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COMELEC’s next target: candidates’s commercial endorsements

FOLLOWING its crackdown on illegal campaign materials, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) said that advertisments featuring commercial endorsements of a product by candidates for the midterm elections will be also taken down.
COMELEC Spokesperson James B. Jimenez said that product advertisements featuring candidates are also considered illegal campaign materials.
“Lahat ng mga kontrata sa Pilipinas, dapat sumusunod sa batas ng Pilipinas. So dapat alam ng mga kumpanya na magkakaroon sila ng ganyang issue…. So kahit ’yung mga ganyang material, ’yung mga commercial endorsements, ayan po ay masasama sa pagbabaklas after due notice (All contracts in the Philippines should follow the law of the country. So these companies should be aware that they will encounter that kind of issue…. So even those kind of materials, the commercial endorsements, will be also taken down after due notice.),” said Mr. Jimenez in a joint press conference with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), the Philippine National Police (PNP), and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on Friday, Feb. 22.
Mr. Jimenez added that the COMELEC will issue notices to candidates regarding their illegally placed product advertisements.
“Bibigyan natin sila ng pagkakataon na tanggalin ’yung kanilang mga materials on their own, especially ’yung mga may commercials, baka gamitin nila ’yan after the elections kung kailan pwede na,” he said. (We will give them a chance to remove these materials on their own, especially those who have commercials, because they might be able to use them after the elections.)”
Under COMELEC Resolution 10488, campaign materials should be put up only in common poster areas such as plazas, markets, and barangay centers. Further, there are strict rules on the sizes of posters and tarpaulins.
“‘Yung pagbibigay natin ng notice is for the purpose of establishing liability…. Kapag malinaw na mayroon silang [mga kandidato na] liability, kakasuhan natin sila, maari silang mauwi sa disqualification (The purpose of issuing notices is for the purpose of establishing liability… If it is clear that these candidates have liability, we will file a case against them and they could be disqualified.),” said Mr. Jimenez.
Further, COMELEC said that only campaign materials that measure two by three feet can be placed in public utility vehicles.
“Bawal maglagay ng political ad kahit nasa tamang sukat, sa bintana, sa mga side windows… [Pwede] ’yung back windshield, specifically sa bus, pero hindi dapat lalagpas sa two feet by three feet (It is prohibited to place campaign materials on the windows, on the side windows, even if they are of the right size… They can be placed on the back windshield of buses but these should not be more than two feet by three feet.),” said Mr. Jimenez.
COMELEC along with the MMDA, the PNP, and the DPWH created a task force against illegal campaign materials. — Vince Angelo C. Ferreras

Rebellion case vs Trillanes set to continue

MAKATI Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 150 is set to resume hearing the case against Senator Antonio Trillanes IV for the same rebellion charges which were dismissed by the same court back in 2011.
In its Order dated Feb. 22, the Makati RTC “hereby sets the continuation of the presentation of prosecution evidence on March 20, 2019.”
The senator was charged with Rebellion following his role in the Manila Peninsula “siege” in 2007. The same court dismissed the charges after then President Benigno C. Aquino III granted him amnesty in 2011.
But President Rodrigo R. Duterte then issued Proclamation No. 572 in September last year, which revoked the amnesty given to Mr. Trillanes for his rebellion case in Makati RTC Branch 150. It also revoked his amnesty regarding coup d’ etat charges before the Makati Branch 148 in connection with the Oakwood mutiny in 2003.
Makati RTC Branch 150 originally meant to set the presentation of the prosecution’ evidence back in Nov. 21, 2018 but was cancelled due to the pendency of Mr. Trillanes’ Omnibus Motion for Reconsideration regarding the court order
That motion was denied by the court which said that Mr. Trillanes failed to provide sufficient proof to reverse the Makati RTC’s earlier arrest order following the issuance of Proclamation 572. The Court said that Mr. Trillanes was unable to show an “original” version of his amnesty application forms which he had submitted to the Department of National Defense and which subsequently disappeared.

Former AFP head Villanueva acquitted in PhilPost graft case

THE Sandiganbayan acquitted former Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Diomedio P. Villanueva of graft charges for prosecution’s failure to prove his role in anomalous transactions worth P53 million. He is also free of civil liabilities.
In the anti-graft court’s decision released on Friday, the Sandiganbayan said “(F)or failure of the prosecution to prove the guilt of the accused beyond reasonable doubt, accused Diomedio Villanueva is hereby acquitted.”
“Considering the absence of fact from which civil liability may arise, no civil liability is adjudged against accused Villanueva,” the decision, signed by Associate Justice Efren N. De la Cruz, added.
Mr. Villanueva was accused for gross negligence in approving a $1,031,936.04 (P53 million) refund to Philpost USA when he sat as Philippine Postal Corp. (PPC) Postmaster General and CEO in 2003. The refund was supposed to cover terminal dues paid by PhilPost USA to PPC for mail dispatched to the United Kingdom Postal Administration.
The recommendation was made by PPC Assistant Postmaster-General Antonio R. Siapno, whom Mr. Villanueva sought advice from. Mr. Siapno is still at large.
The Sandiganbayan decision stated that Mr. Villanueva acted in good faith when approving the refund and there were no corrupt motivations behind it.
“(T)here was no showing that accused Villanueva stood to gain anything should a refund be effected. Similarly, bad faith cannot be ascribed to his actions as the records are wanting that he was motivated by a dishonest purpose or ill will in seeking Siapno’s recommendation and eventually, in approving the refund,”” the decision said.
“Mistakes committed by a public officer are not actionable absent any clear showing that they were motivated by malice or gross negligence amounting to bad faith,” the Sandiganbayan also noted.
The hold departure order issued against the former AFP Chief was lifted by the anti-graft court and it directed the release of his bail bond. — Gillian M. Cortez

Palace pushes for rescue of Indonesians, Malaysian taken hostage by Abu Sayyaf

AS MALACAÑANG on Friday said authorities have been directed to rescue three hostages, one from Malaysia and two from Indonesia, being held by the Abu Sayyaf (a Philippine-based fundamentalist Islamic group), it reiterated that the government has a policy against paying ransom.
“We are doing our best to secure the release of hostages from the evil hands of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) but we stand firm on our no ransom policy,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador S. Panelo said in a statement.
Mr. Panelo added that “to give in to the demands of terrorists and other lawless groups would embolden them to engage in more abductions that would allow them to conduct extremist and other criminal activities as they could buy more arms and weapons.”
He said that the ASG “continues to be on the run” as a result of the order of President Rodrigo R. Duterte to the military “to crush them.”
“Our security forces are hunting them in the wild forests of Mindanao to unleash their might and blow them to kingdom come,” said the spokesman.
Early this month, at least five members of the ASG surrendered to authorities. They are believed to be behind the bombing of a Catholic church in Jolo, where 23 persons died and 95 others were wounded.
Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Oscar D. Albayalde said the suspects belong to a group of 22 Abu Sayyafs led by Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan.
Mr. Duterte declared an “all-out war” against the ASG and other enemies of the state last month following the attacks in Jolo.
In a press briefing on Jan. 29, Mr. Panelo said, “When you say against the ‘enemies of the state,’ [we refer to] those who use violence against the state. Those who want to destroy the democratic institutions of this country.
“Those who kill, who sow terror, who bomb civilians, soldiers, and policemen. These are the enemies of the state that the President is referring to, not the critics,” he clarified. — Arjay L. Balinbin

Inflation for low-income households eases further in January

INFLATION, as experienced by low-income households, was lower in January as prices of food and utilities eased further, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported on Friday.
The January inflation turnout for goods and services used by households at the bottom 30% income segment stood at 5.9%, slower than the year-on-year price increase of 7.2% in December 2018.
The consumer price index (CPI) for the bottom 30% income segment has a heavier weighting for the food, beverages and tobacco subindex, seen to more accurately represent the spending patterns of the poor.
The food, beverages and tobacco subindex rose 6.7% year on year from 8.1% in December 2018. Food alone logged a 5.8% growth versus the previous month’s 7.1%.
Slower upticks were noted in the following food groups in January: rice at 6.8% in January from 7.8% the previous month; fish (8.7% from 10.5%); fruits and vegetables (5.7% from 8.7%); miscellaneous foods (5.5% from 5.9%); meat (4.8% from 5.6%), eggs (2.6% from 3%), cereal preparations (4% from 4.1%), and dairy products (3.7% from 3.8%). Meanwhile, the price of corn went down 0.7% from last year’s 1.2% growth.
The cost of utilities, consisting of fuel, light and water, decelerated to 3.4% from December’s 5.3%. Lower increases were also recorded in housing and repairs (4.6% from 5.5%), and services (3.5% from 3.6%).
Meanwhile, the clothing and “miscellaneous” subindices were steady at 3.1% and 2.4%, respectively.
Inflation experienced by poor households in the National Capital Region (NCR) was recorded at 4%, slower than the 4.8% posted in December. A similar case was observed for those living outside of Metro Manila, which recorded slower inflation at 5.9% from 7.3%.
“The downtrend in inflation bodes well for economic growth and the lives of Filipinos as this will restore lost purchasing power in 2019, aiding overall household consumption,” Nicholas Antonio T. Mapa, senior economist at ING N.V.-Manila branch, said in an email.
“The deceleration in the print moves in line with the current path of inflation now that supply conditions have eased. This can be expected from inflation that had been primarily driven by cost-push pressures: inflation comes down very quickly once supply bottlenecks have been addressed,” he said.
“Lastly, we note the 4.6% inflation in housing repairs in areas outside NCR, in particular the north, reflecting possible ongoing repairs after severe storm damage seen in these areas towards the end of 2018.” — Marissa Mae M. Ramos

Japan pledges 3.2-B yen in loans for Mindanao projects

JAPAN has pledged additional grants for the Philippines following a joint meeting held in Osaka this week, which include funding for train simulators as well as projects for healthcare and peace efforts in Mindanao.
In a statement, the Department of Finance (DoF) said the seventh leg of the Japan-Philippines Joint Committee on Infrastructure Development and Economic Cooperation held on Thursday yielded new loans and financial aid for the country.
Japanese officials have pledged a fresh 3.2 billion yen grant for peace and development projects in Mindanao, which came after the ratification of the proposed creation of the Bangsamoro region.
The fresh assistance will cover the following:
• 1.8 billion yen for the construction of Technical Education and Skills Development Authority training centers in the damaged city of Marawi, and the provinces of Basilan and Sultan Kudarat;
• 560 million yen for the provision of well-drilling machines and underground water detecting machines under the Economic and Social Development Programme;
• 200 million yen for the provision of livelihood assistance in agriculture and for fishers through the Food and Agriculture Organization;
• 300 million yen for the development of water facilities in the Bangsamoro region through the International Labor Organization; and
• 340 million yen for the provision of vehicles and equipment through the United Nations Development Programme.
This is on top of the $202-million loan for the Road Network Development Project in Conflict-Affected Areas in Mindanao, which is due to be signed soon after the two nations already exchanged notes for the credit line earlier this month.
Separately, Philippine Ambassador to Japan Jose Laurel and Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Koji Haneda also signed the exchange of notes for a 1.2-billion yen assistance for train simulators to support the proposed Philippine Railway Institute. This is projected to train workers who will man the upcoming rail systems under the “Build, Build, Build” program.
Also discussed are feasibility studies for the Circumferential Road 3 Missing Link Project in Metro Manila and the Dalton Pass East Alignment Alternative Road Project. The Japanese leaders also said that they are considering a “possible supplemental loan” for the Davao City Bypass Construction Project, as requested by the Philippine government.
The two officials also signed a memorandum of cooperation for healthcare, as they look to set up facilities for universal health coverage, elderly care, disease prevention, maternal and child health services and sanitation.
President Rodrigo R. Duterte recently signed the universal healthcare law, which made all Filipinos mandatory members of the state-run Philippine Health Insurance Corp.
Mr. Dominguez said the joint meetings stand to improve cooperation and “facilitate project implementation,” with Japan currently the biggest donor to the Philippines via official development assistance.
“Our two countries have entered a golden age of our strategic partnership. In addition to government-to-government relationships, I hope the relationship between our private sectors would also be good,” Hiroto Izumi, Special Advisor to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and leader of the Japanese contingent, was quoted as saying.
The Mr. Izumi said they will closely watch out for developments in the Bangsamoro Transition Authority, which will kick off the signing of grant agreements involving the new region in Mindanao.
Japan has so far extended P189.92 billion (398.82 billion yen) for local projects since June 2016. Nine loan agreements have been signed so far, which include phase two of the New Bohol Airport Construction and Sustainable Environment Protection Project, the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 Rehabilitation Project; the first tranche of the North-South Commuter Railway Extension Project, and the first phase of the Metro Manila Subway Project. — Melissa Luz T. Lopez

GMA to invest P1B for network digitization

By Denise A. Valdez, Reporter
GMA Network, Inc. said it is earmarking more than P1 billion for the second phase of its efforts to digitize its operations.
In a statement on Friday, the media giant said part of the investment will be used to fund its digital terrestrial transmitters (DTT), which are devices used to air GMA shows on digital TV.
“The second phase encompasses the production, post-production, content management and distribution of GMA and GMA News TV’s programs, starting with the commissioning of the DTT that now provide superior digital TV signal reach, enabling the viewership of Kapuso programs through digital-enabled TV sets and set-top boxes,” the company said.
GMA said enhancements to media asset management and broadcast automation systems are now complete, while the upgrade of its electronic field production capabilities and post production equipment and software are underway.
The projects are expected to elevate the quality of GMA’s image capture to Full 2K/4K High Definition and its capability to process in these formats.
GMA said it is also investing in a new News Automation System (NAS) that will improve its speed in news and information delivery through eight shows: Unang Hirit, 24 Oras, 24 Oras Weekend, Saksi, News To Go, Balitanghali, Quick Response Team, and State of the Nation with Jessica Soho.
“All these state-of-the-art upgrades are part of GMA Network’s ongoing digitization project to bring world class programming to our viewers here and abroad,” GMA Network Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Felipe L. Gozon said in the statement.
“We are excited to unveil more innovative offerings that will…revolutionize the TV viewing experience in the Philippines,” he added.
Last month, GMA’s New Media, Inc. (NMI) signed a technology, content and distribution agreement with PLDT, Inc. and wireless unit Smart Communications, Inc. for the network’s digitization project.

BHI to unload condo units

BOULEVARD Holdings, Inc. (BHI) will be selling its portfolio of condominiums in Metro Manila worth about P77 million, as it plans to focus on its resort business in key tourist destinations.
In a letter to its shareholders on Friday, the Panlilio-led firm said its management has decided to sell its entire portfolio of condominiums that are valued at P21.5 million on the company’s books, but have since appreciated to at least P77 million.
The properties include mini-penthouse units near the Enterprise Tower in Makati, a penthouse in an Ortigas building, as well as several office condominium units in Makati. The values of the properties were based on the latest fair market appraisal by accounting firm SGV’s affiliate, EY International.
“Given the good prospects of property in Manila at this time, BHI would rather sell and raise some cash to concentrate on our core businesses of resort hotel development and operations in Boracay Island, Puerto Galera and Cebu, as well as in resort property development, in Ternate, Cavite and Cebu,” BHI Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jose Marcel E. Panlilio said.
BHI also said this move will help it focus on the remaining assets it has valued at about P1.8 billion, without considering their accretive value over the last two decades.
The company’s core business is in the operation of resort developments. Its subsidiary, Friday’s Holdings, Inc., owns and operates Friday’s Boracay Beach Resort in Boracay Island. It also owns Friday’s Puerto Galera, Inc., which operates Friday’s Puerto Galera Beach Resort in Boquete Island, Sto. Nino, Puerta Galera.
The firm was among those affected by the government’s six-month rehabilitation efforts in Boracay Island, as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources ordered shut all resorts and establishments from April to October.
BHI booked a net loss attributable to the parent of P37.82 million in its fiscal year ending May 31, 2018, slightly cutting its attributable loss from P39.2 million in the previous year. Revenues meanwhile grew by 3% to P100.72 million.
Shares in BHI jumped 4.41% or 0.30 centavos to close at 7.10 centavos each at the stock exchange on Friday. — Arra B. Francia

PHirst Park Homes taps Megawide for Lipa project

PHirst Park Homes, Inc. signed an agreement with Megawide Construction Corp. for the use of the contractor’s precast technology to build more than 1,800 homes in Lipa, Batangas.
“PHirst Park Homes is pleased to continue its partnership with Megawide because of its experience and leadership in modern precast technology. As with our ongoing project in PHirst Park Homes Tanza where Megawide has demonstrated an exemplary performance, we are confident that it will deliver the same level of professionalism and quality to PHirst Park Homes Lipa,” Ricky M. Celis, president of PHirst Park Homes, said in a statement on Friday.
The joint venture firm of Century Properties Group, Inc. (CPG) and Mitsubishi Corp, first inked the same agreement with Megawide in 2017 for 2,830 units in PHirst Park Homes Tanza, Cavite development.
Megawide implements a precast construction system which allows faster completion, standardization, cost-effectiveness, and better quality of housing units.
“Through our precast unit, we are able to custom-build to the specifications of PHirst Park Homes and ensure higher standardization for all units from production to installation,” Edgar B. Saavedra, chairman and chief executive officer of Megawide, said in the statement.
The residential development in Lipa is currently undergoing land development, while construction of the first batch of houses will start in September 2019.
Launched in June 2018, PHirst Park Homes Lipa is a 20-hectare horizontal community in Brgy. San Lucas.
In the next five years, PHirst Park Homes will launch 15 masterplanned communities in Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon (CALABARZON), and Central Luzon. — Vincent Mariel P. Galang

PAL to upgrade passenger service system

PHILIPPINE Airlines (PAL) said it is preparing to upgrade its passenger service system in line with efforts to secure a five-star rating.
In a statement on Friday, the flag carrier said it will start next month the system upgrade, which is expected to allow faster booking, check-in and boarding experience for its customers.
“PAL’s new IT computer system, using the Altea PSS (Passenger Service System) Suite by Amadeus, will allow airline customers to benefit from greater convenience in booking reservations, ticketing, check-in and boarding processes,” it said.
Amadeus provides service solutions to its clients, such as airlines and airports. On its website, Amadeus said the Altea Suite features full reservation, inventory and departure control capabilities.
“We are looking forward to launching a more reliable and passenger-friendly system that is designed for the needs of our customers,” PAL President and Chief Operating Officer Jaime J. Bautista said in the statement.
Last year, PAL was awarded its four-star rating by international airline rating organization Skytrax. The company is eyeing to secure the top five-star rating by 2020.
In January, listed PAL operator PAL Holdings, Inc. announced it is selling 9.5% of its shares to ANA Holdings, Inc., the parent of Japan’s five-star airline All Nippon Airways, for $95 million. — Denise A. Valdez

Basic Energy completes deal for minority stake in Thai firm

BASIC Energy Corp. (BEC) has completed its acquisition of a minority stake in a Thai company building a solar power plant in Myanmar.
In a disclosure to the stock exchange on Friday, the listed firm said it acquired 2,521,865 shares in VTE International Company Limited (Thailand) (Vinter), representing 15% of the firm’s total equity.
Under the deal, Vinter will hike its capital to 168,124,320 Thai baht from 1,000,000 Thai baht through the issuance of 16.71 million shares. BEC will subscribe to a total of 2.51 million shares for its 15% equity interest.
Vinter’s selling shareholder, Meta Corporation Public Company Limited, received the payment of $34,362.07, or about P1.72 million, for the transaction on Feb. 15.
Vinter is in charge for the engineering, procurement, and construction of a 220-megawatt (MW) solar power plant project in Minbu, Magway region in Myanmar. The company has partnered with Vintage EPC Company Limited (VEPC) for the project, where BEC also has a 15% stake.
Planning, design, and construction for the solar power plant started in 2016, with the first phase of construction seen to be completed within the first quarter of this year.
The owner-developer of the project is Green Earth Power (Myanmar), which holds the power purchase agreement with the Myanmar government’s energy and power ministry.
The company earlier said that its involvement in the project will only be as a stakeholder in the Vinter and VEPC, and not with the project itself. BEC President and Chief Executive Officer Oscar L. De Venecia, Jr. said he will serve as a director on the board of the Thai companies as part of the shareholders’ agreement.
BEC’s investment in the Thai companies marks its foray into solar-related energy projects overseas. The company is further looking for opportunities in other renewable energy projects in the region.
Shares in BEC slipped by 1.2% or 0.30 centavos to close at 24.7 centavos each at the stock exchange on Friday. — Arra B. Francia

Beep card reloading can soon be done online

AF Payments, Inc., the company behind “beep” cards, said on Friday it is tapping local firm Justpayto Philippines Corp. (Justpay.to) to allow online reloading in its tap-and-go payment system.
In a statement, AF Payments said the partnership will allow beep card users to top-up their cards on Justpay.to’s website (www.justpay.to/beep), removing the need to download a mobile application or digital wallet.
“We are constantly looking for ways to make reloading convenient for our cardholders. (This is) a simple and easy to use reloading system that I am positive our cardholders will welcome,” AF Payments President and Chief Executive Officer Peter Maher said in the statement.
The reloading system through Justpay.to will be activated by next month.
Beep cards, which currently have 5.5 million users, is commonly used on Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1), LRT-2 and Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3), where AF Payments is the concessionaire of the government for the payment collection system.
Justpay.to is a central bank-registered remittance company that also works with Bayad Center, Manila Electric Company (Meralco), Globe Telecom, Inc. and San Miguel Corp.’s radio-frequency identification (RFID) system.
Last year, Coins.ph and China Banking Corp. (China Bank) also signed deals with AF Payments for beep card reloading options.
AF Payments is a joint venture of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC) and Ayala Corp. that develops contactless payment solutions.
Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a majority stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Denise A. Valdez

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