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SAUDI OIL WELL GOES OFFLINE FOR A MONTH, 3M BPD FOREGONE

VOL. XXXIII • NO. 216 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2019 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

ABOUT three-million barrels per day of Saudi oil will remain offline for a month, about half the production halted by the weekend’s devastating attacks on key crude facilities, S&P Platts said Tuesday. The report came as oil prices dipped slightly following record gains Monday as uncertainty prevailed on global markets over when Saudi Arabia will be able to restore lost production. Strikes on Abqaiq—the world’s largest processing plant—and the Khurais oilfield that the US has blamed on Iran

have knocked out 5.7-million barrels per day, or 6 percent of global production. “At this point, it looks likely that around 3.0-million bpd of Saudi Arabian crude supply will be offline for at least a month,” S&P Global Platts said in a report. Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman was scheduled late Tuesday to hold his first press conference since the attacks, with the expectation that he would give an update on efforts to restore lost production. Turn to A3

Oil surges; more imports eyed Energy chief taps PNOC to bring in buffer supply By Alena Mae S. Flores, Julito G. Rada and Vito Barcelo

IL companies may stagger the expected increase in pump prices, which shot up by more than P2 per liter in the first two trading days this week after drone attacks on two Saudi refineries cut output by the world’s top exporter by half.

RAVINE TRAGEDY. In this photo taken by Michael Acas and downloaded from the Facebook account of Rolly Aquino, rescue workers stand next to a flatbed truck after it fell into a ravine in T’Boli, South Cotabato on Tuesday. Fifteen people, including children, were reported killed. AFP

20 die in T’boli as truck falls into ravine; nine more injured THE death toll in the road accident in T’boli, South Cotabato, has reached 20, the Office of Civil Defense in SOCCSKSARGEN said on Tuesday afternoon. OCD-12 regional director Minda Morante said nine other people were wounded in the accident, and that the victims were immediately brought to Upper Valley Hospital and the South C o t a b a t o Provincial Hospital. Agence FrancePresse earlier said

15 people, including children, were killed Tuesday in T’boli when the flatbed truck they were riding in plummeted into a ravine. The vehicle was bringing about 30 people home from a trip to the beach when the driver lost control in the latest deadly crash on the nation’s dangerous roads. “Based on eyewitness accounts, the truck lost its brakes. We will conduct further investigations on the actual cause,” T’boli town police investigator George Tabayan told AFP. Next page

COURTESY CALL. President

Rodrigo Duterte meets Monday with members of the Communist Party of China headed by Chongqing party chief Chen Min’er at Malacanang’s Music Room. Chen was in Davao City on Saturday and met with Duterte’s daughter Sara, where he signed a ‘letter of intent’ to forge a sister city pact between Chongqing and Davao City. Presidential Photo

‘Killer warden’ takes BuCor helm By MJ Blancaﬂor PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has designated former jail warden Gerald Bantag, who was charged with 10 counts of murder for a 2016 explosion at the Parañaque City Jail, as the new directorgeneral of the Bureau of Corrections. Bantag’s appointment came days after Duterte’s longtime aide Senator Christopher Go said the next BuCor chief should be a “killer.” Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra

Bantag

said, the cases against Bantag are still pending in court. Guevarra told anila Standard that there is no issue in Bantag’s appointment since he has not yet been convicted. Bantag, who serves as regional director of Bureau of Jail Management and Penology MIMAROPA, was designated by the President as the new BuCor directorgeneral based on his professional competence and honesty, Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a statement sent to reporters Tuesday. Next page

692 convicts avoid Pampanga sets ban to stay ASF-free shoot-to-kill order By Rey E. Requejo A TOTAL of 692 prisoners prematurely freed on account of the Good Conduct Time Allowance Law have turned themselves in to the authorities, two days before President Rodrigo Duterte’s shoot-to-kill order takes effect. Justice Uundersecretary Markk Perete said the 692 prisoners are in the custody of the Bureau of Corrections. The surrenders constitute about 36 percent of the total number of 1,914 PDLs who were convicted of heinous crimes but erroneously released by BuCor due to wrongful application of Republic Act 10592 or the expanded GCTA Law. President Duterte ordered their surrender or face warrantless arrest after Sept. 19. The new number of surrenderers came after 80 prisoners turned themselves over to the Philippine National Next page

WEATHER LPA turns into ‘Nimfa’ By Rio N. Araja XMAS COUNTDOWN. SM Supermalls has launched its annual 100 days to Christmas countdown which will feature exclusive holiday activities, promos and surprises from September to December. SM also has kicked off its Christmas Bears of Joy and #DearSMSanta, both centered on the spirit of gift-giving. In photo (from left) are Host Dimples Romana, Jose Mari Chan, Carol Sy, SM Supermalls COO Steven Tan, Grace Magno, and Chito Bauzon—with the Mandaluyong Children’s Choir.

Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, for his part, said he has formed a team to study the possibility of additional importation through the Philippine National Oil Company to ensure the country’s strategic oil reserve. “For the first day alone, it was already P2 for gasoline and P1.50 per liter for diesel,” an industry source said, adding that domestic prices were certain to climb further. “The coordinated strikes disrupted about half of Saudis oil capacity,” said Jesus Suntay, president of the Independent Philippine Petroleum Companies Association. While oil companies would try to cushion the impact by a staggered implementation, oil price increases are inevitable,” he added. The Department of Labor and Employment, meanwhile, said it is prepared to repatriate more than 50,000 Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia should the condition worsen there. Next page

A LOW-PRESSURE area east of Basco, Batanes, has developed into a tropical depression named “Nimfa” on Tuesday afternoon, Next page

GOVERNOR Dennis Pineda on Monday ordered a temporary ban on the entry of pigs into Pampanga from other areas in Luzon to ensure that the province will not be affected by African Swine Fever. Pineda said he issued Executive Order 34 to protect the multi-million hog industry and meat processors from the threat of the ASF and to safeguard public health. Next page

SWINE CHECK. A Manila city health official monitors and tests hogs Tuesday in a backyard piggery in the capital, after hundreds of pigs have mysteriously died in recent weeks before officials declared that the cause of swine deaths had been traced to African swine fever. AFP

Filipino dishes featured in London ANNUAL pop-up restaurant, Conflict Café, is returning to London this weekend—dubbed Peace day, Sept. 21—this time featuring food from the Philippines. Londoners will experience a oneof-a-kind Filipino salu-salo, typically Turn to A3

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PDEA, police feud over recycled drugs By Rio N. Araja and Joel E. Zurbano

HILIPPINE Drug Enforcement Agency director general Aaron Aquino on Tuesday blamed corrupt policemen for the aborted arrest of a Manila-based drug queen on two occasions.

But Metro Manila Police Chief Guillermo Eleazar on Tuesday slammed Aquino’s statement that the recycling of prohibited drugs involving police operatives was still rampant. “There are still reports [of the recycling of illegal drugs]. It’s still rampant, especially among operatives down [the line],” Aquino said during a Senate budget hearing last Monday. But Eleazar contradicted him. “First, we appreciate the support that the PDEA has given us in our joint operations against illegal drugs,” Eleazar said. “However, with all due respect, I cannot agree completely with director Aquino’s statement in the Senate hearing yesterday that the main reason illegal drugs still proliferate is primarily due to the

Drug war ‘docu’ smear campaign By MJ Blancaﬂor MALACAÑANG on Tuesday slammed a documentary film which has been dubbed as the “cinematic investigation” of President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-narcotics crackdown. The documentary film “On The President’s Orders”—produced by award-winning directors James Jones and Olivier Sarbil—is an onthe-ground look at Duterte’s campaign against drug dealers and users, the producers said. “The Palace is vexed by the continuous spread of disinformation against our country’s campaign against illegal drugs and criminality,” Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said. He said the documentary film is an addition to the “unmitigated vilification” of the government’s campaign against illegal drugs. “Foreign audiences have been saturated with false and baseless narratives relative to the Philippine government’s anti-narcotics approach, specifically on the nature and number of deaths arising from police operations against it,” Panelo said. The film will debut at Cinema Village in New York on Oct. 4 and Laemmle Theaters in Los Angeles on Oct. 18. It will also air nationwide in the US on PBS Broadcast in October. A special press preview is set for Sept. 24 in Los Angeles. Jones, a British director and producer, and Sarbil, a French director and cinematographer, have been producing award-winning documentaries focusing on critical social issues all over the world.

recycling of drugs by policemen themselves. Unless they can identify to us these policemen with validated reports, the sweeping statement made by the PDEA director is not necessarily true.” In a dzMM interview, Aquino said the National Bureau of Investigation tapped the Philippine National Police to help in the arrest of the big-time female drug trader in 2018, but the suspect managed to evade arrest. He said the PDEA agents, along with police officers, also failed to arrest the suspect in another operation. “Unfortunately, because of the meddling of ninja cops, the operations of the NBI and ours turned out negative. There really is a snake, and that before we reached the target area, the suspect was no longer there,” Aquino said.

Oil... From A1

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said his department is still assessing the possible implications of the recent attacks on the safety and security of Filipinos working in Saudi Arabia. Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said the attacks and the resulting rise in oil prices would definitely hurt the economy. “There is also the possibility of [a] faster inflation rate in the coming months as well as higher transportation fares [if Saudi production facilities cannot quickly recover],” Pernia said. But Pernia played down the possibility that remittances from Filipinos working abroad, which hit a record $28.9 billion last year, would also suffer. “I don’t think remittances will be impacted… Unless many of the Filipino workers there are employed in the affected facilities,” Pernia said. An oil industry source, however, said there may be no way to mitigate the impact of the Saudi Arabia attacks. The Philippines imports about 12.2 percent of its crude requirements from Saudi Arabia although the bulk of its supply comes from the Middle East countries. “There is actually no way to mitigate this. The entire world is affected. We can only hope that this does not escalate even further to a full-blown war,” the source said.

692... From A1

Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines and BuCor on Monday. On Sept. 4, President Duterte said he is giving the 1,914 prisoners 15 days or until Sept. 19 to surrender. After that, he said, they would be considered fugitives from the law and be hunted down. Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Monday said the government would start making warrantless arrests after Thursday.

The PNP had the names of the scalawag policemen, he said. But he said he was not sure if charges had been filed against those police officers. During last Monday’s Senate budget hearing, Aquino said a drug queen in Manila had been buying seized and recycled illegal drugs from unscrupulous policemen. He disclosed the possible wrongdoing of some PDEA agents who were also keeping seized illegal drugs just within the PDEA premises. Eleazar said when he was the head of the Quezon City Police District, he was already aware of the “disease of recycling especially among Drug Enforcement Units in the entire district.” “As a remedial measure, I relieved all the personnel of the drug enforcement units from the district down to the police stations, and eventually replaced all with new personnel. My belief was that the old personnel in these units were inadvertently contaminated by the malpractices involving illegal drugs―including recycling, hulidaps and kidnapping for ransom by rogue cops,” he said.

Eleazar said his strategy was to make sure that new, fresh and clean police officers would wage an honest battle against illegal drugs. “All told, I gradually relieved close to 500 policemen from our ranks. Some were reassigned to other regions, while others were charged with administrative and criminal complaints for possible dismissal from the ranks,” he said. Eleazar said when he started as director of the National Capital Region Police Office in June 1, 2018, he confronted and relieved a number of policemen involved in drug-related cases and charged them with administrative and criminal complaints with the ultimate intent of having them dismissed from the service. “In most of these cases, I ordered the wholesale relief of all members of the entire unit and or all the personnel of the police station where the scalawags belonged, because I maintain that where there is a police scalawag, others around him may be contaminated. Also, by virtue of command responsibility, I have relieved police station commanders, chiefs of police, and one district director,” he said.

He also said proposals to suspend the implementation of the excise tax on oil can only be done legally if Dubai crude prices reach $80 per barrel. The consumer group Laban Konsyumer Inc. said the government should see to it that the oil companies comply with the minimum inventory requirement of 30 days for crude oil and 15 days for finished products and seven days for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). “These inventory [levels] should cushion the country against supply distortion that may impact on the ability of the country to replenish import volume,” LKI president Victorio Dimagiba said. The Energy department is set to meet with oil industry officials this week to look into the sufficiency of inventory levels in the aftermath of the drone attacks against Saudi Arabia. Pernia said one of the most pressing issues surrounding the attack on Saudi Aramco facilities is how quickly the refineries can resume production. His remarks echoed an ING Bank report Tuesday that said unless Saudi production was quickly restored, the disruption “looks set to add to recessionary fears.” ING said Saudi oil inventories are probably less than 26 days’ worth of Saudi oil exports and extra supply from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries—perhaps 800,000 to 900,000 barrels—on’t be anywhere near sufficient to compensate for the over 5 million barrels per day lost. “A prolonged outage would therefore

likely see Brent crude trading well over $70 and perhaps closer to $80 if the outage extended over three to four weeks,” ING said. ING further said that countries like Japan, Korea and India—big buyers of Saudi oil—are likely to be most affected and they have high energy dependency ratios. “Again it would seem that Asia is most affected by this supply disruption, effectively compounding the challenges posed by the US-China trade war and the semiconductor cycle,” ING said. Last week, before the attacks, the central bank said the inflation rate was expected to continue its downward trajectory in the months ahead and settle well within the target range of 2 to 4 percent until 2021. The attacks on the Saudi refineries and the resulting supply tightness are likely to change those projections. Bello reported that no Filipinos were hurt in the weekend drone attacks on the Saudi refineries. The labor chief also said DOLE is in close coordination with the Department of Foreign Affairs on the possible repatriation in case the situation worsen and pose a danger to 50,000 Filipinos working in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, is among the top destination countries for Filipinos working overseas, composing 24.3 percent of the total 2.3 million worldwide, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported in 2018.

“You have not completed your sentence so there is reason, legal basis to have you arrested because that is a continuing offense. Each minute, each hour, each day that you refuse to turn yourself in is a continuing commission of an offense and for that reason law enforcement agencies may arrest you even without a warrant,” Guevarra said. Guevarra also said his department would not engage in “unproductive blame” over the wrong application of the GCTA Law. “We at the DOJ won’t dwell on things that had come to pass, much less waste our time

on an unproductive blame game.” Guevarra said in a text message to reporters. “The revised IRR (implementing rules and regulations) reflects our best interpretation of Republic Act 10592 as it was actually crafted, finalized, and signed,” he added. Guevarra made the statement after detained opposition Senator Leila de Lima asked the Office of the Ombudsman to ask the DOJ to explain the circumstances surrounding the adoption of controversial IRR of 10592. She and then Interior secretary Manuel Roxas II had drafted the IRR for the law.

Pampanga...

‘Killer...

20 die...

From A1

“We want to ensure that no ASF will enter our province that could affect the livelihood and health of the Kapampangans,” Pineda said. Senator Nancy Binay on Tuesday called on the government to help the backyard hog raisers and barangay workers to help contain the outbreak of African swine fever in the country. “Barangay officials can help contain the ASF by encouraging them to adapt bio-security practices in every stage of swine raising,” Binay said. The EcoWaste Coalition appealed to backyard hog raisers not to dispose of dead pigs in creeks and rivers to prevent the contamination of water. “We appeal to affected hog raisers to ensure the safe disposal of carcasses to prevent polluting the environment, especially our water resources,” said Jovito Benosa, Zero Waste Campaigner of the EcoWaste Coalition. Pineda imposed his order although there had been no ASF outbreak in Pampanga. “The checkpoints will remain in the boundaries of the province that were put up by our police to prevent the entry of pigs especially from areas with confirmed ASF cases,” he said. The order says only pork and pork products with the National Meat Inspection Service seal or with appropriate certificates will be allowed in the province. Through EO 34, Pineda also created the Pampanga ASF Task Force, which he tasked to make a contingency plan. The task force is led by Augusto Baluyut, the provincial veterinarian, and Board Member Jun Canlas, head of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan on Agriculture Committee. Two weeks ago, the governor issued a memorandum to mayors to take preventive actions against the ASF as advised by the Department of Agriculture through Administrator Order 04-2019 on food safety measures and veterinary quarantine. Macon RamosAraneta with PNA

He was also a former warden of Manila and Parañaque City Jail. In 2017, Parañaque City Regional Trial Court Branch 274 issued a warrant of arrest against Bantag, who was then a warden at Parañaque City Jail, over a bomb explosion at the city jail in 2016 where 10 inmates were killed, including two Chinese nationals who faced drug charges. Also in 2016, Manila City Jail inmates held a noise barrage to dramatize their call to oust him as jail warden. The inmates have opposed the segregation or reclassification of drug offenders in the jail, a measure Bantag implemented. In 2007, he was charged with attempted murder for allegedly trying to kill a teenager in Caloocan City. Panelo said the Palace welcomes Bantag’s appointment as BuCor director-general as the bureau faces allegations of corrupt practices. “The Palace is behind the President’s decision and is confident that DG Bantag will continue the administration’s campaign against corruption as he spearheads reform initiatives in the Bureau,” Panelo said. His designation came a week after the President fired former BuCor chief Nicanor Faeldon over the questionable implementation of the Good Conduct Time Allowance Law. Asked to react to Bantag’s appointment, Guevarra said: “The President is not required to consult me before making this appointment. I’m sure the President has good reasons for appointing Gerald Bantag as the new Bucor chief.” With Rey E. Requejo

The dead included children aged between one to six years old, with at least 11 other people rushed to hospital due to their injuries. The group had come from a swimming party at a beach in a neighboring town and were on their way home when the accident occurred. Deadly road accidents are common in the Philippines, where inadequately maintained buses and poorly trained drivers form the backbone of land transport options. In June, 13 people including a brideto-be were killed when the truck they were riding on after attending a traditional pre-wedding ceremony rolled over on a mountain road.

LPA... From A1

according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration. “Nimfa” was one of two LPAs spotted by PAGASA, and as of 3 p.m. on Tuesday its center was 640 kilometers east of Basco with maximum sustained winds of 55 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 70 kph. It was almost stationary. The other LPA was spotted 95 km west of Iba, Zambales.

Facebook page targets OFWs in distress By Maricel V. Cruz THE Department of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday launched the official “OFW Help” page on Facebook to provide distressed overseas Filipino workers a new system to reach the government and request for emergency assistance. The “OFW Help” Facebook page, managed by the DFA-Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs, seeks to assist undocumented or irregular workers who are not members of Overseas Workers Welfare Administration and who are in need of emergency response. “It aims to provide a more preferable system in receiving request for assistance from the next-of-kin of OFWs and OUMWA case officers. Especially if the client is unable to contact the OUMWA hotline or travel to the nearest Post,” its profile reads. OUMWA is the primary office tasked to handle requests for assistance from the next-of-kin of OFWs in distress or the OFWs themselves. The said request is then referred to the concerned Foreign Service Post, either a Philippine Embassy or consulate, which will conduct the groundwork in making representations with the employer and concerned authorities of the host government to assist the said OFW in distress. Meanwhile, two leaders of the House of Representatives backed the proposed creation of the Department of Overseas Filipino Workers. This, as the joint House Committees of government reorganization and overseas workers affairs, opened its discussion on the proposed measure, a priority agenda of the Duterte administration. House Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez and Tingog Party-list Rep. Yedda Marie Kittilstvedt Romualdez, principal authors of House Bill 3274, said the Enactment of the measure would address the growing needs and challenges faced by the overseas Filipinos. “We support the immediate passage of the proposed department of OFWs,” the Romualdez couple said in statement. “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 foreign Filipino employment, in general, and of OFWs, in particular,” they said. President Rodrigo Duterte reiterated his call for Congress to pass a law creating a Department of Overseas Filipinos in his last State of the Nation Address. The Romualdez couple said the lack of coordination among these agencies and redundancy of work lead to confusion among our OFWs and compromises the services to be rendered to our modern-day heroes. “Despite the existence of agencies to protect Filipinos abroad, numerous problems and challenges confront OFWs and their families: illegal recruitment, employer abuse, sexual abuse, inadequate benefits, inefficient and ineffective delivery of services to OFWs, lack of representation of the OFW interests in the agencies that are supposed to protect and promote their rights, among others,” they added. The Romualdezes said there are different agencies that have mandates relative to overseas employment. “Hence, there is a pressing need to establish an agency that would manage, harmonize, and strengthen existing policies and programs to address the needs of foreign Filipino employment,” they said. The President’s son, Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte, Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano of Taguig-Pateros and his wife, Rep. Laarni Cayetano, who represents the other district of Taguig-Pateros, also filed their respective versions of the bill. 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,” the bill’s author said. 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. With PNA

News Recto blasts installation of towers inside camps

PEACE, PROSPERITY. The

World Philosophical Forum, aimed at promoting peace and unity in diversity worldwide, was held for the first time in the Philippines on Sunday at the Century Park Hotel in Malate, Manila. The general goal of the WPF activity was to establish and multiply the new identity of human beings based on wisdom, reason and morality. Founded by Igor Kondrashin, the WPF officials and members discussed and addressed the challenges and issues the Philippines was facing, which include poverty, hunger, education, and insurgency, as well as, issues with politics.

By Macon Ramos-Araneta and MJ Blancaflor IF THE Defense Secretary was left clueless about the China TelecomAFP deal in his own backyard, Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said it would be likely a radar system be installed in his ofﬁce. “If this deal can ﬂy stealthily under the nose of the man responsible for our nation’s defense, then it raises anew the vulnerability of our borders from intruders,” he said. He said the project to allow a Chinese telco to install towers inside our military camps should have been cleared at the highest level due to its security implications. “The concern that these could morph into embedded listening devices, and that the project is like letting an electronic Trojan horse into our camps, should have been subjected to third party expert study,” also said Recto. Meanwhile, the Department of Information and Communications Technology assured the public the country was secure from electronic threats and espionage amid opposition against the deal allowing a Chinese company to set up facilities inside military camps. DICT Undersecretary Eliseo Rio Jr. said Tuesday the National Telecommunications Commission and the department’s Cybersecurity Bureau could monitor cyberspace threats if there would be. “We expect stringent physical and cybersecurity measures, including strict background checks of personnel and thorough inspection of equipment, never allowing foreigners to enter any communication facilities, would be put in place by agencies of the government knowledgeable in telecommunications operations,” Rio said in a statement. Some senators have expressed worries over a memorandum signed last week by Dito Telecommunity, formerly Mislatel, and the AFP to build telco facilities in military camps to give it a fair chance to compete with networks Smart and Globe. While stressing that it is not a cause for concern, the DND on Tuesday said it would still go over the memorandum of agreement the Armed Forces of the Philippines signed with Dito Telecommunity (formerly Mindanao Islamic Telephone Company or Mislatel). DND spokesperson Arsenio Andolong, in an interview with reporters, said the military had yet to transmit the MOA to the DND. With PNA

American pedophile suspect held By Vito Barcelo IMMIGRATION operatives arrested a suspected American pedophile in Pampanga, a convicted sex offender and wanted by federal authorities in Florida, USA for engaging in child pornography and illegal gun possession. Samuel Arthur Thompson was arrested at his residence in Copenhagen Street, Don Bonifacio Subdivision, Angeles City, at the request of the US Embassy in Manila. BI Intelligence Officer and FSU Chief Bobby Raquepo said, Thompson was now detained at the BI jail in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City, would be deported for being an undesirable and undocumented alien as his passport was already revoked by the State Department. According to the US Embassy, Thompson was subject of an outstanding arrest warrant issued last month by the US District Court in the Middle District of Florida on charges of unauthorized cyber access and intrusion as well as possession of child pornography and firearm. In 1998, a court in Alabama convicted and sentenced Thompson to one-year imprisonment for sexually abusing and sodomizing a 15-year-old boy. A check of the BI’s travel database showed that Thompson fled to Manila last July 29 after learning that the Florida court had ordered his arrest. The American will be deported as soon as the BI Board of Commissioners issues the order for his summary deportation.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2019 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Cops seize 30 kilos of shabu worth P204m in warehouse

Duque: No expired medicines in warehouse By Macon Ramos-Araneta HEALTH Secretary Francisco Duque III Tuesday denied reports there were expired medicines in the department’s central warehouse, but admitted it was likely that could be found in their regional warehouses. Until June 30, Duque said about P3.3 billion worth of medicines, ready for distribution, were being kept in the Central warehouse. He said these medicines will expire Dec. 31. Before senators inquired into the proposed P160.15-billion budget of the DOH for 2020, Senator Christopher Go, who presided over the hearing, questioned Duque about reports of expired medicines stocked in the health department’s warehouses. Go also quizzed Duque on the DOH’s reported failure to distribute the medicines. During a visit at the New Bilibid Prison, Go found out that many inmates needed medicines, and yet, they just got expired at the DOH. Go suggested the DOH create a better mechanism for the immediate distribution of medicines to avoid getting expired. On the other hand, Senator Cynthia Villar questioned the delay in the opening of the Las Piñas Drug Rehabilitation Center. Villar said it was President Rodrigo Duterte who asked her to build the drug facility which had remained non-operational for the past nine months. However, the DOH promised to open it Oct. 7. The DOH was also questioned on the 10-year toilet project to give toilet facilities to the 3.5-million households especially in Metro Manila. The project is in line with the Manila Bay cleanup activity. Villar warned that if the DOH would not act swiftly, she would recommend that the funding for the toilet project be moved to the DPWH. Go suspended the hearing which will be continued today.

The police operation also resulted in the arrest of Manolito Lugo Carlos, alias “Lito” and “Tonge”, allegedly a drug trafﬁcker connected to big-time drug dealers now serving jail terms at the New Bilibid Prison. The NCRPO Drug Enforcement Unit, in coordination with the Eastern Police District and Pasig City Police Station, swooped down Unit 416 of Building M2 of Sorrento Oasis Residences along Raymundo Avenue in Barangay Rosario around 7:40 p.m. and found 30 sealed Chinese Tea packs containing shabu. The authorities came up with the anti-drug operation based on a search warrant issued by Pasig City Regional Trial Court Branch 152 Executive Judge Danilo Cruz.

Metro Manila police director Maj. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said the police operation stemmed from the result of casing and surveillance conducted by his men against the suspect who rented and used the place as the warehouse of illegal drugs. “Our operatives found 30 big plastic packs of Chinese Tea. However, upon opening a few bags, they discovered that the packs contained white crystalline substance, which was later admitted by the suspect to be the illegal substance, shabu,” said Eleazar, adding that each plastic pack contained a kilo of shabu. The authorities also conﬁscated drug paraphernalia and different bank deposit slips from the condominium unit. Eleazar said the suspect was a “High-

Value Target” and a member of an organized gang engaged in the illegal drug trade operating in Metro Manila, and Central Luzon and Southern Tagalog regions. “In 2000, Carlos was previously arrested and charged before the Court of Mandaluyong City for illegal drug case. However, he was acquitted but opted to involve himself again in the distribution and sale of shabu,” he said. Eleazar also revealed that Carlos was also connected to the neutralized suspect during the buy-bust operation in Quezon City last Sunday. “They are a couple of contacts or distributors of illegal drugs being utilized by drug lords who are convicted in the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City. This is proof that although the drug lords are already detained, they are able to operate and push transactions by giving instructions to their henchmen outside the jail,” the NCRPO chief said. Carlos is now detained at the NCRPO-DEU ofﬁce in Taguig City while the seized drugs were turned over and subjected for technical examination before the PNP Crime Laboratory Ofﬁce.

Saudi oil...

Brent was trading above $68 per barrel on Tuesday, easing slightly after surging by 20 percent at its peak on Monday—the biggest gain since the 1991 Gulf War. Yemen’s Iran-aligned Huthi rebels claimed responsibility for the weekend attacks but the United States put the blame on Tehran. Iran’s supreme leader on Tuesday ruled out negotiations with the US “at any level,” as tensions mounted between the arch-foes after Washington blamed Tehran for attacks on Saudi oil installations. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the US adopted a policy of “maximum pressure” on Iran because it believes it cannot bring the Islamic republic to its knees through other means. “The policy of ‘maximum pressure’ against the Iranian nation is worthless and all Islamic Republic of Iran ofﬁcials unanimously believe there will be no negotiations with the US at any level,” he said in a televised address. Tensions between Iran and the US and its allies have threatened to boil over since May last year when President Donald Trump abandoned a 2015 nuclear deal and began reimposing sanctions in its campaign of “maximum pressure.” Iran responded by scaling back its commitments under the landmark accord, which gave it the promise of sanctions relief in return for limiting the scope of its nuclear program. Trump said the US was ready to help Saudi Arabia after the attacks that halted about 6 percent of the world’s oil supply and triggered a record leap in crude prices. “I’m not looking to get into new conﬂict, but sometimes you have to,” he said. “That was a very large attack, and

it could be met by an attack many, many times larger. “Certainly, it would look to most like it was Iran,” Trump added. US Secretary of Defence Mark Esper also singled out Iran as a regional destabilizing force, while stopping short of directly accusing Tehran over the strikes. The US military, he said, was working with its partners to “address this unprecedented attack and defend the international rules-basedorder that is being undermined by Iran.” A day after the attacks, the White House had said Trump could meet his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York next week. Rouhani has already rejected the possibility of direct negotiations with the US unless it lifts all sanctions. The Iranian president has said even if the sanctions are lifted, any talks must be held in the framework of the nuclear accord. Khamenei reiterated this on Tuesday, saying that if the US “repents” and returns to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, then it can talk with Iran along with other parties to the deal. “Without this, no negotiations will happen at any level between the Islamic Republic of Iran’s officials and the Americans, not during the visit to New York or any other visit,” he said. Yemen’s Iran-aligned Huthi rebels claimed responsibility for Saturday’s attacks on Abqaiq—the world’s largest oil processing facility -- and the Khurais oil field in eastern Saudi Arabia. The Huthis said 10 drones struck the sites, but Saudi Arabia pointed the finger

of blame at Iran. “All indications are that weapons used in both attacks came from Iran” rather than Yemen, said Turki al-Maliki, spokesman for a Saudi-led military coalition. Rouhani said the attacks were an act of self-defense by the Huthis against the coalition that has been bombing them since 2015 in support of Yemen’s internationally recognized government. In Riyadh, officials said the attack involved “Iranian weapons,” but fell short of directly accusing their regional archrival. “The Kingdom condemns this egregious crime, which threatens international peace and security, and affirms that the primary target of this attack are global energy supplies, as this attack is in line with the previous attacks against Saudi Aramco pumping stations using Iranian weapons,” the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement. Russia and China both called Monday for restraint, amid worries the situation could escalate and put a large portion of the world’s energy supplies at risk. “We oppose all actions that enlarge or intensify conflict,” China’s foreign ministry said, while the Kremlin urged “all countries to avoid hasty steps or conclusions that could exacerbate the situation.” Speaking in Baghdad, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said he was “extremely concerned about a risk of escalation” and called on “all parties to prevent any such attacks occurring again.” But he also condemned Iran for stoking violence across the Mideast. “Iran is supporting different terrorist groups and being responsible for destabilizing the whole region,” he said. AFP

to be destabilized by ethnic, political, and economic violence from decades of conflict with Muslim and communist rebellions, and more recently, violent extremism, as demonstrated by the 2017 war in Marawi City. One glimmer of hope, according to some observers, is the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law, which grants wider autonomy and self-rule to Muslim-inhabited Mindanao in the South and is crucial in ending the conflict in the region. The Muslims belong to a minority in predominantly Christian Philippines. Filipinos continue to find something to celebrate and remain hopeful for despite the struggles, according to a statement from the NGO International Alert.

They do this best through sharing a meal with each other. Eating together is also central to the warm-hearted hospitality that Filipinos are globally known for. “For Filipinos, food has always been a way of bringing people together to share stories, talk about any topic—even the most difﬁcult ones, and creatively explore ways to navigate issues,” said Nikki de la Rosa, International Alert Philippines’s Country Manager, “By eating together at Conﬂict Café, diners not only experience the rich culture and cuisine of the Philippines, but also hear stories of people who are leading change in their communities.” In the Philippines, International Alert works directly with people affected by

conflict to examine its root causes and brings people from across the divides in dialogue to look for solutions. It developed a conflict monitoring system that helps government, business, and civil society to plan and implement programs that do not result in more conflict. It also mitigates clan feuds over access to natural resources, and political contests, among other issues, and harnesses women’s and young people’s energies and dynamism to participate in community projects, businesses, and local governance, especially those who are most vulnerable to the influence of threat groups. Conflict Café is run in partnership with Eatwith.

By Joel E. Zurbano

COMPOSITE team led by the National Capital Region Police Ofﬁce seized 30 kilos of shabu worth P204 million at a suspected drug warehouse in Pasig City Monday night.

From A1

Riyadh pumps some 9.9-million bpd of which around 7.0-million bpd are exported, mostly to Asian markets. “Saudi Arabia will likely say that they can fully supply their customers, although as time goes on this may be challenging. Any indication of delays or supply tightness will lead to further price increases in the weeks or months ahead,” S&P said. The threat of a prolonged supply outage from Saudi Arabia highlights the lack of spare production capacity in the market, estimated at 2.3-million bpd, most of it held by Riyadh, the energy news provider said. Reports said Monday the kingdom was likely to restore up to 40 percent of the lost production immediately, but experts had conflicting views on how long it will take to bring production back to pre-strike levels. The crisis revived fears of a conflict in the tinderbox Gulf region and raised questions about the security of crude fields in the world’s top exporter as well as for other producers. London-based Capital Economics said global crude stocks, estimated at around 6.1-billion barrels, should be able to compensate for the lost output. It said that if Saudi Arabia manages to restore full production by next week, oil prices would quickly come down to around $60 a barrel. But if it takes months and tensions persist, Brent crude prices could hit $85 a barrel, it said.

Filipino dishes...

From A1

a gathering of friends and family for a feast, with a three-course sharing meal created by Anglo-Filipino chef Mark Corbyn of London supperclub, The Adobros. The Conﬂict Cafe communal dining concept, created by peacebuilding NGO International Alert, is an interactive experience of peacebuilding through food. The Philippines, a Southeast Asian archipelago of 106-million people, has made international headlines for its current administration’s brutal war on drugs. Peace and prosperity also continue

Opinion

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2019

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Review the prisons system WE SHOULD all look at the multifold scandals at the Bureau of Corrections from the proper perspective. We should not allow ourselves to get distracted by collateral issues. First, let’s remember what brought out all these rackets at the BuCor. It was the news item that said some 2,000 convicts were ready to be released due to the Good Conduct Time Allowance Law. This law was enacted in 2013 and implemented the following year.

We must focus on the bigger issues. When the name of former Calauan, Laguna Mayor Antonio Sanchez surfaced as one of the potential beneficiaries of the law, hell broke loose. People were outraged because we remembered that case of the rape of UP Los Baños student Eileen Sarmenta. She was killed, as was her friend, Allan Gomez. Even President Duterte was outraged. He told BuCor chief Nicanor Faeldon not to go ahead with the release. Faeldon was soon sacked, but the matter became confusing because the President continued to say Faeldon was honest and upright. The Senate Blue Ribbon committee started investigating the BuCor to determine responsibility and accountability in aid of legislation. The senators later on uncovered

yet more rackets happening under the nose of Faeldon. In fact, these dated back to the time of another former BuCor head, now Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa. This made the President order the recall of the 1,914 convicts guilty of heinous crimes. To date, just over 600 have surrendered. In the meantime, another scandal was exposed: Hospital rest for sale. All these scandals bring us back to the bigger issue: Who really is responsible and accountable? Who made it possible that even those found guilty of heinous crimes can benefit from the GCTA Law? Since the bureau is directly under the Department of Justice, what should Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra do? First of all, Faeldon and all other officials who had anything to do with the release of the 1,914 convicts should be charged and made to answer. Prison doctors who sell hospitalrest passes to rich convicts should also be charged. The same with the so-called Drug Queen at the Correctional Institute for Women, responsible for the proliferation of illegal drugs at the women’s facility. There should be a thorough review of the prison system. With the current system, corruption is inevitable. *** I also believe the relocation of the national penitentiary in Muntinlupa is long overdue. Former Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre aborted this plan for reasons known only to him. The National Bilibid Prison has become heavily congested and has become a breeding ground for all sorts of illegal activities.

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

Ban dumb ideas during rush hour

HE proposal to ban private vehicles from EDSA during rush hours has one thing going for it—it will surely work. No doubt, such a ban would clear Metro Manila’s main circumferential road of the daily traffic snarls that have become its signature feature. But then, so would banning the sale of new vehicles, limiting car ownership to one vehicle per family, quadrupling the price of gasoline, requiring companies to enforce telecommuting five days a week, or declaring that only pink cars will be allowed on the road. In short, the proposal put forward by Caloocan City Rep. Edgar Erice makes as much sense as barring people from going to the mall to ensure a smooth shopping experience. Under Erice’s proposal, private vehicles will be banned from EDSA from 6:00 to 9:00 a.m. and from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. to decongest Metro Manila’s busiest thoroughfare. During those hours, Erice said, EDSA will be a “mass transport highway” and only public utility vehicles will be allowed. He said this will help decongest EDSA, especially that the volume of private vehicles that ply along the major road reaches up to 300,000 while the buses number only about 8,000. The 300,000 private car owners could either leave their houses before 6 a.m. or after 9 a.m., use routes

or streets outside EDSA or use public transport, Erice said. In justifying his proposal, Erice said traffic managers should give priority to the commuting public instead of private motorists. “We should prioritize the welfare of ordinary workers, the poor, those in the lower middle class who don’t have cars,” he said. What the congressman fails to mention is that most of the private motorists he wants to penalize in the name of the poor are not all that wealthy—and are already subsidizing the poor by way of their taxes, which go into “pro-poor” programs such as the government dole called the 4Ps. He also fails to mention that these private motorists and their passengers add value to the economy by going to work and being productive, despite the

horrendous traffic snarls they must endure—just like the people on the bus. The congressman also neglects to mention that it was his colleagues from the Liberal Party, when they were still in power, that allowed public transport systems such as the MRT to deteriorate to a point that they became untenable and unsafe. He says nothing of the inequity of having 300,000 car owners pay a road tax every year—then be told they may not use the road, after all We wonder, too, if the good congressman would be covered by the ban on private vehicles, or would he now be able to breeze through EDSA in his government-owned car, accompanied perhaps by a small police escort to steer the buses away. Metro Manila Development Authority chairman Danilo Lim said the agency will “seriously consider” the proposal and will bring it up with the 17 Metro Manila mayors during their coming Metro Manila Council meeting in October. It is the members of the council, not the MMDA, that will decide whether they will approve the proposals to solve the worsening traffic situation. When the time comes, we trust there will be enough right-thinking mayors who will rush to put the Erice proposal where it belongs—in the trash bin of dumb, discarded ideas.

The NBP was built only for

Turn to A5

ASG, ASF THE government seems to have stemmed the criminal activities of the kidnap-for-ransom gang Abu Sayyaf. But now it is dealing with a more dangerous outbreak of the African Swine Fever. Why is the ASF more dangerous? It is an unseen enemy. It is widespread because of the swine-raising industry’s insensitivity to the perils of the pork meat infection, and the disease’s spread is getting out of hand. The most affected areas are in Bulacan and Rizal. Several dead pigs infected with ASF were thrown in the Marikina River; these recovered pigs were found positive for ASF, prompting the local government to warn against eating fish from the Marikina River. Bureau of Animal Industry officials and Agriculture Secretary William Dar said that the swine fever outbreak has not reached epidemic proportions yet because the DA and the BAI are culling pigs including those not sick but in close contact with the stricken ones. These infected pigs are killed, burned and buried to prevent the spread of the disease. Some pig raisers are trying to cut their losses by shipping their pigs in trucks with some of infected and bringing them directly to the market. Fortunately, alert police authorities were able to stop this. Some say “if you like sausages, don’t ask how they are made.” Because I like sausages, I have been staying away from them for now. The World Health Organization has only identified Bulacan and Rizal as areas of concern. The ASF contamination nonetheless has depressed the prices of pork, and con-

sequently raised the prices of chicken and fish in the local market. Dar has appealed to the media not to amplify the fear of eating pork as it would create irreversible damage to the pork industry. But the public cannot really be blamed they now are averse to eating pork meat. Even before ASF, there were reports of “botcha”—pork meat from dead pigs—being sold at the local market. This fear can swell the number of vegetarians and fish eaters. This is actually good for one’s health. As a diabetic, I have been eating more fish and veggies these days.

Saudi oil facilities attacked Sure to send the prices of petroleum and other oil products soaring is the recent drone missile attack on Saudi oil facilities. Affected were

‘If you like sausages, don’t ask how they are made.’ half of Saudi oil production but only 5 percent of global consumption. The United States blamed Iran for the attack; Iran has denied this. The US thinks the rebels in Yemen, with whom Saudi Arabia is presently at war, does not have the technical capacity to launch such attacks from either Iran or rebel-controlled parts of Iraq. President Donald Trump has come out with an ominous “we are locked and loaded” statement, depending on the verification of where the attack was hatched and launched. A war in the Middle East could erupt ahead of the territorial dispute in the South China Sea. The US has enough oil reserves it labels

Turn to A5

Study says poor nations need to raise carbon footprint to solve hunger ACHIEVING a nutritious diet with adequate calories in developing countries will require a substantial increase in greenhouse gas emissions and water use, scientists reported Monday, calling on high-income countries to accelerate the adoption of plant-heavy diets. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University developed a model looking at how changes to dietary patterns across 140 countries would impact greenhouse gas emissions and freshwater use at the individual and country level, publishing their work in the journal Global Environmental Change. They used the model to determine the per capita and countrywide cli-

mate and water footprints of nine "plant-forward" diets, which included no red meat, pescatarian, vegetarian without eliminating eggs and dairy, vegan, and others. Keeve Nachman, the study's senior author, told AFP that much of the conversation about mitigating the effects of climate change "fails to recognize that many parts of the world are dealing with undernutrition." "In order to get them to a place where they are not experiencing chronic undernutrition, they'll need to eat more, and accordingly, they'll need to increase their carbon footprint," he said. "What that says to us is that in

many high-income countries around the world, where we're consuming far more animal products than the global average, there's an increased urgency to start transitioning sooner rather than later towards some of these more plant-forward diets." One encouraging finding, said the scientists, was that this goal does not necessarily require individuals to give up certain foods entirely. Their modeling showed for example that a diet in which animal protein came mainly from low food chain animals, such as small fish and mollusks, had nearly as low of an environmental impact as a vegan diet. Turn to A5

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Opinion

ASG,... From A4

as strategic reserves in the event of disruption of supplies from the Middle East. This is oil from Alaska and other states like like Oklahoma, Texas and New Orleans off the Gulf of Mexico. But the US is a strong ally of Saudi Arabia, not only because of its Aramco operations in the Middle Eastern country but also

Study... From A4

Two-thirds vegan They also found that reducing animal food consumption by twothirds, termed going "two-thirds vegan," generally had a lower climate and water footprint than a traditional vegetarian diet which includes dairy and egg consumption. Two-third vegan assumes a vegan diet for two out of three meals per day, with each meal providing equal caloric content. "Some of the biggest barriers, speaking more as a person and less as a scientist, I think it can be difficult to grapple with the notion that I'm going to have to give up a single

The average ASEAN unemployment is 4.1 percent (2017). Philippine unemployment is 5.7 perwcent, the highest in ASEAN. The incentives went only to a very few companies—3,150. Contrast that with one million small enterprises who receive no incentives, whatsoever, and are in fact, subjected to all kinds of red tape and corruption.

Some companies are like a baby who has never grown up and is being continually fed with incentives.

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Fragile

Taxes OF ALL Philippine presidents, Rodrigo Duterte is the most taxreform oriented. That’s good. Why? It’s because tax avoidance (which is legal but is subject to so much graft) and tax evasion (which is illegal and is subject to even more graft) are among the biggest of Philippine industries. In a country where the labor force numbers 43 million, only two-million individuals pay some kind of income tax and it is mostly a token amount. The leakage is so huge that President Duterte is now thinking of gross income taxation, like what they do in Hong Kong. If your gross income is say P100, pay only P15 of that. No more cumbersome tax deductions and tedious paperwork. And no more side income to BIR personnel. The Philippine GDP (value of goods and services produced in a given year) is P17.422 trillion. That’s value added and should be taxed at least 12 percent. Only P1.96 trillion was the tax collected, or 11.25 percent. Corporations are supposed to pay 30 percent tax on their income. That is the highest in ASEAN. But in practice, corporations pay only an average of 1.8 percent on their income. Why? First, graft. Second, the government is much too liberal with incentives, especially to big businesses. In the past three years, the state gave away P1 trillion to private business for all kinds of tax incentives and perks. At P3 million to create one job, P1 trillion could have created 333,333 jobs and contributed to more social stability and income equality, and of course, Duterte’s popularity rating rising above 100 percent. Put another way, the P1 trillion could have financed two subway systems for Metro Manila by today. In 2017 alone, the Department of Finance estimates P441 billion in foregone tax revenues—money that could have built, per DOF, 33,000 public markets, or 46,000 kilometers of roads, or 130,000 day care centers, or 450,000 classrooms. In other words, the money could have improved the quality of the Filipino—our human capital, which is our most important resource. The generous tax incentives did not make the Philippines an export powerhouse. Nor did it lower Philippine unemployment.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2019

sent, to just 20 percent over a 10 year period. The rich will pay less on their wealth and landholdings if they list their companies in the stock exchange. The stock transfer tax will be reduced to just 0.1 percent, from 0.60 percent at present. In the old days, the rich people would have paid as much as 60 percent on inheritance transferred to the next generation. The government will reduce tax on so-called passive income, which is income you earn while sitting on your a*s. Like capital gain or the appreciation in the value of your property. It is already 15 percent but DOF still thinks that’s high because the ASEAN average is supposedly 14.3 percent and that’s because Singapore and Malaysia have zero tax on capital gains. The poor currently pay 20-percent tax on interest income earned on their local bank deposits. The rich deposit their money abroad where the tax is zero to 15 percent. So the plan, to make the poor happy, is to reduce the tax to 15 percent. Big deal. The Duterte administration’s previous attempts at tax reform had serious consequences. The tax on diesel was raised from zero per liter to P4.50 and it triggered an 11-year high inflation. Rice importation and rice regulation were removed from the graft-ridden and incompetent state-owned National Food Authority. Private companies were allowed to import rice, without limits. So they imported 2.2 million tons in six months. This depressed the price of palay at the farm, to as low as P7 per kilo. The floor should have been P12 per kilo for the farmers to make money. Despite the drastic drop in palay prices, the price of rice in Manila markets went down only slightly, by P2 per kilo. Both the rice farmer and the rice consumer were hurt. Only the rice traders made money. To fight the greedy rice traders, Duterte is ordering town and city mayors and provincial governors to go on a rice buying spree, with loans coming from LandBank. The rice will be sold to their constituents at cheap prices. The loan will be repaid from the internal revenue allotment of the LGUs, which IRA amounts to P800 billion a year.

Who are the 3,150 companies? Name any big Philippine corporation or a marquee multinational. Chances are they are being fed tax breaks by the Philippine government. Of those 3,150, 1,169 have been receiving tax incentives for the last ten years. They are like a baby who has never grown up and is being continually fed with tax incentives and instead of being allowed to wither away like everybody else. So Duterte is mad. Finance Secretary Sonny Dominguez and his undersecretary, Karl Kendrick Chua are mad. Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, is mad. They all want tax money, your money, our money, put to good use. The plan is to give companies inside the more than 500 export processing zones and receiving tax incentives for the last ten years, to enjoy only two more years of tax incentives. After that, they will be treated like ordinary corporations not given special incentives. Tax incentives will now have an expiry rate—seven years at the most. After a review by a body called FIRB (Fiscal Incentives Review Board), the incentives could be renewed but that will be like passing through the eye of the needle. Companies should not worry, however. The government will still be liberal with tax money. Corporations will pay less income tax, from 30 percent at pre- biznewsasia@gmail.com

because as a military ally where it sells a lot of its modern armaments like fighter jets and missiles, it is expected to fight alongside the Saudis against any enemy. Will China come to the Saudi side since it buys most of its oil supplies from Saudi Arabia? Perhaps not, because China is now facing seaveral challenges in the South China Sea and the widespread protests of two-million Hong Kong people opposed to the extradition of criminal suspects

for trial in mainland China. Then, there is the possible British intercession if the Chinese violently crack down on the Hong Kong protesters. As it is, the police are now using truncheons and tear gas against the petrol bombthrowing demonstrators. How long before a full-scale battle erupts? Only the two sides would know. The United Nations and the world are watching these two tinderbox situations in Asia and the Middle East.

food forever," said Nachman. "So I think what's exciting about some of the diets that we've modeled is, there are diets that don't require you to fully eliminate any particular animal products, it's all about more nuanced approach." The study also found that a food's country of origin can have huge consequences for its climate impact. For example, one pound of beef produced in Paraguay contributes nearly 17 times more greenhouse gases than one pound of beef produced in Denmark, a disparity linked to deforestation as a result of grazing land. A separate report published Monday by the Food and Land Use Coalition calculated that wide-ranging reform in the way food is produced and consumed could unlock $4.5 trillion in new business opportuni-

ties each year by 2030. It outlined 10 transitions, including measures to protect and restore nature and climate, empowering indigenous communities, promoting a diverse and healthy diet and reducing waste, finding these would save costs of $5.7 trillion a year, more than 15 times the investment cost of $350 billion a year. "You can both have a better climate and better growth," Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, an ambassador for the coalition and former finance minister of Nigeria told AFP. "We don't simply say to stop eating meat, moving towards a healthier, more plant-based diet is one of the transitions that we talk about. But another is practicing productive and regenerative agriculture" that rebuilds soil organic matter and restores biodiversity. AFP

the corresponding danger that many farmers will not plant palay after this bitter harvest, even as the cost of further rice imports for 2020 also goes up, affected by the price of oil. Can our economic managers JUST when we thought the then control these inf lationkind of inf lation we expe- ary developments? Fragile is the economy. rienced last year due to the And with growth worldwide price of rice principally was tamed by massive imports dampened by so many other of the staple, we were jolted negative issues such as the last Sunday by news about the US-China trade war, Brexit drone strikes in Saudi Ara- woes, and ASF, will monetary tools suffice to plug the dam? bia’s oil fields. *** And just as we thought the Some will jeer Caloocan price of crude in the world market would not spike but Rep. Egay Erice’s suggestion for the expected higher de- to ban private vehicles in EDSA during peak hours mand in winter which would from 6 to 9 in seasonally inthe morning crease prices and another a bit, this act hours at of terrorism Will monetary tools three night, yet inhappens. deed, desperThe whole suffice to plug the ate times call world econ- gap? for desperate omy would remedies. be in tenWith the terhooks as some 5 percent to 6 percent of onset of the holidays, the total daily supply of oil is af- main thoroughfare that links fected, and only God or Allah almost all our business and knows when Saudi’s Aramco commercial districts as well can get things back to normal. as work stations and residenWithin the day, Brent crude tial enclaves will be in gridincreased by almost 20 per- lock worse than we suffer at cent. How much more shall present. Prioritizing commuters and oil spike? From the average of $60 delivery vehicles over private per barrel to which the world vehicles may indeed be neceseconomy has more or less ad- sary. This space has always justed, and upon which most batted for restricting the purgrowth forecasts are predi- chase of private vehicles, nevcated, a spiral towards $80 er mind the effects on the soby November can be “dead- called “car industry” which is ly,” unless supply is normal- almost wholly just completely ized. But what if the terror- built units imported from Koists, whether Houthi rebels rea or Thailand or Europe for in Yemen or Iran-sponsored, the high-end brands. In previous articles in this strikes again? The Philippines is almost space, we have suggested the wholly dependent on import- requirement of “certificates ed oil, the gas produced by of entitlement” such as those waning Malampaya just about of Singapore, where the pura drop in the bucket compared chase of cars is predicated on the prior requirement of an to our demand. And then there is the danger ownership right, transferable of Asian swine fever spread- like a torrens title, the cost ing beyond the provinces of of which is quite prohibitive. Rizal and Bulacan. Already, The rationale is to make it the danger signs are all over, very expensive to own a car. I know this suggestion goes with dead hogs f loating in Marikina and Malolos rivers, against the grain of most urand backyard piggeries else- ban Filipinos’ aspirational where in Central Luzon re- ownership of a dream car, especially the upwardly mobile, porting mysterious deaths. One can only pray for the but we cannot allow the trafsuccess of DA’s quarantine fic gridlock to remain. There protocols in this season of the are just far too many vehicles plague. The hog industry is and far too little space in our huge business; pork is staple narrow thoroughfares, with EDSA and C-5, even Roxas as well in the Filipino diet. Debated to death is the im- Boulevard incapable of exmediate impact of rice tariffi- pansion. The cost of fuel alone that cation and the lifting of quantitative restrictions on rice is wasted due to heavier than imports, which has resulted in heavy traffic, let alone manfarmgate prices of palay div- hours of productivity lost, ing down to below production runs up to P5 billion to P6 billion each excruciating day. costs. Erice’s draconian proposal, Just as harvest draws near, and Christmas as well, our perhaps modified a bit and almost three-million palay strictly enforced, is a needed farmers and their families can palliative, while further on, only suffer, even with govern- Congress might want to conment doleouts which cannot sider copying Singapore’s be spread as widely as needed, restrictive, even punitive reor as quickly. With this goes quirement on car ownership.

Review... From A4

2,400 inmates. Actual count has swelled to 24,000. I recall plans during the Arroyo and BS Aquino administrations to relocate the NBP to Camp Laur, Nueva Ecija. Three pre-qualified conglomerates— San Miguel, DM Consunji and Megawide—vied to build the P5billion facility. The idea was to separate those guilty of heinous crimes from ordinary convicts. Convicted drug lords will also be separated to prevent them from carrying out their trade from behind bars. Somehow, Guevarra’s immediate predecessor aborted the plan. Perhaps Secretary Guevarra

should also initiate talks for the relocation of the NBP. *** The nightmarish traffic in EDSA has bred all sorts of ridiculous suggestions. Now a lawmaker wants to ban all private vehicles from EDSA during rush hour. How outlandish! I have been using EDSA from the time it was still called Highway 54. Back then, driving was a breeze. Now it is a big parking lot. The problem is there because of the increasing number of vehicles without corresponding improvements in infrastructure. We need more thoroughfares and skyways. Until then, we just have to bear with the horrible EDSA traffic.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2019

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

News

Probe of POGO hubs’ operations in PH sought By Maricel V. Cruz THE minority leader in the House of Representatives has sought a congressional investigation into the operations of the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators industry in light of allegations that this has led to the influx of unregistered foreign workers and government revenue losses as a result of non-payment of income taxes relative to the industry. Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante, Jr., the bloc’s leader, filed House Resolution 337 asking Congress to review laws to allow the government to regulate the industry and to ensure that the government is able to properly collect revenues from its operations. He asked the appropriate committee in the Chamber to look into “the allegations of unregistered foreign workers, non-payment of income taxes relative to POGO, and the related issues on the effective implementation of Section 25, 1997 NIRC (National Internal Revenue Code), Immigration Rules and Regulations, and the Labor Code of the Philippines due to the unprecedented influx of foreign workers for the POGO Industry.”

HR 337 was co-authored by Reps. Eduardo “Eddie” Villanueva of Citizens’ Battle Against Corruption (CIBAC), Rozzano Ruﬁno Biazon of Muntinlupa and Manuel Luis Lopez of Manila. Abante said the inquiry was long overdue “given the numerous issues that have surfaced regarding the POGO industry.” “Department of Labor (DOLE) data shows that there are 63,855 documented foreign nationals working in the POGO industry. But there are some estimates that peg the number at 120,000, and until today the government is still reconciling its data,” said Abante. “The fact that we cannot even accurately account for these workers is troubling. If we have problems with regard to their documentation, then we will definitely have issues properly determining revenue collection,” he added. Finance Assistant Secretary Antonio Joselito Lambino II said earlier this month that the Department of Finance estimates that around P2 billion’ worth of personal income taxes are not being collected from POGO workers on a monthly basis.

STOP RECLAMATION. Third District Rep. of Pangasinan Rose Marie ’Baby‘ Arenas led the signing of Stop Reclamation, Save Manila Bay Forum at the Manila Yatch Club where she talked about the threat on biodiversity and cultural heritage due to the after effect of the planned Manila Bay reclamation. Norman Cruz

CA junks Yasay’s plea assailing arrest warrant By Rey E. Requejo

HE Court of Appeals has dismissed the petition of former Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. assailing the validity of the warrant of arrest issued against him by a Manila City regional trial court in connection with criminal charges ﬁled by Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas for allegedly securing P350million loan from the Banco Filipino Savings and Mortgages Bank.

In a three-page resolution dated Sept. 12, the CA’s Former Ninth Division ruled that Yasay’s petition was premature since he has a pending motion for reconsideration before the sala of Manila RTC Branch 10 Judge Danilo Leyva, which issued the assailed warrant of arrest last March 8. Joining Yasay as petitioners were several former officials of Banco

Filipino namely Maxy Abad, Francisco Rivera,Teodoro Arcenas and Albert Aguirre. The appellate court said that a petition for certiorari only becomes available when there is no other course for a plain, speedy and adequate remedy available to the petitioner in the ordinary course of law. “Here the petitioners’ pending motion

before the court a quo essentially prays for the lifting of the herein assailed order and the quashal of the herein assailed warrant of arrest. Clearly, said motions afford the petitioners adequate and expeditious relief because the issue or whether or not a court a quo acted correctly or erroneously in the issuance of the assailed order and warrant of arrest could be raised and was actually raised by the petitioner’s therein,” CA decision penned by Associate Justice Apolinario Brusales Jr. said. “The premature invocation of the intervention of the Court while said motions are still unresolved is fatal to the instant petition,” it said. In its comment before the CA, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said that the petition is premature because Yasay

Solons want gov’t to create National DPWH in BARMM

BI nabs 324 Chinese engaged in cyber crimes in Palawan By Vito Barcelo

By Maricel V. Cruz MINDANAO lawmakers have pushed for the creation of a National Department of Public Works and Highways in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao to implement the department’s national program in the newly established region. In House Resolution 333, Deputy Speaker and Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman, Maguindanao Reps. Datu Ronnie Q. Sinsuat, Sr. and Esmael G. Mangudadatu, Sulu Rep. Munir M. Arbison, Tawi-Tawi Rep. Rasidin H. Matba, Lanao del Sur Reps. Yasser Alonto Balindong and Ansaruddin Abdul Malik A. Adiong and Anak Mindanao Rep. Amihilda Sangcopan said the creation of the national department will ensure an the honest to goodness implementation of the DPWH’s national program in BARMM “given the present circumstances.” “We have taught to push for the creation of a Natl DPWH in BARMM to ensure full implementation of the DPWH programs in the region,” Hataman, former ARMM governor, said. The Basilan congressman also said the situation is compounded by the fact that the national government has adopted a Cash Budgeting System when it comes to appropriations as contained in EO 91 issued by President Rodrigo Duterte. The resolution took note of the reported “phaseout” of around 6,000 employees of the now-defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, which is due in the last week of December 2019. “Given the information cited above, it will be extremely difficult for the National Government to deliver its mandate of implementing nationally funded infrastructure in BARMM as provided by Article XIII, Sec 3 of the Bangsamaro Organic Law (BOL),” the lawmakers said in the resolution. “There are other projects related to infrastructure that the National Government is also required to deliver such as that of Task Force Bangon Marawi and other similar National programs from other agencies, to include Official Development Assistance (ODA) covering the BARMM,” they added.

and his co-accused still have pending motions before the Manila RTC. Associate Justices Myra GarciaFernandez and Geraldine Fiel-Macaraig concurred with the ruling. Yasay and his co-accused are facing four charges for violating Republic Acts 8791 and 7653 or the General Banking Law and the New Central Bank Act in connection with the P350-million loan. Yasay denied the charges, saying he joined Banco Filipino in 2009 and the alleged crime committed took place 2003 to 2006. He also vowed to fight what he said as an “abuse of process and travesty of justice” after he was arrested by the police last Aug. 22. He has since posted P240, 000 in bail for his temporary liberty.

ARREST JOMA. Members of the Arrest Joma Sison Coalition and the League of Parents of the Philippines held a rally against Communist Party of the Philippines founder Jose Ma. Simon in front of the Netherlands Embassy in Makati. Lino Santos

Recto describes proposed ban on private cars on EDSA ‘crazy’ By Macon Ramos-Araneta SENATE President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto described as ‘crazy’ a proposal to ban private cars on EDSA. “But people are free to suggest. I don’t take those seriously,” he said. He said that private car owners pay a lot of taxes: excise, VAT, duties and road users tax on vehicles and excise VAT on petroleum. He said this would amount to hundreds of billions a year. Meanwhile, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said the car ban proposal was not a well-thought idea. “Dagdagan ang buses during that time, then where do you dump the thousand of buses that ply after 9 a.m.?” he asked. “My original suggestion is still the best, no paring in the entire Metro Manila streets from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.” he said. The senators were reacting to a proposal by Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice, who wants to ban private motor vehicles from EDSA during rush hours. Erice, a member of the Liberal Party, made the proposal to Metropolitan Manila Development Authority officials during the budget hearing of for the agency last Monday. But MMDA spokesman Pircelyn Pialago said the members of the Metro Manila Council and not the MMDA will

decide whether they will approve the proposals to solve the worsening traffic situation in the metropolis that causes billions of pesos in revenue losses. The MMC, which is composed of 17 mayors in Metro Manila, is the governing board and the policy making body of the MMDA. Still, the MMDA said Monday it is open to all suggestions to solve Metro Manila’s traffic woes and expressed its gratitude in receiving an increasing number of suggestions from both the government and private sectors. Pialago said their office welcomes such suggestions in response to Erice’s proposal to ban private vehicles from plying EDSA during rush hours. But critics said that legislators will not be affected by Erice’s proposal because they and their backup vehicles use either low-numbered license plates or red government vehicle plates. They added that it is only the legislators and other government functionaries that will benefit from the scheme because they did not focus on traffic management before. Erice said he plans to file a resolution on the proposed scheme after meeting with the House metropolitan development committee chairman and Manila Rep. Manny Lopez in late September. He aims to have the scheme implemented this year, preferably before the start of the holiday season.

THE Bureau of Immigration arrested 324 Chinese nationals engaged in cyber crimes and other illegal activities in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan. Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said the aliens were apprehended in separate operations by operatives from the BI Intelligence Division who were backed up by elements from the military, including the Western Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The aliens were rounded up in eight hotels and establishments where they were caught in the act of doing their illegal activities. Only recently, combined elements of the BI and PNP arrested more than 450 foreigners in Metro Manila and Cebu for working illegally, bringing the number to more than 770 foreigners arrested in less than a week. “They will undergo deportation proceedings for violating the conditions of their stay in the country and working here without permits. Initial reports indicate that most of these aliens are overstaying and undocumented,” BI chief said. He added that there will be no letup in the BI’s campaign against illegal aliens, especially those who use the Philippines as a venue for illegal activities, particularly unauthorized online gaming activities, cyber fraud and investment scams that prey on unsuspecting victims who are mostly abroad. The raiding teams, led by BI Intelligence Officers Jude Hinolan and Charlie Bautista, seized hundreds of laptops, cellular phones and gadgets during the operations. “Many of them were not able to show their passports or any travel documents,” Hinolan said. Bautista, meanwhile, said a team of BI prosecutors were already dispatched to Palawan to conduct preliminary investigation of the aliens. BI Acting Intelligence Chief Fortunato Manahan Jr. disclosed that the operations were conducted as an offshoot of reports and complaints from local officials in Puerto Princesa on the presence of many illegal Chinese workers in the city.

INC sets world mark for most mass baptism attendees ANOTHER Guinness world record fell after Filipino homegrown church Iglesia Ni Cristo baptized 18,272 people during its “Grand Baptism” event at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan last Saturday, Sept. 7. The activity coincided with the 10th year of Ka Eduardo V. Manalo as INC Executive Minister. “We bore witness to a solemn and historic gathering. More than the attainment of the new world record, however, we are thankful that the INC is continuing to grow and its message of peace and salvation is reaching more new adherents in the Philippines and abroad,” INC General Auditor Glicerio B. Santos Jr. said. The INC official noted that the baptismal ceremony included 94 foreigners, 57 of which were former leaders from other religious denominations. Guinness adjudicator Joanne Marie Brent, who was present together with two other Guinness observers, officially announced the record after a thorough count and audit of all the attendees. Among the local independent and non-INC witnesses invited to grace the event were Manila 6th District Congressman and House of Representatives Minority Leader Bienvenido “Benny” Abante Jr. as well as a delegation from the Jesus is Lord Movement, which is headed by pastor and incumbent CIBAC partylist representative Eddie Villanueva. Abante, himself a senior pastor of the Metropolitan Bible Baptist Ekklesia, another religious organization, expressed support to the continuing evangelization efforts of the INC. “I am proud that there is an indigenous Filipino religious organization that believes in nationalism and patriotism. INC is such an organization that promotes love of country and love for God and it is an honor to be a part of this momentous occasion,” Abante said. To achieve the record-breaking mass baptism, 36 makeshift pools needed to be set up to accommodate the participants. Santos, Jr. explained that “The Grand Baptism was a massive logistical undertaking but it was all worth it. Our main objective is to continue the programs and initiatives of our Executive Minister Brother Ka Eduardo V. Manalo. He has set the direction for us to be more active in engaging and helping people and showing them that the INC could be a positive influence in their lives.” With the new world record, the INC now has a total of 25 such feats listed in the Guinness tallies.

Sports

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2019 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Short but sweet PSL THE Philippine Superliga Invitational Conference kicks off on Sept. 24 under a “short but sweet” format that aims to boost the country’s campaign in the 30th SEA Games. Instead of a regular schedule that takes at least two months to finish, the season-ending Invitational Cup will only run until Oct. 17 or just a little over three weeks. Dr. Ian Laurel, PSL president, told yesterday’s PSA Forum at the Amelie Hotel in Manila they’re looking at only 10 playing dates for the tournament. The eight teams will be divided into two pools for the elims with the top four teams figuring in the semis (1 vs 4 and 2 vs 3) heading to the one-game championship duel. “We need to finish the Invitational before November because by that time, focus will be on our country’s hosting of the SEAG Games,” said Laurel of the biennial event scheduled Nov. 30 to Dec. 11. “This will be the shortest but sweetest conference for Philippine Superliga,” said Cignal HD star Rachel Ann Maquis, who graced the forum with PSL administrative director Ariel Paredes, venue director Gino Panganiban, ESPN5’s Diana Garcia and representatives of the other teams. The competing teams are Cignal HD, Foton, PLDT and Sta. Lucia in Pool A, and defending champion and newly-crowned All-Filipino titlist F2 Logistics, Petron, Generika-Ayala and Marinerang Pilipina in Group B. “Even if it’s a short tournament, I’m sure these teams want to end their year by winning this crown,” Laurel added at the forum presented by San Miguel Corp., Braska Restaurant, Amelie Hotel and Pagcor.

Players from the various teams taking part in the Philippine Superliga Invitational Conference are shown during their appearance at the PSA Forum.

6 games start UAAP year 82 badminton THE UAAP Season 82 Badminton Tournament reels off Wednesday with three men’s and three women’s ties at the Centro Athletico Badminton Court in Quezon City. Reigning five-time champion National University and women’s titleholder Ateneo drew an opening day bye and will see action on Friday at the same venue. Last season’s men’s runner-up University of the Philippines will take on University of the East at 8 a.m., at the same time that University of Santo Tomas and Ateneo, and Adamson University and De La Salle take the floor. Women’s action will commence at 1 p.m., with last year’s losing finalist UP battling UE, UST clashing with De La Salle and Adamson University tackling with NU. The Bulldogs will open their men’s title-retention bid against the Blue Eagles at 8 a.m. on Friday, while the Lady Eagles set in motion their quest for a back-to-back women’s championship against the Taft-based Lady Shuttlers at 1 p.m. NU became the winningest men’s badminton program, capturing six championships overall in the last seven seasons.

Phoenix signs Garcia, Potts

Fury ready for war against Wilder L

Manila ONDON (AFP)—Tyson Fury claims he is “readyStandard SCN FORM NO. 1 (R.A. NO. 9139) TODAY for war” with Deontay Wilder after the British 001630 heavyweight survived two severe cuts in his weekend win over Otto Wallin.

Fury needed 47 stitches following the Las Vegas bout, which saw Wallin take his rival to 12 rounds before the Briton eventually secured a unanimous points decision victory. The 31-year-old former world heavyweight champion was taken to the University Medical Center of South Nevada with a gaping gash over his right eye and another smaller one on the eyelid. Speaking to BBC Sport before leaving Las Vegas, Fury said: “I went to the hospital, had a few stitches, went home and had an early night. “Then I’ve got up, gone to the casino, won five grand, had a few beers and now I’m going to have a few more beers.”

Fury fought for more than nine rounds with one of the cuts. The injury prompted promoter Frank Warren to say a proposed February rematch with WBC world heavyweight champion Wilder could be delayed if Fury does not heal adequately. “If it doesn’t heal well the fight may have to be pushed back,” Warren said. “Hopefully that will not be the case. It depends how it heals. If it’s OK it won’t be a problem. “It’s not just the fight, it’s the training and sparring. He has to be 100 percent right.” But asked about a delay, Fury made it clear he had no fears about a quick return to the ring against the formidable Wilder.

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON NATURALIZATION IN THE MATTER OF THE PETITION OF JAMES LEXTER SZE YEUNG to be naturalized as Filipino citizen pursuant to Republic Act No. 9139. SCN CASE NO. x------------------ x

PETITION Pursuant to the provisions of Republic Act No. 9139, petitioner hereby submits a petition for naturalization to become a citizen of the Republic of the Philippines and respectfully declares: 1. My full name is JAMES LEXTER SZE YEUNG, but I have also been known since childhood as JAMES or I have been N/A . judicially authorized to use the alias name(s) 2. My present place of residence is PUROK 2, National Hi-way, Barangay Balibago City/Municipality of STA. ROSAProvince of LAGUNA and all my former places of residence are (please indicate periods of residence) 2001 -2010 BAYANI COMPOUND CROSSING, CALAMBA LAGUNA 2011 to Present PUROK 2, NATIONAL HI-WAY, BARANGAY BALIBAGO, STA. ROSA LAGUNA 3. I was born on MARCH 30, 2001 in MANILA Philippines. I have been a resident of the Philippines since birth. At present, I am a citizen or subject of HONG KONG (CHINA). 4. My father's name is KA LOK YEUNG @ CALOY YEUNG and he was born on December 01, 1969, in FUJIAN, CHINA. He is a citizen or subject of CHINA. My mother's name is LEE LEE SZE and she was born on JAN. 22, 1973 in FUJIAN, CHINA. She is a citizen or subject of CHINA. 5. My trade, business, profession or lawful occupation is N/A and from which I derive an average annual income of N/A , inclusive of bonuses, commissions and allowances. My wife's/husband's trade, business, profession or lawful occupation is N/A and from which she derives an average annual income of P N/A .

By Jeric Lopez

Win tickets to WWE Manila

FILLING in some roster spots, Phoenix Pulse boosted its backcourt for the upcoming Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup by signing two intriguing free agents. The Fuel Masters acquired guards RR Garcia and Davon Potts from free agency to complete their line-up. Both are signed on short-term deals, meaning their length of stay with the team depends on their performance and fit. Garcia and Potts are hoping that they can finally find a home in Phoenix. In his journeyman career thus far, Garcia’s last stop was TNT, where he was relegated to free agency early in the year. Just early this month, Garcia also tried to land a roster spot in Rain or Shine but failed to do so. Potts was recently released by Alaska after failing to find his niche with the Aces as he saw limited minutes in his more than a year of stay there.

GET a chance to win tickets to the World Wrestling Entertainment as it returns in Manila on September 20. Fans and supporters of WWE now have the chance to watch the action and suspense of wrestling battles for free and live at the Smart Araneta Coliseum by answering the question: How old were you when you became a WWE fan and who is your favorite WWE Superstar from the #WWEManila2019 lineup? Just comment your answers on Araneta Coliseum’s Facebook promo alert post for WWE Manila 2019. Answers should the hashtags #WWEManila2019 and #SmartAranetaColiseum. Winners will be determined through electronic raffle and announced on September 19, 2019. WWE returns to Manila after three years with thrilling championship matchups and fearsome

rivalries. The 2019 Manila card’s main event will have WWE Champion Kofi Kingston defending his title against avenging former champion Daniel Bryan. Other title matches will feature reigning SmackDown women’s champion Bayley, who will try to secure her belt against Charlotte Flair. SmackDown tag team champions Big E and Xavier Woods of The New Day will have to test their mettle against the wrath of Elias and Sami Zayn. While the lineup is still subject to change, wrestling superstars listed to dish out damage to their opponents in WWE Manila 2019 are: Roman Reigns, Finn Balor, Asuka, Kevin Owens, Shinsuke Nakamura, Rusev, Carmella, Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville, The Iiconics, and more (line-up subject to change). Tickets are still available at TicketNet. Call 911-5555 or visit www. ticketnet.com.ph.

(Where the above does not apply): I am exempt from the requirement of lucrative trade or occupation and from submitting income tax returns for the past three (3) years because I am a college degree holder [please state (1) degree obtained: N/A, (2) name of school: N/A and (3) years graduated: N/A who cannot practice my profession (the practice of which requires a government licensure examination) by reason of my citizenship. 6. My civil status is SINGLE, I was married on N/A in N/A. My wife's/husband's name is N/A and she/he was born on in N/A. She/he is a citizen or subject of N/A and presently resides N/A 7. I am legally separated from my spouse; my marriage was annulled, per decree of legal separation/annulment dated N/A granted by N/A. (please indicate the particular court which granted the same). I am a widower/widow and my spouse died on N/A in N/A. 8. I have N/A child/children, whose names, dates and places of birth and residences are as follows:

Name N/A

Forest Hills makes move at home; Sta. Elena leads to-the-wire battle when the circuit winds up its eight-stage circuit at Sta. Elena on Oct. 7. Sta. Elena hiked its total output to 16 points but Fernando Air Base closed in with 15 points and Villamor stood just behind with 14 points. With its strong showing, Forest Hills kept its title-retention drive going with 13 points while Tagaytay Highlands stayed in the hunt despite going scoreless at Forest Hills, its 11-point total just five behind Sta. Elena heading to the final round of WGAP Circuit

2019 organized by Women’s Golf Association of the Philippines and presented by Champion and Hana products. Cecilia Tan and Corazon Atienza flashed their familiarity with the rolling layout and shot 36 and 35 Stableford points, respectively, while Yun Haeng Cho and Jonah Ilagan carded identical 34 points as Forest Hills assembled a 139 to dominate Class A with a five-point romp over Fernando Air Base, which drew 36 points from individual champion Terry Fasol.

Date of Birth N/A

Place of Birth N/A

Residence

Name of School CHIANG KAI SHEK COLLEGE

Place of School TONDO, MANILA

Dates of Study 2008 - 2013 2013 - 2017

13. It is my true and honest intention to become a citizen of the Philippines and to renounce absolutely and forever all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state or sovereignty, and, particularly, to HONG KONG (CHINA) of which at this time I am a citizen or subject. I will reside continuously in the Philippines from the date of the filing of this petition up to the time of my admission to Philippine citizenship. 14. My character witnesses are FLOYD MARNIN U. ANUNQUE and RICHARD O. KING both Filipino citizens, of legal age, and residing at 246 Dynasty Towers, Jose Abad Santos St., Tondo and 1408 BROADVIEW TOWERS, MAYHALIGUE ST. STA. CRUZ, MANILA respectively, who have executed sworn statements attached hereto in support of my instant petition, together with: (a) brief biographical data about themselves; (b) detailed statements on the dates they first came to know me, the circumstances of our initial acquaintance and the reasons and extent of our continuing familiarity; and (c) the number of times they have acted as character witnesses in other petitions for naturalization. 15. Attached hereto as annexes and made part of this petition are the duplicate originals or certified photocopies of the following documents (please check the appropriate box): [ x ] a. Petitioner's birth certificate [ x] b. Petitioner's alien certificate of registration (ACR) [ ] c. Petitioner's native-born certificate of residence (NBCR) [ ] d. Petitioner's marriage certificate, if married [ ] e. Death certificate of his/her spouse, if widowed [ ] f. Court decree annulling his/her marriage or granting legal separation, if such was the fact [ ] g. Birth certificates of petitioner's minor children [ ] h. ACRs of petitioner's minor children [ ] i. NBCRs of petitioner's minor children [ ] j. Affidavits of financial capacity by the petitioner, duly supported by bank certifications, passbooks, stock certificates, or proof of ownership of other properties [ x ] k. Affidavits of at least two (2) credible witnesses who must be Filipino citizens of good reputation in petitioner's place of residence [ x ] l. Medical certificate from a government hospital stating that petitioner is not suffering from mental alienation or a user of prohibited drugs or otherwise a drug dependent and that he/she is not afflicted with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), or any incurable contagious disease. [ x ] m. School diploma and transcript of records of the petitioner from the school/s he or she attended in the Philippines [ ] n. Certifications stating that petitioner's minor children are enrolled in public schools or private educational institutions duly recognized by the DECS, where Philippine history, government and civics are taught and prescribed as part of the school curriculum and where enrollment is not limited to any race or nationality [ ] o. Petitioner's income tax returns for the past three years [ ] p. Petitioner's receipts of payment of income tax for the past three years 16. Other documents submitted by the petitioner in support of his/her petition: NBI, POLICE CLEARANCE, BARANGAY CERTIFICATE, OFFICE OF CITY PROSECUTOR, MTC, RTC CLEARANCES, AFFIDAVIT OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT OF PARENTS WITH BANK CERTIFICATE AND INCOME TAX RETURNS AND PAYMENTS, 2016-2018 PRAYER WHEREFORE, it is respectfully prayed that petitioner be conferred Philippine citizenship pursuant to the provisions of Republic Act No, 9139. Dated at Makati City, Metro Manila, this 13 day of August, 2019.

N/A

9. I received my primary and secondary education from the following public schools or private educational institutions duly recognized by the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS), where Philippine history, government and civics are taught and prescribed as part of the school curriculum and where enrollment is not limited to any race or nationality:

Highest Grade Completed Elementary, JUNIOR HS, SENIOR HS, COLLEGE

JAMES LEXTER SZE YEUNG Name and Signature of Petitioner Address: PUROK 2, NATIONAL HIWAY, BARANGAY BALIBAGO, STA. ROSA LAGUNA Telephone Number: 0917-8287964

Right Thumbmark of Petitioner

10. I am able to read, write and speak Filipino and/or any of the following dialects of the Philippines:TAGALOG 11. I have enrolled my minor children of school age in the following public schools or private educational institutions duly recognized by the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS), where Philipine History, government and civics are taught and prescribed as part of the school curriculum and where enrollment is not limited to any race or nationality:

Name of Child

FOREST Hills cashed in on its local knowledge and came away with victories in Classes A and C even as Sta. Elena hung on to the overall lead with a runner-up finish in Class B after the penultimate leg of the 2019 Champion WGAP Circuit at Forest Hills’ Nicklaus and Palmer courses in Antipolo recently. Fernando Air Base likewise lined itself up for a crack at the hotlydisputed crown on its very first try with a second place effort in Class A while three others stayed in the title hunt to guarantee a spirited, down-

Filipinos the right to be naturalized citizens or subjects thereof.

N/A

Name and Place of School N/A

Date of Enrollment N/A

12. I shall never be a public charge. I am of good moral character. I believe in the principles underlying the Philippine Constitution. I have conducted myself in a proper and irreproachable manner during the entire period of my residence in the Philippines in my relations with the constituted government as well as with the community in which I am living. I mingled socially with Filipinos and have evinced a sincere desire to learn and embrace the customs, traditions and ideals of the Filipino people. I have all the qualifications and none of the disqualifications under Republic Act No. 9139. I am not opposed to organized government or affiliated with any association or group of persons who uphold and teach doctrines opposing all organized governments. I am not defending or teaching the necessity or propriety of violence, personal assault or assassination for the success and predominance of one's ideas. I am not a polygamist nor a believer in the practice of polygamy. I have not been convicted of any crime involving moral turpitude. I am not suffering from mental alienation or from any incurable contagious disease. The country of which I am a citizen or subject is not at war with the Philippines and grants to

Petitioner's signature and right thumbmark

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES) CITY/MUNICIPALITY OF STA ROSA) S.S. I, JAMES LEXTER SZE YEUNG of legal age and a resident of PUROK 2, NATIONAL HI-WAY, BARANGAY BALIBAGO, STA. ROSA LAGUNA after being duly sworn, depose and say that I am the petitioner herein, that I have read the foregoing petition and know the foregoing petition and known the contents thereof, and that the same is true of my own knowledge.

JAMES LEXTER SZE YEUNG Name and Signature of Petitioner

SUBCRIBED AND SWORN to before me at PROVINCE OF LAGUNA , this 13 day of AUG. 2019.

(MS-SEPT. 11,18 & 25, 2019)

Sports

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

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2019

JUVIC Pagunsan seeks to set another Philippine Golf Tour record as he shoots for a fifth victory against a field toughened up by a number of foreign aces when the P2.5 million ICTSI Del Monte Championship is fired off today (Wednesday) at Del Monte Golf Club in Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon. Pagunsan became the first player to rack up four straight wins by dominating the Bacolod, Negros, Iloilo and Riviera stops of the 10th season of the country’s premier circuit before returning to his base in Japan PGA Tour where he posted a runner-up finish and a ninthplace effort in Hokkaido and Fukuoka, respectively, last month. That should make him the player to beat in the 72-hole championship sponsored by ICTSI with the smooth-swinging Asia’s former No. 1 looking for a record fifth crown against practically the same field he bested in the Visayan swing of the circuit and at Riviera in harsh conditions. Tony Lascuña also won four legs to reign as PGT Order of Merit champion in 2016 but Pagunsan made it a record feat by winning four straight with another championship looming large given his form, confidence and skills that continued to be the envy of the other pros aiming to make it big someday. They include Reymon Jaraula, who had looked forward to wearing the hunted tag after nipping the veteran Lascuña on the second playoff hole to nail his maiden victory at Pueblo de Oro last weekend until Pagunsan confirmed his entry into the seventh leg of the circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. Pagunsan is expected to come up with a strong start after drawing an early tee time with Elmer Salvador and Rufino Bayron at 7:20 a.m. on the first hole while Jaraula to start six flights behind at 8:30 a.m. in the company of Richard Sinfuego and Rene Menor.w But a host of others are also raring to go and foil the fancied Negrense, including the homegrown bets ready to cash in on their familiarity with the tight, tree-lined mountaintop layout and fuel their respective title drive in the event backed by Custom Clubmakers, Meralco, Champion, Summit Mineral Water, K&G Golf Apparel, BDO, Sharp, KZG, PLDT and M.Y. Shokai Technology, Inc. Proud Del Monte son Clyde Mondilla, for one, is out to redeem himself from a number of mediocre finishes after humbling a slew of foreign aces and the country’s top guns to snare the Philippine Open crown at The Country Club last April. “I’m so excited to get going and Juvic’s presence adds up to the challenge,” said Mondilla, who vowed to use an attacking kind of game on a course he’s too familiar with. “I’ll attack even the tight par-4s since I know where to place my shots here.”

Tigers battle Falcons today

Pagunsan eyes another tour record in Del Monte

Juvic Pagunsan shoots for a ﬁfth victory in the P2.5 million ICTSI Del Monte Championship at Del Monte Golf Club.

Solid core of PH archers ready

HE Philippine archery team will feature a solid core of promising archers in the coming 30th Southeast Asian Games on Nov. 30 to Dec. 11.

Armed with a mix of young talents and veteran smarts, national coach Clint Sayo said the chief objective of the squad is to end the four-year gold medal drought both in the recurve and compound events. Asian Games’ bronze medalist Paul Marton Dela Cruz, Youth Olympic Games gold-medal winner Gabriel Moreno, and Olympian Jennifer Chan will be on target for that elusive gold medal in the biennial sportfest that the Philippines will host. Dela Cruz will spearhead the men’s compound team together with Johan Olano, Roberto Badiola and Arnold Rojas while Moreno banners the four-man recurve squad along with Florante Matan, Jayson Feliciano, and Carson Hastie. The women’s recurve will be led by Kareel Hongitan, Pia Bidaure, Phoebe Amostoso, and Gabrielle Monica Bidaure while, Chan, Andrea Robles, Rachelle Ann Dela Cruz and Abbi-

gail Tinugduan comprise the women’s compound squad. According to Sayo, these archers are deﬁnitely capable of winning medals for the country. “As much as possible, we want to achieve the best results,’’ said Sayo. ``But for now, I can only assure you that we are capable of getting a medal. Whether it’s a gold, silver, or bronze, hindi ko muna sasabihin,” added Sayo, a gold medalist himself at the height of his career in the 1997 SEA Games held in Indonesia. It was during the 2013 SEA Games in Myanmar when the Filipino archers last captured a gold medal courtesy of the men’s compound team of Earl Benjamin Yap, Ian Patrick Chipeco and Delﬁn Anthony Adriano. In the 2017 Malaysian edition, these archers brought home a silver and four bronze medals. Sayo said they have to watch out for

Ronaldo embarrassed by rape allegations Ronaldo

By Peter Atencio THE University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers and the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons are getting more confident about their games. How the Growling Tigers will handle a tough Adamson Falcons’ team at 12:30 p.m. today will be answered when the 82nd University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball tournament resumes today at the Mall of Asia Arena. “This time mas maganda (ang execution),” said UST coach Aldin Ayo after the Growling Tigers hurdled the National University Bulldogs, 87-74, in overtime last Sunday. “Kasi, we were able to convert and we were able to execute our plays na pang-endgame namin,” Beninese cager Solemane Chabi Yo is expected to lead UST again as the Growling Tigers shoot for their third win in four outings. UST is now in second spot behind the solo-leading and defending champion Ateneo Blue Eagles. Getting past the Falcons (2-2) will keep UST firmly at the no. 2 position. The last time around, Chabi Yo led an 8-0 run that shattered the game’s final deadlock at 73-all. The Falcons are hurting from an 8283 overtime loss to the UP Fighting Maroons, who will meet the National University Bulldogs at 10:30 a.m. UP will be relying on the team’s improving chemistry in their effort to post more wins. Later, the Far Eastern University Tamaraws and the La Salle Green Archers clash at 4 p.m.

Malaysia, Vietnam and Singapore, but ﬁrmly believes that Filipino archers would be able to hit the target and rise to the occasion on local ground. Meanwhile, the Philippine swimming team has the tools to ﬁnally end the country’s hunger for a gold medal in the games. Filipino tankers who donned the national colors in the recent Fina World Championships, starring Nicole Oliva, Luke Gebbie, Remedy Rule and James Deiparine will lead the 27-man national squad in ending that drought. Also heading the Philippine cause during the aquatics competitions at the Fina-approved New Clark City Aquatics Center in Capas, Tarlac are Olympians Jessie Khing Lacuna and Jasmine Alkhaldi and homegrown talents Jerald Jacinto, Rafael and Miguel Barreto. The Philippines has failed to bring home a gold medal ever since multiple gold-winner Miguel Molina retired after the 2009 SEA Games in Laos.

LONDON—uventus star Cristiano Ronaldo has admitted he felt “embarrassed” as he tried to shield his family from allegations he raped a woman in the United States. Ronaldo was accused of sexually assaulting Kathryn Mayorga in a Las Vegas hotel in June 2009. The Portugal forward, a ﬁve-time Champions League winner, strongly denied the claims and the investigation was originally closed 10 years ago. It reopened in August 2018, shortly before Mayorga ﬁled a civil lawsuit in September and offered details she initially withheld. Prosecutors announced in July this year that they would not be prosecuting the case because the allegations could not “be proven beyond a reasonable doubt”. The former Manchester United great revealed the allegations had taken a mental toll on him as he sought to protect his children from the reports. “They play with your dignity,” Ronaldo told ‘Good Morning Britain’ in an interview with Piers Morgan that will air on Tuesday. “It’s hard. You have a girlfriend, you have a family, you have kids. When they play with your honesty, it’s bad, it’s hard. “I remember one day I was at home in the living room with my girlfriend watching the television to see the news and they speak about ‘Cristiano Ronaldo this and that.’ “I listened to my kids coming down the stairs and I changed the channel because I was embarrassed. “I just changed the channel for Cristiano Jr not to see that they speak bad about his father about a very bad case.” AFP

Bacoor, Bulacan blast foes in MPBL MALOLOS—The Bacoor Strikers and the Bulacan Kuyas overpowered their respective rivals while the Caloocan Supremos flirted with disaster before prevailing in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League Lakan Season at Bulacan Capitol Gymnasium here. Frolicking inside, the Strikers clobbered the Quezon City Capitals, 11179, while the Kuyas ruled the boards to trounce the Muntinlupa Cagers, 7762, on Monday, September 16. In contrast, the Supremos survived Nueva Ecija Forest Lake’s final assault to squeeze out a 92-90 victory in the opener of the tripleheader. Shooting mostly from close range, the Strikers converted 47 of 89 attempts (52.8 percent) that pushed them ahead by as many as 35 points, 109-74, late in the fourth quarter. Getting 21 points from Mark Montuano, 16 from Chris Sumalinog, 13 each from Gab Banal and Michael Canete, and 11 from Paolo Castro, the Strikers cruised to their fourth straight victory and a 12-3 record, good for second spot in the South division of the 31-team MPBL. The Capitals skidded to 6-8 in the North division. The Kuyas, who posted a big 60-37 edge in rebounds, pulled away in the first quarter, 24-12, and were never headed en route to their fourth straight win and ninth overall in 14 starts. Powered by Paul Sanga’s 24 points and Rene Pacquiao’s 13-point, 11-rebound effort, the Victory Linerbacked Supremos led 92-85 with only 21 seconds left. Levi Dela Cruz, however, drilled in a triple and Marlon Monte drove in to keep Nueva Ecija in the fight going to the last 12 seconds. Caloocan’s John Carlos Escalambre flubbed two free throws with six seconds left, but in the next play Nueva Ecija’s Jeson delfinado also muffed his charities that could have forged overtime.

Liyab leads national esports team as 6 of its bets eye glory IT’S official. A total of six Liyab bets received the call up to carry the country’s colors in the inaugural esports tussles in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games where at least six gold medals are stake. In a testament to their skills, Liyab’s whole Arena of Valor squad will banner the country’s bid in one of the most exciting team competitions in esports while Enderr took one of two berths in the StarCraft ll event. The AoV team, skippered by Kevin “Gambit” Dizon with Jervan “Bents” Delos Santos, Jeremiah “1717” Camarillo, Lawrence “Rubixx” Gatmaitan and Miguel “Miggie” Banaag, topped the final qualification set by the national training pool to earn the right to compete for the inaugural esports medal in the

biennial games. “It’s a dream come true for me and the whole team. If you asked me a few years ago we would compete in the Southeast Asian Games, I would say no right away. But here we are. Hopefully we will not fail the expectations of our “kababayans,” fans and supporters,” an obviously elated Gambit says. Incidentally, Gambit will be the national team captain for AoV. Joining the AoV squad is Caviar “Enderr” Acampado who will lead the Philippines’ bid in StarCraft ll. Just like the AoV squad, Enderr reigned supreme in the ﬁnal scrimmages against other hopefuls to book his appearance in the StarCraft ll event of the SEA Games.

Liyab’s whole Arena of Valor squad will banner the country’s bid in the SEA Games.

IN BRIEF

PDIC pays over P1b in insurance claims

PHILIPPINE Deposit Insurance Corp. said Tuesday it paid P1.1 billion as of end-July 2019 in deposit insurance claims covering 47,916 valid deposit accounts that had balances in closed banks within the maximum deposit insurance coverage of P500,000. About P1.05 billion of the amount, corresponding to 94.5 percent, were payments made to depositors of the seven banks ordered closed by the Monetary Board of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas in 2019. “The remaining P60.4 million, or 5.5 percent, were paid to depositors of banks closed prior to 2019 and who either ﬁled depositor insurance claims or completed required documentation of their claims only this year,” it said in a statement. Deposit insurance payments are secured from the Deposit Insurance Fund, the corporation’s main fund. The DIF as of end-June 2019 remained well-capitalized at P177.8 billion, or 6.4 percent of the estimated insured deposits in the banking system. The ratio is higher than the minimum corporate target of 5.5 percent for the year for the DIF adequacy. Julito G. Rada

Business

SMC opens food bank, learning hub in Tondo

San Miguel Corp. opens a ﬁrst-of-itskind learning facility and food bank in Tondo to provide the poorest barangays in Manila not only reliable access to food but also the tools to allow them to improve their lives. SMC president and chief operating ofﬁcer Ramon Ang and Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko” Domagoso, formally opened the Better World Tondo facility that will function not only as a learning space but also as a food bank and feeding center . “Better World Tondo was a concept we’ve had for some time. We want to be able to collaborate with businesses and companies to collect excess food, store them in a food bank, to be served to those in need by community volunteers. It’s food rescue to address hunger, which is still a major problem for many sectors of our society,” Ang said. “It is also a learning center where they can supplement what they learn in school through skills building and values formation to allow them to lead better lives,” he said. “We look forward to welcoming the community here. This center is for them, so they have a role and responsibility in it,” he added.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2019

By Darwin G. Amojelar

INFRASTRUCTURE PARTNERSHIP. Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. and ATN Holdings forge a partnership on the Quarry Priority Supply Project to support the development of toll roads in Luzon. The partnership will ensure a steady supply of quality construction aggregates for the NLEX-Harbour Link, the Cavite-Laguna Expressway, the North Luzon Expressway expansion, the Manila-LRT Line 1 Cavite extension and NLEX-SLEX Connector Road. Sealing the agreement are (from left) MPTC chief development officer Raul Ignacio, MPTC president and chief executive Rodrigo Franco, ATN Holdings president and CEO Arsenio Ng, ATN Holdings director Hilario Ng and Department of Public Works and Highways ‘Build, Build, Build’ chairman Anna Mae Lamentillo.

CEZA suspends licenses of cryptocurrency firms By Othel V. Campos

HE Cagayan Economic Zone Authority, the government agency behind the so-called “Crypto Valley of Asia,” said it froze all registered ﬁnancial technology licensees until mid-2020 following an alleged “investment scam” and the dubious hiring of undocumented Chinese nationals by CEZA-registered companies.

CEZA spokesperson and ﬁntech and cryptocurrency business ofﬁcer Mike Gerald David said the scam allegedly perpetrated by Golden Millennial Quickpay Inc. Ltd. was being investigated by a tripartite body composed of the Philippine National Police, the National Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Immigration. “The investigation is looking at how the alleged scam was done. Apparently, as an exchange, there was no way it can

divert investments. So we are also investigating the service provider and the regular license holders under GMQ,” he said. GMQ faces the cancellation of its offshore virtual currency exchange or OVCE license if found guilty of fraud. Its authorized service provider Grapefruit Service Inc. was also under ﬁre amid the scam report. Grapefruit is the only Filipino entity involved in the operations of GMQ. Authorities earlier arrested at least 277 foreign employees working at GMQ in Ortigas Center upon a tip from the Chinese Embassy in Manila. GMQ was one of the 25 registered principal licensees with the capability to trade virtual currency. A principal licensee can designate as many as four ﬁntech companies as subordinates. CEZA said of the 25 principal licensees, only GMQ was actively operating its own exchange while the two others―Liannet Technology Ltd. and Asia Premier International Ltd.―were still integrating their processes. CEZA said 15 regular license hold-

ers also successfully registered with the agency. CEZA said GMQ’s license as an OVCE was suspended on Sept. 12 after reports of the so-called scam surfaced. David said CEZA would intensify its monitoring and audit control to further strengthen regulatory measures to protect the Philippines as a fintech hub. “We decided to prohibit not only GMQ but all registered OVCEs from operating until the fintech hub building in CEZA is ready to accommodate these companies in mid-2020. We see this as a preventive move to deter other fintech companies from doing fraudulent activities. Once they are all gathered in a single building, it will be easier for us to monitor their activities,” he said. CEZA is also investigating the alleged bloated labor force of GMQ that reached more than twice the official alien workers submitted by the company to CEZA. The Bureau of Immigration said of the 277 foreign employees working at GMQ, only 106 were officially employed with corresponding permits and visas as attested by CEZA.

ICTSI’S QUILL AWARDS.

International Container Terminal Services Inc. earns an award of excellence for its 2017 sustainability report and an award of merit for its public relations program for Papua New Guinea communities at the recently-concluded 17th Philippine Quill Awards. ICTSI Asia Pacific regional legal manager Atty. Lirene Mora-Suarez, (fourth from left) and South Pacific International Container Terminal HR manager Rhandolph Calisin (third from left) hold the awards. With them are officers, staff and project consultants of ICTSI public relations team and ICTSI Foundation.

Aboitiz revises offer to expand Laguindingan ABOITIZ InfraCapita lnc., a unit of the Aboitiz Group, said it submitted a revised unsolicited proposal to the Department of Transportation to upgrade, expand, operate and maintain the Laguindingan Airport in Misamis Oriental province. “Yes, we’ve submitted. We patterned it after the Clark O&M [operation and maintenance]. I think CAAP [Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines] already endorsed it to the DOTR and the DOTR is in the process of evaluating it,” AIC chief operating ofﬁcer Cosette Canilao said. The DOTr earlier returned all unsolicited airport offers after the government decided to standardize and pattern the draft contract to the operation and maintenance contract for Clark International Airport, which covers provisions for MAGA or material adverse government action. Under the clause, proponents will only be compensated for adverse government action from the executive branch and not any change in future laws. If MAGA occurs during the operation and maintenance period, the project proponent is entitled to compensation equal to the additional costs incurred and/or loss of revenue. Canilao said they were expecting the Swiss Challenge to be completed by the second half of the year. The P42.7-billion project involves the capacity augmentation through expansion or construction of new passenger terminals, installation of required equipment and enhancement and development of airside facilities. Darwin G. Amojelar

business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com

PAL receives ‘4 star’ rating from US body

Lot developers urged to prioritize internet

GLOBE Telecom Inc. is urging real estate developers to prioritize internet connectivity in their estate development master plans with the growing number of Philippine offshore gaming operators, or POGOs. Globe senior vice president for network strategy Manny Estrada said industries that dominate the real estate sector like the business process outsourcing or even the growing POGOs would require not just a stable connectivity but redundancy as well. Government data showed 58 Pogo operators in the country with over 200 service providers and an estimated 130,000 workers. “Telco exclusivity in the real estate landscape should no longer be practiced. Redundancy is a crucial aspect in business continuity for many enterprises leasing your properties,” said Estrada. He said the real estate industry was part of the digital ecosystem crucial to the growth of the digital economy. “For those in the Airbnb business, how many of your clients would ask how strong is your internet? Or how many of your tenants shop using Lazada, Shopee or Zalora? How many of them pay their bills online?” Estrada asked. Darwin G. Amojelar

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

AC Energy unit investing nearly $2b in renewable projects By Alena Mae S. Flores AC ENERGY Philippines, formerly Phinma Energy Corp., is developing 1,850 megawatts of renewable energy projects that will cost nearly $2 billion to reach its 2,000-MW target by 2025, ofﬁcials said Tuesday. Phinma Energy Corp. was renamed AC Energy Philippines following the acquisition by AC Energy Inc. in June. The 2,000-MW RE target is a part of the 5,000-MW RE portfolio target of parent company AC Energy. The remaining 3,000 MW RE target will come from the international market. AC Energy also has RE presence in Vietnam and Australia. “Our vision for AC Energy Philippines is to be the leader in renewable energy in the country. Our goal is to reach 2,000 MW of renewables by 2025,” AC Energy president and chief

executive Eric Francia said during the annual stockholders meeting. “With the government’s target of renewables reaching 35 percent of energy output by 2030, the country would need to build over 15 GW of renewables in the next decade. We will make significant investments in this space,” said Francia. He said the renewable projects would be complemented by other lowcarbon technologies such as gas-fired generation and energy storage. AC Energy Philippines currently has around 150 MW of RE capacity in the Philippines that include wind, geothermal and solar power projects. “It’s going to be primarily greenfield, that’s what the country needs. A lot of the 1,850 or 2,000 MW goal of renewables in the Philippines should be greenfield. We’ve got six years to develop…We are also open to some

acquisitions,” Francia said. Francia said the company would need to raise $600 million as equity for the new renewable projects until 2025. “Assume roughly a million dollars per MW, that is roughly under $2 billion of the project cost if it’s almost 2,000 MW of capacity. If you assume your classic 70-30 debt to equity ratio, you’d be looking at $600 million of equity that would need to be raised until 2025,” he said. Francia said the company’s target was to increase its RE portfolio while limiting its conventional power projects such as coal. “So we’re saying we have a goal for RE. That goal is 5,000 MW of renewables. We don’t have a goal for attributable capacity for thermal...Our strategy is not to grow in thermal. Our strategy is to grow, scale-up in renewables. We want to limit our thermal output,” he said.

PHILIPPINES Airlines received the “Four Star Major Airline 2020” rating from the US-based Airline Passenger Experience Association. “We are elated by this industry recognition. More importantly, we wish to thank our passengers for validating PAL’s brand of service. Their feedback and ideas help us make PAL a more formidable competitor,” PAL president and chief operating officer Gilbert Santa Maria said. “This accolade will make us work even harder to further improve the overall passenger experience in all our flights,” he said. This is PAL’s second consecutive award from APEX. Last year, the Filipino airline garnered the association’s “Four Star Major Regional Airline 2019” rating. PAL’s latest rating is the result of a comprehensive survey of 1.4 million airline customers, conducted through app-generated neutral, third-party passenger feedback collection and insights validated and certified by APEX. From July 2018 to July 2019, respondents rated key aspects of the inflight experience of nearly 600 airlines, such as seat comfort, inflight meals, cabin service, inflight entertainment and WiFi connectivity. More than 1.4 million flights were rated by passengers to produce this year’s APEX Official Airline Ratings, recognizing airlines in four categories: global airlines, major airlines, regional airlines and low-cost carriers. To cement its place as one of the world’s airlines recognized for quality service, PAL pursued various initiatives such as the introduction of a brand-new fleet of high-technology aircraft, the expansion of its flight route network featuring more convenient nonstop routes to key global centers and tourist markets and the rollout of service innovations such as an all-new premium economy cabin and upgraded business and economy class products on its long-haul aircraft. “Only a small, single-digit percentage of these airlines reached the prestigious APEX Four Star Airline status,” APEX chief executive Joe Leader said.

PAGCOR backs crackdown on erring POGOs STATE-RUN Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. expressed its full support to the government’s crackdown on Philippine offshore gaming operators that were dodging tax payments. PAGCOR said it was fully cognizant of the legal authority of the Bureau of Internal Revenue under the Department of Finance to close down taxevading establishments. The gaming regulator said it issued letters to all POGOs and service providers to comply with the law. Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III earlier asked the BIR to shut down the operations of POGOs and their service providers that failed or refused to pay the tax liabilities of their foreign workers and to file the appropriate cases against the tax-dodging firms. Dominguez issued the order after learning from the BIR during a recent DOF executive committee meeting of the slow pace of collections of withholding income taxes from POGOs despite the issuance of 130 letter-notices to these firms with tax liabilities amounting to P21.62 billion combined. “Why don’t we start closing them down so they will answer these assessments,” Dominguez said during the interagency meeting. BIR deputy commissioner Arnel Guballa reported that POGO service providers paid P175 million in withholding taxes in 2017 and P579 million in 2018. From January to August 2019, the BIR collected P1.4 billion from POGOs, representing a 242-percent increase from the previous year’s collections. “Those who don’t pay or respond to your assessments, clamp them down,” Dominguez asked the BIR. Dominguez told the BIR to ensure that the payment of the tax liabilities should account for each foreign worker in POGOs and to reject any “lump sum” offer or any other arrangement in paying their tax arrears.

Business

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2019 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Stocks retreat; Nickel Asia slips

HE stock market declined Tuesday on uncertainty and geopolitical fears, after an attack on Saudi Arabian facilities that wiped out half the country’s output.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index fell 64.67 points, or 0.8 percent, to 7,932.23 on a thin value turnover of P5.2 billion. Losers beat gainers, 126 to 73, with 45 issues unchanged. BDO Unibank Inc., the biggest lender in terms of assets, dropped 3.5 percent to P137.40, while Security Bank Corp., the sixth-largest bank, lost 2.7 percent to P200. Major property developer Ayala Land Inc. decreased 2.2 percent to P48.80, while Nickel Asia Corp., the biggest nickel ore producer, fell 4.4 percent to P4.10. Oil prices dipped Tuesday but held most

of the previous day’s record gains following an attack on Saudi facilities, with traders nervously awaiting the US response after it said Iran was likely to blame. The crisis revived fears of a conflict in the tinderbox Gulf region and raised questions about the security of crude fields in the world’s top exporter as well as other producers. It has also taken attention away from the upcoming trade talks between China and the US, as well as a much-anticipated policy meeting of the Federal Reserve, which is expected to cut interest rates. Trump said he was ready to help Riyadh following the strikes, but would await a “definitive” determination on who was responsible. Iran-backed Huthi rebels in Yemen have claimed responsibility, but Washington and Riyadh have pointed the finger at Tehran, which denies the accusations.

Trump appeared to temper his earlier warning that the US was “locked and loaded” to respond, saying: “I’m not looking to get into a new conﬂict, but sometimes you have to.” Faint hopes for talks between the US and Iran to ease tensions at the UN General Assembly this month were ruled out by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday. The weekend’s attack sent both main oil prices surging almost 15 percent on Monday and they managed to hold most of those in early Asian trade with WTI and Brent dipping a little more than one percent. Uncertainty and geopolitical fears left Asian equities mixed, having enjoyed an upbeat month thanks to easing trade war tensions and fresh easing measures by global central banks. Hong Kong fell 1.2 percent with sometimes-violent unrest in the city

adding to investor woes and dragging on the economy. Tokyo ended up 0.1 percent—marking a 10-day winning run—as investors returned from a long weekend, Shanghai slipped 1.7 percent, Sydney added 0.3 percent and Singapore retreated 0.6 percent. Taipei and Mumbai were also lower, though Seoul, Wellington, Bangkok and Jakarta rose slightly. “Geopolitical uncertainty is certainly nothing new in the Middle East. However even by recent standards yesterday’s sharp rise in oil prices... was a historic move,” said Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets UK. “The size of the move has raised concerns that if sustained, a rise in prices could prompt further weakness in a global economy already vulnerable to concerns about slowing demand.” With AFP

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2019

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING),

FINANCIALS 93 1,794,120 2.14 1,000 137.4 2,897,700 25.75 282,300 7.95 1,000 18.5 400 11.96 153,900 5.4 259,500 1.27 388,000 755.5 110 0.455 20,000 68.3 2,390,770 21 200 46.05 52,000 180 310 57.4 200 27.5 10,900 200 1,147,940 1,830 210 59.6 20,320 1.14 1,000

168,195,456.50 2,140 405,580,685 7,277,120 7,292 7,400 1,836,002 1,400,514 510,090 83,350 9,050 164,527,761.50 4,200 2,408,985 55,800 11,481 298,150 230,918,573 383,880 1,212,920 1,140

58,024,306.50 -172,430,814 -3,036,600 470,576 539 4,500 -75,499,548.50 -511,260 9,000 -5,030,214 -680,655 1,140

39.35 15.74 0.7 1.3 0.24 108.9 2.66 14 115.5 10.18 17 32 75.45 77.15 2.08 5.86 6.04 9.07 15.42 10.1 7.18 25.95 81.7 48 2.37 13.56 8.51 1.55 223 4.99 3.4 8.2 21.95 13.86 18.94 367.8 2.01 4.45 5.3 9.1 2.64 10.76 33.9 5.1 1.77 1.1 11.86 90.6 7.22 1.12 167.4 1.27 16.1 1.27

INDUSTRIAL 40 1,524,200 15.92 247,500 0.71 304,000 1.31 26,000 0.245 1,170,000 108.9 10 2.68 3,502,000 14.1 466,100 115.5 2,900 10.3 1,114,600 17.5 22,700 32.2 127,500 76 380 80.5 250 2.09 60,000 6 9,600 6.04 28,500 9.18 350,500 15.48 286,200 10.1 63,100 7.2 233,200 26 2,558,800 82 101,940 49.5 28,100 2.46 14,587,000 13.68 389,700 8.57 314,800 1.62 160,000 230.6 563,060 4.99 5,000 3.52 20,000 8.33 9,300 22 540,200 13.98 112,600 19.06 1,775,100 372 95,760 2.05 8,977,000 4.5 6,000 5.31 4,375,700 9.19 12,000 2.65 54,188,000 11 29,300 34 1,285,200 5.12 37,400 1.8 116,000 1.12 118,000 11.86 537,500 91 62,220 7.25 45,200 1.17 987,000 168.5 295,980 1.27 5,714,000 16.1 2,500 1.27 4,650,000

60,871,690 3,942,874 215,680 33,830 283,440 1,089 9,436,790 6,565,600 334,950 11,591,822 391,342 4,086,920 28,794 19,388 125,150 57,104 172,330 3,213,623 4,433,398 643,768 1,676,627 66,533,845 8,338,521 1,390,650 35,587,040 5,312,926 2,706,193 249,150 128,945,846 24,960 68,170 77,318 11,898,390 1,576,594 33,781,418 35,524,710 18,426,170 26,920 23,496,257 109,630 149,057,830 319,588 44,269,720 191,487 206,630 131,140 6,438,206 5,667,158 327,330 1,139,380 49,789,981 7,344,970 40,250 5,965,490

5,800,355 20,560 -102,240 7,230 -770,160 647,594 10,500 -1,043,575 -108,900 -292,783 1,670,390 447,796 -896,611 58,179,540 577,899 702,480 13,619,470 -2,569,728 -1,681,515 72,012,404 -2,782,770 -613,484 -17,327,544 6,223,352 3,409,600 4,500 -3,892,617 1,403,680 -65,878 -6,542,705.00 78,336 -612,418 174,046.50 5,325,526 -179,500 1,610 -75,630

0.9 54.8 12.7 0.81 6.95 13.88 1.24 1.25 913.5 3.61 6.87 9.12 13.7 4.63 0.242 917.5 6.27 75.25 5.9 0.53 4.57 14.44 0.66 5.09 0.039 1.43 3.15 174.7 1,018 0.88 1.29 244 0.236 0.25

0.86 53.6 12.44 0.78 6.9 13.4 1.21 1.23 899 3.45 6.77 9.05 13.5 4.63 0.242 889.5 5.83 72.75 5.39 0.5 4.5 14.22 0.64 5.02 0.038 1.35 3.15 171.1 999.5 0.84 1.29 225 0.229 0.249

HOLDING FIRMS 0.89 12,333,000 54.75 775,350 12.56 1,709,600 0.79 640,000 6.9 20,000 13.7 25,900 1.22 321,000 1.25 42,000 905 265,070 3.51 2,332,000 6.84 215,100 9.1 6,450,600 13.68 68,400 4.63 11,000 0.242 10,000 898 89,670 6.23 12,400 75.25 1,785,070 5.9 8,000 0.52 547,000 4.56 1,031,000 14.3 1,880,000 0.66 158,000 5.05 9,646,600 0.038 10,000,000 1.36 878,000 3.15 21,000 172.6 78,060 1,000 190,145 0.88 278,000 1.29 41,000 244 2,310 0.229 20,000 0.249 1,050,000

10,828,640 42,367,807.50 21,445,162 504,260 138,086 349,340 390,470 51,700 239,320,425 8,256,050 1,458,960 58,676,954 933,406 50,930 2,420 80,709,425 72,460 133,614,664 47,149 274,180 4,690,780 26,960,714 102,590 48,640,695 385,000 1,223,750 66,150 13,473,580 191,248,685 242,280 52,890 537,260 4,650 261,760

-132,900 8,580,399 -3,092,346 -48,430,840 -898,520 -416,188 -25,411,299.00 -2,740 586,415 49,413,894.50 -22,740 -371,664 -8,990,368 3,150 1,583,330 -31,554,520 -434,250 2,360 -27,500

15.26 0.85 1.96 0.98 49.4 2.18 4.8 6.1 0.57 0.76 0.88 0.219 0.395 9.53 21.6 0.46 1.66 1.25 5.21 0.32 0.445 1.57 0.39 2.06 25.3 2.37 3.38

15.24 0.8 1.86 0.88 48.8 2.16 4.75 5.89 0.55 0.73 0.84 0.218 0.395 9.36 21.2 0.46 1.62 1.24 5.1 0.31 0.445 1.51 0.39 2.02 25 2.37 3.31

PROPERTY 15.26 402,800 0.82 4,167,000 1.96 4,000 0.97 19,618,000 48.8 14,082,600 2.16 403,000 4.79 1,070,000 6.1 5,400 0.55 10,691,000 0.76 63,000 0.87 40,000 0.218 90,000 0.395 300,000 9.53 457,800 21.3 190,100 0.46 10,000 1.63 4,446,000 1.24 610,000 5.14 8,614,500 0.32 2,210,000 0.445 160,000 1.52 3,324,000 0.39 40,000 2.06 195,000 25.2 2,574,000 2.37 34,000 3.35 60,000

6,142,890 3,413,780 7,640 18,673,800 690,962,665 873,860 5,120,370 32,244 5,951,070 47,000 33,830 19,660 118,500 4,318,597 4,057,285 4,600 7,262,780 760,390 44,266,328 696,200 71,200 5,122,050 15,600 397,280 64,507,625 80,580 200,710

3,406,926 -47,050 -43,252,225 -758,850 3,798,170 -586,000 21,840 -132,827 -254,005 -539,490 250,000 16,426,170 -185,150 10,200 289,000 -

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

BANK PH ISLANDS BDO LEASING BDO UNIBANK CHINABANK CITYSTATE BANK COL FINANCIAL EAST WEST BANK FERRONOUX HLDG IREMIT MANULIFE MEDCO HLDG METROBANK PBCOM PHIL NATL BANK PHIL STOCK EXCH PSBANK RCBC SECURITY BANK SUN LIFE UNION BANK VANTAGE

94.35 2.14 142 25.85 6.07 18.5 12 5.54 1.26 780 0.45 70 21 46.55 180 57.5 27.3 203 1,821 59.6 1.14

94.35 2.14 142.4 26 7.95 18.5 12 5.54 1.42 780 0.455 70 21 46.9 180 57.5 27.8 203.2 1,830 60.5 1.14

91.75 2.14 137.4 25.75 6.07 18.5 11.9 5.35 1.26 755.5 0.45 68.2 21 46 180 57.4 27.3 199.8 1,821 59.5 1.14

ABOITIZ POWER AGRINURTURE ALLIANCE SELECT ALSONS CONS BASIC ENERGY BOGO MEDELLIN CEMEX HLDG CENTURY FOOD CHEMPHIL CIRTEK HLDG CNTRL AZUCARERA CONCEPCION 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 PEPSI COLA PETROENERGY PETRON PHINMA PHINMA ENERGY PHX PETROLEUM PILIPINAS SHELL PRYCE CORP ROXAS AND CO SFA SEMICON SHAKEYS PIZZA SMC FOODANDBEV SPC POWER TKC METALS UNIV ROBINA VITARICH VIVANT VULCAN INDL

40 15.86 0.71 1.3 0.245 108.9 2.77 14.18 115.5 10.28 17.26 32.5 75.45 77.15 2.09 5.86 6.05 9.19 15.48 10.46 7.2 26 81.8 49.9 2.45 13.64 8.51 1.6 223.8 5 3.41 8.3 22.3 14.1 19 372 2.05 4.45 5.42 9.15 2.84 11 35.45 5.25 1.77 1.12 12.26 92.5 7.25 1.14 167.4 1.3 16.1 1.32

40.15 15.96 0.71 1.31 0.248 108.9 2.77 14.22 115.5 10.64 17.5 33 76 80.5 2.09 6 6.05 9.2 15.5 10.46 7.2 26.2 82 50 2.47 13.68 8.7 1.62 230.6 5 3.52 8.33 22.3 14.26 19.36 372 2.12 4.5 5.49 9.19 2.92 11 35.45 5.25 1.82 1.12 12.26 92.5 7.25 1.2 169 1.3 16.1 1.33

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 FORUM PACIFIC GT CAPITAL HOUSE OF INV JG SUMMIT JOLLIVILLE HLDG LODESTAR LOPEZ HLDG LT GROUP MABUHAY HLDG METRO PAC INV PACIFICA PRIME MEDIA REPUBLIC GLASS SAN MIGUEL CORP SM INVESTMENTS SOC RESOURCES SOLID GROUP TOP FRONTIER WELLEX INDUS ZEUS HLDG

0.89 54.45 12.7 0.78 6.95 13.88 1.24 1.23 907 3.6 6.87 9.12 13.5 4.63 0.242 907 5.83 74.35 5.39 0.52 4.5 14.44 0.64 5.09 0.039 1.37 3.15 171.1 1,015 0.84 1.29 228 0.236 0.25

8990 HLDG A BROWN 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

15.26 0.84 1.86 0.91 49.3 2.18 4.78 5.89 0.56 0.76 0.88 0.219 0.395 9.38 21.6 0.46 1.66 1.25 5.2 0.315 0.445 1.55 0.39 2.04 25.3 2.37 3.37

VOLUME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING),

SM PRIME HLDG STA LUCIA LAND STARMALLS SUNTRUST HOME VISTA LAND

34.5 2.44 5.63 0.92 7.66

35.4 2.48 5.66 0.93 7.69

34.1 2.44 5.61 0.92 7.62

35.4 2.48 5.66 0.92 7.66

11,214,500 461,000 66,000 119,000 2,537,000

389,592,920 1,139,930 371,705 109,770 19,424,711

-28,504,600 10,754 -13,405,807

2GO GROUP ABS CBN ACESITE HOTEL APC GROUP APOLLO GLOBAL ASIAN TERMINALS BERJAYA BLOOMBERRY BOULEVARD HLDG CEBU AIR CHELSEA DFNN INC DISCOVERY WORLD EASYCALL FAR EASTERN U GLOBE TELECOM GMA NETWORK GOLDEN BRIA GRAND PLAZA HARBOR STAR IMPERIAL INTL CONTAINER IPEOPLE IPM HLDG ISLAND INFO ISM COMM LEISURE AND RES LORENZO SHIPPNG MACROASIA MANILA BULLETIN MANILA JOCKEY METRO RETAIL METROALLIANCE A METROALLIANCE B NOW CORP PACIFIC ONLINE PAL HLDG PH RESORTS GRP 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

10.3 19.88 1.67 0.57 0.047 18.26 2.46 11.04 0.056 91.5 7.05 5.72 2.08 10.3 890.5 1,931 5.27 435 9.86 1.79 1.88 134 9.26 5.03 0.112 5.29 3.32 0.93 19.8 0.445 3.45 2.52 1.15 1.28 3.45 2.83 8.15 5.04 137 3.35 1,175 0.73 0.57 42.8 80 9.35 2.93 0.71 0.36 5.46 0.69 16.4

10.3 19.9 1.7 0.65 0.049 18.26 2.47 11.2 0.057 91.5 7.15 5.8 2.08 10.3 890.5 1,970 5.33 435 9.86 1.79 1.88 136.8 9.26 5.03 0.112 5.39 3.33 0.94 19.8 0.445 3.46 2.56 1.21 1.28 3.49 2.9 8.15 5.04 137 3.37 1,179 0.73 0.59 42.8 80.5 9.35 2.93 0.71 0.365 5.48 0.69 16.46

10.1 19.6 1.6 0.57 0.047 18.26 2.46 11 0.056 91.05 7.01 5.72 2.05 10.22 890.5 1,931 5.27 435 9.86 1.68 1.88 131.9 9.23 5 0.11 5.21 3.29 0.93 19.5 0.445 3.35 2.5 1.15 1.02 3.3 2.73 8.15 4.73 135 3.27 1,167 0.71 0.56 42.3 79 9.35 2.76 0.69 0.355 5.46 0.68 16.4

SERVICES 10.1 19.6 1.69 0.65 0.049 18.26 2.47 11.18 0.057 91.2 7.04 5.8 2.05 10.26 890.5 1,970 5.27 435 9.86 1.68 1.88 133.3 9.23 5 0.11 5.28 3.29 0.94 19.54 0.445 3.46 2.52 1.2 1.05 3.33 2.73 8.15 4.73 135.7 3.28 1,179 0.72 0.56 42.5 79 9.35 2.8 0.7 0.36 5.47 0.68 16.44

14,800 284,600 117,000 53,782,000 4,200,000 100 118,000 1,343,900 6,750,000 194,060 505,700 1,900 90,000 72,500 8,600 35,570 146,500 10 500 2,295,000 25,000 745,260 1,800 6,100 1,000,000 3,245,000 454,000 226,000 804,100 30,000 18,000 301,000 85,000 35,000 3,118,000 47,000 1,200 1,300 1,940 860,000 36,375 2,315,000 16,618,000 663,200 468,380 1,100 1,373,000 105,000 6,920,000 730,600 249,000 1,903,700

150,730 5,639,062 193,780 33,634,460 198,000 1,826 291,410 14,869,570 384,140 17,697,526.50 3,558,297 10,884 185,390 744,020 7,658,300 69,546,970 772,994 4,350 4,930 3,916,030 47,000 99,021,432 16,659 30,605 110,720 17,128,170 1,496,540 211,860 15,729,490 13,350 61,110 757,920 101,760 39,280 10,490,520 132,110 9,780 6,180 262,619 2,833,430 42,736,850 1,651,350 9,441,990 28,183,200 37,472,451 10,285 3,889,840 73,340 2,487,850 3,995,311 169,370 31,293,528

-30,420 -39,460 -6,110,346.00 7,410 -8,294,202.50 83,752 30,780 9,210,095 25,500 -19,058,950 -106,240 -203,560.00 10,064,562 -113,890 730,340 504 136,555 -217,840 8,315,975 -1,036,350 -216,940.00 -6,111,945 -21,518,714 1,032,090 79,200 -103,382 -11,916,512.00

ABRA MINING APEX MINING ATLAS MINING ATOK 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 UNITED PARAGON

0.0017 1.24 2.57 12.46 2.68 8.01 1.8 0.227 0.112 0.111 0.01 0.014 1.18 4.25 1.14 0.495 0.89 0.012 0.012 0.011 9.65 4.02 12.7 23.9 0.0067

0.0018 1.25 2.57 12.46 2.68 8.01 1.83 0.227 0.112 0.111 0.01 0.014 1.2 4.27 1.14 0.495 0.93 0.013 0.012 0.011 10.2 4.02 13 23.9 0.0067

0.0017 1.22 2.55 12 2.68 7.75 1.77 0.22 0.11 0.109 0.01 0.011 1.18 4.07 1.11 0.495 0.88 0.012 0.012 0.011 8.88 3.97 12.52 23.05 0.0064

MINING & OIL 0.0018 61,000,000 1.24 2,771,000 2.56 51,000 12.46 5,200 2.68 531,000 7.97 93,100 1.8 66,800,000 0.226 550,000 0.11 140,000 0.109 530,000 0.01 75,000,000 0.013 53,500,000 1.2 219,000 4.1 18,174,000 1.13 24,000 0.495 20,000 0.92 1,704,000 0.012 26,800,000 0.012 900,000 0.011 300,000 9.2 3,207,000 3.98 591,000 12.7 1,172,400 23.4 797,400 0.0066 4,000,000

103,900 3,410,650 130,120 62,492 1,423,080 725,429 120,730,460 122,240 15,520 58,290 750,000 640,900 258,460 75,585,890 27,160 9,900 1,549,120 324,000 10,800 3,300 30,107,132 2,358,140 14,956,868 18,541,930 26,300

-59,500 -27,190 -4,800 30,910,140 8,920 -1,180 464,810 -726,822 -624,900 64,100 -11,950,490 -

ABS HLDG PDR AC PREF B1 AC PREF B2 ALCO PREF B DD PREF FGEN PREF G GMA HLDG PDR GTCAP PREF B HOUSE PREF A LR PREF MWIDE PREF PCOR PREF 2A PCOR PREF 3A PCOR PREF 3B SMC FB PREF 2 SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2D SMC PREF 2H SMC PREF 2I

18.64 500 500.5 102 101.6 108 5.11 980 98 0.99 101.9 998 1,050 1,080 997 78.9 75.05 75.1 76

18.78 504.5 500.5 102 101.8 108 5.15 980 98 1 101.9 998 1,050 1,080 997 78.9 75.05 75.1 76.95

18.62 500 500.5 101.2 101.6 108 5.08 970 97.4 0.99 100.3 998 1,050 1,062 997 78.8 75.05 75.05 76

PREFERRED 18.78 45,100 504.5 2,020 500.5 200 101.2 2,160 101.8 29,210 108 70 5.08 157,500 970 1,740 97.4 18,220 1 2,437,000 101.9 3,390 998 30 1,050 10 1,062 70 997 10 78.85 17,500 75.05 2,100 75.05 7,000 76 28,760

841,362 1,010,090 100,100 220,160 2,973,145 7,560 804,570 1,688,300 1,775,000 2,412,640 340,521 29,940 10,500 74,780 9,970 1,380,119 157,605 525,450 2,185,794.50

2,952,825 495,000 -

LR WARRANT

1.71

1.65

WARRANTS 1.66 18,000

29,870

ITALPINAS KEPWEALTH XURPAS

7.13 13 0.98

7.3 13.18 1.02

6.72 11.06 0.97

6.84 11.2 1

22,715,475 46,567,136 10,619,500

432,593 236,392 21,420

FIRST METRO ETF

119.8

118.5

641,194

USD DMPL A1 USD DMPL A2

10.36 10.1

10.36 10.3

10.36 10.1

10,360 131,609

NAME

MS TRADING SUMMARY

FINANCIAL

10,738,995

INDUSTRIAL

113,482,291

HOLDING FIRMS

53,047,571

PROPERTY

89,681,502

SERVICES

115,091,549

MINING & OIL

320,314,123

GRAND TOTAL

720,067,860

SME

3,247,400 3,889,700 10,567,000

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 118.8 5,400 DDS 10.36 10.3

1,000 13,030

VALUE 1,787.87 (down) 41.70 1,121,429,009.21 FINANCIAL 11,061.65 (up) 9.72 INDUSTRIAL 966,218,478.91 7,855.57 (down) 51.33 HOLDING FIRMS 946,277,888.05 PROPERTY 4,056.10 (down) 12.06 1,606.90 (down) 15.37 1,346,095,033.87 SERVICES 9,385.40 (down) 208.23 MINING & OIL 473,509,062.54 7,932.23 (down) 64.67 PSEI 271,974,067.386 All Shares Index 4,794.20 (down) 28.85 5,206,050,811.17 Gainers: 73; Losers: 126; Unchanged: 45; Total: 244

Ayala Land bares second luxury condo tower in QC By Jenniffer B. Austria AYALA Land Premier, the luxury residential brand of property giant Ayala Land Inc., has ventured into Quezon City with the development of two-tower condominium projects called Parklinks Towers, which are expected to generate as much as P26.7 billion in sales. ALP said in a press briefing Parklinks North Tower launched in November last year was now 70 percent sold out and that plans were under way to build the Parklinks South Tower over the next few weeks. The Parklink Towers is located within the 35-hectare mixed-use projects at the boundary of Pasig and Quezon City, which are jointly being developed by ALI and Eton Properties Philippines Inc., the real estate unit of tycoon Lucio Tan. The joint venture earlier committed to invest P53 billion on the estate’s development over the next ten years. Parklinks North Tower is expected to generate as much as P12.7 billion in sales while Parklinks South Tower will raise over P14 billion in revenues. Parklinks North Tower is a 55-story condominium offering 280 units. From a starting average price of about P280,000.00 per square meter, units in Parklinks North Tower are now being sold at P 320,000.00 per sq. m., marking a 15-percent increase in value. Units at Parklinks North Tower will range from 70 to 306 sq. m. priced from P22 to P120 million. The tower also offers a limited selection of special residences. The four-bedroom sky villa, with only nine available units of this type, offers a rare residence on the highest floors with an expanded living and dining experience as well as a master suite almost as large as a one-bedroom unit. The three-bedroom horizon villa, with only two units of this type, is an expansive bi-level unit with a sizable veranda at the 45th and 46th floors. Parklinks North Tower is expected to begin unit turnovers by the third quarter of 2025.

BSP okays change in corporate name of BDO rural bank By Julito G. Rada THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas approved the change of corporate name of One Network Bank Inc., the rural banking unit of BDO Unibank Inc.—the largest lender in the country controlled by the Sy family—to BDO Network Bank Inc. The BSP announced the change in corporate name of One Network through a circular signed by Deputy Governor Chuchi Fonacier. The rural bank has been doing business under the names of and brands BDO Network Bank; BDO Network Bank, a Rural Bank; and BDO Network, a Rural Bank. The Securities and Exchange Commission on July 31, 2019 approved the amended articles of incorporation and by-laws of the bank bearing its new corporate name. ONB was the biggest rural bank in the country in terms of assets with P27.3 billion At the end of 2018, according to BSP data. ONB operates 120 branches and over 220 automated teller machines, mostly located in Mindanao. BDO completed its acquisition of ONB in July 2015 from the Consunji Group. BDO in May completed the sale of a 15-percent minority stake in One Network Bank to Singapore investment firm Osmanthus Investment Holdings Pte. Ltd. (Singapore). BDO said in an earlier disclosure to the stock exchange the Osmanthus deal would further strengthen the rural bank’s foothold in micro-finance. The deal was first entered into in October last year. Osmanthus is a unit of Singaporean private equity firm Archipelago Capital Partners Pte. Ltd., which invests in small- to mid-market firms in Southeast Asia. “BDO’s partnership with Osmanthus in ONB is expected to accelerate ONB’s ongoing thrust into the micro-, small and medium enterprise (MSME) market and further extend coverage of the unbanked and underserved markets,” BDO said.

Manila

Standard

World

TODAY

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2019 CESAR BARRIOQUINTO, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

FAA to face questioning over 737 MAX N

EW YORK―A panel of global civil aviation authorities is expected to criticize the US Federal Aviation Administration’s approval of Boeing’s 737 MAX, which has been grounded for six months following two crashes, a source familiar with the matter said Monday.

ON THE HUNT. Tommy Swan, left, and Rhonda Norton take to the bank of a river as they hunt for caribou along the Wulik river on September 11, 2019, in Kivalina, Alaska. The hunters in the village have seen the migration patterns of fish, caribou, seal and whale that they need for the long winter months change due to the warming weather. AFP

IN BRIEF First swine fever outbreak in S. Korea

SEOUL―South Korea on Tuesday reported its first cases of African swine fever, becoming the latest country hit by the disease that has killed pigs from China to North Korea, pushing up pork prices worldwide. Five pigs found dead at a farm in Paju, a city near the inter-Korean border, were confirmed to have been infected with the virus, an official with Seoul’s agriculture ministry told AFP. “At this point, it’s too early to confirm if the case stemmed from the North,” the official added. Seoul’s agriculture minister Kim Hyun-soo said 3,950 pigs from three farms in Paju were to be culled. The country has raised its animal disease alert to the highest level and a nationwide 48-hour ban on the movement of pigs was issued, he added. The virus is not harmful to humans but causes hemorrhagic fever in pigs that is almost always fatal. There is no antidote or vaccine and the only known way to prevent the disease from spreading is a mass cull of affected livestock. Although this was the first confirmed outbreak of African swine fever in the South, the country has battled a number of animal diseases in the past. In 2014, outbreaks of avian flu in poultry farms resulted in the culling of more than 500,000 birds. A 2011 outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease resulted in the culling of nearly 3.5 million cattle, pigs and other animals. The confirmed cases in the South came around three months after Pyongyang told the World Organization for Animal Health that dozens of pigs had died from the disease at a farm near the Chinese border, according to the South’s agriculture ministry. In June, Seoul said the disease was “highly likely” to enter the country from the North and ordered fences to be erected at farms along the border to prevent possible contact between pigs and wild boar. There are around 6,700 pig farms across South Korea and pig farming accounts for 40 percent of the total livestock industry. AFP

Brain-eating amoeba kills 10-year-old girl WASHINGTON―A 10-year-old girl has died in the hospital, her family said in a statement on Monday, after she contracted a rare brain-eating amoeba while swimming in a Texas river. Lily Mae Avant swam in a river and lake over the Labor Day holiday weekend earlier in September, then suffered a headache and a fever the following weekend. Her health quickly deteriorated, and she was taken to a local hospital, then transferred to Cook Children’s Hospital in Fort Worth. Her fight for life attracted support from across the United States and around the world. The family said in a statement on Facebook that Lily Mae was “in the arms of Jesus.” “Words can not begin to express how overwhelming this past week has been for our family,” they said. “We have been flooded by your love and support and feel incredibly humbled by how many lives have been impacted by our sweet and sassy Lily Mae.” The Texas Department of State Health Services told local media that she had primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, a brain infection caused by the so-called brain-eating amoeba Naegleria fowleri. The first symptoms of the infection typically appear about a week after the amoeba enters the nose. “The amoeba is present in freshwater across Texas and elsewhere in the US, and there’s no particular body of water that would present a greater risk,” agency spokesman Chris Van Deusen told television station KWTX. “Cases are extremely rare, despite the millions of people who swim in lakes and rivers every year.” AFP

Earth to warm more quickly, new climate models show PARIS―Greenhouse gases thrust into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels are warming Earth’s surface more quickly than previously understood, according to new climate models set to replace those used in current UN projections, scientists said Tuesday. By 2100, average temperatures could rise 6.5 to 7.0 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels if carbon emissions continue unabated, separate models from two leading research centers in France showed. That is up to two degrees higher than the equivalent scenario in the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change’s (IPCC) 2014 benchmark 5th Assessment Report. The new calculations also suggest the Paris Agreement goals of capping global warming at “well below” two degrees, and 1.5C if possible, will be harder to reach, the scientists said. “With our two models, we see that the scenario known as SSP1 2.6― which normally allows us to stay under 2C―doesn’t quite get us there,” Olivier Boucher, head of the Institute Pierre Simon Laplace Climate Modeling Center in Paris, told AFP.

With barely one degree Celsius of warming so far, the world is already coping with increasingly deadly heat waves, droughts, ﬂoods and tropical cyclones made more destructive by rising seas. A new generation of 30-odd climate models known collectively as CMIP6― including the two unveiled Tuesday― will underpin the IPCC’s next major report in 2021. “CMIP6 clearly includes the latest modeling improvements,” even as important uncertainties remain, Joeri Rogelj, an associate professor at Imperial College London and an IPCC lead author, told AFP. These include increased supercomputing power and sharper representations of weather systems, natural and man-made particles, and how clouds evolve in a warming world. “We have better models now,” said Boucher. “They have better resolution, and they represent current climate trends more accurately.” A core ﬁnding of the new models is that increased levels of CO2 in the atmosphere will warm Earth’s surface more easily than earlier calculations had suggested. AFP

The panel, known as the Joint Authorities Technical Review (JATR), was set up last April by the FAA amid criticism of the FAA’S close ties to Boeing. The FAA was the last global aviation authority to ground the 737 MAX after one of the aircraft crashed in Ethiopia in March, leaving 157 dead, a few months after another went down in Indonesia, killing 189. The JATR―which brings together experts from nine international aviation authorities as well as the FAA and NASA―was tasked with reviewing the approval procedures for the 737 MAX and make proposals to improve them. According to the source, the report, which must be submitted in the coming weeks, is critical of the FAA. In particular, it is expected to take aim at the lack of transparency in the way that the FAA permitted Boeing to evaluate systems and software for the MAX, the source said on condition of anonymity. The panel is expected to conclude that important changes to the design of the MAX were not properly reviewed by the FAA, according to the source. For example, it was Boeing employees who inspected the MCAS anti-stall system, which has been implicated in the deadly crashes, sources previously told AFP. The same sources reported alleged collusion under a program in which employees of Boeing are accredited by the FAA to assist in approving the aircraft as well as signing off on training procedures of pilots on new planes. The panel is also expected to criti-

cize the FAA for failing to share data with its peers when certifying the MAX in 2017, the Wall Street Journal reported. “We look forward to the publication of the JATR report when it is complete,” a Boeing spokesperson said in a statement. “Our team is determined to keep improving on safety in partnership with the global aerospace industry and broader community,” the statement said, adding that: “We continue to work with global regulators to safely return the 737 MAX to service.” “We will carefully review all recommendations and will incorporate any changes that would improve our certification activities,” said a spokesperson for the FAA, which has defended the MAX. The panel’s “focus on the certification of the aircraft is separate from the ongoing efforts to safely return the aircraft to flight,” the spokesperson said. Steve Dickson, the new head of the FAA, said Monday on the CNBC television channel that he was going to Seattle this week to test a MAX featuring the modified MCAS on a simulator. He also said that Boeing had still not submitted all the requested changes for the FAA to rule on lifting the flight ban on the MAX. “It’s really safety first and we’re not on any specific timeline,” he said. There are differences among regulators on the criteria for returning the MAX to service, with the Europeans indicating that they will inspect the aircraft themselves and, like the Canadians, want pilot training to include time in a simulator. AFP

Highest human rights award goes to teenager WASHINGTON―Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg and the Fridays for Future youth movement received Amnesty International’s “Ambassadors of Conscience” award on Monday for their work highlighting the need for urgent action to avert climate disaster. The 16-year-old, who is taking a year out of high school, received a standing ovation from students at The George Washington University in the US capital where the ceremony was held. “The politics required to take on this crisis simply doesn’t exist today,” Thunberg said, standing on a step to reach the microphone. “That is why every single one of us must push from every possible angle to hold those responsible accountable and to make the people in power act.” She added that the prize was not just for her but the millions of youth who have taken part since last year in weekly school strikes held every Friday, inspired by the sit-in she began outside Sweden’s parliament in August 2018. The next of these will be on September 20, a day when Thunberg and thousands of New York students are expected to pour into the streets as part of a “global climate strike” along with other protests around the world. That will be followed on Saturday by the ﬁrst Youth Climate Summit at the UN and the Climate Action Summit

on Monday, which the UN chief has convened because N OTICE the world’s biggest polluters remain woefully behind their Notice is hereby given that ACRO HOTELS AND greenhouse gas emissions targets. RESORTS, INC. with office address at Acro Building, Thunberg spoke forcefully Monday about the “destrucKm. 22, East Service Road, South Super Highway, Muntinlupa City is applying for registration with the tion” of the planet and the large-scale deaths that could Board of Investments (BOI) as a New Operator of come about as a result of climate change, water and air polTourist Accomodation Facility under the Special Laws - Tourism (Charlie`s El Nido Hotel) with a capacity lution and the destruction of food chains. of 55 rooms on a Non-Pioneer status, with project But she said she also saw an “awakening.” site located at Km. 279, National Highway, Brgy. Villa Libertad, El Nido, Palawan. “Even though it is slow, the pace is picking up and the debate is shifting,” she said, before concluding: “See you Any person with valid objection/s on the abovementioned project may file his/her objection in writing, on the street!” under oath, with the BOI within three (3) days from the She was joined on stage by some young American activists. date of this publication. “They can’t just ignore us anymore!” said Jerome Foster, 17. Earlier, Kumi Naidoo, the secretary general of Amnesty (SGD.) MARY ANN E. RAGANIT Officer-In-Charge International, told AFP that the organization was originally Infrastructure and Services Industries Service not going to give out the prize in 2019, following the unprecedented decision to withdraw it from Aung San Suu Kyi in late 2018. Amnesty rescinded the award from the Myanmar leader for “the REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES shameful betrayal of the values she TARIFF COMMISSION once stood for” over Suu Kyi’s “apNOTICE ON THE CONDUCT OF REVIEW OF THE parent indifference” to the suffering ASEAN HARMONIZED TARIFF NOMENCLATURE (AHTN) 2017 of the Rohingya population. AFP (MS-SEPT. 18, 2019)

Notice is hereby given that the ASEAN Technical Sub-Working Group on Classification (TSWGC), pursuant to the Protocol Governing the Implementation of the AHTN, as amended, is conducting a review of the ASEAN Harmonized Tariff Nomenclature (AHTN) 2017 in line with the approval of the Harmonized System (HS) 2022 Nomenclature and in preparation for the AHTN 2022 edition. Interested parties may submit to this Commission their proposals and/or requests on their product/s of interests covered in Chapters 74 to 97 of the AHTN 2017, using the template provided, on or before 30 October 2019: AHTN 2017 Code Description Chapter 74 to 83 Base metals and articles of base metals (copper, nickel, aluminium, lead, zinc, tin , and articles thereof; other base metals; cermets; articles thereof; tools, implements, cutlery, spoons and forks, of base metal; parts thereof of base metal; miscellaneous articles of base metal) Chapter 84 to 97 Machinery and mechanical appliances; electrical equipment; parts thereof; sound recorders and reproducers, television image and sound recorders and reproducers, and parts and accessories of such articles; vehicles, aircraft, vessels and associated transport equipment; optical, photographic, cinematographic, measuring, checking, precision, medical or surgical instruments and apparatus; clocks and watches; musical instruments; arms and ammunitions; parts and accessories thereof; miscellaneous manufactured articles; works of art, collectors’ pieces and antiques

A briefer on the review and the template for proposals and/or requests are on the Commission’s website www.tariffcommission.gov.ph. The Commission will also conduct industry-specific consultation and verification activities. The schedules will be announced later. For inquiries, Ms. Ruth A. Polo, Acting Chief Tariff Specialist, Commodities Studies Division, Research, Investigation and International Trade Analysis Service, may be reached at Telephone Number 926-8731 or at TC. Assist@mail.tariffcommission.gov. ph. Issued this 13th day of September 2019, at Quezon City, Metro Manila.

VOTING TIME. An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man watches as another casts his ballot at a voting station in the city of Bnei Brak during the Israeli parliamentary election on September 17, 2019. AFP

MARILOU P. MENDOZA Chairperson (MS-SEPT. 18, 2019)

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

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2019

LGUs LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

Munti ties up with Xi’an, school to offer Mandarin T

O EXPAND its network and build linkages in the global community, the local government of Muntinlupa has partnered with Xi’an Municipal People’s Government of China to explore points of collaboration in various development areas, including offering Mandarin classes in a local college. Muntinlupa City Administrator Engr. Allan Cachuela represented Mayor Jaime Fresnedi in a benchmark visit to Xi’an, Shaanxi province’s capital last Sept. 13. The Muntinlupa delegation represented the Philippines in the Euro-Asia Economic Forum and the 2nd Traditional Chinese Medicine International Exchange and Cooperation Forum. Among the delegates in the forum were business executives and medical professionals from the United States, Hungary, and Japan. “We are very grateful that Xi’an is open for partnership in various areas of exchange. The City Government of Muntinlupa looks forward in learning from Xi’an and adapt these innovations in our city,” Cachuela said in a welcome banquet. Also joining the benchmark visit were Muntinlupa City Health Office Assistant Department Head Dr. Juancho Bunyi, Ms. Carina Perez, Deputy City Administrator Roger John Smith, and Colegio de Muntinlupa College President Dr. Teresita Fortuna. Muntinlupa execs visited a local hospital in Xi’an to benchmark Chinese traditional health programs as part of the benchmark visit. The city government seeks to enrich its expertise in health and wellness as part of the local government’s development priorities. The local officials also toured the Terracotta Army site and Xiang Shiyou University. A Mandarin class is set to be offered in Colegio de Muntinlupa as part of the two towns’ cultural exchange program. Further, medical staff and other government personnel will be trained in Chinese Language Centers and Health Facilities as part of Xi’an and Muntinlupa’s agreement.

Part of Action Against Hunger’s efforts has been providing families displaced by the military operations in Maguindanao with non-food items and hygiene kits. Inset shows AAH’s ‘P100 for 5 Challenge’ campaign ambassadors and chefs (from left) Guy Halsey, Robby Goco, Dale Divinagracia, and Rolando and Jac Laudico.

Restos, chefs band together against hunger ON THE frontline in the fight against malnutrition in nearly 50 countries is global humanitarian organization Action Against Hunger. During a press event at Green Pastures in Taguig City, AAH announced two initiatives that will encourage the public to help them reach more children with lifesaving treatment while developing long-term solutions to stop the them from becoming malnourished in the first place. An estimated 33.4 percent or four million Filipino children under five years old are malnourished, according to the latest survey conducted by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology. Malnutrition affects the whole nation by slowing down economic growth, and the Philippines loses P220 billion annually due to child malnutrition, according to a 2018 report from the United Children’s Fund, Department of Health, and the National Nutrition Council. The country is ranked 9th among countries with the highest

number of malnourished children. “Children suffering from malnutrition may never attain their full possible height, have weaker immune systems, and their brains may never develop to their full cognitive potential. They will face learning difficulties in school and get sick more often. If not treated in the first 1,000 days of a person’s life, the effects of malnutrition are irreversible and will last that person’s whole life,” explained AAH Country Director, Guy Halsey. “Poverty, diseases and epidemics, natural disasters, and conflict are the four main causes of malnutrition in the Philippines,” Halsey explained. To address these, AAH has projects in Nutrition and Health (NUT), Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH), Food Security and Livelihood (FSL), and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). For AAH to continue their projects, they need help. And this is where their two campaigns come in. “Love Food Give Food” was previously known as

Restaurants Against Hunger. Since 2016, its goal has been to ignite the active participation of food establishments and food lovers to stop the upward trend of extreme hunger: malnutrition. Love Food Give Food helps make food good in more ways than one. “Unlike its previous version, Love Food Give Food is not limited to restaurants. We hope to get the support of all types of food establishments; food kiosks, bakeries, cafés, carinderias, and even home-based online food vendors,” said Fundraising and Resource Development Manager Dale Nelson Divinagracia.

OK sa DepEd goes to Legazpi for immunizations TO HELP ensure that all learners have access to basic primary health so that they can attain their full educational potential, the Department of Education recently spearheaded the Oplan Kalusugan sa DepEd (OK sa DepEd) multi-stakeholder program, in partnership with the Department of Health and local government units. In Legazpi City, Albay, OK sa DepEd was recently launched in collaboration with the DOH - Center for Health Development Bicol and the Legazpi City Health Office. The health-centric program, held at Puro Elementary School, gathered around 250 participants composed of teachers, parents, and students with local government officials and representatives from the DepEd and DOH. OK sa DepEd serves as a convergence of sustainable and holistic health and nutrition programs that aim to educate students, parents, and teachers on healthier behaviors that can result in better learning outcomes particularly for students. The program includes health activities featuring the five major DepEd school health initiatives namely SchoolBased Feeding Program (SBFP), National Drug Education Program (NDEP), Adolescent Reproductive Health Education (ARH), Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) in Schools (WinS) Program, and other nursing, dental, and medical services. To extend and strengthen the program’s goals and promote a healthy and safe environment for learners, the OK sa DepEd implementation in Legazpi City included the School-Based Immunization (SBI) Program of the DOH. The SBI serves as an optimal strategy in the prevention of life-threatening diseases so that schools would become healthier places for learners to thrive. In his opening remarks, Nelson Morales, Jr., Schools Division Superintendent officer-in-charge, emphasized the importance of immunization in strengthening the health foundation of children. “We not only welcome you to this occasion, but also appeal for your continuous support to sustain these initiatives. Children’s health cannot wait and therefore, we acknowledge the fact that we cannot do it all alone,” he said. Throughout history, vaccination has been proven as one of the most effective ways of safeguarding lives against diseases. With the help of vaccines, the burden of infectious diseases has been reduced and some vaccine-preventable diseases were even eliminated such as smallpox. The SBI Program endeavors to reach out to a wider community and broaden vaccination coverage, especially among the youth, so that no Filipino would have to suffer from a vaccine-preventable disease. DepEd’s support for the SBI Program is targeted to help the DOH build a more resilient health system for immunization, with the vision of eliminating diseases like measles, diphtheria, tetanus, and human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, to name a few.

Garcia awarded UST Most Outstanding Alumna BATAAN Vice Governor Cris Garcia has been awarded by University of Santo Tomas as its Most Outstanding Alumna of the College of Commerce and Business Administration for her exemplary achievement in the field of public service on Monday. The awarding ceremony was held at the UST Medicine Auditorium. Two other UST alumni were awarded. The vice governor finished Vice Governor Cris Garcia

her elementary and secondary education at Balanga Elementary School and Tomas del Rosario Academy, respectively, according to 1Bataan news portal. She took her Bachelor of Science in Commerce Major in Accountancy at UST. In year 2000, Garcia pursued her master’s degree in Business Administration, Major in Fiscal Administration at the Philippine School for Business Adminis-

tration, graduating cum laude, based on the capitol news portal. She worked as a legislative staff to former 2nd District representative, the late Enrique “Tet” Garcia, Jr. Cris Garcia continued her stint at the House of Representatives as legislative staff officer until 2016, where she was exposed to matters pertaining to legislation that prepared her for her current post, said the news portal. Butch Gunio

LTO, FCF give tips on road crash prevention By Ben Moses Ebreo KASIBU, Nueva Vizcaya—Secondary students and local officials here were recently oriented with transportation and traffic laws and regulations through the Land Transportation Office and FCF Minerals Corp. The Road Safety Information Campaign benefited close to 300 schoolers of the Kasibu National Agricultural School and barangay captains who were attending the joint meeting of the Municipal Peace and Order Council and Municipal Anti-Illegal Drugs Council, chaired by Mayor Romeo Tayaban. Lorenzo Tuddao, transportation and regulations officer of LTO regional office in Tuguegarao City said road crashes serve as the major cause of death and injuries among drivers of motorcycles and cars in Cagayan Valley. He attributed the road crashes on the violation of following laws and

regulations such as the Anti-Drunk and FCF operates the Gold-Molybdenum Drugged, Seatbelt, Helmet, Distracted Project in Barangay Runruno in Quezon Driving and Children’ Safety Laws. town. “These are the reasons why we are also conducting an intensified information campaign to empower our transport sector on the prevention of road crashes in the region,” he said. Meanwhile, Ian Moller, FCF General Manager for Sustainability, said the IEC campaign will also be conducted to the youth and schoolers of Quezon National High School and Runruno National High School. “This will also reach out to the 17 barangays as Schoolers of Kasibu National High School in Kasibu, communities covered by Nueva Vizcaya study a brochure as they listen to lectures our Social Development on Road Safety laws and regulations by the Land and Management Program Transportation Office, supported by FCF Minerals Corp. Ben Moses Ebreo (SDMP),” Moller added.

Simeon Bautista, SeedWorks Philippines area sales manager for North Luzon, stands in a field planted with the US88 rice variety in Talavera, Nueva Ecija.

SeedWorks PH seeks to boost CL rice output SEEDWORKS Philippines is intensifying its push for its US-88 hybrid rice variety in its effort to help local farmers increase production of high-quality rice. The company is initially rolling out its strong promotion initiatives in Nueva Ecija and Central Luzon, a region that accounted for a fifth of total rice yield in the country in the first half of 2018, based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority. “We encourage more farmers especially in Central Luzon to choose US-88 hybrid rice, which is more ideal for the type of climate we have,” said SeedWorks Philippines Area Manager for North Luzon Simeon Bautista. The hybrid rice variety is proven tolerant to typical crop diseases—like Bacterial Leaf Blight, among others—that impede yield of rice varieties, Bautista said. “Aside from its proven resilience, US-

88 brings about much better rice quality that consumers surely prefer,” he added. The variety produces long-grain rice that has excellent soft eating quality. Milling and head rice recovery is high, comparable to premium rice that millers look for. In line with the company’s initiatives to further push US-88 in the “rice bowl region,” SeedWorks is launching a contest for qualified US-88 hybrid rice farmers across Central Luzon. Dubbed “Ang Hari sa Ani,” the campaign aims to motivate local farmers in the area to choose the hybrid rice variety when they till their land this upcoming dry crop season. Ang Hari sa Ani is also about choosing a variety that has high milling recovery and long grain that farmers can sell at a premium that is very timely with the influx of imported rice.

Life

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

FASHION AND BEAUTY

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2019

Sneakers for men

New shoes every

FRIDAY

Nude low-heeled slingback mules

White loafers

GIF, indeed as aside from the weekend, there’s another thing that makes Friday even more exciting.

Global shoe brand Bata continues to delight customers with its ongoing “New Arrivals Every Friday” promotion, highlighting new designs of footwear and bags released every week. Every Friday, Bata showcases new and top-quality designs be it for casual, formal, or corporate functions just in time for weekend shopping. Established in 1894 by siblings Tomas, Anna, and Antonin Bata in the Czech Republic, Bata continuously provides quality and trendy footwear around the world. Being the world’s leading shoemaker by volume, the company serves more than 1 million consumers a day in more than 5,300 stores across 70 countries. Bata has also been a pioneer in footwear innovation for more than 120 years with its Shoe Innovation Centres, which focus on new technologies, materials, and designs that support shoe comfort features and guarantee fashion-forward designs. With this, it not only channels innovation in the production and design of new styles, but also in the creation of business models that permit a quick response to the everchanging wants and needs of its customers. Bata now has 22 standalone stores in the country. It is also present in selected SM Stores nationwide.

STEP INTO NEW SHOES ON FRIDAY. Footwear and bag brand

Bata showcases new designs of casual, formal, and corporate shoes every Friday, as part of its New Arrivals Every Friday promotion.

The Elegant Filipinas 2019: Grace, good manners, social media discretion By Bernadette Lunas AN ELEGANT Filipina is graceful, precise, humble, altruistic, and well-mannered. These are the qualities Tingting Cojuangco and the rest of the people behind The Elegant Filipinas look for in the women who receive the recognition. “Elegance is precision―a tilt of the head, eyes that invite, a modulated voice. Posture―with shoulders squared and the tilt of a humble chin,” said Fortune Ledema, consul general of Monaco and one of the organizers of The Elegant Filipinas. Ledesma said elegance transcends age, “from women with youthful verve to doyennes with wisdom and inner peace.” But in the age of of hyper-connectivity and oversharing, Cojuangco said a true elegant Filipina, or woman in general, should be discreet, not sharing every The Elegant Filipinas 2019 include (top, from left) Cat Arambulo, Iza Calzado, Amina detail of her life for the world to simply Aranaz-Alunan, Jo Ann Bitagcol, Ayen Munji-Laurel, (bottom, from left) Mercedes browse and share. Vargas Lopez, Ria Prieto, Chaye Cabal-Revilla, Aleta Suarez, and Happy Ongpauco-Tiu “I don’t think she should put very sentative Aleta Suarez, designer and private things in her life [on social me- Standard. This year’s honorees is a diverse list entrepreneur Amina Aranaz Alunan, dia]. She should leave some mystery so people will be curious why she does and of 10 elegant Filipinas. Joining the list award-winning actress and singer what she does,” Cojuangco told Manila are 3rd District Quezon City Repre- Ayen Munji-Laurel, stylist and entrepreneur Catherine Arambulo, finance chief Chaye Cabal-Revilla, chef and restaurateur Happy Ongpauco-Tiu, actress and environment advocate Iza Calzado, model and photographer Jo Ann Bitagcol, philanthropist and foundation president Mercedes Lopez Vargas, and stylist and contributing editor Ria Prieto. The fifth staging of “Tingting’s List: The Elegant Filipinas” was mounted for the benefit of the World Wide Fund for Nature. The awarding ceremony held at Diamond Hotel also featured a fashion presentation of equally elegant creations by Filipino designers Albert Andrada, Barge Ramos, Val Taguba, Renee Salud, and Ronaldo Arnaldo. Designers Renee Salud, Ronaldo Arnaldo, Val Taguba, Barge Ramos, and Albert Andrada present some of their creations during the awarding ceremony.

Photos by Sonny Espiritu

Life

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2019 manilastandardlife@gmail.com

Red Charity Gala 2019

A lovely gown made by Dennis Lustico

presents past honorees T

HE 11th year of Red Charity Gala, a show that highlights Filipino designers’ creative excellence, is a special celebration as it will gather past 10 honorees in a fashion event aptly entitled “The First Ten.”

A Lesley Mobo creation

By Joey Samson

By Chito Vijandre

Happening on Oct. 12 at Shangri-La at The Fort in Taguig City, the Tessa Prieto-Valdes- and Kaye Tinga-organized affair will be staged for the beneﬁt of Philippine Red Cross, Assumption HS ‘81 Foundation, and various charities throughout the country. INDIVIDUALS employed in Makati City get a special discount at beauty and wellness solutions clinic Stelton Dermascience. Available for the whole month of September, the Makati Employee Perks promotion offers ﬁrst-time clients to as much as 50 percent discount on select Stelton Dermascience services at its branch in Ayala North Exchange. Clients only need to show their company ID to avail of this offer. The discount applies to the following services: Pimple Free Facial, Dermascience Facial, Hydrajet Facial, Clear Laser, Fractional CO2 Laser, Laser Hair Removal, S-Face Contour, S-Body Contour, Varicose Vein Therapy, Glow PRP, and HairGrow PRP. Call (02) 900-1316 or 0977-8555769 for inquiries and reservations.

First-time clients employed in Makati get discount on Stelton’s S-Body Contour service.

The stars of the show Among the roster of talented designers is Dennis Lustico who was Red Charity Gala’s first featured designer in 2009. Known for his neo-romantic style, Lustico will return to the runway with a collection entitled The Story of Mei, which will show his hyper-glam interpretation of the Chinese form-fitting dress, cheongsam. Dubai-based Filipino designer Furne One will feature a collection displaying his distinct way of incorporating lace, tulles, feathers, and other intricate details to his masterpieces. Joining Furne is fellow Dubai-based Filipino couturier Michael Cinco. Famous for his dramatic and intricate ballgowns loved by a number of high profile clients, Cinco took inspiration from his recent trip to India to come up with a collection

By Cary Santiago

inspired by the culture and aesthetics of the country. Seven years after his breathtaking 35-piece origami-inspired collection, Cebuano designer Cary Santiago’s collection will be a spectacle with the perfect combination of edge, femininity, sophistication, and modernity. Ezra Santos, the third UAE-based designer in the lineup, will exhibit a collection reflecting his modern classic interpretation of the Arab culture and its women. Jojie Lloren, on the other hand, will modernize barong tagalog, terno, and traje de mestiza with his architectural and minimal style while utilizing reengineered versions of Filipino garments. London-based Lesley Mobo, who is also the youngest of the group, was inspired by the classic period in film history. Thus his collection will embody the charm and femme fatale characterization captured in the ‘40s and ‘50s. A self-proclaimed maximalist, Chito Vijandre’s collection will be composed of fantasy couture pieces inspired by 18th- and 19th-century artists. Vijandre explained that his creations will mirror how he experienced the world in his lifetime. Year 2017 honoree Joey Samson will be presenting a line of menswear that he described as androgynous and will show a balance between contemporary and classic elements. His collection will be filled with details and structures that are both unexpected and traditional. After successfully headlining last year’s event, Rajo Laurel will once again show his outstanding creations that will pay homage to energy, colors, and joy of the Ati-Atihan festival. Titled Hala-Bira, his collection will reflect his penchant for romanticism and luxury while featuring woven materials by marginalized women from Davao and Bicol.

A love letter to the ‘70s SPOTTED

Adam Devine in Tommy AMERICAN actor Adam Devine appeared in an episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in a check slim ﬁt three-piece suit from Tommy Hilﬁger. Devine looked dapper as he promoted his new HBO comedy series

Righteous Gemstones. Tommy Hilﬁger is located at Central Square in Bonifacio High Street Central, Greenbelt 5, Kiss & Fly – NAIA Terminal 3, Newport Mall, Rustan’s Makati, and Rustan’s Shangri-La.

Marks and Spencer’s Checked Double Breasted Trench Coat

Adam Devine at ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’

FOR its cold season style staples, Marks and Spencer decided to take a page from fashion’s favorite decade: the 1970s. Channeling that unique sense of power that comes with dressing sharp and smart, the collection features well-constructed pieces that can take wearers from a day at the ofﬁce to an evening in the city. The tailored Double Breasted Trench Coat, available in black, dark stone, and

1970s-inspired Mia Slim Checked Ankle Grazer Trousers

navy, is bound to lend a little extra ﬁnesse to anyone’s style. No ode to the ‘70s is ever complete without a generous helping of fun prints, is it? Orbiting around a warm palette of deep reds and light browns, plaid and checks are key players in the collection. The Mia Slim Checked Ankle Grazer Trousers and the printed iteration of the

Checked Double Breasted Trench Coat weave a little effervescence into day-to-day look. Paying tribute to that Seventies ﬂair, the collection also features a palatecleansing scarf print, as seen in the Floral Stripe Pleated Midi Skirt. Find these pieces at Marks and Spencer stores nationwide.

Entertainment

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2019

nickie.standard@gmail.com

INTERNATIONAL

‘IT’ stays atop box office but ‘Hustlers’ draws raves IN THIS file photo taken on Aug. 26, actor Bill Skarsgard arrives for the premiere of IT Chapter Two in Westwood, California; he plays Pennywise, the murderous clown. The film stayed atop the North American box office this weekend (earning Warner Bros. an estimated

$40.7 million for the three-day period, down from its $91 million opening last weekend), but the buzzy new Jennifer Lopez movie Hustlers ( which took in $33.2 million for STX Films) notched a strong second place, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday. AFP

Nazi comedy ‘Jojo Rabbit’ wins Toronto film fest prize JOJO Rabbit on Sunday won the Toronto ﬁlm festival’s top prize, an Oscars bellwether which gives the satirical Nazi comedy a boost as Hollywood’s award season kicks into gear. The movie from Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi tells the story of a young German boy living during World War Two whose imaginary friend is a make-believe version of Adolf Hitler. Billed as an “anti-hate satire,” it plots how the child—a Hitler Youth member with a fondness for Nazi uniforms and book-burnings—discovers that his mother (Scarlett Johansson) is hiding a Jewish girl in their attic. It beat runners-up Marriage Story— also starring Johansson—and Cannes Palme d’Or winner Parasite from South

\AFTER making its rounds in different countries, the world’s most popular reality dating show has finally made its way to Japan. The Bachelor Japan, featuring the country’s first bachelor, Hirotake Kubo, premieres tomorrow (Sept. 19) at 09:00 p.m. on TLC. In the first season, Hirotake, a graduate of Tokyo University’s business master’s program, meets 25 hopeful young women, his romantic interests, who are all vying for his affection. The hopefuls are each given the chance to meet and spend time with the bachelor—from group dates at a robot restaurant to more intimate one-on-one experiences—in the hopes of making that connection that would lead to eternal love. As commonly seen in the show, however, dating does not always end as planned. With the show’s elimination format, the girls end up being sent home one by one until only one remains. Join Hirotake in his search for eternal love and find out who he hands the final rose to as the first season of The Bachelor Japan premieres on TLC.

premieres strongly on primetime

'Pamilya Ko' lead cast members Joey Marquez, Raikko Mateo, and Sylvia Sanchez

ORE viewers nationwide tuned in to the happy, loving, and relatable story of the Mabunga family as the new Kapamilya series Pamilya Ko posted strong national TV ratings and topped the trending topics on Twitter with its ofﬁcial hashtag #MabungaAngPamilyaKo. The series, which star JM De Guzman, Kiko Estrada, Jairus Aquino, Maris Racal, Kira Balinger, Mutya Orquia, Raikko Mateo, Joey Marquez, and Sylvia Sanchez, revolves around the lives of the Mabunga family and their journey in keeping their home intact as they face complex issues that

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Wednesday, September 18, 2019

DOWN 1 Thin board 2 Feline response 3 Asian range 4 Coarser in texture 5 Learn well 6 Early Peruvian 7 Ocean sound 8 Nelson of 1930s musicals 9 — Plaines 10 Watchmaker 11 Strong pullers 12 Quick-witted 13 Glimpse 21 Eurasian range 22 Jowly canine 24 Kennel sounds 25 Scorches 26 Fire starter 27 Dazes 28 One-piece outfit 29 Asian capital

Sky's promo will select lucky patrons enjoy an all-expense paid six-day, five-night trip and witness this year’s “Fashion Forward Dubai.”

Sky to fly lucky subscribers to Dubai

One of Japan's eligible bachelors Hirotake Kubo in the latest season of dating series, 'The Bachelor.'

man 60 Lamp-plug part 61 Clock front 62 Italian volcano 63 Paris river 64 Brunch fare 65 Grill steaks 66 Kept the engine running 67 Bygone Queens stadium

Korean director Bong Joon-ho. The Toronto People’s Choice Award, determined entirely by the votes of festival attendees, has a strong history of predicting Oscars success. The last seven winners were all nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, with two of those winning the Oscar, including last year’s surprise victor Green Book. 12 Years a Slave (2013), The King’s Speech (2010) and Slumdog Millionaire (2008) all began their award season journeys to Oscar glory with the Toronto prize. AFP

‘PAMILYA KO’

‘The Bachelor’ seeks eternal love in Japan

ACROSS 1 Extend over 5 Bogged down 10 Say in fun 14 Something remarkable 15 Battery’s “+” end 16 Former spouses 17 Sheik, usually 18 Gazillions 19 Ooze 20 Feeder 22 Loafer insert 23 Intense anger 24 “Westworld” name 25 Slings mud at 28 Anthology cousin 31 Oyster treasure 32 Rainproof cover 34 Harvest 36 Edge a doily 37 Verne of sci-fi 38 Teahouse attire 39 Parts of ovals 41 Teller’s stack 42 Weakness 44 Polishes 46 Fixed 48 The “Velvet Fog” Torme 49 Balloon filler 50 Kukla’s friend 53 Pleasant scent 59 Actor — New-

New Zealand director/actor Taika Waititi attends the special screening of "Jojo Rabbit" during the 2019 Toronto International Film.

30 Napkin’s place 31 School org. 33 Tavern fare 35 Hollow place 37 Grey or McCrea 40 Much alike 42 Not cloudy 43 Rubs against 45 Maiden-name indicator 47 Labeled, as luggage 50 Sheik’s cartel 51 Narrow strip of wood

will test their strength. Its debut last week Monday earned a national TV rating of 18.3 percent, compared to Wowowin, that scored 15.8 percent, according to data from Kantar Media covering urban and rural homes nationwide. Netizens also shared their praises through various posts on social media.

After a series of celebrations, the family now faces a conﬂict after Chico (JM De Guzman) reprimanded Beri (Kiko Estrada) for smoking a cigarette, which led to an altercation between them. Their mother Luz (Sylvia Sanchez) was quick to scold the two, but ultimately put the blame on Chico for hurting his younger brother. Lola Caring went to Chico’s rescue and pointed out why Luz treats her eldest son unfairly: she blames Chico for the death of his other son Jack. Will they get over the memory of their tragic past? What more problems will their whole family face? Don’t miss Pamilya Ko airing weekdays on ABS-CBN.

SKY subscribers now have a chance to have an adventure-filled experience in the city of gold, Dubai, with SKY Life’s “Fly Dubai” promo. A lucky SKY postpaid subscriber and his companion from any area nationwide will enjoy an all-expense paid six-day, five-night trip and witness this year’s “Fashion Forward Dubai.” “Fashion Forward Dubai” is Middle East’s most compelling fashion platform. This year, the event returns to gather the best designers of the Dubai design district. The show will also feature fastrising designers of haute couture. It will be a four-day showcase of style, talent, craftsmanship, and innovation. Apart from the fashion show, a Dubai City Tour that includes the Desert Safari, Burj Al Arab Photo Stop, and an Abu Dhabi City tour await the two. This promo, made possible by Executive Optical, Everest Cooling System, and Hotel 101, is open to all SKY Fiber, SKYcable, and SKYdirect postpaid subscribers nationwide. To join, simply register your SKY account number and update your mobile number and email address at mysky.ph/myaccounts. Promo period runs until Sept. 25. Travel period is on Oct. 27 to Nov.3. For more details, log on towww. mysky.com.ph/flydubai.

Very Wang... From C4

52 Kind of moth 53 — Flintstone 54 Disturb 55 Ms. Bancroft of “The Graduate” 56 Poet’s adverb 57 Put into confinement 58 Actress — Martinelli 60 Tire pressure meas.

In addition to the SONA live stream, GMA News impressed netizens with exclusive content for a more comprehensive coverage of the SONA along with the events that unfolded during that day. There were live feeds of the red carpet and the rallies, SONA explainers, interviews with analysts, and a post-SONA analysis with Susan Enriquez and Richard Heydarian. “We note that our competitor has an advantage in terms of having more Facebook followers and has more chances that their content will be seen. However, that did not stop our team to work harder to overcome that and improved the GMA News Facebook page by offering more exclusive and quality content to have better interactions among netizens,” said GMA Network Assistant Vice President for News and Public Affairs Digital Media Jaemark Tordecilla. Fittingly, July was also the 10th anniversary of the GMA News Facebook page. As it marked a decade, netizens can expect more new and innovative programs from the awardwinning producers of GMA News. For the latest news and updates, visit www.facebook.com/GMANews.

Entertainment

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

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2019

SNAPSHOT

Piolo leads Coffee Day, shares happiness and good vibes IMAGINE waking up, struggling to get moving, braving through your daily commute, stopping by Dunkin’ Donuts to get that much-needed caffeine boost. Then as if you’re still dreaming, Piolo Pascual is standing right in front of you, giving you a free cup of Dunkin’ Coffee and ﬁlling you with all kinds of good vibes you never saw coming. This is not a scene from a movie but the experience of some very lucky people during the annual Dunkin’ Coffee Day recently. Now on its third year, the

event aims to spread more good vibes to the people who get their usual coffee ﬁx at Dunkin’ Donuts. Making this year’s Coffee Day extra special was a visit from Piolo Pascual in three Dunkin’ Donuts stores. As if seeing his heart-melting smile wasn’t enough to wake anyone up, the Philippines’ Ultimate Heartthrob gave out free cups of coffee in Dunkin’ Donuts Strata, Fisher Mall Quezon Ave. and BGC 25/7 branches. Meanwhile, the rest of the nation

celebrated Coffee Day by proclaiming “Half Half Hooray!” That’s because, for a medium hot or iced coffee, they only had to pay P25 or 50 percent off the original price. If you missed this year’s Dunkin’ Coffee Day, don’t fret because this event will come back even bigger and better next year. In the meantime, you can still get your daily dose of good vibes from a cup of high-quality coffee in all Dunkin’ Donuts outlets nationwide.

Piolo Pascual poses for a photo op with a fan when the actor made a surprise visit at a Dunkin' Donuts branch in Quezon City.

New generation of STARS VERY WANG NICKIE WANG

Pinoy poprock band Agsunta stages first major concert happening this Saturday at the ABSCBN Vertis Tent.

Agsunta embraces ‘feels’ in first major concert PINOY pop-rock band Agsunta stages its ﬁrst major concert titled Agsunta Feels Trip happening at the ABS-CBN Vertis Tent on Saturday, Spet. 21. The band promises to bring out the feels of the audience with “hugot” songs and soothing acoustic performances for a unique concert experience in a show produced by One Music PH and PPL Entertainment, in partnership with Star Events. “We will be doing a lot of new things in the concert that we even surprised ourselves with the plans,” said vocalist, Jireh Singson, citing the band’s excitement for this milestone, after a brief break early this year. He added, “What pushed us to return

was our fans, #TeamAgsunta, who went to support us in our gigs. . . . They became our inspiration.” Joining the band as special guests are Regine Velasquez-Alcasid, Shanti Dope, BoybandPH, and JM de Guzman. The concert is one of the major projects of the group who recently signed with ABS-CBN’s rock/alternative label, DNA Music. In the show, the band is set to perform recent hits “Bagong Umaga,” “Alas Dose,” and “Gusto Kong Lumipad,” to name a few. Tickets are available at ktx.abs-cbn. com. For updates, just like www.facebook.com/OneMusicPH or follow @ OneMusicPH on Twitter and Instagram.

Love wins in Japanese film ‘ATHLETE’ IN A constantly changing world, we are forced to challenge our old beliefs. We are forced to adapt and change—change in our career, lifestyle, interests, or in some instances, a change of hearts. We, also ask ourselves, “Will this change be good for us? Will it affect the people around us? Will this change be accepted by society?” In the Japanese movie Athlete— which is a story of two lost souls who, in the midst of solitude, ﬁnd peace and comfort in a relationship that most people would consider forbidden— change is described as good, though sometimes makes people feel alienated and misunderstood. Athlete is not a tale about inﬁdelity or the “right love at the wrong time” story— it is much more complex and complicated. A former swimming athlete, Kohei is living a normal life with his wife and daughter. Suddenly, his world is turned upside down when his wife asks for a divorce. Hopeless and broken, he meets

Yutaka, a handsome young man who has big dreams in spite of doing odd jobs. A deep friendship blossoms between them and, eventually, no matter how much they fight it, Kohei and Yutaka develop romantic feelings towards each other. As their love and affection grow, so do their struggles in making their relationship work for they both fear that their respective families will be horrified and scandalized by their unconventional setup. The freedom to choose and the courage to accept yourself is a gift. And the movie Athlete bravely shows us how to unwrap that gift. It is a movie that honestly reveals what most people would find difficult or terrifying. From VIVA International Pictures and MVP Entertainment, Athlete starring Joe Nakamura and actor and singer Kondo Yohdi, unspools in cinemas Sept. 25, exclusively in Robinsons Movieworld.

Japanese actors Joe Nakamura and Kondo Yohdi, stars of the the gay film titled 'Athlete.' The duo was in Manila to promote the film, which unspools in cinemas Sept. 25.

T WAS a dramatic moment for both Kim de Leon and Shayne Sava who were announced Ultimate Male and Female Survivors, respectively, during StarStruck Final Judgment held at the Studio 7 of GMA Network Center on Sunday, Sept. 15. Amid the cheering crowd, the showbiz hopefuls couldn’t hold back their tears as their family and friends came up on stage to give them hugs. The winners were determined based on the combined percentage rating of each finalist: 50 percent from the council’s scores and 50 percent from the public votes. Kim, 19, garnered an impressive 97.4 percent score over Allen Ansay’s 95.2 percent. Shayne meanwhile had a 96.9 percent score versus Lexi Gonzales’ 94.8 percent. “I was really patient and obedient throughout the entire run of the search. I didn’t stop learning and I was open to any constructive criticism even if sometimes they kind of really hurting my ego. But I know the advice and opinion of the judges were for my own good,” Shayne told Manila Standard on Sunday night right after the live show. “I was focused and determined to survive all the challenges. And I accepted all the help I could get from our mentors,” teary-eyed Kim said of his edge over other hopefuls in the reality show. The winners of StarStruck 7 each received P1 million in cash, a GMA7 management contract worth P5 million, and a house and lot. It was a stellar evening befitting the talent search’s final episode, with none other than Alden Richards and Aicelle Santos making an appearance. ***

GMA News strengthens Facebook engagement

The news arm of GMA Network continued to strengthen its

StarStruck Male and Female Survivors Kim de Leon and Shayne Sava

StarStruck Season 7 hosts Jennylyn Mercado and Dingdong Dantes on stage with StarStruck graduates—Katrina Halili, Kris Bernal, Yasmien Kurdi, and Mark Herras—who were also the StarStruck Season 7 Final 4’s mentors.

Alden Richards performed 'Kung 'Di Rin Lang Ikaw’ with the Final Two girls of StarStruck Season 7.

Facebook presence by creating quality content and better discussions on the top social media platform, keeping netizens well-informed on the latest news and updates in the country and around the world. For the month of July, the GMA News Facebook page gained 9.8 million total engagements which outscored ABSCBN’s 9.2 million. Engagement refers to the total number of times a speciﬁc Facebook post gets a Like, a Comment, or a Share, which gives a signiﬁcant measure of how compelling the content of the page is. This content includes videos, photos, info graphics posted, and links to articles on the GMA News Online website. This was achieved through the combined efforts of the GMA News Social Media Team (SMT) which

curates the Facebook page’s content in real time, relying on data and analytics for the best social strategy to serve the most engaging posts to users. Most of the interactions recorded during the month were from the exclusive online programs such as the #GMAnewsfeed, Magtanong Kay Mang Tani, Stand For Truth, #FYI with Richard Heydarian, #AskAway, Fact or Fake with Joseph Morong, and YouScoop. The total view count for these shows on Facebook reached 18.9 million in July. Notably, GMA News went the extra mile during its comprehensive online coverage of President Rodrigo Duterte’s fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July 22 as it impressed Facebook users with even more exclusive content. Continued on C3