DT_20190729

DARING ADVOCACY
POOR FAMILIES’
INFLATION EASED
4% ON CHEAPER
FOOD
DON’T EFF WITH
GOVERNMENT
INDIAN NAVY
IN RESCUE OPS
BRED AT ALTITUDE
PAGE B13 WORLD
PAGE D21 SPORTS
PAGE C17 DIVERSITY PAGE B9 BUSINESS
PAGE A5
COMMENTARY
Independent
yet cooperative
By Hananeel Bordey
MOST
INNOVATIVE
BROADSHEET
2018
44TH
PHILIPPINES
BUSINESS
EXPO
Bong Go hunts video
ringleader
Charges are precisely part of our democratic
process: people are charged for crimes based on
preliminary and sufficient evidence
MANILA, PHILIPPINES I MONDAY, 29 JULY 2019
Plea snowballs to indict Leni
Vice President Leni Robredo
is not expected to elude criminal
charges this time over her
involvement in the “Ang Totoong
Narcolist (The Real Narcolist)”
series of videos demonizing
President Rodrigo Duterte and
members of his family.
By Hananeel Bordey
and Alvin Murcia
The beleaguered Philippine
Charity Sweepstakes Office
A petition seeking the
indictment of Robredo on
sedition charges launched last
Saturday had generated 4,139
signatures on its first day.
Senator Christopher
Lawrence “Bong” Go also
Turn to page A2
Freeze frame Those lofty dreams about hitting it big in a flash is now in suspended animation.
House, DoJ probe PCSO
(PCSO) faces investigation
from both the House of
Representatives and the
Department of Justice (DoJ)
in the aftermath of President
Trouble up north Portions of Sta Maria de Mayan Church
appear to have crumbled after a pair of strong earthquakes of
magnitude 5.4 and 5.9 struck within hours of each other in Itbayat
in Batanes.President Rodrigo Duterte toured the earthquake-hit
communities yesterday.
AFP
Rodrigo Duterte’s directive for
a halt in all gambling contracts
it holds.
DoJ Secretary Menardo
Guevarra said yesterday the
President has the authority to
order the suspension and even
the termination of PCSO-licensed
gaming operations “upon prima
Turn to page A2
Rody satisfied
with Batanes aid
President Rodrigo Duterte assessed as satisfactory the
performance of government in responding to the victims
of the magnitudes 5.4 and 5.9 earthquakes that
rocked Batanes Saturday morning, the Palace
said.
Presidential spokesman Salvador
Panelo said Mr. Duterte thinks concerned
government agencies were able to provide
immediate assistance to both injured and
displaced individuals
Turn to page A6
Harmony will be the prevailing atmosphere
as a more responsive and productive Senate
vows to work with President Rodrigo Duterte
in achieving the administration’s legislative
agenda.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III said
Turn to page A6
AFP
Shape
up or
privatize
By Hananeel Bordey
Members of Congress are one
in backing President Rodrigo
Duterte’s suspension of all
Philippine Charity Sweepstakes
Office (PCSO) gambling operations
and their resumption only after
they are either privatized or that
the pervasive corruption in the
agency is totally removed.
Mr. Duterte banned all PCSO
betting games due to massive
corruption in the agency.
On Sunday, Senate President
Vicente Sotto III said the
operations of the gaming outlets
can always be reopened if the
President considers the PCSO as
having been freed of corruption.
“I think he is shutting down the
franchises. It can always open once
the corruption is unearthed and
cleansed,” Sotto said in a statement.
Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano
said President Rodrigo Duterte
“will not order the closure of
PCSO if there is no substantial
corruption in the agency.”
Cayetano made this statement
during a visit to Zamboanga
City, saying the President’s
decision might be forced
by the information from his
sources, which came either from
formal or informal intelligence
investigation.
Turn to page A2
Rain’s here Children take advantage of the sudden downpour to cool down.
Days of rain resulted in water level in local dams to rise.
BOB DUNGO JR.
Freed
by flattery
VIENNA, Austria — A young
Austrian triathlete kidnapped
while riding her bike talked her
Turn to page A6
MAILING ADDRESS
3450 Concept Bldg., Florida St., Makati City,1235
Email : dailytribune@tribune.net.ph
FOR SUBSCRIPTION
Phone : +632 8337085
Email : ads@tribune.net.ph
NEWSSTAND PRICE
P18.00
ISSUE
Vol. 19 No. 6,854
24 pages/ 4 sections
Follow us: FB tribunephl and ConceptCentral
Twitter tribunephl and ConceptGrp
Check our websites tribune.net.ph and conceptnewscentral.com

A2 NEWS
Monday, 29 July 2019
Daily Tribune
Plea snowballs to indict Leni
Based on the 2016 vice-presidential electoral
protest still pending, Robredo’s constitutional
mandate is in question
From page A1
expressed support to the filing
of charges against Robredo and
other opposition personalities
implicated in the production of
the propaganda videos.
On 18 July 2019, the Philippine
National Police-Criminal
Investigation and Detection
Group (PNP-CIDG) filed
criminal complaints for Inciting
to Sedition, Cyber Libel, Libel,
Estafa, Harboring of a Criminal,
and Obstruction of Justice
against Robredo and 35 others.
Sloppy smear job
“I am one of those aggrieved.
I was maligned twice and was
forced to take off my clothes
twice to expose their lies. Let’s
wait for the DoJ’s filing of cases
against them,” Go said.
The senator said he seeks
justice on behalf of those who
were maliciously implicated in the
black propaganda spread through
the videos, including himself and
the First Family. He added that it
is important that those who were
responsible for these malicious
acts should be held accountable.
“The question that I want to
ask is where is the justice for
us? Justice for the First Family,
which was abused. The daughter
of the President who is still a
child was included in the black
propaganda, which they resorted
to to make themselves look good.
The question is who was behind
this operation?” Go stated.
He cited the possibility of
a Senate investigation on the
issue through an inquiry in aid
of legislation to ensure that
there will be stronger measures
in place to stop these kinds of
malicious acts.
“I am interested in finding out
who is behind this. It is the right
of the public to know the truth. I
am asking for justice,” he added.
Democratic process followed
The signature movement, which
will be submitted to the Department
of Justice, seeks to oppose a plea
started by supporters of Robredo
urging the DoJ to immediately
dismiss the sedition charges against
her and “commit to the upholding of
her constitutional mandate to serve
the Filipinos.”
The petition started by a
group called Team Pilipinas also
argued that the charges were “an
insult to our democracy.”
The counterpetition started
by a certain Rene Astudillo at
Change.org said the allegations
against Robredo are better heard
in a judicial court.
It is not the Vice President’s
or any elected official’s
constitutional mandate to
discredit or destabilize our
government.
“We disagree. The charges are
precisely part of our democratic
process: people are charged for
crimes based on preliminary
and sufficient evidence. Those
charged are given the chance to
answer the charges — in court,”
the petition read.
Mandate in question
The letter, which will be
Start em young Several parent and child pairs are refreshing sights in this annual fun run in Manila. DAVID JOHN CUBANGBANG
House, DoJ probe PCSO
The President has the authority to order the suspension and even the
termination of PCSO-licensed gaming operations
submitted to the DoJ, rebutted
point by point Robredo’s
supporters in pressuring the
department to dismiss the
charges against Robredo.
“We also believe that based on
the 2016 vice-presidential electoral
protest still pending, Robredo’s
constitutional mandate is in
question. More importantly, it is
not the Vice President’s or any
elected official’s constitutional
mandate to discredit or destabilize
our government,” it noted.
“For the DoJ to dismiss
the sedition charges against
Robredo based on several
thousand signatures to an
online petition is to disregard
our democratic process and the
From page A1
Sources are many
“I have no doubt that the
latest move of our President was
due to his information. Like what
I always say, we cannot judge
the President immediately as
he has more information than
us. He has many sources (may
it be) formal or informal. It may
be intelligence or processed
actionable intelligence,”
Cayetano explained.
“The President will not
order that if corruption is not
substantial,” the Speaker added.
“So, I hope it will be addressed
and it will come to (a) good
conclusion. But I have faith
that so far, all (the matters) the
President is focused on. Give him
enough time to fix the problem.”
The lawmaker said the
President has not briefed
Congress yet on PCSO’s closure.
Trust Rody
“We haven’t been fully briefed
yet on what the President wanted
to say but I don’t think that he
will let public service suffer,”
he said.
Cayetano said the
Philippine Amusement and
Gaming Corporation and
rule of law,” he said.
The petitioners cited trust
“in the integrity of our Justice
department.”
For the DoJ to dismiss the
sedition charges based on
several thousand signatures
to an online petition is to
disregard our democratic
process and the rule of law.
It added the petitioners
look forward to the pursuit and
resolution of these very serious
allegations that endanger “not only
our duly-constituted government,
but the very core of Filipino rights
and independence.”
The DoJ has set 9 August for
Shape up or privatize
the Malasakit Centers will
continue operating.
He added that the President’s
decision is in line with his
strong conviction against
corruption, emphasizing that
through investigation, a better
assessment can be obtained on
PCSO’s situation.
Last Friday evening, Mr.
Duterte ordered the suspension
and closure of all gaming
activities in all PCSO outlets
nationwide.
He said that “massive
corruption” in the agency forced
him to stop all its operation.
Malasakit continues
Sen. Christopher Lawrence
“Bong” Go reiterated that Mr.
Duterte prevented the further
bankruptcy of PCSO due to
corruption.
The President will not order
that if corruption is not
substantial.
“I believe that the priority
of the President is to prevent
further loss for the government
and protect the interest of
the people. He also wants to
stop corruption that’s why he
decided to temporarily stop
the preliminary hearing into the
complaint against Robredo and her
co-respondents, Justice Secretary
Menardo Guevarra said.
“The subpoenas were served.
I assure everyone of utmost
fairness in the resolution of this
case,” Guevarra added.
“The evidence, or the lack of
it, will speak for itself. In the
ordinary course of things, the
complaint shall be dismissed
as to those respondents against
whom no evidence is presented,
while those against whom
sufficient evidence is presented
shall accordingly be indicted.
Let’s wait until this process is
completed,” he said.
Chito Lozada
(the operations) to review and
investigate the activities which
were approved by the PCSO,”
he said,
Go added that the Malasakit
Centers, which the government
has established, will not be
affected by the closure of the
PCSO outlets.
“The PCSO was budgeted
for this year. That is why the
Malasakit Centers will not be
affected,” the senator said. “The
revenues collected by the PCSO
this year will be used next year.”
Direct to Treasury
Suggestions to privatize
PCSO and revenues from its
gaming activities to be directly
remitted to the Department of
Social Welfare and Development
(DSWD) were also floated in
the Senate.
Senators pointed out that
proceeds from PCSO operations
should be remitted directly
to the DSWD to fund social
service programs to avoid the
mishandling of funds that should
be allocated to the poor.
PCSO is the principal
government agency mandated
to raise and provide funds for
government health programs,
medical assistance and services.
From page A1
facie proof that licensees are not faithfully
complying with their legal obligation.”
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)
started a probe into the anomalies upon the order
of Guevarra.
He said such instances include the failure to
remit the correct amount of the government’s share
in revenues or that their operations are tainted by
fraud, deceit or corruption.
“It should be emphasized that a gaming license
is not a contractual right but a mere privilege that
may be revoked at any time by the state,” Guevarra
added.
House inquiry set
Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco said the
House of Representatives is ready to hold an in-depth
review of the agency.
“I don’t know the details that led to the
President’s decision, and I believe his action
should prompt a more in-depth investigation into
the gaming schemes not only to ensure that it is
free from corruption, but to also assess its impact
on the economy and the programs being funded by
the PCSO,” Velasco said.
The NBI started a probe into the anomalies
upon the order of Guevarra.
He said Mr. Duterte’s action is “consistent with
his strong stance against corruption and we are
fully supportive of this policy.”
More than 20K outlets shut
Guevarra said the government is also ready to
face legal actions and damage suits as a result of
Mr. Duterte’s order.
“Damage suits are always possible but the
government will be ready,” he said.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) served
closure notices to 5,187 lotto outlets, 13,320 STL
(Small Town Lottery) operations, 2,194 PNB
(Peryahan ng Bayan) outfits and 472 lottery-like
gambling games called Keno, which are often
played at modern casinos.
I believe his action should prompt a more
in-depth investigation into the gaming
schemes.
In a statement, PNP spokesman Brig. Gen.
Bernard Banac said PNP chief Police General Oscar
Albayalde urged all other similar establishments
that have not been visited yet by police to refrain
from engaging and voluntarily close down their
business.
Restraining order
Guevarra denied the government deprived
PCSO-licensed gaming operators of due process
as a result of the order for shutting down their
operations without showing concrete evidence of
corruption and without giving them an opportunity
to refuse such allegation.
Guevarra’s order for the NBI to conduct an
investigation on the matter was precisely to give PCSO
officials and licensees an opportunity to show there
is no corruption or fraud involved in their operations.
The President may order the suspension of
operations based on preliminary information available
to him, much like a judicial restraining order, but
even more powerful because it emanates from a
constitutional duty to faithfully execute our laws,
if not from the inherent police power of the State,
Guevarra said. The NBI investigation focuses on the
Souvenirs Lotto cards became relics for now after President Rodrigo Duterte’s order to stop gambling operations due to
corruption in the agency running these.
AFP
non-remittance of the government’s share from
state-sanctioned gambling operations and the possible
involvement in corrupt practices of PCSO officials and
employees.
Guevarra said until the investigation is completed
and people responsible for cheating the government
have been unmasked, PCSO gaming operations such
as lotto and STL, which are legal, may not resume.
“The investigation that I have ordered is precisely
an opportunity where the PCSO and its licensees
may come forward and show that there’s no such
corruption or fraud involved in their operations,”
Guevarra said.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government
warned local executives against preventing or interfering
in the closure of any PCSO outlet, saying those who do
“shall be dealt with accordingly to the fullest extent of
the law,” he added.
FTW
For better, for worse Elderly couple gets busy sorting out plastic containers hoping to sell these later on to pay for their daily needs.
AL PADILLA

Monday, 29 July 2019
Daily Tribune
WHO: More
action vs
smoking
By Elmer N. Manuel
The battle against the global tobacco epidemic is
already gaining progress but more action is needed to
help people quit the deadly products, according to a
latest report from the World Health Organization (WHO).
In its report, WHO noted that many governments
are making progress in the fight against tobacco
by introducing smoking bans, graphic warnings on
packaging and other effective tobacco control measures.
However, the report also showed that many countries
are still not adequately implementing policies, including
helping people quit tobacco, that can save lives. WHO is
urging governments to implement cessation services as
part of the efforts to ensure universal health coverage
for their citizens.
The seventh WHO report on the global tobacco
epidemic analyses national efforts to implement the
most effective measures from the WHO Framework
Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) that are
proven to reduce demand for tobacco.
Quitting tobacco is one of the best things any
person can do for their own health.
These measures, like the “MPOWER” interventions,
have been shown to save lives and reduce costs from
averted healthcare expenditure.
The MPOWER report was launched in 2007 to
promote government action on six tobacco control
strategies in-line with the WHO FCTC to monitor tobacco
use and prevention policies; protect people from tobacco
smoke; offer help to quit tobacco use; warn people
about the dangers of tobacco; enforce bans on tobacco
advertising, promotion and sponsorship and raise taxes
on tobacco.
The focus of the latest report is on the progress
that countries have made to help tobacco users quit.
It is being launched today in Brazil, a country that has
become the second, after Turkey, to fully implement
all the MPOWER measures at the highest level of
achievement.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director
General, said governments should implement cessation
services as part of the efforts to ensure universal health
coverage for their citizens.
“Quitting tobacco is one of the best things any person
can do for their own health,” Ghebreyesus said, adding
“the MPOWER package gives governments the practical
tools to help people kick the habit, adding years to their
life and life to their years.”
Progress is being made, with 2.4 billion people
living in countries now providing comprehensive
cessation services — 2 billion more than in 2007. But
only 23 countries are providing cessation services
at the best-practice level, making it the most
under-implemented MPOWER measure in terms of
number of countries offering full coverage.
Tobacco cessation services include national
toll-free quit lines, “mCessation” services to reach
larger populations via mobile phones, counselling by
primary health care providers and cost-covered nicotine
replacement therapy.
PAGE THREE
Use Malasakit Centers,
it’s your money — Go
Sen. Christopher Lawrence
“Bong” Go is prodding all Filipinos
to avail of the services being offered
by Malasakit Centers all over the
country — stressing that funds being
use for the one-stop-shops were the
people’s money.
During his recent visit to fire
victims in General Santos City, Go
encouraged those who are in need
of medical assistance to utilize the
Malasakit Center in their respective
provinces. Currently, there are 38
centers all over the country.
Go stressed that the national
government has allotted initial
funding for financial assistance to
Malasakit Centers intended for poor
patients.
“Whoever needs
Bodies of Cyprus serial killer
victims arrive, says DFA
Whoever needs medical attention, just go to the hospital,
just go where there is a Malasakit Center in your place
medical attention, just go to the
hospital, just go where there is
Malasakit Center in your place.
That’s your money, it’s for you,” Go
pointed out.
Go aims to establish Malasakit
Centers in all public hospitals
throughout the country and
ensure its continuity even in
future administrations.
A Malasakit Center is
a one-stop-shop where all
representatives of different
government agencies such as
the Department of Health (DoH),
Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office
(PCSO), Philippine Amusement and
Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), and
Department of Social Welfare and
Development (DSWD) are all gathered
under one roof to provide government
services.
It is where Filipinos who need
financial and medical assistance
can request for help to pay their
medical bills and medicines through
the unified Malasakit form.
“Various agencies are present
there, ready to pool their resources.
If ever there is balance in your bills,
the Malasakit Centers can come in
to further lower the bill or until
the patients do not need to pay
anymore,” explained Go.
Go said that he wants to
institutionalize the operation
of Malasakit Centers by filing a
bill before the Senate to ensure
the continuous existence of the
program for the benefit of
ordinary Filipinos.
Under Senate Bill 199 or
the Malasakit Center Act
Workers’ man General Santos City laborers warmly welcome Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go during a visit to fire victims in the area recently.
of 2019, Go aims to establish
Malasakit Centers in all public
hospitals throughout the country
and ensure its continuity even in
future administrations.
Go emphasized that this is
what he and President Rodrigo
Duterte have envisioned — for the
government to provide prompt,
better and dependable medical
services to all Filipinos in need of
medical attention.
In visiting fire victims in Purok
Islam, Barangay Dadiangas South
in General Santos City, Go brought
relief items and cash assistance to
around 100 families.
Go assured the victims that
he will continue visiting far-flung
areas for him to listen to the
concerns of ordinary Filipinos
instead of staying in his
Senate office.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)
yesterday announced the arrival of the remains
of two Filipinas killed by a serial killer in
Cyprus.
In a statement, the DFA said that the
remains of Marry Rose Infante and Maricar
Arquiola were received by their closest
relatives upon arrival in Manila on Saturday
night via a flight from Doha.
Officials of the DFA assisted the victims’
families.
Reports showed that between 2017 and 2018,
several Filipinas — one of whom was with her
daughter — were reported missing in Cyprus.
Another Filipina victim, identified as Arian
Lozano, is yet to be repatriated. No word yet
on what happened to the six-year-old girl.
“The DFA, through the Philippine Embassy
The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) is offering
free blood to dengue victims who cannot
afford to shell out cash for much-needed
transfusion.
Sen. Richard Gordon, chairman of PRC,
said that the Red Cross has so far provided
165 bags of safe and quality blood to five
hospitals in Iloilo and four in Capiz.
“The blood is free for dengue-stricken
individuals who cannot afford it,” he said.
Gordon said that PRC has launched
a three-point strategy to fight dengue as
Department of Health declared a national
alert after noting an 86 percent increase in
Tearful welcome Relatives of the two Filipinas slain by a
serial killer in Cyprus receive the bodies of their loved ones upon
their arrival Saturday night.
in Athens, continues to monitor the case of the
last Filipina victim, Arian Palanas Lozano, as to
when her remains will be repatriated,” it said.
The bodies of the three Filipinas were
discovered separately last April dumped in a
lake just outside the capital Nicosia.
The killings came to light in mid-April
when unusually heavy rains brought the body
of 38-year-old Filipina Mary Rose Tiburcio
to the surface of a mine shaft where it had
been hidden.
Investigation revealed that the Filipinas
were killed by a by a self-confessed killer
Nicos Metaxas, 35, a captain the Cyprus
National Guard.
Metaxas was sentenced to seven life
imprisonment terms last month after pleading
guilty to killing five women and two children.
Free blood for poor dengue victims
the number of dengue cases recorded from
January to July.
He said that ensuring the adequate supply
of safe blood is first in the PRC strategy.
Gordon added that the second strategy is
to provide air-conditioned emergency medical
tents to relieve hospitals that are overflowing
with dengue patients.
The tents were deployed to Iloilo, Capiz
and Aklan — three of the areas that recorded
high numbers of dengue cases.
Gordon stressed that the PRC has done
this before, the latest of which was during
the measles epidemic earlier this year. MJM

A4 COMMENTARY
Monday, 29 July 2019
Daily Tribune
Yellow
rape victim
“Philippine
Charity
Sweepstakes
Office was
turned into
a pigsty
by these
syndicates
and
gangsters,
the lotto
was used
to cover up
‘jueteng.’
Daily
Tribune
WITHOUT FEAR • WITHOUT FAVOR
WITHOUT FEAR • WITHOUT FAVOR
Chito Lozada
Aldrin Cardona
Dinah Ventura
John Henry Dodson
Roy Pelovello
Larry Payawal
Komfie Manalo
Geraldine Datoy
Patricia Ramos
Board Chair
Willie Fernandez
Publisher and President
Executive Editor
Managing Editor
Associate Editor
Digital Editor
Central Desk Editor
Central Desk
Advertising
and Marketing
Sometime in November 2010, then President Noynoy
Aquino issued Executive Order (EO) 14, which placed
the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) under
the direct supervision of the Office of the President.
The lotto operator before that was under
the wings of the Department of Social
Welfare and Development.
The EO stated that the transfer was
meant to ensure the effective implementation of
the social agenda of the President.
From then on, the corruption binge
started, resulting in an estimated loss
for government of over P7 billion a
year.
A Department of Justice estimate
showed the government has been
foregoing P20 million a day just
from the Small Town Lottery
(STL) program, which jueteng
operators used as a front or a
camouflage.
President Rody Duterte’s men
are also checking on suspicions of
underreporting of revenues.
Last Friday, Rody ordered all
PCSO operations stopped due to
massive corruption that, according to
presidential spokesman Sal Panelo,
involved “all players” that should
include some of the current
officials in the agency.
Panelo said the “grand conspiracy”
among major players and enforcers of these
government-sanctioned gaming activities and enterprises
must be stopped from cheating the government of its
rightful shares.
When he assumed the presidency, among the first
moves of Rody was to instruct former Justice Secretary
Vitaliano Aguirre II to look into the fraud operations
among STL operators.
Aguirre’s findings included massive
“cheating on the government” as
“Rody has
only one operators remit only from 10 percent to
choice, which 15 percent of their revenues to the PCSO.
is to stop The fraud happened since jueteng
the illegal operators were allowed by the previous
activities
regime to also run the STL scheme in
within the
agency and their localities.
thus restore “The government is supposed to have
its credibility large revenues, but they were diminished
in the process. because of the inaccurate reporting and
bad remittance procedures,” Rody said.
“As a matter of fact, this Philippine Charity
Sweepstakes Office was turned into a pigsty by these
syndicates and gangsters, the lotto was used to cover
up jueteng. They were granted a right by the previous
government and they merged it,” he added.
Shortly after winning the presidency, Duterte said
that he wanted a “killer” to replace former Cavite
Governor Erineo Maliksi, a Liberal Party stalwart, who
was charged with graft over the extension of contracts
for the lease of lottery terminals without public bidding.
“PCSO is a corrupt agency. I am looking for a killer
to head this agency. Those bingo games that they hold,
the lotto and jueteng, that is the racket,” he said.
The crackdown in the operations of PCSO is expected
to have a strong impact on the integrity of its betting
operations, since the perception would be that all of
the gambling operations are tampered with.
Rody, however, has only one choice, which is to stop
the illegal activities within the agency and thus restore
its credibility in the process.
The PCSO appears to have been milked dry during
the previous administration and its remnants that Rody
seems bent on weeding them out.
With the ingrained corruption in the agency, Rody’s
plan to have it abolished makes a lot of sense.
“Why
then have
a law that
rewards
even the
incompetent,
the lazy, the
rabble-rousing
employee
who would
be protected
by this SoT
bill?
“Violations
of anti-age
discrimination
laws may
come in
the form of
underhanded
methods
calculated
to
encourage
older
workers
to leave
their jobs,
such as job
reassignment.
With the presidential
veto putting an end to
the Security of Tenure
(SoT) bill, several
senators expressed their
disappointment, with
some even threatening
to refile the vetoed bill,
which is a useless move.
Joel Villanueva,
who pushed for the
SoT bill, issued a
statement, which
slammed last week’s
veto by President Duterte,
saying that his measure widened
the definition of labor-only
contracting, prohibited legitimate
job contracting, and prevented
business from contracting out
services without basis.
Villanueva and other like-minded
senators can be as ferocious as they
want, since they are not seeking
reelection in 2022, when their second
term ends.
Villanueva and 11 incumbent
senators will all have to retire for
three years, and no longer have to
kiss the presidential ass until, of
course, the new presidential election
brings forth a new leader, whom
these same current senators will bow
to and pledge allegiance to the new
president’s paper party and be part
of the ruling party that ends with
that president’s term.
FRONTLINE
Ninez Cacho-Olivares
Age may just be a number but
in reality, it can be a determining
factor for employment. It cannot be
denied that preference may be given
to youthful vigor in certain industries,
as opposed to elderly candidates who
otherwise possess long experience.
On the other hand, employers would
often prefer to place in positions of
power those who are more senior in
their years, than equally if not more
qualified, but younger, candidates.
The employer has a prerogative and
preference in hiring employees, but the
law ensures that an employee’s right
to equal opportunities is respected.
Hence, this article discusses the
prohibition on selective age preference
in labor and employment.
Republic Act 10911, the Anti-Age
Discrimination in Employment Act,
generally considers as unlawful acts
which consider age as a determining
factor in hiring, compensation and
benefits, separation, and other aspects
of employment.
Aptly, the law mirrors state policy to
promote employment of individuals on
the basis of their abilities, knowledge,
skills and qualifications, rather than
their age. The law frowns upon arbitrary
age limitations in employment in
order to promote the right of all
employees and workers, regardless of
age, to be treated equally in terms of
compensation, benefits, promotion,
training and other employment
opportunities.
The law cuts no corners for it
covers the very start of hiring process,
i.e., from the time an employer
publishes or sets out a notice of
hiring together with a candidate’s
minimum qualifications. The employer
cannot suggest preferences, limitations,
specifications and discrimination based
on age in the notice of hiring or any
other advertisement for the position.
While job seekers are free to
place their age and birthdates in
their respective information sheets,
employers cannot require them to
disclose their age or birth date during
the application process. Likewise,
employers are prohibited from declining
any employment application because of
Keep politics out
That’s the usual route
taken by most Filipino
politicians, then and now.
But it certainly looks
like Villanueva has issued
his statement to refile his
“endo” bill for publicity
purposes, since he must
know that, even if majority
of his colleagues in the
Senate join him, for the
refilled bill to succeed,
the senators must get the
House members to refile
a complementary bill that will still be
vetoed by Duterte.
However, even as the senators
know that what Villanueva aims to
do in his bid to save the SoT bill, he
still trudges on, saying, “While we
respect the presidential prerogative,
we maintain that the grounds of the
veto are weak, if not flimsy.” He
added that what the Palace did was
to conjure up a malevolent ghost to
cloak the people with fear.
Villanueva also stressed that
the presidential veto on the SoT
bill reflected the growing problem
of misinformation and confusion in
government.
But it seems that if Duterte
is confused and misinformed,
Villanueva appears to be even more
confused and misinformed because,
if the senator truly believes that his
bill is not baseless, what he can do
is to get House SoT endorsers, as well
as the senators together, the required
number to override the presidential
veto instead of coming up
with the cheap political
stunt that will lead
to his bill and
threat getting
nowhere.
the individual’s age and
to discriminate against
him/her in terms of
compensation, terms and
conditions or privileges of
employment on account
of such age.
Needless to say,
employers cannot forcibly
lay off an employee or
worker because of old
age or impose early
retirement on the basis
of such employee’s or
worker’s age.
The rule covers not just traditional
employers, but even labor contractors
and subcontractors. In apt cases, even
labor organizations are prohibited from
declining to accept as its member any
person on the basis of his age.
As with any
rule, the law admits
of reasonable
exceptions. Hence, age
may be a primordial
factor for hiring
when age is a bona
fide occupational
qualification
reasonably necessary
in the normal
operation of a
particular business
or where the
differentiation is
based on reasonable
factors other than age,
or when the intent is
to observe the terms
“Employer
cannot
suggest
preferences,
limitations,
specifications
and
discrimination
based on age
in the notice
of hiring or
any other
advertisement
for the
position.
of a bona fide seniority system that is not
intended to evade the purpose of the law.
Further, acts with a view to observing
the terms of a bona fide employee
retirement or a voluntary early retirement
plan is excepted, provided that such
retirement or voluntary retirement plan
is in accordance with the Labor Code, as
amended, and other related laws.
Violations of anti-age discrimination
laws may come in the form of
underhanded methods calculated
to encourage older workers to leave
their jobs, such as job reassignment,
giving of unfair performance reviews,
withholding of reasonable workplace
A lot of these politicians are in it to
portray themselves as the saviors of the
workers in the country to strengthen
their campaign for elective seats in
2022, including outgoing senators like
Villanueva, a loyal yellow presidential
bootlicker up till 2016, when he and
other yellows like him suddenly
swore allegiance to the presidential
political party.
But not to worry, since Villanueva
no doubt will again shed his PDP
colors and get a new political coat
aligned with a new president.
In crafting bills,
all these legislators
appear to think about
is their carefully
crafted image of
being for the people.
This particular SoT
bill — the laborers,
who, even when
some of them are
clearly incompetent
“Villanueva
has issued
his statement
to refile his
“endo” bill
for publicity
purposes.
and non-productive and should be
given the boot, are given the guarantee
of job permanency — will make it
almost impossible for management
to fire them for cause, or even cause
management to close shop, usually due
at times to impossible demands.
When our Filipino workers go
abroad, they have no job permanency,
yet they have proven themselves to
be very productive workers. Why
should they be given the SoT bill in
their own country, especially when
some workers have proven to be
unproductive in their own land?
Why then have a law that rewards
even the incompetent, the lazy, the
rabble-rousing employee who would
be protected by this SoT bill?
Such a law would definitely
have all foreign and even local
businessmen shy away from investing
in this country. And even labor knows,
or ought to know, if they don’t know it
yet, that without investments coming
in, or businesses closing up, they
would be worse off, as they would
not only have their jobs, but worse,
would no longer have any money to
even pay for their SSS, Pag-IBIG and
PhilHealth fees, as they have no jobs
where management used to foot all
these fees. Worst of all, these workers
won’t have any money to feed their
family members.
There has to be a balance reached
between labor and management, but
definitely, imposing such a one-way
SoT bill to get the votes for either
their senatorial reelection and a get
a fresh mandate after a three-year
hiatus is what can really be called a
threat to economic growth.
Labor and management should
learn to give and take and reach a
balance by themselves.
It can be done if this pesky
politics gets out of the picture.
Anti-Age Discrimination in Employment Act
accommodations, or
any other act with a
goal of getting older
employees to quit
while being able to
assert voluntariness
of such action. In
such instances, the
concept of constructive
dismissal is relevant by
way of analogy.
Constructive
dismissal is defined as
quitting or cessation of
work because continued employment
is rendered impossible, unreasonable
or unlikely; when there is a demotion
in rank or a diminution of pay and
other benefits. It exists if an act of
clear discrimination, insensibility, or
disdain by an employer becomes so
unbearable on the part of the employee
that it could foreclose any choice by
him except to forego his continued
employment. The test of constructive
dismissal is whether a reasonable
person in the employee’s position
would have felt compelled to give up
his employment/position under the
circumstances.
Hence, if the “voluntary” separation
or retirement is not necessarily
voluntarily but a by-product of a
maneuvering to force an employee to
leave based on his age, the employer is
not only liable for violation of the Labor
Code, but also of RA 10911.
If found guilty, the erring party may
be punished with a fine ranging from
P50,000 to P500,000, or imprisonment
of three months to two years, or both,
at the discretion of the court. If the
offense is committed by a corporation,
trust, firm, partnership or association
or other entity, the penalty shall be
imposed upon the guilty officer or
officers of such corporation, trust, firm,
partnership or association or entity.
Non-compliant companies may be
reported to the nearest regional or
provincial offices of the Department
of Labor and Employment, where
discriminated employees may be given
assistance in the filing of cases.
A DOSE OF LAW
Dean Nilo Divina
Email: cabdo@divinalaw.com
Published daily by the Daily Tribune Publishing Co., with offices at 3450 Concept Bldg., Florida Street, Makati City • Editorial: (02) 831-0496 • Administration: dailytribune@tribune.net.ph, (02) 833-7085 / (02) 551-5148. To advertise and subscribe: ads@tribune.net.ph, dailytribune@tribune.net.ph, (02) 833-7085 / (02)
551-5148. To submit an opinion article, email opinion@tribune.net.ph. To submit a letter to the editor, email: letters@tribune.net.ph • News: news@tribune.net.ph • Metro: metro@tribune.net.ph • Lifestyle: lifestyle@tribune.net.ph • Business: biz@tribune.net.ph • Sports: sports@tribune.net.ph • PR: pr@tribune.net.ph.

Monday, 29 July 2019
Daily Tribune
Look at how new Manila Mayor Isko Moreno
rocked the world of local government units (LGU)
when he cleared the once problematic Recto and
Binondo sides of the ever expanding Divisoria market
and its fringes, and see how an example was set
among all the mayors to follow.
He did not need any new laws to make it happen.
He just went and started cleaning, first the main
roads and then the arteries. The sidewalks were
cleared, too, but there seemed a compromise with
the smaller stall owners who were left tiny portions
for their trade to continue. But people can move now,
with the pedestrians reclaiming what were theirs.
The Department of the Local
“What
makes
the order
difficult
for them to
implement,
however, is
the political
implications
this would
create for
them and
their ground
leaders.
Government and Interior (DILG)
could not deny having been spurred
by Moreno’s action, barely a month
since taking over the capital city’s
leadership from Joseph Ejercito
Estrada.
Estrada and Moreno share a lot
in common. They were both actors
before they became politicians.
Ejercito also held promise when
he was young. His contributions to
the development of San Juan City
are tremendous. They even made him
the rock star of Metro Manila mayors
when he gave his city’s vendors the
Agora market and his richer and
middle-class folks the Greenhills Shopping Center.
Estrada became senator and eventually a
President, a short stint at that, but still.
Moreno, Francisco Domagoso out of the silver
screen, is on the same right track. That is if he will
not fall into the trap of corruption laid out before
him by the many interest groups dangling their dirty
millions to lure the new mayor into returning to the
old, uninterrupted ways of chaos.
But Moreno said no.
He disclosed a P5 million bribe money from the
operators of these sidewalk-vending operations,
which he said he thumbed down. He would have
taken bribe if and when the illegal vendors retake
the streets, he said.
Pogi points there for the mayor. But he made the
others look ugly, if not inefficient and stupid.
So, the DILG called them last week and initially
gave them 60 days to follow the Manila example.
But the DILG felt 60 days are too long; it reset
the deadline to clear Metro Manila’s clogged streets
in just 45 days.
DILG Secretary Eduardo Año, through
Undersecretary Epimaco Densing III, said all Metro
45 days
President Rodrigo Duterte’s eight-minute video message
uploaded on the Internet on the evening of Friday, 26 July, caught
the attention of the country and the gambling crazy inhabitants
hoping and praying for instant wealth. What called for the late-night
announcement? Simple: according to the President, the Philippine
Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) eff’d with government.
President Duterte ordered the shutdown of all
“Thus, the
sentiment
is that the
President is
alright with
gambling, as
long as it is
not played
by Filipinos.
games conducted by the PCSO on the ground of
massive corruption. The President said that his
order shall take effect at sunrise of the following day,
Saturday, 27 July, and from then on, the Philippine
National Police and the Armed Forces of the
Philippines are duty-bound to physically close all lotto
and gaming outlets operating pursuant to licenses
issued by the PCSO, and to arrest anyone who will
violate said order. President Duterte ended his video
saying that the PCSO asked for this, and he is giving
it to them. He added that PCSO gave legal
gambling to the people to help in the economic activity,
but “if you f*ck (expletive) with government, that’s
something else.”
Living up to his State of the Nation
Address (SoNA), where he tirelessly
repeated that the problem of
government is corruption, the
President is walking the big talk
he has been making since his
election to office in 2016. PCSO
has forever been marred with
corruption allegations, being
the milking cow of corruption
among government officials
in cahoots with gambling
lords. It is a sickness made
known during the time of
President Erap Estrada,
with all the whistleblowing
that led to his eventual
resignation, more of an
ouster. One of the pivotal
individuals at that time
was Sandra Cam, who
interestingly ended up as
one of the board members
of PCSO appointed by
President Duterte.
Sandra Cam, a
senatorial aspirant
back in 2016, must
be getting countless
missed calls and text
messages from media
Go back soon
GOing FORWARD
Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go
Former Special Assistant to the President Christopher
Lawrence “Kuya Bong” Go is taking a break from his
writing chores. President Rodrigo Duterte’s closest aide
will resume writing for Daily Tribune soon.
Aldrin Cardona
He
said
Manila mayors were told to rid public roads of
obstructions, including illegally-parked vehicles and
illegal constructions.
A memorandum circular (MC) for this order
is being prepared and is expected to be released
this week.
The LGU leaders, however, do not need to wait
for an MC to come out. They are backed by enough
laws to implement the order.
What makes the order difficult for them to
implement, however, is the political implications
this would create for them and their ground leaders.
Taking off from Moreno’s
revelation of the P5 million daily
bribe that he was offered even
before he assumed leadership
of the City of Manila, it is not
impossible the other mayors
are also on the take from the
syndicates’ market operations.
The police commanders and
their barangay leaders are also
said to be part of these operations.
The mayors should also take
note that these obstructions are
not caused by the illegal market
vendors alone. There are also
“Moreno…
is on the same
right track.
That is if he
will not fall
into the trap of
corruption laid
out before him
by the many
interest groups
dangling their
dirty millions.
illegal jeepney and bus terminals that clog the
streets, and they need to be freed up if we want to
create a smoother flow of people and vehicles in
the metropolis.
These extensions of markets in the streets and
the illegal terminals go hand in hand. They create the
buildup in the volume of people to capture the market.
And here, more illegal activities have sprouted.
Gangs have flourished in these communities.
The challenge now is with the LGU leaders. It
will take much of the money some of them used to
receive as grease. But it’s time they do their job right.
She
said
Dinah S. Ventura
Mayors in Metro Manila cities have a
humongous task at hand, and they have to do it
in 45 days — not 60 as originally planned.
The Interior department, in giving mayors of
Metro Manila and other highly urbanized areas
a deadline to clear illegal structures from roads,
is either highly confident in their abilities or is
testing them for efficiency and effectiveness as
leaders.
I prefer to think it is the
latter.
For too long, many local
leaders have held sway in
their cities or municipalities,
and people often quietly
complain that nothing much
ever changes after the terms
(sometimes multiple terms
even) of these officials are
over.
Usually, what people see
are better circumstances — not
“The job,
although not
easy, can be
accomplished.
Manila Mayor
Isko Moreno
had shown it
can be done
in his first few
weeks in office.
for them or their town but for the so-called public
servants’ lives.
Suddenly, the mansions go up with a garage
full of luxury cars. The person who wore simple
T-shirts and shook their hands could no longer
be approached, now flanked by bodyguards and
covered in red tape.
So, this is it, mayors! Now is the time to show
that you can get things done, that you actually
try to keep those promises you made to your
constituents.
The job, although not easy, can be accomplished.
Manila Mayor Isko Moreno had shown it can be
done in his first few weeks in office.
That was no doubt a major impetus for the
recent memorandum which, in turn, stemmed
from President Rodrigo Duterte’s State of the
Don’t eff with government
reporters requesting for an interview. It is a no-brainer that she will
have a ton of things to say about this after all the whistleblowing
she has done since her appointment to the PCSO. Let us just say
that her addition to PCSO has made life in this state-owned office
more colorful.
We can recall her exposure of the lavish 2017 Christmas party of
PCSO that merited the holding of congressional inquiries and brought
out her dirty laundry against former PCSO general manager Alexander
Balutan in the public. President Duterte eventually fired Balutan,
but Cam did not survive the melee unscathed, since she ended up
in a word war with Rep. Arnie Teves that led to a House Resolution
calling for her removal, signed then by 48 solons, and her old foe,
Pampanga Governor Lilia Pineda and husband Bong Pineda. Though
the involvement of Cam in the stoppage of PCSO-related activities
is unconfirmed, a betting man
will say that it
Resume PCSO
for medical care
Dear Editors,
President Rodrigo Duterte’s
order to stop the operations of
the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office
(PCSO) was surprising.
The PCSO is among the government’s direct
links to the people. Closure of the agency was
the least expected from the government, but
it is what it is.
Not a few hoped of becoming instant
millionaires, and I am included in that long
list of Filipinos searching for an easy way out
of poverty.
Like in any country which has lotto, it gave
the people hope.
I used to bet my future with the few bucks
I placed on certain numbers. Once, I won
the prize for five numbers and the money I
earned — then still untaxed — went a long
way to fund my children’s tuition and other
important needs.
Winnings have been scarce since then. But
I still hoped of getting that big win someday.
My hopes were dashed with the President’s
announcement of the PCSO closure, however.
The PCSO is not just a gaming agency. Its
earnings get to fund the government’s medical
programs and others.
I am a witness to the long lines of desperate
Clean-up
COMMENTARY
A5
Nation Address that urged authorities to “reclaim
thoroughfares that are being used for private
ends.”
This means local chief
executives must have a full
inventory of roads and how they
are being currently used. Then
they must draw up a plan to clear
those that are not serving their
true purpose.
That is the easy part.
What will really test the
leadership is implementation. It
will be a matter of political will
or a strong gut.
Mayor Isko came against
plenty of forces who used to
thrive on the existence of illegal
vendors, for one.
His refusal to get bribed (in
“Our
minds
had been
conditioned
to believe
that public
roads can be
taken over,
that grime
and lack of
space are
part and
parcel of
city life.
shocking amounts, by the way) led the way
to clearing up many streets in the country’s
capital — a fact that amazed ordinary folks who
thought traffic, chaos and garbage were facts
of life in the city of Manila.
Bribery, he is quoted in some reports, had
been the great blockage to our cities’ progress.
But like other illegal structures on our streets,
the corrupt system can also be broken down and
taken away.
“Pwede naman pala i-clear (It can be cleared
after all),” Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said.
It is a statement that shows just how much
we had learned to live with all the wrong things
for so long.
Our minds had been conditioned to believe
that public roads can be taken over, that grime
and lack of space are part and parcel of city life,
that traffic is part of the drama and that solving
all these is next to impossible.
“Pwede naman pala.” So, it is possible. Isko
Moreno put his foot down and started cleaning
up the city as he promised all throughout his
campaigning.
After he won, he didn’t stop going around
to see for himself that this was being done.
He pleaded to Manileños to cooperate and do
their part, explaining to them that things will
remain the same if not everyone changes for
the better.
This is also key to the success of the Metro
Manila plan to reclaim public roads and help
ease traffic in the cities: cooperation, concerted
effort and plenty of cojones!
is without a doubt.
For the meantime, we shall await the next
announcement of the President on this matter, which
Malacañang said will pinpoint the specific individuals
from PCSO involved in the alleged widespread
corruption that allowed certain groups to corner huge
juicy contracts with the government. It is common
talk that PCSO-issued franchises on STL are given
per region, and the word on the street that certain
big individuals hold on to these for sale to would-be
buyers that are sometimes foreign nationals with
local dummies as front.
But then again, not all gambling operations
are abhorred by the President. If we recall,
during the SoNA, President Duterte was all
“PCSO has
forever been
marred with
corruption
allegations,
being the
milking cow
of government
officials in
cahoots with
gambling lords.
praises with Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation and
he even told PAGCOR chairman Andrea Domingo to continue
gambling to keep raising funds for the government. His
exact words: “Magpasugal ka pa.” Thus, the sentiment
is that the President is alright with gambling, as long
as it is not played by Filipinos, since the huge
windfall brought in by PAGCOR was through
its Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations
where players are overseas, particularly from
mainland China.
This is the problem in government
agencies that are involved in fiscal revenue.
The Bureau of Customs is perhaps the
most corrupt agency, and the President
has been dealing with this recently
by his removal of identified corrupt
officials from its operations. The
Bureau of Internal Revenue
was recently exposed with the
entrapment of BIR officials
from Pasig where bags of
money amounting to P75
million were seized.
These are good achievements.
However, these will only temporarily fix
the problem. What is needed is a
more thorough reform designed
to change a corrupt system
in revenue-generating
government offices.
For now, massive
investigation must be
done to unweave the
massive corruption in
PCSO. Moral of the
story: Don’t eff with
Duterte’s government.
Filipinos seeking a lift for their family
members’ medical care. They will be like
orphans now without government support.
Maybe the President will reconsider his
decision. Not a few could be behind Mr. Duterte
in cleansing government of corrupt officials.
But closing the PCSO and denying the Filipinos
of their hopes — for medical care and if I could be
selfish, of becoming a millionaire — could not be
the answer to this.
He can fire all the corrupt officials, not only
in the PCSO, but the rest of the bureaucracy,
but he can still keep his direct line to the
people open.
Gerard Edwin Costales
Driod St, Cubao, Q.C.

A6 NEWS
Monday, 29 July 2019
Daily Tribune
Elite’s playground More luxury yachts are found docked in Manila Bay as more Filipinos show off their improved status as a result of a booming economy.
DAVID JOHN CUBANGBANG
Independent yet cooperative
Only 13 out of 55 pet
bills of President
Rodrigo Duterte were
passed
From page 1
the Senate, with the addition of
the new senators, will maintain
views independent from that
of the Palace, but its members
will remain cooperative with
Malacañang.
The 24-man chamber, in fact,
had filed almost 800 bills during
the first week of the first regular
We’re ready, we have government
agencies who have prepared for
that
From page 1
The President ordered the quick delivery
of government services from all concerned
departments to those affected by the quake.
As of presstime, Mr. Duterte, with Senator
Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go and Batanes
Gov. Marilou Cayco, conducted an aerial
inspection of the quake-hit areas in province.
The President tasked the National Disaster
Risk Reduction and Management Council to
be on top of coordination efforts for all the
necessary emergency assistance.
Response immediate
“Yes, because we’re ready, we have government
agencies who have prepared for that. That’s
why even during disasters, government provides
immediate response,” Panelo said in an interview.
Panelo said government will prioritize
providing food, medicine and other hospital
needs to those injured and displaced during
the quake and later proceed with rehabilitation.
Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, in a
session of the 18th Congress.
Last Thursday alone, some
783 bills were submitted to
the Senate Bills and Index
Service before being distributed
to Senate committees for the
holding of public inquiries.
Sotto has vowed to exceed
accomplishments in the 17th Congress.
“The 17th Congress was one
of the most well accepted and
trusted by the people. Hopefully,
the 18th Congress would be able
to do better,” he said.
Quick delivery
Sotto said the Senate
will deliver necessary
legislations, especially those
that missed approval in the
last Congress.
“We expect more healthy
debates and better or necessary
legislations that would be
passed,” the Senate President
added.
Some of these bills did not
pass the committee level or
second reading in the plenary
deliberations.
In previous statements, Sotto
said the Senate is expected
to give priority to the death
penalty bill, anti-terrorism bill,
public service act and a bill
concerning water, energy, and
transportation.
He also asked the Legislative
Executive Development Advisory
Council (LEDAC) to provide a list
of priority bills.
24 separate egos
“The Senate is composed of
24 independent republics and
we can assure you that even the
so-called President’s men will fill
the aura of the Senate itself,”
Sotto said in a previous television
interview.
“We have our own
Rody satisfied with Batanes aid
statement, also assured that government
will continue to provide medical services to
those injured and displaced by the quake,
particularly residents of Itbayat, the town
hit hard by the natural calamity.
Medical care ensured
“The government’s priority now is to
ensure that those injured in the earthquake,
as well as the families displaced by it, are
given adequate medical care,” Nograles said.
While the Itbayat District Hospital suffered
minimal cracks, he said it was still fully functional
and would be able to attend to peoples’ needs.
Nograles, meanwhile, advised Itbayat
residents against returning to their homes for
the meantime given the state of structures
on the island and the possible damage that
can be caused by aftershocks.
He said tents, water, hygiene kits and
medicine will be provided by the government
to these families.
As of 7 p.m. Saturday, Nograles said the
casualty count included nine confirmed
dead, one missing person, 63 injured and 752
displaced households.
Figures pile up
Citing reports from Batanes province, the
Office of Civil Defense has recorded 2,963
victims in five barangays in Itbayat, an islandtown
closer to Taiwan than the mainland of
Cagayan Valley.
Fifteen houses, two schools, the Our Lady
of Santo Rosario Church, a health center and
a hospital were among the structures that
were damaged, the agency said.
Roldan Esdicul, Batanes provincial
disaster risk reduction management officer,
told the Philippine News Agency that
nine fatalities, including two infants, were
recorded along with 63 injured victims.
“The villagers have been staying in the
perspective of things. We
promise to remain independent
although cooperative. We
promise to be balanced and
sincere with our work for the
people,” he added.
We expect more healthy
debates and better or
necessary legislations that
would be passed.
Among the bills filed before
the Senate last week were the
Salary Standardization Law V,
Department of Overseas Filipino
Workers Act, National Land Use
open plaza for fear of being
buried inside their houses. They
were asked to stay in the area for
safety,” he said.
Search, rescue ongoing
Esdicul said the Armed Forces
of the Philippines through the
Northern Luzon Command had
deployed two search and rescue
teams and one medical team
to help the Batanes provincial
government.
Agnes Nico, a resident of
Act, Coco Levy Bill, Anti Political
Dynasty Bill, Death Penalty
Act, Anti-Terrorism Act, Magna
Carta for Barangays and Filipino
Seafarers, Dialysis Center Act,
Water Regulatory Act, Freedom
of Information Act, Philippine
Immigration Act, Philippine
Railways Modernization Act,
Whistleblower Protection Act and
the Divorce Bill, to name a few.
Low batting percentage
At the end of the 17th
Congress, only 13 out of 55 pet
bills of President Rodrigo Duterte
were passed.
the affected town and teacher
at the Itbayat Central School,
said in a Facebook chat with
the Philippine News Agency on
Saturday night that she and her
family have been staying at their
farm for fear that their house
that was made of concrete will
collapse due to the tremors.
Impossible? not anymore People take a dip or fish, which are becoming common recreations in the area when before these are
impossible to do in Manila Bay.
DAVID JOHN CUBANGBANG
Freed by flattery
Cast delinquent ways Commuters board a bus where it is prohibited. So what’s new?
AL PADILLA
From page 1
way to freedom by complimenting
her captor’s orchids, a police source
said Saturday, confirming press
reports.
Professional triathlete Nathalie
Birli, 27, was struck by a car Tuesday
and broke her arm while falling to
the ground near Graz in southeastern
Austria, the press reports said.
The driver then knocked her out
with a piece of wood and took her
to his isolated home.
“When I regained consciousness,
I was naked and tied up in an
armchair in an old house,” Birli told
the Kronen Zeitung newspaper.
The man forced her to drink
alcohol and tried to suffocate her
and drown her in a bathtub filled
with cold water, Birli said.
However, she managed to placate
the man by complimenting him on
the many orchids growing in his
home.
Though he was initially “filled
with hate,” the man suddenly
became “nice to me” and confided
that gardening was his passion
before opening up about his troubled
childhood, she said.
Finally, he agreed to let her go
and even took her home, along with
her bicycle, which had a GPS system
installed in it.
Police used the GPS record to
track down the man and arrest him
at his house, they said.
The police are now trying to
determine if the 33-year-old man,
who suffers from psychiatric
problems, was involved in any
previous kidnappings. AFP

Monday, 29 July 2019
Daily Tribune
METRO
A7
Tender, loving care That’s what the Light Railway Transit 1 needs being the oldest such system running in the country.
Earlier LRT1 last trips
Maintenance works until 2020
First trip still 4:30 a.m. both directions
By Miguel Paolo Togonon
The operations of the Light Rail
Transit-1 (LRT-1) will be adjusted
in view of system upgrade works
to be undertaken for safety and
reliability, line operator Light
Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC)
announced yesterday.
Starting today, 29 July, the
last train from Baclaran going
northbound will leave the station
by 9:30 p.m. and from Roosevelt
going southbound will depart by
9:45 p.m. daily.
Previously, the last trips of
LRT-1 both northbound and
southbound were scheduled at
10 p.m. during weekdays.
There would be no change
in the first trips going both
directions, starting at 4:30 a.m.
“The system upgrade and
rehabilitation work will include
Brace for typhoons,
contractors told
By Jennie Bonajos
The Office of the Building Official
(OBO) of Makati City has issued a
memorandum reminding building
contractors of their responsibility
to ensure the protection and safety
of their personnel and the general
public in their construction and
demolition projects.
OBO officer-in-charge Engr.
Elmer Acuesta said extra precaution
should be undertaken during
the coming typhoon season as
mandated by Rule XI of the Revised
IRR of Presidential Decree 1096.
The provision provides that
whenever a typhoon is expected to
pass at or is near the construction
site, all construction materials,
equipment and scaffolds shall be
secured against displacement by
strong winds.
Reminder raised on safety
at construction, demolition
sites.
Likewise, construction sheds,
temporary light and power,
mechanical equipment, protective
canopies and nets shall be
adequately braced and fastened
to prevent danger from sudden
twist, spring or collapse.
It further provides that where
a full complement of personnel
is employed for such protection
purposes, normal activity or
uses of materials may continue,
allowing such reasonable time as
necessary to secure such materials
or equipment before winds of gale
force are anticipated, in accordance
with warnings or advisories issued
by the Philippine Atmospherical
Geophysical Astronomical Services
Administration.
Also, the sides of every
excavation, including trenches of
pipes, shall be checked regularly,
especially during heavy rains to
prevent the caving in of soil.
Moreover, existing footings or
foundation of adjacent buildings,
public utilities and underground
facilities shall be underpinned,
braced or shored adequately
and protected from movement,
to protect life and limbs, avoid
damage to property and cause
disruption of facilities and utilities.
The OBO also reminded
all construction supervisors,
especially project and safety
engineers, to be responsible
in supervising and monitoring
precautionary measures in times
of calamity and force majeure in
their respective areas.
All concerned developers and
contractors have been required to
report any kind of accident causing
death or serious injuries within
the premises of the building under
construction, repair or renovation,
or any work-related activity on
the job site, to the Makati Police
and the OBO within eight working
hours, pursuant to City Ordinance
98-090.
For emergencies, authorities
may be contacted through Makati
hotline 168 connecting to C3
Command Center at City Hall,
or through the following contact
numbers of the Makati police:
887-1798 or 0929-7936525.
the replacement of the auxiliary
power supply and train control and
monitoring system among many
others,” LRMC operations director
Bobby San Jose told reporters.
“To be able to provide them
a safe, reliable, efficient and
comfortable journey, we need to
update and upgrade our signaling
system,” he added.
The scheduled rehabilitation
work will be completed by October
2020, said the LRMC official.
The LRT-1 is the first line of
the Manila Light Rail Transit
System, covering 20 stations
running through 19.65 kilometers
on a fully elevated platform.
It runs in a north-south
direction from Baclaran to
Monumento; and also, in
an east-west direction from
Monumento to North Avenue.
The line links the cities of
Quezon City, Caloocan, Manila,
Pasay, and Parañaque.
LRT-1 passengers can transfer
to Line 2 at Doroteo Jose station
and to Line 3 at the EDSA
station.
Rody’s wrath Scenes like this — of a
jeepney turning a no-loading zone into a
parking terminal — has earned the ire of
President Rodrigo Duterte, who ordered mayors to seize back
public spaces being used illegally.
ALFONSO PADILLA
The Las Piñas City-issued
“Green Card” is now accredited
at the Las Piñas City Medical
Center (CityMed) located along
Marcos Alvarez Avenue in
Barangay Talon Singko.
Other hospitals where the
Green Card is accredited are
the Las Piñas Doctors Hospital
(LPDH), Philippine General
Hospital and San Juan de Dios
Hospital.
A special ward has been
dedicated to patients who have
Green Card in LPDH and CityMed.
“The additional hospital
accreditation of the Green
Card will provide more options
and convenience to Las Piñeros
when seeking medical help,”
Mayor Imelda Aguilar said.
The Green Card is the
hospitalization support program
of the city government of Las
Piñas. It subsidizes up to P30,000
of the total hospital bill of the
confined patient. Every member
of the family when hospitalized
Overpriced
parking assailed
By Leila Rodriguez
A bill was filed before the
House of Representatives seeking
free parking at malls and shopping
centers for customers who can
present proof of purchase or a
receipt worth P500 and below.
House Bill 506 or the Parking
Fees Regulation Act seeks to
stop the collection of parking
fees from customers by malls,
hotels and even by hospitals and
schools.
House measure seeks
reasonable fees.
If passed into law, the
bill authored by Surigao
del Norte Rep. Robert
Ace Barbers would help
unclog streets often used
as parking spaces by
those who do not want
to pay parking fees.
“One of the reasons why
streets in highly urbanized
areas are clogged with
parked cars is due to
cheaper cost of parking
on the streets,” Barbers
said in explaining
the rationale of his
measure.
“Vehicle
owners are often
forced to pay
exorbitant fees
for parking,
even if malls
and other
establishments
are already
raking in huge
earnings from
the sale of their
CityMed now accepts ‘Green Card’
is entitled to the subsidy.
Presently, there are 200,000
Green Card users. The “Green
Card” project is being managed
by the Mayor’s Office and
the City Social Welfare and
Development Office. It may be
availed by all bona fide Las
Piñas residents.
According to Mayor Aguilar, “We
are in the process of negotiating
with more hospitals in Las Piñas
for the expansion of Green Card
accreditation.” Jennie Bonajos
Whiling time away Boys enjoy telling tales at the banks of the Pasig River, which is slowly being rehabilitated by various government units and private organizations. ALFONSO PADILLA
products and services,” he added.
The measure proposed
that a simple presentation
of a receipt should merit the
waiving of parking fees by said
establishments.
The bill also suggested the
charging of a reasonable amount
not exceeding P100 per vehicle
for a maximum of eight hours
and P10 per succeeding hour of
parking space use.
Barbers seeks a reasonable
overnight parking charge not
exceeding P200 per vehicle, and
no charge for parking space use
for not more than 30 minutes.
For hospital visitors and
patients, parking fee will be
waived upon presentation of
proof of a legitimate transaction
with the hospital like a receipt
issued by a doctor for his
professional fee.
The regulations proposed
by Barbers would also apply to
buildings or vacant lots solely
used as sparking spaces.
The bill proposed a stiff fine
of P150,000 for every customer
who is overcharged, as well
as imprisonment from up to
three years.
QC heeds
DILG
order
Quezon City officials led by
Mayor Joy Belmonte yesterday
undertook a whirlwind inspection
of markets and areas taken over
by informal settlers.
Belmonte visited families
residing at Old Samson Road
behind Balintawak Market in
Barangay Apolonio Samson. She
also led the ocular inspection
of markets in Cubao, including
Mega Q-Mart and New Arayat
Market.
The inspections were in
response to the directives of the
Department of the Interior and
Local Government (DILG) to
clear roads and sidewalks and
other public spaces.
The DILG order, on the other
hand, was spurred by President
Rodrigo Duterte’s order to clear
public spaces of groups or
individuals who are using them
illegally.
Mr. Duterte issued the order
during his fourth State of the Nation
Address. Miguel Paolo Togonon

A8
METRO
John Henry Dodson, Editor
Monday, 29 July 2019
Daily Tribune
Food giants to employ
seniors, PWD
Jollibee and McDonald’s will hire
senior citizens and persons with
disabilities (PWD) as members of
their service crew in their Manila
outlets.
This, after the two fast-food giants
met with city government officials
of Manila and reached an agreement
to hire seniors and PWD.
Manila forges agreement with
McDo, Jollibee.
Fernando Bermejo, head
of Manila’s Public Employment
Services Office (PESO), said other
establishments may follow the
example of the two corporations
in providing said sectors of society
livelihood opportunities.
Bermejo was tasked to talk with
commercial establishments operating
in the city to entice them to hire
more bona fide residents of Manila,
including seniors and the PWD who
are still very much capable of working.
The PESO officer said the practice
of hiring the elderly and PWD is
prevalent in other countries.
The city government and the
companies are drawing up guidelines
on the employment of seniors and
PWD, especially on what tasks may
be appropriate for them.
The city has recently passed an
ordinance giving P500 a month for
every senior, PWD and solo parent.
Likewise, an ordinance was
passed giving monthly allocations
for students of city-owned colleges.
City elementary and high schools
are also given allocations for the
purchase of Nutribun bread for free
distribution to students. Pat C. Santos
‘Ringleader’ A man shows enviable upper-body strength in participating in the World Pacific Obstacle Course Race at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila Sunday.
No respite, no weekends
BOB DUNGO JR.
By Pat C. Santos
The Manila Police District (MPD)
continued its campaign against
groups using public spaces for profit
by arresting 11 persons for illegal
vending in separate and simultaneous
operations.
Most of the vendors were nabbed
at the heart of the University Belt
area, at Claro M. Recto Avenue, on
Saturday afternoon after elements
of the Juan Luna Police Community
Precinct staked out the area.
The cops under Capt. Manolito
Flores moved in after confirming
the actual sale of products and
goods by the vendors from Recto to
the corner of Juan Luna Street in
Binondo, Manila.
The vendors had been the subject
of complaints by residents for
obstructing the flow of vehicular
and pedestrian traffic as they’ve
taken over parts of the sidewalk.
Those arrested were identified
by the MPD as Rodel Ponce, 23;
John Joshua Esteleydes, 23; Joaquin
Carpon, 58; Emelito Taguinod, 61;
Kirby Monsod, 42; Lolita Galleto, 38;
Rolando Maraña, 29; Roger Canapi,
49; Kim Monsod, 28; and Jimmy
Pedrosa, 29.
The vendors failed to present
any permit to sell, prompting the
policemen to confiscate their wares
and to book for them for ordinance
violations.
11 vendors nabbed along
Recto.
The city government of Manila
has made waves with its campaign
to rid the streets and sidewalks of
illegal vendors, terminals and other
obstructions.
The Department of the Interior
and Local Government has given local
government units 60 days with which
to remove all public obstructions,
especially in mega cities like Metro
Manila and Cebu.
In Metro Manila, the National
Capital Region Police Office under
Maj. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar vowed
to provide mayors the necessary
assistance in their clearing
operations.
Meanwhile, policemen under MPD
police station 2 arrested two others
along Recto Avenue near Gate 1 of
Barangay 20 in Tondo, Manila for
possession of suspected drugs.
Those arrested were Collantes
Ubaldo Jr. and Amante Santiago Jr.
They were flagged at a checkpoint
during which shabu was
recovered in their possession.
4 killed in QC fire
Four people, including an 80-year old woman, were
killed while an estimated P100,000 worth of properties were
destroyed after a fire hit a four-story residential building in Pasong
Tamo, Quezon City early Sunday morning.
Fire Senior Supt. Jaime Ramirez, Quezon City Fire Marshal, identified
the victims as Emma Canlas 80; Genevieve Era 46; Oliver Canlas, 50;
and Sierna Canlas 38, who all died when they were trapped inside their
burning home.
Both Oliver and Sierna, who were initially reported to have survived
the fire, later died in a hospital.
Ramirez said that based on their initial investigation, the fire was
sparked by an unattended candle at Unit 404 Green Building, Barangay
Bliss, Pasong Tamo, Quezon City.
He said the fire, which started at about 2:26 a.m. Sunday, originated
at the living room of the house occupied by the Era family.
Firefighters who rushed to the scene put the fire out at 3:22 a.m. It
reached the second alarm and burned four units.
FTW
British ‘fraudster’
faces deportation
Convicted in UK, con man has been in hiding since 2015
By Raymart T. Lolo
The Bureau of Immigration (BI)
is set to deport a British national
wanted back home by authorities
for large-scale Internet fraud and
money laundering.
On Sunday, BI announced the
arrest of the 31-year-old convicted
British fraudster, identified as Jared
William Ainsworth. He was arrested
last Thursday at a popular mall in
Taguig City by operatives from the
bureau’s fugitive search unit (FSU).
According to Immigration
Commissioner Jaime Morente, the
Briton will be deported for being
an undesirable alien.
“We will be deporting him
immediately as we already issued
an order for his deportation a year
ago,” Morente said.
The BI chief described Ainsworth
as a high-profile fugitive, citing
reports that he and his brother
reportedly continued to operate
their racket even while they were
hiding in the Philippines.
The British is the older brother
of Calvin Jason Ainsworth, 25, who
was arrested and deported by the
BI last year.
We will be deporting him
immediately as we already
issued an order for his
deportation a year ago.
The siblings reportedly fled to the
Philippines in September 2015 after
they were released on bail by a court.
BI-FSU chief Bobby Raquepo said
the Ainsworth brothers continued to
profit from their racket during their
stay in the Philippines by selling
non-existent goods via the Internet.
The British Embassy in Manila
informed local authorities that a
British court has already convicted
the Ainsworths for large-scale fraud
through false representation.
UK authorities placed the amount
of money the suspects earned from
the scheme as at least $175,000.
Green is in He’s a familiar sight at the Mall
of Asia area in Pasay City, selling plants and
shrubs to motorists. DAVID JOHN CUBANGBANG
MIAA
cancels 6
flights
The Manila International
Airport Authority (MIAA) has
reported the cancelation of
six domestic flights on Sunday
due to bad weather at their
destinations.
The canceled flights were:
Cebu Pacific (5J) 771/772
Manila-Pagadian-Manila; 5J
781/782 Manila-Ozamis-Manila;
and Skyjet (M8) 511/512
Manila-Camiguin-Manila.
Likewise, two domestic flights
were delayed as a result of the
red lighting alert at the Ninoy
Aquino International Airport
from 12:15 p.m. to 12:33 p.m.
The affected flights were the
5J 449 Manila-Iloilo and CebGo’s
(DG) 6839, Manila-Del Carmen.
Ramp movement for aircrafts
and ramp personnel are
temporarily suspended during
a red lightning alert as a safety
measure to prevent injuries or
deaths associated with lightning
strikes. Miguel Togonon

MOBILE MINDSET KEY TO
TRANSFORMING BANKING SECTOR
B10
PENSION
BENEFITS
COMPRISE
BULK OF SSS
DISBURSEMENT
B11
CHINA WANTS BIGGER
BRICS ROLE
B12
Jun Vallecera, Editor
Monday, 29 July 2019
Daily Tribune
BUSINESS
BUS TERMINAL‘S
TRANSFER EYED
B15
B9
SCORING the biggest decline in prices was the food, beverage and tobacco index which dropped 4.3 percent in June.
ANTEROOM
Eduardo Martinez
COMMENTARY
Student traveling
privilege
“With the increasing
influx of tourists, this
translates to a better
and healthier economy.
See the far-reaching
effects Republic Act
11314 can have
My mother truly enjoys her senior citizen privileges. She says that by
flashing her senior citizen ID card, she gets discounts here and there,
in addition to a host of other perks. In fact, when she has a gathering
with friends in a restaurant, it is amusing to see everyone bring out
their own senior citizen ID after the meal. It is indeed a joy watching
them enjoy these privileges at their age. It gives them that special
treatment or treat they truly deserve. Sometimes I wonder when the
young ones, and not merely the young once, will get privileges from the
government, too. The prayer of the young ones has been heard, finally.
With Republic Act 11314, known as the Student Fare Discount
Act, approved on 17 April 2019, “(a) student under this Act shall
be entitled to a grant of twenty percent (20 percent) discount
on domestic regular fares, upon presentation of their duly issued
school identification cards (ID) or current validated enrollment
form, supported by the prescribed government-issued identification
document, subject to an appropriate verification mechanism to be
provided in the implementing rules and regulations (IRR); Provided,
that in case of air public transportation utilities, the discount shall
only apply to the base fare or the price of the ticket before taxes
and costs for ancillary services.”(Section 5).
This verily is one great privilege and a great help. For students
taking public transportation every day, a 20 percent discount on the
fare will indubitably be huge comfort. The savings add up to quite
a sum after some time. And whatever they save, they can use for
something they have been longing for. Another way of looking at it
is, this means having an additional 20 percent purchasing power.
So much for the discount. This encourages students to travel and
discover the country. See more, explore more. We know how teenagers
are nowadays. At their age, they always want to go on adventures with
their peers. It is no wonder they go up to Baguio, Batangas or Tagaytay;
or even travel to Cebu and Davao. So aside from having a blast, they
learn more about different places in our country, which in fact is more
important. These unforgettable experiences make them get to appreciate
more these places. Places which we, the older generation, may not have
even visited or heard of yet. When I was a teenager, Siargao in the south
or Pagudpod up north were not yet tourist spots. Neither was La Union.
But today, these are places teeming with tourists, both foreign and local.
With the privilege the law here grants, the more students are enticed to
visit places like these. Let us look at the bigger picture. This in turn helps
boost our tourism. With the increasing influx of tourists, this translates
to a better and healthier economy. See the far-reaching effects Republic
Act 11314 can have? It may not be felt immediately. But over time, and
with the droves of students availing of discounts, indubitably that will
help in making a more robust economy.
For students taking public transportation every day, a 20
percent discount on the fare will indubitably be huge comfort.
Oh, I almost forgot, I wish to point out the penalties. A student who
is refused the fare discount has recourse to the authorities. If it involves
land transportation, he may seek help from the LTFRB. If sea/water
public transportation utilities, the Maritime Industry Authority. If on
the other hand, it is an airline, he can go to the Civil Aeronautics Board
to complain. These government authorities will investigate and impose
the proper sanctions on the erring public transportation provider.
Fines range anywhere between P500 and P150,000, depending on the
frequency of infraction and the type of transportation provider. This
is how serious the law is in granting the special privilege to students.
But students should also beware. Any use of falsified student ID
to avail of the discount shall warrant a denial of the privilege, in
addition to civil and criminal liabilities. It therefore does not make
sense to pretend as a huge headache awaits.
And as I always tell my readers, let us not be too gung-ho
in availing of the privileges of a new law. A law usually entails
implementing rules and regulations before it kicks into action. We all
still have to wait for 90 days for their promulgation. Only then dear
students can you start enjoying the privilege. But there definitely is
nothing to hinder you from making plans now.
Poor families’ inflation
eased 4% on cheaper food
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said they continue
to see favorable inflation outlook in July
The so-called bottom 30 percent of the country’s households had
to deal with significantly lesser price pressure in June this year as
the consumer price index (CPI) for the group eased to 4 percent
from 4.6 percent in May.
This was the lowest inflation rate reported by the Philippines
Statistics Authority (PSA) in 19 months.
The bottom 30 percent represent the group least able to deal
with changes in the CPI that in this case mercifully eased during
the period.
According to the PSA, the easing of prices was led by the food,
beverage and tobacco index which went south to 4.3 percent and
the fuel, light and water index which similarly eased to 2 percent.
The indices for clothing as well as housing and repairs posted
annual increases of 3.3 percent and 4.2 percent, respectively.
The services and miscellaneous indices were unchanged for the
period.
Food hikes during the month slowed to only 3.9 percent, the PSA
said. Food inflation in May averaged only 4.3 percent versus 6.2
percent a year earlier.
The index for corn fell at the rate of 1.5 percent in June and except
The country’s exports through e-commerce
could grow by more than 200 percent to nearly
P600 billion by 2030 if Filipinos make full use
of digital trade opportunities.
A report, entitled “The Data Revolution:
How the Philippines Can Capture the
Digital Trade Opportunity at Home and
Abroad,” said the country’s digital exports
in 2017 were estimated at over P187 billion,
making digital exports the sixth largest
sector accounting for 5.4 percent of its total
export value.
This growth is expected to be largely
driven by expanding e-commerce
exports, which currently have a very
small base in the country.
Published by the Hinrich Foundation, the
report said while the numbers are substantial,
such were driven by the Philippines’ large
IT-BPO sector.
Digital export revenue from e-commerce,
on the other hand, were significantly low.
Vietnam’s e-commerce export revenues, for
example, were estimated to be 110 times that
of the Philippines in 2017, said the report.
“This is attributable in part to the Philippines’s
inadequate information and communications
technology (ICT) infrastructure-in 2016, the
country had the slowest reported internet speeds
in Asia Pacific.”
But the report also observed signs
of an upturn owing to the Philippines’
rapidly increasing Internet and smartphone
penetration rate and a national roadmap to
advance e-commerce.
“If the Philippines fully leverages the
opportunities afforded by digital trade, it is
estimated that its digital exports would grow
even more rapidly by a massive 218 percent
to reach P594 billion ($11.8 billion) by 2030,”
it added.
For digitally enabled export products,
particularly fast-moving consumer goods,
their value was estimated at P1 billion in 2017.
This value “could grow almost 300 times to
reach P315 billion ($6.2 billion) by 2030,” the
paper said.
“This growth is expected to be largely
driven by expanding e-commerce exports,
which currently have a very small base in
the country.”
Citing Philippine Statistics Authority data,
the report said the Philippine e-commerce
market in 2015 accounted for only 0.5
percent of retail transactions in the country,
“reflecting an immense export potential for
Philippine businesses.”
However, most local businesses have yet to
tap the export opportunity, with less than 8
percent currently engaged in direct exporting,
versus 16 percent in East Asian and Pacific
for the indices on eggs and cereal preparations, other food groups
posted a higher rate of 2.5 percent in June while the index for the
latter was unchanged at 3.9 percent.
The PSA earlier reported that headline inflation eased to a
22-month low of only 2.7 percent, driven lower in part by a tax regime
replacing quantitative restrictions with a tariff scheme instead.
“In the National Capital Region (NCR), inflation for the bottom
30 percent income households, likewise, decelerated to 1.6 percent
in June 2019. In May 2019, the annual rate of change in the area
was posted at 2.6 percent, and in June 2018, 7.3 percent,” the
PSA said.
Mirroring the trend at the national and NCR levels, inflation for
the bottom 30 percent income households in areas outside Metro
Manila dipped by 4.1 percent in June. Inflation in the region stood
4.6 percent in May and 6.6 percent in June 2018.
MIMAROPA and Central Visayas regions were the only regions
outside NCR that retained the previous month’s annual rate of 10.3
percent, while Central Visayas registered a higher annual rate of 3.7
percent.
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said they continue to see
favorable inflation outlook in July.
The BSP’s latest inflation forecast averages 2.7 percent for 2019 and
3 percent for 2020, both lower than the 2.9 percent this year and 3.1
percent for 2020 forecast in May.
Maria Romero
Digital exports seen totaling P600B
Digital trade is crucial not
only as a way to increase and
diversify the Philippines’s
export base, but also for helping
Philippine firms leverage digital
technologies across every sector
of the economy
TOTAL receipts earned from digital exports was the sixth highest, accounting for 5.4 percent of
the overall export value registered in 2017.
economies on average.
“Philippine businesses, particularly
small and medium enterprises, still face
substantial challenges in bridging the
gap to global markets. They often lack
the resources to research international
sales opportunities, build global business
networks and promote their products
overseas,” said the report.
To realize the full potential of digital
trade, it said policymakers need to ensure
open data flows and interoperability, promote
innovation-oriented approaches to copyright
and intermediary liability regulations, and
minimize border frictions.
“Digital trade is crucial not only as a way
to increase and diversify the Philippines’s
export base, but also for helping Philippine
firms leverage digital technologies across
every sector of the economy,” said the
paper.
“It is in the Philippines’s interest to ensure
a strong domestic ecosystem for digital trade
and to also play a role in advocating strongly
for digital trade to remain open in the Asia
Pacific to safeguard the potential benefits for
Philippine firms.”

B10 BUSINESS
Monday, 29 July 2019
Daily Tribune
Mobile mindset key to
transforming banking sector
We want to make
life easier for our
countrymen as our
services become part of
their everyday lives
Owing to the widespread use
of mobile phones in the country
and the exponential growth of
mobile Internet, Philippine banks
need to embrace a mobile-first
mindset to be more competitive
and innovative, said Bank of the
Philippine Islands (BPI) chief
digital officer Noel Santiago.
“Banks should begin the
transformation by capitalizing
on new technologies, conducting
core tech delayering, fortifying its
security safeguards, and having a
mobile-first mindset,” he said at a
public forum.
This mindset considers mobile
devices as main engagement tools
to reach customers, rather than
just an option.
Based on an International
Data Corporation (IDC) market
intelligence report, the number of
mobile, Internet and smartphone
users in the country have shown
double-digit growth of 50 percent
and 32 percent, respectively. The
trend is expected to continue in
the years ahead.
Philippine banks are ripe for
FOR BANKS like BPI, digital banking will still complement physical branch banking where clients can experience
efficient transactions between digital channels and the branches.
OneLab services
help boost
competitiveness
Filipino companies, especially those engaged
in food and information technology (IT), can avail
of one-stop laboratory services to boost product
development and achieve quality assurance for
their products.
Admer Rey Dablio, Senior Science Research
Specialist at the Standards and Testing Division of
the Department of Science and Technology-Industrial
Technology Development Institute (DoST-ITDI), cited
the benefits of availing DoST’s One-stop Laboratory
Services for Global Competitiveness (OneLab) system.
“For example, you are an exporter. You want
to export your product to the US (United States).
The US has technical barriers to trade. It will look
for the result of the quality of your product. If it
is not tested by an accredited laboratory, it will
test (the product) again and then the exporter will
shoulder the cost,” he said.
DoE inspects
Gas and LPG
establishments
in Pangasinan
The Department of Energy-Luzon Field Office
(DoE-LFO) conducted a focused inspection (FI)
of the different municipalities and cities of
Pangasinan from 22 to 26 July as part of the
monitoring of the compliance of gasoline stations
and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) establishments
with national petroleum standards.
“The DoE will continue to conduct these
activities to make sure that our consumers get
nothing but quality liquid fuel products. Compliant
retail outlets have nothing to fear. However, we
will not hesitate to enforce the law against those
who refuse to uphold quality, quantity and safety
standards,” Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi said.
Composed of personnel from the Oil Industry
Management Bureau, field offices, and the
Energy Research and Testing Laboratory Services
(ERTLS), the DoE team conducted the FI together
with the representatives from concerned local
government units, the Department of Trade and
Industry, Bureau of Fire Protection, and Philippine
National Police.
FIs were done in fuel retail outlets (LFRO)
and LPG establishments in Agno, Alaminos,
Anda, Bolinao, Burgos, Mabini, Infanta, Dasol,
Sual, Lingayen, Binmaley, Bugallon, Labrador,
San Carlos City, Basista, Urbiztondo, Aguilar,
Bayambang, Malasiqui, Santa Barbara and
Calasiao.
Of the total 145 gasoline stations inspected, the
FI team found 132 to have committed violations
of LFO regulations, with 55 of the inspected
dispensing pumps declared “out of order” due to
underdelivery. The top three violations included
operating without a certificate of compliance,
operating without an appropriate test measure and
operating without any calibration record.
The DE gathered 184 samples of gasoline and
found 86 to have failed either the quality or quantity
standards. On the other hand, all 88 samples of
automotive diesel oil tested were found compliant.
The price is right: The DoE team calibrates
the dispensing pump in one of the inspected
gasoline stations in Pangasinan using a 10-liter
standard calibrating bucket.
THURSDAY
25 JULY 2019
PHILIPPINE STOCK EXCHANGE
NAME OPEN HIGH LOW CLOSE VALUE (P)
FINANCIALS
digitalization, Santiago said, and
there are convenient opportunities
to leverage on given that majority or
95 percent of banking transactions
are still done through cash and
check.
“Digitalization, including the
integration of mobile banking tools,
will reduce our cost to serve. There
is huge potential for transforming
how we deliver our services to
clients,” Santiago said.
In fact, these opportunities
already attracted at least 81 fintech
or financial technology companies,
as well as boosted the number of
e-wallets in the country.
Of this, Santiago added, “We have
to understand who these players are,
and leverage their product offerings
and skillset, then integrate them with
our own ecosystem. Collaboration
is the best approach to tame the
disruption and remain competitive
and agile.”
Supporting this mindset is
Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala,
CEO of Ayala Corporation and
Chairman of BPI, who served as
the keynote speaker at the forum.
BANKS
ASIA UNITED 58 58.9 58 58.9 393,290
BDO UNIBANK 147.3 151.9 145.4 151.9 337,458,199
BANK PH ISLANDS 90 91.6 90 91.6 172,270,585.50
CHINABANK 27.2 27.2 26.95 27 3,091,275
CITYSTATE BANK 7.98 7.98 7.98 7.98 3,990
EAST WEST BANK 12.46 12.58 12.22 12.22 13,591,822
METROBANK 74.95 75.5 74.15 75.5 138,709,550.50
PB BANK 13.2 13.2 13.2 13.2 2,257,200
PBCOM 22.9 22.9 22.9 22.9 2,290
PHIL NATL BANK 50.7 50.8 50.15 50.65 20,743,357
PSBANK 59.7 59.75 59.4 59.4 505,088
RCBC 27.95 28.5 27.7 28.5 1,094,815
SECURITY BANK 184 186.3 182.1 186 64,703,511
UNION BANK 59.85 60.8 59.8 60 6,211,623.50
OTHER FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
BRIGHT KINDLE 1.17 1.17 1.16 1.16 44,150
BDO LEASING 2.32 2.32 2.21 2.21 71,710
COL FINANCIAL 18.68 18.68 18.68 18.68 93,400
FERRONOUX HLDG 4.79 4.79 4.68 4.74 127,760
IREMIT 1.32 1.32 1.32 1.32 2,640
MEDCO HLDG 0.47 0.47 0.46 0.46 162,250
NTL REINSURANCE 1.06 1.11 1.06 1.1 1,165,620
PHIL STOCK EXCH 190.5 190.5 184.5 185 896,883
SUN LIFE 1,760 1,760 1,760 1,760 176,000
INDUSTRIAL
ELECTRICITY, ENERGY, POWER & WATER
ALSONS CONS 1.31 1.31 1.31 1.31 15,720
ABOITIZ POWER 37 37.05 36.7 36.8 54,267,845
BASIC ENERGY 0.265 0.27 0.265 0.27 413,550
FIRST GEN 26.9 26.95 26.75 26.8 72,560,735
FIRST PHIL HLDG 89.05 89.05 85.2 86.95 48,670,605.50
MERALCO 379 384.2 378 384.2 42,495,548
MANILA WATER 24 24.1 23.5 23.55 4,119,035
PETRON 5.65 5.66 5.6 5.6 22,671,154
PETROENERGY 4.8 4.8 4.75 4.75 457,800
PHINMA ENERGY 2.49 2.6 2.42 2.52 89,429,210 2
PHX PETROLEUM 11.72 12 11.72 11.9 1,528,374
PILIPINAS SHELL 38.55 39.35 38.15 39 13,361,435
SPC POWER 6.6 7 6.53 6.6 1,036,212
VIVANT 16.96 16.96 16.1 16.1 42,406
FOOD, BEVERAGE & TOBACCO
AGRINURTURE 14 14.18 13.92 14 9,187,908
CNTRL AZUCARERA 15.64 16.94 15.64 16.94 39,290
CENTURY FOOD 15.18 15.18 14.72 14.9 4,061,086
DEL MONTE 6.35 6.4 6.33 6.33 885,635
DNL INDUS 10.42 10.44 10.34 10.4 27,963,586
EMPERADOR 7.55 7.55 7.49 7.55 9,051,200
SMC FOODANDBEV 103 103 100.9 102.9 18,736,461
ALLIANCE SELECT 0.79 0.81 0.75 0.78 2,037,260
GINEBRA 58 58 56.5 57 10,489,957.50
JOLLIBEE 250.8 250.8 231 236 2,563,524,072
MACAY HLDG 8.85 8.87 8.85 8.87 73,529
MAXS GROUP 14.44 14.48 14.04 14.3 6,371,580
PEPSI COLA 1.73 1.76 1.6 1.67 11,178,310
SHAKEYS PIZZA 13.7 14 13.4 14 6,085,862
ROXAS AND CO 1.55 1.55 1.52 1.55 2,709,380
RFM CORP 5.1 5.1 5.03 5.1 151,156
SWIFT FOODS 0.128 0.128 0.128 0.128 35,840
UNIV ROBINA 171.8 173.4 168 173.4 143,143,657
VITARICH 1.27 1.28 1.22 1.22 4,966,870
VICTORIAS 2.47 2.49 2.47 2.47 123,640
CONSTRUCTION, INFRASTRUCTURE & ALLIED SERVICES
CONCRETE A 85.75 85.75 78 80 943,171
CONCRETE B 94.95 94.95 85.5 86.15 417,369
CEMEX HLDG 2.67 2.75 2.67 2.74 14,385,040
DAVINCI CAPITAL 5.19 5.4 5.19 5.4 6,915
EAGLE CEMENT 14.7 14.7 14.5 14.5 27,386,592
EEI CORP 10.92 11.06 10.64 11 7,863,332
HOLCIM 13.96 14.1 13.96 14.04 7,786,046
MEGAWIDE 18.5 18.6 18.16 18.5 32,384,500
PHINMA 9.05 9.05 9.01 9.01 8,355,459
TKC METALS 1.13 1.16 1.12 1.15 224,430
VULCAN INDL 1.31 1.33 1.26 1.28 7,311,930
CHEMICALS
CHEMPHIL 116.8 116.8 116.8 116.8 1,168
CROWN ASIA 2.11 2.11 1.95 2.08 806,380
EUROMED 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 16,000
LMG CHEMICALS 4.17 4.2 4.17 4.2 29,340
PRYCE CORP 5.37 5.6 5.37 5.37 617,594
ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS & EQUIPMENT
GREENERGY 2.25 2.27 2.22 2.23 10,165,670
INTEGRATED MICR 9.29 9.42 9.21 9.42 3,272,974 1
IONICS 1.73 1.73 1.66 1.69 608,440
PANASONIC 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 308,000
SFA SEMICON 1.1 1.1 1.08 1.09 493,170
CIRTEK HLDG 17.6 17.6 15.8 16.2 16,677,950
HOLDING FIRMS
ABACORE CAPITAL 1.04 1.04 1 1.03 13,651,600
ASIABEST GROUP 17.68 17.68 16.22 16.7 3,036,140
AYALA CORP 965 980 962.5 980 489,617,230
ABOITIZ EQUITY 56.6 57.8 55.8 57.8 35,093,580.50
ALLIANCE GLOBAL 15.6 15.8 15.54 15.8 82,096,442
AYALA LAND LOG 4.21 4.29 4.15 4.22 22,428,070
ANSCOR 7 7.01 7 7 2,193,826
ANGLO PHIL HLDG 0.73 0.74 0.72 0.73 402,800
ATN HLDG A 1.29 1.29 1.26 1.28 4,499,640
ATN HLDG B 1.3 1.31 1.3 1.3 461,680
COSCO CAPITAL 7.05 7.1 6.88 7.04 6,150,355
DMCI HLDG 10.48 10.6 10.38 10.48 18,517,930
FILINVEST DEV 13.8 14 13.8 14 133,422
FORUM PACIFIC 0.223 0.238 0.223 0.235 131,290
GT CAPITAL 924 972 908.5 972 138,778,935
HOUSE OF INV 6.41 6.49 6.41 6.43 396,137
JG SUMMIT 69.35 69.35 68 69 86,706,780.5 27
LODESTAR 0.51 0.52 0.5 0.51 19,560
LOPEZ HLDG 4.65 4.65 4.39 4.56 2,919,220
LT GROUP 15.12 15.12 14.58 14.58 92,990,756
MABUHAY HLDG 0.71 0.73 0.7 0.71 4,074,640
METRO PAC INV 4.79 4.8 4.71 4.8 81,200,530
PACIFICA 0.04 0.04 0.039 0.039 176,800
PRIME MEDIA 1.52 1.56 1.43 1.54 3,393,390
REPUBLIC GLASS 2.91 3.15 2.91 3 458,780
SOLID GROUP 1.39 1.39 1.37 1.38 269,170
SYNERGY GRID 449.4 449.4 449.4 449.4 4,494
SM INVESTMENTS 996.5 1,015 980 1,015 243,409,345
SAN MIGUEL CORP 170.4 172.9 170.1 172.9 59,946,517
SOC RESOURCES 0.84 0.91 0.83 0.87 2,551,870
SEAFRONT RES 2.7 2.7 2.69 2.69 10,770
TOP FRONTIER 259 261 255.2 261 49,218
WELLEX INDUS 0.233 0.24 0.232 0.239 453,870
ZEUS HLDG 0.295 0.295 0.27 0.28 4,953,250
PROPERTRY
ARTHALAND CORP 1.09 1.1 1.06 1.06 9,495,800
ANCHOR LAND 10.92 10.92 10.92 10.92 1,092
AYALA LAND 51.55 52.55 51.5 52.55 170,337,494
ARANETA PROP 2.11 2.16 2.09 2.09 203,530
BELLE CORP 2.3 2.35 2.29 2.32 587,690
A BROWN 0.83 0.84 0.82 0.84 1,156,300
CITYLAND DEVT 0.89 0.89 0.89 0.89 13,350
CROWN EQUITIES 0.239 0.239 0.237 0.238 985,610
CEBU HLDG 6.1 6.1 6.09 6.1 141,320
CEB LANDMASTERS 5.02 5.05 4.99 5.04 8,681,191
CENTURY PROP 0.62 0.62 0.6 0.6 31,052,810
CYBER BAY 0.455 0.46 0.455 0.46 400,450
DOUBLEDRAGON 24.85 24.9 24 24.4 12,282,300
DM WENCESLAO 10.46 10.52 10.16 10.32 13,478,002
EMPIRE EAST 0.47 0.475 0.47 0.475 691,000
“Over the last few years, we
have made a deliberate attempt
at institutionalizing an innovation
mindset across the group. We
believe that critical to our future
growth and success is the kind
of innovative and disruptive
thinking that start-ups and young
entrepreneurs embody,” Ayala said.
“Transformation requires
clarity of vision, courage to stay on
the course, and boldness to disrupt
yourself and challenge long-held
conventions. It certainly won’t be
easy, but I believe it is very much
possible,” he added.
With the many advances in
data infrastructure, Santiago said
digitalization will allow banks to
streamline digital transactions by
incorporating more digital tools to
enhance its products and internal
processes.
In the past few years, the
number of BPI clients doing online
transactions has grown to three
million. And for the past three
years, the bank has booked a total
of P11.6 billion in technological
spending to ramp up its digital
NAME OPEN HIGH LOW CLOSE VALUE (P)
FILINVEST LAND 1.94 1.94 1.92 1.93 33,078,140
GLOBAL ESTATE 1.39 1.39 1.36 1.38 3,804,090
8990 HLDG 15.84 15.88 15.84 15.84 10,640,028
PHIL INFRADEV 1.68 1.71 1.65 1.71 6,325,420
KEPPEL PROP 4.75 4.75 4.75 4.75 95,000
CITY AND LAND 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 13,600
MEGAWORLD 6.26 6.35 6.25 6.3 109,061,497
MRC ALLIED 0.355 0.36 0.335 0.335 14,778,400
PHIL ESTATES 0.5 0.5 0.41 0.46 1,647,500
PRIMEX CORP 2.15 2.15 2.1 2.11 1,440,870
ROBINSONS LAND 27.15 28 27.1 27.9 126,099,545
PHIL REALTY 0.405 0.405 0.405 0.405 48,600
ROCKWELL 2.38 2.38 2.33 2.35 2,704,490
SHANG PROP 3.22 3.22 3.15 3.2 107,970
STA LUCIA LAND 2.01 2.1 1.98 2.09 4,954,710
SM PRIME HLDG 37.5 37.95 37.5 37.8 165,397,055
STARMALLS 6.21 6.21 5.98 6 3,112,378
SUNTRUST HOME 0.8 0.81 0.8 0.81 552,900
VISTA LAND 7.69 7.88 7.66 7.8 106,002,212
SERVICES
MEDIA
ABS CBN 19.72 20.35 18.1 18.9 8,646,381
GMA NETWORK 5.35 5.44 5.32 5.35 625,777
MANILA BULLETIN 0.52 0.52 0.51 0.52 165,630
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
GLOBE TELECOM 2,200 2,236 2,176 2,236 152,852,160
PLDT 1,139 1,160 1,119 1,160 124,389,435
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
APOLLO GLOBAL 0.048 0.05 0.048 0.049 480,440
DFNN INC 6.4 6.4 6.4 6.4 128,640
ISLAND INFO 0.114 0.114 0.113 0.113 217,520
ISM COMM 5.51 5.52 5.19 5.28 53,835,464
JACKSTONES 2.94 2.98 2.9 2.98 112,140
NOW CORP 2.45 2.49 2.4 2.4 8,449,110
TRANSPACIFIC BR 0.355 0.355 0.345 0.35 1,920,700
PHILWEB 4.2 4.21 4.06 4.11 7,245,110
TRANSPORTATION SERVICES
2GO GROUP 11 11 10.8 10.8 254,380
CHELSEA 7.57 7.61 7.2 7.4 25,002,621
CEBU AIR 96 96.05 93.8 95.5 19,250,317
INTL CONTAINER 136 137.3 134.1 137 242,099,584
LBC EXPRESS 14.16 14.2 14.16 14.16 28,358
LORENZO SHIPPNG 0.93 0.93 0.9 0.93 300,690
MACROASIA 19.92 19.96 19.5 19.78 6,307,852
METROALLIANCE A 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 30,000
METROALLIANCE B 1.52 1.52 1.5 1.5 79,760
PAL HLDG 9.1 9.1 9.01 9.1 296,224
HARBOR STAR 2.12 2.14 2.09 2.12 2,879,640
HOTEL & LEISURE
ACESITE HOTEL 1.48 1.49 1.48 1.49 14,870
BOULEVARD HLDG 0.062 0.065 0.062 0.065 1,577,640
DISCOVERY WORLD 2.06 2.06 2.06 2.06 4,120
WATERFRONT 0.83 0.83 0.77 0.79 8,562,530
EDUCATION
CENTRO ESCOLAR 7.17 7.17 7.17 7.17 21,510
IPEOPLE 9.5 9.69 9.43 9.43 56,060
STI HLDG 0.79 0.79 0.74 0.75 7,836,740
CASINOS & GAMING
BERJAYA 2.68 2.69 2.59 2.69 1,151,850
BLOOMBERRY 11.74 11.74 11.54 11.6 85,819,294(52
PACIFIC ONLINE 2.95 2.97 2.93 2.96 472,170
LEISURE AND RES 3.7 3.7 3.63 3.65 3,453,160
MANILA JOCKEY 3.43 3.49 3.4 3.49 546,440
PH RESORTS GRP 5.16 5.18 5 5.1 490,722
PREMIUM LEISURE 0.76 0.76 0.73 0.74 3,969,740
PHIL RACING 8.23 8.23 8.23 8.23 823
TRAVELLERS 5.45 5.52 5.44 5.52 26,204,730
RETAIL
METRO RETAIL 2.7 2.71 2.57 2.59 12,740,480
PUREGOLD 45.45 46 45.3 46 10,827,025
ROBINSONS RTL 78.7 78.7 77.7 77.95 108,838,379.50
PHIL SEVEN CORP 160 160 146 156 238,910
SSI GROUP 3.38 3.38 3.2 3.25 19,936,850
WILCON DEPOT 15.94 16.06 15.66 15.9 101,193,982
OTHER SERVICES
APC GROUP 0.52 0.52 0.48 0.5 3,125,100
EASYCALL 9.98 9.98 9.52 9.52 484,355
GOLDEN BRIA 415 429 415 420 162,158
IPM HLDG 5.65 5.65 5.65 5.65 4,520
PRMIERE HORIZON 0.8 0.81 0.79 0.79 46,711,510
SBS PHIL CORP 9.28 9.49 9.27 9.49 85,192
MINING & OIL
MINING
ATOK 13 13 12.5 12.8 173,124
APEX MINING 1.22 1.22 1.19 1.2 5,317,060
ABRA MINING 0.0017 0.0017 0.0017 0.0017 256,700
ATLAS MINING 2.71 2.71 2.71 2.71 54,200
COAL ASIA HLDG 0.28 0.28 0.27 0.27 747,150
CENTURY PEAK 2.78 2.78 2.75 2.75 2,764,050
DIZON MINES 7.7 7.8 7.62 7.64 10,040
FERRONICKEL 1.52 1.52 1.49 1.49 2,549,350
GEOGRACE 0.241 0.243 0.23 0.23 325,850
LEPANTO A 0.108 0.108 0.107 0.108 202,850
LEPANTO B 0.122 0.122 0.122 0.122 1,220
MANILA MINING A 0.0074 0.0074 0.0071 0.0071 190,400
MANILA MINING B 0.0075 0.0075 0.0075 0.0075 135,000
MARCVENTURES 1.12 1.15 1.11 1.15 258,160
NIHAO 1.09 1.09 1.05 1.07 55,780
NICKEL ASIA 2.64 2.64 2.58 2.6 17,524,260
OMICO CORP 0.51 0.51 0.51 0.51 10,710
ORNTL PENINSULA 0.89 0.89 0.87 0.87 473,060
PX MINING 3.6 3.6 3.46 3.48 4,617,200
SEMIRARA MINING 24.55 24.8 24.2 24.55 77,448,095
OIL
ORNTL PETROL A 0.011 0.012 0.011 0.012 53,500
ORNTL PETROL B 0.012 0.013 0.012 0.013 11,600
PHILODRILL 0.01 0.011 0.01 0.011 534,100
PHINMA PETRO 6.1 6.19 5.3 5.84 18,286,632
PXP ENERGY 8.28 8.49 8.16 8.38 8,863,248
PREFERRED
infrastructure.
The future of financial services
is expected to become more
competitive and comprehensive,
with artificial intelligence playing a
key role in producing and collecting
more data that can be mined for
useful insights.
“Banks must continue to
innovate. It is a business imperative
for banks all over the world,
especially in the emerging market
where digitalization holds much
promise and potential. Banks must
do more so that they don’t get left
behind,” he said.
For BPI, digital banking will
still complement physical branch
banking, where clients can
experience efficient, frictionless
transactions between digital
channels and the branches.
“As more and more clients get
comfortable with online or mobile
banking, we hope to become the
most inclusive of banks in the
country. We want to make life
easier for our countrymen as our
services become part of their
everyday lives,” Santiago said.
HOUSE PREF A 99.65 99.65 99.65 99.65 47,832
AC PREF B1 500 500 495 495 749,950
AC PREF B2 495 498 495 498 1,045,060
ALCO PREF C 102 102 102 102 102,000
DD PREF 99.4 99.4 99.4 99.4 31,808
SMC FB PREF 2 980 983 980 983 491,470
FGEN PREF G 102.1 102.1 102 102 204,070
GLO PREF P 485 490 485 490 131,800
GTCAP PREF A 928 928 928 928 807,360
GTCAP PREF B 940 940 921 921 184,390
LR PREF 1.05 1.05 1.04 1.04 3,045,350
MWIDE PREF 100 101 100 101 127,210
PCOR PREF 3A 1,008 1,011 1,002 1,011 8,035,870
PCOR PREF 3B 1,014 1,015 1,014 1,015 6,150,040
SMC PREF 2B 75.2 75.2 75.2 75.2 34,592

Monday, 29 July 2019
Daily Tribune
BUSINESS B11
Pension benefits comprise bulk
of SSS disbursement
the
We are happy to see our
pensioners enjoy their monthly
pensions after many years of
saving with the SSS
At more than two-thirds of total
releases, Social Security System
(SSS) pensioners took the bulk of
benefits disbursed over five months
this year.
“SSS pension disbursements
accounted for 78.6 percent of total
benefit disbursements from January to
May this year,” the state-owned pension
fund reported.
This translates to P62.19 billion worth
of pensions for the period, reflecting a
P4.84 billion hike from P57.35 billion in
the same period last year.
SSS President and CEO Aurora
Ignacio traced the increase to the
growing number of pensioners totaling
2.5 million in May from 2.4 million last
year.
“We are happy to see our pensioners
enjoy their monthly pensions after many
years of saving with the SSS. They are
finally reaping the benefits of years of
hard work when they were still part of
BRIEFS
Durex campaign wins big at PANAta Awards
Durex, the world’s leading condom brand, proudly took home
a crop of plum honors for the #AlwaysComePrepared campaign
in the recent PANAta Awards 2019, held at the Marquis Events
Place, BGC.
An initiative of the Philippine Association of National
Advertisers (PANA), the prestigious PANAta Awards, now on its
11th year of championing brand building, honors the brilliance of
people and organizations — game changers—behind the industry’s
most successful and innovative brand-strengthening campaigns.
As a Brand Builder Champion, Durex received the second
highest honor of the night next only to the Grand PANAta: The
Brand Rookie of the Year award (new brands that have entered
the market in the past year and shown success in its launch based
on the criteria given). Durex also received 3 bronze awards for
Excellence in Brand CSR, Excellence in Brand Positioning, and
Excellence in Customer Empowerment, all significant accolades.
“It’s truly an honor for us to receive these top awards from
the PANata 2019,” says Karol Canlas-Apelo, senior brand manager,
Durex Philippines. “This recognition serves as a testament to the
creative efficacy of the #AlwaysComePrepared campaign, in our
desire to educate young adults by bringing the HIV threat into a
more understandable level.”
Hotel launches family-oriented program
JW Marriott, part of Marriott International recently announced
the launch of the Family by JW program in the Asia-Pacific region.
Inspired by the legacy of JW Marriott founders, J. Willard and Alice
Marriott, Family by JW is a global initiative for children 5-12 years
old. Through vibrant partnerships and non-profit collaborations
and with exclusive on-property experiences, Family by JW is
designed for multi-generational families traveling together,
whether they are exploring a bustling city or seeking relaxation
on a tranquil beach.
Families traveling on vacation appreciate the combination of
convenience, balance, discoveries and delightful activities. Family
by JW addresses these needs with a variety of meaningful and
unforgettable experiences and memories long after the vacation
ends. Each of the almost 90 JW Marriott hotels and resorts around
the world offers authentic opportunities for families to spend
quality time together through engaging programming, brought to
life by the brand’s passion for nourishing the soul, togetherness
and mindfulness.
GIGA offers drive Smart mobile data usage
PLDT wireless subsidiary Smart Communications Inc. (Smart)
has continued to drive data usage by expanding its prepaid data
offers to cater to avid video, gaming and social media users.
Launched early this year, the evolved data offers — GIGA Video,
GIGA Games and GIGA IG+FB — have contributed to the continued
increase in mobile data usage on the network, bulk of which come
from increased video watching.
As of the fi rst quarter, monthly YouTube users further
increased by 35 percent compared to the previous quarter, while
viewership of other video apps like NBA, iWant and iflix have also
more than doubled.
In addition, the volume of monthly Mobile Legends data traffic
also increased by 141 percent in the first quarter.
These data-packed offers come as the global number of mobile
subscriptions grew to around 7.9 billion, with the Philippines
ranking among the countries with the most net additions during the
first quarter of 2019 at 4 million, next only to China (+30 million) and
Nigeria (+5 million), according to the latest Ericsson Mobility Report.
“Whether our customers are more interested in streaming videos
on YouTube, playing Mobile Legends with their friends, or keeping
in touch with their families through their Facebook or Instagram
accounts, our expanded GIGA family offers can provide them with
more than enough data to meet their ever-growing demand for
mobile internet services,” said Oscar Enrico Reyes Jr., PLDT-Smart
Senior Vice President and Head of Consumer Market Development.
RETIREMENT pensions alone benefitted 1.5 million pensioners during the month of May.
Tobacco excise plugs
UHC gap, DoF says
We can only accomplish this by raising the taxes on sin products
The government is a step
closer in bringing better
healthcare services to Filipinos
with the implementation of
higher excise tax on cigarettes
and other alternative devices
for smoking such as e-cigarettes
and vapor products, Finance
Secretary Carlos Dominguez III
said over the weekend.
Also, Dominguez said the law
will not only help deter the young
from taking up the vice, but will
also bankroll the necessary
funding for the Universal Health
Care Program (UHC).
“President Duterte’s goal to
implement the UHC program
the way it was meant to be
implemented: as a first-class
law at par with the world’s best
healthcare systems. It is meant
to provide quality and affordable
healthcare for all, especially for
Filipino professionals can
now conveniently pay fees to the
Professional Regulation Commission
(PRC) wherever they are and anytime
they want, as the commission now
accepts online payments powered
by digital financial services leader
PayMaya Philippines.
PRC has tapped PayMaya to
provide an online payment portal that
is in line with the government’s thrust
to simplify and make public services
responsive to the needs of Filipinos.
Through PayMaya’s platform,
Filipinos can now pay using their
prepaid, credit and debit cards as
well as their mobile numbers linked
to their PayMaya e-wallet account.
PayMaya is the only digital
financial services company with
an integrated suite of solutions
for consumers and merchants
complemented by the widest
remittance partner agent network.
It is the fintech arm of Voyager
Innovations, the leading technology
company in the country backed by
PLDT, KKR, Tencent, World Bank’s
poor families,” Dominguez said.
“We can only accomplish
this by raising the taxes on
sin products. The revenues we
will collect from the higher or
new taxes on regular tobacco
products and their alternatives
will help fill the funding gap in
the UHC program,” he added.
With the law in place,
cigarettes are now levied P45
per pack starting 1 January 2020,
from P35 per pack at present.
Moreover, a P5 increase will
be implemented every year until
the rate reaches P60 by 2023.
The rate is hiked by 5 percent
every year until 2024.
Similarly, the soon to be
imposed tax hikes will be
implemented alongside the new
levy for e-cigarettes and vapor
products.
“The law imposes a minimum
IFC and the IFC Emerging Asia
Fund.
“This partnership with PayMaya
attests to our commitment to make
access to PRC services easier, more
convenient, and faster for every
professional,” said PRC Chairman
Teofilo S. Pilando Jr.
PayMaya has powered PRC’s
website with an online checkout
page that will allow Filipinos to
pay for their examination, initial
license registration, renewal of
Professional Identification Card, and
for certifications of board rating and
passing electronically.
The portal accepts payment
from any debit, credit, and
prepaid card from schemes
such as Visa, MasterCard and
JCB. PayMaya accountholders can
also pay using only their mobile
number linked to their e-wallet.
Soon, payments for PRC transactions
will also be accepted through
the PayMaya mobile app, expanding
the reach of the government agency.
For his part, Orlando B.
P10 excise tax for 0 to 10 milliliters
(ml) of liquid solution or gel
starting 1 January next year.
Every 10.01 to 20 ml is taxed P20;
20.01 to 30 ml, P30; 30.01 to 40 ml,
P40; 40.01 to 50 ml, P50; and for
more than 50 ml, P50 plus P10
for every additional 10 ml,” the
Department of Finance said.
“Starting 1 January 1 2021,
the rate will be increased by 5
percent every year,” it added.
The UHC law expands the
Philippine Health Insurance
Corp. coverage for primary care
to cover 120 drugs.
With UHC, there will be no
limit to primary care treatment
conditions as barangay health
care facilities will also be
expanded and will be better
equipped to provide primary
health care, Dominguez said.
J. Lao
PRC goes digital, links with PayMaya
THE professional Regulation Commission taps PayMaya for an online payment portal, allowing Filipino professionals
to now conveniently pay fees online. In photo: PayMaya Business Head for Government Sector Marvin Santos;
head for enterprise business Mar Lazaro; founder and chief executive officer Orlando Vea; PRC Chairman Teofilo
Pilando Jr.; commissioner Yolando Reyes; commissioner Jose Cueto Jr.
Partnership with PayMaya attests to our commitment to make access to PRC
services easier, more convenient, and faster for every professional
Vea, PayMaya Philippines founder
and CEO said: “This is very timely
as there is an increasing demand
for digitalization in the public
sector space as government
agencies are now automating
their processes. We’re proud to
be the partner of PRC in enabling
all kinds of digital payment
acceptance that will bring ease
to the Filipino people and will
enhance operational efficiencies in
the government.”
The tie-up between PRC
and PayMaya to digitalize payment
acceptance for the commission
is in line with the national
government’s efforts. In his
State of the Nation Address this
month, President Rodrigo Duterte
emphasized that government
agencies need to make transactions
for every Filipino simple and easy.
Last year, he signed the Ease
of Doing Business and Efficient
Government Service Delivery Act
aiming to fight corruption and
improve government services.
labor force,” Ignacio said.
There are retirement, death and
disability pensions that benefited 1.5
million, 940,000 and 85,000 pensioners,
respectively, in May this year.
The fund pays a retiree as much as
P18,945 and not lower than P2,000 each
month. These also include the P1,000
additional benefit.
The SSS pension loan program
(PLP) has thus far benefited 48,505
pensioner-borrowers with loan releases
reaching P1.16 billion in response to a
clamor for a low-interest rate program
for members.
Under the PLP, qualified members can
apply for a loan of up to six times their
respective basic monthly pension plus
the P1,000 additional benefit but should
not exceed the maximum loan limit of
P32,000.
As the program gained traction, the
SSS chief urged qualified members to
avail of the program instead of exposing
themselves to unreasonable loan rates
from loan sharks.
“We are seeing an increase in the
number of SSS pensioners relying now
on our PLP for their short-term and
emergency needs instead of going to
loan sharks,” Ignacio said. Joshua Lao
THE Philippines may soon export
tuna and a number of agricultural
products to Argentina.
Phl exports
agri-products
to Argentina
The two countries are
finalizing a memorandum
of agreement to create
a general collaboration
framework in the
livestock, agricultural and
agro-industrial sectors
The Department of Agriculture
(DA) is keen on shipping tuna and
agri-based products to Argentina,
which is seen as a potential market
for agricultural exports.
In a recent meeting with
Argentine Ministry of Labor and
Production Undersecretary Pedro
Manuel Vigneau, Agriculture
Undersecretary for Operations
Ariel Cayanan discussed possible
areas of cooperation between the
two countries.
Cayanan said the Philippines
looks to export tuna and products
like abaca and others as coco
chips, coco sugar, coco oil, frozen
and tropical fruits, among other to
Argentina.
He also said the Philippines
also plan to import cattle from
Argentina.
Cayanan also highlighted the
need to initiate a partnership on
grain storage and drying technology.
For its part, Argentina proposed
to export some of its products
like livestock and dairy to the
Philippines.
Currently, the two countries
are finalizing a memorandum of
agreement to create a general
collaboration framework in
the livestock, agricultural and
agro-industrial sectors.
The Philippines and
Argentina initially drafted an
MoU on agricultural assistance
and cooperation for the livestock
industry in March 2018.
Earlier, Argentina also offered
technical assistance in developing
drying technology and grain storage
in the country.
According to the Philippine
Statistics Authority, the country’s
total external trade in goods
in May stood at $15.58 billion
or a 3 percent deterioration
from $16.06 billion in the same
month last year. Maria Romero

"
B12 WORLD Monday, 29 July 2019
Daily Tribune
Teen
suspects’
hunt
intensifies
The suspects, identified as
Kam McLeod, 19, and Bryer
Schmegelsky, 18, have been on
the run for more than a week
MONTREAL, Canada — The Royal
Canadian Air Force has joined the hunt
for two fugitive teens suspected of triple
murder, officials said Saturday, backing
up a vast search operation unfolding in
Manitoba’s remote northeast.
The suspects, identified as Kam
McLeod, 19, and Bryer Schmegelsky, 18,
have been on the run for more than a
week.
Authorities say they believe the two are
behind the killings of 23-year-old Australian
Lucas Fowler and his 24-year-old American
girlfriend, Chynna Deese, as well as of
Leonard Dyck, a 64-year-old Canadian.
Police said Friday they could not
rule out the possibility that the
two suspects had altered their
appearances and slipped out of
the region.
Since Tuesday, the village of Gillam,
near Hudson Bay, has been at the epicenter
of an intense manhunt involving tracker
dogs, a drone and armored vehicles. The
area features dense, sometimes nearly
impenetrable forests.
Minister of Public Safety Ralph
Goodale announced the air force
involvement, which followed a request
from Brenda Lucki, head of the Royal
Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
In a statement late Friday, Goodale
said he and Defense Minister Harjit
Sajjan had accepted the formal request
“for a Canadian Armed Forces aircraft
to aid in the search near Gillam,
Manitoba.”
The C-130 Hercules arrived in the
Gillam area Saturday to assist with
aerial search operations, and will have
onboard a federal police officer to direct
the search, the military said.
Police said Friday they could not rule
out the possibility that the two suspects
had altered their appearances and
slipped out of the region, possibly with
the unwitting help of an area resident.
The two young men have been formally
accused in the murder of Dyck, a botany
professor, and are suspects in the killings
of Fowler and Deese, whose bodies were
found along a highway in northern British
Columbia.
AFP
FOREIGN ministers of the BRICS nations, (from left) China’s Wang Yi, Russia’s Sergey Lavrov, Brazil’s Ernesto Araujo, India’s Minister of Road Transport Vijay Kumar Singh
and South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Grace Naledi Mandisa Pandor meet at the Itamaraty Palace in Rio de Janeiro ahead of the 11th summit
scheduled for November 2019 in Brasilia.
AFP
CHANGING WORLD AFFAIRS
China wants bigger
BRICS role
The five countries are Brazil, Russia, India, China and South
Africa
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — The rise
of emerging markets and developing
countries, represented by the BRICS
countries, has bolstered a more
multi-polar world, Chinese State Councilor
and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here
on Friday.
At the Formal Meeting of the BRICS
Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Wang
also said BRICS cooperation is not a
band-aid solution for the five countries
but a strategic choice that focuses on
common and long-term development and
harbors bright prospects.
The five countries are Brazil, Russia,
Singapore-Beijing
counter-terror show
Some 240 personnel from the two sides are participating in
Exercise Cooperation which will last till 5 August
SINGAPORE — A bilateral army exercise
between the Singapore Armed Forces and the
People’s Liberation Army of China started
here Saturday at Singapore’s Jurong Camp
with an emphasis on urban counter-terrorism
cooperation.
Some 240 personnel from the two sides
are participating in Exercise Cooperation
which will last till 5 August. They will engage
in tactical training such as urban rappelling,
live firing and surveillance before a combined
urban raid.
Commander of the 3rd Singapore Division,
Brigadier-General Frederick Choo, and Deputy
Political Commissar of China’s Southern
Theater Command Army, Major-General
Liu Jia, officiated at the opening ceremony.
Choo noted in his speech that they
value greatly the close bilateral ties
between Singapore and China and Exercise
Cooperation is one of the cornerstones of
the bilateral defense relations.
Liu Jia, for his part, said China and
Singapore have enjoyed long history of
friendship, and hoped that the milestone
military exchange will enhance
communication and coordination as well
as promote understanding between the two
sides so as to jointly write a new chapter of
the friendship between the two militaries.
Exercise Cooperation was first launched
in 2009 in Guilin, China, and it is in its fourth
edition this year.
Xinhua
India, China and South Africa.
Wang said no matter how the
international landscape changes, the
direction of the BRICS cooperation must
not change. Faced with new challenges,
the five countries should let their voices
be heard, offer more solutions to pressing
global issues and play a greater role in
world affairs.
Wang pointed out that unilateralism
undermines international rules and
challenges the international rule of law,
which exacerbates the instability and
uncertainty of the world.
The BRICS countries must take the
lead in maintaining multilateralism
and safeguarding the global governance
system with the UN as its core and under
international law.
The bloc should safeguard the
multilateral trading system represented
by the WTO and protect the common
interests and development space
of emerging market and developing
countries, he said.
The five countries together must
continue to integrate the interests of
other emerging market countries and
developing countries through flexible and
diverse platforms such as “BRICS Plus.”
At the meeting, the five foreign
ministers all agreed to safeguard the
purposes and principles of the UN Charter,
defend multilateralism and free trade,
oppose unilateralism and protectionism,
COMPETITORS show off their entries during the 2019 World Robot Contest Finals in
Baoding, north China’s Hebei Province.
XINHUA
Fighters named in massacre
KHARTOUM, Sudan — A probe into a
deadly June raid on a Khartoum protest
camp revealed Saturday that members
of a feared Sudanese paramilitary group
were involved in it, even as hundreds
of demonstrators rallied to demand an
independent investigation.
Shortly before dawn on 3 June,
SHOEMAKING
remains a top
trade among
companies in
Fujian, China.
XINHUA
gunmen in military fatigues raided the
site of a weeks-long sit-in outside army
headquarters, shooting and beating
protesters in an operation that also left
hundreds wounded.
Demonstrators and
rights groups
accused the
paramilitary
Rapid Support
Forces of
carrying
out the
crackdown, a
charge denied
by the group’s
==============================
Case Law
By VICTOR C. AVECILLA
strengthen global governance, and build
a community with a shared future for
humankind.
They agreed that regional hotspot
issues should be resolved through
dialogue and consultation and that BRICS
cooperation should work to benefit the
peoples of the five countries.
The foreign ministers alsoagreed to
maintain vigilance on cybersecurity
issues and expressed opposition to the
use of cybersecurity to suppress the
development of science and technology
in other countries. They agreed to strive
toward an open and non-discriminatory
environment for the application of
information technology.
The foreign ministers were tasked
with preparing for the BRICS summit to
be held in Brasilia in November. Xinhua
Moscow
jails 1,000
protesters
MOSCOW, Russia — Police in Moscow
said they arrested more than 1,000 people
Saturday at a banned opposition protest
calling for city authorities to reverse
decisions to exclude key opposition
candidates from the ballot paper.
The protest was the latest in a wave
of demonstrations calling for fair local
elections in the capital.
Around 3,500 people took to the
streets for the unauthorised rally,
according to official figures. Several of
the arrests were violent and police used
batons against protesters, AFP reporters
powerful chief, General Mohamed Hamdan at the scene saw.
Daglo.
In all, “1,074 people have been
But a joint probe by prosecutors and the arrested for a variety of offenses during
ruling military council revealed on Saturday an unauthorised demonstration in the
that RSF paramilitaries were involved in center of the capital,” Moscow police were
the raid along with some members of other quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.
security forces.
The rally came a week after the capital’s
Crowds of protesters had camped out biggest protest in years, when some 22,000
at the site from 6 April onwards, initially to marchers called on officials to reverse
seek the army’s support in toppling longtime rulings and allow opposition activists to
leader Omar al-Bashir.
AFP stand for the city council in September. AFP
==============================================
La Sallian Educational Innovators Foundation
v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue
G.R. No. 202792, February 27, 2019 / Third Division / A. Reyes, Jr., J.
Constitutional Law; Taxation; Tax Exemption; Educational
Foundations. — Section 4 (3), Article XIV of the Constitution
does not require that to be tax-exempt, all revenues and
income of a non-stock, non-profit educational institution must
have also been earned from educational activities or activities
related to the purposes of an educational institution. The
phrase “all revenues” is unqualified by any reference to the
source of revenues. Thus, so long as the revenues and income
are used actually, directly and exclusively for educational
purposes, then said revenues and income shall be exempt
from taxes and duties. (VOLUME 2, NUMBER 146)
========================================
===========================

Monday, 29 July 2019
Daily Tribune
WORLD
B13
MUMBAI FLOODS
Indian Navy in rescue ops
INDIAN passengers are rescued on a boat from a train that became stranded in flood waters between Badlapur and Vangani following heavy monsoon rains, some 60 kms from
Mumbai.
AFP
Morocco
metes death
vs Dutch duo
RABAT, Morocco — A Moroccan
court has sentenced to death two Dutch
citizens over the accidental killing of a
medical student in 2017, a lawyer for the
victim’s family said Saturday.
Two years ago Edwin Gabriel Robles
Martinez and Shardyone Girigorio
Semerel allegedly opened fire on a cafe
in the tourist hub of Marrakech.
They had apparently been aiming at
the cafe’s owner, but instead killing the
student and wounding two other people,
local media reported.
At the time local officials said the
shooting was a “settling of accounts”
that was “directly linked to a criminal
network which has ramifications in some
European countries.”
On Friday a court sentenced to jail 15
other suspects in the same case, handing
them terms ranging between three and
20 years for setting up a “criminal gang,”
lawyer Abdellatif Htitech told AFP.
Among those convicted was the cafe’s
owner, who received a 15-year prison
sentence for “drug trafficking,” said
Htitech, who represents the family of
the medical student.
A spokeswoman for the foreign
ministry in The Netherlands told AFP
that the Dutch embassy “is in direct
contact with the lawyer,” without giving
further details.
AFP
American freed
from Syria
WASHINGTON — A 30-year-old American
held captive in Syria for two months was
attempting to visit every country in the
world, US media reported Friday, after
he had been freed.
Sam Goodwin was released by Syrian
officials following the mediation of Abbas
Ibrahim, the head of Lebanon’s internal
security, Goodwin’s family told The New
York Times and The Washington Post.
His disappearance had not been
previously reported and the exact date of
his release remained unclear.
“We are grateful to be reunited with
our son Sam,” Goodwin’s parents, Thomas
and Ann Goodwin, said in a statement.
“Sam is healthy and with his family.”
“We are forever indebted to Lebanese
General Abbas Ibrahim and to all others
who helped secure the release of our son,”
they said. “We will have more to say at a
later date. Right now, we appreciate our
privacy as we reconnect with Sam.”
According to the Post, Goodwin was
last seen on May 25 in the city of Qamishli
in northeast Syria after crossing from
Turkey as part of his bid to visit every
country in the world.
Several other Americans have gone
missing in Syria including Austin Tice,
a freelance journalist who vanished in
2012. AFP
Critics slam Trump anew
No human being would want to live there
WASHINGTON — US President Donald
Trump was hit with new accusations of
racism Saturday after he attacked a
prominent African-American lawmaker
and branded the majority black city of
Baltimore an “infested mess.”
Trump’s outburst came in a series
of sharply worded tweets aimed at
Democratic Representative Elijah
Cummings — a high-profile critic of
Trump’s administration whose district
covers much of Baltimore.
“Cumming (sic) District is a
disgusting, rat and rodent infested
mess,” the President wrote, calling it
“the worst run and most dangerous
anywhere in the United States.”
“No human being would want to live
there,” he said — in an attack ostensibly
provoked by Cummings’ criticism of the
BODEGON-STORE, which supplies imported basic products
with international prices in dollars, receives a welcome visitor
in this dog and his “hu-mom” in Maracaibo, Venezuela. AFP
harsh conditions facing would-be asylum
seekers at the US-Mexico border.
We all reject racist attacks
against him.
The morning diatribe ignited a
storm of criticism, less than two weeks
after the House of Representatives
condemned Trump for “racist”
comments targeting four first-term
Democratic congresswomen who are
ethnic minorities.
The top Democrat in Congress,
Nancy Pelosi, accused Trump of a
“racist” attack on a “champion... of civil
rights and economic justice, a beloved
leader in Baltimore, and deeply valued
colleague.”
“We all reject racist attacks against
him,” wrote Pelosi — who was born in
Baltimore and whose father served as
mayor of the city.
Former vice president Joe Biden
— the Democratic frontrunner to
challenge Trump in 2020 — called out
the President directly on Twitter.
“It is despicable for you to attack
him and the people of Baltimore this
way,” Biden wrote. “Once again you
have proved yourself unfit to hold the
office. A President is supposed to lift
this nation up. Not tear it down.”
There was similar condemnation from
half a dozen White House candidates
including Cory Booker, who tweeted
footage of a black CNN anchor and
Baltimore native who broke down on
air while reacting to the attack on his
hometown.
“This is painful. This is a moral,
defining moment in America,” wrote
Booker. “Silence is toxic complicity.” AFP
BUDDHIST monks pray during a ceremony to celebrate the 67th birthday of
Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn in the southern province of Narathiwat
on Sunday.
AFP
The train was stuck for about
12 hours in Thane district
before authorities called
in the Indian navy and the
National Disaster Response
Force who deployed
helicopters, boats and divers
NEW DELHI, India — Indian navy
helicopters and emergency service boats
came to the rescue of more than 800
people stranded on a train in floods near
Mumbai on Saturday.
The Mahalaxmi Express left Mumbai
late Friday for Kolhapur but travelled
only 60 kilometers (37 miles) before it
became stranded after a river burst its
banks in torrential rain, covering the
tracks.
The train was stuck for about 12 hours
in Thane district before authorities called
in the Indian navy and the National
Disaster Response Force (NDRF) who
deployed helicopters, boats and divers.
Indian Railways said the train was
emptied in about five hours after the
operation started. Nine pregnant women
were among those taken off.
Aerial images showed boats taking
people wearing life jackets away from the
stricken train, trapped in a sea of muddy
brown water that covered surrounding
fields.
Ambulances and at least 37 doctors
were sent to treat passengers, who
were also given food and water, Indian
Railways said.
A spokesman for the state company
added that a “special relief train” would
take people onwards on their journeys.
Heavy monsoon rains battered
Mumbai forcing the cancellation of
11 flights from the financial capital’s
international airport on Saturday. Nine
incoming planes were diverted to other
airports.
The main highway from Mumbai to
the resort of Goa was closed because of
rising waters.
At least 20 centimeters (eight inches)
of rain fell in some parts of Mumbai over
24 hours.
More than 250 people have died in
flooding across India in the past two
weeks, with Assam and Bihar states in
the north the worst hit. The army said
it had rescued more than 150 people
stranded in their homes in Assam’s
Nalbari district in recent days. AFP
WHO hails
Congo Ebola
fund boost
The support raised hopes the
epidemic could be restrained
ABUJA, Nigeria — The head of the
World Health Organization (WHO) on
Saturday said a shortage in funding to
halt the spread of the deadly Ebola virus
in the Democratic Republic of Congo was
finally being filled.
Tedrus Ghebreyesus, the director
general of WHO said that several
countries had renewed pledges of
financial aid after the Ebola outbreak
was declared an international emergency
earlier this month.
“Especially in the last couple of
weeks there is renewed commitment to
finance the shortages we were facing,”
Ghebreyesus told AFP at a summit in
Nigeria’s capital Abuja.
The support raised hopes the epidemic
could be restrained, he said.
The comments came after the World
Bank announced Wednesday it would deploy
a further $300 million (269 million euros)
in addition to $100 million already provided
after Ebola erupted in August 2018.
But officials said another $200 million
could be needed in the coming six
months.
AFP
Guatemala reacts to migration deal
GUATEMALA CITY,
Guatemala — A migration
pact with the United States
drew sharply mixed
reactions in Guatemala
on Saturday, as business
groups welcomed it for
helping avoid US punitive
measures while rights groups
called it “cruel and illegal.”
US President Donald
Trump, who has pushed hard
to slow the flow of migrants,
said Friday that the “safe third
country asylum” agreement
would require would-be
asylum seekers traveling
through Guatemala to
seek refuge there, not in the United States.
Anyone failing to do so would be sent back
to Guatemala.
The pact was signed in Washington
on Friday by Kevin McAleenan,
the acting Secretary of Homeland
Security, and Guatemala’s interior
secretary, Enrique Degenhart.
Most of those migrants would be coming
from El Salvador or Honduras.
The pact was signed in Washington on
Friday by Kevin McAleenan, the acting
Secretary of Homeland Security, and
Guatemala’s interior secretary, Enrique
Degenhart.
Guatemala’s human rights
ombudsman Jordan Rodas has
questioned its legality, saying his
country’s constitution does not
authorize a minister to sign such an
agreement. He urged the Congress to
study it carefully.
Rights group Amnesty International
called the agreement “outrageous,” saying
that “there is no doubt that Guatemala
should not be considered a safe place of
refuge.”
A “safe third” agreement could only
be legal if would-be asylum seekers were
sent to a truly safe third country, rights
groups said.
Guatemala has one of the world’s
highest murder rates.
AFP

B14 NATION
Monday, 29 July 2019
Daily Tribune
Prompt Batanes response
The National Disaster Risk Reduction
Management Council (NDRRMC) yesterday
declared that the government is on top
of the situation in Batanes province
following the magnitude 5.4 earthquake
on Saturday.
NDRRMC spokesman Mark Timbal cited
the prompt response of various government
agencies after the earthquake hit Itbayat,
Batanes.
The earthquake left eight people dead and
63 others hurt.
“The government is handling the situation
very well,” Timbal said.
ON DEATH PENALTY
House vows
healthy debates
By Hananeel Bordey
Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano yesterday assured that the House
of Representatives will healthily debate on the death penalty
bill, saying its context should focus on the deterrence of crime
and not to end lives.
In an ambush interview after his visit in Zamboanga City,
Cayetano did not express any categorical stance
on the reinstitution of the death penalty but
explained that whether one supports or
opposes the bill, the main objective
of capital punishment should
be the eradication of
heinous crimes.
“I can promise
our countrymen that
whether you are pro or
against, there will be
a very healthy debate
here in the House
of Representatives.
This will focus on
one thing only, and
it is to prevent
crimes, especially
heinous crimes,
in our country,”
Cayetano said.
He explained
that President
Rodrigo Duterte
wanted to revive
CAYETANO
the capital punishment as there is continued proliferation of
illegal drugs in the country.
“Our delivery of relief assistance is
continuing,” he added.
Timbal said shortly after the quake, local
government units (LGU) as far as Palawan
has already sent their support via air asset
in order to transfer goods to the affected
residents of Itbayat.
Temporary shelters were immediately set
up by residents after they were warned not
to return to their homes due to expected
aftershocks.
Timbal said the NDRRMC is also sending
tents and other relief items via a Philippine
Air Force C-130 plane.
Meanwhile, Timbal said that based on their
latest update, a total of 911 families or 2,963
persons in five barangays from Itbayat were
affected by the earthquake and presently
staying at the public market in Barangay
San Rafael.
Timbal said they received reports that 15
houses, two schools, several churches and
two health facilities were severely damaged
by the earthquake.
He stressed that it is up to the local
government officials of Itbayat if they will
declare a state of calamity in order to get
access to emergency funding. FTW
AFP brings home 10 Filipino
fishermen from Indonesia
They were subsequently handed
over to the Department of
Social Welfare and Development
for processing and assistance
prior to their return to their
communities
DAVAO CITY — The military’s Eastern
Mindanao Command (Eastmincom) brought
home 10 Filipino fishermen who were caught
for illegal fishing within Jakarta’s territorial
waters on Saturday.
Lt. Gen. Felimon Santos Jr., Eastmincom
commander, said that the 10 fishermen
returned home with the command’s
contingent in the recently concluded second
leg of this year’s Philippine-Indonesian
Coordinated Patrol held along the Celebes
Sea.
The repatriates, mostly residents of
General Santos City, came from Manado
and arrived at the Sasa Wharf in Panacan,
Davao City Saturday afternoon aboard BRP
Emilio Jacinto.
The Filipino fishermen were arrested by
Indonesian authorities for illegal entry and
illegal fishing in the waters of Indonesia.
They were released following efforts from
In ruins A structure in Itbayat, Batanes collapses following the magnitude
5.4 earthquake that hit the province Saturday.
the Department of Foreign Affairs.
They were subsequently handed over
to the Department of Social Welfare and
Development for processing and assistance
prior to their return to their communities.
The second leg of the Philippine-Indonesian
Coordinated Patrol was held from 17 to
23 July along the Celebes Sea. A closing
ceremony was held in Manado on 24 July.
The joint patrol exercise is part of the
continuing efforts of both countries, through
the RP-RI Border Committee, to secure
common borders, curtail maritime crimes
and stop sea crimes including smuggling
and piracy.
The first leg of the coordinated patrol
was held last May.
The coordinated patrol between the
two countries started in 1975 when the
Philippines and Indonesia signed the Border
Patrol and Border Crossing Agreements
aimed at improving maritime security
cooperation.
“The coordinated naval operations
we are conducting strengthens our
relations with Indonesia boost our security
efforts and provide both countries the
opportunity to develop inter-operability
and strengthen cooperation in securing
the border,” Santos said.
Let us discuss death penalty in the context of prevention
and deterrence of crime and not as end by itself.
“To those who wanted war against death penalty, continue to
pray but also work hard for peace and order because the President
believes in death penalty as drugs (continue to) persist and also
crimes, although it was largely reduced,” Cayetano said.
“So, while we are deciding as a nation whether we reinstitute
death penalty (or not), let’s all help each other to lessen crime,”
he added.
Cayetano also suggested simpler ways to help the government
reduce crimes in the country such as installing lights along the
roads as well as setting up closed circuit television cameras
nationwide.
“Let us discuss the death penalty in the context of prevention
and deterrence of crime and not as end by itself,” the lawmaker
reiterated.
Aside from Cayetano, Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco has
previously expressed support on the revival of capital punishment.
Shortly after the State of the Nation Address, Cayetano said
that the House will push for certain bills that the President has
asked for and one of which was the death penalty bill.
He urged the Legislative Executive Development Advisory
Council to convene immediately to ensure timely passage of the
President’s legislative agenda.
During the 17th Congress, the House has passed a bill which
seeks to revive the capital punishment, but the Senate has not
approved a counterpart measure.
Several senators in the current 18th Congress have filed separate
bills calling for the reimposition of the death penalty.
Height shouldn’t
matter — Garcia
By Rico M. Osmeña
Cebu 3rd District
Representative Pablo John
Garcia has re-filed an act which
abolishes the height requirement
for applicants to the Philippine
National Police (PNP), Bureau
of Fire Protection (BFP) and
Bureau of Jail Management and
Penology (BJMP).
Garcia first filed the “PNP,
BFP and BJMP Height Equality
Act of 2019” in 2012, which
was vetoed by then President
Benigno Aquino III after
being passed in the House of
Representatives and Senate.
However, Garcia pushed
for the bill anew, stating that
“Height, or the lack thereof,
should not be a hindrance to
serving the people as police,
fire or jail officers.”
“There is absolutely no
empirical evidence that people
who possess the mandated
minimum height would be more
effective and efficient police,
fire or jail officers than those
who do not,” he added.
Garcia furthered that the
height requirement limits
the PNP, BFP and BJMP
with their pool of potential
recruits who may be more
qualified, competent worthy of
employment but do not reach
the prescribed height.
“In fact, in the case of the
police, for instance, the most
important qualities and skills
needed — investigation and
detection skills, case buildup,
community relations etc. — have
absolutely nothing to do with
height,” Garcia said.
The law governing the three
agencies mandate that males
have to be at least 1.62 meters
tall (5’4”) while females need to
be at least 1.57 meters (about
5’2”) to be able to apply unless
they are “members of the
cultural communities” in which
case they are issued waivers.
In his veto message, former
President Aquino said “I am
seriously apprehensive of the
concerns propounded by the
PNP and BJMP in the safety
of their personnel in the
performance of their duties, as
well as public safety in general.”
Welcome home Ten fishermen return to Davao City after being detained in Indonesia for illegal fishing. They were welcomed by military Eastern
Mindanao Command chief Lt. Gen. Felimon Santos Jr. and representatives from the Departments of Foreign Affairs and Social Welfare and Development.
By Daniel Yap
Privatization of hospitals fake news
TAGBILARAN CITY — Bohol Gov. Arthur Yap dismissed as false
information the supposed privatization of government hospitals in
the province.
Yap stressed that his administration is only encouraging the private sector
to invest in 10 hospitals, specifically to upgrade their diagnostic equipment
capacity and build more dialysis centers, but not take over operations.
The governor initially planned to open dialysis centers in the hospitals
in Talibon and two other provincial government hospitals which are in
Jagna and Carmen, but considered to have the private sector establish
CEBU — The Provincial Board of Liloan has
taken steps to prevent similar scams such as that
of Kabos Padatuon (KAPA) investment scheme
which allegedly defrauded thousands of people,
including Cebuanos, with millions of pesos in socalled
“donations.”
Board Member Jovito Thadeo Ouano sponsored
a resolution which was adapted en masse to
request the local governments unit (LGU) within
Cebu to lead information and dissemination
campaigns against investment scams.
The resolution also requested the LGU to
provide public advisories on the risks and avoidance
in joining such schemes.
“These include, but are not limited to, enticing
people to invest or donate in exchange of the
huge return of investments and likewise include
a network scheme that relies on the number of
recruits one introduces to the business, more
commonly known as pyramid scams,” Ouano said.
He added that these fraudulent business models
use first hand testimonials by their “business
partners” to lure warm bodies or to prey on
newbie investors looking to instantly double their
investments.
KAPA, which was slapped with a cease-and-desist
order by the Securities and Exchange Commission
last March, had its Liloan headquarters ransacked
as several millions of pesos lost through the scam
has not yet been retrieved until now.
Ouano noted that these investment scams have
been increasing not only in Cebu but the entire
country disguising themselves with the promise
of easy and guaranteed returns while looking to
dialysis centers in some Bohol hospitals instead.
Having 10 to 15 seats each, these centers will operate 24 hours a day,
seven days a week, to decongest the dialysis centers in Tagbilaran City
where most of Bohol’s hospitals, especially private ones, are concentrated.
Many Boholanos have died because of lack of access to diagnostic
services for early detection of serious diseases which could have been
prevented, according to the governor whose mother also died of colon cancer.
Dialysis patients from distant localities have to wait in line or
list for services at the Gov. Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital in
Tagbilaran City, which is also a government facility but supervised by
the Department of Health.
Board warns against investment scams
take advantage of innocent investors.
Pyramiding, similar to a Ponzi scheme, is
characterized by people earning through recruiting
other individuals to pay registration fees to join the
business, and then try to recoup their investment
by recruiting others by enticing them to make
similar financings.
Ouano opined that pyramiding is illegal because
profits are derived primarily from participants’
entry fees and the income is dependent on the
people recruited rather than the ability to sell the
products or services.
He noted that these schemes are deceptive
because the system will inevitably collapse due to
market saturation, and the ones who benefitted are
the ones on top of the pyramid who have already
gathered their profits.
RMOsmeña

Monday, 29 July 2019
Daily Tribune
WITH RISING CASES IN CEBU
Resolutions
vs dengue filed
NATION
B15
The entire Cebu province
reported 3,185 cases with 19
deaths as of 13 July, wherein
Cebu City had 1,363 cases with
10 deaths while Mandaue City
had 421 cases with three deaths
By Rico M. Osmeña
CEBU — The legislative councils of
Cebu and Mandaue proposed two separate
resolutions for the prevention of dengue as
rising cases were recorded in both cities
in Cebu province.
Mandaue City Councilors Jimmy Lumapas
and Dr. Nerissa Soon-Ruiz sponsored the
formation of the 4S Strategy, while Cebu
City Councilor David Tumulak urged the
City Health Department to instruct barangay
health centers in conducting a massive
information campaign on the disease.
The 4S strategy is as follows: (1) search
and destroy mosquito-breeding sites, (2)
employ self-protection measures, (3)
seek early consultations in such cases
and (4) support fogging or spraying
only in hotspots where the increase
in dengue cases is registered for
two consecutive weeks to prevent an
impending outbreak.
The public was also encouraged
to wear knee-high socks, long pants
and long-sleeved shirts as well as
the daily use of mosquito repellent.
On 15 July, the Department
of Health has declared national
dengue alert over five regions
including Central Visayas.
The entire Cebu province had
3,185 cases reported with 19
deaths as of 13 July, wherein
Cebu City had 1,363
cases with 10 deaths
while Mandaue City
had 421 cases with
three deaths.
“We need to
destroy and eradicate
By Jonas Reyes
DAGUPAN CITY — The city government
has started dismantling illegal or oversized
fishing structures in its rivers.
Mayor Brian Lim led the dismantling,
along with City Agriculturist Emma Molina
and members of the Bantay Ilog Task Force,
last week.
The dismantling was made after Lim gave
the fish pen owners who have oversized or no
aquaculture lease agreements (ALA) seven
days to remove the illegal structures.
Lim, Molina and the Bantay Ilog Task
Force dismantled a 4,200 square meter fish
pen that was built inside the Calmay River
tourism zone, which is well over the size limit,
as around sixteen more fishing structures were
destroyed the day after Molina served notices
of violations to eight owners.
Under the city’s fishery ordinance, fishing
structures must be built within the seven
aquaculture zones of the city and must have
a dimension of seven by 10 meters, or an
area of 70 square meters. These must also
be covered by an ALA.
the breeding grounds of mosquitoes and this
is our best chance to winning the war against
dengue,” Soon-Ruiz said.
Tumulak added that the City Health
Department must be prepared with
medicines to treat these water-borne
diseases and readily distributed to barangays
of Cebu City when needed.
Through a provincial board resolution,
the Cebu Provincial Health Office also
encouraged the seven cities
and 44 municipalities in the
province to send updates
on the dengue situation
of their localities.
Her only refuge A homeless woman hides under a plastic sheet from the rains in Tondo, Manila.
Dagupan dismantles
illegal fish pens
Molina added that most structures span
an area of 13,800 square kilometers or 1.38
hectares.
The mayor stated that there has been no
resistance from the owners of these oversized
fish pens since if found guilty, erring operators
may be either meted a fine of P5,000 or a
one-year imprisonment or both, while the
caretaker may either be fined P2,500 or serve
a jail term of six months or both.
According to the City Agriculturists Office,
the city’s aquaculture zones can accommodate
about 1,200 structures, and that there are
only 961 ALA-covered structures that have
been built.
Lim said that aside from the tourism zone
of Calmay River, the LGU will also demolish
fishing structures along the Dawel River on
the eastern side of the city.
He said that the demolition of these
structures would give way for a river cruises,
making the area more tourist-friendly. He
announced that his administration will revive
the Dawel River cruise, a tourist activity that
was first launched during his father, former
Mayor Benjamin Lim, launched in 2011.
Baguio jam The city is not only known for its strawberry and purple yam jams but also for its heavy vehicular traffic.
By Aldwin Quitasol
By Jun de Leoz
The Philippine Military
Academy (PMA) is again opening
its doors to new cadets with the
holding of this year’s entrance
examination on 25 August.
Maj. Reynan Afan, chief of
the PMA’s Public Affairs Office,
said there are 40 accredited
PMA testing centers around the
country and this can be viewed
via at www.pma.ph.
He said the PMA Office of the
Cadet Admission will conduct the
simultaneous entrance exams at
7 a.m. on 25 August.
“We are inviting driven,
patriotic and aspiring young
men and women to take the
examination. This is the first step
in the process of joining the PMA
and be among the courageous
and spirited PMA cadets who will
be trained and developed to be
the future leaders of the Armed
Forces of the Philippines,” Afan
said in a statement.
“A holistic, enriching and
positive training that covers
character, academic, military
Bus terminals’ transfer eyed
BAGUIO CITY — The local government pushed for the
construction of new bus terminals in Baguio City’s
outskirts to lessen the daily traffic congestion
within the business district.
Buses traveling to the National Capital
Region will occupy the proposed
southbound bus terminal to be
built within a portion of the
eight-hectare Baguio Dairy Farm
property, while northbound
buses will be stationed at the
Slaughterhouse compound.
On the other hand,
westbound buses will be
transferred to a private
property in Barangay
Irisan.
Aside from being
integrated terminals, the
northbound and westbound
terminals will also serve dual
purpose as a parking area and impounding area for towed
motor vehicles violating the city’s anti-obstruction order,
respectively.
The city government will also negotiate with the
state-owned Government Service Insurance System for
the use of its vacant property along Upper Session Road
as a central bus terminal and a parking area.
This is aside from the city’s plan to put up a six-story
parking structure at the back of the city-owned Baguio
Convention Center in the next two years.
Vacant properties are also being eyed by the local
government especially along Abanao Street and Harrison
Road, which could be developed by its owners as a multilevel
parking area.
Appropriate incentives will be given to the property
owners such as tax holiday for five years, depending on
the negotiations to be undertaken for the said purpose.
A midwife and a nurse of the local government unit (LGU) of Ocampo, Camarines
Sur died in a tragic road accident as they were assisting a pregnant patient
inside an ambulance.
Police Regional Office-5 spokesman Maj.
Maria Luisa Calubaquib said that driver Jose
de la Rama lost control of a Nissan Urvan
ambulance owned by the Ocampo LGU as they
were on the way to Naga City to transport a
pregnant patient, smashing a tree at around
6:20 a.m. yesterday in Barangay Ayugan,
Ocampo, Camarines Sur.
The nurse and the midwife, whose names
are yet to be known, died on the spot while
the driver, patient, and two other passengers
BOB DUNGO JR.
were seriously injured and rushed to the Bicol
Medical Center for treatment.
and physical development awaits
the new cadets,” he added.
Afan said after accomplishing
the entire curriculum, these
cadets will be conferred with
Bachelor of Science in National
Security Management Degree.
The PMA entrance exam is
open to all Filipino citizens aged
17 years old but not a day older
than 22 years on 1 June 2020;
single and have not sired/given
birth to a child; at least 5’0’’ tall
both for male and female; at least
senior high school (Grade 12)
with at least 85 percent general
average; Grade 12 students may
apply provided they will graduate
before 1 June 2020; no pending
administrative or criminal case;
physically/mentally fit for active
military service and of good moral
character.
Successful candidates shall
be provided a well-rounded and
free college education; will earn
a Bachelor of Science degree;
receive monthly salary/allowances
while studying; provided with
state of the art
training facilities and
equipment; and will
have a progressive
career as an officer
of the Philippine
Army, Philippine
Navy or Philippine
Air Force. FTW
Vacant properties are being eyed by the local
government especially along Abanao Street and
Harrison Road, which could be developed by its
owners as a multi-level parking area.
Ambulance accident kills two
PMA entrance exams set
LOCAL
METRO MANILA
31°C
24°C
METRO CEBU
32°C
25°C
METRO DAVAO
31°C
24°C Partly
INTERNATIONAL
Sydney
AUSTRALIA
19°C
9°C
PARTLY CLOUDY
SKIES
Tokyo
JAPAN
CLOUDY SKIES W/
RAINSHOWERS
D A I L Y G O S P E L
WEATHER
Partly cloudy skies w/
rainshowers and thunderstorm
Partly cloudy skies w/
rainshowers and thunderstorm
cloudy skies w/
rainshowers and thunderstorm
Jakarta
INDONESIA
31°C
24°C 25°C
33°C
CLOUDY SKIES
Wanna be one? The Philippine Military Academy invites those who want to enter the military to try their luck in the entrance examinations
scheduled next month.
Many of the Jews had come
to Martha and Mary to comfort
them about their brother
(Lazarus, who had died).
When Martha heard that
Jesus was coming, she went to
meet him; but Mary sat at home.
Martha said to Jesus, “Lord,
if you had been here, my brother
would not have died.
But even now I know that
whatever you ask of God, God
will give you.”
Jesus said to her, “Your
brother will rise.”
Martha said to him, “I know
he will rise, in the resurrection
on the last day.”
Memorial of Saint Martha
John 11: 19-27
Jesus told her, “I am the
resurrection and the life;
whoever believes in me, even if
he dies, will live, and everyone
who lives and believes in me
will never die. Do you believe
this?”
She said to him, “Yes, Lord.
I have come to believe that you
are the Messiah, the Son of God,
the one who is coming into the
world.”

B16 SNAPS
Monday, 29 July 2019
Daily Tribune
Congress
got Rody’s
back
I am aware that we
still have a long way to
go in our fight against
this social menace
called narcotics
Key men and allies of President
Rodrigo Duterte received
the required mandate in
the elections held last May,
which offered the prospect of
reduced obstructionism that
had waylaid the administration’s legislative
agenda, including the enactment of the
death penalty bill.
Mr. Duterte handed Congress a list of
legislations, which he said will realize
his vision for the country before stepping
down in 2022.
President Duterte, in his fourth State of
the Nation Address, particularly asked for
the reinstatement of capital punishment for
heinous crimes, particularly drug-related
offenses and plunder.
“I am aware that we still have a long
way to go in our fight against this social
menace,” President Duterte said, referring
to narcotics, which he vowed to eradicate
before he steps down.
The Chief Executive also implored
Congress to immediately pass Package 2
of the Comprehensive Tax Reform program
or the TRABAHO Bill to push further, fiscal
reforms needed to make Filipinos’ lives
more comfortable.
The President’s also aims to further
energize the country’s micro, small and
medium enterprises and encourage their
expansion to provide more jobs and thus
take advantage of the so-called demographic
sweetspot, in which the majority of the
population are of working age.
The House and the Senate majority
bloc acknowledge his key measures to get
approval in record time.
The rabid and loud critics of the President
have derailed the far-reaching reform
agenda in the first half of Mr. Duterte’s
term.
Mr. Duterte’s final years will be tough,
but he promised he will end his term
fighting.

ROAD TO COMPASSION
C18
BRILLANTE
TACKLES
NATIONAL
HEALTH CARE
SERVICE
C19
RADIO’S THREE
O’CLOCK HABIT
C20
CHASING
SWANSONG
D22
Dinah S. Ventura, Editor
Roel Hoang Manipon, Sub-Editor
Monday, 29 July 2019
Daily Tribune
DIVERSITY
C17
Poz is the slang word for HIV-positive. It is just one of the words used
to refer to the condition
By Kathleen A. Llemit
When the age of virality and number of likes meet
with lack of education and awareness, a set of lethal
consequences may ensue.
This is what the six-part series Mga Batang
Poz tries to drive at.
It tells the journey of four teens, aged 15 to 16,
who meet up and go on an unforgettable journey
reminiscing about their short yet eventful lives.
They meet in a group chat called Pete’s Corner and
decide to have an “eyeball,” young people’s term for
meeting in person.
They then embark on a road trip that would slowly
make them reveal the pains, losses and heartaches they
went through because of their common condition — they are
all HIV-positive, thus the title of the series.
AWRA Briguela is Chuchay, an impoverished gay who tries to live positively.
Poz is the slang word for HIV-positive. It is just one
of the words used to refer to the condition.
More than 90 percent are gays and they
did it with MSM (men having sex with
men).
The series started streaming on 26 July on iWant,
which is downloaded in both iOs and Android. For
those who do not have the app, they can register
or log on in iwant.ph.
Zeroing in
The series is based on the book of the same
title written by publisher and known young adult
novelist Segundo Matias Jr. The author of Moymoy
Lulumboy started writing the said book in 2016 and
published it last year. The story of Batang Poz was
part of his thesis for a masteral degree he was taking
at the University of the Philippines (UP).
He originally included a female character but
when he looked at the demographic of those who
usually contract the condition, he decided to write
an all-male narrative.
“This was my thesis in UP for my masteral
degree. I presented it with a girl (character). I didn’t
want this to go out as an LGBTQ (story). He
(thesis adviser)
said that we
should just omit
the female character because we want to zero in
on the issue. More than 90 percent are gays and
they did it with MSM (men having sex with men).
So I omitted the female character,” he shared.
Love Yourself project mananager Danvic
Rosadino added, “Based on the data from the
World Health Organization, the Philippines has
the highest rate of increase of HIV epidemic in
the world. It does not mean that we have the most
cases, but we have the fastest-rising incidence of
HIV. Right now, we have 36 cases per day.
“If this book reflects the reality of the Philippines,
then the reality of the HIV epidemic (is) focused on
a key population, and most affected are the MSM.
But it doesn’t necessarily mean that this does not
affect women. In fact, in Africa, HIV is common in
mother-to-child transmission. But in our reality, our
epidemic is concentrated on
a key affected population.
And again, if you’re
looking at it from a global
perspective, there’s equal
incidence between the male
and female population. But
if we’re going to spread
the information using the
Philippine context, this
is what’s happening; this
is reflective of what’s
happening,” he explained.
The Philippines has
the fastest-growing HIV
epidemic in the Asia-Pacific
region, according to the
Department of Health
(DoH). Majority of these
infections are also reported
to be among young people aged 15 to 24, said the
Philippine National AIDS Council in 2018. This
year, the DoH reported that 38 new HIV cases are
reported daily, up from last year’s 32.
Self-regulation
Though the story is about male teenagers, only
one of the four male leads is underage.
Fino Herrera (Luis), Mark Neumann (Gab) and
Paolo Gumabao (Enzo) are all in their early 20s.
Awra Briguela, on the other hand, is the only actor
who plays a role of his age.
Director Chris Martinez said they have a
psychologist on set to brief and debrief Awra. Awra
(Chuchay), meanwhile, shared that he is aware
of the issue and that he wanted to be part of the
awareness campaign.
“As part of LGBTQ, I feel like I should represent
gay kids like me so that they are going to be aware,
so that they will not contract this,” the 15-year-old actor
who rose to fame by starrring in Ang Probinsyano said
in Filipino.
Concerns about the accessibility of the streaming
site, which offers premium and free streaming of
content, were raised, in particular with the young
people who are going to be curious about the show.
Martinez and programing head of iWant Richard
Reynante assured that they have considered
these concerns. They may not be under any
regulatory body
such as the
THE show tells the story of four teenagers living with HIV.
MTRCB, but they practice self-regulation and have
given Batang Poz a rating of R-16.
This year, the DoH reported that 38 new
HIV cases are reported daily, up from
last year’s 32.
But age can be faked online, one concerned
media person said during the event expressed.
Reynante shared that they did their “due
diligence” and that “we (meaning adults) should
not underestimate them.”
Director Martinez agreed. “To be very, very
honest, I wanted the young people to watch it. This
is really for them. This is really for the young people.
This is not an adult film disguising as an advocacy
show. This is made for the teens. So whether they
do it on the sly, whether they say it to their parents,
I think I did my job, because I was able to reach
them with my message. They will do whatever they
want to do. This is not lewd or something that one
would be ashamed to watch. This is to save them,
to inform them, to make them aware of what’s
happening around them.”
Timely reminder
Watching through the series may prove to be
uncomfortable. It is because it is unabashedly honest
and a topic that remains a taboo, as pointed out
by Rosadino.
Each episode tells the back story of the four
teens.
Luis is a 15-year-old Filipino Chinese who
explores his sexuality after having his first taste with
an older man. He is conflicted due to his family’s
tight upbringing and expectations.
Gab is a 16-year-old bisexual who has a girlfriend
but also keeps an affair with his best friend.
Sixteen-year-old Enzo grows up insecure brought
about by his parents’ perceived favoritism over his
sibling. He devotes much of his time online, finding
assurance and acceptance by the number of likes
he gets as his popular alter ego.
Though only 15, Chuchay has been living a rough
life, growing up in a poor household. He will do
everything to help his family including engaging in
sex for money.
Their narratives are interwoven with today’s
way of life – consumed by the Internet and social
media. Thus, the show makes their stories even more
urgent and pressing.
Mga Batang Poz dares to shed the light on
relevant issues and is going viral for the right
advocacy.
Inclusive work
philosophies
encourage
innovation
SAP Philippines drive for diversity and inclusion
Through the years, enterprise application software
company SAP builds creative and engaging communities
with their philosophy, “Bring everything you are. Become
everything you want,” a principle that encourages people to
be their most authentic selves at work.
With this message, the company aims to nurture the skills
and talents of people, regardless of race, age, ethnicity, ability,
gender identity or sexual orientation.
The company has also actively participated in several
events aligned with the pillars of diversity and inclusion,
evident in their strong employee movement Pride@SAP,
and other worldwide initiatives, to make their statements
clear — that everyone is welcome.
In the Philippines, more than a hundred SAP employees
have attended the Metro Manila Pride March and Festival for
the past two years to represent Pride@SAP in the country
and solidify the company’s stance in promoting a culture of
inclusion and acceptance.
Cultivating an environment where individuals
are encouraged to be their most authentic selves
sparks originality and creativity.
Last year, local SAP Philippines executives joined various
Pride@SAP Philippines members and allies during the Pride
March to push their goal of creating safe spaces where
colleagues are free to be themselves.
Neil Patrick Louies Cuevas, HR Service Associate, Local
HR Service Delivery APJ/GC for SAP based in the Philippines,
said, “I feel at home and I’m able to express who I really am.
I don’t feel that I have to act like someone who I’m not.”
SAP employees at last month’s Pride March.
With the company’s internal work philosophy, the company
continued to enhance its visions by providing HMO enrollment
to domestic and same-gender partners.
“Being a transgender woman, I feel that I really belong at
SAP, especially that they treat me as a real woman,” said Vina
Manalo, cloud support associate for SAP in the Philippines.
The company also permits employees to enroll their domestic
partner as their dependents. “When the benefits for samegendered
partners were implemented, I felt that I really belong
here,” said Felizaldy Owen Sevilla, HR consultant (University
intern recruiter for Latin America).
Diversity and inclusion is of major importance to the local
SAP subsidiary that it is one of the nine companies given the
EDGE: Assess certification, a global business certification
standard for gender equality.
“Cultivating an environment where individuals are
encouraged to be their most authentic selves sparks originality
and creativity. By allowing diversity to flow in an organization,
innovation and growth skyrocket to high levels,” Edler
Panlilio, managing director at SAP Philippines, said. “At SAP,
we place our philosophy at the core of our own culture
— a setting where the inclusion of different individuals
helps us run prouder and run our businesses beyond
bias. We will continuously build a supportive
environment where we nurture the skills of
employees and appreciate their unique
qualities and traits.”
Started in Germany back in
2001, Pride@SAP is a strong
employee network movement
that has completely integrated
into the company, with over
8,000 members and numerous
chapters worldwide.
To further raise awareness
among employees and
managers in the organization,
SAP launched an internal
learning program that addressed
issues surrounding the LGBTQIA
community, as well as gender,
cultural, generational and differentlyabled
intelligence, among other topics.
Follow SAP on Twitter at @sapnews.
DIRECTOR Chris Martinez (rightmost) and
author Segundo Matias Jr (leftmost) with the
cast of “Mga Batang Poz” (from left) Paolo
Gumabao, Mark Neumann, Awra Briguela
and Fino Herrera.

C18
LIFESTYLE
Monday, 29 July 2019
Daily Tribune
FISHBOWL
Em P. Guevara
The suffering of people
from across the globe can
tug at our heartstrings so
strongly
A woman tricked him into what
seemed like an affair and in a span of four
years, along with her girlfriend, managed
to render him and his family homeless,
got him indefinitely suspended from his
job and had him accruing over $300,000 in
legal bills with no end to litigation in sight.
And to think this professor
teaches a class called “Judgment
and Decision-Making.”
I read through his crazy ordeal
chronicled in New York Magazine and it
saddened me to think how deeply lonely
people can be that even “the best of us,”
so to speak, can become susceptible to
anything resembling connection and love.
LOVING and forgiving people who have hurt us may not be easy, but it’s possible.
If we can get to the point of
putting ourselves in the other
person’s shoes enough to
understand what is likely causing
or have caused his or her actions,
then we get the chance to see
what the person’s situation and
challenge is.
It also got me thinking about how
we are able to feel such love and
connection for human beings who are
far removed from us. The suffering of
people from across the globe can tug at
our heartstrings so strongly, and it can
actually feel much easier to commiserate
with and understand the suffering of
strangers rather than those of people we
actually know.
What do I mean? A close relative can be
so exasperating to the point of exhaustion
and avoidance. A lover or a friend can do
things that are mind-blowingly hurtful and
unpardonable for us. People we work or
deal with can exhibit such crazy, nasty
behavior as to make us want to eradicate
them from the face of the earth. And in
times like these, it can just be that much
harder to feel love and compassion for
these people who are close to home.
But then it’s also understandable to feel
that way because their actions
have affected or continue to affect
us directly. However, it still got
me thinking, how do we translate
our surges of love for humanity into
compassion for actual people around
us?
My go-to method is to eventually
dwell on the fact that others’
behavior is ultimately about them,
not me. Not to excuse what they did
if it is objectively wrong or uncalled for,
but we can understand that no matter
how bad it has made or makes us feel,
their actions actually have nothing to do
with us.
If we can get to the point of putting
ourselves in the other person’s shoes
enough to understand what is likely
causing or have caused his or her actions,
then we get the chance to see what the
person’s situation and challenge is. And
when we do, it becomes possible for us
to feel compassion for him or her.
The overly-sensitive relative who took
offense at something you innocently said
has shown up her insecurity and immaturity.
The partner who ghosted you is emotionally
unavailable and is so fearful of losing his
perceived freedoms that he sabotaged your
relationship in the
process. Your friend
who could not
acknowledge
and apologize
for her mistake
is plagued
by pride
and fear of
confrontation.
The person
who bullied and
badmouthed you is
deep down insecure
and craves attention. You
get the drift.
Loving and forgiving people
who have hurt us may not be easy,
but it’s possible. We may still decide to
distance ourselves from these people, and
for good reason, but we can choose to do so
without rancor and with peace in our heart.
As for the gullible professor, well,
he actually consistently exhibited
understanding for the women who caused
his misfortunes by saying time and again
that their actions were borne of mental
and emotional imbalances. But then it’s
obviously a case of taking compassion
too far.
He forgot that the primary object
of his compassion should have been
himself.
_______________
Em Guevara is a professional life
coach and founder of Work Smart,
Love Smart Coaching. She gives
individual coaching sessions,
and facilitates Work Smart and
Love Smart workshops for groups
and companies. Find out more about her
services at www.lifecoachemguevara.
com. For a Free Strategy Consultation,
contact her through Facebook page
Life Coach Em Guevara or Instagram
@worksmartlovesmart.
Out in the open
The first wave of a series of installations of the much-awaited 2018 CCP
Thirteen Artists Awards at Benilde was finally revealed
THE latest anthology
includes Efren’s experiences in activism.
Abueg launches
new book
of stories
He is a six-time Palanca winner and
a recipient of the Alab ng Haraya
Lifetime Achievement Award for
Literature
Efren R. Abueg’s latest book of short stories,
Plakard, published by Balangay Productions, will
be launched on 8 August, 2:30 to 5 p.m. at the Event
Area, Learning Commons, sixth floor, Henry Sy Sr.
Hall, De La Salle University (DLSU), Taft Avenue,
Manila. The event will include a reading of Abueg’s
stories and an interview to be conducted by DLSU
professor Dr. John Iremil Teodoro.
There are only two anthologies of stories that tell
the events, experiences and thoughts that led to one
of the most important part in the country’s history,
the EDSA Revolution. One is Sigwa, a collection
of short stories edited by Ricky Lee and published
before the declaration of martial law, and the second
one is Plakard, which contains stories culled from
Liwayway and other popular publications. Abueg
has been part of the activism during that period
and his experiences were included in this anthology.
Abueg is a six-time Palanca winner and a recipient
of the Alab ng Haraya Lifetime Achievement Award
for Literature from the National Commission for
Culture and the Arts in 2002. He is one of the five
writers of the acclaimed anthology Mga Agos sa
Disyerto (1964, 1974, 1995 and 2010).
He taught at DLSU from 1979 to 2002 and at DLSU
Dasmariñas from 2002 to 2007. He currently teaches
in the graduate school of the University of Perpetual
Help System DALTA-Las Piñas and still writes novels
serialized in the weekly Liwayway.
The launch event is organized by the Bienvenido N.
Santos Creative Writing Center, Literature Department,
and Departamento ng Filipino of DLSU in partnership
with Balangay Productions. For more information, call
524-4611 local 233 or email bnscwc@dlsu.edu.ph.
For the first time in the history of Cultural
Center of the Philippines Thirteen Artist Awards
(TAA), the works of the recognized creators will
be exhibited outside the halls of CCP and find
home at the School of Design and Arts Campus of
the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde.
The first wave of a series of installations of the
much-awaited 2018 CCP Thirteen Artists Awards at
Benilde was finally revealed by co-curators Center
for Campus Art (CCA) Director Architect Gerry
Torres and 2000 Thirteen Artist Awardee Karen
Ocampo Flores.
The pioneer project is in collaboration with
CCA, which gave artistic freedom to the winners
to illustrate their advocacies walls and barriers,
to transform them into public
attractions that demanded both
attention and action.
Bakwit by Archie Oclos found
its solace on the exteriors of
“BAKWIT” by Archie Oclos.
the College’s 14-floor building along the narrow
Dominga Street. Standing at almost 70 meters tall,
the head-turning artwork’s rich blend of vibrant colors
highlighted the socio-political issue and concern of the
indigenous people in the country. Bakwit, which is a
twist on the English word evacuate, narrates the story
of the lumad students who, due to militarization, are
forced to leave their schools and their communities to
escape to the lowlands by foot.
The mural was done in 24 days and depicted
an image of a traveling child carrying his younger
brother, a stack of supplies, and a book. Inspired by
his own immersion with the tribes, Oclos promised
the bakwit children that he will impart their plight
and hardships. Apart from the TAA, Oclos made it
to the reputable Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2017.
Hindi Totoo by Rasel Trinidad, also known for his
street name Doktor Karayom, is a vibrant floor-to-ceiling
mural that enveloped the fourth-floor fire exit area
at the heart of the SDA Campus. The brush strokes
in Doktor Karayom’s signature red immortalized the
peculiar and macabre creatures and imagined demons
from the classic Filipino mythology.
With the power of horror as his tool, the
engrossing artwork tackled a myriad of issues that
aimed to reconnect the values of the lost tradition
to the present society. It explored the nature of fear
and its power as an element that can both divide
and unite people through shared roots in oral history.
While the artwork showcased lurking grotesque
monsters, it also questioned the varying aspects in
life that should really be the subjects of fear. Prior to
the TAA, Trinidad held a one-man sculpture exhibit
at the CCP entitled Linya and was also recognized
with an Ateneo Art Award for his visual arts.
Artist Ambie Abaño probes
into the essence of the ‘self’
In her pursuit to understanding the
“self,” artist Ambie Abaño probes into the
essence of the “self,” detached from the
context of time. In her exhibition “… in the
constant rain …,” she tackles the subject
with a body of works in large format
engraved wood, explorative woodcut prints
and installation. “‘Self’ is a constant. ‘Self’
transcends time,” she says.
Abaño started painting and exhibiting
in 1986. The following year, she won the
grand prize in the Painting Category of the
Art Association of the Philippines Open
Art Competition. In 1998, she started
to create prints at the workshop of the
Philippine Association of Printmakers
in CCP Complex where she continues
to work, conduct workshops and actively
participate in printmaking projects.
In 2006, her explorative print won the
“HINDI Totoo” by Rasel Trinidad.
Dead Masks by Zeus Bascon exhibited four
serpents crawling and writhing on the white walls
at the fifth-floor Theater Lobby. They were shaped
using an amalgamation of lined masks, which are
considered as the very symbol of theater. At a
closer look, however, the artist veered away from
the classic drama and tragedy as the headgear
depicted the infi niteness or non-existence of
emotion.
Collectively, the artwork speaks of the binary
oppositions — the duality of snakes being revered
and dreaded at the same time. It is likewise
a reference to the seamless incorporation of
paints and tarpaulins, which are both considered
as forgotten materials and assigned markers of
passage or standpoints to the meeting of ends.
Before winning the TAA, Bascon has had nine
solo exhibitions in major venues such as the
Metropolitan Museum of Manila, the Vargas
Museum and Vinyl on Vinyl. He was lauded with
the 2010 Alcala Prize Honorable Mention from
the Philippine Board on Books for Young People.
More forthcoming installments of the TAA
recipients will include dancer Eisa Jocson,
photographer Carlo Gabuco, performance artist Bea
Camacho, filmmaker Shireen Seno, and intermedia
artists Cian Dayrit, Janos de la Cruz, Dina Gadia,
Guerrero Habulan, Raffy Napay, and Lynyrd Paras.
All the artworks will be on view throughout the
year and until the end of 2021.
Self examination
grand prize at the Philip Morris Philippine
Art Awards. In 2017, her woodcut was
among the “Winning Works” at the
Hida-Takayama International Woodblock
Prints Triennale in Japan. As the first
recipient of the Alliance Française de
Manille Philippine Artist Residency
Program, she went on a three-month
artist residency at the Cité Internationale
des arts in Paris in 2011 while attending
printmaking workshops at la Taille
Douce. As grantee of the Asian Cultural
Council, in 2012 she spent a six-month
artist residency in New York while
attending workshops at Robert Blackburn
Printmaking Workshop.
Throughout her practice, she has
mounted 23 solo exhibitions and participated
in over a hundred group shows locally and
abroad. For the first time, she mounts a solo
exhibition at the Galleria Duemila from 13
July until 31 August.
A 2019 work of woodcut on handmade
paper and mounted on canvas.

Monday, 29 July 2019
Daily Tribune
SPOTLIGHT
C19
Online newscast
jumps to TV
Manal’s coverage of the 15-year-old student who
was shot inside his school in Laguna registered a
whopping 1,300,000 views on Facebook as of press
time
“HILOM: A Tribute to the Doctors of the Barrios” highlights the story of Filipinos living in far-flung areas.
ACROSS
1 General
— Bradley
5 Golf tee
8 Taxi
11 Dry watercourse
12 Common
creeper
13 Frog jump
15 NPR fan
17 Ovid’s bear
Brillante zooms in on national
health care service
18 Zig’s opposite
19 Planet courses
21 Makes like a mule
24 That, in Acapulco
25 Want-ad abbr.
26 Carpet
27 Tosses out
30 Auction site
32 Baja gold
33 Was in the loop
37 Existed
Multi-award winning director
Brillante Mendoza again provided
his eye and filmmaking skills in
zeroing on a vital national issue
— national health care service.
After his take on the drug
war in the 13-episode series Amo
(2018) and the Cannes entry
Ma’Rosa (2016), he wove the
story of Filipinos living in far-flung
areas in Hilom: A Tribute to the
Doctors of the Barrios.
Distance and accessibility have
always been interconnected issues
when it comes to addressing health
care concerns in most rural areas.
In Hilom, the acclaimed
director tells the story of Dr. Elenita
“Ellen” Sancho-Peralta, MD. The
NEA Crossword Puzzle
© 2018 UFS, Dist. by Andrews McMeel Syndication for UFS
38 Edge
39 Wee bit
40 Not awake
43 Playground game
44 Farm female
47 Balloon filler
48 Ms. Witherspoon
50 Dolly of
country music
52 Path to satori
53 Exploiter
54 Slipping by
59 Gambler’s cubes
60 Dad’s lad
61 Till
62 Wild blue
yonder
63 Observe
secretly
64 She loved
Narcissus
DOWN
1 Hooter
2 — tai
3 Plugs
4 Swank
5 Metallic sound
6 Ms. Arden
7 Equilibrium
maintainer
8 Dues-paying
group
9 Condor nest
10 Stitch loosely
14 El —, Texas
16 Pave the way
20 Ship deserter
SUDOKU
21 Make coffee
22 Country cousin
23 Seaweed
derivative
24 Weirder
28 Merriment
29 Compete
in a slalom
31 Roll call vote
34 Make mention of
35 Timetable
guesses
36 Hourly pay
41 — Paulo, Brazil
42 Kind of school
44 Tater
45 Caravan halt
46 Ruin
49 Come afterward
51 Card after deuce
52 Silly
55 Prune
56 Financial mag
57 Extreme
degree
58 Sloppy stuff
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
ALL PHOTOS BY DAVID JOHN CUBANGBANG
It was created in May 1993 to respond to the inequitable distribution of
scarce resources and varying pace of development in the 271 doctor-less
municipalities identified in 1992
MENDOZA’S advocacy film
earned the praises from the
medical community.
newly married doctor goes to a
remote municipality in the Bicol
region to serve her two-year stint.
Her husband, Doc Alex, also goes
to another Bicol town to serve his
own term.
The movie is written by Boots
Agbayani-Pastor. It stars Julia
Montes in the lead role with Kean
Cipriano, Archie Adamos, Ruby
Ruiz, Philip Palmos, Red Ibasco,
Bibo Bayona, Ryan Sandoval,
Dexter Macaraeg, Cataleya Surio,
Lito Capina and Red Martin.
The film is a project of the
Department of Health (DoH)
through the Health Promotion
and Communication Service and
the Health Human Resources
Development Bureau. It is based
on the Doctors to the Barrios
(DTTB) Program of the DoH Human
Resource for Health Deployment
programs. It was created in May
1993 to respond to the inequitable
distribution of scarce resources
and varying pace of development
in the 271 doctor-less municipalities
identified in 1992.
The DTTB program is a strategy
of the national government to
redistribute doctors to increase
access to quality healthcare services
by marginalized, vulnerable and
underserved population of the
country.
Hilom was recently screened
at SM City Masinag in Antipolo
City as part of its Brillante
Mendoza Film Festival. Students
from Mayamot National High
School, Cupang National High
School, San Isidro National High
School and Our Lady of Perpetual
Succor College attended the
special screening.
There is still something to be said about new and traditional
media, after all. The time for seamless integration of platforms is
here — so say goodbye to that divisive practice of neglecting the old
and favoring the new. As journalists have long been saying, there
is no comparison — they are different, and often complementary.
Another proof of this is the recent announcement of GMA
News and Public Affairs that its online newscast, Stand
for Truth, begins airing on leading local news channel
GMA News TV today at 10:45 p.m.
Through daily uploads of news reports and
features on GMA News’ Facebook page and GMA
Public Affairs’ YouTube Channel, the 15-minute
newscast has been transforming local broadcast media
through mobile journalism.
Stand for Truth is anchored by multi-awarded
documentarist, writer, photographer and United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR) advocate Atom Araullo, GMA
resident political analyst Richard Heydarian,
Kapuso personality Joyce Pring and a pool
of millennial reporters who went through
rigorous training before they were deployed
on the field.
Using their mobile phones, the anchors and
young reporters gather video and news data,
produce it into short news segments and deliver
it to Kapuso viewers.
This July, Stand for Truth is already
averaging 750,000 views per day on Facebook for
ATOM Araullo.
its segments and 175,000 daily views on YouTube.
Some of the recent episodes that made a mark
on netizens include Atom’s one-on-one interview
with Mayor Isko Moreno about his plans for the
city of Manila, as well as the anchor’s investigative report on the
Chinese-owned businesses in Boracay.
Aside from news, Stand for Truth also features
stories that pique netizens’ interest, bringing about
either humor or amazement among the public.
Meanwhile, Richard continues to provide on-the-spot analyses of
the biggest news of the day with his data-driven discussions.
Further connecting to the present generation is
Joyce’s interviews with young personalities where
they share their passion and aspiration in life.
New generation of reporters
The show’s crew of young reporters
— Bhea Docyogen, Anthony Esguerra, Eduard
Faraon, MJ Geronimo, Asmarie Labao, Shai
Lagarde, Larize Lee, Ardo Miravalles, Darwin
Quirino and Manal Sugadol — are producing
remarkable reports that continue to gain
extraordinary views online.
Manal’s coverage of the 15-year-old student
who was shot inside his school in Laguna
registered a whopping 1,300,000 views on
Facebook as of press time. This was followed
by MJ’s report on the imprisonment of the
security guard who shot the student and got
354,000 views on Facebook.
Manal also produced a segment on
fact-checking photos and stories published on
the web that got 569,000 views. Her inspiring
feature of the 18-year-old senior high school
student who sells lumpia for her school
expenses already has 642,000 views.
JOYCE Pring.
Anthony, meanwhile, reported on the suspension of the odd-even
scheme traffic policy in Pasig City by newly elected Mayor Vico Sotto.
The said report garnered 386,000 views on Facebook. Anthony also
covered Mayor Isko’s order to remove the names of politicians in the
public schools of Manila which now has 819,000 views on Facebook
and 511,000 views on YouTube.
Aside from news, Stand for Truth also features stories that pique
netizens’ interest, bringing about either humor or amazement among
the public. Darwin’s report on the viral Tokomi brothers who dress
up as beggars and pull funny pranks, for instance, received a total
of 1,405,000 views in Facebook and 827,000 views on YouTube in its
two-part series.
Senior high school student Eduard went to Cutud, Pampanga
during the Holy Week to witness the Pampaguenos’ devotion to re-enact
the crucifixion of Christ every year. The video got 971,000
views on Facebook.
Meanwhile during the election coverage, Bhea and
Larize did a special focus on two of the most talked about
mayors in the National Capital Region — Pasig Mayor
Vico Sotto and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno. The report
already tallied 1,000,000 views on Facebook and
411,000 on YouTube. The two reporters each went
to the office of these mayors on their first day
of work and asked their supporters about their
expectations of their new leaders.
Larize’s feature on a “study now, pay later”
program of a flying school in Clark, Pampanga
hit 437,000 views on Facebook. She also went
to check the current status of Arroceros
Forest Park and the Mayor Isko’s plans for its
rehabilitation — the video of which received
538,000 views on Facebook and 240,000 on
YouTube. Her report on the demolition of the
homes along San Juan River which now has
265,000 views.
Ardo, on the other hand, got 523,000 Facebook
RICHARD Heydarian.
views on his report about what went wrong with Otso Diretso’s
campaign that contributed to their failing to win a seat in the Senate
during the midterm elections. He also covered the controversial
issue of the Canadian waste dumped in the Philippines, the video
of which, received 403, 000 views on YouTube.
Meanwhile, Asmarie reported the controversial issue of Ang
Probinsyano Albay representative who punched a waiter inside a
restaurant. The video already has 728,000 views on Facebook two
weeks after it was uploaded.
Catch Stand for Truth on television, weeknights, 10:45 p.m. on
GMA News TV. Online, Stand for Truth is livestreamed from Mondays
to Fridays, 8:30 p.m. via GMA News Facebook page and GMA Public
Affairs YouTube channel.

C20 SPOTLIGHT
Monday, 29 July 2019
Daily Tribune
Ariel seemed to have accepted the ever-changing and
ever-evolving world of show business. Where once he was
the toast of the town, the millennials have a vague idea
who he had been in the business during their parents’
younger years
In my youth, afternoons were the time
our house help listened to their favorite
radio soap operas while preparing snacks,
or while others were ironing clothes.
It seemed radio has taken a different
route these days, and I mean the
stations we normally listen to on the
AM band. Soap operas are no longer
a programming staple of these radio
stations.
Take DZMM, for one, which has Todo
Todo Walang Preno, a magazine-format
show hosted by Ariel Ureta and Winnie
Cordero.
At a press conference last Thursday
at a room near the hotel’s pool, Ariel and
Winnie both agreed they didn’t know
that the show would even get noticed
by listeners. “It’s the dead hour, as we
call it in broadcasting,” the one-time
noontime show host (Twelve O’clock
High) said. The show, however, was even
ranking higher than most shows on the
same medium in the same time slot.
Simply Red
Isah Red
WINNIE Cordero and Ariel Ureta for DZMM 630 and DZMM TeleRadyo.
The two believe that the
program, airing for just
over a month now, will be
instrumental in helping
Filipinos give a better life to
their families.
I remember Ariel as host
of the noontime show where he
uttered in jest, “Sa ika-uunlad ng
bayan, bisikleta ang kailangan
(For the good of this nation, we
need bicycles).” That was in 1973, if I
remember right, and that was the time
then President Ferdinand Marcos was
passionate about instilling discipline
among Filipinos. Ariel was rumored to
have been reprimanded (after being
invited to Malacañang) and was asked to
say the slogan correctly, “Sa ika-uunlad
ng bayan, disiplina ang kailangan
(For the good of this nation, we need
discipline).”
Now, Ariel seems to have accepted
the ever-changing and ever-evolving
world of show business. Where once he
was the toast of the town, millennials
have a vague idea of who he had been
in the business in their parents’ younger
years.
The comedian is glad, though, that
the network he went to when he left
his work as creative director at a
multinational advertising agency took
him back and gave him a show on the
radio. He is also doing the early morning
show Umagang Kay Ganda with, again,
Todo Todo co-host Winnie.
The program has popular segments
like “Sabi ng Lolo Ko,” where Ariel
talks about positive Filipino values like
respect for elders and love for country
and “WinWin Solutions,” where Winnie
is able to share tips and practical
solutions to problems of moms like her.
Also favorites are “Todo-Todo
Kuro Kuro” and “Todo Kwentuhan
Kasama Ang Mga Sikat,” where their
great personalities and experience in
broadcasting shine even more as they
take on a variety of topics from showbiz
to family issues.
“We work hard to give our audience
new perspectives every day and with
every year that passes. We strive to keep
them interested, because even our loyal
JOIN Rica Lazo and Danny Buenafe every Saturday 2
p.m. in the new DZMM program “Good Job.”
listeners will get bored if we become
repetitive with our messages, however
beautiful and positive these may be,”
Ariel said.
Winnie added they remain inspired
to deliver joy and new knowledge to
Filipinos. “The time spent sharing my
insights, to be a giver of news and
information and spread laughter and
humor to our audience everyday, is my
precious privilege.”
She’s still adjusting to the show’s new
look, Winnie admitted. “I’ve gotten used
to the radio-studio set up. Now, we’re
like on a TV set; we don’t do anything
except sit and interact with each other
and the guests. I am used to doing things
by myself in a radio studio. Now, that
set-up is gone, and we’re in this studio-like
set up.”
Ariel doesn’t mind as he had been on TV
previously. He also said he misses acting (he
had appeared in several movies, including
the iconic Zoom, Zoom Superman and
Si Popeye
atbp. He
was last
seen in
Kimmy
Dora: Ang
Kiyemeng
Prequel (2012)
“Gusto ko, eh
wala pang offer
(I want to act, but
there has been no
offer),” he said.
Cordero’s Todo-Todo
Walang Preno airs Monday
to Friday at 3 p.m. on DZMM
and DZMM Teleradyo.
‘Good Job,’
Danny and Rica
Just like Ariel and Winnie,
DZMM’s new tandem of Danny
Buenafe and Rica Lazo are eager
to serve Filipinos through their
show Good Job, which aims to
help Filipinos ensure the future
of their families by helping them
find jobs that are suitable to
their skills and needs and giving
them information that will
equip them in achieving and
sustaining a good status in life.
Danny is a Kapamilya
news legend who served as news bureau
chief of ABS-CBN in the Middle East and
Europe. Rica is no lightweight either, as
she is one of the few ABS-CBN anchors
who are present on multiple platforms.
Currently, she is part of both DZMM
and ANC.
According to Danny, he is able to use
the network he has built in his decades
of experience as a broadcast journalist
in gathering and reporting information
on job vacancies and opportunities here
and abroad. Rica said they will also be
interviewing and featuring people from
relevant government agencies, various
industries, and local officials to help them
in their advocacy.
The two believe that the program,
airing for just over a month now, will be
instrumental in helping Filipinos give a
better life to their families.
Rica shared, “With all our responsibilities,
we can no longer be complacent. If you are
Kiana Valenciano is concocting an
exciting international pursuit as she renews
her contract with ABS-CBN Music’s newest
global label, Tarsier Records, as one of its
tentpole artists.
The label’s sights are set on leveling up
with having Kiana on internationally-produced
tracks and border-crossing promotions and
events — not only to expand her reach, but to
let her music take Filipino talent to heights it
has never been before.
looking for opportunities, tips, and inspiration
to keep you motivated at work, this is the
program for you.”
“As time goes by, the program will give
hope to our fellowmen. It will give them
options as to where their talents and skills
will truly shine, and where they will also
be paid well,” Danny added.
Good Job airs Saturdays, 2 p.m. on
DZMM TeleRadyo and DZMM Radyo
Patrol 630.
You can also watch both shows online
on iWant or listen to audio streaming
on dzmm.com.ph.
There are many reasons why ABS-CBN’s
flagship AM radio station DZMM, now
celebrating its 33rd Anniversary, has
remained on top. One of these is its
combination of insightful, relevant and
informative discussions and its desire to
serve the public, which are both always
present in its programs.
Like the anchors of Todo-Todo, which
is a hit not only among its listeners and
viewers but also with award-giving bodies.
It recently won Best Variety Program
for Radio at the 27th KBP Golden Dove
Awards.
DZMM also won Best AM Radio
Station at the recent 2nd Animo Media
Choice Awards.
COCO Martin still reigns the evening block as Cardo Dalisay.
immersing into the local culture to understand
how music can be universal and meaningful.
Meanwhile, Kiana is set to share the
stage with English R&B singer-songwriter
Mahalia, for her Manila tour on 20 August
at Whitespace Manila.
Tarsier Records and ABS-CBN Music
affirm their commitment to being the home
For news, follow @DZMMTeleRadyo on
Facebook and Twitter or visit dzmm.com.
ph. For updates, follow @ABSCBNPR on
Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or visit
www.abs-cbn.com/newsroom.
Cardo Dalisay still alive and on top
When Cardo Dalisay (Coco Martin)
was knifed and shot several times by Alyas
Bungo (Baron Geisler), rabid FPJ’s Ang
Probinsyano fans knew their idol would
survive. Says one fan, “Parang pusa yan
(He’s like a cat with nine lives.)”
Indeed, after three episodes, Cardo
opened his eyes and now he’s back to work
in the PNP as the lead man of Task Force
Agila that will continue to hunt Bungo.
The show posted an overwhelming 36.2
percent rating on 23 July (Tuesday) to
beat rival Sahaya (15.9 percent), making
Coco Martin’s long-running series still the
country’s favorite primetime series.
Meanwhile, TV Patrol is also the
Filipinos’ preferred newscast with 26.5
percent ratings as against rival 24 Oras’
18.5 percent.
Kadenang Ginto also firms up its
position as the afternoon series to beat
with its 23.8 percent rating, also on 23 July.
The figures are from the recent
survey of Kantar Media.
A new international chapter
of championing Filipino talent on the global
stage. With Kiana only being the first female
artist to take on the big move, exciting things
await for Filipino artistry.
Stream Kiana’s See Me album and watch
out for more of her music on digital stores.
For updates, follow @abscbnpr on Facebook,
Twitter and Instagram.
KIANA hopes that her music will take Filipino talent to heights.
Kiana Valenciano renews partnership
with Tarsier Records.
The R&B singer-songwriter has been with
Tarsier since 2017 and has since released
playlist-worthy tracks from her “Grey” EP,
and more recently, her debut album See
Me, which bagged Most Promising Female
Recording Artist of the Year at the 8th
McMillan Woods Global Awards held in Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia, last April.
Kiana also recently did a show with
fellow Tarsier Records artist Inigo Pascual
for international media network Viacom’s
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month held
in New York.
Both are also featured in “The Crossover,”
coming soon on MyxTV, in which they talk about
ABS-CBN Music head Roxy Liquigan, Tarsier Records label head Chris Lopez, Kiana Valenciano,
Manila Genesis Entertainment Inc. president Angeli Pangilinan Valenciano and Star Music Audio &
Content head Jonathan Manalo.

Video did not
kill print's
stars.
In fact, we are thriving.
We are making waves — we are leading!
Daily Tribune x Concept News Central =
TribuneNOW
We’ve got print...check!
We’ve got online and social media...check!
And now we have videos on the tube — YouTube!
If you missed the live streams, catch our current
hits “Straight Talk with Daily Tribune” (weekly
conversations with different personalities
in politics, business, sports and lifestyle) and
the riotous “Tok Patok” (showbiz talk with
entertainment veterans Isah Red and Jun Nardo)
on TribuneNOW.
If you are looking for more, watch out for our
upcoming news program, lifestyle shows, sports
and technology.
All under one channel: TribuneNOW.
Welcome to the New Age of Sharing Stories!

ONLINE NEWSCAST JUMPS TO TV
RORY ROARS
SUN’S
RISING
CAUSE
C19
BAMBOL PEDALS WAY TO POC HELM
D22 D23 D24
Julius Manicad, Editor
Monday, 29 July 2019
Daily Tribune
BERNAL VIRTUAL CHAMP
Bred at altitude
I still have to get to Paris but it’s incredible
SPORTS
D21
VAL THORENS, France — Egan Bernal
all but clinched victory in the Tour de
France, defending his overnight lead in
the penultimate stage which left him
only needing to cross the finish line on
Sunday’s twilight parade into Paris to
become the first Colombian winner of
cycling’s greatest prize and its youngest
in more than a century.
The champion-in-waiting said he
was so nervous on the climb to Val
Thorens in the Alps that he counted
down the kilometers on the way up
as defending champion and teammate
Geraint Thomas ended the day in
second overall, with Dutch rider Steven
Kruijswijk in third.
MAJOR
LEAGUE
BASEBALL
National League
East Division
W L Pct GB
Atlanta 62 43 .590 —
Washington 55 49 .529 6 ½
Philadelphia 54 50 .519 7½
New York 49 55 .471 12 ½
Miami 39 63 .382 21 ½
Central Division
St. Louis 56 48 .538 —
Chicago 55 49 .529 1
Milwaukee 56 50 .528 1
Cincinnati 47 55 .461 8
Pittsburgh 46 58 .442 10
West Division
Los Angeles 69 37 .651 —
Arizona 53 52 .505 15 ½
San Francisco 53 52 .505 15 ½
San Diego 49 55 .471 19
Colorado 49 56 .467 19 ½
Saturday’s Games
(Sunday in Manila)
L.A. Dodgers 9, Washington 3
Arizona 9, Miami 2
Atlanta 15, Philadelphia 7
Milwaukee 5, Chicago 3
N.Y. Mets 3, Pittsburgh 0
Cincinnati 3, Colorado 1
San Diego 5, San Francisco 1
American League
East Division
W L Pct GB
New York 66 38 .635 —
Boston 59 47 .557 8
Tampa Bay 59 48 .551 8 ½
Toronto 40 66 .377 27
Baltimore 35 69 .337 31
Central Division
Minnesota 63 41 .606 —
Cleveland 62 42 .596 1
Chicago 46 56 .451 16
Kansas City 39 67 .368 25
Detroit 30 70 .300 31
West Division
Houston 67 39 .632 —
Oakland 59 47 .557 8
Los Angeles 54 52 .509 13
Texas 53 52 .505 13 ½
Seattle 45 63 .417 23
Saturday’s Games
(Sunday in Manila)
Toronto 10, Tampa Bay 9
Boston 9, N.Y. Yankees 5
Seattle 8, Detroit 1
Chicago 5, Minnesota 1
Houston 8, St. Louis 2
Cleveland 9, Kansas City 1
Oakland 5, Texas 4
Baltimore 8, Los Angeles 7
“I still have to get to Paris but it’s
incredible,” said 22-year-old Bernal who
will become the Tour’s youngest winner
since Francois Faber in 1909.
“I’m a little calmer now. I kept
thinking 5km, 4km, 3km one less, one
less to go each time as we came up the
mountain.
“When we got to the finish and
Geraint held out his hand I realized it
was over and I was going to win the Tour
de France.”
The stage itself was won by 2014
champion Vincenzo Nibali who broke
from the main contenders late on to win
by 17 seconds at the line where he raised
his finger to his lips and to the sky.
Bernal and Thomas, co-captains
at Team Ineos, crossed the winning
line a few seconds ahead of their key
rivals and smiled broadly at each
other as they held hands in unity to
mark the moment.
“I told Egan not to worry about
the crying because all real men
cry,” said 2018 champion Thomas
from Wales.
“He’s an incredible talent and
can dominate the race for years
to come.
“It’s a one-two for Ineos so
things worked out not that bad.
I’m disappointed not to have won,
I didn’t think last year Egan would
be ready yet, but now I’m looking
forward to a bit of downtime.
“Today is about Egan. He is a really
solid guy with a great team and good
people around him,” Thomas added.
Ineos principal Dave Brailsford
has masterminded seven Tour wins
from the last eight editions with
Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome
(four wins), Thomas and now with
Bernal within a parade of the latest
triumph.
Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe,
COLOMBIA’S Egan Bernal will become Tour de France’s youngest winner since Francois Faber in 1909.
who led for 14 days before cracking on
Friday’s hail and landslide-hit stage,
finished down the field to drop to fifth
place overall.
Bernal leads Thomas by one minute
11 seconds overall and Jumbo-Visma’s
Kruijswijk by one minute and 31
seconds ahead of the processionary
day of racing ending in the French
capital on Sunday evening.
Nibali, who won the Tour in 2014,
came second on this year’s Giro d’Italia
and while he looked wiped out early in
the Tour was radiant when picking up
a stage win late in the game.
“To win here is a great joy,” said
Bahrain Merida’s Italian captain.
Saturday’s stage, shortened due
to poor weather and the presence
of more mudslides, embarked in
cool conditions in 12 Celsius (53.6
Fahrenheit) atop the Val Thorens ski
resort at 2,356-meter altitude.
Green jersey wearer Peter Sagan
said he was delighted the race had
been modified.
“Tomorrow is Paris and one for
the sprinters, so let’s see, a win in
Doubting Thomas
If my experience is anything to go by then he’s got an amazing
year ahead of him and it’s been an honor to be part
of this
VAL THORENS, France — Geraint Thomas admitted
Saturday that he never thought teammate Egan Bernal
would succeed him as Tour de France champion but backed
the 22-year-old Colombian to keep winning.
The Welshman came into the race as hot favorite to retain
his title, but after a series of falls was big enough to allow his
young co-captain the space to push for victory during a trio of
Alpine stages that put Bernal in the yellow jersey.
“If my experience is anything to go by then he’s got an
amazing year ahead of him and it’s been an honor to be part of
this,” said the former Olympic track champion.
“To be honest I didn’t think Egan was going to win this year,
but the talent has been evident for all to see.
“He’s got many years of success ahead of him, a humble
guy with a great future.”
Thomas admitted he had intended to defend his
AFTER a series of falls, Great
Britain’s Geraint Thomas fails
to defend his Tour de France
crown.
AFP
AFP
Paris would be great,” said the Slovak
gunning for the sprinter’s jersey for a
record seventh time.
“It’s been a beautiful Tour,” he
added.
Frenchman Romain Bardet redeemed
what had looked like a disastrous three
weeks for him by rallying to win the
‘King of the Mountains’ polka dot jersey
with two fine performances in the Alps.
Sunday’s final stage to Paris starts
at 1630 GMT and is due to finish
beneath the Arc de Triomphe as the
sun sets.
AFP
title and come away with back-to-back wins, insisting at the start in Brussels he
was no one-hit Tour de France wonder.
“This year and last year are like black and white, everything that could go
wrong went wrong,” he said.
“Last year I had no falls, no punctures, no problems — a bit like Egan
this year.
“I would have loved to have won but there you go, the fact a teammate
won makes it easier,” added the 33-year-old.
Bernal did not appear to attempt to usurp Thomas, and the senior
co-captain praised his ethics and values as he became the first
Colombian to win the Tour and youngest in 110 years.
“Crossing the line with Egan today was an incredible feeling,”
Thomas said of the moment the pair crested the 33-kilometer summit
of Val Torrens knowing they were in a 1-2 position.
To be honest I didn’t think Egan was going to win this year,
but the talent has been evident for all to see.
“We always work as a team and that is why we have been so successful.
I told Egan not to worry about the crying because all real men cry.”
“He’s an incredible talent and can dominate the race for years to come.”
Thomas also had words of encouragement for Julian Alaphilippe,
who thrilled France with 14 days in the yellow jersey before
his meltdown on the Col de l’Isore on Friday under
Bernal’s relentless pressure.
“I know it’s easy to say but he has to put that
behind him now and look forwards and carry on
working, he’ll get over it,” said Thomas, who during
the Tour had posted a photo of himself with
Alaphilippe on Twitter with the legend “me and
the darling of France.”
AFP

D22 SPORTS
Monday, 29 July 2019
Daily Tribune
MCILROY FIRES 62
Rory roars
Chasing
swansong
I want to be back in the
Olympics
RORY McIlroy takes
a one-shot lead over
top-ranked Brooks
Koepka with a sizzling
eight-under par 62 in
the third round. AFP
I definitely have good memories of this
tournament because of my win
EVIAN, France -- Former champion Kim Hyo-joo will take a
one-shot lead into the final round of the Evian Championship on
Sunday after a rain-hit third round at the Alpine venue left two
groups with 12 majors between them chasing the title.
Kim, the 2014 champion, carded a third-round 65 to jump to
the top of the leaderboard at 15 under par.
“I definitely have good memories of this tournament because
of my win,” she told lpga.com after birdies on four of her closing
six holes.
“In 2014, I was able to go out on the LPGA (Ladies Professional
Coco
prevails
WASHINGTON — Coco
Gauff, the 15-year-old
American who breezed
into the Wimbledon last
16 earlier this month,
returned Saturday with
a qualifying victory at
the Women’s Tennis
Association (WTA)
Washington Open.
Gauff defeated
compatriot Maegan
Manasse 6-4, 6-2 in 68
minutes to advance
within one match of
making the main draw
of next week’s US Open
hardcourt tune-up in the
US capital.
Next up for 143rd-ranked
Gauff will be a match to
decide one of four available
qualifier berths in the main
draw. She will face either
Japan’s Hiroko Kuwata or
American Maria Sanchez.
Gauff electrified
Wimbledon after her
qualifying run there
by defeating idol Venus
Williams in her opening
match and rolled into
the fourth round before
losing to eventual
champion Simona
Halep.
Gauff, who made her
WTA main draw debut
in March at the Miami
Open, ousted 44th-ranked
Williams in round one
at Wimbledon, then
dispatched Slovakia’s
Magdalena Rybarikova
and saved two match
points in defeating
Slovenia’s 60th-ranked
Polona Hercog. AFP
To birdie the last three holes and take the lead puts me in a really
great position going into tomorrow
LOS ANGELES — Rory
McIlroy birdied the last
three holes, closing with
a dramatic 27-foot putt,
to seize a one-stroke
lead over top-ranked
Brooks Koepka after
Saturday’s third round of
the World Golf Championship
(WGC) St. Jude Invitational.
The four-time major winner from
Northern Ireland fired an eight-under
par 62 to stand on 12-under 198 after
54 holes at par-70 TPC Southwind in
Memphis, Tennessee.
“To birdie the last three holes
and take the lead puts me in a
really great position going into
tomorrow,” McIlroy said. “I’ve
holed a lot of putts this week,
which is nice.”
Third-ranked McIlroy’s
second-lowest round of the
season, eclipsed only by a
61 in the final round of his
Canadian Open triumph
last month, comes a week
after a disappointing
missed cut at the British
Open at Royal Portrush
in Northern Ireland.
It also booked the
30-year-old a first-ever
Sunday pairing with
four-time major winner
Koepka in the last
group for the final
round of the elite WGC
event.
“Rory is playing with
Kim takes one-shot lead
TRIPLE jump king Christian Taylor targets to erase Jonathan Edwards’
24-year-old world record in Tokyo Olympics.
AFP
some heat,” Koepka said. “I’m just going to have to
take it deep.”
England’s Matthew Fitzgerald fired a 69 to
stand third on 200, one stroke ahead of Spain’s
Jon Rahm, Sweden’s Alex Noren and Australian
Marc Leishman.
McIlroy birdied the last three holes on both the
front and back nine.
“I had a lot of good numbers where I could make
a full committed swing,” McIlroy said. “One of my
goals was to hit it pin high and I did that for most
of the day.”
McIlroy sank a six-foot birdie putt on the opening
hole and dropped one that was half as long at the
third, then reeled off a 23-foot birdie putt at seven
and back-to-back seven-footers for birdies at the
par-3 eighth and par-4 ninth.
After finding water off the 12th tee and taking his
lone bogey of the day, McIlroy answered by dropping
his tee shot to five feet at the par-3 14th and sinking
the birdie putt.
McIlroy then closed with a six-foot birdie at the
par-5 16th, a 16-footer at 17 and his dramatic long
birdie effort at 18.
“I just put it a little outside right and it went in,
which is nice,” McIlroy said of his final putt.
Koepka, who defended a major title at this year’s
PGA Championship, saw his ball cling to a slope on
the rough over greenside water at 18 but got up and
down for par to close on 64.
“I saw some putts go in and that’s
always nice,” Koepka said. “The holes
seemed to open up for me today.”
Koepka, who
has never won a WGC
title, could
become only the fourth
player to win WGC and major events
in the same year.
“Every time I tee it up I feel like I have
a chance to make some history,” he said.
“I’m enjoying it while it lasts.” AFP
Golf Association) Tour because I got my card, so I
definitely have good memories. I’m going to keep that
going into tomorrow and forget everything else.”
Two-time major champion and world number one Park
Sung-hyun birdied the last hole for a third-round 66 to stand
one shot behind her South Korean compatriot.
In Sunday’s final group, they will be joined by fellow Korean
and this year’s ANA Inspiration champion Ko Jin-young, who is
tied for third at 11 under with seven-time major winner Inbee Park.
Both are four shots off the pace.
Inbee Park will play in the penultimate group, alongside
2012 Women’s PGA Championship winner Feng Shanshan and
Lee Mi-hyang Lee who are tied for fifth,a shot further back.
Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn shot the round of the day with
a 7-under par 64 and is in a tie for eighth at eight under. AFP
Taylor
eyes Tokyo
record
It’s why I’m in the sport
DES MOINES — Triple jump
king Christian Taylor believes the
venue of next year’s Olympics in
Tokyo could inspire him to finally
overhaul Jonathan Edwards’
24-year-old world record.
Taylor, 29, has dominated his
event for much of the past decade,
winning Olympic gold medals in 2012
and 2016 and World Championship
crowns in 2011, 2015 and 2017.
If I were to get the record
at the Olympic Games, it
would be the icing on the
cake of my career.
But despite numerous attempts,
Taylor has so far failed to surpass
British jumper Edwards’ world mark
of 18.29 meters set at the 1995 World
Championships in Gothenburg.
Taylor admits that pursuit of the
record, after a career in which he has
won everything there is to win multiple
times, is his last remaining goal.
“It’s why I’m in the sport,” Taylor
told AFP. “I love track and field, but
(the record) is the reason why I’m still
competing.
“It’s the only thing I have left.”
Taylor has gone close to the record
on several occasions, with his personal
best a leap of 18.21 meters at the 2015
World Championships in Beijing.
However, the Vienna-based Taylor
hopes that the crowd energy in Tokyo
next year can help him find the extra
few inches needed to better the record,
just as it inspired Mike Powell to break
Bob Beamon’s longstanding long-jump
record at the 1991 World Championships.
Twenty-eight years later, Powell’s
mammoth leap of 8.95 meters has never
been bettered.
AFP
DES MOINES — Beaten but unbowed,
Allyson Felix said Saturday she is determined
to bring the curtain down on her glittering
track and field career on her own terms.
The 33-year-old American superstar failed
to clinch a 400-meter berth for the World
Championships after only finishing sixth at
Drake Stadium, but could still travel to Doha
as a member of the USA relay squad.
It means that for the first time, Felix will
not enter an individual event at a major
championship, an astonishing 16-year streak
that encompasses four Olympic Games and
eight world championships.
Yet Felix, who was racing this week for the
first time in more than a year after taking
time out of the sport for the birth of her
daughter, is determined to book a spot in
Tokyo at what would be her fifth Olympics.
“I want to be back in the Olympics,”
Felix told reporters. “I want that more than
anything. I want to go out on my terms. A
little sacrifice here and there and it will be
worth it.”
Felix’s time on Saturday of 51.94 seconds
was well outside her personal best of 49.26
seconds set in Beijing in 2015, a time she
never came close to challenging in three
races in Des Moines this week.
However, Felix, the only female track and
field athlete to win six Olympic gold medals,
is confident that she can get back to where
she needs to be with a full off-season of
training under her belt.
I want that more than anything. I
want to go out on my terms. A little
sacrifice here and there and it will
be worth it.
“I did this off very little training and that
gives me a lot of hope,” Felix said.
“I’m just happy that I went for it here.
I could have not run, stayed at home and
trained.
“But I think it was good for me to get out
here and push myself a little bit, even though
I knew I wasn’t where I’m normally at.”
Most importantly, Felix said competing in
Iowa this week had stoked her competitive
fire.
“This gave me a taste, like I know it’s
there,” Felix said. “The fire is there. I’ll
be back next year.”
And despite the failure
to clinch a top three
finish on Saturday,
Felix was anything but
disappointed.
“I am grateful more
than anything,” Felix said.
“I think it would be crazy
for me to say that I was
disappointed.
“I have my health, I
have my family and
I couldn’t ask
for more than
that. And I
am still
able to
do the
thing
that I
love.”
AFP
ALLYSON Felix is not waving
goodbye to her final Olympic
bid.
AFP

Monday, 29 July 2019
Daily Tribune
SPORTS
D23
LEDECKY BAGS 15TH GOLD
Tough as nails
I got to the pool this morning to warm
up and felt a little nauseous again which
wasn’t great
GWANGJU, South Korea — American swim queen
Katie Ledecky said watching records tumble at the
world championships inspired her to win a fourth
straight 800-meter gold Saturday despite an illness that
threatened to derail her.
Ledecky, 22, withdrew from her 1,500-meter title
defense and 200-meter heat earlier in the week in
Gwangju and feared an early exit from Saturday’s
800-meter final after a return of the mystery bug that
has plagued her for days.
“I got to the pool this morning to warm up and felt a
little nauseous again which wasn’t great,” she said. “I had
a brief moment of doubt there but pulled it together and
made it happen today.
“Last night after watching all the fast swimming I said
(to my coach) I so, so badly want to go have a good swim
tomorrow. Just watching those records tumble... really fired
me up,” she added.
Five-time Olympic champion Ledecky
was given a fright in the 800 meters by
European champion Simona Quadarella
but held off the Italian to win in 8:13.58
and capture a 15th world title.
“Each swim has its own story,” she
said.
“This one definitely has one that I’ll
be telling for a while,” added Ledecky,
revealing that she had spent seven
hours in hospital on Tuesday after being
struck by headaches and insomnia and
experiencing an irregular pulse and
elevated heart rate.
Ledecky, visibly emotional at the
side of the pool, expressed a “sense of
gratefulness” towards the family and
coaches that had helped pep her up
this week.
They were “just supporting me and
reminding me of that toughness inside
of me,” she said.
Earlier this week, Ledecky related that a
late-night text from Michael Phelps boosted
her spirits during one sleepless night in
There’s a reason for everything.
Maybe God made me tall so I
can inspire other people through
volleyball
Just like other members of the Malay race,
Filipinos are naturally short.
That’s why when I was young, a lot of people
always compliment me, saying that because of
my towering frame, I can easily go places and
have a successful career in whatever industry
my heart desires.
But you know what, I used to hate it.
MIKA’S BLOCK
Mika Reyes
Growing up, I used to hear people marveling at my height with
a mix of astonishment and delight. Since I was still a kid back
then and was already 5-foot-5, people would notice how long my
legs were and the possibility of me getting taller than Papa. The
elders would even say that I would even grow tall and my limbs
would get even longer as I get old.
People also loved to ask me about my height and that I should
be a ramp model because of my long legs.
I remember that I also dreamt of becoming a flight attendant
because they say that airline companies employ tall girls so they
can reach the cabin storage (LOL!).
But the best advice I got is when they said that I should be
an athlete. They stressed that because of my height, I would
easily make it to the basketball or volleyball team, which would
be my ticket to get an
athletic scholarship.
Well, I still get those
compliments until
now.
True enough,
I noticed that I’m
getting taller when
I was already in
the puberty stage.
Whenever I measure
myself, I always get
surprised to learn that
I grew again by an
inch or two until I
became a six-footer.
Well, what can I
do? Both my parents
are tall and the
possibility of having
a tall daughter is also
quite high. Maybe it’s really in the genes.
Being tall has some disadvantages.
When I had a pixie cut, people thought that I was a boy simply
because I was a tall girl with super short hair (LOL!).
But of course, the common problem that I encountered was
getting my desired outfit.
Whenever I go to mall and try something that I really want, I
always get the biggest disappointment of my life when I find out
that the pair of jeans or dress that I am eyeing is too short for me.
The good thing is that a lot of international brands are already
here and some of them cater to tall girls. No offense to local
brands, but since all they have are sizes for ordinary Filipinos, it
was quite hard for me to get my preferred size, leaving me with
no choice but to go for international brands.
Fortunately, it’s easy now to find shoes of my size.
Before, whenever I want to buy new shoes, I would check it
Standing tall
in the men’s section. But now, they already have
shoes for tall women like me, making it quite easy
to have new pair of kicks.
But the funniest thing about being tall is when
I ride public transportation.
Shucks, it’s really hard to ride a tricycle
or jeepney. Because of my height, I always
BEING tall has a lot of disadvantages. But I’m gladly
embracing those setbacks and treating them as
blessings.
Gwangju, South Korea.
“It’s a good feeing,” she said. “I went into the race tonight
not knowing how it was going to go when I dove in, but just
again wanted to end on the best note possible.
“I knew I just had to tough it out. It’s special to be able
to pull off something like that and trust that I can do it.”
Ledecky lost her 400-meter world title to Australian
teenager Ariarne Titmus last weekend in a stunning
opening-day upset.
This one definitely has one that I’ll be telling for a
while.
Caeleb Dressel, who scored a hat-trick of gold medals
on Saturday, called Ledecky’s comeback “phenomenal”.
“I didn’t see her for a couple of days,” said the
swimming pin-up. “Knowing Katie, if she says she’s
feeling a little under the weather it probably means
something is very wrong.
“Goodness that girl is tough as nails,” he told
reporters. “How do you swim in the 800 after being sick
for however many days? She’s the world’s best and she
showed it tonight.”
AFP
CHINA’S Sun Yang says he’s not a drug cheat.
have a hard time squeezing myself into public
transportation and there’s a big — I think around
30 to 70 percent — chances of me bumping my
head.
It’s also my problem when I ride an airplane.
Whenever I check in, I always pray that they
give me a seat with bigger legroom. Unless it’s
just an hour or two flight, I have no choice but
to be tiis-ganda rather than spend extra amount
for upgrade to a seat with bigger legroom.
As I’ve said, people look at my height with a mix of astonishment
and delight.
To be honest, I was ashamed of my height before when I was
in high school. I was often the center of attention because of
my height. Since I’m always the tallest, I was a freak of nature
or something as my height makes me different from other kids.
Even worse, there were times when they were calling me “ate,”
thinking that I was way older than them just because I was taller.
Simply put, what I really hated before turned into a
blessing.
Since I was bothered with the way they look at me, I was always
in a slouch. I always shy away from kids of my age because I
felt that I was always being judged.
Oh, and you could also imagine how hard it was having a
lovelife.
Here in the Philippines, they say that in any relationships,
guys should always be taller than girls. Yes, some of them got
intimidated while other guys just preferred to tease me because
I am such a big lady (LOL!).
Of course, I also had crushes. And yes — most of them were
shorter than me!
I think height was one of the main factors why nothing
materialized. It’s either we can’t walk together or they were
too shy to talk to me. The funny thing was that you get to
know them better and their tendencies without you knowing.
Well, in the end, all of them were just petty crushes. They
were just there to provide thrill and romantic excitement for
a young girl like me, which is pretty normal (LOL!).
If there were disadvantages, there were also a lot of
advantages of being taller than usual. One perfect example
is that because of my towering presence, I don’t encounter
difficulties reaching for something or being spotted in a crowd.
But all of these became my ticket to where I am right now.
Since I was the tallest, some of the varsity players in my school
asked me to tryout.
Without hesitation and a tinge of knowledge in the sport, I rolled
the dice and joined the team. It’s good that I was braved enough to
do it. I realized that had I let that golden opportunity slipped away,
I wouldn’t be here playing for Petron in the Philippine Superliga.
Simply put, what I really hated before turned into a blessing.
Who would have thought that a tall girl, who actually hates
being tall, would be a professional volleyball player?
God gave me this blessing and even if I raised a lot of complains
before, I still learned how to embrace it and use it to my advantage.
There’s a reason for everything. Maybe God made me tall so I
can inspire other people through volleyball.
I know God has a plan and I will gladly embrace it no matter
what.
NURSING an illness, USA’s Katie Ledecky pockets her 15th world gold medal.
Sun’s rising cause
AFP
I shouldn’t have to put up with these kinds of insults
GWANGJU, South Korea — China’s Olympic swimming champion Sun
Yang has hit back at sniping rivals accusing him of doping violations,
telling them: “I’m standing up for all of you!”
Athletes have vilified Sun at the world swimming championships
in South Korea this week following a leaked International Swimming
Federation (FINA) doping panel report that alleged the Chinese giant
allowed blood vials to be smashed with a hammer after being visited
by testers last year.
FINA cleared Sun to compete after agreeing that the testers had
failed to produce adequate identification or follow correct protocol,
prompting World Anti-Doping Agency to appeal that decision to the
Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
After reclaiming his 400 and 200 meters’ freestyle world titles earlier
this week, both Australia’s Mack Horton and Briton Duncan Scott staged
dramatic podium protests, refusing to shake Sun’s hand, provoking a
furious reaction from triple Olympic champion.
“I shouldn’t have to put up with these kinds of insults,” growled Sun
after closing his punishing Gwangju schedule in the men’s 4x200-meter
free on Friday.
“But I have a big heart — there are millions of athletes in the world
and if a few want to hurl insults, I can take it,” added the 27-year-old.
“It’s pointless arguing with them, it means nothing to me. FINA
made it clear I didn’t commit any doping violation. What I’m doing is
protecting the rights and interests of every athlete.”
The 11-time world champion grew suspicious of the independent
testers who knocked on the door of his Hangzhou villa late at night last
September, insisting they were not properly accredited.
“Imagine if testers without the right documents show up at your
home to take blood and urine,” said Sun, whose case is set to be heard
by CAS in September.
“And if they make out a false report, I would have no opportunity to
argue,” he added.
“Every word I’ve said is true and I have all the evidence to prove it.
I’m simply standing up for myself and every athlete out there.” AFP
Taurasi, Bird banner U.S. 5
It’s not only about trying to win another gold medal. It’s
about trying to win our seventh in a row
WASHINGTON — Reigning world and Olympic champion United States
unveiled an expanded training program Saturday ahead of next year’s
Tokyo Olympics featuring eight core players from the women’s basketball
team’s long-running dynasty squad.
Four-time Olympic champion guards Diana Taurasi, 36, and Sue Bird,
37, are among eight players who will take part in five of seven sessions
from November to April with other US national team players taking part
as schedules allow during the off-season for the Women’s NBA.
The US women, who won their third consecutive women’s world crown
last year, seek a seventh consecutive Olympic gold medal and ninth in
their past 10 attempts.
That would match the American men’s gold run from 1936 to 1968
as the longest by any team in all Olympic sports.
“It’s not only about trying to win another gold medal. It’s about trying
to win our seventh in a row,” Bird said. “That’s the story. But above all
it gives us a chance to get together as potential Olympians and play.”
Starting with a home-court title at the 1984 Los Angeles Games,
the US women are 63-1 in Olympic play, losing only a 1992 semifinal to
the Commonwealth of Independent States collection of former Soviet
Union talent.
The Americans clinched their spot in Tokyo by taking their seventh
world crown in nine attempts last year.
“I’m very excited about this program. It’s the right amount of training
so we can gear up and get ready for the Olympics,” Bird said. “It gives
us the right amount of exposure where we can really create some
momentum heading into the Olympics.”
“Every year it gets tougher,” said Taurasi. “Every competition gets
a little bit harder. So this is a great opportunity to train, play, be in
competitive situations with a team that hopefully is going to Tokyo to
win a gold medal.
“We know how important it is to have a good last hurrah. We
brainstormed with a couple other players and put together a plan. It’s
just something that came together literally at dinner on a piece of paper
with some crayons.”
AFP
DAWN Staley (from left), Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi lead USA’s seventh
straight Olympic gold medal bid in Tokyo.
AFP
AFP

D24 SPORTS
Monday, 29 July 2019
Daily Tribune
CYCLING CHIEF WINS
Bambol pedals way to POC helm
I think that as the saying goes, it’s time to set
aside our differences and move forward
By Julius Manicad
Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino of cycling formally clinched the
presidency of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) in dramatic
and thrilling fashion yesterday at the Century Park Hotel in Manila.
Tolentino, the POC chairman who stepped down following the
controversial squabble that rocked the POC leadership last month,
claimed the top position after beating Philip Ella Juico of athletics,
24-20, in the special elections that was witnessed by a representative
from the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
A total of 44 out of the 46 voting members cast their votes with
rugby deciding to abstain while shooting was a no-show.
Tolentino would serve the remaining term of Ricky Vargas of
boxing, who stepped down last month after members of the POC
executive council found out that he formed the Philippine Southeast
Asian Games Organizing Committee (Phisgoc) Foundation Inc.
without their approval.
Vargas was one of the eight incorporators of Phisgoc Foundation,
which aims to organize the biennial meet without the imprimatur of
the POC executive council.
This is my second family. I’m here to serve; not to be
served. So tomorrow, I will start serving my family — the
sports community.
Aside from Tolentino, also serving for the next 16 months are Steve
Hontiveros of handball as chairman and Clint Aranas of archery and
Cynthia Carrion of gymnastics as board members.
They will join holdovers in the executive council like first vice
president Joey Romasanta of volleyball, second vice president Jeff
Tamayo of soft tennis, treasurer Julian Camacho of wushu, auditor
Jonne Go of canoe-kayak and board members Robert Mananquil of
billiards and Prospero Pichay of chess.
Equestrian chief Jose “Peping” Cojuangco was supposed to remain
as the past immediate president for serving the previous term from
2012 to 2016, but Tolentino strongly contested it, saying that his top
ally in Vargas was the rightful owner of the position, a statement that
could spark another heated confrontation in the next POC executive
council meeting.
And it will be quite difficult for Tolentino to push for his pet
resolutions as the group of Romasanta still controls the majority.
Still, Tolentino calls for unity, especially now that the 30th SEA
Games is drawing near.
“I think that as the saying goes, it’s time to set aside our
differences and move forward. Let us all be united because we’re
preparing and focusing on the SEA Games this year and the Para
Games and the Olympics next year,” Tolentino said.
“This is my second family. I’m here to serve; not to be served. So
tomorrow, I will start serving my family — the sports community.”
Tolentino said he would appoint Patrick Gregorio of boxing as
REP. Abraham Tolentino (second from right) clinches the Philippine Olympic Committee presidency in the special elections yesterday. Also getting mandates
are (from left) Clint Aranas (board member), Steve Hontiveros (chairman) and Cynthia Carrion (board member).
ROMAN PROSPERO
secretary general with Richard Gomez of fencing as his deputy. He will
also tap Lucas Managuelod of muay thai as membership committee
chairman replacing Robert Bachmann of squash.
Tolentino also said the upcoming biennial meet will remain as his
major focus with Phisgoc Foundation, the POC and the Philippine
Sports Commission (PSC) at the helm.
After the SEA Games, which is set from 30 November to 11
December at the New Clark City in Tarlac, the three bodies will work
for the Southeast Asian Para Games and the Olympics.
“The Southeast Asian Games will still remain our main focus. We’re
not yet moving away from that direction,” said Tolentino, the upcoming
chairman of the powerful Committee on Accounts in the 18th Congress.
“We’ll still focus on that. We have only few months to go. We’re
still in that direction where the Phisgoc, the POC and the PSC will
work together for the success of the SEA Games, the Para Games
and the Olympics next year.”
Meanwhile, Hontiveros said his election is a sign that he is not
yet done serving the Olympic council.
Hontiveros, who once served president of the World Bowling
Congress, took a brief hiatus following the loss of Cojuangco to Vargas
in a court-ordered election last year.
But now that he was given fresh chance to serve, he said he would
do his best to serve the POC.
“When Peping lost in the election last year, I was already happy
because I can now take a break,” said Hontiveros, who has been
part of the POC executive council in various capacities since 1977.
“But it didn’t end there. I won again. It means that I’m not yet done.
I think God made me win because I still have a mission to serve.”
Ye edges
Bourdage
This tournament is the ultimate
achievement of junior golf, so
yeah, it’s a perfect ending
Lei Ye watched Jillian Bourdage flub a fivefoot
birdie putt on the 36th hole to escape
with a 1-up victory and become the new US
Girls’ Junior champion at SentryWorld in
Stevens Point, Wisconsin Saturday.
Ye went 3-up after the first half of their
marathon 36-hole duel but needed to produce
a pair of birdies on Nos. 33 and 35 to hang
on to a 1-up lead as Bourdage kept fighting
back with her clutch shots and putts. But the
Florida ace missed the putt that mattered
most, enabling the seventh-ranked incoming
Stanford University freshman to clinch the
victory and become only the second Chinese
to win a United States Golf Association (USGA)
championship.
“This tournament is the ultimate achievement
of junior golf, so yeah, it’s a perfect ending,”
said Ye, who joined 2014 US Women’s Amateur
Public Links winner Alice Jo as the only players
from China to claim a USGA crown.
Bourdage, who foiled top seed Yuka Saso
in the semifinals, forced an all-square match
thrice in the afternoon, the last on the par-3
16th with a par. And after Ye birdied the next
to regain the lead, she came away with a solid
8-iron approach shot from 130 yards to within
five feet on the 18th.
In contrast, Ye’s second shot went to
the back of the green but made a brilliant
downhill putt from 50 feet to within tap-in
range for par.
Bourdage stroked what she thought was a
perfect putt but the ball trailed off to the left
as it approached the cup, sending Bourdage
to her knees in disbelief and Ye in jubilation.
The Chinese then drained a three-footer
for par to secure the victory and join the elite
circle of winners in the annual event for players
19-years-old and below, including Princess
Superal, who reigned in 2014 in Arizona.
LEGAZPI CITY — San Juan found a savior
in Mike Ayonayon as the Knights battled back
from grave danger to trounce the Bataan Risers,
87-79, in overtime on Saturday, and remain
unbeaten in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball
League Lakan Season at Ibalong Centrum for
Recreation here.
Showing the form that made him the Datu
Cup Finals Most Valuable Player, Ayonayon
made all but one of the Knights’ 11-point windup
SAN Miguel Beer’s Chris McCullough challenges the defense of fellow import Carl Montgomery of
Rain or Shine.
Oftana bags weekly honor
I’m happy with the way he played
today and hopefully, he’ll be more
consistent
Defending champion San Beda University
remains the benchmark of excellence in the
National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
with a perfect 4-0 start in Season 95.
A wealth of talent has contributed to the
Red Lions’ early success, but one player stood
out in particular after their 73-59 victory versus
San Sebastian College last Friday.
Veteran forward Calvin Oftana put his
imprint in the game with 10 points, 10 rebounds,
and seven assists. More than that, he was
instrumental in the final period, scoring eight
points, including two triples, to help keep San
Beda’s record unblemished.
That all-around brilliance earned him the
Ayonayon lifts Knights
as they overhauled an 11-point deficit with less
than two minutes to go to forge extension at
72-72 and keep top spot with win No. 7.
Making sure his effort won’t go to waste, the
high-flying Ayonayon added five points in extra
time where he was supported by John Wilson,
Jhonard Clarito and Art Aquino to hand the
Risers their fourth loss in seven games.
The six-foot Ayonayon wound up with 18
points, next to Wilson’s 22, Larry Rodriguez’s
Chooks-to-Go Collegiate Press Corps NCAA
Player of the Week award.
“Calvin made his shots in the fourth. He had
been missing that in the first quarters, but I told
them if they’re open, they should take it,” said
Red Lions coach Boyet Fernandez. “I’m happy
with the way he played today and hopefully,
he’ll be more consistent.”
For the 6-foot-5 forward, the focus remains
on working his way to becoming a reliable and
consistent big man for San Beda.
“It’s hard but I doubling my effort to
improve,” said Oftana, determined to fill the
void left behind by Jayvee Mocon. “I want to
show something this season.”
Oftana beat out Lyceum’s Renzo Navarro,
Letran’s Ato Ular, College of St. Benilde’s
Jimboy Pasturan, and Arellano University’s
Kent Salado for the weekly award handed out by
scribes covering the beat from print and online.
11 and Mac Cardona’s 10 as the Knights stayed
on course toward repeating their title run in
the Datu Cup.
The full-packed crowd at Ibalong Centrum for
Recreation, however, went home disappointed
after the Bicol Volcanoes bowed to the Iloilo
United Royals, 74-79, in the nightcap.
Trailing most of the way, the Volcanoes
threatened at 74-75 on a triple by Jonathan
Aldave.
RoS eyes equalizer
By Miguel La Torre
After letting the series opener slipped away, Rain or Shine tries
to equalize with a win in Game 2 against San Miguel Beer in their
best-of-five semifinal series on Monday at the Mall of Asia Arena in
Pasay City.
The Elasto Painters did an outstanding job in silencing five-time
Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo after limiting him to just
nine points in 25 minutes of action.
But Fil-German Christian Standhardinger stepped up for the
Beermen as he torched Rain or Shine with 20 points on 8-of-10
shooting from the field as San Miguel Beer came back from a 13-point
deficit to steal Game 1, 111-105.
Without Marcio Lassiter, who suffered an MCL injury, Beermen
mentor Leo Austria knew the waterloo in their system despite the win.
“Without Marcio, they could gamble and double June Mar. They
were able to zone the post,” Austria said.
Rain or Shine, which was beefed up with the return of veteran star
James Yap and Ed Daquioag, admitted its mistakes that led them to
surrender the huge lead to the defending Philippine Cup champion.
“We need to stop turning the ball over. You can’t turn the ball over
to a powerhouse team like San Miguel because will take advantage
of your mistakes,” said Elasto Painters veteran center Beau Belga.
“If you turn the ball over, they’re gonna make either an easy
basket or a three-point shot,” he added.
Belga, who helped in limiting the production of Fajardo in Game
1, said all is not lost and he still likes their chances in the series.
“We limited June Mar but we completely forgot Christian. Going
to the next game, we’ll make adjustment again. That’s the good thing
about the series. If you lose, you adjust,” said Belga. “If we were able
to lead them by 13, I’m certain we can beat them.”
SAN Beda’s Calvin Oftana keys the Red Lions surge to stay perfect in the
NCAA.
DAVID JOHN CUBANGBANG