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Gov’t rejects PXP proposal to take over Malampaya

THE GOVERNMENT has rejected the unsolicited proposal of listed exploration company PXP Energy Corp. to take over the Malampaya gas exploration service contract, Energy officials said on Monday, explaining that the process is not allowed under existing rules.

“We advised PXP that we cannot take cognizance of their unsolicited proposal,” Department of Energy (DoE) Assistant Secretary Leonido J. Pulido III told reporters when asked for an update on the proposal during a briefing at the agency’s head office in Taguig City to observe the “National Energy Consciousness Month.”

“The reason is very basic. We have what we call the PCECP (Philippine Conventional Energy Contracting Program).”

He said the program gives proponents only two ways to get a service contract to explore the country’s oil and gas resources. PCECP is the department’s initiative to revive exploration activities in the country. The DoE identified 14 areas with potential for oil and gas finds and offered these for competitive bidding. Proponents can also nominate areas outside the list.

Mr. Pulido said what PXP did was outside the provisions allowed under PCECP. He said Malampaya is under Service Contract (SC) 38, which is already held by private entities. “So we had to deny the unsolicited proposal of PXP,” he said.

On Nov. 12, PXP said it had submitted on Nov. 11 an unsolicited proposal to the DoE for the “strategic development and utilization” of an integrated gas hub in Malampaya when SC 38 expires in 2024. The upstream oil and gas company also offered to acquire the 45% stake of Chevron Malampaya LLC in SC 38, which is located offshore northwest of Palawan.

PXP is a unit of Philex Mining Corp. which in turn is one of the Philippine units of Hong Kong-based First Pacific Company Ltd, the others being Metro Pacific Investments Corp. and PLDT, Inc. Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has interest in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls.

“It has been Udenna (Corp.) that has been negotiating with them (Chevron) and we were told that they have reached an agreement,” Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi said on Monday during the same briefing.

PXP said its project aims to ensure energy security of the country from indigenous natural gas resources for the next 25 years and beyond, while bringing in “significant revenues” to the Philippine government. It said the use of the Malampaya facilities as the integrated gas hub would also support the development of a robust indigenous gas industry.

Under its proposal, the company envisions the Malampaya infrastructure and distribution network to support the continued development of the oil discovery’s resources as well as the economic development of Sampaguita field and other nearby projects under SC 72, which is operated by PXP Energy through Forum (GSEC 101) Ltd.

The Malampaya deepwater gas-to-power project is the first oil and gas platform designed and built in the Philippines. Shell Philippines Exploration B.V. (SPEx) operates the project on behalf of the SC 38 consortium.

SPEx also holds a 45% in SC 38, while state-led Philippine National Oil Co. Exploration Corp. has the remaining 10%.

On Monday, shares in PXP Energy rose by 0.38% to close at P10.52 each. — Victor V. Saulon

ADB names Japanese international finance, dev’t expert as its next president

THE ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK (ADB) on Monday announced the selection of Masatsugu Asakawa, special advisor to Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Finance Minister Taro Aso, as its president starting next year.

In a statement on Monday, ADB said Mr. Asakawa will assume office on Jan. 17 next year, succeeding Takehiko Nakao who steps down on Jan. 16.

Mr. Asakawa will serve the balance of Mr. Nakao’s term which ends on Nov. 23, 2021, ADB said.

He had been vice-minister of Finance for International Affairs, and had been engaged in development policy, foreign exchange markets and international tax policy.

“Mr. Asakawa’s extensive, diverse experience in international finance and development will serve ADB well in pursuing its vision of a prosperous, inclusive, resilient and sustainable Asia and the Pacific,” Hong Nam-Ki, chairman of ADB’s Board of Governors as well as the deputy prime minister and minister of economy and finance of South Korea, said in the statement.

ADB said Mr. Asakawa had also served as the Finance Deputy for the 2019 G20 Osaka Summit and the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting in Japan.

In the immediate aftermath of the global financial crisis back in 2008, he participated in the first G20 Leaders’ Summit Meeting as the executive essistant to then Prime Minister Taro Aso.

Mr. Asakawa was visiting professor at the University of Tokyo from 2012 to 2015 and at Saitama University from 2006 to 2009.

He obtained his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Tokyo in 1981 and MPA from Princeton University in 1985. — B. M. Laforga

Construction of Makati subway to start this year

By Denise A. Valdez, Reporter

THE builder of the Makati City Subway Project is hopeful of completing the intracity railway a year ahead of schedule after obtaining an environmental clearance from the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources (DENR).

Antonio L. Tiu, president and chief executive officer of project proponent Philippine Infradev Holdings, Inc., told BusinessWorld Monday the company is looking to begin construction of the Makati subway before the year ends.

He said Philippine Infradev is currently working to get “hopefully before year end” its last set of permits — local government unit (LGU) construction permits — to be able to start work on the subway immediately.

This follows the company’s disclosure to the stock exchange yesterday that it has received the Environmental Compliance Certificate by the DENR last week.

If things go as planned, Mr. Tiu said the Makati subway may be completed “best effort 2024” — a year ahead of its 2025 deadline.

The $3.5-billion Makati City Subway Project is being undertaken as a public-private partnership between Philippine Infradev and the City Government of Makati.

Mr. Tiu’s listed firm is working with a consortium that includes Chinese firms Greenland Holdings Group, Jiangsu Provincial Construction Group Co. Ltd., Holdings Ltd. and China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd.

The subway will have 10 stations traversing 10 kilometers of Makati City’s central business district, which the proponent hopes will help decongest road traffic by carrying about 700,000 passengers daily.

Makati Mayor Mar-Len Abigail S. Binay-Campos previously said the tunnel boring machine, an equipment that will drill through the ground to make way for the subway, is scheduled to arrive in December.

Aside from the Makati City Subway Project, Mr. Tiu’s other company Greenergy Holdings, Inc. is aspiring to build a “modern tramway system” in Manila City. An unsolicited proposal has been submitted to the local government last month.

Shares in Philippine Infradev at the stock exchange inched up 0.03 points or 2.36% to P1.30 apiece on Monday.

Goyo bags top Luna Award

HISTORICAL epic Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral by Jerrold Tarog won Best Motion Picture along with several technical awards at the Luna Awards, held on Nov. 30 at the Maybank Performing Arts Theater in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

The film about the life and death of young General Gregorio del Pilar also won Best Sound for Albert Michael Idioma and Alex Tomboc and Best Musical Score for Mr. Tarog.

Another of the night’s big winners was Chito S. Roño who won Best Director for Signal Rock, a film about a man living in a remote island who takes care of his family while his sister works overseas. Signal Rock’s Daria Ramirez won Best Supporting Actress.

The top acting awards were handed to Glaiza de Castro for her work in Kip Oebanda’s Liway, a film about a mother and her child who were incarcerated during Martial Law, and Daniel Padilla for his work in Cathy Garcia-Molina’s The Hows of Us, a film about a couple who struggle to maintain a long-term relationship even as they dream of growing old together.

Liway also won Best Screenplay for Zig Dulay and Kip Oebanda and Best Editing for Chuck Guttierez.

The Luna Awards are given annually by the Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP) to recognize outstanding achievements in the Filipino film industry. The first awards were presented in 1983 in Pasay. This year, the awards is co-presented by the Film Development Council of the Philippines.

Below is the complete list of winners:

• Best Motion Picture: Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral

• Best Director: Chito Rono, Signal Rock

• Best Actor: Daniel Padilla, The Hows of Us

• Best Actress: Glaiza de Castro, Liway

• Best Supporting Actor: Arjo Atayde, Buy Bust

• Best Supporting Actress: Daria Ramirez, Signal Rock

• Best Screenplay: Zig Dulay and Kip Oebanda, Liway

• Best Sound: Albert Michael Idioma and Alex Tomboc, Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral

• Best Production Design: Maolen Fadul, Gusto Kita with All My Hypothalamus

• Best Cinematography: Neil Daza, Gusto Kita with All My Hypothalamus

• Best Musical Score: Jerrold Tarog, Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral

• Best Editing: Chuck Guttierez, Liway

• Fernando Poe, Jr. (FPJ) Lifetime Achievement Award: Lily Monteverde

• Manuel de Leon Award for Exemplary Achievements: Nova Villa

• The Lamberto Avellana Memorial Award: directors Wenn Deramas and Soxie Topacio — Zsarlene B. Chua

ALI unit ends JV with Gatchalian firms for Plastic City project

AVIDA LAND Corp. is cancelling its joint venture with Gatchalian-led Philippines Estates Corp. (PHES) and the subsidiaries of Wellex Industries, Inc. (WIN) for a proposed project in Valenzuela City’s Plastic City.

Avida’s parent Ayala Land, Inc. (ALI) told the stock exchange yesterday the companies have “mutually agreed to terminate the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) executed by the parties in December 2012.”

The MoA refers to the two firms’ proposed development of a 21-hectare property in Plastic City — a plastic manufacturing plant in Barangay Canumay that the Gatchalian family used to run through WIN subsidiary Plastic City Industrial Corp. (PCIC).

“PHES and subsidiaries of WIN have decided to reevaluate its concept and feasibility studies on the property while Avida will focus on its ongoing and other planned projects,” ALI’s disclosure read.

The tandem of ALI’s mid-income residential brand and the Gatchalian companies was planning to develop Plastic City into a mixed-use urban complex with residential condominiums, townhouses and office spaces.

In WIN’s 2018 annual report, it said the land covered by the MoA with Avida had a carrying value of P75.61 million.

Despite their partnership trailing as far back as 2012, the companies could not begin with the project until last year, when WIN’s subsidiaries terminated the rehabilitation case of PCIC to be allowed to keep possession of the Plastic City property.

When PCIC ended commercial operations of Plastic City in 2002, the warehouse and building facilities of the plant have been leased out by PCIC subsidiaries, which are all under WIN.

WIN said in a regulatory filing its business is now focused on maintaining equipment and facilities in Plastic City, which it hopes to resume operations by finding strategic partners.

PHES, on the other hand, was an agriculture firm but is now in the business of real estate holdings with an agreement with Rexlon Realty Group, Inc.; Recovery Real Estate Corp.; Ropeman International Corp.; The Wellex Group, Inc. and Pacific Rehouse Corp.

Earlier this year, Avida launched a subdivision within ALI’s mixed-use estate Vermosa in Imus, Cavita. Avida Verra Settings Vermosa offers 370 units on the 10-hectare property.

It also unveiled Avida Towers (AT) Makati Southpoint — a three-tower residential condominium development located on an 11,000 square meter lot along Chino Roces Avenue in Barangay Bangkal, Makati City.

Shares in ALI at the stock exchange grew 1.50 points or 3.30% to P47 each on Monday, while shares in WIN fell 4.48% to P0.213 each and shares in PHES increased 1.27% to P0.40 each. — Denise A. Valdez

K-Pop suicide sparks a reckoning on revenge porn, sexual assault

THE SUICIDE of a popular South Korean singer has prompted calls in the country to overhaul laws on sexual assault and to more harshly punish revenge porn.

Koo Hara, 28, was found dead at her home in Seoul on Sunday. Her last message on Instagram showed her staring into a camera lens from beneath blankets on her bed with a message of “good night.” Police say a note was found at the scene in which she expressed hopelessness.

Many in South Korea were already aware of her past that included assault by a former boyfriend who she alleged was threatening to release a sex video of her. The two most popular hashtags on social media in South Korea last week called for punishment of the ex-boyfriend and for the definition of sexual assault to be revamped.

A petition filed with the president’s office demanding changes to laws had one quarter of a million signatures. Lawmakers said it is time to push forward measures stalled in Parliament that make it easier to impose harsh penalties on those who engage in revenge porn or clandestinely take sexually charged videos.

Liberal lawmaker Lee Jung-mi of the minor Justice Party said in a social media post that Koo’s death shows that change is needed because the nation “cannot neglect illegal filming and circulation of videos.”

Lee in September 2018 introduced a bill to revise how South Korea’s criminal law defines rape. She said recent verdicts on sexual crime show the current standards don’t focus on consent but how much “resistance” there was from the victim.

President Moon Jae-in has called for a wide-ranging investigation of sex offenses linked to the entertainment industry and ordered the reopening of inquiries into past allegations. He issued a decree in June 2017 that set punishment of up to five years in prison, with the measure mostly pertaining to filming through hidden cameras.

Moon has not commented on Koo’s death or on revamping sexual violence laws. On Nov. 19 he did comment on women’s social status saying, “It’s still quite a dark reality compared to the rest of the world. I can tell you that I will pay more attention on gender equality.”

Some of those who are fighting for changes to the laws say they are frustrated with the pace of change.

“The current justice system sends a message to women that it will never be able to protect them,” said Yun Dan-woo, a writer and women’s rights activist.

RECENT CASES
Some recent cases illustrate critics’ concerns. In May 2018, a male judge ruled that a man wasn’t guilty of raping a woman who walked to a motel with him, according to the Law Talk legal journal and local media. Surveillance video presented as evidence showed the man pulling the woman. The judge acknowledged she had rejected sex but ruled this wasn’t a case where she was in danger, the reports said.

In a case in November, a male judge found a man not guilty of rape even though he had sex with a woman against her will. The judge ruled she gave consent by holding hands and giving the defendant an extra piece of meat at a restaurant, according to the legal journal and local media.

Koo, who used the stage name HaRa, was a member of the group Kara, which had nearly a decade-long run as a top act in the notoriously fickle K-pop music industry. One of group’s biggest songs, “Step,” garnered nearly 100 million views on YouTube, helping Koo win fame in Japan, China and other major markets outside of Asia.

In Koo’s case, a judge found her boyfriend guilty of assault yet acquitted him of illicitly filming Koo and trying to blackmail her. On Friday, dozens of people rallied in front of the Seoul District Court, demanding that the judge in the case resign.

Although the laws on clandestine recording could be applied to revenge porn — posting without permission explicit images of individuals that may be taken in acts including consensual sex — that sort of prosecution is almost unheard of in South Korea. More than 40 US states have laws banning the practice as do other countries.

Proponents of more stringent measures say they want to act now while Koo’s death is fresh in the public mind and may give a push for change.

“Korean society has this misconception of rape of always being done by some random monster who comes out of nowhere in a dark alley at night, which is why it doesn’t acknowledge that someone close and intimate is more likely to be the perpetrator,” said Claire Park, an activist at the Korea Sexual Violence Relief Center. — Bloomberg

Mining firms urged to collaborate with DOST on research and development

MINING companies are encouraged to work with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) to come up with new innovations to help the local mining industry grow and be more competitive.

Ma. Anya Yasmin S. Roslin, head of the project management office of the DOST’s Science for Change Program, said mining firms can tap programs, such as the Business Innovation Through Science and Technology Industry (BIST) program.

The program will cover up to 70% of the total eligible cost of the necessary technology without interest. Project proposals will solely depend on what the company thinks it needs.

“Ngayon lang natin nakikita na what they really need is to handhold them in terms of proposal. That is I think one of their gaps kasi wala tayong problema sa kanila in terms of counterpart funding, pero hindi nila ma-access dahil lahat ng mga ganitong bagay is proposal driven. (We are already seeing that what they really need is to hold their hand in terms of proposal. That is I think one of their gaps since we don’t have problem with them in terms of counterpart funding, but they can’t access since these programs are proposal driven),” Ms. Roslin said at the sidelines of the mining lecture series of the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD) and the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines (CoMP) on Monday in Pasay City.

If mining firms want to stay competitive, Ms. Roslin said they need do research and development to come up with new innovations.

“What we discovered today is that there is numerous opportunities for collaboration that we have yet to explore. Clearly, mining companies have needs that we have to address. We have of environmental and social issues that can be addressed through R&D,” CoMP Executive Director Ronald S. Recidoro said in a separate interview.

Through the collaboration between mining companies and the government, he also hopes that research and development could help lift the image of the mining industry in the Philippines.

“There is money, we just need to get that collaboration going and that’s what we plan to do starting next year,” he added. — Vincent Mariel P. Galang

Ayala estate to rise in Tarlac City

AYALA LAND, Inc. (ALI) is looking to replicate Tarlac City’s beloved poblacion within its new mixed-use estate Cresendo.

The property giant recently launched the 290-hectare Cresendo, envisioned as a “modern local community” with residential, commercial and industrial components.

At the heart of Cresendo is a 30-hectare urban core with a 1.5-hectare central plaza with a church, school and a commercial district.

“Tarlac City has a poblacion — with San Sebastian Cathedral and across it is the plazuela and at the center is F. Tañedo St. — the central business district of Tarlac. We were inspired by this one, and so in Cresendo, that will be our core,” John R. Estacio, Cresendo estate head, said during a briefing in Makati City on Nov. 15.

Mr. Estacio said ALI is creating this new downtown area to complement the existing one in Tarlac City.

“What we bring as ALI is we will inject life’s new conveniences and best practices over our collective experience. We feel this will work with them. It will be familiar, a little greener and organized.

“Cresendo Town Plaza is as big as the Tarlac City plazuela. In our culture, it would be the center for activities and seasonal community events. That’s our ambition,” he said.

The town plaza will be surrounded by commercial buildings with sizes ranging from 500 square meters (sq.m.) to 2,000 sq.m. Mr. Estacio noted these shophouses are ideal for small and medium enterprises who want to live above their stores or offices.

ALI is also developing a 1.5-kilometer greenway from the town plaza to the 7-hectare River Terraces, which is near the planned residential development. The River Terraces will feature landscaped gardens, jogging paths, viewing deck and also as the estate’s detention pond.

Don Bosco Technical Institute will open a senior high school and Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Center on a six-hectare lot within the Cresendo estate.

“We partnered with Don Bosco Tarlac to deliver quality and holistic education… By 2022, senior high school will first be offered here. The TVET Center will operate by 2025,” Mr. Estacio said.

Around 32 hectares will be allotted for the Cresendo Industrial Park (CIP), which will offer lots from 1,200 sq.m. to 10,000 sq.m. for sale at P6,000 to P9,000 per sq.m.

Mr. Estacio said CIP is looking to attract locators in light to medium, non-polluting industries. It is expected to open by 2022.

Avida Land will be the first ALI brand to develop a residential village in Cresendo. It is expected to be launched by early 2020.

ALI has allocated P18 billion to develop Cresendo, including P5 billion for Phase 1 which will involve the completion of the church, opening of Don Bosco senior high school, as well as the development of the residential community, transport terminal and the industrial park.

“We believe (Tarlac City) is a next wave city, accessible via land, air and sea,” Mr. Estacio said.

Located in Barangay Central, Cresendo is near the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) and MacArthur Highway. It is also near the Clark International Airport and Subic Bay Freeport.

The estate’s name takes inspiration from the musical term “crescendo” which means “the highest point reached in a progressive increase of intensity.”

“(Cresendo) is a symbolism that we will help you go up there… We hope to deliver life’s essentials,” Mr. Estacio said. — Cathy Rose A. Garcia

Cyber bullying, star suicides: The dark side of South Korea’s K-pop world

SEOUL — The apparent suicide of a second K-pop artist in a month has cast renewed focus in South Korea on vicious personal attacks and cyber bullying of vulnerable young stars, and how it mostly goes unpunished.

The police consider cyber violence a serious crime and have an active program educating the public how not to fall prey to online attacks, or to become the perpetrator.

Charges laid are steadily on the rise with nearly 150,000 cases last year, but they form just a minuscule portion of what goes on and there is no good recourse for the victims in a country once touted as one of the most wired on earth, police say.

“It’s rather simple with physical violence, as the victim can go see a doctor, but with cyber violence, there is no cure,” says Jeon Min-su, a cyber crime investigator with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.

K-pop singer Koo Hara was found dead in her home on Sunday last week and the police found a handwritten note despairing about her life. She had been subjected to vicious attacks online about her relationships with men, local media said.

Koo had spoken out against cyber bullying. She was found unconscious at her home in May and hospitalized, and a month after the incident she said she was suffering from depression and vowed to fight malicious online comment.

Koo was friends with the K-pop star Sulli, who was found dead in October, who was also outspoken against cyber bullying.

The Korean pop music world is popular across Asia but has a dark underbelly. Earlier this year, several male K-pop stars and one of the industry’s biggest producers were questioned by police in connection with illegal gambling and prostitution.

Kwon Young-chan, comedian-turned-counsellor who has himself been a victim of online violence, said stars have little recourse when they come under attack and it is almost impossible to avoid rumors and personal attacks.

“When the perpetrators write vicious comments, they first begin with a ‘light tap’ and the scale of cyber bullying then intensifies to a ‘punch’,” he said in an interview.

The rumors and personal attacks online make their way into the stars’ personal lives, Kwon said.

Both Sulli and Koo had been with girl bands and later broke out on their own, which made them more vulnerable, Kwon said.

“After the artists began performing solo, they had to deal with depression and attacks against them all on their own.”

Member of parliament Park Sun-sook, a former presidential spokeswoman who first addressed the issue of online attacks in 1998, wants to make it possible for anyone to ask web portals to take down malicious or blatantly false comments.

“Young stars are exposed with no defense to cyber violence. It’s time for the law and the society to protect them,” she told Reuters. — Reuters

Eton names new COO

ETON Properties Philippines Chairman Lucio C. Tan has appointed his daughter Karlu Tan Say as the company’s new chief operating officer.

Ms. Say is currently a director and head of human resources of the LT Group’s property arm.

In a statement, Eton Properties quoted Ms. Say as saying she wants the company to become the “most improved and most efficient real estate developer in the country.”

Ms. Say identified three of her priorities: “to increase leasing revenue; to increase the land values of Eton City in Sta. Rosa, Laguna and Eton Centris in Quezon City; and to convert land bank assets into cash flow.”

“As your new COO, I humbly ask for everyone’s full support to working effectively and as a team. It is my wish that all of us be open and willing to take on new challenges as we face the ever-changing expectations of our market. I believe that by working together, we can truly achieve success as envisioned by my brother Bong,” Ms. Say said, referring to her brother Lucio “Bong” K. Tan, Jr. who died last month.

Eton Properties noted that Ms. Say has 20 years of management experience in property, human resources, trading and acquisitions, and service industries.

She is a founding director and board member of Dong-A Pharma Phils., as well as worked at Century Park Hotel and Sterling Department Store Midway Trading Corporation in San Francisco, California.

Ms. Say graduated with a degree in management from the Ateneo de Manila University. She is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of interior design from the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in San Francisco, California.

New facilities ready at Lubi Plantation Resort

THE LUBI Plantation Resort, one of the joint ventures of Torre Lorenzo Development Corp. and Dusit International in Davao, has opened additional facilities as it officially received on Dec. 1 its Dusit Thani mark, the Thai hotel group’s high-end and full-service brand.

“We are officially launching the new brand, Dusit Thani at Lubi Plantation Resort… Together with the rebranding, we are also showcasing updates on the resort. We now have a total of 18 luxury villas, half of which have their own plunge pools facing the quiet and private beach,” Christopher Wichlan, general manager of the Davao Dusit hotels, said.

In an interview with BusinessWorld after the recent Christmas lighting ceremony at the dusitD2 Davao and Dusit Thani Residence, Mr. Wichlan said the focus next year is ramping up their marketing campaign for both local and foreign visitors.

“For 2020, the team is focused on attracting both the local and international markets namely, China, Singapore, U.S., Indonesia, Malaysia and Taiwan,” he said.

Mr. Wichlan said they are also excited to prepare for and participate in the local celebrations such as the annual Kadayawan Festival in August, and “we are introducing popular Thai events in Davao including the Songkran Festival and Loi Krathong.”

The 120-room dusitD2 is already fully operational while the adjoining Dusit Thani Residence, which will have permanent dwellers and Dusit-managed units for guests, is currently on soft opening and is expected to have full opening by mid-2020.

At the Lubi Plantation Resort, located on a private island in Compostela Valley, among the new amenities are the indoor games and entertainment center, tennis court, The Mill western cuisine restaurant and bar, and a dive center.

These are in addition to the all-day dining Tarictic Grill; beachfront infinity pool; fitness centre; Namm Spa; facilities for snorkelling, jet ski, and kayaking activities; the Tamsi Hall for events; and a church.

For the Christmas holidays, there will also be an arts, culture and music festival on the island featuring local artists.

Promotional packages are on offer at both dusitD2 and the resort, and a percentage of these bookings will be donated to the victims of the October earthquakes in Mindanao through the Philippine Red Cross.

“This year is the first Christmas for our properties and we wanted to make sure it’s nothing less than extraordinary,” Mr. Wichlan said. — Marifi S. Jara

A year in showbiz: court drama, box office records and a young billionaire

LONDON — From the world’s youngest self-made billionaire to celebrities in court, the world of entertainment produced a wide array of headlines this year. Below are some of the biggest showbiz stories of 2019.

• The year began with rap making history at the Grammys as Childish Gambino’s “This is America” became the first hip hop track to win the ceremony’s top record and song of the year accolade. At the Oscars, Green Book took best film while Briton Olivia Colman beat presumed favorite Glenn Close for the best actress honor.

• The case surrounding Empire actor Jussie Smollett, who is gay and black, lit up social media after he told Chicago police two men had attacked him by throwing a noose around his neck, pouring bleach on him and shouting abuse.

Smollett was later charged with making up the attack and taken off the Empire TV show, although prosecutors dropped the criminal case against him.

• Criminal cases during the #MeToo era saw Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein’s trial, in which he is accused of rape and predatory sexual assault, set for January 2020. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. pleaded not guilty to charges of groping three women.

• Singer R. Kelly was arrested and charged with recruiting underage girls and women to have sex with him. He has denied abuse accusations for decades.

• Prosecutors dropped a sex assault case against Oscar winner Kevin Spacey after the alleged victim refused to testify.

• Documentary Leaving Neverland, in which two men said they had been abused as children by Michael Jackson, renewed scrutiny of the late singer’s legacy. Jackson’s estate called it a “rehash of dated and discredited allegations.”

• The US college admissions cheating scandal saw actress Felicity Huffman briefly go to prison. Rapper A$AP Rocky got a suspended sentence following a brawl in Sweden.

• The Rolling Stones temporarily postponed their North American tour after singer Mick Jagger underwent heart surgery. The Spice Girls reunited for a tour, though without fifth member Victoria Beckham.

• Reality star Kim Kardashian revealed she is studying to become a lawyer and her half-sister Kylie Jenner became the youngest self-made billionaire thanks to her makeup business.

• Dwayne Johnson was named the world’s highest-paid actor in an annual Forbes list while married couple Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra took People magazine’s best dressed accolade. People named singer John Legend “sexiest man alive.”

• The ending of medieval drama Game of Thrones divided fans, with some petitioning for a re-write.

• Superhero film Avengers: Endgame broke Avatar’s 10-year record as the biggest box-office movie of all time. Comic book standalone Joker became the first R-rated Hollywood production to take more than $1 billion in ticket sales worldwide.

• Actress Sophie Turner and singer Joe Jonas tied the knot and Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence married art gallery director Cooke Maroney. Chart topper Justin Bieber and model Hailey Baldwin married a second time while singer Katy Perry and actor Orlando Bloom got engaged. Actor Liam Hemsworth and singer Miley Cyrus separated after seven months of marriage.

• Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan welcomed son Archie while Kardashian and her rapper husband Kanye West announced the arrival, via surrogate, of their fourth child, Psalm.

• The world said goodbye to several big names including fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, actors Doris Day, Peter Fonda, Albert Finney, Carol Channing, and Luke Perry, composer Andre Previn, Prodigy frontman Keith Flint and Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison. — Reuters

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