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VOL. XXXIII • NO. 168 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 • THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2019 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

SHOW OF HANDS. China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi (center) poses with Vietnam’s Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh (left) and Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin— representing two countries with which China has issues—and other foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations during the ASEAN-China Ministerial Meeting in Bangkok on Wednesday. Vietnam and the Philippines have both issues with China. AFP

PH files new protest vs. China Over swarming of 113 Chinese ships around Pag-asa Island By Rey E. Requejo, Francisco Tuyay and Macon Ramos-Araneta

HE Philippines has filed a diplomatic protest over the swarming of more than 100 Chinese ships near Pag-asa Island in the West Philippine Sea, as a top defense official acknowledged that Beijing outsmarted Manila in the Scarborough Shoal when Filipino forces pulled back in the stand-off in 2012.

“Diplomatic protest fired off,” Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said on his Twitter account as he retweeted a news item about the country’s plan to protest the swarming of 113 Chinese fishing vessels around Pag-asa Island (Thitu). Earlier, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon said the swarming activity could be a “dry run” for a plan to block resupply missions to the Philippineheld island. The DFA chief did not mention when was the protest was filed, but insiders said

the Philippine government has expressed its serious concern “both in writing and in face-to-face talks” with Chinese officials in Manila and in Beijing. National security officials and groups pushing to assert the country’s maritime interests in the West Philippine Sea have expressed concern over the recurring presence of a Chinese flotilla near Pag-asa Island, an area in the Spratlys that China also claims. Early this year, more than 200 Chinese vessels were sighted in the area. China’s Next page

SWARMING CRITICIZED.

This file photo, taken on April 21, 2017, shows Chinese boats anchored near their claimed reef Subi, as seen from the Philippine claimed island of Thitu (Pagasa) during the visit of Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana to the island in the Spratlys. The Philippines criticized Wednesday a fresh ‘swarming’ of Chinese vessels near Thitu in the disputed South China Sea, which a top official said could be aimed at preventing Filipino control of the outcrop. AFP

Red Cross presses for three-step Lotto suspension lifted; STL, Keno still in limbo MJ Blancaﬂor, Rey E. solution to stop dengue outrbreak ByRequejo and Macon RamosBy Macon Ramos-Araneta and Maricel V. Cruz THE Philippine Red Cross considers dengue a national emergency after the Department of Health declared a national alert over rising infections, the organization’s chairman, Senator Richard Gordon, said Wednesday. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III earlier noted an 86-percent increase in the number of dengue cases recorded from January to July. Gordon said as a first step, the PRC will provide adequate safe blood, having sent 165 bags to five hospitals in Iloilo and four in Capiz. The blood is given free to dengue-stricken persons who cannot afford it. A second step is to provide air-conditioned emergency medical tents to relieve hospitals that are overflowing with dengue patients. He said tents were deployed in Iloilo, Capiz, and Aklan. The PRC has PREPARING FOR THE WORST. done this before, the latest of which The overcrowded Dr. Rafael Tumbokon was during the measles epidemic earMemorial Hospital in Kalibo, Aklan, full of lier this year. dengue patients—some 3,000 starting from A third step is to involve the comJanuary to the present with recorded 15 munity with PRC chapters mobilizing deaths. Provincial hospital officials say they are 143 volunteers to track down dengue preparing for the worst and peak of dengue cases in August. Revoli Cortez

Araneta

LOTTO operations of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office resumed Wednesday after the agency lost P250 million in revenues during a four-day suspension, but its small town lottery and other gaming schemes remained closed. Malacañang lifted the suspension of lotto operations Tuesday night, but other

games such as STL, Keno and Peryahan ng Bayan would remain suspended as part of President Rodrigo Duterte’s campaign against corruption. Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission head Greco Belgica said a lifestyle check will be conducted on former and incumbent officials of PCSO, including members of its board of directors, amid corruption issues hounding the agency. “We will be conducting a lifestyle

check against all of them,” Belgica said. Duterte ordered the suspension of PCSO games in a video message Friday night due to alleged “massive corruption” in the agency, closing 30,000 lotto and other gaming outlets nationwide. In a statement, the PCSO said the Lotto 6/42, Mega Lotto 6/45, Super Lotto 6/49, Grand Lotto 6/55, Ultra Lotto 6/58, 6 Digit Game, 4 Digit Game, Suertres Lotto, and EZ2 Lotto will resume. Next page

Carpio nominated for CJ post By Rey E. Requejo SUPREME Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio has been nominated for the chief justice position once again after being bypassed for the position three times in the past. Carpio has been automatically nominated to the post be vacated by Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin upon reaching mandatory retirement age of 70 on Oct. 18 as one of the five next most senior SC justices in line. Still, under the rules of the Judicial and Bar Council, which is tasked to screen nominees to judicial posts, Carpio’s nomination is subject to acceptance or refusal by the senior magistrates. Besides Carpio, also nominated for the

EDSA bus ban: Test run slated THE dry run of the provincial bus ban along EDSA has been moved to 4 a.m. of Aug. 7, Metro Manila Development Authority general manager Jojo Garcia said. Next page

top judicial post are Associate Justices Diosdado Peralta, Estela Perlas-Bernabe, Marvic Leonen and Benjamin Caguioa. Carpio, who is also retiring from the judiciary on Oct. 26 or just one week after Bersamin’s retirement, has yet to decide whether or not to accept the nomination. Carpio was bypassed for the chief justice post thrice. He was the most senior magistrate of the high court during a vacancy in the top judicial post and was nominated for chief justice three times, but was not appointed by the appointing authority. He was bypassed in the appointments to the highest post of then associate justice Renato Corona in 2010, ousted chief justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno in 2012 and Bersamin last year. Next page

LET THE GAMES RESUME. Bettors flock to a PCSO (left) outlet on Wednesday to place their bets after President Rodrigo Duterte lifted the suspension of lotto operations. At right, PCSO general manager announces the resumption of Lotto games as she launched ‘Ipaalam kay GM’ Facebook page at the main office of the PCSO in Mandaluyong City. Manny Palmero/Norman Cruz

Du30 son to join NUP; solons realign Labor blocks ‘endo’ revisions By Maricel V. Cruz By Vito Barcelo

THE labor group Trade Union Congress of the Philippines said it was not in favor of revising the vetoed and already watered-down Security-of-Tenure bill to tailor-fit the whims and caprices of business and employers. “There should be no sudden, drastic shift in current labor relations in order to prepare all for the SOT reform,” Next page

Fly in Rody’s ointment? A FLY that interrupted his speech was working under the orders of priests, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte joked Tuesday, as he launched a new verbal attack on the country’s influential Catholic Next page Church.

THE President’s son, Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte, will join the the National Unity Party, fueling talks that he may gun for the speakership once the 15 months tenure of Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano expires. Marinduque Rep. Lord Alan Velasco is supposed to succeed Cayetano in the last 21 months of the 18th Congress under the term sharing agreement brokered by President Rodrigo Duterte. A source said the President’s son

would take his oath next week as member of the NUP, that used to be called Kabalikat ng Mamamayang Pilipino, that propelled President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to the presidency. Arroyo and Senate President Vicente Sotto III founded the party in the 1990s. Meanwhile, the leadership of the House of Representatives said it would equally distribute positions as well as committee chairmanships and memberships among its members from various political parties, a House official said. Next page

Filipino script stirs up debate WITH deliberate golden strokes, artist Taipan Lucero proudly brings an ancient script back to life, in the hope of promoting an endangered but contentious part of the Philippines’ heritage. Once confined to history classes, Next page

News

THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2019

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P10-m China aid for Batanes

HE Chinese Embassy in Manila is donating P10 million in humanitarian aid to quake-hit Batanes.

quakes in Batanes had already reached P292.85 million. The department has deployed an additional team to Itbayat, Batanes, to assess the damage caused by earthquakes that hit the province on July 27. In a statement on Tuesday, the department said the additional team will conduct Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment “as well as logistics for supplementary measure and light equipment for rescue operations”. Disaster officials said the number of houses damaged by the twin earthquakes that jolted Itbayat on Saturday had climbed to 266. At least two earthquakes with magnitude 5.4 and 5.9 struck several areas in Batanes on July 27. In its latest report, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said at least 2,963 individuals

were affected by the seismic events, a total of nine were killed and 64 were injured. As of July 31, the NDRRMC also reported a total of P47 million worth of damage following the series of earthquakes. “The Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Philippines believes that, under the strong leadership of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and the government of the Philippines, the Philippine people will overcome the disaster and rebuild their homeland as soon as possible,” the Chinese Embassy said. Earlier, China also donated $100,000 in emergency humanitarian assistance to the Philippines following the magnitude-6.1 earthquake that hit Pampanga on April 22. PNA

Duterte shuns signs of graft practices By MJ Blancaflor

Fly... From A1

PH, other SEA nations turn back tons of trash

The fly buzzed around President Duterte as he spoke at a school in Manila, landing on his forehead and cheek and causing him to flap his arms in a futile bid to swat away the pesky insect.“I’ve had a fight with priests for a long time,” the 74-year-old strongman said without missing a beat. “This fly is taking orders from them. It has been following me for some time,” he added, drawing laughter from the audience. Duterte later cursed the fly when he missed flicking it with a finger as it landed on a microphone. “Wait until I’m done with my speech. I will smash you with the manuscript,” he said. Earlier, Duterte said the Catholic Church’s dogma was “simply not acceptable to my God-given common sense.” “I have a God. I just don’t want to be saddled with religions,” he said. The Philippine President has a history of criticising the Catholic Church, which counts some 80 percent of the nation’s more than 100-million people as believers. AFP

SEVERAL Southeast Asian countries, sick of being the wealthy world’s rubbish dump, have in recent weeks turned back containerloads of waste from foreign shores. It comes after China last year stopped accepting the world’s used plastic, having previously been the biggest market for recyclables. After Indonesia on Tuesday announced it had sent back illegally imported garbage from France and Hong Kong, here is a roundup. China On Jan. 1, 2018, China closed its doors to almost all foreign plastic waste, as well as many other recyclables, in a push to protect its environment and air quality. For many years, China had received the bulk of scrap plastic from around the world, processing much of it into a higher quality material that could be used by manufacturers. Beijing’s decision forced developed countries to find new destinations for plastics that are either “of poor quality and value” or not recyclable, the non-governmental group Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives said. It led to enormous quantities of waste being redirected to Southeast Asia, where recycling capacities are more limited. Malaysia In late May, Malaysia said 450 tons of contaminated plastic waste would be shipped back to where it came from—Australia,

Bangladesh, Canada, China, Japan, Saudi Arabia and the United States. The country, however, does allow the import of homogenous and clean waste plastics for the recycling industry. “We urge developed countries to stop shipping garbage to our country,” said government minister Yeo Bee Yin. Philippines In late June, the Philippines returned to Canada tons of rubbish held in 69 containers that had been in the Asian country for six years. It put an end to a row dating back to 2013 and 2014 when a Canadian company shipped containers mislabelled as recyclable plastics to the Philippines. The shipment actually contained a mixture of paper, plastics, electronics and household waste, including kitchen trash and diapers. Some of the waste was disposed of in the Philippines, but much of it stewed in local ports for years. Cambodia In July, Cambodia said it would send back to the United States and Canada 1,600 tons of illegal plastic waste found in shipping containers. Seventy of the containers, stored at the southern port town of Sihanoukville, came from the United States and 13 from Canada. Sri Lanka Also in July, Sri Lankan customs ordered the

return to Britain of 111 containers abandoned in Colombo port for nearly two years and found to be holding hazardous mortuary and clinical waste, possibly including human organs. The containers, discovered after they emanated a huge stink, were illegally imported from Britain under the cover of metal recycling. Of 241 dodgy containers imported since 2017, 130 had been taken to a free-trade zone near the port where they have contaminated the water and air. Indonesia In late July, Indonesia returned seven containers of illegally imported waste to France and Hong Kong from its Batam island port. They were loaded with a combination of garbage, plastic waste and hazardous materials. Authorities were still waiting for clearance to return another 42 containers of waste at the port to the United States, Australia and Germany. Earlier the same month, the country said it would send more than 210 tons of garbage back to Australia. The rubbish was in eight containers seized in Surabaya that should have contained only waste paper but were found to include household trash such as plastic bottles and packaging, used diapers, electronic waste and cans. In June, Indonesia returned five containers of rubbish to the United States. AFP

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte said Tuesday night he was confident he would never be implicated in corruption despite his “small” salary. He said he had not signed any government contracts involving public funds. “All Cabinet members would tell you I don’t allow papers, transactions involving money, especially public funds. They did not wait for my approval, nothing of that sort. It begins and ends with the Cabinet,” Duterte said during the launch of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority’s mobile app. “Purchases, all, don’t bring it on my table,” Duterte said. He made his comments after he had ordered the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office to stop all its gaming operations due to alleged corruption. “You can search wherever you want, I didn’t sign anything. I won’t be charged with graft and corruption,” he said. Duterte also said his monthly salary of P200,000 as the country’s top government official was “small” because he had to split it for his two families. He had married Elizabeth Zimmerman and had three children: Paolo, Sara and Sebastian. But he currently lives with his long-time partner, Cielito “Honeylet” Avanceña, and their youngest child Veronica. Duterte also vouched for the character of the military men he had appointed in government. Among them is Tesda Chief Isidro Lapeña. “I don’t believe even for a moment he is corrupt...or else, he won’t be in the Cabinet,” Duterte said of Lapeña. Duterte has reiterated he had appointed military men because they could quickly follow orders and were not inclined to do corrupt activities.

PH files...

“It remains a fact that we lost Scarborough Shoal, because of some miscalculations,” Esperon said in an interview with ABS-CBN. Esperon also said the two governments have not yet compared the results of their investigations into the Reed Bank incident, where a Chinese ship hit and sank a Filipino fishing boat and left 22 of its crew in open water. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Wednesday sought greater defense spending to protect the country’s territories amid numerous sightings of Chinese warships and fishermen intruding into Philippine waters. Lorenzana’s recommendation came weeks after the passage of several warships in Sibutu Straits just few miles off the country’s 200 Exclusive Economic Zone and the swarming of Chinese fishermen near Pagasa Island, the largest occupied territory outside mainland Philippines. “It’s time to spend more for our defense in order for us to protect our maritime domain,” Lorenzana said in a radio interview. The military has planned to procure several sophisticated equipment including fighter jets and navy vessels in the next 10 years to beef up external and internal maritime security. Lorenzana said China has militarized the West Philippine Sea after it put up sophisticated military facilities in the

disputed areas. In the recently-concluded Shangri-La defense meeting, Lorenzana confronted his defense counterpart and assailed China’s reclamation of reefs, and setting up of military equipment and facilities. “You are actually driving a mini-arms race in the region,” Lorenzana told his Chinese counterpart, saying money that could have gone to development is now going to buy arms. But Ambassador Zhao Jianhua assured Lorenzana that China does not want violence in the South China Sea as 85 percent of its oil imports from the Middle East and 65 percent of products, including raw materials, pass through the body of water. At present, the military is upgrading a runway on Pagasa Island to hasten the delivery of materials intended to rehabilitate deteriorating ports and other military bases fronting the West Philippine Sea. Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, a frequent critic of the administration’s policy on China, lauded the filing of a protest against Chinese activity near Pag-asa Island. “(That’s) good because we should keep on protesting that. Otherwise, that is an implied admission that we allowed them to do that and we should not allow that,” Carpio said. Carpio pointed out that Pag-asa Island has been declared part of the country’s territorial

sea by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in its 2016 ruling. “The tribunal said there is territorial sea around Pag-asa and all those fishing vessels of China cannot enter a territorial sea to loiter. If they want to pass through under innocent passage rule that means they have to pass in a continuous and expeditious straight line,” he said. “They cannot loiter, they are prohibited because it’s a territorial sea but what they are doing is they are loitering... When they stay there, they loiter, they are disregarding our right that that is our territorial sea. They should get out of there,” he added. Carpio also agreed with Lorenzana’s view that all ships passing through the country’s territorial sea should be monitored and be required to turn on their automatic identification system. Opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros, meanwhile, asked how long the Duterte government would play doormat to China and its interests. “The Duterte government must put its foot down and officially bring this matter before the Chinese government,” Hontiveros said. She said that the incursions are proof that President Duterte’s policy of appeasement of China “is dysfunctional, defeatist, and a threat” to the national interest.

Lotto... From A1

STL will be subjected to investigation and changes, Garma said. “In STL and other games, there will be changes and [they] will be fixed,” she added. “This is for the benefit of the public and to dismiss doubts that there is corruption. This is also to ensure that the revenues will be remitted to the government.” Garma said the games should be more transparent in the wake of corruption allegations. Panelo said all reports of corruption in the agency were being investigated but the President has not issued a timeline. “It’s not that easy. As the President said, money is difficult to trace because it is just being deposited to the banks. You need to thoroughly investigate it and look for people who can testify,” he said. While investigations are ongoing, about 300,000 Filipinos who are working in STL operations are set to lose jobs. PCSO officials can also be fired depending

on the investigation, Panelo said. A Senate panel is set to probe the gaming operations of the PCSO. Senator Richard Gordon, chairman of the Blue Ribbon Committee, said a hearing will be conducted next week to find out why Duterte stopped PCSO’s gaming operations. Gordon said the probe will seek to identify who are involved in corrupt activities. Some lawmakers have also expressed the need to amend the PCSO Charter. “They can do whatever they want. That’s their duty as members of Congress. What is good and beneficial to the Filipinos, they should do,” Panelo said. Duterte’s order to suspend all gaming operations of PCSO came under fire because thousands of Filipinos depend on the agency’s medical assistance program. Under the Universal Health Care Law, a portion of its earnings will also finance the country’s health care program. With PNA

“The Chinese government expresses its deepest sympathy and condolences to those affected families and decided to donate P10 million to aid the victims and support the Philippine government in its efforts to rebuild Batanes and help local residents return to normal life,” the embassy said in a statement on Wednesday. The Department of Public Works and Highways said the cost of infrastructure damage caused by the recent earth-

Filipino... From A1

Baybayin, a 17-character indigenous script used before Spanish colonization, is making a comeback among the nation’s millennials, young professionals and diaspora. Even as technology renders writing by hand outdated, online clips of calligraphy and digital fonts for the script have gripped the smartphone generation and now Baybayin—last used hundreds of years ago—is appearing on everything from tattoos and T-shirts to mobile apps. Proponents hail the curvilinear text as a crucial part of Philippine identity, but in a country with 131 government-recognized languages—critics say investing in the promotion of one ancient text over others is controversial and impractical. “It’s bittersweet. It made me proud knowing our ancestors were literate,” said Lucero, who studied calligraphy in Japan but returned home to apply his skills to reviving Baybayin. “What’s sad about this is what’s being propagated in our education system. It’s like our history started with being colonized by Spain,” the 31-year-old added. Baybayin was the form of writing used before the Spanish arrived in 1521 and missionaries had to learn it initially to spread Catholicism before forcing locals to adopt their Roman alphabet, historians say. Its resurgence has prompted calls from some for a law declaring Baybayin the national script. But regional scholars say the text is important mainly to Tagalogs—the people historically based in and around the capital—rather than to all Filipinos. AFP

EDSA... From A1 Garcia said bus operators have given their commitment to comply with the dry run of the bus ban following a meeting with officials of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board. “All of them will participate even without the full enforcement of the ban.” he said. He said the dry run, which will give buses window hours from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. to ply along EDSA, will allow the government to identify loopholes in its implementation. During the window hours, provincial buses can only load and unload passengers on common terminals along EDSA. “There will be no penalties during the dry run,” Garcia added. As this developed, a lawmaker has asked the Supreme Court to act swiftly on his motion to issue a temporary restraining order against the bus ban days ahead of the dry run. “At least 95 percent of our commuters take the bus—that is the cheapest mode of transportation to Manila,” AKO Bicol Party-list Rep. Alfredo Garbin Jr. said in a television interview. “The bus ban will really affect 95 percent of our population who are poor and have no other cheap alternative to taking the bus,” he added. Garbin filed the urgent motion before the High Court on Tuesday. “If you want to really address traffic along EDSA, the government should target colorum vehicles and illegal terminals,” he said. The LTFRB earlier amended the certificate of public convenience of all provincial buses with terminals along EDSA within the National Capital Region. Under Memorandum Circular 2019031, all provincial buses from the north, whose terminals are located on Edsa, shall temporarily stop at the Valenzuela City interim terminal.

From A1

latest action this month further aggravates the uncertainty in the South China Sea. Esperon said he doesn’t know China’s motives for swarming the area with its vessels. “There were many Chinese fishing vessels there. On Feb. 8, there were 61 and on July 24 it reached 113. I have recommended diplomatic actiont,” Esperon said at a briefing. But Esperon noted that the number of the Chinese fishing boats has dwindled to three as of Tuesday because of bad weather in the area, while only one Chinese Coast Guard ship remained. In 2016, the the Permanent Court of Arbitration invalidated China’s extensive claims over the entire South China Sea and ruled in favor of the Philippines, but President Rodrigo Duterte has set aside the decision, preferring to foster friendly relations with China to attract more Chinese investments. Over the last three years, he has been criticized for appeasing China in the face of its aggressive behavior in the West China Sea. Esperon on Wednesday said China outsmarted the Philippines in the 2012 standoff over the Scarborough Shoal.

Carpio... From A1 Carpio was also nominated for chief justice after the ouster of Sereno last year, but declined the nomination after dissenting from the SC ruling on the quo warranto case. The post then went to now retired chief justice Teresita Leonardo-De Castro. Malacañang had said that President Rodrigo Duterte is honoring the seniority rule in his appointments in the judiciary. But Carpio has been strong a critic of President Duterte over the administration’s policy on the territorial conflict with China in the West Philippine Sea. The JBC opened the applications and recommendations to the chief justice post last July 5 and set the deadline on Aug. 20.

Labor... From A1 TUCP president Raymond Mendoza said. “That is why there will be an industryby-industry tripartite process to identify what jobs are regular and what can be outsourced through legitimate contracting.” Mendoza said. He said this would entail more talking and negotiations and necessarily more time. “Also, the tripartite process is where those jobs which can be contracted out will be determined since management prerogatives must conform to the Constitution, good morals, fair play, decency, logic and the parameters of this new law,” Mendoza said. “TUCP sees nothing wrong or amiss in the definition of Labor-only contracting in the vetoed law. If anything, the definition closes the loopholes that have been exploited by the employers and labor contractors to exploit our workers in what is a modern form of slave labor.” The TUCP said the worker, without any security of tenure, was subject to a modern form of slavery where his other rights were either illusory, contingent or easily set aside by the employers.

The agency has also resumed the lotto draw and said that prizes are intact despite the closure of its gaming outlets. “PCSO lost P250 million in four days when online lotto stopped its operations,” PCSO General Manager Royima Garma said in a press conference. The President is “satisfied” and found no irregularities in the operations of lotto after an investigation was conducted, Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said Wednesday. Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea also said investigators found no anomalies in the conduct of its operations, and that regulatory rules have been followed. Garma said there are “safety nets” in lotto operations that make it transparent and corruption-free. Meanwhile, other PCSO games particularly

Red Cross... From A1 and conduct clean-up efforts within a 400-meter radius where cases are discovered. “The Red Cross is treating it as a national emergency because one dead is already one dead too many,” Gordon said. The dengue season has just started and more cases are expected. That’s why we are taking it very seriously,” Gordon said in a mix of English and Filipino. The DOH said Wednesday that there have been more than 130,000 cases of dengue nationwide as of mid-July, almost twice the number from last year. Former Health secretary and Rep. Janette Garin on Wednesday said she will resign as legislator should a new strain of the dengue virus be proved responsible for the lastest rise in cases. At the same time, Garin, who is still facing a slew of criminal cases for the Dengvaxia mess during the Aquino administration, said the recent outbreak in the country could have been prevented by the use of the controversial Dengvaxia vaccine.

Garin also dared Duque to “be a man” and “exercise political will” in dealing with the dengue epidemic. “If there are doctors and private patients who need the vaccine, give it to them, do not ban it from them, because it is not your family, your children or your life who’s at stake here,” Garin said at a news conference. Garin said DOH officials must be able to present proof that will back up their claims that the dengue virus serotype 3 has caused the spike in dengue cases recently. Also on Wednesday, Duque appointed Calabarzon Regional Health Director Eduardo Janairo as chairman of the National Dengvaxia Task Force to properly address and manage concerns surrounding the effects on the use of the Dengvaxia vaccine. The DOH launched a Dengvaxia immunization program in 2016 and carried it out in three regions, including Region 7, on request by the region’s congressional representative. But the program created panic when the its manufacturer announced that those who had had no contact with the dengue virus but were vaccinated with Dengvaxia could contract a more serious strain of it. With PNA

Du30... From A1 At the same time, Deputy Speaker Raneo Abu of Batangas said he was optimistic the House would be able to organize the composition of 60 standing committees and 15 special committees in the next few days. “We’re still in the thick [committee assignments] of it,” Abu said. “The House leadership wants the positions equally distributed among House members from different parties so there are meetings after meetings.” Abu said the House leadership wanted to equally distribute positions and committees among its members who come from different parties led by the ruling party PDP-Laban. “We all want to help the President and make him succeed—that’s our common denominator,” he said. It was not immediately known if the young Duterte would renounce his membership in the local political party Hugpong ng Tawong Lungsod when he would take his oath as an NUP member on Aug. 6 during the party’s national congress, expected to elect a new set of national officers.

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2019 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Filipinos should develop skills to contribute for PH growth—Du30 By MJ Blancaflor PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte said on Tuesday that Filipinos should develop skills that will contribute to the growth of the Philippines and other countries. The President said there is a need for young workers from among “aging” nations such as Japan and United States. “The next generation will acquire manpower from us. Almost all of them are aging: Japan, America, especially Europe. One day, they would run out of human being. The handsomest will be Filipino and Filipina. They will be nonproductive like a baby doll,” he said. Duterte said this during the launch of Technical Education and Skills Development Authority’s mobile app in Taguig City. Dubbed as 911TESDA, the app connects job applicants to those looking for services in construction, transport, appliance repair, among others. “I am confident that this program will significantly contribute to our efforts to provide livelihood opportunities that will enable our people to make a decent living and, in the process, empower them to contribute to our overall growth as a nation,” he said in his speech. “This web-based project is definitely responsive to the growing demand for quality services in households, communities, and enterprises by harnessing the great potential of our digital online service providers,” he added. Duterte also said the government should provide efficient and reliable means of job application. He also urged rebels to enroll in TESDA. “You, NPA [New People’s Army]. Stupid. Come here. Enroll now,” he said.

‘Polong’ pushes bill on Dept of OFW, Foreign Employment By Maricel V. Cruz THE President’s son, Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte, has pushed for the passage of the proposed Department of Overseas Filipino Workers and Foreign Employment. Duterte co-authored the bill penned by Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano of Taguig-Pateros and his wife, Rep. Laarni Cayetano, who represents the other district of Taguig-Pateros. The bill, they said, called for the creation of a single agency to provide an integrated, more comprehensive and sustainable approach to address the problems and concerns of overseas Filipino workers and their families. “The bill to create the Department of Overseas Filipino Workers and Foreign Employment to ensure that the agency would manage, harmonize and strengthen existing policies and programs on migration,” they said in a statement. In the statement, Cayetano said that under the consolidated department the delivery of services and provision of assistance will be faster, better, more responsive and more efficient. Currently, there are five major agencies that have mandates relative to overseas employment and overseas Filipinos concerns, namely the Department of Labor and Employment, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, the Commission on Filipinos Overseas, and the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs of the Department of Foreign Affairs. “The absence of a single agency to address foreign employment concerns has made it difficult for the government to focus on the needs and demands of migration in general and of OFWs in particular,” Cayetano said. The Speaker said he believes that with the growing needs and challenges faced by the overseas Filipinos, they need to put a higher Overseas Filipinos Assistance Fund compared with the existing Assistance to Nationals Fund and Legal Assistance Fund. The bill proposes to provide P5 billion to address the needs of regular and irregular OFWs in distress, and those OFWs returning to the Philippines. The proposed measure provides that the secretary of Department of OFW and Foreign Employment shall be assisted by six undersecretaries that will handle the following areas: Administration and Finance, Foreign Employment, Reintegration and Social Services, Overseas Filipinos, Assistance to Overseas Filipinos in Distress, International Labor Affairs.

SIGNATURE POSE. President Rodrigo Roa Duterte strikes his signature pose with Senator Christopher ‘Bong‘ Go, House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority Director General Isidro Lapeña, Taguig Rep. Maria Laarni Cayetano, and TESDA officials during the launch of the 911TESDA at the TESDA Complex in Taguig City on July 30, 2019. Presidential Photo

Crackdown against illegal vendors, motorists to stay By Joel E. Zurbano

UTHORITIES have given erring motorists, illegal merchants and unscrupulous businessmen another heads-up in connection with the ongoing metro-wide crackdown on illegal parking and other forms of road obstruction.

Rule-breaking vendors and drivers should expect to face tough enforcement with limited leniency from the police force, local enforcers and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority. Owners of business establishments were also warned and asked to dismantle fixtures encroaching the sidewalks. MMDA chairman Danilo Lim and National Capital Region Police Office director Major Gen. Guillermo Eleazar have pledged to clamp down on activities that obstruct traffic flow and endanger other road users both on major and secondary streets in Metro Manila. Metro Manila mayors also vowed to dismantle informal roadside shops, dwellings and other illegal structures in their respective locality as part of the sweeping cleanup operation to improve traffic congestion. The crackdown came after President Rodrigo Duterte, during his fourth State of the Nation Address, said that he wants to reclaim and clear public roads

in the NCR of all obstructions. Last Monday, Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año marked the start of the 60day countdown for Metro Manila mayors to ﬁnish the road clearing campaign. During a clearing operation in Baclaran, both Mayors Edwin Olivarez of Parañaque and Imelda CalixtoRubiano of Pasay committed support to the MMDA on its bid to make all roads obstruction-free while looking for ways to relocate the vendors. “We want a sustainable solution to this that’s why we are having coordination with different vendor associations to help them search for a permanent selling place,” Olivarez said. Calixto-Rubiano, for her part, said she is also meeting with the vendors associations and some private establishments for the transfer of the vendors. “I also proposed to our city council to craft an ordinance for a night market,” she said.

OSG declares victory over militants’ suits MILITANT groups have no one to blame but themselves after the Court of Appeals dismissed separate petitions for writ of amparo and habeas data against President Rodrigo Duterte and other government officials. In a statement Wednesday, the Office of the Solicitor General described these decisions of the court as a victory, which “further proves that the OSG is constantly hard at work in all its cases, notwithstanding the misinformation of a select few.” The agency made the remarks in responding to critics, who cited its supposed backlog of cases. The OSG added that in the case of the amparo petition filed by the National Union of People’s Lawyers, “it is thus beyond cavil that the petition is merely for political theatrics meant to harass the Government, President Rodrigo Roa

Duterte, and his military generals, barren of any factual and legal bases.” It also pointed out that NUPL lawyers knew that this is the second time that the CA denied a similar case filed by leftleaning groups, led by Karapatan, against the President “for being devoid of any merit worthy of judicial consideration.” “The NUPL’s allegation that there is a violent attack by state forces against the legal profession, as its member-lawyers are vilified and red-tagged, is proved to be far more imaginary than real. The Court of Appeals (CA) in its decision, ruled that despite the liberality afforded to petitioners in submitting the judicial affidavits of witnesses and other documentary evidence, and the fact that the state opted not to present any evidence, the petitioners miserably failed to discharge their burden of proof,” the OSG added. PNA

CPR CAMPAIGN. Around 4,000 senior high and college students from the University of the East participate in the mass CPR campaign demonstration led by the Philippine Red Cross in C.M. Recto, Manila on Wednesday. The Philippine Red Cross mobilized its staff and volunteers to teach Filipinos in school, offices and public places how to conduct a hands-only CPR to avert injuries or loss of lives in case of emergency. Norman Cruz

Lim said the agency will do regular clearing operations at the 17 Metro Manila local government units to make sure that all roads will be free from obstruction within the time frame of the DILG. “There would be no let-up in our operations as the DILG gave us orders to reclaim the roads for 60 days. We will ensure that these will be done daily to fast-track clearing of all roads,” Lim said. “We will constantly communicate with the LGUs, particularly with the mayors and barangay ofﬁcials and remind them what was the President’s directives and that we need to take it seriously,” he added. MMDA general manager Jose Arturo Garcia Jr. seconded Lim and stressed the importance of clearing roads from all kinds of obstructions. “These roads were being used for proﬁt for a long time and it’s about time we reclaim it for the common good. Sidewalks are for pedestrians while public roads are for motorists,” he said. On Wednesday, members of the MMDA Task Force Alpha conducted clearing operations against illegal parking and vendors along NIA Road in Barangay Pinyahan in Caloocan City. In San Juan City, the NCRPO headed by Eleazar and Mayor Francis Zamora led the dismantling of a police community precinct located in West Crame.

MWSS chair moved to JBC; ex-military man takes over PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has transferred the chief of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System to the Judicial and Bar Council and appointed a former military man to the regulatory body. MWSS chairman Franklin Demonteverde was named representative of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines to the JBC, based on a list released by the Palace Wednesday. Demonteverde, a retired judge, will now serve the council which is mandated to screen applicants for any vacancy in the judiciary. Duterte has also appointed retired Lieutenant General Emmanuel Salamat as MWSS board member. Salamat served as the Armed Forces of the Philippines Northern Luzon Command chief. Duterte also reappointed MWSS administrator and vice chairperson Reynaldo Velasco as a member of the board of trustees. Velasco is currently performing as MWSS administrator on a hold-over capacity after his term expired on June 30. The appointments in MWSS came months after Metro Manila suffered from a water crisis, earning Duterte’s ire. Velasco will now serve as MWSS chairman. Salamat is vice chairman. Their appointment papers were signed over the weekend. With PNA

Language training fee for Japan OFWs nixed THE Philippine Overseas Employment Administration warned Filipino workers who were selected for employment in Japan not to pay any fees for language training courses which partnered under the government’s overseas employment program. In a statement, the POEA said “no training fees shall be charged from any candidate selected for employment in Japan as part of the Technical Internship Training Program (TITP) or as housekeepers in National Strategic Special Zones.” POEA Administrator Bernard Olalia said the agency has been receiving reports that language training centers, some of which are afﬁliates or partners of licensed recruitment agencies, collect training fees from these workers, either before deployment or through salary deduction in Japan under a study-nowpay-later scheme. Olalia said the training fees are supposed to be paid for or are chargeable to the Japanese Employer or Accepting Organization. Vito Barcelo

Du30 not firing DOH chief Duque PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte will neither fire nor ask Health Secretary Francisco Duque III to take a leave of absence for supposedly breaching the law prohibiting conflict of interest, the Palace said Wednesday. “Because it is still under investigation. When the President sacks you from your position, it means there is already a probable cause,” Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo told reporters. Panelo previously said Duque still enjoys the trust and confidence of the Chief Executive despite allegations hurled against him due to his family firm’s dealings with government. In his privilege speech Monday night, Senator Panfilo Lacson said that Duque’s pharmaceutical company, Doctors Pharmaceuticals Inc., bagged two government contracts for the supply of medicine to public hospitals. The firm has reportedly earned millions of pesos from these contracts. The company has also reportedly entered into a leasing agreement with the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. in Pangasinan. MJ Blancaflor

PAGASA flagged over procurement delay THE Commission on Audit has called the attention of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration over its failure to obligate P509.735 million for the procurement of equipment and build facilities needed for the improvement of weather and climate forecasting. In a 2018 report, state auditors said PAGASA should have used the money for typhoon and weather warnings; operation and maintenance of automated observational data from a surface and upper-air observation network; farm weather information system, and research on geophysical, astronomical and allied sciences. “The responsibility to take care that such policy is faithfully adhered to rest directly with the chief or head of the government agency concerned,” the report read. CoA said PAGASA should have undertaken early procurement activities for the timely implementation of the contracts. The weather bureau, for its part, attributed the delays in procurement activities to the rebidding of several projects and the incomplete terms of reference by end-users. Rio N. Araja

Opinion

THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2019

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Why I am a journalist WHEN I have nothing to do except sit on my Lazy Boy, I become nostalgic and look back on my experiences. I ask myself, for instance, why I became a journalist, depending only on the salary from the publication I’m working for. Since I was a teenager, I had dreamed of being a lawyer like my older brothers. I was influenced by Hollywood movies where lawyers try seemingly impossible cases and win in the end. Aside from this, for Ilocanos, to become a lawyer or a doctor of medicine is a badge of honor.

I had other plans, but.... So why, instead of practicing law, did I choose to be a journalist? I think I will continue to be one until I write “30.” In college, I took law electives, so that when I finished my AB, it only took me two years to finish my Bachelor of Laws at the Philippine Law School, then a prestigious institution from which many legal luminaries graduated. But when I was at the Ateneo, I became an associate editor for The Guidon, the college paper, where I had my column called “In My Opinion.” And then, there was an opportunity to write for a real newspaper. I took up the challenge to write for The Mindanao

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

Cross, a publication run by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate in Cotabato. My editor-in-chief at The Guidon, Rudy Tupas, also became a magazine editor for the Manila Times. He was also editor of the Oblates publication for all Notre Dame schools all over Mindanao and Sulu. After two years among Christians and Muslims in Mindanao, I came back to Manila to teach at the old Ateneo de Manila High School where I taught English, history and literature. I still yearned to practice the law, but circumstances beyond my control took the better of me. I married the love of my life. It was somehow the will of God that I became a journalist. At that time, Botica Boie hosted businessmen, professionals and media daily. People would talk about everything under the sun. One day, a friend who worked for the late Don Vicente Madrigal asked me if I wanted to work at the Philippines Herald. This friend knew I was jobless. I said yes. He then took me to see Don Vicente, who told me to see Felix Gonzales who was then editorin-chief. Gonzales was known as “the judge” because he used to cover the judiciary. His first words to me were: “So you are an Atenean. I hate Ateneans. But there’s your desk.” He pointed to the desk of the business editor, who was then taking the Bar. This was how I became a journalist, forsaking my law profession to take the place of another journalist who wanted to become a lawyer. Ironic, isn’t it? That started my career as business editor of a national newspaper.

Homework

ILIPINOS have had to make allowances for lawmakers who landed on their posts through sheer popularity, despite not having enough credentials to do their jobs reasonably well. Personality politics has made us lower our standards, and we have learned to laugh, shrug, or just shake our heads when we hear their antics. We are, indeed, a tolerant people. It shocks us, however, when those who should know better— for example, a lawyer with an advanced degree, and who has had some working experience in the Executive branch—do not perform their tasks as they should. Senator Francis Tolentino was one of the three candidates for whom President Rodrigo Duterte went out of his way to campaign in the elections last May. Given the President’s still-high approval ratings, by extension, all three made it to the Magic 12. It seems logical to expect that Tolentino would, in a gesture of payback, use his position to extol and defend his political patron’s words and decisions before his colleagues at the Senate. He did just that recently, when he defended the President’s verbal— “salivatic,” he called it—agreement with Chinese President Xi Jinping where the former supposedly allowed Chinese fishermen to fish in the West Philippine Sea.

“As the chief architect of foreign policy, the President can enter into agreements with other countries. These executive agreements, with due respect, do not require Senate concurrence,” he said. Asked, however, by a colleague about what the contents of the verbal agreement was between the two presidents, Tolentino started stammering, eventually admitting that he based his proposition on “anecdotal reports” that there was, indeed, an agreement. He said he did not know the parameters or the contents of the agreement, relying only on the “political judgment and good faith of the President to fulfill his duty on what is good for the country.” His colleague pointed out that for the body to adjudge whether the agreement was in accordance or contrary to the Constitution, it was logical and basic to know what the agreement is all about. Tolentino seemed to share his in-

terpellator’s opinion. “You said this is binding, but what are we being bound to?” Tolentino was asked. “I do not have in my possession the contents of the alleged verbal agreement,” he managed to get out. Senator Francis Tolentino holds a master’s degree in international law, and attended the Hague Academy of International Law. He could have argued the merits of such executive agreements, if there were indeed any, and he would have come across as credible even if some might not agree with him. Instead, Tolentino took to the floor with nothing but an imagined conversation between the two presidents, with nary a quote from Mr. Duterte himself of what words exactly were said. Where he could have succeeded in lending credibility to a shaky claim, the senator simply affirmed what many critics of the President are accusing him of: A defender, not of the law, but of a political patron, right or wrong. Administration senators who comprise the majority in the Upper House need to work harder at convincing the people that they still recognize that the Senate is a supposedly independent institution, and that being apologists or minions of anybody only demeans their office.

Turn to A5

Standing up to China POP GOES THE WORLD JENNY ORTUOSTE PERHAPS the biggest takeaway from President Rodrigo Duterte’s State of the Nation Address last week was the defense he gave for not standing up to China’s domineering stance in the West Philippine Sea. “The avoidance of conflict,” he said, “and protection of our territorial waters and natural resources compel us to perform a delicate balancing act.” It will cost the Philippines too much, he said, to get into a shooting war “that will leave widows and orphans in its wake.” No right-minded Filipino wants to go to war. It will cost precious lives, hamstring development and growth, exhaust the country’s attenuated resources. What many are asking for is not war, but that the Philippines protect its territory and people the same way Vietnam and Indonesia do—with courage and steadfastness. And China has not waged war against them. Despite Duterte’s bend-over backward caution, China’s saber-rattling in the West Philippine Sea has grown too loud for some officials of this government to ignore. Yesterday, Foreign Secretary Teddy Locsin tweeted, “Diplomatic protest fired off” over the presence of 113 Chinese vessels “swarming,” as some news reports put it, near Pag-Asa island in the WPS on July 24 and 25. Locsin says he did the same in April over the same issue, firing off “a salvo of diplomatic notes.” Which were obviously ignored and totally ineffectual save as a matter of record. “Noted,” China might have replied. National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said that the number of massed ships was a new “record”—in April, the military recorded 87 Chinese vessels in the same area in February. Esperon speculated that the ships might have moved off to Subi Reef, where the

Chinese have military bases. The strong Chinese presence in the WPS poses a security threat to the Philippines and other countries in the region. The Chinese bases in the area are highly weaponized—as Duterte said in his SONA, “There are already guided missiles in that island. And the fastest that they have installed there can reach Manila in seven minutes.” Political science professor Robert Farley, writing in April this year for The National Interest (nationalinterest.org), says that “China has established numerous military installations in the South China Sea, primarily in the Spratly and Paracel Islands [claimed by Vietnam].

Do we have to wait for the US to come along and do a Big Brother rescue? “In the Spratlys, China has built airfields at Subi, Mischief and Fiery Cross, along with potential missile, radar and helicopter infrastructure at several smaller formations.... China continues construction across the region, meaning that it may expand its military presence in the future. “The larger bases (Subi, Mischief, Fiery Cross and Woody Island[Paracels]) have infrastructure necessary for the management of military aircraft, including fighters and large patrol craft. These missiles, radars and aircraft extend the lethal reach of China’s military across the breadth of the South China Sea.” This is frightening. So it’s understandable that President Duterte fears for our country given China’s massive firepower in the region. But it’s one thing to be cautious, and another thing to be a doormat. Locsin in his role as diplomat has done what he can with the means at his disposal. Whether he can or should do anything Turn to A5

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Charity ends when greed prevails ONLY five days from declaring war on corruption during his recent SONA, President Duterte ordered the suspension of PCSO gaming operations and closure of all PCSO lottery outlets. Investigations are underway to determine the gravity and extent of anomalies within the agency and other third parties. On Tuesday, lotto operations were restored, but other PCSO games remain suspended. Many were surprised by the President’s announcement. Its effect runs wide and deep. The suspension directly affects the welfare of indigent PCSO beneficiaries, the livelihood of PCSO employees, and the legitimate business of franchise holders, includ-

Former Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno Anita F. Grefal Baldwin R. Felipe Edgar M. Valmorida

Board Member & Chief Legal Adviser Treasury Manager Head—Ad Solutions Circulation Manager

tablished to eradicate the illegal numbers game such as jueteng and masiao. As Minority Leader in the previous Congress, I led the call for the expansion of the STL operations to complement the administration’s campaign against illegal gambling. In my previous statements and articles, I repeatedly underscored the We need to get to the potential of the STL program in proroot of the problem. viding livelihood and employment opportunities to many, especially those in the marginalized sector and those ing their collectors and cabos who rely who are unable to pass job fairs and on the gaming operations for income. lack standard job requirements such It appears that the President is intol- as education, age, or experience. Last erant of gambling. We will recall that year, the PCSO reported employment Turn to A5 the Small Town Lottery (STL) was esRolando G. Estabillo Publisher Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Joyce Pangco Pañares Adelle Chua

Managing Editor Associate Editors News Editor Opinion Editor

Emil P. Jurado

Honor Blanco Cabie Night Editor Jimbo Gulle City Editor Roberto Cabrera Chief Photographer

Chairman Emeritus, Editorial Board

Opinion Clearing all road obstructions IT APPEARS that without President Duterte issuing a directive, it is hard to get things done in the government. During his State of the Nation Address last week, the President he gave instructions to all concerned government agencies to clear all traffic obstructions on all roads and sidewalks. Immediately, government agencies both national and local went into action, dismantling illegally constructed structures that had been constructed on public roads and sidewalks. Some enterprising public officials even took the opportunity to have their pictures taken directing the demolition of illegally constructed structures. When President Duterte assumed office in 2016, one of the issues that people wanted him to tackle was the traffic gridlock in the Metro area. Some proposed that he be given emergency powers for that purpose. Being the realist that he is, however, he took one close look at the problem and left it to concerned government agencies to solve because traffic issues are basically municipal issues. It now seems that he has changed his mind. If that is the case, this is actually not the first time that the President waded into problems that are basically local in nature. More than a year ago, the President has taken to issuing orders to government agencies both national and local to attend to some pressing problems. This started with the rehabilitation and clean-up of Boracay which is now operating with better safeguards and regulations to avoid the excesses of the past. The other recent issue tackled by the President that resulted in an immediate action by the government is the fasttracking of the construction of the Sangley Airport as an alternate to the congested and crowded domestic airport. The problem of the domestic airport operation was so obvious that one wonders why it had to be the President who had to order the transfer of airport operations and the repair and improvement of the Sangley runway. Even to ordinary

Charity... From A4

of more than 300,000 cabos or collectors. The STL program, lotto, and other gaming operations directly contribute to solving the problem of poverty, and eventually minimize the inclination of people to resort to illegal drug trade. With the sudden closure and stoppage of operations, what will now happen to that multitude of employees? For a short while, these employees

Standing... From A4

more depends on the country’s policy on the matter. It looks like the President is going for peace, but it looks more like appeasement. China is growing bolder and more aggressive in the face of it. Esperon said, the government does not know the reason for the swarming done in the WPS by the Chinese vessels several times this year. Wanna bet they’re up to no good?

Why I am... From A4

I must say that my background in law helped me a lot as a journalist. I am a fierce advocate of due process and the rule of law. I am a champion of press freedom. *** The recent controversy over a requirement of the Securities and Exchange Commission requiring all corporations, past and present, by virtue of the SEC Memorandum Circular no. 17, series of 2018, to disclose their ultimate beneficial own-

air travelers who are not transportation experts, the domestic airport operations is problematic simply because the domestic runway crosses the runway being used for international operations. Because of the ever-increasing domestic flights, the lone runway is used for all flights contributing to flight delays and flight stoppages in cases of emergencies like the lighting threat that closed the whole Ninoy Aquino International Airport for hours.

Mr. Duterte is no longer a mayor. Road clearing is one of the most difficult chores in traffic management. This has been shown in Baclaran as well as Balintawak. Not only sidewalks but the roads have been taken over by people to be used as dwellings and businesses. Some barangays have also constructed barangay halls on roads and sidewalks. Clearing roads and sidewalks of obstructions can greatly help in decongesting traffic especially along local roads. I do not know whether the President realized this himself and issued the order or it was made upon the suggestion of an adviser. Either way, the order was long overdue because as shown in the TV footages, the result of the clearing operations was dramatic and plain to see by everyone. But we really have to wonder why it has to take the President of the land to issue such orders to a problem which is basically municipal. Does it mean that without the President wading into the problem, the issue could not be tackled? Manila Mayor Isko Moreno showed that even without the President’s intervention, he was able to clear parks, roads, and sidewalks.

Mayor Moreno showed that with determination, a mayor could in fact make an impact. He is now the star in all these clearing operations. We hope of course that he will stay the course and make the City of Manila clean permanently. It may be too much to ask but who knows, with him at the helm, he might still be able to bring back Manila as the Queen City of the Pacific and the Pearl of the Orient like it was before the war. If he can come close to that, then he can rightfully go further in political life. Following the President’s order, the Department of the Interior and Local Government has also given all local executives 60 days to clear all road obstructions. There is no longer any valid reason for failure on the part of local leaders. If in the past they were afraid to act decisively for fear of losing votes during elections, they can now say that they are just simply following the order of the President because they now have the shield. But even with this, we do not know whether it is going to be any different this time. There are simply many local leaders out there who are so incompetent and corrupt. Another question that we have to ask also is whether it is good for our President to have to get involved in purely local issues because local executives are failing in their duties. In a system that is functioning efficiently, this should not be the norm. Yes, the President can intervene in some issues such as big natural disasters but problems like clearing roads and sidewalks should be left to the LGUs to handle. This may be good for the President sometimes because it shows that he is decisive and is on top of every situation. For many Filipinos also, decisiveness is one trait that they like in their leader. On the other hand, it can also reinforce what his foreign and local critics are saying—that he is ruling like a strongman. The trick is to strike a balance so that the President can be left to tackling important national issues. After all, he is done with being a mayor. He is now the President.

may not be able to feel its impact. However, the desperate need for source of income will arise sooner or later, and these employees may resort to illegal activities to make both ends meet. The Department of Labor and Employment offered to provide emergency employment. Affected workers may also apply for unemployment benefits and financial assistance for up to two months through the Social Security System unemployment insurance program. While this may benefit some employees, those from

far-flung barangays may find the unnecessary bureaucracy in the system discouraging. For sure, corruption must be curbed. That said, this closure and suspension should be viewed objectively, and with reasonable consideration on its impact on the sick, the poor, and the marginalized sector who are most benefited by these number games. We need to get to the root of the problem to ensure that the laws and regulations are properly and strictly followed and implemented.

But if China engages in a shooting war with the Philippines and the US comes to the fore, Dr Farley says the island bases have “some military relevance” and they do “represent an asset to China’s military,” but he opines that “in an actual conflict the value would dwindle quickly.” He sees the bases as being “more important as a political claim to waterways and undersea resources. Militarily, they represent a thin crust on China’s A2/AD [Anti-Access/Area Denial] system. Under certain conditions this crust could disrupt US free-

dom of action, but it won’t be hard for the United States’ Air Force and Navy to punch through.” The question is, do we have to wait for the U.S. to come along and do a Big Brother rescue? They would only do that if it were in their interest to do so. They would not stick their necks out just to make us feel better about our sovereignty.

ers—defined as natural persons who ultimately or effectively own or control the corporation—in their General Information Sheet, brings to fore the need to amend the Constitution’s economic provision that foreigners can only own up to 40 percent of Filipino corporations. In the wake of the outcry of business against the order, the SEC has since dismissed that requirement. Some geniuses at the SEC, knowing that some Philippine corporations are effectively owned by foreigners, issued that controversial memorandum without realizing that it was illegal

because only Congress can pass a law requiring all corporations to disclose their ultimate beneficial owners. Aside from the fact that the SEC requirement is illegal and unconstitutional, the circular intrudes on Filipino citizens’ inherent constitutional right to privacy. Since the SEC is not a lawmaking body, and it is tasked only to execute laws, it certainly went out of bounds. Another factor to consider is that the circulars would deter the development of the capital market to the prejudice of the investing public. In the wake of all these, the SEC

We have to stand up for ourselves against the bully. The question is, when and how? /FB and Twitter: @ DrJennyO

THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2019

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Are pre-election voter surveys good for democracy? application of the techniques of opinion sampling. But when one considers that the 1,400 survey respondents are meant to represent the views of 61 million registered voters, the limitations quickly beISSUES that are highly contentious come recognizable. The Magic 12 or controversial are best discussed winners among the 2019 senatorial when the fires of contention or candidates were accorded the highcontroversy are not burning so in- est number of votes by 1,400 inditensely. This is particularly true of viduals in a selection procedure issues of a political or religious na- involving 63 candidates; that was ture. In the domain of politics, one the implication of that exercise, of the most hotly debated issues nothing more, nothing less. The relates to the role played by com- procedure did intend to imply that munication technology in electoral the non-Magic 12 candidates stood contests. no chance whatsoever of Enormous being elected. strides were The fragile and made in the The more field of com- evolutionary state of plausible exmunication planation for Philippine democracy technology the recurrent during the begs an essential convergence 20th century. question. of SWSThis is parPulse Asia pre-election ticularly true voter-prefer of the field of voter-preferopinion-sampling. The business ence findings and the Comelec-anComelec-an of designing survey samples and nounced results is the conditioning gathering and analyzing opinions of voters’ minds that the voterhas come a long way since the pio- preference surveys produce. Voters neering days of George Gallup and who see the same names appearhis then-modest organization. ing in successive SWS and Pulse Today opinion sampling tech- Asia surveys eventually come to nology is highly sophisticated and believe that the candidates occudiverse, and opinion survey orga- pying the top 12 slots are the most nizations undertake opinion sam- likely winners and decide that they pling for all sorts of clients and all might as well go along with the kinds of client needs. Their clien- choices of the Magic 12-favoring tele includes candidates for pub- respondents. Their minds having lic office and political parties that been conditioned, they were ready want to get measures of voter sen- to shade the ballot squares next to timents toward the candidates. The the Magic 12 names. Mind-conopinion samplings are undertaken ditioning, particularly in electoral at several points during an elec- matters, has little or no effect on toral campaign, with the final sam- Filipinos belonging to the A and pling done shortly before Election B income groups, who by definiDay. They generally do a good job. tion are better informed and more Over the years, in election after discernment-inclined, but is very election, all or most of the sena- effective with Filipinos belonging tors eventually proclaimed by the to the C, D and E income groups. Comelec (Commission on ElecIn a democratic environment tions) have been the Magic 12 win- there can be no question about the ners selected by the respondents of right of opinion-survey institutions the last pre-election survey con- to ply their trade or the right of any ducted by this country’s two lead- Filipino to engage the services of ing opinion sampling institutions: an opinion-survey institution to SWS (Social Weather Stations) gauge the sentiment of the public, and Pulse Asia. In their final pre- or a segment of it, on a specific Election Day surveys, SWS and matter or issue. Those rights are Pulse Asia indicated that all the guaranteed by the Constitution of Magic 12 slots would be filled by a democratic country. But rights, pro-administration candidates and even constitutionally guaranteed that not one of the non-adminis- ones, do not operate in a vacuum. tration candidates—including the They should be applied with due Otso Diretso—would be success- regard to the attendant circumful in their quest for seats in the up- stances. per chamber of Congress. That is The fragile and evolutionary how things turned out in the 2019 state of Philippine democracy election. begs an essential question. Given How does this happen? What the mind-conditioning effect, do is the acceptable explanation for pre-election surveys of voter sentirecurrent convergence of the poll- ment serve the cause of Philippine ing institutions’ pre-election voter- politics? Does Philippine democpreference surveys and the official racy absolutely need the conduct election results? of voter preference polling just Believers in the usefulness, ca- before an election? Or, stated difpability and security of opinion ferently, can Philippine democracy surveys can be expected to say— dispense with such polling without nay, insist—that the accuracy rate incurring irreparable damage? of the polling institutions’ pre-elecThis is an issue that should be tion voter-preference surveys are addressed by all Filipinos—espeentirely due to the expertise with cially the legal community, politiwhich respondent samples are pre- cians and the media—interested in pared and the care with which the making the electoral process a true opinion-gathering is undertaken. handmaiden of democracy. Oth“The polling institutions do their erwise, this country will be stuck job with utmost proficiency and with the situation where mindcare, so why shouldn’t the election conditioned voters cast ballots for results coincide with our pre-elec- a dishonest ex-presidential daughtion findings?,” they in effect say. ter, a know-little action star and a As already stated, the polling in- once-indicted former legislator on stitutions undoubtedly are highly account of their names being in the skilled and very proficient in the polling institutions’ Magic 12 list.

wanted first to delay the implementation of the circular. And then it decided to scrap it. Santa Banana, I have said in this space that this was a surefire formula for graft and corruption. It gives corrupt SEC people to extort money from corporations suspected to have foreigners as their beneficial owners. *** In the wake of reports that there are now foreign jihadists in Mindanao, I see the need to extend martial law throughout Mindanao. Martial law has somehow prevented terrorism and violence down South.

I have talked to many Mindanaoans, and they agree to extend martial law throughout the island to enable the military and the police to prevent further violence. *** President Duterte’s decision to lift the ban on all outlets of the lotto shows that while he is gung-ho on his war against corruption, he also listens to the people. Imagine lotto workers becoming jobless. This is what I like about Duterte. He cares for the people. www.emiljurado.weebly.com

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Manila

Standard THURSDAY, A6 TODAY AUGUST 1, 2019

News

Republic of the Philippines GOVERNMENT SERVICE INSURANCE SYSTEM GSIS Building, Financial Center, Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City 1308

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

BI barred 2,351 in Q1 By Vito Barcelo THE Bureau of Immigration barred more than 2,300 foreign nationals from entering the country during the first six months of the year as a result of the agency’s intensified efforts to thwart the entry of aliens whose presence here are deemed inimical to public welfare and safety. BI port operations division chief Grifton Medina said 2,351 aliens of various nationalities were denied entry in the different ports. He said that 1,920 of the aliens were turned away at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport while the rest were stopped at the airports in Mactan, Clark, Kalibo, Aklan and Davao. “They were turned back after undergoing primary and secondary inspection by our immigration officers and were declared unfit for admission into our country for a variety of reasons. They were issued exclusion orders and booked on the first available flight to their ports of origin,” Medina said. At the same time, the BI said it would file charges against people behind the online article for circulating “fake news” alleging massive corruption at the BI Warden Facility in Taguig, claiming that jailed foreigners can be freed for certain amount.

ILLEGAL GAME MACHINES. Manila City Mayor Francisco

Domagoso, with Special Mayor’s Reaction Team elements, leads a raid against illegal gaming machines used for illegal gambling inside Isetann Mall on Wednesday. Norman Cruz

Negros police chief relieved from his post T

HE police provincial director in Negros Oriental has been relieved from his post as part of the probe on the spate of killings in the province, the Philippine National Police said Wednesday.

(1) Valid Government Issued IDs, or (2) Latest Billing Address under Bidder’s Name

GENERAL GUIDELINES:

11. The following information shall be clearly written outside the sealed bid envelope (mailing envelope)

1. Disposal of GSIS Investment Properties – Retail Units (IP-RUs) is through a competitive public bidding process. Acceptance of Purchase Offers shall start on the scheduled bidding date and time. 2. Dropping of bid envelopes will be on the date of bidding from 8:30 AM to 10:00 AM only. Opening of Bids will immediately follow. Late bid envelopes will not be accepted 3. Disposal of GSIS IP-RUs is on an “As-Is Where-Is” basis. Interested bidders are enjoined to personally inspect the GSIS IP-RUs for sale. “As-Is Where-Is” is defined as the present physical condition of the retail unit that GSIS is selling and the buyer is buying, “with all attendant faults, if any,” whether or not immediately apparent and without any express or implied warranty. The buyer takes this condition at his or her own risk, without recourse against the GSIS as to their condition. This includes knowledge by the buyer of the presence of occupants in the retail-unit being purchased. 4. Strictly, “One bidder, One specific property” only, which means that a bidder cannot submit two (2) or more bids for one property. A bidder may submit one bid each to as many properties as he/she wants to buy, as long as, he/she posts the required 10% bid deposit of the total bid price for each property. The bidder must present valid government IDs upon registration on the date of public bidding. 5. Purchase offer may either be in Cash or an accredited through External Financing Institution (EFI). MODE

PAYMENT DUE DATE

12. The existing tenant or occupant or his duly authorized representative through a valid Special Power of Attorney (SPA) has the right to match the offer of the declared highest bidder, provided: a. he/she is present during the bidding b. participated in actual bidding c. presently occupying the property subject of bidding supported by the following proofs of occupancy: c.1 Barangay certificate that he/she is occupying or residing in the subject property c.2. Any valid government identification document with his/her address similar to the address of the property he/.she is bidding.

Cash

Payable either in cash or Manager’s Checks within thirty (30) calendar days from the date of bidding, without privilege of extension

13. If the occupant will exercise his/her Right to Match the offer of the declared highest bidder, he/she need not secure another bank pre-qualification corresponding to the matched offer. Instead, he/she shall pay the full 10% deposit based on the matched bid amount in cash on the day of bidding.

EFI

Shall submit the Letter of Guarantee (LOG) within forty-five (45) calendar days from the date of bidding, without privilege of extension

14. The declared highest/winning bidder shall submit within fourteen (14) calendar days of the actual bidding, the following documents:

6. Interested bidders through EFI must first secure a conditional loan approval with EFI accredited bank. Insert the document in the bid envelope along with the duly filled out and signed bid form. 7. A downloadable bid form shall be properly accomplished with the following data: a. b. c. d. e. f. g.

Date of Bidding Name of the bidder Exact address of property you are interested to bid Transfer Certificate of Title No. Mode of Payment Amount of bid (in numbers and in words) Signature of the bidder/representative

8. Bid proposal shall be written in words and in figures and must not be lower than the Minimum Acceptable Offer of the property. Should there be a difference in the amount in words and in figures, the amount in words shall prevail.

(a) duly accomplished Personal Profile/Company Profile/Corporate Profile, whichever is applicable (downloadable); (b) photocopies of two (2) valid IDs (one should be a government-issued ID); (c) Articles of Incorporation/Partnership, By-Laws and current General Information Sheet, for corporation/ partnership, if applicable; (d) Registration Certificate from SEC for corporation/partnership, DTI for sole proprietorship and CDA for cooperatives, or any proof of such registration, if applicable; (e) current Mayor’s permit issued by the city or municipality where the principal place of business of the winning bidder is located, if applicable. 15. A Notice of Approval of Sale (NOAS) shall be issued to the highest/winning bidder on the day of bidding. The Bidder’s deposit of the other non-winning bidder/s shall be returned immediately. 16. In case the bid is in CASH, the 90% balance of the bid amount shall be paid either in cash or in manager’s check within thirty (30) calendar days from receipt of NOAS, without privilege of extension.

9. Bidders’ deposit equivalent to at least 10% of the Bid Offer shall be in the form of MANAGER’S CHECK payable to the Government Service Insurance System.

17. In case the bid is through EFI, winning bidder shall submit the Letter of Guarantee (LOG) within forty-five (45) calendar days from the date of bidding. The equity, if any, shall be paid in cash or in manager’s check within thirty (30) calendar days from receipt of LOG by the GSIS. The equity is the amount corresponding to the difference between the Offered Bid Amount and LOG amount.

10. The following shall be inserted on a sealed bid envelope:

18. Non-compliance with the terms and conditions stated in the NOAS will result in the forfeiture of the 10% bidder’s deposit.

a. the properly accomplished bid form b. Manager’s Check payable to Government Service Insurance System representing deposit equivalent to at least 10% of the Bid Offer c. Pro-forma Certificate of due diligence (for occupied or unoccupied) d. the Special Power of Attorney (SPA), if the bidder is an authorized representative e. Pre-conditional approval from PBCOM, if applicable f. Two (2) proofs of occupancy, if applicable f.1. Barangay certificate that Bidder is occupying or residing in the subject property and any of the following:

19. In case the highest/winning bidder fails to comply with the requirements within the specified time, the said NOAS shall be deemed automatically revoked and the highest/winning bidder shall be informed in writing. The second highest bidder, if any, shall be informed in writing if he/she is still interested to acquire the property. If still interested, GSIS require him/her to pay the non-refundable deposit equivalent to ten percent (10%) of his/her previously submitted bid amount and will be issued a NOAS. 20. GSIS reserves the right to waive any formality or to reject any or all bids received. The list of properties available for sale may be updated without prior notice. 21. For bidding inquiries, you may call the Real Property Accounts Management Department (RPAMD) at trunkline telephone numbers (02) 479-3500, (02) 479-3600 and (02) 976-4900 local numbers 3228, 3374, and 3396. (MS-JULY 31, AUG. 1 & 2, 2019)

“This is to confirm that Negros Oriental provincial director, Col. Raul Tacaca, has been relieved from his position to give way to an impartial probe on possible lapses by his administration in light of several high profile killings in the province for the past several days,” PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac said in a statement sent to reporters. According to Banac, PNP chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde designated Col. Angelito Dumangeng, Deputy Regional Director for Operations of the Police Regional Office 7, as concurrent officer-in-charge of the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office. The country’s top cop likewise ordered the Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management to lead the probe on the spate of killings in the province. “We assure the public that the peace and order situation in Negros Oriental is under con-

trol and our police units there remain on full alert to prevent the occurrence of crimes,” Banac noted. On Monday, Albayalde ordered the deployment of more than 300 Special Action Force troops to Negros Island to augment the local police in anticriminality and internal security operations. “I have ordered the deployment of more than 300 SAF troops to Negros Island to augment local police units in anticriminality and internal security operations against elements and dissident terrorist groups operating in the provinces of Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental,” Albayalde told reporters during a press conference held at Camp Crame. “The regional director [Brig. Gen. Debold Sinas] told us that their hot pursuit operations together with the AFP are continuing and that they are looking into all these killings,” he added. PNA

Justices support reforms in legal education system By Rey E. Requejo SUPREME Court justices on Wednesday backed the implementation of drastic reforms in the country’s legal education system. In a speech during the Legal Education Summit, Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin and fellow SC magistrates agreed the need to update the basic law curriculum to adopt to best global practices and develop law graduates to become practice-ready lawyers. Bersamin said he had started seeking the SC approval of revision of the rule on law student practice to now allow second year law students to practice legal profession in limited fields. According to him, this measure was expected to make law graduates more practice ready, which could be a gauge of a quality legal education. Bersamin observed that the legal education system in the country could be considered as “inadequate” as compared to the systems in developed countries. Citing his delegation’s visit to law schools in Harvard, Suffolk and Georgetown universities in the US, Bersamin cited the need to shift from knowledge-based or Socratic approach in the country’s legal education system to experiential approach. Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said there was a need for globalization of the Philippine legal education. CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Sports

THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2019 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Aquino: Gilas women’s 5 gained experience Linsanity star Lin in tears DROPPING all five matches in the 2019 Women’s Jones Cup in New Taipei City will not stall the Gilas Pilipinas women’s squad as it prepares for forthcoming international competitions. “We did not win a game in the Jones Cup but the fact that we were there for the first time means we gained the experience,” said head coach Pat Aquino in Tuesday’ Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum at Amelie Hotel Manila. The Filipina dribblers saw action in the Jones Cup for the first time, and with very little time to train as a team lost to New Zealand, Japan, Taipei A, South Korea and Taipei B. Japan won the title with a 5-0 record. “We had a tough time because it was the first time for our players, including the Fil-Americans, to play together. It was a short tournament. Our players had tough time communicating inside the court,” said Aquino.

“That was our problem,” said Aquino, a five-time champion with National University in women’s UAAP. He is now in charge of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) program for women’s basketball. Aquino said he watched his team compete in the Jones Cup knowing that there’s so much to improve on. “We did not have the chemistry and the fluidity. The talent is there. It’s just that the other teams had chemistry,” he added of the squad that is bound to compete in the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup in Bangalore, India from Sept. 22 to 29. Then next in line is the 30th SEA Games, which the Philippines is hosting from Nov. 30 to Dec. 11. “We will be a much better team heading to the SEA GamesI hope we can deliver in December,” said Aquino during the forum presented by San Miguel Corp., Braska Restaurant, Amelie Hotel and Pagcor.

as he ‘hits rock bottom’

Patrick Aquino

TAIPEI—Basketball star Jeremy Lin broke down in tears during an emotional appearance in Taiwan when he described hitting “rock bottom” and feeling abandoned by the NBA as he languishes as a free agent. Lin—the first Asian-American to win an NBA title—was part of the Toronto Raptors team that won the championship last season but he was often benched during the play-offs as he struggled with his form. The man behind the ‘Linsanity’ hysteria of 2012 became an unrestricted free agent this summer and is still without a team as the new season approaches. Lin wept as he recounted his recent career trajectory while on stage at a church in Taiwan, from where his parents emigrated to the United States. “Free agency has been tough because I feel like in some ways the NBA has kind

Resorts World Manila-Asia Pacific Golf Challenge expects big field E By Peter Atencio

ARLY birds coming from Saipan ang Guam will join local enthusiasts seeing action in the first Resorts World Manila-Asia Pacific Golf Challenge when it gets

going from Oct. 21 to 26.

Around 100 golfers from all over the region will play four rounds of golf at three courses in Metro Manila and in Cavite. “This gives us a platform to cham-

pion the Filipino (when it comes to sports and golf),” said Travellers International Hotel Group executive Jeff Evora during yesterday’s launch at the Hilton Hotel in Pasay City. Evora discussed the tournament in

the presence of Senior Director for Hotel Sales Kathy Mercado and Regent Travel president Connie Mamaril. The tournament will use the Stableford format since team play will be emphasized. Around 15 teams are expected to see action since more than 300 golfers are expected to sign up. The golfest is open to amateurs aged 35 to 70 years old. “We emphasize team play. Dito

maghahatakan ang mga magkakaibigan at magkapamilya,” said organizer Chris Mamaril. RWM and Regent Travel have put together packages that would maximize the participants’ experience. The packages include six nights of hotel accommodations, with breakfast at selected hotels among other things, aside from four rounds of golf, caddie and golf cart sharing fees.

McCollum to sign pact worth $100m LOS ANGELES—The Portland Trail Blazers have agreed on a three-year, $100 million NBA contract extension with guard CJ McCollum, US media reported Tuesday. ESPN, citing McCollum’s agent, reported the deal, and the player himself responded Tuesday to congratulatory tweets from teammate Jusuf Nurkic and other NBA players. McCollum, who would have become an unrestricted free agent after the 2020-21 season, instead looks set to stay in Portland for five seasons. McCollum played a key role in the Blazers’ Western Conference semifinal victory over the Denver Nuggets, scoring 37 points in game seven to help Portland reach the conference finals. The Trail Blazers were swept by the Golden State Warriors, but will be aiming to contend again in the upcoming season after locking up both McCollum and Damian Lillard. The Blazers have inked Lillard to a four-year, $196 million extension. AFP

Bogues... From A1

“It’s the understanding that you have kids here who have taken that opportunity in pursuing the game. It’s going to happen. It’s just a matter of time,” added Bogues. Action in the NBA 3x3 Philippines presented by AXA gets going this weekend at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall and the Philippine International Convention Center Forum tent. The eight-year-old cagefest consists of divisions for boys under-13, under-16, under-18 and the open category. There are also divisions for girls in the under 18 and open categories. There is also an invitations-only Celebrity Division and an AXA employees’ and distributors’ division. Bogues was selected 12th overall by the Washington Bullets in the 1987 NBA Draft and played for 14 seasons, 11 of them with the Charlotte Hornets. Morris was drafted 51st overall in the 2017 NBA draft with averages of 10.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists when he played for the Denver Nuggets this year. After Bogues retired from playing in 2001, he became the coach of the Charlotte Sting in the WNBA and the United Faith Christian Academy back in Charlotte, North Carolina. Peter Atencio

Shown here are (from left) Kathy Mercado, Senior Director for Hotel Sales; Jeff Evora, Travellers International Hotel Group executive; and Connie Mamaril, president of Regent Travel.

of given up on me,” he told the crowd in a heartfelt interview. He said he had waited years to play for the Raptors but felt his time with the team was his “worst shooting of his entire career”. Lin averaged only 3.4 minutes in the play-offs and one minute on the court during the championship finals. Free agency was “the last straw that broke the camel’s back”, he said, after which he hung his head and cried. “Every year it gets harder,” Lin added after he managed to compose himself. “In English there’s a saying, it says once you hit rock bottom, the only way is up but rock bottom just seems to keep getting more and more rock bottom for me.” Lin, a devout Christian, was speaking at a New Taipei City Sunday church event which was also broadcast on the religious channel Good TV. AFP

Champion Deep Impact put down TOKYO—Japanese champion racehorse Deep Impact, one of the country’s most successful racers and a leading international sire, has been euthanized after a spine injury. The former international star was put down on Tuesday at the age of 17 after being diagnosed with a cervical spine fracture from which he could not recover, the stud farm where he was based said. He had already undergone surgery for neck pain, but additional x-rays revealed the serious injury. The stud farm operator Shadai Stallion Station said they were “extremely heartbroken because of the sudden turn of events.” The horse debuted in 2004 and won 12 of his 14 career starts. He was inducted into the Japan Racing Association Hall of Fame in 2008. But his career was not without controversy: in 2006 he placed third in Europe’s most prestigious race, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, but was subsequently disqualified for failing a drugs test. Yutake Take, who regularly rode Deep Impact to victory, said in a statement he was so shocked by the death that he cancelled a trip and went straight to the stud farm to pay his respects. “I put my hands together (in prayer) in front of an empty stall without its owner,” he said in a statement. “He was truly a special horse to me. Only I know how he ran like he was flying in the sky. I told him, ‘Thank you’.” AFP

5 Filipinos banner ONE’s Dawn of Heroes at Mall of Asia Arena ONE Championship marks its return to Manila with a mega-fightcard headlined by five Filipinos in “Dawn of Heroes” which will air LIVE on ABS-CBN S+A, S+A HD, iWant, and the ABS-CBN Sports Facebook page at 8:30 pm from the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City. Team Lakay warriors will take to the cage to lead the Manila event with Eduard “Landslide” Folayang at the forefront in the biggest fight of his MMA career against former world champion Eddie Alvarez in the lightweight world grand prix of ONE Championship. Joining Folayang in the fight for Philippine pride is teammate Danny Kingad

who will be figuring in the flyweight world grand prix against Fil-Australian submission star Reece McLaren. Other Lakay fighters trooping to the cage are former ONE flyweight champion Geje Eustaquio, erstwhile ONE featherweight king Honorio Banario, and Edward Kelly. They will be fighting Yuya Wakamatsu, Dae Sung Park, and Xie Bin respectively. Apart from a stellar fight card, “Dawn of Heroes” will also go down in history as the first ONE event that will feature local commentary in a special telecast of the fight card on ABS-CBN Sunday’s Best on August 11. Set to take the cudgels from Mike Schiavello and Mitch “The

Dragon” Chilson for the Filipino viewers will be ONE Championship heavyweight titlist Brandon Vera, veteran sports anchor Anton Roxas, and Theo Castillo. ABS-CBN Sports head Dino Laurena said having the event on the Philippines’ number one channel with Filipino commentators only shows how far the sport of MMA has gone in the country. “With the success of our local fighters in the international arena and our strong partnership with ONE, we are seeing more and more Filipinos taking notice of MMA. ABS-CBN strongly believes this is a sport that can showcase the Filipino’s pusong palaban and hopefully we get to

inspire more Pinoys out there to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Eduard Folayang and Danny Kingad who have defied the odds to bring honor to the country,” he said. Aside from the Filipino fighters, Pinoy MMA fans can also look forward to the ONE featherweight world title match main event featuring defending champ Martin “Situ-Asian” Nguyen against challenger Koyomi Matsushima. Former world champion Demetrious Johnson will also be fighting on Philippine soil for the first time opposite Tatsumitsu Wada in the other flyweight world grand-prix semifinal match.

Pinoy jins vie in Uzbekistan World Cadet Championship THE Philippines’ well-trained taekwondo fighters seek more international honors when they compete in the 2019 World Cadet Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on August 7-10. Two coaches and 10 athletes—six males and four females—make up the national squad which is carrying the colors of Meralco/MVP Sports Foundation. The coaches are Dindo Simpao and Paul Romero while the campaigners are: Male—Julio Miguel Zapata (-33kg), Aldrich Paul Vincent Merin (-37kg), Renzo Maverick Gavilanes (-41kg), Jose Jacob Cartagena (-49kg), Jean Sebastian Durana (-57kg) and Legolas Penaredondo (-61kg). Female—Tachiana Kezhia Mangin

(-33kg), Leigh Andee Rodriguez (-37kg), Jan Lauren Agustin (-41kg) and Crisriata Catalina Tiu (-44kg). The Filipinos, always regarded among the top contenders in any international event, will see action against athletes from 70 countries such as Korea, Iran, Russia, China, Chinese Taipei, Japan, Spain, Turkey and the United States. Only recently, the Filipinos brought home medals from two international events—the Asian Junior and Cadet Championships in Amman, Jordan and the Korea Open in Chuncheon City. The PH team’s trip is supported by SMART Communications Inc., PLDT, Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee and MILO.

Tachiana Kezhia Mangin (right), one of the Filipino campaigners, swap roundhouse kicks with her Thai opponent in a recent event.

Sports

Riera U. Mallari, Editor; Reuel Vidal, Assistant Editor sports@manilastandard.net sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2019

Makati back on winning track in MPBL

Jayjay Helterbrand of the Imus Bandera tries to wriggle free from the defense of Dwight Saguiguit of Paranaque Patriots.

Miranda-less JRU Bombers take on EAC Generals today W Earlier, the Light Bombers (4-2) will face the winless EAC-ICA BrigaITHOUT main man diers at 2 p.m. In front of their fans, the Heavy Agem Miranda, the Bombers Bombers will go for their Jose Rizal University third win in seven games. Heavy Bombers hope to stay Unfortunately, Miranda will have to watch from afar after he was thrown out on their feet in their next game late in the Heavy Bombers’ losing game in 95th National Collegiate to the Lyceum of the Philippines UniAthletic Association men’s versity Pirates (77-95) last Friday for punching Beirn Laurente. basketball tournament today Bombers’ coach Louie Gonzaat their own homecourt at the lez will still be around after he was JRU gymnasium in Kalentong, spared of suspension despite having Mandaluyong. been ejected early in the second half due to two technical fouls for contiMiranda is suspended for a game nous complaining. and won’t be around to lead the Heavy “JRU made an appeal. Agem MiBombers in their 4 p.m. clash with the randa upheld suspension, while coach Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals. Louie Gonzalez can coach with a very

By Peter Atencio

Bogues sees a Filipino in NBA someday WHEN retired National Basketball Association legend Tyrone Curtis “Muggsy” Bogues watches the NBA 3x3 Philippine tournament on Sunday, he will be looking for the smallest player on the floor. The 5’3” Bogues, who is seen as the most undersized cager to have successfully seen action in the league, while with the Charlotte Hornets, believes that this Filipino player may have the talent to bring make it to the NBA someday. “I’m now watching out for the 5’2” guy who can play out here, with the understanding that he can be an NBA player. Because talent is global and universal,” he said. Bogues, who saw action for different teams in the NBA from 1987 to 2001, is in the Philippines for the second time since 2013. This time, Denver Nuggets cager Monte Morris will join Bogues in watching Pinoy basketball in action. Bogues noted that 7’2” Kai Sotto is already among the local talents who has gone to the United States to improve on his game. He believes that Sotto can possibly gain a chance to play for an NBA team, given his talent. The 54-year-old Bogues was the NBA’s shortest player. Bogues had memorable a appearance in the 1996 movie Space Jam, as one of five NBA players who starred as a cartoon character and voice over, alongside Charles Barkley, Shawn Bradley, Larry Johnson, and Patrick Ewing. And now, knowing that Sotto is there, an undersized kid can’t be far behind.

stern warning that repetition of similar situation would merit an automatic suspension,” said NCAA Management Commitee chairman Peter Cayco in a statement. Gonzalez, though, is set to appear before Cayco and basketball commissioner Tonichi Pujante at 1 p.m. today before the game. The Bombers hope to stay in the thick of the fight with John Amores, Marwin Dionisio, JL Delos Santos and Stephan Steinl leading the charge. EAC, which holds a 1-4 card, are coming off a 77-86 defeat from the hands of the Chiefs also last Friday.

Australian eyes 4th IRONMAN Cebu title

Tim Reed

FORMER world champion Tim Reed hopes to cash in on his return to form following a victory in Subic recently as he returns to the scene of his multiple triumphs as one of the top draws in the second Regent Aguila IRONMAN 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championships powered by Philam Vitality on Aug. 11 in Mactan, Cebu. Reed scored a three-peat in the premier endurance race in what has long been considered as the country’s triathlon hub, dominating the races from 2015 to 2017. Although he struggled and failed to make it four-in-row last year, the veteran Aussie titlist marked his return to the winner’s podium by ruling the IRONMAN 70.3 Subic last June, besting the likes of compatriot Tim Van Berkel, winner of the 2017 IRONMAN 70.3 Vietnam, and first-ever full IRONMAN Philippines winner Nick Baldwin of Seychelles. But the 34-year-old Reed, who grew up playing basketball and rugby before shifting to triathlon and turning pro in 2010, faces a tough challenge in one of the biggest assemblies of talents in the premier men’s pro division of the grueling 1.9K swim, 90K bike,

Rory joins Tiger at Japan’s 1st PGA Tour event TOKYO—Former world number one Rory McIlroy will join 15-time major-winner Tiger Woods at Japan’s first PGA Tour tournament later this year, organisers announced Wednesday. Woods had already confirmed his participation, but McIlroy’s addition considerably brightens the star power at the $9.75 million Zozo Championship in October. “It is wonderful we have the opportunity to compete in Japan this year and I’m truly excited to be heading” to the tournament, the 30-year-old Northern Ireland star said in a press release.

Games Today (JRU gymnasium in Kalentong) 2 p.m. JRU vs EAC-ICA(jrs) 4 p.m. JRU vs EAC(srs)

McIlroy’s commitment is “a fantastic addition,” organisers of the Zozo Championship said. “I know golf fans in Japan are very supportive and knowledgeable of the game and it’ll be really cool and fun for the PGA Tour players to perform in front of them for the first time,” McIlroy said. “In my career, I’ve won all around the world and it’ll be an achievement if I can register my first title in Japan.” McIlroy, the world number three, is currently ranked second on the FedExCup points list. The four-time major-winner was world

number one for 95 weeks between 2012 to 2015. A total of 78 players, including the leading 60 players from the FedExCup points list, will compete at the Zozo Championship in Chiba, near Tokyo, from October 24-27. Meanwhile, fewer players will make the cut at US PGA Tour events in the 2019-2020 season, US media reported Tuesday. Golf Digest reported the tour’s policy board approved changes that will reduce the number of players making the 36-hole cut from the top 70 players and those Tigers Woods tied to the top 65. AFP

21K run event at the Shangri-La Mactan Resort & Spa. Van Berkel, for one, is due for a big win following second, third and fourth-place finishes in Subic and Davao the last few years with veteran Sam Betten, Luke McKenzie, Lindsey Lawry, Mitch Robins and Justin Ghosh, all from Australia, Bahrain’s Eric Watson and New Zealand’s Terenzo Bozzone also coming into the event, organized by Sunrise Events, Inc., upbeat of their respective chances. But if there’s one rival Reed is very much wary of, it is Mauricio Mendez, who edged Bermuda’s Tyler Butterfield to win the inaugural Regent Aguila IRONMAN 70.3 last year months after the Mexican star topped the IRONMAN 70.3 Davao. An equally exciting battle is seen in the women’s pro side with multi-titled Swiss Caroline Steffen spearheading the cast that includes perennial rival Dimity Lee Duke from Australia, Hungary’s Anna Eberhardt, Laura Wood of New Zealand, Guam’s Manami IIjima, Aussies Laura Dennis and Amanda Wilson and Frankie Sanjana of Great Britain.

AFTER absorbing its first-ever loss in the MPBL Lakan Season, the Makati Super Crunch got back on the winning track after repulsing the Cebu City Sharks, 73-67, Tuesday night at the Muntinlupa Sports Complex. The Super Crunch found themselves on the brink of collapse but timely baskets from Jeckster Apinan and Joseph Sedurifa bailed out Makati, which improved its win-loss record to 5-1 and moved to third spot of the tough northern division of this tournament put up by Senator Manny Pacquiao with PBA legend and former MVP Kenneth Duremdes serving as commissioner. “We still have a lot of things to improve on and one of them is our killer’s instinct,” said Makati coach Cholo Villanueva. The Super Crunch saw their 11-point lead inside the ﬁnal fourminute mark wiped out quickly by the Patrick Cabahug-less Sharks, who unloaded nine unanswered points and trimmed the deﬁcit to two, 63-61 off a Wil McAloney’s lay up with 1:55 left in the game. But Apinan completed a threepoint play and Sedurifa added seven more points to keep the Super Crunch at bay. Following the loss, Cebu dropped to 3-5. The Sharks played without top gun Cabahug, who was suffering from abscess. Also winning Tuesday’s encounters were Muntinlupa and Paranaque. The Cagers turned to Edsel Mag-Isa and Ryusei Koga, who both tallied double-double performances that propelled their team to a 106-100 win over the Quezon City Capitals. Known as an enforcer, Mag-Isa emerged as the Cagers’ premier frontliner in their latest win as he pumped in 24 points and 11 rebounds while Koga drilled in 22 markers on top of 14 assists. Paranaque edged Imus, 81-77, in the other game as Jemal Vizcarra and Keith Pido joined forces in giving the Patriots their third win in eight games. Imus dropped to 2-4.

Lorena seeks 2nd straight Balinas crown FRESH from winning the 9th leg of the National Executive Chess Championship, also known as the GM Rosendo Balinas Jr. Cup in Lucban, Quezon a week ago, National Master Carlo Lorena will try to annex a second straight championship when the tournament shifts to Tiwi, Albay on August 3 and 4. The tournament, which will be held at the 24/7 Balikbayan Resort in Bgy. Bariis in Tiwi, Albay, coincides with the town’s annual Coron Festival. Also in the hunt for the title are lawyer Lawrence Earl Roy Gersalia of Bulan, Sorsogon, a former chess varsity player of Polytechnic University of the Philippines; NM Ronald LLavanes and his brothers Rommel and Roldan of Naga City; siblings NM Glennen Artuz and Atty. Rudy Artuz, also of Naga City; Naga City Chess Masters Association Inc. president June Haig, Rene del Castillo of Bulan, Sorsogon; Ricardo Martin of Guinobatan, Albay; Agrifino Camposano of Camarines Sur, Jan Asor of Virac, Catanduanes, Archimedes Ballatan of Tabaco City, Albay; Architect Marvid Zuniga ng Legaspi City, Albay; Woman National Master Carmelita Abanes of Daet, Camarines Norte and National Master Efren Bagamasbad of Talisay, Camarines Norte. Registration fee for the NCFPsanctioned event is P1,000, while on-site registration is P1,200. The annual membership fee is P1,000. For elementary and high school players, registration fee is pegged at P50 each. Registration for Tiwihon players, meanwhile, is free. For other details, call or text Alex Orlain (09084834310 or 09164220406), Atty. Cliburn Anthony Orbe (09188974410), PECA President Dr. Jenny Mayor (09351004755), Dr. Fred Paez (09212728172), Joselito Cada (09175117300), Martin “Binky” Gaticales (09998851432) and NM Efren Bagamasbad (09157209145).

IN BRIEF July inflation rate likely slowed down

THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas expects the inflation rate to slow down in July due to cheaper prices of rice and liquified petroleum gas. The BSP Department of Economic Research said the inflation rate likely settled within the 2-percent to 2.8-percent range in July. “Lower rice and domestic LPG prices along with downward adjustment in electricity rates and the recent peso appreciation are seen to temper inflation pressure during the month,” said the BSP. “These could be partly offset by higher prices of petroleum and food items during the month. Looking ahead, the BSP will remain watchful of evolving inflationary environment to ensure that the monetary policy stance remains consistent with the BSP’s price stability mandate,” it added. The Philippine Statistics Authority reported a 22-month low inflation rate of 2.7 percent in June from 3.2 percent in May, mostly because of softer price adjustments in some commodity groups such as food and non-alcoholic beverages. Darwin G. Amojelar

Business

SEC warns public vs Scentko, Brendahl

THE Securities and Exchange Commission warned the public from investing in Scentko World Corp. and its purported parent, Brendahl Cruz Holdings Inc., which have been promising a 400-percent return from their “buy and earn” program. The SEC’s Enforcement and Investor Protection Department in an advisory posted on its website said Scentko and Brendhal Cruz Holdings had not secured a secondary license to solicit investments from the public. “In view thereof, the public is hereby advised to exercise caution in dealing with any individuals or group of persons soliciting investments or recruiting investors for and on behalf of Scentko and Brendahl Cruz Holdings,” read the advisory. “The public is further advised not to invest or stop investing in any investment scheme being offered by Scentko and Brendahl Cruz Holdings,” it added. Under its investment scheme, Scentko entices the public to buy perfume and beauty products in exchange for “cash sales rewards” equivalent to 400 percent of the purchase price. For instance, a member is promised a return of P20,000 for simply buying a package worth P5,000. Jenniffer B. Austria

PBCom sells rural bank unit for P555.8m PHILIPPINE Bank of Communications said Wednesday it sold its majority stake in PBCom Rural Bank to Producers Savings Bank Corp. for more than P500 million. PBCom, a universal bank now controlled by businessman Lucio Co, said the transaction involved the sale of 99.98-percent shareholdings in the rural bank for P555.8 million. “The move was meant to consolidate the efforts and resources at PBCom level which has set as its strategy to focus on its core businesses and expand the market to the ecosystem of its principals,” the bank said. Producers Bank which started operations in Nueva Ecija in 1995 now has 175 branches across the country. It is now chaired by former Land Bank of the Philippines president and chief executive Gilda Pico. PBCom reported a net income of P382.6 million in the ﬁrst quarter, up by 116 percent year-on-year as a result of strong interest and non-interest income. Producers Bank earlier acquired ownership of the Rural Bank of San Quintin in Pangasinan as a part of its expansion program in the province. Producers Bank acquired Rural Bank of Rosales in Pangasinan, New Rural Bank of Victorias in Negros Occidental, Iloilo City Development Bank, Rural Bank of Cainta Rizal, Rural Bank of Tayabas in Quezon, Tower Development Bank in Bulacan, Rural Bank of San Fabian in Pangasinan, Rural Bank of Bustos in Bulacan and Rural Bank of Sto. Domingo in Nueva Ecija. Darwin G. Amojelar

business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2019

AirAsia taps former PLDT official as new chief executive

DM Wenceslao books net income of P1.12b

D.M. WENCESLAO & Associates Inc. said Wednesday net income attributable to equity holders rose 17 percent in the ﬁrst six months of the year to P1.12 billion from P958 million year-on-year. DMWAI said in a disclosure to the stock exchange consolidated revenues grew 17 percent to P1.26 billion, fueled by the strong contribution of the residential segment. The revenues included P983.4 million or 78 percent from recurring income like rentals from land and building and others, such as common use service area fees. By business segment, leasing of land increased three percent to P497.4 million. Rentals of buildings and other revenues related to leasing increased 12 percent and nine percent to P392.5 million and P93.4 million, respectively. Sale of residential condominium units rose six times to P266.7 million, while leasing of land, building and sale of condominium units accounted for 39 percent, 31 percent and 21 percent of the company’s total revenues, respectively. Net income margin was 90 percent from 89 percent last year. Jenniffer B. Austria

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor

EASTWEST WINS BSP AWARD. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas recognizes EastWest at the BSP’s 16th Awards Ceremony and Appreciation Lunch for BSP Stakeholders in the National Capital Region for being one of its partners toward fostering inclusive economic growth for the country. Attending the awarding ceremony are (from left) Monetary Board member Bruce Tolentino, EWB president and deputy CEO Jesus Roberto Reyes, EWB senior executive vice president and treasurer Rafael Algarra Jr.and BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno.

San Miguel set to bag P735-b Bulacan airport By Darwin G. Amojelar

HE Transportation Department is set to award the P735-billion New Manila International Airport project in Bulacan province to San Miguel Corp. as no party submitted a counter-offer during the Swiss Challenge.

“No one submitted, no one joined the bidding. No one submitted a comparative proposal to challenge original proponent which is San Miguel,” Transportation Assistant Secretary for procurement and project implementation and bids and awards committee chairman Giovanni Lopez said. The technical working group recommended to the department to immediately issue the notice of award to San

Miguel Holdings Corp., in the absence of rival bids during the Swiss Challenge. The department is expected to issue the notice to proceed by the first week of September. “They [SMHC] have 20 days to comply with our conditions. We can issue the notice of award within five days based on the recommendation of the TWG,” Lopez said. He said the department was expecting the company to hold the groundbreaking ceremony for the Bulacan airport in Bulakan town by the fourth quarter this year. “We thank President Duterte for bringing this historic project closer to reality. We share in government’s vision to make this country better, and the lives of the Filipino people better,” San Miguel president and chief operating officer Ramon Ang said. “From the time we first proposed to build a new international gateway, our goal was simple: help address the perennial problem of airport congestion, which has weighed down many aspects

of our lives,” he said. Ang said with the new airport project, “we will generate a lot of jobs and boost not just the local economies of Bulacan but also of neighboring provinces.” “As part of a larger infrastructure ecosystem that consists of existing and future expressways and mass rail systems, it will be easily accessible from north and south Luzon and will help in signiﬁcantly decongesting Metro Manila,” he said. The project involves the construction, operation and maintenance of an international airport located in Bulakan, Bulacan. It will include the construction of an 8.4-kilometer tollway that will connect NMIA to North Luzon Expressway in Marilao, Bulacan. The NMIA will have a design capacity of 100 million passengers annually and airside facilities with a conﬁguration of four parallel runways. It forms part of the “basket of solutions” of the DOTr to help decongest Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

ERC asks SC to reconsider power supply deal decision By Alena Mae S. Flores THE Energy Regulatory Commission through the Ofﬁce of the Solicitor General asked the Supreme Court en banc to reconsider its decision on the competitive selection process, which it said could have a destabilizing effect on the economy. “The invalidation of the affected PSAs [power supply agreements] which were already implemented distorts competition considering that the required capacity of these voided PSAs were already delivered and consumed by the public,” OSG said in a 74-page motion for reconsideration.

OSG said the ERC was compelled to seek reconsideration of the SC ruling to protect the interest of more than 100 Filipino consumers who could be adversely affected. The SC ruling is seen to affect around 99 PSAs that cover 54 generating plans that were contracted by 52 distribution utilities to supply 4,933 megawatts of capacity. Data showed of the 54 plants, 45 were greenﬁeld or new plants that were either constructed or about to be constructed with a total installed capacity of 8,860 MW. The Supreme Court said in a ruling dated May 3 that all PSA applications

submitted by the distribution utilities on or after June 30, 2015 were required to comply with the CSP or bidding in accordance with 2015 circular of the Department of Energy. The Supreme Court also said the power purchase cost after compliance with the CSP should be retroactive to the date of the effectivity of the PSA, but in no case earlier than June 30, 2015, for the purposes of passing the purchase cost to the consumers. OSG said ERC’s authority to issue rules and regulations in relation to the CSP was not dependent on the circular of the DoE and does not require prior coordination with the agency.

THE Philippine unit of Southeast Asia’s largest airline appointed a former executive of PLDT Inc. as its new chief executive. AirAsia appointed former PLDT Global Corp. head Ricardo Isla as the new CEO of AirAsia Philippines, replacing Capt. Dexter Comendador. Comendador, meanwhile, was appointed as chief operations officer of AirAsia Philippines. Isla is joining AirAsia after more than a decade of international product development, sales and distribution experience with PLDT Global Corp. Isla headed PLDT Global’s operations for the United Kingdom and Europe. He also held general manager positions in PLDT’s international retail business in the US, Italy and Singapore. “I am thrilled to welcome Ricky to our senior leadership team. Ricky has an outstanding track record of leading and transforming businesses, especially when it comes to increasing revenue and market share, customer satisfaction and employee engagement. Together with his telecommunications background and global experience, we are confident he will provide the right foundation to steer AirAsia Philippines to even greater heights,” AirAsia Philippines chairman Marianne Hontiveros said. “I would like to take this opportunity to thank Captain Dexter Comendador for playing such a crucial part of AirAsia’s growth story in the Philippines. The board and I are confident that his love of people and exceptional flying acumen will prove extremely beneficial to our operations, and we look forward to continuing our work with him as AirAsia Philippines chief operations officer,” Hontiveros said. Bo Lingam, AirAsia deputy group chief executive said Isla’s appointment as CEO “comes at a time when low-cost carrier growth in the Philippines hits an all-time high.” “AirAsia is on the cusp of developing something really special for Filipinos, and I’m confident that under Ricky’s guidance we will be in the best position to up the ante on our mission to further revolutionize affordable air travel in the Philippines. I want to thank Captain Dexter for his contribution as CEO, and ongoing dedication to our Allstars in the Philippines,” Lingam said. Isla graduated from the Ateneo de Manila University with a Bachelor of Science and Business Management and holds advanced management qualifications from the Asian Institute of Management. AirAsia Philippines operates a fleet of 24 aircraft on more than 500 weekly domestic and international flights from its hubs in Manila, Clark, Cebu and Kalibo. Darwin G. Amojelar

PH vapers laud Quebec court’s decision LOCAL vaping groups welcomed the Superior Court of Quebec’s recent decision rejecting key sections of the Tobacco Control Act adopted by the Quebec government in 2015, which sought to treat vaping products essentially the same as cigarettes. The decision recognizes vaping as a form of harm reduction as it allows people who will otherwise smoke lethal cigarettes to get the nicotine they need or want without the inhalation of smoke. As the harm from cigarette use is overwhelmingly due to the inhalation of smoke rather than the nicotine, the decision underscores important lessons for harm reduction. The Quebec Superior Court is the highest trial court in the province of Quebec in Canada. It is composed of 157 justices, including a Chief Justice, a Senior Associate Chief Justice, and an Associate Chief Justice. “Like Quebec’s anti-vaping law, the recent Department of Health administrative order considers e-cigarettes as essentially the same as cigarettes. We urge the DOH to consider the emerging evidence supporting tobacco harm reduction and to be mindful

of consumer rights,” said Joey Dulay, president of the Philippine E-Cigarette Industry Association. Dulay is referring to DOH Administrative Order No. 2019-0007 released on June 14, 2019 which, among others, bans any form of advertising, promotion and sponsorship of vaping products; bans vaping in places where smoking is prohibited; sets guidelines and requirements for designated vaping areas that are identical with those for designated smoking areas; and prohibits the purchase, sale and offering for sale of ecigarettes in places where sale and use of cigarettes are prohibited. “The Quebec court decision underscores the inviolable right of consumers to be provided with accurate and complete information on and access to all available products so that they are able to make informed choices. It is a strong afﬁrmation of the validity of tobacco harm reduction and sets an important legal precedent that will have persuasive value in other countries, including the Philippines,” said Peter Paul Dator, president of The Vapers Philippines.

LENOVO’S CONCEPT STORE. Lenovo, the leading PC and smart devices developer, redesigns its exclusive concept store at SM Megamall. Sporting a more sophisticated and modern look, the store showcases Lenovo’s latest devices and accessories. Leading the ribbon-cutting ceremony are (from left) Lenovo Philippines country general manager Michael Ngan, AccentHub president Derrick Yu, AccentHub vice president for sales and marketing Mike Taino and Lenovo Philippines consumer lead Sally Yu.

Business

THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2019 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market falls; URC, SM Prime dip T HE stock market fell Wednesday on unimpressive secondquarter corporate earnings and uncertainty on the outcome of the US-China trade talks.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index slumped 104.66 points, or 1.3 percent, to 8,045.80 on a value turnover of P7.4 billion. Losers overwhelmed gainers, 137 to 68, with 45 issues unchanged. Universal Robina Corp., the biggest snack food maker, dropped 4.7 percent to P159.60, while parent JG Summit Holdings Inc. of industrialist John Gokongwei lost 3.3 percent to P65.25. SM Prime Holdings Inc., the largest integrated property company, declined 2.7 percent to P36.50, while major real estate developer Ayala Land Inc. fell 2.5

percent to P49.80. Most of the Asian markets, meanwhile, were down Wednesday as the latest round of US-China talks on their bruising yearlong trade war came to an end in Shanghai. Washington and Beijing have so far hit each other with punitive tariffs covering more than $360 billion in two-way trade. Shanghai ﬁnished down 0.7 percent while Hong Kong closed early after a storm warning, closing 1.3 percent lower. Korean stocks were battered in morning trade but pared losses in the afternoon, with Seoul closing down 0.7 percent after Samsung Electronics reported a 53 percent drop in net proﬁts. The world’s biggest smartphone and memory chip maker is facing headwinds as a result of a simmering dispute between South Korea and Japan, which has seen Tokyo impose restrictions on chemical exports crucial to Samsung’s

key products. Tokyo’s benchmark Nikkei finished down by 0.9 percent but Sony soared by more than five percent after the entertainment giant on Tuesday reported higher operating profit for the first quarter thanks to strong demand for its image sensors. Elsewhere, Sydney was down 0.5 percent and Taiwan fell 0.1 percent. US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin finished two-day talks with their counterparts in China’s financial capital on Wednesday. The talks were relatively brief and the Washington delegation left for the airport earlier than expected without speaking to reporters. Expectations began low and took a further hit after US President Donald Trump launched an attack on Beijing’s negotiators which also rocked Wall Street traders on Tuesday.

“My team is negotiating with them now, but they always change the deal in the end to their beneﬁt,” Trump tweeted. Analysts said Trump’s remarks did little to ease the already tense relationship between Washington and Beijing. His tweets gave “a stark reminder to investors that the US and China are no closer to an agreement and in fact, might be drifting farther apart,” said VM Markets Singapore managing partner Stephen Innes. In other signs of fallout from the trade row, China saw its third straight month of contraction in the manufacturing sector, despite Beijing’s efforts to shore up the sector with tax cuts and better ﬁnancing for small-to-medium enterprises. The Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), a gauge of Chinese factory conditions, came in at 49.7 for the month, slightly above Bloomberg forecasts but below the 50.0 mark denoting positive growth. With AFP

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW WEDNESDAY, JULY 31, 2019

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

ASIA UNITED BANK PH ISLANDS BDO LEASING BDO UNIBANK CHINABANK CITYSTATE BANK COL FINANCIAL EAST WEST BANK FERRONOUX HLDG FILIPINO FUND IREMIT MEDCO HLDG METROBANK NTL REINSURANCE PB BANK PBCOM PHIL NATL BANK PHIL STOCK EXCH PSBANK RCBC SECURITY BANK UNION BANK VANTAGE

58 90 2.23 148 27.05 7.95 18.6 12.42 4.73 7.71 1.33 0.46 76 1.17 13.1 20.55 49.45 185.5 59.1 30.55 182.5 60.2 1.2

58.8 90 2.31 149.9 27.15 7.95 18.7 12.46 4.75 7.71 1.33 0.46 76.1 1.17 13.1 20.55 50.45 188 60 30.9 184 60.3 1.2

57.65 89.4 2.21 146.5 26.85 7.95 18.6 12.32 4.6 7.71 1.32 0.455 75.35 1.03 13.1 20.5 49.4 185.5 59.1 30.45 181.1 60.1 1.11

FINANCIALS 58.5 1,460 90 2,657,210 2.31 12,000 147 2,117,460 26.85 157,400 7.95 100 18.6 3,100 12.4 465,100 4.65 164,000 7.71 600 1.32 20,000 0.455 270,000 75.75 2,224,570 1.07 4,468,000 13.1 20,100 20.5 1,000 49.65 295,700 188 40 59.65 9,550 30.7 277,800 182.5 722,160 60.25 10,520 1.11 176,000

84,798 238,753,830 27,040 313,007,330 4,246,175 795 57,740 5,757,708 758,170 4,626 26,410 123,700 168,470,902 4,895,060 263,310 20,520 14,765,400 7,445 571,769 8,521,295 131,713,554 632,981.50 200,390

26,350 57,576,526.50 -4,150,780 -2,830,845 -2,172,696 42,340,939.50 -201,710 -2,361,620 -17,790 -190,630 -76,072,288 -455,933.50 -

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

36 14.3 0.77 1.32 0.27 99.55 2.97 15.1 116.7 16.3 15.36 79 88.8 2.01 5.2 6.37 10.38 14.5 11.1 7.49 26.3 86.85 61.5 2.26 14.04 9.78 1.7 256.4 4.2 3.4 9 23.8 14.1 19 368.8 0.186 5.5 1.77 4.8 5.58 9 2.41 11.78 38.6 5.05 1.42 1.07 13.68 101 6.76 0.127 1.09 167.6 2.46 1.22 1.28

36 14.3 0.78 1.33 0.27 99.55 2.98 15.22 116.7 16.4 16.8 81.7 92 2.03 5.2 6.42 10.38 14.7 11.1 7.54 26.7 86.85 62.95 2.27 14.22 9.78 1.7 260 4.2 3.43 9 23.8 14.12 19.12 375 0.186 5.6 1.81 4.87 5.61 9 2.45 11.98 38.65 5.06 1.54 1.07 13.9 101.6 6.85 0.127 1.1 167.8 2.48 1.3 1.28

35.1 14.2 0.76 1.32 0.265 99.55 2.91 14.88 116.7 15.5 15.36 76.7 88 2.01 5.19 6.37 10.22 14.46 10.86 7.49 26 86 60.2 2.2 14.04 9.5 1.69 254.4 4.2 3.4 8.75 23.3 13.98 18.8 365 0.186 5.5 1.75 4.8 5.54 9 2.33 11.78 38.2 5.05 1.39 1.05 13.64 100.8 6.76 0.127 1.07 159.6 2.46 1.22 1.2

INDUSTRIAL 35.4 3,697,700 14.3 830,100 0.78 1,174,000 1.32 285,000 0.27 1,910,000 99.55 80 2.92 9,236,000 15.08 42,600 116.7 70 15.86 310,200 16.8 800 80 2,800 89.95 2,780 2.02 22,000 5.19 1,000 6.39 43,300 10.28 1,232,800 14.5 987,700 10.88 95,300 7.53 187,000 26.6 5,601,100 86.55 251,130 62.8 118,220 2.2 9,597,000 14.1 436,200 9.5 86,200 1.69 25,000 259 1,761,680 4.2 5,000 3.43 6,000 8.8 9,300 23.5 2,984,400 14 593,100 19 130,000 365 228,280 0.186 150,000 5.6 2,700 1.77 4,786,000 4.83 30,000 5.54 1,296,300 9 410,000 2.34 13,441,000 11.98 4,400 38.45 304,500 5.06 11,000 1.49 807,000 1.07 265,000 13.8 94,000 101.5 700,210 6.85 199,400 0.127 20,000 1.1 160,000 159.6 1,979,240 2.48 55,000 1.3 13,114,000 1.23 12,601,000

130,929,350 11,861,174 903,600 378,340 508,250 7,964 27,028,450 641,076 8,169 4,925,164 12,432 222,041 246,046 44,350 5,199 276,492 12,678,802 14,326,450 1,040,288 1,403,809 148,478,140 21,692,652 7,303,648 21,466,440 6,157,236 834,407 42,270 453,507,828 21,000 20,470 81,699 70,243,095 8,313,406 2,458,628 83,740,268 27,900 15,050 8,557,060 145,460 7,215,197 3,690,000 32,073,240 52,312 11,719,450 55,650 1,144,310 281,440 1,285,476 70,921,768 1,358,537 2,540 172,980 321,602,927 135,800 16,547,920 15,447,920

-62,858,185 -4,997,850 -346,660 29,700 14,625,610 17,892 -14,170 -215,211 -274,108 -216,596 449,048 -393,156 32,254,475 -10,822,411 2,144,533 -2,046,050 -1,671,936 124,486.00 186,382,696.00 -11,811,625 5,884,132 144,372 -11,932,898 107,140 -620,310 -896,360 -4,413,505 345,316 3,705,252 67,600 -140,965,591 37,000 -514,750 461,330

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

0.96 53.75 15.5 0.71 7.01 17.02 1.3 1.34 946 4.05 6.9 10.28 13.8 4.01 953 6.4 67.5 0.5 4.53 14.26 0.73 4.82 0.039 1.5 175.5 2.48 1,012 0.87 1.4 260 0.238 0.28

0.97 54.7 15.64 0.73 7.1 17.08 1.3 1.34 959.5 4.09 6.92 10.28 13.98 4.01 953 6.41 67.8 0.5 4.53 14.26 0.77 4.83 0.039 1.52 178 2.48 1,012 0.87 1.4 261 0.238 0.28

0.93 52.55 15.4 0.7 7.01 16 1.27 1.29 943 3.92 6.71 10.14 13.8 4.01 927 6.4 65.05 0.485 4.53 14.08 0.72 4.78 0.039 1.43 171 2.47 981 0.85 1.4 259.2 0.232 0.275

HOLDING FIRMS 0.94 46,229,000 53 1,761,030 15.58 5,602,900 0.73 1,599,000 7.1 10,800 16.08 161,300 1.28 3,024,000 1.31 572,000 957.5 239,580 3.99 11,681,000 6.86 947,000 10.14 9,035,600 13.96 43,752,000 4.01 1,000 927 86,960 6.41 106,400 65.25 1,453,370 0.49 260,000 4.53 787,000 14.1 1,580,600 0.77 10,133,000 4.8 13,944,000 0.039 5,000,000 1.43 1,365,000 178 172,140 2.47 69,000 999.5 293,605 0.85 84,000 1.4 1,000 261 450 0.232 350,000 0.275 970,000

43,945,880 93,277,616.50 87,059,550 1,129,320 75,824 2,627,296 3,884,500 745,600 228,217,965 46,779,980 6,465,350 92,104,480 604,642,740 4,010 81,372,925 681,960 95,327,124.50 127,100 3,565,110 22,318,838 7,605,850 66,936,070 195,000 2,008,920 30,457,145 171,070 292,862,862.50 71,450 1,400 117,392 81,260 268,400

4,773,020 -46,117,372.50 4,261,102 74,900 171,048 280,250 29,077,300 1,714,860 46,374 -66,165,026 -33,340 -17,599,950 -641,000 -21,563,291 -2,894,670 -6,692,010 14,491,380 74,500 16,472,319 37,939,927.50 -13,032 55,000

15.8 0.81 10.5 2.1 1.01 49.75 2.25 5.09 6.08 0.6 0.78 0.89 0.235 0.45 10.82 24 0.465 1.9 1.37 6.08 0.33 0.455 1.7 0.4 2.03 27.05 2.35 3.25 36.5

PROPERTY 15.8 634,800 0.82 1,134,000 10.5 102,100 2.1 19,000 1.03 19,717,000 49.8 11,400,370 2.26 422,000 5.1 751,900 6.08 300,200 0.6 16,840,000 0.8 256,000 0.9 417,000 0.235 1,910,000 0.46 690,000 11 3,090,800 24.2 132,600 0.465 630,000 1.9 39,032,000 1.37 1,686,000 6.12 17,032,200 0.33 15,260,000 0.455 50,000 1.72 9,714,000 0.4 90,000 2.05 784,000 27.35 1,682,400 2.41 1,562,000 3.25 145,000 36.5 17,479,900

10,034,916 930,280 1,072,680 39,900 20,533,020 571,375,162.50 957,120 3,831,827 1,825,304 10,212,620 204,360 375,230 449,070 311,000 34,195,508 3,194,125 293,100 74,689,600 2,316,710 104,284,784 5,096,150 22,750 17,043,860 36,000 1,606,390 45,850,965 3,726,290 473,520 643,891,315

-488,710 -509,520 1,050,000 15,880 -152,056,676.50 -95,630 9,690 -1,824,080 -13,630 -900 23,600 -6,282,078 -202,290 -4,650 10,313,700 531,750 5,456,525 13,900 -582,600 -875,355 94,800 -274,057,295

8990 HLDG A BROWN ANCHOR LAND ARANETA PROP ARTHALAND CORP AYALA LAND BELLE CORP CEB LANDMASTERS CEBU HLDG CENTURY PROP CITY AND LAND CITYLAND DEVT CROWN EQUITIES CYBER BAY DM WENCESLAO DOUBLEDRAGON EMPIRE EAST FILINVEST LAND GLOBAL ESTATE MEGAWORLD MRC ALLIED PHIL ESTATES PHIL INFRADEV PHIL REALTY PRIMEX CORP ROBINSONS LAND ROCKWELL SHANG PROP SM PRIME HLDG

15.84 0.83 10.8 2.1 1.07 50.8 2.29 5.11 6.08 0.62 0.79 0.91 0.236 0.45 11.3 24.5 0.465 1.96 1.37 6.3 0.34 0.455 1.81 0.4 2.03 27.5 2.44 3.26 37.7

15.84 0.85 10.8 2.1 1.08 51 2.29 5.11 6.16 0.63 0.82 0.91 0.236 0.46 11.32 24.5 0.47 1.97 1.39 6.3 0.345 0.455 1.82 0.4 2.08 27.5 2.44 3.27 37.7

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

NAME

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

VOLUME

VALUE

STA LUCIA LAND STARMALLS SUNTRUST HOME VISTA LAND

2.15 6.12 0.81 7.7

2.17 6.12 0.81 7.7

2.13 5.99 0.81 7.59

2.16 5.99 0.81 7.64

356,000 178,300 125,000 4,019,600

765,420 1,073,645 101,250 30,691,748

2GO GROUP ABS CBN ACESITE HOTEL APC GROUP APOLLO GLOBAL ASIAN TERMINALS BERJAYA BLOOMBERRY BOULEVARD HLDG CEBU AIR CENTRO ESCOLAR CHELSEA DFNN INC EASYCALL GLOBE TELECOM GMA NETWORK GOLDEN BRIA GRAND PLAZA HARBOR STAR IMPERIAL INTL CONTAINER IPEOPLE IPM HLDG ISLAND INFO ISM COMM JACKSTONES LBC EXPRESS LEISURE AND RES LORENZO SHIPPNG MACROASIA MANILA BULLETIN MANILA JOCKEY METRO RETAIL METROALLIANCE A NOW CORP PACIFIC ONLINE PAL HLDG PH RESORTS GRP PHIL RACING PHIL SEVEN CORP PHILWEB PLDT PREMIUM LEISURE PRMIERE HORIZON PUREGOLD ROBINSONS RTL SBS PHIL CORP SSI GROUP STI HLDG TRANSPACIFIC BR TRAVELLERS WATERFRONT WILCON DEPOT

10.64 18.32 1.5 0.52 0.048 18.06 2.52 11.42 0.063 95.2 7 7.54 6.49 9.62 2,192 5.4 413.2 9.7 2.04 1.88 135 9.4 5.8 0.113 5.38 3 14.4 3.64 0.92 19.5 0.51 3.35 2.64 1.45 2.58 2.85 8.95 5.48 9.37 150 4.1 1,150 0.73 0.81 45.5 78.05 9.39 3.21 0.74 0.365 5.45 0.75 15.9

10.98 18.4 1.5 0.53 0.048 18.06 2.61 11.5 0.064 95.2 7 7.57 6.69 9.75 2,216 5.42 415 9.7 2.04 1.9 135.9 9.4 5.8 0.113 5.38 3.09 14.68 3.65 0.92 19.52 0.52 3.39 2.74 1.45 2.58 2.97 9 5.48 9.37 150 4.28 1,150 0.74 0.81 45.55 79.3 9.4 3.26 0.74 0.365 5.52 0.78 15.9

10.6 18.3 1.5 0.51 0.046 18.06 2.48 11.36 0.062 92.9 7 7.4 6.45 9.58 2,148 5.32 410.2 9.7 1.9 1.88 129.9 9.4 5.8 0.112 5.2 3 14.02 3.55 0.91 19 0.5 3.23 2.6 1.45 2.45 2.8 8.9 5.25 9.37 146 4.1 1,125 0.71 0.74 45 78 9.26 3.2 0.71 0.355 5.45 0.75 15.5

SERVICES 10.98 18.3 1.5 0.51 0.048 18.06 2.48 11.48 0.062 93.45 7 7.45 6.45 9.72 2,148 5.37 410.2 9.7 1.97 1.9 135 9.4 5.8 0.113 5.21 3.09 14.68 3.59 0.92 19.4 0.5 3.39 2.71 1.45 2.48 2.89 9 5.25 9.37 149.9 4.22 1,150 0.72 0.74 45.5 79.3 9.4 3.2 0.71 0.355 5.48 0.75 15.7

15,300 128,000 2,000 1,178,000 8,000,000 1,200 1,711,000 1,171,100 8,570,000 752,630 13,700 1,052,800 29,700 27,900 90,425 149,200 1,620 300 5,569,000 33,000 1,478,420 1,200 800 1,420,000 3,232,400 3,000 13,700 1,361,000 143,000 168,800 306,000 21,000 12,877,000 12,000 3,191,000 3,987,000 3,700 10,600 100 590 5,171,000 114,400 14,326,000 48,891,000 563,400 717,850 14,700 2,428,000 6,690,000 1,120,000 1,339,700 3,214,000 5,821,800

164,792 2,346,210 3,000 604,580 375,400 21,672 4,321,560 13,393,396 535,590 70,356,058.50 95,900 7,881,958 193,901 268,712 196,738,760 799,916 666,678 2,910 11,032,440 62,540 198,692,229 11,280 4,640 159,540 17,013,322 9,090 195,500 4,906,070 130,270 3,272,516 155,950 70,110 34,183,090 17,400 7,925,790 11,539,820 33,070 56,490 937 86,499 21,733,040 130,870,430 10,399,460 37,227,970 25,536,030 56,234,560.50 136,807 7,845,160 4,820,060 398,300 7,363,403 2,457,040 91,525,424

ABRA MINING APEX MINING ATOK BENGUET A CENTURY PEAK DIZON MINES FERRONICKEL GEOGRACE LEPANTO A LEPANTO B MANILA MINING A MANILA MINING B MARCVENTURES NICKEL ASIA NIHAO OMICO CORP ORNTL PENINSULA ORNTL PETROL A ORNTL PETROL B PHILODRILL PHINMA PETRO PX MINING PXP ENERGY SEMIRARA MINING

0.0017 1.25 12.72 1.15 2.72 7.56 1.45 0.22 0.105 0.114 0.0073 0.0074 1.06 2.57 1.08 0.49 0.85 0.012 0.013 0.01 5.8 3.5 9.17 23.25

0.0017 1.33 13.86 1.15 2.72 7.6 1.45 0.22 0.105 0.12 0.0073 0.0074 1.08 2.62 1.08 0.5 0.86 0.012 0.013 0.012 5.8 3.5 10.28 23.45

0.0017 1.21 12.3 1.15 2.72 7.55 1.43 0.211 0.104 0.114 0.0073 0.0074 1.05 2.52 1.01 0.49 0.82 0.012 0.012 0.01 5.58 3.4 8.75 22.8

MINING & OIL 0.0017 25,000,000 1.28 24,349,000 13.86 23,600 1.15 15,000 2.72 29,000 7.58 5,700 1.44 793,000 0.216 3,010,000 0.105 3,620,000 0.12 330,000 0.0073 5,000,000 0.0074 2,000,000 1.08 251,000 2.53 2,155,000 1.01 537,000 0.49 278,000 0.85 2,439,000 0.012 3,000,000 0.012 1,381,900,000 0.011 2,900,000 5.66 457,500 3.42 1,742,000 10.14 10,402,400 23 1,374,800

42,500 31,122,740 302,012 17,250 78,880 43,295 1,141,250 645,060 378,710 39,180 36,500 14,800 265,660 5,520,700 547,520 138,200 2,017,600 36,000 17,275,600 31,700 2,580,112 5,964,450 100,177,057 31,615,175

-7,324,540 5,440 -92,160 114,640 -453,690 203,970 -9,600 -1,455,270 -2,792,892 -20,886,680

ABS HLDG PDR AC PREF B2 ALCO PREF B DD PREF GMA HLDG PDR GTCAP PREF B HOUSE PREF A LR PREF MWIDE PREF PCOR PREF 2A PCOR PREF 2B PCOR PREF 3A PCOR PREF 3B PNX PREF 3A PNX PREF 3B SMC FB PREF 2 SMC PREF 2B SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2D SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2G SMC PREF 2H SMC PREF 2I

17.56 496 101 100 5.3 943 99 0.99 102.3 993 1,010 1,013 1,016 101 107.4 981 77.4 76.8 74.8 75.5 74.5 75.25 75

17.56 496 101 101 5.3 945 99 1 102.3 993 1,010 1,015 1,018 101 107.4 983 77.4 77.5 74.8 75.5 75 75.5 75

17.54 496 101 100 5.3 943 99 0.98 102.3 993 1,010 1,013 1,016 100 107.4 980 75.5 76.8 74.8 75.5 74.5 75.25 75

PREFERRED 17.54 43,500 496 1,570 101 5,750 101 24,350 5.3 100 945 500 99 1,000 0.99 2,443,000 102.3 100 993 180 1,010 4,795 1,015 60,300 1,018 6,080 100 9,700 107.4 500 980 10,020 75.5 1,550 77.2 14,120 74.8 61,290 75.5 5,050 75 5,150 75.5 32,930 75 400

763,540 778,720 580,750 2,453,630 530 472,440 99,000 2,418,170 10,230 178,740 4,842,950 61,164,845 6,184,980 978,620 53,700 9,833,600 117,115.50 1,088,700 4,584,492 381,275 384,400 2,481,814 30,000

-758,276.00 -10,230 -

LR WARRANT

1.89

1.9

1.75

WARRANTS 1.84 317,000

581,820

MS ITALPINAS XURPAS

7.1 1.03

7.34 1.04

6.86 1.01

FIRST METRO ETF

122

121.1

USD DMPL A1 USD TECH B2

10.26 1

TRADING SUMMARY

10.26 1

FINANCIAL

14,720,681

INDUSTRIAL

93,790,419

HOLDING FIRMS

162,955,122

PROPERTY

167,694,292

SERVICES

150,754,666

MINING & OIL

1,472,998,126

GRAND TOTAL

2,070,396,692

10.2 1

7.21 1.02

SME

3,316,700 4,160,000

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 121.1 5,580 10.2 1

DDS

5,180 700

-107,500 -3,989,749 -10,600 20,400 -118,910.00 -2,633,468 -93,000 8,473,391.50 95,900 134,716 -81,893,410 -4,102 555,500 16,489,229 -656,505 139,850 -203,816.00 20,185,190 -284,120.00 -1,125,020 56,901 976,040 -10,128,305 -671,890 1,224,560 -3,206,890 47,484,655.50 -1,607,830 1,775,060 -4,694,253 72,099,918

10,670

23,606,214 4,259,710

-392,496 -158,810

678,708

182,831

53,086.80 700

VALUE 1,842.49 (DOWN) 11.62 941,983,206.89 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 11,252.52 (DOWN) 147.10 1,697,647,809.802 HOLDING FIRMS 7,844.36 (DOWN) 94.64 1,894,750,784.69 PROPERTY 4,234.33 (DOWN) 100.46 1,644.35 (DOWN) 0.47 1,594,680,338.72 SERVICES MINING & OIL 7,885.78 (UP) 2.48 1,095,535,566.35 PSEI 8,045.80 (DOWN) 104.66 200,051,066.7446 All Shares Index 4,890.06 (DOWN) 46.02 7,453,200,784.87 Gainers: 68; Losers: 137; Unchanged: 45; Total: 250

Aboitiz Equity posted profit of P9b in the first 6 months By Alena Mae S. Flores ABOITIZ Equity Ventures Inc. posted a net income of P9 billion in the first six months of 2019, down 11 percent from P10.1 billion year-on-year. AEV disclosed to the Philippine Stock Exchange on Wednesday the company recognized non-recurring gains of P78 million against P467 million in nonrecurring losses in the previous period, representing the foreign exchange differential in restating dollar-denominated net debt. Without these one-off gains, AEV’s core net income for the first half of 2019 was P8.9 billion, 16 percent lower from P10.6 billon year-on-year, it said. “While challenges to our bottom line continue to persist, we have seen recovery across our entire portfolio compared to the same period last year and compared to the previous quarter,” said AEV president and chief executive officer Erramon Aboitiz. “We still feel we are well-positioned to reap the benefits of our country’s ‘demographic dividend’ and to take advantage of opportunities to evolve and expand beyond our borders, as we deepen our role in building a better future for communities,” he added. AEV recorded consolidated earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and appreciation of P26.5 billion in the first six months, down 5 percent from P28 billion on year. AEV registered a consolidated net income of P5.4 billion in the second quarter, up 3 percent from P5.3 billion on year. Core net income in the second quarter stood at P5 billion, down 6 percent on year. AEV said power accounted for 67 percent of the total income contributions, while the share of the financial services, food, infrastructure and real estate units stood at at 24 percent, 6 percent, 2 percent, and one percent, respectively. Aboitiz Power Corp. reported a net income of P8.6 billion in the first half, 5-percent lower than P9.1 billion on year, while core net income was at P8.5 billion, 19 percent down from P10.5 billion on year.

Berjaya, POSC share prices bounce back By Jenniffer B. Austria SHARE prices of lotto equipment providers Berjaya Philippines Corp. and Paciﬁc Online Systems Corp. recovered on Wednesday after Malacanang lifted the suspension on lottery game operations. POSC gained 11.2 percent to P2.89, while Berjaya climbed 4.2 percent to P2.48. POSC is the lessor of the online lottery system being used by Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Ofﬁce for lotto operations in Visayas and Mindanao, while unit Total Gaming Technologies Inc. is the equipment lessor for PCSO’s Keno game nationwide. Berjaya’s owns a 39.9-percent stake in Philippine Gaming Management Corp., which supplies lottery equipment used by PCSO for its lotto operations in Visayas. President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday ordered the suspension of all PCSOsanctioned gaming operations due to “massive corruption” involved. The decision resulted in the decline in the share price of POSC and Berjaya Monday. But on Wednesday, President Duterte lifted the suspension on lotto games, including the Lotto 6/42, Mega Lotto 6/45, Super Lotto 6/49 and Grand Lotto 6/55. Other gaming activities of PCSO, such as small town lottery, Keno and Peryahan ng Bayan, however, will remain suspended. Meanwhile, the equipment lease agreement between POSC with PCSO expired on Wednesday, while that between PGMC and PCSO is scheduled to end on August 22. With respect to our Equipment Lease Agreement (ELA) with PCSO the latest extended term of which is due to expire today, please be advised that we have had an agreement in principle on the terms of a further renewal thereof pending the completion of PCSO’s process to procure, by public bidding, a new online lottery system,” POSC said.

Manila

Standard

World

TODAY

THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2019 CESAR BARRIOQUINTO, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

IN BRIEF

THE REEF DEPICTED.

A woman passes artist Ed Wong as he paints a mural depicting coral in the shape of an anatomical heart with half of the heart deteriorating, representing the half of the Great Barrier Reef that has been bleached to death due to climate change, along a street in Melbourne on July 31, 2019. More than 25,000 Australians have signed a petition to grant the Great Barrier Reef Australian citizenship in order to gain the reef the same rights and protections as all Australian citizens. AFP

Tensions high as HK protesters face court over rioting charges

ONG KONG―Dozens of Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters appeared in court Wednesday after being charged with rioting, setting the stage for further unrest in a weeks-long crisis that has rocked the global ﬁnancial hub. The announcement on Tuesday night that 44 people had been charged with rioting―an offense that carries a jail term of up to 10 years―immediately triggered another round of clashes between police and protesters. Supporters continued to voice their outrage as they stood for hours on Wednesday outside court, braving heavy winds and rain, as the accused rioters appeared before a judge. “Release the righteous... no rioters, only tyranny...

reclaim Hong Kong, the revolution of our times,” the supporters chanted at various times throughout the day. The protesters were generally calm as they took turns to appear in front of the judge, who formally read the charges and granted them bail. The range of their professions reﬂected the wide support across Hong Kong society for the pro-democracy movement. They included a teacher, a nurse, an airline pilot, a barber, a chef, an electrician, a construction worker and unemployed people, according to their charge sheets. Semi-autonomous Hong Kong has endured more than seven weeks of unrest that began with a government bid to introduce a law that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China. The protests evolved into a movement for deeper democratic reforms and an end to eroding freedoms, in the most signiﬁcant challenge to Beijing’s rule since the city’s handover from Britain in 1997.

In the latest confrontation, police used pepper spray and batons against hundreds of protesters who had gathered outside a police station in solidarity with those who had just been charged. Footage broadcast live on television showed an ofﬁcer aiming a shotgun at protesters who were throwing objects at him. The previous two weekends had seen a surge in the level of violence used by both protesters and police, who repeatedly ﬁred rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse projectile-throwing crowds. A mob of pro-government thugs also attacked protesters, putting 45 people in hospital. The 44 protesters were charged for their alleged role in running battles between police and protesters in a well-heeled residential neighborhood on the main island on Sunday. The move to charge protesters with rioting came a day after Beijing publicly threw its weight behind Hong Kong’s leader Carrie Lam and the police, saying violent protesters must be swiftly punished. AFP

Outraged HK civil servants voice their dissent online HONG KONG―Growing ranks of Hong Kong’s typically conservative and publicity-shy bureaucrats have begun an unprecedented online dissent campaign against the city’s pro-Beijing leaders over their response to weeks of violent pro-democracy protests. Multiple open letters have been signed by hundreds of anonymous civil servants in the past week condemning the administration of city leader Carrie Lam and the police. A group of civil servants have also announced plans to hold a rally on Friday night―something unheard of from a demographic that usually eschews politics. The letters―accompanied by photos of civil servant identity cards with personal details obscured―bemoan Lam’s lack of leadership and refusal to compromise as her administration grapples with huge protests rocking the international finance hub. Civil servants interviewed by AFP said they felt compelled to speak out after nearly two months of chaos that shows no signs of abating, with Lam seemingly unable—or unwilling—to find a solution and Beijing continuing to back her government. Many decided to break their silence after a vicious attack on protesters by pro-government thugs and suspected triad members that left 45 people in hospital. “I hope to use this letter to tell citizens that the people are our real bosses,” a 30-year-old executive officer and anonymous signatory who only gave her surname Leung, told AFP. “We need to use this special role of ours to make sure the government squarely faces and responds to issues.” An officer in her mid-twenties in the government’s food and environmental hygiene department said she planned to attend Friday’s rally because Lam’s administration had not shown “a sliver of conscience.” AFP

‘Taliban’ bomb kills 28 Afghans

HERAT—Dozens of passengers, mainly women and children, were killed in western Afghanistan early Wednesday when the bus they were traveling in hit a roadside bomb, officials said. The attack, which came one day after the United Nations said Afghan civilians are being killed and wounded at a “shocking” level and as the country gears up for presidential elections, occurred around 6:00 am (0130 GMT), authorities said. “A passenger bus traveling on the Kandahar-Herat highway hit a Taliban roadside bomb. So far at least 28 killed, 10 wounded,” said Muhibullah Muhib, the spokesman for Farah province. All were civilians, mostly women and children, he said. Sediq Sediqqi, a spokesman for the Afghan presidency, put the toll slightly higher at 34 killed and 17 wounded, also blaming it on the Taliban. There was no immediate confirmation from the insurgents that they were behind the blast. The group, which has resurged since its regime was toppled by the US invasion in 2001, made a vague pledge this month to reduce civilian casualties. Civilians have long paid a disproportionate price in the nearly 18 years since the US invaded Afghanistan. On Tuesday, the UN released a report showing that casualties have dropped 27 percent in the first half of 2019 compared to the same period last year, which was a record—but nonetheless 1,366 civilians were killed and another 2,446 injured. Child casualties represented almost a third of the overall total of civilian casualties. The UN also said that US and progovernment forces caused more civilian deaths than the Taliban and other insurgent groups for the second quarter running. It branded efforts to reduce the violence “insufficient.” AFP

Magnate’s body found by the river

NEW DELHI―The body of a billionaire Indian coffee magnate who went missing amid financial troubles was found by a river in southern India, police said Wednesday. V.G. Siddhartha, founder of the Cafe Coffee Day chain that beat Starbucks at its own game in India, was last seen Monday next to the Nethravathi river near Mangaluru and reported missing soon after by his chauffeur. Authorities launched a major search operation, and a fisherman found the body on the bank of the river. “Siddhartha’s body was found early this morning,” Sasikanth Senthil, deputy commissioner of South Karnataka police, told AFP “We have sent his body for post mortem analysis now and are awaiting results.” The body will be handed over to the tycoon’s family after legal formalities are completed, said Sandeep Patil, Mangaluru police commissioner. Patil said an investigation was underway to determine whether Siddhartha took his own life. Siddhartha—whose family have been in the coffee business for 130 years—opened his first Cafe Coffee Day store in 1996 and went on to become one of the world’s biggest coffee traders. The chain has more than 1,700 stores, mainly in India, but also in Malaysia, Egypt, Czech Republic and Austria, employing more than 30,000 people. Police said Siddhartha left Bangalore late Monday, telling his family he was going to a hill resort but instead asked his driver to take him to Mangaluru. AFP

N OTICE Notice is hereby given that AMAIA LAND CORP., with office address at 10th Floor, Ayala Life FGU Center, Madrigal Business Park, Alabang, Zapote Road Corner Acacia Avenue, Muntinlupa City is applying for registration with the Board of Investments (BOI) as a New Developer of Economic and Low-Cost Housing Project under the Preferred List - Mass Housing (Amaia Scapes Rizal - Sector 1) with a capacity of 309 house and lot units on a Non Pioneer status with project site located at Brgy. Tatala, Binangonan, Rizal.

PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE. Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson prepares for a television interview after the Democratic Presidential Debate at the Fox Theater on July 30, 2019, in Detroit, Michigan. 20 Democratic presidential candidates were split into two groups of 10 to take part in the debate sponsored by CNN and held over two nights at the theater. AFP

Trump denies racist strategy but is heckled for hate JAMESTOWN―President Donald Trump on Tuesday denied any racist “strategy” behind a string of verbal attacks on African-Americans, but found himself being accused of hate by a heckler at a high-profile speech. “I have no strategy. I have zero strategy,” Trump told reporters at the White House, when asked about his recent tirades against black and other non-white opponents, as well as the majority black city of Baltimore. “I’m not angry at anybody,” he said. Earlier, Trump denounced the “horrors” of slavery in a speech in Jamestown, Virginia, celebrating the founding of the first local legislature there by English colonists 400 years ago. In his speech, Trump noted that along with the first settlers came the first African slaves, making Jamestown a symbol not just of US democracy but of mass slavery. “We remember every sacred soul who suffered the horrors of slavery,” Trump said, calling this the “barbaric trade in human lives.” But black Virginia state lawmakers boycotted the event, saying it had been “tarnished” by Trump.

“It is impossible to ignore the emblem of hate and disdain that the president represents,” the African-American lawmakers said in a statement, accusing Trump of using “racist and xenophobic rhetoric.” And in a rare interruption of a presidential speech, a Virginia state lawmaker heckled Trump and held up a sign reading “Deport hate” and “Go back to your corrupted home.” Trump paused his speech while the man was led away but did not say anything. The president has shown little of that restraint over the last two weeks, with a barrage of racially loaded insults. Trump has laid repeatedly into four nonwhite Democratic congresswomen, a respected African-American Democratic lawmaker from Baltimore, as well as veteran black civil rights activist Al Sharpton. That pattern has prompted an outpouring of criticism that Trump is deliberately deepening racial divisions in a pitch to his white, workingclass base ahead of his 2020 reelection bid. At the White House, he told reporters: “I am the least racist person anywhere in the world.” AFP

Any person with valid objections on the abovementioned project may file his/her objection in writing, under oath, with the BOI within three (3) days from the date of this publication. (SGD) ANGELITA F. ARCELLANA Officer-in-Charge Infrastructure and Services Industries Service (MS-AUG. 1, 2019)

NOTICE We wish to inform the public that BOURBON MARINE SERVICES MANILA, INC. will officially transfer its office from Unit 802 Sage House Bldg. 110 V.A. Rufino Street, Legazpi Village, Makati City. to Unit 702 Sage House Building, 110 V.A. Rufino St. Legaspi Village , Makati City. effective 15 August 2019. (MS-AUG. 1, 2019)

NOTICE We wish to inform the public that CASSIOPEIA MARINE SERVICES, INC. will officially transfer its office from Unit 702 Sage House Bldg. 110 V.A. Rufino Street, Legazpi Village, Makati City. to Unit 802 Sage House Building, 110 V.A. Rufino St. Legaspi Village , Makati City. effective 15 August 2019. (MS-AUG. 1, 2019)

LGUs

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

Mayor Lino lauds Taguig nutrition office

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2019

By Joel E. Zurbano

2019 Oplan Kalusugan kicks off in QC By Rex Arcadio R. San Diego II IT TAKES a village to educate a child, and the Department of Education community will take all measures possible to ensure that Filipinos are given the proper information to ensure better health and nutrition. After Makati City hosted the 2018 Oplan Kalusugan program launch, the DepEd-National Capital Region, in coordination with the host Division of City Schools-Quezon City, initiated the 2019 Oplan Kalusugan at Ismael Mathay Sr. High School in Project 8, Quezon City on Tuesday. “Health is basically a Department of Health Concern, but the education arm is with us in DepEd so the children will be informed of made aware of,” said Natividad P. Bayubay, Officer-in-Charge/ Schools Division Superintendent of Quezon City. “With the proper health education, Filipinos don’t even have to set foot in a hospital,” she added. Bayubay noted the need to “influence the kitchen in every home” as she explained that a massive information drive about the six pillars of the school head and nutrition program of DepEd will greatly benefit schools and society. “We can show and prove through this program that we can do something, and these should be shared to every member of the Filipino family,” she told the audience composed of education officials, principals, teachers, students and barangay representatives and officers. Dr. Aurea M. Lopez, Chief of the School Health and Nutrition Section of the Quezon City-Schools Division, reminded the audience that prevention is always preferable than cure. She noted that the OK sa DepEd programs are “for the health and welfare of the youth, all families and communities in general.” The kickoff featured a parade around the Barangay Sangandaan community, exhibits, an on-thespot poster making contest, a short program participated in by students, school administrators and barangay officials, and an antidrug abuse seminar sponsored by the Office of Vice Mayor Gian Sotto with the assistance from Barangay Sangandaan Captain Marivic Hefti.

HOUSING FORUM.

Various speakers and personalities share their views in the Manila leg of the 7th Asia-Pacific Housing Forum from July 30-31 at the New World in Makati City. Organized by Habitat for Humanity, the event sought solutions to poverty and housing issues and promote affordable, sustainable and resilient housing through extensive critical dialogue. The second day focused on business cases for Housing Finance, Cement Bamboo Frame Technology, and BOI Initiatives for Shelter Issues. Diana Noche

Quezon City reaps 5 ‘Kalasag’ awards

By Rio N. Araja

UEZON City Mayor Joy Belmonte on Wednesday lauded the Ofﬁce of the Civil Defense for recognizing the readiness of the city government to reduce the impacts and risks of hazards on its citizens.

Belmonte said the city has bagged at least five awards and a special recognition, including the best Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council in the recent 21st Gawad KAlamidad at Sakuna LAbanan, SAriling Galing ang Kaligtasan (KALASAG) regional event. The city’s DRRM Council was chosen as the best in the highly urbanized city category, while Barangay Batasan Hills was first place in the best urban barangay DRMM committee. The Rosa Susano Elementary School in QC topped the best public elementary school category. Quezon City received the best government emergency management services award, while the World Mission Society was adjudged as the best civil society or-

ganization. The Quezon City General Hospital was awarded the best local hospital. “First of all, we are very elated. I congratulate the entire DRRMC for their expertise and consistency in bagging the awards (every year),” Belmonte said. She said the awards underscored Quezon City’s readiness, vigilance, and resiliency against natural and man-made disasters that may occur. The mayor also lauded QC-based private organizations and other stakeholders for their contribution in enhancing the city’s disaster preparedness programs. “This is a symbol that we as a city are united and we work as one. Any challenges that come our way, we can succeed in achieving as long as everybody,

especially our stakeholders, work together,” she said. Meanwhile, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) lauded Barangay Tatalon for its efforts to resolve traffic woes in its thoroughfares. “This is an example that you might want to adopt,” DILG Undersecretary Epimaco Densing III said, citing Tatalon’s barangay ordinance that only allows one-side parking in certain streets. Tatalon’s Barangay Council passed the measure after exhaustive consultative meetings with residents hailed an example of participatory governance. In his speech at the Metro Manila Council’s meeting last July 26, Densing reminded city mayors present of President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive during his State of the Nation Address last Monday to “reclaim all public roads that are being used for private ends. The DILG also urged the city mayors to ask their respective city councils to review their local traffic management codes. Metro Manila Development Authority Chairman Danilo Lim also advised the mayors to start the cleanup of national roads in their areas of jurisdiction. Lim also urged them to document the ‘before and after’ situation of the streets.

Bagatsing praises mayor’s cleanup

MUSEUM LAUNCH. Lakbay Museo, the first interactive millennial Philippine museum at the ground floor of S Maison Mall at the Conrad Hotel in Pasay City, was inaugurated recently. Owned and Managed by The Millennial Concept Factory Inc., the museum’s opening drew as guests (from left) Lawrence Li Tan, president of TMCFI, Former Tourism Bicol Regional Director Maria ‘Nini’ Ravanilla, Republic of Latvia Consul General Robert Lim Joseph—also chairman of Lakbay Museo—Trade Assistant Secretary Demphna Du-Naga, and Yzl D. Cruz, TMCFI Director of Sales and Marketing.

CIVIC leader and businessman Don Bagatsing on Wednesday praised Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso for his massive cleanup campaign and bringing back the city’s old glory. Bagatsing, a former city councilor and grandchild of the late former city Mayor Ramon Bagatsing, expressed belief that Manila is now on its way to its what he described as “boom years” because of the sincerity and political will of the new city chief executive. “Roads are like arteries to the lungs. You clear it, you let the city breathe, trade and commerce will flourish. In spite of all the criticisms, it’s the right thing to do,” he said. Bagatsing said city hall workers have to “catch up to Mayor Isko’s energy and

this is good because the rank and file city employees haven’t encountered this type of leadership in more than 10 years.” He also expressed confidence that businessmen will invest in Manila especially now that it has a young leader who is transparent, dynamic and bent on cutting red tape at city hall and eliminating unscrupulous individuals. Domagoso cleared up the busy streets of the country’s capital and moved to restore its cultural heritage days after he assumed office, Bagatsing noted. Moreno’s first move as mayor was to clear the chaotic commercial area of Divisoria, then the busy streets of Quiapo, Rizal Avenue, Carriedo, Recto Avenue and Blumentrit the next few days, he added. Joel E. Zurbano

TAGUIG City Mayor Lino Edgardo Cayetano on Wednesday praised the men and women of the city’s Nutrition Office after it was awarded a plaque of appreciation by the National Nutrition Council. The NNC-National Capital Region gave the award to the city government during the 2019 Regional Nutrition Awarding Ceremony held at the Heritage Hotel in Pasay City last July 26. The award is in recognition of the city’s support and excellent commitment in boosting proper nutrition and in its superb implementation of the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition. Because of its outstanding programs in health, Taguig City was also named the Consistent Regional Outstanding Winner in Nutrition in 2016, the 1st CROWN Maintenance Awardee in 2017, and the 2nd CROWN Maintenance Awardee in 2018. Mayor Cayetano said with the conferment of these awards, the city now aims for the Nutrition Honor Award which is the highest award given by the NNC to the recipients of the CROWN Award. Cayetano also congratulated City Nutrition Office’s Barangay Nutrition Scholar Gina G. Reyes, who was also recognized as the Outstanding BNS in Taguig City. Under the administration of former mayor Laarni Cayetano, Taguig City’s malnutrition prevalence rate dropped from 3.82 percent in 2011 to 0.22 percent in 2018. The city government’s program encourages families to set up their own urban community vegetable gardens by providing seedlings, planting materials and conducting farming classes.

Isko promises more Manila public toilets By Vito Barcelo THE Manila City government will build public toilets and urinals throughout the city to keep public areas clean from human feces, which can cause illnesses. Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso made the announcement after receiving requests from the public through social media that public parks like the Liwasang Bonifacio are being littered with human wastes because of the lack of public toilets. “I would build public toilets in Liwasang Bonifacio due to the deluge of requests on social media. There are so many people passing by the park and we want to accommodate them and find them an outlet to answer nature’s call,” he said. The mayor said the toilets in Liwasang Bonifacio will be completed in a few weeks, while building other public toilets in the nation’s capital are now underway. Domagoso observed that the Liwasang Bonifacio near the Manila City Hall has turned into a “tae-tae island” (island of feces). The Manila chief executive said while there are limited places to build public toilets, he assured that the city government can find spots for them. He said these are the small things that are taken for granted by the government, but when neglected will soon turn into a big problem. “Before you know it, the problem is so huge you could barely move. So as much as possible we are seeking the public’s cooperation,” Domagoso said. Users of public toilets will be free, he added.

Santiago City advocates pesticide-free vegetables and fruits By Ben Moses Ebreo SANTIAGO CITY, Isabela—Pesticide poisoning is currently a global health problem. It is estimated that about fivemillion people die every year as a result of intentional, accidental or occupational hazards around the world. However, pesticides are still widely used by developing countries like the Philippines for agricultural purposes. Pesticide poisoning has been an increasing problem in the country, and vegetable growers are exposed to pesticides to a far greater extent than rice or corn farmers because of the nature of the chemicals used. This report has alarmed the Santiago City Vegetable Growers and Marketing Coopera-

tive composed of 120 active members who cultivate more than 60 hectares of vegetable gardens in the city. After consultations with Independent Component City Agricultural and Fishery Council (ICCAFC), the cooperative came up with the proposal of undergoing food safety training for them to know the proper use and application of pesticide to their agricultural produce. Resolution No. 005 Series of 2018 passed by the SCVeGMaC on October 27, 2018 was endorsed by the ICCAFC. As a support, the council also designed a project proposal for the said measure. The proposal was approved by City Mayor Joseph Tan and on January 25 this year, the Department of Agricul-

ture Regional Office 2 conducted series seminars on Good Agricultural Practices and Food Safety among vegetable growers, vendors and other stakeholders at Arcade Building, Public Market in the city. Mayor Tan personally participated in the orientations and was given substantial information on food safety, pesticide residue and its ill effects on the human body. After the training, the city chief executive eventually kept Good Agricultural Practices and Food Safety as his personal advocacy that in all his meetings and speaking engagements, he would always mention to his audience the ill effects of excessive use of pesticides.

In this photo collage, George Sales, president of Santiago City Vegetable Growers and Marketing Cooperative, attaches a SAFE sticker on a Patola fruit ready to be harvested from his farm at Cabulay Village in the city (upper left) while her sister Guadalope Domingo (lower left) manages the cooperative makeshift vegetable stall at the City Arcade, as illustrated by a farm shot and a school pupil ready to perform with vegetables as her props (lower right). Santiago City Mayor Joseph Tan (upper right photo) then advocates Good Agricultural Practices and Food Safety. Ben Moses Ebreo

Life

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

HOUSEHOLD

Where a community feels like a sanctuary THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2019

Y LIVING A GOOD LIFE. According to a mass housing developer, a resident needs to feel safe and secure, as well as have a sense of belonging to a place to be truly happy and at peace.

Residential community developer Bria Homes provides its residents with green spaces and recreational amenities that promote camaraderie, and perimeter fences and guarded entrances to ensure safety and security.

MOVIE marathons at home become bigger, quite literally, with a little help from a laser projector that can project brilliant images anywhere in the house. Epson’s new sleek Epson EF-100, currently the world’s smallest 3LCD laser projector according to Futuresource Consulting Limited, can project up to 150 inches in size and combines large screen viewing with flexibility and usability—positioned to be a game-changer in home projection. The portable projector comes in sleek black (EF100B) and classy white (EF-100W). Both have the ability to project at any angle with 360-degree flexibility, allowing various modes of projection, from watching movies on the living room wall to even projecting on the ceiling from the bed. To access content from a phone, tablet, DVD player, game console, or laptop, simply insert a cable into the HDMI port. Streaming devices can also be plugged in the back. Even in daylight, the projector’s laser light source delivers bright and vibrant images—thereby eliminating the need to turn off lights or close the windows. Movie buffs can enjoy their movies at 2,000 lumens of brightness and a high contrast ratio of over 2,500,000:1, delivering exceptionally rich and vivid images. Designed for style-conscious users, they blend seamlessly into the home environment aesthetics and complement the lifestyle of the user. The projectors are compact and lightweight, measuring at just 23 centimeters along its longest edge and weighing at 2.7 kilograms. “With the EF-100 series, we aim to change the way people view content. With the ease of use and portability as key features of the projector, users can carry the projector around and easily project in any room,” said Eduardo Bonoan, general manager for marketing at Epson Philippines. The projectors require minimal maintenance as

OU don’t simply live in a house and call it a home or reside in a neighborhood and consider it a sanctuary.

According to a residential community developer, to be happy and at peace, a resident needs to feel safe and secure, and have a sense of belonging to a place where neighbors have each other’s back and care for each other’s well-being. Mass housing developer Bria Homes takes pride in its high-quality affordable homes built in friendly and welcoming communities where families thrive. The Golden Bria Holdings, Inc. subsidiary says it ensures each development has features that spurs its homeowners to engage in camaraderie. For instance, all communities are eco-friendly, with lush green spaces that allow residents to live amidst an abundance of trees and to chill—on their own or with newfound friends. Recreational amenities such as covered basketball courts are found in all developments. Perimeter fences and a guarded entrance ensure security. Another vital feature in each of its communities is proximity to key locations. Residents are assured they are never too far from educational and religious institutions, hospitals, business districts, retail establishments, and major roads and highways. In addition to facilities and amenities, good life goes on with the help from well-trained and courteous personnel that are on call for resi-

dents’ needs and requirements. Each unit boasts superior quality construction, with highly skilled engineers and architects ensuring the timely delivery of units that are built to last for a long time. Living in such community has become more accessible to more aspiring homeowners as the developer offers condominium and house and lot units at affordable prices. “Bria Homes crafted its winning formula: Affordability + Superior Quality = a beautiful Bria Home for Every Filipino,” it said in a statement. House and lot prices range from P480,000 to P1.5 million, while condominium units are priced from P1.5 million to P1.8 million. A unit costs as low as P1,897 per month. The mass housing developer offers easy payment schemes such as PagIBIG funding or bank financing. Bria has over 50 projects across some of the country’s most progressive towns and cities, all proud to be foster a strong sense of community. In Luzon, there are developments in Mariveles and Hermosa in Bataan; Urdaneta, Pangasinan; Paniqui, Tarlac; San Fernando and Magalang in Pampanga; Plaridel, Sta. Maria, Norzagaray, and San Jose Del Turn to C2

Epson’s portable projector can project images at any angle with 360-degree flexibility, allowing users to watch on the wall or on the ceiling. (Inset) The EF-100 series can project up to 150 inches and deliver rich and vivid images.

Cinema-like movie marathons at home

teach unit’s equipped with long-lasting, maintenance-free laser light source. These home projectors have a user-friendly interface and are designed for beginners in projection. Set up is easy with minimal technical in-

stallation required; according to the brand, users simply follow a quick start-up guide to get going. A key feature includes geometric keystone correction that enables easy adjustment of projections. “Users who may have installation concerns when

it comes to using home projectors need not worry as set up is a breeze with these projectors. With up to 150 inches in projection size, the homeowner can now bring the cinematic large screen viewing experience right into their homes,” added Bonoan.

Life

THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2019 manilastandardlife@gmail.com

Why your child is short —and what to do about it Dr. Maria Imelda Belen Vitug-Sales (Photo from Makati Medical Center)

NE of parents’ causes of concern is the growth of their children. A pediatrician from one of the top hospitals in the country sheds light on why a kid is smaller than their peers and what are the things moms and dads can do to help their children grow.

Makati Medical Center, through its Department of Pediatrics, identifies possible causes why a child has lowerthan-normal weight and height, as well as healthy ways to help them grow. According to Maria Imelda Belen Vitug-Sales, MD, pediatric gastroenterologist, a child may appear smaller than normal due to any of the following: Genetics - Do you come from a family with a lean frame? Dr. Vitug-Sales says it is most likely the child may have inherited the same body type. Sports - Kids active in sports tend to be leaner than their sedentary peers. Disease - Diabetes, thyroid disease, Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), eating disorders (anorexia nervosa, bulimia, distorted body image), inflammatory bowel disease, tuberculosis, and other medical conditions could affect a child’s weight, appetite, ability to digest food or absorb its nutrients. Medication for these diseases can also contribute to poor weight gain.

To help children grow the healthy way, involved in planning the menu. Don’t Dr. Vitug-Sales recommends the following: force feed them or watch them like a hawk and comment at every bite they Introduce nutrient dense take. Dr. Vitug-Sales asserts mealtimes should be an enjoyable and relaxing high caloric food Good-quality calories, that is. Avo- family affair; when they are stressful cado and nuts are not only yummy but occasions with high expectations, they also rich sources of fat. Eggs, milk, kill anyone’s appetite. cheese, and hummus are tasty and protein-rich choices. Cereal, corn, and Let nature take its course sweet potato are delicious and filling It may just be a phase. However, your forms of carbohydrates. pediatrician may have to rule out red flags that could point out to a possible Make mealtimes enjoyable pre-existing health condition. Prepare The pediatrician advises parents to fun and diverse meals that are approprilet their kids choose their plates, uten- ate for their age and get them into physisils, and drinking glasses. Get them cal activities to stimulate their appetite.

Contactless payment tech promotes effortless shopping SHOPPING is as easy as “tap and go” with contactless-enabled credit cards. Though still in its infancy in the Philippines, contactless payments are already widely used in other countries such as Singapore, Australia, and England. Payments via contactless cards are fulfilled by simply tapping the card on a point-of-sale (POS) terminal. For low value transactions, no PIN or signature is required. In the Philippines, transactions beyond P2,000 require the cardholder’s signature as a layer of security from unauthorized transactions. Shoppers will be billed only once even if they accidentally tap on the POS terminal multiple times.

The contactless cards can be identified through a symbol on the card face that is similar to the Wi-Fi symbol, albeit turned sideways. The EMV chip embedded in the card effectively safeguards card details as it creates dynamic data every time a transaction is made, making it nearly impossible for fraudsters to duplicate or clone the card. To encourage shoppers to use contactless payment technology, MasterCard teams up with The SM Store to reward those who will use their MasterCard credit cards. Shoppers who make a one-time cash purchase worth P3,000 or P5,000 on installment get a chance to win P1,000 worth of gift cards.

According to a pediatrician, kids active in sports tend to be leaner than their sedentary peers.

Logistics company empowers MSMEs

Logistics company LBC offers a fixed rate promotion for cash on pick-up transactions to help empower MSMEs.

WITH growing e-commerce market and micro, small, and medium enterprises in the Philippines, leading logistics company LBC offers a fixed rate promotion for cash on pick-up transactions. Available until August 31, a flat rate of P80 is applied to deliveries of up to 3 kilograms within the Philippines. Anything that exceeds the weight will have an additional fee, which is commensurate to the given fixed rate. The Cash on Pick-up (COP) P80 Pasabog Promo is applicable for the following LBC parcels and boxes: N-

Pack Small, N-Pack Large, KB Mini, KB Slim, and KB Small. A minimum charge of P15 will be added as a valuation fee and may increase depending on the declared value of the shipment. The logistics company currently has 1,400 branches nationwide, which also serves as pick-up points helpful especially in hard to reach areas where transportation is limited. With the introduction of Kaliwaan System, buyers and sellers are assured of smooth and fast transactions, as well as eliminates the con-

stant worry of whether the item was sent or received. “LBC continues to introduce innovations as its response to the changing business landscape in the country. E-commerce has allowed individuals to operate businesses within the confines of their homes while buyers can purchase an item using the Internet or through an app. “These developments not only gives MSMEs the opportunity to expand their livelihood but it also contributes to the economy,” LBC said in a statement.

iPhoto Insurance agency receives special Pag-IBIG citation

Payments via contactlessenabled cards are fulfilled by simply tapping the card on a POS terminal.

Where... From C1

Leyte; and Dumaguete, Negros Oriental. Finally, in Mindanao, its communities are thriving in Cagayan De Oro, Balingasag, and Gingoog in Misamis Oriental; Manolo Fortich and Valencia in Bukidnon; Tagum, Maco, and Panabo in Davao Del Norte; Carmen, Davao City, and Digos in Davao Del Sur; General Santos, South Cotabato; and Kidapawan, North Cotabato.

Monte in Bulacan; Teresa, Baras, and Binangonan in Rizal; General Trias, Trece Martires, and Indang in Cavite; Calamba, Sta. Cruz, San Pablo, Calauan, Alaminos, and Bay in Laguna; Lipa and Balayan in Batangas; and Pili, Iriga, and Naga in Camarines Sur. In Visayas, Bria has made homes ac- Call 0966-2775944 or go to its social cessible in Calbayog, Samar; Ormoc, media pages for more information.

Victor Valledor, president and chief executive of Lockton Philippines Insurance and Reinsurance Brokers, Inc. (fourth from left), receives a special citation from Pag-IBIG Fund for maximizing the existing insurance benefits of Pag-IBIG Fund housing loan borrowers and reducing its premium, thereby making housing more affordable. This contributes significantly to uplifting the lives of Filipino workers through homeownership, and in support of the Building Adequate Livable Affordable, and Inclusive (BALAI) Filipino Communities program. Joining Valledor at the 2018 PagIBIG Fund Chairman’s Report at the Philippine International Convention Center are (from left) Robert John S. Cosico, OIC deputy chief executive officer of Support Services Cluster; Marilene C. Acosta, deputy chief executive officer of Home Lending Operations Cluster; Eduardo D. Del Rosario, chairman of Housing and

Urban Development Coordinating Council; Pag-IBIG Fund chief executive officer Acmad Rizaldy P. Moti; Alexander Hilario G. Aguilar, dep-

uty chief executive officer of Member Services Cluster; and Marcial C. Pimentel Jr., vice president of Legal and General Counsel.

Entertainment

THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2019

nickie.standard@gmail.com

DZRH marks 80 years of service on radio

Dennis Trillo with Jerald Napoles in a scene from the film

DENNIS TRILLO leads group of drug pushers in ‘MINA-ANUD’

APUSO actor Dennis Trillo is joined by comedian Jerald Napoles and Kapamilya star Matteo Guidicelli in a provocative and socially relevant movie that is based on a true story.

Titled Mina-Anud, the events in the film are based on real-life events that took place in 2009 in Eastern Samar, where bags of cocaine were washed up on the shores of a fishing village that turned the lives of the residents 180 degrees. Being a relevant and timely quality film, Mina-Anud won the Basecamp Colour Prize at Singapore’s Southeast Asia Film Financing (SAFF) Forum in 2017. Established in 2016, SAFF serves as an exciting platform in assembling the best feature-length film concepts and the top filmmakers and producers from Southeast Asia and Europe to meet with international co-producing partners, festival programmers, distributors, commissioners, and financiers. Mina-Anud is about an impoverished community where the characters succumb to the temptations of money and material stuff through illegal activity. It tells the story of people who resorted to illegal drug selling to earn instant cash and get a taste of luxuries of life, such as flat-screen televisions, motorcycles, cars, and jewelry. Known as a dramatic actor, Dennis takes on the role of a drug pusher. He plays Ding, the leader of Borongan surfers, who is also a family man with issues with his wife Gina, the breadwinner. Jerald portrays Carlo, one of the best surfers in the village but seems to always come as second best. A single guy caring for his aging grandmother, Carlo dreams of joining

ON THE SET. The cast of 'Mina-Anud,' a film inspired by real-life events that took place in 2009 in Eastern Samar.

an international surfing competition and marrying a Caucasian girlfriend. Being unsatisfied with their lives, Ding and Carlo saw a chance to improve their lives by giving in to the temptation of selling illegal drugs for money. No doubt that this is one of Dennis’s most daring roles yet in this timely movie. “I’ve been wanting to do a film like this -- totoo, matapang, para ito sa mga taong naghahanap ng iba, ‘yung mga hinahanap nila sa online like Netflix,” says Dennis. “It’s the kind of film that’s fun to watch. It has a nice and interesting story. You’ll appreciate it more if you’re watching it with your barkada,” he adds. Meanwhile, Jerald will prove his mettle as an actor when he was chosen for the role for which a number of good looking and highly competent actors auditioned for. He explains, “I auditioned for the role, in fact, a lot of actors auditioned because of the story is inspired by true events. I didn’t think twice to try if I could get the role. Nabanggit na sa ‘kin ito noon ni Direk Kerwin, tapos biglang gagawin na pala talaga ni Regal and Epicmedia.”

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Thursday, August 1, 2019

ACROSS 1 Traffic stopper 5 Roost 10 Typewriter type 14 Tot’s transport 15 Buddha’s land 16 Jezebel’s spouse 17 Munro’s pen name 18 Main points 19 Drift here and yon 20 Put in office 22 Fled 24 Pooh’s pal 25 Back talk 26 Taverns 30 Adorns 34 Lighter- — -air 35 Top performers 37 Salad fish 38 Item in a poker pot 39 Yale athlete 40 Excavation 41 Pay dirt 43 Soft drink brand 45 Long sentence 46 Not subject to change 48 Prepared bread dough 50 Decompose 51 Stocky horse 52 Pinball palaces

56 Determination 60 Stuck-up 61 “The Pink Panther” actor 63 Lurch 64 Major Hoople’s word 65 Journeys 66 Poetic twilights 67 Corp. biggies 68 Good judgment 69 Kind of straits DOWN 1 Vaulted recess 2 River in Asia 3 Carry off 4 Greek vowel 5 Dove cousins 6 Novelist — Bagnold 7 Hwys. 8 Make a footnote 9 Major inconveniences 10 Castle wall 11 Flapjack chain 12 Underground chamber 13 Sacked out 21 As well as 23 England’s FBI 26 Pasture entrance 27 Who gives — —!

28 Magna cum — 29 Hard metal 30 Spry 31 Son of Venus 32 Switchblade 33 Overstuffed 36 Jungfrau 42 Chores 43 Inventors’ protections 44 Fragrant stick 45 Worked hard 47 Get sleepy 49 Daughter of Hyperion

Joining them is Matteo Guidicelli, who portrays Paul, an aspiring celebrity and TV show host who deals party drugs to Manila’s elite and showbiz circles. “I’m so happy to be part of the film. The Filipinos deserve to see this film. Sana they give us a chance to entertain them and inform them at the same time. I am thankful na makapagbigay kami nang ganitong klaseng kwento,” Matteo says. Interestingly, the film’s director, Kerwin Go, has seen with his own eyes the true events for which this film is based on. “I was there and witnessed this first hand. The characters in the film are all based on friends and acquaintances who gave in to the temptation of easy money. Some made it out with their wallets heavier, some weren’t lucky and ended up in jail,” says Kerwin. Joining the cast are Alvin Anson, Mara Lopez, Anthony Falcon, Marc Felix, Lou Veloso, Richard Manabat, Dionne Monsanto, Elia Ilano, Lui Manansala, and Luke Landrigan. Showing only in cinemas nationwide on Aug. 21. Mina-Anud was chosen as the Closing Film of Cinemalaya 2019 on Aug. 10, at the CCP 9:00 p.m..

MANILA Broadcasting Company’s flagship station DZRH marked its 80th anniversary on July 15 by looking back at its broadcast leadership while at the same time charging forward as it embraces connectivity, social media, and digital technology. From its auspicious beginnings as the mouthpiece of Heacock Department Store in Escolta, DZRH evolved into a music and entertainment station, where live performers took on the microphone. It was on the station (then named KZRH) that a number of artists got their breaks and tested their mettle for stardom. Primarily featuring jazz from an extensive music catalogue from the U.S as well as the compositions of cofounder Don Federico Elizalde, who was a renowned bandleader in England, it also began playing kundimans soon after coming back on the air after World War II. Around the same time, it became popular for entertainment programs like singing competitions, spelling contests, and various quiz shows, before eventually earning its merits as the home of radio drama. Eventually, the film industry tested the bankability of its stars by translating popular DZRH radio serials onto the celluloid screen. DZRH program hosts and guests became iconic fixtures in the realm of popular Filipino entertainment.

Apart from the high-profile events that the station has become a part of today, it continues to be at the forefront of news and public affairs programming. Through eight decades, DZRH has witnessed Philippine history unfold while establishing itself as a brand known for credibility and fairness. With serbisyong bayan as its credo, DZRH also celebrates its 80th year with a multi-pronged public service offering encompassing a job fair and blood-letting under the auspices of Operation Tulong.

Aspiring singers like the young Armida Ponce Enrile got their break on KZRH

ABS-CBN authors join Philippine Readers and Writers Fest 2019 ABS-CBN Books joins this year’s Philippine Readers and Writers Festival (PRWF) spearheaded by National Book Store, with insightful talks on leadership, entrepreneurship, writing, and inspiration led by Kapamilya authors Ardy Roberto, Edric and Joy Mendoza, Francis Kong, and many more, happening from Aug. 2 to 4 at Raffles Makati. Learn more about the perks of homeschooling with couple and parents of six, Edric and Joy, authors of the book Why You Should Homeschool, on Friday at 10:30 a.m.. At 1:00 p.m., embark on a transformative financial journey with Ardy, bestselling author, and entrepreneur, as he talks about his first-ever work of fiction The Happy Entrepreneur. Meanwhile, inspirational speaker Francis Kong will put into spotlight the small details that often go unnoticed in life by discussing his book All That Matters: Live. Love. Learn. Laugh still on Friday at 3:00 p.m.. To cap off the day, join leadership and career-life coach Terry Samala de Guzman, founder of TSDCoach, as she bares her life stories with her book Here I Am: Learning Along the Wayat 5:00 p.m..

On Sunday, explore the process of writing and creating content for millennials with Angela Soyen Enconado, Neil Jed Castro, and Joena San Diego in Once More with Feeling: How to Write On-Trend and Relevant Content for the Millennial at 10:00 a.m.. These Kapamilya writers are part of the extensive roster of ABS-CBN Books’ authors, with exciting self-help, fiction, and nonfiction reads. To date, the ABS-CBN publishing arm has sold more than two million books since it started in 2012. ABS-CBN Books has also experienced significant success in the digital space, with books being sold on Lazada, Shopee, and Facebook, and just recently on Amazon Kindle. Apart from talks from ABS-CBN authors, PWRF 2019 also includes an inspiring array of creative minds— top-billed by 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winner Viet Thanh Nguyen and award-winning Filipina novelist Gina Apostol. Admission to the three-day annual fest is free with registration starting at 9:00 a.m. every day. Book signing events only covers books purchased from NBS, NBS Express, and Powerbooks branches or online from www.nationalbookstore. com. The authors’ books can also be availed at the venue.

From left: Ardy Roberto, Francis Kong, and Terry Samala de Guzman

Very Wang... From C4

52 With, to monsieur 53 Uncontrolled fury 54 Ta-ta, in Turin 55 Your Majesty 56 Agents, for short 57 Clothier — Strauss 58 Turn aside 59 Failing that 62 French wine

Viva Record holds open audition at VivaCon 2019 An open audition will be conducted by Viva Records for pop music hopefuls this coming August. As part of Viva Con 2019, Viva Records—the music component of Vic Del Rosario’s multimedia company—will hold a two-day audition at the convention, which will be held on Aug. 3 and 4 at the World Trade Center in Pasay. The two-day event will be divided as such: first day (Aug. 3) for solo performers, and the second day (Aug. 4) solely for group performers or bands. The auditions will be one of the exciting highlights to be featured at the first-ever Viva Con. The auditions will be helmed by three judges a la American Idol. Tickets for Viva Con is P 550 and is available at all smtickets.com outlets or call 470-2222 for inquiries about the auditions.

Entertainment

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

THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2019

Lany brings Malibu Nights’ pop-indie vibe to Manila AMERICAN indie-pop band Lany staged its three-day show in Manila, the city which holds a special place in the heart of its members Paul Klein, Jake Goss, and Les Priest. Before coming to the Philippines, the band had already played 80 shows. The tour, which in support of its sophomore album, Malibu Nights, includes over 100 dates across North America, Europe, UK, South America, Australia, New Zealand, and Asia. “Seriously, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you for spending your hard-earned money and time, and for making sacriﬁces just to be here with us tonight,” frontman Paul Klein told the crowd on July 24, the concert’s second night at the Mall of Asia Arena.

“This would be so boring without you. Can we come back for the rest of our lives?” he asked, to which the crowd roared in ecstasy as their response, an easy sign that they want the band back for more shows. Tickets to the concert went on sale on Feb. 21 and were immediately sold out, thus, the band decided to add more dates according to concert promoter MMI Live. It wasn’t the ﬁrst time that Lany had to change its schedule because of its Filipino fans. In December 2017, more tickets were released for its sold-out concert on April 5, 2018. But there was an overwhelming demand that the manager of the band had to announce the addition of another show in January 2018 to accommodate more fans. Marking their fourth visit to the country,

their Malibu Nights World Tour was described by Rolling Stone as “Enigmatic frontman Paul Jason Klein carried the sea of fans through his passionate delivery of the starryeyed, gushy pop tracks, losing himself in smooth dance breaks… LANY’s star power was both out-of-this-world and incredibly effortless.” Sophomore album Malibu Nights was released in October 2018 via Interscope Records and Angeles Times praised the record “a sleek and tender document of a thoroughly modern band hitting all the right references for 2018.” Malibu Nights is the follow up to the band’s 2017 self-titled debut album, which tied for the highest-charting debut album on the Billboard Top Rock Albums chart in 2017. Nickie Wang

Dr. Margie Holmes

discusses subjects nobody dares to talk about VERY WANG

NICKIE WANG

EX therapist, bestselling author, clinical psychologist, and columnist Dr. Margarita Holmes is back with her unbridled and sometimes irreverent advice on sex as she collaborates with HOOQ for the ﬁrst time.

Her new digital show, which is streaming on HOOQ FREE PLAY, is called, well, Sex Talks. Sex Talks with Dr. Holmes takes a humorous but informative approach to addressing key issues around the topic of taboo. Every episode includes a funny personal short film involving depictions of real-life dilemmas and questions sent to Dr. Holmes. Through creative reenactments, animations, and straight-to-camera conversations, Dr. Holmes offers her own form of candid albeit expert advice. The series has a raw and natural feel to it, based on the themes of these real-life stories. “It’s our entry point to the international market that’s why I’m so excited,” Dr. Holmes said during an intimate press conference held last week. “In addition to the facts, it’s just a perspective so that hopefully it will help you understand where you are. Talk shows, I think are very good. You can only go as far and you can only go as deep as your guests are. I am very thankful in a way that this show presents the problem.” Dr. Holmes is a professor of psychology at undergraduate and graduate levels, and has taught at universities in the Philippines and the United States. She is currently a columnist at Playboy, rappler.com, Abante, and Abante Tonite, as well as a Psychology professor at the Graduate Program of Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila. In her illustrious career, Dr. Holmes has written 20 bestseller books, the best known of which are Life Love Lust, the first book written on love and sex in the Philippines and Down to 1: Depression Stories, the first book written about clinical depression in the country. Her most recent books include Love Triangles and Imported Love, which she co-authored with her husband Jeremy Baer. ***

DZMM’s ‘Todo-Todo’ turns 15; ‘Good Job’ premieres

There are many reasons why ABS-CBN’s ﬂagship AM radio station DZMM, which is celebrating its 33rd anniversary this year, has remained on top. One of these is its combination of insightful, relevant,

Winnie Cordero and Ariel Ureta of 'Todo-Todo Walang Preno,' which celebrates its 15th anniversary this year.

and informative discussions and its desire to serve the public, which are both always present in its programs. Two great examples are TodoTodo Walang Preno of Ariel Ureta and Winnie Cordero, which is now on its 15th year, and new program Good Job anchored by Danny Buenafe and Rica Lazo. Like its veteran anchors, TodoTodo remains a hit not only among its listeners and viewers but also with award-giving bodies. It recently won Best Variety Program for Radio at the 27th KBP Golden Dove Awards. The program is famous for segments like “Sabi ng Lolo Ko,” where Ariel talks about positive Filipino values like respect for elders and love for country and “WinWin Solutions,” where Winnie is able to share tips and practical solutions to usual problems of mothers like her. Also favorites are “Todo-Todo Kuro Kuro” and “Todo Kwentuhan Kasama Ang Mga Sikat,”

where their great personalities and experiene in broadcasting shine even more as they take on a variety of topics from showbiz to family issues. Despite the show’s success, the two are still relentless in enhancing the program, even as they have also brought their partnership to television as two of the regular hosts of Umagang Kay Ganda. “We work hard to give our audience new perspectives every day and with every year that passes. We strive to keep them interested, because even our loyal listeners will get bored if we become repetitive with our messages, however beautiful and positive these may be,” Ariel said. Winnie added that they remain inspired to deliver joy and new knowledge to Filipinos. “The time spent on sharing my insights, to be a giver of news

Rica Lazo and Danny Buenafe, anchors of 'Good Job' that airs every Saturday at 2:00 p.m. on DZMM.

Sex therapist and clinical psychologist Dr. Margie Holmes has a new show on HOOQ. The digital program entitled 'Sex Talks with Dr. Holmes' started streaming on HOOQ FREE Play on July 26.

and information and spread laughter and humor to our audience every day, is my precious privilege.” Just like Ariel and Winnie, DZMM’s new tandem of Danny and Rica are eager to serve Filipinos through their show “Good Job,” which aims to help Filipinos ensure the future of their families by helping them ﬁnd jobs that are suitable to their skills and needs, and giving them information that will equip them in achieving and sustaining a good status in life. Danny Buenafe is a Kapamilya news legend who served as news bureau chief of ABS-CBN in the Middle East and Europe. His partner Rica, is no pushover as well, as one of the few ABS-CBN anchors who are present in multiple platforms. Currently, she is part of both DZMM and ANC. According to Danny, he is able to use the network he has built in his decades of experience as a broadcast journalist in gathering and reporting information on job vacancies and opportunities here and abroad. Rica added they will also be interviewing and featuring people from relevant government agencies, various industries, and local ofﬁcials to help them in their advocacy. The two believe that the program, which is airing for just over a month now, will be instrumental in helping Filipinos give a better life to their families. Rica shared, “With all our responsibilities, we can no longer be complacent. If you are looking for opportunities, tips, and inspiration to keep you motivated at work, this is the program for you.” “As time goes by, the program will give hope to our fellowmen. It will give them options as to where their talents and skills will truly shine, and where they will also be paid well, added Danny. Catch Ariel Ureta and Winnie Cordero in TodoTodo Walang Preno from Monday to Friday at 3:00 p.m., and Danny Buenafe and Rica Lazo in Good Job every Saturday at 2:00 p.m. on DZMM TeleRadyo and DZMM Radyo Patrol 630, which also won Best AM Radio Station at the recent 2nd Animo Media Choice Awards. Watch online on iWant or listen to audio streaming at dzmm.com. ph. Continued on C3

Paul Klein, frontman of the American indie-pop band Lany. The band staged a three-night concert at the Mall of Asia Arena in support of their sophomore album, 'Malibu Nights.'

YUGEL LOSORATA

For fans and future stars FILIPINOS are good at being fans ... and also at being wannabes making their shot at fame and glory. This weekend’s Viva Con 2019, to be held Aug. 3 and 4 at the World Trade Center in Parañaque City, promises to be a fitting venue for both avid fans of select showbiz personalities and aspiring talents born-ready to audition to hit the big time. The celebrities expected to make appearances and meet fans include stars Sarah Geronimo, Anne Curtis, Alex Gonzaga, Matteo Guidicelli, and a handful of popular musicians all under the care of Viva Group of Companies. Viva Con, a two-day extravaganza from 10 in the morning to 10 in the evening, is billed as a starstudded affair of meet-and-greet opportunities for fans and a big stage for wannabes hoping to be discovered. For a P550 per person admission price, attendees are given privilege to witness activities like live wire shows, celebrity talks, and talent-scouting auditions. Viva executive Jay Montelibano, serving as spokesperson for the occasion, noted, “The Viva Con is a chance for fans of Viva artists to actually interact with their idols up close and personal. In this set-up, people can see more the characters of their beloved larger-than-life idols coming out.” For concert goers eyeing value for money, this event has a considerably big line-up of mainstream singers and groups converging in one place, one weekend. The list includes bands Callalily, The Juans, and This Band, as well as soloists Katrina Velarde, Janine Tenoso, Mark Bautista, and John Roa. Girl groups come aplenty, too, with the enlistment of Viva Hot Babes, Sexbomb NewGen, and the Ppop Girls. Talks by well-known screenwriters and directors, in addition, the media influencers, actors and actresses should make Viva Con sound educational and inspirational with drum rolls. Over 100 booths showcasing products and services related to the theme “Bida Ka Sa Viva” will treat fans in this specially planned weekend they long deserve to experience. The Viva Books booth alone offers book-signing opportunities featuring fan-favorite authors like Bela Padilla (100 Tula Ni Bela), Yassi Pressman (Say Yass to Happiness), Mark Bautista (Beyond the Mark), Julian Trono and Ella Cruz (Jump In) and directors Jason Paul Laxamana (100 Tula Para Kay Stella), Irene Villamor (Sid & Aya), and Sigrid Andrea Bernardo (Kita Kita, Mr. & Mrs. Cruz). Of course, inserted among fans are untapped talents waiting to be seen and become idols themselves. That’s why the open auditions are actually the highlight that may spell unforeseen wonders for this first of probably many Viva Cons to come. Who knows the next Sarah, Anne, and Nadine Lustre will be around ripe for moments to shine? Or some next band sensations are all geared up waiting for the cue to rock the world? One thing’s for sure, countless selfies and video grabs await social media feeds on and after this weekend to remember. (Check out Viva online sites for activity schedule and www.viva.com.ph/vivaauditionsmain for guaranteed audition slots.)

This Band, the group behind 'Kahit Ayaw Mo Na' is one of several currently popular acts to grace the Viva Con this Saturday and Sunday at the World Trade Center.