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Oscar body distances itself from UK controversy on child murder film

LOS ANGELES — The body that hands out the Oscars on Friday sought to distance itself from a furor over the Academy Award nomination of a film about two boys who murdered a British toddler in 1993.
Detainment, a 30-minute film about the death of two-year-old James Bulger, made headlines in Britain after it was nominated for an Oscar on Tuesday in the short film category.
The case, in which two 10-year-old boys lured Bulger from a northern English shopping mall and tortured him to death, is one of Britain’s most notorious criminal cases. An online petition asking for the film to be withdrawn from Oscar contention has attracted more than 130,000 signatures and support from Bulger’s parents.
In its first comment on the controversy, the Academy said it was “deeply moved and saddened” by the loss endured by Bulger’s family but made clear the nomination would not be rescinded.
“The Academy does not in any way influence the voting process,” it said in a statement.
“Detainment was voted on by Academy members. When making their choices, each individual applies their own judgment regarding the films’ creative, artistic and technical merits. We understand that this will not alleviate the pain experienced by the family; however we hope it clarifies the Academy’s neutral role in the voting process,” the statement added.
Detainment, directed by Vincent Lambe, uses transcripts of police interviews, official records, security camera footage and actors to recreate the arrest and questioning of the two convicted boys.
Mr. Lambe said in a statement on Thursday he never intended to bring further anguish to Bulger’s family but added; “While it is a painfully difficult case to understand, I believe we have a responsibility to try and make sense of what happened.”
The Oscar winners will be announced at a ceremony in Hollywood on Feb. 24. — Reuters

Gov’t makes partial T-bills award

Bureau of Treasury (BoT)
THE GOVERNMENT made a partial award of the Treasury bills it offered on Monday.

THE GOVERNMENT made a partial award of the Treasury bills (T-bills) it placed on the auction block yesterday, as market participants preferred to park their funds in the longer-dated instruments.
The Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) raised just P18.397 billion out of the P20 billion it wanted to borrow at yesterday’s auction of the shorter-termed securities.
Bids from investors amounted to P37.253 billion, almost twice the programmed borrowing. However, the total bids were lower than the P51.404 billion fetched during last week’s T-bills auction.
Broken down, the Treasury borrowed P4.397 billion out of the programmed P6 billion via the 90-day tenor yesterday. Tenders reached P5.807 billion, short of the amount the BTr intended to raise.
This caused the average rate for the papers to go up 11.6 basis points (bps) to 5.534% from the 5.418% fetched during the previous auction.
For the 182-day T-bills, the Treasury borrowed P6 billion as planned out of total bids worth P11.699 billion. The average yield declined 2.2 bps to 5.892% from the 5.914% fetched during the previous offer.
The government also made a full award of the 364-day papers, accepting the programmed P8 billion out of total offers amounting to P19.747 billion. The average yield also slid 2.3 bps to 5.946% from the 5.969% quoted in the previous offer.
To maximize the strong demand for the longest tenor, the government opened a tap facility for the one-year papers from 2 to 4 p.m. yesterday to raise up to P8 billion more. It was made available to the 10 financial institutions earlier named as market makers.
On the other hand, the Treasury also opened the over-the-counter sale of the 90-, 182- and 364-day instruments to tax-exempt government-owned and -controlled corporations.
Based on the PHP Bloomberg Valuation Service Reference Rates, the three-month, six-month and one-year papers were quoted at 5.491%, 5.917%, and 6.052% yesterday, respectively.
Following the auction, National Treasurer Rosalia V. de Leon said the BTr continued to see investors flocking to the longer tenors, particularly the one-year papers.
“We also see lower submissions for the 91-day [T-bills] because right now, the cost of funds of the banks are still higher,” Ms. De Leon told reporters yesterday.
“They are trying to max out to make sure that they will be able to offset the higher cost of their funding because time deposits before were rising. So now, they are trying to make sure that the yields where they invest will be able to make up for the higher cost of fund of the bank.”
The official added that Treasury is set to pay about P70 billion worth of maturities on Feb. 19 on top of another P11 billion, which would add liquidity to the market.
Sought for comment, a trader said the auction ended mixed as demand for the shortest tenor was “lukewarm.”
“Generally, there’s still demand [for the T-bills] because of the relatively okay performance of the peso. We also see the central bank eager to trim down reserve requirements, which will be good for the bonds,” the trader said in a phone interview.
The government plans to raise P360 billion this quarter through domestic means. Some P240 billion will be borrowed through 12 weekly T-bill auctions during the three-month period, while P120 billion worth of T-bonds will also be issued through six fortnightly auctions.
The state wants to borrow P1.189 trillion in 2019 to fund its spending plans. Of the amount, 75% will be sourced domestically while the remainder will be from foreign creditors.
However, the 2019 national budget has yet to be passed by Congress and signed into law, leaving the fiscal program hanging so far. — Karl Angelo N. Vidal

Megaworld to sell office spaces in Cavite township

MEGAWORLD Corp. expects to generate P1.5 billion from the sale of office spaces at a building within its Maple Grove township in General Trias, Cavite.
In a statement on Monday, the listed property developer said it is selling 93 office units at the 17-storey One Corporate Place. Units, which are sized from 63 square meters (sq.m.) to 281 sq.m., can cater to business process outsourcing (BPO) companies, and small and medium enterprises (SME).
“Maple Grove’s rising business district in this side of Cavite allows companies to thrive and grow their businesses in a green and sustainable community where everything is integrated and within reach. The entire development itself, as in any other townships that we’ve already built, will be walkable from one office tower to another, or to the mall, residential towers and parks that we will build around the community,” Mary Rachelle I. Peñaflorida, vice-president for sales and marketing of Megaworld, was quoted as saying.
Megaworld is developing the 140-hectare Maple Grove township as Cavite’s “green” central business district.
Ms. Peñaflorida noted rental prices in the area are projected to rise as more buildings sprout up in Maple Grove.
“Owning an office space in Maple Grove would be a wise move especially that General Trias is now fast becoming a key growth area of Cavite. In five years, we expect rental prices to go up as more developments rise within the township,” she said.
One Corporate Plaza has its own Building Management System (BMS), 24-hour security and fire command center, seismic detection and monitoring system, stand-by generators for full back-up for power, fire security system, water reservoir with separate water tanks in case of fire, and a 24-hour closed-circuit television (CCTV) monitoring system. The building is also fiber optic ready.
The building will use light-emitting diode (LED) lights in common areas, and dual-flush types for common restrooms. It also has its own materials recovery facility for waste segregation and recycling.
Last October 2018, Megaworld launched The Verdin at the Maple Grove, its first 10-storey residential condominium inside the township. It also unveiled plans for Maple Grove Commercial District, a 35-hectare “Makati-inspired” business district.
Maple Grove will also have its own lifestyle mall, commercial centers, and office towers.
The property developer reported an 11% rise in attributable profit to P9.98 billion during the first nine months of 2018, driven by a 5% jump in consolidated revenues to P37.1 billion. — Vincent Mariel P. Galang

Average rents in Taguig now higher than in Makati

THE AVERAGE rent for office spaces in Taguig City is now more expensive than those in Makati City, according to a report by Cushman & Wakefield Philippines.
“Fueled by the high asking rents of newly completed buildings, as well as the jump in the rates for buildings that were previously fully-leased, average Taguig City rental figure for year-end 2018 has gone up by 14% YoY (year-on-year) to P1,173 per square meter/month (sq.m./mo), overtaking for the first time that of Makati City at P1,160 sqm/mo with a recorded increase of just 4.3% YoY,” the commercial real estate services company said in its MarketBeats Q4 2018 report.
Cushman & Wakefield identified three significant projects under construction in Makati and Taguig as the NEX Tower, Eco Prime and One Ayala Tower.
In Makati, NEX Tower, a project of NEX Development Group, is slated to be completed within the first quarter of 2019. Ayala Land Inc.’s One Ayala Tower is targeted to be completed by the first quarter of 2022.
Alpha Plus Property Holdings Corp. is on track to complete Eco Prime in Taguig by the first quarter of 2019.
While rents in Makati and Taguig reached the P1000 per sq.m. level, other business districts lower rents such as Pasay City (P881 per sq.m./mo.; Quezon City (P839 per sq.m./mo.); Parañaque City (P838 per sq.m./mo.; Muntinlupa City (P800 per sq.m./mo.); Mandaluyong City (P767 per sq.m./ mo.); and Pasig City (P734 per sq.m./mo.).
On the average, average rent in Metro Manila increased by 7% year-on-year to P899 per sq.m./mo.
In terms of vacancy rate, Cushman & Wakefield noted that Mandaluyong City recorded the highest vacancy at 11.4% among the submarkets. Quezon City followed with a 9% vacancy rate; Taguig City with 4.7%; Pasig City with 2.9%; and Makati City with 1.4%.
Muntinlupa City, Parañaque City, and Pasay City recorded the tightest vacancy with 0.1% for Muntinlupa City, and 0.0% for the last two. Overall vacancy rate recorded in Metro Manila is 3.9%. — Vincent Mariel P. Galang
Metro Manila Office Market

Japanese boy band Arashi to disband in 2020

ONE OF Japan’s oldest and most popular boy bands will suspend its activities at the end of next year, according to local media reports.
Five-member Arashi made the announcement on its fan club home page, adding it would reveal the reason at a news conference later on Sunday, the reports said.
Members of the band, which is managed by privately held Johnny’s Entertainment Inc., are regulars on Japanese television shows. They also appear in advertisements for Japan Airlines Co. and Japan Post Holdings Co., which are both official partners of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. — Bloomberg

Warriors Orochi 4 is a fun ride

Warriors Orochi 4
PlayStation 4/Nintendo Switch
THOSE FAMILIAR with Koei Tecmo Games will undoubtedly not be shocked at the release of Warriors Orochi 4, a hack-and-slash video game that combines the Samurai Warriors and Dynasty Warriors franchises and lets them loose in a world of myths and monsters. Released late last year on the personal computer and current-generation consoles, it carries with it much of what can be expected from a hack-and-slash offering, but with a little more to keep things interesting — exactly what the Japanese video game publisher is best known for.
Warriors Orochi 4 picks up from where its immediate past predecessor left off. Following the defeat of serpent king Orochi, protagonists from the Three Kingdoms and Sengoku eras find themselves back to their respective time periods looking to return to normalcy. Instead, their lives are again thrust into chaos when Greek god Zeus decides to play around with space and time and brings them anew to the alternate reality they thought they left for good. To add flavor to his diversion, he crafts eight Ouroboros Bracelets for them to discover, granting them powers hitherto only wielded by deities. The seeming frivolity sets off a chain of events that include the participation of prominent figures from both Asgard and Olympus.
Within the aforesaid setting, Warriors Orochi 4 has players take control of the historical figures via teams of three. They are tasked with rampaging across various battlefields at the behest of mythical gods. They take down whoever and whatever are foolish enough to stand against them, along the way crafting and upgrading various equipment to prep them for stronger, tougher, and meaner opponents. It’s everything the Samurai Warriors and Dynasty Warriors intellectual properties are, and the blending definitely provides energy and uniqueness from the get-go.
Warriors Orochi 4 gives players the opportunity to choose from 170 distinct characters, and while the latter’s hand-crafted designs are all ripped from previous entries in the series, their incorporation with the overall aesthetic provides them with a bright new sheen. Environments and stages are reused, albeit updated accordingly, with some amalgamated to provide a novel experience. The graphics don’t push the PlayStation 4 Pro and arguably even the Nintendo Switch to the limit, but they’re propped up by the enhanced art styles. While nothing fancy, they look great all the same.
The interface of Warriors Orochi 4 is pretty much what players would expect from any Samurai Warriors or Dynasty Warriors title. Characters run around and crush opponents, fulfilling objectives and defeating other officers en route. That said, the presence of magic is new to the series, and it takes the form of special moves that fighters can possess and use. It might not seem all that much, but in a game focused around building combos and stringing kills together, it actually adds a fair bit of depth to the battles, and rewards those who can keep up with the pace by giving them alternatives with which to deal damage.
Parenthetically, Warriors Orochi 4 boasts of a switching dynamic that allows players to mix and match teams at their leisure, thus increasing options exponentially. Because characters have specific sets of strengths, weaknesses, and quirks, no small measure of strategy is required in planning the composition of groups and their expeditions. The mechanic makes for an addictive experience; there is nothing like seeing success validating choices and setbacks prompting more experimentation.
All told, Warriors Orochi 4 feels and plays like a natural sequel to Warriors Orochi 3 and emerges as a worthy extension of the Samurai Warriors and Dynasty Warriors franchises. Its over-the-top combat never lets up, and is, in fact, made even more intense by the deification of familiar characters, not to mention by the deities themselves. And, en route to completing the 70 missions spread over five chapters, players are immersed in a narrative that shuns convention. To the contrary, it basks in its encompassing premise and winds up benefiting immensely as a result.
Admittedly, Warriors Orochi 4 is a fun ride that can get lost in the repetitive nature of its missions. It likewise displays a predisposition for grinding, what with no small measure of work demanded from players to upgrade characters and materials. Neither is it flawless from a technical standpoint; despite its relatively modest visual and aural presentation, it suffers from occasional slowdowns. Frame drops are especially evident on screen when enemy numbers start counting in the hundreds, when larger monsters show up, or when flashier particle effects are triggered. They’re bad enough on the PS4 Pro, but are particularly off-putting on the Switch regardless of play mode.
To be sure, the aforesaid flaws are inherent in all Warriors games. At this point, it’s telling that veterans of any of the series have learned to adjust their actions and reactions accordingly, as if the unintended bullet-time consequences were part and parcel of difficulty settings and not attributable to programming quirks. Which is to contend that Warriors Orochi 4 is just like all the others before it: It highlights extremely engaging gameplay mechanics to the point of getting players to forgive its failings. Highly recommended.
THE GOOD:
• Introduction of magic adds depth to combat
• Extremely large cast of characters with uniquely colorful traits
• Entertaining gameplay designed to engage series regulars and newcomers alike
THE BAD:
• Continues to show technical flaws present in previous Warriors releases
• Gameplay mechanics can take a while to master
• Considerable resource grinding required for upgrades
RATING: 8/10

Union Bank of the Philippines posts lower 2018 net earnings

UNION BANK OF THE Philippines, Inc. (UnionBank) posted lower net earnings in 2018 amid margin pressures due to higher interest rates.
In a regulatory filing Monday, the Aboitiz-led UnionBank booked a P7.3-billion net profit last year, down 13% from the P8.4-billion income logged in 2017.
UnionBank saw its net income decline in 2018 even as its consumer loans rose 16% to P326.1 billion in the comparable year-ago period. This accounted for 33% of the lender’s total lending portfolio.
The bank added that all of its customer businesses except its thrift banking subsidiary CitySavings Bank posted “double-digit” growth in terms of volume.
Total income taken to retained earnings, on the other hand, stood at P8.5 billion, inclusive of adjustments due to the Philippine Financial Reporting Standards 9, or new accounting standards adopted in 2018.
Overall, UnionBank’s total assets were at P674.2 billion as of end-December 2018, 8.4% higher than the P622.1 billion in 2017.
“The strong performance of key business segments provided the cushion to the margin compression arising from interest rates,” UnionBank Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer Jose Emmanuel U. Hilado was quoted as saying in the disclosure.
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas last year raised its borrowing costs by a cumulative 175 basis points through five consecutive rate hikes to rein in inflation, which reached nine-year highs.
Looking ahead, Mr. Hilado said the bank expects margins to improve in 2019 as assets reprice.
“We also expect CitySavings’ performance to improve this year, particularly due to its continued access to DepEd’s (Department of Education) automatic payroll deduction system.”
In early 2018, the DepEd suspended its automatic payroll deduction system for loans and insurance payments until June as it worked on new guidelines, making CitySavings as well as other thrift banks unable to issue loans for public school teachers.
Edwin R. Bautista, UnionBank president and chief executive officer, said the lender will focus on the third phase of its digital transformation journey this year by upscaling the critical digital customer touch-points, such as enhancing its mobile application features, launching a business banking platform, as well as rolling out more automated branches.
The bank is set to open more fully digital branches dubbed as “The ARK” in the coming months in Taguig City, Cebu and Davao, following the launch of its first digital branch in Makati City late 2017.
UnionBank shares closed at P64.45 apiece on Monday, down five centavos or 0.08%. — K.A.N. Vidal

Holcim Philippines soars as cement giant is said to weigh sale

LAFARGEHolcim Ltd. is reportedly looking to sell its Philippine business. — BW FILE PHOTO

LAFARGEHolcim Ltd.’s listed Philippines unit soared the most in more than a decade, after people with knowledge of the matter said the global cement giant is exploring options for its business in the country.
Shares of Holcim Philippines, Inc. jumped as much as 34% in early Manila trading Monday, the most intraday since July 2004. They were up 13% to P7.19 at 10:41 a.m. LafargeHolcim is weighing options for its Philippines business, including a potential sale, as it seeks to further reduce debt by selling non-core assets, according to the people.
Europe’s biggest cement maker is considering the divestment as part of a broader strategic review of its Southeast Asia operations following the sale of its Indonesia business, the people said. LafargeHolcim may keep the business if it decides it can’t fetch an attractive enough price, according to the people, asking not to be identified because the information is private. A spokesman for the company declined to comment.
The seller may seek to value the Philippines assets at around $2.5 billion, though some suitors have indicated they think the business is worth less, the people said. A rival seeking to purchase all of LafargeHolcim’s plants in the country may face antitrust issues, which could make it more difficult to find a single buyer, they said. If the business is sold, the next disposal candidate would be Malaysia, they said.
TURNAROUND PLAN
LafargeHolcim has been divesting assets as part of a five-year turnaround plan, announcing in November that it will sell its Indonesian unit for $1.75 billion including debt to PT Semen Indonesia. Chief Executive Officer Jan Jenisch said in May the company’s Southeast Asia business has been “a bit more challenging” amid price pressure in markets such as the Philippines and Malaysia.
Other Philippine cement makers also rallied Monday, with Cemex Holdings Philippines, Inc. gaining as much as 7.3 percent, the most intraday in more than a week. Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc., a conglomerate whose businesses include building materials, jumped as much as 5.5 percent while Eagle Cement Corp. rose as much as 1.9 percent.
A sale by LafargeHolcim could lead to higher valuations for cement companies in the Philippines, according to Rachelle Cruz, an analyst at AP Securities, Inc. Eagle Cement and Cemex are potential buyers of the business and could end up with a larger market share if they succeed with a bid, Ms. Cruz said by phone Monday.
LafargeHolcim said in November it has one or two more disposals coming up after the Indonesia sale. The company’s cost-cutting plan is aimed at regaining firepower to make acquisitions, Mr. Jenisch told investors at the time.
Shares of LafargeHolcim rose 2.4 percent to close at 46.25 Swiss francs in Zurich on Friday. — Bloomberg

HII begins managing ACEA Subic resort

HOSPITALITY INNOVATORS INC. (HII) on Thursday said it was recently tapped to manage and operate ACEA Subic Bay Resort.
In a statement, the local hotel and property management company said it will take on the overall management of the resort, including day-to-day operations, financial results, sales and marketing, facilities repairs, maintenance, and human resource management.
“We are very glad to have HII on board and we are excited to see how we can work together to propel ACEA to greater heights starting this summer,” Kenneth L. Sytin, one of the owners of ACEA Subic Bay Resort, was quoted as saying.
Luis Monserrat, founder and chief executive officer of HII, said ACEA can become the top resort destination in Subic.
“HII’s role is to bring our management, operational, and service expertise to be able to realize the potential this property has,” Mr. Montserrat said.
HII specializes in management, operation, and rental of condominium hotels, and residential condominiums. It currently manages 20 properties.
Launched in late 2016, ACEA has 128 rooms overlooking the sea, a private beach, and sports facilities including a swimming pool with a view of Subic Bay.
The resort is located along former Dungaree Beach in San Bernardino Road, Subic Bay Freeport Zone, Zambales, which is only four hours away from Manila.
Aside from ACEA, the Sytin family’s business interests include United Auctioneers, Inc., an industrial auction company operating in Subic Bay; Chinese truck brand Foton Philippines; and listed company LMG Chemicals Corp. — Vincent Mariel P. Galang

PSE says no final decision on LANDBANK’s offer

THE Philippine Stock Exchange, Inc. (PSE) said on Monday that it had yet make a final decision on the offer by the government’s Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK).
“The Company has not made a final decision on the offer of [the bank],” the bourse operator said.
“Management was tasked to further study matters related to the offer. The Company will be guided by the timelines indicated in the offer by (LANDBANK) and make the appropriate communications at the appropriate time,” it added.
The PSE was reacting to news that it had rejected the LANDBANK’s offer to buy the bourse’s stake in the Philippine Dealing System Holdings Corp. (PDSHC) because the offer price was too low.
The clarification comes three days before the deadline set by the state bank for the PSE to make a decision.
On Monday, shares in PSE traded higher by 0.81% to close at P186 each.
On Jan. 16, the PSE disclosed that it had received a letter from the state-led bank expressing an interest to buy the company’s shares in PDSHC for close to P282 million.
The LANDBANK’s offer placed the value of the holding firm’s shares at P215 each or for a total of P281,959,385 “subject to terms and conditions.” The offer is valid until Jan. 31, 2019.
PSE referred to its previous disclosure dated April 27, 2018, during which the bank made a similar offer to buy the holding firm’s shares.
However, the previous offer valued the shares at P360 apiece for a total consideration of P472,118,040. The latest offer thus values PDSHC at a price lower by about 40.3%.
PDSHC comprises the PDS Group along with subsidiaries Philippine Dealing & Exchange Corp., Philippine Depository & Trust Corp., Philippine Securities Settlement Corp., and PDS Academy for Market Development Corp.
Based on the shareholder structure found in its website, the firm is 21% owned by the PSE. The biggest shareholder group, with a 28.9% stake, is made up of members of the Bankers Association of the Philippines and institutions. — Victor V. Saulon

Ex-RCBC branch manager Deguito appeals conviction

FORMER Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) branch manager Maia Santos-Deguito, through her legal counsels, asked the Makati City court to reverse its Jan. 10 decision convicting her of eight counts of money laundering over the $81-million Bangladesh Bank heist in February 2016.
In the motion for reconsideration filed on Jan. 25, Ms. Deguito’s legal counsels said the prosecution failed to provide “direct proof” that she had knowledge of the said illegal transactions.
“Instead, it was only presumed by the Honorable Court from the alleged failure of Accused to do what the Honorable Court believes she should have done,” the motion read.
Judge Cesar O. Untalan of Makati City regional trial court Branch 149 on Jan. 10 found Ms. Deguito guilty of eight counts of money laundering and ordered her to pay a fine of $109-million while sentencing her to imprisonment of four to seven years for each count.
The case stemmed from the transfers from the account of the Bangladesh Bank with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to four fictitious accounts opened at RCBC’s Jupiter Street branch in Makati City.
The court said Ms. Deguito “facilitated these transactions to their full and complete implementation without any sign of hesitation.”
The legal counsels of Ms. Deguito upheld that she verified the validity of the remittances and their sources and she met with the owners of the accounts before they were opened.
“Accused action was not the action of a guilty person. If it were true that the account owners ‘are all non-existing and fictitious persons; and accused Deguito was very well aware of the fact,’ then it was highly improbable that she would voluntarily and unnecessarily expose herself to the risk of discovery and punishment by agreeing to meet in public places like Midas Hotel and Casino, and even bringing two other persons with her,” they said.
They also said that Ms. Deguito did not have the authority to stop the transactions, disputing the court’s decision that she should have done such.
They claimed that the court “ignored the established fact” that remittances in the cases were credited to the accounts via “Straight Through Process.” They also added that the RCBC’s higher-ups put a hold on the transactions and then lifted it after determining the validity of the remittances.
They also said the testimonies that Ms. Deguito facilitated the transactions which the court relied on “should not be given merit” as they were “hearsay” only.
They said the court “misunderstood the meaning of a money laundering offense under the law” as the elements required for the said crime such as monetary instrument or property and the accused’s knowledge that this would be involved in an unlawful activity were not present when the accounts were opened.
The counsels also said the court imposed the wrong penalty on Ms. Deguito as the maximum imposable fine against her is only P24 million as she was charged of violation of Section 4(f) of Anti-Money Laundering Law which has a fine ranging from P1.5 million to P3 million and imprisonment of four to seven years. — V.M.M. Villegas

PHL bet Karen Gallman wins Miss Intercontinental

PHILIPPINE representative Karen Gallman made history when the 26-year-old analyst from Ubay, Bohol bested 83 other official delegates to win the country’s first Miss Intercontinental crown on Jan. 27. Ms. Gallman is the second queen from the 2018 batch of Binibining Pilipinas winners to win an international crown after Catriona Gray became the country’s 4th Miss Universe in Bangkok, Thailand in December.

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