Nationwide round-up

July 16, 2019 | 8:43 pm

Duterte would be first to obey Bawal Bastos Law, spokesman says

PRESIDENT RODRIGO R. Duterte, known for his colorful language and oftentimes controversial jokes, would be the first to follow the Bawal Bastos Law, which penalizes gender-based street harassment against women and members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. In a press briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador S. Panelo said when sought for comment on the newly-signed law: “Since the President signed that law, it means that he recognizes the need of that law. And since he is the chief enforcer of all laws of the Philippines, he will be the first one to obey the law.” He also brushed off accusations that Mr. Duterte had been, on more than one occasion, vulgar in his remarks about women, saying he was only trying to be funny. “You’ve assumed that the President is bastos, naging bastos (rude, became rude). He never was bastos. When he cracks jokes, it was intended to make people laugh, never to offend,” the spokesman explained. Mr. Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11313, the Safe Spaces Act or also known as the Bawal Bastos Law, on April 17, but copies were released only on Monday. Under the law, gender-based sexual harassment covers “catcalling, wolf-whistling, unwanted invitations, misogynistic, transphobic, homophobic and sexist slur,” among others. Public places include restaurants, cafes, bars and clubs, resorts, hotels, and casinos. — Arjay L. Balinbin

SC gives lawyers more time to confer with fisherfolk clients in West PHL Sea case

THE SUPREME Court (SC), sitting en banc, has granted the request of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) to be given more time to confer with their clients involved in the writ of kalikasan petition seeking the protection of shoals in the West Philippine Sea. SC Public Information Office (PIO) Chief Brian Keith F. Hosaka, in a text message, said the lawyers were given until July 19, earlier than the July 22 date requested. In a social media post, the SC PIO said the en banc also reminded the counsels of both parties under the Code of Professional Responsibility and Rules of Court “not to litigate their cases through media or social media.” “Infractions shall be dealt with severely,” it said. The IBP on July 12 asked the high court for more consultation time with fishermen from Palawan and Zambales, following the submission of the Office of the Solicitor General on July 9 of judicial affidavits of 19 fishermen who were withdrawing from the petition. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

SC upholds Comelec declaration on PDP-Laban officers

THE SUPREME Court (SC) upheld a resolution of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), which recognizes the group of Senator Aquilino L. Pimetel III as the officers of Partido Demokratiko Pilipino Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban). In a resolution dated June 18 but released only on Tuesday, the SC dismissed the petition of the PDP-Laban faction led by Rogelio V. Garcia over the November 2018 resolution of the Comelec declaring the group led by Mr. Pimentel as the legitimate officers of the ruling political party. It also denied the application for a temporary restraining order and or preliminary injunction against the group of Mr. Pimentel. “As correctly found by the COMELEC …it must continue to recognize them as the legitimate officers authorized to act for and in behalf of PDP LABAN,” the SC’s resolution read. The high court also said its ruling is without prejudice to the filing of a direct challenge by the petitioner before a Comelec division questioning the legitimacy of Mr. Pimentel’s group. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Heavy rains expected until Thursday as Falcon intensifies into a tropical storm

July 16, 2019 | 8:41 pm

FALCON, the 6^th typhoon to enter the country this year, has intensified into a tropical storm and heavy rains in northern areas are expected until Thursday. Weather bureau PAGASA, in its 5 p.m. bulletin on Tuesday, said moderate to heavy rains will be experienced over Ilocos, Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Cagayan Valley, Nueva Ecija, Aurora, Zambales, Occidental Mindoro, northern Palawan, Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Iloilo, and Guimaras until Wednesday. The rest of Luzon, including Metro Manila, and the rest of the Visayas will have “light to moderate with at times heavy rains.” On Thursday, moderate to heavy rains may still prevail over Ilocos, CAR, and Cagayan Valley while Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, and Mimaropa may have light to occasional heavy rains. Falcon, with maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometers hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 80 kph, is expected to closely approach or make landfall over the Babuyan-Batanes Islands area by Wednesday evening. Apart from Falcon, the southwest monsoon has also been bringing rains in parts of the country.

Benguet potato farmers double yield with seeds from Canada

July 16, 2019 | 8:40 pm

POTATO FARMERS in Benguet reported double yield with the use of potato seeds from Canada, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said. “Farmers reported during the harvest festival that they harvested an average of 20 metric tons which at only P30 per kilo could easily earn them P600,000 in just three months and 10 days,” Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol said in a social media post on Tuesday, referring to the Potato Harvest Festival in Buguias, Benguet. The seed variety was introduced through the Potato Development Program of the DA in partnership with Universal Robina Corp. (URC). “URC President Lance (Y.) Gokongwei came to the Office of the Secretary of the DA two years ago to request for assistance in importing the chipping potato variety which local farmers do not grow,” Mr. Piñol said. URC brought in 100 metric tons of G-3 potato planting materials from Prince Edward Island in Canada. These were distributed in March this year to farmers in Buguias, Benguet; Talakag, Bukidnon; and Kapatagan, Davao del Sur. Asked if there are other provinces that have expressed interest to be part of the program, Mr. Piñol said, “Yes we are getting requests from other provinces. We will check the prospective areas for crop suitability,” he told BusinessWorld in a text message. The provinces include Negros Occidental, Nueva Vizcaya, North and South Cotabato, and Lanao del sur. Part of the agreement is for URC, a subsidiary of JG Summit Holdings, Inc., to purchase medium-sized potatoes, while the large, extra-large, and marble potatoes will be sold in the open market. Robinsons Supermarket, also under JG Summit, will purchase the produce. DA and URC are also looking into importing chipping potatoes variety for the production of URC’s potato chips brand. — Vincent Mariel P. Galang

Western Visayas health sector in full force for dengue response

July 16, 2019 | 8:40 pm

THE HEALTH sector in Western Visayas, which registered the highest number of dengue cases amid a nationwide dengue alert declaration, is focusing resources to respond to patients. Marlyn W. Convocar, regional director of the Department of Health-Center for Health Development (DoH-CHD 6), said 228 health personnel composed of 24 medical technologists, 16 doctors and 189 nurses have been deployed around the region to monitor and respond to cases of the mosquito-borne disease. Emergency equipment have also been purchased for distribution to different areas. “The Philippine Red Cross has offered additional beds for the district hospitals. All the private hospitals have also agreed that they will accept all dengue patients from district and provincial hospitals provided that they secure a certification from the provincial hospital,” Ms. Convocar said. Ms. Convocar also said that they had a video conference Monday with Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque, who assured full support from the DoH central office and committed to send 18,375 test kits and additional IV fluids supply. Mr. Duque also approved the request of Ms. Convocar to delay the implementation of the school-based immunization program by two months and order a moratorium on trainings so that human resources could gear their efforts on the dengue outbreak.

4-S CAMPAIGN
At the same time, Ms. Convocar reiterated the appeal for full public cooperation through regular clean-up activities to eliminate mosquito breeding grounds. “We should really clean our surroundings and make sure that there is no stagnant water. Let’s not also forget to practice 4-S. If we do this all together, we can stop this dengue outbreak,” she said. The 4-S campaign stands for Search and destroy mosquito-breeding sites; secure Self-protection measures like wearing long pants and long sleeved shirts and daily use of mosquito repellent;Seek early consultation; and Support fogging/spraying only in hotspot areas where increase in cases is registered for two consecutive weeks to prevent an impending outbreak. — Emme Rose S. Santiagudo

UseMints building a community of MSMEs through shared rewards program

July 16, 2019 | 8:39 pm

DAVAO CITY-based firm UseMints is aiming to build a community of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that will share a reward points system to increase and maintain a base of loyal customers. “We are a loyalty cards provider focused on MSMEs… We are also aware that the ones having the biggest challenges and businesses that close are also the MSMEs,” UseMints founder Leo G. Alba told the media. But with the technology firm’s “Suki Ko, Suki Mo” program, Mr. Alba said MSMEs can support each other and have more sustainable operations. The points earned by customers can either be used as cash, educational fund that will be released in the form of a check named to the school, or as Business Development Assistance Program (BDAP). The MSMEs also earn points under the system, which can be used to renew their membership in the program. Mr. Alba said with the network of entrepreneurs coming together, the cost of the rewards system, which could go as high as P500,000, is shared. This means an enterprise only needs to shell out P8,695 to be a member and have 500 rewards cards that they can sell to customers at P10 or P20 each. UseMints also provides mentorship and other support programs to its members. — Maya M. Padillo

Nation at a Glance — (07/17/19)

July 16, 2019 | 8:30 pm

News stories from across the nation. Visit www.bworldonline.com (section: The Nation) to read more national and regional news from the Philippines.

Deloitte Philippines welcomes two new partners

July 16, 2019 | 5:32 pm

Deloitte Philippines is proud to welcome two homegrown talents into the partnership – Elaine De Guzman from the Tax & Corporate Services division and Jesus Ma. “Third” Lava III from the Risk Advisory Group. Elaine and Third both joined Deloitte Philippines straight out of college – Elaine from Tarlac State University where she earned her BA in Accountancy, and Third from the University of the Philippines – Diliman, where he majored in Business Administration and Accountancy.

Elaine has over 15 years of professional experience, specializing in tax due diligence, tax compliance, global employer services, tax advisory, tax refund, and tax investigations. She has worked with corporations from a broad range of industries including manufacturing, tech, media & telecommunications, and consumer business & transportation. Elaine is a CPA and an accredited tax practitioner of the Bureau of Internal Revenue. She completed the Management Development Program of the Asian Institute of Management.

After four years with Deloitte’s Enterprise Risk Services group, Third relocated to Singapore, where he continued to work in the field of governance, risk, and compliance (GRC). He returned in 2016 with over 14 years of experience in Risk Advisory work, specializing in internal audit, IT audit, compliance review, enterprise risk management, ERP systems design and implementation, SAP security review and assessment, SAP authorization review, and GRC systems design and implementation. Besides being a CPA, Third is also a Certified Internal Auditor, a Certified Information Systems Auditor, and an IIA Quality Assurance Validator.

Deloitte Philippines is the local practice of the Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited Global Network and is one of the leading professional services firms in the country. With 21 partners and over 700 people, the firm is committed to providing quality service in the areas of audit and assurance, tax, risk advisory, and financial advisory, and to making an impact that matters.

Buoyed by dynamic growth: HUAWEI eyes continued expansion

July 16, 2019 | 6:00 am

“We will not stop. We will continue to provide Filipino consumers with innovations and products that they deserve,” George Li, country manager of HUAWEI Consumer Business Group Philippines, confidently stated during the launch of the company’s new entry-level offering, the HUAWEI Y9 Prime 2019, at Grand Hyatt Manila in Taguig City.

George Li, country manager of HUAWEI Consumer Business Group Philippines

Mr. Li delivered a strong opening speech detailing facts on Huawei’s global and local milestones. Here are the key points and excerpts from his address:

A brand well loved by consumers worldwide

Ablaze with momentum, HUAWEI has recently overtaken Apple to become the world’s No. 2 brand in global smartphone sales after the first quarter of 2019. The country head revealed that the secret to the company’s success is customer centricity. “We keep our focus on our consumers. We listen to them and we make sure that the products we release in the market will certainly address their pain points and improve their lives,” Mr. Li said.

There is no doubt that the brand enjoys the support of more than 600 million HUAWEI users worldwide — or about 15% of the global population.

Commitment to constant innovation

HUAWEI remains at the forefront of innovations as a global tech leader in 5G technology, having developed its own 5G tech as early as early as 2009. It now also has 50 5G contracts signed globally.

The company has been proactively involved in the formulation and ranks first in technological contribution to 5G standards.

In the Philippines, 5G is within reach of Filipinos through carriers Globe and PLDT that are powered by HUAWEI’s 5G CPE system. “5G technology is a breakthrough for HUAWEI and the industry. We are more than proud to help make this available to the Philippine market,” Mr. Li said.

All these are products of HUAWEI’s commitment to constant innovation by investing in research and development.

No other way but up

Despite the external issues faced by the company, HUAWEI remains strong and has grown steadily year-on-year. According to Mr. Li, it crossed the 100 million mark in smartphone shipments by the end of May, the fastest pace ever for the company.

He also revealed that the shipment for P30 series achieved a record-breaking 10 million units in 85 days. The sales for the mentioned phone series exceeded its predecessor, P20 series, by 52% in the first month of its launch. The HUAWEI Watch GT has its own fair share of success as its shipment is already at two million.

Zeroing in on the local market, Mr. Li s optimistic that their new offering, Y9 Prime 2019 will be received well by Filipino consumers. In addition, HUAWEI is keen on opening more stores in the country to make HUAWEI technologies and products available to more Filipinos. Recently, HUAWEI inaugurated two premium concept stores at The Podium in Mandaluyong City and Venice Mall in Taguig City.

Mr. George Li ended his speech with sincere thanks. “We thank our consumers and all our partners for continuously trusting HUAWEI. Thank you for inspiring us to do better and achieve all these milestones and successes. With your support, there’s no other way but up!”

Remittances biggest so far in May

July 16, 2019 | 12:33 am

By Reicelene Joy N. Ignacio
Reporter

CASH sent home by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) grew to a five-month high in May, rebounding from the preceding month’s slowdown, the central bank reported on Monday, with analysts attributing the increase partly to households’ preparation for a new school year.

Cash remittances — a key driver of real property demand as well as of household spending that contributes nearly 70% to national output — grew by 5.7% to $2.6 billion in May from $2.5 billion in the same month last year, according to a report released by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) on Monday.

The increase was bigger than the four percent clocked in April but smaller than March’s 6.6% and the 6.9% recorded in May last year.

Personal remittances — which include transfers in kind — grew by 5.5% to $2.896 billion in May, also the biggest amount since January, from $2.746 billion a year ago, similarly faster than April’s 3.7% clip but slower than March’s 6.4% and the 6.1% increase recorded in May last year.

Year-to-date, cash remittances increased by 4.5% to $12.349 billion from $11.822 billion, which itself involved a 4.2% increment. Cash remittances from land-based and sea-based workers increased by 3.2% to $9.7 billion and by 9.2% to $2.7 billion, respectively, in the first five months.

Personal remittances grew by 4.1% to $13.707 billion from $13.172 billion in the same comparative five-month periods. Inflows from land-based OFWs with contracts of at least a year increased to $10.5 billion from $10.2 billion, while those from both sea-based and land-based workers with short-term contracts of less than a year grew to $2.9 billion from $2.7 billion.

The United States had the biggest share of OFW cash remittances year-to-date at 36%, followed in descending order by Saudi Arabia, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, Hong Kong, Qatar and Kuwait. Combined remittances from these countries accounted for 78% of total year-to-date cash remittances.

The BSP noted, however, that it is common practice among remittance centers abroad to course remittances through correspondent banks, most of which are located in the United States. Moreover, remittances coursed through money couriers cannot be disaggregated by actual country source and are recorded under the country where the main offices are located, which, in many cases, is in the US. “Therefore, the US would appear to be the main source of OF remittances because banks attribute the origin of funds to the most immediate source,” the central bank explained.

Sought for comment, Security Bank Corp. Treasury Group assistant vice-president and economist Robert Dan J. Roces said: “Part of the cause of higher remittances in May could be seasonal, as the remitter provides cash for tuition on top of food, clothing and other provisions for his or her family prior to the start of the school year in June.”

“We see this as a positive development since higher remittances also increase domestic consumption on imported and other taxable products while inflation tapers off – the improvement in vehicle sales last month may be proof of this,” Mr. Roces added.

Car sales recovered to post year-on-year increases both in June and last semester, according to data jointly released to media on Thursday last week by the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI) and the Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA). The joint CAMPI-TMA data showed total industry sales increased by 8.7% to 31,950 vehicles last month from 29,395 a year ago, taking the six-month total to 174,135 units, about 1.46% more than the 171,635 vehicles sold in 2018’s first half.

“It should also keep residential property sales strong. From another macro perspective, the higher remittances may further stabilize the country’s balance of payments position by serving as a good source of fiscal cushion,” Mr. Roces explained further.

Nicholas Antonio T. Mapa, ING Bank Manila senior economist, said, “Steady inflows from Filipinos abroad have helped bridge the still-widening trade gap to arrest the widening of the overall current account balance of the Philippines.”

“While the economy gears up for faster growth and attempts to enter a higher growth trajectory via investments in infrastructure, Filipinos both here and abroad have done their share to make this a reality. Time and time again, the Filipino has proven critics wrong, finding a way to send home much-needed funds to bolster domestic consumption and perhaps unwittingly helped deliver the much awaited transition to a new growth path.”

Ruben Carlo O. Asuncion, UnionBank of the Philippines, Inc. chief economist, said, “This spike in May remittances may have been clearly induced by domestic needs of OF families, particularly, tuition fees and other educational support matters.”

“Historically, the month of May for remittances is generally positive and robust due to” consumption of education services.

The central bank sees cash remittances growing by three percent this year.

In 2018, remittances grew 3.1% to $28.943 billion from 2017’s $28.060 billion, a little past the BSP’s three-percent growth projection.

Philippines eyes HK help in campaign vs corruption

July 16, 2019 | 12:32 am

THE GOVERNMENT is exploring further cooperation with Hong Kong in its fight against corruption, following Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr.’s recent meeting with Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam.

“The meeting revealed a surprising number of very important initiatives HK and PH can engage in to our huge mutual advantage,” Mr. Locsin said in a social media post on Monday.

“I expressed intense interest in the anti-corruption role of ICAC (Independent Commission Against Corruption) — a vital issue in PH (Philippines) government.”

Officers of the Department of Foreign Affairs in February last year met with ICAC Commissioner Simon Peh Yun-lu, who offered training and consultancy services to the Philippines’ anti-corruption body, the Office of the Ombudsman. Antonio A. Morales, Philippine consul general in Hong Kong, in December 2018 arranged for a visit by Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission officers for consultation with the ICAC.

That was not the first time the Philippines sought ICAC expertise on this matter. In 2013, the Office of the Ombudsman tapped the services of Tony Kwok, retired ICAC Operations head, and Paul Dickenson, retired ICAC senior investigator, to train the Ombudsman’s field investigators.

Transparency International, in its Corruption Perception Index for 2018, reported in January that Hong Kong ranked 14^th out of 180 countries and territories where business executives were asked on their general perceptions as well as specific brushes with corruption in their dealings with governments. Hong Kong ranked 13^th out of 180 economies in the 2017 survey.

The Philippines, meanwhile, improved in rank to 99^th in the 2018 index from 111^th in 2017. In Asia and the Pacific, the Philippines placed 18^th among 31 countries and territories compared to being 21^st in 2017. — Charmaine A. Tadalan

DICT sees no more need for common tower circular

July 16, 2019 | 12:31 am

THE DEPARTMENT of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) will likely no longer spell out in black and white the policy on its common tower initiative, almost a year since it released a draft memorandum circular on the matter.

DICT Undersecretary Eliseo M. Rio, Jr. told reporters on Monday that the department no longer sees the need to come up with the circular since it has already started signing agreements with network operators and tower providers. “Itong policy na ito, parang hindi na kailangan eh. Hindi na kailangan kasi umaandar na eh (This policy may no longer need to be spelled out in a circular because the effort is under way),” he said.

In September last year, the DICT released a draft memorandum circular that allowed third-party providers to put up towers for common use by telecommunication service companies.

Several provisions of the draft circular were criticized by industry players — both network operators and tower providers — prompting the DICT to say it would release a new draft in the second quarter.

While finalizing the new circular, the DICT started signing memoranda of understanding (MoU) and of agreement (MoA) with tower companies, committing to assist them in securing regulatory permits as soon as they enter agreements to provide towers for telcos.

The government has so far signed MoUs with 23 tower companies, of which four have signed MoAs for forging agreements with Globe Telecom, Inc. Globe has signed two deals with tower providers the past weeks: with the tandem of ISOC Infrastructure, Inc. and edotco Group Sdn. Bhd.; and the tandem of Aboitiz InfraCapital, Inc. and Frontier Tower Associates Philippines.

Mr. Rio earlier said this exercise was supposed to help the DICT in crafting the new common tower policy. But with the existing practice, the DICT is now thinking it “might not need” a circular to spell out its common tower policy anymore.

Mr. Rio, who served as acting secretary the entire time the DICT worked on the common tower plan, said what is being considered now is seeking help from Malacañang to order local government units (LGUs) not to pose regulatory obstacles to the common tower initiative.

“Hindi na kailangang policy ito, but an executive order from the President na lahat kayong mga LGUs, ang paggawa ng mga cell sites ay of national interest, so you must give it permits (This doesn’t need to be an explicit policy circular anymore, but an executive order from the President telling LGUs that the construction of cell sites if of national interest, hence, you must give tower companies permits),” he explained.

DICT and telcos, for instance, have complained that install one cell site could need up to 30 permits.

The DICT’s common tower plan was supposed to help increase the number of such infrastructure in order to enhance mobile communication services.

New major player Dito Telecommunity Corp. agreed that the ongoing policy may no longer need a circular to keep it going.

“We support whatever is the official policy of government. In concept, the common tower policy — whether documented or de facto — lowers the capex of telcos and the savings will benefit consumers through cost savings,” Dito Spokesperson Adel A. Tamano said in a mobile phone message when sought for comment.

“Simply, it is time for telcos to start sharing towers and other facilities as in other countries.”

Globe and Smart Communications, Inc. were not able to provide comments as of late Monday afternoon.

Globe initially said it was anticipating the common tower policy of the DICT to guide it in the business of its own tower company, GTowers, Inc., which was incorporated last year. GTowers was formed to handle the leasing of Globe’s existing tower assets. — Denise A. Valdez

Indonesia’s president vows more investment, infrastructure in 2nd term

July 16, 2019 | 12:30 am

BOGOR, INDONESIA — Indonesia’s recently reelected President Joko Widodo on Sunday outlined his vision for a second term, pledging faster infrastructure development and more investment opportunities to create jobs and growth in Southeast Asia’s biggest economy.

Hampered by soft commodity prices, Indonesia has struggled to lift growth above five percent in recent years even amid a boom in infrastructure building aimed at unlocking bottlenecks and distributing wealth outside the populous island of Java.

In a rally attended by thousands of supporters, Mr. Widodo said infrastructure development — a key agenda in his first term — would be accelerated to connect ports and airports across the archipelago to agricultural and tourism centers.

He also emphasized plans to improve human resources in a country that is lagging some of its neighbors in developing a skilled workforce.

This would include investing in vocational schools and creating an institution to manage Indonesian talent, as well as tapping the skills of those who settled overseas, he said.

Mr. Widodo also promised to open up investment opportunities in a country where red tape and vested interests remain a potent force discouraging foreign capital.

“Don’t be allergic to investment. It will create as much employment as possible,” he said.

Despite improvements in Indonesia’s ranking on the World Bank’s ease of doing business index, Mr. Widodo has conceded there remain too many obstacles to starting a business.

In May, Mr. Widodo said his government had cut to 58 from 259 the number of permits required for power plant investment, but he wants the figure cut to five.

To achieve that, he promised to reform the country’s unwieldy bureaucracy.

“Speed of service, speed of giving out permits, are the keys to bureaucratic reform,” Mr. Widodo said.

“When I see there is an inefficiency or lack of effectiveness, I will remove it, fire the official,” he said, to roars of approval from the crowd, adding he would disband institutions that were not useful.

Andreas Sustiono, a 48-year old from a town near Jakarta, who was attending the rally, said it was exhausting dealing with Indonesia’s red tape.

On Sunday, Mr. Widodo, also called for unity among Indonesians following a bruising election that saw some of the worst outbreaks of civil unrest in the capital for decades.

Indonesia’s Constitutional Court last month confirmed the victory of Mr. Widodo in April’s election, rejecting claims of widespread cheating by his challenger.

On Saturday, Mr. Widodo met his challenger Prabowo Subianto for the first time in public since his re-election during which the retired general congratulated the president and also called for unity.

“The responsibilities borne by the president are great. For the sake of the people, we are ready to help when needed,” Mr. Prabowo told reporters. — Reuters