07-11-2018

DAY OF 

RECTIFICATION 

PAGE 4 PAGE 8 SPORTS 

PAGE 11 PAGE 14 

COMMENTARY WORLD SPOTLIGHT 

JV: Health 

bill ‘urgent’ 

indeed 

PAGE 3 

PACQUIAO READY 

TO UNLEASH NEW 

BATTLEPLAN 

JAPAN DISASTER 

DEATH TOLL 

NOW AT 141 

MANILA, PHILIPPINES WEDNESDAY, 11 JULY 2018 

RESPECT 

BEGETS RESPECT 

P3.757-T budget 

okayed in 10 hrs 

By Angie M. Rosales 

and Elmer Navarro Manuel 

Malacañang approved a proposed 

P3.757 trillion national budget for 2019 

at the conclusion of a marathon, 10- 

hour Cabinet meeting that started at 

4:30 p.m of Monday and lasted until 2 

a.m. yesterday. 

Turn to page 2 

Rody tags Leni 

‘incompetent‘ 

Happy boy Leukemia patient John Paul Cuilao gets his wish to celebrate his birthday with President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday. 

Roque on 2019: Only God knows 


Presidential spokesperson 

Harry Roque remained tightlipped 

yesterday on whether he 

would seek an elective position 

in the 2019 mid-term elections. 

At a media briefing in Indang, 

Cavite, the Palace spokesman 

kept the issue hanging. “We 

leave that to God because only 

Saber 

rattling 

Malacañang sounded 

neither threatened nor scared 

with Vice President Leni 

Robredo’s announcement 

she’d unite the political 

opposition against President 

Duterte. 

“After all, she is the 

highest elected member of 

the opposition,” presidential 

spokesman Harry Roque said 

in shrugging off Robredo’s 

painfully inept attempt at 

saber-rattling. 

For Roque, Robredo’s 

statement was clearly par 

for the course, something 

that should have been left 

unsaid. 

Nonetheless, the Palace 

believes that an active 

opposition has a vital role 

to play in a healthy, wellfunctioning 

democracy. 


“The 

majority 

of Filipinos 

feel safer 

nowadays.” 

God will tell 

us what will 

happen in our 

lives,” Roque 

said. 

The Palace 

official’s 

standing in 

surveys of so-called preferred 

senatorial candidates, improved 

based on the latest Pulse Asia 

MAILING ADDRESS 

3450 Concept Bldg., Florida St., Makati City,1235 

Website : tribune.net.ph 

Email : dailytribune@tribune.net.ph 

survey. 

Previously ranked between 

27th and 36th during the March 

survey of Pulse Asia, Roque 

moved up as he is now ranked 

between 25th and 33rd in the 

latest survey. 

Presidential daughter and 

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte- 

Carpio, former Philippine 

National Police (PNP) chief 

FOR SUBSCRIPTION 

Phone : +632 8337085 

Email : ads@tribune.net.ph 

and now Bureau of Corrections 

(BuCor) Director Ronald “Bato” 

de la Rosa, Special Assistant to 

the President Christopher “Bong” 

Go and Roque are the leading 

administration personalities 

being seen as potential senatorial 

candidates next year. 

But for Roque it’s too early 

to talk about politics as his job 


BBL will be 99% acceptable — Zubiri 

By Mario J. Mallari 

and Elmer Navarro Manuel 

The bicameral committee 

on the Bangsamoro Basic Law 

(BBL) yesterday vowed to 

produce a proposal 

99 percent 

acceptable 

to the 

Bangsamoro people to avoid 

“frustration,” especially from 

the side of the Moro Islamic 

Liberation Front (MILF) and its 

supporters. 

Senate Majority Leader Juan 

Miguel Zubiri, who is leading the 

Senate contingent, stressed they 

are thoroughly reconciling and 


NEWSSTAND PRICE 

P18.00 

Supporters of 

the Bangsamoro 

Basic Law 

(BBL) taking a 

selfie outside 

the bicameral 

conference venue 

in Manila. AP 

ISSUE 

Vol. 18 No. 116 

16 pages 


President Rodrigo Duterte is 

not resigning anytime soon just 

so “incompetent” Vice President 

Leni Robredo can take over in 

Malacañang. 

“Look I will not resign 

because it will make her 

president. My resignation is 

addressed to the people, for 

the people to choose their 

leader,” Duterte said. 

“I don’t think she can 

be ever ready to govern 

a country. Reason? 

Incompetence. She’s not 

capable of running a 

country like this, 

Philippines,” the 

President added. 

Duterte made 

the statement in 

response to Robredo’s 

announcement that she 

will lead the opposition 

movement against the 

Duterte administration. 

The Chief Executive 

was coming off 

delivering a speech 

at the ASEAN 

Convention Center 

at Clark Freeport 

Zone in Pampanga 

when he was 

interviewed by 

reporters. 

Duterte has 

PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO 

‘Respeto’ leads 

winners in the 

2 nd Eddys awards 

By Edwin Sallan, Concept News Central 

On a night when the Society of 

Philippine Entertainment Editors or 

SPEEd paid its respects to some of 

the most iconic 

Aptly titled 

film earns 

respect 

from the 

country’s top 

entertainment 

editors. 

figures and movers 

and shakers of 

the country’s 

film industry, 

an aptly-titled 

motion picture 

was honored 

with six 

awards to 

lead all 

winners in the 2nd Eddys 

Entertainment Awards. 

Treb Monteras II’s acclaimed 

hip-hop drama Respeto won 

Best Picture, Dido de la Paz 

Best Supporting Actor, Chai 

Fonacier Best Supporting 

Actress (tied with Therese 

Malvar of Ilawod and 

Angeli Bayani of Maestra), 

Corinne de San Jose Best 

Sound Design and Jay Durias 

Best Musical Score and Best 

Original Theme Song awards. 

The Eddys haul of Respeto 

culminates an eventful year 

for the film where it was 

recognized with numerous 

accolades by several 

award-giving bodies since 

it became the toast of 

last year’s Cinemalaya 

film festival. The 

film also received 

numerous awards 

and nominations 


Dazzler Sanya Lopez wows 

with her gown. YUMMIE DINGDING 

expressed a desire to cut short 

his six-year term as he called 

for the election of a younger 

transition president. 

But he is not resigning to make 

Robredo the next president, that 

much Duterte made very clear in 

the ambush interview. 

In fact, Duterte said he 

had included in his proposed 

amendment to the provisions of 

the draft Federal Constitution to 

include the position of the vice 

president as subject for election 

of the transition leaders. 

“But that would be, I do not 

know when. I am suggesting 

an earlier date, at the start of 

the transition government. If 

it is already assembled and it’s 

not shaky, it’s working and the 

structure can be a platform for 

governance then there would be 

no problem. Then by that time I 

should go,” he said. 

“I will not agree to it (that 

I’d be replaced) by succession. 

Would you think that the other 

guy is better than (me)? (It could 

be anybody but through) election. 

There’s a lot of handsome men 

out there who you could choose 

from,” the President said. 

Since the new proposed 

Constitution would still be 

subject to a referendum, even 

if the President would wish to 

give in and pave the way for the 

Turn to page 2

NEWS 

2 

Wednesday, 11 July 2018 

Daily Tribune 

Rody tags Leni 

‘incompetent‘ 

From page 1 

transition president, it would still 

be the people who will decide on 

his fate. 

When asked if he’s willing to 

stay on if the people will vote 

against federalism, Duterte said he 

does not really care. 

“My suggestion is they elect 

a president who will now reign 

over government at the start of 

the transition. That could be early 

2019,” he said. 

He said the same when 

sought for his reaction to his net 

satisfaction rating, based on the 

latest Social Weather Station (SWS), 

slipping from +50 to +45 for the 

second quarter of this year. 

Make it 15 

“It went down? I do not care. 

Make it 15. I’m not there anymore. It 

does not interest me at all,” he said. 

“Since I’m not popular anymore, 

Congress might decide to find a 

popular one. You want a popular 

president? Fine. Good,” Duterte said. 

But even if he plans to retire 

early, the President said he still 

has unfinished business and he 

wants it accomplished before he 

steps down. 

In his speech, Duterte said he 

wants to put an end to the 5-6 lending 

scheme, a high interest loan that kills 

the entrepreneurial spirit of Filipinos. 

While he may have agreed to a 

ceasefire with the Catholic Church 

leader in exchanging tirades, the 

President emphasized in his speech 

that there’s no backing down on 

him on his previous statements. 

“As a matter of principle, even 

if I lose my honor and presidency, 

I will not apologize. Not a bit,” he 

said. 

In giving reporters a snippet 

of what he discussed with 

Catholic Bishops’ Conference of 

the Philippines (CBCP) president 

Davao Archbishop Romulo Valles 

during the closed-door one-on-one 

meeting at Malacañang last Monday 

afternoon, the President said the 

prelate was in disagreement with 

him in discussing his issues against 

the Church in public, the reason 

why they agreed to a moratorium. 

Modality 

“We were discussing some 

modality of behavior. But definitely 

that would not prevent me from just 

saying my truth. I’m not attacking 

the Church. What I said was if you 

use religion as a format, I was not 

referring to any religion. But if it is 

a matter of me asking forgiveness, 

forget it. As a matter of principle I 

will not and I can burn in hell if it 

is true,” he said. 

“I would rather lose the 

presidency, lose my honor or lose 

my life. That could not be more 

clear,” Duterte added. 

Meanwhile, presidential 

spokesperson Harry Roque 

downplayed the dip in the net 

satisfaction rating of the President, 

saying it remains to be the highest 

compared to his last three 

predecessors. 

Work double-time 

“During the end of their second 

year in office, Presidents Estrada, 

Arroyo and Aquino received net 

satisfaction ratings of +5 in March 

2000, +6 in November 2002 and +42 

in May 2012, respectively. 

“The survey evidently showed 

that -- despite several challenges 

surrounding his presidency at the time 

the survey was conducted -- PRRD 

still enjoyed the confidence of the 

majority of Filipinos with ‘good’ net 

satisfaction ratings in Metro Manila, 

Balanced Luzon and the Visayas and 

‘excellent’ net satisfaction rating in 

Mindanao,” Roque said. 

“Regardless of numbers, we 

assure everyone that the President 

and the members of his Cabinet 

would continue to work double-time 

in bringing the fruits of a better 

and more inclusive economy, and 

in strengthening the government’s 

drive against illegal drugs, crime, 

and corruption,” he added. 

BBL will be 99% acceptable — Zubiri 

From page 1 

studying all the provisions of the BBL to keep them 

within the bounds of the Constitution. 

Zubiri said the bicameral committee does not 

want a repeat of the Memorandum of Agreement 

on Ancestral Domain (MoA-AD) signed during the 

Arroyo administration but was shot down by the 

Supreme Court in 2008. 

“Anything we do here, (if) we make a mistake 

on (the) Shariah provision, on public order and 

security provision, even on the power given to 

Bangsamoro, there will be corresponding outcome 

whether frustration on the MILF side or supporters 

of Bangsamoro,” Zubiri said. 

“But we are making an 

Jaafar 

maintained 

the MILF still 

sees peace 

negotiations 

as the most 

civilized way 

to settle the 

Bangsamoro 

Issue. 

appeal to the supporters of the 

Bangsamoro organic act that 

we are trying our best to pass a 

measure that is constitutionally 

sound,” Zubiri said. 

“We don’t want a scenario just 

like MoA-AD when it was taken 

up in the Supreme Court (and) it 

was shot down and we were back 

to zero. We want to make sure 

that we pass a constitutionally 

accepted, constitutionally sound 

Bangsamoro organic law which will stand the test of 

any question at the SC,” he added. 

In 2008, the High Tribunal declared the MoA- 

AD signed by the government and MILF peace 

panels as unconstitutional – sparking widespread 

attacks by MILF forces in Lanao, Maguindanao 

and Sarangani provinces. 

Zubiri, however, admitted they cannot please 

everybody with their reconciled version. 

“My heart is with them. I am supporting peace, 

I don’t want any outbreak of hostilities to come 

out in any barangay or sitio in this country when 

it comes with BBL,” Zubiri said. 

“That is why the pressure is terribly on, the 

weight of the pressure is terrible on our shoulders, 

this is no laughing matter. So as far as we are 

concerned we have to thoroughly discuss, make 

sure that we know the possible outcome of 

whatever decisions we make,” he added. 

Disagreeing provisions 

Presided jointly by House Majority Floor Leader 

Rodolfo Fariñas and Zubiri, the bicameral panel 

composed of select members of the House of 

Representatives and the Senate focused first on 14 

articles in their task of ironing out the disagreeing 

provisions of HB 6574 and Senate Bill 1717. 

The sub-committee composed of Fariñas 

and Zubiri, as well as Representatives Khalid 

Dimaporo, Abdullah Dimaporo and Celso Lobregat 

and Sen. Sonny Angara, was assigned to tackle 

issue on specific geographical area and territorial 

jurisdiction of the Bangsamoro entity. 

A group composed of Representatives Arthur 

Defensor, Jr., Khalid Dimaporo and Amihilda Sangcopan 

and Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III, on the other hand, was 

tasked to work on Article V which outlines the powers 

granted to the Bangsamoro government. 

On Monday, MILF vice chairman for political 

affairs Ghadzali Jaafar said he could not say what 

would happen if a “watered-down” BBL is passed. 

He stressed that anything lesser than the 

ARMM (Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao) 

law is not acceptable to them. 

Jaafar maintained the MILF still sees peace 

negotiations as the most civilized way to settle 

the Bangsamoro issue. 

THE 2019 national budget puts a premium on job creation to alleviate poverty and hunger. 

P3.757-T budget okayed in 10 hrs 

From page 1 

The 2019 budget approved by President 

Rodrigo Duterte and the Cabinet was slightly 

lower than the P3.767 trillion for this year. 

The bulk of the budget will go to personnel 

services (PS) with 31.5 percent or P1.185 trillion, 

followed by capital outlays at P752.7 billion or 20 

percent of the total proposed budget. 

The third biggest share of the pie goes 

to local government units with P640 billion 

or 17.1 percent, followed by maintenance 

expenditures with an allotment of 15 percent 

or P562.9 billion. 

Debt servicing would eat up P414.1 billion 

or 11 percent of the proposed budget. 

Tax expenditures are at P187.1 billion or 

five percent and P14.5 billion or 0.4 percent 

will be for support to government-owned and 

controlled corporations (GOCC). 

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque 

said he does not see any problem with the 

apparent non-inclusion in the budget of the 

appropriation for the proposed election of a 

transition president under the federal form of 

government being pushed through cha-cha. 

“I don’t think it would be a problem 

because if there’s not enough appropriation 

or none at all, we could come up with a 

supplemental budget,” he said. 

Roque added there had been instances in 

the past when a referendum or a plebiscite 

was held and this exercise was not factored 

at all in the budget. 

“Congress can pass a supplemental 

budget, so that would not be a problem,” 

he said. 

It would be a general election, based on 

the recommendations of the President to the 

ConCom that crafted the proposed federal 

The 10-hour 

meeting 

was very 

productive as 

substantive 

issues which 

included 

raging 

national 

concerns 

were 

discussed and 

addressed. 

ROMAN PROSPERO 

Constitution, he surmised. 

“We expect that it will 

be simultaneous with the 

2019 elections. So it will 

be part of the budget for 

2019 the elections and 

that is for sure, if it will 

be held simultaneous with 

the 2019 elections,” Roque 

said. 

Roque made the 

statement when 

asked regarding the 

appropriations for the 

holding of referendum for 

the proposed cha-cha. 

The said elections will 

pave for the assumption of a transition 

leader and the enactment of the new 

Constitution that will take effect on June 

30, 2022, Roque said. 

“And if the new Constitution will be 

approved, as what the President had said 

(last Monday), he will step down from his 

position by 2019,” the Palace official said. 

A post in the social media account 

of Department of Agriculture (DA) 

Secretary Emmanuel “Manny” Piñol said 

the 27th Cabinet meeting of the Duterte 

administration was a record of sort in terms 

of the number of hours. 

Saber rattling 

From page 1 

THE bicameral committee, with House contingent head Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas at left, engaged in a lively discussion of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law. 

From page 1 

is to communicate government’s 

policies and programs for or on 

behalf of the President. 

Speaking about disasterravaged 

Japan, Roque said the 

Philippine government will 

provide aid to its neighboring 

country. 

Roque said President Duterte 

has offered to send a team of 

soldiers, engineers and doctors 

to provide assistance to affected 

Japanese residents and survivors. 

“(We) will also send medicines 

to Japan,” Roque said quoting the 

President. 

The Palace official relayed the 

President’s thoughts while the 

Cabinet meeting was still ongoing 

late Monday night. 

“There’s no amount mentioned 

but it will be (Foreign Affairs) 

Roque on 2019: Only God knows 

Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano 

who will relay the message to the 

ambassador of Japan,” Roque said. 

And despite the numerous 

charges of alleged rights 

abuses and extrajudicial 

killings and spate of killings 

of local executives, Roque 

said majority of Filipinos feel 

safer nowadays. 

Asked to give a rating on 

the Duterte administrations 

war on drugs campaign, with 

10 as the highest, the Palace 

official gave an 8.5 rating. 

Roque came to the defense 

of the administration saying 

that the government has 

accomplished so much no 

matter what critics would 

say. 

“Even the surveys will 

indicate that majority of 

our people, 80 plus of our 

AL PADILLA 

people feel safer, they feel 

more secure in their homes 

dahil nga po dito sa drive 

against criminality and the 

war against drugs. (It’s) 86% 

based on the data on the 

survey that I saw,” he said. 

When Daily Tribune asked 

Roque what polling agency he 

was referring to, he said the 

data came from a privately 

commissioned survey. 

Roque challenged the opposition to promote 

not only responsible and constructive debate but 

also to push the national conversation to a higher 

level of political maturity. 

“Also, (we expect them) to present to our people 

a viable alternative platform of government to 

address the longstanding problems of the nation. 

Our people deserve no less,” Roque said. 

Angie M. Rosales 

Based on the facts and 

figures collated by the 

government in carrying out 

the war on drugs campaign, 

billions of pesos worth of 

illegal drugs have been 

confiscated, seized and 

destroyed by the authorities 

since the campaign against 

drug trafficking was launched 

following the assumption into 

office of President Duterte.


Daily Tribune 

PAGE THREE 

Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” 

Ejercito yesterday welcomed 

President Duterte’s 

certification of the Universal 

Health Care bill as “urgent,” 

saying the measure will provide 

quality and accessible health 

care services to all Filipinos. 

With the certification, 

Ejercito is optimistic the bill 

should pass quickly into law. 

He anticipates working on 

the landmark legislation once 

the sessions resume, said 

JV: Health bill ‘urgent’ indeed 

Ejercito. 

According to him, the 

Universal Health Care bill will 

provide everyone with quality 

and accessible health care 

services. 

“The increasing prices of 

basic goods make the passage 

of the Universal Health Care 

bill even more critical. I 

applaud President Rodrigo 

Duterte’s decision to certify the 

bill as urgent,” said Ejercito in 

a statement. 

“The bill on 

Universal 

Health care 

is intended 

to uplift 

the health 

condition 

of every 

Filipino.” 

DISCARDED lumber sold in second-hand stalls by businessmen along R10 in Tondo, Manila. 

“The bill 

on Universal 

Health care 

is intended 

to uplift 

the health 

condition 

of every 

Filipino by 

providing 

efficient, 

quality and 

accessible health services to 

Filipinos,” he added. 

NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION 

Occasional rains 

The bill provides for the 

automatic inclusion of every 

Filipino in the National 

Health Insurance Program 

of the Philippine Health 

Insurance Corporation 

(PhilHealth). 

“This is especially 

beneficial for poor Filipinos 

and those who live in farflung 

areas currently not 

reached by government’s 

health service,” Ejercito said. 

The senator said the bill 

NORTHERN LUZON 

Cloudy skies with 

scattered rains and 

thunderstorms 


Public works accomplishment up 60% 

By Michael Pingol 

Public Works and Highways 

(DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar is 

keen on identifying the problem 

of delayed infrastructure 

project implementation in the 

country. 

Villar particularly cited 

reports on the DPWH not having 

effectively managed its resources 

as evidenced by its “low physical 

delivery” of projects based on 

findings by the Commission on 

Audit (CoA). 

But he argued that if projects 

started by previous year were 

included, the accomplishment 

rate would ramp up to around 

60 percent. 

“Our disbursement is 

comprised of current projects 

and carry-overs from the 

previous year,” said Villar, 

who also acknowledged that 

some contractors were delayed 

in delivering on their DPWH 

commitments. 

He said the agency previously 

identified and warned 43 

contractors who are behind 

in the delivery of some 400 

projects and that the group risk 

getting blacklisted. 

“When we took over, it was 

only at 50 percent and we 

did some improvement on the 

projects,” Villar said. 

The CoA reported the 

DPWH spent only 34 percent 

of its P662.8-billion budget in 

2017. Also, while the agency 

Asian experts to probe 

Dengvaxia mess 


President Rodrigo Duterte is expected to name soon the members 

of the Asian panel of experts to look into the issue of whether 

Dengvaxia actually caused the death of some of those inoculated 

with the anti-dengue vaccine. 

At least four names have been submitted to the President by 

Department of Health (DoH) Secretary Francisco Duque III during 

Monday’s Cabinet meeting, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque 

said. 

“So far that was what was agreed upon,” Roque said, adding that 

the President will choose who among those on the list submitted to 

him by Duque will form part of the panel of experts. 

“I do not have their names, I only know their nationalities. One 

is from Vietnam, another from Thailand, there’s also from Singapore 

and from Sri Lanka,” he said. 

From his understanding of the discussion the night before, the 

President will choose three out of the four. 

“So it’s up to the President to choose (who among them will be 

in the panel). We have more than enough budget to invite them here 

to the Philippines and conduct a study or carry out what needs to 

be studied for them to arrive at a conclusion of the actual effects of 

Dengvaxia,” Roque said. 

All of the members of the prospective panel are considered 

independent health experts as they have no ties whatsoever with the 

Philippine government and the vaccine manufacturer, Sanofi Pasteur. 

Conflicting findings of the University of the Philippines - Philippine 

General Hospital (UP-PGH) and the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) on 

the cause of deaths of some children administered with Dengvaxia 

had prompted the President to seek further advice through some 

foreign panel of experts. 

Although there are separate findings arrived at by PAO and 

UP-PGH experts, the President’s concern, as a lawyer and former 

prosecutor, is that he knows that expert witnesses can cancel out 

their testimonies, Roque said. 

obligated 92 percent, or P610.9 

billion, only P222.7 billion was 

disbursed. 

“This indicates that the 

management was not able 

to effectively manage the 

increasing amount of funds 

entrusted to the agency due to 

low physical delivery of target 

project and activities,” the 

report said. 

The state auditors attributed 

the agency’s low budget 

disbursement to over 3,000 

delayed or non-implemented 

infrastructure projects worth 

around P73.4 billion. 

A total 2,334 projects 

worth P62.6 billion were not 

completed last year; 135 

projects worth P6.1 billion were 

suspended; 15 projects worth 

P2.1 billion were terminated 

and 815 projects worth P2.6 

billion were not implemented, 

the CoA said. 

The CoA blamed delayed 

project site approval, late or 

non-issuance of permits from 

concerned agencies, rightof-way 

issues, late release of 

funds, unworkable weather 

conditions and insufficiency of 

equipment as reasons. 

State auditors said these 

problems were not new and 

should not have recurred 

had the DPWH followed their 

previous recommendations to 

conduct detailed engineering 

and strict project monitoring 

and coordination. 

By Komfie Manalo 

W E A T H E R 

complements the Duterte 

administration’s anti-poverty 

campaign by ensuring quality 

health care even for the poorest 

of the poor. 

“I view universal health care 

as an integral part of our antipoverty 

drive. Ensuring good 

health for Filipinos is crucial 

to economic development 

because ensuring the wellbeing 

of all Filipinos means 

they can be more productive, 

which further means they can 

By Rico Mirasol Osmeña 

An armed man was shot dead 

by Cebu Police in a shootout 

in Archbishops residence in 

Dionisio Jakosalem Street 

Tuesday morning. 

The gunman was identified by 

the Barangay Captain Francisco 

Benedicto as Jeffrey Mendoza 

Cañedo, a security guard residing 

in Labangon, Cebu City. 

Cañedo was said to arrive 

at the palace by 11 in the 

morning asking if he could see 

the cardinal. Learning that the 

cardinal was already dead, he 

then insisted to see Bishop 

Palma who fortunately was in 

Manila for a plenary assembly 

in Catholic Bishops’ Conference 

of the Philippines (CBCP). 

According to Joseph Tan, 

Media Liaison Officer of the 

Archdiocese of Cebu, Cañedo 

refused to leave even after 

knowing of the absence of the 

archbishop. He acted violently 

and barged in the palace riding 

Ride-sharing firm Grab Philippines was fined P10 million by the 

Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) 

for imposing a P2-per-minute travel charge on its customers 

without approval from the regulator. 

The order also required Grab to reimburse its riders “by way 

of rebate.” 

SOUTHERN LUZON 


scattered rains and 

thunderstorms 

The rebate will only apply to Grab riders who 

were charged the time rate of P2-per-minute 

without authority from the Board. 

The rebate will be availed of only for 20 days 

from the time the decision becomes final or when 

Grab shall have commenced implementing the 

rebate, whichever is earlier, the LTFRB said in 

its order dated 9 July but released only yesterday. 

“The amount of the rebate shall be limited to 

the portion of the income of the respondent only, 

directly related to or arising from P2-per-minute 

during the period of its unauthorized imposition,” the order said. 

It was noted that the company imposed the per-minute charge 

from June 2, 2017 to April 19, 2018 at a time when it was still under 

suspension by the LTFRB. 

Grab previously insisted the per-minute charge complied 

with Department Order 2015-11 of the then Department of 

Transportation and Communications (DoTC) which authorizes 

transportation network companies to set their own fares subject 

to the oversight of the LTFRB. 

VISAYAS 


monsoon rains 

better overcome poverty,” 

Ejercito said. 

He said 54.2 percent of health 

expenditures in 2016 were 

shouldered by Filipinos while 

the government accounted for 

only 34.2 percent. 

“With the prices of fuel, 

transportation, and basic goods 

skyrocketing, the passage of 

this bill means a lot to Filipino 

families in terms of improving 

their quality of life,” Ejercito 

said. Mario J. Mallari 

Intruder shot dead 

at Archbishop’s Palace 

his motorcycle which prompted 

the security to call for police 

assistance. 

Cañedo was being persuaded 

then to surrender but allegedly 

opted to shoot it out with 

members of Cebu Police leading 

to his death. 

The gunman was later taken to 

a hospital but was unfortunately 

declared dead on arrival. 

Police Chief Superintendent 

Debold Sinas, the Regional 

Director (RD) of the Police 

Regional Office-7 clarified that 

the incident is not an attack on 

the church but just an isolated 

case. 

“Cañedo is a disturbed 

man not insane,” the chief 

superintendent assured that they 

will place security personnel in 

the palace to prevent a repeat 

incident. 

The police have yet to identify 

the gunman’s motive behind the 

failed ambush attempt. With 

reports from Raymart Lolo and 

Kathleen Mae Bulquerin 

Grab fined P10M 

for ‘overcharging’ 

“The amount 

of the rebate 

shall be 

limited to the 

portion of the 

income of the 

respondent 

only.” 

PDEA Director General 

Chief Supt. Aaron 

Aquino, together with 

Mark Everson Task 

Force Liason Joint 

Inter agency Task 

Force West, displays 

the Deed of Donation 

at the formal turnover 

ceremony of the 

new PDEA regional 

office ARMM building 

last July 10. Others 

in photo are Russell 

Holske, assistant 

regional director, 

Administration Regional 

Office Bangkok 

Thailand, Mark Juvrud, 

country attaché of 

the United States 

Drug Enforcement 

Administration. 

ANALY LABOR 

MINDANAO 

Partly cloudy to 

cloudy skies with 

isolated rainshowers

COMMENTARY 

4 Wednesday, 11 July 2018 

Daily Tribune 

Daily 

Tribune 

WITHOUT FEAR • WITHOUT FAVOR 

Ninez Cacho-Olivares 

Crispin G. Martinez 

Chito Lozada 

Dinah Ventura, 

Aldrin Cardona, 

John Henry Dodson 

Jun Vallecera 

Jaimes R. C. Sumbilon 

Larry Payawal 

Founding Chair 

Executive Editor 

Managing Editor 

rectification 

The never-ending campaign to demonize President 

Rody Duterte was again in full throttle after the landmark 

meeting between Rody and Catholic Bishops’ Conference of 

the Philippines (CBCP) President Romulo Valles which 

was positive in all angles but it turned out differently 

in foreign media. 

The meeting was an occasion for reconciliation but, lo 

and behold, the reports, obviously spoon fed to foreign 

media, were about a “public feud between President 

Rodrigo Duterte and the Roman Catholic Church in the 

Philippines” having “intensified.” 

“Church leaders pushed back against criticism of priests 

and called for a national day of prayers and fasting” 

according to a report of the Washington Post. 

The article added the “overwhelmingly Catholic 

country has been riveted in recent weeks by a 

clash between the popular president and a powerful 

institution that has sought to maintain its traditional 

moral authority while under a barrage of criticisms.” 

Likewise, yellow Vice President Leni Robredo 

immediately called for a press briefing the next day 

that the pastoral letter was issued using the CBCP 

as weapon against Rody. 

Valles, however, said the informal meeting 

between him and Rody had no set agenda and 

that he mostly “played it by ear” apparently 

since both Davao City natives were familiar 

with each other. 

The scenes prior and after the meeting 

between Rody and Valles did not show any 

“intensified” rifts but it was more of two 

friends renewing their bonds. 

Sifting through the communications from both 

the Church, the CBCP and the Palace, the most 

critical call was from the pastoral letter that, in so 

many words, urged mutual respect. 

In the CBCP letter propitiously titled “Rejoice and 

Be Glad!” there was a statement urging the faithful to do 

penance but most part of it was on the delineation of the 

Church-State divide. 

“The church respects the political authority, especially 

of democratically-elected government officials, as long as 

they do not contradict the basic spirit and moral principles 

we hold dear, such as respect for the sacredness of life, the 

integrity of creation and the inherent dignity of the human 

person,” the CBCP said in the letter signed by Valles. 

The pastoral statement was the result of the three-day 

CBCP Plenary Assembly which ended on Monday. 

“The 

efforts to 

influence 

the 

Church 

were 

apparent 

in the 

yellow 

line of 

lumping 

all the 

recent 

turn of 

events, 

including 

the 

killings 

of 

priests.” 

Komfie Manalo 

Patricia Ramos 

Board Chair 

Willie Fernandez 

Publisher and President 

Associate Editors 

Business Editor 

Central Desk 

Special Reports 

Day of 

Pasig Bishop Mylo Vergara said the Church 

and the government should not be political 

opponents. 

“The government when it is concerned about 

the poorest of the poor, we are its allies,” he 

added. 

The efforts to influence the Church were 

apparent in the yellow line of lumping all the 

recent turn of events, including the killings of 

priests, to the tough anti-crime policies of Rody. 

The Palace, however, noted the restraint in the CBCP 

“Respect 

is 

necessary 

to keep 

the 

Church 

and State 

relations 

on the 

balance.” 

pastoral letter. 

“There was no outright condemnation. So I thought the 

Church was avoiding an outright confrontation with this 

pastoral letter,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque said. 

A better relationship, not only between the Duterte 

administration and the Church but also with everyone is 

expected after Rody and Valles cleared the air between them. 

The most significant result of the meeting was an 

agreement to exercise restraint in statements involving 

faith on one hand and government policies on the other. 

The goal is to have a productive relations between the 

Church and the government which follows the biblical 

teaching of “rendering to Caesar the things that are 

Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.” 

Of course the yellow mob would have it differently as 

it schemes against Rody to bring him down by recruiting 

the help of some ambitious Church leaders. 

Valles was right in his pastoral letter that respect is 

necessary to keep the Church and State relations on the 

balance. 

“It would 

even be 

doubly 

embarrassing 

for Carpio 

after having 

publicly 

declined the 

chance to 

become the 

top justice 

in the High 

Court, for 

him to go 

back on his 

word.” 

“China 

has no 

geopolitical 

calculations, 

seeks no 

exclusionary 

blocs and 

imposes no 

business 

deals on 

others.” 

Bending the rules 

was what got the 

Judicial and Bar 

Council (JBC) in 

trouble when this 

council broke its rules 

to accommodate then 

applicant to the High 

Court now ousted chief 

justice who never was, 

Lourdes Sereno. 

The JBC should 

by now have learned 

its lessons in bending 

the rules, but it seems the JBC 

is incorrigible when it comes to 

sticking to the rules. 

It was reported the JBC is 

considering bending its rules on 

nominations for Supreme Court 

(SC) chief for acting Chief Justice 

Antonio Carpio. 

The ex-officio member of the JBC, 

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, 

bared Carpio may still be considered 

for the top judicial post vacated by 

Sereno despite Carpio’s reported 

decision to decline any nomination. 

The justice chief said even as the 

JBC requires nominees to submit 

their acceptance of nominations to 

the council, this rule can be waived 

in the case of Carpio since there is 

a request by retired Chief Justice 

Hilario Davide Jr. in a letter to 

the council. 

“The JBC rules require 

the consent of the automatic 

nominee. But since there is a 

request to dispense with such 

consent, the JBC may have to 

consider it,” Guevarra said. 

This is a lame excuse offered 

by the JBC to justify waiving the 

rules again, simply because 

there is a request to 

include Carpio despite 

his having formally 

declined his 

appointment. 

Why should 

Davide’s 

request be enough 

If Russia was once 

famously described 

by British statesman 

Winston Churchill as a 

“riddle wrapped inside 

a mystery within an 

enigma,” its neighbor 

to the south, the 

People’s Republic of 

China, likewise defies 

easy understanding 

and convenient 

categorization. 

After all, China’s 

contemporary history since 1949 

has been marked by big upheavals, 

including the Great Leap Forward 

in the 1950s, the Great Proletarian 

Cultural Revolution in the 1960s and 

early 1970s, the passing of Communist 

Party of China (CPC) Chairman Mao 

Zedong in 1976 and the assumption 

to power of Deng Xiaoping and 

other leaders who carried out farreaching 

economic reforms from 

the 1980s onwards leading to what’s 

now described as “socialism with 

Chinese characteristics.” This is what 

President Xi Jinping now wants to 

further strengthen through his Belt 

and Road Initiative, also known as 

the One Belt One Road (OBOR). 

Xi Jinping unveiled the ambitious 

21st Century Silk Road Economic Belt 

and the Maritime Silk Road projects 

in 2013 and began to implement these 

the next year with main focus on 

infrastructure development. 

The Silk Road or Silk Route, history 

tells us, was an ancient network of 

trade routes that also facilitated 

cultural interaction through regions 

of the Asian continent and connected 

the East and West from China to the 

Mediterranean Sea. 

At present, more than 100 countries 

and international organizations 

participate in the Belt and Road 

Initiative project, with 30 of them having 

signed agreements with China on 

jointly implementing the strategy. More 

than 20 countries have worked with 

Time to abolish JBC 

FRONTLINE 

Ninez Cacho-Olivares 

AROUND TOWN 

Ernesto M. Hilario 

for the JBC to waive its 

rules? Who is Davide in 

the scheme of things for 

the JBC to come up with 

exemptions? 

Davide’s letter 

to the JBC in part 

stated that despite his 

having declined the 

nomination, Carpio 

should still be included 

automatically, saying 

“He (Carpio) had earlier 

been bypassed twice. 

Delicadeza should no longer be 

“Why 

should 

Davide’s 

request be 

enough for 

the JBC to 

waive its 

rules?” 

invoked because the 

decision in the quo 

warranto case is 

final. It has become 

the law of the case.” 

Davide added 

“personal consideration 

must now yield to the 

demands of public 

interest and of the 

good of the service. (Carpio) should 

not deprive the President to have the 

China rising (1) 

China in such areas as 

railway construction 

and nuclear power 

generation. 

Bilateral trade 

between China and 

countries situated 

along the Belt and 

Road reached $995.5 

billion in 2015. This 

figure represents 25 

percent of the national 

total. China has also 

expanded the scope of 

50 overseas economic cooperation areas. 

In 2016, Chinese companies infused 

direct investments in 29 countries 

along the Belt and Road totaling $14.82 

billion, or an increase of 18.2 percent 

“The media 

tour was 

specifically 

designed to 

highlight 

China’s 

achievements.” 

over the previous 

year and accounting 

for 12.6 percent of 

the total. 

In a key speech 

outlining his vision 

at the Boao Forum 

for Asia (BFA) in the 

Chinese city of Boao 

last April, Xi Jinping said the Belt and 

Road Initiative may be a Chinese concept 

but its opportunities and outcomes would 

benefit the world. 

“China has no geopolitical 

calculations, seeks no exclusionary 

blocs and imposes no business deals 

on others,” he said amid fears that his 

pet project where China would invest 

billions of dollars in port, road and rail 

connectivity projects across Asia and 

parts of Africa and Europe is aimed at 

boosting its influence across the globe. 

“As long as the parties embrace 

the principle of extensive consultation, 

joint contribution and shared benefits, 

we can surely enhance cooperation 

and resolve differences,” he said. “This 

way, we can make the BRI the broadest 

platform for international cooperation 

in keeping with the trend of economic 

globalization and to the greater benefit 

of all our peoples,” Xi said. 

In a bid to explain the Belt 

opportunity for a wider field of choice 

for the best for the (SC) in particular and 

the judiciary and the people in general.” 

That’s enough justification for 

JBC to waive the rules again? 

Should the JBC bend the rules 

for the inclusion of Carpio, this 

would then yet be another bad 

precedent in the JBC’s acceptance 

and rejection of nominees and the 

council’s screening process. 

Anybody then can insist on the 

JBC to bend its rules as long as a 

letter from a retired justice or even a 

president, or whoever, who wants the 

inclusion of an applicant of his choice. 

This then brings to fore the 

extreme bending of rules by the 

JBC in the case of ensuring then 

applicant Sereno’s inclusion in the 

submitted list to the then President. 

After all, if the JBC is said to be 

mulling bending its rules by making 

an exception in the case of Carpio 

as sought by Davide, the suspicion 

grows that the JBC was ordered by 

then President Noynoy Aquino to 

waive the rules and requirements 

of the 10-year Statement of Assets, 

Liabilities and Networth (SALN) of 

then applicant Sereno. 

Sereno, who despite her low 

marks in her mental tests, was 

exempted from this requirement and 

still included in the list. 

Why else would the JBC exempt 

her from the rules? 

In the case of Justice Carpio, it 

may prove to be more embarrassing 

for him to be included on the list 

of candidates for the top SC post 

despite his having formally declined 

to be included, only for Carpio not 

to be appointed for the top post. 

There is no question, however, 

that Carpio is highly qualified for the 

top SC post. He is the most senior 

justice and will serve only up to 

next year. It is also usual for senior 

justices to be automatically included 

in the list. However, he has publicly 

declined to be included in the list 

of senior justices for the top post. 

It would even be doubly 

embarrassing for Carpio after having 

publicly declined the chance to 

become the top justice in the High 

Court, for him to go back on his word. 

It is equally embarrassing for 

Carpio, after giving his reasons 

earlier for the JBC not to include him 

in the list, is nevertheless included, 

with the President appointing him 

for the top SC post, with Carpio 

accepting it. He wanted the top 

post after all and his rejection of 

the post was just drama. 

It may be time for an overhaul 

of the JBC. Perhaps what is better, 

should constitutional amendments 

be made, is to abolish the JBC 

and return the power of vetting to 

Congress through its Commission on 

Appointments. 

and Road project to its neighbors 

in the Association of Southeast 

Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Chinese 

Government, through the State 

Council Information Office, in 

coordination with the ASEAN-China 

Center (ACC), conducted a tour of two 

central China provinces, Hunan and 

Jiangxi, for 20 journalists from the 

10 member-states of ASEAN, namely 

Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, 

Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, 

Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. 

The 2017 media visit was actually 

the third of a series that started 

in 2015. The visits are intended to 

show to ASEAN journalists what the 

various provinces in China can offer 

as their contributions to the One Belt, 

One Road project. 

I was fortunate enough to have 

been invited to join the visit along 

with two broadcast journalists from 

the Philippines. The 10-day media 

offered us a first glimpse into the rapid 

economic development of China since 

the late 70s up to the present. 

This year, I was part of a 

12-member group of journalists from 

the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, 

Myanmar, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, 

Ukraine and Romania invited by 

the Information Offices of Beijing 

Municipality and Heilongjiang province 

in coordination with China Radio 

International Online to join what they 

called the “Silk Road Rediscovery Tour 

of China” from June 26 to July 4. The 

media tour was specifically designed 

to highlight China’s achievements in 

scientific and technological innovation 

in the last 40 years of reform and 

opening up. Our itinerary, covering 

various science and technology projects 

as well as visits to various offices and 

factories in Beijing and Harbin in 

northeast China, allowed us to see for 

ourselves precisely what science and 

technology plays in China’s overalleconomic 

development and in the 

Belt and Road Initiative. (Next: S&T 

in Beijing) 

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Daily Tribune 

COMMENTARY 

5 

Valuation of unlisted shares of stock in estate and donors tax 

“The 

question 

is whether 

the 

Adjusted 

Net Asset 

Method is 

likewise 

applicable 

to 

determine 

FMV of 

unlisted 

shares 

transferred 

due to 

death or 

donation.” 

With the issuance of Revenue 

Regulations 12-2018 (Rev. Regs. 

12-2018), the Bureau of Internal 

Revenue (BIR) finally clarified the 

applicable rules in determining the 

fair market value (FMV) of unlisted 

shares of stock in computing estate 

and donor’s tax. 

The confusion on the applicable 

method of valuing unlisted shares 

arose when then Commissioner 

Kim-Jacinto Henares issued Revenue 

Regulations No. 6-2013 (Rev. Regs. 

6-2013) on 11 April 2013 which 

prescribed the “Adjusted Net Asset Method” in 

valuing shares of stock. 

Prior to Rev. Regs. 6-2013, it was a settled 

rule that the FMV of unlisted shares of stock 

is based on its book value which follows the 

following formula: total assets minus total 

liabilities, as reflected in the corporation’s 

audited financial statements (AFS). This method 

of valuation of unlisted shares is prescribed 

in Revenue Regulations 02-2003 (Rev. Regs. 02- 

2003), the consolidated BIR rules specifically for 

computing estate and donor’s tax. 

On the other hand, the Adjusted Net Asset 

Method requires that the value of the assets, as 

reflected in the corporation’s AFS, be adjusted 

to reflect the market value of real properties, 

as determined by an independent appraiser. 

Considering that most real properties are 

A DOSE OF LAW 

Dean Nilo Divina 

booked by corporations at cost 

and the value of real properties 

usually increases over time, the 

real property asset valuation of 

independent appraisers is usually 

higher than the value of such asset 

as reported in the AFS. As such, 

the Adjusted Net Asset Method of 

Rev. Regs. 6-2013 would increase 

the value of the unlisted shares 

and, consequently, would increase 

the amount of 

computed taxes, 

such as capital 

gains tax (now at 15 percent of 

the net capital gains on sale of 

shares). 

To illustrate, let us discuss 

the situation of Corporation 

X. The assets of Corporation 

X consist of only one parcel of 

land. Under its AFS, the value 

of the parcel of land is P1,000, 

“Both 

estate and 

donor’s tax 

is fixed at 

six percent 

of the value 

of the net 

estate or 

donation.” 

which is the amount paid for by Corporation X 

to purchase said property. Assuming the total 

liability of Corporation X as reported in its 

AFS is P500, the FMV of Corporation X is P500 

under Rev. Regs. 02-2003 which prescribes that 

the FMV of unlisted shares is equivalent to its 

book value (total assets less total liabilities). 

However, under the Adjusted Net Asset 

Method of Rev. Regs. 6-2013, the appraised value 

of the real property owned by Corporation 

X should be considered in determining the 

FMV of its shares. Thus, if the independent 

appraiser determines the current market 

value of the land increased to P1,500, the 

assets of Corporation X would be equivalent 

to the appraised value instead of the amount 

reflected in its AFS. Consequently, under Rev. 

Regs. 6-2013, the FMV of Corporation X is P1,000 

(adjusted amount of assets less total liabilities). 

Clearly, the Adjusted Net Asset Method would 

result in increase in taxes. 

However, the question posed by many 

taxpayers for almost five years is whether 

the Adjusted Net Asset Method is likewise 

applicable to determine FMV of unlisted shares 

transferred due to death or donation. 

Rev. Regs. 6-2013 stated its scope is limited only 

to provisions of the Tax Code referring to capital 

gains tax. In fact, the BIR did not identify Rev. 

Regs. 02-2003 as among the regulations amended 

by Rev. Regs. 6-2013. In practice, however, some 

BIR examiners have taken the conservative 

position and applied the Adjusted Net Asset 

Method to compute estate and donor’s tax. 

Recently, the BIR addressed this confusion 

by issuing Rev. Regs. 12-2018 which prescribes 

the latest rules on estate and donor’s taxes. 

Under this recent regulation, unlisted common 

shares are valued based on their book value 

while unlisted preferred shares are valued at 

par value. Notably, Rev. Regs. 12-2018 merely 

replicates the relevant provisions on Rev. Regs. 

02-03 on the method of valuing unlisted shares. 

In fact, the BIR further clarified that, in 

determining the book value of unlisted shares 

for estate and tax purposes, appraisal surplus 

shall not be considered and that it shall be 

exempt from Rev. Regs. 6-2013. Clearly, the BIR 

has taken the position that unlisted shares are 

valued at book value in computing estate and 

donor’s taxes, instead of applying the Adjusted 

Net Asset Method. 

Additionally, the BIR likewise reiterated 

the valuation of listed shares prescribed in 

Rev. Regs. 02-03 which is the arithmetic mean 

between the highest and lowest quotation at 

a date nearest the date of death or donation, 

if none is available on the date of death or 

donation itself. 

On a final note, with the enactment of 

Republic Act 10963, otherwise known as the 

Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion, 

both estate and donor’s tax is fixed at 

six percent of the value of the net estate 

or donation. Transfers of shares through 

death and donation are still not subject to 

documentary stamp tax. 

Hopefully, this issuance will be sufficient to 

clarify both taxpayers and BIR examiners in 

computing the proper estate and donor’s taxes. 

For comments and questions, please send 

email to nilo.divina@divinalaw.com 

TAXPAYERS are not the only victims of the anomalous Barangay 

Health Station (BHS) project of the Department of Health’s past 

administration under then Secretary Janette Garin. 

This ambitious project of constructing 5,700 school-based 

BHS nationwide at a cost of more than P8 billion in the 

name of “inclusive health” was never fully completed on its 

240-day deadline. The project’s extension period in January 

2017 also deprived tens of thousands of ailing poor villagers 

of healthcare services and caused them undue pain and 

suffering if not disability and death. 

Based on the Commission on Audit (CoA) report issued in 

May 2017, 3,200 BHS were supposed to be constructed in 2015 

and the remainder in 2016, but only 822 were completed as 

of June 2017. In Metro Manila, of the 95 BHS to be constructed 

during 2015 and 2016, only 13 were completed. 

Health and Education officials cited bureaucracy for various delays in 

implementing the project. CoA attributed the failure to complete 

the delivery of the 5,700 BHS to poor pre-planning while others 

speculated the diversion of funds for the election campaign in 2016. 

Constructing 5,700 BHS nationwide is actually a noble cause as it 

would augment the measly number of barangay health centers (BHC) 

across the country and serve a greater number of citizens needing 

medical care. But assuming that Health and Education officials were 

true in their goal of decongesting overcrowded out-patient sections of 

public hospitals by providing better access to doctors and medicines in the 

community level, the BHS project still smacks of sinister motives. 

It is a fact that BHC or rural health units are ill-equipped, 

understaffed and many lack in essential medicines for simple 

ailments. Take, for example, the Barangay Apolonio Samson 

health center in Quezon City. At a time when President Rodrigo Duterte 

already ordered the provision of free medicines to the poor, children with open 

skin wounds, asthma, cough and other infection could not be treated as there 

is always no doctor around and no available free medicines in that center. 

It is virtually a referral office to tell parents of ailing children to 

go to private 

clinics 

or other 

hospitals 

instead. 

In Baliwag, 

Bulacan, the Virgen de 

las Flores health center had 

failed to help children with the same 

medical condition and can only provide painkillers and prescription for antibiotics. It should 

1st/3rd world Tambays 

VANCOUVER, Canada — Filipinos here 

welcomed the quick change in weather 

as summer officially comes to embrace 

‘Beautiful British Columbia.’ 

It’s like the Philippine weather. Just like 

home, they say. 

School’s out since last week and summer’s 

good for three months. 

The clean streets roll out a welcome sight of 

strollers, very young skateboarders, old men and 

women in canes and quite a number of shirtless, 

tattooed guys in their wheelchairs -- mostly 

veterans from past wars fought in other shores. 

Yes, they’re shirtless. The friendly sun comes 

not much for them, so they go out of their homes 

for the “happy vitamin D.” 

Common sightings in parks and lakes are 

women in bikinis and men in shorts. Women in 

their bras loiter there, too. 

Ogopogo, or Naitaka the lake 

demon, has not been seen since 

these “tambays” came. 

Filipino-Canadians this 

rubbernecker had met, laughed 

at my description of them as 

“tambays.” They are free to do 

what they want. Canada is a free 

country anyway and they can 

loiter anytime they want. 

“More than 

half of those 

arrested 

have been 

sent home 

after they 

were given 

warnings.” 

But the Philippines is a free country, too. 

That’s how they knew the Philippines when they 

left several years ago. 

Some of them have some apprehensions of 

coming back. The others claim they like what 

they are seeing. 

Even here, they are divided. 

News about the arrest of more than 25,000 

“tambays” over the last weeks is a novelty for 

them. But it’s not for the poor communities 

back home. 

Unlike here, lack of space and poverty are 

issues that could not be detached from the PNPinitiated 

“anti-loitering” campaign. 

In many communities, people sleep outside 

of their cramped houses. Others stay in benches 

Aldrin Cardona 

Legacy of anomalies 

and even pavements. 

They do not have lawns and gazebos to hold 

parties in. 

They drink in front of sari-sari stores. They 

smoke where it is convenient for them to do so. 

They walk where their feet take them before 

they return home for the night. 

Local laws abridging the Filipino’s right of 

movement is also a major issue that has to be 

settled as loitering is no longer a crime under the 

Revised Penal Code. 

It was decriminalized in 2012 when former 

President Benigno Aquino III signed Republic 

Act 10158. The law amended Article 202 of the 

Revised Penal Code to decriminalize vagrancy, 

except for prostitutes. 

Local governments should visit their 

ordinances to make sure they do not curtail the 

freedoms of their people, including their freedom 

of movement. 

More than half of those arrested have been sent 

home after they were given warnings. Many of them 

were caught for smoking in public, drinking in public 

places, minors found outside of their houses in the 

wee hours of the night, half-naked loiterers and some 

other minute violations of local ordinances. 

Petty, we say. 

A deterrent to crime, says the PNP. 

The Pinoys here could only shake their heads. 

He 

said 

also be serving senior citizens and other residents through free medicines for hypertension, diabetes, some 

form of cancers and other diseases. 

If only Department of 

She 

said 

Dinah S. Ventura 

Loitering is not a crime and police should not be 

arresting those who are just “hanging around,” 

so to speak. 

I don’t know how those policemen 

got it into their heads then to 

catch unsuspecting people out on 

sidewalks or outside sari-sari stores, 

some reportedly just outside their 

doorsteps, handcuff them and bring 

them to police stations. Where did that 

order come from if President Rodrigo 

Duterte said he never gave an order 

to arrest tambays? 

Was it a massive miscommunication? Something lost 

in translation? Overzealousness of the men in uniform? 

Whatever or however it happened, it was disturbing 

on so many levels. 

That rash of local arrests caused quite a furor 

among many, especially when an alleged “tambay” who 

was brought to jail died on the premises. 

Genesis Argoncillo was accosted in an anti-loitering 

operation in Barangay Sauyo, Quezon City. Police said 

he was drunk and causing trouble, so he was brought 

to the station. He died at the detention cell of the 

Novaliches police Station 4 after allegedly being beaten 

up by two inmates. 

A human rights group investigated the matter and 

said the store owner belied the police allegation, saying 

the man was shirtless, yes, but he was sitting quietly, 

Health (DoH) officials 

were circumspect, honest 

and incorruptible, they 

should have instead used 

P8 billion to hire full-time 

doctors for BHC and buy essential medicines, including antibiotics, for 

distribution to villagers for free. The DoH spent P3.71 billion for the 

hospital services to 1.33 million indigent patients in 2017, according 

to its annual accomplishment report. With P8 billion, it could help 

twice that number of 

patients. 

Health officials 

know for a fact 

that every barangay 

has a public school 

and health center. 

Duplicating a BHC in 

the same barangay will 

not solve the problem 

of lack of free medical 

service and medicines 

in the community. It 

will just multiply the 

number of understaffed 

and ill-equipped BHC 

across the country at 

the rate of two inutile 

BHC/BHS per barangay. 

Some of the BHS, in 

fact, are being used as 

an office for lack of 

equipment, doctor and 

supply of medicine. 

The Duterte 

administration 

is investing in the 

rehabilitation and 

upgrading of existing 

health facilities and will construct additional health facilities, including one BHS per barangay, under 

a 2017-2022 development plan. The Aquino administration’s legacy of an anomalous and incomplete 

BHS project should serve as a lesson for the current government on how to successfully implement its 

version of “inclusive healthcare.” 

Concept News Central 

Mistakes 

“Enforcers 

of the law 

have to be 

credible to 

get people 

to cooperate 

and follow 

the law 

themselves.” 

fiddling with his phone while waiting for the load he 

had bought. 

It’s all very well that there would be opposing 

claims — these things do happen sometimes and can 

be investigated — but what is a real cause for concern 

is that people now tend to doubt these claims, even 

the police’s. 

It is very telling of the state of trustworthiness of our 

uniformed men. Gone are the days, it seems, when we 

automatically felt safe around them. Nowadays, because 

of reported abuses of their badge and some outright 

criminal activity involving them — and now also incidences 

of mistaken arrest — we tend to doubt them, too. 

That, for me, is a danger sign of these troubled times. 

The Philippine National Police (PNP) has been trying 

its best to rebuild its tainted reputation. Under this 

administration, erstwhile chief Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa 

immediately began a campaign to cleanse the ranks which 

current chief Oscar Albayalde has continued. 

Obviously, it has not been easy considering the 

controversies hounding the tokhang anti-drugs 

campaign and now the anti-tambay campaign. 

Communication is always key and if instructions are 

not clear, wrong implementation can lead to serious 

problems. 

To be clear, the no-arrest directive covers “people 

loitering in the streets but who have not committed any 

violation of ordinances such as drinking or smoking 

in public places and walking around half-naked on 

the streets.” 

Also, the word is “accost,” not “arrest” — but I doubt 

everyone knows the difference when it comes down to 

rounding up alleged violators. 

It’s too bad that instead of helping, some officers 

are adding to the burden by having to be investigated 

themselves for possible lapses or abuses. 

More than anything, the enforcers of the law have 

to be credible to get people to cooperate and follow 

the law themselves. 

Mistakes like accosting who were just waiting for 

a taxi to bring them to a pub are embarrassing for 

the force. How can they avoid such wrongful arrests? 

That’s another problem they must address right now. 

Nobody’s perfect, it’s true, but in this case, it’s a 

matter of trust.

6 SPORTS 


Daily Tribune 

VARGAS STAYS 

CA denies Cojuangco’s plea 

By Julius Manicad 

The Court of Appeals formally denied the petition 

filed by Jose “Peping” Cojuangco that seeks the 

reversal of a lower court decision allowing Ricky 

Vargas to run as president of the Philippine Olympic 

Committee (POC) in a special election last February. 

In an eight-page decision penned by Association 

Justice Maria Filomena Singh last June 28, the 10th 

Division of the appellate court dismissed Cojuangco’s 

plea because the issue is already moot and academic 

following a special election where Vargas defeated 

Cojuangco, 24-15. 

The court said there’s no justiciable controversy 

and whatever decision it may render would no longer 

have any practical use or value so it is better to 

dismiss the petition with prejudice. 

With this decision, Cojuangco’s final legal option 

is to elevate the matter before the Supreme Court, 

something that would again be moot and academic 

since Vargas’ term in the local Olympic council would VARGAS 

last only up to 2020. 

“And where the issue has become moot and academic, there is no 

justiciable controversy, so that a declaration thereon would be no practical 

use or value,” the appellate court said. 

“There is no actual substantial relief to which petitioners would be entitled 

and which would be negated by the dismissal of the petition.” 

The POC election in 2016 turned into a legal battle after the three-man 

election panel of Bro. Bernie Oca, Cong. Conrado Estrella and International 

Olympic Committee (IOC) representative Frank Elizalde ruled that Vargas 

and Tagaytay City Cong. Bambol Tolentino were ineligible to run as president 

and chairman, respectively, due to their lack of sufficient attendance in 

the regular POC general assembly meetings. 

Vargas brought the matter before the court, which ruled that the 

election in 2016 was null and void as the decision of the election panel 

that disqualified them was faulty. 

The POC should also hold a special election with both 

Vargas and Tolentino contending for the presidency and 

SBP yet 

to discuss 

possible 

Gilas subs 

By John Bryan Ulanday 

The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas 

(SBP) has yet to appoint replacements should 

FIBA formally suspend the nine Gilas Pilipinas 

members involved in the ugly brawl in the fourth 

window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifier. 

SBP deputy executive director Butch Antonio 

yesterday admitted that they have yet to make 

any move pending the formal release of FIBA 

decision about the melee with Australia that 

shocked the international basketball community 

last week. 

Naturalized player Andray Blatche, Jayson 

Castro, Roger Pogoy, Troy Rosario, Terrence 

Romeo, Carl Bryan Cruz, Matthew Wright, 

Calvin Abueva and Japeth Aguilar were 

all ejected for their involvement in the 

brawl with the Boomers in the third 

window of the qualifiers last week at 

the Philippine Arena in Bulacan. 

Also expected to be slapped with 

hefty penalty are Gilas reserves Allein 

Maliksi and Jio Jalalon as well as 

assistant coach Jong Uichico, who all 

jumped in to fight with the Australians. 

The world-governing body in 

basketball is currently reviewing all 

the pieces of evidence presented and is 

tipped to come out with a decision in a 

tribunal at the end of this month. 

“Those are the things we will talk about,” said Antonio, also 

the team manager of Gilas Pilipinas squad that will face Group D 

qualifiers in Iran, Kazakhstan and Qatar in the fourth window in 

September. 

“We can’t move until the FIBA decision is not yet here. We still 

have to wait and see.” 

Sources said JP Erram, Vic Manuel, Arwind Santos, Scottie 

Thompson as well as former Gilas players Raymond Almazan, Jared 

Dillinger, Marcio Lassiter, LA Tenorio and Paul Lee are all being 

considered to join holdovers June Mar Fajardo, Baser Amer and Gabe 

Norwood in the side that will play in the fourth window. 

Spain appoints 

Luis Enrique 

MADRID, Spain — Former Barcelona coach Luis Enrique has signed 

a two-year deal to take charge of the Spanish football team. 

He replaced Julen Lopetegui, who was fired on the eve of the World 

Cup after accepting the job at Real Madrid. 

Fernando Hierro took temporary control for the finals, where 2010 

world champion and 2008 and 2012 European Championship winner 

Spain was knocked out 4-3 on penalties by host Russia in the Last 16 

“The decision has been unanimous,” Spanish federation president Luis 

Rubiales said on Luis Enrique’s appointment. “I like his commitment. 

He has let better financial opportunities pass in order to be national 

team coach. 

“This coach fulfills all the parameters to take charge of the team. 

Luis Enrique is bringing his backroom staff, but this is a matter he will 

speak about next week.” 

Luis Enrique, as both player and coach, didn’t fit the typical model 

of the cerebral tactician steeped in the ways of Barcelona. But his fiery 

spirit proved to be just as successful— while it lasted. 

He started out as a player for his local Sporting Gijon team on Spain’s 

Atlantic coast. He then won one league title while playing for Real Madrid 

before moving to fierce rival Barcelona in 1996, where he went on to win 

two more Liga crowns and became the captain before retiring in 2004. AP 

MAVERICK Ahanmisi of Rain or Shine 

muscles his way to the basket against 

Nico Elorde of Globalport during their 

Philippine Basketball Association 

(PBA) Commissioner’s Cup quarterfinal 

battle last night at the Smart Araneta 

Coliseum. 

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO 

chairmanship positions. 

Cojuangco’s group struck back and tried 

to secure preliminary injunction to prevent 

the special election from happening, citing 

that the POC is not covered by lower court 

since it is autonomous in nature as it is 

under the umbrella of the International 

Olympic Committee (IOC). 

But the Court of Appeals turned down 

his petition for a temporary restraining 

order, prompting Cojuangco to file for 

a petition for review to check whether 

the Pasig Regional Trial Court erred in 

meddling in a purely private affair by 

calling for a special election. 

But the CA again turned it down. 

“I am naturally heartened by the 

decision even as we were actually planning 

to file a petition to dismiss the case,” said 

Vargas. 

COJUANGCO 

“But the fact that the Court of Appeals 

took it down upon itself to render the 

decision -- and with prejudice at that – I am more than delighted.” 

Vargas added that he had already moved on from his legal battle with 

Cojuangco as he is now setting his sights on coming up with a successful 

participation in the 18th Asian Games and an even more successful hosting of 

the 30th Southeast Asian Games next year. 

“I look forward to seeking solutions 

to the many issues facing Philippine 

sports and I hope everyone 

concerned will put adversarial 

issues aside and work with us.” 

“Our prayers have ben 

answered, but we need to pray 

even harder.” 

Grey’s trey lifts Batang Pier 


Games Today: 

(Smart Araneta Coliseum) 

:30 pm – Ginebra vs Meralco 

7:00 pm – Talk ‘N Text vs San 

Miguel 

Jonathan Grey knocked down the 

biggest shot of his young career as he 

drained a tightly contested triple to lift 

Globalport to a 114-113 victory over Rain 

or Shine in their Philippine Basketball 

Association (PBA) quarterfinal duel last 

night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. 

With the Batang Pier teetering on 

the brink of elimination, 111-113, import 

Malcolm White delivered a crisp pass to 

Grey at the left wing for the game-winner 

with only 11.5 seconds left. 

The Elasto Painters tried to steal 

the game, but the desperation heave 

launched by Maverick Ahanmisi went 

offline. 

With the win, the Globalport completed 

its rally form 16 points down and 

denied the top seed Rain or Shine the 

chance to return to the semifinals for 

the first time since 2015. 

The Batang Pier also forged a rubber 

match against the Batang Pier on Thursday 

at the Mall of Asia Arena. 

Globalport coach Pido Jarencio admitted 

that the play was supposed to be 

for White, but his import made the right 

decision of passing it to the gunner with 

the hot hands in Grey. 

“That’s not part of the play,” said 

Jarencio, who is looking to join the elite 

list of eight-seed teams that knocked out 

a top seed. 

“It just so happened that Malcolm 

made the right decision of kicking it out 

to Grey. He found himself open so he had 

no choice but to launch it.” 

“It’s give and take. If that didn’t go in, 

we would lose. But it went in so we won. 

I hope this luck continues in Game 2.” 

White spearheaded Globalport’s attack 

with 28 points, 16 rebounds, three assists 

and two blocks while skipper Stanley 

Pringle flirted with a triple-double of 21 

points, nine rebounds and nine assists. 

But it was Grey who stood the tallest 

as he drilled 12 of his 22 points in that 

torrid fourth-quarter uprising. 

Battle 

of champs 

in Ironman 

Eleven of the world’s top endurance 

racers, including three world champions 

and three Asia-Pacific titlists, gear up 

for another grueling test of physical 

strength and mental toughness in the 

Ironman 70.3 Philippines Asia-Pacific 

Championship that fires off on Aug. 5 

in Cebu City. 

Tim Reed, the 2016 world champion, 

banners the elite cast of bidders 

that includes three-time world titlist 

Craig Alexander, and former XTERRA 

world champion Mauricio Mendez, all 

primed up for the 1.9km swim-90km 

bike-21.2km run event at Ironman 70.3 

Philippines home since 2012 – the 

Shangri-La Mactan Resort and Spa in 

Lapu-Lapu City. 

The event also features former 

Ironman As-Pac winners Tim Van 

Berkel, Josh Amberger and Braden 

Currie along with former Ironman South 

American winner Brent McMahon. 

“This is going to be one Ironman 

worth watching for. Putting up this 

elite cast is enough to generate interest 

and at the same time motivate these 

ace triathletes to strive for more 

and get the championship,” 

said Fred Uytengsu, founder 

of the organizing Sunrise 

Events, Inc. 

While a down-tothe-wire 

finish 

looms in 

the men’s 

side, the battle 

for the women’s tiara 

is also expected to be keen 

with Radka Kahlefeldt, winner 

of this year’s Ironman 70.3 Davao, 

bracing for a spirited battle against 

four-time Philippine champion 

Caroline Steffen, 2016 Ironman 

Busan winner Amelia Watkinson, 

and former Ironman Australia titlist 

Beth McKenzie. 

Rockets lose 

Mbah a Moute 

LOS ANGELES, United States -- 

Cameroonian free agent forward Luc 

Mbah a Moute agreed to a one-year NBA 

deal with the Los Angeles Clippers, 

ESPN reported Monday, pushing the 

Houston Rockets to pursue Carmelo 

Anthony. 

The Rockets, led by NBA Most 

Valuable Player and scoring leader 

James Harden and backcourt partner 

Chris Paul, advanced within one win 

of the NBA Finals last season before 

losing to the eventual champion 

Golden State Warriors in the Western 

Conference finals. 

Now they are faced with 

the loss of two forwards in 

Mbah a Moute, who came 

to the Rockets last year 

from the Clippers 

and will return for 

$4.3 million, 

and Trevor 

Ariza, 

w h o 

signed 

a one-year 

deal 

with Phoenix 

last 

week worth $15 million. 

The moves add to uncertainty for the 

Rockets around Swiss free agent center 

Clint Capela, who has not agreed to a 

new deal. 

AFP 

“I told him just give me a good performance,” 

Jarencio said. “Give me 

good defense, give me good scoring. 

He responded by delivering big-time in 

this game.” 

Reggie Johnson tallied 24 points, 15 

rebounds and seven assists while Raymond 

Almazan chipped in 17 markers 

for Rain or Shine, which will gun for the 

jugular in Game 2. 

Meanwhile, Talk ‘N Text didn’t push 

through with its protest following a 110- 

121 lost to reigning champion San Miguel 

Beer Monday. 

Instead, the KaTropa will just focus 

on their Game 2 encounter today at the 

Smart Araneta Coliseum. 

The Scores: 

Globalport (114): White 28, Grey 22, 

Pringle 21, Anthony 11, Elorde 7, Taha 6, 

Tautuaa 6, Javelona 4, Espinas 3, Guinto 

3, Teng 3, Arana 0 

Rain or Shine (113): Johnson 24, Almazan 

17, Yap 16, Ahanmisi 15, Daquioag 

14, Tiu 10, Norwood 9, Belga 8, Torres 0 

Quarter scores: 24-26, 52-60, 83-91, 

114-113


Daily Tribune 

SPORTS 

7 

DREAM SHOWDOWN 

Federer, Nadal near clash of titans 

LONDON, United Kingdom -- Defending champion Roger Federer 

and Rafael Nadal closed in on a dream Wimbledon finals as the 

sport’s two greatest players swept into the Last Eight on Monday. 

Eight-time champion Federer needed just 16 minutes to win 

the opening set on his way to a 6-0, 7-5, 6-4 defeat of France’s 

Adrian Mannarino to reach his 16th All England Club quarterfinal 

appearance. 

World number one Nadal, the two-time champion, reached his 

first quarterfinals at Wimbledon since 2011 -- when he went on to 

finish runner-up -- with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 win over Jiri Vesely of the 

Czech Republic. 

Federer will be playing in his 53rd Grand Slam Last Eight when 

he tackles Kevin Anderson, the eighth-seeded South African. 

Top seed Federer, 36, has now won 32 consecutive sets at 

Wimbledon, just two behind his record set from the third round in 

2005 to his title triumph in 2006. 

He has also held serve for 81 successive games at the tournament, 

a run stretching back the first set of his semi-final win against Tomas 

Berdych in 2017. 

“It was crucial for him to stay in the match at the beginning of the 

second set and then it got tougher,” said 20-time major winner Federer. 

“You always tend to play better against better players and I’m 

happy to be back in the second week of Wimbledon.” 

Federer boasts a 4-0 career record against 2017 US Open runnerup 

Anderson, who reached the quarterfinals for the first time with 

a 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/2), 5-7, 7-6 (7/4) win over France’s Gael Monfils. 

Anderson is the first South African man in the Wimbledon Last 

Eight since Wayne Ferreira in 1994. 

Nadal, like Federer yet to drop a set, routed world number 93 

Vesely on the eve of the Czech player’s 25th birthday. 

Lascuña seeks to end drought 

ANTIPOLO CITY – Tony Lascuña hopes to 

end a long winless campaign with a victory 

at the ICTSI Forest Hills Championship, 

armed with a new putter and a confidence 

bolstered by his triumphs in what used to be 

a Philippine Golf Tour (PGT) event the last 

two years at the Nicklaus course here. 

But now serving as a leg of the PGT Asia, the 

$100,000 championship beginning today could 

add to Lascuña’s string of heartbreaks with a 

slew of foreign aces and a bunch of local top 

guns all primed up for four days of battle at one 

of the country’s toughest courses. 

“This is a tough course with unpredictable 

putting surface. You don’t know where to 

place your shots since some (greens) are 

slow and some are fast. I think a 10-under 

card will win here,” said Lascuña, who beat 

Zanieboy Gialon and Orlan Sumcad by 11 

shots here in 2016 then won again by three 

over Gialon last year. 

But the multi-titled former three-time PGT 

Order of Merit winner remains winless this 

season, both in the PGTA and PGT circuits, 

although he kept contending in most events 

only to fade in the stretch on putting woes. 

Games Tomorrow: 

(FilOil Flying V Centre) 

2:00 pm — Philippines vs Smart-Army 

4:15 pm — Generika-Ayala vs Petron 

7:00 pm — UP-UAI vs F2 Logistics 

IMUS CITY — The Philippine women’s 

national team again survived with a depleted 

lineup after squeaking past Cignal, 25-21, 25-15, 

25-21, in the Chooks to Go-Philippine Superliga 

(PSL) Invitational Conference Tuesday at the 

Imus Sports Center here. 

From a nine-woman team in last Saturday’s 

win over Cocolife, only eight players suited 

up with team captain Aby Maraño and pool 

member MJ Phillips leading the way with 17 

points apiece to win their second match in this 

prestigious club tourney bankrolled by Isuzu, 

UCPB Gen and SOGO Hotel with ESPN5, Hyper 

HD and Aksyon TV as broadcast partners. 

Due to lack of players, middle blocker 

Maraño played as opposite spiker and displayed 

her versatility, hitting 13 spikes, a pair of blocks 

and two aces including six excellent receptions 

in the midseason conference that also has 

Senoh, Asics, Mikasa, Mueller and Grand Sport 

as technical sponsors. 

“I’m proud of our 

players because they are 

flexible in adjusting to other 

positions, especially our 

team captain who played 

as opposite spiker. 

“I already changed my putter and adjusted 

my style. Hopefully it clicks,” said Lascuña, 

who tied for fourth in the last two PGT events 

at Del Monte and Pueblo De Oro. 

But he’ll be a facing a tougher, talent-laden 

international field this week, led by Thai 

aces Wisut Artjanawat, Poosit Supupramai 

and Varanyu Rattanapohiboonkij, Americans 

John Michael O’Toole, Brett Munson and 

Lexus Keoninh, South African Mathiam 

Keyser, Dutch Guido Van der Valk and Aussies 

Damien Jordan, Andrew Campbell and 

Nathan Park – all in pursuit of the coveted 

championship. 

Young Korean Kim Joo Hyung, who 

humbled the cream of the local pro crop 

and a number of foreign aces at Pueblo De 

Oro last week, will also be a marked man in 

the fourth leg of the region’s newest circuit 

organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. 

So does the hottest local player on tour 

today – Jobim Carlos, who topped the PGTA 

Riviera leg for his maiden win and added the 

PGT Apo Invitational title, both last month. 

He tied for sixth at Del Monte and lost by one 

to Kim last week. 

Crippled PH Team smothers Cignal 

She’s always ready,” said head coach Shaq 

Delos Santos on Maraño, who impressed 

the people of Imus together with Larong 

Volleyball sa Pilipinas Inc. vice president 

Peter Cayco and Imus City vice mayor Ony 

Cantimbuhan. 

Phillips also made a rousing debut 

wearing the national jersey as she tallied 16 

kills off her 17 points. 

Mainstay Ces Molina was also instrumental 

with six hits, including 14 digs and six 

receptions, while setter Kim Fajardo made 

15 excellent sets and libero Dawn Macandili 

finishing with 18 digs. 

Delos Santos, however, lamented that 

they are still far from ready for the Asian 

Games in Jakarta this August. 

“Honestly speaking we’re happy because 

we keep on winning here but we’re still far 

from our best form and we still have a lot 

of things to do,” he said. 

“We need more practices. Hopefully, 

we’ll get there in the training camp and 

in the international competition. For 

now, we’ll do it one at time until we’re 

complete,” added Delos Santos, 

who will be 

calling the 

shots anew 

as they 

battle Smart- 

Army on Thursday 

at the FilOil Flying V 

Centre in San Juan. 

Monday’s win took Nadal, 32, into a 35th Grand Slam quarterfinal. 

“It was an important victory as since 2011 I have not 

been in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon. So it’s an 

important moment,” said Nadal, the 17-time Grand 

Slam champion who has made four successive 

quarterfinals at the majors for the first time in 

six years. 

Next up for Nadal is either Juan Martin 

del Potro, the fifth seeded Argentine, or 

unseeded Gilles Simon of France. 

Del Potro was leading 7-6 (7/1), 7-6 

(7/5), 5-7 when his tie with Simon was 

halted for the night due to darkness. 

Novak Djokovic reached the 

quarterfinals for the 10th time with a 6-4, 

6-2, 6-2 win over Russia’s Karen Khachanov. 

“He’s got weapons, a big serve and a big 

forehand,” said Djokovic of the world number 40. 

“I got a lot of first serves in, made him hit 

the extra ball. I served well when I needed to. 

“It was difficult in the last few 

games. It was dark so I couldn’t 

see the ball that well and it was 

very windy.” 

Three-time champion 

Djokovic, seeded 

12, will next face 

Japan’s 24th seed 

Kei Nishikori. AFP 

Creamline shoots for PVL crown 

Creamline guns for a sweep as it 

battles PayMaya in Game 2 of their 

Premier Volleyball League (PVL) 

Season 2 Reinforced Conference bestof-three 

finals series today at the Mall 

of Asia (MOA) Arena. 

The Cool Smashers go for the 

clincher at 3:45 p.m., confident 

of duplicating their 25-21, 22-25, 

25-20, 25-19 victory in the opener 

last Sunday with a kind of grit and 

teamwork they have shown from the 

eliminations to the finals. 

In fact, top player Alyssa Valdez 

is all set to steer the team to victory 

again and claim the title that has 

eluded them after a couple of third 

place finishes. 

“We all wanted to win, not just 

me,” said Valdez. “More than ever, 

it’s everyone who wanted this win, 

ABY Marano of the Philippine Team attacks the defense of Mylene Paat of Cignal during their Philippine Superliga (PSL) Invitational Conference match 

yesterday at the Imus Sports Center in Imus, Cavite 


who wanted to win the championship 

that’s we have a good teamwork.” 

So upbeat is the former Ateneo 

star that she also considers playing 

at the MOA Arena brings good 

vibes not only to her but also to the 

organization she represents. 

“It’s always good to be back at the 

place where you won your first-ever 

championship,” said Valdez, who 

powered Ateneo to its first crown 

against then thrice-to-beat De La Salle 

University in Season 76 of the UAAP 

and in the Lady Eagles’ record sweep 

of Season 77.With Thai reinforcement 

Kuttika Kaewpin complementing 

well with Valdez on the attacking 

end, towering replacement import 

Laura Schaudt settling down with the 

team’s play-patterns and providing 

intimidating presence on the net and 

RAFAEL Nadal of Spain 

returns the ball to Czech 

Republic’s Jiri Vesely 

during their men’s singles 

match of the Wimbledon 

Tennis Championships in 

London. 

AP 

the rest of the squad’s solid support, 

the Cool Smashers are all set for the 

big finish. 

But PayMaya coach Roger 

Gorayeb can surely spring a surprise 

to neutralize the Cool Smashers’ 

edge in power and momentum and 

force a sudden death on Sunday. 

Tess Rountree gears up for 

another spiking duel with Valdez and 

Kaewpin with fellow import Shelby 

Sullivan also hoping to raise the 

level of her game and provide the 

needed support. 

The PayMaya locals, including 

Jerilli Malabanan, Joyce Sta. Rita, 

Celine Domingo and Aiko Urdas 

must also step up although Grethcel 

Soltones and setter Jasmine Nabor 

have been dishing out solid games 

for the High Flyers. 

Philippines catches World Cup fever 

MANILA, Philippines -- Shirts are 

selling briskly, crowds pack sports 

bars to watch matches and football 

is front-page news. Whisper it quietly, 

but basketball-crazy Philippines 

has finally been afflicted by 

World Cup fever. 

For decades, the nation 

of more than 100 million was 

on a very short list of global 

locations that had failed to fall for 

the beautiful game. 

That is beginning 

to change as football’s 

narrow, but passionate, Filipino 

following grows fueled by success of 

the national team whose new coach is 

former England great Terry Butcher 

-- a World Cup semi-finalist with the 

Three Lions in 1990. 

“Definitely, we do have... World 

Cup fever,” television sportscaster 

Bob Guerrero told AFP outside a 

Manila bar where he was watching 

France knock Argentina out of the 

global tournament. 

“We’re hoping that it’s going to 

be a snowball effect and football 

will really start to grow here in the 

Philippines,” said Guerrero, 

who works for top TV network 

ABS-CBN who are airing 

World Cup matches live. 

Grow it may, but at the 

moment there are only an 

estimated 1.5 million footballplaying 

Filipinos compared 

to figures claiming that 

some 40 million regularly 

flock to the basketball 

courts that populate every 

barangay (borough) across 

the archipelago. 

It’s a love affair that 

goes back to the 1900s when 

the Americans introduced 

basketball. Rather than reject 

the pastime of their colonial 

masters, Filipinos made it 

their own. 

It became part of the 

curriculum in schools and 

since then Philippine squads 

have played respectably on an 

international level. Basketball’s 

governing body FIBA has them 

ranked 30th out of 159 nations, just 

behind China. 

But, until recently Philippine love 

and prowess in hoops was missing 

from their football team, a gap 

evident even in the nicknames of the 

respective squads. 

The Philippines basketball team 

are dubbed the “Gilas,” the local 

word for elegance, while the football 

team are called the “Azkals” which 

is a slang term for stray dogs. 

“When I arrived, the football 

community was very small,” said 

Azkals captain Phil Younghusband, 

who made his debut in 2009. 

“You can probably count in the 

hundreds the people who were 

aware of football and playing 

football.” 

The former youth player with 

English Premier League club Chelsea 

is one of a wave of photogenic 

foreign-based players of part-Filipino 

parentage recruited by the Azkals. 

In a few short years they have 

vaulted the team to qualification 

for the Asian Cup for the first 

time, and in May they hit their 

highest ever FIFA ranking of 111th 

in the world. 

That success comes on the heels of 

the launching last year of the country’s 

first pro-league, the Philippines 

Football League, which added to the 

momentum. 

AFP

8 

SPORTS 

Aldrin Cardona, Editor 


Daily Tribune 

‘LOCKED AND LOADED’ 

Hungry Pacman set to 

unveil new battleplan 

By Julius Manicad 

Manny Pacquiao will go the extra mile and revise his fighting 

style just to come up with a masterful conquest of Lucas Matthysse 

in their World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight title match 

this Sunday at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur. 

Buboy Fernandez, who will be calling the shots from 

Pacquiao’s corner, bared that the eight-division champion will 

be extra cautious and play the role of a counter-puncher if 

that what it takes to throw the Argentinian puncher off his 

comfort zone. 

Pacquiao became a legend for his aggressive, devil-may-care 

fighting style. 

That style prompted him to dominate and end the careers of 

some of the world’s best fighters like Marco Antonio Barrera in 

2003, Erik Morales in 2005, Oscar De La Hoya in 2008 and Ricky 

Hatton in 2009. 

But lately, the power in his punches appears to have faded as 

his foes have uncovered a surefire solution to tame him by not 

engaging him into a full-blown brawl. 

Juan Manuel Marquez, Floyd Mayweather and Timothy Bradley 

mastered the art of counter-punching that left the Filipino dynamo groping 

for form. Everything collapsed against Jeff Horn when the unheralded 

Australian combined street-fighting with precise defensive strategy. 

This time, Pacquiao is willing to change his battleplan. 

“We will be the one to counter,” said Fernandez Tuesday at the 

Le Meridian Hotel where Pacquiao and Matthysse made their grand 

arrival. 

“We will not attack right away. We will go slow and take it easy at 

first. We will turn to that game plan where we will end up frustrating 

him.” 

“I can see that they are planning to attack Pacquiao with 

counters. But for us, we’ll wait for them to create action.” 

Pacquiao said everything is set for the fight that would either 

extend or break his career. 

“We are locked and loaded,” he said in a statement, expressing 

his hunger for another victory. 

“I am more than ready and excited to show Malaysian fight fans 

the fruits of hard training and preparation.” 

This will be Fernandez’s first time to act as lead trainer 

after Pacquiao decided to give his long-time cornerman 

Freddie Roach a break. Although Pacquiao said Roach 

will be back in his next match, there’s really no 

assurance as Lance Pugmire of the LA Times revealed 

that the two boxing icons have yet to talk since that 

fateful lost to Horn last year. 

Aside from Fernandez, also working on Pacquiao’s 

corner are Roger Fernandez, Nonoy Neri and Nonito 

Donaire Sr. while Justin Fortune serves as his strength 

and conditioning mentor. 

Fortune said they are glad that veteran referee 

Kenny Bayless will serve as the third man on the ring. 

Although it was Bayless who officiated in Pacquiao’s 

controversial setback to Horn, where the fighting 

Senator was punished with rough tactics like elbow 

blows and head butts, Fortune said this is now a golden 

opportunity for the American referee to redeem himself. 

“The referee is Kenny Bayless. He’s the real deal. He 

won’t allow that head-butting,” said Fortune, referring to 

the seasoned arbiter who worked on some of the world’s 

biggest fights involving Morales, Bradley, Shane Mosley, Cotto 

and Hatton. 

Fortune said they anticipate some rough plays from Matthysse 

because he’s not as fast as Pacquiao. 

“But he’s smart,” said Fortune. “He is a very dangerous guy. 

Still, when the bell rings, it’s the hungrier fighter who will survive. 

England thrives in World Cup ‘bubble’ 

REPINO, Russia — As excitement builds in 

England in the run-up to the country’s first 

World Cup semifinals in 28 years, midfielder 

Dele Alli insists Gareth Southgate’s team 

is keeping a cool head in their tournament 

“bubble.” 

England’s matches so far in Russia have 

attracted huge television audiences at home 

and wild celebrations, with affable coach 

Gareth Southgate and his vibrant young squad 

capturing the hearts of a nation. 

In sharp contrast to the feverish atmosphere, 

Alli and his teammates are in relaxed mood 

in the sleepy seaside resort of Repino, 45 

kilometers northwest of Saint Petersburg. 

“You are in your own little bubble when here 


Batang Gilas may have failed to complete its mission, but 

it fulfilled its “modest objective” of coming up with a decent 

finish in the FIBA U17 World Cup that came to a close Tuesday 

in Sta. Fe, Argentina. 

Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) deputy executive 

-- training camp, coming back, getting ready for 

the next game. It is not until you look at social 

media and the internet that you realize how big 

it is,” Alli said on Monday. 

“Obviously we know we are playing in the 

World Cup, in the semifinals. We are so focused 

on the games that you forget what we have 

done so far. 

“It is important that we stay like that, keep 

going and hopefully we achieve something to 

make it even more special to get to the final 

and win it.” 

Alli scored his first World Cup goal as 

England cruised into the Last Four with a 2-0 

win over Sweden on Saturday. 

A much tougher test is expected in Moscow 

on Wednesday against a Croatia side that swept 

past Argentina in the group stages and boasts 

the midfield talents of Real Madrid’s Luka 

Modric and Ivan Rakitic of Barcelona. 

But while many pundits and even England 

fans are surprised by their progress, Alli says 

the squad always believed they could go far. 

“We had to believe and we know how 

talented we are as a squad,” he added. “We 

know we have some unbelievable players and 

a great manager and everyone is clear on what 

we want to do. 

“When you have such a solid foundation, you 

have the basics and clear understanding of what 

we want to do and achieve, it’s not a surprise 

that it’s going well for us.” 

AFP 

Batang Gilas meets ‘modest objective’ 

STUDENTS of West Pasay High School use improvised equipment to play 

baseball during their vacant time at FB Harrisson Street, Pasay City. RAFAEL TABOY 

LeBron signs Lakers deal 

LOS ANGELES, United States 

-- LeBron James signed his new 

four-year NBA contract worth $154 

million with the Los Angeles Lakers 

on Monday, with Lakers president 

Earvin “Magic” Johnson calling it a 

“huge step” for the team. 

The Klutch Sports Group, agents 

for James, tweeted a photo of 

the four-time NBA Most Valuable 

Player (MVP) on Monday night with 

“officially signed with the Lakers” 

as the caption. 

The agents revealed July 1, hours 

after the start of free agency, that 

James had agreed to terms on the 

Lakers deal, leaving the Cleveland 

Cavaliers after four seasons in 

which he led them to four NBA 

Finals. 

James brought Cleveland its 

first major sports crown since 

1964 when the Cavs won the 2016 

NBA crown but lost three of four 

finals showdowns with the Golden 

State Warriors, falling to 3-6 for 

his career in the NBA Finals, and 

decided to make a move in hopes 

of rebuilding the Lakers into a 

winner. 

The Lakers tweeted an image of 

James wearing the team’s purple 

and gold jersey with his name and 

number 23 on the back and the 

city lights of Los Angeles in the 

background plus “The King has 

director Butch Antonio said the federation is beaming with 

pride after the national youth squad finished 13th out of 16 

competing countries. 

The world joust had been a rollercoaster campaign for the 

Nationals. 

Ranked no. 34 in the world, Batang Gilas suffered massive 

setback to powerhouse Croatia, European champion France 

and home team Argentina and the group stage. 

Then, they bowed to the world’s best team in Canada in the 

Round of 16 to crash to the battle for 9th to 12th places, where 

they surrendered to African champion Mali. 

With nothing to gain but pride, the Philippines refused to 

bow as it emerged victorious over Egypt and New Zealand to 

avoid a humiliating last-place finish. 

Antonio said they are glad over the fighting heart that the 

boys displayed. 

“Everybody is proud of what the Batang Gilas had achieved 

in the world stage,” Antonio told Tribune in a telephone 

conversation. 

“We tip our hats to coach Mike Oliver, assistant coach Josh 

Reyes and the rest of the team.” 

Antonio said they are not expecting the squad to bring home 

the crown as their mere presence against the world’s best young 

players is already a major achievement. 

“Yes, we have ambitions, but we also have modest objectives,” 

said Antonio, who was part of the youth squad that placed 15th 

out of 16 competitors in 2014 in Dubai. 

“We achieved that modest objective. We improved our placing 

from 2014 so we have to commend Batang Gilas for a mission 

accomplished.” 

Antonio added that the silver lining is that the country’s 

gem of a talent in 7-foot-1 Kai Sotto was given the opportunity 

to test his skills against the world’s best young players, some 

of them are future NBA bidders. 

“Kai is special not only to the Gilas program, but also to 

Philippine basketball in general,” he said. 

MANNY Pacquiao is ready to rumble as he arrives in Le Meridien Hotel 

for his World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight title fight with Lucas 

Matthysse on Saturday at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur. WENDELL ALINEA 

Froome booed 

as BMC edges Sky 

CHOLET, France -- Chris Froome was booed by a section of the 

public on the starting ramp, but otherwise enjoyed a great day in 

the Tour de France team time-trial on Monday where Team Sky was 

edged by four seconds by winners BMC. 

Belgian team Quick Step came third at seven seconds, but because 

Fernando Gaviria was dropped along the route he failed to reclaim 

the race leader’s yellow jersey, which was instead claimed by BMC’s 

Olympic road race champion Greg van Avermaet. 

“It’s a great feeling and very good for the team. I have my chances 

to win tomorrow too and also at the Roubaix,” said Van Avermaet. 

It was also a very satisfying day for Froome, the Kenyan-born 

Briton ignoring some booing at the start line and making up some 

of the valuable time he lost on Saturday’s first stage. 

Defending champion Froome lost four seconds to Richie Porte, 

but took five seconds off British rival Adam Yates, eight seconds 

off world champion Tom Dumoulin of Sunweb, 50 seconds off 

Colombia’s Nairo Quintana and was a less-than-expected one 

minute, 11-second quicker than French hope Romain Bardet. 

While Sky’s top placed rider is Geraint Thomas three seconds off 

the lead, 2017 Giro winner Dumoulin is just 11 seconds down, but 

perhaps Bardet is the man with the most to smile about at this stage. 

“For God sake don’t sell this as a two-horse race because it’s not, 

not this year,” a source close to Bardet told AFP. 

“But boy we are so happy to get here without having had two 

minutes stuck into us by Froome,” he said of Bardet’s 20 second 

deficit on the champion. 

Bardet had indeed cut a happy figure on the line after his AG2R 

team, built for the mountains, came in 12th 1:15 seconds behind BMC. 

Bardet waited at the finish line to greet each one of the teammates 

he dropped in a mad final push for the line and hug them. 

“Our team is our strength,” said Bardet. 

Porte’s BMC team had been expected to make up for their 

disappointing first day when their Australian leader fell. 

“There was way too much wind for me,” said the slightly-built Porte. 

“So taking four seconds off Chris (Froome of Sky) is good and it 

looks like a minute off Romain Bardet at least,” said the BMC leader. 

“We were favorites and it was good to deliver. 

AFP 

arrived” as a caption. 

“Today is a great day for the 

Lakers organization and Lakers 

fans all over the world to welcome 

LeBron James, a three-time NBA 

Champion and four-time NBA MVP,” 

Johnson said. 

“LeBron is special. He is the 

best player in the world. He loves 

to compete and is an awesome 

leader who is about winning and 

making sure that his teammates are 

successful. The Lakers players are 

excited to have a teammate who has 

been to nine NBA Finals. 

“It’s a huge step closer to 

returning the Lakers to the playoffs 

and to the NBA Finals.” AFP A mural of Lebron James in a Los Angeles Lakers jersey is viewed in Venice, California. AFP

51.00 

52.00 

53.00 

54.00 

55.00 

PESO-DOLLAR RATES DOW JONES STOCK MARKET 

10 JULY 2018 

53.46 

25700 

25200 

7900 

7700 

24700 

7500 

320.11 

24200 7300 

46.67 

points 

10 JULY 2018 10 JULY 2018 

points 

Singapore’s Temasek 

reports record 

$235B portfolio 


Jun Vallecera, Editor 


Daily Tribune 

BUSINESS 

9 

Foreign funds pour into local subsidiaries 

The foreign principals of businesses 

operating in the Philippines for the 

long haul, more known as the foreign 

direct investor or FDI, extended more 

than twice the amount of loans to their 

local subsidiaries in April than they 

did in March, according to the Bangko 

Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). 

The net lending of foreign principals 

to subsidiaries in the Philippines 

proved more than twice in April this 

year when this totaled $705 million 

compared to only $301 million in March. 

This, the BSP said, indicated 

sustained foreign investor confidence in 

the economic future of the Philippines 

for the period no matter that external 

and domestic headwinds hound the 

Southeast Asian nation like everyone 

else in the region at present. 

The net lending represents a 

snapshot of the volume of investments 

the foreign principals poured into socalled 

bricks-and-mortar enterprises in 

the Philippines for the period, funds that 

would not have been forthcoming had 

the foreign principals been convinced 

that Manila’s economic future was 

toast. 

In part because of this development, 

aggregate FDIs in April alone nearly 

doubled to $1.03 billion from only $682 

million in March. 

In the first four months, aggregate 

FDIs accelerated by 24.3 percent to 

$3.20 billion this year versus only $2.58 

billion in the same period last year. 

April was a time of some economic 

turbulence in the Philippines when 

it became clear that inflation, or the 

rate of change in prices trended up 

from only 3.4 percent in January to 5.2 

percent at present and well above the 

target ceiling of only 4 percent. 

This was also the period when 

In order to mitigate the 

inherent risks and be 

smart about investing in 

the stock market you start 

with the macro view of the 

fundamentals of the investment 

climate which should be both 

global and, of course, reflective 

of the country’s economic 

environment. 

Why even consider the 

global perspective? 

Well, we live in an 

interconnected and 

interdependent world. If the 

Western countries like the 

US and the EEC are in recession, world 

economic activity falters and consequently, 

demand for our country’s products and 

services weaken. As a result, our economic 

growth activity or GDP slows relative to other 

countries. International investors who watch 

closely the GDP of the various countries 

they are invested in start rebalancing their 

country portfolio mixes. Some countries 

lose out while some gain in the process. 

Judging from the pullback of foreign funds 

“April was a 

time of some 

economic 

turbulence in the 

Philippines when 

it became clear 

that inflation, 

or the rate of 

change in prices 

trended up.” 

BUILD Build Build skyway construction in Makati. 

Investing in the stock market: Part 2, the macro view 

The Eagle’s Nest 

Bing Matoto 

the Monetary 

Board, the 

policy-making 

body of the 

BSP, was 

looking down 

the prospect 

of an interest 

rate hike and 

subsequently 

did lift the 

rate at which 

it borrows 

from or lends 

to banks 25 basis points higher to 3.25 

percent the following May. 

This was also the period when the 

exchange rate deteriorated slightly 

on average to P52.099 per dollar from 

only P52.068 the previous April. The 

exchange rate would subsequently 

weaken further to P52.195 

New Zealand eyes 

Manila as fintech market 

By Komfie Manalo 

The Philippines could be the next 

big market for New Zealand’s fintech 

industry with its more than 100 

million population and tech-savvy 

populace, Rachel Strevens, co-founder 

of cryptocurrency investment platform 

Invsta, said following a business 

summit in the country. 

Strevens, who took part in a recent 

Asia New Zealand Foundation delegation 

to the Philippines to understand tech 

disruption in Southeast Asia, said 

Manila presents a huge opportunity, 

noting that a majority of its population 

are millennials more likely to invest in 

digital currency than the baby boomer 

generation. 

“The biggest revelation for me was 

that the Philippines has an enormous 

potential market for financial 

services,” Strevens said. 

The widespread use of the English 

language as well as the growing 

income of the country’s middle class 

also provide more advantages, she 

said. 

Strevens said, “On top of this, the 

population is tech-savvy and very 

young, with a median age of just 23. 

Millennials are eight times more likely 

to buy Bitcoin than baby boomers, so 

it’s an incredibly large and attractive 

market for us.” 

She explained that cryptocurrencies 

are proving their longevity and could 

find other purposes beyond trading. 

She added that blockchain, the 

underlying technology for digital 

currencies, also has many other uses. 

At the same time, Strevens told 

New Zealand businessmen not to 

miss out on investment opportunities 

in the Philippines, saying that 

the Southeast Asian nation could 

be their next big export market. 

She said improperly assessing the 

Philippines could prove a mistake 

and noted only a few New Zealand 

businessmen have harnessed the 

potential of the Philippines. 

More importantly, an estimated 10 

million Filipinos work overseas and send 

nearly $30 billion annually back home. 

Strevens said the blockchain could 

provide the technology to streamline 

the legacy financial systems used by 

Filipinos to remit money. 

“Crypto and blockchain technologies 

are speeding up the transaction time 

of transferring money around the 

world and this is having a huge impact 

on the remittance industry as people 

can move money back home faster at 

a lower cost,” she added. 

from our market the past few 

months, it seems we have 

been unfairly judged as one 

of those who might lose out 

in an imminent global trade 

war notwithstanding the fact 

that we continue to enjoy 

robust GDP growth rates. 

Our local setting is, of 

course, the most important 

factor to consider. 

As an investor, we 

need to do our best not 

to be carried away by 

the emotions of a market 

downturn and instead 

focus on the fundamentals of our 

economy. For instance, is our GDP growth 

sustainable? Our leading economists 

seem unanimous in concluding that YES 

we still are very much in a growth mode. 

The aggressive infrastructure program 

of the administration is expected to be 

a big boost. The TRAIN Package 4 which 

is focused on the financial markets and 

which promises to be a stimulant to the 

capital market environment is another. 

in May and still lower to P53.048 

in June. At the moment, the local 

currency averages P53.393 against the 

dollar, based on BSP data. 

But these developments apparently 

do not matter much to foreign fund 

managers who continue to pour actual 

resources on an economy whose local 

output, or the gross domestic product 

(GDP) at $315 billion is one of the most 

vibrant in the region. 

According to the BSP, so-called equity 

placements far outstripped withdrawals 

totaling $262 million in April alone versus 

withdrawals of just $15 million. 

These are foreign resources invested 

in long-haul entreprises that generate 

employment for Filipinos and tax 

revenues for the 

The Department of Information and 

Communications Technology (DICT) is 

eyeing punitive charges against telcos 

inefficiently using the frequency spectrum 

awarded them. 

DICT Secretary Eliseo Rio Jr. said a 

spectrum users fee (SUF) will be charged on 

inefficient telcos and make them pay more 

for the use of frequencies. 

“Using the SUF, we plan to punish telcos 

who are not efficiently using the spectrum 

awarded to them, by making them pay more 

than those who are more efficient. This will 

force the inefficient ones to return frequencies, 

as it would no longer be economical to retain 

them,” Rio said in 

a statement posted 

on his Facebook 

page Sunday. 

The secretary 

also reiterated his 

opposition to the 

proposed auction 

of frequency 

spectrum that will 

be used as basis 

for the selection 

of the new telco 

player which is 

being favored by the Department of Finance. 

“There are those who contend that the 

frequencies are owned by the Filipino people, 

but these frequencies are totally useless 

without telcos who have to invest tens of 

billions of pesos for their infrastructure. Yes, 

some telcos who sold their frequencies to 

There are, however, danger signals that 

a smart investor should look out for, one 

of which is the biggest elephant in the 

room now, the inflation scare. 

In basketball, the elephant in the room 

for fanatics like me is 

of course the possible 

repercussion of the 

recent “basketbrawl” 

involving Gilas and the 

visiting Aussies. Will 

the FIBA sanctions wipe 

out our Gilas line-up or 

worst-case, will we lose 

the hosting of the 2023 

FIBA Basketball World 

national coffers and by these measures 

are preferred over “hot” or speculative 

investments. 

Net investments in equity capital 

amounted to $247 million as gross 

equity capital placements increased 

more than three times to $262 million 

from $84 million, while withdrawals 

remained broadly low at $15 million, 

the BSP said. 

“Equity capital placements 

emanated largely from Singapore, Hong 

Kong, Netherlands; the United States 

and Japan. These were mainly invested in 

manufacturing; arts, entertainment and 

recreation; real estate; financial and 

the duopoly earned billions 

of pesos. But why punish 

a new player who has 

not earned single centavo 

yet, for the sins of these 

incumbent telcos?” Rio said. 

“By proposing an 

auction for the new 

player to recover what is 

due the Filipino people 

from failures of past 

administrations is not only 

illogical but really unfair. 

The government can still RIO 

run after the beneficiary 

of the sale of frequencies if proper taxes 

were not paid and it is not the task of DICT 

to get it from a new player whom we are 

trying so hard to attract to give better and 

less expensive ICT services,” he said. 

The DICT has opposed the auction 

mode as it will force the new player to 

put up a huge amount to qualify for the 

bidding process which is not related to 

setting up telecommunication facilities 

and improve services. 

Telco industry stakeholders have 

expressed their preference for the draft 

terms of reference (ToR) of the DICT, 

which uses the highest committed level 

of service (HCLoS) as criterion for the 

selection of a new major telco player, over 

auction as mode for the selection during 

a public consultation conducted by the 

department last Friday. 

Under the HCLos formula, which is favored 

Cup? For stock market investors, what is the 

elephant in the room today? Recent inflation 

numbers are at a five-year record high of 

5.2 percent. Certainly this is worrisome and 

something to watch closely in the next few 

months. The down movement of the peso 

exchange rate relative to the US dollar adds 

fuel to the concern of foreign funds currently 

positioned in our stock market. Anticipating 

further deterioration of the peso typically 

prompts foreign funds to unload more stocks 

insurance; and holesale and retail trade 

activities. 

Meanwhile, reinvestment of earnings 

by non-resident investors amounted to 

US$75 million during the period,” the 

BSP reported. 

The previous March, equity 

placements stood higher at $351 million 

and withdrawals totaling $33 million. 

The foreign principals likewise 

opted to plough back what profits 

they generated totaling $75 million 

in April from $63 million the previous 

March. 


Inefficient frequency use to cost telcos 

“We plan to 

punish telcos 

who are not 

efficiently using 

the spectrum 

awarded to them, 

by making them 

pay more than 

those who are 

more efficient.” 

“As an investor, 

we need to do 

our best not to 

be carried away 

by the emotions 

of a market 

downturn.” 

by the DICT, the new telco is 

selected on the following criteria: 

40 percent for national population 

coverage, 20 percent for minimum 

average broadband speed and 40 

percent for annual capital and 

operating expenditure over a fiveyear 

commitment period. 

The guidelines under the 

auction mode stipulate that 

a bidder offering the highest 

annual capital and operating 

expenditure for a five-year 

commitment period shall be 

selected as the new telco player. 

The new telco player is subject to the applicable 

spectrum user fee pursuant to prevailing rules 

and regulations after the said period. 

Last June, the DICT directed the National 

Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to 

conduct a review on spectrum user fees 

paid by telecommunication firms in a bid 

to improve the state of mobile services in 

the country. 

Department Order 003-2018 directs 

the NTC to review and make appropriate 

adjustment on spectrum user fees for 

the 610-790 MHz, 790-960 MHz and 1710- 

2025 MHz radio frequency bands to 

ensure efficient spectrum use, amid the 

rapid growth of new technologies and 

preparations for the entry of a new major 

player in the local telco industry. 

The DICT looks to pick the new 

telco player as early as September this 

year. 

PNA 

that dangerously could lead to a vicious cycle. 

The BSP may not have much choice but to 

bump up rates some more in order to curb 

growing concerns. The resulting high interest 

rate environment is usually the antithesis of 

investing in the stock market. The reason is 

simple: when fixed yields on debt instruments 

rise, this investment option becomes a more 

attractive proposition for the investors 

compared to the perceived vagaries of the 

stock market. Sometimes the adage that the 

better part of valor is prudence is a smart 

way to manage the risks involved in investing 

in the stock market. The market today is at 

best on a sideways moving which means: if you 

are not in it, then it might be best to sit tight 

and position your money temporarily in shortterm 

fixed-income securities until the smoke 

clears. If however you are in the market 

already, review your position and separate 

the companies that have sound fundamentals 

from those whose prospects are shaky. 

But that topic my friends, segues into my 

next column and until then...one big fight! 

For questions or comments about my column, you 

can reach me at bing_matoto@yahoo.com

10 BUSINESS 


Daily Tribune 

Singapore’s Temasek reports 

record $235B portfolio 

Singapore investment giant Temasek 

Holdings said Tuesday the value of its 

global portfolio reached a record high last 

year but will temper investments this year 

owing to brewing trade and geopolitical 

tensions. 

Net global holdings expanded to S$308 

billion ($235 billion) in the financial year 

ended March 31, up 12 percent from the 

year before in local currency terms, the 

company said in its annual report. 

Temasek, one of the city-state’s two 

main investment vehicles, said it invested 

S$29 billion over the past year and divested 

S$16 billion. 

“This record net portfolio value... was 

up S$33 billion from last year, bolstered 

by good global economic momentum and 

buoyant equity markets,” chairman Lim 

Boon Heng said in the firm’s annual report. 

He added however that “we are 

Cebu Landmasters Inc. (CLI), the leading Visayas-Mindanaobased 

developer, will launch fresh inventory in the coming weeks 

after posting record-high reservation sales in the first six months 

this year. 

In a disclosure to the stock exchange Monday, CLI said the 

new projects will be pursued in Cebu, Davao, Cagayan de Oro, 

Iloilo, Bacolod and Bohol. 

The property developer said the second 

phase of residential project, MesaVirre Garden 

Residences in Bacolod City is already underway. 

It is also preparing to launch its newest 

mixed-use project, the Astra Centre in Mandaue 

City also in Cebu. 

CLI reported a record-high 61-percent 

reservation sales growth totaling P4.6 billion 

in the January-to-June period due to strong 

demand of its projects. 

This was 65 percent of the company’s target 

of P7 billion for the year and already surpassed 

its full-year 2017 reservations sales performance. 

Asian markets mostly rose on Tuesday 

following another strong lead from New York, as 

optimism about the US economy and the beginning 

of the earnings season provide a distraction from 

trade tensions. 

After weeks of losses across the world, 

investors moved back in on Friday as the tit-fortat 

tariffs between Beijing and Washington had 

already been factored in and attention shifted to 

US jobs and corporate results. 

Wall Street’s three main indexes closed with 

more healthy gains Monday, building on a rally 

that has been given life by another forecast-busting 

US jobs report. 

“For a change, all is quiet on the ... trade war 

front as the drop in aggressive US tariff posturing 

and the (jobs data) after effects have propelled 

US equity markets to their third consecutive day 

of substantial gains,” said Stephen Innes, head of 

Asia-Pacific trading at OANDA. 

“For the time being robust US economic data 

is offsetting concerns about rising trade tensions.” 

However, he added a word of warning that 

“markets remain deceptively tricky and could 

be even more so as we enter the US dog days of 

summer.” 

The positive sentiment and US economic 

optimism has lifted the dollar against the safe 

haven yen, helping 

Tokyo’s Nikkei end 

0.7 percent higher. 

Shanghai 

added 0.4 percent 

and Singapore one 

percent. Seoul gained 

0.4 percent, Taipei 

edged 0.3 percent 

higher, while Manila 

and Jakarta were also 

well up. Hong Kong 

pared early gains to 

end flat after a two-day advance. 

In early European trade, London and Frankfurt 

each rose 0.1 percent, while Paris added 0.2 

percent. 

Rodrigo Catril, senior strategist at National 

Australia Bank, said: “No new news from the US- 

Sino trade war has helped investors focus back 

on fundamentals and with the US earnings season 

starting later this week, the US has led the gains 

in equities overnight.” 

The reporting season for April-June kicks off 

in the US this week and there are hopes another 

outstanding set of reports can put some fizz back 

into world markets. 

Also on the radar this week is the release of 

Chinese trade data, which will be pored over for 

an idea about what impact the ongoing row with 

the US has had so far on the world’s number two 

economy. 

On currency markets the pound is holding 

up against the dollar after tumbling Monday in 

reaction to news that Britain’s Foreign Secretary 

Boris Johnson had resigned citing his displeasure 

at a cabinet post-Brexit deal that aims for a “soft” 

exit. 

tempering our investment pace in the year 

ahead,” citing downside risks including 

“rising trade and geopolitical tensions, 

plus monetary and financial stresses in 

some key economies.” 

The United States and China have 

slapped tit-for-tat tariffs worth tens of 

billions of dollars on each other’s goods 

in an escalation of trade tensions analysts 

fear could boil over into a full-blown trade 

war that could spread globally. 

Temasek head of strategy Michael 

Buchanan told reporters at a news briefing 

the company does not envision such a 

scenario but it still worries about the 

tensions spreading. 

“We don’t expect a full-blown trade 

war with punitive tariffs on a wide range 

of goods and (involving) a wide range of 

countries,” he said. 

“We do think however that there will 

TUESDAY 

10 JULY 2018 

be continued tensions... Obviously we are 

worried that this could escalate. One thing 

in particular we are watching is whether 

the tensions go beyond just the US and 

China and then move to other countries,” 

he added. 

The United States accounted for 

the largest share of Temasek’s new 

investments last year, followed by China 

and Europe. 

Since 2011, the company has increased 

its investment focus on technology, life 

sciences, agribusiness, non-bank financial 

services and consumer sectors. 

Investments in these sectors total 

around Sg$80 billion, nine times more than 

in 2011. It also accounts for 26 percent of 

the firm’s total portfolio. 

Temasek invested mainly in Singapore 

companies in its early years but has 

evolved into a global player. 

Cebu Landmasters posts record reservation sales in H1 

Asian markets 

mostly up as 

trade woes give 

way to earnings 

“Wall Street’s three 

main indexes closed 

with more healthy 

gains Monday, 

building on a rally 

that has been given 

life by another 

forecast-busting US 

jobs report.” 

“Our Visayas - Mindanao expansion is on the right track. 

With our fast turnaround strategy at work across VisMin, we are 

able to generate more inventory and move very efficiently from 

acquisition to sales and construction. This has allowed us to grow 

our reservation sales very strongly,” said CLI chief executive 

officer Jose Soberano III. 

PNA 

PHILIPPINE STOCK EXCHANGE 

NAME OPEN HIGH LOW CLOSE VALUE (P) 

FINANCIALS 

BANKS 

ASIA UNITED 59.4 59.4 57.55 59 789,275.50 

BDO UNIBANK 130.1 131.2 129.6 131 331,863,269 

BANK PH ISLANDS 89.5 91 88.2 91 209,399,694.50 

CHINABANK 33.3 33.5 33.2 33.2 5,901,200 

EAST WEST BANK 14.8 14.84 14.6 14.8 3,454,926 

METROBANK 67.85 69.75 67.85 68.8 613,602,144.50 

PB BANK 11.9 11.9 11.8 11.8 627,800 

PHIL NATL BANK 46.85 46.9 46.85 46.9 173,380 

PSBANK 86.5 86.6 86.4 86.4 29,423 

PHILTRUST 116 117.2 116 117.2 69,880 

RCBC 28.4 28.6 28.4 28.4 663,540 

SECURITY BANK 201 202 200.6 202 25,737,570 

UNION BANK 85.5 85.9 85.5 85.5 1,405,377 

OTHER FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS 

BRIGHT KINDLE 1.47 1.47 1.47 1.47 97,020 

BDO LEASING 2.88 2.88 2.76 2.82 42,230 

COL FINANCIAL 16.48 16.6 16.48 16.6 137,362 

FIRST ABACUS 0.68 0.68 0.68 0.68 5,440 

FERRONOUX HLDG 3.38 3.52 3.38 3.52 225,400 

IREMIT 1.54 1.55 1.52 1.52 19,920 

MEDCO HLDG 0.52 0.54 0.52 0.53 353,050 

MANULIFE 822 822 822 822 57,540 

NTL REINSURANCE 1.1 1.1 1.04 1.06 319,490 

INDUSTRIAL 

ELECTRICITY, ENERGY, POWER & WATER 

ALSONS CONS 1.14 1.14 1.14 1.14 302,100 

ABOITIZ POWER 35.3 36 34.75 36 31,951,545 

BASIC ENERGY 0.24 0.248 0.237 0.248 1,876,470 

ENERGY DEVT 5.13 5.15 5.11 5.15 15,309,884 

FIRST GEN 14.66 14.88 14.54 14.68 3,809,152 

FIRST PHIL HLDG 61.05 61.3 61 61 7,176,592 

PHIL H2O 6.19 6.47 6.1 6.29 8,592,097 

MERALCO 354 354.8 351 354 70,751,342 

MANILA WATER 26.9 27.45 26.75 27.45 9,755,310 

PETRON 8.8 8.82 8.75 8.79 3,298,430 

PETROENERGY 4.04 4.05 4.02 4.04 209,920 

PHINMA ENERGY 1.27 1.28 1.25 1.28 64,530 

PHX PETROLEUM 12 12 11.8 12 260,240 

PILIPINAS SHELL 53.2 53.85 53.1 53.8 31,873,710.50 

SPC POWER 5.3 5.55 5.3 5.35 3,454,332 

FOOD, BEVERAGE & TOBACCO 

AGRINURTURE 16 16.02 15.76 16 9,922,932 

CNTRL AZUCARERA 21.3 21.8 21.3 21.75 150,685 

CENTURY FOOD 16.36 16.48 16.2 16.48 1,240,600 

DEL MONTE 7.75 7.75 7.7 7.74 11,605 

DNL INDUS 10.2 10.2 10 10.04 24,116,124 

EMPERADOR 7.32 7.32 7.23 7.3 155,933 

ALLIANCE SELECT 0.6 0.61 0.58 0.6 1,076,640 

GINEBRA 22.8 24.85 22.8 24.35 7,134,295 

JOLLIBEE 245.2 249 245 246 131,691,792 

MAXS GROUP 10.88 11 10.82 10.92 469,880 

MG HLDG 0.179 0.179 0.179 0.179 7,160 

PEPSI COLA 2.28 2.28 2.25 2.26 589,640 

SHAKEYS PIZZA 12.3 12.4 12.26 12.3 678,180 

ROXAS AND CO 2.05 2.21 2.05 2.18 766,970 

RFM CORP 4.72 4.73 4.72 4.73 9,450 

ROXAS HLDG 3.1 3.2 3.1 3.11 62,260 

UNIV ROBINA 119.8 121.5 119.8 121 94,309,010 

VITARICH 2.55 2.6 2.53 2.53 5,788,900 

CONSTRUCTION, INFRASTRUCTURE & ALLIED SERVICES 

CONCRETE A 69.9 70 63.6 65 163,327 

CEMEX HLDG 3.13 3.13 3.05 3.09 1,167,010 

EAGLE CEMENT 15.72 15.92 15.5 15.92 2,252,400 

EEI CORP 10.7 10.72 10.7 10.72 858,504 

HOLCIM 7.1 7.15 7.1 7.1 749,307 

MEGAWIDE 19.36 19.72 19.36 19.7 16,082,106 

TKC METALS 0.93 0.93 0.93 0.93 12,090 

VULCAN INDL 1.32 1.38 1.32 1.38 9,305,890 

CHEMICALS 

CHEMPHIL 192.1 192.1 192.1 192.1 13,447 

CROWN ASIA 1.73 1.81 1.73 1.79 960,530 

LMG CHEMICALS 5.06 5.1 5.06 5.1 113,348 

MABUHAY VINYL 3.15 3.15 3.15 3.15 6,300 

ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS & EQUIPMENT 

CONCEPCION 54 54 53.5 53.75 2,963,135 

INTEGRATED MICR 14.28 14.28 14 14.1 6,629,594 

IONICS 2.48 2.49 2.4 2.45 3,789,610 

PANASONIC 6.8 6.9 6.76 6.9 29,225 

SFA SEMICON 1.9 1.9 1.85 1.85 550,550 

CIRTEK HLDG 43.5 44.9 42.65 44.9 17,328,770 

HOLDING FIRMS 

ABACORE CAPITAL 0.24 0.25 0.24 0.25 670,580 

ASIABEST GROUP 30.3 32.9 29.6 32.6 26,890,100 

AYALA CORP 910 924 900 924 378,959,610 

ABOITIZ EQUITY 52.8 52.8 52.75 52.75 102,570,667 

ALLIANCE GLOBAL 11.64 11.7 11.58 11.64 77,299,748 

ANGLO PHIL HLDG 0.95 0.99 0.95 0.99 1,940 

ATN HLDG A 0.71 0.71 0.68 0.68 7,631,600 

ATN HLDG B 0.7 0.71 0.69 0.69 454,000 

BHI HLDG 1,401 1,401 1,401 1,401 14,010 

COSCO CAPITAL 5.9 5.9 5.82 5.83 9,923,867 

DMCI HLDG 10.74 11 10.74 10.9 31,880,680 

FILINVEST DEV 7.1 7.1 7.1 7.1 2,130 

FORUM PACIFIC 0.21 0.228 0.21 0.227 179,250 

GT CAPITAL 910 920 895 920 29,122,380 

HOUSE OF INV 5.99 5.99 5.99 5.99 299,500 

JG SUMMIT 50.1 50.4 49.05 50.4 37,221,675 

JOLLIVILLE HLDG 5.06 5.06 5.06 5.06 1,518 

LODESTAR 0.57 0.64 0.55 0.61 1,107,430 

LOPEZ HLDG 3.6 3.66 3.59 3.59 236,020 

LT GROUP 17.54 18 17.54 17.98 49,407,720 

MABUHAY HLDG 0.7 0.72 0.69 0.72 6,000,380 

MJC INVESTMENTS 3.36 3.36 3.36 3.36 13,440 

METRO PAC INV 4.68 4.68 4.64 4.64 83,444,220 

PACIFICA 0.038 0.039 0.038 0.039 199,600 

PRIME ORION 2.66 2.67 2.65 2.66 1,859,350 

PRIME MEDIA 1.22 1.22 1.17 1.2 685,410 

REPUBLIC GLASS 2.7 2.7 2.7 2.7 56,700 

SOLID GROUP 1.58 1.62 1.58 1.6 44,790 

SM INVESTMENTS 899 899 874.5 880 181,370,560 

SAN MIGUEL CORP 138 138 136.6 136.8 21,392,351 

TOP FRONTIER 259 260 259 260 1,246,906 

WELLEX INDUS 0.335 0.405 0.335 0.39 99,177,900 

ZEUS HLDG 0.219 0.22 0.219 0.22 17,550 

PROPERTY 

ARTHALAND CORP 0.75 0.75 0.74 0.74 309,510 

ANCHOR LAND 14.12 14.18 14.08 14.08 226,500 

AYALA LAND 37 37.15 36.55 36.55 472,537,675 

ARANETA PROP 1.87 1.87 1.87 1.87 65,450 

BELLE CORP 3.2 3.2 3.17 3.17 120,780 

A BROWN 0.97 1 0.97 1 3,458,350 

CITYLAND DEVT 0.86 0.86 0.85 0.86 393,420 

CROWN EQUITIES 0.216 0.224 0.216 0.22 960,370 

CEBU HLDG 5.42 5.74 5.42 5.54 196,840 

CEB LANDMASTERS 4.54 4.62 4.53 4.62 5,942,540 

CENTURY PROP 0.44 0.44 0.435 0.435 875,600 

CYBER BAY 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 40,000 

DOUBLEDRAGON 25.25 25.45 25.15 25.3 8,644,205 

DM WENCESLAO 9.59 9.59 9.26 9.27 5,583,456 

FILINVEST LAND 1.45 1.47 1.43 1.47 7,746,670 

GLOBAL ESTATE 1.19 1.21 1.19 1.19 1,360,220 

8990 HLDG 7.25 7.34 7.21 7.3 1,378,183 

IRC PROP 1.54 1.62 1.53 1.61 24,161,950 

THE newly installed electronic passport reading machines or E-gates installed by the Bureau 

of Immigration at the NAIA Terminal 3 arrival area. 

ANTONY CHING 

LBC Express to open 

80 branches this year 

Logistics company LBC Express 

Holdings Inc. targets to spend up to 

P100 million this year for 80 to 100 more 

branches across the country, as it further 

expands its footprint. 

LBC Express president and chief 

executive officer Miguel Angel Camahort 

said the total number of wholly-owned 

branches reached 1,321 by the end of 2017. 

“This branch expansion continues to 

provide volume growth while also extending 

the branch’s reach and footprint,” he said at the 

company’s stockholders’ meeting on Monday. 

Chief finance officer Enrique Rey Jr. 

said they already established 46 branches 

thus far this year. 

Rey said the firm usually spends 

about P700,000 to P1 million for the 

establishment of a branch. 

Revenue from Philippine retail 

branches increased 12 percent in 2017, 

contributing a total of P645 million to total 

revenues of the company. 

Logistics revenues continue to make up 

the lion share in the company’s coffers, 

with 87 percent contribution at P9 billion 

last year, up 19 percent from the previous 

year. 

PNA 

NAME OPEN HIGH LOW CLOSE VALUE (P) 

CITY AND LAND 0.52 0.8 0.52 0.8 26,400 

MEGAWORLD 4.41 4.42 4.38 4.41 32,097,320 

MRC ALLIED 0.59 0.6 0.58 0.58 8,621,880 

PHIL ESTATES 0.46 0.5 0.46 0.49 10,589,550 

PRIMEX CORP 3.34 3.38 3.25 3.38 5,352,050 

ROBINSONS LAND 19.8 19.8 19.68 19.72 19,609,896 

PHIL REALTY 0.485 0.5 0.48 0.5 685,800 

ROCKWELL 1.99 2 1.99 2 567,490 

SHANG PROP 3.21 3.21 3.2 3.2 230,460 

STA LUCIA LAND 1.05 1.05 1.01 1.05 2,200,690 

SM PRIME HLDG 36.8 36.8 36.05 36.8 89,019,320 

STARMALLS 7.33 7.88 7.15 7.77 18,970,177 

SUNTRUST HOME 0.8 0.85 0.8 0.8 2,377,370 

VISTA LAND 6.04 6.1 6.03 6.04 19,536,139 

SERVICES 

MEDIA 

ABS CBN 23.5 23.5 23.35 23.4 5,041,405 

GMA NETWORK 5.35 5.4 5.35 5.38 425,574 

MLA BRDCASTING 17 17 17 17 76,500 

TELECOMMUNICATIONS 

GLOBE TELECOM 1,658 1,665 1,634 1,650 25,480,100 

PLDT 1,300 1,333 1,297 1,323 124,334,520 

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 

APOLLO GLOBAL 0.044 0.046 0.044 0.044 251,200 

DFNN INC 6.7 6.95 6.7 6.95 53,238 

ISLAND INFO 0.134 0.138 0.132 0.135 984,420 

ISM COMM 2.96 3.08 2.84 2.94 53,188,440 

JACKSTONES 4.08 4.08 3.68 3.76 3,642,040 

NOW CORP 9.3 9.45 9.15 9.22 22,227,114 

TRANSPACIFIC BR 0.45 0.455 0.44 0.45 3,082,250 

PHILWEB 5.29 5.35 5.24 5.33 1,448,487 

TRANSPORTATION SERVICES 

2GO GROUP 15.14 15.14 14.8 14.8 62,612 

ASIAN TERMINALS 16.86 16.86 14.94 15.98 254,124 

CEBU AIR 66.1 66.5 65.5 65.6 15,858,656.50 

CHELSEA 7 7 6.94 7 3,049,826 

INTL CONTAINER 78.8 79.2 78.8 79 124,464,573.50 

LBC EXPRESS 15 15 15 15 1,500 

LORENZO SHIPPNG 1.03 1.04 1.02 1.03 358,680 

MACROASIA 24.95 25.3 24.9 25.2 8,305,915 

METROALLIANCE A 2.45 2.48 2.29 2.34 5,597,390 

METROALLIANCE B 2.55 2.79 2.4 2.47 945,330 

HARBOR STAR 3.26 3.45 3.25 3.34 3,752,660 

HOTEL & LEISURE 

ACESITE HOTEL 1.33 1.33 1.33 1.33 19,950 

BOULEVARD HLDG 0.053 0.054 0.053 0.054 287,800 

DISCOVERY WORLD 2.23 2.23 2.15 2.15 35,260 

WATERFRONT 0.79 0.82 0.78 0.8 3,459,690 

EDUCATION 

FAR EASTERN U 911 911 911 911 364,400 

IPEOPLE 12.98 12.98 12.98 12.98 1,298 

STI HLDG 1.14 1.14 1.13 1.13 1,209,820 

CASINOS & GAMING 

BLOOMBERRY 9.85 9.85 9.5 9.5 59,487,209 

PACIFIC ONLINE 11 11 11 11 68,200 

LEISURE AND RES 4.12 4.15 4.08 4.14 1,670,050 

MANILA JOCKEY 4.03 4.36 4.03 4.3 768,450 

MELCO RESORTS 5.1 5.2 5.05 5.14 1,181,054 

PREMIUM LEISURE 0.87 0.87 0.84 0.85 1,692,940 

TRAVELLERS 4.99 5.05 4.91 4.98 1,246,830 

RETAIL 

METRO RETAIL 2.63 2.63 2.61 2.63 701,820 

PUREGOLD 45.85 46.05 45.85 46 44,608,055 

ROBINSONS RTL 82 83 82 83 3,807,170 

PHIL SEVEN CORP 122.8 123 122 123 609,524 

SSI GROUP 1.84 1.89 1.82 1.82 4,881,250 

WILCON DEPOT 12.04 12.06 11.96 12 12,573,700 

OTHER SERVICES 

APC GROUP 0.46 0.465 0.46 0.46 475,300 

EASYCALL 23.3 23.3 21.65 21.9 5,321,170 

GOLDEN BRIA 277.2 285 277.2 282.8 504,348 

IPM HLDG 7.98 7.98 7.94 7.97 215,690 

PAXYS 3.1 3.3 3.07 3.13 349,180 

PRMIERE HORIZON 0.34 0.34 0.34 0.34 20,400 

SBS PHIL CORP 8.19 8.3 7.99 8.25 1,182,057 

MINING & OIL 

MINING 

ATOK 20 24.9 19.58 24.9 7,059,356 

APEX MINING 1.45 1.46 1.44 1.44 368,810 

ABRA MINING 0.0025 0.0026 0.0025 0.0026 70,200 

ATLAS MINING 3.81 3.99 3.81 3.99 7,800 

BENGUET A 1.54 1.54 1.54 1.54 26,180 

BENGUET B 1.47 1.47 1.47 1.47 14,700 

COAL ASIA HLDG 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 39,000 

CENTURY PEAK 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.7 44,200 

DIZON MINES 7.95 7.99 7.6 7.93 726,238 

FERRONICKEL 2.17 2.18 2.14 2.18 5,046,510 

GEOGRACE 0.184 0.199 0.184 0.191 30,570 

LEPANTO A 0.124 0.127 0.124 0.124 19,870 

MARCVENTURES 1.52 1.52 1.51 1.51 75,760 

NIHAO 1.27 1.44 1.26 1.35 2,531,040 

NICKEL ASIA 4.17 4.23 4.16 4.2 19,175,970 

ORNTL PENINSULA 1.39 1.52 1.32 1.5 37,757,810 

PX MINING 4.4 4.5 4.36 4.38 418,540 

SEMIRARA MINING 30.75 31.2 30.75 31.15 23,039,485 

OIL 

ORNTL PETROL A 0.012 0.012 0.012 0.012 124,800 

PHILODRILL 0.012 0.012 0.011 0.012 55,000 

PHINMA PETRO 2.78 2.99 2.78 2.99 433,080 

PXP ENERGY 10.38 10.7 10.16 10.22 13,783,748 

PREFERRED 

AC PREF B1 500 501 500 501 1,637,270 

AC PREF B2 500 500 500 500 5,000 

DD PREF 101.2 101.3 101.2 101.3 1,741,360 

FGEN PREF G 106.8 107 106.8 107 1,185,536 

GTCAP PREF A 997 997 997 997 1,984,030 

GTCAP PREF B 987.5 987.5 987.5 987.5 19,750 

LR PREF 1.05 1.05 1.05 1.05 5,250 

MWIDE PREF 104.8 105 104.8 105 104,808 

PNX PREF 3A 103.9 103.9 103.9 103.9 103,900 

PNX PREF 3B 109 109 109 109 10,900 

PCOR PREF 2A 1,030 1,030 1,030 1,030 515,000 

PCOR PREF 2B 1,050 1,050 1,050 1,050 5,250 

SFI PREF 1.96 1.96 1.96 1.96 3,920 

SMC PREF 2B 76.3 76.3 76 76 2,823,261 

SMC PREF 2C 79.4 79.4 79 79.4 1,599,053 

SMC PREF 2D 75.4 75.4 75.4 75.4 5,278 

SMC PREF 2E 76 76 75.2 76 6,263,991 

SMC PREF 2F 76.5 77.5 76.4 77.5 710,391 

SMC PREF 2G 75.75 75.75 75.7 75.7 7,249,175 

SMC PREF 2H 75.15 77 75.15 76.9 5,543,319 

SMC PREF 2I 75.5 77 75.3 76.9 11,225,014 

PHIL. DEPOSITARY RECEIPTS 

ABS HLDG PDR 21.6 21.6 21.1 21.15 11,517,210 

GMA HLDG PDR 5.25 5.25 5.14 5.25 720,720 

WARRANTS 

LR WARRANT 2.41 2.45 2.38 2.41 152,310 

SMALL, MEDIUM & EMERGING 

ITALPINAS 5.1 5.15 5.03 5.14 1,604,821 

XURPAS 3.64 3.72 3.29 3.29 47,886,890 

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 

FIRST METRO ETF 107.6 108.5 107.6 108 395,323

John Castro, Editor 


Daily Tribune 

WORLD 

11 

Japan disaster death toll now at 141 

Desolation Rescuers in action in Hiroshima, Japan following heavy rainfall that caused massive flooding and landslides. AP 

Trump nominates 

Kavanaugh to SC 

President Donald Trump 

Monday nominated conservative 

judge Brett Kavanaugh to the US 

Supreme Court, a decision set to 

tilt the top judicial body further 

to the right with momentous 

implications for American society. 

A former advisor to George 

W. Bush who now sits on the US 

Court of Appeals in Washington, 

Kavanaugh began his career as a 

clerk to Justice Anthony Kennedy, 

and will succeed him on the nineseat 

bench when he retires at the 

end of the month. 

“Judge Kavanaugh has 

impeccable credentials, unsurpassed 

qualifications, and a proven 

commitment to equal justice under 

the law,” Trump said as he announced 

his much-anticipated decision in a 

prime-time address from the White 

House. 

“There is no one in America 

more qualified for this position 

and no one more deserving,” 

Trump said, urging the Senate to 

swiftly confirm his nominee. 

Kennedy long served as the 

tie-breaking swing vote between 

the Supreme Court’s conservatives 

and liberals, and his departure 

handed Trump an opportunity to 

place a decidedly conservative 

stamp on the bench. 

The US leader kept the 

suspense running for days over 

his choice for the crucial vacancy, 

narrowing the selection down to 

a shortlist of four judges, all with 

solid right-wing credentials. 

“Justice Kennedy devoted his 

career to securing liberty. I am 

deeply honored to be nominated to 

fill his seat on the Supreme Court,” 

the 53-year-old Kavanaugh said as 

he received the nomination. 

“My judicial philosophy is 

straightforward. A judge must be 

independent and must interpret 

the law, not make the law,” he 

said. 

AFP 

US reuniting children 

with parents extended 

A US judge on Monday gave the 

government more time to reunite 

migrant children aged five or younger 

with their parents separated as a 

consequence of a “zero tolerance” 

policy, US media reported. 

The decision came after a 

government lawyer said around 

half of the 102 young children 

could be placed back with their 

parents by the previously given 

deadline of Tuesday. 

They are among more than 

2,300 children split up from their 

families as a consequence of the 

“zero tolerance” practice that 

saw their parents prosecuted for 

illegally crossing the border, even 

if they did so to seek asylum. 

Many are fleeing gang violence 

and poverty in Central America. 

Following domestic and global 

outcry over the separations, in 

which some children were kept 

in chain-link enclosures, Trump 

ended the practice on June 20. 

The problem is that this meant 

children had to be kept with their 

detained parents. 

So the Justice Department 

asked a federal judge to amend 

a 1997 ruling that children could 

not be held for more than 20 days 

while their parents are in court 

proceedings. 

But this judge, Dolly Gee, ruled 

late Monday, after the deadline 

extension, that she rejected the 

idea of keeping unauthorized 

migrant kids in custody indefinitely 

as the government sought. She 

said the kids were blameless and 

such an arrangement was not in 

their best interest. AFP 

At least 70 dead 

in Canada heatwave 

A heatwave in Quebec in eastern Canada has now been blamed 

for 70 deaths, officials said Monday. 

Thirty-four of the fatalities were recorded in Montreal, the 

provincial health ministry told AFP. 

Previously, the toll was 54 dead. 

The heatwave has hit eastern Canada since early July but only Quebec 

has recorded a rise in deaths linked to the scorching temperatures. 

In 2010 around 100 people in the Montreal area died because of 

stifling heat. 

AFP 

WE ARE HIRING! 

Looking for highly motivated and result-oriented 

individuals for the following posts: 

Reporters/ Writers 

Deskmen 

Proofreaders 

Office Assistant 

News Monitoring Staff 

Applicants may bring or email their resumé to the Daily Tribune 

office at 3450 Concept Bldg., Florida St., Makati City. 

dailytribune@tribune.net.ph / 8337085 

Rescuers raced to save four 

young footballers and their coach 

who remain trapped in a flooded 

Thai cave Tuesday, as heavy rains 

threatened an already perilous 

escape mission that has seen eight 

of the boys extracted in “good 

health.” 

The members of the “Wild Boars” 

team, aged between 12 and 16, 

were guided to safety through the 

twisting, submerged passages of 

the Tham Luang cave by a team of 

international expert divers flanked 

by Thai Navy SEALs over two days 

in a meticulously planned operation. 

The emergence of the second 

batch of four on Monday evening 

was greeted with a simple “Hooyah” 

by the Thai SEAL team on their 

Facebook page, an exclamation 

that lit up Thai social media. 

“All eight are in good health, no 

fever... everyone is in a good mental 

state,” Jesada Chokedamrongsuk, 

permanent secretary of the public 

health ministry, told reporters 

Tuesday at Chiang Rai hospital 

in the clearest update on their 

condition so far. 

The boys underwent x-rays and 

blood tests and two who had signs 

of pneumonia were given antibiotics 

and are in a “normal state”, he said, 

Rescue workers carried out 

house-to-house searches Tuesday 

in the increasingly unlikely hope 

of finding survivors after days 

of deadly floods and landslides 

that have claimed 141 lives in one 

of Japan’s worst weather-related 

disasters for decades. 

The record downpours that 

began last week have stopped and 

receding flood waters have laid 

bare the destruction that has cut 

a swathe through the west of the 

country. 

In the city of Kurashiki, the 

flooding engulfed entire districts 

at one point, forcing some people 

to their rooftops to wait for rescue. 

By Tuesday morning, rescue 

workers were going door-to-door, 

looking for survivors -- or victims -- of 

the disaster. 

“It’s what we call a grid operation, 

where we are checking every single 

house to see if there are people still 

adding they will all remain under 

observation in hospital for a week. 

The ups and downs of the rescue 

bid has entranced Thailand and 

also fixated a global audience, 

drawing comments of support from 

celebrities as varied as US President 

trapped inside them,” an official 

with the local Okayama prefecture 

government told AFP. 

“We know it’s a race against time, 

we are trying as hard as we can.” 

In the Mabi district of Kurashiki, 

the water left behind a fine yellow 

silt that has transformed the area 

into moonscape. 

Cars driving through kicked 

up clouds of dust. People walking 

around wore medical masks or 

covered their mouths with small 

towels to protect themselves against 

the particulates. 

Stores were still closed, and 

inside one barber’s shop the red 

sofas, customer chairs, and standing 

hairdryers were all covered with the 

same silt. 

Fumiko Inokuchi, 61, was 

inside her home, sorting though 

the damage caused by floods that 

submerged the entire first floor. 

She escaped the house on Saturday, 

Donald Trump, football star Lionel 

Messi and tech guru Elon Musk. 

Thailand’s junta leader 

welcomed Musk into the cave 

complex late Monday, with the 

American later tweeting a standing 

offer of a mini-submarine escape 

crossing the street to take shelter in a 

three-storey care home for the elderly, 

from where she watched in horror as 

the waters rose. 

“I saw my house sink underwater 

and I couldn’t do anything at all, 

there was just nothing I could do. 

I felt helpless,” she said, retrieving 

a photo of her children playing 

baseball. 

“I got married here, and we built 

this house two years afterwards. 

We raised our three small sons to 

adulthood here, there are so many 

memories,” she said, her eyes 

welling with tears. 

New dangers from heat 

The crisis is the deadliest 

rain-related disaster in over three 

decades, and one that has sparked 

national grief. 

On Monday Prime Minister 

Shinzo Abe cancelled a four-stop 

foreign trip as the death toll rose. AFP 

Cave rescue: Eight saved, five to go 

Aussie monster 

croc caught 

An elusive monster 

saltwater crocodile weighing 

600 kilograms (1,328 pounds) 

has finally been caught after 

an eight-year hunt in Australia, 

officials said on Tuesday. 

The 4.7-meter (15.4- 

foot) beast was found in a 

trap downstream from the 

northern outback town of 

Katherine after first being 

spotted in 2010. 

Authorities had tried in vain 

for years to bag the croc, which 

is estimated to be 60 years old. 

“We’ve called it a lot of 

things over the years because 

it’s been so hard to catch,” 

senior wildlife officer John 

Burke told broadcaster ABC. 

“It is a bit of a thrill, but 

you’ve also got to admire the 

size of the animal and how old 

it is. You’ve got to have a bit of 

respect for it.” 

pod to help the remaining five 

leave the tunnels. 

Fresh rains on Tuesday added 

urgency to the final stages of the 

treacherous rescue bid, several 

kilometers inside a mountain and 

through flooded, tight corridors. AFP 

A FOREIGN diver prepares for another rescue of the five people still trapped in a flooded cave in Thailand. 

The animal was taken to 

a crocodile farm to keep it 

separate from the local human 

population, said Northern 

Territory wildlife operations 

chief Tracey Duldig. 

“He is the biggest crocodile 

ever removed from the 

Katherine River by the Wildlife 

Operations Unit,” Duldig said 

in a statement. 

Wildlife rangers capture 

around 250 “problem 

crocodiles” each year. 

Saltwater crocodiles are a 

common feature of Australia’s 

tropical north and kill an 

average of two people a year. 

The crocodile population 

has exploded since they were 

declared a protected species 

in the 1970s, with the killing 

of an elderly woman last year 

reigniting calls to curb their 

numbers. 

AFP 

Croc-king big! Hunted for eight years, finally caught this week 

Night shifts lead 

to obesity, diabetes 

WASHINGTON — A new study 

revealed how working night shifts 

disrupted metabolism, leading 

to obesity, diabetes, and other 

metabolic disorders. 

The study published on Monday 

in the Proceedings of the National 

Academy of Sciences, dispelled the 

belief that the metabolic disruption 

in shift workers was driven primarily 

by the brain’s master clock, which 

normally keeps our bodies on a 

day-night cycle and uses light cues 

to synchronize the rhythms of the 

body’s organs and tissues. 

Instead, the study found that 

separate biological clocks (so-called 

peripheral oscillators) in the liver, 

gut and pancreas have a mind of 

their own. 

Working with colleagues at the 

University of Surrey, the Washington 

State University (WSU) researchers 

collected blood samples from healthy 

volunteers who had just completed 

either a simulated day shift schedule 

or a simulated night shift schedule. 

The investigators analyzed the 

blood samples for metabolites, 

The United Arab Emirates’ 

passport has risen to new heights 

to become the 10th most poweful 

in the world. 

This developed as UAE’s 

visa-free score in the Arton 

Capital Passport Index rose to 

155 following a bilateral visa 

waiver agreement with Russia 

last week. UAE shares the 10th 

spot with Cyprus. 

But while the agreement 

boosted UAE passport’s visa-free 

ratings, Russia remained at 37th 

rank with a visa-free score of 115. 

Singapore is on top of the 

list, with a visa-free score of 166, 

while Germany is in the second 

spot, scoring 164. As many as 12 

countries share the third place, 

including US, South Korea, Italy 

and France. 

In 2017, the UAE announced its 

AFP 

products of chemical reactions 

involved in digestion, such as the 

breakdown and oxidization of food 

molecules, as well as in other 

metabolic processes in cells and 

organs. 

They found that, following 

the night shift schedule, 24-hour 

rhythms in metabolites related to 

the digestive system had shifted by a 

full 12 hours, even though the master 

biological clock in participants’ 

brains had only moved by about 

two hours. 

“No one knew that biological 

clocks in people’s digestive organs 

are so profoundly and quickly 

changed by shift work schedules, 

even though the brain’s master clock 

barely adapts to such schedules,” 

said the paper’s co-senior author 

Hans Van Dongen, director of 

the WSU Sleep and Performance 

Research Center. 

“As a result, some biological signals 

in shift workers’ bodies are saying it’s 

day while other signals are saying 

it’s night, which causes disruption of 

metabolism,” said Dongen. Xinhua 

UAE passport among 

world’s most powerful 

vision to position the country’s 

passport on the list of the five 

most powerful passports in the 

world by 2021. At that time UAE’s 

passport had a visa-free score 

of 132. 

The Passport Index 

methodology is based on a 

comparison of the passports 

of 193 United Nations member 

countries and 6 territories (ROC 

Taiwan, Macao (SAR China), 

Hong Kong (SAR China), Kosovo, 

Palestinian Territory and the 

Vatican) for a total of 199. 

Territories annexed to other 

countries such as Norfolk Island 

(Australia), French Polynesia 

(France), British Virgin Islands 

(Britain), etc. who do not 

issue their own passports are 

excluded and not considered as 

destinations.

12 

NATION 

John Henry Dodson, Editor 


Daily Tribune 

Piñol: P28-B rice subsidy under 4P 

By Leila Marie Rodriguez 

The Duterte administration 

is allocating over P100 billion 

for the government’s Pantawid 

Pamilyang Pilipino Program 

(4P), Agriculture Secretary 

Manny Piñol said yesterday. 

“CCT covers 

17 regions, 

79 provinces, 

143 cities 

and 1,484 

municipalities.” 

Of the 

amount, Piñol 

said P28 billion 

would be in the 

form of rice 

subsidy for the 

poorest Filipinos 

numbering 

about 8 to 10 million, according to 

government data. 

“The budget allotted for 

the 4P is much bigger now 

for 2019,” said Piñol in a radio 

interview, adding it’s best 

if poor families are to use 

the 4P budget for livelihoodgenerating 

activities. 

“They should not be dependent 

solely on the government’s 

subsidy program,” he stressed. 

Poor households identified 

in 4P, otherwise known as 

By Kuhlin Ceslie Gacula 

A number of sexual and other 

abuses victimizing Filipino 

women had been committed 

by policemen, the Center for 

Women’s Resources (CWR) 

reported yesterday. 

On the heels of a top Bulacan 

police official being accused of 

raping an inmate inside a police 

precinct, CWR said at least 33 

cops are presently involved in 

cases of abuse against women. 

The group said from January 

2017 to July this year alone, 

13 cases against policemen 

abusing women had been filed 

– eight for rape, three for acts 

of lasciviousness and one each 

for harassment and physical 

assault. 

CWR executive director Jojo 

Guan said abuses committed by 

men against women transcend 

societal stereotyping. 

“Rapists have no standard 

description. They can be addicts 

as well as state enforcers. They 

can be peddlers as well as 

By Ron Huerto 

Just two years into the Duterte 

administration, Secretary Arthur 

Tugade can let the numbers do the 

talking for him and the Department 

of Transportation (DoTr) which 

he has been shepherding with 

unmatched zest. 

In what may be a record of sort 

for a government agency, the DoTr 

has reported completion of 129 

commercial port projects under the 

Philippine Ports Authority (PPA). 

On top of the 129, the DoTr has 

also completed four social and 

tourism ports under its Maritime 

Sector, again in the last two years. 

“Through beautiful and 

improved facilities, we expect the 

economy to be more vibrant and 

tourism to grow in many parts of 

our country. The public will no 

longer face difficulties and hassles 

due to the lack of facilities and 

ports,” Tugade said in Filipino. 

Tugade assured the public they 

will not be resting on their laurels 

as the government is accelerating 

PIÑOL 

the conditional cash transfer 

(CCT) program, have been 

receiving P200 a month. 

For 2019 and 2020, the subsidy 

will be increased to P300, with 

an allotment of at least P38.5 

billion in the national budget for 

the purpose each year. 

The Department of 

Agriculture (DA) under Piñol 

has been pushing to transform 

the CCT program into a 

livelihood scheme in lieu 

of giving monthly dole-outs. 

The fund from the program 

can help boost productivity, 

according to DA. 

In an earlier interview, 

Piñol had lamented many 

in the provinces have 

become lazy “because 

people are just waiting for 

their allowances from the 

government.” 

“It is being implemented 

for many years now, but 

there are no changes. We 

even lost workforce in the 

agricultural sector because 

they no longer want to 

work,” he said. 

The 4P covers 

all 17 regions of the 

33 cops in abuse cases vs women 

politicians,” Guan said. 

“Any man who thinks of 

women as sex objects is a 

potential abuser. Secondly, 

rape still proliferates where 

75 percent of the victims are 

children,” he added. 

In October last year, criminal 

and administrative charges 

RAPISTS belong behind bars. 

the implementation of port projects 

this year. 

To get the ball rolling, the DoTr 

spearheaded in 2016 the completion 

of 68 projects amounting to P3.17 

billion. 

These include port expansion 

projects worth P309 

million in Puerto 

Princesa, Palawan; 

P272-million wharf 

extension in 

Lapaz, Iloilo City, 

and Phase III of 

the rehabilitation 

and improvement of the Tacloban 

City Port. 

Several improvement 

projects were also carried out in 

Mindanao which are considered 

to be the center of the Duterte 

administration’s infrastructure 

buildup or the Build, Build, Build 

program. 

Among these are the 

construction of a passenger 

terminal building and installation 

of a lighting system at the port of 

Glan in Sarangani; construction 

THE P200 subsidy is increased to P300. 

were filed against six policemen 

in Olongapo City for allegedly 

raping and maltreating a female 

drug suspect inside Police 

Station 5. 

March of this year, a 

seven-month pregnant woman 

complained of being raped in 

front of her two-year-old child 

Philippines, 

including 79 

provinces, 

143 cities 

and 1,484 

by three cops in Bulacan, only 

to withdraw her complaint. 

Just recently, the 

aforementioned top police official 

in Bulacan was accused of raping 

an inmate inside a police station. 

CWR called on the general 

public to help fight abuses 

perpetrated against women. 

DoTr rolls out 133 ports in 2 years 

“In 2016, 

P3.17 

billion in 

projects 

were 

completed.” 

TUGADE 

of a Ro-Ro ramp in Dapitan, 

Zamboanga del Norte; wharf 

extension in Masao, Butuan City, 

and improvement of the power 

system in Nasipit, Agusan del 

Norte. 

In 2017, 40 projects worth over 

P2.9 billion were completed, 

including the P476-million gantry 

crane project in Zamboanga City 

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO 

and P593-billion crane project 

in Makar, South Cotabato; P157- 

million port expansion in Larena, 

Siquijor, and the P48-million wharf 

widening project in the Pasig River. 

PPA General Manager 

Jay Daniel Santiago said the 

government is pouring in billions 

of pesos in the next five years to 

improve and modernize ports in 

the country. 

“We have been injecting so 

much investment in our ports. 

We are thanking the President 

and Secretary Tugade for these 

projects,” he added. 

For the first four months of 

2018, 21 projects were completed, 

including the provision of a baggage 

x-ray room at the screening area of 

the Dapitan Port in Zamboanga 

del Norte, port road widening in 

Dumangas, Iloilo and the alternate 

access road project in Iligan, Lanao 

del Norte. 

In 2017, the DoTr Maritime 

Sector completed four social/ 

tourism port projects worth P45 

million. 

municipalities. 

The program is patterned 

after Latin American and 

African models seeking to 

give aid to the poorest of 

the poor to improve the 

health, nutrition and 

education of children. 

Before the Cabinet 

meeting that lasted 10 

hours, the DA chief said 

they would submit a 

formal proposal to turn 

4P into a livelihood 

program. 

From the tone 

of Piñol 

By Alvin Murcia 

The Supreme Court (SC) 

has given the green light to 

commence the trial of spouses 

Manu and Champa Gidwani and 

87 others over P97.73 million in 

fraudulent deposit insurance 

claims made in 2016. 

The SC 

overturned a 2017 

Court of Appeals 

(CA) decision 

and affirmed a 

Department of 

Justice finding 

of probable 

cause against the 

Gidwanis and the 

Bacolod branch 

manager of Rizal 

Commercial 

Banking Corp. (RCBC), Andrew 

Jereza. 

Impleaded with the Gidwanis 

and Jereza were 86 other 

individuals who filed claims with 

the Philippine Deposit Insurance 

Corp. (PDIC) after its takeover 

of the shuttered rural banks of 

the Legacy Group of Companies. 

The accused will face charges 

of estafa through falsification of 

documents, perjury and money 

laundering. 

In the 18-page decision penned 

by Associate Justice Presbitero 

Velasco Jr., the SC Third Division 

reinstated the resolution issued 

by then Justice Secretary 

Emmanuel Caparas dated June 

3, 2016 which found probable 

cause against the accused. 

SC Associate Justices Marvic 

Leonen, Samuel Martires and 

Alexander Gesmundo concurred 

in Justice Velasco’s decision. 

Prosecutors from Department of 

Justice (DoJ) posited the Gidwanis, 

together with 86 other individuals, 

represented themselves to be 

owners of 471 deposit accounts 

with Legacy Banks and filed claims 

before the PDIC. 

The claims were processed 

and granted, resulting in the 

issuance of 683 Land Bank of 

the Philippines (LandBank) 

checks with the total face value 

of P98.73 million in favor of the 

86 individuals. 

The said individuals did not 

deposit the checks issued in their 

respective bank accounts even 

if they are payable to the payee 

yesterday, it was apparent the 

4P would stay in its original 

form, although there’s no 

stopping DA from using its 

own resources for livelihoodgenerating 

activities. 

“As to the livelihood, it will 

be the choice of the beneficiary 

whether he wants vegetable 

growing or backyard poultry 

raising,” Piñol said. 

He added by focusing on 

livelihood generation, the 

government would return “the 

dignity of our people instead of 

seeing them lining up in front of 

ATM (automatic teller machines) 

just to get their money.” 

The 4P is being implemented 

by the Department of Social 

Welfare and Development. 

SC orders Legacy 

fraud trial 

“The 

Justice 

secretary 

has ‘the 

power and 

discretion’ 

to assess 

the 

documents 

and 

pleadings.” 

By Kathleen Mae Bulquerin 

AFP 

account only. 

The checks were credited to 

a single RCBC account owned 

by the Gidwanis, allegedly in 

connivance with Jereza. 

The scheme, however, was 

discovered by PDIC when the 

checks were cleared and returned 

to it. 

In his ruling, Caparas said had 

the depositors truthfully divulged 

to PDIC that the beneficial owner 

of the bank accounts was Manu, 

PDIC would not have been duped 

into treating the bank accounts 

individually and separately. 

He said the PDIC would have 

only paid the Gidwani spouses 

P250,000 as the maximum deposit 

coverage pursuant to Section 4 

(g) of the PDIC charter and not 

P98.73 million. 

The DoJ ruling said the heavy 

influx of deposits to the Gidwani 

spouses’ account should have 

prompted RCBC and Jereza to file 

a suspicious transaction report with 

the Anti-Money Laundering Council. 

In upholding Caparas’ 

resolution, the SC held that the 

former Justice secretary “has the 

power and discretion” to assess 

the documents and pleadings 

submitted to him for review and 

come up with his own finding. 

“He is not bound by the rulings 

of his predecessors because there 

is yet to be a final resolution 

of the issue; the matter is still 

pending before his officer after 

all. To hold otherwise would 

render the filing of the motion a 

futile exercise, and the recourse, 

pointless,” read the court ruling. 

“It was therefore plain error 

on the part of the CA to have 

ruled that SoJ (Secretary of 

Justice) Caparas virtually had no 

option but to affirm the findings 

of the DoJ Task Force and of 

SoJ Justiniano as to the alleged 

absence of probable cause to 

charge respondent,” it added. 

The High Tribunal set aside 

the Jan. 31, 2017 decision of the 

CA which reversed Caparas’ 

resolution and ordered the 

dismissal of the complaint. 

In the said decision, the 

appellate court did not give 

merit to the allegations of the 

petitioner, the PDIC, because 

of its failure to prove that Manu 

is the owner of all the accounts 

subject of the complaint. 

Pa, 3 kids perish in fire 

PORTS are critical to economic development. 

DoTr PHOTO 

A father and his three children died when their house was 

engulfed in flame in Sultan Kudarat town, Maguindanao province 

early morning yesterday, authorities said. 

Chief Supt. Graciano Mijares, director of Police Regional Office- 

Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, identified the fatalities 

as Daemus Araneta, 46; and his children, Vina, 8, Dagul, 6, and 

Mujahid, 4 — all elementary school pupils. 

Reports said Araneta’s wife is working in the Middle East as 

a domestic helper. 

Initial investigation showed the fire broke out at Sitio Niyog 

at 2:30 a.m. from one of the houses that was made from light 

materials. 

At least six houses were destroyed by the blaze. 

The Bureau of Fire Protection had yet to establish the cause 

of the fire. 

Meanwhile, the victims were laid to rest yesterday in accordance 

with the Islamic tradition.


Daily Tribune 

PDEA: Save solvent kids 

By Kuhlin Ceslie Gacula 

The Duterte administration’s war 

on drugs is shifting focus, with 

government forces scouring the 

streets not to look for drug dependents 

and drug pushers but to rescue street 

children hooked on “solvent” to save 

them from being targeted by drug 

peddlers. 

The Philippine Drug Enforcement 

Agency (PDEA) on Tuesday launched 

the “Sagip Batang Solvent” program 

which aims to save street children 

and keep them away from involvement 

in illegal drug activities. 

“What these children need is 

a sense of belonging. They belong 

By Nelson S. Badilla 

Makati Mayor Mar-len 

Abigail Binay has given 

school supplies to 84 juveniles 

placed in the city’s caring 

facilities under Project FREE 

(Free Relevant Excellent 

Education). The program 

encourages underprivileged 

children to continue with 

their education under the 

Alternative Learning System 

(ALS) of the Department of 

Education (DepEd) as part of 

the commitment of Binay “to 

promote inclusivity” in basic 

education. 

The free school supplies 

“Education and 

skills training 

are permanent 

solutions to the 

problem. It is 

about time we 

have a rescue 

program solely 

designed for 

children.” 

to their homes 

under their 

parents’ care, 

and in schools 

where they are 

supposed to 

learn and grow, 

not in the streets 

where they are 

left to fend for 

themselves,” 

said PDEA 

Director 

General Aaron 

N. Aquino, who also serves as the 

project proponent. 

Sagip Batang Solvent aims to create 

homey facilities” for rescued street 

children, Aquino said. 

In addition, he said PDEA would 

also provide general interventions, 

like education, talent and skills 

development, dual training system, 

in partnership with industries, 

counseling and values formation, 

volunteerism program and 

livelihood and entrepreneurship 

training. 

“Education and skills training are 

permanent solutions to the problem. 

It is about time we have a rescue 

program solely designed for children 

to keep them off the streets for good,” 

the PDEA chief said. 

Drug war by the numbers 

From July 2016 to 20 March 2018, 

the Philippine National Police and 

PDEA have conducted a total of 

91,704 anti-drug operations leading 

to the arrest of 123,648 drug 

suspects. The police claim to have 

dismantled some 189 drug dens and 

clandestine laboratories and seizing 

an estimated P13.46 billion worth of 

methamphetamine hydrochloride or 

shabu during the period. 

And while a majority of Filipinos 

support the war on drugs based on 

the September 2017 poll suggesting 

that 88 percent of Filipinos back 

the anti-drug operation, critics of 

President Rodrigo Duterte said the 

crackdown has targeted only the poor 

and resulted to thousands of alleged 

extrajudicial killings. 

Rehab and rescue 

But the latest move 

by PDEA underscores 

the government’s 

seeming shift in focus 

on its drug war, this 

time, rehabilitating 

and saving those most 

vulnerable to drug abuse – 

the street children. 

Aquino explained the 

Sagip Batang Solvent 

project is anchored in Republic Act 9165 

or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs 

Act of 2002 and RA 9344 or the Juvenile 

Justice and Welfare Act: Presidential 

Decree (PD) No.1619 or “Penalizing the 

use or possession or the unauthorized 

sale to minors of volatile substances for 

the purpose of inducing intoxication or 

in any manner changing, distorting or 

disturbing the auditory, visual or mental 

process”; United Nations on Drugs and 

Crimes (UNODC) Plan of Action and UN 

Children’s Rights. 

PDEA has formed a technical 

working group to expand the details 

of the plan while extending an 

appeal to private companies to 

invest in this project as part of their 

corporate social responsibility (CSR) 

and support the government’s drug 

demand reduction efforts by lending 

financial assistance. 

PDEA is set to hold meetings with 

the DSWD, the Department of Health 

and the Commission on Human Rights 

regarding the project. 

NOTORIOUS members of the (Basag Kotse Gang) were arrested by joint elements of the Quezon City and Marikina City Police during a follow-up operation. Those arrested were identified 

as ring leader Julius Batac, Elvin Duanan Rodelio Sibug, Rosana Mae Maramias Eugenia Argawanon and Harlan Requilman. Philippine National Police Regional Director Chief Supt. 

Guillermo Eleazar interrogates the suspects inside Camp Karingal. 

ANALY LABOR 

Makati pushes project FREE 

and uniforms were given to 43 

boys in the Makati Youth Home 

(MYH) and 41 girls in the 

Social Development Center 

(SDC) who are enrolled in 

ALS program in line with the 

city’s rehabilitation program 

for juvenile delinquents and 

young victims of abuse. 

“We have begun providing 

free school supplies and 

uniforms to these young 

Makatizens as an added 

incentive for them to do good 

in the ALS program. It will 

prepare them in going back 

to school for formal education 

after they are released from 

the city’s custody,” Binay said. 

Binondo informal 

settlers get new homes 

By Pat C. Santos 

Government personnel on Tuesday 

relocated 60 families illegally occupying 

the stretch of Estero de Magdalena in 

Binondo as part of the initiative to clear 

Manila’s waterways from clogging and 

prevent flooding. 

Personnel from the Joint Pasig 

River Rehabilitation Commission and 

the Metropolitan Manila Development 

Authority (MMDA) started the demolition 

at 9:30 a.m. About 40 shanties out of the 

60 were torn down. The affected families 

were relocated to their new houses in 

Summer Home, Trece Martires, Cavite. 

PRRC Executive Director Jose Antonio 

Goitia said that the clearing operations 

in Estero de Magdalena started in 

November 2015. Some 1,049 families from 

Two suspected drug pushers were 

killed while four others were arrested, 

including an alleged son of a former 

action star, in separate police operations 

in Pasig and Antipolo cities. 

The Antipolo police said the 

suspected drug pushers were killed in 

a buy-bust operation at Barangay San 

Jose early morning yesterday. As of press 

time, the police have yet to identify the 

suspects because they are not carrying 

any ID. 

Recovered were 10 grams of 

the estimated 2,015 were transferred to 

various relocation sites in Bulacan and 

Cavite. 

Prior to the demolition, Giotia said 

his team conducted community dialogue 

with the affected families, in addition to 

the ocular inspection of the relocation 

sites to prepare them for the eventual 

transfer. 

The Manila Social Welfare Department 

provided each of the family with food 

supplies. 

Goitia said that once the informal 

settlers were removed from the 

waterway, the PRRC could begin the 

construction of a linear park along the 

estero to imitate the same rehabilitation 

of Estero de Paco, Maytunas creek, 

Estero de San Miguel and several other 

polluted waterways. 

She said, children in conflict 

with the law and children at risk 

would greatly benefit from a 

holistic program that promotes 

their physical and emotional 

well-being as well as their 

intellectual development. 

“It will help ensure their 

successful reintegration 

into the community,” she 

explained. 

According to DepEd- 

Makati chief Rita Riddle, the 

children in the MYH and SDC 

caring facilities are receiving 

education through ALS with 

modified and individualized 

modules according to the 

needs of the learner. 

Each ALS learner received 

a set of school supplies 

consisting of 10 notebooks, 

ball pens and pencils. They 

also received a pair of new 

black shoes, one set of school 

uniform, bag, pad paper and 

a school diary.” 

Riddle said that because 

of the constant support of the 

city, the children in MYC and 

SDC now have a better chance 

to pass the ALS Accreditation 

and Equivalency or A&E test. 

“Mobile teachers used to 

go to the caring facilities and 

hold classes twice a week. 

Now, we are working on 

having permanent multi-grade 

METRO 

teachers who will conduct 

classes in said facilities every 

day,” she said. 

The ALS A&E test is designed 

to measure the competencies 

of a student who has neither 

attended nor finished 

elementary or secondary 

education in the formal school 

system. Its passers are given a 

certificate or diploma to allow 

them to pursue junior or senior 

high school education. 

Makati City has an 

increasing passing rate for 

A&E test with 54.86 percent in 

2015, 61.58 percent in 2016 and 

66.96 percent in 2017 DepEd 

Makati data showed. 

STUDENTS line up to buy freshly-cooked chicken skin from a food cart vendor at FB Harisson 

in Pasay City unmindful of the bacteria street foods are carrying. 

RAFAEL TABOY 

Two dead, 4 arrested in drug fight 

suspected shabu with a street 

value of P50,000 and two caliber .38 

guns. The police said the suspects 

were last seen during a drug raid 

in Cainta, Rizal in May but they 

managed to elude arrest. 

In Pasig, the police arrested Jose Ma. 

Lapid, alias Joey, believed to be the son 

of former action star Jess Lapid Jr. 

Joey was also apprehended in a 

buy-bust operation along Barangay 

Sta. Lucia, Pasig City Monday evening 

together with three other cohorts, 

identified as Franklin Ramos, Zackaria 

Bansil and Xavier Allan Raymundo. 

Police seized close to two kilos of 

suspected marijuana amounting to 

P80,000 from the suspects. 

According to Pasig City police chief 

Senior Supt. Rizalito Gapas, they 

received a tip from concerned citizens 

about the alleged illegal activities of 

the suspects. 

“This operation is a result of improved 

relationships with the community that 

we are developing. Concerned citizens 

are now informing us of illegal drug 

activities,” he said. Gapaz added he placed 

the suspects under surveillance before 

planning the operation. 

In an interview, Joey denied 

involvement in the drug trade. 

“I was just asked to deliver them,” 

Lapid said referring to the recovered 

drugs. 

The suspects are facing charges 

of violating Republic Act 9165 or the 

Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act 

of 2002. 

Jason Faustino 

ERRATUM 

13 

Binay urges 

pro-active 

leptospirosis 

campaign 

Amid the leptospirosis outbreak 

in some areas in Metro Manila, Sen. 

Nancy Binay yesterday called for a 

more pro-active measure to address 

the spread of the disease and prevent 

more casualties as she urged a 

massive campaign against the deadly 

ailment. 

Binay said the Department of 

Health (DoH) and local government 

units should aggressively educate the 

public of the symptoms of the disease 

and how to avoid it. 

“We need to solicit people’s 

participation and find communitylevel 

ways to prevent the spread of the 

disease. The increase in the number 

of leptospirosis cases in the country is 

already alarming, especially in Metro 

Manila,” Binay said. 

So far, the DoH has declared 

outbreaks in 10 more barangays in 

Metro Manila, bringing to 28 the 

areas affected. The new affected 

communities were in Quezon City, 

Taguig, Pasig, Parañaque, Navotas, 

Mandaluyong, Malabon and Caloocan. 

The health department recorded 

1,085 cases of leptospirosis from 01 

January to 23 June, a 35 percent 

increase from the same period in 

2017. As of July 5, Metro Manila has 

reported 58 deaths out of the 454 

reported cases of the disease. 

Across the country, the Philippines 

Epidemiology Bureau of the DoH 

reported 93 deaths as of last month, 

or an increase of 41% compared with 

the first six months of 2017. 

The senator noted that flood 

control remains a big challenge to 

LGU that contributes to the rising 

number of the incidence. 

“The rise in leptospirosis highlights 

a public health issue. There’s a 

need to make giant steps towards 

addressing the disease by engaging 

all sectors including those in charge 

of public works,” Binay added. 

She also seeks the assistance of 

local government executives down 

to the barangay level to help in the 

information campaign as well as in 

clearing the drainage systems in the 

community where rats carrying the 

disease thrive. 

Leptospirosis is an infection caused 

by corkscrew-shaped bacteria called 

Leptospira. Signs and symptoms can 

range from none to mild such as 

headaches, muscle pains and fevers, 

to severe bleeding from the lungs or 

meningitis. 

MMDA leads this 

year’s shake drill 

By Nelson S. Badilla 

Another “shake drill” will 

be staged in Metro Manila 

before the end of the month. 

But Metropolitan Manila Development 

Authority (MMDA) general manager 

Jojo Garcia said that to keep the 

simulation more realistic, the agency 

would not reveal the exact date of the 

three-day activity. 

He said, “No one can predict when 

an earthquake will happen. We must 

be prepared at all times so we want 

the shake drill unannounced. We will 

not be announcing the exact date of 

the shake drill. The public will only 

be informed on the day of the drill.” 

Garcia said this year’s shake drill will 

be in coordination with the Metro Manila 

Disaster Risk Reduction Management 

Council (MMDRRMC). This year’s goal 

is to sustain and improve the public’s 

awareness and consciousness in case a 

major earthquake occurs. 

“We want to do a shake drill in 

a more realistic environment,” he 

pointed out. 

Michael Salalima, Metro Manila 

Shake Drill Secretariat 

head, 

said telecommunication 

networks 

would broadcast 

the drill through 

SMS messages to 

its subscribers on 

a specific day. 

Companies, 

churches, schools, 

and institutions 

are urged to 

sound their own 

alerts or bells 

while radio 

stations will air 

an alert to signal 

the start of the 

drill at 3 pm. 

Under Case No. 

02-04-02106A, 

EDGARDO ACOSTA- 

Applicant/s hearing 

should be at LAND 

TRANSPORTATION 

FRANCHISING 

AND REGULATORY 

BOARD, Regional 

Franchising and 

Regulatory Office No. 

lV, Lipa City, Batangas. 

And not as published. 

Under Case No. R4-EV 

-PJ-2018-04-2008 

-02552 Applicant/s 

named should be 

GLORIA SUSAN 

BALCITA and not 

as published.

14 

SPOTLIGHT 

Respect begets respect 

Respect is hard to come by these days. It has 

such become a rarity that to see a person 

shine bright like a diamond, refusing to be cast 

in the dark, fighting against popular opinion and 

idolatry, gives one hope that all is not lost. 

Chai Fonacier is among those 

standouts in social media who just 

refuses to be silenced. Her Twitter 

handle @rrrabidcat is among the 

most fearless celebrity accounts in 

the social microsite. 

She will not back down on things 

she believes in. It takes courage 

for her to do that given 

that she moves in a circle 

where being agreeable and 

favorable will easily work to 

her advantage. 

Her being vocal about 

her love for her sun-kissed 

skin, her standing up for 

basic human rights and her 

voicing out her opinion on 

important political issues 

that besiege our land 

should be a standard for 

a person with influence. 

Ironically, her haters and 

bashers are as rabid as her name. 

Chai, the Cebuana who is 

currently making a name for 

herself in the independent film 

industry, refuses to back down. 

“I don’t know if this will bite 

me in the ass but right now I 

feel like it’s important for me to 

say something,” she answered. 

I caught her at the After Party 

of the second Eddys held last 

Monday at The Theatre in Solaire. 

And back down she didn’t, and 

she did it with such eloquence that 

will put her multitude of bashers 

to shame. 

“I’m here to catch my own 

award now,” she jested, referring 

to her own Best Supporting Actress 

plum for her role as Bechay, a 

street-smart kid entangled in an 

ugly drug and gang war in Respeto. 

The Cinemalaya entry had 

earlier reaped some of the 

technical awards at the 2nd Eddys. 

She came up the stage to receive 

the award on behalf of Jay Durias 

for Best Musical Score; Corinne 

de San Jose for Best Sound Design 

ACROSS 

1 Chooser’s word 

6 Drips 

11 Chewing gum 

base 

12 Gleeful cry 

13 Soup legume 

14 Acclimate 

15 Tech talk 

16 The Mammoth 

Hunters” writer 

17 Profound 

18 California’s Big - 

19 Prefix for “all” 

23 Na+ and Cl- 

25 Happy 

and Jay Durias; and Abra, Loonie 

and B-Boy Garcia for Best Original 

Theme Song. 

After more than an hour, to 

her and the audience’s surprise, 

she won Best Supporting Actress 

in a three-way tie with Angeli 

Bayani and Therese Malvar, who 

CELLULOID SURFER 

Kathleen Llemit 

both won for Maestra and Ilawod, 

respectively. 

“There’s a lot of people I wanna 

thank. Thank God for social media. 

Please allow me to thank you guys 

there. I wanna take the short time 

to talk about Bechay and her friends 

Hendrix and Payaso. Out there, these 

three kids have real life counterparts 

who are victims of the things we 

adults do when we can’t get our 

crap together. And I’m reminded 

by this one line from A Quiet Place 

where Emily Blunt’s character said, 

‘We have to take care of them. We 

have to protect them. If we can’t, 

what does that make of us.’ Indeed, 

if we can’t do that, what does that 

make of us. Thank you,” went her 

acceptance speech. 

When I cornered her at the afterparty, 

I had asked her about her 

being vocal and politically correct 

stance in showbiz. To my nonsurprise, 

she remained the “rabid” 

woman who stands by her name. 

“I’m at the age where I really 

don’t have time for BS anymore. And 

we all know na may sintunadong 

NEA Crossword Puzzle 

© 2018 UFS, Dist. by Andrews McMeel Syndication for UFS 

26 Dune buggy kin 

29 Weather alert 

32 Be supine 

33 Sign before 

Virgo 

34 Shopping - 

35 Windy City 

trains 

CHAI Fonacier accepts her Best Supporting Actress trophy from the 2nd 

Eddys Awards. 

nangyayari sa lipunan ngayon, 

and this is not the time to be silent. 

Kasi out there, may namamatay. 

Don’t wait for your family member 

to die before you can relate. 

Human rights are for everybody. 

Human rights should be afforded 

to everybody. That’s a basic thing. 

And so I stand by what I believe 

in. If you can’t stand by something 

so basic just because you want 

to protect the career, what does 

that make of you? So that’s what I 

believe in,” she bravely noted. 

Her “brazenness” for some 

industry insiders might make 

them think twice of getting her. 

With her many past accolades as 

an actress or part of an ensemble, 

I am still surprised not to see her 

play even bit roles in mainstream 

TV unlike her many indie darling 

contemporaries. Has her being 

much vocal mattered? There are 

36 Woody’s son 

38 Corn Belt state 

40 In - (as found) 

41 “-Rheingold” 

42 Take on Cargo 

46 Cel character 

48 Reef builder 

49 Middle Earth 

denizen 

52 Throat feature 

53 Is of benefit 

54 Dr. Scholl product 

55 Jim- - 

56 Shaggy flower 

DOWN 

1 Yonder 

2 Pivot 

3 Tentacle 

possessors 

4 Skirt vent 

5 Lamprey 

6 Trevi Fountain 

coins 

7 Novel closer 

8 Parrot 

9 Follett of thrillers 

10 Hardened, as 

cement 

11 Dressed 

12 Part of BYOB 

16 Mozart for one 

18 Click 

20 Marseilles Ms. 

21 Picture holder 

22 Caesar’s worst day 

24 Startled cries 

26 Woeful word 

27 Hatcher or Garr 

28 Bit of a shock 

30 Corp. biggies 

31 Wield an ax 

37 Buy at auction 

SUDOKU 

by Ramon Lorenzo 

Write a numeral from 1 to 9 in 

each box so that each appears only 

once in each row, column and 3 x 

3 box. 

Answer for yesterday’s puzzle 

other stars who are very vocal in 

social media, like Agot Isidro and 

Jim Paredes, but their case are 

different since they have long been 

established in the business before 

social media came in and afforded 

them a platform to voice out their 

popular/unpopular opinions. 

But whatever the case is for 

Chai, she still has an avenue to 

speak out and stand firm on what 

she believes in. 

In fact, her next project is very 

much up to her alley. She’s set to 

star in the Pista ng Pelilkulang 

Pilipino entry Pinay Beauty. 

She will play the role of a young 

lady who is hell-bent on looking 

today’s standard of beauty of 

fair-skinned, Caucasian mestiza 

looker. But it’s all acting. At her 

core is still that woman who made 

“#sunkissedparinmgaulol” a 

battle cry for many Filipino women 

who love their God-given beauty. 

39 Maria Conchita - 

41 Periods 

43 Fiery job 

44 Diurnal 

45 “Vogue” rival 

47 Too suave 

48 Pine product 

49 Once 

possessed 

50 Eggs 

51 Outlaw 

52 Gratuity 

Answer to previous puzzle 

J e s u s 

summoned his 

Twelve disciples 

and gave them 

authority over 

unclean spirits 

to drive them 

out and to cure 

every disease 

and every 

illness. 

The names 

of the twelve 

apostles are 

these: first, 

Simon called 

Peter, and his 

After making waves on social 

media for granting his fan’s wish 

to go out on a date with him, 

David Licauco has piqued the 

interest of the general public. 

At first glance, he looks like a 

typical jock who only has his 

mind on fun and games, but the 

Kapuso star has his life on track. 

He has an upcoming teleserye, a 

movie, and a booming business 

that speaks of his passion. 

With his good looks, charming 

personality and grit for success, 

David just might be the newest 

Kapuso star we should all watch 

out for. For more reasons to 

swoon over this Kapuso cutie, we 

have come up with a list about 

who he is behind the scene: 

David is a sports fan. While it 

is true that he has his heart on 

sports, David does not only have 

his head on the game. He loves 

to play basketball above all else, 

and he stacks up knowledge on 

his most favored icons. 

He recently finished a 

book on basketball legend 

Michael Jordan, and after 

trying his hand at boxing, 

he felt the need to read on 

the life of mixed martial 

artist Ronda Rousey. He 

says that this builds his 

passion for the sport: 

“Knowing the success of 

these icons motivates me, 

and I use that to make 

my own. Kumbaga, I try 

to develop their values 

so I can be guided on 

how to succeed as well.” 

Recently, he has tried 

his hand on polo, and he 

looks exactly like a prince 

when he’s on a horse. 

David spoils his family. Spread 

across David’s Instagram posts 

are photos of his parents and 

siblings. Every moment with 

his family counts and he never 

fails to capture all of this in 

pictures. As a modern-day 

scrapbook, his Instagram is 

full of memoirs of successes 

and simple celebrations. He 

profoundly expresses his love for 

his mom, gratitude for his dad, 

support for his brother and his 

playful yet sensible boundaries 

for his sisters. A loving son and 

protective brother indeed! 

He has a knack for knowledge. 

David has a bachelor’s degree in 

Business Management (major in 

Computer Applications) from De 

La Salle College of St. Benilde. 

His family has brought him up 

business-minded, and this has 

become his motivation to do 

well in his studies. He managed 

to put up his own business, 

and is now thriving to expand 

his investments. Right after he 

graduated, David put up his own 

fitness gym in Taft and branded 

it as Alpha Fitness Club. The 

Kapuso star shared the reason 

behind the gym, “I’ve always 

been into sports and fitness, so I 

decided to profit on my interests. 

I come from a typical Chinese 

family where making your own 

D A I L Y G O S P E L 

Matthew 10:1-7 

brother Andrew; 

James, the son of 

Zebedee, and his 

brother John; 

Philip and 

Bartholomew, 

Thomas and 

Matthew the 

tax collector; 

James, the son 

of Alphaeus, 

and Thaddeus; 

Simon the 

Cananean, and 

Judas Iscariot 

who betrayed 

him. 

Jesus sent 

out these 

twelve after 

instructing 

them thus, “Do 

not go into 

pagan territory 

or enter a 

Samaritan 

town. 

Dinah S. Ventura, Editor 


Daily Tribune 

David Licauco is your 

new dream guy 

DAVID Licauco. 

KAPUSO star David Licauco with his family. 

business is a very common path, 

and right now I’m enjoying every 

bit of it.” 

He harbors soft spot for fans. 

After mustering up the courage 

to ask David out, his fangirl from 

Zamboanga Fritz Enriquez didn’t 

bother to wait for his reply. Never 

in her wildest dreams would she 

expect that he’d agree, but the 

Kapuso star burst Frtiz’s thought 

bubble and said yes, but on one 

condition: she had to post about 

her proposal and garner 10,000 

likes and shares for it. Despite 

failing to get the target number, 

David disregarded the deal and 

went on with the fishball date! 

The Kapuso star admitted that 

he was flustered to see his fan 

smile from ear to ear, “For me 

it’s an honor na may mapasaya 

akong tao. I’m just a normal 

person and to be able to inspire 

others like this is very humbling.” 

David turns curiosity into 

passion. He doesn’t deny that he 

started showbiz out of curiosity. 

“At first I was just testing the 

waters [in showbiz] until I 

actually got into the entire 

process of acting. It felt nice to 

act, so now it’s my goal to get 

more challenging roles and be 

able to perform them well,” the 

Kapuso star shared. 

After his Mulawin vs. Ravena 

stint as Malik, David is now 

ready to take the lead. He stars 

alongside fellow Kapuso star 

Shaira Diaz in the upcoming 

Regal film ‘Because I Love 

You,’ and takes the role of a 

sophisticated bachelor. He spills 

his experience on filming: “The 

pressure was too much because 

it was my first lead role but I 

changed my mindset and took 

that challenge as an opportunity 

to prove myself. Besides, Shaira 

is so easy to work with and we’ve 

helped each a lot.” 

With his newfound passion, 

he hired a personal coach for his 

acting, and has worked hard to 

impress his mentor. Aside from 

this film, he will also be one of 

the lead stars of the upcoming 

GMA Afternoon Prime series, 

Kapag Nahati Ang Puso, with 

Bea Binene, Benjamin Alves, and 

Sunshine Cruz. 

Wednesday of the Fourteenth week in Ordinary Time 

Go rather to 

the lost sheep 

of the house of 

Israel. 

As you 

go, make this 

proclamation: 

‘The kingdom 

of heaven is at 

hand.’”


Daily Tribune 

Avel x Matteo 

denim line launched 

By Niña Elyca Ruiz, Contributor 

Showbiz personality-athlete-entrepreneur Matteo Guidicelli 

has embarked on a new project, this time collaborating with 

top fashion designer Avel Bacudio for a new denim line. 

The brand, dubbed as Avel x Matteo, is exclusively available 

on leading e-commerce platform, Shopee. 

Guidicelli said the concept of coming up with his own brand 

of jeans started a year ago. 

“I was the one who approached Avel. He understood my 

vision from the start, (and) we were able to come up with 

designs that are exactly how I want them to be — sexy, yet 

wearable at the same time,” Guidicelli explained. 

The limited-edition jeans are versatile pieces that can be 

worn on any occasion, in comfort and style. The highlight 

among the designs are the ripped jeans, which, according to 

the multi-hyphenate star, was something he got fascinated 

into wearing. Other designs that are found in the collection 

are the stretch and lightweight jeans — for those who love to 

wear materials that allow them to move around comfortably. 

By offering a line of differently-styled denim pants and 

at an affordable cost, “we were able to make designer jeans 

accessible to a broader market,” Bacudio said. 

Brand with a heart 

Part of the proceeds from the sale of Avel x Matteo jeans 

will go to the Northern Luzon Association for the Blind, a school 

in Baguio City that offers free education to visually-impaired 

youth. It is an advocacy close to the heart of Bacudio, who 

recovered from an eye disorder a couple of years ago. 

Talking about the kids who have lost their eyesight at 

an early age, Bacudio said, “Hindi man nila makita kung 

gaano kaganda ang mundo, maibigay at maiparamdam 

man lang natin ang pagmamahal sa kanila (They may 

not be able to appreciate the world’s beauty through 

their eyes, but we may at least let them feel loved and 

appreciated).” 

Shopee Celebrity Club launched 

Bacudio and Guidicelli are part of the newly-formed Shopee 

Celebrity Club that’s composed of famed personalities 

who have launched their own brands to the market. Some 

of these stars include Anne Curtis, Vice Ganda, Kris Aquino, 

Alex Gonzaga, Ramon Bautista, Richard and Maricar Poon, 

Karel Marquez, and journalist Korina Sanchez. 

Jane Lim, the director of Shopee Philippines, said, “We 

thought of coming up with a dedicated in-app space that 

allows shoppers easy access to products owned and marketed 

by their favorite homegrown celebrities.” 

Launched in 2015, Shopee Philippines is an online platform 

to buy and sell a variety of products ranging from consumer 

electronics to home and living, health and beauty, fashion and 

fitness equipment, among others. 

To check out brands from local celebrities, visit https://shopee. 

ph/ShopeeCelebrityClub. Download the Shopee app for free on 

the App Store or Google Play. 

A new line 

of sexy 

jeans was 

recently 

launched. 

SPOTLIGHT 

15 

Beat the sun! 

Start your sun-protected life with one spray 

Worry not because protecting 

your skin from harmful UV rays 

doesn’t mean putting up with 

sticky sunscreen on your body 

every morning. Japanese skin care 

brand Biore introduces Biore UV 

Perfect Spray which offers complete 

body sun protection that’s easy to 

apply even in hard-to-reach areas 

like the back by just spraying. 

Sweat-proof and waterproof, this 

ultra-lightweight sunscreen boasts 

of a super fine and non-greasy 

formulation with sebum-absorbing 

powder, leaving the skin feeling 

comfortable with a powdery matte 

finish. Biore UV Perfect Spray offers Superior 

Double UV Block with SPF 50+ and PA++++ to 

protect the skin from UVB rays that cause dark 

spots, freckles, and sunburn, and from UVA rays 

that cause premature aging. 

Sun-proof skin anytime, anywhere 

To give your skin the TLC it deserves this 

summer, experience Olay Total Effects 7-in-1 

Day Cream SPF 15. It’s made with SolaSheer 

Technology that moisturizes and nourishes 

skin with essential vitamins while protecting 

it against harmful UVA/UVB rays, thanks to 

its combination of Avobenzone sunscreen 

FILIPINO designer Avel Bacudio, director of Shopee Philippines Jane Lim and actor Matteo Guidicelli at the launch of Shopee Celebrity Club. 

with two of Olay’s proven moisturizing agents, 

Niacinamide and Glycerin. For those who are 

looking forward to reducing their fine lines 

and wrinkles caused by sun exposure, Olay 

Regenerist Micro-sculpting UV Cream Moisturiser 

SPF 30 provides hydration and renewal benefits 

to combat the sun’s damaging effects, so that you 

have firmer and much younger-looking skin. For 

more information, visit Olay.com.ph and visit 

@OlayPhilippines in Facebook and Instagram. 

Advocacy for sun protection 

Daylong, a dermatological suncare 

brand, advocates daily sunscreen 

application. It conducted a UVexposure 

study to investigate 

whether the outdoor sun at the 

beach shows the same level of 

strength in the city even when 

indoors. 

The study showed that in 

Metro Manila, the daily UV Index 

recorded reaches up to 10 from 

12 noon to 1 p.m., which places a 

“Very High” risk from unprotected 

sun exposure. Comparing the 

city’s UV index to Caticlan (Boracay) 

and El Nido (Palawan), and data showed both 

summer destinations also reach UV Index 10 

during the same hours. 

Daylong also found out that despite staying 

indoors, the women registered UV readings. 

Whether clear or cloudy weather, UV solar 

radiation remains strong, and it can penetrate 

windows. Indoor light sources, even at night, have 

also been revealed to contribute to UV exposure. 

Color your hair, color your life 

NEW hair color can enliven your 

appearance. 

With the slew of dizzying and stressing things 

happening in people’s lives, can they still find time 

to look classy, jazzy and trendy? 

Yes, there is that overarching need for people 

to look and feel good while adding color to their 

lives. And there is one place that one can do this: 

The Color Bar by @stylingByJOF. 

The Color Bar is a full-service salon that offers 

the best in hair-color technology and other premium 

hair services that give true value for your money. 

The salon specializes 

in color 

and other services 

that seek 

to maintain the 

integrity of one’s 

hair. 

“We aim to 

make a difference 

when it 

comes to coloring 

the hair. We 

don’t just put 

color in one’s 

THE new salon offers the best in hair care technology. 

ONLY premium hair color products are used. 

hair; we create life 

in it. At the same 

time, we value life 

that’s why we only 

use products that 

are of high quality 

and more importantly, 

those that 

are safe to use and 

are friendly to the 

environment,” 

explains owner 

and chief stylist 

Joseph Fantone, 

aka JOF, during 

the launch of The 

Color Bar. 

Fantone maintains 

that the salon 

that delivers premium, 

eco-friendly 

and personal 

service, especially 

for its clients 

who 

always put value on a relaxing trip to 

the salon. “With the kind of products 

and services we use, we aim to set the 

bar higher among salons in the city 

by delivering unparalleled hair and 

beauty services that are personalized, 

high-quality and environmentally 

responsible.” 

And JOF’s objective of elevating 

the salon experience in the city 

with its own brand of uniqueness 

and excellence is no surprise. He is 

armed with years of experience and 

professional education at the famous 

Paul Mitchell The School in San Diego, 

California, USA. 

Contrary to the general impression 

that putting color may create 

hair damage, The Color Bar maintains 

its objective of making sure that 

hair is taken care of by using various 

hair-coloring techniques and products. 

Unlike other commercial salons, The 

Color Bar’s main focus is on hair color, 

which is why the team is made up of 

highly trained professionals and experts 

in the field of hair color and uses only 

premium products that value the environment. 

Among the first-rate hair color products 

at The Color Bar include Aveda, Wella and 

Davines. Aveda is a brand of professional 

hair-care products designed with the environment 

in mind. Wella is also a professional 

hair-care brand that specializes in hair 

care, styling and colorants. And Davines 

is a global hair 

OWNER and chief stylist Joseph Fantone a.k.a JOF. 

care brand 

made up of 

shampoos, 

conditioners, 

treatments 

and serums 

found in more 

than 70 countries. 

The Color Bar by 

@stylingByJOF is a 

full-service salon located 

at Rizal Drive, 

Forbes Town, Fort 

Bonifacio (across The 

Mind Museum). Learn 

more about The Color 

Bar through their 

website, thecolorbarph. 

com, Facebook (www. 

Facebook.com/thecolorbarph) 

and Instagram 

(@thecolorbarph). For 

appointments, call 0917- 

5275387 or 821-8587, or 

email reservation@ 

thecolorbarph.com. COLOR Bar is located in Fort Bonifacio.

16 

LIFESTYLE 

Dinah S. Ventura, Editor 


Daily Tribune 

Respeto leads 

winners in the 

2 nd Eddys awards 

From page 1 

from the FAMAS, Gawad Urian and Star Awards for Movies. It has also been 

making the rounds of international film festivals and won the Audience 

Choice Award at the Cyprus Film Days International Festival. 

Another film that same Cinemalaya edition was the other big winner of 

the Eddys. Mikhail Red’s Birdshot, the opening film of Cinemalaya 2017, won 

three awards: Best Director, Best Actress for newcomer Mary Joy Apostol 

and Best Cinematography for Mycko David. 

Aga Muhlach was the surprise winner Best Actor for his comeback film, 

Seven Sundays while other films that won one award each were Ang Panday 

for Best Visual Effects, Kita Kita for Best Editing (Marya Ignacio), 

Ang Larawan for Best Production Design (Gino Gonzales) and 

Deadma Walking for Best Screenplay (Eric Cabahug). 

Screen legends Maricel Soriano, Charo Santos-Concio, Nora 

Aunor, Susan Roces, Eddie Garcia and Gloria Romero were all 

honored with the Film Icon Tribute awards for their contributions 

to the industry. Movie scribe Ricky Lo was honored with the Joe 

Quirino award while the late Mario Hernando, movie critic and 

founding member of the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino, was 

posthumously honored with the Manny Pichel award. 

Also honored with the posthumous award was filmmaker 

Maryo J. de los Reyes. Also honored in a moving “In Memoriam” 

tribute were recently passed away artists that included Soxy 

Topacio, Emmanuel “Maning” Borlaza, Argel Joseph, Bernardo 

Bernardo, Zeny Zabala and Isabel Granada. 

Viva Films head honcho Vic del Rosario, Jr. was 

also recognized as Producer of the Year 

while next generation producers Roselle 

Monteverde of Regal Entertainment 

and Veronique del Rosario of Viva 

Entertainment were also honored with 

the Rising Producers award. 

Among the attendees, JC Santos 

and Sanya Lopez were adjudged 

as the Best Dressed actors of the 

night by Mega magazine while 

David Licauco and Andrea Torres 

won the Inside Showbiz Stars of 

the Night. 

Presented by Globe Telecom 

in cooperation with the Film 

Development Council of the 

Philippines, the 2nd Eddys 

Awards was hosted by siblings 

Ruffa and Raymond Gutierrez 

and featured performances from 

Noel Cabangon, Bituin Escalante, 

Jona, Abra and Loonie and Ciara Sotto. 

Photos by Yummie Dingding and Dinah S. 

Ventura 

CHRISTOPHER de Leon presented 

the nominees for the Best Actor and 

Best Actress categories. 

MEMBERS of SPEEd include (from left) Gie Trillana, Tessa Mauricio-Arriola, Ervin Santiago, Maricris Nicasio, Rohn Romulo, 

Dinah Ventura, Ian Fariñas, Dondon Sermino, Eugene Asis and Salve Asis. 

RESPETO stars and director (from left) Loonie, Chai Fonacier, 

director Treb Monteras II and Abra proudly showed off their trophy 

haul. 

Here is the complete list of winners including the 

special awardees for the 2 nd Eddys awards: 

BEST FILM: Respeto 

BEST DIRECTOR: Mikhail Red (Birdshot) 

BEST ACTRESS: Mary Joy Apostol (Birdshot) 

BEST ACTOR: Aga Muhlach (Seven Sundays) 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: 

Angeli Bayani (Maestra) 

Chai Fonacier (Respeto) 

Therese Malvar (Ilawod) 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Dido dela Paz (Respeto) 

BEST SCREENPLAY: Eric Cabahug (Deadma 

Walking) 

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Mycko David 

(Birdshot) 

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS: Ang Panday 

BEST MUSICAL SCORE: Jay Durias (Respeto) 

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN: Gino Gonzales (Ang 

Larawan) 

BEST SOUND 

DESIGN: Corinne De 

San Jose (Respeto) 

BEST EDITING: Marya 

Ignacio (Kita Kita) 

BEST ORIGINAL THEME 

SONG: “Respeto” (Respeto), lyrics 

by Abra and Loonie, music 

by Jay Durias, beats by B-Boy 

Garcia, interpreted by Abra and 

Loonie 

Special awards 

Joe Quirino Award: Mario 

Hernando (posthumous) 

Manny Pichel Award: Ricky 

Lo (entertainment editor, 

columnist, TV host) 

Producer of the Year: Vic del 

Rosario Jr. (Viva Films) 

Posthumous honorees 

Mario Hernando, Maryo J. 

delos Reyes, Soxy Topacio, Maning 

Borlaza, Bernardo Bernardo, 

Argel Joseph, Isabel Granada 

Icon awardees 

Charo Santos-Concio, Eddie 

Garcia, Susan Roces, Gloria 

Romero, Nora Aunor, Maricel 

Soriano 

TEEN actor Therese Malvar 

won yet another award, a Best 

Supporting Actress plum, for her 

performance in Ilawod. 

DASHING JC Santos was named Best Dressed Male 

Celebrity of the Night. 

RED Carpet host Rhian Ramos in a sexy beaded 

turtleneck number by Bea Balajadia. 

FILM thespians (clockwise) Maricel Soriano, Nora Aunor, Charo 

Santos and Eddie Garcia were honored as this year’s batch of Film 

Icon awardees.

07-11-2018

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