13 OCTOBER 2018

U.S.-CHINA 

SURPLUS HITS 

RECORD $34B 

FORESIGHT 

NEW BEAST 

OF THE EAST 

MARRIOTT 

AND THE ART 

OF HOSTING 

PAGE 16 

WORLD PAGE 4 COMMENTARY 

PAGE 13 SPORTS 

PAGE 20 LIFESTYLE 

‘Red’ 

plot fizzles 

out 

MANILA, PHILIPPINES SATURDAY, 13 OCTOBER 2018 

No arrest order yet 

as court wraps up 

By Elmer N. Manuel and Alvin Murcia 

Beleaguered Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV got 

another reprieve yesterday on the non-bailable 

coup d’etat charges for the 2003 Oakwood 

mutiny but the day of reckoning is expected 

soon. 

After weeks of deliberation, the Makati 

PAGE 8 Turn to page 6 

There is no EJK 

whatsoever even the 

CHR cannot prove 

that 

By Kathleen Mae Bulquerin 

and Hananeel Bordey 

Debunking the allegations 

of President Rodrigo Duterte’s 

critics, Philippine National Police 

(PNP) chief Director General 

Oscar Albayalde said yesterday 

no extrajudicial killings (EJK) 

happened under the Duterte 

administration and the term was 

mere propaganda of his critics. 

Albayalde, who is in Benguet 

for the 117th Police Service 

Anniversary celebration, said 

even the Commission of Human 

Rights (CHR) has not proven 

a single EJK incident in the 

EJK mere propaganda 

Bato, Pulong 

fire off bids 

By Mario J. Mallari 

Administration allies have dominated the 

second day of the filing of certificates of candidacy 

(CoC) at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) 

with outgoing Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Chief 

Ronald de la Rosa of the Partido Demokratiko 

Pilipino (PDP) filing his CoC for senator while 

President Rodrigo Duterte’s son Paolo “Pulong” 

Turn to page 2 

PNP chief: Even CHR failed to prove it 

conduct of the anti-narcotics 

campaign. 

“There is no EJK whatsoever 

even the CHR cannot prove that, 

there is, in fact, no EJK in the 

country,” Albayalde said. 

“But let me make this clear, 

the PNP had filed cases against 

672 police personnel who 

violated various human rights,” 

he added. 

Albayalde issued the 

statement in reaction to 

the Human Rights 

Watch accusation 

that no policeman 

was convicted of 

EJK charges. 

Rights 

violators 

charged 

The PNP head 

said since the 

campaign against illegal drugs 

started in 2016, some 672 police 

officers have been charged for 

violation of human 

rights. 

S i n c e 

Mr. Duterte 

assumed the 

presidency, a 

total of 7,431 

PNP personnel 

were meted 

disciplinary 

actions 

f o r 

administrative 

offenses. 

Of the figure, 

around 2,169 

personnel were 

dismissed from 

the service, 4,133 

were suspended, 

436 demoted, 

464 reprimanded, 

30 restricted to 

quarters, 48 withheld 

of privileges and 151 

whose salaries 

have been 

forfeited. 

In the 

past 19 months 

of the PNP’s 

internal 

cleansing 

program, 

Albayalde 

said the 

‘Land titling system collapsed’ 


As the Senate Blue Ribbon 

Committee unearthed more 

controversies in the ongoing 

inquiry into the P8.7 billion 

road right of way (RRoW) scam 

in General Santos City, panel 

chairman Sen. 

Richard 

Gordon 

is now 

asking an 

“overhaul” 

of several 

government 

agencies 

which 

Counter-Intelligence Task Force 

(CITF) arrested 91 police 

personnel and neutralized 

seven personnel in 50 

separate counter-intelligence 

operations. 

CITF commander Senior 

Supt. Romeo Caramat Jr. said 

the task force received a 

total of 13,481 complaints 

via SMS (short messaging 

service) and calls 


One in purpose President Rodrigo Duterte is welcomed by Indonesian President Joko Widodo for the ASEAN Leaders’ Gathering. Both share the 

same commitment that stamping out the narcotics menace is a must to ensure a peaceful and prosperous nation. 

MALACAÑANG PHOTO 

Hard to beat Former Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte picked the best endorser, sister Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, for his bid 

to become Davao City representative when he filed his certificate of candidacy. 

JEFRY TUPAS 

resulted in the “collapse” of the 

land titling system. 

Gordon noted massive 

corruption in the land titling 

system resulted in the syndicate 

coming out with fake titles. 

Worse, the fake land titles 

are used to claim payments 

for RRoW projects — just like 

what was discovered in General 

Santos City. Turn to page 6 

Family affair Former Bureau of Corrections and Philippine National Police Chief 

Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa (center, seated) gets a selfie from daughter Macky and wife 

Nancy at the Commission on Elections office where he filed his Senate candidacy. AFP 

Locsin 

takes 

over DFA 

helm 

UN work is like 

sharpening a blade 

every day 


and Elmer N. Manuel 

Hailed by the Palace as a 

perfect successor to former 

Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan 

Peter Cayetano, Philippine 

Permanent Representative to 

the United Nations Teddy Boy 

Locsin Jr. said he has accepted 

President Duterte’s offer to 

head the Department of Foreign 

Affairs (DFA). 

Locsin announced his 

acceptance in a social media 

post. 

“I was asked I said yes,” 

Locsin posted. 

“But love UN, the many friends 

& intellectual companions I 

made. But I didn’t say no when 

asked as I didn’t when he told 

me I was UN ambassador,” he 

added. Turn to page 6 

NAKALAGAY 

DIN YAN 

SA BALOTA! 

‘Trapo’ 

is not a rug 

Basahan will now be the 

official Filipino word for rug 

instead of trapo. The latter 

word had been given the 

definition of “a politician 

perceived as belonging to a 

conventional and corrupt 

ruling class” in the Oxford 

English Dictionary (OED). 

Although trapo 

already had nearly 

the same definition in 

the Urban Dictionary, 

which defined it as 

“politicians who will say and 


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NEWS 

2 

Saturday, 13 October 2018 

Daily Tribune 

EJK mere propaganda 

In the past 19 months 

of the PNP’s internal 

cleansing program, the 

Counter-Intelligence 

Task Force arrested 91 

police personnel 

From page 1 

through its hotline numbers, 

including 1,718 complaints 

concerning 450 police 

commissioned officers and 1,454 

police non-commissioned officers 

from 3 February 2017 to 27 

September 2018. 

The CITF investigations led 

to the filing of administrative 

cases before the Internal Affairs 

Service (IAS) against 66 police 

personnel and criminal charges 

in court against 85 other errant 

police personnel, including 21 

civilians. 

Abused term 

Caramat said 173 complaints 

and information received by the 

task force were subsequently 

referred to concerned offices of 

the Deputy Regional Director for 

Operations. 

Of the complaints and 

information received since 3 

February 2017, 36 involving 75 

PNP personnel and civilians were 

investigated and 137 other cases 

involving 180 PNP personnel and 

civilians were referred to their 

respective PNP units for proper 

validation. 

The CITF added there were 

also 152 walk-in complainants 

against 203 PNP personnel and 

other involved civilians. 

Earlier, Albayalde had said 

the term EJK was so abused, 

it was used and reused and 

further abused. The word was 

also used irresponsibly for the 

propaganda of some sectors, 

noting that those killed during 

campaign against illegal drugs 

were common criminals. 

“These are police operations. 

The President has nothing to do 

with the operations because his 

order is to wage a war against 

illegal drugs,” he said. 

“It is unfortunate that some 

critics of this administration use 

the term irresponsibly for their 

own propaganda,” Albayalde 

added. 

Ninja cops under probe 

Albayalde also confirmed five 

policemen who were recently 

included in the drug matrix 

released by the President were 

under pre-charge evaluation. 

“All of them were relieved 

pending an investigation. They 

will be given due process and 

they are undergoing a pre-charge 

evaluation,” he said. 

Last Thursday, PNP 

spokesman Chief Supt. Benigno 

Durana bared the identities of 

the sacked cops as Senior Supt. 

Leonardo Suan, Supt. Lorenzo 

Bacia, Senior Insp. Lito Pirote, 

Insp. Conrado Caragdag and 

Senior Police Officer 4 Alejandro 

Liwanag. 

According to the released 

matrix, the cops were alleged 

as recycling seized illegal drugs. 

Albayalde also gave assurance 

the police would continue 

to implement “innovative 

strategies.” 

Those killed during 

campaign against illegal 

drugs were common 

criminals. 

The PNP chief said this would 

serve as both an inspiration and 

a challenge for the police to 

intensify the campaign further, 

along with the built-in safeguards 

to maintain its good intentions 

without irregularity or abuse. 

“Our campaign against 

illegal drugs will continue to 

be relentless and chilling but 

likewise compliant with the 

requirements of due process, 

human rights of individuals, 

including drug suspects and the 

rule law,” Albayalde said. 

Judicial system functions 

Malacañang said the country 

has a robust judicial system to 

make leaders accountable for 

their actions. 

Newly designated presidential 

spokesman Salvador Panelo 

said the judicial system does 

not need the guidance of the 

International Criminal Court 

(ICC) to prosecute cases. 

EJK was so abused, it 

was used and reused and 

further abused. 

Past events showed that the 

country thrived even without the 

ICC, he said. 

The Palace official cited 

historical events to prove this 

claim such as the conviction 

of President Joseph Ejercito 

Estrada and the filing of charges 

against former President Gloria 

Macapagal-Arroyo. 

“What’s the proof? We 

jailed former President Erap 

(Estrada)… We also detained 

former President Gloria 

(Macapagal)-Arroyo, but she was 

finally acquitted,” Panelo said. 

Panelo added under the 

Rome Statute, the ICC can 

only intervene when a certain 

country is unwilling or unable to 

prosecute heinous crimes which 

is not the case as of current. 

“In other words, we don’t 

even need an ICC because we 

have shown, demonstrated 

to the world that we can do 

without them,” he said, even 

citing the 1986 revolution which 

toppled the dictatorship of then 

President Ferdinand Marcos. 

At the same press briefing, 

the Palace official relayed 

his designation as the new 

presidential spokesman effective 

immediately. 

No naming of narcos 

Mr. Duterte also rejected 

suggestions for government to 

release the names of politicians 

linked to the narcotics trade 

who are seeking posts in the 

2019 polls. 

“I will not. It’s not a good 

policy to telegraph your intention 

or what you know about matters 

of breaking penal laws,” Duterte 

told reporters in Davao City 

following his arrival from Bali, 

Indonesia where he attended 

the ASEAN Leaders’ Gathering 

on Thursday. 

The Department of Interior 

and Local Government (DILG) 

announced that it will forward 

the list of suspected “narcopoliticians” 

to the Commission 

on Elections (Comelec). 

DILG assistant secretary and 

spokesman Jonathan Malaya said 

that while the agency does not 

know what course of action the 

Comelec could take against the 

suspected narco-politicians, it is 

still hoping that they would be 

disqualified. 

“We are going to forward to 

Commission on Elections all 

of those lists for their proper 

disposition. It’s up to the 

Comelec how they will handle 

that concern,” Malaya said at a 

Palace press briefing. 

“DILG officer-in-charge 

Eduardo Año mentioned that we 

would want them to be disqualified, 

but there are legal impediments 

as mentioned by some election 

lawyers,” he added. 

During the last barangay elections, 

the government released the names of 

barangay officials with suspected links 

to the illegal drug trade. 

Malaya said the DILG has not 

yet received clearance from the 

Office of the President to do the 

same for the upcoming mid-term 

polls in May 2019. 

With Elmer N. Manuel 

Piety requires patience Boat carrying the Nuestra Señora de Buen Viaje image is all decked for a fluvial 

parade as the boatman can’t wait to start the procession rolling. 

ROMAN PROSPERO 

Bato, Pulong fire off bids 

Davao City’s First District 

which the young Duterte 

is targeting is currently 

occupied by Karlo 

Nograles 

From page 1 

Duterte seeking a seat in the 

House of Representatives. 

De la Rosa is the second 

official senatorial candidate of 

the PDP after party president 

Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III 

made official his candidacy last 

Thursday. 

Davao City’s First District which 

the young Duterte is targeting 

is currently occupied by Karlo 

Nograles who recently called off a 

plan to run for senator in the 2019 

mid-term elections. 

Duterte was accompanied by 

his lawyers and sister, Davao City 

Mayor Sara Duterte. 

Sara is scheduled to file her 

CoC for re-election on 16 October, 

a day before the deadline set by 

the Comelec. 

“This has been agreed upon 

by members of the family,” 

Duterte said, even as his father 

said early Friday morning he 

has not talked to his son “for the 

longest time.” 

He confirmed the President’s 

statement but said the Chief Executive 

is aware of his political plans. 

Duterte, meanwhile, said 

he does not mind having any 

opponent. 

Good fight welcome 

“We are in a democracy so 

it’s really okay for me if anyone 

wishes to challenge my bid. 

Let us campaign and allow the 

people choose the person who 

they think could serve them 

best,” he said. 

Duterte quit as Davao City vice 

mayor last December following a 

public spat with his daughter 

and allegations 

mainly from 

Sen. Antonio 

Trillanes IV of 

his involvement in 

the P6.4-billion 

shabu shipment from China that 

slipped past port inspections in 

May last year. 

De la Rosa vowed to push 

maintaining peace and order in 

the country in his quest for a 

slot in the Senate. Likewise, he 

will also push the restoration of 

the death penalty for offenders 

of drug trafficking and heinous 

crimes such as murder and rape. 

“I really wanted to serve. I 

am too young to retire,” said the 

56-year-old BuCor chief. “I still 

have a lot of services to offer to 

the people.” 

De la Rosa also disclosed that 

he will not receive any financial 

support from the President. 

“He will support me by his 

endorsement alone, but no 

financial support,” De la Rosa said. 

Lucky Friday 

Sen. Nancy Binay also filed 

with the Comelec her bid for 

another Senate term. Binay said 

she chose to file on a Friday as 

it has a sentimental value for her 

since she also filed her CoC on 

the same day in 2013. 

Binay added she will pursue 

her advocacy for the development 

of the local tourism industry. 

“I chair the (Senate) 

Committee on Tourism and I 

saw that there’s a lot needed 

to be done to help the tourism 

industry,” Binay said. She noted 

that problems in tourism sites in 

the country stemmed from the 

lack of a tourism master plan. 

Binay will be running under 

the United Nationalist Alliance, 

founded by her father, former 

Vice President Jejomar Binay. 

Binay was mum over the 

supposed feud between Junjun 

and another sibling, incumbent 

Makati City Mayor Abby Binay. 

She said they will wait for their 

father to address the issue. 

Reports said Junjun will 

contest his sister Abby for 

the Makati City mayoral 

post. 

“We will talk 

about it...our 

family has been through worse, 

we’ve survived…it will pass,” 

said Binay, who has consistently 

ranked in the top five of 

various surveys among probable 

senatorial candidates. 

Binay said her father is 

currently out of the country and 

may be back this weekend. 

Meanwhile, Sen. Chiz 

Escudero, who is a graduating 

senator, was accompanied by his 

wife actress Heart Evangelista 

and his runningmate Mayor 

Manuel Fortes of Barcelona town 

in filing his CoC at the Comelec 

Provincial Office in Sorsogon. 

While he filed his CoC as 

an independent, Escudero was 

adopted by his original party – the 

National People’s Coalition. 

Consolidation needed 

In a TV interview, Institute for 

Political and Economic Reform 

executive director Ramon Casiple 

said the administration needed a 

“consolidation of power” to allow the 

President to push his key programs 

such as the Federalism bid. 

“The key point in this election 

is to consolidate the power so 

that for the rest of term of the 

administration in office, there 

will not be much challenge,” 

Casiple said. 

He added for the Duterte 

administration to succeed in its agenda, 

the ruling party – PDP-Laban – should 

be able to field a full 12-man Senate 

ticket, but it has yet to announce its 

full senatorial slate even as the filing 

of the CoC began Thursday. 

“If you want to consolidate 

power, especially in the Congress 

level, you need to have that one slate 

and in fact this is difficult, you have 

to win them all,” he added. 

With Raymart T. Lolo and Elmer 

N. Manuel 

Not a cheap thrill Play for this boy and his companions is hitching a ride to a mammoth trailer truck which can easily take their young lives at the slightest misstep. 

ROMAN PROSPERO


Daily Tribune 

PAGE THREE 

By Kristina Maralit 

PH, Vietnam discuss sea boundary issues 

BALI, Indonesia — To ensure peaceful 

resolution of their respective maritime 

and island claims in the West Philippine 

Sea (South China Sea), President 

Rodrigo Duterte and Vietnamese Prime 

Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc discussed 

the delineation of maritime boundaries 

in the sidelines of the ASEAN Leaders’ 

Meeting here. 

Both countries are claimants to the 

disputed territory, said to be rich in oil and 

natural gas deposits, along with Brunei, 

Malaysia, Indonesia and China. 

“This has something to do with 

delineation of our boundaries. And I told 

him that in due time, but we will take a 

longer period for we have to establish 

even our continental shelf limits,” the 

President said upon his arrival at the Davao 

International Airport from the one-day 

gathering late Thursday night. 

In May 2014 the Philippines signed with 

Indonesia a historic agreement defining 

the maritime boundary between their 

overlapping Exclusive Economic Zones 

(EEZ) in the Mindanao Sea and Celebes 

Sea. The agreement was signed after 20 

years of negotiations. 

During their meeting, Duterte and Phuc 

expressed commitment to work closely 

DEL CASTILLO DECLINES 

Carpio accepts CJ nomination 

together in achieving progress and stability 

throughout Southeast Asia. 

They also agreed to seal the 

Vietnam-Philippines action plan for 

2018-2023 soon to enhance cooperation 

between the two nations. 

This has something to do with 

delineation of our boundaries. 

Rising again Groundbreaking for the rehabilitation of Marawi City is set for 17 October, starting with the 

clearing of the rubble and debris caused by the five-month battle between government forces and IS-inspired 

Maute militants. 

AFP 

By Alvin Murcia 

Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio 

yesterday confirmed he has agreed to his 

nomination to the post of Chief Justice (CJ) of 

the Supreme Court (SC) vacated by retired Teresita 

Leonardo-De Castro. 

Carpio joined two other senior SC justices who 

accepted automatic nomination as CJ, namely 

Associate Justices Diosdado Peralta and Lucas 

Bersamin. 

He turned down the same automatic nomination 

following the ouster of former CJ Ma. Lourdes 

Sereno but Carpio said he has no reason to refuse 

it this time. 

Del Castillo said while he is honored to be 

nominated for the post, he has to decline. 

On the other hand, Associate Justice 

Mariano del Castillo declined his nomination. 

In a letter to the JBC dated 12 October 2018, Del 

Castillo said while he is honored to be nominated 

for the post, he has to decline because of his 

compulsory retirement next year. 

“I foresee that, as chairperson of the 2018 Bar 

Examinations, my work will extend to the months 

just prior to my retirement. That will leave me 

not much time to embark on notable projects 

that a Chief Justice will normally want to have 

an imprint on,” he added. 

Del Castillo will step down from his post on 

29 July next year upon reaching the mandatory 

retirement age of 70. 

reiterated their support to the full and 

effective implementation of the Declaration 

on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea 

and the finalization of an effective, practical 

and legally-binding Code of Conduct in the 

East Sea. 

Both leaders likewise agreed to 

highlight the significance of enhancing 

cooperation in maritime affairs and 

creating conditions for both Filipino and 

Vietnamese fishermen for legal, safe and 

sustainable fishing. 

According to Duterte, Vietnam remains a 

close friend and ally of the Philippines and he 

wishes to continue advancing the strategic 

partnership between the two nations. 

Among areas of bilateral cooperation 

being explored between Manila and Hanoi 

include national defense and security, 

economy and trade, energy and maritime 

affairs. 

The President and Vietnamese PM also 

Marawi rehab 

Trece Martires mayor sues for time 

The camp of Trece Martires City Mayor 

Melandres de Sagun yesterday asked the 

Department of Justice (DoJ) to extend for 

14 days the period to file his answer to 

the murder and frustrated murder charges 

against him for the killing of Vice Mayor 

Alex Lubigan. 

Assailants on board a black 

Mitsubishi Montero fired on 

Lubigan’s Toyota Hilux. 

De Sagun’s counsel, Atty. Merito 

Lovensky Fernandez, moved for 

the extension of the period to 

file counter-affidavit in a two-page 

manifestation submitted to the DoJ. 

Fernandez said he was only engaged 

last 9 October by his client. Due to the 

gravity of the charges levelled against his 

client, the lawyer said he needs additional 

Associate Justice Estela Perlas-Bernabe, 

who is also automatically nominated to the 

vacant CJ post has yet to accept or decline 

the nomination. 

Even as this developed, the Judicial and 

Bar Council (JBC) extended to 26 October 

the deadline for application to the position 

of CJ. 

Originally, the JBC set the deadline for the 

application or recommendation for the post on 

15 October. 

Earlier, the JBC had announced the 

opening of another vacancy for the post of 

SC associate justice for the seat of Justice 

Noel Tijam, who will compulsorily retire on 

5 January 2019. 

On 18 October the JBC will interview Sandiganbayan 

Justice Alex Quiroz and lawyer Rita Linda Jimeno, 

two of the candidates vying for the post of SC 

associate justice vacated by De Castro when she 

was appointed CJ. 

It will be conducted from 9 a.m. to 12 noon 

at the Division Hearing Room, SC Main Building 

along Padre Faura, Manila. 

There are 10 more applicants, whose previous 

JBC interviews remain valid, vying for the same 

position. 

Contenders for the post include Court of 

Appeals Justices Oscar Badelles, Manuel Barrios, 

Apolinario Bruselas, Jr., Rosmari Carandang, 

Stephen Cruz, Edgardo de los Santos, Japar 

Dimaampao, Ramon Garcia and Amy Lazaro-Javier, 

as well as former Ateneo Law Dean Cesar 

Villanueva. 

period of 14 days, or from 12 October to 26 

October 2018 to file De Sagun’s affidavit 

and those of the witnesses for his client. 

He clarified that the motion is not in 

any way intended to delay the proceedings. 

Prosecutor Rassendell Rex Gingoyon 

said resolution of the case will depend on 

whether or not De Sagun’s camp would be 

able to comply with their commitment to 

submit a counter-affidavit by 26 October. 

“It’s difficult to say if the case is 

submitted for resolution. As of now we 

are scheduled for counter affidavit on 

26 October. If they fail to submit, then 

it is submitted for resolution,” said 

Gingoyon. 

Lubigan was shot dead on 7 July. He was 

5th vice mayor killed under the Duterte 

administration but the number has since 

gone up to 6. 

Also indicted by the Cavite police 

starts soon 

The task force has a working budget of P15 to 

P16 billion 

Task Force Bangon Marawi chairman, Secretary Eduardo 

del Rosario yesterday announced the groundbreaking for 

rehabilitation of Marawi will be held on 17 October, the first 

anniversary of the city’s liberation from Maute extremists. 

“Our people are now on the ground preparing for this. 

And since 17 October is very significant, as the declared date 

of liberation of Marawi, as declared by our President, we 

find it fitting that the groundbreaking will be on 17 October 

also,” Del Rosario said in a press briefing. 

He said clearing of the debris and rubble caused by the 

five-month siege will mark the first phase of the Marawi 

rehabilitation effort. 

“We are now conducting a negotiated procurement and 

in the first award, it was given to FINMAT Corporation. 

FINMAT Corporation will undertake the debris clearing, 

the initial pilot worth P75 million,” he said. 

He said FINMAT will undertake the debris-clearing 

operations in the pilot area for Marawi rehabilitation which 

consists of six hectares. 

Once the debris are cleared, construction of road networks 

with underground utilities will commence. Next would be 

the construction of vertical structures which would include 

320 classrooms, 24 barangay centers, convention center, the 

grand central market, school for living tradition, a four-story 

parking area and other necessary infrastructures. 

The task force set the target for the return of Marawi 

residents to “ground zero” not later than the second quarter 

of 2020. 

For the rehabilitation of the entire city, Del Rosario said 

they expect it to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2021. 

He said the task force has a working budget of P15 to P16 

billion for this purpose. 

FINMAT will undertake the debris-clearing 

operations in the pilot area. 

He reported that as of September 2018, the total number 

of internally-displaced persons stands at 11,949 families, 

down from 76,284 families last January 2018. 

A total of 1,522 units of transitional shelters were 

constructed in Sagonsongan, Bakwit Village, Angat Buhay 

Program and Bahay Pag-asa. The transitional shelters are 

provided with common facilities such as temporary learning 

areas, prayer rooms, livelihood centers, police outpost and 

wet and dry market. 

Del Rosario said efforts are ongoing for the development 

of a second site for transitional shelter in Barangay 

Buganga which will provide 1,500 units of temporary 

shelters. More than 600 out of the 1,500 units have been 

completed. 

The task force is also providing business and livelihood 

opportunities to Marawi residents through the implementation 

of “Kawiyagan” — a livelihood program supporting the recovery 

and re-development of various industries and the local 

economy. 

CRP 

Preparing for 

emergency 

Nursing students conduct a 

rescue and first aid scenario 

as part of their training at the 

Red Cross National Capital 

Region office in Quezon City. 

ANALY LABOR 

for the killing of Lubigan were Luis 

Vasquez Abad Jr., Ariel Fletchetro Paiton, 

Lawrence “Umbe” Arca and Rhonel 

Bersamina. 

The Cavite Police 

transmitted its complaint to 

the Prosecutor General last 

week, attaching the affidavit of Lubigan’s 

security aide Romeo Edrinal who 

survived the shooting. 

Assailants on board a black 

Mitsubishi Montero fired on 

Lubigan’s Toyota Hilux in front of a hospital 

on Indang Road, Barangay Luciano in Trece 

Martires. 

Police said days before the killing, 

Lubigan had told some people of his plans 

to run for mayor in 2019. 

De Sagun’s wife was also reportedly set 

to run for mayor, pitting her against Lubigan 

who was an ally in the past election. AM 

New Army 

chief 

welcomed 

By Kathleen Mae Bulquerin 

The Armed Forces of the 

Philippines (AFP) on Friday 

welcomed the designation of 

Maj. Gen. Macairog Sabeniano 

Alberto as the next Philippine 

Army chief. 

Alberto will replace Lt. Gen. 

Rolando Joselito Bautista, who is 

scheduled to retire on Monday 

after reaching the mandatory 

retirement age of 56. President 

Rodrigo Duterte earlier had said 

he would appoint Bautista as 

secretary of the Department of 

Social Welfare and Development. 

“Maj. Gen. Alberto is a 

highly respected leader and 

commander having distinguished 

himself in the field of combat, 

intelligence and civil military 

operations in various echelons 

of the AFP hierarchy,” AFP 

spokesman Brig. Gen. Edgard 

Arevalo said. 

He added the incoming Army 

commander is “well-respected” 

among subordinates, peers and 

senior officers of the more 

than 98,000-strong Army. 

“He is known for his 

dedicated, no non-sense, 

and passionate approach to 

mission accomplishment while 

ensuring the welfare of the 

men and women under his 

command,” Arevalo added. 

Alberto is a member of the 

Philippine Military Academy 

(PMA) Class of 1986 while 

his predecessor, Bautista, is a 

member of PMA Class of 1985. 

The incoming Army 

commander is well-respected. 

The incoming Army chief 

is a graduate of various 

courses both local and abroad, 

including the Scout Ranger 

Course, Strategic Intel Course, 

Counter-Terrorism Fellowship 

Program and Master of Arts 

(Strategic Studies) from the 

National Defense University, 

USA. 

He also holds a Master’s 

degree in Public Management 

Major in Development and 

Security from Development 

Academy of the Philippines. 

Alberto served as 

commanding officer of the 

2nd and 3rd Scout Ranger 

Battalion, Task Force Davao 

and head of the 1001st 

Infantry Brigade, a unit of 

the 10th Infantry Division 

in Mindanao before his 

appointment as chief of the 

Intelligence Service of the 

AFP. 

He was a recipient of 

various medals, including 

the Military Commendation 

Medal, Military Merit Medal, 

Bronze Cross Medal, UN 

Service Medal/Ribbon, Silver 

Wing Medal, Gold Cross Medal 

and Distinguished Service 

Medal.

COMMENTARY 

4 Saturday, 13 October 2018 

Daily Tribune 

Daily 

Tribune 

WITHOUT FEAR • WITHOUT FAVOR 

“The 

protection 

of rights 

had always 

been part of 

the 

anti-narcotics 

campaign 

despite 

the critics’ 

claim of 

brutality 

helped 

along by 

Rody’s toxic 

rhetorics. 

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 

Foresight 

In his third State of the Nation Address, President Rody 

Duterte told his critics that “your concern is human rights, 

mine is human lives” in underlining his determination to 

pursue the war on drugs to its conclusion. 

He said the campaign would be “relentless and chilling” as 

during the day it started in 2016. 

He noted that “lives of our youth are being wasted” and 

families destroyed as a result of the narcotics plague that he 

had vowed to end. 

The spread of the drugs problem as a global epidemic was 

a key topic during the High-Level Event on Counter Narcotics 

convened by the United States at the United Nations 

Headquarters in New York on 24 September. 

US President Donald Trump is among global 

leaders advocating stronger measures to stop 

the narcotics problem but he is saddled 

with the same problem confronting Rody 

of political critics using the issue as 

ammunition against him. 

UN Secretary General Antonio 

Guterres described drug addiction 

as “more than just a policy but also 

a personal issue,” noting that he 

himself had lost a friend to drugs. 

Trump agreed with Guterres as 

he said drug addiction continues 

to claim “too many lives” in the US 

and the nations around the world. 

“Today, we commit to fighting the 

drug epidemic together,” Trump said. 

Guterres also said in an earlier 

speech that “drug-related challenges 

are among the world’s most complex 

problems.” 

This scourge negatively hit the well-being of 

individuals, families and entire communities, 

and hinders security and sustainable 

development, Guterres said in his 

message to an event marking the 

International Day against Drug 

Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. 

The UN chief in speaking 

strongly against the drugs 

menace pointed to the 

growing discernment 

about the priority of Rody under his administration which is 

ending the drugs problem that became an epidemic due to the 

neglect of the previous administration. 

Rody is already a step ahead in the global crusade which 

is a fact that the country’s neighbors in the region such as 

Bangladesh and Indonesia subscribe to in using the demonized 

“Tokhang” police campaign as a model. 

“Tokhang” is being associated with the extrajudicial deaths 

being pinned on Rody by his foes but the real intent of the 

program is the use of persuasion and community pressure for 

drug dependents and traffickers to reform. 

The protection of rights had always been part of the antinarcotics 

campaign despite the critics’ claim of brutality 

helped along by Rody’s toxic rhetorics. 

The commitment to rights protection should be a factor 

for the Philippines being nominated for a seat in the United 

Nations Human Rights Council which the usual faultfinders 

are vigorously opposing. 

Rody’s tough talk is a necessary element of the 

“Rody 

is already 

a step 

ahead in 

the global 

crusade 

which 

is a fact 

that the 

country’s 

neighbors 

in the 

region. 

war on drugs since he speaks the language that can 

be understood by the underworld characters and 

scalawags in government who profit from narcotics. 

The yellow cabal and its overseas supporters 

such as Human Rights Watch (HRW) are blocking 

the country’s candidacy in the rights body, saying 

the Philippines is among UN members with 

“egregious human rights records.” 

“UN member countries should show their 

outrage at the Philippines and Eritrea by leaving 

two spots on the ballot sheet blank and keeping 

them off the council,” HRW UN Director Louis 

Charbonneau said. 

Charbonneau cited the “abusive” war on drugs 

for its opposition. 

Admission to the UN body would mean a full realization 

of the complexity of the drugs problem that Guterres had 

indicated in his addresses. 

The UN and the United States had ceded that the drugs 

problem reached epidemic proportions globally and that a 

unified effort is needed to control if not stop it. 

Rody has been years ahead in seeing the lethal backlash 

of addiction to the society even during his term as Davao City 

mayor decades ago. 

Yellow President Noynoy Aquino, in contrast, largely ignored 

the problem and his underlings may have even benefited from it. 

Had the yellow regime perpetrated, the Philippines 

would be in good standing with the pontifical rights groups 

as a narco state. 

“Some 

mayoralty 

races in 

regions 

are too 

predictable 

to be 

interesting, 

such as in 

Davao City, 

where the 

presidential 

daughter, 

Sara, is 

expected 

to run 

and win 

another 

term. 

“Government 

insists the 

surge in rice 

prices is 

primarily a 

lack of rice 

supply. 

Political hope springs too eternally 

Politicians will always 

be politicians, that’s for 

sure, even when they 

clearly don’t make it 

in pre-poll surveys and, 

worse, on election day. 

They who are not 

likely to make it as 

senator, and know it too, 

still file their certificates 

of candidacy (CoC) and 

one truly wonders why 

they do. 

Do they run to get 

a part of campaign donations? 

Perhaps, this would apply to some 

bets. However, with the usual 

contributors knowing their chances 

of not making it at all through 

surveys made public, the same 

politicians also know that they won’t 

be getting a sizable amount by way of 

monetary donations. Money usually 

pours in for strong senatorial bets of 

any party. More money usually floods 

from donors in presidential polls. 

Do likely losers then just want to 

get publicity by running for a seat 

in the Senate? Not being political 

superstars, at most, they just get a 

one day mention in the media and 

perhaps only because they had filed 

their CoC on the first day. 

Truth is, these candidates who 

will not make it at all may not 

be considered nuisance 

candidates by the 

Commission on 

Elections. 

The Filipino 

middle classes judge 

a government by the 

state of their wallets. 

Government is a good 

one if the middle class wallet is fat. 

Government is a bad one if middle 

class wallet is thin. 

This reflection is not surprising for 

any analyst of Filipino politics. But the 

reflection bears repeating, particularly 

in the wake of Mr. Duterte’s alarming 

drop in his latest satisfaction ratings. 

Done last 15 to 23 September, the 

Social Weather Station (SWS) reported 

Mr. Duterte’s nationwide satisfaction 

ratings plunged by at least eight points, 

from his previous +58 net satisfaction 

rating last June to +50. 

All social classes from all regions 

in the country thumbed down Mr. 

Duterte: two significant results which 

by itself deserve close scrutiny. 

But we can safely leave for now 

these two significant findings and 

focus our energies on an even more 

significant result: Mr. Duterte is fast 

losing support among the rich and 

middle classes, the bourgeoisie. 

By class, the Duterte administration’s 

net satisfaction dropped from +81 to +47 

among classes ABC. Among Class D, the 

drop was from +56 to +50 and from Class 

E, from +62 to +49. 

Despite the drops, the SWS still 

classifies Mr. Duterte’s net satisfaction 

ratings as “very good.” Yet that 

classification hides a brutal political 

fact. 

The brutal political fact is that any 

erosion of middle class support for Mr. 

Duterte raises the administration’s 

political risk, with political instability 

the immediate prospect. 

The administration had counted on 

middle class support for much of its life. 

In fact, the middle class is considered the 

political linchpin of the administration’s 

brutal war against illegal drugs. 

Previous surveys indicated the 

middle class wholly supported the drug 

war, despite tough questions about the 

brutality of the killings and the short 

FRONTLINE 

Ninez Cacho-Olivares 

However, these 

same no-win senatorial 

candidates should do 

the electorate and the 

Comelec the big favor 

by giving up their 

plan to run for seats 

in the Senate, to at 

least save the Comelec 

from coming up with 

an overly long-sized 

ballot due to the fact 

that there would be too 

many names included 

in the ballot. This would cause the 

voter to take a longer time to fill out 

the ballot which, in turn, may cause 

more delays in getting more voters 

waiting in line to enable them to vote 

at a faster pace. 

Of course it’s still early days and 

survey rankings of even the more 

likely winners are not that certain 

at this time. However, it is just as 

evident that none of these likely 

losing senatorial bets who were the 

early birds in filing their CoC is likely 

to win Senate seats. 

Do senatorial aspirants such 

as singer Freddie Aguilar and Neri 

Colmenares, who already lost his 

bid for a Senate seat in a previous 

senatorial election land a Senate 

seat? There certainly are more 

of them who will not make it, 

simply because they do not have 

the electorate’s support and are not 

likely to have enough votes from 

them to win a seat. 

Congressmen run in a different 

type of race, with less numbers of 

voters as congressional winners are 

elected by districts and, in reality, 

congressional races are hardly of 

national interest, except in their 

respective districts. 

The same goes to gubernatorial 

and mayoralty races, with some 

exceptions for mayoralty races, 

especially in the 

circuiting of legal processes. 

Many have traced this 

support to the fact that many 

in the Filipino middle classes 

have historically valued physical 

security and peace and order 

over rights and freedoms. 

A fact which the war against 

illegal drugs highlighted. Many in the 

middle classes feared the anecdotal 

brutality and violence of drug addicts 

threatened their immediate physical 

surroundings that foregoing tedious 

legal processes was acceptable. 

But in recent months this 

“pragmatic” morality collapsed in 

face of galloping inflation, the highest 

in Asia. 

Inflation is now the major political 

issue for the middle classes. Financial 

insecurities is trumping peace and 

order concerns. 

Inflation is hitting 

the middle classes 

hard, forcing tightening 

of belts in face of rising 

food and fuel costs: a 

lifestyle of austerity. 

A lifestyle of austerity 

for the middle classes 

means fewer movies, 

using the car less and 

cutting on purchases of 

non-essential items. 

Given that austerity lifestyle, the 

“Previous 

surveys 

indicated 

the middle 

class 

wholly 

supported 

the drug 

war. 

matter of Metro Manila which is 

of great national interest, such as 

the mayoralty polls in the cities of 

Manila, Makati, Quezon and other 

big cities in Metro Manila. 

Some mayoralty 

“Do they 

run to get 

a part of 

campaign 

donations? 

Perhaps, 

this would 

apply to 

some bets. 

races in regions are 

too predictable to be 

interesting, such as in 

Davao City, where the 

presidential daughter, 

Sara, is expected to 

run and win another 

term and for the 

presidential son, Paolo 

Duterte, to run for a 

seat in Congress. Both 

are expected to win their seats. 

The same situations happen 

during presidential elections, with 

so many registering as presidential 

candidates even knowing that many 

of them will never make it to the 

presidency. Even records will hardly 

ever mention them in historical 

election records. 

Interestingly, Foreign Affairs 

Secretary Alan Cayetano, a former 

senator, has bared his intention to 

run—but not for the Senate, since he 

was quoted as saying that he wants 

to run for a seat in the House of 

Representatives, as a representative 

of Taguig-Pateros, which is a sure win 

for the Cayetanos. 

However, Alan Cayetano has even 

bigger ambitions as he is angling for 

the speakership. 

Can Cayetano pull off a speakership 

role? 

It would be interesting though 

in the next Congress, when former 

Vice President Jojo Binay and Alan 

Cayetano will (likely) be in the same 

lower house and have some kind of 

repeat verbal slugfest in Congress. 

Middle class blues 

middle classes are questioning key 

economic policies like the Tax Reform 

for Acceleration and Inclusion or 

TRAIN law as well as taking a hard 

look at the abilities of government 

functionaries. 

Because inflation is now a major 

political issue, inflation is putting 

an enormous stress on government 

because government has to appease 

an incensed public. 

Scrambling to appease loud 

grumbles, particularly on the unabated 

rise of rice prices, government 

liberalized the importation of rice, 

corn and other foodstuffs. 

Government insists the surge in 

rice prices is primarily a lack of rice 

supply. 

Government also sidelined 

shortsighted government functionaries, 

particularly those who mistakenly 

choked imports of cheap rice meant 

for the poor and which had largely 

fueled inflation. 

But government’s redoubled 

efforts on ensuring food security by 

liberalizing imports may be too late. 

Lawmaker and economist Joey Salceda 

believes prices of some food items 

OUT AND ABOUT 

Nick V. Quijano Jr. 

like rice and fish will not go back to 

old levels. 

Government is also blaming higher 

global oil prices for the surge in 

prices. But economic analysts say 

that compared to other oil importing 

countries in Southeast Asia, it is only 

the Philippines which is experiencing 

surging inflation. 

All these, including the peso’s 

continuing slump, are just some issues 

which inflation stirred up. Yet these 

issues are already forcing government 

face up to hard decisions on whether 

or not to do away with excise taxes 

on fuel or valued added taxes on 

food: all valuable revenue sources 

for government and its ambitious 

infrastructure program. 

Combatting inflation will eat up 

most of this government’s energies. 

But government has no choice but fight 

inflation tooth-and-nail. Doing nothing 

against skyrocketing prices actually 

puts the whole economy at risk. 

While the economy is still considered 

one of Asia’s fastest growing, economic 

growth has stalled in recent months. 

The economy will stall further, some 

economists believe, because higher 

prices tends to reduce the purchasing 

power and spending of households and 

consumers. About 70 per cent of the 

local economy is dependent private 

purchasing power. 

It goes without saying that all these 

and a host of other economic issues 

make the poor even poorer. Explosive 

risks are involved in pushing the 

downtrodden further. 

But, in the meantime, we cannot 

also discount the immediate political 

risks when many in the middle classes 

fear rejoining those living at the poverty 

level. 

Such middle class fears will make 

them emotionally receptive to political 

pitches, in the coming mid-term 

elections, starkly different from that 

of government. Inflation will be a key 

campaign issue. 

Email: nevqjr@yahoo.com.ph 

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Daily Tribune 

“The top 

dog at the 

Department 

of 

Agriculture 

fears that 

unimpeded 

means 

any just 

Tom, Dick 

and Harry 

would 

import 

rice, 

bukbok 

and all. 

Kids love to do things that come 

to them naturally and we adults often 

imitate them out of a sense of awe 

or perhaps boredom and maybe even 

meanness. Take somersaulting, for 

example. As a kid, a group of friends 

and I roam a huge patch of bermuda 

public school grounds looking to expend 

a few more ounces of latent energy left 

from a day’s worth of reading, writing 

and you know, arithmetic. This is the 

time of day when school is practically 

over when the teachers begin leaving 

and us kids have maybe half an hour of 

horsing around before we ourselves head for home 

as well. Where I grew up, one end of the bermuda is 

where the girls are and we’re at the other end, too 

timid to cross that invisible line in the middle lest 

we’d be taunted as less than the boys we believe 

ourselves to be in our minds. Most boys would never 

think of crossing that line but whaddya know, some 

of us boys have enough bravado to go to the other 

end and pester the girls camping there, munching 

on what remained of their baon and, oh, giggling 

like crazy. Those other boys would raid the girls’ 

camps by jumping over their umbrellas arranged 

as dainty little fences and doing summersaults that 

annoy the girls no end. The girls only want a few 

more minutes among their kind before heading for 

Supreme Court (SC) Senior Associate Justice has 

been constantly in the political limelight, despite 

being a member of the apolitical branch of the 

national government. 

Carpio has been at the forefront of the current 

maritime dispute between the Philippines and China 

regarding the South China Sea. China claims the area 

as part of its territorial waters and Beijing has been 

constructing naval bases in the disputed area. Manila 

contends otherwise. 

The ancient nautical maps China repeatedly cites to 

justify its maritime expansionism have been debunked by 

other ancient documents unearthed and made public by 

Carpio. Strengthening the Philippine position is a ruling 

in favor of the Philippines rendered by the International 

Arbitration Court (IAC) of the United Nations based at 

The Hague, in The Netherlands. China, however, does 

not recognize the ruling of the international tribunal. 

Carpio has spoken about this 

issue at numerous symposia and 

similar local engagements, and has 

appeared on television for the 

same purpose. His arguments 

have been published in a book 

given away to his well wishers 

and supporters. 

In the course of his lectures 

and interviews, Carpio criticized 

President Rodrigo 

LIMBAROK 

Jun Vallecera 

Somersaults 

home and those boys merely seek the 

attention they seldom get in their own 

abode. I did not know it at that time, of 

course, but I know it now, years later. 

Some of those boys are now in the 

corridors of power, wielding authority 

over such important fields as price, 

transport, livelihood and yes, our 

mental well-being. Their decisions help 

decide whether we shall be miserable 

or content over the next 18 to 24 

months and whether or not we have 

rice on the table, cooked to our liking, 

affordable and without bukbok. 

The newspapers tell us that as early as March 

this year when inflation first jumped over the 

target to 4.3 percent, the President himself gave 

instructions for the National Food Authority to 

begin importing rice to arrest what had by then 

become a price tempest of some magnitude. 

Nothing was done. We refuse to speculate why 

was that but markets are not stupid and like all 

functioning markets, what price spurts there were 

began reaccelerating in earnest. Note that the 

previous November that same agency announced 

the Philippines had enough rice buffer for just 

1.7 days and that announcement would feed a 

conflagration courtesy of a legislative investigation. 

We all know that inflation raged promptly to 4.5 

Justice Carpio spends less time for SC work 

Duterte for the latter’s seemingly accommodating 

stance vis-a-vis the Chinese. Carpio was referring to the 

publicized plans of Manila to share its right to exploit 

the resources of the area with China. He also warned 

that the compromising position demonstrated by Duterte 

may be construed under International Law as a waiver 

of the legal victory Manila scored in the IAC. 

Just a few days ago, Carpio also warned that the 

recent withdrawal of the Philippines from the Rome 

Statute which created the International Criminal Court 

will prevent Manila from suing Chinese officials who 

allow the violation of human rights in the disputed area. 

Duterte’s position is premised on his public refusal 

to enter into a shooting war with China which is a war 

Duterte knows the Philippines cannot win. 

The problem is not in the sea but at home. Each 

hour Carpio spends en route to and from every speaking 

engagement, and during every speaking engagement 

for that matter, is time spent outside of his duties 

as a justice of the High Court. That also applies 

to time he spent putting his ideas in book form. 

A justice of the SC 

should spend all 

of his official 

percent by April and to a nine-year high of 6.7 

percent in September. There are indications 

headline inflation could go still higher although 

for the moment we like to believe some of the 

members of the Cabinet economic cluster who 

insist the political incendiary knows as inflation 

should already plateau and moderate soon after. 

Simply because most of us would 

rather go to sleep and awake the 

following morning when the women of 

our households return from the market 

with the news that, yes, the prices 

of rice and fish, the main inflation 

drivers, have mercifully moderated. 

Who would not want to hear that? But 

some of us still dread rising and do a 

full day’s load of work ahead with the 

nagging thought that no, the prices of 

rice and fish have not moderated in 

any of the markets. Not by a long shot. 

We take the view the main inflation drivers 

“In the 

place 

where I 

grew up, 

the folks 

would 

say 

talking 

doesn’t 

cook rice. 

are somebody’s pet so much so that the rate at 

which prices change when the outcome of the 

latest Philippine Statistics Authority price survey 

is finally released more than two weeks hence 

would confirm our worst fears, that the inflation 

dragon has not even been wounded or slain. 

The signs are there. The agriculture chief, 

sometime newsman, boxing promoter and, yes, 

time doing adjudicatory work such as writing decisions 

and hearing oral arguments. Delivering speeches about 

the nation’s foreign relations which are activities more 

suited for are not part of the job description. 

Although Carpio has enough office 

“Making 

public 

speeches 

about 

Philippine 

foreign 

policy 

during 

office 

hours is 

not among 

the duties 

of a justice 

of the SC. 

assistants, his office has quite a number 

of cases left unresolved. Perhaps, 

these dormant, unresolved cases could 

have been resolved years ago if Carpio 

spent more time as a justice than as a 

spokesman on Philippine foreign policy. 

When the Judicial and Bar 

Council was accepting applications 

and nominations for the position 

of chief justice vacated by Maria 

Lourdes Sereno, Carpio refused to 

be nominated. He even rejected an 

overture from ex-Chief Justice Hilario 

Davide Jr., the meddlesome, highly 

politicized and not so competent 

follower of ex-President Benigno 

“Noynoy” Aquino, for him to consider the position. 

Carpio publicly declared that he was not willing 

to fill up a vacancy created by a decision of the SC 

he dissented from. He was, of course, referring to the 

majority decision of the High Court to unseat Sereno 

through the quo warranto petition filed by Solicitor 

General Jose Calida. The post eventually went to 

Justice Teresita de Castro. 

COMMENTARY 

5 

local government executive, already told by 

the President himself to allow the unimpeded 

importation of the rice staple is doing a 

somersault. His intention is perfectly sensible 

because he is mandated to err on the side of the 

farmers and well within reason when, instead of 

unimpeded rice shipments, he orders for each 

batch to be subjected to SPS inspection. This 

relates to sanitary phytosanitary inspections 

that in our minds mean impeded imports and the 

buildup of otherwise competitively priced staple 

sitting at the various ports helping push the price 

even higher. The top dog at the Department of 

Agriculture fears that unimpeded means any 

just Tom, Dick and Harry would import rice, 

bukbok and all. He does not believe that big-name 

institutional importers such as San Miguel Corp., 

Jollibee Foods, rival Golden Arches Development 

Corp. and others would be so indiscriminate as to 

order from rice sources known for selling feedsgrade 

rather than (for the lack of a proper term) 

food-grade rice. As that happens, expect the price 

of the staple hold where it is at the moment and 

for inflation to approximate 6.7 percent instead of 

an instantaneous drop to more or less 5.8 percent 

in the reconning of some market watchers. 

In the place where I grew up, the folks would 

say talking doesn’t cook rice. Enough with the 

somersaults already. 

Now that Chief Justice de Castro has retired, 

the search is on for her successor. Since that new 

vacancy does not arise from the decision rendered in 

the Sereno case, Carpio has accepted his nomination 

for chief justice this time around. 

Assuming Carpio is appointed chief justice, will 

he attend to his duties in the High Court full time, or 

will he continue to spend most of his time delivering 

public speeches on Philippine foreign policy done 

on official time? 

Is it possible that Carpio is doing the lecture circuit 

in preparation for a run for the presidency in 2022? 

Taxpayers pay justices of the SC, the chief justice 

included, to attend to their duties in the High Court. 

Making public speeches about Philippine foreign 

policy during office hours is not among the duties of 

a justice of the SC. 

Perhaps Carpio should make a public promise that 

he will devote his time exclusively to judicial duties, 

if he is to be considered for possible appointment as 

chief justice, and that he will 

campaign for high public 

office only upon his leaving 

the judiciary. 

“Food 

sufficiency 

can be 

attained 

when big 

tracts of 

farmlands 

are planted 

to crops 

that the 

people 

directly 

consume. 

Banana posted the second 

highest percentage of our country’s 

year-to-date export as reported by 

the Philippine Statistics Authority but 

interestingly this performance at the 

agriculture front was canceled out by 

our top imported commodity cereal 

and cereal preparations, products that 

are agriculturally-produced. 

We could have easily produced 

our number one import since we are 

basically an agriculture-dependent 

country. But what happened along 

the way causing this anomaly in the 

economy is something that is worth studying by our 

technocrats. The output of that study could then 

be passed on to our policy makers — administrative 

and legislative — for formulation either into 

administrative or executive policies or even into 

laws. 

It’s the height of irony for an agriculture-based 

economy such as ours to be importing cereals 

and their derivatives when we can easily claim 

ownership over their production here. The top 

three cereal imports of the country were wheat, 

rice and corn. I am no agriculture expert, thus not 

knowledgeable whether wheat can be grown in the 

VOX POPULI 

Jesse E.L. Bacon II 

Import cancels out export 

country given our two-season climate. 

We all know that flour is the 

derivative of wheat. And flour is an 

indispensable material to numerous 

food products such as bread, to mention 

just one. 

But rice and corn are produced 

locally. In fact, there is a standing 

proposal to make available in the 

market, particularly in Metro Manila 

and its immediate environs, cereal 

made of mixed rice and corn. The 

reality, however, our local production 

of rice and corn leaves so much to be 

desired, hence their being our second and third 

biggest imports. 

Foreseeably, the ironic situation harboring on 

being an anomaly in the domestic economy will 

not be remedied given current policies. Allowing 

the free and unimpeded importation of rice by any 

trader who has the capital and the permit to do so 

may not do well to the economy. 

The policy’s logical result will cause the flooding 

of imported rice in the local market to the detriment 

of rice farming itself in the country. If it will not 

send the country’s rice production to its deathbed, 

pray tell where it will. 

The policy highlights the difference between 

the mindset of a hybrid technocrat-politician 

and a thoroughbred technocrat. I understand 

liberalizing the importation of rice was advocated by 

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez, an economic 

technocrat through and through. The apparent 

rationale for the policy is to arrest the spike in the 

price of this basic commodity, thus remove some 

pressures causing inflation to rise to unimaginable 

levels. 

At the other end of this issue’s spectrum is 

hybrid politician-technocrat, Agriculture Secretary 

Emmanuel Piñol, who argues that the policy will 

wreak havoc on the country’s ability to produce this 

staple food much more make our production of rice 

sustainable to ensure food security. 

Piñol as a politician knows that we can’t be 

myopic in our outlook toward this particular 

concern. He knows that there are farmers who will 

be deprived of their livelihood if imported rice be 

allowed to flood the market. Importation may make 

rice readily available at a price affordable to many 

but it’ll result in the death of our own rice farming 

industry. The short-term solution to the problem of 

rice shortage may inflict permanent damage on the 

industry itself, a more chilling scenario. 

And as what we have argued here in previous 

columns, simply distributing lands to the landless 

tillers might just perpetuate subsistence farming 

in our country. We all know that subsistence 

farming can never be the solution in improving 

the lot of our farmers, it can never be the solution 

to the scarcity of farm-produced goods nor could 

it contribute to the effort toward food sufficiency 

and food security. 

Food sufficiency can be attained 

“If it 

will not 

send the 

country’s 

rice 

production 

to its 

deathbed, 

pray tell 

where it 

will. 

when big tracts of farmlands are 

planted to crops that the people 

directly consume such as rice, 

corn and vegetable. A small plot 

planted to rice, for example, might 

not even be enough to meet the 

farmer’s own requirements. How 

much more if we rely on his effort 

to produce the food requirement of 

those in the lowlands, like many of 

us in the urban centers who do not 

plant what we eat? 

As what we have pointed out in 

the past based on other country’s actual experience, 

food sufficiency and security are assured when 

big tracts of land are planted to specific food 

requirements of the populace based clearly on the 

master plan of the government.

6 NEWS 


Daily Tribune 

No arrest order yet as court wraps up 

From page 1 

City Regional Trial Court Branch 148 

wrapped up proceedings on the motion 

filed by the Department of Justice (DoJ) 

seeking Trillanes’ arrest. 

The Makati court said it now considers 

the DoJ motion submitted for resolution, 

according to RTC Branch 148 Judge 

Andres Soriano. 

In a four-page order dated 11 October, 

Soriano admitted all of the evidence 

Trillanes offered, except printouts of the 

official Facebook page of the Department 

of National Defense (DND) and a 

“throwback picture” of his, since these 

were not duly authenticated and never 

identified by defense witnesses in court. 

The rest of the evidence, which include 

Trillanes’ certificate of amnesty, the 

affidavits of four defense witnesses and a 

printed photo of the senator’s application 

for amnesty, were admitted even as the 

court noted the DoJ’s objections. 

“…The factual issues as specified in 

the order dated 28 September 2018 and 

the issue on the ‘legality’ of Proclamation 

572 based on the pleadings/motions filed 

by the parties – as they may bear upon 

the prosecution’s Urgent Ex-Parte Motion 

for Issuance of Hold Departure Order 

and Issuance of Alias Warrant of Arrest 

against Antonio Trillanes IV are now 

considered submitted for resolution,” 

Soriano said in his order. 

Proclamation 572 revoked the 

amnesty which former President Benigno 

Aquino granted to Trillanes which 

effectively revived the rebellion and 

coup d’etat charges on him as a result 

of three military uprisings against former 

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. 

The court order also noted of the 17 

exhibits or evidence submitted by the 

camp of Trillanes, the court has not 

admitted Exhibits 9 and 12 because they 

were not duly authenticated, presented 

and identified by any witness in court. 

“Exhibit 9” is a printout of the official 

Facebook page of the DND while “Exhibit 

12” is a printout of Trillanes’ throwback 

picture swearing in to the amnesty 

application he has submitted. 

Soriano admitted all of the 

evidence Trillanes offered, 

except printouts of the 

official Facebook page of the 

Department of National Defense 

and a “throwback picture.” 

On the other hand, other evidence 

submitted by Trillanes’ camp have 

been admitted and will be considered 

in determining whether the court will 

grant the DoJ’s request. 

Proof admitted 

Among the admitted evidence were 

Trillanes’ certificate of amnesty, the 

affidavits of Col. Josefa Berbigal, Honorio 

Azcueta, Dominador Rull and Emmanuel 

Tirador. 

Berbigal is the head of Ad Hoc 

Amnesty Committee Secretariat that 

received the amnesty application while 

Azcueta is a former undersecretary of 

the Department of National Defense and 

head of the ad hoc committee. 

Rull and Tirador were present 

when Trillanes submitted his amnesty 

application form and submitted 

photographs as proof. 

The court also recognized Exhibit 

4 which is a printed photograph of 

Trillanes’ application for amnesty. 

The court said it is admitted despite 

objection from the DoJ because it is part 

of Rull’s testimony. 

The court said “this is without 

prejudice to the determination of its 

probative value in due course.” 

“If they are thereafter found relevant 

or competent; on the other hand, their 

admission, if they turn out later to be 

irrelevant or incompetent, can easily be 

remedied by completely discarding them 

or ignoring them,” the court added. 

5 days for rejoinder 

State prosecutors were also given five 

days by the Makati Regional Trial Court 

Branch 150 to file their rejoinder on the 

reply of Trillanes’ camp. 

Presiding Judge Elmo Alameda’s order 

was in response to the manifestation of 

prosecutors opposition to the motion 

for reconsideration of Trillanes 

against the issuance of the arrest 

warrant and hold departure order 

in connection with the revocation 

of his amnesty. 

Among the evidence prosecutors 

challenged in the case was the original 

copy of the affidavit of Berbigal dated 

20 September 2018. 

The prosecution panel said they object 

to the purpose of the document because 

“Col. Berbigal failed to substantiate 

during her testimony on 5 October 2018 

her statements in her affidavit that 

accused Trillanes admitted his guilt to 

the offenses subject of the amnesty.” 

“Instead, during her cross examination, 

she testified that accused Trillanes only 

admitted guilt to the incidents but not the 

offenses for which he is being charged,” 

the prosecution said. 

Berbigal’s statement that the 

application for amnesty was in order, 

complete and in compliance with all 

the requirements of Proclamation 75 is 

“misleading.” 

The prosecution said during her 

testimony, Berbigal could not confirm 

this allegation by presenting the original, 

duplicate or photocopy of the application. 

It added she had no authority to 

conclude that Trillanes complied with 

all the requirements of Proclamation 75 

which granted the amnesty, explaining 

that as mere head of the secretariat, 

she was not the approving authority to 

determine who among the applicants 

were qualified. 

The DoJ said Berbigal had “no 

authority to administer oath to accused 

Trillanes because DND Department 

Order 323 specifically provides for a 

notary public to be assigned to the 

secretariat who will duly administer the 

oath of the amnesty applicants.” 

They further objected to the testimony 

of Azcueta, noting that the latter “failed 

to substantiate his claim that he caused 

the strict compliance with all the 

requirements set forth by Proclamation 

75 and DND Circular 1.” 

The panel also objected to the 

affidavit of Rull branding it as “selfserving 

and contains baseless and 

biased statements, the witness being the 

executive assistant of accused Trillanes,” 

and had “no authority to determine 

whether the alleged application form was 

properly filled up by accused Trillanes.” 

Likewise, objected to by the 

prosecution was the affidavit of Tirador, 

a co-accused of Trillanes in the case. 

The DoJ also opposed Trillanes’ 

counsels’ presentation of a blank 

application form for amnesty, citing that 

“a mere blank application form cannot 

prove the existence of a duly filled up 

application form.” 

The form, the prosecution said, 

“cannot prove admission of guilt by the 

accused Trillanes… because the same 

document requires the submission or 

attachment of a separate narration of 

facts of his involvement/participation 

in the offenses by which he is charged.” 

‘Trapo’ 

is not a rug 

From page 1 

do anything, including dirty tricks to get 

elected,” the word’s inclusion in the OED 

solidifies its derogatory meaning as “a 

traditional politician.” 

The OED traces the origin of the word 

trapo to the contraction of the words 

“traditional” and “politician” in the 1980s 

with influence from the Tagalog and 

Spanish word for rug (trapo) as like the 

trapo, which is usually dirty after being 

used in wiping dirty surfaces, the trapo 

or traditional politicians in the Philippines 

were regarded as “dirty” for using dirty 

tactics for political gains. 

The addition lately of trapo in the 

English lexicon, together with bongga 

or stylish and the food-related words 

bagoong, bihon, calamansi, carinderia, 

ensaimada, palay, panciteria, sorbetes 

and turon, should not be a cause for 

concern for Filipino writers if they 

mistakenly use the OED’s 

trapo to refer to the rug. 

Traditional politicians in the 

Philippines won’t really mind 

as they are thick-faced to feel 

slighted by such description. 

From page 1 

‘Land titling system collapsed’ 

From page 1 

So far, the Blue Ribbon Committee 

has established that P255.55 million had 

been paid to bogus claimants in General 

Santos City. 

Gordon particularly cited the failure 

of the Land Registration Authority (LRA) 

and the Registry of Deeds to perform their 

mandate – leading to billions of taxpayers’ 

money lost to organized syndicates. 

“The cost of governance becomes very 

expensive. And we cannot rely on titles 

that are supposed to be protected by the 

LRA, protected by the Register of Deeds, 

protected by the Department of Public 

Works and Highways. The whole system 

collapsed,” Gordon said. 

“Why? It collapsed because of money. 

Because all are bribing,” he added. 

He tagged Nelson Ti, said to be a 

close friend of former President Aquino’s 

brother-in-law Eldon Cruz, as the financier 

of their group but curiously no arrest order 

has yet been issued. 

Locsin takes over DFA helm 

“If my Tito Chito Ayala trusted him 

implicitly; how can I not. Still UN work is 

like sharpening a blade every day,” Locsin 

also said. 

Cayetano will seek a congressional seat 

in Taguig City during next year mid-term 

elections. 

A veteran journalist and a lawmaker, 

Locsin said as DFA chief he would still be 

interacting with the UN where his team 

has pushed Duterte’s independent foreign 

policy during its tenure. 

“I will have a direct hand until the 

First-hand witness 

Roberto Catapang 

Jr., the government 

witness in the 

P8.7-billion RRoW 

scam, seconded 

Gordon’s 

pronouncement, 

claiming he 

personally had 

transacted with 

the agencies 

regarding 

fraudulent 

claims. 

Feverish building Frantic construction is under way next to the historic Araneta Coliseum as the landscape in Cubao, Quezon City 

rapidly changes with the economic uptrend 


No worry Outgoing Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano is all smiles as he bids farewell to Department of Foreign Affairs 

employees who he knows will be left in good hands to successor Teddy Boy Locsin. Cayetano will seek a congressional seat as Taguig City 

representative. 

AL PADILLA 

architecture of sovereign independence in 

all matters of state that my team started to 

erect is remitted. Talent that doesn’t exist 

outside DFA will complete it,” Locsin said. 

The President indirectly confirmed the 

offer to Locsin as he jokingly asked Special 

Assistant to the President Christopher 

Lawrence “Bong” Go to call Locsin and ask 

if he can announce his name to the media 

which he already called out. 

Prior to becoming an ambassador, 

Locsin was an ABS-CBN journalist, 

lawmaker and newspaper publisher and 

also served as Makati representative from 

2001 to 2010. 

No bed of roses Catching some sleep is difficult in a tattered hammock above a stenching 

pile of garbage and the burning heat of the sun. 


Catapang confessed to be part of the 

syndicate involved in the RRoW scam. 

He is currently under the government’s 

Witness Protection Program. 

Gordon stressed the need to “overhaul” 

the government agencies tasked to safeguard 

land titles to prevent scams similar to that in 

General Santos City from happening again. 

Last Wednesday, Gordon said former 

LRA Administrator Eulalio Diaz was liable 

for not acting on the “doubts” of ex-Public 

Works Secretary Rogelio Singson. 

“When you can no longer rely on one of the 

most important pillars of business and property 

ownership — the title, the Torrens title, if you 

cannot rely on that then nobody’s going to come 

in and invest here, our commercial transactions 

would all be affected, people cannot pass on 

their property by way of sale or by way of 

inheritance,” Gordon said. 

Syndicate within gov’t 

“I am convinced that the payment 

scam is perpetrated with the connivance 

of unscrupulous individuals from different 

agencies that have a role in RRoW 

payment,” he added. 

Gordon has called on the Office of the 

Ombudsman and the Department of Justice 

to conduct lifestyle checks on personalities 

involved in the released of the P255.55 

million RRoW claims in General Santos City. 

Apart from the bogus titles, the Senate 

Blue Ribbon Committee has already 

established that the locations of the land 

supposedly covered by the titles paid for the 

RRoW project were not in the actual road 

project and the sizes were much smaller. 

System collapsed because of 

money. Because all are bribing. 

Worse, at least one of the nine parcels 

of lands supposedly covered by the RRoW 

was actually accessed under the name of 

DPWH but P29,998,000 was paid to the bogus 

claimant named Ramon I. Ballesterso. 

Gordon vowed to continue the inquiry 

until all the personalities implicated, 

particularly Ti, show up or arrested. 

He and Sen. Manny Pacquiao have 

tasked the National Bureau of Investigation 

(NBI) and the Philippine National Police to 

locate and bring Ti to the Senate. 

The NBI has so far charged more than 

40 personalities involved in the P8.7 billion 

RRoW in General Santos City. 

Locsin was also speechwriter and press 

secretary of then President Corazon Aquino 

after the People Power Revolution against 

the Marcos dictatorship. Duterte appointed 

Locsin as envoy to the UN in 2016. 

Faeldon to BuCor 

Deputy administrator of the Office of Civil 

Defense and former Bureau of Custom Chief 

Nicanor Faeldon will also move to the Bureau 

of Corrections (BuCor), Justice Secretary 

Menardo Guevarra disclosed yesterday 

The appointment of Faeldon came on 

the heels of the filing of certificate of 

candidacy of BuCor chief Ronald “Bato” 

de la Rosa. 

De la Rosa is seeking a Senate post 

and has already joined the PDP party of 

President Rodrigo Duterte. 

Mr. Duterte will still talk to 

presidential spokesman Harry 

Roque as he remains undecided 

about seeking a Senate seat. 

“The President has chosen Nicanor E. 

Faeldon to replace Ronald ‘Bato’ de la 

Rosa as director general of the Bureau of 

Corrections,” Guevarra said. 

He added he interposed no objections 

to the proposed appointment of Faeldon. 

Faeldon though will seek the favorable 

endorsement of the Civil Service Commission 

as part of the requirements under the Bureau 

of Corrections Act of 2013. 

Prior to his appointment at the Office 

of Civil Defense, Faeldon was the former 

chief of Customs but resigned due to the 

controversy over the P6.4-billion shabu 

shipment that passed through the BoC. 

He tendered his resignation thrice before 

Duterte accepted his resignation. 

Guevarra said he designated 

lawyer Jose Mari Ronaldo Ledesma as 

officer-in-charge-Associate 

Commissioner at the Bureau of Immigration 

(BI) and Atty. Grifton Medina as acting 

chief, ports operations division. 

Medina will replace Mark Red Marinas, 

who will run as mayor of Muntinlupa City 

against incumbent Mayor Jaime Fresnedi 

who is seeking third and last term as mayor 

of the city in the far south of Metro Manila. 

Rody to talk to Harry 

Mr. Duterte also revealed he will still talk 

with presidential spokesman Harry Roque 

as he remains undecided about seeking a 

Senate seat in the 2019 mid-term elections. 

“The flight was smooth. When we were 

talking about Harry, I became dizzy… I told 

Bong (Special Assistant to the President 

Christopher Lawrence Go) where would 

we go from here,” said Duterte during 

his arrival interview in Davao City from 

Bali, Indonesia, where the Chief Executive 

attended the ASEAN Leaders’ Gathering. 

“I’ll just talk to him. Better. Will he 

run or not? He should decide before 2021. 

Much longer space to make the choice with 

finality,” the President added. 

Roque is currently in China for a private 

engagement and will return to the Philippines 

on Monday, 15 October, two days before the 

deadline for the filing of certificates of 

candidacy for the upcoming polls. 

The President earlier had said Roque 

was free to go if he wanted to resign after 

being kept out of the loop as regards the 

Chief Executive’s checkup at Cardinal 

Santos Medical Center last week, adding 

Roque said he wanted to resign after he 

was put in a bad light with the media 

when he said the President only took the 

day off on 3 October and stayed at Bahay 

Pangarap inside Malacañang complex. 

Duterte then appointed Chief 

Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador 

Panelo as his spokesman in place of Roque. 

“This is what happened… I hope I would 

not offend Harry. He said he will run for 

senator, so I said yes and, automatically, I 

thought of replacing him with Sal (Salvador 

Panelo). Well, if you want it then I’ll scout for 

another legal adviser,” Duterte said. 

“Then the next day he said he will not 

run, then the next day he said he will, 

but then Bong (Go) said he will not run.”


Daily Tribune 

NATION 

7 

Ex-Cadiz mayor sentenced 

for illegal dismissals 

The Court said the reorganization made by Valera “was 

used as a tool to circumvent the law and to violate 

the security of tenure of the private complainants for 

political reasons 

By Hananeel Bordey 

Sandiganbayan Fifth Division 

found Eduardo Valera, former 

mayor of Cadiz City, Negros 

Occidental, guilty of firing 166 

city government employees two 

decades ago. 

In a decision promulgated on 8 

October 2018, the anti-graft court 

sentenced Valera to “indeterminate” 

imprisonment of three years and 

one day as minimum, and five years 

as maximum for violating Section 4 

of Republic Act 6656. 

The court found that 

the reorganization Valera 

implemented resulted in the 

termination of 166 employees 

of the city government, but then 

101 new employees replaced 

them. 

ECC suspension 

lifted on 

compliant 

Boracay biz 

A few weeks before 

the reopening of Boracay, 

Environment Secretary Roy 

Cimatu ordered the lifting of 

the environmental compliance 

certificates (ECC) suspension on 

some businesses on the island. 

Through Memorandum 

Circular 2018-14 dated 5 October, 

Cimatu greenlighted the 

Environmental Management 

Bureau (EMB) in Region 6 to lift 

the suspension on the ECC issued 

to “complying” hotels and other 

establishments on the island. 

“In view of the upcoming 

opening of the Boracay Island 

on 26 October 2018, after its 

closure for six months, the EMB 

Regional Office 6 is hereby 

authorized to lift the suspension 

of ECCs of all complying hotels 

and establishments on said 

island,” Cimatu said in the 

memo addressed to the regional 

directors of the Department 

of Environment and Natural 

Resources (DENR) and EMB in 

Western Visayas. 

In July, Cimatu issued 

a directive suspending 

the ECC of all business 

establishments in Boracay 

pending a thorough review 

of their compliance with 

existing local and national 

law. 

In July, Cimatu issued a 

directive suspending the ECC 

of all business establishments 

in Boracay pending a thorough 

review of their compliance with 

existing local and national law. A 

committee was created composed 

of representatives from the DENR, 

EMB and Mines and Geosciences 

Bureau to review the compliance 

of these establishments with their 

respective ECC. 

Moreover, in the current memo, 

Cimatu ordered the committee 

to continuously monitor all 

Boracay establishments on their 

compliance with existing ECC and 

environmental management plans. 

“Likewise, the EMB Regional 

Office 6 shall continue to monitor 

establishments despite such 

lifting of suspension of their 

respective ECC and monitor 

all establishments issued with 

Certificates of Non-Coverage 

(CNC) to ensure their compliance 

with environmental laws and 

assure that no violation against 

the same is committed,” he added. 

Under the Environmental 

Impact Assessment System, ECC 

are issued to projects that pose 

potential risks or impact on the 

environment. A project proponent 

is required to secure an ECC 

before starting operations. 

CNC, on the other hand, are 

issued to proposed projects that 

are unlikely to cause adverse 

environmental impacts. 

Kuhlin Ceslie Gacula 

This fact alone, Sandiganbayan 

explained, will support that 

the reorganization made by 

Valera “was used as a tool to 

circumvent the law and to violate 

the security of tenure of the 

private complainants for political 

reasons.” 

Valera also failed to reinstate 

the private complainants 

despite the directives sent by 

the Civil Service Commission 

and denial of the motion for 

reconsideration. 

“Although there was no 

direct evidence presented by 

the prosecution of the attendance 

of bad faith, the same can be 

deduced from the fact that the 

number of new hires is a large 

The Senate minority bloc yesterday 

called for an inquiry over the alarming 

incidents of murders in Metro Cebu. 

Senate Resolution 915, which says 

“they are gravely concerned about the 

killings that were said to be part of 

the government’s all-out war against 

drugs,” has been filed. 

Sponsored by Senate Minority Floor 

Leader Franklin Drilon, Senators 

Francis Pangilinan, Paolo Aquino IV, 

Risa Hontiveros, Antonio Trillanes 

IV and Leila de Lima, they said 

“the allegations that police officers 

themselves are behind some of the 

killings are highly disturbing.” 

The opposition senators expressed 

chunk out of the total number 

of terminated employees,” the 

Court said. 

Moreover, Sandiganbayan 

added the defense never denied 

that the new employees were 

hired after said reorganization 

and that after the termination, 

some employees were appointed 

to higher positions in the staffing 

pattern. 

Valera also failed to reinstate 

the private complainants despite 

the directives sent by the Civil 

Service Commission and denial 

of the motion for reconsideration. 

“These acts of the accused former 

mayor taint the reorganization 

with bad faith and highlights his 

political plan to bring in new 

employees under his administration, 

notwithstanding violating the right 

of the private complainants,” the 

Court said. 

Sandiganbayan added Valera’s 

blatant refusal to reinstate the 

terminated employees lasted 

until the end of his term, hence 

depriving the employees of their 

rights. 

Clean hands Students of Andres Bonifacio Elementary School on Leveriza, Pasay 

City join the cause for health and hygiene by the UNICEF which has been an active 

supporter of the Global Handwashing Day since it was first celebrated in 2008. 

Probe sought 

for Cebu killings 

The opposition senators 

expressed alarm over killings 

in country, especially in Metro 

Cebu. 

BOB DUNGO JR. 

alarm over killings in country, 

especially in Metro Cebu where several 

of the suspected drug personalities 

were killed in police operations. 

“The recurring narrative of 

nanlaban (they fought back) or 

suspects having resisted arrest, 

has been serving as a wrongful 

justification for fatalities during the 

conduct of police operations to curtail 

proliferation of illegal drugs,” the 

opposition senators stated. 

Police Regional Office-7 Director 

Chief Supt. Debold Sinas refused to 

comment on the issue, saying they 

will “wait for instructions from the 

national police headquarters.” 

At least 42 killings have been 

recorded in Metro Cebu in the last 

two weeks. The figure includes those 

who died during police operations 

and those killed by unidentified 

perpetrators. Rico Mirasol Osmeña 

Ormoc hosts teachers fete 

In celebration of the National Teachers’ Day (NTD) and World Teachers’ Day 

(WTD), the Department of Education (DepEd), in coordination with the local 

government of Ormoc City, gathered and paid tribute to thousands of teachers in 

attendance at the Ormoc City Superdome. 

Anchored on the theme “Gurong Pilipino: Turo Mo, Kinabukasan Ko,” the 

celebration aimed to honor teachers for their positive influence on Filipino learners 

and to build the image of teaching as an attractive and fulfilling profession. 

“I am very happy and honored to be with all of you this morning as we celebrate 

and pay tribute to teachers. We are celebrating not just a Philippine event. We are 

celebrating a global event where we recognize the contributions of teachers all over 

the world, to society and to humanity,” DepEd Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones said. 

In his video message, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte greeted and thanked 

teachers for their significant role in every Filipino learner’s life. 

“To all the Filipino teachers, may your commitment imbue the knowledge of 

all the ideals of our country as you spread hope for a better life for every Filipino, 

and the Filipinos to come. Happy Teachers’ Day. May you continue to inspire and 

enhance knowledge and deep understanding of the Filipino youth and students. 

Mabuhay kayong lahat,” Duterte said. 

FEC 

Valera said the reorganization 

was authored and passed by the 

Sangguniang Panlungsod and 

that the recommendation for 

appointment to positions in the 

new staffing pattern was made by 

the Placement Committee. 

However, the Court was not 

convinced of Valera’s defense, 

explaining that “the violation 

of the Civil Service Rules was 

actually committed by no less 

than the mayor as he was the 

one who deprived the private 

complainants of the right of first 

refusal or the vested right to 

reappointment in the positions in 

the new staffing pattern of the 

city government of Cadiz.” 

The former mayor was obliged 

to pay a fine of P10,000 and will 

suffer life-long disqualification in 

holding public office. 

The decision was penned by 

Associate Justice Maria Theresa 

Mendoza-Arcega, concurred in 

by Fifth Division Chairman and 

Associate Justice Rafael Lagos 

and Associate Justice MaryAnn 

Corpus-Mañalac. 

Mandaue political 

clans unite vs exec 

By Rico Mirasol Osmeña 

In what is considered a history-making move, political 

clans in Mandaue City united for the first time to oust 

the present administration of Mayor Luigi Quisumbing. 

The current mayor is noted for not being born in 

the city but migrated there because of his grandfather. 

Meanwhile, known political families in Mandaue 

are the Corteses, Ouanos, Soons, Cabahugs, Sanchezes 

and Senos. 

Political clans in Mandaue City united 

for the first time to oust the present 

administration of Mayor Luigi Quisumbing. 

At a press conference yesterday initiated by the 

Kaabag and Anak sa Mandaue organizations, it 

was announced that Rep. (sixth district, Cebu) and 

three-term mayor Jonas Cortes will run against his 

former ally, Quisumbing 

The congressman made the pronouncement with 

former City Councilor Emmarie “Lolypop” Ouano-Dizon 

and former Rep. and Provincial Board member Nerissa 

Soon-Ruiz. 

Ouano-Dizon ran against Quisumbing in the 2016 

mayoralty race. Cortes then supported Quisumbing 

instead of the city councilor. 

In his message, the Cebu congressman said he was 

challenged to regain city hall as the people of Mandaue 

encouraged him to do so. “The people of Mandaue live 

in fear and basic services have been forgotten,” he said. 

Cortes also criticized Quisumbing for terminating 

the services of “job order” employees who have been 

working since the late Mandaue City Mayor Alfredo 

“Pedong” Ouano.

8 

METRO 

John Henry Dodson, Editor 


Daily Tribune 

Siblings await Jojo’s return 

Suspense over mayoralty clash 

Junjun: I don’t have a reason not to run. 

The cases are not yet final and executory 

By Raymart T. Lolo and Elmer N. Manuel 

Whether or not Makati Mayor Abby Binay will be forced 

to contend with her brother Junjun in her re-election bid 

next year remains hanging in the air. 

Senator Nancy Binay yesterday said that “as soon as my 

parents (former Vice President Jojo and former Makati mayor 

Elenita Binay) got back, we will talk about it.” 

Seeking reelection, Nancy issued the statement as she 

filed her certificate of candidacy at the Commission on 

Elections (Comelec) in Intramuros Manila, accompanied 

by her brother Junjun. 

Speaking to reporters at the Comelec, Junjun, however, 

expressed readiness to contest the mayorship of the country’s 

premier business district with his sister. 

Just the same, Junjun conceded that he will have to await 

the return of their parents from a pilgrimage to Italy before 

making a final decision to run or not as mayor. 

Abby earlier asked Junjun not to run as she slammed 

the personalities behind him, including city councilors who 

broke away from her administration, as corrupt. 

Meanwhile, Comelec spokesman James Jimenez agreed 

with the position aired by Junjun’s camp that there’s no legal 

impediment to his running next year, as long as there’s no 

final decision yet on his corruption cases. 

“Under the law, only a final conviction will bar you from 

Celebs storm 

Comelec 

Celebrity-politicians trooped 

yesterday to the Commission on 

Election (Comelec) on the second 

day of the filing of certificates 

of candidacy (CoC) for the 2019 

mid-term elections. 

Among those adding glitz 

to the otherwise routine 

procedure was actress Vilma 

Santos-Recto who filed a CoC 

in seeking a congressional seat 

in Batangas. 

Bacoor, Cavite Mayor Lani 

Mercado-Revilla formalized her reelection 

bid even as her husband, 

detained former senator Bong 

Revilla, is also expected to file a 

CoC for another Senate run. 

Also gunning for the Senate 

are actors Lito Lapid and Jinggoy 

Estrada and singer Freddie 

Aguilar. 

Having resigned as 

an undersecretary of the 

Department of Social Welfare and 

Development, showbiz personality 

Isko Moreno filed a CoC to contest 

the reelection bid of Manila Mayor 

Joseph “Erap” Estrada. 

One of the icons of Philippine 

cinema, Estrada welcomed 

Moreno’s challenge, as well as 

the projected run of former mayor 

Alfredo Lim. 

Roderick Paulete filed for vice 

mayor of Quezon City which he will 

contest with fellow councilor and 

fellow TV personality Gian Sotto, 

the son of Senate President Tito 

Sotto. 

PVD 

ONE of three gunrunners lies dead after a shootout with Quezon City 

policemen. 

ANALY LABOR 

‘Red’ plot fizzles out 


Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana yesterday declared the 

“Red October Project” designed to oust President Duterte has 

“melted” after the military discovered the plot. 

“There is no more (plot). It melted,” said Lorenzana. 

Based on documents recovered by the Armd Forces of the 

Philippines (AFP) from arrested or surrendered New People’s 

Army (NPA) leaders, the plot was supposed to be launched 11 

to 17 October. 

“When the AFP announced it, 

the groups behind it pulled back,” 

said Lorenzana. 

Brig. Gen. Antonio Parlade 

Jr., AFP assistant deputy 

chief of staff for operations, 

tagged the Communist Party 

of the Philippines (CPP) as 

being behind the “Red October 

Project.” 

Parlade identified CPP 

founding chair Jose Maria Sison 

as the “conductor” of the plot. 

He initially tagged the 

opposition Tindig Pilipinas, 

particularly personality 

identified with the Liberal 

Party, as part of the sinister 

plan to oust the President. 

The plotters, Parlade said, 

initially planned to launch the 

ouster plot on 21 September 

but the groups failed to gather 

support after Mr. Duterte 

publicly announced the plan. 

The president directly 

pointed to the “yellows” or 

LP, Sen. Antonio Trillanes 

IV and the communist behind 

the plot. 

running for office. If there’s any appeal pending or if it’s 

not a final conviction (yet), then it won’t fit the criteria for 

disqualification,” Jimenez said. 

“I don’t have a reason not to run. The cases are not yet 

final and executory. In fact, one of it was already reversed,” 

Junjun told reporters. 

Under the law, only a final conviction will bar 

you from running for office. 

“We have not yet reached the Supreme Court. Why would 

she say that. It seems this is the only way for my sister to 

win, that I won’t run?” Junjun added. 

Junjun’s counsel, former Comelec chairman Sixto 

Brillantes, said: “It’s not final, so there is no ground for 

disqualification. It’s that simple.” 

The Binay patriarch Jojo had already announced his 

running as congressman in the first congressional 

district of Makati. 

Junjun was a three-termer councilor 

when he ran and won as mayor 

of Makati in 2010 and then 

again in 2013. He 

was suspended 

in 2015 after 

The National Privacy Commission (NPC) 

reported yesterday that 208 customers of 

ABS--CBN’s online store were affected by 

the hacking of its website last August. 

The TV-radio network said it came to 

know of the cyber attack on its system 

on 19 September through the upload on 

16 August of a “malicious java script” 

called Magecart. 

The NPC’s investigation of the incident 

is on-going. Meanwhile, store.abs-cbn.com 

remains shut down. 

The commission reported the breach 

of ABS-CBN’s online system to warn the 

public, pursuant to its mandate to protect 

data privacy, especially against malicious 

being charged with corruption in 

relation to the construction of the 

Makati City Hall Building II. 

In a clash with her own brother, Abby 

will hold the edge, according to a 17-23 

August Pulse Asia survey. 

In the poll among 1,200 respondents, 

Abby received 67, 65 and 69 percent of 

the votes in all three sets of candidates, 

including Junjun, businessman 

Ricky Yabut and former 

vice mayor Kid Pena. 

208 clients affected by hacking 

Credit card details of 208 customers 

stolen. 

By Francis Earl Cueto 

and Kathleen Mae Bulquerin 

After eluding police for five years, 

authorities in Mandaluyong City 

finally caught Rolando Cabudhay 

Thursday night to make him 

accountable for raping a girl now 

12 years old. 

Police arrested Cabudhay while 

undergoing a simultaneous Anti- 

Criminality Law Enforcement 

Operation in Barangay Addition 

Hills. He admitted to committing 

the crime. 

The suspect was nabbed following 

a tip from a concerned citizen. 

In Marikina City, shabu worth 

P46,000 was confiscated from several 

suspected drug pushers who fell in a 

series of buy-bust operations. 

Among the first to be arrested 

was NJ Manaois, 28, who bailed 

out of the city jail last May but who 

continued peddling drugs, according 

to police assets assigned to track 

his activities. 

Taken from his house in Barangay 

Tumana were 12 sachets of suspected 

shabu and 

SEN. Nancy Binay: Abby-Junjun 

issue will be decided within 

their family. 

attacks by cyber criminals. 

“The attacker was able to illegally obtain 

in real-time, the personal data of affected 

customers, including their name, credit card 

number, its expiration date, as well as the 

card verification number,” the NPC said. 

“Other data collected were the data 

subject’s email address, phone number, 

and residential address,” NPC said of the 

network’s online commercial platform which 

has 44,000 registered users. 

During the period when the site was 

compromised, there were a total of 208 

validated purchase transactions from unique 

customers. 

The company said it was able to reform 

202 affected data subjects through emails 

and text messages, within 72 hours of the 

discovery of the breach. The six remaining 

customers who were affected did not provide 

‘Rapist’ of girl falls 

a digital weighing scale. This time 

around, the amount of shabu taken 

from Manaois makes his offense 

non-bailable. 

Meanwhile, one of three 

gunrunners killed in a shootout 

with Quezon City policemen the 

other day was identified as alias 

“Turo.” His and the bodies of his 

two cohorts remained unclaimed 

by relatives. 

The fatalities sold shotguns to an 

undercover policeman and fought 

it out with arresting cops in Bago 

Bantay, Quezon City. Retrieved 

from their bodies 

were three .45 caliber 

pistols. 

QCPD head Chief 

Supt. Joselito Esquivel 

Jr. said they received 

a tip about the 

gunrunning 

activities of the 

group and laid 

down a buy-bust 

operation which 

took place along 

Cavite 

Street. 

valid contact details, it added. 

Affected users were advised by the 

network to immediately contact their banks 

and credit card issuers about the breach 

for corrective actions. 

Shuttered website has 44,000 

registered users. 

ABS-CBN data protection officer Jay 

C. Gomez surmised that the incident 

is a coordinated attack and part of 

the massive card skimming campaign 

of Magecart. 

Magecart had been linked to the attacks 

on ticket-selling giant Ticketmaster, UK 

airline British Airways and other e-commerce 

sites worldwide. Data stolen by the gang is 

forwarded to a server in the city of Irkutsk in 

Russia’s eastern Siberia. 

WJG 

Honest MMDA 

driver lauded 

Metropolitan Manila Development 

Authority (MMDA) chairman Danilo Lim 

yesterday lauded his own driver, Rex 

Ronal Romero, for returning a purse he 

found with $220 and P700 inside. 

The 34-year-old Romero said he saw 

and retrieved the purse along the EDSA- 

Ayala tunnel while driving last Monday 

and immediately checked for its owner’s 

contact details. 

The owner redeemed the purse at 

the MMDA office last Wednesday and 

expressed his gratitude to 

Romero, an employee of 

MMDA for 10 years now. 

“Romero’s good deed 

is a clear manifestation 

of the high sense of 

dedication to public 

service worthy of 

emulation,” said 

Lim. 

‘One-time, big-time op’ QCPD Chief Supt. Joselito Esquivel Jr. and NCRPO head Director Guillermo Eleazar present personalities rounded up during simultaneous operations in Metro 

Manila. 

ANALY LABOR

Campaign 

aims to end 

hunger 

P19 

Northport 

pulls plug 

on Meralco 

P15 

Pernia tells IMF 

trade imbalance 

under control 

Jun Vallecera, Editor 


Daily Tribune 

P10 

BUSINESS 

9 

STRUCTURES such as these dotting the Metro Manila skyline require a menu of risk financing tools protecting them against events of different frequency and severity, according to Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno. YUMMIE DINGDING 

PH airs risk financing 

tools vs disasters 

The Philippine government recommends combining 

different risk financing instruments to protect 

against events of different frequency and severity 

Budget Secretary Benjamin 

Diokno told representatives 

of the International Monetary 

Fund (IMF) and the World Bank 

(WB) the timely release of postdisaster 

financing facilities is 

crucial in mitigating the short 

and long-term costs of natural 

and man-made disasters. 

Diokno formed part of the 

Philippine delegation to the 

IMF-WB annual meetings in Bali, 

Indonesia where he highlighted 

ADB, others support emerging markets projects 

BALI, INDONESIA — The 

Asian Development Bank (ADB), 

together with other development 

finance institutions (DFI) last 

year, used about $1.2 billion in 

concessional funds to support 

nearly $9 billion in private 

investment projects in emerging 

markets. These projects included 

$3.9 billion of commercial 

financing from DFI as well as 

$3.3 billion from private lenders 

and investors, according to a new 

DFI report that highlights how 

blended concessional finance 

can be key to mobilizing private 

investment in challenging 

environments. 

The report also notes best 

practices and improvements in 

governance, decision-making 

processes, documentation, 

training and effective 

monitoring. 

The 2018 Joint Report of the 

DFI Working Group on Blended 

Concessional Finance for 

Private Sector Projects offers an 

extensive set of data, including 

geographies, sectors and volumes 

of private finance mobilized, 

on the extent to which blended 

concessional finance was used by 

DFI, including ADB, during 2017. 

Blended concessional finance 

involves combining concessional 

funds with private sector and 

DFI commercial financing and 

it allows DFI to support private 

sector investment in order for 

investors and lenders to provide 

financing to projects that they 

would normally not be able 

to, particularly in higher-risk 

the country’s disaster risk 

financing and insurance (DRFI) 

experience. 

“The Philippine government 

recommends combining different 

risk financing instruments 

to protect against events of 

different frequency and severity,” 

he said. “Risk layering ensures 

that cheaper sources of money 

are used first, with the most 

expensive instruments used only 

in exceptional circumstances. 

countries. 

Further to the enhanced 

blended concessional finance 

principles for DFI private 

sector operations, DFI use 

concessional funds to the 

minimum extent needed and 

for the purpose of crowding in 

private sector investment into 

projects that present higher 

risks stemming from market 

failures, demonstration effects 

in pioneering projects, important 

affordability considerations or 

other economic factors. 

The report highlights that 

projects financed by DFI are 

increasingly leveraging this type 

of financing to channel private 

investment into challenging 

markets particularly in low- and 

The Budget chief further said 

the government’s standby loan 

facility providing quick post-disaster 

liquidity in addition to the parametric 

insurance policy secured by the 

Bureau of Treasury from the staterun 

Government Service Insurance 

System. 

This insurance policy grants 

payouts without requiring 

post-disaster loss assessment. 

It is triggered by the modeled 

losses generated using the 

country’s catastrophe risk 

model. 

Diokno also cited several 

budgetary instruments put 

forward by the government to 

utilize after major disaster events, 

lower-middle-income countries. 

In 2017, 80 percent of 

ADB’s blended concessional 

finance transactions were 

in lower-middle-income 

countries, including a new 

geothermal project that will 

pioneer the use of dual flash 

geothermal technology in 

Indonesia, which increases 

resource utilization. 

The report also notes best 

practices and improvements in 

governance, decision-making 

processes, documentation, 

training and effective monitoring 

to ensure concessional funds are 

used efficiently. 

The report was released 

on the sidelines of the Tri 

Hita Karana (THK) Forum on 

such as the National Disaster Risk 

Reduction and Management 

Fund, Quick Response Fund 

and Local Risk Reduction and 

Management Fund. 

He likewise cited the necessity 

of harmonizing all efforts from 

agencies involved in disaster risk 

reduction and management. 

With these efforts, a 

nationwide investment program 

addressing climate change, the 

Risk Resiliency Program, was 

developed by the administration 

involving various agencies 

that adopted the Program 

Convergence Budgeting policy 

of the Department of Budget and 

Management. Joshua Lao 

Sustainable Development in 

Bali, where attendees endorsed 

a complementary program called 

the “Tri Hita Karana Roadmap for 

Blended Finance.” 

The THK Roadmap, led by the 

Organization for Economic Cooperations 

and Development, covers 

a broader range of public/private 

support for private sector projects 

beyond the use of concessional 

finance and is fully consistent with 

the DFI Enhanced Principles. The 

DFI Working Group contributed to 

and supports the THK Roadmap 

and sees it as providing important 

shared values for all stakeholders 

engaged in supporting private 

sector projects for development 

and achieving the Sustainable 

Development Goals. 

THE Secretaries of Transportation, Arthur Tugade and of Public Works, Mark Villar, led a group of agency and local 

government executives in a track-laying ceremony extending the main line of the Philippine National Railways a 

few kilometers more to Malabon City. 

DoTr PHOTO 

Interconnection woes 

hamper BIR collection 

The systems helping the 

Bureau of Internal Revenue’s 

(BIR) process tax data suffer 

from anomalies that hamper the 

revenue collection efforts of the 

agency as well as impair their 

productivity and the delivery of 

frontline services. 

The Department of Finance, 

parent agency of the BIR, said 

the Department of Information 

and Communications Technology 

(DICT) tried to solve its network 

issues but has yet to fix the 

problem. The BIR asked the 

DICT to submit an update on 

measures taken to resolve the 

network connection problem as 

well as the long-term solution 

it is drafting to support the 

BIR’s complex requirements “on 

data center (DC) hosting and 

provisioning.” 

“Said network connection 

only stabilized last 30 August 

2018. However, note that its 

electronic tax information or 

eTIS file restoration has not 

been completed as of date,” BIR 

Deputy Commissioner Lanee 

Cui-David, who is in charge of the 

BIR’s Information Systems Group, 

said in her letter to Rio dated 20 

September. 

May we be apprised on 

what DICT has undertaken 

so far to address recurring 

iGov DC co-location 

problems of BIR and in 

the long-term, how to fully 

and effectively support the 

complex BIR requirements 

on DC hosting and 

provisioning. 

The tax bureau failed to 

meet its monthly and year-to-date 

collection targets in August even 

after netting P115.77 billion in 

September. The figure proved 

below the P121.40-billion collection 

for the month and 18.1 percent 

short from the same period last 

year. From January to September, 

the BIR collected P1.429 trillion or 

10 percent higher year-on-year but 

still P1.473-trillion short of target 

for the period. 

In her letter to DICT Acting 

Secretary Eliseo Rio Jr., Cui-David 

said they experienced erratic 

network connection affecting all 

its systems and e-services last 10 

August at the height of the DICT’s 

work on hardware provisioning, 

facility preparations and network 

reconfiguration to restore and 

back up the bureau’s system eTIS 

following a hardware meltdown 

last July. 

The eTIS is a web-based 

internal BIR platform covering 

taxpayer registration systems; 

CUI-DAVID 

returns filing and processing; 

collection, remittance and 

reconciliation; audit; case 

management system; taxpayer 

accounts system; batch 

architecture module and system 

administration management. 

Intermittent DICT network 

connectivity also severely 

delayed efforts to transfer the 

eTIS backup data and files 

from the Department’s DC in 

Quezon City to another one 

in Makati City last August, the 

BIR added. 

Finance Secretary Carlos 

Dominguez III was furnished 

a copy of the letter to Rio. 

The letter was also addressed 

to DICT Undersecretaries 

Denis Villorente, who is in 

charge of Development and 

Innovation; and Monchito 

Ibrahim, who handles 

Management and Operations 

and Jennifer Pacatang of the 

Department of Science and 

Technology. 

“We have always been 

forthright that BIR needs an 

iGovPhil DC that is able to fully 

and adequately address all 

components of DC hosting and 

provisioning — infrastructure, 

services, applications, tools, 

not simply physical hosting 

or co-location (itals as shown 

on the letter),” said Cui-David. 

She reminded Rio in her 

letter that “we have repeatedly 

communicated the urgency for 

DICT to speed up the process 

of strengthening and enhancing 

the iGovPhil DC’s, as envisioned 

under Executive Order 47,” 

which paved the way for the 

implementation of iGovPhil 

(Integrated Government 

Philippines Program). 

“Therefore, may we be 

apprised on what DICT has 

undertaken so far to address 

recurring iGov DC co-location 

problems of BIR and in the 

long-term, how to fully and 

effectively support the complex 

BIR requirements on DC 

hosting and provisioning,” 

added Cui-David. 

Komfie Manalo

10 BUSINESS 


Daily Tribune 

Pernia tells IMF trade imbalance under control 

VENDORS like them waiting for customers along a highway in Manila could reasonably expect for better prospects immediately 

ahead based on signals from the Asian Development Bank lifting the outlook for growth in developing Asia this year inspite of such 

other headwinds as the fallout from the US-China trade war. 

AFP 

ECOP raises 

issues in security 

of tenure bill 

The Employers Confederation of the 

Philippines (ECOP) has expressed concerns 

on certain provisions of the draft consolidated 

Senate Bill (SB) 1826, otherwise known as the 

“Security of Tenure and End of Endo Act of 

2018,” saying it considers particular provisions 

to be questionable and objectionable. 

In a position paper, ECOP gave its view 

on several provisions under the proposed law. 

For one, ECOP said Section 2 (Labor-Only 

Contracting Is Prohibited) only defines what 

constitutes labor-only contracting and not 

what constitutes legitimate job contracting. 

ECOP is thus proposing that the definition of 

legitimate job contracting under Department 

Order 174 be inserted before expressly 

providing for prohibited acts that constitute 

labor-only contracting. 

The destructive impact on business, 

investment, as well as creation of 

wealth and jobs would be unimaginable. 

For another, ECOP raised concern over the 

Section 2 provision declaring that recruiting 

and supplying or placing workers to perform 

activities which are directly related to 

the principal business of the contractee 

constitutes labor-only contracting. This, said 

the organization, “is tantamount to abolishing 

all forms of job contracting.” 

ECOP insisted that “all forms of contracting 

and subcontracting of work by the employer… 

are directly related to the main business 

of the principal… simply because what is 

contracted out pertains to the work of the 

principal.” 

It warned that if this provision is passed into 

a law, it is as though all forms of contracting 

out have already been abolished. “The 

destructive impact on business, investment, 

as well as creation of wealth and jobs would 

be unimaginable.” 

Moreover, ECOP said the right to enter into 

business is a right guaranteed to everyone 

under the Constitution, and to abolish all 

forms of contracting out is “a clear violation 

of the Constitution, jurisprudence and 

existing laws.” 

The confederation also took exception 

to another provision in Section 2, which 

states: “Compliance Orders affirmed by the 

Secretary of Labor and Employment shall be 

immediately executory unless restrained by 

an appropriate court.” 

ECOP said this provision is not only contrary 

to existing laws, but unconstitutional for 

violating the right of a person to due process 

and also ultra vires. 

At the same time, ECOP commented on 

another provision, also under Section 2, that 

states: “The Secretary of Labor and Employment 

shall impose a fine of up to P5 million against any 

labor-only contractor….” 

The employers’ group declared that 

“excessive fines” of up to P5 million imposed 

on employers is “violative of Section 19 of the 

Bill of Rights of the Constitution which prohibits 

the imposition of excessive fines.” 

ECOP also objected to a provision under 

Section 3 of the draft bill stating that any 

legitimate labor organization shall have access 

to copies of licenses issued to job contractors 

and any and all submissions made in connection 

with such license. 

“The said provision is unconstitutional,” 

according to ECOP. “The business of an 

individual or a juridical person, together 

with its papers and effects, entails property 

rights and the State cannot force or coerce 

any person, from doing or ceasing business, 

or from giving access to one’s papers and 

effects, subject only to limitations provided 

for by law.” 

FRIDAY 

12 OCTOBER 2018 

PHILIPPINE STOCK EXCHANGE 

NAME OPEN HIGH LOW CLOSE VALUE (P) 

FINANCIAL 

BANKS 

BDO UNIBANK 108.9 110.3 107.4 110 197,712,410 

BANK PH ISLANDS 81.9 82.25 81.2 81.2 121,363,821 

CHINABANK 28.15 29.6 28.15 29.1 1,074,810 

EAST WEST BANK 11.36 11.76 11.32 11.56 43,372,448 

METROBANK 65.3 66.45 64.7 66 82,297,935 

PB BANK 11.6 11.6 11.6 11.6 8,120 

PHIL NATL BANK 42.4 42.6 41.8 42.1 1,701,680 

PSBANK 75 75 72.6 72.6 31,476 

RCBC 28 28.25 28 28 1,735,330 

SECURITY BANK 133.3 144 133.3 140.9 215,470,072 

UNION BANK 66 66 65.8 66 1,110,332.50 

OTHER FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS 

BRIGHT KINDLE 1.29 1.3 1.28 1.3 97,960 

BDO LEASING 2.53 2.53 2.5 2.5 45,350 

COL FINANCIAL 15.9 15.9 15.8 15.8 19,030 

FERRONOUX HLDG 3.99 4 3.6 4 192,760 

IREMIT 1.62 1.62 1.62 1.62 16,200 

MEDCO HLDG 0.43 0.49 0.43 0.49 162,000 

MANULIFE 770 829.5 770 829.5 254,695 

NTL REINSURANCE 0.86 0.87 0.85 0.87 239,480 

PHIL STOCK EXCH 190 190 186 186 74,973 

SUN LIFE 1,835 1,835 1,820 1,820 182,360 

VANTAGE 1.17 1.17 1.17 1.17 486,720 

INDUSTRIAL 

ELECTRICITY, ENERGY, POWER & WATER 

ALSONS CONS 1.24 1.27 1.22 1.27 427,810 

ABOITIZ POWER 33.35 34 33.3 34 32,738,740 

BASIC ENERGY 0.218 0.218 0.214 0.214 19,420 

ENERGY DEVT 7.09 7.09 7.07 7.09 9,934,499 

FIRST GEN 15.36 15.64 15.2 15.6 12,286,016 

FIRST PHIL HLDG 63.9 64 62.8 63.85 24,682,409.50 

PHIL H2O 4.11 4.48 4.1 4.4 451,030 

MERALCO 355 357.6 349 351.8 53,003,808 

MANILA WATER 25.95 25.95 25 25.2 12,774,825 

PETRON 8.56 8.57 8.21 8.57 2,854,601 

PETROENERGY 3.88 4.1 3.88 4.1 20,280 

PHINMA ENERGY 0.95 0.96 0.94 0.94 215,880 

PHX PETROLEUM 10.36 10.86 10.1 10.84 259,170 

PILIPINAS SHELL 51.95 53.8 51.95 53.8 16,280,955.50 

SPC POWER 5.21 5.22 5.2 5.2 1,920,158 

FOOD, BEVERAGE & TOBACCO 

AGRINURTURE 17.34 18.18 17.2 17.9 15,780,524 

CNTRL AZUCARERA 16.5 17.66 16.5 17.66 3,416 

CENTURY FOOD 13.4 13.4 13.38 13.38 117,770 

DEL MONTE 7 7.07 6.7 7.07 27,673 

DNL INDUS 10.28 10.38 10.16 10.38 24,273,518 

EMPERADOR 6.93 7.03 6.92 7.01 11,564,458 

SMC FOODANDBEV 86 89.5 85.3 89.5 60,876,736.50 

ALLIANCE SELECT 0.86 0.91 0.83 0.9 5,899,400 

GINEBRA 25 26 25 25.95 92,705 

JOLLIBEE 253 263 249 262 113,808,286 

LIBERTY FLOUR 42 44.95 42 44.95 17,390 

MAXS GROUP 10.52 10.98 10.52 10.9 507,530 

MG HLDG 0.183 0.183 0.183 0.183 18,300 

PEPSI COLA 1.7 1.7 1.64 1.64 95,800 

SHAKEYS PIZZA 10.98 11 10.98 11 6,394,170 

ROXAS AND CO 2.11 2.18 2.1 2.18 1,213,680 

RFM CORP 4.7 4.7 4.7 4.7 4,700 

SWIFT FOODS 0.122 0.122 0.122 0.122 21,960 

UNIV ROBINA 128 137 128 137 134,711,116 

VITARICH 1.57 1.76 1.57 1.73 6,728,290 

VICTORIAS 2.41 2.41 2.41 2.41 12,050 

CONSTRUCTION, INFRASTRUCTURE & ALLIED SERVICES 

CEMEX HLDG 1.96 2.15 1.92 2.1 23,049,030 

DAVINCI CAPITAL 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 67,500 

EAGLE CEMENT 14.58 15.4 14.5 14.64 4,585,644 

EEI CORP 8.2 8.2 8.05 8.05 46,150 

HOLCIM 5.9 5.9 5.8 5.85 1,864,687 

MEGAWIDE 14.84 15.66 14.34 15.6 161,782,696 

PHINMA 8.5 8.8 8.5 8.6 321,220 

TKC METALS 0.91 0.91 0.89 0.9 36,810 

VULCAN INDL 2.12 2.13 2.07 2.12 9,382,650 

CHEMICALS 

CROWN ASIA 1.7 1.7 1.69 1.69 49,190 

EUROMED 1.7 1.7 1.51 1.51 6,610 

LMG CHEMICALS 4.8 4.8 4.8 4.8 144,000 

ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS & EQUIPMENT 

INTEGRATED MICR 11.8 11.9 11.62 11.7 8,629,030 

IONICS 1.64 1.74 1.63 1.7 2,952,670 

PANASONIC 6 6 6 6 3,000 

SFA SEMICON 1.53 1.53 1.46 1.52 270,770 

CIRTEK HLDG 34.85 35 34 34 21,582,130 

HOLDING FIRMS 

ABACORE CAPITAL 0.395 0.41 0.395 0.41 1,028,050 

ASIABEST GROUP 25.85 25.85 25 25.65 1,141,150 

AYALA CORP 880.5 910 880.5 900 120,412,495 

ABOITIZ EQUITY 46.7 47 45.65 46.05 109,366,610 

ALLIANCE GLOBAL 11.5 11.84 11.4 11.72 39,251,294 

ANSCOR 6.11 6.11 6.11 6.11 91,039 

ANGLO PHIL HLDG 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 4,000 

ATN HLDG A 1.12 1.17 1.09 1.16 9,864,790 

ATN HLDG B 1.13 1.17 1.09 1.17 6,447,590 

COSCO CAPITAL 5.99 6 5.86 6 58,009,447 

DMCI HLDG 12.08 12.08 11.82 12 29,346,882 

FILINVEST DEV 7.15 7.15 7.15 7.15 22,880 

FJ PRINCE A 5.71 5.71 5.71 5.71 571 

GT CAPITAL 675 700 661 700 215,984,510 

JG SUMMIT 45.3 45.85 44.6 45.5 89,183,205 

LODESTAR 0.56 0.56 0.52 0.55 35,420 

LOPEZ HLDG 4.3 4.52 4.3 4.52 80,730 

LT GROUP 12.86 13.48 12.86 13.42 68,879,040 

MABUHAY HLDG 0.51 0.52 0.51 0.52 639,910 

METRO PAC INV 4.95 4.98 4.9 4.94 69,857,310 

PACIFICA 0.037 0.038 0.036 0.038 315,900 

PRIME ORION 2.2 2.3 2.2 2.25 732,800 

PRIME MEDIA 1.16 1.22 1.15 1.22 70,820 

REPUBLIC GLASS 2.69 2.69 2.69 2.69 21,520 

SM INVESTMENTS 850.5 871.5 850 871.5 168,680,095 

SAN MIGUEL CORP 163 167 161.5 167 21,729,892 

TOP FRONTIER 267 278 267 268 384,040 

WELLEX INDUS 0.214 0.227 0.214 0.222 193,100 

PROPERTY 

ARTHALAND CORP 0.56 0.6 0.56 0.6 258,450 

ANCHOR LAND 10.5 11.98 10.5 11.98 54,644 

AYALA LAND 38.1 39.5 38 39.3 396,810,030 

ARANETA PROP 1.82 1.95 1.81 1.95 145,430 

BELLE CORP 2.34 2.38 2.33 2.33 4,359,310 

A BROWN 0.7 0.75 0.7 0.75 1,651,880 

CITYLAND DEVT 0.91 0.92 0.91 0.92 42,780 

CROWN EQUITIES 0.208 0.218 0.208 0.218 447,340 

CEB LANDMASTERS 4.36 4.36 4.28 4.36 867,130 

CENTURY PROP 0.4 0.42 0.395 0.42 1,615,900 

DOUBLEDRAGON 18 18.48 17.84 17.94 5,655,784 

DM WENCESLAO 7.9 7.9 7.52 7.65 7,160,398 

EMPIRE EAST 0.53 0.55 0.53 0.54 32,510 

EVER GOTESCO 0.103 0.104 0.103 0.103 70,050 

According to 

Pernia, the actions 

undertaken by the 

government to 

address the widening 

trade gap are in 

context with making 

financing more 

inclusive 

Measures have since 

been in place to address the 

country’s widening trade 

imbalance, the National 

Economic and Development 

Authority (NEDA) said on 

Friday. 

This, after Socioeconomic 

Planning Secretary Ernesto 

Pernia, along with others 

at the Cabinet economic 

managers represented 

the country at the annual 

meetings of the International 

Monetary Fund and the World 

Bank in Bali, Indonesia. 

According to Pernia, 

the actions undertaken by 

the government to address 

the widening trade gap 

are in context with making 

financing more inclusive. 

“We need to boost financial 

FILINVEST LAND 1.4 1.45 1.4 1.43 3,714,880 

GLOBAL ESTATE 1 1.04 0.96 0.96 3,908,110 

8990 HLDG 7.22 7.22 7.05 7.05 176,188 

IRC PROP 2.26 2.41 2.2 2.39 45,500,410 

CITY AND LAND 0.88 0.9 0.88 0.9 91,400 

MEGAWORLD 4.05 4.28 4.03 4.13 88,989,440 

MRC ALLIED 0.59 0.62 0.58 0.61 41,316,920 

PHIL ESTATES 0.435 0.44 0.41 0.41 38,100 

PRIMEX CORP 3.54 3.6 3.41 3.56 4,073,520 

ROBINSONS LAND 19.96 19.96 19.12 19.9 63,589,070 

PHIL REALTY 0.375 0.42 0.375 0.405 192,100 

ROCKWELL 1.93 1.94 1.91 1.93 131,010 

SHANG PROP 3.17 3.17 3.15 3.15 12,620 

STA LUCIA LAND 1.13 1.14 1.09 1.14 1,275,300 

SM PRIME HLDG 33.7 34.2 33.15 34.2 390,226,265 

STARMALLS 5.3 5.8 5.3 5.69 2,055,842 

VISTA LAND 5.73 5.75 5.64 5.7 21,275,869 

SERVICES 

MEDIA 

ABS CBN 20 20.8 20 20.25 69,815 

GMA NETWORK 5.03 5.08 5.03 5.08 909,584 

TELECOMMUNICATIONS 

GLOBE TELECOM 2,148 2,280 2,100 2,100 275,795,780 

PLDT 1,350 1,400 1,349 1,400 91,611,385 

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 

APOLLO GLOBAL 0.037 0.04 0.037 0.04 116,100 

IMPERIAL 2 2 2 2 8,000 

ISLAND INFO 0.109 0.114 0.109 0.114 136,350 

ISM COMM 2.7 3.02 2.65 2.92 23,793,020 

NOW CORP 4.2 5.94 4.11 5.61 229,591,520 

TRANSPACIFIC BR 0.485 0.51 0.465 0.51 18,780,550 

PHILWEB 3.6 3.7 3.51 3.69 1,792,050 

TRANSPORTATION SERVICES 

2GO GROUP 9.64 9.67 9.5 9.6 274,069 

CEBU AIR 66.2 68 66.1 67 29,909,629 

CHELSEA 4.59 4.85 4.4 4.82 8,673,660 

INTL CONTAINER 93 93.75 91.35 93.05 126,705,515.50 

LBC EXPRESS 14.5 14.5 14.2 14.2 49,772 

LORENZO SHIPPNG 0.88 0.88 0.84 0.88 63,030 

MACROASIA 16.72 17.1 16.72 17.04 23,044,052 

METROALLIANCE A 1.42 1.46 1.36 1.44 45,410 

METROALLIANCE B 1.59 1.63 1.59 1.63 9,600 

PAL HLDG 7.55 7.55 7.55 7.55 755 

HARBOR STAR 2.53 2.63 2.5 2.59 2,387,540 

HOTEL & LEISURE 

ACESITE HOTEL 1.36 1.36 1.36 1.36 13,600 

BOULEVARD HLDG 0.056 0.057 0.055 0.057 1,054,360 

WATERFRONT 0.59 0.62 0.58 0.61 916,860 

EDUCATION 

FAR EASTERN U 900 900 890 890 296,400 

IPEOPLE 11.62 11.62 11.6 11.6 81,260 

STI HLDG 0.68 0.74 0.67 0.74 2,461,110 

CASINOS & GAMING 

BERJAYA 1.48 1.65 1.47 1.57 6,251,390 

BLOOMBERRY 8 8.42 7.86 8.4 58,287,028 

LEISURE AND RES 3.4 3.5 3.35 3.5 1,342,030 

MANILA JOCKEY 5 5.2 4.51 5.2 1,700,089 

MELCO RESORTS 7.01 7.02 6.99 6.99 12,988,407 

PREMIUM LEISURE 0.84 0.84 0.82 0.82 5,500,070 

TRAVELLERS 5.2 5.2 5.18 5.2 57,941,851 

RETAIL 

METRO RETAIL 2.15 2.21 2.15 2.18 4,062,700 

PUREGOLD 41.5 43 40.5 43 8,461,950 

ROBINSONS RTL 74.9 80 73.55 80 6,416,838.50 

PHIL SEVEN CORP 101 106 100 106 60,260,710 

SSI GROUP 2.45 2.65 2.42 2.62 77,656,740 

WILCON DEPOT 11.16 11.16 10.86 10.86 9,845,066 

OTHER SERVICES 

APC GROUP 0.425 0.435 0.42 0.435 509,350 

EASYCALL 12.98 14.96 11.34 14.12 6,006,672 

GOLDEN BRIA 310 312.6 300 310 248,946 

IPM HLDG 7.7 7.7 7.65 7.65 31,465 

PAXYS 3.05 3.05 3.01 3.01 199,680 

PRMIERE HORIZON 0.33 0.355 0.33 0.35 211,050 

SBS PHIL CORP 7 7 7 7 160,300 

MINING & OIL 

MINING 

ATOK 15 16 15 16 76,410 

APEX MINING 1.45 1.48 1.44 1.46 4,078,930 

ABRA MINING 0.0025 0.0025 0.0023 0.0025 203,100 

ATLAS MINING 2.77 2.77 2.69 2.69 1,165,390 

BENGUET A 1 1.01 1 1.01 3,010 

COAL ASIA HLDG 0.295 0.3 0.29 0.3 113,700 

CENTURY PEAK 1.89 1.93 1.88 1.93 2,425,970 

DIZON MINES 7.05 7.09 7.05 7.09 9,169 

FERRONICKEL 1.83 1.83 1.8 1.83 1,408,870 

GEOGRACE 0.202 0.208 0.202 0.206 80,450 

MARCVENTURES 1.18 1.29 1.1 1.28 63,520 

NIHAO 1.04 1.05 0.98 1.05 25,610 

NICKEL ASIA 4.25 4.35 4.24 4.31 3,183,790 

OMICO CORP 0.62 0.62 0.61 0.62 167,610 

ORNTL PENINSULA 0.92 0.97 0.9 0.97 1,007,670 

PX MINING 3.27 3.28 3.24 3.25 2,502,700 

SEMIRARA MINING 25 26.05 24.9 26 33,467,215 

UNITED PARAGON 0.0064 0.0068 0.0064 0.0068 32,800 

OIL 

services to help our small 

and medium enterprises 

(SME). More importantly, 

such services will establish 

an inclusive financial sector,” 

he said. 

The measures include 

Republic Act 11057 or the 

Personal Property Security 

Act which was ratified 17 

August, which reinforces 

legalities in using personal 

property as collateral as 

well as the establishment 

of a modern, centralized 

online collateral registry, 

said the cabinet secretary. 

“We expect this to make 

financing more accessible 

to Filipino SME, including 

export-oriented firms,” 

Pernia said. 

“The Bangko Sentral 

ng Pilipinas is also 

strengthening retail 

payments systems by 

adopting the National 

Retail Payments Systems 

framework or NRPS. This 

should facilitate more 

convenient, affordable, 

and secure electronic fund 

transfers and payments,” 

Pernia added. 

Increased credit 

guarantees reaching P50 

NAME OPEN HIGH LOW CLOSE VALUE (P) 

ORNTL PETROL A 0.012 0.013 0.012 0.013 283,400 

ORNTL PETROL B 0.013 0.013 0.013 0.013 27,300 

PHILODRILL 0.011 0.012 0.011 0.012 139,900 

PHINMA PETRO 3.5 3.59 3.45 3.59 104,690 

PXP ENERGY 14.66 15.4 14.6 15.2 16,063,054 

PREFERRED 

billion for SME exporters 

will also be delivered 

We expect this to make 

financing more accessible 

to Filipino SME, including 

export-oriented firms. 

through the Philippine 

Export-Import Credit 

Agency (PhilEXIM). 

PhilEXIM, an attached 

agency of the Department of 

Finance, grants guarantees 

to facilitate foreign loans of 

export-oriented industries, 

public utilities as well as 

those registered with the 

Board of Investments. 

In all, Pernia said the 

Philippine Development 

Plan 2017 to 2022 

reflects the need for a 

resilient and inclusive 

financial sector which 

will incorporate strategies 

such as strengthening the 

effectiveness of financial 

inclusion initiatives, 

encouraging efficiency and 

innovation in microfinance 

and microinsurance and 

developing the legal 

infrastructure for Islamic 

finance, among others. 

Joshua Lao 

AC PREF B1 489.4 489.4 475 475 2,693,990 

AC PREF B2 490 498 489.2 498 518,680 

DD PREF 98.8 98.9 98.8 98.9 5,494,687 

SMC FB PREF 2 1,000 1,000 997 1,000 2,100,600 

FGEN PREF G 101 101 101 101 367,640 

FPH PREF C 480 480 480 480 3,163,200 

GLO PREF P 489 489 487 489 3,205,840 

GTCAP PREF B 945 945 911 945 1,335,500 

LR PREF 1.02 1.02 1.02 1.02 245,820 

PCOR PREF 2B 1,037 1,037 1,037 1,037 5,185 

SMC PREF 2B 76 76 75.5 75.5 26,550 

SMC PREF 2C 77.5 77.5 77.5 77.5 26,350 

SMC PREF 2D 74.9 74.9 72.65 74.85 6,206,193 

SMC PREF 2E 74 75 74 75 3,120,720 

SMC PREF 2F 74.75 75.2 74.75 75.2 51,062.50 

SMC PREF 2G 74.95 75 74.5 75 1,926,443.50 

SMC PREF 2H 74.8 74.9 74.8 74.9 74,850


Daily Tribune 

BUSINESS 

11 

NOW Corp. 

eyes 3rd 

telco slot 

Telecommunications player Now 

Corp. on Friday revealed joining the race 

to secure the third telco slot offered by 

the government as part of a consortium 

seeking to acquire a franchise that 

rivals that possessed by existing service 

providers. 

Its board of directors has formally 

authorized management of “participation, as 

a member of a consortium, in the Selection 

Process for a New Major Player in the 

Philippine Telecommunications Market.” 

Now Corp. corporate secretary 

Angeline Macasaet announced the 

corporation’s move in a regulatory 

filing submitted to the Philippine Stock 

Exchange. 

The Department of Information and 

Communications Technology has 

since questioned the timing of Now 

Telecom’s complaint. 

To recall, Now Corp.’s affiliate 

Now Telecom bought bid documents 

from the National Telecommunications 

Commission (NTC) signifying the 

intent to compete as one more player 

in an industry dominated by Smart 

Communications and Globe Telecom. 

However, Now Telecom filed for 

an injunction against the government 

before the Regional Trial Court 

of Manila seeking the removal of 

certain provisions in the final terms 

of reference, namely the P700 million 

“participation security,” the P14 to P24 

billion “performance security” and the 

P10 million non-refundable “appeal fee” 

on the same day. 

The Department of Information and 

Communications Technology has since 

questioned the timing of Now Telecom’s 

complaint. 

Now Corp. also said on Friday 

its board has approved the equity 

conversion by shareholder, Velarde Inc., 

amounting to P209 million 

The conversion price of P6.50 per 

share was computed based on the 

volume weighted average price of the 

30-day trading period ending 11 October 

2018. Elmer N. Manuel 

‘Shrinking farmlands 

prevent rice sufficiency’ 

President Duterte acknowledged on Friday 

the Philippines will not achieve sufficiency 

in rice supply because its farmlands are 

shrinking. This also justified the move to 

import the staple to help boost the country’s 

meager supply. 

“The stomach comes first. So, the policy 

of the government is to keep the people, keep 

them away from hunger,” Duterte said upon 

arrival in Davao City from Bali, Indonesia 

where he attended the ASEAN Leaders’ 

Gathering. The Indonesian resort city also 

played host to the annual meetings of the 

International Monetary Fund/World Bank. 

“So, we have to import whether we like it 

or not and we have to plan. But frankly, I do 

not think that we will be rice sufficient. I don’t 

know in the years to come. The problem is, 

large tracts of land have been converted into 

cash crop, export [oriented manufacturing 

centers],” he added. 

The Chief Executive earlier ordered for the 

“unimpeded importation of rice” and flood the 

market with affordable rice even as crude oil 

prices continue to rise in the world market. He 

said the decision to liberalize the importation 

of the staple also eliminates the National 

Food Authority’s power to accredit importers 

and determine the volume of importation. 

These and other related countermeasures 

were meant to help bring down above-target 

inflation that has helped erode his popularity 

BMW cars line up at this factory in China’s Liaoning province where the German luxury carmaker becomes the first to take advantage of new ownership rules governing joint ventures. AFP 

DoE seeks more power investments in Mindanao 

Current projects and initiatives already 

in the pipeline for the region include the 

interconnection of the Visayas-Mindanao 

grids and the implementation of the 

Wholesale Electricity Spot Market 

The rate at which business opportunities pop out 

and are subsequently exploited by savvy entrepreneurs 

in Mindanao will require the deployment of energy 

investment programs that matches or anticipate 

demand, the Department of Energy (DoE) said. 

The agency’s Investment Promotion Office 

highlighted this important point at the Mindanao 

Energy Investment Forum (MEIF) held at the Grand 

Regal Hotel in Davao City. 

The forum in the main providedstakeholders with 

updates on energy investment opportunities in the 

region and facilitated discussions on industry best 

practices. 

“A reliable, sufficient and affordable power supply 

all throughout the country is achieved through the 

formulation of more cohesive and responsive energy 

plans and programs. Vital to this endeavor is the 

partnership with our energy companies who have 

among poor Filipinos. 

Duterte also said that he wants Agriculture 

Secretary Emmanuel Piñol to come up with a 

“formula” that will balance the need for rice 

importation with the interests of local rice 

producers. 

“Maybe during harvest time or a later period 

after that. There must be space for the local 

products to be bought and consumed,” Duterte 

said, adding he pushed for importation since the 

shortage on rice came up months ago. 

“But would you believe it or not, it really 

happened and I was the first one who ordered 

the importation. There were those who wanted 

it, some among Cabinet members did not,” 

said Duterte. “I said, look if your inventory is 

that high, you make it up there. Anyway, it’s 

food,” he said. 

Duterte on Wednesday certified the 

rice tarrification bill as urgent in order to 

facilitate the passage of the legislation as 

countermeasure to high inflation. 

He cited the “urgent need to improve 

availability of rice in the country, prevent 

artificial rice shortage, reduce the prices of 

rice in the market and curtail the prevalence 

of corruption and cartel domination in the 

rice industry.” 

The House of Representatives passed 

its version of the bill in August while a 

counterpart bill is pending before the Senate. 

Elmer N. Manuel 

CUSI 

committed to put up their power plants on time and 

ensure continuous operation,” Secretary Alfonso Cusi 

said in his keynote address, which was delivered for 

him by Undersecretary Felix WilliamFuentebella. 

Cusi reiterated the importance of bringing in more 

investors into Mindanao given its projected additional 

capacity requirement of 10,200 megawatts by 2040. 

Current projects and initiatives already in the 

pipeline for the region include the interconnection of 

the Visayas-Mindanao grids and the implementation of 

the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market. 

The conference also tackled new investment 

policies, such as Executive Order 30 and the Ease of 

Doing Business Law, which streamlined regulatory 

procedures to ensure the faster realization of energy 

projects. 

Anchored on the agency’s “E-Power Mo” campaign, 

the MEIF aims to strengthen the E-Secure principle 

on ensuring quality, reliable, resilient and affordable 

energy services across the country. Engaging 

stakeholders in active dialogue would pave the way for 

proactive and harmonized planning, as well as proper 

energy project development operations. 

“We all have a significant role to play in the energy 

industry — investors or energy developers, national 

and local government agencies, financing facilities 

including us – the consumers, in order for us to move 

forward as a one nation,” Cusi said. 

A MAN sleeps surrounded by bananas at a market in Manila, oblivious to changes in the economic 

landscape that allowed local output to grow just 6 percent in the second quarter from a year earlier. AFP

51.00 

52.00 

53.00 

54.00 

55.00 

PESO-DOLLAR RATES 


54.13 

12 

BUSINESS 

25700 

25200 

24700 

24200 

DOW JONES 


545.91 

7900 

7700 

STOCK MARKET 

7500 

7300 120.39 



INDEX SUMMARY 

INDEX VALUE CHANGE % CHANGE 

PSEi 7,004.77 120.39 1.75▲ 

All Shares 4,301.80 60.55 1.43▲ 

Financials 1,549.86 15.56 1.01▲ 

Industrial 10,575.37 230.58 2.23▲ 

Holding Firms 6,796.92 106.21 1.59▲ 

Services 1,488.10 27.73 1.90▲ 

Mining and Oil 8,775.43 224.92 2.63▲ 

Property 3,479.81 56.58 1.65▲ 


Daily Tribune 

THE TRILLION DOLLAR PRIZE 

Plugging 

government 

revenue leaks 

The volume and quality of satellite and other digital 

imagery brings new opportunities to use geospatial data to 

address fraud and leakage, such as by identifying suspicious 

payment addresses and detecting undervalued properties for 

tax purposes 

Rare is the government today whose 

fiscal challenges don’t handcuff leaders 

seeking to provide for the future through 

investments in infrastructure, education and 

healthcare. Often the difference between 

funded and deferred policy priorities comes 

down to the perennial and seemingly 

intractable challenge of revenue lost to tax 

noncompliance and improper government 

payments. 

Our analysis suggests that close to 20 

percent of government revenues worldwide, 

or about $5 trillion, go missing each year, 

either in dollars owed but never paid or in 

outbound payments gone awry. In this era 

of growing demands for government services 

and pressing budget challenges worldwide, 

few fiscal opportunities loom larger than 

reducing these leakages (Exhibit 1). 

new data and analytics to identify suspicious 

patterns of customs declarations and tax 

payments. Within a matter of weeks, the 

unit was testing interventions and plugging 

revenue gaps that previously would have 

taken years to uncover. In another example, 

a finance ministry and a tax authority 

collaborated on a completely new approach 

to compliance infused by analytics strategies 

and identified opportunities to increase 

total revenue collected by 5 percent over 

several years. 

Overall, our research suggests that 

in larger, developed economies, these 

capabilities have the potential to increase 

total government revenues by 1 to 3 percent. 

In less-formal, developing economies, the 

opportunity is much larger, as much as 

10 percent or more. To put this number 

PILES of imported paper are upload into a ship in China to highlight the country’s trade surplus with the United States that only serve to 

fuel the spiralling trade war. 

AFP 

may challenge long-held assumptions and 

practices. Finally, effective use of analytics 

requires mastery of rapid, small-scale tests 

that can push the boundaries of traditional 

organizational agility. 

Still, leading governments have realized 

that the value at stake greatly outweighs 

these challenges and there are emerging 

practices that can be deployed to surmount 

them. Citizens, increasingly accustomed to 

businesses’ sophisticated use of data and 

analytics, will create urgency and expectations 

of innovation within governments. The 

increasing pace of innovation will make the 

gap between followers and innovators more 

difficult to surmount. 

This article explores why governments 

now have unparalleled opportunities for 

improving their outcomes in revenue 

administration and payments, how big the 

opportunity could be, and what it takes to 

effectively seize it. 

unearth businesses that have been “off the 

radar.” In developed countries, the share 

of cash transactions by value has tumbled 

by half in the past decade. Across Sweden, 

Norway, and Denmark, the share is less 

than 1 percent (Exhibit 2). More than half 

about multinational enterprises and on 

individual holdings. Examples include the 

Organisation for Economic Co-operation 

and Development’s Common Reporting 

Standard and the US Foreign Account Tax 

Compliance Act. 

The good news is that truly game 

-changing advances in big data and 

advanced analytics are providing 

governments with capabilities that 

would have been difficult to imagine 

even five years ago. 

While applying these new capabilities in 

revenue administration and payments is still 

a young science, some pioneers are already 

securing large gains. In one case, a ministry 

of finance set up a new unit to combine 

data sets from tax, customs and business 

registrations, along with external data from 

the banking sector, to target fraud and 

noncompliance. The team quickly integrated 

in context, worldwide government deficits 

are expected to be 2.6 percent of estimated 

GDP in 2021. 1 Improving revenue collections 

just 1 percent of GDP would eliminate over 

one-third of the deficit, equipping leaders to 

make and implement better policy choices. 

Unfortunately, a handful of common 

barriers stymie government efforts. First, 

we find that very few governments globally 

have taken the systematic approachnecessary 

to deploy these new capabilities at scale. 

Second, agencies often lack exposure to 

and experience with the latest innovations. 

Third, well-meaning civil servants may 

resist analytics-driven approaches that 

A rapidly changing game 

The substantial leakage of government 

revenues and improper payments is a 

persistent challenge for governments. 

However, three trends create a unique and 

immediate opportunity for governments 

to mobilize for greater success — the 

availability of data, the plummeting costs 

of data and analytics tools and storage and 

new techniques for translating analysis into 

action. 

The explosion in available data 

The rapid digitization of consumer and 

business life is transforming the way that 

companies and governments conduct their 

business. Digitization creates a massive trail of 

data that can support more-effective revenue 

and payment programs. There is an emerging 

consensus globally that governments can 

and should use this data to reduce revenue 

leakage, subject to strong privacy constraints 

prescribed by policy makers. 

Consider the following examples: 

•As e-commerce swells and cash 

becomes less prevalent, tax authorities can 

of Sweden’s 1,600 bank branches no longer 

keep cash on hand or take cash deposits. 

•The volume and quality of satellite 

and other digital imagery brings new 

opportunities to use geospatial data to 

address fraud and leakage, such as by 

identifying suspicious payment addresses 

and detecting undervalued properties for 

tax purposes. 

•Governments themselves have 

increasingly digitized operations, making 

previously offline or limited digital data sets 

much richer and timelier. Examples include 

data on business ownership, professional 

licenses, travel records, and police and 

court records. 

•Private companies also have significant 

amounts of data that can inform government 

administration. For example, powerconsumption 

patterns may indicate a likely 

presence of a business operation in a home or 

a larger commercial enterprise than reported. 

• Cooperation and data sharing among 

global tax authorities is accelerating, 

with standardized reporting by and 

Newly accessible and affordable tools 

Not only are more data available, but it 

is now significantly faster and cheaper to 

extract, process, store, and analyze them. 

This makes it possible to rapidly transform 

data into insights and to put both data and 

insights directly in the hands of decision 

makers. 

Legacy processes for ingesting and storing 

data are being completely transformed by 

the following: 

• rapid advances in data assembly and 

storage capabilities (for example, through 

cloud technologies, unstructured data lakes, 

and data warehouses) 

• an expanding set of tools to manage 

and manipulate unstructured data such as 

free text images, sounds, and video 

• quickly evolving algorithms that can 

automatically detect patterns across vast 

sums of complex data (for example, to detect 

unusual concentrations of payments going to 

a specific geography, or to uncover hidden 

links with known fraudsters) 

A MAN demonstrates how hand-crafted abaca slippers are weaved at this micro manufacturing unit in Malinao, Aklan. The completed materials were on display at the 2018 Dayaw Festival in Roxas City. 

ROEL HOANG MANIPON

Khabib 

ready to 

leave UFC P14 

Double 

goodness from 

the Perkins Twins 

P17 

Vic and 

Maine 

tonight 

P18 

Aldrin Cardona, Editor 


Daily Tribune 

THE RACE IS ON 

New beast of the East 

rejoined Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Al Horford and the rest of a 

It’s a new lease on life in the Eastern Conference 

deep team that made a valiant run without them, Boston is probably 

the favorite in the East. 

But there’s intrigue beyond that, which rarely existed during 

James’ reign. Philadelphia finished strong in its first season with 

Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons playing together, and now might get 

a full one with 2017 No. 1 pick Markelle Fultz joining them after his 

NEW YORK — The roadblock has been removed. 

With LeBron James gone, the path to the NBA Finals from the 

Eastern Conference is open again. 

Boston, Philadelphia, Toronto and more are hoping to win the race. 

James ruled over the East for eight years, making four straight 

trips to the finals from Miami and then moving back to Cleveland in 

2014 and getting there every year since. 

From Boston to Indiana, up north in Toronto all the way down 

to Atlanta, teams would emerge with what they thought was a title 

contender only to see James send them home for the summer. 

Now, King James has abdicated his throne and moved to Los 

Angeles, and there should be rejoicing in the land he left behind. 

“It’s a new lease on life in the Eastern Conference,” said Hall of 

Famer and TNT analyst Reggie Miller, who faced a similar situation 

when he played in the East during the era of Michael Jordan’s 

Chicago Bulls. 

“It’s great that LeBron has taken his talents out West because 

it opens up the doors for not only a lot of these young players, but 

these organizations now. Fresh blood, something new to kind of see 

who can compete for that Eastern crown.” 

The Celtics nearly won it last year, falling to the Cavaliers in Game 

7 of the Eastern Conference finals. 

They were without the injured Kyrie Irving and Gordon 

Hayward, and now that the two stars are healthy and have 

An appearance in the finals is going to be sweet. 

shoulder problems last season. 

Toronto shook up a 59-win team by firing coach Dwane 

Casey and shipping DeMar DeRozan to San Antonio in 

the trade for Kawhi Leonard, and Indiana bolstered 

a team that took Cleveland to seven games in the 

first round. 

Any of them have a chance to get to the place that 

James wouldn’t let them. 

“An appearance in the finals is going to be sweet,” 

Embiid said. 

AP 

SPORTS 13 

TORONTO Raptors 

forward Kawhi Leonard 

attacks the basket 

during the second half 

of a preseason NBA 

basketball game against 

the Portland Trail Blazers 

in Vancouver in this file 

photo. The Raptors want 

Leonard at his best right 

now, so they can push for 

the Eastern Conference 

crown. 

AP 

No place 

like home 

It’s a big difference to be able 

start at home against a good 

team 

BOSTON — The Red Sox hope home-field 

advantage makes a difference after consecutive 

Division Series eliminations. 

Boston began the postseason 0-2 on 

the road at Cleveland in 2016 and again at 

Houston last year. 

By winning a club-record 108 games this 

season, the Red Sox ensured home-field 

advantage through the postseason. They split 

at home against the Yankees last weekend, 

swept a pair 

of games in 

New York to 

advance and open 

the American League 

(AL) Championship 

Series against the World Series 

champion Astros on Saturday night. 

We’re better because of what happened 

last year. 

Chris Sale starts for the Red Sox and 

Justin Verlander for the Astros. 

Sale gave up seven runs in last year’s 

BOSTON Red Sox’s Brock Holt holds a bat at a baseball workout in Boston. The Red Sox face the 

Houston Astros in Game 1 of baseball’s American League Championship Series on Saturday at 

Boston’s Fenway Park. 

AP 

Mbappe sparks France 

GUINGAP, France — Kylian Mbappe 

inspired a fightback from world champion 

France as if rallied from two goals down 

at home to earn a 2-2 draw with Iceland on 

Thursday. 

Birkir Bjarnason swept Iceland ahead 

from the edge of the area on 30 minutes, and 

Kari Arnason’s excellent second-half header 

doubled their lead. 

But Mbappe, brought on as a substitute for 

the final half-hour, gave France a lifeline when 

his shot was saved and then inadvertently 

turned in by Iceland defender Holmar Orn 

Eyjolfsson. 

The Paris Saint-Germain forward levelled 

from the penalty spot in the 90th minute after 

Kolbeinn Sigthorsson handled at a corner. 

“The team saw we needed to do 

something else. I bring what I can do,” 

Mbappe told TF1. 

“We saw the fans were completely 

behind us even if it wasn’t a big stadium. 

We wanted to do everything for the people 

who were there.” 

“We got the draw, we didn’t lose, but 

we’re still a bit annoyed.” 

France coach Didier Deschamps fielded six 

of the players that began the World Cup final 

against Croatia, handing in-form Marseille 

winger Florian Thauvin his first start as 

Mbappe was left on the bench. AFP 

opening 8-2 loss to 

Houston, including two home 

runs by Jose Altuve and by Alex 

Bregman. Sale made a rare relief 

appearance in Game 4 at Fenway 

Park, replacing Rick Porcello 

to start the fourth inning with 

Boston trailing 2-1. 

After Andrew Benintendi’s 

two-run homer put the 

Red Sox ahead, Sale 

allowed Bregman’s tying 

home run leading off 

the eighth and a 

one-out single to 

Evan Gattis, who 

gave Houston 

the lead for 

good when 

he scored on 

Josh Reddick’s single against Craig Kimbrel. 

“Going through that the last two years 

helped,” Brock Holt. 

“We’re better because of what 

happened last year.” 

Boston was 57-24 at Fenway Park this 

year, the best home record in the major 

leagues, and Sale has a 1.29 ERA and 

.199 opponents’ batting average in his 

last eight home starts. 

“I think he just feeds off the crowd 

and he just feels more comfortable 

at home,” Red Sox shortstop Xander 

Bogaerts said. 

Boston won the AL pennant in four of the 

six times it opened the Championship Series 

at Fenway, in 1975, 1986, 2007 and 2013, the 

last two en route to World Series titles. 

The Red Sox failed at this stage in 

1988 and 1990. 

“It’s a big difference to be able start at 

home against a good team,” Holt said. AP 

FRANCE’S Kylian Mbappe celebrates after scoring a goal during a friendly soccer match between France and Iceland in 

Guingamp, western France. 

AFP 

Federer makes family proud 

I was telling myself, particularly tonight I cannot do this 

(lose) because they were there, but I don’t know how 

much I draw from that, quite honestly 

SHANGHAI, China — Roger Federer said he did not want to lose in 

front of his young family as he was pushed all the way for the second 

match in a row at the Shanghai Masters on Thursday. 

The reigning champion squeezed into the quarter-finals after 

defeating the 28th-ranked Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut 6-3, 2-6, 6-4. 

The top seed will play Japan’s eighth seed Kei Nishikori, while 

Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev are also through, albeit with 

far less hassle. 

The 37-year-old Swiss great was forced to fight in his opening 

match on Wednesday against Russia’s Daniil Medvedev. 

Normal order appeared to have been restored when the 20-time 

Grand Slam champion comfortably claimed the first set against 

Bautista Agut. 

But the Spaniard earned a piece of personal history after that, 

winning the second set — the first 

time he had taken a set against 

the Swiss maestro. 

The 30-year-old Bautista Agut had 

the whiff of an upset in his nostrils 

and the prospect of a first victory over 

the Swiss at the eighth attempt. 

But in the ninth game of the 

deciding set, Federer made the 

breakthrough on his opponent’s 

serve, pumping his fist as another 

hard-won victory loomed into view. 

Federer’s wife, Mirka, and their 

four children were in the arena 

and he said afterwards: “I’m not 

sure if they give me more courage 

fighting on court, but they were 

here today.” 

“I was telling myself, particularly 

tonight I cannot do this (lose) 

because they were there, but I don’t 

know how much I draw from that, 

quite honestly.” 

Federer said that two stern 

encounters had set him up nicely 

for Nishikori on Friday. 

“I hope it’s going to help me 

that I played against Medvedev and 

also Bautista Agut, two really good 

baseliners. 

“From that standpoint, I feel like 

I found a rhythm.” AFP

14 SPORTS 


Daily Tribune 

IT’S GETTING MESSY 

Khabib ready to leave UFC 

If you decide to fire him, you should know that 

you’ll lose me, too 

LOS ANGELES — Unbeaten Khabib Nurmagomedov threatened 

to leave the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on Thursday 

if the MMA promoters fire his teammate, Zubaira Tukhugov, for 

striking Conor McGregor in a post-fight melee Saturday. 

Nurmagomedov, a 30-year-old Russian, kept his UFC lightweight 

crown with a fourth-round submission victory over Ireland’s 

McGregor in Las Vegas, improving to 27-0 in his professional 

career and 11-0 in UFC bouts. 

After the victory, Nurmagomedov climbed out of the Octagon 

and went into the crowd to attack a member of McGregor’s 

entourage who had been heckling him throughout the fight. 

Tukhugov, who is from Chechnya, was seen in a brief exchange 

with McGregor during the post-fight brawl. 

McGregor was confronted by three members of Nurmagomedov’s 

team in the melee but later said he would not press charges. 

Tukhugov had been scheduled to fight a teammate of McGregor, 

Artem Lobov, later this month but that bout has been canceled. 

Nurmagomedov told the UFC in no uncertain terms that any 

move to cut ties with Tukhugov would see him follow his teammate 

away from the UFC. 

“If you decide to fire him, you should know that you’ll lose me, 

too,” Nurmagomedov posted on Instagram and Twitter. 

Saso bows out 

For me, it’s already a medal. But things 

like that always happen, especially if 

you’re competing against the best 

players in the world 

BUENOS AIRES — Golfer Yuka Saso muffed a 

crucial putt in a three-way playoff to blow her 

chances of emerging with a medal in the Youth 

Olympic Games Thursday here. 

The 17-year-old Filipino-Japanese saw her six-footer 

par miss the cup, ending the hunt for a possible bronze 

medal for the Philippines in women’s individual golf. 

Saso figured in a playoff with Alessia Nobilio of Italy and 

Emma Spitz of Austria after finishing the final round tied at 214. 

Kim Grace of Australia fired a one-over 71 and assembled 211 

to secure the gold medal amid the chilly weather and overcast 

skies at the Hurlingham Club. 

“It’s really cold here. Even my lips are now dry,” said Saso, 

the Asian Games individual gold medalist who topped the final 

round with a one-under 69. 

Nobilio, the leader for two consecutive days, birdied hole No. 

1 during the playoff to secure the silver medal. 

Left to gun for the bronze, Saso bogeyed after missing at six 

feet while Spitz went on to join Grace and Nobilio on the medal 

podium following a par on the same hole. 

“Too bad,” said Masakazu Saso, Yuka’s father who joined 

American coach Rick Gibson on the fairway throughout the round. 

“For me, it’s already a medal. But things like that always 

happen, especially if you’re competing against the best players 

in the world,” said Philippine chief of mission Jonne Go. 

In the men’s side, Carl Jano Corpus also failed to medal after 

winding up tied for 16th with South Korea’s Sangha Park. 

Both were 17 strokes behind eventual champion Karl Vilips 

of Australia. 

“We never give up on our brothers in Russia and I will go to 

the end for my brother. If you still decide to fire him, don’t forget 

to send me my broken contract, otherwise I’ll break it myself.” 

“You canceled Zubaira’s fight and you want to dismiss him just 

because he hit Conor. But don’t forget that it was Conor who had 

hit my another brother FIRST, just check the video.” 

The Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) is 

withholding Nurmagomedov’s $2 million prize 

money while it investigates the post-fight 

brawl. 

“You can keep my money that you are 

withholding,” Nurmagomedov said. 

“You are pretty busy with that, I 

hope it won’t get stuck in your throat. 

We have defended our honor and this 

is the most important thing. We intend 

to go to the end.” 

Nurmagomedov could face a 

fine and suspension from the NAC 

for his actions after the fight, 

Korean steals thunder 

BAGUIO CITY — Amateur Lee Ji Hyeon put on 

a strong start to get into the mix then held sway 

in a scrambling finish to humble Thai Waralee 

Atcharerk and Chakansim Khamborn and snare 

the ICTSI Camp John Hay Ladies Championship 

crown by two on a closing four-under 65 here 

Friday. 

Lee caught up the Thai leaders with a blazing 

31 start, spiked by three straight closing birdies at 

the John Hay layout, then proved steadier than 

her pro rivals in a pressure-packed stretch-run 

battle, rebounding from a bogey on No. 13 with 

two birdies in the next three to regain control. 

Not even a bogey on the last hole could stymie 

Lee’s breakthrough drive as the young Korean 

secured the crown on a 54-hole total of five-under 

202 in the P1.5-million event. 

Khamborn, tied with compatriot 

Chommapat Pongthanarak and 

two-up on Lee after 36 holes, 

kept the Korean in check 

in a flight behind with 

a 33 at the turn, but fumbled with two bogeys in 

a birdie-less backside finish, dropping to joint 

second with Atcharerk at 204 after a 69. 

Atcharerk, who shared the first round lead 

with five others Wednesday, also stayed in the 

hunt with a 33 but wavered at the back with two 

bogeys against a birdie for a 68. 

The Thais later split the combined top two 

purses and took home P267,000 each with Lee 

taking the crown and the honors of matching 

Asian Games gold medalist Yuka Saso’s feat 

at ICTSI Ayala Greenfield Ladies Challenge 

last January. 

She also became the second Korean 

amateur to win on the Ladies Philippine Golf 

Tour after Hwang Min Jeong toppled the pro 

field at Mt. Malarayat in 2015. 

Onkanok Soisuwan birdied the first three 

holes, held back by two bogeys against a birdie 

in the next eight but closed out with two birdies 

in the last three to match Lee’s 65 and snatch 

fourth place at 205 worth P125,000. 

Pongthanarak hardly bounced back from a 

UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov of Russia carries his championship 

belt upon the arrival in Makhachkala. Nurmagomedov defeated Conor McGregor of 

Ireland in their UFC lightweight championship bout by way of submission during the UFC 

229 event inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. AFP 

disastrous opening 40, finishing with a 33 and 

a 73 and slipping to fifth at 208 in the second 

leg of the new LPGT season. 

Princess Superal never got back into the 

heat of the battle with a mediocre one-birdie, 

one-bogey effort on a course she tamed with 

a record 17-under 190 in ruling the inaugural 

staging of this event in 2013. She ended up 

sixth at 209. 

Thai Numa Gulyanamitta matched par 

69 for a 210 and compatriot Supakchaya 

Pattaranakrueang, winner at Luisita last April, 

hobbled with a 71 for a 214 for seventh and 

eighth, respectively, while local amateurs Eagle 

Ace Superal (70) and Mariel Tee (75) finished 

tied for ninth with Thai pro 

Konsunthea Omicha 

(77) at 218. 

LEE Ji Hyeon holds her trophies after sweeping the low amateur and pro titles in the ICTSI CJH Ladies Championship Friday at the Camp John Hay golf 

course in Baguio City. 

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO 

although UFC president Dana White said he would not be stripped 

of his title for the post-fight fiasco. 

McGregor tossed a steel dolly through a window on 

Nurmagomedov’s bus in April in New York, a provocation the 

Russian noted in his message. 

You can keep my money that you are withholding. 

“I would like to address @ufc. Why didn’t you fire anyone 

when their team attacked the bus and injured a couple of 

people? They could have killed someone there,” he said. 

“Why no one says anything about insulting my homeland, 

religion, nation, family? Why do you have to punish my 

team, when both teams fought. If you say that I started 

it, then I do not agree, I finished what he had started. 

“In any case, punish me, @zubairatukhugov has 

nothing to do with that. If you think that I’ll keep silent 

then you are mistaken.” 

AFP 

China, India 

in giant clash 

SHANGHAI, China — China and India may be 

accounted for more than a third of the world’s 

population, but in football terms they are 

minnows often beaten by countries a fraction 

of their size. 

Their struggles will be laid bare on 

Saturday when China host their Asian 

rivals in a friendly that the home side are 

under huge pressure to win, and win well. 

The game in Suzhou, near 

Shanghai, will be the first time for 

India to play China away and the 

first match between their senior 

sides in 21 years. 

India has never beaten China in 

17 attempts. 

It may not be a match for the 

cognoscenti, but the coaches of both countries 

appreciate that hundreds of millions of people will be willing 

a victory for their team. 

India is 97th in the International Football Federation’s 

rankings and China 76 — sandwiched between Zambia and 

Lebanon — underlining how far adrift both are of the global 

elite. 

“It’s only a friendly game for the world — but not us,” said 

Stephen Constantine, India’s British coach. 

“When you are playing for India, you have to take it 

seriously irrespective of whatever game you play. 

“You are representing 1.4 billion people out there and 

I can’t tell you how important the game is for us,” added 

Constantine, under whom India have improved from 166th 

in the rankings when he took over in 2015. 

India’s previous game saw them beaten 2-1 last month by 

Maldives, an Indian Ocean archipelago of less than 500,000 

people. 

China’s unbridled footballing ambitions come from the 

top: President Xi Jinping is a big fan of the sport and has vowed to make 

the country one of its superpowers. 

It is not the same story in India, where football is not even the most 

popular sport — the country is cricket-mad. 

But regional bragging rights are at stake and with both teams 

playing January’s Asian Cup, the continent’s top international football 

competition, the clock is ticking. 

“Friendly or no friendly, it’s the India national team,” said Constantine. 

“We will go all out.” 

AFP 

MPG gets under way 

These are the schools who will see action in this 

year’s edition 

By Jon Develos 

It’s only a friendly game for 

the world — but not us. 

DAVAO CITY — A total of 13 schools will see action in the 4th 

Mindanao Peace Games (MPG) starting 25 October at the Fr. 

Saturnino Urios University in Butuan City. 

Ateneo de Davao University and Ateneo de Zamboanga 

University are tipped to come up with a good fight against other 

schools that will be go all out for pride and glory in this tourney 

that aims to spread peace in the region. 

Also confirmed to compete are Xavier University, La Salle 

University of Ozamis, Iligan Medical Center College, University 

of Southeastern Philippines, Holy Cross of Davao College, San 

Pedro College of Davao, Holy Trinity College of General Santos, 

St. Joseph Institute of Technology, Datu Ibrahim Paglas Memorial 

College of Maguindanao and host Fr. Saturnino Urios University. 

Mindanao State University of Marawi is also set to join, giving 

its athletes a ray of hope following the deadly siege that left the 

entire province down on its knees. 

“These are the schools who will see action in this year’s 

edition,” MPG chairman Noli Ayo said during the weekly Davao 

Sportswriters Association Forum. 

Set to be played are basketball, volleyball, football, table tennis, 

badminton, swimming, karatedo, taekwondo and chess. 

Prior to that, there will be a Mindanao Coaches Convention set 

from 20 to 22 October at the Ateneo de Davao University. 

Invited guest speakers are One Meralco Foundation president 

Jeff Tarayao, University Athletic Association of the Philippines 

executive director Rebo Saguisag, Girls Got Game-Mindanao 

managing director Celina Jaldon, University of Southwestern 

Philippines sports director Dr. Jose Alther Rivera, Olympian 

Stephen Fernandez, Philippine Sports Commission consultant 

Victor Africa and Socsargen Peace Network director Fr. Angelo 

Buenavides.


Daily Tribune 

SPORTS 

15 

AFTER SORRY LOSS 

Falcons eye 

retaliation 

PAOLO Taha of Northport picks up the loose ball from under Cliff Hodge of Meralco during their Philippine 

Basketball Association Governors’ Cup game yesterday at the Mall of Asia Arena. The Batang Pier 

won, 99-94. 


Northport pulls 

plug on Meralco 

By John Bryan Ulanday 

Northport refused to kiss its playoff hopes 

goodbye after shutting down Meralco, 99-94, 

in the Philippine Basketball Association 

(PBA) Governors’ Cup last night at the Mall 

of Asia Arena. 

The win didn’t come easy for the Batang 

Pier as they nearly squandered a huge lead 

before weathering a scorching rally waged 

by the Bolts in the payoff period. 

After leading by 13 points, 82-69, off Stanley 

Pringle’s trey in the 8:42 mark, Northport suddenly 

cooled down, allowing Meralco to light up a 19-8 

rally to move within two, 88-90 in the last two 

minutes. 

But Pringle delivered another booming triple 

in the final 52.3 seconds to erect a comfortable 

95-88 lead. 

Mike Tolomia tried to answer with 

a three-point basket, but Sean Anthony 

retaliated with a trey of his own to seal 

the victory. 

With the win, the Batang Pier improved to 2-6 

PSL unveils 

collegiate tourney 

The Philippine Superliga (PSL) is set to roll 

out its very first collegiate tournament when 

its All-Filipino Conference fires off. 

PSL chairman Philip Ella Juico said the 

PSL Collegiate Grand Slam (CGS) promises to 

be another action-packed battle as it features 

the country’s brightest collegiate players in 

preparation for their potential career in the 

semi-professional league. 

The tournament will be played every 

Saturday and will be shown live in the league’s 

official broadcast partner in ESPN5, AksyonTV 

and sports5.ph. 

PSL rules will also be applied and teams will 

be given a chance to use the challenge system 

to make sure that the officiating will be at par 

with international standards. 

So far, a total of six teams in University 

of the Philippines (UP), Far Eastern 

University, University of the East (UE), 

University of Santo Tomas (UST), De La 

Salle University-Dasmariñas and Colegio 

San Agustin (Biñan selection) are already 

confirmed to join the inaugural tourney. 

Juico said they expect more teams to jump 

in when the tourney completely goes full blast 

win-loss card to stay in the hunt for a playoff seat. 

“The players really worked hard for this win, 

offensively and defensively. It’s a total team 

effort,” said head coach Pido Jarencio. 

“We now have back-to-back wins to keep a 

slim chance of making it to the playoffs. We’ll 

see if we can catch up with still three games 

remaining. For now, we’re just taking it one 

game at a time.” 

Skipper Anthony finished with 26 points, 

four rebounds, three assists and three steals to 

spearhead Northport’s attack while national 

team member Pringle also added 24 points 

and eight assists. 

After being scoreless in the first half, 

import Rashad Woods erupted in the second 

half to finish with 20 points, six rebounds, 

two assists and two steals. 

Two-time Best Import awardee Allen 

Durham was the lone bright spot with a near 

triple-double of 37 points, 19 rebounds and 

seven assists for Meralco, which suffered its 

sixth straight loss to drop at 1-6 record for 

its worst start in franchise history. 

next year. 

“We want to 

explore the possibility 

of having a strong 

collegiate league,” 

said Juico, a former 

Philippine Sports 

Commission chairman 

and president of the 

Philippine Amateur 

Track and Field Association. 

“We have six teams in our inaugural 

conference. But we expect more college squads 

to join as soon as we get this tournament off 

the ground.” 

Having collegiate teams in a regular 

tournament is nothing new for the PSL. 

In the past, collegiate squads like University 

of Perpetual Help Dalta System, UST, UP 

and UE were given the chance to join in the 

Invitational Conference. 

But with the formation of the CGS, the 

collegiate field will be very competitive as there 

would be a division solely dedicated to young 

players who are looking to play in the country’s 

most prestigious club league in the future. 

GAY Beltran rules the female 16k category of the 29th Yakult 10-Miler Marathon over the weekend at the SM By the Bay in Pasay 

City. Also shown (from left) are Yakult vice president Michael Eric Dy Sun-Ong, third-placer Joy Beltran, second-placer Nicole 

Alcalde and Yakult Philippines executive vice president Hiroshi Suzuki. 

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO 

It’s not about just one particular school 

we’re looking forward to play against with 

By Joel Orellana 

Games Today: 

(Mall of Asia Arena) 

2 p.m. NU vs. UE 

4 p.m. La Salle vs. Adamson 

Adamson University tries to keep its hold of the 

top spot with a win over De La Salle University on the 

final day of the first round of Season 81 University 

Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men’s 

basketball tournament eliminations on Saturday at 

the Mall of Asia Arena. 

The Soaring Falcons and the Green Archers clash in 

the main game at 4 p.m. while cellar dwellers National 

University (NU) and University of the East (UE) face 

off at 2 p.m. 

Adamson’s unbeaten start came to an end last 

Sunday after yielding an 88-85 decision in overtime 

to Far Eastern University (FEU) to absorb its first 

defeat of the season. 

Soaring Falcons’ head coach Franz Pumaren rued 

their slow start and inability to make good decisions 

in the endgame against the Tamaraws and hopes his 

wards won’t commit the same mistakes against the 

unpredictable Green Archers. 

Adamson is currently no. 1 with a 5-1 win-loss mark, 

just a shade above FEU and defending champion 

Ateneo de Manila University, which are sharing the 

second and third positions with identical 5-2 slates. 

Pumaren said there will be no extra preparation 

against his former team and their Final Four 

tormentors last year — La Salle. 

“It’s not about just one particular school we’re 

looking forward to play against with. It’s just one of 

those games, same approach and apply the same 

preparation,” said Pumaren, who lost to La Salle in 

the Final Four stage in the last two seasons. 

“Each year is a different motivation for us. But the 

bottomline is we have to take care of our business. 

Each game is important for us. We want to separate 

ourselves from the rest of the field,” he added. 

The Green Archers are also coming off a loss, 

bowing to chief rivals Blue Eagles, 55-71, where they 

issued a season-low three assists and committed 28 

turnovers in the game. 

La Salle head coach Louie Gonzalez said his team 

played too unselfish as they were too focused on the 

system and forgot to take the shots when needed. 

“My players are relying on the system. With that kind 

Each year is a different motivation for us. But the 

bottomline is we have to take care of our business. 

of game, you have to get away from the system before 

returning to it,” said Gonzalez. 

“That’s what this team needs to learn. You have to 

release the pressure first then once the pressure is 

released we get back to what we do best.” 

Aljun Melecio was the lone La Salle player in doublefigure 

in scoring with 21 points while big man Justine 

Baltazar was limited to just to four points, a far cry from 

his 15.2 average. 

Meanwhile, the Bulldogs are out to snap a fivegame 

losing skid against the Red Warriors. Both 

teams are holding the same 1-5 mark. 

Since beating University of Santo Tomas in its opening 

game last 8 September, 75-70, the team of coach Jamike 

Jarin has dropped its last five assignments, the last one 

an 88-89 heartbreaker to University of the Philippines. 

JV Gallego had the chance to win the game for NU in 

their last game against the Fighting Maroons but opted to 

kick out a pass to Dave Ildefonso in the closing seconds 

instead of going for the drive. 

“That’s the price you have to pay for having a very 

young, inexperienced team,” said Jarin. 

UE is also coming off a 66-80 loss 

to the resurging Growling Tigers. 

ALEXANDER Zverev of Germany prepares to serve to Kyle Edmund of 

Britain during their men’s singles quarterfinals match in the Shanghai Masters 

tennis tournament at Qizhong Forest Sports City Tennis Center in Shanghai, 

China 

AP 

Zverev books ATP ticket 

SHANGHAI, China — Fourth-seeded Alexander 

Zverev has secured a spot in the ATP Finals 

next month with a 6-4, 6-4 quarterfinal win 

over Kyle Edmund on Friday at the Shanghai 

Masters. 

Zverev is the fifth player to book a place in the 

season-end tournament in London, joining Rafael 

Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Juan 

Martin del Potro in the eight-player field. 

Zverev has beaten Edmund all four times they’ve 

played. 

On Friday, he saved the one break point he 

We need to be perfect in all the 

things that we do. That will be 

our mindset going to the playoffs 

Bong Quinto bailed out Letran College 

with clutch baskets to stamp its class over 

fellow semifinalist University of Perpetual 

Altas Dalta System, 82-80, in the National 

Collegiate Athletic Association Season 94 

men’s basketball tournament Friday at the 

FilOil Flying V Centre. 

Quinto scored 22 points, including a 

basket in the final 20.8 seconds that lifted 

the Knights to their 13th win in 17 games. 

Letran formally settled for third spot 

in the playoffs while Perpetual completed 

the Final Four cast with its 11-6 record. 

“We are here to improve. We need to be 

perfect in all the things that we do. That 

will be our mindset going to the playoffs,” 

Knights’ head coach Jeff Napa said. 

faced and took advantage of the two break points 

the British player offered to secure passage to the 

semi-final. 

The victory over Edmund also gave the 21-year-old 

Zverev a tour-leading 49th match victory of the year. 

Dominic Thiem, who lost his opening match this week, 

sits in second place with 48 match wins this season. 

Zverev will play either second-seeded Djokovic or 

seventh-seeded Kevin Anderson in the semi-final. 

Zverev has beaten Anderson all four times 

they’ve played, and won his only encounter against 

Djokovic in the 2017 Rome final. 

AP 

Quinto delivers for Letran 

Edgar Charcos hit a triple to put 

Perpetual on top, 80-79, with 52 seconds 

left. 

With the possession back to the Atlas 

after a missed try on the other end, 

JP Calvo stole the ball and fed Quinto 

for the go-ahead basket with only 20.8 

seconds left. 

Prince Eze, then, failed to provide 

another heroic act as Quinto split his 

charities to seal the victory. 

Aside from his impressive scoring output, 

Quinto added an all-around effort of nine 

rebounds, five assists and two steals. 

Calvo chipped in 17 markers, five 

boards and seven assists while Larry 

Muyang chalked up 11 points and eight 

rebounds. 

Letran and Perpetual await their 

opponents in the semis as league-leaders 

San Beda (15-1) and Lyceum (15-2) battle 

it out for the top seed next week.

16 

WORLD 


Daily Tribune 

ADDING FUEL TO TRADE WAR 

US-China surplus 

hits record $34B 

China’s overall export 

growth accelerated 

BEIJING — China’s trade surplus 

with the United States widened to 

a record $34.1 billion in September 

as exports to the American market 

rose by 13 percent over a year earlier 

despite a worsening tariff war. 

Exports to the United States rose 

to $46.7 billion, down from August’s 

13.4 percent growth, customs data 

showed Friday. Imports of American 

goods increased 9 percent to $12.6 

billion, down from 11.1 percent. 

Chinese exports to the United 

States have at least temporarily 

defied forecasts they would weaken 

after being hit by punitive tariffs 

of up to 25 percent in a fight over 

American complaints about Beijing’s 

technology policy. 

“Exports continued to defy 

US tariffs last month but imports 

struggled in the face of cooling 

Beijing will host the 2018 World 

Life Science Conference later this 

month, which will focus on areas 

including medicine and health, 

agriculture and food safety, the 

environment and biotechnology, 

the organizer said at a news 

conference on Monday. 

The three-day event, organized 

by the China Association for Science 

and Technology and co-hosted by the 

China Union of Life Science Societies 

and the China National Center for 

Biotechnology Development, will 

open on 27 October. 

With the theme 

“science for a 

better life,” it 

will feature 

over 60 plenary 

speeches, forums 

and panel 

discussions 

domestic demand,” said Julian Evans- 

Pritchard of Capital Economics in a 

report. “We expect both to soften in 

the coming quarters.” 

September marked the second 

straight record Chinese monthly 

trade surplus with the United States 

after August’s $31 billion. 

Exports continued to defy 

US tariffs last month but 

imports struggled. 

Export numbers have been 

buoyed by producers rushing to 

fill orders before American tariffs 

rose, but they also benefit from 

“robust U.S. demand” and a weaker 

Chinese currency, which makes 

their goods cheaper abroad, said 

Louis Kuijs of Oxford Economics 

in a report. 

The yuan has lost nearly 10 

percent of its value against the 

US dollar this year. That prompted 

suggestions Beijing might weaken 

the exchange rate to help exporters, 

but that might hurt China’s economy 

by encouraging an outflow of capital. 

The central bank has tightened 

controls on currency trading to head 

off further declines. 

China’s overall export growth 

accelerated, temporarily defying 

forecasts of a slowdown as the 

global economy and consumer 

demand cool. 

Exports rose 14.5 percent over 

a year earlier to $226.7 billion, up 

from August’s 12.2 percent growth. 

Imports grew 14.3 percent to $195 

billion, down from the previous 

month’s 20.9 percent rate. 

Exports to the 28-nation European 

Union, China’s biggest trading partner, 

rose 11.6 percent to $37.4 billion. The 

Chinese trade surplus with Europe 

was $12.7 billion. 

Chinese leaders have rejected 

pressure to scale back plans for 

state-led development of global 

champions in robotics and other 

technologies. 

AFP 

Beijing to host life science confab 

with more than 400 speakers, including 

six Nobel laureates. 

It is the second time Beijing has 

hosted the event. 

Wang Xiaoning, deputy 

secretary-general of the China 

Union of Life Science Societies, 

said this year’s event is an active 

response to the strategy 

of promoting a 

healthy 

China put forward at the 19th 

National Congress of the Communist 

Party of China and is meaningful as it 

coincides with the 40th anniversary 

of the reform and opening-up policy 

and the 60th anniversary of CAST’s 

establishment. China Daily 

Mission failed Russia’s Soyuz MS-10 spacecraft carrying the members of the International Space Station 

expedition failed Thursday, triggering an emergency that sent their capsule into a steep, harrowing fall back to Earth. AP 

Rescuers comb debris for ‘Michael’ victims 

Search and rescue teams 

combed through shattered US 

communities on Thursday looking 

for victims of Hurricane Michael, 

a Category 4 monster storm which 

carved out a swathe of destruction 

in the Florida Panhandle, killing at 

least seven in three states. 

In Mexico Beach, a seafront 

town where the hurricane made 

landfall, houses had been razed 

by storm surge, boats had been 

tossed into yards and the streets 

were littered with trees and power 

lines. 

Florida Gov. 

Rick Scott 

said the 

storm had caused “unbelievable 

devastation” and the priority 

for the moment was looking for 

survivors among residents who 

failed to heed orders to evacuate. 

“I’m very concerned about our 

citizens that didn’t evacuate and 

I just hope that, you know, we 

don’t have much loss of life,” Scott 

told ABC. 

The US Army said more than 

2,000 Florida National Guard 

soldiers were working on the 

recovery operations. 

There have been six confirmed 

storm-related deaths so far -- four 

in Florida’s Gadsden County, one in 

Georgia, and one in North Carolina. 

President Donald Trump pledged 

to help storm victims. 

“Our hearts are with the 

thousands who have sustained 

property damage, in many cases 

entirely wiped out,” Trump said. 

“We will not rest or waver until 

the job is done and the recovery 

is complete.” 

AFP 

Trail of destruction Residents in Mexico Beach, Florida woke to scenes of devastation Thursday after Hurricane “Michael” tore a path through the coastal region, killing at least seven people. 

Relations imperiled over journalist’s case 

WASHINGTON — Sword dancers. 

Gleaming palaces. Military jets 

streaming red, white and blue trails. 

President Donald Trump soaked 

up the grandeur of Saudi Arabia on 

his first foreign stop as president last 

year and envisioned huge 

benefits for the United 

States in building 

closer ties 

with the 

repressive and oil-rich desert kingdom. 

Now, the White House relationship 

with Riyadh is imperiled over the 

mysterious disappearance of 

a Saudi writer and the situation 

is creating friction between the 

Trump administration and 

members of Congress 

demanding 

to know if 

the 

Dress to impress Marco 

Antonio Salas Suarez dons 

his “Penacho” traditional 

costume during the 

presentation of the Huey 

Atlixcayotl Festival in Atlixco, 

Mexico. 

AFP 

columnist for The Washington Post 

was killed inside the Saudi consulate 

in Turkey. 

Trump said he’s talked to officials 

at the highest level of the kingdom and 

is “demanding everything” to explain 

how Jamal Khashoggi, an activist who 

had been critical of Saudi leaders, 

vanished. 

AP 

The White House show 

WASHINGTON — Live 

from the Oval Office, 

it’s Kanye West 

with a jaw-dropping 

performance. 

The rapper didn’t rap. 

But, seated across from 

President Donald Trump 

at the Resolute Desk, 

the musician delivered 

a rambling, multipart 

monologue Thursday that 

touched on social issues, 

WEST 

hydrogen planes, mental health, endorsement 

deals, politics and oh so much more. 

Seizing the spotlight from the typically 

center-stage president, West dropped the 

F-word, floated policy proposals — and went 

in for a hug. 

“They tried to scare me to not wear this 

hat,” West said of his red “Make America 

Great Again” cap. But, he said, “This hat, it 

gives me power in a way.” 

“You made a Superman cape for me,” he 

told Trump. 

AP 

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis 

on Sunday will elevate to sainthood 

Salvador Archbishop Oscar Romero, 

slain by a right-wing death squad as 

he said Mass and free love naysayer 

Pope Paul VI. 

Pilgrims 

Pope to make Paul VI, 

Salvadorian saints 

from across the globe are expected 

to flock to Saint Peter’s Square to pay 

tribute to two men hailed by Francis 

for their courage in turbulent times 

and their dedication to social justice 

and the poor. 

The pair will 

BRIEFS 

Deadly flooding 

MADRID — Emergency services have found 

two more people killed, bringing the death 

toll killed by floods on the island of Mallorca 

in eastern Spain to 12, the government of the 

Balearic Islands confirmed on Thursday. 

At least one five-year-old child is still 

missing, but authorities do not rule out that 

the number of people missing may increase. 

Around 900 people are searching for people or 

helping rebuild the area after the floods, including 

members of the Spanish Civil Guard, the army and 

other emergency services as well as volunteers, 

including famous tennis player Rafael Nadal. 

Flash floods hit the island on Tuesday evening, 

swatting cars, homes and forcing people to be 

evacuated. 

Xinhua 

On the scent 

MUMBAI — Indian rangers hunting a man-eating 

tiger are considering deploying an unusual 

weapon to lure the big cat — Calvin Klein cologne. 

A major operation to kill or capture the 

tigress, which is suspected to have killed 

up to 13 people in India’s western state of 

Maharashtra, was launched a month ago. 

Patrol teams, infrared camera traps and 

even elephants have all failed to find her so 

officials are now pondering whether Calvin 

Klein’s Obsession fragrance is the answer. 

Scientists in America discovered that the 

smell of Calvin Klein’s Obsession For Men 

was attractive to big cats in 2013, owing to 

the presence of a synthetic aroma based on 

the musk of a civet mammal. AFP 

AP 

be made saints along with five others, 

including an Italian youth who died of 

bone cancer aged 19 and a German nun. 

The canonizations come just 

days before the International Day 

for the Eradication of Poverty on 17 

October. 

AFP


Daily Tribune 

SPOTLIGHT 17 

Double goodness 

from the Perkins Twins 

The film is far from boring just because it revolves 

around faith 

No, you’re not seeing double. You’re looking at Jesse and Christian, 

more popularly known as the Perkins Twins, and they’re on a mission 

to inspire the youth to reject pre-marital sex, drugs, smoking and all 

forms of bullying. 

The young men are the sons of Tarny, an American, and Tess, who 

hails from Tuguegarao. The twins are bent on using their singing talent 

and the movie Kaibigan to inspire their fans to practice good values. 

Thus, they’re busy with campus and mall tours nationwide, and 

talking about doing what is right in dealing with important issues 

facing the youth. 

They’re happy to make people feel better, spreading the word of 

God and setting a good example for the youth. 

Having set their goals and knowing how big their influence is on 

their fans, the twins have embarked on their first full-length film 

aptly entitled Kaibigan. 

The first-time actors got stellar support from seasoned performers 

Cesar Montano, Tirso Cruz III, Lani Mercado, Alvin Anson, Carla 

Martinez, Jean Garcia and Boots Anson-Rodrigo. 

The movie tells the story of two high school students (Jesse and 

Christian) facing problems 

a lot of young people are 

going through. They make 

wrong choices and suffer the 

consequences. Its heart and 

soul lie on the restoration and 

redemption of man. 

Sounds a bit preachy? 

Christian doesn’t think so. He 

thinks that the film is far from 

boring just because it revolves 

around faith. For him, the 

Christian life is the abundant 

life. It is full of blessings. But 

it has trials as well. 

Kaibigan depicts these in 

action scenes, tear-jerking 

moments, suspense elements 

and great music. 

Adding star power to 

the film is Hollywood actor 

Stephen Baldwin, who not 

THE film shows the twins trying out action and 

tear-jerking scenes. 

YUMMIE DINGDING 

only played one of the characters, but shared his rich 

experience and expertise in film production with the 

cast and crew. 

Tarny and Tess believe in the film so much, 

they did not hesitate getting the support 

of President Rodrigo Duterte himself. 

Their efforts paid off. The President 

extended his meeting with the couple 

from 15 minutes to one hour. He 

was upbeat throughout the meeting 

because it mirrors his own fight 

against drugs. 

The twins are on a mission 

to inspire the youth to 

reject pre-marital sex, drugs, 

smoking and all forms of 

bullying. 

Besides the Philippine President, 

the film producers also found allies 

in the Dangerous Drugs Board, the 

Department of Education, 

the Philippine National 

Police and provincial 

governors and mayors 

who believe in the movie’s 

advocacy. 

Jesse and Christian have 

seen beyond the movie, and 

want to make it the springboard for 

a movement that would spread hope 

among the youth. The twins plan to do 

this by performing in schools, malls and 

festivals. 

Tarny noticed that the country lacks 

providers of “positive content and 

the love of Jesus to the Philippine 

audience.” He’s planning to plant 

more good seeds by putting up a 

production company devoted to 

creating family-friendly content for 

different platforms, including games, 

television and movies. 

JESSE and Christian 

Perkins. 

NEA Crossword Puzzle 

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

ACROSS 

1 Ollie’s partner 

5 Wrecker’s job 

8 Recedes, as the 

tide 

12 — Major 

13 Health resort 

14 Charles Lamb’s 

pen name 

15 Honey wine 

16 Woodwork 

18 Furrowed 

20 Oil amts. 

21 Nicklaus’ org. 

22 Petition 

25 Consumer org. 

28 Regretted 

29 Invitation info 

33 Dorm sharer 

35 Pinch 

36 Norwegian port 

37 Flotsam 

and — 

39 Cowboy’s shout 

40 Stuck-up 

42 Hot time in Paris 

43 Rush hour 

problem 

46 PC key 

49 Web address 

50 Pocket change 

53 — vanilla 

56 “— Las Vegas” 

58 Type of mitt 

59 Tall bird 

60 Finished 

a cake 

61 Make repairs 

to 

62 Rookie 

socialite 

63 Walking stick 

DOWN 

1 Cogito ergo — 

2 Safari 

3 Cold — — 

icicle 

4 Low point 

5 Recipe amt. 

6 Not 

transparent 

7 Longed for 

8 Sushi bar 

selection 

9 Object on 

radar 

10 Crooner 

— Crosby 

11 Long story 

17 Superman’s 

emblem 

19 Garr of 

“Mr. Mom” 

23 Vt. neighbor 

24 Kid 

25 Forehead 

26 Hokum 

27 Sugar cane 

cutter 

30 Flexible tube 

31 State, in Paris 

32 Entry form ID 

34 Water-filled 

trench 

37 Skippy rival 

38 Geraint’s wife 

40 Not all the 

same 

41 Ignited 

44 Dull routine 

45 Kind of duty 

46 Speck 

47 Wash 

51 Flaky mineral 

52 Equally 

balanced 

54 Gary’s st. 

55 Well-worn 

pencil 

57 Citrus drink 

Answer to previous puzzle 

SUDOKU 

by Ramon Lorenzo 

Write a numeral from 1 to 9 in each box so 

that each appears only once in each row, 

column and 3 x 3 box. 

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 

C I T Y O F P A R A Ñ A Q U E 

B I D S & A W A R D S C O M M I T T E E 

INVITATION TO BID 

The City Government of Parañaque, through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) invites interested parties to submit bids for the 

following projects, to wit; 

Name of Project Approved Budget for the Contract Source of Fund Non-Refundable Bid Fees 

Supply and Delivery of Medical Supplies One Million Eight Hundred Twenty General Fund ₱ 7,000.00 

for the City Health Office 

Thousand Two Hundred Thirty Six Pesos 

and 86/100 (₱1,820,236.86) 

Supply and Delivery of Various Supplies Four Million Seven Hundred Forty Three General Fund ₱13,000.00 

and Materials for the Public Safety Services 

Thousand Eight Hundred Eleven Pesos 

Division (PSSD) /CSU and 40/100 (₱4,743,811.40) 

Supply and Delivery of Construction Materials Five Million Twenty Thousand General Fund ₱15,000.00 

for the Office of the Mayor 

Seven Hundred Seventy Pesos 

and 55/100 (₱5,020,770.55) 

Supply and Delivery of Office Supplies for the One Million Four Hundred Forty Six General Fund ₱ 7,000.00 

Sangguniang Panlungsod Thousand Six Pesos and 31/100 

(₱ 1,446,006.31) 

Supply and Delivery of Industrial Fan for the One Million Ninety Thousand Pesos General Fund ₱ 7,000.00 

Office of the Mayor (₱ 1,090,000.00) 

Supply and Delivery of Office Supplies for the One Million One Hundred Twenty Nine General Fund ₱ 9,000.00 

Office of the City Assessor 

Thousand Three Hundred Pesos 

(₱1,129,300.00) 

Supply and Delivery of Various Supplies for the One Million Three Hundred Sixty Two General Fund ₱ 7,000.00 

Office of the Mayor Thousand Nine Hundred Pesos (₱1,362,900.00) 

Proposed Construction of 2-Storey Multi-Purposed Nine Million Nine Hundred Ninety Eight SEF ₱23,000.00 

Building / Day Care Located at BJMP Compound, 

Thousand Two Hundred Sixteen Pesos 

Brgy. La Huerta and 84/100 (₱9,998,216.84) 

Proposed Renovation / Improvement / Retrofitting Twenty Four Million Nine Hundred Ninety Eight General Fund ₱25,000.00 

of Public Market Phase-2 Along Quirino Ave., Thousand Seven Hundred Fifty Nine 

Brgy. La Huerta Pesos and 57/100 (₱24,998,759.57) 

Proposed Construction of Drainage System Two Million Five Hundred Ninety One General Fund ₱ 9,000.00 

at City Square, Brgy. Merville 

Thousand One Hundred Seventy Six Pesos 

and 70/100 (₱2,591,176.70) 

Proposed Installation of Twenty Five (25) Units One Million Eight Hundred Sixty Two General Fund ₱ 7,000.00 

Solar Lamppost at Various Streets, Brgy. Merville Thousand Two Hundred Eighty Five Pesos 

and 78/100 (₱1,862,285.78) 

Proposed Rehabilitation of Parañaque Post Office One Million Thirty Five Thousand Nine General Fund ₱ 7,000.00 

Located at Dr. A. Santos Ave., Brgy. La Huerta Hundred Six Pesos and 30/100 (₱1,035,906.30) 

The complete schedule of activities is listed as follows: 

Answer for yesterday’s puzzle 

Activities Schedule (2018) 

Date of Publication August 20, 2018 

Issuance of Bidding Documents August 20, 2018 

Pre-bid Conference 

August 29, 2018– 10:00 A.M. 

Deadline for Issuance of Bid Form; 

September 11, 2018 – 9:00 A.M. 

Submission & Receipt of Bids; 

Opening of Bids 

September11, 2018 – 10:00 A.M 

Bid Evaluation and Post-qualification September 12-13, 2018 

D A I L Y G O S P E L 

Saturday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time 

While Jesus was speaking, a 

woman from the crowd called 

out and said to him, “Blessed 

is the womb that carried you 

and the breasts at which you 

nursed.” 

Luke 11: 27-28 

He replied, “Rather, blessed 

are those who hear the word of 

God and observe it.” 

Bid Documents may be obtained from the BAC Office, Ground Floor, City Hall, San Antonio Avenue, SAV I, Parañaque City, upon payment 

of non-refundable fees stated above. 

Prospective Bidders should have experience in undertaking a similar project within the last 10 years with an amount at least 50% of the 

proposed project (25% in case of Expandable Supplies). Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using a 

non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, 

otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”. Bids received in excess of the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) 

shall be automatically rejected at bid opening. 

All particulars relative to eligibility screening, bid security, performance security, pre-bid conference/s, evaluation of bids, post-qualification 

and award of contracts shall be governed by the pertinent provisions of RA 9184 and it’s Revised IRR 

The City Government of Parañaque-Bids and Awards Committee 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. 

(Sgd.) FERNANDO C. SORIANO 

Chairman, Bids and Awards Committee

18 

spotlight 


Daily Tribune 

Vic and Maine 

in new sitcom tonight 

MISS Globe Philippines 2018 Michele Gumabao wears another hat, this 

time as a host for “The Score,” the newest program of ABS-CBN’s Sports 

+ Action. 

What’s the score with 

Michele Gumabao? 

They may fight a lot over everything, but soon they 

learn that despite their so-called generation gap, 

they’re a family 

What do you get when you bring a promdi widower, 

his pasosyal unica hija and their constant disagreements 

together in one posh condo unit? 

Beginning tonight, 13 October, viewers are in for 

more exciting and hilarious nights as GMA Network 

debuts its newest sitcom, Daddy’s Gurl. 

Bringing in the laughs is the duo 

of Vic Sotto and Maine Mendoza as Barak 

and Visitacion “Stacy” Otogan. Barak is a 

devoted husband and the owner of Otogan Farm in 

Batangas. Visitacion, on the other hand, is Barak’s 

daughter who changed her named 

to Stacy when she moved to 

Manila. She is a trendsetter 

slash influencer slash 

digital maven whose 

When Barak lost his wife, Marikit, he became set on 

fulfilling her dying wish — that he guides and watches over 

their only daughter, Visitacion, until such time that she can 

stand on her own feet. And so, he decided to move to Manila to 

be with her. But coming from the province, Barak is 

not used to urban condo living, and Visitacion 

is not used to having her dad and his “old 

VIC Sotto 

and Maine 

Mendoza. 

From volleyball superstar to beauty pageant titlist, Michele 

Gumabao is unstoppable as she takes on another field — hosting. 

The Philippines’ representative to Miss Globe 2018 was 

recently launched as one of the hosts of the new-look The Score, 

the flagship program of ABS-CBN’s sports channel Sports + 

Action (S+A) that debuted its new format this month. 

In an interview, the former De La Salle University Lady 

Spikers star player said sports, whether one plays it or watches 

it, evinces a distinct passion. She added that when she is on 

the court, the feeling she has with her teammates is different. 

The program’s main anchor, Mico Halili, added the sports 

community is lucky that Michele did not leave volleyball to 

focus on pursuing showbiz. Michele was a housemate in Pinoy 

Big Brother: All In and is the sister of Kapamilya actor Marco 

Gumabao. 

Mico added that apart from her skills as a player, Michele 

is also special in terms of her ability to breakdown the game. 

Michele, who plays in the Premier Volleyball League for the 

Creamline Cool Smashers, has already showcased her volleyball 

know-how and communication skills as game analyst of ABS-CBN 

Sports. But in The Score, she will have more on-screen time as she 

will be doing features and interviews for the show. 

“We’re going to bring to our viewers a closer, in-depth look at 

our athletes, share with them what’s life out of the court because 

that’s what everybody wants to know. A sport won’t be popular 

without its supporters. It’s our way of giving back,” she said. 

Joining Michele and Mico in the program’s sports squad are 

other popular athletes including legends Allan Caidic, Eric Menk 

and Jimmy Alapag and current stars Beau Belga, Joe Devance, 

Chris Newsome and LA Tenorio. Also part of the program is 

another athlete-turned-host Gretchen Ho, who Michele has 

fought many battles with back in their days as varsity players 

in the UAAP. 

Catch the all-new The Score from Monday to Friday, LIVE at 

1 p.m. on the ABS-CBN Sports Youtube channel and 6 p.m. on 

primetime on ABS-CBN S+A and S+A HD. 

RAT 

(1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008) 

This is not a good week for the 

Rat. The misfortune star flies to your 

chart and may affect your health, 

career and wealth. Be extra careful 

when it comes to your safety. Always 

double check your door locks. Try to 

avoid staying out late at night. Work 

stress could cause health problem 

like ulcers. It is best to go with 

the flow and deal with whatever is 

presented to you, no more, no less. 

Do some relaxation techniques such 

as meditation or yoga. 

OX 

(1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009) 

This week you need to be extra 

careful. The violent star flies to your 

chart. There is a chance of being 

robbed or burgled. Try not to stay 

out late and pay attention to your 

personal safety. At work, you may be 

cheated by someone close to you. If 

you suspect something fishy is going 

on, try to do some investigation 

before it’s too late. Your luck is, 

however, not all bad this week. You 

have competitive luck where you will 

triumph over your rivals. Try to wear 

red to be alert. 

TIGER 

(1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998) 

Your temper will improve this 

week, but you are plagued by a 

tendency to fall sick easily. Do not 

expose yourself to crowded places 

or people with flu. You are also 

prone to some minor injury so avoid 

risky sports activities. Business and 

wealth luck are high. Stay focused 

on everything you do. Stay away from 

office politics. Protect yourself by 

wearing white colors. 

RABBIT 

(1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999) 

This is a contemplative week 

for the Rabbit. You may crave time 

for yourself, but work and family 

CHINESE HOROSCOPE 

Empress Li 

demands may not allow you any 

time alone. If you find yourself in 

this situation, be proactive and try to 

manage your time. Try to go for an 

early walk to kickstart the day before 

you start to work so you can get some 

exercise. Money luck is high. It is a 

good time to invest. Try to face your 

wealth luck direction. 

DRAGON 

(1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000) 

You are blessed with excellent 

prosperity and career luck this week. 

Your fortune comes only if you are 

prepared for it and use your talent 

and skill to get you to high places. 

There is a possibility of some kind 

of career advancement. Be aware 

of opportunities coming your way. 

Success is there for you in all your 

undertakings. Your effort will not 

go unnoticed and unrewarded. You 

may be thinking or taking your 

relationship to the next level of 

commitment. Follow your heart. Face 

your success direction to boost your 

lucky chi. 

SNAKE 

(1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001) 

This week, relationships affect 

you. Try to avoid offending other 

people’s feelings. Do not argue. Try 

to keep your opinions to yourself. 

Education luck is high. For students, 

you have an excellent chance of 

passing with a high mark. Do not 

overindulge as money luck is low. Do 

not overspend. At work, try to work 

alone and always keep your focus. 

New ideas may pop up and this could 

lead you to a promotion. Place some 

fresh flowers on top of your working 

table. 

HORSE 

(1954,1966, 1978, 1990, 2002) 

This week you need to lie low as 

the unlucky star flies to your chart. 

Do not attempt to show off your talent 

to others. Even though by nature you 

are helpful, it may be misinterpreted 

13 to 20 October 2018 

Your animal sign 

daily goal is to trend on social media. 

Adding fun to the sitcom is Wally Bayola as Marikit Otogan, the 

wife of Barak. When she passed away, her soul did not really leave 

and she is able to talk only to Barak through a portrait she left 

behind. Oyo Sotto plays Lance Saavedra, Stacy’s strict boss. He’s 

a smooth talker and thinks very highly of himself. 

Joining them are other characters that will add color to their 

everyday lives: Angelika de la Cruz as Aling Oprah, the single and 

always available neighbor of Stacy and Barak who has a crush on 

him; Chamyto as himself, Oprah’s assistant; Benjie Paras as Tomas 

or Tom, Barak’s kind but gullible helper who comes to Manila with 

him; Jelson Bay as Gerardo or Gerry, Barak’s right-hand man who 

may be small but thinks big; Chichirita as Beauty, Stacy’s friend 

and officemate; Kevin Santos as Daboy, Stacy’s handsome and 

sophisticated but not-so-manly friend. 

and cause some trouble. It is best to 

mind your own business. At work, 

office politics are high so stay behind 

the scenes. 

SHEEP 

(1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003) 

This is not a lucky week for 

you. An inauspicious star in your 

chart might affect you. Take all the 

necessary precautions this week. 

As much as possible avoid going to 

yin places like attending wakes or 

visiting someone in the hospital. 

Troublemakers will make your life 

miserable. Try not to offend or hurt 

anyone’s feelings. Money luck is not 

so good. Try to avoid overspending. 

Avoid financial investment as you do 

not have speculative luck. Wear yellow 

colors to boost your energy level. 

MONKEY 

(1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004) 

This week is when your luck 

transforms, bringing good fortune into 

your life. You can feel confident about 

starting new projects and making an 

investment. The best thing to do is 

make plans ahead of time and not 

fear that things will go wrong. Your 

popularity luck is high so make time 

to socialize and meet new friends. 

Attend parties and gatherings for your 

networking scheme. Career luck is 

good. At work, if you have dreams to 

move up the career ladder. This is a 

positive time to move on. Try to face 

your success direction to enhance 

your career. 

ROOSTER 

(1957, 1969, 1981,1993, 2005) 

This week you need to protect 

yourself and your home. There can be 

some money loss or break-in at your 

home or office. Be careful when it 

comes to personal safety. In business, 

you could lose some money by being 

cheated or short-changed. Avoid going 

to the hospital, cemetery or other yin 

places. This will deplete your energy. 

Business luck is not good, so stay alert 

and do not place your trust easily. Try 

to wear white for your protection. 

DOG 

(1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006) 

This is a week of arguments, 

squabbles and backstabbing. These 

will affect you if you do not channel 

your energy correctly. The violent star 

flies to your chart. Nevertheless, work 

will run smoothly and old friendships 

will bring you opportunities. But take 

care and try not to trust anybody. 

Keep your opinions to yourself. This 

is the best time to spend quality time 

with your loved ones. 

PIG 

(1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007) 

This week brings an unexpected 

windfall to ladies. You have speculative 

luck. Money luck is good, as well as 

romance luck. However, health luck is 

poor and there may be some minor 

injury. At work, you may face some 

competition. But rest assured that 

you will win victoriously since the 

heaven star is at your side to guide 

and support you. Face one of your 

lucky directions. 

Email address: empressli888@ 

yahoo.com 

Q. Madam, I received a painting 

of peonies as a birthday gift from 

my best friend. Where is the best 

place to hang it? — Mylene 

If you are single, the peony is a 

good way to activate your romance 

luck. This flower is an extremely good 

symbol to attract marriage luck. At 

the same time, these peonies will 

ensure married life comes soon. The 

best place to have this painting is at 

the east direction of your living room 

or bedroom. 

Mimkwaka, 

Empress Li 

school” habits around. They may fight a lot over everything, 

but soon they learn that despite their so-called generation 

gap, they’re a family. And to put it simply, they love each 

other. Visitacion, or “Stacy” as she would like to call herself, 

is a daddy’s girl 

after all. 

Under the helm 

of Chris Martinez 

and production of 

M-Zet Productions, 

join Barak and 

Stacy’s adventures 

and misadventures 

in Daddy’s Gurl 

every Saturday 

night after Pepito 

Manaloto o n 

GMA-7. 

WALLY Bayola as 

Marikit Otogan. 

Humanistic Astrology offers a person-centered 

approach in which the stars’ imprint within the 

person at birth describes his or her most personal 

and unique essence — and in many ways his or 

her life’s destiny. 

Nicomaine Dei Capili Mendoza (Maine) 

Born 3 March 1995 

With the Sun in Pisces and the Moon in Aries at the time 

she was born, Maine Mendoza has a judicial type of mind, 

aware, alert and intuitive, relating knowledge, life, principles 

and ideals strictly to herself, and then allowing her concepts 

to take in general principles. 

She is generally 

reserved, although 

Astro profiles 

Bibiana Ganza 

a vitality of manner 

makes her appear 

less so than she 

really is. Behind 

the expansiveness 

of approach she has a private life of her own that remains 

untouched, and she is forming judgments of people and 

events all the time. She is rather more self-sufficient than 

she appears; she likes to reach forth from her private world 

and influence other people at the same time that she remains 

detached and a little proud and aloof. 

Her self-respect is tremendous and, working hand in hand 

with her independence of spirit, carries her along in the 

world. There is something solid and substantial about her 

that other people trust. She is affectionate and somewhat 

ardent in love, though she is touchy and easily offended. 

She is a trifle quarrelsome and has something of a chip on 

her shoulder — in her manner, at least. 

She is temperamental in the real sense, and temperament, 

anger, bafflement and frustration make her nervous and 

rebound on her so that she is likely to be more hurt than 

her opponent. She needs peace and calm and shouldn’t let 

the more aggressive of her nature disturb the repose that 

is so needful to the other side. 

She has about her an air of authority which is confusing 

to less positive people who are always relieved to find out 

that she isn’t as unyielding as she appears. She is very 

sympathetic and understanding and her bravado is in the 

nature of a protective shell around a very sensitive core. 

With some aspects (not mentioned here), quarrelsomeness 

dangerously increased and health suffers through anger; 

she maybe highly temperamental and has somewhat 

unconventional nature; moody, trouble with love matters.


Daily Tribune 

LIFESTYLE 19 

TOM Barbitta, 

chief marketing 

officer of Rise 

Against Hunger. 

Campaign aims to end hunger 

One in nine persons suffers from hunger; that’s 

about 795 million children, women and men that do 

not have enough food to eat 

By Ma. Glaiza Lee, Contributor 

We all know that feeling of hunger. You feel a sense of hollowness or 

tightness in the stomach, followed by sounds of growling. After skipping 

a meal, some munch all day but never feel too full. There is that gnawing 

sense that the body’s needs have not been fully met. And that’s just for 

skipping a meal or two. 

Imagine how you would feel if you starved every single day. Multiply 

that stabbing and gnawing pain in the stomach by a hundredfold, and 

that’s how people who lack access to food feel. 

One in nine persons suffer from hunger; that’s about 795 million 

children, women and men that do not have enough food to eat. All over the 

world, the situation is worse where food is produced, mainly in rural areas. 

Roughly 98 percent comes from the developing countries — 511 million 

in Asia and Pacific region, 232 million in Africa and the rest from other 

parts of the world. Five out of the eight countries with alarming situations 

of hunger are from Africa. 

After numerous efforts and programs, the world has seen a decline 

in the number of people affected by hunger in the past years; however, 

according to The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 

2017, there has been an increase of about 38 million more people than 

the previous year, largely due to the proliferation of violent conflicts, 

compounded by the climate change and other factors. 

The report was the first global assessment on food security and 

nutrition released after the adoption of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda 

for Sustainable Development, which aims to end hunger and all forms of 

malnutrition by 2030. 

In the joint foreword on the report, the heads of the Food 

and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the 

International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the United 

Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) the World Food Programme (WFP) 

and the World Health Organization (WHO) stressed that some of the 

highest proportions of food-insecure and malnourished children in the 

36th Sogo opens 

As part of the hotel chain’s aggressive expansion, Hotel 

Sogo Yabut was formally opened for business recently. 

The management celebrated the official opening of the branch 

with a Holy Mass, led by Fr. Romeo Castro of Christ the King 

Seminary. It was followed by a ribbon-cutting headed by Hotel 

Sogo Yabut manager Cris Arman Velasco, sector head Juanito 

Co and marketing manager Maria Suzette Geminiano. 

It was capped with a motorcade to Kalayaan Ave. via the 

streets of Ramon Magsaysay Ave. and Nuestra Sra. De Guadalupe 

where flyers and different merchandise were given away as 

souvenirs. 

The hotel continues to grow and innovate as new branches 

are situated in strategic locations with top-class services at 

affordable rates. The company will open its 37th and 38th 

branches this year in Alabang and Makati Ave, respectively. 

Hotel Sogo Yabut is located along Sgt. Fabian Yabut St., 

Guadalupe, Makati City. For inquiries, contact 816-2980 or 

816-2979. 

In photo (from left) are Juanito Co, Hotel Sogo sector head; Fr. Romeo 

Castro, and Maria Suzette Geminiano, marketing manager. 

world are now concentrated in conflict zones. 

“Over the past decade, conflicts have risen dramatically in 

number and become more complex and intractable in nature. 

This has set off alarm bells we cannot afford to ignore: we will 

not end hunger and all forms of malnutrition by 2030 unless 

we address all the factors that undermine food security and 

nutrition. Securing peaceful and inclusive societies is a necessary 

condition to that end,” they said. 

Hunger relief possible 

Despite this bleak report, Rise Against Hunger, an international 

hunger relief non-profit organization that distributes food and 

life-changing aid to the world’s most vulnerable, believes that 

ending hunger by 2030 is possible. 

The Rise Against Hunger launched the “This Is Possible” 

campaign in the Philippines, along with the “Beacons of Joy,” 

at the Conrad Hotel Manila. Outside the launch, hundreds of 

passersby witnessed the campaign video displayed at the Mall 

of Asia Globe. 

We will not end hunger and all forms of 

malnutrition by 2030 unless we address all 

the factors that undermine food security and 

nutrition. 

“This Is Possible,” a global movement to end 

world hunger, was first launched in February 

2018 in New York City, with thousands of people 

signed their pledges to end hunger. The campaign 

was created to build awareness and drive a global 

movement to end hunger by the year 2030. So 

far, the initiative has also been launched in Italy, 

Malaysia, India and South Africa. 

In line with its 20th anniversary, the Beacons 

of Joy, meanwhile, aims to shine the light on those 

who have made extraordinary efforts in rising 

against hunger and bringing joy and relief to 

communities across the country. 

RAH Philippines, led by its executive 

director Jomar Fleras, works to meet immediate 

nutritional needs today and empower the 

ability to build strong, resilient communities 

tomorrow. Since its inception, Rise Against 

Hunger Philippines has packaged over 252 million 

meals. 

In 2014, Rise Against Hunger opened a 

dedicated location in the Philippines, following 

the devastating aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda. 

In 2018, the organization established the Good 

Food Grocer, the country’s first food bank sells 

nutritious food at discount prices, as well as 

distributes food to informal settlers and children 

in daycare centers. 

The organization is committed to nourishing 

lives, providing emergency aid, empowering 

communities, and growing the hunger 

movement. Rise Against Hunger has 

facilitated meal packaging of more than 409 million 

meals to be distributed to countries around the world. 

Given the exponential rise 

of gaming and esports in the 

country, the need for spaces 

where gamers can congregate 

has also increased. The local 

cybercafé industry needs to step 

up their game to keep up with the 

demands of their clientele. 

Ground Zero Esports Lounge, 

located in Xentro Mall, Antipolo, 

aims to be the one-stop-shop for 

the gamer looking for a high-end 

gaming experience. 

With impressive PC specs, 

wide-ranging dining options and 

an upscale ambiance, Ground 

Zero is the perfect hangout for 

gamers and non-gamers alike. 

The gaming hub has an 

expansive menu with specialty 

gaming-themed dishes and drinks, 

complete from appetizers to 

desserts, cocktails and coffee. For 

those who prefer to watch rather 

than play, there are 15 units of 

55-inch TV streaming the most 

prestigious esports tournaments. 

The names behind Ground 

Zero are also forerunners in the 

local cybercafé industry. Eric 

Redulfin of TNC Cyber Café says 

it best: “We want to provide a 

place where the gamers, their 

families and friends can gather. 

Here in Ground Zero they can 

meet and they will be able to find 

offerings that will pique their 

interest.” 

The venue’s 87 regular PC units 

are armed with cutting-edge specs 

at the price of P60 per hour. The 

VIP areas are equipped with 10 

Acer Predator G1’s with NVIDIA 

GTX 1080 GPUs at P80 per hour. 

jomar Flores, Rise Against Hunger Philippines executive director. 

“Our mission is to end hunger in our lifetime, and the first real step is to 

activate a worldwide movement. It will take the help and support from the 

global community to accomplish this goal, but with participation, financial 

contribution, volunteerism and heart, each person can change the life 

of another and put an end to suffering from starvation,” said Rise 

Against Hunger chief marketing officer Tom Barbitta. 

Proper distribution 

More than just packaging and distributing nutritious meals, 

the organization aims to create sustainable food system through 

the Pathways to Hunger, following the UN Agenda. 

“The global food production is sufficient to feed the 

world population, but it is not distributed properly due to 

various reasons. There’s war and conflicts, which displaces 

people from their homes and makes it impossible for them 

to cultivate food sources,” said Barbitta. 

The world economic situation causes food prices to rise, 

preventing low-income families from buying food supplies. Global 

warming and environmental phenomena also drive the resurgence 

of hunger and malnutrition. 

Even in regions that don’t suffer from political conflicts, hunger 

and malnutrition are prevalent. Droughts, floods, earthquakes and 

typhoons, among others resulted to food deprivation and insecurity 

among their peoples. 

“Pathways to eliminate hunger include making our food system 

sustainable, which means creating an agricultural system that is 

sustainable and climate-compatible. It also requires diversified food 

production,” shared Fleras. 

Movement to end rural poverty should be intensified. It 

involves increasing livelihood sources and creating employment 

opportunities in the rural areas. 

Also, minimize food losses during production and wastage. 

There is a need to empower the consumers on their purchasing 

choices, while making retailers and producers to invest in 

sustainable production. 

To learn how to get involved, visit riseagainsthungerphilippines.org. 

Gaming hub for the whole family 

THE newest gaming hub in town. Ground Zero, offers entertainment options 

for everyone. 

The entire venue is equipped 

with 2,300 mpbs of Internet as 

well, ensuring no connectivity 

issues and smooth, lag-free 

games and ultra-fast upload and 

download speeds.

20 

LIFESTYLE 

Dinah S. Ventura, Editor 


Daily Tribune 

CLARK Marriott’s Executive Lounge. 

Clark Marriott Hotel houses five 

restaurants and bars, namely, the 

Goji Kitchen + Bar with a noodle 

bar feature, Smoki Moto, Urban 

Coffee Co., Pool Bar and the 

Lounge 

By Lourdes Florian M. Hernandez, Contributor 

SMOKI Moto, a Korean barbeque restaurant. 

MARRIOTT 

A N D T H Eart 

OF 

HOSTING 

It was serendipitous to find oneself in a 

sturdy, solid bulk of a newly built hotel 

building in Clark, Pampanga while a 

typhoon was raging outside — especially 

since the area was right smack in the 

typhoon’s path. 

There was a thrill when, right before the 

solidness of the glass window, you could see the 

storm before you as if daring you to come out, 

confronting the building you were in with gusts 

of wind and spiky sharp rain that seemed to want 

to penetrate the glass pane protecting you from 

its might. 

Protected in the controlled temperature of the 

room, one felt snuggly in the down-filled pillows and 

wanted to dive deeper among the thick comforter 

and the bed that had just enough firmness and 

comfort to put a tired traveler to deep sleep even 

as the noise of the howling winds and sharp gusts of 

rain barely penetrated the room. The traveler would 

just yawn, shrug off the typhoon and go back to sleep. 

Perhaps, such was the situation of most who 

stayed in the 260 rooms and suites of the Clark 

Marriott Hotel that opened its doors recently as 

typhoon “Ompong” lashed Luzon. 

A MOMENTOUS event, Clark Marriott’s ribbon-cutting ceremony. 

First five-star hotel in Clark 

Designed to cater to domestic and international 

leisure and business travelers, each guestroom of 

the first five-star hotel in Clark incorporates the 

latest technology and design, and more importantly, 

in the case of this writer, it is smoke-free. To add, 

the hotel’s world-class services and amenities 

include mobile check-in and check-out, premium 

Wi-Fi capability, speaker docks and over-sized 

connecting bathrooms. 

Of course, that is to be expected because it is a 

Marriott, but then it is also not a Marriott. According 

to Goeran Soelter, general manager of Clark Marriott, 

this hotel is built on the needs of its guests. 

“It’s a brand-new hotel. Marriott develops the 

concepts of the hotels that cater to what our guests 

need. You know why are they coming to our hotel, 

what’s their business need, what’s their leisure 

need, so the hotel is built on that way so that we can 

cater to the needs of our customers,” Soelter says. 

Peter Foreman, senior director, Sales & 

Distribution Philippines, elaborates further. “I think 

you can see as well the evolution through different 

Marriott hotels that here we’ve got a very modern 

and a very current design of the hotel.“ 

If there something that this Clark Marriott has 

focused on, it is the attention to the smallest details. 

Take, for instance, a traditional hotel desk 

which has a leather chair, phone, the big letter pad. 

”All of that is now gone and that’s not that way 

the traveler wants to work. We see that leisure and 

CHILDREN can enjoy different activities at the hotel’s Kids Club. 

NOODLE Bar that offers a wide selection of fresh 

noodles. 

business are starting to sort of blend together. So 

when you go to your room, you’re going to see still 

a table in the room but a big circular glass table 

with a working lamp on it,” says Foreman on the 

hotel desk that can also be used as table for meals 

and also as a work desk, which is usually how it is 

done in most homes. 

Another example is the luggage rack. “Many 

years ago in a hotel, you’d open the closet, take 

the luggage rack out, and open the suitcase. But 

now it’s a part of the fixtures of the room. As 

everyone travels with a wheeled suitcase, you just 

put it up there, you open up and you’re ready to 

go,” says Foreman. 

GUESTS can enjoy artisanal coffee at Urban Coffee. 

EXECUTIVE Lounge and buffet area. 

THE hotel’s lobby and lounge area. 

The bucket-styled chair is also gone, replaced 

by a big bench. “It’s a big bench, from wall to wall 

right up against the floor to ceiling windows. You 

could put your back to the outside view and focus 

on your laptop and do work. Or you put up a pillow 

behind your back, with your laptop on your lap and 

you look at the view. You’ve got the TV going and 

you start to sort of get that blend of social and work. 

It’s a very modern interpretation of what today’s 

traveler is looking for.” 

Food, glorious food! 

Of course, other than the room, cuisine is 

traditionally one of the most-watched-out for 

attractions of any hotel. Clark Marriott Hotel 

houses five restaurants and bars, namely, the Goji 

Kitchen + Bar with a noodle bar feature, Smoki 

Moto, Urban Coffee Co., Pool Bar and the Lounge. 

All taken, it’s a different Marriott 

Hotel as they claim, but it has the 

same trademark hospitality. 

Goji Kitchen + Bar is an innovative all day 

dining restaurant that features a compact central 

live kitchen. It has a limited buffet breakfast service 

which transitions to a blend of station and a la carte 

service for lunch and dinner. 

“Basically, the concept of the three-meal 

restaurant Goji Kitchen is a concept which Marriott 

was used in other Marriott hotels before. But 

there’s one important factor and that is it should 

reflect local cuisine. We hired new associates in the 

culinary team. Chefs who have lived their life here 

in Clark Pampanga and surroundings obviously 

bring their experience back. We are happy to put 

up these dishes on our menu and you will 

see that in an a la carte menu you will 

find Kapampangan dishes in different 

variations,” Soelter says. 

And the + Bar in the name is not a 

bar as we know it, but a micro noodle 

bar within the restaurant. This noodle 

bar is operated throughout the entire 

day independently of the main dining 

area and can be found through a 

separate entrance. Called Noodle Inc., 

it has a short selection of Asian noodles, 

garnishes and condiments. 

Another option is the Smoki Moto, a 

Korean barbeque restaurant that also 

has two private dining rooms featuring 

Japanese teppanyaki. A breathtaking 

terrace as relaxing and quiet atmosphere 

completes the dining experience of built-in 

barbecues or a la carte Korean favorites along with the 

largest selection of soju cocktails in town. 

Coffee, whether hot or iced, light or strong, 

and to-go, can be enjoyed at Urban Coffee Co. It 

also offers freshly baked goods and guests can also 

choose freshly roasted coffee or tea on display, 

smell it, have it packed and take it home. 

The Pool Bar is a casual destination that 

offers perfectly blended drinks and innovative bar 

snacks, including few local comfort dishes, icedcold 

beverages are prepared with fresh fruits, and 

coconut water. 

And lastly, the Lounge has a feature bar that 

transitions from a coffee and pastry focus during 

the day to alcoholic beverages and snacks in the 

evening. The separate tea corner showcases the 

wide-ranging tea selection, as well as both sweet 

and savory treats. Part of the lounge may be used as 

an informal business center (with all its equipment 

is hidden in plain sight). 

To add, the Executive Lounge at the 15 th level is 

an open living room that is composed of a lounge 

area and a residential kitchen with a communal 

table. A simple and elegant breakfast spread is 

available every morning and the place keeps its 

living room ambiance with refreshments and 

snacks available throughout the day. 

About the various restaurants, Soelter says, “It’s 

the place where local customers want to go eat, 

want to entertain and want to be seen…Our bars 

are quite exciting as well. There’s a flexibility to it 

as it changes from daytime to nighttime. There’s 

a tea and coffee aspect in the morning, and in the 

evening, we go more into fun aspect of cocktails.” 

The GM also mentions the hotel features the 

Quan Spa located at the second level, The Fitness 

Center which is a fully equipped fitness center and 

outdoor swimming pool. 

GRAND Ballroom. 

QUAN Spa Treatment room. 

All taken, it’s a different Marriott Hotel as they 

claim, but it has the same trademark hospitality. 

“It’s service from the heart. You want to 

connect. We have a credo which we live by. It’s 

about the art of hosting so, for starters, how can 

we listen to our customers to make exceptional 

experiences? Very often you will remember years 

down the road, and you will remember a specific 

experience not necessarily a name or anything. But 

if you create those experiences, those customers 

come back,” Soelter says.

13 OCTOBER 2018

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