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VOL. XXXIII • NO. 285 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2019 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Locsin joins fray, blames LP for Robredo’s fall By Rey E. Requejo

REMOVED, BUT RESOLUTE. Vice President Leni Robredo has been removed as the government’s anti-drug czar, but says she continues to be determined in the fight against illegal drugs, stressing she will “disclose all that I have discovered and all of my recommendations...” OVP photo

FOREIGN Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Monday blamed opposition Senator Francis Pangilinan for the decision of President Rodrigo Duterte to sack Vice President Leni Robredo as co-chair of the government’s Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs. “Uh, Kiko, I think you got her fired. Sometimes no talk, no mistake,” Locsin said in his Twitter account, addressing Pangilinan by his nickname. Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the President’s decision to remove Robredo was in response to the

opposition’s dare to fire her. Pangilinan, president of the opposition Liberal Party, had said Malacañang should just fire Robredo instead of insulting her with a declaration of distrust. He also earlier questioned the motive behind the designation of the vice president as ICAD co-chairperson. In a separate tweet, Locsin said Pangilinan should have given Robredo “a chance to use the opportunity the President gave her to serve in his campaign.” “The job was offered to her, not to him. Even a bishop chimed in despite the Church’s failure to make drug dealing an ex-communicable sin which it is: drugs

destroy souls,” the country’s top diplomat said. But Pangilinan said the President’s appointment was never serious or sincere. “The appointment and the eventual firing of VP Leni as anti-drug co-chair prove what we have been saying all along: Both the war on drugs and the appointment of the vice president as ICAD co-chair are bluff and bluster,” he said in a statement. “Their scheme to make VP Leni look weak back-fired. Just two weeks after her appointment, she has shown courage and competence in facing the problem at Next page

Leni vows to pursue fight Threatens to make public her discoveries

PH, SoKor sign 4 deals, boost 70-year ties

By Rio N. Araja, MJ Blancaﬂor, Maricel V. Cruz and Macon Ramos-Araneta

By MJ Blancaﬂor

ESPITE her removal as co-chairperson of the Interagency Committee on Anti-illegal Drugs, Vice President Leni Robredo said Monday she is not giving up the fight against illegal drugs.

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte and South Korean leader Moon Jae-in on Monday signed four bilateral agreements on social security, tourism, fisheries and education. Moon also expressed his people’s love for the Philippines during their meeting in Busan. “The Korean people love the Philippines. Koreans are the number one visitors to the Philippines,” Moon told President Duterte. Moon also said the 70-year ties between the Philippines and Korea should be elevated to a strategic partnership. “The elevation of our relations will pave the way for our countries to engage Next page

Ban on vaping nets 243 vapers THE Philippine National Police on Monday said it has arrested a total of 243 vapers and users of e-cigarettes in public places. “As of Sunday, a total of 243 persons were apprehended in 2,878 separate operations nationwide against the use of vape and e-cigarette products,” PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac said at a press conference in Camp Crame. Central Visayas had the highest number of violators with 195 vapers apprehended in 280 operations in the area, Banac said. He said 318 pieces vape gadgets and 666 pieces of vape juices were confisNext page cated.

WEATHER

Cloudy skies, generally fair

METRO Manila and other parts of the country will experience generally fair weather as the Philippines hosts the 30th Southeast Asian Games this week. At a 4 p.m. advisory, Ana Clauren, weather specialist, said Metro Manila will experience only isolated light rains on Tuesday Next page until Thursday.

HUSON-EUL-WIHAN WICHI (POSE FOR POSTERITY). Visiting President Rodrigo Duterte and his host South Korean President Moon Jae-in pose for posterity Monday prior to the start of their bilateral meeting at the Westin Chosun Busan Hotel, 325 kms southeast of Seoul. Presidential Photo

British man, wife rescued from ASG PHILIPPINE soldiers on Monday rescued a British man and his wife from Islamic State-linked jihadists nearly two months after the couple was kidnapped from their beach resort in the nation’s south, authorities said. Troops recovered the pair after a firefight with gunmen from the Abu Sayyaf group on the restive southern island of Jolo, which is a stronghold of the kidnap-for-ransom gang that has been behind some of the worst attacks in the Philippines. “There was a brief exchange of fire, Next page

Cold cash: New peso bills for Xmas By Julito G. Rada BANGKO Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin Diokno assured the public on Monday there was adequate supply of “crispy” banknotes next month Next page

“To my beloved countrymen, as your vice president, my biggest responsibility lies in you,” she said. “In the days to come, I will be giving a report to the public. I will be disclosing all that I have discovered and all of my recommendations. Rest assured, even if I was removed from my post, they can never take away my determination,” she said. She said she is determined to stop drug-related deaths, run after those behind them and win the campaign against illegal drugs. “If they think this [effort] will just stop there, they just don’t know. I am just about to begin,” she said. After apologizing for believing fake news that Robredo invited United Nations investigators to look into the government’s bloody war on drugs, President Rodrigo Duterte fired the vice president as ICAD co-chairperson. He said he was offended when Robredo and even Senator Francis Pangilinan taunted him to remove the vice president if he could not trust her. Robredo, who was in Naga City, Camarines Sur for the signing of an agreement with Pilipinas Shell Foundation Inc., said despite forewarnings that she should not accept the President’s offer for her to lead the anti-drug campaign, she accepted the Next page

Palace deals SEAG organizers stinging rebuke • Unfinished presscon venue • Lack of quality food— at Rizal Memorial Complex rice, kikiam for breakfast

By MJ Blancaﬂor, Macon Ramos-Araneta and Maricel Cruz MALACAÑANG has warned organizers of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games to shape up or be held accountable following unfortunate events faced by arriving football teams from Cambodia, Myanmar, Timor-Leste, and Thailand over the weekend. “I’m sure they will do better in the next succeeding arrival of the other countries’ delegates and athletes. You need to learn from your mistakes,” Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said. “If not, maybe they should be held ac-

• Alleged ‘pre-selection’ of skateboard athletes

countable,” he said. “The Office of the President is giving no excuses and, as host country, we’re apologizing for the inconvenience suffered by the athletes.” On Monday, a fresh round of “horror” stories—from inadequate food to unfinished game and press conference venues—made the rounds on social media anew. • Members of the international media faced accreditation challenges. They had to look for their IDs manually as these were not arranged alphabetically nor per country. “It’s terrible,” Indonesian journalist Sigid Kurniawan told ABS-CBN News. • The venue for press conferences at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex re-

• ‘These can’t continue any further’—Singapore official

mained unfinished as of yesterday even as football games have already started. The renovation of the sports complex itself has yet to be finished. The Thai football team on Monday held their training at a different venue due to unfinished bathrooms. • The coaches of the women’s football team, in a press conference, disclosed the poor quality of their accommodation and food. “The quality and quantity of food are not enough. Like this morning, rice, kikiam and eggs are not enough because they lack nutrients,” Philippine coach Let Dimzon said. • Singapore chef de mission Juliana Seow, in a letter to the Philippine Sea Next page

News

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2019

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Oil firms shift gears, cut gas price by P0.20 By Alena Mae S. Flores THE oil companies rolled back pump prices by as much as P0.20 per liter this week to reflect the movement of world oil prices. They cut the price of gasoline by P0.20 per liter and kerosene and diesel by P0.10 per liter effective 6 a.m. today, Tuesday. “Phoenix Petroleum will decrease the prices of diesel by P0.10 per liter and gasoline by P0.20 per liter effective 6 a.m. on November 26,” the company said. World oil prices declined as traders expressed concern over the slow pace of the US-China trade negotiations. The other oil firms that announced price cuts were Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp., PTT Philippines and Seaoil Philippines, while the others were expected to follow. On Nov. 19, the oil firms raised the price of gasoline by P0.80 per liter but implemented price rollbacks for diesel of P0.30 per liter and P0.20 per liter of kerosene. On Nov. 12, the oil firms also raised the price of gasoline by P0.85 per liter but rolled back the prices of diesel by P0.15 per liter and kerosene by P0.10 per liter. On Nov. 3 and 5, most of the oil companies implemented price cuts of P0.10 per liter of gasoline, P0.25 per liter of diesel and P0.10 per liter of kerosene.

Leni... From A1

challenge, and did not waste time to meet with agency-members of the ICAD, consult with various sectors of society, visit communities, talk to local government units and inspect rehabilitation centers. “Immediately, there had been attacks, and endless criticisms. [They said] I was weak. That I must not meddle with police matters. That I cannot be trusted. They helped one another and unified so that I would not succeed,” she said. “If we all have the same objective, why not just help each other? Aren’t they serious in this fight? Or have we touched someone’s interest? “When I accepted the job, the first thing that I asked of them was if they were ready to work with me. Now, my question is, what are you afraid of?” she asked. “Mr. President, I did not ask for this position, but still I took the work seriously. The people want a government that would truly champion the fight against illegal drugs. Remember this, our enemies are the illegal drugs and the drug lords, and not me, especially not the people themselves,” she said. The Palace said Robredo could do whatever she pleases with the information she gathered during her 18-day stint as co-chair of ICAD. Although the Palace never gave Robredo the time to carry out any of her proposed reforms in the government’s anti-drug campaign, the President’s spokesman said she was fired for “incompetence” and her “failure to introduce new measures she claimed she had.” “She was weighed and found wanting,” Panelo said in Filipino. The Palace official also dismissed as nonsense speculation that President Duterte fired Robredo over fears that she might succeed and gain headway in the 2022 presidential race. Robredo, who was fired barely three weeks after she assumed the post, was merely “grandstanding” as she talked to foreign

Basilan kid 8 polio victim—DOH th

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

HE Health department said Monday a nine-year old child was the eighth polio case in the Philippines after the samples sent to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine and the National Institute of Infectious Diseases-Japan conﬁrmed it. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the latest polio case was from Basilan, which had not received any vaccines for polio. His department is coordinating with the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao-Ministry of Health to maximize immunization coverage and intensify polio vaccination in Basilan. Duque said the stocks of oral polio vac-

cines were enough, and that the preparations for the outbreak response immunization for the outbreak were underway. He reminded the public of the next round of Sabayang Patak Kontra Polio from Nov. 25 to Dec. 7 in the National Capital Region and the whole of Mindanao. “I urge all parents and caregivers of children under five years old to take part in the Sabayang Patak Kontra Polio campaign

and have their children vaccinated by our health workers,” Duque said. All children below five years of age, regardless of immunization status, will receive a dose of the oral polio vaccine during the campaign. Health workers and vaccination teams are set to go house-to-house to ensure that all children under five years of age are vaccinated. Health centers, government hospitals, fixed vaccination posts in barangays, malls, terminals and fast food chains, among others, will also be providing vaccination. “We are thankful for the participation and continued support of our local government units and communities in this campaign,” Duque said. “I am confident that we will be success-

Dry season seen to help prevent spread of ASF virus OFFICIALS of the Bureau of Animal Industry told legislators Monday the climate is expected to play a big role in preventing the spread of the African swine fever. Swine raisers in many parts of the country have had to cull their stocks to prevent the disease from spreading, but to no avail. From a few incidence of ASF in Rizal province some months ago, the disease has spread to some pig farms as far as Mindanao. At a congressional hearing by the House

Committees on Agriculture and Food and on Local Government, BAI Director Ronnie Domingo said “the ASF virus does not like dry weather, and that is why we expect the climate to help in eradicating the disease.” A government crisis management team has been set up to address the ASF outbreak. BAI data indicate that, as of Nov. 18, the ASF has affected pig farms in 50 towns and 461 in seven provinces and some parts of Metro Manila. Domingo said of those villages 389 were in Central Luzon, prompting the activation

of an Incident Command center in Pampanga to seek ways of preventing the disease from spreading in the region. As of Nov. 4, 40,303 pigs had been culled and disposed of to contain the disease, he said. Domingo said President Rodrigo Duterte had approved the release of P1 billion from his contingent fund to address the ASF outbreak, while the Department of Budget and Management had released P82.5 million to the BAI for preventive measures against the ASF.

groups critical of the administration’s antidrug campaign, Panelo said. “She should have gone to the grassroots. She should have gone to the communities, talk with the people there, know their problems on drugs...When you criticize something on a particular job, you must have some ideas in your mind, otherwise you cannot be criticizing,” Panelo said in a television interview. “When you say that’s bad, if you say that’s bad, that means you have some good ideas to substitute for that. But she never presented any program at all. She didn’t. What she did was to call—what? How’s that?” Panelo added. Hours before his departure for South Korea, President Duterte fired Robredo “in response to the suggestion of Liberal Party president, Senator Francis Pangilinan,” the Palace said. During her short stint in ICAD, Robredo met with the 21-member agencies of ICAD, officials from the Department of Health, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and Community-Based Drug Rehab Alliance, and US Embassy officials to discuss how to improve community-based rehabilitation centers. Robredo also visited drug-infected barangays, asking for their cooperation to get rid of illegal drugs in their area. She has previously suggested the creation of a new anti-drug campaign to replace Oplan Tokhang, which has gained notoriety for allegedly violating human rights and depriving suspects of the presumption of innocence. Oplan Tokhang is the house-to-house “knock and plead” initiative of the police to get drug suspects to surrender. President Duterte earlier said he could not trust Robredo after she asked for confidential drug war data and after he was informed that the she supposedly invited foreign entities to the country. Duterte, over the weekend, apologized for believing in and reacting to “fake news.” Despite this, Duterte said he still could not trust Robredo because she was part of the political opposition. President Duterte appointed Robredo as ICAD co-chair on Oct. 31, apparently irked by

her remarks that the drug war was not working and should be reexamined. Robredo accepted the post on Nov. 6 to lead Duterte’s flagship campaign that has killed more than 5,000 drug suspects and that has been condemned by local and foreign human rights groups. The chief of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency supported the decision of the President to fire Robredo. “PDEA respects and believes in the wisdom of the President,” said PDEA chief Aaron Aquino in a Viber message sent to reporters. Human Rights Watch Philippines on Monday accused the President of not being “even remotely sincere” in his appointment of Robredo. “Was his offer of involving her in finding solutions to the situation of drugs in the Philippines ever really serious? He didn’t even give Robredo the chance to show what she could do to make the campaign against drugs effective and, most important, non-violent and rights-respecting,” said HRW Asia Researcher Carlos Conde. “By firing her on such ludicrous grounds, Duterte reveals he was never even remotely sincere, and exposes his game to appoint her as a total sham,” Conde added. Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers defended the President’s decision, saying Robredo’s actions were not in sync with the President. “If you are a presidential appointee, no matter who you are, all your actions must be in-sync with the appointing power,” Barbers, chairman of the House committee on dangerous drugs, said. “VP Leni already knew the irritants to our President yet she continued with what she described as consultations with the different international bodies. That I think showed that she is treading a different path from that of the President,” Barbers added. Party-list Rep. Manuel Cabochan III of Magdalo said Robredo was fired three weeks after being appointed because she was actually moving in the right direction.

“The President had to fire VP Leni because she may succeed where he failed. He had to do it because he cannot make good of his promise to resign,” said Cabochan. “If anything, the President’s decision to fire VP Leni from ICAD just proves that the success of the war on drugs is not their concern. Rather, it is their ego that they are trying to save. The administration still refuses to admit that its approach against the drug problem has been flawed and needs to be reformed,” he added. Rep. Edcel Lagman of Albay shared a similar view. “The mistake of Vice President Leni Robredo is that she took her role as anti-drugs czar very seriously while President Rodrigo Duterte considered her appointment as a flippant joke and an off-the-cuff reaction to her criticisms on his bloody war against drugs,” Lagman said. Allies of President Duterte in the Senate defended his decision to fire Robredo. Senate President Vicente Sotto III noted Robredo’s appointment as ICAD co-chair is based on trust. “Once trust is lost, the position is lost,” Sotto said. Pangilinan said Malacañang’s explanation behind Robredo’s removal was “a desperate attempt at blaming others for the mess they themselves created.” Akabayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros said Robredo’s dismissal was not surprising at all. “From the very start, we knew what this administration’s intentions were. But when Vice President Leni Robredo courageously responded to the challenge of leading the campaign against illegal drugs, this administration got entangled and became a victim of its own trap,” she said. “Now there can be no doubt that the so-called ‘invitation’ to work with the Vice President to curb the country’s drug problem was nothing but an insincere sham. It also exposed the government’s unwillingness to explore and try new approaches and alternatives in the campaign against illegal drugs,” Hontiveros said.

By Maricel V. Cruz

British man,...

Ban...

but they later abandoned the couple after being overwhelmed by pursuing government forces,” Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana told AFP, adding the hostages were unharmed. Regional army spokesman Arvin Encinas said no ransom was paid. The British Embassy in Manila confirmed the rescue of Alan and Wilma Hyrons, saying in a statement “we extend our gratitude to the government and authorities of the Philippines.” Armed men abducted the couple on October 4 at their beach resort on the southern island of Mindanao, which makes up the southern third of the Philippines. Muslim separatists have led a decades-long insurgency in the south of the Catholic-majority Philippines, which has led to the death of tens of thousands of people. While the government has negotiated peace with the largest group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, hardline factions allied with the Islamic State group are not part of the accord. IS claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing of a Sunday mass in January at a

The PNP spokesman said after police blotters were filed, those apprehended were immediately released. Banac said the crackdown is pursuant to Republic Act 8749 or the Clean Air Act and the Republic Act 9211 or the Tobacco Regulation Act. In Metro Manila, National Capital Region Police chief Brig. Gen. Debold Sinas said the NCRPO has set off simultaneous operations within the areas of responsibility of its five districts which led to the confiscation of vape and even closure of vaping stores. Out of 108 vape stores visited by the NCRPO operatives, 72 have been closed. PNP officer-in-charge Lt. Gen. Archie Gamboa earlier clarified that those who will be arrested in the nationwide crackdown on the use of electronic cigarettes, or vape devices, in public places will not be detained or punished. He said a vape user, who will be arrested will be brought to a police station for blotter purposes and will be released afterward. He said it is due to the pending issuance of another executive order indicating the punishment for those who will be caught using vape in public places. PNA

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PH,... From A1

in greater cooperation that will lead us to common prosperity,” he said. Meanwhile Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said exploring new partnerships and cooperation will be among Duterte’s main goals in his second visit to South Korea to attend a summit there. He made the statement even as Duterte is slated to participate in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit on Tuesday and Wednesday. Panelo said the summit will be a venue for the President to discuss with other regional leaders ways to address new world challenges such as protectionism, non-con-

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SAFE NOW, MATE. This is an undated handout photo released by Western Mindanao Command, British couple Wilma (left) and Allan Hyrons (center) eat a meal at a military camp in Sulu after their rescue Monday from Islamic State-linked militants by government troops two months after they were kidnapped from their unidentified beach resort. AFP Catholic cathedral on Jolo which killed 21 in the country’s worst attack in years. Authorities blamed the bombing on Abu Sayyaf, which in part funds its violence with ransom payments.

Dutch birdwatcher Ewold Horn, who was kidnapped in 2012 in the southern Philippines, was killed in May during a firefight between his Abu Sayyaf captors and the military. AFP

ventional security threats, transnational crimes and cybercrime, among others. South Korea remained the Philippines’ top tourism market in 2018 with over 1.6-million arrivals. Last week, South Korean Ambassador to the Philippines Han Dong-man said he promised Duterte that he would increase that number to two million during his term as envoy. Duterte said Filipinos and Koreans “share a unique affinity” and thanked Seoul for its $100,000 donation to Mindanao’s earthquake victims. “I assure you that the Philippines will continue to find common cause and purpose with the Republic of Korea towards enhancing our bilateral engagement and promoting peace and stability in your region,” Duterte said.

On his arrival, Duterte was welcomed at the Gimhae Air Base by South Korean Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Lee Tae-ho, Deputy Director-General of Public Diplomacy/ Task Force Philippines Team Leader Kyun Jongho and Ambassador to the Philippines Han Dong-Man. Also present in welcoming the President were Philippine Ambassador to Korea Noe Wong and Chief of Presidential Protocol and Presidential Assistant on Foreign Affairs Robert Borje. Earlier, Wong said the Philippines was pushing for the conclusion of a free trade agreement with South Korea to slash import tariffs on certain products including bananas. South Korea imposes a 30-percent tariff on Philippine-produced bananas while ASEAN-member countries enjoy better preferential treatment, he said.

Cold cash:... From A1

in line with the seasonal demand for fresh banknotes during the Christmas season. He also said the country’s currency supply remained sufficient to meet the needs of a growing economy. “There will be enough money and there will be enough new money for Christmas,” Diokno said at the sidelines of an event at the Mall of Asia in Pasay City. But he said there would be no timetable for the phaseout of the P20 banknotes, to be replaced by the P20 coins.

ful in halting this outbreak if we continue to work together and make sure that no child is left unvaccinated.” Duque declared a polio outbreak in September after he confirmed the first case involving a three-year old girl from Lanao del Sur. The second and third cases were a fiveyear-old boy and a four-year-old girl from Laguna and Maguindanao, respectively. The fourth to seventh cases were all in Mindanao, including a one-year-old girl from Maguindanao, a one-year-old boy from Cotabato City and a four-year-old girl from Cotabato. The World Health Organization had been polio-free since 2001 until its resurgence in September.

Locsin... From A1

hand and redirected the anti-drug war track from a criminal justice issue to a public health problem.” Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Monday expressed sadness over the lost opportunity for the administration and the opposition to take a united front against illegal drugs. “There was this opportunity for the administration and even the opposition to band together and put up a united front against a common enemy which is illegal drugs,” Guevarra said, in an interview. “But circumstances caused this venture to crash before it could even take flight, so I feel sad about it,” he added. Guevarra had earlier welcomed Robredo’s appointment to ICAD, expressing openness to her insights on the drug war. He said the position would allow the Vice President access to “firsthand information” regarding the campaign. But when Robredo asked for a list of high-value targets in the drug war, Duterte said she would be given information “on a need-to-know basis.” He also threatened to fire her if she revealed “state secrets” and said he could not trust her. The Palace’ statement on the dismissal called out Robredo for meeting with officials of the United Nations and of the US Embassy “who remain out-of-touch from the realities” of the country’s drug problem.

Cloudy... From A1 There will be no scattered rain showers over the Visayas, but also isolated rains due to localized thunderstorms, she said. Mindanao will have the same weather conditions, she added. Due to a tail-end of a cold front, Bicol, Aurora and Quezon will have cloudy skies and scattered rain showers. The northeast monsoon will spawn rain showers over Cagayan and the CARAGA region. Rio N. Araja

Palace... From A1

Games Organizing Committee, raised several issues, including insufficient halal food for its athletes. “We urgently seek your urgent and immediate attention to address the situations we are facing. We had tried our best to be patient and understanding. As much as we had tried to resolve the situations ourselves as well as with our sports and you, these situations cannot continue any further as our athletes are badly affected and are not able to prepare for the games effectively.” Arlene Trinidad, a national champion for skateboarding, claimed she was removed from the Philippine team for “exposing the truth” about how athletes were allegedly “pre-selected” and chosen over those who are really qualified. Over the weekend, images of several Cambodian footballers resting on the floor of a function room as they wait for their hotel accommodation went viral. Members of Myanmar’s football team, on the other hand, complained that the mini-bus that picked them up was cramped. The East Timor football team was taken to the wrong hotel, complicating their arrival and training schedules. Thailand’s team, the defending champion, complained on Instagram about the lack of rooms at the Sheraton Hotel, with three people occupying a room. “I think the organizers have learned their lessons. And I’m giving them tips. If there were delays, it’s easy. My God. Take them to a hotel. Transport? You need to have a back-up vehicle in case something happens,” Panelo said. “It’s easy as that. That’s what you call creativity,” he added. The Palace official, however, said the hitches occurred could not be avoided. “We don’t have a timetable for that but we will slowly reduce the printing of it because its lifespan usually is three months,” Diokno said. Similar to the practice of other central banks that print their own currency, the BSP partially outsources the production of banknotes to meet surges in currency demand under domestic procurement regulations or international competitive bidding processes. The BSP likewise continues to educate the public on the proper handling of banknotes under its nationwide “Clean Note Policy” as a multi-stakeholder initiative to minimize the cost of producing currency. The campaign is aimed at extending the life span of banknotes, thereby reducing the cost of currency production.

News

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2019 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Return Zaldy Ampatuan to jail—DOJ By Rey E. Requejo

HE Department of Justice has asked the Quezon City Regional Trial Court handling the Maguindanao massacre case to order the return of principal accused Zaldy Ampatuan from a private hospital to his jail in Taguig City. Ampatuan, a former governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), is undergoing physical therapy at the Makati Medical Center after suffering a stroke last October. The former ARMM official was

rushed to the Taguig Pateros District Hospital on Oct. 21 and then transferred to the Makati Medical Center’s cardiovascular intensive care unit. In a manifestation with motion, the DOJ’s prosecution panel warned that

Ampatuan’s alleged hospital confinement may give him the opportunity to escape now that a decision on the multiple murder case against him is forthcoming. “The prosecution panel, therefore, is of the view that accused Zaldy Ampatuan would do any last ditch move towards his liberty, be it resorting to his act of taking flight,” the prosecutors pleaded. The DOJ prosecutors argued that Ampatuan’s therapy could be done at his detention facility in Quezon City Jail Annex in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City. Nonetheless, they said that if the hospital confinement is necessary, they

asked the court to augment the security personnel guarding him to ensure he could not escape. “In deference to this Honorable Court, it should now stop extending so much grace, sympathy or concern to accused Zaldy Ampatuan but has to act firmly and with an iron hand to prevent any untoward contingency while its decision is still underway,” manifestation said. Quezon City Judge Jocelyn SolisReyes has until Dec. 20 to promulgate a judgment on the case over the massacre of 58 people, including 32 journalists, on a hill in Ampatuan town, Maguindanao on Nov. 23, 2009.

MAGNA CARTA. Tingog Party-list Rep. and Committee on Welfare of Children Chairperson Yedda Marie K. Romualdez (left) delivered her remarks on similar bills on Magna Carta of Day

Care workers during the deliberation at the House of Representatives.The bills intend to give day care workers security of tenure and standardized salary. Also in photo are (from right), Rep. Manuel Cabochan, Rep. Christopher de Venecia and Rep. Estrellita Suansing. Ver Noveno

Group seeks P213 additional wage for NCR workers A GROUP of workers on Monday filed a petition before the Regional Tripartite Wage Board seeking an additional P213 in daily wages of minimum wage earners in the National Capital Region. According to the Unity for Wage Increase (or U-WIN), they are asking for a salary increase since the current regional minimum wage is a far cry from the P1,008 cost of living for a family of five. “What we are asking is a mere relief for the Filipino workers and their families; only to avail at least 75 percent of the daily cost of living. It is not even commensurate to our labor productivity,” said Charlito Arevalo, spokesperson for the U-WIN in a statement. The minimum wage in NCR is now at P537 after a P25 basic pay increase and an additional P10 daily allowance granted on November In their petition, the group pegged the monthly cost of a family’s expenses on food, housing, utilities and some medical expenses at P19,400. The petitioners added that last year’s P25 wage hike or a 4.9 percent increase from previous levels did not even make up for the 5.5 percent inflation in Metro Manila for 2018. PNA

House panel OKs creation of disaster resilience dept. By Maricel V. Cruz THE House of Representatives’ Committee on Ways and Means on Monday approved the substitute bill creating the Department of Disaster Resilience. The committee, chaired by Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, approved the substitute bill creating the DDR after the measure got the nod of the House Committee on Government Reorganization last week. Tingog Party-list Rep. Yedda Marie Romualdez, chairperson of the House Committee on Welfare of Children, is the principal author of the DDR, along with her husband, House Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez. Marked as an urgent bill by President Rodrigo Duterte himself, Yedda Romualdez said it was the second time the House of Representatives has passed the DDR proposal after it was overran by the 2018 national elections in the 17th Congress. Public clamor for the measure ensued following a series of earthquake devastations in Mindanao, she said. Rep. Yedda said the Department of Disaster Resilience is envisioned to be the primary government agency that is “responsible, accountable, and liable for leading, managing, and organizing national efforts to prevent and reduce disaster risks; prepare for and respond to disasters; and recover, rehabilitate, and build forward better after the destruction.” Yedda Romualdez said the DDR will be a full-blown department headed by a secretary, supported by undersecretaries, assistant secretaries and directors with an initial budget of P10 billion.

Cayetano wants full-blown probe on ‘rampant’ steel smuggling HOUSE Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano has ordered a full-blown congressional investigation into the alleged rampant smuggling and selling of substandard steel in the country to ensure public safety in the aftermath of the deadly and destructive series of earthquakes that struck Mindanao since Oct. 16. Cayetano sounded the alarm on the structural integrity of various structures

in the countryside due to alleged unabated steel smuggling, especially with the latest 5.9 magnitude temblor that struck Kadingilan, Bukidnon last November 18, causing damage to several homes and buildings and death toll that has reached at least 22 people in Cotabato, South Cotabato, Maguindanao and Davao del Sur due to series of earthquakes.

DOJ boss declines nomination to SC JUSTICE Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Monday declined his nomination to the Supreme Court, saying that while he was aspiring to become an Associate Justice, it has to wait for the “next opportunity” as he was still “very much in love” with his work at the Department of Justice. Guevarra thanked retired Sandiganbayan Justice Raoul Victorino for nominating him to the SC post vacated by the appointment of Associate Justice Diosdado Peralta as Chief Justice. In his letter to the Judicial and Bar Council tasked to vet and screen nominees for the high court, Victorino stressed that Guevarra has the credentials and experience to be appointed to the 15-member bench. “I have known Secretary Guevarra to be a person of proven competence, integrity, probity and independence and [know] his sense of patriotism through his socio-civic engagements,” Victorino said. While expressing his gratitude for the nomination, Guevarra said he would have to forego the opportunity, as there are still a lot of things that need to be done in the DOJ. Rey E. Requejo

Don’t discriminate vs. women—Du30 By MJ Blancaflor ALTHOUGH known for his sexist remarks, President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday called for greater public awareness on harassment and discrimination faced by women, as he joined the observance of the National Consciousness Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Duterte said this in line with the campaign launched by the Philippine Commission on Women which seeks to end violence against women and children. “I hope that as the Philippine Commission on Women spearheads the 18-day campaign to end violence against women and children, we can all raise public awareness on the issues faced by this sector so we may pursue other measures that will protect them from any form of harassment or discrimination,” Duterte said in a statement released by Malacañang. “Let this important socio-political campaign further secure our gains as we continue to work together in building a more inclusive and progressive nation for genera-

tions to come,” he added. Duterte said the implementation of laws such as the “Magna Carta for Women” and “Violence Against Women and Children Act of 2004” enabled the government to pursue its goal of “violence-free homes” across the country. In July, the President signed Republic Act 11313 or the “Safe Spaces Act” which imposes penalties for unwanted sexual actions or remarks against any person. Under the law, acts or remarks that will count as gender-based harassment will be penalized, regardless of the motive. These acts include catcalling, wolf-whistling, unwanted invitations, misogynistic, transphobic, homophobic and sexist slurs; comments or gestures on a person’s appearance; relentless requests for personal details; public masturbation, and groping. President Duterte, however, has been repeatedly criticized for his sexist remarks and rape jokes, most of which targeted his critics such as opposition lawmaker Senator Leila de Lima.

“We cannot compromise public safety following deaths and destruction because of a series of earthquakes in Mindanao. The House of Representatives will look into the steel smuggling in the country and make accountable those who are behind this illegal activity,” Cayetano told reporters in an ambush interview when asked about the alleged smuggling of steel

billets resulting to the supposed deceitful selling of quenched tempered (QT) steel bars in the country. Cayetano supported the inquiry being initiated at the Lower House even as he reiterated that the House of Representatives will update the martial lawera National Building Code to guarantee public safety. Maricel V. Cruz

Opinion

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2019

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A pilgrimage to Akita MY WIFE and I took so many trips in our younger days that we can no longer remember them. We took many pilgrimages—to the Holy Land, France, Spain and Portugal. We have gone to Turkey and Greece and Italy, to romantic places like Capri and Venice. I would have wanted to go on a safari in South Africa, but my wife hates animals.

My wife and I are truly blessed. But our trip to Akita, Japan, which the Vatican certified as among the six places where the Blessed Virgin appeared, was unforgettable. We spent a night among monks and prayed with them. My wife and I were in Tokyo when we decided to take a trip to Akita, in Northern Japan, where a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary was seen crying tears of blood over all the things happening to mankind—ethnic cleansing, crimes against humanity and many others. The Japanese referred to the miracle as the Crying Lady of Akita. Our trip there was something else. When we alighted from the vehicle, we found ourselves at the terminal building, almost alone and not knowing where to go. Unlike many airports in Japan, Santa Banana, that terminal had no taxicabs. It must have been a blessing from

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

God that somebody who was passing by saw us seated and helpless, and was kind enough to get us to our hotel. After we had rested, we took a cab to the mission house where the “Crying Lady” was located. We introduced ourselves and said we wanted to see where the miracle occurred. Soon enough, we saw the tears of the statue. We also talked to a bishop, who told us that it would be best if we spent the night in that monastery and experience the events. The Vatican had certified that the blood was real tears. My gulay, that night after having dinner with the bishop, we prayed with the nuns. At five o’clock the following morning, again we prayed with them. It was an experience of a lifetime. My wife and I consider ourselves blessed. *** The whole Leni Robredo fiasco brings us to what the ICAD—the Inter-agency Committee on Anti-illegal drugs—is all about. Is it merely a policy-making body? It is more than that. It is an agency tasked to ensure that each member-agency implements and complies with existing policies in line with the government’s campaign against illegal drugs. This includes ensuring the effective control of anti-illegal drug operation and arrest of high-value drug personalities down to the street level and users, Santa Banana! Why was the President so secretive about the drug list that he did not want to share it with former ICAD co-chair Robredo? Did he not trust her at all? So why did he appoint her in the first place? Mr. Duterte must learn that he should not make decisions in a moment of pique! ***

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Terminator: Judgment day

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has fired Vice President Leni Robredo as co-chairperson of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD), just 18 days after he appointed her to that post. The firing—like her hiring in the first place, given the circumstances—was ill-advised, ultimately reflecting poorly on the administration and its decision-making process.

The President’s mouthpiece heaped the blame on the vice president and the opposition Liberal Party to which she belongs, for the “termination of services” but no amount of spin could erase the nagging question on everybody’s mind: If the President could not trust the vice president from the start, why on earth did he appoint her in the first place to such a sensitive position? “This is in response to the suggestion of Liberal Party president, Senator Francis Pangilinan, to just fire the vice president from her post. This is also in response to the taunt and dare of VP Robredo for the President to just tell her that he wants her out,” the President’s spokesman, Salvador Panelo, said. He added that the President’s decision to appoint Robredo to ICAD was “a chance where both this administration and the political opposition could have unified in fighting the social ill that has destroyed the lives of many and imperiled thousands others.” “Unfortunately, she wasted such opportunity and used the same as a platform to attack the methods undertaken by this administration. Such [a]

tack was even motivated by hubris to prove their past arguments against the anti-illegal drug operations were correct. It at once crumbled as her request for police data validated the falsity of their arguments that the extrajudicial killings are state-sponsored,” the Palace official said. Panelo said the functions of ICAD are spelled out in Executive Order No. 15, and Robredo only had to seek an audience with the President if she wanted a clarification on the scope and limits of her task. “As always, she talked—not with her appointing authority—but right in front of the cameras asking the President on her supposed mandate,” he said. In a radio program Sunday morning, however, Robredo said she sent a letter to President Duterte seeking a clarification as to the extent of her mandate Tuesday last week but has yet to receive a reply. “Many were saying I am exceeding my mandate. I do not wish to be accused of encroaching on something that is not my assignment. So I wrote the President, and I have yet to receive

a reply. I am just waiting for his reply,” Robredo said. We now know what the President’s reply was. Sadly, from the get-go, the President’s men failed to live up to their promise to give Robredo a free hand to try out new ideas, with his allies and even co-members of the ICAD sniping at her. The President also reneged on his offer to make her a Cabinet member, accusing her wrongly of inviting UN human rights investigators to look into his bloody war on drugs, and saying he couldn’t trust her anyway, because she belonged to the political opposition. This last point again begs the question: Why appoint her in the first place? In truth, the President appointed Robredo as ICAD co-chair on Oct. 31 because he was irked by her remarks that the drug war was not working and should be reexamined. That, in itself, was reason enough not to push through with the job offer. After all, the President knew from the start that the vice president was part of the opposition when he appointed her and offered her a Cabinet rank—so to use that against her after she had come onboard seemed disingenuous at best. The President’s men can say otherwise, but those who dare to speak truth to power would have to say that the entire affair was a mistake and an unmitigated embarrassment— more so to the terminator than the terminated.

Christ, a different King ONCE again, we have reached the end of the Roman Catholic Church liturgical year with the Feast of Christ the King also referred to as the Christ the King Sunday. Next week, the season of Advent begins, one that will be followed by Christmas. Last Sunday’s feast is in commemoration of the Kingship of Jesus Christ, the King of all kings. It is to remind all the faithful that Christ is the king of the universe, nations, societies, families and our lives. But He is a different kind of King. His Kingdom is not that of power and wealth but of love, sacrifice, peace, and humility. The observance of the Solemnity of Christ the King was instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925 for the Roman Catholic Church. Seeing the dim prospects for a lasting peace after the first world war, Pius XI observed: “Since the close of the Great War individuals, the different classes of society, the nations of the earth have not as yet found true peace...the old rivalries between nations have not ceased to exert their influence...Conditions have become increasingly worse because the fears of the people are being constantly played upon by the ever-present menace of new wars, likely to be more frightful and destructive than any which have preceded them. Whence it is that the nations of today live in a state of armed peace which is scarcely better than war itself, a condition which tends to exhaust national finances, to waste the flower of youth, to muddy and poison the very fountainheads of life, physical, intellectual, religious, and moral.” According to Pius XI, society's ills can be traced to concupiscence which he described as inordinate desire for pleasure, the inordinate desire for possessions, and the inordinate desire to rule or to domineer over others. He proclaimed that true peace can only be found under the Kingship of Christ as "Prince of Peace." The absence of Christ in the hearts of man, and his delusional and misplaced reliance in himself, by raising himself to the level

of god, and his obstinate and pathetic refusal to acknowledge Christ as the true king and His holy law is the chief cause of all the evils and difficulties under which humanity is labouring. The struggle to remaining true to the straight and narrow path that Christ has willed us to follow has become much more difficult and challenging. In the 21st century, Christians face intense and grave challenges from within and

Through Jesus Christ, God has given us an inestimable gift of grace that overflows forever. without. The celebration of the Feast of Christ the King is a reminder to us all that Christ is the king who reigns in the entire world forever and to acknowledge His kingship and reign and His Sacred Heart in every aspect of our lives. As the Scripture says: If the Lord does not built the house, in vain do the builders toil. Unless the Lord guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain. Truly, no matter how we labour to improve ourselves, everything will amount to naught without God’s protection because simply there can be no peace and contentment without Christ. In the context of present day realities, the mission of us Christ’s Church is to impart the spirit of holy joy, to give ample testimony of our obedience and subjugation to the kingship of Christ; to fight with courage the spiritual and material battles under His lofty banner. We cannot remain blinded to the love of God who revealed Himself to us through Jesus Christ, who became flesh and dwelt amongst us in order to reconcile Himself to us and died on the cross for our salvation. When He came down took on the nature of man while remaining God; human but nevertheless God. Through Jesus Christ, God has given us an inestimable gift of grace that overflows forever. I end this column with the solemn Turn to A5

Ceasefire THERE'S merit in the proposal to agree on a ceasefire on the contentious issue regarding the budget of the 30th Southeast Asian Games that reels off on Saturday, November 30 and runs until December 11. This, I think, would allow the participants in the regional sports event to focus on setting records instead of being bothered by political noise. It was during the plenary deliberations of the Senate on the proposed

The SEA Games is a regional sports event that exemplifies unity, fair play and teamwork. 2020 budget of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) that Majority Leader Franklin Drilon first raised questions on the “legal personality” and the role of the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC) in overseeing the

preparations for the country’s hosting of the games. Drilon also expressed reservations over the wisdom of spending P50 million in building the SEA Games cauldron. He said this amount could have been spent to build 50 classrooms at P1 million each. To clarify matters, House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, who chairs the PHISGOC, personally appeared before the Senate a day after Drilon's interpellation of Senator Bong Go, who defended the budget of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC). Cayetano could have invoked inter-parliamentary courtesy and sent Turn to A5

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Opinion China on the mind IT’S come out in recent Senate hearings that the Chinese may be able to unilaterally cut off power supply to the country through the minority investment of China’s State Grid Corporation in the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), the company controlled by Henry Sy Jr. that’s responsible for providing power to everyone who’s connected to the grid. However, Atty. Melvin Matibag, president of TransCo which actually owns the grid assets on the country’s behalf, assured the senators that the President can take over the grid’s management in times of emergency, thereby restoring power within 24 to 48 hours. He added that there are also rules in place to limit Chinese presence in the actual management of grid operations. I hope it’s obvious that the Sy family shouldn’t be blamed for this state of affairs, since their joint venture with the Chinese was inked many, many years ago when we still weren’t disputing maritime boundaries with Beijing. In fact, the joint venture was, properly, hailed as a breakthrough for the privatized power sector, which was able to hook up virtually the entire country to power supply (except for some 400 isolated barangays, or one percent of total) during the presidency of Mrs Arroyo. Unfortunately, the world turns, and so do countries on each other. It may help to note that we aren’t the only ones in this fix. In fact, as pointed out by energy committee member Senator Risa Hontiveros, countries like Kenya, Indonesia and Thailand have also purchased power grid remote control systems from China’s Nari group. What they may already have done—and what we should now do, if we haven’t yet—is to thoroughly audit the Chinese equipment and software to make sure all back doors are covered. In the worst case, we’ll still have our off-grid islands who rely on their own stand-alone power sources. We can always organize the resistance movement from those places, initially targeted at an invading Chinese Peo-

A pilgrimage... From A4

An issue that arises with the Duterte-Robredo rift is that the vice president is almost always from the opposition, who believe that the VP would be the next president. Why can’t they just come from the same party so that they could truly help each other in leading the country?

Christ,... From A4

words of Pope Francis in his homily in Nagasaki, Japan last Sunday, celebrating with the Japanese faithful the feast of Christ the King: “Our faith is in the God of the living. Christ is alive and at work in our midst, leading all of us to the fullness of life. He is alive and wants us to be alive; he is our hope. Each day we

Ceasefire From A4

subalterns to the hearing. But he chose to appear before the Senate so he could personally respond to all matters related to PHISGOC. According to Senator Bong Go, President Duterte chose Cayetano to head PHISGOC to ensure that the funds for the SEA Games would be properly spent. The requested budget for the hosting of the 30th SEA Games was P7.5 billion. The Senate, however, reduced this amount to P5 billion. The Office of the President released an additional P1 billion for the hosting of the regional sports competition. Meantime, PHISGOC looked for sponsors in the private sector to help cover the expenses for the event. Aside from this, PHISGOC also had to contend with the delay in the release of the SEA Games budget due to the delay in the House approval of the 2019 General Appropriations Act. Cayetano said the SEA Games cauldron, built at a cost of P45 million, was designed by the late National Artist for Architecture, Bobby Mañosa, and should be considered a work of art and an important part of Philippine culture and history. There’s no putting a price tag on a structure that will now form part of the country’s

ple’s Liberation Army Navy. *** To support our point, the U.S. Navy recently sent a couple of its ships into waters claimed by the Chinese under their absurd “nine dashed lines” fiction, as part of the Navy’s regular freedom of navigation operations (FONOPS) exercises worldwide. The USS Gabrielle Giffords littoral combat ship sailed near Mischief Reef, while the USS Wayne E. Meyer guided-missile destroyer passed by the Paracel Islands.

Unfortunately, the world turns, and so do countries on each other. The Chinese were predictably en enraged by this kind of “provocative, risky conduct”. Although we should remember that FONOPS in no way guarantees the intent of the United States to come to our aid when their interests aren’t directly threatened, it’s still a vicarious thrill to witness these displays of their capability to do so. Seeing them put their thumb in Chinese eyes warms the heart of those who can’t do so. Chinese outrage is further explained by their continuing problem with the Hong Kong student riots, which escalate by the day. The latest development had hundreds of riotous students holed up inside the Polytechnic University campus. At the same time, over in Washington, both houses of the US Congress passed near-unanimous bills aimed at restricting exports to Hongkong and otherwise sanctioning the government there for what’s going on in their streets.

My own prediction is for an eventual mass round-up especially of the rioters’ leaders, based on intelligence that’s busily being collected even now, followed by an indefinite clampdown on street protests—one that will avoid or minimize bloodshed, while restoring the peace and order that Hongkong’s business community naturally craves. Meantime, while Beijing figures out what to do, the last thing it needs is to be provoked by the navy and the legislators of a superpower with whom it’s now at trade war. *** The martial musings above are echoed in the first reading for the day (Dt 2: 31-35) when Moses recounts how the entire land of Heshbon was “put under the ban; men, women and children; we left no survivor”. This total extermination of an entire people according to the Lord’s will is primly denied in the accompanying footnote, but we should remember that He is often referred to in the Scriptures as “a vengeful God”, and with good reason, based on some of the blood-curdling narratives we can find there. In the Gospel (Lk 21: 5-11), Jesus foretells the destruction of Jerusalem, the end of days, with some pretty terrifying language of His own: “Nation will rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom. There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place, and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.” The Christian eschatology makes as much room for Divine justice as it does for His mercy. To minimize the first in order to emphasize the second trivializes Him and the moral responsibility we all have to obey His word. Let’s not try to let ourselves off the hook by bring Him down to our level. Jesus came down to live among us, true, but only in order to bring us to a Truth that is both terrifying and consoling. Readers can write me at gbolivar1952@ yahoo.com.

If we look at the 1987 Constitution, we would see that all this started with President Cory Aquino. She pushed for a multi-party system patterned after the German constitution. The story goes that she wanted her late husband’s friends, the communist fronts, to be represented in Congress. This led to the death of the two-party system—the Liberals and the Nacionalistas—and the birth of the multi-party system, some of whom are identified with the

communist movement. This led to the election of the president and vice president from different parties. The VP ends up doing nothing but opposing the president. If the 1987 Constitution is to be amended, it must first and foremost restore the two-party system and avoid the confrontation between the top two officials of the land. To me, the party-list system is the greatest anomaly in our government.

pray: Lord, may your kingdom come. With these words, we want our own lives and actions to become a hymn of praise. If, as missionary disciples, our mission is to be witnesses and heralds of things to come, we cannot become resigned in the face of evil in any of its forms. Rather, we are called to be a leaven of Christ’s Kingdom wherever we find ourselves: in the family, at work or in society at large. We are to be a little opening through which the Spirit continues to breathe hope among

peoples. The kingdom of heaven is our common goal, a goal that cannot be only about tomorrow. We have to implore it and begin to experience it today, amid the indifference that so often surrounds and silences the sick and disabled, the elderly and the abandoned, refugees and immigrant workers. All of them are a living sacrament of Christ our King.”

rich heritage, he added. The Speaker also pointed out that the sports facilities built inside New Clark City will not be white elephants because after the end of the SEA Games, our athletes can continue using them. The New Clark City sports complex has a worldclass track and field oval, a fully equipped aquatic center, and dormitories for athletes. Whereas before, our athletes always complained of lack of support and had to go abroad to get proper training, they can now choose to stay here and train in New Clark City. The Philippines will also host the 10th ASEAN Para Games next year and can offer to host other prestigious sports competitions using the facilities in New Clark City. The amount spent for hosting the Games will be offset by the tourism revenues that will be generated from the event, and the small businesses that stand to benefit from the influx of visitors to the country. Cayetano was able to rebut every point raised by Senator Drilon about PHISGOC and his other concerns about the SEA Games. After all, he said he has nothing to hide. When Drilon said that the Commission on Audit should undertake a post-audit of PHISGOC spending for the SEA Games, Cayetano welcomed the suggestion. He said he was willing to face any investigation or audit on

this issue. Rather than take offense, Cayetano even thanked Drilon for allowing him to clear up several issues concerning PHISGOC and the country's of the SEA Games. Cayetano was not alone in facing the Senate. As a show of support, House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez and at least six deputy speakers accompanied Cayetano during the plenary deliberations. Had they doubted Cayetano, they would not have wanted to be seen with him at the Senate. Senator Drilon emphasized that he never said that there was “overpricing” in the projects related to the SEA Games. He also said there was no anomaly involved in PHISGOC’s handling of the SEA Games’ preparations. Since Drilon himself made it clear that there was no overpricing or anomaly involved, then what was the problem all about? The SEA Games is a regional sports event that exemplifies unity, fair play and teamwork. The Philippines’ hosting of the 30th SEA Games is an opportunity for the country to showcase the best of what we have to offer. Let the Games go on as scheduled, and if there are questions regarding the expenses incurred for it, let the proper entities discuss it in a sober and rational manner, but after the event.

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Excise tax hikes exacerbated poverty incidence the increases in factor incomes." The reports' authors calculated that the higher excise taxes on petroleum products added 0.16 percentage point (ppt) to the 16.48 ppt poverty rate baseline among SINCE the day the Department households. They calculated, furof Finance (DOF) presented its ther, that TRAIN raised poverty TRAIN (Tax Reform for Acceler- incidence by 1.72 ppt. This was reation and Inclusiveness) program duced by 0.28 ppt by the uncondito Congress for examination and tional cash transfers (UCT) under approval, I have written several TRAIN, they said. The UCT were columns assailing the program's made to the bottom 50 percent of pro-excise-taxation bias and reit- households. erating the relationship between On an industry basis, the authors regressive taxation, income redis- found that the most adversely aftribution and poverty reduction. fected by the higher excise taxes on I argued that economic growth petroleum products were the workideally should take place alongside ers in the transportation industry; reduced income on a sectoral bainequality and sis the leading that taxes that victims were the hit rich and poor The reports’ authors fisherfolk. equally perpet- had words of advice for The reports' uate income authors had TRAIN’s drafters. maldistribution. words of advice I singled out for for TRAIN's special mention d r a f t e r s. TRAIN's higher taxes on petrole- "While the goal of TRAIN as a um products; given the connection tax reform law—which is to raise between petroleum products on the public revenues to improve the costs of energy, transportation and delivery of basic services and to manufacturing, tax increases on improve social and economic outsuch products were bound to wreak comes in the future—is very comhavoc on the consumer price index. mendable, there are considerations This proved to be the case, with the that the government should make inflation rate rising, in 2018, to its in designing tax policy. " highest level in four years. The other considerations that the That my doubts and fears were PIDS economists found commendnot without basis has now been able to the designers of tax policy validated by two recently-re- are those that I pointed out in my leased PIDS (Philippine Institute column about TRAIN: income infor Development Studies) reports. equality and the poverty-worsenThe studies are titled 'Impacts of ing that results when purchasing TRAIN Fuel Excise Taxes on Em- power is eroded by higher taxes on ployment and Poverty' and 'Effects goods and services. DOF was amof TRAIN Fuel Excise Taxes on ply warned about the dire effects Goods and Prices.' of TRAIN's excise tax increases on "(A)lthough the excise taxes on prices and incomes. It insisted that fuel products entailed a minimal the effects were manageable. They increase in poverty incidence, the proved to be unmanageable, as the first package of TRAIN-increased 2018 inflationary surge showed. poverty among households and inWhen the dust settled, an individuals and across all the sectors crease in poverty incidence was considered," the reports' four au- the result, as the PIDS results have thors concluded. "This was due to shown.

Leni’s ‘Oplan Trojan Horse’ fails LENI Robredo certainly overstayed her welcome at her co-chair post at the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD). Instead of getting down to business to help stop illegal drugs trafficking, she pressed for the termination of Oplan Tokhang and end the killings of drug lords and drug dealers, which she all blames to President Duterte.

Apparently, she had a different agenda in mind. Manong Digong showed a sense of fairness in response to Robredo's critcrit icism and claim that the war on drugs has failed, giving her a chance to help bring about solutions and welcomed like the Trojan Horse. But apparently, she had a different agenda in mind which is to sabotage the government's war versus illegal drugs altogether. Aling Leni was headed in the wrong direction from the very start, out to defy and test the patience of Manong Digong. No less than the fugitive communist leader Joma Sison backed up the de facto Vice President in her initial steps to take the place of who Joma described as a "seriously ailing President." The trouble with running her mouth and grandstanding before actually getting anything done is that it affirmed her ill designs to advocate for the drug dealers instead of the victims of the drug menace and drug-related crimes. Aling Leni also shamelessly invited the United Nations Commission on Hu-

man Rights and United States officials to interfere in the country's internal affairs, the war on drugs. Such is an indication of treason. First, she barked up the wrong tree demanding a stop to extrajudicial killings (EJKs) of drug dealers. She summarily blamed the President for the executions and absolved drug mafias of the rubouts. And then, she wants the widespread drug abuse to be treated as a "health problem," just like tuberculosis and lung cancer caused by cigarret-smoking on willing victims. Unfortunately, “sin tax” cannot be imposed on shabu sales to finance the costly treatment, rehabilitation and counsellng of drug addicts like what they do in the US and other wealthy countries where there are worse drug problems. Now that Aling Leni has earned the ire of Manong Digong which she deserves, sarcastically asking the President to “clarify” her assigned job. She vowed not to resign and dared Manong Digong to fire her, so she got what she and her Yellow minions wished for. As co-chair of ICAD, it was a given that she had the same duties and responsibilities of Director-General Aaron Aquino, of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA). Why did she accept the post if it was not clear to her what the job entailed, which is to crack down on illegal drugs syndicates? According to Executive No. 15, the ICAD chairperson shall have the responsibilities, including: to ensure the effective conduct of anti-illegal drug operations and arrest of high value drug personalities down to the street level peddlers and users; and to cleanse the bureaucracy of unscrupulous personnel involved in illegal drug activities. She must have known that she was not designated as co-chair of the Commission on Human Rights which she might have preferred. She is clearly unfit for the ICAD job and deserves the boot.

News

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2019

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BI hiring 100 officers By Vito Barcelo

HE Bureau of Immigration is hiring 100 immigration ofﬁcers to man the international airports and seaports nationwide. tinuously hiring to ensure that the upcoming new international airports were fully manned. Morente said the incoming officers, once hired, would undergo rigorous training under the agency’s Center for Training and Research before deployment. “They will be housed at the Philippine Immigration Academy in Clark, Pampanga where they will undergo a two-month training on immigration laws and proce-

Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said the hiring was part of the agency’s drive to strengthen border control and improve its services to the traveling public. “We see the lack of manpower as one of the primary impediments in delivering a more efﬁcient government service. Through this hiring, we intend to provide faster and smoother processing in our ports,” Morente said. He also disclosed that the BI was conManila

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Republic of the Philippines

San Miguel Avenue, Pasig City

IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION OF THE NATIONAL GRID CORPORATION OF THE PHILIPPINES FOR THE APPROVAL OF FORCE MAJEURE EVENT REGULATED FM PASS THROUGH FOR TYPHOON INENG IN LUZON, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE RULES FOR SETTING TRANSMISSION WHEELING RATES, WITH PRAYER FOR PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY

18. Further, the FM Pass-Through Amount under this Application did not breach the Force Majeure Threshold Amount (FMTA) of PhP0.0341/kWh in accordance with the RTWR. A copy of the FMTA Computation is hereto attached as Annex “D.”

NATIONAL GRID CORPORATION OF THE PHILIPPINES (NGCP),

19. Also, NGCP considered the NFAV of the transmission assets and other related facilities damaged by the FME Typhoon Ineng given that NGCP would have normally fully recovered the return of capital on said assets for the duration of their economic lives had these assets not been damaged or destroyed by Typhoon Ineng.

ERC CASE NO. 2016-163 RC

Applicant. x------------------------------------------------------------x

JUSTIFICATION FOR THE ISSUANCE OF PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES:

21. NGCP needs to immediately recover the actual expenses incurred for the repair, restoration and rehabilitation of the damaged transmission assets and other related facilities. It must be emphasized that the occurrence of the aforementioned FME in Luzon required capital infusion, the recovery of which should be allowed immediately in order to avoid any financial strain in the operation of NGCP and to allow the continuous provision of transmission service to the grid customers.

The pertinent provisions of the said Application are hereunder quoted as follows:

NGCP is a corporation created and existing under the laws of the Republic of the Philippines, with principal office address at NGCP Building, Quezon Avenue corner BIR Road, Diliman, Quezon City. It is the concessionaire which assumed the power transmission functions of the National Transmission Corporation (TRANSCO) pursuant to Republic Act No. (RA) 9136, otherwise known as the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 (EPIRA).1

22. In addition, the timely implementation of the FM Pass-Through Amount will allow the equal or even spread of the increases or decreases in tariffs from the initial implementation of the recovery of the cost. 23. A copy of the Judicial Affidavit of Agnes F. Dela Cruz, Head, Tariff Design and Billing Management Division, Revenue and Regulatory Affairs, in support of the instant Application, is hereto attached as Annex “E.”

Under RA 9511,2 NGCP was granted a franchise to construct, install, finance, manage, improve, expand, operate, maintain, rehabilitate, repair and refurbish the present nationwide transmission system of the Republic of the Philippines.

24. Lastly, in compliance with Rule 6 of this Honorable Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure, NGCP’s compliance with pre-filing requirements for the instant application is attached herewith as Annex “F” and series.

On 15 January 2009, NGCP assumed the transmission functions of TRANSCO, including the operation, management and maintenance of the nationwide electrical grid.

PRAYER WHEREFORE, it is most respectfully prayed of this Honorable Commission to:

STATEMENT OF FACTS 4.

On or about 18 - 23 August 2015, Typhoon Ineng entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) with maximum winds of 180 kilometers per hour (kph) and gustiness of 215 kph. Due to its rains and gusty winds, NGCP’s transmission assets and other related facilities in the Luzon area were damaged causing widespread power interruption over the area. A copy of the Certification dated 17 October 2015 issued by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) is attached hereto as Annex “A”.

DECLARE Typhoon Ineng as Force Majeure Event (FME);

Immediately GRANT Provisional Approval to implement and bill the FM Pass-Through Amount to Luzon customers starting September 2016 billing month to December 2020 billing month or until such time that the amount incurred is fully recovered; Luzon

In compliance with Article X of the Rules for the setting of Transmission Wheeling Rates (RTWR), NGCP filed with this Honorable Commission a Force Majeure Event (FME) Notice dated 2 October 2015, a copy of which is attached hereto as Annex “B.” Immediately after the devastation of Typhoon Ineng in Luzon, NGCP started the repair, restoration and rehabilitation of its damaged transmission assets and other related facilities in order to restore transmission service to its customers and the public. As a result, NGCP incurred additional costs for the repair, restoration and rehabilitation of the said damaged transmission assets.

Ineng was categorized by PAGASA as a “Typhoon” in its Certification dated 17 October 2015. Therefore, Typhoon Ineng falls within the definition of an FME in accordance with Section 1.3 of the RTWR.

Pursuant to Section 10.1.1 of the same RTWR, NGCP is allowed to recover the cost it incurred in the repair, restoration, Republic Act No. 9136 entitled, “An Act Ordaining Reforms in the Electric Power Industry, Amending for the Purpose Certain Laws and for Other Purposes” Republic Act No. 9511 entitled “An Act Granting the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines a Franchise to Engage in the Business of Conveying or Transmitting Electricity Through High Voltage Back-bone System or Interconnected Transmission Lines, Substations and Related Facilities, and for Other Purposes” and rehabilitation of its transmission assets and other related facilities damaged by Typhoon Ineng through an FM Pass-Through Amount.

11. Thereafter, within twelve (12) months after the occurrence of the FME Typhoon Ineng in Luzon, NGCP hereby files the instant FME Application, in accordance with Sections 10.2.1 and 10.2.3 of the RTWR. FM PASS-THROUGH AMOUNT COMPUTATION

14. Further, the recoverable value or the Net Fixed Asset Value (NFAV) of the assets destroyed by Typhoon Ineng is One Million Five Hundred Seventy Eight Thousand Two Hundred Nine and 42/100 Pesos (PhP1,578,209.42). The summary of the expenses4 is shown in the table below: Total

Typhoon Ineng

1,561,298.74

1,578,209.42

3,139,508.16

Luzon

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

0.055

0.002

P/kWh

0.000106

0.000005

0.000004

16. NGCP proposes the FM Pass-Through Amount for the years 2016 to 2020 to allow the recovery of the CAPEX incurred relative to the FME Typhon Ineng pending the reset process for the Transmission Services for the Fourth Regulatory Period.

0.055

0.002

P/kWh

0.000106

0.000005

0.000004

APPROVE, after due notice and hearing, the proposed FM Pass-Through Amount to be collected from the Luzon customers starting September 2016 billing month to December 2020 billing month or until such time that the amount incurred is fully recovered, as follows; Luzon

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

P/kW-mo.

0.055

0.002

P/kWh

0.000106

0.000005

0.000004

APPROVE and ALLOW the recovery of the Net Fixed Asset Value of the transmission assets and other related facilities damaged by the FME Typhoon Ineng amounting to PhP1,578,209.42, given that it would have been fully recovered by NGCP if these transmission assets and other related facilities have not been damaged or destroyed by FME Typhoon Ineng; and

EXCLUDE the proposed Pass-Through Amount from the side constraint calculation. NGCP prays for other relief deemed just and equitable under the premises.

The petitioner’s name and address;

The nature of petitioner’s interest in the subject matter of the proceeding and the way and manner in which such interest is affected by the issues involved in the proceeding; and

A statement of the relief desired.

The name and address of such person;

A concise statement of the Opposition or Comment; and

The grounds relied upon.

WITNESS,, the Honorable Commissioners ALEXIS M. LUMBATAN, CATHERINE P. MACEDA, and PAUL CHRISTIAN M. CERVANTES, CERVANTES Energy Regulatory Commission, this 30th day of October 2019 in Pasig City.

JOSEFINA PATRICIA A. MAGPALE-ASIRIT Oversight Commissioner for Legal Service

1 2 3

17. Considering that a FM Pass-Through Amount is not included in NGCP’s

P/kW-mo.

All such persons who wish to have a copy of the Application may request from Applicant that they be furnished with the same, prior to the date of the initial hearing. Applicant is hereby directed to furnish all those making such request with copies of the Application and its attachments, subject to the reimbursement of reasonable photocopying costs. Any such person may likewise examine the Application and other pertinent records filed with the Commission during the standard office hours.

15. NGCP proposes the Force Majeure (FM) Pass- Through Amount, in P/kW -month, as additional network charges in Luzon starting the billing period of September 2016 to December 2020, or until such time that the amount incurred is fully recovered, computed as shown in the table below: P/kW-mo.

2020

All other persons who may want their views known to the Commission with respect to the subject matter of the case may file their Opposition or Comment thereon at any stage of the proceeding before Applicant rest its case, subject to the requirements under Rule 9 of the 2006 ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure. No particular form of Opposition or Comment is required, but the document, letter, or writing should contain the following:

13. The total cost NGCP incurred as additional FME Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) for the repair, restoration and rehabilitation of its transmission assets and other related facilities damaged by Typhoon Ineng is One Million Five Hundred Sixty - One Thousand Two Hundred Ninety - Eight and 74/100 Pesos (PhP1,561,298.74).

NFAV

2019

All persons who have an interest in the subject matter of the instant case may become a party by filing with the Commission a verified Petition to Intervene at least five (5) days prior to the initial hearing and subject to the requirements under Rule 9 of the 2006 ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure, indicating therein the docket number and title of the case and stating the following:

12. It must be noted that NGCP has not recovered any amount from its Industrial All-Risk (IAR) Insurance Policy procured from the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) for the year 2015 as compensation for the damage and cost it incurred in the repair, restoration and rehabilitation of the transmission assets and other related facilities damaged by the FME Typhoon Ineng. Thus, it is but proper for NGCP to file the instant FME Claim Application to recover the cost it incurred for the repair, restoration and rehabilitation of its transmission assets and other related facilities damaged by the FME Typhoon Ineng pursuant to the RTWR.

FME CAPEX (in PhP)

2018

The Commission has set the Application for determination of compliance with the jurisdictional requirements, expository presentation, Pre-trial Conference, and presentation of evidence on 02 December 2019 (Monday) at two o’clock in the afternoon (2:00 P.M.) at the ERC Main Office, at 15th Floor, ERC Hearing Room, Pacific Center Bldg., San Miguel Ave., Ortigas Center, Pasig City.

10. Within three (3) months after the occurrence of Typhoon Ineng, NGCP filed before the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) FME Notice dated 2 October 2015, pursuant to Sections 10.2.1 and 10.2.2 of the RTWR3.

FME/REGION

2017

APPROVE the Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) amounting to PhP1,561,298.74 incurred by NGCP for the repair, restoration and rehabilitation of the damaged transmission assets and other related facilities due to Typhoon Ineng as FME;

Under Section 1.3(a) of the RTWR, an FME is defined as a “typhoon, storm, tropical depression, flood, drought, volcanic eruption, earthquake, tidal wave or landslide.”

2016

FORCE MAJEURE EVENT CLAIM 7.

THE workers group Associated He said the group conducted Labor Unions-Trade Union interviews with agency-hired Congress of the Philippines said workers, and noticed that there Monday many licensed, regis- was an upsurge trend for cheap tered and ﬂy-by-night manpower skilled and unskilled seasonal, service providers were resorting temporary and on-call workers in to illegal contracting and sub- the labor market in time for the contracting labor workers. Christmas and new year. This, under the noses of In the National Capital Rethe regional labor inspectors gion where demand for seasonal of the Department of Labor workers is the highest, the ALUand Employment as high de- TUCP discovered that women mand for workers started to rise workers, regardless of the skill this holiday season. level, are paid less compared The ALU-TUCP said the de- to men. Women seasonal workmand for cheap labor and short- ers are bidded and bought for term seasonal workers had started P300 salary a day while men are to surge last week as food manu- waged P400 a day in spite of the facturing, agri-business, depart- standard P537 daily minimum ment stores, hotels, restaurants, wage for Metro Manila. security, transport, logistics in“It’s the manpower agency CYANsupply MAGENTA dustries including across or theYELLOW middlemenBLACK who proﬁts the chains both in the formal and in- most by selling labor contracts by formal economy started to heat ‘pakyaw’ or two to three months up for high spending demand for seasonal workers with 10 percent Christmas and new year season. to 15 percent marked up in contract “Around 1.5 to two-million price with the principal business contractual and seasonal work- owners and while 20 to 25 perers is being bidded around this cent cut in every workers’ daily time as additional reinforcement salary,” Tanjusay said. to businesses’ existing mixed of These workers are sent to decontractualized and regular work- partment stores, restaurants, hoforce to meet the Christmas and tels as assistant salesladies, sales new year season demand for pro- clerk, promodizers, dishwashers, duction and services in key cities waiters, customer assistants, gift across the country,” ALU-TUCP wrappers, packers, sorters, and spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said cleaners. Vito Barcelo

20. NGCP respectfully moves for the issuance of a provisional approval for the immediate recovery of the FM Pass-through Amount pursuant to Section 3, Rule 14 of the ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure.

Notice is hereby given that on 22 August 2016, National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) filed an Application seeking the Commission’s approval of Force Majeure pass-through cost it incurred in the repair, restoration, and rehabilitation of its transmission assets and related facilities damaged by Typhoon Ineng in Luzon during the month of August 2015.

dures. After which, they will be assigned in different BI offices as on-the-job trainees,” he said. “We will only deploy immigration officers who will pass the immigration officers’ course. Being an immigration officer is not easy both physically and mentally. That is also why we will only employ the best of the best,” he said. Four months ago, the BI deployed 67 newly-hired immigration officers to the country’s ports and subports. “The 100 items are for Immigration Officer I positions with Salary Grade Level 11. You must be a graduate of a four year course, and have a Career Service Professional Second Level Eligibility from the Civil Service,” Morente said.

Final Determination for any regulatory period, the proposes the FM PassThrough Amount can be recovered pursuant to Section 10.1.1 of the RTWR where NGCP is allowed to recover the cost incurred for the repair, restoration, and rehabilitation of damage sustained by its transmission assets and other related facilities as a result of the FME. A copy of the FM Pass-Through Amount Computation is hereto attached as Annex “C.”

TODAYENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION

Workers group: Cheap labor demand has started to surge

Republic Act No. (RA) 9136, entitled, “An Act Ordaining Reforms in the Electric Power Industry, Amending for the purpose certain laws and for other purposes”; An Act granting the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines a Franchise to Engage in the Business of Conveying or Transmitting Electricity tthrough High Voltage Back-bone System of Interconnected Transmission Lines, Substations and Related Facilities, and for other Purposes”; Please see Annexes “B”; Exclusive of Permit Fees; (MS-NOV. 19 & 26, 2019, 2019)

‘TRIAL BY PUBLICITY.’ Some teachers and principals from different

schools in Manila stage a protest rally against the ‘trial by publicity’—details of the case were not disclosed by the teachers—of public school teacher Melita Limjuco after, they said, she was ‘harassed and bullied’ by Raffy Tulfo during his broadcast segment aired last Nov. 21. Tulfo’s version was not available immediately. Norman Cruz

‘CITIRA implementation cause of joblessness’ THE implementation of Corporate Income Tax and Incentive Rationalization Bill, government red-tape, worsening trafﬁc congestion, expensive electricity are main reasons for the surge of joblessness, according to a big labor group. The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines cited the Social Weather Stations report which revealed that the number of unemployed Filipinos grew from 9.4 million in March 2019 to 10 million in September 2019. “Because of these problems, many investors are leaving the country and go to other ASEAN countries to invest there,” Trade Union Congress of the Philippines spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said. “The unaddressed problem on the high cost of electricity, trafﬁc congestion, and red tape and poor and aging transport and logictics are the traditional main drivers of recent survey showing an increase in unemployment rate,” the labor group said. There are no new factories or companies putting up because of these worsening and unaddressed

problems, he said. “With no assurance, some divests from the country and go to other ASEAN countries and invests there. So with the new college and K-12 graduates recently vis-a-vis a few opportunity, we surely have a surge in the way we have now,” Tanjusay said. He said the fear and uncertainty of business owners of the implementation of CITIRA bill now pending at the legislature were pushing away foreign investors. “Once enacted into law, CITIRA would rationalize corporate income tax and will remove some tax incentives that these businesses have been enjoying for decades. So as early as now, they begin to retrench employees and anticipate a full-blown shutdown and transfer as soon as CITIRA becomes a law,” said Tanjusay. “There is also poor employment opportunity on the promise of direct and indirect employment generation in the Build, Build, Build government centerpiece program and its supply chains,” he added. Vito Barcelo

Nat’l Biotech Week marked By Macon Ramos-Araneta THE Department of Health, in cooperation with the National Kidney & Transplant Institute and the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, led Monday other government agencies in celebrating this year’s National Biotechnology Week, with the theme, “Biotek: Makabagong Solusyon sa Kalusugan.” Biotechnology is the term used for technologies that involve the application of biological organisms, or their components, systems or processes to manufacture, modify and/or improve processes. “Many of the important biotechnology applications are in health, such as drugs to diagnose and treat diseases, vaccines to prevent diseases, the use of the human gene to decode susceptibility to diseases, developing medications with the appropriate doses tailored to specific genetic makeup, and other advancements,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque III noted. The five-day celebration features a Techno fair and trade exhibit showcasing products of biotechnology, and different fora and activities, held by participating government agencies, for various audience groups such as students and government employees. This year marks the 15th annual celebration of the event since the last week of November was first declared as “National Biotechnology Week” by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo through Proclamation 1414, in 2007.

Sports

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2019 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

More age-group football tilts pushed R

EGIONAL football associations would like to see more spending by the Philippine Football Association in development programs for the RFAs’ needs, including the vital age-group tournaments.

Diminutive Boyet Bautista once again stood tall in the AFP Cavaliers’ 86-84 win over the NHA Builders in the 8th UNTV Cup.

Negros Occidental Football Association President Ricky Yanson made this appeal to the PFF leadership on behalf of the RFAs, with the PFF having staged just one age-group tournament in the past four years. The drought in new age-group tournaments came, despite hikes in the PFF’s revenues and spending program —fueled by more contributions from world football bodies like the FIFA and the AFC. In its president’s report submitted to the RFAs for the upcoming 16th Congress,

Ex-Knight shoots 5 triples, lifts Cavaliers past Builders FORMER Letran star Boyet Games Sunday Bautista produced five triples (San Juan City gym) and the same number of assists 2 p.m. – Judiciary vs AFP as defending champion Armed 3:30 p.m. – DA vs NHA Forces of the Philippines extend- 5 p.m. – Malacañang-PSC vs PITC ed its winning run to six games with an 86-84win over the National Housing Authority Builders in the 8th UNTV Cup at the San Juan City gym. The 5-foot-6 Bautista shot 5-of-6 from the 3-point area on the way to scoring 17 points as the AFP Cavaliers stayed on top of Group A with a perfect 6-0 record. Three other AFP players scored in double figures with Jerry Lumongsod leading the way with 19 while Rolando Pascual and Romeo Almerol chipped in 15 and 11 points, respectively, to help boost AFP’s bid for an outright semis berth in the annual tournament for public servants. Not to be left out was Department of Environment and Natural Resources which likewise stretched its unbeaten run to six games by downing Department of Agriculture, 94-85, in Group B action of the tournament organized by UNTV President and CEO Daniel Razon. The DENR Warriors started slow and trailed the Food Masters in the first two quarters before outscoring their rivals, 26-17, in the third to seize momentum and prevail. Meantime, Malacañang-Philippine Sports Commission drew big games from Erick dela Cuesta, Martin Antonio and Visnu Das Javier to turn back PhilHealth, 98-81, for a 5-1 mark. Dela Cuesta paced the Kamao with 20 points but its Javier who shone brightly as he posted 15 points, six assists, three rebounds and a steal. Antonio contributed 16 points. The Warriors, on the other hand, was spearheaded by Ryan Abanes who logged 23 points and five boards while Des Ayson backed him up with 18 points and four rebounds. First Game MALACAÑANG-PSC 98—Dela Cuesta 20, Antonio 16, Javier 15, Besa 11, Jimenez 11, Roque 8, Javier 6, Punzalan 4, Gadong 3, Garrido 2, Ignario 2. PHILHEALTH 91—Aldave 34, Mazo 20, Emata 17, Hernandez 13, Armojallas 6, Pacheco 1. Quarters: 24-26, 47-47, 75-68, 98-91.

Manila

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TODAY

the PFF reported just one age-group tournament for this year, the U-15 Boy’s National Championship. Per its own reports, the PFF did not hold any agegroup tournaments at all in 2016, 2017 and 2018. The only other major age-group activity held by the PFF was the Festival of Football, which is primarily a scouting exercise for members of the Yanson national youth teams that is funded by the Japan Football Association. Yanson, pushing for more development programs under his “football para sa lahat” initiative, said the RFAs wanted more of the PFF funds put in age-group tourneys and other grassroots activities to build more and better home-grown talents for the national teams.

“More tournaments also have a multiplier effect for our RFAs and their communities. They result in a happier youth, more engagements with stakeholders, and more jobs and economic activity related to football.” Yanson, chair of the PFF youth development and grassroots committee, expressed frustration over the lack of priority and funding support for his area. This led the members to fund committee work and implement projects, out of their own pocket. While grassroots projects were approved, the PFF had no budget for them. For instance, he said the Training Area Development program was approved for an initial eight RFAs, but

Republic of the Philippines ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION San Miguel Avenue, Pasig City

Reactive Power Support: Payment of RPS = kVARh Payment + IERPS kVARh Payment = Compensable :kVARh x P4.00/kVARh Compensable kVARh = Actual kVARh - Base kVARh

IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION FOR APPROVAL OF THE ANCILLARY SERVICES PROCUREMENT AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE NATIONAL GRID CORPORATION OF THE PHILIPPINES AND KING ENERGY GENERATION, INC. (MISAMIS OCCIDENTAL POWER PLANT 3 - JIMENEZ), WITH PRAYER FOR THE ISSUANCE OF PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY NATIONAL GRID CORPORATION OF THE PHILIPPINES (NGCP) AND KING ENERGY GENERATION, INC. (KEGI), Applicants. x--------------------------------------------------------x

Where: Actual kVAR = actual reactive power provided within each interval Base kVARh = corresponding kVARh at 0.85 power factor lagging or 0.9 power factor leading, for the unit’s MW loading. For clarity, the MW loading is the unit’s Pmin, or RTD schedule, whichever is greater. IERPS = Payment on Energy and Variables = G*(VOM + Actual Fuel Cost) - REVWESM

ERC CASE NO. 2019-076 RC

Where: G = summation of energy dispatched to produce the scheduled kVar less the eriergy for the BCQ VOM = PhP 0.5kWh Actual Fuel Cost = rate of fuel in PhP/kWh

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

13. Applicants submit that the rates represent a reasonable recovery of its opportunity cost in making available generation capacity to provide the procured AS.

TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES: Notice is hereby given that on 15 October 2019, National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) and King Energy Generation, Inc. (KEGI) filed an Application dated 23 September. 2019, seeking for Approval of the Ancillary Services Procurement Agreement Between the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines and King Energy Generation, Inc. (Misamis Occidental Power Plant 3 - Jimenez), with Prayer for the Issuance of Provisional Authority.

14. The rates under ASPA was subjected to a simulation by NGCP, the results of which are as follows: Ancillary Service

1. This Application is for the approval of the Ancillary Services Procurement Agreement (“ASPA”) between the NGCP and KEGI dated 11 September 2019, and pursuant to the Decision dated 3 October 2007 in ERC Case No. 2006- 49RC entitled: “In the Matter of the Application for the Approval of Ancillary Services - Cost Recovery Mechanism (AS-CRM) of the Ancillary Services Procurement Plan, with Prayer for Provisional Authority.”

A copy of the Rate Impact Simulation for King Energy Genaration, Inc. Misamis Occidental Power Plant 3 (KEGI MOPP 3) is attached as Annex “C”. 15. Consistent with the AS-CRM, all the related and incidental expenses which NGCP will incur as a result of the procurement and operation of the ancillary services shall be recovered from all the load customers in the Visayas.

THE PARTIES 2. Applicant NGCP is a corporation created and existing under the laws of the Philippines, with office address at NGCP Building, Quezon Avenue corner BIR Road, Dillman, Quezon City. It holds a franchise under Republic Act No. 95111 to engage in the business of conveying or transmitting electricity through highvoltage back-bone systems of interconnected transmission lines, substations and related facilities, and for other purposes. The franchise also includes the conduct of activities necessary to support the safe and reliable operation of the transmission system.

16. The ASPA shall be effective for a period of five (5) years, to commence immediately upon the effectivity of the provisional approval, or in the absence thereof, the final approval of the instant Application. In the event that the provisional or final approval, as the case may be, does not state a particular date of effectivity, the Agreement shall be effective on the date agreed upon by the Parties. 17. KEGI, as a generation company, falls within the ambit of Sections 6 of the EPlRA. Attached are copies of relevant documents proving KEGI’s due registration as a generation company, relevant permits to operate the Generation Facility and audited financial statements, as follows:

3. Applicant KEGI is a corporation duly organized and existing under and by virtue of the laws of the Republic of the Philippines with principal place of business Barangay San Luis, Gingoog, Misamis Oriental. It may be Served with orders, notices, and other legal processes through its undersigned counsel. It is the owner and operator of the Misamis Occidental Power Plant 3 (“Generation Facility”) located at Barangay San Isidro, Jimenez, Misamis Occidental which has been certified and accredited by NGCP to be capable of providing Ancillary Services (“AS”) in the forms of Dispatchable Reserve (“DR”) and Reactive Power Support (“RPS”).

Document Certificate of Compliance Summary of Existing Power Supply Agreement5 Certificate of Incorporation (SEC Reg. No. 201019693) 2019 General Information Sheet Audited Financial Statement (for the year ended 31 December 2018) Certification issued by Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines, Inc., dated 13 August 2019

ANTECEDENT FACTS 4. Republic Act No. 9136 (“EPlRA”) provides that it is the responsibility of NGCP to ensure and maintain the reliability, adequacy, security, stability and integrity of the nationwide electrical grid in accordance with the performance standards for its operations and maintenance, as set forth in the Philippine Grid Code (“PGC”)2, adopted and promulgated by the Honorable Commission, and to adequately serve generation companies, distribution utilities and suppliers requiring transmission service and/or ancillary services through the transmission system3.

19. It is a declared policy of the State to ensure the quality, reliability, security and affordability of the supply of electric power (Section 2(b), EPIRA} To this end, there is a need to comply with the system requirements for AS to ensure grid system security and reliability. As mentioned above, NGCP has the mandate to procure the required AS. 20.The current levels of available contracted AS in the Mindanao Grid have not yet reached the desired levels necessary for the system security and reliability. Thus, Applicants executed the ASPA. A copy of the relevant actual data showing the required and available levels of AS in the Mindanao Grid, entiled as: “Mindanao Dispatch Reserve Availability” is attached as Annex” J”. 21. As the demand for power in the Mindanao increases, the requirements of the system to ensure stability, reliability, and security likewise increases. Ensuring the integrity of the system is essential to protect the interests of the public. The absence of system reliability and stability will certainly discourage investments and growth. The importance of AS, from KEGI to ensure and maintain the reliability, adequacy, security, stability and integrity of the Mindanao Grid cannot be overemphasized.

8. Pursuant to its mandate, NGCP on different dates published in newspapers of general circulation a Notice of Invitation for Prospective Ancillary Services· Providers, inviting all grid-connected merchant plants and independent power producers to participate in the provision of ancillary services.

A 15-MEMBER Batang Pinoy delegation coming from an Indigenous Peoples community in Davao del Norte is here in Manila as the Philippine Sports Commission hosts several volleyball exhibition games at the Ynares Arena in Pasig City. Comprised of 10 secondary girls’ players from the Ata-Manobo tribe, two coaches, two chaperons and a school administrator, the delegation arrived on Sunday afternoon here in Manila. The Talaingod girls came here upon the invitation of PSC Chairman William I. Ramirez, who watched them play in the gold medal match in the Batang Pinoy Mindanao qualifying early this year and was impressed with the skills of the girls. PSC Commissioner Charles Raymond A. Maxey, who oversees Mindanao, said the PSC is hosting an exposure for the Talaingod girls’ volleyball team as part of agency’s mandate of advancing the grassroots sports program and fulfilling President Rody Duterte’s mandate for an inclusive sports program. “This is part of Chairman Butch Ramirez’s instructions to

provide a good exposure and experience for the team which can help them develop their skills in their sport,” Maxey said. The Commission partnered with the Rebisco Volleyball League organizers for the exhibition games. The Talaingod girls’ volleyball team had scheduled exhibition games with high school teams from USA-Hawaii and Thailand. As support, members of the Talaingod girls volleyball team received sports equipment such as shoes and shirts from Chairman Ramirez. They also received allowance and free accommodation at PhilSports and transportation. Arlyn Murillo, who is a school administrator in Talaingod and is the in-charge of the delegation, thanked PSC for the generosity. “The girls trained for these games. We will see how they will fare,” she said in the vernacular. The Talaingod girls’ volleyball team bagged the silver medal in the Batang Pinoy National Finals in Puerto Prinsesa, Palawan last August. They also won the gold medal in the Batang Pinoy Mindanao leg.

22. Applicants respectfully submit that the immediate approval of the ASPA by this Honorable Commission is a necessity to maintain the reliability, adequacy, security, stability and integrity of the Mindanao Grid. In’ support of these allegations, NGCP submits a copy of the Judicial Affidavit of Engr. Riza C. Ereno of the Revenue and Regulatory Affairs Department of NGCP, which is’attached as Annex “K”.

9. NGCP agreed to procure and KEGI agreed to supply AS, under a nonfirm contracted capacities, in the forms of: (a) DR; and (b) RPS. The copy of the Ancillary Services Procurement Agreement between NGCP and KEGI dated 11 September 2019 is attached as Annex “A”.

PRAYER

10. During the period of negotiation, NGCP conducted several tests on the Generation Facility, and certified that the generating units have met and complied with the Standard Ancillary Services Technical Requirements of the ASPP as capable of providing:

WHEREFORE, premises considered, Applicants respectfully pray that the Honorable Commission: a)

Immediately ISSUE a provisional authority to implement the ASPA between NGCP and KEGI dated 11 September 2019; and

APPROVE, after notice and hearing, the subject ASPA.

Misamis Occidental Power Plant 3: Under Accreditation No. 2018-M014 Dispatchable Reserve Service Unit 1 - 7.5MW Unit 2 - 8.0MW

The copy of NGCP Accreditation Certificate No. 2018-M014 dated 14 November 2018 is attached as Annex “B”. 11. Under Clause 3 of the ASPA, KEGI shall provide NGCP with the following AS as specified in Schedule 1 of the ASPA, follows: Types of Ancillary Services (AS) that can be nominated:

“I”

ALLEGATIONS IN SUPPORT OF THE PRAYER FOR PROVISIONAL AUTHORTIY

5. Similarly, the PGC provides that NGCP is responsible for determining, acquiring, and dispatching the capacity needed to supply the required Grid AS and for developing and proposing Wheeling Charges and AS tariffs to the ERC.4

Reactive Power Support Lagging Only

Annex “D” “E” “F” “G” “H”

18. While KEGI is a co-applicant, it manifests that the instant Application shall neither modify, diminish or constitute a waiver of KEGI’s rights nor expand its obligations and responsibilities as a generation company under EPIRA.

7. In order to implement and regulate the procurement of AS, the Honorable Commission approved the Ancillary Services Procurement Plan (“ASPP”) through its Order dated 9 March 2006 in ERC Case No. 2002-253 and the Ancillary Services-Cost Recovery Mechanism (“AS-CRM”) through its Decision dated 3 October 2007 in ERC Case No. 2006-049RC.

Talaingod volley girls to play foreign teams

Indicative Rate Impact PhP/kWPhP/kWmonth equivalent 7.6306 0.0170 9.3451 0.0208 3.8159 0.00807 3.7921 0.00802

DR w/ WESM DR w/o WESM RPS w/ IE* w/o WESM RPS w/o IE* w/o WESM

The pertinent provisions of the Application are hereunder quoted as follows:

6. AS as defined in Section 4(b) of the EPIRA refer to those services that are necessary to support the transmission of capacity and energy from resources to loads while maintaining reliable operation of the transmission system in accordance with good utility practice and the Grid Code to be adopted in accordance with this Act.” These services are essential in ensuring reliability in the operation of the transmission system and consequently, in the reliability of the electricity supply in the Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao grids.

Players from Talaingod, Davao del Norte and Australia pose after their exhibition games at the side event of the Rebisco Volleyball League here at Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City. PSC Photo

the PFF administration said there were no funds available. After studying the concept, Yanson funded TAD’s implementation in the NOFA areas, reaping benefits for footballers in Negros. “We sacrifice willingly so that more Filipinos can enjoy football. The PFF must put more emphasis on development programs. We need to build a more solid football base for our youth.” The RFAs noted that the PFF last week announced new age-group tournaments for next year, with the expected entry of Qatar Airways as a new sponsor. But Yanson said the PFF should have prioritized funding for development in its spending, long before. “The RFAs should be consulted more in the allocation of PFF resources. Development programs for their communities should also be given priority, so the game can grow in our country,’’ said Yanson.

Applicants pray for other just and equitable relief. The Commission has set the Application for determination of compliance with the jurisdictional requirements, expository presentation, Pre-trial Conference, and presentation of evidence on 09 January 2020 (Thursday) at nine’o clock in the morning (09:00 A.M.), at La Elena Pension House, National Highway, Brgy. Butuay, Poblacion Jimenez, Misamis Occidental. All persons who have an interest in the subject matter of the instant case may become a party by filing with the Commission a verified Petition to Intervene at least five (5) days prior to the initial hearing and subject to the requirements under Rille “9 of the 2006 ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure, indicating therein the docket number and title of the case and stating the following:

Non-Firm Contracted Capacity:

The petitioner’s name and address;

Reactive Power Support (RPS) Available Capacity of Reactive Power outside the range of 85% lagging and 90% leading power factor.

The nature of petitioner’s interest in the subject matter of the proceeding and the way and manner in which such interest is affected by the issues involved in the proceeding;and

Dispatchable Reserve (DR) Available Capacity, up to 16.2MW (Int. 1-13 and 22-24) with Bilateral Contracts from Int. 14-21

A statement of the relief desired .

Once the Bilateral contracts expire by Year 2024, the available units may also be offered for DR. Note that the capacities listed above are the maximum ancillary services capacity that can be provided for each unit. However, nomination and schedule shall be based on the latest AS Accreditation Certificate.

All other persons who may want their views’ known to the Commission with respect to the subject matter of the case may file their Opposition or Comment thereon at any stage of the proceeding before the Applicants rest their case, subject to the requirements under Rule 9 of the 2006 ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure. No particular form of Opposition or Comment is required, but the document, letter, or writing should contain the following:

12. The Applicable Rates for the capacities covered by the ASPAs as provided in both Schedule 3, are as follows: A. Non-Firm Contracted Capacity Applicable Rates: 1. Dispatchable Reserve: . maximum of PhP 1.25/kW/hr 2. Reactive Power Support: PhP 4.00/kVARh B. Incidental Energy Cost The Cost of Incidental Energy (“IEmin”) is the payment of minimum cost of actual energy generated for the Firm and Non-Firm Contracted Capacity which shall be paid and computed using the formula below: Incidental Energy Cost IEDR= G x (AR + VOM + Actual Fuel Cost) - REVWESM Where: G = Summation of energy generated or Dispatched due to Non-Firm Scheduled Capacity, in kWh AR = Applicable Rate per AS type VOM = PhP 0.5/kWh Actual Fuel Cost = rate of fuel in Php/kWh REVWESM = Summation of WESM revenue based on Final Ex-post market clearing price of the AS Provider’s trading Node arising from G above, once WESM is implemented. This will be set to ZERO while WESM is not yet in place in the Mindanao Grid.

The name and address of such person;

A concise statement of the Opposition or Comment; and

The grounds relied upon.

All such persons who wish to have a copy of the Application may request from Applicants that they be furnished with the same, prior to the date of the initial hearing. The applicants are hereby directed to furnish all those making such request with copies of the Application and its attachments, subject to the reimbursement of reasonable photocopying costs. Any such person may likewise examine the Application and other pertinent records filed with the Commission during the standard office hours. WITNESS, the Honorable Chairperson and CEO AGNES VST DEVANADERA and the Honorable Commissioners CATHERINE P. MACEDA, PAUL CHRISTIAN M. CERVANTES, and ALEXIS M. LUMBATAN, Energy Regulatory Commission, this 21 October 2019 in Pasig City.

JOSEFINA PATRICIA A. MAGPALE-ASIRIT Oversight Commissioner for Legal

1 2 3 4 5

An Act Granting the National Grid Corporation of the Phllippines a Franchise to Engage in the Business of Conveying or Transmitting Electricity Through High Voltage Back-Bone System of Interconnected Transmission Lines, Substations and Related Facilities, andfor other Purposes; Section 9 (c); Section 9 (d); Section 6.3.1.2; The capacity of the Generation Facility is available to provide ancillary services from intervals 1-9 and 18-24, sans intervals 10-17 reserved for its bilateral contracts. (MS-NOV. 18 & 26, 2019)

Sports

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

sports@manilastandard.net

sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2019

NorthPort stays alive By Jeric Lopez NORTHPORT’S will live to fight another day. A fiery first-half start propelled the No. 8 Batang Pier to a resounding 11590 upset of top seed NLEX to force a deciding game in a heated and highlyphysical quarterfinal tussle in the 2019 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Monday night. Michael Qualls came up big for NorthPort, posting huge numbers with game-highs of 39 points, 16 rebounds and five assists for a double-double. Christian Standhardinger was likewise impressive, tallying 24 points and 13 boards for his own double-double. The two protagonists are now set to meet in a deciding knockout game tomorrow to see who advances to the best-of-five semifinals. No. 4-ranked Barangay Ginebra, who already advanced, is waiting in the wings. Facing a twice-to-win disadvantage, NorthPort showed up armed with all the weapons to make sure its season will not end just yet. Showing the requisite urgency it needs to stay alive, the Batang Pier raced to an early 12-point lead, 34-22, in the closing minute of the opening quarter. With its burly start, NorthPort caught NLEX flat-footed as the latter was unable to get it going in the first half. The Batang Pier pounced on the Road Warriors heavier in the second frame, stretching its lead further to a gigantic 23-point cushion, 61-38, after two free throws from Qualls with 35 seconds left before halftime. Apparently, the outcome was already decided at that point. Tempers flared with 4:54 left after Poy Erram and Paul Varilla both got ejected after getting called for consecutive flagrant foul 2 after a commotion with Qualls and Standhardinger.

Shamsudin Hakim (right) of Malaysia fights for the ball with Ye Yint Aung of Myanmar during the first round Group A football match between Myanmar and Malaysia at the 2019 SEA Games in Manila. AFP

PH water polo team starts bid T

HE Philippine men’s water polo team begins its campaign for the gold medal as it takes on past tormentor Indonesia at the start of the 30th SEA Games water polo competitions at the New Clark City Aquatic Center in Capas, Tarlac today.

“Last time, we placed fourth in the Malaysia SEA Games so now we’re aiming for a podium finish,” said coach Rey Galang, whose wards tackle the Indonesians in the last match of a triple header at 7 p.m. The day opens with Singapore playing defending women’s champion Thailand at 10 a.m. while Malaysia faces Thailand in the other men’s match at 5 p.m. The Filipino campaigners won once and lost three matches in the 2017 SEAG, including a 2-5 loss to Indonesia, which finished runner-up to perennial men’s water polo champion Singapore. “But we already beat the Indonesians twice in international play this year so we are confident about our chances against them on Tuesday,” Galang, a former national player himself, noted.

afford to relax against any of these He added that their stint in last Games Today teams.” month’s FINA Water Polo Chal(NCC Aquatic Center) With only three teams including lenger’s Cup in Singapore was a huge 10 a.m. – Singapore vs. Thailand (w) 5 p.m. – Malaysia vs. Thailand (m) boost for his players. host Philippines, the women’s water 7 p.m. – Philippines vs. Indonesia (m) The Pinoy bets wound up fifth polo competition will be a doubleoverall among the 10 teams that saw round series, with only the gold and action in the competition, and among their losses was silver to be awarded at the end of the event. an 7-11 decision to the Singaporeans in the group National women’s coach Aldo Tong is hoping that stage. his team will secure one of them, considering that his Galang admitted that Singapore, which is seeking squad is reinforced by Fil-Ams, bannered by twin sibto retain the championship for the 28th straight time, lings Haden Skye Alysabeth Bates and Kieran Scout is still the team to beat and the two squads collide on Noelle Bates. Alysabeth, a goalkeeper, and Scout , an attacker, are Friday just before the opening ceremonies at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan the succeeding day. freshman varsity players at the University Redlands The Filipinos earlier had a raging rivalry with the in Southern California, which is an NCAA Division Singaporeans, winding up bridesmaids five times to school that plays in the Southern California Intercolthe latter in previous SEAG battles, including a heart- legiate Athletic Conference. breaking 5-6 setback to the mighty Sea Lions when “I believe this is the reason why one of the counthe country last hosted the regional sports showcase tries backed out once it learned we had Fil-Ams in the in 2005. team,” Tong bared. The bespectacled mentor stressed that given the sinThe PH women’s water polo team take to the gle-round format of the five-team tournament “every pool for the first time against Singapore tomorrow, game is a must-win for all the squads. We can ill- Wednesday.

Ramirez: Rizal Memorial Complex ready for SEAG IN WHAT many call as a miracle, facilities owned and operated by the Philippine Sports Commission have been refurbished completely and are ready for use by the athletes competing in the 30th Southeast Asian Games firing off on November 30. Sight of workers filling the gaps at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex wound down over the weekend as PSC Chairman William “Butch” Ramirez announced the completion to form of the Rizal Basketball Coliseum, the Ninoy Aquino Stadium, the Rizal Football Field, the RMSC lawn tennis court and the facilities at the Philsports in Pasig City. “We were on target,” Ramirez exclaimed. “We gave the people an assurance that we will finish the competition areas on top and our various teams in the PSC did their jobs well. They delivered.” Ramirez also clarified that the squash competition is traditionally held at the Manila Polo Club. These facilities, Ramirez said, were not originally intended for use of the SEA Games hosting. The Phisgoc (Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee) had wanted all disciplines held at the Subic and Clark

complexes, including the newly-built New Clark City, which is owned and managed by the Bases Conversion and Development Authority. “But several of their facilities were not up to IF (International Federation) standards. And since the PSC-owned facilities have been used for international events may times in the past and have met the IF requirements, it was a no-brainer that some of the SEA Games events are hosted by our venues,” Ramirez said.

“These are very old venues, we admit. But the history that wraps every leaves and grass around these facilities speak of the heroism of our athletes. We deemed it right to put the venues back in their original forms,” Ramirez added. While the Phisgoc is in charge of running the whole SEA Games affair, Ramirez made sure the training of the Filipino athletes competing in the biennial meet were funded well by the agency tasked by government

to look after their welfare. “We have spent more than a billion pesos for the athletes’ training alone. We are not looking just at the SEA Games, we are also funding their training for possible Olympic slots, in Tokyo and beyond,” Ramirez narrated. For the rehabilitation of the various PSC-owned facilities, Ramirez thanked the Pagcor (Philippine Amusements and Gaming Corp.) for the P800-million aid which was used to rehabilitate the venues. “The Pagcor aid was the biggest boost to our drive in rehabilitating our venues. Pagcor Chairman Andrea Domingo made sure that money was spent well, wisely and prudently,” shared Ramirez. The PSC Chief said the agency will be a support group to the Phisgoc, the Philippine Olympic Committee and the various national sports associations under it in ensuring the country’s successful hosting of the Games. The Philippines last hosted the SEA Games in 2005—its third since the 1981 and 1991 Games, with Ramirez at the helm of its management. The Philippine Team won the overall championship of the biennial meet on that year.

Nadal: I had nothing left to give

Spain’s Rafael Nadal celebrates with teammates after winning against Canada’s Denis Shapovalov during the final singles tennis match between Canada and Spain at the Davis Cup Madrid Finals 2019 in Madrid. AFP

MADRID—Rafael Nadal admitted he gave everything he had left to lead Spain to their sixth Davis Cup success on Sunday after they beat Canada in the final in Madrid. Nadal’s 6-3, 7-6 (9/7) victory over Shapovalov confirmed another triumph for Spain after Roberto Bautista Agut had earlier seen off Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-6 (7/3), 6-3. All five of Spain’s squad played a part over the course of the week but Nadal’s colossal effort in front of the home fans at the Caja Magica proved the difference. The 33-year-old won eight out of eight rubbers, including two in the singles and doubles in a pulsating win over Britain on Saturday and then the decisive match that clinched the title against Shapovalov. “I played one of the toughest possible opponents at the end of a long and difficult

week, physically too because I put into this whole event all the energy that I had inside me,” said Nadal. “Honestly it’s the perfect end to the season for all of us. We know how difficult it is to win this and how difficult it will be to win it again. We knew we had to convert this opportunity.” Feliciano Lopez, who played alongside Nadal during Spain’s doubles win against Britain’s Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski on Saturday, said Nadal had been a “super-hero.” “There are things you can’t describe with words,” said Lopez. “The things he produced in doubles yesterday and then today against Shapovalov are things only Rafa can do. “If you ask me for my opinion, I will tell you he is a super-hero. He can do things none of us can do. He is a great person and an extraordinary tennis player.” AFP

Gymnastics’ equipment now in place THE equipment that will be used in the gymnastics’ competition of the 30th Southeast Asian Games is now in place inside the newly restored Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Vito Cruz. The equipment, which includes a parallel bar and horse vault, has been laid out on rubberized matting, which is on top of a wooden court that is used for basketball games. The gymnastics’ competitions are set to open on Dec. 1, some nine months after the 85-year-old Rizal Memorial Sports Coliseum was closed down for renovation. “Marami na kaming binago dito since na nag-renovate kami,” said venue manager Rufino Sedenilla. The whole arena is now air-conditioned and the mesh barriers meant to separate fans who fought during games of the NCAA days back in the 1970s are no longer around. This means that fans can now move freely from place to place in the upper areas. The vinyl floor covering on the stairs along the upper box of the spectator stands has anti-bacterial qualities and is fireproof. The seats are retractable and can be moved out of sight when not in use. There is now a holding area for visitors, while the public toilets have now been given a more classic look with their fixtures. Outside, the coliseum has been given a white finish and the steel barriers to its entrances are gone. Instead, glass panelings have taken the place of the barriers. Since April this year, when the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation remitted P842.5 million to the Philippine Sports Commission for the complex’s renovation. The tennis courts and the football stadium have also undergone renovations. The arnis gymnasium have also been built. The coliseum was originally designed by architect Juan Arellano. It was ruined by war in 1945 and was first rehabilitated in 1953 in preparation for the hosting of the 2nd Asian Games. This is the first time in 66 years that the Rizal Memorial Coliseum has gone hrough a major makeover. Peter Atencio

IN BRIEF NGCP puts Luzon grid on yellow alert

NATIONAL Grid Corp. of the Philippines placed the Luzon grid on yellow alert for six hours on Monday after 4,558 megawatts of power generation capacity went offline. The Department of Energy, meanwhile, has come out with the draft guidelines on the planned outage schedules of power plants and transmission facilities and publication of the grid operating and maintenance program. NGCP declared the yellow alert, which means the reserve power is low but no manual load dropping is implemented, from 10:01 a.m. to 4 p.m. “This is due to insufficient operating reserve brought about by power plant outages,” retailer Manila Electric Co. said in an advisory. Meralco said it was prepared to tap corporations and commercial establishments participating under the interruptible load program to use their generator sets to minimize incidents of power outage. The DOE said seven power plants were on maintenance shutdown or planned outage affecting some 2,312 megawatts of capacity. Alena Mae S. Flores

IC warns against 2 insurance firms

THE Insurance Commission on Monday warned the public to refrain from making any insurance or pre-need transactions with unlicensed companies, especially Golden Age Elderly Care Inc. (Golden Age) and Benevolent Care Program Association (Benevolent Care). Insurance Commissioner Dennis Funa said the agency issued the warning after the Commission found out that the companies mere continuations of Majar Senior Citizen Damayan Inc. (Majar Damayan) and Majar Insurance Agency and Business Ventures Inc. (Majar Insurance), which were earlier ordered to cease and desist from doing insurance and pre-need activities. The regulator issued the cease-anddesist order against Majar Damayan and Majar Insurance in 2015 and 2017, respectively, after they were found offering insurance and pre-need products without securing a secondary license from the commission. “Despite the cease and desist order issued by the IC against Majar Damayan and Majar Insurance, they continue to accept members and investors through other entities under different names,” Funa said in a statement. Julito G. Rada

Business

Pascal investing P800m in two LPG facilities in South By Othel V. Campos PASCAL Resources Energy Inc., the company behind Gaz Lite, said it will invest P800 million to put up two more liquefied petroleum gas plants in the Visayas and Mindanao. Pascal chairman Nelson Par said the company would acquire a property in Iloilo and another in Jasaan, Misamis Oriental, utilizing the same business model it employed when it started the company’s first plant in Lubao, Pampanga. “We will need the support of banks for this expansion. There is a growing demand for more sustainable energy source for cooking needs in the country. Gaz Lite is proven to be energy-efficient compared to butane with savings of at least 30 percent for the user,” Par said in a news briefing Monday. A 330-gram Gaz Lite canister can last for about three to five days of cooking while a refill costs P65 per canister. This is lower compared to butane’s P75 refill for 250-gram onetime use canister. Par said the company was targeting the 60 percent of Philippine population who were still using solid fuel such as wood and charcoal. He said the planned plants would have the same capacity as that of the Lubao facility which is capable of producing 3 million canisters monthly. Each plant is estimated to cost P400 million, including the cost of property acquisition. Pascal Energy also plans to register with the Board of Investments for incentives under the Strategic Investment Priorities Plan after the first plant was granted income tax holiday.

business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2019

New rate cut possible this year—BSP By Julito G. Rada

angko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin Diokno said Monday another policy interest rate reduction is possible before the end of the year.

Diokno, however, said the Monetary Board would study the economic data before it could consider another adjustment in benchmark interest rates. “That [interest rate cut] is possible. The BSP will always be data-dependent, so we will evaluate,” Diokno told reporters at the sidelines of an event at the SMX Convention Center in Mall of Asia, Pasay City. Diokno said it was appropriate to do “gradual” rate cuts “so you can monitor the developments.”

“That is the suggested move because any drastic move could be disruptive to the system,” he said. Global debt watcher S&P Global Ratings said in a report that following policy rate cuts by 75 basis points so far in 2019, “we expect another 25 bps rate cut later this year [which] should bring the overnight reverse repurchase rate to 3.75 percent.” “We anticipate a total rate cut of 75 bps in 2020. This would reverse the interest rate hikes during 2018

when capital outflow and inflationary pressures led the central bank to raise policy rates by 175 bps,” it said. ING Bank Manila said it the BSP was expected to be more data dependent going forward to see if there was a need to tweak its policy stance amid the benign inflation environment and the expected acceleration of economic growth. Inflation in October 2019 dipped to a 42-month low of 0.8 percent from 0.9 percent in September, tempered mainly by base effects and slower increases in the prices of food and oil. The October print was significantly slower than the peak of 6.7 percent in the same month last year. This brought the average inflation in the first 10 months to 2.6 percent, below the midpoint of the

target range of 2 percent to 4 percent this year. The benign inflation environment prompted the policy-making Monetary Board of the BSP to cut the policy interest rates by 25 basis points to 4 percent on Sept. 26. The interest rates on the overnight deposit and lending facilities were also reduced to 3.5 percent and 4.5 percent, respectively. The MB also cut the reserve requirement of banks by a total of 400 basis points to 14 percent this year in a bid to unleash more liquidity into the financial system. Analysts estimate that around P90 billion worth of additional liquidity is unleashed to the financial system for every 1 percent cut in RRR.

Govt incurred P49.3-b budget deficit in October

Cebu Landmasters launches Iloilo condo

CEBU Landmasters Inc., a leading Visayas-Mindanao property developer, is strengthening its presence in Western Visayas with the recent launch of a P1.5billion residential condominium project in Iloilo City. Cebu Landmasters said in a disclosure to the stock exchange it signed a joint venture agreement with businessman Alfonso Tan, chairman of International Builders Corporation, to develop a highrise residential tower on a prime corner lot in the city’s downtown area. Cebu Landmasters will own 50 percent of the residential development and manage it. IBC, meanwhile, will develop a mall that will link the residential tower. The tower will be the first condo offering in the highly accessible downtown area. “We are very proud to forge this partnership with Mr. Alfonso Tan and his family. He has established IBC as the leading construction firm in the region, and both our homegrown companies are motivated by the opportunity to contribute further to Iloilo’s exceptional growth,” Cebu Landmasters chief executive Jose Soberano III said. Jenniffer B. Austria

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

BIGGEST FAMILYMART STORE. Family Mart opens its biggest store in the Philippines at the ground floor of Udenna Tower, Rizal Drive corner 4th Ave., Fort Bonicio, Taguig City. Leading the ribbon-cutting ceremony are (from second left) celebrity Sarah Lahbati, Phoenix Petroleum president and CEO Dennis Uy, Phoenix board director Cherylyn Uy, Japan Ambassador to the Philippines Koji Haneda, Japan Family Mart executive officer of international business division Fuminobu Oda, Phoenix Petroleum COO Henry Albert Fadullon and Philippine Family Mart general manager Bernie Suiza.

Cavite defers Sangley international airport bidding to Dec. 17 By Darwin G. Amojelar THE provincial government of Cavite said Monday it deferred the bidding on Sangley International Airport Project by 22 days upon the request of the bidders. Cavite Governor Jonvic Remulla said the bid submission for the $10-billion project was moved to Dec. 17 after prospective bidders requested for an extension. Remulla said the deadline was moved from Nov. 25 “upon request of the bidders to give them time to prepare a bid.” Jesse Grepo, secretary of the PPP for the Sangley International Airport Project, confirmed the new schedule as Dec. 17. “Some of the candidate JV partners requested the PPP-Selection Com-

mittee to give them additional time to prepare their JV proposals, for them to complete the necessary documents for the proposal,” Grepo said. “They had requested a 60-day [from the Nov. 25, 2019 deadline for the candidate JV partners to submit their proposal] extension but because of the project’s tight development schedule, the committee could only grant an extension up to Dec. 17,” he said. The Cavite provincial government earlier said Metro Pacific Investments Corp., Philippine Airport Ground Solutions Inc., Mosveldtt Law Offices, PICTO, Langham Properties Inc., MacroAsia Properties Development Corp. and China Communications Construction Co. bought bid documents for the project. The awarding of the contract is on Jan. 12, 2019.

The provincial government of Cavite is the lead proponent and implementing agency of the project under a public-private partnership scheme, while the selected joint venture partner will provide the necessary equity investment and credit enhancements subject to a further competitive process or price test. Aside from the legal, technical and financial qualifications set by the provincial government, the selected JV partner should also pass the credit standards of project lenders. The request for proposals will require project feasibility study, instructions to candidate JV partners and the draft joint venture and development agreement. Cavite would separately bid out the operations and maintenance of the new international airport.

THE government incurred a budget deficit of P49.3 billion in October 2019, smaller by 17.7 percent than the shortfall in the same month last year as expenditures barely grew during the month. Data from the Bureau of Treasury showed that revenue collection increased 6 percent in October to P261.6 billion, while expenditures rose 1.37 percent to P310.8 billion. The budget deficit in the first 10 months also dropped 20.5 percent to P348.3 billion on sluggish government spending. Total revenues improved 9.8 percent in the first 10 months to P2.35 trillion, while disbursements rose 5.05 percent to P2.93 trillion. The Bureau of Internal Revenue raised P178.1 billion in October, up by 8.09 percent from last year’s outcome. The Bureau of Customs also grew its October collection by 3.04 percent to P57.7 billion. The Bureau of the Treasury contributed P10.6 billion in October, up by 26.77 percent from P8.4 billion posted a year ago. Debt interest payments reached P20.7 billion in October, down by 13.70 percent from a year ago. Netting out interest payments from expenditures, the government posted a P28.5-billion primary deficit in October, resulting in a cumulative primary deficit of P33.8 billion, which was 76.33 percent lower than its level over the same period in 2018. ING Bank Manila senior economist Nicholas Mapa said the government was expected to boost spending in the remaining two months. “We expect government spending to sustain the same strong pace to close out the year, which should translate into higher spending growth in both November and December given that government spending was in contraction by end 2018,” Mapa said. Julito G. Rada

World Bank issues bonds to insure PH up to $225m against calamities THE World Bank said Monday it issued two tranches of catastrophe-linked bonds to provide the Philippines with financial protection of up to $75 million for losses from earthquakes and $150 million against losses from tropical cyclones for three years. It said the bonds―issued under the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development’s capital at risk” notes program―could be used to transfer risks related to natural disasters and other risks from developing countries to the capital markets. Payouts will be triggered when an earthquake or tropical cyclone meets the predefined criteria under the bond terms. “The World Bank CAT bond is a vital building block to our long-term disaster risk and insurance strategy, which we have been steadily establishing since the aftermath of Typhoon Ketsana and Parma in 2009,” National Treasurer Ro-

salia de Leon said in a statement. “This instrument addresses the financing gap for immediate post-disaster needs for extremely high-risk events. It complements the government’s existing disaster risk financing mechanisms designed to ensure comprehensive financial protection for the Philippines,” she said. The Philippines is among the most disaster-prone countries in the world. In 2013, Typhoon Yolanda (also known as Typhoon Haiyan) resulted in the loss of 6,300 lives and caused an estimated $12.9 billion in damage or about 4.7 percent of the country’s gross domestic product. World Bank vice president and treasurer Jingdong Hua said many countries in Asia are highly vulnerable to natural disasters, which makes finding innovative, capital markets solutions a major priority to address the impact on their economies. Julito G. Rada

WINDOWS 10 UPGRADE. Wordtext Systems Inc. president Juan Chua (center) advises enterprises and companies to upgrade immediately to Windows 10 Pro, as Microsoft is ending support for Windows 7 after Jan. 14, 2020. The end of support announcement increases security risks, including malware, for firms that do not upgrade, according to Chua. With Chua are WSI vice president for consumer and commercial division Irene Chua (right) and business development manager Cherry Tan during the ‘Make The Shift’ event on Nov. 19 for their corporate partners.

Business

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2019 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market falls; Jollibee leads losers T HE stock market fell Monday on thin trading, as investors continued sell select issues while waiting for a catalyst to reverse their bearish sentiment.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index shed 52.97 points, or 0.7 percent, to 7,771.62 on a value turnover of P4.7 billion. Losers beat gainers, 118 to 68, with 46 issues unchanged. Jollibee Foods Corp., the biggest fastchain, dropped 4.5 percent to P186.20, while Manila Electric Co., the largest retailer of electricity, declined 3 percent to P320. PLDT Inc., the biggest telecommunications firm, lost 2 percent to P1,094, while Universal Robina Corp., the larg-

est snack food maker, fell 1.8 percent to P151.20 But the Asian markets rose Monday on fresh optimism over the long-running China-US trade talks after Beijing offered an olive branch on the key issue of intellectual property, while Donald Trump hailed progress on the agreement. Hong Kong stocks led the regional advance with pro-democracy parties on course for a landslide in local elections that could put pressure on the city’s government and Beijing to act after months of protests that have hobbled the financial hub’s economy and transport. The week got off to a strong start after China said at the weekend it would hike penalties on violations of intellectual property rights while also look at reducing the thresholds for criminal punishments of those who steal IP. The IP issue is a major sticking point

for the United States in the discussions and agreement on it is seen as key to their success. Trump on Friday told Fox News the deal was “potentially very close.” Global markets have rallied in recent weeks on expectations the economic superpowers will sign a mini pact as the first part of a wider trade deal, though dealers are growing edgy at the lack of detail from either side. There are also concerns about how tariffs will be wound back, with China insisting they are lifted as part of any agreement. “Although long on promise, but short on detail, China’s move appears to be an attempt to mollify one of the US’s main reasons for initiating the trade war in the first place,” said OANDA senior market analyst Jeffrey Halley. “The hope being to get impetus back into the interim trade-talks.”

On Monday, Tokyo ended 0.8 percent higher, while Shanghai rallied 0.7 percent and Seoul piled on one percent. Singapore added 0.1 percent, Sydney climbed 0.3 percent and Mumbai jumped 0.9 percent. Wellington and Bangkok also rose but Taipei and Jakarta went backwards. “The markets are pretty much priced for a deal to go ahead, and that may be the case, but we may see that pushed out to 2020,” Eleanor Creagh, market strategist at Saxo Capital Markets, told Bloomberg TV. “We can see China make concessions on intellectual property... also on the currency and agricultural purchases. But the key sticking point is really going to be the rolling back of tariffs.” Hong Kong was the standout performer, surging 1.6 percent as pro-democracy candidates headed for a huge win in community-level elections. With AFP

Manila Standard BuSineSS daily StockS review Monday, noveMBer 25, 2019

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING),

FINANCIALS 53.7 10 90 2,064,800 150 2,488,640 1.05 131,000 25.1 105,100 18 12,200 12.84 71,100 4.37 1,000 1.21 3,000 809.5 190 0.38 50,000 68 2,313,840 0.87 161,000 12.7 10,000 39.7 147,400 58.55 1,110 24.85 20,600 202 235,670 1,802 10 59 1,830 1.07 412,000

537 185,737,984 373,361,072 133,980 2,634,520 219,600 919,648 4,370 3,630 152,345 19,000 156,703,783 136,870 127,000 5,891,475 63,578.50 511,830 47,573,094 18,020 108,117 440,840

-74,641,060 -101,838,326 -93,240 -168,468 7,633,112.50 -136,000 -4,356,950 -467,010 -17,203,550 -107,516 -

34.5 2.43 13.7 0.58 1.22 3.65 2.35 14.94 5.15 28.1 68 2.05 5.3 8.73 14.98 10.3 7.21 23.4 73.8 40 1.96 13.8 7.75 186.2 47.5 3.61 8.11 18.2 12 16.86 320 5.2 1.27 4.52 9.4 11.1 31.85 4.92 5.46 2 1.98 1 11.24 87.6 8.1 0.121 1.02 150.2 1.15 16.68 0.99

INDUSTRIAL 35.55 987,900 2.43 2,854,000 14.18 112,500 0.58 110,000 1.22 75,000 3.72 2,823,000 2.37 2,079,000 15.1 305,800 5.22 740,600 29.6 1,400 68 590 2.09 62,000 5.35 5,100 8.85 375,000 15 19,900 10.32 231,700 7.22 1,544,600 23.5 927,600 75.95 108,160 40.5 59,900 1.96 3,671,000 13.98 30,500 7.9 26,800 186.2 1,107,270 47.5 300 3.62 13,000 8.83 4,600 18.36 1,319,800 12.1 327,100 17.1 197,600 320 344,000 5.69 4,200 1.27 7,550,000 4.56 1,228,000 9.5 2,100 11.1 500 32 105,300 4.92 1,000 5.47 25,400 2.05 3,914,000 1.98 2,000 1.03 16,000 11.3 39,900 88.8 267,830 8.15 355,900 0.125 770,000 1.08 165,000 151.2 636,220 1.16 1,098,000 17 59,800 0.99 839,000

34,862,230 7,009,440 1,591,976 63,920 92,100 10,560,660 4,947,400 4,612,088 4,050,959 40,985 40,133.50 127,430 27,343 3,303,438 298,760 2,391,026 11,152,022 21,850,625 8,267,893 2,423,795 7,367,770 426,332 209,588 209,693,111 14,250 46,980 39,157 24,223,854 3,949,082 3,378,014 110,919,662 22,821 10,059,970 5,606,880 19,840 5,550 3,366,805 4,920 138,918 7,926,190 3,960 16,110 452,280 23,746,831.50 2,902,677 93,560 170,820 96,252,635 1,278,400 1,015,712 835,380

-12,432,850 -2,003,390 1,453,458 -25,000 5,754,340 -141,920 291,260 73,689 -5,865 2,336,922 -72,042 1,239,946 -882,269 -12,699,420 -3,202,548 1,101,885 102,540.00 29,748 -68,064,495 -18,050 -6,168,788 -36,222 -2,515,328 -49,417,418 -2,030,870 -1,332,360.00 -1,415,660 65,300 45,340 -1,312,160 995,071 6,220 -54,144,191 8,120.00 -882,300 1,000

0.78 49.95 11 0.7 6.8 12.24 0.92 0.96 812 3.39 7.01 6.25 13.1 871 5.4 77.2 5.23 0.475 4.01 12.32 0.55 4.29 0.036 155.9 1,054 0.8 209 0.212 0.225

HOLDING FIRMS 0.79 1,764,000 49.95 714,020 11.14 19,075,500 0.72 16,000 6.83 14,900 12.5 1,700 0.95 1,347,000 455,000 0.98 820 346,170 3.4 303,000 7.05 3,221,400 6.55 64,404,500 13.3 34,800 880 40,760 5.4 21,200 78.5 829,280 5.25 200 0.5 1,804,000 4.01 61,000 12.74 818,200 0.55 367,000 4.34 14,159,000 0.036 2,100,000 156.9 48,340 1,075 214,695 0.8 24,000 220 1,570 0.212 200,000 0.225 10,000

1,402,350 35,719,260.50 212,511,366 11,360 102,006 20,980 1,269,240 439,100 283,721,335 1,030,990 22,735,103 413,386,961 460,380 35,885,645 116,168 64,963,714 1,048 868,945 244,610 10,292,626 201,890 61,747,220 75,600 7,582,234 229,987,790 19,200 335,346 42,400 2,250

-112,320 -17,828,064.50 -104,195,658 213,400 -50,298,605 -88,680 3,995,189 -220,041,513 -9,310,860 0 -21,173,388 -4,123,166 5,500 -27,771,400 -2,104,876 121,353,105 -

14.84 0.71 9 1.5 0.83 43.75 2 4.69 6.6 0.58 0.75 0.19 0.42 10.2 18.72 0.445 1.54 1.23 4.5 0.227 1.26 0.375 2.01 25.75 2.15 3.15 38.6 2.4 1.51 7.58

PROPERTY 14.84 219,700 0.75 165,000 9 100 1.62 378,000 0.86 1,399,000 43.9 14,704,200 2 714,000 4.7 235,000 6.7 1,200 0.59 14,619,000 0.75 71,000 0.19 5,580,000 0.42 960,000 10.32 262,400 18.72 165,000 0.445 6,750,000 1.54 9,266,000 1.26 49,000 4.5 10,055,000 0.227 9,580,000 1.28 1,154,000 0.375 10,000 2.02 105,000 26.2 1,573,700 2.15 155,000 3.25 287,000 39.2 6,583,200 2.48 466,000 1.53 1,752,000 7.61 2,256,200

3,260,362 120,000 900 588,380 1,169,310 647,472,175 1,428,770 1,105,300 7,990 8,622,830 53,250 1,068,760 403,450 2,699,994 3,108,026 3,033,350 14,277,350 60,800 45,383,500 2,230,830 1,472,420 3,750 211,640 41,153,840 336,750 904,260 257,166,815 1,132,340 2,677,600 17,152,830

6,640 -207,183,565 842,000 18,880 53,250 2,182,610 422,524.00 -2,574,000 -556,590 -18,939,700 46,300 8,820 -5,328,685 -48,421,345 186,447

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

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

53.7 90.5 152.1 1.05 25.2 18 12.8 4.37 1.21 801.5 0.38 68 0.85 12.7 41.4 57.75 24.9 200.6 1,802 60.1 1.07

53.7 90.85 152.9 1.05 25.2 18 12.98 4.37 1.21 809.5 0.38 68 0.87 12.7 41.4 58.55 24.9 202.2 1,802 60.1 1.07

53.7 89.05 149.1 0.98 25 18 12.7 4.37 1.21 801 0.38 67.4 0.85 12.7 39.6 57.2 24.8 199.4 1,802 59 1.07

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

34.75 2.47 14.2 0.58 1.25 3.79 2.39 14.94 5.89 28.1 68.05 2.06 5.3 8.76 14.98 10.3 7.22 23.7 77.1 41.5 2.03 13.8 7.85 195.7 47.5 3.62 9 18.48 12.2 17 324 5.21 1.42 4.52 9.4 11.1 32 4.92 5.46 2 1.98 1.01 11.5 90 8.15 0.121 1.02 152 1.17 16.68 1

35.55 2.52 14.2 0.6 1.25 3.8 2.4 15.14 5.96 29.7 68.1 2.09 5.4 8.88 15.2 10.34 7.23 23.75 77.1 42 2.03 13.98 8 197.5 47.5 3.62 9 18.5 12.2 17.16 326 5.69 1.44 4.6 9.5 11.1 32.15 4.92 5.47 2.07 1.98 1.03 11.5 90 8.19 0.125 1.08 152 1.17 17 1

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 GT CAPITAL HOUSE OF INV JG SUMMIT KEPPEL HLDG A LODESTAR LOPEZ HLDG LT GROUP MABUHAY HLDG METRO PAC INV PACIFICA SAN MIGUEL CORP SM INVESTMENTS SOC RESOURCES TOP FRONTIER WELLEX INDUS ZEUS HLDG

0.8 50.35 11.18 0.72 6.86 12.54 0.95 0.97 825 3.42 7.07 6.55 13.1 871.5 5.48 78.9 5.23 0.5 4.01 12.6 0.59 4.4 0.036 158 1,056 0.8 215 0.212 0.225

0.81 50.7 11.26 0.72 6.86 12.54 0.95 0.98 829.5 3.42 7.08 6.56 13.3 892.5 5.48 78.95 5.25 0.5 4.01 12.74 0.59 4.44 0.036 158.9 1,077 0.8 220 0.212 0.225

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

14.98 0.73 9 1.61 0.84 44.5 2.01 4.7 6.7 0.6 0.75 0.2 0.425 10.2 18.9 0.455 1.54 1.23 4.55 0.232 1.27 0.375 2.02 26.5 2.18 3.15 38.85 2.45 1.54 7.59

14.98 0.75 9 1.62 0.86 44.9 2.01 4.77 6.7 0.6 0.75 0.211 0.425 10.32 19 0.455 1.55 1.26 4.55 0.239 1.29 0.375 2.02 26.5 2.18 3.26 39.4 2.48 1.55 7.61

VOLUME

NAME VISTAMALLS

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING),

4.9

5.17

4.9

4.96

100,800

498,974

5,500 39,000 48,000 2,736,100 1,210,000 200,000 300,200 1,434,000 1,172,300 50,020 333,100 5,200 4,400 20 28,650 281,600 2,190 1,921,000 1,000 1,027,110 5,100 1,895,000 1,000 4,600 355,000 2,000 225,900 2,030,000 29,000 281,000 100 911,000 158,000 5,900 15,000 160 283,000 57,075 910,000 7,640,000 1,709,300 167,460 5,100 796,000 351,000 1,720,000 210,000 1,825,300

54,066 682,590 78,780 31,551,088 568,300 7,900 5,373,428 4,041,050 13,382,960 4,577,355 1,956,340 28,646 39,278 18,475 55,320,210 1,489,084 920,162 2,370,270 1,700 124,819,600 40,300 7,994,310 2,290 64,262 992,300 1,800 4,141,480 857,350 98,310 648,740 1,180 2,639,690 396,500 46,779 41,650 24,000 771,260 62,466,065 573,310 3,261,050 68,398,725 12,566,686 46,617 2,138,570 235,170 530,400 130,450 32,941,712

-17,731,916 32,950 260,600 -2,830 2,607,638 -3,330,608.50 168,612 2,910,160 -37,050 -36,195,920 457,800 -939,578 -18,490 -6,100 -50,700 -24,000 -29,890 -26,660,175 -401,270 -21,500 44,277,305.00 -1,014,677 993,550 29,316,706

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

9.82 17.9 1.62 11.56 0.47 0.039 18 2.74 11.5 92.5 5.99 5.73 9 921.5 1,935 5.27 416.2 1.32 1.7 119.7 7.9 4.21 2.29 13.52 2.81 0.9 18.2 0.445 3.39 2.3 11.8 2.97 2.6 7.93 2.65 150 2.8 1,106 0.63 0.425 40 74.6 9.17 2.69 0.67 0.3 0.63 18.1

9.89 17.9 1.65 11.56 0.475 0.04 18 2.9 11.52 92.7 5.99 5.73 9 926 1,945 5.34 425 1.35 1.7 122.2 8 4.3 2.29 13.98 2.82 0.9 18.46 0.445 3.39 2.36 11.8 2.97 2.6 7.93 2.85 150 2.83 1,114 0.64 0.43 40.5 75.9 9.17 2.72 0.67 0.31 0.63 18.2

9.82 17.5 1.62 11.5 0.465 0.039 17 2.74 11.26 91.2 5.83 5.5 8.72 921.5 1,905 5.25 414 1.17 1.7 119.7 7.9 4.18 2.29 13.52 2.78 0.9 18.2 0.41 3.39 2.3 11.8 2.85 2.47 7.92 2.65 150 2.7 1,090 0.62 0.42 40 74.6 9.14 2.64 0.67 0.3 0.62 17.68

SERVICES 9.89 17.5 1.65 11.54 0.47 0.04 17.98 2.84 11.42 91.5 5.83 5.5 8.98 926 1,945 5.25 425 1.23 1.7 121.5 7.9 4.2 2.29 13.98 2.78 0.9 18.3 0.42 3.39 2.3 11.8 2.89 2.6 7.93 2.82 150 2.71 1,094 0.62 0.425 40 75 9.14 2.7 0.67 0.31 0.62 18.2

ABRA MINING AC ENEXOR APEX MINING ATLAS MINING ATOK BENGUET A CENTURY PEAK FERRONICKEL GEOGRACE LEPANTO A LEPANTO B MANILA MINING A MARCVENTURES NICKEL ASIA NIHAO OMICO CORP ORNTL PENINSULA ORNTL PETROL A ORNTL PETROL B PHILODRILL PX MINING PXP ENERGY SEMIRARA MINING

0.0017 10.7 1.08 2.58 11.16 1.19 2.51 1.83 0.209 0.105 0.103 0.0085 1.04 3.3 1.06 0.56 0.8 0.011 0.012 0.011 3.36 11.54 21

0.0017 10.8 1.09 2.58 11.16 1.19 2.51 1.87 0.209 0.105 0.105 0.0085 1.04 3.44 1.06 0.58 0.81 0.012 0.013 0.011 3.4 11.6 21.4

0.0017 9.17 1.08 2.58 10.14 1.19 2.5 1.83 0.2 0.102 0.103 0.0085 1.01 3.3 1.05 0.53 0.8 0.011 0.012 0.011 3.36 11.32 20.2

MINING & OIL 0.0017 12,000,000 9.2 3,346,800 1.08 296,000 2.58 5,000 11.12 12,800 1.19 1,000 2.51 1,590,000 1.87 4,069,000 0.209 130,000 0.104 400,000 0.105 860,000 0.0085 8,000,000 1.01 671,000 3.4 9,198,000 1.06 3,000 0.58 6,000 0.81 35,000 0.012 23,000,000 0.013 650,000,000 0.011 27,200,000 3.39 258,000 11.32 300,200 20.5 2,556,000

20,400 32,671,180 320,400 12,900 136,318 1,190 3,982,320 7,536,280 26,190 41,240 89,830 68,000 691,600 30,981,030 3,170 3,390 28,010 270,000 8,449,800 299,200 870,990 3,432,254 52,462,210

-459,845 -162,000 -483,300 -55,650 -7,100,850 -668,578 -2,737,555

LR PREF GMA HLDG PDR ABS HLDG PDR SMC PREF 2E SMC PREF 2G SMC PREF 2I SMC PREF 2H SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2C HOUSE PREF A ALCO PREF B DD PREF PNX PREF 3A PNX PREF 3B FGEN PREF G FPH PREF C GLO PREF P AC PREF B1 GTCAP PREF B PCOR PREF 2B PNX PREF 4 PCOR PREF 3A PCOR PREF 3B

1.01 5.2 17 75 75.1 75.2 75.3 76.55 78 97 100.1 100.1 100.5 103.1 109 480 501.5 502.5 980 1,027 1,029 1,030 1,066

1.03 5.2 17 75 75.1 75.2 75.3 76.55 78.45 97.1 101.5 100.2 100.5 103.1 109 480 501.5 502.5 980 1,027 1,029 1,050 1,066

1.01 5.08 16.9 75 75.1 75.15 75.3 76.55 77.6 97 100.1 100.1 100.5 103.1 109 480 500 501 980 1,026 1,028 1,023 1,066

PREFERRED 1.03 110,000 5.08 64,200 16.9 82,500 75 40,600 75.1 10,000 75.15 887,500 75.3 3,540 76.55 200 77.6 157,890 97 25,650 101.5 850 100.2 30,990 100.5 4,000 103.1 530 109 340 480 20 500 1,590 501 5,550 980 40 1,027 1,320 1,028 455 1,023 3,005 1,066 200

113,100 326,148 1,395,300 3,045,000 751,000 66,697,500 266,562 15,310 12,274,303 2,488,069 85,852 3,105,115 402,000 54,643 37,060 9,600 796,600 2,785,180 39,200 1,354,495 467,990 3,087,725 213,200

-326,148 -178,500 14,560 -213,200

LR WARRANT

1.42

WARRANTS 1.42 13,000

18,460

ITALPINAS KEPWEALTH XURPAS

4.76 12.2 0.92

4.77 12.9 0.92

4.28 12.2 0.89

SME 4.4 12.48 0.9

5,133,890 22,397,052 1,410,700

603,000 -

FIRST METRO ETF

117.2

116.2

477,663

USD DMPL A1

10.1

50,500

MS Trading Summary FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL HOLDING FIRMS

SHARES 8,581,570

37,699,474 117,506,991

PROPERTY

94,189,445

SERVICES

32,695,371

MINING & OIL

743,946,659

GRAND TOTAL

1,039,115,042

1,142,000 1,771,600 1,571,000

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 116.6 4,090 10.1

DDS

5,000

VALUE 1,861.03 (down) 13.10 806,416,398.20 FINANCIAL 9,747.66 (down) 163.96 INDUSTRIAL 665,761,259.80 7,750.43 (down) 6.50 HOLDING FIRMS 1,496,570,194.24 PROPERTY 3,996.98 (down) 36.24 1,541.43 (down) 8.27 1,085,186,534.521 SERVICES 8,226.67 (up) 51.24 MINING & OIL 452,045,581.55 7,771.62 (down) 52.97 PSEI 142,409,340.276 All Shares Index 4,653.54 (down) 25.50 4,677,840,166.09 Gainers:68; Losers: 118; Unchanged: 46; Total: 232

8990 sells P10b worth of receivables to Fillmore By Jenniffer B. Austria MASS housing developer 8990 Holdings Inc. agreed to sell P10 billion worth of receivables to Fillmore Resources Holdings Inc. 8990 Holdings said in a disclosure to the stock exchange the transaction would be financed by Philippine National Bank, the fifth-biggest lender in terms of assets. The latest brings the company’s total receivables sold to P25 billion in a bid to fund its aggressive growth plans through internally generated cash and lower reliance on debt. The receivable of 8990 Holdings as of end September this year 2019 stood at P20.9 billion. The level is expected to decline further following the sale of P10 billion worth of contract-to-sell receivables and upon the completion of the company’s P2.5-billion securitization deal scheduled early next year. The property firm said the securitization is set to be rolled out during the first quarter of 2020. It will mark the beginning of a series of securitization deals that will help the company become less reliant on debt. 8900 Holdings acting president and chief executive Alexander Ace Sotto said the company already received the approval of Home Guaranty Corp., making the issuance risk free. Sotto said the company was just waiting for a rating agency to assign an investment grade to the underlying securities after it conducted an extensive appraisal of the pool of collaterals and stress tests on the assets. The rating will make investors be more informed once they are sold to the retail market. “We are confident that we will receive a favorable rating from the rating agency, 8990 has an extensive loan underwriting process that makes sure its buyer risk profile is acceptable to investors,” Sotto said. 8990 Holdings in 2020 plans to spend roughly P8 billion in capital expenditures, which is double the P4-billion programmed spending for 2020.

AC Energy taps BPI Capital, CLSA to sell green issue By Alena Mae S. Flores AC ENERGY Inc., the energy unit of conglomerate Ayala Corp., tapped BPI Capital as sole global coordinator and BPI Capital, CLSA, Credit Suisse and UBS as joint lead managers and joint book-runners of a planned green note issue. AC Energy Philippines disclosed to the Philippine Stock Exchange the mandate to the banks in relation to the proposed offering of fixed for life (nondeferrable) senior perpetual non-call 3-year green notes (the “Notes”), subject to market conditions. AC Energy Finance International Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of AC Energy, will issue the notes, with guaranty from AC Energy. AC Energy earlier announced plans to invest $1.2 billion of equity in 2020 to finance 1,500 megawatts of local and international power projects. AC Energy plans to put up 400 MW of power plants in the Philippines. These include the Alaminos solar and Luzon solar projects, Luzon wind farm and Ingrid (Pililla) peaking plant. It is developing 400 MW of solar projects in Australia and 300 MW in Vietnam. The company is also looking at 400 MW of power projects in India and Myanmar. AC Energy aims to install 5,000 MW of power generation capacity by 2025. AC Energy is one of the fastest growing energy companies with over $1 billion of invested and committed equity in renewable and thermal energy in the Philippines and around Asia. AC Energy unit AC Energy Philippines Inc. (formerly Phinma Energy Corp.) last week announced the investment in and construction of a 60-MW solar power plant project in Palauig, Zambales province. AC Energy Philippines subsidiary AC Energy Development Inc. will build the solar project scheduled for completion by 2020. The AC Energy Philippines board also endorsed the approval of the executive committee to sign a share purchase agreement with the Philippine Investment Alliance for Infrastructure Fund, or PINAI.

World

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2019 CESAR BARRIOQUINTO, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

IN BRIEF AFTER VOTING.

Romanian incumbent President Klaus Iohannis answers to media after casting his ballot on the second round of presidential elections at a poll station in Bucharest on November 24, 2019. Romanians started voting on November 24, 2019, in the second round of presidential elections that are expected to return Klaus Iohannis to office, confirming the pro-European trajectory of the eastern EU member. AFP

Ginsburg released from hospital

NEW YORK―Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the US Supreme Court’s eldest justice and de facto leader of its liberal wing, has been released from hospital after being admitted last week with a possible infection. The 86-year-old has had a series of health scares this year, sparking speculation she may retire―a move that would allow conservative US President Donald Trump to nominate a replacement. Ginsburg is “home and doing well”, US media reported the court as saying Sunday. She was hospitalized on Friday with fever and chills, according to a court spokesperson. A feminist icon, Ginsburg is one of four liberals on the nine-justice court and has given no sign she is thinking of stepping down. In August Ginsburg completed a three-week course of outpatient radiation therapy in New York for a localized malignant tumor on her pancreas. She was treated for colon cancer in 1999, and a decade later, pancreatic cancer that was caught at an early stage. In December 2018, she had two nodules removed from her lung. US Supreme Court justices are appointed for life. She has repeatedly said she will only retire when she feels incapable of handling the workload. Ginsburg is fondly known as “The Notorious RBG,” a riff on dead rapper The Notorious B.I.G. AFP

French citizen kidnapped in Mexico

Pro-democracy camp scores crushing win in HK elections Japan disaster survivors meet Pope Francis TOKYO―Survivors of Japan’s socalled “triple disaster”, the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown, told Pope Francis on Monday they were “thankful for being given life” and urged solidarity with victims. Toshiko Kato was at her job as head of a Catholic kindergarten in Iwate region when the quake and tsunami hit on March 11, 2011. The massive waves that killed nearly 16,000 people caused enormous destruction, including sweeping away her home. “That morning, I could not have known that the daily life I had known before I left the house would end, that in an instant many people would die,” she told Francis. “I remember that when I stood in the rubble where my home had been, I was thankful for being given life, for being alive, and for just being able to appreciate it.” And Kato said she felt she had “received much more than I lost.” “Many people from all over the world opened their hearts and I was able to find hope from seeing people come together to help one another,” she said. “Life is the most important thing, and no good life is lost.” The human cost of the quake and tsunami was enormous―with 18,500 dead or missing. The meltdown itself killed no one, but more than 3,700 people who survived the triple disaster later died as a result of complications related to evacuations. Nearly half a million people fled their homes in the first days after the quake and even today, roughly 50,000 remain in temporary housing. Among those forced to evacuate was Matsuki Kamoshita, who was eight when the nuclear meltdown happened. His father, a teacher, remained in Fukushima region to help his students, while Kamoshita and his three-year-old brother moved from place to place with their mother. “My brother would burrow into his futon and cry. I was bullied... and every day was so painful I wanted to die,” he told Francis, speaking steadily before the crowd. “Eventually, my father got mentally and physically ill and stopped working. Even so, I still think we are fortunate because we were able to evacuate.” Japan’s government has been encouraging people who evacuated to return to areas that have now been declared safe after extensive decontamination. AFP

ONG KONG― Hong Kong’s deeply unpopular leader vowed Monday to “listen humbly” to voters after the pro-democracy camp scored a crushing victory in community-level elections that revealed broad public support for a protest movement that has sparked months of violence. In a rout that stunned the semi-autonomous territory, candidates seeking to loosen control by China seized an overwhelming majority of the 452 seats in the city’s 18 district councils, bodies that have historically been firmly in the grip of a Beijing-aligned establishment. The result was a humiliating rebuke to Beijing and Chief Executive Carrie Lam, who has dismissed calls for po-

litical reform and had repeatedly suggested that a silent majority supported her administration and opposed the protest movement. “The government will certainly listen humbly to citizens’ opinions and reflect on them seriously,” Lam said in a statement issued by the government. She gave no specifics on her next move, but opponents quickly called on her to accede to a five-point list of demands, including direct elections for the city’s legislature and leadership and a probe into alleged police brutality against demonstrators. “The voters used the most peaceful way to tell the government that we won’t accept Hong Kong becoming a police state, and an authoritarian regime,” said Wu Chi-wai, the chairman of the Democratic Party, Hong Kong’s largest anti-establishment party. “The government must squarely face... public opinion.” The Labor Party, another leading component of the pro-democracy bloc, attributed the election result to “the sweat, blood and tears” of protesters. Chatter on a popular web forum

used previously to urge people to turn out for protests called for a march on Sunday to press the government to respond to the movement’s demands. Millions took to the streets earlier this year after Lam’s government introduced a bill to allow extraditions to China’s opaque judicial system. It was eventually withdrawn, but the resulting public anger unleashed broader demands and led to violent clashes between police and protesters. District councils handle mundane community-level issues like garbage collection and the polls typically generate little excitement. But Sunday’s contest took on new political significance because of the protests. The outcome was “nothing short of a revolution”, Hong Kong political analyst Willy Lam said. “It’s a sound repudiation of the (Hong Kong) administration and Beijing’s policy toward Hong Kong.” He said the result could hasten Beijing’s expected removal of Lam as leader, but may also extend the city’s crisis. AFP

MEXICO CITY―A French citizen and a Mexican national were kidnapped Sunday while visiting a national park in central Mexico, the French embassy in Mexico City told AFP. The two men were in separate all-terrain vehicles when they were ambushed. They were accompanied by at least two other people who went to the authorities after being freed by their captors, local media said. The victims were taken away in their vehicles. “We are in permanent contact with the Mexican authorities that have mobilized to find our citizen,” the embassy said. They identified the Frenchman as Frederic Michel. Local media said the Mexican as an actor named Alejandro Sandi. Police and National Guard agents launched a search of the area, according to authorities. Mexico has seen a significant increase in kidnappings this year, with some 1,700 people taken captive between January and October according to local civil organization Alto al secuestro―a 38 percent increase on the same period last year. The park, which is located in the state of Mexico and includes the snow-capped Nevado de Toluca, is popular among visitors from the country’s capital some 50 kilometers to the northeast. AFP

Venetians protest over flooding

VENICE―Thousands of Venetians took to the streets of the Renaissance city on Sunday to vent anger over frequent flooding and the impact of giant cruise ships. Braving heavy rain, between 2,000 and 3,000 people answered the call of environmental groups and a collective opposed to the boats. Critics say the waves cruise ships create are eroding the foundations of the lagoon city. Chanting slogans such as “Venice resist” and calling for Mayor Luigi Brugnaro’s resignation, the marchers also appealed for a massive project, MOSE, to be mothballed. The multi-billion euro infrastructure project has been under way since 2003 to protect the city from flooding, but it has been plagued by cost overruns, corruption scandals and delays. The protest follows unprecedented flooding earlier this month that devastated the city, submerging homes, businesses and cultural treasures. “Venetians have just endured a deep wound. The flooding... brought this city to its knees and revealed its extreme fragility to the world,” activist Enrico Palazzi told AFP. AFP

Shiite detentions in Malaysia fuel crackdown fears

INSPECTION. This undated picture released from North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency on November 25, 2019, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspecting a women’s company under Unit 5492 of the Korean People’s Army. AFP

Leaked documents reveal how China runs Xinjiang camps BEIJING―Leaked government documents outlining the need to prevent escape, double lock doors and constantly monitor detainees in China’s network of internment camps in Xinjiang refute Beijing’s defense of “vocational education centers” in the region, experts say. Obtained by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and published by 17 media outlets worldwide on Sunday, the documents show the strict protocols governing life in the camps in Xinjiang, where an estimated one million Uighurs and other mostly Muslim minorities are held. In one document, local officials are told to monitor inmates at all times―

including during toilet breaks―to prevent escape. Staff are also banned from befriending inmates and engaging in “personal interactions” to prevent “collusion”, the document read. “It shatters [the Chinese Communist Party’s] CCP’s narrative about these camps as benign vocational training centers where Uighurs and other Chinese Muslim(s) willingly undertake training,” said James Leibold, an expert on ethnic relations in China and a professor at Melbourne’s La Trobe University. Instead, the documents outline “in the Party’s own words... the calculated, coercive, and extra-judicial nature of these detentions,” he told AFP.

The leak comes one week after The New York Times reported, based on more than 400 pages of internal papers it had obtained, that Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered officials to act with “absolutely no mercy” against separatism and extremism in a 2014 speech following a Uighur militant attack on a train station. After initially denying their existence, China acknowledged that it had opened “vocational education centres” in Xinjiang aimed at preventing extremism by teaching Mandarin and job skills. Former detainees describe the facilities as indoctrination camps that are part of a campaign to eradicate Uighur culture and religion. AFP

KUALA LUMPUR―Syed Mohamad was celebrating a key date in the Muslim Shiite calendar in secret when officials burst in and detained him, one of several raids in Malaysia that have set the long-persecuted community on edge. Dozens of Shiites have been rounded up recently in the Sunni Muslim-majority country, including several foreigners, fueling fears that religious authorities are stepping up a crackdown on adherents of the minority sect. Around the world, Shiite Muslims―who are far outnumbered by Sunnis, and follow some different doctrines and rituals―say they face discrimination from authorities and others who accuse them of being deviants. About 60 percent of Malaysia’s 32 million people are Muslim and the country is also home to substantial minorities of Hindus and Christians, and the different communities have largely co-existed harmoniously. But critics say a traditionally moderate brand of Islam is being eroded as vocal conservatives gain ground, and the small Shiite community―whose teachings have been banned in Malaysia for over two decades―complain of ever greater pressure. In September religious enforcement officers and police raided a series of clandestine gatherings by Shiites commemorating Ashura, which marks the seventh-century killing of Prophet Mohammed’s grandson. As Syed prayed with a small group in a rented premise in southern Johor state, a 20-strong raiding party scaled a fence and burst in. AFP

LGUs

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

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2019

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

Rubiano orders Pasay police to probe abductions By Joel E. Zurbano PASAY City Mayor Imelda Rubiano on Monday ordered City Police commander Col. Bernard Yang to look into reports about the series of abductions in the city. Rubiano’s directive to law enforcers came following complaints and reports posted on social media about kidnappings involving teenage residents and Chinese nationals. The city chief executive reminded citizens to first report these incidents to their nearest community police precinct before posting it on social media. “I am ordering the police to investigate these alleged abductions. We want these resolved immediately to ease the anxiety and uncertainty of their relatives,” said Rubiano. “Let’s be careful and avoid risks by going to the police. The Philippine National Police is on top of the situation, and I am confident that they have the resources and manpower to solve these crimes,” she added. The city’s public information office also stated that social media, Facebook in particular, has been abuzz with teenagers being abducted, particularly within the vicinity of Pasay EDSA-Rotonda. Yang, for his part, immediately formed a special police team to look into these reports. He said he has already ordered his men to prioritize these abduction cases. Last week, police arrested three Chinese for alleged kidnapping their countryman in Pasay. The suspects ― Li Gen, He Xiang, and Wang Jun ― were apprehended at the Skyway Toll Plaza in Villamor Airbase. Police initially spotted Wang, the driver of a Chevrolet car, for not wearing his seat belt. Police flagged down the car and saw He and Li beating the victim, Zhou Zheng Qiang. Zhou told the lawmen the suspects abducted him for not paying them P950,000, which he had used for illegal gambling.

EASING BUSINESS. Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte (center) joins Antonio Mardo, Araneta City SVP for Operations (second from left) in leading the inauguration of the QC Business Centre, located at Ali Mall’s Banking and Government Center—a one stop shop for all employment needs with various government satellite offices. This offers QC residents a convenient alternative to settling their payments at city hall, since Araneta City is quite accessible and will speed up the application and processing of business permits for citizens.

SEARCA backs Grow Asia group of skilled farmers ASEAN arm SEARCA has supported the development of organized and skilled farmers that now form part of Grow Asia, a farm production partnership platform that’s benefitting 117,000 smallholders in coconut, coffee, corn, fisheries, and vegetables. The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture reported that Grow Asia, through its Philippines Partnership for Sustainable Development, has become a successful farm partnership model. Bernie S. Justimbaste and Edwin P. Bacani reported in the SEARCApublished “Competency Certification for Agricultural Workers in Southeast Asia” that Grow Asia has demonstrated farming models that now integrate small farm owners into the big ASEAN value chain. ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) co-founded Grow Asia with the World Economic Forum. Grow Asia-PPSD has built synergies between different value chain players in agriculture. It facilitates delivery of many interventions including agricultural and technical-vocational (Tech-Voc) skills training in the production of these farm products: Coconut—Grow Asia-PPSD is providing a Mindanao-based program multiple interventions in farmers’ production of coconut water: development of skills and know-how in coconut intercropping, replanting, and market access. Partners in this program are Unilever, Friends of Hope, and KFI Center for Community Development.

BARMM People’s Center opens By Nash B. Maulana

OTABATO CITY—The Bangsamoro government has opened its People’s Center here for a place of convergence to closely engage the basic sectors and boost participatory governance, officials said. Bangsamoro Chief Minister Hadji Murad Ebrahim noted that some challenges in the transition have slowed down administrative functions in some offices of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. The BARMM People’s Center was opened Friday “to provide a space for our clients and the civil society engagement on participatory governance,” said Interior and Local Government Minister Naguib Sinarimbo. Sinarmbo added: “This is our com-

mitment to implement moral governance as espoused by the Chief Minister who honored us with his presence during the launch.” Closer engagement with the people will help hasten the delivery of basic services in government operations, Ebrahim said. He said the challenges of changes include adjustments in “transitioning [by most heads of offices] from revolutionary experience to the bureacratic governance.” Ebrahim said another challenge is the

changing of the government structure of the defunct ARMM to unitary form, “where there’s no separation but fusion of powers of the Executive and the Legislative Branches of Government.” The third factor is the massive layoff of old ARMM employees, having potentially lost their positions under a new BARMM organizational structure. Republic Act 11054, the Bangsamoro Organic Law, provides for packages of compensated separation for more than 6,000 affected employees. Ebrahim was, in effect, responding to growing number of comments on social media platforms about a purported slow functioning of administrative services in BARMM. A source from Malacanang said last month, BARMM returned to the national government about P900 million

in unused maintenance and other operating expeditures funds. Underspending in the government is an “unhealthy” economic indicator, according to the World Bank. Funds under the modified disbursement system has a month-long validity “unless obligated ontime within that period for payments of current accounts,” the same source explained, asking that he would not be named for lack of official authority to speak on the issue for the Department of Budget and Management. “[But] the chief minister is apparently informed ahead of time about official communiques, that at times he would look for documents that were addressed to, but not easily found until it was too late,” another source said, when the top BARMM management was sought for comment.

Navotas Doc-On-Wheels brings healthcare closer to city elderly

Mayor Toby Tiangco (center) receives the 2018 Seal of Child-Friendly Local Governance conferred by the Council for the Welfare of Children during the awarding ceremony at Sofitel Hotel in Pasay City. Jun David

THE Navotas City Government has rolled out a doctor-on-wheels program to serve Navoteños who are no longer physically able to visit a health facility. Mayor Toby Tiangco said city doctors will make a house-to-house visit to Navoteño centenarians and bedridden patients. “We put premium on the health of our constituents. Navoteños deserve the best service we could provide, regardless of age or stature in life,” he said. Tiangco, together with Association of Barangay Captains—Navotas president, Ricky Gino-Gino and Assistant City Social Welfare and Development Officer, Jennifer Serrano, recently

Serbisyo Caravan goes to Quezon’s mountains By Roy Tomandao CAMP CAPINPIN, Tanay, Rizal—A 2.5-hour travel over 7 kilometers of unpaved road did not dampen the desire of a regional group to deliver services to the grassroots of Quezon Province’s Macalelon town on Wednesday. In line with President Rodrigo Duterte’s Executive Order Number 70 which calls for a whole of nation approach in ending local communist armed conflict, national government agencies joined the Regional Task Force during the Serbisyo Caravan held in Region 4A. According to Colonel Norwyn Romeo P Tolenti-

no, Commander of the 201st Infantry Brigade which has operational jurisdiction over southern Quezon, around 500 residents of Barangay Malabahay benefitted from the first ever convergence activity under EO 70 in his area. He added that the activity was successful because “aside from delivering the much needed services to our beloved constituents, representatives of national government agencies had a first-hand experience of the challenges and hardships which our people confront and experience in their daily lives which led them to realize that, indeed, a sense of urgency in addressing social issues is very much in order.”

Music professor saving Isinay songs in a book By Ben Moses Ebreo BAMBANG, Nueva Vizcaya—She studied music and came back to save, improve and preserve songs of the Isinay tribe which she belonged. For Emely Jane Gonzalez Namit-Mahipus, an Isinay of barangay Banggot and now a music professor of Sta, Isabel College in Metro Manila, gathering the manuscripts and compilations of Isinay songs is worth the effort and initiative.

After all, it is a cultural treasure that needs to be preserved. The book containing a compilation of Isinay tribe songs was already launched at the Nueva Vizcaya State University in this town. The launching was attended by Isinay tribe elders and leaders of Bambang headed by former board member Jose Tubayan and former Schools Division Superintendent Albert Bangunan and his wife Reynalda Bangunan.

FCF SHOW. A worker of FCF Minerals Corp. shows off his firefighting skills during a competition in the 66th Philippine Mine Safety and Environment Association conference at Camp John Hay in Baguio City. Earlier, other FCF workers joined other mining companies in a parade on the streets of Baguio, which has hosted the annual gathering over the last half-century. Ben Moses Ebreo

handed a check worth P10,000 to Lorenza Bermudez, the city’s sixth centenarian this year. Bermudez is a resident of Barangay San Roque who celebrated her 100th birthday last November 19. “We want our senior citizens to feel they are a significant part, not just of the city’s past but of its present as well. Generations of today look up to them for their wealth of experiences and wisdom. They are a source of inspiration for us all,” Tiangco said. The mayor recently signed City Ordinance 2019-15, granting a ₱500 “NavoRegalo Para sa mga Lola at Lolo” on their birthdays effective January 2020. Jun David

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2019 advertise@manilastandard.net

The

Road Never Ends

“E

Attorney Emil P. Jurado

MIL, why don’t you write a book?” The truth is, a number of people have made this suggestion to me over the years. I have always found these suggestions somewhat bewildering. “Me, write a book?” I say. “I am not a movie star, hero, politician, or any kind of celebrity.” This is true. I live my ordinary life one day at a time, like everyone else, and it just so happens that I make my daily living watching the world and basically telling people what I see. Continued on C2

Graduation photograph, Bachelor of Laws, Philippine Law School, 1954.

50 X 2025 BY 2025, WE COMMIT TO REDUCE OUR USE OF WATER IN ALL PROCESSES ACROSS THE SAN MIGUEL GROUP BY 50%. ELIMINATE WASTAGE OF WATER ACROSS OUR OPERATIONS. REUSE AND RECYCLE MORE WATER.

WE’RE CHALLENGING OURSELVES TO DO MORE. We will adopt new and stricter measures to improve the efficiency of our water use, as well as utilize water-saving technologies and implement conservation programs.

We will optimize all our wastewater treatment facilities to further lessen our water footprint. We commit to make greater use of treated greywater for non-essential purposes.

REDUCE OUR USE OF GROUND AND SURFACE WATER AND PROTECT VITAL WATER SOURCES. HARVEST RAINWATER.

While our water management efficiency level is among the highest in the Philippines, and while water conservation and protection has always been a key component of our operations,

We will continue to lessen our use of ground and surface water, protect these water sources, and empower our communities to do the same.

We will harvest rainwater and runoff water from creeks and rivers –collecting, filtering, and storing it for irrigation and for various other purposes. We hope that others will follow our example.

WE ARE COMMITTED TO PROVIDING WATER-CHALLENGED COMMUNITIES NOT JUST ACCESS TO SAFE, POTABLE WATER, BUT ALSO THE ABILITY TO BE SELF-SUSTAINING WHEN IT COMES TO WATER MANAGEMENT.

WHY DO WE CARE?

Because it’s everyone’s water.

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2019

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The Road Never Ends

Dinner in Malacañang with former President Ferdinand E. Marcos, First Lady Imelda R. Marcos, Foreign Affairs Secretary Carlos P. Romulo (second from the left), and my wife Nining (extreme left).

“[Chronicling] his over half a century in Philippine journalism, The Road Never Ends is the pinnacle of Emil’s career, [covering] Philippine presidents from Carlos P. Garcia to Rodrigo R. Duterte, writing his insights on Malacañan Palace and passing them on to readers of his column. Emil Jurado belongs to the pantheon of Philippine journalism... with legends such as Doroy Valencia and Joe Guevara.” —Alejandro Del Rosario, ambassador to Hungary and Poland; former publisher and editor-in-chief, and currently columnist, Manila Standard

The Road.. From C1

Nonetheless, I have been doing this for nearly 70 years now, and, thinking about it, I realize that “what I have seen” has come to encompass quite a great deal. I guess that not everybody has had the privilege of getting to know ten Philippine presidents, or participating in the birth of Philippine television, or getting yanked off the street by menacing hoodlums! Not that I would call that last part a privilege; it was certainly alarming at the time. Now, it does make for a good story. So I concede that I have managed

listen to my ramblings anymore. They can even skip to the good parts! If you are one of these people, it’s all right, I do not blame you, and look, here is the book! I’m a journalist—a periodista, as we are called here in the Philippines—who also happens to be a lawyer. So this means that I can write journalistic things and legal things. But a memoir? I have been told that it would cost me a million pesos to hire a good writer and editor to help me turn my memories into an engaging narrative instead of the factual reportage that I am more comfortable with. And then I would need another half-million to print and publish a book, and a half-mil-

With former President Corazon C. Aquino in Malacañang, with all the columnists, 1986.

to amass a sizeable number of interesting stories about fascinating events that I have been fortunate enough to witness, and fantastic people that I have been honored to meet. This is, I imagine, why people keep encouraging me to write a book. It is also possible that I have spent decades driving people crazy with my stories—of comforting the afflicted and afflictingthecomfortable—andtheysecretly just want me to shut up and write them down already, so that they do not have to

lion more to market it. Santa Banana, that adds up to two million pesos! It is money that I clearly do not have, because the rewards of my chosen profession—no,calling—arenotfinancial. To my astonishment, Martin Romualdez, Leyte congressman and owner of Manila Standard, told me that he would take care of everything. That floored me. I thought to myself: “Here Continued on C3

“Emil breaks out of the pack of memoir writers and gives us real-life narratives, with excellent...storytelling. As [he] narrates his storied life, particularly his seventeen libel suits and close association with the country’s top politicians and business tycoons...we become amazed and awesomely entertained. It is a memoir like no other.” —Charlie A. Agatep, chairman & CEO, Grupo Agatep

One on one with former President Fidel V. Ramos.

The Road Never Ends

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2019 advertise@manilastandard.net

With former President Joseph E. Estrada and my bosom friends, Ambassador Felimon Cuevas (second from right) and Atty. Leonardo Siguion-Reyna (right).

Dinner with former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Atty. Pancho Villaraza of The FIRM (right).

In my 70’s with my wife in our home.

“When I was...general manager of the international airport...Emil took me to task for ‘doing little or nothing’ about the seemingly disorganized way that passengers and well-wishers were crowding around the airport premises. “Sir, give your former student some leeway,” I said. He replied with a smile, “I’m still being strict with you!”...Santa Banana, Emil turned from a mentor to a really good friend, whom I highly respect and admire.” —Reli German, chairman, Agents International Inc.

Cecilia Kapunan Capistrano, who helped me recount my experiences and, when necessary, corrected my memory, not to mention endured my aforementioned agonizing. I would also like to thank our children, Vic, Nina, Eric, and Nicky, who serve as my inspiration, and notably my daughter Nina and my sons Eric and Nicky, who have been instrumental in organizing what they keep calling my “legacy.” Thanks go out as well to my good friend and 365 Club buddy Atty. Jesus P. Disini, who put me in touch with the right people to complete the book. He introduced me to

Dean Francis Alfar who, together with his wife Nikki (they are both Palanca awardees), edited the first edition of my book. My eternal thanks to the both of them. I am likewise grateful to Lea Manto-Beltran (senior staff writer at The Manila Times’ Sunday Times Magazine) for patiently interviewing me and transcribing my recollections. Last but far from least, of course, thanks to the folks at Manila Standard: Rollie Estabillo, publisher; Adelle Chua, opinion editor; and Jenny Ortuoste, columnist and writer, for helping me edit and complete this book.

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With former President Fidel V. Ramos and businessman Felimon Cuevas.

The Road.. From C2

is a very generous man, and I can only thank him and be eternally grateful.” Thus I spent the next few months polishing the drafts of my memoir, for no other reason than that I always take on a challenge. I’d like to thank Martin, who is president of PHILCONSA (Philippine Constitution Association), a lawyer and banker, and his brother Philip, who is president of Benguet Consolidated Mining and former chairman of the Chamber of Mines. Martin was instrumental in the final completion, printing, and distribution of this book. My thanks also to Roberto V. Ongpin— businessman, former Trade minister, and chairman of Alphaland, which has developed Balesin Island Club, Alphaland Makati Place, and The City Club, among many, including the upcoming Baguio Mountain Lodges, envisioned as the Forbes Park of Baguio City—for his spontaneous and generous contributions toward this publication. Bobby Ongpin is also developing Patnanungan Island, near Balesin, for an international airport, a hotel, and beach houses.

I should probably warn you in advance that I will be speaking about many people in this narrative the way that I just did, with all their titles and often more. This may prove confusing from time to time, as I discuss this person whom I met when I was young, who later became such-and-such; or another person who I met when they were older, who used to be this or that. I hope that you will bear with me; memoir or not, I am still a journalist at heart, and would like to show you as well-rounded a portrait as I can, of the people whom I have been blessed to encounter—amiably or otherwise. Other than those facts, my opinion and perception of people and events are entirely my own. The contents of this memoir are all from my recollection, as well as from available records which I have preserved through the years. I will not claim it is a flawless recounting; for any mistakes and shortcomings, I can only beg your indulgence, sincerely apologize, and remind you that this periodista has gone through many periods of time! On that note, I must definitely thank my wife, my beloved palangga (which is like saying ‘my beloved beloved,’ that being what the latter word means, but she fully deserves both instances and more) Trinidad

“A pleasant and poignant journey through time, when... government rendered real service, money was...earned through hard and honest work, and people... adhered to time-honored values, the true, the good, and the beautiful. Of course, journalists were journalists, because they pounded their beats [and] checked their facts.” —Tony Lopez, CEO and publisher, BizNews Asia

Listening. Understanding. Delivering.

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The Road Never Ends

Editing Emil By Adelle Chua

’VE been opinion editor of this paper for more than 13 years, so I have been editing Atty. Emil Jurado’s column for that long. He has been with this paper since it started, 32 years ago—and in journalism for decades before that. That’s some staying power.

He writes three columns a week, so if you multiply three by 52 weeks in a year and again by 13 years, this means I have read at least 2,028 of To The Point pieces—mind you, all of them written using a manual typewriter. Earlier on, Mr. Jurado sent these typewritten columns to the office via fax; later on, he found somebody to scan them and then send them to me via email— as JPEG or PDF attachments. This is still how we roll and I don’t expect any belated migration to a word processor. It’s part of his charm. Going through somebody’s copy, regularly and for a long period of

time, is an unusual way of getting to know him even though there is little person-to-person interaction. I feel that over the years, I have gotten to know Mr. Jurado well—in terms of the issues he chooses to write about, how often he writes about them, and of course, how he expresses himself. When you’ve read someone as closely and as often as I have Mr. Jurado, you can feel like you’re carrying their voice in your head. I’ve been adequately informed about numerous aspects of his life story. Over the years he has written about his time as a student at the At-

In front of the plaque of the 365 Club at the Hotel Intercontinental Makati.

eneo when it was still on Padre Faura, as a young journalist for a newspaper in Cotabato City, as a young man so smitten by the woman of his dreams, whom he pursued doggedly until she agreed to be his wife. I have followed, and know all too well, the story of his pursuits as a business reporter and how he has managed to go full circle in print, radio and television over his decades-long career. I know which big figures in business and politics he came into contact with. I can guess pretty much his political leanings and where he stands on many issues. And now these stories will be in a book—The Road Never Ends. It never ends, indeed. At his age, Mr.

Jurado continues to write about his observations of what is happening in the Philippines, from the lens of somebody who has seen much, and done much. Talk about gravitas. His book, which will be launched in January, is a fitting summation of a life well lived and a career well executed. You really can’t separate Emil Jurado the man from Emil Jurado the journalist. Who he is is informed by his experiences and insights in his nearly 70 years in journalism. The stories are compelling. They tell of the journey of a young boy from the province and who saw the best and worst of people during definitive times in Philippine history. They are instructive. Mr. Jurado had

a way of getting into scrapes—and a flair for getting out of them, emerging better than before. They are inspiring. They have a clear message to younger journalists like me and those who will come after. Atty. Jurado had the opportunity to practice a lucrative legal career, but didn’t. He stayed in journalism instead. It tells us that there are truly some things money cannot buy, and that journalists have a real chance to make a difference, no matter how small. Congratulations, sir. It is quite an experience, knowing you from the copy you send me thrice a week, and being part of this book project. Let’s stay true to your book’s title—and keep the stories coming, Santa Banana!