28 SEPTEMBER 2018

U.S. B-52S
FLY OVER SOUTH
CHINA SEA
PERSISTENT
FOES
WORLD STARS
COLLIDE
AGE-DEFYING
RECIPE
PAGE 16
WORLD PAGE 4 COMMENTARY
PAGE 13 SPORTS
PAGE 20 LIFESTYLE
Poll source
code up for
probe
PAGE 3
MANILA, PHILIPPINES FRIDAY, 28 SEPTEMBER 2018
Calida threatens
libel on Trillanes
By Alvin Murcia
Already hemmed in by a string of
court cases, Sen. Antonio Trillanes
IV who is holed up in the Senate,
expects libel charges from Solicitor
General Jose Calida due to the
senator’s accusation that he stole his
Turn to page 2
NSA confirms LP in plot
Tindig Pilipinas acts as front
Caught red handed National Bureau of Investigation officials led by Director Dante Gierran present firearms and explosives seized in a farm in Teresa, Rizal. Individuals, including owner of the farm Lily Ong, were also presented to media. The Armed Forces
of the Philippines which has a contingent in the raid linked the operations to the Communist Party of the Philippines’ Red October plot against the Duterte administration.
BOB DUNGO JR.
By Kristina Maralit, Alvin Murcia
and Mario J. Mallari
Despite the repeated denials of the Liberal Party
that it is involved in any plot to overthrow President
Rodrigo Duterte, National Security Adviser
Hermogenes Esperon said the LP’s involvement
has been established.
National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon
said the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)
‘Big 4’ runs
RRoW scam
By Mario J. Mallari
A syndicate made up of
four influential personalities
operates the multibillion-peso
road right of way (RRoW) racket
in Mindanao that uses fake land
titles to collect compensation
from government, Senate blue
ribbon committee chairman
HE’S
A-OK!
is behind “Red October,” but there is another group
which serves as a front for the LP in the ouster
movement.
“The LP (Liberal Party) is involved because of
Tindig Pilipinas,” the former AFP chief of staff said
in an ambush interview at the mass oathtaking of
Career Executive Service Officers last Thursday
in Malacañang.
The LP was reported to be part of the plot to
Turn to page 2
Watch and learn
If anybody can tell
there’s something wrong
with President Rodrigo
Duterte’s health it’s not
Joma Sison or members
of the opposition----it’s
his partner Honeylet
Avanceña.
Yesterday, Avanceña
came out to categorically
say Duterte is in good
health, dispelling
speculations that the
Turn to page 6
Duterte shelves Fed shift bid
By Kristina Maralit
and Elmer Manuel
Malacañang said efforts
in Federalism shift now take
a backseat as its immediate
House orders detention
of BoC officer
By Hananeel Bordey
Turn to page 6 Turn to page 6
response to the results of a
Pulse Asia survey released
yesterday showing 63 percent
of respondents urging the
government to give priority to
addressing the rising prices of
commodities
Charter change, according to
presidential spokesman Harry
Roque, is now
Turn to page 6
Two committees of the House
of Representatives
yesterday ordered
the detention
of Bureau
of Customs
intelligence
officer Jimmy
Guban after citing
him in contempt for No more graft pls President Rodrigo Duterte delivers a speech stating his desire
to end corruption in government in a ceremony feting government officials at Malacañang.
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NEWS
2
Friday, 28 September 2018
Daily Tribune
NSA confirms LP in plot
From page 1
oust the President last 21 September, in connivance with the CPP, but failed
to muster enough support
Just recently, the military had confirmed combined efforts by “legitimate
opposition groups” and the communists in the ouster plot.
With the leftist group aggressively gathering support
to unseat the President, the LP wittingly or unwittingly
placed itself in the middle.
Esperon added with the leftist group aggressively gathering support to
unseat the President, the LP “wittingly or unwittingly” placed itself in the
middle.
“That’s an ouster plan already two years in the making,” Esperon stated.
The opposition has on numerous occasions refuted claims made by
Duterte that they have colluded with exiled communist leader Jose Maria
Sison, CPP and New People’s Army (NPA) to destabilize the government.
It was Duterte himself, via a one-on-one interview with Chief Legal Adviser
Salvador Panelo a couple of weeks back, who revealed an ouster plot against
him being orchestrated by Sison, embattled Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and
the Magdalo Group and the LP.
Plotters nabbed
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) presented to media six
persons, who the military claimed are connected with the “Red October
Group,” after they were arrested in Teresa, Rizal for illegal possession of
firearms and explosives.
Ouster plan already two years in the making.
NBI Director Dante Gierran, identified the suspects as Ke Be Li alias
Lily Ong, Brandy Solinap, Victor de la Cruz, Bi-Lian Ke, Diosdado Bohol and
Ke Quiao Li alias Sam Jany.
The raid was conducted by joint elements of the Philippine Army’s 80th
Infantry Battalion (80IB) and the NBI at a coral farm in Teresa, Rizal owned
by Ong.
Brig. Gen. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr., commander of the 202nd Infantry
Brigade which has jurisdiction over the area, said the raiding team seeks to serve
arrest warrants which were issued after months of intelligence operations against
Armando Lazarte, alias “Pat” and “Romano,” secretary of the NPA’s Sub-Regional
Military Area 4A, and Tirso Alcantara alias Bart, the former commander of the
NPA Terrorists’ Regional Yunit Guerilla. Lazarte and Alcantara were not in the
area when the warrant was served.
“The presence of top NPA leaders and the proximity of Teresa town to
Manila are indicators that the threat of “Red October” cannot be downplayed
and that the plotters are just awaiting for an opportunity to execute their
plans,” Burgos said.
Lt .Col. Melencio Ragudo, commander of the 80IB, said the raid resulted in
the recovery of four M653 (baby armalite) rifles, one M203 Grenade Launcher,
five US made 12-gauge shotguns, one caliber .45 pistol, one caliber .38 revolver,
one 9mm KG3 machine pistol, six units of two-way radios, two grenades, eight
cellphones, enemy documents and numerous war materials as well as weapon
system accessories.
‘Red October’ probe ongoing
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra confirmed that an investigation on
the so-called “Red October” plot is ongoing.
“The NBI started working on it the moment the President disclosed
the plot publicly,” Guevarra said in a text message. “I suppose this will be
completed before October sets in.”
NBI presented to media six persons, whom the military
claimed are connected with the Red October Group.
Information from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) alleged that
the “Red October” ouster plan against the President remains even if the other
supposed plot on 21 September, the 46th anniversary of the declaration of
the Marcos-era martial law, did not push through.
Mr. Duterte had said the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), the
political opposition, including the Liberal Party and the Magdalo Group of
Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV were plotting to remove him from the presidency.
From page 1
amnesty application document to justify the issuance
by President Duterte of Proclamation 572.
The proclamation declared as void ab initio the
grant of amnesty by former President Benigno Aquino
in connection with his role in several failed attempts
to overthrow the Arroyo administration.
Calida issued the warning after Trillanes called
him a thief in connection with the voiding of his
amnesty.
“Trillanes should express his sincere apology for
Home for now Old concrete drainage pipe along Muñoz, Edsa is good
enough for a home among the homeless while the government addresses
a huge shelter backlog among Filipinos.
ROMAN PROSPERO
All three groups have denied the
President’s accusation.
“This so-called ‘Red October’ plot
is nothing but an AFP invention. Like
the rest of the AFP’s fakery, it is a
poorly concocted story,” the CPP said
in response. “Is this a foreshadowing
of a declaration of martial law by
October?”
Rody tired of corruption
The Chief Executive, meanwhile,
reiterated that corruption remains
to be the biggest problem his
administration is facing.
He recalled that during a command
conference, he offered to step down
from his post because of “efforts going
to waste.”
“My efforts are going to waste,
nothing is happening. Unless we stop
corruption, unless we have law and
order against corruption, we will never
rise as a country,” Duterte shared at
the same event.
He said that corruption has also
become the reason talks about coup
d’etat and destabilization surfaced.
“The irony is, I really want to
step down. Just give me a very good
reason to go,” he said. “I’m just
looking for a reason, I will go home
(to Davao). Because I cannot really
stop corruption. In government, there
is really corruption. Anywhere you
look, there is corruption.”
“But from the start, I made it my policy that I will not meddle in any
transaction involving money. It begins and ends with the Cabinet,” the
President added.
Duterte also reminded the military that there is “no need for us to fight”
if they think it is time for him to step down.
I guess there’s no need for that (loyalty check). We
already have transformed and professional Army which
is mission centric and dedicated to serve and protect the
people.
“Don’t do the melodramatic thing – parading your tanks, talking about
a coup – just tell me. We can even have coffee. All you have to do is stand
up and tell me that I’m no good and I’ll go,” the Commander-in-Chief said.
AFP morale high
The 125,000-strong Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) also vowed no soldier
will, directly or indirectly, get involved in any plot against the Duterte administration.
Col. Edgard Arevalo, AFP spokesman, said the military subscribes to the
Constitution which it had sworn to uphold and defend as he reiterated the AFP,
as protector of the people and the state, adheres to the rule of law.
“We will never allow ourselves in the ranks of active service to take direct or
indirect participation in any political actions against the present duly constituted
authorities,” Arevalo said in a statement.
“Every soldier, airman, sailor and marine in the active service is loyal to
the Constitution, adherent to the rule of law, and solidly behind of the Chain of
Command,” he added.
Last Wednesday, President Duterte said the military should not vest loyalty
in him but in the Republic as he vowed readiness to step down if the military
wanted him removed.
The President made the remarks amid continuing reports about an alleged
plot to oust him –spearheaded by the CPP in connivance with political opponents
of the President.
Mr. Duterte also lamented that some troops are in communication with his
critics, particularly the LP.
The Philippine Army, for its part, stressed that no soldier will be enticed to go
Calida threatens libel on Trillanes
calling me a thief, I shall be constrained to file a
criminal case for libel plus damages against him,”
Calida said.
Trillanes should express his sincere
apology for calling me a thief.
“The putschist Mr. Trillanes ranted to the media
yesterday that I ‘stole’ his amnesty application
document. In effect, Mr. Trillanes maliciously branded
me as a thief, which I’m not,” Calida added.
The justice chief said it was obvious that Trillanes’
rationality has deserted him.
“What is there to steal when
Lt. Col. Thea Joan N. Andrade,
chief of the Discipline, Law and
Order Division of the Office of the
Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel
(J1), who is the custodian of the
records issued a Certification
that there is no available copy of
Trillanes’ application for amnesty
in the records?” he said.
“I have never entered the
offices of the J1 or the Personnel
Division of the AFP at Camp
Aguinaldo so how could I ‘steal’
documents kept there?” he added.
Requirements restated
Calida said the senator might
have not bothered to read “with
perspicacity” Proclamation 572
that voided his amnesty.
He explained the revocation of
Trillanes’ amnesty was anchored
on at least two minimum
requirements which were not
complied with which are that
Trillanes did not file an official
amnesty application form and the
sworn statement or narration of his
participation in the Oakwood and
Manila Peninsula incidents which
was required to be annexed to his
application and that Trillanes did
not express his guilt for the crimes
which he committed in connection
with the Oakwood Mutiny and the
Manila Peninsula siege.
Rounded up Troubled looks were all in the faces of six individuals whom the National Bureau of Investigation
arrested in an operation against alleged members of the communist movement in a farm in Teresa, Rizal.
Calida said Trillanes should have done that during
an interview on 5 January 2011 that “they were not
admitting guilt to the mutiny and coup d’etat charges
lodged against them both in the civil and military
courts” and “I would like to qualify that we did not
admit to the charge of coup d’etat or anything which
were filed against them.”
“If one will follow the convoluted logic of Trillanes
then he’s saying that he did not commit the crimes
that were covered by the amnesty,” he said.
“If that is what he really means, then he has
no need for amnesty because when one applies
for amnesty he must expressly admit his guilt
to the crimes he committed. Moreover, DND-AC
Circular 1 further requires the applicants to
recant all previous statements inconsistent with
the requirement of admission of that guilt which
he never did,” he added
He explained that the revocation of the senator’s
amnesty is based on his failure to comply with the
two minimum requirements to be eligible for such.
No delegation
Sen. Richard Gordon, meanwhile, said he is one
with Mr. Duterte in the belief that amnesty should
not be delegated by the commander in chief to a
Cabinet secretary.
Without particularly citing the revoked amnesty
of fellow Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, Gordon also
stressed there should be accountability to ensure that
those granted with amnesty would no longer commit
offenses against the state.
“Amnesty comes from the President, I don’t think
that the President should give it to the secretary. It
should be signed by the President himself. I don’t
want to dwell on this issue but it is being discussed,”
Gordon, who is a lawyer like Mr. Duterte, said.
The putschist Mr. Trillanes ranted to the
media yesterday that I stole his amnesty
application.
“We should be careful in granting amnesty
because it’s always political…you want peace but
those being granted are not serious and do it again
and again…like now, we are talking about coup
d’etat but no one is jailed because of coup d’etat,”
he added.
Gordon, who has previous quarrels with Trillanes,
maintained he sympathizes with his fellow senator
BOB DUNGO JR.
against the Duterte administration –citing the high morale of the troops.
“The Philippine Army is solid in support of the administration,” said Lt. Col.
Louie Villanueva, spokesman for the Army.
“The morale of the Philippine Army is very high so our focused is on our
mission,” he added.
Villanueva stressed that any attempt to recruit Army soldiers against the
Duterte administration is doomed to fail.
SAP Go trusts soldiers
Special Assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go believes
that any plot to destabilize the Duterte administration will never succeed.
Go, in a statement, said he believes that the AFP will not be swayed to turn
against the President and he is optimistic that the military is still respecting the
chain of command.
“The AFP knows how the President works and based on the latest surveys,
the public still gives its full confidence to our President,” Go said.
He also noted that the military has intelligence over these groups who do
nothing but to slam the President.
No need for checks
Philippine Navy spokesman Cmdr. Jonathan Zata, for his part, echoed
Villanueva’s pronouncements, stressing the Navy is busy with training activities
with counterpart navies of Brunei and Japan and in the relief operations in
Northern Luzon.
Air Force spokesman Maj. Aristides Galang said their troops are in high morale
because of “the support we are getting from the government and the people.”
Galang cited the continuing acquisition of modern platforms by the Air Force.
Capt. Jerber Anthony Belonio, spokesman for the Philippine Marine Corps,
vowed the PMC is solid behind the Constitution.
Military officers also dismissed the need for loyalty check as earlier suggested
by Sen. Panfilo Lacson.
“I guess there’s no need for that (loyalty check). We already have transformed
and professional Army which is mission centric and dedicated to serve and protect
the people,” Villanueva said.
“We will not waste these status and our sacrifices just for the sake of
adventurism by some disgruntled factions,” he added.
but stressed there should be accountability.
“I sympathize with him, he is a senator…I am not
happy when somebody is in jail. I am just talking
about the principle because you asked me about
accountability. When you say accountability – children
should be taught not to do things they don’t want to
be held accountable for,” Gordon said.
The President earlier had justified his issuance
of Proclamation 572 by citing that former President
Aquino delegated the granting of amnesty to Trillanes
and other Magdalo officers and soldiers to ex-Defense
Chief Voltaire Gazmin.
PNP checks
bribery raps
By Elmer N. Manuel
The Philippine National Police (PNP), meanwhile,
is looking at related allegations over the arrest of
Lily Ong who owns the coral farm where a joint
military and National Bureau of Investigation
operations sought to arrest alleged members of the
New People’s Army.
PNP chief Director General Oscar Albayalde
said authorities are investigating charges some
police officers have received protection money
from Lily Ong.
Albayalde said he had ordered the investigation
to look into the matter following the recovery of
high-powered firearms from the coral farm of Ong
in Teresa, Rizal.
Ong reportedly said she gave P8,000 to each
police officer every month for protection from
kidnappers. Recovered from her farm was a list of
the police officers.
“I have ordered an investigation into that, the
alleged protection money, if it really exists,” said
Albayalde on radio. “Some policemen may have
agreed to protect Ong as a “sideline” to pad their
income, which is illegal.”
The PNP chief also revealed that acting Rizal
police chief Senior Supt. Lou Evangelista appeared
not to have been informed of the raid on the trader’s
farm and that he had already talked to Police
Regional Office 4-A regional director Chief Supt.
Edward Carranza for an explanation.
High-powered firearms were seized during the
raid on the 200-hectare farm in Teresa, Rizal.

Friday, 28 September 2018
Daily Tribune
PAGE THREE
CONFLICTING COURT ORDERS
No Palparan
‘Munti’ transfer yet
PALPARAN
By Elmer N. Manuel
A second case of illegal detention in a
Malolos City court is keeping the Armed
Forces of the Philippines (AFP) from
transferring convicted kidnapper former
Army Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan to the
New Bilibid Prison.
Palparan was sentenced earlier
this month to reclusion perpetua
or imprisonment of up to 40
years after he was found guilty of
the 2006 kidnapping and illegal
detention of University of the
Philippines students Sherlyn
Cadapan and Karen Empeño.
In a statement on Thursday, the AFP
said it could not yet effect the transfer
of Palparan to Muntinlupa as ordered by
the Malolos Regional Trial Court (RTC)
Branch 15.
Philippine Army spokesman Lt. Col.
Louie Villanueva said the AFP is also
awaiting word from the Malolos RTC
Branch 19, which recently ruled that
the former commander of the Philippine
Army’s 7th Infantry Division should be
in AFP safekeeping as he is still facing a
separate illegal detention case.
Palparan was sentenced earlier
this month to reclusion perpetua or
imprisonment of up to 40 years after he
was found guilty of the 2006 kidnapping
and illegal detention of University of
the Philippines (UP) students Sherlyn
Cadapan and Karen Empeño.
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra
on Tuesday said Palparan had been
committed to Bilibid but later withdrew
his statement with an apology.
Labeled as a “The Butcher” by activists,
Palparan was a star in the anti-communist
drive called “Oplan Bantay Laya” of former
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
Palparan was even praised by Arroyo
in her 2006 State of the Nation Address in
front of high-ranking government officials
and other dignitaries.
Labeled as “The Butcher” by
activists, Palparan was a star in
the anti-communist drive called
“Oplan Bantay Laya” of former
President Gloria Macapagal
Arroyo.
Along with Palparan, also convicted were
Lt. Col. Felipe Anotado, Jr. and S/Sgt. Edgardo
Osorio. They received the same sentence and
were each ordered to pay P300,000 in civil
indemnities to the families of Cadapan and
Empeño.
The National Union of People’s
Lawyers which counseled Cadapan
and Empeño’s families, hailed the ruling
and called it a warning to human rights
violators.
Poll source code
up for probe
By Raymart T. Lolo
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will open the source code
for the automated election system to be used in the May 2019 national
and local polls for scrutiny.
But interested parties and groups were told to submit their written
requests to the Comelec until today.
The Comelec opened the bidding for P1.16 billion worth
of new voter verification machines that will be used
during the mid-term polls.
The commission will open a local source code review in compliance
with Republic Act 9369 which directs the Comelec to “promptly make the
source code available and open to any interested party or group, which
may conduct its own review.”
“The local source code review is an important requirement of
the automation law as it hopefully assures stakeholders and the
general public that there are no hidden instructions lurking in the
codes that tell the vote counting machines how to work,” spokesman
James Jimenez said.
According to the Comelec Resolution No. 10423, the conduct of the
local source code review by any interested party will enhance public
acceptance of and build public confidence in the automated election
system.
This will be aside from the separate source code review by
an international certification entity to be conducted as soon
as the required public bidding process for the service provider
is done.
On Wednesday, the Comelec opened the bidding for P1.16 billion
worth of new voter verification machines that will be used during the
mid-term polls.
By Mario J. Mallari
OFW killed after rampage
Security officers shot dead an overseas Filipino worker (OFW)
in Saudi Arabia after he stabbed to death his Saudi manager and
a Pakistani co-worker
on Wednesday.
In a statement,
the Department of
Foreign Affairs
(DFA) said that
a team from
the Philippine
Consulate in
Jeddah was
dispatched to
gather more
information about
the incident.
They were also
ordered to assist
in repatriating
EUROPEAN Union flags serve as foreground to Ambassador Franz Jessen as he graces the 2018 European Higher Education Fair at
the Shangri-La Plaza. The event was held in coordination with EU Member States’ Embassies and Cultural Institutes with the participation of the
Commission on Higher Education.
RAFAEL TABOY
the remains of the OFW.
Consul General Edgar Badajos said the Filipino worker
allegedly first stabbed the Pakistani after an argument
before he went after the Saudi manager and several other
co-workers when they tried to pacify him.
The DFA withheld the identity of the OFW pending notification
of his next of kin.
Initial reports reaching the DFA said the incident happened in
Farasan Island, 50 kilometers offshore from the southern city of Jizan.
Consul General Edgar Badajos said the Filipino worker allegedly
first stabbed the Pakistani after an argument before he went after
the Saudi manager and several other co-workers when they tried to
pacify him.
Badajos said a security personnel of the company,
a subcontractor of the Saudi Electric Company,
immediately responded and shot and killed the Filipino.
Badajos said a security personnel of the company, a subcontractor
of the Saudi Electric Company, immediately responded and shot and
killed the Filipino.
It was not clear yet what prompted the OFW to stab his
co-workers.
Chiong ends
Naga rescue ops
By Rico Mirasol Osmena
CEBU—Naga City Mayor Kristine Chiong on Thursday
terminated rescue operations for the landslide victims in
Barangay Tinaan.
A week after the tragedy, Chiong declared retrieval and
rescue operations will continue at the site.
In recommending the shift, authorities considered health
and safety concerns, especially as cadavers underground
have started emitting foul smell.
Her action was taken after the recommendation of Cebu
Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office
(CPDRRMO) chief Baltazar Tribunalo.
“In recommending the shift, authorities considered health
and safety concerns, especially as cadavers underground have
started emitting foul smell,” Chiong said.
As this developed, Provincial Board Member Raul Bacaltos
called for an inquiry on the Naga landslide.
The resolution was adopted by the Provincial Board during
its out of town session in Cordova last 24 September.
The inquiry will first call on representatives from the
Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB)-7, Provincial Disaster
Risk Reduction Management Office(PDRRMO) and Provincial
Environment and Natural Resources Office(PENRO) on 8
October.
Bacaltos said the City of Naga will be called after the three
government agencies have given their assessment on the matter.
At press time, 64 had been recorded dead with four
unidentified, 18 injured and 21 still missing.
Provincial Board Member Raul Bacaltos called for an
inquiry on the Naga landslide.
ROGELIO Singson, former secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) addresses the Senate Blue Ribbon and Public Works’
committees which are delving into the issues of misuse of public funds for the right of way and acquisition of lands with fake titles in General Santos
City during the previous administration of former President Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Aquino.
ALFONSO PADILLA
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)
said the number of families still at the evacuation centers
reached 1,716 or 7,653 individuals. Of these, 1,516 are infants
and 2,853 are children.
Eleven gymnasiums, covered courts and schools are being
used as temporary shelters for the evacuees.
A one-year-old child survivor is in a hospital for dehydration
due to diarrhea.
Also, 36 other survivors tested positive for food and water
borne diseases.

COMMENTARY
4 Friday, 28 September 2018
Daily Tribune
Daily
Tribune
WITHOUT FEAR • WITHOUT FAVOR
“Based
on Joma’s
recent
statements,
the plot
would
be more
measured
and will
progress
based on
developments
against
Rody’s
critics.
Ninez Cacho-Olivares
Crispin G. Martinez
Chito Lozada
Dinah Ventura
Aldrin Cardona
John Henry Dodson
Jun Vallecera
Jaimes R. C. Sumbilon
Larry Payawal
Komfie Manalo
Patricia Ramos
Board Chair
Willie Fernandez
Publisher and President
Founding Chair
Executive Editor
Managing Editor
Associate Editors
Business Editor
Central Desk
Special Reports
Persistent
foes
It was not a coincidence that exiled Communist Party of
the Philippines founder Jose Maria “Joma” Sison, leaders of
the Liberal Party and Senate squatter Sen. Antonio Trillanes
IV are singing the same tune on the existence of a plot to
oust President Rody Duterte.
All of them are denying an alliance while saying that a
conspiracy is a product of Rody’s rich imagination yet, in
synchronicity, they harp on Rody’s supposed plummeting
approval and trust ratings that they attribute to the soaring
prices of basic commodities primarily rice prices and the
existence of “disgruntled elements in the military” that will
lead to his imagined downfall.
Of course, the claims are all canard since the recent Pulse
Asia poll showed a 75 percent approval and 72 percent trust
ratings on Rody.
Prior to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) revealing
the “Red October” plot, the AFP hierarchy mentioned about an
earlier effort called “Aklasan” that was apparently called off
after being preempted by Rody himself
through a 11 September one-on-one with
Presidential Legal Adviser Sal Panelo.
Rody is known for quick and resolute
actions that address problems facing him before
these get worse such as when he immediately
imposed martial law in Mindanao after the Islamic
State-inspired siege of Marawi City.
The day before the tete-a-tete, the
Palace announced a
nationwide address
from Rody but the
format was abruptly
changed to a dialog
between the President
and Panelo later on.
On hindsight, the shift in
format would have indicated
that the problem was immediately
resolved.
Statements from Rody and heads of the military indicate
that indeed a major destabilization effort was pre-empted.
“That is their plan. If they can’t do it through a takeover
then they would resort to assassination,” Rody said.
Similar to the IS attempt on Marawi City, the power grab
was timely defused.
The habit of Rody making light of attempts on his life
made many dismiss his recounting of the uprising attempt
that included an assassination try.
In the interview with Sal, Rody said he welcomes the
possibility of taking an assassin’s bullet saying it would “be a
quick death compared to dying due to sickness.”
“I will be happy to die at your hands. At
“Statements
from Rody
and heads of
the military
indicate
that indeed
a major
destabilization
effort was
pre-empted.
least I won’t die because of sickness. What’s
a bullet? At least your pain won’t last more
than one second,” Rody said.
In the course of the interview, he even
urged the plotters “to set their plans in
motion early and not wait until 21 September.”
“Start it now, don’t delay it, your plan to
sabotage on 21 September. Do it!” he said.
The military would later on say that the
talk between Sal and Rody televised nationwide preempted
the launching of the takeover bid.
Rody’s talk then was spent on addressing the AFP daring
soldiers to stage a coup d’etat “if they believe in Trillanes”
or if they disapprove of him as a leader.
The military would also reveal after 21 September, some
of its leaders talked with the yellow groups in the tie up with
the communists and Trillanes’ Magdalo that resulted in the
scuttling of the ouster plot.
The sequel called “Red October” would have a difference
in that the plot will apparently be led by the communists.
Based on Joma’s recent statements, the plot would be more
measured and will progress based on developments against
Rody’s critics such as “a crackdown on the supporters of
Trillanes in the military, the replacement of Vice President
Leni Robredo by (former Senator) Bongbong Marcos as Vice
President or some other flagrant abuse of power.”
The destabilizers are indeed on the move to again thwart
the people’s will by attempting to oust a democratically-elected
President.
“Charges
against
her are not
trumped-up
since the
prosecution’s
evidence
against her
is pretty
strong.
“Republic
Act 6955,
otherwise
known as
the
“Anti-Mail
Order
Bride
Law,” on
13 June
1990,
which
makes it
unlawful
for any
person to
operate a
business
for the
purpose of
arranging
marriages.
Detained Sen. Leila de
Lima may be hard pressed
to prove her case, once
the prosecutor establishes
her guilt while proving
the drug cases against
her as her appeal to the
Muntinlupa Regional Trial
Court (RTC) for some 13
prisoner-witnesses to be
disqualified was junked
by the court, and for good
and legitimate reasons.
Leila’s bid to block
the 13 convicts from testifying for the
government against her was denied by
the Muntinlupa RTC Branch 206 for
the simple reason that Leila’s motion
to disqualify 13 individuals from the
National Bilibid Prison (NBP) lacked
merit.
No surprise there, as Leila is known
to file motion after motion and she
gets foiled every time for lack of merit.
It will be recalled that some weeks
ago, the detained senator filed a
motion before the court, seeking the
NBP prisoners’ disqualification from
testifying against her as prosecution’s
witnesses, insisting that the law
disallows convicts serving sentences
of reclusion perpetua after being
convicted of crimes involving “moral
turpitude,” such as robbery, murder,
homicide and violation of the
Dangerous Drugs Act.
Through her lawyers, De Lima cited
the law on the government’s Witness
Protection Act, claiming that this law
bans such convicts accused of murder,
Illegal sale and delivery of shabu,
kidnapping and robbery with murder.
However, the prosecutor as well
as the judge disputed the claims
Feel-good stories
abound about happy
and enduring marital
union between Filipino
women and foreigners.
Yet, despite the positive
publicity that these
stories generate, some
transnational marriages
are not successful. There
are cases where women
are mistreated, abused
or simply, exploited.
To make things worse,
unscrupulous persons engage in
nefarious schemes to monetize women
as if they are chattels by arranging
brokered marriages with equally
unscrupulous foreign men who will
purchase them as brides for a fee.
It is for this reason that the Philippine
Congress enacted Republic Act (RA)
6955, otherwise known as the “Anti-Mail
Order Bride Law,” on 13 June 1990,
which makes it unlawful for any person
to operate a business for the purpose of
arranging marriages between Filipinas
and foreign men for a fee. Regrettably,
successful prosecutions under this
statute are rare, if not non-existent, as
widespread development of the Internet
brought a proliferation of match-making
websites which legally remain beyond
the coverage of RA 6955. Particularly,
the prohibition under RA 6955 was
readily circumvented as it only covers
match-making through mail-order basis
or personal introductions.
To address this problem, RA 10906,
otherwise known as “An Act Providing
Stronger Measures Against Unlawful
Practices, Business, and Schemes of
Matching and Offering Filipinos to
Foreigner Nationals for Purpose of
Marriage or Common Law Partnership,”
or the “Anti-Mail Order Spouse Act” was
enacted; thus, effectively repealing RA
6955. This new measure aims to prevent
the exposure of both Filipino men and
women from possible abuse, exploitation,
Reckoning time
FRONTLINE
Ninez Cacho-Olivares
of De Lima, with the
prosecutor saying
these 13 individuals
are not accused in the
conspiracy to commit
illegal drug trading case
against De Lima.
Moreover, the
judge agreed with the
prosecutor, as she cited
court rules stating that
“all persons who can
perceive, and perceiving,
can make known
their perception to others, may be
witnesses.”
She added “religious or political
belief, interest in the outcome of the
case or conviction of a crime unless
otherwise provided by law, shall not
be ground for disqualification,” quoting
Rule 130, Section 20 of the Rules of
Evidence.
With the judge now ruling that the
13 individuals are not to be disqualified
from testifying, at the trial of De Lima,
she will certainly have a rough time
trying to get out of getting convicted,
should the prosecutor be able to prove
his case against Leila.
With 13 NBP prisoners testifying
against her, her claims of innocence
can easily be thrown out of the court’s
window, considering that these witnesses
cleared for testimonies have first-hand
and personal knowledge of the drug
dealings with them and other prisoners
by Leila while she was the Justice chief,
with plans to run for the Senate.
However, it is not only the prisoners
who are the witnesses against Leila in
her drug case. Her former Bureau of
Corrections chief also testified during
the House hearing on the charges
aired against Leila, that that he had
brought some P10 million for delivery
to her home and at the time when she
was home.
There may also be bank transaction
records of the prisoners’ accounts
which may prove to be very
strong evidence against
Leila.
Choice of spouse – heaven or hell?
A DOSE OF LAW
Dean Nilo Divina
prostitution and violent
situations brought
about by match-making
schemes. It further
takes into consideration
the emerging forms of
technology, such as digital
match-making platforms
and sites which facilitate
the prohibited act of
matching Filipinos to
foreign nationals for
marriage or common law
partnership.
Specifically, RA 10906 makes it
unlawful for any person, whether natural
or juridical, to commit, directly or
indirectly, any of the following acts: (1)
engaging in any business or scheme for
money, profit, material, economic or other
consideration which has for its purpose
the matching or offering of a Filipino
to a foreign national for marriage or
common law partnership on a mail-order
basis or through personal introduction,
email, or website on the Internet;
(2) exhibiting, advertising, publishing,
printing, distributing, or causing the
exhibition, advertisement, publication,
printing, or distribution of brochures,
flyers, or propaganda materials which
are calculated
“Unscrupulous
persons engage
in nefarious
schemes to
monetize
women.
to promote the
prohibited acts
in the preceding
item, or to post,
advertise, or upload
such materials
through websites
on the Internet; (3)
soliciting, enlisting, or in any manner,
attracting or inducing any Filipino
to become a member in any club
or association whose objective is to
match Filipino nationals to foreign
nationals for the purpose of marriage
or common law partnership for a fee,
and (4) to use the postal service or any
website on the Internet to promote any
of the following prohibited acts. The
It will be recalled that the Anti-Money
Laundering Council, then chaired by
Noynoy Aquino’s appointees, never
bothered to act on the requests of the
Department of Justice for the AMLC
to order the release the prisoners’
bank records in enabling DoJ to check
on whether transfers were made
and when large sums have been
withdrawn and deposited in other
person’s accounts. It was only after so
many refusals that President Duterte
warned the AMLC that it grudgingly
submitted the bank transactions of
these prisoners, so unlike the days of
the yellows’ reign, where the AMLC
was quick to leak out bank records
against the foes of the yellows.
But there is still a most
“Leila
is known
to file
motion
after
motion
and she
gets
foiled
every
time for
lack of
merit.
telling piece of evidence
that the prosecutors can
use against Leila, which
is an investigative report
on how prisoners have
been accommodated
sometimes luxuriously by
Leila when she was justice
chief. This video was aired
in the Philippines and had
a foreign reporter who did
the documentary.
Leila knows she has a
hard climb to prove her
claimed innocence. There
is too much evidence—testimonial and
documentary—against her, and unlike
the trumped-up charges she filed
against the three opposition senators,
while absolving the allies of plunder,
today’s charges against her are not
trumped-up since the prosecution’s
evidence against her is pretty strong.
Leila shouldn’t complain too much.
She may soon have an ally and her
defender named Antonio Trillanes,
join her in jail.
On the other hand, there may
just be a way for her to escape
conviction and jail time, The court
said mental incapacity or immaturity
and privileged communication,
meanwhile, can be grounds
for witness disqualification.
Leila can always claim to
be mentally unstable and did
not know what she was doing
when she conspired with NBP
prisoners on the drug trade.
The way she has been doing nothing
but think of ways and means to get
back at Rody Duterte, may just qualify
her for entry to the nuthouse, sooner
or later.
above notwithstanding, legitimate dating
websites, which have for their purpose
connecting individuals with shared
interests in order to cultivate personal
and dating relationships, are not covered
by RA 10906.
If found guilty, the person committing
any of the prohibited acts and anyone
who abets or cooperates in the execution
of such acts, shall suffer the penalty of
imprisonment for 15 years and a fine of
P500,000 to P1,000,000. If the prohibited
act is committed by a syndicate or
committed on a large scale, the offender
shall suffer the penalty of imprisonment
of 20 years and a fine of P2,000,000
to P5,000,000. If a person has the
knowledge of the commission of the
unlawful acts and profits from it or assists
the offender to profit from it, without
having participated therein, either as a
principal or as an accomplice, he shall be
considered an accessory to the offense
committed and shall suffer the penalty
of 10 years imprisonment and a fine of
P100,000 to P500,000.
In case the offender is a corporation,
partnership, association, club,
establishment, or any juridical entity,
the penalty shall be imposed upon the
owner, president, partner, manager, or
any responsible officer who participated
in the commission of the prohibited act
or who shall have knowingly permitted
or failed to prevent its commission.
Furthermore, the court may also suspend
or revoke the license or permit to operate
in the Philippines of the advertising
agency, newspaper and magazine
publisher, television or radio station,
Internet website, or other entities who
commit any of the prohibited acts.
Someone once said that the choice
of spouse determines your eternal
destination — heaven or hell. Well,
better choose wisely. For one, don’t
marry someone borne out of a business
proposition.
Email: nilo.divina@divinalaw.com
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Friday, 28 September 2018
Daily Tribune
COMMENTARY
5
“For a
majority
of our
people,
no matter
how many
viands
of food
have been
served to
them, no
meal is
complete
without
rice.
A couple of days ago, Pulse
Asia released its third quarter
survey on the approval and trust
ratings of national officials. The
survey showed that 75 percent
of Filipinos approve of the work
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte
has been doing so far. The
same survey also showed the
President enjoys the trust of 72
percent of Filipinos.
The President remains the
most approved and most trusted
government official of the land albeit
there was a dip in his numbers. We find
this understandable considering the
timing when the survey was conducted,
first week of September, it was the height
of the soaring prices of rice with calls
for the abolition of the National Food
Authority (NFA) and the filing of a graft
complaint against its former Administrator
Jason Aquino. During the same week, the
inflation numbers for August were also
released.
The Philippines is primarily a rice-eating
country. Rice is one of our daily staples,
if not THE daily staple. For a majority of
our people, no matter how many viands of
food have been served to them, no meal is
complete without rice.
This shows that for Filipinos, rice is a
Boosting food supply, taming inflation
BRIEFING ROOM
Harry Roque
gut issue. Malapit sa bituka,
as we Tagalogs call it. And
borrow from the millennials,
rice is life.
That being said, President
Duterte has stated in countless
occasions that he governs
because it is his constitutional
duty, not for survey results.
So, we take note of the survey
results but our policies are
based on what is good for the
nation, not what is good for
survey results.
We assure the public that we won’t settle
for mediocre or substandard measures. We
vow to do our best, on our end, to mitigate
and resolve the food supply issue.
For one, President Duterte has already
signed Administrative Order (AO) 13
last week which will remove non-tariff
barriers and streamline procedures on the
importation of agricultural products which
include rice.
This is an unprecedented move since nontariff
barriers and certain administrative
constraints, procedures and fees unduly
add to the cause of importation and limit
food supply.
Alongside this AO 21, the President has
also signed Memorandum Order 26, 27, 28,
all of which are measures to stabilize the
prices of basic agricultural commodities at
reasonable levels, maintain their sufficient
supply in the domestic market and provide
effective and sufficient protection to
consumers against hoarding, profiteering
and cartels with respect to the supply,
distribution, marketing and pricing of said
goods.
For Memorandum
“President
Duterte’s
campaign
promise
of a more
comfortable
life for every
Filipino is
all the more
relevant and
affirmed.
Order 26, the President
directs the Department of
Agriculture (DAR) and the
Department of Trade and
Industry (DTI) to adopt
measures to reduce the
gap between farmgate
prices and retail prices of
agricultural products. The
DAR is tasked to improve
farm income and generate
work opportunities for
farmers, fisherfolk and
other rural worker while the DTI is
mandated to formulate and implement
policies, plans and programs relative to
the development, expansion, promotion
and regulation of trade, industry and
investments and to protect consumers from
trade malpractices and from substandard
or hazardous products.
Memorandum Order 27, on the other hand,
directs the Department of Agriculture,
Department of the Interior and Local
Government, Philippine National Police
and the Metropolitan Manila Development
Authority to adopt measures to ensure the
efficient and seamless delivery of imported
agriculture and fishery products from the
ports to markets.
Meanwhile, under Memorandum Order
28, the National Food Authority (NFA)
is directed to immediately release into
markets approximately 230,000 metric tons
of rice currently in stock in its warehouses
across the country. They are, likewise,
tasked to release another 100,000 metric
tons of rice previously contracted to be
delivered before the end of this month. On
top of these, the NFA is further directed
to adopt measures to ensure access by
consumers to regular milled and wellmilled
rice.
With all these at the helm, the
government is two steps ahead in taming
inflation while boosting food supply.
President Duterte’s campaign promise of
a more comfortable life for every Filipino
is all the more relevant and affirmed
since he, along with this administration, is
working day-in and day-out to offer tangible
solutions to problems plaguing this nation.
Let us therefore continue to move
forward, towards a more peaceful and more
prosperous Philippines.
Bathrooms are a serious business. What you do there is
necessarily serious business. Bathrooms provide relief. They
provide to the posterior what the frontal lobe fails to do
sometimes. And yes, the relief could be immediate.
Among us journalists, bathrooms are good places to
complete a story. By that we mean we confer with colleagues
over how a story is shaping up, pick the other’s brain if that
is at all possible in the hope of getting the optimum “angle”
and right at that point when the fly is open and the
deluge comes rushing out.
There is no humor in that, of course. Sidling up
to a colleague in the bathroom to try to clear
up something is serious business. There
are ways how not to do it, otherwise you
get queer glances and, in the worst of
cases, get into trouble. It’s a man
thing, like there are girl things.
Please pardon the folly.
But as in bathrooms, so too in
life. One could look at bathrooms
like one always looks at bus
stops on the way to work. There’s
nothing exciting in them. They’re
often inelegant structures,
maybe even septic. Which
brings us to the subject
of governments, this
government and a lot
other governments in
earlier dispensations
and how they were run.
We take the position
that bathrooms are a
reliable proxy as to
the state of governance
in any dispensation,
whether or not they were
Duterte’s, Aquino’s, Arroyo’s,
Estrada’s, Ramos’ or whoever.
Those things often
smell, we know that,
of course. But not
everyone realizes
that there are
actually bathrooms
in many government
agencies around the
country that do not
smell of you know
The bathroom test
what at all.
That there are government agencies whose bathrooms, or
restrooms, or CR or whatever are places one could find comfort in.
By comfort we mean agencies that actually relieve one of burden.
Take, for instance, the bathrooms of the Bangko Sentral ng
Pilipinas (BSP). In the language of the millennials they’re cool
places. One could go in there, do one’s business and leave with
the impression that one had been to a first-class institution.
Go to any of its floors at its main offices in Malate, Manila or
at its minting plant in Quezon City or in any of its regional
offices in Bicol, the Visayas, north Luzon or even Davao City.
One may do business with the BSP in any of these places, visit
its bathrooms afterward and realize that one could actually
eat inside those things.
It’s fair to say that many other government offices do have
bathrooms not as grand may be as that provided by the central
bank but just as clean and as spic and span looking. It is also
fair to say that none of those government agencies and offices
maintains its bathroom facilities with the conscientiousness
and consistency of a benevolent father figure as the
central bank does. Sure, the flush mechanisms at the
Ninoy Aquino International Airport
work, as do those at the headquarters
of the Social Security System, the
Government Service Insurance
System or the consular offices
of the Department of Foreign
Affairs.
Now, this may not be fair at all
but the bathrooms in Malacañang,
especially those at the Mabini
Hall, stink a lot. One goes in there
to do business, hold one’s breath
and leave at once. The same goes
in any of the offices
of the Metropolitan
Manila Development
Authority or that of
the various police
headquarters.
Funny that the
quality of service one gets from the
government often directly correlates
to the state of the agency bathrooms.
The superior the service the better
their bathrooms smell. We write
about bathrooms now because
we are taxpayers and we deserve
better.
Let us end this with a bathroom
sign we saw in
one of those quick
overseas postings:
My aim is to keep
this bathroom
clean; your aim will
help.
“Justice
Marquez
is very
qualified
to be
appointed
to the SC.
Way back in 1998, this writer
got to see golf phenomenon
Tiger Woods play an exhibition
round at Mimosa, Clark,
Pampanga. I was only 14, and
Tiger was 22. The thousands of
people who flocked the course
made it difficult for this writer
to see Tiger up close, although
I do remember waiting around
2 or 3 holes ahead just to see
him tee-off. Unfortunately, I
was not able to get a signature
of Tiger, but I did get a signature on my
Mickey Mouse golf cap from his father,
Earl Woods.
What followed was years of fascination
on the golf game of Tiger. This writer
followed his storied career, and a longing
to play like him. Although my golf game
never improved throughout the years, my
admiration of the athlete remained despite
the scandals surrounding his personal life
which caused his downfall.
It was heartbreaking to see Tiger,
perhaps the greatest golfer of all time,
struggle amid the injuries, but it was
worse to see him made a mockery by the
public. Of course, womanizing can never
be an excuse, but it was terrible to see
how his golf game suffered. It was thus
always exciting to see Tiger as an underdog
QUO VADIS
Darren M. de Jesus
Comeback Stories
at every tournament, until the
last one.
Last weekend, Tiger finally
made his comeback in winning
the Tour Championship in Atlanta.
And this was not an easy
tournament — most of today’s
golf greats were playing also, some
of which played golf because of
Tiger. His walk to the 18th Hole has
become viral. Thousands of fans
were raring behind him. It was
unlike any other golf tournament.
It was more like a music festival. And the
image of Tiger sinking the final putt: It was
redemption at its purest form.
These stories are not uncommon, and it
always makes a good conversation. In our
country, there are similar comebacks, some
fulfilled, while others still in waiting. A lot of
these happen in the world of politics — former
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo election
to the Speakership is one such comeback.
Another would be the Marcoses slow return
to power, with Sen. Bongbong Marcos almost
winning the vice presidency and Gov. Imee
Marcos’ expected (as predicted by the
surveys) win at the Senate.
Yet, an aborted comeback of the
spokesman of former Chief Justice
Renato Corona was seemingly aborted,
thanks to the blockage made by the
President’s daughter. On Wednesday, Court
Administrator, Justice Midas Marquez,
was interviewed by the Judicial and Bar
Council (JBC) for his application to the SC
seat vacated by now Ombudsman Samuel
Martires. It was revealed thereat that
Davao Mayor Sara Duterte filed a formal
complaint against his application since he
allegedly offered to drop the disbarment
case pending against her.
To recall, in 2011,
“Womanizing
can never be an
excuse, but it
was terrible to
see how his golf
game suffered.
Sara found herself in
an altercation against
a sheriff who was
merely doing his job by
implementing a demolition
order of shanties, issued
by Branch 16, Regional
Trial Court (RTC) of
Davao City. The sheriff, named Abe Andres,
found himself in the receiving end of several
punches thrown by Sara. Thereafter, the
Sheriffs Confederation of the Philippines
filed a petition to disbar Sarah which
apparently is still pending before the Office
of the Court Administrator headed by Justice
Marquez.
This is very unfortunate for Justice
Marquez who during the entire term
of de facto Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes
Sereno, was placed in the back burner.
Justice Marquez was reported to be
instrumental in the ouster of Sereno
and was present in the hearings held
by the House Committee on Justice.
The momentum for Justice Marquez’s
appointment has been steamrolling and
the legal industry expected him to be
appointed to the Supreme Court (SC) as
the President’s number one pick. Now, it
seems he hit a brick wall.
This writer opines that Justice Marquez is
very qualified to be appointed to the SC. A
graduate of the Ateneo de Manila Law School
(full disclosure: same as this writer), Justice
Marquez rose from the ranks within the SC.
As Court Administrator, Justice Marquez
has been efficient in monitoring the court
docket, auditing judicial performance and
disciplining members of the judiciary. It is
tragic that his appointment may be bucked
by mere allegations.
We are hopeful that his credentials
would outweigh the complaint of Sara.
Should the President look into what he has
done and achieved, Justice Marquez should
be given a crack at the SC where he would
surely make a huge (positive) dent in the
future. But if we look how past political
figures have fared against the presidential
daughter, it seems that the odds are against
Justice Marquez.
Email: darren.dejesus@dejesuslegal.com

6 NEWS
Friday, 28 September 2018
Daily Tribune
From page 1
disrespecting the panels.
However, the House would only
take custody of Guban once the Senate
releases him from custody as the Senate
Blue Ribbon Committee had earlier
ordered his detention also for contempt.
Acop requested the panel to notify
the Senate blue ribbon committee
chaired by Sen. Richard Gordon that
the chamber will have jurisdiction
over the BoC officer.
Members of the House committees on
dangerous drugs and good governance
suspected Guban of lying after noting
inconsistencies in his answers to the
questions raised in connection with the
alleged smuggling into the country of
P6.8 billion worth of shabu.
Antipolo City Rep. Romeo Acop
moved to cite Guban in contempt for
“not telling the truth.”
Rep. Ace Barbers, chairman of
the dangerous drugs committee, said
Guban violated House rules through his
“disrespectful acts” towards the panels
by refusing to reply to questions fielded
by the members.
Acop said the House must notify the
Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chaired
by Sen. Richard Gordon that the two
committees will assume jurisdiction over
Guban only after the Senate inquiry is
finished.
To save time and cover more ground,
Barbers said the House panels will adopt
the testimonies in the Senate probe.
The House investigation, according to
Barbers, will focus on the drug syndicate
and the extent of its influence in the
BoC, Philippine Drug Enforcement
From page 1
Chief Executive is suffering from some form of
serious illness.
In fact, Avanceña gave out a generous tip to
enable anybody to tell if Duterte is not feeling
okay.
“If you see me always on his side, that means
there’s something wrong. But if I can leave him
by himself, that means he’s okay, there’s no
problem,” she said in a TV interview.
“Nothing is wrong with him,” she stressed.
And unlike other guys who project a “macho”
image yet horrified by the thought of having
a medical checkup, Avanceña said Duterte
undergoes regular medical examination.
“He’s really a health buff. You know we have
friends afraid of seeing a doctor. He’s not,” she said.
Avanceña said Duterte often sees a doctor
Urban oasis An island along a road in Balintawak, Cloverleaf becomes a place for congregation among street
dwellers who seek a reprieve from the concrete jungle.
ROMAN PROSPERO
From page 1
Sen. Richard Gordon said yesterday as he
vowed to unmask those involved in the
anomaly.
The irregularity had implicated high officials
of the previous administration.
Last March, the National Bureau of
Investigation (NBI) filed plunder and graft
complaints before the Office of the Ombudsman
against former Public Works Secretary Rogelio
Singson and former Budget Secretary Florencio
Abad and 29 other former officials for their
alleged involvement in the scam.
In an inquiry into the lucrative operation
yesterday, Gordon said the syndicate had five
operators but one of them, a mayor, has been
killed.
There are other syndicates
operating in the Visayas and
Luzon.
The Senate panel identified the syndicate
as cornering P8.7 billion worth of RRoW
compensations in General Santos City alone.
“The other four, I cannot tell you right now
because they might escape,” said Gordon in an
interview after the hearing.
Gordon added he is now working closely
with the Department of Justice (DoJ) and
the NBI to address the problem plaguing the
country’s Torrense system that the syndicate
exploits for the scam.
House orders detention of BoC officer
Agency (PDEA) and the Philippine
National Police (PNP).
Linkages established
The hearing uncovered links between
personalities tied to the alleged shabu
smuggling. Guban admitted he and
PDEA Deputy Director General for
Administration Ismael Fajardo were
classmates at the Philippine College
of Criminology and that they were
frequently meeting each other.
Fajardo and Guban also admitted
meeting with dismissed Senior Supt.
Eduardo Acierto to discuss
the intelligence reports
regarding the smuggled
shabu.
Guban added that
Acierto gave him money
to pay somebody to act as
consignee who will receive
the delivery.
Customs Commissioner
Isidro Lapeña said looking
for a consignee was not part
of Guban’s duties and that
for doing so he could be
criminally liable.
PDEA chief Director
General Aaron Aquino noted
that Guban, Acierto and
Fajardo have knowledge of
the alleged drug shipments.
Earlier, Sen. Richard
Gordon had said there
was evidence to suggest
that shabu weighing 1,000
kilograms found in General
Mariano Alvarez, Cavite
slipped past BoC and that
PDEA was right to suspect
the presence of shabu
Watch and learn
inside gigantic lifters.
Aquino stood pat on his claim there
was shabu inside the lifters
as shown by the reactions of
trained dogs despite the BoC
insistence that swab tests
proved negative for the
presence of shabu.
Gordon also
Welcome salute Navy personnel rest after firing salvos from several 40 millimeter cannons along the breakwater of Manila Bay near
the Cultural Center of the Philippines complex to welcome a visiting dignitary at the nearby Philippine Navy headquarters on Roxas
Boulevard.
ROY PELOVELLO
because of his gastro-intestinal problem.
Last week, Duterte told the media that he has
undergone routine colonoscopy and endoscopy
because of his condition known as Barrett’s
esophagus. It is a condition where the normal
tissue lining the esophagus -- the tube that carries
food from the mouth to the stomach -- changes to
tissue that resembles the lining of the intestine.
Duterte, however, said the checkups were no
cause for alarm.
Last month, exiled communist leader Jose
Maria Sison suffered embarrassment after he
announced that Duterte had gone into a coma.
To debunk such allegation, Duterte appeared
on a Facebook live video. He also spoke lengthily
before the League of Municipalities of the
Philippines Visayas Island Cluster Conference
in Cebu City.
They should listen to Honeylet. She knows better.
Gordon said the panel will have a final
hearing on the anomaly on 10 October before
coming up with a committee report.
“This is a big racket throughout the country,
the Torrense system is far too important for us
just to finish it in one episode,” Gordon said.
“There are other syndicates operating in
the Visayas and Luzon who we’re trying to
find. That’s why we’re working closely with the
NBI to arrest all those involved in faking land
titles,” he added.
Pacman goes for KO
Sen. Manny Pacquiao also tasked the NBI
to issue a show cause order to other resource
persons, particularly Nelson Ti, for their failure
to attend the hearing.
Ti was identified as one of the financiers of
the scam. Pacquiao said the syndicate is still
after P2.5 billion that it wanted to pilfer from
the government.
During the hearing, Gordon again grilled
Ser John Pastrana, chief of the Micrographics
and Computer Division of the Land Registration
Authority (LRA) in General Santos City, over a
letter sent to him by Singson who was present
at the hearing.
Pastrana continued to deny receiving the
letter which sought to clarify the authenticity of
documents concerning lots subjected to RRoW
within his area of responsibility.
But Pastrana’s denial was countered
by lawyer Estrella Decena-Zaldivar, of the
Duterte shelves
Fed shift bid
From page 1
“the least among the concerns” of
President Rodrigo Duterte.
“The foremost priority of the
President is fighting inflation, even
the administration acknowledges
that what is more pressing right
now is to address problems closer
to the stomach,” Roque said at a
news conference.
“Urgent issues concerning
hunger are of utmost importance,
although we are not abandoning any
talks about Federalism,” he added.
The survey showed a big
percentage of those polled believes
the shift to another form of
government is not an urgent concern
as only three percent ranked it as
a priority which has been a static
figure for four straight quarters.
Out of 1,800 participants,
the biggest percentage said the
government must control rising
food prices while 59 percent wanted
more focus on increasing the pay
and benefits of workers.
Roque said with both chambers
of Congress deep in deliberations
for the proposed P3.575-trillion
budget for 2019, the push for
Federalism is temporarily placed in
the backburner.
“We’ll get there. But we need
more discussions, studies and
information dissemination regarding
Federalism. Once the budget is
approved, then we can go back to
urged the BoC to improve
its capabilities as it faces
new challenges
from drug
smugglers.
During the
Senate probe,
‘Big 4’ runs RRoW scam
DPWH-Legal Division, who maintained the
DPWH personnel delivered the letter to
Pastrana’s office with the receiving copy.
Pastrana was identified by Roberto
Catapang Jr., a self-confessed member of
the syndicate involved in claiming payments
for RRoW in Mindanao, as the person he
transacted with at the LRA.
Network of corruption
Apart from Pastrana, Catapang also
admitted transacting business with the Registry
of Deeds, DPWH and City Assessors Office in
General Santos City.
Currently covered by the Department of
Justice’s Witness Protection Program, Catapang
lamented the non-filing of formal charges
against the people he accused of involvement
in the scam.
Gordon said the hearing clearly established
the liability of Pastrana.
“He will be liable because he is totally
negligent…with what is happening…I will catch
him eventually…the scam is really syndicated,”
Gordon said.
The modus of the syndicate involved the
manufacture of land titles for lots that are
already part of the highway and then claim for
just compensation.
Through the use of special power of attorney
and deed of assignment, the syndicates then
make a claim for compensation.
Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel said the
talking about Federalism,” Roque
said.
Controlling inflation was the top
concern for Filipinos as it garnered
63 percent out of the 1,800 Filipino
adults polled by Pulse Asia last 1 to
7 September, a 12-point increase on
the issue from last June’s 51 percent.
Improving the pay of workers,
meanwhile, remains a concern of 50
percent of the respondents, adding
the figure remains unchanged for
three straight quarters, according
to the poll.
“Amidst the soaring prices of
basic goods, a sizable majority
of Filipinos (63 percent) say
inflation is an issue that the Duterte
administration must immediately
address,” the pollster said.
The poll has a plus and negative
two percent margin of error for
national estimates, plus and negative
six percent for Metro Manila, plus
and negative three percent for the
rest of Luzon and plus and negative
five percent each for the Visayas and
Mindanao.
Also among the biggest national
concerns were reducing poverty,
creating more jobs and fighting
graft and corruption in government,
and fighting criminality, the survey
showed.
Record spike in Aug.
Pulse Asia noted the survey was
done after the Philippine Statistics
Authority announced that inflation
syndicates can’t make false claims without
the help of contacts inside the City Assessor’s
Office, local and regional offices of the
Department of Public Works and Highways,
the Cavite warehouse caretaker
testified that the seven Chinese,
including two who rented the
property, stayed locked inside
the warehouse for four hours
before leaving on board a
black vehicle.
He added that he saw
one of the Chinese
holding a grinder
approach one of the
lifters although he
refrained from trying
to find out more
for fear of
being caught.
hit a nine-year high at 6.4 percent
in August.
The pollster also noted other
circumstances like the weak peso and
rising prices of basic commodities,
particularly rice, during the survey
period.
Mr. Duterte’s economic team had
taken immediate measures to tame
inflation, including the “immediate
release” of 4.6 million sacks of rice
at state-subsidized prices.
The concern about unabated
price increases is common across
all income classes of ABC, D and E.
Inflation was the primary concern of
65 percent in Class D and 60 percent
in Class E.
The foremost priority of the
President is fighting inflation.
More than half of the richest
segment in Class ABC, or 52 percent,
were also bothered the most by
inflation.
Rounding up the top 10 urgent
concerns are fighting crime (23
percent), peace (14 percent),
stopping the destruction and
abuse of environment (13 percent),
reducing the amount of taxes paid
(12 percent) and enforcing the law
regardless of influence (11 percent).
The government has stepped up
its rice importation while President
Duterte has issued an administrative
order removing non-tariff barriers
from agricultural products to address
inflation.
LRA and the Commission on Audit.
In an inquiry conducted in General Santos
City, some 6,000 fake land titles were identified
to be in circulation.
Hot favorite Freshly cooked vegetables in coconut milk, a favorite delicacy, are readied
for serving in a sidestreet store.
ROMAN PROSPERO

Friday, 28 September 2018
Daily Tribune
By Elmer N. Manuel
UK trip ‘very well
justified’ — Palace
A “very well-justified” visit was what
Malacanang described the recent United
Kingdom trip of several Cabinet members
amid the soaring inflation in the country,
as the Palace readily defended that the trip
was meant to encourage foreign investors
to come to the country.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque
said in a press briefing Thursday that the
UK trip was meant to boost the Philippine
economy as it aimed to invite foreign
investors to do business in the Philippines.
“I think that their presence was very
well-justified, especially the economic
managers, because they are marketing the
Philippines,” said Roque. “And when they
have gathered investors, we can increase
employment and capital, as well as earnings
for the Filipinos.”
The trip, which was from 24 to 26
September, was highlighted by the
A little more than two months after it declared
a state of calamity from rising floodwaters caused
by nonstop monsoon rains aggravated by typhoon
“Inday,” the Dagupan City council once more
declared a state of calamity yesterday -- more
than a week after upland waters cascaded down
to the province and flooded several towns and
most parts of the city due to typhoon “Ompong.”
The declaration was approved by most of the
councilors during a special session, in which hot
Philippine Economic Briefing where
they sought to convince British company
representatives to invest in the Philippines.
The Philippine delegation included
Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez
III, Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno,
Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto
Pernia, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez,
Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark
Villar, Transportation Secretary Arthur
Tugade and Tourism Secretary Bernadette
Romulo Puyat.
The UK trip was meant to boost
the Philippine economy as it aimed
to invite foreign investors to do
business in the Philippines.
The delegates also stopped by London’s
first Jollibee branch that drew the ire of
labor groups who claimed that the popular
fastfood chain was listed by Department of
Labor and Employment (DoLE) as one of
the top three local companies suspected of
engaging in labor-only contracting services.
The Federation of Free Workers (FFW)
said the visit was ill-timed, especially as
“the peso continues to weaken and there
they go purchasing expensive foreign
currency at the expense of our national
coffers.”
It added that given Jollibee’s issues on
contractualization, the visit “sends a signal
that all is well with the company even if it
is not complying with labor laws.”
Invest in ‘Build, Build, Build’
Last 25 September 2018, Sec. Tugade
encouraged British stakeholders to invest
in the government’s Build Build Build
program, which he presented on behalf
of Department of Public Works and
Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar
and Bases Conversion and Development
Authority (BCDA) President Vince Dizon,
who were also present at the briefing.
Enterprising spirit A couple take their business somewhere, anywhere, with their sidecar mini store which they park wherever space allows.
Dagupan under state of calamity anew
heads reigned before the decision was made.
Reports say a heated argument ensued between
two council members: Councilors Red Erfe-Mejia
and Maybelyn Fernandez.
Erfe-Mejia deferred his vote, pending the
submission of written damage reports from the City
Disaster Reduction and Management Council. This
was countered by Fernandez who said she wanted
the immediate declaration of a state of calamity
because it was needed for government agencies
to provide the city with assistance.
Technically, Dagupan was already under a
state of calamity, which the council declared after
monsoon rains and storms in August flooded the
city and rendered roads impassable to light vehicles.
The August declaration had not been lifted
when the City Mayor’s Office submitted the
request for a special session for the second
declaration of a state of calamity due to the
impact of Ompong. Elmer N. Manuel
NATION
Sec. Tugade presented the high-impact
projects under the BBB and the profitable
opportunities that the Philippines is
offering.
The massive infrastructure program
is envisioned to strengthen the economy,
increase incomes, and improve the
investment climate that will lead to more
job opportunities for Filipinos.
He assured them that it is safe to invest
in the country because it has a government
that does not tolerate corruption.
He explained that building bridges,
roads and modern transport systems
is vital in an archipelagic country like
the Philippines in terms of enhancing
interconnectivity and mobility to
promote growth and develop industries.
“Without infrastructure, there will be
no connectivity. Connectivity must come
in terms of bridges, roads, and farm to
market roads. Connectivity must come in
water-shed and effective facilities,” he said.
AL PADILLA
Republic of the Philippines
Province of Batangas
Nasugbu, Batangas
ITB No. 18-40
INVITATION TO BID FOR THE PROCUREMENT
OF CIVIL WORKS
1. The Municipal Government of Nasugbu, Batangas through
Supplemental Budget No. 4 (Resolution No. 121/
Ordinance No. 56 CY 2018), intends to apply the sum
of P50,000,000.00 being the total Approved Budget for
the Contract (ABC) to payment under the contract for
Procurement of Civil Works below. Bids received in excess
of the ABC shall automatically be rejected at bid opening.
2. The Municipal Government of Nasugbu, Batangas, now invites
bids for the procurement of Civil Works. Bidders should have
completed a contract similar to the following project.
Project Title Location Approved Budget
for the Contract
Supply, Delivery, Construction and Brgy. Dayap, Nasugbu P50,000,000.00
Installation of Material Recovery Batangas
Facility
3. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding
procedures using non-discretionary pass/fail criterion as
specified in the (IRR) of R.A. 9184, otherwise known as the
“Government Procurement Reform Act”.
4. There will be a Pre-Bid Conference on October 10, 2018,
(2:00 p.m.) to be held at Office of the MPDC, Municipal Hall,
Escalera St., Brgy. II, Nasugbu, Batangas. All prospective
bidders may attend the conference.
7
DoLE to clamp
down on
illegal workers
By Raymart T. Lolo
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello
III on Thursday said the department
is strengthening its inspection
efforts amid the rise in numbers
of Chinese nationals working in the
country with no necessary permits.
“We are strengthening our
enforcement mechanism to check on
these illegals,” said Bello at a press
conference held at the Department
of Labor and Employment (DoLE).
According to Bello, the
existence of aliens working
illegally in the Philippines
should not only be blamed
on the labor department
because there are other
agencies issuing permits.
During the budget deliberation
for DoLE on 19 September, the
secretary reported that a total
of 40,000 foreigners have alien
employment permits (AEP), about
25,000 of whom are Chinese.
Senate Minority Leader Franklin
Drilon countered that it is believed
about 100,000 foreigners are
employed at the Entertainment
City in Pasay.
Based on recent data released by
DoLE during the press conference,
there are 51,980 Chinese nationals
employed in the country; 12,177
Japanese; 11,780 Koreans; 8,995
Indians; and 4,386 Taiwanese. There
are also 3,897 Indonesian, 2,887
Malaysian and 2,503 Vietnamese,
it added.
According to Bello, the existence
of aliens working illegally in the
Philippines should not only be
blamed on the labor department
because there are other agencies
issuing permits including the
Bureau of Immigration, Philippine
Amusement and Gaming
Corporation, Department of
Environment and Natural Resources
and Department of Justice.
The labor chief added that
foreigners given AEPs are not a
threat to local Filipino workers
as they are given jobs Filipinos
cannot do.
DLSU makes it The Times Higher Education (THE) announced on 26 September that De La Salle University (DLSU) is the only Philippine private
university able to secure a spot in its 2019 World University Rankings. DLSU makes its inaugural appearance in the 801-1000 bracket, placing it in
the top three percent of higher education institutions worldwide.
DLSU PHOTO
Quake hits Surigao del Norte
Surigao del Norte was rocked by a series of earthquakes
that happened within hours of each other yesterday
afternoon.
According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and
Seismology (Phivolcs), the first and strongest tremblor that
measured a magnitude of 5.1 happened 75 kilometers northeast
of Burgos, Surigao del Norte, at 12:44 p.m.
The quake was tectonic in origin and had a depth of three
kilometers.
The agency also said that aftershocks could be expected but
there will be no damage.
A weaker earthquake with a magnitude of 4.1 struck the
same general area of Burgos, Surigao del Norte at 1:22 p.m.
and was reported as also tectonic origin and had a depth of
four kilometers.
A magnitude 3.9 quake later hit the same area at 2:18 p.m.,
also with a tectonic origin and had a depth of six kilometers
according to Phivolcs.
At 3:27 p.m., a 4.1-magnitude quake with a depth of 16 kms.
again shook Surigao del Norte.
No aftershocks are expected from the latter earthquakes
that rendered no damage to properties in the province. ENM
WE ARE HIRING!
Looking for highly motivated and result-oriented
individuals for the following posts:
Reporters/ Writers
Video Editors
News Monitoring Staff
Applicants may email their resumé
to dailytribune@tribune.net.ph or bring them to
Concept Bldg., 3450 Florida St., Makati City
with phone (02) 8337085
5. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased on
September 28- November 5, 2018 by interested bidders from
the address below and upon payment of a non-refundable
fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of P50,000.00
It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website
of PhilGEPS, provided that bidders shall pay the fee for the
Bidding Documents at least one working day before the
submission of their bids.
6. Bids must be delivered to the address below on November 5,
2018 (9:00 a.m.- 11:00 a.m.). All bids must be accompanied
by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms. The
documents in the bid envelope must be compiled
properly in accordance with the checklist stated in the
Bid Data Sheet. Late bids shall not be accepted.
Bids will be opened on November 5, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. in
the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to
attend at the address below.
7. The Municipal Government of Nasugbu, Batangas reserves
the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding
process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract
award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected
bidder or bidders.
8. further information, please refer to:
Emerito M. Bordeos
Escalera St. Brgy. II, Municipal Compound
Nasugbu, Batangas
Email address: emermbordeos@gmail.com
Phone No. 043 4160260
(SGD) EMERLITO M. BORDEOS
BAC Chairman

8
METRO
John Henry Dodson, Editor
Friday, 28 September 2018
Daily Tribune
Passport processing
reduced to 6 days
Starting 1 October, passport applicants can
get hold of their passports in just six days instead
of the current almost one month of waiting time.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said
the expedition of the passport processing is another
promise fulfilled by the Duterte administration.
Providing better passport services is at
the heart of our work at the DFA.
Cayetano added the Department of Foreign
Affairs (DFA) will not impose additional charges
on the faster passport processing.
“We made a promise to the President and to our
kababayan that we will work hard to give them fast,
efficient and secure passport services,” Cayetano
said in a statement from New York where he is
attending the 73rd Session of the United Nations
General Assembly.
“Shortening the length of time our kababayan
would have to wait before they could receive their
passports is part of that promise,” he added.
On Monday, applicants at DFA Consular Offices
in Metro Manila who pay the regular processing fee
of P950 can receive their passports after 12 working
days instead of 15. But to those who opt to pay the
A bus driver, who was moonlighting
as a drug peddler, was arrested by the
police during a buy-bust operation in
Quezon City Wednesday evening.
Police investigations showed that
the 39-year-old driver has long been
suspected of selling illegal drugs on
the side. The suspect admitted to
using drugs but denied accusation
express processing fee of P1,200 can receive theirs
after six working days instead of seven.
Cayetano said applicants in DFA
Consular Offices outside Metro Manila
can receive their passports after 12
working days instead of 20 for regular
processing and after seven working
days instead of 10 for expedited
processing.
The DFA is also currently
working on reducing the waiting
time for passport applications
filed at Philippine Embassies
and Consulates General around
the world that currently takes
as long as two months.
“Providing better passport
services is at the heart of our
work at the DFA,” Cayetano
said in assuring the public
the agency would continue working hard to further
improve on its services.
Aside from reducing the processing time for passport
applications, Cayetano said the DFA has shortened
the waiting time of applicants in securing online
appointment slots to as early as two weeks to one
he is selling them.
“The public should take caution
with these bus drivers who are using
illegal drugs because it could result
to bigger problems,” said Supt. Louise
Benjie Tremor, station commander
of the Quezon City Police District
(QCPD) Station 10, noting that drivers
are in control of the lives of their
The Department of Science and
Technology (DoST) had allocated at
least 9,000 scholarship slots for 2018,
saying this is a good opportunity for
the country’s ‘future inventors’ who
wish their dreams become a reality.
During the Regional Science and
Technology Fair and Exhibits at the
Unibersidad ng Maynila (UdM), DoST
Secretary Fortunato de la Pena said
from the 5,000 scholarship slots in
2015, the department decided to add
4,000 more recipients to accommodate
more inventors.
However, he said the scholarship
month compared
to as long as two to three months last year.
He said this was the result of reforms he
initiated since last year that included efforts
to increase the capacity of the DFA to absorb
the surge in passport applications such as the
e-payment and the opening of at least 10,000 slots
Bus driver moonlighting as drug peddler, arrested
Riding-in-tandem
kills ex-tanod
A former village watchman was
killed while buying beer from a local
store in Parañaque City Wednesday
night.
In a report, the police identified the
victim as Jose Biona of Sitio Maligaya,
Baclaran, Parañaque City.
Initial investigation by the police
showed the victim went to a neighborhood
store to buy some beers around 10
p.m. After buying a few bottles of the
beverage, Biona reportedly chatted with
a friend while drinking the beer.
The CCTV footage of the village
showed two men in motorcycle and
wearing full-faced helmet approached
the victim and fired three shots at
Biona causing him to tumble on the
ground.
One of Biona’s children who refused
to be identified, said the suspects
passed by him and he even threw rocks
at the gunmen to avenge what they did
to his father.
The victim was rushed to the hospital
but he was declared dead on arrival by
the doctor.
Biona’s family said they are still at
a loss about the motive of the killing as
the victim has no known enemy.
The police are conducting follow up
investigation on the incident.
passengers every time they are behind
the wheels.
The suspect told the police he had
planned to surrender to the barangay.
“I started using only yesterday
because of peer pressures,” the driver
reportedly said.
The police reminded the public not
to hesitate to report to them if they
would only be given to students who
have potential invention projects which
will be useful in the future.
Dela Pena boasted the dengue kit
invention by UP College of Medicine
Dr. Raul Destura earned a gold medal
award when it competed in Geneva,
Switzerland.
The dengue kit, which is capable
of detecting if a fever is caused by a
dengue affliction, is now being used
in Switzerland as an effective tool in
providing early cure to dengue patients.
He said interested students who
want to apply for scholarship can
notice the driver or conductor of public
utility vehicles acting strange.
“They can call or send a test
message to the PNP hotline,” Tremor
said.
The suspect is facing charges of
violating Republic Act 9165 or the
Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act
of 2002.
DoST allocates 9,000 scholarship slots
The police have launched a manhunt
for a jeepney driver who ran over
a student over a dispute with the
jeepney fare.
Marife Olaguer, the mother of the
19-year-old victim, said the incident
occurred on 20 September in front
of Quiapo Church in Manila. She said
her son and classmate took a jeepney
ride from Bagong Silang, Caloocan to
Quiapo.
“Immediately after boarding the
jeepney, my son and his classmate
paid the jeepney fare,” Olaguer
said. “However, when they
reached their destination,
the driver insisted they had
not yet paid their fare and
demanded payment. That’s
when they had an argument
with the driver.”
CCTV footage of the incident showed
two teenagers alighting the jeepney
in front of Quiapo Church. It could
also be seen the driver and the boys
were engaged in an argument when
suddenly the jeepney driver put the
gear in reverse and hit the gas
hitting one of the students with
the jeepney’s rear end before
fleeing.
The victim sustained serious
head injuries but is now in stable
condition, the mother said.
visit DoST regional offices, including
the Autonomous Region in Muslim
Mindanao.
Manila City administrator Erickson
Alcomendaz thanked the leadership of
DoST for choosing the UdM as venue
on the four day exhibit. Pat Santos
Manhunt on for hit-and-run suspect
Immediately after boarding
the jeepney, my son and his
classmate paid the jeepney fare,
Olaguer said.
DoST Secretary Fortunato de
la Pena said from the 5,000
scholarship slots in 2015, the
department decided to add 4,000
more recipients to accommodate
more inventors.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has streamlined its
processing system to hasten the release of passports.
Unfortunately, the victim was
not able to get the plate number
of the jeepney and there was no
other passenger at the time of the
incident.
National Capital Region Police Office
(NCRPO) chief Guillermo Eleazar said
he would review the CCTV footage to
identify the jeepney and its driver.
“We can backtrack with other CCTV
in the area and from there we are
hoping to get additional information to
identify the jeepney, its owner and the
driver responsible for the hit-and-run
incident,” Eleazar said.
The NCRPO chief also appealed to
the public who might have witnessed the
incident or have knowledge about it, to
coordinate with the police for the early
apprehension of the jeepney driver.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
at 12 noon and 9 p.m. from Monday to Saturday,
except on holidays.
Mario Mallari
Teen jumps
to death for
‘failing’ in Math
Let this be a lesson
to parents. Manage your
expectations and goals on
your children.
A 17-year-old grade
11 student died from an
apparent suicide after
jumping from the 14 th floor
of a condominium building
on Wednesday evening in
Sampaloc, Manila.
The police said the victim
(name withheld) was a student
of Far Eastern University
(FEU) and was distressed
over fears he would fail in
his General Math subject this
latest grading quarter.
Aggravating his anxiety was
the alleged high expectations
of his parent he would be on
top of his class.
Officer-on-case SPO3
Jonathan Bautista of the
MPD-Homicide Division
said the victim sent a text
message to a friend asking
him to visit him in the condo
unit. But when the friend
arrived at the condo around 6
p.m. on Wednesday, he heard
a loud crashing noise on the
ground floor.
Upon checking the origin
of the noise, they saw the
body of the victim sprawled
on the concrete pavement.
He was rushed to the Mary
Chiles hospital where he was
declared dead by attending
physicians.
His teachers at FEU said
although the victim was “an
average student,” he passed
the General Math subject.
Pat Santos
THIS family is enjoying some moments in the sun after days of rains and fresh warning of thunderstorm and possible heavy rains from the weather bureau.
ROMAN PROSPERO

Special blend
for island paradise
Quiet comes
after storm
ASEAN biz scores
well in index
P19
P15
P12
Jun Vallecera, Editor
Friday, 28 September 2018
Daily Tribune
BUSINESS
9
COMMODITIES and goods have become more expensive in recent months as headline inflation accelerated and the purchasing power of the man on the street has been
significantly eroded.
CHRISTIAN BARACENA
Interest rates now at 9-year high
Economist at the Land Bank of the
Philippines shared the same sentiment
saying the rate hike decision, while
widely expected, should also help
‘temper the peso’s weakness and the
escalation of domestic inflation
By Joshua Lao
The Monetary Board (MB) of the Bangko Sentral ng
Pilipinas (BSP) raised on Thursday the rate at which
it borrows from or lends to banks by another 50 basis
points to combat so-called second-round effects as the
outlook on inflation remains elevated over the next
18 to 24 months.
This was the fierciest the monetary authorities have
battled against inflation since 2009 when the BSP had
to impose back-to-back interest rate
adjustments at 50 basis points
each to stop the inflation
momentum dead in its
tracks.
The seven-man MB did
so again on Thursday with
another back-to-back 50
basis point hike on the policy
rates to arrest “persistent
signs of sustained and
broadening price pressures.”
“Latest baseline
forecasts have shifted
higher for both 2018 and
2019, with risks to the
outlook still leaning toward
the upside. With supply-side
forces expected to continue to drive
inflation in the coming months, inflation
expectations have remained elevated amid
indications of second-round effects. Meanwhile,
domestic demand conditions have generally
held firm, even as the previous monetary policy
responses continue to work their way through the
economy,” the BSP said.
It also said the decision was meant “to further
anchor inflation expectations and to safeguard the
inflation target over the policy horizon. The MB
believed that a tighter monetary policy stance will help
steer inflation toward a target-consistent path over the
medium term by reducing further risks to the inflation
outlook, including those emanating from exchange
rate volatility given the continued uncertainty in the
external environment amid geopolitical tensions and
the normalization of monetary policy in advanced
economies.”
The investment banking arm of BDO Unibank
remains optimistic on the growth trajectory of the
economy even with the prevailing volatility in the
markets causing investors to be more cautious.
The most difficult part would be the
first phase since the company must
be committed to changing its business
culture from a family owned or informally
run operations to a company that has
clear growth plans and committed to
transparency and good governance.Ed
Francisco.
But even as the collegial body endeavored
to anchor inflation and inflation expectations,
the BSP reiterated the need for “timely and
appropriate non-monetary measures that will
further mitigate the impact of supply-side factors
on inflation, including rice tariffication.”
This relates in the main to supply restraints on the
staple rice aggravated by weather disruptions that
pushed headline inflation past the 4-percent ceiling
this year to 6.4 percent as of August.
The BSP said the risk for still higher inflation is
real, a prospect the BSP adknowledged when it said
such risk still leans to the upside.
ING Bank economist Joey Cuyegkeng said
the central bank has to anchor inflation
expectations.
“With inflation remaining well-above their 2-4
percent target and clear and present signs of
second round effects evident, the BSP looked
to wield yet another 50 basis point rate
hike to snuff out brewing concerns
about prices pressures.
“The BSP hiked its policy rate
to 4.5 percent, a move widely expected by the 20 out
of 22 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg, as it continues
to chase its inflation target for 2019. Price pressures
persistently emanate from the supply side however
the central bank has now vowed to reduce volatility
in the exchange rate in order to help anchor inflation
expectations. Furthermore, so-called second round
effects in the form of wage increases and transport
fare adjustment have been implemented,” Cuyegkeng
said.
At the Union Bank of the Philippines, its chief
economist, Carlo Asuncion, said the hike was expected
and should help the market see that the central bank is
intensely aware of the market and the economic signals.
“It boosts confidence of the market knowing
that the main banking regulator is fully aware
of the risks and where the economy is really at,”
Asuncion said.
Opportunities remain despite market volatility
Business sector continued to expand this year.
Fourteen banks and corporates raised P120 billion
in bonds and long-term deposits in the debt market,
while another 10 companies obtained P166 billion
in capital through the equity market via public
offers as of end-August.
Such optimism continues to present opportunities
for issuer and investor clients alike to access the
capital markets for fund-raising and investment
prospects. For potential issuers, BDO Capital and
Investment Corp. (BDO Capital) said there is a
need to engage them continuously on a real-time
basis so they can be given timely guidance as
clients embark on a capital-raising program such
Inflation expectations have remained elevated
amid indications of second-round effects.
THE local unit has thus far weakened to P53.926 as of latest versus P53.274 in August as so-called dollar bulls dominate the
market. At the currencies spot market, the unit likewise contracted ahead of the decision of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas
to hike the policy rates.
RAFAEL TABOY
as an initial securities offering.
There are typically three phases involved in a
public offer, explained BDO Capital.
First is the housekeeping stage which prepares
a company to go public and involves determining
which businesses to include in the initial public
offering or IPO, getting financial reporting systems
in order and setting up good corporate governance
policies and the corresponding infrastructure to
implement these policies. Next is the regulatory
application stage or the filing with, and presenting
the company to, the market regulators for deal
approval so that they can access public funds.
Finally, the public offering.
DoF looks
to insure
$170 billion
state assets
Finance officials met with insurance
executives in London to strategize on
how to shield an estimated $170 billion
worth of public infrastructure yet to be
built in the Philippines.
This was learned from Finance
Secretary Carlos Dominguez III who
met with Lloyd’s of London executives
and from the World Bank this week to
discuss possible insurance structures to
cover the Philippines’ expanding roster
of government assets and properties.
These assets are all owned by the
national government, some by
state-owned enterprises and most
of these have no solid framework
for risk management.
Dominguez said he took the
opportunity to meet with executives of
Lloyd’s, the world’s leading insurance
and reinsurance market, to learn
about global best practices and ways
of strengthening the Philippines’ fiscal
resilience to varied risks in the event
of disasters and climate-change related
incidents, especially now that the
government
is rolling out
a massive
infrastructure
program.
“We are
embarking
on a large
infrastructure
program and we
expect to spend
somewhere 150
and 170 billion
US dollars in
DOMINGUEZ
improving our physical infrastructure.
Leaving it and building it without thinking
about risk management is irresponsible,”
Dominguez told Lloyd’s officials at the
meeting.
Dominguez said the government’s
growing list of assets include
underground rails, long-span bridges,
light rail and additional railways,
airports and seaports under President
Duterte’s centerpiece program “Build,
Build, Build.”
“These assets are all owned by
the national government, some by
state-owned enterprises and most of
these have no solid framework for risk
management,” Dominguez said.
Among the officials of Lloyd’s
present at the meeting were Dr. Trevor
Maynard, Head of Innovation; and Lucy
Stanbrough, Innovation Associate.
Also at the meeting were officials
of Lloyd’s Disaster Risk Facility: Gina
Butterworth, Director of Underwriting,
Nephila Syndicate Management Limited;
James Mitchell, Senior Vice President
for Underwriting, RenaissanceRe; Tim
McMahon, Global Chief Underwriting
Officer, Property Insurance, XL Catlin;
and Claudia Thyme, Director Emerging
Markets Development, XL Catlin.
They briefed Dominguez and National
Treasurer Rosalia de Leon about the
operations of Lloyd’s of London and
the services it offers under its Disaster
Risk Facility.
Nicola Jenns and Dr. Daniel
Clarke of the UK Department for
International Development and Olivier
Mahul, Global Lead and Program
Manager for Disaster Risk Financing
and Insurance of the World Bank were
also at the meeting.
Lloyd’s officials also gave Dominguez
and De Leon an overview about the
different public asset insurance
structures that the Philippine
government can tap to improve coverage
for its assets and properties.
“The most difficult part would be the first
phase since the company must be committed
to changing its business culture from a family
owned or informally run operations to a company
that has clear growth plans and committed to
transparency and good governance,” explained
BDO Capital president Ed Francisco.
The second stage, meanwhile, requires close
coordination with the regulators to make sure
that the company is deemed worthy of “going
public”. Once the first two stages are done, the
last stage gives the company the opportunity to
access the capital markets via public offer of its
securities as opportunities present themselves.

10 BUSINESS
Friday, 28 September 2018
Daily Tribune
Common telco tower war
A TELCO tower beams its
signals silently but a proposal for
independent tower companies
has raised a ruckus.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
The public consultation on a common
telecommunications tower on Thursday was marred
by a clash between Globe Telecom’s legal
counsel Froilan Castelo and Presidential
Adviser on Economic Affairs and
Information and Communications
Technology Ramon Jacinto.
The sparks flew after Castelo and
Jacinto sparred over having
only “independent” tower
companies at the open
forum to help draft policy,
rules and regulations on the
common and shared
infrastructure in the public telecommunications
market.
Castelo had raised concerns about having a
telco tower company independent of the telcos
themselves, saying private investors do not see how
an independent tower company can alleviate or ease
the problems the stakeholders are fixing even now.
“They are private companies, the same as us and
they are going to face the same problems,” Globe
Telecom’s chief lawyer said.
Under the draft policy, tower companies are
independent of mobile network operators where the
telcos do not own equity in the tower firms to promote
tower sharing, non-discriminatory access, uniformity
and transparency in the leasing arrangements.
In August, Globe secured an approval from the
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to set up
its own company that will build telecommunications
towers.
“We do not see any reason how this will help us...
We also have to remain focused on the objective of
creating more cell sites. If we are going to make this
exclusive, we do not know and we do not see how
this will speed up the roll out,” Castelo argued.
Jacinto, however, claimed that Globe and
rival PLDT-Smart already lost their “moral
ascendancy” to build their own towers, saying
this was the very reason they cannot provide
the service to the public.
Jacinto said that by establishing
independent tower companies separate from the
telecommunications service providers will protect the
consumers from telco excesses.
“What bank will finance a common tower company
if we say anybody can build a tower? It will not be
viable, you have to nurture the independent tower
company,” Jacinto said.
The draft common tower policy allows telcos
to build their own towers if the independent tower
companies reject their request to build in a certain
location or do not respond within 30 days.
But Castelo insisted the telcos have the right to
construct their own infrastructure as specified in their
Congressional franchise.
“Preventing us from doing that is a violation of
our contract and of the Constitution,” the lawyer said.
But Jacinto is holding Globe and Smart to their
word that they will cooperate.
Castelo gave assurance that Globe is not against
having shared facilities with other telcos but reserved
the right to build their own infrastructure.
“Tower sharing is okay. We don’t disagree with
that. What we only disagree with is the independent
tower company, which will be exclusive in doing this,”
Castelo added.
The Duterte administration is pushing for a
common tower policy to solve the issues hounding
the telecommunications services.
Under the draft policy, tower companies are
independent of mobile network operators
where the telcos do not own equity in the
tower firms to promote tower sharing,
non-discriminatory access, uniformity and
transparency in the leasing arrangements.
The Philippines lags behind neighboring countries
in terms of the number of existing cell site towers,
having only 16,000 compared with Malaysia and
Indonesia’s 25,000 and 90,000 towers, respectively,
according to the Department of Information and
Communications Technology.
JFC to bring
Panda
Express to Ph
Jollibee Foods Corp. (JFC), the largest
Asian food service company, and Panda
Restaurant Group, Inc. (“Panda”), America’s
largest family-owned and operated Chinese
American restaurant concept, announced the
establishment of a 50/50 joint venture to bring
Panda Express restaurants to the Philippines.
In its initial phase, the two industry leaders
intend to focus on developing five stores in
Metro Manila.
With proven track records in providing great
tasting food at a great value, JFC and Panda
join hands to introduce American Chinese
food, a globally-influenced cuisine inspired by
authentic Chinese culinary principles, to the
Philippines. The two restaurant giants aim to
deliver exceptional dining experiences through
their shared foundation and commitment to
their dedicated employees, loyal guests and great
operations.
“We feel fortunate to be partnering with
a company that has a history of growing and
adding significant value to its new businesses,”
said Andrew Cherng, Co-founder and Co-CEO of
Panda. “We look forward to tapping into JFC’s
market expertise to grow the Panda Express brand
into a household name in the Philippines and
more importantly, actioning our shared value of
inspiring people to better their lives.”
JFC chairman Tony Tan Caktiong stated,
“We are thrilled about this relationship between
Panda and JFC. Starting from a single restaurant
in a California mall to becoming a restaurant
chain of over 2,100 stores, Panda Express is a
strong brand with a growing global footprint.
Very much in line with JFC’s brand portfolio,
it has excellent tasting dishes at reasonable
price points. Long-term, Panda Express has
a high potential for broad acceptance across
the country.”
JFC operates the largest food service network
in the Philippines. As of 31 August 2018, it operates
2,988 restaurant outlets in the country: Jollibee
brand 1,103, Chowking 547, Greenwich 279, Red
Ribbon 443, Mang Inasal 517, Burger King 98
and PHO24 1. Abroad, JFC operates 1,336 stores:
Yonghe King (China) 311, Hong Zhuang Yuan
(China) 41, Dunkin’ Donuts (China) 15, Jollibee 220
(Vietnam 105, Brunei 16, Hong Kong 8, Singapore 6,
Macau 1, United States 37, Canada 4, Saudi Arabia
13, UAE 14, Qatar 7, Kuwait 6, Bahrain 1, Oman 1,
Italy 1), Red Ribbon in the US 32, Chowking 47 (US
15, UAE 21, Qatar 4, Oman 2, Kuwait 3, and Saudi
Arabia 2), Highlands Coffee 282 (Vietnam 244, and
Philippines 38), PHO24 32 (Vietnam 16, Indonesia
16), Hard Rock Cafe 8 (Vietnam 2, Hong Kong 3 and
Macau 3); and, Smashburger 348.
DoTr Secretary Arthur Tugade (right) met with
International Maritime Organization Secretary
General Kitack Lim in London, United Kingdom
yesterday, 26 September 2018. DoTR PHOTO
THURSDAY
27 SEPTEMBER 2018
PHILIPPINE STOCK EXCHANGE
NAME OPEN HIGH LOW CLOSE VALUE (P)
FINANCIALS
BANKS
ASIA UNITED 58.1 59.25 58.1 59.25 1,607,520
BDO UNIBANK 116.1 116.8 114 115.7 120,798,424
BANK PH ISLANDS 81.35 82.45 79.75 79.75 204,125,926.50
CHINABANK 29.5 29.5 29.05 29.1 2,935,020
EAST WEST BANK 12.66 12.84 12.62 12.64 3,747,446
METROBANK 67.4 67.4 66 67.4 181,715,633
NEPHIL NATL BANK 43.15 43.25 43.05 43.1 3,013,565
PHILTRUST 100.6 110 100.6 110 8,612
RCBC 25.35 26 25.35 25.7 811,985
SECURITY BANK 156.1 158 152.5 155.3 138,678,517
UNION BANK 67.95 69.4 67.6 68 789,092.50
OTHER FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
BRIGHT KINDLE 1.47 1.47 1.47 1.47 1,470
BDO LEASING 2.6 2.6 2.36 2.4 108,270
COL FINANCIAL 16.18 16.18 16.18 16.18 3,236
FERRONOUX HLDG 4.5 4.59 4.35 4.35 1,434,370
IREMIT 1.65 1.78 1.63 1.66 1,246,730
MEDCO HLDG 0.55 0.55 0.52 0.53 59,030
MANULIFE 845 845 840 840 286,550
NTL REINSURANCE 0.93 0.95 0.93 0.94 150,330
PHIL STOCK EXCH 190 190 189 189 15,180
SUN LIFE 1,865 1,865 1,855 1,855 501,975
INDUSTRIAL
ELECTRICITY, ENERGY, POWER & WATER
ALSONS CONS 1.27 1.29 1.26 1.28 594,440
BASIC ENERGY 0.218 0.218 0.218 0.218 4,360
ENERGY DEVT 7.07 7.07 7.05 7.06 109,025,026
FIRST GEN 16.88 16.88 16.7 16.76 21,856,850
FIRST PHIL HLDG 64 64.75 64 64.5 1,463,247
PHIL H2O 5 5.01 4.84 5 1,561,719
MERALCO 353 353 336 346 203,146,810
MANILA WATER 24 24.3 24 24.05 25,637,965
PETRON 8.81 8.9 8.76 8.8 16,304,614
PETROENERGY 4.22 4.23 4.13 4.23 1,095,530
PHINMA ENERGY 1 1 0.98 0.98 4,818,660
PHX PETROLEUM 10.78 10.78 10.26 10.5 1,065,440
PILIPINAS SHELL 53.25 53.8 53 53.5 6,995,735.50
SPC POWER 5.76 5.76 5.5 5.51 2,621,003
FOOD, BEVERAGE & TOBACCO
AGRINURTURE 17.8 18.08 17.74 18 20,035,794
CNTRL AZUCARERA 19 19 17.62 17.98 416,594
CENTURY FOOD 13.98 14.4 13.98 14.34 3,672,784
DEL MONTE 7.5 7.5 7.5 7.5 2,250
DNL INDUS 10 10.14 9.98 10.08 62,254,080
EMPERADOR 7.05 7.05 7.03 7.03 597,606
SMC FOODANDBEV 96.4 96.4 95.5 96 23,160,798.50
ALLIANCE SELECT 1.04 1.04 1.01 1.03 7,723,840
GINEBRA 27.8 29.8 27.8 27.95 1,150,190
JOLLIBEE 266 266.4 259 259 209,555,208
MAXS GROUP 11.66 11.7 11.66 11.68 1,738,384
MG HLDG 0.178 0.185 0.178 0.179 64,440
PEPSI COLA 1.78 1.86 1.78 1.79 194,730
SHAKEYS PIZZA 11.92 11.92 11.9 11.9 147,798
ROXAS AND CO 2.77 2.94 2.77 2.94 26,413,410
RFM CORP 4.84 4.84 4.83 4.84 53,230
ROXAS HLDG 3.14 3.14 2.99 2.99 33,190
UNIV ROBINA 148 148 144.6 147.4 160,705,698
VITARICH 2.06 2.1 2.03 2.04 6,867,920
CONSTRUCTION, INFRASTRUCTURE & ALLIED SERVICES
CEMEX HLDG 2.43 2.45 2.29 2.3 11,750,870
EAGLE CEMENT 15.56 15.7 15.2 15.4 53,478,052
EEI CORP 8.65 8.68 8.45 8.45 410,081
HOLCIM 6.78 6.91 6.78 6.84 267,991
MEGAWIDE 15.8 16 15.46 15.46 45,939,168
PHINMA 8.7 8.93 8.7 8.92 510,820
TKC METALS 1 1 1 1 21,000
VULCAN INDL 1.96 2.04 1.82 2.04 47,700,920
CHEMICALS
CROWN ASIA 1.71 1.71 1.71 1.71 34,200
LMG CHEMICALS 4.9 4.9 4.89 4.9 587,750
PRYCE CORP 5.8 5.9 5.8 5.8 816,180
ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS & EQUIPMENT
CONCEPCION 40 40 38 38 52,064,000
INTEGRATED MICR 12 12.16 12 12.1 1,558,938
IONICS 1.87 1.9 1.85 1.9 1,499,390
SFA SEMICON 1.56 1.58 1.52 1.55 17,070
CIRTEK HLDG 33.8 33.95 33.05 33.8 9,630,455
HOLDING FIRMS
ABACORE CAPITAL 0.42 0.425 0.405 0.425 3,055,700
ASIABEST GROUP 29.4 31 26.7 27.9 10,106,810
AYALA CORP 939 950 926 950 209,540,770
ABOITIZ EQUITY 50 50.8 47.95 49.95 138,652,078.50
ALLIANCE GLOBAL 12.6 12.72 12.34 12.4 33,102,390
ANSCOR 6.1 6.1 6.08 6.1 457,200
ATN HLDG A 1.16 1.17 1.09 1.14 14,421,950
ATN HLDG B 1.16 1.16 1.12 1.13 2,487,570
COSCO CAPITAL 5.83 5.88 5.8 5.83 4,679,764
DMCI HLDG 11.82 11.98 11.2 11.4 68,177,334
GT CAPITAL 806 815 795 812 116,993,915
JG SUMMIT 55 55.5 54.1 55.5 106,150,035
LODESTAR 0.58 0.58 0.55 0.57 3,370
LOPEZ HLDG 4.52 4.52 4.4 4.47 4,567,130
LT GROUP 15.14 15.28 14.96 15 27,787,944
MABUHAY HLDG 0.58 0.61 0.56 0.61 1,528,630
MJC INVESTMENTS 3.32 3.32 3.32 3.32 9,960
METRO PAC INV 4.69 4.8 4.61 4.78 153,003,770
PACIFICA 0.038 0.039 0.038 0.039 80,000
PRIME ORION 2.49 2.49 2.45 2.46 813,730
PRIME MEDIA 1.2 1.2 1.19 1.19 19,080
REPUBLIC GLASS 2.61 2.61 2.58 2.58 72,910
SOLID GROUP 1.41 1.41 1.4 1.41 15,450
SM INVESTMENTS 885 899 866 899 200,066,095
SAN MIGUEL CORP 169.7 169.7 167.9 169.5 82,876,803
SOC RESOURCES 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 8,000
SEAFRONT RES 2.55 2.55 2.55 2.55 7,650
WELLEX INDUS 0.28 0.28 0.265 0.27 474,150
ZEUS HLDG 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 20,000
PROPERTY
ARTHALAND CORP 0.67 0.67 0.64 0.64 198,060
ANCHOR LAND 12 12 12 12 4,800
AYALA LAND 40.05 41.3 39.95 41.3 146,772,565
ARANETA PROP 2.04 2.05 2.04 2.05 63,350
BELLE CORP 2.64 2.64 2.46 2.47 2,828,610
A BROWN 0.84 0.88 0.84 0.88 3,508,040
CITYLAND DEVT 0.93 0.93 0.92 0.92 103,660
CROWN EQUITIES 0.227 0.227 0.218 0.226 325,650
CEBU HLDG 5.37 5.37 5.35 5.35 4,831
CEB LANDMASTERS 4.33 4.36 4.29 4.36 1,574,010
CENTURY PROP 0.45 0.45 0.435 0.44 1,212,150
CYBER BAY 0.415 0.415 0.395 0.395 49,000
DOUBLEDRAGON 19.62 20.2 18.6 19 19,789,280
DM WENCESLAO 8.53 8.53 8.33 8.33 1,732,931
EMPIRE EAST 0.56 0.56 0.55 0.56 230,460
FILINVEST LAND 1.43 1.45 1.41 1.45 3,094,620
GLOBAL ESTATE 1.11 1.11 1.11 1.11 562,770
8990 HLDG 7.3 7.31 7.21 7.28 2,857,255
IRC PROP 2.21 2.37 2 2.36 111,526,020
CITY AND LAND 0.95 0.97 0.93 0.93 189,120
MEGAWORLD 4.4 4.43 4.35 4.43 27,220,460
MRC ALLIED 0.64 0.66 0.64 0.64 43,032,020
NAME OPEN HIGH LOW CLOSE VALUE (P)
PHIL ESTATES 0.45 0.45 0.44 0.44 814,700
PRIMEX CORP 3.98 4.1 3.83 3.96 15,129,630
ROBINSONS LAND 19.64 20.3 19.28 20.3 26,663,510
PHIL REALTY 0.435 0.435 0.42 0.435 97,250
ROCKWELL 1.92 1.97 1.92 1.93 452,710
STA LUCIA LAND 1.13 1.18 1.13 1.18 246,340
SM PRIME HLDG 36.25 37.25 36.25 37.25 182,177,710
STARMALLS 6.41 6.75 6.41 6.52 627,386
VISTA LAND 6.09 6.09 6 6.05 11,717,417
SERVICES
MEDIA
ABS CBN 20.9 21 20.85 20.9 480,590
GMA NETWORK 5.38 5.39 5.37 5.39 279,877
MANILA BULLETIN 0.42 0.42 0.42 0.42 50,400
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
GLOBE TELECOM 2,070 2,200 2,070 2,200 136,535,980
PLDT 1,365 1,372 1,270 1,300 265,016,485
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
APOLLO GLOBAL 0.043 0.044 0.042 0.043 471,800
DFNN INC 8.66 8.98 8.5 8.98 681,508
IMPERIAL 2 2 2 2 2,000
ISLAND INFO 0.117 0.117 0.114 0.114 306,450
ISM COMM 2.85 2.94 2.78 2.93 8,050,720
JACKSTONES 3.33 3.55 3.33 3.5 64,690
NOW CORP 7.3 7.47 7.3 7.39 5,174,975
TRANSPACIFIC BR 0.53 0.54 0.51 0.54 9,415,500
PHILWEB 4.35 4.44 4.2 4.39 1,846,330
TRANSPORTATION SERVICES
2GO GROUP 11.64 11.64 11 11.48 220,916
CEBU AIR 72.2 72.75 72.1 72.6 9,350,393
CHELSEA 5.55 5.66 5.52 5.6 4,326,992
INTL CONTAINER 90.5 95.3 90.5 94 72,790,900.50
LORENZO SHIPPNG 0.93 0.97 0.93 0.97 66,650
MACROASIA 16.08 16.3 15.86 16.04 16,150,510
METROALLIANCE A 1.43 1.5 1.4 1.5 160,240
METROALLIANCE B 1.38 1.39 1.38 1.39 24,970
PAL HLDG 8.21 8.3 8.21 8.21 22,185
HARBOR STAR 2.72 2.8 2.67 2.72 2,817,040
HOTEL & LEISURE
ACESITE HOTEL 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 7,000
BOULEVARD HLDG 0.062 0.062 0.06 0.061 293,320
GRAND PLAZA 11.32 11.32 11.32 11.32 163,008
WATERFRONT 0.68 0.69 0.67 0.68 417,790
EDUCATION
CENTRO ESCOLAR 7.9 7.9 7.9 7.9 1,580
FAR EASTERN U 900 900 900 900 45,000
IPEOPLE 12.02 12.06 12.02 12.06 52,962
STI HLDG 0.87 0.89 0.86 0.88 6,612,630
CASINOS & GAMING
BERJAYA 1.97 1.98 1.91 1.91 4,453,540
BLOOMBERRY 8.7 8.9 8.69 8.76 101,231,221
PACIFIC ONLINE 10.8 11 10.8 10.98 282,520
LEISURE AND RES 3.6 3.7 3.57 3.61 2,616,290
MANILA JOCKEY 5.6 5.8 5.6 5.6 628,910
MELCO RESORTS 7.01 7.02 7 7.01 32,201,900
PREMIUM LEISURE 0.88 0.89 0.87 0.88 280,890
TRAVELLERS 5.2 5.2 5.15 5.18 605,512
RETAIL
METRO RETAIL 2.49 2.51 2.47 2.47 288,350
PUREGOLD 44.8 45.7 44.8 45.7 42,191,645
ROBINSONS RTL 79.6 82 77.55 82 13,570,281.50
PHIL SEVEN CORP 102 102.9 101.9 102 6,299,674
SSI GROUP 2.25 2.29 2.21 2.22 6,894,770
WILCON DEPOT 10 10.28 10 10.1 27,476,226
OTHER SERVICES
APC GROUP 0.48 0.48 0.475 0.475 632,500
EASYCALL 22.95 24 22 22.5 2,969,545
GOLDEN BRIA 308 314 308 314 337,454
IPM HLDG 7.75 7.75 7.75 7.75 62,000
PRMIERE HORIZON 0.375 0.395 0.365 0.385 1,644,400
SBS PHIL CORP 7.76 7.97 7.73 7.73 279,328
MINING & OIL
MINING
ATOK 18.4 18.4 18.3 18.4 58,830
APEX MINING 1.48 1.5 1.46 1.47 2,356,620
ABRA MINING 0.0023 0.0024 0.0023 0.0024 246,100
ATLAS MINING 3.02 3.02 3.01 3.01 132,450
BENGUET A 1 1 1 1 43,000
COAL ASIA HLDG 0.295 0.295 0.295 0.295 5,900
CENTURY PEAK 1.92 1.95 1.92 1.95 416,670
DIZON MINES 7.21 7.21 7.16 7.16 53,016
FERRONICKEL 1.85 1.86 1.83 1.86 729,080
GEOGRACE 0.203 0.207 0.203 0.203 22,370
LEPANTO A 0.11 0.11 0.109 0.109 140,760
LEPANTO B 0.113 0.113 0.11 0.113 134,440
MARCVENTURES 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 130,000
NIHAO 1.14 1.16 1.14 1.16 18,280
NICKEL ASIA 4.4 4.4 4.3 4.4 1,309,890
OMICO CORP 0.65 0.67 0.61 0.65 1,896,670
ORNTL PENINSULA 1.17 1.18 1.11 1.14 2,450,080
PX MINING 3.38 3.45 3.33 3.33 4,128,870
SEMIRARA MINING 27 27.1 26.85 27 39,453,190
OIL
ORNTL PETROL A 0.012 0.013 0.012 0.012 1,128,200
ORNTL PETROL B 0.013 0.014 0.013 0.014 24,900
PHILODRILL 0.012 0.012 0.011 0.011 17,700
PHINMA PETRO 3.69 3.69 3.44 3.64 296,620
PXP ENERGY 15.58 15.86 15.5 15.7 11,914,558
PREFERRED
HOUSE PREF A 96 96.1 96 96.1 613,479
AC PREF B2 495 495 490 495 1,025,910
DD PREF 100 100 99.5 99.6 5,700,304
SMC FB PREF 2 1,000 1,000 982 1,000 364,910
FGEN PREF G 102.5 102.5 102.5 102.5 10,250
GLO PREF P 490 490 490 490 98,000
GTCAP PREF B 945 945 945 945 614,250
MWIDE PREF 104.5 104.5 104 104 6,255
PNX PREF 3A 100 100 99.6 99.6 1,446,204.50
PNX PREF 3B 103 103 103 103 318,270
PCOR PREF 2A 1,000 1,000 1,000 1,000 2,000,000
PCOR PREF 2B 1,047 1,047 1,047 1,047 5,235
SMC PREF 2B 75.15 75.15 75 75 2,328,331.50
SMC PREF 2C 78.2 78.2 78.15 78.15 912,588
SMC PREF 2D 75 75 75 75 37,500,000
SMC PREF 2F 75 75 75 75 615,000
SMC PREF 2G 74.65 75.5 74.6 75.5 1,941,570
SMC PREF 2H 74.5 75 74 75 1,431,110
SMC PREF 2I 74.5 75 74.5 75 2,096,200
PHIL. DEPOSITARY RECEIPTS
ABS HLDG PDR 19.5 19.8 19.42 19.42 484,516
GMA HLDG PDR 5.17 5.17 5.17 5.17 206,800
WARRANTS
LR WARRANT 2.43 2.44 2.35 2.37 225,490
SMALL, MEDIUM & EMERGING
ITALPINAS 5.34 5.4 5.13 5.25 6,643,974
XURPAS 2.42 2.42 2.19 2.23 7,872,030
EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS
FIRST METRO ETF 108.6 109 108.4 109 776,709

Friday, 28 September 2018
Daily Tribune
BUSINESS
11
PASEGURUHAN NG MGA NAGLILINGKOD SA PAMAHALAAN
(GOVERNMENT SERVICE INSURANCE SYSTEM)
Financial Center, Pasay City, Metro Manila 1308

PESO-DOLLAR RATES
51.00
52.00
53.00
54.00
55.00 54.23
25700
25200
24700
24200
DOW JONES
106.93
27 SEPTEMBER 2018 27 SEPTEMBER 2018 27 SEPTEMBER 2018
7900
7700
STOCK MARKET
7500
7300 52.38
27 SEPTEMBER 2018
INDEX SUMMARY
INDEX VALUE CHANGE % CHANGE
PSEi 7,320.59 52.38 0.72 ▲
All Shares 4,483.81 23.34 0.52 ▲
Financials 1,589.76 0.64 0.04 ▼
Industrial 10,780.89 64.04 0.59 ▼
Holding Firms 7,220.00 84.97 1.19 ▲
Services 1,485.13 4.26 0.29 ▲
Mining and Oil 9,043.22 0.28 0.00 ▼
Property 3,708.57 48.35 1.32 ▲
12
BUSINESS
Friday, 28 September 2018
Daily Tribune
ASEAN biz scores well in index
Across the Philippines, Vietnam and
Singapore, 21of 30 companies in each
country have at least one female director
on their board
FTI Consulting, Inc. on Thursday released the ASEAN
Disclosure Index 2018 which tracks corporate
disclosure practices among 180 publicly listed
corporations in the ASEAN, including Singapore,
Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and
Vietnam.
The index reveals that companies in the region
scored well overall on corporate disclosure, with
an average composite disclosure score of 7.8 of a
maximum of 10 and an average board quality score
of 3 of a maximum of 4. However, many companies
in the region could improve their risk disclosure
standards, with an average risk disclosure score of
3.8 of a maximum of 5 for all 180 companies.
FTI Consulting reviewed public information from
the annual reports and corporate websites of 180
listed companies in the ASEAN region to create a
weighted composite disclosure scoring system with
12 disclosure parameters and applied it to the FTSE
ASEAN Stars Index to create its ASEAN Disclosure
Index 2018.
The 12 disclosure parameters were divided
into three groups: performance disclosure (two
parameters), board quality (five parameters)
and quality of risk disclosure (five parameters).
The parameters were weighted to calculate the
composite disclosure score for each company and
then aggregated for all 180 companies.
ASEAN Disclosure Index 2018 Highlights:
Twenty-four (13 percent) of the 180 ASEAN
companies are classified as corporate disclosure
champions, with composite disclosure scores of
10/10. Eleven of these companies are from Malaysia,
eight are from Thailand, three are from Singapore
and three are from Indonesia. Ten of the 24
companies are from the banking/financial services
sector and four are from the telecom/tech sector.
Board Quality Scores:
• Forty-five of the 180 companies (25 percent)
do not have any female board members.
• Only 49 (27 percent) of the 180 ASEAN-listed
companies provide third-party board evaluations,
though most provide self-evaluations.
• Between the six jurisdictions, Malaysian
companies have the highest average board quality
score of 3.5/4, followed by Singapore and Thailand
at 3.2/4, Indonesia at 3/4, the Philippines at 2.9/4
and Vietnam at 2.5/4.
• Aggregated by industry, telecom/tech companies have
the highest average board quality score at 3.5/4, followed by
banks/financial services and healthcare/pharma companies at
3.2/4, energy/utilities at 3.1/4, and real estate/construction
companies and food/consumer goods companies at 2.8/4.
• In terms of gender diversity at the board level (i.e., at
least one female director), Malaysian companies scored the
highest (29 of 30 companies had at least one female director),
followed by Thai companies (24 of 30 companies had at least
one female director). Across the Philippines, Vietnam and
Singapore, 21of 30 companies in each country have at least
one female director on their board. Indonesian companies are
the weakest on this disclosure parameter, with only 19 of 30
companies having at least one female director.
Risk Disclosure Scores:
81 (45 percent) of the 180 ASEAN companies do not provide
a convenient whistleblowing mechanism (phone number
or email) on their website or in their annual report.
66 (37 percent) do not provide analyst transcripts or details
of analyst engagements (even if investor presentations are
available on the website).
“The ASEAN Disclosure Index report shows
that progress is being made in the region to
raise corporate transparency and non-financial
disclosure.
A majority of companies (74 percent) provide
sustainability reports with international benchmarks
(i.e., Global Reporting Initiative or GRI standards),
but the remaining 26 percent (47 companies) do not.
Between the six jurisdictions, Thai companies have the
highest average Risk Disclosure score of 4.5/5, followed by
Malaysian companies at 4.2/ 5 and Singaporean companies
at 4.1/5. They are followed by companies in Indonesia and
the Philippines at 3.9/5 and Vietnam at 1.9/5.
Aggregated by sector, telecom/tech companies have the
highest average risk disclosure score of 4.9/5, followed
by energy/utilities at 4.6/5, and healthcare/pharma at
4.3/5. The banking/financial services and manufacturing/
industrial sectors have average risk disclosure scores of
3.5/5 and 3.4/5, respectively.
“The ASEAN Disclosure Index report shows that
progress is being made in the region to raise corporate
transparency and non-financial disclosure, but there is
still room for improvement,” said Paul Downie, Chairman
of Asia Pacific for the Strategic Communications segment
at FTI Consulting. “These are increasingly important
issues, bolstered further by the EU non-financial guidelines
announced last year and we are pleased to produce a
report that will help improve the financial communications
ecosystem in Asia.”
Commenting on the ASEAN Disclosure Index
2018, Amrit Singh Deo, managing director in the strategic
communications segment at FTI Consulting and author
of the report, said, “Despite seemingly high aggregate
composite disclosure scores in the region, there are
significant differences on individual parameters between
companies and jurisdictions. Directors and management
teams should discuss higher standards of risk disclosure
at board meetings, as global investors view high risk
disclosure standards as an opportunity to earn a
‘transparency premium’.”
The digital accelerator: Revving up gov‘t in the region
The good news is that the right policies can help governments prevent fraud
and cyberattacks as well as boost digitalization benefits
Asia’s digital revolution shows no signs
of slowing down. From e-commerce giants
like China’s Alibaba and Japan’s Rakuten,
to ride-hailing, and digital payment tech
startups, like Indonesia’s Go-Jek and
India’s Paytm, and the widespread use
of industrial robots for manufacturing,
digitalization is changing the way the
region’s businesses operate.
It is also transforming the way governments
operate. Thanks to digitalization, policy makers
have greater access to timely and accurate
data. With better information, governments can
design and implement better policies, such as
improving tax compliance and the efficiency of
government spending.
Indeed, Asia’s governments’ use of digital
technologies in public finance management is
directly transforming the lives of millions of
people. But to fully reap the digital dividend,
policy makers will need comprehensive policy
actions on multiple fronts.
Benefits from eGovernment
Critically, digitalization can make governments
fairer and more efficient. India’s experience with
the Aadhaar — the world’s largest biometric
identification system that provides a unique
12-digit ID number for 1.2 billion residents in
India — is a case in point.
The identification system links to various
social programs, including subsidies on liquefied
petroleum gas. In 2013, the government
linked Aadhaar beneficiaries’ numbers to the
liquefied petroleum gas program, which helped
prevent claims from ghost beneficiaries or multiple
claims. In addition, the government transferred
subsidies directly to the Aadhaar-linked bank
accounts, bypassing dealers and improving its
support of the poor.
eGovernment can only work if people have
access to it.
Additionally, the Philippines’ digital
registry — Listahanan — serves as a gateway
for as many as 52 social programs, ranging
from cash transfers to emergency assistance,
with 75 percent of the population registered.
In Indonesia, digital social registries appear
to have also helped expand the coverage of
conditional cash transfer programs.
Even in countries where digitalization
is in its infancy, initiatives are on the rise.
Digitalization can improve public service
delivery. For instance, Bangladesh uses smart
water meters to monitor water quality. Digital
initiatives can also help in public financial
management—for example, Bhutan’s e-tool
has helped standardize project appraisal and
selection for public investment.
The benefits go beyond spending. On
the revenue side, e-filing, e-payments, and
e-customs initiatives in tax administration
are common in Singapore, Malaysia,
Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand, and are
paying off. In Malaysia, ongoing efforts in
e-filing and e-payments have reduced compliance
time by 30 percent.
Challenges of going digital
These digital initiatives bring large gains to
governments, but there are also critical challenges
to address without delay.
First, the popularity and necessity of digital
technologies across the region mean that more
people are at risk of cyberattacks. Hackers have
used their digital skills to steal private information
and disrupt government functions. A digital world
is also a target-rich environment for fraudsters,
including in cryptocurrency exchanges.
Second, digitalization of the economy could,
in principle, reduce tax revenues. For example,
instead of staying in hotels that charge a tax,
tourists may use digital platforms to stay in private
homes. These small-business transactions may
fall below the thresholds for taxation —resulting
in loss of revenue for the government. The digital
economy also makes it easier for tax avoiders to
move profits abroad, out of reach of tax authorities.
Third, more than half of those without access
to the internet live in Asia. While broadband
subscriptions have increased in the region, there
is a widening gap between leaders and their
less advanced peers. For example, less than one
percent of Myanmar’s inhabitants have access to
fixed broadband networks compared to over 25
percent in Singapore. eGovernment can only work
if people have access to it.
Finally, some countries have leapt ahead, while
others are far behind. Korea, Singapore, Japan,
and Malaysia, rank in the world’s top ten of digital
government. India outperforms advanced economies,
on average, while China, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and
Thailand outperform their emerging market peers.
At the same time, small islands and fragile
states have struggled to make significant
advances in eGovernment. In Myanmar, Tuvalu,
and the Marshall Islands, digitalization still needs
a boost. Ongoing applications of digitalization in
the region, far-reaching and diverse, show such
a boost is possible.
Overcoming digital roadblocks
will require shifting gears
The good news is that the right policies can help
governments prevent fraud and cyberattacks as
well as boost digitalization benefits. Singapore and
Malaysia for example, have established agencies
to oversee cybersecurity strategy and operations.
Governments should also remain vigilant and
protect their revenues. This requires governments
to monitor areas where digitalization impacts
revenues. For example, if, digitalization shifts
some services to smaller firms that fall below
the tax threshold, the government may
choose to revisit current thresholds and
change them to allow them to tax similar
activities.
Further advancing digitalization can
also improve tax collection and, as a
result, revenues, by making it easier for
governments to collect data on financial
transactions. This is particularly true
for developing and emerging economies,
whereby, closing half the distance to the
digitalization frontier could bring in more
than one percentage point of GDP of value
added tax revenue in ASEAN economies.
Countries where populations do not have
reliable access to the internet should enable
early investments in digital infrastructure,
like broadband technology, to ensure
inclusion and to reap the benefits of
digitalization. For all countries, this will
require building fiscal institutions to
manage the design, planning, budgeting,
and implementation of policies.
With these policies, Asian economies
will continue to drive the digital revolution
and push out the frontier not only for
themselves, but for other government
innovators across the world.

Aldrin Cardona, Editor
Friday, 28 September 2018
Daily Tribune
Madrid
Sotto way
to NBA? P14
RYDER CUP UNWRAPS
Riveting
Sundance
thriller
SPORTS 13
World stars collide
P17
Best
online
shorts
P18
TIGER Woods of the United States drives the ball from the 10th hole during a practice round for the Ryder Cup at Le Golf National in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, outside Paris, France.
Brewers march to playoffs
Jhoulys Chacin pitched five shutout innings
and Travis Shaw hit a pair of RBI singles as the
Brewers completed a three-game sweep.
ST. LOUIS, Missouri -- The Milwaukee Brewers clinched their first
playoff spot since 2011 by ensuring at least a spot in the National League
(NL) wild card game when a rookie St. Louis pinch-runner suddenly
fell on his way to the plate in a 2-1 win over the contending Cardinals
late Wednesday.
Jhoulys Chacin pitched five shutout innings and Travis Shaw hit a
pair of RBI singles as the Brewers completed a three-game sweep.
The Brewers (92-67) began the night a half-game behind the Cubs for
first place in the NL Central and 3 ½ games ahead of
Colorado for the top wild-card slot.
Milwaukee advanced to the NL Championship
Series in 2011 before being eliminated in six
games by the eventual World Series champion
Cardinals.
St. Louis (87-71) entered a half-game behind
the Rockies for the final wild-card berth.
The Cardinals missed a big chance to tie it in
the eighth inning.
Matt Carpenter walked and was
lifted for pinch-runner Adolis
Garcia. Jose Martinez then hit
a slow roller to third baseman
Mike Moustakas, who threw
wildly to first.
Garcia was waved home
but fell halfway to the
plate, allowing second
baseman Hernan Perez to
easily throw him out to
end the inning.
Chacin (15-8), who had
lost his last three decisions,
gave up one run on just one hit
over five innings. He needed a
RELIEF pitcher Jeremy Jeffress of the season-low 60 pitches and faced
Milwaukee Brewers celebrates after three batters over the minimum.
striking out St. Louis Cardinals’ Tyler Xavier Cedeno, Corbin Burnes,
O’Neill for the final out of a baseball Josh Hader and Jeremy Jeffress
game in St. Louis. The Brewers won
combined for four shutout innings
2-1 to clinch a postseason spot. AP
as the Brewers held the Cardinals
to a season-low two hits.
Jeffress earned his 13th save in 18 chances.
Milwaukee now returns to Miller Park to take on the lowly Detroit Tigers
in the three-game series starting Friday to end the regular season. AP
KUALA LUMPUR -- Asian Football
Confederation (AFC) president Sheikh Salman
bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said he didn’t want
to allow the organization to lapse back into
“chaos” as he announced a bid for re-election
American League
AL East W L Pct GB Home Away L10
Red Sox 107 52 .673 - 56-22 51-30 5-5
Yankees 97 61 .614 9.5 53-28 44-33 6-4
Rays 88 70 .557 18.5 49-28 39-42 6-4
Blue Jays 72 87 .453 35.0 40-41 32-46 5-5
Orioles 46 112 .291 60.5 27-50 19-62 4-6
AL Central W L Pct GB Home Away L10
Indians 89 69 .563 - 49-32 40-37 6-4
Twins 73 84 .465 15.5 44-32 29-52 6-4
Tigers 64 94 .405 25.0 38-43 26-51 4-6
White Sox 62 96 .392 27.0 30-51 32-45 3-7
Royals 56 102 .354 33.0 30-47 26-55 4-6
AL West W L Pct GB Home Away L10
Astros 100 58 .633 - 46-35 54-23 7-3
Athletics 95 63 .601 4.5 50-31 45-32 6-4
Mariners 86 71 .548 14.0 42-34 44-37 5-5
Angels 78 81 .491 22.5 40-38 38-43 5-5
Rangers 66 92 .418 34.0 34-47 32-45 2-8
AFC boss seeks fresh term
AFP
next year.
The Bahraini royal first took the reins in
2013 when the Asian body was still reeling
from a corruption scandal which saw his
predecessor, Mohamed bin Hammam, banned
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
These teams are the two best
teams world ranking-wise that
have been across from each
other in this event. So it’s for
those 24 players to go out and
show that
SAINT QUENTIN EN YVELINES, France —
Resurgent star Tiger Woods and the highestranked
lineups in Ryder Cup history have
built anticipation for thrills and excitement
ahead of Friday’s dramatic opening matches
between Europe and trophy-holders United
States at Le Golf National.
The Americans seek their first triumph
on European soil in 25 years of the biennial
team showdown while Europe’s 12-man
squad hopes to win for a ninth time in 12
attempts and reclaim the hardware they lost
at Hazeltine in 2016.
“It’s all lined up to be something special,”
European captain Thomas Bjorn said
Wednesday.
“These teams are the two best teams
world ranking-wise that have been across
from each other in this event. So it’s for those
24 players to go out and show that.”
“The golf course, the stands, the fans, all
the buildup, being in this great city -- that
just adds on for it to be a really, really special
occasion.”
The US roster has nine major winners and
11 of the world’s 17 top-ranked players, led
by world number one Dustin Johnson and
third-ranked Brooks Koepka, this year’s US
Open and PGA Championship winner.
“There are definitely obstacles to overcome,
but that group out there is feisty and confident,”
US captain Jim Furyk said of his team.
“They are trying to do the best they can to
brace themselves and get ready for the battle.”
Europe boast four of the top eight, paced
by England’s second-ranked Justin Rose and
reigning British Open champion Francesco
Molinari of Italy.
In all, the teams combine to have 22 of
the world’s top 28 ranked players.
“Are we underdogs? Probably on paper
we are,” Bjorn said.
“But we still believe that we can win.”
US golfers lead the all-time rivalry 26-13
with two drawn but Europe own a 10-8 with
one drawn edge since the expansion from a
British-Irish squad.
The top spectator attraction will be
Woods, a 14-time major champion who
snapped a five-year win drought Sunday
at the US PGA Tour Championship,
capping an amazing comeback season
after spinal fusion surgery with his 80th
career title.
AFP
from football for life.
At the AFC Congress next April, Sheikh Salman
could face a challenge from Saudi Arabia’s Adel
Ezzat, head of a new regional bloc, the South
West Asian Football Federation. AFP
National League
NL East W L Pct GB Home Away L10
Braves 89 69 .563 - 43-38 46-31 6-4
Phillies 78 80 .494 11.0 47-31 31-49 2-8
Nationals 81 78 .509 8.5 41-40 40-38 6-4
Mets 74 84 .468 15.0 34-43 40-41 5-5
Marlins 62 96 .392 27.0 38-43 24-53 5-5
NL Central W L Pct GB Home Away L10
Cubs 92 66 .582 - 48-29 44-37 5-5
Brewers 92 67 .579 0.5 48-30 44-37 7-3
Cardinals 87 72 .547 5.5 43-38 44-34 6-4
Pirates 80 77 .510 11.5 43-36 36-41 7-3
Reds 66 93 .415 26.5 36-42 30-51 3-7
NL West W L Pct GB Home Away L10
Dodgers 88 71 .553 0.5 44-37 43-32 7-3
Rockies 88 70 .557 - 44-33 44-34 6-4
Diamondbacks 81 78 .509 7.5 40-41 41-37 3-7
Giants 73 86 .459 15.5 42-36 31-50 3-7
Padres 64 95 .403 24.5 29-49 35-46 5-5
Unit 903 Centerpoint Condominium, Julia Vargas Avenue, Ortigas Center, Pasig City, Metro Manila
+632 706 6134 / 706 6135 Primehomes.com.ph @infoprimehomes.com.ph

14 SPORTS
Friday, 28 September 2018
Daily Tribune
AGENTS CHASE PINOY GIANT
Madrid Sotto way to NBA?
Earvin, a former
Philippine Basketball
Association (PBA)
player, admitted to
entertaining offers
from foreign agents to
send the younger Sotto
to the Real Madrid camp
in the Euro League
By John Bryan Ulanday
It will take a family decision but
Kai Sotto, the 16-year old 7-foot-1
hope of Philippine Basketball,
is likely to swing the
European way if he
plans to make it
to the National
Basketball
Association
(NBA) someday.
His father Earvin, a former
Philippine Basketball Association
(PBA) player, admitted to
entertaining offers from foreign
agents to send the younger Sotto
to the Real Madrid camp in the
Euro League.
“I’m open to that. After all, it will
be a great opportunity for my son. Kai
is also open to it,” Earvin told Daily
Tribune in an exclusive interview
after Wednesday’s game of NLEX
where he serves as an assistant coach.
Kai attracted foreign agents after his
impressive stints in the 2017 Fiba U16
Asia Cup, 2018 Fiba
U17 World
Cup and the recently-concluded 2018 Fiba Asia U18 Asia Cup.
Kai was hailed the best teenage center in the continent
after he normed 16.8 points and 13.5 rebounds in last year’s
U16 Asia Cup in China. Batang Gilas placed fourth to qualify
in the U17 World Stage.
Kai continued his rise with another double-double
average of 16.4 points and 10.6 rebounds to lift Batang
Gilas to a 13th place finish in the World Cup in Argentina.
Agents from Germany, U.S.A, Australia and Spain have
made inquiries on Kai, according to Earvin.
Real Madrid is a likely pick for the younger Sotto as it
could pave the way for his NBA entry.
“Just the other day, a group from the U.S. also inquired
about Kai. They are interested. As of now, there are no
official talks yet,” Earvin said, adding that an NBA Academy
invitation is also lined up for Kai.
“I will not be the only one to decide on it. It will be our
whole family’s decision, especially Kai because at the end
of the day, it is he who will play,” he added.
“As a father, I’m just showing and explaining to him
the possibilities, options and opportunities. He’s open
to it,” Earvin said.
Real Madrid is a likely pick for the
younger Sotto as it could pave the way
for his NBA entry.
“Ateneo is very supportive of Kai. There’s no problem
with that,” he said. “The offers will come they it are meant
to be. But as of now, my son is still with Ateneo,” he said.
“As of now, he’s okay here in Philippines, in Ateneo.
And I told him to focus on his studies. That’s his job and
that’s his responsibility — to study in Ateneo.”
Kai is a Grade 9 student in Ateneo High School
and still has three years before taking up a college
course.
The Grinder
Tiger Woods is one of the greatest — or arguably the
greatest — golfer in history.
KAI Sotto, in
a Philippine
uniform, has
attracted notice of
international sports
agents.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Woman Grandmaster
Janelle Mae Frayna and
Woman International
Master Bernadette Galas
delivered the decisive
victories over IM Sarai
Sanchez Castillo and
Woman FIDE Master
Marvia Arcila on the
top and fourth boards,
respectively
The Philippine women’s team
smashed Venezuela, 3-1, to storm back
to relevance even as its men’s squad
suffered a 1-3 defeat to higher-ranked
Croatia after three rounds of the 43rd
World Chess Olympiad in Batumi,
Pinays back on track
Georgia Wednesday night.
Woman Grandmaster Janelle Mae
Frayna and Woman International
Master Bernadette Galas delivered the
decisive victories over IM Sarai Sanchez
Castillo and Woman FIDE Master
Marvia Arcila on the top and fourth
boards, respectively, to lead the way
for the Filipinos who leapt to a share of
24th spot with four match points.
WIM Catherine Secopito and
WFM Shania Mae Mendoza drew
with WIM Tairu Rovira Contreras
and WFM Corals Garcia on the
second and third boards to complete
the win for the Philippines, which
came here hoping to improve on
its 34th place finish in Baku,
Azerbaijan two years ago.
It was a win that erased the
stigma of a 1.5-2.5 defeat to Slovakia
the round before.
Needing at least a draw to seal
the match win, Galas who rested in
the first two rounds, took it after
she turned a pawn advantage into a
marathon 79-move victory over of an
Alekhine duel.
For the 22-year-old Frayna, her win
over Castillo was her third straight
after the former also prevailed over
WIMs Vania Fausto Da Vilhete of
Mozambique and IM Laura Unuk of
Slovenia in the first two rounds.
Frayna and company were
playing Slovakia in the fourth round
at press time.
The men’s squad, which is being
bankrolled by the Philippine Sports
Commission, absorbed a 1-3 defeat
from Slovakia and fell out of the lead
group after starting this 11-round
tournament with wins over San
Marino, 4-0, and Slovakia, 2.5-1.5.
ANKER Olsen Frantzen, 17, of Norway, surfs during a free surf session on Wednesday in Flakstad on the eve of the Lofoten
Masters 2018.
AFP
Lyceum rebounds, zaps Arellano U
By Donnawel Maturingan
Lyceum of the Philippines quickly put its recent loss to
University of Perpetual Help System Dalta behind as it crushed
Arellano University, 113-79, yesterday in the 94th National
Collegiate Athletic Association Basketball tournament at the
Filoil Flying V Centre.
Now with a 13-1 record, the Pirates sealed another triumph
after leading by as many as 34 points, sliding Arellano at a
4-9 win-loss record.
“It’s a big opportunity for us again to really get better and
to be better versions of ourselves and yes, that was a good win
for us,” Lyceum coach Topex Robinson said.
“It was a reminder that we should always honor the game.
We honor it by giving our best. We honor it by always making
sure that we do what we were supposed to do and we always
have to do it right. Arellano is not our opponent but ourselves.
Just like what happened to Perpetual,” Robinson said.
It’s a big opportunity for us again to really get
better and to be better versions of ourselves
and yes, that was a good win for us.
LPU star players Jaycee Marcelino and reigning MVP CJ
Perez stepped up to strike a win over the Chiefs.
“We are really happy because we were able to win this
game. We were woken up by our recent loss which pushed
us to work harder this time,” said Marcelino, adding that
he doubled his effort due to his twin’s absence to recover
from a severe nose injury.
Success comes when you simply
refuse to give up, with goals
so strong that obstacles,
failures and loss only act as
motivations.
Tiger Woods is one of
the greatest — or arguably
the greatest — golfer in
history.
His stellar career
started at a very young age
and when he turned 21 years
old, he decided to become a
professional golfer.
From then until he was 37, he won
One Stroke At a Time
Eric Buhain
79 PGA Tour trophies, but then the 80th just seemed to be too elusive for him.
Not until this writing, though.
After five long years of injuries and failures, he was finally able to win his
80th title at the PGA Tour Championships. Such is the heart of true champion
never giving up and never taking a “no” for an answer.
His fans, including yours truly, have been waiting for so long for him to be
back on top and, honestly, with the major back surgery, it may not have come.
But he is a grinder.
He took on the obstacles and relentlessly pursued his goal of getting his swing
back. He had to make physical adjustments to his body to compensate for
the restricted movement.
It took a long and painful five years, but now he’s back.
Many athletes can relate to the rise and the comeback story of a champion
like Tiger.
We all know we had our share of disappointments.
But then when its one on top of another and another doubt sets in, then
it becomes a trap that seems to get a strong hold on our ability to rise again
and overcome.
I remember my last Southeast Asian Games in Singapore 1993, where the
expectations from me to deliver six gold medals similar to my haul in the
1991 SEA Games in Manila, was just too intense.
Training in Manila became too difficult to focus on.
Media outfits would always ask how many gold medals would I bring home
His fans, including yours truly, have been waiting for so long for him to be back
on top and, honestly, with the major back surgery, it may not have come.
from Singapore.
Any invitation to do live interviews would always start with that question
“how many?”
The pressure was relentless.
Then, I decided to pack my gear and move to Bacolod City where my former
coach and mentor Pinky Brosas was based.
It was a more conducive environment to train in and coach Pinky made
sure I was isolated from unnecessary pressure.
We would do two swim sessions a day, with the morning workouts on a oneon-one
basis.
No other swimmer was with me in the pool.
It was myself against the clock.
In the afternoon, I would join his club team in their training, but I would
have a lane to myself as I was swimming mostly with young kids.
But everyone made me feel so welcome and the kids inspired me and I
wanted to show them how the big boys are supposed to train.
At the back of my head, I was wishing one of those kids would have
been the next swim champion.
After a few months of very intense and physically demanding training
sessions, I injured my groin.
It was devastating.
I didn’t know if I could recover.
I had to fly in weekly to Manila to get therapy at the University of the
Philippines College of Human Kinetics as it was the best at that time.
I was training for two months without using my legs.
They were my miracle workers and after two months I was back in
harness.
Then came the SEA Games.
Now, I had to face the music once again with the same question “how
many?”
The first event was a bronze medal from me for our country.
The news, the next day, in Manila was disheartening to say the least.
Words like “it’s over for Buhain” and “he isn’t the champion we expected”
were splattered all over media.
The next event I swam, I didn’t even place.
The pressure took control of my mind and I just couldn’t focus. The
news again the next day was just too much to bear.
My coach then decided that it would be better for me to change hotels
to avoid the unnecessary scrutiny thrown at me.
That was the best move ever as I was able to rest and regain my
composure for my next day’s event, the 100-meter butterfly.
I won the gold by 1/100th of a second!
With all the things I went through, with the injury and doubts thrown
at me, I just couldn’t control my emotions and I just broke down.
That was my 15th gold medal in the SEA Games and it was to be my last.
I, too, am a grinder who never listens to that devilish voice telling me
to give up.
Athletes like us, just like Tiger, sometimes have to go through such
difficulties to test our worth.
That’s why we love the rush of competition. We feed on the challenges
and they motivate us to reach our goals.
And we look at it as part of the journey that makes it all worth it.

Friday, 28 September 2018
Daily Tribune
SPORTS
15
POC IN RELATIVE PEACE
Quiet comes after storm
ALLEN Durham of Meralco attacks the defense of Mono Vampire of
Thailand during their FIBA Asian Champions Cup men’s basketball
tournament at Stadium 29 in Nonthaburi, Thailand. The Vampire
prevailed, 100-92.
FIBA
Vampire shock Bolts
But they suddenly ran out of steam, allowing Mono
to open the fourth period with a quick 8-0 run for
a huge 78-70 lead.
By John Bryan Ulanday
A depleted Meralco side succumbed to host Mono Vampire, 92-100,
to kick off its FIBA Asia Champions Cup men’s basketball campaign
on a losing note last night at the Stadium 29 in Nonthaburi, Thailand.
Playing without four key players, the Bolts still managed to figure in
a nip-and-tuck battle against the home squad in the first three quarters.
But they suddenly ran out of steam, allowing Mono to open the
fourth period with a quick 8-0 run for a huge 78-70 lead.
The Vampire never surrendered the lead as import Marcus Johnny
Rashaan Keene nailed a booming trey in the last three minutes to jack
up the lead to 10, 92-82.
Meralco, the back-to-back Philippine Basketball Association (PBA)
Governors’ Cup runner-up, unleashed a 7-0 blast to inch on within
89-92, still 1:54 to go.
But Mono answered with a 6-1 rally punctuated by Chanachon
Klahan’s two free throws to seal the victory.
With this win, Mono Vampire claimed the leadership in Group B
with a 1-0 mark while Meralco slid to 0-1.
Two-time PBA Best Import Allen Durham delivered 20 points and
18 rebounds for Meralco while Diamond Stone made heads turn with
23 points and eight rebounds.
Baser Amer and Reynel Hugnatan led the local scoring support
with 18 and 13 points, respectively, for the Bolts, who were missing
injured Ranidel De Ocampo (calf) and Jared Dillinger (bone spur and
quad) as well as Filipino-Americans Cliff Hodge and Chris Newsome.
Keen topscored for Mono with 29 points and eight assists while former
PBA import Mike Singletary also contributed 25 points, 15 rebounds,
two assists, two steals and two blocks.
Hot start for Bulldogs
National University opened its bid for a fifth consecutive men’s title
with a 4-1 conquest of Ateneo de Manila University in the University
Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 81 badminton tournament
Thursday at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall.
Most Valuable Player (MVP) awardees Alvin Morada and Ross
Lee Pedrosa powered the Bulldogs in extending their unbeaten run
to 36 ties.
Morada, last season’s MVP, and Alem Palmares overcame a close
second set to beat Remo and Keoni Asuncion, 21-17, 27-25, in the
first doubles.
Pedrosa, a former MVP winner, announced his comeback after an
one-year absence with a 21-7, 21-15 romp of Fides Bagasbas in the
second singles.
Mike Minuluan defeated Carlo Remo, 21-14, 21-15, in the opening
singles and Minuluan returned later to join forces with Dawn Cuyno
in sweeping Sean Chan and Sito Fernandez, 21-11, 21-13 in the second
doubles.
The Blue Eagles’ lone victory came from Asuncion, a 21-19, 21-18
winner over Thirdy Bacalso in the third singles.
In other ties, De La Salle overwhelmed University of the East, 5-0, to
seize the early lead while Adamson University entered the win column
with a 3-2 squeaker over University of Santo Tomas.
But we’re glad that things are now clear. He
accepted the explanation and said that he would
support us in coming up with a liquidation report
to the Olympic Solidarity
By Julius Manicad
Rival parties in the Philippine Olympic Committee
(POC) yesterday agreed to a truce.
But it is POC President Victorico Vargas
who is clinging on hopes the pact would hold
to keep his hold on the council’s leadership
firm.
The Lopez building at the Meralco
compound was like a war zone yesterday
when the POC held its expanded board
and executive committee meetings and the
general assembly later in the day.
It was the first time such meetings were
held on the same day, signifying the importance
of the gab in which Vargas’ secretary-general, Patrick
‘Pato’ Gregorio extended apologies to the wide membership for
not being able to perform their duties of calling regular meetings
and keeping officials in the loop of operations.
Vargas and Gregorio did not admit being the sources of
leaked information about the alleged misappropriation of
Olympic Solidarity fund. But they agreed to rectify the issue
soon.
POC first vice president Joey Romasanta said Vargas
accepted their explanation about the unliquidated expenses being
required by the Olympic Solidarity Movement.
By Joel Orellana
Despite a perfect 4-0 start, Adamson
University head coach Franz Pumaren said
there’s still so much work to be done for his
Soaring Falcons to be real title contender in
Season 81 University Athletic Association of
the Philippines (UAAP).
Romasanta, who used to be the POC’s point man to the Olympic
Solidarity under the leadership of former president Jose “Peping”
Cojuangco, explained that no fund is missing. Their failure to
liquidate, he said, was only due to a mere technicality brought
by a change in the web system.
“He (Vargas) should have asked us before he allowed himself to
be quoted in an article,” said Romasanta, who was in attendance
together with Cojuangco, International Olympic Committee
representative Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski, second vice-president
Jeff Tamayo, treasurer Julian Camacho, auditor Jonne Go and
board member Robert Mananquil.
Everything went smoothly
“But we’re glad that things are now clear. He accepted the
explanation and said that he would support us in coming up with
a liquidation report to the Olympic Solidarity.”
Vargas also assured members of the executive council that
their meeting will be held regularly as required by the POC
constitution and by-laws.
“He assured us that he would address this issue,” said another
board member.
“We also want to work with them and serve those who elected
us in this position. We’re looking forward to having a healthy
working relationship with them.”
Vargas confirmed the source’s claim.
In a statement through POC communications director Ed
Picson, he said everybody pledged to work as one.
“Everything went smoothly,” he said.
“We had a fruitful discussion both in the board and the general
assembly. I’m glad that everyone came together and pledged to
work as one for Philippine sports. We have a lot to do so we really
need to work together,” Vargas added.
Adamson still a work in progress
And the point of emphasis of Pumaren is
the attitude of his players.
The multi-title coach criticized his players’
lethargic performance in the early part of
their 69-68 thrilling win over University
of the Philippines (UP) last Wednesday
to stay unscathed in the men’s basketball
tournament.
“We drifted away from what we are
supposed to do. We were kind of selfish,”
Pumaren said.
“The players probably read social media
too much that we’re so great at 3-0. I’ve been
telling them 3-0 is nothing, 4-0 is nothing.
Probably if we win the championship, we
can act that way.”

"
16
WORLD
Friday, 28 September 2018
Daily Tribune
US B-52s fly over South China Sea
Earlier in the week,
B-52s flew through
“international airspace
over the South China Sea
WASHINGTON — US B-52
bombers have recently conducted
transit operations in the South
China Sea and East China Sea,
the Pentagon said Wednesday,
amid soaring tensions with
Beijing over trade tariffs.
Late Tuesday the heavy
bombers “participated in a
regularly scheduled, combined
operation in the East China Sea,”
Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant
Colonel Dave Eastburn said.
A defense official said the
nuclear-capable aircrafts were
BEIRUT — the Islamic State
jihadist group on Wednesday
threatened to carry out new
attacks in Iran, days after it
claimed a deadly shooting at a
military parade in the country’s
southwest.
Iran is “flimsier than a
spider’s web, and with God’s
help, what comes will be worse
and more bitter,” the group
said in a statement on the
Telegram messaging app.
Iranian authorities have
blamed “jihadist separatists”
for the
Man cuts off own arm
JAMESTOWN— A 69-year-old
Vietnam vet who lost a hand after
it got stuck in a meat mixer while
he was making sausage at his
North Dakota home says he had
to slice off his left arm above the
wrist with a butcher knife or risk
bleeding to death.
Schlafman said he was taking
a chunk of meat out of the mixer
in the garage of his Jamestown
home when he accidentally
SCHLAFMAN
stepped on a pedal to activate the machine.
The bone was severed, but his arm was still caught by muscle,
nerves and skin. He grabbed the knife, which was mercifully
within reach, and cut himself free.
AP
Whale come sight
GRAVESEND — A beluga whale
spotted in the River Thames estuary
outside London — far from its natural
Arctic habitat — is “swimming
strongly and feeding normally”,
Britain’s main animal protection
charity said on Wednesday.
“At the moment, there are no
major concerns for the welfare
of the animal,” the Royal Society
for the Prevention of Cruelty
to Animals said in a statement,
escorted
by Japanese fighters
and the flight was part
of the Pentagon’s “continuous
bomber presence” in the region.
Earlier in the week, B-52s flew
through “international airspace over
the South China Sea,” Eastburn said.
China has claimed large
swaths of the strategic waterway
and built up a series of islands
and maritime features, turning
them into military facilities.
Brunei, Malaysia, the
assault Saturday in the
southwestern city of Ahvaz,
which killed 24 people including
a four-year-old child and other
civilians.
The attack targeted a
parade in Khuzestan province,
commemorating the 1980-1988
Iran-Iraq war.
The border region, home to
a large ethnic Arab community,
was a major battleground of the
conflict and saw ethnic unrest in
2005 and 2011.
Iranian officials
adding that the whale appeared “able to move fast in the water
and dive”.
The extremely rare sighting triggered wonder and excitement
on Tuesday and the whale was spotted again in the same area
on Wednesday.
AFP
Seal slaps kayaker with octopus
WELLINGTON — Remarkable footage of
the moment a New Zealand fur seal
slaps a stunned kayaker in the face with
an octopus has gone viral.
Kyle Mulinder was paddling off the
South Island town of Kaikoura over
the weekend when he inadvertently
became entangled in a battle
between a bull seal and the octopus
it wanted for lunch.
SEAL
As the seal tried to finish off the
unfortunate cephalopod, shaking its jaws vigorously, Mulinder
copped an eight-legged slap in the kisser.
Mulinder’s companion Taiyo Masuda was testing out a new
GoPro camera at the time and captured the entire incident. AFP
Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam
have competing claims to the
region, and an international
maritime tribunal ruled in 2016
IS threatens more IRAN attacks
A BEDOUIN from the Tayaha tribe holds his weapon during an operation
accompanying the Egyptian military, in al-Agama, Central Sinai, Egypt. The
country’s military has begun arming Bedouin tribesmen in the Sinai Peninsula in
the long-running fight against militants from an Islamic State group affiliate. AP
BRIEFS
BELUGA WHALE
initially blamed Arab separatists,
who they claimed were behind
previous unrest, for the attack,
saying they were backed by Gulf
Iranian authorities
have blamed “jihadist
separatists” for the
assault Saturday in the
southwestern city of Ahvaz.
Arab allies of the United States.
This version was bolstered
when a movement called “Ahwaz
National Resistance,” an Arab
separatist group, claimed
responsibility shortly after the
assault.
But the Islamic State group
(IS) was also quick to claim
responsibility and later posted
a video of men it said were the
attackers.
ABU DHABI — The Department
of Culture and Tourism-Abu Dhabi
(DCT Abu Dhabi) has inaugurated
the ‘Bait Al Gahwa’ (Coffee House)
initiative at Manarat Al Saadiyat
on Saadiyat Island.
Bait Al Gahwa is a key element
of DCT Abu Dhabi’s strategy to
revive authentic heritage and
traditions. It aims to provide
licenses for operating tourism
projects that offer a real-life
simulation of the traditional
Emirati process of preparing and
serving coffee.
The ceremony was attended
by Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak,
Chairman of DCT Abu Dhabi
and Saif Saeed Ghobash,
Undersecretary of DCT Abu Dhabi.
The initiative is part of DCT
Abu Dhabi’s commitment to
preserve and promote heritage
and support traditional
practices, in this instance the art
of making Arabic coffee, which
was inscribed on UNESCO’s
Representative List of the
Intangible Cultural Heritage of
Humanity in 2015.
Speaking on the occasion, Al
Mubarak said, “Heritage is the
essence of a nation’s identity,
for the pivotal role it plays in
establishing a strong sense of
belonging amongst its people.”
“With the ‘Bait Al Gahwa’
initiative, we strive to share a
cherished part of our identity,
to pay our respects to the
connections made over a cup of
authentic Arabic coffee, to further
enhance a cultural dialogue and a
profound sense of acceptance and
tolerance,” Al Mubarak said.
“A ‘Bait Al Gahwa’ license
CHENGDU — A total of 788.3
billion yuan ($114.9 billion)
worth of investment deals were
struck at the 17th Western China
International Fair (WCIF).
Sichuan province, the host
of the fair, signed 736 billion
yuan worth of investment deals,
up 12 percent year-on-year, the
information office of Sichuan
provincial government said at a
press conference Tuesday.
The other participating regions,
THE US B-52G/H Stratofortress bomber continues to be a critical
contributor to the U.S. National Security Strategy, due to
its high mission-capable rate, large payload, long range,
persistence and ability to employ both nuclear and
conventional precision standoff weapons. AFP
that China’s claims
have no legal basis.
Eastburn said the flights were
part of “regularly scheduled
operations.”
The United States rejects
China’s territorial claims and
routinely says the military
will “continue to fly, sail and
In a three-minute audio
recording released Wednesday, the
Sunni jihadist group’s spokesman
Abu Hassan al-Muhajir said Iran
“had not recovered from the
fearful shock, which God willing
will not be the last.”
Shiite-dominated Iran’s
supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei, on Monday linked
the attackers to Iraq and Syria,
where IS once had major
strongholds.
“This cowardly act was the
work of those very individuals
who are rescued by the
Americans whenever they are
in trouble in Iraq and Syria and
who are funded by the Saudis
and the (United) Arab Emirates,”
Khamenei was quoted as saying
by his official website. AFP
‘Bait Al Gahwa’
initiative inaugurated
is the first stage of starting a
potentially lucrative tourism
project, combining heritage
practices with Emirati
etiquette. The program also
teaches individuals to operate
independent private projects that
add character to the Abu Dhabi
tourist proposition.
The training course teaches
the steps of making coffee
using traditional tools, as
well as the traditions of
serving coffee.
‘Bait Al Gahwa’ permits will
be granted to Emirati youths
who are interested in operating
independent projects, after
receiving extensive training
by the heritage experts at the
DCT.
The training course teaches
the steps of making coffee using
traditional tools, as well as the
traditions of serving coffee and
managing the events in which the
ceremony takes place.
DCT Abu Dhabi is currently
receiving applications for the 10-day
training program, with DCT Abu
Dhabi also providing a workshop
offering theoretical and practical
training.
WAM
Western China fair produces
$115b investments
The expo also provided
a pavilion of 100,000
square meters
specifically for Belt
and Road cooperation
including Shaanxi, Inner
Mongolia, Tibet, Xinjiang and
Gansu, signed 52.3 billion yuan
worth of deals, it said.
The five-day fair, which
closed Monday, attracted over
60,000 business people from 90
countries and regions.
The expo also provided a pavilion
of 100,000 square meters specifically
for Belt and Road cooperation,
attracting more than 200 companies
from 31 countries and regions along
the Belt and Road.
First launched in 2000, the
WCIF has become an important
platform for western China to
promote investment and trade
with coastal regions and overseas
partners. China Daily
operate wherever international
law allows at times and places
of our choosing.”
Washington this week enacted
new tariffs against China covering
another $200 billion of its imports.
China has reacted angrily, and
this week scrapped a US warship’s
planned port visit to Hong Kong
and canceled a meeting between
the head of the Chinese navy and
his American counterpart.
======================================
==================================
SYDNEY — Australia’s
much-loved public broadcaster
scrambled to salvage its hardwon
reputation for impartiality
Thursday, forcing out its
chairman who is accused of
intervening in news coverage to
please the current government.
Justin Milne told ABC
(Australian Broadcasting
Corporation) he would step
down as the institution’s board
held crisis talks in Sydney and
the government announced an
inquiry into his actions.
According to leaked emails,
Milne unsuccessfully pressed
for the sacking of two senior
reporters over coverage that
did not please his friend, then
center-right prime minister
Malcolm Turnbull.
Milne told the ABC the
crisis had been a “firestorm”
and said he “wanted to provide
a release valve.”
ABC journalists had
demanded Milne go on
Wednesday as the revelations
became public.
Initially the Liberal Party-led
government stopped short of
TIANJIN — Tianjin’s coal-fired
integrated gasification combined
cycle (IGCC) power plant has
set a new record, with running
3,917 hours or around 163 days
continuously, the longest such
operation duration in the world.
As China’s first nearzero
emission IGCC
demonstration
project, the
Tianjin IGCC is a
major part of the
Green Coal Power
Program initiated
by Huaneng Group
in 2004. It is also
among the most
efficient coal-fired
power stations
globally.
IGCC is a
clean coal
technology
ABC chair
ousted
Case Law
By VICTOR C. AVECILLA
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis
said he was not concerned the
US transit flights would increase
tensions with China.
“If it was 20 years ago and
they have not militarized those
features there, it would have just
been another bomber on its way
to Diego Garcia or whatever,”
he told Pentagon reporters,
referring to the US military base
in the Indian Ocean.
“So there’s nothing out of the
ordinary about it, nor about our
ships sailing through there.”
The Pentagon chief went on
to say there is no “fundamental
shift in anything.”
“We’re just going through one
of those periodic points where
we’ve got to learn to manage our
differences,” he said. AFP
forcing that move, but said its
Department of Communications
would conduct an inquiry “to
establish the facts in these
matters.”
Milne unsuccessfully
pressed for the sacking
of two senior reporters
over coverage that did not
please his friend.
Acting center-left
opposition leader Tanya
Plibersek, demanded a fully
independent investigation into
what happened.
“The ABC is not the
propaganda arm of the
Liberal party of Australia. It
is our national broadcaster.
Australians love their ABC.
They are, rightly, very
protective of its integrity and
independence,” she said.
Around 70 percent of
Australians want a strong ABC,
despite government spending
cuts and daily withering criticism
from its commercial rivals — who
baulk at unfair competition from
the taxpayer-funded behemoth.
AFP
Greenest coal plant
sets record
that turns coal into a synthetic
gas, removing impurities before
the gas is burned in a turbine.
The Tianjin demonstration
IGCC power plant started
construction in Sept 2009 and
was put into operation in 2012,
with an installed capacity of
265 megawatts.
China Daily
A VIEW of China’s first near-zero emission IGCC (integrated gasification combined cycle) demonstration project,
based in North China’s Tianjin.
CHINA DAILY
People v. Advincula
G.R. No. 218108, April 11, 2018 / Third Division / Martires, J.
Remedial Law; Credibility of Witnesses. —
When the issues involve matters of credibility of
witnesses, then the findings of the trial court, its
calibration of the testimonies, and its assessment
of the probative weight thereof, as well as
its conclusions anchored on said findings, are
accorded high respect, if not conclusive effect.
Unless some facts or circumstances of weight were
overlooked, misapprehended, or misinterpreted as
to materially affect the disposition of the case, factual
findings by the Regional Trial Court are accorded the
highest degree of respect especially if the Court of
Appeals adopted and confirmed them.
(VOLUME I NUMBER 55)
==================================
==================================

Friday, 28 September 2018
Daily Tribune
SPOTLIGHT 17
Marian pregnant with second child
Zia Dantes will soon have a
playmate. Her mother, actress
Marian Rivera, announced her
pregnancy via her verified
Instagram account on Tuesday,
25 September.
“We’re expecting!”
she wrote in her account
accompanied by a sonogram.
She and actor Dingdong
Dantes welcomed their
first child, Maria Letizia, in
November 2015. The couple
with Dingdong Dantes.
mentioned in past interviews that they want a big family. No further details were
revealed regarding Marian’s due date and the baby’s gender.
More surprises as ‘Inday’ ends
Viewers are in for more surprises as the hit romcom
series Inday Will Always Love You enters its
last two weeks on air.
Marta (Manilyn Reynes) makes an unprecedented
comeback. She is very different from what people
know of her that even her own daughter Happylou
(Barbie Forteza) had a double take when they
were finally reunited. Through the help of Martina
(Sunshine Dizon), Marta is able to get everything back
from Amanda (Gladys Reyes). Marta’s family returns
to the mansion and Happylou regains her position as
the CEO of the company. Amanda, in turn, gets the
taste of what it feels like to be at the losing end. And
it seems Marta is ready to have Amanda experience
BARBIE Forteza and
everything she has done to Happylou. Will Marta be
Derrick Monasterio.
blinded by the need to seek revenge?
Show airs weeknights after Onanay on GMA Telebabad.
Film on youth substance abuse wins Audience Choice Award
Ena Legaspi’s “Alas-Nuebe ng Tanghali” brought home the Sine Kabataan
Audience Choice Award during the 2018 Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino Gabi ng
Pasasalamat held last August in Makati.
The short film, which was
screened along with Jason
Paul Laxamana’s Bakwit Boys,
focuses on three children who
imagined the nicest toys and
tastiest food in their house only
to find out that everything is not
what they seem to be.
An alumna of the Far
Eastern University Department
of Communication (FEU) and
the FEU Film Society, Legaspi
got the support of previous
members of her Square Up
Productions team when she
was still in college — director of
NEA Crossword Puzzle
© 2018 UFS, Dist. by Andrews McMeel Syndication for UFS
ACROSS
1 “—Jude”
4 In favor of
7 Taxi
10 Literary
miscellany
11 Easy win
13 M, in the
personals
14 —vous plait
15 Palm reader’s
opener (2 wds.)
TRIB TEASE
MARIAN Rivera is carrying her second child
THE SQUARE Up Productions team.
photography and co-editor Prince Viterbo; production manager, co-writer and coproduction
designer Mary Lourdes Membrebe; and assistant director, production
designer and graphic designer Peej Tapel.
16 Great Lake
17 Cul-de-sac (2
wds.)
19 Swarms
20 Put money on
21 Torah reciter
23 Distinct
periods
26 Carnivore’s
delight (hyph.)
28 Fall flower
29 Gallic sea
30 Slight amount
34 Carthage’s ally
36 Sequel’s sequel
38 Rapper Tone —
39 Hoofed it
41 Gambling town
42 Wading bird
44 That, in Cancun
46 Actor Alda
47 Running amok
(3 wds.)
51 Hot-burning fuel
REVIEW | ‘Searching’
The impressive directorial debut
of 27-year-old Aneesh Chaganty,
‘Searching’ is a riveting piece of
mystery-thriller
The theater screen transforms into
a laptop screen in Sundance winner
Searching. The entire movie takes
place in the confines of a Macbook,
with the desktop coming alive with
multiple chatboxes, emails and
videos as a way to tell the whole
story.
And before you think “boring”
or “gimmicky,” or it’s a movie that will
only attract computer geeks, you’re
dead wrong. Because Searching
is one of the most exciting and
emotional films this year.
The American thriller centers
on a missing
person case. David
Kim (John Cho),
a middle-class
Asian-American
living in San Jose,
California, wakes
up one day with
three missed calls
from his 16-yearold
daughter,
Margot (Michelle
La).
David sends her
a couple of texts
as a response to
52 Big blow
53 Janitor’s tool
55 Oater
showdown
56 Mound
57 Military addr.
58 Assets
59 Wood ash
product
60 Chop down
DOWN
1 Bought
2 Oklahoma city
3 Harvard rival
4 Self-respect
5 Ribbon
ornament
6 Portent
7 Fake
chocolate
8 Suspect’s
need
9 Comb
producers
12 Guerrero of
baseball
13 Dues payer
18 Situp targets
22 Opposed
23 Non-flying
SUDOKU
FILM CHECK
Stephanie Mayo
the missed calls. No reply. Then he
makes alarmed calls, still no reply from
Margot. Until, finally, David makes a
chilling conclusion: he is experiencing
a parent’s worst nightmare: his kid is
missing.
The impressive directorial debut of
27-year-old Aneesh Chaganty, Searching
is a riveting piece of mystery-thriller.
The story unfurling on a laptop screen
never feels like a cheap ploy for the
film to be different and stylized.
Instead, this cinematic form merely
echoes what is undeniably relevant
today: our lives are now digitized; our
work, family, relationships and even
our death are recorded in our devices.
In fact, it is our life online that reveals
our true identity.
Director and co-writer Chaganty
establishes a clever springboard for
the mystery. David barely knows his
bird
24 Habit
25 Gigi’s
boyfriend
27 Upscale
cheese
29 Primary
31 Stein filler
32 Cheat
33 “Green” prefix
35 — No. 5
37 In theory
40 Retirement
plan
41 — Dawn
Chong
42 Cumulus or
nimbus
43 Does a fall
chore
45 Pillar
46 Aussie
rockers
48 Hammer’s
target
49 Nursemaid
50 Lasso
54 Loud noise
Answer to previous puzzle
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
daughter and is perfectly
clueless about her social
life. This justifies his
investigation online, pulling
out Margot’s various social
media accounts to find clues
to her possible whereabouts.
At the center of the
drama is David, of course,
all from the perspective of
his computer and online
investigation. We are given
access to his phone calls,
FaceTimes and email correspondence,
and constant communication with lead
investigator, Detective Rosemary Vick
(Debra Messing), and his weed-smoking
brother, Peter (Joseph Lee).
It is imperative, therefore, that David
uses Apple products, just so his iPhone
is synced to his Macbook, allowing us
to see every incoming and outgoing call,
FaceTime and iMessaging. A webcam
is ever-present, and while this is not
normal, it is a forgivable cinematic
necessity to provide us a visual insight
into David’s mental and emotional state.
But David’s mental and emotional
state is primarily seen on his computer
use. His panicky hacks into his
daughter’s social media accounts,
to his distressed dialing, his fearful
Google searches. The way he types,
pauses, deletes an unsent message
speaks volumes, while his body
language captured
on hidden cameras
and news footage is
heartbreaking.
Chaganty knows
that there is
nothing more
intimate than
peeking inside
the personal
computer of an
individual.
CHO and Debra Messing at the film’s premiere. AP
D A I L Y G O S P E L
Friday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Once when Jesus was
praying in solitude and the
disciples were with him,
he asked them, “Who do
the crowds say that I am?”
They said in reply, “John
the Baptist; others, Elijah;
still others, ‘One of the
ancient prophets has arisen.’”
Then he said to them, “But who
do you say that I am?” Peter said
in reply, “The Messiah of God.”
Authentic and personal
Chaganty conjures a relatable digital
world, and he is adroit at establishing
tension, suspense and dread through
clicks, buffing videos and incoming
messages. Every notification sends
wild anticipation. Every hesitant blink
of the cursor, every pause in the typing,
every ring of an incoming video call
tugs at your emotions.
What is more impressive is that
the film never spoon-feeds. As you
find yourself engrossed and deeply
involved in the mystery, electronic
clues allow you to imagine on your own,
fill in the blanks and form your own
questions and conclusions. Subtleties
and nuances shine beautifully behind
a simple text message, a seemingly
random vlog, or a calendar reminder.
Chaganty knows that there is nothing
more intimate than peeking inside the
personal computer of an individual. In
the beginning of the movie, he gives
us a wrenching digital montage of
the years passing by as David’s small
family grows. It’s just him, his wife
Pam (Sarah Son) and daughter Margot.
In quick succession, we flip through
videos, calendar reminders and emails,
and witness the Kim family from Margot’s
kindergarten years up until her first day
in high school. And based on these
files, we experience the dynamics of
the family, their joys and pains, until
we arrive at the present, hours before
Margot vanishes.
What makes this movie feel more
authentic and personal than traditional
cinema are the naturalistic video
calls. As opposed to the artificial,
artful and studied cinematography of a
conventional movie, Searching bathes
the actors in poor or harsh lighting,
revealing their skin’s imperfections and
rendering them as real people behind
video apps.
Cho, most remembered in Harold and
Kumar, gives a brilliant performance of
a father riddled with guilt, shock and
increasing fear. This shows the director’s
mastery of not just the online and social
media culture but also of human nature.
Searching i s
a gripping and
emotionally engaging
experience from the
time the computer
turns on in the
beginning of the movie
and shuts down in the
end. It gives us a taut,
unpredictable mystery,
an entertaining thriller
and an affecting family
drama.
It’s also a stark
reminder of how
our lives have
dramatically changed
in the advent of
technology and social
media and how our
identities are now
linked to our devices.
But it also speaks to
us that behind these
multitudes of apps,
what matters more
is our family and the
connection we make
with them offline.
4 out of 5 stars
Luke 9:18-22
JOHN Cho gives a brilliant
performance of a father
riddled with guilt, shock
and increasing fear.
He rebuked them and directed
them not to tell this to anyone.
He said, “The Son of Man
must suffer greatly and be
rejected by the elders, the chief
priests, and the scribes, and
be killed and on the third day
be raised.”

18
SPOTLIGHT
Friday, 28 September 2018
Daily Tribune
Online festival widens access to quality films
Ten short films have been
selected as finalists, with
an exciting range of genres
and subject matters, from
morality to sexuality, love and
relationships
By Stephanie Mayo, Contributor
Indie film lovers are treated to an indie
short film festival in the comforts of their
home. For free. This online festival features the
best of Filipino films on Viddsee.com, widening
our access to the Filipinos’ creativity and
artistry through the powerful medium of film.
Viddsee, a Singapore-based entertainment
platform that showcases short films made in
Asia, has recently launched the second year of
told, entertaining and relatable to the viewer,”
Lim told the Daily Tribune.
Maturing filmmaker scene
According to Lim, Viddsee’s “Film Talks” is
more exciting for both filmmakers and viewers.
“The Film Talks included in this year’s
program also addresses the needs of a
maturing filmmaker scene: topics such
as film development, funding and festival
opportunities are discussed,” Lim said. “And
we’re delighted to have one of this year’s
judges, Cherie Gil, giving a talk about her
journey in the Filipino film and TV scene.”
It is also noted that Viddsee recognizes
and awards short films based on their artistic
quality and entertainment value, regardless
of whether a film is made by a newbie or a
veteran. The awards this year boasts of its
relentless advocacy to celebrate film artistry,
that wasn’t possible 10 years ago.”
Lim added that from a production point
of view, the lowering cost of production
equipment, coupled with the rise of online
video entertainment in consumption across
the region and in the Philippines, encourages
the growth of quality production in craft and
in storytelling.
“GINHAWA” tells the story of an aspiring boxer.
FILMMAKER Lee Seok-hoon, who directed the festival’s
opening film, “The Pirates,” graced the launch and gave a
special talk.
Rediscovering
history
through movies
JONJON finds himself in another world after reading a book in “Ah.”
A MONEY lender gets trapped in a social media chaos in “Susing.”
The awards ceremony will be held
on 29 September, Saturday, at the FDCP
Cinematheque, but Viddsee promises that
the fun and excitement doesn’t end at the
awards night, especially as they consider the
10 finalists already winners and will receive a
12-month Creative Cloud All Apps subscription
worth US$560 each from Adobe.
“Following the Awards, the Gold and Silver
winners will receive production grants with
Viddsee Studios worth P160,000 and P80,000,
respectively,” Lim explained. “The Gold
winner will also win a five-day Global Film &
TV Program in Los Angeles sponsored by the
Motion Picture Association.”
The annual
Korean Film
Festival recently
unreeled at the SM
Megamall Cinema,
giving mallgoers a
glimpse of Korean
history and culture
through its carefully
selected movies. No
less than Lee Seokhoon,
director of the
festival’s opening
film The Pirates,
flew in from Korea
to attend the launch,
and to give a special
talk highlighting
the Korean Film
Industry.
KOREAN Cultural Center director Lee
Jin Cheol with SM SVP for Marketing
Millie Dizon.
Viddsee Juree Philippines to award short films
submitted by both amateur and professional
Filipino filmmakers.
Ten short films have been selected as
finalists, with an exciting range of genres
and subject matters, from morality to
sexuality, love and relationships. All films
have bold, relevant, or playful stories, such
as “Stand Up,” where a socially awkward
comedian drives inspiration for his material
from an imaginary friend. In “As Time Flows
By,” a woman struggles for her father’s
acceptance of her same-sex love. A money
lender gets trapped in a social media chaos
in “Susing.” And you can watch all 10 short
films now, for free, on Viddsee’s website or
mobile app.
According to Viddsee’s John Lim, its
Philippine outing is more exciting this time
around as the awards has grown in stature
within the local community and filmmakers.
“We’re also excited to see this year’s entries
showing a mature and thoughtful approach to
their themes: whether they’re about sexuality,
religion or familial values, the stories are well-
without prejudice or inclination to the more
experienced filmmakers in the country.
“This year’s finalists are a mix of students
and experienced filmmakers who have a
talent for creating films that are compelling,
technically accomplished and entertaining,”
Lim told the Daily Tribune. “Being a platform
that’s open to filmmakers everywhere, we don’t
make distinctions of whether a film is made
by a first-timer or veteran filmmaker – what
matters most to us is their quality.”
Lim also noted that the independent film
industry has grown rapidly and competitively
over the past decade, which is evident in Viddsee.
Reaching millions
“As an online platform, our curated
short films are able to reach millions, and
that number will grow with the increasing
availability and affordability of smartphones
and faster mobile Internet,” Lim explained.
And as a tech company that has its own
platform, it allows us to have a better
understanding of what our viewers want to
watch, and help us engage with them in ways
A SOCIALLY awkward comedian drives inspiration
for his material from an imaginary friend in “Stand Up.”
All short film finalists will continue to be
available on Viddsee’s platform, said Lim,
adding: “We hope that by being on Viddsee and
recognized through the Awards, these finalists
will go on to reach a wider international
audience, and spur them on in creating their
next film.”
“ASSASSINATION” is about an agent tasked to bring
in Korean rebels to assassinate a Japanese army
commander and a pro-Japanese Korean businessman.
Along the way, they are betrayed and hired killers are
sent after them.
A joint project of the Embassy of the Republic of
Korea, the Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines
and SM, this year’s festival theme is “Time Travel.”
Each of the five film tells a story from the past which
in turn inspires a deeper understanding of Korea’s
cultural diversity.
Besides The Pirates, other films featured were
Assassination, Warriors of the Dawn, Dongju: The Portrait
of a Poet and The Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time.
The festival was also featured at SM Cinemas in
key cities around the Philippines — at Baguio, Lanang
Premier in Davao, Iloilo and Cebu.
Six tearjerkers
for the sappy viewer
leaves fans in a puddle of tears. Don’t
Give Up On Us had that effect among
viewers in 2006. The movie features
Judy Ann as a girl on a mission to find
her best friend Sabina (Cheska Garcia)
who gets cold feet on her own bridal
shower. Her mission takes her up to
The Hows of Us has taken the country
by storm with moviegoers raving about
its heartfelt and emotional story and
powerful performances from Kathryn
Bernardo and Daniel Padilla.
If you need more tearjerkers like
this movie, here is a list of other hit
Star Cinema romantic dramas that you
can stream on iWant TV using One Sky
Fiber broadband plans that are currently
offered for half the price for the first
three months of subscription.
Milan (2004). The movie still speaks
to many viewers to this day because of its
universal themes of love, forgiveness and
sacrifice. Claudine Barretto plays Jenny,
an OFW desperate to make ends meet.
PIOLO Pascual and Claudine Barretto in
“Milan.”
She bumps into Lino (Piolo Pascual), a
naïve newcomer on a quest to find his
missing wife in Italy.
Dubai (2005). Claudine returned
to the big screen with Dubai in 2005
opposite Aga Muhlach and John Lloyd
Cruz. This time, she plays Faye, a woman
torn between two men who happen to
be brothers, Raffy (Aga Muhlach) and
Andrew (John Lloyd Cruz) in Dubai.
With a screenplay by Ricky Lee, the film
BARRETTO co-starred with Aga Muhlach
and John Lloyd Cruz in “Dubai.”
showcases that love that leads to conflict
can be powerful enough to break even the
strongest of bonds.
Don’t Give Up On Us (2006). Any
Piolo Pascual and Judy Ann Santos
movie is an emotional rollercoaster that
PASCUAL and Judy Ann Santos in one of
their more popular movies.
Baguio where she meets Vince (Pascual),
the voice behind a cassette tape Sabina
left behind.
One More Chance (2007) and A
Second Chance (2015). Popoy and Basha
are perhaps the most famous fictional
couple in Pinoy pop culture thanks
to John Lloyd Cruz and Bea Alonzo’s
talent in bringing movie characters
to life. In the first movie, viewers
choked up tears as they witnessed two
college sweethearts whose long-term
relationship turns sour. In the 2015
CRUZ and Bea Alonzo give life to popular
fictional couple, Popoy and Basha.
sequel, A Second Chance, both stars
once again made their fans ‘ugly cry’
as they showed the tumultuous married
life of Popoy and Basha.
One More Try (2012). This movie is
sprinkled with a lot of painful speeches
that made it a blockbuster in 2012 and Best
Picture winner at the 38 th Metro Manila
Film Festival. Angel Locsin plays a single
mother who is willing to go to the ends
of the earth just to save her son who is
diagnosed with a rare blood disease. When
she is forced to reconnect with her son’s
biological father (Dingdong Dantes) who is
now happily married to an accomplished
executive (Angelica Panganiban), their
reunion becomes complicated.
LOVE and commitment are tackled in this
ensemble movie.
Starting Over Again (2014).
Whenever Olivia Lamasan is at the
helm of a film, don’t forget to grab
a box of tissues as the story can
get really emotional and gripping.
Case in point is Lamasan’s 2014
phenomenal hit, Starting Over
Again, starring Piolo Pascual and
Toni Gonzaga who play former lovers
whose paths cross again years after
their breakup.
THE FIRST-time pairing of Pascual and
Gonzaga led to a box-office hit in 2014.

Friday, 28 September 2018
Daily Tribune
LIFESTYLE 19
“IT’S not just about the price,
it’s not just about availability,
it’s about creating something
that nobody else has,” said
Tea master David de Candia.
SOME of CBTL’s tea blends including Paradise Blend, which was exclusively made for the Philippine market by tea master David
de Candia.
Tea master creates
blend for Filipinosd
New coffee-forward
beverages
A new addition to the Starbucks menu of
espresso beverages is the Flat White. Carefully
crafted with bold ristretto shots and a thin
layer of velvety steamed whole milk, the drink
is perfectly balanced with sweet notes and is
finished with a simple latte art dot
Available starting 11
September for a limited time
only, coffee chain Starbucks
is introducing three new
coffee-forward beverages.
Using all the elements of
coffee from the bean down
to the husk, the popular
coffee chain introduces a
refreshing take on the classic
cold brew — the Cascara Cold
Foam Cold Brew. Cascara,
more commonly known as
the husk of the coffee cherry,
adds a unique boost to this
revitalizing cold beverage with
its complex and slightly sweet flavor. A fusion of flavors
and textures, the cold brew is topped with a smooth layer
of cold foam made from low-fat milk and cascara syrup
and has hints of brown sugar and maple derived from the
combination of the cherry and black coffee.
A new addition to the Starbucks menu of espresso beverages
is the Flat White. Carefully crafted with bold ristretto shots
and a thin layer of velvety steamed whole milk, the drink is
perfectly balanced with sweet notes and is finished with a
simple latte art dot.
Those looking for a warm and comforting cup can also try
the Caramel Cinnamon Cookie Latte. This latte is topped with
fluffy whipped cream, sweet caramel sauce and cinnamon and
crunchy cookie crumbles which add hints of caramel, cinnamon
and warm spice to complement its espresso base.
Starbucks says they add an
extra ingredient in each
cup of coffee — passion.
Coffee and passion
fuel everything
they do, from the
way they ethically
source their whole
beans, to how they
carefully handcraft
innovative beverages,
to ensure artistry and
quality are tasted in
every sip. This has been
the promise of Starbucks
and what has propelled
them to be at the forefront
FLAT White
espresso.
CASCARA Cold Foam Cold
Brew.
of coffee development over
the years.
From the pioneering coffee farming advocacy arm of Henry &
Sons comes The Giving Cart, a brand-new platform designed to
make ordinary trips more meaningful through its premium coffee
and quick-serve meals, helping spread its cause among commuters
and expanding its social enterprise’s reach.
A pop-up concept formed under the Foundation for Sustainable
Coffee Excellence’s social enterprise TGC, The Giving Cart is the
average commuter’s go-to spot for feel-good indulgences prepared
for a cause.
Much like other TGC platforms, it not only rewards people with
the simple delight of coffee, it also supports programs that benefit
the coffee farming communities of Benguet. Serving a piece of
comfort for the everyday grind, The Giving Cart offers caffeinated
drinks to help uplift the mood of urban travelers across the Metro.
Stop, sip and savor goodness
“We all know how stressful commuting is,” shared Foundation
for Sustainable Coffee Excellence (FSCE) director and Henry &
Sons CEO Michael Harris Conlin. “We thought of how wonderful an
opportunity it would be to welcome all our dedicated road warriors
into our cause in the best and most delicious way possible.”
Amidst the bustle of the urban commute, The Giving Cart hopes to
make ordinary trips more meaningful and reward people with a chance
to indulge in giving as they unwind and savor the simple delight of a
satisfying meal or an invigorating beverage, priced all at P80 each.
The Giving Cart is set to feature local selections that capture the
flavors of the city’s diverse locale, starting with
Taytay’s signature Budbod, a delectable medley of
fried rice topped with minced tapa, tomato, onion
spring and scrambled eggs. Meanwhile, beverage
options offered at The Giving Cart include Espresso,
Americano, Latte, Timplado, Coffee Quake, Choco
Quake and Hot Choco.
By Edel Santiago, Contributor
David de Candia, a renowned tea
specialist, recently visited Manila for a series
of workshops called “Discover Tea.” He had a
very informative discussion with the guests who
were also treated to different activities such as
identifying tea blends, knowing the right amount
of brewing time and other important aspects into
the exciting world of tea.
David, who is also The Coffee Bean Tea Leaf’s
senior director for Tea, also crafted a special
blend exclusively for Filipinos: Paradise Blend.
A fruity infusion of Philippine tropical
fruits — mango, orange and carrots with
Rooibos tea — it has notes of apple and
citrus. This herbal tea infusion was
specifically created with the Filipino
taste in mind, said David.
“Our Philippine partners from The
Coffee Bean Tea Leaf (CBTL) sent me
different ingredients from their country.
From there, I got the inspiration to make
this blend,” he added.
The Paradise Blend is a refreshing take on tea
that can be either enjoyed hot or cold and is available
in all CBTL stores nationwide.
Coffee served with a purpose
One of TGC’s three platforms businesses can
adopt — the other two being The Giving Café, a safe
haven of comfort and indulgence; and The Giving
Caravan, a roving mobile café that brings communities
a taste of genuine compassion. The Giving Cart directs
its proceeds to fund programs by the Foundation for
Sustainable Coffee Excellence as part of its mission to
make the lives of coffee farmers in Benguet easier.
This includes The Giving Well (atmospheric water
generators, water gallons and filtration tablets), Cup to Seed
(livelihood programs and post-harvest facilities), Coffee for
David didn’t just become a tea master overnight;
in fact, it took him 21 years to hone his craft and
continuously discovering and creating blends. He has
gained a lot of awards and recognitions for his tea
mastery and has been appointed by the Prime Minister
of Sri Lanka as the Ambassador of Ceylon Tea for North
America and Canada.
A fruity infusion of Philippine tropical
fruits — mango, orange and carrots with
Rooibos tea — it has notes of apple and
citrus.
During his presentation, David explained how the tea
leaves are sourced, how it is prepared and how to best
enjoy it.
“We’ve tried the best that we can do to elevate the
importance of a direct source relationship at The Coffee
Bean & Tea Leaf. When we’re dealing with grower-direct
relationships, we can create a product to be exactly what
we want. And it’s not just about the price, it’s not just about
availability, it’s about creating something that nobody else
has,” said David.
“If I can, I’d study more about what Filipinos like
and do more blends for them. After all, we are not
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf if we don’t continue
innovating.”
The ‘giving cart’ uplifts coffee farming
INVIGORATING sips for the benefit of Benguet farmers.
Great Minds (educational
assistance and trainings),
Beans for the Little Ones
(mosquito nets, booster
vaccines, dental treatment
and basic hygiene kits)
and Beans within Reach
(programs that promote
traceability and connect
local farmers to global
buyers).
FSCE is a foundation
built around the concept
of bringing the country
back into the global coffee
spotlight starting with the
THE GIVING Cart offers meals and drinks
empowerment of coffee
for P80 each.
farming communities of
Benguet.
Commuters today are rewarded with the break they deserve
as the first Giving Cart has started delighting all those who pass
by the MRT Cubao Station this September.
TAYTAY’s signature budbod.

20
LIFESTYLE
Dinah S. Ventura, Editor
Friday, 28 September 2018
Daily Tribune
Age-defying recipes
The recipes are created based on modern scientific
research and ancient knowledge of medicinal
herbs and natural ingredients from around the
world
BAOBAB Butter Squares.
by Rhea Vitto Tabora,
Contributor
There is no magic food that
can melt the years away, but you
can defy age with nourishing,
delicious meals. We have heard
of foods that help protect the
body inside and out, caring for
our internal organs and cells,
promoting healthier, youngerlooking
skin and shinier hair.
True, we don’t have a choice
when it comes to aging, but we
can choose how we will age.
Choosing the right food to eat,
exercising and embracing healthy
living have positive effects on
living and aging.
Get ready to age better. This
was Grace Ouano’s message
during the recent launching in
the Philippines of her latest
award-winning cookbook, The Age
Beautifully Cookbook: Easy and
Exotic Longevity Secrets from
Around the World, held at the
City Club Ballroom, Alphaland,
Makati City.
The cookbook, which has
garnered many recognitions
including the “Best in the World”
by Gourmand International
Cookbook Awards, Gold Award by
Independent Publishers’ Living
Now Book Awards and a finalist
in the 2017 International Book
Awards in the International
Cookbook Category, contains over
100 easy-to-make recipes that
promote health and well-being.
The recipes are created based
on modern scientific research and
ancient knowledge of medicinal
THE BOOK for those who want to
age beautifully.
What if you can do what you love while
helping along the way? Such is the philosophy
of The Discovery Leisure Company, Inc. (TDLCI),
the Filipino hospitality group behind some of
the finest award-winning hotels and resorts in
the country. It is a sentiment shared with their
international NGO partner Waves for Water,
which works on the frontline to provide clean
water access to communities around the world.
TDLCI chief operating officer Jun Parreño
said, “We want to inspire our employees by
letting them travel to remote places and meet
the friendliest people, while making a difference
at the same time.”
TDLCI’s maxim “Service That’s All Heart”
applies not only to how they care for their guests
and clientele, but it is also the guiding principle
as they touch the lives of those in need.
After all, the hospitality industry not only
provides gainful employment, it also generates
substantial economic and social impact for
partner communities, no matter how far-flung
they may be.
Forged in 2016, the partnership between
TDLCI and Waves for Water resulted in its project
#TogetherForWater, with an initial outreach
program in Nagtipunan, Quirino. Located in the
mountainous northern part of the Philippines,
the local indigenous Agta community finally
gained access to clean water via 10 water filters,
potentially benefiting close to 1,000 people.
herbs and natural ingredients
from around the world. Many
of the recipes are gluten-free
or offer gluten-free alternatives.
A number of them are also
dairy-free or offer alternatives
for those who want or need
to limit dairy in their diet.
“I start with classic dishes,
many of which I learned how
to make from my mother, and
ASIAN Fusion Shrimp and Quinoa.
BABY Back Ribs with Baobab Sauce.
WILD Boar Kebabs.
I amp up their nutrient value
with anti-aging superfoods,
some of them quite exotic but
easy to obtain. I research new
ingredients constantly, always
learning about antioxidant-rich
fruits and vegetables from all
over the world. I have a list of
my favorite spices and grains.
And I work with nutritionists
to decide on the best possible
proteins and sweeteners to use
in my cooking. Now that I’m
comfortable with how simple it
is to incorporate FoodTrients
into our daily meals, every
SALMON Poached in Pickling Spices.
week I try to share what we have
discovered and what we continue
to learn,” wrote Grace O, as she
is fondly called.
The cookbook also includes
Grace O’s Feel-Good Formula for
Longevity, Beauty and Wellness,
as well as lists of top age-fighting
fruits, vegetables, grains, spices
and proteins. A guide to agedefying
FoodTrients and their
benefits, a list of ingredient
resources and menus for
entertaining are also available
in the cookbook.
Culinary program
Grace O is also the creator
of FoodTrients, a unique
culinary program dedicated to
great-tasting recipes that also
deliver age-defying benefits. A
FoodTrient is what she calls the
natural anti-aging properties of
food. Her recipes incorporate
the ingredients needed to help
prevent the diseases of aging.
Her expertise is a result of
being exposed to cooking and
recipes early on in her life. She
grew up in her mother’s culinary
school in the Philippines and
was also influenced by the
health advice of her father, who
was a physician and had a way
of looking at food as though it
could heal.
Access to clean water is a basic human right.
It reduces poverty and increases opportunities
for education and employment, thus contributing
to the advancement of individuals and their
communities. To ensure the long-term sustainability
of this program, TDLCI’s group of hotels and
resorts—among them Club Paradise Palawan,
Discovery Shores Boracay, Discovery Primea
Makati, Discovery Suites Ortigas and Discovery
Country Suites Tagaytay—has pledged to raise
Php 200,000 each for their respective neighboring
After moving to America
and spending over 20 years
in healthcare, she saw the
connection between healthy food
and the diseases related with
aging. She is the CEO and
owner of four skilled nursing
facilities in the US where
she witnesses the health
challenges of aging. It’s
one of the reasons she
believes that food,
spices and herbs
can be some
of our best
strongest allies
for aging better.
“As I learned
more about the
GRACE Ouano.
positive effects healthy food and
ingredients have on disease and
aging, I was compelled to get
back in the kitchen and create a
cookbook that fuse international
and American flavors, familiar and
exotic ingredients, and powerful
nutrients that help the body and
mind fight diseases and the wear
and tear of aging,” wrote Grace O.
Her first cookbook, The Age
GRACEfully Cookbook: The Power
of Foodtrients® to Promote
Health and Well-being for a Joyful
and Sustainable Life was also
featured at the event.
Since the publication of her
first anti-aging cookbook, Grace
indigenous communities where clean water is
needed the most.
A series of unique fundraising events were
organized by employees of TDLCI in the spirit of
giving. From Discovery Suites’ fun spin classes in
Ride Revolution, where donors “ride” for a cause in
an exciting workout environment, to the full-house
Seasoned to Perfection Charity Dinner at Flame
in Discovery Primea, where chef-turned-GM David
Pardo de Ayala stepped out of the boardroom
and back into the kitchen to specially curate a
six-course menu.
Other activities include Adopt-a-Household,
where one can donate a water filter set for a family,
to Change for Water, where guests’ loose bills and
change were collected – a little goes a long way,
after all. All these were set into motion towards the
noble cause of providing such a basic necessity as
clean water, which for many in remote areas has
become a precious commodity.
“The hospitality market employs a huge
workforce from local communities,” says Carlo
Delantar, country director of Waves for Water.
“TDLCI is one of our valued partners in the
Philippines as they saw the need for clean water
while integrating a campaign that embodies their
values as a workforce and social champion.”
Today, this life-changing partnership has seen
the donation of 60 water filters in Sitio Carla,
Malay, Aklan; 60 water filters in sitio of Camanga,
Coron, Palawan; 30 water filters and two 1,000-liter
tanks as a rainwater harvesting system in sitio of
Suha, Norzagaray, Bulacan; and 60 water filters in
sitio of Yangka, Capas, Tarlac.
O has identified eight categories
of FoodTrients that are essential
to age-defying and healthier
living – Anti-inflammatory,
Antioxidant, Disease
Prevention, Immune
Booster, Mind,
Beauty, Strength
and Weight Loss. For
cookbook readers’
easy reference,
specificallydesigned
logos
represent
each category
and are
indicated with
every recipe
along with
summaries of the recipe’s
healthful properties.
“These benefits show
how specific foods,
herbs and spices in the
recipes help keep skin
looking younger, prevent
the diseases of aging
and increase energy and
vitality. By incorporating
these properties in an
everyday diet, people are
more likely to look and
feel younger, have more
energy, and improve their
mood and mind,” she said
in a statement.
“When it comes to
great tasting food and good
health, I want to encourage
everyone to be conscious of
the food they eat. I also urge
cooks to use good-quality,
organic ingredients whenever
possible, but understand that
budgets and availability can
make that challenging,” wrote
Grace O.
The book launching/menu
tasting was also a charity event
for Bright Halls Foundation, a
home for abandoned children
in Makati City. Proceeds
from the cookbook sales will
be donated to Bright Halls
Foundation.
The Age Beautifully
Cookbook and The Age
GRACEfully Cookbook are
available in both hardcover
and eBook online.
For more information on
lifestyle tips, age-defying recipes,
and secrets of the healing
properties of food, visit www.
FoodTrients.com.
Hotel group helps bring clean water to communities
FOR the children of the Aeta Community in Capas Tarlac,
access to clean water gives them hope for a healthier
and better future.
DISCOVERY Primea executives with Waves for Water officials and Dumagat representative Brother Martin Francisco
(rightmost) came together in the spirit of giving to provide clean water for indigenous communities.
THE hotel’s staff have their own training on how to
operate the water filters.
CRAB-MANGO Cocktail.
DARK Chocolate Mousse.
QUINOA with white rice served as a salad.
CLUB Paradise Palawan hotel manager Joegil
Escobar personally trains the Tagbanua Tribe in Coron
on how to use the water filters.
Corporate partnerships are integral to the
advancement of the Waves for Water advocacy of
providing clean water access” says Jenica Dizon,
director of operations of Waves for Water. “They
enable us to implement large scale projects that
benefit whole communities.”
Apart from the impact these initiatives have
had in the aforementioned communities, a
change in TDLCI’s employees was also realized.
“Waves for Water requires a deep commitment
from our employees as it is an exercise in getting
out of their comfort zones”, says Didoy Fullon,
corporate director for human resources of
TDLCI. “The experience grounded them, touched
their core, and made them better individuals”.
What’s next for TDLCI’s partner communities?
“While clean water access is at the core of our
CSR program, it can only be a truly meaningful
and sustainable initiative if we can help our
partner communities holistically,” TDLCI’s
chief operating officer Jun Parreño said. “Once
we’ve covered all our beneficiaries’ basic water
requirements, we’ve made a commitment
to consistently visit them to address their
other needs, whether it be medical, dental,
educational, or livelihood-related. We’re here to
stay for them. That is what Discovery’s ‘Service
That’s All Heart’ is all about.”
For more information on TDLCI’s
#TogetherForWater project, and to take part of
this laudable initiative, please visit https://bit.
ly/discoveryadvocacy.