09 APRIL 2019 - Copy

TRUMP’S
REVOLVING DOOR
SPINS ANEW
A HAPPY
RESTAURATEUR
NISSAN SACKS
GHOSN
CONCESSIONAIRES
OR PUBLIC UTILITIES?
PAGE 16 WORLD PAGE 18 LIFESTYLE PAGE 12 BUSINESS
PAGE 5 COMMENTARY
PAGE 13 SPORTS
BEST IN THE WEST
IRR will fix
‘moto’ law flaws
By Elmer N. Manuel
MOST
INNOVATIVE
BROADSHEET
2018
44TH
PHILIPPINES
BUSINESS
EXPO
CHARTER EMPOWERS DU30
MANILA, PHILIPPINES TUESDAY, 9 APRIL 2019
Malacañang on Monday said the still-to-be-crafted
implementing rules and regulations (IRR) on
the new law requiring bigger license plates on
the front and back of motorcycles will be the
best way to address the riders’ concerns over
the new measure.
Turn to page 6
‘War’ vs enemies of state
The President will not be sitting idly and just watch their transgressions
By Kristina Maralit
It’s not against the people but
a revolutionary war against the
enemies of the state.
Thus, presidential
spokesman Salvador
Panelo on
Monday reiterated the spirit
of President Rodrigo Duterte’s
statement against “transgressors
of the law,” while ensuring
citizens’ safety and their basic
rights.
Panelo said it was more of
an “exasperated expression”
by the President as he tried to
address the threats imposed by
“enemies of the state”
who do not want government to
succeed in bringing quality life
to the people.
“The President will not be
sitting idly and just watch their
transgressions,” the spokesman
relayed.
“The threat — if it was a
threat — was not against the
people but precisely against
the enemies. The criminals, the
people manning the illegal drug
Turn to page 2
MEN and women who sacrificed their lives for the country’s freedom are etched in this World War II monument in Capas, Tarlac.
Palace to US solons:
Don’t dictate on us
By Kristina Maralit
Malacañang on Tuesday
described as an “outrageous
intrusion” on Philippine
sovereignty the recent appeal by
By Elmer N. Manuel
five US lawmakers to release Sen.
Leila de Lima from detention.
The US senators also want
the tax evasion and anti-dummy
charges against Rappler chief
Turn to page 2
‘China loans boost Phl’
LORENZANA
The new head of the Filipino-Chinese
business chamber on Monday dispelled
notions China could not be trusted on its
loan deals with the Philippines, calling
criticisms against the rising superpower
country as fallacious.
Federation of Filipino-Chinese
Chambers of Commerce
and Industry president
Henry Lim Bon
Liong stressed
that distrust
Turn to page 6
Sleep talk
A post on the Facebook
page of Valenzuela’s Pride
Riders Club on Friday elicited
praise from netizens.
The post consisted
of photos of two guys in
sleeveless undershirts
(sando) slumbering side by
side on a sidewalk while a
tricycle is parked near them.
Based on the comments,
netizens assumed the two
were too intoxicated to drive
the tricycle, so they stopped
and slept.
Most reactions indicate
agreement with the men
sleeping on the roadside, as
Turn to page 2
New Filipino heroes needed
By Elmer N. Manuel
The nation celebrates Araw
ng Kagitingan today with the
Department of National Defense
(DND) calling on all Filipinos
to defend the country from all
forms of threats and act during
calamities if called upon.
This as the Philippine Army
ROMAN PROSPERO
on Monday announced that it has
5,387 slots to fill, the first time
in recent years when the Armed
Forces of the Philippines is going
Turn to page 2
RUSSIAN sailors stand in attention as anti-submarine ship Admiral Tibuts arrives in Manila along with another ship Vinogradov
on a goodwill visit.
AFP
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NEWS
2
Tuesday, 9 April 2019
Daily Tribune
‘War’ vs enemies of state
The threat — if it was a
threat — was not against
the people but precisely
against the enemies
From page 1
industry, corrupt bureaucrats,
greedy politicians, communist
rebels, foreign and local terrorists
and other enemies of the state,”
Panelo said.
The President made the
pronouncement about declaring
a revolutionary war until the end
of his term over the weekend
after he was questioned over his
decision to review government
contracts that he said would be
found onerous.
According to Panelo, Mr.
Duterte “was not threatening the
people on a whim” when he said
he would declare a revolutionary
war if “pushed to the wall.”
I have enough problems
with criminality, drugs,
rebellion and all. If you
push me to my limit, I will
declare a suspension of
writ of habeas corpus and
I will arrest all of you. I
will detain you along with
the criminals, rebels and
drug lords.
The Chief Executive was
referring to the country’s
continuing problem with
illegal drugs — despite the
administration’s unceasing
campaign against narcotics, graft
and corruption in government,
impunity of criminals and the
alleged questionable deals
entered into by the government,
he explained.
These issues frustrate the
President who wants to see
results, he said, adding Mr.
Duterte was just expressing his
right to exercise powers accorded
him by the Constitution to duly
serve and protect the people.
“When the very democratic
institutions are being used to the
detriment of the people and have
become illusory for the people’s
interest, when their safety is
imperiled, when the territorial
integrity is at stake, and when
the enemies of the republic are
bent on bringing it down, then
it becomes the constitutional
duty of the President to use the
powers reposed to him by the
Constitution to quell the attacks
on the people and save the state,”
Panelo said.
“I have enough problems with
criminality, drugs, rebellion and
all. If you push me to my limit,
I will declare a suspension of
writ of habeas corpus and I will
arrest all of you. I will detain you
along with the criminals, rebels
and drug lords,” the President
exclaimed.
Mr. Duterte was not
threatening the people
on a whim when he
said he would declare a
revolutionary war if pushed
to the wall.
“If you give me a hard time, I
will declare a revolutionary war
until the end of my term. Deal
with it,” he added.
“The seeming impunity of
criminals to do their nefarious
trade, the onerous contract
entered into by the government
that prohibited it from
performing government action
protective of the interest of
the people and the communist
rebels’ attacks and ambushes
of military and police personnel
and local government units
and their continuing extortion
activities may have triggered
the President’s statements,”
Panelo said.
The Palace official also
mentioned the “continuing
threat” from terrorists that
endangers the security of the
state and “other acts of its
enemies” that imperil the safety
of the nation as the other issues
that the President wants to
face.
Panelo said it was more of
an exasperated expression
by the President as he
tried to address the
threats imposed by
enemies of the state who
do not want government to
succeed in bringing quality
life to the people.
Calling the Constitution a
“living instrument,” Panelo said
the framers of the country’s
charter “would have not
intended the President to have
without recourse in confronting
any exigency that places the
people’s interest in jeopardy
and their safety in mortal
danger.”
Palace to US solons: Don’t dictate on us
Panelo said the foreign officials should better mind their own business and
focus on their own country’s concerns
From page 1
executive officer and executive
editor Maria Ressa dropped.
US Senators Edward Markey
(Massachusetts), Marco Rubio
(Florida), Richard Durbin
(Illinois), Marsha Blackburn
(Tennessee) and Chris Coons
(Delaware) slammed the
Philippine government for what
they called were attempts to
arrest and jail “human rights
defenders and political leaders
who exercise their rights to
freedom of expression.”
It only means one thing,
they don’t like this
administration. They
believe what the opposition
or critics say.
They also condemned the
administration’s alleged hand in
“state-sanctioned extrajudicial
killing by police and other armed
individuals.”
But presidential
spokesman Salvador Panelo
said the foreign officials
should better “mind their
own business” and focus
on their own country’s
concerns.
T h e
Philippines,
Panelo said,
is “not
under
t h e
dominion of the United
States of America or any of
its high-ranking officials.”
“It is an outrageous
intrusion to our nation’s
sovereignty as the subject
cases are now being heard
by our local courts. It only
means one thing; they don’t
like this administration.
They believe what the
opposition or critics
say,” Panelo
said.
“No government official of
any foreign country has the
authority or right to dictate on
how we address the commission
of crimes,” he added.
De Lima, one of President
Rodrigo Duterte’s staunchest
critics in his unrelenting
campaign against narcotics,
is detained at Camp Crame
since February 2017 for allegedly
coddling convicted drug lords at
the national penitentiary while
she was still serving as Secretary
of the Department of Justice.
It was also alleged that
De Lima received campaign
contributions in behalf of the
Liberal Party from the drug lords
who were allowed to continue
with their trade despite their
incarceration.
Ressa, meanwhile, is
entangled with charges of cyber
libel and tax evasion.
The veteran journalist has
repeatedly claimed the cases
against her were meant to curtail
freedom of the press and silence
those who openly criticize the
President’s policies.
Panelo, however, insisted
that De Lima and Ressa’s cases
passed through administrative
and judicial processes before
their respective warrants of
arrest were issued by the courts.
It is an outrageous
intrusion to our nation’s
sovereignty as the subject
cases are now being heard
by our local courts.
“Senator De Lima is no
prisoner of conscience, but rather
a prisoner of no conscience or a
prisoner of her own folly. She is
charged with illegal drug-related
transgressions committed while
she was Justice Secretary. But
(she) thought she could get away
from them by virtue of being a
member of Congress,” he stated.
“Ms. Ressa, on the other hand,
is a high-profile journalist who is
obsessed with hiding behind the
mantle of the freedom of speech
but who is criminally charged
due to her commission of illegal
acts, which include the offense of
tax evasion, breach of our antidummy
laws and violation of our
cyber libel laws,” he reiterated.
He also rebuked claims
regarding the alleged extrajudicial
killings and stressed that the
incidents were absolutely not
state-initiated nor state-sponsored.
THE US Senate building in Washington DC.
The Philippine Army
announced that it
has 5,387 slots
to fill
From page 1
on a massive recruitment of
additional personnel.
Army spokesman Lt. Col.
Ramon Zagala revealed that
of the total slots, 4,777 will be
allotted for enlisted personnel,
while 610 will be filled by officials
graduating from the Philippine
Military Academy (PMA).
Some 4,000 Filipino,
3,500 American and 50
Australian troops are
participating in the annual
military maneuvers from 1
to 12 April.
Applicants who will qualify
as privates will get P41,000 in
monthly basic pay and allowance.
New Filipino heroes needed
Those who wish to join the
Army should be natural-born
Filipinos between the ages of 18
and 23 and must have completed
high school or have taken at least
72 units in college and are at
least five feet tall.
The Army has long been in
the forefront of the country’s
defense against external and
internal threats, including those
from the Maoist Communist Party
of the Philippines-New People’s
Army (CPP-NPA), which has been
waging a five-decade protracted
war against the government.
The Army has also been
fighting religious, secessionist
and terror groups in Mindanao.
They should be emulated and
honored alongside the veterans
who have sacrificed their lives to
keep the country glued, Department
of National Defense (DND)
spokesperson Arsenio Andolong
said, even as he reminded the nation
to continue honoring Filipino heroes.
“As we remember our heroes,
let us not forget that they put
their lives on the line when
they were needed and we must
always prepare, just as we are
doing in these exercises with
our allies, for the day when our
nation calls us to action during
disasters or when our freedom
is threatened,” Andolong said
ahead of the celebration of the
Day of Valor.
As we remember our
heroes, let us not forget
that they put their lives
on the line when they were
needed.
Andolong added that this
year’s observance of Araw
ng Kagitingan is made more
meaningful as it coincides with
the annual Balikatan exercises,
with Filipino troops joining
forces with their American and
Australian counterparts.
“This year’s Balikatan is more
meaningful because it coincides
US Marine personnel take the Stryker for a drill during yesterday’s Balikatan exercises with Filipino and Australian
soldiers in Pampanga.
AFP
with our Araw ng Kagitingan,
which commemorates the
courage and sacrifices of Filipino
veterans and our allies, who
valiantly fought side by side to
defend the Philippines during
World War II,” he said.
This year’s Balikatan is
more meaningful because it
coincides with our Araw ng
Kagitingan.
Some 4,000 Filipino, 3,500
American and 50 Australian
troops are participating in the
annual military maneuvers from
1 to 12 April.
Military personnel from the United
Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand,
Japan, Thailand and Vietnam are also
in the country to observe the drills.
Armed Forces of the
Philippines public affairs
office chief Col. Noel Detoyato
remembered the “shared
sacrifices by the Filipino and
American soldiers during World
War II, especially during the
infamous Bataan Death March
(a 140-km trek from Bataan to
Capas) where thousands died
before reaching Capas, Tarlac
(where they were interned).”
Detoyato thanked the joint
troops as they are “together
again in a different situation, like
delivering basic services, training
together to prepare for calamities
and shoulder-to-shoulder in the rigors
of exchanging skills in anti-terrorism
training and exercises.”
Brig. Gen. Edgard Arevalo,
AFP spokesperson, said this year’s
Balikatan exercises are a tribute to
the Filipino and American troops
who have fallen in defense of
Bataan.
PNA
CANCER patients, health advocates and other stakeholders gather at the
AFP Theatre of the Camp Aguinaldo to celebrate the passage of the National
Cancer Control Act.
ANALY LABOR
From page 1
driving while under the
influence of alcohol may result
in an accident and they may
hurt themselves or others.
“That’s better than drunk
driving because it’s safe,”
commented MS.
From CCA: “Very good,
instead of putting your life on
the line.”
From HDDW: “This is the
right one. I hope the same thing
should be done by others. If they
can no longer drive, they should
just rest.”
“It’s obvious they are
drunkards because they both
have big bellies. But what they
did is good. If you can’t drive,
Sleep talk
rest,” posted DA.
From LAR: “I salute you sir.
Even though drunk, you think.”
For such a post coming from
a motorcycle group, it reinforces
the safety tip of not driving when
drunk to avoid a road crash and
loss of life or limb.
Other netizens saw another
story angle in the photos.
They commented that the two
sleepers are true friends for not
leaving each other.
But one observation aptly
sums up why two sleeping
drunkards can become the talk
of the town.
The comment from NCM:
“That’s the power of liquor. It
can make you sleep even on
the road.”

Tuesday, 9 April 2019
Daily Tribune
PAGE THREE
Rice law brings retail prices down
The NFA has a total 515,215 metric tons in remaining stock of imported rice that will be distributed
to markets only until August
By Elmer N. Manuel
As the Rice Tariffication Law moved
forward to full implementation following
the signing of its implementing rules and
regulations (IRR) last week, the average
farmgate price of palay, or unmilled rice,
fell 0.47 percent to P18.87 per kilogram in
the fourth week of March.
The Philippine Statistics Authority
(PSA) said the implementation of the IRR
had an effect on the average wholesale
price of well-milled rice, which fell 0.12
percent from a week earlier to P40.61 per
kilo and the average retail price fell 0.25
percent to P44.22.
The law, which leaves rice importation to
the private sector, is a practice which promises
to significantly bring down retail prices for the
staple in the wake of the political outcry from
last year’s inflation crisis.
The PSA also reported that the average
wholesale price of regular-milled rice
fell 0.83 percent week-on-week to P36.87
Included in the agenda of Bersamin in
his short stint at the SC are the expeditious
resolution of court cases.
per kg. The average retail price fell 0.69
percent to P40.02 and prices for both
yellow and white corn grain, used in both
animal feed and food products, rose during
the fourth week of March.
The average farmgate price of yellow
corn grain rose 0.29 percent week-on-week to
P13.87 per kg. while the average wholesale
price for yellow corn grain rose 0.59
percent week-on-week to P18.61 per kg. The
average retail price rose 0.33 percent to P24.08.
Days after the signing of the Rice
Tariffication Law, consumers were quick
to rush to markets to get their stock of the
lowest price milled rice as the new law will
end the sale of the staple by the National
Food Authority (NFA) and liberalize the
importation, exportation and trading of
rice to procure cheaper rice in the market.
Villar pushes calamity
funds release
VILLAR
By Hananeel Bordey
Doubtful on the
numbers given by the
National Disaster Risk Reduction
and Management
Council (NDRRMC)
and the Department of
Agriculture (DA), reelectionist Sen.
Cynthia Villar pushed for the release
of calamity funds and eyed the additional
research on the impact of the El Niño
phenomenon.
In an ambush interview, Villar said the
statistics presented by the NDRRMC and DA
do not match, as she assumed they don’t
want to be blamed for incompetence.
She also reiterated that education
is the most important preventive
measure for El Niño.
“They have different reports on the
damages. The NDRRMC reports P5 billion,
the DA reports P4 billion. Why do they have
different reports?” Villar asked, pointing
out that the national government should
find out the real numbers to evaluate the
current situation.
“I guess we have to find out what is really
the truth because the disaster agency, if the
damage is huge, some may say that they
failed to prevent the disaster, while for the
agri, they want (to report) huge damage so
that they’ll get a huge budget for them. They
have different interests,” she explained.
Moreover, the lawmaker sought to
With retirement only a good six months away, Chief Justice
Lucas Bersamin spent his first and last summer session as head of
the Judiciary in Baguio City yesterday speaking to his colleagues,
employees and bidding them farewell.
Bersamin was with his family and associate
justices for their summer session at the Supreme
Court (SC) compound in the City of Pines.
Joining the SC in 2009, Bersamin is due
to retire as top magistrate on 18 October
this year.
When asked by mediamen, the Chief
Justice said, “Legacy is what you will be
remembered for.”
Right after he was appointed by President Rodrigo
Duterte last year to be the next Chief Justice, Bersamin
vowed to purge the courts of misfits and scalawags as part
of his four-point agenda in his 11-month tenure as head of
the Judiciary.
He said he will enforce the rules of discipline. He pointed
out that in the provinces, there is a very strong perception
that justice is only for the strong, the influential and the
wealthy.
Bersamin said the judges and employees in the
provinces who have contributed to this wrong perception
about the Judiciary will have to go.
Included in the agenda of Bersamin in his short stint
at the SC are the expeditious resolution of court cases,
upgrading of the mechanics of Bar examinations and
enhancement of the participation of law students in legal
aid programs for the poor.
Alvin Murcia
Some consumers said they are now
planning their budget for rice for
the next few months.
declare a state of calamity for the utilization
of calamity funds which were appropriated
to each local government units to secure
budget in times of disaster.
“All of the cities and goverment
agencies have a budget for disaster or
calamity. We just have to declare a state
of calamity to make use of this,” she
pointed out.
Villar added these funds should be
utilized to aid Filipinos who are most
affected by the calamity.
She also reiterated that education is
the most important preventive measure for
El Niño.
Bersamin wants
preserved legacy
RESIDENTS give
former Special
Assistant to the
President Christopher
Lawrence “Bong” Go
a warm welcome as
he went around
Metro Manila in
a motorcade.
Some consumers said they are now
planning their budget for rice for the next
few months when the P27 rice is no longer
available as prices of commercial rice at the
Commonwealth Market have been down by at
least P4 to P5 for a month now. From P38, the
lowest price of commercial rice is now P34.
The NFA has a total 515,215 metric tons
in remaining stock of imported rice that
will be distributed to markets only until
August. After then, NFA rice will only serve
as buffer stock that could only be released
during calamities and emergencies.
Meanwhile, the National Food Authority
Employees Association stressed that the
Rice Import Liberalization Law’s IRR would
effectively displace more than a thousand
workers of the agency due to downsizing.
According to the technical working
group for the law’s IRR, a conservative
estimate sees the displacement of 1,134
workers during the first phase of NFA’s
restructuring plan, or about 27 percent of
its 4,136 workforce nationwide.
By Kristina Maralit
Speakership fight a toss-up
President Rodrigo Duterte will not
meddle when the House of Representatives
elects its next Speaker nor will he endorse
a candidate for the post, Malacañang
reiterated yesterday.
According to presidential spokesman
Salvador Panelo, the President is not
one to interfere with matters concerning
another branch of government.
This, even if Davao del Norte Rep.
Antonio Floirendo Jr., a known friend of the
Chief Executive, has reportedly expressed
his intent to join the race for the House’s
coveted post currently occupied by Rep.
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
By Alvin Murcia
Floirendo will be up against three
others for the post, should they
win their congressional bids in
the coming polls.
Arroyo is now at the tailend of her
third and final term as representative
of Pampanga’s Second District and will
wrap up her congressional stint after the
midterm elections in May.
“The Palace never intrudes into the other
branches,” Panelo stated at a news conference.
“The President never does that.
He allows everybody to seek whatever
position they want and let the constituency
of that class decide,” he added.
Panelo earlier told Palace reporters he
received a text message from an unknown
sender about Floirendo “throwing his hat
into the Speakership.”
“When I received that message, I
called him up he said “Yes.” He said he
will issue a statement on the matter,”
said the official.
Floirendo will be up against three
others for the post, should they win
their congressional bids in the coming
polls.
They are former Leyte Rep. Martin
Romualdez, Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan
Jay Velasco and former Foreign Affairs
Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano.
18 BI operatives in hot water
More officers of the Bureau of
Immigration (BI) are under investigation
by the Presidential Anti-Corruption
Commission (PACC) for possible
A WORKER is dwarfed by sacks of rice at a Quezon City warehouse.
involvement in various illegal schemes.
PACC Commissioner Greco Belgica
announced this yesterday following the
completion of investigation on the 18
intelligence division operatives of the
BI who allegedly extorted a total of P9
million from 15 Korean nationals arrested
in Angeles City, Pampanga last 6 March
despite being documented aliens.
Based on the report and
recommendation of Belgica, President
Rodrigo Duterte has ordered to suspend,
pending investigation, the BI officials
involved.
Dana Krizia Sandoval, BI spokesman,
said the 18 BI intelligence officers have
already been summoned to explain
their side.
The BI will decide within three
months whether to dismiss the said
officials while separate criminal
cases would be filed before the
National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)
and eventually to the Department of
Justice (DoJ).
President Rodrigo Duterte has
ordered to suspend, pending
investigation, the BI officials
involved.
ANALY LABOR
Belgica said the extortion activity has
been going on for some time and is being
committed by the said corrupt officials
with impunity. Belgica believes the law
needs more teeth to ensure accountability
of public officials.
The intelligence officers made
headlines after several Korean victims
filed a complaint to the Office of the
President and the DoJ.
“We have our Board of Discipline to
recommend to the DoJ sanctions against
these employees, if proven guilty. We have also
requested the NBI to conduct a separate probe
against them for filing of criminal charges,” BI
Commissioner Jaime Morente said.
LTFRB exec refutes
bribery raps
Amid the
controversy that led
to his preventive
suspension, Land
Transportation
Franchising and
Regulatory Board
(LTFRB) executive
director Samuel Jardin on
Monday slammed allegations he solicited
P4.8 million for a franchise application
as “fabricated.”
Jardin has been suspended for 90 days
to give way to an impartial investigation into
the accusation made by Michelle Sapangila,
who claimed a certain “Madam Lolit”
asked for the bribe that will allegedly be
split between Jardin and LTFRB chairman
Martin Delgra for the issuance of a Route
Measured Capacity.
“The sworn statement of Michelle
Sapangila is fabricated and full of
lies,” said Jardin. “Sapangila is not a
franchise applicant or operator and I
have no staff member named Lolit.”
Elmer N. Manuel

COMMENTARY
4 Tuesday, 9 April 2019
Daily Tribune
Tribune
Daily
WITHOUT FEAR • WITHOUT FAVOR
Money-making
fronts
“Pressure
on the
Philippines
through
US-funded
media is only
one of several
fronts the US
is using to
transform,
direct and
determine the
future of the
country.
Chito Lozada
Aldrin Cardona
Dinah Ventura
John Henry Dodson
Jaimes Sumbilon
Larry Payawal
Komfie Manalo
Geraldine Datoy
Ninez Cacho-Olivares
The media blitzkrieg on the Duterte family is meant to strengthen
the woeful chances of the Liberal Party candidates in the coming
polls amid the prospect of a shutout in May.
President Rody Duterte questioned a Philippine Center for
Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) report which directed its fire on the
President, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte and former Davao City vice
mayor Paolo Duterte, saying the trio became “mysteriously” richer.
Rody said money talks in some reports that come out in the
critical period prior to the
May polls, particularly in
the report he mentioned
in his remarks during the
25th National Federation of
the Motorcycle Clubs of the
Philippines Annual National
Convention in Iloilo City.
Presidential spokesman
Salvador Panelo also
questioned the timing of the
report’s release.
Just recently, political
analyst Joseph Thomas, in
a paper that appeared in
independent think tank Center
for Research on Globalization
based in Quebec, Canada
cited an interlocked, deeply
rooted and heavily financed
network of American-backed
agitators and propagandists
operating behind the cloaks of
journalism and rights advocacy
not only in the Philippines but
across Southeast Asia.
These organizations work
“to upend local, independent
political institutions and replace
them with a system created by
and serving exclusively the
interests in Washington that
created them.”
Among the media
outfits cited in the
paper were the
PCIJ, the Center
for Media Freedom and Responsibility and the Vera Files.
The paper noted links with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
in the flow of funding to these organizations.
A similar report pointed to the three “investigative” outfits’
sourcing of funds from CIA-linked funding agencies.
A suspected CIA front, the National Endowment for Democracy
(NED), provided grants to the local media outfits notorious for
exclusive destabilizing reports against Rody and members of his
family.
The American analyst said pressure on the
“The
description
was quite
familiar
to many
Filipinos who
are used to
the Liberal
Party and its
groups, which
get huge
financial
backing from
rich Filipinos
based in the
United States.
Patricia Ramos
Board Chair
Willie Fernandez
Publisher and President
Executive Editor
Managing Editor
Associate Editor
Digital Editor
Central Desk
Advertising and
Marketing
Chair Emeritus
Philippines through US-funded media is only one
of several fronts the US is using to transform,
direct and determine the future of the country.
He said that the relationship of the US
government and its funding fronts also places
direct political pressure on Manila to cooperate in
confronting Beijing over the West Philippine Sea.
He also claimed that the US also attempted
“to use Saudi-funded terrorism in the Philippines’
south as a vector to reintroduce a significant
and expanding US military presence across the
archipelago nation.”
The “use of terrorism as both a pressure
point against Southeast Asian states and as a
pretext for a US military presence is a tactic
the US is attempting to reuse everywhere from
Indonesia and Malaysia, to southern Thailand
and neighboring Myanmar. So is the use of
NED-funded organizations operating under the
guise of independent journalism or rights advocacy,” his paper said.
“Thailand faces a similar landscape of compromised
opposition organizations posing as independent, yet entirely
funded by the US government and US-based corporate
foundations. These include Prachatai, Thai Netizens, the New
Democracy Movement, the Isaan Record, Thai Lawyers for
Human Rights and even the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of
Thailand,” Thomas said.
Thomas noted that like their Filipino counterparts, the US-backed
Thai groups pose as proponents of democracy and as human rights
advocates, but cover current events in a transparently one-sided
manner, excusing or omitting abuse and corruption among the
opposition and targeting only Thailand’s independent institutions,
particularly the military and the monarchy.
The description was quite familiar to many Filipinos who are used
to the Liberal Party and its groups, which get huge financial backing
from rich Filipinos based in the United States.
The network of the many fronts of the Communist Party of
the Philippines that pose as advocates of human rights which are
regularly funded by European agencies is also similarly structured.
Rody always hit it squarely on the head when identifying those
who are in the obvious service of interests who seek to destabilize
his administration.
Mind your effing business, US senators!
“These
American
senators
should
first bone
up on the
Philippine
Constitution
and our
laws as
interpreted
by the
Supreme
Court.
“Bullies
multiply
when
bystanders
let them.
American legislators
have no business butting
into Philippine affairs,
especially when it comes
to our Philippine justice
system, and especially
too when they don’t
even know the facts
surrounding the issues
they bring up.
United States
Senators Ed Markey,
Marco Rubio, Dick
Durbin, Marsha
Blackburn and Chris Coons recently
passed a bipartisan resolution
condemning the continued detention
of Senator Leila de Lima calling
for her immediate release, as
well as demanding that charges
against Rappler’s Maria Ressa be
dropped.
The same resolution also
condemned the “state-sanctioned
extrajudicial killings” in the
Philippines as part of the Duterte
administration’s war on drugs.
These meddling American
senators demand Leila’s release
from detention as De Lima for them
is a “prisoner of conscience,” who
was detained “solely on account
of her political views and her
legitimate exercise of her freedom
of expression.”
The resolution called for the
Philippine
government to drop all
charges against De Lima,
remove restrictions on
her personal and work
conditions, as well as
When we called the
attention of the school
authorities to the notorious
bullying incidents that
occurred within their
campus, whether in the
privacy of a high school
washroom or the very
public area of a canteen,
we focused not so much on
the protagonists, but on the
complicity of bystanders.
Promises were made
by the Jesuits, including the
Department of Education (DepEd)
for incidents under their ambit,
and the Commission on Higher
Education, for sexual predation
and harassment cases — variants of
bullying — at the tertiary level.
In some instances, as in the
cases brought before the DepEd,
the department was admirably
proactive and truly concerned. As
for the rest, the authorities needed
to be hounded, more concerned
as they were in maintaining
the status quo and protecting
exposed posteriors. Old teachers
were strangely defensive of their
colleagues. Had not videos of the
bullying gone viral, then, as they
sheepishly claim, they would have
not known about it.
It’s an indictment on the
detachment and alienation of the
authorities, heads and faculty, and the
failure of the systems they had put in
place following the statutes written
long ago that required these. Many
parried the controversy away from
issues to protect victims and instead
sought sympathy for the perpetrators.
We will include both the school
community and the families
concerned as bystanders. This
episode of bullying was plainly
public with bystanders around. The
cameraman included.
FRONTLINE
Ninez Cacho-Olivares
allow her to perform
her functions in the
Philippine Senate.
Their defense of De
Lima and Ressa are
completely bereft of
any factual bases.
The fact is that
despite her detention,
Leila certainly has not
been restricted of her
rights to free speech
and free expression by
the Philippine courts
hearing her drug cases, as she has
her daily attack on President Duterte
peppered with insults which she
sends to the media that picks up her
daily diatribe. She is allowed visitors
and not even her legislative work as
a senator has been curtailed, as she
keeps on coming up with resolutions
and bills.
These senators demand the
release of De Lima, who has been
detained for two years, not in
the city jail, where other drug
detainees are housed, but in a
cell at the Philippine National
Police Custodial Center where the
three then opposition senators,
novenarian Juan Ponce-Enrile,
Jinggoy Estrada and Ramon “Bong”
Revilla, the court ordered detained.
These three senators were
detained for well over three years,
with two of them released
on bail while another was
acquitted.
These American legislators,
as well as the then yellow
colored senators who made
up the majority of the senators
then, denied the plea of the
three jailed senators to be
allowed to perform their
senatorial duties despite
their detention, which was
promptly denied by these
yellow senators.
Compared to them, Leila
has it easy as she was never
restricted by the court from
expressing herself freely. The
three then detained senators,
who have been tried and
convicted via the yellow media,
were ordered by the courts not
to talk to the media, denied
computers and telephones, and
any form of communications
and visits from friends were
curtailed by the custodial
police force.
Moreover, Leila, then
Justice chief, along with her yellow
Ombudsman who is known for
both their practice of selective
justice, came up with trumped up
charges against the three senators
all of whom were the political foes
of Leila’s political patron, with Leila
even coaching the witnesses, many of
whom have already recanted.
Bullies and bystanders
BYSTANDER
Dean de la Paz
In James
Michener’s Tales
of the South
Pacific, a fugitive
Frenchman fleeing
to the Polynesian
islands after
killing a bully in
France exclaims
that he’s seen how
bullies increase in
number when no
one does anything
about it, that “the bullies multiply if
the world sits by and does nothing.”
Bullies multiply when bystanders
let them.
A bystander is naturally a
witness. Should he remain a passive
bystander, a mere observer, where
an injustice compels an imperative
to correct a wrong, or at least to
attempt to mitigate it from getting
worse, then a bystander ceases
from being uninvolved and by both
active dereliction and by denying
both duty and decency, he turns
complicit.
It is admittedly
“We see that
authorities
effectively
nurture a
culture of
subservience
and
cowardice
when they do
nothing, thus
effectively
aiding and
abetting
bullying.
a naive notion
based on cockeyed
optimism
especially where,
on a daily basis,
we are constantly
confronted with
those imperatives
whether we are
at a mall or are
part of a bigger
nation confronted
by superpower
bullies.
About a month
ago in a mall we
witnessed a man
verbally abusing his wife in public.
When the woman told him to leave
he took with him his son, leaving
So where were these American
senators when the three opposition
leaders lost their freedom and were
denied their right as elected senators
to do their job as legislators?
These American senators should
first bone up on the Philippine
Constitution and our laws as
interpreted by the Supreme Court
before demanding the immediate
release and dropping of charges
against Ressa and their claimed
“prisoner of conscience,” who really
has little or no conscience in framing
innocent senators and presidents
they dislike and want ousted, without
first checking
“What
they cannot
do, they do
to Third
World but
independent
countries and
leaders who
do not toe
the American
line.
the facts.
Like any
democratic
country, the
Philippines
has a ratified
Constitution
with specific
provisions, one of
which Ressa was
charged with by
the Security
and Exchange
Commission for
violation of the 1987 Constitution,
which states very clearly that
Philippine media must be owned
100 percent by Filipinos.
In the case of Ressa, there was
a clear violation that she appears to
have violated deliberately, by having
a foreign investor, Omidyar, who is
known to fund media to blacken
the reputations of political leaders.
Omidyar, along with some other
foreign groups funding similar media
groups, want leaders overthrown
and replaced with leaders the
United States can control. Since
the Constitution has been violated
by Rappler, a media outfit, she
had to be charged in our courts of
law, which rejected her motion for
reconsideration.
Do these frigging American
senators, who apparently believe
that Philippine courts can be ordered
to drop all charges against Ressa,
think that they have the right to
demand the release and the dropping
of charges just like that as though we
were a colony of the US?
These senators know that they
can’t get away with demands for
their courts to order the release
of prisoners or even demand the
dropping of charges, because the
laws and the Constitution do not
allow them to demand such.
But what they cannot do, they
do to Third World but independent
countries and leaders who do not toe
the American line.
However, they can’t get away with
it — not this time around. President
Duterte is no US lackey like the
yellow ex-President Noynoy Aquino.
a daughter to his wife. The son,
who could not have been more
than 10 tried to drag his younger
sister with him. When she chose
to stay with the mother, the young
boy struck his sister so hard she
fell. The mother screamed. The
father then drew a switchblade
purchased from one of those flea
market stalls that sell “tactical”
playthings.
That was when we were
compelled to step in only to be
warned to stay away. When we
sought a security guard, the nearest
available said he could not intervene
since his station was the front door.
Instead we were advised to file a
formal complaint at the security
office downstairs. By then the man
who threatened everyone who tried
to intervene had left.
Generalizing we see bullying
parents beget bullying children.
We see how defensive weapons are
brandished principally at family
members. We see that bystanders
face the same threats when they
turn active. Worse, we see that
authorities effectively nurture
a culture of subservience and
cowardice when they do nothing,
thus effectively aiding and abetting
bullying.
The knife-wielding man who
would have immediately gone to
jail for what he did had gotten
scot-free. He will probably be
threatening more as he raises
another bully to exponentially
spread his kind.
The foregoing is a forgettable
incident that does not merit a
footnote on the security files of
the mall much less the long record
of our society’s continuing decline
into hate and violence, both grand
and incidental. Bullies rule because
bystanders let them.
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Tuesday, 9 April 2019
Daily Tribune
COMMENTARY
5
“It would
be a mistake
for other
countries to
think that
the Filipino
people will
succumb to
bullying and
intimidation
in the long
run.
Exactly 77 years ago
today, Bataan fell to invading
Japanese forces. An estimated
60,000 Filipino and 15,000
American troops remained
there when a Gen. Edward
P. King negotiated their
surrender. Some might wonder
why we commemorate what
is technically a defeat — the
precursor to the inhumanities
of the Death March and the
horrors of occupation — every
year on 9 April as Araw ng Kagitingan or
the Day of Valor.
What most historians know — and most
people forget once they leave elementary
school — is that the Fall of Bataan marked
the end of the terrible struggle against the
tide of imperialism. Japan had taken nearly
all of Southeast Asia before it besieged
Bataan and Corregidor, and
by the time the Japanese
came for the Americans
entrenched there, the Filipino
and American troops were
already running low on
supplies and had limited
access to military support.
Despite the unfavorable odds,
the men at Bataan held the
Japanese off for roughly three
months. Corregidor lasted
almost a month longer.
It is that valor — that stubborn
commitment to defending our nation in
the face of overwhelming odds — that we
celebrate today. Its significance should
not be lost on us as we try to settle
newer tensions between ourselves and
other countries.
Our Constitution decries war as a
BRIEFING ROOM
Harry Roque
Remembering our heroes
national policy and I believe
that we Filipinos are by
heart a peace-loving, nonconfrontational
people. This
is why we are committed to
finding peaceful resolutions
to disagreements with other
nations, even though the
diplomatic process can be
frustrating. I am proud of
the fact that we do not enjoy
war, and that it has never
“The Fall
of Bataan
marked
the end of
the terrible
struggle
against
the tide of
imperialism.
historically been the Philippines that has
displayed aggression towards its neighbors.
That being said, it would be a mistake
for other countries to think that the
Filipino people will succumb to bullying
and intimidation in the long run. We may
not start fights, and we may not enjoy
fighting, but I believe that if pushed most
Filipinos will find it in themselves to face
Concessionaires or public utilities?
the trouble head-on. Even against the worst
of odds, it has never been the Filipino way
to just take it lying down — not when what
is at stake is our nation.
Our heroes at Bataan proved that. Those
who carried on fighting even after Bataan
fell proved that.
We share in that same valor whenever
we fight for the well-being of our nation,
though the battles might be different. Ang
kagitingan ay buhay na buhay sa puso
ng bawat Pilipinong lumalaban para sa
kalayaan, demokrasya at pagbabago laban
sa mga mapang-abuso (Bravery is living in
the heart of every Filipino who is fighting
for freedom, democracy and change against
oppressors).
In the words of 3rd Lt. Norman Reyes:
“Bataan has fallen, but the spirit that made
it stand — a beacon to all the liberty-loving
peoples of the world — cannot fall!”
“It appears
that the
separate
concession
contracts
entered into
by the MWSS
with the two
concessionaires
was approved
by an executive
order of a
previous
president.
The summer heat seems unbearable, and has become even
more unbearable upon hearing from the nation’s weather
bureau that Angat Dam in Bulacan, from which Metropolitan
Manila gets its water supply, will reach a critical level this
month. Aggravating the bad news is the fact that half of
Metropolitan Manila has been dry since the first week of
March.
That half pertains to the customers of Manila Water
Company Inc., one of two water concessionaires the
Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS)
deals with.
Manila Water caught everyone by surprise in early March
when it announced that its customers will experience major
water service interruptions due to the El Niño phenomenon
which, in turn, means less water in La Mesa Dam, which is
part of its water collection and distribution system.
As a result, the last three weeks of March saw many people
gathered in the streets of the Manila Water concession area,
Mandaluyong in particular, all bearing empty pails and plastic
containers and lining up for the precious water dispensed
by fire engines and by the few water trucks of Manila Water.
If that were not irritating enough, the news media
announced that the customers of the other MWSS
concessionaire, Maynilad Inc., which had the southern half of
the metropolis for its concession area, were not experiencing
the same inconvenience. Adding to the public’s annoyance
was the discovery that Manila Water did not prepare remedial
measures early enough to address the water shortage.
What further angered the customers of Manila
Water is the added discovery that both MWSS
concessionaires drew their water from
Angat Dam, which in early March still
had a viable volume, and
that, unlike Maynilad,
Manila Water had
the exclusive use of
the La Mesa Dam,
a reservoir which
for mysterious
reasons was
already
running
low at
a time
when it should not. Under those circumstances, why did
Manila Water go dry when Maynilad did not?
Surprisingly, the MWSS practically
admitted that it was powerless to do
“It is also
rather unusual
that the MWSS
is a regulatory
agency, and yet
it contracted
away its power
to impose fines
on an erring
public utility.
anything about the situation.
A very angry President Rodrigo Duterte
summoned officials of the MWSS and
both concessionaires to Malacañang for a
meeting. In the end, the MWSS and Manila
Water officials were scolded and told to fix
up the mess.
Thereafter, Manila Water officials
apologized for the inconvenience and later
announced that water service had been
substantially restored in 90 percent of its
concession area. For its part, the MWSS said
that it will explore other possible sources
of water. Despite those assurances, the water pressure of
Manila Water remains weak.
The temporary relief notwithstanding, there was the matter
of the Manila Water bills for March. Customers demanded that
Manila Water should not collect anything for that month because
of its failure to provide the needed water. For this purpose, the
help of the
MWSS was sought.
Inaction on the matter on the part of the MWSS prompted
a militant group to file a complaint against Manila Water
and Maynilad before the MWSS. The group demanded that
Manila Water be enjoined from collecting on its water bills for
March, and that the MWSS reconsider its earlier decision to
allow both concessionaires to increase their service charges.
To everyone’s surprise, the MWSS announced that it has no
power to impose a fine on Manila Water for its improvident
service because its concession contracts with both Manila
Water and Maynilad do not allow the MWSS to impose any
fine on the concessionaire.
A water distribution business is a public utility. Being
a public utility, it must obtain a legislative franchise to be
able to operate. Under the law governing public utilities,
the government is obligated to protect a public utility from
competitors. In exchange for that protection, the public
utility may only charge reasonable fees.
It appears that the separate concession contracts entered
into by the MWSS with the two concessionaires was approved
by an executive order of a previous president. No legislative
franchise appears to have been issued. It also seems like
the concession grants did not undergo a public
bidding.
From all indications, the MWSS treats Manila
Water and Maynilad not as public utilities but
as private concessionaires. It is also rather
unusual that the MWSS is a regulatory
agency, and yet it contracted
away its
power to
impose fines
on an erring
public utility. A
contractual stipulation
that does away with
the inherent powers of a
regulatory agency is void for
being in violation of the law
and public policy.
President Duterte
should take a second look
at this mess. The public
interest demands it.
“Obviously,
press freedom
has nothing
to do with
the criminal
cases against
Ressa, who
should
know that
journalists
are not
sacred cows
exempted
from
complying
with the
Constitution
and the law.
On 9 April 1942, when World War
II in the Pacific was four months
old, Filipino and American troops
defending the Bataan peninsula
against Japanese invaders
surrendered to the superior forces of
the enemy. Thereafter, the Japanese
forced their prisoners-of-war to
trek the infamous Bataan Death
March under extremely inhumane
circumstances.
Some of the Japanese soldiers
took photographs of the Bataan
Death March. A few of those
photographs survived the war, and were
confiscated from the Japanese by American
forces who liberated the Philippines in 1945.
One of those photographs was of Filipino
soldiers carrying corpses wrapped in blankets
attached to bamboo poles. Based on eyewitness
accounts, that photograph was taken by
a Japanese soldier days after the Bataan
Death March ended, and the Filipinos in that
photograph were part of a concentration camp
burial detail headed to a makeshift graveyard.
In other words, it was not a photograph of
the Bataan Death March.
Soon after the war, many of the photographs
confiscated by the American liberation
troops in the Philippines were acquired by
Ressa’s reckless American media allies
the Associated Press (AP), an
American news agency. All the
photographs were properly
identified, given appropriate
captions, and catalogued in
the AP photo archives. The
photograph of the burial detail
was among those catalogued.
In time, the photograph of
the burial detail repeatedly
found its way to many
newspapers, history books and
reputable publications. As a
consequence, the photograph
became an iconic symbol of the Pacific theater
of World War II.
There was one problem, though — the
photograph mysteriously ended up with a
wrong caption, identifying it as a scene from
the Bataan Death March. Survivors of the death
march were upset about the erroneous caption.
That oversight remained unchecked until
2010 when the AP, acting on an overture from
veterans of the death march who wanted
rectification, conducted its own investigation.
The AP eventually confirmed the oversight and
announced the correction to the public.
It took a famous American news agency
68 years to realize its error and to correct it.
During those 68 years, the AP was unaware of
THE SCRUTINIZER
Victor Avecilla
its misleading photograph, and was under the
wrong impression that the information it had
been disseminating all the while was correct
and factual.
That was not the only instance of erroneous
reporting by an American media institution. In
1948, the US presidential election was tightly
contested between the incumbent Harry
Truman and his Republican challenger, Thomas
Dewey, who the media saw as the voters’ choice.
The Chicago Daily Tribune succumbed
to the pressure of its publishing deadline,
assumed that Dewey will be the winner, and
announced Dewey’s victory in its headline the
next day. It turned out that Truman won an
upset victory, much to the embarrassment of
the newspaper’s editors.
As a consequence of an American media
institution’s reckless disregard for accurate
news reporting, many of the newspaper’s
readers were misinformed.
This brings the discussion to Maria Ressa, the
controversial personality behind Rappler, and a
known critic of President Rodrigo Duterte.
Ressa is currently facing a number of
criminal raps. One is for cyber libel filed
by a private businessman. Another is a tax
evasion case. One more is for a violation of
the Anti-Dummy Law, lodged against her after
the Securities and Exchange Commission
and the Court of Appeals ruled that Rappler
violated the constitutional ban against alien
ownership and management of mass media in
the Philippines.
In all these cases, Ressa
posted bail, and Rappler’s
operations remain
unimpeded. She is assisted
by a battery of seemingly
expensive lawyers.
Obviously, press
freedom has nothing to
do with the criminal cases
against Ressa, who should
know that journalists are
not sacred cows exempted
from complying with the
Constitution and the law.
That notwithstanding,
Ressa and her allies in
the American news media
have repeatedly branded
“That oversight
remained
unchecked until
2010 when the
AP… conducted
its own
investigation.
The AP
eventually
confirmed the
oversight and
announced the
correction to the
public.
the criminal cases against her as attempts by
President Duterte to shut her up. Without even
bothering to get the side of the government,
Ressa’s American media allies have collectively
portrayed Duterte as the villain.
The AP took 68 years to realize its error.
How long will it take Ressa’s American media
allies to realize theirs?

6 NEWS
Tuesday, 9 April 2019
Daily Tribune
THE Death March that
showed Filipino and
American soldiers’ valor
is remembered in this
Tarlac monument built
near the site where they
were interned as World
War II prisoners. Araw
ng Kagitingan is being
commemorated by the
nation today.
YUMMIE DINGDING
IRR will fix ‘moto’ law flaws
CLEAR vision and safety get
thrown to the wind as this
rider plies his trade along
Commonwealth Avenue in
Quezon City. ANALY LABOR
Panelo said that while President Rodrigo Duterte had stated
suspending the Motorcycle Crime Prevention Act, the Chief
Executive might have also been misled into reconsidering the
law barely a month after signing it
From page 1
Presidential spokesman Salvador
Panelo said that while President Rodrigo
Duterte had stated suspending the
Motorcycle Crime Prevention Act, the
Chief Executive also might have been
misled into reconsidering the law barely
a month after signing it.
The law was met with criticisms from
thousands of motorcycle riders who
argued that bigger license plates may
endanger their lives.
They claimed these could fly off at
high speeds or when driving against
strong winds and may cause injuries to
the riders.
“President Duterte may have been
misled into believing that the putting of
(those) plates will endanger the rider,”
said Panelo. “Well, in fact, Senator
Richard Gordon said that it’s not even
a plate, but a decal. So, the fear that it
may hit the driver’s face is baseless.”
The Palace official assured motorists
that their concerns would “certainly”
be addressed in the IRR of the law,
and, if necessary, the President can ask
Congress to amend certain provisions,
adding that they would also ask for
recommendations from Gordon and the
Land Transportation Office.
Since some motorcycle drivers
complained on the basis of that
provision then the feeling of the
President is maybe so, so let’s
just suspend it, let’s study it first.
“If it’s dangerous, he will ask
Congress to amend it. Yes, maybe
that’s what he means,” said Panelo.
“You cannot implement that without
the implementing rules and regulations.
Maybe that’s what he means, that they
should study it carefully.”
Panelo also said it’s possible the
President only realized there were
problems with the law when he heard
the complaints of motorcycle drivers.
“Since some motorcycle drivers
complained on the basis of that provision,
then the feeling of the President is
maybe so, so let’s just suspend it. Let’s
study it first,” said Panelo, adding that
Duterte’s primary reason for signing the
measure is “for the protection of the
general public.”
The law was supposedly recommended
to the President by the Philippine
National Police, which has been in
the frontlines of dealing with crimes
committed with the use of motorcycles.
To recall, Duterte wants to scrap the
requirement of number plates in front
and instead increase the size of the
rear plates.
The Palace official assured
motorists that their concerns
would “certainly” be addressed
in the IRR of the law.
He was also mulling the lowering of
the fine for drivers who will be accosted
not using the enlarged number plates to
P10,000 to P15,000 from what the law
prescribes (P50,000 to P100,000).
Motorcycle Crime Prevention Act
or Republic Act 11235 aims to prevent
crimes by making number plates more
readable from a distance. The plates
will be also color-coded based on the
country’s regions.
Following the President’s statements,
Gordon appealed to the public on
Monday to give the new measure a
chance, saying “license plates” in front
of motorcycles could also be in the form
of stickers and decals.
Under the new law, a motorcycle
owner must register his motorcycle
within five days after purchase,
and failure to do so would result in
imprisonment or a fine of not less than
P25,000.
‘China loans boost Phl’
You have to look at the big picture, these loans are going to be paid back in
a long period of time
From page 1
of China is “misplaced” as Manila increasingly taps
Beijing for loans and investments over the years.
He added Filipinos should look at the “big
picture” of the country’s partnership with China and
the benefits both countries earn from it.
“The distrust is really misplaced if you ask me,”
said Lim. “You have to look at the big picture.
These loans are going to be paid back in a long
period of time.”
Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce
and Industry president Henry Lim Bon
Liong stressed that distrust of China is
misplaced.
Lim, whose businesses include Sterling Paper
and hybrid rice producer SL Agritech, added
that as long as the loans are used to build
infrastructure, “it’s going to be fine. It’s going to
pay us handsomely.”
Lim takes over as president of the 65-year-old
federation midpoint through the term of President
Rodrigo Duterte, who sought closer economic and
diplomatic ties with China instead of highlighting
disputes in the South China Sea.
The third-generation Filipino-Chinese likened his
situation to having China as a “biological father”
and the Philippines as a “foster father” and added
that one challenge is preventing “friction” between
Filipino-Chinese and incoming businessmen from
mainland China.
A recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey
released on Thursday disclosed that four in 10
Filipinos do not believe that China wants what’s
“good” for the Philippines.
Concerns have also been raised about the terms
of the loans from China for infrastructure projects
and the influx of Chinese workers in offshore gaming
and construction.
The foreigners, some working in offshore gaming
operations, are employed for their Chinese-language
skills, something Filipino workers can’t match at the
moment, officials said in explaining the arrival of
Chinese workers into the country.
Roughly half of the 169,000 Alien Employment
Permits issued by the Department of Labor and
Employment (DoLE) in the last three years went
to Chinese nationals and a third are in support
services, including offshore gaming, Labor Secretary
Silvestre Bello III told a Senate hearing on 21
February.
Bello previously noted that his agency had no
power to deport workers with BI permits. He said
he was consulting with Justice Secretary Menardo
Guevarra to revoke a DoLE order that gave the BI
the power to issue such permits.
The Philippines, as well as other Southeast Asian
countries, are disputing islands they claim to own
with China.
China, however, has been actively making its
presence felt in the regional waters as it is fast
rising to become a challenge to the US as a world
economic and military power.
This explains the Filipino sentiment against the
country, which is a new major ally of the Philippines
since President Rodrigo Duterte won the presidency
in 2016.
The Philippines used to rely only on the US as
EDDIE Monreal, general manager of Manila International Airport Authority, conducts an inspection at the MIAA
with Port Operation Division chief Grifton Medina and MIAA Media Affairs head Jess Martines.
AL PADILLA
a major military and economic partner in the past.
Meanwhile, the Department of National Defense
(DND) has no plans of increasing military presence
on the Philippine-owned Pagasa Island and other
occupied areas in the disputed West Philippine Sea.
Manila increasingly taps Beijing for loans
and investments over the years.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the
Armed Forces of the Philippines will continue
maintaining its normal presence on nine occupied
areas in the Kalayaan Islands Group or the Spratlys
in the West Philippine Sea.
“No such plan. We will maintain our normal
presence in Pagasa and the other eight features we
own,” Lorenzana said.
“In all islands belonging to us, we have troops,”
Lorenzana added.
The Defense Chief, however, refused to reveal
the exact number of troops deployed to the
Philippine-occupied areas in the West Philippine
Sea.
“It’s confidential,” he stressed.
Recently, President Duterte told China to lay off
the Pagasa Island after reports that about 275 Chinese
vessels were sighted near the Philippine territory.
Pagasa Island serves as the seat of government
of Kalayaan town in Palawan.
The Department of Foreign Affairs already filed
notes verbale to protest the heavy Chinese presence
near Pagasa Island, where the DND is conducting
improvements on existing facilities.
With Mario J. Mallari

Tuesday, 9 April 2019
Daily Tribune NATION
7
Contraband Cocaine bricks keep washing ashore in various areas off Philippine waters.
More ‘mystery’ cocaine bricks wash ashore
The bricks were brought to the Burgos municipal police
station
By Miguel Togonon
Police authorities yesterday reported
that another cocaine stash was discovered
on Philippine waters, this time, in Burgos,
Surigao del Norte.
Initial reports from the Police Regional
By Alvin Murcia
The Supreme Court (SC) has ordered the Manila
City Regional Trial Court Branch 5 to reinstate the
criminal case for reckless imprudence against a
ranking official of the Sulpicio Lines Inc. (SLI),
in connection with the 2008 M/V Princess of the
Stars tragedy that killed 227 passengers.
The ill-fated M/V Princess of the
Stars owned by
SLI capsized
off the coast of
San Fernando,
Romblon at the
height of Typhoon
Frank on 21 June 2008.
In a 20-page decision
penned by Justice Jose
Office-13 revealed that at least 40 bricks of
suspected cocaine floating in the waters
were recovered by fishermen around 4:30
p.m. Sunday.
Probers noted that the recently recovered
bricks had the same markings with those
that were found in Barangay Pacifico in
Reyes, Jr., the Court’s Third Division granted
the consolidated petitions of the victims’ and
their families.
It also reversed and set aside the 22 March
2013 decision and the 8 January 2014 resolution
of the Court of Appeals (CA) that ruled in favor of
respondent Edgar Go, SLI first vice president for
administration and team leader of the company’s
crisis management committee.
The ill-fated M/V Princess of the Stars owned
by SLI capsized off the coast of San Fernando,
Romblon at the height of
San Isidro, which were wrapped with
fishnet.
The bricks were brought to the Burgos
municipal police station and will later
be turned over to the provincial crime
laboratory office.
To recall, authorities had been
recovering millions of pesos worth
of cocaine in the waters off several
provinces, especially in the eastern
seaboard of the country, which prompted
President Rodrigo Duterte to order an
Justice for sunken ship’s victims proceeds
typhoon “Frank” on 21 June 2008.
At least 227 died and 592 were still missing and
only 32 survived from the 849 persons on board at
the time of the tragedy.
“In this case, the criminal action instituted
against respondent involved exclusively the criminal
and civil liability of the latter arising from his
criminal negligence as responsible officer of SLI,”
the decision said.
“The civil action against a shipowner for breach
of contract of carriage does not preclude criminal
prosecution against its employees whose negligence
resulted in the death of or injuries to passengers,”
the High Court held.
immediate investigation.
The President previously disclosed
that international drug syndicates were
behind these cocaine bricks that are
being discovered floating in waters across
the country
The Philippine National Police
said it was in close coordination with
international counterparts to track the
source of the drug packages.
“The news that you hear every day
about the floating drugs all around the
By Mario Mallari
The government has allotted
a whooping P46 billion for the
implementation of Republic Act
10931 or the Universal Access to
Quality Tertiary Education Act
this year.
The amount will be used for
tuition and miscellaneous fees of
students in 112 state universities
and colleges, 78 local universities
and colleges and all government-run
technical-vocational schools
nationwide.
country is that really we have confirmed
that (Sinaloa) and the Medellin cartels
are in the trade now. And it’s cocaine. It
has always been cocaine from Mexico,”
Duterte said in a speech in Malacañang.
The Sinaloa drug cartel was formerly
led by Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who
was found guilty by a US court last week
of operating a criminal enterprise.
The Medellin cartel of the late drug
lord Pablo Escobar, meanwhile, was based
in Colombia.
P46B stimulates
free tertiary education
The amount is the biggest
budget for free college
education in the country’s
history.
Reelectionist Sen. Sonny
Angara, chairman of the Senate
Committee on Ways and Means and
vice chairman of the Committee
on Finance, said the amount is
the biggest budget for free college
education in the country’s history.
Stressing that education is the
great socioeconomic equalizer,
Angara urged students to take
advantage of the free education by
studying hard to become productive
citizens in the future.
“As students, your responsibility
is to study hard because that’s your
passport to employment and good
life,” he said.
“Education is a great
socioeconomic equalizer and a
stepping stone to something higher
and brighter,” Angara added.
Star-crossed Families of the victims who perished in the ill-fated M/V Princess of the Stars still have a chance to obtain justice for their
loved ones.
By Hananeel Bordey
The recent clash between the
Moro Islamic Liberation Front
(MILF) and the police commando
forces in Lanao del Sur will not
affect the implementation of the
Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL)
in the restive Mindanao region.
Administration senatorial
bet and Maguindanao Rep. Zajid
“Dong” Mangudadatu issued the
LOCAL
METRO MANILA
35°C
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METRO CEBU
31°C
25°C
METRO DAVAO
33°C
25°C
INTERNATIONAL
Tokyo
JAPAN
16°C
9°C
LIGHT RAINS
Lanao clash won’t affect BOL implementation
Hong Kong
CHINA
28°C
PARTLY CLOUDY
SKIES
WEATHER
CLOUDY W/RAINSHOWER & THUNDERSTORMv
CLOUDY W/RAINSHOWER & THUNDERSTORMv
CLOUDY W/RAINSHOWER & THUNDERSTORM
Taipei
TAIWAN
24°C 25°C
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CLOUDY SKIES
statement yesterday even
as he stressed that the
said incident will undergo
appropriate and
thorough investigation.
“From my point of
view, we have due process,
there’s ongoing investigation.
It will all depend on the outcome of
the investigation of the Philippine
National Police and the Armed
Forces of the Philippines,” he told
Native food This meat display is among the
featured indigenous delicacies in an ongoing
food exhibit in Baguio City.
AQuitasol
the reporters.
Mangudadatu
clarified the
framers of BOL
had considered the
MILF along with the
preferences of different groups
in Mindanao.
He added the implementation
of the BOL should come with the
execution of the devolution of power
under the Republic Act 9054 as this
By Aldwin Quitasol
will be advantageous to the newlyestablished
Bangsamoro Autonomous
Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Under Section 3, Article III of
RA 9054, the regional government is
mandated to adopt policies on local
autonomy where regional powers
shall be decentralized to local
government units particularly in
areas of education, health, human
resource, science and technology
and people empowerment.
Food exhibit features
highland delicacies
The Department of Tourism-Cordillera yesterday
opened a food exhibit dubbed Mangan Taku in
Baguio City, featuring native Igorot dishes and
traditional menus that were preserved and nurtured
through generations.
The cook will process the meat then boil it
adding only ginger and salt.
One of the main features in the exhibit is the
pinikpikan which is a regular menu in every
table of the region’s indigenous peoples whether
during special occasions or ordinary days.
It is also the “ritual food” of the natives in
which the elders lead in prayers and chanting
while a chicken was being presented as the
sacrificial offering to their gods and spirits.
In preparing the pinikpikan, the chicken has
to undergo an ordeal in which its body and joints
are hit hard until blood clots are visible, before
being placed in an open fire to remove its feathers.
The cook will process the meat then boil it
adding only ginger and salt.

8
METRO
John Henry Dodson, Editor
Tuesday, 9 April 2019
Daily Tribune
Why no HDO vs Gaza?
DoJ probes status of cases
Convicted in June, social media personality was able to leave Phl in
September
By Elmer N. Manuel
The Bureau of Immigration (BI)
yesterday slammed Xian Gaza, a man
who has gained fame or notoriety over
his alleged involvement
in investment scams
and for his social media
stunts, including using a
billboard to
ask someone for a date.
The BI took particular offense over the
claim of Gaza that he was able to leave the
Philippines despite having three outstanding
warrants of arrest for his alleged involvement
in scams.
In a statement, the bureau said Gaza was
able to leave the country on 30 September
2018 because there was no hold-departure
order (HDO) or arrest
Incognito Xian Gaza with new hair style and face mask during his airport caper.
By Jennie Bonajos
The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR)
yesterday reminded taxpayers that they
have until 15 April to file their income
tax returns (ITR).
It also stressed that there will be no
extension of deadline as it noted that the
process now has been made easier with
fewer forms needed to be submitted by
taxpayers.
By Jennie Bonajos
The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR)
yesterday reminded taxpayers that they have
until 15 April to file their income tax returns
(ITR).
It also stressed that there will be no
extension of deadline noting that the process
now has been made easier with fewer forms
needed to be submitted by the taxpayers.
BIR Deputy Commissioner for Operations
Arnel Guballa, said filing of the ITR after
the deadline will be subject to 25 percent
surcharge on the amount due, 12 percent
delinquency interest and the graduated
compromise penalties.
Guballa added an individual with two
ITR filing deadline set
It also stressed that there will be no more extension of deadline
noting that the process now has been made easier
BIR Deputy Commissioner for
Operations Arnel Guballa said filing of
the ITR after the deadline will be subject
to 25 percent surcharge on the amount
due, 12 percent delinquency interest and
the graduated compromise penalties.
Guballa added an individual with two
or more employers and receiving purely
compensation income may download the new
BIR Form 1700 at the BIR website (www.bir.
gov.ph) and manually file it at the revenue
or more employers and receiving purely
compensation income may download the new
BIR Form No. 1700 at the BIR website (www.
bir.gov.ph) and manually file it at the revenue
district office where he is registered.
Single proprietors, professionals, mixed
income earner, estates and trusts shall
download the offline eBIRForms Package
v7.4.1 to fill up the new BIR Form Nos. 1701
and 1701A.
Lastly, for corporations, partnership and
other non-individual taxpayers should use
the electronic filing and payment system, or
the offline eBIRForms Packagev7.4.1 using
the existing or old BIR Form Nos. 1702-RT,
1702-EX, or 1702-MX.
district office where he is registered.
Corporations, partnership and other
non-individual taxpayers should use the
electronic filing and payment system.
Single proprietors, professionals, mixed
income earner, estates and trusts shall
download the offline eBIRForms Package v7.4.1
to fill up the new BIR Form 1701 and 1701A.
Lastly, for corporations, partnership and
other non-individual taxpayers should use
the electronic filing and payment system, or
the offline eBIRForms Packagev7.4.1 using
the existing or old BIR Form 1702-RT, 1702-
EX or 1702-MX.
By Pat C. Santos
Policemen and operatives of the Philippine
Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) arrested a
notorious pusher with links to so-called “ninja
cops” and “narco politicians” in a dawn raid
in Sampaloc, Manila yesterday.
PMaj. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar told reporters
that Porfirio Pementera, a leader of the
Pementera Gang allegedly supplying drugs in
Manila and Quezon City, was nabbed with two
others in an apartment along Simoun Street.
Collared with Pementera, who yielded over
half a kilo of suspected shabu with a street
value of P3.5 million, were barangay tanod
and “look out” Joseph de la Cruz and “runner”
Orlando Naguinlin.
The three fell in a buy-bust operation
conducted by combined elements of the
By Raymart Lolo
The Commission on
Elections (Comelec) has
already printed 59 million or 93
percent of its total requirement
for ballots to be used in the
May midterm elections, its
spokesman James Jimenez
said yesterday.
Jimenez said they’ve
already printed a total of
59,298,986 ballots which are
already “93.16 percent of the
Stunt Gaza with actress Erich Gonzales whom he asked out on a date
through an expensive billboard post.
warrant against him at the time.
However, a Malabon court on 21 June 2018 found Gaza guilty of
11 counts of violating the Anti-Bouncing Check Law and sentenced
him to be jailed for five years and six months.
Last February, Gaza was able to have the decision suspended as
he put it on appeal. He was also allowed to post bail.
The bureau is already studying possible actions against
Gaza.
The Department of Justice said it would investigate the matter,
especially the status of the cases against Gaza.
Foremost in the minds of netizens is, why was there no HDO
against Gaza by September, as claimed by BI, when he was already
convicted by the Malabon court four months prior to his departure?
“While the warrants may have already been nullified by the bail,
still why was there no HDO against him during the pendency of his
appeal?” a netizen asked.
The BI flatly denied a number of Gaza’s claims, including his
purported conversation with a BI officer.
Gaza’s story posted on Facebook had so many loopholes that
those who know basic airport security procedures would know them
to be false, BI said.
“His story sounds like it was taken straight out of an action movie.
He said it to himself, his story is based on what happened. But sadly,
it’s not what actually happened,” BI spokesman Dana Sandoval said.
“The story is preposterous, similar to other claims he made in
the past. If you know regular airport procedures, his story sounds
silly,” she added.
Sandoval said once an individual has a hit for an existing HDO or
warrant of arrest, the person will immediately be prohibited from
leaving the country.
“Since he had no derogatory record when he left, he was cleared for
departure. It was quite uneventful and ordinary, really. No Hollywood-level
story line, just regular immigration clearance,” said Sandoval.
The bureau is already studying possible actions against Gaza.
Ninja cops’ pusher falls
requirement.”
The remaining ballots to
be printed are those for the
National Capital Region, he
added.
Jimenez said the
remaining 4,363,495 ballots to
be printed will be completed
within the week or before
the Holy Week break. The
printing of ballots started on
9 February this year.
Meanwhile, the Comelec
yesterday urged candidates
National Capital Region Police Office, PDEA
National Capital Region and Manila Police
District (MPD) Sampaloc Police Station 4.
NCRPO, MPD, PDEA arrest leader of
“Pementera group.”
A neighbor tipped the police on the alleged
drug-dealing activities of Pementera, who was
renting the apartment unit that served as his
hideout and drug den.
No less than 82 sachets of shabu with a
combined weight of 516 grams were seized
from Pementera, along with a handheld radio,
a cal. 22 revolver and drug paraphernalia.
Pementera’s group was tagged with local
narco-politicians, including village councilman
Ronnie Labongray who was killed by the police
in an anti-drug operation on 28 March.
93% ballots already printed
By Miguel Paolo Togonon
Quezon City Police District
(QCPD) director
P/Brig. Gen.
Joselito Esquivel
Jr. reported
yesterday the
rounding up of
3,215 persons
for violations
of various laws
and ordinances
in the May midterm elections
to keep their poll spending
within what was prescribed
by the law.
4,363,495 ballots will be
printed within the week.
This, as it vowed to
prosecute after the elections
those who are engaged in
excessive campaigning by
using advertisements on print,
broadcast and social media.
QCPD rounds up 3,215
THE Comelec expects to complete ballot printing before the
Holy Week.
within a 24-hour period ending
5 a.m. of 8 April.
The La Loma Police
Station (PS 1) under PLt.
Col. Camlon Nasdoman
accosted 296 for different
traffic violations.
The Masambong Police
Station (PS 2) under P/Lt. Col.
Rodrigo Soriano accosted seven
for drinking liquor in public,
32 for smoking violations, two
for roaming around half-naked,
11 for jaywalking and one for
urinating in public.
Other arrests were
broken down as follows:
Talipapa Police Station
(PS 3) under P/Lt. Col.
Alex Alberto, 62 for traffic
violations; Novaliches Police
Station (PS4) under P/Lt.
Col. Rossel Cejas, six for
smoking and 65 for traffic
violations.

SHE STEERS
HER OWN
LIFE
ZION BAGS
‘NAISMITH’
CEZA
ECOZONE
CENTER
LAUNCHED
WHERE
ARE THE
TIGERS?
P19
P13
P10
P17
Jun Vallecera, Editor
Tuesday, 9 April 2019
Daily Tribune
BUSINESS
9
Soft demand prompts partial T-bill award
It could be that the participants are weighing in some
of the possible policy movements in the next quarter,
given the several pronouncements of the BSP
By Joshua Lao
Diminished demand for government
securities prompted the Bureau of
Treasury (BTr) on Monday to partially
award the sale of Treasury bills (T-bills).
A shift in demand favoring the short-end
was observed at the auctions where the
rates generally improved.
But even with this development,
Deputy Treasurer Erwin Sta. Ana said
investor preference remains on the
long-end of the curve given the past
Malpass begins
5-year WB stint
Mons. Raffaello Martinelli, the
Primicerio of the Basilica of St.
Ambrose in Rome and St. Charles,
wrote an article which I would like to
share. Martinelli’s fragments of the
Catholic truth provides a snapshot
of the relationship and direction of
politics and the Christian faith.
When society is founded on a
legitimately constituted State, where
law and not the arbitrary will of men,
is sovereign, such a state requires and
guarantees free and universal elections.
A proper conception of the dignity of
the human person and protection of his
rights is accorded to all of its citizenry. It
is also a mandate of the State to have a
coherent vision and achievement of the
common good as an end and regulating
criterion of political life. Allowing for a
diffused participation in government and
co-responsibility at various levels and
according to the respective capacities
of all citizens will help build a strong
State. There must also be respect for
one’s political, cultural, economic
and religious autonomy — and that
of others.
In a democratic society, the subject
of political autonomy is the people,
auctions’ results.
“If you look at the trading behavior
in the past week, most of the trades
were actually done in the intermediate
to long-end of the curve. So, we still
see demand in the longer tenor and we
will see that in the 10-year auction on
Wednesday,” Sta. Ana told reporters.
Rates for the 91-day benchmark
stood at 5.612 percent, a 2.3 basis
point improvement from 5.635 percent
week-ago.
But yields for both the 182- and 364-day
Malpass has served on the boards of the Council of
the Americas, Economic Club of New York and the
National Committee on US-China Relations
MALPASS
The executive directors of the
World Bank have unanimously
selected David Malpass as
president of the World Bank
Group for a five-year term
beginning today, 9 April.
The board expressed its deep
gratitude to interim president
Kristalina Georgieva for her
dedication and leadership in
recent months.
Malpass previously served
as undersecretary of the
Treasury for International
Affairs for the United States.
As undersecretary, Malpass
represented the United States
in international settings,
including the G-7 and G-20
Deputy Finance Ministerial,
World Bank-IMF Spring and
Annual Meetings and meetings
of the Financial Stability
Board, the Organization
for Economic Cooperation
and Development, and the
Overseas Private Investment
Corporation.
In his role as undersecretary,
Malpass played a crucial role in
several major World Bank Group
reforms and initiatives, including
the recent capital increase for
IBRD and IFC. He was also
instrumental in advancing the
Debt Transparency Initiative,
adopted by the World Bank
and IMF, to increase public
disclosure of debt and thereby
reduce the frequency and
severity of debt crises.
Prior to becoming
undersecretary, Malpass
was an international
economist and founder
of a macroeconomics
research firm based in
New York City. Earlier in
his career, Malpass served
as the US Deputy Assistant
Secretary of the Treasury
for Developing Nations and
Deputy Assistant Secretary
of State for Latin American
Economic Affairs. In these
roles, he focused on an array of
economic, budget and foreign
policy issues, such as the
United States’ involvement
in multilateral institutions,
including the World Bank.
Malpass has served on the
boards of the Council of the
Americas, Economic Club of New
York and the National Committee
on US-China Relations. Malpass
earned his bachelor’s degree
from Colorado College and his
MBA from the University of
Denver. He undertook advanced
graduate work in international
economics at the School of
Foreign Service at Georgetown
University.
The Church is not involved in, or linked to, and neither does
it identify itself or mingle with, any political system or party
who are considered in their totality as
possessors of sovereignty.
The political community and
the Church are autonomous and
independent of each other.
The political community is
constituted in order to be at the service
of civil society, from which it derives
and, in the ultimate analysis, therefore,
at the service of the people and groups
who make up the community. It is
thus the duty of political authority:
To guarantee the proper and ordered
life of the community, by promoting
the common good; To respect the
principle of subsidiarity, which should
not substitute the free activity of
individuals and groups, but rather
discipline them and sustain them in
case of necessity; To allow oneself
to be guided by moral order, “Which
has its foundation in God who is its
first principle and its ultimate end”
(John XXIII, Pacem interries, n.270).
It is precisely from this order, and
not from one’s arbitrary decision
or will power, that authority draws
its moral legitimacy and the virtue
tenors showed a 2.4 and a 12.1 basis point
hike to 5.982 percent and 6.052 percent,
respectively, compared to the previous
5.958 percent and 5.961 percent on the
same.
In all, the BTr sold P11.08 billion of
the P15 billion on offer after attracting
a total of P20.85 billion in tenders.
According to the Treasury executive,
the BTr’s decision to partially award its
182- and 364-day T-bills came from the
undersubscription in both tenors.
“The demand actually came in at
the 91-day and the tenders just barely
covered the offer sizes for the 182- and
364-day T-bills so the decision of the
committee was to cut the auction for the
latter two tenors at the rate where the
market came in more,” Sta. Ana said.
A ROBOT called "Pepper" is positioned near an
entrance to a Microsoft Store location in Boston. “Ethical
AI” has become a new corporate buzz phrase, slapped
on internal review committees, fancy job titles, research
projects and philanthropic initiatives.
AP
The Church and State
to issue obligations;
To recognize, respect
and promote basic
human and moral
values; To formulate
just laws, which are
inconformity with the
dignity of the human
person and the dictate
of proper reason.
Therefore, the
citizen is not obliged
in conscience to follow
the prescriptions of
civil authority if
they are against the
By AJ Bajo
requirements of moral order, the
fundamental rights of persons or
against the Gospel teachings; To inflict
proportionate punishment on the basis
of the gravity of crimes, which is aimed
at making up for the disorder introduced
by the offense; To guarantee public
order and the security of people and
To contribute towards the correction
and the personal and social recover of
the guilty.
In what way is the Church involved
in politics?
“The Church is not involved in,
or linked to, and neither does it
identify itself or mingle with, any
political system or party. It respects
and promotes the sound and just
secularity of the State. The Church
CHAMBER LANE
Jess Varela
According to him, the sudden demand
shift towards the 91-day T-bill was owed
to the market opting to remain basically
on the sidelines waiting for the next
move of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas
and what it will do next when the
Monetary Board meets on 9 May.
Most of the trades were actually
done in the intermediate to
long-end of the curve.
“It could be that the participants are
weighing in some of the possible policy
movements in the next quarter, given
the several pronouncements of the BSP.
But we think that somehow, demand is
muted on the 182- and 364-(day), partly
because of the holidays,” the BTr
Listed property developer DoubleDragon
Properties Corp. on Monday held a topping
off ceremony for the 41-story Jollibee Tower,
marking its official completion.
DoubleDragon will be starting the
handover to its tenants next month, it said in
a filing to the stock exchange. The company
is expecting the tower to contribute P631.8
million in recurring income annually.
The Jollibee Tower is the eighth in the
company’s office tower portfolio in addition to
Towers 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the DoubleDragon Plaza,
the DD Center-East and DD Center-West in DD
Meridian Park and the Corporate Tower of Skysuites.
The premium-grade commercial and office
tower is situated on a 3,002-square meter
(sq.m.) commercial lot in the Ortigas central
business district. It has a totable leasable
area of 59,365 sq.m. and will have Jollibee
does not propose
concrete decisions
to be taken, programs
to be implemented,
political campaigns
to be undertaken and
persons to be voted.
All these realities
are ‘technical
matters for which
the Magisterium
neither possesses the
proportionate means
nor mission’ (Pius
XI, Quadragesimo
anno).”
It is also a mandate of the State
to have a coherent vision and
achievement of the common good
as an end and regulating criterion
of political life.
“The Church respects the legitimate
autonomy of the democratic order and
does not have the title to express
preferences for one or the other
institutional or constitutional solution”
(John Paul II, Cenesimusannus, 47).
Though the Church and political
community have visible organizational
structures, they differ in nature either
due to their configuration, or due to
the objectives which they pursue. It
is quite true that the objectives of the
official said.
“There’s muted trading in past days
because of the short working week this
week and next so banks also would
need a certain liquidity to service
client requirements. So, this could
also somehow explain that (shift),” he
added.
In an unrelated event, Finance
Secretary Carlos Dominguez III bared
an illicit activity uncovered by the
Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) in
which tax stamps on sold cigarettes
are collected and affixed on new ones.
He directed the BIR to coordinate
with the Department of Trade and
Industry to put a stop to the illegal use
of tax stamps and hold to account those
engaged in it.
A MAN takes a
picture of Energy
Minister Khalid
al-Falih during
the inaugural Gulf
Intelligence Saudi
Arabia Energy
Forum at the King
Abdullah Petroleum
Studies and
Research Center
in Riyadh. Saudi
Energy Minister
Khalid al-Falih said
the oil market was
"moving towards
balance," and that
producers may
not need to make
additional output
cuts.
AFP
DoubleDragon completes Jollibee tower
Jollibee Tower is pre-certified
by the Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design.
Foods Corp. as anchor tenant.
The ground floor will feature retail
concepts of the Jollibee Group while the
second floor will serve as an events center,
DoubleDragon said. The rest of the floors will
be leased as office spaces.
The tower is equipped with 1,149 parking
slots or four basement parking floors and
eight podium parking floors, as well as green
garden decks and a helipad.
Jollibee Tower is pre-certified by the Leadership
in Energy and Environmental Design.
DoubleDragon is eyeing a leasable
portfolio of 1.2 million sqm by 2020,
composed of 700,000 sqm of 100 CityMalls;
300,000 sqm from Metro Manila office
projects DD Meridian Park and Jollibee
Tower and 100,000 sqm from the planned
5,000 hotel rooms of Hotel101 and Jinjiang
Inn Philippines.
Another 100,000 sqm of industrial space
will come from various CentralHub sites
across Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
DoubleDragon’s shares were sold for P23.25
apiece as of 11:57 a.m. on Monday, up 3.79
percent.
Church and those of the State are of
a different order. Both are however
perfect organizations, endowed with
their respective spheres of action. But
it also true that both act in favor of a
common subject: Man. Their separation
does not exclude the collaboration.
“The political community and the
Church are autonomous and independent
of each other. Though indifferent
capacities, both are at the service of
the personal and social vocation of the
human persons” (GS 76).
Precisely due to the fact that the
Church is at the service of every person
and his total growth it can and should:
instruct and enlighten, as its, specific
task, the conscience of the faithful,
especially those of dedicated to their
responsibility in political life, so that
their actions may always be directed
towards the service of total promotion
of the person and the common good.
Should the need arise, judge political
actions, in so far as they have an ethical
dimension. The line between church
and state in this regard is narrow
and perhaps, even gray. Amorally and
ethically-grounded faithful, regardless
of religious leanings, may make that
line easier to straddle. A citizenry/faithful
that is imbued with high moral and
ethical values may just make for a
more harmonious State and Church
relationship.

10 BUSINESS
Tuesday, 9 April 2019
Daily Tribune
IMI ranks higher in global list
By AJ Bajo
Ayala-led Integrated Micro-Electronics
Inc. (IMI) landed on the 17th spot of
Manufacturing Market Insider’s
(MMI) latest top 50 list of electronic
manufacturing services (EMS) companies
in the world.
The manufacturing solutions company’s
current rank is a notch higher from its
previous rank of 18th in the 2017 list. The
publication bases its list on the company’s
annual revenues.
IMI saw its global revenues rise to $1.35
billion in 2018, 24 percent higher from
$1.09 billion in 2017. Net income surged by
35 percent to $45.5 million despite “macro-driven
challenges on the supply side,” IMI chief
The company is raising its
invaluable human inputs such
as design, innovation, creativity
and collaboration as trends
in automotive, industrial,
automation, connectivity,
aerospace and enter the global
market.
executive officer Arthur Tan said.
“In the last five years, IMI has
consistently ranked higher year after year.
In 2918, IMI has now gained one spot to
number 17, up 24 percent year on year,
the highest growth rate among all EMS
companies in the global top 20,” Tan said
during his speech at the company’s annual
stockholders’ meeting held on Monday in
Laguna.
“We will continue to move forward as we
rely on the leadership of Ayala Corporation
through AC Industrials
and more importantly, the
experience and passion of
our 17,000
engaged employees,” he added.
In a filing to the stock exchange
Monday, IMI president and chief executive
officer Giles Bernard said the company’s
business pipeline progressed with $320
million of new project awards in 2018.
Majority of the project awards, at 72
percent, are for automotive applications
as advanced driver assistance
systems, body electronics, lighting,
power management,
safety systems and
infotainment generate more businesses
for IMI globally, Bernard added.
Meanwhile, 19 percent of the project
awards are for the industrial segment.
Tan said that the company is raising its
“invaluable human inputs” such as design,
innovation, creativity and collaboration
as trends in automotive, industrial,
automation, connectivity, aerospace and
enter the global market.
MMI serves as the first and only
global publication dedicated to contract
manufacturing, also known as EMS.
CEZA ecozone
centers launched
The parks are expected to boost tourism in
Santa Ana and nearby Palaui Island but without
sacrificing its features for unplanned and
unregulated tourism growth
The Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA) on Monday said it
is set to break ground this month for the construction of the CEZA
corporate and commercial centers inside an 11-hectare property dubbed
the CEZA Global City.
Secretary Raul Lambino, CEZA administrator and chief executive
officer, said the two buildings would be ready for occupancy by early
next year.
The centers are seen to fill the demand for
offices inside the Cagayan Special Economic Zone
and Freeport’s (CSEZFP) 26 financial technology
principal licensees. Local commercial banks
and new business locators in the tourism and
manufacturing sectors are also setting up offices
in the centers.
The centers are among the infrastructure that
will rise in CSEZFP covering the municipality of
Sta. Ana in Cagayan.
In addition, CEZA is also gearing up for the
improvement and rehabilitation of Port Irene,
with six new warehouses being constructed in
response to the demand for space from port users
importing construction materials and supplies as
well as a variety of loose cargoes.
CEZA said that CAGWEI, a Chinese company, has
also finished the construction of a paper-recycling
plant which could turn in tons of regular and
special papers for domestic use and export to
countries especially in the Asia-Pacific region.
The CEZA administrator has tapped
a local company to work on a
master development plan including
feasibility studies.
CEZA will also seek authority from the
Department of Environment and Natural
Resources and engage the local government unit
and other organizations for the development of
the Nangaramoan Eco-Tourism Park and the
Palaui Island Eco-Tourism Park.
The parks are expected to boost tourism in
Santa Ana and nearby Palaui Island but without
sacrificing its features for “unplanned and
unregulated tourism growth,” Lambino said.
“We have to protect and preserve these natural
tourism havens from commercial abuse. We will
allow Santa Ana and Palaui Island to breathe, not
to be choked by exploitation,” he added.
CEZA is also expected to advocate medical
tourism, facilitate private investments and
develop retirement villages as well as aligned
tourism facilities and put in place best practices,
international compliance, quality standards,
building codes and environmental safeguards.
The CEZA administrator has tapped a local
company to work on a master development plan
including feasibility studies such as financial
viability for projects approved by the CEZA board
for the 54,000-hectare special economic zone and
freeport.
AJ Bajo
Project Pink
supports National
Women’s Month
City Savings Bank Inc. (CitySavings) has
concluded another month-long nationwide run of
Project Pink, a breast cancer awareness forum for
teachers, in line with the celebration of National
Women’s Month last March.
“This signature Corporate Social Responsibility
(CSR) initiative of CitySavings aims to look after
the welfare of Filipino public-school teachers.
Project Pink provides an avenue to educate and
raise awareness on early detection of breast
cancer in order to reduce its risk among women,”
said CitySavings reputation management head
Paula Ruelan.
“A cloud of fear always surrounds breast
cancer and this is why many women succumb
to this disease. We want to be able to raise
awareness, to give women the right information
about this disease and show them that there is
treatment, especially if diagnosis is done in the
early stages,” Ruelan added.
Project Pink is organized in coordination
with the Department of Education (DepEd). This
month, close to 800 educators took part in the
event, which were held in Bacolod City, Negros
Occidental (5 March), Catarman, Northern Samar
(22 March), Tagum City, Davao del Norte (27 March),
Dasmariñas City, Cavite (27 March), Cebu City (28
March) and Calamba City, Laguna (29 March).
Dr. Chito Abellar, the guest speaker for the
Dasmariñas leg, encouraged the more than 200
teachers who attended the talk to visit the doctor
the moment they feel something is wrong. Early
detection, Dr. Abellar said, is the only thing that
will help increase the chances of surviving this
dreaded disease.
BUSINESS is booming at the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority or CEZA in Northern Luzon, enough to prompt the government agency to build new
corporate and commercial spaces within the 11-hectare state-owned property.
MONDAY
8 APRIL 2019
PHILIPPINE STOCK EXCHANGE
NAME OPEN HIGH LOW CLOSE VALUE (P)
FINANCIALS
BANKS
ASIA UNITED 58.25 58.6 58.25 58.6 1,511,865
BDO UNIBANK 130.5 132.1 130.5 131.3 277,533,292
BANK PH ISLANDS 81.5 82.8 81 81.05 161,272,256.50
CHINABANK 26.95 27.1 26.9 27.1 1,031,745
EAST WEST BANK 12.04 12.3 11.94 12.2 5,118,864
METROBANK 79 79.9 78.85 79.9 144,630,594
PB BANK 13.8 13.8 13.8 13.8 42,780
PHIL NATL BANK 57.8 58.8 57.8 58 32,481,728
PSBANK 57.15 58 57 58 87,610.50
PHILTRUST 121.9 121.9 111.1 111.1 18,118
RCBC 26.25 26.4 26.1 26.1 476,840
SECURITY BANK 177.4 178.5 177.4 178.3 23,666,091
UNION BANK 61 62 61 61 243,317
OTHER FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
COL FINANCIAL 19.14 19.2 19.14 19.14 450,580
FERRONOUX HLDG 4.25 4.55 4.25 4.4 917,990
IREMIT 1.43 1.56 1.38 1.48 427,360
MEDCO HLDG 0.44 0.44 0.44 0.44 13,200
MANULIFE 820 820 800 800 113,800
NTL REINSURANCE 0.92 0.98 0.92 0.94 212,060
PHIL STOCK EXCH 195 197 195 196.8 1,407,046
SUN LIFE 1,800 1,800 1,800 1,800 18,000
VANTAGE 1.16 1.16 1.13 1.13 22,660
INDUSTRIAL
ELECTRICITY, ENERGY, POWER & WATER
ALSONS CONS 1.4 1.43 1.4 1.43 430,230
ABOITIZ POWER 35.7 36.15 35.5 36 36,317,335
BASIC ENERGY 0.235 0.24 0.235 0.24 99,950
FIRST GEN 21.3 21.5 21.1 21.45 26,181,655
FIRST PHIL HLDG 79.6 79.9 79 79.4 9,482,730
MERALCO 379.8 379.8 377 378.8 78,323,582
MANILA WATER 23.6 23.75 23.3 23.65 68,396,350
PETRON 6.38 6.43 6.37 6.37 11,902,537
PETROENERGY 4.3 4.42 4.3 4.34 597,480
PHINMA ENERGY 1.56 1.67 1.55 1.64 120,231,880
PHX PETROLEUM 12.08 12.08 11.68 12.06 1,894,238
PILIPINAS SHELL 46.85 47 46 46 6,089,005
SPC POWER 7.15 7.25 7 7.2 4,572,514
VIVANT 16.98 16.98 16.98 16.98 50,940
FOOD, BEVERAGE & TOBACCO
AGRINURTURE 15.98 16.54 15.98 16.5 10,567,160
CNTRL AZUCARERA 14.7 15.06 14.7 15 29,684
CENTURY FOOD 15.28 15.6 15.28 15.6 42,734,632
DEL MONTE 6.2 6.2 6 6.19 3,068
DNL INDUS 11.5 11.56 11.4 11.5 17,743,942
EMPERADOR 7.27 7.38 7.24 7.25 975,965
SMC FOODANDBEV 104.9 105 103.1 105 10,812,629
ALLIANCE SELECT 0.95 0.96 0.94 0.95 1,085,690
GINEBRA 28.25 29.1 28.25 29 2,612,460
JOLLIBEE 319 321 319 320 445,013,356
LIBERTY FLOUR 53 53 53 53 5,300
MACAY HLDG 10.32 10.78 10.26 10.3 73,174
MAXS GROUP 15.1 15.38 14.9 15.38 42,357,842
MG HLDG 0.19 0.19 0.19 0.19 17,100
PEPSI COLA 1.44 1.44 1.38 1.4 14,117,640
SHAKEYS PIZZA 12.62 13.3 12.62 13.3 23,035,118
ROXAS AND CO 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.7 119,000
ROXAS HLDG 2.41 2.42 2.4 2.42 94,280
SWIFT FOODS 0.131 0.131 0.13 0.13 59,810
UNIV ROBINA 153.5 153.5 151.6 151.6 41,996,994
VITARICH 1.71 1.71 1.69 1.7 2,387,940
VICTORIAS 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 157,500
CONSTRUCTION, INFRASTRUCTURE & ALLIED SERVICES
CONCRETE A 68.05 72.95 68.05 72.95 4,812.50
CEMEX HLDG 2 2.11 1.96 2.02 116,077,640
DAVINCI CAPITAL 5.32 5.87 5.25 5.87 423,173
EAGLE CEMENT 15.86 15.94 15.8 15.94 853,344
EEI CORP 9.6 9.95 9.6 9.79 23,154,449
HOLCIM 11.2 11.28 10.98 11.1 25,535,098
MEGAWIDE 22.05 22.2 22 22.1 36,376,065
PHINMA 9 9.25 9 9.25 10,850
TKC METALS 1.09 1.18 1.06 1.1 2,679,740
VULCAN INDL 1.06 1.24 1.06 1.2 17,497,320
CHEMICALS
CROWN ASIA 1.92 1.92 1.9 1.91 1,982,800
LMG CHEMICALS 4.02 4.02 3.93 3.93 784,480
MABUHAY VINYL 3.5 3.52 3.5 3.52 38,620
PRYCE CORP 5.38 5.5 5.35 5.48 333,377
ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS & EQUIPMENT
CONCEPCION 43.1 43.1 43.1 43.1 25,860
GREENERGY 2.52 2.67 2.49 2.67 37,061,280
INTEGRATED MICR 12.78 12.86 12.68 12.8 14,850,016
IONICS 1.81 1.84 1.77 1.77 867,670
PANASONIC 6.6 6.89 6.51 6.78 329,703
SFA SEMICON 1.29 1.33 1.28 1.33 211,970
CIRTEK HLDG 28.8 29 28.8 28.8 910,100
HOLDING FIRMS
ABACORE CAPITAL 0.58 0.58 0.56 0.56 6,549,960
ASIABEST GROUP 20.25 20.7 20.15 20.3 532,310
AYALA CORP 910.5 922 907 922 189,532,030
ABOITIZ EQUITY 60.25 60.6 59 59.95 20,540,367
ALLIANCE GLOBAL 16 16.1 15.84 15.96 113,184,824
ANSCOR 6.35 6.35 6.35 6.35 265,430
ANGLO PHIL HLDG 0.82 0.83 0.8 0.82 1,136,850
ATN HLDG A 1.38 1.39 1.37 1.38 1,299,760
ATN HLDG B 1.38 1.39 1.37 1.39 568,890
COSCO CAPITAL 7.67 7.81 7.64 7.64 17,194,727
DMCI HLDG 11.92 11.94 11.7 11.74 54,456,704
FILINVEST DEV 15.18 15.18 14.92 15.14 8,711,776
FJ PRINCE A 4.49 4.5 4.49 4.5 67,450
FORUM PACIFIC 0.239 0.244 0.236 0.244 128,610
GT CAPITAL 892 919 891 896 28,021,630
HOUSE OF INV 6.89 7.1 6.8 6.9 1,018,290
JG SUMMIT 64.45 64.65 64 64.65 36,272,459
JOLLIVILLE HLDG 5.08 5.08 5.08 5.08 2,540
LODESTAR 0.52 0.52 0.5 0.52 28,060
LOPEZ HLDG 5.38 5.45 5.11 5.22 3,964,251
LT GROUP 16.1 16.52 16.1 16.5 85,375,168
MABUHAY HLDG 0.56 0.56 0.55 0.55 29,200
METRO PAC INV 4.56 4.65 4.56 4.58 154,519,300
PACIFICA 0.04 0.04 0.039 0.039 109,500
PRIME ORION 2.9 2.96 2.85 2.91 4,664,840
PRIME MEDIA 1.13 1.13 1.13 1.13 12,430
SOLID GROUP 1.33 1.35 1.33 1.35 67,850
SYNERGY GRID 390 419.8 344 419.8 985,338
SM INVESTMENTS 947 948.5 940 944 66,634,065
SAN MIGUEL CORP 173.9 176 173 176 37,548,018
SOC RESOURCES 1.03 1.07 1 1.04 1,503,810
TOP FRONTIER 261.8 273 261.6 273 492,884
WELLEX INDUS 0.24 0.247 0.231 0.24 440,710
ZEUS HLDG 0.385 0.385 0.36 0.365 9,068,600
PROPERTY
ARTHALAND CORP 0.78 0.8 0.78 0.79 269,470
ANCHOR LAND 10.9 10.92 10.9 10.92 13,090
AYALA LAND 44.5 45.1 44.5 45 315,374,940
BELLE CORP 2.36 2.37 2.34 2.36 1,552,480
A BROWN 0.79 0.8 0.79 0.8 283,840
CITYLAND DEVT 0.94 0.94 0.94 0.94 195,520
CROWN EQUITIES 0.241 0.243 0.241 0.241 1,321,560
CEBU HLDG 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 39,000
CEB LANDMASTERS 4.09 4.25 4.08 4.14 8,393,030
CENTURY PROP 0.53 0.54 0.52 0.53 3,012,710
CYBER BAY 0.41 0.41 0.41 0.41 57,400
DOUBLEDRAGON 22.8 22.8 22.35 22.4 23,956,450
DM WENCESLAO 11.44 11.7 11.36 11.46 16,958,204
EMPIRE EAST 0.51 0.52 0.5 0.51 1,923,640
FILINVEST LAND 1.53 1.54 1.5 1.5 44,206,560
GLOBAL ESTATE 1.32 1.36 1.32 1.34 2,974,790
8990 HLDG 13.28 13.58 13.28 13.58 58,054,256
PHIL INFRADEV 1.65 1.7 1.63 1.67 2,104,980
MEGAWORLD 5.65 5.7 5.59 5.68 74,136,401
MRC ALLIED 0.365 0.365 0.355 0.355 5,075,750
PHIL ESTATES 0.5 0.5 0.49 0.49 1,189,245
PRIMEX CORP 2.57 2.59 2.5 2.5 2,343,500
ROBINSONS LAND 24.5 24.5 24.2 24.25 40,507,170
PHIL REALTY 0.42 0.425 0.42 0.42 139,400
ROCKWELL 2 2.02 1.98 2 676,010
SHANG PROP 3.06 3.07 3.05 3.06 113,200
STA LUCIA LAND 1.57 1.63 1.54 1.63 3,314,320
SM PRIME HLDG 39.5 39.65 38.95 38.95 82,845,365
STARMALLS 6.65 7.03 6.65 6.85 4,714,863
SUNTRUST HOME 0.75 0.75 0.75 0.75 102,000
PTFC REDEV CORP 45 53.9 45 50 78,257.50
VISTA LAND 7.2 7.25 7.17 7.24 71,590,572
SERVICES
MEDIA
ABS CBN 20 20 19.5 19.8 3,870,386
GMA NETWORK 5.85 5.85 5.8 5.8 4,258,057
MANILA BULLETIN 0.64 0.68 0.63 0.65 3,420,200
MLA BRDCASTING 15.42 17.3 15.42 17.3 4,814
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
GLOBE TELECOM 1,943 1,943 1,908 1,908 29,875,125
PLDT 1,145 1,154 1,140 1,145 96,699,950
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
APOLLO GLOBAL 0.042 0.043 0.042 0.043 93,000
DFNN INC 6.73 6.88 6.5 6.8 2,145,725
IMPERIAL 1.87 1.87 1.87 1.87 35,530
ISLAND INFO 0.133 0.133 0.129 0.129 22,290
ISM COMM 4.89 5.07 4.85 4.91 10,330,260
JACKSTONES 3.25 3.25 3.06 3.15 203,980
NOW CORP 2.55 2.59 2.5 2.54 1,548,580
TRANSPACIFIC BR 0.4 0.4 0.38 0.39 3,662,850
PHILWEB 2.75 2.81 2.73 2.74 2,840,960
TRANSPORTATION SERVICES
2GO GROUP 12.76 12.8 12.7 12.7 400,970
ASIAN TERMINALS 16 16.7 16 16 270,158
CHELSEA 5.35 5.4 5.34 5.36 1,744,046
CEBU AIR 83.5 86 83 86 22,293,898.50
INTL CONTAINER 125 126.3 123.1 123.5 92,096,580
LORENZO SHIPPNG 0.97 1.05 0.96 0.97 5,733,410
MACROASIA 22.1 22.8 22.1 22.8 36,387,625
METROALLIANCE A 1.73 1.79 1.69 1.77 101,480
METROALLIANCE B 1.6 1.88 1.6 1.88 14,680
PAL HLDG 10.2 10.58 10.2 10.2 332,352
HARBOR STAR 3.01 3.06 2.99 3.01 1,843,250
HOTEL & LEISURE
BOULEVARD HLDG 0.071 0.072 0.07 0.071 1,407,940
DISCOVERY WORLD 2.22 2.22 2.22 2.22 11,100
WATERFRONT 0.7 0.73 0.7 0.71 2,417,840
EDUCATION
CENTRO ESCOLAR 7.51 7.51 7.5 7.5 37,511
FAR EASTERN U 895 895 895 895 17,900
IPEOPLE 10.8 10.8 10.8 10.8 6,480
STI HLDG 0.69 0.72 0.67 0.68 3,211,030
CASINOS & GAMING
BERJAYA 2.49 2.54 2.49 2.5 1,042,340
BLOOMBERRY 12.6 12.92 12.58 12.84 122,113,984
PACIFIC ONLINE 4.5 4.5 4.42 4.5 129,020
LEISURE AND RES 3.9 3.92 3.77 3.91 7,432,240
PH RESORTS GRP 4.72 4.73 4.72 4.73 14,170
PREMIUM LEISURE 0.83 0.87 0.83 0.85 5,080,080
TRAVELLERS 5.63 5.66 5.62 5.64 29,617,598
RETAIL
METRO RETAIL 3.12 3.31 3.1 3.27 10,123,970
PUREGOLD 48 48.4 47.9 48.2 146,865,305
ROBINSONS RTL 80.35 80.35 79.85 80 3,656,525.50
PHIL SEVEN CORP 121 121 120.9 121 153,667
SSI GROUP 2.43 2.46 2.41 2.45 14,312,320
WILCON DEPOT 15.48 15.48 15.3 15.32 15,403,160
OTHER SERVICES
APC GROUP 0.43 0.44 0.43 0.44 201,100
EASYCALL 10.62 10.64 10.32 10.5 958,700
GOLDEN BRIA 393 417 385.2 399.8 2,474,816
IPM HLDG 7.09 7.09 7.08 7.08 99,200
PRMIERE HORIZON 0.96 1.02 0.94 0.96 49,407,150
SBS PHIL CORP 8.97 9 8.9 8.99 6,403,460
MINING
MINING & OIL
ATOK 12.5 12.96 12.5 12.92 50,318
APEX MINING 1.39 1.39 1.36 1.37 503,700
ABRA MINING 0.002 0.0021 0.002 0.002 2,548,100
ATLAS MINING - - - - -
BENGUET A 1.43 1.44 1.4 1.44 22,770
BENGUET B 1.45 1.45 1.4 1.4 31,060
COAL ASIA HLDG 0.295 0.3 0.295 0.3 26,900
CENTURY PEAK 2.7 2.7 2.66 2.69 1,612,110
DIZON MINES 8.05 8.38 8 8.26 189,869
FERRONICKEL 1.57 1.63 1.57 1.61 10,100,900
GEOGRACE 0.26 0.26 0.25 0.26 310,850
LEPANTO A 0.116 0.118 0.111 0.118 377,800
LEPANTO B 0.13 0.13 0.13 0.13 1,300
MANILA MINING A 0.0083 0.0086 0.0078 0.0086 364,000
MANILA MINING B - - - - -
MARCVENTURES 1.07 1.07 1.06 1.06 40,430
NIHAO 1.04 1.04 1 1.04 174,120
NICKEL ASIA 2.58 2.64 2.56 2.56 5,307,830
OMICO CORP 0.61 0.61 0.61 0.61 14,030
ORNTL PENINSULA 0.9 0.92 0.9 0.9 360,040
PX MINING 3.45 3.54 3.36 3.37 1,559,700
SEMIRARA MINING 21.9 22 21.75 21.85 5,281,180
UNITED PARAGON 0.007 0.007 0.007 0.007 273,000
OIL
NAME OPEN HIGH LOW CLOSE VALUE (P)
ORNTL PETROL A 0.012 0.013 0.012 0.013 47,200
ORNTL PETROL B 0.013 0.013 0.012 0.012 26,600
PHILODRILL 0.011 0.011 0.011 0.011 518,100
PHINMA PETRO 2.99 3.19 2.96 3.16 587,610
PXP ENERGY 9.37 9.64 9.37 9.48 10,866,513
P R E F E R R E D
AC PREF B2 485 485 480 485 179,220
DD PREF 98 98.5 96.5 98.5 485,500
SMC FB PREF 2 970.5 971 970 971 999,480
FPH PREF C 450.6 450.6 450.6 450.6 193,758
GTCAP PREF B 924 925 923.5 925 1,007,450
LR PREF 1 1 0.98 1 1,448,680
MWIDE PREF 102.7 102.7 102.7 102.7 1,027
PNX PREF 3A 100.4 100.5 100.4 100.5 101,405
PNX PREF 3B 106 106 106 106 3,180
SFI PREF 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 52,500
SMC PREF 2B 75.2 75.2 74.8 74.8 6,104,644
SMC PREF 2C 76 76 75.75 75.75 2,877,530
SMC PREF 2D 71.85 73.8 71.75 73.8 217,225
SMC PREF 2F 74.5 74.5 74.5 74.5 745,000
SMC PREF 2G 74.35 74.35 74.35 74.35 154,648
SMC PREF 2H 72.9 72.9 72.9 72.9 7,727,400
SMC PREF 2I 72.15 72.15 72.15 72.15 306,637.50

Tuesday, 9 April 2019
Daily Tribune
BUSINESS
11
Vigan Airport Runway
Project breaks ground
When we build and
improve our nation’s
airports, we are also
building platforms
for mobility and
connectivity that ushers
in economic and social
development
VIGAN, Ilocos Sur — The
Vigan Airport is expanding to
meet more robust passenger
demand with the groundbreaking
of its runway extension project
on Monday.
The Department of
Transportation (DoTr), Civil
Aviation Authority of the
Philippines (CAAP), Department
of National Defense (DND) and
Armed Forces of the Philippines
(AFP), together with the provincial
government of Ilocos Sur, led the
groundbreaking ceremonies.
Vigan Airport, classified
as a community airport
by the CAAP, currently
caters to general aviation
aircraft.
Once completed, the P69-million
runway extension project will
enable Vigan Airport to serve
bigger aircraft, which means
more flights and more passengers
for the airport.
“When we build and improve
our nation’s airports, we are
also building platforms for
mobility and connectivity that
ushers in economic and social
development. Through this project,
Vigan will be more accessible to
Filipinos who wish to witness its
historical charm. And we know
that with more people coming in
to Vigan, more jobs come to life
for our kababayans,” said DoTr
Secretary Arthur Tugade, who was
represented in the groundbreaking
ceremony by Undersecretary for
Aviation and Airports Manuel
Antonio Tamayo.
The Vigan Airport Development
Project is among four airport
projects that proceed from the
TUGADE
The Bankers Institute of the Philippines Inc.,
(BAIPhl) is now a partner of the Bangko Sentral
ng Pilipinas (BSP) for a focused, sustainable,
wide-reaching and holistic approach in the
implementation of the clean note and coin
policy (CNCP).
Coinciding with the celebration of BSP’s 70th year
of central banking in the Philippines and BAIPhl’s
30th National Convention, the partnership was
formally launched on 13 March 2019 at Hotel Veniz
Burnham, Baguio City. Over 200 representatives from
various sectors — banks, businesses, market vendor
associations, transport groups, cooperatives and
government agencies convened for the launch event.
A Know Your Money briefing was also conducted by
the Currency Communications Staff, BSP and an
on-site unfit currency exchange was provided by
BAIPhl-member banks, i.e., Bank of the Philippine
Islands-Abanao Branch and UnionBank of the
Philippines-Baguio Branch.
In her opening remarks, Philippine Deposit
Insurance Corporation vice president Irene
Arroyo, former president of BAIPhl, highlighted
Memorandum of Agreement
(MoA) signed by the DoTr and
the DND in November 2018. The
AFP Task Force for Infrastructure
Development, headed by M/Gen.
Felipe Bejar, will implement the
airport projects through funds
downloaded from the DoTr.
The infrastructure
development project of Vigan
Airport was launched to
address the growing demand
for improvement in the airport
serving the general area of the
Ilocos Region. Aside from the
runway extension, projects such
as the runway site acquisition,
expansion of passenger terminal
building (PTB), construction of
an administration building and
improvement of vehicle parking
area (VPA) are also in the works.
Vigan Airport, classified as
a community airport by the
CAAP, currently caters to general
aviation aircraft. In just a span of
two years, passenger volume has
tripled in Vigan. From a record
of 14,645 passengers in 2016, the
airport was able to register 47,856
passengers for 2018, a compelling
indication that Vigan is swiftly
gaining an influx of passengers.
The City of Vigan, which also
serves as the province’s capital, is
located on the western coast of the
island of Luzon, facing the South
China Sea. Well-known for being a
UNESCO World Heritage Site, the
city boasts of cobblestone streets
and unique architecture that fuses
Philippine building design with
colonial European architecture.
We are committed to
empower small and
medium businesses
to thrive despite the
challenges they encounter
day-to-day by helping
them use innovative
technologies as a business
advantage
Small and medium enterprises
(SME) engaged in the hotel,
bed and breakfast, restaurant
and food service sectors have
benefited largely from the
continuous growth of Philippine
tourism with rising number of
visitors that hit 7.1 million in
BSP partners with BAIPhl
Lorico is optimistic that the partnership
will succeed in its mission to reinforce
positive change in Filipinos in handing
Philippine banknotes and coins.
Alliance Global Group Inc. (AGI), the
investment holding company of tycoon Dr.
Andrew Tan, reported a banner year in 2018
with consolidated net income amounting to
P23.7 billion from its restated profit of P22.3-
billion in 2017.
The Group adopted the accounting changes
under Philippine Financial Reporting Standards
(PFRS) 15 for its 2018 financial statements, which
resulted to previous year’s performance being
restated for comparability.
Consolidated revenues in 2018 ended the year at
P160.7-billion, reflecting a sharp 14 percent increase
from its year ago restated level of P141.3 billion.
“This is a milestone performance for AGI and
proves that our aggressive expansion strategies which
we started implementing across our various business
segments about five years ago have begun to bear fruit.
Now, all our major business segments are contributing
strongly to the group’s growth. We look forward to
sustaining this momentum in the coming years,” says
Kevin Tan, chief executive officer, AGI.
The Alliance Global Group is composed of its
real estate arm Megaworld Corporation, global
the three objectives of the partnership — to
protect the integrity of the Philippine currency,
to inform the public of the features of genuine
notes and coins and to develop the habit of using
only clean notes and coins.
BAIPhl president Dom Gavino Jr., pledged
support to the BSP in the implementation of the
CNCP. “We see this collaboration efforts to continue
on a regular basis as the BSP and BAIPhl will jointly
provide public information campaigns and currency
exchange in areas found to have the most soiled and
unfit notes and coins,” he added. Gavino is confident
that through BSP and BAIPhl’s commitment and
willingness to contribute, cleaner notes and coins
will be in circulation.
In her key message, BSP managing director
Josefa Elvira Ditching-Lorico said the BSP is exploring
strategic partnerships with key organizations to
widen the reach of information on currency-related
matters. “The BSP also enjoins the banks and
the general public to ensure that the life of notes
and coins is extended, by deterring unacceptable
practices such as stapling and excessive folding of
banknotes. Banks should also deposit or exchange
on a regular basis unfit banknotes and coins with
the BSP,” she added. Lorico is optimistic that the
partnership will succeed in its mission to reinforce
positive change in Filipinos in handing Philippine
banknotes and coins.
AGI’s 2018 profit hits P24B
liquor subsidiary Emperador Inc., gaming and
leisure operations under Travellers International
Hotel Group Inc., quick service restaurants business
through McDonald’s Philippines under Golden
Arches Development Corporation and infrastructure
arm Infracorp Development Inc.
This is a milestone performance for AGI.
“We remain unrelenting in our expansion
plans as we view with optimism the country’s
economic prospects despite some temporary
challenges. We are allocating around P85 billion
in CAPEX this year, a significant increase from
the P70 billion in actual expenditures in 2018.
About 90 percent of this year’s budget will fund
the healthy expansion projects of Megaworld
and Travellers,” reveals Tan.
Megaworld, the country’s largest developer
of integrated urban townships, posted another
record year in 2018 as attributable net income
reached P15.2 billion, reflecting an increase
of 16 percent from a restated profit of P13.1
billion in 2017.
THE Department of Transportation, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, Department of National Defense and Armed Forces of the Philippines, together
with the provincial government of Ilocos Sur, spearheaded the groundbreaking ceremony of the airport development project.
SME face new competition
2018, up by 7.65 percent from the
previous year.
However, the sector is facing
new challenges from disruptive
and technology-based players such
as on-demand lodging, short-term
rentals and online booking agencies
that put local players at risk of
competing for tourist dollars.
A survey conducted by SGS
Philippines revealed three main
threats to the continued growth
of the tourism sector namely: the
entry of new players in the market;
retention of skilled employees; and,
the lack of up-to-date marketing
competency.
Cognizant of these problems
that hound tourism stakeholders,
Globe myBusiness empowers
the industry, particularly SME,
through digitalization. This
will help them sharpen their
competitive edge against the new
entrants, help them understand
the causes of attrition so that
they can improve their retention
rate and enhance their marketing
capabilities to be able to expand
their market share and boost
their businesses.
As a major provider of basic
telecommunications services to
the business community, Globe
myBusiness positions itself as a
partner in the success of SME in
the tourism industry by providing
them with the right technology and
digital solutions.
“We are committed to empower
small and medium businesses to
thrive despite the challenges they
encounter day-to-day by helping
them use innovative technologies
as a business advantage,” said
Michelle Tapia, head of Strategy,
Innovation and Transformation at
Globe myBusiness.
“For the tourism industry,
we’re not only helping them
understand digital disruption but
enabling them to take advantage
of it in creating the future of
travel and tourism through talks
on the changes and trends in
their business environment and a
visioning workshop to create the
future of the tourism industry,”
she added.
Earlier, Globe myBusiness
conducted the Breakthroughs:
Tourism conference which was
attended by various tourism
stakeholders led by Tourism
Secretary Bernadette Romulo-
Puyat.

51.00
52.00
53.00
54.00
55.00
PESO-DOLLAR RATES
8 APRIL 2019
52.14
25700
25200
24700
24200
DOW JONES
8 APRIL 2019
40.36
7900
7700
STOCK MARKET
7500
7300 42.45
8 APRIL 2019
8 APRIL 2019
INDEX SUMMARY
INDEX VALUE CHANGE % CHANGE
PSEi 7,915.63 42.45 0.54 ▲
All Shares 4,866.96 19.97 0.41 ▲
Financials 1,739.80 -2.37 -0.14 ▼
Industrial 11,739.80 75.45 0.64 ▲
Holding Firms 7,772.96 40.10 0.52 ▲
Services 1,613.97 22.50 1.41 ▲
Mining and Oil 7,715.64 -18.65 -0.24 ▼
Property 4,092.98 17.91 0.44 ▲
12 BUSINESS
Nissan sacks Ghosn
Nissan CEO Hiroto Saikawa and other top executives
opened the meeting by offering a deep bow to thousands of
shareholders
TOKYO — Nissan shareholders voted
Monday to eject Carlos Ghosn from the
board, as the detained former chairman
fights multiple financial misconduct
charges that have landed him in custody.
The extraordinary shareholders’
meeting at a Tokyo hotel was the first
such gathering since the stunning arrest
of the 65-year-old auto sector titan on 19
November.
And its vote to remove Ghosn brings
an end to the auto tycoon’s storied tenure
at the firm, which he was once credited
with having rescued.
The meeting also saw shareholders
vote to remove Greg Kelly, a US executive
who served as Ghosn’s right-hand man
and who also faces charges in Japan,
and approve a motion to replace Ghosn
with Renault chairman Jean-Dominique
Senard.
Nissan sacked Ghosn as chairman
almost immediately after his initial
arrest but an extraordinary meeting of
shareholders was required to remove him
from the board.
Nissan CEO Hiroto Saikawa and other
top executives opened the meeting by
offering a deep bow to thousands of
shareholders.
Saikawa outlined the allegations
against his former mentor, accusing him
of misusing funds and seeking to conceal
his compensation.
“Nissan expresses its deepest regret for
THE Home Development
Mutual Fund or Pag-IBIG
Fund has tasked the
wealth management
unit of the Bank of the
Philippine Islands to
grow a pool of funds
worth P1 billion. Four
other asset management
firms were similarly
tasked.
A NISSAN Motor employee prepares signage to guide arriving shareholders ahead of the company's extraordinary shareholders' meeting
at a hotel in Tokyo. Nissan shareholders ejected Carlos Ghosn from its board as the detained former chairman fights multiple charges of
financial misconduct that have landed him in custody.
AFP
any concern caused by the misconduct to
our shareholders,” he said.
“We have to admit that there was a
significant problem with our corporate
governance,” he added, saying he had
been “extremely shocked” when he
learned of the misconduct.
Nearly 4,200 shareholders attended
the meeting, with many taking the chance
of a question-and-answer session to slam
Ghosn but also raise concerns about how
the scandal was allowed to occur.
“Nissan’s governance isn’t working
well. I really regret that,” 77-year-old
shareholder Isamu Beppu told AFP before
the meeting.
“If there is no rebuilding of its
governance, there will be no revival,”
he added.
Ghosn faces three separate charges.
The first two relate to the alleged deferring
of around $80 million in income and
concealing this in official documents to
shareholders.
AFP
The Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG
Fund) tapped BPI Asset Management and Trust
Corporation (AMTC) to manage P1 billion of its
funds, which is part of a P5billion portfolio it has
outsourced to fund managers for the first time.
Pag-IBIG Fund, after a rigorous bidding process,
awarded BPI AMTC P1 billion to manage for the
government firm over a period of five years.
“We are grateful for Pag-IBIG Fund’s trust in BPI
AMTC. Through this partnership, we get the chance
to further contribute to nation-building by looking
after these funds that are used to help Filipinos
realize their dreams of having their own homes,”
said BPI AMTC president Shiela Tan.
The agency also awarded four other local equity
fund managers with P1 billion each.
For a period of five years, BPI AMTC will invest
in Philippine equities and seize opportunities in
the growing equities market fueled by domestic
consumption, especially this year when elections
are expected to give the economy an added boost.
“Pag-IBIG Fund has been growing at an incredible
pace. Last year, our total assets breached the half-trillion
mark. With the sustained growth in our housing
and savings program, we decided to bid out the
Tuesday, 9 April 2019
Daily Tribune
Over P1B
booked via
Cashacart
Cashalo, the Filipino fintech company
intent on accelerating financial
inclusion in the Philippines, is seeing
unprecedented growth with its O2O
or offline-to-online basket financing
solution, Cashacart, now available
nationwide across a growing network of
some 300 retail partner stores.
Its roster of partners initially
include Oppo, Cherry Mobile,
Memoxpress, Robinsons Appliances and
Robinsons Department stores. Loans
start at P2,250 up to a maximum
of P20,999.
The first-of-its-kind solution in the
Philippines allows consumers to access
digital credit from as low as zero-percent
for their specific shopping needs via
the Cashalo app. This allows Filipinos
to purchase multiple products or a basket
of goods from a particular store.
We’ve financed over P1 billion
worth of products in just a few
months, changing the lives of
thousands of Filipinos.
Launched just three months ago,
Cashacart has received overwhelming
support from consumers clamoring for
the convenience and flexibility that
the solution offers.
September 2018 data by consulting
firm Research and Tech Lab show that
almost 70 percent of Filipinos still prefer
traditional over online shopping.
Cashacart caters to every consumer,
from millennials to homemakers and
young entrepreneurs, with a majority
of its consumers experiencing the
flexibility of installment loans for the
first time.
“We’ve financed over P1 billion
worth of products in just a few months,
changing the lives of thousands of
Filipinos,” said Hamilton Angluben,
general manager of Cashalo. “Our
basket financing solution, Cashacart,
is an industry first and continues to
set the standard for innovation in
offline retail consumer financing,
giving millions of Filipinos access to
the credit they deserve where they
need it most.”
Pag-IBIG picks BPI to manage P1B funds
We trust that they will share in our goal to
grow the fund and protect the interests and
welfare of our more than 14 million members.
management of our portfolio. We opened our doors
to partners like BPI AMTC to manage part of our
equity fund so that our members can benefit in
their expertise. We trust that they will share in
our goal to grow the Fund and protect the interests
and welfare of our more than 14 million members,”
said Pag-IBIG Fund chief executive officer Acmad
Rizaldy Moti.
BPI AMTC currently has P591 billion in assets
under management. Its 32 unit investments trust
funds serve a broad spectrum of investor risk
profiles and strategies, and are invested in both
local and offshore money market, fixed income and
equity assets.
The company has already received a number of
awards, including Best Asset and Fund Manager in
the Philippines for the fourth consecutive year in
the 12th Annual Alpha Southeast Asia Best Financial
Institution Awards and Best Managed Fund for Dollar
Equity Fund for its BPI Global Equity Fund-of-Funds
by the Chartered Financial Analyst Society of the
Philippines.
“We are motivated to do our best with the funds
entrusted to us by Pag-IBIG Fund, knowing that we
are part of a bigger advocacy to promote inclusive
growth and greater financial inclusion,” Tan said.
Pag-IBIG Fund remains to be one of the biggest
government institutions in the country that address
the basic needs of Filipinos through programs that
make housing more accessible and affordable.
CONSUMERS see the beauty of retail therapy. Lipsticks are seen against the background of a Tmall logo in China.
CHINA DAILY

LLOYD
POWERS
U.S.
TIES THAT
OVERCOME
TRIALS
HELLBOY’S
BACK
THE HERO
IN GEMMA
P14
P16
P17
P20
Aldrin Cardona, Editor
Tuesday, 9 April 2019
Daily Tribune
SPORTS 13
Sunday’s Games
(Monday in Manila)
Toronto 117, Miami 109, OT
San Antonio 112, Cleveland 90
Oklahoma City 132, Minnesota 126
Charlotte 104, Detroit 91
Brooklyn 108, Indiana 96
Dallas 129, Memphis 127, OT
Houston 149, Phoenix 113
Milwaukee 115, Atlanta 107
New York 113, Washington 110
Orlando 116, Boston 108
Golden State 131, L.A. Clippers 104
New Orleans 133, Sacramento 129
Portland 115, Denver 108
L.A. Lakers 113, Utah 109
EASTERN CONFERENCE
STEPHEN Curry of the Golden State Warriors reacts to the crowd during their game against the LA Clippers at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California.
WARRIORS EMERGE TOP SEED
Best in the West
Let me just say that for 47 years,
Warriors fans have stuck with us
through thick and thin
OAKLAND, California — Steve Kerr would surely
like to thank the loyal fans at Oracle Arena with
another championship in June.
“Hopefully we’ll have another send-off in a grander
manner,” Kerr said.
Soaking in the franchise’s nostalgia of yesteryear,
Stephen Curry scored 27 points and helped the Golden
State Warriors clinch the Western Conference’s top
seed with a win in their final regular-season game
at Oracle Arena, beating the Los Angeles Clippers,
131-104, on Sunday night for a fifth straight victory.
Let’s be honest, most of those years have been
a little thin.
Kevin Durant added 16 points and seven assists,
making six of seven field goals, as the Warriors opted
to honor the past by sporting throwback white “We
Believe” jerseys worn during the 2007 playoff run that
snapped a 12-year postseason drought.
“These jerseys hold a special place in Warriors’
fans hearts and this organization and the history of
this organization,” Draymond Green said.
Culver, Hunter brace for NBA
You can do that
MINNEAPOLIS — Jarrett Culver knew Texas
Tech desperately needed him to make a big
leap after a solid freshman year so he charged
full-speed into an offseason determined to
refine and expand every element of his game.
De’Andre Hunter needed a little longer to do
the same at Virginia, even by spending a year as
a redshirt watching from the sidelines.
Yet, here they are in Minneapolis, a pair of
players who have blossomed into bona fide NBA
prospects for teams a win away from becoming a
first-time national champion.
ZION Williamson of Duke dunks against North Carolina during the
second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the Atlantic
Coast Conference tournament in Charlotte, North Carolina in this
file photo.
AP
Consider it proof — or maybe simply a needed
reminder — that college players can still take a
slightly longer path to becoming top-tier NBA
prospects amid the college game’s starry-eyed
infatuation with one-and-done talents.
“You can do that,” Culver said Sunday, the day
before his Red Raiders meet Hunter’s Cavaliers
in the national-title game.
“The one-and-dones, they’re very talented guys
coming out of high school and they get looked at
a lot. My route was just a little different. I don’t
know how long I’ll be in college. I just know if
you put the work in and set your goals, you can
do whatever you set your mind to.” AFP
CULVER
A banner commemorating 47 years at Oracle was
unveiled afterward and it will move across the bay
to hang inside new Chase Center in San Francisco,
where the Warriors will play next season.
“Let me just say that for 47 years, Warriors fans
have stuck with us through thick and thin,” Kerr
told the crowd moments after the final buzzer, also
thanking arena staff. “Let’s be honest, most of those
years have been a little thin.”
Landry Shamet scored 17 points with five threepointers
for a Clippers team still missing Patrick
Beverley because of a right hip pointer. Los Angeles
dropped into a seventh-place tie with San Antonio in
the West by losing its third straight.
AP
Zion bags ‘Naismith’
The 18-year-old Blue Devils phenom
is only the third freshman to win the
prestigious award
LOS ANGELES — Duke University star Zion
Williamson was honored with the Naismith Trophy
Player of the Year award on Sunday after a dazzling
freshman season in college basketball that is likely to
make him the top pick in the NBA draft.
The 18-year-old Blue Devils phenom is only the third
freshman to win the prestigious award, which has been
handed out to the best player in men’s college basketball
AFP
every year since 1969.
“It is truly an honor to receive this and join such
an elite list of former Blue Devils to have also won
the award,” Williamson said in a statement.
“There were so many great players who could
have won this award this year. I can’t thank my
teammates, coaches and family enough for helping
me. This is a team award, and it’s an honor for me
to accept this on behalf of my brothers.”
The only other players to win the Naismith in
their first season of college basketball were Golden
State Warriors star Kevin Durant and New Orleans
Pelicans ace Anthony Davis.
AFP
Atlantic Division
W L Pct GB
y-Toronto 57 24 .704 —
x-Philadelphia 50 30 .625 6½
x-Boston 48 33 .593 9
x-Brooklyn 41 40 .506 16
New York 16 64 .200 40½
Southeast Division
y-Orlando 41 40 .506 —
Charlotte 38 42 .475 2½
Miami 38 42 .475 2½
Washington 32 49 .395 9
Atlanta 29 52 .358 12
Central Division
z-Milwaukee 60 21 .741 —
x-Indiana 47 34 .580 13
Detroit 39 41 .488 20½
Chicago 22 58 .275 37½
Cleveland 19 62 .235 41
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Southwest Division
W L Pct GB
y-Houston 53 28 .654 —
x-San Antonio 47 34 .580 6
New Orleans 33 48 .407 20
Memphis 32 48 .400 20½
Dallas 32 48 .400 20½
Northwest Division
y-Denver 53 27 .663 —
x-Portland 51 29 .638 2
x-Utah 49 31 .613 4
x-Oklahoma City 47 33 .588 6
Minnesota 36 44 .450 17
Pacific Division
z-Golden State 56 24 .700 —
x-L.A. Clippers 47 34 .580 9½
Sacramento 39 42 .481 17½
L.A. Lakers 37 44 .457 19½
Phoenix 19 62 .235 37½
x-clinched playoff spot
y-clinched division
z-clinched conference
Monday’s Games
(Tuesday in Manila)
No games scheduled.
Tuesday’s Games
(Wednesday in Manila)
Boston at Washington
Charlotte at Cleveland
Memphis at Detroit
Philadelphia at Miami
Golden State at New Orleans
New York at Chicago
Toronto at Minnesota
Phoenix at Dallas
Denver at Utah
Houston at Oklahoma City
Portland at L.A. Lakers
Wednesday’s Games
(Thursday in Manila)
Chicago at Philadelphia
Dallas at San Antonio
Detroit at New York
Golden State at Memphis
Indiana at Atlanta
Miami at Brooklyn
Oklahoma City at Milwaukee
Orlando at Charlotte
Minnesota at Denver
Sacramento at Portland
Utah at L.A. Clippers

14 SPORTS
Tuesday, 9 April 2019
Daily Tribune
MASTERFUL CONQUEST
Ko plunges to triumph
I won the tournament and that’s a happy moment
LOS ANGELES — Reigning Rookie of the Year Ko Jin-young captured her first
major championship, holding off fellow South Korean Lee Mi-hyang to win the ANA
Inspiration by three strokes Sunday.
The 23-year-old Ko finished in style by draining a long birdie putt on 18 for a
two-under 70 final round in the first major of the season at the Mission Hills Country
Club near Palm Springs, California.
“I won the tournament and that’s a happy moment,” Ko said. “I thank God, I
thank my parents; I thank my grandparents. It is an honor for me to join so many
great Korean players. I’m honored to be here.”
Ko, who is in her second year, finished with a 10-under 278 total for her fourth
LPGA title. She also won the Hope Founder’s Cup last month.
Ko celebrated her win by taking the traditional dip with her caddie, Dave Brooker,
in Poppie’s Pond — the water hazard located off the right and back of the green on 18.
Lee finished alone in second after shooting a two-under 70 while American Lexi
Thompson was third with a brilliant final round of 67 to reach a six-under 282 total.
Kim In-kyung and Carlota Ciganda of Spain tied for fourth at five under, five
strokes back of Ko.
Ko started the round with a one shot lead. She played steady golf on the front
nine with two birdies but saw her lead slip to just one stroke over Lee when she
made bogey on the 15th hole. She landed her approach in the bunker and then
two-putted on the green.
It was her second bogey in three holes.
But Ko got one back by sinking a superb putt for a birdie
on the par-four 16th. She parred 17 then iced the win with
an emphatic 20-foot birdie putt on 18.
Not only is she the fifth South Korean to win here, Ko is
the 15th in history to win a major. The only country that has
more major wins is the United States.
“I can’t believe it,” said Ko. “I was nervous on all my shots.”
Thompson also made a run at Ko but her seven-stroke deficit
was too much to make up.
“It feels amazing,” Thompson said.
“I birdied the first hole and actually hit a ball out of bounds on
number three but still managed to make bogey. My caddie helped out
tremendously.”
It is an honor for me to join so many great Korean players.
In addition to the professionals, five amateur players competed in the
event continuing a longstanding tradition of exemptions for top women
amateurs.
Patty Tavatanakit, who is ranked third in the world, finished as the top
amateur in the field after closing with a four under 68 a tie for 26th with
nine others, including fellow Thai Pornanong Phatlum.
AFP
KO Jin-young
jumps into Poppies
Pond after winning
the ANA Inspiration
on the Dinah Shore
course at Mission
Hills Country Club
in Rancho Mirage,
California. AFP
Lloyd powers US
The Americans put on an even more
dominant offensive display in the first
meeting between the two countries
LOS ANGELES — Carli Lloyd headed two goals
as the United States women’s national team routed
Belgium, 6-0, in a FIFA Women’s World Cup tuneup
match on Sunday.
Coming off a 5-3 shootout win over Australia on Thursday,
the Americans put on an even more dominant offensive
display in the first meeting between the two countries.
Alex Morgan, who scored her 100th goal against the
Aussies, Lindsey Horan, Samantha Mewis and Jessica
McDonald also scored for the Americans at Banc of
California Stadium in Los Angeles.
Lloyd opened the scoring in the first half as she headed
a free kick from Tierna Davidson into the far corner of the
goal in front of a crowd of 20,900.
She notched her second goal five minutes later by
flicking home another header to give the Americans a 2-0
lead 19 minutes into the contest.
This summer, the Americans, reigning world
champions, will make their eighth straight appearance
in the FIFA World Cup — gunning for their fourth title
after victories in 2015, 1999 and 1991.
The USA is one of about a half dozen countries to
qualify for all eight Women’s World Cups along with Brazil,
Germany, Japan, Norway, Sweden and Nigeria. AFP
CARLI Lloyd of the United States celebrates after scoring a goal against Belgium during the International Women’s friendly
football match at the Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles.
AFP
We cannot be complacent
By Joel Orellana
Crown on Ateneo’s radar
Ateneo de Manila University head coach Oliver Almadro
was happy to see her Lady Eagles clinch the first Final
Four seat in Season 81 University Athletic Association of
the Philippines (UAAP) women’s volleyball tournament
after trouncing National University (NU) Sunday at the
Araneta Coliseum.
And doing it on his first year with the team is extra
special. But the rookie mentor knows there’s still lot of
games to be played and they don’t want to get distracted on
Puig ejected
Cuban star Puig was tossed from the game
at PNC Park along with manager David Bell
and reliever Amir Garrett
LOS ANGELES — Cincinnati slugger Yasiel Puig was
among five players ejected after a mass brawl broke out in
the Reds clash with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday.
Cuban star Puig was tossed from the game at PNC Park
along with manager David Bell and reliever Amir Garrett.
Two Pirates players, pitchers Keone Kela and Felipe
Vazquez, were also ejected after the benches cleared in the
fourth inning.
Puig, who had to be restrained by teammates, broke free to
angrily confront a scrum of Pittsburgh players as tempers flared.
The brawl erupted after Pirates pitcher Chris Archer sent a
93mph fastball whistling behind Reds first baseman Derek Dietrich.
The provocative pitch appeared to be retaliation for
Dietrich’s conduct after smashing a mammoth home run in
the second inning.
Dietrich had lingered at home plate for several seconds
to watch his blast sail out of the stadium before setting off to
round the bases.
AFP
their ultimate goal — bring the UAAP crown back to Loyola.
“We are preparing not just for this (Final Four). We are
preparing long term,” said Almadro after Ateneo claimed its
10th straight win and 10th straight Final Four appearance.
“The elimination round will not determine your character
right away. It will be a different battle in the semis. Even
if you are ahead of the standings, it does not matter,” he
added.
Graduating Bea de Leon said reaching the semis first
could be dangerous for them and they know that they need
to do in order to stay focused on their target.
“We cannot be complacent. That’s not part of our
character,” said De Leon, who was one of the Lady Eagles in
double figures against the Lady Bulldogs with 10 points.
It would be a massive
achievement
Newcomers, past winners and a host
of green jacket hopefuls made final
preparations Sunday at Augusta National
on the eve of official practice rounds for
the 83rd Masters.
The year’s first major championship
begins Thursday at the famed course under
the Georgia pines with Rory McIlroy making
his 11th Augusta National start and fifth
attempt to complete a career grand slam
by winning the Masters.
The 29-year-old Northern Ireland star,
a four-time major champion, has finished
between fourth and 10th in each of the past
five years at the Masters, sharing fifth last
year, and is a Las Vegas odds-makers pick
to win this time.
If he dons the green jacket next Sunday,
McIlroy would become only the sixth player
to have won each of the major titles at least
once in his career, joining legends Tiger
Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben
Hogan and Gene Sarazen.
“It would be a massive achievement. It
would be huge,” McIlroy said during his
run-up to Augusta. “But I can’t think about
CINCINNATI Reds’ Yasiel Puig is restrained by Pittsburgh Pirates bench coach Tom Prince in the middle of a
bench-clearing brawl during the fourth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh.
AP
McIlroy eyes grand slam
it that way.”
Among those driving down Magnolia Lane
to Augusta National’s clubhouse early was
22-year-old Aaron Wise, a South African-born
American who won last year’s PGA Byron
Nelson title to claim his first Masters berth.
“Right now I’m just soaking it all in,”
Wise said. “We can all remember the great
moments and great shots just from having
watched on TV.”
Wise, whose family moved to the United
States when he was three, was last year’s US
PGA Tour Rookie of the Year. He missed the
cut in three prior major starts as he and 16
other newcomers prepare for their Masters
debuts.
The buzz is unbelievable.
“Coming to Augusta I feel good. I love
the place,” said two-time Masters champion
Bubba Watson. “I’m thankful just to be here.”
Watson was on hand for the start and
finish of the Augusta National Women’s
Amateur on Saturday and was among
presenters in Sunday’s Drive, Chip and Putt
Championship for youth.
“The buzz is unbelievable,” said Australia’s
Adam Scott, the 2013 Masters champion. “It
gets me excited for next week.” AFP
Vargas graces Forum
Philippine Olympic Committee (POC)
president Ricky Vargas will be the special
guest in the Philippine Sportswriters
Association (PSA) Forum today at the
Amelie Hotel-Manila.
Vargas is appearing in the session
presented by San Miguel Corp., Tapa
King, Amelie Hotel and the Philippine
Amusement and Gaming Corporation along
with Ed Picson, the secretary general of
the Alliances of Boxing Association in the
Philippines.
They are expected to discuss the
training of the athletes and preparations
for the hosting of the 30th Southeast Asian
Games later this year.
Also invited in the 10:30 a.m. public
sports program are POC chairman Abraham
Tolentino and POC secretary general
Patrick Gregorio.
Shortly after the Forum, Vargas will
induct into office the new set of PSA
officers led by president Tito Talao of the
Manila Bulletin.

Tuesday, 9 April 2019
Daily Tribune
WILL HE STAY OR GO?
SPORTS
15
Parks takes sweet time
That’s what we are still trying to figure out
right now: What will be the next chapter
By John Bryan Ulanday
After bombing out in the Asean Basketball League
(ABL), Ray Parks has yet to address rumors he won’t
be playing a single minute for Blackwater when the
Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup
opens next month.
The 26-year-old playmaker said he would like to take
a breather following a grueling stint for San Miguel-Alab
Pilipinas, which was sent packing by Hongkong Eastern
in the quarterfinals of the regional pay-for-play basketball
league.
“It’s been good, tough stint in the ABL,” said Parks, the
reigning ABL local Most Valuable Player, at the sidelines
of the PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals last Sunday.
“But I needed to rest now. I’ve been playing three
straight years, so I needed a break.”
I’m still pondering on my thoughts.
Multiple sources bared that Parks will not don the Elite
jersey after making him as the second overall pick in the
PBA Annual Rookie Draft last December.
Insiders said a multi-player deal is in the works. It
would send Parks to Meralco while Bolts guard Baser
Amer would join Talk ‘N Text. The KaTropa, meanwhile,
would ship Jericho Cruz to the Elite to complete the
transaction.
Parks confirmed nothing is final at the moment as his
camp is still trying to map out the “next chapter” of his
basketball career.
“That’s what we are still trying to figure out right
now: What will be the next chapter?” said the son of
seven-time PBA Best Import awardee Bobby Ray Parks.
“I’m still pondering on my thoughts, trying to figure
out the best situation not only for me, but also for my
family. I am the breadwinner in the family so I have
to help out a lot.”
Parks’ business manager Charlie Dy, however,
doused cold water on the burning trade talks, saying
Parks is set to attend Blackwater’s training in the next
couple of days after wrapping up the Philippine Cup
with a dismal 2-9 win-loss card.
“Yes, he will be reporting to Blackwater practice,”
Dy told Daily Tribune.
“He’ll rest first then practice with Blackwater,
maybe after the Holy Week.”
Parks said nothing is cast in stone.
“As of now, they (the Elite) hold my rights. But I
haven’t signed anything yet,” he said.
UVC parades Thai star
With Sutadta on board, we will have
another potent scoring option
PLDT and Cignal seek to join Petron in the semifinals
when they collide with separate foes in the quarterfinals
of the Philippine Superliga Grand Prix today at the Filoil
Flying V Centre.
Armed with a twice-to-beat edge, the Power Hitters aim
to book a return flight to the semis when they clash with
dangerous Generika-Ayala at 4:15 p.m. while the HD
Spikers face United VC in the 7 p.m. main encounter
of this prestigious women’s club league backed
by Asics, Mueller, Mikasa, Senoh, Team Rebel
Sports, Bizooku, UCPB Gen, Cocolife, Hotel
Sogo and Data Project.
Petron, which swept the classifications to
emerge as top seed in the quarterfinals, made
short work of Sta. Lucia to become the first team
in the best-of-three semifinal series.
On the other hand, the Blaze Spikers’
main rival — F2 Logistics — was not as
fortunate as it suffered a nail-biting
fives-set loss to Foton in the other
quarterfinal battle.
That makes this explosive
double-header that has ESPN5 and
5Plus as broadcast partners very
exciting as both Generika-Ayala and
United VC are optimistic that they
can forge a rubber match if they play
superb volleyball from start to finish.
United VC, for one, will be bringing
in a new import in Thai star Sutadta
Chuewulim to revive its title hopes after
Magnolia displayed fighting form as it dominated Ginebra,
106-77, to force a rubber match in their Philippine Basketball
Association Philippine Cup best-of-three quarterfinal series
Monday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Still smarting from a 75-86 loss in Game 1, the
Hotshots came out firing early to build a 51-38 halftime
lead en route to the easy victory.
It was the largest winning margin of the
Hotshots in 11 years since beating the Kings,
103-76, in the elimination round of the Philippine
Cup in 2008.
SUTADTA Chuewulim of Thailand
will make her debut when United VC
battles Cignal in the quarterfinals of
the Philippine Superliga Grand Prix.
failing to clinch the quarterfinal bonus.
Chuewulim, who arrived Sunday and joined United VC
practice on Monday, is tipped to hit the ground running as
she is no stranger to Philippine brand of volleyball. In fact,
she already saw action for Cagayan Valley in the Shakey’s
V-League before campaigning for guest team EST Cola in the
PSL Invitational Conference in 2016.
Although the Thai juniors team fell prey to veteran-laden RC
Cola-Army in the finals, Chuewulim still made her presence felt
as she brought home the Best Outside Spiker award.
“With Sutadta on board, we will have another potent
scoring option,” said Ylaya, adding that the Thai will replace
American Tai Manu-Olevao in their rotation.
“We played without an import for four games. We
could have bagged a twice-to-beat edge had we played
with an import in our past few games. But now that
Sutadta is here, we expect to be competitive to give
Cignal a very good fight.”
But bringing down the HD Spikers is easier said
than done.
Cignal is beaming with confidence as imports
Erica Wilson and Anastasiya Artemeva are
playing beautiful music with local stars like
Rachel Anne Daquis, Acy Masangkay, Mylene
Paat and Janine Navarro.
Cignal coach Edgar Barroga said they
will do their best to win over United VC
because yielding their twice-to-beat edge
will pressure them in the sudden-death.
“I don’t want to focus on that (twiceto-beat
advantage). We will play as if
it’s a do-or-die match,” said Barroga,
who knows that they have to neutralize
Alohi Robins-Hardy, Kalei Mau and
import Yaasmeen Bedart-Ghani if they
want to advance.
Hotshots force ‘rubber’
3-way fight looms
Thailand has also underscored its readiness to go
for the crown, sending 39 players, led by veteran
Yupaporn Kawinpakorn
It will be a toss-up among the leading players of Taiwan, Thailand
and the host country as they set out for a duel of shot-making, iron play
and putting in the ICTSI Manila Golf Ladies Classic, which gets going
tomorrow at the Manila Golf Club inside Forbes Park.
Babe Liu, the No. 3 player in the current LPGA of Taiwan ranking,
along with joint no. 5 Hsin Lee and Lin Tzu-Chi and Ching Huang, banner
the 25-strong player roster from Taiwan, ready to slug it out with the
best in the $100,000 championship.
Thailand has also underscored its readiness to go for the crown,
sending 39 players, led by veteran Yupaporn Kawinpakorn, who is
seeking a second LPGT crown after dominating the Pradera Verde leg
of the circuit last December.
Thanutra Boonraksasat, who turned back Princess Superal to snare
the last LPGT crown at Manila Southwoods last month, is also back for
a shot at a second straight championship.
LPGT leg winners Onkanok Soisuwan, Supakchaya Pattaranakrueang and
Wannasiri Sirisampant along with Chatprapa Siriprakob, Saraporn Chamchoi
and Ornnicha Konsunthea are also coming into the event in top form and
are brimming with confidence, guaranteeing a spirited battle for top honors.
But a compact nine-player local side will be more than ready to
defend its turf with Superal hoping to recall her fierce form on a course
that best suits her game with the backing of fellow former Symetra Tour
campaigners Mia Piccio and Cyna Rodriguez along with Chihiro Ikeda,
Daniella Uy, Marvi Monsalve, Alex Etter and Gretchen Villacencio.
Though relatively flat, the par-71 MGC is expected to provide a
different kind of challenge for the competing 97-player field, including
seven amateurs, with its narrow fairways, hazards and fairways and
greenside bunkers that come into play in most holes.
With that, the Hotshots tied the series and set the stage
for a sudden-death Game 3 also at the same Cubao venue.
Six players scored in double digits for the Hotshots
led by Ian Sangalang with 21 points and nine rebounds
in just 21 minutes of action.
Robbie Herndon also tallied 18 points off the bench
while Jio Jalalon posted 17 points, five rebounds, six
assists and five steals.
Meanwhile, Sol Mercado was the only bright spot
for the Kings with his 13 points, six rebounds and
three assists.
JBU
LIU
RAY Parks attacks the basket against a Turkish defender during the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament
in this file photo.
Batang Gilas in good hands
It was coach Sandy’s name
that got more and more
traction until the SBP finally
made it official
After so many months in limbo, Batang
Gilas finally has a semblance of stability,
especially with the Samahang Basketbol
ng Pilipinas (SBP) appointing a new head
coach in long-time Ateneo de Manila
University mentor Sandy Arespacochaga.
It was not much of a surprise to those
who, in one way or another, were in the
loop, so to speak. For months, several
names have been floated as possible
replacements to former Batang Gilas
coach Josh Reyes. Tab Baldwin, who is
coach Sandy’s mentor in Ateneo, was for
many, the leading candidate.
In recent weeks, however, it was
coach Sandy’s name that got more and
more traction until the SBP finally made
it official.
Right off the bat, it was a lauded
decision because of his reputation as a
very level-headed bench presence and
very effective teacher of the game.
I know this first-hand, having had the
privilege of being coach Sandy’s colleague
(as a teacher) in Ateneo (he taught
Araling Panlipunan for years before
going into coaching full-time) and also
having seen him help mold the character
of so many Blue Eagles over the years.
It’s also good that, in his first on-cam
interview with CNN Philippines after
the official announcement, coach Sandy
deflected a lot of credit for Batang Gilas’
success to the team’s former coaches,
especially coach Josh, who helmed the
team when they qualified to the FIBA
U19 World Cup.
It’s clear that coach Sandy appreciates
the groundwork that has been laid out by
the previous coaches, but it’s also very
good to know that he has a clear vision
for the future of Batang Gilas.
This early, coach Sandy understands
the dire situation of the team, especially
with both the U19 World Cup and U16 Asia
Championship taking place in a couple of
months’ time. He also knows the value of
preparing extra early for next year’s FIBA
U18 Asia Championship.
I know for a fact coach Sandy hit
the ground running, meeting as many
Hot Take Hoops
Enzo Flojo
coaches and scouts who can provide the
best possible collection of youth talents for
Batang Gilas.
He said he intends to keep last year’s
U18 squad as intact as possible for the U19
World Cup this year and begin training
the U16 squad and next year’s U18 pool in
earnest as well.
Who are the players who can possibly
be called up by coach Sandy?
He has a clear vision for the future
of Batang Gilas.
Well, the key generations for this year
and next year are those born from 2000-2004.
Batang Gilas will likely be composed of the best
players born 2000-2002 for the U19 World Cup
and then the best players born 2003-2004 for
the U16 Asia tourney. Those born 2002-2004
will probably be called up for next year’s U18
Asia as well.
Right off the top of my head, the biggest
names I expect to be invited include the
following (classified by year born):
Born 2000: AJ Edu, Dalph Panopio,
Rhayyan Amsali, Dave Ildefonso and Mark
Nonoy
Born 2001: Gerry Abadiano, Carl Tamayo,
Geo Chiu and Terrence Fortea
Born 2002: Kai Sotto, Raven Cortez,
Forth Padrigao and Josh Lazaro
Born 2003: Francis Lopez, Kenji
Duremdes, Ian Espinosa and Kean Baclaan
Born 2004: Aaron Ganal, Ethan Alian,
Mason Amos and Prince Alao
There are so many more talented players,
of course, and I’m 100 percent confident
coach Sandy and his staff will make sure
our country will be well-represented by the
Batang Gilas in the tournaments they will join
this year and next.
Laban Pilipinas!

"
16
WORLD
Ties that overcome trials
A rich country that “nobody can
threaten or look down upon”
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad
profusely praised China on Monday for how it has
transformed itself from a developing country with very
poor capacity into a technological leader able to send
a probe to the moon within just a short span of time.
“They were behind us before, but now they are ahead
of us,” he said at a local convention meant to promote
Malaysia’s image as a rising Asian economy. He attributed
China’s success to its hardworking people and its resolve
to realize the objective of being a fully-developed country, a
rich country that “nobody can threaten or look down upon.”
As the world’s oldest incumbent head of government,
the 93-year-old certainly has gained a lot of insights
over the years when it comes to the development path
China has taken and the country’s intentions toward
its international partners. That’s why the veteran
politician supports China’s Belt and Road Initiative
(BRI) and reportedly will lead the Malaysian delegation
at the second Belt and Road Forum for International
Cooperation to be held in Beijing later this month.
China has always striven for win-win outcomes.
The friendly relations between the two countries
can be traced back to the 15th century. And in 1974,
Malaysia became the first member of the Association
of Southeast Asian Nations to establish diplomatic
relations with China. Such a long-standing relationship
is resilient enough to withstand temporary difficulties
and even setbacks. There are already reports that the
two governments are in talks over the canceled railway
project, with the possibility of it being revived on a
smaller scale.
Tuesday, 9 April 2019
Daily Tribune
China has always striven for win-win outcomes and
never sought a beggar-thy-neighbor policy when developing
friendly relations with other nations. So long as the two
countries pursue shared growth through consultation
and collaboration and observe market principles and
international rules, any problems that appear can be
resolved to the benefit of both.
China Daily
But that does not mean the two countries always
see eye to eye with each other. Bilateral relations hit a
snag last year when shortly after taking office, Mahathir
canceled two major infrastructure projects in Malaysia
that were part of the BRI — a railway and a natural gas
pipeline with a combined worth of about $22 billion —
citing their high costs and corruption allegations against
his predecessor as the reasons for the decision.
This was seen by some as an attempt by Malaysia
to pivot away from China amid the alleged threat of
“neocolonialism,” even though Mahathir has rejected such
a claim on many occasions and has reaffirmed Malaysia’s
policy of retaining and improving its relationship with
China — its biggest investor and trading partner.
Going green Two peacocks made of plants and flowers bloom in a traffic roundabout in Nanjing, East China’s Jiangsu province. Since 2013, Nanjing has built 863 kilometers
of green walkways, transforming abandoned paths and muddy “wild roads” in the city.
CHINA DAILY
HOMELAND SECURITY CHIEF OUT
Trump’s revolving
door spins anew
Fighting rages near Tripoli
TRIPOLI — The US on Sunday appealed for an
“immediate halt” to a military offensive by Libyan
strongman Khalifa Hifter, as clashes raged near the
capital Tripoli despite a UN call for a ceasefire.
Haftar’s forces and the UN-backed unity government
exchanged air strikes Sunday, three days after Hifter
launched an offensive to seize the capital.
There is no military solution to the
Libya conflict.
The unity government said the fighting had killed
21 people, while the United Nations said there had
been “no truce” despite calls for a two-hour pause in
fighting for civilians and the wounded to flee.
Oil-rich Libya has been riven by chaos since the
NATO-backed uprising in 2011 that killed dictator
Moamer Kadhafi, as rival administrations and armed
groups have battled for power.
Hifter’s offensive has threatened to plunge the country
into a full-blown civil war and once again derail tentative
diplomatic efforts to find a solution to Libya’s woes.
“We have made clear that we oppose the military
offensive by Khalifa Hifter’s forces and urge the immediate
halt to these military operations against the Libyan
capital,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said late Sunday.
“This unilateral military campaign against Tripoli is
endangering civilians and undermining prospects for a
better future for all Libyans,” he added.
Pompeo stressed that there is “no military solution
to the Libya conflict” and urged all parties to return
to “political negotiations” mediated by the UN. AP
I have determined that it is the right
time for me to step aside
WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump on Sunday
announced the departure of Homeland Secretary Kirstjen
Nielsen, underscoring his intent to toughen immigration policy
amid a surge in illegal crossings along the southern border.
Nielsen’s exit marks the end of a difficult relationship with
her boss, who was said to be unhappy with her performance
despite her unswerving loyalty and full-throated defense of
the president’s most controversial policies.
During her 18 months at the helm of the powerful agency,
the 46-year-old became synonymous with the controversial
practice of separating children from their parents, making her
a frequent target of progressive groups and the Democratic
opposition who repeatedly called on her to resign.
None of this, however, seems to have been enough for
Trump.
“Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen will
be leaving her position and I would like to thank her for her
service,” Trump tweeted Sunday.
He added US Customs and Border Protection Commissioner
Kevin McAleenan would become acting secretary.
“Despite our progress in reforming homeland security for
a new age, I have determined that it is the right time for me
to step aside,” Nielsen said in a resignation letter she later
shared on Twitter.
The move came just two days after she and Trump visited
the Mexican border in California together, with the president
delivering a stern message to would-be illegal immigrants and
asylum seekers: “Our country is full.”
AFP
Snared Researchers using tracking devices to combating a destructive invasion by enormous pythons have
captured one of the biggest ever caught in southern Florida, a 17-foot-long specimen large enough to eat a
deer. The female snake is longer than a one-story building and weighs 140 pounds.
AFP
===============================================
===============================
Case Law
By VICTOR C. AVECILLA
Masbate v. Relucio
G.R. No. 235498, 30 July 2018 / Second Division / Perlas-Bernabe, J.
Remedial Law; Custody of Minor Illegitimate Children. – As a general
rule, the father and the mother shall jointly exercise parental authority
over the persons of their common children. Where illegitimate children
are concerned, Article 176 of the Family Code states that illegitimate
children shall be under the parental authority of their mother.
Accordingly, mothers are entitled to the sole parental authority of
their illegitimate children, notwithstanding the father’s recognition
of the child. In the exercise of that authority, mothers are
consequently entitled to keep their illegitimate children in their
company and the courts will not deprive them of custody,
absent any imperative cause showing the mother’s unfitness to
exercise such authority and care. (VOLUME 2, NUMBER 70)
===============================================
============================
Mind the gap A section of a bridge in Brazil's Para collapsed into the Moju River after colliding with a ferryboat. Scuba
divers were searching the river for victims and five of the ship's crew members were said to have survived the crash. AFP
Last ace: Brexit compromise
LONDON — Cross-party talks to jumpstart
plans for Brexit are expected to resume before
the UK’s Friday deadline for leaving the European
Union, and the opposition Labour Party is hopeful
the country’s political impasse can be resolved, a
party negotiator said Sunday.
British Prime Minister Theresa May reluctantly
reached out to Labour lawmakers Tuesday after
Parliament voted down her divorce deal with the
EU for the third time. The move infuriated pro-Brexit
lawmakers in her Conservative Party and three days
BRIEFS
of bargaining with the opposition didn’t yield a
compromise agreement.
While Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn faulted
the government, saying it showed no willingness
to budge from its previous Brexit positions, Labour
business minister Rebecca Long-Bailey held out hope
and said further discussions are expected.
The talks’ “overall mood is quite a positive and
hopeful one” despite the government’s
“disappointing” failure to shift its stance
on several issues. AP
Korean Air chair dies
Korean Air’s chairman Cho Yang-ho, whose leadership included scandals such as his daughter’s infamous
incident of “nut rage,” has died due to illness, the company said Monday. He had been indicted on multiple
charges, including embezzlement and tax evasion and his death came two weeks after a shareholder vote
to remove the 70-year-old from the company’s board over a series of scandals surrounding the ruling family.
Cho’s death will likely force a court to dismiss his criminal case.
AP
Terrorist tag
The Trump administration is preparing to designate Iran’s Revolutionary Guard a “foreign terrorist
organization,” an unprecedented move against a national armed force that could have widespread
implications for US personnel and policy in the Middle East and elsewhere. Officials informed of the
step said an announcement was expected Monday, after a months-long escalation in the administration’s
rhetoric against Iran, its support for militia groups in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen, as well as
anti-Israel groups in the region and beyond.
AP
Ransom frees hostages
A US tourist and a safari guide kidnapped by gunmen in a Ugandan national park have been recovered
safe and sound after a ransom was paid for their release, a safari firm said on Sunday. The pair were
hauled from their safari vehicle by four gunmen around dusk on Tuesday as they drove through the Queen
Elizabeth National Park. Mike Walker, manager of Wild Frontiers Safaris, said US tourist Kimberly Endicott
and experienced guide Jean-Paul Mirenge, were “back safe.”
AP
CHO

Tuesday, 9 April 2019
Daily Tribune
Hellboy’s back
This movie reboot has a darker tone, much more grounded in
horror (rated R in America)
SPOTLIGHT 17
Where are
the tigers?
Hellboy, the legendary half-demon superhero,
is back this April, but not as a continuation to
the 2004 and 2008 fantasy-heavy Hellboy films
by visionary writer/director Guillermo del Toro.
Instead, this movie reboot has a darker tone,
much more grounded in horror (rated R in
America), and is composed of a new cast and a
new creative team that includes Mike Mignola,
the creator of the Hellboy comic books, acting
as a co-executive producer.
Now directed by award-winning director Neil
Marshall (Dog Soldiers, The Descent, Game
of Thrones), it stars two-time Emmy Award
Best Supporting Actor nominee David Harbour
(Chief Jim Hopper in Stranger Things) in
the titular role. Hellboy is seen being called
to the English countryside to battle a trio of
rampaging giants. This is part of his job in the
government organization called B.P.R.D. (Bureau
for Paranormal Research and Defense).
While in pursuit of the giants, Hellboy
encounters Nimue the Blood Queen, played by
the stunning Resident Evil star Milla Jovovich.
This vengeful fifth-century sorceress wants to
get him on her side so that together they can
end mankind.
While the movie will show some explanation
on the background of
Hellboy — that he
was summoned
from the depths
of hell on a
stormy island
off the coast of
Scotland — it
begins right
in the
middle
of
THE legendary half-demon superhero is back on the big screen.
NEA Crossword Puzzle
© 2018 UFS, Dist. by Andrews McMeel Syndication for UFS
ACROSS
1 Arab leader
5 Pallet
8 Food steamers
12 Nerve network
13 NW state
14 Territory
15 Ego
16 Ache soother
18 Inelegant
solution
20 Locate
21 Compass pt.
22 Tempe inst.
23 Eucalyptus
eater
26 Ants’ morsels
29 Motives
30 Harness
31 TV band
33 Speed off
34 Slow pitches
the action. It is also “truer to the comic,”
says Mike Mignola, “in that Hellboy’s been
out in the world, not a top-secret, hidden-away
guy.” He has a “been there, done that vibe,”
a trait that Mignola patterned after his
father, a Korean War veteran.
Harbour says, “In our movie, he’s very
much dealing with his own being ostracized
from society.” He is a lot more “emotionally
explosive” compared to the Hellboy version
of Ron Perlman.
Harbour expounds, “It’s a classically
complicated hero. He’s a creature that was
meant to bring about the end of the world,
and he just sort of wants to be a good guy.
He’s got that complexity to him. He’s also
a monster who lives among human beings,
so he’s in a sense fighting for human beings
against his fellow monsters, and yet the
humans hate him because they fear him
and they think he’s weird-looking and
everything.”
Having a big role in Hellboy’s life is
Trevor Brutteholm, his adoptive father and
founder of the B.P.R.D. Played by Golden
Globe Best Actor Ian McShane (Deadwood),
his version of Brutteholm is “a much harder
character who doesn’t sympathize with
Hellboy questioning his place in the world.”
It is also “truer to the comic,” says
Mike Mignola, “in that Hellboy’s been
out in the world, not a top-secret,
hidden-away guy.”
McShane calls it “nice and bittersweet”
taking over the role from “his dear old
friend” John Hurt, but he was pleased
to have worked with Harbour in
Bulgaria for three weeks. He is
proud to say that the filmmakers
“picked the right guy” in Harbour.
As for Nimue the Blood Queen,
she is depicted in the comics as
a witch from Arthurian Britain
who was cast out and trapped
underground for 1,500 years.
This could be the reason she’s
thirsting for vengeance.
In response to what kind
of power her character has,
Jovovich says, “She is able to
throw plague and sickness on
people.”
In spite of this, the actress
believes that the Blood Queen
is “terribly misunderstood.” She
explains, “The Blood Queen’s
35 Tiny jumper
36 Prized statuettes
38 Stall
39 Use sparingly
40 Web address
41 Fair offering
43 Turn into bone
46 Store up (2 wds.)
48 Third-quarter tide
50 Diviner
51 Also not
52 French I verb
53 Belief systems
54 Almost-grads
55 Thrilled
DOWN
1 Uh’s kin
2 Gentle
3 “-- cost you”
4 Makes a pit
stop
5 Hull’s bottom
6 Falco or
Sedgwick
7 Aykroyd or
Marino
8 Moolah
9 Two-color
cookie
10 Superman’s
alias
11 Grabbed a
chair
17 Newsstand buy
19 Double helix
22 Scroll cabinets
23 Utility bill abbr.
SUDOKU
DAVID Harbour brings to life the iconic character.
plan is so beautiful, something that all people
want to achieve and it’s actually very relevant
to what’s happening in our world. It’s trying to
bring people together even though they are very
disparate communities, monsters and humans,
and bring the world into one so that everybody
is protecting each other… I come in peace. It’s
not my fault I’m a strong woman.”
Being “a powerful and strong woman” was
actually Harbour’s first impression of Jovovich
whom he had only known from movies like The
Fifth Element. And because of that, the actor
admitted to be “a little worried” working with
her, but upon meeting her, he discovered that
“she is such a pro” and he enjoyed the “level of
love” she has for making a movie.
Other characters that are appearing for the
first time are Alice Monaghan, played by Sasha
Lane (American Honey) and Ben Daimo, played
by Daniel Dae Kim (Lost, The Divergent Series:
Insurgent), Hellboy’s companions in saving the
world.
Monaghan is depicted as a woman of Irish
descent who retained some magical abilities
after she was kidnapped by fairies as a baby.
In the comics, she was rescued by Hellboy from
her kidnappers.
Daimo is a Japanese-American military
member of B.P.R.D. who acquired the power to
transform into a jaguar when angered or in pain
after a supernatural encounter.
Hellboy is filled with incredible action and
Harbour prepared well for it, saying that “it’s the
most physical role (he’s) ever played.” Hollywood
trainer Don Saladino put him through “a rigorous
10-week boot camp, involving kettlebells,
medicine balls, machine weights, dumbbells
and weighted sleds — and that was just to kick
things off.”
Harbour says, “I put on a lot of muscle and I got
really strong and a lot of the training was power,
because there’s a lot of stunts in the movie. There
are two amazing Bulgarian Olympic wrestlers who
did most of the Hellboy stunts, but there still was
a lot of close-up stuff that I had to do.”
As for his weapons, Harbour shares, “He’s
got this big hand cannon and he’s also got this
big Right Hand of Doom, so there’s a lot of big
fights and there’s a lot of swinging that big right
hand around.”
24 Columbus’ state
25 Votes in favor
26 Ears of corn
27 Wall Street
optimist
28 One-time
Queens
ballpark
30 Yesteryear
32 Ms. Wray
34 Bodies of water
35 Lions and tigers
37 Fragrant trees
38 AMA members
40 Exploiters
41 Wishes undone
42 Particular
43 Smell
44 Big party
45 Wild tale
46 Tire pressure
meas.
47 Connections
49 Hamster, maybe
Answer to previous puzzle
by Ramon Lorenzo
Write a numeral from 1 to 9 in each box so that each
appears only once in each row, column and 3 x 3 box.
Answer for yesterday’s puzzle
Tigers are known to be the
largest members of the cat
family and are considered
to be the most iconic and
fascinating endangered
species on the planet. Over
the last century, tigers
have declined about 96
percent in population
with poaching and
habitat as the
main drivers for
extinction. A
century ago, there
were 100,000 tigers
roaming the planet
but today, as few as
3,890 tigers remain
in the wild.
Discovery and
World Wildlife Fund US
(WWF-US) set their sights
on Russia’s Bikin National
Park, a habitat featured in the
upcoming Discovery Channel documentary
“Tigerland.” “Tigerland” is part of Discovery Inc. and World
Wildlife Fund’s Project C.A.T. initiative, a global effort to
double the population of tigers living in the wild by 2022.
Get to know the different types of tigers, their unique
features and characteristics:
Bengal tiger
This type of tiger is found primarily in India with smaller
populations in Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, China and
Myanmar. It is the most common species of tiger and there
are approximately 2,500 left in the wild. Bengal tigers can be
found in warm and wet environments such as temperate forests,
grassland and mangrove forests. Bengal tigers are particularly
powerful hunters and very greedy, consuming up to 40 kilos of meat
in one sitting! Intense poaching to meet a growing demand from
Asia in recent years has put the Bengal tiger at risk of extinction.
Siberian tiger
Siberian (or Amur) tigers are the world’s largest cats and are
renowned for their power and strength. They live primarily in
eastern Russia’s birch forests, though some exist in China and
North Korea. There are as few as 540 left in the wild and they have
become extinct in Korea. Siberian tigers are adapted to survive the
harsh cold with their thick long fur, and have to roam large areas
of woodland to find food due to low prey densities.
Sumatran tiger
Sumatran tigers are the smallest surviving tiger in the wild,
residing on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. This species of tiger
can be most easily identified by their particularly thick black
stripes on their orange coats. There are fewer than 400 left in the
wild, despite increased efforts in tiger conservation. They live in
warm, wet climates such as tropical broad-leaf evergreen forests,
freshwater swamp forests, and peat swamps.
Malayan tiger
Until recently, Malayan tigers were classified as Indochinese
tigers, until DNA testing in 2004 showed them to be a separate
subspecies. Malayan tigers are found only on the Malay Peninsula,
or the southern tip of Thailand, and there are as few as 250 left in
the wild. Malayan tigers have shy personalities compared with other
tiger species, preferring to stay concealed in the dense greenery of
the tropical moist broad-leaf forests, surreptitiously stalking their
prey, before retreating back into seclusion and safety.
South China tiger
Today, the South China tiger is considered by scientists to be
“functionally extinct,” as it has sadly not been sighted in the wild
for more than 25 years. Once peaking at a population of over 4,000,
the South China tiger spanned the region from Hunan and Jiangxi
in the north, all the way to Hong Kong. However, the tiger became
too dominant and thousands were culled as part of pest control
measures. The Government of China banned hunting in the late
70s and has since declared the goal to reintroduce South China
Tigers into the wild again.
Discovery Channel’s Tigerland tells the story of two remarkable
men separated by half a century who through sheer force of will and
determination dedicated their lives to altering the fate of the tiger.
Directed by Academy-Award winning filmmaker Ross Kauffman
(Born into Brothels) and produced by Oscar winner Fisher Stevens
(The Cove), Tigerland is the story about our relationship with one
of the world’s most revered creatures.
FEW tigers
remain in the
wild.
D A I L Y G O S P E L
Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Great Lent
After this Jesus went about
in Galilee. He did not wish to go
about in Judea because the Jews
were looking for an opportunity
to kill him. Now the Jewish
festival of Booths was near.
So his brothers said to him,
‘Leave here and go to Judea so
that your disciples also may
see the works you are doing;
for no one who wants to be
widely known acts in secret.
If you do these things, show
yourself to the world.’ (For
not even his brothers believed
in him.)
Jesus said to them, ‘My time
has not yet come, but your time
is always here.
The world cannot hate you,
but it hates me because I testify
against it that its works are evil.
Go to the festival yourselves. I
am not going to this festival, for
John 7:1-13
my time has not yet fully come.’
After saying this, he remained
in Galilee.
But after his brothers had
gone to the festival, then he also
went, not publicly but as it were
in secret.
The Jews were looking for
him at the festival and saying,
‘Where is he?’
And there was considerable
complaining about him among
the crowds. While some were
saying, ‘He is a good man’,
others were saying, ‘No, he is
deceiving the crowd.’
Yet no one would speak
openly about him for fear of
the Jews.

18
LIFESTYLE
Tuesday, 9 April 2019
Daily Tribune
A HAPPY
restaurateur
I want my restaurants to be timeless and serve quality
food that people will crave for
By Pauline L. Songco
Photos by Al Padilla
Happy Ongpauco-Tiu, a chef and known restaurateur, was
practically born into the food industry. At 23, she wanted to make
it on her own just like her parents Rod Ongpauco and Liberty
Ilagan, the couple who put up the quintessential Filipino
restaurant, Barrio Fiesta.
Needless to say, she was trained at an early age. By the time
she had to attend college, Happy chose to study culinary arts
at the Culinary Institute of America in New York. “Growing
up, my playground was the restaurants of my family. There, it
just became innate in me. After college, I decided to put up
my own brands which I have now,” she told Daily Tribune.
A simple woman but with a discerning palate, Happy
was so inspired with the life she grew up in that she
decided to venture into it on her own. “I was inspired by
how my parents were able to expand their brand after
college. The plan was I was going to work for them, but
instead, behind my dad’s back I maxed out my credit
card and put up a small, 20-seater restaurant. From
there, I made it on my own so I’m really thankful to God
that I was able to save up and branch out and I came up
with new concepts,” Happy said.
I’m just really passionate about serving good food and
making people happy.
Twenty years after, she was able to establish the Happy
Concept Group, a growing food empire consisting of her own
dining concepts like Pamana, Hawaiian BBQ, World Topps,
Tsokolateria, Bento Box and a bespoke private dining service.
HOME tabletop pieces.
“Right now, I have a total of 14 going on 15 branches.
I’m opening one in El Nido this April. I do private
dining, catering and Mom Made which are frozen,
ready-to-cook dishes as well,” Happy shared.
She attributes her success to having a
hardworking and dedicated team by her side
ever since she established her first restaurant.
“I’m lucky that I have a wonderful team behind
me, my loyal staff who’s working so hard
just to support me in all my endeavors. I’m
grateful for them.”
At first, it may seem like a complicated
job managing 14 restaurants at once, but
that doesn’t seem to be the case for Happy.
“My priorities are my family, so of course
everything revolves around the schedule of my
kids. When I work or when I do caterings or
meetings, I first have to check the schedule
of my children. And when I know that they
are in school, that’s when I schedule my work.
It’s really all about family.”
And it is Happy’s passion for creating
wonderful moments for her clients that led her to
partner with Pottery Barn, GLAD Philippines and
Rustan’s. These brands recently celebrated Happy’s
20th anniversary in the food business. These brands
share with Happy the same values in dining, which
are infusing quality and comfort in any food, with
meticulously crafted products that are, as Happy
said, staple and timeless.
At first, it may seem like a complicated
job managing 14 restaurants at once,
but that doesn’t seem to be the case
for Happy.
“Whenever I start a new venture, it has
to be a staple concept with a staple dish. I
want my restaurants to be timeless and serve
quality food that people will crave for. No
need for big advertisements or expensive
marketing strategies, just good staple food
that people come back for. That’s how I
do my businesses,” Happy shared. “I’m
just really passionate about serving good
food and making people happy.”
What’s in store for this happy
restaurateur in 2019? She said, “I’m
opening Tsokolateria in Quezon
City and April in El Nido, Palawan.
Hopefully next year I want to be
able to franchise Tsokolateria.”
POTTERY Barn Kids Spring-Summer 2019
collection.
Sleek yet durable lunch boxes
In the Philippines, the lunch box brings
up memories of childhood and meals that
end up cold and runny; edible, but not quite
as satisfying as it could be. At its worst, the
food inside can spoil before consumption.
The practice of carrying a lunch box
often continues into adulthood, with many
taking a packed lunch to work in order
to enjoy a healthier and fresher meal.
Yet, despite the efforts at reheating food,
lunches never taste as fresh as it should be.
Enter the Vaya Tyffyn. The design defies
the conventional approach to pre-packed
meals by providing consumers with the
option to pack a multi-course meal every
day instead of the typical combination of
rice and a main dish.
It is a unique lunch box with key
features such as a collapsible handle; sleek,
stainless steel body; leak-resistant lids with
integrated gaskets; partitions that can carry
more than one dish in each container;
heat-protective finger grips; replaceable
copper-finished, polished-stainless steel
containers; stainless steel pressurizing
latches and its proprietary Vacutherm
Insulation technology that keeps food hot
or cold for six hours.
The Vaya Tyffyn comes in three
different sizes for all appetites: 600ml
(two containers); 1,000ml (three
containers) and 1,300ml (four containers).
It is now available online at vayalife.com
VAYA Tyffyn
lunchbox.
HOME ESSENTIALS
Cooking made easy
with smart oven
The Samsung Smart Oven is the
homemakers’ perfect partner in making
nutritious dishes and snacks for the whole
family. It’s packed with ingenious features
that ensure quick and even cooking while
preserving food’s nutritional values. Make
healthy and delicious meals starting with
these dishes:
COOK delicious and nutritious meals with the Samsung Smart Oven.
1. A healthy source of protein, roast
chicken is a versatile dish that can be
served in many ways. Chop it up and mix
it with fried rice, make a yummy chicken
and vegetable sandwich, or make fun
chicken strips with extra sauce. With the
Smart Oven’s Hot Blast technology, roast
chicken comes out crispy on the outside
and juicy on the inside. This dynamic
appliance also comes with a wide grill
that lets users cook food more evenly
by ensuring consistent heat distribution,
allowing them to enjoy perfectly grilled
and browned chicken every time.
2. Parents can
introduce heart-healthy
omega-3 to their
kids’ diet with
juicy grilled
salmon or
tuna. Rub
the fish with
herbs before
cooking for a
refreshing taste, or coat it with teriyaki
sauce for a sweet and meaty flavor. It’s
easy to cook this tasty dish with the oven’s
grill feature. Home cooks can just place
the marinated fish on the high rack that
comes with the appliance, press the grill
button and set the grilling time. In just
60 minutes or less, they’ll get a flavorful
serving of healthy and evenly cooked
meal.
3. Mom and dad
can add a fun twist to
everyone’s favorite,
pizza, by topping
sliced bread with
baked vegetables
(such as bell pepper
and eggplants),
mushrooms, tomato
sauce and cheese.
They can also add
pesto or nuts for
added flavor and
crunch. The oven
comes with 10 Hot
Blast auto features
that provide
pre-programmed cooking times. Users
can simply assemble their ingredients on
the oven’s plate and select the setting for
their dish.
4. The Slim Fry Technology reduces the
amount of oil one will need to create easy
snacks. They can chop up sweet potatoes or
carrots and turn them into healthy crisps.
For best results, they can opt to use olive or
sunflower oil.
5. There’s nothing like a healthy
dessert to complete a kid’s baon. With the
Fermentation function, mom can bake her
own bread or create homemade yogurt.
Transform bananas into fluffy muffins or
chop them up together with apples and
berries for a filling yogurt snack.
The oven’s Eco Mode reduces electricity
consumption with its low standby power.
When not in use, it uses minimal energy to
maintain its basic functions.
For more fun recipes to try with the
Samsung Smart Oven, visit samsung.com/
ph/smartovenrecipes.
THREE brands celebrated this
restaurateur’s passion for creating
wonderful moments.
Reflect on
how Jesus lived
Commemorate the Lenten season with
interactive Stations of the Cross and a free
concert
With over a decade of bringing life to the true meaning of
Holy Week through the “Walkway: Reflections on the Stations
of the Cross” exhibit, Bonifacio High Street together with
Church Simplified once again rolls it out from 14 to 21 April
with this year’s theme focusing on how Jesus lived during
the Roman rule.
Moving away from the traditional depictions of the Passion
of Christ, the Walkway uses contemporary art to give meaning
to each immersive station that features literal structures and
symbols telling the story of Jesus’ life.
Reflection for the whole family
Cap off the Holy Week with Easter Sunday festivities on
21 April, 3 p.m., at the Bonifacio High Street Activity Center,
with a Hawaiian-themed Tiki Easter Adventure for the kids
to enjoy and the Walkway Concert that asks people, “What
is your resurrection story?” The free music festival will be
featuring local acts Unique, Urbandub, South Border, Barbie
Almalbis and Aia de Leon.
“BGC has always been a destination for those staying in
the metro. For over a decade, the Walkway is a respite that
lets everyone reflect within the confines of the city, and
has transformed many relationships and lives,” said Joanne
Magno, associate city marketing manager of Fort Bonifacio
Development Corporation.
This Holy Week, all roads lead to BGC, where Lent is a
celebration of life and love.
THE exhibit brings to life the true meaning of Holy Week.

Tuesday, 9 April 2019
Daily Tribune
LIFESTYLE 19
She steers
her own life
For all the advances we had been making in workplaces and
corridors of power, the gender dynamics of dating and romance still
seemed so outdated
By Kathleen A. Llemit
Filipinas who have always felt frustrated
with societal norms when it comes to dating
may now rejoice. Bumble has found its way into
the country’s dating scene, but along with its
entry comes an edge over existing dating apps
— women make the first move.
Yes, that’s right. You heard it right. The app,
which can now be downloaded in both Apple
and Play stores, puts the power in women’s
individuals with the same preferences and
options; as well as a snooze button, which she
can activate for her digital detox days.
The app might strike one as being women-centric
but same-sex matches also happen within. This time,
either of the parties can make the first move
and the 24-hour rule still takes effect.
Five years into the business and over 50
million users around the world, the company
she founded, which was initially tagged as the
feminist app, has evolved into more than just one.
MICHELLE Battersby, Bumble associate marketing director for APAC.
Pictures of gaiety and fluidity
German Club Manila presents “Kunstausstellung:
Fermin + Geisert,” an exhibit of recent works by
Anthony Fermin and Carmela Laurin-Geisert, with a
vernissage on 11 April at 6 p.m.
Fermin hails from Cebu and his works have
exhibited locally, making the rounds in Cebu, Bacolod,
Dumaguete, Palawan and Manila. He had an exhibit
at the ArtistSpace of Ayala Museum in Makati City
in 2013, which was well-attended. Abroad, he has
participated in shows at the Zurich Hall in Vienna,
Austria; The Athenaeum in San Diego, California;
the 2005 International Artists Assemblage in Berlin,
germany; and at the Expo 2000 Ostrich Egg for South
Africa Children Exhibit in Hanover, Germany.
Fermin’s paintings embody rich, colorful and
multi-layered aspects of Filipino culture, preferring
to populate his canvases with crowds of people on
streets and public spaces such as shops, markets,
roads and plazas. His interpretation of figures,
vehicles and even animals project whimsy, optimism
and positivity in each brushstroke. He injects gaiety
and joy in each piece as he delves into areas of
commerce and progress, figures ever moving and
enjoying life as exciting prospects abound in each
square inch of his works.
Born in Manila, Laurin-Geisert was raised in Taguig,
who became president of the Asia Grand View Hotel in
Coron, Palawan, and one of the recipients of the 2005
Manila’s Best Dressed Awards. It is her passion for art
that drives her to create while she straddles work, travel,
photography, makeup and fashion. Getting hold of pastel
crayons and charcoal and sketching during long-haul
flights has now led her to the exploration of fluid art
and abstract expressionism.
For this exhibit, Laurin-Geisert marks her artistic
journey with blossoms that draw a parallel to her
blooming artistic career. Her pieces remind one of
leisurely strolls in gardens with special attention
paid to bright clor combinations of flowers and
foliage. She lets her paint flow on canvas, respecting
her medium’s fluid disposition and saturated lines.
With their organic and free-flowing characteristics,
it wouldn’t be hard to imagine her paintings printed
on fabric such as scarves and bags, as a nod to her
fashion background.
“Kunstausstellung: Fermin + Geisert” shows
until 7 May at the German Club Manila at the
Penthouse of Eurovilla II, 118 V.A. Rufino Street,
Legaspi Village, Makati City. Call the German
Club Manila at 817-3552 or contact Chie Chua at
0995-5511524.
ANTHONY Fermin’s interpretation of tricycle.
BUMBLE empowers all women to make the first move in dating, friendship and professional networking.
hands to steer her dating life. What’s even more
wonderful is the 24-hour rule. Say, a woman
finds her match. She can send a message to
her match and that person has to reply within
24 hours otherwise their match will disappear.
“When I founded Bumble in 2014, I had seen
so many of the smart, wonderful women in my
life still waiting around for men to ask them
out,” Whitney Wolfe Herd, Bumble founder, said
in a statement.
“For all the advances we had been making in
workplaces and corridors of power, the gender
dynamics of dating and romance still seemed so
outdated. I thought, what if I could flip that on
its head? What if women sent the first message?”
There is more to the
29-year-old power figure
who was named in the
2017 and 2018 Forbes 30
under 30 and 2018 Time 100
list. Wolfe Herd co-founded
Tinder in 2012 until she left
the company in 2014. Her
departure was marred by
controversy after she filed
a sexual harassment lawsuit
and won.
Culling from her
experience, the app has
the woman’s needs in mind.
Apart from females taking
the lead, it is designed to
further give her flexibility
and options. There are
filters and badges, which
allow her to match with
Empowered social network
In Bumble, there are three different modes.
There’s the dating mode for those who want to
find “The One.” Attuned with the other facets
of a regular woman’s life, Bumble launched
BFF in 2016. As its name suggests, the mode is
all for purely platonic activities within the app.
Five years into the business and over
50 million users around the world, the
company she founded, which was initially
tagged as the feminist app, has evolved
into more than just one.
A year later, Bumble Bizz was introduced in
October 2017 for those who are looking to build
their professional network.
“During our early days, Bumble was known
as the feminist dating app but we aren’t a
dating app anymore. We’re a social networking
app. We realized that we can empower women
in dating, now we want do it in BFF, and now
we are doing it in Bizz,” Michelle Battersby,
associate marketing director for Asia Pacific,
enthused.
With Bumble operating in the country for
empowered Filipinas who are tired of waiting
and being boxed in the Maria Clara mold, dating
becomes more fun, exciting and liberating. It’s a
win-win scenario for the brave Filipina woman.
To download the app, visit the App Store or
Google Play, or go to https://bumble.com/
The hero in Gemma
From page 20
DT: When did Ms. Philippines happen?
GCA: When I was working at the National Museum.
Bert Pedrosa, the husband of Chit; and Tony Abaya,
who used to own Erehwon bookstore, gave my name
to the Ms. Philippines organizers.
DT: What did your mommy say?
GCA: “Go ahead if you want to spend.” They could not do
anything anymore because my name was already submitted.
So, it was like they were saying, “Let’s see what you’ll get
out of this. You will surely regret it.” And we did not really
have much by way of coaching. It was just what you see is
what you get. I didn’t even have high-heeled shoes. And it
had to be white but my mom didn’t have white high-heeled
shoes so I was the only one who wore black shoes.
DT: Who were the judges?
GCA: Ramon Valera, Carmen Planas, who was a former
councilor; and then I think someone from the Associated
Press, the painter Llamas and one ambassador.
DT: How many were the candidates?
GCA: There were 14 and I was the number 13. So the
question was about this government official. And they
answered he was the Secretary of Foreign Affairs. When it
was my turn to answer, I said, he was the Acting Secretary
of Foreign Affairs. I was the only one who said it right.
DT: Were there other questions?
GCA: All about current events. The questions here
were more difficult than the ones asked in the United
States for the Miss International selection.
Nose flute
DT: What were the other parts of the contest?
GCA: After you wore the playsuit, you next wore the
GEMMA at the inauguration of the Escolta Community
Museum last 16 May 2015.
terno. And then you were asked to present your talent.
DT: What did you do?
GCA: I played a nose flute. The ones who sang
really sang well. Then, I played the nose flute. The other
candidates were shocked. It was all very new to them.
DT: Did you learn it fast?
GCA: There were only five notes. Kasi we would make
field trips to the Mountain Province.
Money for boys’ town and girls’ home
DT: So, after you won, what happened next?
GCA: I just got ready to travel. Of course, I would
exercise, which was just bending.
DT: Where was it held?
GCA: Long Beach, California.
DT: How was it?
GCA: Well, it was very exciting I didn’t know that I
was going to make it but I wanted to make it. According
to Bert Pedrosa and Tony Abaya I would be the center
of attention because I’m tall and I look like a Filipina.
Anyway when I saw the other girls, wow, they were all
beautiful. Mommy said we should probably go home
instead. By then, I had received a scholarship grant to
study in Mexico so I had two suitcases with me to bring
to Mexico after the contest.
Mommy said, “Anyway you’re not going to win, so
we’re going straight to Mexico from here.” But I won.
DT: What was your edge? Did they tell you later
why you won?
GCA: We were asked to write a speech and
while we were walking on stage, our speech would
be heard because we had recorded it earlier. So
later, one of the organizers told me, “Remember
Gemma when we asked the candidates to write
a speech and we could help write your own
speech, you just had to tell us what you wanted
to say, I was surprised when you said ‘I’ll write
my own speech.’” And when they read it, they
thought it was okay so they allowed me to
record it. I just said I wanted to win not for
me but for my country. If I win I would give
the prize money to Boys Town and the Girls
Home and for children who sleep in the streets.
So anyway, my mommy said I was right about saying
those things because, “You know how the Americans
are, they always want to know what you will do
with the money that they will give you. Sabi ko,
mommy naman (I said, but mommy) I really want
to donate it to Boys Town and Girls’ Home. She was
very amused. I guess that gave me points.”
“I WANTED to win not for me but for my country.”

20
LIFESTYLE
Dinah S. Ventura, Editor
Tuesday, 9 April 2019
Daily Tribune
Our hopefuls in this season of beauty pageants
should learn a thing or two about our original
international beauty titlist
Gemma Cruz Araneta is a woman for all seasons. I say this
because she is one beauty queen who has not faded from
the consciousness of the Filipino. Through the years, after
her reign as 1964 Miss International as our first international
beauty queen, she reinvented herself, although as to whether
it was intentional all the time or not is unclear to us.
She was an activist, surprisingly one who made a stand against beauty
contests that, she said, exploited women. She was an author, this time
not surprisingly because she inherited so much talent from her mother,
Chitang, who needs no introduction. Gemma was once the director of
our National Museum and at various times, a columnist.
Gemma, too, has been a jewelry designer, a tourism czarina of one
presidential administration and of a mayor’s administration in the City
of Manila. Of late, she has been at the forefront of heritage conservation.
She has also modeled in Paris even as she has not left the world of the
erudite. That’s being a true Guerrero,
this romance with one’s intellect, and,
of course, as true as being a Rizal,
her forebear Jose being the ultimate
genius, artist and thinker. And you can
add of this ancestor the qualities of a
sportsman, lover and patriot.
I have had a few dealings with
Gemma, mostly in connection with
CAPITAL S
Jojo G. Silvestre
The
HERO
in
Gemma
WHEN she
was growing
up, Gemma did
not think they
were different or
special.
articles I wrote about her. Just recently, though, she invited me to Manila
House where we had a long conversation, one that started in mid-afternoon
and went all the way to dinner. In this rarefied atmosphere, I asked her
anything and everything and she gave me not just answers, but an opening
to a prodigious mind. Through it all, she was “Miss Finesse and Grace”
inspiring in me to behave with a certain level of courtliness although by
the evening, I was acting like a long-lost sister. This one could make you
comfortable without you both having to descend to tittle-tattle level.
The exclusive interview reminds me of the night I visited her mother
Chitang Nakpil, who, I imagined, was going to be scary. Well, in the
presence of the late Chitang, one was enthralled and almost speechless,
except that she was so entertaining and so witty you forgot your fear of
her. In the case of Gemma, you had cordiality all over, and if there was
an occasional anger, it had to do with issues that, well, are indeed reasons
for national anger.
I hope Gemma won’t mind that I have cast her in a stellar role in my
new column, “Capital S.” This is after I have realized “Proust is Back”
has to hibernate (until further notice). “Capital S,” obviously, refers to
society with a capital “S” and with Gemma as my first subject, this should
give you an idea of what I mean by “Capital S.” This isn’t about money,
dahling, this is about something else and people like Gemma. And you’ll
have to take it from here.
Fittingly, I have included the part about her winning the Miss
Philippines and later the Miss International competition in California. Our
hopefuls in this season of beauty pageants should learn a thing or two
about our original international beauty titlist. It’s not just about beauty
and brains, dear. It’s obviously about breeding too, whether one has so
much money or only enough to live comfortably.
Excerpts from my conversation with Gemma:
Daily Tribune (DT): You’ve always been interested in culture; did
that go back a long way?
Gemma Cruz Araneta (GCA): Yes, because that was the atmosphere
in our family. When I grew up, after the war, we were staying with my
grandfather in Donada Street, Pasay. We built a house there after the war.
My grandfather was a Sunday painter. I remember seeing him every Sunday
—- he has this canvass and the oil paint, and he would start painting. He
painted Lapu-Lapu, he also painted the death of General Lawton; General
Lawton was shot from afar by General Geronimo. He painted that scene.
Maybe, he copied it from an old print. I think so because I’ve seen old prints
that look like his painting. My uncle who was a young Secretary of Foreign
Affairs lived there in the same house, and he went to Europe and he came
home with paintings of El Greco; of course, not original, but only museum
copies. I was really fascinated. Our home was decorated with paintings.
DT: Do you draw?
GCA: Alam mo naman (You know that) every child draws. But my
grandmother, the wife of Dr. Alfredo Guerrero, knew how to draw. She
would draw for us. She would draw flowers and they were very beautiful.
I should have collected them but, you know, as I child, I didn’t think of
those things. But now I’m wondering why she never developed that talent.
I guess nobody encouraged her to do so. And then she would tell us the
names of the plants. And every afternoon we would go down to the small
garden. Every afternoon we would trim the bushes and then the jasmine
and the sampaguita.
Child columnist
DT: Is it true that you became a columnist when you were a child?
GCA: That was mommy’s idea. It was in Women’s Magazine, the first
Women’s Magazine. So she told me, “Oh you know you can write a column
there.” Then she said, “You can interview children your age about their
hobbies, but we have to choose children with creative hobbies.”
DT: Who did you interview?
GCA: I recall I interviewed a young man who was living near La Salle
and he would stuff birds. And then I interviewed two brothers who made
little boats you put in the bottle.
DT: Do you speak Spanish at home? Or English or Tagalog?
GCA: Well, halo-halo. We were tri-lingual.
That’s being a true Guerrero, this romance with one’s intellect,
and, of course, as true as being a Rizal, her forebear Jose being
the ultimate genius, artist and thinker.
DT: You must have grown up differently from the way other children
did, what with Chitang Guerrero Nakpil for a mother. I don’t wonder
you became an activist.
GCA: Actually, when I was growing up, I didn’t think that we were
different or special. In fact, I felt that there was something missing.
Because I didn’t have a father. And you see my other classmates had
their fathers pick them up in school. But, of course, when I was seven
years old, my mother married again. She said, “I wanted my children to
have a normal family life.” So I finally had a father and two stepsisters.
So at that time I felt I was normal.
DT: When did you transfer to San Juan?
GCA: We were supposed to stay with my grandmother, my mother and
I. And my stepsisters also stayed with their Lola in Quiapo. But then I got
sick. I got a primary complex when I was in Grade 3. So mommy took me
to San Juan. And I couldn’t go to school. The teacher went to my house
to give me a few lessons. I was supposed to stay in bed all day and eat
six eggs a day and three glasses of milk. And then mommy would put a
raw egg in a glass of Coca-Cola because she thought it would be easier
for me to drink it that way. Actually I didn’t mind taking the eggs. So
because of that I don’t like soft drinks and besides she didn’t like soft
drinks. The only time we would drinks soft drinks was when we had an
upset stomach, but my Lolo said, “No, give her some Coke because there
is an element there. And now I grew up without pining for soft drinks.
Tentacles
DT: Who were your playmates?
GCA : Eh di neighbors, because when mommy got married to Daddy
Nakpil they moved to San Juan. That was my mommy’s dowry because
my Lola had a property there. Anyway, I had to stay in bed all the time
because I was sick, so I was reading all the time. She would buy me a lot
of books and Daddy Nakpil bought me a painting set. I had a goldfish,
so I painted a goldfish.
DT: Who were your gangmates in high school?
GCA: There were 10 of us and the brother of one of us called us
tentacles. Marla Yotoko, she was the one who worked at the Manila Hilton
when it first opened. Tess Cordero, the sister of Gilda; Mila Gomez, Lourdes
Benitez, Backy Pamintuan… Backy, Tess, Mila and I were classmates in
Maryknoll grade school. And then we went on to high school, and then
we became bigger.
DT: What would you do together?
GCA: We would go to parties together, and then Baby Tanseco’s
house was near Maryknoll. We would walk to their house and her mother
would make us lunch. Mila’s family got a farm in Pagsanjan, we would go
picnicking. Or we would go to the movies or bowling.
DT: How did you get into the National Museum?
GCA: I told my mother I wanted to be an archeologist. I was just really
interested in things like that. Sabi niya (She said), “Naku you will starve
to death. Only princesses can be archeologists.” I said I would tell Tito
Nanding who was the Secretary of Education because National Museum
used to be under the Department of Education. She said, “Sige, I’ll call
him and you can go there and apply.” Siyempre (Of course) I was hired.
I looked in the archeology and anthropology section para siyang bodega
(it was like a storeroom). Being an archeologist is nice to hear. Sometimes
I have to restore yun bang mga excavated things. Tapos if somebody will
book a guide, I will guide them.
Turn to page 19
THE country’s first international
beauty queen has not faded from the
consciousness of the Filipino.
In this rarefied
atmosphere, I asked
her anything and
everything and
she gave me not
just answers, but
an opening to a
prodigious mind.