The Standard - 2015 March 18 - Wednesday

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK VOL. XXIX  NO. 34  3 Sections 32 Pages P18  WEDNESDAY : MARCH 18, 2015  www.manilastandardtoday.com  editorial@thestandard.com.ph

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Binay leads pack in new Pulse poll

30 OFWs nabbed in Saudi

BAD HAIR DAY FOR PRESIDENT Senate calls him responsible; ratings plunge to lowest

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Revelation. Senator Grace Poe gestures as she reveals the findings of the Senate committee on public order, which she heads, on the Mamasapano encounter that led to the death of 44 police commandos. She said President Benigno Aquino III was responsible for the operation that allowed suspended PNP Chief Alan Purisima to oversee it. EY ACASIO

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Visiting royalty. President Benigno Aquino III welcomes Her Royal Highness Princess Anne, the Princess Royal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, at Malacanang Palace. The princess is in Manila to oversee her charity and humanitarian work. Malacañang Photo Bureau

Poll: Binay still the man to beat

By Sandy araneta VICE President Jejomar Binay continued to dominate voter’s preferences with his rating increasing from 26 percent in November last year to 29 percent in March, according to the latest survey of pollster Pulse Asia.

Senator Grace Poe is Binay’s closest rival for the presidency, with 14 percent of the respondents choosing her for the presidential race from 18 percent in November, according to the poll conducted from March 1 to 7.

Manila Mayor and former President Joseph Estrada and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte ranked third with 12 percent.

Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago was fourth in the survey, while Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., was fifth, with 9 and 6 percent respectively.

Tied for sixth place were Sec. Mar Roxas and Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero with 4 percent.

Seventh place was Senator Alan Peter Cayetano with 3 percent.

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV was eight place in the presidential survey with 2 percent, while former Senators Panfilo “Ping” Lacson and Richard “Dick” Gordon were ninth place with 1 percent each.

For the survey on Vice Presidential polls, Poe topped the polls with 29 percent choosing her.

Second was Escudero with 16 percent, while Senator Cayetano, third with 13 percent.

Tied for fourth place were Mayor Duterte and Senator Bongbong Marcos with 11 percent each.

Fifth was Trillanes with 6 percent.

Sixth place was Senator Jinggoy Estrada with 4 percent.

Seventh was Senator Franklin Drilon with 3 percent.

Eight place was Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. with 2 percent.

Ninth place was Leni Robredo with 0.4 percent.

For Senatorial race, the following topped the survey: Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto, 59.3 %, Lacson, 58.3 %, Bongbong Marcos, 47.2 %, Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, 44.7%, Drilon, 44.1 %, Ralph Recto, 43.9%, former Senator Migz Zubiri, 40.2 %, Justice Sec. Leila De Lima, 36 %, Sen. Sergio Osmena III, 36 %, Dick Gordon, 35.5 %, Risa Hontiveros, 33.1 %, Jamby Madrigal, 33.1 %, Teofisto “TG” Guingona, 29.8 %, Lino Edgardo Cayetano, 29.7 %, boxing champion Manny Pacquiao, 29.5 %, Mark Lapid, 27.6 %, former Manila Mayor Lito Atienza, 25.3 %, Vice Mayor Isko Moreno, 22.9 %, Ruffy Biazon, 19.6 %, Lani Mercado-Revilla, 19%, Mitos Magsaysay, 18.9 %; Francis Tolentino, 15.6%, actor Dingdong Dantes, 13 %, Leni Robredo, 9.6 %, Emmanuel “Joel” Villaneva, 9.2%, Gilbert Remulla, 8.7%, Arnold Clavio, 8.1 %, Persida Acosta, 7.5 %, Kim Henares, 7.1 %, and Danilo Lim, 7.8 %.

Also in the survey for senatorial were Teddy Casino, Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, Lorenzo Tanada III, Joey Salceda, Rudy Farinas, Sherwin Gatchalian, Rufus Rodriguez, Amina Rasul, Randy David, Rodolfo “Jun’ Lozada, Rey Langit, Jose “Chel” Diokno, Baby Arenas, Roman Romulo, Jun Abaya, Mujiv Hataman, Neri Colmenares, Raffy Alunan, Darlene Berberabe, Jericho Petilla, Lorna Kapunan, Harry Roque and Danton Remoto.

Aquino’s ratings fall to lowest since 2010

By Joyce Pangco Pañares

PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III’s approval and trust ratings plummeted to their lowest levels since 2010 following the public outrage over the Mamasapano debacle that left 44 police commandos dead, the latest Pulse Asia Survey showed.

“This is the first time the President has posted non-majority national approval and trust ratings in Ulat ng Bayan surveys since he was first rated as president by survey respondents back in October 2010,” Pulse Asia said.

Aquino’s approval rating fell to 38 percent in March 2015 from 59 percent in November 2014, while his trust rating dropped to 36 percent from 56 percent for the same period.

The Pulse Asia survey, conducted from March 1 to 7 with 1,200 Filipino adults, also showed a significant rise in the disapproval and distrust towards Aquino.

The number of respondents who expressed disapproval toward the President rose from 11 percent in November to 23 percent this month, while those who did not trust Aquino increased to 27 percent 13 in the last quarter of 2014.

Pulse Asia said a notable increase in the President’s disapproval rating was seen in the National Capital Region, up by 24 percentage points (from 17 percent in November 2014 to 41 per-

cent in March). Among the geographical areas, the rise in distrust was also highest in NCR, up 26 percentage points ( from 17 percent to 43 percent for the same period).

Pulse Asia said this means that one in every four Filipinos “is critical of presidential performance and distrusts him.” The biggest drop in the President’s approval rating was recorded in the Visayas, falling 27 percentage points (from 68 percent in November to 41 percent in March), followed by the National Capital Region with a 23 percentage point decrease (from 49 percent to 26 percent).

Aquino’s approval rating in Mindanao also fell 22 percentage points (from 67 percent to 45 percent) while it slid 18 percentage points in Luzon (from 54 percent to 36 percent).

The President’s approval ratings also fell across economic classes, down 24 percentage points for Class ABC and D (from 59 percent in November 2014 to 35 percent this month).

Among Class E, Aquino’s approval ratings fell 10 percentage points (from 57 percent to 47 percent).

Class ABC also registered the highest increase in distrust, up to 35 percent from only 14 percent in November last year. Aquino’s trust rating also suffered double-digit point drops in all areas—Luzon at 34 percent (from 52 percent), Visayas at 40 percent (from 62 percent), and Mindanao at 45 percent (from 62 percent). The militant group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan said the plunge in approval and trust ratings of the President was “the inevitable outcome of his constant lying over the Mamasapano issue.” “The lies and excuses have only managed to further isolate Aquino. There is widespread public disgust over his

role in Mamasapano and the ensuing cover-up,” Bayan secretary-general Renato Reyes said. “The survey also had not even taken into account the effects of the Board of Inquiry report which found that the President broke the chain of command and favored his suspended buddy, (resigned Philippine National Police chief Dir. Gen. Alan) Purisima.

Aquino’s ratings thus could plunge even further,” Reyes added.

Reyes said protest actions to call for Aquino’s resignation will resume on March 20 all the way to March 25 to mark the second month since the Mamasapano debacle.

The Palace on Tuesday acknowledged that the botched operation in Mamasapano could have caused the sharp drop in the President’s ratings.

During a press briefing, Communications Secretary Heminio Coloma Jr. said the administration was determined “to work even harder” to regain the people’s trust and confidence.

Coloma said the President understands that the death of the 44 Special Action Force (SAF) police commandos in Mamasapano brought sadness to the entire nation, and would continue to listen to the people to understand their feelings.

Coloma said the President remains fully commited to bringing justice to the SAF 44 as well as pursuing peace in Mindanao. The death of the SAF 44 at the hands of Muslim rebels, including fighters from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, has thrown a wrench in the government’s peace agreement with the MILF. The Bangsamoro Basic Law upon which the peace agreement is anchored has faced rough sailing in Congress after the Jan. 25 massacre. – With Sandy araneta

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Senate: PNoy is responsible

By Macon R. Araneta

PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III is ultimately responsible for the Mamasapano debacle in which 44 police commandos were killed by Muslim rebels, after he allowed his close friend, suspended police chief Alan Purisima, to participate in the covert operation, Senator Grace Poe said Tuesday.

In a press briefing, Poe, who chairs the Senate public order committee that investigated the Mamasapano incident, said the President must bear the responsibility for failing to prevent the unlawful exercise of official functions by Purisima, who at the time of the operation was suspended on allegations of corruption. “The President relied on and directly coordinated with the suspended PNP [Philippine National Police] chief, as it was shown that he continued to communicate with the latter on Oplan Exodus, based on testimony and evidence presented in the public hearings,” said Poe in her draft report on the Mamasapano incident. Poe said the draft report was the result of five public hearings, five executive sessions, and 73 hours of full discussion attended by 37 resource persons, and more than 4,300 documents. The draft report had yet to be signed by the other committee members. She said her committee, along with the committees on peace, unification and reconciliation and finance were able to ferret out answers to burning questions on the Mamasapano incident and Operation Exodus.

While the President was fully aware that Purisima was suspended by the Ombudsman on Dec. 4, 2014, and that Director Leonardo Espina was designated PNP OIC, still, he allowed Purisima to join the Jan. 9, 2015 meeting at the Bahay Pangarap, where a sensitive and classified PNP operation (Oplan Exodus) was being discussed, and instructed him to coordinate it with the Armed Forces.

She said the President also exclusively communicated with Purisima regarding the progress of Oplan Exodus on Jan. 25 and gave him instructions to conduct the operation. She said this can be gleaned from his text message to Purisima which read, “Basit should not get away.”

“The President himself admitted that all the communications regarding Oplan Exodus emanating from him to relieved PNP SAF commander Director Getulio Napenas, and vice versa, were being coursed through a then suspended Purisima,” Poe said.

She also said the Mamasapano incident raises serious questions about whether the President and other high-ranking government officials could have done more to minimize the death toll in the ill-fated operation.

Poe said the President has publicly acknowledged that he approved Operation Exodus, and knew of the importance and magnitude of the operation, as well as the dangers that it posed to the police commandos.

“If we are to believe the testimonies of the resource persons who were in Zamboanga,” Poe said, “it appears that the ongoing operation at Mamasapano was not discussed further by the President and the key security officials who were with him.”

“Did any of them endeavor to get more information about the incident? More importantly, did any of them take action to reinforce or rescue the beleaguered PNP SAF troops? It appears that the President, along with Secretary (Manuel) Roxas (II), Secretary (Voltaire) Gazmin, [and] Gen. (Pio) Caapang,

could have done more,” she said. If the President had exchanged information with his key security officials who were with him in Zamboanga, perhaps coordination between the Army and the PNP might have been hastened and fewer lives would have been lost, Poe said.

As commander-in-chief of all the Armed Forces, the President exercises supreme operational command of the nation’s military forces, Poe said. The President also controls all the executive departments, bureaus and offices. He wields awesome powers of government, and has its vast resources at his disposal.

“The President’s decision not to use these resources at that instance, must be explained by him,” she said.

And since he was familiar with the plan, the President should have stepped in and taken responsibility, the senator said. In trying to absolve himself of any culpability, the President insisted he was given inaccurate information, and that his orders to coordinate with top PNP and AFP officials were disobeyed. “At this crucial time, it is imperative that the President display unquestionable leadership, be forthright and candid with our people, accept responsibility for all decisions he makes as President, and admit the mistakes he made along the way,” Poe said. Poe also said the Mamasapano incident was clearly a massacre, and not a mis-encounter as some government officials first portrayed it to be. The rebels, belonging to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) murdered and robbed the 44 SAF commandos, she said.

The executive summary underscored the testimony of survivors who recounted how their companies were surrounded and decimated, and that even wounded SAF soldiers were fired upon. While her committee leaves the responsibility of identifying the particular assailants to the Department of Justice, she said they can be charged with murder and attempted murder. Purisima, Poe said, was guilty of usurping authority when he continued carrying out

official functions despite his suspension. She said Purisima personally took charge of the presentation of the updated plan to capture Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan and Filipino bomber Abdul Basit Usman before the President on Jan. 9.

“Purisima should not have been at this meeting where a highly classified police operation was being discussed. The President should have excluded Purisima from this meeting,” said Poe. She said the resigned PNP chief can also be cited for contempt and charged administratively for grave conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.

Purisima’s acts, she added, showed a clear intent to defy the Ombudsman’s preventive suspension order and constituted unlawful behavior.

Poe said sacked SAF commander Getulio Napeñas committed “grave misconduct, inefficiency and incompetence in the performance of official duties and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of service.”

Asked how the President could be made accountable for the bluders committed in the Mamasapano operation, Poe said the only process available is impeachment.

She declined to comment further, however, because senators will sit as judges if an impeachment complaint reaches the Senate. She said beyond the legal considerations, there were political repurcussions as well.

“This is a big blow. Just because there may be no criminal liability doesn’t mean the President didn’t suffer any damage. He is facing a political crisis,” she said.

Poe prodded the President to be candid and speak truthfully so that the public and the families of the slain police commandos will get a clear picture of what really happened.

Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said he thought the Poe report was “fair, perceptive and judicious.” “It will contribute so much in explaining the tragedy that was Mamasapano, in drawing lessons so it won’t happen again, assign culpabilities, and prescribe recommendations, which, if followed, will hasten the process of healing and the delivery of

justice,” he said in a statement.

He added that the Senate report should be read together with the findings of the police board of inquiry.

“Combined, the two give us a good picture of what really happened and the road map going forward,” Recto said.

“The Poe report correctly pointed out when the command structure fractured, and what could have been done by high officials to save the day and turn the tide for our troops,” Recto added. The report minced no words in pinning blame on those who coddled the terrorists, rightly called the incident a massacre, and did not tiptoe around US involvement and sponsorship of the operation, Recto said. “US personnel played a role in the training before, and monitoring, of the... operation,” Poe told reporters as she released her findings. “The committee found that the United States substantially invested in the entirety of Oplan Exodus. It provided equipment, training and intelligence.”

The Senate report raised questions about the accountability of the United States, a longtime military ally of the Philippines that has so far declined to outline its role in the operation. Three unnamed Americans were brought into the Army brigade headquarters during the operation, creating tensions at a crucial time with the Filipino military commander, the Senate report said. “One of the Americans ordered Maj. Gen. Edmundo Pangilinan to fire the artillery,” the report stated.

“However Pangilinan refused and told him, ‘Do not dictate to me what to do. I am the commander here.’”

A US embassy spokesman in Manila did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the Senate report. Poe said there was no evidence to show the United States was involved in combat, but said there were concerns that Washington’s influence on PNP was too strong.

“This raises a question of whether the PNP leadership would have entered into such a risky and hazardous operation without the support of the United States,” the report said.—With AFP

Welcome back! Ambassador to the United States Jose Cuisia Jr. (L) leads the Filipino community in welcoming the return of Philippine Airlines to New York during a dinner reception at the New York Hilton Midtown to mark the inaugural New York-Manila flight on March 16. With him are PAL chairman Lucio Tan and Mrs. Carmen Tan.

Lawmakers ask President to apologize, admit lapse in judgment

By Maricel V. Cruz LEYTE Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez on Tuesday urged President Benigno Aquino III to apologize to the Filipino people and admit responsibility for the encounter that led to the death of 44 police commandos in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, on Jan. 25.

Romualdez, the head of the independent bloc in the House, said Aquino’s trust and approval ratings will go on a “death spiral” if he will continue to lie and wash his hands of the issue.

“The growing restiveness not only of the families and kin of the SAF 44 but those of the majority of the people will further heighten tension and spread divisiveness until the whole truth comes out on the extent of the President’s participation in the

Mamasapano operation,” Romualdez said.

House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, Jr. said the President committed a “lapse in judgment” when he ordered then suspended National Police Chief Alan Purisima to carry out the Mamasapano operation to arrest the terrorist Zulkifli Abdhi alias Marwan.

But Belmonte said any impeachment case against Aquino will not prosper in the House.

“His fault is that he talked with Alan Purisima who is a suspended official,” Belmonte said.

“But legally speaking, Purisima should not have had no role at all [in the operation].”

Romualdez agreed any impeachment case against Aquino will not prosper because he controls the House.

“Let us not pursue that. Let us not waste our time,” he said.

But Senator Francis Escudero said Aquino’s ratings will go down further until the truth comes out about the 44 police commandos.

He said Aquino and his administration will be affected by the “massacre” of the 44 by the MILF and BIFF fighters.

The Kilusang Mayo Uno or May First Movement said the Mamasapano incident marked the beginning of Aquino’s downfall.

“Because Aquino continues to lie and point fingers over the death of many Filipinos in Mamasapano, his trust and approval ratings are bound to nosedive further,” group chairman Elmer Labog said.

Romualdez said his group was appealing to the President to once and for all put an end to the controversies surrounding the Mamasapano incident by answering all the lingering questions on his actions

and seeming inaction before, during and after the carnage.

Romualdez’s statement came as the latest Pulse Asia survey showed that Aquino’s trust and approval ratings dropped from 59 percent last November to 38 percent this March after the botched Mamasapano operation. The survey was conducted on 1,200 respondents from March 1 to 17.

Romualdez said it was never too late for the President to admit accountability over the Mamasapano mess.

Buhay party-list Rep. Lito Atienza, a member of Romualdez’s bloc, said “a good leader knows how to backtrack, knows how to say sorry.” Not even sorry but admitting your fault.”

Abakada party-list Rep. Jonathan de la Cruz said Aquino’s continuing effort to evade critical questions on the Mamasapa-

no incident “has caused public outrage and now very evident as President Aquino got the lowest trust and approval rating since he was elected in 2010.”

Reps. Silvestre Bello III of 1-BAP partylist, Carlos Zarate of Bayan Muna, Terry Ridon of Kabataan party-list, members of the House Minority Bloc, and Gary Alejano of Magdalo party-list, an administration ally, said the President’s significant drop in ratings was proof of his poor handling of the Mamasapano case.

“He deserves it. The people wanted the truth but he subverted it. Now the people have rendered their verdict: he Lied,” Bello said.

Zarate and Ridon, both members of the Makabayan Bloc, said the President’s legacy was losing over his continuing “lies” behind the Mamasapano debacle.

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Body wants probe done before BBL talks restart

By Maricel V. Cruz and Macon R. Araneta

Not quite back to normal. Makati Mayor Junjun Binay meets top Makati officials as hundreds of armed policemen roam the city hall grounds despite the Court of Appeals’ temporary restraining order against Binay’s suspension. DANNY PATA

Cops still all over city hall, Binay complains

By Joel E. Zurbano

THE continuing presence of heavily armed SWAT operatives and police commandos at the Makati City Hall is disrupting the operations there and stopping the city from functioning normally, Mayor Junjun Binay said Tuesday.

The police teams descended on the Makati City Hall on Monday to serve the Ombudsman’s order sus-

pending Binay for six months over the allegedly overpriced Makati City Hall Building II, but a standoff followed after the Court of Appeals stopped the Ombudsman from implementing its order.

PNP spokesman Generoso Cerbo said the police leadership deployed 1,400 policemen at the Makati City Hall to stop any attempts by armed groups or criminal elements to take advantage of the situation in Makati.

But Binay said the presence of the policemen with high-powered guns was also creating a sinister atmosphere and causing tension and fear among the city’s residents and government employees.

Metro Manila Police Chief Carmelo Valmoria said the policemen were maintaining their presence at the Makati City Hall to prevent a possible

clash between the supporters of Binay and Vice Mayor Romulo Peña Jr. Peña took his oath as acting mayor at 9:47 am on Monday shortly after Interior officials served the suspension order on Binay but before the order from the appellate court arrived stopping Binay’s suspension.

“Both Binay and Peña have supporters, and we are in the city hall premises to prevent any untoward incidents from breaking out between the two groups,” Valmoria said.

He made his statement even as Binay asked the Court of Appeals to cite Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II and several police officials in contempt for refusing to abide by the appellate court’s order stopping the Ombudsman from implementing its order suspending him.

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-

Morales on Tuesday said the appellate court’s order stopping the Interior Department from implementing her order suspending Binay came too late to have any effect.

As of 11 am on Tuesday, the SWAT team, members of the Special Action Force and more than a hundred policemen from the Southern Police District and Interior Department officials remained at the Makati City Hall premises and blocking some entrances, prompting the city government prompted to suspend its operations.

Roxas insisted that the suspension order on Binay was served before the Court of Appeals issued its decision, and that meant Binay must already be considered suspended. With Rey E. Requejo, Rio N. Araja, Nelson Flores and Francisco Tuyay

MAJORITY of the ad hoc House committee tasked to scrutinize the controversial Bangsamoro Basic Law want hearings on the peace measure suspended until after the House of Representatives resumes its probe into the January 25 Mamasapano massacre.

Also on Tuesday, senators agreed on a resolution directing the Philippine peace negotiating panel, headed by Chairperson Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, to secure a copy of the report the Moro Islamic Liberation Front submitted to Malaysia so the Senate can resume its hearings on the BBL. Ferrer, on the other hand, scored Philippine political leaders before a forum of Muslim leaders in Quezon City and said she could not understand why politicians could not see that the peace process is more important the 2016 elections.

“The international community sees the value of what we’re doing. Why do our political leaders here in the Philippines do not see that? Maybe they have a different perspective. Maybe they too short a perspective and they only can only see up to the 2016 elections,” she said.

But even the ruling Liberal Party said it has not agreed on an official stand on the BBL, which has come under fire in both houses of Congress because of purportedly unconstitutional provisions.

“The LP is supporting the initiative of the President, but in the BBL we have no official stand yet,” said Caloocan City Rep. Edgar Erice, LP vice chairman for political affairs, adding that they will rely on the report of the 75-man ad hoc committee on the BBL. But 39 of the 75 members of the ad hoc panel tasked to scrutinize the BBL want to suspend hearings on the BBL until after the resumption of the House probe on the Mamasapano massacre, said Zamboanga City Rep. Celso Lobregat.

“We are hoping to get 50 signatories [for the panel to be compelled not to proceed with its deliberations on the BBL until the Mamasapano hearing in the House is re-opened],” Lobregat said.

Usman hiding in marshland?

By Florante S. Solmerin FILIPINO bomber Abdul Basit Usman split from the group of his protector Mohammad Ali Tambako before the latter was captured, and is now highly mobile in the marshes of Maguindanao, a senior military official told the New Standard Tuesday.

But the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said government forces would eventually get Usman and his men dead or alive.

“Usman and his men are highly mobile inside the marshland area. Their only rest is to observe the surroundings and then move again. It’s only a matter of time before they are trapped,” the official said.

He said Usman and his group—including five “foreign-looking terrorists,” left Tambako’s group because they were suspicious of his men and believed they were passing off information to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

They have since rejoined units of the Bangsam-

oro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) led by commanders who go by the aliases “Karialan” and “Bungos,” the military said.

Tambako and five aides were arrested Sunday in General Santos City.

Armed Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Joselito Kakilala confirmed that Usman had left Tambako’s group.

“Usman found out that some of Tambako’s men were providing information about their locations through their mobile phones,” Kakilala said.

Tambako’s group took Usman in and protected him after his escape from the January 25 raid by the Special Action Force (SAF) that killed Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan in Mamasapano town.

The operation, however, also resulted in the death of 44 SAF commandos.

The military says the terrorists have been in “peaceful co-existence” with MILF and BIFF communities.

End to controversies. House opposition leader and Leyte Rep. Ferdinand

Martin Romualdez (center), Buhay Rep. Lito Atienza and Abakada Rep. Jonathan dela Cruz discuss with journalists ways in ending the controversies hounding the country. VER NOVENO

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IN BRIEF Voters’ listing online okayed THE Commission on Elections will expand its voters’ registration project to include Philippine Foreign Service posts, spokesman James Jimenez said on Tuesday.

Jimenez said the pilottesting of online accomplishment of voter registration forms at the Philippine Embassy in Madrid was a succesful.

Philippine Ambassador to Spain Carlos Salinas and Department of Foreign Affairs Overseas Voting Secretariat (DFA-OVS) Chairman Undersecretary Rafael Seguis recommended the adoption of the iRehistro Project in all 85 Foreign Service Posts.

Jimenez said the Comelec en banc approved the project and earmarked funds for it on February 24.

Sara Fabunan

30 OFWs nabbed in Saudi crackdown; PNoy blamed

By Ronald O. Reyes

FILIPINO migrant rights group Migrante on Tuesday said at least 30 Filipino workers were rounded up by Saudi police as the oil-rich kingdom intensified its crackdown on illegal migrants.

“Saudi authorities heightened crackdown on undocumented migrants that started last week nabbed at least 30 OFWs as per the initial combined reports we have received so far from our affiliates in the Kingdom,” said John Leonard Monterona, Migrante regional coordinator in Middle East.

“The common notion that illegal migrants were the very reason why crime rate escalates in the Kingdom is fairly objectionable. Most of the so called illegal migrants were actually victim of abuses, maltreatment and

labor rights violations who were forced to abscond,” Monterona said in a statement.

According to Monterona, the Saudi’s Ministry of Interior issued a stern warning last month saying that it will intensify the crackdown on illegal expatriates as they have been blamed for the rash of crimes in the Kingdom.

“Those who were nabbed included mostly Asian migrant workers without resident permits, those working in jobs not matching with their work permit, and others working with another employer who were not their

sponsors,” Monterona said.

Monterona said that in most areas in Saudi capital, the police conducted check points and at times searching houses where there are suspected illegal migrants.

Monterona however appealed to the Saudi government “not to treat the undocumented migrants as mere criminals.”

“The undocumented migrants certainly didn’t like their situation being violators of the host government immigration and labor policies, but there are factors that need to look at such as the treatment and respect on the rights of expatriate workers by their employers,” Monterona pointed out.

Migrante urged the Philippine government to provide assistance to and follow up the immediate deportation of undocumented OFWs who are now languishing in Saudi jails.

“We would like to remind the

Aquino government that there are 200 plus distressed Filipino women in Bahay Kalinga in Riyadh, while about 80 male in a shelter rented by the PH embassy most of them have been there for at least 3 months to 1 year,” Monterona said.

Monterona a assailed President Benigno Aquino III for not giving “swift and free mass repatriation of the distressed and stranded OFWs in Saudi Arabia.”

In Brunei, meanwhile, the government has enforced a salary increase for Filipino household workers from $200 to $400 a month, the Labor department said on Tuesday.

The pay hike is part of the Houose Service Worker Protection and Welfare Enhancement Reform Package issued by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said.

With Vito Barcelo

Skyway deal upheld THE Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of the government decision to tap a private firm to operate and maintain Stage 1 of the South Metro Manila Skyway.

The SC’s First Division through Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno dismissed the petition filed by losing senatorial bet Ana Theresia “Risa” Hontiveros-Baraquel and several other groups assailing the Supplemental Toll Operation Agreement executed by the Philippines, the Philippine National Construction Corporation, and Citra Metro Manila Tollways Corporation in 2007 allowing Skyway O & M Corporation to replace PNCC Skyway Corporation, a whollyowned subsidiary of PNCC, in performing the operations and maintenance of Stage 1 of South Metro Manila Skyway.

The SC stressed that petitioners failed to prove their allegations that SOMCO is not qualified to operate a toll facility for failure to meet the nationality requirement under the Constitution.

Rey Requejo

Labor export. Militants join a protest rally in Manila to denounce the Aquino administration’s labor export policy as they mark the 20th death anniversary of Flor Contemplacion, a Filipino domestic worker sentenced to die in Singapore in 1995. DANNY PATA

Odd bedfellows: LP, UNA tangle again

By Maricel V. Cruz A LIBERAL Party stalwart on Tuesday expressed disgust over the fact that the United Nationalist Alliance has been with the administration coalition in the House of Congress even if the latter is a known opposition party and critical to President Aquino and his administration.

Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice, LP vice chairman for political affairs, said if he would be asked personally, he would rather want UNA out of touch with the workings of the ruling LP and its coalition allies in the Lower House.

“I am not comfortable with the UNA in the House as it is like sleeping with the enemies. Personally, I want them out of the coalition,” Erice said in a news forum.

Erice expressed belief that UNA should have volunteered to get out of the administration coalition since the political

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party obviously does not reflect the political agenda of the Aquino government.

In response, UNA interim president and Navotas City Rep. Tobias Tiangco shrugged off Erice’s statement, saying it does not even deserve any attention from the UNA. “Huwag nang patulan. Gusto lang niya (Erice) gumawa ng issue para ma divert [ang atensyon ng taong bayan] sa Mamasapano [issue],” Tiangco said.

House Deputy Majority and Quezon City Rep. Bolet Banal, an LP member, said “it has been an excellent strategy” for UNA to keep its coalition with the LP. “It has been an excellent tragedy for them so far, to be part of the majority while having the freedom to lambast the President and his administration. It’s like having your cake and eating it too,” Banal said. “ I think it’s only a matter of time for UNA to find the perfect opportunity to officially sever theirs with this administration,” Banal added.

Peace caravan. Ateneo de Manila University students hold placards expressing support

for the Mindanao peace process during a caravan organized by ARMM in Quezon City on Tuesday, March 17. ARMM has taken its campaign for an all-out peace in Mindanao to the country’s capital. OMAR MANGORSI

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Lanao govt rapped for P1.5m bottled water

By Rio N. Araja THE Commission on Audit has rejected the purchase of P1.5 million worth of bottled water in Lanao del Sur for its disaster preparedness for calamities that are yet to come.

In a 2014 report, CoA said the bottled water transaction was unnecessary since it was meant for stock purposes.

It added that the purchase of the local government of Lanao del Sur of such items using its local disaster risk reduction and management fund was not allowable.

The report said 30 percent of the local government’s P72.645-million disaster risk and management budget went for quick response fund, while 70 percent was allocated for mitigation fund.

But state auditors noted Section 3.4 of CoA Circular 2012-002 provides that one of the purposes of the local disaster risk reduction and management fund is for “relief and recovery programs in communities or areas stricken by disasters, calamities, epidemics or complex emergencies.”

They cited the accomplishments of 2014 Lanao del Sur’s disaster risk fund which had greatly contributed to strengthening the mechanisms and the capacity of local disaster risk reduction and management councils.

But the same repors said that “results of the audit made on calamity fund showed that a transaction P1,504,000 was made for procurement of bottled waters in preparation of calamity.”

“It was then noted that at that period, no calamity was observed nor declared. Further, the nature of the transaction and items procured for stock was not considered as mitigation nor calamity preparedness program for which the transaction was disallowed in audit,” state auditors said.

CoA issued a notice of disallowance to Lanao del Sur and compelled and required officials concerned to return the P1.5 million spent for the bottled water purchase to the government coffers.

Happy campers. Summer is about fun, sun and sand. But it’s also about camping as these happy campes set up their outdoor gears adn tents at the foot of Mt. Dakiwagan in Kapangan,Benguet. DAVID CHAN

Probe on vs more suspects in Maguindanao massacre

By Rey E. Requejo

The Department of Justice has started its preliminary investigation of the so-called “second wave” of suspects who allegedly participated in the planning, execution, and cover-up of the November 2009 Maguindanao massacre, which included 32 journalists as among the 58 fatalities.

Prosecutor General Claro Arellano said the panel of prosecutors headed by Assistant City Prosecutor Niven Canlapan is mandated to handle the preliminary investigation of the multiple murder complaint filed recently by Maguindanao Governor Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu, through his lawyer Nena Santos, against 50 suspects, including town mayors of Maguindanao and 14 members of the Am-

patuan clan.

Named respondents in the complaint, which were attested by 43 relatives of the 58 massacre fatalities, were former Solicitor General of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and current City Administrator of Cotabato City, Atty. Cynthia Guiani Sayadi; Mamasapano, Maguindanao Mayor Benzar Ampatuan; Jack Ampatuan Lumenda; Sukarto “Manguten/

Teng” Singh; one Inspector Mariga of the Maguindanao police; Samer “Mama” Uy; Samsudin Ampatuan; Kage Ali Midtimbang; Kage Melo Lumenda; Farid Adas; Nanun Ampatuan; Pandag Ampatuan; Amerah Ampatuan Mamalapat; Rebecca Ampatuan; Reshal Santiago Ampatuan; Dali “Kumander Boy” Kamendan; Sahara Upam Ampatuan; Rowel Santiago; Kempar Silongan; Kamsa “Kudta” Salik; Sangutin Musa; Daud “Kumander Kwatro” Kamendan; Digo Mamalapat; Monir Asim Sr.; Monng Ampatuan Asim; Harris Ampatuan Macapendeg; Kuka Ebos; Mautin Upam; Tamano “Barakuda” Sabpa; Borgo “Rey” Kasan, Salahudin “Tho” Uday; Hashim “Mistro” Esmael; Joel Tatak, Rene Upam; Kaking Inggo; a certain po-

liceman Biton; Allandatu Angas; Roger Mamalo; Jainodin “Zainodin” Abutazil; Manak Malaguial; Kabili Sumagkang; Ben Carandang; Kage Sabog; Abusama Simpal; Kamad Ampatuan; Faizal Ampatuan; Kudzbari L. Ampatuan; Kumander Ukay Simpal; and several other John Does and Jane Does.

“The new case will not cause a delay in the on-going trial of the first batch of the Maguindanao massacre case filed before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC),” Mangudadatu said, when interviewed by reporters after the PI hearing.

During the hearing, the defense lawyers asked the panel handling the multiple murder case to give them more time to submit their counter-affidavit.

Funds released for Yolanda housing project

By Joyce Pangco Pañares THE Aquino administration has released P8 billion to the National Housing Authority for resettlement projects in areas battered by super typhoon Yolanda in November 2013.

Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said the fund will be charged against the 2014 supplemental appropriations for the construction of permanent housing for Yolanda survivors.

“The 2014 supplemental budget fortunately enabled us to fast-track the implementation of the Yolanda rehabilitation plan instead of having to wait for the next fiscal year.

What’s more, with the help of Congress, we had the budgetary space to address high-priority needs that

couldn’t wait for the turnover to the next national budget,” he said.

Abad said the funding will address the housing needs of 205,128 families in Regions IV-B, V, VI, VII, VIII, and CARAGA. “Creating the budgetary support for the NHA’s permanent housing program for Typhoon Yolanda victims is just part of the national government’s thrust to build back better. By incorporating prevention and preparedness in our rehabilitation efforts, we’ll be able to safeguard settlements throughout the country against future tragedies,” Abad said.

Last week, President Benigno Aquino III prodded members of his Cabinet to hasten the implementation of rehabilitation projects for

Yolanda survivors.

“So far, the things are moving but, you know the President, he wants things to move at a faster pace,” deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said.

Based on the timeline for the implementation of the Comprehensive Rehabilitation and Recovery Plan, 50 percent of all the reconstruction projects will be completed this year and the remaining 20 percent in 2016.

Thirty percent of the rehabilitation programs have been implemented in 2014.

The CRRP, otherwise known as the rehabilitation masterplan, covers 171 cities and municipalities in 14 provinces and six regions, collectively known as the Yolanda corridor.

Volunteer spirit. Students from different colleges here in Cotabato City and ARMM employees volunteer to pack relief good on Monday, March 16. The relief packs will be distributed among thousands of evacuees affected by military operations in Maguindanao. The activity was led by the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao- Humanitarian Emergency Assistance and Response Team (ARMM-HEART). OMAR MANGORSI

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Former solon slams Mindoro ‘geo’ project

By Robert A. Evora

CALAPAN CITY—Former Oriental Mindoro congressman Rodolfo G. Valencia slammed the drilling operation being undertaken by a geothermal power project in the 23,000-hectare Naujan Lake National Park (NLNP) saying that it is a protected area covered by three presidential proclamations and other environmental laws.

Barangay Montelago in Naujan town hosts the $187-million geothermal power project owned by Emerging Power Inc. “It is now being levelled and flattened by heavy equipment of the company, which is contrary to the ECC granted to

them,” Valencia, also a former governor, said in a public consultation last Sunday.

The EPI exploration area covers 3,914 hectares within three lakeshore barangays —Montelago, Montemayor, and Melgar B—in Naujan as per the environmental

clearance certificate (ECC) granted by the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

The former lawmaker took a swipe at EMB Region IV-B Director Allan L. Leuterio, saying that the “approval and granting to the EPI of the ECC was flagrantly railroaded as it was not endorsed nor passed the office of the Parks and Wildlife Bureau.”

Lesley Capus, EPI project coordinator, said “our geothermal project is above board. The exploration work being undertaken in the site is all covered by legal documents and above board.”

“The EPI is now in the drill-

ing phase of its geothermal well pad. The geothermal power plant, using steam from underground, will supply an additional 40-megawatts of electric power to the whole island of Mindoro by the third quarter of 2016,” Capus said.

“Yet, geothermal power is a renewable energy source aside from its being cheap and clean,” he added.

Calapan City Mayor Arnan C. Panaligan also raised concerns over the future of Naujan Lake, saying that “we should not lose this treasured national park because if we lose it, we can no longer bring it back to its natural form.”

“We should unite and make a common stand against it if it’s harmful to the environ-

ment,” the mayor stressed as he thanked Valencia for calling the consultation.

The PAWB and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature have declared the NLNP as a “key biodiversity area” as it is home to rare fish fauna and birds and other waterfowls, such as Philippine duck, tufted duck, Mindoro bleeding heart pigeon, Mindoro imperial pigeon, spotted imperial pigeon, black-hooded coucal, Mindoro hornbill, ashy thrush, scarlet-collared flowerpecker, and Philippine cockatoo, all “residents of the Naujan Lake, but considered as either vulnerable, critically endangered, endangered, or least concern.”

IN BRIEF 5 minors rescued from prostitution BGUIAS, Benguet—Five minors were recently rescued by combined police operatives from two bars believed to be used as prostitution dens in Barangay Abatan here.

Senior Superintendent Rodolfo S. Azurin, Jr., director of the Benguet Provincial Police Office, said the five minors were found to be working in the Sagadanian’s Place Liquor and Videoke Bar managed by Debra W. Limmayog and at Lyn’s Videoke Bar managed

by Chrislyn O Maddawit.

The police official said the minors were rescued pursuant to the Oplan Angel and Oplan Nena campaign of the Philippine National Police (PNP) aimed at sparing minors from abuses and from being used as prostitutes in the establishments operating in the different parts of the province.

“We have to intensify our operations provincewide in order to spare minors from being abused, especially those being forced to work in night establishments that usually make them prone to prostitution, which should not be the case,” Azurin said.

He said combined police operatives will continue to conduct surveillance operations on various night establishments doing business in the province in order to check if bar owners were employing minors. Dexter A. See

Brownouts stay in Zambo region

Fire Damage. A resident walks along the rubles of his house that was razed by a fire which broke out inBasak Cebu City, The fire razed some

150 houses according to initial estimate by province’s Bureau of Fire Protection office. Students of the University of San Jose Recoletes were also evacuated as the fire occured near the school. RALPH PIEZAS

After long struggle, tribal farmers retake own lands

By Lance Baconguis MARAMAG, Bukidnon—After almost two 15 years of land struggle and a member killed in the process, members of Panansalan-Dagumbaan Tribal Association (PADATA) of Maramag, Bukidnon started planting Cacao seedlings in their land.

The 130 members of PADATA, most of them from the Talaandig Indigenous peoples of Maramag finally started planting their Cacao seedlings in 75 hectares of land, a portion of their 355 hectares of land which the government granted through a Certificate of Land Award Ownership.

The land is part of the Villalon ranch which the government awarded a Forest Land Graze Management

Agreement (FLGMA) which expired and finally awarded to PADATA. The FLGMA was first issued in 1982 and expired in 1997 and the Villalon family applied for a renewal in 2003 but was not acted upon by the DENR. In 2007 the Villalons reapplied for FLGMA in 2007 but was challenged

by PADATA under the Indigenous People’s Rights Act (IPRA).

The 130 members of PADATA together with their families hope to finish planting 17 thousand seedlings in a few days.

On Monday, March 17, hundreds gathered at the top of a hill where PADATA established their community with a basketball court in the middle and a chapel made of bamboo and an Home Land. Members of the Panansalan-Dagumbaan Tribal Association (PADATA) altar dedicated to Saint Lorenzo Ruiz, start to plant 17,000 cacao seedlings in their own land in Maramag, Bukidnon after almost 15 years of struggling to retake their lands. LANCE BACONGUIS the first Filipino saint.

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Zamboanga Sibugay—Rotational brownouts, which have been lately extendeed from two to over five hours daily, will continue to hound the 900,000-populated highly urbanized metropolis for the next few weeks, a top electric company official said.

Engr. George Ledesma, general manager of Zamboanga City Electric Cooperative (Zamcelco), attributed the worsened power interruptions “to shutdown of several power plants—including Steag 2, a coal plant facility based in Cagayan de Oro City, for preventive maintenance—while another local Steag plant was also temporarily closed for similar reason.”

Ledesma said the preventive maintenance “is in preparation for the summer period which is expected to increase the demand for power” even as he pointed out the decrease of water levels powering hydroelectric plants in the city will further aggravate the problem.

“We do the blackouts based on the feeder and megawatts (MW) that is not available,” Ledesma said, explaining that a one-hour blackout “is equivalent to a 4-MW deficit.”

A. Perez Rimando

De Belen, 85 EULOGIO de Belen, father of Gerry de Belen, joined his Creator last March 14. He was 85.

His remains lie in state at the Rose Valley Funeral Homes in San Mateo, Rizal. Interment will be on Thursday (March 19) at the Paraiso Memorial Park in San Mateo, Rizal.

Gerry de Belen is the Media Relations Officer of former Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson.

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opinion [ EDI TORI A L ]

The unavailable President Aquino must be an honest man. during a meeting not too long ago with religious leaders, Mr. Aquino was so candid as to admit that he may have had his cell phone off at a crucial time – the early morning of January 25, the day of the execution of Oplan exodus which cost the lives of 44 police commandos, 18 members of the Moro islamic Liberation Front and five civilians.

A text message apprising him of the status of the operation supposedly came in at 5:45 in the morning. He was only able to read it at past seven, however, “because, i have to admit, my phone was off.”

The Commander in Chief of the Philippine national Police only turned on his phone upon waking up. tripping over himself to defend his boss, Palace spokesman edwin Lacierda said, and haughtily : “it is normal for anyone to turn off their phone when they go to sleep.”

We do not know however what Lacierda’s basis for “normal” was. in this day and age, most people keep their cell phones on during the night. They use it to receive text messages or keep their lines open in the event of an emergency or urgent issue. sometimes they use their phones as alarm clocks to wake them up at the right time so they can discharge their duties like responsible adults.

Worse, even if everyone else shuts off his or her phone off, Mr. Aquino is not just anyone. He is president of a country and leader of the police force, who had to be aware that a sensitive operation was going to be carried out that day.

And even if he did not know when Oplan exodus was going to take place, did this chief executive not have a million and one other pressing matters to keep abreast of?

Then again, this is the same President who refused to be interviewed by the Board of inquiry as it drafted its report on what actually took place in Mamasapano on that unfortunate sunday in January.

Prior to the release of the report, Mr. Aquino made a big show of exhorting everyone to wait for the BOi’s findings, because it was supposedly the right body who would deliver a fair and objective report.

But in the executive summary of the report, right on its first page, it is stated: “The BOi notes that the information obtained from certain key personalities were limited. For instance, the BOi failed to secure an interview with the President Benigni Aquino iii, suspended Chief PnP (CPnP) Alan Purisima, Chief of staff AFP (CsAFP) General Gregorio Catapang and Lieutenant General rustico Guerrero. All concerned officers of the AFP refused to be interviewed by the BOi despite repeated requests.”

The revelation that Mr. Aquino himself did not talk to the BOi – even as he rambled about Oplan exodus while delivering a speech during which he could not be challenged – betrays the President’s duplicity and his lack of regard for the board itself.

His explanations could have been well received by the BOi and, assuming they were truthful, would have helped complete the picture of what actually transpired that day.

But he did not talk.

He also did not prevail upon his best friend, Purisima, to cooperate. As commander in chief, too, he could have urged Catapang and Guerrero to make themselves available to the board. He did not, and we think we know why.

This President likes to pretend he is honest, when in fact he is a cunning fellow who says what he wants to, to whomever, and whenever he feels like it. truth be damned.

Bad hair day lowdown jojo a. robles It was the ultimate bad hair day for President Noynoy aquino yesterday. and he will want to move on quickly after being on the receiving end of a powerful one-two combination of punches yesterday, in the form of the senate report damning him for the Mamasapano massacre and the release of the results of a nationwide survey putting his approval and trust ratings at an all-time low. the official reaction to the twin hits has been muted, with

Malacanang meekly issuing statements that were the equivalent of shrugging and saying that there’s bound to be days like this. But it’s not as simple as that, as even the densest of palace denizens know. the three senate committees that jointly heard the testimony of the witnesses called for the Mamasapano hearings, led by consensus by senator Grace Poe, delivered on their promises, calling aquino the official ultimately responsible for the deaths of 44 commandos belonging to the special action Force. In stinging sentence after stinging sentence, the joint committee report slammed aquino for allowing suspended

national police chief Director General alan Purisima run Oplan Exodus, which led to the carnage.

Brushing aside the quibbling over aquino’s role, the senate noted that it was aquino himself who had repeatedly said that as the Commander-inChief and President, the responsibility for the success or failure of any operation rests with him. therefore, Poe said, the President should have no problem with accepting the fact that he was ultimately to blame.

For once, the senate majority that has been solidly behind aquino was silent. Even the unthinking senator antonio trillanes soberly warned that

i think that aquino should finish his term because he should be made to suffer for all his hubris.

the pressure on aquino will continue until he sets things right – whatever that meant. as if that wasn’t enough bad news for one day, the Pulse asia polling agency released the re-

sults of its latest survey on the President’s trust an approval ratings, which showed a precipitous plunge from last November to last month. aquino’s oncesolid 59 percent approval rating fell to its lowest ever, to 38 percent in March, while his trust rating fell in like manner, from 56 late last year to 36 percent to March. the poll unequivocally showed how much aquino’s fate is tied to what happened in Mamasapano last Jan. 25 – and how his efforts to avoid responsibility for that tragic event are hurting him in the eyes of a once-adoring majority. From the stratospheric approval and trust ratings of aquino’s first year in office, he has now become an object of ridicule and anger for a populace that has

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OPINION lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

adelle chua EDITOR

A9

BACK CHANNEL ALEJANDRO DEL ROSARIO

Quibbling over words

apparently had enough of the lies and lack of forthrightness that the administration showed throughout the crisis. it also showed that aquino, who has merely a little over a year left in office, is now seriously hurt and limping to the end of his unremarkable term. Whether he even makes it there is also now seriously in doubt. *** But i’ve always believed that aquino should not leave his office or be forced out of it by extraneous means. Besides, as everyone who knows or has observed the

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President will tell you, this is simply not the kind of guy who will accept blame or face inconvenient truths, no matter how hard they stare him in the face. i’m of the firm belief that aquino will soldier on, secure in the knowledge that he has done no wrong. i think he will go deeper into his bunker and surround himself with his closest friends and advisers, as he pursues the path that he still believes is straight, even if his administration has already made so many turns that have left his government in the wilderness far, far away from his tuwid na daan.

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But i also think that aquino should finish his term, if he still can, because he should be made to suffer for all his hubris and denials. i know of no one whose head is no longer buried in the Yellow sand who will claim that the last year of aquino is going to be a time of dramatic turnaround, when he will miraculously eradicate both poverty and corruption like he promised and when he will lead the country to economic nirvana through his PPP programs that never got anywhere.

Continued on A11

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Presidential spokesman edwin lacierda claims President aquino did not violate the chain of command in the messed-up Mamasapano operation because the Philippine national Police is a civilian organization. that’s quibbling over words similar to suspended PnP chief alan Purisima’s cop- out when he said he merely gave advice, not orders, to Gen. Getulio napenas who was the special action Force commander of the botched police operation to get international terrorist Marwan. no matter how Purisima and the coterie of Palace talking airheads try to shield the President, the Board of inquiry found enough evidence to pin Pnoy who keeps lying about his role. He could well be Pinocchio, the mythical boy whose nose grew longer when he kept lying. there’s no way noynoy’s nose will ever get longer but let’s call him Pnoychio just the same.

More than breaking the chain of command, aquino could be faulted for not acting decisively to mitigate the chain of events. When informed about the situation, he could have dispatched reinforcements including the sending of helicopter gun ships to strike the MilF-BiFF rebels surrounding the beleaguered saF men.

But because he wanted to save the ceasefire agreement his government signed with the MilF, 44 men of the saF perished.They could have been rescued by choppers instead of being left to be slaughtered by a merciless enemy. This is the lament of the grieving widows, sons, daughters, fathers and mothers of the Fallen 44. The men could have been saved.

But where were the helicopters? in a column i wrote three weeks ago i asked the question but was ignored as is usually the case when it’s difficult to come up with an answer. the Philippine government in 2010 bought eight assault helicopters for P2.8 billion from the Polish manufacturer swidnik. these helicopters are equipped with night vision, machine guns, and can fire rockets from the air were purchased for use in counter insurgency operations.

Just the sound of the choppers can scare the enemy away. i learned about this helicopter deal when i was then Philippine ambassador to Poland, the country that manufactured the choppers. a delegation headed by dnd comptroller ernesto Boac came to call on me in 2010 together with swidnik officials after the contract was signed. The choppers were delivered a year or two later. so, where were the helicopters when Continued on A11 they were needed?

Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher Rolando G. Jojo Estabillo Publisher A. Robles Editor-in-Chief Jojo A.L.Robles Editor-in-Chief Ramonchito Tomeldan Managing Editor Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Managing Editor Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Associate Editors Chin Wong/RayJoel S. Eñano Associate Editors P. Palacios News Editor Francis Lagniton CityCity Editor Francis Lagniton Editor Arman Armero Senior Deskman Arman Armero Senior Deskman Romel J. Mendez Art Director Leo A. Estonilo Senior Deskman Roberto Cabrera Chief Romel J. Mendez ArtPhotographer Director Roberto Cabrera Chief Photographer

a10 PNoy to face charges iN 2016 MY sources say to the that known lawpoint yers and retired Supreme Court emil p. and Court of jurado Appeals justices have been meeting regularly since last year to finalize criminal and civil cases they would file against President Aquino when he steps down in 2016.

Among the cases this group has been studying and preparing is the President’s alleged bribery committed in the days leading to the enactment of the Reproductive Health Law. There are reports that the President used the Priority Development Assistance Fund to gain lawmakers’ support for the bill.

Other cases against the President reportedly being studied by this group is the President’s misuse of the pork barrel funds to have former Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona impeached, convicted and ousted. Together with this is the President’s liability in disbursing funds through the DAP or Disbursement Acceleration Program, its salient points having been declared illegal and unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

My sources also told me that the President would certainly be charged criminally with the slaughter of the 44 police commandos when he broke the Philippine National Police chain of command. The President put suspended police chief Alan Purisima on top of the Mamasapano mission.

Well, just as former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was charged for plunder and has been under hospital arrest and detention for years now, we can also expect President Aquino to be similarly charged.

Won’t that be “karma” at work? *** The only defense Malacanang and the President’s lawyers and lapdogs can offer is that since the Constitution considers the PNP a civilian institution, Mr. Aquino did not break the chain of command when he entrusted the operation to Purisima.

No less than former PNP chief and former Senator Ping Lacson has stated that the PNP chain of command is a long-honored tradition by the police. He disputes Justice Secretary Leila de Lima’s “palusot” that the chain-of-command principle can only apply to the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Santa Banana, call it by any other name, chainof-command can apply to anything. Just as Lacson said, in his own house there’s a chain of command since his wife is the boss. Ergo, since the President is the Chief Executive, he is at the top of the PNP chain of command, and under him are the interior secretary and the PNP chief.

What I find amusing was the reaction of Mar Roxas to the PNP Board of Inquiry findings.

Mar said that the President was not liable. Mar is the presumptive administration bet in the 2016 polls.

My gulay, is he that anxious to be the President’s anointed one? Remember that he was kept out of the loop in this one. Yet he keeps on defending Mr. Aquino. Has Roxas lost all self-respect and dignity? *** Speaking of Mar Roxas, because of his eagerness to have Makati Mayor Junjun Binay suspended, he had Makati Vice Mayor Romulo “Kid” Pena sworn in as acting mayor and had some 2,500 policemen, many of them from the PNP-SAF, surround Makati City Hall supposedly to maintain peace and order.

Two thousand five hundred policemen sur-

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OPINION

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

stuPid aNd iNcomPeteNt STuPID and incompetent.

That is the conclusion one can make about this government from the report of the Philippine National Police’s Board of Inquiry tasked to investigate the Mamapasapano Massacre of Jan. 25, 2015. At least 67 people died in the useless slaughter – of 44 commandos of the elite Special Action Force (SAF) of the PNP, 18 fighters of the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front, and five civilians, including an 8-year-old child.

The Mamasapano Massacre is Exhibit A of how stupid and incompetent the Aquino government can be.

Stupid because one wonders why Oplan Exodus, which triggered the Mamasapano Massacre, had to be planned, approved by President BS Aquino, and executed at all, amid the high risk and attendant death toll from failure, amid an ongoing peace process, and while his pet bill was pending in Congress for a Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) to a create a new, expanded, and hugely funded Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) to replace the present ARMM. Aquino had spent billions to bankroll the peace process and a possible Nobel Peace Prize.

Exodus was to capture and arrest, dead or alive, three high value targets – Zkulkifli Bin Hir/Zulkifli Abhir (Marwan); Ahamad Akmad atabl usman (usman); and Amin Baco (Jihad), said to be international terrorists.

Incompetent because Exodus’s execution was replete with hubris, flaws, errors, lapses in judgment, and simple lack of ability and experience of the men who oversaw it and the men assigned to do it.

The first basic flaw in Exodus is that it could not be aborted. In other words, it was a do-or-die or 50-50 operation. That is exactly what happened -more than half or 44 (56 percent) of the two main assault forces totaling 78 men died. Sixteen other SAF commandos “sustained severe injuries”, said the BOI. Of the 44, 9 came from the 38 SAF Company 84, what the BOI calls, the Main Effort (ME); 35 came from the 36 men of SAF Company 55, what the BOI calls the Support Effort (SE).

For the 44 dead and 16 severely injured commandos, all Aquino could produce to his American sponsors was half an index finger (supposedly Marwan’s), of doubtful origin.

A second basic flaw was Aquino’s employment of a suspended chief of PNP, CPNP Alan Purisima.

Being suspended for six months from Dec. 4, 2014, Aquino’s trusted man had no legal authority, power and competence to manage a project as sensitive and as large-scale as Exodus.

Despite still sporting the rank equivalent to a

four-star general at the time of Exodus, Purisima could not bark Virtual orders nor compel obedience reality from those below him, because technically, formally and legally, tony those below him were not under lopez him. That left Alan with SAF Director Getulio Napeñas who obeyed him because he saw in the body language of Aquino that the officer was fully trusted by the President.

Trusting a man with no command and authority is proof of stupidity and incompetence. “The President allowed the participation of the suspended Chief Philippine National Police (CPNP) Police Director General Alan Purisima in the planning and execution of the Oplan Exodus despite the suspension order of the Ombudsman,” declared the BOI. A third basic flaw was the violation of the chain of the command. Said the BOI: “Oplan Exodus was approved by the President and implemented by suspended CPNP Purisima and the Director of SAF (Napeñas) Getulio Napeñas, to the exclusion of the Officer-in-Charge of the Philippine National Police (OIC PNP) Leonardo Espina, who is the concurrent Deputy CPNP for Operations. Napeñas and suspended CPNP Purisima ignored the established PNP Chain of Command by excluding OIC-PNP Espina in planning and execution of Oplan Exodus. Napeñas and suspended CPNP also failed to inform the Secretary of the Interior and Local Government (SILG) Mar Roxas about Oplan Exodus, and made no prior coordination with the AFP.” Roxas was told about Exodus through a phone call by Purisima 05:50 a.m. on Jan. 25, 2015, and a text from Police Director Charles Calima Jr. at 07:43 a.m. the same day.

Aside from billions from the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) and the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP), both of which the Supreme Court has declared illegal, expended for the peace process and to bribe the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), Aquino was willing to spend at least P100 billion per year of tax money to fund the new ARMM’s operations under the BBL. In theory, ARMM could encompass a huge territory consisting of Mindanao, the Sulu archipelago, and Palawan whose total land area is 41 percent of the Philippines. There are only no more than 4 million Muslims (4 percent of the population); the Muslims represented by the MILF is not even half of them.

The ousted SAF chief Getulio Napeñas, estimated outright ten of his commandos would die in Oplan Exodus. Aquino’s response: Bring 160 men.

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rounding Makati City Hall? of attention was on the President That’s definitely an overkill. on the Mamasapano slaughter of Roxas abused his powers as inte44 police commandos. rior secretary.

Be that as it may, we now know Karma will be “Kid” Pena may now be known what kind of a presidential aspirant at work when Mr. Mar Roxas has become. as a shortest acting mayor since the 60-day TRO or Temporary Aquino steps down. *** Restraining Order soon came There are reports that the Moro on the 60-day suspension by the Islamic Liberation Front leaders Ombudsman. It was an indicathe Aquino government is negotition that the administration’s ating peace with have a dual persuspension order could be contested in court for sonality -- they are Filipino rebels going to the nethe simple reason that the administrative case gotiating table, and they are also Malaysians. No against Mayor Junjun happened before he be- wonder, the MILF would rather submit their own came mayor. investigation into the Mamasapano slaughter of 44 In any case, what happened in Makati could only police commandos to Malaysia instead of to the show the double standard of justice the Aquino Philippine government . government has--one for Aquino’s loyalists and Santa Banana, what strikes me as strange is the supporters, and another one for its enemies and immediate defense by the government’s peace nepossible opponents in 2016. gotiator Miriam Coronel Ferrer for the MILF leadBesides, timing of the suspension against Mayor ers. She insists that they are all Filipino citizens.

Binay was suspect, coming as it did when the focus Next page

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OPINION

adelle chua EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

The MaMasapano RepoRT (Part 2, continued from Monday)

Oplan Exodus was not approved by the OIC-PnP who was kept out of the loop.

In the ocular inspection of the site of the napeñas dominated the mission planning, massacre of the SAF 44, the PnP Board disregarding inputs from his subordinate RITa lInDa of Inquiry interviewed Mayor Ampatuan commanders on how the operation will be v. jImEnO of Mamasapano, the Barangay Chairman conducted. The concept of the way-in/wayand Officials of Barangay Tukanalipao, out, by foot, and night-only infiltration and Mamasapano, the BOI learned that normally, armed el- exfiltration in an enemy controlled community with unements would readily withdraw from an encounter site realistic assumptions was a high-risk type of operation. whenever white phosphorous rounds were delivered by As Oplan Exodus was being carried out, mobile comthe Field Artillery Battery of the 6th Infantry Division of munication devices were used as a primary mode of the Philippine Army. communication. However, these devices fell short of Unfortunately, however, three (3) white phospho- what was needed to relay real-time information and rous artillery rounds were fired late in the afternoon of coordination of activities to and from the chain of January 25, when all of the 55thSAC already lay dead, command. Radio Operators were assigned one each except for one who was able to escape. Why the delay? for 84th Seaborne and 55thSAC. However, the 55th At 7:30 a.m when the firefight was in progress, the SAF SAC and 84th Seaborne lost contact during the crucoordinated and requested for indirect artillery fire cial moments of executing Oplan Exodus. They had to support from the 1st Mechanized Brigade. The Brigade rely on their ears to determine distinctive gunfire and Commander, Col. Gener Del Rosario, sought clear- the approximate location of each other. The common ance for artillery fire from the 6th Infantry Division Motorola handheld radios failed when submerged in Commander, Major General Edmundo Pangilinan. water because these were not designed for militaryWhile Pangilinan sent infantry and mechanized units type of operations. The battery life was short because to reinforce the SAF, he put on hold the request for of wear and tear. Several rounds of ammunition of indirect artillery fire since, according to him, they still M203 grenade launchers were defective. lacked details as mandated by their protocol. Pangilinan The highlights of the report’s conclusion said that the also withheld artillery fire support in consideration of President gave the go-signal and allowed the execution of the peace process and artillery fire protocols. Still, the Oplan Exodus. He allowed the participation of suspended report said, that decision could have been made by a PnP Chief Alan Purisima in the planning and execution of Brigade Commander like Col. del Rosario, himself.

Oplan Exodus. The report enumerated in explicit terms the Oplan Exodus was defective from the very beginning, numerous violations of suspended PnP Chief, Purisima. the report stressed. Troop movement was mismanaged; The President, the report said, exercised his prerogatroops failed to occupy their positions; there was lack of tive to deal directly with napeñas instead of the OIC-PnP effective communication among the operating troops; Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina. Yet, it said, command and control was ineffective and foremost; while the President has the prerogative to deal directly with there was no coordination with the AFP forces and peace any of his subordinates, the act of dealing with napeñas mechanism entities. by-passed the established PnP Chain of Command.

The report emphasized too that the Chain of Command The Mamasapano Report stressed the importance of in the PnP was violated. The President, the suspended command responsibility, quoting: “A commander is reChief PnP Purisima and napeñas kept the information to sponsible for what his unit does or fails to do.” themselves. The Chain of Command should be observed I, as a lay person, have these questions to ask. If you in running mission operations, the report said. were napeñas and the President himself was dealing diThe Time on Target strategy adopted in the operation is rectly with you, together with your Chief (Purisima), applicable only to ordinary police operations. In fact, this though suspended, had the apparent full trust of the concept does not even conform to the established and ac- President in directing the operations, would you have ceptable operational concepts and protocols of the PnP. had the gall to not follow every direction given you as a Even AFP commanders asserted that the Time on Target good follower? Who really had command responsibility concept is alien to the Armed Forces and runs counter in Oplan Exodus? to their established SOPs. Without coordination, following the AFP definition, support to operating units such Email: ritalindaj@gmail.com Visit: www.jimenolaw. as artillery or close air support is not possible since these com.ph entail preparation.

Stupid..From A10 napeñas not only brought 160. He commandeered 392 of his top commandos, nationwide, from Apayao to Zamboanga, for the operation. A large contingent, the commandos, however, were basically policemen masquerading as soldiers. Their radios didn’t work; their cellphones went low bat or had poor signal; their guns didn’t fire; their grenades were dud. Their ground commanders could not be located.

For all their panoply of firepower and insignias, the commandos were boys matched against the fierceness, guts and cunning of the guerillas and fight-

OuT Of ThE bOx

ers of the MILF, its terrorist arm, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters; and of the various private armed groups (PAGs). All three groups are allied – being neighbors and bound by blood, marriage and age-old friendships. Enter their territory and you are dead meat. Over 1,000 such fighters lived within a 10-km radius of the Mamasapano battlefield of Jan. 25.

Aquino also reportedly told napeñas to coordinate with the army which had the air assets, tanks, mortar, and infantry to provide support and rescue in case the PnP commandos were beleaguered by an over-

Pnoy..From A10 A giveaway which I find disturbing is that these MILF officials have different names. Why negotiate with people who use aliases?

It was bad enough that Ferrer and presidential peace adviser Teresita Deles keep on lawyering for the Moro rebels. now, they are defending them, even as they are rumored to be Malaysians!

The fact that Iqbal presented an official Philippine passport doesn’t prove that they are not Malaysians.

whelming enemy forces. The army did not provide such support until nearly 12 hours after napeñas asked for it. And only to collect the dead and wounded. Somebody told the army to stand down.

Before Mamasapano, passage of the BBL seemed assured, given President BS Aquino’s enormous generosity in dispensing taxpayers’ money to bribe congressmen and senators who are at his beck and call.

When Exodus failed, Aquino texted Purisima: “Are we back to Square One?” biznewsasia@gmail.com

They could have dual citizenship, which makes it imperative for the Bureau of Immigration to check their records.

If there are questions on the citizenship of the MILF leaders negotiating peace with government, it does not mean that the questions are meant to demolish the peace process. It simply means, my gulay, that we should ascertain the nationalities of people government is negotiating peace with.

Their appearance before Congress during hearings is no guarantee that they are truly Filipinos.

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bad..From A8 I think Aquino and his supporters (those who have not abandoned him, anyway) should be made to realize all the wrongs they have done by focusing on political vendetta, noynoying and playing armchair military strategist. I want the President to be given the chance to see just how big a mess he made in the past five years, a mess that he certainly cannot correct in the sixth and last.

In the remaining time that Aquino has in Malacanang, I want him to realize that he has committed very serious errors and misjudgments and that he still has time to rectify his belief that he became infallible upon his election.

Of course, as a card-carrying and longtime member of the noynoy Aquino Critics’ Society, I’m also perfectly willing to accept that he may attempt to run me over, as he warned last weekend. I just hope he still has some gas in his tank when he goes on this latest foolhardy adventure.

Quibbling..From A9 Tell us it isn’t so. But there are unconfirmed reports the helicopters were in Zamboanga where the President and his phalanx of security men were ferried from Manila. This seems to lend credence to another still another unverified report that the President was in Zamboanga waiting for the SAF to deliver a captured Marwan. Except that “the best laid plan” was not so well planned after all.

It was in fact ill-fated from the start when Aquino allowed a suspended Purisima to call the shots (or give advice) on Operation Exodus without informing DILG Secretary Mar Roxas and PnP Officer in Charge Leonardo Espina.

Apparently, Aquino wanted Purisima to redeem himself and what better way to wash the graft and unexplained wealth charges his favorite general is facing before the Ombudsman than for him to come out a hero for bagging Marwan .

Alas, the fates did not allow Aquino and Purisima to pull off their grand script.

It turns out that the defense department has enough helicopters for use in its counter insurgency campaign.

Aside from the eight Polish-made choppers, the DnD also purchased UH-1 combat helicopters worth P1.2 billion on December 28, 2013.

Senator J.V Ejercito, a member of the Senate committee on national defense and security, wants an investigation into what could be an anomalous deal involving 21 units of refurbished Huey helicopters from a “favored bidder.”

He said the choppers cannot be used because of poor quality and defective parts. The senator said that aside from the waste of taxpayers’ money, the defective equipment could place the lives of our soldiers at great risk.

Rape rampage in India India’s image is being sullied by the rampage of rapists against local young girls and female foreign tourists. nothing is sacred anymore. This week, the latest victim is a 70-year old nun who was gang-raped by robbers who broke into a convent school in the Indian state of West Bengal. This is an unspeakable crime and shows the depth of the predators’ depravity.

In 2012 a young student was gang-raped by a group of men inside a moving bus in new Delhi. The young woman died from injuries and the trauma of the attack. The victim was with her boyfriend who was held down on the floor of the bus while the beasts brutally attacked her.

One of the rapists had this to say about his victim: “She should have just kept silent and allowed it to happen.”

Indian women have taken to the streets to protest this latest attack on a nun and denounce the authorities who can’t seem to stop the series of rapes.

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A12 Billeting ready for Davao del Norte Palaro DAVAO DEL NORTE — The sign on the gate is clear and simple: “Ready For Occupancy.”

The billeting assignments for athletes and officials for the 2015 Palarong Pambansa were drawn Friday last week and what the facilities only need are the athletes and officials—10,000 or so of them—who will vie in the annual multi-sport competition to be hosted

by Davao del Norte this summer from May 3 to 9.

“We are proud to say that every billeting center is ‘Ready For Occupancy!’” Davao del Norte Governor Rodolfo del Rosario said. “Similar with our playing venues, we are ready to host the Palaro anytime, even tomorrow.”

Making Davao del Norte unique from previous Palarong Pambansa hosts is the strategic location of its billeting facilities from the Davao del Norte Sports Complex, according to Del Rosario.

“Travel time from the billeting areas to the competition venues and back will be convenient to everyone,” Del Rosario explained.

Putting premium on road safety at a maximum 35 kph within the confines of the capital to 60 kph in the outskirts, ferrying the student athletes and officials to the sports complex would border from a quick one minute drive at the minimum to 39 minutes at the maximum.

Of the 22 billeting facilities, only three are outside a 5-km radius from the sports complex.

“The athletes could just even walk to the competition if they would desire to,” Del Rosario said.

sports sports@thestandard.com.ph

Heat frustrate LeBron’s Cavaliers again, 106-92 MIAMI—Another return to Miami for LeBron James brought another thumping for his Cleveland Cavaliers at the hands of his former club as the Heat ripped their ex-teammate 106-92 Monday.

LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers dunks the ball as the Miami Heat’s Hassan Whiteside and Henry Walker helplessly look on. The Heat, however, won, 106-92. AFP

Dwyane Wade produced game highs of 32 points and five steals to spark the Heat, who won two NBA titles and reached four consecutive NBA Finals before James left last July to return to his home-region club.

James scored 26 points to lead the Cavaliers, but they were beaten just as in his first return to Miami for a game, a 101-91 Heat triumph last December 25.

Wade and James shared an embrace in the seconds after the final buzzer, following which Wade said the Heat relish beating the Cavaliers in a special way.

“We do. They are one of the better teams in the NBA,” Wade said. “We know when we play the way we played tonight, we can beat anybody. It’s about getting to that game consistency. We haven’t played that way as much as we did today.”

Slovenian guard Goran Dragic added 20 points and nine assists for the Heat while Hassan Whiteside and reserve Mario Chalmers each scored 16 points, Whiteside also contributing a game-high 11 rebounds.

The Heat shot 55 percent from the floor in improving to 30-36, matching Boston and Indiana for the last two playoff berths in the Eastern Conference with 16 games remaining.

“For this team right here, it’s about fighting for the playoffs, so we needed this win,” Wade said.

Kyrie Irving added 21 points and a team-high six assists for the Cavaliers, who were playing without star big man Kevin Love, who was rested

by Cleveland coach Dave Blatt.

James had treatment on his right knee before the game, having tweaked it in a Sunday triumph at Orlando.

Miami’s 56-38 half-time lead marked the largest half-time deficit of the season for the Cavaliers, who shot only 38 percent from the court for the game.

In Atlanta, Hawks guard Kyle Korver, the NBA’s most accurate 3-point shooter, has a broken nose and will miss at least three games, the club announced Monday night.

The 33-year-old American suffered the injury in the second quarter of Sunday’s 91-86 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Korver was dropped at first from the Hawks’ Monday game at Sacramento, then the team said he will miss the final two games of its six-game road swing, at NBA overall leader Golden State and Oklahoma City.

AFP

Rory replaces Tiger as face of video game LOS ANGELES—Rory McIlroy, who has replaced Tiger Woods as golf’s world number one, will also supplant the 14time major champion on EA Sports’ PGA Tour video game.

EA announced Monday that the game, to be released in June, will be called “Rory McIlroy PGA Tour” and feature the 25-year-old from Northern Ireland on its cover.

It will mark the first time since 1998, the year after Woods won his first major crown at the Masters, that Woods has not been featured on the cover. A Woods-EA contract expired in 2013.

“I’m very proud and humbled to see my face and name on EA Sports Rory

McIlroy PGA Tour,” McIlroy said in a statement.

“This is a great honor and something I couldn’t even dream of growing up playing the sport. I really hope people enjoy the game and I’m very glad I can be a part of it.”

EA figures to seek a new group of young gamers and golf fans with the switch, using the hashtag NextGenGolf with a Twitter posting announcing McIlroy’s new status.

“New name. New cover. Looking good @McIlroyRory!” the video game maker tweeted.

McIlroy will try to complete a career Grand Slam by winning his first Masters title next month at Augusta National.

He will also be trying for his third major title in a row after wins at last year’s British Open and PGA Championship.

In all, McIlroy has won four majors, his first coming at the 2011 US Open at Congressional and his second coming at the 2012 PGA Championship at Kiawah Island.

Woods, 39, is chasing the record 18 career major titles won by Jack Nicklaus but has not won a major crown since the 2008 US Open.

In recent years he has been nagged by leg and back injuries and is currently struggling with his game, his participation in doubt for the Masters, on a course where he has won four times— but not since 2005. AFP

McIlroy

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sports sports@thestandard.com.ph

Murray, Nishikori advance at Indian Wells tilt INDIAN WELLS—Andy Murray, who is trying to become Britain’s most winningest player ever, defeated Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 in the third round of the Indian Wells tournament Monday.

The two-time Grand Slam winner Murray clinched the victory on his first match point when the German hit a forehand wide.

He finished with six aces and broke Kohlschreiber four times in the one hour, 50 minute match on centre court.

“He played better in the second set and I felt like I served better in the third set.

I did well at the end to keep it going,” Murray said.

Murray advances to the fourth round where he will square off against France’s Adrian Mannarino.

Murray now has 495 wins and is just two shy of passing Tim Henman for the most career singles wins in the Open Era. He also needs just five more victories to join the 500 wins club.

Murray opened his season by reaching the Australian Open final where he lost to Serb star Novak Djokovic.

World number five Kei Nishikori rallied to beat Spain’s Fernando Verdasco in a scrappy third round match that went three sets.

Nishikori beat the Spaniard 6-7 (6/8), 6-1, 6-4 to move through to the fourth round where he will face either Feliciano Lopez of Spain or Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay.

Nishikori, who holds the record for being the highest ranked Asian player in ATP Tour history, is enjoying his best ever result in Indian Wells after reaching the fourth round for the first time in his seventh appearance.

Nishikori is having a superb 2014 having reached the quarter-finals or better in all four tournaments before coming to the California desert.

He won his eighth career title in Memphis, made it to the final in Acapulco, the semi-finals in Brisbane and the quarters in the Australian Open.

Nishikori said he didn’t play his best tennis Monday but at least he battled through the difficult moments.

“It was really close match,” Nishikori said. “I was struggling with his serve. He mixed it up really well; flat, spin, kick serve. Sometimes I didn’t know where the ball was going. AFP

4 title fights to highlight Flash Elorde Awards Night

By Ronnie Nathanielsz

FOUR title fights will highlight the Flash Elorde Annual Awards Night at the Manila Hotel, with two grandsons of the all-time great and Hall-ofFamer seeing action in what is always a superb presentation, orchestrated by Liza Elorde and her husband Johnny.

World Boxing Organization Asia Pacific super featherweight champion Juan Martin “Bai” Elorde, a southpaw like his grandfather with his identical nickname, will defend his crown against Japan’s Hirotsugu Yamamoto, while younger brother Juan Miguel “Mig”

Elorde will seek to win the vacant WBO Asia Pacific super bantamweight title when he faces Thailand’s Tabthong Tor Buamas.

The 30-year-old Juan Martin has a record of 16-1-1, with 7 knockouts, while the 31-yearold Yamamoto’s record is 16-

10-2, with 2 knockouts.

Juan Miguel Elorde, who is 28, has a record of 17-1 with 9 knockouts, while the 27-yearold Tor Buamas has a record of 14-2 with 12 knockouts and is certain to prove to be a dangerous foe.

In a battle for the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation featherweight title, veteran 33-year-old southpaw Vinvin Rufino, who has a record of 3616-3 with 16 knockouts, faces 27-year-old southpaw Mark Gil Melligen, who is ranked no. 12 by the OPBF. Melligen sports a record of 21-4-1 with 12 knockouts and has won his last six fights, 2 by knockouts and 4 by TKO

with the biggest win in that stretch being a second-round TKO over Japan’s Masayuki Wakimoto (20-4-1, 7 KOs).

In an exciting bout for the Philippine bantamweight, crown 30-year-old Monico Laurente, who has a record of 25-12 with 6 knockouts, clashes with hardhitting and aggressive Marco Demecillio, the 24-year-old with an impressive record of 20-2-1 with15 knockouts.

Demecillo is best remembered for his give-and-take, actionpacked encounter with undefeated OPBF champion King Arthur Villanueva in an ALA Promotions card in Davao City on April 20, 2013, which Villanueva won by a 12-round unanimous decision.

TIP Engineers dominate EDQ Cup. The Technological Institute of the Philippines Engineers were crowned champions in the 2nd Engr. Deme-

trio Quirino Cup after beating defending champions College of St. Benilde Blazers, 69-68. TIP power forward Raymond Alvarado took home the season’s Most Valuable Player trophy, while fellow Engineers Kimley Medina and Carlo Gomez earned spots in the Mythical Five, together with San Beda College Red Lion’s Dan Sara and CSB Blazers Paul Saavedra and Jonathan Grey. The EDQ Cup is an invitational basketball tournament hosted

by TIP in honor of its founder, Engr. Demetrio Quirino. Eight schools participated in this year’s tournament, including Far Eastern University, Mapua Institute of Technology, National University, San Beda College, University of Santo Tomas and University of the East. Photo shows TIP Assistant VP for Administration Angelo Lahoz, with the champions.

Hamburg wants to host Olympics BERLIN—Hamburg will bid to become Germany’s first host of a Winter or Summer Olympic Games since the tragedy-scarred Munich Summer edition in 1972 after they beat Berlin in a vote held on Monday for the 2024 Summer Games candidacy.

The decision—which saw Hamburg gain 18 votes to Berlin’s 11 with four voters voting for both cities—should be rubber-stamped by a German Olympic Sports Confederation’s (DSOB) Extraordinary General Assembly meeting in Frankfurt this Saturday although they will need to also win local popular support in a referendum if the bid is to proceed.

They will be mindful, though, that a proposed Munich bid for the 2022 Winter Games foundered when it was rejected in a referendum.

Hamburg probably gained the upper hand on Berlin when polls revealed last week that 64% of people polled favoured a bid as opposed to

just 55% in the capital city, which last hosted the Summer Games in 1936 when American athlete Jesse Owens made a nonsense of Adolf Hitler’s theory on Aryan supremacy by winning four gold medals.

Munich’s hosting of the 1972 Summer Games was a traumatic experience for the country as a whole as well as for the athletes taking part when tragedy struck with the deaths of 11 Israeli aathletes, a German policeman and five members of the radical Palestinian group known as Black September who had taken them hostage initially in the Athletes Village although most of the deaths occurred at a nearby airport.

Alfons Hoermann, president of the DSOB, said that Hamburg would pose an interesting candidacy.

“How close the two cities were together is clear from the voting,” said Hoermann.

“Hamburg offers a fascinating and compact concept and the development of a north German and north European metropolitan region can be promoted.

“We are looking forward to the presentation on Saturday, then the work will really begin.

“We want to stay in constant dialogue with the citizens and the public.

“Only then will it be possible for the vision of an Olympic and Paralympic Games to become a reality in Germany.”

However, with Germany keen to host the European Football Championships in 2024 many according to weekly publication ‘Der Spiegel’ see this as just testing the waters for a bid for the 2028 Games.

Cities have until September 15 to formally enter the race and so far Boston and Rome have officially declared, although Paris is also expected to announce a bid. AFP

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

US trainer: Athletes’ desire is key

By Peter Atencio

THE country’s top long-distance runners have the desire to do better in the world stage.

Retired marathon champion Dick Beardsley said this after he met four local champions following his arrival in the country last week.

“I spoke to some of them.

And they have the desire. And this is about helping the athletes and their coaches believe in themselves,” said Beardsley during yesterday’s weekly PSA Forum at the Shakey’s Restaurant

in Malate, Manila.

Beardsley, who returned from an earlier visit in the country, spent some time with retired local marathon champion and coach Roy Vence and his wards, which include Eduardo Buenavista and Mary Grace de los Santos during the first week of his visit in Manila.

The 58-year-old Beardsley, who showed up with University

of Cincinnati track mentor Bill Schnier, Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association president Philip Ella Juico and secretary general Renato Unso, said he hopes to instill ideas which worked for him physically and mentally when he was still active a competitive runner.

He and Schnier and will be here for the next three months. They arrived a week before the fourday National Open gets going from March 19 to 22 at the San Luis Sports Complex in Sta. Cruz, Laguna.

Beardsley is known for his

low finish time of 2:09:37 at the 1981 Grandma’s Marathon and it stood as a course record for 33 years until it was broken in 2014.

The following year, he had another low time of 2:08.52.6 in the Boston Marathon to finish runner-up to Alberto Salazar.

Schnier, who has experience in handling Olympic athletes, said he is here to learn more of the culture of athletes in the Philippines and find out how he can contribute to their development.

“What I think is needed, is for people to think bigger,” said Schnier, who added that athletes

and coaches need to start, where they’re good at in order to get somewhere.

Twelve members of the national coaching staff and 33 members of the national pool will learn their strengths and weakness following their talks with Beardsley and Schnier.

They initially went into discussions with national coaches led by Dario Darosas, Agustin Jarina, Ojon Artiaga, Ernie Candelaria, Jeoffrey Chua, Lerma Gabito, Joebert Delicano, Arnold Villarube, Nixon Mas and Emerson Obiena.

Paragliding fit for Filipinos

By Randy Caluag

PSL Chairman Phillip Ella Juico (right), PSL President Ramon Suzara (second from right), Chot Reyes (third from right) of TV5 and the team’s coaches present the captains of the participating teams in 2015 Philippine Super Liga All Filipino Conference on Tuesday at the SMX Arena. EY ACASIO

4 big hitters make Petron spikers one of teams to beat in Superliga THE presence of four big hitters will make the Petron Blaze Spikers one of the teams to beat in the coming Philippine Superliga All-Filipino Conference, when it reels off this Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Blazers Spikers’ coach George Pascua said this as the Blaze Spikers prepare for battle against Philips Gold at 4:30 p.m.

“Mas lumalim ang bench namin ngayon dahil sa mga bagong players,” said Pascua, who talked about the team during a lunch preview at the Mall of Asia Arena yesterday.

Former La Salle hitter Abby Marano, Rachel Anne Daquis, Fil-American Alexa Micek and

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

National University’s Abby Perez alternate playing kit, while the will beef up the Blazer Spikers’ league will still maintain the shorts roster. in the teams’ traditional light and This season’s All-Filipino dark kits during regular games.

Conference will be F i l i p i n o Games Saturday aired on TV5 and American spiker (Mall of Asia Arena) organizers will be Iris Tolenada will 1:30 p.m. • Opening Ceremony making a fashion banner Philips 2:30 p.m. • Cignal vs Foton statement with the Gold. She carries an 4:30 p.m. • Philips vs Petron new uniform sets impressive resume they are introducing. after becoming the PSL president Ramon “Tats” first player from San Francisco Suzara said they have already State University to win the Most approved the inclusion of skirts in Valuable Player award in the highly the teams’ official uniforms and competitive California Collegiate the move is expected to further Athletic Association. boost the marketability of the In the opening game, it will be inter-club volleyball league in the coach Sammy Acaylar’s Cignal HD country.

Spikers going up against the Foton The skirts will be part of the Tornadoes at 2:30 p.m.

The Tornadoes will miss libero Denise Lazaro of Ateneo, whom they picked in the draft. Lazaro, according to team captain Ivy Remulla, will not be around because of commitment with her studies.

Vilet Ponce de Leon will handle the Tornadoes, while Rosemarie Prochina is mentoring the Mane N Tail Lady Stallions. Francis Vicente is with the Philips Gold Lady Slammers, and Ramil de Jesus coaches the Shopinas Lady Slammers.

PSL chairman Philip Ella Juico said the league will do great as it offers athletes an opportunity to continue their careers after college. Peter Atencio

PARAGLIDING Philippine president Albert Mendoza believes the coming Paragliding Accuracy World Cup, slated on March 27 to 29 in Saranggani, will serve as launchpad to popularize the sport that is very fit for Filipinos.

“It was a big challenge putting up the World Cup here but we are taking the challenge because this is a sport that could give the Philippines a lot of honors in the future,” said Mendoza before mediamen in yesterday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at Shakey’s Malate in Manila.

“We think Filipinos are suitable for paragliding because of the physical and mental aspects involved in the sport,” added Mendoza, who praised the venue at SAFIC Ranch in Maasim, Sarangani.

“The Safi Ranch ranch has good weather and stable winds all around so it is ideal for paragliding,” said Mendoza as he also thanked Sarangani Gov. Steve Solon and Maasim Mayor Jojo Lopez in supporting and hosting the international event A total of 60 entries from 16 countries will be competing in the first leg of the event to be participated in by entries from Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, South Korea, Australia, Pakistan, United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, Japan, Canada, US, France, South Africa, and host Philippines.

Paragliding Phils. member Buko Raymundo said among the locals to watch are Sarangani natives Joseph Onceda, Christopher Romao and Carlo Monteko in the session presented by San Miguel Corp., Accel,, Shakey’s, and Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.

Raymundo, who saw action for the country in the paragliding event in the 2011 Indonesia Southeast Asian Games, said the competition will be held for six rounds over three days with the pilot having the least number of demerits in landing at the drop zone 1,000 meters below the jump-off point emerging as the champion.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK W E D N E S D AY : M A R C H 1 8 , 2 0 1 5

A15

SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Stewards fined over Money Talks incident JENNY ORTUOSTE

THE HOARSE WHISPERER THE Philippine Racing Commission released last week its decision on the Money Talks incident of Feb. 22 at San Lazaro Leisure Park.

After its motu propio review of the case where the stewards of the Manila Jockey Club disqualified the first placer and favorite Money Talks, the Commission’s Review Committee found that “there were serious lapses/flaws in the decision” made by the stewards.

Stewards Rafael de las Cagigas, Daniel M. Valmonte, Francisco G. Fernando, Vicente J. Villanueva, and Rene C. Sare were found “guilty of gross negligence amounting to ignorance of the rules and dereliction of duty.”

They were all fined five thousand pesos each and given a stern warning that “similar offences shall be dealt with more severely in the future.”

Philracom also admonished the stewards “to be more vigilant and circumspect in the performance of their duties.”

The MJC stewards disqualified Money Talks and relegated it to second place behind Juachenzo’s Run, saying that “when the [starting] gate opened, Money Talks swerved-in sharply to the path of Juachenzo’s Run, causing the rider of the latter to be checked and lost [sic] ground.”

The Commission, looking into “the perceived amount of ground lost by the impeded horse as a result of the incident,” found that since the interference occurred when the gate opened, “Juanchenzo’s Run could not have lost ground yet. As a matter of fact, after the incident, Juachenzo’s Run even led Money Talks in some lengths of the race.”

The stewards were also scolded for failing to report the “more serious interference caused by Dixie Storm also at the gate,” and the “interference between Spicy Time and Jazz Wild but the incident was conspicuously absent from the Board of Stewards’ report.”

Finally, the Commission noted that there was “no record in the report on how the stewards voted on the incident, in violation of PR [Philippine racing rules and regulations] 5-F.” According to Philracom Chairman Andrew A. Sanchez, “The Commission is serious about implementing the racing rules for the protection of the racing public and to preserve the integrity of the sport.” ***** Philracom also released last week its Resolution No. 7-15 that provides “immediate relief measures to the racing and breeding industry in the form of incentives” in response to the clamor of horseowners and breeders who lament the increasing unprofitability of engaging in the sport.

Starting last Monday, Mar. 16, Philracom will provide an added prize of five thousand pesos for horseowners only in all class-division races. ***** Congratulations to Manila Horsepower for their excellent handicapping of the races last Sunday at San Lazaro Leisure Park, on the occasion of their pakarera (racing festival).

The interesting lineups of their races caused a double-carryover in the Winner-Take-All event. ***** The Metropolitan Association of Race Horse Owners will be holding its General Membership Meeting and Election of Officers on March 28, Saturday, at Metro Turf. All MARHO members are requested to attend.

The meeting will be followed by the MARHO Founders Cup racing festival, featuring 12 races with added prizes sponsored by Metro Turf and MARHO. More details on this next week. *** Facebook: Gogirl Racing, Twitter: @gogirlracing, Blog: http://jennyo.net

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Army, Navy are champs. The Philippine Army (in action above and left) retained its Men’s Open championship for the fourth straight year, while Fleet Marine from the Philippine Navy copped both the Women’s and Mixed Open titles in the dragon boat races of the 2015 Manila Bay Seasports Festival. Among the motorized bancas, Jerin Pasignalin of Cadiz City, piloting “Lourd Cedric” sped to first place in the formula race, while Agoo, La Union practically ruled the Stock Race, capturing three of the top four finishers, led by Ruben Quero, on board “Angielyn” who emerged champion. The Manila Bay Seasports Festival was presented by Manila Broadcasting Company and the City of Manila, in cooperation with the Philippine Coast Guard, Cobra Energy Drink, The Generics Pharmacy, Revicon, M. Lhuillier, Cignal, My Juiz, and Herco-official distributor for Briggs and Stratton.

Hotshots send Barako th to 4 straight setback

By Jeric Lopez

SLOWLY but surely, Purefoods is once again starting to peak at the most crucial time.

The defending champions continued their ascent as they walloped Barako Bull, 103-96, to stretch their winning streak to three games and enhance their chances of finishing in the Top 2 in the 2015 Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last night.

Denzel Bowles was once again his dominant self, willing his way to a game-high 34 points and 17 rebounds to backstop Purefoods.

The Star Hotshots are now in solo second place, improving to 7-3 with the hopes of finishing in the Top 2 strengthened. They can also claim the tournament lead in case current league-leader Meralco, which was playing Alaska, loses. ‘’I thought my team showed real grit tonight. That’s the kind of stuff that helps you win playoff games,’’ said Purefoods coach Tim Cone of his team’s performance. ‘’We had a good second half.’’

Santo Tomas, NU start stepladder semifinals UNIVERSITY of Santo Tomas and which is unbeaten in 60 matches National University clash today to open since 2011, is in the Finals after the step-ladder semifinals of completing a 12-game the UAAP Season 77 softball elimination round sweep.

Game today tournament at the Rizal (Rizal Memorial The thrice-to-beat Memorial Baseball Stadium. Baseball Stadium) Lady Falcons will only The winner of the do- 9 a.m. • UST vs NU play on March 24 if the or-die match at 9 a.m. (softball semis) step-ladder semifinals will take on twice-to-beat goes into the full route.

University of the Philippines in the The Lady Bulldogs, runners-up second step-ladder on Friday. in the last two seasons, captured The Lady Maroons bagged the the last semifinals berth after No. 2 seed in the semis after hacking eliminating De La Salle, 11-0, in out a 7-4 win over the Tigresses only five innings last Sunday. in last Sunday’s playoff.

FiveSoftball is the remaining event peat seeking Adamson University, contested this season by the league.

On the other hand, the Energy Colas (4-6) continued their downward spiral, losing their fourth straight and sixth of their last seven games. More importantly, the loss dropped them to ninth place, a spot outside the top eight.

Meanwhile, the league slapped Rain or Shine big men Beau Belga and Raymund Almazan a combined P110,000 on fines for several actions in the Painters’ intense 82-79 victory over Barangay Ginebra last Sunday.

Belga was slapped with a hefty P70,000 for several rugged plays in the said game. Almazan was handed down a P40,000 fine for several missed flagrant fouls by the officials.

Gin Kings’ enforcer Dorian Pena was also fined P10,000 for a flagrant foul on Almazan.

The scores: PUREFOODS 103—Bowles 34, Devance 15, Maliksi 13, Pingris 8, Melton 8, Pennisi 7, Barroca 6, Yap 6, Simon 3, Mallari 2, Taha 1.

BARAKO 96—Alabi 29, Lanete 21, Intal 15, Mercado 14, Garcia 5, Pascual 4, Hubalde 4, Marcelo 4, Lastimosa 0, Matias 0, Salva 0.

Quarterscores: 19-24, 47-47, 81-72, 103-96 Games Wednesday (Smart Araneta Coliseum) 4:15 p.m. • Kia vs. NLEX 7 p.m. • San Miguel vs. Talk ‘N Text

Schrock eyes return to Azkals LIKE a prodigal son, Fil-German booter Stephan Schrock is patching his differences with national coach Thomas Dooley and is trying to make his way back into the Philippine Azkals’ national football team roster.

Team manager Dan Palami said this and expressed confidence that Dooley and Schrock will eventually settle their differences.

Schrock had a bitter, falling-out with Dooley after the 2014 Asian Football Confederation Challenge Cup. Schrock later apologized to Dooley via text message recently and it was accepted.

“It’s precisely because of this passion that somehow this misunderstanding came about—one wanted to play and the other wanting to win and sometimes some decisions have to be made that the others don’t like. At the end of the day, this particular desire to play for country and win for country will pave the way for players like Schrocky to return,” said Palami.

If Schrock does make it, so will goalie Neil Etheridge, who is linking with the team for its training camp in Bahrain. Peter Atencio

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK W E D N E S D AY : M A R C H 1 8 , 2 0 1 5

A16

RIERA U. MALL ARI EDITOR

REUEL VIDAL A S S I S TA N T E D I T O R

sports@thestandard.com.ph

SPORTS “I promise to make Pacquiao as competitive as we would want him to be to achieve our target of winning by knockout,” said Freddie Roach. “We have to win this fight, because if we fail, the entire world will be disappointed.”

PHOTO BY CHRIS FARINA/TOP RANK

Pacquiao begins sparring

By Ronnie Nathanielsz

MICHAEL KONCZ, eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao’s longtime adviser, is keeping an eye on the random drug tests being conducted by the US Anti Doping Agency on the Filipino icon, even as the most popular fighter in the world begins sparring behind closed doors at the Wild Card Gym today (Tuesday in LA).

Well-known boxing writer/ columnist and author Scoop Malinowski indicated he was concerned that the US Anti Doping Agency random drug tests may be faked to frame Pacquiao.

“I have ever so slight suspicion that (Al) Haymon could scheme to frame Pacquiao with a fake positive drug

test via his association with Travis Tygart at USDA,” said Malinowski, who also indicated he was “not saying it will happen, just a remote possibility. Hopefully, it won’t.”

He said a comment by undefeated welterweight Keith Thurman, who scored an impressive win over Robert Guerrero and reportedly

McIlroy replaces Tiger as face of videogame TURN TO A12

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

blurted out that if Pacquiao drops out of the May 2 date, he would replace him if called by Haymon.

“I find that very strange and a red flag,” Malinowski said.

But Koncz was smarter than many people give him credit for. He told the New Standard/Viva Sports that as early as two weeks before the fight contract was signed that he had hired a qualified consultant to act as a watchdog just to make sure nothing went wrong.

Pacquiao had his first drug test, while training at the Pan Pacific Park Park early morning and took it, calmly indicating that from his point of view, there was nothing to worry about.

However, up to now, there have been no

reports of any blood tests done on Mayweather.

Koncz also said he is getting the sparring partners of Pacquiao to sign a “confidentially agreement,” which would prevent them from giving interviews to media about their sparring with Pacquiao.

He said one sparring partner Kenneth Simms, an unbeaten young welterweight from Chicago, with a record of 5-0 with 2 knockouts, had already arrived, while another one is expected tomorrow.

He is believed to be Finland’s Edis Tatli, who was born in Kosovo and has a record of 24-1 with 8 knockouts. He lost by a majority decision in a WBA lightweight title fight to Richard Abril on Sept. 20, 2014.

Koncz said Pacquiao was

looking fabulous, even as he appealed to media to respect their decision to lock down the gym and not allow any camera crews or reporters inside during Pacquiao’s training.

Celebrated Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach said Manny is in good shape and commended assistant trainer Bubiy Fernandez, Roger Fernandez and Nonoy Neri for handling Pacquiao’s preparation, while he (Roach) was in Macau with Zou Shiming who lost in his bid to win the IBF flyweight title from Thailand’s Amnat Ruenroeng.

“I promise to make Pacquiao as competitive as we would want him to be to achieve our target of winning by knockout,” said Roach. “We have to win this fight, because if we fail, the entire world will be disappointed.”

Heat rip LOTTO RESULTS 6/49 00-00-00-00-00-00 James’ Cavaliers 6/42 00-00-00-00-00-00 again 6 DIGITS 0-0-0-0-0-0 TURN TO A12 3 DIGITS 0-0-0 2 EZ2 0-0

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

B1

WEDNESDAY: MARCH 18, 2015

RAY S. EÑANO EDITOR

RODERICK T. DELA CRUZ ASSISTANT EDITOR

business@thestandard.com.ph extrastory2000@gmail.com

BUSINESS

PSe comPoSite index Closing March 17, 2015

8000 7500 6840 7500 6180

7000

5520

6500

4860

6000 4200 3860 5500

7,789.10 58.15

PeSo-dollar rate

Closing MARCH 17, 2015 45

P44.550

44

CLOSE

43 42 41

HIGH P44.400LOW P44.555 AVERAGE P44.461 VOLUME 474.500M

P508.00-P728.00 LPG/11-kg tank P37.95-P43.30 Unleaded Gasoline P27.50-P30.80 Diesel

oPriceS il P today

P36.75-P43.42 Kerosene P23.70-P24.40 Auto LPG Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Tuesday, March 17, 2015

F oreign e xchange r ate Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

44.4020

Japan

Yen

0.008238

0.3658

UK

Pound

1.482600

65.8304

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128775

5.7179

Switzerland

Franc

0.992359

44.0627

Canada

Dollar

0.782411

34.7406

Singapore

Dollar

0.719476

31.9462

Australia

Dollar

0.765580

33.9933

Bahrain

Dinar

2.652520

117.7772

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266617

11.8383

Brunei

Dollar

0.716897

31.8317

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000076

0.0034

Thailand

Baht

0.030377

1.3488

UAE

Dirham

0.272257

12.0888

Euro

Euro

1.056700

46.9196

Korea

Won

0.000885

0.0393

China

Yuan

0.159683

7.0902

India

Rupee

0.015917

0.7067

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.270015

11.9892

New Zealand

Dollar

0.738116

32.7738

Taiwan

Dollar

0.031608

1.4035 Source: PDS Bridge

Employees of Solaire Manila Resorts and casino walk past gaming machines inside the casino in Parañaque City. Inset shows Bloomberry chairman and chief executive Enrique Razon (second from left) shaking hands with Won Hee-ryong, governor of Jeju island, during a courtesy call in Jeju. With them are Bloomberry directors Jose Alarilla (left) and Donato Almeda. Bloomberry said it is acquiring a South Korean casino hotel operator and buying up nearby island properties there in its first ever foray abroad. AFP

Razon buys casino and island in Korea

By Jenniffer B. Austria

BILLIONAIRE Enrique Razon will buy a casino operator and an island in South Korea to develop a leisure and tourism complex, as he taps the country’s growth in gambling on rising tourist arrivals from China.

Bloomberry Resorts Corp., controlled by Razon and operator of a casino in Parañaque City, will buy the 21-hectare Silmi Island through unit Solaire Korea Co., according to a Philippine Stock Exchange filing on Tuesday. It’s Bloomberry’s second announcement of a property purchase in

the country this year, after the company signed in January four deals with landowners on Korea’s Muui Island, which is adjacent to Silmi Island.

Asian casino operators including Bloomberry are capitalizing on a downturn in the gambling industry of Macau as

China’s corruption crackdown scares many away from the world’s biggest gambling hub.

Macau casino revenue fell last year for the first time and may decline another 8 percent this year, according to analysts surveyed by Bloomberg.

In contrast, gambling revenue in South Korea and the Philippines will grow 16 percent and 33 percent respectively this year, gaining from the spillover of Chinese gamblers, Deutsche Bank analyst Karen Tang wrote in a note in January.

About 6.1 million mainland travelers went to South Korea last year, an increase of 42 percent, according to data from the Korea

Tourism Organization.

Solaire Korea also signed a deal with shareholders of Golden & Luxury Co. to buy as much as 92 percent of the company, which owns and operates T.H.E. Hotel & Vegas Casino on Korea’s Jeju Island, Bloomberry said in a separate statement on Tuesday.

T.H.E. Hotel is one of seven casinos on Jeju Island.

“We are excited at the prospect of Solaire setting up a base in Korea,” Razon said in the statement.

“This is our first venture outside of the Philippines, and the possibilities for expansion in this country are promising.”

With Bloomberg

San Miguel Brewery cleared to go into non-alcoholic beverages SAN Miguel Brewery Inc., the beer unit of conglomerate San Miguel Corp., said it obtained the approval of the Securities and Exchange Commission to diversify into non-alcoholic beverages.

SMB said in a disclosure posted on its Web site the SEC approved the amendments in

B4

Electric rates to rise sharply

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

the company’s articles of incorporation to include the non-alcoholic beverage business as part of the primary purposes.

The new business includes manufacturing, importing, selling or dealing in water and water-based beverages and nonalcoholic beverages.

B5

The board of SMB in December approved the adoption of a multi-beverage strategy to capitalize on the opportunities in the rapidly growing non-alcoholic beverage industry.

The beer company noted that the non-alcoholic beverage category had a larger share of the whole beverage industry and

PAL posts profit, seeks key investor

was growing at a faster pace than the alcohol sector.

Unit Ginebra San Miguel Inc. agreed to sell its non-alcoholic business to SMB. GSMI in December reported its board authorized the sale and transfer of certain non-alcoholic beverages assets of the company, consisting of property plant and

equipment of as of Dec. 31, 2014 and inventories as of March 31, 2015.

GSMI’s non-alcoholic beverages include Magnolia Fruit Drink Mix, Magnolia Healthtea Mix, Magnolia Fruit Drink, Magnolai Healthtea Bottle, Magnolia Purewater and Berri Juice. Jenniffer B. Austria

B6

Treasury bond rates down

WEDNESDAY: MARCH 18, 2015

B2

BUSINESS business@thestandard.com.ph extrastory2000@gmail.com

MST BuSineSS Daily STockS Review Tuesday, March 17, 2015

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low

STOCKS

FINANCIAL 2.7 1.55 75.3 63.5 99.4 67.5 105.2 82.5 63 50 2.3 1.9 4.2 1.1 19.6 14.5 31.6 23.2 22.5 6.84 2.95 1.75 890 625 1.01 0.175 92.9 69.35 75 58 99 76 140 119 392 276 59 41.5 146.8 105.1 1700 1281 130 116 2.8 2.25

AG Finance Asia United Bank Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. Bank of PI China Bank BDO Leasing & Fin. INc. Bright Kindle Resources COL Financial Eastwest Bank Filipino Fund Inc. I-Remit Inc. Manulife Fin. Corp.

MEDCO Holdings Metrobank Phil Bank of Comm Phil. National Bank Phil. Savings Bank PSE Inc. RCBC `A’ Security Bank Sun Life Financial Union Bank Vantage Equities

42.6 6.1 1.66 2.3 17.98 17.2 125 15.8 56.8 4.57 39.5 14 12.98 8.15 12.34 2.5 17 27.1 90.5 27 0.014 15.74 9.4 0.98 199.8 10.98 5.2 45.45 30 90 14.7 317 5.37 14.48 14.5 7.03 6.68 8.1 275 2.25 0.191 2.5 2.68 188.6 5.5 1.3 2.17 0.7 61.6 31.85 2.16 7.39 3.29 2.05 747 11.34 84 5.34 0.23 1060 7.1 59.8 6.55 0.9 19.9 0.75 5.4 5.35 2.9 88 866 2.2 156 0.285 0.245 0.510 9.03 1.99 2.07 0.375 35.3 6.15 6.1 2 2.51 1.5

Close

High

6.65 69.95 112.80 99.50 47.3 2.25 2.38 16.98 24.95 8.30 1.70 715.00 0.520 92.7 31.00 81.60 95.20 352 46.15 162.8 1350.00 69.50 3.07

Low

6.82 6.32 70 68.85 114.60 113.10 101.00 99.15 47.5 47.2 2.28 2.26 2.38 2.38 16.96 16.7 25 24.6 8.30 8.25 1.79 1.73 720.00 720.00 0.530 0.520 93 91.6 31.05 31.05 82.50 81.50 95.45 95.45 357 350 46.25 46 165 162.4 1360.00 1350.00 69.95 69.50 3.1 3.1 INDUSTRIAL 46.6 46.15 1.66 1.66 1.1 1.09 2.15 2.09 8.25 8.16 19 18.74 100 100 22 21.8 60 58.7 1.81 1.77 13.8 12.5 21.000 20.35 11.56 11.42 8.40 8.23 9.93 9.79 1.3 1.3 21.4 20.2 29.75 29.5 104 102.3 14.30 14.06 0.4700 0.4600 14.54 14.54 6.69 6.54 0.650 0.620 215.00 210.80 9.96 9.79 2.66 2.5 52.00 50.00 27.1 26.9 29.45 28.1 8.060 7.900 278.00 275.80 4.46 4.1 10.52 10.20 11.88 11.68 4.00 3.81 2.89 2.81 2.88 2.24 5.88 5.85 6.3 6.24 209 205 1.76 1.68 0.194 0.189 1.51 1.51 2.26 2.24 215.4 214 4.5 4.5 0.73 0.72 1.53 1.51 HOLDING FIRMS 0.470 0.460 58.40 57.00 26.45 25.90 1.45 1.45 7.12 7.10 2.76 2.57 2.75 2.75 757 744 9.27 9.15 15.30 15.20 4.78 4.63 0.395 0.350 1334 1300 6.24 6.20 66.55 65.30 9 8.75 0.73 0.7 15.96 15.76 0.64 0.63 4.88 4.78 5.1 5 2.45 2.44 73.00 70.80 910.00 900.00 1.29 1.24 102.00 99.50 0.5700 0.5000 0.2550 0.2470 0.335 0.320 PROPERTY 9.200 8.950 1.02 1.01 1.340 1.310 0.280 0.270 37.95 37.10 4.4 4.33 5.1 5.1 0.97 0.95 1.25 1.25 1.00 1.00

Close

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

6.5 70 114.20 101.00 47.3 2.28 2.38 16.96 24.6 8.30 1.79 720.00 0.530 92.5 31.05 82.00 95.45 350 46 164.9 1360.00 69.50 3.1

-2.26 0.07 1.24 1.51 0.00 1.33 0.00 -0.12 -1.40 0.00 5.29 0.70 1.92 -0.22 0.16 0.49 0.26 -0.57 -0.33 1.29 0.74 0.00 0.98

132,800 28,790 3,599,320 1,385,080 134,800 23,000 45,000 207,800 1,418,400 9,300 21,000 150 966,000 3,387,380 2,500 162,580 1,200 9,060 138,000 598,410 1,155 6,620 103,000

42,283.00 737,070.00 76,943,096.00 51,770,986.50 1,563,310.00

46.5 1.66 1.1 2.1 8.16 18.86 100 22 59 1.78 12.86 20.450 11.48 8.40 9.80 1.3 21.2 29.55 103.3 14.06 0.4700 14.54 6.61 0.630 212.00 9.82 2.66 52.00 27 29.1 7.930 276.00 4.18 10.48 11.68 3.86 2.82 2.41 5.85 6.24 205 1.7 0.189 1.51 2.25 215.2 4.5 0.73 1.51

0.76 -1.78 0.00 -1.41 -8.31 -0.21 0.00 0.00 0.00 -1.11 -2.13 0.74 0.70 1.69 0.00 -0.76 2.42 0.34 0.49 -0.14 -2.08 -1.49 0.76 -3.08 0.47 -3.16 -0.75 -0.95 0.19 3.74 -1.61 0.22 -2.79 1.75 -0.85 -1.03 -1.74 -7.31 0.00 -0.95 0.00 -3.41 0.53 -0.66 0.00 0.37 0.00 2.82 -0.66

9,903,900 4,980 498,000 2,060,000 3,000 275,800 220 483,000 790,130 88,000 651,400 6,829,300 12,447,500 39,750,400 10,627,300 1,000 82,800 2,279,000 356,430 8,800 230,000 10,900 404,900 1,540,000 767,910 3,801,300 54,000 1,210 916,200 1,414,300 289,200 513,170 1,062,000 2,453,500 202,300 329,000 2,278,000 1,392,000 332,100 1,600 355,782 3,020,000 5,700,000 11,000 393,000 1,774,410 292,000 214,000 136,000

-202,169,665.00

0.470 57.70 26.30 1.45 7.10 2.73 2.75 753 9.21 15.28 4.75 0.360 1316 6.20 66.50 8.75 0.72 15.92 0.63 4.83 5.1 2.45 71.90 904.00 1.29 100.10 0.5300 0.2470 0.335

-1.05 0.52 1.35 -2.68 -0.28 3.41 3.77 0.27 1.21 0.66 2.81 -4.00 -1.13 -1.27 1.68 -2.23 0.00 0.25 -3.08 1.90 0.99 2.08 -1.51 0.22 -1.53 -0.89 -5.36 -5.00 6.35

230,000 1,140,510 8,705,400 1,000 102,900 36,000 1,000 607,651,065 1,163,300 4,894,400 12,000 155,300 155,300 1,048,200 3,237,150 6,947,800 607,000 2,194,000 350,000 43,145,000 100,000 46,000 411,630 346,000 58,000 24,100 39,163,000 2,160,000 120,000

9.000 1.01 1.310 0.270 37.95 4.34 5.1 0.97 1.25 1.00

-0.55 1.00 -2.24 1.89 2.57 -0.23 -0.20 2.11 0.00 0.00

6,005,300 531,000 80,000 1,080,000 9,451,000 1,347,000 1,000 3,934,000 10,000 95,000

-6,920.00 -5,004,405.00

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low

STOCKS

0.201 0.98 1.09 0.370 2.25 1.77 1.6 5.3 0.180 0.470 4.45 24.8 2.06 19.62 1.02 6.66 1.96 6.5

0.068 0.47 0.87 0.175 1.22 1.18 1.19 3.12 0.070 0.325 2.5 18.72 1.45 14.1 0.58 3.05 0.87 4.37

3.25 43.7 1.09 12.46 14 0.1640 4.05 71 12.3 3.28 9 1700 2008 9.04 2.02 118.9 18.4 0.017 0.0653 2.2800 6.99 9.67 2.85 2.2 4.32 1.97 14.46 0.62 1.040 22.8 6.6 2.85 107 11.3 3486 0.710 2.01 48.5 74

1.55 27 0.59 10 8.28 0.0960 2.97 44.8 10.14 1.99 4 1080 1580 7.12 1.2 94.4 5 0.012 0.026 1.560 1.95 5.82 1.15 1.1 1.9 0.485 10.14 0.35 0.36 14.54 5.2 1.85 81 4.39 2572 0.250 0.26 32.2 48

Close

Crown Equities Inc. Cyber Bay Corp.

Empire East Land Ever Gotesco Global-Estate Filinvest Land,Inc. Interport `A’ Megaworld MRC Allied Ind. Phil. Estates Corp.

Primex Corp.

Robinson’s Land `B’ Rockwell SM Prime Holdings Sta. Lucia Land Inc. Starmalls Suntrust Home Dev. Inc. Vista Land & Lifescapes

High

Low

Close

0.148 0.465 0.900 0.211 1.60 1.76 1.54 5.5 0.125 0.3600 7.33 28.80 1.77 19.28 0.92 7.29 1.050 7.420

0.148 0.144 0.147 0.470 0.465 0.465 0.900 0.900 0.900 0.216 0.200 0.202 1.63 1.55 1.56 1.80 1.76 1.79 1.52 1.49 1.49 5.55 5.47 5.54 0.128 0.126 0.126 0.3600 0.3450 0.3600 7.39 7.3 7.31 29.80 28.80 29.00 1.78 1.75 1.77 19.88 19.40 19.80 0.94 0.91 0.93 7.35 7.16 7.35 1.060 1.010 1.050 7.500 7.280 7.320 SERVICES 8.67 9.47 8.73 8.88 62.8 63 61.8 62.15 0.680 0.700 0.680 0.700 14 14 14 14 10.56 10.80 10.58 10.60 0.1100 0.1140 0.1100 0.1100 4.07 4.05 3.96 4.02 85.2 86.85 84.7 84.7 10.94 12 12 12 1.64 1.67 1.67 1.67 6.48 6.40 6.39 6.39 950 1000 1000 1000 1936 1945 1936 1940 6.83 6.83 6.65 6.73 1.61 1.64 1.60 1.64 112.3 113 111.8 112 6.00 6.00 5.50 6.00 0.015 0.014 0.014 0.014 0.320 0.330 0.315 0.325 1.3200 1.3400 1.3100 1.3100 2.56 2.54 2.52 2.54 8.96 9.40 8.96 8.96 2.00 2.00 1.96 2.00 1.43 1.48 1.48 1.48 2.26 2.28 2.26 2.28 0.690 0.710 0.680 0.690 10.08 10.08 9.69 9.7 0.375 0.37 0.36 0.36 0.510 0.510 0.500 0.510 18.04 18.04 18.04 18.04 4.46 4.77 4.46 4.55 3.32 3.32 3.21 3.32 109.00 108.00 108.00 108.00 13.76 13.76 13.70 13.76 2900.00 2920.00 2874.00 2874.00 0.590 0.590 0.580 0.590 1.570 1.580 1.540 1.580 41.00 41.00 40.10 40.75 85.90 86.80 85.30 85.50 10.64 10.74 10.48 10.72 0.73 0.74 0.72 0.74 1.9 2 2 2 7.2 7.34 7.2 7.25 0.370 0.370 0.350 0.350 1.450 1.640 1.450 1.500 MINING & OIL 0.0058 0.0058 0.0056 0.0057 2.85 2.84 2.84 2.84 9.36 9.40 9.26 9.26 10.80 10.80 10.80 10.80 0.260 0.265 0.260 0.260 7.0200 7.0800 7.08 7.0800 1.07 1.14 1.07 1.13 0.9 0.9 0.89 0.89 7.92 8.20 7.90 8.20 2.21 2.39 2.26 2.31 0.350 0.350 0.345 0.350 0.244 0.245 0.233 0.235 0.250 0.255 0.248 0.248 0.0150 0.0150 0.0150 0.0150 5.3 5.68 5.3 5.5 27.2 27.75 27 27 3.69 3.88 3.66 3.81 0.7300 0.7300 0.7300 0.7300 2.250 2.330 2.260 2.300 0.0130 0.0130 0.0130 0.0130 0.0140 0.0150 0.0150 0.0150 5.85 5.85 5.85 5.85 7.77 7.9 7.55 7.6 2.89 2.98 2.8 2.8 0.015 0.016 0.015 0.015 154.30 162.00 154.30 157.00 4.24 4.3 4.2 4.2 0.0100 0.0100 0.0100 0.0100 PREFERRED 63.15 63.2 62.9 62.95 521 522 519.5 522 510 508.5 508 508.5 6.54 6.6 6.6 6.6 1.09 1.08 1.08 1.08 108.5 109 108.2 108.2 1050 1070 1050 1070 1075 1085 1075 1085 1030 1035 1030 1032 76.1 76.15 76 76.1 82.5 82 81 82 83.5 83.6 83.5 83.6 WARRANTS & BONDS 3.980 4.070 3.980 4.000 SME 7.93 8 7.86 7.86 74 80 60.4 77 10.8 10.98 10.82 10.88 EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 126.1 126.5 125.8 126.5

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

-0.68 0.00 0.00 -4.27 -2.50 1.70 -3.25 0.73 0.80 0.00 -0.27 0.69 0.00 2.70 1.09 0.82 0.00 -1.35

13,610,000 1,050,000 118,000 3,660,000 4,763,000 16,256,000 135,000 255,373,647 1,850,000 90,000 138,800 2,778,500 786,000 7,588,000 2,058,000 12,848,300 120,000 10,973,100

13,050.00

2.42 -1.04 2.94 0.00 0.38 0.00 -1.23 -0.59 9.69 1.83 -1.39 5.26 0.21 -1.46 1.86 -0.27 0.00 -6.67 1.56 -0.76 -0.78 0.00 0.00 3.50 0.88 0.00 -3.77 -4.00 0.00 0.00 2.02 0.00 -0.92 0.00 -0.90 0.00 0.64 -0.61 -0.47 0.75 1.37 5.26 0.69 -5.41 3.45

303,300 30,820 452,000 16,000 11,266,300 18,100,000 65,000 1,173,250 100 1,000 24,700 50 56,210 119,000 59,000 1,056,960 16,000 6,500,000 30,530,000 200,000 8,000 74,000 25,000 5,000 6,000 687,000 10,953,700 1,090,000 128,000 9,000 24,000 234,000 90 65,400 108,705 5,119,000 7,683,000 1,311,600 1,341,430 5,311,600 1,585,000 4,000 215,700 560,000 2,359,000

-1.72 -0.35 -1.07 0.00 0.00 0.85 5.61 -1.11 3.54 4.52 0.00 -3.69 -0.80 0.00 3.77 -0.74 3.25 0.00 2.22 0.00 7.14 0.00 -2.19 -3.11 0.00 1.75 -0.94 0.00

1,037,000,000 12,000 394,500 -999,984.00 200 280,000 100 2,026,000 -379,170.00 668,000 17,800.00 30,400 53,856,000 22,906,710.00 260,000 28,300,000 1,520,000 4,000,000 145,800 2,384,300 -20,753,045.00 10,010,000 -43,150.00 819,000 23,000 4,800,000 3,000,000 2,000 2,151,600 -1,966,889.00 1,823,000 156,800.00 60,000,000 -452,300.00 1,776,830 -65,573,076.00 25,000 900,000

-0.32 0.19 -0.29 0.92 -0.92 -0.28 1.90 0.93 0.19 0.00 -0.61 0.12

611,540 20,000 600 1,163,300 750,000 33,400 2,550 8,280 3,540

-22,340,644.00 519,500

46,300 92,040

-2,680,580.00 92,040.00

0.50

1,037,110

-0.88 4.05 0.74

416,000 3,690 856,600

8,723.00

0.32

102,490

6,310.00

-52,100.00 10,916,050.00

-10,350.00 6,633,155.00 -528,840.00 39,224,096.00 9,100.00

MST 31.75 2.51 0.88 1.25 9.58 14.6 62.5 9.82 21.5 0.82 17.3 5.98 9.05 4.25 8.68 1.01 8.61 12.2 48.9 16 0.0097 12.8 2.05 0.32 150.8 8.55 2.8 16 20.35 12 10.1 246 4 11.56 9.94 4.33

Aboitiz Power Corp.

Agrinurture Inc. Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. Alsons Cons.

Asiabest Group Century Food Chemphil Cirtek Holdings (Chips) Concepcion Da Vinci Capital Del Monte DNL Industries Inc. Emperador Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) EEI Euro-Med Lab Federal Res. Inv. Group First Gen Corp.

First Holdings ‘A’ Ginebra San Miguel Inc. Greenergy Holcim Philippines Inc. Integ. Micro-Electronics Ionics Inc Jollibee Foods Corp.

Lafarge Rep LMG Chemicals Macay Holdings Manila Water Co. Inc. Maxs Group Megawide Mla. Elect. Co `A’ Pepsi-Cola Products Phil.

Petron Corporation Phinma Corporation Phoenix Petroleum Phils.

Phoenix Semiconductor Pryce Corp. `A’ 4.88 RFM Corporation 2.28 Roxas Holdings 210 San Miguel’Pure Foods `B’ 1.7 Splash Corporation 0.102 Swift Foods, Inc. 1.6 TKC Steel Corp.

1.37 Trans-Asia Oil 111.3 Universal Robina 1.58 Victorias Milling 0.550 Vitarich Corp.

1.33 Vulcan Ind’l.

46.15 1.69 1.1 2.13 8.9 18.9 100 22 59 1.8 13.14 20.300 11.40 8.26 9.80 1.31 20.7 29.45 102.8 14.08 0.4800 14.76 6.56 0.650 211.00 10.14 2.68 52.50 26.95 28.05 8.060 275.40 4.3 10.30 11.78 3.90 2.87 2.6 5.85 6.3 205 1.76 0.188 1.52 2.25 214.4 4.5 0.71 1.52

0.46 45.75 21.95 1.6 6.3 1.8 1.04 508 7.470 47.25 4 0.144 706 5.3 36.7 3.95 0.58 12.96 0.580 4.06 4.5 2.36 54.5 680 1.04 58.05 0.158 0.150 0.295

Abacus Cons. `A’ Aboitiz Equity Alliance Global Inc. Anglo Holdings A Anscor `A’ ATN Holdings A ATN Holdings B Ayala Corp `A’ Cosco Capital DMCI Holdings Filinvest Dev. Corp.

Forum Pacific GT Capital House of Inv. JG Summit Holdings Lopez Holdings Corp.

Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp.

LT Group Mabuhay Holdings `A’ Metro Pacific Inv. Corp.

Minerales Industrias Corp.

Republic Glass ‘A’ San Miguel Corp `A’ SM Investments Inc. Solid Group Inc. Top Frontier Unioil Res. & Hldgs Wellex Industries Zeus Holdings

0.475 57.40 25.95 1.49 7.12 2.64 2.65 751 9.1 15.18 4.62 0.375 1331 6.28 65.40 8.95 0.72 15.88 0.65 4.74 5.05 2.4 73.00 902.00 1.31 101.00 0.5600 0.2600 0.315

5.51 0.99 1 0.185 23.7 4.41 5 1.22 1.21 0.97

8990 HLDG A. Brown Co., Inc. Araneta Prop `A’ Arthaland Corp.

Ayala Land `B’ Belle Corp. `A’ Cebu Holdings Century Property City & Land Dev. Cityland Dev. `A’

9.050 1.00 1.340 0.265 37.00 4.35 5.11 0.95 1.25 1.00

Trading Summary FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL HOLDING FIRMS PROPERTY SERVICES MINING & OIL GRAND TOTAL

SHARES 12,381,876 116,732,104 134,235,153 147,632,611 117,075,001 1,216,452,080 1,745,887,609

-31,388,817.00 7,374,980.00

1,528,412.00 -2,024,370.00 -36,316,956.00 754,405.00 -12,400.00

-5,500.00

-652,318.00 0.00

44,106,155.00 53,539,766.00 -40,988,633.00 -100,500,273.00

-13,653,925.00 -5,933,980.00 -114,046.00 23,000.00 -63,976.00 500,755.00 609,620.00 -47,193,942.00 2,004,696.00

13,096,200.00 -521,970.00 66,092.00 -34,970,302.00 -229,730.00 4,921,678.00 307,190.00 25,480.00 15,880.00 224,143.00 101,800.00

-156,793,244.00 1,314,000.00

-6,387,758.50 104,356,015.00 -1,450.00

-772,660.00 -24,465,058.00

-101,392,475.00 -101,392,475.00 -6,522,008.00 13,709,371.50 -10,055,277.00 6,123,168.00

67,727,640.00

-8,640,749.50 -49,207,415.00

-2,269,557.00 -296,900.00 124,000.00

-27,522,421.00

30,116,295.00 -1,520,880.00

0.87 2.95 11.46 0.435 1.6

2GO Group’ ABS-CBN APC Group, Inc. Asian Terminals Inc. Bloomberry Boulevard Holdings Calata Corp.

Cebu Air Inc. (5J) Centro Esc. Univ.

Discovery World DFNN Inc. FEUI Globe Telecom GMA Network Inc. Harbor Star I.C.T.S.I. Imperial Res. `A’ IP E-Game Ventures Inc. Island Info ISM Communications Jackstones Leisure & Resorts Liberty Telecom Lorenzo Shipping Macroasia Corp.

Manila Bulletin Melco Crown MG Holdings NOW Corp.

Pacific Online Sys. Corp.

PAL Holdings Inc. Paxys Inc. Phil. Seven Corp.

Philweb.Com Inc. PLDT Common PremiereHorizon Premium Leisure Puregold Robinsons RTL SSI Group 0.59 STI Holdings 1.68 Transpacific Broadcast 7.78 Travellers 0.305 Waterfront Phils.

1.04 Yehey

0.0086 5.45 17.24 25 0.325 12.8 1.2 1.73 10.98

0.0028 1.72 11.48 9.43 0.225 6.2 0.5 0.76 4.93

0.46 0.455 0.730 0.024 8.2 48.85 3.35 1.030 3.06 0.021 0.023 7.67 12.88 10.42 0.042 420 9 0.016

0.385 0.3000 0.2950 0.012 1.960 14.22 1.47 0.220 1.24 0.016 0.017 4.02 7.8 6.5 0.031 123 4.3 0.0087

44.1 60 511 9.04 9.67

26.3 30 480 6.76 5.82

77.3 78.95 81.85

74.2 74.5 75

2.42

0.0010 LR Warrant

10.96 35

2.4 7.74

Double Dragon IRipple E-Business Intl Xurpas

119.6

94

First Metro ETF

2,668,770.00

Abra Mining Apex `A’ Atlas Cons. `A’ Atok-Big Wedge `A’ Basic Energy Corp.

Benguet Corp `A’ Century Peak Metals Hldgs Coal Asia Dizon Ferronickel Geograce Res. Phil. Inc. Lepanto `A’ Lepanto `B’ Manila Mining `A’ Marcventures Hldgs., Inc. Nickelasia Nihao Mineral Resources Omico Oriental Peninsula Res. Oriental Pet. `A’ Oriental Pet. `B’ Petroenergy Res. Corp.

Philex `A’ PhilexPetroleum Philodrill Corp. `A’ Semirara Corp.

TA Petroleum United Paragon ABS-CBN Holdings Corp.

Ayala Corp. Pref ‘B2’ GLOBE PREF P GMA Holdings Inc. Leisure and Resort MWIDE PREF PCOR-Preferred A PCOR-Preferred B PF Pref 2 SMC Preferred A SMC Preferred B SMC Preferred C

T op g ainerS VALUE 1,033,385,180.46 2,231,102,469.68 2,296,584,829.76 1,123,701,403.54 2,044,605,693.787 552,373,273.882 9,307,549,906.907

87,134.00

-79,800.00 -37,000,236.00 58,050.00 -48,152,873.50 96,000.00 26,726,435.00 50,830,644.00

364,800.00 89,800.00

33,355,874.00

-93,188.00 -161,570,280.00

5,293,970.00 -6,208,565.00 -4,838,251.50 -17,029,116.00 -912,500.00 -610,976.00 -49,780.00

0.00

-2,488,600.00

1,163,576.00

T op L oSerS

STOCKS

FINANCIAL 1,807.88 (up) 14.04 INDUSTRIAL 12,693.57 (up) 58.64 HOLDING FIRMS 6,926.10 (up) 33.73 PROPERTY 3,138.08 (up) 61.16 SERVICES 2,123.83 (down) 12.21 MINING & OIL 15,729.41 (up) 36.50 PSEI 7,789.10 (up) 58.15 All Shares Index 4,522.09 (up) 24.50 Gainers: 93; Losers: 85; Unchanged: 41; Total: 219

-51,390.00 -17,992,801.00

Close (P)

Change (%)

STOCKS

Close (P)

Change (%)

Centro Esc. Univ.

12

9.69

Pryce Corp. `A'

2.41

-7.31

Oriental Pet. `B'

0.0150

7.14

IP E-Game Ventures Inc.

0.014

-6.67

Zeus Holdings

0.335

6.35

Waterfront Phils.

0.350

-5.41

Century Peak Metals Hldgs

1.13

5.61

Unioil Res. & Hldgs

0.5300

-5.36

I-Remit Inc.

1.79

5.29

Wellex Industries

0.2470

-5.00

Transpacific Broadcast

2

5.26

Ever Gotesco

0.202

-4.27

FEUI

1000

5.26

Forum Pacific

0.360

-4.00

Ferronickel

2.31

4.52

MG Holdings

0.36

-4.00

IRipple E-Business Intl

77

4.05

Melco Crown

9.7

-3.77

Marcventures Hldgs., Inc.

5.5

3.77

Lepanto `A'

0.235

-3.69

WEDNESDAY: MARCH 18, 2015

B3

BUSINESS business@thestandard.com.ph extrastory2000@gmail.com

Petron’s income declines to P3b

By Alena Mae S. Flores

Regus in Araneta. Regus, the world’s largest flexible workspace provider, launched its 15th center in Metro Manila at Gateway Tower.

The new Regus business center is located in a 32-level commercial building considered as one of the newest landmarks at Araneta Center, Quezon City. Shown at the ribbon-cutting ceremony are (from left) Araneta Center Inc. senior vice president for operations Antonio Mardo, Quezon City Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte, Araneta Center vice president Lorna Fabian and Regus Philippines country manager Lars Wittig.

PAL eyes additional flights to US, Canada

By Roderick T. dela Cruz

NEW YORK—Philippine Airlines is seeking to mount additional flights to the United States and Canada, as a part of a global expansion.

PAL president and chief operating officer Jaime Bautista told reporters the flag carrier initially wanted to increase flights between Manila and New York via Vancouver, Canada from the current four to the maximum limit of five per week.

PAL’s first flight to New York in 18 years, PR 126 using a Boeing 777-300ER, touched down at John F. Kennedy International Airport’s Terminal 1 on March 16 at 7 a.m.

Bautista said the four-timesweekly service, covering 14,501 kilometers and PAL’s longest

route, carried more than 300 passengers, signalling a strong demand and reception from Filipino-American, American and Canadian passengers.

The service also boosted PAL’s Canadian operations to 11 weekly flights from the previous seven.

“We are working with the US and Canadian authorities to have additional entitlements,” Bautista said. He said the current agreement provided for a maximum of five weekly flights.

Bautista said PAL was in talks

Stocks rise; BDO, Ayala Land climb THE stock market bounced back Tuesday on selective buying, buoyed by weak US data that appeared to pour cold water on talk of an early summer US interest rate rise.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index climbed 58.15 points, or 0.8 percent, to 7,789.10 on a value turnover of P9.3 billion.

Gainers beat losers, 93 to 85, with 41 issues unchanged.

BDO Unibank Inc., the biggest lender in terms of assets, rose 1.2 percent to P114.20, while Ayala Land Inc., the second-largest property developer, advanced 2.6 percent to P37.95.

Energy Development Corp., the biggest steam and wind power producer, gained 1.7 percent to P8.40, while Megaworld Corp., the largest lessor of office spaces, climbed 1.7 percent to P5.54.

JG Summit Holdings Inc. of retail and airline tycoon John Gokongwei rose 1.7 percent to P66.50.

Asian stock markets, meanwhile, mostly pushed higher Tuesday, while the dollar eased.

The poor figures on US manufacturing and industrial output helped propel US shares higher, providing a strong lead for Asia.

Tokyo climbed 0.99 percent, or 190.94 points, to end at a 15-year high of 19,437.00. Sydney rose 0.77 percent, or 44.4 points, to 5,842.1 after minutes from the Australian central bank’s latest meeting suggested it could cut rates again soon. With AFP

with both aircraft manufacturers Boeing and Airbus for additional aircraft that would support its long-haul flights, especially to the US and Europe. He said the plan, including the number of aircraft, remained to be finalized.

PAL said based on statistics, Filipinos on the East Coast accounted for 15 percent of some 3.4-million Filipino population in the US. About half a million Filipinos reside on the East Coast, with more than 253,000 in the New York-New Jersey metropolitan area, 90,000 in Virginia, 75,000 in Washington DC and environs and 31,000 in the Philadelphia metro area.

Bautista said PAL would soon avail of the maximum number of flights allowed on the Manila-

Vancouver-New York service while negotiations were underway for more frequencies.

He said load factor at the Manila-Vancouver-New York service was expected to improve within the next six months, as the airline continued to attract more American tourists and Filipino-Americans to visit the Philippines.

Tourism Undersecretary Benito Bengzon, who attended the inaugural ceremony in New York, said the Tourism Department aimed to attract more than 1 million US tourists to the Philippines in three years.

Bengzon said the introduction of PAL’s flight to New York would help achieve the tourism goal. “It was also a proud moment for the Philippines,” he said. (Related story on B4)

PETRON Corp., the country’s biggest oil refiner, posted a consolidated net income of P3 billion in 2014, down 41 percent from P5.1 billion in 2013, due to lower crude prices in the second half last year.

Petron said in a statement the company posted a better-thanexpected consolidated net income of P3 billion amid the collapse of crude and finished product prices in the second half of 2014.

The company said net income would have been much higher if not for the net inventory loss of P6.5 billion.

“Despite a difficult environment, we rose to the challenge and delivered strong results. We focused on completing major projects to unleash the full potential of our strategic assets and further cement our leadership in the industry,” Petron president and chief executive Ramon Ang said in a statement.

Petron said the nine percent increase in Philippine sales volumes, the completion of strategic projects and pro-active risk-management cushioned the impact of higher priced inventory being sold at lower prices in the second half 2014.

The price of benchmark Dubai crude fell 44 percent to $60 per barrel in December from an average of $108 per barrel in June.

The extraordinary development had a negative effect on oil companies around the world.

The same situation occurred in 2008 when global oil prices collapsed resulting in a P3.9-billion loss for Petron.

Petron said combined sales from both its Philippine and Malaysian operations, however, increased 6 percent to 86.5 million barrels in 2014 from 81.7 million barrels in the previous year.

Yangon water summit.

Former president Fidel Ramos (left) and Ayala Corp. president and chief executive Fernando Zobel de Ayala (center) meet Yangon Region Chief Minister U Myint Swe during the Yangon’s first ever water summit. Ramos shared the successes and challenges of his administration in pursuing reforms in the water sectors in the Philippines during the Yangon Water Summit organized by Manila Water Co. Inc. on March 13 at the Shangri–La Sule, Yangon City, Myanmar.

B4

BUSINESS

Electric rates to rise sharply 8990 bond sale on track

By Alena Mae S. Flores

ELECTRICITY rates are forecast to rise P0.46 per kilowatt-hour in April and P0.72 per kWh in May, or a combined P1.18 per kWh, as a result of the 30-day shutdown of the Malampaya natural

By Jenniffer B. Austria gas field, Manila Electric Co. said Tuesday.

MASS housing developer 8990 Holdings Inc. is pushing through with its plan to issue up to P9 billion in corporate bonds in the second quarter of 2015, underwriters handling the deal said Tuesday.

BDO Capital president Eduardo Francisco said the company would shortly file a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

“8890’s bond offering is moving as planned and there is already a lot of interest. We will file with the SEC and hope to start the offer starting end of April,” Francisco said.

“BDO is fully behind this deal and will make the bond available to our clients through our extensive distribution network,” he added.

SB Capital president Ricky Galang said there was no reason for the company to change the status or the timing of the bond sale.

“It has come to our attention that there are rumors circulating regarding the postponement of the P5-billion bond issue of 8990 Holdings. As joint issue manager and joint lead underwriter of the issue, we would like to state that the bond issue is on track for a May issue date and we see no reason for any changes in the status or timing of the bonds,” Galang said.

8990 Holdings in February said the board approved the issuance of P5 billion in corporate notes, with an oversubscription of up to P4 billion The company p[lans to use proceeds from the fund raising activity to finance roll out of additional low -cost housing projects, land acquisitions and construction of existing project.

The property firm earlier said it would launch 11,083 units this year, with prices ranging from P450,000 to P1.25 million.

Out of the housing units to be launched this year, 6,598 are from the company’s 10 ongoing projects with a total sales value of P4.1 billion, while 4,486 units are from the new nine housing developments with sales value of P4.1 billion.

The projected P0.46 per kWh rise in April will translate into an increase of P92 in the bill of consumers with a monthly average consumption of 200 MW. Consumers will experience an increase of P144 in May for the same level of consumption.

“Those are the overall rate increases in blended generation rate expected while the Malampaya facility is offline,” Meralco vice president and head of utility

economics Lawrence Fernandez told reporters.

Fernandez said every time the Malampaya natural gas plant goes on maintenance shutdown, natural gas plants are forced to shift to other fuel, which are more expensive.

“To continue generating, they would need to source alternate fuel. The alternate fuel can be biodiesel for Ilijan and condensate liquid fuel for First Gas. In the past, the cost of biodiesel and the cost of condensate [liquid fuel] has always been more expensive than the cost of Malampaya natural gas,” the official said.

Fernandez said rate increase would be spread over two months, or two billing periods. The Malampaya gas field shut down from March 15 to April 14.

“The rate increases expected are different because it covers two supply months and that’s around 10 days in March and 20 days in April,” Fernandez said.

He allayed concerns the Malampaya shutdown would cause a price spike similar to November and December 2013.

The November rate increase of P4.15 per kWh remains on hold pending the resolution of a case filed with the Supreme Court in December 2013.

“We don’t expect price spikes like in November and December 2013 supply months because of the lower primary cap in the WESM and the secondary cap,” Fernandez said.

Meralco warned early this month that “as a result of the use of liquid fuel, rates are expected to increase in the billing months affected by the shutdown and the impact of higher energy demand during the summer months.”

Meralco’s generation charge was at P5.209 per kWh in March from P5.238 in February because of the P0.30 reduction in the average rate of Meralco’s supply agreements for the month.

Meralco said the reduction in the PSA rates, however, was dampened by an increase of P1.14 per kWh in the average price at the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market and P0.18 per kWh in the charge of independent power producers.

Environment loan. The Development Bank of the Philippines granted a P245-million term loan to the municipality of El Nido, Palawan to

finance the construction of water supply and sewage and wastewater treatment systems, as part of efforts to promote environmental protection and sustainable development. Sealing the loan agreement with a handshake are DBP regional marketing center and Southern Tagalog head Abelardo Monarquia (third from left) and El Nido Mayor Edna Lim. With them are (from left) municipal accountant Mark Glenn Baluarte, treasurer Maximo Ardoña, Vice Mayor Nieves Rosento and DBP Puerto Princesa branch head Jose Maria Peteza.

Online fashion brand Zalora set to double sales

By Othel V. Campos ZALORA Philippines, a unit of Southeast Asia regional online fashion brand Zalora, said Tuesday it plans to double sales each year as more consumers turn to online retail stores for comfort and ease in shopping.

“Sales in the past were explosive. When we started out in 2012, sales grew by 400 percent in 2013 and another 150 percent in 2013-2014,” chief executive and co-founder Paulo Campos III told reporters in a briefing at the Bonifacio Global City.

He cited a great potential for online shopping platforms in the Philippine market where In-

ternet penetration is at a young stage and growing phenomenally each year.

Internet penetration in the Philippines stands at 40 percent, or about 35 million people with access to the Internet largely on mobile phones.

It could grow to as high as 70 percent by 2018, driven by mobile Internet access of shoppers in the average age category of 30 to 35 years old.

Zalora, inspired by the expanding online market space and the volume of Internet traffic it is receiving, is now expanding operations by getting a bigger warehouse in Carmona, Cavite.

The 10,000 square-meter ware-

Great potential for online shopping in the PH market cited.

house in Cavite is capable of handling more than 2 million merchandises. It will replace its 6,000 sq. m. warehouse in Parañaque where about 700,000 inventories are being kept.

The company will also expand its own Zalora Express, the inhouse logistics arm, by four more delivery hubs in Iloilo, Bacolod,

Cagayan de Oro and Pampanga.

It is now operating about 65 delivery hubs, including 50 in Metro Manila, and five each in Davao City, Cebu City and Zamboanga City.

Campos said more delivery hubs would be positioned in the provinces as the provincial customer base accounted for 60 percent of total purchases from 40 percent of in Greater Metro Manila customers within a span of three years.

He added online shopping was on the uptrend due to the rising disposable income of Filipinos, strong uptake of Internet users and the increased trust on such transactions.

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BUSINESS business@thestandard.com.ph extrastory2000@gmail.com

Pass LPG safety bill ALMOST two years after the explosion at a condominium unit at the post Serendra Two in Bonifacio Global City that killed three people, the House committees on Energy and Trade and Industry are jointly endorsing the approval of the proposed LPG Industry Regulation and Safety Act. The proposed legislation is aimed at ensuring the safe importation, storage, refilling, distribution, transportation, etc. of liquefied petroleum gas that’s being used not only for cooking but also as fuel for LPG-converted taxis and vehicles.

According to the Bureau of Fire Protection, accidental LPG discharges are the leading cause of fires. Investigation on the May 2013 Serendra blast pointed to a gas leak as the cause of the massive explosion that blasted several condo units apart, and sent a huge chunk of concrete wall flying, nearly landing on a parked delivery truck. The high-end condo units were fitted with a piped-in gas system for their LPG requirements instead of the usual gas cylinders that poorer folks use, but something must have gone wrong with the pipes, hence, the leak that resulted in the explosion.

Party list Representative Arnel Ty, a leading sponsor of the bill, noted the loss of lives and property everytime fires occur as a result of accidental LPG blasts not only in residential areas but even in commercial and industrial ones. Last year, three workers were killed and two others were maimed when an LPG storage tank at an unlicensed refilling station in Bantay, Ilocos Sur exploded.

With the LPG bill, high standards and compliance will be ensured as LPG dealers, suppliers and companies that install underground pipelines will have to obtain a certificate of compliance issued by the Department of Energy. Hopefully, this will help weed out the sloppy practices among LPG dealers and prevent the proliferation of abusive, fraudulent and unsafe LPG refilling centers and traders, Ty said.

The measure likewise regulates the manufacture, requalification, exchange, swapping or improvement of LPG cylinders, and provides adequate strategies to guarantee that every tank coming out of a refilling plant had been subjected to stringent security checks. All of us have seen those dilapidated, rusty looking LPG tanks that unscrupulous refillers still use but hopefully, we will soon see the last of them if the bill is enacted and the DTI will complement it with strict punitive measures for those found violating.

Speaking of violations, the DoE and the Department of Justice should go after opportunists who have increased the price of LPG and other petroleum products. An increase of 50 cents per kilogram means an additional undue profit of P5.50 per 11-kg cylinder so multiply that by the thousands and you get a hefty number--and there seems to be nothing that the poor consumers can do about these Shylocks and shysters.

More K-Pop trouble Our March 13, 2015 item on concert promoter Alfredo “Doc” Delos Santos who is now facing a case of estafa and for which a warrant of arrest has been issued generated reactions from Korean pop (K-Pop) fans who expressed apprehension that the negative news could rub off on other concert producers/promoters who have been hard at work in bringing K-Pop acts here in response to the great clamor of fans and wannabe popsters who couldn’t get enough of Exo, 2PM, Super Junior, 2NE1 (with Sandara Park), Girls’ Generation, etc.

An email sender admitted being glad to read the article about “Doc,” saying someone ought to put him in his place, emphasizing that no one should be above the law. Still another wrote Happy Hour to say that the very successful Super Junior concert (SuperShow 5) in Manila last October 2013 was handled by another group, and not by the All Access outfit of Delos Santos.

The show that Doc Delos Santos and All Access organized was the Dream K-Pop Fantasy which was held last February 14, the email sender corrected, obviously a K-Pop fan who is very knowledgeable on the Korean acts that have been brought to Manila. We can only imagine the headache that the promoter for the October 2013 show must have suffered knowing the confusion that was caused because Delos Santos was also promoting the same Korean pop artists for a February 2014 concert, even while the October 2013 concert has yet to be held. See, even Happy Hour was confused. Which reminds us, where in the world is Doc delos Santos now?

••• For comments, reactions, photos, stories and related concerns, readers may email to happyhourtoday2012@yahoo.com. You may also visit and like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ happyhourmanilastandard. We’d be very happy to hear from you.

Cheers!

Jaime Bautista, president of Philippine Airlines Inc. (right) speaks during a Bloomberg Television interview in New York on March 16, 2015. Bautista spoke about the carrier’s resumption of direct flights between Manila and New York, and the company’s profitability, growth outlook and search for a strategic investor. BLOOMBERG

PAL posts profit, seeks key investor

By Cecilia Yap

PHILIPPINE Airlines Inc. posted a “small” profit last year after billionaire Lucio Tan regained full control of Asia’s oldest carrier, with lower oil prices and new planes helping to boost its passenger count, president Jaime Bautista said.

Tan “has invested time and money, and for all these investments, it’s really worth getting back Philippine Airlines,” Bautista said in a March 16 interview with Bloomberg Television’s Mark Crumpton in New York. The carrier, which is now wholly owned

by Tan after he bought back a 49 percent stake last year that San Miguel Corp. had purchased from him in 2012, started flying again to New York this week after a break of almost two decades.

Airbus Group NV agreed to help the airline restructure its fleet, which included delivering a total of 10 A321s this year and next and 28 more planes in the next seven to eight years, Bautista said. In January, he said the company might end up reducing the number of planes it receives from Airbus this year and deferring remaining orders.

Philippine Airlines has been reviewing programs it carried out under the management of San Miguel, which revamped the carrier’s fleet as it geared up to handle more routes. In 2013, it signed an agreement to acquire at least 64 planes from Airbus, and resumed

flights to London after a 15-year absence.

Philippine Airlines’ profitability has improved in the four months since Tan regained management of the company, Bautista said, without providing details.

Parent PAL Holdings Inc., whose income comes mostly from the unlisted carrier, had a net income of P233.7 million ($5.3 million) for the nine months ended September.

That compares to a P2.2-billion loss in the first six months of 2013, when it was reporting based on a fiscal year, according to stock exchange filings. Shares of PAL Holdings rose

as much as 7 percent before ending 2 percent higher at the noon break in Manila.

Bautista said the company had hired a financial adviser to help select a strategic investor. Tan, in a Jan. 23 interview, said he’s in talks with a Middle Eastern investor to sell a stake in the flag carrier in a deal that may happen this year.

“We’re not really in a hurry,” Bautista said Monday. “We’re giving ourselves two to three years to find this strategic investor” who will “assist us in managing this airline back to full profitability.”

Bloomberg

Transportation warns erring auto dealerships

By Alena Mae S. Flores THE Transportation Department is running after delinquent car dealers who misinform customers about the status of their license plate applications.

“The public deserves to know if their car dealerships are shortchanging them. We will release lists of delinquent dealers in the coming weeks to show which ones aren’t fulfilling their promises to their customers,” Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said Tuesday.

Abaya and Land Transportation Office chief Alfonso Tan Jr. said in a statement they would disclose the names of delinquent dealerships who were deliberately misinforming customers on the status of their license plate applications.

“The problem is that the delinquent dealers tell their customers that the LTO does not have new plates, when in fact, they’re the ones who aren’t fulfilling their services. They let months pass despite knowing fully well that the plates are ready--and they even mislead their customers about it,” Abaya said “License plates for first-time motor vehicle registrants are available-on-demand. Yet many of these plates remain unclaimed from LTO offices,” Tan said.

The department and the LTO will release the lists of delinquent dealerships in the coming weeks to better inform the public on which dealerships actually deliver the services they offer to their customers, and which ones are shortchanging them.

WEDNESDAY: MARCH 18, 2015

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BUSINESS business@thestandard.com.ph extrastory2000@gmail.com

Treasury bond rates down

By Jennifer Ambanta

THE government awarded P25 billion of six-year Treasury bonds in Tuesday’s auction at slightly lower rates, the Bureau of Treasury said.

Rates for the treasury bonds stood at an average of 3.458 percent, down 4.3 basis points from 3.501 percent in the previous auction.

“The board decided to fully award the P25 billion amid ample demand for debt securities,” the bureau said.

“The average rate of accepted bids was also below secondary market trading level,” it added.

The re-issued treasury bonds will mature on March 2021 with a remaining life of six years and three months.

Total tender amounted P35.302 billion, or over P10 billion from the original offer of P25 billion.

The national government’s total outstanding debt amounted to P5,752 billion as of end-January 2015, up 0.3 percent or P17 billion from the end-2014 level.

Data showed domestic obligations accounted for 68 percent of the total outstanding debt stock.

The government as of January guaranteed obligations of P417 billion, which down 2 percent from the end-2014 level.

The BTr said domestic debt was P7 billion higher in the first month of 2015 due to P7.8 billion in net issuance.

External debt, meanwhile, has risen P9 billion since the start of the year due to net availments amounting to P33 billion that were used to meet financing requirements for the year and redeem high coupon bonds.

Calatagan Mayor Sophia Palacio (left) and Solar Philippines president Leandro Leviste break ground for the Batangas solar project.

Leviste company to build largest solar farm CALATAGAN, Batangas—After pioneering the nation’s first large-scale solar rooftop projects, Solar Philippines claims a new frontier with the launch of the largest solar farm in Luzon.

At the ceremonial groundbreaking of the 50-megawatt project in Calatagan, Batangas, attended by officials from the local and national government, Solar Philippines president Leandro Leviste marked the event as a turning point for renewable energy in Batangas, which is home to both the nation’s largest number of fossil fuel plants and various eco-tourism destinations.

The ground-mounted system will comprise over 150,000

solar panels, covering over 75 hectares of land owned by the company. Once completed this year, it will generate enough energy to power the majority of the entire province of Batangas.

Over three decades of operation, it is expected to offset over 1 million tons of CO2, equivalent to planting over 5 million trees.

Solar Philippines will develop, co-finance, design and construct the project, the first time that any local company has taken an integrated approach to solar farm development--allowing the company to complete the project in record time.

“This is the first of many solar farms that we shall launch

this year, and are in discussions with landowners across Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao,” said Leviste. “Taking the same approach as for our rooftop projects, we’ve integrated development, financing, and construction all-in-one, allowing us to move faster in meeting the Department of Energy’s solar targets for 2015.”

Leviste urged other landowners to convert unproductive lands into solar farms.

“What we have done to the rooftops of malls and factories, we shall do for solar farms, and we welcome all willing partners to join us in finally turning this vision into a reality,” he said.

The company plans to com-

plete 200 MW of solar power in 2015 after securing over a dozen renewable energy service contracts to develop projects near major cities across the country.

Solar Philippines is the country’s No. 1 solar provider and Southeast Asia’s largest developer of rooftop power plants.

The country’s first all-in-one solar financing, design and construction company, it installs solar on rooftops at zero cost, supplying electricity at below utility rates.

With a team of 125 veterans from the solar, construction, and power industries, the company is growing fast to meet the need for affordable, clean, distributed generation.

Hino celebrates 40 years in PH

Hino president Vicente Mills Jr.

PILIPINAS Hino Inc. celebrates 40 years of manufacturing trucks and buses that move the Philippine economy, with a one-of-a-kind truck-bus show dubbed “World of Hino.” The show--which is open to the public--will start on March 20 until March 22, 2015 at Hall A of the World Trade Center Manila.

“The World of Hino is a fitting show to celebrate Pilipinas Hino’s milestones and accomplishments as our products have helped moved people, products and services across the country,” said Vicente Mills Jr, president of Pilipinas Hino Inc. “We invite the public to come join us and have a special preview of all the Hino products in different modifications for use in various industries.”

Visitors to the World of Hino will literally be given a preview of how the “World of Hino” products have an impact in a wide array of businesses. As a one-stop truck manufacturer, Hino is able to customize its products and tailor-fit trucks and buses depending on the specifications of the client up to vehicle maintenance, repair, and refurbishing.

This is the edge of Hino and it has been a key to the company’s successful operations for four decades.

Among the Hino products that will be showcased during the World of Hino are the WU302Li which can be customized to become an ambulance, school bus, bubble top AUV, and passenger van; the WU342Li Dropside; the WU730L GBus II (30-seater mini bus) and wing van (for tarpaulin advertising).

Also on display are the XZU720L Double CabDropside; the FC9J–LSA Sewer Jet (these trucks uses high-pressure sewer jetting method for cleaning sewer and drain lines using high pressure water); FG8J – PSB Garbage Compactor (for picking garbage and compressing it); the FM1J RUA Telescopic Crane (cranes are used for loading heavy objects to the truck) and the Vacuum Truck (used for loading solids, liquids, sludge or slurries.

Vacuum trucks are used by town, and municipal, governments, and by commercial companies).

As Hino is also known for its massive trucks, the World of Hino will showcase some of them: the SS1E10-Wheeler Tractor Head; the SH1E 6-Wheeler Tractor Head; the FS1E–LVM with Mixer Body; the ZS1E Dump Truck; and the RM2P Grand Echo II Luxurious Bus.

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WORLD

cesar barrioquinto EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

B7

Jakarta bars Australians from new visa-free list JAKARTA—Indonesia will soon allow tourists from an additional 30 countries to visit without a visa, a minister said, but neighboring Australia was left off the list amid a row over looming executions.

The move comes as Jakarta seeks to boost a faltering economy, which is growing at five-year lows, and to attract more foreign income as the rupiah rapidly weakens.

The country currently only allows tourists from 15 countries, mostly in Southeast Asia, to visit without a visa. People from a number of other countries can buy a tourist visa on arrival.

The 30 countries added to the list are mainly European, but also include China and several others in Asia, the United States, and some nations in the Middle East and Africa, Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said.

“People who want to travel to Indonesia won’t need to worry about a visa any more,” Yahya said late Monday, as he announced the changes.

“We hope that we can attract an additional one million foreign tourists,” he added, saying the policy could bring in an extra $1 billion a year and that he hoped it would come into effect next month.

Indonesia has long lagged behind its neighbors in attracting foreign visitors. In 2013, 8.8 million foreign visitors came to Indonesia, according to official figures, compared with 25.72 million in Malaysia and 26.55 million in Thailand.

But Yahya predicted that “in two years, we will beat those countries” following the introduction of the new policy.

Australia—which accounted for more than 10 percent of Indonesia’s foreign visitors in 2013—was not included in the list of countries whose citizens will no longer require a visa.

Ties between Indonesia and Australia have deteriorated in recent months as Jakarta prepares to execute two Australian drug traffickers on death row who were convicted of trying to smuggle heroin out of Bali.

Yahya denied the row had played a role, suggesting that Australia was excluded from the list because its own policy required visiting Indonesians to have a visa.

However, most of the 30 countries added to the list require Indonesians to obtain a visa before visiting.

“It’s not that we do not want to include Australia,” he said.

Though their country was not on Indonesia’s visa-free list, Australian nationals can nevertheless purchase a tourist visa on arrival.

The minister also downplayed fears that Indonesia was ill-prepared for a huge jump in the number of tourists. AFP

Another death. Protesters hold placards outside an employment agency in Hong Kong on March 17 following the death of Indonesian maid Elis

Kurniasih, 33, after a concrete slab fell on her while sleeping on the balcony of a guesthouse run by the agency, as concerns grow over the conditions for overseas domestic helpers. A Hong Kong judge called for action over laws on the treatment of foreign domestic workers in the city in February 2015 after sentencing a woman to six years in jail for beating and starving her Indonesian maid, Erwiana Sulistyaningsih, in a case that made headlines around the world. AFP

20 African cities lead as continent changes PARIS—North African cities are leading the way as the continent and its growing middle class lay down “solid economic roots” which are very appealing to investors, according to a new report published Tuesday.

The report highlighted 20 African “cities of opportunity” with the Egyptian capital Cairo heading the list, with Tunis, Casablanca and Algiers also in the top five.

Coming in third place, only Johannesburg, the largest city in South Africa, breaks northern Africa’s monopoly of the top five cities as ranked in the report by accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.

“The preponderance of North African cities at the top is mainly due

to the length of time they have been established. This has given them time to develop infrastructure, regulatory and legal frameworks as well as establishing socio-cultural ecosystems,” the report said.

Johannesburg, formed more recently in 1886, “was developed rapidly for political reasons,” allowing it develop infrastructure and services are comparable to the more established African cities.

“With five percent growth, dynamic demographics and a growing middle class, Africa is exceptionally appealing to investors,” said the PwC report, launched Tuesday at the Africa CEO Forum 2015 in Geneva.

Africa is at “an exceptional, historic crossroads, if there was ever a moment for an entire continent to seize the day, this is it,” it added.

In choosing its 20 “cities of opportunity”—limited in the report to one city per country—the researchers considered four main indicators: economy, infrastructure, human capital and demographics.

Along with technical advances and demographic change a major trend identified by the report was urbaniZation.

“By 2030, half of Africa’s population will live in cities which are where economic activity and growth will be focused as well as becoming communication centers and a hub for social trends,” the report said.

PwC’s Africa Business Group Leader Paul Cleal said the study should help answer the questions of potential investors in the continent and help city politicians and officials improve their competitiveness.

Cairo’s infrastructure was particularly praised, while Tunis ranked top in the “human capital” category —which included health systems, graduate numbers and literacy and numeracy.

The report also looked at other criteria such as GDP growth, ease of doing business and the ability to attract foreign direct investment.

In this list Dar Es Salaam, Lusaka, Nairobi, Lagos and Accra polled well.

“Most of the African cities with promise can (and will) climb to join those cities at the top of our overall ranking, with a little effort and organization,” the report said.

“Moreover, many of them have already become key regional platforms such as Dar es Salaam and Douala as ports, Accra for telecommunications, Lagos for Culture and Nairobi for financial services.”

But the report also said Africa still has “fundamental problems”.

These challenges ranged from “disease (whether AIDS, Ebola, or river blindness) to internecine conflict” as well as a decline in commodity prices down to the most basic requirements of urban infrastructure, clean water, ample electricity, public transport.

The complete top 20 list of Africa’s “cities of opportunity” was: Cairo, Tunis, Johannesburg, Casablanca, Algeria, Accra, Nairobi, Lagos, Addis Ababa, kampala, Dakar, Abidjan, Kigali, Lusaka, Dar es Salaam, Douala, Antananarivo, Maputo, Kinshasa and Luanda. AFP

Infection worsens Lee Kuan Yew’s health

Walking aid. This picture taken on March 16 shows 8-month-old cat

Hei Hudie, meaning black butterfly, with a special walking aid in a pet hospital in China’s southwest Chongqing municipality. With the help of some good Samaritans, Hei Hudie had four surgeries within five months after it fell from the tenth floor of a building, and finally managed to live on with both of its hind legs disabled. Doctors equiped the cat with a special wheelchair to help it walk, local media reported. AFP

SINGAPORE—The health of Singapore’s founding leader and ex-prime minister Lee Kuan Yew has “worsened” due to an infection, the government said Tuesday.

Lee, 91, has been hospitalized for severe pneumonia since February 5 at the Singapore General Hospital, where he is on life support at the intensive care unit.

“Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s condition has worsened due to an infection. He is on antibiotics. The doctors are closely monitoring his condition,” said a statement from the office of his son, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

In a statement on February 21, the government said Lee was stable but breathing with the help of “mechani-

cal ventilation”—commonly also known as life support.

The senior Lee is widely credited with transforming Singapore from an economic backwater to one of Asia’s wealthiest economies in just over three decades.

He served as prime minister from 1959, when Singapore gained self-rule from colonial ruler Britain, until he stepped down in 1990 in favor of his deputy Goh Chok Tong, who in turn handed power to Lee Hsien Loong in 2004.

The People’s Action Party, which was co-founded by the elder Lee, has been returned to power in every election since 1959 and currently holds 80 of the 87 seats in parliament.

In a book published in 2013, the

Asian statesman said he feels weaker by the day and wants a quick death.

The longtime fitness buff has visibly slowed since his wife of 63 years, Kwa Geok Choo, died in 2010.

Lee, a Cambridge-educated lawyer, is revered by large segments of Singapore’s population, with many taking to social media in recent weeks to voice messages of support following news of his ill health.

On February 25 government officials and state-linked media were forced to come out on social media to quash latenight rumors that he had died.

In a Facebook post on March 13, Lee Hsien Loong said “my family and I are deeply touched” by Singaporeans’ messages of support for his father. AFP

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B8 Myanmar jails Kiwi over insult on Buddha YANGON—A New Zealand bar manager and his two Myanmar colleagues were sentenced Tuesday to two and a half years in jail by a Yangon court for using a Buddha image to promote a cheap drinks night.

The ad posted on Facebook in December triggered outrage in the former junta-ruled country, where surging Buddhist nationalism and religious violence has sparked international concern.

Philip Blackwood, who worked at the VGastro bar in Yangon, was found guilty of insulting religion, along with the bar’s Myanmar owner and manager, after the New Zealander posted the offending mocked-up photo of the Buddha wearing DJ headphones.

The trio were sentenced to two years in jail for insulting religion through written word or pictures and a further six months—both terms carrying the punishment of hard labor— for breaching local authority regulations.

They were held responsible for protests that erupted outside the bar over the image.

Judge Ye Lwin said that although Blackwood, 32, posted an apology, he had “intentionally plotted to insult religious belief” when he uploaded the photo.

He added that it was “unreasonable only to blame the foreigner” when explaining the guilty verdicts for the 40-year-old bar owner Tun Thurein and manager Htut Ko Ko Lwin, 26.

The trio during the trial all denied insulting religion, while Blackwood admitted posting the picture without intending to offend.

The New Zealander made no comment as he was bundled into the back of a police truck through a scrum of media cameras after the sentencing.

Htut Ko Ko Lwin’s mother screamed at a group of monks waiting outside the court and taking photos with smartphones.

“I am very shocked and this is very unfair,” said Myat Nandar, wife of bar owner Tun Thurein, adding that she would consult her lawyer about appealing.

Buddhist-majority Myanmar, which began emerging from the grip of the military in 2011, has been rocked by several deadly outbreaks of religious violence in recent years, mainly targeting the Muslim minority. AFP

CESAR bARRioquiNto EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

world

Food shortages feared after cyclone damage PORT VILA—Vanuatu warned Tuesday it faces imminent food shortages as accounts emerged of huge damage to a large outer island, days after one of the fiercest cyclones on record pummeled the sprawling Pacific nation.

Aftermath. This handout photo taken on March 16 and released on March 17 by the New Zealand Red Cross/ IFRC shows flattened structures and debris, caused by Cyclone Pam, in the Vanuatu capital of Port Vila. Vanuatu warned on March 17 it faced imminent food shortages as accounts emerged of huge damage to a large outer island, days after one of the fiercest cyclones on record pummeled the sprawling Pacific nation. AFP

Relief agencies have warned that conditions are among the most challenging they have faced, with mounting concerns about disease, and the nation’s President Baldwin Lonsdale has appealed for the world to help after Severe Tropical Cyclone Pam lashed the island with wind gusts of up to 320 kilometers per hour.

With 24 people so far confirmed dead, the scale of the disaster became clearer with the first team of aid workers reaching Tanna island, home to 30,000 people some 200 kilometers south of the capital Port Vila, itself badly damaged.

“The impression they got from their initial observations was that the damage is significantly worse than Port Vila,” Tom Perry from CARE Australia told AFP. He added that the hospital was functioning, but it had no roof.

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said reconnaissance by the Australian military “confirmed significant damage in the southern islands”.

“And particularly Tanna island, where it appears that more than 80 percent of houses and buildings have been partially or completely destroyed,” she said.

“Not only buildings flattened, but palm plantations, trees. It’s quite a devastating sight.”

Communications to many of the other 80 islands in the sprawling archipelago, most only accessible by boat, were still down and Benjamin Shing, from Lonsdale’s office, said survivors would quickly run out of food. AFP

Australian siege cafe to reopen Friday SYDNEY—An Australian cafe where a gunman inspired by the Islamic State group took customers and staff hostage in a deadly siege will reopen on Friday, a spokesman said.

The incident at chocolate-themed Lindt cafe in Martin Place, in the heart of Sydney’s financial district, ended with the death of two hostages—cafe manager Tori Johnson and barrister Katrina Dawson—shocking the nation.

Gunman Man Haron Monis, a self-styled cleric with a history of extremist views, was killed by police as they stormed the building in the early hours of December 16, some 16 hours after the ordeal began.

The ground-floor cafe was damaged and has been boarded up since the siege. It has recently undergone renovations.

A spokesman for Lindt said the cafe would officially reopen its doors at 10 am on Friday before resuming normal service to the public the following day.

Lindt Australia chief executive Steve Loane said there was an overwhelming desire to create a permanent memorial plaque at the upmarket eatery to the siege victims.

“It was felt this was the right thing to do, to remember Tori and Katrina and their spirit,” Loane said.

He thanked the public for their outpouring of support in the wake of

the incident.

“This has been an extremely difficult period for so many people impacted by those tragic events,” Loane said. “[The support] has truly been a source of strength for everyone and has helped us in our decision to reopen the cafe and move forward.”

Loane asked that the public be respectful of the cafe staff in the wake of the tragedy that horrified Australia and prompted a mass outpouring of grief.

“To this end, we would ask that our staff’s personal privacy is respected as they go back to work and the job they enjoy so much,” he said. AFP

Status quo or change? Israeli Labor Party leader and co-leader of

the Zionist Union list for the coming general election, Isaac Herzog, stands next to his wife Michal as he talks to reporters after voting in Tel Aviv on March 17. Voting polls opened for unpredictable elections to determine whether Israelis still want incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as leader or will seek change after six years. AFP

W E D N E S D AY : M A R C H 1 8 : 2 0 1 5

C1

BAMBINA OLIVARES WISE EDITOR

g l w e e ke n d @ g m a i l . c o m

LIFE

LUXURY

THE ITALIAN JOB

B

uoyed by the popularity of condo living among young, upwardly mobile professionals, Florence Ko, Managing Director of Gruppo Mobili Philippines, Inc., recently opened a brand new showroom in BGC for an Italian furniture range she has been carrying for some time now. Calligaris, she feels, offers an irresistible combination: great design with that unmistakable Italian flair, and accessible luxury at attractive price points.

Moreover, said Ko, what Calligaris offers is authenticity.

"Calligaris is original. Their products are not copies. There's a lot of furniture coming in, and the easiest way for other brands to market their products is to copy the designs. But when you copy, you just take the design. You don't know the technology behind each product. Calligaris is not like that. Everything is original. And everything comes 100 per cent from Europe. They invest in production, they invest in research and development. In turn, we invest in a brand that we believe in."

Jetting in from Italy to inaugurate the showroom with Ko was Alessandro Calligaris, company chairman and president since 1986, and third generation member of the family that began the business in 1923 in Manzano, Italy. "Manila," he said, "is an important development, as we are opening many

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stores all over. London there is a store opening, and also soon, Milan, Paris, in Germany Dusseldorf. We have a lot of history in our company, and the concept has always been the same: to make the house very interesting, very warm."

The first piece of furniture the company produced was the "Marocca" chair, which featured a sturdy wooden frame, hand-woven rush seat and slightly curved legs. Other Calligaris designs have since become modern classics, and embody clever innovations. The "Gamera" chair is made from one-piece polyamide shell suitable for indoor or outdoor use, while the "Lam" table is a harmonious amalgam of metal and wood. And the modeular "Urban" sofa offers multiple configurations to fit unique needs.

While it built its name on chairs and seating solutions, Calligaris actually offers a complete home furnishings range that includes products for every corner of the home - from dining room and living room to bedroom, kitchen, study and home office.

CALLIGARIS Mezzanine, Clipp Center 11th Avenue corner 39th Street BGC

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W E D N E S D AY : M A R C H 1 8 : 2 0 1 5

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LIFE

BAMBINA OLIVARES WISE EDITOR

g l w e e ke n d @ g m a i l . c o m

1

2

LONGING FOR LONGINES

Swiss Watch Brand Longines Opened Its First Monobrand Boutique In The Philippines

T

he renowned Swiss watchmaker Longines celebrated the grand opening of its first monobrand boutique in the Philippines. Management representatives from Longines’ headquarters in Switzerland attended the special event, hosted the Lucerne Group. Taiwanbased movie star, singer and performer, Eddie Peng, flew in for the special occasion as Longines’ Ambassador of Elegance. The ribbon-cutting ceremony took place among an intimate group of special guests at the SM Megamall Mega Fashion Hall in Pasig City.

With this new monobrand boutique in Asia, the Philippine opening makes another significant milestone for Longines’ presence in this continent.

The ceremonial ribbon-cutting was led by Eddie Peng, Switzerland-based Mr. Charles Villoz, Vice President of Longines and Head of International Sales, Swiss Ambassador to the Philippines, His Excellency Ivo Sieber, Mayor Benjamin Abalos, Jr., Mr. Ivan Yao, President of the Lucerne group, and Mr. Emerson Yao, Managing Director of the Lucerne group.

Making his first appearance in Manila as Longines’ Ambassador of

Elegance, Eddie Peng joins top actors Simon Baker and Kate Winslet as a member of the Longines family. “I am happy to be here to help celebrate this momentous occasion with Longines,” said the 32-yr-old actor. Eddie Peng had an autograph-signing ceremony at the boutique’s floor-to-ceiling poster featuring him with an elegant Longines watch from the Conquest Classic collection, a line dedicated to Longines watchmaking tradition and passion for equestrian sports.

“We are excited that Longines timepieces may now be viewed and selected by our Filipino clients in an exclusive environment that mirrors the elegance of our watches. The boutique also offers a comprehensive range of professional support services for owners,” said Mr. Villoz. “We hope that our boutique will become a destination for watch collectors and enthusiasts to experience discovering, purchasing and collecting watches in an elegant way,” he added.

Located among global retail brands on the second floor of Megamall, Longines boutique’s facade sports its winged hourglass logo. The store also has beautiful glass counters displaying the watches, as well as classic

FASHION MEETS FOOD A new concept store

combines a stylish boutique and a gourmet restaurant

white leather chairs providing space and comfort to clients who may want to read about Longines’ long history.

Overall, the 73-square-meter corner store showcases Longines’ innate ability to blend aesthetic design amidst an inviting yet elegant atmosphere.

“We are proud to open the first Longines boutique in Philippines with the Swiss watch brand.” said Mr. Emerson Yao. He said that Megamall’s Fashion Hall is one of the hottest locations to be in right now because of the global brand mix that SM was able to do. He said that the spot certainly worked well with Longines after its soft opening last year. “Having its own boutique allows Longines to provide a wide range of models that normally a watch store would not have space for.

It also allows us to train the staff to be brand experts because they’re solely focused on one brand.” he added.

The new Longines boutique is a modern interpretation of the brand’s traditional values and about two centuries of craftsmanship. With each new boutique opening, Longines takes the opportunity to show different facets of its passion for elegance and constant innovation.

Italian brand Massimo Trulli is noted for its fine leather bags, shoes, and upholstered furniture that reflect the images of ‘50s and ‘60s through colorful pop-art renditions. When it opened its first boutique in the Philippines a few weeks ago, not only the leather goods made their way to our retail scene but also gourmet cuisines and wines from Italy, hence the birth of a concept store that marries fashion and food The Massimo Trulli Fashion, Food & Wine Concept Store is a fashion boutique, furniture store, deli and restaurant, and wine bar all rolled into a cozy 100-square meter store at LRI Design Plaza.

Luggage, handbags, wallets, belts, and shoes will be on display all over the multi-functional store for the delight of both shoppers and diners--or better yet, shoppers who are dining as well at the concept store.

Aside from fashionable leather pieces, Massimo Trulli’s exquisite chairs and tables are on display and are actually the very furniture used at the concept store’s gourmet restaurant.

Diners will not only be indulging in Spanish tapas, Italian cheeses, French dishes, and

3 1Mayor Benjamin Abalos, Jr., Charles Villoz (Vice President & Head of International Sales, Longines), Ivan Yao (President, Lucerne Group), Eddie Peng (Ambassador of Elegance, Longines), His Excellency Ivo Sieber (Swiss Ambassador to the Philippines), Emerson Yao (Managing Director, Lucerne Group) and Claude Jaunin (Regional Sales Manager, Longines) at grand opening of the first Longines monobrand boutique in the Philippines 2 Longines’ first monobrand boutique in the Philippines is now open on the second floor of SM Megamall Fashion Hall 3 Longines Ambassador of Elegance, Eddie Peng

fine Italian wines, but they will even be seated on Massimo Trulli chairs.

“We want everyone to have that unique Massimo Trulli experience,” explained Atty.

Gale Atienza, one of the owners of the establishment.

Before making waves as a top designer Massimo Trulli was an artist, hence his penchant for bold, vibrant images and colors, that somehow combine fashion elements with advertising and cinema. He is known for his limited edition bags that are handmade by noted craftsmen in Tuscany.

The bags and wallets on sale range in price from P8,000 to P20,000. The small chairs from Massimo Trulli Home collection can be yours for a little over P100,000 each, and live the life of an aristocrat--or have a taste of it--while seated on the Audrey Hepburn throne priced at P500,000.

Once a client of Trulli’s creations, Atty. Atienza partnered with the Italian designer to bring to the country, not only his products, but this concept.

According to her, the unique concept of combining a restaurant and a boutique is becoming popular in Europe. “We

are confident, it will pick up, because Filipinos like to shop and eat. Here is a place where you can do both.”

Wine lovers are sure to frequent the concept store for its long list of Italian wines, most of which can be ordered by the glass.

“In other restaurants only the house wines are available by the glass, you have to buy the entire bottle if you want a particular kind,” noted Adriano Stefanutti, co-owner and wine director and consultant of the Massimo Trulli Fashion, Food & Wine Concept Store.

The Wine Bar serves Italian wine starting at P200 a glass. High-end Italian wines are available at the Wine Cellar with prices ranging from P6,800 to P80,000 per bottle. Gourmet products like regional Italian cheeses, and prosciutto San Daniele are also available at the Deli.

Massimo Trulli Fashion, Food & Wine is located at Suites 102/104, G/F LRI Design Plaza, 210 Nicanor Garcia Street, Bel-Air II, 1209 Makati City. It opens for lunch all the way till the late evening. For more information, email them at info@massimotrulli.ph

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LIFE

BAMBINA OLIVARES WISE EDITOR

g l w e e ke n d @ g m a i l . c o m

C3

JAPANESE WHISKY ON THE RISE! CRAZY, BEAUTIFUL...

AND GOLDEN?

BY ED BIADO

The hottest trend to rock the premium skincare industry is the gold facial.

Celebrities like Nicole Kidman and Cameron Diaz are doing it, London’s elite are supposedly crazy about it and you can even indulge in it at home for a fraction of the beauty clinic price when you use a DIY kit.

According to HowStuffWorks, “Cleopatra is rumored to have done it every night—covered her face in a pure gold mask in hopes of maintaining her youthful appearance. It turns out she wasn’t alone in thinking the precious metal contained anti-aging properties; for thousands of years, the metal has been used in Ayurvedic medicine, one of the oldest medical systems in the world.” The modern anti-aging usage of gold was said to have been discovered in 2006, when the first 24-karat gold facials were developed.

A gold facial at Oro Gold in London is a “blend of 24k gold and ingredients including aloe vera and vitamins,” which is claimed to “provide immediate rejuvenating results,” the Daily Mail says. Each 60-minute treatment costs US$400 and clients can opt for a program of 12 treatments per month.

In her review of the $50 Bella Schneider Beauty Glow Facial Kit, InStyle.com associate producer Katie Donbavand raves, “I might have looked like a Bond villain during the facial, but I had Bond Girl skin afterwards. As promised, my skin was luminous. It was plump and so soft that I couldn’t stop touching it. It looked like I had applied the Valencia filter IRL. I loved the results so much that the next day at work, I skipped wearing any makeup (seriously!). In spite of my bare face, I got several compliments on my glowing skin. Would I use the BSB Glow 24 Karat Facial again? Absolutely!”

Not everyone is convinced, though. Some are calling gold facials a gimmick, citing the metal’s “unreactiveness” and lack of beauty benefits.

However, others claim that the softness of gold allows for it to be absorbed into the skin. WiseGeek explains, “This kind of facial can often help to diminish the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines for a more youthful appearance. This softer precious metal’s composition allows the skin to more readily absorb it; a gold facial can have benefits for both dry skin and oily, acne-prone skin.

“Gold has been shown in some lab tests to speed up the regeneration of skin cells, which can often have noticeable skin brightening effects. Since gold face treatments have detoxifying properties, they can also help reduce levels of acne-causing bacteria on the skin as well as prevent some new blemishes from forming.”

K

yoto, Japan. While total whisky, both imported and local, accounts for just 1.16% of Japan’s huge drinks market – way below sake and beer, there is still so much positive buzz now both domestically and internationally for Japan’s own whisky brands. I recently visited the Yamazaki Distillery located in Kyoto, Japan’s very first commercial distillery that started operations in 1923. The historic distillery started the legacy of Japanese premium whisky. The Yamazaki Distillery belongs to the huge Suntory Group. Just last year, 2014, Suntory bought Beam Inc. of Illinois, USA (owners of Jim Beam, Suaza, Courvoisier, Canadian Club, etc..) to become the world’s third largest premium spirits company.

The author at the Yamazaki Distillery in Kyoto, Japan

The most influential whisky book

JAPANESE WHISKY

Japanese whisky is patterned after the scotch – a malt whisky or grain whisky made in Scotland, twice distilled and using pot stills… thus missing the `e’ in the spelling as against the Irish whiskey and American whiskey (bourbon).

While Scotch whisky has over three centuries of head start against the Japanese, the recognition of Japanese whiskies especially the single malt whiskies have caught the attention of the world and is no longer just a novelty.

The most `in’ drink among the affluent and sophisticated tipplers as of late has been the single malt whiskies, and the Japanese whiskies are riding high on this bandwagon.

BEATING THE SCOTTISH WHISKY

The Japanese whiskies were supposed to be just for domestic consumption, being initially made to copy the Scottish style of whisky from its onset.

But just pseudo-like the momentous wine game-changing `Judgment of Paris 1976 wine blind tasting showdown’, where Californian wines beat their more illustrious French counterparts, Japanese whiskies have been extremely successful against their Scottish counterparts at the industry authority Whisky Magazine blind tasting challenges. In these whisky blind tastings, Japanese aged single malts are pitted against their Scottish counterparts, and the Yamazakis and the Yoichis (from the other huge Japanese distillery Nikka) often come out on top. And the biggest `coup’ todate just came out late last year, when whisky demigod, Englishman Jim Murray, the enormously influential Robert Parker-esque voice of whisky, declared the Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask 2013 as the best whisky in the world, receiving an almost impeccable score of 97.5 out of 100 in his top selling 2015 World Whisky Bible.

SHINJIRO TORII’S PROFOUND INFLUENCE

Shinjiro Torii was owner of Kotobukiya (later changed to present name Suntory when company diversified), a pharmaceutical wholesaler when he had the vision of making the perfect Japanese whisky, even when during the early 20th century, the Japanese

One of the most in demand whiskies in the world, the Yamazaki Single Malt 25 Years

market was not ready for a Japanese whisky. Shinjiro Torri took his first fearless move when he invested in his protege, Masataka Taketsuru, and sent him to Scotland after the end of the World War I to learn the intricacies of Scottish whisky making. After almost three years in Scotland and working and learning from Scottish distilleries, Masataka Taketsuru returned back to Japan with his new found knowledge and together with Shinjiro Torii, build Japan’s first distillery in Yamazaki, located at the foot of Mount Tennozan in southwestern Kyoto. Masataka Taketsuru would later leave Yamazaki Distillery in 1934 to form his own distillery, Dainipponkaju, which would later change to its present name Nikka in Yoichi in Hokkaido. Masataka Taketsuru’s exploits as a whisky genius married to a Scottish woman is now being romanticized in NHK’s top rated 15-minute morning drama series called `Massan’ (though the character was given a fictional name, Masaharu Kameyama). Yamazaki Distillery and Nikka Distillery remain the two bestknown Japanese distilleries.

RENEWED VIGOR IN THE DOMESTIC FRONT

The unprecedented popularity of the NHK drama series `Massan’, which had a huge viewership of 20% according to the Japan Times is one of the reasons for the sudden surge of domestic consumption of Japanese whiskies.

The locals especially the younger generation are reviving the highball drink – a mix of whisky and soda. Also, the timing could not have been better after the Jim Murray announcement of a Yamazaki single malt whisky being adjudged the world’s best whisky in the 2015 World Whisky Bible. Both Suntory Group (parent company of Yamazaki) and Asahi Group (parent company

Whisky tasting at the Yamazaki Distillery tasting room

of Nikka) announced increased sales of over double volumes since the `Massan’ TV series started in September 2014. In fact according to the Japan Times, Yamazaki will even curtail their exports to be able to cope up with local demand. The `Massan’ drama series will conclude on March 28, 2015.

TASTING NOTES

In the Yamazaki Distillery tasting room, 15ml. shot samples of all the various whiskies, including Scotch whiskies are available for tasting, and the price varies from whisky to whisky. I had samplers of whiskies that cost me from ¥200.00 to ¥2,400.00/shot.

• Yamazaki Single Malt Whisky Distillery Selection (exclusive to distillery visitors) - `peach, apple, sweet and spicy, cinnamon notes, long juniper berry essence in the taste’ • Yamazaki Single Cask 1995 (Cask # 5P0008) – aged in American cask; `cinnamon bark, vanilla, green apple, tarty, long white pepper, coffee bean and toffee-like finish’ • Yamazaki Single Cask 1986 (Cask # 6B0168) – aged in Sherry cask; `super smoky, sweet cedar, bitter-sweet on the palate, long and viscous, spicy, peppery finish’ • Yamazaki Single Malt 25 Years – aged in Sherry cask; `peach schnapps, perfumed, honeyed, cedary, chrysanthemum, thick, supple, cigar-box like long finish’ I am still very much a novice whisky drinker but I am starting to appreciate the level of complexity especially with regards to the single malts and the aging components.I will still be an oenophile, but I no longer dread being offered whiskies if I do not like the wine selection... but please give me a single malt instead of a blended whisky.

For comments, inquiries, wine event coverage, wine consultancy and other wine related concerns, please e-mail me at protegeinc@yahoo.com. I am a proud member of the Federation Internationale des Journalists et Ecrivains du Vin et des Spiritueux or FIJEV since 2010. You can also follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/sherwinlao.

W E D N E S D AY : M A R C H 1 8 : 2 0 1 5

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LIFE

BAMBINA OLIVARES WISE EDITOR

g l w e e ke n d @ g m a i l . c o m

LUXURY

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LIGHTENING UP

BY K.A. MONTINOLA

M

anila FAME is a strange animal, being a chimera of several things at once. It subtitles itself as a ‘design and lifestyle event,’ professing to be about furthering the Philippines’ position as a sourcing hub for design.

There are components for home, furniture, holiday décor, fashion, and accessories.

There is emphasis on these products being sold to foreign buyers, making it a forexport trade fair of sorts. There are design awards, special exhibits, design programs.

There is also the Philippines International Furniture Show, with its own set of goals and values, happening in tandem.

In the case of this past 61st edition, you were either pleasantly impressed or hurried and harassed. Word-of-mouth reviews on the event overall have been mixed, with some wishing the organisation would push the envelope more and not feeling too moved by designs this time around.

Others maintained that there is visible improvement every year both in the quality of designs and the kind of products being put out that is worth seeing (CITEM puts a lot of emphasis on the individual stories, of designers, manufacturers, and exporters alike, that make up the industry’s journey to success).

Still, you have to give credit to FAME and its organisers for keeping an eye

trained on the horizon. The ‘special setting’ this time was a collaboration between three designers and manufacturers called ‘Light & Shadow,’ in line with the United Nations-sanctioned ‘International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies.’ It sounds like a mouthful, but lighting is an interesting design aspect in and of itself that can be tricky to explore.

It can be difficult to see individual trees in a forest full of them, and even more difficult to really say what are the ‘best.’ (I mean, I don’t have a million dollar home makeover show to back me up on this). But here are a few choice bits from the lighting department that left an impression.

Hacienda Crafts. Native imagery can sometimes run overboard at FAME, in the quest to catch the fancy of the foreign buyer. These birds’ nest hanging lamps, though, are beautifully organic.

Direct drawing from nature doesn’t always translate to excellence, but these are charming and well worth their salt as natural objects--as per the Hacienda Crafts ethos, they’re made with an ‘envirosocial’ conscience, being ethically sourced and made. Their mango light looked pretty great, too.

Schema. Design, like fashion, goes through trends, and wire was prevalent at the show. Schema’s pendant lamps, though,

are unassuming and lovely, striking the right balance between function and character. These were exhibited en masse so that you got the range of shapes and sizes.

Schema’s monochromatic exhibit did not catch the eye at first, but a closer look at their designs was impressive. They specialise in metal weaving, and certainly showed a different level of expertise.

Wataru Sakuma. All three of the ‘Light & Shadow’ settings proved interesting.

Jinggoy Buensuceso’s lights exemplified a kind of ‘natural progression’ design principle, while Stanley Ruiz pushed for more modular construction, aiming to push at the boundary with each piece (one of his wall lamps featured extremely subtle mechanised movement).

But it was Wataru Sakuma’s collaboration with CSM Philippines, E. Murio, and South Sea Veneer that brought out a playfulness in every aspect of the lighting. The lights are not only beautiful for their physical shapes but for the shadows they cast.

Fanciful yet controlled, the designer drew out his perceived uniqueness from the materials he was tasked to use and played up each piece’s strength; the result is a collection of functional objects with a strong sense of self.

Tadeco Home. Tadeco actually won the Katha Award for best booth, given that it

was easy to see why they won it probably has a bearing for why the lights stood out.

Both their hanging lights and wall fixtures featuring tendril branches with coiled wire. Like many of their previous lights they appear to be drawn from sea creatures; in this case the effect is like coral.

The lights can admittedly appear fussy, but in this case were displayed so well with everything else I stopped to look at them for a while.

Vito Selma. Since the Louis chair was a Katha Award winner it seems hardly fair to give it more fanfare here, but Vito Selma’s work was so exciting without being outlandish that spending time at his exhibit was well worth it. Like much of his furniture, the chair is designed with ingenuity that is both pleasing and practical—it doubles as a lamp. It was inspired in part by the interior decorator’s impulse to place books on top of a stool as an accent, and so in one piece something useless is made functional.

If you think a chair with a light is cheating, though, rest assured that his hanging Twist lamps are also wonderful. Made with beautiful wood frames that can be twisted to adjust both the intensity of the light and the shape of the lamp, they give whoever owns them a small measure of creative control over the lighting.

W E D N E S D AY : M A R C H 1 8 : 2 0 1 5

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ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

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KAPUSO STARS THRILL FANS IN FEBRUARY

N Marian Rivera in GenSan with a 70-year old fan Gabby Eigenmann and Rochelle Pangilinan show fans how to have a good time

Marian Rivera performing for fans

Dingdong Dantes performs for his admirers

Empress Schuck, Dion Ignacio, Max Collins, and Geoff Eigenmann wow vacationers in Baguio

ot just one, but 10 jam-packed Kapuso Reel and real-life sweethearts Elmo Magalona events were mounted in key regional and Janine Gutierrez together with Enzo Pineda cities across the country successfully in and Kylie Padilla impressed Kapuso fans with February, another milestone month for their singing and dancing skills. In addition, Kylie and Enzo ended the month of love on a festive GMA Regional TV. During the love month, the Kapuso “fiesta spir- note as they headed up north in San Fernando, La Union, conquering CSI The City Mall on Feb. 28. it” was kept alive.

On Feb. 19, GMA Regional TV also brought to The fiesta series was jumpstarted with exciting events with Marian Rivera who headlined the first Abra’s Dapil Festival two of its premier comeditwo editions of her Kapuso Fans Day in General ans, Bubble Gang’s Sef Cadayona and Once Upon Santos City and Carcar City, Cebu on Feb. 6 and 17. A Kiss’ Mike “Pekto” Nacua, who, elicited endless During her third visit to GenSan since 2013, laughter from the audience.

During the Bacolaodiat Festival on Feb. 20, the lead actress of the upcoming series, The Rich Man’s Daughter, took more than 4,000 supporters nothing but pure entertainment filled the North to a pre-Valentine date at the KCC Mall, where Capitol Road of Bacolod City as scores of loyal she belted out a medley of Aegis’ hit songs. At the fans trooped to GMA Regional TV’s successful Gaisano Grand Mall of Carcar, Marian swept her Meet and Greet with Second Chances’s Jennylyn Cebuano fans off their feet as she delighted them Mercado, Raymart Santiago, Rafael Rosell, and with a JLo-inspired production number. Making Camille Prats. The same was felt the next day durher visit more memorable was the presence of ing a Kapuso Mall Show held at SM City Bacolod with Kailan Ba Tama Ang Mali?’s her 86-year-old die-hard fan, Geoff Eigenmann, Empress Lola Salud, who was one of the Schuck, and Dion Ignacio. estimated 7,000 who lined up In the Philippines’ Summer for hours just to meet and take Kapuso stars kept Capital, invading Baguio City’s photos with her. the festivals across annual Panagbenga Festival on For Marian, touring the various the archipelago Feb. 28 were Geoff, Empress, regions has helped her maintain fun and exciting Dion, and Kailan Ba Tama Ang her relationship with her fans. for fans who waited Mali? co-star Max Collins, with The newly-wed actress notes, patiently at the The Half Sisters’ Barbie Forteza, “Dito pumapasok ‘yung importance ng paglalaan mo ng oras various venues to get Andre Paras, and Thea Tolentino. Amidst the city’s cold tempara sa supporters mo. Ako kasi, closer to the idols peratures, what was instantly felt I recognize the fact na sila ‘yung even momentarily was the warm welcome extended one of my many inspirations sa with prospects of career ko bilang artista kaya I am the locals and tourists alike for having selfies taken by the Kapuso artists at the Ramreally exerting extra effort to go with them bakan Drive of SM City Baguio. out of my way to meet them and The Kapuso “fiesta” series culbond with them para ma-mainminated with the Musikahan tain ‘yung relationship namin sa sa Tagum Festival in Davao del isa’t isa. Kung wala sila na nagsusupport at nagmamahal sa akin, wala ako kung na- Norte on the same day with Dingdong Dantes’ first-ever Kapuso Fans Day in 2015. More than saan man ako ngayon.”

Meanwhile on Feb. 15, featured in a Kapuso 5,000 Davaeoños reveled in an afternoon of Mall Show at Robinsons Supermarket Meycauay- OPM as showcased by the GMA Primetime King an were Julie Anne San Jose and Healing Hearts’ through his performance at the Gaisano Mall of Kristoffer Martin. Sunday All Stars mainstays Tagum. Joining him were InstaDad’’s Gabby Eigenmann and former Louise delos Reyes, Jeric Sexbomb dancer RoGonzales, and Ruru Machelle Pangilinan who drid did not disappoint mingled with their suptheir fans in Daraga, Alporters via a Kapuso bay when they visited Meet and Greet at the them that same day for Freedom Park. a thrilling Kapuso Fiesta, “Up to now, I am still coinciding with the provoverwhelmed with the ince’s annual Cagsawa sight of my fans comFestival. ing in droves to my mall Negros Occidental’s show to see me,” shares Babaylan Festival, held Dingdong. “The crowd on Feb. 18, saw the in Tagum was very aplead cast of More Than preciative and it felt reWords partying with the ally nice that I was able Negrenses at Bago City’s to put up a good show for Babaylan Park via a Barbie Forteza and Thea Tolentino seem comfortable in the them.”

Kapuso Promo Tour. arms of new matinee idol Andre Paras

Dingdong Dantes with fans taking a selfie in Tagum

W E D N E S D AY : M A R C H 1 8 : 2 0 1 5

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ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

E-TALENT’S GLOBAL INVASION CONTINUES

T

oni and Alex energizes the Pinoy crowd in Abu Dhabi in OMG: Oh My Gonzagas concert.

The IPIC Arena in Al Jazira club opened its doors on March 5 for hundreds of excited Filipinos for the much-awaited concert of celebrity sisters, Toni and Alex Gonzaga.

Toni with her sister, Alex, treated the crowd to a taste of their music and show-stopping performances.

The opener was a statement; singing a medley of “Diva” and “Run the World” then giving a blast of “Titanium” and “Clarity,” Toni and Alex made a personal and passionate opening number to the delight of cheering and screaming fans.

Production value was apparent with the music flair of none other than Jimmy Antiporda who was the musical director of the night.

Then Toni gave the floor to Alex.

The sensational sassy sister owned the stage as she rendered five songs, two of which from her own album namely — “Break Na Tayo” and “Panaginip.” The near sellout audience in the IPIC arena cheered, clapped and sang along with Alex throughout her 20-minute performance, which was as much as a storytelling session and comedic showcase with show-stopping tunes.

Then the much-awaited showdown happened.

Singing “It’s All Coming Back” and “Fancy,” Toni and Alex sang back-toback with some comedic stints which made the crowd go wild.

Then Toni took the stage. The Ultimate Multimedia Star opened her 20-minute set with a spectacular medley of “A Thousand Years,” “Say Something,” and “I Won’t Give Up.” The crowd sang their hearts out as Toni performed and brought incredible tenderness to her greatest hits and “Starting Over Again,” the theme song of her blockbuster movie with Piolo Pascual.

Sisters Toni and Alex Gonzaga invade Dubai, entertaining Filipinos in the middle-eastern country with songs, dances, and comedic stunts

The Gonzaga sisters –Toni and Alex – had the Filipinos in Dubai entranced with their comic antics, musical numbers, and charming qualities as performers on stage

Alex came onstage for some impersonations. Toni and Alex impersonated some singers but the ultimate impersonation made by Alex was, to mock her older sister, Toni.

Jammers came in from the crowd.

Cheers drew from all corners of the area. The interaction between Toni, Alex and the jammers was enjoyable —they never missed a beat in keeping their fans engaged.

The fans took over the choruses of “Roar” and “All About that Bass,” the closing number and encore for the evening. Toni and Alex were still full of energy up until the end. The songs were easily a crowd favorite, and a memorable way to say goodbye.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE 45 46 48

ANSWER FOR PREVIOUS PUZZLE ACROSS 1 Birthday-cake must 5 Window-frame part 9 Zodiac sign 14 Not pro 15 Comics canine 16 Repeatedly 17 Nature’s bandage 18 Slow pitches 19 Deceitful cunning 20 Shade provider 22 Hooky players

24 26 27 30 35 36 37 38 39 42 43

Thorax She may brood a lot Leaned backward Darn cute Curie or Antoinette Bard’s river Cement section Citrus cooler Fussed over oneself PD dispatch Steel- — boots

Blows it Dentist’s request Like oysters in November, say (2 wds.)

50 Preserved beef 51 Dark brew 52 Pipe up 54 Authoritative order 58 Treadmill user 62 Ess moldings 63 McCartney’s “— People” 65 Chaplin’s wife 66 Narrow crack 67 NE state 68 Rocker — Jagger 69 Style of Latin American music 70 Pentathlon event 71 La femme DOWN 1 Yellow jacket 2 Cuzco inhabitant 3 Black hole, once 4 Brazier 5 Flew alone 6 Goddesses’ statues 7 Ad — (wing it) 8 In case 9 More fuzzy 10 Edible lizards 11 Common Seattle forecast

The most entrancing part of the entire performance was how spontaneous it all felt. Those at the concert will no doubt agree that it was the one of the best night of live music in Abu Dhabi and the Middle East concert scene.

Toni and Alex showed feel-good, natural, purely talented performances and the genuine personal connections they gave to the audience were an incomparable experience.

But the show was more than just an uncommon opportunity to see the celebrity siblings onstage: The concert also was a benefit for Ms. Elvira Malveda, who has a pontine hemorrhagic stroke.

“OMG: Oh My Gonzagas” was brought by E-TalEnt International and co-presented by Panaderia Bakery.

The fame continues…

After hosting The Voice of the Philippines season 2, Toni Gonzaga has started working for the upcoming movie with Coco Martin for Star Cinema. Alex is about to stage her own concert titled AG from the East: The Unexpected Concert on April 25 at the Araneta Coliseum. Her debut album, I Am Alex G has been released

by Star Music.

The multitalented sisters will be in Australia for a two-day concert: on April 10 at 55 Campbell Street, Blacktown NSW and April 11, 2015, 6:00 PM at 101 Meadows Road, Mt Pritchard NSW. OMG: Oh My Gonzagas is just one of the shows and musical treats that are forthcoming from E-TalEnt Management and Entertainment for the remainder of the first quarter and the second quarter of 2015.

For more details and inquiries, you may e-mail or call E-TalEnt Management and Entertainment at etalententertainment@gmail. com or call Annabelle RegaladoBorja at +639178100975 and visit its website at www.etalentph.com.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, 2015

12 13 21 23 25 27 28 29 31 32 33 34 36 40 41 44 47 49 50 53 54 55 56 57 59 60 61 64

Thin gold layer Some binary digits Wool suppliers Geneva’s river Inns Violin name Dangerous gas Subarctic tribe Puts on Fake bullet Slip back Dwindled “Space” lead-in Odometer button Reverie Makes numb Trying Iditarod locale Actress — Tripplehorn Make a call Soft shoes — Khan Astronaut — Armstrong Livy’s “Lo!” Elbow grease SASE, e.g.

Do a fall chore Swab the deck

Kapamilya actor Matteo Guidicelli is the new face of Cobra Energy drink

WELCOME TO ‘GUSTO KO PA GENERATION’

F

ilipinos are good adapters to changing circumstances; resilient through hardships, persistent despite opposition, and committed even in the face of failures. They also evolve faster everyday, always moving, chasing, and wanting more.

Individual roles have progressed, from merely undertaking personal duties to overtaking personal goals – a successful Ironman triathlete, for instance, is also a hands-on parent, a hardworking employee, a multi-talented artist.

This is where Cobra Energy Drink derived its latest and most striking campaign to date. Gusto Ko Pa is a validation of the new character seen in Filipinos today – determined to take things to the next level. This year, Cobra acknowledges the arrival of the generation whose energy is pushed to the limits – driven with the desire to not just live life, but to live it with purpose.

Matteo Guidicelli rises as the new face of Cobra Energy Drink’s latest campaign. Encapsulating the core Cobra values of dedication, perseverance, and determination, the multifaceted actor has made a mark with his hunger for life and adventure. Throughout his sporting career, he has proven that when he’s in the game, he excels, and exceeds expectations. From a pre-teen multi-awarded racecar driver, Matteo has evolved into a triathlete of the country’s most grueling sporting event – finishing five Cobra Ironman 70.3 races.

Matteo is what we all intend to be – skilled and accomplished but always striving to do better and get more out of life.

“We have witnessed evolution of Filipinos, and what differentiates them today is that Filipinos want more – more than what they used to want before. This is the Gusto Ko Pa Generation, they live in the moment, even while they are already eyeing the next big thing,” explains Abe Cipriano, AVP for Marketing for NonAlcoholic Division of Asia Brewery. “This is where Cobra comes in – our purpose is to further ignite that inspired and inspiring passion to accomplish more, role after role, duty after duty.”

When asked how he’s part of the Gusto Ko Pa Generation, Matteo explains, “With all the roles I take on, I always make sure to give it all I have – physically, mentally, and with purpose. I work hard, I train hard, and I do it with a goal in mind. Having this disposition makes me a part of this new breed. This is why I call on every Filipino to find that purpose within you, and once you find it, be the best at it. Lastly, don’t stop there, always want more because that’s when we become better.

W E D N E S D AY : M A R C H 1 8 : 2 0 1 5

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

C7 New RnB prince Kris Lawrence

Asia’s Got Talent judges Mel C, Vanness Wu, Anggun, and David Foster Filipino singer Gwyneth Dorado wowes Asia’s Got Talent judges

Filipino dance group Junior New System had everyone gushing giving them a standing ovation

WITHOUT WANG 2

BY NICKIE WANG

PINOY HOPEFULS SHINE ON ASIA’S GOT TALENT STAGE

Ten-year-old Filipina Gwyneth Dorado wowed the judges of Asia’s Got Talent in the premiere of the regional version of Got Talent franchise aired last week.

Judges Mel C of Spice Girls, Indonesian chanteuse Anggun, F4’s Vanness Wu and composer David Foster were impressed with the young talent who played the guitar and sang Katy Perry’s “Roar.” Her audition piece earned her a standing ovation from the audience and judges Mel and Vanness. The Indonesian singer quipped and told her fellow judges that they better watch out for their respective careers. David, on the other hand, gestured a nod of approval and said, “I think this business has a place for you.”

Gwyneth’s performance was just a sneak peak of what Filipino

New RnB queen Kyla

talents can offer to the show because to date the biggest performance seen in the reality search came from a dance crew based in Manila. The video of their performance took social media by storm shortly after they appeared in the program on Thursday. It has also become the most-watched video on the official YouTube channel of Asia’s Got Talent.

Called the Junior New System, the dance group set the bar really high for being the first act to showcase their talent on the show that is being broadcast in fourteen different countries in the region.

The nine-member group, which took the stage in camouflage vests, started their performance with snappy acrobatic and bboy stunts before making everybody in the audience area cheer for their Beyoncé-like moves. At the end of their production, the audience,

including the four judges were on their feet giving the group a big round of applause.

More than their flair on the dance floor, the judges were amazed on the attitude the young dancers showcased while performing.

“So often we see a dance group and there’s a couple of people that might be a couple of weak link, even if it just is in their faces. Every one of you is equally brilliant,” Mel C enthused.

Meanwhile, the Canadian music producer-composer commented, “There’s not an act in America, from Beyoncé on down, that wouldn’t love to have you guys behind her.”

The judges’ reaction on the performance of these Filipino acts is a concrete evidence that local talents can make waves on global scene given a chance. We just need to do away with the drama

(highlighting poverty why they joined the show) and let the talent alone to stand as the unique selling point to woe the judges and eventually the audiences and viewers who will play a big part in choosing the winners.

R&B ROYALTIES?

We first heard of Kris Lawrence being called “prince of local R&B” last month when he performed at the Manila wedding reception of Chiz Escudero and Heart Evangelista. And that left some scribes asking what happened to JayR who used to have that moniker.

Apparently, Kris now holds that moniker because JayR is now being called the king of R&B after he moved to ABS-CBN. This appears like an upgrade in stature because Kyla, who they call in Kapuso Network as “princess of R&B” is now the “Queen of R&B”

after she cut her ties with the latter and joined the roster of singers that perform in the Sunday musical, ASAP. The new title is also repeatedly used in the publicity material for Kyla’s repackaged album that features a duet with JayR. The decent-sounding love song, however, is not doing well in terms of its performance on the music charts. It seems that music consumers don’t buy not just the music, but the whole idea of this R&B royalty tags.

At the end of the day, those monikers wouldn’t really matter. They may use them as part of their branding, but the real challenge is actually the artist’s ability to sell records. Give us multiplatinum records and a couple of memorable hits, and you can have or claim all the King and Queen monikers available.

From C8

AT HOME AT KAPUSO NETWORK Mel C. Tiangco renewed her contract with GMA Network on March 9.

Present during the contract signing were GMA Network Chairman and CEO Felipe L. Gozon, President and COO Gilberto R. Duavit, Jr., EVP and CFO Felipe S. Yalong, and SVP for News and Public Affairs Marissa L. Flores.

Tiangco, who has been with the Network since 1996, expressed her continued loyalty to GMA Network. “The day I entered GMA, I knew it was going to be my home forever,” said the veteran broadcaster.

Apart from co-anchoring GMA’s flagship newscast 24 Oras with Mike Enriquez and Vicky Morales and hosting the awardwinning drama anthology Magpakailanman, Tiangco is also the EVP and COO of GMA’s socio-civic arm, GMA Kapuso Foundation.

In these various roles, she is highly regarded by GMA’s top management. Said Gozon, “Napakaganda ng aming experience, not only with each other but also with the Network, so that it has come to the

From left, GMA Network SVP for News and Public Affairs Marissa L. Flores, President and COO Gilberto R. Duavit, Jr., news anchor Mel C. Tiangco, Chairman and CEO Felipe L. Gozon, and EVP and CFO Felipe S. Yalong

point na mahirap nang isipin na may GMA without Tita Mel.” Moreover, Duavit extols Tiangco’s credibility and commitment to service as seen in her work with the Kapuso Foundation and GMA News and Public Affairs. “Madalang makatagpo ng isang tao na lahat halos nasa kanya na,” he says. “Sa madaling salita, isang tao kung saan napapaloob ang lahat ng ibig

nating sabihin sa serbisyong totoo. Mapalad tayo na si Mel ay bahagi ng Kapuso and we are proud to be Kapuso dahil sa mga katulad ni Mel,” he shared.

Of her contributions to the Network, Flores shared, “Tita Mel has been instrumental in cementing GMA News and Public Affairs’ reputation as the most credible news organization in the country. We look

forward to more years of working with her.”

Indeed, Mel Tiangco has consistently shown the heart of a Kapuso throughout her years of service. “To say that I love this company is an understatement. I have served it with all my heart and with all my soul and I will continue to do so,” she expresses.

C8

W E D N E S D AY : M A R C H 1 8 : 2 0 1 5

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

SHOWBITZ

COCO & JULIA ON A MAGICAL TREASURE HUNT SIMPLY RED ISAH V. RED

Kids and families will learn a lot of lessons in ‘Yamishita’s Treasures,’ especially about giving importance to the real treasures in our life such as family, friends, and love

Coco Martin and Julia Montes team up in ABS-CBN’s awardwinning fantasy-drama series Wansapanataym for the first time via its special summer series “Yamishita’s Treasures.”

It airs beginning March 22.

“TV audiience will see the lighter side of us here as we do comedy, romance, and action.

We’ll make you fall in love this summer,” said Coco, who plays the role of a treasure hunter named Yami in the story.

“Kids and families will learn a lot of lessons in ‘Yamishita’s Treasures,’ especially about giving importance to the real treasures in our life such as family, friends, and love,” said Julia, who play a fairy named Tanya.

Completing the powerhouse cast of Wansapanataym are Eddie Garcia, Bing Loyzaga, Angel Aquino, Noni Buencamino, Arron Villaflor, Ryan Bang, Marlan Flores, and Alonzo Muhlach.

“Wansapanataym Presents Yamishita’s Treasures” is part of

the magical summer campaign of Dreamscape Entertainment Television.

Don’t miss the beginning of Coco and Julia’s adventure on ABS-CBN. ★★★★★ GMA Artist Center’s Luis Alandy celebrated his birthday with the orphans of Manila Boystown on Feb. 28 at the Manila Boystown Complex in Marikina City.

Luis turned 34 and instead of a party he chose to spend the day in the company of at least 50 orphans. The kids, whose age ranged from seven to 15 years old, were treated to an afternoon of singing, dancing, and fun games as the birthday boy himself together with event host Tess Bomb facilitated the activity.

Also present were Luis’ family – his parents and siblings – who all went to the event in full force to show their support to his birthday charity.

Meanwhile, Luis Alandy will

in GMA’s upcoming primetime series The Rich Man’s Daughter with Marian Rivera. ★★★★★ Matthew Edwards and Phoebe Walker claimed two brand new KIA Sportage SUVs, part of the almost P10 million total worth of prizes they won in the second season of The Amazing Race Philippines.

Asked about their first destinations using their brand new vehicles, Phoebe said she would take her family and bring her shiny red SUV to Manaoag to be blessed; while Matthew hopes to take his classic white SUV to TV5 and use it for his tapings with the Network.

Apartfrom their brand new SUVs, they also took home a total of P2.8 million worth of cash prize from PLDT Home Telpad and two houses and lots from RCD Royale Homes.

Coco Martin and Julia Montes play treasure hunter and fairy in Wansapanatym, while C. Alonzo Muhlach is a loveable tyke

Matthew Edwards and Phoebe Walker win a KIA Sportage SUV each in the second season of The Amazing Race Philippines

Luis also helped out in serving the food to the kids.

Matthew Edwards and Phoebe Walker win a KIA Sportage SUV each in the second season of The Amazing Race Philippines

All of the kids went home with loot bags which were personally handed out by Luis.

Luis interacted with the kids and got to know them better during the fun games.

Luis Alandy turned 34 on Feb.28 and spent the day with the orphans at Boys Town Complex in Marikina

Continued on C7