourism, and rural development. Villar said the national forum puts importance and priority to small and family farmers, whose contributions to society should not be belittled. She noted that the agriculture sector supports two-thirds of the country’s economy. “With the surging population, there is strong pressure in the agriculture sector to produce more food [and] therefore, small and family farms have important roles to play in ensuring the country’s food security,” Villar said encouraging the participants not to leave their farms because the future generations depend on them for food Villar mentioned several major legislations that have been passed in the Senate to help farmers which included the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Act which creates the coconut levy trust fund that would provide interventions for the coconut industry’s development. Another legislation she outlined is the Free Irrigation Service to Small Farmers Act which gives free irrigation to farmers who own land not larger than eight hectares and condones unpaid irrigation fees and writing off of loans of farmers who own the same size of land. Villar also mentioned the Farm Tourism Development Act which seeks to promote environment-friendly, efficient, and sustainable farm practices. “[This] provides alternative recrea-

Senate aspirant Mangudadatu urges probe of Ligawasan Marsh By Nash B. Maulana COTABATO CITY—Administration senatorial candidate Zajid “Dong” Mangudadatu is pushing for natural gas and crude exploration of Ligawasan Marsh in the heart of Cotabato River Basin to boost the country’s economy amid increasing inflation rate. Deep-wells appear to contain flammable gas within the level of water table that potable liquid burns when lit on container or at gushing pipe faucet. The marsh water, flammable whether pumped through pipes or fetched in containers from deep-wells, is shown in videos of Mangudadatu’s sorties in Maguindanao’s Second District, which he represents in Congress. Congressman Mangudadatu said the

NEW OFFICIAL. Dr. Siegfred L. Manaois, a multi-awarded Senior Customs Operation Officer, was recently designated by Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña and Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez as the Deputy Chief of the Planning and Policy Research Division of the Bureau of Customs.

signing of peace deals with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the passage of the Bangsamoro Organic Law provide the right atmosphere and opportune time to allow previous drillings to continue for natural gas in the area. Mangudadatu of the PDP-Laban proadministration coalition slate said a massive recovery of natural gas from the Ligawasan Marsh will generate huge revenues to propel the country’s recovery from inflation, largely blamed on a tax reforms package that has generated domino-effects on prices of petroleum products and of basic commodities. The marsh has a total area of 220,000-hectares that straddle over the territories of Maguindanao, South Cotabato and North Cotabato provinces. Nash B. Maulana

MEDICAL PACT. SM Foundation has forged a Memorandum of Agreement with World Surgical Foundation and its local arm, the World Surgical Foundation Philippines Inc. to collaborate in the conduct of charitable surgeries, donation of medical equipment, supplies and medicine. In photo (from left) are WSF Phil director and corporate secretary Arlene C. Keh; SMFI executive director for Health and Medical Programs Connie Angeles; WSF chairman Dr. Domingo T. Alvear; and WSF PHIL president Dr. Marcus Lester Suntay.

Low-priced goods in ARMM Organic Agri Congress COTABATO CITY—Farmers have brought in fresh vegetables, fruits and organic rice at low price tags on the third and last Organic Agriculture Congress of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao here on Friday. Regional Secretary Alexander Alonto Jr. of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries in ARMM said the region’s last food congress also hosted an extended dialogue between farmers and agriculture students of nearby state colleges. Consumers, many of them government employees, trooped to the Sharif Kabunsuan Cultural Center inside the ARMM Complex here for various organically-grown farm products, which were transported for the farmers by the

DAF-ARMM. Bai Anida Tomawis-Limbona said farmers had pegged their products at much cheaper price tags in support to national government’s program, bridging farm products directly to consumers to minimize added costs and help stabilize prices of basic commodities for the general public. Dr. Jalika D. Mangacop, head of the DAF-ARMM agribusiness and marketing division, said her office would be guiding farmers by helping them access marketing windows for their products. Meanwhile, Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol awarded a Maguindanao elementary pupil Asil Andan, as the national winner in the 2018 UN World Food

Program on-the-spot poster visual art contest in Quezon City on Wednesday. Dr. Kadiguia Rakman Abdullah said Piñol and UN-WFP country officials handed over the winner’s trophy and cash prizes to Andan, an elementary grader from Nituan Elementary School in Parang, Maguindanao. Alonto and DAF-ARMM Assistant Secretary Eugene Strong also awarded organic agriculture achievers selected among the attending farmer-groups. Dr. Modrika Masukat, a farmer and agriculture officer of Mamasapano, Maguindanao, encouraged the students to venture into integrative cooperative farming and “promote organic agriculture by example.” Nash B. Maulana

Life

bernadette Lunas, Issue Editor manilastandardlife@gmail.com @manilastandardlife @mStandardLIFe

food

monday, october 22, 2018

T ALL started with the daughter of Lawrence Ho, chairman and chief executive of nasdaq-listed Melco Resorts & Entertainment Ltd., playing in a virtual reality zone in Tokyo developed by Bandai namco Amusement.

“His daughter will always be playing VR. He told us to check it out,” said City of Dreams Manila’s chief operating officer Kevin Benning. “We tried to compare it with other VR companies in Southeast Asia, but none could match what Bandai is able to offer.” Indeed, if it was good enough to make Mr. Ho’s daughter crazy about VR, it was definitely worth bringing into the world-class integrated resort and casino complex in Parañaque City. And so City of Dreams Manila transformed a portion of its car park into a 2,714-squaremeter VR zone and food park with an industrial exterior, aptly called “The Garage.” “The virtual reality experience provided by Bandai namco, a leader in video digital entertainment development, is complemented by quality food and drink choices offered by 10 of the hippest and contemporary food and beverage partners, including the resort’s own talented staff. This concept, curated all in one place, makes The Garage a first of its kind in the country—setting us apart from the rest,” added Benning. “This is Bandai’s first VR Zone in Southeast Asia. We are honored to share our culture here in the Philippines. It was an easy choice, with City of Dreams as an excellent partner,” said Bandai namco’s amusement manager Yukiharu Tamiya. One of the exciting activities at the VR Zone is the famed Mario Kart Arcade GP VR, which was developed by Bandai namco under license from nintendo. The three-minute game allows players to step right into the action-packed world of the Mario Kart universe and race until the finish line through a course filled with traps. There is also the Hospital Escape Terror, which can be played by up to four participants, and has been described as a “horrifying experience unlike ever before.” Tickets are available on site. Single player ticket price is available at P450 while packages are available for those playing in groups or pairs. In between games, visitors are spoiled for choice. Hokkaido Ramen Santouka offers its signature Tonkotsu ramen, topped with mouthwatering slices of char siu pork and pickled plums, while Katsu Sora, which has become a household name for Japanese deepfried pork cutlet, serves Iberico and

t a E

d n a

Kurobuta Tonkatsu sets paired with their famed Juugokokumai rice, a premium blend that includes white rice, corn, barley, millet, sesame seeds, and black beans. Los Angeles’ most popular hotdog stand, Pink’s Hot Dogs, brings its iconic “The Hollywood Legend”—a medley of Pink’s eponymous hotdog with chili, cheddar cheese, mustard, and chopped onions. Little Flour Café by the highly successful Wildflour Café + Bakery serves wellloved and locally-inspired Filipino rice bowls, including its sisig bowl. El Chupacabra, a casual street taco bar, is known for burritos, enchiladas, and grilled chicken sticks, while Pizza Grigliata serves nothing but hot, freshly-made artisanal pizza handmade from scratch. Farmacy Ice Cream, on the other hand, will take visitors back to the time of the classic turn-of-the-century ice cream parlors. Alongside the well-curated food and beverage outlets at The Garage are City of Dreams Manila’s own exceptional outlets: Chocol8, Juiced, and The Roaster. Chocol8 features handcrafted chocolates enhanced with special ingredients such as fruits, nuts, and spices. Juiced offers a variety of freshly squeezed smoothies, slushies, and juices daily, while The Roaster is the go-to outlet for an array of gourmet coffee creations made from freshly roasted beans—a mix of 80 percent Benguet arabica and 20 percent Sulu robusta. One would likely find it difficult to leave the area as it offers the best of both worlds— world-class gaming experience and a wide array of delicious gastronomic choices. You’d literally just want to park yourself at The Garage—and eat, and play, and repeat.

Farmacy Ice Cream

y a l p

Casual street taco bar El Chupacabra brings its burritos, enchiladas, and grilled chicken sticks to The Garage.

I’m at joyce.panares@gmail.com.

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka Ebi Set

Greenhills bar offers unli tapas

Tapas Huevos Rotos with Chorizo Tapas - Iberico Chicken, Mussels in White Wine Sauce, Gambas with Chorizo and Paella Mixta

Tapas Albondigas

A nEW happy hour joint in Greenhills, San Juan is currently gaining popularity around the area, as it offers unlimited tapas with cocktails. Recently opened this September, MÁS—which means “more” in Spanish—serves a wide array of tapas that gives diners a taste of Spain, and a straightforward cocktail and ginebreria (gin bar) menu that matches the bar’s easygoing vibe. Young and talented chefs Geri Camahort and Tori Olbes of G&T Private Dining share their love of tapas and pintxos by serving them the authentic way. With a relatively limited food menu, each food item was thoughtfully arranged and selected to guarantee a satisfying gastronomical experience. Customers can choose from the MÁS Classics, priced at P550++ or the MÁS Experience for P750++. The place also offers an add-on option of steak, salad, and dessert. Since no tapas experience is complete without a drink to complement it, the bar offers straightforward drinks, such as sangria and gin and tonic. There are also signature ginebreria like the Eighteen Missouri and Palm Trees and Martinis. MÁS’ well-curated ginebreria menu is made by OTO’s very own David Abalayan. Gin enthusiasts can host gin nights at the bar, where guests can come up with their very own gin concoctions. non-gin drinkers need not worry, because the place will also be featuring tequilas and monthly whiskey nights. MÁS Unlimited Tapas and Cocktails is open from Tuesday to Saturday from 5:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. It is located at #18 Missouri St., North East Greenhills, San Juan. Call 0917-5097979 for inquiries.

monday, october 22, 2018 manilastandardlife@gmail.com

Life

Craving Thai food? Follow the elephant! By Robbie Pangilinan

s your mouth watering for authentic Thai dishes? Follow the elephant and get your Asian cravings satisfied.

Elephant Express serves an array of mouth-watering Asian dishes at very affordable prices. Must-try are the popular Thai noodle dish pad thai and the refreshing crispy catfish salad. Aside from Thai dishes, it also serves other authentic Asian cuisines like singaporean laksa, Vietnamese spring rolls, Malaysian roti pancakes, Indonesian fried rice, crab Rangoon, and other dishes. occasionally, new twists are added to the regular menu and new products are featured monthly to give customers more options. Inspired by a chain of restaurants in the us called Panda Express that serves mostly Chinese cuisine, owner rosemarie rafael named it “Elephant Express” because elephants are an icon in Thailand and because they serve fast food. “I personally eat here, mainly because I enjoy the food that we serve, but also to check if we still maintain the quality of our food,” shares Ut. “you don’t have to leave the Philippines to enjoy our neighbors’ dishes. Let Elephant Express be your Asian food guide!” she adds. Previously “Kafe yen” and “Asian Noodles Express,” Elephant Express has a wide variety of clients—including students, senior citizens, vegetarians, and professionals—dining in its two outlets at Food Choices Alabang Town Center and at Food Court robinsons Place Las Piñas. ut reveals there are plans for expansion soon. “our food is meant to be shared and enjoyed by everyone,” ends Ut.

Elephant Express serves a variety of Thai dishes and other Asian cuisines.

Conveniently satisfy Chinese food cravings JAPANEsE convenience store FamilyMart serves warm bowls of Chinese comfort food that promise to fill the tummy and satisfy the palate. The convenience store’s yang Chow Fried Rice Meal is available with four toppings to choose from. The sweet & sour Pork rice meal is priced at P99, perfect for a lip-smacking flavor fix. The mildly spicy Kung Pao Chicken rice, also at P99, makes for a satisfying way to end those hunger pangs. The zesty and scrumptious Lemon Chicken is available for only P102, while the tender and delectable Beef in oyster Sauce is a steal at P105. In the Philippines, FamilyMart has branches in Makati, Fort Bonifacio, Quezon City, Mandaluyong, Pasig, Pasay, Alabang, Laguna, and Clark Global City.

Cravings offers its bestselling dishes at 30 percent off in celebration of its 30th anniversary. Beef in Oyster Sauce

FamilyMart offers Yang Chow Fried Rice Meal in four different toppings.

Spread some chocolate love

LEAdIng bread brand gardenia spreads happiness with its chocolate spread delicia. Available in hazelnut and milky chocolate variants, delicia, a product of gardenia Bakeries Malaysia, promises to be a treat in a jar for every Filipino home. Gardenia Delicia is now available in supermarkets nationwide.

Gardenia brings to the country Delicia chocolate spread, available in hazelnut and milky chocolate variants.

30 years of delicious celebrations FRoM its humble beginnings as a neighborhood eatery to becoming Katipunan’s enduring family restaurant known for its home-style heirloom dishes, salad-all-you-can station, and indulgent cakes, Cravings has since become a favored spot for every kind of “happy” celebrations and cherished life milestones. For 30 years, the homegrown chain has become part of many unforgettable joyous occasions and get-togethers, like birthdays, graduations, anniversaries, and even simple family bonding moments. To keep the good times and heartwarming memories alive and vivid, Cravings invites everyone to celebrate with them as they create new fond memories around the dinner table once more with its special anniversary offerings, discount promos, and upcoming “family-inspired” menu offerings.

out to win hearts and palates anew, Cravings has come up with two special promo offerings for its anniversary. From today until oct. 28, customers get 30 percent off on their total bill whenever they dine in the restaurant. Cravings also offers its bestselling Chocolate Caramel Cake for P30 only. The promo is valid in Katipunan branch for one week. Meanwhile, the new “family-inspired” menus aim to elevate the brand and dining experience to greater, “fresher” heights. For P500, diners can have a pass for unlimited salad, pasta, soup, coffee and dessert. They may also order separate entrees such as Pork schnitzel with Chive and Potato salad and rib Eye steak with choice of fries or rice, among others. Cravings is at 287 Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City. will get For P500 diners pasta, d, la sa d ite lim un ssert de d an e soup, coffe

Entertainment Simply... From C4

Wilson Lee Flores still hopeful after fire; receives QC’s highest award Despite a February 6 fire from a neighboring resto bar that razed Quezon City’s pioneer and award-winning 79-year-old Kamuning Bakery Café down to the ground, owner Wilson Lee Flores, his staff and bakers are still optimistic. He is not discouraged, because he said he has overcome many other past crises ever since the death of his father when he was only seven years old and he had also witnessed his late teacher mother’s strong faith. Wilson Lee Flores – writer, teacher and realty entrepreneur – bought and revived Kamuning Bakery in 2014 due to his passion for history and good food. On Oct. 12 at Quezon City’s 79th anniversary celebration at Crowne Plaza Galleria Hotel, the city government led by Mayor Herbert Bautista, Vice-Mayor Joy Belmonte and City Council Majority Floor Leader Franz Pumaren gave Flores the “Manuel L. Quezon Gawad Parangal Award” for being one of Quezon City’s most outstanding citizens. The Gawad Parangal Selection Board included former U.P. President Prof. Emerlinda Roman, former Budget Minister Manuel Alba, writer Prof. Butch Dalisay, City Administrator Aldrin Cuña and former actress, former Vice-Mayor Connie Angeles. Flores said he accepted the Manuel L. Quezon Gawad Parangal Award on behalf of his late parents, both died when he was young but inspired him, and in behalf of his supportive younger sister Marilou F. So and his loyal, hardworking staff and bakers. *** 20-year-old millionaire On July 16 of 2017, 20-year-old Glenda Victorio shared how she became a multimillionaire at such a young age. This millennial entrepreneur is not ashamed that her mother used to be a guest relations officer, or that she had to work as a virtual assistant since she was 12 years old, a job she did inconspicuously since she was not of legal age yet. After getting pregnant and marrying her husband now, she did an experimented along with her candle supplier and they formulated a Black Charcoal Soap Glenda herself was the test subject. It actually worked and when she posted it’s results on her with the before and after photos online, they went viral and orders came pouring it. Rated K hosted by Korina Sanchez eventually got wind of her story and decided to feature her. After that, people from different parts of the country were curious to try out her products and she even got more orders. People signed up to be distributors and franchisees so her profit grew even more. Her original line Brilliant Skin Essentials now has a cousin, Briscilla Cosmetics. On Jan.7 at Novotel Araneta, a new product line was launched. Two of the most exciting items are the Briscilla Matte Lip Lacquerfor gradient lips, a sweet-smelling matte lip cream that dries instantly and will stay on even if you ate meals with lots of oil, and Briscilla Eyebrow Air Cushion, with a dual brush that’s going to give you perfect brows in just three or four swipes. *** For more of the stories featured, please log on to https://isah.red. You can also follow me on Twitter @isahvred and Instagram @isahvred.

EVERAL GMA Network personalities and programs were recognized at the 32nd Philippine Movie Press Club (PMPC) Star Awards for Television held on Oct. 14, at the Henry Lee Irwin Theater, Ateneo de Manila University.

Leading the list of Kapuso winners were Eat Bulaga Dabarkads also took home awards. Phenomenal stars Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza were recognized as Best Male TV Host and Best Female TV Host, respectively. Joining them is Kendoll who took home the Best New Male TV Personality award. Yasmien Kurdi was named as Best Drama Actress for her notable performance in the ground-breaking GMA advocacy series, Hindi Ko Kayang Iwan Ka. Esteemed actor Gabby Eigenmann won the Best Drama Supporting Actor award for the series Contessa, while teen actress Kyline Alcantara was hailed as the Best Drama Supporting Actress for top-rating primetime soap Kambal, Karibal. Heartthrob Ruru Madrid won the Best Performance by an Actor award for his role in Magpakailanman’s “Takbo Ng Buhay Ko” episode. Child actor Seth Dela Cruz marked a milestone in his career by winning the Best Child Performer award for the soap Hindi Ko Kayang Iwan Ka. Afternoon series Contessa, top billed by Glaiza de Castro, was named as the Best Daytime Drama Series, while family sitcom Pepito Manaloto was chosen as this year’s Best Comedy Show, and the Best Variety Show award went to Sunday Pinasaya. Numerous GMA News and Public Affairs programs and personalities were also cited by the PMPC. G M A N e w s pillar

Arnold Clavio received the Excellence in Broadcasting Lifetime Achievement Award. The country’s most-awarded news magazine program Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho added another feather to its cap as it received the Best Magazine Show award. Top-notch documentary program IWitness brought home the Best Documentary Program recognition, while its hosts Howie Severino, Kara David, Jay Taruc, Sandra Aguinaldo, and Atom Araullo, won as Best Documentary Program Hosts. Meanwhile, Vicky Morales won as the Best Public Service Program Host for the country’s ﬁrst and longest-running wish-granting program Wish Ko Lang. Taking home the Best Morning Show Host award are Arnold Clavio, Rhea Santos, Ivan Mayrina, Connie Sison, Susan Enriquez, Suzi Entrata-Abrera, Lyn Ching-Pascual, Lhar Santiago, Love Añover-Llanko, Luane Dy, Nathaniel “Mang Tani” Cruz, Atty. Gaby Concepcion, Winnie Monsod, and Regine Tolentino for the country’s longest-running morning show Unang Hirit. News anchor Raffy Tima was conferred the Best Male Newscaster award for GMA News TV’s Balitanghali. The World of Gandang Ricky Reyes was once again awarded as this year’s Best Lifestyle Show while its host Ricky Reyes took home the Best Lifestyle Show Host award. Special recognitions were to Ken Chan who was hailed the Frontrow Male Celebrity of the Night and the Male Face of the Night. Organized by The Philippine Movie Press Club (PMPC) Inc., the PMPC Star Awards for TV is an annual award giving body that recognizes outstanding TV programs and personalities in the Philippines.

PMPC Star Awards for TV named Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza as Best Television Hosts.

UE CFAD entry bags Best Student Film in La Union By Seymour Barros Sanchez AN EXPERIMENTAL short film, directed by University of the East College of Fine Arts, Architecture and Design alumna Rodmarie Angeline Tabilog, won Best Short Film in the Student Category of the Pagwanawanan Film Festival in La Union last Oct. 6. The nine-minute film Marangle (Farm) narrates the life of a farmer who risks everything, including his land, just to have a chance to work abroad and provide a better future for his family. Tabilog worked with other UE alumni, writer Gerard Halabaso, director of photography Isabelo Bucao, production designer Chelsea Mae Natividad, assistant director Rhuva Patiag, production manager Aldric Matthew Manapat, costume designer Erica Balaan and production staff Cyrill Mustera, Jayson Torres and Kent Santos, in shooting the film. The film was officially selected last year as part of the Cinebalu program of the 17th Kota Kinabalu International Film Festival, Sinepiyu X Film Festival, Cinesilangan and the 28th Gawad Cultural Center of the Philippines Independent Film and Video Festival. Another UE entry Maling Akala: Ang Misteryo ng Unamuno, an animated film by Elvin Jay Macanlalay and Arvileen Yongzon, competed in the same category of the film festival. Tabilog is currently on a one-month internship in Taiwan for filmmaker Richard Legaspi’s new documentary project. Marangle was also shown last Oct. 6 at SEAT – South East Asia x Taiwan film colloquium and last Oct. 13 at Brilliant Time Bookstore, Zhonghe District, New Taipei City.

Monday, October 22, 2018

zoology 62 End a shutdown 66 She lost a shoe 69 Meditation guide 70 Bygone 71 Petty quarrel 72 OPEC rep, maybe 73 Groves 74 Several 75 Famous loch DOWN 1 Barking noises 2 Wind catcher 3 Writer — Sewell 4 Brother’s daughters 5 Throbs 6 Wrath 7 Grows weary 8 Assumed name 9 Mineo of old films 10 Avoid risks (2 wds.) 11 Solar plexus 12 Ra’s symbol 13 Kids 19 Overconfident 21 Swiss painter Paul — 25 Rules of thumb 27 Halter 28 UFO captive? 29 Major Japanese

nickie.standard@gmail.com

AlDub, GMA stars reap honors at PMPC Star Awards for TV

CROSSWORD PUZZLE ACROSS 1 Mighty — — oak 5 Leaning Tower site 9 Jack who ate no fat 14 Rajah’s consort 15 Caspian Sea tributary 16 Prince Valiant’s wife 17 Not coarse 18 Passed laws 20 Unisex attire 22 Mr. Walton 23 Sudden urges 24 Lots of spirit 26 Fill-ins 28 Roof 32 Understands 36 — Nimitz 37 Strange 39 Really excited 40 Claw badly 42 T-shirt size 44 Camelot lady 45 City near Canton 47 Underhanded one 49 Rx writers org. 50 Had a siesta 52 Rise to the — 54 Carbon deposit 56 Recount 57 Feng — 60 Mouths, in

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2018

port 30 Seize power 31 Grand or upright 33 Six-Day War site 34 Excellent, in slang 35 Driver’s choice 38 Vote in 41 Off-balance 43 Wounded deeply 46 Recent (pref.) 48 Curly-leafed veggie

51 House part 53 Motto 55 Ringlet 57 Barge 58 City near Mauna Loa 59 Disconnect 61 Dog-food brand 63 Not diluted 64 Bullpen stats 65 Gists 67 Annapolis grad 68 Flee

Marangle is a short film that narrates the life of a farmer who risks everything just to have a chance to work overseas.

Mackie Empuerto, Keifer Sanchez, and Francis Concepcion otherwise known as the sensational TNT Boys.

TNT Boys to conquer the Big Dome ONLY more than a year after Mackie Empuerto, Keifer Sanchez, and Empuerto Francis Concepcion became officially known as the TNT Boys, the international sensation and bigshot trio will stage their first-ever major concert titled Listen: The Big Shot Concert at the Araneta Coliseum on Nov. 30. The boys are busy preparing for the concert after their latest gig last weekend (Oct. 14) at the President’s Star Charity, a fund-raising charity event, where they sang for the president of Singapore, Yacob, the third head of state Halimah Yacob they have performed for after Pres. Rodrigo Duterte and Papua New Guinea prime minister Peter O’ Neill. Known for their electrifying belting showdowns and impersonations of legendary music icons, the trio will feature powerhouse solo and group performances in their concert and sing a new repertoire of songs they have not performed in public before. Joining them are special guests Jed Madela, K Brosas, and fellow Your Madela Face Sounds Familiar Kids performers Chun-sa Jung Jung, Esang de Torres, Krystal Brimner Brimner, Marco Masa, Noel Comia Jr. Jr., Onyok Pineda, Sheena Belarmino, Belarmino and Xia Vigor. Following their career milestones, the TNT Boys are giving back to the community as they recently donated their P50,000 cash prize from The Kids’ Choice to ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation Inc.’s Bantay Bata 163 program. Initially known as grand finalists of “Tawag ng Tanghalan Kids,” Mackie, Keifer, and Francis shot to fame and were launched as the TNT Boys after their singing showdown on Gandang Gabi Vice in June 2017 went viral. Since then, they have travelled the world to perform for different audiences, appeared in Little Big Shots in the UK and Australia this year, and won the second season of Your Face Sounds Familiar Kids. Kids This week, the boys are scheduled to fly to the US for an international talent competition. Tickets for Listen: The Big Shot Concert are priced at P3,800 for VVIP, P2,800 for VIP, P1,500 for Patron A, P1,000 for Patron B, P700 for Box, P400 for Upper Box, and P200 for General Admission. Visit ticketnet.com.ph or call (02) 911-5555 for more details. For updates, visit Facebook.com/ tntversions or follow @tntversions on Twitter and Instagram.

Nickie Wang, Issue Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com

Entertainment

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2018

CABLE TV box with Netflix,YouTube, Sky On Demand IF YOU’RE a certified couch potato or what the millennials call “binge watch” addict, this box is for you. ISAH V. RED Last Thursday,SKY unboxed the newest product it will offer its subscribers – the SKY On Demand box. The viewing experience of SKY subscribers gets as the SKY On Demand box enables access to HD cable TV and streaming from Netflix, YouTube, and its very own online streaming service for subscribers, SKY On Demand – all from the same box. With the SKY On Demand box, subscribers can enjoy premium channels like HBO, Cinemax, Fox Sports, Food Network Asia, and Discovery channel, as well as exclusive channels on SKYcable like Cinema One and Metro Channel. Meanwhile, when they want to enjoy shows on either Netflix or YouTube, they can easily switch to their preferred platform with just one press of a button via the remote control’s built-in access. On top of this, subscribers can catch up on their favorite local and foreign cable shows using the SKY On Demand app on the new box. SKY’s latest product is a consequence of the evolving entertainment needs of subscribers that has elevated their viewing experience by preferring big screen. Besides the elevated viewing experience, the SKY On Demand box also promises convenience for subscribers, as they no longer have to switch from one gadget to another when watching their favorite shows.

The author navigating the interface of the SKY On Demand box, which has premium channels like HBO, Cinemax, Fox Sports, Food Network Asia, and Discovery channel, as well as exclusive channels on SKYcable.

Claudia Suarez, SKY’s Business Unit Head of Consumer Product Group, further explains that the SKY On Demand box matches the needs of consumers in the digital era, making it a relevant product in Filipino homes. “Research shows that Filipinos still enjoy watching content on TV, whether it be for legacy delivery of TV programs from cable boxes or streamed via the Internet. It is still an enjoyable family bonding activity. The new SKY on Demand box simpliﬁes this viewing experience of Filipinos by enabling content preferences to be accessible on TV using just one device,” she says. Besides the built-in apps, subscribers can enjoy the many beneﬁts of the SKY On Demand box. Monitoring a different show while watching another channel on the same TV is made possible with the new picture in picture (PIP) mode so subscribers can browse other content on their TV screen without missing out on the current show they are watching. Subscribers can also take advantage of the multi-function personal video recorder (PVR) feature so they can record multiple shows they would like to catch on their preferred time. Another feature is the SKY On Demand Box Remote app that enables subscribers to stream cable channels and do private listening so they can watch shows on TV without distracting other family members at home. The app is available for download in the App Store and Google Play. Suarez adds that the new SKY On Demand box serves as SKY’s way of giving back to SKYcable’s loyal subscribers. “SKYcable would not be SKYcable without the trust of our subscribers. We are constantly innovating so we can give our SKY Kapamilyas a convenient and high quality viewing experience whether on cable or online streaming services,” she elaborates. As a subsidiary of ABS-CBN, SKY’s launch of the SKY On Demand box complements ABS-CBN’s transition into an agile digital company. The Kapamilya network currently has a growing list of digital properties and the SKY On Demand box adds to this list. The SKY On Demand box is initially available in Metro Manila for as low as P1,999. Continued on C3

'Asawa Ko, Karibal Ko' is a story of a scorned wife whose rival in love is her ex-husband who goes through gender reassignment after years of being an embattled married man.

By Nickie Wang

ARK Sicat dela Cruz considers Asawa Ko, Karibal Ko a landmark TV series and one of the more personal projects he’s involved in being a proud member of the LGBT community himself.

“Although we highlight the story of a woman trapped in a man’s body, the central story still revolves around inﬁdelity. And it’s quite challenging to do this given the situation of the main characters,” Cruz told Manila Standard in an interview. “It’s heavy drama. It’s a love story and betrayal like no other. The story is about a former husband and wife, now both ﬁghting for the love of the same man,” he said adding that the captivating premise of Asawa

Ko, Karibal Ko, which premieres today after Eat Bulaga, is based on experiences of real people. In the series Kris Bernal takes on the role of Rachel who meets Nathan (Jason Abalos), a smart businessman from a political family. Nathan marries Rachel out of pressure from his conservative family but he is unhappy and feels trapped. Deep down, he always knew he was gay, so he devised a way to fake his death. The truth is he went abroad and took their daughter with him. He undergoes sexual reassignment and facial feminization surgery in order to fully embrace the woman inside him. He left without knowing that Rachel is pregnant with their second child. Rachel, after Nathan died, went to the province where she gave birth. Years later, Rachel meets balikbayan Gavin, portrayed by Rayver Cruz. Rachel falls for him instantly but her prospect of happiness is met with a big blow when she discovers that he’s engaged to a mysterious and strikingly beautiful woman named Venus, breathed to life by Thea Tolentino. Venus is also a single mother who said that she got pregnant from her previous relationship. Rachel feels that something isn’t right with Venus. Eventually, she found out the truth: Venus is a sexually reassigned woman who is no other than her former husband, Nathan. Playing important characters in Rachel’s life are:Lotlot De Leon as Lupita Santiago, her doting mother who really liked Nathan for her; Devon Seron as Maya Santiago, Rachel’s younger sister and her conﬁdante; Annalyn Barro as Tina Santos, Rachel’s best friend who discovers that Nathan is cheating on her; Caprice Cayetano as Nicole Bravante, Rachel and Nathan’s daughter. Joining them are the vital characters in Nathan/Venus’s life: Jean Saburit as Veronica Bravante, Nathan’s mother who is kind but projects a strong personality; Ricardo Cepeda as Lorenzo Bravante, a Congressman and Kris Bernal and Jason Abalos

Thea Tolentino and Rayver Cruz

Veronica’s husband who has long pressured their son Nathan to get married; Maricris Garcia as Allison Bravante, older sister of Nathan and the only person who knows about his secret; Matthias Rhoads as Daniel Lindberg, a Fil-Am who becomes Nathan’s “lover” but breaks up with him when he ﬁnds out that Nathan is married; Phil Noble as Mama Krissy, a transgender who will become Nathan’s conﬁdante regarding his sexuality. Behind this engrossing drama is the creative team composed of Creative Director Roy Iglesias, Concept Creator Marlon Miguel, Headwriter Richard ‘Dode’ Cruz, Creative Head RJ Nuevas, writers Marlon Miguel and Renato Custodio, and brainstormers Erwin Bravo and Zita Garganera. The program is another original creation of the GMA Drama Group under the supervision of Senior Vice President for Entertainment Group Lilybeth G. Rasonable, Vice President for Drama Redgie Acuña-Magno, Assistant Vice President for Drama Cheryl Ching-Sy, and Senior Program Manager Camille Hermoso-Hafezan.