24 FEBRUARY 2019

INTERNET, FOOD
SUPPLY AT RISK
KAWHI SHOWS
WHO’S BOSS
SUNDAY
IMPROVING
BUSINESS
CONFIDENCE
IN DAVAO
REEKING
OF RANCID,
RANCOR
PAGE 20 WORLD PAGE 17 SPORTS
PAGE 9 BUSINESS PAGE 5 COMMENTARY
WHY
WANDERLAND
IS BOP
PAGE 22
Pompeo slates
crucial meet
By Elmer N. Manuel
SPOTLIGHT
MOST
INNOVATIVE
BROADSHEET
2018
44TH
PHILIPPINES
BUSINESS
EXPO
MANILA, PHILIPPINES SUNDAY, 24 FEBRUARY 2019
Amid the shifting balance of power in the
West Philippine Sea, another key American
official is scheduled to meet with President
Rodrigo Duterte by the end of the month.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will
travel next week to the Philippines, the US
State Department said. Turn to page 6
Help end narc curse
I really hate drugs.
It creates a social
dysfunction from one
family to another
By Kristina Maralit
President Rodrigo Duterte
made a strong appeal for help
from the public to fulfill his
promise to end
the narcotics
scourge while
vowing no let-up
on the battle.
“Let’s
end this problem. God willing, if
I’m still here for the next three
years, I will fight to the end,” the
Chief Executive said when he
graced the Partido Demokratiko
Pilipino campaign sortie held
at the Alonte Sports Center in
Biñan, Laguna.
“I really hate drugs. It creates
a social dysfunction from one
family to another. How many
families were destroyed because
of drugs? Once it hits you, you
are useless. You no longer
work, you just sit in one
corner,” he added.
This is the
reason, the Chief
Executive said, he
is urging the public to elect
into office candidates who will
genuinely serve the country and
put the people’s best interest
first when they cast their votes
in the May midterm polls.
Shabu money flows
“Many are ambitious.
There are those who
want to get rich. Many
wanted to have it all,
the easy way,” Mr.
Duterte stressed.
He added voters
must be vigilant
and discerning
when they
cast their
votes as there are those who
are using “shabu money” in their
campaign.
The President reminded
them to choose those
who will advance his
administration’s
policies, especially the
campaign on illegal
drugs.
“Shabu money – no one
believed me. They thought I was
just trying to scare everybody.
Many mayors and other
politicians have already been
killed because of drugs but many
still didn’t learn their lesson,”
he quipped.
“Please, don’t destroy my
country. If you destroy my
Turn to page 2
Inclusive means all Badjao minorities rest on a scorching pavement. Filipinos on the fringes are the main targets of the development policies of President Rodrigo Duterte.
Clearance for PDP cog
PCOO
Chief Martin
Andanar has
PDP in his
blood.
ROY
PELOVELLO
Presidential Communications Operations
Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin
Andanar is more than a close aide to
President Rodrigo Duterte as he is
an “ideologue” who is crucial for the
Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP),
the political party of Mr. Duterte.
The President banned all
government officials from the
campaigns but Mr. Duterte said he
needed Andanar’s guidance for
PDP’s plans.
“You know, his
father is Wency
who is (an)
original PDP
(member).
That is why he
was (given) an
exception. But
the law says
Turn to page 2
By Elmer N. Manuel
and Kristina Maralit
The United Nations (UN)
chief gave credit to President
Rodrigo Duterte yesterday for
the establishment of the new
Bangsamoro Autonomous Region
in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM)
as a landmark achievement on
the road to lasting peace.
UN Secretary General Antonio
Unholy acts
Drug dealers and users
always try to come up with
clever ways to outsmart cops.
In Bacoor, Cavite police
raided a suspected drug den in
Turn to page 6
‘Landmark’ BOL peace capital
Guterres said the ceremonies at
Malacañang that formalize the
setting up of BARMM were a
historic occasion for all people
of the Philippines.
“The United Nations will
continue to support the
Philippines in the implementation
of the Bangsamoro Organic Law
(BOL) and to help build the
capacity of the Bangsamoro
Turn to page 6
World-class pianist rises
By Jojo G. Silvestre
A Filipina who has
distinguished herself in the
field of music, Mariel Illusorio
ILLUSORIO
ANALY LABOR
is one virtuoso pianist whom
this country might have lost to
another field were it not for her
persistence and dedication.
At one point, she had to decide
on whether to continue pursuing
her musical studies. At another
time, she shifted to the behavioral
sciences but, obviously, her heart
lay in music more than any other
field and so she went back to her
first and only love.
Even if she had acquired her
bachelor’s degree in music, all
done in four years, which is quite
a feat considering that many
musicians take many detours
in their journey toward their
graduation recital, she had been
asked by her father to consider
a career in the stock exchange.
Turn to page 24
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NEWS
2
Sunday, 24 February 2019
Daily Tribune
Clearance for PDP cog
His father is Wency
who is (an) original
PDP (member). That is
why he was (given) an
exception
From page 1
they can campaign. But Andanar,
he’s an ideologue. His guidance
is very important to all of PDP
members. He’s a son of one of
the founding fathers of
PDP,” Duterte said.
The President added
he did not allow other
government officials to
campaign for or against
2019 bets because he wanted
to avoid the use of government
resources.
“I did not allow the other
members because they might be
campaigning if they want to and
they will be using government
cars, government fuel. And I
wanted to remove that kind of
issue just to be fair,” he said.
According to Mr. Duterte,
he gave his “blessing” to the
Communications chief to
participate in PDP rallies.
Good soldier
“I work at the pleasure, at
the behest of the President.
Whatever task is given to me
by the President, I follow,”
Andanar said in a radio interview
yesterday.
He’s an ideologue. His
guidance is very important
to all of PDP members.
“I will not do something
without the go signal of the
President. So, for me, it’s work.
It’s just work and, of course,
I thank the President for the
support he is giving me up to
now,” he added.
He likewise explained the
Department of Justice, the Civil
Service Commission and the
Commission on Elections have
rules which exempt Cabinet
officials from certain prohibitions
during the election period.
“It means if you’re a member
of the Cabinet, you can campaign
because you are a political
appointee and an alter ego of the
President,” Andanar said.
The Administrative Code of
1987 bans civil servants from
engaging in partisan political
activities, except to vote. This,
however, does not bar the
President and Cabinet officials
since they hold positions which
are political in nature.
PCOO’s call
Mr. Duterte added he has
no qualms about the recent
trip of PCOO officials to
European countries to discuss
media-related issues, so long
as there is no corruption
involved and “the funds are
properly accounted (for).”
He said he leaves it up to
Andanar to make decisions for
the PCOO.
“He (Andanar) is a chief of
office. I do not tinker with the
decisions of how to do
it, do it better and do it
better than the rest,” the
President said.
He cited the importance of
the PCOO’s mandate in his
presidency.
If you’re a member of the
Cabinet, you can campaign
because you are a political
appointee and an alter ego
of the President.
“We have to have a propaganda
division you know. The presidency
is a political office. But, more
importantly, it’s the decision of
the head of office. Then all he has
to do is to tell me that it is good
and I will listen and if I agree, go
ahead. The only thing is that the
money of the government should
be spent correctly and properly,”
the President said.
Money not wasted
Andanar earlier had said
public funds were not wasted
in the official meetings with
officials of the EU Parliament,
Belgian Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, UN Working Group
on Enforced or Involuntary
Disappearances, European
Commission and leaders of the
Filipino community and the
conduct of the Press Freedom
Caravan that took place from
17 to 18 February in Brussels
and on 20 February in Geneva,
Switzerland.
He added the meeting
with officials discussed ways
to address the communist
insurgency.
It’s just work and, of
course, I thank the
President for the support
he is giving me up to now.
Andanar said the PCOO,
in the same mission, found
it “an opportune time” to
include a Press Freedom
Caravan to maximize the
official trip.
Kristina Maralit
Good habit stays Former Special Assistant to the President Christopher
Lawrence “Kuya Bong” Go commiserates with victimns of a fire in Parañaque
as was his practice as top aide of President Rodrigo Duterte. AL PADILLA
Salvage team Children sift through what remained of a house after a fire in the Parola Compound in Tondo.
Help end narc curse
Let’s end this problem.
God willing, if I’m still
here for the next three
years, I will fight to the
end
From page 1
country, I will destroy you,”
the Chief Executive added.
Mr. Duterte has
cautioned back in
November 2018 about
money generated from the
illegal drug trade to potentially
influence the coming elections.
He did not expound on the
matter, but stressed that he will
mobilize all law enforcement
agencies and all government
machinery to ensure drug
syndicates will not taint the
midterm polls.
Annoying foe
After promising to ignore
Sen. Leila de Lima and her
criticisms against the President,
presidential spokesman Salvador
Panelo reignited a word war with
the detained senator, saying her
senses have flown to the cuckoo’s
nest.
The Palace criticized her “false
narrative” on the government’s
“Build, Build, Build” program.
The official described as
irrelevant De Lima’s comment
that the Duterte administration’s
ambitious infrastructure projects
were “grossly inefficient.”
If you destroy my country,
I will destroy you.
“A detained senator from the
opposition has described the
‘Build, Build, Build’ program as
‘grossly inefficient,’ among other
nonsensical descriptives and
false narratives,” Panelo said in
a statement.
“As promised, we will ignore
her rantings as her senses
apparently. We will just watch
her in amusement as she
cantankerously pontificates like
a headless chicken running
berserk,” he added.
De Lima, from her detention
cell in Camp Crame, criticized
the government’s “Build, Build,
Build” initiative through her
regular “dispatches.”
Source of pollution
Panelo said De Lima’s
latest barbs have “polluted
the air from the usual
suspects disparaging the
administration’s ‘Build,
Build, Build’ program.”
Although there have been
delays in the implementation
and completion of infrastructure
projects, the spokesman
reiterated Mr. Duterte is “facing
the said obstacles squarely
and has started removing
them in accordance with the
Constitution.”
Many are ambitious. There
are those who want to get
rich.
Panelo also assured that these
concerns are being addressed
and that “many of our grandiose
infrastructure initiatives have
commenced” and that the Executive
branch will exert all efforts to ensure
it delivers on its promise.
“There have been delays in the
commencement of the projects
owing to the bureaucratic
rigmarole caused by the legal
restraints and resort to judicial
remedies by the losing bidders,
to which the President has
expressed his exasperation and
frustration,” Panelo said.
“While detractors of this
administration consistently
deliberate on how to mudsling
the President’s achievements,
we remain focused on how
to improve the lives of our
countrymen through projects
that will bring about genuine
change for the nation,” he added.
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte seeks an end to drugs in three years.
BOB DUNGO JR.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Almost ideal Calm water and bright sun make for a perfect day for fishing if not for a trawler nearby which siphons off all the catch.
ROMAN PROSPERO

Sunday, 24 February 2019
Daily Tribune
PAGE THREE
Crime rate declining, says NCRPO
Contrary
to SWS survey
Eleazar said their police will continue to
intensify their efforts in curbing criminality
National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief
Director Guillermo Eleazar emphasized this Saturday
contrary to a recent Social Weather Stations (SWS)
survey released Friday night that at least 1.8 million
Filipino families have fallen victims to common crimes
in the last six months.
“The trend on criminality is downward,” Eleazar
said, pointing out that while the crime rate is declining,
“fluctuations” can still be expected.
The NCRPO chief noted during the first 30 months
of the Duterte administration, the crime rate actually
dropped to 54 percent as compared to the last 30 months
of the Aquino administration.
Eleazar said the police will continue to intensify their
efforts in curbing criminality.
“We really have to continue what we have started. We
are already intensifying our efforts to prevent crimes
and our operations against illegal drugs,” he said.
The SWS survey showed 7.6 percent of Filipino families
were victimized by common crimes in the past six
months referring to pick-pocketing or robbery of personal
property, break-ins, car theft and physical violence.
The survey — conducted on 16 to 19 December, 2018
using face to face interviews among1,440 adults — also
noted that the number of crime-victim families was up
1.5 points since the 6.1 percent (1.4 million families)
in the third quarter and was the highest since the 7.6
during 2017’s fourth quarter.
The trend on criminality is downward, Eleazar
said.
On the other hand, at least 54 percent did not feel safe
walking the streets at night which was higher than the 3rd
quarter number of 46 percent and families who suffered breakins
rose across the country — except in the Visayas — where
it was down 0.6 percent from the third quarter’s 2.3 percent.
Meanwhile, as families who experienced carnapping
rose in Metro Manila during the fourth quarter last
year, zero cases were recorded among vehicle-owning
families in the balance of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
On the illegal drugs issue, at least 39 percent of respondents
agreed with the statement: “In this neighborhood there are
already very many people addicted to banned drugs” which
was down two points from the 41 percent recorded during
the second and third quarters last year.
Families fearing the presence of drugs
remained highest in Metro Manila at 53
percent, followed by the Visayas (41
percent), Balance Luzon at (39
percent) and Mindanao
at (26 percent).
NCRPO chief Director Guillermo Eleazar disputes the SWS survey, saying criminality is actually declining.
‘Kuya Bong’ bares plan for youth, sports
On his visit to Pangasinan Friday,
former Special Assistant to
the President (SAP)
and aspiring senator
Christopher Lawrence
“Bong” Go assured Pangasinenses
h e would create programs in education
and sports development to develop the young
generation to become productive citizens of
the country.
“Rest assured that the youth will have priority
in terms of education, if ever we get elected,”
Go said in a speech in Dagupan City to grace
the 50th founding anniversary of the Lyceum
Northwestern University. Go is an adopted
son of the province via a resolution passed by
Pangasinan’s Sangguniang Panlalawigan and
approved by Governor Amado Espino III on 18
December 2018.
Catriona honored with
Two commemorative stamps featuring Miss Universe 2018 Catriona
Gray was unveiled by the Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost)
in honor of the country’s fourth title-holder in the pageant.
Gray, who is in the Philippines for homecoming events, graced
the launch and signed envelopes bearing the stamps.
The special stamps feature two photos of the Fil-Australian
beauty queen during her winning moment at the Miss Universe
2018 pageant night.
One stamp showing Catriona’s portrait shot is priced at P12.
The special stamp showing Gray’s winning
moment at the pageant
Go spoke about the programs he has in
store for education. He mentioned that a new
government agency which focuses on private
schools must be established to uplift the quality
of education provided by such institutions.
Rest assured that the youth will have
priority in terms of education.
The former SAP said that he would support
the Duterte administration in providing increases
to the salaries of teachers and other education
professionals.
He also spoke about h o w
honored he felt in being
invited
to attend the 50th
founding anniversary of
Lyceum Northwestern
University.
“As an adopted son of Pangasinan, expect my
support for Lyceum Northwestern University,”
he added.
Go reiterated his support to the administration’s
fight against illegal drugs, corruption and
criminality. He added that President Duterte is
leading this fight to provide a better future for
the next generation.
He said that he plans to institutionalize youth
and sports development centers in every locality
so that kids can be taught values of discipline,
sportsmanship and hardwork in order for them
to be productive citizens.
Go reminded the students to take part in
various service-oriented activities that could
contribute to their respective communities. He
said that acts of service should start at a young
age and that youth participation is important in
nation building.
special stamps
costs P55.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
PHLPost said the stamps will be available on
27 February.
PHLPost said the stamps will be available
on 27 February.
In 1973, PHLPost first issued special
commemorative stamps for the country’s first
two Miss Universe titleholders: Gloria Diaz
and Margarita Moran.
It was followed in 2016 when Pia Wurtzbach
won the crown.
On Thursday, the Fil-Australian beauty was
welcomed by thousands of people during a fourhour
parade through Manila’s main thoroughfares.
Locsin’s remarks in Berlin ‘incomplete, misleading’
I don’t know what he meant by that. I
said the same thing
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on
Friday defended Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro
Locsin Jr. from criticism over his interview with a
German journalist on the 2016 Adolf Hitler remarks
of President Rodrigo Duterte that drew the ire of
the German government.
“The Department views as unfortunate the biased
representation by Mr. Arnd Henze of ARD Capital
Studio Berlin of his interview with Foreign Affairs
Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. at the sidelines of
the opening ceremony of the new building of the
Philippine Embassy in Berlin,” the DFA said in a
statement.
“The video posted by Mr. Henze on his blog is
incomplete and misleading. It failed to show Mr.
Henze’s deliberate attempts to provoke Secretary
Locsin into giving controversial remarks,” it added.
Henze, in a tweet on Friday, said the German
Foreign Ministry has summoned the country’s
acting ambassador in Berlin to make it clear “that
the remarks by (Secretary Locsin) were totally
unacceptable.”
The first part of Henze’s interview with Locsin
on Monday features a portion of Duterte’s speech in
2016 where he said, “Hitler massacred three million
Jews. I would like to slaughter three million drug
criminals.”
It failed to show Mr. Henze’s deliberate
attempts to provoke Secretary Locsin into
giving controversial remarks.
Showing the video clip to the visiting top diplomat,
Henze asked whether the Chief Executive “refers to
Adolf Hitler as a role model for his policy?”
Locsin answered the German journalist, saying
“he (President Duterte) just mentioned it, I don’t
think he’s a role model for his policy.”
Pressing for a categorical answer, Henze stressed
Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., according to the DFA, was being set up to give controversial remarks on the Hitler issue.
Duterte’s words, relaying that “he said he would like to
do the same. He would like to slaughter three million
drug criminals like Hitler massacred three million Jews.”
A visibly irked Locsin replied with a similar
response. “I don’t agree with you. If you want to
look... if you want to say it, say it yourself. But I
certainly won’t,” he told Henze.
“I know, there it is, he said that,” Locsin said,
referring to the video of Duterte.
“I don’t know what he meant by that. I said the same
thing. I myself said the same thing before he even said
it,” he added and the interview ended.
A few days after the Chief Executive drew parallels on
what happened during the Nazi regime and his anti-drug
campaign in 2016, Duterte acknowledged that he erred in
referencing the genocide of six million Jews under Hitler.
“I would like to make it (clear) now, here and
now, that there was never an intention on my part to
derogate the memory of six million Jews murdered by
the Germans,” he pointed out.
“I apologize profoundly and deeply to the Jewish
community,” he said in October 2016. MBA
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Gray’s portrait shot and her winning moment
in the pageant are featured in the new stamps.
BI arrests
US fugitive
By Alvin Murcia
YUMMIE DINGDING
The Department of Justice has
directed the Bureau of Immigration
(BI) to institute proper action against
an American fugitive from justice who
is hiding in the country.
Justice Undersecretary and
spokesman Mark Perete revealed
the Bureau of Immigration Fugitive
Sections Unit has arrested Gary James
Dukulil who is an undocumented
alien.
The said American national
has an outstanding warrant
of arrest in his country.
Dukolil was arrested by BI agents
around 4 p.m. Friday afternoon,
Perete said.
The arrest, according to Perete,
was made pursuant to an official
request from the Diplomatic Security
Service- Overseas Criminal Investigations
of the US Embassy in Manila.
The said American national has
an outstanding warrant of arrest in
his country and managed to slip into
the country to evade arrest.
Dukolil’s warrant of arrest was
issued by the Minnesota District Court
on 17 January 2019 for distribution of
child pornography.
Perete said the suspect was
taken to the BI main office in
Intramuros, Manila for proper
documentation.
The suspect will then be turned
over to the Bureau of Immigration
Warden Facility for commitment.

COMMENTARY
4 Sunday, 24 February 2019
Daily Tribune
Daily
Tribune
WITHOUT FEAR • WITHOUT FAVOR
“The
Palace
referred
to Tagle’s
speech as
the start of
a cleansing
process
that the
Church is
undergoing.
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
#MeToo
The clergy’s acceptance of its past misdeeds which
was contained in the Vatican City presentation of Manila
Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle was a step to
humility which may mend suspicions among the faithful
on Christ’s shepherds.
The meeting headed by Pope Francis also marked an
effort of the Catholic Church to being more open to its
flock and to seriously address the crisis that it is facing.
President Rody Duterte, in his unique confrontational
style, has been calling for reforms in the Church and he once
admitted he was also a victim of immorality from a priest.
Tagle’s admission could even be the path which may
lead to a more harmonious engagement between the
administration and the leaders of the Catholic Church.
Those who practice the faith had their confidence
eroded on priests who mostly chose to engage in politics
rather than tend to the problems that had long
infested Christendom.
The bull-strong commitment of the
reform-minded Pope Francis helped a lot in
rechanneling the efforts of clerics towards the
root of the crisis of confidence in the Church.
At the meeting, the Pope asked bishops and
religious superiors to be concrete in facing up to the
clerical sexual abuse crisis and the need to protect
children in the church.
Pope Francis then handed them a list of
21 action items to consider that would be
contained in a handbook for priests in
confronting sexual abuse issues.
The list included contact numbers
for reporting cases of abuse and
cooperation with law enforcers which
was not a usual undertaking.
Participants in the Vatican summit
were also asked to discuss ways
to “accompany, protect and treat
victims, offering them all the necessary support for a
complete recovery” and to offer healing and support to the
communities where abusive priests ministered.
Also discussed among Church leaders was the need for
a clearer policy on keeping victims informed of the status
of cases against their abusers.
Victims or their representatives at the meeting said the
steps taken thus far are “shockingly” inadequate but the
initiatives can be considered revolutionary in contrast to
the accustomed secrecy when dealing with the Vatican.
Rody can be considered one of those who have raised
their voices, similar to the #MeToo movement, to initiate
radical Church reforms not for anything else but to help
return the trust lost due to sinister secrets that has been
kept hidden for so long.
The #MeToo movement exposed sexual abuses among
celebrities in the United States.
Rody said “me too” and boosted the global call for a
change in the Catholic Church’s approach towards abuses.
The rants against the Church may
“Those who
practice the
faith had their
confidence
eroded on priests
who mostly chose
to engage in
politics rather
than tend to the
problems that
had long infested
Christendom.
have even nudged the reflection of the
Vatican or Pope Francis on the need to be
forthright about the allegations of sexual
immoralities among priests.
Tagle made a commendable address
during the Vatican meeting where he
discussed “The Protection of Minors in
the Church” which was exactly Rody had
pointedly referred to in his speeches.
The Palace referred to Tagle’s speech
as the start of a cleansing process “that the Church is
undergoing.”
Their styles may differ but Pope Francis and Rody are
taking the same path towards reform that many had given
up in the past as impossible to achieve.
Tagle said the Catholic Church left deep wounds when
it ignored the sufferings of the victims of sexual abuse by
clergy members.
It is the hope of many Church goers that the bishops
would come with their own list of offenders similar to the
narco list that Rody kicks around to show his displeasure
against the traffickers.
Nonetheless, the Church guided by Pope Francis
had taken the way forward in the church accepting
responsibility for the many victims of abuse and with it
the possible restoration of confidence.
“I am
positive
that the
number of
Ballarat
residents
who were
born in the
Philippines
has gone
up since
then.
“You
cannot
be a
bystander
and
spectator
in a
ferocious
struggle
and
expect to
reap any
benefit
therefrom.
BALLARAT, Australia — An hour
and a half away from Victoria’s
state capital Melbourne is this
charming city of Ballarat.
Made famous during the Gold
Rush years from 1851 to the
late 1860s where much gold
was found and riches were
made.
Australian Bureau of
Statistics census data show that
there were 85,197 residents here
in 2006. The latest statistics,
released in 2016, show that
Ballarat’s population is now at
101,686. There are immigrants
here from at least 89 different
countries and 219 ancestries
(Australian Bureau of Statistics,
Census of Population and
Housing 2016). One of those
countries is, of course, the
Philippines. The main countries
of birth of Ballarat’s residents
who completed the 2016 census
survey, other than Australia,
are England (2,080 residents),
India (860), New Zealand (763),
China (717), Netherlands (537)
and the Philippines (415).
The Philippines is followed by
Scotland, Germany, USA, South
Africa, Malaysia and Italy.
Even more interesting for me
are the main countries of birth
for people moving to Ballarat
since 2011 which includes my
family and I. China tops the
In Maguindanao,
gongs, percussion
k u l i n t a n g
ensemble and
singkil dance
will be played.
Festivities will
fill the air in the
coming days. And
colorful cultural
flags and buntings
of resplendent
colors will adore
the houses and streets. Azan or
call for prayer will reverberate
in mosques extolling Almighty
Allah and expressing thanks
for the birth of a new dawn
for Moros who have been long
trapped in the quagmire of
social conflict and neglect of
their basic social and political
needs by imperial Manila.
Some say the delivery is
literally from a caesarean
operation after so much blood
has spilled in pyrrhic battles.
It represents the sum total of
their dreams.
But there will be no unanimity
of celebration given that Sulu
and Cotabato City have made
their position very clear — while
they don’t question the nobility
of purpose and raison d’etre of
the new Bangsamoro Autonomous
Region in Muslim Mindanao
(BARMM), but for constitutional
and technical reason and yielding
to the voice of the residents
they want to be excluded from
the territorial coverage of the
BARMM. Observers say politics
and tribal schism are the core and
unspoken reason for their dissent.
Last Friday the 80-member
Bangsamoro Transition
Authority (BTA) that will
oversee the interim governance
of the region was sworn to office
by President Digong. A cursory
look at the membership will
tell us that it is an amalgam of
members who came from varied
stations in life, cultural and
Diversity City
list with 369, India at
284, the Philippines
with 181, followed
closely by the United
Kingdom at 180
(Census snapshot,
Intercultural City
Strategic Plan, City of
Ballarat, 2018-2021).
Bear in mind that
these figures were
gathered three years
ago. I am positive
that the number of
Ballarat residents who were
born in the Philippines has
gone up since then. I only need
to recall recent trips to the
supermarket or parties and
citizenship ceremonies I have
recently attended to know that
the number of Pinoys choosing
to call this home is growing.
The main
languages
spoken other
than English
by migrants
arriving in
Australia
between August
2011 and March
SOUTHERN VOICES
Macabangkit B. Lanto
2017 and currently residing in
Ballarat are Mandarin, Filipino
(which includes our various
dialects) and Tagalog. Those are
my native languages right there
coming in at second and third!
In certain rural
areas here in the
State of Victoria where
Ballarat is situated,
there is a very
real dilemma of
declining
social background
but welded by the
common hope for
peace and better
tomorrow.
It is apparent
that there was a
feeble attempt
to make it truly
representative of
the different tribes
and sectors although
it is conceded that
the Moro Islamic Liberation
Front (MILF) Maguindanaoans
constitute the majority.
But this is not surprising
after all the MILF mujahideen
martyrs provided the firewood
for the fire of struggle (after
the Moro National Liberation
Front sign a peace pact with
government in 1996).
As conceded
“The
ghosts of the
martyrs who
gave their
life to the
struggle will
haunt them
if they falter
and fail to
deliver the
services and
promise of
the BARMM.
HALF FULL
Lia Andanar Yu
“It is not
easy to uproot
one’s self and
family from
motherland to
foreign land.
BARMM comes to life
a l m o s t
unanimously, the
MILF will provide
the leadership of
the new regional
government with
Chair Murad
Ebrahim as the
interim Chief
Minister. The
membership
is, however,
sprinkled with
few Maranaw and
Tausug names.
Some are known personalities
who are civic or cultural leaders,
scholars, alims in the region,
while others are less known or
unknown and still others are the
rebel leaders “came in from the
cold” so to speak.
The number of other ethnic
tribes is negligible but this
should not be a reason for
disgruntling given the fact that
the bloodshed in the crusade
for autonomy was that of the
three major tribes. You cannot
be a bystander and spectator in
a ferocious struggle and expect
population. There are
some regional centers
that “… are struggling
to maintain the
population ‘critical
mass’ needed to
sustain services
such as schools and
health care (The
Rural Dilemma,
Peter Wilmoth, Royal
Auto, February-March
2019).” He ends his
cover story by saying,
“If communities rally to attract
migrants, if governments follow
through on plans to improve rail
links... rural Victoria could be a
good news story.” From where I
stand, Ballarat is a continuing
good news story.
The local government, its
planners and its Cultural
Diversity Unit are doing
something right to nurture and
support that critical mass to
sustain essential community
services. It is proving to be a
welcoming city, myself a witness
to the rising number of skilled
migrants and professionals from
the Philippines. My family and
I have friends who are welders,
engineers, auto mechanics,
accountants, medical
professionals, agriculture
experts and chefs who have
chosen to make Ballarat home
in recent years.
Knowing full well that many
of my kababayans choose
to work and live outside our
motherland, it is intercultural
and welcoming
cities such
as Ballarat
which I hope
embrace them
in their second
hometowns. It is
not easy to uproot
one’s self and family from
motherland to foreign land.
Yet those who successfully
make that transition often
contribute, in an immense spirit
of gratitude, so much back to
the communities that initially
welcomed them with open arms.
Local governments and
communities that recognize the
benefits of such diverse talents,
creativity, varied contributions
and wealth of experience
and culture stand to benefit
from our ever-shrinking global
village. Grateful that Ballarat is
one such city of diversity.
to reap any benefit therefrom.
We call this in law, quantum
meruit or services rendered.
That would not be fair. This
is not to say, however, that
they should be shut out totally
from the peace dividends and
concomitant development and
progress that maybe derived
from the new entity.
Meanwhile, watchers of the saga
for autonomy and non-government
organization (NGO) heaved a
collective sigh of relief and they
showed unusual interest in the
selection and vetting of those
who will temporarily manage the
regional government. Indeed the
task of the BTA is crucial and will
spell the success or failure of the
BARMM.
A cursory over the list of the
members of the BTA will easily
tell one that it is a feeble attempt
to make it representative of the
various sectors composing the
region.
Earlier, some NGO had
expressed concern over the
manner of vetting the members
of the BTA. One Bangsamoro
Movement asked the President “to
be fair in appointing...members.”
They remind that there are 13
tribes, excluding Lumads and
non-Muslims, in the region who
should be represented.
They warned that “...people
to be appointed at the BTA
should have capacity and
experiences with impeccable
integrity otherwise the BARMM
will suffer the same mistakes
like the failed ARMM.”
The burden of those who will
govern temporarily is heavy. The
ghosts of the martyrs who gave
their life to the struggle will
haunt them if they falter and
fail to deliver the services and
promise of the BARMM. The law
of the Maranaw murka or karma
is there to get back at them.
Email: amb_mac_lanto@yahoo.com
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Sunday, 24 February 2019
Daily Tribune
“Except
for VP Leni
Robredo,
whose
electoral
victory
is still in
the roast,
the other
hopefuls are
non-lawyers.
Why not! The President’s
daughter as the chief occupant
of Malacañang Palace in 2022?
In Philippine politics, this
is not unusual. We have Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo reviving her
father’s legacy, former President
Diosdado Macapagal, for nine
years. Then past President
Benigno Noynoy Aquino Jr.
perpetuating his mother’s
memory, Corazon Aquino.
If not for his plunder case,
Sen. Jinggoy Estrada should have
been following the road his father, now Manila
Mayor Joseph Estrada, took towards Arlegui St.
Sen. Grace Poe, still a consistent presidential
hopeful, still aspires to continue her dad’s
botched presidency, the late Fernando Poe Jr.,
whom many believed to have been the 14th
President of the Republic.
And still up and about fighting for the
vice-presidential position in the Supreme
Court is Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong”
Marcos. Of course, the buck does not
Sara Duterte, 2019 and beyond
TABLETS OF STONE
Larry Faraon
The principle of ex post facto in law where legislation is not
considered retroactive and thus cannot cover acts committed at a
time when no law was existent to create a violation makes sense
from the perspective of legally holding an accused accountable.
A person cannot be charged and held
“Legal accountability
may be avoided but
where injustices and
injuries continue, no
date-based statute can
erase wrongful acts
committed whether the
injustice was inflicted
before or after a law is
written.
“ Voters
should be
discerning
enough
to know
if these
candidates
are so
devoid
of any
original,
feasible
ideas as
legislators
and are
simply
reciting
their
political
party’s
official
propaganda.
accountable for crimes or violations of a
law prior to that law’s effectivity. Because
such determination of accountability is
a function of specific points in time it is
critical that the act should occur prior to
the law’s writing.
That being said, accountability is a far
more complex matter than one simply
subjected to simplistic timelines. There
are universal wrongful acts whether laws
recognize these or not.
Moreover, the question of accountability
is not only in reference to an act committed but more important, on
the injury that an act results in. This is important where justice is
the objective. Specially where the injury is inequitably heavy. While
accountability might be based on specific points in time, an injury
might be continuing, constant and persistent.
For example, the American civil rights movement in the early
1960’s produced critical legislation to outlaw racial and sexual
discrimination. But acts prior to those laws, and even after laws were
passed, continue. The negative effects on the victims of acts certainly
continue well beyond statutory
enactment. And because
of the ex post facto
principle, true
justice for the
victims can never
be fully attained.
Another
example which
might drive our
point harder into
petrified minds
is the debate on
doctor-assisted
euthanasia for
the terminally ill
who request for
such assistance.
There are certain
jurisdictions in
Northern Europe
that allow this.
The debate has
reached the United
States. What was
once considered
as manslaughter
might now be
legal and thus
accountabilities
are avoided. Yet
what cannot be
avoided is that a
person had taken
the life of another.
While we
subscribe to the ex
post facto principle
because lines
indeed have to be
drawn somewhere,
It’s election season once again.
Election day is that one day in three
years when the voter is king. Outside
of that day, the voter is virtually
ignored by the politicians.
Some of the candidates for
senator in the coming polls are
incumbents seeking reelection. They
were very young when they first ran
for office six years ago. Back then,
they promised to enact legislation
which will once and for all define
and outlaw political dynasties.
They were new faces bearing
veteran political surnames and they gave the
voters the impression that being young means
being idealistic. The voters thought these young
personalities can do something about the curse
political dynasties have visited on this country,
a problem past traditional politicians ignored.
Sadly, the voters were mistaken. Upon
assuming office, the innocent-looking new
senators were absorbed by the patronage
politics their parents were accustomed to and
became traditional politicians themselves.
In the end, and despite the six years given
to them, none of them did anything to rid the
country of political dynasties.
Worse, they simply continued the family
line in elective public office and became
stop there, he has his eyes on
vindicating his dad, the late
strongman, Ferdinand Marcos.
Comebacking senatoriable
aspirant, Mar Roxas, positively
is gunning for the position his
grandfather, Manuel Roxas,
occupied in post-WWII era.
Queried about the matter
for her consideration, the lowly
mayor of Davao City shrugged it
off but not without a hint that
she would pray over it and decide
when the proper time comes.
But what exactly is the proper time. I guess
it should be now!
The anticipated success of her country-wide
campaign trail for her party, Hugpong ng
Pagbabago (HnP) anointed senatoriables,
could be a litmus test of her acceptability and
stature within the wider range of the electorate
and, therefore, the like-ability and chances of
landing among the presidential bets for 2022.
Her exposure to national politics through
a national level campaign would put her at
the forefront of seeing, listening, feeling and
relating to what the rest of the nation need
from a national leadership.
The results of the tight senatorial race could
prompt the younger Duterte to view from a
political and moral calculation those whom
she had to face off if ever she decides to run.
Easily and predictably, there is Sen. Grace Poe,
the rumored second attempt of Manny Villar or
“Bongbong” Marcos and, of course, Mar Roxas.
The sitting Vice President, Leni Robredo, would
not let go of an ambition so close and imminent.
The center left would definitely field one of their
own, possibly, Risa Hontiveros.
However, the vantage of the advantage
rests on Sara Duterte’s fresh image in national
politics, something similar to the charisma that
catapulted her dad to the presidency in the
last elections.
Except for “Bongbong” Marcos, who was
governor of Ilocos Norte for three consecutive
terms, the other presidentiables are wanting in
the experience of rendering public service from
the grassroots at the local levels of governance.
Sara Duterte has that invaluable and
Reeking of rancid, rancor
Senate bets’ unfulfilled 2013 promise
the latest incumbents in a
legislative circus dominated
by political dynasties.
One relatively young
incumbent senator running
this year actually anchored his
2013 campaign on a promise
to legislate against political
dynasties. It looks like the
perks of high public office
for six years made him very
forgetful. Unfortunately, his
well-oiled political campaign
machinery gives him an edge
over other candidates.
Should these candidates be trusted again?
Voters should demand an explanation for the
refusal of these erstwhile honest-looking but
double-dealing new generation politicians to
deliver on their 2013 promise to legislate against
political dynasties.
There are other issues.
Many of the senatorial candidates have been
advertising themselves on television long before
the campaign season began. Although the
Supreme Court ruled that those pre-campaign
season advertisements are not illegal, that is
not the point. The point is, if these candidates
were already spending millions of pesos on
television advertisements before the campaign
THE SCRUTINIZER
Victor Avecilla
we commiserate with victims since the principle protects the
perpetrator where it erases accountability based on nothing more
than a date. Note the inequity between limited accountability versus
continuing injustice.
Legal accountability may be avoided but where
injustices and injuries continue, no date-based
statute can erase wrongful acts committed whether
the injustice was inflicted before or after a law is
written.
Allow us to extrapolate this discussion and
apply it to the accusations of cybercrimes accused
against Maria Ressa. To the extent possible and so
as not to convolute the discourse, we will attempt
to depoliticize the debate.
The original cyberlibel charge under the
Cybercrimes Law was brought against Ressa in
October 2017 for an opinion piece first published
in May 2012, updated and republished in May 2014
season began, one can imagine how much more
they are going to spend during the campaign
season itself.
How is it that these candidates are oozing
with money to spend early on? Has it been a
very lucrative six years in office for them? Are
there many wealthy people who owe these
candidates so much that they are willing to
bankroll their campaign?
There are more issues.
“Many
candidates
deliver
campaign
speeches left
and right,
promising
the electorate
anything
under the
sun and in
heaven, too,
just to get
their votes.
“The
American
civil rights
movement
in the early
1960’s
produced
critical
legislation to
outlaw racial
and sexual
discrimination.
and from then onwards, it remained in the public domain until 2017
when the charges were filed.
According to one columnist, the article still remains
accessible continuously in the public domain. Along this
unbroken continuum, four months after the start of the
continuous publication of the defamation material, the
Cybercrimes Law took effect and should thus impact on
both the continuing publication and the continuing
injuries caused.
For ordinary libel there is
a statute of limitations
of one year. Under the
Cybercrimes
Law there is
One prominent candidate
who was proclaimed senator by
the Senate Electoral Tribunal
for the 2007-2013 term and
who won reelection for the
2013-2019 term, should explain
why he is seeking a third
consecutive term, when both
the letter and the spirit of the
Constitution prohibit him from
doing so. If he has no respect
for the Constitution, what will
he respect?
Another senatorial
candidate is taking advantage
of his recent acquittal by
the Sandiganbayan of graft charges, as seen
in his television campaign advertisements.
The advertisement carries in bold letters the
phrase “not guilty” over an aerial shot of the
COMMENTARY
5
essential experience, being mayor of Davao City.
Except for VP Leni Robredo, whose electoral
victory is still in the roast, the other hopefuls
are non-lawyers. Sara Duterte is a lawyer.
And if the religious
groups, particularly the
Catholic Church and the
Iglesia ni Cristo, would
cast their preferences,
then Sara Duterte could
deflect with ease the
religious votes to herself.
Besides having a moral
clean slate both as a
person and as a public
servant, she is known to be
a religious-prone person.
In her campaign trail
she never misses out on
“The vantage
of the advantage
rests on Sara
Duterte’s
fresh image in
national politics,
something
similar to the
charisma that
catapulted
her dad to the
presidency in the
last elections.
the shrines and churches, bringing her
intentions in bended knees in religious piety.
Sara Duterte can be the next president of
this country and why not?
I just hope no heads would be shaved to
convince her to run!
none. A statute of limitations would have rendered the violation of
a private person’s rights rancid. But under the Cybercrimes Law,
for as long as the offensive material is accessible and remains
in the public domain then the violation likewise remains just as
evergreen.
In the Ressa case the violation of the victim’s rights reeks of both
rancidity and rancor.
Rancid because it refers to an incident during the
impeachment trial of Renato Corona. As the subject matter was
published at exactly the same month when the trial ended and
since it had absolutely no relation to any of the impeachment
charges, then the element of malice towards the maligned was
present. More so where certain criminal activities that were
impugned were never proven.
This leads us to rancor and ill-will. Using a bystander, Ressa
effectively wielded media as a tool of hatred where an accusation
was maliciously created towards an innocent person — who was
totally unrelated to the Corona impeachment — enough to ensure
that hate prevails and Corona falls.
Sandiganbayan building, but conveniently
omits the vital detail that the candidate was
still required by the anti-graft court to return
P120 million to the government.
If this candidate wishes to use the
Sandiganbayan ruling in his favor, he should
cite it in complete context so as not to mislead
the voters.
Another senator seeking reelection has yet
to disclose the current citizenship of her spouse
who, during the 2016 presidential campaign,
told the news media that he was applying for
Philippine citizenship. His citizenship may
not be an election issue this year, but whether
a campaign promise made in the past was
fulfilled or not ought to be publicly disclosed
by the senator in the interest of transparency.
Many candidates deliver campaign speeches
left and right, promising the electorate anything
under the sun and in heaven, too, just to get their
votes. Precisely for that reason, voters should be
discerning enough to know if these candidates
are so devoid of any original, feasible ideas as
legislators and are simply reciting their political
party’s official propaganda. One such candidate
used to be a minion of the former President and
now claims to be an ally of the incumbent.
Hopefully, there’s a limit to the garbage
voters will be willing to hear from these
traditional politicians.

6 NEWS
Sunday, 24 February 2019
Daily Tribune
Pompeo slates
crucial meet
Back sans pomp US State
Secretary Michael Pompeo
will be back in the country
next week as he is expected
to take up security issues
with President Rodrigo
Duterte. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Pompeo will be paying the visit on his way back from Hanoi where
he is joining President Donald Trump
From page 1
Pompeo will travel to Manila on 28
February and 1 March for talks with Mr.
Duterte, State Department spokesman Robert
Palladino said.
Pompeo will be paying the visit on his
way back from Hanoi where he is joining
President Donald Trump for his closely
watched second summit with North Korean
leader Kim Jong Un.
President Xi Jinping visited Manila in
November, offering trade and investment
incentives.
Mr. Duterte has bristled at all criticisms
over his sweeping crackdown on drugs and
crime but Trump has hailed Duterte’s actions
as a sign of toughness, a marked contrast to
previous US President Barack Obama, who
Duterte branded as the “son of a whore.”
The Trump administration has downplayed
human rights except when pressing
adversaries and has set an overall priority
of reducing the global influence of China
and Russia.
Courting mission
Pompeo’s visit came after the President’s
earlier tirades against the US, including a
threat to cut ties with the former colonizer
as it tries to patch up with China by ending
a long-running sea dispute.
Mr. Duterte and Xi decided to “elevate”
their countries’ ties into a “comprehensive
strategic cooperation” even as they “continue
to manage contentious issues” in the West
Philippine Sea.
Every country has the right to
choose its path.
Last year, Xi said “the President and I
both agreed to elevate our relationship into
one of comprehensive strategic cooperation.
This vision charts a clear course for China-
Philippines relations and sends a strong
message to the world that our two countries
are partners in seeking common development.”
China’s leader also agreed with Mr.
Duterte that “every country has the right to
choose its path.”
Parallel roads
“Recognizing the wisdom in the saying all
creatures may grow together without harming
each other, all roads may run parallel without
interfering with one another, both sides agree
that there is no one size fits all development
model and that every country has the
right to choose its own path,” Xi
said.
“I commend President
Duterte for his leadership
under which the people of
this country have actively
searched for, and found,
a development path in
sync with the trend
of the times and the
Philippines’ reality and
have created a bright
prospect of economic
and social development,”
he added. AFP
Unholy
acts
From page 1
Under wraps Fence hides from public view the rehabilitation of a center island in Malabon City.
Andanar stressed the surrender of firearms by
Muslim rebels is a significant step in achieving the
success of the BOL
From page 1
Transition Authority (BTA) to achieve
peace, democratic governance and
respect for human rights,” Guterres
said in a statement which was
read by UN spokesman Stéphane
Dujarric in New York.
Guterres also congratulated
the Philippine government, the
Moro Islamic Liberation Front
(MILF), the Bangsamoro Transition
Commission, as well as the civil
societies and local communities
involved in the push to create the
autonomous region.
The successful 21 January and 6
February plebiscites for the BOL have
effectively ratified the establishment
of the Bangsamoro government,
the transition of which is to be
supervised by the BTA in 2022.
On Friday, the members of
the BTA took their oath before
President Rodrigo Duterte at
Malacañang Palace. Mr. Duterte
personally swore in MILF Chairman
Al Haj Murad Ebrahim as interim
chief minister at a symbolic
ceremony at Malacañang.
Peace within reach
Dujarric said the UN “will
continue to support the Philippines
in the implementation of BOL and
to help build the capacity of the
BTA to achieve peace, democratic
governance and respect for human
rights.”
The MILF signed a peace treaty
with the government in 2014 and
Congress passed a law creating
the self-rule area which voters
later ratified.
Murad and his transition body
will form a Cabinet, as well as
‘Landmark’ BOL peace capital
pass laws, until the temporary
arrangement ends with the election
of a regional parliament in May 2022.
During Murad’s term, some of his
more than 10,000 armed fighters are
expected to gradually disarm under
the terms set by the peace treaty.
Presidential Communications
Operations Office Secretary
Martin Andanar said bringing
lasting peace in Mindanao, all
firearms of Muslim rebels should
be surrendered to the government.
Disarmament next
In a radio interview, Andanar
stressed the surrender of firearms
by Muslim rebels is a significant
step in achieving the success of
BOL, noting that having firearms
can still pose a threat to the
realization of peace in Mindanao.
“One of the ways to make
this BOL successful is to have
the rebels surrender all their
firearms,” Andanar said. “If these
rebels still have firearms with
them, there is still the possibility of
splinter groups that might threaten
peace,” he added.
The successful 21 January
and 6 February plebiscites
have effectively ratified
the establishment of the
Bangsamoro government,
the transition of which is
to be supervised by the
BTA in 2022.
Andanar said the main purpose
of BOL is to bring lasting peace in
conflict-stricken Mindanao.
“This is what the Filipinos want,
to have lasting peace in Mindanao,”
Andanar said. “If we can achieve
peace, then progress will surely
follow,” he added.
The Philippine Center for Islam
and Democracy congratulated the
80 newly appointed members of the
BTA. “We trust the BTA leadership
to lead in the resolution of the issues
that have hindered the region in
reaching its full potential,” PCID
president Amina Rasul said.
The success of the ratification
of the BOL brings the necessary
framework for a strengthened
autonomy that will lay the
foundation for just peace and
inclusive development crucial to
the prevention of violent extremism
in Mindanao.
Accolade for Bravo
After decades of waging war
against the government, MILF
commander Abdullah Macapaar,
also known as Commander Bravo,
has set foot in the halls of power
that he once attempted to overthrow.
Macapaar was among the MILF
leaders who were sworn into office
as BTA members.
One of the ways to make
this BOL successful is to
have the rebels surrender
all their firearms.
“First time,” was Macapaar’s
short reply to reporters when
asked how many times he has
visited the Palace.
Known for his notoriety,
Macapaar was tagged as the
brains behind the attacks in North
Cotabato and Lanao del Norte in
2008 after the failed signing of
the Memorandum of Agreement
on Ancestral Domain between the
ROMAN PROSPERO
government and the MILF as this
was ruled unconstitutional by the
Supreme Court.
But that same feistiness that
Mr. Duterte hopes Macapaar
will use to make the BTA work,
stressing that Macapaar’s presence
in the interim government would
be “beneficial.”
“Well, he is a revolutionary.
We are talking here of ending a
revolution. So, you should talk to a
revolutionary or a warrior of that
war,” Mr. Duterte told reporters after
the mass oathtaking of the BTA.
“He took the brunt. The burden
was there. Just like my Army, my
Armed Forces, my police. They do the
dying. They do the talking,” he added.
The BTA will be governing the
BARMM until the elections in
May 2022.
Barangay Molino and arrested
eight suspects and recovered
P140,000 worth of shabu.
What made the bust unusual
was where the illegal drugs
were found: inside a Bible.
There was a hole cut in the
middle of to make room for the
contraband.
“At first glance you would
think it was just an ordinary
Bible. Who would have thought
there was shabu inside it?”
Bacoor police chief Supt. Vic
Cabatingan said.
The eight suspects were
charged for violation of the
Comprehensive Dangerous
Drugs Act of 2002.
Meanwhile, a woman
was arrested the same day
in General Santos City after
discovering two sachets of
suspected shabu hidden in a
loaf of bread she was bringing
to a detainee in the police
station.
The woman brought with her
a plastic bag full of grocery
items, including a loaf of bread.
However, an alert desk officer
noted the plastic covering of
the loaf was already tampered
with. Upon closer inspection,
authorities found the suspicious
sachets sandwiched in the loaf
of bread.
Notwithstanding the woman’s
protestation that someone had
just requested her to bring
the package to an inmate, the
police said she would face
charges for possession of illegal
drugs.
The woman must have
misunderstood the meaning
of the biblical teaching that
“man does not live by bread
alone.”
And whatever alibi the
arrested suspects in Cavite
may try to come up with, the
police are now forewarned
with the saying “even the Devil
can quote the Scriptures.”
Dry alternative Several projects rising up in the capital also mean sand dunes which these two kids use to experience beach play in the city. ROMAN PROSPERO

Sunday, 24 February 2019
Daily Tribune NATION
7
Defiant Boracay establishment padlocked
We appeal to everyone concerned to comply with the law
By Kuhlin Ceslie Gacula
As part of its continuing efforts to compel
all establishments in Boracay Island to comply
with environmental laws and regulations, the
inter-agency task force recently ordered the
closure of a beach resort for operating without
the necessary permits and clearances.
Ordered close was Boracay Plaza Beach
Resort, which in April last year was issued a
demolition order after its front and back sides
By Bobby Ricohermoso
The government’s relentless anti-illegal drugs
campaign continued to chalk up gains following
successful drug operations in Mindanao and
Bicol regions over the weekend.
In Mindanao, anti-drug operatives on
Friday arrested three suspected big-time drug
dealers and recovered some P13.6 million
worth of suspected shabu during a drug sting
in Zamboanga City.
This, as three suspected drug pushers were
killed in an alleged shootout with law enforcers
in a separate operation in Barangay Binitayan,
Daraga, Albay also Friday night.
Jackelyn de Guzman, Philippine Drug
Enforcement Agency-Region 9 director, identified
the arrested suspects in Zamboanga City as
Nursibar Ekong, 29; Tupay Kali, 32, and Gajier
Ahmad, 29.
The three were arrested during a buy-bust
operation around 3 p.m. in front of a food chain
outlet along Maria Clara Street, Barangay Zone 4.
Recovered from them were two kilos of
By Gladys Mae Ablon
In an apparent display of willingness
to cooperate and respect the rule of law, a
BLURBAL THRUSTS
Louie Logarta
COMMENTARY
‘Camp Crame pissed at MPD coddling’
“Unfortunately for
MPD bigwigs, netizens
were alert to pounce
on the opportunity to
criticize the leadership
of the Philippine
National Police in
Camp Crame.
The Manila Police District (MPD), which is supposed to be the
nation’s premier police unit and which brashly proclaims its motto
to be “Manila’s Finest,” recently suffered another big, black eye (one
of many it has incurred since its creation by the Taft Commission
in 1901 at the start of the American colonial period) following
accusations they allegedly gave “VIP treatment” to several suspects
in an indiscriminate firing incident that occurred in broad daylight
and in front of so many eyewitnesses in Malate.
Unfortunately for MPD bigwigs, netizens were alert to pounce
on the opportunity to criticize the leadership of the Philippine
National Police in Camp Crame regarding the irregularity by way of
de rigueur memes on social media featuring unflattering caricatures
of Director General Oscar Albayalde and Metro Manila police chief
Guillermo Eleazar.
Merece.
Dimwitted MPD officials, as narrated to us by longtime newsman
Non Alquitran of PM tabloid, have only themselves to blame for
inviting unwarranted attention for refusing to answer questions
from beat reporters who had descended on Station 9 headquarters
to get the lowdown on the incident.
More so upon learning that the suspects, some of whom were
visibly still in a drunken stupor, were allegedly being pampered
inside the air-conditioned office of the precinct commander, instead
of being placed in the detention cell reserved for suspected law
breakers.
The nine individuals (two of them young girls), who were on
were found to have exceeded the required
coastal and road easements.
Director Natividad Bernardino, newly-appointed
general manager of Boracay inter-agency
rehabilitation management group, said existing
laws and regulations set the coastal easement on
the island at 30 meters.
On the other hand, the road easement
was set at six meters from the center of
the road. All establishments found violating
easement laws were ordered to suspend
Gov’t anti-drugs campaign gathers steam
Recovered from them were two kilos
of suspected shabu, three bundles
of boodle money, a plastic bag and
brown paper bag.
suspected shabu, three bundles of boodle money,
a plastic bag and brown paper bag.
In Albay, the police identified the slain
suspects as Pedrito Tibay alias Mao, Jeruth
Catubig alias Bunker and Carlo Rima.
They were killed after engaging the police
in a shootout during a drug buy-bust operation
around 6:20 p.m.
Recovered from the three were P100,000
worth of suspected shabu in 10 plastic sachets
and three .38 caliber pistols.
Tawi-Tawi residents
give up firearms
number of residents of Sapa-Sapa, Tawi-Tawi
on Friday morning voluntarily surrendered their
unlicensed firearms to the Philippines Marines
on Friday morning.
Lt. Col. John Cortez, commanding
officer of the Marine Battalion
Landing Team 6, said
the surrender of the
loose firearms is a
show of good faith
on the part of the
residents who were
also wanting to have
peace reign in the
area.
Trying their luck Two boys try to open the door of a van apparently to take anything they can
find from inside the vehicle.
ROMAN PROSPERO
board three cars, were reportedly apprehended after a night of
wild partying when they all stopped at the intersection of M.H. del
Pilar and Aldecoa streets in Malate at around 5:30 a.m. and one
companion alighted, pulled out his Glock pistol and fired several
rounds into the air. No injuries were listed.
At least 12 spent shells were recovered by police investigators
from the crime scene. Not to mention the fact that the incident
was recorded for posterity on the CCTV system of the barangay.
Irate residents, who were rudely awakened by the gunfire,
immediately contacted the MPD hotline, leading to the arrest of
the suspects who were intercepted by SWAT operatives after a
brief car chase which ended unspectacularly on Quirino Avenue.
MPD reporters were irked after they were made to cool their heels
for several hours outside Station 9 when they were uncharacteristically
snubbed by the precinct head who kept himself holed up inside his
room like a leper in some godforsaken cave in the jungle.
Eleazar, head of the National Capital Region Police Office, was
obliged to show up later at Station 9 with all the MPD top brass in tow
to personally assure incensed media men no hanky-panky was going on.
This, after numerous news reports emerged
“At least 12
spent shells
were recovered
by police
investigators
from the crime
scene. Not to
mention the fact
that the incident
was recorded for
posterity on the
CCTV system of
the barangay.
operations pending the removal of their
illegal structures.
In the case of Boracay Plaza, it continued
to operate in defiance of the law while all of its
neighboring establishments have demolished
their illegal structures.
“We appeal to everyone concerned to
comply with the law,” Bernardino said.
“Let us not waste the success of the
rehabilitation efforts which started last year.
All establishments which have yet to comply
with existing laws and regulations should
not operate until they secure all necessary
permits and clearances,” she added.
“There should be no let-up in our efforts
to complete the rehabilitation of Boracay
Island,” she said.
By Aldwin Quitasol
Ritual Young Ibaloy men prepare the sacrificial pig for the traditional
“owik” to seek favor from their ancestors.
ALDWIN QUITASOL
The indigenous people of Baguio City yesterday celebrated
the annual Ibaloy Day at the Heritage Garden to commemorate
the significance of their recognition as original
residents of the region.
The celebration was based on 23 February 1909
declaration by the US Supreme Court recognizing
the legitimacy of Ibaloy
leader Mateo Cariño’s
struggle for native title and
giving due recognition to
them as original indigenous
inhabitants of the city.
Before the Americans
came to the city, the place
was called Kafagway,
meaning pasture land,
while the other areas were
called bag-iw or flowers
that bloom on top of trees.
On 28 September 2009,
the Baguio City Council
LOCAL
METRO MANILA
32°C
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METRO CEBU
31°C
23°C
METRO DAVAO
33°C
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INTERNATIONAL
Tokyo
JAPAN
13°C
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LIGHT RAINS
passed a resolution
declaring every 23
February as Ibaloy Day.
that the nine individuals were being accorded
preferential treatment while in custody of
the MPD because of their supposed powerful
connections in the incumbent administration.
And it certainly didn’t alleviate the situation
any that a politician-uncle of one of the
detainees visited Station 9 allegedly to lobby
for the release of the group after an areglo.
While another was bragging that a relative, a
retired general previously connected with the
MPD, was also doing likewise.
Eleazar at a press briefing said he ordered
Station 9 officials to immediately book the
nine suspects for alarm and scandal, illegal
discharge of firearms, illegal possession of
firearms as well as violation of the election-related gun ban, which
are all serious crimes, in order to preclude suspicions they are
being coddled by the police.
“The full force of the law would be applied to them no matter who
their patrons are,” he was quoted in published reports as saying.
THE erring firm.
Baguio celebrates Ibaloy Day
Hong Kong
CHINA
21°C
CLOUDY WITH
RAINSHOWER
WEATHER
PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES
PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES
PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES
Taipei
TAIWAN
17°C 15°C
13°C
LIGHT RAINS
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
In August 2010, the same local legislative body through
a resolution designated a portion of Burnham Park as the
Ibaloy Heritage Park where they have been holding programs
and rituals ever since.

8
METRO
John Henry Dodson, Editor
Sunday, 24 February 2019
Daily Tribune
FIRE licks the very façade of the historic Bureau of Customs building in Manila. It was among the few
structures that survived the Americans’ intense bombings in 1945 during the Liberation of Manila from
Japanese forces.
ANTHONY CHING
Fire razes historic Customs building
Structure survived World War II
Tondo fire also reached fifth alarm as firefighters race
towards Manila all night
By Anthony Ching, Pat C. Santos
and Elmer N. Manuel
The Bureau of Customs (BoC)
yesterday assured the public that
operations in the BoC-Port of Manila
(PoM) will be business as usual despite
the 10-hour fire that razed parts of the
historical building Friday evening.
BoC spokesman Sandio Austria gave
the assurance after a fire hit the third
floor of the PoM building at the South
Harbor in Manila that quickly spread
to other areas.
The spokesman said the offices
affected by the fire will be temporarily
moved to the BoC gymnasium, where
its personnel would continue processing
transactions when work resumes on
Tuesday, 26 February.
“This is the immediate concern and
priority of the commissioner,” Austria said.
He added the agency will coordinate
with the Philippine Ports Authority, the
PNP tightens measures on EDSA
By Neil Alcober
Police has secured the EDSA Shrine ahead of
the 33rd anniversary of the EDSA 1 Revolution.
Eastern Police District (EPD) director Chief
Supt. Bernabe Balba said they are prepared for
any eventuality though they expect Monday’s
celebration to go smoothly.
The EPD has deployed more police
personnel since Saturday morning to guard
the EDSA Shrine and to enforce the law during
the conduct of rallies.
Maximum tolerance for protesters
but violence will not be tolerated.
“We deployed 1,100 police officers in the
EDSA Shrine. We’re in full force now because
there was a rally there, but we will reduce
them by tomorrow and then full force again
on Monday,” Balba told this reporter in a
phone interview.
Balba appealed to groups staging protest
actions to keep their actions peaceful and
orderly.
“We will exercise maximum tolerance
in dealing with the rallyists. We are asking
them to police their ranks and maintain
order,” he said.
2 cops fall
in drug bust
Two policemen -- Police Officer 3 Mark
Vesta and PO2 Marlo Roldan -- were among
those arrested in a buy-bust operation
conducted by agents of the Philippine
Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in
Pasig City yesterday.
Vesta and Roldan were wounded after
they allegedly shot it out with PDEA agents
over a transaction for shabu with a street
value of P5 million. Vesta was able to
escape but was apprehended at the Rizal
Medical Center.
Meanwhile, Quezon City policemen killed
two of four men in Payatas Friday after a
call from a concerned citizen prompted a
police operation that resulted in an alleged
shootout.
The slain suspects were yet to be identified
at press time. Seized from them were a red
Suzuki Skydrive and a black Honda Beat
motorcycles, two cal. 38 revolvers and eight
sachets of shabu. KMBulquerin
The EPD said yesterday’s rally by militants
has been “generally peaceful” so far. The crowd
was estimated at 1,200, police said.
EPD deputy director for operation Senior
Supt. Florante Torres and Mandaluyong
police chief Senior Supt. Moises Villaceran
Jr. had conducted pre-deployment briefing
to their men.
Meanwhile, seven drug suspects were
arrested in a buy-bust operation at Block 13,
Lot 12, Phase 2, Balubad Settlement, Nangka,
Marikina City Friday evening.
The suspects were identified as Maruja
Samar, 33; Chito Samar, 41; Rolly Regala,
alias Unggoy, 31; Arman Balisbis, 21,
construction worker; Richard Ragua, 33,
carpenter; Ricky Nierves, 35, construction
worker, all residents of Nangka, Marikina
City; and Christopher Ramos, alias Tope,
42, dispatcher, a resident of Tumana,
Marikina City.
Seized from the suspects were 18 sachets
of suspected shabu, P500 in buy-bust money,
P800 cash and a coin purse.
The suspects are currently detained at
Marikina Police detention cell and are now
facing charges for violating Republic Act 9165
or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act
of 2002.
Maritime Industry Authority and the
port operator’s building near PoM for
the possible use of their offices by BoC
personnel.
Initial reports from the Bureau of
Fire Protection (BFP) revealed that
the fire started at around 9 p.m. on the
third floor of the building and reached
the fifth alarm an hour later.
Customs Commissioner Rey Guerrero
was at the ground when the fire started,
along with other BoC officials and
personnel, and he said there will be a
formal investigation as to what caused
the fire.
The BoC building in South Harbor is
a heritage landmark in the country and
deemed an important property by the
National Historical Commission of the
Philippines. It is among the few buildings
in Manila that survived World War II.
Business as usual guaranteed at
BoC Port of Manila’s gymnasium.
More than 50 firetrucks were deployed
to contain the fire, with the Philippine
Coast Guard and Philippine National
Police responding as well.
The BoC-PoM is the third largest
collection district of the bureau. It is
located at South Harbor 16th Street,
Gate 3 in Port Area, Manila.
According to Fire Sr. Supt. Jonas
AFP’s finest feted by Metrobank
By Kathleen Mae Bulquerin
The Armed Forces of the Philippines
(AFP) received Partner in Empowerment,
Advocacy and Commitment to Excellence
(PEACE) recognition from the Metrobank
Foundation Inc. during its 40th anniversary
celebration on Thursday at the Le Pavillion
THE fighting men of the Armed Forces of the Philippines draw inspiration from their best
officers whom the Metrobank Foundation recently honored.
AFP
ASIDE from keeping the peace, the police and the Metropolitan Manila Development
Authority will have their hands full in easing traffic flow during the EDSA revolution
celebration tomorrow.
AFP
in Pasay City.
Present to receive the award was AFP
Chief of Staff General Benjamin Madrigal
Jr. He received the “Kapit-Bisig” trophy
from the board members of Metrobank
Foundation during the event.
Metrobank Foundation bestowed
the PEACE recognition to 40 selected
partner institutions whose commitment
in uplifting the lives of the least in society
and in recognizing the best of the Filipinos
mirrored that of the Foundation.
The 2019 PEACE awardees consisted
of institutions from national government
agencies, non-government and socio-civic
organizations, diplomatic missions, media,
business and the academe.
Metrobank Foundation also awarded
past and current AFP officials for serving
as shining examples.
Among the awardees as Metrobank
Foundation Outstanding Soldiers were
retired former AFP chief Carlito Galvez,
Jr., Major General Alexander Balutan,
Lieutenant General Raul del Rosario
and Lieutenant General Danilo Pamonag.
Silvano, ground commander of the
BFP-Manila, the fire started 9 p.m.
Friday and was at fifth alarm an hour
later. Fire out was declared by 7:10
a.m. Saturday, he added.
As the fire was raging at BoC, another
fire broke out at 10:45 p.m., Friday, at A.
Balon Pier located at Gate 1 of Parola
Compound in Tondo, Manila.
The Tondo fire also reached fifth
alarm and was declared extinguished
by 3:45 a.m. Saturday.
SFO1 Joshua Galura of BFP-Manila
said the fire started in the shanties
made up of light materials that quickly
spread to nearby houses. No one was
reported hurt in both fires.
Two kids
thwart
snatch try
Alert tanod comes to
rescue, arrests female
“kidnapper”
The kids’ guardian angels
must be watching over them
or their feistiness saved them.
Barangay tanods (watchmen)
arrested and turned over to the
police a woman for allegedly
attempting to snatch two
children at dawn yesterday in
Sampaloc, Manila.
Nabbed was Paulina Alanda
alias “Annie,” a resident of
Old Market Rosalyn Street,
Cotabato City, after the spirited
fight put up by the two kids
caught the attention of village
guards.
Alanda was seen talking with
the children aged Paul, 7, and
John, 8, along PinPin Street
when she suddenly grabbed
them as a white closed van
approached.
She was seen waving a towel
as if signaling to the van’s
driver that the two kids were
their target for kidnapping.
The van sped off and Alanda
tried to run when the guards
came to the rescue of the
shrieking children by arresting
the woman.
Several children had been
reported missing in Manila,
purportedly the victims of
kidnapping.
Manila Police District station
4 chief Senior Supt. Robert
Domingo identified Alanda
as the suspect turned over by
barangay tanod Delfin Sima
Franco to the police for booking
purposes.
Alanda’s picture had been
posted in several Facebook
posts warning the public of her
alleged kidnapping activities
targeting children. PCSantos

A LONG
WAIT
FOR PHL
P19
S10 VERSUS
IPHONE XS:
WHO WINS?
P12
GRIT, DEPTH
HIGHLIGHT
E‘HEADS
MUSICAL
P23
NEW FACILITY
BOOSTS CACAO
PROCESSING
P10
Jun Vallecera, Editor
Sunday, 24 February 2019
Daily Tribune
SUNDAYBUSINESS
9
BSP plans
spare use of
novel toolkit
The Bangko Sentral ng
Pilipinas (BSP) on Friday
planned to use its renewed
authority to issue its own debt
papers sparingly.
Deputy BSP Governor Maria
Almasara Cyd Tuaño-Amador
said its new charter, Republic
Act 11211 which amended RA
7653 or the New Central Bank
Act, grants them the power to
sell a monetary tool able to
absorb surplus liquidity in the
system.
THE “King of fruits,” the durian, may be the stinkiest there is in the world but it gives merchants in Davao good business.
Improving business confidence in Davao
Davao currently has a population of 1.63 million
and grows by 2.4 percent annually, while
employment rate is at 95.3 percent
By AJ Bajo
With various initiatives
pouring in from the public
and private sectors, property
consultancy firm PRIME
Philippines is seeing change
in the real estate landscape of
Davao this year.
The firm cited the
construction of the Davao-Samal
Bridge that will start this year,
the completion of the Vista Mall
in Mintal and a township with
convention center in Buhangin,
as well as the government’s
acquisition of land for the
Mindanao Railway Project as
triggers for growth in the area.
“Aside from that, incentives
offered to pay parking
businesses in the city and the
idle tax imposed on properties
that have been idle for three
years are expected to induce
development in the city,”
PRIME stated.
“Alongside these
developments and projects,
several targeted locations
in the city are expected to
experience significant increase
in land values while on other
The business that his grandfather started in 1916 has grown to
manage and operate 32 ports in 19 countries
For a man with a net worth of almost
$5 billion, port and gaming tycoon
Enrique K. Razon Jr., we didn’t know,
can be really funny.
At the 184th commencement
exercises of that school along Taft (in
deference to that school in Katipunan),
the country’s fifth richest man showed
his other side beyond port investments
and ownership of Bloomberry Resorts
Corp., operator of the Solaire Resort
and Casino.
The 58-year-old Razon chairs the
International Container Terminal
Services Inc. (ICTSI), the country’s
leading terminal operator with
subsidiaries in Eastern Europe, Africa
and the Americas. To date, the business
that his grandfather started in 1916 has
grown to manage and operate 32 ports
in 19 countries.
Having been conferred an honorary
degree of doctor of science in logistics,
Razon took the opportunity to thank,
okay, De La Salle University, for the
honor and in his commencement
address, admitted to not being a shining
example for academic achievement.
“This was the only way ever possible
for me to receive a diploma,” said the
areas, little to no movement
is expected due to low volume
of acquisition transactions
lately.”
PRIME highlighted the
J.P. Laurel Avenue in Davao,
the land value of which grew
around 50 percent year-on-year
as the major commercial zone
in the city. Current locators
in the area include property
giants SM, Ayala, Megaworld
and Robinsons.
man who left school when he was
17 years old. He went on to take a
minimum-wage job at the family’s cargoloading
business and worked his way
through the ranks.
“I pleasantly find myself in your
company — finally receiving a diploma.
The difference is it has taken you
roughly three years while it has taken
me 35 years,” he said, eliciting guffaws
from the crowd, composed mainly of
parents of the graduating batch of
1,479 from across different majors and
colleges.
“Dr. Razon,” he said, sounds good.
Noting the rather big number of
graduates, “Dr. Razon” said La Salle
has grown so much in the last 20 years
that it has built buildings on every inch
of open space in its campus.
“If allowed to do so, they will probably
build on top of Taft Avenue as well,” he
added.
Razon deemed it quite appropriate
that the commencement exercises
were held at the PICC (Philippine
International Convention Center) “since
we would have had to park here anyway”
if it were held on the Taft campus.
Pointing out that La Salle itself is one
In a property forecast
report, PRIME Philippines
set expectations for a stable
leasing performance for the
office, retail and industrial
sectors in the Mindanao city.
In particular, business
process companies are “back
on expansion mode” with
high demand coming from
the government, finance and
serviced offices for the office
sector.
Data from PRIME stated
that the ICT-BPO industry
accounted for the biggest in
office occupancy in Davao in
2018, at 82 percent.
Alongside these
developments and
projects, several targeted
locations in the city are
expected to experience
significant increase in
land values.
Gross leasable area for
grade B-A offices ready for
occupancy as of December last
year was 160,000 square meters,
while more than 70,000 square
meters are in the pipeline for
2019 to 2021.
Call him Dr. Razon
of the great success stories
in the country, he thanked
the dedicated visionaries
of the university for the
incredible achievement.
Fact is, he said, La Salle
invested in a multi-colored
lighting system “so that it
can light up the campus
in the color of the team that has
just beaten us in basketball (blue for
Ateneo).”
Manny Angeles
Having been conferred an
honorary degree of doctor of
science in logistics, Razon took
the opportunity to thank, okay, De
La Salle University.
“Sad to say,” he hastened to add, “the
only color that it has not been able to
use so far is green.”
q q q
A foreigner who has decided to
retire in the Philippines is wondering
why the Ayalas whom he said he
had admired for having developed
Makati into a premier city with treelined
roads and pedestrian-friendly
infrastructure seemed to have turned
their back on preserving the last few
vestiges of open space in the business
district.
He was shocked to see what the
CONCEPT NEWS CENTRAL
The retail sector,
meanwhile, will be boosted
by “continuous expansion
of retail brands” and the
“surge of new/startup food
establishments,” PRIME said.
Davao currently has a
population of 1.63 million and
grows by 2.4 percent annually,
while employment rate is at
95.3 percent, data from PRIME
states.
As for the industrial sector,
PRIME said that there is a
high demand on warehouses
for storage as businesses in the
city expand.
THE 102-kilometer Mindanao Railway Project, when completed, will cut travel time from Tagum City to Digos to just 1.3 hours from 3.5 hours at present.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Ayalas had done to the
Ayala Triangle, the last
mature green area in
Makati where an iconic
office tower, luxury hotel,
fresh dining and retail
choices now stand. Half
the trees in the area, he
pointed out, have been
cut and transplanted to a new project
at the old Sta. Ana racetrack called
The Circuit.
The last time the Ayalas cut beautiful
trees in San Antonio Place in Forbes,
some spindly tall specimens that provide
no shade whatsoever were put in their
stead, he said.
Our retiree shared that he saw
what happened to the Glorietta Park
which once had trees and green space
only to be gradually chipped away
for commercial purposes. He is now
asking what is the legal percentage
of open space allowed developers
considering that what happened to
Makati could happen anew to Ayala
Land’s latest development, the Arca
South Project in Taguig where he said
he has inside information that trees
are being cut, not balled, again in wild
abandon. Such activities, the little
birdie told him, are being kept from
public view with the help of green
fences erected around the perimeter.
Perhaps our lawyer friends could
The issuance of the new
policy instrument requires
careful planning so as not to
compete with the issuances
of the national government.
“The central bank wants to
have an expanded toolkit, a
policy instrument, an arsenal
of policy instrument that can
be used to fine-tune monetary
aggregates in the economy,”
Amador told reporters.
“We have the current
instruments and you know
about that already. But
this one, particularly, the
restoration of the authority
to issue central bank debt
papers, as with other central
banks who also enables them
to use these instruments,
particularly during times
where you have a surplus, it’s
a structural surplus liquidity
absorption tool,” she added.
The BSP executive explained
such instrument may be used
during times of considerable
capital inflows.
In addition, the issuance
of the new policy instrument
requires careful planning so as
not to compete with the issuances
of the national government.
“This (is) something that
will be carefully (planned).
The operational details of the
issuance of the central bank
debt papers will be carefully
coordinated with the national
government, particularly in
terms of tenor,” Tuaño-Amador
explained.
“The central bank is fine-tuning
monetary policies and that speaks
the kind of tenor that we will be
using to make sure that the money
supply that is available, sloshing
around the system is just enough
to lubricate the functioning of the
economy,” she added.
Moreover, the BSP
official said the new charter
encompasses the three main
mandates of the BSP that
includes securing the country’s
financial stability, ultimately
benefitting Filipinos.
Joshua Lao
help our retiree here.
q q q
TITTLE TATTLES — It looks like
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana
stands to become the toughest DND
chief ever for having the guts to
order the return of a portion of the
Navy Golf Course at Fort Bonifacio
to the qualified owners from the
AFP and the PNP. That portion
of the course consisting of over 2
million square meters, has been
declared as the AFP Officers Village
in 1965 by then President Diosdado
Macapagal through Proclamation
461 but sadly has not been turned
over by previous administrations
since…Stakeholders and lawmakers
are said to be raising concerns
over a House bill that seeks to
grant nationwide franchise to a
subsidiary of Solar Philippines, a
solar power company founded by
Sen. Loren Legarda’s son, Leandro
Leviste. The concerned parties are
alarmed by House Bill 8179 which
grants monopoly and exemption
to one private company from the
rules of competition and oversight
provided under the EPIRA (Electric
Power Industry Reform Act) Law.
For comments, feedback and information,
e-mail us at mannyangeles27@gmail.com

10 BUSINESS
Sunday, 24 February 2019
Daily Tribune
OFW investments fuel Phl economy
ISSUES AND VIEWS
Kumar Balani
COMMENTARY
“Those funds
are also often
invested by
retirees to create
additional
income from
property rentals.
NEW YORK, N.Y. — On a brief family visit to
Manila, I had the chance to meet my high school
mates from San Sebastian College.
One of them had worked in Saudi Arabia as a
petroleum engineer for 35 years and is now settled
in Quezon City on a well-deserved retirement.
Like him — and millions of others — he
expressed satisfactions that his children are
pursuing rewarding careers overseas — in Australia
and Belgium.
Two others may follow suit.
There are Filipinos who work and live abroad for
many years, sometimes until retirement. Others are
contract workers. Both are significant contributors
to the Philippine economy.
World Bank data says OFW are the world’s
largest per-capita remitters of money after the
Chinese and Indians.
Another spoke about the opportunities available
all over Metro Manila in commercial and residential
real estate investments. He spoke with much
excitement about large-profit, quick turnovers
in BRS — buy, renovate, sell. A great source, he
pointed out, is bank-repossessed properties.
Oftentimes the person who returns home to
retire, has enough money to not only live a very
long, comfortable retirement, but also invest to
make money with the BRS technique. This does
require experience to be done right.
Those funds are also often invested by retirees
to create additional income from property rentals.
Low-overhead, large net-income businesses that
also increase in value are another attractive area
of investment.
I also learned first-hand at the Shangri-La
Plaza sales office of a high-rise property developer
that market prices of apartments have risen
considerably since my last Manila visit in December
2013.
What happens when saved earnings are invested
back home? Many sectors of the Philippine
economy besides the investors, benefit!
Here are some benefits:
• Banks get more capital to lend to borrowers,
creating job opportunities in banking
• Borrowers create new jobs in various sectors,
like construction, design, hospitality, leisure,
manufacturing, retail and tourism, to name a few,
contributing to the size of the Philippines’ gross
domestic product (GDP).
• More overseas Filipinos come to know of the
high return on investment in a faster-growing as
well as a larger Philippine economy. This creates
a large multiplier effect, further spurring GDP
growth in this country.
• Huge opportunities exist to increase earnings
from exports of agricultural and seafood products.
Investing in the export sector, including finding
new export markets, can bring in new money from
overseas, as well as raising the standards of living
for millions of farmers and fishermen.
What can be done with
business-government partnerships
“The person both on the national and on local
who returns levels, to foster such investments
home to retire in the Philippines for everyone’s
has enough
benefit?
Here are some of my
money to
suggestions:
not only live
* Deregulate cumbersome
a very long, requirements that delay the
comfortable construction-permitting
retirement. process while ensuring
utmost safety.
• Improve transportation infrastructure
in Metro Manila to speed up the movement of
people, goods and services.
• Grow promotion of foreign investments with
clear, detailed information about the results other
investors have derived
• Improve hospitality and tourism industries
to boost them, with massive inflow of new money
into the Philippines
• Travel to countries where above efforts
have already been undertaken with tremendous
success: seeing is believing, learning and doing!
New facility boosts
cacao processing
CACAO growers in Luzon have been happy
recipients of support from the Department of
Trade and Industry which has provided roasting
and grinding equipment that benefit small and
medium enterprise operations. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
OTOP serves as the promotional program of
the DTI that highlights the goods and products
of local towns, cities and regions
By AJ Bajo
To aid the manufacturing
gaps and restrictions in the
cacao industry value chain,
the Department of Trade and
Industry (DTI) recently put
up a shared service facility
for cacao manufacturing at
La Union’s Lorma Community
Development.
The DTI said it provided
equipment amounting to
P900,000 in total, including
stainless fermentation box,
roasting machine, grinding
machine, stainless food grade
table, chiller-freezer and
others.
“The provision of efficient
facilities will allow processors
to produce quality beans
adhering to good manufacturing
processes, increase production
of fermented beans, as well
as other cacao products at
fairly competitive prices in the
market,” DTI said.
The project is also seen
to empower micro, small and
medium enterprises (MSME) as
the facility and its equipment
may be accessed by neighboring
municipalities venturing into
cacao manufacturing, DTI added.
The project was launched on
15 February in Mabanengbeng
2, Bacnotan, La Union.
Bacnotan has honey as its
One Town One Product (OTOP),
with cacao included in the
municipality’s priority industry
clusters.
OTOP serves as the
promotional program of the DTI
that highlights the goods and
products of local towns, cities
and regions. Administered by
the Department of Budget and
Management, the stimulus
program also provides funding
for small enterprises.
Meanwhile, DTI’s shared
service facility projects are
likewise a nationwide push to
improve the competitiveness of
MSME through the provision of
machinery, equipment, tools,
systems, skills and knowledge.
The provision of efficient
facilities will allow
processors to produce
quality beans adhering
to good manufacturing
processes, increase
production of fermented
beans.
The Department of
Agriculture previously put
Philippine cacao consumption
at 50,000 metric tons (MT) a
year, with local supply coming
in short at only 10,000 MT.
Globally, a shortage in
cocoa supply amounting to one
million MT is seen by 2020 as
consumption grows to between
4.7 million and 5 million MT.
The trade agency is aiming
for an annual production
increase of 40 percent by 2020
to address the deficit or 100,000
MT of fermented beans for the
export and domestic markets.
In a small tribal community in
Bamban, Tarlac, two groups of Aeta
women have served as beacons of
light. They are known as the Solar
Lolas who have trained in Barefoot
College, Rajasthan, India, to build
solar-powered lamps.
Our Financial Sustainability
Program for our IP
community in Bamban,
Tarlac is aimed at preparing
our Aeta brothers and
sisters to manage their
resources and guiding
them through baby steps to
achieve this dream.
The “Solar Lolas,” who are
actually solar engineers, were
trained to make, install, maintain
and repair solar-powered lamps in
their villages, literally bringing light
and hope to what was previously a
dark, impoverished community.
Bringing light to the lives
of the Aeta community
Spearheaded in 2015 by the
Diwata-Women in Resource
Development Inc. in partnership
with the Land Rover Club of the
Philippines, Philippine Mine Safety
and Environment Association
(PMSEA) and with the cooperation of
the Clark Development Corporation
(CDC) and Bases Conversion and
Development Authority (BCDA),
the project, aptly named Tanging
Tanglaw, has been embraced by
majority of the Aeta women in
the community. The Solar Lolas’
training at the Barefoot College was
Insurer lights way for solar lolas
made possible by the Indian Government
through its Indian Technical and Economic
Cooperation (ITEC) program.
Tanging Tanglaw Steering
Committee Chairman Annie Dee
emphasized that the project doesn’t
simply involve providing lights to
homes, but also giving the Solar
Lolas and their communities the
means to improve their lives by also
SMC-owned hotel supports elderly
True to its mission to give back
to the community, Diamond Hotel
Philippines recently turned over a
donation to Kanlungan ni Maria, an
organization with an advocacy to
support homeless and abandoned
elderly.
During the holiday season, the
hotel conducted a charity drive and
encouraged its guests to give joy to
THE insurer FWD Life Philippines has partnered with the Diwata Foundation and Bayan Academy to provide financial
sustainability training for the Aeta community of Bamban, Tarlac.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
the elderly by giving a donation and in
exchange Christmas ornaments with their
names were placed at the lobby Charity
Tree. The hotel wishes to extend its
gratitude to all the guests who shared
their blessings and showed kindness to
its charity beneficiary.
In photo (from left) are Christian
Sanchez, Diamond Hotel Ugnayan
Chairman; Melanie Pallorina, Diamond
teaching them the basics of leading
financially sustainable lives.
Contributing to community
development
Solar Lola Rosita, 51, shared that
upon their return from their training
in India, they were full of hope that
the solar lamps would significantly
change the lives of their fellow
Hotel Public Relations manager; Archie
Prado, Kanlungan ni Maria secretary;
Vanessa Ledesma-Suatengco, Diamond
Hotel general manager; Rev. Fr. Antonio
Gerardo “Bong” Sanchez, Kanlungan
ni Maria head; Sr. Marivic Caliso, SHC,
Kanlungan ni Maria OIC-Admin; Sunshine
Robles, Diamond Hotel director of sales and
marketing and Jeffrey dela Paz, Diamond
Hotel human resources manager.
tribesmen. But they were faced
with the challenge of spending P200
monthly to cover the cost and labor
to maintain the solar lamps.
For the cash-strapped Aetas with
no stable source of income, the
modest monthly payment is already
too steep a price to pay.
“Our Financial Sustainability
Program for our IP community in
Bamban, Tarlac is aimed at preparing
our Aeta brothers and sisters to manage
their resources and guiding them through
baby steps to achieve this dream,” Dee
said. “By teaching them how to create
solar lights, we changed their lives and
expectations. We cannot possibly allow
them to go back to the dark ages or rely
on dole-outs.”
Planting the seeds
of financial sustainability
FWD Life Insurance Philippines
learned of this challenge and decided
to help the Aeta communities
by helping them with financial
literacy and teaching them financial
sustainability. Thus, FWD Life’s
training project was born.
One of the country’s fastest-growing
insurance companies, FWD Life has
been supporting Tanging Tanglaw and
the Solar Lolas since 2015.
Launched in collaboration
with the Bayan Academy for Social
Entrepreneurship and Human
Resource Development, the FWD
Life training program was crafted
to help the Aeta community become
integrated with financial systems and
realize more economic opportunities.
Through a framework which combines
their tribal wisdom with knowledge
on the value of financial systems, the
modules aim to introduce Aetas to
product marketing concepts for their
solar-powered lamps.
Bayan Academy executive
director Philip Felipe said, “This
program is very effective in the
grassroots and our goal together
with FWD Life and DIWATA is to
help marginalized communities by
democratizing entrepreneurship.”
Roche Vandenberghe, FWD
Life Insurance Philippines head of
Marketing and Community Care
Lead, shared, “The journey of the
Solar Lolas inspires all of us at
FWD Life to continue our mission of
empowering people to live fulfilled
lives and we want to help them
reach the next level by fostering the
mindset for financial sustainability
and even entrepreneurship in the
Aeta community.”

Sunday, 24 February 2019
TECHTALKS 11
Daily Tribune
Trump wants
to lead 5G, 6G
I want the United States to win through competition, not
by blocking out currently more advanced technologies
In a series of tweets, US President Donald Trump has called on American
companies to “step up their efforts” in taking the lead in the development of
5G and 6G networks or “get left behind.”
Without naming names, Trump urged US firms to focus their efforts on
staying ahead of the competition through research and development instead
of blocking others from acquiring the capability to such a technology.
“I want 5G and even 6G, technology in the United States as soon as possible.
It is far more powerful, faster and smarter than the current standard.” He
added, “I want the United States to win through competition, not by blocking
out currently more advanced technologies.”
With a 5G network, Galaxy S10 5G users can have faster download
speed of video materials.
“American companies must step up their efforts, or get left behind.”
However, the tweet was seen by some US allies as a sign Trump is taking
a soft stance on Huawei, a leading Chinese telecom firm which Washington
wants blocked from future 5G mobile networks. Indeed, the US is leading a
campaign to its allies to ban Huawei from the 5G initiatives on security concerns.
Despite an assurance by UK cybersecurity chiefs the security risks are manageable,
some governments have
issued a ban to Huawei from supplying
some parts to their
networks.
Huawei is also seen
as a collateral damage to the much
broader trade war
in the
between the two largest economies
world. Since July last year, both
Beijing and Washington have imposed
stringent tariffs on billions of dollars
worth of goods.
Trump’s tweet also came a day after
South Korean tech firm Samsun launched its
Galaxy S10 5G, the latest in its Galaxy smartphone
series. “Samsung is putting the power of 5G in
consumers’ hands with Galaxy S10 5G, Samsung’s
first flagship 5G smartphone,” the company said
during the launch.
With a 5G network, Galaxy S10 5G users can have
faster download speed of video materials, even full season
of a TV shows in minutes. It even allows them to play games
with rich graphics almost lag free, while enjoying enhanced virtual reality and
augmented reality experiences.
Samsung Electronics president and chief executive officer of IT and mobile
communications division DJ Koh commented, “Samsung is proud to be making
5G a reality for European consumers by collaborating with some of our most trusted operator partners to
introduce Galaxy S10 5G to the market this summer.”
Komfie Manalo
China steps up
scientific, tech coop
In the era of globalization, no country could
develop independently separated from the
world and no technology could be developed or
applied without cooperation
China said it would grasp the development opportunities
brought by a new round of scientific and technological advances
and strengthen technological exchanges and cooperation with
all parties, including in 5G.
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Geng Shuang made the
comments at a news briefing when asked about some countries’
remarks that Chinese enterprises should be excluded from
the construction of their 5G networks due to the “security
risks” of Chinese products and devices.
As a cutting-edge technology, the fifth-generation
(5G) mobile communication technology is not exclusive
to one or a few countries, but concerns the development
of the global economy, the interests of all countries and
the progress of human civilization, Geng said ahead of
the Mobile World Congress 2019 scheduled for 25 to 28
February in Barcelona, Spain.
The spokesmann said the global industrial chain, supply
chain and value chain of 5G are highly integrated and could
not be artificially separated or divested, or it will affect
“mutually beneficial and win-win multilateral cooperation,
undermine the open and inclusive market environment and
Serious computer gamers will
likely take a close look at the new
graphics card that Nvidia recently
introduced, touted to be heavy in
computing muscle but easy on
the pocket.
Nvidia claims its Nvidia
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti,
which is using the
company’s latest
12th-generation
Turing GPU
architecture,
delivers strong
performance but
uses less power.
damage international rules of fairness, justice and
non-discrimination.”
“In the era of globalization, no country could
develop independently separated from the world and
no technology could be developed or applied without
cooperation,” Geng said.
In the process of developing 5G networks, China hopes
all countries can make choices that conform to their own
interests as well as the trend of the times based on their
own independent judgments, he said.
Xinhua
Blazing performance without burning wallet
NVIDIA
GTX 1660 Ti
The new graphics card includes
1,536 CUDA cores, 6GB of the
latest GDDR6 memory and a
1.8GHz boost
clock. With
a power
envelope
of 120
watts,
Nvidia
claims the
GTX 1660 Ti
has “the best
performance per
watt of any GPU in
its class.”
Nvidia’s latest graphic card
offering would certainly
appeal to the mainstream
computer gamers who want
a great gaming experience
without having to stretch
their wallet.
Smooth device
Nvidia promises as smooth 120
fps gameplay at 1080p resolution in
many popular game titles. The GTX
1660 Ti is said to be up to 1.5x faster
than the GTX 1060 6GB version.
The GTX 1660 Ti does not have
the real-time ray tracing and deep
THE race is on for the leadership in the development of the next-generation in telecommunications technology
such as 5G and 6G that boasts of high data rate, reduced latency, energy saving, cost reduction and massive
device connectivity. President Donald Trump wants US firms to ensure pole position. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
DESPITE stiff competition in the technological arena, China is stressing the need for international
cooperation to ensure every country would benefit from the advantages brought by scientific and
technological advances.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
learning features of the previous
Turing card models.
While they sounded cool, those
features did not really deliver the
expected performance boost so the
GTX 1660 is actually fine without them.
The GTX 1660 may not be for the
professional gamers who require
the fastest graphic card money
could buy.
But priced from $279, Nvidia’s
latest graphic card offering would
certainly appeal to the mainstream
computer gamers who want a great
gaming experience without having
to stretch their wallet. CRP
Huawei ban
delays upgrade
VIENNA — Banning Huawei will create a
vacuum that no one can fill in a timely fashion
and may seriously push back 5G deployments
across Europe, said a prominent Austrian
lawyer.
Georg Zanger, a business and defense
lawyer who has publicly opposed right-wing
extremism, said without Huawei, Europeans
would be thrown back in crucial 5G technology
in terms of time and cost.
“Nobody has provided a shred of hard evidence
that the company has done anything wrong, raising
the question of whether this is glorified protectionism
hiding behind the banner of national security,” said
Zanger, also president of the Austrian Chinese Business
Association, in the opening speech of an event entitled
“Huawei — Inside & Outside.”
The United States has been urging its allies to
exclude Huawei from their 5G development, claiming
the company’s technology would compromise national
and user security.
Huawei executives have, on various occasions, refuted
the US-orchestrated allegations, citing the company’s
excellent cyber security record and willingness to accept
supervision and suggestions of foreign customers and
governments. Until now, no evidence has been raised
to support the allegations.
Malevolence not detected
On Wednesday, Ciaran Martin, CEO of Britain’s
National Cyber Security Center and one of the
country’s most senior intelligence chiefs, said
Britain is able to manage the security risks
of using the Chinese company’s telecoms
equipment to build its next-generation 5G
wireless networks. He added there was no
evidence of malevolence by Huawei.
As Britain is a member of the Five Eyes
intelligence alliance which also include
Australia, Canada, New Zealand and
the United States, its decision about
Huawei is likely to affect the way other
countries treat the Chinese company.
According to media reports, the
German Cabinet held a meeting last
weekend to review a report on Huawei
by its own security services. The report
said that the services had failed to find any evidence of spying.
Earlier this month, German Chancellor Angela Merkel
took a more moderate line on the issue. She refused
to say that Germany would ban Huawei but noted that
the company must provide assurances on data security.
Won’t bargain security
“We have never been asked by any government or
any authority anywhere in the world ... to do anything
that would compromise or jeopardize ... the security
of customer networks,” said Joe Kelly, Huawei’s vice
president of corporate communications. “If we ever are
asked to do so, we will refuse.”
As most European carriers already use Huawei for a
significant percentage of their existing 4G equipment,
upgrading those networks with new gear from rivals
would result in more operational challenges and costs,
analysts said.

12 TECHTALKS
Sunday, 24 February 2019
Daily Tribune
Property crypto deals too early
Supercomputers and quantum computing have already
achieved tremendous milestones that would enable us to do
more things more efficiently
By Komfie Manalo
The Philippine property market is not
yet ready for cryptocurrency payments
soon, but things could go into that
direction once the industry matures and
certain conditions are met.
In an interview at the sidelines
of the presentation of the Philippine
Real Estate Outlook 2019, Jayson
Estores, research and advisory head
of PRIME property advisory firm, said
cryptocurrency transactions in the
Philippines show some promise, but
added market adoption and education
are needed to see more real estates
changing hands using digital currencies
as payments.
“Cryptocurrencies are just one
aspect of the blockchain technology
revolution,” Estores said. “Although we
believe the market would evolve into
that direction, right now, a majority of
the buyers still prefer person-to-person
transaction and use (fiat) money when
buying a property.
He was reacting to initiatives
by fintech firms, particularly
blockchain-focused startups, that
are offering property investments
through cryptocurrencies.
Indeed, blockchain technology is
disrupting the real estate space, with
one of the technology’s key value-add
proposition is to unlock greater
liquidity in the asset class by offering
digital shares, allowing investors to
buy and sell small pieces of real estate
and even high-ticket projects that are
normally accessible only big capitalists.
In the Philippines, home-grown
startup Qwikwire launched its
blockchain-enabled listing platform
AQWIRE for real estate. AQWIRE offers
a payment platform that lists property
offerings of different developers across
the world, process payments using
different conventional channels and
provide analytical data to potential
buyers.
But according to Estores, the property
sector could benefit from blockchain
by utilizing its capability to store
information in a digital ledger that is
distributed among multiple parties with
each of the party storing an exact copy
of all the data.
Cryptocurrency transactions
in the Philippines show some
promise, but added market
adoption and education are
needed to see more real estates
changing hands using digital
currencies as payments.
“The benefit of blockchain is it is the
next generation database technology. It
offers immutable storage of information
and that I think is where the real estate
industry could benefit by exploiting those
core value propositions,” he added.
Property technology
At the forum, Estores reported the
New gaming spectacle is a stadium
boom in property technology, including
blockchain and cloud data storage is
propelled by the rise in the usage of
smartphones and faster Internet services.
“In the last five years alone,
supercomputers and quantum computing
have already achieved tremendous
milestones that would enable us to
do more things more efficiently. More
particularly, smart technologies such
as blockchain and virtual assistant have
gained track since their debuts in 2008
and 2011, respectively,” the company said.
According to PRIME, firms and startup
ventures are on the race to break ground
on the newest proptech to hit high in the
Philippine market. The country has a
solid market background to easily adopt
to new advancements particularly the
accessibility to computers and decent
data connection, it added.
SOLAIRE “Players Stadium” offers a suspended center display that’s equivalent to 360 square meters of screen which is equivalent to 310 pieces of 65-inch screens merged into one that provides a visual rush to game
players. Solaire Resort and Casino officials cut the ribbon to formally open the new casino highlight.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Not in Las Vegas, Nevada. Not in Macao,
China, definitely. And not in Borgata Casino
Hotel in Atlantic City. But it’s here in our
country — the Players Stadium in Solaire
Resort and Casino that’s kicking up the gaming
experience to a higher notch.
The Players Stadium is a pinnacle of innovation
in the gaming industry as it, being the very first
one in the world, features an overall 360 square
meters of screen, 96 input and output channels
By Gene Beatrice A. Micaller
with which a line of communication is created and
more than 70,000 of interior screws and fixings.
“The Players Stadium is unlike anything that
our guests have seen before. It offers variety
in one setting at the same time letting them
experience something that no other property
has,” said Cyrus Sherafat, Solaire’s executive
vice president for casino marketing.
The stadium, which was officially opened to
the public last week, is the biggest of its kind in
S10 versus iPhone XS: Who wins?
Samsung S10 has taken the photo-taking experience to another level
Weeks and weeks of speculation have finally reached an end as Samsung officially introduced to the
tech world its latest phone model — Samsung S10 series. The question is, how is it any better than any
smartphone that has ever existed? Or should I say, does it transcend iPhone XS’ specs and performance?
Some argue “yes” and some say “no.” But let us discuss it one by one.
Let’s start with what makes buyers go crazy the most — the camera.
Seeing double is better
for many and that was
what iPhone did: Give
birth to an iPhone
XS that has a pair of
12-megapixel sensors
and that really drove
the people crazy. Both
have Optical Image
Stabilization (OIS). The
main snapper features
an f/1.8 aperture and
26mm focal length
while the second lens
accents f/2.4 aperture
and a 52mm focal
length.
Crazy, isn’t it? But
not crazy enough says
the Samsung S10.
Samsung S10 has
taken the photo-taking
experience to another
level as it ignites its
camera features with
triple-lens camera in
the rear area that has
16-megapixel (ultrawide
angle), 12-megapixel
(ultrawide angle)
and 12-megapixel
(telephoto). The S10
series also has greater
software enhancement
such as the Bright Night
feature.
Famed phone
camera review provider
SAMSUNG Galaxy S10.
DxOMark said that “in
the world. This groundbreaking arena features
a gaming space with 91 million pixels in a 310
pieces-construct of screen that are 65-inch in
size respectively. These screens simultaneously
parade the live and the digital side of all the
games such as Baccarat, Sic Bo, Roulette, Derby
Horse Racing or Money Wheel.
Solaire added these screens that are not only
hanging area but as well as on the pillars of the
very stadium. For the hanging screens alone, 20
our opinion, these are currently the best camera
phones of 2019.”
Now this is crazy.
I bet after the camera feature, some would always
see to it that the screen also performs great, right?
Samsung S10 stepped up its game with a 6.1-inch
dynamic active-matrix organic light-emitting
diode or, in layman’s term, AMOLED. This new
feature allows pixels to activate more quickly
because of the layer
of semiconducting
film that Samsung
added.
AMOLED also
increases the speed
of larger and higher
definitions. It also is
1,000 times faster than
LCD which most tech
companies use.
On the other side,
Apple’s iPhone XS has
5.8-inch Super Retina
OLED. The Super Retina
display has a wide
contrast at a 1 million to
one contrast ratio, high
brightness and a cinema
standard wide color.
But what really
is something that
S10 possess which
couldn’t be found
in XS? Its hole-punch
camera.
kilometers of internal wirings were used.
The screens use light emitting diodes or LED
display that are more efficient due to its low-energy
consumption, in addition to producing more
brilliant and higher intensity displays.
Refurbishing their clientele’s gaming
experience, Solaire also appended 14 reclining
chair for the VIP that spotlighted a very comfortable
seat for them who want to be amused and relaxed
concurrently. Gene Beatrice A. Micaller
APPLE iPhone XS.
The on-screen fingerprint sensors do not take up too much
space on the phone since it’s already implanted behind the
screen itself.
This feature has really taken everyone in awe as it’s the first of its
kind. This time around, the Samsung cut a portion of the screen for selfie
purposes. This hole-punch camera has 10-megapixels in it.
Another key feature of the S10 is its on-screen fingerprint sensors. I
know, fingerprint sensors are probably overrated by now, but displaying it
on-screen? That is something.
The on-screen fingerprint sensors do not take up too much space on the
phone since it’s already implanted behind the screen itself.
The new Samsung S10 has set the standards a notch higher anew. And
the game amongst the phone companies has just began.

Sunday, 24 February 2019
Daily Tribune
living spaces
13
Grand launch for a brand with history
The first Hilton opened in the country in the 1960s
along the United Nations Avenue in Manila. It was
the place to be for the well-heeled set
By Kathleen A. Llemit
One structure at the first
integrated resort complex in the
country, Resorts World Manila, stood
illuminated with lights. A brand
known for its history, Hilton Manila
had risen anew.
Dressed up as befits the brand
that spawned notable names even
outside of the hotel industry (Paris
and Nicky Hilton), Hilton Manila
served as the glamorous host for
Manila’s elite and vacationers alike.
The grand ballroom was a
preview of the hotel’s offerings
– eye-catching features, notable
design and sumptuous offerings.
Anyone who entered the 545-sq.m.
ballroom could not help but be
amazed at the grandiosity of the
six-meter, crystal-encrusted ceiling.
HIILTON Manila's general manager
Simon McGrath toasts the grand
launch of the hotel. YUMMIE DINGDING
All lit up, the effect is stunning,
leaving guests feeling like they are
standing underneath a sparkling
cloud. The experience did not end
there as the ballroom opened up to
a free-form, resort-style lagoon pool.
A commitment to making
guests feel special was
further demonstrated
with a sampling of the
spread of the food
and beverage
The Bituin family may be running
several businesses but they
don’t keep the success only to
themselves
What started as a small business of building
and selling billiard tables and buying and
selling souvenir items has now evolved into
a conglomerate of design-centric companies.
Four furniture firms have burgeoned from the
artisan heritage started by The Bituin Family of
Pampanga. The family’s legacy translated into
export-quality pieces for different tastes and
markets.
Jose and Myrna Bituin started JB Woodcrafts
and Betis Crafts in the 1970s, laying the
groundwork in creating intricate wood carvings
that many international buyers have set their eyes
and hearts on over the years. The artistic energy
of the couple has since passed on to their children
as each now heads a company of their own that
also produce exquisite handcrafted furniture and
accent pieces.
Inheriting craftsmanship
Eldest daughter Alona Bituin-Sinsuat is
offerings of the newly opened
hotel. At one corner, ice carvings
accentuated the space dedicated
to the showcase of the all-day
interactive buffet, Kusina. A chef
masterfully carved out the flesh
of a yellowfin tuna flown in from
Zamboanga City for the occasion.
There were also sections that
featured a variety of sushi, as well as
a cheese station with half a wheel of
cheese freshly carved for the taking.
Back again
The first Hilton opened in the
country in the 1960s along the
United Nations Avenue in Manila.
It was the place to be for the wellheeled
set. It closed in the late 1980s
until the Hilton brand made its
presence felt again with the opening
of Conrad Hotel in Pasay City in 2016.
Conrad is one of the 14 brands of
Hilton Worldwide.
The marquee brand, however,
is now open at a most strategic
location. It is right across
the Ninoy Aquino
International
Airport
now at the helm of Betis
Crafts while sister Leslie
Bituin-Mendoza handles JB
Woodcrafts. Determined to
expand the business even
more by capturing modern
and contemporary designs for
today’s market, Allan Bituin
founded More Than a Chair
and Lieza Marie Bituin leads
South Sea Veneer.
These independent
companies complement each
other’s operations and can be
Terminal 3 which is made even more
accessible with Runway Manila,
an airconditioned skybridge that
connects the airport to the RWM
complex.
“Nowhere in Metro Manila will
you find a cluster of hotels, of a
five-star brand, four-star brand,
three- star brand offering services
to the masses, to the international
community, to (the) domestic
staycation (market) all in one
place, under one roof in what we
HUA Ting is the Shanghainese restaurant located at the second level.
call our own ‘little entertainment
city,’” Stephen Reilly, chief operating
officer (COO) and executive vice
president for Travellers Group
International and RWM COO, said
during the opening of the hotel in
October last year.
Hilton Manila at Resorts World
Manila has 357 modern and elegant
guest rooms furnished with Hilton’s
signature features and technology
such as the Serenity bed and fourpoint
bathroom and recreational
facilities such as the lagoon pool and
24/7 fitness center.
In a busy
complex
differentiated by their expertise. Betis Crafts, for
instance, is proud of its simple but sophisticated
carvings and classic designs while JB Woodcrafts
takes pride in its elegant finishes and elaborate
details. “We are looking forward to seeing the
design footprint of our work that is why we see
ourselves as the makers of the Antiques of the
Future,” Bituin-Sinsuat shared.
More than a Chair, on the other hand, targets the
modern imagination of today’s young buyers through
its minimalist contemporary lines while South Sea
Veneer’s identity is rooted in the manufacturing
technology of marquetry or veneer inlay.
The Bituin children may have inherited their
artistic flair and penchant for international trade
from their parents but they are also imbuing
their own individuality in each of the companies
through their new designs and in the way they
do business.
housing several brands, what sets
apart this new hotel?
General manager (GM) Simon
McGrath underscored their food and
beverage offerings.
“Food and beverage is an integral
part of what Hilton is known for, and
we bring three amazing restaurants
to you. First is Kusina. It is the
all-day dining interactive buffet
restaurant that embraces
the element of Filipino
cuisine culture by providing
the upmarket dampa-style
service. On the second
level, we have Hua Ting,
our Shanghainese Chinese
restaurant. Shanghainese
is Chinese-style but surely
resonates with the Filipino
palate. Downstairs we have
the Madison Bar, an inviting
café during the daytime
which transforms into a
very chic, cosmopolitan
lounge bar in the evening
with some cocktails
and food offerings,” he
enthused, noting the
Filipinos’ love for staycations in
hotels.
McGrath comes in as the preopening
GM of the property.
He has 38 years of industry
experience, with his last
stint at the Doubletree by
Hilton in Johor Bahru,
Malaysia in June
2017.
Paul Hutton,
Hilton vice
president for
operations
in South
East
“The influence of
social media helps us a lot
in selling our inventories. We help
our partner buyers
by sending styled and
high-resolution photos
of our products that
they can promote on
their websites and
social media channels
even before our items
reached their shores,”
Alona said.
The Bituin family
may be running
several businesses
but they don’t keep
the success only to
themselves. Family
matriarch Myrna
Bituin gladly shared
that some of their
carvers and workers have been with
them for up to 25 years already.
“We value our employees as
they are the ones who help us
achieve our goals. We encourage
growth by implementing training
programs and housing benefits for
our workers,” Myrna shared.
Importing a good name
“From the very first venture of JB Woodcrafts,
we now have 45 years in the industry and joining
international trade fairs such as the Manila
FAME has been instrumental to our success,”
the matriarch said.
“Other countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia
and China might emerge as a major competitor,
but the country is thriving because platforms
like Manila FAME effectively showcase our edge
Asian, agreed.
“One of the key things that we
pride ourselves at Hilton is that
it’s not just about employing the
best people, but we are where
people want to work. So, I think
there are really two things. Simon
eloquently went through the food
and beverage offering. I’m from
the food and beverage background
myself. Manila may be a little
different because you enjoy your
long weekends and holidays. Forty
to 50 percent of the nation do
take notable long vacations in the
country so I think that’s pretty
crucial. F&B in most cities, they
don’t necessarily spend it on a hotel.
But I think our F&B offerings has to
be key, it has to be a differentiator.
We have to be authentic. We have to
be considered by locals to be good
at what we do,” he began.
“Secondly, with our Travel with a
Purpose campaign, our company is
hellbent on sustainability. Stats don’t
lie. The Philippines is a country that
struggles with sustainability; one of
the three countries that produce
plastic so I think that’s something
we’d like to play our own way. We
make it a point that there are no
plastic straws in this hotel. And
I’m going to finish where I
started.
“On our third piece, it
has to be our employees.
Passing on the artisan’s legacy
Intricate carving techniques
perfected over the years by Betis
Crafts.
A LOOK at one of the premium bedroom suites.
That is something that we have yet to
see. Filipinos will have to see if we’re
great employers or not. But we set
out to be so. All of that account to
what differentiates us from what our
competitors do,” Hutton explained.
In May 2018, the chain launched
its Travel With A Purpose campaign
that aims to reduce carbon footprint
in half by 2030 in line with the
United Nation’s 2030 Sustainable
Development Agenda.
Another innovation that Hilton
is proud of is its keyless entry. It
is a feature that can be accessed
exclusively via the Hilton Honors
app. Hilton Honors is Hilton’s
global award-winning guest-loyalty
program for its brands – comprising
more than 5,300 properties in 106
countries and territories. Members
get access to instant benefits such
as exclusive member discounts, free
standard Wi-Fi and access to the
Digital Key.
Kusina is an all day interactive buffet that highlights the upmarket dampa-style of
service.
This served as the highlight
of the Thursday’s grand launch.
In a ceremonial opening activity,
McGrath, Reilly, Alliance Global
Group Inc. CEO Kevin Tan and RWM
president and CEO Kingson Sian
lit the Hilton Manila beacon using
a “digital key” simulation. Guests
of honor US Ambassador to the
Philippines Sung Kim, Department
of Tourism Undersecretary Benito
Bengzon Jr. and Pasay City Mayor
Antonino Calixto joined them.
The opening of the flagship
brand will not be the last of
the brand, said Hutton. He
emphasized that with the right
partner, timing and location, the
marquee brand including the
other brands can be introduced
in the Philippines. This year, they
are expecting to open a Hilton
brand in Clark, Pampanga.
JB Woodcrafts in the recently concluded Manila FAME October 2018.
and niche in the global market – and that is the
Filipino brand of creativity,” she ended.
The biannual Manila FAME is organized by
the Center for International Trade Expositions
and Missions or CITEM, the export promotion
arm of the Department of Trade and Industry. It
is slated to happen on 25 to 27 April.
Learn more about Manila FAME on www.
manilafame.com.

14 LIVING SPACES
Sunday, 24 February 2019
Daily Tribune
Whether it is a
condo, townhouse
or a second-hand
home, location
is a primary
consideration,
right along
with the
neighborhood.
With reports from Dinah S. Ventura
The proliferation of condominium developments in
Metro Manila and surrounding environs, coupled with
the ongoing travails of traffic, has made it almost
a necessity these days to find living quarters near
one’s place of work.
But such a thing can be financially prohibitive.
Many families are barely able to make their monthly
budget fit, let alone cover payments for a unit.
Also, the waiting period involved when investing in property
developments or building a house from scratch may pose a problem for those who
need accommodations quickly.
An article in nerdwallet.com advises first-time home-buyers says, “You may
assume you’ll buy a single-family home, and that could be ideal if you want a big
yard or a lot of room. But if you’re willing to sacrifice space for less maintenance
and extra amenities, and you don’t mind paying a homeowners association fee, a
condo or townhouse could be a better fit.”
Whether it is a condo, townhouse or a second-hand home, location is a primary
consideration, right along with the neighborhood. These days, with rising gas
prices and long commutes are something to be deathly avoided, a place that’s
accessible can help lessen transportation costs. It will benefit family members if
one’s home offers easy accessibility to schools, hospitals and commercial areas.
Another advice from nerdwallet.com is to look for properties that meet not
just your current needs but also your future ones. “It’s easy to look at properties
that meet your current needs. But if you plan to start or expand your family, it
may be preferable to buy a larger home now that you can grow into. Consider your
future needs and wants and whether the home you’re considering will suit them.”
If you are considering second-hand homes for this, PSBank, through its “Good
to Know” campaign, helps you spot a gem among wide choices of pre-owned
houses with these tips:
Know where to look. The best places to find pre-owned real estate properties
for sale are banks and local government institutions such as the Home Development
Mutual Fund or Pag-IBIG. Check out their websites and you’ll find the best property
deals. There are also property auctions that these institutions
organize. Some properties not normally listed in their
websites are being auctioned there.
Schedule a visit or inspection. Determine the
real condition of the house yourself by asking a
professional inspector for help. Check if the basic
structure, floor plan and infrastructure remain
sturdy and durable. Ensure that there’s electrical
and plumbing system installed, rooms are wellproportioned
and there are no bad cracks or serious
leaks. A great buy would be one with no major fixes
and you’ll be able to move in to your new home soon.
Consider the location. The location is just as important
as the house itself. If it is located within a good school system, a nearby
transportation, market or grocery, then finding a home priced to accommodate
the necessary updates could be a good deal.
Verify documents. Check the title and latest property tax receipt. The title
will not only tell you how old the property is but it will also let you know if the
property had a chain of previous owners.
Check the market value of the property. To ensure that you will not be paying
more than you should, go through the current price trends and get an estimate
Filinvest City in Alabang is making strides in
transforming the landscape of the Metro South
as it actively seeks the prestigious and coveted
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) Plan
Version Four Certification from the United States
Green Building Council (USGBC).
LEED for Neighborhood Development was
HOUSE-HUNTING HINTS
or seek an expert to help you evaluate the second hand property against
similar properties in the area.
Buying an excellent pre-owned property entails lots of patience and
due diligence. However, getting it for a bargain price should be more
than enough motivation and be able to convince you that what you
purchased is more than what you paid for. You really just need to
know where to look.
PSBank is currently offering significant discount on its already
low-priced, pre-owned real estate properties for sale.
Buyers looking for quality and affordable pre-owned
condominium units, houses and/or lots will enjoy 20 to 25 percent
discount on selected properties until 4 March.
Aside from this great deal, you are assured
of “clean” pre-owned properties
for sale. This means that each
property in PSBank’s list of Real
Estate Properties for Sale has
a registered title and a tax
declaration consolidated
under the bank’s name.
Plus, all properties are free
from any legal issues and
are already in the possession
of the bank.
To avail of the promo, you simply need to submit
a completely filled-out Offer to Buy form and Buyer’s
Information Sheet to PSBank Asset Sales Department,
at any nearest PSBank branch, or via the Bank’s
accredited brokers. You also have the option to make
their purchase in cash or by applying for a PSBank
Home Loan with Prime Rebate.
PSBank Home Loan with Prime Rebate offers
low interest rates, convenient payment modes and
flexible payment terms. Applicants will also get
a credit decision within five banking days or less via SMS. Borrowers
can also save money by paying early or before the due date or by paying
more than their monthly loan amortization. PSBank Home Loan has the
Prime Rebate feature allowing home loan clients to earn rebates in the
form of “interest discount” on any advance or excess payments made
on the loan. Over time, clients could use the rebates to lower the loan
principal, shorten the loan term, or even both.
Check out the list of properties and
download the forms at www.psbank.coml.
ph/propertiesforsale.
For more information on the promo,
you may call the following:
• Properties located in Metro
Manila, Rizal, Visayas and Mindanao: (632)
885-8208 local 8990
• Properties located in North Luzon:
(632) 885-8335
• Properties located in South Luzon: (632)
885-8208 local 8016
Alabang’s green CBD
Its management believes that achieving economic progress can and should be
done without sacrificing nature and ecological balance
FILINVEST City aims to achieve the LEED-ND
certification by using the best practices in urban planning.
initiated to recognize large-scale townships that
successfully protect and enhance the overall health,
natural environment and quality of life.
The LEED-ND rating system clarifies the
sustainability of neighborhoods using an integrated
set of smart growth, new urbanization and green
construction principles.
Future-ready
In keeping with USGBC’s thrust, Filinvest City
was envisioned as a future-ready, master-planned
community that is responsive to the needs of the
changing times.
“Filinvest City embodies the principles of
smart growth with walkable streets and an inviting
mix of trees and development to foster a sense of
community,” Dean Barone, Filinvest City’s LEED
consultant, said.
The development has established itself as
the Central Business District of Metro South,
harmoniously blending modern, state-of-the-art
urban lifestyle and innovative master-planning with
green, open spaces and eco-centric features that
make it a walkable and bike-friendly community.
Its management believes that achieving economic
progress can and should be done without sacrificing
nature and ecological balance.
With this vision, Filinvest City was also cited for
Best Mixed Use Development at the Asia Pacific
Property Awards.
Self-contained and sustainable
Ease of movement with accessibility at its core,
allowing for true pedestrianization, is at the heart
of Filinvest City. It strives to cater to diverse needs
of existing and future city dwellers.
It has established itself as a modern metropolis
where a quality range of residential options,
lifestyle centers and community hubs are available
for every lifestyle, with schools, public and private
hospitals and government institutions nearby.
As a sustainable community, it strives
to cater to diverse needs of existing and
future city dwellers.
“We want Filinvest City to be an experiential
CBD, for residents and workers to experience the
city at a ground level — that their daily lives won’t
end at their offices or homes, but rather extend
to the parks and other play components provided
for them,” Don Ubaldo, Filinvest Alabang, Inc.
vice president for townships, said.
CELEBRATE life’s milestones and hold special occasions
at the village pavilion.
Vacation vibe
in Pampanga
community
Amaia Scapes Pampanga has completed
its cozy and highly functional amenities to
give homeowners access to a village pavilion
where they can hold fun social gatherings
and celebrate milestones; a basketball court and
play area where the community’s youngsters can get
acquainted and a swimming pool where residents can
take refreshing dips.
As part of the opening activities, blessing rites were
held, after which children were invited to join free
swimming lessons.
Located on Angeles-Magalang Road, Brgy. Sapang
Maisac in Mexico, Amaia Scapes Pampanga is a
sprawling development that offers quality homes
at affordable prices. It is a ride away from Angeles
City and Magalang Town Proper and near key
establishments and commercial centers like Marquee
Mall, Robinsons Angeles, SM City Clark, Puregold, Holy
Angels University, Clark Special Economic Zone and the
Diosdado Macapagal International Airport.
Amaia Land brings the dream of owning affordable
and sustainable homes closer to hardworking Filipinos
through easy payment options: cash, deferred cash
and bank financing. Check out Amaia developments
by logging on to www.amaialand.com or follow www.
facebook.com/AmaiaLand.
THE recently completed amenity area includes a
swimming pool, where families can take a dip this summer.

Sunday, 24 February 2019
Daily Tribune
BLAST
15
WEIGHT reduction in the chassis
area allow for growth spurts in all sections.
Getting to know
ERTIGA
PART of making the Ertiga look more upscale is the
cabin, including lacquer wood paneling, plus beige
and gray plastic.
THE FOUR SPEED AUTOMATIC IS A GOOD
COMPLIMENT TO THE 1.5L ENGINE
SPECIFICATIONS
MODEL: Suzuki Ertiga GLX A/T (2019)
TYPE: Multi-purpose vehicle
ENGINE: K15B DOHC 16-valve 1.5L inline four
gasoline (104 hp and 138 NM, 74.0 mm bore x
85.0 mm stroke), with Suzuki Variable Valve
Timing, naturally aspirated
TRANSMISSION: Four-speed
automatic (with overdrive
off button), front wheel
drive
PRICE: P978,000
As media group test drives go,
Suzuki Philippines Inc- Auto frequently
lets the local motoring media get their
hands on their cars not long after a
launch proper.
This was what Suzuki did with a
gaggle of Philippine motoring media one
cold Tuesday and Wednesday. The group
drove to and from the hills of Tagaytay, Cavite to
experience the Suzuki Ertiga multi-purpose vehicle
or MPV. This writer was assigned the top end GLX,
toting a four speed automatic transmission, faux
wood trim on the front cabin beltline, push-button
ignition, keyless entry, a ten-inch touchscreen head
unit, rear bumper-incorporated parking sensors,
power-assisted side mirror folding, 15-inch rims and
Dunlop EnaSave EC300 185/65R15 tires.
Departing early from the Suzuki Auto Pasig
dealership along C5-Pasig (close to the Kalayaan
Avenue flyover), this writer’s first impression of
Suzuki’s second generation MPV or people carrier
was the exterior. True to second generation (chassis
code: NC) Ertiga chief engineer Satoshi Kasahara’s
mandate to make the NC more of a looker without
losing the brand’s people-hauling ability, the overall
look and Glorious Brown Pearl colorway made the
MPV seem like a junior Lexus. In Metro Manila
morning sunlight, the front end seemed like a cross
between a 2015-2016 Ford Explorer Sport and the
current Kia Carnival, with a lot more chrome on
the front grille. Prominent flank creases begin from
the front fender and extend to the tailights, a design
feature popularized by Lexus vehicles of late and
somehow found its way to Kasahara-san’s NC design
inspiration. The predominantly red bezel tailights
further add to the NC looking more expensive that
its P978,000 tag.
For most of the drive, this writer was behind
the Ertiga’s d-shaped steering wheel. A feature on
the Heartect platform on which the Ertiga is based,
the steering wheel makes the unit look sporty.
Combine that with nicely weighted steering
feel and steering feedback that gives you
cornering confidence (even on
slow turns) and you can
easily shoehorn
the NC in
cramped
m a l l
slots. Of
significant
note in this regard was
the feedback — a big difference
from the syrupy steering feedback of
the first generation Ertiga.
A Glorious Brown Pearl color and
the overall design made the second
generation Ertiga look more upscale
than its six-figure price suggests.
As for forward motion, the gas-fed K15B 1.5L
straight four generally managed to bring with ease
this writer, two companion, seven medium travel
bags and 1,135 kg of Ertiga kerb weight up and over
Tagaytay’s rolling hill asphalt. What made the travel
frustrating was the occasional delay in the four-speed
A/T kicking down to second gear on inclines. On
Tagaytay Highlands’ notorious 30-40 degree uphill
tarmac, one had to floor the throttle just to get
the A/T into the powerband, thus increasing fuel
consumption. At least going down to third gear
meant a halfhearted right pedal stab, provided you
had momentum at roughly 50-60 kph. Plus, the brakes
on the loaner NC had some fade to them, but that
could be chalked up to the brake pads, brake caliper
pistons and discs not fully bedding together due to
the unit’s newness.
Seat time in either the front
passenger
or rear passenger
areas of the Ertiga was scarce for
this writer, but he did take note of his time as a
non-driver. The dashboard paneling is a faux wood
lacquer of sorts, which when combined with beige
and gray plastics make the front cabin look more
like a discarded Lexus UX- or NX-series design. The
highly touted 10-inch head unit didn’t have Android
Auto nor Apple CarPlay, but the in-car entertainment’s
Bluetooth hands-free calling featured allowed for
music to be played from one’s smartphone to the
NC’s four speakers. The lighter chassis allowed for
growth spurts, evident in the nearly two fistfuls of
ceiling headroom for all rear occupants. Speaking
of the ceiling, its divider between the front and the
second row has airconditioning vents plus a blower
control knob.
Although a full-blown test drive is needed to get
the most out of the second generation Ertiga, its
driving dynamics, looks and short rear row seat time
made a good impression on this writer. In fact, given
its price, the Ertiga is
a good vehicle.
JPM
Contrary to contemporary
thinking, Ford’s race-ready
compact car heritage did not
start nor end with the Focus and Fiesta.
Rather, this part of Ford lore began with the
1967-1974 Escort or Mark One/Mk 1 Escort - the Blue
Oval’s (nicknamed as such due to the blue oval look
of the automaker’s logo) follow up in the late 1960s to its
European market-popular Anglia compact car. The Mk 1 Escort was
initially sold with middling to solid 1.1L and 1.3L straight four engines.
But to make Mk 1 go from tepid to terrific, Ford offered two variants.
The first was a 1.3L straight four GT Performance Version, featuring
an overhead valve setup, performance engine tuning straight from
the factory and Weber 40 carburetors or Weber carburetors with 40
inch diameter pipes. The second was a 1.6L straight four that toted an
eight-valve dual camshaft setup co-developed with British performance
automaker Lotus.
What turned the Mk 1 Escort from terrific to totally awesome was
its rally racing heritage, which reached its zenith in the 1970 London
to Mexico World Cup Rally. Held to celebrate the 1966 football World
Cup in London and the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, the 25,700 km rally
race in 28 towns and cities in 20 countries saw five Escorts finish in
the overall top 10 - including first and third place. The feat prompted
the Blue Oval to make special edition 1.6L four cylinder versions of
the car, known locally as the Escort “Mexico.”
This Mark 1 Ford Escort “Mexico” has a 1.3L
straight four, an overhead valve setup and
Weber 40 carburetors.
The performance potential was the reason why Ford diehard Obet
Roldan chose to retain his father’s two door Mk 1 and turn it into a
project auto. “This Ford Escort was acquired by my dad in 1970 and
this is where I learned how to drive a car. I started to drive it going to
school when I was in college in late 1980. It really needed some major
body work at that time. It was in 1990 that I decided to restore it when
I learned about the rich history the Escort created,” Roldan added.
Roldan made sure that this rolling family heirloom got some
tender loving care from the time he entered the late 1990s corporate
workforce to around late 2005, when the car reached full restoration
status. “It was during those years when I encountered many problems
with the car because of its old age. There were people offering to buy
the car. But selling the car never crossed my mind because as it gets
older the more I get attached to it because of its sentimental value.”
Of particular interest on this Mk 1 Escort is the Britax automatic
three-folds sliding roof, considered a rarity as it is only found on the 1963
Volkswagen Beetle and the 1969 Austin-British
Leyland version of the Mini Cooper. “I acquired it from
a friend who got it from Europe. We installed the sunroof to
complement it with the European look. This kind of sunroof is
very hard to find nowadays.”
Roldan claims that the reactions from passers-by when
the car is on the tarmac gives him a big thrill. “I usually encounter
some motorists flashing the thumbs up sign upon seeing my car as
a sign of appreciation. Some of them even approached me, told me
that they used to have this kind of car before and started reminiscing
about the good old days.”
The Mark One Ford Escort is a veritable source of driving
history and this particular specimen has that – along with a local
history that’s all in the family.
JPM
1969 Ford Escort Mark 1 “Mexico”
Modifications
Under the hood: Ford “Kent” CrossFlow over head valve 1.3L
inline four cylinder, Weber 40 single side carburetor, Lynx high-rise
intake manifold, ported and polished intake and exhaust chamber,
Big valves, Fast Road camshafts, custom lightened flywheel, Pertronix
electronic ignition, Flame Thrower ignition coil, Mallory high tension
wires, Magneti Marelli three-tip spark plugs, Sanden air conditioning
system, 4-2-1 headers (with Thermo Wrap)
Stiff stuff: Macpherson strut front suspension (with lowering springs),
Koni shock absorbers (front and rear), turret-mounted rear suspension
Stoppers: Ford OE hydrovac-assisted brake system, Ford OE
front disc brakes, Ford OE rear drum brakes, Girling brake calipers
and brake pads
Round things: 6.5 x 13-inch RS alloy magwheels, Yokohama A539
175/50R13 tires
Inside: Ford Escort GT instrument panel (consists of
speedometer, Auto Meter tachometer, battery charging indicator,
oil pressure gauge, temperature gauge and fuel gauge), Luisi steering
wheel (wood grain finish), Ford OE original wood trimming on
dashboard and door cappings, Alexander rally lamp, Recaro-style
seats and head rests, Pioneer DEH-3050UB head unit (with CD
player), AudioSport four-channel amplifier, two 10-inch AudioBahn
300 watt subwoofers, Rockford Fosgate mid range speakers (eight
inches) and tweeters
Outside: Anzahl Lemon Yellow urethane paint, Britax three-folds
ALL
IN THE
FAMILY
ANZAHL Lemon Yellow paint and the distinct shape of a Ford
Escort Mk 1 make this rolling family heirloom an attention
magnet.
sliding sunroof, Lucas headlights and fog lamps, Ford OE aluminum
front grill, custom center-mounted telescopic roof antenna, Ford
Racing hood pins, custom chrome plated front split bumpers, custom
chrome plated rear bumpers, custom chrome plated side mirrors,
Cibie rear auxiliary light, custom chrome plated exhaust tip, Ford
OE original emblems.

16
BLAST
Jude Morte, Editor
Sunday, 24 February 2019
Daily Tribune
Sixth gen seats more than 10
An extended front end and a retained box-like rear are the
highlights of the HiAce’s exterior
Since its 1967 introduction, the
Toyota HiAce has been the Japanese
automaker’s sole diesel-powered van
Now on its sixth generation, the
HiAce isn’t just Toyota’s van. As its
tagline during its recent launch at the
Grand Hyatt Manila recently suggests,
it reshapes possibilities.
It starts with the exterior and chassis.
Inspired by Japan’s Shinkansen or bullet
trains, the outside now ditches the snub
nose of the previous generation and totes
an extended front end, yet it retains
the box-like rear typical of the brand.
Prioritizing ride comfort for all variants
and good maneuverability, growth spurts
in all areas, a semi-bonnet approach to
chassis design, a ring frame structure
aft of the front wheels and a newly
designed leafspring rear suspension (with
30 mm longer travel, additional rubber
bumpstops and 200 mm longer than
the previous model) cut down on noise,
vibration and harshness. The quarter
panel glass beside the side view mirrors
is now bigger, which leads to the driver
seeing better when oncoming traffic goes
towards the HiAce on either side.
Ride comfort and good
maneuverability were priorities
for the sixth generation HiAce.
Inside is what best represents the
“reshaping possibilities” tagline of the
HiAce. The entry level Commuter Deluxe
seats 15, with significantly wider second
and third rows. However, if you’re going
to be a rearbound occupant in the base
model, you should bring a neck pillow
because there are no backrests for all rear
rows. But the backrest of the Commuter
Deluxe’s second row can be reclined via
a lever at the side closest to the sliding
rear door. This allows owners to load
fragile cargo on the second and third row
seats should the rear floor be considered
impractical for loading purposes.
For families and those who love to
bring extended families on trips, the
mid-spec GL Grandia seats 12 and the
top end GL Grandia Tourer seats 14.
The more family-oriented of the duo, the
GL Grandia version sports seats with
armrests, headrests for all seats, shoulder
mounted seatbelts for all three rear
rows (another nod to the Shinkansen),
ceiling-mounted airconditioning controls
and vents (they’re right behind the
front occupants’ ceiling) and a fourth
row that can be folded forward
and tumbled sideways. On
the other hand,
the top end
GL Grandia Tourer sports four rear rows,
the same seat designs as those on the GL
Grandia, plus ceiling mounted airconditioning
(A/C) controls and A/C vents on each rear
row ceiling area. The Tourer variant also has
a high ceiling, which allows one to stand up
during ingress and egress — something of
great help if you’re going to be in the third
or fourth row for a long sojourn.
With any people carrier, of utmost
importance are driving dynamics that can
quickly and safely bring people and items
on long journeys. The 1GD-FTV 2.8L inline
straight four turbodiesel sports common
rail direct injection derived from its utility
siblings, specifically the Innova people
carrier, the Fortuner sport-ute and the
Hilux double cab pickup. The 1GD-FTV
also sits fore of the front passengers
instead of in between the driver’s seat
and front passenger bum catcher, turning
the powertrain into an additional crush
zone when a frontal collision occurs.
Whether in stick shift or slushbox (read:
automatic transmission) trim, the gearbox
is still dashboard-mounted, but it’s closer
to the middle dashboard area than the
steering column. The lock-to-lock steering
ability was increased, which decreases
the turning radius to 5.5 meters for the
Commuter Deluxe and GL Grandia or
6.4 meters for the GL Grandia Tourer. As
for variant-specific driving features, rear
disc brakes, a front passenger airbag, rear
bumper-incorporated parking sensors and
a reverse gear activated camera (with
viewing via the rear view mirror) are
available solely on the GL Grandia Tourer.
During the HiAce launch, Toyota Motor
Philippines president Satoru Suzuki
seemed giddy about the sixth generation
passenger van. “Owing it to our loyal
customers, the (sixth generation) HiAce
is redesigned and engineered to provide
more comfort and convenience. It has
always been part of Toyota’s vision to
improve mobility through innovative
products that give the most value. We hope
that (the HiAce) brings more smiles and
connects more communities.”
The Commuter Deluxe and GL Grandia
will be available for sale on 5 March 2019,
while the GL Grandia Tourer will be in
Toyota dealerships in early April.
JPM
THE exterior has a ring frame structure aft of the front wheels and a
newly designed leafspring rear suspension.
SPECIFICATIONS
Model: Toyota HiAce (2019)
Type: Passenger van
Engine: Toyota 1GD-FTV 2.8L inline four diesel
(161-174 hp/420-450 NM, 92.0 mm x 103.6 mm
bore x stroke, 15.6:1 compression ratio), Toyota
Thermal Insulation Diesel Combustion, variable
geometry high-boost turbocharger and front
mount intercooler
Transmission: Dashboard-mounted six-speed
automatic (with manual mode) and six-speed
manual (with dogleg reverse gear), rear wheel
drive
Price: P1.59 million (Commuter Deluxe M/T),
P1.973 million* (GL Grandia M/T), P2.063
million* (GL Grandia A/T), P2.145 million*
(GL Grandia Tourer M/T), P2.22
million* (GLGrandia Tourer A/T)
*Additional P15,000 for
Luxury Pearl Toning
color
WHETHER in base trim or top end, the HiAce has comfortable
seating for more than 10 passengers with the rear cabin
sporting its own airconditioning.
SPECIFICATIONS
Vehicle: Volkswagen Santana
180 MPI S M/T
Type: Subcompact passenger car
(four door sedan)
Engine type: Volkswagen EA211 DOHC 16-valve inline
four-cylinder gasoline (89 hp/132 NM), with multi-point fuel
injection, die cast aluminum block and head (with iron liners),
flat bottom pistons and valve cover with integrated valvetrain
module, naturally aspirated
Transmission: Five speed manual (with dogleg reverse
gear), front wheel drive
Price as tested: P686,000
Big even when basic
Driving behavior, pricing
and cabin comforts make
the Santana big as basic
transport
The Volkswagen Santana is the
German automaker’s entry level four-door
subcompact car in the Philippine market.
It is Volkswagen’s basic runner. But
the Santana, even in 180 MPI S base trim
and a stick shift, is potentially big enough
to compete in a crowded segment that
includes the Toyota Vios, Honda City and
Hyundai Accent.
Forget about the exterior design, which
totes elements of its 2015 Polo Notch and
Polo hatch relatives, particularly the
square-jawed front end and high rear
bumper. What makes the Santana big,
even when presented as basic transport,
is how it goes forward, sideways and
reverse, the pricing and how comfortable
four Filipinos can sit in the car’s confines.
That Santana comfort begins the
moment one plops himself in any of
the seats. The aforementioned
cloth seats have mattress-level
thickness to turn any
derriere catcher into
an impromptu
sleeping space,
THE deep black exterior and overall outside design may not call attention, but the build quality and P686,000 price make it a
dependable first car.
albeit upright or slouched upright (for
rear occupants) or fully reclined (for
front occupants, if the unit’s stationary).
You can even put in a child seat on the
rear bench, due to Isofix latches on the
rear bench backrests. The airconditioning
or A/C is cold, even at the lowest
blower setting. Every sort of Santana
cabin plastic, cloth and metal has
seamless integration, further enhancing
Volkswagen’s reputation for build quality.
The loaner unit’s in-car entertainment
(ICE) has a seven-inch Blaupunkt
Philadelphia 865 touchscreen head unit
and a Blaupunkt circular subwoofer below
the driver’s seat. However, Volkswagen
Philippines claims that the four-speaker
standard ICE is competent enough to
provide audio thrills. To this writer,
though, the demo unit’s Blaupunkt
Philadelphia 865 and additional speaker
(in the form of the subwoofer) makes any
audio track come alive. The Philadelphia
865 even has Bluetooth capability, which
allows you to make hands-free calls
or even play streamed Internet audio
playlists.
There are just five cupholders — one
for each front door, two in front of the
manual transmission (M/T) stick and
one behind the handbrake. However, the
lattermost cupholder is large enough to
hold a one liter bottle. The glovebox space
is expansive, as it can fit a large ladies
handbag in its confines. About the trunk,
it can hold a balikbayan box plus three
to four large travel backpacks. What’s
also great about the boot is that it can be
opened via a lever within the driver’s door
speaker enclosure. Overall, just about the
only downers, cabin-wise, are the lack of
grab handles on the ceiling and the lack
of cupholders for rear passengers.
It is the driving dynamics which might
likely seal the deal for those looking for
dependable first car transport. You don’t
need much to make the Santana go
forward, as light throttle taps and a light
clutch pedal feel make for near-instant
squirts of northward velocity. The clutch
has a high release point, but once you
figure out how to balance the gas and
clutch pedals, keeping the car steady
on inclines shouldn’t be an issue. The
M/T stick doesn’t give your right wrist
a workout, because of short throws
and quick engagement into any gear.
However, reverse gear requires you to
put the M/T in neutral, push down on
the M/T stick and toss said stick to the
10 o’clock side.
Even in 180 MPI S base trim
and a stick shift, the Santana
can compete in a segment that
includes the Toyota Vios and
Hyundai Reina.
The rest of the driving behavior
gets kudos too. The car is composed on
turns, even with 14-inch steel rims and
Hankook Kinergy EX 175/70 series tires.
Normally, 14-inch rim-and-tire combos
have narrow tire-to-road contact, but
aiding the Santana in cornering is
precise, continuously welded seams at
points where the chassis is known to
flex. This makes for a stable unit on
lateral moments while simultaneously
reducing noise, vibration and harshness.
The steering is generally light, but
it can get heavy when long backing
and parallel parking. The brakes had
some fade, but bite when you needed
deceleration. The exterior lighting is
bright, but operating the headlights is
done via a large knob below the leftmost
A/C vent. Simply twist the knob to turn
on the park lights, then pull on said
knob to activate the headlights. Just
about the only negative when it came
to driving the Santana are narrow side
mirrors, which offer just one lane of
sight on either flank.
At P686,000, Volkswagen’s Santana is
big news for folk looking for inexpensive,
dependable, European-level basic
transport.
JPM

SEAG
VOLLEY AT
PHILSPORTS
SAUDI
A ‘GOOD
FRIEND’ — XI
KRIS’
NEW
PROBLEM?
INVESTING
IN THE
YOUTH
P18
P20
P22
P23
Aldrin Cardona, Editor
Sunday, 24 February 2019
Daily Tribune
SUNDAY
SPORTS 17
BEATS DEMAR, FORMER TEAM
Kawhi shows who’s boss
Friday’s Games
(Saturday in Manila)
TORONTO Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard dunks against the San Antonio Spurs in the final minute
of their NBA game Friday in Toronto (Saturday in Manila).
AP
Kraft pinned for sex call
Ten spas have been closed and
several people have been taken
into custody on sex trafficking
charges
JUPITER, Fla. — Robert Kraft, the
billionaire owner of the New England
Patriots, faces charges of soliciting a
prostitute after he was twice videotaped in a
sex act at a shopping-center massage parlor
in Florida, police said Friday.
The 77-year-old Kraft denied any
wrongdoing. The case comes amid a
crackdown on sex trafficking from Palm
Beach to Orlando in which police planted
cameras in massage parlors.
Kraft was not immediately arrested.
Jupiter police said a warrant will
be issued and his attorneys will be
notified. They said details about the
misdemeanor charges against the
owner of the Super Bowl champion
team will not be released until next
week.
The Patriots won the Super
Bowl this month over the Los
Angeles Rams for their sixth
NFL championship in the past
18 seasons, making them the
most successful team in pro
sports during that span. Before the
Super Bowl, several retired NFL players
appeared in a public service announcement
decrying sexual exploitation and human
trafficking in Atlanta, the host city.
Hundreds of arrest warrants have been
issued in recent days as a result of the six-month
investigation and more are expected. Ten spas
have been closed and several people have been
taken into custody on sex trafficking charges.
Jupiter Police Chief Daniel Kerr said
he was shocked to learn that Kraft, who is
worth $6 billion, was paying for sex inside a
shopping-center massage parlor, the Orchids
of Asia Day Spa. “We are as equally stunned
as everyone else,” Kerr said.
Most people charged for the first time with
soliciting a prostitute in Florida are allowed
to enter a diversion program, said attorney
David Weinstein, a former prosecutor. Kraft
would probably have to perform 100 hours of
community service and attend a course on
the harmful effects of prostitution and sex
trafficking, he said.
AP
EVGENIA Medvedeva of Russia defeated Elizaveta
Tuktamysheva in the Russian Cup final on Friday to
boost her hopes of a dramatic return to the Russia
team for the world championships.
AP
Leonard stole the ball from DeRozan at midcourt
and raced in alone for a one-handed slam
TORONTO — Kawhi Leonard had a go-ahead dunk with 15
seconds left and scored 25 points to help the Toronto Raptors
beat his former San Antonio Spurs teammates 120-117 on National
Basketball Association Friday, spoiling DeMar DeRozan return.
Leonard stole the ball from DeRozan at midcourt and raced in
alone for a one-handed slam.
Traded to San Antonio in the offseason deal that sent Leonard
to Toronto, DeRozan received a warm welcome in the homecoming,
but was denied a second victory over his former team. He finished
with 23 points.
Kyle Lowry and DeRozan embraced near center court following
the final whistle as the sellout crowd of 20,058 cheered in approval.
Other matches saw Charlotte scuttle Washington, 123-110;
Chicago pip Orlando, 110-109; Indiana smother New Orleans, 126-
111; Detroit edge Atlanta, 125-122; Minnesota humble New York,
115-104; L.A. Clippers swamp Memphis, 112-106; Denver zoom past
Dallas, 114-104; and Oklahoma City nip Utah, 148-147 in double
overtime.
Pascal Siakam added 22 points to help Toronto win its seventh
straight game. Kyle Lowry and Danny Green each had 17, Serge
Ibaka had 13 points and 15 rebounds and Jeremy Lin had 11 points
in his second game with the Raptors.
Marco Belinelli scored 21 points for San Antonio, Davis Bertans
had 16 and Rudy Gay added 12 points and 10 rebounds. The Spurs
have lost five of six.
Kyle Lowry and DeRozan embraced near center court
following the final whistle as the sellout crowd of
20,058 cheered in approval.
In New York, Derrick Rose scored 20 points, Taj Gibson added
a season-high 19 and Minnesota overcame the first missed game
of Karl-Anthony Towns’ career to beat New York, 115-104.
Towns’ streak of 303 consecutive starts was snapped when
he was placed in the concussion protocol after a car accident.
Towns was able to fly to New York after the accident Thursday in
Minnesota, but was ruled out after further medical examination
Friday.
Damyean Dotson and Allonzo Trier each scored 20 points for
the Knicks in their 18th straight home loss.
AP
KRAFT
Michael Frazier scored 11 and
Chinanu Onuaku added 10 for the
US, which made 18 three-pointers and
outrebounded Panama
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Once the United States got
rolling, a close game was close no more.
Cameron Reynolds scored 26 points and the US rolled in
the second half to beat Panama, 111-80, in a qualifying game
for the FIBA World Cup on Friday night. The Americans
Charlotte 123, Washington 110
Chicago 110, Orlando 109
Indiana 126, New Orleans 111
Toronto 120, San Antonio 117
Detroit 125, Atlanta 122
Minnesota 115, New York 104
L.A. Clippers 112, Memphis 106
Denver 114, Dallas 104
Oklahoma City 148, Utah 147, 2OT
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Atlantic Division
W L Pct GB
Toronto 44 16 .733 —
Philadelphia 38 21 .644 5½
Boston 37 22 .627 6½
Brooklyn 30 30 .500 14
New York 11 48 .186 32½
Southeast Division
Charlotte 28 30 .483 —
Miami 26 31 .456 1½
Orlando 27 33 .450 2
Washington 24 35 .407 4½
Atlanta 19 40 .322 9½
Central Division
Milwaukee 44 14 .759 —
Indiana 39 20 .661 5½
Detroit 27 30 .474 16½
Chicago 15 44 .254 29½
Cleveland 13 46 .220 31½
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Southwest Division
Houston 33 25 .569 —
San Antonio 33 27 .550 1
Dallas 26 32 .448 7
New Orleans 26 34 .433 8
Memphis 23 37 .383 11
Northwest Division
Denver 40 18 .690 —
Oklahoma City 38 20 .655 2
Portland 35 23 .603 5
Utah 32 26 .552 8
Minnesota 28 30 .483 12
Pacific Division
Golden State 42 16 .724 —
L.A. Clippers 33 27 .550 10
Sacramento 30 28 .517 12
L.A. Lakers 29 29 .500 13
Phoenix 11 49 .183 32
Saturday’s Games
(Sunday in Manila)
Portland at Philadelphia
Brooklyn at Charlotte
Indiana at Washington
L.A. Lakers at New Orleans
Memphis at Cleveland
Phoenix at Atlanta
Detroit at Miami
Boston at Chicago
Sacramento at Oklahoma City
Houston at Golden State
Minnesota at Milwaukee
Dallas at Utah
US toys with Panama
finished the game on a 63-34 run over the final 21 minutes,
including a 13-0 spurt to end the game.
Travis Trice scored 14 points and added 10 assists
for the Americans, who improved to 9-2 in qualifying.
The US has already clinched a spot in the World Cup
in China that starts 31 August and will send a team of
NBA stars as it aims for a third consecutive gold medal
in that event. The Americans have used primarily G
League players in the qualifying matchups.
Michael Frazier scored 11 and Chinanu Onuaku added 10
for the US, which made 18 three-pointers and outrebounded
Panama 46-27.
AP

18 SPORTS
Sunday, 24 February 2019
Daily Tribune
PHISGOC TAPS VENUE
SEAG volley at Philsports
CAYCO
There’s really a lot of memories in Philsports
Arena
By Julius Manicad
Philsports Arena will serve as battleground
when the Philippine women’s volleyball team
shoots for glory in the 30th Southeast
Asian Games this November.
According to Larong Volleyball sa
Pilipinas, Inc. (LVPI) president Peter
Cayco, the Philippine Southeast Asian
Games Organizing Committee (Phisgoc)
has assigned them at Philsports, a
10,000-seater gymnasium in Pasig City
that is under the control of the Philippine
Sports Commission.
Philsports Arena was the fourth venue
that Phisgoc considered for volleyball.
Initially, the organizing body wanted
volleyball to share a venue with basketball
at the Mall of Asia Arena. But the plan was
aborted and it was moved to Smart Araneta
Coliseum.
Then, LVPI was told that volleyball would be held
at the Alonte Sports Arena in Binan City as the
venue is already compliant with the standards of the
Asian Volleyball Confederation after it hosted the
AVC Asian Senior Women’s Championship in 2016.
Manotoc leads Canlubang bid
Again, it didn’t push trough.
“Volleyball — both men’s and women’s — will be
held at Philsports,” Cayco told Daily Tribune.
“Aside from Filoil (Flying V Centre) in San Juan,
Philsports is also the home of Philippine volleyball.
We’re comfortable playing there.”
Aside from serving as the home of the Philippine
Basketball Association during its glory days from
1980 to 1999, Philsports Arena saw the birth of
the Philippine Superliga as it hosted its first ever
game in 2013.
I’m hoping and praying that the next glorious
moment that will happen there is having
our Philippine Team winning a medal in the
Southeast Asian Games for the first time in 14
years.
It also hosted the first ever international
competition organized by LVPI when it was formed
in 2015 — the AVC Asian U23 Women’s Championship.
“There’s really a lot of memories in Philsports
Arena,” said Cayco, noting that their ultimate goal
is to win a medal for the first time since the 23rd
SEA Games in Manila in 2005.
“I’m hoping and praying that the next glorious
moment that will happen there is having our
Philippine Team winning a medal in the Southeast
Asian Games for the first time in 14 years.”
Beach volley events, meanwhile, will be held in
Subic.
Manotoc spent most of the last
two years in the United States
and saw little competitive action
Pushing 70 years old, Tommy Manotoc will
return to action in the 33rd Philippine Airlines
Seniors Interclub golf team championships set
to kick off on 27 February in Cebu City.
Manotoc, one of the most accomplished
players in Interclub history, missed the last
two stagings of the annual event and feigned
surprise he was called for duty again by
Canlubang to spearhead its title-retention bid.
“I’m surprised (Canlubang) called me,”
said Manotoc who will replace veteran Dave
Hernandez in the roster.
Manotoc spent most of the last two
years in the United States and saw little
competitive action.
Looming truce?
KP will get the POC recognition
it has been longing for and,
on the other hand, legitimate
members of PKF-NSA will not
be disenfranchised with KP
being told to welcome rivals
from the other group with open
arms
Our previous piece about the leadership
crisis in karate prompted Philippine
Olympic Committee membership committee
chairman Bob Bachmann to give this corner
a call.
He did not dispute the analyses we
presented but claimed it was a light-bulb
moment for him to be able to fix the long
and nagging dispute in karatedo.
According to Bachmann, he realized that
the problem could be resolved by having an
open heart and an open mind. He agreed on
what we said that clean and honest intention
that is free from any pressure was a surefire
way to fix the problem.
So, what he did was revisit the constitution
and by-laws of Karate Pilipinas (KP). He
claimed shock seeing Ricky Lim’s term as
president will not end in 2022 as he was told,
and not 2020 as what Lim, son of former
karate boss Pocholo Veguillas, also claimed
in our previous conversation.
Bachmann claimed it was a
light-bulb moment for him to be
able to fix the long and nagging
dispute in karatedo.
His term will end this year.
Bachmann said with Lim’s term ending this
year, the battle for legitimacy between KP and
Philippine Karate Federation (PKF)-NSA can
now be resolved quickly.
KP will get the POC recognition it has
been longing for and, on the other hand,
legitimate members of PKF-NSA will not be
disenfranchised with KP being told to welcome
rivals from the other group with open arms.
Then, the voter’s list will be reviewed for
a unified election as soon as Lim’s term ends
in September.
Problem solved?
Not really.
There were still some personal
“Well, I played a lot of golf but not
competitively. That’s why I made sure
to play three rounds during the Fil-Am
event in Baguio last December,” he said.
The last time the Interclub was played
in Cebu, Manotoc was absent.
In fact, Manotoc played Alta Vista
Golf and Country Club for the first time
last Thursday.
“It’s a risk-and-reward course, shorter
than the other one, but demanding,” said
the mercurial sportsman.
Aside from Alta Vista, the seniors’
event will be played at the Club Filipino
de Cebu.
Manotoc will be supported by the same
team that regained the title last year in
Bacolod.
Sixteen-time champion Luisita is
fielding an almost intact lineup in its bid
Hold My Beer
Julius Manicad
matters that need to be ironed out.
Here’s the background:
Bachmann and Lim used to be friends. In
fact, they were together for the campaign of
Ricky Vargas for the POC presidency last year.
They were seen talking during the one-year
countdown for the country’s hosting of the
30th Southeast Asian Games in Clark last year.
But things turned sour after that.
Bachmann said with Lim’s term
ending this year, the battle
for legitimacy between KP and
Philippine Karate Federation-NSA
can now be resolved quickly.
Bachmann said Lim had badmouthed him
while the KP head claimed confused on why
the squash chief suddenly turned cold on him.
Then, comes Lim’s close associate,
Philippine Sports commissioner Ramon
Fernandez who bashed Bachmann on social
media for his handling of the karate issue.
This made Bachmann mad.
“Me and Bob were good friends to begin
with,” he said. “But my close ties with his critic,
Commissioner Fernandez, is making it hard for
him to talk to me.”
“I’m open to talk to him and be the bridge
so he can patch things up with commissioner
Mon. I hope we can sit down and end this
problem,” Lim said.
When I told Bachmann about it, he was
reluctant.
But he opted to take the higher road.
“Okay, set it and I’ll be there,” he finally
said.
The meeting is yet to happen as the KP
chief is still in Iloilo City for the Batang Pinoy,
but this early, I’m already congratulating
Bachmann and Lim for coming to terms and
showing signs that they are ready for peace in
one part of Philippine sports.
to foil the return of Manotoc.
Luisita has replaced Jingy Tuason
with former pro Demmy Saclot.
Most of the more than 100 participating
teams are expected to fly in Sunday for
the three-day practice rounds.
Manotoc, one of the most
accomplished players in Interclub
history, missed the last two stagings of
the annual event.
The field is divided into five divisions,
namely: Championship, Founders, Aviator,
Sportswriters and Friendship.
This year’s Interclub is sponsored by
Asian Air Safari and Radio Mindanao
Network. Also extending support are ABS-
CBN Global Ltd. (The Filipino Channel),
Rolls Royce, Primax Broadcasting Network,
UM Broadcasting Network (Mindanao), Fox
Sports, GECAS, Boeing, Lufthansa Technik
AG and Manila Standard. Official hotel is
Quest Hotel Conference Center Cebu.
Visayas Batang Pinoy on
Iloilo Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr. and PSC
Chairman William Ramirez will lead the
opening rites at the Iloilo Sports Complex
By Joel Orellana
MANOTOC
ILOILO CITY — The Visayas leg of the Philippine Sports
Commission (PSC) Batang Pinoy reels off on Sunday here
with close to 3,000 athletes expected to compete in the
weeklong sportsfest for children 15-years old and below.
Iloilo Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr. and PSC Chairman William
Ramirez will lead the opening rites at the Iloilo Sports
Complex in La Paz to be attended by participants from 67
local government units (LGU) in the Visayas region.
National Secretariat Deputy Head Paul Ycasas said the
six billeting venues are ready to host the athletes and sports
officials. They will compete in 20 events and vie for slots
in the national championships slated in the fourth quarter
of this year.
La Paz Elementary School, Graciano Elementary School,
Pison Elementary School, Montes Elementary School, Jaro
Elementary School and Jalandoni Memorial National High
School are identified as billeting areas for athletes, 572
coaches and 135 delegation officials throughout the games.
“The city and province of Iloilo have been wanting to
host the Batang Pinoy and we are glad it’s finally happening
here,” said Iloilo City Youth and Sports Development Office
Head Moises Salomon Jr.
In the previous Batang Pinoy Visayas leg, Cebu City
bagged the overall title after capturing 46 golds, 59 silvers
and 69 bronzes while host Dumaguete City settled for second
with a 41-29-44 medal haul.
The city and province of Iloilo have been
wanting to host the Batang Pinoy and we are
glad it’s finally happening here.
This is the second leg of the event also known as the
Philippine Youth Games declared as the National Sports
Development Program for Children through Executive Order
No. 79. This is the PSC’s grassroots program for in-school
and out-of-school children.
Cignal lopes past Sta. Lucia
BACOOR CITY — Cignal caught fire after a sluggish
start, torching Sta. Lucia in the second and third sets
before going for the kill in the fourth to pull off a 23-25,
25-11, 25-16, 25-23 victory in the Philippine Superliga
Grand Prix at the Bacoor Strike Gym here.
ANASTASIA Artemeva of Cignal pounds the ball hard against Sta.
Lucia defenders Ruby de Leon and Jhoana Maraguinot.
ROMAN PROSPERO
Import Erica Wilson sustained her fiery form as
she led the HD Spikers to a furious rally midway
through the match of this prestigious women’s club
tourney that has ESPN5 and 5Plus as broadcast
partners.
Wilson, the Arizona State University stalwart who
once suited up for the United States in the FIVB
Women’s U23 World Championship, was impressive
in tallying 18 kills, three blocks and four aces for a
23-point performance.
Ana and Erica gave us a lot of scoring
punches while Mylene was very reliable
on the defensive end.
Her fellow import, Anastasia Artemeva of Azerbaijan,
nailed 17 markers while national team member Mylene
Paat drilled in 13 points for HD Spikers coach Edgar
Barroga, who gave skipper Rachel Anne Daquis limited
minutes that paved the way for the explosion of Wilson
and Artemeva.
“I devised a strategy in the second and third sets so I
decided to put both Ana (Artemeva) and Erica at the open
spiker spots while Mylene takes care of the opposite,”
said Barroga, whose wards posted their second straight
win after falling prey to F2 Logistics in their first match.
“Fortunately for us, it worked. Ana and Erica gave
us a lot of scoring punches while Mylene was very
reliable on the defensive end.”

Sunday, 24 February 2019
Daily Tribune
WORLD CUP ADVANCE HANGS
A long wait for Phl
It was tough because there’s no direct flight to
Astana
By John Bryan Ulanday
Game today
(Saryaka Velodrome, Astana)
10:30 p.m. (Manila time):
Philippines vs Kazakhstan
There is no rest for the weary as Team Pilipinas battles an
also-ran Kazakhstan tonight with no less than a chance for a World
Cup seat on the line in the last date of the 2019 Asian Qualifiers
at the Saryaka Velodrome in Astana.
Game time is at 10:30 p.m. (Manila time) with the Nationals
looking to hurdle fatigue, cold weather and the Kazakhs’ homecourt
advantage.
Right after its massive 84-46 win over Qatar late Thursday night in
Doha, the Philippines immediately took a five-hour flight to Istanbul,
Turkey where they had an eight-hour layover due to the absence of
direct flight to the Kazakhstan capital Astana.
Sleepless and tired, the Nationals arrived early Saturday morning
and quickly returned to training that same night.
Coach Yeng Guiao deemed the journey the hardest part of their
two-game road trip in this last window of the Asian Qualifiers.
“It was tough because there’s no direct flight to Astana. We arrived
Saturday morning, then we practiced in the evening then we play
today and we leave for the Philippines right away,” Guiao said.
Physically and mentally, I think we’re ready and tough
enough to play in such extreme condition.
“It’s hard because we don’t have time to acclimatize (with
Kazakhstan weather).”
The Nationals badly need to adapt to the Kazakhstan’s -11 degree
Celsius weather in two days if they wish to accomplish their mission
Standings
Group E
*New Zealand 10-1
*Korea 9-2
Jordan 6-5
**China 6-5
Lebanon 6-5
xSyria 2-9
Group F
*Australia 10-1
Japan 7-4
Iran 7-4
Philippines 6-5
xKazakhstan 4-7
xQatar 2-9
* clinched World Cup slot
** host country
x eliminated
of sweeping their two must-win matches.
“That’s the main concern, the weather.
We don’t have enough time to adapt so
we’ll see what happens,” Guiao said.
Nevertheless, Guiao assured that his
wards are unfazed of all the odds as they
are hell-bent on avenging their 88-92 home
loss to the visiting Kazakhs in their last
outing in order to boost their chances of
qualifying to the World Cup.
“We did a good job against Qatar but I
just told them to get ready for something
that is more difficult than that,” Guiao
said.
“Physically and mentally, I think we’re
ready and tough enough to play in such
extreme condition,” he added.
Leading the charge for the Nationals
is naturalized Andray Blatche who
announced a roaring return to
international play with a near triple double of 17 points, 15 rebounds
and seven assists on top of two steals and two blocks in Team Pilipinas
38-point win over Qatar.
Joining him are Marcio Lassiter, Paul Lee, Japeth Aguilar, Jayson
Castro and Roger Pogoy who will finally suit up for the Nationals
after a five-game FIBA suspension.
Though out of contention, Kazakhstan is still expected to deliver
in front of their home crowd with new naturalized player Anthony
Clemmons expected to spearhead the squad after erupting for 31
points in their 60-81 loss to Australia.
We did a good job against Qatar but I just told them to
get ready for something that is more difficult than that.
However, there’s more to the Philippines securing a World Cup
seat than just winning against Kazakhstan as their fate will also
bank on the results of the other games.
With a 6-5 record, Team Pilipinas currently sits in fourth place
of Group F behind leaders Australia (10-1), Japan (7-4) and Iran
(7-4).
Team Pilipinas could clinch an outright top three spot in Group
F should it manage to beat Kazakhstan but needs Iran and Japan
to lose their games to Australia and Qatar, respectively.
In that scenario, all three teams will be in a three-way tie (7-5
record) with Japan (+11) and Philippines (-5) having superior
quotients over Iran (-6) to claim the second and third spot,
respectively.
Under the tournament’s format, three teams from each group
plus the best fourth placer (for a total of seven seats) will be
allotted for the FIBA Oceania Zone aside from China which is the
host of the upcoming World Cup this August.
As of now, already World Cup qualifiers New Zealand (10-1),
Korea (9-2) and China (6-5) lead Group E with Jordan (6-5) and
Lebanon (6-5) just lurking behind.
That best fourth place finish is what the Nationals are seeking
to clinch.
BLATCHE
Make Blatche stay
Blatche is likely to play for Talk
‘N Text or NLEX, also under
Team Pilipinas head coach Yeng
Guiao, according to the league’s
report yesterday
Naturalized player Andray Blatche is
being eyed to serve as an import in the
Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) for
the mid-season conference Commissioner’s
Cup.
Blatche is likely to play for Talk ‘N Text
or NLEX, also under Team Pilipinas head
coach Yeng Guiao according to the league’s
report yesterday.
The New York City native has been the
county’s naturalized player since 2014.
This possibility is a move by the country to
train and prepare with Blatche permanently
should the Nationals manage to make it to
the 2019 FIBA World Cup set in China this
August.
The 32-year old Blatche, however, still has
a contract to finish in the Chinese Basketball
Association (CBA) where his mother team
Tianjin is in danger of being eliminated as
early as March.
The Gold Lions currently sit at 16th place
of the 20-team Chinese league.
In perfect timing, the PBA mid-season
conference is slated around April, making
the 6-foot-10 Blatche available to play in the
Asia’s first pay-for-play league.
Blatche’s PBA stint gives him and the
national team a full five-month training
together before the prestigious quadrennial
basketball showpiece in August.
The former NBA player actually caught
the attention of two Qatar basketball clubs
following his near triple double outing of
17 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists
in the Philippines’ masterful 84-46 win this
Thursday in Doha.
If ever, it will not be the first time that
the country’s naturalized is allowed to play
in the PBA as Marcus Douthit had already
done it in the past.
The long-time naturalized player Douthit
served as import of the now defunct Air 21
in 2012 and Blackwater in 2015.
These possibilities, however, will all
depend on the country’s World Cup fate
which is still unclear as of now.
The New York City native has been
the county’s naturalized player since
2014.
Team Pilipinas needs to win its last
assignment against Kazakhstan tonight in
Astana and wish for the remaining Asian
Qualifiers results to sway in its favor to
determine its World Cup hope. JBU
NU bounces back
Coach told me not to think of the
pressure and I just took it as a
challenge
By Joel Orellana
ADAMSON University’s Chiarra Permentilla breaks the De La Salle defense of Michelle Cobb during
their UAAP women’s volleyball match yesterday.
JOAQUIN FLORES
Games today
(at the FilOil Arena)
2 p.m. UST vs. UP
4 p.m. Ateneo vs FEU
National University entered the win column
by making short work of University of the East,
25-19, 25-23, 25-19, in Season 81 University
Athletic Association
of the Philippines
(UAAP) women’s
volleyball tournament
on Saturday at the
FilOil Arena.
Rookie Ivy
Lacsina led the Lady
Bulldogs’ balanced
scoring with 18 points,
14 on attacks. But
it was Joni Chavez’s
playmaking that
helped NU in securing its first win after
dropping its opening game.
Chavez, converted into a setter following
the loss of rookie Joyme Cagande to injury,
had 14 excellent sets for the Lady Bulldogs,
who also gave coach Norman Miguel his first
win in the tournament.
“It’s hard to make a major change when
you lose a key player and it’s a major position,”
said Miguel as Cagande is feared to be out of
the season for a knee injury.
“I’m very happy but at the same time
pressured because it’s my first time to play as a
setter,” said Chavez, who previously played the role
of the team’s libero. “But coach told me not to think
of the pressure and I just took it as a challenge.”
Roselyn Doria added 12 points, including five
blocks, while Audrey Paran and Princess Robles
chipped in 10 and nine markers, respectively
for NU.
Judith Abil was the lone bright for the Lady
Warriors with 10 points as no other UE player
managed to hit double figures in scoring. The
Lady Warriors dropped to the cellar with 0-2
win-loss mark.
With Cagande out indefinitely due a knee
injury, Chavez took cudgels in orchestrating
the NU offense and finished the match in just
one hour and 22 minutes.
Tigers want firm hold on lead
University of Santo Tomas seeks to solidify its hold on top of the table
when it tangles with National University today in the UAAP Season 81
men’s football tournament at the FEU-Diliman pitch.
The Growling Tigers and the Bulldogs clash in the last of a
three-match fixture at 3 p.m.
Adamson University, coming off two consecutive draws, plays De La
Salle at 1 p.m., while Ateneo tries to bounce back from its season-opening
loss to University of the East as it collides with Far Eastern University
to open hostilities at 9 a.m.
Last year’s runner-up UST, with four points, is looking good so far
in the young tournament.
SPORTS
Sotto top
amateur
cager
This early, the 15-year-old
Sotto is already being dubbed
as the future of Philippine
basketball
Young Kai Sotto makes a towering
presence in Tuesday’s SMC-PSA (Philippine
Sportswriters Association) Annual Awards
Night at the Centennial Hall of the Manila
Hotel.
The 7-foot-2 high school student
from Ateneo will be the latest to be
recognized with the Mr. Fan Favorite
“Manok Ng Bayan” Award by the country’s
sportswriting fraternity when it holds
the traditional gala night on 26 February
presented by MILO, Cignal TV and the
Philippine Sports Commission.
Sotto is the second “Manok ng Bayan”
awardee honored by the country’s oldest
media organization in partnership with
Chooks To Go after PBA star Terrence
Romeo.
This early, the 15-year-old Sotto is
already being dubbed as the future of
Philippine basketball owing to his size and
immense skills never before seen from a
young budding Filipino player.
The son of former PBA player Ervin
Sotto bannered the country’s campaign
in the FIBA U16 Asian Championship
in Foshan, China last year in which he
produced a monster game of 28 points,
21 rebounds, three assists and three
block shots in a memorable quarterfinal
win over Japan, 72-70, that earned for
the Philippines a berth in the FIBA U17
World Cup in Argentina.
He also paired up with another
budding Filipino prospect AJ Edu in
the FIBA U18 Asia Championship in
Nonthaburi, Thailand where they helped
the country qualified to this year’s FIBA
U19 World Cup in Greece.
SOTTO
In the local front, he helped the
Ateneo Blue Eaglets win the 2018 UAAP
juniors basketball championship, where
he emerged as the Finals MVP.
The 7-foot-2 high school student
from Ateneo will be the latest to
be recognized with the Mr. Fan
Favorite Award.
Sotto was also tapped by coach Yeng
Guiao to be part of the training pool
for the FIBA World Cup qualifiers, and
earlier was included by former national
mentor Chot Reyes to become part of
the 23-man Philippine pool already
preparing for the 2023 World Cup to
be held here.
Owing to his potential, Sotto already
received serious offers to play from
international ballclubs, including Real
Madrid’s youth team.
With his towering height, Sotto
is expected to stand out of the 74
awardees to be feted during the special
ceremony also backed by Chooks To Go,
NorthPort, Rain or Shine, Tapa King,
SM Prime Holdings, Mighty Sports and
the Philippine Basketball Association.
Highlight of the affair though is
the bestowing of the coveted Athlete
of the Year award to weightlifter
Hidilyn Diaz, skateboarder Margielyn
Didal and golfers Yuka Saso, Bianca
Pagdanganan and Lois Kaye Go.
19

20
WORLD
Saudi a ‘good friend’ — Xi
China firmly supports Saudi Arabia’s efforts
on promoting economic diversification and
social reforms
Sunday, 24 February 2019
Daily Tribune
on pragmatic cooperation in areas such as energy, infrastructure,
trade, investment and high value-added industries.
The two countries should jointly press ahead with the
construction of China-Gulf Cooperation Council free trade zone.
Xi said China supports peace appeals of the people in the
Middle East, supports efforts of the countries in the region on
reform and transformation and appreciates Saudi Arabia’s active
efforts to maintain regional peace, stability and development.
China is ready to work with Saudi Arabia to jointly explore
a governance path in the Middle East featuring the moves of
“promoting peace through development” and to work toward a
solid foundation for peace and stability in the region through
jointly building the Belt and Road and strengthening regional
development cooperation, said Xi.
BEIJING — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday met with
Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince,
at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
Xi asked Mohammed to convey his cordial greetings to Saudi
King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
“China regards Saudi Arabia as a good friend and partner
and is ready to work jointly with Saudi Arabia to build on past
achievements to open up a new horizon for bilateral friendship
and strategic relationship,” said Xi, noting that with the
guidance of high-level leaders at both sides, the comprehensive
strategic partnership between the two countries have formed a Beijing opposes any move to interfere in Saudi
new pattern in recent years, in which the relationship is being Arabia’s internal affairs.
advanced in an all-around way, at multiple levels and in a wide
variety of fields.
The two nations should jointly encourage and support all
Beijing and Riyadh should continue to extend mutual support parties to resolve hot issues by political channels through
on issues involving each other’s core interests and major dialogue and consultation, he said.
concerns and promote political mutual trust, he said.
Mohammed conveyed cordial greetings and best wishes for
China firmly supports Saudi Arabia’s efforts on promoting economic Xi from Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
diversification and social reforms and safeguarding its national Saudi Arabia and China have a long history of friendly
sovereignty, security and stability, stated Xi, saying that Beijing exchanges, enjoy an amicable relationship and a rapid
opposes any move to interfere in Saudi Arabia’s internal affairs. development in economic and trade cooperation at present and
The Chinese president called on the two sides to reinforce there is no divergence between the two sides, Mohammed said.
synergy of development strategies and cement the integration “Saudi Arabia is full of confidence in the bright future of
of each other’s interests.
China’s development under the leadership of President Xi,”
“The two countries should speed up the signing of an he said. “We see China as an important strategic partner
CHINESE President Xi Jinping (right) meets with Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, Saudi implementation plan on connecting the Belt and Road Initiative and appreciate China’s support for the domestic reforms and
Arabia’s crown prince, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China.
XINHUA with the Saudi Vision 2030,” Xi said, also expecting further progress development of Saudi Arabia.”
Xinhua
Internet, food supply at risk
There have been targeted attacks
in the past, but nothing like this
SAN FRANCISCO — Key parts of the Internet
infrastructure face large-scale attacks that threaten
the global system of web traffic, the Internet’s address
keeper warned Friday.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names
and Numbers (ICANN) declared after an emergency
meeting “an ongoing and significant risk” to key parts
of the infrastructure that affects the domains on which
websites reside.
“They are going after the Internet infrastructure
itself,” ICANN chief technology officer David
Conrad told AFP.
“There have been targeted
attacks in the past, but nothing
like this.”
The attacks could date
back to 2017 but have
sparked growing
concerns from security researchers in recent
weeks, which prompted the special meeting
of ICANN.
The malicious activity targets the
Domain Name System or DNS which
routes traffic to intended online
destinations.
ICANN specialists
and others say
these attacks
WASHINGTON — US and
Chinese negotiators agreed Friday
to extend high-level trade talks through
the weekend and President Donald Trump
said he hoped to meet next month at his Florida
resort with President Xi Jinping to try to finalize an
agreement.
The news followed two days of negotiations in Washington
aimed at resolving a trade war that has rattled financial
markets and threatened global economic growth.
“We’re making a lot of progress,” Trump told reporters
at the White House. “I think there’s a very good chance
that a deal can be made.”
Treasury Secretary Steven
Mnuchin said the negotiations, which
had been scheduled to conclude
Friday afternoon, would continue
through Sunday.
The Chinese delegation is led
by Xi’s special envoy, Vice
Trade
deal likely
have a potential to snoop on data
along the way, sneakily send the
traffic elsewhere or enable the
attackers to impersonate or “spoof”
critical websites.
“There isn’t a single
tool to address this,”
Conrad said,
as ICANN
called
Premier Liu He, the American team by
Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.
We’re making a lot of progress.
Trump had originally warned that he would
escalate the tariffs he has imposed on $200 billion in
Chinese imports, from 10 to 25 percent, if the two sides
failed to reach a deal by 2 March. But in recent days,
and again on Friday, he raised the possibility of extending
that deadline if negotiators were nearing an agreement.
The world’s two biggest economies
are sparring over US allegations that
Beijing uses predatory tactics in a
drive to make Chinese companies
world leaders in such
advanced industries
as robotics and
driverless
cars. AP
for an overall hardening of web defenses.
Meanwhile, the UN food agency on Friday warned
about the threat to the future of the world’s food
production from a lack of biodiversity in the environment.
In a report, the first of its kind by the Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO), it said there was “mounting
evidence that the biodiversity that underpins our food
systems, at all levels, is declining around the world.”
That is putting food production and the environment
“under severe threat,” the FAO warned.
“Once lost, plant, animal and micro-organisms species
that are critical to our food systems, cannot be recovered.”
Biodiversity enables agriculture systems to be more
resilient to shocks such as disease and pest outbreaks,
as well as coping with climate change.
The report citied as examples the
dramatic fall in food
production from
infestations such as the
potato blight in Ireland in
the 1840s and the
losses of the
tropical taro
plant in Samoa
in the
1990s.
AFP
BRIEFS
R. Kelly scandal
R&B singer R. Kelly arrives at the Chicago Police
Department’s Central District Friday night in Chicago, hours
after authorities announced multiple charges of aggravated
sexual abuse involving four victims, including at least three
between the ages of 13 and 17.
AP
Leaving the board
Twitter co-founder and
one-time chief executive Evan
Williams is stepping down
from the board, leaving the
one-to-many messaging service
to focus on “other projects.”
Williams will depart the
Twitter board at the end of this
month, according to a filing with
WILLIAMS
the US Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday.
AFP
Came back from extinction
A specimen of the giant Galapagos tortoise Chelonoidis
phantasticus, thought to have gone extinct about a century
ago, is seen at
the Galapagos
National Park
on Santa Cruz
Island in the
Galapagos
Archipelago,
in the Pacific
Ocean 1,000 kms
off the coast of
Ecuador. AP
Show of vigilance Security forces guard by the Crossed Swords monument in Baghdad, Iraq. The government’s brutal crackdown on Sunnis — even those with
no evidence of ties with Islamic militants — sends a troubling signal about Iraq’s prospects for peace.
AP
HOUSE OF HORRORS
Turpin parents
plead guilty
RIVERSIDE — A California couple pleaded
guilty Friday to torture and years of abuse
that included shackling some of their 13
children to beds and starving them to the
point they stopped growing.
The two will be sentenced to up to
life in prison on 19 April.
David and Louise Turpin will spend at
least 25 years in prison after entering the
pleas in Riverside County Superior Court to
14 counts that included cruelty toward all
but their toddler daughter and imprisoning
the children in a house that
appeared neatly kept outside,
but festered with filth and
reeked of human waste.
The couple was arrested
in January 2018 after
their 17-year-old daughter
escaped from the home
and called 9-11 in the city
of Perris, about 60 miles
southeast of Los Angeles.
The children, ages two
to 29 at the time, were
severely underweight and
hadn’t bathed for months.
They described being beaten,
starved and put in cages.
Louise Turpin’s face turned red
and she began crying and dabbed
her eyes with a tissue during
the hearing while her husband
appeared stoic.
The two will be sentenced to up
to life in prison on 19 April, Riverside
District Attorney Mike Hestrin said. AP
Sino firm dismisses ‘groundless claims’
The project symbolizes China-Pakistan
friendship
China State Construction Engineering Corp.
(CSCEC)said it is extremely “shocked” by the
recent “groundless allegations” made public
through media against the Sukkur-Multan Motorway
project in Pakistan in which it had participated.
The clarification came after
several Pakistani government
officials were accused of
misappropriating funds
worth up to $500 million
in the Sukkur-Multan
Motorway project.
According to the
report, the questions about
corruption were raised by
Pakistan’s communication
minister Murad Saeed.
In a statement, CSCEC claimed that it had been carrying
out its business activities and all of the operations “fully in
compliance with Pakistani laws and regulations.”
“(The project) immensely benefits Pakistani people
and symbolizes China-Pakistan friendship. We are proud to
participate in this project. The whole tendering and bidding
process and award of the contract have been made in
accordance with local laws and international practices,” it said.
The firm also said that the project is progressing
smoothly and is expected to be handed over on schedule.
The 392-km Multan-Sukkur
Motorway is the largest
transportation infrastructure
project under the China-Pakistan
Economic Corridor in
Multan, Punjab province.
Global TImes
Doppelgangers Impersonators of US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have been making
rounds of Hanoi in Vietnam, taking pictures with curious onlookers ahead of the second summit of the two leaders next week. AFP

Sunday, 24 February 2019
Daily Tribune
21

22
SPOTLIGHT
Dinah S. Ventura, Editor
Sunday, 24 February 2019
Daily Tribune
More
viewers
switching
to black
box
CineMo, YeY, other
TVplus exclusive
channels now among
most watched
More viewers are embracing
the benefits of digital
terrestrial television (DTT) as
ABS-CBN TVplus, the country’s
pioneering DTT product, has
sold seven million boxes as
of February, on its fourth
anniversary.
The number of households
eager to experience crystal
clear TV viewing of exclusive
DTT channels continues to
grow as CineMo and YeY
kept their spot as the third
and fourth most watched
channels, respectively, based
on Kantar Media’s Q4 2018
report of DTT households
nationwide. Meanwhile, after
being launched as among
TVplus’ new channels last year,
Jeepney TV claimed the fifth
spot followed by Movie Central
and Asianovela Channel on the
sixth and eighth rank.
On the other hand, KBO has
attracted 1.2 million unique
TVplus customers who register
to watch Filipino movies, some
of which are fresh off the
cinema. KBO is also more
accessible since registration
to the service is now open to
all networks.
ABS-CBN, which is rapidly
transitioning into an agile
digital company, is the first
media and entertainment
company in the country to
make the historic switch from
analog to digital terrestrial
television to transform the TV
viewing experience of Filipinos.
TVPLUS users had more
entertainment choices with the
introduction of five new TVplus
exclusive channels.
2018 was also a remarkable
year for ABS-CBN TVplus since
it saw a growing number of
non-cabled homes that have
shifted to digital TV.
According to a Kantar Media
establishment survey last August
2018, 72 percent of non-cabled
homes in Metro Manila have an
ABS-CBN TVplus box, versus 55
percent in August 2017. Likewise,
the number of non-cabled homes
with a TVplus box rose in Mega
Manila with 65 percent from
44 percent, while those in the
suburbs grew to 57 percent from
33 percent in the same period
last year.
TVplus users even had more
entertainment choices last year
with the introduction of five
new ABS-CBN TVplus exclusive
channels such as Asianovela
Channel, the first and only
channel on digital free TV that
airs uncut Asian dramas and
movies and Movie Central, the
first all-English movie channel
on digital free TV. Myx, Jeepney
TV, and O Shopping, a home TV
shopping channel, complete
the additional channel line-up
of ABS-CBN TVplus. The free
trial of the new channels has
been extended this 2019.
Besides Batangas, ABS-CBN
TVplus continuously expands its
signal coverage areas that also
include Metro Manila, Bulacan,
Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, Rizal,
Laguna, Pampanga, Tarlac,
Benguet, Cavite, Metro Cebu,
Cagayan de Oro, Iloilo, Bacolod
and Davao.
Korina Sanchez is taking to social media to update
her followers and fans of the latest happenings in
her relatively peaceful domestic life
By Kathleen Llemit
Kris’ new problem?
Another one comes out in the open. Kris Aquino already has her
hands full with her ongoing legal and social media spat with Jesus and
Nicko Falcis but another “ghost from her past” recently resurfaced.
This week, Rhodora Morales spoke about her experience working
with Aquino two years ago. Morales is a businesswoman with interests
in electrical supply, pharmaceuticals, brokerage, forwarding and
logistics, land development and travel industry.
She revealed that she was approached to produce a show for Kris
in 2017. Details included
the talent fee and whole
expenses that amounted to
P20 million to produce the
travel show Trip Ni Kris,
which aired as a block-timer
on GMA-7 on 9 April 2017.
Aquino had an
exclusive interview with
entertainment news site,
pep.ph, which published
the story the day after the
special aired. The actress
alleged that her payment
IN this file photo, Kris is all smiles as it is
announced that she will have a travel show
produced by Doray Morales second from
was delayed and she denied
any involvement with the
son of Morales, Renan,
a former car race driver
who was then sitting as a
right.
councilor in San Antonio, Nueva Ecija.
Kris said in the interview that she felt she was “used” in the issues
that claimed she and Renan were an item.
Two years later, Rhodora or better known as Doray, spoke out. She
said she and her family had already kept quiet for two years. After
that incident, she and Kris did not speak with each other. She added,
“Hindi na. Nightmare siya sa akin (No. She’s a nightmare for me).”
As of press time, Aquino has yet to issue any statement or comment
about this latest development.
Korina’s unique sinigang and call for twin baby names
Meanwhile, Kris’ former co-host, Korina Sanchez is taking to social
media to update her followers and fans of the latest happenings in
her relatively peaceful domestic life. Aside from hosting the Sunday
night magazine show, Rated K, the broadcast journalist is busy playing
housewife to husband and senatorial aspirant Mar Roxas.
Among her posts that elicited mixed reactions was her peeling carrots
which she said will be used for sinigang. Many netizens immediately
raised their brows as carrots are not a common ingredient in a sinigang
recipe. The viand is actually a sour soup made by using the paste, juice
or whole fruit of known sour fruits such as tamarind and green mango.
Radish, string beans, kangkong or water spinach, eggplant and gabi or
taro are the vegetables commonly used to make the sinigang along with
choice of either pork, bangus or shrimp. Thus, some netizens poked fun
at her for using carrots for sinigang.
TRIB TEASE
It later turned out that Mar was cooking a sort of fusion recipe
of sinigang: instead of the earlier mentioned meats, Mar used short
ribs as meat with carrots and potatoes as vegetables. Korina shared
that the dish turned out good and tasted between being a sinigang
and nilaga (slow-cooked beef or pork soup.)
Korina posted these while they were vacationing in Pennsylvania in
the United States. Succeeding posts had netizens speculating that they
are expecting with
Korina seen shopping
for baby items.
On 21 February, she
and Mar announced
that they are parents to
fraternal twins — a boy
and a girl — through
surrogacy. In the post,
which showed the
tiny feet of the twins,
Korina shared how she
did not expect such
a miracle to happen
to her at her age. She then engaged the public by asking for name
suggestions.
“We’re thinking of names. Any suggestions? Jack and Jill? Sonny
and Cher? MariKor and KoriMar? Daniel and Kathryn? Did you ever
think it could still happen for me? I never stopped believing,” she
ended the post with a heart emoji.
Korina revealed on Friday’s newscast of TV Patrol that they named
their twins, Pepe and Pilar.
Romance through the lens
There’s something about music and romance. Or more accurately,
a director and his muse. Toni Gonzaga found her Mr. Right when she
did the music video of her song “Catch Me, I’m Fallin’.” Whenever one
looks at that particular MV, there’s
a certain inexplicable glow in Toni.
It later turned out that her director
then was Paul Soriano, who she
eventually married in 2015. They are
now parents to two-year-old Seve,
who will turn three in September.
Gabbi Garcia and Khalil Ramos
have taken a seemingly similar path
although both have been friends
first. After speculations on dating
rumors, Ramos opened up about his
“approaching two years” of having a
relationship with Gabbi.
GABBI Garcia and Khalil Ramos as
guests at the wedding of Kylie Padilla
and Aljur Abrenica.
KORINA’S Instagram post announcing the birth of
their twins.
What’s interesting about their
story is that each is a contract
star of rival networks. Gabbi is
with GMA-7 while Khalil is with
ABS-CBN. That didn’t stop the two from seeing each other.
According to Khalil, they were introduced to each other during
actress Julia Barretto’s debut in 2015. Some netizens snapped photos
of them going out in gigs or social events. They would not talk about
those rumors and leave it hanging in the air like most celebrities
do before they get the clear signal that it’s okay for them to admit
to anything.
They flew to Singapore to shoot the MV of Gabbi’s single “All I
Need” in 2017. Khalil shot both the photos and MV of the single.
Four reasons Wanderland Festival is different from the rest
Expect more inspiration as local
street artists unleash their creative
talents with their world-class live
art installations and graffiti
This 9 to 10 March, all roads lead anew to
the Filinvest City Open Grounds in Alabang,
Muntinlupa City, as Globe Telecom and
Karpos Multimedia bring back the magical
experience of the annual music and arts festival,
Wanderland. For its seventh installment, the
festival is now a two-day affair, offering the
#WanderlandCommunity more to see and
experience.
What sets Wanderland apart from the other
music festivals? What makes it more magical?
1. A great set of music by local and
international talents. Do you want to hear
your favorite songs on Spotify performed live
right in front of you? Rely on Wanderland to
give you that experience! This festival always
showcases a unique set of performers every year.
Wanderland Planet 2016 had local music fans
singing along to Death Cab for Cutie, Bon Iver and
the Naked and Famous. Wanderland Jungle 2017
brought the anthemic music of Australian indie
rock band Temper Trap and the electro-pop beats
of Ting Tings. Last year’s edition, Wanderland
Pixels 2018, featured Kodaline, Jhene Aiko, FKJ,
Daniel Caesar and Lauv.
This year, the Wanderland community can gear up
for another great set as both local and international
acts make their respective debuts and return to the
THE Wanderland community is sure to have a unique experience of only the best of
music and bring home unforgettable memories with their friends and family.
Wanderland stage. International talents including
indie rock bands Two Door Cinema Club and The
Kooks, Jamaican-American rapper Masego, British
EDM artist SG Lewis and electronic duo Honne along
with homegrown acts such as Sandwich, Unique,
Reese Lansangan and Clara Benin will grace the
stage.
2. Awe-inspiring live art installations. Apart
from the rich musical experience, expect more
inspiration as local street artists unleash their
creative talents with their world-class live art
installations and graffiti. Last year, Wanderartists
Christian Cardenas, Sam Bumanlag, JP Pining and
Humbly brightened up the Filinvest City Open
SUDOKU
Grounds even more with their
on-the-spot artwork. This
year, Wanderartist winners
Venazir Martinez, Frances
Dandan, Raco Ruiz and
Josh Panaligan are set to
perform live art that’s sure
to mesmerize concertgoers.
3. Eye-catching festival
fashion. Wanderland has
become not just a showcase
of premiere talents but also an
annual avenue for eye-catching
festival fashion! Expect to see
the Wanderland Community
from all walks of life express
themselves with their own
preferred fashion styles, be it
floral, hippie or the hypebeast
streetwear style.
4. Wide selection of exciting
booths and activities. During
Wanderland Planet 2016, Globe provided an
all-in-one interactive hub that
allowed visitors to experience the
fun activities such as shooting
photos and videos on a trampoline
and learning about mobile games
on seven different “planets.” At
Wanderland Jungle 2017, festival
goers enjoyed getting glitter tattoos
of different animals and designs,
making their own postcards and
stickers, and even wall climbing.
In Wanderland Pixels 2018, there
was an Art Market, Arcade, F21’s
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
D A I L Y G O S P E L
Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Jesus said to his disciples:
“To you who hear I say, love
your enemies, do good to those
who hate you, bless those who
curse you, pray for those who
mistreat you.
To the person who strikes
you on one cheek, offer the
other one as well and from
the person who takes your
cloak, do not withhold even
your tunic.
Give to everyone who asks of
you and from the one who takes
what is yours do not demand
it back.
Do to others as you would
have them do to you.
For if you love those who love
you, what credit is that to you?
Even sinners love those who
love them.
And if you do good to those
who do good to you, what credit
is that to you? Even sinners do
the same.
If you lend money to
those from whom you expect
repayment, what credit (is) that
to you? Even sinners lend to
Pixel Playhouse and Hope’s Up-cycling booth. With
this year’s Magic theme, watch out for another
interesting set of exciting booths and activities. Make
sure to bring some dough and your bags as you’ll
surely bring home a lot of goodies.
Music is a foremost Filipino passion and Globe
has made headway in giving its customers both
online and offline music experiences through
Spotify, YouTube, and concerts by the best local
and international acts. This March, the Wanderland
community is sure to have a unique experience of
only the best of music and bring home unforgettable
memories with their friends and family.
Seek the magic and make it matter with the
#WanderlandCommunity! To make Wanderland a
magical experience for everyone, be sure to observe
proper festival etiquette. Smoke in designated areas
only, throw and segregate your trash properly, don’t
bring any illegal drugs or pills and keep track of the
performance schedules.
Stay updated on the different ticket promos by
visiting globe.com.ph/go/events/globewanderland
or following Globe on Facebook and Twitter.
Luke 6:27-38
sinners and get back the same
amount.
But rather, love your
enemies and do good to them,
and lend expecting nothing
back; then your reward will be
great and you will be children
of the Most High, for he himself
is kind to the ungrateful and
the wicked.
Be merciful, just as (also)
your Father is merciful.
Stop judging and you will
not be judged. Stop condemning
and you will not be condemned.
Forgive and you will be forgiven.
Give and gifts will be given
to you; a good measure, packed
together, shaken down and
overflowing, will be poured
into your lap. For the measure
with which you measure will in
return be measured out to you.”

Sunday, 24 February 2019
Daily Tribune
lifestyle
23
Grit, depth in E’heads musical encore
It’s flattering when people come to see your labor of love
when it is an untried, untested original work
By Lourdes Florian M. Hernandez
My college days were saturated with
their music. I often heard their songs
blasting on the jeepney’s radio during
my daily commute to school in the ’90s,
and their music accompanied me and my
classmates through school trips and days
spent on group projects.
Being a true blue, prudish, goody-two-shoes
manang back then, whose choice of
music tended to gravitate towards the
classical and the occasional pop tunes
of Madonna, Cyndi Lauper or Debbie
Gibson, their songs at first annoyed and
unsettled me. Peppered with irreverent
lyrics, unexpectedly succinct and clearly
pronounced curses and swears, their
songs were a shock to my vanilla, nun-like
existence. In effect, their music was a part
of my awakening — to everything.
That’s how the Eraserheads’ music
shaped my collegiate life, accompanied
me, helped me navigate through growing
up pains and made easier the changes
happening throughout. And to see their
music now being used to tell a story is a
welcome turn of events.
Following a successful run in September
of last year, Resorts World Manila, in
celebration of its 10th year, plays host to Ang
Huling El Bimbo at the Newport Performing
Arts Theater from 1 March to 6 April. This
musical play that featured beloved songs
from the most iconic ’90s Filipino rock
band was critically-acclaimed that it was
perennially sold out despite additional show
dates as many were still unable to get tickets.
“We were very lucky in the first one,
we’re really blessed. We’re not going to
brag, but it feels good since we really
didn’t expect it,” says director Dexter
Santos. “People for the longest time kept
on asking me if we foresaw the play’s
success. I mean, success in terms of people
who came to sold-out shows. It’s a labor of
love. It’s flattering when people come to
see your labor of love when it is an untried,
untested original work.”
Perhaps the fact that most people
grew up listening to the Eraserheads
added to its appeal to theatergoers. It
could be remembered that band icon
Ely Buendia watched twice and even
decided to come up the stage.
“There were Eraserheads fans who
watched but are non-theater goers. Now,
they are watching other plays. They
went into the theater knowing it was
Eraserheads (music) and then they fell
in love with theater and want to watch
shows. Or some of them are usually going
to foreign musicals. It’s good for El Bimbo
and for the whole theater industry because
we need that audience and we were
able to use the Eraserheads to bring the
people into the theater. So it’s a win-win
situation,” Santos adds.
Santos believes that this play
would strike a chord with the
millennials, being a universal
story of love and friendship.
Santos says there won’t be big changes
in this run. The music and the energetic
staging will still be there, but the creative
team will delve deeper into the characters,
particularly the main protagonist. “It’s still
going to be there — much of the grit that
was present in the previous run is now
being retained and explored more, I think,
in terms of what we really want. The hits
of Eraserheads are still there to resonate
and become a musical of
our times.”
“Given the huge
success of the first run,
we wanted to ensure that
the audiences will still
be treated to all the
best-loved songs as in the
original, save for a few
tweaks in aid of a more
streamlined storytelling,”
says associate director Menchu
Lauchengco-Yulo. “It’s an
even more amazing show
now for those who will
see it for the first time,
(IN clockwise order)
Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo,
Gian Magdangal, OJ
Mariano, Jon Santos, Phi
Palmos, Boo Gabunada,
Bibo Reyes and Gab
Pangilinan.
and these changes will bring an added
dimension of enjoyment for those who
have already seen it before.”
As previously done, the play
fits the songs of the Eraserheads
perfectly in the narrative. “We
came up with these characters
that will fit the story, which
song would fit those
characters and then where
to move the plot further
and, being fans, more or
less we know the portfolio,”
playwright Dingdong
Novenario explains.
“I think since it’s a
jukebox musical, it’s kind of
difficult since you’re required
to use the songs based on
the specific narrative and
people know it. I think it
was a conscious effort from
the very beginning. It was
our mandate to serve the
material, I mean the numbers
are not only there because
they are hits or they’re the
soundtrack of our lives, but
then again how does it
help in pushing the action
forward?” Santos adds.
Santos believes that
this play would strike a chord with the
millennials, being a universal story of
love and friendship. It also opens
their awareness to the songs of the
Eraserheads.
“The story itself is a
universal story of love,
friendship. At the end of
the day, it’s a universal
story of the family and
the whole millennial thing
about the everyday struggles
that we have right now. We
were able to tackle drugs,
oppression and survival. I
think those themes are very
timely up to now. My students
message me that ‘Sir, ang
ganda pala ng music ng
Eraserheads’ and suddenly,
they start listening to it on
Spotify.”
Many of the
original cast
members will be
back, including Gian Magdangal, OJ
THE
younger cast
members of
“Ang Huling
El Bimbo’s”
second run.
Mariano, Jon Santos,
Reb Atadero, Boo Gabunada, Bibo Reyes,
Tanya Manalang and Lauchengco-Yulo.
Coming in are a new set of actors Nicco
Manalo, Lance Reblando, David Ezram,
Phi Palmos, Myke Salomon, Rafa
Siguion-Reyna, Gabriella Pangilinan and
Carla Guevara-Laforteza.
Writer-director Floy Quintos will join
the team, which also includes musical
director Myke Salomon, artistic director
Michael Williams and costume designer
Marlon Rivera.
Special show promotions are available
to Resorts World Manila members through
the RWM Mobile App which is available
for free download via the AppStore or
GooglePlay. Guests who are 21 years
old and above may avail of free RWM
membership to qualify for RWM Mobile
App promotions.
Tickets to Ang Huling El Bimbo
are available at Ticket World
(www.ticketworld.com.ph) and the RWM
Box Office at GF Newport Mall, Resorts
World Manila. Call the Tourist/Visitor
Hotline at (02)908-8833 for inquiries.
Teatro Tubigon of San Jose de Buenavista, Antique.
Uplifting the youth
Now on its 51st year, PETA continues to invest in
the youth through its program on creativity and
innovation, Arts Education Matters
Through the years, the
Philippine Educational Theater
Association (PETA) has developed
hundreds of young artists and
cultural leaders and founded
numerous youth drama groups
throughout the archipelago.
Now on its 51st year, PETA
continues to invest in the youth
through its program on creativity
and innovation, Arts Education
Matters.
With support coming from
former PETA Board of Trustees
chairman, Peter Garrucho Jr.,
Arts Education Matters aims to
use the power of theater to engage
young people in vital social
concerns, helping them become
more informed, responsible and
pro-active citizens. The project
directly targets students to
become cultural creatives and
helps basic education teachers
to be innovators in classroom
education.
As part of this project, PETA
has focused its resources in
Central Luzon, Western and
Central Visayas and Central
Mindanao. It reaches out to far
flung areas that are seedbeds
of rich cultural heritage and
tradition but are currently
lacking in platforms for theater
to flourish in universities and
colleges.
One of PETA’s recent partners
in the Panay region is the
municipality of San Jose de
Buenavista, the capital of the
province of Antique.
San Jose de Buenavista’s
pioneering theater group
In 2018, PETA conducted
a three-day workshop with the
students of Antique National School
(ANS) as part of the Panakayon Arts
and Culture Camp, an initiative
of the National Commission for
Culture and the Arts (NCCA),
Sigmahanon Foundation for
Culture the Arts Inc. (SCFAI) and
the local government of San Jose
de Buenavista.
Following the success of this
workshop, PETA officially partnered
with the local government of
San Jose to further develop and
enhance the capacities of students
through a series of specialized
theater trainings.
A year later, San Jose was able
to establish its very own theater
group which boasts of some of
the most talented young artists
in the region.
“Antique National School has
a population of 7,000 students, but
in the past years, only three to five
students will enroll in the arts track
under the K-12 program. There was
very little interest in the arts,” shares
Arvin Pereyra, Teacher of Special
Program in the Arts (SPA), Antique
National School.
“In fact, the SPA has existed
in the last 10 years, but the
school did not have a theater
group until now. That is why we
are very thankful to PETA that
we are given the support we
need to build Teatro Tubigon,”
Pereyra adds.
“Aside from learning theater,
the students are also beginning to
appreciate their own culture and
heritage as we have now focused
on promoting and preserving
our local traditions through
contemporary theater. PETA
has helped us in mounting our
production entitled Tinugyanan,
a Kinaray-a musical, which
expresses ones love for their
home, their banwa,” Pereyra
enthused.
Currently, Teatro Tubigon
is planning to expand to other
universities and communities
in Antique to develop a
network of young artists in the
municipality.
Discovering the young
artists of San Jose
Barely a year old, Teatro
Tubigon has now touched
many young lives. Among
them is Erlou Raymundo Jr., a
17 year-old student of Antique
National School. Erlou was
a former night secondary
student who works in the
morning as a kakanin vendor
to sustain his education.
“I wake up at 3 a.m. to cook,
and will spend the entire morning
to sell the food, so that I can
have my P20 baon (money) for
my school in the evening. I’ve
always loved performing but I
did not have the means to share
and enhance my talents then.”
Thanks to Teatro Tubigon, Erlou
has found his voice and gained his
confidence despite his personal
challenges.
Deo Dame Saligumba
and Demie Paza, also
students of Antique
National School are
both known singers
prior to joining Teatro
Tubigon. Now they are
recognized as versatile
theater actresses and
future leaders of their
organization after
joining a series of theater
workshops with PETA.
According to Deo,
PETA was responsible
for igniting her interest
and love for theater
and appreciation of
her heritage, “PETA’s
workshop is not just
about acting, more
importantly, it teaches
us young people to
understand, take pride
in our own heritage and
culture and promote it.”
“Aside from acting, I am
now able to teach and facilitate
activities for our group. I feel
good that I am able to impart and
share what I have learned from
PETA to my peers. The workshop
made me realize that I am a
leader too,” Deo adds.
As part of this project,
PETA has focused its
resources in Central Luzon,
Western and Central Visayas,
and Central Mindanao.
“PETA has taught me to be
more versatile. It has given me
confidence and has allowed me to
collaborate with my peers. This is
my dream.” Demie shares.
Enriching the creative
community of Balete
Panakayon in Hiligaynon means
“journey” and for three years now,
the young artists and cultural
creatives of Jordan, Guimaras;
San Jose, Antique; Miag-ao, Iloilo;
Balete, Aklan; and Cuartero, Capiz
have been on a journey towards
discovering and promoting the
rich and diverse cultural heritage
of Western Visayas through the
Panakayon Culture and Arts Camp.
This year, the host town Balete,
Aklan, has tapped PETA to guide
the direction of the Panakayon
Phase 3 Arts Camp through the
leadership of PETA artist-teacher
Demie Paza and Deo Dame Saligumba, students of
Antique National School.
Bong Billones.
“Despite being a fourth class
municipality, a very small town
with limited local resources, we
were able to accomplish this
Panakayon Phase 3 through
the help of the Sigmahanon
Foundation and PETA,” says
Councilor Patrick Lachica.
Known as one of the most
eco-friendly and creative town
in the region, the host town of
Balete converted their entire
town into a creative space,
showcasing the unique cultures,
traditions, attractions and innate
creativity of the participating
municipalities. PETA also
assisted them in curating a
unique cultural experience for
the participants of Panakayon.
Balete featured its unique art
hub Basura Garden, its Sotis folk
dance, its fine piña fabrics, their
local cuisine like the binakoe, a
version of the binakol which is
stewed native chicken cooked
inside bamboo tubes, as well as
other local delicacies.
The young people and
cultural creatives of San Jose
de Buenavista, Antique and the
town and community of Balete,
Aklan, are a living proof that
the arts not only unleash the
imagination and creativity but
also promotes a sense of identity
and pride of place. It empowers
people to influence positive
change. Through the Arts Ed
Program, PETA hopes to
continue enlivening and
strengthening the arts in
the regions and provide
opportunities for people
to express themselves
and act in ways that can
contribute meaningfully
to the betterment of
their community.
The Arts Ed Program
is part of Stage of the
Nation, PETA’s creative
campaign that hopes to
utilize the arts and engage
artists to contribute to the
discourses that concern
our nation.
For more information
contact PETA at (02)
726-6244 or email
petafr@petatheater.com,
petatheater@gmail.com
or visit www. petatheater.
com/stageofthenation.

24
LIFESTYLE
Dinah S. Ventura, Editor
Sunday, 24 February 2019
Daily Tribune
World-class pianist rises
She comes from one of the country’s prominent and
storied business families but Mariel obstinately kept to
her passion, music
From page 1
This is not entirely surprising
considering that she comes from one
of the country’s prominent and storied
business families, but Mariel Illusorio
obstinately kept to her passion, music.
Dedication to music
Daily Tribune visited Mariel in
her home in Alabang to listen to her
story as a promising and gifted child
who began her piano lessons with
her grandmother Erlinda’s pianist
friend. She would, in time, move on
to other piano teachers, until she
qualified to be a student of one of
the country’s best piano pedagogues,
Stella Brimo. The teacher’s brilliance,
kindness, compassion and generosity
combined to inspire in her student
the dedication and commitment
required of a pianist who would make
it. Under Brimo’s tutelage, Mariel
won her first major award, the first
prize for Category A of the National
Music Competition for Young Artists
(NAMCYA). Elated, Stella Brimo
gave her a half-scholarship, this a
manifestation of her faith in Mariel
and hardly out of the latter’s need
for financial assistance.
While Mariel’s story as a pianist
includes her concertizing in various
parts of the world, including Germany,
South Africa, United States, Zimbabwe
and Chile and winning prizes in Italy
and Spain, this Daily Tribune story
focuses on her early years, a phase in
a young artist’s life when one’s raw
talents are honed and one’s capacity
for rigorous practice is tested.
Exceptional talents
Itzhak Perlman, Israeli-American
violinist, conductor and music teacher,
once said, “for every child prodigy that
you know about, at least 50 potential
ones have burned out before you
ever heard of them.” Gratefully for
this country and the Filipino people,
Mariel, once a promising child pianist
who had so much future ahead of her,
proved
worthy of the
attention and support accorded her
by her teachers, fans, and dotting
parents, especially her mother Sylvia
who, just like any mother, fussed over
what her daughter would wear in a
recital.
Mariel’s climb to success had
not been easy but she made it and
today, both as a concert pianist
and a piano tutor, she is one of top
Filipina musicians whose music
brings elation and pride to the
country of her birth.
Daily Tribune (DT): What is your
complete name? I hear that you have
a long one.
Mariel Illusorio (MI): Susana
Maria Erlinda Kalaw Illusorio.
LIVING up to her early promise.
DT: Erlinda would be your
grandmother. But where did Susana
come from?
MI: Because my mom, whose name
is Sylvia, wanted us to have the same
initial. She wanted an S for me also.
DT: And why is your nickname
Mariel?
MI: It is from Maria Erlinda. My Tita
Lyn is also Maria Erlinda.
DT: At what age did you start
learning how to play the piano?
MI: I was eight years old.
DT: You were based in the
Philippines?
MI: Yes. I was born here and I grew
up here until second year high school.
DT: Who was your first piano
teacher?
MI: My really first teacher was
a friend of my grandmother, Tita
Marivic Dino. She was just living
with my grandmother in Antipolo, if
I remember correctly. It was like she
gave me an introduction to playing
the piano. Soon after, I transferred
to Marietta Baja of UST. That was
for like one or two years. And then I
switched to my main teacher
in the Philippines, who was
Stella Brimo. I stayed
with her until she left
for Canada and I left for
New York. By the time
I was with her, I was
11. When I won in
the NAMCYA, she
made me half scholar
because that was her
personal policy. A
student who won
a prize became
her scholar. So I
paid only half the
tuition. It was
quite touching
because even
if she knew we
could afford,
she still gave
it to me
because of
my winning.
“MY
mother did
everything
to develop
my talent.”
DT: What about your academics?
Where were you studying?
MI: Elementary, in Assumption
Antipolo. And in high school,
Assumption San Lorenzo. Only until
second year, and then I left for New
York.
DT: How was Stella Brimo? She
was such a beautiful woman.
MI: Oh, she was wonderful. She
was like a second mother. I really
learned a lot from her. Her dedication,
her love for music, her generosity.
She showered her students with so
much love and attention. If she went
abroad and she came back, she would
bring me stuffed toys because I loved
stuffed toys. She visited me in New
York and even after that, she would
call me every year, greet me for my
birthday, until I stopped hearing from
her because I soon found out she was
not so well anymore. I was in South
Africa when she passed away.
DT: How long were you with her?
MI: I must have been with her for
three or four years.
DT: That must have been when you
became truly enthralled with piano.
Or was it even before her tutelage?
MI: Well, I practiced even before her.
I joined NAMCYA when I was 10. I was
still with Marietta Baja. I got honorable
mention. And then I switched to Mrs.
Brimo and then, I joined again when
I was 12. And that was when I won
first. That was in 1985. And then, I
left in 1988.
Mariel moved on to other
piano teachers until she
qualified to be a student of
one of the country’s best piano
pedagogues, Stella Brimo.
DT: Was your mother very
encouraging from the start?
MI: Yes, she was. She did everything
she could to develop my talent, to give
me opportunities.
DT: I’m not sure how I should ask
this…but at what point did anyone
realize that you were gifted? That
you had a future in music.
MI: I don’t know if it was about
having a future in music, but it was
more that I learned quickly, that
my teacher said that I should join
a competition because I was good
enough. So, we did that, and then
we agreed that I could then move on
to a better teacher. And my teacher
also encouraged me a lot, so it kind
of went that way. Then, I needed a lot
of time for practice so everything else
was put on the side. So, piano became
the priority. Sometimes I needed to
skip school so I could practice more
for a competition.
DT: But did you also play kiddie
stuff when you were growing up? All
those games like Chinese garter, and
jackstone? Did you have playmates in
the neighborhood?
MI: Not so much. I think I kind
of focused on the music already. In
that way, I really didn’t have a normal
childhood, although everything is
relative.
DT: Well, I guess it was okay
because it was what you loved to do,
anyway.
MI: Well, I can say that I did not
grow up well-rounded. I specialized
AT the Pam Golding Autumn Leaves concert.
right away, and there are pros and
cons to that.
DT: But then, you were not really
frivolous, or the kind who was
engrossed with fads and fashion.
MI: No, I was not. My focus on the
piano also suited my being introvert and
my spending time by myself.
DT: So, to go back to NAMCYA.
How did you feel about winning first
prize?
MI: I was 12 and I was really very
happy because it was really a goal.
I was really so motivated because
I had gone to an Asian competition
in Taiwan and I saw all these kids
who were much younger than I and
they were playing all these difficult
pieces and I didn’t even know the
composers they were playing. I was
shocked. Then my mom let me go to
this music camp in the United States.
In Michigan. And I got inspired there
also because I was around musicians.
DT: What was the name of the
school?
MI: Interlochen. It’s a high school
but it’s also a summer music camp.
DT: So, she chose that school for
you.
MI: Just for the summer.
DT: But that exposed you.
MI: Yes, and when I was exposed,
that really got me very excited. So, when
I came back, I really wanted to win this
competition. I worked really really very
hard for it.
DT: That’s nice. It means you
really loved what you were doing, and
you were not just being forced into it.
MI: Well, I wanted to do well, but as
a child, I was also seeking approval. If
I made them proud, that was also my
satisfaction. I wanted to make them
proud.
DT: So, how was your education
after you left Assumption?
MI: I really focused on music
already. So I went to New York
and finished my last two years
of high school in this institution
called Professional Children’s School.
It’s the least demanding school
because all the kids who go there
have professions. So, these were
the Cosby kids. Midori went there.
Macaulay Culkin. You can study by
correspondence. So, they had very
little requirements. The musicians
could concentrate on practicing.
While my friends back home were
doing Chemistry, Trigonometry and
so on, I didn’t have that anymore and
that made me feel kind of insecure. I
even lost more of my well-roundedness.
But at the same time, I had more
time to devote to practice. Nowadays
it is even more difficult to teach kids
who are so busy in school. So many
extracurricular activities, and on top
of that, so much homework. And really,
it’s very difficult and it needs so much
time and work.
DT: So, what was your schedule?
MI: I had classes in the morning. In
the afternoon I could practice. It was
in Manhattan, across the street from
where I lived. On the 60th street. Just
six blocks from Juilliard.
DT: So, you had an apartment
there?
MI: Yes. I was staying with my aunts.
Tita Lin was my guardian. And then, my
younger aunt, Shereen.
DT: But what about your other
subjects? So, you had a little English
and a little Math and all that?
MI: Yes, and French. Just very little.
DT: But you had a teacher.
MI: For piano, it was once a week.
Richard Fabor was my teacher in
precollege. But he passed away. He
was great.
DT: So, who recommended him
to you?
MI: When we went there, we
went to Juilliard and listened to
some concerts and so we asked
who the teacher of that guy was
and so we were told and my mom
contacted him and I played for him.
Then he helped me prepare for the
audition. So, I was in Juilliard for
my precollege. Every Saturday, I
would be at Juilliard, so I had to
have theory, chamber music. The
piano lesson…because I lived in the
city, I went to his house. The ones
who came to him on Saturday to
Juilliard were the ones coming from
out of town. So, I had my high school
during the week and the precollege
of Juilliard during the weekend.
DT: Do you recall if there were
certain don’ts for a piano student?
Like don’t play basketball or archery
or don’t wash clothes?
MI: Those are kinda superstitious.
Like when you were younger, don’t wash
the dishes…
DT: So, they were not true?
MI: It depends on your own
philosophy. (smiles) If you believe that,
that is true for you. Teachers never told
me anything like those. Some people
would say piano and tennis don’t match
because tennis makes you kind of stiff,
but I think it is a personal thing.
DT: So, how long were you at
Juilliard?
MI: I was there for two and a half
years. I finished two years of precollege
and I started college there.
And then I continued because of some
family drama. And my family decided
I shouldn’t do music anymore. So they
sent me back here. So, I came home and
studied in La Salle and St. Scholastica
for a while. I took up Behavioral
Science. Although I continued my music
at St. Scholastica but not for a degree.
It was just on the side. That was a hard
chapter. Still, I had my piano teacher,
Jose Contreras. But it was hard for me
because I came from Juilliard and I
didn’t think I was gonna come back
here. But I had to come back and I
ended up leaving home and going my
own way because I didn’t want to really
stay here.
DT: So, you returned to the States.
MI: I found some scholarships.
I went to Iowa because I got a full
scholarship there. Some of Mrs.
Brimo’s students went to this teacher,
Howard Able. He’s been here also
to play. So they gave me this full
scholarship but when I got there
it was such a big difference from
Juilliard in terms of the standard
and the atmosphere. But then, I
auditioned for Oberlin Observatory of
Music in Ohio just to see what would
happen. It is the oldest continually
operating American Conservatory.
And since they gave me a scholarship
too, I transferred to Ohio. So for the
four years of a Bachelor’s degree, I
went to four different colleges. But in
four years, I got a degree, which was
Bachelor of Music in Oberlin.