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Tilemaker Esta Galleria unveils first showroom

By Bjorn Biel M. Beltran
Special Features Writer
AMID STRONG growth in the country’s construction sector, premium tilemaker Esta Galleria, Inc. made its debut in the Philippines, launching a new curated showroom at Glorietta 3, Ayala Center, Makati.
Esta Galleria, a joint venture between Ayala Corp. and Nenking Holdings Group Co., Ltd., offers premium quality tiles that build on the tile-making traditions of Foshan in Guangdong Province, China, where they are manufactured through advanced press machines and ink-jet printing technology from Italy and Spain.
“Esta Galleria is synonymous with quality, durability, and excellence,” Gabriel Katigbak, general manager of Esta Galleria, said in a statement. “Its selection is ever-expanding, ranging from the essentials to the unique and handmade.”
The company produces tiles using porcelain, cement, and stone materials, with ranges that feature wood, dry granular, lappato, soft polish, and high-definition ink-jet printed designs.
At the launch of the showroom, Mr. Katigbak told BusinessWorld that Esta Galleria seeks to capitalize on the country’s construction boom by offering the market with more varied options for premium tiles such as the brand’s unique Italian and Spanish-inspired designs, as well as its BIG+ and V-LIFE series.
According to the research arm of the Fitch Group, BMI Research, the Philippine construction industry is projected to steadily expand over the next decade, gradually expanding at an average real rate of 9.8% in the decade between 2017 and 2026.
“There’s so much construction going on in the country right now,” Mr. Katigbak said.
“Esta Galleria offers a huge array of tiles. I think what differentiates us from other brands is we’re able to offer many different designs in huge sizes. We’re here to supply our tiles to provide the market with many more options and many different designs and styles.”
The BIG+ tile series, which comes in sizes up to 1.2 x 2.4 meters, features Italian design elements printed using eight-channel ink-jet technology, and boasts of a large-scale restoration of the natural texture of stone and spatial patterns. The uniquely shaped V-LIFE collection, meanwhile, uses high standard porcelain antique technology to create a soft and glossy surface.

Tom Hardy says on-screen Venom stays true to Marvel comics

MOSCOW — British actor Tom Hardy said on Friday he believes his new superhero movie Venom remains faithful to the Marvel Comics books in its portrayal of an investigative journalist whose body becomes the host for an alien with enhanced powers.
Hardy, who previously starred in Dunkirk and Mad Max: Fury Road, plays the sharp-toothed title character and his human alter-ego, reporter Eddie Brock.
“The depiction of Venom, I think, has been extremely faithful to the comics,” Hardy said at a press conference in Moscow to promote the movie.
“If we look at some of the images directly from comic book, they haven’t deviated in any,” he added. “If anything they’ve recreated certain elements accurately from comics book.”
Venom is scheduled to start rolling out in worldwide theaters on Oct. 3. It debuts in the United States and Canada on Oct. 5. — Reuters

The orchestra goes to the movies

By Gideon Isidro and
Eunice Bacalando
Concert Review
Silver Screen Symphonies
Manila Symphony Orchestra
Sept. 16
The Theatre at Solaire
ANYBODY who is into movies would appreciate Silver Screen Symphonies, performed by the Manila Symphony Orchestra (MSO) at the Theatre at Solaire.
The MSO was joined by guest singer Demie Fresco, well known in the television scene having competed in the second season of The Voice and also being a four-day consecutive champion of ABS-CBN’s Tawag ng Tanghalan. The male vocals for the show were supplied Laurence Mossman, a Filipino-New Zealander who has appeared in the film Die Beautiful, the Filipino TV series Dolce Amore, and several music productions. To add a jazz flavor to the traditional orchestra, the MSO was joined in by saxophone player Michael Guevarra who has worked with Stevie Wonder, Diane Schuur, and the Lettermen. He is an active member of the AMP Band in the Philippines, and has performed in many countries abroad.
True to their promise to make us feel like we were in the movies, as the show opened the first frame of the 20th Century Fox introduction was projected on the screen. “They’re going to play in jive with the projection! This is awesome!” I told myself.
Unfortunately, the technical personnel played the introduction clip with the sound on (yes, they forgot to mute it), and they had to repeat the piece. The orchestra was also about five seconds delayed, so it sadly took away from the experience.
The orchestra then played what would have been probably been the best follow up to the 20th Century Fox intro, the Star Wars (1977) theme by John Williams. It was very appropriate: strong, optimistic, and made you look forward to the rest of the show.
The Star Wars theme was played perfectly; the brass were exciting, the violins endearing, and the triangle was clanging exactly the way it should be in the movies. You could really feel like the force was with you. But the MSO did not follow through with the “Imperial March” — you do not play Star Wars without the “Imperial March,” you just not do that to your movie score fans.
HORROR MUSIC
The show shifted sensibilities with John Williams’ theme for Jaws (1975), and while the MSO only had two double basses that time, they were able to produce the scary unstable sound that made you feel like Bruce the shark was just around the corner.
This was followed by music by Bernard Hermann, who did the music for several Alfred Hitchcock thrillers. In the “Prelude” of Vertigo (1958), the strings haunted with their short screechy bursts, complemented by the horns adding much tension with their long howls. However, what made MSO’s delivery worth listening to and maybe even better than the studio recording was the harp, which, unlike the studio recording, was so crisp and clear. It made one’s skin crawl.
After the horror of the prelude, the violinist concertmaster bowed a sad tune conveying the unrequited longings for another person, the opening melody for “Scene d’ Amour,” also from Vertigo. As the rest of the orchestra joined in, one felt haunting emptiness, wonder, and hope all cycling through making it an emotionally rich journey.
The prelude from Psycho (1960) was up next. While the orchestra was hitting the right notes, there was something lacking — it turned out that the MSO was lacking the basses and cellos to really make the piece work. In this instance, the violins were overpowering the bass instruments by sheer number. The violins did excellently though; their screechy, shifting of pitch perfectly exuding that tension.
JAZZ IT UP!
After that horror fest of tunes, the MSO lightened things up a bit with the jazzy theme from Taxi Driver (1976), with Guevarra called in to play the saxophone. He was fantastic! His playing was crisp and in the times when a sustain was needed, he hit it just right. The orchestra, particularly the violins, were in good sync with him, proving that they had a good rehearsals with each other. Guevarra continued to play other jazz tunes that were received well by the audience.
The next composer in the line-up was Hans Zimmer, and the orchestra started with “The Circle of Life” from The Lion King (1994). Although the MSO played music from “The Circle of Life,” they didn’t really play “it” — the most memorable parts of the song are the opening chants and the iconic “this is Lion King” moment. The MSO could have approximated the chants by using the MIDI resources that they had or with the brass instruments. The percussion was very weak in this piece. Without the opening chants and the strong percussion, it was a limp cat instead of a majestic lion.
The MSO was handicapped in the songs “I Can’t Just Wait to be King” and “Hakuna Matata” since they really couldn’t use the movie’s engaging vocals, however, they were still able to deliver something enjoyable by focusing on the happy beat and approximating the dynamic high and lows of the movie.
OF JOHN BARRY
Mossman was called on stage to sing “Born Free” from the movie Born Free (1966). The original by Matt Monro had that classic 1950s voice: a light and raspy tenor. In contrast, Mossman’s theatrical background was obvious with his voice fit for a musical: a baritone with deep bass undertones, full bodied, and well enunciated. It may have sounded awkward to people with established preferences, but the audience did applause upon hearing him sing the first lines powerfully.
The audience giggled in delight as the next piece came up; it was the “James Bond Theme!” The audience let out a laugh as Mossman exited the stage and mimicked James Bond’s iconic gun shooting pose. I’m not sure if that was planned, but it was so apt as he was wearing a tux and has a build similar to Pierce Brosnan.
Instead of being carried by an electric guitar, the main melody of the theme was carried out by the violins. Those expecting the bite and crunch of the electric guitar didn’t really appreciate it that much. But lovers of classical music might appreciate MSO’s version better as it was more classic than jazzy.
LOVE SONGS
The night’s mood changed with Titanic’s “My Heart Will Go On.” What we really loved about MSOs arrangement of the song was that they used a harp instead of a synth to complement the melody of the flute. This highlighted the Celtic flavor that the flute and its melody already had.
Fresco’s voice smoothed through instrumentals as gently as she entered the stage. Just like Mossman, her voice has personality; it’s exactly the kind of voice you would hear from Filipino local channels. It was just like watching noon time TV. And just like with Mossman, some people may have found Fresco’s singing awkward at first, but setting that aside, she had well practiced techniques and is worth a good listening to.
A still of The Mask of Zorro (1998) was projected onstage and it was time for Mossman and Fresco to have their long awaited duet. We found their singing not so compatible — their vocal ranges were just too far off. Mossman seemed to have a hard time reaching higher notes and Fresco’s high voice didn’t blend well with Mossman’s low pitches. But they are both good singers, and the MSO should get them again for other productions.
SUGGESTIONS
Tried and tested, the MSO members were their usual disciplined selves and were able to execute all the musical tasks that were laid at their feet. Their performance ethic was also shared by the three guest musicians, and you could see that they were all well rehearsed.
In order to perfect their productions, the MSO must look into rehearsing with the technical team as numerous blunders during the performance took away from the hard work of the orchestra.
The MSO should also think on delivering what will emotionally connect to the audience. For example, they should have tried to use the opening chants of the Lion King, as that’s what the people grew to love. The theme for Jurassic Park could have been included in the John Williams line-up as it’s considered as part of his top 10 most iconic scores. The orchestra was excellent, it was the selections and decisions that we have reservations with.
Overall, Silver Screen Symphonies by the Manila Symphony Orchestra was worth watching earning a 4 out of 5 stars.

EDC prepares to bid for geothermal concessions in Chile and Peru

LOPEZ-LED Energy Development Corp. (EDC) is preparing to participate in auctions for geothermal concessions in South American countries Chile and Peru, while undertaking initial construction work in a service area it won in Indonesia, its top official said.
“We’re preparing for the auctions in both Chile and Peru,” EDC President and Chief Operating Officer Richard B. Tantoco told reporters over the weekend.
“The system in Chile is the national grid is the one that auctions. There’s an auction next year, second quarter,” he said. “So we’re preparing.”
He said an EDC team based in Chile is in the Philippines to look into “constructibility reviews, EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) pricing reviews.”
Mr. Tantoco described the Chile concession as substantial with a potential capacity of 150 megawatts (MW). He said the foreign country has small geothermal assets in operation at around 30 MW, with an expected expansion by 28 MW and another one of the same size.
“So this (new concession) is gonna be bigger when it eventually gets built out, but it will take time,” he said.
In Peru, the concessions are bigger but its government has set to announce when it would schedule an auction, he said.
“Ang maganda sa Peru (What’s good with Peru is) they auction the capacity by technology,” he said, explaining that separate auctions are held for solar, geothermal and other energy sources with the national grid as the off-taker or the user of the output.
“And then we finally got awarded what they call in Indonesia [as] the PSPE rights,” he said, referring to the Indonesian term for preliminary geothermal survey and exploration assignment. “After all these years.”
He said a PSPE is the equivalent in the Philippines of a renewable energy service contract. He said the awarded rights have a “big potential.”
“We’re doing road constructibility surveys,” he said “If all goes well, drilling [could be] in about 18 to 24 months.”
Mr. Tantoco said EDC is open to partnership with local entities and had been meeting with potential partners in the past five to six years. He said Indonesian laws require a local company to have a stake of at least 5% in a geothermal venture.
In the Philippines, EDC is looking at two geothermal expansion ventures for inclusion in the government’s list of energy projects of national significance (EPNS), he said.
“There’s a couple that we’re hoping will move forward in due course,” Mr. Tantoco said.
He said the projects are an expansion of an existing geothermal projects on Mt. Apo in Mindanao, and an expansion of its Bacon-Manito (BacMan) project.
Asked whether these projects will vie for EPNS certification,” he said: “We’d like to [apply for EPNS] because they’re important.”
Executive Order No. 30 created the Energy Investment Coordinating Council (EICC), which through the Department of Energy approves projects deemed of national significance.
Asked when the company plans to apply, he said: “When we have a higher degree of certainty and confidence on the resource and the fact that the resource is not problematic.”
During the pre-development phase, an EPNS certification entitles the project to all the rights and privileges provided for under EO 30, including action on the application within 30 working days. The executive order was signed by the President in June 2017, while the Energy department issued its implementing rules and regulations in April 2018.
EPNS projects enjoy presumption of prior approval, which means it is presumed to have already complied with the requirements and permits from other government permitting agencies. It will be deemed approved if no action is made five days after the lapse of the 30 working-day period for processing of the application.
Mr. Tantoco said the Mindanao geothermal expansion could reach a capacity of 20 to 60 megawatts (MW), while BacMan could have about 40 to 60 MW.
“We don’t know until we drill the first well,” he said about the exact capacity of the Mindanao expansion.
The Mindanao project is the third phase of its project in the area. The first and second phases have a capacity of 52 MW and 54 MW, respectively. BacMan is also the third phase, after 120 MW in phase one and 20 MW in phase two.
EDC has a total installed energy capacity of 1,457 MW, of which 80% or 1,169 MW come from its geothermal projects. — Victor V. Saulon

Insurance brokers post growth in mediated premium

PREMIUM INCOME generated by brokerage activities grew in 2017 driven by mediated profit in the non-life segment, the Insurance Commission (IC) said.
In a statement on Monday, Insurance Commissioner Dennis B. Funa said the insurance brokerage industry tallied a mediated premium of P57.92 billion in 2017 as reported by 63 insurance brokerage firms.
The mediated premium income last year grew 11.23% from the P52.07 billion in total premiums logged in 2016.
The commission said 20.56% or P57.08 billion of the P227.58 billion total premium generated by life and non-life firms passed through brokerage activities.
Broken down, the bulk or 83.54% of the mediated premium generated last year came from the non-life insurance industry, totalling P48.38 billion.
On the other hand, the mediated premium from life insurance amounted to P8.7 billion, representing 15.02% of the total.
The brokerage industry likewise generated P837.34 million in membership fees for health maintenance organizations.
The top 10 insurance brokers — namely BDO Insurance Brokers, Inc.; Marsh Philippines, Inc.; AON Insurance and Reinsurance Brokers Philippines, Inc.; HSBC Insurance Brokers (Phils.), Inc.; Jardine Lloyd Thompson Insurance Brokers, Inc.; Lockton Philippines Insurance and Reinsurance Brokers, Inc.; Anchor Insurance Brokers Corp.; Gotuaco, Del Rosario Insurance Brokers, Inc.; Unicon Insurance Brokers Corp.; and Intertrade Insurance Brokers — produced 75% of the overall premium income mediated by the brokerage industry.
Likewise, the industry reported a total of P7.32 billion in terms of brokerage revenue or commissions earned as of end-2017, 12.1% higher than the P6.53 billion a year ago.
Commissions of insurance brokers were primarily from the non-life segment, totalling P6.17 billion and representing 84.21% of total earners, Mr. Funa said.
On the other hand, the reinsurance brokerage industry, according to reports from 19 firms, reported a total mediated premium profit of P2.18 billion in 2017, 61.48% higher from just P1.35 billion the previous year.
However, total commissions earned by these reinsurance brokers slid 8.62% to P154.21 million as of end-2017 from P168.75 million in 2016.
Reinsurance brokers PhilPacific Insurance Brokers and Managers, Inc.; KRM Reinsurance Brokers Phils., Inc.; Pana Harrison Reinsurance Brokers (Phils.), Inc.; Alsons Insurance Brokers Corp.; and Jardine Lloyd Thompson Insurance Brokers, Inc. produced 70% of the premium produced by the reinsurance brokerage industry last year.
The IC recently obtained the approval of the Department of Budget and Management to rename its brokers division to the brokers and insurance pools division.
“The Insurance Pools Section is tasked to recommend guidelines for the regulation and supervision of insurance pools in the country,” the IC said. — K.A.N. Vidal

Number of constructions by type

Number of Constructions by type

How PSEi member stocks performed — September 24, 2018

Here’s a quick glance at how PSEi stocks fared on Monday, September 24, 2018.

Philippine Stock Exchange’s most active stocks by value turnover — September 24, 2018.

Malacañang: Enrile, Marcos can’t ‘twist’ martial law history

MALACAÑANG ON Monday contradicted former Senate president Juan F. Ponce-Enrile’s remarks in his interview with former senator Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. contradicting several established circumstances of the martial-law regime of the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos.
In that interview as posted on the internet by the camp of the younger Mr. Marcos, Mr. Enrile said, among other things, that the mass arrests in the wake of the enforcement of martial law in September 1972 were “not true,” adding that no one was arrested for his political beliefs.
The younger Mr. Marcos is the only son of the late dictator Marcos, under whose regime Mr. Enrile served as martial-law administrator and defense minister. He broke ties with the dictator after a plot against Mr. Marcos was exposed, leading to the spontaneous succession of events in the 1986 People Power Revolution that finally toppled Mr. Marcos.
Among the many arrested on that Saturday night of September 23, 1972, when martial law began to be enforced, were Senators Benigno S. Aquino, Jr., Jose W. Diokno, and Ramon V. Mitra, Jr., the poet and former senator Francisco A. Rodrigo, journalists and Constitutional Convention delegates Napoleon G. Rama and Jose Mari Velez, publishers Joaquin P. Roces and Teodoro M. Locsin, and journalist Maximo V. Soliven.
Also arrested in the course of martial law’s enforcement were journalists Amando Doronila and Luis D. Beltran, and Constitutional Convention delegates Aquilino Q. Pimentel Jr., Jose Concepcion, and Teofisto T. Guingona Jr., and many others.
Sought for comment during a briefing at the Palace on Monday, Presidential Spokesperson Harry L. Roque, Jr. said: “I don’t think they can twist history when there’s a law and there are court decisions attesting to what happened during martial law. If you remember, a couple of weeks back we even had here in Malacañang as guest members of the Compensation Board, and they still have last minute problems to resolve on how to release all the compensation for the victims of martial law.”
Mr. Roque was referring to the Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Act of 2013, of which Mr. Enrile himself, as Senate president five years ago, is a signatory.
“So the position of the Palace is we are implementing the law and the law says that there should be reparations paid to victims of martial law,” Mr. Roque also said. But he also added that Mr. Enrile is “entitled” to his own “belief.”
“But as far as the Palace is concerned, there are decisions affirming that there were grave human rights violations committed during the Marcos regime,” Mr. Roque said.
In an interview with ANC, former senator Rene A.V. Saguisag, a leading human-rights lawyer who fought the dictatorship, said the younger Mr. Marcos might “Heaven forbid!” become president.
“He (Mr. Enrile) has to protect his wealth, his reputation kaya (which is why he’s) brown-nosing a potential president in my view,” Mr. Saguisag said.
Mr. Roque, for his part, said: “That’s their business. That’s an issue that we have nothing to do with.” — Arjay L. Balinbin

Palace confirms Duterte’s ‘routine’ medical procedures

MALACAÑANG ON Monday confirmed that President Rodrigo R. Duterte had recently undergone colonoscopy and endoscopy procedures, but added this was “routine.”
In a press briefing at the Palace on Monday, Presidential Spokesperson Harry L. Roque, Jr. said the President himself disclosed last week in Cebu that he had undergone these medical procedures.
The Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) also said in a statement last Saturday: “The President shared that he had undergone colonoscopy and endoscopy recently performed by Dr. Jose Sollano,” referring to the chairperson of the Asia Pacific Association of Gastroenterology (APAGE) and former president of the Philippine Society of Gastroenterology.
“I think that’s routine. Sinabi naman ni Presidente na talagang nagpapaganyan siyang (The President has said that he undergoes this) test regularly; so (that’s) routine naman po iyan, nothing extraordinary,” Mr. Roque said on Monday.
Section 12 of Article VII in the 1987 Constitution states that “(i)n case of serious illness of the President, the public shall be informed of the state of his health. The members of the Cabinet in charge of national security and foreign relations and the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, shall not be denied access to the President during such illness.”
But Mr. Roque said, “Hindi po. Iyan po ay seryosong karamdaman at nakita ninyo naman ang schedule ng Presidente...So tingin ko, iyong kaniyang hectic schedule ay patunay na wala siyang matinding karamdaman.” (No. That is for serious illness. You have seen the schedule of the President. I think his hectic schedule proves that he does not have any serious illness.)
He added that the President is willing to disclose his health condition if needed. “Of course, [because] the Constitution says so. But there’s no serious illness that has to be disclosed.” — Arjay L. Balinbin

Sol-Gen seeks dismissal of Trillanes’ SC petition

THE OFFICE of Solicitor-General (OSG) on Monday asked the Supreme Court (SC) to dismiss the petition of Sen. Antonio F. Trillanes IV for a Preliminary Injunction and/or Temporary Restraining Order on Proclamation No. 572 voiding his amnesty.
In its comment filed Sept. 24, The OSG stated that the power to grant clemency is the President’s alone and should not be delegated to other persons, which OSG argued was the case with President Benigno S.C. Aquino III’s delegating the granting of amnesty on Mr. Trillanes to then defense secretary Voltaire T. Gazmin.
OSG said this is also in violation of Section 19, Article VII of the Philippine Constitution which states that the President “shall also have the power to grant amnesty with the concurrence of the majority of all the Members of the Congress.”
Further, the power of clemency is a “quintessential and non-delegable Presidential power,” OSG also said, citing a previous SC decision.
“Therein lies the flaw: this is not an instance where the doctrine of qualified political agency applies…Clemency must be exercised by the President personally and no amount of approval or ratification will validate the exercise of that power by any other person,” the OSG comment read.
“Plainly, not all executive powers and prerogatives can be delegated by the Chief Executive to his alter egos. Some need, nay, require the president himself and none other to exercise the power — as is the case with executive clemency,” it added.
Under Section 2 of Mr. Aquino’s Proclamation No. 75, Mr. Trillanes’s application for amnesty was handled by an ad hoc committee of the Department of National Defense (DND) which was tasked with receiving and processing such applications.
Mr. Gazmin was also the undersigned in Mr. Trillanes’s certificate of amnesty, the OSG noted.
“Indeed, Article VII, section 19 of the Constitution refers to the president alone. As such, SND Gazmin’s act of granting amnesty, as he did to petitioner, was ultra vires, therefore illegal,” the OSG said in its comment.
Mr. Trillanes and other mutineers were granted amnesty in 2011 in connection with the 2003 Oakwood mutiny, 2006 Marine Standoff, and 2007 Manila Peninsula Seige.
Also in 2011, Makati RTC Branches 148 and 150 dismissed Mr. Trillanes’s coup d’etat case in connection with the Oakwood mutiny and rebellion case in connection with the Manila Peninsula siege.
Mr. Trillanes, for his part, presented on Monday the affidavits of two officials of the Department of National Defense (DND) attesting to his full compliance with his 2011 amnesty application.
The head secretariat of the 2011 DND Ad hoc Amnesty Committee, Col. Josefa C. Berbigal, said in her affidavit that “the committee found Sen. Trillanes’ amnesty application to be in order, complete and in compliance with all the requirements of Proclamation No. 75, Series of 2010.” Ms. Berbigal also maintained that she personally received Mr. Trillanes’s amnesty application form on Jan. 5, 2011. She also asked the senator to read the pre-printed statement contained in the application form, making a general admission of his guilt in connection with the 2003 Oakwood mutiny and the 2007 Manila Peninsula siege.
In the affidavit of the 2011 DND Ad Hoc Amnesty Committee chairman, then defense undersecretary Honorio S. Azcueta stated that the “amnesty applications which were recommended to be for approval by the committee,” including Mr. Trillanes’s application, “underwent the necessary and the applicable process set” in the presidential proclamation.
Mr. Trillanes said the documentary evidence establishes that he has submitted his amnesty application form and that he has admitted his guilt over the past coup attempts.
“Sa patas na labanan, talagang walang paraan para mag-iba ng desisyon (In a fair fight, there’s no other way that the decision will be changed),” he said in an interview with reporters outside his Senate office.
“We just have to wait until we see the decision. This is (a) test for our democracy and the rule of law,” he added.
According to Presidential Proclamation No. 572, signed by President Rodrigo R. Duterte on Aug. 31, Mr. Trillanes failed to submit his official amnesty application form as no copy was found in the DND records and he also failed to acknowledge the mutiny charges against him.
The documents were submitted to the Makati Regional Trial Court Branches 148 and 150 on Monday morning, the senator said. The affidavits came after Judge Elmo M. Alameda of the Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 150 ordered last Sept. 14 the submission of all affidavits from both Mr. Trillanes and the Department of Justice.
Mr. Trillanes also submitted to Makati City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 150 his rejoinder to the prosecution’s reply regarding its urgent motion for the issuance of an arrest warrant and hold-departure order on the senator.
He also asked the court to declare Proclamation No. 572 unconstitutional and illegal.
As both parties have submitted their replies and rejoinders, the case will be up for resolution as per Judge Elmo M. Alameda’s order during the hearing last Sept. 14.
Citing the Bill of Rights, Mr. Trillanes claimed his right to equal protection of the law is violated because his name was stated eight times in the proclamation and was the only one affected by it.
“Much worse than ‘class legislation,’ it is obvious from even a cursory reading of Proclamation No. 572, series of 2018, that Petitioner, whose name has been repeatedly mentioned in the text of the proclamation as LTSG. Antonio Trillanes IV, is being singled out and specifically targeted by the proclamation, thus, clearly showing the illicit and malicious nature thereof,” he said.
He also claimed that the prosecution failed to provide any proof for the factual basis of the voiding of his amnesty as the only proof presented was the certification signed by Lt. Col. Thea Joan N. Andrade which stated that there is no copy of his application for amnesty.
“Nowhere but nowhere in Certification of Lt. Col. Andrade did she state, claim and/or assert that former Accused Trillanes did not file his application for amnesty,” he said in the rejoinder.
He argued further that the best proof that he applied for amnesty is his certificate of amnesty and not his application for amnesty.
“There can be no doubt whatsoever that it is the Certificate of Amnesty which is supposed to be the penultimate document under the law which is given to the grantee to prove that he has actually availed of, applied for, duly qualified for and was granted amnesty,” Mr. Trillanes said. — reports by Vann Marlo M. Villegas and Camille A. Aguinaldo

Cayetano: PHL, US ‘moving forward’ in free trade talks

By Camille A. Aguinaldo, Reporter
THE Philippines and the United States are “moving forward” on the negotiations for a free trade agreement, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano said on Monday.
In an interview with reporters before his departure for the United Nations General Assembly at the Manila Airport, Mr. Cayetano said he met with his US counterpart Michael R. Pompeo in Singapore to discuss the matter.
Messrs. Cayetano and Pompeo attended the 51st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Ministerial Meeting in Singapore last August.
“In Singapore, I had a talk with Secretary of State Pompeo and in fact we are starting to- — we’re moving forward on negotiating a free trade agreement (with) the US, which will be very good to us,” Mr. Cayetano said.
The statement came in response to queries on the impact of US immigration policies on Filipinos.
Mr. Cayetano said Philippines-US relations remained “very good” despite President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s criticisms of US foreign policy towards the country, citing the many meetings between Mr. Duterte’s Cabinet officials and their US counterparts.
“Our relationship with the US is very good despite some differences and despite the President’s correct comments and apprehensions about certain parts of the relationship. In just the last two months, many Cabinet members have seen their counterparts,” said the foreign affairs secretary.
According to a July Reuters report, the Philippines is set to begin negotiations on a free trade agreement with the US in September to expand market access for its agricultural products.
Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel G. Romualdez was quoted as saying that the first round of talks will be held in Washington. He said labor, intellectual property and agriculture would likely be the focus in the discussions.
The Philippines had proposed a free trade agreement during bilateral talks between Mr. Duterte and US President Donald J. Trump on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in November last year.
July 2018 export data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed the United States ranking first in export shipments. Outbound shipments to the US was valued at $972.52 million, comprising 16.6% of the total exports for the month.
In the same month, the US came in as the fifth source of imports with a 7% share of the $9.397 billion total. Import payments to the US reached $653.14 million.
Compared with the July 2017 trade performance with the US, exports grew by 7.4% from the $905.32 million value, while imports went up by 21% from $539.92 million.

Senate to help Comelec on budget for Bangsamoro plebiscite

By Gillian M. Cortez
THE Senate will assist the Commission on Elections (Comelec) regarding funding for the Bangsomoro Organic Law (BOL) plebiscite next year.
“It’s a law newly passed by the Senate. It’s certified urgent as of the middle of the year so it’s understandable that it was not funded by the 2018 GAA(General Appropriations Act) which was signed into law in December of 2017,” Committee on Finance Chair Senator Loren B. Legarda said at the budget hearing for the Comelec on Monday.
The Comelec reported its projected funding requirement for the BOL plebiscite on Jan. 21 next year to be more than P857 million. Appropriation for the BOL plebiscite wasn’t included in both the 2018 GAA and the 2019 National Expenditure Program
In the BOL, Section 11 of Article 15 reads “The amount necessary to provide for the requirements of the conduct of the plebiscite, including the monitoring, information campaign, and the registration of voters shall be charged against available funds in the current General Appropriations Act.”
Ms. Legarda recommended that the Comelec write a request letter immediately regarding the plebiscite budget to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) so the DBM can immediately look through the urgency of funding the plebiscite set in four months.
“We understand that there was a previous communication (between the Comelec and the DBM) but the response was negative,” she said, regarding DBM’s reply to the Comelec that the Comission should get funding from Comelec savings of which there are none.
“Immediately make your request so we can help you shepherd through the process (and) we will have a plebiscite in check,” Ms. Legarda told Comelec officials at the hearing.
Comelec chairman Sheriff M. Abas emphasized the need for the plebiscite to take place months before the midterm elections scheduled in May.
“Manual ang plebesito. Sa law, nilagay it takes 90 days kaya kailangan Enero 21 (The plebiscite is manual. In the law, it takes 90 days [for the whole plebiscite process] so it’s necessary [that it’s scheduled on] January 21,” Mr. Abas said.
Voter registration for the Bangsamoro plebiscite began on September 10. Comelec said it expects a voter turnout of 2 to 3 million next year.
Meanwhile, P6 billion pesos of the Comelec’s total national budget for 2019 was appropriated to next year’s National and Local Elections, as compared with the P7.1 million in the 2016 general elections.

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