The Standard - 2015 March 25 - Wednesday

VOL. XXIX  NO. 41  3 Sections 32 Pages P18  WEDNESDAY : MARCH 25, 2015  www.manilastandardtoday.com  editorial@thestandard.com.ph

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Plane crashes in France: 148 presumed dead

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SC stops Comelec deal on PCOs repair

AQUINO FLUNKS NEW POLL IN BIG WAY Next page

Investment forum. President Benigno Aquino III graces the 4th Euromoney Philippine Investment Forum at the Manila Peninsula hotel in Makati City on Tuesday. The forum is expected to be attended by more than 500 business leaders. MALACAÑANG PHOTO BUREAU

Is this the world’s most valuable time?

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Fight revenue: Over $400m

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Call to resign. Members of the transport group PISTON call for the resignation of President Benigno Aquino III at the Elliptical Road in Quezon City. Manny PalMero

Investors told: Better days ahead for economy “YOU ain’t seen nothing yet.”

With these words, President Benigno Aquino III told participants in the 4th Euromoney Philippines Investment Forum that better days are ahead for the Philippine economy.

“Every year, without fail, I receive an invitation to speak at this forum, and every year, without fail, I accept. The first Philippines Investment Forum took place about a year and a half into my presidency. Since then, this has become a valuable opportunity for me to share the progress our country has made. Here, we have been able to trace the success story that is the Philippine economy,” Aquino said.

He again complained that the good news about the economy was often “relegated to the back pages” of newspapers, and said the administration was still trying to change the mindset that “negativism sells.”

The President said 2014 was a banner year for net foreign direct investments, which reached a all-time high of $6.2 billion, 65.9 percent higher than 2013.

From 2010 to 2013, he said, the Philippines averaged a 6.3 percent growth in gross domestic product (GDP), compared to the previous three-year period under his predecessor, at 4.3 percent.

Despite the lingering effects of typhoon Yolanda and the uncertainty in the global economy the country still posted a 6.1 percent growth in GDP last year, Aquino added.

The Philippines was also upgraded to investment grade by all three major international credit ratings agencies in 2013, and has continued to receive upgrades since, Aquino said.

“We are indeed making history. All these, and many other factors, have led to even greater optimism for our country’s prospects. Just to give you one example: Bloomberg recently reported, I’m told, that the Philippines is forecasted to be the world’s second fastest growing economy in 2015,” the President said.

He said the tremendous amount of confidence the global community has developed for the Philippines was gratifying, considering that not too long ago, the country was regarded as the “Sick Man of Asia.”

Aquino said his administration continues to work hard to maximize every

opportunity available.

“I think many of you will agree with me when I say: You ain’t seen nothing yet,” the President said.

Infrastructure, he said, greatly benefited from the government drive to become more competitive.

Through the efforts of the Department of Public Works and Highways, corruption has been “vastly minimized, if not eradicated,” and projects are now regularly completed ahead of time and under budget, he said.

The department’s budget had tripled, from P165 billion in 2010 to almost P570 billion in 2015, the President said.

“We can expect this to grow even more, as our goal is to have infrastructure spending comprise 5 percent of GDP by 2016,” he said.

The President also highlighted the government’s efforts to spur infrastructure through its public-private partnership (PPP) program, with nine awarded projects, 16 in the process of being bid out, and 30 more in various stages of development.

In contrast, he said, the last three administrations had only completed six PPP projects.

The President also assured investors that his government was persuing ways to address a projected shortfall in power this summer.

He said the government was expediting the rehabilitation of the 300 MW Malaya Thermal Power Plant Unit 1 to help augment power supply in Luzon.

He also said partnerships with the private sector under the Interruptible Load Program would produce an extra 688.67 megawatts during times when power supply is tight.

Aquino said 48 committed power projects would produce 4,693.6 megawatts of power between now and 2018.

Out of these, 21 will be from renewable energy, in line with the goal of diversifying the country’s energy mix.

Aquino said these efforts were even more crucial with the expected ASEAN integration later this year. The ASEAN Economic Community, he added, would be a formidable economic force.

In closing, Aquino told potential investors: “I invite you: Bet on the Filipino people, and discover for yourself how it’s more fun and more profitable to do business in the Philippines.” – Sandy araneta

PNoy fails to curb poverty—survey

By Sandy araneta

THE administration failed to gain a majority approval rating on its performance in 12 key issues, and even posted negative ratings on efforts to reduce poverty and control inflation, the latest Pulse Asia survey shows.

The March Survey on Urgent National Concerns showed that the administration posted approval ratings of 40 percent for promoting peace in the country; 41 percent for enforcing the rule of law; 42 percent in fighting government corruption; 43 percent in defending national territorial integrity; 45 percent in fighting criminality; 48 percent in protecting the environment; and 49 percent in addressing the needs of calamity victims.

In contrast, the survey said, disapproval was the plurality sentiment toward the administration’s efforts to reduce poverty (40 percent) and control inflation (41 percent).

In a statement, Ana Maria Tabunda, Pulse Asia research director, noted a decline in the administration’s approval ratings on defending national territorial integrity against foreigners (-7 percentage points); and enforcing the law equally on all citizens (-8 per-

centage points); and an increase in the disapproval ratings on two issues, efforts to enforce the rule of law (+8 percentage points) and efforts to promote peace (+8 percentage points).

The administration scored approval ratings of 37 percent for creating more jobs; 37 percent for controlling fast population growth; and 33 percent in improving or increasing the pay of workers.

The survey was conducted from March 1 to 7, with face-to-face interviews with 1,200 respondents.

Reacting to the survey, the Palace said the administration will focus on pushing good governance, creating jobs and fighting poverty in the next 15 months.

“The government continues to implement measures to stabilize prices of commodities. Various programs have been put in place to bring about poverty reduction. This includes breaking ntergenerational poverty through the

conditional cash transfer program, skills development for enhanced employability, and improving the business climate in the country through good governance,” said Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma.

According to the Pulse Asia survey, Filipinos continue to be most concerned about economic issues.

In March 2015, the leading urgent national concerns among Filipinos are controlling inflation (46 percent), increasing the pay of workers (44 percent), and fighting corruption in government (40 percent).

Other urgent concerns were poverty reduction (37 percent), job creation (34 percent), criminality (22 percent), peace (22 percent) and the rule of law (19 percent).

Filipinos were least concerned about environmental degradation (13 percent), population control (9 percent), national territorial integrity (5 percent), terrorism (5 percent), and charter change (4 percent).

Public opinion was split three-ways with respect to the administration’s performance in the area of increasing the pay of workers, with 33 percent approving, 33 percent disapproving and 35 percent undecided.

The survey has a ± 3% margine of error at the 95 percent confidence level, Pulse Asia said, adding that no party commissioned the research effort.

148 presumed dead in plane crash PARIS—An Airbus A320 plane crashed on Tuesday in the southern French Alps, police and aviation officials said.

Sources said the plane belonged to Germanwings, an affiliate of German airline Lufthansa, traveling between Barcelona and Dusseldorf and had 142 passengers and 6 crew members were on board the flight.

No survivors are expected in the plane crash, French President Hollande said.

The French interior ministry said some debris has been found, AFP reported.

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said he understood between 142 and 150 people were on board and feared dead.

“The cause is at present unknown,”

he told reporters.

A spokesman for the DGAC aviation authority said the airplane crashed near the town of Barcelonnette about 100 km (65 miles) north of the French Riviera city of Nice.

Lufthansa’s Germanwings unit said it was as yet unable to verify reports of the crash.

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MILF insists killing of SAF 44 justified

By Macon R. Araneta

Condolences. Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima signs a book expressing his condolences to the family of the late Singapore leader Lee Kuan Yew at the Singaporean Embassy in Manila. AFP

Comelec-Smartmatic P268-m deal stopped

By Rey E. Requejo

THE Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order Tuesday to stop the P268.8 million contract between the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and its technology provider Smartmatic-Total Information Management (TIM) for the repair and refurbishing of 82,000 precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines ahead of the 2016 elections.

Voting 12-2, the justices granted the plea of petitioners Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) and poll watchdog Automated Elections System (AES) Watch led by Auxiliary Bishop of Manila Broderick Pabillo and former Comelec commissioner Augusto Lagman for a TRO to stop the government from carrying out the contract signed on Jan. 30.

Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno and Associate Justice Presbitero Velasco dissented from the majority, taking a position that the issues raised in the consolidated petitions should be heard first on oral argument before issuing a TRO. The Comelec said the TRO could set back its preparations for the national and local elections next year.

In a separate statements, Comelec spokesman James Jimenez and Smartmatic representative Cesar Flores called on the Supreme Court to quickly resolve the case to avoid any delays on the preparations for 2016.

In their separate petitions, The IBP and AES Watch said Comelec Resolution No. 9922 awarding the contract to Smartmatic should be declared null and void for violating the Government Procurement Reform Act. Because refurbishing and repair fall under the definition of the term “procurement” under the law, it was illegal for the Comelec to resort to direct contracting, the IBP said.

AES Watch, on the other hand, said the Comelec resolution was tailor-fit to suit Smartmatic, which it said enjoyed “undue accommodation” from the poll body.

If the contract pushes through,

AES Watch said, this would wreak havoc on the government’s policy of public and competitive bidding and result in a waste of public funds.

In approving the Smartmatic contract, the Comelec argued that there was little time left between now and the 2016 elections.

It also said it was “too great a risk” to entrust the repair and refurbishing of the PCOS mahines to a third party other than Smartmatic, given the highly technical nature of the job.

But the IBP said the lack of time was not grounds for dispensing with the conduct of public bidding under the law.

The election watchdog Citizens for Clean and Credible Elections (C3E) wants Smartmatic to be blacklisted for violations of the country’s election laws, including misrepresenting itself as the maker of the PCOS machines. – With Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

ThE killing of 44 Special Action Force (SAF) commandos in Mamasapano was justified after Muslim fighters were riddled with bullets during a police operation in violation of the ceasefire agreement, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) said in its incident report.

The 29-page report by the MILF-Special Investigative Commission said that without prior coordination, the MILF fighters did not know that the police commandos in Sitio Mailil were government troops, and the operation caught them by surprise.

The MILF said it was their practice to go into areas where clashes were ongoing to protect residents in populated areas.

“When they were fired upon in the wooden bridge of Tukanalipao, the BIAF [Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces] could not have done anything else but to fire back, as two of their men were instantly killed in the assault of the PNPSAF men,” the report said.

It added that the BIAF cannot be faulted for concluding that the PNP forces they chanced upon in Sitio Amilil were enemies.

After the ferocious firefight, 17 of their combatants and three civilians were killed aside from the 44 SAF troopers for a total of 64. The PNP report put the casualty rate at 67.

MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal submitted a copy of the report Tuesday to Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who made it a condition for resuming hearings on the Bangsamoro Basic Law. The report said the clash in Mamasapano was no ordinary crime, but a direct armed confrontation between the parties that signed the ceasefire agreement.

If ceasefire mechanisms were followed, the tragic encounter could have been avoided, the MILF report added.

The report also said the MILF should file a protest regarding the ceasefire violation by the SAF troopers.

The report also recommended further investigation to determine the liability of PO2 Christopher Lalan of the SAF, who it accused of killing four MILF combatants sleeping inside a makeshift mosque in Tukanalipao.

Upon learning of the clash, the MILFCoordinating Committee on the Cessation of hostilities (MILF-CCCh), undertook steps to effect a ceasefire and prevent further bloodshed, the report said.

“But there were so many circumstances obtaining in the encounter site that hampered its efforts. These circumstances included the difficulty in communications as cellular phones of the BIAF members were rendered inutile because of the intermittent and weak signal in the encounter site, or were drained of power due to the power outage the night before.” – With Maricel

V. Cruz and Francisco Tuyay

Cop who duped soldiers into ‘drinking spree’ named

By Florante Solmerin ThE controversial police officer who allegedly duped military commanders into joining a “drinking spree” to divert their attention from Oplan Exodus has been identified by sources in the intelligence community.

“It was Senior Superintendent Noli Ozaeta,” said an intelligence officer in an interview with The Standard.

Ozaeta, current head of the PNP-Mindanao Intelligence Group and of the Special Project Mindanao Khilafa Islamiya, reportedly ensured that the military officials would not get wind of the botched mission in Mamasapano that left 44 commandos of the Special Action Force dead.

Ozaeta, a member of the Philippine National Police Academy Tagapagtanggol Class 1986, could not be reached for comment.

But PNP spokesman Chief Supt. Generoso Cerbo Jr. said they are still investigating the reported drinking spree on the eve of the Mamasapano mission.

The issue was earlier disclosed to the me-

dia by Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, who cited parts of the executive sessions held in the Senate during the Mamasapano probe.

SAF head Director Moro Lazo, for his part, said whoever was responsible for the drinking spree is not a member of his elite unit.

“That insinuation – that the SAF got the Army officers drunk so we can have a solo hand on the operations – is not true. We will not do that to our brothers in the Armed Forces,” Lazo said in a radio interview.

“If there are other PNP officiers who did so, we are not aware of that. We hope that people be more responsible in announcing things, especially Senator Trillanes as he was a former soldier. I am appealing to Senator Trillanes to initiate a probe so he can unearth what really happened and he can rectify his insinuations,” Lazo added.

On Monday, Armed Forces chief of staff Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. said he would have the issue investigated.

“I cannot discuss the details because that is part of the executive session. We will find out if this is true. I will have this investigated,” Catapang said.

Remembering Laude. Protesters rally near a court in Olongapo City to call for justice for transgender Jennifer Laude who was killed on Oct. 12, 2014. AFP

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Payroll key issue in Makati dispute

By Joel E. Zurbano

MAKATI Mayor Junjun Binay said Tuesday he was confident the Land Bank of the Philippines would continue to recognize him as the signatory to all the city government’s transactions amid reports that the salaries of Makati employees will be affected by the leadership dispute between him and Vice Mayor Romulo Peña Jr. Binay, who received an order from the Court of Appeals stopping the Ombudsman from enforcing its six-month suspension against him, disputed the claim of Peña’s camp that Land Bank had recognized the vice mayor as the signatory taking his place.

The Ombudsman had suspended Binay for the allegedly overpriced Makati City Hall Building II. “We are confident that the bank’s officials will continue to recognize the status quo,” Binay said.

“Otherwise it would be another questionable action. Let us wait for the ruling of the Court of Appeals on the petition for contempt we filed against these people who until now persist in def ying the court order.”

Binay on Monday signed an agreement with Trade Department officials who, he said, still recognized him as the mayor of Makati.

“We stand firm in the validity of the Temporary Restraining Order issued by the Court of Appeals.

There should be no doubt that I am the mayor of Makati, which includes the Central Business District,” he said.

About 8,000 city hall employees earlier expressed fears that their salaries would be delayed because of the continuing standoff between Binay and Peña, saying most of them were ordinary employees who depended on their pay for their family’s daily sustenance.

Most of the city’s workforce are also Makati residents.

Peña said the payroll slips of city hall employees were on standstill with the absence of the city treasurer, who was also the subject of a suspension order from the Ombudsman.

“They already got the first halfmonth of their salaries but we will be having a problem at the end of the month,” he said in an interview with ANC Headstart.

Peña, who took his oath as acting mayor after the Interior Department served the suspension order against Binay, said he had already asked the Department of Finance to help them solve the issue.

“They will be the one who will designate a city treasurer and definitely I am assuring everyone that the city treasurer will be under me,” Peña said.

Bureau of Fire Department demonstrates the proper use of a fire extinguisher to doctors, nurses and staff of the Manila Doctors Hospital during a fire evacuation drill on Tuesday.

DANNY PATA

Jeane Napoles posts bail on tax raps JEANE Catherine Napoles, daughter of businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles, has posted a P50,000 bail for her provisional liberty in connection with two tax-evasion cases that have been filed against her before the Court of Tax Appeals.

She is the daughter of businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles, the alleged mastermind of the P10-billion pork-barrel scam in which legislators’ pork barrel funds were said to have been funneled into her fictitious non-government organizations.

Jeane Catherine is facing two counts of violating the National Internal Revenue Code.

The Department of Justice has also filed suits against her, saying she had a tax deficiency of P17.88 million for owning a residential condominium in California and two farm lands in Pangasinan.

Her arraignment has been set on April 22.

Stephen David, Jeane Christine’s lawyer, said she was facing another tax-evasion case before the Third Division, and that she had not yet posted a bail due to a pending motion for judicial determination of probable cause.

On Tuesday, the Court of Tax Appeals ordered government

prosecutors to clarify Jeane Christine’s specific tax liability in 10 days, saying the information or charge sheet against her was deficient since the exact amount of her liability had not been established.

“The phrase ‘more or less’ is an unacceptable qualification of the principal amount of tax involved as it fails to accurately state the amount claimed as basic tax deficiency,” the tax court said.

The court suspended the issuance of an arrest warrant on Jeane Christine in connection with her third case due to her pending motion. Rio N. Araja

Salutatorian’s YouTube video goes viral

By Rio B. Araja

Japan aid. Japanese Ambassador Kazuhide Ishikawa (left) and South Cotabato Governor Daisy Avance-Fuentes shows the agreement they signed at the Astorias Plaza in Pasig City on several projects funded

by Japan’s Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects.

MANNY PALMERO

A VIDEO of a high school salutatorian who delivered a graduation speech criticizing her school and its grading system went viral on the internet on Monday reaping a wave of support and praise for her courage in standing for her beliefs.

The salutary speech of Krisel Mallari last March 21 went viral after school officials stopped her from delivering her speech when she started criticizing school grading policies that supposedly prevented her from becoming class valedictorian.

“With each year that passed by, I studied so hard in school,

I believed in fair competition.

Towards the end of this school year, I was just a step away from the finish line, but the red lace that will symbolize my success was gone -- or was it intentionally taken?” Mallari said.

According to Mallari, she would have ended her speech with this statement of “I am Krisel Mallari, a Filipino citizen who would rather choose to fail with honor, than win by cheating.”

The video, which was posted on YouTube, has been viewed more than 1.5 million times with comments both for and against what Mallari did.

But her school, the Sto. Niño Parochial School, and

the Department of Education in Quezon City defended the school officials’ actions and said Mallari delivered a speech that was not appropriate for a welcome speech and was not the same that she submitted for approval.

The school said officials stopped Mallari from continuing with her speech to protect the class valedictorian who was being accused of cheating and insisted that their grading system was computerized and could not be altered.

The school also accused Mallari’s father, Ernesto, of harassing school officials about his daughter graduating as class valedictorian.

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K-12 illegal? SC tells DepEd to comment

By Rey E. Requejo

The Department of education has been ordered to answer a petition filed with the Supreme Court by various groups seeking to stop the K-12 program, which added two years to the country’s secondary education.

In a en banc resolution, the high court directed the DepEd and other concerned agencies to file their comments to the petition of the Council of Teachers and Staff of Colleges and Universities of the Philippines assailing the legality of Republic Act 10533 and its implementing rules and regulations.

The high court gave the respondents 10 days from receipt of notice to comply with the order

and justify the program that will reportedly lead to hiatus in entry of students in colleges and universities.

Apart from the DepEd, the high court also required the Commission on Higher Education and Department of Labor and Employment to file their respective comments.

Petitioners alleged that R.A. 10533 violates the rights of education workers to full protection of labor,

promotion of full employment and equality of employment opportunities, which are all mandated under Article XIII, Section 3 of the Constitution.

The groups told the high tribunal that more than 70,000 college teachers and non-teaching personnel stand to lose their jobs as a result of the full implementation of the program in 2016.

Because of this, the petitioners noted that there would be a lag of two years in enrolment at the tertiary level by 2016 as additional two years of senior high school.

Apart from the law and its IRR, they also questioned before the SC the joint guidelines dated May 30, 2014, Department of Education Memo No. 2 Series of 2015 dated January 2015 and House Bill No.

5493 filed on February 23, 2015.

Petitioners alleged that the orders had no basis under the K-12 Law when they provided for compensation (upon transfer to senior high school) and retrenchment of workers.

According to them, the issuances are contrary to law and jurisprudence as education workers are forced to suffer such forms of unjust labor practices.

They added that HB 5493 is also inadequate as it fails to include the fundamental labor rights of affected workers mentioned in Article XIII, Section 3 of the Constitution, which states that “the State shall afford full protection to labor, local and overseas, organized and unorganized, and promote full employment and equality of employment opportunities for all.”

Pinoy and the volley-belles. President Benigno S. Aquino III, Education Secretary Armin Luistro, and BIR Commissioner Kim Jacinto-Henares pose with the spikers of the De la Salle University, first runner-up in in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 77 at the Heroes Hall of the Malacañan Palace on Tuesday March 24, 2015. MAlACAñAng PhOtO BuREAu

Bar-exam results released Thursday

By Rey E. Requejo THE results of the 2014 Bar examinations will be released on Thursday, March 26, the Supreme Court said on Tuesday.

The Supreme Court will hold its special en banc session on Thursday to deliberate and approve on the passing rate.

“As soon as the en banc gives its approval, the grades will be decoded and the names of the successful Bar passers will be released,” SC spokesperson Theodore Te told reporters.

Te disclosed that the list of the Bar passers will be posted outside the gates of the SC compound in Padre Faura, Manila as well as on two large screens within the SC’s quadrangle.

He added that the results will also be uploaded on the SC’s website at sc.judiciary. gov.ph.

A total of 6, 344 law graduates from all over the country were allowed to take the grueling test last October but only 5, 987 were left to endure the last day of the exam.

One of the graduates who completed the exam is 88year old Bienvenido Hilario from Bulacan who is trying his luck for the third time after failing in the 2008 and 2012 Bar examinations.

Hilario graduated from the Philippine Law School.

The 2014 Bar examinations also featured the use of bar codes on the booklets of examinees with corresponding stickers bearing their names placed on their assigned seats, thereby, replacing the use of name cards for examinees in all previous Bar exams.

The 2014 SC Bar Exams Committee headed by Associate Justice Diosdado Peralta said this was to modernize the conduct of the annual exam, dubbed as the most difficult of all licensure exams in the country.

Romualdez bloc rejects divorce

By Maricel V. Cruz THE leadership of the House of Representatives on Tuesday expressed a dim chance for the proposal to legalize divorce in the country, stressing that marriage is a sacred vow that should be respected and protected.

Even House Independent Bloc leader and Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said that the proposal filed in Congress will not fly considering the fact that the Philippines is a predominantly Catholic nation.

“Marriage is a contract. So any contract should be respected and there are conditions for which each party has to abide and in layman’s term, it’s better to keep, and care it and not allow an easy way out on this obligation,” Romualdez said.

Romualdez said that the sanctity of marriage must be preserved instead of finding ways to wreck it.

“We have to look at our existing laws and culture, and we should be very deliberate about it,” the Leyte

lawmaker said. “We have to preserve the sanctity of marriage and family,” Romualdez, a lawyer, said Belmonte, also a lawyer, also scoffed at the legalization of divorce in the country.

“The proposal to legalize divorce will not pass under my watch,” Speaker Belmonte’s categorical answer in the wake of the recent Social Weather Stations survey results showing majority support for such.

Belmonte expressed belief that a marriage should be worked out; and that for whatever reasons and differences a couple might have, “it should be saved.”

Nevertheless, Belmonte said the House leadership is open to have the measure discussed in the Lower House.

“Yes, [we will open the debate on the matter]. But personally, I do not see it advancing very much,” Belmonte said, noting that the reason being: not only because the measure was unpopular but also due to ‘lack of time.’

Art and life. A man peddles several pieces of artwork for P 1,500 around the streets of Manila’s Ermita district. EY ACASIO

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Ex-envoy gets prison term

By Rio N. Araja

THE Sandiganbayan has convicted a former ambassador for misusing P3,749,948.98 in public funds eight years ago.

Ex-ambassador to Nigeria Masaranga Umpa was sentenced to a prison term of 10 years and one day to 17 years, four months and one day for three counts of malversation of public funds intended for assistance-tonationals (ATN).

The anti-graft court also meted out a penalty of perpetual special disqualifica-

tion to hold public office on Umpa, and directed him to indemnify the Department of Foreign Affairs $80,478.80.

According to the Office of the Ombudsman, prosecutors were able to prove that in February 2007, the Philippine Embassy to Nigeria received $95,856.08 to cover expenses needed

for the repatriation of 25 Filipino seafarers who were abducted in Port harcourt and Warri Delta State, Nigeria.

In 2008, the DFA created an internal audit service team to conduct special audit on certain transactions, including the ATN standby funds.

The liquidation documents were fabricated and that several transactions or expenses as reported by Umpa were never availed of, the anti-graft court said.

The anti-graft court said as envoy and head of the

head of a post and head of the negotiating team, “when accused received and had in his possession and custody the said ATN Funds in both capacities,he was not only accountable for said fund but was also immediately and primarily responsible” and that “he cannot legally pass on or transfer his accountability and primary responsibility for said ATN Funds to his administrative officer and finance officer because as head of government agency who received and entrusted with government fund, he

was still accountable.”

The Sandiganbayan took cognizance of the accused’s “extensive background in accounting and auditing, having been an auditor in the Commission on Audit for 12 years, saying such these irregularities in the disbursement of the ATN funds would not have missed his attention, and he could have easily detected them.

Umpa served as ambassador to Nigeria from 1996 to 2008 and was a former assemblyman of Lanao del Norte.

Dynamic cities in PH: Caloocan 8th CALOOCAN City garnered 8th place of 136 cities in the National Competitiveness Council of the Philippines’ Economic Dynamism assessment of 2014, overtaking economic giants such as Cebu, Davao and Pasay cities.

Caloocan City Mayor Oscar Malapitan stressed that all economic data in previous years up to 2012 were in the negative, but ever since his new administration took over the local governance, almost all indicators soared.

“This proves that we are doing the right initiatives in institutionalizing businessfriendly policies, eliminating graft and corruption, and generating job opportunities and basic services to the people,” Malapitan said.

The Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index is an annual ranking of Philippine cities and municipalities developed by the National Competitiveness Council through the Regional Competitiveness Committees with the assistance of the United States Agency for International Development. The rankings were based on data collected and submitted by the RCCs. The highlights that pulled up Caloocan’s economic ranking are: Inflation Rate (7th), Business Growth (8th), Jobs Generation (14th), Financial Institutions (10th).

“Although Caloocan is 32nd in local economy size, it has over-shadowed the regional center cities such as Cebu, Davao, Cagayan de Oro, and has overtaken the new business districts such as Pasig City’s Ortigas Center, Taguig City’s Bonifacio Global City and Pasay City’s Entertainment City,” Malapitan explained.

SC: Enrile plea moot Race for peace. Despite escalating security concerns, children in an evacuation center in Datu Anggal, Maguindanao still manage to enjoy their day by playing games such as sack race. As of 18 March, a total of 25, 067 families or 125, 302 individuals from 15 municipalities were displaced by the intensified campaign launched by the Philippine National Police and Armed Forces against the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters. OmAR mANGORsi

New transport policy carries stiffer fines ThE Land Transportation Office on Tuesday said it would strictly implement a “no registration, no travel” policy starting April 1.

“Starting April 1, 2015, no four-wheeled motor vehicle can be used, driven or operated on the roads without being duly registered with the LTO pursuant to R.A. 4136, Joint Administrative Order No. 2014-01 and other applicable rules and regulations” according to a Memorandum Circular No. AVT-2015-1927 signed

by LTO chief and DOTC Assistant Secretary Alfonso Tan Jr. Tan said any vehicle without license plates shall be stopped and the driver must present the Certificate of Registration (CR) and Official Receipt (OR) of the vehicle.

“If only CR/OR are presented, a fine of P5,000.00 shall be

imposed for failure to attach the plates,” he said.

If without CR/OR, the driver must present the following:Certificate of Stock Reported;sales invoice, which must be dated within seven days prior to the apprehension; and certificate of Insurance Cover, which must be dated on or after the date of the sales invoice.

“In the absence of any of the above, the vehicle owner shall be fined the amount of P10,000 for using an unregistered vehicle and the driver shall be fined the amount of P1,000 and cited for reckless driving,” Tan said. If at the time of apprehension the date of the Sales Invoice exceeds 37 days from the date of purchase, the vehicle shall be impounded.

Darwin G. Amojelar

Year of the heirloom rice. An elderly woman of the Tuwali tribe of Banaue in Ifugao goes about her daily chores of tending to her “Tinawon” a variety of heirloom rice grown only in the province of Ifugao. DAViD CHAN

ThE Supreme Court has dismissed a petition by detained Senator Juan Ponce Enrile assailing the suspension order issued against him by the Sandiganbayan following his indictment for plunder and graft charges in connection with the alleged anomalies involving his pork barrel funds.

During its en banc session, the SC resolved to dismiss the petition of Enrile for being “moot and academic due to supervening events.” SC spokesperson Theodore Te explained that Enrile’s preventive suspension issued by the Sandiganbayan’s Third Division in July 2014 had already been served and lifted.

Meanwhile, Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla on Tuesday asked the Sandiganbayan’s First Division to allow him to attend the high school graduation of his daughter in Muntinlupa City on March 28.

Revilla told the justices that his daughter will be receiving three awards, and that he wanted to be at the special occasion as a father.

Rey Requejo and Rio Araja

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A7

news

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

American veterans relive World War II while touring the Buhisan cave in Cebu City. Japanese soldiers hid here. RALPH PIEZAS

Butuan hospital remains open as suspension hangs

SC: Stop cutting trees for SM Baguio

By Alvin Guanzon

By Rey Requejo

The management of Butuan Doctors hospital on Tuesday said it would remain open to serve city residents while waiting for the decision of the health Department on its appeal of its one-month suspension.

THE Supreme Court has issued a temporary restraining order on the cutting of trees on Luneta Hill in Baguio City for the expansion of a mall there.

In an en banc resolution, the High Court stopped the cutting of 182 pine and alnus trees around SM City Baguio. The cutting had been earlier allowed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

SC spokesman Theodore Te said the TRO is effective immediately and until further orders from the Court.

Asked to comment on the resolution, SM Prime Holdings Inc. said that it “has yet to receive a copy of the order from the Supreme Court as reported in the news.”

The SMPH statement added: “Rest assured that SM will comply with the directive of the Court.”

In its resolution, the SC also required the DENR to explain its order allowing the tree cutting.

The SC granted petition filed

by Cordillera Global Network (CGN) and residents questioning the DENR’s approval of the cutting of tree.

Last January, the mall reportedly decided to cut 60 of the 182 trees after obtaining a favorable ruling from the Court of Appeals Special Ninth Division the previous month.

In its ruling, the CA dismissed the petition of CGN questioning the Dec. 3, 2012 decision of the late Baguio Regional Trial Court Judge that allowed the mall to proceed with the tree cutting.

The hospital filed a Motion for Reconsideration Friday after the DOH Bureau of Health Facilities and Services said Wednesday it violated Republic Act 8344. On July 15 last year, BDH allegedly refused to admit a 10-year-old child to the pediatric intensive care unit because the child’s parents could not make a cash deposit of P30,000.

The child, Jannary Chan, later died of congestive heart failure.

The bureau found that conversations between hospital staff revolved around cash deposits.

Nurses’ affidavits narrated that the Chans negotiated for a long time with the admitting per-

sonnel because they only had P8,000 to P10,000 with them at that time.

According to BDH spokesperson and chief of clinics Dr. Juan Delfin Garcia, the child’s parents voluntary decided not to confine their daughter to the hospital after being apprised of the expenses they would incur.

Garcia added that the hospital management had also infomed Butuan City Mayor Ferdinand Amante, Jr. and that the latter had expressed concern because BDH is one of only two tertiary hospitals in the CARAGA region.

Garcia said the mayor told them in a letter: “The implementation

Open for business. Butuan Doctors Hospital remains open while it awaits the DOH’s decision on its suspension. ALVIN T. GUANZON

of this order will have grave consequences on the city’s and the region’s medical care system.”

BDH has a 100-bed capacity.

It has five emergency room beds,

six intensive care unit beds, 12 neo-natal ICU beds, three pediatric ICU beds, two acute stroke unit facilities, and five operating rooms.

Cordillera featured in German travel-trade show

By Dexter A. See BAGUIO CITY—The Cordillera Region was among the sites featured in the Philippine Tourism Pavilion during the recent five-day Internationales Tourismos Borse (ITB) in Berlin, Germany.

Department of Tourism - Cordillera regional director, Marie Venus Q. Tan, concurrently the OIC of International Promotions, said “participation in the ITB will help boost

tourism international arrivals to the Philippines.” Tan said.

ITB Berlin is the leading Businessto-Business (B2B) platform in the tourism industry. According to the Department of Tourism-Cordillera, Hungduan, Ifugao native Jayson Taguyungon conducted daily wood carving demonstrations in the booth of the Banaue Rice Terraces. This attracted international media groups and consumers at said fair.

Free-flowing Cordillera coffee

was also served to guests who visited the Philippine pavilion.

The Philippine pavilion was among the Top Ten Best Exhibitors in the Asia/Australia/Oceania regions.

The Philippine delegation was led by the Tourism Department and the Tourism Promotion Board, and included DOT-accredited tour operators, organizations, hotels and resorts including Philippine Airlines.

The ITB is the world’s leading travel trade show, with tour op-

erators, online booking portals and hotels, travel agents, airlines and many other service providers from over 180 countries presenting their products and services.

The fair attracts more than 170,000 visitors, among them 113,000 trade visitors and 11,000 represented companies.

DOT data show that about 30 percent of international arrivals in the CAR come from Europe, specifically France and Germany.

A8

opinion [ EDI TORI A L ]

Despicable FROM under which rock did Human Rights Commissioner Loretta Rosales crawl?

Outside the bounds of ordinary decency, this supposed guardian of human rights in the Philippines this week questioned the results of the Senate investigation into the Mamasapano massacre in which 44 police commandos were killed by Muslim rebels.

The commissioner alleged that in articulating its findings, the Senate panel allowed “emotion rather than objectivity” to prevail.

She also said the Senate’s use of the word “massacre” to describe what happened was “excessive” because the Special Action Force (SAF) commandos were armed and not helpless.

Rosales also said the Senate trivialized the “maturity” of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which pushed ahead with the signing of a disarmament agreement despite what happened in Mamasapano.

Finally, she said the Senate was unfair in describing the government peace negotiators as “suffering from an excess of optimism” in negotiating the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) with the MILF, because no court has ruled on it, and that it was before Congress so lawmakers could review its provisions.

Let us take these arguments one at a time.

Did emotion rather than objectivity prevail in the writing of the Senate report?

Senator Grace Poe, who prepared the report, states simply—and convincingly--that the committee report was based primarily on the testimony of 37 resource persons given under oath, and more than 4,300 documents presented to her panel.

Was what happened in Mamasapano a “mis-encounter” as some government apologists insist, or was it a massacre?

The Random House Dictionary defines a massacre as the wanton killing of a large number of especially unresisting human beings. In voicing her objection to the use of the term, Rosales clearly glossed over the fact that 27 of the police commandos were shot in the head at close range, indicating that they were already gravely injured and defenseless when they were finished off by the Muslim rebels.

By this definition, there can be no doubt that what happened in Mamasapano was not a “mis-encounter” as government apologists first insisted, but a massacre. Given the grief suffered by the families of the SAF 44, the commissioner’s parsing on this point is nothing short of despicable.

The allegation that the Senate report trivialized the “maturity” of the MILF is just as ridiculous, given that its fighters joined in the massacre despite the ongoing peace process with the government. Just as telling are the MILF’s actions after the massacre. Was the MILF’s refusal to turn over to the government a copy of its own report on the Mamasapano incident a sign of its “maturity”? Rosales is silent, too, on this point.

Finally, it is no surprise that this rights commissioner would come to the defense of the government peace negotiators, regardless of the many defects that are now apparent in the BBL. The Akbayan party-list to which she belongs has consistently defended the President and his administration, where a number of its members hold key positions.

Perhaps Rosales’ real but unstated objection to the Senate report was its conclusion that her boss, President Benigno Aquino III, was ultimately responsible for the Mamasapano debacle. Perhaps the rights commissioner was merely doing her job and defending her master. That is, after all, what a good attack dog does.

The SIC reporT lowDown jojo a. robles The 35-page investigation report prepared by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front has finally arrived, by way of Kuala Lumpur, into the hands of the Senate committee on local government headed by Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. The same report on the Mamasapano “incident,” as it has been carefully

described by the rebel group, was submitted to the head of the International Monitoring Team in Cotabato City two days earlier, on March 22 – meaning the Marcos committee is actually third in line to receive the MILF’s much-awaited version of the events of Jan. 25.

As many expected, the MILF report is actually an exercise in propaganda, intended to absolve the rebel group of any liability for the death of the 44 commandos belonging to the Special Action Force. If Malacanang described the

Board of Inquiry report on the massacre as full of innuendos and conclusions hastily made, I wonder what the palace would say about the document presented by the MILF’s Special Investigative Committee, aptly shortened SIC. Of course, I really don’t expect President Noynoy Aquino to rip into the MILF report like it did the earlier BOI and Senate documents, given how biased his administration and its peace negotiators have been in favor of the rebel group that it is desperately seeking to make

The MilF could have saved us all a lot of time and effort by just issuing a press release.

peace with. As this is being written, Malacanang has not reacted to the SIC report’s release, probably because it wants to keep up the pretense that it is not that much

invested in the rebel side.

The details of the MILF’s investigation can be found in the news pages. My own reading of the rebel document has me scratching my head about how dramatically different the Moro rebel organization viewed the encounter, from the supposed use of the SAF members as human shields to explain away the number wounds the commandos sustained to the lack of knowledge of the MILF that the terrorist Marwan had long been living in an area under rebel control.

The rest of the report hewed to the MILF’s earlier line that it was not informed about the operation to get

W e d n e s d ay: M a R c h 2 5 , 2 0 1 5

OPINION

adelle chua EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

A9

BACK CHANNEL ALEJANDRO DEL ROSARIO

On AquinO finishing his term

Marwan and that the SAF commandos were the ones who fired first, precipitating the bloody encounter. The rebels even denied that the wounded SAF member executed by a camera-toting gunman was killed by one of their fighters.

Of course, the true test of the ultimate value of the MILF’s version of what happened in Mamasapano will be how it stacks up against the other investigations that have been completed or are still in the process of being completed, like those of

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the Department of Justice and the house of Representatives. And yes, I’m also waiting for the report of the Commission on human Rights, whose chairman has already apparently prejudged the incident ahead of the submission of her agency’s own official findings, to see how it compares to the other probes.

But for the moment, I am forced to conclude that the MILF report does not really add anything new to the various investigations on the incident. The MILF could have

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saved us all a lot of time and effort by just issuing a press release. *** Over at Malacanang, President Aquino once again found an opportunity to rail against his critics, this time after playing host to the popular women’s volleyball players of Ateneo de Manila and De La Salle universities. But to me, the President’s use of the visiting athletes to once again do some venting about the people who are Continued on A11

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Chairman President & Chief Executive Officer Board Member & Chief Legal Adviser Director of Operations Finance Officer

Philippine Press Institute

Philippine Press Institute The National Association The National Association of Philippine Newspapers of Philippine Newspapers

Ma. Editha D. Angeles Advertising Manager Anita F. Grefal Treasury Manager Edgar M. Valmorida Circulation Manager

The usual noisy protesters are calling for President Benigno S. Aquino III to resign in the wake of the illfated Mamasapano mission. While the President committed a lapse in judgment and is ultimately responsible in the bungled PNP-SAF operation that cost the lives off 44 police commandos, there are still many Filipinos, including myself, who would rather see Aquino finish his six-year term. Don’t get us wrong. We are for Aquino finishing his term since we only have to suffer him for just another year and two months.

Patience is a virtue and good things come to those who wait. There’s also the old saw about being careful in what you wish for. The alternative to Aquino is too frightening to contemplate. Ousting PNoy and handing over the Presidency to Vice President Jejomar Binay would place all other presidential aspirants in 2016 at a great disadvantage. Most voters would prefer to see a wide open field in the next presidential race with possibly three or four candidates.

Once Binay occupies Malacanang, there’s no telling whether he would ever give it up. With all the advantages of the incumbent, Binay will surely do everything to keep his grip on power. he has shown this in Makati where his family has ruled for three decades. even Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte said he would rather have Aquino complete his term instead of being dislodged by either a military coup or people power.

But then, Rudy D has reasons of his own in keeping PNoy until 2016. he is seeking the presidency and his chances are better without Binay already having a toehold on Malacanang. Duterte’s listening tour is actually a campaign in full swing which saw the brash-talking Davao mayor bolt from nowhere to third place in a recent Pulse Asia survey. he’s now tied with former President Joseph estrada at 12 percent behind the still-undeclared Senator Grace Poe who’s at second with 14 percent.

Binay, despite all the allegations of graft surrounding his family, remains the frontrunner with 29 percent.

Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago who’s battling cancer is at fourth place with 9 percent followed by Senator Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. with 6 percent.

Bongbong cannot be ruled out as the Marcos name is still much revered in the Solid North. If he teams up with Senator Francis escudero from voterich Bicol, their tandem would be a force to reckon with. Chiz’s father was the late Salvador escudero who was the agriculture secretary of the late President Marcos.

Continued on A11 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 When I met Lee Kuan YeW US President Barack to the Obama called the point late Lee Kuan Yew a “giant in history”. emil p.

Others agreed he jurado was a visionary for transforming a backwater city that was formerly under British colonial rule.

Singapore is now a first world city-state of 5.47 million, and of mixed races—predominantly Chinese, Malays and Indians (Tamils). It has a land area of 718 square kilometers, approaching that of Quezon City, but with a $71,310 GDP per capita and with a crime rate of 589 per 100,000 population. Singapore is corruption-free because government people are compensated well.

Lee Kuan Yew did it all -- despite being called names, at times, by the foreign press.

At times he was called a “benevolent dictator” who stifled freedom, particularly a free press, and at times jailed political dissenters. In fact, Singapore’s Internal Security Act prevents the gathering of more than five people -- something that has lasted until now. We can only recall the banning of the OFWs gathering at Lucky Plaza along Orchard Road, the city’s main commercial area.

Lee enforced ethnic integration after the city-state was rocked with protests from the minority Malays and Tamils, and cracked down on crime and imposed harsh penalties for minor infractions. Drug offenses are dealt with particularly harshly—with hanging.

And would you believe that long hair for men was outlawed in the 1970s when that was the fashion then? Santa Banana, chewing gum remains in the forbidden list!

I have been to Singapore many times and I call it “the finest city in the world.” One can get fined for almost anything -- jaywalking, failure to flush public toilets, overspeeding. Singaporeans themselves are prone to inform the police about these violations.

But while almost anything in the city-state of Singapore is sanitized, I would not like to live there.

There’s nothing like living in my homeland, the Philippines. Here, every day is a challenge – the traffic, the state of public transportation, among others.

I consider myself fortunate to have seen Singapore after it separated from the Federation of Malaysia in 1965 and Lee became its prime minister. I got invited by both Singapore and Malaysia at that time.

I was billeted at Singapura along Orchard Road.

There were only two known hotels worth staying in then -- Singapura and the old Goodwood Hotel on top of a hill, which is still there. There was only one department store then – Robinsons, also along Orchard Road.

When I got invited by my government guide to visit Lee, along with other foreign and local newsmen, I was surprised to see him inside his cottage-like living quarters guarded by fierce-looking Gurkas, who they say are the best security team in the world.

Lee was straightforward. He had such conviction and vision of Singapore’s future. I wrote about my interview with Lee for the Philippines Herald, where I was business editor. Would you believe I used my portable typewriter and transmitted my stories via telegram?

My visit to Kuala Lumpur then was something else.

All invited journalists were billeted at a small hotel patronized by locals, a far cry from the many five-star and luxuy hotels that now abound in KL. We also got to meet with then-Malaysia’s Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman, who started the long pull to make Malaysia a “tiger economy.” In that interview, as far as I can recall, Rahman gave us an overview of what he was doing to rid his country of – communist influx from China using what was called “hamletting.”

This meant pouring armed troops around a village to rid it of insurgents. After many years, Rahman succeeded in freeing his country from communist influence.

I also wrote about this interview.

After a day or two around Kuala Lumpur, we were taken to Penang, a resort village then, but a tourist destination now. After a week in West Malaysia that encompasses KL, my visit also took me to East Malaysia that encompasses North Borneo then, now called Sabah with Kota Kinabalu as its capital, and Sarawak.

It was truly an exciting experience at that time when

W e d n e s d ay: M a R C H 2 5 , 2 0 1 5

OPINION

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

LKY ON early Monday, March 23, “Harry” Lee Kuan Yew, died, after a lingering pneumonia. He was 91.

A nation builder of no mean reputation, he was modern Asia’s most successful autocrat and dictator.

World leaders eulogized him.

US President Obama called LKY “a true giant of history”. Former President George H. W. Bush praised him for his “singular leadership”. The United Kingdom’s David Cameron singled him out as “one of the great success stories” of modern times. In autocratic Russia and Eastern Europe, Lee’s books, “The Singapore Story” and “From Third World to First”, are used as bibles, in the same manner young Maoists of Southeast Asia turned to Mao Tse Tung’s little red book in the late 1960s to 1970s.

Newsmen referred to him as LKY, for short. For a Singaporean, he was an extraordinarily tall man, in physical height and in global stature.

As a foreign correspondent, I encountered the late Lee Kuan Yew a few times, during the annual ASEAN summit meetings, but not for one-on-one interviews.

I had the impression LKY didn’t like newsmen. He was testy and he found them pesky or annoying, to say the least.

LKY could summon the resources of his government to discipline what he thought were erring newsmen or publications.

I experienced this first hand when Asiaweek, the Time Warner Hong Kong-based weekly where I worked as a senior correspondent for 25 years, was forced to reduce its circulation by half in Singapore on account of a rather innocuous article concerning an interview with a Catholic priest. From 10,000 copies, your circulation would be limited to 2,500 then you hack it backward each year – to 5,000, 7,500, and finally, 10,000. In those transition years, you would be forced to be “well behaved”.

Every year, foreign publications would be “gazetted”.

They were told how many copies they could print or distribute in Singapore. The practice ensured good behavior – meaning no bad news about LKY and about Singapore.

You be good and you retained your circulation. Be bad and you could be banned, partially or totally. Big newspapers, like the New York Times and the International Herald Tribune, suffered the blandishment of the negative kind. They were, in fact, humiliated and at times had to apologize for the smallest of infractions.

In 31 years as prime minister, LKY practiced a different kind of democracy. There was a time the opposition party managed to get elected (yes, Singapore holds elections), a single opposition member into the Parliament.

In no time, that lone opposition member was sued. He was neutralized. LKY could not tolerate even an iota of tokenism.

LKY practiced a different kind of authoritarian rule, the kind that if embraced by the late Ferdinand E. Marcos would mark him as an autocrat or a dictator by the western press. Not LKY. In 1982, a year before the opposition leader Benigno Aquino Jr. was assassinated, Ronald Reagan praised Marcos’s adherence to “democratic principles”.

For the last 50 years only a single family (Lee’s) and a single party have dominated Singapore’s politics. Lee’s eldest son is the current leader-- Lee Hsien Loong, 63, prime minister since 2004 and only the third PM of Singapore since independence in 1959. He was also

Singapore’s youngest general, in 1983.

Virtual In the Philippines, LKY would be reality accused of nepotism, cronyism, dynastism and dictatorship. In the last tony half century, six Philippines presidents came from six families. Even lopez while we were being feudal.

The young Lee Hsien’s wife, Ho Ching, an electrical engineer, has been CEO of Temasek Holdings, Singapore’s biggest investment fund since 2002. Temasek has a net portfolio, as of March 2014, of S$223 billion.

Marcos’s son and namesake is still planning to be president, 32 years after his father was ousted from the presidency. Bongbong Marcos is only No. 6 among presidential choices, with a single digit rating; only 6 percent want him as their president.

Ironically, LKY admired, if not idolized, Marcos.

They came to power almost at the same time—August 1965 for LKY, December 1965 for Marcos. They were both strongmen. They were on the same intellectual length. They had the same vision for their country – to be great, from the mire and marshes of poverty and hopelessness. LKY succeeded. Marcos failed.

To be sure, Singapore’s success was a question of size. You could park the entire Singapore island in the middle of Laguna Lake and still have plenty of space to spare – something like 24,000 hectares. Singapore has a total land area of 716.1 sq km., including the reclaimed area. Laguna Lake spans 911.7 sq. km.. With 300,000 sq kms., the Philippines is 419 times larger than Singapore.

Success was also a question of demographics. In 1965, Singapore had a population of just 2 million; the Philippines had 18 times more, 36 million. Today, Singapore has 5 million; the Philippines has 101 million.

Yet, in overseas fora, Singaporean diplomats and analysts are given more attention and more seriousness than their Filipino counterparts.

Also, Singapore has only three ethnic tribes – Chinese 75 percent, Malays 15 percent, and Indians 10 percent.

The Philippines has more than 80 tribes, with Tagalog, Cebuanos, and Ilocanos being the most dominant.

Filipino Muslims, with less than 4 percent of total population, want to control 41 percent of the territory. For that, they have killed more than 80,000 other Filipinos in 40 years of rebellion.

Religion also played a role. Catholic bishops led by Cardinal Jaime Sin always second-guessed Marcos. Even now the bishops are plotting to oust President BS Aquino.

Singapore didn’t have space for that kind of religious activism.

Finally, there was leadership. LKY had vision and loved his country and his people. He built Singapore from scratch. “He managed it against far worse odds: no space, beyond a crowded little island; no natural resources; and, as an island of polyglot immigrants, not much shared history,” says The Economist.

Today, Singapore is a bastion of clean government, free trade, ease of doing business, excellent airports, global finance, and like Switzerland, a major center for hiding Asia’s and the rest of the world’s vast personal wealth.

Billionaires invest and stash their fabulous fortunes in Singapore. That’s how much people trust Singapore.

Success is when people vote with their wallets.

The Philippines? Well, it’s more fun here.

Filipinos were just beginning their businesses in Sabah.

As for the city-state of Singapore, after it was considered one of the most expensive cities in the world, I struck it off my bucket list. **** President Aquino went ballistic on his critics after news reports came out that he collapsed and was taken to the ICU a few days ago.

This, he said, was pure gossip. He is healthy as can be.

And now his critics are claiming that the rumor came from Malacanang so that people would symphatize with him in the wake of the Mamasapano debacle.

Rumor or not, the health of the President is always of great concern. We cannot afford to have a sick president. It will be like a private enterprise with an ailing

CEO. The people are also concerned about President Aquino getting an overdose of nicotine. We see over television his coughing fits, because of his smoking his favorite Malboro cigarets. These are all signs of ill-health.

It would be good if his doctors can confirm he is really in good condition. **** Senator Bam Aquino, cousin of the President, says that there is no need for the President to apologize for the slaughter of 44 police commandos in Mamasapano.

The President has already accepted his responsibility.

It’s quite obvious that President did not learn Good Manners and Right Conduct when he was young. His refusal to apologize betrays his lack of character.

Continued on A11

biznewsasia@gmail.com

The man has been called many names.

W E D n E s D Ay: M A R c h 2 5 , 2 0 1 5

opinion

ADELLE chuA eDiTor

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

the unbearabLe exuberance of chIna’s marKets

by William Pesek ChINeSe investors are acting as giddy as Americans were on Dec. 5, 1996, the day Alan Greenspan made his infamous “irrational exuberance” dig at markets.

Don’t take my word for it. here’s what the country’s securities regulator said Friday, the day the Shanghai Composite Index rallied to its highest close since May 2008: Investors should be cautious about market risks, the China Securities Regulatory Commission said on its microblog. he shouldn’t be thinking if we don’t buy now, we will miss it.

Not much ambiguity there, and yet Shanghai stocks rallied Monday, heading to their longest streak of gains since 2007.

What gives? Beijing is making the same mistake Washington did 18-plus years ago by not clamping down on a stock-market boom that’s based more on leverage than reality.

Then-Federal Reserve Chairman’s Greenspan’s swipe at Wall Street froth was a halfhearted one -- so cryptic, in fact, that many seasoned Fed reporters missed it. It came in the middle of a mind-numbingly boring speech about Japan’s 1980s bubble.

For a couple of days, markets quaked at the prospect that the Fed might cut short the ongoing rally, which had assigned astronomical valuations to the dodgiest startups.

China’s pain points But then Greenspan blew the endgame.

Lawmakers were apoplectic over the Fed targeting stocks. Rather than stand his ground, Greenspan shut up and moved on. If the Fed had clamped down more assertively in the late 1990s -- say, with stringent margin requirements -- a Nasdaq

when.. From A10

crash might’ve been averted. Chastened investors might’ve been less inclined to overleverage in the decade that followed.

In Beijing, central bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan can’t afford to make the same mistake. economic fundamentals aren’t driving this rally—political expedience is.

Chinese growth is slowing—an early indicator of factory activity hit an 11-month low in March—Beijing is clamping down on credit and a property market that once seemed unstoppable is reeling. That leaves one place for Chinese to satisfy their urge to get rich quick: equities. And recent policy tweaks are helping them. In September, China reduced fees by more than half for individuals and institutions to open share accounts. At the same time, the futures exchange cut margin requirements for equity-index contracts. Last month, it trimmed the amount of cash banks must hold back from lending by 50 basis points to 19.5 percent.

Not surprisingly, the outstanding value of margin trading, or shares purchased with borrowed money, on the Shanghai Stock exchange rose to a record $158 billion on March 20. Actually, it’s been setting new highs almost daily for weeks now.

In the week ended March 6, mainland investors opened 662,000 new stock accounts, the most since December, when the Shanghai gauge jumped 21 percent.

Obviously, a fast-growing number of Chinese are buying for fear of missing out on the boom. With $3.8 trillion of currency reserves, China can always bail out the market if a crash happens. But before long, on top of keeping economic growth near 7 percent, the government will be propping up stocks, companies on the

**** Three out of five Filipinos are in favor of legalizing divorce in the Philippines, according to a Social Weather Stations poll survey. But that would destroy the sanctity of marriage, according to Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines Vicar for Marriage Tribunal Archbishop-emeritus Oscar Cruz since there are other provisions in law that allows Filipinos to have their marriages nullified.

Under the law, there are grounds for nullifying a marriage, like adultery or concubinage, domestic violence and abandonment. Like in many cases, there are also psychological reasons like incapacity to consummate the marriage or other psychological reasons.

Call me jurassic or outdated, but I believe in long-lasting marriages. In May, my wife and I will celebrate our 60th wedding anniversary. I count myself blessed.

Legalize divorce and you destroy the very foundation of society.

#FAILOCRACy

verge defaulting on dollar-denominated loans (property developer Kaisa may be the first) and state-owned enterprises suddenly starved for liquidity. Smart as Zhou and President Xi Jinping are, that’s a lot of leaks to plug at a time when they’re also switching growth engines from investment and exports to services.

Authorities must clamp down more forcefully on margin lending. The CSRC has already been ignored once. An eerie coincidence, its earlier warning came on Dec. 5, 18 years to the day Greenspan first uttered his signature phrase. China’s regulator warned that stock prices for some listed companies were “relatively high” and that “there are about 700 companies in the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges with a price-earnings ratio of above 100.” Three days later, investors pushed the Shanghai Composite up 2.8 percent to surpass 3,000. Today, it’s 25 percent higher than it was on Dec. 5.

There are a few plausible explanations why so many investors might leave logic at the door. First, the potential of China’s middle class and hopes for more blockbuster initial public offerings like Alibaba’s are eclipsing worries about deflation. Second, Beijing had until recently been directing its 1.3 billion to pile savings into equities to support the market.

Third, there’s some genuine optimism that China is serious about transforming its economy.

But policy makers will regret willingly orchestrating this bubble. Making it easier for tens of thousands of small investors to bet on stocks will backfire terribly if economic fundamentals don’t begin to validate the market’s exuberance, and fast.

Bloomberg

The sic.. From A9 supposedly hell-bent of bringing him down merely shows how desperate he has become.

I am also worried about how increasingly incoherent and illogical Aquino has become lately, which I will attempt to illustrate with this direct quote, translated from Pilipino, from the speech the President gave to the athletes. Speaking about the storied rivalry between the two schools, Aquino said this: “I thought about this: I hope that politicians, including the

A11

on aquino.. From A9 The deadline for the submission of candidacy is October this year and we might yet see the field narrow down as estrada has made known he’s seeking reelection as mayor of Manila while Senator Antonio Trillanes IV has given up his presidential ambition “because the people are not ready for a Trillanes presidency.” On the other hand, we could see some undecided or reluctant candidates come out including former Senator Manny Villar making a second run for the presidency. Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas, whose poll rating is not gaining traction, might rethink his options. how long can the ruling Liberal Party stay with Mar as its presumptive presidential standard bearer?

Foremost among those waiting in the wings is the enigmatic Grace Poe. Although she said she’s not running for president, a groundswell for her to join the race could change her mind.

What’s holding her back? Is she afraid to declare too early and start getting f lak from her rivals, including a challenge to her citizenship?

Nonetheless, it would be interesting to see Poe teaming up with Duterte as her vice president or she settling for the No.2 slot with Rudy as the main man. But that’s all in the realm of the possible and the 2016 political mix.

Our sources tell us the Duterte campaign is being bankrolled by a group of Davao businessmen led by Sonny Dominguez who would like to see a son of Mindanao rise to the presidency. The media campaign is being quarterbacked by former National Food Authority manager Lito Banayo. A former political columnist in the newspaper Malaya, Banayo was appointed NFA chief by President Aquino but resigned at the height of the rice smuggling probe in the Senate.

people from the different sectors of society, should ask themselves, is rivalry healthy? If there are criticisms, they should ask themselves: are they constructive?”

And then Aquino started comparing volleyball to the entire country, which, he said, should have unity, proper strategy and coordination if it is to succeed.

Referencing his own Ateneo roots, Aquino even called for “one big fight against poverty and corruption”; I’m sure the La Salle athletes turned even greener in envy.

I expect Aquino to keep on using any and all opportunities

to speak that way in the coming days to attack his critics. Just like his favorite fashion accessory, that yellow ribbon on his chest, his broadsides on his critics will soon become a presidential fixture, whether we like it or not.

But these are just some of the things we have to put up with, as we witness Aquino stumble through the last of his six years in office. And until his last day, Aquino will still be blaming other people for the things that he did that he shouldn’t have, and that the things he should have done but didn’t.

CHOnG ARDIvILLA

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sports sports@thestandard.com.ph

Harden’s 44 points power Rockets

Clarke backs Rory for grand slam LONDON, United K ingdom—Europea n Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke says Rory McIlroy is certain to complete a career grand slam by winning the Masters in the near future.

McIlroy is aiming to claim his third major in succession at Augusta next month and become only the sixth player to have won all four major titles after Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.

And while Clarke is focused mainly on the part 25-year-old McIlroy can play in helping Europe win an unprecedented fourth straight Ryder Cup at Hazeltine next year, the former British Open champion hopes his fellow Northern Irishman can do so as the proud owner of a green jacket.

“He is such a talented young kid I’m sure he will be on the team,” Clarke told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“In a couple of weeks’ time he is going for the career grand slam and I think if he doesn’t win it this time, he will win it next time. Or the time after that.

“His game is ideally suited to Augusta, a high soft draw, and as we have all seen, he’s got every shot in the bag so there is no reason why he’s not going to win around there sooner rather than later.

AFP

INDIANAPOLIS—NBA scoring leader James Harden struck for 44 points Monday to power the Houston Rockets over Indiana 110100, delivering the Pacers their sixth consecutive defeat.

James Harden of the Houston Rockets takes a shot against the Indiana Pacers’ Solomon Hill at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. Harden scored 44 points to power the Rockets to a 110-100 win over the Pacers. AFP

Zoleta, Nillasca rule Lucena net tourney GABY Zoleta wore down top seed Denise Bernardo in a grueling third-set duel and hacked out a pulsating 6-1, 5-7, 15-13 victory as she matched Arianne Nillasca’s twin title romp in the Lucena leg of the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala regional age group presented by Technifibre at the Ouans Resort Tennis Courts in Quezon yesterday.

Zoleta, a mainstay of the International School for Better BeginnersLucena, recovered from a close second set setback but needed to toughen up in the decider to outlast Bernardo and snare the girls’ 14-and-under crown. She earlier took the 12-U diadem with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Julia Ignacio.

Nillasca, the top player of San Vicente National School-San

Pablo, dominated sister Reisha, 6-0, 6-0, to run away with the 18-U plum moments after pocketing the 16-U title with a 6-1, 6-0 drubbing of Bernardo.

Magnus Gnilo, a San BedaTaytay stalwart, stunned No. 2 Prince Salvacion, 4-0, 4-0, in the semis then upended top seed Thomas Bernardo, 6-2, 6-2, to snatch the 10-unisex crown in the Group 3 tournament sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop and organized by Philta headed by Paranaque Mayor Edwin Olivarez.

Sixth ranked Ron Amper, from Atimonan, Quezon, foiled Gnilo’s title bid in the 12-U section, scoring a 6-0, 6-2 win while RJ Virrey, from Enverga University-Lucena, thwarted Glenn Lagran, 6-0, 7-6(6) to claim the boys’ 14-U crown.

Harden, who scored a career-high 50 points against Denver just four days earlier, connected on 10-of-21 shots from the floor, including 3-of8 from 3-point range, and hit 21-of-22 attempts from the free throw line.

The Rockets improved to 47-23 with their fourth victory in five games, bouncing back from a loss Saturday at Phoenix to keep the third best record in the Western Conference and fourth-best in the league overall.

Houston, which hit 13of-24 from beyond the 3-point arc, kept pace with Southwest division leader Memphis, remaining two games off the pace of the Grizzles, who won 10382 at New York on Monday.

Rockets reserve Josh Smith added 18 points, Donatas Motiejunas scored 17 and Trevor Ariza grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds for the Rockets, who remain without injured

center Dwight Howard but confident they can make a deep run in the playoffs.

“I feel like we could do something special this year when we get everybody healthy,” Smith said. “We’re trying to build something heading into the playoffs. We feel like we have the talent to do it.

We’re ready to emotionally sacrifice for each other to do it and to get to that level.”

C.J. Watson came off the bench to score 23 points to lead Indiana while George Hill scored 20 and Roy Hibbert added 18 points and 10 rebounds.

Pacers star Paul George, who suffered a broken leg last year while playing for the US world championship team, warmed up with the team but did not play. His return could come soon as the Pacers fell to 30-40, 10th in the Eastern Conference and one game behind Boston for the eighth and final playoff berth. AFP

New Zealand Warriors dominate Etihad Airways Manila 10s rugby THE JML New Zealand Warriors emerged champions of the Etihad Airways Manila 10s International Rugby Festival for a third successive year with a storming win over the Alabang Eagles Cup Final Sunday at the Nomad Sports Club in Parañaque City.

In the Shield Final, the Bangkok Bangers defeated the PTS Clark Jets, 26-5, while in the Vets Final, the Fiji Golden Oldies pounded the Societe Generale SCC Growlers, 14-5.

The HMR Alabang Ibons blanked the HKFC Scorpions 22-0 in the Bowl Final, while the Potoroos of Brisbane beat the Hong Kong Cricket Club, 41-12, in the Plate Final.

The Warriors come from the International Rugby Academy

of New Zealand and were supplemented by a group of players from the Philippine Volcanoes Under-19 national team.

Thirty-two teams competed in this year’s competition, with 20 of those teams traveling from all quarters of the world to take on a record number of 12 Philippinebased teams.

Many years back, rugby was very much an expatriate game, but this has changed dramatically with the rise of the Philippine Volcanoes national team. Many of the top international teams recruit Philippine talent to bolster their ranks.

The Manila 10s is an annual event has been dubbed by ESPN as “the best social rugby tournament in the world”. This year’s

tournament marked the 27th staging of the event.

“This has been a truly outstanding tournament and I am looking forward to continuing our relationship with the Manila 10s for many years to come” said Juan Torres, general manager for the title sponsor Etihad Airways Philippines in the post-tournament press conference.

“The New Zealand Warriors have taken our tournament to a new level and to showcase local talent in the process has been a major development win for Philippine rugby. No one has ever won our Cup competition four years in a row!” Tournament chairman Bill Bailey, who spoke with reporters immediately after the final, said.

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

PC games now a regular sport?

By Randy Caluag

GOOD news to all computer gaming enthusiasts.

Plans are afoot to make computer gaming like DOTA, Crossfire and League of Legends to become a regular sport, with the creation of the Philippine E-sports Association.

“We made this organization to create an environment, where millions of Filipino kids, who are hooked with computer gaming, to have a controlled environment and transform this ‘menace’ into a source of pride for our country,” said Arniel Gutierrez, president of the PEA. Parents are up in arms against computer gaming, citing their children’s lack of interest in school due to addiction to these PC games.

“If we can make guidelines that can be followed by all accredited computer stations throughout the country, things would be better and the players would be more responsible in their actions,” added Gutierrez, who cited that e-sports athletes are recognized in the US as professional players.

International e-sport tournaments are held regularly in China, Korea and Malaysia, where the Ministry of the Youth and Sports hosts a local DOTA Tournament.

Gutierrez added that in other countries, e-sport athletes are given scholarships.

For a start, the PEA is holding the Open Season tournaments that started in March and will end in July.

Dubbed as “TNC eSports Cup 2017,” the nine-month event will feature four games—DOTA 2, League of Legends, Crossfire and Dragon Nest.

The Playoffs among the Top 16 teams will be held from August to October and the Grand Finale among the Top 8 is set in November at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

It’s going to be the first major computer gaming tournament to be held in the country, with the winners going to the World Cup. Aside from trophies, the tourney offers prize money for the players that will shine in various variants in real-time strategy, fighting, first-person shooter, and multi-player online battle arena.

Participants and organizers of the Globe 17th HEAD Graphene XT Junior Tennis Satellite Circuit second leg in Isulan Governor’s Palace in Isulan Sultan Kudarat are shown here.

Tugade repeats with 2 net titles AFTER winning two singles’ titles in the first leg, Vince Tugade sustained his impressive form recently to win the same titles again in the second leg of the Globe 17th HEAD Graphene XT Junior Tennis Satellite Circuit at the Capitol Tennis Courts at the Isulan Governor’s Palace in Isulan Sultan Kudarat.

Tugade, who won the boys’ 16- and 14-under singles’ crown in Davao City first leg a week ago, beat Klyde Lagarde in the finals, 6-1, 6-2, to win the boys’ 16-under trophy of the satellite competition sanctioned by the Philippine Tennis Association providing junior ranking points to participants.

Tugade repeated over Lagarde this time in the finals of the boys’ 14-under singles,

7-5, 6-4, to annex his fourth crown in the annual age-group tennis competition organized by the Dynamics Sports.

Patricia Velez also bagged two crowns in the second leg by winning first over Yzyl Domingo in the finals of the girls’ 18-under singles class, 6-0, 6-2, and against Joyce Sapitanan in the last round of the girls’ 16-under division, 6-0, 6-0.

The tournament is supported by Chris Sports, Head ATP Tennis Balls, Graphene XT, Toalson, Philippine Sports Commission and Philippine Tennis Association and also backed by Sports Radio 918AM, Home Radio 97.9FM Natural, Boracay Informer, Todo 88.5FM Aklan, Radyo Inquirer990AM, Power Wheels Magazine, Mo-

torcycle Magazine, Balikbayan The Asian Journal Magazine, Wazzup Pilipinas, Reach Magazine, Oishi and AMAX Inn Makati.

In other singles’ championship results, Jarrel Edanga ripped Christian Villarin, 6-3, 6-4, for the boys’ 18-under crown; Lady Lee Cagadas blanked Angel Cagadas, 6-4, 6-4, for the girls’ 14-under title; Stephanie Delfin won against Darlin Liston, 6-0, 6-0, for the girls’ 12-under title; John David Velez turned back Angelo Selmar, 6-2, 6-1, for boys’ 12-under title; and Ralph Adrian Selmar outlasted Royce Sapitanan, 7-6, 6-3, for 10-under unisex title.

The second leg in Isulan Sultan Kudarat was supported by ex-Gov. Datu Pax S. Mangudadatu Aljah.

Palaro run lures 3,000 bets Ex-tennis MORE than 3,000 runners answered the gun at dawn last Sunday for an advocacy run that was part of a series of activities aimed at guaranteeing a successful staging of the 2015 Palarong Pambansa in Davao del Norte this summer.

Organized by the Tagum City Division of the Department of Education, the participants helped raise additional funds for competition-day maintenance of the billeting venues especially for the water requirement of student athletes and officials during the

May 3 to 9 Palaro.

“The schools [officials] are busy preparing the billeting sites so we can have a very good hosting and give delegates the best accommodation that we can offer,” Tagum City DepEd Division Head Cristy Epe said.

The runners covered various distances during the event that started and ended at the Rotary Park at the heart of Tagum City.

Tagum City Mayor Allan Rellon led the run and joined his family and friends and local government officials as well as police and military officers and

personnel in the run.

At least 30 billeting facilities have been harnessed for the Palaro, which is expected to gather more than 10,000 athletes and officials competing in 17 sports in the annual grassroot sports development program supervised by the DepEd. Also on the pre-Palaro program prepared by del Rosario are the official website and games launch set later this week and dry runs for the various events in the competition venues.

It will be the first time in Palaro history that the competition venues will be confined within city limits of the Davao del Norte Sports Complex. Most of the billeting facilities are also within walking distance to the complex with the farthest needing a mere 30-minute bus ride.

star guilty of rape

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa—Australian-born former tennis Grand Slam champion Bob Hewitt was found guilty Monday in South Africa of raping and assaulting young girls he was coaching there in the early 1980s.

Hewitt, 75, had pleaded not guilty to the two charges of rape and one of indecent assault, which were brought against him by three women in 2013.

Judge Bert Bam at the South Gauteng High Court outside Johannesburg described the evidence against Hewitt, best known as a doubles star, as “overwhelming”, the SAPA news agency reported.

At the trial, his victims said that Hewitt assaulted them during private tennis lessons when they were young girls.

“Time did not erase the crimes. A guilty person should not go unpunished. The scales of justice tip against the accused,” Bam said.

AFP

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A14 Arcilla wants to play part in tennis growth JOHNNY Arcilla yesterday expressed his desire to become part of the continuing growth of tennis locally and globally.

The many-time champion and former Philippine men’s No. 1 tennis player stays active in different tennis competitions around the country and remains a winner in most open tournaments, despite the emergence of other competitive players.

“I just wanted to play the sport that I love and quitting is not an option,” said Arcilla, an eight-time Philippine Columbian Association men’s open singles champion and nine-time king in the doubles class, along with Kyle Dandan, PJ Tierro and Michael Mora.

“Tennis is my passion ever since. So if when the time comes to call it quits, I want to teach young kids and be part of tennis development,” explained Arcilla, who uses the Babolat’s new Pure Drive racquet. “Right now, I’m enjoying playing and winning in various places.”

Babolat, one of the world’s popular tennis and badminton equipment providers, supports Arcilla in his goal to help the improvement of Philippine tennis.

“We believe in Arcilla’s willingness and talent,” said Guilly Nocom of Babolat. “We are here to support him in his bid. Johnny had represented Philippine tennis in the past and we’re proud of it.”

Arcilla, 34, has been a member of the Philippine tennis team since 1997 and was part of the gold-winning 2005 Manila Southeast Asian Games tennis team, which also include fellow tennis stars Cecil Mamiit, PJ Tierro, and Eric Taino.

“Personally, I believe we Filipinos, especially the young ones should be proud of our roots because they showed us that we can excel in tennis globally,” said Arcilla, who was also a member of the 2000 Philippine Davis Cup team that reached the highest Group 1 stage.

SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Adamson nears 5-peat SHOWING total domination, Adamson University closed in on a fifth straight title with a masterful 6-0 victory over University of the Philippines in the Finals opener yesterday of the UAAP Season 77 softball tournament at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium.

Reigning Most Valuable Player Annalie Benjamen had 12 strikeouts, as the Lady Falcons extended their winning run to 61 games.

Adamson can annex its 14th crown overall with another win in Game 2 tomorrow at the Malate venue.

It was the first time that the Lady Falcons emerged victorious this season by going into the full route after winning all the first 12 matches via mercy rule.

“Siyempre, championship na ito, ibang level na,” said Adamson coach Ana Santiago.

The Lady Falcons took three innings before scoring a run, taking a 2-0 advan-

FIL-AMERICAN Bryan Mercado missed seeing action in the 2015 National Open Athletics meet, but still made the cut for the national team to the 28th Southeast Asian Games in Singapore.

The 22-year-old Mercado got the nod of the national coaches, led by Dario Darosas, after posting personal best times in the 100m and 200-m sprints during the Cal State Los Angeles Invitation on March 8.

Mercado finished fifth in the 200m sprint with 21.48, which is near the mark of Ralph Soguilan’s 21.17 established seven years ago.

Last April 4, 2014, Mercado logged 10.56 in the 100-m dash as part of a relay team at the Florida Relays, which is very near the

10.45-second national record set by Soguilon in 2007.

His mark also drew close to the 2013 SEA Game bronze medal of 10.55 in the 100-meters.

Mercado is among the new faces, who made the cut to the national team. Also included in this batch is Fil-Am bet Caleb Stuart, who impressed on three events, the hammer throw, discus throw and shot put. Members of the national coaching staff are also considering Fil-Americans, long jumper Donovant Arriola and sprinter Brandon Thomas, relay specialist Johan Caido, and women sprinters Princess Griffey and Kayla Richardson, 400-meter runner Ryan Bigyan and long jumper John Rheem Fuentes. Peter Atencio

PSA’s Mr. Basketball Kiefer Ravena leads the Oath of Sportsmanship in the Auto REVIEW Road Safety Olympics Leg 2 at the Rizal Coliseum.

Johnny Arcilla displays his several championship trophies.

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tage after Queenie Sabobo tallied a RBI. Krisna Paguican’s RBI triple gave Adamson a 4-0 lead in the fourth inning before adding two more to put the game out of reach.

The Lady Maroons, who are already assured of their best finish in five years, worked hard especially in the early goings, but the Lady Falcons were too overpowering.

“I reminded them not to think that even we have the thrice-to-beat advantage, it’s a sure win. We have to work hard for it,” said Santiago.

The championship opener will be aired today on ABS-CBN Sports+Action.

Mercado makes cut

Auto Review Safety Olympics a hit THE second leg of the Auto Review Road Safety Olympics kicked off at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila in flying colors as basketball, volleyball and other road safety activities were a hit among participants.

Seven teams composed of a 15man basketball team, a 12-player mixed male/female volleyball contingent, a cheering group and a fiveman amazing race squad demonstrated their grit, competitive spirit and camaraderie in promoting road safety awareness.

With about 300 in attendance at the historical gymnasium in cooperation with the Philippine Sports Commission, and with teams coming from the private and government sectors, such as: Carmudi Philippines, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, the Pasig local government, Mazda Philippines, the University of Santo Tomas and media contingents from the Philippine Sportswriters Association and

the motoring industry, the event did not only prove to be exciting, but also helped push a worthy cause as well.

“We’re glad of the outcome of this event. Through sports we are able to somehow leave a mark in the minds of the participants about the importance of road safety,” said Auto Review producer-host Ron de los Reyes.

Collegiate basketball superstar Kiefer Ravena, meanwhile, graced the event’s opening ceremonies and led the oath of sportsmanship followed by the Pledge of Commitment to road safety bannered by Automobile Association Philippines’ Cynthia Reyes.

In a speech, Ravena, PSA’s Mr. Basketball said: “It’s the first time I heard something about this and I’m very happy to support it. I’m a road safety advocate as well and to the organizers, do continue on with this very worthwhile activity.”

The De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde’s Blazers pep squad, on the other hand, was able to give glee and

spread the good vibe to everyone’s delight before the start of the rigorous yet fun competitions also supported by Chevrolet Phils, Hyundai, Bridgestone Tires, Isuzu Philippines, Mitsubishi Motors, Toyota Motor Phils., AGC Flat Glass Phils, BMWAlabang and Maynilad.

The one-of-a-kind advocacy event, launched last Jan. 24 at the SM by the Bay in Mall of Asia, Pasay City, is being staged likewise in collaboration with the Department of Interior & Local Government, Philippine National Police, Philippine National Red Cross and with media partners Malaya Business Insight, Business Mirror, PTV 4, C! Magazine, Manila Broadcasting Company, DZSR Sports Radio and WheninManila.com.

In the basketball division, Team Mazda Skyactiv emerged on top in the finals of the winners’ bracket this time outsmarting the muchvaunted Pasig Amazing Brakes with a score of 63-54.

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Fight...

MARHO Founders Cup racefest at Malvar

From A16 “We wouldn’t have gotten a fraction of these numbers if we made the fight five years ago,” Arum said. “It turned out that we’re doing the fight at the right time, I guess, not that we’re geniuses for waiting this long.”

Global rights are expected to ring up another $35 million, with a record $10 million already spent for rights in the Philippines, where Pacquiao is a Congressman as well as an iconic figure.

“Between the gate, the foreign television sales and the closed circuit, which we can’t even calculate yet, you’re looking at over $120 million. And that’s before one pay-per-view has been sold in the US,” Arum told ESPN. Arum said Tecate beer, a long-time Pacquiao sponsor, won title sponsor rights with a $5.6 million bid, $400,000 more than rival Corona, a long-time backer of Mayweather.

“We’ve never see anything like that on a beer sponsor,” Arum said.

“Both companies were after it. It’s a huge number.”

Mayweather’s camp receives 60 percent of the revenue with Pacquiao’s side taking home 40 percent.

Arum said the contract gives Pacquiao the choice of who sings his homeland’s national anthem before the bout while Mayweather decides who will sing “The Star Spangled Banner.”

JENNY ORTUOSTE

The hoarse whisperer

Player of the Week. Ranidel de Ocampo, shown here going for a shot, is the Accel-PBA Press Corps Player of the Week. The 6’5” Gilas Pilipinas mainstay has steadily provided the leadership for a Talk ‘N Text squad as he averaged 18.5 points and 5.5 points in the Texters’ victories over San Miguel, 113-93 and Alaska, 101-93 to end the eliminations with an 8-3 record.

Energy halt Warriors’ run to boost quarterfinal bid

By Jeric Lopez

VETERAN guard Chico Lanete caught fire at the most appropriate time.

Lanete calmly drained back-toback triples with less than two minutes left to push Barako Bull to a crucial 91-85 victory over erstwhilerampaging NLEX as the Energy Colas stayed in the hunt for a quarterfinal slot in the 2015 Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last night.

Down, 83-85, heading into the fi-

nal minute, Lanete suddenly waxed hot as he nailed a go-ahead trey with 1:54 left, followed by another one from behind the arc as the Colas suddenly snatched the lead, 89-85, with 1:28 remaining.

Paolo Hubalde then sank another jumper with 46 seconds left to seal the win for Barako Bull, allowing it to snap NLEX’s five-game winning streak in the process.

Games Wednesday (Smart Araneta Coliseum) 4:15 p.m. • Meralco vs. Blackwater 7 p.m. • Alaska vs. Barangay Ginebra

More importantly, the Energy Colas improved to 5-6 to give themselves a chance of making the bus into the next phase. They will now await the results of the remaining games of Barangay Ginebra (5-5), GlobalPort (4-6) and Alaska (4-6) to see if they’ll make it in the Top 8, depending on the quotient system.

Barako Bull coach Koy Banal was all praises for Lanete’s clutch demeanor and proud of his wards’ per-

formance in the game as they cooled down the league’s hottest team. ‘’Chico (Lanete) is a veteran you can rely on down the stretch,’’ said Banal. ‘’We showed a lot of desire today. Everybody stepped up for us.’’

Solomon Alabi was back to his usual steady self as he scattered a double-double of 29 points and 15 rebounds, while Lanete finished with 13 markers.

The loss sent the Road Warriors to fifth as they ended up with a 6-5 card. They can either finish fourth or fifth depending on the result of their sister team Meralco’s final game today against Blackwater.

Shakey’s V-League features 8 teams SHAKEY’S V-League, the longest-running volley league that sparked women’s volleyball renaissance in 2004, kicks off its 12th season on April 5 with a bigger, more explosive Open Conference featuring eight teams of equal strength, class, and skills but with varying styles.

The organizing Sports Vision is staging the Open tournament as its kickoff conference for the first time in 12 years in deference to the new academic calendar implemented by most universities and colleges which make up the league’s regular First Conference cast.

It will instead be held after

Sports Vision Chairman Moying Martelino (left) briefs sportswriters on the upcoming season of the Shakey’s V-League at the PSA Forum. With him is Sports Vision President Ricky Palou (right). EY ACASIO

the Open Conference, which will also serve as buildup

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for teams seeing action in the UAAP and NCAA, the

country’s premier leagues which have synchronized their school calendars with the Asean region.

Sponsored by Shakey’s Pizza, the Open conference will be presented by PLDT Home Ultera with Mikasa as the official volleyball and Accel the official outfitter.

“We believe volleyball is now second to basketball in popularity here in the country so much so that PLDT has come in as presentor for both the VLeague and Spikers’ Turf, our inaugural tournament for men’s volleyball,” said Sports Vision chairman Moying Martelino during

the official launching of the event’s new season Tuesday at the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at Shakey’s Malate.

Defending champion Army will be going for back-to-back titles behind the country’s leading spikers, including Rachel Ann Daquis, Nerissa Bautista, Jovelyn Gonzaga, Mary Jean Balse, and Tina Salak.

“Among the teams, Army pa rin ‘yan,” said PLDT coach Roger Gorayeb, noting the additions of Dindin Santiago-Manabat and Honey Rose Tubino to the roster of the Lady Troopers. “Ang Army malakas na, lumakas pa lalo.”

THE Metropolitan Association of Race Horse Owners (MARHO) is holding its General Membership Meeting and Election of Officers at the Metro Manila Turf Club, Inc.’s (MMTCI) Metro Turf racecourse in Malvar, Batangas on March 28.

This is the first event that MARHO will hold at Metroturf.

MARHO, the racing industry’s oldest and largest horseowners’ organization, was founded in 1974 by businessman and former ambasssador Eduardo M. Cojuango Jr. and 14 other horsemen.

The event will be marked by the staging of the MARHO Founders Cup racing festival featuring twelve 1,400-meter races out of 13 for the day.

The festival’s highlight races are the MARHO Founders Cup, in honor of the organization’s founders, and the MARHO-Dr. Norberto Quisumbing Jr. Cup. Each of these two races will have an added prize of P50,000 to the winning owner, sponsored by MARHO. The other 10 races are MARHO Founders Special Races with added prizes of P25,000 each, all sponsored

by Metroturf.

There will also be trophies for the winners of the races as well as free stallion certificates for the first- and second-placers of the 12 MARHO Founders Cup races.

Stallion certificates will also be raffled off to MARHO members attending the general membership meeting.

Shares to the services of the following sires will be given away: MARHO Chairman Mayor Leonardo “Sandy” Javier Jr.’s Self Feeder, Art Moderne, Shooting Star, Warrior Song, Elysium Fields, Principality, and Zapp; MARHO Director Antonio V. Tan’s Shining Fame and four of his Reenact shares; MARHO President Emeritus Mayor Benhur C. Abalos’s Ultimate Goal, Bwana Bull, and Ibarra; Klub Don Juan de Manila (KDJM) President Jeci A. Lapus’s Smart Farda; KDJM Director Lamberto “Jun” Almeda Jr.’s Minsk; and stallions of MARHO Director Nathaniel “Nel” G. Velasco, among others.

“This will be a memorable event,” said MARHO Acting President Antonio “Tony” G. de Ubago Jr. “We extend our warm thanks to MMTCI Chairman Dr. Norberto Quisumbing Jr. for the wholehearted support and hospitality he has given MARHO and its members.”

De Ubago also thanked the horseowners from the three organizations (including Philtobo) who donated stallion shares and contributed in other ways to make the event happen. *** The Philippine Racing Commission will be holding two 1,400-meter stakes races this weekend for local runners also at Malvar.

On Saturday, March 28, the 3YO Local Fillies Stakes race has five declared runners: Miss Brulay, Princess Ella, Real Talk, Song of Songs, and Superv, all to carry 52 kgs.

On Sunday, Mar. 29, the 3YO Local Colts stakes has six entries: Cat’s Dream, Diamond’s Best, Dikoridik Koridak, Right as Rain, Spicy Time, and Son of Thunder.

I’m going with Princess Ella in the Fillies and Cat’s Dream and Son of Thunder in the Colts. *** As expected, Mandaluyong City Mayor lawyer Benhur C. Abalos’s Gentle Strength triumphed in the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office Special Maiden Race last March 21 at Santa Ana Park.

Ridden by jockey Jonathan Hernandez, Gentle Strength earned P600,000 for first, followed by Stony Road Horse Farm’s Incredible Hook in second and Pierre Niles’s Dominatore in third.

Mariano Tirona won the breeder’s purse of P50,000. Gentle Strength is

by Ultimate Goal (USA) out of Shadow of the Moon (USA). ***** Facebook: Gogirl Racing, Twitter: @ gogirlracing, Blog: http://jennyo.net

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

Manny Pacquiao welcomes actor Robert Duvall to one of his training sessions at the Wild Card Gym in LA. CHRIS FARINA/TOP RANK

Fight revenue: Over $400m LAS VEGAS—Record-shattering revenue totals for Manny Pacquiao’s upcoming boxing showdown with unbeaten Floyd Mayweather could surpass $400 million, promoter Bob Arum told ESPN in a report Monday on the sports network’s website.

The welterweight title unification fight May 2 in Las Vegas will generate $74 million from just over 15,000 tickets at MGM Grand Garden Arena, Pacquiao promoter Arum told ESPN, flattening the old mark of just over $20 million for Mayweather’s 2013 fight with Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in the same venue.

Promoters first aimed for $40 million, then boosted the ticket prices from $1,000 to $1,500 at the low end and $5,000 to $7,500 for the best seats due to huge demand

for the ducats, Arum said.

But organizers have now shuffled the number of seats in various price ranges and boosted top seats to $10,000 to raise the live gate total from $50 million to $74 million.

“It’s crazy, but it is what it is,” Arum told ESPN. “It’s amazing.”

And few if any seats will be available for public sale, with promoters, telecasters HBO and Showtime, the fighters and the host venue each taking a share of the tickets.

Shakey’s V-League features 8 teams TURN TO A15

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

“We’ll probably have a handful of tickets that will go on sale to the public next week,” Arum said. “It’s mania.”

There will be only about 1,100 seats at $10,000, none of them for public sale, according to the report.

Boxing’s record for pay-perview purchases is the 2.4 million buys from Mayweather’s 2007 split-decision victory over Oscar de la Hoya, but with Mayweather-Pacquiao having taken more than five years to come together with the planet’s top pound-for-pound fighters, expectations of 3 million payper-view buys at about $100 each could bring $300 million in sales for US, Puerto Rican and Canadian markets alone.

Turn to A15

Solar pays $10m for television rights SOLAR Sports has paid $10 million for the Philippine television rights of the Fight of the Century between between eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao and undefeated pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr. to be held at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on May 2 (May 3 in Manila).

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum told the Standard/Viva Sports that the multi-network telecast of the fight, which was requested

by Pacquiao himself, is likely to end up with GMA-7, which has telecast most of the Pacquiao fights

since the showdown with Marco Antonio Barrera in November 2003; ABS-CBN, which regularly telecasts the Pacquiao fights in the Middle East in particular over The Filipino Channel, and even TV5.

Initially, indications were that the major Philippine networks were in a bidding war for the TV rights, but Pacquiao virtually insisted on a multi-network telecast and since Solar Sports had the rights, they decided to adhere to what the Filipino ring icon, their longtime prized possession, wanted. Ronnie Nathanielsz

Harden’s LOTTO RESULTS 44 points 6/49 00-00-00-00-00-00 power 6/42 00-00-00-00-00-00 Rockets 6 DIGITS 0-0-0-0-0-0 TURN TO A12 3 DIGITS 0-0-0 2 EZ2 0-0

WEDNESDAY: MARCH 25, 2015

RAY S. EÑANO EDITOR

RODERICK T. DELA CRUZ ASSISTANT EDITOR

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

BUSINESS

B1

Big Korean bank coming

By Julito G. Rada

SHINHAN Bank, one of the largest financial groups in South Korea, has received an approval from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to establish branches in the Philippines.

Bangko Sentral Deputy Governor Nestor Espenilla Jr. told reporters in an interview the regulator approved the branching application of Shinhan Bank, after the government passed a law opening the local banking sector to foreign capital.

Shinhan became the second Asian bank whose application was approved by Bangko Sentral this year, after Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp., a multinational banking and financial services company based in Yurakucho, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan.

“There are two more [Asian banks] in the pipeline,” Espenilla said. He did not identify the two financial institutions.

Shinhan Bank, headquartered in Seoul, is the first bank established in Korea under the name Hanseong Bank in 1897. It was reestablished in 1982 as a part of the Shinhan Financial Group, along with Jeju Bank. Shinhan Bank merged with Chohung Bank on April 1, 2006.

Shinhan Bank said in a statement the bank would provide various financial services to both Korean and Philippine corporations. It said there were 100,000 Koreans living in the Philippines and more than 1 million Korean tourists visiting the country annually.

Espenilla earlier said Bangko Sentral was evaluating the applications filed by several Asian banks planning to expand operations in the Philippines.

Espenilla said two Asian banks had already

PSE C omPoSitE

indEx

Closing March 24, 2015

8000 7500 6840 7500 6180

7000

5520

6500

4860

6000 4200 3860 5500

7,828.94 11.55

PESo-dollar ratE

Closing MARCH 24, 2015 45 44

P44.670 CLOSE

43 42 41

HIGH P44.660LOW P44.740 AVERAGE P44.690 VOLUME 364.600M

P508.00-P728.00 LPG/11-kg tank P37.27-P42.82 Unleaded Gasoline P25.40-P31.70 Diesel P36.75-P43.42 Kerosene P23.70-P24.40 Auto LPG

o il P PriCES today

formally submitted their applications with the central bank. He said five more Asian banks “are in the process of

completing the needed requirements” for application.

Espenilla said he was expecting

more foreign banks to show interest in operating in the country, by establishing a branch or a subsidiary.

WEDNESDAY: MARCH 25, 2015

B2

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

MST BuSineSS Daily STockS Review Tuesday, March 24, 2015

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low

STOCKS

2.7 75.3 99.4 105.2 63 2.3 4.2 19.6 31.6 22.5 2.95 890 1.01 92.9 1.65 30.5 75 99 140 392 59 146.8 1700 130 2.8

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 Natl. Reinsurance Corp.

PB Bank 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 17.98 113 17.2 15.8 56.8 4.57 39.5 14 12.98 8.15 12.34 17 27.1 90.5 27 0.014 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

1.55 63.5 67.5 82.5 50 1.9 1.1 14.5 23.2 6.84 1.75 625 0.175 69.35 1.2 20.45 58 76 119 276 41.5 105.1 1281 116 2.25

Close 6 70.1 117.20 100.50 46.95 2.27 2.44 16.7 25.05 8.30 1.68 720.00 0.475 95.15 0.94 18.38 31.05 79.95 95.50 340.8 46 173 1385.00 69.15 3.03

Low

FINANCIAL 6.26 5.7 70.4 69.2 120.00 117.50 102.00 100.60 47 46.7 2.29 2.26 2.38 2.32 16.6 16.54 24.8 24.15 8.48 8.30 1.79 1.78 740.00 740.00 0.465 0.435 96.7 95.55 0.95 0.95 18.50 18.34 31.00 31.00 80.00 77.95 95.35 95.20 339.6 332.4 46 45.7 172.6 166.1 1410.00 1395.00 69.50 69.00 3.03 3.03 INDUSTRIAL 45.3 44.75 1.65 1.65 1.1 1.07 2.13 2.08 8.23 8.11 58.9 50.15 19.52 19.46 24.7 23 65.7 60.05 1.88 1.8 12.12 11.52 20.250 19.88 11.50 11.22 8.33 8.20 9.85 9.80 26.8 23.5 29.5 29.05 102.3 101.3 14.36 14.10 0.4700 0.4600 6.8 6.73 0.620 0.610 216.00 211.40 9.7 9.6 2.98 2.5 52.00 49.00 26.4 26.25 29.7 28.5 8.190 7.840 272.00 269.00 4.2 4.12 10.20 9.94 11.32 11.20 3.99 3.95 2.88 2.86 4.22 3.24 5.90 5.50 3.19 3.19 6.47 6.12 208 205 4.5 4.5 1.72 1.7 0.178 0.172 1.44 1.33 2.23 2.22 220.2 215.6 4.5 4.5 0.72 0.7 1.54 1.51 HOLDING FIRMS 0.475 0.475 56.95 55.55 26.80 26.55 1.42 1.40 7.09 7.03 2.92 2.70 2.8 2.79 777 751 9.09 8.96 15.52 15.22 3.15 3.15 4.60 4.55 0.355 0.325 1302 1290 6.30 6.28 72.00 69.10 8.86 8.72 0.8 0.75 15.74 15.52 0.67 0.67 4.96 4.89 4.96 5 0.0410 0.0410 1.600 1.600 0.680 0.670 2.43 2.43 68.90 68.00 2.85 2.85 904.00 897.50 1.29 1.29 0.97 0.97 100.20 100.00 0.4900 0.4550 0.2550 0.2400 0.325 0.310 PROPERTY 9.100 8.950 0.95 0.92 1.310 1.300 0.245 0.245

Close

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

6.03 70.4 120.00 101.50 46.75 2.26 2.32 16.6 24.15 8.48 1.79 740.00 0.440 96.35 0.95 18.50 31.00 77.95 95.20 339.6 45.85 168.3 1405.00 69.00 3.03

0.50 0.43 2.39 1.00 -0.43 -0.44 -4.92 -0.60 -3.59 2.17 6.55 2.78 -7.37 1.26 1.06 0.65 -0.16 -2.50 -0.31 -0.35 -0.33 -2.72 1.44 -0.22 0.00

265,700 13,890 2,423,990 825,140 50,400 41,000 7,000 3,900 865,000 3,000 5,000 10 860,000 5,614,630 6,000 32,200 20,300 591,840 2,320 16,320 151,000 1,043,470 615 14,330 1,000

45.3 1.65 1.1 2.13 8.23 58 19.5 24.7 62.1 1.8 11.8 20.050 11.36 8.30 9.82 24 29.05 101.5 14.10 0.4700 6.74 0.620 216.00 9.6 2.92 49.00 26.35 28.5 7.840 269.00 4.14 9.95 11.30 3.99 2.88 3.95 5.66 3.19 6.47 205 4.5 1.7 0.175 1.44 2.22 216 4.5 0.71 1.51

0.22 -0.60 1.85 0.95 0.98 3.57 2.63 12.27 -5.62 -4.76 -3.28 -4.07 -0.18 1.34 -0.81 2.56 -0.17 -0.98 0.28 0.00 1.51 0.00 0.75 -1.23 12.31 -5.77 0.96 -1.38 -0.13 -0.74 -0.48 0.00 -1.22 0.00 0.00 38.60 -4.07 10.76 4.35 -0.49 -0.22 0.59 1.74 -2.70 -0.45 -1.82 0.00 0.00 0.00

840,500 1,000 327,000 1,856,000 1,373,900 130 213,000 357,200 59,230 54,000 203,900 7,021,600 1,189,800 45,097,000 647,100 1,599,800 1,870,100 624,280 8,400 260,000 383,000 21,000 978,700 2,831,800 812,000 2,180 1,740,700 879,200 104,300 120,280 451,000 2,008,500 26,100 387,000 868,000 24,985,000 137,000 1,000 2,700 3,340 15,000 233,000 4,480,000 24,000 1,693,000 1,888,750 34,000 3,122,000 85,000

0.475 56.95 26.80 1.42 7.06 2.86 2.8 769 9.04 15.44 3.15 4.60 0.330 1296 6.28 70.00 8.8 0.78 15.72 0.67 4.96 5 0.0410 1.600 0.680 2.43 68.30 2.85 899.00 1.29 0.97 100.00 0.4650 0.2400 0.310

2.15 2.15 -0.37 1.43 0.71 9.58 9.38 -0.13 -1.09 1.58 0.00 2.22 4.76 -0.92 0.00 -0.36 0.00 6.85 -1.75 -1.47 2.06 -1.96 2.50 19.40 -6.85 0.00 0.52 1.79 -0.33 4.03 2.11 -4.67 0.00 -1.23 -6.06

20,000 1,069,240 14,405,300 19,000 44,400 986,000 55,000 457,430 8,160,500 8,395,600 5,000 28,000 6,390,000 211,465 113,000 1,676,700 4,977,400 1,376,000 831,600 252,000 40,158,000 61,000 2,200,000 2,000 89,000 2,000 811,500 3,000 460,570 1,000 377,000 9,020 7,680,000 2,650,000 1,420,000

9.070 0.93 1.300 0.245

2.14 -1.06 -0.76 0.00

3,453,800 289,000 108,000 220,000

164,603.00 110,161,025.00 35,927,415.00 145,780.00 110,161,025.00 -14,009,990.00 18 7,400.00 26,200.00 -54,119,737.50 5,700.00

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low

STOCKS

35.3 6.15 6.1 2 0.201 0.98 1.09 0.370 2.25 1.77 1.6 4.88 0.180 0.470 0.74 4.45 24.8 2.06 3.6 19.62 1.02 6.66 1.96 6.5

23.7 4.41 5 1.22 0.068 0.47 0.87 0.175 1.22 1.18 1.19 2.75 0.070 0.325 0.4 2.5 18.72 1.45 2.9 14.1 0.58 3.05 0.87 4.37

3.25 43.7 1.43 1.09 12.46 14 0.1640 4.05 71 12.3 3.28 9 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 0.92 0.59 10 8.28 0.0960 2.97 44.8 10.14 1.99 4 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

Ayala Land `B’ Belle Corp. `A’ Cebu Holdings Century Property Crown Equities Inc. Cyber Bay Corp.

Empire East Land Ever Gotesco Global-Estate Filinvest Land,Inc. Interport `A’ Megaworld Corp.

MRC Allied Ind. Phil. Estates Corp.

Phil. Realty `A’ Primex Corp.

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

High

Low

Close

37.85 4.3 5.18 0.96 0.145 0.455 0.900 0.200 1.50 1.80 1.52 5.46 0.127 0.3400 0.4850 7.44 28.95 1.77 3.16 20.20 0.84 7.41 1.040 7.500

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

37.55 37.05 37.15 4.27 4.25 4.26 5.28 5.15 5.2 0.96 0.94 0.96 0.153 0.150 0.151 0.460 0.460 0.460 0.910 0.900 0.900 0.200 0.200 0.200 1.52 1.48 1.49 1.81 1.78 1.80 1.55 1.50 1.52 5.49 5.37 5.49 0.128 0.127 0.128 0.3550 0.3400 0.3550 0.4700 0.4350 0.4700 7.61 7.27 7.38 30.65 30.30 30.40 1.79 1.77 1.78 3.20 3.15 3.20 20.35 19.86 20.20 0.85 0.83 0.84 7.25 7.41 7.16 1.140 1.030 1.100 7.700 7.380 7.700 SERVICES 7.4 7.59 6.89 6.95 62.75 63.15 62.2 62.5 1.07 1.16 1.07 1.07 0.690 0.690 0.690 0.690 14.02 14.3 14.02 14.3 10.62 10.64 10.26 10.36 0.1100 0.1100 0.1100 0.1100 3.9 3.94 3.77 3.94 86.35 87.25 86.8 87 10.6 10.5 10.5 10.5 1.79 1.67 1.67 1.67 7.33 7.30 7.17 7.20 1973 1994 1950 1984 6.62 6.62 6.50 6.58 1.57 1.62 1.56 1.57 112 112 110.8 111.5 7.00 6.51 6.50 6.50 0.014 0.014 0.014 0.014 0.275 0.280 0.270 0.270 1.2900 1.3300 1.2700 1.3000 2.68 2.68 2.52 2.68 8.70 8.80 8.69 8.69 2.00 2.02 2.00 2.02 1.4 1.43 1.32 1.32 2.29 2.30 2.28 2.30 0.700 0.690 0.650 0.660 9 9.04 8.9 8.96 0.365 0.355 0.350 0.355 0.500 0.495 0.495 0.495 18.04 18.04 18.04 18.04 4.56 4.69 4.55 4.69 3.12 3.65 3.65 3.65 107.90 107.60 106.00 107.60 13.76 13.76 13.40 13.70 2828.00 2828.00 2810.00 2828.00 0.600 0.600 0.590 0.590 1.550 1.550 1.510 1.520 40.20 40.40 39.80 40.05 88.70 89.00 84.00 84.95 10.68 10.80 10.36 10.50 0.73 0.73 0.71 0.72 7.11 7.15 7.02 7.02 0.345 0.360 0.360 0.360 1.390 1.500 1.510 1.400 MINING & OIL 0.0055 0.0056 0.0055 0.0056 2.98 2.84 2.84 2.84 9.10 9.20 9.01 9.01 10.80 10.80 10.80 10.80 0.260 0.260 0.260 0.260 1.1 1.13 1.1 1.13 0.89 0.89 0.88 0.89 8.33 8.55 8.28 8.30 2.35 2.35 2.29 2.31 0.465 0.480 0.415 0.415 0.233 0.237 0.233 0.237 0.244 0.245 0.244 0.244 0.0150 0.0150 0.0140 0.0140 0.0160 0.0150 0.0150 0.0150 5.23 5.2 5.15 5.19 28.15 28.5 28.15 28.25 4.1 4.14 3.9 3.9 0.7600 0.7700 0.7400 0.7400 2.080 2.130 2.050 2.130 0.0150 0.0140 0.0140 0.0140 7.65 7.8 7.63 7.63 2.54 2.59 2.4 2.5 0.016 0.016 0.015 0.016 159.00 159.00 157.90 158.10 4.05 4.2 4.05 4.15 0.0110 0.0110 0.0110 0.0110 PREFERRED 64.6 63.35 63 63.2 520 519.5 519 519 114.2 114.2 114.2 114.2 506 508 505 508 6.3 6.25 6.23 6.23 1.08 1.07 1.06 1.07 110 109 108.8 108.8 1085 1085 1080 1080 1040 1042 1040 1041 76.1 76.1 75.6 76.05 84 80.2 80.05 80.2 84.5 84.5 84 84 WARRANTS & BONDS 3.900 3.940 3.830 3.910 SME 7.79 7.82 7.77 7.79 78.5 79.7 78.6 79.65 10.38 10.7 10.2 10.58 EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 127.5 128.1 127 127

-1.85 -0.93 0.39 0.00 4.14 1.10 0.00 0.00 -0.67 0.00 0.00 0.55 0.79 4.41 -3.09 -0.81 5.01 0.56 1.27 0.00 0.00 -2.16 5.77 2.67

19,535,900 1,392,000 2,053,300 423,000 3,610,000 80,000 1,227,000 150,000 1,058,000 28,760,000 962,000 21,808,500 110,000 70,000 270,000 380,300 1,391,000 167,000 77,000 14,225,500 874,000 13,634,100 2,068,000 16,654,900

-171,957,050.00 -448,840.00 -9,943,596.00 -113,290.00

-6.08 -0.40 0.00 0.00 2.00 -2.45 0.00 1.03 0.75 -0.94 -6.70 -1.77 0.56 -0.60 0.00 -0.45 -7.14 0.00 -1.82 0.78 0.00 -0.11 1.00 -5.71 0.44 -5.71 -0.44 -2.74 -1.00 0.00 2.85 16.99 -0.28 -0.44 0.00 -1.67 -1.94 -0.37 -4.23 -1.69 -1.37 -1.27 4.35 7.14

877,800 -142,482.00 23,750 301,000 310,000 300 8,630,800 -50,919,694.00 8,680,000 -162,800.00 321,000 -37,900.00 988,670 -7,805,708.50 300 5,000 143,000 -57,560.00 83,985 3,107,600.00 108,100 38,000 893,570 -8,441,692.00 11,500 500,100,000 22,600,000 435,000 67,000 147,800 -717,650.00 20,000 86,000 -68,000.00 37,000 -50,600.00 246,000 20,280,800 17,660,555.00 340,000 40,000 600 12,000 10,000 24,340 41,340.00 7,100 -20,490.00 229,535 -54,926,530.00 1,602,000 6,051,000 -4,468,040.00 5,312,500 -42,605,040.00 4,789,240 89,169,926.50 4,423,100 -10,378,886.00 1,413,000 39,960.00 935,500 -3,290,141.00 40,000 22,000

1.82 -4.70 -0.99 0.00 0.00 2.73 0.00 -0.36 -1.70 -10.75 1.72 0.00 -6.67 -6.25 -0.76 0.36 -4.88 -2.63 2.40 -6.67 -0.26 -1.57 0.00 -0.57 2.47 0.00

433,000,000 3,000 1,165,800 -1,151,059.00 2,100 3,500,000 537,000 24,690.00 410,000 315,300 6,018,000 23,000.00 26,610,000 -211,000.00 7,920,000 2,800,000 43,400,000 267,800,000 276,000.00 1,736,200 4,521,200 -4,263,690.00 10,308,000 3,621,210.00 612,000 717,000 9,300,000 388,000 -1,201,373.00 398,000 12,550.00 15,000,000 555,770 1,949,367.00 8,000 1,100,000 -4,400.00

-2.17 -0.19 0.00 0.40 -1.11 -0.93 -1.09 -0.46 0.10 -0.07 -4.52 -0.59

133,510 40,000 300 10,230 74,000 1,380,000 40,000 8,170 4,900 532,950 15,210 24,000

0.26

694,000

0.00 1.46 1.93

124,700 3,580 1,832,700

39,350.00 983,128.00

-0.39

39,180

3,389,350.00

-686,860.00 19,806,520.00 28,123,291.00

MST Aboitiz Power Corp.

Agrinurture Inc. Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. Alsons Cons.

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

First Holdings ‘A’ Ginebra San Miguel Inc. Greenergy 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 1.65 Roxas and Co. 2.28 Roxas Holdings 210 San Miguel’Pure Foods `B’ 4.1 SPC Power Corp.

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.

45.2 1.66 1.08 2.11 8.15 56 19 22 65.8 1.89 12.2 20.900 11.38 8.19 9.90 23.4 29.1 102.5 14.06 0.4700 6.64 0.620 214.40 9.72 2.6 52.00 26.1 28.9 7.850 271.00 4.16 9.95 11.44 3.99 2.88 2.85 5.90 2.88 6.2 206 4.51 1.69 0.172 1.48 2.23 220 4.5 0.71 1.51

0.7 61.6 31.85 2.16 7.39 3.29 2.05 747 11.34 84 3.3 5.34 0.23 1060 7.1 59.8 6.55 0.9 19.9 0.75 5.4 5.35 0.0550 2.31 0.84 2.9 88 3.5 866 2.2 1.39 156 0.285 0.245 0.510

0.46 45.75 21.95 1.6 6.3 1.8 1.04 508 7.470 47.25 2.51 4 0.144 706 5.3 36.7 3.95 0.58 12.96 0.580 4.06 4.5 0.027 1.23 0.355 2.36 54.5 1.5 680 1.04 0.85 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 F&J Prince ‘A’ 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.

Pacifica `A’ Prime Media Hldg Prime Orion Republic Glass ‘A’ San Miguel Corp `A’ Seafront `A’ SM Investments Inc. Solid Group Inc. South China Res. Inc. Top Frontier Unioil Res. & Hldgs Wellex Industries Zeus Holdings

0.465 55.75 26.90 1.40 7.01 2.61 2.56 770 9.14 15.20 3.15 4.50 0.315 1308 6.28 70.25 8.8 0.73 16 0.68 4.86 5.1 0.0400 1.340 0.730 2.43 67.95 2.80 902.00 1.24 0.95 104.90 0.4650 0.2430 0.330

9.03 1.99 2.07 0.375

5.51 0.99 1 0.185

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

8.880 0.94 1.310 0.245

6.68 7.86 8.1 275 5.5 2.25 0.191 2.5 2.68 188.6 5.5 1.3 2.17

High

31.75 2.51 0.88 1.25 9.58 40.2 14.6 9.82 21.5 0.82 17.3 5.98 9.05 4.25 8.68 8.61 12.2 48.9 16 0.0097 2.05 0.32 150.8 8.55 2.8 16 20.35 12 10.1 246 4 11.56 9.94 4.33

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

SHARES 12,871,349 112,982,135 106,496,382 135,061,009 597,288,722 838,327,193 1,805,026,950

-25,086,462.00 91,392.00 -84,470.00 2,954,665.00 -37,991,493.00 649,325.00 -120,095.00 10,405,750.00

212,000.00

1,532,580.00

-2,071,991.00 -36,200.00 -1,085,440.00 18,835,566.00 5,087,902.00 -2,392,776.00 -1,533,888.00 -25,060.00 -34,453,675.00 -48,984,948.00 -114,210.00 105,800.00 539,660.00 51,863,006.00 16,211,337.00 145,040.00 7,125,950.00 -6,208,920.00 427,625.00 49,696.00 -1,518,110.00 -622,201.00 357,200.00 -105,620.00 -199,890.00 -438,751.00 -666,270.00

-3,440.00 1,770.00

88,566,324.00 153,000.00 -3,550.00

-16,023,105.00 -16,878,375.00

23,259,355.00 1,486,480.00 15,754,524.00

-125,399,140.00 157,100.00 -13,083,491.00 2,364,752.00 6,471,408.00

52,355,310.00

-1,540,349.50

0.87 11.46 0.435 1.6

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

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

Discovery World DFNN Inc. 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 7.78 Travellers 0.305 Waterfront Phils.

1.04 Yehey

0.0086 5.45 17.24 25 0.325 1.2 1.73 10.98

0.0028 1.72 11.48 9.43 0.225 0.5 0.76 4.93

0.46 0.455 0.730 0.024 0.026 8.2 48.85 3.35 1.030 3.06 0.023 12.88 10.42 0.042 420 9 0.016

0.385 0.3000 0.2950 0.012 0.014 1.960 14.22 1.47 0.220 1.24 0.017 7.8 6.5 0.031 123 4.3 0.0087

44.1 60 116 511 9.04 9.67

26.3 30 102 480 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

35,803,505.00 -650,120.00 162,500.00 -8,044,856.00 37,200.00

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

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

TA Petroleum United Paragon ABS-CBN Holdings Corp.

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

T op g ainerS VALUE 1,175,476,309.50 1,698,467,213.78 2,574,612,062.901 1,508,425,603.97 2,491,278,618.52 322,584,823.24 9,796,377,571.46

STOCKS

FINANCIAL 1,847.51 (up) 5.78 INDUSTRIAL 12,600.85 (down) 54.47 HOLDING FIRMS 6,980.80 (down) 20.97 PROPERTY 3,140.19 (down) 5.52 SERVICES 2,100.46 (down) 11.43 MINING & OIL 15,854.09 (down) 65.21 PSEI 7,828.94 (down) 11.55 All Shares Index 4,526.82 (down) 10.96 Gainers: 68; Losers: 112; Unchanged: 44; Total: 224

-522,350.00 33,123,785.00

-198,450.00 44,105,131.00

217,800.00 -25,556,919.00

2,672,477.00

34,260.00

-3,144,667.50

T op L oSerS Close (P)

Change (%)

STOCKS

Close (P)

Change (%)

Pryce Corp. `A'

3.95

38.60

Geograce Res. Phil. Inc.

0.415

-10.75

Prime Media Hldg

1.600

19.40

MEDCO Holdings

0.440

-7.37

Paxys Inc.

3.65

16.99

Imperial Res. `A'

6.50

-7.14

LMG Chemicals

2.92

12.31

Prime Orion

0.680

-6.85

Cirtek Holdings (Chips)

24.7

12.27

Discovery World

1.67

-6.70

Roxas and Co.

3.19

10.76

Manila Mining `A'

0.0140

-6.67

ATN Holdings A

2.86

9.58

Oriental Pet. `B'

0.0140

-6.67

ATN Holdings B

2.8

9.38

Manila Mining `B'

0.0150

-6.25

Yehey

1.500

7.14

2GO Group'

6.95

-6.08

Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp.

0.78

6.85

Zeus Holdings

0.310

-6.06

WEDNESDAY: MARCH 25, 2015

B3

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

Market declines; Jollibee, BDO up THE stock market fell slightly Tuesday, led by profit-taking on Ayala Land Inc. and Universal Robina Corp.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index slipped 11.55 points, or 0.1 percent, to 7,828.94 on a value turnover of P9.8 billion. Losers swamped gainers, 112 to 68, with 44 issues unchanged.

Ayala Land, the second-biggest property developer, declined 1.2 percent to P37.15, while URC, the largest snack food maker, dropped 1.3 percent to P216.

Robinsons Retail Holdings Inc. of airline and retail tycoon John Gokongwei sank 4.2 percent to P84.95, while Security Bank, the eighth largest lender, fell 2 percent.

Security Bank announced Tuesday changes in the top management, with long-time president and chief executive Alberto Villarosa tapped as the new chairman.

The bank said in a disclosure to the stock exchange former BPI Family Savings Bank Inc. president Alfonso Salcedo would be nominated as the new president and chief executive in place of Villarosa, who has held the position since January 2004.

Villarosa will replace Frederick Dy as the new chairman. Dy will be nominated for election as chairman emeritus, the bank said.

BDO Unibank Inc., the largest bank in terms of assets, gained 1.4 percent to P120, while Jollibee Foods Corp., the biggest fastfood chain, rose 2.1 percent to P216.

Shanghai shares, meanwhile, rose for a tenth straight session Tuesday despite weak Chinese manufacturing data, while the euro was up on hopes of a breakthrough in Greece’s bailout talks with Germany.

Comments from the US Federal Reserve’s vice chairman suggesting interest rates would rise more slowly than expected put further downward pressure on the dollar. With AFP

‘Greening’ forum. The Trade Department conducted the greening manufacturing and increasing competitiveness forum with the German government through the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zumsammenarbeit. The forum will be the venue to present and critique among and between stakeholders the results of the two ‘Greening the Industry Roadmaps’ missions initiated in 2014. Sharing their insights in the forum are Trade Undersecretaries Adrian Cristobal Jr. (second from left) and Zenaida Maglaya (third from left), DTI Assistant Secretary Rafaelita Aldaba (middle), along with (from left) GIZ country director Andreas Kalk, German Ambassador to the Philippines Thomas Ossowski and ProGED project manager Volker Steigerwald.

Jollibee set to open first store in Canada

By Jenniffer B. Austria

JOLLIBEE Foods Corp., the biggest fastfood chain in the Philippines, will open its first store in Canada this year.

Jollibee chief finance officer Ysmael Baysa said in an interview at the sidelines of the Philipine Investment Forum sponsored

by Euromoney the company was looking at Toronto as the site of its first store in Canada.

“We hope to be in Canada within the year,” Baysa said.

Jollibee also plans to open more stores in the Middle East and set foot in Japan and some parts of Europe over the next two to three years.

Rural banks supporter.

Baysa, meanwhile, said it planned to open five Dunkin Donut outlets this year in China.

Jollibee in December signed a joint venture agreement with Jasmine Asset Holdings Ltd. to operate Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants in selected territories in China.

Dunkin’ Donuts is one of the world’s largest baked foods and coffee chains, serving more than 5 million customers a day globally.

Jollibee committed to invest

Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. president Cristina Orbeta encourages rural banks to avail of PDIC’s bank strengthening programs to help them address the challenges of the changing financial landscape. She told the Annual Management Conference of the Confederation of Central Luzon Rural Banks on February 6, 2015 that the deposit insurer and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas have put in place strengthening programs to encourage mergers, acquisitions, and consolidation among rural banks and thrift banks to address their capital requirements.

$180 million in the joint venture while Jasmine would add $120 million.

Jollibee’s wholly-owned subsidiary Jollibee Worldwide Pte. Ltd. will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the business.

Jollibee plans to open 330 stores this year, including 220 in the Philippines and 110 overseas.

The company’s aggressive store rollout forms part of the P9.1-billion programmed capital spending this year.

Jollibee operates the largest food network in the Philippines with 2,301 stores as of end 2014.

Aside from its flagship brand Jollibee, the fast-food giant owns Chowking, Greenwich, Red Ribbon, Mang Inasal, and Burger

King.

It operates 612 stores overseas.

Jollibee posted a 12.7-percent increase in net income in 2014 to P5.26 billion against P4.67 billion registered in the same period a year ago.

System-wide retail sales, a measure of all sales to consumers both from company-owned and franchised stores, grew 13.3 percent in 2014 to P117.89 billion from P104.09 billion in 2013.

The sales growth in 2014 was driven by an eight percent same store sales expansion in local and overseas operations and a 5.4-percent increase in store network.

Jollibee in 2014 opened 234 stores, including 169 in the Philippines and 65 abroad.

Splash honors business partners SPLASH Corp. honored its suppliers and distributors during the 13th Annual Gawad Splash Awards to celebrate the company’s 30th aniversary this year.

Many of the awardees have been with Splash for most of its history. Accord International, one of the awardees for chemical supplier, has been a partner of Splash in the past 30 years.

Splash chairman and chief executive Rolando Hortaleza paid tribute to the contributions of the company’s business partners for the unprecedented growth of the corporation. He noted many of the awardees had been with Splash since it started as a backyard enterprise founded on a shoestring budget into the marketleading corporation it is today.

“We are celebrating our 30th year and this would not have happened without your help.

Through 30 years of our mutually beneficial partnership, we have grown together,” Hortaleza said. “With the support of our people and business partners, Splash has significantly improved its operations.”

Hortaleza said the Philippine operations enhanced its distribution capability.

“Our major brands like SkinWhite and MaxiPeel have become dominant in their markets. The positive reaction to our advertising campaigns for these two products in 2014 further improved their market position. Direct sales is becoming more efficient in accounts receivable and inventorymanagement. Food has improved its financial position by focusing on inits core markets,” he said.

Splash is the only non-multinational in the top five of the Philippine personal care sector, with dominance in three key sectors of the market: skin whitening with its SkinWhite line, exfoliants with its MaxiPeel line, and hair coloring with its Kolours line.

The awards were handed out by Hortaleza, vice chairman Rosalinda Hortaleza and president and chief operating officer Vicci Tomas.

Other winners of the Gawad Splash award for chemical suppliers were Brenntag Ingredients and Amchem Marketing Corp.

B4

BUSINESS

ADB: Economy to expand 6.4% Tetangco says 8% growth possible

By Julito G. Rada BANGKO Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. said Tuesday the economic growth target of 7 percent to 8 percent is attainable this year, given the robust domestic demand.

Tetangco said in a speech before the Euromoney Philippine Investment Forum in Makati City the low inflation would help the economy expand.

“Very broadly, we see the country continuing to grow in a stable inflationary environment. We believe liquidity is sufficiently calibrated and that it would support broad-based growth without fuelling inflation which we monitor particularly in view of policy normalization in the US,” Tetangco said.

“More specifically, the government’s target of 7 to 8 percent is attainable as domestic demand conditions remain firm and supported by improving production efficiency and robust labor market dynamics,” he said.

Tetangco said inflation expectations remained well-anchored, with the latest inflation forecasts based on a survey by Bangko Sentral and the Consensus Economics showing close to the mid-point of the target band of 2 percent to 4 percent for 2015 and 2016.

“On the banking side, we see that this will remain a reliable intermediator of funds. Given the reform agenda, the system will continue to be characterized by solid asset growth, improved quality of loans and assets, strong capitalization, and better risk management practices,” Tetangco said.

Tetangco also expressed optimism the external current account would remain in surplus as inflows from remittances, business process outsourcing revenues, as well as tourism receipts were seen to continue to grow.

He said the risks to economic expansion would come mainly from the external front. These include the uneven global economic growth, the uncertainty of the oil price path and the ambiguity of the underlying drivers of the oil price decline and the resulting divergence in monetary policy stance among major advanced

By Jennifer Ambanta

THE Asian Development Bank has retained its economic growth forecast for the Philippines at 6.4 percent this year and 6.3 percent next year.

ADB country director Richard Bolt said the economic expansion would be driven by the buoyant private consumption and solid outlook for investment and exports. The gross domestic product grew 6.1 percent in 2014.

“We are also considering the recovery in government expendi-

ture,” Bolt said.

Bolt said higher government spending pushed economic growth in the latter part of 2014, after a semester of underspending brought by the chilling effect of the Supreme Court’s ruling on Disbursement Acceleration Program.

Bolt said the bank said growth in 2016 was expected to slow to 6.3 percent due to the upcoming national elections.

“Businesses will practice some caution as to what will be the policy of the next government,” Bolt said.

Commodity prices are expected to increase as oil prices normalize, the ADB director said.

ADB senior economist Akiko Terada-Hagiwara said emerging markets or developing countries could take advantage of the lower oil prices in two ways.

“Falling oil prices present an opportunity for subsidy and reform,” he said.

Bolt said inflation rate in the Philippines was expected to remain steady at 2.8 percent this year, despite the risks of the El Nino dry spell.

He said next year, inflation was seen rising to 3.3 percent on higher global oil prices and other commodities.

“This is very well within the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ projection,” Bolt said.

ADB said it expected fiscal policy to become more expansionary, but the government’s budget deficit would remain within 2 percent of the gross domestic product in the next two years.

Enterprise awards.

Isla Lipana & Co., the Philippine member firm of the PwC global network and Benita & Catalino Yap Foundation, recognized the Ecosystems Work for Essential Benefits Inc. as the overall winner of the First Developmental Social Enterprise Awards at the Club Filipino, Greenhills, San Juan City. Shown during the awarding ceremony are (from left) BCY Foundation chairman Antonio Yap, DSE Awards jury head Senator Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, ECOWEB executive director Regina Antiquesa and PwC Philippines chairman and senior partner Alexander Cabrera.

Jobstreet lists top paying jobs for new graduates

By Othel V. Campos COLLEGE graduates with a degree in information technology can look forward to the best salaries upon joining the labor force, online employment site Jobstreet.com said in a report Tuesday.

Jobstreet.com, citing the results of the 2015 survey, said the best paying entry jobs were graduates of computer software with an average monthly salary of P23,949.

Others in the top 10 list are network/database administration with P23,080; technical/ helpdesk support, P22,289;

computer hardware, P21,371; corporate merchant banking, P21,345; legal services, P21,301; telesales/telemarketing, P20,966; nurse/medical support assistant, P20,588; sales-engineering/technical/IT, P20,265; and engineering electronics, P19,343.

The survey also identified the most in-demand jobs, including customer service, computerhardware, technical and help desk support/telesales/telemarketing, clerical/administrative assistant, general and cost accounting, human resources, banking and financial services, hotel management/tourism services and marketing.

Jobstreet.com Philippines marketing director Yoda Buyco said the nature of in-demand jobs was driven by the growth of the business process outsourcing industry.

“The growing BPO industry as well as financing and sales is driving demand for new graduates to go for these jobs,” she said.

Jobstreet.com said the results of the survey also showed that employers still preferred graduates of some schools. The top five universities in the list are University of the Philippines, University of Sto. Tomas, De La Salle University, Ateneo de Manila University

and Polytechnic University of the Philippines.

Results of the survey showed that employers modified their hiring preference to hiring new graduates with actual experience either from internship, part time job or civic work.

About 80 percent of respondent companies voted internship as their top criteria to hiring new graduates followed by grades in school while the importance of “alma mater” had progressively declined.

The study showed that employers were particular about the behavioral and functional skills of new graduates.

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

B5

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

No apology PRESIDENT BS Aquino should heed the words of his young cousin Senator Bam Aquino—no use issuing an apology over the disastrous Operation Exodus where 44 Philippine National Police Special Action Force members sacrificed their lives to have Malaysian terrorist Marwan’s finger cut off for DNA testing. No matter what he says about the tragic mission, majority of Filipinos will have difficulty believing him anyway.

Bam’s advice sounds very much like the words of Antonio Trillanes, former coup plotter turned senator turned top BS Aquino apologist, which sort of makes people feel it’s part of another script to “save” the beleaguered president.

They’re running out of excuses and people to point a finger at. First it was fired SAF chief Getulio Napeñas who got all the blame when President BS admitted before friendly religious leaders that he was fooled by the ex-SAF chief. “Pero maliwanag sa akin, binola niya ako” were the words of the president. Well, that didn’t really go down very well because it only inflamed the anger of the public that did not take lightly to being treated like a fool.

Since the “blame Napeñas” ploy did not work, the Palace spin doctors shifted gears, so the next sound byte was that Purisima disobeyed and misled President BS. Aw, shucks! He was betrayed by his the best friend he trusted! But instead of getting the sympathy of Filipinos, the whining only invited ridicule. He was fooled not only once, but twice!

But didn’t he say during his speech at last Monday’s briefing on the SLEX toll road project in Tiaong, Quezon that the Filipino is not duped by people who speak false? “Ang Pilipino po ay hindi nauuto ng mga taong hindi totoong magsalita,” were his exact closing words after a lengthy intro that blasted his critics for spreading gossip about him. (If I were the president, I would fire my speechwriter!)

Here’s one thing that is no gossip though: majority of Filipinos have lost their trust on the president according to the latest Pulse Asia survey where the president got an all-time low approval rating of 38 percent and also a record-low trust rating of 36 percent. So yeah, no need for an apology from the president. It’s too late, BS had his chances and people will have difficulty believing that he is sincere anyway.

Cebu Pacific should be firmer Actress Melissa Mendez has elevated the issue of her offloading from a Pagadian-bound Cebu Pacific flight to social media, posting screen grabs of “eyewitness” accounts to prove that her version of events was “the truth.”

Mendez and supporters are trying to use the gender card to draw sympathy and making it appear that she was browbeaten by two males, Brit-Filipino hunk Andrew Wolff and his companion by the name of Rey Pamaran. The other party, however, is insisting that it was the actress who showed bad manners, occupying the plane seat assigned to Pamaran who, when she refused to budge saying she only wanted to take cloud photos, reportedly went ballistic and threatened to hit her.

True, the woman had no business occupying somebody else’s seat (paid for, we understand) and expecting people to acquiesce to her request just because she asks nicely and she happens to be female. It really is annoying to find someone else occupying your designated seat, and acting in a manner that somehow makes you feel like it is your fault or that you are being unreasonable. On the other hand, Wolff and Pamaran didn’t have to be rude and insulting, which probably goaded Mendez into slapping one of them—creating a bigger scene.

If you ask us, Mendez, Wolff and Pamaran should have all been offloaded, along with the Cebu Pac flight attendant/s who allowed the disturbance to reach hysterical proportions. The airline should make all flight crewmembers go through seminars that would better equip them in competently handling unruly and problematic passengers so that the others will not suffer. Just imagine the irritation you would feel if you’re on a tight schedule but because a couple of passengers decide to act like jerks, the captain decides to turn back the plane.

••• 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!

Cross border deal. Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. and the Financial Services Compensation Scheme Ltd. of the United Kingdom signed an agreement on cross border cooperation on March 11, 2015 in Bogota, Colombia. The deposit insurers agreed to strengthen cooperation, promote mutual development and improvement, and support regional and global financial stability. Shown (from left) are FSCS representatives Karen Gibbons, head of policy and external affairs, and Alex Kuczynski, director of corporate affairs); and PDIC president Cristina Que Orbeta and PDIC senior vice president Ma. Ana Carmela Villegas.

SMC keen on gas pipeline contract

By Jenniffer B. Austria

CONGLOMER ATE San Miguel Corp. plans to bid for the Malampaya natural gas pipeline contract, which company president Ramon Ang describes as the deal of the century.

“For me, the most important project that [we] will be bidding for is the Malampaya gas pipeline project. That [Malampaya] is up for expiration very soon. It is going to be one of the biggest projects to be bid out by the government,” Ang said during the Philippine Investment Forum at Manila Peninsula Hotel in Makati City.

Ang described the project as the “deal of the century,” given the expected huge capital the government would raise from the bidding of the project.

“That is the biggest opportunity that is coming,” Ang said.

Malampaya is the country’s largest natural gas field, powering three power plants in the country. It is operated by Shell with a 45-percent stake, in partnership with Chevron and PNOC-EC with a 45-percent and 10-percent participating interest, respectively.

The Malampaya field is located 80 kilometers off the coast of Palawan. The processed gas is compressed and exported through a 504-kilometer pipeline to Batangas.

Once the contract expires in 2024, Shell and Chevron will transfer ownership of the gas pipeline as well as the platform to

the national government.

Ang said there would be huge potential for the project, as there are other service contracts in the area that could also use the Batangas to Palawan underground pipeline.

Meanwhile, Ang said the conglomerate remained interested in various infrastructure projects the Aquino administration would put on the auction block.

“We are hoping that the Aquino administration will bid out more projects because the momentum is already there,” Ang said.

Among the infrastructure

projects in the pipeline are the P20.1-billion Cavite Laguna Expressway project, the P123-billion Laguna Lakeshore Expressway Dike project and the bundled airport projects.

The diversified conglomerate is also looking at investing in toll road, airport and hotel projects in Mindanao to help resolve the peace and problem in the region, he said.

“San Miguel is focusing all its resources to develop nation building projects. That way we will be able help the country grow faster and better,” Ang said.

Security Bank names new chief executive

By Julito G. Rada SECURITY Bank Corp. announced Tuesday changes in the top management, with long-time president and chief executive Alberto Villarosa tapped as the new chairman.

Security Bank said in a disclosure to the stock exchange former BPI Family Savings Bank Inc. president Alfonso Salcedo would be nominated as the new president and chief executive in place of Villarosa, who has held the position since January 2004. The board is set to meet on April 28.

Villarosa will replace Frederick Dy as the new chairman. Dy will be nominated for election as chairman emeritus, the bank said.

Security Bank director Eduardo Plana signified his desire not to seek re-election while Salcedo would take his place in the board.

Dy, who had served as bank chairman for 25 years, assured customers, investors, shareholders and other stakeholders of the Dy family’s commitment and support as dominant shareholders of the bank.

“The organizational change with the step up of Abet Villarosa as chairman manifests our focus on ensuring continuity of the bank’s overall business strategy formulation and execution. The appointment of Yogi Salcedo as president and CEO, with his 30 years of experience in retail banking and finance, will serve well in reinforcing our consumer bank strategy as a third pillar to complement the Bank’s existing strengths in wholesale banking and financial markets,” Dy said.

WEDNESDAY: MARCH 25, 2015

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

MNTC sees heavy traffic

By Darwin G. Amojelar

MANILA North Tollways Corp. expects vehicle traffic at the North Luzon Expressway and Subic Clark Tarlac Expressway to increase by double digits this Holy Week.

‘TokaToka’ supporter.

The local government of San Mateo in Rizal province pledged support to Manila Water Co. Inc.’s ‘TokaToka’ program, the country’s first and only environmental initiative on used water management. The two pledged to sign an agreement promoting and raising awareness on used water management. San Mateo Mayor Jose Rafael Diaz welcomed the environmental advocacy and vowed to promote TokaToka to the entire municipality. At the signing ceremony are (from left) Manila Water executive Thomas Mattison, project delivery group director Geodino Carpio; East Zone business operations and corporate strategic affairs group director Ferdinand Dela Cruz, Diaz and Vice Mayor Cristina Diaz.

Isuzu reports encouraging sales in 2 months months of the year “reflect the [company’s] strong lineup for the ISUZU Philippines Corp. said Philippines.” the all-new Isuzu mu-X rolled “Our record only shows that out 1,500 units in January and Isuzu Philippines Corp. has a February, a sharp increase strong product lineup that is from 78 units sold year-on- made up of various vehicles with year for its predecessor, the specific purpose and offers great Isuzu Alterra. value for money. With the conIPC president Nobuo Izumi- tinued strength of the Philipna said the sales in the first two pine economy, such performance could go on as 2015 Republic of the Philippines progresses,” IzumiREGIONAL TRIAL COURT National Capital Judicial Region na said.

B r a n c h 9 9 , Q u e z o n C i t y, M e t r o M a n i l a Sales of the allIN RE: PETITION FOR JUDICIAL new Isuzu mu-X RECOGNITION OF FOREIGN D I V O R C E A N D D E C L A R AT I O N O F C A PAC I T Y T O R E M A R R Y U N D E R jumped to 941 A R T I C L E 2 6 , FA M I LY C O D E O F T H E PHILIPPINES. units in February CIVIL CASE No. R - Q Z N -14 -119 4 9 - C V from just 43 units FOR: Enforcement of Foreign Judgment on year.

G L A DY S C O N C E P C I O N R E Y E S , P e t i t i o n e r.

Released in x- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -x ORDER September 2014, Filed by Petitioner through c ounsel is a verif ied Petition for mu-X has been in J u d ic ia l R ec o g ni ti o n of F o r ei g n D i vo r c e and D ec lar ati o n of C a pac i t y to R emar r y U nder A r tic le 2 6 of the Fam i ly C o de, p r ay in g t hat af te r the market for five du e h e ar ing an d p re s e nt at i o n of all t h e r e quir e d d o c um e nt s, an o r d e r b e i s sue d: 1) re c o gnizin g t h e di vo c e d e c r e e duly i s su e d by t h e J apane s e aut h o r it i e s an d t hus r e c o gnizin g t h e s am e as months. w it h f ull fo rc e an d ef fe c t up o n p et it i o n e r ; 2) dir e c t in g t h e Lo c al

By Othel V. Campos

Ci v il Re gi st r y of Pas ay Cit y an d t h e N at i o nal S t at i st i c s O f f i c e 1 to ann ot ate up o n t h e re c o r ds of t h e m ar r i ag e c o nt r ac t b et we e n J apan e s e M as ahir o O i shi an d p et it i o n e r, t hat t h e s ai d m ar r iag e had alre ady b e e n s e r ve d by v ir tue of t h e ju di c i ally r e c o gnize d fo r e i g n di vo r c e; 3) d e c lar in g t h e p et it i o n e r w it h l e g al c apac it y to re m ar r y p ur suant to t h e p r ov i s i o ns of t h e s e c o n d par ag r ap h of S e c t i o n 2 6 of t h e Fami ly C o de of t h e Phi lip p in e s an d; 4) r e c o gnizin g t h e duly e nte re d ag re e m e nt b et we e n J apan e s e M as ahir o O i shi an d p et it i o n e r t hat t h e c usto dy ove r t h e ir c hi l d M at suko Reye s O i shi shall b e w it h t h e Fi lip in o m ot h e r.

WHEREFORE, f inding the Petition to be suf f icient in for m and substance, the Cour t ORDERS as follows: 1.) L e t t h i s c a s e b e s e t f o r h e a r i n g o n M a y 4 , 2 0 15 a t 8 :3 0 i n t h e m o r n i n g a t R o o m 210 , 2 n d F l o o r, H a l l o f J u s t i c e B u i l d i n g , Q u e z o n C i t y, o n w h i c h d a t e , p l a c e and time, any interested person is directed to appear a n d s h o w c a u s e , i f a n y, w h y t h i s p e t i t i o n s h o u l d n o t b e g r a n t e d; 2 .) L e t t h i s O r d e r b e p u b l i s h e d i n a n e w s p a p e r o f g e n e r a l c i r c u l a t i o n , o n c e a w e e k f o r t h r e e (3) c onsecutive weeks, to be chosen by raf f le pursuant to P. D. 10 9 7, a t t h e e x p e n s e o f t h e p e t i t i o n e r ; 3 .) P e t i t i o n e r i s o r d e r e d t o s e n d b y r e g i s t e r e d mail copies of the Petition, Order of hearing and its publication to MASAHIRO OISHI at his last known address and to submit to this Cour t proof of compliance t h e r e w i t h; 4 .) P e t i t i o n e r i s l i ke w i s e o r d e r e d t o f u r n i s h c o p y o f t h e p et it i o n an d t hi s inst ant O r d e r to t h e O f f i c e of t h e S o li c ito r G e ne r al, t h e O f f i c e of t h e Cit y Pr o s e c uto r of Q u ezo n Cit y, as we ll as t h e Phi lip p in e S t at i st i c s Aut h o r it y an d t h e Ci v i l Re gi st r ar G e n e r al, fo r t h e ir info r mat i o n an d ap p r o p r i ate ac t i o n an d fo r p et it i o n e r to sub mit p r o of of suc h s e r v i c e o n o r b efo re t h e date of h e ar in g.

S O O R D E R E D. Q u e z o n C i t y, M e t r o M a n i l a , D e c e m b e r 2 2 , 2 014 . ( S g d .) M A . R I TA A . B A S C O S S A R A B I A Presiding Judge ___________________ 1

Presently known as the Philippine Statistics Authority ( T S - M A R . 2 5 /A P R 1 & 8 , 2 015 )

Meanwhile, sales of the Isuzu N-Series light-duty truck increased 37.9 percent in the first two months of 2015 to 538 units from 390 units on year.

Sales in February surged 75 percent to 382 units, surpassing the 218 units in 2014.

Sales of IPC’s trucks and buses rose to 44 units from just 12 on year.

Sales of Isuzu trucks and buses increased to 34 units from just 7 units in 2014.

The brisk sales performance of the three models offset the 47 percent decline in the sales of best-seller Isuzu Crosswind AUV to 470 units from 894 units on year.

Izumina attributed the slight drop in sales on some units to the few calendar days in February and the expenses during the holiday season in 2014.

“We expect better sales from our lineup, especially to our bestselling Isuzu Crosswind AUV,” he said.

The February sales of the Crosswind decreased 53 percent to 213 units against the 451 units in same month last year.

Despite slower growth for other models, the sales strength of the mu-X, N-Series and the trucks and buses segment cushioned the performance of the D-Max pickup truck, whose sales fell 15 percent to 488 units from 575 units on year.

Sales of the D-Max pick-up truck dropped 23 percent in February this year to 243 units from 314 units in 2014.

Total sales of Isuzu rose 56 percent to 3,040 units in the first two months of 2015 from 1,949 units on year.

Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. president Ramoncito Fernandez said traffic at NLEx was expected to rise 11 percent to 200,000 vehicles daily during the Lenten season from the average of over 180,000.

MPTC is the majority owner of MNTC. Vehicle traffic at the SCTEx is expected to go up 10 percent to 15 percent from its daily average of 24,000 vehicles.

Traffic volume at the Cavite Tollways Expressway, meanwhile, is expected to be low.

Heavy traffic at the northbound lanes of NLEx and SCTEx is expected to build up in the afternoon of April 1 (Holy Wednesday) until late morning of April 2 (Maundy Thursday).

For vehicles traveling back to Manila, heavy traffic is expected to start in the afternoon of April 4 (Black Saturday) up to late evening of April 5 (Easter Sunday).

MNTC president Rod Franco said NLEX would implement a motorists program—Safe Trip Mo, Sagot Ko—to assist motorists in anticipation of the expected traffic increase in the three expressways.

SMSK motorist camps will be located in gas stations in NLEx and one fuel outlet in the Subic Freeport Expressway.

At Cavitex, SMSK motorists service camps will be located at the southbound lane before the Parañaque toll plaza and the Kawit toll plaza and at the northbound lane after Parañaque toll plaza and before the Kawit toll plaza.

Philam: Health insurance gains popularity

By Jennifer Ambanta PHILIPPINE American Life and General Insurance Co. said Tuesday health insurance is gaining popularity among clients.

Philam Life chief marketing officer Jaime Jose Javier said about one in every three insurance sold by the company was health insurance.

“This is not just a rider for their existing plan but clients buy a health insurance specifically for their health needs,” Javier said during the Health Invest Plus product launch.

He said the company was confident the insurance product would capture Filipinos aged 40 and above, especially family breadwinners.

“At age 40, this is the time that you start to worry about your health and seriously think about getting a health insurance,” Javier said.

Despite having a young population, Javier said that Philam could sustain or even expand its health insurance businesses in the Philippines.

“Yes, we believe we can sustain our sales,” he said.

With two fifths of the population aged 40 and up, Javier believes the client base can grow even further as insurance penetration rate in the country remains low.

Emily Tan-Aventura, a critical care specialist affiliated with The Medical City, said critical illnesses including heart disease, stroke and cancer could strike any individual from all walks of

life, regardless of age or lifestyle.

The treatment can cost much. The cost of heart disease, which can potentially inflict nine out of 10 Filipinos, can go as high as P1 million. The treatment of other critical illnesses like cancer, from which 11 Filipinos are being diagnosed every hour, can cost at least P700,000.

For stroke, which claims 168 lives daily, treatment cost can be as much as P14,400 a day, including doctor’s checkup, physical and speech therapies and maintenance medicines.

Kidney dialysis and transplant, meanwhile, can cost around P60,000 a month and about P1.2 million, respectively, with over 7,000 cases of kidney failure recorded in the Philippines every hour.

W e D n e s D aY : M a r c H 2 5 , 2 0 1 5

WORLD

cesar barrioquinto EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

B7

US warned on defense system Cancer scare. In this file picture taken on June 2, 2013, US actress and humanitarian campaigner Angelina Jolie poses as she arrives for the British premiere of her US actor and fiance Brad Pitt’s latest film “World War Z” in Leicester Square in central London. Angelina Jolie announced on March 24, 2015, that she has had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed over fears of cancer, following her double mastectomy two years ago. The actress, who has lost her mother, grandmother and aunt to cancer, made the announcement in an oped piece in the New York Times. AFP

Angelina Jolie has ovaries removed WASHINGTON—Hollywood megastar Angelina Jolie announced Tuesday that she has had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed over fears of cancer, following her double mastectomy two years ago.

The actress, who has lost her mother, grandmother and aunt to the disease, said she had the procedure last week after results from a blood test raised fears that she may be in the early stages of cancer.

Although later tests showed that wasn’t the case, Jolie said she chose to go ahead with the surgery because of her family history and because she carries a gene mutation that had given her a 50 percent risk of developing ovarian cancer, the same mutation that put her at 87 percent risk of developing breast cancer.

“I did not do this solely because I carry the BRCA1 gene mutation, and I want other women to hear this,” Jolie wrote in an op-ed piece in the New York Times, the same venue where she announced her double mastectomy two years ago.

“A positive BRCA test does not mean a leap to surgery,” said Jolie, who is married to fellow Hollywood heavyweight Brad Pitt.

“In my case, the Eastern and Western doctors I met agreed that surgery to remove my tubes and ovaries was the best option, because on top of the BRCA gene, three women in my family have died from cancer,” she wrote.

Her doctors said that she should have the preventive surgery about a decade before the earliest onset of cancer in her female relatives. AFP

MOSCOW—Russia on Tuesday warned the United States against sending a ballistic missile defense system to South Korea, saying it could threaten regional security.

Washington says it wants to deploy the system, known as THAAD, to South Korea as a deterrent to military provocation by North Korea.

“Such a development cannot but cause concern about the destructive influence of the United States’ global missile defense on international security,” Russia’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

“In a region where the situation is already extremely complicated in terms of security, this

could serve as another push toward an arms race in northeast Asia and further complicate any resolution of the nuclear

Notice is hereby given that Mr. Yukio Aso resigned as Director of Fil-Star Maritime Corporation. He was replaced

by Mr. Kenichi Hasegawa effective August 8, 2014 M e a nt i m e, M s. Ro r i t z J. D e Ve r a a n d M s. A lm a G .

L ac samana resigned from their post effective March, 2015 T hi s n ot i c e i s i n c o m p li a n c e w i t h t h e S e c t i o n 12, Rul e II , B o o k II of t h e Rev i s e d P O E A Rul e s a n d Re g ul at i o ns. ( T S - M A R . 2 5 , 2 015 )

REPUBLIKA NG PILIPINAS

REPUBLIKA NG PILIPINAS

LUNGSOD NG MAKATI

Bids and Awards Committee

Bids and Awards Committee

J.P. Rizal St. corner F. Zobel St., Makati City Tel. No. 870-1000 Fax No. 899-8988 www.makati.gov.ph

J.P. Rizal St. corner F. Zobel St., Makati City Tel. No. 870-1000 Fax No. 899-8988 www.makati.gov.ph

INVITATION TO BID

INVITATION TO BID

NO.

NAME OF PROJECT AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

IMPLEMENTING OFFICE

APPROVED BUDGET FOR THE CONTRACT (ABC)

NO.

NAME OF PROJECT AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

IMPLEMENTING OFFICE

APPROVED BUDGET FOR THE CONTRACT (ABC)

1

Security Services at Makati City Hall Compound for year 2015 Security Services at Ospitalng Makati for year 2015

GSD

P20,186,336.05

1

DEP-ED

P2,537,174.00

GSD

P13,926,159.22

ACU and other materials for replacement use at Jose Magsaysay, Nicanor Garcia, Makati, Bangkal Main and Bangkal Elementary Schools

2

16 units Brand New Patrol Motorcycles for the use of Makati Action Center

MAC

P3,920,000.00

3

Musical Production (Concert Series) for year 2015

MSWD

P3,220,000.00

DEPW

P2,520,000.00

DEP-ED

P30,878,222.50

DEP-ED

P10,196,070.00

OSMAK

P7,721,318.59

2

Security Services at Makati Parks and Garden, DEPW I & II, Makati Aqua Sports Arena and East Rembo Junkyard for year 2015

3

GSD

P9,123,941.19

4

Security Services at Makati Youth Homes for year 2015

GSD

P2,403,427.17

5

Janitorial Services at Makati City Hall Compound for year 2015

GSD

P11,692,488.19

6

Janitorial Services at Ospitalng Makati for year 2015

GSD

P11,466,647.21

7

Maintenance of Makati Aqua Sports Arena (MASA) for year 2015

GSD

P2,403,844.27

3.

4.

5.

6.

5

6

The MAKATI CITY GOVERNMENT, through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), invites interested bidders to apply for eligibility and to bid for the above projects, with Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) indicated, inclusive of all taxes, such as, but not limited to, value added tax (VAT), income tax, local taxes and other fiscal levies.

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using a nondiscretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines, and to citizens or organizations of a country the laws or regulations of which grant similar rights or privileges to Filipino citizens, pursuant to RA 5183 and subject to Commonwealth Act 138.

A complete set of Bidding Documents will be available one (1) day after posting / publication of the above projects up to Closing Date (before the deadline of the submission of bids),weekdays only from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. from the address below and upon payment of a non-refundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount stated on the issued order of payment to the City Government of Makati Cashier.

The BAC will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on March 31, 2015 (02:00 P.M.) at Pio del Pilar Conference Room, 21st floor, New Makati City Hall Building, F. Zobel Street, Brgy. Poblacion, Makati City to discuss Eligibility Requirements and the Technical and Financial Components of these projects. However, only those interested Bidders who have purchased the Bidding Documents are allowed to raise and submit queries or clarifications regarding the Bidding Documents.

Deadline of Submission of Bids shall be on or before April 16, 2015 (02:00 P.M.), at Pio del Pilar Conference Room, 21st floor, New Makati City Hall Building, F. Zobel Street, Brgy. Poblacion, Makati City.

7.

Bids will be opened in the presence of the Bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the said address. All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18. Late bids shall not be accepted.

8.

The MAKATI CITY GOVERNMENT reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process, to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, or to reduce the corresponding ABC and Terms of Reference (TOR), without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

For further information, please visit or contact: BAC SECRETARIAT OFFICE Makati City Government 9th Floor, New Makati City Hall Building F. Zobel Street, Brgy.Poblacion, Makati City Tel. No. 870-1000 loc. 1331; Fax No. 899-8988 website: www.makati.gov.ph

Sterile Surgical Blades and other medical supplies for the use of Ospitalng Makati

7

1.

The MAKATI CITY GOVERNMENT, through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), invites interested bidders to apply for eligibility and to bid for the above projects, with Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) indicated, inclusive of all taxes, such as, but not limited to, value added tax (VAT), income tax, local taxes and other fiscal levies.

Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at Bid Opening.

2.

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

3.

Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines, and to citizens or organizations of a country the laws or regulations of which grant similar rights or privileges to Filipino citizens, pursuant to RA 5183 and subject to Commonwealth Act 138.

4.

A complete set of Bidding Documents will be available one (1) day after posting / publication of the above projects up to Closing Date (before the deadline of the submission of bids),weekdays only from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. from the address below and upon payment of a non-refundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount stated on the issued order of payment to the City Government of Makati Cashier.

5.

The BAC will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on March 31, 2015 (02:00 P.M.) at Pio del Pilar Conference Room, 21st floor, New Makati City Hall Building, F. Zobel Street, Brgy. Poblacion, Makati City to discuss Eligibility Requirements and the Technical and Financial Components of these projects. However, only those interested Bidders who have purchased the Bidding Documents are allowed to raise and submit queries or clarifications regarding the Bidding Documents.

6.

Deadline of Submission of Bids shall be on or before April 14, 2015 (02:00 P.M.), at Pio del Pilar Conference Room, 21st floor, New Makati City Hall Building, F. Zobel Street, Brgy. Poblacion, Makati City.

Opening of Bids shall be on April 16, 2015 (02:00 P.M.), at Pio del Pilar Conference Room, 21st floor, New Makati City Hall Building, F. Zobel Street, Brgy. Poblacion, Makati City.

(TS-MAR. 25, 2015)

Supply and Installation of Elevator Variable Voltage Regulator and Power Filter System for Makati City Hall New Building Elevators (A, B, Scenic and Executive) Notebooks for the use of Kindergarten, Elementary and High School Pupils/Students of various schools of Dep-Ed Makati Pad Papers for the use of Kindergarten, Elementary and High School Pupils/Students of various schools of Dep-Ed Makati

4

Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at Bid Opening.

2.

Cold- War ally North Korea.

Moscow and Pyongyang have named 2015 a “year of friendship” between the two countries and the Kremlin says reclusive leader Kim JongUn is set to make his first official trip abroad to visit Russia’s World War Two victory commemoration in May. AFP

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC

LUNGSOD NG MAKATI

1.

issues on the Korean peninsula,” the statement said.

China has also already warned that deployment of the system would undermine peace and stability in the region.

Faced with growing isolation from the West over the Ukraine crisis, Russia has moved to bolster ties with former

Opening of Bids shall be on April 14, 2015 (02:00 P.M.), at PiodelPilar Conference Room, 21st floor, New Makati City Hall Building, F. Zobel Street, Brgy. Poblacion, Makati City.

7.

Bids will be opened in the presence of the Bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the said address. All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18. Late bids shall not be accepted.

8.

The MAKATI CITY GOVERNMENT reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process, to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, or to reduce the corresponding ABC and Terms of Reference (TOR), without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

For further information, please visit or contact: BAC SECRETARIAT OFFICE Makati City Government 9th Floor, New Makati City Hall Building F. Zobel Street, Brgy.Poblacion, Makati City Tel. No. 870-1000 loc. 1331; Fax No. 899-8988 website: www.makati.gov.ph (SGD.) MS. VISSIA MARIE P. ALDON Chairperson

(SGD.) MS. VISSIA MARIE P. ALDON Chairperson (TS-MAR 25, 2015)

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

B8

CESAR bARRioquiNto EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

world

Practice session.

Julianne Seguin and Charlie Bilodeau of Canada perform during a practice session in the Pairs program of the 2015 ISU World Figure Skating Championships at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai on March 24. AFP

US, Japan base row in Okinawa worsens TOKYO—A row over a controversial US military base on the Japanese island chain of Okinawa worsened Tuesday as Tokyo dug in its heels after the local governor ordered a halt to construction.

The central government insisted work was carrying on as usual at the sparsely populated coastal site chosen as the replacement for the Futenma Air Station, which sits in a crowded urban area.

“We do not believe there is any reason to stop the work at this point,” said top government spokesman Yoshihide Suga.

“The government will continue the drilling survey as planned, while paying full attention to the environment.”

The defense ministry in Okinawa has filed an appeal against the governor’s stoppage order, an official said.

Tokyo’s hardening stance came after anti-base governor Takeshi Onaga said Monday that coral just outside the target zone at the site on the island’s northeast coast had been damaged and said work had to stop.

The brouhaha is the latest development in a nearly twodecade row.

Around half of the 47,000 US servicemen stationed in Japan as part of a security treaty are based in Okinawa and the relocation of the base has become emblematic of local feelings that the island chain shoulders too much of the burden of hosting the American military.

The once-independent kingdom of Okinawa was annexed by Japan in the 19th century and was under US control from the end of World War II in 1945 until 1972.

While most Japanese value the protection the US alliance gives them, especially in the context of Beijing’s growing regional assertiveness, a sizable proportion of Okinawans want a dramatic reduction in their numbers.

The shuttering of Futenma and the opening of a replacement base at Nago, 50 kilometers away, was first agreed in 1996 as the US sought to soothe local anger after the gang-rape of a schoolgirl by servicemen. AFP

US, Afghan leaders discuss withdrawal CAMP DAVID—President Barack Obama is to meet Tuesday with his Afghan counterpart Ashraf Ghani, who has asked Washington for “flexibility” on the pace of US troop withdrawals from the war-torn country.

With the end of the USled NATO combat mission in 2014, Afghan forces have taken over responsibility for security across the nation, still wrestling with a resilient Taliban insurgency.

With the spring fighting season looming, Ghani has asked for some flexibility as the US prepares to pull out the remaining 10,000 American troops by the end of 2016, drawing them down to about 5,500 by the end of this year.

Obama is “actively consider-

ing that request,” Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters Monday, after a day of talks in the presidential woodland retreat of Camp David in Maryland.

The two countries turned the page on years of distrust Monday, mapping out a new vision for future ties as Washington promised to fund Afghan forces through 2017 to help shore up stability.

Hailing a day of “productive talks,” Kerry said the two countries shared “a commit-

ment to security and peace and a desire to promote prosperity and social progress.”

Earlier, Ghani warmly thanked US troops for more than a decade of sacrifice since the 2001 toppling of a Taliban government by a US-led invasion.

“We do not now ask what the United States can do for us.

We want to say what Afghanistan will do for itself and for the world,” said Ghani, turning around a famous phrase of former US leader John F. Kennedy.

“And that means we are going to put our house in order,” he told soldiers and senior US officials at a Pentagon ceremony on his first official visit to Washington.

In a stark reminder of the violence still racking Afghanistan, gunmen killed 13 bus passengers in a province close

to Kabul early on Tuesday.

On Tuesday, before meeting Obama, Ghani will head to Arlington National Cemetery, where many of the 2,300 US troops killed in Afghanistan are buried.

The issue of troops is set to top the White House talks.

Ghani diplomatically refused to be drawn when asked how many soldiers he would like to see remain.

“The question on numbers is a decision for the president of the United States, and that decision will solely be made

by President Obama,” Ghani said.

It was a new tone compared to that heard from former Afghan president Hamid Karzai, who had a tempestuous relationship with Obama and repeatedly criticized US officials for what he called interference in his country. AFP

Woman on death row cleared of killing son

Final touches. An Indian artist puts the final touches on

statues of the Hindu Gods Lord Rama, brother Lakshman, wife Sita and devotee Hanuman at a workshop in Hyderabad on March 24, ahead of the Sri Rama Navami Festival. Sri Rama Navami, which will be held on March 28, celebrates both the birth of Rama and his wedding to Sita. AFP

WASHINGTON—A woman who spent 23 years on death row in the United States over the killing of her young son saw her murder charge dismissed Monday and the case against her closed.

Debra Milke, 51 and of German origin, had always maintained her innocence in the fatal shooting of her son in 1990 in Arizona. The boy was aged just four and was shot in the back of the head.

Milke had been sentenced to death based on the uncorroborated testimony of a senior

investigator who claimed to have a confession from Milke, but who had a long history of misconduct.

Milke, who has been on bail since 2013, becomes the 151st person—but just the second woman—to be exonerated of the death penalty in four decades in the United States.

After spending more than two decades languishing on death row, Milke’s conviction was overturned two years ago by a court of appeal because of the “egregious” conduct of the lead investigator.

On March 17, the Supreme Court of Arizona refused to hear the final appeal of the prosecution and Judge Rosa Mroz dropped all the charges Monday.

According to the detective, Armando Saldate, the divorced mother had confessed to hiring two killers to murder her son because she no longer wanted him around, but there were no independent witnesses.

The detective had a long history of accusations against him of corruption and lying under oath, but that was never

revealed to the court by prosecutors, according to the nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center or DPIC. “Arizona’s prosecutors have been accused of misconduct in more than half of all cases in which the state has imposed death sentences.” the DPIC said.

Separately, the two men, Roger Scott and Jim Styers, pleaded guilty and were sentenced to death for the murder of the boy.

They are still on death row in Arizona. AFP

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BAMBINA OLIVARES WISE EDITOR

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

LUXURY

IS THIS THE WORLD’S MOST VALUABLE TIMEPIECE? Graff unveils The Fascination at Baselworld 2015 ➜ Turn to C3

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

LUXURY

WATCH OUT Gucci timepieces and the founder and CEO of i.am+ will.i.am announce special partnership for the development of innovative wearable device concept at baselworld 2015

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n the occasion of the 2015 edition of Baselworld, the watch industry’s leading international trade fair, Gucci Timepieces is pleased to announce a special partnership with i.am+ for the development of an innovative concept in terms of wearable technology.

Stéphane Linder, President and CEO of Gucci Timepieces, said during the announcement: “Today, through this innovative collaboration with i.am+ and will.i.am, Gucci Timepieces is fully embracing the future of wearable technology that is now ahead of us, with the objective of launching a wearable device concept that is a fashion accessory, incorporating the most comprehensive and advanced technological functionalities.“ Will.i.am commented, “i.am+ and Gucci Timepieces are setting the pace with our vision for a untethered wearable. In creating a device that is both fashionable and technologically advanced, we aim to define this category. I coined the term “fashionology”…a merging of the worlds of fashion and technology, and that is exactly what this collaboration with Gucci represents.”

The device will operate as a completely stand alone smartband, untethered from any smartphone. Functionalities will include: the ability to make and receive phone calls, send and receive text messages and emails, music, maps, calendar, fitness and a sophisticated personal assistant activated by voice command. Details regarding pricing, distribution, and launch timing will be announced in due course.

SPARKLE WITH MILADAY One of the most successful and respected jewellery establishments in the country since its founding in 1966, Miladay Fine Jewels crafts timeless pieces of jewellery with elegance and style.

A pair of earrings could be yours for free when you use your Citi Credit Card. With Citi Credit Cards, you can get one for free from Miladay when you spend at least P50,000 at the store and avail of 0% PayLite of up to six months.

BAMBINA OLIVARES WISE EDITOR

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

LIFE

BAMBINA OLIVARES WISE EDITOR

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

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THE FASCINATION

BY ED BIADO

It’s quite an understatement really to call the latest masterpiece from British jeweler Graff Diamonds “The Fascination.” The magnificent convertible bracelet is so much more than just fascinating. It’s also excessive, innovative and ultraexpensive.

Netting at $40 million, The Fascination is a “highly sculptural” bracelet and timepiece in one with a detachable ring. Constructed using 152.96 carats of white diamonds, the piece incorporates an interchangeable element that can be worn as the centerpiece of the bracelet or as a separate ring when placed into a bespoke shank.

The stunning and rare D Flawless pear-shaped diamond measures a whopping 38.13 carats.

“Adding further intrigue and in an exemplary showcase of design ingenuity, an elegant diamond watch face can be inserted into the bracelet, creating an opulent jeweled timepiece,” Graff says on its Web site. This is not only a demonstration of design sensibilities, but also of mastery of the art of gem-setting.

“We are inspired by the rarest and most precious diamonds—their influence is evident throughout everything we do. The Fascination is an outstanding piece, carefully crafted so it can be worn in a number of different ways, adding a touch of magic to the jewel,” enthuses Graff Diamonds founder and chairman Laurence Graff.

The Fascination, unveiled at Baselworld 2015, is billed as the world’s most valuable transformable piece of jewelry.

At the same event, Graff introduced another transformable piece—the Sapphire and Diamond “Secret” Tassel Brooch, which can be worn as a single piece, as two individual brooches or as a single brooch with tassel. The tassel conceals the pavé diamond watch face suspended from a delicate platinum chain. The arrangement uses 40.62 carats of diamonds and 332.13 carats of sapphires.

Graff is no stranger as well to designing opulent outof-this-world bejeweled—or as they like to call them, fabulous—timepieces. During last year’s Baselworld, the jeweler displayed Hallucination, a multicolored quartz piece made with 110 carats of rare candy-colored diamonds. Valued at $55 million, it was claimed to be the “most valuable watch ever created.”

DESIGN

TALKING DESIGN

WITH NATHAN TURNER & MARY MCDONALD

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he stars of Million Dollar Decorators talked design, travel and searing temperatures during a visit to the Philippines. They were in the country as guests of honor at the Philippine International Furniture Show.

Adorably candid and visibly impressed by what they’d experienced thus far, they sipped orange cordials and chatted about everything under the sun.

ON INTRAMUROS MARY: We took a tour of Old Manila yesterday – Intramuros— which I have to say we loved, Nathan and I. I mean, we love architecture, we love anything historical. I like anything from the past – that’s fascinating to me. Because in my mind, I’m thinking, how did you build this without modern technology.

Intramuros was really beautiful, but we only had a few hours there. We could have done that for a few days, to be honest.

NATHAN: I loved Intramuros! I could have spent several days there, for real. It was really, really beautiful.

That’s where I would love to live, in one of those great stone houses.

MARY: Yes, but we were told, no one wants to live there, it’s dirty and dusty…

NATHAN: Yes but I would love to get my hands on one of those buildings MARY: We’d be those guys who lived in Intramuros…

NATHAN: That would be so cool.

It’s exceptional! What do they call them? Bahay na bato? The stone foundations with the wood…

MARY: So glamorous! Back in the day… things were so elegant! All wealthy people were elegant and the rest were peasants!

We were saying, in that old town, and especially that church (San Agustin) – we’ve both been to Buenos Aires, and it reminds us a little bit of Argentina, you know, this Baroque Spanish influence, very European and very Baroque.

ON THE HEAT NATHAN: Yesterday was nice, we were so lucky.

MARY: I’ve been to India in June, so that was the hottest I’ve ever been.

NATHAN: It was actually really cool yesterday. Because I’ve spent a lot of time in Singapore and Jakarta and it gets really hot.

ON TRAVELS SEEPING INTO WORK NATHAN: It’s subtle. It could come out in, like, a year and a half. I’ll be thinking about something, and I’ll remember, oooh that thing I saw… I store things mentally. That’ why I love travelling so much, you’re always picking up details and educating yourself and exposing yourself to thing s you wouldn’t have normally seen.

MARY: If you just happen to be working on something that somehow jibes with all the arts that were available here, you know, if you sort of happen to be working on, say, some beachy hotel, then I would say you would put it to use immediately. But I would say 9 times out of 10, you’re working on someone’s very formal home…

NATHAN: But I feel like there are elements you could put in immediately, like furniture or accessories.

MARY: You can. It just depends on what you’re working on.

ON THEIR SPECIFIC STYLES MARY: We are kind of known for a certain style, each of us.

We each have books out, and licensing deals… I have to say that I’m a little more formal, like glamorous – I have that word – but you know NATHAN: I’m more American, a bit Ralph Lauren-y. American, beachy, Hampton-y.

ON THE SHOW NATHAN: Doing the show takes months. Like 6-7 months for minutes of TV. It’s not every day, but it’s still a lot.

MARY: I think it’s supposed to be 10 to 1, but I think it’s more like 20 to 1: 20 hours of tape for one hour of the show. Then they might decide that storyline was boring and not air it.

ON WHAT MADE THE WHOLE IDEA OF A TV SHOW SO APPEALING MARY: I don’t know if it was appealing!

NATHAN: It just kind of happened and we were, like, Alright! We were just asked to do it and we were like, oh, why not?

MARY: Yes, that’s kind of what happened. But actually it’s been very helpful. Helpful if you’re selling something bigger that just one-on-one…books, products, a lifestyle – we have that-NATHAN: You can’t dismiss the name recognition as well that comes with the show.

I love working in Asia a lot, and that’s happened because of the show. So that’s cool.

MARY: It gave us a wider audience.

NATHAN: I love working in Asia a lot, and that’s happened because of the show. So that’s cool.

MARY: It gave us a wider audience.

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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

SCENES FROM A SHOW Baselworld 2015 opens in Basel, Switzerland

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aselworld is universally recognized as THE one unmissable global event for watches, jewellery and all related sectors. An indispensable platform for the industry, it is unique in uniting all key players from the world of watches and jewellery, diamonds, gemstones, pearls and machines and supplies under one roof, Baselworld draws every year 150,000 professionals to Basel who attend to feel the pulse, discover new trends and buy the latest creations from the 1,500 brands. Being at the heart of whole industry, Baselworld spreads its

message throughout the entire world, reinforcing its worldwide leadership position year after year. The show untiringly defends this enviable position, moving forward every year, improving facilities and impact, and never ceasing to innovate to meet the constantly evolving requirements. According to Ms Sylvie Ritter, Managing Director of Baselworld, “the attractiveness and buzz that this sector creates go on growing,” and equally importantly, “the attraction for consumers and the interest of the media are unceasing.”

Running from 19-26 March, 2015, Baselworld was formally opened by

PHOTOS COURTESY BASELWORLD

Swiss Federal Councillor Johann Schneider-Ammann, who emphasized that Baselworld plays a key role in celebrating a vital Swiss industry.

He praised watchmaking as an art, declaring that “With the invention of the mechanical clock, time was, in the true sense of the word, turned into an art. An art that is driven to ever higher peaks – in precision, in technological ingenuity and in ever-evolving aesthetic forms.” As the minister responsible for the business research, innovation

and labour, Mr Schneider-Ammann affirmed the importance of the industry for Switzerland by describing how it has developed into a uniquely strong economic force, which now boasts more than 500 companies that provide more than 50,000 people with a livelihood. “I am of course proud that Switzerland is one of the most important centres of art and that Baselworld celebrates this with due solemnity,” said Mr. Schneider- Ammann by way of conclusion.

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SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

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FALL IN LOVE ALL OVER AGAIN

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wo parallel love stories converge in the upcoming romantic movie, The Longest Ride, based upon Nicholas Sparks’ novel of the same title.

Starring Scott Eastwood, Britt Robertson, Jack Huston, Alan Alda, and Oona Chaplin, the movie tells of intersecting love stories that eventually converge.

Directed by George Tillman, The Longest Ride is unlike the usual Hollywood love story, exploring what it takes to make relationships work, with all the complications and sacrifice involved. It is authentic and moving, but also action packed and dramatic with a great plot and terrific acting. Visually arresting and breathtaking, the film moves seamlessly back and forward from the present day to the 40s, 50s and beyond.

The film follows a contemporary love story where Sophia (Britt Robertson), an art student meets Luke (Scott Eastwood), a bull rider. Their own relationship blossoms and they form a friendship with Ira Levinson, a North Carolina man reminiscing about the wife he lost years ago, while convalescing from a serious car crash. The film goes back to 1940 and we follow the young Ira (Jack Huston) as he meets and falls in love with Ruth (Oona Chaplin), a beautiful, free spirited Austrian immigrant. They have powerful chemistry but little else in common. Their relationship is tested when Ira goes off to fight in World War II and returns a changed man, but still in love with the woman of his dreams.

The Longest Ride opens in cinemas on April 15 nationwide from 20th Century Fox disstributed by Warner Bros.

‘The Longest Ride’ is unlike the usual Hollywood love story, exploring what it takes to make relationships work, with all the complications and sacrifice involved. It is authentic and moving, but also action packed and dramatic with a great plot and terrific acting

Britt Robertson and Scott Eastwood in Nicholas Spark’s romantic novel now a film, The Longest Ride

PLDT AND DISNEY INTERACTIVE PARTNERSHIP

PLDT partners with Disney to bring entertainment via Telpad. At the launch (left) Patrick Tan, head of Telpad, Gary Dujali , head of Home Marketing, with a model as Disney princess, and Danica Sotto Pingris with her kids. Below, Mickey Mouse image on Telpad screen.

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LDT HOME Telpad, the world’s first and only landline, tablet and broadband in one, puts kids in the forefront of their new campaign that centers on a ground-breaking partnership with Disney Interactive, the digital arm of one of the most beloved brands in the world.

“We only not provide strongest connections at home with connectivity, but we also want to strengthen relationships, build connections amongst family members,” said Gary Dujali, PLDT Head of Home Marketing, during the recent launch of the PLDT HOME – Disney Interactive partnership that featured fun activities for kids and an afternoon screening of Disney’s live action movie Cinderella for the whole family.

“And when the kids are happy, the family is happy. We’ve devoted a campaign just for them; we want to give kids reason to love the Telpad,” he added.

Recognizing the power of kids in the age of connectivity and their endless appetite for interactive content, PLDT HOME has become the digital hub for them

to enjoy an amazing array of content not just from Disney; soon, it will also carry content from its subsidiaries like Pixar, home to such beloved titles as Toy Story, Cars and many others; Marvel, the universe that brought us The Avengers and other superhero favorites; and Lucas Arts, the video games developer best known for the Star Wars franchise.

“Disney’s suite of interactive and family-friendly content is an ideal fit for PLDT HOME Telpad, which is the centerpiece of the digitally connected Filipino home,” noted Ariel P. Fermin, PLDT executive vide president and head of HOME business.

The activities provided by the PLDT HOME Telpad would serve as a common ground for a bonding experience between parents and their children.

The recent launch introduced the Disney Kiddie Package for Telpad subscribers, which can be availed for only P199 a month.

“It includes the limited edition Disney Telpad skin; two premium games per month you can download for free; access to

thousands of games available on website; and a seven-day speed boost on your DSL plan every month,” PLDT Vice President of Home Voice Solutions Patrick Tan explained.

For now, Telpad subscribers who upgrade to a Disney package can enjoy movie spin-off games like “Frozen Free Fall” and “Toy Story Smash It” that can be accessed on the PLDT HOME Telpad’s Disney widget.

Nighttime also becomes a bonding moment with a bit of story time before parents tuck their kids to bed, with hundreds of Disney electronic and interactive e-books on the Telpad.

And as a personalized bonus, the Telpad comes with limited edition Disney-themed skins subscribers can regularly update. It features Disney’s beloved and iconic character Mickey Mouse and, soon, Cinderella and The Avengers.

Enjoy the Disney interactive experience now with the PLDT HOME Telpad. For more information, log on to www. pldthome.com/telpad.

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SHOWBITZ

EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

COCO’S SECRET TO HIS SUCCESS

BY LEO BUKAS

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f success can be a Pinoy celeb name, many would probably end up with four letters right away. There’s Nino, then Kris, or perhaps Pops.

I can do it in just two with the letters C and O repeated.

There’s no success story more aweinspiring than Coco Martin’s.

Just exactly how big is he? Well, the award-winning actor has been sashaying again between the big and the small screens as a lead actor of a weekly fantasy series Wansapanataym Presents: Yamashita Treasures with favorite leading lady Julia Montes, and wrapping up work for You’re My Boss with Toni Gonzaga. The movie, produced by Star Cinema, will be shown on Black Saturday.

We have personally known Rodel Nacianceno (Coco’s real name) when he was still in high school. We recall he’d been doing this seesaw schedule, so simultaneous shoots are nothing new to him.

What his formula for success? “‘Yung pagmamahal at pagtanaw ko sa pamilya ko siguro (My love and care for family, I guess),” Coco says.

Coco doesn’t hide that fact he came from a broken family; or the pain it brought him.

“Naging motivation ko ‘yang experience ko na ‘yan sa family namin. (That was motivation, that experience in my family),” he points out. “Galing na kami sa pagkakalugmok na ‘yun, e, so naisip ko, mapatikim man lang sa kanila ang isang magandang buhay (We were in the mire of poverty, so I thought I could make them feel a better life.)”

And now that he is a household name, he makes sure that he takes on anything and everything his craft can offer to reach that goal. He is relentless. He works hard. He’s smart. He saves every penny he earns. Coco lets the fruits of his labor be ripe enough, before he can serve it.

The Jin Liang Provincial Art Troup is thrilling audiences in the provinces. They were in Batangas City recently

After years of waiting, Coco bought a lot, then two, three, and built a mansion for his family—his father, his mother, his siblings and his grandmother who made sure did not he finished his studies.

Nothing really comes close to the actor’s dedication to his family members.

“Ngayong magkakasama-sama na sila, ay masayang-masaya na ako at ito na ang masasabi kong pinakamalaking achievement sa buhay ko, daig pa siguro ‘yung feeling ko na nanalo ako ng first acting award ko (Now that they are all together, I am very happy and I think this is the biggest achievement I have ever accomplished, more than the first acting award I got.”

Coco knows that this love of his for his family is the source of his greatest blessings. So deep that even after building a mansion for them, the actor transferred the rights to his other land properties to his brood.

But it did not stop there. Coco promised himself that his family would have a business of its own. In that way, he’d l see them busy and helping them fend for themselves.

Coco Martin says his family comes first

CHINESE PROVINCIAL ART TROUPE IN BATANGAS CITY

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he Jilin Provincial Art Troupe, a multi-arts group from north eastern China, performed before at the Batangas City Convention Center recently as part of the celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the Philippines – China Diplomatic Relations.

The group’s performance tour consisted of different presentations from Chinese excerpts of stories, dramas, adapted through dances, traditional music, opera performance and other art forms.

The Troupe’s performances were made possible through the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic of China in cooperation with the Cultural Center of the Philippines through its Cultural Exchange Department, Department of Foreign Affairs, City Government

CROSSWORD PUZZLE 46 49 50 51 52 53 57 59 60 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73

Beach sidler Point Make candles Poop out Rx givers Shogun’s warriors Zenith Site Broths Settled down Play charades Snake plate Beaujolais, e.g.

Greenspan Like a wolf’s howl Must-have Rookie Faked out the goalie

ANSWER FOR PREVIOUS PUZZLE ACROSS 1 Seafood garnish 6 Part of CD 10 Footfall 14 Came around 15 Job-safety org.

16 Pretend to be 17 Hindu kingdom 18 Uniform 19 A law — itself 20 Lord — (Tarzan) 22 Groom carefully

ISAH V. RED

23 24 26 29 31 32 33 34 38 40 42 43

Carnaby Street locale Mocks or knocks Twitch Leaf juncture Carioca’s home Famous numero Took legal action Talisman — monster Umbrella spoke Eighteen-wheeler Pony pad

DOWN 1 Ger. or Fr. 2 Aquarius’ tote 3 Be gloomy 4 Rubber-stamps 5 Wrestling holds 6 Well-meaning sort (hyph.)

7 Ms. Dinesen 8 Destroy a document 9 Hack 10 Bogus 11 Firmed up, as muscles 12 Helena rival

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Unskilled workers Quaker pronoun Strait-laced Epoch Barge pushers Monogram pt.

Burger mate Royal decree Soft metal Mideast VIP Reid and Holt Took hostage “Achtung Baby” producer (2 wds.)

Onetime Trevi Fountain coins Cabinet dept.

Orbit segments Perplexed Lay upstream Kate’s sitcom friend Coon cat origin With no warmth Banquet host Sharif of the movies “— my words!”

Newsman — Abel Future flower Bathroom item

of Batangas, National Parks Development Committee, Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce & Industry, Inc. and The Theatre at Solaire.

The Luzon leg of the performances of the group began on March 1 at the Rizal Park Open-Air Auditorium, the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Main Theater, and at The Theatre at Solaire Resort and Casino.

In the Visayas region, troupe performed at the White Gold Club, Cebu City and in Davao at the SMX Convention Center, Lanang Davao City.

Jilin Provincial Art Troupe is composed of selected best performers from all across Jilin Province. Its programs represent the highest level of Jilin stage art. The group has been in the spotlight of the Spring Festival Gala produced by the China Central

Television (CCTV) for 17 consecutive years, becoming one of the famous art brands in China. In recent years, Jilin Province has been striving to build brands of folk songs and dances, Jilin Opera and other stage art programs with local and ethnic features.

The group has performed in worldclass art halls in Russia, France, Italy, USA, South Korea, North Korea, Mongolia, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. The said troupe represented China in the art competition in Kazakhstan, international dance festivals in Turkey and Jordan, special art performances of informal meetings of leaders of APEC, at the Shanghai Grand Theater to perform for People’s Republic of China president Xin Jinping and 46 other leaders of states and international organizations.

PHOTOS BY RAUL ASIS CCP)

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SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

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WILLIE REVILLAME IS BACK ON TV Atty. Felipe Gozon, Gilberto R. Duavit, Jr., and Felipe S. Yalong were there.

BY NICKIE WANG Although the contract does not make Willie an exclusive talent of the Kapuso network, Atty. Gozon Are you ready for Willie Revillame? said he was pleased to have the This question goes out to the 54-year-old host back with them television host’s diehard support- because of the latter’s large followers who seriously anticipate his ing. If what he meant by “Willie’s comeback and also to his fervent big following as an asset to GMAcritics who will definitely keep an 7” was bigger audience share and eye on him simply to watch his ev- big improvement on the ratings performance for the network, this ery move just to find fault.

And just to further the question, writer would have to observe more you’ll better be ready by now be- and get the answer straight from cause everything is already set for the source just to validate. But for Willie’s new show except for the someone who is as controversial venue, which will not really be a as Willie, media mileage is no longer a question here as we were all big problem for sure.

One-and-a-half years after the witnesses as to how Willie slightly last time he was seen on televi- changed primetime TV landscape sion, Willie is set to make a come- (when TV5 aired Willing Willie back via a game show slash variety on a timeslot usually reserved for program to be directed by his pal an evening newscast) and how he Randy Santiago. The show will pi- made headlines that prompted the lot on April 26 and will be called, suspension and ultimately the cancellation of his previous shows. guess what, WowoWin. His stature now is a far cry to On March 20, Willie announced his return to the boob tube after what he was when he stared out he signed an airtime agreement in showbiz. Willie Revillame with GMA Network. The meeting wasn’t a big name until Wowowee, appeared to be a very important a show known for its tacky way of event for the network as bigwigs glamorizing poverty and featur-

WITHOUT WANG 2

Willie Revillame returns to TV, thanks to friends Joey de Leon and Mike Enriquez

ing scantily clad female dancers gyrating onstage with or without any music in the background.

His return means being back in power.

He is known for his capability of winning the heart of the masses, which would ultimately bring more viewers to the network

heart of the masses, which would ultimately bring more viewers to the network. Since WowoWin is slated to air after the musical variety Sunday All Stars, GMA-7 will have a chance to reinvigorate its poor ratings performance in this idle timeslot.

So, what’s in store for Willie’s fans?

The new show will run for oneand-a-half hours and will solely be hosted by Willie. His staff from TV5 before will be the same production running the new show.

WowoWin will feature a “Bigyan ng Jacket” segment, which, in his previous shows, saw Willie giving out cash and a jacket that bore the name of the program he’s hosting.

Jinky Vidal performs at Hard Rock Cafe this Saturday

Russian actor-producer Alexander Nevsky is in Manila to shoot Showdown in Manila with Hollywood actor Caspier Van Diem and Matthias Hues. He says he likes the idea of making pictures in Manila

From C8

RUSSIA’S BIGGEST STAR IN MANILA

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Playing sidekicks to big stars, his break on the small screen began when he played bit roles in GMA’s Lunch Date in the early 90s and later in ABS-CBN programs.

Then in 1998, he became one of the hosts in the noontime show Magandang Tanghali Bayan. He eventually got to host his own variety show Wowowee in 2005, which was axed in 2010.

A few months ago, Willie was in talks about buying airtime on GMA-7 with the help of his former rival Joey de Leon who lobbied the idea to the network’s management. His return means being back in power. He is known for his capability of winning the

ction star and three-time Mr. Universe Alexander Nevsky is in the Philippines to shoot another action adventure film. Title Showdown in Manila., the film is being helmed by Filipino American director/ actor/martial artist Mark Dacascos (Crying Freeman, Brotherhood of the Wolf).

Also known as the Russian Schwarzenegger, Nevsky starred in a number of hit movies like Undisputed, Moscow Heat, Treasure Raiders, and Magic Man among others. His most recent theatrical hit was the film called Black Rose, which was released in 2014. Nevsky directed the said movie and co-starred with Kristanna Loken and Adrian Paul.

Showdown in Manila is produced by Nevsky and Hollywood director Andrzej Bartkowiak (Romeo must die, DOOM).

Nevsky and his co-stars Casper Van Dien, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Tia Carrere, Matthias Hues, Don “The Dragon” Wilson, Olivier Gruner, and Cynthia Rothrock met menbers of Manila press at the Hotel Intercontinental in Makati last Sunday.

Nevsky said that he is very happy to bring his cast and crew to the Philippines to shoot the film here.

“Mark (Dacscos) told me about Manila, and as soon as we assembled the cast, I told him, we’re off to Manila to shoot,” he said.

Joining the international cast are Filipino actors Iza Calzado, Jake Macapagal, Mon Confiado and Will Devaughn.

“It was my dream for many years to go to Philippines and I’m happy that I can shoot my action film here also!” said Nevsky. ★★★★★ SPEND an intimate evening of beautiful music with Jinky Vidal at Hard Rock Café (HRC) on March 28, 9:30 p.m.

Certified hard rockers and music lovers can look forward to an unforgettable performance from Jinky as she dishes out her greatest hits as well as an impressive line-up of today’s hottest chart-toppers, homegrown favorites, standard classics, and party anthems. Performing right after Jinky’s special set is Jason X.

C8

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

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

SHOWBITZ

FOUR FOR TUNA

SIMPLY RED ISAH V. RED Four of the country’s hottest and most promising stars headline a new campaign for the country’s no. 1 tuna.

In this new campaign, all four show their fit and healthy bodies and share secrets to an ABS-olutely delicious summer.

The sun is at its peak and the beaches look more inviting than ever, but can you say that you’re ready for summer?

Century Tuna, the country’s number 1 tuna, once again welcomes the hottest season of the year as it presents the country’s hottest and most promising stars as its newest batch of brand ambassadors.

Making the road to fitness more inspiring and more exciting, the company proudly presents not

just one, but four stunning endorsers who represent some of the biggest names in the industry – Paulo Avelino, James Reid, Elmo Magalona, and Jessy Mendiola.

“Century Tuna has been known not only for our line of products, but also for our vision of helping our consumers achieve a healthier and happier lifestyle,” says Greg Banzon, general manager of Century Pacific Food Corporation.

“We believe that this powerful advocacy requires only the most influential ambassadors who can inspire others through their sexy bodies and healthy lifestyle. And so this year, we strengthen our campaign through with newest batch of endorsers who have also undergone stunning body transformations,” he added.

Known for his enviable physique, striking features and acting talent is Gawad Urian awardee Paulo Avelino.

Paulo has been living an active lifestyle for years now to maintain his figure. In fact, the actor is en-

gaged in numerous sports activities like badminton, rock climbing and jogging. “Being tapped as a Century Tuna endorser is overwhelming. Now that I am part of the body transformation campaign, I hope to become an inspiration to those who have often expressed admiration of my physique,” Paulo shares.

Making the road to fitness more inspiring and more exciting, the company proudly presents not just one, but four stunning endorsers who represent some of the biggest names in the industry

– Paulo Avelino, James Reid, Elmo Magalona, and Jessy Mendiola

Meanwhile, Filipino-Australian heartthrob James Reid finds this opportunity to be a sweet reward to his hard work to achieve his now toned figure: “I used to be thin and weak years ago – I even had asthma. But through swimming and gymnastics, and a healthy diet, I’ve become more buffed. I’m definitely proud of the new me.”

Raring to make a name in showbiz, Elmo Magalona ventured into acting, rapping, singing, and hosting. Over time, people also noticed his body’s remarkable transformation. At 20 years old, Elmo has already developed chiseled abs and very muscular arms through a customized workout and disciplined diet. “As the youngest in the bunch, I’d like to let people know that they can – and should – start early in their journey to a healthy body,” he shared.

The only lady in the batch is the beautiful actress who has captured the hearts of many with her angelic face and sexy body: Jessy Mendiola.

Century Tuna reveals its newest brand ambassadors in time for its summer campaign: James Reid, Jessy Mendiola, Paulo Avelino, and Elmo Magalona

Jessy has graced a lot of magazine covers and TV commercials, yet she finds something uniquely exciting about her Century Tuna experience: “I’m excited to show a different side of me: a grown-up Jessy who consciously takes care of her body through proper diet and exercise. Plus it’s always nice to endorse a product I truly love!”

Through the inspiring stories of Century Tuna’s newest faces Paulo, James, Elmo and Jessy, the country’s leading tuna brand aims to help more and more people understand that anybody can bring out the better versions of themselves and be ABS-solutely ready for summer.

The four new endorsers join long-time endorser Anne Curtis in promoting the ABS-solutely delicious Century Tuna as a brand that motivates people to aspire for a healthy body.” For all of them, there’s no other tuna!

For more information and fitness tips, visit www.centurytuna.ph.

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