The Standard - 2015 May 27 - Wednesday

VOL. XXIX  NO. 99  3 Sections 32 Pages P18  WEDNESDAY : MAY 27, 2015  www.manilastandardtoday.com  editorial@thestandard.com.ph

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P165-m in Yolanda aid undisbursed

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China vows to defend ‘new’ islands

Pork may be served.

Senator Sergio Osmeña III said Tuesday that “goodies” may be offered by the Aquino administration to ensure the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law in the Senate. LINO SANTOS

‘PNOY MAY OFFER PORK FOR BBL’ Next page

Rockets live to fight another day

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Bulgari celebrates wrist icon

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MNLF calls proposed OIC meeting ‘a desperate act’

By Francisco Tuyay and Sandy araneta

Demolition. Policemen come to the aid of their colleague Virgilio Cabangis who was hit by a bullet fired by a resident following their demolition of a squatter colony in Caloocan City. Manny PalMero

THE Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) on Tuesday dismissed a plan by the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to attend a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), calling it a desperate move to reverse the negative reactions toward the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) in the Philippines.

A three-member Philippine delegation is scheduled to attend the 42nd Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Kuwait on May 27 to 28 upon the invitation of the OIC, where MILF chairman Murad Ibrahim is supposed to deliver a speech before the council conference.

But Absalom Cerveza, MNLF spokesman, said the latest attempt by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) would do nothing to change public opinion against the BBL. “How can he (Murad) speak before the OIC when he is not an observer member?” Cerveza added.

He said MNLF found chairman Nur Misuari, who is recognized by the OIC, is the one authorized to address the 57 member countries.

Cerveza said the effort to win OIC support comes amid the rejection by the Sultanate of Sulu and other groups of the BBL. Firdausi Abbas, president of the Muslim Bar Association of the Philippines, said inviting Murad to speak before the 42nd Council of Foreign Ministers had no political significance.

He said it did not negate the observer status granted in 1977 to the MNLF as the legitimate representative of the Bangsa Moro or Moro

people.

But Abbas also said the OIC has lost its influence in recent years, with its failure to prevent warns between Muslim states, to solve the problems of Muslim minorities in non-Muslim states, and to acknowledge discrimination against ethnic Muslim minorities in Muslim states.

Iyad Ameen Madani, the incumbent secretary-general who was in Davao City in April, endorsed the BBL without even reading it, Abbas said.

Cerveza, however, said he doubted that Murad will be permitted to speak to the OIC foreign ministers, since it is the MNLF’s Misuari who is recognized as an observer.

He said permitting Murad to speak would be a clear violation of the protocol between the OIC and the MNLF. The OPAPP issued a statement Tuesday that the OIC recognized Philippine efforts to bring meaningful autonomy to Mindanao.

The statement said the OIC’s Madani invited Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario to attend the proceedings of the 42nd Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers to be held in Kuwait.

The delegation is composed of Undersecretary Rafael Seguis of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Secretary Yasmin Busran-Lao of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos, and Undersecretary Jose Lorena of the OPAPP. “The invitation acknowledges the efforts and commitments of the present administration to finally solve the problem of Muslim Filipinos in Mindanao,” Lorena said.

Murad has also been invited to deliver a speech before the foreign ministers, the OPAPP said.

‘Senate may be offered pork’

By Macon ramos-araneta

SENATOR Sergio Osmena III said Tuesday that President Benigno Aquino III can use “goodies” like pork barrel to railroad the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) in the Senate in the same way he did in the House of Representatives.

The President said Monday he was ready to meet the senators on the BBL after he swayed congressmen to approve the Palace-supported bill with very few changes at the committee level in two meetings ahead of a key vote.

Osmena said the BBL was “definitely” railroaded through the House. “It’s very clear,” he said.

He added that the same thing could happen in the Senate.

“I’ll be naughty. If there are some goodies, it might help win a couple of senators,” Osmena said.

He likened the situation to 2011 and 2012, when the President pressed congressmen and senators to impeach and convict his political opponent, Chief Justice Renato Corona.

Saying he had qualms about meeting with the President, Osmena said he was worried that the public would believe the senators were bought.

In 2013, Senator Jinggoy Estrada–now detained on corruption

charges—revealed that the administration used Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) funds to bribe senators to convict Corona in his impeachment trial. Each senator who voted to convict was given P50 million to P100 million in funding for their projects.

Osmena said pork barrel was still in the budget process, even though the Supreme Court had struck it down as unconstitutional.

Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr., chairman of the local government committee discussing the BBL, said he was willing to talk to anyone, including the President, for a genuine discussion on how to iron out the kinks in the BBL. “But count him out if it is merely meant to muscle the Senate into passing Malacanang’s version of the BBL,” Marcos said.

“If [the meeting is] only for political maneuvering as what was done with the House of Representatives, then, I don’t think I should be part of that. I don’t want to be involved in

anything like that,” he added.

Osmena said he believed the meeting that the President sought was aimed at swaying some senators to immediately vote for the BBL to meet the Palace deadline of June 11.

“Definitely, that’s why the President will call for a meeting,” said Osmena, who was the President’s campaign manager in 2010.

He added that if the meeting pushes through, he would not attend.

“What will I do there? You might just say, Osmena received pork barrel. I will not go,” he said.

Osmena added that there was no need for anybody to talk to him because he could make his own judgement.

He said although he is for peace, he wants to ensure that the rest of the country is protected.

“It’s difficult if we accept the BBL as it is written. I see a lot of defects [and] constitutional issues... We have to amend it. So I will predict it will not be passed the way the House passed it,” he said.

Osmena said he hoped his colleagues would be independentminded and learn lessons from the past.

“You will always be under suspicion, and I would rather not be under suspicion because politics is perception. If the people think you are corrupt there is nothing you can do. You’re dead in the water

already because their perception is reality,” said Osmena, who intends to seek re-election in 2016.

Senator Francis Escudero, also an administration ally, assured the public the BBL would not be railroaded through the Senate.

“We will and should pass a correct and constitutional BBL, not a rushed one,” he said.

He said while he appreciated the President’s offer to meet with the senators, this was an indication that his team was not doing its job.

“This is why the President himself is offering to do it for them,” he added.

Opposition Senators JV Ejercito and Nancy Binay said it was no longer necessary for the President to talk to the senators about the BBL. “It would be better if we are left alone,” said Ejercito, noting that legislators should be given space and allowed to deliberate such a controversial bill.

Binay said the President should attend to other problems and let the senators do their job of scrutinizing the BBL. But Senate President Franklin Drilon and Senator Juan Edgardo Angara welcomed the President’s offer to meet with them.

Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said the Palace respects the views of the senators because these are part of the deliberations in a democracy.

“We will wait for their decision during [the voting]. We hope that in the end, they will take into consideration the interest of the country—achieving lasting peace and development in Mindanao,” Coloma said.

In the House, the majority continued to push the BBL toward passage as the committee on ways and means approved the revenue and tax provisions of the bill.

The committee chaired by Marikina Rep. Miro Quimbo approved the tax component of the measure, including the wealth sharing provision, which gives the Bangsamoro government 75 percent of its collected internal revenue.

The committee on appropriations, on the other hand, was expected to approve Tuesday night the funding aspect of the BBL. Under the proposed bill, the new entity will receive a block grant of P70 billion that will be automatically appropriated from the national government.

The House is expected to tackle the BBL in a plenary session on Wednesday.

If the bill hurdles Congress and is signed by the President, it will be submitted to a plebiscite before it can become the enabling law to create a new Bangsamoro political entity to replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. – With Maricel V. Cruz and Sandy araneta

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Comelec sets third review of poll scheme

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan THE Commission on Elections said Tuesday it was looking again at a proposal to use the Transparent and Credible Election System for the 2016 elections after admitting there was no “perfect” automated election system.

Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista said former Commissioner Gus Lagman would be presenting his TcrEs for the third time on Wednesday before him and newly appointed commissioners Rowena Guanzon and Sherrif abas.

We want to see and learn the features of his proposal,” Bautista told reporters.

“We should not be too legalistic in this regard.”

Bautista was referring to the Comelec’s recent stance saying Lagman’s hybrid election system did not qualify as an automated election system or AES as defined in Republic Act 9369.

Comelec spokesman Jame Jimenez said they may have to face the court to defend the legality of the TcrES, and that might delay their preparation for the automated national elections less than a year before the 2016 polls.

The voting and precinct counts will be done manually under the TcrES before those are encoded before transmission. After that, the precinct results will be electronically transmitted to the Municipal, Provincial, and National board of Canvassers as well as in the Central Verification Server for the official canvassing of votes.

Bautista said the systems they had been looking at had their good and bad points.

“There are no perfect systems and for every system there are pros and cons,” he said.

He urged his fellow officials and other stakeholders to stop looking for a perfect AES since all machines had their defects.

“What we have to determine is which is the most perfect among the imperfects... and then we try to improve on that,” Bautista said.

Up for overhauling. US sailors salute on the deck of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington as it leaves Yokosuka in Japan for refueling and a complex overhaul. AFP

Chinese vow to defend new reclaimed islands CHINA said Tuesday it would project its military power further beyond its sea borders and more assertively in the air, defending the construction of artificial islands that sparked concern in Washington.

The People’s Liberation Army navy will put greater emphasis on “open seas protection” rather than “offshore waters defense” alone, the State Council or cabinet said in a white paper.

At the same time the air force will shift focus “from territorial air defense to both defense and offense”, it said.

The army will increase its global mobility and artillery forces will strengthen capabilities for “medium and long-range precision strikes,” it added.

The paper was released with Chi-

na and the US at loggerheads over Beijing’s rapid island-building in contested parts of the South China Sea, which the country claims almost in its entirety.

China on Friday declared that its military “drove away” a US surveillance aircraft flying near the artificial islands, after US media witnessed a tense radio exchange.

A CNN television crew aboard a P-8 Poseidon plane heard the Chinese navy issuing eight warnings and American pilots replying in each case that they were flying through international airspace.

China has protested to Washington over the flight, calling it “highly irresponsible and dangerous” and warning that such actions could cause “unwanted incidents.”

Military spokesman Yang Yujun said Tuesday the island-building was “beneficial to the whole of international society” because it aided China’s search and rescue efforts and environmental protection work.

Official media also said Tuesday that China would build two 50-meter-

high lighthouses on reefs in the Spratly islands, which are also claimed by Vietnam and the Philippines.

The facilities will be built on the Cuarteron and Johnson South reefs, the Xinhua news agency cited officials as saying. The latter saw a battle between the Chinese and Vietnamese navies in 1988.

In Manila, a lawmaker said the US is sending its biggest aircraft carrier, the USS Ronald Reagan, to the Pacific as a show of force against China.

In an interview with radio dzMM, Magdalo party-list Rep. Francis Ashley Acedillo said the move is meant to send a strong message to China that America will not abandon its allies in the region.

“That’s an awesome display of military power. When they send an aircraft carrier, that’s not a single vessel. That’s accompanied by a complement of destroyers, minesweepers, and other ships and aircraft,” he said in Filipino.

“They are trying to make a case publicly that they intend to pivot to Asia Pacific, they transfer 60 percent

of their forces from the previous 40 percent. They will no longer take China’s threats on their air or sea craft. I think that’s the implication of sending the aircraft carrier,” he said.

The Palace said Tuesday the government does not want the tension in the South China Sea to escalate.

Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr, said the Philippines is not directly involved in the prevailing conflict between China and the United States.

“We don’t want to escalate the tension, but instead, diffuse it,” he said.

Beijing has increased annual spending on its military -- the world’s largest by personnel--by double-digit annual percentages for several decades as it seeks to modernize its forces.

It has focused on increasing naval power, commissioning its first aircraft carrier in 2012 and rapidly adding to its submarine and surface fleets. AFP, Francisco tuyay, Macon Ramos-Araneta and Sandy Araneta

Extorting immigration execs hit

By Vito Barcelo

Senate hearing. Simon Mann, head of British School Manila, and teacher Trixie Madamba attend a public hearing in the Senate over the case of one student who committed suicide allegedly after being scolded by Madamba. Lino SAntoS

A CHINESE national who had been a victim of an extortion syndicate at the Bureau of Immigration has named two high-ranking immigration intelligence officers linked to the multimillion-peso racket.

Yuan Jian Hua, aka Wilson Cheng Ong, named BI intelligence chief Faizal Hussein and Immigration agent Jude Hinolan as the officers who tried to shake him down for P2 million to ensure he was not deported and his papers were processed.

Immigration spokes-

woman Elaine Tan said Yuan would be placed under the Justice Department’s witness protection program because he feared for his life.

Yuan had already filed a complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman against Hussein and Hinolan, Tan said.

Yuan has been staying in the country illegally for 10 years.

He said Hussein’s men had asked him to pay P2 million, but when he refused he was arrested, added to Immigration’s blacklist and eventually deported to Xiamen, China, on Jan. 22, 2014.

He was removed from

Immigration’s blacklist in November 2014 after he filed a petition immediately upon returning to Xiamen.

His lawyer also paid P150,000 and a P100,000 bond to ensure his papers were processed.

But when Yuan arrived in the country in March 2015, Immigration officials blocked him claiming he was still in the blacklist, but they later said that was a computer error.

Immigration commissioner Siegfred Mison lifted the ban on Yuan because his family is here and he considers him an asset against Hussein and his group.

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Undisbursed aid hit anew

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan ANOTHER Catholic cleric from the disaster-stricken Leyte province again criticized the Aquino administration for not releasing aid to Typhoon Yolanda victims and expressed fear that The P165 million in undisbursed donations may be used for other purposes.

In a radio interview, Rev. �Isagani Petilos of the Palo Archdiocese’s Social Action Center Pastoral Action Secretariat, criticized the Department of Social Welfare and Development and its Secretary Corazon Soliman for failing to disburse funds.

“That is a big advantage for the government [because] it will have that money in the bank and can be used for other purposes,” Petilos said, urging all the donors to demand an accounting Of the money they donated for Yolanda victims.

“I do not know if the donors are asking for accountability for these, so many donations [whether] small amount [or] big amount. I don’t know how the government will act on it,” Petilos added in an interview over a Church-owned Radio Veritas.

He also expressed dismay that the government’s rehabilitation program is really very slow citing and many Yolanda victims in Palo, Leyte are still living in transitional houses.

“There is so much to be done there because the shelter the government is building are all transitional shelters. And a transitional shelter will only last two or three to four years,” he lamented.

He questioned the decision of the government to build transitional shelter when it should have built real and permanent houses for the victims.

“If there is money available, why did we make transitional shelter and not permanent shelter for these people?” Petilos asked.

Petilos described as unacceptable the national government’s justification that there is no free land available yet.

Last week, DSWD spokesman Javier Jimenez defended the agency’s actions and said the P165million remains undisbursed because donors failed to identify themselves.

Jimenez said the reason why they have yet to distribute the P165-million of the total P1.5-billion in cash donations is because there is a government regulation requiring the identification and acknowledgment of donors.

“We really want to utilize the funds and get them out the door. But... we have very vigilant and very specific guidelines and procedures governing the transfer of funds,” Jimenez said.

“If we make a misstep, it could become a (Commission on Audit) disallowance,” he said, noting that such disallowances could mean penalties on concerned government officers.

Another disaster in the making. A fish farmer and his son inspect their dried-up fish pond in Cavite which is among the 45 provinces that has been affected by a dry spell caused by the El Niño phenomenon. DANNY PATA

‘LP godfather of pork lawmakers’

By Rey E. Requejo JUSTICE Secretary Leila de Lima denied public criticism that she has abandoned the prosecution of nine incumbent senators in the pork barrel fund scam in consideration of her senatorial ambitions and insisted the probe is continuing.

But United National Alliance president and Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco challenged the Aquino administration to substantiate its supposed anti-corruption policy by allowing the Anti-Money Laundering Council to look into the bank accounts of LP members allegedly involved in corruption.

“It is a common practice by the Liberal Party and Malacañang to divert and muddle the issue involving its allies. Worse, they play godfathers to them,” Tiangco said, noting that LP members and the Palace allies who facing charges even get appointed to plum posts in government.

But De Lima insisted that she has not stopped the probe of other lawmakers involved in the pork barrel scam even though there has been a long delay that, she said,

was due to “difficulty in getting documents” from Department of Budget and Management.

“We are still verifying which ones among those in the list of Mrs. Napoles really had PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Funds) projects and endorsed her NGOs (non-government organization),” De Lima said, in an interview.

“We have to get it from the implementing agencies concerned. It’s a tedious process,” she added.

Incidentally, Budget and Management Secretary Florencio Abad, former Batanes representative, is among those mentioned in the so-called “Napolist.”

According to De Lima, findings of the DOJ probe would again be forwarded to the Ombudsman office.

In the list she submitted to the DOJ last May in her bid for immunity from criminal suits in the PDAF scam, Napoles tagged nine incumbent senators in the PDAF scam: Ramon “Bong” Revilla, Jinggoy Estrada, Juan Ponce Enrile, Vicente Sotto III, Loren Legarda, Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, Alan Peter Cayetano, Gringo Honasan and

Francis Escudero.

Former Senate President Manny Villar was also in the list where Napoles affixed her signature and two thumb marks.

Technical Education and Skills Development Authority head Joel Villanueva, member of President Aquino’s Liberal Party, is in the Napolist, just like Abad.

The list also included the names of 69 incumbent and former congressmen as well as those of alleged conduits for the implementing agencies like the Departments of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, National Livelihood Development Corp., Technology Resource Center and National Agribusiness Corp.

The DOJ was earlier accused of having double standards in the conducting the pork barrel probe allegedly in favor of allies of the Aquino administration.

But Tiangco challenged President Benigno Aquino III to pursue the probe against the senators like has done with Vice President Jejomar Binay, who has been the subject of a protracted Senate corruption probe.

Aquino promotes 50 generals

By Florante S. Solmerin PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III has promoted at least 50 senior officers in the military who are expected to present themselves before him for induction at Malacanang on Wednesday.

Leading the promoted officers who got their third stars are Central Command commander Lieutenant General Nicanor Vivar, Philippine Military Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. Oscar Lopez, Eastern Mindanao Command commander Lt. Gen. Aurelio Baladad, and Western Command commander Vice Admiral Alexander Lopez.

After taking their oaths of service, the generals will call on Armed Forces chief of staff Gen. Greogorio Pio Catapang Jr. at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

Earlier, some disgruntled middle-grade Army officers, who have not been promoted and will likely be removed because their current ranks will soon expire, slammed what they called the “selective promotion system”

espoused by their immediate commanders.

Catapang has vowed to look into the “quota system” of promotion especially in the Army.

Also promoted to major generals or rear admiral are Edwin Manuel, Ivan Samarita, Rafael Valencia, Ronaldo Joseph Mercado, Raul del Rosario, Isagani Silva, Primitivo Gopo, Domosthenes Santillan, Ricahrd Lagrana, Romeo Gan, Rubedn Carandang, and Allan Rosal.

The new generals or commodore are Leandro Loyao III, Edgar De Vera, Godfrey Julio, Apolinario Alobba, Joselito Reyes,Buenaventura Pascual, Jose Mirandilla Jr., Edwin Mackay, Rozzano Briguez, Paolo Leo Ma Miciano, Guillermo Molina Jr. II, Ricardo Castillan, Narciso Vingson, Ernesto Milo, Jonathan Ponce, Vicente Cejoco, Ignacio Obligacion, Al Perreras,Glenn Macasaero, Arturo Jose Orticio Jr., Michael Beverlyn Manquiquis, Gregory Cayetano, Ingemar Pernes, Herminigildo Aquino, Ferdinand Quidilla, marcial Constante Jr., Paul Atal, Jon Aying, Aaron Fetalvero, Benjamin Madrigal Jr., Tirso Dolina, Neolito Albano, Arnold Rafael Depakakibo, and Elvin Hermogino.

Getting by. An elderly woman sells school neck ties outside the Ramon Magsaysay High School in Sampaloc, Manila ahead of the opening of classes in public schools in June.

DANNY PATA

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‘Surigao town no recipient of pork barrel’

By Rio N. Araja

Demolished.

Residents of a compound in Barangay Calaanan, Caloocan City carry their belongings out of their demolished houses following a brief but violent clash between policemen and civilians. MANNY PALMERO

a SURIgaO mayor on Tuesday denied having received any projects funded by former representative Edgar Valdez for non-government organizations engineered by Janet lim napoles, now in jail for serious illegal detention at the correctional Institute for Women in Mandaluyong city.

The town mayor – Ramon Mondano – maintained the town had never been in the list of the project recipients despite a special audit report of the commission on audit showing Mainit town was a beneficiary of 166 farm kits as part of agricultural projects funded by Valdez’s pork barrel fund in 2007 until 2009. Valdez represented apec party list.

During Valdez’s bail plea hearing at the Fifth Division of the Sandiganbayan, Mondano as prosecution witness maintained they had their own agricultural programs and projects for their farmers called “palayang bayan,” and had not benefited from any livelihood packages from Valdez’s Priority Development assistance Fund.

The Office of the Ombudsman found probable cause to indict Valdez based on the By Rey Requejo coa report and sworn affidavits of the whistleblowers, Justice secretary Leila de Lima has ordered the Naaccusing him of involvement Bureau of investigation to look into the incidents in the pork barrel fund scam. tional

Mondano, who became of harassment against the family of Mary Jane Veloso, mayor from 2007 to 2010 and was re-elected in 2013, said the overseas Filipino workers who is on death row in even congressmen in Suri- indonesia. gao del norte had their own “The Velosos are frightened. They De lima said the nBI is trying to farm projects between 2007 identify the “burly-looking” men who sought for help. I think the nBI also and 2009. visited the Veloso family in cabanat- sent a team last night to check into uan city and their alleged intention to that incident,” she said.

Migrants group Migrante Internaconduct surveillance on Mary Jane’s tional also asked the government to family.

“I have ordered the nBI to look conduct a probe on the incidents of into it, and find out who visited them harassment on the Veloso family.

The group claimed that last Mon(the Velosos) and their intention. So if there is something fishy or sinister day, three unidentified men arrived about that visit, then we should inves- in motorcycles at the house of Mary Jane’s mother celia Veloso. tigate it,” De lima told reporters.

Veloso kin harassed; NBI tasked to probe

‘Prosecutors cite hearsay on GMA house arrest’ THE camp of former president and now Pampanga Rep. gloria Macapagal arroyo on Tuesday slammed government prosecutors for blocking her motion seeking house arrest.

Mrs. arroyo’s lawyers – Jose Flaminiano and laurence Hector arroyo – filed a 14-page reply to comment / opposition with the Sandiganbayan’s First Division, saying “to the prosecution’s mind, a sick person can only get well and fully recuperate in a hospital. The prosecution cannot conceive of recovery and recuperation in one’s house.”

Prosecutors have been relying on information on newspaper article and hearsay evidence in opposing Mrs. arroyo’s plea for a house arrest in lubao, Pampanga or in la Vista In Quezon city, the Flaminiano arroyo & Duenas law Office’s motion read.

Palace cautions Duterte on threats

By Sandy Araneta Malacañang is unperturbed by the recent threats made by Davao city Mayor Rodrigo Duterte that he would kill 100,000 criminals if he would be elected President in 2016. communications Secretary Herminio coloma Jr. cautioned the mayor, saying that the important thing is that the law must always prevail.

“In our system of laws, we have due process,” stressed coloma. “no (we are not alarmed of the threats made by Duterte).

Words alone will not do. It should be evidence-based, and we have a system of due process. We must not judge or condemn based on statements only,” said coloma.

The commission on Human Rights expressed alarm over Duterte’s admission of his links to the Davao Death Squad, which is allegedly responsible for summary executions of suspects in the city. The new Yorkbased Human Rights Watch has called for an investigation into the Davao Death Squad killings and urged the Philippine government not to tolerate a public official who endorses extrajudicial killings.

In a television interview, Duterte was unapologetic about his actions and even dared the group to file a case against him in court. “ako, ako daw death squad?

True, that’s true,” he said in an interview with gikan sa Masa Para sa Masa. “gusto ko sila pumunta dito.

For her part, Maritess immediately reported the incident to their Philippine private lawyers at the national Union of Peoples’ lawyers.

These incidents are not the first time that the Velosos experienced harassment since they came out in the open.

In their sworn statements, Mary Jane’s parents and Maritess said that mysterious vans and motorcycle-riding men have been frequenting their community, asking townsfolk where they lived.

This prompted De lima to order nBI director Virgilio Mendez to look into the alleged threats against the Veloso family. according to De lima, the Veloso family has not yet asked for any security assistance, but the nBI is willing to provide them security if they requested it.

Mary Jane’s sister, Darling, said one of the unidentified men had tattoos, while the other sported a Mohawk haircut. The three men then took pictures of the house.

The Velosos said they notified the barangay and had the incident recorded in the local police blotter. Mary Jane’s father, cesar called local police to seek protection for the family.

This incident came after Darling got a suspicious call from an unidentified man last May 7. The mysterious caller had asked for the whereabouts of Maritess, Mary Jane’s other sister. Because the caller refused to identify himself, Darling became suspicious and declined to answer.

Darling said she feared for Maritess’ safety who was then on her way to Manila for the May 8 preliminary investigation at the DOJ.

There’s no need for you to go to the Ombudsman. There is no requirement that you go to the human rights. File directly in court. Then I’ll place you under oath. Just execute an affidavit.

Then I’ll call you when it’s my time for cross-examination. and I will show to the world how stupid you are,” he added.

Human Rights Watch earlier denounced the more than 1,000 killings committed by the Davao Death Squad since the late 1990s. Police and local government officials were reported to be involved in the targeted killings of alleged drug dealers and petty criminals, street children and others.

Duterte himself boasted that Davao has become one of the world’s safest cities.

With Rio Araja

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES

COMMISSION ON APPOINTMENTS

ANNOUNCEMENT President Benigno S. Aquino III has submitted to the Commission on Appointments (C.A.) for confirmation the nominations and ad interim appointments of the following officials: Department of Foreign Affairs Evelyn D. Austria-Garcia – Chief of Mission, Class I, as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Democratic Republic of TimorLeste; Leslie J. Baja - Chief of Mission, Class II, as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Arab Republic of Egypt with concurrent jurisdiction over the Federal Republic of Ethiopia, the Republic of Djibouti, the Republic of Sudan and the State of Eritrea; Joselito A. Jimeno - Chief of Mission, Class I, as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Switzerland with concurrent jurisdiction over the Principality of Liechtensteinand Maria Fe T. Pangilinan - Chief of Mission, Class II, as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Hungary with concurrent jurisdiction over Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia and Montenegro(nominations); Donna Celeste Feliciano-Gatmaytan - Foreign Service Officer, Class I; Zoilo A. Velasco - Foreign Service Officer, Class II; and Dinno M. Oblena– Career Minister (ad interim appointments) Armed Forces of the Philippines Ruben L. Carandang – Major General; Primitivo P. Gopo – Rear Admiral; Jonathan G. Ponce, Ignacio A. Obligacion and Florentino S. Rasco, Jr. – Brigadier General; Grace A. Infante, NC (Reserve), Gerardo V. Gonzales, DS (Reserve), Marlon M. Bayhon, MAC (Reserve), Joy B. Dela Vega, NC (Reserve) and Edgar M. Cardinoza, PAF (Reserve) – Colonel; Roger P. Viduya, PN, Noel J. Rodriguez, PN and Domingo Noel C. Tilos, PN (Reserve) – Captain (ad interim appointments) The public may submit any information, written report or sworn complaints or oppositions in forty (40) copies on the above nominations and appointments to the CA Secretariat, 6th Floor, PNB Financial Center, DiosdadoMacapagal Blvd., Pasay City, Metro Manila.

For the schedule of the public hearings, the CA Secretariat can be reached through telephone numbers 551-7532, 831-0893, 831-1824, 834-2706, 831-1566 and 834-2713.

26 May 2015.

ARTURO L. TIU Secretary (TS-MAY 27, 2015)

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A6 In BrIef Veteran newsman sets book launching Veteran Journalist and Professor Dr. Crispin Maslog will launch his new book, “a Brief History of Philippine Communication,” on June 19, 2015 at the opening of the Philippine Media Museum on the second floor of the Philippine Information agency on Visayas avenue, Quezon City.

Based on his experience as training director of the Philippine Press Institute as well as asian Institute of Journalism and Communication, the new book updates his earlier ‘Philippine Communication.’

He has also written several manuals on special coverages for journalists.

Maslog studied journalism and communication at the University of Santo tomas, Silliman University and the University of Minnesota. He worked as a reporter at the agence France Press before he embarked on his long teaching career at the University of the Philippines in Los Baños.

Pinay on death row gets lawyer tHe Philippine embassy in Dubai has provided a lawyer to assist Jennifer Dalquez who was sentenced to death by Dubai’s al ain trial court for killing her employer on December 7, 2014, the Department of Foreign affairs said.

DFa spokesperson Charles Jose said that the embassy in Dubai has extended all necessary assistance to Dalquez whose death sentence was imposed on May 20, 2015. the 28-year-old Dalquez said her employer had attempted to rape her. She stabbed her employer using the same knife he pointed at her.

Dalquez is the latest OFW on death row. there are 88 other Filipinos on death row in various countries, including Mary Jane Veloso who was supposed to be executed for drug trafficking. Vito Barcelo

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Solon sees evil design in K to 12, tuition hikes

By Maricel V. Cruz

The Department of education has come under fire again for its approval of the latest wave of tuition and other fee increases in over 1,200 private elementary and high schools, with one lawmaker saying that the move exposes another objective of the K to 12 program, which is to force more students to pay higher fees. another lawmaker took the chance to make a pitch for his proposal at the House to be approved by the Senate extending soft or low-cost loans to students so they could ease the impact of the tuition hikes.

Kabataan party-list rep. terry ridon described the tuition hike as a “devilish plan that ensures that private schools will have a greater number of enrolees and consequently

higher profit.” ridon hit out at the Deped for justifying the increases which would apply to 1,245 out of 1,556 applications in private elementary and high schools, with the rate of increase ranging from 1.25 percent to as high as 29 percent.

“Deped says that the increases are justified because 70 percent of the incremental proceeds will go to teachers’ salaries. Yet

that is an outright lie. If such is the case, how can Deped explain the fact that many private school teachers still earn salaries that are way lower than what public school teachers get?” ridon said. “the new spate of fee increases which reach up to 29 percent is totally uncalled for. Moreover, this reveals another nefarious objective of the full implementation of the K to 12 program: force more students to pay higher fees and guarantee profits for private school owners,” he added.

Deped has earlier reported to Congress that the country’s public school system can only accommodate 800,000 to 1.1 million senior high school students next year, despite the fact that the education depart-

ment is expecting that up to 1.6 million students will be reaching senior high school by that time.

“Deped expects that the remaining 800,000 or so students will be absorbed by what they call as ‘nonDeped schools.’ Bulk of such schools are private education institutions that charge high tuition rates,” ridon said.

“Connect these facts and we’ll see what Deped is secretly after: jack up the cost of private school education through relentless tuition hikes while also ensuring the transfer of many students from public to private schools due to the incapacity of public schools to absorb all incoming senior high school students,” ridon explained.

Under such circumstance, ridon said, Deped

has in fact set up a situation wherein more students will be forced to enrol in expensive private schools just to graduate from the basic education program.

On a more sober note, congressman roman romulo of Pasig City pressed for Senate action on his proposed measure , the voluntary student loan program , whose Senate counterpart is authored by Senator Juan edgardo angara. the loan will include an amount for the cost of attendance, books, transportation, board and lodging and a reasonable allowance for projects and other school requirements, romulo said. romulo’s bill gives preference to “priority eligible students” whose families have yet to produce a single college graduate.

Fuel your school. Just in time for the back to school season, Chevron Philippines Inc. has launched the Caltex Fuel Your School campaign in

the country with a memorandum of agreement signed among the parties involved: Education Undersecretary Mario Derequito, American Chamber Foundation Philippines Inc. president Edwin Feist, Chevron Philippines Inc. General Manager for Philippine Products Peter Morris, Education NCR Director Luz Almeda, and Chevron Philippines Inc. Policy, Government and Public Affairs Manager, Raissa Bautista.

Fraud cost Philhealth P2b

By Macon Araneta

Toxic dentures.

Public health and environmental justice groups reveal that alarming levels of mercury can be found in dental clinics and schools in a study. Members of these groups display placards of teeth to drive home their point during a press conference held in Quezon City. MANNY PALMERO

Senate Blue ribbon Committee Chairman teofisto “tG” Guingona III on tuesday vowed to investigate the alleged fraudulent claims made by accredited hospitals and clinics to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation amounting to P2 billion.

Guingona noted that questionable practices and actions of health care service providers are detrimental to the integrity and sustainability of PhilHealth.

“We endeavor to give Filipinos not only greater access to health care, but also increase

PhilHealth benefits,” said the senator who also chairs the Senate health committee.

However, no date has been given for the start of the investigation.

PhilHealth officials earlier raised red flags on some benefit payments to accredited hospitals and clinics around the country amounting to P2 billion, including P325 million worth of ‘highly suspicious’ benefit payments to two eye care centers in Metro Manila. the Department of Health stated that an investigation was prompted by the result of an 2014 audit showing a suspiciously large sum was paid

by PhilHealth for cataract removal procedures.

Guingona pointed out that there are disturbing claims that some accredited hospitals and clinics would seek out large volume of PhilHealth members to operate on, even if the treatment is unnecessary and may even endanger the patient.

“If found true, this is a matter of national concern. It is criminal to misappropriate funds that are actually needed by other patients. But to endanger the lives of Filipinos as a means to eat through PhilHealth’s funds is beyond deplorable,” Sen. Guingona stressed.

w e d n e s d ay : m ay 2 7, 2 0 1 5

A7

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Surf’s up. Foreign and local tourists ride the waves at Sabang Beach in Baler, Aurora. MAnny PAlMero

New toll plaza on Star now open to motorists Star Infrastructure Development Corp. recently completed the construction of the Lipa-Sto. toribio toll plaza along Star tollway in Batangas, which is now open to traffic. the new toll plaza is located at the northern part of Lipa City, providing easier access to Lipa City Hall and nearby barangays like Inosluban and Marawoy on the west side. It is also the nearest exit to Balete town and tourist destination, Marian Orchard, on the east side.

Motorists going to the University of Batangas -Lipa Campus, Summit Point and Mount Malarayat Golf and Country Clubs, as well as cargo trucks and container vans going to Lima and PKI industrial parks, can now access the Sto. toribio plaza which is nearer than the Malvar exit. this new toll plaza is expected to considerably ease traffic in Lipa City especially when schools open next month.

SIDC is the concessionaire for the 42-km. Star tollway from Sto. tomas to Lipa City, which has undergone major developments last year such as two additional northbound lanes on the 20-km.

Batangas City-Lipa City stretch, asphalt overlay of the entire tollway alignment on both directions and additional lighting. a state of the art command center, CCtV cameras and an upgraded toll collection system will soon be operational.

Provincial employee, water exec’s son nabbed for drugs

By Alvin T. Guanzon

BUTUAN CITY—An employee of the Dinagat Islands provincial government was arrested in a buy-bust operation Friday by joint operatives of San Jose, Dinagat Islands Municipal Police Office, the Dinagat Provincial Anti-illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Group, Dinagat Provincial Police Safety Command and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.

San Jose, Dinagat Islands Chief of Police Senior Inspector Bjorn Mariveles tabucon identified the employee as Manuel Villaren Cortes, 53, married and employed at the provincial capitol of Dinagat based in San Jose,

the capital town.

Police said they confiscated from Cortes P2,000 worth of suspected shabu, drug paraphernalia and marked money of P500 pesos used in the buy bust that led to his arrest.

On Wednesday, the eldest son of the Chairman of the Board of Surigao City Water District, who is at the same time official of Surigao del Norte Electric Cooperative (SUrNECO) and broadcaster Manuel “Manny” Kong was arrested by the joint operatives of the Intelligence Unit of Surigao City Police headed

by Surigao City Intelligence Chief, Senior Inspector Joel Cabaňes and the PDEa. Cabaňes identified the suspected shabu pusher he tagged as allegedly number one in drug watch list in Surigao City as Eric Pomoy Kong alyas “ric”, 42, separated, eldest son of the water official and broadcaster.

Kong was arrested in his rented boarding house in Purok 1-B Barangay San Juan, Surigao City.

Formal charges in violation of ra 9165 were already filed in court against the suspect, Cabanes said.

Kong said he is saddened over the arrest of his son and congratulated the PNP and the PDEa for doing their job. the problem of proliferation of illegal drugs in Caraga region has been worrying residents here. No less than PDEa Director General arturo Cacdac, Jr. said the Carage region ranked third, after the National Capital region and region 7, in the illegal proliferation of drugs.

‘Mechanization to help preserve rice terraces’

By Ferdie G.Domingo

In full bloom. A jeepney passes by a lane full of fire trees in bloom at Barangay Lingsat, San Fernando City, La Union. CHrISTIne JUnIo

MUÑOZ, Nueva Ecija—Mechanization can help conserve and preserve the famous Ifugao rice terraces in the Cordilleras, according to a Japanese agricultural engineer who said that farm machineries can be used to preserve the terraces.

Professor Makoto Hoki, former research fellow at the International rice research Institute (Philrice), stressed that mechanization can perform the work of agriculture workers who used to work on the terraces.

Hoki spoke in a seminar on how to restore the Ifugao rice terraces at the institute’s central experiment station here last week.

In the same seminar, professor Hiroshi tsujii of Kyoto University and senior research fellow at the International Food Policy research Institute (IFPrI) based in thailand

observed that conserving the Ifugao rice terraces has been made difficult because these have been abandoned by farm workers due to external pressure that led them to seek nonagricultural jobs.

Other factors include the advancing age of farmers and out-migration of young people. Both reduce the needed workforce to cultivate and maintain the rice terraces. the rice terraces of the Cordilleras were inscribed on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage List in 1995, the first-ever property to be included in its cultural landscape category. this inscription has five sites: the Batad rice terraces and Bangaan rice terraces (both in Banaue), Mayoyao rice terraces (in Mayoyao), Hungduan rice terraces (in Hungduan) and Nagacadan rice terraces (in Kiangan), all in Ifugao.

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ADELLE CHUA EDITOR W E D N E S D AY, M AY 2 7, 2 0 1 5

OPINION [ EDI TORI A L ]

DELUSIONAL GOVERNMENT THE Senate hearings on the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) this week exposed this administration’s delusional approach to bringing peace to Mindanao.

Under questioning, an official of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) admitted that in negotiating the peace agreement with Muslim rebels and in drafting the BBL, the government had neglected to consult the sultanates of Mindanao, the ancient royal families that have played such an influential part in the region’s politics, culture and history.

The government had likewise left out the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), which is the only group recognized by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

Nor did the government involve the non-Muslim indigenous peoples of Mindanao in the peace process, and focused all its efforts instead on the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which began as a splinter group of the MNLF. Undersecretary Jose Lorena, speaking on behalf of his boss at the OPAPP, Teresita Deles, said the MILF represented all the Bangsamoro people—including the sultanates—in the peace talks, but was unable to explain how one rebel group could claim to speak for a diverse range of interests in the region. Certainly, the MILF did not have the imprimatur of the sultanates, the MNLF or the indigenous peoples to negotiate on their behalf.

How, one astounded senator demanded, could government negotiators hope to achieve a successful, all-inclusive peace agreement when they left out so many key players in the process?

Despite this serious flaw, the administration is hellbent on ramming the BBL through Congress, and has already succeeded in co-opting the House in its mad dash to pass the law before President Benigno Aquino III gives his last State of the Nation Address (SONA) in July.

One benighted congressman even suggested that the passage of the BBL was “the best SONA gift” Congress could give the President before he leaves office next year, reducing in one sentence the significance of a major piece of legislation to that of a trinket bestowed upon a departing chief executive.

In his earlier pro nouncements, the same congressman had vowed to remove eight objectionable provisions in the Palace-drafted BBL. Two meetings with the President later, however, proved that his brief bout of legislative independence was a delusion after all.

Indeed, the stubborn refusal to face hard facts has become a hallmark of this delusional government.

And none are as delusional as the President himself, who this week told elementary schoolchildren that the Philippines could finally become a First World country if only the reforms he introduced continue, and if the people continue to strive and ensure proper governance.

The irony of the President’s statement was inescapable, as commuter train service in the capital continues to fail with alarming regularity, and as the government proves incapable of creating enough jobs to stem the exodus of Filipino workers, or of providing the most basic of public services, including the timely delivery of drivers licenses and license plates.

To borrow a phrase from the late American theater critic Walter Kerr, President Aquino and his minions clearly exhibit delusions of adequacy. It is high time we disabused them of this misplaced belief.

Published Monday to Sunday by Philippine Manila Standard Publishing Inc. at 6/F Universal Re Building, 106 Paseo de Roxas, corner Perea St., Legaspi Village, Makati City.

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DEJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN his assets. The pork barrel and Disbursement Acceleration ProLOWDOWN gram scandals – which quickly followed in the wake of Corona’s JOJO A. sensational impeachment and ROBLES trial – made sure of that.

But now I fear that both HousI WISH I could trust the Sen- es of Congress are in the same ate to act in the people’s inter- situation as they were in when est in the matter of the Malac a n a n g - i n s pi re d , - pro du c e d and-directed campaign to pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law. But I keep getting flashbacks datI believe that the ing to three years ago, when this BBL will pass in the same Senate, for the most part, made all the appropriate noises Senate, in the timeof self-proclaimed indepenframe allotted by dence – before overwhelmingly Malacanang for its convicting a sitting Chief Justice of the Supreme Court simply bepassage. cause President Noynoy Aquino wanted it to do so.

Readers of this column know exactly what my position was in the Renato Corona impeachment trial. That position has not they conspired with Malacanang changed since the Senate voted to convict Corona. And now that to convict someone simply and the House ad hoc committee on ultimately because the presiden- the BBL has made the Coronatial palace decreed it. like move of overwhelmingly Since the Corona conviction, approving the BBL despite the both Malacanang and Con- many and varied reservations to gress have been unable to keep approval, it could be like the wag up the fiction that they were so said: deja vu all over again. clean that they would condemn Of course, Senator Ferdisomeone for under-declaring nand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., MST Management, Inc. Philip G. Romualdez Arnold C. Liong Former Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno Jocelyn F. Domingo Ron Ryan S. Buguis

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

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

the chairman of the Senate committee on local governments, has announced that he and his colleagues are not thinking of any Malacanang-set deadline to pass its own BBL version. And Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago, the head of the committee on constitutional amendments and revision of laws, has also weighed in on the matter, basically declaring the BBL legally infirm and in need of serious revisions in her committee’s own report.

But the fact that both Marcos and Santiago seem oblivious to the palace line doesn’t really restore my faith in the whole Senate. After all, only Marcos and Santiago voted not to convict Corona in 2012.

And while every one else in the Senate at the time, from Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile down to Senator Lito Lapid, was declaring that he or she was only interested in the truth uninfluenced by anyone, this time around, the other senators are strangely silent on the BBL. With the exception of Senators Francis “Chiz” Escudero and Alan Peter Cayetano, all the other senators have been holding their cards close to their chest –

Rolando G. Estabillo Jojo A. Robles Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Francis Lagniton Joyce Pangco Pañares Adelle Chua Romel J. Mendez Roberto Cabrera

Continued on A11

Publisher Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Associate Editors News Editor City Editor Senior Deskman Art Director Chief Photographer

A10 JUSTICE HAS BEEN FORGOTTEN SANTA Banana, TO THE President Aquino POINT must have had an overdose of nicoEMIL P. tine from all the JURADO cigarets he’s been smoking.

Mr. Aquino has been hallucinating about the Philippines becoming a First World country if his kind of governance were to be continued.

How can we ever become a First World country when government cannot even issue license plates for vehicles plying the streets, much less licenses for drivers?

My gulay, the basic means of transportation – colliding trains of the LRT and glitch-prone MRT – poses not just inconvenience but danger to commuters.

Note that the operations of the Philippine National Railways has been suspended because of a recent derailing.

The Philippines becoming a First World country, my foot! Not with the kind of governance we get from President Aquino. *** Mr. Aquino also wants to be invited by the Senate for a dialogue on the Bangsamoro Basic Law. There remain doubts on its constitutionality and opposition from other stakeholders not consulted when the bill was being drafted.

There are other Muslim stakeholders who were kept out of the loop in the peace negotiations.

These are Nur Misuari’s Moro National Liberation Front, the Manobos, Tirurays and other stakeholders who don’t believe the BBL can guarantee peace and development in Mindanao.

Does the President believe that he can persuade many of the senators as he did the House members who were summoned to the Palace not once, but twice, and promised P50 million worth of pork barrel per person?

The question is, will the senators act as lapdogs of the President just because he wants to cite the BBL as his greatest achievement during his fiveyear term in office?

Surely, the majority of the Senate are more independent-minded than their colleagues in the House. They will not do the President’s bidding even if he were to dangle pork barrel funds in front of them. Certainly not with the likes of Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. around.

I have more faith in the Senate.

Incidentally, with the public focused on whether Congress can meet the June 11 deadline for the passage of the BBL, we have forgotten that the survivors, wives, children and relatives of the 44 police commandos who were slaughtered in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, have not been given the justice they have been asking for. To me, Santa Banana, this is the greatest tragedy of the whole peace process. *** I can agree with Justice Secretary Leila de Lima that statements coming from Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte about not running for President because he did not like to kill, is simply “unacceptable” and even “annoying and disturbing.”

De Lima said that since Duterte confessed he had links with the notorious Davao Death Squad reportedly responsible for 90 extra-judicial killings, the Davao City mayor may be held liable.

De Lima did not mince words when she said that “killing is killing.” Therefore, if he admitted that he was responsible for the killings, then he must be criminally liable.

Duterte’s statements are supported by some who complain about the rise in criminality. My gulay, he is even idolized for making Davao City one of the safest cities in the world. However, De Lima said that “if we would agree with such view like killing criminals international organizations like the Human Rights Watch will mock us.” It is just not right.

W E D N E S D AY: M AY 2 7, 2 0 1 5

OPINION

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

THE NATURE OF THE BEAST AN early Senate approval of the him on this. But what Aquino may BACK divisive draft Bangsamoro Basic be leaving us is a monumental mess Law appears remote considering if the BBL is not revised to rid it of CHANNEL the disparate party affiliations of legal infirmities and take into acALEJANDRO the 23-member upper chamber. count the interests of all stakeholdDEL ROSARIO ers.

The window is getting smaller for the bill’s passage before Congress The four decades of strife in adjourns on June 10. President Aquino wants Mindanao have some parallelisms with the historito include the BBL in his last State of the Nation cal enmity between Israelis and Palestinians, acAddress in July as a major accomplishment of his cording to former Nueva Ecija Rep. Renato Diaz. administration. The President is seeking a meeting When Britain withdrew from Palestine after World with the senators, hoping he does not have to call a War II, a Jewish state was created from the parspecial session of Congress. titioned Palestine in 1948 under United Nations House members herded to a meeting at supervision. With the immigration of Jews from Malacanang approved the measure at the ad hoc Europe and the survivors of the Holocaust, a new committee level. The bill goes to the House plenary state of Israel was born. Aggrieved and marginalthis week and then will be submitted to the Senate. ized, Palestinians formed the PLO and later Hamas Don’t expect any more surprises on how the House in the armed struggle against Israel by employing will vote other than the sudden turnaround of ad the same terrorist tactics used by Menachem Begin hoc committee chairman Rep. Rufus Rodriguez. to the cause of Israel.

The Cagayan de Oro congressman who impressed Diaz said that even if the Bangsamoro homeland us after days of arguing against eight provisions is approved by the Senate, there will still be chalcontained in the BBL as being unconstitutional, lenges to its legality which could go all the way to shifted gear with his committee approving the the Supreme Court. For one, people who are not measure widely seen as a Palace draft. He said two residents of the affected provinces in Mindanao of the controversial provisions have been removed. are asking why a plebiscite would be confined only What about the six other provisions he had earlier to the region. The point being raised is that it’s our found objectionable? money too, and as taxpayers we want to have a say It’s not going to be as easy for the BBL to pass on where it’s spent. An estimated P50 billion would at the Senate without going through the wring- be needed as start-up funding for the Bangsamoro er. Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago has al- Transition Authority. ready posed a legal challenge that the creation There is also the question of why Malaysia, which of the Bangsamoro is unconstitutional. She is has a conflict of interest on the issue of Sabah, was on the same page as former Interior and Local allowed as third-party broker between the MILF Government Secretary Rafael Alunan who point- and the government peace panel. A more neutral ed out that the words “basic” and “law” refers to Indonesia, before Malaysia, was the original peace the Constitution. The BBL, Alunan said, com- broker. plicates the country’s security problems where By its nomenclature Moro Islamic Liberation we are faced with an external threat from China Front (with emphasis on Liberation), the MILF in the West Philippine Sea, and now an internal started as a secessionist movement, This is the challenge in the South. nature of the beast. The government panel tasked Senator Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. who heads the to deal with the MILF created an even bigger committee on local government reviewing the BBL Frankenstein when it gave away too many conceshas made clear he won’t allow himself to be pres- sions to the rebel group. If a revised BBL is rejected sured by the Palace. At Monday’s Senate commit- in a plebiscite, what is the guarantee the MILF will tee hearing, Marcos listened to the concerns of the accept the result and not wage war again? On the indigenous people like the Lumads and represen- other hand, if approved in a plebiscite but later on tatives of the Sultanate of Sulu who complained the Bangsamoro finds the central government in they were never consulted by the Presidential Manila meddling too much in the way it is runPeace Adviser during the government’s negotia- ning the autonomous region, who can say it won’t tions with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. The secede and join the Federation of Malaysia?

Lumads fear the loss of their cultural identity unThe 44 members of the PNP-Special Action der a Bangsamoro while the Sulu Sultanate is ap- Force who were massacred by a combined MILFprehensive about the loss of its territory in an au- BIFF force in Mamasapano, Maguindanao gave tonomous region to be governed by a Transition more than their lives Their deaths triggered a Authority controlled by the MILF. review of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law Aquino is consumed by his desire to claim that which brought to light the flawed framework peace bringing peace in Mindanao as his legacy to the agreement Aquino’s negotiating panel signed with nation. We, who are also for peace, are one with the MILF. The NBI is now conducting investigations into Bases Conversion Development Authority paid the notorious Davao City Death Squad. In fact, a P1,421,096,052 to the developer, the latter must witness has already been placed under the Witness vacate. This is called “Kaliwaan” in the vernacular.

Protection Program.

More importantly, on Page 4, Paragraph 3 of *** the final ruling of the judge, in affirming the The Court of Appeals’ Special Arbitration Tribunal’s decision, it Fifth Division which issued a 60stated “As to the list of sub-lessees day temporary restraining order on and/or vested rights holders, they the May 20, 2015 Notice to Vacate will be governed by the law on Camp John Hay Development Corp. obligations and contracts.” And brings to fore something strange on In the rush to upon reading the Philippine Civil the action taken by Acting Presiding pass the BBL by Code, Article 1385 on the Law on Judge of the Regional Trial CourtObligations and Contracts, it proJune 11, what Branch 6, Cecilia Corazon S. Dulay vides “An order for ‘mutual restiArchog, and the Sheriff ’s Office. has happened to tution’ cannot include properties The Notice to Vacate was not the widows and only posted on all the buildings of currently in the possession of third orphans of the CJHDevco, the developer, but was parties who acted in good faith.” also made visible to the sub-lessees This issue has to be clarified by Fallen 44?

-- some 1,631 investors. the Court of Appeals when it conFor one thing, the final award ducts a summary hearing at 10:30 mandated by the Arbitration in the morning on July 1 and 2, Tribunal is that as soon as the 2015.

W E D N E S D AY: M AY 2 7, 2 0 1 5

OPINION

ADELLE CHUA EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

SAN MIGUEL’S MERGER PLAN LIKE a snake swallowing an elephant.

That is the metaphor used by San Miguel Corp. vice chairman, president and COO Ramon S. Ang in describing the possibility of the Philippines’ largest conglomerate in sales and assets growing double or triple its size today in the next five years, if not sooner.

Speaking to newsmen after the annual stockholders’ meeting of SMC subsidiary Petron on Thursday, May 21, Ang, the petroleum refining company’s president and CEO, talked of bringing the parent company San Miguel’s consolidated revenues to the P1 trillion level, by 2016, if possible.

“With full consolidation of other SMC businesses, we will hit P1 trillion sales ($22.47 billion) sales in 2016,” Ang reckons. However, “it will be much easier to hit P1 trillion if we could acquire another large company.”

“I am looking at one company which I am near to convincing (to join us). I would be able to double the size of San Miguel all of a sudden,” Ang disclosed.

“It will be like a merger with another company which is a little bit bigger or equal the size of San Miguel,” he elaborated.

Asked if the company were Malaysian, Ang deadpanned, “I don’t remember if it is Malaysian.” The company’s profits “are huge, about $3 billion,” Ang figured out.

What gives the deal immediacy and air of finality is “it was the other company which approached me,” he said, and not San Miguel. As the figures are being checked, he said, he cannot disclose details yet, “because they would be able to work out the numbers.”

The elephant Ramon Ang is referring to could possibly come from either of two countries – Japan or Malaysia.

Plus, of course, the Philippines.

In Japan, there is Kirin Holdings, Inc. which owns 48 percent of San Miguel’s San Miguel Brewery, Inc.. Kirin and SMC make for a nice fit. They are in the same businesses – beer and food, though Kirin is also into pharmaceuticals. In 2014, Kirin had sales of $18 billion, EBITDA of $2.25 billion, and assets of $24.35 billion. Average threeyear return on equity: 9.9 percent.

In 2014, SMC had sales of $17.54 billion, operating profits of $1.25 billion, and assets of $27.29 billion. Average

#FAILOCRACY

VIRTUAL REALITY TONY LOPEZ three-year ROE: 10.92 percent.

In Malaysia, Ang has been known to be on the lookout for acquisitions, particularly in the oil and gas business. In March 2012, SMC bought ExxonMobil refinery and some 550 gas stations in Malaysia for $577.3 million or P24.79 billion. Ten more gas stations were added in 2014. Another 20 areplanned.

In the Philippines, Ang declared on May 23, San Miguel was interested in the Malampaya Deep water Gas-toPower project. “It (the Malampaya operation) should be the biggest PPP (public-private partnership) project the government should bid out,” said the SMC chief operating officer. He called Malampaya “the deal of the century” because the pipeline, which returns to the government, is highly valuable. He aims to add length to pipeline by connecting it to Palawan, and not just to Batangas alone.

Ang is no stranger to acquiring companies equal to or bigger the size of San Miguel. He acquired 32.8 percent of Meralco in 2008 with a view to increasing SMC equity to majority control.

In 2009, Meralco had bigger revenues, P184 billion, 6 percent more than SMC’s P174 billion. In 2010, he bought 68 percent of Petron. That year, Petron’s revenues, P267.67 billion, were 9 percent bigger than SMC’s P246.1 billion.

Had Ang succeeded in buying control of Meralco, he would have achieved his P1-trillion sales target for SMC back in 2013 when SMC had sales of P748.24 billion and Meralco reported sales of P298.63 billion, a total of P1.046 trillion.

As a rule, when buying a company, Ang explains, “you have to look at its future. If its future is bright, then be prepared to risk bigger sums.” Now, he cautions, “if you are just after making a gain after buying it, you don’t need to be a very serious buyer. You just shock (your rivals) with outrageous offers so that when they bite, they are the ones who get squeezed.”

In 2013, Ang sold SMC’s minority stake in Meralco at three times his acquisition price, to the group of Manuel Pangilinan and John Gokongwei Jr. The net gain of about P40 billion was then hedged against foreign currency losses, wiping out SMC’s P15 billion forex losses in 2013.

In the past six years, SMC’s revenues have grown 3.5 times, from P174.2 billion in 2009 to a new high of P782.4 billion in 2014. That’s an increase of 350 percent in six years or an average rise of a whopping 58.34 percent per year. No other local company has grown so big and so fast in such a short time.

The most spectacular growth was in 2011 when revenues more than doubled (or increased 118 percent) to a new record of P535.5 billion, up P289.3 billion from P246.2 billion in 2010.

“We made strategic acquisitions and built up our position in fast-growing and high-potential industries.” Ang says of the heady two years of 2010 and 2011. “We have moved beyond consumer products, and are participating in businesses that make a measurable difference in people’s lives -- providing them with essential services that meet genuine, basic human needs,” he said.

In 2009, SMC had only three major revenue generators – beverages (beer) 46 percent, food 43 percent, and packaging 11 percent. In contribution to EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes and depreciation), beer (beverages) was still the biggest profit maker, with 67.1 percent, followed by food 21.1 percent, and packaging 11.8 percent.

In 2010, the revenue generators swelled to five – Petron 47 percent, beverages 18 percent, food 16 percent, power 14, and packaging 5 percent.

By 2014, Petron had a commanding 60 percent share of revenues. Food proved to be a stable sales generator, with a 13 percent share. A close third was beer (beverages) with 12 percent, followed by power 11 percent, packaging was a poor fifth with 3 percent, and others, 1 percent.

In 2014, power had become the biggest profit maker, with 32 percent, followed strongly as second by beer, 28 percent. Petron was third with 20 percent, food 10 percent, others 6 percent, and packaging 4 percent. biznewsasia@gmail.com

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Deja Vu..From A8 something that, in my view, does not bode well for those seeking independent Senate action on the draft law.

A latecomer to the small group of senators skeptical of Malacanang’s deadlines and blandishments is palace ally and former Aquino campaign manager Senator Sergio Osmena III. Osmena warned yesterday that the administration may use pork barrel-like funds to get the chamber to pass the controversial law – something we’ve also seen before during the Corona trial.

But there are other things that are different now compared to three years ago. For one, the Senate is now headed by the unabashedly pro-palace Franklin Drilon – who has long made it known that he will use his considerable weight to have the measure approved, as ordered.

Oh, and yes, the senators won’t get to wear nifty, judge-like gowns like they did back then. All they have to do is vote, whether or not they take up Aquino’s offer to sit down with him and “discuss” the matter.

(Why Aquino wants to sit down with any senator to talk about the BBL is a mystery to me. Unless Aquino also wants to reenact the Corona trial and hold secret one-on-one chats with senators ferried into the palace

by Mar Roxas driving an unmarked and un-plated SUV.) *** Of course, to complete my recollection of the Corona trial, I must mention that three senators supposedly belonging to the political opposition voted to convict the chief justice, as Malacanang directed, but still landed in jail for their obedience. One of them, Jinggoy Estrada, even told of receiving a huge sum in exchange for his vote for conviction, an allegation that Malacanang has not sufficiently refuted to this day – and which it hopes nobody remembers anymore, what with the senator making the claim languishing in jail.

All of this is why I hope I am forgiven if I believe that the BBL will pass in the Senate, in the time-frame allotted by Malacanang for its passage.

History, after all, is on my side – even if I really wish that I am mistaken.

Does this mean that we should all stop asking our senators to do their jobs and study the BBL before voting on it, instead of just giving Aquino what he wants? Of course not.

Aquino may once again prove that his power over Congress is absolute.

But that doesn’t mean that he is right in asking and getting whatever he wants from our shameful and shameless legislators – who will betray their country for whatever the equivalent of 30 pieces of silver is these days.

CHONG ARDIVILLA

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Sharapova jeered; Murray in easy win PARIS—Defending champion Maria Sharapova reached the French Open second round on Monday but was jeered by fans after she refused to carry out an on-court TV interview.

Second-seeded Sharapova defeated Estonian Kaia Kanepi 6-2, 6-4 to set up a clash against Russian Fed Cup teammate Vitalia Diatchenko.

But the 27-year-old irritated the Philippe Chatrier Court crowd by refusing to carry out the traditional oncourt television pleasantries, claiming her voice was not strong enough.

She said she had been suffering from a cold in a worrying repeat of last year when she was also sick in the run-up to Paris.

“I totally understand that everyone usually does the interviews and answers a few questions,” said Sharapova, who was also champion in 2012 and runner-up in 2013.

“It’s absolutely normal.

I’m not making any excuses but I’ve got to do what I have to do.”

There were no such problems for British third seed Andy Murray, twice a semifinalist, who took his clay record this season to 11-0 with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 win over

Argentine ‘lucky loser’ Facundo Arguello.

Murray, with claycourt titles in Munich and Madrid, goes on to face either Canadian world number 53 Vasek Pospisil or Portugal’s 44th-ranked Joao Sousa.

“Always the first round of the majors is tough and it was quite windy and difficult conditions at the start,” said Murray.

Sloane Stephens ended 15th seed and fellow American Venus Williams’s 18th French Open at the firstround stage with a 7-6 (7/5), 6-1 victory.

With her 35th birthday in three weeks’ time, the defeat is certain to place a question mark over the future of seven-time major winner Williams, who was runnerup to sister Serena in 2002 but has not gone beyond the fourth round since 2006.

“Sometimes things don’t work out the way you would like,” said Venus.

“I have a little while now between tournaments, so I will get ready for the grass at Wimbledon.”

Montoya wins Indy 500, $2.4m top purse INDIANAPOLIS —Juan Pablo Montoya received $2,449,055 in an awards ceremony on Monday for his victory in the 99th Indianapolis 500 after the Colombian won the fourth-closest finish in race history.

Montoya, whose only other Indy 500 triumph came as a rookie in 2000, took the lion’s share of the overall purse of $13,397,315 for his Sunday triumph over 200 laps at the 2.5mile (4km) Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval.

Montoya edged reigning IndyCar series champion Will Power of Australia by 0.1046 of a second at the checkered flag after the two and fourth-place Scott Dixon of New Zealand exchanged the lead five times over the final 11 laps.

The 15-year gap between Indy 500 wins for Montoya is a race record.

The South American’s total of only nine laps led is third-fewest for any Indy 500 winner after the late Dan Wheldon of England led only one in 2011 and Joe Dawson led only two in 1912. AFP

Eagles, Tigers-B PH Volcanoes enter final stage of preparations prevail THE Philippine National Men’s and Women’s Rugby Sevens Teams, more popularly known as the Philippine Volcanoes, are in the final stage of their preparations for next month’s Southeast Asian Games.

The Men’s and Women’s training squads of 18 players each will compete for a position in the final 12-member teams to depart for Singapore on June 3 and compete in the SEA Games Rugby Sevens tournament at Choa Chu Kang Stadium June 6 and 7.

Great Britain’s Andy Murray serves to Argentina’s Facundo Arguello during the men’s first round at the Roland Garros 2015 French Tennis Open in Paris. AFP

The 28th Southeast Asian Games will see the re-inclusion of Rugby Sevens since it was last played during the 2007 Games where hosts, Thailand took home the Gold and the Philippines settled for Silver in the Men’s Division.

During an eight-year hiatus from the SEA Games roster, the sport of Rugby Sevens has enjoyed a growing popularity worldwide, with its fast pace, dynamic skill set, and exciting means of scoring, which has also elevated the sport to an Olympic event

to be played for the first time at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

“While the Men’s team competed in the 2005 and 2007, this is the first SEA Games appearance for us,” said Lady Volcanoes Captain Acee San Juan.

Coached by Shirley Russell, who is a former member of the Australia National Women’s Rugby Team, the Lady Volcanoes’ training routine includes two sessions a day, at least six times per week, which the team hopes will pay off in Singapore.

“We are fitter, faster, and stronger now. The team underwent an intensive training program under the Philippine Olympic Committee, which consisted of strength & conditioning, sports vision, nutrition training and even sports psychology. We also underwent Rugby Sevens-specific and National Team training camps leading up to this tournament. The support we get from our coaching and management staff plus the system that we have in place now is bringing out the best in us,” San Juan added.

Bohol hosts Palawan netfest

Pacquiao visits The Manila Hotel. Filipino ring

icon Manny Pacquiao visited The Manila Hotel for his Homecoming Luncheon at the Champagne Room. He was welcomed by The Manila Hotel’s Resident Manager Gerhard Doll, President Atty. Jose D. Lina, Executive Vice President Dr. Enrique Y. Yap, Jr., and Assistant Vice President for Public Relations and Corporate Communications Nian LiwanagRigor.

BOHOL braces for another four-day battle of power and strokes as it hosts the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala regional age group presented by Technifibre beginning this Saturday at the Sto. Nino Tennis Club in Ubay.

A banner field is expected to vie for top honors in various divisions, headed by the host province’s leading and rising stars along with those from Cebu, Dumaguete, Siquijor, Panglao, Carmen and from other towns of Bohol.

Mayor Galicano Atup has guaranteed a successful staging of the event, which features competitions in the boys’ and girls’ 12-, 14-, 16- and 18-and-under categories along with the 10-unisex section.

Registration is ongoing. For details, call Philta regional vice president Tingardz Uy at 0917-6320849 or Bobby Mangunay, PPS-PEPP tennis event organizer and

sports program development director at 0915-4046464.

“As in our past hosting of this highly popular circuit, we expect another huge cast not only from Bohol but also from the nearby cities and provinces,” said Atup, who also cited Palawan Pawnshop and Philta’s joint effort to develop the sport and at the same time discover fresh talents, especially from the countryside.

“The tremendous response of the youth – and the host provinces – in all our legs has continued to inspire us to put up more and more tournaments, especially at this time when we help keep the youth busy this summer season,” said Palawan Pawnshop COO Bobby Castro.

The Bohol stage also serves as the final leg of Palawan Pawnshop’s summer festival with action to shift to Mindanao on June 18-21 for the Isulan, Sultan Kudarat tournament.

THE Ateneo Blue Eagles, University of Santo TomasB Tigers and the University of the East Junior Warriors turned back separate foes Sunday in the 21st Fr. Martin Summer Cup basketball tournament at the St. Placid gymnasium inside the San Beda College-Manila campus in Mendiola.

Sophomore Kemark Carino and CJ Perez led the Blue Eagles to a 90-65 swamping of the University of Santo Tomas-A Tigers, who are supported by Impakt Power Drink.

The 6’7” Carino shot 18 points, while Perez hit 17 points for the Blue Eagles, who picked up their third win in six games in Group B of the senior division.

Meanwhile, the TigersB drew big baskets from Mario Bonleon and Jack Huang in outplaying the National University Bulldogs, 70-55.

Bonleon drilled in 17 points, including three big treys in the fourth, while Huang eked out 13 for Tigers-B, who posted their third triumph in four outings in Group A. Kobe Camarillo and Dustin Angeles showed the way for the Junior Warriors as they waylaid Ateneo de Davao, 64-57.

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Organizer’s negligence hit

By Peter Atencio

WORLD

JOSE Rizal University Light Bombers’ coach Nat Gregorio said yesterday that despite the death of CJ Servillon last Sunday, the 17-year-old’s name will remain in the roster of the team as a tribute to him.

Gregorio made the statement as the JRU community continued to grieve Servillon’s passing in an incident that shocked the entire basketball community.

Servillon died at the intensive care unit of the Cardinal Santos Memorial Hospital two days after suddenly collapsing while the Light Bombers were playing the De La Salle-Zobel squad last Friday in the Filoil Flying V pre-season tournament.

“We are preparing for the NCAA. Ito na dapat ang lineup. Malaking kawalan ito sa amin,” said Gregorio, who tried to revive Servillon after his player collapsed.

Gregorio said Servillon was a vital part of the team set to see action in Season 91 of the National Collegiate Athletic Association basketball competition.

The Light Bombers had called off their scheduled match against San Beda last Monday after the incident.

Gregorio recalled it took two minutes before the medics arrived.

“Ang alam ako, around two minutes before (they arrived).

Ang bilis kasi ng pangyayari eh,” said Gregorio, who may have impliedly indicated the

absence of medics when he revealed that he was the one who tried to revive Servillon when he collapsed.

Organizers of the tournament have already made contact with Servillon’s loved ones, with tournament director Joey Guillermo saying they have provided financial assistance and sent their condolences.

But in a Spin.ph report, Servillon’s grandfather, Severo Servillon Sr., said he felt that the organizers did not have the necessary medical services on standby during the incident, prompting the family of considering filing charges against the organizing Filoil Flying V for alleged negligence.

“Mabuti nandiyan kayo (media) para kung sakaling may ganyan, hindi na maulit,” the elder Servillon told Spin. ph on Monday during the wake of his grandson in their residence in Mandaluyong City. “Palaro naman ito, siguro may bayad (entrance fee), may obligasyon kayo (organizers) from the moment na nagwawarm up. Ako tinitignan ko ‘yung anggulo nu’n na may negligence on the part of nu’ng nag-palaro. ‘Yun din naman ‘yung observation ng mga coaches.”

Cyna-Jayvie duel looms MULTI-LEG winner Cyna Rodriguez sets out as the top favorite but Jayvie Agojo is out to defend her first and only title and Chihiro Ikeda tries to nail the elusive one as the ICTSI Ladies Philippine Golf Tour resumes today with the ICTSI Riviera Ladies Classic in Silang, Cavite.

Winner of half of the eight titles disputed last year, Rodriguez remains winless after three legs of this year’s circuit, dropping a playoff loss to amateur ace Princess Superal in the ICTSI Wack Wack Ladies Invitational last month. But the

long break has given the back-toback Order of Merit champion enough time to polish her shotmaking and putting skills, hinting at another crack at the crown in the P500,000 event.

But Agojo has also toughened up for her defense of the crown won over Ikeda last year although the former Philippine Ladies Open champion’s game went on a downswing after that romp, struggling with a minor wrist injury and finishing way below expectations in the rest of the legs.

Comebacking VM Kaikkonen signified his strong title bid following his sweep in Yokohama Grand Touring Car kickoff.

Kaikkonen sweeps Yokohama GT kickoff FINNISH expat Veli-Matti Kaikkonen of Hafele Racing Team made a strong comeback following his dominating sweep of both the morning’s Sprint and the GT Main Races to emerge the overall champion in the kickoff leg of the 2015 Yokohama Philippine Grand Touring Car Championships Series recently at the Clark International Speedway.

Kaikkonen impressed the crowd with his consistent, near-flawless driving to control the top spot from start to finish, building a wide margin over the rest to emerge as the GT300 champion of this this event sanctioned by the Automobile Association Philippines and sponsored by Yokohama, the official tires and Sparco.

With the top guns missing action, brothers Richmond and

Patrick dela Rosa got to flaunt their skills and pulled off upset victories over separate rivals.

Richmond scored a big sweep over defending GT200 champion Paolo Mantolino, while Patrick dela Rosa showed big promise as a newcomer when he captured the GT150 crown, also by a sweep.

Ivan Diaz, on the other hand, bagged the GT100 title.

Richmond dela Rosa, who made waves last year with his impressive circuit-racing debut by clinching the GT150 plum, started second on the grid and kept Mantolino at bay as he quickly pulled ahead and secured a wide distance over the latter midway the Sprint race.

With his car’s preparation not completed in time for the race, Mantolino never got the chance to

trim the gap as Dela Rosa checked in second overall for the GT200 crown, way ahead by 32.563 seconds over Mantolino, who claimed the runner-up honors with Walter Zamora in third place.

Mantolino tried to bounce back in the 15-lap GT Main race, but Dela Rosa quickly stepped on the gas when the greenlight went on and banked on his defensive moves to gain a firm hold on the GT200 lead throughout and complete his sweep enjoying a gap 24.785 seconds over Mantolino .

Despite being a fresh face in the racing scene, Patrick dela Rosa proved he’s no pushover as he consistently finished fourth overall in both the Sprint and GT Main Race to emerge the top GT150 finisher over his more-experienced rivals.

Grassroots football goes to CDO

Jerand Hortilano from Higala FC of CDO is shown with Chieffy Caligdong and British coach Chris Thomas. Hortilano was singled out by the two coaches as the most promising player in the Football for a Better Life event in Cagayan de Oro, sponsored bu Pru Life UK as its CSR program to promote grassroots football in the country.

FOOTBAL for a Better Life, the grassroots development program run by Filipino football icon Chieffy Caligdong with British football coach Chris Thomas, finished its fourth leg in Cagayan de Oro with close to 80 teams and hundreds of young footballers converging at Bgy. Carmen’s Sports Park field for the two-day event.

The teams came from Cagayan de Oro City, Marawi, Lanao del Sur, Iligan, Oroquieta, Valenica, Malaybalay, Manolo Fortich, Naawan, and El Salvador City The following emerged as winners in their respective

categories: Higala FC in the U-9 category; Olles FC in U-11; Vilma A. Vista FC in U-13; Vilma A. Vista FC in U-15; Uptown FC in U-17; the Cagayan de Oro-Misamis Oriental Football Association; Team A in the Women’s Open, and Manolo United A FC in the Men’s Open Caligdong and Thomas organized tournaments and conducted clinics aimed at enhancing the skills of football talent and discovering young players.

About 300 underprivileged boys and girls residents of Typhoon Sendong resettlement areas and wards of the Cagayan de Oro-based

NGO Philippine Island Kids International Foundation Inc. were taught drills and encouraged to play football fun games and challenges.

The two thanked the young footballers, coaches and parents and Cagayan de Oro Misamis Oriental Football Association President Percy Guarin for the good turnout.

Noon ang CDO ang center ng mga football event at football festival sa Mindanao. The past few years nag-lie-low pero ngayon bumabalik na ulit.

Excited na muli ang mga Cagayanon sa football’ said Caligdong.

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Junior match play winners. Top finish-

Jockeys’ Day at Metroturf

ers in the recent Philippine Golf Foundation Junior Masters match play tournament at the Eagle Ridge Golf and Country Club in Gen. Trias, Cavite are shown with Junior Golf Foundation of the Philippines chair Gerry Handog, JGFP executive director Jack Imperial and Chona dela Paz, president of the The Junior Golfers League. The girls’ winners were LK Go, Angela Mangana, Annyka Cayabyab, Sunshine Zhang and Bianca Macatangay,while the boys’ champions were Jelbert Gamolo, Marc Corrales, Josh Jorge, Sean Dominique Granada, Vince Tiamsic and Luis Anton Ballesteros.

Jockeys’ footrace highlights festival AUCTION SALE ACME PAWNSHOP

1 st Level Glorietta 3 Ayala, Makati and its branches in Mejalco Bldg., Buenavidez St., Legaspi Village, Makati and L & R Bldg., Pasay Road, Makati auction sale on June 05, 2015 2:00 pm Alabang Town Center, Alabang Zapote Road, MJ Holding Bldg., Almanza Las Piñas, Circle C G14, #17 Congressional Ave., Bahay Toro D1, Quezon City at 2:30 pm. All items pawned Janary 1-31, 2015 Notary Public

A FIRST-EVER jockeys footrace highlights the Annual New Philippine Jockeys Association Inc. Jockeys Day racing festival set this Sunday at the Metro Turf racecourse in Batangas.

and Gaming Corp. by NPJAI vice president Val Dilema and board of director Ace Aguila.

“They can wear a horse owner’s silks, a corporate t-shirt, even a dress—all in the spirit of fun and charity.”

The NPJAI has a total of 130 members, The event is a 100-meter race featuring 22 JOINT SETTLEMENT while 12 former jockeys are on the associajockeys, who will EXTRAJUDICIAL emerge from the starting SOPHIA tion’s disabled list namely, EJ Tijam, CH Bergate and OF run allESTATE the way toOF the finish line. GALVEZ-DE JESUS AND JOSE FROILAN nabe Jr., EA Ventura , Jesus ‘The Maestro’ Participating jockeys can be ‘declared’ by DE a JESUS, Guce, LM Salvador Jr., JP Manalo Jr., JG SR.a WITH EQUAL OF SHARE AND RIGHTS sponsor for fee of P5,000.

“The jockeys will wear whatever the sponsor Rodriguez, LV Cannaoay, EF Daquis, RL LaNoti i s Francisco, hereby gi ven MA N U E Lgrata, G. DRV E Leona, and LT Cuadra Jr. wants them to,ce ” said who that was joined JE S U S , TE R E S ITA D E JES U S JA CFrancisco IN TO, said some of the disabled jockin the forum presented bySSan Corp., RA MON G. D E JE U S , Miguel C OR A ZON G. D E JE S U S , eysG.will SH IRsLEY E JES U S -D E D IOS, JOSE D Ebe present during the racing event.

Accel, Shakey’ , and G. theDPhilippine Amusement ( T S - M AY 2 7, 2 0 15 )

Patterned after similar jockey footraces in the US, the event serves as a fundraising meet for the Disabled Jockeys Fund.

“This is the first time that jockeys will hold a charity footrace,” said NPJAI president Gilbert Francisco in the weekly Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at Shakey’s Malate. “It has already generated a lot of interest in the racing community and among fans.

AUCTION SALE ACME PAWNSHOP 1 st Level Glorietta 3 Ayala, Makati and its branches in Mejalco Bldg., Buenavidez St., Legaspi Village, Makati and L & R Bldg., Pasay Road, Makati auction sale on June 05, 2015 2:00 pm Alabang Town Center, Alabang Zapote Road, MJ Holding Bldg., Almanza Las Piñas, Circle C G14, #17 Congressional Ave., Bahay Toro D1, Quezon City at 2:30 pm. All items pawned Janary 1-31, 2015 Notary Public

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THIS weekend is packed with pulse-pounding THE HOARSE WHISPERER horseracing action with the running of several major races and the staging of the 12th New Philippine Jockeys Association Jockeys Day racing festival at Metro Turf racecourse in Malvar, Batangas.

The heat of the sun will be rivaled by the scorching hot speed expected from the entries in the 9th NPJA-Philippine Racing Commission Cup (four races), the 7th NPJA-Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office Cup, and the 3rd leg of the Philracom Import-Local Challenge, all on Sunday, May 31.

Entered in the latter (the Import-Local Challenge) are Crucis (carrying 55kgs), Divine Zazu (54), Messi (52), Security Model (52), Star Belle (54), and Strong Champion (58). I have a soft spot somewhere on my body for Crucis, so that’s my best bet. Strong Champion looks good but is carrying a heavy handicap weight. *** Racing fans are also looking forward to the first-ever NPJA Jockeys Footrace on Sunday, a fundraising event for the Disabled Jockeys Fund.

The event is patterned after similar jockey footraces in the United States. Jockeys, like racehorses, will emerge from the starting gate and run on the racetrack to the finish line for about 100 meters.

A jockey may be “declared” by a sponsor for P5,000. “The jockeys will wear whatever the sponsor wants them to,” said NPJA President Gilbert L. Francisco. “They can wear a horseowner’s silks, a corporate t-shirt, even a dress —all in the spirit of fun and charity.”

There are 12 riders on the NPJA’s disabled list: EJ Tijam (who suffered a racing accident in 1991), CH Bernabe Jr. (racing, 1993), EA Ventura (racing, 2000), JeC “The Maestro” Guce (racing, 2005), LM Salvador Jr. (racing, 2006), JP Manalo Jr. (racing, 2007), JG Rodriguez (racing, 2009), LV Cannaoay (racing, 2012), EF Daquis (workout, 2012), RL Lagrata (racing, 2013), RV Leona (racing, 2013), and LT Cuadra Jr. (racing, 2014).

The footrace will feature 22 riders and will be run between two regular races.

The footrace sponsors who sponsored two riders each are PCSO Vice-Chairman and General Manager lawyer Jose Ferdinand M. Rojas II, PCSO Assistant General Manager for Gaming Sector Conrado C. Zabella, PCSO Bayang Karerista, Philippine Racing Club, Inc. Executive Vice-President and COO Allan V. Abesamis, Manila Jockey Club Racing Manager Jose Ramon C. Magboo, and Metro Turf Chairman Dr. Norberto Quisumbing Jr. Sponsoring one each are horseowners Antonio G. de Ubago, Patrick Uy, and Ric Aquino; as well as Joey Villanueva, Manila Horsepower group, trainer Donie Sordan, Roger Lopez, Daniel Tan, Conrado Ong, and Rainier Leopando.

The jockeys also have other activities planned for the weekend, including fans’ meet-and-greet with the jockeys, fun bets on the footrace, and others.

“We are overwhelmed by the show of support we have received,” said Francisco, “and are grateful for the concern shown to the disabled jockeys and the entire jockey community.” *** On the breeding front: former Tarlac representative and longtime horseowner and trainer and now breeder Jeci A. Lapus recently acquired Kenneth Causon’s champion Humble Riches as a broodmare to be matched to Lapus’s stallion Retap (Tapit x Free Spin).

This is an interesting mix. Retap is a son of Tapit, who is a son of Pulpit, son of the great AP Indy. On the sire side, he also has Unbridled.

Cong. Jeci says that the dam, Free Spin, has good blood from her sire Olympio. Tapit foals are being auctioned for outrageously high prices in the United States nowadays.

Equally impressive is Humble Riches’ lineage of Tribal Rule x Starlight Wish. Tribal Rule’s sire was Storm Cat, whose grandsire was the “sire of sires” Northern Dancer. Storm Cat was the sire of successful stallion Giant’s Causeway, and the great-grandsire of 2015 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner American Pharoah.

Meanwhile, Philtobo President Manny Santos says that his Triple Crown champion Kid Molave (Into Mischief x Unsaid) is suffering tendon problems and will be retired to stud. *** Facebook: Gogirl Racing, Twitter: @gogirlracing, Blog: http://jennyo.net JENNY ORTUOSTE

JE S U S JR . , MA R IO G. D E JES U S , MA R ITA D E JES U S - PE R E Z; ALL FILIP IN OS , OF LE GAL AGE, A N D WITH R ES ID EN T AD D R E S S AT STA . MAR IA, B U LA C A N AR E TH E SU R V IVIN G LEGAL H E IR S OF TH E LA TE S OPH IA GA LV E ZD E JE S U S A N D JOSE FR OILA N D E JE S U S , SR ., EX E C U TE D JOIN T EX TR A JU D IC IAL SE TTLE MEN T OF ES TA TE WITH EQU AL OF SH A R E having AN D Pua R IGH TS his OVE R A IN and team joinC ER theTA league, PA R C EL OF LA N D S ITU A TED A T S TA . willChave MA R IA , B Uwhich LA C A N OVEaRhome-and-away E D B Y TR A N Sformat.

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RE A L PR OPE R TY IN EQU AL SH A R IN G AMON G a game official, Potential members of the Countrywide HE IR S.; AS attacked PE R D OC N O. 383 PA GE prompting N O. 78 BOOK II SEPBA R IESD-League OF 2014officials B E FOR N OTAR Y toEban the oneDevelopmental Basketball League have PU B LIC OF A TTY . C LAU D E TTE C . TOLE N TIN O.

Coach may have to look for another job

By Dennis Principe

reportedly expressed their concerns in

JOINT EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF ESTATE OF SOPHIA GALVEZ-DE JESUS AND JOSE FROILAN DE JESUS, SR. WITH EQUAL OF SHARE AND RIGHTS

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time pro player for life.

E XT RAJ UDI CI AL S E T T L E M E NT O F E S T AT E OF E M I L I O QUI NT O, S R. WI T H WAI VE R OF S HARE

Not ic e i s h e r e b y g i v en th a t M ANUEL G. DE JE S US , T E R E S I T A DE J ESUS J ACINT O, RAM O N G . D E J E S U S , CORAZ ON G. DE J ESUS , S HI RL E Y G . D E J E S US- DE DIOS, J OSE G. DE JE S U S J R . , M A R I O G . DE J ESUS, M ARIT A DE JE S U S - P E R E Z ; A L L F IL IPINOS, OF L EGAL A G E , A N D W I T H R ESIDENT ADDRESS AT S TA . M A R I A , B U L A C A N ARE T HE SURVIVING LE G A L H E I R S O F T H E L AT E SOPHIA GAL VEZ DE JE S U S A N D J O S E F ROIL AN DE J ESUS, S R. , EXECUTED JOINT EXT RAJUDICIAL S E TTL E M E N T O F E ST AT E WIT H EQUAL O F S H A R E A N D R I GHT S OVER A CERT AIN P ARC E L O F L A N D SIT UAT ED AT ST A. MARIA , B U L A C A N C OVERED BY T RANSF ER CE RT I F I C A T E O F T I T L E NO. 2 1 4 6 0 2 OF T HE RE G I S T E R O F D E E D S OF BUL ACAN : T HAT A LL H E I R S T H A T MANUEL G. DE JESUS, TE RE S I T A D E J E S U S JACINT O, RAM ON G. DE J E S U S , R A M O N G . D E JESUS , CORAZ ON G. DE J E S U S , S H I R L E Y G . D E JESUS- DE DIOS AND J O S E G . D E J E S U S JR, M ARIO G. DE JESUS A ND M A R I T A D E J E S US- PEREZ DO HEREBY DE CL A R E B Y V I R T U E OF T HIS INST RUM ENT THA T T H E Y A G R E E D T O DIVIDE T HE SAID RE A L P R O P E R T Y I N EQUAL SHARING AM ONG HE I RS . ; A S P E R D O C NO. 3 8 3 PAGE NO. 7 8 B O O K I I S E R I E S O F 2 0 1 4 BEF ORE NOT ARY P UB L I C O F A T T Y . C L AUDET T E C. T OL ENT INO.

Notice is hereby given that CONSOLACION QUINTO, HEIRS OF ELMER P. QUINTO NAMELY: TERESITA T. QUINTO, EMMANUEL T. QUINTO, EMELIE T. QUINTO, ELMER T. QUINTO JR. , ELOIASA T. QUINTO, EMERSON T. QUINTO AND EDISON T. QUINTO REPRESENTED BY TERESITA T. QUINTO , EMILIO P. QUINTO JR. MARRIED TO FARINA DUMINDIN QUINTO, ELLEN P. QUINTO, ELEAZAR P. QUINTO MARRIED TO VERENA PATRICIA C. QUINTO, ELEONOR P. QUINTO-SOBER MARRIED TO JIM SOBER AND ELTROY P. QUINTO MARRIED TO CHERRY ESPINO QUINTO, ; ALL FILIPINOS, OF LEGAL AGE, AND WITH RESIDENT ADDRESS AT LUCAO, DAGUPAN CITY ARE THE SURVIVING LEGAL HEIRS OF THE LATE EMILIO QUINTO, SR. EXECUTED EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF ESTATE OF EMILIO QUINTO, SR. WITH WAIVER OF SHARE OVER THE FOLLOWING PARCEL OF LAND SITUATED LUCAO DISTRICT, DAGUPAN CITY, COVERED BY TAX DECLARATION NOS. 4170014 AND 4173528 AND TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NOS. 66043, 66372, 66045, 25060, 31762, 25061, 47284, 47285, 47323, 48351, 48622, 52429, 48331, 43712, 47880, 49971, 49800, 52430, 52426, 52428, 52422, 52427, 12642, 51170, 51766, 66375, 51769, 36460, 37443, 36459, 26 760, 30808, 66047 AND 66726 OF THE REGISTRY OF DEEDS OF DAGUPAN CITY. MUNICIPALITY OF SAN MANUEL COVERED BY TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NOS. 17628, 17629 AND 21550 OF THE REGISTRY OF DEEDS OF PANGASINAN. MUNICIPALITY OF BUGALLON COVERED BY TAX DECLARATION NOS. 320 AND 321 AND TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NO. 156229 THE REGISTRY OF DEEDS OF PANGASINAN. MUNICIPALITY OF CALASIAO COVERED BY TAX DECLARATION NOS. 103, 104, 136, 153, 271, 272, 446, 494, 606, 608, 610, 611, 626, 629, 159 AND 493 AND TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NOS. 159473 AND 122600 OF THE REGISTRY OF DEEDS OF PANGASINAN. MUNICIPALITY OF MALASIQUI COVERED BY TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NO. 222420 OF THE REGISTER OF DEEDS OF PANGASINAN: THAT ALL HEIRS THAT CONSOLACION QUINTO, HEIRS OF ELMER P. QUINTO NAMELY: TERESITA T. QUINTO, EMMANUEL T. QUINTO, EMELIE T. QUINTO, ELMER T. QUINTO JR. , ELOIASA T. QUINTO, EMERSON T. QUINTO AND EDISON T. QUINTO REPRESENTED

BY TERESITA T. QUINTO , EMILIO P. QUINTO JR. MARRIED TO FARINA DUMINDIN QUINTO, ELLEN P. QUINTO, ELEAZAR P. QUINTO MARRIED TO VERENA PATRICIA C. QUINTO, ELEONOR P. QUINTO-SOBER MARRIED TO JIM SOBER AND ELTROY P. QUINTO MARRIED TO CHERRY ESPINO QUINTODO HEREBY DECLARE BY VIRTUE OF THIS INSTRUMENT THAT THEY AGREED TO DIVIDE THE SAID REAL PROPERTY AMONG HEIRS.; AS PER DOC NO. 308 PAGE NO. 63 BOOK IV SERIES OF 2015 BEFORE NOTARY PUBLIC OF ATTY. ANDREA A. TAN.

( T S - M AY 2 0 & 2 7, 2 0 15 )

( T S - M AY 2 0 & 2 7, 2 0 15 )

EXTR A J U D IC IAL S E T T LE ME N T OF E STA TE O F E M I L I O Q U I N T O, SR . W ITH W AI VE R O F S HARE

“What if we play in their turf and something similar happens?

Baka hindi na makalabas ‘yung kalaban nilang team sa homecourt nila,” said one team official.

League organizer and former coach Joe Lipa recently told The Standard that he still has to hear the side of Pua before they can hand out a decision on their application.

“We have to hear their side before we render judgement. As for their team, they are on equal footing with everybody,” said Lipa. “I will talk with him seriously. Of course, all teams will be scrutinized and we like all the teams to be with us in the long haul.”

Lipa said Cagayan Valley actually submitted their application weeks before the punching incident happened.

He added there are currently 12 teams applying for a slot in their league, but only eight will be accommodated to ensure stability and a quality format in their tournament, which is set to open next month.

Meantime, champion coach Chot Reyes expressed his support to any move that will prohibit Pua from coaching in future basketball tournaments.

“That’s unforgivable. When I actually found out the second time na ginawa niya ‘yun, sinabi ko na sa sarili ko that guy has to be banned for life. There’s no place in coaching for that,” said Reyes.

W E D N E S D AY : M AY 2 7, 2 0 1 5

A15

SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Carnival outlast Elite in double OT, 83-76

By Jeric Lopez

ITS growing confidence continues to do wonders for Kia. The Carnival got its act together in the clutch to list another victory, this time out-steadying gritty Blackwater, 83-76, in double overtime to earn a surprise tie for second spot in the 2015 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City last night.

Kia is now in its first winning streak of the conference, having won its second straight game to improve to 3-1 and tie Alaska for second place as it continues to impress.

Both squads are just a game behind league leading Barako Bull, who is still unscathed at 4-0. ‘’I told the players in the second overtime that it will be about the effort and willingness to win.

That’s what mattered,’’ said Kia acting coach Chito Victolero of his team’s

tough win. ‘’I’m proud of the players because they didn’t give up even if some were having cramps already.”

The Carnival scored the first three points of the second overtime after Hamady N’Diaye’s basket and a split from the line

by Alex Nuyles to go up 77-74 with 2:49 left. That mini run set the tone for Kia as it was able to hang on from there.

Reil Cervantes inched the Elite within just one, 77-76, after his lay-up with 1:46 left but Blackwater failed to score the rest of the way while Kia capped its strong finish with six straight points to end the contest behind N’Diaye and Carl De Hesa.

The two imports worked extra hard for Kia as they were both essential in the Carnival’s victory.

P0.0 M+

Republic of the Philippines

NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

MINES AND GEOSCIENCES BUREAU

Cabanatuan City 044-463-0226 www.neust.edu.ph

Regional Office No. V

Regional Center Site DENR Annex Bldg., Rawis, Legaspi City Telefax No.: (052) 482-1056 Telephone No.: (482-1156 / 435-3034 E-mail Address: mgbr5@yahoo.com Website: www.mgb5.net

INVITATION TO BID As is, Where is, For Confiscated Processed Iron Ore in Paracale, Camarines Norte The Mines and Geo-Sciences Bureau, Regional Office No. V (MGB RO V) , by virtue of confiscation Orders dated September 1, 2014 and March 10,2015 intends t0 sell 47,196 metric tons of iron ore containing gold for a total amount of $1,682,553.52 being the Approved Sales Value (ASV) for the payment under the contract for the sale of Confiscated Iron Ore In Paracale, Camarines Norte numbered MGB ROV-S0G·2015-01 . Bids received less than the ASV shall be automatically rejected at the bid opening.

1.

P0.0 M+

TO further boost the skills of Filipino coaches, the world governing body in volleyball FIVB, in coordination with the Philippine Volleyball Federation, will hold the FIVB Grassroots Beach Volleyball Coaching Course on May 27 to 31 at the Cantada Sports Center in Taguig.

FIVB instructor Athanasios Papageorgiou of Greece will conduct the five-day, live-in course in the well-maintained sports center.

“We would like to thank the FIVB for giving us this opportunity, again. This would be a big help in sustaining the PVF volleyball program,” said PVF president Edgardo ‘Boy’ Cantada. “We will leave no stone unturned because we owe it to the FIVB and the Philippine volleyball community to hold a prestigious undertaking such as this.”

The last time an FIVB coaching course was held in the country was 2014 in Tacloban City and hosted by incumbent PVF secretary general Karl Chan, also in close coordination with the FIVB.

Department of Environment and Natural Resources

By Peter Atencio

6/49 00-00-00-00-00-00 6/42 00-00-00-00-00-00 6 DIGITS 0-0-0-0-0-0 3 DIGITS 0-0-0 2 EZ2 0-0

FIVB volley course set

Republic of lhe Philippines

Fil-Am rips jr 100-m record

FIL-AMERICAN bet Kayla Richardson broke the Philippine national junior record Sunday in the California Interschool Southern Division meet in Los Angeles.

She clocked 11.65 meters in the junior girls’ 100-meter dash, eclipsing the 11.75-second time of Princess Joy Griffey in the US National Juniors in 2004.

She was 13 milliseconds faster than her personal best of 11.78 last year, according pinoyathletics.info.

According to Richardson, she is not thinking much about her performance in the Southeast Asian Games, but about going as fast 11.50 seconds, which is her next target.

Her clocking is also better than the silver-medal finish of Neeranuch Klomdee of Thailand (11.85 seconds) in the 2013 Southeast Asian Games.

The 17-year-old Richardson will see action with Griffey in the 2015 SEA Games in Singapore.

She also took the 200-meter gold with a windaided time of 23.45 seconds, beating her personal best of 24.03 seconds.

Her time was better than the 23.84-second feat she had in 2013.

This brought Kayla closer to the 34-year national junior mark of Lydia de Vega, which is set at 23.54.

Marcus Douthit of Blackwater towers for a shot against a KIA defender in a PBA Governors’ Cup game at the Cuneta Astrodome.

LOTTO RESULTS

The MGB RO V now invites bids for 47,196 metric tons of processed iron ore with average grade of 60,03% Fe and 1.53% Au. Full payment for the goods is required by 2:00 PM of the 3rd worklng day from date of the award. Failure to pay in full shall render the award null and void and the bid security forfeited in favor of the DENR. Bidders should be at the lime of bidding, be an MPSA, FTAA contractor/ Permittee or a Mineral Processing Permit holder, or duly Accredited Mineral Trader/dealer/retailer of mineral products and by products.

2.

Bidding shall be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using a nondiscretionary “pass/fail” criterion.

3.

Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations/corporations with atleast sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines.

4.

Interested bidder may obtain further information from the MGB RO V, and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given beIow from 8:00AM to 5:00 PM. A complete set Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders on May 27, 2015 from the address below and upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents In the amount of Fifty Thousand Pesos (P 50,000.00).

INVITATION TO APPLY FOR ELIGIBILITY AND TO BID The Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology through the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) invites Contractors registered with and classified by the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB) to apply for eligibility and if found eligible, to bid for hereunder contract: 1.

Project Title : Proposed Track Oval System (Rubberized, 6 lanes) Approved Budget for the Contract : PhP 11,607,120.00 Location: NEUST, Sumacab Campus Contract Duration: 60 Calendar Days Source of Fund: Special Trust Fund

2.

Project Title : Proposed Synthetic Turf Football Field Approved Budget for the Contract : PhP17,992,800.00 Location: NEUST, Sumacab Campus Contract Duration : 60 Calendar Days Source of Fund : Special Trust Fund

3.

Project Title : Proposed Basketball Court Maple Wood Flooring Approved Budget for the Contract : PhP3,455,760.00 Location : NEUST, Sumacab Campus Contract Duration : 60 Calendar Days Source of Fund : Special Trust Fund Prospective bidder should possess a valid PCAB license applicable to the contract, have completed a similar contract with the value of at least 50 % of the ABC, and have key personnel and equipment (Listed in the Eligibility Forms) available for the prosecution of the contract. The BAC will use non-discretionary pass/fail criteria in the Eligibility Check/Screening as well as the Preliminary Examination of Bids. The BAC will conduct post qualification of the lowest calculated bid.

All particulars to the Eligibility Statement and Screening, Bid Security, Performance Security, Pre-Bidding Conference, Evaluation of bids, Post Qualification and Award of Contract shall be governed by the pertinent provisions of R.A. 9184 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR).

Schedule of Activities

Date

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

May 27, 2015 – June 03, 2015 June 04, 2015 June 16, 2015 June 17, 2015 June 18, 2015

5.

It may also be downloaded from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the MGB RO V, provided that Bidders shall pay the nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids. The MGB RO V will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on June 3.

2015. 2:00 PM at the Office of PENRO, Camarines Norte, which shall be open only to all interested parties who have purchased the Bidding Documents.

6.

Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before 12:00 noon on June 17, 2015. All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in the form of a Manager`s Check payable to the DENR Secretary in the amount equivalent to 10% of the ASV. The bid security shall be returned to the losing bidder after the bid is announced. In case of the awardee, the deposit will serve as a partial payment.

The BAC will issue to prospective bidders Eligibility Forms at the Office of the BAC Chairman, Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology, Cabanatuan City upon their submission of a Letter of Intent (LOI) to the Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology.

Prospective bidders shall submit the Eligibility Requirements to the BAC at the said address.

They may also obtain the results of the Eligibility Check by the BAC at the same address.

Bid opening shaI be on June 17, 2015, at 2:00PM at the Mines and Geo-Science Bureau, Regional Office No. V, Rawis, Legaspi City. Bids will be opened in the presence of the Bidder`s authorized representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted.

The BAC will issue bidding documents only to bidders declared by the BAC to be eligible for the bidding upon payment of the non-refundable amount of:

7.

8.

The Mines and Geoscience. Bureau, Regional Office No. V reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award , without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

For further information, please refer to: Daniel S. Sambanon CBACMP Secretariat (Sgd.) Ricardo P. Nacional Mines and Geo-Sciences Bureau Regional Office No. V Government Center Site Rawis, Legaspi City 052 4821056/05204821156 mgbr5@yahoo.com www.region5.mgb.gov.ph

(TS-MAY 27, 2015)

Advertisement/Receipt of Letter of Intent Pre-bid Conference Submission of Bid Bid Evaluation Post-Qualification -

PhP 25,000.00 for the Project Proposed Track Oval System (Rubberized, 6 lanes) PhP 25,000.00 for the Project Proposed Synthetic Turf Football Field Php 5,000.00 for the Project Proposed Basketball Court Maple Wood Flooring To the Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology Cashier Office.

The Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology reserves the right to accept or reject any Bid to annul the bidding process, and to reject all Bids at any time prior to contract award, whether thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

Approved

by:

(SGD) ENGR. ERNESTO A. DELA CRUZ BAC Chairman Email: neustmain@yahoo.com NEUST Gen. Tinio Street, Cabanatuan City 3100 Tele Fax no.: 044-600-3594 | 044-463-0226 | 044-600-1533 (TS-MAY 27, 2015)

W E D N E S D AY : m AY 2 7, 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

James Harden of the Houston Rockets drives to the basket for an uncontested layup in the fourth quarter during Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. AFP

HOUSTON—A playoff career-high 45 points by James Harden sparked the Houston Rockets to a 128-115 must-win victory Monday over the Golden State Warriors, denying the Warriors an easy path to the NBA Finals.

Rockets live to fight another day

James defends Dellavedova over ‘dirty play’ CLEVELAND—Four-time NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James defended Cleveland Cavaliers teammate Matthew Dellavedova of Australia after cries of dirty play from the Atlanta Hawks over two dives for loose balls.

James scored 37 points, grabbed 18 rebounds and added 13 assists to lead the Cavaliers over Atlanta 114111 in over-time on Sunday, giving Cleveland a 3-0 edge in the best-ofseven Eastern Conference final.

Dellavedova rolled onto the legs

of Atlanta’s Kyle Korver in the previous game as both were trying to grab a loose ball on the court, resulting in a right ankle sprain that has sidelined the Hawks’ 3-point sharpshooter for the remainder of the playoffs.

On Sunday, Dellavedova dove for another loose ball and struck the legs of Al Horford, who responded with an elbow aimed at Dellavedova as he fell onto him.

That resulted in a flagrant foul call and Horford’s ejection by officials.

Murray in easy victory turn to A12

“He went after my legs,” Horford said of Dellavedova. “If it was on purpose, we don’t know.

Maybe it wasn’t on purpose. But with just his track record, I just felt like it was.”

James quickly went to the Aussie’s aid when asked about the matter.

“I’m a little bit off about it because this is my guy, this is my teammate and this is a guy that goes out and works his tail off every single night and people are trying to give him a bad rap,” James said.

“He doesn’t deserve it and I don’t like it.”

Dellavedova said he was simply going after the ball, not Horford.

“I saw the ball. I dived on the floor,” Dellavedova said. “If I stay on my belly, it’s going to be a jump ball. So I protect the ball and kick it out to a teammate.”

James said Dellavedova is not trying to take out his rivals, but merely playing aggressive basketball for an injury-hit team that needs such effort. AFP

Kaikkonen sweeps GT kickoff turn to A13

The Warriors had a scare and then breathed a sigh of relief after NBA Player of the Year Stephen Curry suffered a bruise to the back of his head after a bad fall in the second quarter but then returned to the game.

Houston got their first win in the series, pulling to 3-1 in the best-of-seven Western Conference finals and forcing a fifth game Wednesday in Oakland. They snapped Golden State’s six-game win streak.

“We’re going to come out with some great intensity,” Harden said.

“They are a tough team and we know we have to work hard.”

Curry called his spill the scariest fall he has suffered in a game, although he added he has been hurt worse and will be ready for game five.

“I will be fine,” Curry said. “I feel pretty good. Just not how I envisioned the game going, disappointed we lost. I came out of that relatively OK and tried to go in there and give my team something.”

Curry passed mandatory NBA concussion tests before being allowed back into the game midway into the third quarter.

“Obviously it’s always scary when a guy hits his neck,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “He was up and went back to the locker room.

Our doctors cleared him and he’s doing fine.”

While the Rockets prevented a sweep, no team in NBA history has recovered from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series.

“We’re a really good team when we are moving the ball and working together,” Harden said.

“We’ve got to do a better job of being consistent.”

Harden made 13-of-22 shots from the floor, including 7-of-11 from 3-point range, and added nine rebounds and five assists.

“He played a hell of a game,” Rockets coach Kevin McHale said.

The Rockets improved to 4-0 in playoff games when facing elimination, the first team with such a post-season run since the 2006 Phoenix Suns.

“We don’t want to go home,” Rockets center Dwight Howard said. “We came out and played as hard as we could, left it all on the floor and when you do that, good things will happen.”

The West champion will face the Eastern Conference champion in the NBA Finals starting June 4.

Cleveland leads Atlanta 3-0 in the East with game four on Tuesday.

Rockets never trailed The Rockets opened a 12-0 lead in the first 3:15 and stretched it to 45-22 after the first quarter.

“The game was won in the first quarter,” Kerr said. “They were more ready than we were. We were on our heels. They were making shots from everywhere. The came out on fire.”

Curry’s severe fall came when he leaped into the air as Houston’s Trevor Ariza went up for a shot.

Curry soared over Ariza and fell hard onto the floor, landing on the back of his head and neck. AFP

B1

WEDNESDAY: MAY 27, 2015

RAY S. EÑANO EDITOR

RODERICK T. DELA CRUZ ASSISTANT EDITOR

business@thestandardtoday.com.ph extrastory2000@gmail.com

BUSINESS

First Holdings board. Members of the board of First Philippine Holdings Corp., led by chairman emeritus Oscar Lopez (fifth from left) and chairman and chief executive

Federico Lopez (fourth from left) were reelected by stockholders during the company’s annual stockholders’ meeting on May 25, 2015. Also reelected to the board were (from left) Peter Garrucho Jr., Francis Giles Puno, Elpidio Ibañez, Manuel Lopez, Cesar Bautista, Augusto Almeda-Lopez, Artemio Panganiban, Juan Santos and Ernesto Rufino Jr. Other members reelected were Eugenio Lopez III, Oscar Hilado, Washington Sycip and Ferdinand Edwin Co Seteng.

MetroPac tops Calax auction

By Darwin G. Amojelar

METRO Pacific Investments Corp. emerged as the higher bidder for the 47-kilometer Cavite Laguna Expressway project, beating the offer of San Miguel Corp., the Public Works Department said Tuesday.

The agency’s bids and awards committee said during the opening of financial bids MPIC’s unit MPCala Holdings Inc. submitted the higher premium bid of P27.3 billion, compared with the P22.2 billion offered by San Miguel’s Optimal Infrastructure Development Inc. Calax, one of the largest public-private partnership projects, involves the financing, design, construction, operation and maintenance of a four-lane, 47-kilometer closed-system toll expressway connecting the Cavitex and South Luzon Expressway. The P35.4-billion expressway will start

from the Cavitex in Kawit, Cavite and end at the SLEX-Mamplasan Interchange in Biñan, Laguna.

The Public Works Department set a P20.105-billion minimum premium for the project, the offer of OIDI during the first attempt to bid out the project. President Benigno Aquino III ordered a rebidding of the project, after the department disqualified OIDI on technicality, despite submitting the highest bid.

“It seems everything worked perfectly well. The bid floor price is P20.1 billion to P27.3 billion.

So, it’s worth waiting for it,” Rafael Yabut, chairman of bids and

awards committee told reporters, following the opening of the results in the second bidding.

“The winner here is the Filipino people,” Yabut said.

MPIC president Jose Ma. Lim said the company had offered a “more aggressive” bid in the second auction because of the population growth in both Cavite and Laguna and the new commercial establishments in these areas.

MPCala submitted a premium bid of only P11.33 billion in the first auction.

“We were able to do a more intense review of the cost estimates, which we believed went down, particularly steel and the petroleum related components. That, plus our intense desire to build more roads caused us to accept a slightly lower yield than what we assumed the previous bid,” he said.

San Miguel president Ramon Ang said the company accepted the results of the rebidding “be-

cause there was no cheating.”

Ang said the company’s participation in the bid was “good for everybody and good for the country” because competition made the interested parties bid higher.

“There is no regret about losing the bid. I rarely regret making a losing bid,” he said, adding that the company would continue to participate in other infrastructure projects that the government would bid out.

The tandem of Ayala Corp. and Aboitiz Group, which emerged as the second highest bidder in the first auction, did not participate in the second bidding.

Public Private Partnership Center executive director Cosette Canilao also welcomed the results of the second bidding.

“We are very happy with the outcome, but what we are really looking forward to is the construction of the Calax and starting operations in three to four years time,” she said.

SMB upbeat on non-alcoholic business

By Jenniffer B. Austria SAN Miguel Brewery Inc. said its recent venture into the non-alcoholic beverage business could increase the company’s revenues by 30 percent over the next five years.

SMB chairman Ramon Ang said in an interview at the sidelines of the annual stockholders’ meeting the company planned to team up with Japan’s Kirin to bring non-alcoholic beverages into the local market.

Among Kirin’s beverage products that could be sold to the local market are water, soda, juice and bottled-tea.

Ang said the company planned

to introduce new brands and product offerings by next year.

SMB is a joint venture between San Miguel and Kirin.

SMB earlier acquired the nonalcoholic beverage assets of Ginebra San Miguel Inc. for nearly P400 million.

Ginebra’s non-alcoholic beverages include Magnolia Fruit Drink Mix, Magnolia Healthtea Mix, Magnolia Fruit Drink, Magnolia, Healthtea Bottle, Magnolia Purewater and Berri Juice.

SMB’s acquisition of Ginebra’s non-alcoholic beverage business is in line with the company’s diversification strategy to capitalize on the opportunities in the rapidly growing sector.

Ang said SMB’s move to diversify into the fast growing non-alcoholic beverages would boost the company’s revenues in the future.

“Over the next five years, we think non-alcoholic beverages can add 30 percent [to] the revenue,” Ang said.

SMB president Roberto Huang during the stockholders meeting expressed confidence the diversification would further expand the company’s business.

“Our entry--or expansion, as history dictate--into the nonalcoholic market will help us achieve the vision of expanding our company’s reach in the Philippine market and tap new consumers for our new brands and

planned offerings,” Huang said.

“We are taking the right actions to drive growth in the years to come and are confident that our passion for quality products and our extensive distribution network will help us drive our success in the non-alcoholic beverage market by making sure that all products are available anytime, anywhere,” Huang added.

SMB posted a 20 percent hike in net income in the first quarter of 2015 to P3.3 billion. Consolidated revenues climbed eight percent to P18.9 billion Volumes grew by seven percent to 40.9 million cases despite the imposition of higher excise taxes.

PSe comPoSite index Closing May 26, 2015

8500 8000 7500 7000 6500 6000

7,728.50 33.03

PeSo-dollar rate

Closing MAY 26, 2015 46

P44.705

45

CLOSE

44 43 42

HIGH P44.645 LOW P44.730 AVERAGE P44.690 VOLUME 446.847M

P500.00-P680.00 LPG/11-kg tank P41.45-P46.80 Unleaded Gasoline P29.85-P33.20 Diesel

oPriceS il P today

P38.50-P42.30 Kerosene P23.70-P24.40 Auto LPG Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Tuesday, May 26, 2015

F oreign e xchange r ate Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

44.5130

Japan

Yen

0.008230

0.3663

UK

Pound

1.549800

68.9862

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.129017

5.7429

Switzerland

Franc

1.060108

47.1886

Canada

Dollar

0.813802

36.2248

Singapore

Dollar

0.748335

33.3106

Australia

Dollar

0.782779

34.8438

Bahrain

Dinar

2.652309

118.0622

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266660

11.8698

Brunei

Dollar

0.745545

33.1864

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000076

0.0034

Thailand

Baht

0.029994

1.3351

UAE

Dirham

0.272257

12.1190

Euro

Euro

1.102000

49.0533

Korea

Won

0.000915

0.0407

China

Yuan

0.161353

7.1823

India

Rupee

0.015764

0.7017

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.279174

12.4269

New Zealand

Dollar

0.730674

32.5245

Taiwan

Dollar

0.032849

1.4622 Source: PDS Bridge

WEDNESDAY: MAY 27, 2015

B2

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

MST BuSineSS Daily STockS Review Tuesday, May 26, 2015

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low

STOCKS

7.88 75.3 124.4 104 63 4.2 18.48 31.6 9.5 2.95 890 1.01 99.4 1.46 30.5 94.95 137 361.2 59 174.8 1700 127.9 3.26

2.5 66 84.6 84.5 45.8 2.03 12.02 23.55 6.3 1.75 625 0.225 78 0.9 18.02 76.5 95 276 45 107.6 1200 66 2.65

AG Finance Asia United Bank Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. Bank of PI China Bank 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. National Bank Phil. Savings Bank PSE Inc. RCBC `A’ Security Bank Sun Life Financial Union Bank Vantage Equities

7.19 73.5 114.30 101.40 46.8 2.01 15.9 21.7 6.92 1.70 795.00 0.445 93 0.99 18.10 73.90 95 313 45 168 1435.00 65.00 3.15

35.6 1.6 1.04 1.41 7.92 14.6 62.5 20.2 10.08 29.15

1.04 10.72 8.44 9.79 5.43 9.54 1.06 8.61 18.06 67.9 14 13.24 3.12 0.395 168 8.65 34.1 2.3 24.4 16.2 7.62 250.2 3.87 9 9.94 3.03 2.22 1 4.72 1.65 6 201.6 1.67 0.122 1.02 2.01 143.4 4.28 0.670 9.01 1.39

Aboitiz Power Corp.

Agrinurture Inc. Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. Alsons Cons.

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

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

Lafarge Rep Liberty Flour LMG Chemicals 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’ RFM Corporation Roxas and Co. Roxas Holdings San Miguel’Pure Foods `B’ Splash Corporation Swift Foods, Inc. TKC Steel Corp.

Trans-Asia Oil Universal Robina Victorias Milling Vitarich Corp.

Vivant Corp.

Vulcan Ind’l.

42.9 1.4 1.07 2.1 11.3 19.04 145 68 26.5 57.2 1.72 1.72 12.66 20.150 9.98 7.85 10.60 1.68 14 26.65 89 14.10 14.48 5.82 0.590 211.00 10.2 32.50 2.42 26.5 26.5 7.18 273.00 4.21 9.69 11.50 3.94 2.28 2.16 4.94 1.89 6.25 188 1.62 0.158 1.25 2.28 199 4.43 0.74 20.85 1.32

0.7 59.2 31.85 2.16 7.39 3.4 3.35 800 11.06 84 3.35 5.14 1380 6.68 72.6 8.9 5.29 6.66 9.25 0.9 18.9 0.73 5.53 6.55 0.0670 0.84 2.99 87 3.5 934 2.2 156 0.710 0.435 0.510

0.45 48.1 20.85 1.6 6.62 1.4 1.6 600 7.390 14.18 2.6 4.25 818 5.3 46.6 4.96 3 3.52 4.43 0.59 12 0.580 4.22 4.5 0.036 0.450 2.26 66.7 1.5 709.5 1.13 85.2 0.200 0.173 0.310

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.

GT Capital House of Inv. JG Summit Holdings Jolliville Holdings Keppel Holdings `A’ Keppel Holdings `B’ Lopez Holdings Corp.

Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp.

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

Minerales Industrias Corp.

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

0.470 57.40 22.75 1.28 7.03 0.280 0.29 806 8.02 14.92 3.75 4.54 1426 6.40 72.50 4 5.4 5.4 7.61 0.74 14.2 0.65 4.69 5.11 0.0390 0.930 2.55 65.80 2.75 911.00 1.28 82.70 0.3650 0.2150 0.305

10.5 26.95 1.99 2.07 40 6.15

6.01 12 0.91 1.29 29.1 4.1

8990 HLDG 8.300 Anchor Land Holdings Inc. 9.80 A. Brown Co., Inc. 0.79 Araneta Prop `A’ 1.270 Ayala Land `B’ 39.65 Belle Corp. `A’ 3.99

47 5 1.66 2.36 15.3 20.6 125 85 32 65.8 4.57 23.35 21.6 12.98 9.13 12.34 2.89 17 31.8 109 20.75 15.3 9.4 0.98 241 12.5 79 3.95 33.9 90 13.98 292.4 5.25 13.04 14.5 7.03 3.4 4.5 6.68 7.86 8.1 253 3.28 0.315 2.5 2.68 226.6 5.5 1.3 26 2.17

Close

High

Low

FINANCIAL 7.19 6.52 73.45 73 114.10 111.60 101.40 99.90 47 46.5 2.12 2.00 16 15.6 22 21.45 6.90 6.80 1.76 1.70 805.00 800.00 0.445 0.425 93 91.3 1.05 1.03 18.20 18.06 74.10 73.35 92 92 310 310 45.35 45 167.1 162 1430.00 1425.00 65.00 64.70 3.2 3.13 INDUSTRIAL 42.95 42.5 1.58 1.38 1.09 1.05 2.12 2.08 11.4 10.9 19 18.82 100 100 68 68 26.5 24.6 57.1 56.85 1.71 1.5 1.72 1.68 12.66 12.24 20.150 19.8 10.00 9.94 7.86 7.71 10.60 10.42 1.89 1.7 14 13 27 26.3 89.6 88.1 15.00 14.92 14.50 14.46 5.84 5.71 0.580 0.550 211.60 208.60 10.5 10.3 30.00 30.00 2.64 2.22 27 25.25 26.5 24.75 7.2 6.93 273.00 270.00 4.3 4.2 9.88 9.56 12.00 11.40 3.94 3.85 2.29 2.25 2.28 2.09 4.94 4.90 2 1.8 6.1 6.06 186 185.7 1.62 1.6 0.157 0.153 1.23 1.16 2.31 2.24 199 194 4.43 4.43 0.74 0.73 20.55 20.55 1.32 1.28 HOLDING FIRMS 0.470 0.455 57.50 57.00 22.80 22.35 1.27 1.26 7.03 6.91 0.280 0.260 285 0.29 807 797 8.03 7.86 14.68 14.20 3.2 3.2 4.60 4.50 1439 1426 6.40 6.35 72.40 70.00 4 4 5.16 5.12 6.2 6 7.6 7.44 0.74 0.73 14.2 13.7 0.64 0.64 4.79 4.6 5 4.9 0.0370 0.0370 0.940 0.900 2.6 2.55 66.50 64.90 2.73 2.73 900.00 887.00 1.27 1.24 84.000 82.500 0.3750 0.3650 0.2100 0.2040 0.315 0.300 PROPERTY 8.290 7.850 7.00 7.00 0.79 0.77 1.270 1.260 40.30 39.20 3.99 3.92

Close

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

6.6 73.35 113.90 101.00 46.5 2.11 15.98 21.55 6.80 1.75 800.00 0.445 92.95 1.03 18.10 73.40 92 310 45.15 163.3 1425.00 64.70 3.13

-8.21 -0.20 -0.35 -0.39 -0.64 4.98 0.50 -0.69 -1.73 2.94 0.63 0.00 -0.05 4.04 0.00 -0.68 -3.16 -0.96 0.33 -2.80 -0.70 -0.46 -0.63

405,800 42,460 2,729,760 995,180 257,300 122,000 16,400 773,600 4,000 44,000 160 20,000 4,638,610 70,000 144,100 128,320 710 3,960 17,500 578,990 360 118,560 245,000

42.5 1.58 1.06 2.08 10.9 18.9 100 68 24.6 56.9 1.53 1.68 12.5 19.900 9.98 7.77 10.44 1.89 13 26.7 89.4 14.92 14.46 5.75 0.550 209.00 10.34 30.00 2.4 26 24.95 7 272.80 4.3 9.88 12.00 3.94 2.26 2.14 4.90 1.84 6.06 185.7 1.6 0.157 1.16 2.24 197.5 4.43 0.74 20.55 1.28

-0.93 12.86 -0.93 -0.95 -3.54 -0.74 -31.03 0.00 -7.17 -0.52 -11.05 -2.33 -1.26 -1.24 0.00 -1.02 -1.51 12.50 -7.14 0.19 0.45 5.82 -0.14 -1.20 -6.78 -0.95 1.37 -7.69 -0.83 -1.89 -5.85 -2.51 -0.07 2.14 1.96 4.35 0.00 -0.88 -0.93 -0.81 -2.65 -3.04 -1.22 -1.23 -0.63 -7.20 -1.75 -0.75 0.00 0.00 -1.44 -3.03

1,982,400 71,000 309,000 2,680,000 3,700 190,200 20 120 306,700 36,580 9,986,000 491,000 277,600 1,685,400 23,926,000 22,531,200 744,300 70,000 173,500 4,519,900 178,850 1,300 5,900 184,300 2,121,000 1,047,990 957,500 16,200 247,000 364,600 1,023,200 1,888,300 674,360 4,716,000 800,100 73,500 287,000 671,000 422,000 483,000 316,000 6,100 7,910 4,000 4,050,000 243,000 935,000 1,905,670 2,000 805,000 1,500 674,000

0.465 57.20 22.60 1.26 7.03 0.275 0.29 806.5 7.88 14.28 3.2 4.50 1427 6.35 71.50 4 5.15 6 7.5 0.74 13.72 0.64 4.6 4.99 0.0370 0.920 2.6 65.60 2.73 899.00 1.27 82.500 0.3700 0.2040 0.315

-1.06 -0.35 -0.66 -1.56 0.00 -1.79 0.00 0.06 -1.75 -4.29 -14.67 -0.88 0.07 -0.78 -1.38 0.00 -4.63 11.11 -1.45 0.00 -3.38 -1.54 -1.92 -2.35 -5.13 -1.08 1.96 -0.30 -0.73 -1.32 -0.78 -0.24 1.37 -5.12 3.28

1,080,000 836,100 4,113,900 15,000 11,100 1,740,000 30,000 305,380 3,963,800 4,668,600 10,000 274,000 596,875 40,000 2,531,200 3,000 8,100 1,200 3,966,500 3,000 4,663,000 1,020,000 33,611,000 365,000 200,000 567,000 11,000 289,090 20,000 216,730 28,000 2,400 3,910,000 590,000 2,310,000

7.950 7.00 0.77 1.260 40.30 3.92

-4.22 -28.57 -2.53 -0.79 1.64 -1.75

1,676,400 4,000 2,552,000 21,000 3,917,500 2,765,000

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low

STOCKS

Close

High

Low

Close

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

5.4 1.54 1.97 1.48 0.201 0.98 1.09 0.305 2.25 1.87 1.8 6.34 4.88 0.180 0.470 27 8.54 31.8 2.29 3.6 20.6 1.02 7.56 1.96 8.59

4.96 0.89 1.1 0.97 0.083 0.445 0.85 0.188 1.4 1.42 1.19 2.8 2.75 0.090 0.325 23 2.57 21.35 1.64 3.08 15.08 0.69 3.38 1 5.69

Cebu Holdings 5.2 Century Property 0.87 City & Land Dev. 1.25 Cityland Dev. `A’ 1.06 Crown Equities Inc. 0.147 Cyber Bay Corp.

0.455 Empire East Land 0.850 Ever Gotesco 0.179 Global-Estate 1.34 Filinvest Land,Inc. 1.97 Interport `A’ 1.38 Keppel Properties 5.30 Megaworld Corp.

5 MRC Allied Ind. 0.123 Phil. Estates Corp.

0.3300 Phil. Tob. Flue Cur & Redry 26.00 Primex Corp.

7.28 Robinson’s Land `B’ 28.60 Rockwell 1.68 Shang Properties Inc. 3.26 SM Prime Holdings 19.64 Sta. Lucia Land Inc. 0.73 Starmalls 7.15 Suntrust Home Dev. Inc. 0.850 Vista Land & Lifescapes 7.250

0.00 -1.15 0.80 -0.94 -0.68 -3.30 0.00 0.00 -5.22 -4.06 -0.72 3.77 -3.80 -0.81 -3.03 -5.96 -1.10 -0.17 -1.79 -0.61 -0.61 0.00 -0.14 0.00 -0.69

22,900 3,216,000 -430,860.00 23,000 77,000 -64,550.00 5,730,000 1,060,000 -93,750.00 1 60,000.00 1,260,000 7,084,000 -1,590,970.00 40,655,000 -12,346,600.00 318,000 600 120,314,000 -236,484,880.00 3,970,000 1,200,000 7,000 748,800 975,700.00 4,857,400 9,145,400.00 840,000 -404,450.00 625,000 -1,558,440.00 15,268,800 80,948,890.00 464,000 500 2,527,000 2,009,500 -7,896,423.00

10.5 66 1.44 1.09 12.46 15.82 0.1460 4.61 99.1 12.3 9 4 2090 8.41 1.97 119.5 7 0.8200 2.2800 5.93 12.28 2.85 5.9 1.97 2.46 15.2 0.62 1.040 6.41 4 18 110.2 14 3486 0.710 2.28 48.5 90.1 11.6 0.87 2.95 10.2 0.490

1.97 32.5 1 0.6 10 9.61 0.0770 2.95 46.55 10.14 5.88 2.58 1600 5.95 1.36 105 3.01 0.036 1.200 2.34 6.5 1.69 1.05 0.490 1.8 8.7 0.34 0.37 3 2.28 8.8 79 4.39 2726 0.380 0.32 31.45 60.55 7.59 0.63 1.71 6.45 0.305

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

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

DFNN Inc. Easy Call “Common” Globe Telecom GMA Network Inc. Harbor Star I.C.T.S.I. Imperial Res. `A’ Island Info ISM Communications Jackstones Leisure & Resorts Liberty Telecom Manila Broadcasting Manila Bulletin Manila Jockey Melco Crown MG Holdings NOW Corp.

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

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

-2.99 -0.16 0.92 -5.71 -1.33 -1.78 0.00 -1.87 -0.39 -2.00 0.00 -0.85 0.00 -0.16 -3.08 0.00 -2.34 -2.98 -3.88 -0.83 -1.03 -0.78 -5.16 0.00 0.00 0.00 -1.37 -2.27 -1.06 0.00 0.00 6.48 -2.44 -0.70 0.00 -4.38 -1.03 -2.77 -4.11 0.00 -1.69 -0.81 -1.52

368,400 5,020 106,000 7,702,000 2,700 8,090,200 10,850,000 6,505,000 716,580 8,100 314,400 11,000 132,940 43,400 162,000 2,062,650 14,800 3,690,000 797,000 12,000 449,200 160,000 3,220 166,000 20,000 398,200 490,000 30,000 29,000 15,000 13,800 4,080 393,400 82,950 727,000 20,950,000 2,101,800 1,143,560 3,490,600 696,000 5,000 2,639,400 30,000

0.0098 5.45 17.24 25 0.330 12.7 12.8 1.2 1.73 10.98 4.2 0.48 0.455 0.475 0.023 8.2 49.2 4.27 1.030 3.06 0.020 0.021 7.67 12.88 10.42 0.040 420 9 0.016

0.0043 1.72 8.65 9.43 0.236 6.5 6.98 0.61 0.78 5.99 1.08 0.330 0.2130 0.2160 0.014 3.660 20.2 2.11 0.365 1.54 0.012 0.013 5.4 7.26 2.27 0.015 115.9 3.67 0.0100

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

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

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

TA Petroleum United Paragon

0.00 -1.88 -2.89 3.23 -2.00 -0.95 -6.06 1.01 0.00 -0.80 -8.76 -2.94 -0.42 -3.23 0.00 -0.77 -2.02 -2.08 2.94 -2.83 -7.69 0.00 -0.23 -2.93 -4.50 -6.25 -0.06 -5.16 0.00

180,000,000 278,000 444,100 -986,370.00 1,700 2,680,000 12,600 12,800 7,219,000 1,074,070.00 312,000 16,300 74,075,000 -37,542,830.00 1,850,000 167,500.00 4,120,000 200,000 26,800,000 283,000 4,846,100 11,362,080.00 2,666,000 -142,780.00 61,000 513,000 690,100.00 228,800,000 5,900,000 77,000 1,457,300 31,700.00 3,754,000 526,380.00 49,200,000 150,350 -3,340,036.00 1,348,200 -189,454.00 5,500,000

70 553 525 120 515 8.21 12.28 111 1047 76.9 84.8

33 490 500 101.5 480 5.88 6.5 101 1011 74.2 75

ABS-CBN Holdings Corp.

Ayala Corp. Pref `B1’ Ayala Corp. Pref ‘B2’ First Gen G GLOBE PREF P GMA Holdings Inc. Leisure and Resort MWIDE PREF PF Pref 2 SMC Preferred A SMC Preferred C

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 -0.19 -3.17 0.00 1.23 0.00 -0.91 -1.03

54,170 190 1,090 700 6,200 100,400 46,000 6,100 11,340 184,250 23,600

6.98

0.8900 LR Warrant

-4.34

457,000

-7,760.00

10.96 15 12.88

2.4 3.5 5.95

-4.02 -21.82 -3.86

2,365,500 700 1,999,000

-52,804,935.00 -1,022,500.00

130.7

105.6 First Metro ETF

-0.55

36,860

2,950,502.00 -51,324,203.00 -54,950,502.00 -46,950.00 -7,960,020.00 -17,100.00 72,250.00 59,450,519.50

5.2 5.18 5.2 0.87 0.85 0.86 1.26 1.26 1.26 1.06 1.05 1.05 0.147 0.145 0.146 0.445 0.430 0.440 0.860 0.850 0.850 0.180 0.179 0.179 1.34 1.21 1.27 1.98 1.88 1.89 1.38 1.35 1.37 5.57 5.00 5.50 5.01 4.68 4.81 0.123 0.117 0.122 0.3200 0.3200 0.3200 26.20 22.55 24.45 7.28 7.2 7.2 28.60 28.35 28.55 1.67 1.6 1.65 3.24 3.22 3.24 19.68 19.40 19.52 0.73 0.7 0.73 7.14 7.14 7.14 0.880 0.850 0.850 7.240 7.120 7.200 SERVICES 6.7 6.89 6.45 6.5 61.7 61.8 61.2 61.6 1.09 1.1 1.09 1.1 0.700 0.700 0.660 0.660 13.58 13.4 13.4 13.4 9.55 9.53 9.26 9.38 0.0970 0.0990 0.0930 0.0970 4.27 4.3 4 4.19 90.35 90.5 86.8 90 10 10 9.8 9.8 5.70 5.80 4.80 5.70 3.52 3.49 3.12 3.49 2600 2644 2552 2600 6.27 6.27 6.24 6.26 1.30 1.30 1.25 1.26 110 110.8 109.5 110 5.12 5.01 5.00 5.00 0.235 0.235 0.225 0.228 1.2900 1.2900 1.2400 1.2400 2.4 2.38 2.36 2.38 9.73 9.73 9.55 9.63 2.57 2.55 2.46 2.55 57.15 59.00 54.10 54.20 0.670 0.680 0.660 0.670 2 2 2 2 8.24 8.3 8.12 8.24 0.365 0.360 0.350 0.360 0.440 0.435 0.430 0.430 4.70 4.70 4.50 4.65 3 3 3 3 9 9 9 9 108.00 115.00 107.00 115.00 20.50 20.60 19.20 20.00 2840.00 3840.00 2800.00 2820.00 0.650 0.650 0.640 0.650 1.600 1.600 1.510 1.530 38.75 38.80 38.25 38.35 79.40 80.00 76.00 77.20 10.22 10.22 9.78 9.80 0.66 0.67 0.66 0.66 1.77 1.76 1.74 1.74 6.2 6.2 6.12 6.15 0.330 0.325 0.325 0.325 MINING & OIL 0.0050 0.0050 0.0048 0.0050 2.66 2.66 2.60 2.61 7.62 7.54 7.40 7.40 15.50 16.00 15.50 16.00 0.250 0.250 0.245 0.245 8.3800 8.7500 8.3000 8.3000 8.4100 8.4300 7.9000 7.9000 0.99 1 0.94 1 0.86 0.86 0.85 0.86 7.48 7.55 7.42 7.42 1.37 1.36 1.24 1.25 0.340 0.345 0.330 0.330 0.240 0.239 0.232 0.239 0.248 0.245 0.240 0.240 0.0140 0.0140 0.0140 0.0140 3.9 3.9 3.87 3.87 24.7 24.85 23.8 24.2 3.85 3.88 3.73 3.77 0.6800 0.7000 0.6800 0.7000 2.120 2.060 2.060 2.060 0.0130 0.0120 0.0120 0.0120 0.0130 0.0130 0.0130 0.0130 4.41 4.40 4.39 4.40 6.49 6.45 6.3 6.3 2 2.09 1.89 1.91 0.016 0.016 0.015 0.015 157.80 157.80 157.30 157.70 10.86 10.8 10.2 10.3 0.0100 0.0100 0.0100 0.0100 PREFERRED 63 63 62 63 523 523 523 523 526 526 525 526 119 119 119 119 521 523 520 520 6.3 6.3 6.1 6.1 1.12 1.12 1.09 1.12 113.5 114.9 113 114.9 1050 1064 1050 1050 76.7 76 75.95 76 87 86.1 86 86.1 WARRANTS & BONDS 4.150 4.150 3.970 3.970 SME 9.69 9.68 9.2 9.3 7.7 6.02 6.02 6.02 10.1 10.12 9.38 9.71 EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 126.5 126.7 125 125.8

MST

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

SHARES 12,547,427 97,498,320 109,800,181 227,292,399 76,296,488 602,600,429 1,130,437,309

362,200.00 -8,222,094.50

620,000.00 -184,590.00 24,666,790.00

-4,802,265.50

-35,622,870.00 6,900.00 -2,120.00 1,631,350.00

-948,873.00 -711,620.00 8,500.00 1,556,824.00 -6,277,555.00 20,557,810.00 -134,575,534.00 1,546,810.00 -5,923,375.00 1,082,789.00

14,460.00

165,000.00 -7,122,744.00

3,307,370.00 -31.00 -4,915,891.00 99,639,440.00 16,131,330.00 -1,774,922.00 -90,480.00 56,790.00 45,300.00 -171,850.00 636,106.00

-288,290.00 23,100.00 -41,922,175.00 8,860.00

519,680.00

-31,713,928.50 -22,035,225.00

-59,410,005.00 -9,000,817.00 -29,817,748.00

946,520.00 386,022,015.00 255,000.00 -79,748,302.00

7,719,755.00

1,406,988.00

-38,807,190.00

-45,500.00 28,370.00 -10,511,219.00 38,220.00 -134,779,515.00

828,550.00 86,000.00 2,216,179.00

Double Dragon Makati Fin. Corp.

Xurpas

T op g ainerS VALUE 1,100,031,784.838 2,083,169,013.438 2,941,866,147.68 1,406,683,001.69 1,264,716,117.55 297,057,702.978 9,139,768,059.676

5,266,701.00 4,050.00 11,955,051.50

5,500.00 129,625,360.00 61,924,715.00

-37,200.00 3,981,749.00

20,000.00 -950,098.00 -35,000.00

-46,550.00 577,989.00 -165,112,220.00

787,030.00 -48,931,975.00 -38,153,049.00 -1,918,466.00 -670.00 -393,478.00

1,286,290.00

-1,520,000.00

-3,978,492.00 3,019,118.00

T op L oSerS

STOCKS

FINANCIAL 1,791.88 (down) 10.29 INDUSTRIAL 11,876.79 (down) 73.74 HOLDING FIRMS 6,891.37 (down) 50.77 PROPERTY 3,147.17 (down) 1.82 SERVICES 2,121.91 (down) 16.22 MINING & OIL 14,620.96 (down) 182.60 PSEI 7,728.50 (down) 33.03 All Shares Index 4,436.39 (down) 30.43 Gainers: 31 Losers: 161; Unchanged: 37; Total: 229

134,000.00

Close (P)

Change (%)

STOCKS

Close (P)

Change (%)

Agrinurture Inc.

1.58

12.86

Chemphil

100

Euro-Med Lab

1.89

12.50

Anchor Land Holdings Inc.

7.00

-31.03 -28.57

Keppel Holdings `B'

6

11.11

Makati Fin. Corp.

6.02

-21.82

Phil. Seven Corp.

115.00

6.48

F&J Prince 'A'

3.2

-14.67

Ginebra San Miguel Inc.

14.92

5.82

Crown Asia

1.53

-11.05

Bright Kindle Resources

2.11

4.98

Ferronickel

1.25

-8.76

Phinma Corporation

12.00

4.35

AG Finance

6.6

-8.21

Natl. Reinsurance Corp.

1.03

4.04

Liberty Flour

30.00

-7.69

Keppel Properties

5.50

3.77

Oriental Pet. `A'

0.0120

-7.69

Zeus Holdings

0.315

3.28

TKC Steel Corp.

1.16

-7.20

WEDNESDAY: MAY 27, 2015

B3

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

RCBC in Butuan.

RCBC Savings Bank, a wholly owned subsidiary of Rizal Commercial Banking Corp.., opened its Butuan Business Center and Lending Center at RT Building, J.C. Aquino Ave. corner Bonbon Road in Butuan City.

Shown during the opening ceremony are RCBC Savings Bank president Rommel Latinazo (fourth from left), retail banking group head Marie Rose Ancheta (left), business center manager Dino Claudio Sanchez (second from right) and officers and staff of Butuan Business Center.

PNB sees profit rising over 10%

By Julito G. Rada

PHILIPPINE National Bank, one of the country’s largest lenders controlled by tycoon Lucio Tan, said net income in 2015 is expected to rise by more than 10 percent on the back of higher loans and deposits.

“We grew by 5 percent in 2014… The number we are looking at right now is double that. We also hope to reach a double-digit growth in the next two to three years,” PNB president Reynaldo Maclang said in a news briefing at the Century Park Hotel in Manila Tuesday.

He said loan growth this year would be around 18 percent over the 2014 level. Deposits are expected to improve by 14 percent to 15 percent.

He said aside from loans and deposits, other expected growth drivers this year would be the remittance business.

PNB executive vice president for retail banking Jovencio Hernandez said PNB accounted for about 20 percent of the remittance market in 2014.

“This year, we see higher than the industry, which is more than 10 percent. The Bangko Sentral sees less than a 6-percent growth,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez said the growth in the bank’s remittance business would come from its remote platforms. He said PNB wanted to provide more convenience in terms of additional remittance channels, such as the Internet, PNB web remit and phone remit.

“PNB is in a much stronger position compared to the rest of the players or non-bank remitters in the business. This is not new, this has been there for quite some time…,” Hernandez said.

Maclang said PNB was interested in acquiring the government’s stake in the United Coconut Planters Bank but they should know first the bidding terms.

“As far as UCPB is concerned… we are keen on knowing the bidding terms first,” Maclang said.

Market extends losses; ALI climbs STOCKS fell for the fourth day, amid concerns over the impact of El Niño dry spell on inflation and expectation that the US Federal Reserve will raise interest rates soon.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index, the 30-company benchmark, gained 33 points, or 0.4 percent, to close at 7,728.50 on Tuesday. The benchmark was still up 6.9 percent since the start of the year.

The heavier index, representing all shares, also advanced 30 points, or 0.7 percent, to settle at 4,436.39, on a value turnover of P9.1 billion. Losers overwhelmed gainers, 161 to 31, while 37 issues were unchanged.

Only four of the 20 most active stocks ended in the green, led by property developer Ayala Land Inc. which advanced 1.6 percent to P40.30. First Gen Corp. gained 0.2 percent to P26.70 while GT Capital Holdings Inc. added 0.1 percent to P1,427.

Ayala Corp. was up 0.1 percent to P806.50.

Meanwhile, Asian markets mostly rose Tuesday, with Hong Kong and Shanghai leading the

way, while Tokyo marked an eighth straight gain to a 15-year high.

Greece’s snail-pace talks with creditors over reforming its bailout conditions continue to weigh on the euro, with little sign of a deal in sight despite a repayment deadline next week.

In late trade, Hong Kong jumped 1.29 percent and Shanghai climbed 1.89 percent, boosted by hopes for fresh Chinese measures to boost the economy as well as Beijing’s decision Friday to relax rules on access to mainland financial markets.

Tokyo ended up 0.12 percent, or 23.71 points, at 20,437.48 helped by a weaker yen, hopes for corporate earnings and the Bank of Japan’s ultraloose monetary policy.

Sydney gained 0.91 percent, or 51.9 points, to close at 5,773.4. But Seoul slipped 0.12 percent, or 2.60 points, to 2,143.50.

With Wall Street and most European markets closed Monday for public holidays, there were few catalysts outside Asia to drive business.

With AFP

REPUBLIKA NG PILIPINAS

LUNGSOD NG MAKATI 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

INVITATION TO BID NO.

NAME OF PROJECT AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

IMPLEMENTING OFFICE

APPROVED BUDGET FOR THE CONTRACT (ABC)

1

Mobility Aids for Person with Disability for the use of Makati Social Welfare Department Jogging Pants for pupils, students, teaching and non-teaching personnel of various schools of Dep-Ed Makati TLE Tools and Equipment for the implementation of TLE Tech-Voc Education Program of various schools of Dep-Ed Makati HemaAnalyzer Diluent and other laboratory supplies for the use of Ospital ng Makati Glucose and other laboratory supplies for the use of Ospital ng Makati Special Phosphate and other laboratory supplies for the use of Ospital ng Makati Blood Agar Base and other laboratory supplies for the use of Ospital ng Makati Reagent Modules and other laboratory supplies for the use of Ospital ng Makati Probe & Tubing Kit and other laboratory supplies for the use of Ospital ng Makati Building Maintenance Management Services including Maintenance of Chiller Units at Ospital ng Makati for year 2015 Building Maintenance Management Services including Maintenance of Chiller Units at University of Makati Nursing Building, Administration Building, Academic Building and University Track Oval for year 2015 Musical Production (Concert Series) for Senior Citizens of Makati City for year 2015 Summer In-Service Training of Teachers under Project TEACH

MSWD

P5,678,100.00

DEP-ED

P32,107,745.00

DEP-ED

P5,857,748.00

OSMAK

P9,530,726.62

OSMAK

P8,338,356.67

OSMAK

P7,666,144.94

OSMAK

P6,785,906.90

OSMAK

P2,545,776.00

OSMAK

P2,387,519.86

GSD

P4,920,988.80

GSD

P5,002,782.40

MSWD

P2,415,000.00

DEP-ED

P7,499,920.50

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11

12 13

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 June 02, 2015 (02:00 P.M.) at PiodelPilar 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 June 16, 2015 (02:00 P.M.), at PiodelPilar Conference Room, 21st floor, New Makati City Hall Building, F. Zobel Street, Brgy. Poblacion, Makati City.

Opening of Bids shall be on June 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 (Sgd.) MS. VISSIA MARIE P. ALDON Chairperson (TS-MAY 27, 2015)

B4

BUSINESS

Meralco raising P100-b funds

By Alena Mae S. Flores

TWO companies of Meralco PowerGen Corp., a unit of Manila Electric Co., plan to raise close to P100 billion this year to fund the construction of two separate coal-fired power plants in Luzon.

Meralco president Oscar Reyes told reporters Tuesday at the sidelines of the stockholders’ meeting of the parent firm the two units would raise financing for 70 percent of the project cost, with the balance to be funded by equity from the project partners.

“RPE will be higher than P40

billion, because it’s 600 [megawatts], while the other one [San Buenaventura] is 455 MW. So it will be bigger… So short of P100 billion,” he said.

Meralco PowerGen owns majority of San Buenaventura Power Ltd. Co., the developer of the 455-MW coal plant in Mauban,

Quezon. San Buenaventura is planws to raise P40 billion or 70 percent of the project cost.

Meralco PowerGen is also the majority owner of Redondo Peninsula Energy Inc., the developer of the 600-MW coal-fired power plant at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

Reyes said RP Energy would need financing of over P40 billion. He said RP Energy would likely tap the local banking community to raise the funds.

Reyes said the two Meralco units planned to complete the financing this year.

“Yes, in order to meet the timetables of the country’s demand,” he said.

Meralco PowerGen hopes to

complete the San Buenaventura project by late 2018 and the Subic power station by early 2019, if not earlier.

The official added banks “would like to lend when there’s an assured market, when the cost of the project has been defined... and whether there is clarity on the interconnection.”

ERC recently approved the 20year power supply agreement of Meralco and San Buenaventura, assuring the power plant of an offtaker for its entire 455-MW output.

RP Energy, meanwhile, vowed to proceed with the construction of Subic coal plant following the favorable ruling of the Supreme Court.

NLEX Leaders’ Forum.

Manila North Tollways Corp. president and chief executive Rodrigo Franco (left) poses with Land Transportation, Franchising and Regulatory Board chairman Winston Ginez and PhilExport president Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr. (third and fourth from the left, respectively) after presenting them with certificates of appreciation as speakers of the recent NLEX Leaders’ Forum. As part of its advocacy to strengthen relationships with stakeholders in the transport sector, MNTC has organized the NLEX Leaders’ Forum aimed at addressing emerging trends in the trucking industry and inspiring leadership and business excellence. More than 50 truckers from 33 trucking companies participated in the forum (inset photo) held at the First Pacific Leadership Academy in Antipolo, Rizal. Joining them are MNTC vice president for marketing Renie Ticzon (right) and Toll Regulatory Board technical consultant Assistant Secretary Alberto Suansing (second from left).

Grab Taxi investing $4m in Asia to improve safety SOUTHEAST Asia’s leading transport app Grab Taxi said Tuesday it would invest $4 million to ensure passenger safety in the Philippines and other countries in the region.

“We must continue to ensure that our safety standards are not compromised. This is why we’ve hired Yiling Kok as our regional head of safety, and will continue to set aside funds and resources for safety and security,” said GrabTaxi Group chief executive Anthony Tan. “Yiling spent 11 years in the Singapore Navy where she was involved in managing operational risk and safety procedures on ships,” he said. “Safety is paramount to the company. Users will be reassured to know that GrabCar adheres to the same strict

safety standards of GrabTaxi, with the focus on its three pillars of safety, convenience and speed.”

“As the regional safety lead in charge of operational controls, I aim to maintain our excellent safety record and have been given the mandate to leverage on our multimillion dollar R&D facility to build and develop the best safety features for our riders,” said Kok. The Transport Department recently announced a new classification for ride-sharing services like GrabCar. GrabCar is now moving toward fullaccreditation as a transportation network companies, a platform to connect passengers to drivers with private cars.

“This is an opportunity for Grab to be once more the leader in the transport-booking indus-

try. We’ve always been in the forefront of innovation while working closely with regulators. Since GrabTaxi started in the Philippines in 2013, we have revolutionized the transportation landscape for both drivers and passengers.

We are focused on doing the same thing with GrabCar, and we are celebrating the PH government’s support for us,” Tan said.

Since its Philippine launch in 2013, the company has established a reputation for cooperating with concerned government agencies such as the Land Transportation Franchise and Regulatory Board to advance progressive transport regulations.

“GrabTaxi has been working with the LTFRB since day one of its operations and has been collaborative with us on the drafts on

the policy on the Transportation Network Companies,” LTFRB executive director Roberto Cabrera. said.

“We are extremely strict in our driver vetting process. We ensure that all private drivers have been cleared by the NBI, have undergone a rigorous driver training, and have secured a professional driver’s license. We also ensure that we meet all our drivers and Peers in person to conduct training and evaluation,” Kok said.

Over 83,000 taxi drivers have been using the GrabTaxi app since its founding in 2012 to receive bookings in Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia. There have been over 4.4 million downloads of the app around the region.

Darwin G.w Amojelar

PLDT investing P20b on mergers

By Darwin G. Amojelar PHILIPPINE Long Distance Telephone Co. may invest up to P20 billion until 2016 on mergers and acquisitions in a bid to expand its Internet and digital portfolio, according to Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services.

The credit rating agency said PLDT could spend up to P10 billion annually on M&A in 2015 and 2016.

PLDT chairman Manuel Pangilinan, earlier said his company planned to invest in 10 Internetrelated companies overseas.

Pangilinan, without disclosing the identity of the companies, said they were operating in the US, Europe and Asia.

PLDT recently invested $15 million in iFlix, an Internet TV provider in Southeast Asia.

The company also invested 333 million euros or about P19.66 billion for a 6.1-percent stake in Rocket Internet, the owner of Zalora, Lazada, Carmudi, Lamudi and Easy Taxi.

Pangilinan said the investment in Rocket and iFlix was in line with PLDT’s strategy of providing relevant and value-enhancing services to customers.

S&P also projected PLDT’s capital expenditure to increase in 2015 and 2016 as part of an ongoing d igital evolution and transformation.

The country’s largest telco invested about P30 billion annually over the past 10 years to enhance its network.

S&P also affirmed PLDT’s ‘BBB+’ long-term corporate credit rating with stable outlook.

It affirmed its ‘axA+’ long-term Asean regional scale rating on the Philippine-based telecom services provider.

“We affirmed the ratings because we believe that PLDT’s strong balance sheet can accommodate the company’s sizable capital spending over the next two years,” said Standard & Poor’s credit analyst Bertrand Jabouley.

PLDT earlier reported core profit, which excludes foreign exchange transactions and other non-recurring items, amounting to P9.3 billion in the first quarter from P9.8 billion last year.

Net profit was nearly flat at P9.39 billion in the January-toMarch period, as revenue stagnated at P42.6 billion. Service revenue dipped 2 percent to P40.5 billion in the quarter, following the drop in short messaging service and voice revenues.

W E D N E S D AY : M AY 2 7, 2 0 1 5

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

Back-to-school blues WITH 23 million elementary and high school students set to troop back to school next Monday, expect traffic to become much worse than you’re already experiencing. A lot of our buddies actually complained about the slower movement of vehicles on many parts of Metro Manila, so we reminded them about the upcoming 2015-2016 school opening with parents doing last-minute shopping for books, bags and other school supplies. Even foot traffic in malls has been noticeably heavier, and it was quite enlightening to eavesdrop on the conversations of these harassed parents about the tuition increases in their children’s schools.

According to the Department of Education, the petition of 1,246 private schools for an increase in tuition and miscellaneous fees had been approved—with the news announced during the 2015 Oplan Balik Eskwela launch. Of course, the DepEd officials were quick to point out that the number of private schools nationwide (kinder, elementary, high school) total 15,994, and that out of this number, only 7.79 percent increase fees. That’s small consolation (or not at all) for the parents who will be affected—with some school increasing the fees by as much as 29 percent.

It’s unfortunate that the DepEd cannot impose a ceiling for the increase, although officials clarified that they require schools petitioning for an increase to submit documentation that include minutes of meetings held or consultations made with parents and students prior to the proposed increase. Right—we all know that some PTAs (Parents-Teachers Associations) that are school administration friendly act more like rubber stamps, with meeting held only among PTA officials without participation from the whole school community.

Pasig City Rep. Roman Romulo, who authored the Iskolar ng Bayan Program that provides for the Top 10 graduates of public schools to be granted scholarships in state colleges and universities (SUCs), is proposing a measure called the “Voluntary Student Loan Program by Private Banks” to enable more students to cope with the rising cost of college tuition.

As explained by Romulo, House Bill 3617 provides financial incentives that will encourage banks to grant educational loans to college students. Under the program, qualified students may obtain a low-cost bank loan to pay for the tuition and miscellaneous fees of the college where the borrower has been accepted--with adjustments also anticipated in case of any increase in the said charges.

Under Romulo’s proposed bill—with a counterpart measure authored by Senator Sonny Angara—the loan will include an amount for expenses such as books, transportation, board and lodging, school projects and other requirements, with an interest rate pegged on the 91-day Treasury bill rate (a little over 2 percent per annum as of last week). The bank also has the option to apply an add-on interest of 3 to 5 percent per annum.

But instead of the borrower paying for the extra interest expense, the bank may claim the corresponding amount as deduction from gross income for tax purposes—which serves as incentive, Romulo explained. As for the borrower, he is expected to repay the loan on a periodic basis starting two years after graduation, but not later than eight years after leaving college.

This kind of proposal is certainly a much better option for those in the lower/marginalized sectors who are forced to seek the help of their friendly “5-6” credit specialist where interest for a loan is at 20 percent, payable every day for a certain number of months (usually three to six) which sometimes gives those living handto-mouth very little or no time to prepare for the loan payment.

Hopefully, this proposal would get positive reception from legislators.

The only thing is, HB 3617 should have been filed much earlier because of the possibility that this proposed measure may just be set aside—what with the continuing controversy over the BBL and the fact that there is very little time left before these so-called public servants go on a six-week break before resuming regular session in time for President BS Aquino’s State-of-the-Nation Address this July 27.

••• 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!

B5

March imports fell on falling oil prices

By Julito G. Rada

MERCHANDISE imports dropped 6.8 percent in March from a year ago due to lower payments for oil shipments, the National Economic and Development Authority said Tuesday.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed total import payments fell to $5.1 billion in March 2015 from $5.5 billion year-on-year.

“The low oil-price condition remains favorable to the current balance of trade, particularly for tradein-goods of the country as global oil prices continue to hover way below $100 per barrel at $51.6 for the first quarter of 2015,” Neda directorgeneral and Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said in a statement.

“The low price of oil prompted

an increase in the overall volume of imported crude by 47.8 percent. It is expected that the increase in energy demand during the summer season will further drive imports of petroleum products,” he added.

Most trade-oriented economies in East and Southeast Asia, except for Vietnam, posted a decline in merchandise imports in March 2015.

The reduced value of imports primarily from China, South Korea and Singapore contributed to a drag on imports during the period.

Lower crude oil prices and the

lower demand for non-oil mineral products reduced the value of imported mineral fuels and lubricants by 47.3 percent to $681.3 million in March 2015 from $1.3 billion in the same period last year.

Balisacan said the low price of imported oil boded well for the industrial sector, especially manufacturing and utilities sub-sectors given their high reliance on oil-based inputs.

Payments for raw materials and intermediate goods fell 1.1 percent to $2.09 billion from $2.11 billion in March last year. This was reflected in the strong decline in the imports of semi-processed raw materials (-6.2 percent).

“The drop in the imports value for semi-processed raw materials can be attributed to decreasing prices of raw materials, a trend which has been occurring for five consecutive months since November 2014,” Balisacan said.

New ecozone IT enterprise. Globelink Outsourcing Solutions Inc. president Oliver Ian Atienza (second from left) receives a registration agreement from Philippine Economic Zone Authority directorgeneral Lilia de Lima (center) as an ecozone information technology enterprise to engage in business process outsourcing and call center focusing on education, health and technology at Cyber One Building, Eastwood City, Cyberpark. Shown from (left) are Eunice Faye Quilay, Azhar Aslam Khan and Alyssa Celestine Felix of GlobeLink Outsourcing.

2 nabbed for selling fake Mighty items AGENTS of the National Bureau of Investigation have arrested two suspects for supplying fake Mighty cigarettes to a sari-sari store in Bocaue, Bulacan.

The suspects, Guillermo Ediesca and Jonathan Jimenez, were arrested for selling counterfeit Mighty Full Flavor and Menthol 100’s soft pack variants on a complaint filed by Mighty, a Filipinoowned cigarette manufacturer.

Among the discrepancies confirmed by Mighty were the cigarette quality and the print packaging such as misspelling of the word “Manufactured” to “Manufacture” and the absence of a manufacturing code on the packs.

Retired Judge Oscar Barrientos, Mighty executive vice president, said the fake cigarettes seized in Bulacan also alarmingly contained counterfeit BIR tax stamps.

Mighty has launched a campaign against unscrupulous traders faking their brands and using bogus stamps in coordination with the NBI and the Bureau of Internal Revenue.

The NBI-Bulacan District Office agents on April 26 led

by AIC Arnel Dalumpines conducted a buy-bust operation in a sari-sari store regularly supplied by the suspects in Bocaue, Bulacan.

Ediesca and Jimenez were immediately arrested by NBI agents after receiving marked money for their delivery of 11 rims of fake Mighty cigarettes.

The NBI filed charges against the two for violating Republic Act 8293, or the Trademark Infringement and Unfair Competition Law, before the Provincial Prosecutors’ Office in Malolos, Bulacan.

Earlier, the NBI arrested three

suspects for selling several cartons of fake Mighty cigarettes of the same variants in Cebu City.

Suspects Carissa Mae Juanico, Glenn Suquib and Kevin Takiao, who were caught red-handed, have already been arraigned and will undergo trial starting June 22.

In a related development, the NBI offices in Zamboanga City and nearby provinces warned exploitative traders selling fake Mighty cigarettes and those using bogus stamps that the full force of the law will be applied on them if the continue their illegal activities.

NBI Zamboanga District Office head Ferdinand Lavin issued the warning after receiving intelligence reports that smugglers have been selling fake Mighty cigarettes with counterfeit stamps in some places in the Zamboanga provinces.

WEDNESDAY: MAY 27, 2015

B6

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

IMF keeps 6.7% growth forecast

By Julito G. Rada

THE International Monetary Fund said Tuesday it is keeping the 2015 growth forecast for the Philippines at 6.7 percent, despite the uneven and generally weaker global growth prospects.

Chikahisa Sumi, who headed the IMF mission during the Article IV consultation mission to the Philippines, said in a news briefing the outlook for the country remained favorable.

“Real GDP is projected to grow by 6.7 percent in 2015, as lower commodity prices lift household consumption and improved budget execution raises public spending,” Sumi said.

Sumi said net exports were projected to soften this year, due to

sluggish trading partner growth and real exchange rate appreciation.

Sumi, however, said economic growth in 2016 was expected to decelerate to 6.3 percent, as the one-off fiscal impulse and oil price stimulus in 2015 would wane.

He said lower import prices should help keep inflation in the lower half of the target band, before picking up in 2016 as oil prices rise.

“The current account surplus is expected to exceed 5 percent of GDP in 2015 due to lower oil prices and continued inflows from business process outsourcing and remittances,” Sumi said.

Sumi said the IMF decided to maintain the current economic growth forecasts steady, pending the release of the first-quarter GDP results this week.

“We have to wait for the firstquarter GDP data to come and see if there are any changes in these projections,” Sumi said.

Sumi said risks to the growth outlook could stem from both external and domestic sources.

He said an upside risk could be a stronger lift to demand from lower commodity prices.

“On the downside, disruptive asset price shifts due to asynchro-

nous monetary policies in advanced economies are a risk, but the Philippines’ strong fundamentals should provide the necessary cushion,” Sumi said.

He said on the domestic front, any resurgence of strong credit and construction growth could give rise to financial stability risk. He said a continued weak budget execution could slow down improvements in infrastructure.

“Finally, there is a downside risk associated with El Niño conditions leading to a poor harvest and a rapid run-up in food prices,” Sumi said.

Sumi said inflation rate average this year could be higher at 2.4 percent from the previous estimate of 2.1 percent, because of the possible lingering effects of El Niño dry spell.

Peso Fund.

The Social Security System is now accepting membership applications for the Personal Equity and Savings Option or Peso Fund in 10 pilot SSS branches in the National Capital Region, including Legarda, Diliman, Cubao, San Francisco Del Monte, Pasig-Shaw, Mandaluyong, Taguig, Makati-Gil Puyat, Alabang and Pasay-Roxas Boulevard. Peso Fund is a voluntary provident fund scheme offered exclusively to SSS members.

Shown are (from left) SSS-Legarda branch head Virginia Calasahan with Nadessa Santos Usita, the first Peso Fund enrollee of the branch and officerin-charge for member services section Dolora Hojilla.

Solons question Pasig lot auction MEMBERS of the Congressional Committee on Metro Manila Development expressed concern over the plan of the Presidential Commission on Good Government to publicly bid out the 18.4-hectare prime commercial space known as the “Payanig sa Pasig” lot.

“The sequence of events, for me, is particularly unusual,” said committee chairman Winston Castelo.

“It is well established that the ownership of this property has not been determined with finality. Before accepting bidders, I feel that this should have been settled first,” he said.

Kabataan Party List Rep. Terry Ridon said PCGG’s action could have considerable repercussion on the business and economic landscape.

“Can you just imagine how much it will erode investor confidence if our very own government bids out a billion-peso property and is then unable to award it? There’s no telling how the courts will decide on this case, so in effect, the PCGG is taking an incredibly huge gamble,” Ridon said.

The PCGG is claiming ownership over the Payanig sa Pasig property by virtue of a reconstituted title obtained after the Edsa revolution, through an assignment by alleged Marcos crony Jose Campos.

Under the law, however, a reconstituted title is rendered void if the original title still exists, and a company called BLEMP Commercial of the Philippines Inc. has come forth claiming that it is in possession of the these titles.

During a line of questioning by Congressman Edgar Erice, it was laffirmed that BLEMP, and not the PCGG, has paid for the real estate taxes of the property in question.

Castelo presented a hypothetical scenario during the hearing, when he asked PCGG representatives what they intended to do with the payment of a winning bidder in the event that the courts decided in BLEMP’s favor.

Without directly answering the question, the PCGG merely declared its confidence in its title, and reiterated their position that the courts were unlikely to rule in such a manner.

7-Eleven on track to open 500 new convenience stores in 2015

PHILIPPINE Seven Corp., the local licensor of 7-Eleven chain of convenience stores, said it is on track to open 500 new outlets this year as a part of its nationwide expansion.

PSC said it was on target and on top of its robust expansion plan, with 84 outlets recently opened in April, and 50 more opening in May and June.

PSC business development division manager Francis Medina said the opening of new stores in

the second quarter was a part of the C-store giant’s 500 store target for year 2015.

“The long-term agenda is to have a total of at least 400 more stores throughout the Philippines by yearend. We aim to do so by securing and investing in our market strongholds, and by constantly looking for viable partners and tapping new opportunities to secure ideal C-store locations,” Medina said.

7-Eleven maintained solo do-

mestic leadership with its 1,282 stores as of end-2014, with 814 franchise-owned C-stores and 468 corporate stores.

Medina attributed the success to the solid expansion campaign in the Visayas, which paved the opening of 87 stores.

The 2015 expansion plan will see the continuous rolling out of modern C-stores, entering new key cities in Mindanao, including Davao and Cagayan De Oro as well as major locations in the Vi-

sayas such as Dumaguete, Capiz, and Aklan.

7-Eleven is also looking at major markets in North Luzon, setting to open 70 stores in Baguio, Bataan, Pampanga, Zambales, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Ilocos Sur/ Norte, and La Union.

“Over the plan period, we aim to put the business on a strong footing by achieving long-term profitable growth for the group and our franchise partners. Expanding our

presence across the country through these strategic initiatives will undoubtedly present significant opportunities for PSC to grow the franchise business over the next months and years,” said Medina.

Apart from financial growth gains, PSC sees 7-Eleven’s rapid expansion in Cebu and Davao locations as a key to enhance economic activities in the country by presenting locals with job and franchise business opportunities.

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WORLD

cesar barrioquinto EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

B7

Hong Kong student leader barred from Malaysia KUALA LUMPUR—Hong Kong student leader Joshua Wong was Tuesday refused admission to Malaysia, where he planned to speak about the city’s pro-democracy movement and the anniversary of China’s Tiananmen Square massacre.

Wong was the teenage face of the “Umbrella Movement,” which brought parts of Hong Kong to a standstill for more than two months late last year with mass rallies calling for fully free leadership elections.

“This morning we stopped Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong from entering Penang. We subsequently deported him back to Hong Kong on the same Dragonair flight,” said an immigration official at Penang airport on condition of anonymity.

The official declined to say why Wong was denied entry.

B.B. King’s death probed as homicide WASHINGTON—Las Vegas police have launched a homicide investigation into the death of B.B. King, a coroner’s office said Monday, after the daughters of the blues guitar legend reportedly accused his aides of poisoning him.

King died aged 89 on May 14 in Las Vegas, where he lived while he kept up a grueling schedule of tours that ended only last year. King suffered from Type II diabetes for the last two decades of his life.

Two of his daughters—Karen Williams and Patty King—have alleged he was poisoned by his business manager Laverne Toney and his personal assistant, Eonline reported.

“I believe my father was poisoned and that he was administrated foreign substances to induce his premature death,” the daughters wrote in separate but identical affidavits, the entertainment site said. “[I] request a formal investigation into this matter,” the court documents reportedly said.

Despite his legendary musical status, King’s final days were clouded by an apparent dispute between his family and manager over his care.

Toney, who is the executor of King’s estate, shrugged off the daughters’ charge.

“They’ve been making allegations all along. What’s new?” Toney said, according to Eonline.

A lawyer for King’s estate also dismissed the daughters’ accusations as “ridiculous”.

“I hope they have a factual basis that they can demonstrate for their defamatory and libelous allegations,” Brent Bryson said in a statement, according to the entertainment site.

Earlier, the local coroner confirmed the homicide investigation and said that King’s remains would undergo an autopsy.

“Our coroner takes jurisdctn over #BBKing body, performs autopsy. Results:6-8wks min.

Homicide investgtn w/ @LVMPD,” the Clark County, Nevada coroner’s office, announced on Twitter, referring to the Las Vegas police department. AFP

“Malaysian government is not letting me enter their border. Taking my original flight back to Hong Kong,” Wong had said earlier on his Twitter account.

In a separate Tweet he added that a Malaysian customs officer had said the refusal was due to a “government order.” Wong did not elaborate.

He was due to arrive back in Hong Kong late in the afternoon.

Scholarism, the student protest group that Wong founded, posted a statement on its Facebook page saying he had been invited to visit by “Malaysian activists.”

“Local personnel temporarily took away his passport for inspection when he arrived... and later refused his entry and asked him to be returned to Hong Kong with no reason,” it said.

Wong, 18, said he had been invited to share his “experience and views on the Umbrella Movement and the June 4 incident,” the South China Morning Post reported.

His visit came less than two weeks before the 26th anniversary on June 4 of the Tiananmen Square massacre of pro-democracy protesters in Beijing.

Hong Kong commemorates the anniversary each year with a candlelit vigil attended by thousands in Victoria Park.

A spokesman for Hong Kong’s immigration department said the entry of its residents to other countries was “out of the control of the Hong Kong government”.

Hong Kong authorities have not imposed any travel restrictions on Wong. AFP

Defiance. Pro-democracy supporters take part in a cycle rally against

the government’s proposal for a public vote for the city’s leader in 2017.

Campaigners in Hong Kong are employing a range of tactics to win hearts and minds ahead of a key vote on the city’s political future. AFP

Japan urged to own up over ‘comfort women’ TOKYO—Japanese academics have called on the conservative government to face up to its responsibility over “comfort women,” echoing an open letter from leading foreign scholars urging an honest accounting for wartime wrongdoing.

Memorial Day. Virginia Comley and James F. Comley pose for a picture before the beginning of the Bedford Memorial Day Parade on May 25 in Bedford, Massachusetts. AFP

Sixteen academic societies—including the Historical Science Society of Japan—said the country must “squarely” acknowledge responsibility for the system of sex slavery, in a move that could add fuel to Chinese and Korean claims of a growing official amnesia ahead of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. “Those who were made ‘comfort women’ fell victim to unspeakable violence as sex slaves” during World War II, the joint statement from the societies, issued Monday, said.

“As recent historical studies have shown, the victims were subjected not only to forced recruitment, but also to conditions of sexual slavery which violated their basic human rights.

“By continuing to take the irresponsible stance of denying the facts of wartime sexual slavery in the Japanese military, certain politicians and sections of the media are essentially conveying to the rest of the world that Japan does not respect human rights.

“We renew our demand for all concerned politicians and media outlets to squarely face up to the damage that Japan inflicted in the past, as well as to the victims.”

A separate open letter with similar warnings was issued earlier this month signed by several hundred academics, many from Europe and the US and including Pulitzer Prize winners.

That letter noted the system’s “exploitation of young, poor, and vulnerable women in areas colonized or occupied by Japan”.

Mainstream historians say around 200,000 women, mostly from Korea but also from other Asian nations, were systematically raped by Japan’s imperial forces in military brothels.

Japanese conservatives, however, say no official documents prove government involvement in the system; they say the women were common prostitutes engaged in a commercial exchange.

They have also argued that the memories of the survivors cannot be trusted and are highly politicized in an issue that serves as one of the main geopolitical fault lines running through East Asia.

The academics’ interventions come as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe readies a formal statement to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of hostilities. All eyes are on whether he will repeat previous explicit prime ministerial apologies for Japanese violence. AFP

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B8 Reporter stands trial in Tehran for spying TEHRAN—Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezaian went on trial behind closed doors in Iran Tuesday on charges of spying, a case that has clouded a rapprochement with the United States.

Rezaian’s wife, Yeganeh Salehi, who is also a journalist, appeared in court alongside her husband and a female press photographer, Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported.

The trial is being held in Branch 15 of the Tehran revolutionary court, which usually presides over political cases or those related to national security.

Rezaian, an Iranian-American, has been held since July last year in a politically sensitive case that has unfolded while Iran and THE world powers conduct nuclear talks.

His wife, who worked for The National, an English-language newspaper based in Abu Dhabi, was arrested along with him but released on bail after spending two and a half months in custody.

Rezaian, 39, is accused of “espionage, collaboration with hostile governments, gathering classified information and disseminating propaganda against the Islamic republic,” according to his lawyer Leila Ahsan.

The United States and the Washington Post have branded the charges absurd and demanded his release.

Tehran does not recogniZe dual nationality, and says the case is a purely Iranian matter.

State media gave no details of Tuesday’s hearing and no indication of how long the trial might last.

But it will overlap with the final stretch of negotiations between Iran and the major powers aimed at reaching a comprehensive agreement on Tehran’s nuclear program by a June 30 deadline.

Rezaian’s case has been played out in the Iranian media, where he has been accused of spying and passing information about Iran to US government officials. AFP

cESAr bArrioquiNto EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

world Meth seizures rocket in much of Asia-Pacific BANGKOK—Methamphetamine seizures across much of the AsiaPacific region have quadrupled over five years, the UN said Tuesday, citing rising wealth as one reason for a boom in production and consumption.

Two-day visit. Queen of Spain Letizia Ortiz, left, is received by Honduran First Lady Ana de Hernandez upon her arrival at the Palmerola air base 80 km north of Tegucigalpa on May 25. Queen Letizia started a two-day visit to Honduras on Monday to supervise Spanish cooperation programs in the country. AFP

Growing economic integration across the region was also enabling cross-border criminal networks to cooperate in peddling amphetamine-type stimulants and so-called “legal highs”, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime or UNODC said in a report.

The study, which was released in Bangkok, covers Southeast Asia, East Asia and Oceania, but excluded South Asia.

Between 2008 and 2013, the last year covered by the UNODC figures, regional seizures of methamphetamine—known colloquially as meth—rose nearly four-fold from 11 to 42 metric tons.

Much of the increase is down to an explosion in production of meth tablets, known in parts of Asia as “yaba.”

The drug, a potent stimulant, tends to come in two forms: a powerful crystalline variant known as “ice” or crystal meth, and the usually less pure tablets.

Between 2008 and 2013 crystal meth seizures doubled, from seven to around 14 tons.

But meth tablet seizures grew eightfold, from 30 million tablets in 2008 to more than 250 million in 2013.

Long popular in the poorer Mekong region countries of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam as an affordable high—often for people working long hours such as truck drivers—yaba is finding new consumers in wealthier countries.

South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore have all reported recent seizures of meth tablets, the UNODC said, although it is thought intended customers are likely to be laborers from the Mekong region rather than locals.

“This significant increase of seizures might partly be the result of effective law enforcement measures,” the study said.

But the rise “also points to expanding manufacturing and an increase of trafficking to and through the region as the synthetic drug market is becoming increasingly interconnected with other regions.” AFP

Teener goes on trial for alleged IS ties SANKT-POELTEN, Austria—A 15-year-old Austrian schoolboy with alleged ties to Islamist extremists and accused of intending to bomb a Vienna train station went on trial Tuesday facing up to five years in prison.

The defendant, named only as Mertkan G., was arrested in October 2014 when he was 14 and allegedly had contact with supporters of the Islamic State jihadist group and Al-Qaeda, the court in his hometown Sankt-Poelten said.

“In addition, he is suspected of obtaining instructions on how to make an explosive device from an Al-Qaeda website... in order to carry out an attack in Vienna,” the

court, 70 kilometers west of the Austrian capital, said.

According to the charge sheet, the teenager, who emigrated from Turkey in 2007, wanted to carry out the attack before traveling to join the “holy war” in Syria and was in contact with IS recruiters in Vienna.

Police had said at the time of the arrest that the boy made “concrete inquiries about buying ingredients” for a bomb and “planned to explode the devices in public places, such as the Vienna Westbahnhof,” a major train station.

His lawyer told AFP that his client had only been “playing with the idea” of making a bomb. He

has been in custody since January after breaking the terms of his parole.

Unconfirmed press reports said that IS jihadists had offered to pay him 25,000 euros ($27,250) if he managed to carry out the attack.

In common with other European countries, Austria has seen a steady flow of people leaving or attempting to leave the country in order to join IS militants in Syria and Iraq.

According to the Austrian interior ministry, more than 200 have done so, including some women and minors. Around 70 have since returned, several of whom are in custody awaiting trial. AFP

Heat wave. An Indian woman walks with an umbrella on a hot summer day in Hyderabad on May 26. More than 430 people have died in two Indian states from a days-long heat wave that has seen temperatures nudging 50 degrees Celsius, officials said on May 25. Officials warned the toll was almost certain to rise, with figures still being collected in some parts of the hard-hit Telangana state in the south of the country, and with no end in sight to the searing conditions. AFP

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BAMBINA OLIVARES WISE EDITOR

BING PAREL A S S O C I AT E E D I T O R g l w e e ke n d @ g m a i l . c o m

LIFE

LUXURY

ETERNAL ROMA Bulgari celebrates the 40th anniversary of an iconic watch Bulgari Roma, the watch that first launched in 1975, marked a watershed in watchmaking trends.

The new models presented this year – the commemorative edition Bulgari Roma Finissimo, Bulgari Roma Tourbillon Finissimo, Bulgari Bulgari Solotempo, and Bulgari Roma Tubogas – celebrate the 40th anniversary of a legend that represents a large piece of watchmaking history.

Few are the watchmaking pieces that manage to establish themselves so firmly over

time while always appearing new and being thoroughly up-to-date. Embodying a trend, preceding a fashion, while paying tribute to the fundamental elements of creation, architecture and design.

Once again, Bulgari shows that form is intrinsically substantive, and that appearance is the visible manifestation of an intangible essence.

The Bulgari boutique is located at Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center. www.bulgari.com

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BAMBINA OLIVARES WISE

LIFE

EDITOR

BING PAREL A S S O C I AT E E D I T O R

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

A GLOBAL A APPROACH TO FILIPINO STYLE A new residential enclave in the South goes high style and low-density

Isabelle Miaja

ward-winning interior designer Isabelle Miaja gives Filipino furniture and design an unprecedented makeover via Botanika Nature Residences, a new premium low-density residential development in Filinvest City in Alabang.

Of Spanish and French descent, the US-trained, Singapore-based Miaja draws on her own multicultural heritage to create a model unit in Botanika that is a stylish yet habitable fusion of local and modern, of Filipino folk elements and the contemporary.

“When we design,” says Miaja, we build every project around a story line that is connected to the place, the people, and its art, the whole cultural background.”

Adding antique pieces sourced from Manila, Pampanga and other parts of the country to the model unit, she adds that “I have to reinvent everything and give it a new twist.”

And reinvent she does. The Botanika model unit, which can be seen at Commerce corner Corporate

Miaja's interpretation of Filipino contemporary

A spectacular dining table in the model unit

Avenues in Filinvest City, is furnished and fitted, draped and adorned with stunning pieces. At first glance, the look appears foreign and contemporary, but on further inspection, becomes easily recognizable as Filipino.

For instance, she chose to use an exquisite handcrafted dining table base that is a mosaic of small wood chips and Filipino carvings and encrusted with crystals made in the Czech Republic.

“I wanted the Botanika model unit to feel different but still retain an identifiable Filipino flair,” Miaja, who has designed luxury properties in Dubai, Singapore, the Middle East, Fiji and the Maldives, says.

Botanika also offers very generous living spaces, with its 369 units ranging from 123 to 343 square meters in area, all designed in a way that makes them open to nature while offering residents privacy and exclusivity.

Botanika is the first of Filinvest’s Exclusive Collection, envisioned as a series of iconic projects focused on luxury. www.botanika.com.ph

Botanika Nature Residences is a premium Filinvest development

AMERICAN BEAUTY Ralph Lauren opens Manila Flagship

He created the iconic brand that has become known as the purveyor of classic American style, privileged WASP edition. Yet, in opening the first ever Ralph Lauren boutique in Manila – which incorporates the ultra-exclusive Ralph Lauren Black Label and Purple Label collections – the brand, in conjunction with local partners Stores Specialists, Inc., took its inspiration from Vigan, designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The 3,000-square-foot space features a Spanish Renaissance-style façade common to Vigan. The classic, timeless exterior is complimented inside by limestone floors, a touch of mahogany, and tasteful white columns, echoing the much vaunted style of Ralph Lauren’s own home.

Ralph Lauren is at Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati City.

SUMMER MADNESS SALE AT LRI DESIGN PLAZA The Summer Madness Sale at LRI Design Plaza, the one-stop home, lifestyle, art and design destination along Nicanor Garcia Street in Bel-Air II, Makati City, is ongoing until May 30, 2015.

LRI Design Plaza is home to over 40 shops and galleries offering a wide array of high-quality home and office furniture, accessories, art and artworks. There are, in addition, interior and architectural design and photo studios.

Join the madness! All participating establishments have sale prices at the most enticing discount prices. A "Big Sale Room" consolidates all items from different showrooms with marked down with a discount of 30 percent or more.

On Saturday, May 30, the last day of the sale, LRI Design Plaza co-sponsors Grupo Reposo's one-day special event, "Reposo Art and Music Fair," which features a line-up of fun and interesting activities such as on-the-spot painting by Grupo Reposo visual artists, a mini-concert, and other art-related programs.

For inquiries, please call (02) 8951772 or (02) 8955470

W E D N E S D AY : M AY 2 7 : 2 0 1 5

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

BAMBINA OLIVARES WISE EDITOR

BING PAREL A S S O C I AT E E D I T O R

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NEBBIOLO WINES FROM ROERO: VINTAGE PREVIEW

The Langhe region, the home of Nebbiolo, produces around 22 million bottles of this varietal annually out of 3,582 hectares of vineyards from over 1,000 wine producers.

Based on average annual production data as provided by the Consorzio di Tutela Barolo Barbaresco Alba Langhe e Roero, Barolo DOCG wines account for 58.8 percent of total Nebbiolo production, followed by little brother Barbaresco DOCG with 19.9 percent, the more generic Nebbiolo d’Alba DOC with 18.1 percent and at the tail end is the upcoming region Roero DOCG with only 3.3 percent.

Starting with this column, I will dissect the Nebbiolo Anteprima, beginning with the wines from the Roero region, both Roero Classico 2012, and Roero Riserva 2011. Wine journalists were given a choice to partake between a lighter tasting schedule featuring one wine per producer per DOCG, or a more intensive tasting program, where additional wines from the same producers, probably featuring different single vineyard wines were included.

I obviously opted for the extensive tasting program because this is my first Nebbiolo Prima and I really wanted to taste as much Nebbiolo wines as possible to see the available ranges, styles and quality level that makes it fair enough to exercise some personal conclusion.

The extensive program went through 479 wines, around 20-25 percent more than the “soft” program. All tastings were done blind and during mornings only (they extended till 1:30 pm), after breakfast at around 8:30 am. The first of the DOCGs in the lineup were the Roero wines. Admittedly, I had yet to encounter a Roero DOCG wine in our country and even in my Asian travels, so it was only during this Nebbiolo Prima event that I experienced my first salvo of Roero Nebbiolo wines.

The hundreds of wines for tasting during the Nebbiolo Prima week

ROERO DOCG: THE UNDERTHE-RADAR PIEDMONT WINE REGION

Roero as a wine region was established in 1985 as a DOC, but by 2004, was promoted to full DOCG. Roero is situated in the north side of the river Tanaro on very steep, infertile sandy soil and slopes. The Roero region is probably more famous for its white varietal Arneis – now becoming one of Piedmont’s favorite white varietals. The other popular varietal belongs to the Cortese grape, the mainstay varietal of the more international Gavi DOCG wines. I have loved Arneis since my first taste of a Vietti Arneis DOCG wine, and in my week long stay in Alba, I had plenty more really superb samples of this nicely perfumed, peach-flavored, crisp and floral dry white wine.

As for Nebbiolo, the region is just stepping up on its Roero DOCG wines, as many of the Roero Nebbiolos are still part of the more generic Langhe Nebbiolo DOC wines. As a rule, the allowed maximum yield per hectare for a Roero DOCG is 8,000 kg. and yield in wine per hectare is only 5,600 liters. This is the same strict maximum yield allowed in nearby Barolo and Barbaresco DOCGs. The difference is however in the release date of new vintages. For Roero DOCG, the wine has to be made from minimum 95 percent Nebbiolo grapes (with Barolo and Barbaresco requiring 100 percent Nebbiolo), and aged in cellars for a minimum of 20 months, of which six months should be in oak barrels, and vintage release date to be 1st of July on the

second year of harvest, which pretty much means roughly 3rd year from vintage. For the Roero Riserva, the aging minimum is 32 months, of which the same 6 months should be in oak barrels. Therefore at the Nebbiolo Prima, we were actually tasting in advance July releases of Roero DOCG and Roero Riserva DOCG wines, which are the 2012 and 2011 vintages respectively.

GENERAL FEEDBACK

With Roero DOCG and Roero Riserva DOCG merely 3.3 percent of Nebbiolo production in Langhe, our sample base of 49 wines, composed of 24 Roero and 25 Roero Riservas, were pretty big. My notes below were based on my experience of Nebbiolo wines, and not, as mentioned, on Roero as a region.

Roero 2012 vintage: To me the range varies stylistically, with several wines showing a lot of rustic notes from forest, animal, leather, mushroom, and earthiness, and on the other spectrum, I get the more fruit-oriented, fresher, black berry, cherry, ripe fruit characteristics. Aging vehicle has a lot to do, too, with the finished wine, as I am very certain many wines I tasted that showed a lot of vanilla, creaminess and even cinnamon come from use of smaller barriques/oaks as against the traditional large 10,000-liter plus wooden casks. Acids are generally alive and racy, but tannins are quite mixed too, with some showing approachability at this young stage, and several manifesting a lot of harsh unrefined tannins. But I have my share of favorites. And when these brands were revealed to us, I listed below my top

AVIATION DREAM SPACE

BY ED BIADO

Do you own a private jet that needs a makeover? Two German companies are teaming up to design the ultimate luxury flying experience for you. Unveiled at last week’s 2015 European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition in Geneva, the concept for the ultra-high-end private jet interiors from Mercedes-Benz Style and Lufthansa Technik is nothing short of impressive.

The former is the luxury car maker’s non-automotive design firm while the latter is the engineering division of the aviation group. The concept was reportedly conceived for Lufthansa’s short- and medium-haul aircraft fleet.

The design is built upon a “spiral layout,” which eliminates the traditional borders between ceiling and wall, and wall and floor. The result is a fluid blending of elements within the pod and a new level of depth never before seen in cabin design. Each area – sitting, sleeping, dining – flows seamlessly into the next, giving a sense of cohesiveness and perhaps the illusion of bigger space. The windows are layered with proprietary black panels that can

turn from dark to transparent, powered by the Mercedes-Benz Magic Sky technology.

And applying this philosophy to your own private jet won’t come cheap.

“Our goal is to offer a highly discerning global clientele a standard of interior design that leaves nothing to be desired,” says Lufthansa VIP and Executive Jet Solutions senior vice president Walter Heerd.

Meanwhile, Daimler AG (the parent company of Mercedes-Benz) vice president Gorden Wagener enthuses, “It was an inspiring challenge to transfer our design philosophy of sensual purity into the area of aeronautical engineering. The spectacular architecture of the interior shows creativity and modernity. Sensual surfaces and clear forms, combined with intelligent high-tech features and perfectly shaped modern luxury are the characteristic features of Mercedes-Benz design.”

The design is still a concept and was introduced at EBACE to gauge the market’s response to and interest in the prospect. But seeing how positive reactions are in the media so far, this aviation dream space might be reality pretty soon.

choices for Roero 2012, in no special order: 1. Cornarea Roero 2012 (black cherry, dense and flavorful, succulent finish), 2.

Fassino Giuseppe Di Lanoantonia Roero 2012 (subtle complex nose, black currant, juicy on the palate) and 3. Negro Angelo E. Figli Roero 2012 (luscious, new-world like concentration, full-bodied, supple sweet berry finish).

Roero Riserva 2011 vintage: The extra year of cellaring whether it was in oak or in bottle has indeed helped as the Riservas are more tamed on both tannins and acids. The nose is more consistent, with a few exemptions, as most wines show good complex bouquet including truffles, cassis, coffee bean, peppercorn and licorice. The fruit quality of the 2011s also hangs on well after the extra 12 months of cellaring.

Majority of the Riservas have good palate length, and long lingering finish. My favorites among the 25 Riservas are, as revealed from the blind tasting: 1. Cascina Ca’Rossa Di Ferrio Angelo Roero Riserva 2011 (fresh nose, strawberry field, full-bodied, juicy acids and round finish), 2. Ceste Franci Roero Riserva 2011 (alluring nose, ripe berries, figs, great balance, delectable finish), 3. Taliano Michele Roero Riserva 2011 (fruit bomb, long flavor depth, bittersweet tannin backbone), and 4. Pelassa Roero Riserva 2011 (jammy, warm crusty pie, viscous, deliciously concentrated).

My first encounter of Roero wines has been amazing. Roero in name recall is not as sexy as a Barbaresco or as enchanting as a Barolo, but for price (I heard) at less than half of a Barbaresco, and most of the Roeros are 100 percent Nebbiolos for these new vintages; I think it is an absolute smart buy to try this region’s wine. Now, we need to get some importers to bring Roero wines in from Italy.

Feel free to contact me for recommendations.

More on Nebbiolo Prima next week...

For comments, inquiries, wine event coverage, wine consultancy and other wine related concerns, please e-mail me at protegeinc@ yahoo.com. I am a proud member of the Federation Internationale des Journalists et Ecrivains du Vin et des Spiritueux or FIJEV since 2010. You can also follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/sherwinlao.

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

BAMBINA OLIVARES WISE EDITOR

BING PAREL A S S O C I AT E E D I T O R

The John Lewis outlet in Heathrow

Crockery from the John Lewis Tableware collection

THE BRITISH INVASION

John Lewis offers a full range of bathroom towels and linens

John Lewis opens in SM Makati

Soft, floral bed linen sets for a restful sleep

If you haven’t declared yourself an Anglophile yet, a visit to the new John Lewis shop-in-shop at SM Makati might just have you reaching out for tea and crumpets.

A British institution, the multi-awarded John Lewis is a chain of high quality department stores beloved by all of Great Britain, especially the Royal Family.

The first John Lewis store opened in Oxford Street, London, in 1864. In 2008, this flagship store was awarded a Royal Warrant from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as “suppliers of haberdashery and household goods.” In fact, John Lewis and its partner store in Chelsea, Peter Jones, hold several Royal Warrants to the Queen, as well as to HRH The Prince of Wales and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh.

For its first foray into the Philippine market, John Lewis partnered with SM. On offer is a wide display of ownbrand home products including bed, bath, tableware and home accessories in a dedicated John Lewis Department within SM Home at SM Makati.

“SM Retail is the perfect partner to help bring the John Lewis brand to a new Asian customer base,” said Andy Street, Managing Director, John Lewis.

Added Asif Ahmad, the British Ambassador to the 2 Philippines, “In the UK, John Lewis is known as a top retailer and has a reputation for offering excellent value to customers for many years. We are delighted to have another iconic brand that will bring the experience of British quality, creativity, and lifestyle to the Filipino home.”

A total of 11 shop-in-shops are planned for John Lewis throughout the country.

John Lewis at SM Home, 5th Level, SM Makati, Ayala Center, Makati City.

Restaurant-quality tableware that is durable and scratch-resistant

A stylish hanging round mirror

Coordinated bathroom linens create a relaxing seaside vibe

W EDNES DAY : M AY 27 : 2015

SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

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Stanley Weber stars in Sword of Vengeance

THE GREAT MEDIEVAL MASSACRE

S

word of Vengeance is a historical action film, which tells the story of The Harrowing of the North: The infamous genocide ordered by William the Conqueror, to control the unrelenting Rebels of the North.

After the brutal slaughter of 100,000 inhabitants, armies killed off all livestock and salted the earth; no crop or plants could grow for decades to follow. The northern forests and lands laid in eerie, lifeless devastation.

Directed by Jim Weedon, who began his career in music videos editing for bands such as U2, Blur, and Jamiroquai, Sword of Vengeance is replete with a great visual style where the director faced an incredible challenge in making the film distinctly unique from the norm of the current myriad of period action films.

“From the start I was conscious of the fact that the film needed to stand apart and to have a singular identity. The budget wouldn’t allow for us to compete with many of the studio productions of the moment, but I also didn’t want to, what I wanted to achieve for the audience was something equally arresting

mas. SWORD is exciting, unforgiving and relentless, it makes no apologies as we are thrown into a world of dark times and dark deeds,” assures Weedon.

Starring notable character and stage actors such as Stanley Weber, Annabelle Wallis, Karel Roden, and Ed Skrein, Sword of Vengeance opens on June 3 in select theatres from Axinite Digicinema.

but in a completely new realisation.

I have been a fan of the chambara style of Japanese samurai movies since childhood. I was intrigued with the idea of creating a medieval world that tonally sat within this style. Immediately we gave the film a very distinct and unexpected look and style,” shares Weedon.

The fact that the filmmakers removed so much dialogue meant that the sound had to work suitably hard to convey the unsaid. Further, Weedon disclosed, “Both Roland Heap

(sound designer) and Stephen Hilton did an incredible job of creating the sonic nature of the film. I wanted the audience to have a musical roller-coaster ride as they witness the storyline unfolding. We really pushed the sound design and musical approach to bring the visuals into a very vivid but chambara life.

Sound is integral to my commercial work and something that always creates the unexpected in the visuals.

This can be the most rewarding and unexpected aspect of filmmaking.

The film needed to have a certain aesthetic to its overall look. I went for a bleach bypass approach in the grading to achieve very little colour in the film. To help this aim the wardrobe was specifically designed to be muted, working with blues, greys and black, the only real colour coming through is the inherent hues from the fur that the heroes wore.”

“Overall I believe we have achieved what we had set out to do, to create a world that stands apart in the realms of period dra-

Sword of Vengeance’ is replete with a great visual style where the director faced an incredible challenge in making the film distinctly unique from the norm of the current myriad of period action films

Chef Gaggan Anand take CNN Culinary Journeys audience to the Kolkata market and an experience of Indian cuisine

CULINARY JOURNEY WITH GAGGAN ANAND

In June, CNN’s Culinary Journeys follows Chef Gaggan Anand of

Bangkok’s Gaggan, as he takes us on a Culinary Journey to his hometown, Kolkata in India.

Anand has seasoned his reputation in Bangkok, one of the world’s culinary capitals. His eponymous restaurant in the Thai capital reinvigorates Indian cuisine by incorporating modernist cooking techniques. This year his restaurant won the top spot at Asia’s 50 Best Restaurant awards.

Anand’s progressive take on In-

dian cuisine may make for a fine dining experience but he remains tied to the memories, tastes and smells of his home city of Kolkata.

Street food, with its rich textures and flavours, is what fuels the chef ’s inspiration and creativity as he blends Kolkatan food staples with kitchen wizardry.

The Indian chef ’s culinary journey takes him back home to Kolkata, where he explores and recreates one of West Ben-

gal’s most traditional dishes: the Daab Chingri, a delectable combination of prawns cooked in tender coconut shell. Anand will call upon his trusted army of local chefs and vendors to source the best ingredients and show us what it takes to cook the very best.

‘Culinary Journeys’ is a series of monthly half-hour shows on CNN International, which feature a different world-renowned

chef on a journey to explore the cuisine of one of the world’s food hotspots. Each episode of this cookery travelogue sees a respected chef leave the bustle of their own kitchen to discover the ingredients, techniques and heritage that contribute to a culinary experience in another country.

In Manila, CNN’s Culinary Journey airs at 11:30 p.m. on June 5 with repeats to be announced by the station.

W EDNES DAY : M AY 27 : 2015

C6

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

‘FIT FOR FASHION’ RETURNS Egg Fiasco

Drew Merrit

Cyrcle

TURNING BGC INTO STREET ARTISTS PLAYGROUND NICKIE WANG The Bonifacio Global City is known for its skyscrapers and undeniable cosmopolitan ambience. Almost every corner of the city is splashed with modern art and sculptures that have been a part of the city landscape for a few years now.

In fact, BGC is the only city in the country that can brag about having the most interesting display of street art that is accessible, interactive (it can be experienced without complicated explanations), stimulating, engaging and educational all at the same time. Thanks to Bonifacio Art Foundation, Inc. (BAFI), the artistic and the cultural arm of the city that manages the public art program responsible for erecting several artpieces around BGC. In reinforcing its mission to

make art truly interwoven into the very fabric of everyday life in the city, BAFI brings the first arts and culture initiative called ArtBGC NextAct One Festival. This festival is a weeklong event that brings internationally acclaimed artists together with the Filipino artistic community to paint murals across BGC’s cityscape.

Also touted to be the first of its kind in the country, ArtBGC NextAct One Festival hopes to create both a unique sense of place and build an experiential atmosphere for both local residents and foreign visitors to BGC. The aim is to showcase the inclusive nature of public art by creating larger than life paintings on building walls.

It is a visual treat to street art aficionados as BAFI collaborates with LeBasse Projects who is most known for their projects in the United States and around Asia. They brought in multidisciplinary artists, namely FAILE, Nate Frizzell, CYRCLE, Drew Merritt, AKA Corleone, and

CROSSWORD PUZZLE 45 46 48 49 50 52 53 57 61 62 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 ANSWER FOR PREVIOUS PUZZLE ACROSS 1 Tubular pasta 5 Period of time 10 Gibe at 14 Stratford’s river 15 Fully conscious 16 Man Friday 17 Hiking trail 18 Where Kathmandu is 19 Small brown bird 20 Expressed disdain 22 Least spicy

24 25 26 29 32 36 37 39 40 43 44

Nonsense!

Poet’s contraction “Ghosts” author Put 2 and 2 together Competing for Eclipse causer Kudos Forest grazer Totally unforseen event (4 wds.)

Luau instr.

Distant

Camera’s eye Literary work Your choice Dah-dit man Notch shape Kangaroo pouch Natural resource Urban problem Culture dish goo Khartoum’s land Sultan’s cousin Gusto Piano-key wood Hindu royalty Pitchers’ stats Release (2 wds.)

Ginger cookie

DOWN 1 Shocks somebody 2 John, in Siberia 3 Big handbag 4 Deep-seated 5 Impressionist painter 6 Felt grateful 7 Velvety surface 8 Ore hauler 9 Sun, in combos 10 Flamboyant 11 Fence material 12 Bad day for Caesar 13 Pavilion

Kristin Farr, who, together with the likes of Filipino artists Egg Fiasco and Anjo Bolarda, transform BGC walls into artistic spaces.

On May 26, these artists started turning the walls of One Global Place, Bonifacio Technology Center, Icon Plaza, C1 Building Bonifacio High Street Central, and The Palace Pool Club into massive `paintings that reflect the vibrant culture of the city. Smaller facades in Bonifacio High Street also had their artist makeover.

On May 30, a closing party will be held at Bonifacio High Street Central Amphitheater. The art-centric culmination of this festival will showcase live painting from 16 local artists accompanied by acts from DJs and bands like Severo, BP Valenzuela, She’s Only Sixteen, Techy Romantics, Taken By Cars and Pupil.

The festival (open to the public) will also feature pop-up restaurants and art activities, including freedom wall painting,

WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 2015

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Politician — Paul River embankment Infuse Makes a reservation Repairs a pump Bakery lure — Runyon Simple tune Goof-off Parts of speech Web-footed birds Game opener Lauper’s “— Bop” Young chicken Tight ends, often Prevents Damage superficially Three-legged stand Sony rival Labyrinth Disney CEO Bob — LEM lander Garage job Hungry feeling “— — Old Cowhand” Ms. Foch Film crew member Speckle

photography contests, tours, and a public film fest.

CHILDREN’S ARTS FESTIVAL The Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) once again open its doors to children and young people through a 3-day festival filled with workshops, film showing and performances.

The main activities include storytelling, shadow puppetry, visual arts, creative sound and music, creative drama, hip-hop dancing and creative writing, which will be facilitated by PETA Artist-Teachers and Members.

Part of the performances showcase is the restaging of Christine Bellen’s Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang, one of PETA’s longest running musical for children, and Liza Magtoto’s Rated-PG, an advocacy musical that discusses the issues of Corporal Punishment.

The festival will run from May 29 to 31 at PETA Theater Center in New Manila, Quezon City.

Philippines, are you Fit for Fashion?

We are looking for 12 men and women who want to transform their lives – and become stylish, fitter and more confident extraordinary individuals.

Auditions are now open for Fit for Fashion Season 2, the first ever reality TV show that brings fashion and fitness together, brought to you by Fitness First and Imagine Group.

Twelve ordinary men and women from Asia and around the world will come together to one spectacular location where contestants will work with internationally acclaimed fashion personalities Louise Roe (host) and Todd Anthony Tyler (fashion photographer) and be put through their paces by international fitness trainers Christine Bullock and Mitch Chilson.

Each week, contestants will be put through grueling challenges and one contestant will be eliminated every week until only one winner is left.

Enter now to face your ultimate challenge and change your life forever – and you will also stand a chance to win the grand prize of $100,000 if you can prove you’re truly Fit f or Fashion!

Auditions close on Sunday, May 31.

Visit http://fitforfashion.tv/audition for more information.

W EDNES DAY : M AY 27 : 2015

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

Diva Montelaba

Gwen Zamora and Christian Zamora play sweethearts in My Mother's Secret

Christian Bautista

Gwen Zamora

Kim Rodriguez

C7

Lotlot de Leon

EMOTIONAL PREMIERE OF ‘MY MOTHER’S SECRET’ From C8

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he first two nights of the series My Mother’s Secret were filled with intense emotion. Vivian Pastor (Gwen Zamora) is a participant in a local beauty pageant, but during the question-and-answer portion , she showed the kind of determination she has in trying to achieve her dreams.

In fact, she said, she’d trade love for her dream. But Vivian wasn’t as lucky.

His boyfriend Anton (Christian Bautista) rejoiced secretly. But a talent scout offered her to be an actress, which made her real happy.

ButAnton feels a simple was what best for them.

Yet, Vivian, despite Anton’s protestations, accepted the offer.

Anton was left with no choice but to allow Vivian, until she left for Manila.

But Vivian discovered she was pregnant.

The discovery would lead to many other things in the lives of Vivian and Anton.

In tonight’s episode, Vivian gives birth to a baby girl.

But she tries not to look at the baby. She has decided to give up the baby for adoption.

Will Vivian and Anton get together again despite the things that happened between them? Will Vivian look for the baby she gave up for adoption?

These are the questions that the succeeding episodes of My Mother’s Secret will answer.

My Mother’s Secret airs Monday to Friday, before 24 Oras on GMA 7.

HHHHH TV audience nationwide continues to tune in to the total transformation of eight celebrity performers in Your Face Sounds Familiar, the top-rating ABSCBN variety show that is set to serve up more exciting performances in its last three weeks.

Based on data from Kantar Media, the program hit a na-

The eight performers in Your Face Sounds Familiar with Vice Ganda

tional TV rating of 31.3 percent on May 16, or more than double the points recorded by its rival program on GMA, Celebrity Bluff (14.6 percent).

Your Face also triumphed on May 17 with a national TV rating of 30 percent, or almost eight points higher than Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho’s 21.7 percent.

On both days, Your Face topped the list of the most watched programs in urban and rural homes nationwide.

Last weekend, Your Face featured the transformation of Tutti Caringal as Ely Buendia,

Maxene Magalona as Paris Hilton, Jolina Magdangal as Diana Ross, and Karla Estrada as Bonnie Tyler.

Jay-R performed as Alanis Morissette, Nyoy Volante as Rod Stewart, Melai Cantiveros as Fred Panopio, and Edgar Allan Guzman as MC Hammer.

Whose performance was deemed the best by jurors Gary Valenciano, Jed Madela, and Sharon Cuneta?

Your Face Sounds Familiar, hosted by Billy Crawford, airs Saturdays after MMK and Sundays after Rated K on ABS-CBN..

FIND YOUR PERFECT MATCH WITH NEW SMART INFINITY PLANS

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or every lifestyle, Smart Infinity makes sure there is a perfect match for you via its latest range of premium postpaid plans powered by the country’s leading wireless services provider, Smart Communications.

Life is better and success becomes an easy conquest when you have the perfect partner. The same applies when it comes to choosing your premium postpaid plan. There should be a groove that moves in accordance with your own beat, or an option that brings the balance that works for you.

For every lifestyle, Smart Infinity makes sure there is a perfect match for you via its latest range of premium postpaid plans

powered by the country’s leading wireless services provider, Smart Communications.

“These new plans are, by far, the most bespoke services we’ve offered in the history of Smart Infinity. This time, we make it even more about our subscribers – their lifestyle, their habits, their needs and aspirations. Just when the growing Infinity family thinks it cannot get more special than what we now have with our existing offers, here come plans that don’t merely mirror your choice of lifestyle but also matches your pace and every requirement,” opened Julie Carceller, head of Smart Infinity.

Infinity introduces four new plans that not only complement your daily pursuits,

but more importantly help you make things happen.

The first offer is the Roaming Plan, which is perfect for frequent flyers. “Whether your frequent traveling is for business or for pleasure—or even both—this plan is your match because it comes with a host of travel assistance perks that’s perfect for those who are always in transit,” said Irene Belmonte, Smart Infinity Marketing.

The second offer is the Consumable Plan, which has all the flexible elements and the highest volume allocation for LTE. “If the first plan is for frequent travelers, the second caters to members who need service that adjusts to their changing mobile behavior. You can continu-

ously switch from service to service without the hassle,” she explained.

Option number three, the Tri-Net Plan, is for those who need to constantly stay in touch with their networks. The Plan features unlimited calls and SMS to Smart, Sun, and Talk ‘N Text subscribers, to provide worry-free communication for every moment. “As we say in Infinity, limits are not for achievers,” added Belmonte.

Lastly, the Multi-Plan is all about having multiple lines managed through a single account. Belmonte added, “the plan includes a calling circle, and all lines enjoy full access to mobile Internet, which enables strengthened connectivity with those closest to you.”

C8

W EDNES DAY : M AY 27 : 2015

ISAH V. RED EDITOR isahred @ gmail.com

SHOWBITZ

Ina Feleo in a film still from "Maskara"

FILMS FOR FILIPINO NEW CINEMA SECTION

Paulo de Vera, Kiko Matos, and Elston Jimenez in a film still from "Sino nga ba si Pangkoy Ong?"

Joross Gamboa in a film still from "I Love you. Thank you"

Kris Aquino is the new face of LBC Express

The WPFF, the international film festival on the rise in South East Asia, derives from the simple concept of bringing together a number of countries for a distinct film festival that amplifies diversity in cinema

Eight films have now been selected for the Filipino New Cinema section of the World Premieres Film Festival Philippines (WPFF) 2015. The festival takes place from June 24 to July 7 at SM Cinemas.

Gala Premieres for the Filipino New Cinema entries, with directors and stars in attendance, will be from June 25-27 at SM North EDSA cinemas. Directors and stars will introduce their films and take part in a short Q&A after the screening.

The section will feature new Filipino films from contemporary filmmakers who are looking to premiere their latest works before an international audience in the Philippines. The section further highlights the high caliber of films produced and made by the country.

Festival Awards for this section include film grants of varying amounts as well as awards for Best Picture (1st and 2nd place), Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Musical Score, Best Sound Engineering, Best Production Design, and Best Performance by an Actor, Best Performance by an Actress, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Supporting Actress. An international jury composed of experts in cinema will select the awardees.

The films selected for the Filipino New Cinema section of the WPFF are Ang Kubo sa Kawayanan (Alvin B. Yapan), Ang Kwento Nating Dalawa (Nestor Abrogena), Filemon Mamon (Will Fredo), (I Love you. Thank you) (Charliebebs Gohetia), Maskara (Genesis Nolasco), Of Sinners and Saints (Ruben Maria Soriquez), Piring (Carlos Morales), and Sino nga ba si Pangkoy Ong (Jonah Lim).

The WPFF, the international film festival on the rise in South East Asia, derives from the simple concept of bringing together a number of countries for a distinct film festival that amplifies diversity in cinema.

Featured films will vie for top awards and have red carpet gala premiere screenings at the country’s stylish cinemas, with film luminaries and celebrities in attendance.

Besides the “Filipino New Cinema” section, the WPFF also has its Main Competition, Cine Verde section, and Parallel sec-

tions (Euroview, ASEAN Skies, Ibero-America, and Eurasian Cinescape).

Overall, the festival will ISAH V. RED screen 60 to 70 films taken from around the world.

Running in tandem with the WPFF is the International Film Exposition (IFX), one of the premier Film Expositions and Film Markets in South East Asia, which will be held from June 26 to 28 at the SMX Convention Center.

HHHHH CONNECTING OVERSEAS FILIPINOS LBC Express, Inc., the leading courier service, logistics, and money remittance provider in the Philippines, teams up with Kris Aquino to better help connect overseas Filipinos and their loved ones back home.

Aquino was launched as LBC’s first celebrity brand endorser on May 20 at the Green Sun in Makati. LBC executives, celebrities, and guests from the media were treated to tailor-made cocktails and Filipino fusion food representing the countries where LBC is present.

“As a brand endorser, I always make sure that the brand I partner with is trustworthy,” Aquino said. “Every time I have a very important package or document I need delivered, I use LBC. I really trust them.”

Javier Mantecon, LBC’s Chief Marketing Officer, added, “We are honored that someone as trusted as Kris Aquino has joined our family as we bridge the lives of Filipinos all over the world. Kris is an obvious choice to be our first brand endorser because she has a global influence just as wide as LBC’s global presence. Kris endorsing the brand means she absolutely trusts LBC. We are honored by her confidence in LBC for all her delivery needs; and this only means that we’re doing our job well.”

The launch event’s title, “From LBC, To The World, With Love,” suits both LBC and Aquino. Since the 1950’s, LBC has established itself as the overseas Filipino’s bridge to their loved ones in the Philippines. To date, the courier service has more than 4,400 branches, partners and agents in over 20 countries. Like LBC, Kris Aquino is a personality trusted by Filipinos across the world. ➜ Continued on C7