18 FEBRUARY 2019

I.S. DEFEAT LOOMS
MOST
INNOVATIVE
BROADSHEET
2018
44TH
PHILIPPINES
BUSINESS
EXPO
LOVE,
DANCE AND
AUSPICIOUS
YEAR
UHC HAS
FUNDS OTHER
THAN SIN TAX
MANILA, PHILIPPINES MONDAY, 18 FEBRUARY 2019
YELLOW
CRONYISM
SHOWS
PAGE 16 WORLD PAGE 20 LIFESTYLE PAGE 9 BUSINESS
PAGE 5 COMMENTARY
PAGE 13 SPORTS
Family
time in HK
SHAQ
WHACK
HITS
SMACK
President Rodrigo Duterte, his common-law
wife and daughter have been in Hong Kong (HK)
since Friday night for a week-end getaway and
are returning today, former Special Assistant
to the President Christopher Lawrence “Bong”
Go said.
Mr. Duterte was with common-law wife
Turn to page 6
Class of its own Alvin Ocampo shows off prized dolls of Miss Universe Catriona Gray wearing the famous lava gown and national costume. Gray showcased world-class qualities of Filipinos which the Presidential Communications Operations Office
also plans to impart when it holds a European tour.
BOB DUNGO JR.
Blitz vs fake news
We are also bringing the Press Freedom Caravan to Europe to make them understand
the case involving Maria Ressa
By Chito Lozada
The government is now taking the
offensive to counter fake news through
Different
banana
Myrna (not her real
name) was in the business
of supplying bananas to
market stall owners.
Turn to page 6
a roadshow in Europe where the
sentiment against President Rodrigo
Duterte has been exceptionally
strong, Presidential Communications
Hard sell Vendor of car
accessories does the outrageous
to move out his merchandise.
YUMMIE DINGDING
Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary
Martin Andanar said.
Andanar added the “Press Freedom
Turn to page 2
Flyer dead
before crash
By Perseus Echeminada
The Nepalese student
pilot of the ill-fated Piper
Seneca RPC 4431 that
carried former Interior
Secretary Jesse Robredo
to his death
after it crashed in the
sea off Masbate may
have died even before the
aircraft crashed, a report
on the incident obtained
by Daily Tribune said.
Turn to page 6
Dolls alive Young villagers perform a folk dance in Danzhai County in China’s southwest province of
Guizhou.
XINHUA
Road Board’s twilight days
By Mario J. Mallari
The abolition of the
graft-ridden Road Board
is a signature away from
becoming a reality after
Motor Vehicle User’s Charge
(MVUC).
Senate records show
House Bill 7436 was
already transmitted by the
Turn to page 2
Bangla ‘tokhang’ nets 102 lords
A day after the release of a
survey result showing 66 percent
of respondents believe their
communities in the Philippines
were freed of the narcotics
the Senate submitted to
President Rodrigo Duterte
the measure that calls for
the closure of the agency
in charge of the P12 billion
annual collection of the
menace, Bangladesh reported
some 102 meth dealers have
surrendered to authorities in
an anti-narcotics crackdown
patterned after President Rodrigo
Duterte’s war on drugs.
The tokhang-style campaign
sows fear among kingpins, Agence
France Presse reported.
Turn to page 6
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NEWS
2
Monday, 18 February 2019
Daily Tribune
Blitz vs fake news
And if you ask every
media worker “to there
a chilling effect?” I
don’t think so
From page 1
Caravan” will be held in Bosnia,
Brussels and Switzerland where
PCOO officials will explain
the current situation of press
freedom in the country.
We plan to talk to members of
the European media since they
have a lot of questions about the
Philippines, he said.
The PCOO also recently
created the Office of Global
Media Affairs (OGMA) which
has the main task of providing
information to media overseas.
We will convince
international media that
before they judge, they
should visit the country
and talk directly to local
mediamen.
“We are also bringing the
Press Freedom Caravan to
Europe to make them understand
the case involving Maria Ressa.
Undersecretary Joel Egco,
Assistant Secretary Kris Ablan,
Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy
will all be there to explain the
true nature of the case of Ms.
Ressa and why the Duterte
administration does not have any
involvement in it,” Andanar said.
Ressa has been charged
with cyberlibel by businessman
Wilfredo Keng and had posted
bail after National Bureau
of Investigation (NBI) agents
brought the Rappler office
an arrest order on her but it
was made an international
sensation on the premise that the
government ordered the arrest of
a critic of Mr. Duterte.
Suppression no way
“In here, it was clear that
the case was between a private
individual, a private businessman
in the name of Wilfredo Keng and
Miss Ressa and her news outfit
Rappler,” Andanar said.
“These are the ironies of
their arguments or the paradox
of their argument they are not
media, now they are shouting
press freedom when it suits
them,” Andanar said.
Andanar added what is
important is the “thousands of
media workers in the Philippines.”
Another question I want
to pose is “have you even
contacted Mr. Keng?
“And if you ask every media
worker “is there a chilling
effect?” I don’t think so. If you’ll
ask the Cagayan de Oro Press
Club, the National Press Club, the
Butuan Press Club, the Surigao
Press Club, I don’t think they
(feel threatened) similar to the
claim of Ms. Ressa and all of her
colleagues in Rappler,” he said.
Andanar added Ressa may
have her particular advocacy and
Rappler has its own policies. “So,
you know we respect that but
to say that this administration
is killing press freedom is
really wrong and it is pure
disinformation.”
“We will convince international
media that before they judge,
they should visit the country and
talk directly to local mediamen.
Another question I want to pose
is “have you even contacted Mr.
Keng?” he said.
Did they get his side, if not,
they are not working as objective
journalists. So, they’re already
actually violating the journalists’
code of ethics, Andanar said.
Fair reporting
“They should ensure that the
other side of the story is brought
out and at the same time, if there
are substantive errors, it should
be corrected,” he said.
He cited as example the
Associated Press. “I think they
corrected their story about Ms.
Ressa’s arrest,” he said.
“The government considers
Rappler as online media. I think
their defense during that case
on the decision of the Securities
and Exchange Commission (SEC)
to nullify their business, due to
the investors from outside the
country, they said Rappler is
not considered media,” Andanar
said.
“We know that media under
Philippine law should be 100
percent Filipino-owned. So, I
don’t know, maybe that was one
of their alibis,” according to
Andanar.
But anyway, in the case of Ms.
Ressa and Wilfredo Keng, I would
really advise the international
press to get the side of Keng
who you know is a businessman,
Andanar said.
As co-chairman of the
Presidential Task Force on Media
Security, we follow a lot of libel
cases and that of Ms. Ressa was
not an exception.
“So, what I’m saying is that
Ms. Ressa is no exception to the
rule,” he added.
Weaponizing claim
“But what did Rappler say?
We are weaponizing the legal
system?” he said.
“If we have a right to speak, we
have freedom of expression, freedom
of the press, those offended also
had the right to file a legal case.
What I want to say is that there are
limitations to freedom of the press,”
Andanar added.
“We just need to work within the
legal system. That was what Mr. Keng
did,” he said. “Let’s just observe what
will happen in the next few weeks
in what happens at the court. But
this is a very interesting case since
a complaint of a private individual is
being blamed on the administration.
That is similar to blaming the death
of Andres Bonifacio to the Duterte
administration so that is a stretch,”
he said.
“The President did not
even know that Ms. Ressa was
arrested,” he added.
True art
Canadian tattoo
artist Katie
Shocrylas shows
off masterpiece
during the “Mondial
du Tatouage” Tattoo
Convention at the
Grand Halle de la
Villette in Paris. AFP
Road Board’s twilight days
The President said billions of pesos in revenues from MVUC or the road user’s
tax had found their way to corrupt officials’ pockets
Astonishing sailors Masked revelers wearing traditional carnival costumes sail on the Venice Grand Canal
on a self-made gondola.
AFP
From page 1
Presidential Legislative Liaison
Office (PLLO) to Malacañang on
8 February.
Mr. Duterte is expected to
sign the measure into law any
time soon as he himself called
for the abolition of the body in
2017 to streamline services and
stop corruption.
The President said billions of
pesos in revenues from MVUC
or the road user’s tax had found
their way to corrupt officials’
pockets. Even the Commission
on Audit (CoA) has consistently
flagged the utilization of MVUC
funds.
Diokno said he agitated
some members of the
House of Representatives
after denying their request
for the release of MVUC
funds.
The President had branded
the body as a “milking cow” for
corruption, saying he wanted
the MVUC funds used instead to
finance flood control projects.
“They can’t really do anything
there. I really don’t want to put
the funds there, put it wherever.
I will not release any single
centavo there since I would
regret it,” he said.
The President said he wanted
to prioritize the Bicol region in
flood control projects once the
Road Board is abolished.
From 2001 to May 2018, the
total collection for MVUC
reached P166.18 billion. At
least P136.87 billion of that
amount has been released.
“I’m okay with Bicol getting
the flood control projects first.
We will really get that money so
that it becomes beneficial to the
people,” he said.
P12B in cash cow
Senators said the agency is
collecting about P12 billion a year
from road user’s taxes. CoA has
questioned the use of about P90
billion of the over P160 billion
fund last year.
From 2001 to May 2018, the total
collection for MVUC reached P166.18
billion. At least P136.87 billion of that
amount has been released.
Budget Secretary Benjamin
Diokno said the board still has
an unspent MVUC fund of P45
billion.
Efforts to abolish the Road
Board did not come smoothly
as it sparked a “war” between
Diokno and former House Majority
Leader and now Appropriations
committee chairman Rep.
Rolando Andaya Jr.
Solons foiled
Diokno said he agitated
some members of the House of
Representatives after denying
their request for the release of
MVUC funds.
The House actually attempted
to rescind the approval of HB 7436
which was passed during the stint
of Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon
Alvarez as Speaker. Upon the
assumption of Pampanga Rep. Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo, the House moved
for the recall of the measure.
The Commission on Audit
has consistently flagged the
utilization of MVUC funds.
However, the Senate stood
firm on the measure and adopted
it initially on its entirety to
counter the House move to
rescind it last September.
Last month, both chambers of
Congress agreed to approve the
measure.
Clean-up army Bureau of Fire Protection volunteers troop to Manila Bay for the intense rehabilitation efforts.
BOB DUNGO JR.

Monday, 18 February 2019
Daily Tribune
PAGE THREE
DEPED MULLING OVER COMELEC PROPOSAL
THE DepEd says what is prohibited is turning graduation rites into political
forums or platforms.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Ban on graduation rites speeches
If a candidate simply expresses his thoughts on graduation
per se, that cannot be called electioneering
By Francis Earl Cueto
and Vernadeth de los Santos
The Department of Education (DepEd)
is open to the proposal of the Commission
on Elections (Comelec) to ban candidates
in this year’s midterm elections from
speaking at graduation rites to keep them
from being politicized.
Education Undersecretary
Nepomuceno Malaluan said they will
By Elmer N. Manuel
By Mario J. Mallari
The United Nations (UN) is reiterating its call for
immediate action on climate change, noting that the year
2019 is a critical year — a last chance of sorts — for the
international community to take effective and significant
steps in addressing the worsening climate conditions around
the world.
According to UN General Assembly president Maria
Espinosa during the briefing at the UN headquarters in
New York to announce the UN’s roadmap to the Climate
Summit in September, the deadline for achieving the first
targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is
fast approaching.
The 2030 Agenda, a part of the UN’s Sustainable
Development Goals (SDG) described by Secretary-General
António Guterres as “the UN’s blueprint for peace,
justice and prosperity on a healthy planet,” is a viable
tool to give the international community better insights
on climate change.
“Two-thirds of these targets depend on climate and
environment goals and a five-fold increase in commitments
from their current levels is needed in order to meet the
targets set at the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement on dealing
with greenhouse gas emissions mitigation, adaptation and
finance, due to come into force in 2020,” Espinosa said.
She added that the unfolding events prior to the Climate
An official of the Department of Health
(DoH) on Saturday said there had been an
improvement in the vaccine hesitancy among
parents during the agency’s continuous
immunization drive against measles.
“It is really sad that there’s an outbreak like
this because many get sick and die but at least
mothers are now aware in bringing their children
to health centers for vaccination,” Corazon Flores,
DoH National Capital Region Center Director for
Health Development, said in an interview.
Vaccine hesitancy is a scenario where mothers
become hesitant to have their children immunized
with vaccines that were long proven to be effective.
seek an audience with the Comelec to
discuss the matter.
Earlier, Comelec spokesman James
Jimenez had called on schools, colleges
and universities not to invite candidates
to their graduation rites.
In a radio interview Malaluan said
while the DepEd’s election guidelines
do not disallow candidates to speak
in graduation ceremonies, they would
discuss Jimenez’s suggestion in their
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro
Locsin Jr. yesterday presented the
Duterte administration’s counter-terrorism
efforts before top security and
diplomatic officials from various
countries during the Munich Security
Conference in Germany.
Locsin spoke on how the Philippine
government is preventing and countering
terrorism in the country during the
Transnational Security Roundtable
portion of the Munich conference.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said
the DFA chief was expected to highlight the
Duterte administration’s national security
program anchored on its independent
foreign policy.
“National security
is one of the
three pillars
of Philippine
LOCSIN
foreign
Moms’ vaccine hesitancy
improving — DoH
policy, alongside economic diplomacy and
assistance to nationals,” the DFA said.
Locsin met several “powerful women” at the
sidelines of the Munich Security Conference,
including former United States Secretary of
State Madeline Albright.
National security is one of the three
pillars of Philippine foreign policy,
alongside economic diplomacy and
assistance to nationals.
The DFA chief also congratulated retired
People’s Liberation Army Maj. Gen. Yao
Yunzhu, Director Emeritus of the Center on
China-American Defense Relations, after her
participation in the panel discussion on Arms
Control: Nukes of Hazard.
During the meet, Locsin reaffirmed the
Philippines commitment to the Nuclear
Prohibition Treaty and to combatting climate
change.
Locsin also greeted President Mary Robinson
of Ireland.
Summit in September share two goals: A doubling of
commitments and ambition at a national level; and ensuring
the inclusion of diverse groups in the process of climate
action.
There are only between 10 and 12 years left to
achieve the goals and called for a ramping up of
ambition despite the challenges.
In March, the General Assembly High-Level Meeting
on Climate and Sustainable Development for All will be
held, which is intended to build on the success of COP24,
the 2018 climate conference in Katowice, Poland that led
to the establishment of a “rulebook” for the reporting of
emissions and the progress made in cutting them, every
year from 2024.
“The March meeting will welcome representatives of
the private sector, civil society and young people, and
look to harness the enthusiasm of the latter group who
will be most affected by a warming world,” Espinosa said.
On 30 June this year, a “stocktaking” event will take place
in Abu Dhabi, followed by a High-Level Political Forum under
the auspices of the Economic and Social Council in July,
which will see a review of the progress made in achieving
Goal 13 of the SDG — in which the Daily Tribune is a media
partner — which describes the “urgent action to combat
climate change and its impacts.”
Flores said DoH has observed that more mothers
are lining up in health centers in the past days to
have their children vaccinated.
“As of yesterday, we were able to vaccinate many
children, we’ve reached almost 100,000 vaccinees,”
she said.
There are still a few mothers who refuse to
vaccinate their children, Flores added.
“Among the 100,000 only less than a hundred
refused the vaccines but the situation has really
improved as many line up at our health centers.
We still encourage those who refuse, we advise that
vaccines give protection, it has been proven and
tested for a long time,” she said. MBA
executive committee meeting.
He underscored that under their
guidelines, what is prohibited is turning
the graduation rite as a political forum
or platform.
“We’ll have to discuss that because,
obviously, it’s not a political activity
(graduation rites). It is not meant directly
to ask for the vote of a person. But if it
will end up that way, that is not allowed,”
Malaluan said.
“It is clear in their guidelines (Comelec)
what constitutes electioneering. If a
candidate simply expresses his thoughts
on graduation per se, that cannot be
called electioneering,”he added.
Malaluan pointed out that what can
be considered as electioneering are
activities like holding political caucuses,
conferences, meetings, rallies, parades or
other similar assemblies for the purpose
of soliciting votes and undertaking a
campaign for or against a candidate or
party.
It also includes making speeches,
announcements or commentaries or
holding interviews for or against the
election of any candidate or party for
public office, directly or indirectly
soliciting votes, pledges or support
for or against any candidate or party
is also an act of electioneering, he
added.
“A graduation exercise can be
Measures for combating terror
UN repeats call to action
Meanwhile, Interior and Local Government
Secretary Eduardo Año and Armed Forces
of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff Gen.
Benjamin Madrigal Jr. admitted the country
is still facing serious threats from the Islamic
State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants operating
in Mindanao.
Both Año and Madrigal, however, assured the
government is working double time to address
the ISIS threat in southern Philippines.
“It’s really a big problem not only in the
region but the whole world. That’s why there is
a need for concerted efforts to monitor, prevent
and, of course, educate our people about violent
extremism,” Madrigal said.
For his part, Ano said “our police and AFP
are doing everything to prepare for it and
neutralize those foreign terrorists.”
Pentagon earlier had said ISIS poses serious
problem in the Philippines — following the twin
explosions at a Jolo cathedral that killed 22
people and wounded nearly 100 others. The
attack was suspected to be a suicide bombing
by foreign militants.
The Climate Summit will be followed by the first-ever
High-Level Political Forum on Climate Action, sponsored
by the General Assembly on 24 September and will be
rounded off by the 2019 Climate Conference COP25, which
will take place in Chile.
Espinosa stressed that multilateralism is the only effective
tool to combat climate change, which is one of the main
challenges facing the world and can only be overcome with
constructive input from all.
Special Envoy of the Secretary-General on the Climate
Summit, Ambassador Luis Alfonso de Alba of Mexico, on
the other hand, said that “the world is falling well behind
targets for combating climate change, with only around a
third of the necessary work currently completed.”
He reminded delegates that there are only between
10 and 12 years left to achieve the goals and called for a
ramping up of ambition despite the challenges and work
on an optimistic signal that it is possible to counter climate
change, enjoy economic growth and eradicate poverty.
“We can also meet social needs, healthcare needs and
human rights needs,” he said and bring about a “win-win
situation to answer the doubters.”
“2019 needs to see action, including partnerships with the
private sector and civil society, and a huge mobilization
of resources — a target of 1 trillion dollars per year to
support developing countries has been set — to invest
“in our future, for jobs in a green future,” said De Alba.
MORE and more parents are having their children vaccinated against measles.
held without those actions even if the
guest is a candidate That includes the
awareness of a candidate,” Malaluan
said.
“But if it does not generate into a
solicitation of votes, then you could not
include it as an electioneering activity,”
he added.
Should any electioneering occur
during graduation rites, Malaluan said
the school and its officials may face
administrative sanctions.
“Our administrative provisions
will follow, except that when there is
an electioneering activity, there will
be sanctions because it’s under the
jurisdiction of Comelec,” he said.
FILE PHOTO
Tests show
floaters
were
cocaine
By Kathleen Mae
Bulquerin
The 37 blocks found
floating near the Dinagat
Island shores were
cocaine.
Philippine National
Police (PNP) Director
General Oscar Albayalde
confirmed this on
Saturday following tests
made on the substance.
Some of the blocks
were recovered by a
fisherman while the
others were brought to
the shore by the waves.
“I talked with the
regional director there,
seemingly (the blocks
found) were positive in a
test as cocaine substance,”
Albayalde said.
The total weight of the
37 blocks, according to
the PNP chief, was 88
kilograms.
Albayalde believes
the cocaine blocks were
intentionally left at sea
and has GPS devices
which will be picked up
and delivered to other
places.
The total weight of the
37 blocks, according
to the PNP chief, was
88 kilograms.
“Remember cocaine
is not a popular (illegal
drugs) here (in the
country), although it is
used. (But) because of its
price, it is less popular
(than others),” Albayalde
said.
“Actually this kind of
strategy is not new to
us, we have recovered
(blocks) like this incident
in the past,” he added.
On Friday it was
reported that the 37
blocks of alleged cocaine
were found by a fisherman
from Sitio Habongan in
Barangay Poblacion,
Cagdianao on Tuesday
afternoon.
Also last week,
fishermen from Camarines
Norte were able to fish
out a one-kilo of cocaine
with a street value of P5.4
million.

COMMENTARY
4 Monday, 18 February 2019
Daily Tribune
Daily
Tribune
WITHOUT FEAR • WITHOUT FAVOR
“Malacañang,
apparently
on orders
of President
Noynoy
Aquino
and Roxas,
issued
statements
saying the
report is
not yet final
and that it
was only
the official’s
opinion.
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
Unsolved
mysteries
Among the deep mysteries in the aftermath of the 2012
crash of a twin-engine aircraft that led to the death of
Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo was the outburst of then
Transportation Secretary Mar Roxas on Civil Aviation
Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) officials.
Roxas’ flare-up almost led to the mass resignation of the
agency handling the probe on the disaster that happened
in the seas off Masbate.
The cause of Roxas’ chagrin was the CAAP’s baring of
the results of its investigation to a legislative panel probing
the incident.
Roxas confronted then CAAP deputy director general
retired Capt. John Andrews for revealing during the
congressional oversight committee on CAAP that there
was no foul play in the crash.
Andrews revealed that an investigation conducted by
the aviation agency showed there is no indication that the
Piper Seneca aircraft that carried Robredo and his two
pilots was sabotaged.
“We are doing a parallel investigation as far as CAAP
is concerned for possible punitive or other actions to be
taken, for or against the airline concerned. As far as the
accident is concerned, it is established that there is no
foul play. Maybe it was an accident that was waiting to
happen,” Andrews told the congressional panel.
After Andrew’s declaration, Malacañang, apparently
on orders of President Noynoy Aquino and Roxas, issued
statements saying the report is not yet final and that it
was only the official’s opinion.
Roxas’ Department of Transportation and Communication
(DoTC) also issued a disclaimer on Andrews’ statements as
they were “unauthorized” and “speculative.
“The remarks made by ret. Capt. John Andrews were
unauthorized albeit elicited from a joint Congressional
committee hearing to look into the cause of the accident,”
the DoTC said in a statement.
Roxas also warned the public against making their own
conclusions based on “speculative” statements by Andrews.
“What was expressed in the media were personal
conjectures and must not in any way be construed as
reflective of the ongoing investigation,” a distressed Roxas
said.
He added Andrews was not involved in the investigation
of the crash. He issued his official statement after berating
Andrews.
Roxas allegedly told Andrews that he had no authority to
release to the public the result of an ongoing investigation on
the plane crash. “Besides, wala ka pa sa plantilla (you’re not
even in the government plantilla),” he reportedly told Andrews.
Andrews contemplated on resigning after the incident
and his colleagues were supposed to join him after the
rough treatment from Roxas.
The CAAP also then was embroiled in a tumult after its
Special Investigator Cesar Jose Lucero raised questionable
circumstances surrounding the plane’s operator, Aviatours
Inc.
The findings included: the Air Operators
“The cause of
Roxas’ chagrin
was the CAAP’s
baring of the
results of its
investigation
to a legislative
panel probing
the incident.
Certificate 2009010 issued to Aviatours
lapsed on 14 February 2012, but had been
given three consecutive extensions up to 14
November 2012, a practice frowned upon by
both the European Union and US Federal
Aviation Administration Safety Auditors;
the crashed PA-34-200 Piper Seneca was
not included in the company’s Approved
Maintenance Organization Certificate which lists the type
of aircrafts authorized for Aviatours; that the pilot, Capt.
Jessup Bahinting, was extracted from the right seat of the
cockpit, indicating that his Nepalese student was in command
of the plane; the Nepalese pilot had a private pilot license with
ratings for Cessna 152- and 172-type of aircraft only, indicating
he was not authorized to fly the Piper Seneca on a commercial
basis and the company had a track record of importing used
planes that figured in previous crashes.
For coming up with the findings, somebody from
Malacañang ordered his suspension.
Only Roxas can explain the cause of his discomfort
days after the tragic accident that claimed the life of a
key Cabinet official.
“The better
way would
be for her
and other
journalists
to start
pressuring
Congress
to either
amend the
libel and
cyber libel
law or
repeal them.
“While
divorce is
not allowed
in the
Philippines,
there are
instances
where it is
actually
possible
to have
a foreign
divorce
decree
recognized
by a
Philippine
court.
Begone, foreign meddlers!
There they went
again — meddling
in something they
appear to hardly
know about, which
are Philippine libel
laws, the justice
system and, of
course, the country’s
Constitution and,
worse, mostly
arriving at the wrong
conclusions.
A recent newspaper
report said some foreign governments
have weighed in on the arrest of
Rappler chief executive officer Maria
Ressa on cyber libel charges leveled
against her by the state.
The United States Embassy
in Manila was at least more
polite, just saying the US hopes
Ressa’s case would be resolved
quickly in accordance with
relevant Philippine laws and
international standards of due
process.
British Ambassador Daniel
Pruce was said to be concerned
over the arrest of Ressa last
Wednesday, saying the British
government supports a free media.
Apparently, he thinks our media
isn’t free just because Ressa was
sued for libel and was arrested,
which she could have avoided if
she had voluntarily surrendered
and paid her bail on the day she
got hold of her arrest warrant. But
she wanted to portray herself
as a government-persecuted
journalist.
Canadian Foreign
Minister Chrystia
Freeland said she was
“deeply troubled” by
FRONTLINE
Ninez Cacho-Olivares
There are only two states that do
not recognize divorce, the Vatican and
the Philippines. Under our family laws,
there are limited ways to sever marital
ties. The most common way is to obtain
an annulment. In certain instances,
however, a marriage can be declared
void from the very beginning; in which
case, the marriage conducted could
not produce any legal effect since it is
as if no marriage has occurred. Legal
separation is a different path because
it does not actually dissolve the union.
Hence, being legally separated would
not entitle either spouse to marry
anew.
Annulment, declaration of
nullity and legal separation cases
filed in Philippine courts require the
participation of the assigned prosecutor
to appear on behalf of the State to take
steps to prevent collusion between the
parties and to ensure that evidence is
not fabricated or suppressed (Articles
48 and 60, Family Code). This is
because the State values the sanctity of
marriage and therefore has an interest
to preserve the union and guard
against unwarranted dissolution. The
legislators crafted the Family Code to
limit the grounds for dissolution to the
most compelling justifications.
While divorce is not allowed in
the Philippines, there are instances
where it is actually possible to have a
foreign divorce decree recognized by
a Philippine court. This can be done
in cases of mixed marriages. Section
26 (2) of the Family Code provides
that where a marriage between a
Filipino citizen and a foreigner is
validly celebrated and a divorce is
thereafter validly obtained abroad by
the alien spouse capacitating him or
her to remarry, the Filipino spouse
shall have capacity to remarry under
Philippine law.
The legislative intent behind the
said provision is to avoid the absurd
situation of a Filipino as still being
married to his or her alien spouse,
although the latter is no longer married
to the former, because he or she had
obtained a divorce abroad that is
recognized by his or her national law.
The law also addressed the plight of
Ressa’s arrest, adding
“Canada reiterates its
call for due process to
be respected and for
journalists to be free
from harassment and
intimidation.”
So, what makes
this Canadian minister
conclude that due
process in this country
is not respected
and that Ressa has
been harassed and
intimidated? How dare she! Ressa,
despite her amateurish dramatics
while milking her arrest, as well
as her deliberate move to get
herself detained for the night at the
National Bureau of Investigation,
was given her due process, a lot
better than Canada did when it
detained the Huawei finance officer
for an alleged crime that was not
even committed in Canada!
Freeland should really mind
her own business and cease saying
something about our laws and
Constitution and due process,
jumping to conclusions based on
faked outrage from Ressa.
Another who bought Ressa’s
dramatics is former US Secretary
of State Madeleine Albright who
called Ressa’s arrest “outrageous
and should be condemned by all
democratic nations.”
Is Albright saying a journalist
like Ressa should be untouchable
and can freely destroy the
reputations of individuals without
being charged for libel and
arrested?
This is her brand of democracy
and due process, since to Albright,
the libel charges and arrest of
Ressa is undemocratic and that
her arrest should be denounced?
Doesn’t the US charge the
suspects for crimes and even
detain them when probable
cause exists and their laws state
so? Why should Ressa’s arrest
be denounced even when there
is probable cause and given the
fact that in the Philippines there
is criminal libel and cyber libel
which are both bailable crimes?
Why should arresting Ressa
be undemocratic, especially
since she could have easily
avoided her arrest by posting
bail the day she was made
aware of her arrest warrant?
She deliberately planned to stay
overnight in the NBI to cement
her image as a politically
persecuted journalist!
US Sen. Brian Schatz of
Hawaii reportedly called for
the charges against Ressa to be
dropped, saying the Philippine
government should focus on
some Filipino women
who, under the New Civil
Code, are still considered
married to their alien
husbands even after
the latter have validly
obtained a divorce under
their national laws and,
perhaps, have already
contracted a second
marriage.
The Family Code is
not limited to mixed
marriages or one between
a Filipino spouse and an alien spouse,
but also covers cases where, at the
time of celebration of the marriage,
the parties were Filipino citizens
but, eventually, one of them acquired
foreign citizenship by naturalization,
initiated a divorce proceeding and
obtained a favorable decree. This is
for the reason that a Filipino divorced
by his naturalized foreign spouse is no
longer married under Philippine law
and can thus remarry. This was the
Court’s pronouncement in the 2005
case of Republic v. Orbecido III. Take
note that what is to be considered in
such instances is not the citizenship of
the parties at the time of their marriage
but rather their citizenship at the time
the divorce is obtained.
Does this mean that
the abovementioned
provision only applies
where it is the alien
spouse who initiated
and validly obtained a
foreign divorce decree?
In the recent case of
Republic v. Manalo
(G.R. 221029, 24 April
2018), it was Manalo,
the Filipino spouse
and not the alien
spouse who initiated
the divorce petition
in Japan which was
subsequently granted.
Manalo thereafter filed before
a Philippine court a petition for
recognition and enforcement of foreign
judgment by virtue of a judgment of
divorce rendered by a Japanese court.
Her petition was denied by the trial
protecting democracy rather than
trying to silence journalists.
Hell, these freaking foreigners
don’t even know what democracy
is all about and frankly it’s worse
for Schaltz since he doesn’t even
seem to know what he is talking
about. It is the Philippine courts
that have the right and authority
to dismiss the case or continue
the trial as long as it takes. Ressa
is hardly being silenced merely
because she is being sued for libel.
Rappler continues to come up with
its daily fare of critical articles,
some of which, incidentally, are
not fact-based, such as the number
of drug-related deaths which was
patently false, but which was
used by international media to
portray the Duterte government as
murderous.
As for the usual
UN pests, special
rapporteurs Agnes
Callamard and David
Kaye, they predictably
condemned the
arrest of Ressa, with
Callamard calling
her arrest “another
terrible nail in
the coffin” while
Kaye says, “Let’s
be clear: this very
serious escalation
is harassment of
media inconsistent
with Philippine
obligation to promote
and protect freedom
of expression.”
Harassment? No
wonder these
rapporteurs have
no credibility. They
accuse without proof.
When ‘I do’ becomes ‘I don’t’
“The letter
of the law
does not
demand
that the
alien
spouse be
the one to
initiate the
proceeding
which
resulted in
the divorce
decree.
“Why
should
Ressa’s
arrest be
denounced
even when
there is
probable
cause and
given the
fact that
in the
Philippines
there is
criminal
libel and
cyber libel
which
are both
bailable
crimes?
Hey, Kaye and Callamard,
for journalists, libel comes with
the territory and the risk we
take whenever we write reports.
Being charged with libel does
not translate to being silenced by
government or any person who files
a libel suit against a journalist.
As for Ressa who tries so hard
to portray herself as a martyr
and even makes herself out as
an entitled journalist whom the
government shouldn’t touch or
else all international hell will
break loose, the better way would
be for her and other journalists to
start pressuring Congress to either
amend the libel and cyber libel law
or repeal them. Better still, do away
with criminal libel and concentrate
on civil libel. That way, these
freaking onion-skinned politicians
who want to punish journalists
who don’t bow to them will have
to pay a filing fee when they sue
journalists.
court which ruled that
based on Article 15 of
the New Civil Code, the
Philippine law “does
not afford Filipinos
the right to file for a
divorce, whether they
are in the country or
living abroad, if they
are married to Filipinos
or to foreigners, or
if they celebrated
their marriage in
the Philippines or in
another country.”
Nevertheless, the Supreme Court
upheld Manalo declaring that a foreign
divorce decree initiated and obtained
by the Filipino spouse (in a mixed
marriage) may also be recognized and
given legal effect in the Philippines.
It cited its previous decisions which
extended the legal effects of a divorce
obtained by a Filipino spouse abroad
on the issues of child custody and
property relation. Hence, it should not
stop short in likewise acknowledging
that one of the usual and necessary
consequences of absolute divorce is
the right to remarry since when the
marriage tie ceases to exist, the civil
status and the domestic relation of the
former spouses change as both of them
are freed from the marital bond.
Furthermore, the Family Code
speaks of “a divorce… validly obtained
abroad by the alien spouse capacitating
him or her to remarry,” which for the
Court, only requires that there be a
divorce validly obtained abroad. The
letter of the law does not demand that
the alien spouse be the one to initiate
the proceeding which resulted in the
divorce decree.
By reason of the Court’s ruling
in Republic v. Manalo, it may seem
that the Filipino spouse in a mixed
marriage can avail himself/herself of
an expedient way to untie the knot
by simply obtaining a divorce abroad,
when the marriage falls apart. Or,
perhaps, the spouses can opt for a
more practical solution — work on the
marriage and don’t let it fall apart.
A DOSE OF LAW
Dean Nilo Divina
Email: cabdo@divinalaw.com
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Monday, 18 February 2019
Daily Tribune
While reports of human immunodeficiency virus
(HIV) infections and acquired immuno deficiency
syndrome (AIDS) cases are yet prevalent in the
country, I guess it is right to highlight an alert made
by a lawmaker on the recent cases that involved one
as young as 10-years old and two pregnant mothers
in their early 20s.
They are getting younger and Rep. Ron Salo cited
recent statistics of the HIV-AIDS’ recent spread as
“deeply disturbing.” He is right.
Salo used the recent Valentine’s Day celebration,
when people become unusually romantic — and no
thanks to commercialism, to warn and alert the
public about the consequences of unprotected sex
which remains the leading cause of transmission
of the dreaded disease.
Sharing drug needles is the other one. HIV/AIDS
could also be transmitted to a newborn baby from
an infected parent.
Debunking other claims, however, HIV/AIDS
could not be transmitted through fruits or fishes
caught from, say, the Cebu waters where medical
wastes were recently found floating. Don’t believe
those soc-med memes; they were made by idiots.
But Salo’s warning is real.
HIV/AIDS, however, does not
share the media mileage received
by the anti-dengue vaccine
Dengvaxia and more recently, as
a result of the scare, which led
to the people’s lack of confidence
in other vaccines and drugs, the
measles outbreak.
Coincidentally, while Salo was
speaking about the HIV/AIDS
spread, the Department of Health
Starting them young
“We need
not wait
for another
death. There
are ways to
slow down the
disease until
a complete
cure is found.
claimed the measles outbreak in affected areas in
Luzon had reached 7,000 cases from the start of the
year to the eve of Valentine’s Day. That’s a lot and,
sadly, the scare is real.
There is no need to create an HIV/AIDS scare,
but people – especially the young — need to be
taught about the ways to prevent its spread.
I’ll quote the recent Daily Tribune report: “Salo
said government and the private sector should join
hands in campaigns to teach couples to adhere to
safer ways of intimacy, even as he cited Department
of Health (DoH) numbers on the rising cases of HIV/
AIDS in the country.
“Salo also emphasized the DoH reported four
pregnant mothers and 52 adolescents as among the
877 new HIV cases recorded recently.
“All the adolescents found to have been infected
with HIV got it through sexual intercourse and two
of them were in the 10-14 years age range. The four
pregnant women with HIV are in the 22-25 age range.
It may be hard to believe that the Senate
and House of Representatives can come to an
agreement due to recent issues surrounding the
2019 budget and the mudslinging that came along
with it, but the two chambers of Congress recently
came together and issued consistent rulings on
an important issue: the road right of way (RRoW)
scam in Mindanao, particularly in Region XII,
which reeks of graft and corruption, has been
pinned on the cronies of former President Benigno
“PNoy” Aquino.
On 8 February, right before going
“It won’t
take long for
PNoy, his
cronies and
government
officials who
were dumb
enough to
coalesce
with them…
to start
waltzing
towards
their cold
prison cells.
into congressional recess, on the very
last day of session, the House adopted
the committee report of the House
Committee on Good Government
and Public Accountability, chaired
by Rep. XJ Romualdez, on this
issue. The report
stated, “There is a
manifest showing of
a pattern employed
by the syndicate
led by Ms. Wilma
Mamburan and Nelson
Ti in submitting
fabricated documents
and representing
fictitious claimants/
landowners.” Among those implicated
were former regional directors of
the Department of Public Works and
Highways (DPWH) Region XII — Subair
S. Diron and Reynaldo Tamayo.
A whopping P3.3 billion worth of
fraudulent RRoW claims were said to
have been approved by the syndicate
funded by yellow crony Nelson Ti
and his cohorts. In the detailed
and meticulously written report of
Rep. Romualdez, it was divulged
by witness Roberto Catapang, Jr.
that commissions amounting to 20
percent were handed to RD Tamayo
who also had the gall and temerity of
issuing more disbursement vouchers
despite being flagged by Commission
on Audit (CoA).
Prior to this action by the House,
the Senate, on 6 February, adopted
the report of its Blue Ribbon
Go barnstorms
GOing FORWARD
Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go
Former
Special Assistant
to the President
Christopher
Lawrence “Kuya
Bong” Go is
taking a break
from his writing
chores to hit the
campaign trail
for the midterm
elections.
President
Rodrigo Duterte’s closest aide will resume writing
for Daily Tribune after the polls in May.
Aldrin Cardona
Distressing
presidency
He
said
“The latest report is deeply disturbing. We really
need more prevention, education and other forms
of effective intervention. The new law must be
implemented fast.
“Considering that the 108 patients who said
they paid for or received payment for sex were
aged 17 to 53 years; that means for those who are
10-16 years old, there was no money involved. So,
other factors like rape, sexual abuse, molestation or
experimentation would have been present.”
Salo did not mention the manner of transmission
through gender and sexual orientation. But
other recent reports claimed high prevalence of
transmission from male to male sexual contacts.
There is a newly enacted law that allows for
teenagers aged 18-years old and below to undergo
HIV testing even without parental consent.
This law is timely as we also need to erase the
stigma against those infected with HIV/AIDS. But
this is going to be a long battle as the Philippines
remains a patriarchal and macho society where the
LGBT community does not enjoy equal treatment
from society in general. They are even persecuted
at most times.
But we are taking several baby steps to make it work
for them. And it is right to begin with the young people.
“Persons younger than 15 who are pregnant or
engage in high-risk behavior making them open to
infection can also choose to be tested but with the
assistance of a licensed social worker or health
worker,” Salo said.
Of the new HIV cases reported, 846 of the 877
were male with the median age of 28 years old. Half
of the cases were aged 25-34 years old and 281 were
15-24 years old at the time of testing.
Salo cited that 13 of the 71 HIV/AIDS-related deaths
recorded last December 2018 were youth aged 15 to 24.
We need not wait for another death. There are
ways to slow down the disease until a complete
cure is found.
But we need to act now. Yes, now!
Margarita Cojuangco: Divide
and rule: this was the pathetic
overall goal of the Aquino
regime on the Mindanao-Muslim issue. Sad
to say it backfired.
Izumero Baba: Noynoying: a cause of
suffering in everything. When will we see
this stupid languish in jail? He destroyed
every sector of government during his
incumbency, a pretentious hypocrite who
always portrayed Marcos as corrupt. But
he is the most corrupt ever Malacañang
occupant. These mother-and-son presidents
should be a big lesson to every Filipino:
having a grade school classroom student
She
said
Dinah S. Ventura
The recent human immunodeficiency virus
(HIV)-infected fish scare is a sure sign of
continued ignorance about the disease called
acquired immuno deficiency syndrome (AIDS).
This could be why an “exponential” rise in the
number of cases in the Philippines was noted — “from
only one a day in 2008 to 32 a day in 2018,” posted
reigning Miss Universe Catriona Gray in her Instagram
account early this month.
In May 2018, Gray (then Miss Universe-
Philippines 2018) got herself tested for HIV. It
was her way of promoting awareness on testing,
as she, like Miss Universe 2015 and UNAIDS
Goodwill Ambassador for Asia and the Pacific
Pia Wurtzbach, believes there is a serious lack of
such among the youth.
Catriona said the death of a friend from HIV
some years back lit in her this drive to push for
the cause. “It’s just taking a step looking after
yourself,” she told CNN Philippines then on
getting tested.
The effort to lessen the stigma attached to the
disease — even to getting tested, the first step
that would help prevent it — has been lauded and
shared by many, more so now than ever.
This is because more young people, disturbingly
young some of them, have been getting infected.
In a year that calls for more attention to health
and well-being, government needs to pay more
attention to the top diseases of our time.
In December 2018 alone, 877 new HIV cases
were reported.
Meanwhile, the Department of Health’s (DoH)
HIV/AIDS and Art Registry of the Philippines
reported “954 new reported cases of HIV in the
Philippines in September 2019, bringing the total
to 8,533 from January to September 2019.”
In terms of “trend,” a report released during last
year’s International Youth Day said “approximately
230 young people are newly infected with HIV in
Asia and the Pacific every day and almost half a
Yellow cronyism in RRoW scam
Committee, chaired by crusader Sen. Richard
Gordon, to file charges against government officials
and private individuals, which also included
Mamburan, Ti, Diron and Tamayo, for the same
RRoW scam, robbing the government of P255.5
million. Gordon recommended the immediate filing
of a plunder case against the persons identified
in its report.
We should go even way back when the
Department of Justice (DoJ), under the leadership
of then Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre, first unearthed
this conspiracy sometime in November 2017, when
the NBI submitted reports that a criminal syndicate
submitted fake titles in the name of inexistent
individuals to claim just compensation from the
DPWH for the government’s expropriation of land
for projects located in Region XII. This was done in
conspiracy with several government officials from
DPWH, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Registry of
Deeds, City Assessor’s Office of
General Santos City, CoA, and
the regional trial courts. Although
council will never work in a country that is
in a mess. It probably turned out this way
because of this mother and son.
Terrifying future if yellows win
Patricio Gabuya: Mamasapano. Dengvaxia.
DAP. Mahindra. MRT-3. NAIA tanim bala.
Luneta bus siege. Zamboanga siege.
Kidapawan farmers massacre. This endless
list of failures is the legacy of the most
incompetent regime of all times whose boss
was a mental retardate having failed his
psychiatric exams @AdMU as a requirement
for enrollment. What should terrify all
Filipinos is that this cabal of yellow plague
wants to return to power via the 2019 and
2022 elections. Beware!
COMMENTARY
Listen to the queens
Aguirre’s valuation of the amount defrauded is
much bigger — P8.7 billion to be exact — the person
identified as the financier was none other than
Nelson Ti, yet again. A plunder complaint was
eventually filed in March 2018 before the Office of
the Ombudsman.
Although the amounts said to have been plundered
by this criminal syndicate varied, the Senate, House
and the DoJ, all included businessman Nelson Ti in
its findings. But who is he?
For starters, Nelson Ti is said to be a close
relative of Domingo Lee, the yellow’s chosen
ambassador to China during their time and the
person you must be Googling about right now. Why?
Because you will see perhaps the most humiliating
questioning ever done in the Commission on
Appointments, kudos to former Sen. Serge Osmeña.
Imagine an ambassador who cannot
define the word “diplomacy?” It
was downright humiliating
that the CA rejected his
appointment thrice
and he had to
True leader like Gen. Luna
5
million young people between the ages 15 to 24
are living with HIV in the region.”
When you look at the numbers, it can seem
overwhelming — and, indeed, it is. But we cannot
let the deluge of figures quell the desire to curb
the spread of the disease.
For sure, we cannot let our leaders bicker about
this matter just as a few are doing in relation to
the measles outbreak. If they must know, they
sound more indifferent to the problem than in
control of the situation.
On the other hand, we cannot let the sensitive
topic, which is attached to some religious, social
and sexual taboos, inhibit us from pursuing the
cause.
Studies have shown that in the Philippines,
“there is a growing HIV epidemic among young
men having sex with men,” a report goes. But
debates continue to be heated about the use of
condoms in our country where the Catholic clergy
espouses the rhythm method, chasteness before
marriage and mixed views about homosexuality.
Although Health Secretary
“We
cannot let
the sensitive
topic, which
is attached
to some
religious,
social and
sexual
taboos,
inhibit
us from
pursuing
the cause.
Francisco Duque says the number
of HIV cases has “reached a plateau,”
citing a slight rise in cases within
the last two years, he still calls for
a continued information drive to
sustain the trend.
For her part, Wurtzbach in a
press statement last August urged
leaders to address the causes that
put young people at risk of HIV. “We
live in a world where adolescents and
young people, especially from key
populations, are still left behind. We
cannot fail to address their needs. I
challenge the indifference and I call
for action now,” she said during a
conference in a local university.
“While the numbers appear alarming, the data
shows us that we’ve been able to reach the affected
population and increase the access to testing,
which is a key step to stop the rising epidemic.
To accelerate our vision to eradicate HIV, it starts
with educating ourselves and then taking steps to
get tested and to continue to take steps to care for
ourselves. For more information and to find testing
centers near you (TESTING IN PHILIPPINES IS
FREE!), visit www.loveyourself.ph ❤

6 NEWS
Monday, 18 February 2019
Daily Tribune
From page 1
Flyer dead
before crash
The pilot miscalculated the
runway and maneuvered the
plane too late and they went
past the runway
Student pilot Khshitiz Chand died
because of cardio-respiratory failure
due to a “severe head blunt trauma”
and had indications he might had been
dead before the plane crashed, killing
Robredo and Capt. Jessup Bahinting, the
chief pilot, the report added.
According to the final report submitted
by a five-man Civil Aviation Authority of
the Philippines (CAAP) probe team, Chand
died of cardio-respiratory arrest due to
“severe blunt trauma while Robredo and
Bahinting died of cardio-respiratory arrest
due to drowning.”
The report did not expound on the
cause of the injury to the student pilot,
but Coast Guard divers reported that
the Nepalese student was seated on
the pilot’s seat, while Bahinting was
strapped to the co-pilot’s seat.
The aide of Robredo, Senior Insp. Jun
Abrasado, who was able to get out of the
plane before it sank to the seabed, was
silent on what could have caused the
fatal injury on Chand.
Engine trouble
Abrasado recounted to investigators
that 23 minutes after the aircraft was
airborne, Bahinting informed them of
engine trouble and said, “ Our propeller
may not make it to Naga. We must return
to Cebu.”
Abrasado narrated the plane then
was still flying normally despite running
on a single engine. He then sent a short
message service (SMS) or text message
to a member of their group about the
engine problem and requested an airline
booking for Robredo and himself for the
first available flight to Manila.
“Later, he (Abrasado) sensed the
plane changed direction and at the same
time noticed an orange indicator at
the instrument panel, initially blinking
slowly and later increasing frequency
until he heard a noise and saw the
right-hand propeller stopped at the same
time the orange indicator steadily lit,”
the report said.
When Abrasado asked if they were
returning to Cebu, he was told by the
captain they were proceeding to
Masbate. The captain, he said,
attempted but failed to restart
the dead engine three times.
Pilot miscalculated
He narrated the plane
remained flying smoothly
despite losing the right engine,
but several minutes later,
Abrasado noticed the plane
was descending to a critical level,
prompting him to send an SMS to
a member of Robredo’s team that
they will be making an emergency
landing in Masbate.
“Suddenly, he saw the plane
slowly veering to
the left
Different banana
From page 1
It turned out she was supplying something else on the
side.
On Saturday night, she was arrested by operatives of
the Quezon City Police District-Cubao Police Station in
Barangay E. Rodriguez after she sold P500 worth of shabu
to an undercover agent.
Also recovered from her were 23 sachets believed
containing shabu with an estimated street value of P13,600.
According to information gathered by investigators,
Myrna and her live-in partner are engaged in the
business of supplying bananas, particularly at the Mega
Q-Mart market.
They are using their legitimate business as a front for
selling shabu to clients in the area, the police said.
Myrna admitted she was indeed delivering the illegal
drugs but denied they were hers. She claimed a certain
Pia is the real distributor and that she is merely a courier.
She also claimed her live-in partner did not know of the
illicit transaction she was engaged in.
Authorities said Myrna’s live-in partner eluded arrest
because he was not around when the buy bust operation
was staged and has likely gone in hiding after learning of
her arrest. But he is not yet out of the woods as Myrna
agreed to help the police in arresting him.
Myrna must have thought integrating her banana
business with shabu distribution could fool the authorities.
She should have known that dealing with bananas could
prove dangerous, particularly if you’re not paying attention
to the peeling.
She may not have stepped on one, but in selling shabu
to the poseur-buyer she really made a bad slip. And now
she is taking the fall.
for a final approach to the runway,
but it seemed to him that the pilot
miscalculated the runway and
maneuvered the plane too late and
they went past the runway.”
“Then Abrasado looked at the pilot and
saw the latter turn his head and glanced
to the rear over his right shoulder and
remembered seeing the pilot’s face turn
red and his eyes bulging. The airplane
then lurched upward followed by a swift
vertical nosedive,” the report said.
A CAAP investigator said turning the
plane to the right when the engine was
dead was a fatal error of the pilot.
“A cardinal rule among pilots is never
to turn the plane towards the direction
of a dead engine,” he said.
No pre-flight briefing
The report noted the absence of a
pre-flight briefing. It said the student
pilot, who was not qualified to fly the Piper
Seneca, occupied the chief pilot’s seat.
Considering that the flight was for a
“VIP,” it would have been better if the
Indian flight instructor was taken on
board instead of the Nepalese student
pilot, according to the report.
The report also questioned the decision
of the pilot to continue the flight 23 minutes
after he sensed a “propeller problem.”
“If the flight returned to Mactan, it
would have landed safely with still two
engines, as the loss of the right engine
was after 38 minutes of flight after the
initial propeller problem was noted.”
The report did not expound
on the cause of the injury to
the student pilot but Coast
Guard divers reported that the
Nepalese student was seated on
the pilot’s seat.
The engine went out when the plane
was 33.7 kilometers (km) from Masbate
airport and it took 17 minutes flight on
a single left engine before the aircraft
crashed 800 meters from the end of the
runway.
“The last and fatal decision made
was making a right turn toward the
dead engine. The aircraft manual says
that if a turn is made towards a dead
engine, the aircraft will pitch up about
15 degrees followed by a stall towards
the dead engine,” the report added.
“Altitude is the insurance against
stalls or spins; without it, recovery is
impossible.”
Closure wanting Mysterious circumstances still wrap the late Interior Secretary Jesse
Robredo’s death.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Girl on a wheel Learning to ride a bike is easier with four tires.
From page 1
Honeylet Avanceña and their teenaged
daughter Veronica.
“It is true that President Duterte went
to Hong Kong with his long-time partner
Ma’am Honeylet and their daughter Kitty
for a personal trip,” Go said.
Presidential spokesman Salvador
Panelo also confirmed the three were in
Hong Kong for Avanceña’s birthday on
Saturday.
In a South China Morning Post
(SCMP) report yesterday, Mr. Duterte was
seen dressed in a dark suit while roaming
inside fashion wear chain Uniqlo’s shop at
the World Trade Center in Causeway Bay
around 6 p.m. with his bodyguards.
Kitty’s request
In a photo taken by HK’s Southern
From page 1
Bangla ‘tokhang’ nets 102 lords
“Imitation is the best form of flattery”
best described the decision of the
Bangladesh government to launch last
year a “war” on drugs patterned after
the Philippines, following a proliferation
of illegal substances in the nation of
165 million people, mostly of cheap
methamphetamine pills locally known
as yaba.
Last January, Sri Lankan President
Maithripala Sirisena indicated his firm
intention during a state visit to adopt
the methods employed in Mr. Duterte’s
war on drugs.
Sri Lanka rides bandwagon
Sirisena even visited the Philippine
National Police (PNP) headquarters in
Camp Crame to get a first-hand look at
the police program.
“He was impressed with our campaign
against illegal drugs and the firm
leadership of our President,” PNP chief
Director General Oscar Albayalde said
then of Sirisena.
Albayalde said the Sri Lankan leader
reiterated his desire to replicate the
Philippines’ anti-illegal drugs campaign.
ROMAN PROSPERO
Family time in HK
Sun’s out Puppy gets priority time during a walk with mother and master.
District Council member Henry Chai Manhon
posted on the website, a female
shopper was surprised to see Duterte
walking around the store.
The report added few Filipinos
were around when the President
visited Hong Kong shops. Some
recognized the President but no one
greeted him. Mr. Duterte, however,
talked to shop staff about the
products.
Go explained it was actually the
President’s youngest child who requested
the trip which they had already done
before when Duterte was still mayor of
Davao City.
OIC is Medialdea
Duterte designated Executive Secretary
Salvador Medialdea as officer-in-charge
while the President is abroad, according
According to the Sri Lankan leader,
Duterte is an exception to some world
leaders who had avoided an aggressive
posture against narcotics fearing that
this might put their lives at risk.
“The world must respect the
Philippine’s difficult task of dealing
with illegal drugs,” Sirisena said.
Godfathers fall
Bangladesh police said 24 yaba
“godfathers,” as well as lieutenants and
peddlers, surrendered to the country’s
home minister in Teknaf town, which is
the key gateway for narcotics smuggling
into the country from Myanmar, where
the pills are manufactured by the
millions.
Those who are in hiding, don’t get
carried away. You’ll not be spared.
The dealers also surrendered 350,000
vanilla-scented, small red yaba pills,
whose name comes from a Thai word
meaning “crazy medicine,” and 30 illegal
firearms.
Bangladesh police chief Mohammad
Javed Patwary said authorities would
advocate lesser prison sentences for
those who had surrendered and would
to Go.
“Before the President left, he
designated Executive Secretary Salvador
Medialdea as OIC to be in charge of
the daily operations of the Office of the
President,” he added.
President Duterte went to Hong
Kong with his long-time partner
Ma’am Honeylet and their
daughter Kitty for a personal
trip.
Duterte’s trip to Hong Kong took place
four months after he and his family spent
the weekend in the same country to take
a break on 7 October 2018.
The President also met some 2,500
Filipinos in Hong Kong after attending
the Boao Economic Forum Asia in the
southern Chinese province of Hainan in
April 2018.
“assist” them in returning to normal life.
But he promised “harsh upcoming
days” for those who had stayed away.
“Those who are in hiding, don’t get
carried away. You’ll not be spared,” he told
the mass gathering of several thousand
locals who came to witness the event.
Exploited mules
Teknaf is situated in Cox’s Bazar
district — home to around a million
Rohingya refugees — bordering Myanmar.
Cox’s Bazar is flooded with yaba,
with many of the Rohingya refugees used
as “mules” for carrying the pills.
The pills have become an easy source
of income for the Rohingya, some 740,000
of whom have poured across the border
since Myanmar launched a military
crackdown in August 2017 that the UN
has described as an ethnic cleansing.
The mass surrender comes during a
concerted crackdown on drug traffickers,
which has left nearly 300 people dead,
including 40 from Teknaf and seen about
25,000 arrested since May last year.
On Friday, Bangladesh security forces
seized 570,000 yaba pills in separate drives
in the border region next to Myanmar’s
northern Rakhine state. CL, AFP
ROMAN PROSPERO

Monday, 18 February 2019
Daily Tribune NATION
7
Rice law earns mixed reviews
Arroyo said the new law will help ease the effect of inflation
particularly to poor Filipinos
By Mario J. Mallari
Maybe it’s the fear of the unknown,
but President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision
to sign into a law the rice tariffication
measure had earned mixed reactions
from various lawmakers and government
policy makers.
Reelectionist Sen. Cynthia Villar, who
sponsored the measure in the Senate,
thanked Duterte for signing it, noting
that instead of limiting the entry of rice
into the country, the new law will slap
rice imports with a higher tariff.
For his part, former Sen. Juan
Ponce-Enrile urged the government
to ensure that the mechanisms to
protect local rice farmers are properly
implemented.
“Farmers will not incur losses if
WV illegal
logging cases
down
By Kuhlin Ceslie Gacula
The Department of Environment
and Natural Resources (DENR)-Region
6 on Sunday reported that cases of
apprehensions of illegally transported
forest products in Western Visayas last
year declined by 24.06 percent from the
previous year.
Most of the illegally transported
forest products apprehended
were lumber flitches, round logs,
firewoods and charcoal.
It was gathered the DENR-6 recorded
120 apprehensions in 2018 which were
significantly fewer than 158 arrests
recorded in 2017.
June Melissa C. Garol, DENR-6
enforcement division chief said their active
collaboration with the local government
units and law enforcement authorities,
resulted in their success against illegal
loggers and other environmental laws
violators.
For the region, the province of Antique
recorded the highest number of arrests with
43 incidents, followed by Negros Occidental
with 33; Capiz, 21; Aklan, 18; Guimaras, 3,
and Iloilo, 2.
Most of the illegally transported forest
products apprehended were lumber flitches,
round logs, firewoods and charcoal.
One of the 10 priority programs of
DENR Secretary Roy A. Cimatu is the
intensified forest protection and antiillegal
logging which focuses on the
enforcement of environmental laws, rules
and regulations.
Four New People’s Army members
while two soldiers were killed in an
encounter between the rebels and
government troops in Malaybalay City,
Bukidnon over the weekend.
It was gathered the government
troops were conducting community
support program in Sitio Greenvalley in
Barangay Dalwangan when the rebels
arrived and started harassing them and
the people.
By Raymart T. Lolo
The Department of Public Works and
Highways (DPWH) yesterday reported the
completion of the rehabilitation of the
Valencia — San Fernando — Talaingod —
Panabo — Tagum Road.
The road was described as a crucial link
between Bukidnon and Davao del Norte in
Region 11.
DPWH Secretary Mark Villar, said the
DPWH-10 implemented the road upgrading
of the 43.5-kilometer national road traversing
mountainous terrains from Barangay Kalagangan
the government only adheres to the
rice tariffication law and relates (the
tariffs) to the reasonable price of the
commodity in the country,” said Enrile,
who is seeking a return to the Senate
in the May mid-term elections.
“Now, if you would neglect that,
and anybody can bring and supply that
commodity in our country, our farmers
would suffer losses,” he added.
Reelectionist Sen. Sonny Angara, on
the other hand, called for agricultural
revolution to improve the lives of
impoverished farmers and fisherfolk
who belong to 60 percent of the country’s
poorest.
“Where there’s Build, Build, Build,
there should also be ‘Grow, Grow, Grow’
or ‘Plant, Plant, Plant’ or even ‘Fish, Fish,
Fish,’” Angara said.
By Alvin Murcia
Ordinarily, a written contract along with
a written certification showing availability
of funds for the project is among the
conditions necessary for the execution of
government projects.
The absence of these documents, however,
would not necessarily preclude the contractor
from receiving payment for the services he
or she had rendered for the government.
With this ruling, the Supreme Court
(SC) had reversed and set aside the earlier
decision of the Commission on Audit (CoA)
that denied the petition for money claims of
Meanwhile, former President and
current House Speaker Gloria Macapagal
Arroyo called for a strict implementation
of the law, so it will be beneficial to the
public.
Arroyo said the new law will help
ease the effect of inflation particularly
to poor Filipinos.
This, as various opposition lawmakers
and cause-oriented warned about the
possible adverse effects of the law on
local farmers due to the impending
oversupply of the staple.
The new law would amend Republic
Act 8178 or the “Agricultural Tariffication
Act of 1996” and replace the quantitative
restriction on rice imports.
Under the measure, revenues from
the tariffs will go to rice competitiveness
enhancement fund with an annual
funding of P10 billion.
The fund will be used to protect the
industry from sudden or extreme rice
price fluctuations.
Aftermath Government soldiers inspect various recovered items after an encounter
with NPA rebels.
FILE PHOTO
Davao road rehab completed
in the town of San Fernando to Barangay.
Poblacion in Valencia City, Bukidnon.
The P949-million road project also called
Kapalong-Talaingod-Valencia Road started
in 2015. It covers the concreting of road and
provision of drainages.
With the completion of the project, travel time
from Bukidnon to Davao del Norte will be reduced
by one hour and fifty minutes as motorists no longer
have to pass through Sayre Highway.
“Tourists and locals, especially farmers
transporting agricultural products, can now
benefit from the unhampered access between
Bukidnon and Davao del Norte,” Villar said.
High hopes Government planners are hoping that the recently signed rice tariffication
law would help ease inflation and improve the lives of farmers.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
2 REBELS RECEIVE P65K EACH
295 NPA members yield
By Kathleen Mae Bulquerin
In what could be considered a severe
blow to the already weakening communist
movement, at least 295 red fighters and
their supporters voluntarily surrendered
to authorities in Gigaquit, Surigao del
Norte on Friday.
The surrenderers were composed of
28 Militia ng Bayan and 267 underground
mass organization members.
Military officials said one the reasons
for the continued mass exodus of the
rebels from their movement was the
benefits being offered under Enhanced
Comprehensive Local Integration
Program (E-CLIP), the government’s
centerpiece reintegration project
The rebels also handed out seven
assorted firearms to Gigaquit Mayor
Elvira Egay and Lt. Col. Allen Raymund
C. Tomas, commander of the 4th Infantry
Division’s Python Battalion.
This, as two former rebels received
a total of P65 thousand as part of their
Quantum meruit principle saves landscaper
Mario Geronimo, the owner of landscaping
firm Kabukiran Garden.
The High Court held that the
principle of quantum meruit was
applicable in the case at bar.
It was gathered that the Department
of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)
commissioned Geronimo to do the
landscaping and beautification projects in
various areas of Metro Manila, in connection
with the 112th Inter-Parliamentary Union
summit in the country in 2005.
He met with DPWH officials who, through
mere verbal request and without any written
Bukidnon encounter: 6 killed
The soldiers who belong to1st
Special Forces Battalion were forced to
fire back after the terrorists reportedly
opened fire on them.
The firefight lasted for 15 minutes
before the suspects withdrew after four
of their comrades were killed.
Another five-minute battle ensued
between the two groups after the
government troops caught up with
them while fleeing.
The clash resulted in the death of
two soldiers and wounded another.
Government troops recovered two
M16 rifles with
magazines,
contract purportedly due to time constraints,
requested him to initiate and complete the
projects at the earliest time possible, with
the assurance that he would be paid in full
upon the completion of the projects.
When DPWH failed to eventually pay him
despite several demands, Geronimo filed
his claim before the CoA that subsequently
denied the same on 10 November 2014.
In a 12-page decision penned by Justice
Jose C. Reyes, Jr., the SC en banc, ordered
the CoA to “determine and ascertain with
dispatch, on quantum meruit basis” the
total compensation due Geronimo and
his company and to allow payment upon
two unexploded anti-personnel
mines, 200-meter wires, ammunition
and personal belongings of NPA
members.
Brig. Gen. Franco Nemesio
Gacal, commander of
4th Infantry Division,
expressed deep
sympathies to the
families of the slain
soldiers. KMB
Trash for cash Garbage collectors like this man are greatly benefiting
from the ongoing Manila Bay clean up as they sell recovered plastics,
bottles and other garbage in neighborhood junk shops. ROMAN PROSPERO
E-CLIP benefits during the celebration
of 84th Infantry Battalion’s founding
anniversary in Nueva Ecija.
They have already declared their
allegiance to the government and
rejected the communist doctrine.
The two former rebels surrendered
to government troops last 8 December
in Carranglan, Nueva Ecija.
They have already declared their
allegiance to the government and rejected
the communist doctrine.
The P15 thousand was for immediate
cash assistance and the P50 thousand
was for livelihood aid.
“I would also like to thank the LGU
and other agencies who were involved in
the awarding of E-CLIP benefits to the
former rebels. Let us continue to be of
service to the people most especially
to those who were deceived by the
communist terrorist groups,” said Brig.
Gen. Lenard Agustin, commander of the 7th
Infantry Division of the Philippine Army.
the completion of the said determination.
The High Court held that the principle
of quantum meruit was applicable in
the case at bar.
Quantum meruit is a Latin phrase
meaning “what one has earned.” In
the context of contract law, it means
something along the lines of “reasonable
value of services.”
The Court found that the liability of
DPWH was sufficiently established based
on the factual findings of the CoA.
It noted the CoA’s observation that the
letters from the DPWH officials, as well as its
allegations in its pleadings, tend to establish
that Geronimo is entitled to his claim.
Geronimo filed a motion for
reconsideration of the CoA ruling which
was denied in the CoA resolution dated
23 December 2015.
LOCAL
METRO MANILA
33°C
21°C
METRO CEBU
31°C
22°C
METRO DAVAO
33°C
22°C
INTERNATIONAL
Tokyo
JAPAN
11°C
2°C
PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES
Hong Kong
CHINA
21°C
PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES
WEATHER
PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES
PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES
LIGHT RAINS
Taipei
TAIWAN
19°C 20°C
16°C
CLOUDY SKIES
W/RAINSHOWER

8
METRO
John Henry Dodson, Editor
Monday, 18 February 2019
Daily Tribune
‘Violators
will be
identified’
The Commission on
Elections (Comelec) has
said it will update the
list of violators of poll
regulations as they come
to their attention.
Thus far, the list
contained only alleged
violators in Metro
Manila, specifically
those running for
senators in the midterm
13 May elections.
Comelec Commissioner
Rowena Guanzon said the
updated list will be out in
the coming days.
The Comelec was
reacting to candidates
cited on the list who
asked why the other
“violators” had not been
included by the poll body
on the list.
Vernadeth de los Santos
FORENSIC investigators process the van which gunmen riddled with bullets along EDSA.
Fake visas land
Africans in jail
By Anthony Ching
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) announced
yesterday the arrest of two Africans who recently
entered the country and attempted to leave for Canada
using fake visas.
The Africans were arrested at the Ninoy Aquino
International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 by members of
the BI Travel Control and Enforcement Unit (BI-TCEU),
BI port operations chief Grifton Medina said.
BI warns syndicates forgeries will not
escape detection.
BI-TCEU chief Erwin Ortañez identified the two
Africans as Cameroonian national Etienne Makang
Nformem, 35; and Abdelmotalab Idris Himat Mohamed,
29, a Sudanese national.
Medina said BI has intensified its campaign against
international syndicates using Manila as a jump-off
point in smuggling illegal aliens to Canada.
“We are warning these syndicates to stop their
nefarious activities because our men at the airports are
experts in detecting fraudulent visas and passports,”
Medina said
According to Ortañez, Nformem was intercepted
on 9 February after he arrived in the country aboard
a Gulf Air flight from Bahrain. The Canadian visa on
his passport was found to be counterfeit.
Mohamed was apprehended on 13 February
while about to depart for his flight to Canada
after determination by BI personnel that his
visa was fake.
The two suspects were detained at the BI Warden
Facilities in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig
City pending prosecution for
violating the Immigration Act.
U-turn traffic mayhem
Commonwealth gridlock seen with flyover closure
YUMMIE DINGDING
EDSA shooting
leaves 2 dead
By Sundy Locus
A businessman and his driver were
killed while a female companion was
injured when their white van was shot
at by motorcycle-riding gunmen along
the southbound lane of Epifanio de los
Santos Avenue (EDSA) near Reliance
Street in Mandaluyong City.
Senior Supt. Moises Villaceran Jr.,
chief of the Mandaluyong City Police
Station, identified the fatalities as driver
Allan Nomer Santos, 51; and 62-year-old
businessman Jose Ruiz Yulo, a resident
of Alabang, Muntinlupa.
The woman, 38-year Esmeralda Ignacio
of Las Piñas, was taken to a hospital
across from where the shooting happened
in broad daylight. The gunmen peppered
with bullets the van’s right backseat and
driver’s side.
The victims came from a race track in
Pampanga when their Toyota HiAce van
was fired upon in the innermost lane by
the suspects aboard a black motorcycle.
The incident closed two lanes of the
southbound direction, snarling traffic
for hours, according to the Metropolitan
Manila Development Authority.
By Krizara Tibus
With heavy traffic expected due to the
closure of the Tandang Sora flyover on 23
February, the Metropolitan Manila Development
Authority (MMDA) and the Quezon City
government will deploy 240 traffic enforcers
along Commonwealth Avenue.
The closure of the flyover will pave the way
for the construction of the Metro Rail Transit line
7 or MRT-7. The MMDA said 140 of its personnel
will be deployed while 100 Quezon City traffic
aides will augment them in at least two shifts.
The closure of the flyover on Commonwealth
Avenue is necessary to facilitate the construction
of the MRT-7 tracks and station in the area,
MMDA chief Jojo Garcia said.
MMDA and QC gov’t to deploy 240
traffic enforcers.
Garcia admitted managing traffic along
Commonwealth will be difficult because the
2,000 to 3,000 vehicles that cross the Tandang
Sora intersection will now be forced to make
a U-turn to reach the other side.
The challenge to motorists is that those
making a U-turn will have to “swerve” through 9
to 10 lanes to reach the Commonwealth U-turn
slots and then “swerve” again up to 10 lanes
to get to the other side.
MMDA estimated that about 100,000 vehicles
pass through Commonwealth daily, thus traffic
may slow down because of the swerving vehicles
By Kathleen Mae Bulquerin
POLICEMEN trail a group of men aboard a tricycle after their arrest on drug-related charges.
The anti-drugs war campaign of the Duterte
government is bearing fruits based on the
latest Social Weather Station (SWS) survey,
the Philippine National Police (PNP)
leadership said yesterday.
The SWS poll reported that six out
of 10 Filipinos believe that the number
of drug users nationwide has decreased due to
the campaign of government agencies like
the PNP and the Philippine Drug
Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
PNP spokesman Sr. Supt.
WITH the Tandang Sora flyover’s closure, as many as 3,000 vehicles will be forced to swerve to make
U-turns along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City.
ANALY LABOR
near the U-turn slots.
“This is where we see the problem as the
2,000 to 3,000 motorists will play tag with the
close to 100,000 vehicles that pass through
Commonwealth Avenue each day,” Garcia said
in Filipino.
Garcia added the MMDA had proposed
building elevated U-turn slots along
Bernard Banac said the survey affirmed the
effectiveness of the campaign as a deterrent to
the drug trade and use of narcotics.
SWS poll validates Digong’s thrust,
Palace says.
He said the “anti-illegal drugs campaign of
the government is effective in convincing drug
dependents to refrain from further using illegal
drugs.”
“(It is) instrumental in reducing
the total number of crimes
nationwide,
Commonwealth to ease traffic. He emphasized
that only the Tandang Sora flyover and the
crossing underneath will be closed as the
Luzon-Katipunan flyover will stay open.
Right of way issues had delayed the
construction of MRT-7 now projected to be
completed by 2020 instead of the original 2019
target completion date.
Anti-drugs campaign being won — PNP
AFP FILE PHOTO
thereby creating a secure environment where people
feel safe to live, work and do business,” he added.
Malacañang also welcomed the SWS poll
with presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo
describing it as a validation of the Duterte
administration’s campaign against illegal drugs.
The survey was conducted from 16 to 19 of
December 2018. It found that 66 percent of Filipino
adults believed drug addicts in their area have
decreased over the past year.
Fourteen percent felt the number of drugs
users has increased with the remaining seven
percent saying the number of drug dependents
has stayed the same.
METRO BITS
Forcible entry
A 29-year-old man was arrested by police authorities
after he allegedly attempted to rob a house in Barangay
Barangka Ilaya, Mandaluyong City Sunday morning. The
suspect was identified as Ferdinand Esguerra,
39. Elements of Pulis sa Barangay
and Bantay Bayan of Barangka
Ilaya received information from a
concerned citizen about the incident
and they immediately responded in
the area which resulted to the
arrest of the suspect at around
1:16 a.m. Neil Alcober
SJ cops’ chapel
Officers and men of the San
Juan City Police came in
full force Sunday during the
blessing of their chapel inside
their headquarters. They said
the chapel will allow them to
worship even while on duty.
Senior Supt. Dindo Reyes,
San Juan police chief, said the
small space was converted into
a chapel with a small altar inside
the police station. Neil Alcober

DAVIS WANTS
BOSTON MOVE
HIT ONLINE
SERIES AIRS AS
TV SPECIAL
DOMINGUEZ
LAUDS
AMNESTY LAW
P13
P18
P10
Jun Vallecera, Editor
Monday, 18 February 2019
Daily Tribune
BUSINESS
9
THE senators are saying the Universal Health Care program can run on funds other than that prospectively
generated by a higher tobacco levy that pends in Congress.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
UHC has funds
other than sin tax
Wife left out in tycoon’s will
The Filipina first wife of the late
tycoon George S.K. Ty and their
two children were left out in the
inheritance of the taipan, based
on the contents of a last will and
testament submitted to the Makati
Regional Trial Court by the second
wife.
Lourdes de Lara Ty, who was
married to the late tycoon in 1961,
was completely omitted in the last
will and testament allegedly left
in the control of the second wife,
according to the Filipina wife’s
lawyer Jose Virgilio Bautista.
“The second wife, Mary Vy, filed
a petition with the Makati court to
prove that the will is authentic and
duly executed,” Bautista said.
Bautista said Lourdes is the legal
wife and must be considered in
the estate case as the late tycoon’s
surviving spouse. “As the legitimate
spouse, she is entitled to both her
conjugal share in the estate, as
well as her compulsory inheritance
known as her legitime,” the lawyer
explained.
“Lourdes could not believe that
her late husband could really make
a will that excluded her and their two
legitimate children,” Bautista said.
“And this is the reason why she will
challenge and oppose the approval of
the will in court,” he added.
The petition filed by Mary Vy Ty
in court never mentioned the name
George S.K. Ty in any of the papers
she filed, referring to the late tycoon
by his Chinese name Ty Siao Kian.
The prestigious Forbes Magazine
rated the late George S.K. Ty one
of the Top 10 richest Filipinos with
a net personal fortune of $2.75
billion.
There is an agreement in
principle to increase the excise
tax on tobacco products in order
to raise funds for the Universal
Health Care bill and substantially
reduce the smoking prevalence
among the youth
Amid fierce lobbying and
warnings by health and anti-tobacco
advocates, Senate leaders have
assured that the Universal Health
Care (UHC) law that would deliver
healthcare to all Filipinos could
still be implemented as planned
even without fresh revenues from
higher tobacco tax.
Senate Health Committee
chair Sen. Joseph Victor “JV”
Ejercito said even if the Senate
failed to approve the bill
increasing tobacco tax before it
adjourned for the May elections, EJERCITO
funds remain adequate to ensure
smooth implementation of UHC.
“There will be funds available for UHC,”
Ejercito, who is pushing for a P90 additional
tax per pack for cigarettes, said in an
interview.
The UHC will be pursued even if we
are not able to pass it in the 17th
Congress.
The senator said the 2019 General
Appropriations Act and funds coming from
PAGCOR and PCSO will ensure funding for
the UHC in its two years of implementation.
He also said the additional P18 billion
“savings” that were discovered at the Senate
budget deliberation of the proposed 2019
outlay should further boost the UHC.
This is contrary to the repeated claims of
health advocates, the Departments of Finance
(DoF) and of Health (DoH) that the non-passage
of higher tobacco tax would imperil the effective
roll out of the UHC.
“To the tobacco industry, don’t think we
are charging everything from you. We will
find the sweet spot. We do not want to kill
the industry. We understand that hundreds
of thousands depend on the industry for
the livelihood,” Ejercito said in previous
hearings on the proposed increase in
tobacco excise tax.
Even Senate President Vicente “Tito”
Children
on motorcycles
Sotto III earlier clarified that with or
without sin taxes, there is enough budget
for the implementation of the UHC which
requires a hefty P257 billion on its first year
of implementation alone.
Officials of DoF and DoH have claimed
that the UHC is short of P40 billion on its
first year of implementation.
The UHC listed the following as sources
of appropriation for its implementation:
Incremental sin tax
collections: 50 percent
national government share
from PAGCOR, 40 percent
from documentary stamp
payments and mandatory
contributions from PCSO,
premium contributions from
PhilHealth members and
annual appropriations of
the DoH from the General
Appropriations Act.
“Let us put it this way: It
isn’t imperative for the excise
tax measure to pass just so
we have the UHC. The UHC
will be pursued even if we are not able to
pass it in the 17th Congress,” Sotto stressed.
Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph
Recto has also said instead of relying on
tobacco tax to fund the big part of UHC, the
government may consider other tax sources
such as adjusting further sugar tax that could
translate to P5 billion in additional revenues.
Recto said on top of their earmarked
funds for UHC, Pagcor could still add with P5
billion while PCSO could afford to “donate”
an additional P10 billion for the UHC.
The Senate leader said the government
could also get extra funds if PhilHealth would
lessen its fraudulent claims, which could lead
to P5 billion in “saved” premiums.
Sen. Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara, chairman
of the Senate Ways and Means panel, said even if
the Senate failed to come out with its own tobacco
tax bill, “there is an agreement in principle to
increase the excise tax on tobacco products in
order to raise funds for the Universal Health
Care bill and substantially reduce the smoking
prevalence among the youth.”
He nevertheless disclosed that “there is no
consensus yet on the final tax rate.”
Angara said the committee is also inclined
to increase the penalties against illicit
tobacco trade to give more teeth to the law.
He said Senate will take up the unfinished
bill when it resumes session after the 13 May
elections.
ANTEROOM
Eduardo Martinez
“ There is
presently a
law which
prohibits
children
or protects
them when
on board
motorcycles.
COMMENTARY
Last week, I wrote about the safety of
children in private vehicles. I lauded the fact
that Congress has come out with another
bill that looks after the safety and welfare
of our children. Hopefully, the President
inks this soon making it a law. At the end
of my article, I mentioned children’s safety
on board motorcycles. Today, we still see
some motorcyclists dangerously putting
children on their two-wheeled vehicles. It
gives me goosebumps when I imagine what
may happen to them, especially the young
innocent ones, in case of an accident.
Actually, there is presently a law which
prohibits children or protects them when
on board motorcycles. We have Republic
Act (RA) 10666, otherwise known as An Act
Turn to page 10

10 BUSINESS
Monday, 18 February 2019
Daily Tribune
Dominguez lauds amnesty law
Finance Secretary Carlos
Dominguez III has lauded the
passing of the Tax Amnesty
Act of 2019, saying the measure
encourages the more delinquent
taxpayers to pay more dutifully in
the future.
President Duterte put his
foot down on the provision
for a general tax amnesty
because the law, as crafted,
lacked a mechanism that
would “break the walls of
bank secrecy.
“We hope that in availing of
this amnesty, a very, very generous
reprieve from the State, taxpayers
Children
on motorcycles
From page 9
Providing for the Safety of Children
Aboard Motorcycles. It mandates that
“[i]t shall be unlawful for any person
to drive a two-wheeled motorcycle with
a child on board on public roads where
there is heavy volume of vehicles, there
is high density of fast-moving vehicles
or where a speed limit of more than 60/
kph is imposed...” (Section 4, RA 10666).
The exception is when the child is big
enough where his feet reach the foot
peg of the motorcycle, his arms reach
around and grasp the waist of the driver
and is adequately wearing the standard
protective helmet required by law.
RA 10666 actually became law as
early as 2015, with its implementing
rules coming out in 2017. As you can see,
the State as early as back then already
addressed this grave concern. Rising
incidence of accidents involving children
on motorcycles made our country install
more measures to avoid further accidents
and damage to our young ones.
Rising incidence of accidents
involving children on motorcycles
made our country install more
measures to avoid further accidents
and damage to our young ones.
Just like the bill I wrote about
regarding safety of children in private
vehicles, this law imposes sanctions
for violation of its provisions. Penalties
range from P3,000 to P10,000, with
a suspension of license for one year
for the fourth infraction. But what
distinguishes this law from that bill
applying to private vehicles is its
penal sanction. “If, in violation of…
this Act, death shall have resulted or
serious or less serious injuries shall
have been inflicted upon the child or
any other person, a penalty of one year
imprisonment shall be imposed upon
the motorcycle driver or operator of the
motorcycle involved without prejudice
to the penalties provided under Act
3815, otherwise known as The Revised
Penal Code of the Philippines, as
amended (Section 8, RA 10666).
This means that the erring driver
will face a double whammy from two
laws. And in both laws, the acts being
punished as crimes, incarceration is
involved. See how severe the punishment
can be? It is thus important.
That is why I write about this
today — to disseminate information
about this law to you, my readers.
With the awareness of this law and its
accompanying punishments, we have
to let our motorcycle-riding friends
know about this. I am pretty sure, they
are aware of the hazards of riding a
motorcycle. But they may not be aware
of this law and its pernicious effects in
case of violation.
One more thing. Our children are our
next generation. They are the future
movers of our society. We, as always,
should be vigilant and keep them from
harm’s way. They deserve to grow in a
safe environment. By following the law,
we keep our streets safe, not only for
us; but more importantly for them. And
by doing so, our society will be able to
raise these young ones to become ablebodied
adults healthy and fit to realize
their dreams and, in turn, protect the
generation that follows theirs.
would feel more encouraged to
pay the right tax and be more
empowered to be good taxpayers
in the future,” Dominguez said.
He likewise cited the benefits of
the Tax Amnesty Act of 2019 seen
generating more or less P41 billion.
“With this landmark legislation,
availers may now free up property
that have long been estate-locked
and allow heirs to make good
economic use of the properties
they have inherited,” Dominguez
said.
“This also allows those that
have long-due liabilities and
pending criminal cases to start
anew,” he added.
According to him, the
FRIDAY
15 FEBRUARY 2019
Department of Finance (DoF)
supports a general tax amnesty
for everyone with pending tax
cases and that the President
himself believes the legislation
will strengthen the enforcement
against tax evasion.
The Finance chief
highlighted other provisions
vetoed by the President such as
the one-time estate settlement
for properties under multiple
unsettled estates.
Quoting President Duterte,
he explained that the six percent
estate tax on property values at
the time of death is more than a
fair imposition already, Dominguez
said.
Smart leads network ‘consistent quality’
PLDT wireless arm Smart Communications,
Inc. (Smart) leads in network “consistent
quality” in the Philippines, according to
Canadian crowd-sourced mobile data company
Tutela, using a metric called “consistent
quality score” which tracks the percentage of
time users can experience either “excellent”
or “basic” quality connections in a country
or in a specific network.
In its report, “Southeast Asia State of
Mobile Networks February 2019,” Tutela
said Smart scored 91 percent in terms of
“basic” consistent quality, slightly ahead of
competition’s 89.3 percent. This means that 91
percent of the time, Smart users were able to
access a “basic” connection, which supports
simple web browsing, emails and simple
applications like Facebook and WhatsApp.
The big difference was in the “excellent”
category.
According to the report, Smart had a
consistent quality score of 48.8 percent
in the “excellent” category, more than
double that of the competition’s score of
PHILIPPINE STOCK EXCHANGE
NAME OPEN HIGH LOW CLOSE VALUE (P)
FINANCIALS
BANKS
ASIA UNITED 59.15 59.15 59 59 118,591.50
BDO UNIBANK 136 138.8 133.3 133.6 1,138,893,614
BANK PH ISLANDS 90.9 92 89.2 89.2 798,732,997
CHINABANK 27.95 28 27.75 27.95 949,075
CITYSTATE BANK 7.58 7.58 7.58 7.58 1,516
EAST WEST BANK 13.1 13.18 12.96 13.1 9,781,246
METROBANK 82.4 82.4 80 80 189,047,867.50
PB BANK 14 14 13.8 13.8 377,600
PHIL NATL BANK 48 48.5 47.55 48.3 5,354,155
PSBANK 58.85 59 58.45 59 437,108
PHILTRUST 114.2 114.2 114.2 114.2 2,284
RCBC 26.25 26.75 26.25 26.5 4,958,800
SECURITY BANK 175.1 176.5 171.5 172.2 73,767,144
UNION BANK 62 62 61.5 62 1,028,504.50
OTHER FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
BRIGHT KINDLE 1.5 1.5 1.42 1.42 208,980
BDO LEASING 2.24 2.24 2.24 2.24 2,240
COL FINANCIAL 17.24 17.46 17.24 17.36 2,655,174
FIRST ABACUS 0.7 0.71 0.61 0.7 105,110
FERRONOUX HLDG 4.64 4.64 4.6 4.6 188,640
FILIPINO FUND 7.74 7.74 7.74 7.74 4,644
IREMIT 1.5 1.5 1.43 1.48 36,290
MEDCO HLDG 0.485 0.5 0.475 0.475 192,380
NTL REINSURANCE 1.32 1.37 1.24 1.25 4,400,000
PHIL STOCK EXCH 185 186 185 185 129,520
SUN LIFE 1,780 1,780 1,780 1,780 169,100
VANTAGE 1.15 1.3 1.14 1.19 1,544,060
INDUSTRIAL
ELECTRICITY, ENERGY, POWER & WATER
ALSONS CONS 1.56 1.61 1.5 1.56 16,163,540
ABOITIZ POWER 36.6 37.55 34 34 46,545,435
BASIC ENERGY 0.25 0.25 0.244 0.25 527,010
FIRST GEN 21.2 21.2 20.3 20.6 25,612,400
FIRST PHIL HLDG 72.85 73.5 72.75 72.8 6,743,934.50
MERALCO 362 369.6 355 355 80,948,806
MANILA WATER 27.25 27.45 27.1 27.45 8,283,095
PETRON 6.7 6.82 6.55 6.6 449,096,371
PETROENERGY 3.79 3.8 3.79 3.79 121,450
PHINMA ENERGY 1.3 1.31 1.29 1.31 5,986,160
PHX PETROLEUM 11.38 11.56 11.22 11.56 2,573,950
PILIPINAS SHELL 47.45 47.45 46.85 46.9 19,773,445
SPC POWER 6.3 6.36 6.28 6.36 78,051
FOOD, BEVERAGE & TOBACCO
AGRINURTURE 16.6 16.68 16.2 16.2 4,671,584
BOGO MEDELLIN 97 98.3 97 98.3 18,448
CNTRL AZUCARERA 16.6 16.6 16.5 16.52 115,636
CENTURY FOOD 16.16 16.16 15.8 15.84 11,549,794
DEL MONTE 6.79 6.79 6.62 6.7 45,698
DNL INDUS 11.66 11.68 11.58 11.66 6,170,416
EMPERADOR 7.5 7.7 7.5 7.62 2,126,075
SMC FOODANDBEV 92 93 91 91.95 22,536,282
ALLIANCE SELECT 1.05 1.05 1.02 1.02 7,409,870
GINEBRA 26.4 27.3 26.4 27.3 103,110
JOLLIBEE 321.2 323.8 316.6 316.6 197,234,356
LIBERTY FLOUR 52.5 53 52.5 53 184,750
MACAY HLDG 14.64 15.24 13.58 14 2,529,216
MAXS GROUP 13 13.48 13 13.1 32,661,152
MG HLDG 0.22 0.221 0.2 0.201 1,286,190
PEPSI COLA 1.4 1.42 1.36 1.36 6,157,630
SHAKEYS PIZZA 12.42 12.84 12.4 12.54 2,736,182
ROXAS AND CO 2.19 2.19 1.85 1.9 3,318,410
RFM CORP 4.71 4.71 4.7 4.7 611,010
ROXAS HLDG 3.06 3.07 2.92 3.02 291,400
SWIFT FOODS 0.133 0.139 0.133 0.139 43,950
UNIV ROBINA 144 147 143.8 146 145,703,471
VITARICH 1.72 1.73 1.68 1.72 3,616,880
VICTORIAS 2.73 2.84 2.61 2.84 1,533,940
CONSTRUCTION, INFRASTRUCTURE & ALLIED SERVICES
CONCRETE A 63.95 63.95 63.95 63.95 1,279
CONCRETE B 71 71 71 71 4,260
CEMEX HLDG 2.42 2.43 2.2 2.24 62,870,470
DAVINCI CAPITAL 6.45 6.46 6.45 6.45 26,465
EAGLE CEMENT 15.98 16 15.94 15.94 2,951,836
EEI CORP 8.25 8.3 8.2 8.28 895,708
HOLCIM 9.14 9.4 9.14 9.38 6,170,734
MEGAWIDE 18.18 18.26 18.04 18.1 10,252,248
PHINMA 8.9 8.9 8.9 8.9 4,450
TKC METALS 1.3 1.38 1.2 1.23 13,549,590
VULCAN INDL 1.42 1.42 1.38 1.38 3,357,450
CHEMICALS
CHEMPHIL 125 125 125 125 23,750
CROWN ASIA 1.8 1.85 1.8 1.85 220,400
LMG CHEMICALS 4.36 4.36 4.36 4.36 8,720
MABUHAY VINYL 3.73 3.73 3.56 3.6 32,580
PRYCE CORP 6 6.01 6 6 105,020
ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS & EQUIPMENT
CONCEPCION 43.5 43.5 43.5 43.5 8,700
GREENERGY 3.21 3.21 3.14 3.18 46,750,900
INTEGRATED MICR 12.68 12.98 12.4 12.5 5,486,600
IONICS 1.79 1.79 1.75 1.75 534,750
PANASONIC 6.15 6.15 5.92 6 62,998
SFA SEMICON 1.44 1.44 1.36 1.36 662,990
CIRTEK HLDG 29.9 29.9 28.7 29.5 4,174,245
HOLDING FIRMS
ABACORE CAPITAL 0.85 0.86 0.83 0.85 19,274,620
ASIABEST GROUP 23 24.2 21.5 21.5 11,247,225
AYALA CORP 926 961 926 961 903,252,235
ABOITIZ EQUITY 63 66 62.4 66 137,056,172
ALLIANCE GLOBAL 13.86 14.02 13.8 13.86 154,009,442
ANSCOR 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 1,950
ANGLO PHIL HLDG 0.84 1.22 0.84 0.9 25,052,100
ATN HLDG A 1.43 1.45 1.42 1.44 4,095,530
ATN HLDG B 1.45 1.46 1.44 1.45 1,928,340
COSCO CAPITAL 7.37 7.37 7.3 7.34 4,267,120
DMCI HLDG 12.6 12.72 12.48 12.5 29,813,588
FILINVEST DEV 14.2 14.72 14 14.06 26,746,036
FORUM PACIFIC 0.228 0.295 0.228 0.235 1,450,140
GT CAPITAL 1,000 1,000 981 990 316,544,350
HOUSE OF INV 6.08 6.15 6.08 6.15 109,370
JG SUMMIT 62.5 64.95 62.25 62.25 101,088,352.50
LODESTAR 0.63 0.63 0.62 0.63 78,840
LOPEZ HLDG 5.23 5.26 5.15 5.26 4,478,852
LT GROUP 15.08 15.3 14.8 15.3 50,328,964
METRO PAC INV 4.9 4.91 4.79 4.79 39,380,220
PACIFICA 0.044 0.047 0.042 0.042 13,631,300
PRIME ORION 2.71 2.8 2.63 2.63 1,851,040
PRIME MEDIA 1.2 1.2 1.18 1.18 341,740
REPUBLIC GLASS 2.58 2.58 2.58 2.58 2,580
SOLID GROUP 1.39 1.42 1.36 1.42 102,550
SM INVESTMENTS 989 989 969.5 970 284,152,720
SAN MIGUEL CORP 164 164 162.1 163 80,248,651
SOC RESOURCES 0.8 0.83 0.79 0.83 161,160
SEAFRONT RES 2.36 2.38 2.36 2.38 33,260
TOP FRONTIER 276.2 282 273 278.4 2,921,102
WELLEX INDUS 0.26 0.265 0.255 0.255 1,456,200
ZEUS HLDG 0.37 0.4 0.36 0.38 42,184,000
PROPERTY
“(Duterte) also vetoed the
provision on the presumption
of correctness of estate tax
amnesty returns. The President
has always had a strong stance
against wrongdoers — thus,
accountability is very important
in this grant. When one avails
of the amnesty, the government
should be able to verify his
declarations,” he said.
According to Dominguez,
President Duterte put his foot
down on the provision for a general
tax amnesty because the law, as
crafted, lacked a mechanism that
would “break the walls of bank
secrecy.”
Joshua Lao
23.8 percent. This means that Smart users
in the country were twice as likely to
experience the “excellent” standard, which
is needed for the more demanding mobile
use cases, like HD video calling or 1080p
video streaming.
In this category, Smart ranked 6th out of the
total 15 operators included in the study which
covered Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and
Thailand and included 85 billion mobile network
measurements collected between 1 December
2018 and 9 January 2019.
ARTHALAND CORP 0.93 1.02 0.9 0.9 18,619,030
ANCHOR LAND 11.06 11.06 10.96 10.96 32,980
AYALA LAND 44.95 44.95 44.2 44.5 294,734,680
ARANETA PROP 1.85 2.25 1.85 1.93 15,440,780
BELLE CORP 2.51 2.55 2.49 2.5 2,470,420
A BROWN 0.8 0.83 0.79 0.8 3,480,890
CITYLAND DEVT 0.94 1.05 0.9 0.9 2,572,390
CROWN EQUITIES 0.255 0.26 0.25 0.255 4,429,500
CEBU HLDG 6.48 6.48 6.22 6.48 39,396
CEB LANDMASTERS 3.96 4.02 3.9 4.02 8,020,370
CENTURY PROP 0.495 0.5 0.485 0.485 7,251,790
CYBER BAY 0.415 0.425 0.41 0.415 464,000
DOUBLEDRAGON 22.5 22.85 22.45 22.45 8,630,860
DM WENCESLAO 10.46 10.6 10.26 10.4 15,872,542
EMPIRE EAST 0.55 0.6 0.55 0.57 9,532,220
The
is coming
out with new pages for
property news and features
called Living Spaces
and another focusing on
information and technology
called Techtalk each
weekend. We are excited as
you are, our readers.
NAME OPEN HIGH LOW CLOSE VALUE (P)
EVER GOTESCO 0.14 0.14 0.132 0.134 397,800
FILINVEST LAND 1.54 1.54 1.52 1.52 8,569,920
GLOBAL ESTATE 1.24 1.31 1.24 1.25 3,387,980
8990 HLDG 11.92 12 11.8 11.96 27,276,560
PHIL INFRADEV 2.22 2.22 2.2 2.21 6,299,950
CITY AND LAND 0.84 1.1 0.84 0.85 5,743,250
MEGAWORLD 5.15 5.2 5.13 5.13 88,707,461
MRC ALLIED 0.44 0.44 0.42 0.44 8,103,550
PHIL ESTATES 0.47 0.47 0.47 0.47 267,900
PRIMEX CORP 2.91 2.91 2.75 2.76 3,512,840
ROBINSONS LAND 22.85 22.9 21.8 21.95 49,738,940
PHIL REALTY 0.49 0.51 0.46 0.48 3,239,350
ROCKWELL 2.06 2.06 2.03 2.04 83,690
SHANG PROP 3.13 3.15 3.13 3.13 739,720
STA LUCIA LAND 1.42 1.45 1.38 1.44 3,822,390
SM PRIME HLDG 39 39.4 38.95 39.4 170,748,800
STARMALLS 6.38 6.38 6.05 6.1 7,339,914
SUNTRUST HOME 0.77 0.85 0.74 0.82 1,223,710
VISTA LAND 6.3 8 6.24 8 138,512,249
SERVICES
MEDIA
ABS CBN 23.2 23.2 22.9 23 1,529,860
GMA NETWORK 5.8 5.82 5.76 5.78 375,070
MANILA BULLETIN 0.77 0.84 0.75 0.79 16,974,800
MLA BRDCASTING 16.02 17.88 16.02 17.88 42,354
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
GLOBE TELECOM 1,930 1,983 1,890 1,890 65,430,265
PLDT 1,170 1,202 1,112 1,112 280,536,180
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
APOLLO GLOBAL 0.045 0.046 0.043 0.045 1,076,700
DFNN INC 7.21 7.21 7.2 7.2 104,420
IMPERIAL 2.1 2.1 2.01 2.1 165,880
ISLAND INFO 0.149 0.149 0.13 0.13 5,001,980
ISM COMM 6.3 6.38 6.17 6.2 24,831,750
JACKSTONES 3.15 3.15 3.15 3.15 9,450
NOW CORP 3.14 3.19 3.05 3.07 5,320,600
TRANSPACIFIC BR 0.45 0.45 0.44 0.445 3,661,350
PHILWEB 3.2 3.22 3.15 3.18 4,722,820
TRANSPORTATION SERVICES
2GO GROUP 13.1 13.8 13.04 13.7 385,088
ASIAN TERMINALS 15.76 15.76 15.76 15.76 1,576
CEBU AIR 87.65 87.65 86.1 86.5 7,529,923
CHELSEA 6.36 6.4 6.2 6.2 13,850,627
INTL CONTAINER 115.8 116.8 115 115 275,220,359
LBC EXPRESS 15.94 15.94 15.52 15.52 105,246
LORENZO SHIPPNG 0.96 0.96 0.9 0.93 56,820
MACROASIA 19.8 20.05 19.4 19.62 7,172,542
METROALLIANCE A 2.09 2.12 2.06 2.06 829,210
METROALLIANCE B 2.11 2.3 2.11 2.3 75,040
PAL HLDG 12.4 12.4 12 12.2 1,227,288
HARBOR STAR 2.82 2.95 2.81 2.9 7,434,510
HOTEL & LEISURE
ACESITE HOTEL 1.32 1.32 1.32 1.32 35,640
BOULEVARD HLDG 0.067 0.069 0.067 0.068 4,799,590
GRAND PLAZA 11.04 11.06 11.04 11.06 8,846
WATERFRONT 0.74 0.75 0.71 0.72 1,295,180
EDUCATION
IPEOPLE 10.96 11.22 10.94 11.22 34,242
STI HLDG 0.77 0.77 0.74 0.74 13,986,790
CASINOS & GAMING
BERJAYA 3.01 3.02 2.75 2.85 7,955,300
BLOOMBERRY 12.1 13 12.08 13 1,516,416,386
PACIFIC ONLINE 9.3 9.3 9.26 9.26 20,440
LEISURE AND RES 3.32 3.32 3.31 3.31 1,367,420
PH RESORTS GRP 5.6 5.6 5.02 5.4 23,674,528
PREMIUM LEISURE 0.97 0.98 0.95 0.97 4,616,760
TRAVELLERS 5.56 5.61 5.56 5.6 5,990,017
RETAIL
METRO RETAIL 2.88 3.03 2.85 3 22,295,640
PUREGOLD 47 47.5 46.9 47.1 28,057,115
ROBINSONS RTL 88.5 89 85 85 42,437,721.50
PHIL SEVEN CORP 133.5 133.8 132.8 133.8 15,095,254
SSI GROUP 2.34 2.35 2.13 2.13 51,436,270
WILCON DEPOT 14.5 14.5 14.04 14.04 28,208,802
OTHER SERVICES
APC GROUP 0.465 0.465 0.45 0.46 750,950
EASYCALL 15.2 15.22 14.92 15.16 2,632,528
GOLDEN BRIA 360 360 348.4 360 803,920
IPM HLDG 7.2 7.24 7.1 7.2 72,789
PRMIERE HORIZON 1.44 1.53 1.33 1.33 157,092,600
SBS PHIL CORP 8.88 8.98 8.81 8.98 560,898
MINING & OIL
MINING
ATOK 13.96 13.96 13.5 13.9 27,146
APEX MINING 1.53 1.53 1.49 1.49 6,292,070
ABRA MINING 0.0022 0.0022 0.0021 0.0022 1,136,100
ATLAS MINING 2.96 3 2.96 3 98,600
BENGUET A 1.35 1.35 1.34 1.34 100,560
BENGUET B 1.26 1.26 1.23 1.23 39,480
COAL ASIA HLDG 0.32 0.32 0.3 0.305 726,750
CENTURY PEAK 2.16 2.24 2.16 2.16 6,555,650
DIZON MINES 8.1 8.14 7.93 8.14 23,489
FERRONICKEL 1.48 1.68 1.48 1.66 53,321,200
GEOGRACE 0.315 0.325 0.305 0.305 1,042,150
LEPANTO A 0.131 0.131 0.131 0.131 72,050
LEPANTO B 0.133 0.135 0.133 0.135 4,010
MANILA MINING A 0.011 0.011 0.009 0.0091 793,450
MANILA MINING B 0.01 0.01 0.009 0.0093 801,040
MARCVENTURES 1.14 1.14 1.09 1.13 295,130
NIHAO 1.17 1.17 1.08 1.12 446,940
NICKEL ASIA 2.65 2.65 2.6 2.65 5,321,620
OMICO CORP 0.77 0.81 0.75 0.76 2,690,760
ORNTL PENINSULA 1 1.03 0.99 1 567,210
PX MINING 4.16 4.18 4.07 4.07 6,775,190
SEMIRARA MINING 23.5 23.5 23.05 23.05 17,002,985
UNITED PARAGON 0.0088 0.0088 0.008 0.008 785,400
OIL
ORNTL PETROL A 0.012 0.013 0.012 0.013 26,100
ORNTL PETROL B 0.013 0.013 0.013 0.013 5,852,600
PHILODRILL 0.013 0.013 0.012 0.012 51,600
PHINMA PETRO 3.59 3.59 3.29 3.53 1,197,410
PXP ENERGY 14.22 14.52 14.16 14.16 9,065,076
PREFERRED
AC PREF B1 461 461 461 461 23,050
AC PREF B2 482 498.4 482 498.4 29,576
ALCO PREF B 101 101 101 101 151,500
DD PREF 97 98 97 98 3,495,930
SMC FB PREF 2 991 991 991 991 9,503,690
FPH PREF C 450 455 450 450 729,328
GLO PREF P 497 497 496 496 287,920
GTCAP PREF B 899 900 899 900 26,990
LR PREF 1 1.01 1 1.01 152,020
PNX PREF 3A 100 100 100 100 3,000
SMC PREF 2B 75.5 75.5 75.1 75.1 6,016
SMC PREF 2C 76.45 76.5 76.45 76.5 2,422,600
SMC PREF 2E 73.5 73.5 73.4 73.45 4,041,750
SMC PREF 2F 75.3 75.3 75.3 75.3 3,765
SMC PREF 2G 73.2 73.2 73.2 73.2 3,660
SMC PREF 2H 73.75 74 73.75 74 406,725
SMC PREF 2I 73.5 73.5 73.4 73.5 3,016,675
PHIL. DEPOSITARY RECEIPTS
ABS HLDG PDR 20.8 20.8 20.7 20.7 635,470
WARRANTS
LR WARRANT 1.93 1.93 1.91 1.92 255,540
SMALL, MEDIUM & EMERGING
ITALPINAS 4.72 4.79 4.7 4.71 2,614,940
XURPAS 1.79 1.81 1.57 1.6 127,813,010
EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS
FIRST METRO ETF 119 119.2 118 118 593,908

Monday, 18 February 2019
Daily Tribune
11

12
SNAPS
Monday,
18 February 2019
Daily Tribune
Defeating fear The
government acted as one
in responding to the measles
outbreak as legislators led by
Senators Richard Gordon and
Manny Pacquiao and President
Rodrigo Duterte made their pitch
for immunization to counter the
hysteria against vaccination programs
created by the Dengvaxia mess of
the administration of former President
Benigno Aquino. PHOTOS BY BOB DUNGO
JR. YUMMIE DINGDING AND AFP
My countrymen, cases
of measles have been on
the rise and one of its
complications is death
It all started with an expensive
P3.5-billion anti-dengue
immunization program using
a vaccine called Dengvaxia in
a deal clinched close to the
2016 elections by top officials led
by then President Benigno Aquino.
The French manufacturer,
Sanofi Pasteur, announced the
vaccine has a detrimental effect
on those innoculated but did
not have a history of the disease
which means that it can’t be used
as preventive medication.
Still, it was administered in a
mass immunization program to
some 830,000 persons, mainly
children.
The Department of Health
(DoH), in late November 2017,
temporarily suspended the
program after Sanofi Pasteur
issued its statement.
The Dengvaxia mess
then ensued as reports
of several children dying
from various complications
allegedly attributed to the
dengue vaccine emerged,
resulting to a scare among
parents who started
to shun government
vaccinations.
“Not only did
people lose
confidence
in the
Yellow plague
immunization program, there was a general loss of
confidence in the department,” a DoH official said.
On Friday, citing the urgency to halt the spread of
measles cases in the country, President Rodrigo Duterte
appealed to the public, especially parents of young
children, to have their kids vaccinated against the
dreaded viral disease.
Rody steps in
In a taped message aired on government
station PTV 4 last Friday night, the Chief
Executive urged everyone, particularly
those residing in areas where the DoH
have recorded a high number of cases
of measles, to take advantage of the
government’s free mass immunization
program.
“My countrymen, cases of measles
have been on the rise and one of its
complications is death,” Mr. Duterte
opened.
“For our children, the only way to
prevent this is through vaccination,”
he concluded.
The President also gave assurances that there is no
need to fear getting administered with vaccines available
at public health facilities.
Not only did people lose confidence in the
immunization program, there was a general loss
of confidence in the department.
A downtrend in the government program started during
the last three years of the previous Aquino administration,
reckoned Sen. Richard Gordon, chairman of the Philippine
Red Cross.
He said despite the rush on the Denvaxia vaccine, the
program on measles was obviously not prioritized, thus
the current outbreak of the highly-contagious diseases in
various regions.
According to Gordon, from as high as 91 percent coverage
of the government immunization program, it went down
to 75 percent in 2014, then 69 percent for 2015 and 2015
and as low as 39 percent in 2018.
Yellow greed, thus, had its lethal effect in the hysteria
created on the failed immunization program that, in turn,
scared the public away from government-administered
immunization drive.
Chito Lozada

BARRETT
POWERS
DUKE
P14
CHINA,
THAILAND
HOLD STRATEGIC
DISCOURSE
P16
MORE
THAN
JUST
MEMES
P17
PPO
GOES
TO
DAVAO
P18
Aldrin Cardona, Editor
Monday, 18 February 2019
Daily Tribune
SPORTS 13
DIALLO DUNK KING
Shaq whack hits smack
I just came out and gave the crowd what they were
looking for
LOS ANGELES — Oklahoma City Thunder guard Hamidou Diallo
used National Basketball Association great Shaquille O’Neal as a
prop to record a perfect score and capture the NBA Slam Dunk title
on Saturday.
The high-flying rookie put out a call over the loudspeaker for the
“biggest person in the building” and out strolled the 7-foot-1 O’Neal
who is considered one of the greatest players in league history.
Diallo positioned O’Neal four feet from the basket, and sailed over
the former Los Angeles Laker to finish with his right arm stuffed
inside the rim. He brought the crowd at the Spectrum Center in
Charlotte, North Carolina to its feet and the judges responded by
giving him a perfect 50 score.
The high-flying rookie put out a call over the loudspeaker
for the “biggest person in the building” and out strolled
the 7-foot-1 O’Neal.
The Slam Dunk event was one of several skills contests featured on
Saturday night as part of the build-up to Sunday’s 2019 NBA All-Star
game (Monday in Manila).
“The atmosphere was great,” Diallo said. “I just came out and
gave the crowd what they were looking for.”
Diallo needed a 43 to win on his second and last dunk of the finals
to beat New York Knicks guard Dennis Smith, who finished runner-up.
Diallo also called on US rapper Quavious Marshall (Quavo) to
hold the ball just above his head, sprinted from the right corner of
the court and crammed a two-handed jam.
“I was a little nervous,” Diallo confessed.
Brooklyn Nets’ Joe Harris earned the title of best shooter by
upsetting Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry in the
Three Point contest.
Harris drained a dozen straight shots in the final round to finish
with a score of 26 points.
Curry was second with 24 and the Sacramento Kings’ Buddy Hield
rounded out the top three with 19 points.
There were 10 players in the event and seven were eliminated in
the opening round.
Brooklyn Nets’ Joe Harris earned the title of best
shooter by upsetting Golden State Warriors superstar
Stephen Curry in the Three Point contest.
Curry won the first round with 27 points out of a possible 34.
Hield was second with 26 points and Harris finished with 25 to grab
the last spot in the finals.
Defending champion Devin Booker made his last seven shots but
was eliminated in a tie for fourth with Danny Green. AFP
NBA, Fiba form
Africa league
The Basketball Africa League, a new collaboration
between the NBA and the sport’s global governing
body FIBA, was announced
NATIONAL Basketball
Association Commissioner
Adam Silver.
AP
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The National
Basketball Association is bringing a
pro league to Africa.
The Basketball Africa League, a
new collaboration between the
NBA and the sport’s global governing
body FIBA, was announced Saturday.
The initial plan is for the 12-team
league to begin play in January, and
former President Barack Obama is
among those who are expected to have
direct involvement with the league’s plan to
keep growing the game in Africa through
the league and other initiatives.
The scope of what Obama’s involvement
remains unknown, and it’s yet to be
determined which existing club teams
will be part of the league. Qualification
tournaments will be held later this year
to determine those clubs, with teams from Angola, Egypt, Kenya,
Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia
expected to be among those taking part. No nation will have
more than two teams in the league.
AP
OKLAHOMA City Thunder Hamidou Diallo leaps over former NBA player Shaquille O’Neal for his NBA
All-Star Slam triumph.
AP
Davis has been the talk of the NBA the past
couple of weeks since he confirmed what his
agent revealed, that the star big man wants a
trade from the Pelicans and won’t sign a new
long-term deal with New Orleans
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Atlantic Division
W L Pct GB
Toronto 43 16 .729 —
Boston 37 21 .638 5½
Philadelphia 37 21 .638 5½
Brooklyn 30 29 .508 13
New York 11 47 .190 31½
Southeast Division
Charlotte 27 30 .474 —
Miami 26 30 .464 ½
Orlando 27 32 .458 1
Washington 24 34 .414 3½
Atlanta 19 39 .328 8½
Central Division
Milwaukee 43 14 .754 —
Indiana 38 20 .655 5½
Detroit 26 30 .464 16½
Chicago 14 44 .241 29½
Cleveland 12 46 .207 31½
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Southwest Division
Houston 33 24 .579 —
San Antonio 33 26 .559 1
Dallas 26 31 .456 7
New Orleans 26 33 .441 8
Memphis 23 36 .390 11
Northwest Division
Denver 39 18 .684 —
Oklahoma City 37 20 .649 2
Portland 34 23 .596 5
Utah 32 25 .561 7
Minnesota 27 30 .474 12
Pacific Division
Golden State 41 16 .719 —
L.A. Clippers 32 27 .542 10
Sacramento 30 27 .526 11
L.A. Lakers 28 29 .491 13
Phoenix 11 48 .186 31
Sunday’s Games
(Monday in Manila)
(at Charlotte, N.C.)
2019 NBA All-Star Game
Team LeBron West vs. Team Giannis East
Davis wants Boston move
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — New Orleans Pelicans star
Anthony Davis said Saturday he would welcome a trade
to the Boston Celtics or any other National Basketball
Association team, stretching his desired list of prospective
new clubs.
The 25-year-old forward repeated his desire to play in
Sunday’s 68th NBA All-Star Game but said he would have
to see how his bruised left shoulder felt ahead of tip-off
in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Davis has been the talk of the NBA the past couple of
weeks since he confirmed what his agent revealed, that the
star big man wants a trade from the Pelicans and won’t sign
a new long-term deal with New Orleans.
No deal was struck by last week’s NBA trade deadline, with
reports that Davis first wanted a deal only to New York or
the Los Angeles Lakers, later adding Milwaukee and the Los
Angeles Clippers to the list.
At the time, the Boston Celtics were thought to be
the team with the most to offer the Pelicans in return
but the report revealing Davis wanted out in New
Orleans indicated he did not want to go to Boston.
Davis says that’s not so, repeating several times on
Saturday of the Celtics that “they are on my list” while
telling the NBA’s television network “all 29 other teams
are on my list” and he had no preferred destination.
“I just want to go to a team that wins,” Davis said. AFP
DAVIS
AP

14 SPORTS
Monday, 18 February 2019
Daily Tribune
RARIN’ TO PLAY
Pogoy serves last sanction
I don’t mind sitting one more game. That’s not a
problem
By John Bryan Ulanday
Guard Roger Pogoy will not be available for Team Pilipinas in the
last window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers this Thursday
against Qatar as he is still to serve the last of a five-game suspension
he received last year.
But for the Talk ‘N Text player, he is just grateful for the chance
to don the national colors anew in order to redeem himself when he
finally sees action against Kazakhstan on 24 February.
“I don’t mind sitting one more game. That’s not a problem,” said
Pogoy, a long-time member of the cadet team before being promoted
to the elite squad in his PBA entry in 2016.
“I waited for months just to be back in the
national team. What’s more important is I’m back.
I’m just excited,” he said.
Pogoy was part of the massive brawl between
the Philippines and Australia last July at the
Philippine Arena in Bulacan, resulting in hefty
fines and multiple player versus suspensions on both
federations.
What’s more important is I’m back. I’m
just excited.
He already served four of his five-game
suspensions during the fourth window
last September and fifth window last
Full Taiwanese force coming
November, making him available for the must-win match of the
Nationals against this Sunday.
“I’ve been dreaming of returning to the national team for a
while just to prove that I am not that type of player or person
(who loves to brawl),” the former FEU stalwart said.
I waited for months just to be back in the national
team.
But more than redemption, Pogoy just wants to help Team
Pilipinas boost its chances of qualifying in the World Cup especially
now that it is in danger of elimination at fourth spot with a 5-5- record
behind Group B leaders Australia (9-1), Iran (7-3) and Japan (6-4).
“The country worked two years in this Asian Qualifiers just to get
to the World Cup,” he said. “We’ll not waste this
chance and I’m confident on our chances
especially now Andray Blatche is also
back.”
Koreans Park Eun Suk
and Lim Mi Jin also aim to
duplicate compatriot Lee
Jeong Hwa’s title feat in 2012
A 31-player strong Taiwanese contingent
sets out for the Champion Philippine Ladies
Amateur Open, all ready and raring to
grab the spotlight in the country’s premier
championship unfolding tomorrow at the
posh Manila Golf Club in Forbes Park.
Sung You-Chuan, Chiang Su-Er and
Lee Shu Fen spearhead the big crew from
Chinese-Taipei out to snap the domination
of the locals and the Thais in the annual
event which drew an elite international cast,
including six each from Singapore and the
United States, four from South Korea, three
from Australia and two from Japan.
The hosts are fielding in 39 players,
headed by defending champion and Asian
Games gold medalist Yuka Saso, upbeat of
their chances to extend their reign to a fourth
straight year but wary of one of the strongest
fields ever assembled in the annual event.
Tipped to back Sung, Chiang and
Lee in their title chase in the 54-hole
championship organized and conducted
by the Womens’ Golf Association of the
Philippines are Huang Jo Chan, Wang Ya
Chin, Tang Su Nu, Su Daphne, Wang Hsin
Yu, Tsai Hsin Hui and Shih Li Mei.
Still, focus will be on Saso and a
crack bunch of local aces, including
recent W Express RVF Cup winner Junia
Gabasa, along with the three young Thais
seeking to reclaim the crown last won by
compatriot Pimnipa Panthong at Wack
Wack in 2015.
Like the rest of the field, 16-year-olds Yosita
Khawnuna and Natthakritta Vongtaveelap
and Chanettee Wannasaen, who will turn 15
Barrett powers Duke
The freshman had the program’s first triple-double
in 13 years, finishing with 23 points, 11 rebounds
and a season-high 10 assists
DURHAM, N.C. — RJ Barrett always seems to do it all for No. 2
Duke. This time, it showed up on the stat sheet.
The freshman had the program’s first triple-double in 13 years,
finishing with 23 points, 11 rebounds and a season-high 10 assists in
the Blue Devils’ 94-78 victory over North Carolina State on Saturday
night.
DUKE’S RJ Barrett celebrates after a score during their NCAA basketball
game in Durham, N.C.
AP
in April, are all primed
up for the event, eager
to slug it out it with the
best and the brightest in three
days of top-notch shotmaking and
putting.
Koreans Park Eun Suk and Lim Mi
Jin also aim to duplicate compatriot
Lee Jeong Hwa’s title feat in 2012
while Japanese Airi Mitsuhashi and
Ikuko Kito, a regular campaigner
on the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour,
likewise seek to contend in the
tournament.
Other Pinays vying in the
event are Nicole Abelar, Sunshine
Baraquiel, Laia Barro, Sophia
Blanco, Annyka Cayabyab, Laurea
Duque, Sophia Legaspi, Pamela
Mariano, Kayla Nocum,
Rafaela Singson, Eagle Ace
Superal and Rianne Malixi.
Zion Williamson scored 32 points on
12-of-16 shooting and Tre Jones added
13 to help the Blue Devils (23-2, 11-1
Atlantic Coast Conference) win their
ninth straight.
“My teammates were obviously
finishing and it was great to play with
them, especially Zion especially at the
end, just grabbing everything, finishing
everything,” Barrett said.
Barrett became the fourth Duke
player with a triple-double and the first
since Shelden Williams in January 2006.
He completed it in the final minute,
hitting Williamson for a layup that put
Duke up 90-74.
My teammates were obviously
finishing and it was great to
play with them, especially
Zion especially at the end, just
grabbing everything, finishing
everything.
“I wouldn’t say satisfying, but
I’m glad I could help, because he
is my brother,” Williamson said
with a smile. “If it was anybody,
I’m glad it was me.”
Duke overcame 19 percent shooting from three-point range by
building a 44-26 rebounding advantage and scoring 22 points off
N.C. State’s 12 turnovers.
Markell Johnson had 16 points and 10 assists, Torin Dorn
scored 17 points and C.J. Bryce added 13 points for the Wolfpack
(18-8, 6-7), who had their two-game winning streak snapped. AP
LOS ANGELES — Justin Thomas eagled
the first hole of the third round Saturday to
open a one-shot lead over Adam Scott at the
rain-hit Genesis Open, where Tiger Woods
was surging as darkness halted play.
Thomas and Australia’s Scott shared
the 36-hole lead on 11-under par after
both completed six-under par 65s in the
rain-delayed second round.
Thomas, who had 14 birdies in the 30 holes
he played on Friday, kept the momentum
going over six second-round holes on
Saturday morning with a birdie at the fifth
and a par at the par-three sixth — where
he used a wedge on the green to chip over
the distinctive bunker in the middle of the
putting surface.
Hours later he rolled in a 13-foot eagle putt
at Riviera Country Club’s par-five first hole
to move to 13-under par, separating himself
UST vs EAC
in D-League
Transferee guard
Brent Paraiso and
high school star Mark
Nonoy will make their
debut for the Growling
Tigers
Four other teams get their
journeys in the 2019 PBA D-League
going on Monday when University of
Santo Tomas and Batangas-EAC face
off, while SMDC-NU and Chadao-FEU
renew their UAAP rivalry at Paco Arena
in Manila.
Transferee guard Brent Paraiso and
high school star Mark Nonoy will make
their debut for the Growling Tigers, as
well as Beninese forward Soulemane
Chabi Yo.
Renzo Subido and Marvin Lee are still at
the top of the food chain for UST as coach
Aldin Ayo makes his coaching debut in the
developmental level in this 2 p.m. Aspirants
Group duel.
Meanwhile, coach Oliver Bunyi is back in
the fold for Batangas-EAC, albeit this time,
he’s serving as the official head coach for the
Generals as he switched roles with now-deputy
Ariel Sison.
Veterans Cedric de Joya and Earvin Mendoza
also make their return as they reinforce the
Generals core bannered by JP Maguliano and
Renzo Tampoc.
In the 4 p.m. Foundation Group matchup,
Bulldogs coach Jamike Jarin will lean on the duo
of Dave Ildefonso and John Lloyd Clemente, with
Senegalese big man Issa Gaye manning the paint.
Also set for their debut are high-flyer Daniel
Chatman, as well as former Bullpups Migs Oczon
and Robert Minerva.
On the other hand, the Tamaraws are set to unveil
their newest man in the middle in Cameroonian
center Patrick Tchuente.
He will be a huge help for coach Olsen Racela
and the rest of Chadao-FEU as he embarks on a new
era with holdovers Ken Tuffin, Wendell Comboy,
Barkley Ebona and Hubert Cani.
Thomas leads Scott by one
It’s good to get off to a good start
and go home and get some rest
POGOY
Renzo Subido and Marvin Lee are still
at the top of the food chain for UST
as coach Aldin Ayo makes his coaching
debut in the developmental level.
from Scott who birdied the same hole before
both parred the second.
Americans Patrick Rodgers and J.B.
Holmes were both 11-under par with 16
holes to play.
“It just is such a long day,” Thomas said.
“It’s good to get off to a good start and go
home and get some rest.”
The third round was set to resume at 6:45
a.m. (1445 GMT), as organizers pushed to
complete a tournament that lost seven hours
to a rain delay on Thursday. AFP
MIKE Weir of Canada is stretched by his caddie on the 12th hole during the third round of the LECOM Suncoast Classic at Lakewood National Golf Club. AFP

Monday, 18 February 2019
Daily Tribune
ON A HOT START
Spikers wring Ateneo
SPORTS
15
La Salle, eyeing a fourth straight title, went
back to business in the fourth set, led by
graduating team captain Desiree Cheng
By Joel Orellana
Games Wednesday
(at the FilOil Arena)
2 p.m. Ateneo vs. UST
4 p.m. UP vs. FEU
Defending champion De La Salle University
started its title-retention bid on a high note by
trashing archrival Ateneo de Manila University,
25-14, 25-17, 16-25, 25-19, in Season 81 University
Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP)
women’s volleyball tournament Sunday at the Mall
of Asia Arena.
The Lady Spikers dominated the first two sets
before the Lady Eagles, now under new head coach
Oliver Almado, made the game interesting with a
25-16 win in the third set.
But La Salle, eyeing a fourth straight title, went
back to business in the fourth set led by graduating
team captain Desiree Cheng, who scored the last
two points of the match, including her third service
ace to secure the victory.
Cheng led the Lady Spikers with 13 points, eight
on attacks, three aces and two blocks to spoil the
coaching debut of Almado, who replaced Tai Bundit
at the helm.
La Salle capitalized on Ateneo’s 12 unforced
errors in the first set for an easy 25-14 win and
duplicated the feat in the next set with a 23-16
victory to take a commanding 2-0 lead.
But Kat Tolentino anchored the Lady Eagles’
comeback in the third set and forced their chief
rivals to commit 11 errors and extend the match
in the fourth set with a 25-16 win.
In the first game, Eya Laure debuted for
University of Santo Tomas (UST) in style, leading
the Golden Tigresses to a pulsating 25-21, 25-21,
24-26, 24-26, 15-6 victory over Adamson University.
The rookie out of UST high school program
finished with 17 points, 13 on attacks, to give
head coach KungFu Reyes his first opening-game
win in four years.
“In the last three years, we always lost our first
game so this is historic for us,” said Reyes, who
also drew 17 points from his graduating skipper
Sisi Rondina, 15 on attacks.
“In the third and fourth sets, we were not able
to set our plays right and it was really the breaks
of the game. Lessons learned for us. And we played
outstanding in the fifth set and that’s important
for us,” he added.
La Salle capitalized on Ateneo’s 12 unforced
errors in the first set for an easy 25-14 win
and duplicated the feat in the next set with
a 23-16 victory to take a commanding 2-0
lead.
UST took the first two sets, 25-21, 25-21 and
nearly blew a two-set lead as the Lady Falcons,
behind team captain Eli Soyud, led the Adamson
fightback, taking the next two sets, 26-24, 26-24, to
send the match to a deciding fifth frame.
But the Golden Tigresses banked on Laure,
Rondina and Filipino-Italian opposite spiker Milena
Alessandrini to avoid a major collapse.
UST found its bearings back in the final set,
erecting a quick 5-0 lead and the Lady Falcons
gave little resistance to surrender the victory to
the Espana-based squad.
Alessandrini contributed 15 points while
Kecelyn Galdones, a prized find from University of
the East, also had a solid outing in her first game
with eight points.
Bernadette Flora paced Adamson with 14 points
on 11 attacks while Soyud, a transferee from La
Salle two seasons ago, added 13 markers for the
San Marcelino-based team. Chiara Permentilla
chipped in 12 points for the squad of coach Airess
Padda.
Adamson had a slow start and committed 21
unforced errors in the first two sets to trail early,
but Soyud and Permentilla joined hands in the
next two sets to extend the match. But the Lady
Falcons lost steam and yielded the victory to UST.
ADUKE Ogunsanya of De La Salle University celebrates a point against Ateneo during their UAAP volleyball
match last night.
JOAQUIN FLORES
PSA fetes Lady Bulldogs
DENISE Herrmann (rear) of Germany and Marte Olsbu Roeiseland of Norway
shoot in the women’s 10-km pursuit during the World Cup biathlon Saturday
in Midway, Utah.
AP
NU, Ateneo
in finals clash
Making their eight consecutive Finals appearance,
the Bullpups hope to regain the crown they last
won in the 2015-16
The last two teams standing in the UAAP Season 81 juniors
basketball tournament, National University and Ateneo, open their
best-of-three Finals series today at the Filoil Flying V Centre.
Making their eight consecutive Finals appearance, the Bullpups
hope to regain the crown they last won in the 2015-16 season behind
Terrence Fortea, Gerry Abadiano, Cyril Gonzales, Carl Tamayo and
Kevin Quiambao.
The Bullpups lost to the Blue Eaglets in the championship series
last year that went the distance.
Kai Sotto, Ateneo’s tower of power, knows that NU is the hungrier
team when Game 1 tips off at 3 p.m.
The Eaglets were swept by the Bullpups in their elimination round
head-to-head this season.
Ateneo hopes to have a healthy ace guard Forthsky Padrigao, who
sat out late in their game against Far Eastern University-Diliman
due to cramps.
The Sotto-Geo Chiu twin towers will be the Eaglets’ main weapon
to match up against the Bullpups duo of Tamayo and Quiambao.
Game 2 will be on Friday, while the deciding game, if necessary,
will be played next Monday.
Peñalosas victorious
By Gabriel G. Malagar
CEBU CITY — Dave “The Hunter” Peñalosa disposed of Mexican
rival Marcos Cardenas via a fourth round knockout to win the
vacant WBO-OPBF featherweight title fight the other night at the
North EDSA Skydome.
With his victory, the 28-year old Dave Peñalosa improved
his record to 15-0, 11 via knockouts while Cardenas is down
to 19-7-1, 15 KO.
The official time was 2:47 in round 4.
Dave pummeled Cardenas by hitting solid punches on the
chin and abdomen.
Promoter Gerry Peñalosa, the former two-division, also knocked
out Thai boxer Watana Phenbaan in 2:22 of the third round.
A veteran boxer from Ormoc City, Johnriel Casimero, also
defeated his Japanese rival Kenya Yamashita via a 6th round
knockout to improve his record to 26-4, 17 KO.
The remarkable feat is certainly
one for the books that the Lady
Bulldogs will be bestowed with the
President’s Award in next week’s
SMC-PSA Annual Awards Night
The National University Lady Bulldogs
have set a new standard for excellence last
year after winning their 80th straight game
on the way to retaining the UAAP women’s
basketball crown.
Coached by Pat Aquino and bannered by
Finals MVP and national team player Jack
Animam, the Jhocson-based school rewrote
history by extending its long unbeaten streak
I can say that Valentine’s Day
for me was quite special
Like Christmas or New Year, we consider
Valentine’s Day as a special time of the year.
It is the time when we get to express
our love and affection for someone through
flowers, chocolates, food or even simple
letters.
Don’t get me wrong, it is not just for
lovers. I believe that for as long as somebody
is dear to you like your parents, siblings,
friends, relatives and neighbors, you can still
celebrate it with them and make it special.
That’s exactly how I spent my Valentine’s
Day.
I grew up as a student-athlete. Yes, there
had been perks, but there were also lots of
limitations, especially in managing our time
for special occasions like the Valentine’s Day.
So, for the past few years, I celebrated
Valentine’s Day with my teammates. We had
training for Petron that day. It was quite
tough, but that’s part of the life of an athlete
and I’m gladly embracing it.
We know that “volleyball is life,”
so there’s really no assurance if we
would have free time on Valentine’s
Day.
When I was at De La Salle University, our
managers used to surprise us with flowers
after training. There’s hardly any time for us
to go on dates because the second week of
February is very busy for us since it was the
start of the University Athletic Association of
the Philippines women’s volleyball season.
Although I’m now in the Philippine
Superliga, celebrating Valentine’s Day still
depends on my team’s schedule. We know
that “volleyball is life,” so there’s really no
assurance if we would have free time on
and claiming a fifth straight championship
during Season 81 of the league.
It was the fifth straight year the team went
undefeated, while at the same time, broke
the longest winning streak of any sport in
UAAP history previously held by the Adamson
women’s softball team at 73.
Incidentally, Ria Nabalan and Jhianne
Layug were the only members of the team
who were part of all the Lady Bulldogs’ five
championships.
The remarkable feat is certainly one for
the books that the Lady Bulldogs will be
bestowed with the President’s Award in next
week’s SMC-PSA (Philippine Sportswriters
Association) Annual Awards Night at the
Manila Hotel.
The event presented by MILO, the
Special Valentine’s
MIKA’S BLOCK
Mika Reyes
I SPENT my Valentines weekend with this very
special person — the love of my life, my Mama.
Valentine’s Day.
All I know is that training is our main
priority and we have to adjust our time for a
love life (LOL!).
Okay, as I was saying, during the previous
Valentine’s Day, I was with my Petron
teammates.
Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), and
Cignal TV, will be held on 26 February.
“Theirs is an inspiring story of what
individual talent coupled with the right
chemistry can do. The National University
Lady Bulldogs certainly deserve this
accolade, which comes at a time when the
PSA also recognizes five young ladies as its
co-winners of the Athlete of the Year award,”
PSA president Eduardo ‘Dodo’ Catacutan of
SPIN.ph said.
The Lady Bulldogs now join the elite ranks
of previous President’s Award winners such
as Manny V. Pangilinan, Gilas Pilipinas 3.0,
the Ateneo Blue Eagles, fellow National
University Bulldogs, pool champions Rubilen
Amit, Dennis Orcollo and Lee Van Corteza,
among others.
We had a team meeting at the San Miguel
Corp. headquarters in Ortigas, where we
heard Mass, had an early lunch and had a
meeting with our boss — Alfrancis Chua — and
Petron management like we usually do at the
start of every conference.
Later that night, we had a tune-up match.
After that, we had dinner of various grilled
Filipino food like barbecue, isaw and liempo
for our imports — Stephanie Niemer and
Katherine Bell — to experience. We brought
them to this very simple, but nice, place
around the University of Santo Tomas area so
they could experience that kind of ambience.
We all enjoyed our dinner.
I can say that Valentine’s Day for me was
quite special.
It was good that Regine (Velasquez) and
Vice (Ganda) had a concert that weekend.
So, we grabbed the chance to watch it.
We’re so glad that there were still tickets
available because my Mama is really a big
fan of Regine.
That Valentine’s Day concert made
our celebration a little unique and maybe
because my siblings chipped in to give our
parents a Valentine’s gift. They really saved
up to make our parents feel special! (LOL).
A little effort like that counts and, for
me, it’s better to show or let them feel it
than by simply saying it. It’s better to love
yourself first and appreciate the time and
effort of the people around you.
Valentine’s Day may be a special day to
most of us.
But for me, it’s just another dot on the
calendar.
I believe that we can still show how much
we love and care for each other not just
during Valentine’s, Christmas or New Year
— but everyday.
Let’s live every day as if it is our last.
Let’s treat every single day like it’s
Valentine’s Day.

"
16
WORLD
BRI serves common
interests of humanity
The Belt and Road
cooperation will achieve
even greater progress to the
benefit of all peoples
MUNICH — Facts have shown and will
continue to prove that the China-proposed Belt
and Road Initiative (BRI) creates opportunities
and benefits for all countries and serves
the common interests of humanity, a senior
Chinese official said here Saturday.
Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political
Bureau of the Communist Party of China
(CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks
in his keynote speech themed “Working
for a Community with a Shared Future
for Mankind by Promoting International
Cooperation and Multilateralism” at the 55th
Munich Security Conference.
“The Belt and Road Initiative is an
important international public good that
IS days numbered
BAGHOUZ — Jihadist
fighters defending the last
dreg of the Islamic State
group’s “caliphate”
Saturday were holed
up in half a square
kilometer of a village
in eastern Syria.
President Donald
Trump had announced
that the fall of the IS proto-state
would be declared Saturday,
but a Syrian commander said
his US-backed forces slowed
down their advance to protect
civilians.
The jihadists declared
a “caliphate” in large parts
of Syria and neighboring
Iraq in 2014, but have since
lost all but a tiny patch of
territory in eastern Syria
near the Iraqi border.
Hundreds of meters from
the front line in the village
of Baghouz, an AFP reporter
heard artillery fire and
two air strikes on the
China contributes to global cooperation for
common development. It is also an important
pathway toward building a community with a
shared future for mankind,” said Yang, who is
also director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs
Commission of the CPC Central Committee.
Guided by the principle of consultation
and cooperation for shared benefit and
the vision of green, clean and sustainable
development, China will partner with all
parties on the basis of universally accepted
international rules, standards, laws and
regulations to make the BRI a road for
peace, prosperity, openness, innovation and
cultural exchange, he added.
Building on the successful first Belt and
Road Forum for International Cooperation
in 2017, China will host the second forum
in Beijing in about two months’ time. With
active participation and concerted efforts of
all parties, the official believes that “the Belt
and Road cooperation will achieve even greater
progress to the benefit of all peoples.” Xinhua
In a very short time, not longer than a few days, we
will officially announce the end of IS’ existence
jihadist holdout.
Huge craters had been blown out of
the ground and the road was lined with
destroyed buildings and the skeletons of
burnt-out cars.
“IS is besieged in a neighborhood
that is estimated to be 700 meters long
and 700 meters wide,” said
Syrian Democratic Forces
(SDF) commander Jia
Furat.
“Baghouz is within our
firing range but we are moving
cautiously considering there
are civilians still trapped there as
human shields,” said Furat, the overall
commander for the operation.
“In a very short time, not
longer than a few days, we will
officially announce the end of
IS’ existence,”
he told
Monday, 18 February 2019
Daily Tribune
Furry fashion Tourists wear animal hats to withstand the cold in Harbin, Northeast China’s Heilongjiang province, when temperatures
fell to -22 C on the day.
CHINA DAILY
reporters at a nearby SDF base.
Thousands of people have
flooded out of Baghouz over the
past week — mostly women and
children related to IS fighters,
but also suspected jihadists.
An SDF spokesman said there
were “still civilians inside in large
numbers.”
“We weren’t
expecting this
number... This
is why it’s
been delayed,”
spokesman
Giant icon A
float with a huge
effigy of Charles
Chaplin parades
during the Nice
carnival parade in
Nice, southeastern
France. AFP
Adnan Afrin told AFP.
Trump on Friday said announcements on the fall of the caliphate
would be made “over the next 24 hours,” but that deadline came
and went.
Earlier Saturday, US-led coalition spokesman Colonel Sean Ryan
acknowledged that the timeline had slipped because of the presence
of civilians.
“There has been lapses as we continue to see hundreds
of civilians still attempting to flee to safety,” he
said.
“The area of Baghouz has many
tunnels, which slows operations.”
The Kurdish-led SDF fighters
are busy clearing improvised
explosives from the area while
staying on the lookout for any
IS suicide bombers, he added.
Human Rights Watch
called on commanders not to
try to accelerate the offensive
to suit Trump’s timetable.
“The tempo of battle must not
be dictated by political imperatives
— it must first of all protect civilians
and possible hostages,” HRW’s
director of counterterrorism Nadim
Houry told AFP.
The SDF said
dozens of IS fighters
had surrendered
to its advancing
forces. AFP
Merkel defends
Iran deal
MUNICH — German Chancellor Angela
Merkel drew lengthy applause Saturday for
her spirited defense of a multilateral
approach to global affairs and support for
Europe’s decision to stand by a nuclear
deal with Iran.
US Vice President Mike Pence
was not among the impressed,
however, and he doubled down on
American criticism of Europe.
Merkel’s comments at the Munich
Security Conference, an annual
gathering of world leaders and top
global defense and foreign policy
officials, followed days of acrimony
between the US and Europe over Iran.
Merkel told the group — which included
the largest US delegation ever with dozens
of members of Congress, Ivanka Trump,
Pence and others — that she shared
American concerns about many Iranian
efforts to increase its power in the region.
But while she said the split with the US. over
Iran’s nuclear agreement “depresses
me very much,” she defended it
as an important channel to
Tehran, stressing the need for
international diplomacy. AP
Follow the leader Russian President Vladimir Putin leads a training judo
session at the Yug-Sport Training Center in Sochi, Russia.
AP
Pope gathers world bishops
VATICAN CITY — Bishops from around
the world head to the Vatican this week
for a hotly-awaited summit on tackling the
wave of child sex abuse scandals assailing
the Catholic Church.
The heads of around 100 bishops’
conferences from every continent will
convene from Thursday to Sunday for the
meeting, with victims’ groups demanding
that a concrete action plan on fighting
paedophilia be drawn up.
The Pope, who asked the bishops to speak
to victims of abuse in their respective countries
before the Rome convention, has tried to dial
down “inflated expectations” for a cure-all.
The conference aims to be an
opportunity to improve awareness of
the global phenomenon of sexual abuse
of minors within the Church, despite
many in Africa, Asia and the Middle East
being in denial of what they call “a Western
problem.”
AFP
CHIANG MAI — Visiting Chinese State
Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Thai
Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai held here
Saturday strategic consultations.
Wang said during the consultations that China and
Thailand are comprehensive strategic cooperative
partners and the two sides should enhance strategic
communication, boost strategic cooperation and
work together to make positive contribution to peace,
stability and development of the region.
Noting that Thailand holds the rotating chair of
the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
this year, Wang said China supports the building
of the ASEAN Community and will fully support
Thailand to fulfill its duties as chair of the ASEAN.
China is willing to join hands with Thailand
to push forward the connection between the
Smurfs’ world A German group claims a world record for the highest
number of smurfs, gathered in one place. Fans of the blue elf-like creatures
managed to gather 2,762 people dressed and painted blue in the regulation
smurf attire — curly hats and all.
AFP
China, Thailand hold strategic discourse
WASHINGTON — Heather Nauert, picked by President Donald Trump to be
the next US ambassador to the United Nations but never officially nominated,
has withdrawn from consideration, the State Department said.
Nauert, a State Department spokeswoman, said in a department statement
that “the past two months have been
grueling for my family and therefore it
is in the best interest of my family that I
withdraw my name from consideration.”
Nauert’s impending nomination had
been considered a tough sell in the
Senate, where she would have faced
tough questions about her relative lack
of foreign policy experience, according
to congressional aides.
A potential issue involving a
nanny that she and her husband had
employed may also have been a factor
in her decision to withdraw, according
to one aide. That issue, which was first
reported by Bloomberg on Saturday,
centered on a foreign nanny who was
Belt and Road Initiative and ASEAN’s overall plan
on connectivity, promote regional connectivity and
sustainable development, successfully hold the
China-ASEAN Year of Media Exchanges, lift the level
of defense and security cooperation and press
forward the development of China-ASEAN
relations and the cooperation in East
Asia to achieve greater progress,
Wang said.
In recent years, the foundation
of friendly public opinion between
the two countries has been
further consolidated and the two
sides have enjoyed good coordination
and cooperation in
international and regional
affairs, he said. Xinhua
Trump’s pick backs out
legally in the US but did not have legal
status to work, according to the aide,
who was not authorized to discuss the
matter publicly and spoke on condition
of anonymity.
AP
Finishing touch A representative inheritor of Wuzhou kiln pottery firing,
applies underglaze color to a pottery ware in Jinhua, China. CHINA DAILY
======================================
===================================
Case Law
By VICTOR C. AVECILLA
Encarnacion v. Johnson
G.R. No. 192285 , July 11, 2018 /
First Division / Jardeleza, J.
Remedial Law; Annulment of Judgment. – Owing
to the extraordinary nature and objective of the
remedy of annulment of judgment or final order,
these are requirements for the remedy to be granted.
First, the remedy is available only when the petitioner
can no longer resort to the ordinary remedies of new
trial, appeal, petition for relief, or other appropriate
remedies through no fault of the petitioner. Second,
the ground for the remedy is limited to either extrinsic
fraud, or lack of jurisdiction, or lack of due process.
Third, if the action is based on extrinsic fraud, it
must be filed within four years from the discovery of
extrinsic fraud; if based on lack of jurisdiction, it must
be brought before it is barred by laches or estoppel.
(VOLUME 2, NUMBER 34)
=================================
==================================

Monday, 18 February 2019
Daily Tribune
SPOTLIGHT 17
More than
just memes
The cast and crew pointed out that beyond the
memes, they want to share a story that is new and
different
By Kathleen A. Llemit
Weeks before airing, they had already caused a stir online. It was
hard not to notice those head-turning memes of a girl with two faces
sharing one body. It was this rarity that made the memes.
The girl on spotlight is the character Kara Mia, a fictional one and
the subject of the primetime show of the same title premiering tonight
on GMA-7.
Still publicity
As soon as the teaser of Kara Mia was published, people could not
help but poke fun at it.
There she was, solving the problem of double dating; being the
jeepney driver who cannot be fooled by passengers who do not pay
their fares; taking exams and conveniently seeing the answers of the
student behind her; and even as Kara Mia Gray, a reference to 2018 Miss
Universe Catriona Gray.
Even the cast could not help but be amused.
“The memes were good! You can see that they really made an
effort. We’re happy because even though we have yet to air, we’re all
THE show is top billed by Mika dela Cruz who plays Mia, Barbie Forteza as Kara, Jak Roberto
as Boni and Paul Salas as Chino.
NEA Crossword Puzzle
© 2018 UFS, Dist. by Andrews McMeel Syndication for UFS
ACROSS
1 Captain’s shout
5 Pairs
9 Big clumsy guy
12 Take the bait
13 Waikiki’s island
14 1,101, to
Caesar
15 Frat letter
16 Rounded hill
17 Join on
18 Festooned
20 A Polo
22 Convent dweller
23 Fasten
24 Swipe
27 Pot
30 Chicago’s st.
31 Move a little
33 Peeved
35 Spotted,
as a horse
37 Listen
39 Command
40 Noted sci-fi writer
42 Bassoon relatives
44 Tune
45 Med. plan
46 Ices
49 Exercised,
as power
53 Subside
54 Overcharge
over Facebook with us not exerting much effort
to promote our show,” gushed lead star Barbie
Forteza.
Forteza plays Kara, one of the titular roles.
Her “twin,” Mia, is portrayed by Mika dela Cruz.
Naturally, they also generated negative
comments. Had they ever been asked or pried
about those memes being “planted” to spur
interest in their upcoming show?
“Thank goodness we have not
encountered that. Even when we did
our regional tours, we saw them (the
audience) do their own drawings. Their
reaction was organic,” Hazel Abonita,
senior progam manager, said.
Barbie added, “We’re not offended.
As Miss Hazel said, good or bad
publicity is still publicity. It means we’re
being talked about, the attention is on us.
Good or bad, we take it. Whatever it is.”
‘Disney-esque’
The cast and crew pointed out
that beyond the memes, they want
to share a story that is new and different.
Abonita said they noticed that viewers are more discerning; they
want more than the traditional drama.
“Viewers are very discerning. They want plus one in
their story. Not to dilute the value of traditional drama,
but they want a traditional drama and yet there’s plus
one. Like Onanay, it stars a little person. They want
stories with plus one that features a medical condition
or superstitious origin of the protagonist. That was
one of our realizations when we were studying our
programs,” Abonita explained.
She cited the currently airing Onanay which stars
newcomer, Jo Berry, who has dwarfism. It airs nightly
on the primetime block.
Kara Mia will have the same element. Abonita said
they were inspired by the story featured on Kapuso Mo,
Jessica Soho about an elemental in Negros Oriental
which legend tells robbed the panties of the locals. She
revealed this is the why they shot their pilot episode
in Bacolod, one of the cities in the province.
Abonita added they were also inspired by the story
of Edward Mordrake, the subject of a 19th-century
56 “Cope Book”
aunt
57 Wahine’s
welcome
58 Sidle past
59 Locomotive
must
60 Strong alkali
61 Gardener’s
purchase
62 Monstrous giant
DOWN
1 “Waterloo”
group
2 Went quickly
3 Director —
Preminger
4 Wishes for
5 Subway fare
6 Harry Potter’s
accessory
7 Cry of discovery
8 Acquiesce
9 Sharif of the
movies
10 Heavy metal
band
11 Popular dog
SUDOKU
urban legend about a man born of the peerage. In the
stories, he had a “demon face” at the back of his head
name
19 Crazy
21 Hill builders
23 Dijon dad
24 Body joint
25 Lamb’s pen
name
26 Seine
moorages
27 Ukraine city
28 Gray wolf
29 Canal of song
32 Odin’s son
34 Koch and Wynn
36 Clock’s front
38 Igloo shape
41 Young ladies
43 Short jacket
45 Followed the trail
46 Amoebas
have one
47 Yield to
48 Oscar’s cousin
49 Worker’s pay
50 Wind resistance
51 Mideast VIP
52 Wide valley
55 Shelley offering
Answer to previous puzzle
by Ramon Lorenzo
Write a numeral from 1 to 9 in each box so that each
appears only once in each row, column and 3 x 3 box.
Answer for yesterday’s puzzle
that whispered to him vile
intentions which drove him
to commit suicide at age 23.
In addition, there is a
rare congenital disorder
called diprosopus or
craniofacial duplication.
It is a condition where a
part or all parts of a face
are duplicated on the head.
Their inspirations
might sound “creepy” at
the very least, but the
show, said Forteza and
Abonita, is rated PG.
“We would like to
make it clear that our
show is for kids. It is not
horror nor a comedy. It’s
a fantaserye (fantasy
series) with romance,”
Barbie described.
Abonita explained, “In
terms of feel, it’s like ‘Disney-esque’. That’s why when you see the
colors — it’s pink, it’s light. No blacks or dark colors. Iswal, one of our
characters, we think he’s going to attract the kids. He’s very engaging.
He’s not a bad engkanto (elemental). The feel is very young.”
Iswal (Mike Tan), the elemental in the forest, lays his eyes on Aya
(Carmina Villaroel), who came to reside in Bacolod with her husband
Arthur (John Estrada). The couple left Manila and settled in the province
after encountering financial troubles while living in the capital. This
will serve as the starting point of the story. Aya will conceive and give
birth to a girl with one body and two faces.
As soon as the teaser of Kara Mia was published, people
could not help but poke fun at it.
The memes about the girls’ dating life, among others, will be
illustrated when they meet two men: Boni (Jak Roberto), the guy who
likes Kara but catches Mia’s attention, and his cousin Chino (Paul Salas),
Boni’s well-off cousin who steals Kara’s heart.
Also in the cast are Glydel Mercado, Liezel Lopez, Althea Ablan,
Karenina Haniel, April Gustilo and Arthur Solinap. Seasoned stars Alicia
Alonzo and Gina Pareño also star in the show.
The show is created and penned by Tina Velasco, Elle Ortizluis,
Cynthia Paz (brainstormers); Onay Sales, John Kenneth de Leon, Kutz
Enriquez (writers); and Des Garbes-Severino (head writer). It is under the
tutelage of the Creative Team headed by creative head Richard “Dode”
Cruz and creative consultants Aloy Adlawan and Denoy Navarro-Punio.
It is directed by Dominic Zapata and is an original production of the
GMA Entertainment Group.
D A I L Y G O S P E L
Monday of the Sixth week in Ordinary Time
The Pharisees came
forward and began to argue
with Jesus, seeking from him a
sign from heaven to test him.
He sighed from the depth of
his spirit and said, “Why does
this generation seek a sign?
Amen, I say to you, no sign will
be given to this generation.”
Mark 8: 11-13
BARBIE
Forteza and
Mika dela Cruz.
EVEN the cast couldn’t help but be amused of the memes circulating
online.
KARA Mia Gray, a reference to 2018 Miss
Universe Catriona Gray.
Then he left them, got into
the boat again and went off to
the other shore.

18
SPOTLIGHT
Monday, 18 February 2019
Daily Tribune
UNDER the baton of music director and principal conductor Maestro Yoshikazu Fukumura, the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra recently conducted its outreach concert in Davao City.
PPO goes to Davao
He believes in the power of music to
change the lives of the Filipino people
By Glaiza Lee
Photos by Francisco Cabuena
The world-class music of the Philippine
Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) should not be
limited to the theaters of the Cultural Center
of the Philippines (CCP) — it belongs to all the
communities of the Philippines.
Such has been the vision of CCP president
Arsenio “Nick” Lizaso when he embarked on
a challenging journey to bring the PPO to the
different regions of the country, performing
at unconventional venues such as parks,
gymnasiums and schools — wherever their music
brings them.
Even before he assumed the position of CCP
president, Lizaso had been a staunch supporter
of the PPO. He believes in the power of music
to change the lives of the Filipino people. In the
past years, he has been spearheading the PPO
outreach program.
More than just following its mandate to
promote music appreciation throughout the
country, the PPO — led by its music director and
principal conductor Maestro Yoshikazu Fukumura
— aims to provide world-class performances
of diverse, yet accessible classical musical
entertainment that enriches different audiences,
the Filipino communities and the orchestra itself.
“We hope to connect and unite the Filipino
people through music. The PPO outreach concerts
bring music and world-class performances to
CCP president Arsenio “Nick” Lizaso and Davao City
Mayor Sara Duterte.
those who cannot travel to the CCP, or to those
who may not otherwise have access. This is our
way of bringing CCP closer to the Filipino people,
especially to those living in the regions,” Lizaso
enthused.
For the first time, the PPO traveled all the way
to the Queen City of Mindanao to bring the wonders
of live symphonic music to the people of Davao. The
back-to-back concerts were made possible through
the support of the city government of Davao City,
headed by Mayor Sara Duterte and the Davao
Tourism Office.
MAESTRO Herminigildo Ranera led the orchestra with classical pieces and all-time favorite Filipino songs.
Over 3,000 people flocked to the Rizal Park
to witness the performance of the premiere
Philippine orchestra, under the baton of Maestro
Herminigildo Ranera. The orchestra serenaded
the crowd with classical pieces and all-time
favorite Filipino songs, with singer Erik Santos
as guest soloist.
The music continued the following day at the
gymnasium of the Rizal Memorial Colleges (RMC).
Leo Magno, RMC president, was generous enough
to host the PPO concert.
For the first time, the PPO traveled all
the way to the Queen City of Mindanao to
bring the wonders of live symphony music
to the people of Davao.
Approximately 3,500 people came to watch,
including the music students from the Davao
School for the Blind, led by their bandmaster
Dondon Ondaya.
“Die Fledermaus Overture” gave a preview of
the melodies and rhythms that would be heard
throughout the night. Excerpts from Swan Lake,
including “Swan Lake Suite, op. 20” and “Dance
of the Swan,” “Hungarian Dance (Czardas)” and
Geronimo Gimenez’s “Intermedio” from La Boda
de Luis Alonso spilled effortlessly — one after
the other — from the orchestra.
Maestro Fukumura conducted the first part
of the program, which was meant to introduce
classical music to the audience. Information
about the Johann Strauss Jr. and Tchaikovsky
pieces was flashed on the LED screen.
The excitement grew as The Nightingales,
a vocal duo composed of singers Bianca
Camille Lopez and Rhina Paula Palma-Cruz,
started their performance
with “Habanera,” the famous
aria from the opera Carmen.
The duo showcased their
vocal prowess with the fast
flurry of notes from “The
Flight of the Nightingales.”
This was their version of “The
Flight of the Bumblebee,” an
orchestral interlude written
by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.
The guest singers gave their
rendition of “Runaway” and
“Shine.”
The audience was quite
surprised when the PPO
performed its 2015 and 2016
Playlists, both arranged by
Derrick Atangan. They
experienced pop songs like they
never had before. The orchestral
pop program, under the baton of
Maestro Herminigildo Ranera,
THE Nightingales, a vocal duo composed of singers
Bianca Camille Lopez and Rhina Paula Palma-Cruz.
captivated the audience, who provided the lyrical
narrative for each piece. They sang along with so much
gusto, to the delight of the musicians.
Balladeer Erik Santos serenaded the crowd with
a Basil Baldez medley, arranged by Jedrick Itugot.
His soulful voice echoed throughout the gymnasium
as he sang “Ikaw.” As an encore, he sang “This Is
The Moment,” his trademark song, the piece that
won for him the grand prize in ABS-CBN’s singing
competition Star in a Million.
Outreach concerts, according to Lizaso,
are not easy to organize. It is a task that
requires blood, sweat and tears.
The concert culminated with Beyonce In
Concert, a medley of the American singer’s
famous songs, and a Modern Ballroom medley.
Aside from the concerts, the PPO also
conducted workshops, with about a hundred
young musicians and students learning the
basics and new technique straight from orchestra
musicians Glober Calambo, Ricson Poonin,
Benedicto dela Peret Jr., Angelica Uson, Bernie
Paete, Gerry Gonzales, Ariston Paete III, Jayson
Rivera and Jonathan Garlan.
Outreach concerts, according to Lizaso, are
not easy to organize. It is a task that requires
blood, sweat and tears.
“To make this possible, we need to coordinate
many things, transport the full orchestra,
negotiate for the transport of the equipment and
instruments, find budget to accommodate and
feed over a hundred people. But no matter how
challenging and daunting the task is, seeing how
happy the audience is after the concert or how
much music touches their hearts and changes
their lives, make organizing these outreach
concerts worth it,” he concluded.
Hit online series airs as TV special
We look forward to creating
more of these amazing
stories that highlight
the important role of
technology in shaping and
nurturing relationships
Due to its massive success, Smart’s
first-ever online series, FindHer has been
aired as a one-hour special on Cignal
Digital TV’s lifestyle and entertainment
channel, Colours, last week.
The series will have a replay today,
18 February, (3 a.m and 1 p.m.).
Colours on Cignal is on channel 60
(SD) and channel 202 (HD). It is also
on channel 40 (SD) for SatLite and
Cablelink subscribers.
A one-of-a-kind romantic-comedy
story in the time of smartphones
and dating apps, FindHer’s first five
episodes debuted on Smart’s YouTube
channel on 9 February, garnering over
one million views on the first day. The
highly anticipated final two episodes
were aptly released on Valentine’s
Day, and by then, the series’ pilot had
reached over 2.6 million views.
Bringing the best content
“Smart’s widely successful seven-part
mini-series, FindHer, is making its way
from digital to TV. This is just the first of
many innovations between both Cignal
and Smart to bring the best content to
all of our subscribers,” said Jane Basas,
Cignal TV president and chief executive
officer.
“This is Smart’s first venture into
creating an online series, so we are really
ecstatic when FindHer reached over two
million views within just 48 hours. Through
Cignal, we can’t
wait to bring it to
more audiences,
who will find
the series funny,
heartwarming
and relatable,”
said Andrew
Santos, head of
PLDT-Smart FVP
and Consumer
Marketing.
“We are
overwhelmed
with the positive
reception to
FindHer, and we
look forward to creating more of these
amazing stories that highlight the
important role of technology in shaping
and nurturing relationships,” said Carlo
Endaya, head of PLDT-Smart VP and
Prepaid Business.
From acclaimed filmmaker
and writers
FindHer stars Barbara Ruaro (Dog
Days), Vance Larena (Bakwit Boys) and
former Pinoy Big Brother housemate
Dionne Monsanto (Tubig at Langis,
VANCE Larena stars as a medical student out to find love outside
of apps.
“FINDHER” aims to answer today’s dating dilemma: Is love online?
Glorious). Directed by critically-acclaimed
filmmaker Victor Villanueva and written by
Carl Chavez and Rod Marmol, FindHer
was co-produced with Epicmedia and
Bent & Buzz.
FindHer is a one-of-a-kind
romantic comedy in the time of
smartphones and dating apps.
Since the release of the series,
netizens have been abuzz with lively
debates and discussions over the
quintessential dilemma of modern
dating: Is love online? Find out what
everyone has been talking about by
catching FindHer on Cignal and
Smart’s YouTube channel and
Facebook page.
Smart, Sun and TNT customers can
stream the series with Video Every
Day, which offers up to one hour of
free video streaming on YouTube,
iflix, NBA League Pass, iWant and
Cignal Play. Video Every Day comes
with any active subscription to Giga
Surf promos. To register to Giga Surf,
simply dial *121#.
Join and follow the discussions
online by using the hashtags
#IsLoveOnline, #’FindHerSeries and
#SmartVideoEveryDay.

Monday, 18 February 2019
Daily Tribune
LIFESTYLE 19
Breaking old maid notions
What’s with the term? Why do people continue to
use it in these supposedly more enlightened times?
So, I got called matandang
dalaga recently and in jest, but
then I found myself mulling about
it after.
What’s with the term? Why do
people continue to use it in these
supposedly more enlightened
times? And why the negative
connotations that still come
with it?
Kaling once said, “I don’t need
marriage. I don’t need anyone to take
care of all my needs and desires. I
can take care of them myself now.”
From page 20
AFP
I’m over 40 (I reserve the
right to remain mysterious,
haha), and single (as in never
been married), so I realize that
Love, dance and create
in an auspicious year
MITZI Kaspar, Jessica Kienle Maxwell and
Martin Kaspar.
early signs of her talent for singing and
drawing showing, the couple enrolled her in
the appropriate classes. As it turned out, she
could paint well, and her works now adorn
L’Entrecôte, the French-Swiss restaurant
that her parents own.
Samantha will be part of my series on
the women I admire this coming March,
which is Women’s Month, but I am taking
the opportunity here to congratulate her
for the launch of “Aware,” “Inspire” and
“Embrace,” three scents that she inspired
her US-based businesswoman godmother,
Vilma Lorenzana Walsh, to develop and
manufacture.
It is, of course, her godmother Vilma’s
way of contributing to Samantha’s advocacy,
which is “to help to shine a light on her
condition, its potential, the problems, and
prospects of cure and prevention,” says
Mitzi.
And I agree with Mitzi. We just can’t
assume it is just one of those things that
happen naturally. There is a cause, there
is a way of dealing with it so children with
the same condition can live their lives as
normally as possible, so they can use their
talents and gifts, and so we around them
would know how to relate to them. They
are God’s gifts to us, and let us welcome
and embrace them.
The three fragrances came about because
“Samantha’s godmother, Vilma, who is a
manufacturer in the States was inspired to
develop the scents for her, but she gave her
several to choose from. So the choice of the
scents was Samantha’s input,” says Mitzi.
Tea Notes Parfum is how Vilma’s new
fragrance line is called. It was originally just
tea that she produced because she loves tea,
but she expanded into perfume production,
and had requested Mitzi to ask Samantha
to choose a fragrance, but Samantha set
aside three scents when she was given the
small testers.
The first scent, “Aware” smells like
a Japanese citrus fruit,
which Vilma blended with
other fragrances. This one,
Samantha could easily
appreciate because she loves
citrus.
For “Inspire,” Vilma
blended lavender and lime,
while to create “Embrace,” she
combined lavender and talc.
The last, I noticed, can be both
for men, the metrosexual kind,
and women.
All three, as of now, are
limited edition and can only
be bought in the Philippines.
definitely qualifies me as an “old
maid.” But here’s the thing: why
can’t I just be called single? Does
it have to be an insult to be single
at my age? Because what are the
connotations for such… that no
one loves me? No one wants me?
No one has wanted to marry me?
I’m an ice queen who doesn’t
know how to love?
Well, none of those are true. I
have chosen to remain single up
to now. It’s been about seeking
my match, knowing what I need
and want, not feeling ready,
not settling or lowering my
standards… you get the drift.
What else could it mean when
people call somebody an old maid
in a derogatory manner or tone?
That it’s always better to be in
a relationship? That everyone’s
end (read: highest) goal should be
to get married (and have kids)?
That single people are sad (or
worse, losers)? That people who
are married/in a relationship
are better than those who are
not? That those same people
deserve an award for being part
of a couple? That anyone who
argues against these notions are
necessarily “bitter?”
Shall I even bother to answer
these questions? Clearly, the
answer to all of them is no. But
I won’t expound, because I’d
rather you think about these on
fishbowl
Em P. Guevara
Again, our congratulations to Samantha,
whose more detailed story I am sharing
soon.
The curvaceous dancer
I knew her from way back because
we were together in a number of research
projects. She is also the niece of a former boss
of mine. Marisse Cojuangco Reyes, one of the
Philippines’ top ballroom dancers, if you see
her now, is voluptuous and enchanting. Once
upon a time, she was simply intellectual and
a good manager. While she continues to be
an astute executive of the family business,
she has also evolved into the dancer who
has been reaping prizes and accolades in
various parts of the world.
Just recently, she celebrated her birthday.
The theme was a return to the 1970s which,
obviously, was the best time of her life.
Although I would take it that today is even
better what with all those award-winning
performances. The wonderful number 70
also refers to the fact that she has turned
71 so gracefully. And yes, the party was also
intended to pay tribute to and promote the
skills and talents of Filipino dancers and
choreographers of all dance forms all over
the world. There is only one word for them
- namamayagpag or dominating the dance
universe .
Marisse Cojuangco Reyes, one of the
Philippines’ top ballroom dancers.
Marisse had A-1 guests, among them her
uncle Peping Cojuangco, cousins Marvie
Yulo and Marla Teopaco, PAGCOR chairman
Andrea Domingo with husband Rolando,
among others.
Congratulations, Marisse. You do
Philippine Dance Sport proud. You are the
best proof that all things are possible for
someone who has faith and daring. Mabuhay
ka and may you continue to inspire us who
only dream to dance but never dare.
THE celebrator with her fellow dancers.
your own.
What I want to do instead
is to address my “age issue.” I
acknowledge that I have one,
because I do hesitate to declare
my age to anyone and everyone
just like that. It’s an indication
that I do care about the possible
judgments and the connotations
associated with being single at
my age.
Time flies indeed, and
age is an indicator of how
much I have lived and how
far I have gone.
No matter that I don’t look it…
as in someone who doesn’t know
me would never guess my age.
And no matter that I don’t act
it… not in an embarrassing way,
but I remain youthful on many
levels, as seen in my activities
and disposition. And no matter
that I have a lot to show for it…
meaning “may pinagkatandaan
ako,” as we say in the vernacular.
Owning my age, every single
year and minute of it, is literally
owning and being grateful
for all the growth, personal
achievements, learnings and
experiences I’ve bravely and
solidly achieved, taken on and
embraced all these years.
So why be ashamed of my
age? If there’s something I
should be feeling, it should be
pride, joy and loads of self-love.
I ought to be telling myself:
“Well done, Em! You make me
so proud. You’ve weathered
so many storms, and achieved
so many things. You’ve always
striven to live according to
your principles and standards.
Which is not to say you didn’t
make mistakes or was always
the highest version of you, but
you always picked yourself
up, always tried to do what’s
best for all concerned in the
end. You weren’t afraid to feel
your emotions and to deal with
them. You wiped off your tears,
licked your wounds, learned
your lessons and moved on.
Countless times. You’ve been
adventurous, brave, diligent
and mostly mature (haha).
You continue to strive to be a
good and happy person, a loyal
and genuine friend, a loving
and reliable family member, a
patriotic and productive citizen,
and someone who is of service
to the world. Carry on. I am so
in love with you.”
I turn another year older in
less than a month. Time flies
Since 1963, Filipino artists
from all art fields are being
supported in their pursuit of
cultural exchange through
research, studies, and
residencies anywhere in the
United States or any country
across Asia through the ACC
fellowship grant
On its fifth year of partnership,
the Asian Cultural Council Philippines
Foundation and Leon Gallery mark
another year with vibrant hopes
for continued support in promoting
the development of Filipino artists.
Such unified vision is the core aim
of this annual fundraising auction
that benefits the ACC Philippine
Fellowship Program.
On 23 February, at 2 p.m., all
roads lead to Leon Gallery for the
Asian Cultural Council Art Auction
showcasing the best works of Filipino
masters, icons and outstanding
contemporary artists, including some
of the foremost visual artists-ACC
grantees.
ACC fellows Ambie Abaño, Anton
del Castillo, Noel Soler Cuizon, Dexter
Fernandez, Riel J. Hilario, Leeroy New,
and Samuel Penaso present exceptional
works to form part of the impressive
pieces up for auction in a show of
solidarity to raise funds for the ACC
grants program.
Since 1963, Filipino artists from all
art fields are being supported in their
“Kapit Lang” by Anton del Castillo.
pursuit of cultural exchange through
research, studies, and residencies
anywhere in the United States or any
country across Asia through the ACC
fellowship grant. Among the luminaries
in the ACC alumni list are National
Artists Lucresia Kasilag, Jose Maceda
and Ramon Santos for music; Jose Joya
for visual arts, Alice Reyes for dance;
and recently proclaimed stalwart Kidlat
Tahimik (project grantee for film).
They are joined by some of the notable
scholars and leading contemporary
and young emerging artists in theater,
literature, architecture and other allied
arts.
In an article busting the old maid myth, huffpost.com quotes Hollywood
actress Diane Keaton saying in 2001: “I don’t think that because I’m not
married it’s made my life any less.”
AFP
indeed, and age is an indicator of
how much I have lived and how
far I have gone. Let me remember
this next time someone pokes fun
at my being single at my age.
If you find yourself being
curtailed by self-defeating labels
and mindsets, or simply wish to
ACC upholds Phl art
“Malaya” by Ambie Abaño.
Describing the impact of the ACC
fellowship experience, 2006 grantee
Anton del Castillo shares, “Not only
did the ACC grant take me to various
places across the US, but it also took
me to a whole other world of art that
I wouldn’t have known were it not for
ACC. The opportunity to explore various
museums across the country left me
with knowledge that would prove useful
to my practice throughout the years. I
may have only stayed in New York for a
short while, but the six-month residency
provided by the ACC changed my views
on art, and hence my life, forever.”
Other grantees also share the impact
of the ACC Fellowship experience.
Noel Cuizon, 1998 grantee, said:
“The ACC Fellowship grant delineated
the resolution of my lifelong journey as
an artist — to further understand my
role as a visual arts practitioner and
to recognize accountability towards
society as an imperative component
of art practice. Two decades ago
when e-mail was yet unpopular, the
fellowship helped me in bridging
the gaps between various visual
fields while locating a range of art
constellations and creative tendencies
unimaginable during that time. The
experience afforded me with the
opportunity to explore possibilities
in my artistic investigation as well
live your best life and want more
clarity and push for your vision
and goals, I offer a free 60-minute
Strategy Consultation for my Work
Smart, Love Smart coaching. You
can check out my website www.
lifecoachemguevara.com for more
details.
as re-affirmed the value of essential
relations brought about by diverse
exposures. What was situated as a
continuum of career choices defined
advocacies that set new artistic
directions. After the ACC episode
and other residency programs, I
have established myself as a cultural
worker/organizer, art administrator,
curator and art educator at the same
time as maintaining a meaningful
contemporary art practice — that
encompasses not only painting and
mixed-media works but other forms as
well like installation and performance
art. The over-all impact of the ACC
Fellowship program provided me with
a firm standpoint and an unsullied
paradigm of acumen, idiom and identity.”
Their support to my artistic
development was so empowering
because it exposed me to new
environments and created
opportunities to engage with
other artists from all over Asia
and beyond.
“The ACC care about artists and
recognize what we do as immensely
worthwhile in the service of humanity.
Their support to my artistic development
was so empowering because it exposed
me to new environments and created
opportunities to engage with other
artists from all over Asia and beyond,”
2011 grantee Ambie Abaño said. “As
a result, my six-month ACC funded
residency in New York in 2012 was a
tremendous life-changing experience
because it gave me a broader, deeper
sense of myself through my encounters
with the ‘other’ and enabled me to
become firmly rooted in my beliefs and
sensibilities as a Filipina artist.”
“Being a grantee of the Asian
Cultural Council to artist residencies in
New York and to Malaysia provided me
with a sense of context for my practice
as a sculptor working with traditional
genre with the intent of participating
in the discourse of ‘contemporaneity.’
This context was the sum of meetings,
networks, encounters, engagements and
debates with fellow grantees, curators,
peers in the US and in Malaysia, that
helped dismantle bias, prejudices that
I have acquired in an insular Manilacentric
art scene and helped me see
other perspectives, challenges and goals
in art making on a more global scale. The
grant gave me a better vantage point on
how to assess my work, the places where
they are made and shown and how the
highways and marketplaces of ideas and
cultural values accrue or subtract from
the potency of the artwork,” related 2012
grantee Riel Hilario.
A special preview of the auction pieces
starts 20 February at the Leon Gallery,
G/F Eurovilla 1, Rufino Corner Legaspi
Streets, Legaspi Village, Makati City, while
the ACC-Leon Gallery Booth at The Link,
await visitors and patrons during the Art
Fair Philippines on 21 to 24 February.
For more details, visit www.leongallery.com,
www.asianculturalcouncil.
org or www.artfairphilippines.com.

20
LIFESTYLE
Dinah S. Ventura, Editor
Monday, 18 February 2019
Daily Tribune
CARLOS and Camille with their principal sponsors.
Love, dance and create
in an auspicious year
But guess where they found a common joy? I’ll get ahead of
the story. The answer is God
February is such an interesting month.
It’s about love, good fortune and the
arts, and all three, like it or not, end up
blending. It’s not strange, for example,
that a suitor visits a girl and gives her
not just flowers but also a box of tikoy
(Chinese sticky delicacy) which suitably
represents togetherness.
One of the launching ceremonies of the
Arts Month, which celebrates Philippine
arts, was held at the Lucky Chinatown
Mall in Binondo, again not oddly since
there’s that tiny part of ourselves that’s
Chinese. Our number one example, of
course, is our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal.
A WALL of roses for the bride and the groom.
This happy blending of three cultures,
may sometimes be obvious, and sometimes
subtle. Valentine’s Day and the giving of
roses is, of course, American (if I am
entirely right), including the sending of
cards which, unfortunately, have been
replaced by text messages and social
media. That we wear red outfits, however,
could mean two things — because it’s the
color of love and it’s the color of good
fortune. Of course, we want both in our
lives.
Anyway, I am sharing all these
with you, the happy blending of three
events — Valentine’s Day, Arts Month
and Chinese New Year, because this
column is dedicating this issue
to such a mix-match and I am
using less words but more photos
because, as they say, and don’t say
it ahead of me, pictures speak
a thousand words.
First is a marriage, or call
that love, between a Filipino
and a Chinese-Filipina. On top
of it, it’s not just about two
races blending, it’s also about
a couple, the man starting out
naughty, and the woman rather
conservative although simply
regular. But guess where they
found a common joy? I’ll get ahead
of the story. The answer is God.
My second story is about parents’
love for their child, a special child
with such tremendous talents any
parent can only be proud of her.
Samantha sings and paints like a
pro, and in our story, she has even
inspired the creation of special-edition
perfumes. This is a Valentine’s story made
in heaven manifesting on earth.
The third is about self-love practiced
by someone who is into one art that
everybody loves, which is dancing. Through
her dancing talent, she expresses her love
for herself, which we all must have before
we can love and be loved by others. While
we can analyze this by delving into all
the -isms that emerged through eras and
epochs, it is enough to say that dancing
has made her voluptuous, so forget
about Aristotle or Erich Fromm when
you see my friend, and when you see her
dance and attract all those worshipping
eyes. Besides,
dancing, as art form,
has transcended
generations and
civilizations, and
dancers do not just
entertain. They also
lose themselves in the
process, and transform
into the persona who
is on stage, whether
she is Cinderella, an
Argentine señorita,
or a Brazilian beauty.
They met in
a church meeting
Congratulations
and best wishes to
Carlos Martinez
Pascual and Evelyn
Camille Samson
Tantengco who
tied the knot just
recently at the Christ
the King Parish
Church, followed by a
reception at the EDSA
Shangri-La Hotel. The two met in
a seminar at the parish hall, one of those
that seek to get parishioners, especially
the youth, closer to Jesus Christ and to
become more active in the community’s
activities.
Carlos was a volunteer while Camille
was a reluctant participant. She was
planning to do a French leave while one
of the speakers was talking but since she
was there already, and just
for the sake of the friend
who invited her, she stayed
put. This led to
her meeting
her future
husband
who, it
STARTING a lifetime of sharing.
turned out, was a “convert,” if one could
put it that way. The future groom, who
grew up in this part of Manila, but who
had been traveling with his parents, and
even stayed in India, had a different
upbringing so one could say he was a
little bit on the wilder side, not crazy wild,
but just someone who loved going out at
night and sleeping by day up to noontime.
There is a cause, there is a way
of dealing with it so children
with the same condition can
live their lives as normally as
possible, so they can use their
talents and gifts, and so we
around them would know how to
relate to them.
You’ll be surprised he grew up
rather spoiled being the son of a surely
sensible couple, Alfredo Pascual, the
former president of the University
of the Philippines (UP), and his wife
Menchu. Well, let’s just say the son
was the playful, cheerful one when
he was growing up. The kind who
would give the neighbor his parent’s
table clock, all because he innocently
thought it was a nice gesture — giving
the neighbors something personal
and precious. And since
he had a fascination for science, he
would submerge his parents’ water-proof
watches in a basin full of water for hours
just to check if indeed they were durable
as advertised.
Well, to move forward, the two would
start dating, but first just to welcome her
birthday. “I was going to drink,” recalls
Camille, “and he was the ready driver, since
he was not going to drink that night.”
She has also evolved into the
dancer who has been reaping
prizes and accolades in various
parts of the world.
That one initial date led to another
birthday party and on and on, until he asked
her to join him when his father would take
his oath of office as the president of UP.
Now, that was quite fast of the guy, and
it turns out, he had something serious in
mind. By the time the oathtaking took place,
they were already officially a twosome. The
two would go steady for a long, long time
until he finally decided to propose, after
he, of course, discussed the matter with
his parents.
Camille, for her part, was having a
good time working. At one point, she
was tutoring children in a nearby study
center. She actually grew up first in the
United Nations Avenue area in Manila,
and later, in Chinatown where she had a
bit of a sheltered life. She was the kind of
a kid who, even when her parents had not
told her, would invite the neighborhood
children to her birthday party. “I thought
it was a given that when it was your
birthday, you invited friends. My mom
had to rush preparing food,” she relates
laughing. Her father, a pure Chinese, was
a businessman engaged in selling office
supplies. Hers was a typical Chinese
childhood that involved a lot of observing
her father do business in his office. ‘If
you wanted something extra, aside from
your regular allowance, you worked for
it,” she shares.
Carlos went to college at the Wellford
Institute of Technology in Boston while
she attended De La Salle University.
Thus, an interesting part of the
prenuptial video showed
LET’S DRINK TO THAT
Jojo G. Silvestre
the two in Boston, just so she would know
more about that phase of his life. “Even
as a college student, he had a night life,”
says Camille.
The two now live in a high-rise condo in
the Ortigas area. They decorated it together
before their wedding. It is a house full of
gadgets since he loves these things. She is
learning how to cook. Carlos is in real estate
development and brokerage while she works
in East West Bank.
To Carlos and Camille, may your love
remain strong, and may you continue to
enjoy every moment of your togetherness!!!
Beautiful and talented daughter
My second story is a celebration of
talent. It is about Samantha, who is
special, and who grew up filled with her
parents’ love. She was one year old and a
half when she was diagnosed with autism.
TALENTED Samantha.
Martin Stephan Kaspar, a chefentrepreneur,
and his wife Mitzi
(nee Aragon), made sure that
Samantha would grow up as
normal as possible. With the
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THE groom with his parents, Alfredo and
Menchu Pascual, and family in auspicious red.