BusinessMirror November 4, 2015

BusinessMirror

three-time rotary club of manila journalism awardee 2006, 2010, 2012

U.N. Media Award 2008

A broader look at today’s business

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By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo

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GOOGLE’S CHROMECAST Prayers for our salvation

H Beloved Mother of the Eucharist and Grace, chosen by God to carry in your womb His only begotten Son, you were the first tabernacle. The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ truly present in the Sacred Host is as much your flesh and blood. We consecrate to you our thoughts, desires, feelings and actions. Henceforth, we beseech your blessings and prayers for our salvation. May you always help us be in the state of holiness. Amen.

OUR MOTHER OF THE EUCHARIST AND GRACE BOOKLET AND LOUIE M. LACSON

Word&Life Publications • teacherlouie1965@yahoo.com

Editor: Gerard S. Ramos • lifestylebusinessmirror@gmail.com

Life

‘THE SOCIAL SEX’ IS AN ENTERTAINING BUT UNEVEN HISTORY OF FEMALE FRIENDSHIP »D2

BusinessMirror

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

GOOGLE’S CHROMECAST IS TOPS FOR INEXPENSIVE STREAMING

NO, it’s not a flying saucer from outer space but the latest iteration of Google’s Chromecast streaming device.

B T W San Jose Mercury News Editor’s note: In the Philippines, Globe Telecom has partnered with Google to bring Chromecast goodness into Filipino homes.

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HEN it debuted two years ago, Google’s Chromecast shook up the market for digital streaming devices.

The company is hoping now to build on that success, releasing a new and improved version of the Chromecast.

The new model isn’t a whole lot different from its predecessor, but I’m impressed with how good a device it has become.

The original Chromecast stood apart from the competition when it launched. At $35, it was much less expensive than its rivals, most of which cost at least twice as much. Unlike those devices, it was the size of a USB stick and could be hidden from view by plugging directly into a television.

It also worked differently from those devices. It didn’t come with a remote control and didn’t offer any kind of on-screen interface. Instead, users controlled and interacted with it through their phones. If they wanted to watch or listen to something, they beamed it to the Chromecast from their handheld device.

When it launched, the device seemed to be more of a work-in-progress rather than a finished product.

It only worked with a handful of apps, and it could be hard to find ones that were compatible with it. There was no way to beam pictures or movies stored on users’ phones to their televisions. And video streamed to it could be choppy, in part because it could only connect to Wi-Fi networks over the 2.4 GHz band, which is generally overcrowded.

By now, though, Google and its legion of software developers have addressed many of these problems. The company says there are now thousands of Chromecastcompatible apps, many of which are available for both Android devices and for Apple’s iOS, which underlies the iPhone and iPad. Among them are many of the most popular streaming media services, including Netflix, Spotify, HBO Now, Showtime Anytime and Hulu. Additionally, you’ll find apps that will let you beam drawings, pictures and presentations to your screen. You’ll even find a selection of games that you can play on your television, via Chromecast, using your phone as a controller.

If you have an Android device, you can even beam apps to your screen that don’t have built-in compatibility with Chromecast. Google has developed a technology similar to Apple’s AirPlay that allows Chromecast to mirror what’s on their phones screens on their televisions. Although the new Chromecast still doesn’t come with a remote control, Google does have a Chromecast app for both Android and iOS devices that makes it easier to control and use the device.

Owners use the app for the initial configuration of a Chromecast. But they can also use it to find other apps that are compatible with the device, both ones they’ve already installed and ones that they can download from a special section of Google’s Play store. The device also has a search feature that allows users to search for movies or television shows across several Chromecast compatible apps.

With the updated hardware, which still costs just $35, Google has also addressed the original device’s connection problems. The new device, which looks like a small disk with a flat USB cable coming out of it, supports the latest Wi-Fi standards.

It has multiple Wi-Fi antennas that can help signals get around obstacles in a room and it supports the less crowded 5 GHz Wi-Fi band.

The device isn’t perfect, of course. Unlike the latest— and much more expensive—streaming media boxes from Roku, Amazon and Nvidia, the new Chromecast doesn’t support 4K, the new standard for ultra-high resolution video that’s becoming more common among the latest televisions. And you’re unlikely to be able to play high-end games on the Chromecast that you can already find on Nvidia’s Shield and that are in development for the new Apple TV. The Chromecast also works better with Android devices that with iPhones or iPads, because the default apps in iOS don’t work with the device. That means that you can’t beam to Chromecast songs from Apple Music; videos you’ve purchased from iTunes; Web pages or videos you’ve pulled up in Safari or pictures and videos from the Photos app. In some cases, you can work around these limitations, but the apps that allow you to do so aren’t always easy to use.

Meanwhile, the lack of a remote control can be annoying. If you need to pause a movie because the phone’s ringing, it’s a lot easier to push a button on a physical remote than to find the media controls on your phone after you’ve unlocked it first.

Still, the new Chromecast is a much more complete and satisfying device to use than its predecessor was at

launch. And when its latest rivals cost more than $100, it’s still a heck of a deal.

WHAT IS IT ■ What: Google Chromecast streaming media player ■ Likes: Inexpensive; compatible with thousands of apps, including many of the most popular ones; works with both Apple devices and Android-based ones; new Wi-Fi radios address streaming problems; updated app makes it easier to find compatible services and content.

■ Dislikes: Works better with Android devices than Apple ones; lacks support for 4K; lacks a physical remote control.

■ Web: www.google.com/chromecast

Viber invites Filipino artists to bring city vibe to stickers VIBER the country’s leading mobile messaging app known VIBER, for its stickers that ooze with personality, is launching an exciting second run of its global sticker design initiative Sticky Fingers. This time around, Sticky Fingers focuses on having creatives from all over bring their favorite cities to life with the “My City, My Vibe” theme.

Stickers are a core part of Viber’s service and millions of people use them every day to convey an emotion, a reaction, or simply to share good vibes with their friends and families.

In fact, Viber’s 600 million users sent more than 22 billion stickers last year. With this, Sticky Fingers 2 becomes a great opportunity for Filipino artists to showcase their design talent, represent their cities, each unique vibe they carry, and share it with the rest of the world.

Twenty finalists will be selected by Viber and its panel of judges, each to receive $1,000. From those top entries, five artists will be chosen to get the opportunity to work with the Viber design studio to develop their character into sticker packs, and a revenue share for every sticker sold of their design. Aside from these, the final five will of course receive exposure across Viber’s social-media channels.

The competition is now open with Filipino creatives being able to send their entries until November 18. As the 20 finalists will be picked based on the quality of their submissions, and not by their country of origin, the more entries the Philippines produces means higher chances for Pinoys to make it as finalists.

Shares Stanislav Makarenko, a.k.a. “Drawk” (the select artist of the first Sticky Fingers competition): “I have been drawing and sketching characters since 2008, but being selected for Viber’s first Sticky Fingers Creative Invite was a dream come true. It was such an incredible feeling to be selected, but also a great responsibility. I got the opportunity to work alongside professional artists at an international level, to travel more, and now my sketches are in a sticker pack that will be used around the world.

I’m looking forward to helping choose the selected artists of My City, My Vibe and I encourage all entrants to get inspired, be yourself and let your original style come through in your sketches.”

Submission of entries can be made through www.viber. com/MyCityVibe. The 20 finalists will be announced on December 9, and the five selected artists on December 15.

Alphabet, Google’s new parent company, beats third-quarter earnings forecast ALPHABET Inc., the recently created parent company of Google Inc., topped earnings estimates in the third quarter, grossing $18.7 billion in revenue, the company said Thursday.

The earnings amounted to 13 percent year-on-year growth for the tech giant and beat analyst expectations of $18.54 billion in revenue, according to a Thomson Reuters survey.

Profits came in at $4.7 billion, up from $3.7 billion a year ago. Alphabet reported earnings of $7.35 per share adjusted for expenses, topping the Thomson Reuters survey predicting earnings of $7.21 per share.

The third-quarter results “show the strength of Google’s business, particularly in mobile search,” said Ruth Porat, chief financial officer of Alphabet and Google. “With six products now having more than 1 billion users globally, we’re excited about the opportunities ahead of Google, and across Alphabet.”

The results will please analysts and shareholders who viewed the company’s mobile strategy as a soft spot. The company, which relies heavily on ad revenue

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generated by searches on personal computers, has found it difficult adapting to a mobile environment where the cost-per-click of an ad has been in decline.

Mobile search has surpassed searches on computers.

Google has countered by introducing more mobile products The company has boosted the number of ads it displays on mobile searches and allowed app developers to pay for placement in the Google Play store to reach more users.

In September Google introduced Customer Match, which allowed advertisers to target consumers more precisely using e-mail data.

Alphabet shares soared over 10 percent in afterhours trading after closing at $651.79, up $9.18 or 1.43 percent. The company also authorized the buyback of $5 billion in Class C stock.

The earnings call was the first for the company since Alphabet was established to separate Google’s core search business from its so-called moonshot initiatives, such as high-altitude balloons to spread Internet access and its biotech division, Calico. LOS ANGELES TIMES

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WEDDING FAIR AT SANDARI BATULAO E1 Wednesday, November 4, 2015

BusinessMirror

Editor: Tet Andolong

AILEEN CAIISIP (from left), Club Ananda events coordinator; Anthony Francis J. Ong, Club Ananda manager; Marianne Tan and James Michael Francisco; Reina Kathleen Rodriguez, Citystate Properties and Management Corp.

(CPMC) sales operations officer; and Alfie Eslaban, CPMC site engineer

WEDDING FAIR

SAMPLE setup from different wedding exhibitors

AT SANDARI BATULAO SEARCH IS ON FOR PHL C REAL ESTATE’S BEST LUB Ananda at Sandari Batulao held on October 11 its fourth of a series of events, entitled “A Taste of Sandari–The Wedding Fair.”

With Ma Del’s Catering and Food Services still being the main feature of the fair, the gathering gave Club Ananda’s affiliated and nonaffiliated suppliers the chance to showcase their products, services and lines of expertise.

The exhibitors included Ma Del’s Cuisine, Wave Force lights and sound, GQ Mobile bar, Tent King, Imahe Photo and Video, Flowers

by Rosabella, Langels events coordinator, Gigi Guevarra makeup, Style Me Pretty, Club Ananda, Sandari Batulao, Crust Brick Oven Pizza and many more.

The wedding fair was well attended by soon-to-be-wed couples from surrounding cities and even from Metro Manila. Club Ananda, Ma Del’s and other wedding suppliers provided guests with a sneak preview on how the events venue would look and feel should they choose to celebrate at Club Ananda.

Club Ananda at Sandari Batulao is an upscale events venue for weddings and corporate functions. It has an air-conditioned Main Events Hall with 16-foot floor-to-ceiling glass windows that bring the beauty of the outdoors inside. The

Independent living in Kapitolyo E

VERY young professional aims to have his or her own place to experience living independently, whether it’s in a condominium or an apartment in the Metro. With The Vantage at Kapitolyo, Rockwell Primaries’ second property and first high-rise development, this dream can turn into reality.

Offering a home that is secure and located in a vibrant community, The Vantage is an exclusive urban enclave that provides the best of both worlds—well-planned units that allow homeowners to enjoy the comforts of their personal spaces but still within close proximity to key establishments and the Rockwell lifestyle that many have grown to love.

The Vantage is at the center of four business districts within a safe neighborhood that provides easy access to the growing food establishments in Kapitolyo. The growing need for halfway homes and dwelling places in the city makes The Vantage more appealing to young professionals and achievers.

“We know how young professionals aspire to have their own place that they can call home. With The Vantage at Kapitolyo, we are addressing this aspiration. Many work around the area and are looking for the home that will give them the freedom and safety that Rockwell Primaries can give. These individuals are expanding their horizons and we at

ROCKWELL Primaries presents young and aspiring individuals the experience of having their own place.

800-square-meter Open Garden feature surrounded by lush greens is perfect for weddings and other private functions. The Water Park consists of three themed pools: The 25-meter Infinity Lap Pool with natural stone tiles; the River Pool, the first of its kind south of Metro Manila with a center island suitable for cocktails and small groups; and the Kiddie Island Pool with white sand. All venues have unobstructed views of nearby Mount Batulao and Mount Talamitam.

Citystate Properties and Management Corp. is the developer of Sandari Batulao, a luxurious ecocentric mountainside residential and leisure development with majestic Mount Batulao as its backdrop. Sandari Batulao is 10 minutes away from Metro Tagaytay and is 15 minutes away from the beaches of Nasugbu, Batangas. www.sandaribatulao.com.

Rockwell Primaries would like to be a partner in their journey by providing them the home that they deserve,” said Malou Pineda, senior vice president of Rockwell Primaries Development Corp.

The Vantage offers different kinds of units from studio to one-, two- and three-bedroom formats, which can all be availed of at very flexible payment terms. For those wanting to live in a smaller space, a studio unit can be the perfect fit. It’s easy to maintain, convenient to style and design, and suitable for those who want to have a place of their own.

Choosing the studio unit means being able to maximize the available space, usually ranging from 29 square meters to 30 sq m. “We know what our urban market needs in terms of well-designed condo spaces. Our studio units are fitting for those looking for a convenient home that is reasonably priced and sized just right. We always aim to provide the accessibility and convenience of living within a Rockwell property,” Pineda shared.

Unlike other developments in the area, The Vantage will only have 11 to 17 units per floor. This actually offers homeowners more space to move and privacy on each floor. The Vantage, which will include 24-hour closed-circuit television security cameras and keycard access to units, will be turned over by 2020. www.rockwellprimaries.com.ph

P25.00 nationwide | 6 sections 32 pages | 7 days a week

PAL sees clearer skies for UK route in 2016

INSIDE

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Thursday 18,November 2014 Vol. 104,No.2015 40 Wednesday, Vol. 11 No. 27

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PAUL ASHBURN (from left), BDO International co-managing partner; Terry Blackburn, Ensign Media CEO; Mary Grace Ofamen, Hansgrohe (Platinum Sponsor) consultant; Eric Mangosing, JCV & Associates chairman and a representative of the panel of judges; and Michael McCullough, managing director of KMC MAG Group, pose for a photo after a media discussion recently at Fairmont Makati. MARIANNE GRACE SARMIENTO

B M G S

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EADING real-estate developers and designers from the country’s top markets, including Mega Manila Cebu and Davao, will again be recognized at the fourth Philippine Property Awards to be held on April 7, 2016, at the Fairmont Makati, the awards’ official hotel venue sponsor.

The Philippine Property Awards is part of the Asia Property Awards—organized

by Ensign Media, publisher of Property Report, a monthly luxury real estate, architecture and design magazine—which is the region’s premier awards series that celebrates Asia’s biggest and best achievers in real-estate sector.

“Philippine Property Awards is a showcase of our commitment to the country’s exciting real-estate market, and to recognize and reward the most significant contributions to the sector from local developers, building on our experience with Asia Property Awards in the past 10 years,” said Terry Blackburn, CEO of Ensign Media.

A total of 26 trophies will be given away covering three main categories—Developer, Development and Design—all coming from the condominium, housing, hotel office, retail, green and villa segments.

Nominations officially opened on October 29 and will close on January 15 next year. All entrants are free to join and must be nominated by a third party, including peers, professionals and consumers.

Among the criteria that judges look out for are design and amenities, value for money, use of construction materials, location, unique selling point and stage of completion.

“For the last 10 years, the main thing that we are excited about is to see how many more categories we can add successfully outside of Metro Manila. We always look at how we can encourage and

get more high-quality interest in a few more locations,” Blackburn shared during a media conference held recently.

For the next six months till the black-tie awards gala, nominations will be evaluated by an independent panel of judges and will be supervised by BDO International, the world’s fifth-largest accounting and consultancy firm. Short-listed nominees will then be included in on-site visits “to further look at the more relevant facets of the project.”

BDO International co-managing partner Paul Ashburn shared that being with Ensign Media since it started the Asia Property Awards in 2006, their main role is to “provide an extra layer of confidence” in the integrity of the judging process.

JCV & Associates Chairman Eric Mangosing, a representative of the panel of judges, said that one of the reasons that the awards is successful is because of its credibility and transparency, adding that all judges are knowledgeable in real estate and without conflict of interests.

An additional award—chosen by editors of Property Report—will be presented to the Real Estate Personality of the Year whose influence and achievements resonate across the country. Past recipients include Antonio Aquino, president and CEO of Ayala Land Inc.; Dr. Andrew L. Tan, chairman and founder of Megaworld Corp.; Ramon Fernando D. Rufino, executive vice president of The Net Group and incumbent chairman of the Philippine Green Building Council.

Winners of the awards can represent the country in the next Southeast Property Awards.

Ayala Land Inc., a former winner of Best Developer accolade, claimed the Best Developer (Southeast Asia) title during the Southeast Asia Property Awards grand finals held in Singapore in 2014.

property

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Special to the BusinessMirror

ONDON, United Kingdom— Pioneering flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) is forecasting clearer skies ahead for its London route, with the improvement in its slot at the Heathrow Airport and a stepped-up marketing program targeting different groups beyond the Filipino community in the UK.

In an interview with the BusinessMirror, David Cochrane, PAL country manager for the UK, said: “2016 will be an even better year for PAL. We’re targeting an increase in sales by 25 percent next year, and a higher passenger-load factor between 85 percent and 95 percent, both of which, I believe, are achievable.”

He said that when the flights from Manila to London started in November 2013, “the passenger-load factor wasn’t doing so good. In 2014 it averaged 56 percent thereabouts. We’re now averaging a load factor of 76 percent to 77 percent, which is a drastic

improvement from how it was. Obviously, we’ve had very tough challenges in the market; we were a relatively unknown brand again to the UK. It was difficult to convince travelers to try something new. So we’ve worked very, very hard to make that [higher load factors] happen.”

A passenger load factor of 77 percent means 77 percent of the seats on the 264-seat Airbus 340-300 are booked and sold.

When the route was first offered, though, the flag carrier used a more modern Boeing 777-300 ER, which

BusinessMirror media partner

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he poorest Filipinos experienced the slowest acceleration in commodity-price hikes in six years in the July-to-September period, when inflation for the bot-

Makati Commercial Estate Association; Bobby Dy, president and Ceo of Ayala Land Inc.; Fernando Zobel de Ayala, chairman of Ayala Land; Jaime Zobel de Ayala, chairman emeritus of Ayala Corp.; Patricia Zobel de Ayala, honorary consul of the Philippines in Monaco; and Manny Blas, vice president of Ayala Land, lead the ceremonial iighting of Ayala Street done annually to signal the start of the holiday season in the main commercial district of the country. KRIZ JOHN ROSALES

special report

High taxes, political dynasties and other unfinished business in 16th Congress

By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz

See “PAL,” A2

Slowest inflation in 6 yrs felt by poor Pinoys in Q3

By Cai U. Ordinario

AYALA SWITCHES to HOLIDAY-SEASON MODE Top officials of companies under the Ayala Group (from left) Dave Balangue, president of

tom 30 percent of the population slowed to 0.5 percent.

Data obtained from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that inflation for the poorest Filipinos recorded the slowest pace since Continued on A4

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Conclusion

he continuous disinterest being shown by lawmakers in the Basic Law on Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (BLBar) and the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill is killing the two critical reform measures in the 16th Congress.

Also, House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said the long line of lawmakers who want to interpellate has stretched the legislative process for the BLBar. “The real problem here is that time is running out because several lawmakers want to interpellate,” he said. Currently, there are at least 17 lawmakers who want to interpellate the peace measure. “Also, the notion that you can get the Senate and the House to agree on a version is really an impossible dream,”

Belmonte added.

Centrist Democratic Party Rep. Rufus B. Rodriguez of Cagayan de Oro, the chairman of the House ad hoc committee on the Bangsamoro Basic Law, hinted at the death of the peace measure due to lack of material time, as the lower house is facing serious absenteeism problem.

No quorum, no BLBar

According to Rodriguez, the quorum problem has hounded the House since July. The BLBar aims to create the new Bangsamoro juridical entity, replacing the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

But Belmonte expressed optimism that the lower chamber can still pass the BLBar before the year ends, despite the expected continued problem on Continued on A2

Phl secrecy rules of little use to transnational hoodlums

By David Cagahastian

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he Philippines ranked No. 46 out of 102 countries in terms of financial secrecy due to lack of a government fiat compelling businesses or corporations to disclose their beneficial owners, according to the Financial Secrecy Index of the international think tank

Tax Justice Network (TJN).

However, the think tank said that, while the Philippines is among the upper half of countries that maintain secrecy of accounts, such secrecy are of little use to transnational criminals since the Philippines accounts for less than 0.1 percent of the global market for offshore financial services.

PESO exchange rates n US 46.7960

TJN said this development makes the $285-billion Southeast Asian economy merely “a tiny player compared with other secrecy jurisdictions.”

Topping the list of the most secretive in terms of financial accounts are the countries of Switzerland, Hong Kong, the United States, Singapore and the Cayman Islands.

In the case of the Philippines, the key financial secrecy indicators where the Philippines scored the highest pertain to indicators involving government regulations on corporate transparency.

The Philippines attracted “exceptionally secretive” grades on the following indicators: disclosure of public company ownership;

disclosure of public company accounts; and disclosure of beneficial ownership of companies.

The Philippines was not considered as a very secretive jurisdiction despite having adopted a bank-secrecy law that, in the eyes of the US, for instance, was rated as among the most stringent anywhere. Of all the countries in the world, the Philip-

pines is one of only three countries that still has a bank-secrecy law, the other two being Switzerland and Lebanon. Customs Commissioner Alberto D. Lina, however, said Philippine laws actually permits unscrupulous individuals to hide their money from the government, especially ill-gotten money.

Continued on A4

n japan 0.3876 n UK 72.1407 n HK 6.0382 n CHINA 7.3835 n singapore 33.5119 n australia 33.4162 n EU 51.5411 n SAUDI arabia 12.4812

Source: BSP (3 November 2015)

A2 Wednesday , November 4, 2015

BMReports BusinessMirror

High taxes, political dynasties and other unfinished business in 16th Congress Continued from A1

quorum. “I am still confident that the [proposed law] can still be passed by the House of Representatives. I am appealing to my colleagues to attend the sessions,” he said.

The lower chamber resumed session on Tuesday. Independent Minority Bloc Leader and Lakas Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez sought for additional time to further scrutinize the proposed law.

“Lawmakers need more time to study the measure, because we want to guarantee that what we would be passing will be legal and constitutional,” he said.

While he supports the peace agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), Romualdez said the lawmakers need to pass a measure that is consistent with the provisions of the 1987 Constitution.

“We support peace, but any agreement should be in consonance with the Constitution and existing laws. This will help prevent a halfbaked peace measure and not give false hopes,” Romualdez said.

But Party-List Rep. Rodel Batocabe of Ako Bicol, a lawyer and spokesman of the 40-man PartyList Coalition Foundation Inc., said House members should not be to preoccupied with the constitutionality issue. The “SC [Supreme Court] will interpret if a law is consistent with our Constitution.”

“Let the SC decide on the case, while we in Congress will do our work and decide whether to pass this measure or not. That is the beauty of democracy—we have coequal and independent branches of government,” Batocabe said.

House Deputy Speaker and Liberal Party Rep. Pangalian M. Balindong of Lanao del Sur said passing the peace measure is the right thing to do.

Stressing that unity is the only way to peace and inclusive growth, Balindong said the collective wisdom of Congress would lead to the passage of the BLBar. “We should not let this rare opportunity for peace escape our hands,” said the Veteran Muslim leader, adding that in war “everybody is a loser!”

“The proposed law is one piece of legislation that would serve as a clear

and strong foundation for mutual trust to grow among Filipinos of all beliefs and cultures, all longing for lasting peace,” Balindong said.

The lawmaker also said he believes that the present clash of opinions, particularly in the plenary debates and open disagreements in media and other fora, are but part and parcel of the natural processes in a democratic country like the Philippines.

“We must give due course to our democratic processes. But, in the end, I believe that Congress will pass a basic law that would preserve the integrity of the Muslim Filipinos as active participants in the development of the Filipino nation,” he said.

Balindong added that the passage of the peace measure is not just what is needed by circumstances, but the right course of action to follow.

“The 16th Congress may not be enjoying the luxury of time. But with political will, there is time to craft a lasting policy for peace to reign upon generations of Filipinos yet to be born,” the lawmaker said.

“I refuse to believe that the future of peace can just be thrown to the dust bin of history by a mere lack of quorum. I have great faith in our democratic institutions.”

G o ve r n me nt Pe ace Pa ne l Chairman Miriam Coronel-Ferrer and MILF Peace Panel Chairman Mohagher Iqbal have asked President Aquino to certify as urgent the BLBar, so the lawmakers can approve the bill on second and third reading on the same day.

Iqbal urged the leadership of the 16th Congress to pass the BLBar in November or December.

“The only window of opportunity is the next deadline, if I may call it as such, which will be in November to December. After that, it is all politics that fill the air,” Iqbal said.

“I appeal to the honorable members of both chambers of Congress to rise up to the occasion and be statesmen even for one moment in the history of this country.

The fate of the [BLBar] is in your hands, and history will judge you on how you dispense with the BBL,” Iqbal said.

House Bill 5811, or the BLBar, is currently under the period

of interpellations in the House of Representatives.

Still no FOI

Meanwhile, when asked about the fate of the FOI bill, Belmonte has said the measure has always been on the calendar of business.

The FOI bill, which already passed the Senate and is currently awaiting plenary deliberations at the House, is pushing the people’s access to public documents.

Unluckily, the measure has not been called on the House floor because, again, the quorum is being raised always.

Members of the Makabayan bloc marked the committee-approved bill as a “watered-down” and “toothless” proposal that will not improve people’s access to information. The seven-member bloc has withdrawn its authorship of the measure.

Despite President Aquino’s “appeal” to the leaders of Congress to pass the FOI bill, the Right To Know, Right Now Coalition, which is composed of 19 organizations, also admitted that the bill will not be passed into law under the current government.

“The FOI bill is dead. We put the blame squarely on the President and the leadership of the House of Representatives,” the Right To Know, Right Now Coalition said.

Vincent Lazatin, executive director of the Transparency and Accountability Network, said President Aquino and the leaders of the lower chamber did not provide decisive support for the passage of the bill.

“From our years of campaigning for the passage of the FOI Act, this we know for certain: Without decisive support from the President and the leadership of the House of Representatives, the bill will not pass,” Lazatin said, citing the statement of the coalition.

He said the President made them believe that the daang matuwid would lead to the passage of the FOI bill.

“On at least two occasions before he took oath as President, he promised that the passage of the FOI bill will be among his administration’s priorities. Aquino is turning out to be no better than his predecessor on FOI,” he said.

In 2011 the Philippines joined

the Open Government Partnership, a multilateral initiative led by the US that aims to secure concrete commitments from governments to scale up transparency, accountability and public participation.

“Now entering into the final months of his term, the Philippines remains the only one of the eight founding members of the OGP that have enacted the FOI Act. We have not seen credible proof of his [President Aquino] personal push for the measure,” Lazatin added.

Nepomuceno Malaluan, coconvener of the coalition, said while the FOI bill will again see its death— this time in the hands of President Aquino and the House leaders—the coalition’s fight for an effective, working and living FOI lives on.

“For us this fight will now take the road of FOI practice. In the past year, the coalition has already been systematizing the coordination and documentation of experience in our information requests relating to our respective advocacies,” he said.

“We will scale this up to include administrative and judicial interventions to address the problems that we thought Congress, with decisive push from the President, would address though a comprehensive and progressive legislation. In this fight, we will also engage the constitutionality mandated independent accountability institutions, such as the Civil Service Commission, the Commission on Audit (COA) and the Office of the Ombudsman.”

Malaluan said the coalition will use the FOI practice to bring to the surface the real cause why the country’s politicians have defaulted, copped out, or resisted the passage of the FOI Act all this time.

“As starting point, we are revisiting the 2007 to 2009 COA audit of the PDAF [Priority Development Assistance Fund]. We demand that the COA and the agencies that implemented the PDAF projects afford us access not just to the main audit report, but also to all the underlying paper trail to transaction that the COA has found anomalous, so that the people may fully see how we were defrauded of public funds,” he added.

news@businessmirror.com.ph

South China Sea patrols no threat to any country, US Admiral Harris says

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he US’s Pacific Fleet commander vowed in a Beijing speech to continue patrols in waters claimed by China in the South China Sea while emphasizing common ground with the country.

The US Nav y’s freedom-ofnavigation patrols were intended to prevent the erosion of international law and shouldn’t be construed as a threat to any country, Adm. Harry Harris told a Peking University crowd, according to a text of the speech. The South China Sea won’t be an exception to the US military’s policy of operating wherever the law allows.

The USS Lassen’s patrol last week within 12 nautical miles of an artificial island built by China, underscored the strategic competition between the two Pacific powers.

While the patrols were probably welcomed by smaller Southeast Asian countries who feel China is encroaching on their own claims, they also risked escalating security tensions in shipping lanes vital to the global economy.

“Some pundits predict a coming clash between our nations. I do not ascribe to this pessimistic view,” Harris said. “While we certainly disagree on some topics — the most

PAL. . .

public being China’s claims in the South China Sea and our activities there —there are many areas where we have common ground.”

Harris later met with Gen. Fang Fenghui, chief of the People’s Liberation Army General Staff, who said the US patrol near China’s islands had created a “disharmonious atmosphere for our meeting and this is very regretful.”

“Since ancient times the South China Sea islands have been Chinese territory and we are resolute in our determination and will to safeguard our sovereignty and maritime rights,” Fang said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Lu Kang said last week the Lassen’s patrol “threatened China’s sovereignty and national interest, endangered the safety of the island’s staff and facilities, and harmed the regional peace and stability.”

Harris, who has described China’s island-building efforts as “creating a great wall of sand,” emphasized cooperation between the two sides.

He said he continued to have candid and personal conversations with Chinese military commanders and cited current port visits by Chinese naval vessels in Florida and California as examples of cooperation.

Bloomberg News

Continued from A1

can seat 370 passengers.

With clever marketing tie-ups and an aggressive push among the Filipino community, partnerships with the Department of Tourism (DOT ) in sponsoring trips to the Philippines of the UK-based media, and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to boost the carrier’s corporate accounts, the route has improved immensely, he said.

PAL has also been able to sell the route as the fastest to Australia with a better time slot in Heathrow, leaving London at 10:20 p.m. and arriving in Manila at 8:05 the next day. With just a two-hour layover in Manila, passengers from the UK can be in Sydney by 9:30 a.m. the next day, or stay overnight to enjoy the nightlife in Manila, before flying off to Sydney at 11 a.m., the next day. PAL now flies daily to Sydney, and with different frequencies flies to Brisbane, Melbourne, Cairns and Darwin. It also flies to Auckland via Cairns.

So from about 90-percent Filipinodominated flights, Cochrane said “now that has changed completely. Now you have a very split mix of people.

You have missionaries traveling to the Philippines, herds of backpackers, you have families going down to Australia or families going for weddings with their wedding dresses over their shoulders...our flight crew from London says the profile of passengers is now changing.”

He explained PAL’s marketing strategy further: “What we’ve done is we’ve segmented our markets; so we’ve split the market into the Filipino community and we do a lot of work with them.

And you know, Filipinos are very proud to fly PAL, and they’re very very loyal.

So we’re very loyal also to them, we try to do as much activity with them whether they’re having charity auctions and we give them tickets and we sponsor things because we want to be very involved. So the Filipino community is a huge chunk [of the London market].”

He added, “we have a very close relationship with the DOT in London and we work closely with them as well. We’ve hosted some trips out to the Philippines. We had a press trip and they measured the number of views per article, they were 2.27 million views, so it’s huge!

We’ve also hosted tour operators currently not selling the Philippines, out to the Philippines and let them experience it. We took them to Manila, to Bohol, to Bora-

cay, to El Nido, and they all had an amazing time. Now they’re really, really supportive of PAL and the Philippines, as well.”

But he underscored that marketing to tour operators “is a very long process because it ties in with numerous elements like hotels, transpotation and these things. But we’re really hoping this year, we can push a lot more tour operating products.”

Cochrane said though ideally, flights between Manila and London should be daily. But the airline is not deterred, he said, as the current status of five flights a week allows it to market Manila, and the rest of the Philippines as a destination itself to its UK and Australian travelers.

“They stay overnight in Manila, they have a nice time, you get them to come back. We’re using the stopovers as a springboard to visit the other parts of the Philippines,” he stressed, and with the wide route network of PAL, these passengers can go to Boracay, Cebu, Bohol, Palawan, among others.

One other market segment that PAL is developing are the backpackers. “Most people in the UK go to university, and then kind of do their first year, and then do their degree, then they leave and go traveling the world for a year or two years. We call it a ‘gap year,’ and we’re focusing a lot on that.

Because if you can get those people to go, and generally they’re under 25 and they’re popular on social media, and they use this as a promotional tool. For us, it’s a platform we can use.”

Another segment is the corporate business, he said, trying to attract UK company executives out to Manila.

“We’re working very closely with the DTI, they’re really, really trying to do a lot to help us. We’re being very competitive in our pricing. We’re focusing on Hong Kong as a corporate sector, as well and also most of our Australian cities—Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane.

We’re very aggressive on our pricing in the corporate maket. It’s been a slow start but its growing.”

He added that another market is “the marine traffic, which is the oil and gas industry, and ships’ crew.

And of course 20 percent of marine traffic originates in the Philippines.

So we’re really working very hard to get that segment.”

PAL, he added, is considering more tie-ups with regional carriers in Europe.

It currently has a special partnership agreement with British Airways to take PAL passengers from London to other European countries.

The Nation BusinessMirror

news@businessmirror.com.ph

Editor: Dionisio L. Pelayo • Wednesday, November 4, 2015 A3

Groups, senator file charges vs DOTC, airport execs over ‘tanim-bala’ racket

T

By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz

WO groups and a senator on Tuesday filed a complaint before the Ombudsman against the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and airport officials over the tanim-bala racket at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia). See related story on B6 Volu nteers A ga i n st C r i me and Corruption (VACC) Chairman Dante Jimenez, Network of Independent Travel Agents (Nitas) Chairman Robert Lim Jose ph a nd Sen. A l a n Peter Cayetano accused Transportation Secretar y Joseph Emilio A. Abaya, Manila International Airport Authority General Manager Jose Angel Honrado, Office of Transportation Security Administrator Roland Recomono and Director Pablo Francisco Balagtas of the National Police Aviation Security Group of violation of Executive Order (EO)

abaya

honrado

226, or the Institutionalization of Doctrine of Command Responsibility in All Government Offices, particularly at all levels of command in the National Police and all government agencies.

The complainants also asked that the respondents be suspended pending investigation of the complaint.

“If our officials cannot solve these issues fast and ensure the safety and well-being of the people they were sworn to protect, then I see no point in making them remain in office. They should be dismissed and removed from their posts,” Cayetano said.

Jimenez, on the other hand, asked the Ombudsman to conduct its own investigation “to determine the extent of administrative and criminal liability of all the respondents and mete out penalties accordingly on the basis of the acts complained of, without prejudice to any finding of criminal liability and civil liability to the victims.”

Moreover, the complainants also asked the Ombudsman that, “in the event of a finding of neglect of duty under the principle of command responsibility under EO 226, the respondents Abaya, Honrado, Recomono and Balagtas be dismissed from office.”

House probe

AT the House of Representatives, several resolutions seeking to in-

vestigate, in aid of legislation, the tanim-bala racket at the airport.

In House Resolution (HR) 2477, Party-list Reps. Neri Colmenares and Isagani Zarate of Bayan Muna said that, with the trend of illegal activities prevailing over the country’s ports, complementing the, likewise, rampant instances of smuggling in the country, the current issues surrounding the tanim-bala scheme ultimately put into question the government’s efforts to protect the commuters and Filipino overseas workers.

Under the tanim-bala extortion scheme, perpetrators allegedly plant a round of ammunition or two in passengers’ luggage, “framing the hapless passengers for violation of Republic Act 10591, or the law governing the possession of firearms and ammunition, after having “extracted” the bullets from their luggage, and subject them to various forms of intimidation to force them to pay up in order to avoid the hassle of missing flights,” the resolution said.

The legislators said patterns of irregularities were also observed with regard to the conduct of terminal authorities in handling the cases.

In HR 2475, National Unity Par-

ty Rep. Magnolia Rosa AntoninoNadres of Nueva Ecija said that the growing incidents of tanim-bala in the bags of local and foreign travelers and overseas workers at Naia have sparked widespread public condemnation through the print and broadcast media and socialnetworking sites.

“The serious efforts of the government to make the Philippines as one of the tourist destinations in the world will be put in jeopardy if this laglag-bala racket will continue unbated with impunity,” she said.

Scan Naia personnel

THE chairman of the House Committee on Metro Manila Development, Liberal Party Rep. Winston Castelo of Quezon City, asked the Manila International Airport Authority to subject all Naia employees to metal detector scanning upon their entry into their work stations.

Castelo said that the screening of Naia personnel would ensure that no one else would be committing the tanim-bala scheme.

“It is unthinkable why our balikbayan countrymen, who know for a fact that bullets will not escape detection, would subject themselves to

such trouble and inconvenience. So, we can logically conclude that they were victims of this sinister plot of planting bullets in their luggage at our airport,” Castelo said.

Liberal Party Rep. Karlo Alexei Nograles of Davao City asked the Department of Justice to conduct a special inquiry on the tanim-bala issue in order to get to the bottom of this extortion racket that has victimized hundreds of travelers, many of whom are overseas contract workers.

Nograles said there is a need to conduct an inventory of all past arrests due to alleged confiscation of ammunition and seek a review of all cases that were filed in court, including those that were already given judgment by regional trial courts.

Party-list Rep. Jonathan de la Cruz of Abakada, meanwhile, said that the only way for the Aquino administration to be able to get into the bottom of the issue is to remove Honrado and allow independent probers to investigate this scheme.

Party-list Rep. Raymond Democrito Mendoza of TUCP, on the other hand, called on Honrado to volunterily resign to spare the Presi-

Economy

A4 Wednesday, November 4, 2015 • Editors: Vittorio V. Vitug and Max V. de Leon

BusinessMirror

news@businessmirror.com.ph

TMAP vows to sustain online ‘Black Payday Friday’ protest

W

By David Cagahastian & Butch Fernandez

ith the resumption of congressional sessions on Tuesday, the Tax Management Association of the Philippines (TMAP) reiterated its call for income-tax reforms and rallied supporters to continue their online protest until Congress passes the proposed tax reforms.

is being overcollected from them under the current system,” Bello said.

Admittedly, there would be some foregone revenues to the government but the return of the purchasing power to the middle class would have a bigger impact on economic growth than the government’s hard-line stand to keep collecting taxes on their “captured taxpayers” which are the salaried workers whose taxes are withheld from source.

According to University of the Philippines School of Economics professor Dr. Stella Luz Quimbo, the adjusting of the tax brackets could result in about P50 billion, not P30 billion as projected by the government, in foregone tax revenues.

But Quimbo said the government is already losing as much as P66 billion in uncollected taxes from self-employed individuals like lawyers, doctors and businessmen, who are able to skirt the tax laws through fraudulent deductions on their gross income.

Quimbo recommended that to be able to collect taxes from the self-employed individuals, there should be a fixed tax scheme for self-employed such that they would be required to pay a minimum amount of tax if their net taxable income should fall disproportionately low to their social status because of the numerous deductions on their gross income.

Quimbo, who is the wife of House Committee on Ways and Means Chairman Miro Quimbo, said there is an urgent need to broaden the tax base which should behoove members of Congress to adjust the income-tax brackets.

In a news statement, TMAP said “While this proposal only involves that their group and supporters of the updating of the tax brackets and the income-tax reforms will continue is not what TMAP, along with other their online protest every 15th and business groups that supported the 30th day of the month to coincide Unity Statement on Income Tax Rewith paydays until Congress and form, originally had in mind, TMAP President Aquino finally approved believes that this will immediately the tax-reform measures. alleviate somehow the plight of sala The so-called Black Payday Friday ried individuals who are overtaxed protest was organized by TMAP to under the current system,” TMAP’s drum up support for the income- tax statement said. reform proposals which have already TMAP President Terence Conrad been watered down by the leaders of Bello said the current tax brackets no Congress as a compromise with Mr. longer reflect the true income of the Aquino who vowed to veto the protaxpayers, resulting in a regressive posals. The protest was done through system of taxation which is contrary posting on Facebook and Twitter the to what the Constitution prescribes. call for tax reforms to make people “The government is able to continuaware of its benefits and the adminisously raise higher and higher taxes tration’s efforts to block such reforms. over the last 19 years simply because The compromise consists of the of inflation, rather than improved tax updating of the income-tax brackets administration, and the only way to corwhich imposes the highest tax rate rect this is to bring back the real value Philippines - Secrecy Score of 32 percent on a taxable income of tax brackets to their 1997 level. This Chart 1 - How Secretive?

Secrecy Refining e-tax filing system of more than P500,000 and doing should not Scorebe viewed as a decrease in IN a related development, Maaway with the proposed lowering tax revenues by the government. This lacañang said tax officials continue to of the tax rates for the meantime. only seeks to return to taxpayers what Moderately 31-40 secretive

RepoRt

Rank: 46

63

Slowest inflation in 641-50 yrs felt by poor Pinoys in51-60 Q3

...

continued from a1

on

report, please contact us at info@taxjustice.net

Villar confident Senate will approve bill raising SSS pension by P2,000

S

philippines

Philippines does not maintain company ownership details in official records ited years of service and P2,400 for

those with 20 credited years of service. As of April 2015, the average penKEY ASPECTS OF CORPORATE TRANSPARENCY REGULATION – Philippines sion is P3,169.

In sponsoring committee Public Company Ownership: Does the relevant authority make details of ownershipthe of companies available on public record online for free, or for less than US$10/€10? report on the bill on August 26, 4 Philippines does not require that company ownership details are publicly available Villar said, “It online is a sad reality that majority of retired workers in our Public Company Accounts: Does the relevant authority require that company accounts are made available country rely solely on their monthly for inspection by anyone for free, or for less than US$10/€10?

5 pension for their upkeep.”

Philippines does not require that company accounts be available on public record ”On a daily basis, it would barely for their sustenance.

Country-by-Country Reporting: Are all companies required to publishcover country-by-country financial TRANSPARENCY OF BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP – Philippines We must also consider that many reports?

6 Banking Secrecy: Does the jurisdiction Philippines have bankingdoes secrecy? not require public country-by-country financial reporting by companies of them, given their old age, may Philippines partly curtails banking secrecy even have maintenance medicines and special requirements that add Trust and Foundations Register: Is there a public register of trusts/foundations, or are trusts/foundations EFFICIENCY OF TAX AND FINANCIAL REGULATION – Philippines prevented? to their daily living expenses,” Philippines partly discloses or prevents trusts and private foundations she added.

Fit for Information Exchange: Are resident paying agents required to report to the domestic tax Recorded Company Ownership: Does administration the relevant authority obtain and keep updated details of the Villar was also quick to shoot information on payments to non-residents? beneficial ownership of 7 companies? down tax theauthorities proposal of SSS to inPhilippines does not require resident paying agents to tell the domestic about payments Philippines does not maintain company ownership details in official records to non-residents crease members’ contribution from 11 percent to 15 percent to be able KEY ASPECTS OF CORPORATE TRANSPARENCY REGULATION Philippines Efficiency of Tax –Administration: Does the tax administration to usefund taxpayer identifiershike for analysing the pension up to year information efficiently, and is there a large taxpayer unit?

8 2042.

PNA Public Company Ownership: Does the relevant authority make details of ownership of companies Philippines does not use appropriate tools for efficiently analysing tax related information

Phl secrecy rules of little use to transnational hoodlUms 63.06%

RepoRt

on

philippines

the third quarter of 2009 when inflation was at 0.2 percent.

61-70 The PSA said inflation for the bottom 30 percent of households was recorded at 2.1 percent in the second quarter of 2015 and 6.8 percent in the same quarter last year. 71-80 Philippines KFSI-Assessment “This was mainly attributed to the annual decline posted in the fuel, light and water (FLW) index. Slower annual in1 creases observed in the indices of all the other commodity 81-90 2 groups during the quarter also contributed to the downtrend,” 3 4 - Secrecy Score the PSA said.

Philippines 63 Chart 1 - How Secretive?

Exceptionally secretive 5 Secrecy 91-100 Data showed FLW prices posted a contraction of 7 percent Score 6 in the third quarter. This decline was also supported by the 7 slower growth of the heavily weighted food and beverage Moderately 8 31-40 index to 1.1 secretive percent.

9 The food alone index settled to 1 percent from 3.1 percent.

10 11 41-50 This was largely due to the 1.6-percent contraction in rice prices 63.06% 12 nationwide. Chart 2 - How Big? 13 In Metro Manila or the National 51-60 Capital Region (NCR), 14 commodity prices contracted 1.8 percent in the third quar15 ter of 2015.

Last quarter it was pegged at -0.161-70 percent. It grew by 6.8 Continued from A1 percent in the third quarter of 2014. huge “This was primarily effected by the double-digit annual Philippines KFSI-Assessment 71-80 Sources Notes Lina and said at a discussion on Monday that the decrease in the FLW index during the quarter. Lower annual 1 bank-secrecy law should be lifted to help the growths were also noted in the indices of all the other com81-90 2 The ranking is detect based onsmuggling a combination of its secrecy government activities even modity groups except in housing and repair [H&R] index,” 3 score and scale weighting (click here to see our full 4 by so-called registered importers. the PSA explained. large methodology). secretive 5 HongKongandSingaporehaveincreasedtheir Data showedExceptionally FLW and FBT prices in 91-100 Metro Manila contracted 6 ranking for score financial the Chinese 13.9 percent and 0.3 percent, respectively.

7 The secrecy of 63secrecy, per cent with for Philippines has 8 territory rising to No. 2 behind only Switzerland The food alone index in the NCR contracted 0.4 perbeen computed by assessing its performance on 15 small 9 in 2015 index of the world’s(KFSI), offshore cent during the quarter from a growth of 1.8 percent Keya Financial Secrecy Indicators listedhavens on the 10 in right.

11 compiled by the TJN. the previous quarter.

12 tiny of rice KFSI Asian is explained in more detail, here.made inChart 2 - due How Big?contractions in the price Each Both financial hubs have This was largely to the at 13 sufficient reforms to their corporate secrecy 3.5 percent; eggs index, 4.1 percent; fish index, 2 percent; meat 14 Green indicates full compliance on the relevant 15 regimes, according to the London-based TJN, index, 1.4 percent; and miscellaneous foods index, 0.1 percent.

Philippines accounts for less than 0.1 per cent of indicator, meaning least secrecy; red indicates nonwhich campaigns for greater in Inflation the in global Areas market Outsideforthe National Capital Region offshore financial services, compliance (most secrecy); andtransparency yellow indicates finance.

Singapore’s ranking moved to fourth (AONCR) eased to 0.5 percent in the third quarter, also due to making it a tiny player compared with other secrecy partial compliance. huge from the fifth place it held in the organizacontractionsjurisdictions. in the prices of FLW. This paper drawsindex on datainsources regulatory tion’s previous 2013,including when Hong Kong Last quarter the annual growth was 2.1 percent, while itNotes was and Sources reports, legislation, regulation and news available placed third. posted at 6.8 percent during the third quarter of 2014. The ranking is based on a combination of its secrecy of 31.12.2014 (with the of KFSI 13 for score and scale weighting (click here to see our fullexception Readdeclined more by 6.8 percent in the third quarter as “Singapore, in fourth place, poses many of The FLW index large methodology). which the cut-off date is 31.05.2015). → Full data the same threats that Hong Kong does: a lack of of the year. Lower annual increments were seen in all the other → Philippines on TJN Blog to itsiscorporate secrecy regime; commodity groups.

The secrecy scoreserious of 63data perreforms cent for Philippines has Full on Philippines available here: http://www. → Full Methodology been computed by assessing its performance on 15 country-by- counafinancialsecrecyindex.com/database/menu.xml lack of interest in creating A slower annual rate of 1 percent was seen in the food alone small Key Financial Secrecy Indicators (KFSI), listed on the try reporting or in creating public registries of index in AONCR in the third quarter. In the previous quarter, right. © Tax Justice Network 2015 - 9.10.2015 All background data for allthe countries can be found tiny Each KFSI is explained in more detail, here. beneficial ownership,” TJN said. it picked up by 3.1 percent. on The the Financial Secrecy Index website: http://www.

two cities each account for about 4 per The rice index registered a 1.6-percent decrease in the third If you have any feedback or comments on this Green indicates full compliance on the relevant financialsecrecyindex.com the global market quarter, Philippines as 11 regions had negative rates.

Moreover, other re- meaningcent accounts for less than 0.1 per cent of indicator, leastof secrecy; red indicates non-for offshore financial report, please contact us at info@taxjustice.net globalannual market for offshore financial services, compliance (most secrecy); and indicates said. The hubs are services, the yellow organization gions hadthelower growths. making it a tiny player compared with other secrecy partial compliance. well exposed to offshore flows because of rising University of the Philippines School of Statistics Dean Denjurisdictions. assets under management nis Mapa earlier explained that the poorest Filipinos areThis very paper draws on data sources including regulatory and their status as regulation and news hubs, availableaccording to the TJN. regional financial sensitive to food prices. This, he said, can be seen in thereports, dif- legislation, as of 31.12.2014 (with the exception of KFSI 13 for more The US was ranked third for secrecy by the ference inRead the inflation felt by all households and the inflation which the cut-off date is 31.05.2015). → Full data TJN for its refusal to take part in a global sysexperienced by the bottom 30 percent, or the poorest Filipinos. → Philippines on TJN Blog Full data on Philippines available here: http://www. temisfor exchanging bank data created by the He explained that the weight of food in the basket of goods → Full Methodology financialsecrecyindex.com/database/menu.xml Organization for Economic Co-operation and used for the computation of the inflation experienced by the © Tax Justice Network 2015 - 9.10.2015 All for background data for all countries With can be found News Development.

Bloomberg poorest 30 percent is 70 percent, as against 39 percent on the Financial Secrecy Index website: http://www. all the households.

If you have any feedback or comments on this financialsecrecyindex.com

Rank: 46

refine the electronic filing (e-filing) in World Bank’s methodology accounted system, allaying fears that tedious, for the decline in the Philippines’s ranktoo-frequent payment schedules ing. But an officer of the World Bank’s compound the burden of high rates.

International Finance Corp. said their Responding to questions on what economists had taken into account: Not just the sheer number of laws the Executive is doing about the Phil or regulations in place, but how effecippines’s six-notch decline in the latest en. Cynthia Villar on Montively they are implemented; World Bank Ease of Doing Business The number of days and steps it day expressed optimism that

report—where economists who did the Senate will approve a bill takes to start up a business, and susthe report cited the 36 days in a year granting the P2,000 across-thetain operations with periodic requirespent by businessmen for making payboard increase in the pension of ments; ments—Secretary Edwin Lacierda said The too-frequent payment sched1.9 million Social Security System

payments the Bureau of Internal Rev(SSS) members. ules—which could have been extendenue (BIR) have substantially been fastVillar, chairman of the Senate ed to semestral or annual instead of tracked with the e-filing’s adoption.

Committee on Government Corpomonthly or quarterly —that drain “There has been progress since 2010 rations and Public Enterprises, said hundreds of manhours from small on ease of doing business,” Lacierda among the priority legislations in the and medium enterprises (SMEs). said. He added that Internal Revenue resumption of session is House Bill However, concerned government Commissioner Kim Jacinto-Henares 5842, which seeks to amend Section officials questioned the latest World had pointed out to him that the 36 12 of Republic Act 1161, or the Social Bank report released last week which payments cited in the World Bank reSecurity Act of 1997. showed the Philippines drop six port pertain to various items [involv“We will have the votes. Majorplaces in its Measuring Regulatory ing several agencies], with one day ity of senators support this measure Quality and Efficiency report. for profit-tax payments; 25 for laborbecause we all believe that what our It measured the ease or difficulty related payments; and another 10 for pensioners receive after working for for SMEs to do business in at least 189 sundry requirements.

20 years or more, is definitely inadeconomies all over the world.

“If you’re going to talk about tax equate and not sufficient to cover For instance, it was reported that specifically for the BIR, we have done the rising cost of living,” Villar said. the BIR required payments more electronic filing of tax,” Lacierda said, The bill is principally sponsored frequently, costing SMEs precious noting that even the World Bank report

by Villar, and cosponsored by Senmanhours. mentions that electronic payments can ate President Pro Tempore Ralph G. This prompted Sen. Francis Esbe done in one day.

Recto, Senators Teofisto Guingona cudero to suggest that the Aquino “So, when it comes to electronic III, Francis Escudero, Ramon Revilla government take immediate steps filing, Commissioner Henares said we Jr., and JV Ejercito. Same bills were to make tax payment easier for small continue to find ways to improve our also filed by Senators Ferdinand entrepreneurs and self-employed Filsystem,” he stressed.

Marcos Jr., Jinggoy Estrada, and ipinos comprising the second largest The Philippine government, which TRANSPARENCY OF BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP – Philippines Antonio Trillanes IV. class of workers in the country. has repeatedly touted governance Does the jurisdiction have banking secrecy?

In June the House of Representaalso wants Congress to reforms that made1 possible Banking its GDPSecrecy: Escudero Philippines partlycraft curtails bankinglegislation secrecy tives passed the bill on third reading. remedial addressing growth record and credit upgrades The pension hike will benefit the tax issue, saying it was not just from international agencies, was takTrust and Foundations Register: Is there a public register of trusts/foundations, or are trusts/foundations SSS pensioners who have worked about lowering tax rates but simen aback last week2by the World Bank prevented? and plifying tax-payment procedures to report on Ease of Doing Business that Philippines partly discloses or prevents trusts and private foundations remitted premiums for 10 to 20 years. encourage compliance among micro, showed its rank slipping six places.

Recorded Company Ownership: Does the relevant authority obtainThe andminimum keep updated detailsisofP1,200 the pension small and medium enterprises), as An official of the country’s competifor members with at least ten credwell of ascompanies? self-employed professionals. tiveness council said3numerousbeneficial changes ownership

1 2

3

4

available on public record online for free, or for less than US$10/€10?

Philippines does not require that company ownership details are publicly available online

Palace still hopeful of Bangsamoro law passage

Avoids Promoting Tax Evasion: Does the jurisdiction grant unilateral tax credits for foreign tax

5

9 Does the relevant Public Company Accounts: authority require that company accounts are made available payments? for inspection by anyone for free, or forPhilippines less than US$10/€10? avoids promoting tax evasion via a tax credit system Philippines does not require that company accounts be available on public record

6

Harmful Legal Vehicles: Does the jurisdiction allow cell companies and trusts with flee clauses?

Country-by-Country Reporting: Are all companies required to publish country-by-country financial 10 Philippines partly allows harmful legal vehicles reports?

Philippines does not require public country-by-country financial reporting by companies INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS AND COOPERATION – Philippines

EFFICIENCY OF TAX AND FINANCIAL REGULATION – Philippines

7

Anti-Money Does jurisdiction complytaxwith the FATF recommendations?

Fit for Information Exchange: Are resident payingLaundering: agents required to the report to the domestic 11 on payments administration information to non-residents?

Philippines partly complies with international anti-money laundering standards Philippines does not require resident paying agents to tell the domestic tax authorities about payments to non-residents

M

Automatic Information Exchange: Does the jurisdiction participate fully in multilateral Automatic

8 9 10

11 12

13

14

15

alacaÑang remains hopeful that Congress will pass the proposed Bangsamoro basic law (BBL) which Bilateral Treaties: Does the jurisdiction have at least 53 bilateral treaties providing for information Avoids Promoting Tax Evasion: Does the jurisdiction grant unilateral tax credits for foreign tax exchange upon request, or is it part of the European Council/OECD convention? aims to promote peace and developpayments?

13 As via of a31 sharing agreements complying with ment especially in Mindanao.

Philippines avoids promoting tax evasion taxMay, credit 2015, system Philippines had less than 53 tax information basic OECD requirements Presidential Spokesman Edwin Harmful Legal Vehicles: Does the jurisdiction allow cell companies and trusts with flee clauses?

Lacierda was optimistic on BBL pasPhilippines partly allows harmful legal International vehicles Transparency Commitments: Has the jurisdiction ratified the five most relevant international sage as Congress resumed its session treaties relating to financial transparency?

14 on Tuesday.

Philippines has ratified less than five of the most relevant international treaties relating to financial INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS AND COOPERATION – Philippines “We would like to believe that transparency Anti-Money Laundering: Does the jurisdiction comply with the FATF recommendations? each and every legislator whether Philippines partly complies with international anti-money laundering standards Does the jurisdiction cooperate with other states on money laundering International Judicial Cooperation: in the House [of Representatives] or and other criminal issues?

15 the Senate is for peace,” he said in a Automatic Information Exchange: Does the jurisdiction participate fully in multilateral Automatic partly cooperates with other states on money laundering and other criminal issues Information Exchange via the CommonPhilippines Reporting Standard?

Palace press briefing on Tuesday.

Philippines partly participates in Automatic Information Exchange Lacierda believed that legislators would deliberate on the provisions of Bilateral Treaties: Does the jurisdiction have at least 53 bilateral treaties providing for information exchange upon request, or is it part of the European Council/OECD convention? the proposed Bangsamoro law and 1 As of 31 May, 2015, Philippines had less than 53 tax information sharing agreements complying with eventually enact the measure. basic OECD requirements “Certainly, we are discussing with International Transparency Commitments: Has the jurisdiction ratified the five most relevant international our allies in Congress and the House treaties relating to financial transparency? the need to discuss and deliberate on Philippines has ratified less than five of the most relevant international treaties relating to financial transparency the BBL,” he said.

“It’s important for us that the BBL International Judicial Cooperation: Does the jurisdiction cooperate with other states on money laundering as a measure be the means of operaand other criminal issues?

Philippines partly cooperates with other states on money laundering and other criminal issues tionalizing peace and development in Muslim Mindanao,” the Palace official added. PNA Information Exchange use via taxpayer the Common Reporting Standard?

12 Efficiency of Tax Administration: Does the tax administration identifiers for analysing Philippines information efficiently, and is there a large taxpayerpartly unit? participates in Automatic Information Exchange Philippines does not use appropriate tools for efficiently analysing tax related information

1

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Investigate unspent OCD calamity fund–lawmaker

By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz

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leader of the House of Representatives has recently filed a resolution to probe the underutilized calamity fund of the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD).

In House Resolution 2474 filed late Monday, Visayan Bloc Leader Rep. Alfredo Benitez of Negros Occidental, citing the Commission on Audit’s 2014 annual report on OCD, said the Quick Response Fund accumulated to a huge amount of P923 million as of December 2014 was not utilized and idle in the bank.

“The report also cited that out of the P466 million foreign and local donations received by the NDRRMC [National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council] for various disaster in 2008, only P81 million or 17 percent had been disbursed since last year. The bulk of the fund comes from the donations received for [Supertyphoon] Yolanda [victims], which amounts to P137 million, but the OCD had only released P38.7 million thereby leaving a balance of P98.2 million as December 2014,” Benitez said.

The lawmaker, citing the same audit report, said the total balance of P384.9 million from the P466 million donated funds should have already been remitted to the Bureau of Treasury since it has not been utilized for more than a year.

“The severity of the effects of the recent calamities to our fellowmen had been witnessed not only by the nation but the entire world, as well. Most of

the victims are still trying to rebuild their lives after their traumatic encounters with the recent calamities,” Benitez said.

In November 2013 the Philippines was hit by Yolanda, which was one of the strongest typhoons that the country has ever seen, damaging millions of homes and resulting in the loss of thousands of lives.

“For Yolanda alone, the National Housing Authority [NHA] reports that there is still a balance of 112,574 housing units that needs to be constructed [in] order to fulfill the 205,128 housing units requirements. Two years after the devastation, the completed housing units only totals 16,000 housing units. The NHA also reported that out of the P60billion funding requirement of NHA, only P26.9 billion had been released by the DBM [Department of Budget and Management] and that P4.3 billion of which was released only in September of this year,” the lawmaker added.

According to Benitez, the unutilized calamity funds represents the victims that were deprived of government assistance because of inefficiencies in the bureaucracy cannot be tolerated that merits an investigation.

“The Philippine government set aside funds and received a huge amount of donations from international development organizations and from other countries, and it is the duty of Congress to oversee the utilization of frontline agencies to donated funds as well as ensure that calamity under spending will not occur,” he said.

Wednesday, November 4, 2015 A5

Metro Cebu road map to boost city’s GDP fifteenfold by 2050–Jica study

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By Cai U. Ordinario

he completion of projects under the Metro Cebu road map can boost Cebu City’s GDP by 15 times in 2050, according to the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica).

Based on Jica’s recently completed Road map Study for Sustainable Urban Development in Metro Cebu, the city’s GDP per capita is expected to grow more than $20,000 in 2050, almost the same as South Korea’s level in 2010.

Metro Cebu’s GDP is also projected to rise by 8.3 percent annually between 2010 and 2020; 7.8 percent a year from 2020 to 2030; and then 5.8 percent every year from 2030 to 2050.

“We hope that the Philippine government will approve the road map in the same way that they supported the Infrastructure Roadmap for Mega Manila,” Jica Chief Representative in the Philippines Noriaki Niwa said.

“The study showed that Central Visayas can become a leading growth

center in the country, and, therefore, has the potential to sustain the Philippines’s economic gains, and jobs for Filipinos,” Niwa added.

Under the Metro Cebu road map, Jica said there will be 10 flagship projects for implementation until 2020 and 14 anchor programs to be implemented by 2050.

The road map is composed of seven subroad maps namely the Metropolitan Competitiveness Enhancement; Urban Structure and Land Use; Highway Network and Public Transport; Water Supply, Storm Water and Wastewater Management; Solid Waste Management; Smart SRP (South Road Properties) Development; and Metropolitan Governance.

These projects will create an estimated 1 million jobs by 2050. This is

crucial since the labor force population in Metro Cebu in terms of share of population is much higher than the national average.

Jica, through the study, found that the total labor force in Metro Cebu is 1.42 million, or 62 percent of the population, higher than the national level of 58 percent.

The study area covers Metro Cebu consisting of the seven cities of Cebu, Danao, Mandaue, Lapu-Lapu, Talisay, Naga and Carcar; and the six municipalities of Compostela, Liloan, Consolacion, Cordova, Minglanilla and San Fernando.

The Metro Cebu road map study was initiated in 2013 by the Metro Cebu Development and Coordinating Board in collaboration with Jica and Yokohama City, Japan.

The study conducted to attain the Mega Cebu Vision 2050, the city’s blueprint for sustainable economic development.

The vision aims at a vibrant, equitable, sustainable and competitive environment that embraces Cebu’s creativity and its cultural, historical and natural resources, with strong citizen participation and responsive governance, the study stated.

Niwa, likewise, cited the support and cooperation of Cebu stakeholders in finalizing the road map. He un-

derscored the need to “immediately start working on flagship projects under the Metro Cebu road map.”

“We are also expecting that the road map will be supported by future administrations,” Niwa added.

Metro Cebu is the second largest metropolis in the country with a population of 2.55 million in 2010, and is considered the economic center of the central region of the country.

The gross regional domestic product of Central Visayas increased to P56,500 per capita at constant 2000 price in 2012, at an annual growth rate of 7.9 percent.

Jica said the growth of Central Visayas’s economy was driven by all three economic sectors, which recorded higher annual average growth rates than those of the Philippines.

While the industry sector grew significantly between 2009 and 2012, Jica said it only increased employment by 0.7 percent annually, compared to 2.7 percent and 4.2 percent of the primary and tertiary sectors, respectively.

Due to this, poverty persists in Central Visayas and Cebu Province, where nearly 30 percent of the regional population and about 23 percent of the provincial population are considered poor.

House urged to pass salary-, wage-hike measures for govt and private workers

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S session resumed on Tuesday, a party-list lawmaker urged the leadership of the House of Representatives to pass pending measures raising the salaries and wages of workers in the public and private sectors.

Party-list Rep. Fernando Hicap of Anakpawis said the two pending measures are House Bill (HB) 253, or the P125 hike in the minimum wage, across the regional wage board for workers in the private sector; and HB 3015, or the P6,000 increase in the monthly minimum pay of employees and workers in the public sector.

“We all know that the Filipino worker is submerged in deep poverty and hunger, and so we challenge the house leadership to help facilitate the passage of the bills wage increase,” Hicap said.

The lawmaker, citing the Nationa l Wages and Productivity Commission, said the highest among minimum wage levels is that of the National Capital Region, which is at P481, while the lowest is in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao at P250.

He added that in the Greater Manila areas, the minimum wage for Central Luzon is at P349 and for Calabarzon, P362.

Hicap said that based on government data, poverty incidence in the population increased from 24.6 percent to 25.8 percent from 2013 to 2014, while on families from 18.8 percent to 20 percent. Compared to government projected population, the increase was about 1.6 million Filipinos or with families living under the threshold P8,778 per month.

“The number of poor Filipinos has continuously increased despite the government’s setting of a much lower threshold and contrary to the rosy picture that it has been trying to project that the workers who earn a minimum could make ends meet for their family and they are not considered poor,” Hicap said.

According to the lawmaker, Filipino workers’ families are enduring the rising cost of living, such as food, housing, education and other basic needs.

He said that food items registered an inflation rate 3.25 percent to 5.6 percent from 2012 to 2015, while prices of rice increased about 17 percent to 29 percent from 2010 to 2014. Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz

DOE’s Monsada: 120 days too short to craft CSP guidelines

By Lenie Lectura

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Just around the corner A man passes along a sidewalk

teeming with Christmas trees made from twigs in Las Piñas City. Vendors say they expect brisk sales from shoppers after Halloween, as Filipinos start to buy Yuletide decorations and with Christmas just around the corner. ALYSA SALEN

DOH launches new program to eradicate malnutrition in conflict-, disaster-hit areas

By Estrella Torres

T

HE Department of Health on Tuesday gathered more than 200 health workers at the Citystate Tower Hotel in Manila for the launch of a program to eradicate malnutrition particularly in areas hit by either conflict or natural disasters.

Health Assistant Secretary Maria Bernardita Flores said health workers are in the front-line of the government’s program to address malnutrition and should encourage breast feeding to prevent infant malnutrition.

The Philippines ranked ninth in the world with the highest number of children suffering from stunted growth.

Flores said since 2013, at least 30 percent of children below 5-years-old had “stunted” growth.

Flores said stunting ref lects an

even serious problem than malnutrition. “It means that since inception, the unborn child is already suffering from malnutrition.”

She said health workers attending to mothers and children in evacuation centers should not accept infant formula as donation, instead encourage mothers to breastfeed their babies.

“Even wearing t-shirts of these milk brands and use of their giveaways are not allowed since it violates the Milk Code, or Executive Order 51, that promotes breastfeeding,” Flores said in an interview at the launch of “Conquer Malnutrition” held at Citystate Tower Hotel in Manila.

She said health workers should not allow nursing mothers in evacuation center and poverty-stricken areas to use infant formula donated by multinational milk companies.

She said besides lack of clean potable water in evacuation centers, the availability of infant formula discourages mothers to breastfeed their babies.

The health official said the 1,000 days to combat malnutrition project requires a total P800-million budget to cover 56 cities and towns with high rates of malnutrition.

The program will officially start in January 2016 with an initial allocation of P250 million.

She said the program is set to cover the whole province of Sulu where malnutrition incidence is highest.

“In order to make a dent in our nutrition situation,we must continue to do things that work,” said Flores, adding the need “to prioritize the first 1,000 days of life as the window of opportunity to improve the nutrition of the next generation children.”

he proponent of the Competitive Selection Process (CSP) admitted on Tuesday that the 120-day time frame for the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to craft the implementing guidelines (IG) is not enough.

Energy Secretary Zenaida Monsada said after the ceremonial switch on of the 100-kilowatt solar rooftop project between the PNOC-Renewable Corp. and Philippine Hearth Center that the Department of Energy’s (DOE) circular is “complicated.”

Monsada said it was after the series of public consultations conducted by the DOE early this month when the agency realized that the October 27 deadline could not be met. “Based sa public consultation, madami pa talagang dapat himayin, masyado complex ang circular,” she said in an interview.

For instance, she cited the complexity of tapping a third party to conduct the auction. “Almost all of the terms in the CSP need to be defined,” she said, adding that aside from the IG, there must be mechanisms in place to successfully carry out the process.

The DOE circular mandates all distribution utilities and electric cooperatives to bid out their power requirements instead of entering into bilateral contracts.

The ERC, in its draft rules, said the tasks of the third party are to develop the CSP design for the power supply agreements (PSAs); develop bidders’ qualification criteria; draft and propose the CSP rules; develop and propose the PSA template; and manage the conduct of the CSP up to the award and execution of the PSAs. Monsada said she will meet with the ERC on November 4 to decide if a partial set of IG should be issued. “We have a working draft and both the DOE and the ERC are exchanging comments on this. We, at the DOE, are on the policy side while the ERC tackles the regulatory side. We have to marry these,” she said when asked what to expect after meeting.

Under DOE Circular 2015-06-008, the ERC has 120 days, or until October 27, from issuance of the policy to release the rules governing the CSP. But it was the DOE that requested a meeting with the ERC before any announcement is made by both agencies.

However, the meeting could not take place prior to the October 27 deadline because Monsada attended a business trip.

Monsada replaced former Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho L. Petilla, who signed the controversial DOE circular before he left office in June.

“We will defer any announcement on the CSP as we prepare for the meeting requested by the DOE secretary,” ERC Chairman Jose Vicente Salazar said in a text message on October 28.

The ERC chief could also not say if the IG would be issued right after the meeting. However, Salazar assured that there would be “an appropriate announcement on the matter will be made after the said meeting is held.”

A6 Wednesday, November 4, 2015 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

Opinion BusinessMirror

editorial

On BPO and OFW once again

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ast week this space noted with great elation the emergence of the business-process outsourcing (BPO) industry as a major sector in our economy, creating enormous employment opportunities for our working people. It was noted that while the overseas Filipino workers (OFW) sector pushes away toward foreign shores our working people, exporting their labor power, the BPO industry generates jobs right here in our own country, not only in the industry itself but in related industries as well, like construction, office equipment and furniture, restaurants and hotels, etc.

The medical tourism program will be in the same category as the BPO industry if we can only give it the attention that it deserves. It can attract affluent foreign senior citizens to our country, make them use not just the services of our medical professionals like doctors, nurses and technical aides, but the services also of our medical facilities, as well as the services of various cultural institutions in our society.

The BPO and allied industries will have the potential of earning more foreign exchange than our OFW sector upon whose remittances our economy has become increasingly dependent for the stimulation of our GDP. These industries have the virtue of keeping our people at home, giving them jobs right here in our own country, instead of dislocating them to foreign assignments.

There is additional encouraging news about the BPO industry. To quote a recent report: “A 50-percent loss of work force in India’s BPO industry—worth an estimated $25 billion—to foreign competitors has led to job gains in countries like the Philippines. Over the last decade, the Philippines has emerged as an important market for most global companies due to the availability of a sizable work force that is young, educated and English-speaking. These three key factors have given the Philippines a competitive advantage over Vietnam, Thailand and even India, one of the most preferred countries for the outsourcing business.”

One important consequence of this expansion of the BPO and allied industries is that it can result in the gradual shrinkage of the OFW sector, as is our policy preference, as our compatriots working abroad respond to job opportunities right here at home.

From the report it is clear that to sustain our competitive advantage in the BPO field, we need to retain, and further enhance, our ability in the English language. The English language is the lingua franca of the developed world today. Right now it is also the password to employment in the BPO industry in the Philippines.

From the time the Americans established colonial rule in the Philippines at the turn of the previous century, we have been using English as the medium of instruction in our educational system. We have developed proficiency in it. Without neglecting our great Spanish heritage but taking it up with pride from the great heroes of our race, let us strengthen our ability in the English language as we move forward. It is the basis of our competitive advantage over our neighbors.

Peaceful passing Susie G. Bugante

All About Social Security

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ast weekend Filipinos across the country flocked to memorial parks and cemeteries during All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day to visit beloved relatives and friends who have passed away. Known as the Undas holiday, or Todos los Santos, it is a tradition that marks the onset of November every year, with families braving the heavy traffic, heat and humidity, and throngs of people in cemeteries to honor their dearly departed in this special time of the year.

Undas is a celebration of life and death. It is a time when families get together and tell stories of their dearly departed for the benefit of the new generation of family members. It is also a time when we are reminded of our own mortality and how short life really is. It is a period for reflecting on how we can ensure that our loved ones will remain secure after we are gone.

Along with sickness, maternity, disability and old age, death is among the financial contingencies covered by the Social Security System (SSS).

The SSS offers death and funeral benefits under the regular Social Security (SS) Program, as well as the Employees’ Compensation (EC) Program which provides additional financial support for work-related sickness, injury and death.

SS funeral benefits, which serve as reimbursement for the individual who shouldered the burial expenses of a member, range from P20,000 to P40,000. The computed SS funeral benefit is higher if the SSS member pays contributions at a higher monthly salary credit and for a longer period, while the EC funeral benefit for eligible work-related claims is fixed at P20,000.

A s for death benefits, the dependent legal spouse, who is the primary beneficiary, is entitled to a lifetime SSS pension if the deceased member has paid at least 36 monthly contributions. In the absence of a dependent legal spouse and based on the hierarchy of legal heirs, a member’s parents, siblings or designated beneficiary can also claim a lump-sum amount as SSS

Bancassurance strategy Atty. Dennis B. Funa

INSURANCE FORUM Part two

Regulatory challenges

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he challenge of regulators is how to assist bancassurance while at the same time protecting consumer interests.

One concern is mis-selling or selling a product which is not appropriate for the client. There are some criticisms on bancassurance. One of these is that bancassurance does not really cater to most of the banks’ clientele, thus not at all capturing the attention of bank customers. Sean Rowley, managing director for Asia of ReMark stated, “Most bank customers fall within the low- to middle-income bracket, but bancassurance in its current form is not catering for these customers.”

Bancassurance models There are several bancassurance structure models that may be adopted by the bank and insurer.

Among these are: a) a financial conglomerate; b) the captive insurance company; c) a joint venture; and d) a distribution agreement. Each one brings its own benefits. A distribution agreement or a partnership is without any equity ownership and

“is based entirely on an exclusive or nonexclusive agreement to sell the insurer’s products.” In a distribution agreement, “a bank agrees to distribute insurance products produced and serviced by an insurance company.” Banks may or may not be prohibited from entering into a bancassurance agreement with only one insurance company. In Poland, for example, banks may enter into a

death benefit. Up to five minor children of the member are also given monthly dependent’s pension until they turn 21, get married, start employment or die. Lifetime pension is granted to dependent’s pensioners who are unable to support themselves due to physical or mental disabilities.

SSS members are advised to ensure that their membership record is in order to facilitate the speedy release of their SS and EC benefits instead of waiting for financial contingencies to occur before updating their SSS records— or worse, leaving this burden of establishing facts as beneficiaries after they passed away.

For example, members must inform the SSS of changes in their beneficiaries when they get married or have children by submitting an accomplished SSS Member’s Amendment (E-4) form along with supporting documents such as copies of marriage certificate or their children’s birth certificates from the National Statistics Office.

Members must check the accuracy of their records and in case of discrepancies, have these corrected while they still can to avoid delaying the processing of benefits. These discrepancies could be erroneous names or birth dates, or a date of SSS coverage that comes after the month of their first posted contribution.

Unpaid SSS loans must also be settled, lest the outstanding principal

and interest would be deducted from the amount of death benefit.

A convenient way of verifying the details of their SSS membership is by enrolling at the SSS web site (www. sss.gov.ph), which gives members a secure electronic access to their SSS records.

Following the death of a member, beneficiaries can help ease the processing of death and funeral benefits by submitting the complete and proper forms and documents to the SSS. Since only one person can apply for the SSS funeral benefit, the designated claimant must make sure that the submitted receipts for burial expenses are in his or her name. In lieu of receipts, the claimant can also submit an affidavit of burial-related expenses, including incidental costs such as buying snacks for visitors attending the wake.

Death in the family is never a pleasant experience, but the family’s pain can be alleviated somehow when preparations are duly made for a peaceful passing.

bancassurance agreement with more than one insurance company. In a financial conglomerate or an Integrated Bancassurance Model, the bank (or insurance company) is an integrated subsidiary of the insurer (or bank). In certain cases, a holding company owns both the bank and the insurance company.

The fact remains that there are no fixed ways by which banks and insurers may enter bancassurance. It has been noted that the “best way of entering bancassurance depends on the strengths and weaknesses of the organization and on the availability of a suitable partner if the organization decides to involve a partner.”

AXA holds 12-percent market share of the total premium income. It is engaged in both bancassurance and agency distribution with about 70 percent attributable to bancassurance. Philippine AXA is in partnership with Philippine Savings Banks and the Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co. BPI Philam, on the other hand, has 9 percent of the market share. It is the strategic partnership between Philam Life and the Bank of the Philippine Islands. Sun Life Grepa Financial Inc. is a bancassurance company joint venture between Sun Life Financial (Philippines) and Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. Manulife China is a bancassurance joint venture company between China Bank and Manulife Philippines. A recent entrant is FWD Life which entered into an exclusive bancassurance agreement with Security Bank Corp.

In terms of regulation, bank employees are prohibited from making presentations of insurance products.

As a relaxation of this rule, the Insurance Commission has allowed the “preliminary” presentation of insurance products. It has been noted, however, that bank employees, in other jurisdictions, have been allotted a share in the commissions, by as much 15 percent, for providing “warm leads.”

Philippine experience

IN the Philippines, as of 2013, bancassurance accounts for 45 percent of all sales in the industry, an astonishing figure. In 2014 bancassurance companies accounted for about 34 percent of the total premium income.

As of 2014, of the 31 life and composite companies, six are engaged in bancassurance. These are: Philippine AXA, BPI Philam, Sun Life Grepa Financial, Generali Pilipinas, Manulife China Bank Life Assurance Corp. and PNB Life. Their combined total premium accounted for 34 percent of the market share. Philippine

For more information about the Social Security System (SSS) and its programs, call our 24-hour call center at (632) 920-6446 to 55, Monday to Friday, or send an e-mail to member_ relations@sss.gov.ph.

Susie G. Bugante is the vice president for public affairs and special events of the SSS. Send comments about this column to susiebugante.bmirror@ gmail.com.

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Cyber threats and security Lights out in the West Teddy Locsin Jr.

Kent Marjun Primor

Driving Momentum

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ust as economic integration continues to be a global trend that promotes borderless trade, the emergence of digitalization creates a virtual community with advantages and risks— speedy, transparent and spontaneous transactions resulting to higher growth trajectory on one hand, and a phenomenon of security nightmare due to online vulnerabilities and risks, such as phishing scams, data thefts, malwares and Trojan horses that can devastate large volumes of systems and data on the other hand.

The endless virtual connectivity has proven to be beneficial to the Philippines, for instance, as evidenced by the contribution to GDP share of the information technologybusiness-process outsourcing sector and its employment-generation capacity or as terrifying as those experienced by Sony, where hackers caused the leakage of data estimated to be $35 million in foregone revenues, as well as the hacking of eBay’s 145 million records and Home Depot’s 56 million records in 2014.

Hence, it is incumbent for us to be digitally protected and virtually secured in an abyss of online transactions and the Internet domain.

State of cybersecurity in the Philippines

IN the third quarter of this year, the Department of Science and Technology-Information and Communications Technology Office briefed the members of the visiting delegation from the Finnish Information Security Cluster (FISC) and provided an overview of the state of cybersecurity in the Philippines. Four priority areas have been identified to promote strategic information and communications technology (ICT) systems in the country. These include the infusion of ICT into all areas and levels of society to drive socioeconomic development (E-Society); utilize ICT to improve government services, operation and capabilities (E-Government); ensure growth of industries through public-private partnerships (E-Innovation); and ensure cyberspace security (Cybersecurity). These priority areas are carried by eight major programs for 2015, notably the steeping up of value chain, e-Filipino, ICT-enabled start-ups, national connectivity, ICT ecosystem, e-civil servants, egovernment and next wave cities.

All of which are integrated in the Philippine Digital Strategy and the E-Government Master Plan.

Thus, it can be surmised that the Philippines is on track toward a digital economy. Even its more than 100 million population are becoming more sophisticated to ICT-enabled products and services. As of 2014, there are at least 39 million Internet users accounting to 1.35-percent share in world Internet usage and more than 50 million mobile-data subscribers.

Business megatrends utilized ICT in almost all facets of operation, as well as academe and the government. In short, security and data protection are of paramount consideration for a rising tiger economy.

This was the same message articulated by FISC, where Finland strategized a national approach to cybersecurity and invested a hefty premium to their IT infrastructure frameworks. The Finnish government has implemented cybersecurity strategy, which is an element of the overall security strategy for society in keeping the management of government affairs, defense capability, internal security, infrastructure and economy, and population safe from any form of cyber attacks. They have institutionalized a decree that mandates every ministry to deal with cybersecurity issues. Iceland has another version; they had created a special cybersecurity council and a regular cybersecurity forum made up of private and public entities to look over telecommunication, financial systems, utilities, transportation, health and universities. Almost all sectors are integrated to their national security

The Philippines needs to have a Department of Information and Communications Technology. We are the only country in Asean that does not have a ministry dedicated to developing ICT as a pivotal industry for national development. Currently, 80 percent of countries around the world have a separate ministry.

Free fire

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he express reports that a 12-year-old Syrian Christian boy was crucified after having his fingertips chopped off

by Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis) because the boy and 11 other Syrians would not renounce their Christian faith.

The boy’s dad was told that the torture would stop if the family converted back to Islam. The family refused so they were butchered as they shouted the name of Jesus in the faces of their killers.

One of the women looked up and seemed to be almost smiling as she said the name.

There goes yet another international prize escaping us. First, the Nobel Peace prize for a nothing not to say pernicious Bangsamoro basic law; next the canonization of real life martyrs right before our eyes instead of by hoary speculation.

A group of Christian aid workers, including two women aged 29 and 33, were beheaded. The women were first raped in front of a crowd that was summoned to watch.

All the forms of killing and torture are sanctioned nay insisted upon by

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Sharia law, the same law this government—and Western governments— want to impose on our brothers and sisters in Muslim Mindanao because half a billion dollars went missing from the Malaysian prime minister’s $2-billion stash so it is probably in their pockets.

Thousands of Christians have been tortured and killed in Syria and Iraq by Isis; the rest are fleeing into Europe. Of the 1.1 million Christians in Syria, when the Assad Dynasty was in complete control of the country, 700,000 have fled the war that was started according to a plan to turn post-Assad Syria into an Israeli protectorate.

In neighboring Iraq, Christian numbers have dropped from 1.5 million to 200,000—and still running to the sea to perish there. There is a war against Christianity, aided and abetted by the West, which is trying to stop a massive Russian-Iranian rescue mission of the beleaguered

A7

Christians. That mission is killing Isis like flies and does Russia get any praise for it? Even Kissinger, who supported the Khmer Rouge rather than see North Vietnam triumphant in Cambodia, as well, argues for not obstructing the Russian endeavor.

The reason that Pope Francis is from Latin America rather than North America, and the next pope will be from Africa, and after him from Asia, is that the light is going out all over Europe and the rest of the West; the light of Christianity. The old roadside crosses and the rough carved statues of Mary and the saints have been replaced with Sunni Saudi gas pumps and automated teller machines as places of passing worship and perennial supplication. The only thing missing is the official relocation of Christian centers, like Westminster Abbey to Seoul and the Vatican to somewhere in Latin America or Asia or Africa. The fraud of Western Christianity will end.

plans, which are reviewed annually.

Of course, strengthening legislation and tackling cyber crime go hand in hand with their strategy on capacity building and increasing resilience.

Passage of DICT

The legal framework of ICT in the Philippines emanates from two executive issuances (Executive Order 810 and Administrative Order 39) and two statutory enactments, which include the Data Privacy Act of 2012 (Republic Act [RA] 10173) and the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 (RA 10175). As of this time, RA 10173 remains to be unimplemented due to lack of implementing rules and regulations. If the four priority areas are to be aggressively pursued, then it is incumbent for the government to have a cabinet-level department solely devoted to ICT as various business associations, in many occasions, expressed support for its passage.

The Philippines needs to have a Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT). We are the only country among the Asean-6 who does not have a ministry dedicated to developing ICT as a pivotal industry for national development, whereas 80 percent of countries around the world have a separate ministry. E-Government and E-Society can best be achieved with DICT. Look at the case of Estonia. The E-Estonia Council is even chaired by their prime minister with the ministers of economic affairs, education, trade, president of Estonian Association of IT and Telecommunication (counterpart of our Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines), and representatives of private sectors. Estonia leads the world in e-government initiatives.

Over the next decade, their population is projected to increase by 600 percent because of “e-residents”— people who sign up for digital cards and signatures who can make investments in Estonia, create jobs there, stimulates trade and commerce, and contribute to overall economic development. This is indeed a concrete example of public-private sector collaboration to ensure growth and security of businesses and people.

Clearly, the takeaway in all of these developments is for the Philippines to be decisive, firm and aggressive in undertaking efforts toward achieving inclusive growth.

The creation of DICT is a road toward this direction. A forthcoming digital economy needs to have an agency that will ensure its security and protection against all kinds of risks and threats. Finally, if everyone so remembers, DICT is long overdue.

It used to be the twin bill of Data Privacy Act, but look where it is today.

If others have done it, why can’t we?

Kent Marjun Primor serves as the market research and communications specialist at the Nordic Business Council of the Philippines. For comments and inquiries, direct it to kent.primor@ nbcp.com.ph.

China should dethrone its GDP target

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hina’s leaders have been busy lately, finalizing the country’s new five-year plan. The details won’t be announced for a while, but most observers aren’t much interested in the fine points anyway. They’ll focus on the new target for growth in GDP—which seems likely to be around 6.5 percent, lower than before but still higher than many economists think is realistic.

The fixation on the growth target is a mistake for observers and China’s policy-makers alike. The government should do all it can to promote rapid sustainable growth—but now that China is a semicapitalist economy, what that number turns out to be is beyond official control.

Many commentators—Western and Chinese—have long thought China should just drop the target altogether. Pressure to meet the number drives local officials to pump up wasteful investment, adding to an aggregate debt pile that’s approaching 300 percent of GDP, according to McKinsey. Outright fudging of data is another by-product. This undermines the government’s credibility and fuels concern that the economy’s problems are worse than they look.

Setting a lower and more plausible target would help, but it wouldn’t address the main issue.

Scrapping the GDP target outright would be best, but failing that, it ought to be de-emphasized.

T he government has already moved in this direction. In its previous five-year plan, it drew attention to other benchmarks,

aimed at measuring the quality rather than quantity of growth.

Goals for green development—cutting emissions, improving energy efficiency, increasing the use of renewables—were meant both to protect the environment and to encourage the shift from smokestack industries to services.

Another way to emphasize the quality of growth is to track progress on indicators, such as employment and social housing. These give a better sense of how ordinary Chinese are faring. Party leaders could underline the message by relying on such measures when assessing local officials. The latter need to know their promotions depend on factors more closely connected to their performance.

Other intermediate targets could help restructure the economy and improve how capital is allocated.

The government has started asking state banks to lend more to smalland medium-sized enterprises, for instance, many of which are privately owned and more efficient than the state-run behemoths that have traditionally vacuumed up the bulk of

cheap loans. More capital needs to flow to firms earning high returns.

Something else worth targeting is inflation. A more explicit monetarypolicy goal would strengthen China’s broader policy framework and help the People’s Bank of China fend off deflation fears. It would also help make the central bank’s decisions more transparent and predictable— increasingly important as China moves to open up its financial system.

Intermediate targets of this sort are less likely to become fetishes, or to distract policy-makers and officials from the tasks at hand. Fuller

discussion of means, as well as ends would be valuable, too. How exactly will welfare benefits be extended to more urban migrants, for instance, or stronger land rights granted to farmers? Which new sectors will be liberalized, and when? How will the central government make the fiscal position of local governments truly sustainable?

Economic targets, correctly conceived, are framed to serve a larger purpose. Enshrining them as ends in themselves—especially in the form of a single disobedient number—is asking for trouble. Bloomberg View

37th Year of Catholic Mass Media Awards (CMMA)

F

Communicating the Family: A Privileged Place of Encounter with the Gift of Love

or this year’s 37th Catholic Mass Media Awards, the CMMA Foundation received a total number of 803 entries in 60 mass media categories in the broad fields of print, radio, television, advertising, music, the Internet, and Student CMMA. Of these, exactly 284 made it as finalists. Sixty judges in the different mass media categories awarded prizes to 58 winning works. The theme for this year’s CMMA is “Communicating the Family: A Privileged Place of Encounter with the Gift of Love” based on the message of Pope Francis for World Communications Day last January 24.

The CMMA holds its 37th anniversary and Awards Night still wrapped in the afterglow of the pastoral visit of Pope Francis to the Philippines in five days in early January. Many

of the winning media works were in fact all about the visit, encompassing works across the mass media categories.

The CMMA was established in 1978 by the late Jaime L. Cardinal Sin, then Archbishop of Manila, as the means by which the Church pays tribute to those who “serve God by means of the mass media.”

The winners will be known during the awards program on November 4, 2015, Wednesday, 5 p.m., at the Star Theater, Star City, CCP Complex, Sottto Street Pasay City.

For the fifth year now, what used to be known as the Best Film Award for cinema has been replaced by a Students’ Choice Award for Best Movie. The entries were endorsed by the CBCP Cinema, the film classification and rating board of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, and

viewed by student leaders from different schools, who made the final selection of the best movie.

The CMMA judges are chosen by the board of trustees and confirmed by the Archbishop of Manila. Named for their integrity, competence and impartiality, they include communication professionals, academicians, civic and religious leaders and members of the clergy.

For this year’s CMMA, there will be a Hall of Fame Award for a media practitioner who has won five times, not necessarily in consecutive years, in the CMMA regular media categories.

About three years ago, the CMMA raised the requirement for eligibility to the Hall of Fame from the former three wins. The Hall of Fame Awardee will be announced during Awards Night.

Following is the list of finalists to the 37th CMMA:

2015 cmma finalists PRINT Category BEST BUSINESS COLUMN n ALL IN THE FAMILY—QUEENA LEE-CHUA

PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER n BUSINESS MATTERS—FRANCIS J. KONG

THE PHILIPPINE STAR n WHY DIVERSITY IS STILL A BUSINESS CHALLENGE

JAMES MICHAEL LAFFERTY

THE PHILIPPINE STAR

BEST CHILDREN’S MAGAZINE n MUSTARD: SOWING SEEDS OF FUN AND FAITH—

SHEPHERD’S VOICE PUBLICATIONS, INC. n BACKPACK—REX CROWN PUBLICATIONS, INC. / CMN ASIA-INC. n THE BREAD BASKET—REX CROWN PUBLICATIONS, INC.

CMN ASIA-INC. BEST EDITORIAL CARTOON n JUSTICE SECRETARY DE LIMA’S DILEMMA ON NAPOLES AFFIDAVIT IMPLICATING SENATORS AND CONGRESSMEN—

GILBERT DAROY / PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER n POPE FRANCIS BREAKS THE ICE BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES’ OBAMA AND CUBA’S CASTRO—GILBERT DAROY

PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER

n RISING FROM THE RUBBLE: BOHOL & CEBU, ONE YEAR AFTER— J. VESTIL, P. FELICITAS, L. CANTALEJO, G. DALIPE, F. GITGANO, R. CUIZON,

K. LAGUNDA, E. BAQUERO, R. BASILAN, L. PINILI & J. AWIT / SUN.STAR CEBU n YOLANDA: YEAR ONE—D. MARU, F. GITGANO, E. BAQUERO, L. CANTALEJO, O. PINEDA, R. BASILAN, J. VESTIL, L. PINILI, J. GALOLO, K. CACHO / SUN.STAR CEBU n SAF COMMANDOS RECALL 24-HOUR ORDEAL—CHRISTINA

MENDEZ / THE PHILIPPINE STAR BEST NEWS PHOTOGRAPH n PARADE OF SAINTS—JOJO RIÑOZA / MANILA BULLETIN n WALL OF HOPE—LYN RILLON / PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER n REAL MEN DO CRY—LYN RILLON / PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER n DARK DAY—RAFFY LERMA / PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER n SIGN OF INDEPENDENCE—RAFFY LERMA / PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER n BRINGING LIGHT TO DARKNESS—JOAN BONDOC

PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER n SLEEPING IT OFF—NIÑO JESUS ORBETA / PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER n FATHERS’ FIRST EMBRACE—JOAN BONDOC / PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER n AS FAR AS THE EYES CAN SEE—REM ZAMORA

PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER BEST SHORT STORY n RISING FROM THE PIT—KEN LESLIE / WORLD MISSION n THE “RIGHT GIRL”—FR. REMO P. BATI, SDB / WORD & LIFE

BEST FAMILY-ORIENTED MAGAZINE n WORLD MISSION—COMBONI MISSIONARIES OF THE HEART OF JESUS n FAMILY MATTERS—DON BOSCO PRESS, INC. n THE MESSENGER OF DIVINE LOVE—WORD & LIFE PUBLICATIONS n KERYGMA MAGAZINE—SHEPHERD’S VOICE PUBLICATIONS, INC.

BEST YOUTH MAGAZINE n A POPE NAMED FRANCIS—COMMUNICATION FOUNDATION FOR ASIA n WORD & LIFE—WORD & LIFE PUBLICATIONS n FISH MAGAZINE, THE ZANY SIDE OF LOVING GOD—SHEPHERD’S VOICE PUBLICATIONS, INC. n CROSSROADS—REX CROWN PUBLICATIONS, INC. / CMN-ASIA, INC.

BEST LOCAL COMMUNITY/ PARISH NEWSPAPER n ST. JOHN BOSCO TODAY—SALESIAN SOCIETY OF ST. JOHN BOSCO n THE WINDHOVER—PHILIPPINE JESUIT AID ASSOCIATION,

SOCIETY OF JESUS IN THE PHILIPPINES n THE FILIPINO CONNECTION—THE FILIPINO CONNECTION

PUBLICATION, INC.

BEST NEWS COVERAGE n COVERAGE OF THE PAPAL VISIT—L. ZULUETA, C. ESGUERRA, T. SANTOS, TJ BURGONIO, DJ YAP, L. SALAVERRIA, J. UY, N. BURGOS, C. FERNANDEZ & INQUIRER VISAYAS BUREAU / PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER n COVERAGE OF THE BENHUR LUY FILES—NANCY CARVAJAL

PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER n END OF THE LINE FOR VELOSO—P. BRAGO, A. CALICA, E. PUNAY, M. SY, C. MENDEZ, P. ROMERO, H. FLORES, M. JAYMALIN, & J. MATEO THE PHILIPPINE STAR n CITY OF CHILDREN—IRIS CECILIA GONZALES / THE PHILIPPINE STAR BEST OPINION COLUMN n WILL SOON FLOURISH—WILSON LEE FLORES / THE PHILIPPINE STAR n NEW BEGINNINGS—BUM D. TENORIO, JR. / THE PHILIPPINE STAR n PUBLIC LIVES—RANDY DAVID / PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER n STRAIGHT A—MA. ABBY GENEVIEVE PEÑAFLORIDA / PANAY NEWS n HUMMING IN MY UNIVERSE, LOVE ABUNDANTLY—JIM PAREDES

THE PHILIPPINE STAR

BEST SPECIAL FEATURE n PAPAL POWER: POPE FRANCIS IN THE PHILIPPINES—STARGATE

MEDIA CORP. / PEOPLE ASIA n FIVE YEARS LATER: REMEMBERING CORY—STARGATE MEDIA CORP.

PEOPLE ASIA n DAYS OF HOPE—MAAN D’ASIS PAMARAN / STARSTUDIO MAGAZINE n THE PEACEMAKERS—FERNANDO DEL MUNDO / PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER n SAVING NEW BORN BABIES, ONE EMBRACE AT A TIME—CHING

ALANO / THE PHILIPPINE STAR BEST COMIC STORY n THE PEOPLE’S POPE—ORLY AQUINO / SACRAMENT OF LOVE

FOUNDATION, INC. n ANG HALAGA NG PAGTITIWALA—ORLY AQUINO / THE BREAD BASKET n HIGIT ANG MAGKALOOB—BEN GREGORY AQUINO / THE BREAD BASKET n SIKRETO NG BUHAY NA KUNTENTO—ORLY AQUINO /THE BREAD BASKET n GAYA NG TRIGO—ORLY AQUINO / THE BREAD BASKET BEST CHILDREN’S SHORT STORY n ANG KUNEHONG KASKASERO AT ANG PAGONG NA BALAGONG—

AHWEL PAZ - KATHA PUBLISHING, INC. n ANG KUWENTO NG PAMILYANG ALUPIHAN—BIMBO PAPASIN &

REGINA F. SILVA / KATHA PUBLISHING, INC. n ISANG HARDING PAPEL—AUGIE RIVERA / ADARNA HOUSE & EDSA

PEOPLE POWER COMMISSION n MIKHOL, THE CEDAR TREE—FR. ARMAND D. ROBLEZA, SDB / DON

BOSCO PRESS, INC. n SIGNAL NUMBER 3—LUIS P. GATMAITAN, MD. / OMF LITERATURE, INC. n DON’T TAKE MY COLORS AWAY—MARY ANN A. ORDINARIO / ABC

EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT CENTER / CHILDREN’S BOOKS, INC. n SUPERHERO NIO—CHRISTINE BERSOLA-BABAO

KATHA PUBLISHING, INC. BEST ENTERTAINMENT COLUMN n MEDIA & YOU—MARI-AN SANTOS / CROSSROADS n HEALING HEART—ILSA B. REYES / CROSSROADS BEST INVESTIGATIVE REPORT n MISSIONARIES IN CHINA: REINVENTING THE MISSION—MANUEL

AUGUSTO / WORLD MISSION n FISH IN TROUBLED WATERS —LIBERTY A. PINILI & CHERRY ANN T.

LIM / SUN.STAR CEBU

SPONSORED BY:

STUDENT CATEGORY BEST STUDENT ORGAN - GRADE SCHOOL n HASIK—LA SALLE GREEN HILLS n LUNTIANG PANULAT—LA SALLE GREEN HILLS n THE CENTRAL POINT—CARMONA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL n TINIG DAYALOGO—FR. LUIGI CABURLOTTO SCHOOL BEST PUBLIC SERVICE RADIO AD n MAKINIG, SUMUNOD—COLEGIO DE SAN JUAN DE LETRAN n KILALA MO PA BA?—COLEGIO DE SAN JUAN DE LETRAN n NANAY, TATAY—COLEGIO DE SAN JUAN DE LETRAN n GUPIT—COLEGIO DE SAN JUAN DE LETRAN n NOON AT NGAYON—COLEGIO DE SAN JUAN DE LETRAN n AND THESE THY CLICKS—COLEGIO DE SAN JUAN DE LETRAN n YAYA—ADAMSON UNIVERSITY BEST LITERARY PUBLICATION n THE GREENERY—LA SALLE GREEN HILLS n XANADU—LA SALLE GREEN HILLS n LA RECOGIDA—SIENA COLLEGE OF TAYTAY n TAMPIPI DIYES—PALAWAN TECHNOLOGICAL COLLEGE, INC. n THE GUILDS LITERARY FOLIO—BATAAN PENINSULA STATE UNIVERSITY BEST STUDENT ORGAN - HIGH SCHOOL n ANG BAKULO—ST. AUGUSTINE SCHOOL n LEGACY—ST. PAUL COLLEGE, PARAÑAQUE n THE AUGUSTINIAN HERALD—COLEGIO SAN AGUSTIN - BIÑAN n ANG GONZAGAN—ST. ALOYSIUS ACADEMY OF DASMARIÑAS n THE MAKATI SCIENCE VISION—MAKATI SCIENCE HIGH SCHOOL BEST PUBLIC SERVICE PRINT AD n MIKMIK—COLEGIO DE SAN JUAN DE LETRAN n MOTHER AND SEED—COLEGIO DE SAN JUAN DE LETRAN n LARONG PINOY—COLEGIO DE SAN JUAN DE LETRAN n THE MURDERER—COLEGIO DE SAN JUAN DE LETRAN n SALAT—FIRST ASIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND HUMANITIES n MANO PO—PAREF NORTHFIELD SCHOOL FOR BOYS BEST TV PRODUCTION n MAESTRO BASURERO—PAMANTASAN NG LUNGSOD NG MAYNILA n HATAW—PAMANTASAN NG LUNGSOD NG MAYNILA n SA NGALAN NG KAUNLARAN—ST. SCHOLASTICA’S COLLEGE, MANILA n HATAW SA KATAHIMIKAN —COLEGIO DE SAN JUAN DE LETRAN n GOLD IN RICE—ST. SCHOLASTICA’S COLLEGE, MANILA BEST STUDENT ORGAN - COLLEGE n SENSUS COMMUNIS:THE LATHE JOURNAL—BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY n CROSSROADS: EXCALIBUR—HOLY CROSS OF DAVAO COLLEGE n LAVOXA BROADSHEET—DE LA SALLE LIPA n THE VARSITARIAN—UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS n THE BOSUN—UNIVERSITY OF ASIA AND THE PACIFIC n THE BARRISTER—SAN BEDA COLLEGE OF LAW n THE GUILDS—BATAAN PENINSULA STATE UNIVERSITY BEST PUBLIC SERVICE TV AD n LUPANG SINILANGAN—COLEGIO DE SAN JUAN DE LETRAN n YAKAP—FIRST ASIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND HUMANITIES n SALUBONG—FIRST ASIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND HUMANITIES BEST SHORT FILM n ANG BABAE NG PAKYAOAN—ST. SCHOLASTICA’S COLLEGE, MANILA n ANG KINABUHI NI JAYSON—HOLY CROSS OF DAVAO COLLEGE n THE POPE FRANCIS EFFECT—MATER REDEMPTORIS COLLEGE

MUSIC category BEST INSPIRATIONAL ALBUM n MERCY AND COMPASSION—JESUIT COMMUNICATIONS

FOUNDATION, INC n I AM EVER WITH YOU—JESUIT COMMUNICATIONS FOUNDATION, INC n WE ARE ALL GOD’S CHILDREN—JAMIE RIVERA / STAR MUSIC n THE HUMBLE LAMB—ALLAN ARGONZA PUNO n GRACIOUS MERCY—FR. RAUL CAGA, SVD / ARCOM BEST INSPIRATIONAL SONG n I AM EVER WITH YOU—ARNEL AQUINO, SJ/ HIMIG HESWITA / JESCOM n LUMAPIT KA LANG—NOEL CABANGON / JESCOM n OUR DEAREST POPE—JAMIE RIVERA / STAR MUSIC n WE ARE ALL GOD’S CHILDREN—JAMIE RIVERA W/ HAIL MARY THE

QUEEN CHILDREN’S CHOIR/ STAR MUSIC n IN YOUR HANDS—SARAH GERONIMO / VIVA RECORDS CORP. BEST MUSIC VIDEO n SHINE PILIPINAS—ENRIQUE GIL & LIZA SOBERANO / STAR RECORDS n BULAG, PIPI, BINGI—LANI MISALUCHA / STAR MUSIC n WE ARE ALL GOD’S CHILDREN—JAMIE RIVERA / STAR MUSIC n ONE SHOT—GLOC-9 / IXM BEST SECULAR ALBUM n ALL ABOUT LOVE—YENG CONSTANTINO / STAR MUSIC n PERFECTLY IMPERFECT—SARAH GERONIMO / VIVA RECORDS CORP. BEST SECULAR SONG n THANK YOU ANG BABAIT NINYO—LYCA GAIRANOD, DARREN ESPANTO, JUAN KARLOS LABAJO, DARLENE VIBARES / STAR RECORDS n PAPA FRANCISCO, MABUHAY PO KAYO!—JAMIE RIVERA / STAR MUSIC n IPAGPATULOY MO, GALING NG PILIPINO—GARY VALENCIANO FEAT.

GAB VALENCIANO / STAR MUSIC n ISANG LABAN, ISANG BAYAN—QUEST &YENG CONSTANTINO / STAR MUSIC INTERNET CATEGORY BEST WEBSITE n www.worldmissionmagazine.com—WORLD MISSION PUBLICATIONS n www.kchonline.ph—KNOWLEDGE CHANNEL FOUNDATION, INC. n www.onebillionstories.com—ONE BILLION STORIES ADVERTISING CATEGORY BEST PRINT AD - BRANDED n BE FULLY INFORMED, TEACHER—MANILA BULLETIN / BBDO GUERRERO n EARTH DAY—MANILA BULLETIN / BBDO GUERRERO n SALU-SALO ‘WAG SOLO-SOLO—LORENZANA FOOD CORP.

IDEASXMACHINA ADVERTISING, INC. BEST PRINT AD - PUBLIC SERVICE n #PRAYPAMORE LOVE OF GOD STICKERS—MALAKING MUNTI FOUNDATION / IDEASXMACHINA ADVERTISING, INC. n PARE OKAY MAGING PARI—MALAKING MUNTI FOUNDATION / IDEASXMACHINA ADVERTISING, INC. n GAGAMBOXING—MALAKING MUNTI FOUNDATION

IDEASXMACHINA ADVERTISING, INC. n LUKSONG BAKA—MALAKING MUNTI FOUNDATION

IDEASXMACHINA ADVERTISING, INC. n TUMBANG PRESO—MALAKING MUNTI FOUNDATION

IDEASXMACHINA ADVERTISING, INC. n BAHAY ARUGA—PASIG CITY GOVERNMENT

IDEASXMACHINA ADVERTISING, INC. n KNOCKOUT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE “POWER”—PHIL. COMMISSION

ON WOMEN / DDB-TRIBAL WORLDWIDE

BEST RADIO AD - PUBLIC SERVICE n WALANG APP PARA DYAN—MALAKING MUNTI FOUNDATION

IDEASXMACHINA ADVERTISING, INC. n PANGARAP—MALAKING MUNTI FOUNDATION

IDEASXMACHINA ADVERTISING, INC. n HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY—PEOPLE’S BROADCASTING SERVICE, INC. BEST TV AD - BRANDED n SHINE SA DRAMA AT SAYA—CREATIVE COMMUNICATIONS

MANAGEMENT / ABS-CBN CORP. n GMA CHRISTMAS SHORT FILM: SORPRESA—KFC PHILIPPINES

GMA MARKETING AND PRODUCTIONS, INC. n GMA CHRISTMAS SHORT FILM: HAPPIEST PINOY (WINSTON)—

CEBUANA LHUILLIER / GMA MARKETING AND PRODUCTIONS, INC. n GMA CHRISTMAS SHORT FILM: REGALO—YAKULT PHILIPPINES

GMA MARKETING AND PRODUCTIONS, INC. n CHAMPION TAPAT DAPAT UPDATE—PEERLESS PRODUCTS

MANUFACTURING CORP. / GMA MARKETING AND PRODUCTIONS, INC. n GMA CHRISTMAS SHORT FILM: KARGA—SHELL COMPANIES OF THE

PHILS. / GMA MARKETING AND PRODUCTIONS, INC. n GMA CHRISTMAS SHORT FILM: HAPPIEST PINOY (ROMMEL)—

CEBUANA LHUILLIER / GMA MARKETING AND PRODUCTIONS, INC. BEST TV AD - PUBLIC SERVICE n TAMA NA YAN!—QUEZON CITY GOVERNMENT / V-PF CREATIVE

MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS n UGALING WAGI SERIES —GMA NEWS TV 11 / GMA NETWORK, INC. n THANK YOU SA MALASAKIT, POPE FRANCIS—CREATIVE

COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT / ABS-CBN CORP. n CHAMPION TAPAT DAPAT UPDATE—PEERLESS PRODUCTS

MANUFACTURING CORP. / GMA MARKETING AND PRODUCTIONS, INC. n THE JOURNEY OF MOTHERHOOD—THE FILIPINO CHANNEL

ABS-CBN GLOBAL n PUNO: RESPECT FOR NATURAL ENVIRONMENT—MERALCO

FOUNDATION / IDEASXMACHINA ADVERTISING, INC. n PANGUMA (FARMING)—ABS-CBN CORPORATION - CEBU

TELEVISION CATEGORY BEST ADULT EDUCATIONAL / CULTURAL PROGRAM n KAHANGA-HANGANG PILIPINO / KAHANGA-HANGANG PILIPINAS

—PTV 4 n WOW KALINGA—KNOWLEDGE CHANNEL n REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK—GMA 7 n I-WITNESS—GMA 7 n REEL TIME—GMA NEWS TV 11 n KAYA—TV 5 n YAMAN NG BAYAN—TV 5 n MAGTV NA ORAGON—ABS-CBN REGIONAL NETWORK GROUP - BICOL BEST COMEDY PROGRAM n PEPITO MANALOTO—GMA 7 BEST TALK SHOW n TUNAY NA BUHAY—GMA 7 n THE BOTTOMLINE WITH BOY ABUNDA—ABS-CBN 2 n UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL: A KORINA SANCHEZ INTERVIEW—

ABS-CBN NEWS CHANNEL (ANC) n REAKSYON—TV 5 n BEYOND POLITICS—ABS-CBN NEWS CHANNEL (ANC) BEST NEWS PROGRAM n SAKSI—GMA 7 n 24 ORAS WEEKEND—GMA 7 n STATE OF THE NATION WITH JESSICA SOHO—GMA NEWS TV 11 n UMAGANG KAY GANDA—ABS-CBN 2 n AKSYON PRIME—TV 5 n AKSYON TONITE—TV 5 n AKSYON SA TANGHALI—TV 5 n THE WORLD TONIGHT—ABS-CBN NEWS CHANNEL (ANC) n TV PATROL-NEGROS—ABS-CBN REGIONAL NETWORK GROUP - BACOLOD n TV PATROL CENTRAL VISAYAS—ABS-CBN

REGIONAL NETWORK GROUP - CEBU BEST PUBLIC SERVICE PROGRAM n UNANG HIRIT—GMA 7 n TFC CONNECT—ABS-CBN GLOBAL, LIMITED n SALAMAT DOK—ABS-CBN 2 n MISSION POSSIBLE—ABS-CBN 2 n FAILON NGAYON—ABS-CBN 2 n ARANGKADA—ABS-CBN REGIONAL NETWORK GROUP - CAGAYAN DE ORO n TUBAG!—ABS-CBN REGIONAL NETWORK GROUP - CEBU BEST SPECIAL EVENT COVERAGE n DOCUCENTRAL: ANG MABUTING PASTOL: POPE FRANCIS SA PILIPINAS—ABS-CBN 2 n ANG PEOPLE’S POPE SA PILIPINAS—GMA 7 n NEWS TV QUICK RESPONSE TEAM—GMA NEWS TV 11 n POPE FRANCIS SA PILIPINAS—DZMM TELERADYO n #DEARPOPEFRANCIS—TV 5 n THANK YOU SA MALASAKIT: POPE FRANCIS SA PILIPINAS—ABS-CBN 2 n MARHAY NA AGA KAPAMILYA—ABS-CBN

REGIONAL NETWORK GROUP - BICOL BEST STATION ID n SHARE THE LOVE—GMA 7 n THANK YOU ANG BABAIT NINYO—ABS-CBN 2 n MAY PAG-ASA—GMA NEWS TV 11 n ABS-CBN BAGUIO CHRISTMAS STATION ID 2014—ABS-CBNTV3 BAGUIO BEST CHILDREN & YOUTH PROGRAM n YOUNG MINDS INSPIRED (Y.M.I.)—GMA NEWS TV 11 n AHA!—GMA 7 n BIYAHE NI DREW—GMA NEWS TV 11 n POPTALK—GMA NEWS TV 11 n NATHANIEL—ABS-CBN 2 n MATANGLAWIN—ABS-CBN 2 n IBILIB—GMA 7 n TROPANG POTCHI—GMA 7 BEST DRAMA SERIES / PROGRAM n ILUSTRADO—GMA 7 n OH MY G!—ABS-CBN 2 n GIVE LOVE ON CHRISTMAS: THE GIFT-GIVER—ABS-CBN 2 n HAWAK-KAMAY—ABS-CBN 2 n MAGPAKAILANMAN—GMA 7 n PARI ‘KOY—GMA 7 n NIÑO—GMA 7 BEST NEWS MAGAZINE n BTS: ENCHONG DEE HOMECOMING—JEEPNEY TV n MUKHA: PAGSISIKAP—ABS-CBN NEWS CHANNEL (ANC) n KAPUSO MO JESSICA SOHO—GMA 7 n BRIGADA—GMA NEWS TV 11 n INVESTIGATIVE DOCUMENTARIES—GMA NEWS TV 11 n JUAN EU KONEK—THE FILIPINO CHANNEL (TFC) n TAPATAN NI TUNYING—ABS-CBN 2 n NUMERO—TV 5 n NAIMBAG NGA MORNING KAPAMILYA—ABS-CBN TV3 BAGUIO BEST RELIGIOUS PROGRAM n FAMILY MATTERS —TV 5 n KERYGMA TV—IBC 13 BEST TV SPECIAL n RYAN RYAN MUSIKAHAN: HOME FOR CHRISTMAS—JEEPNEY TV n PASASALAMAT, STORIES OF PEOPLE PAYING IT FORWARD—ABS-CBN 2

n DOCUCENTRAL: AKO AT ANG SANTO PAPA—ABS-CBN 2 n PHILPOP “LOUD AND PROUD” 2014 GRAND FINALS NIGHT—TV 5 n SPRATLYS: MGA ISLA NG KALAYAAN—ABS-CBN 2 n TINAWON: BIGAS AT BUHAY—ABS-CBN 2 n KAYA (GUNITA)—TV 5 n PASTOL SA PANAHON NG PAGBABAGO—TV 5

RADIO CATEGORY BEST DRAMA PROGRAM n DEAR MOR—DWRR MOR 101.9, FOR LIFE! / ABS-CBN CORPORATION n DZMM LENTEN DRAMA SPECIAL—DZMM 630 / ABS-CBN CORPORATION n RADYO BALINTATAW—DZRH 666 / MANILA BROADCASTING COMPANY n PAGSARMINGAN—DZVV BOMBO RADYO VIGAN

PEOPLE’S BROADCASTING SERVICE, INC. n ANG TAONG HINDI KO MALILIMOT—DZRH 666

MANILA BROADCASTING COMPANY n MAY PANGAKO ANG BUKAS—DZRH 666

MANILA BROADCASTING COMPANY BEST EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM n EASY EASY LANG—SUPER RADYO DZBB 594 / GMA NETWORK, INC. n KATUMBAS AY BIYAYA—DZRH 666 / MANILA BROADCASTING COMPANY n DR. LOVE RADIO SHOW—DZMM 630 / ABS-CBN CORPORATION n DZMM RED ALERT—DZMM 630 / ABS-CBN CORPORATION n RADYO BALINTATAW—DZRH 666 / MANILA BROADCASTING COMPANY n DOCTOR BOMBO—BOMBO RADYO CAGAYAN DE ORO

PEOPLE’S BROADCASTING SERVICE, INC. n BOMBO HANAY SA TANGHALI—BOMBO RADYO CAUAYAN

PEOPLE’S BROADCASTING SERVICE, INC. BEST COUNSELING PROGRAM n THE LOVE CLINIC—MONSTER RADIO RX 93.1

AUDIOVISUAL COMMUNICATORS, INC. n USAPANG KAPATID—DZMM 630 / ABS-CBN CORPORATION n SALITANG BUHAY—DZMM 630 / ABS-CBN CORPORATION n KAPAMILYA KONEK—DZMM 630 / ABS-CBN CORPORATION n KAHAPON LAMANG—DZWN BOMBO RADYO DAGUPAN

PEOPLE’S BROADCASTING SERVICE, INC. BEST ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAM n TAMBALAN: KWENTO NG MAHIWAGANG BURNAY—90.7 LOVE

RADIO / MANILA BROADCASTING COMPANY DR. LOVE ALWAYS & FOREVER—DZMM 630 / ABS-CBN CORPORATION n n GOOD MORNING PHILIPPINES—DYMF 963 BOMBO RADYO CEBU

PEOPLE’S BROADCASTING SERVICE, INC. n MUSIKA SA BALITA—DYAB 1512 ABANTE PA BISAYA

ABS-CBN BROADCASTING CORP. REGIONAL NETWORK GROUP CEBU BEST NEWS PROGRAM n SUPER BALITA SA TANGHALI NATIONWIDE—SUPER RADYO DZBB

594 / GMA NETWORK, INC. n SUPER BALITA SA UMAGA NATIONWIDE—SUPER RADYO DZBB 594

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PEOPLE’S BROADCASTING SERVICE, INC. CINEMA CATEGORY STUDENT’S CHOICE AWARD FOR BEST FILM n SHE’S DATING THE GANGSTER—STAR CINEMA n DEMENTIA—OCTOBERTRAIN FILMS / THE IDEAFIRST COMPANY n KID KULAFU—STAR CINEMA / TEN17 PRODUCTIONS n CRAZY BEAUTIFUL YOU—STAR CINEMA