VOL. XXIX NO. 111 3 Sections 32 Pages P18 TUESDAY : JUNE 9, 2015 www.manilastandardtoday.com editorial@thestandard.com.ph
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PROBE WANG BO FOR ‘LAUNDERING’ Next page
Crucial week. The House of Representatives sits in session on Monday, a day before it starts investigating allegations of bribery through suspected Chinese syndicate leader Wang Bo in order to pass the controversial proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law. LINO SANTOS
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House leaders to remove ‘opt-in’ provision in BBL By Maricel Cruz, Macon Ramos-araneta and Sandy araneta
Flash flood. Commuters wade through the flooded streets outside the Manila City Hall on Monday following a sudden thunderstorm. Danny Pata
Probe of Wang Bo for ‘laundering’ set By Christine Herrera and Rey Requejo
LAWMAKERS on Monday demanded that the AntiMoney Laundering Council (AMLC) and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas explain how P91 billion from an illegal gambling syndicate in China managed to get into the country undetected. This developed as Immigration Commissioner Siegfred Mison vowed to tell all in Tuesday’s House probe on allegations that suspected Chinese crime lord Wang Bo paid Immigration officials millions of pesos in exchange for his release, and reports that the money went to bribe lawmakers into voting for the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL). Wang’s release was aborted by a protest from the Chinese Embassy, which sent documents to show that Wang was a fugitive and was wanted by Interpol and Beijing for running an illegal gambling operation and for money laudnering. Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, who represents Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. in the committee on good government and public accountability that is investigating the case, said he would ask the AMLC and the BSP to verify the report from the Chinese Embassy that P91 billion in hot money from Wang’s alleged illegal gambling operations in China found its way into the Philippines. Romualdez, the leader of the House independent minority bloc, said he would move to invite Wang, AMLC officials, and BSP executives to the panel hearings. “I am sure this (Chinese Embassy report on Wang Bo’s operations) could have not escaped the attention of AMLC because the amount is staggering,” Romualdez said. The embassy, in a report submitted to the Justice Department and the Bureau of Immigration, described Wang’s operation as “huge” and became a transnational crime when he expanded the illegal activities in the Philippines. Mison accused his deputies, Associate Commissioners Gilberto Repizo and Abdullah Mangotara of arranging Wang’s release, after the Chinese Embassy informed him that they and other officials had met with a representative of Wang. Both Repizo and Mangotara denied Mison’s accusations, and their patron, Oriental Mindoro Gov. Alfonso Umali, treasurer of the ruling Liberal Party and a close ally of
President Benigno Aquino III, but Oriental Mindoro Governor Alfonso Umali, treasurer of the ruling Liberal Party and one of the close allies of President Benigno Aquino III, accused Mison instead of cutting a deal with Wang. Umali said Mison panicked and tried to pin the blame on Repizo and Mangotara when his deal with Wang was exposed. Mison denied the accusation and said he was willing to face any inquiry to prove his innocence. “I will reveal the truth that it was the Chinese Embassy officials who officially relayed to me that Deputy Commissioner Repizo and other Immigration officials, met with a representative of Wang and after that meeting, they pushed for the issuance of a release order,” Mison said. Romualdez said the House panel had to give credence to the Chinese Embassy report and determine in what form the money came into the country. Mison and other Immigration officials are expected to testify in today’s panel hearing. He said the AMLC should identify the sources of funds, mostly from China, and the recipients’ banks in the country. “What are the sources? Under what specific accounts were these transactions made and which Philippine banks them?” Romualdez said, citing questions that the AMLC and BSP must answer. Abakada party-list Rep. Jonathan de la Cruz agreed, saying the AMLC should look into the “shocking” amount of money that could have been laundered into the country. He contrasted the AMLC’s inaction in Wang’s case to its aggressive campaign to investigate political opponents of the administration. “It’s time AMLC and even the BSP come out and explain themselves,” Dela Cruz said. Belmonte, the principal author of the resolution seeking a probe of the Wang incident, said it was important to investigate allegations that some P440 million went to bribe lawmakers to support the swift pas-
sage of the BBL. “The hearing will push through. Our important point is not the legality of the move, but the claim that the money changed hands to bribe solons on the BBL,” Belmonte said. Mandaluyong City Rep. Neptali Gonzales II and House Minority Leader and San Juan City Rep. Ronaldo Zamora co-authored Belmonte’s resolution. Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said Monday she would create a fact-finding team to investigate Mison, Magotara and Repizo over their May 21 order to release Wang. “The allegation that money changed hands and that some officials benefitted really needs investigation. I am the first one who is interested to know (if it’s true),” De Lima said. De Lima, who has administrative supervision over the bureau, said the investigation would be thorough. In particular, De Lima said it would focus on why the summary deportation order against Wang was not immediately implemented, allowing a suspicious estafa case to be filed against him as part of an alleged scheme to avoid deportation. De Lima made the statement as the House begins its own inquiry. De Lima said she decided to form a fact-finding panel after she reviewed the records of the case over the weekend. She said, however, that Wang could not be deported immediately because he was now a “material personality” in the investigation. She said if the bribery report was true, then Wang should be a respondent too. His deportation now would raise suspicions of a cover-up, she added. Wang has been detained at the Bureau of Immigration jail in Taguig City since his arrest on Feb. 10 upon his arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport from Malaysia. The Chinese embassy sought the government’s assistance in apprehending Wang, saying he was wanted for illegal gambling and that his passport had been cancelled. Wang, employed at the ELC Technology Consulting Co. Inc. based in the Cagayan Economic Zone, will remain in custody while his case is pending with the Justice Department. His name has also been placed in the bureau’s blacklist, which bars him from returning to the country when he leaves.
HOUSE leaders have agreed in principle to remove the “opt-in” and several other contentious provisions in the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), House Majority Leader and Mandaluyong Rep. Neptali Gonzales II said Monday. In a press conference, Gonzales also said the House would pass the BBL when Congress returns from its recess after President Benigno Aquino III delivers his final State of the Nation Address (SONA) in July. Gonzales said opposition to the BBL would ease once they excise the opt-in provision, which allows provinces adjacent to the proposed Bangsamoro region to join it after its creation by filing a petition for a plebiscite. The option has been widely criticized as “creeping expansion.” Gonzales said the agreement to remove the opt-in provision was reached at a meeting with Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., Minority Leader and San Juan Rep. Ronaldo Zamora and several other House leaders. Gonzales added that the House will no longer set a timetable for the passage of the measure, despite pressure from the Palace to pass the bill before the congressional break on June 11. “There’s no more timetable... We agreed to finish the period of interpellations [during Congress’ sine die break on June 11]. We will discuss the amendments when we resume session in July,” Gonzales said. “The Speaker was trying to find the solution [to make the BBL acceptable to all]. We cannot afford to railroad its passage,” Gonzales said, saying the public would not accept this. He added that an overwhelming number of House members will likely support the measure once the controversial provisions are excised. “Nobody is against peace... They are just wary of these provisions,” Gonzales said. The 75-man ad hoc panel on the BBL, chaired by Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, had earlier approved the BBL at the committee level, reversing its earlier conclusion that the Palace draft contained eight unconstitutional provisions. The BBL seeks to create a new autonomous region in Mindanao to replace and expand the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), and is the product of peace talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The House approved version of the substituted bill retained six of the eight provisions that lawmakers had said were unconstitutional, including the opt-in provision and a provision that gives the Bangsamoro chief minister operational control and supervision over the region’s police. Controversy has marred the congressional deliberations on the BBL. Earlier, a number of lawmakers staged a “silent protest” against pressure from the Palace—including threats of lawsuits based on Commission on Audit disallowances on their projects—by depriving House leaders of a quorum by staying away from the plenary session. Also on Monday, Senate President Franklin Drilon said he would consult the Commission on Elections about the possibility of moving the October deadline for the filing of certificates of candidacy to have synchronized Bangsamoro and national elections. Drilon said the end of July would be a “realistic” timetable for Senator Fer-
dinand Marcos Jr., chairman of the Senate local governments committee, to submit his report on the BBL. In an interview on the ANC news channel, Drilon said this was not a deadline, but merely a response to the interviewer’s question. Marcos had earlier declared he could not accept the Palace-drafted BBL because of its constitutional infirmities and said he would submit a substitute bill. One option, he said, would be to amend the organic act creating the ARMM. If the BBL is not passed before the filing of the COC, Drilon said the ARMM will remain and its elections will be synchronized with the May 2016 national and local elections. Because the law requires elections to be synchronized, this meant that if the BBL is not passed now, the Bangsamoro region can only be created three years after 2016. “If we agree that it is for our national interest, then we should work together on this,” he said. Drilon said he agreed with Marcos that the BBL that they pass must be constitutional because it will be challenged before the Supreme Court. He added that the senators want to avoid the same fate of the government’s memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain, which was struck down as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. Drilon also rejected the opt-in provision that would allow the Bangsamoro territory to expand after its boundaries have been established in a plebiscite. “I’m not in favor of that... because that fans the mistrust between our brother Muslims and Christians. Today’s environment is simply not conducive to having provisions like the opt-in provision,” he said. In a public forum, former Comelec chairman Christian Monsod said the Supreme Court should be allowed to rule on the constitutionality of the BBL, including provisions deemed by some to be unconstitutional. “If you delete those provisions perceived to be unconstitutional, then the Supreme Court could not revert back those words, since only Congress can do that. Let the Supreme Court do its job as the interpreter of the law,” he said. MILF chief negotiator agreed. “At the end of the day, the Supreme Court should be the one to decide on the [constitutionality of the] BBL,” Iqbal said. He also endorsed the version of the bill passed by the House ad hoc committee on the BBL, which was significantly similar to the Palace draft. Iqbal said only after the bill has gone through the entire legislative process can the MILF say if it is acceptable or not. The chief negotiator added that whatever happens to the BBL, the MILF will stay on the path of peace as it has in the last few years. He maintained, however, that the BBL was the best way to achieve a lasting peace in Mindanao. But Monsod warned that if we the BBL passage is left to another administration, it will go through another vicious cycle of negotiations. The Palace on Monday reiterated its position that the BBL was constitutional, and that the process of normalization was never intended to be part of it. Lacierda was reacting to a proposal from former Chief Justice Reynato Puno that the BBL, instead of bringing peace, will most likely create more fighting among the contending armed groups in the area.
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‘Mar can beat Binay, Poe’ By Macon Ramos-Araneta INTERIOR Secretary Manuel Roxas II, the Liberal Party’s presumptive standard bearer, could beat Vice President Jejomar Binay and Senator Grace Poe in the May 2016 elections, Senate President Franklin Drilon said Monday. He said despite Roxas’ 19-percent approval rating, Roxas could win over Binay, the only official who has declared he is seeking the presidency in the coming elections, and Poe. Poe has repeatedly insisted she is yet to decide on her plan to run for President, although there are indications she is preparing for it by going around the country. “I think Mar has a good chance of being able to present himself as the most qualified candidate,” Drilon told ABS-CBN News. He made his statement even as Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said President Benigno Aquino III’s Liberal Party was still considering Senator Francis Escudero as among its possible candidates in the May 2016 elections. Abad said the LP was not counting out Escudero from its list of candidates in the next elections. “The doors are not closed to these things. The situation is still very fluid,” Abad said on the sidelines of a meeting of the congressional oversight committee on public expenditures at the House of Representatives. Since the LP was now in “coalition” partners with different political parties, Abad said, “it won’t only be the political parties that would determine the configuration” of next year’s elections. “I wouldn’t even say that [Escudero is out] because we have been engaging in coalition politics,” Abad said. “I don’t think it will only be the political parties that will decide what happens in 2016.” Drilon, the LP’s national chairman, said winnability was not the only consideration for a candidate to emerge victorious. “It’s in the track record of the candidate because that is the purpose of the campaign. He could be low in the surveys but your ability to explain and to put access to a message is something that you must take to heart,” Drilon said. He cited the case of Binay who was literally a ‘dark horse,” obtaining only 4 percent in the surveys in the 2010 vice presidential race. “Where was Binay at the start of the campaign for Vice President?” Drilon said. He said the LP will field a complete slate from the President down to councilor in every city and municipality. “We will have the strongest machinery in 2016, and that says a lot about our ability to elect the next President,” he said. With Maricel V. Cruz
For agrarian reform. Farmers belonging to Task Force Mapalad try to force their way inside the House of Representatives on Monday to ask for the passage of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program. Lino SAntoS
Roxas, Baldoz face raps for fire INTERIOR Secretary Manuel Roxas II and Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz are facing administrative and criminal charges for the May 13 fire at the Kentex slipper factory in Valenzuela City that killed at least 72 people. The relatives and survivors of the fire, represented by Remegio Saladero Jr., also sued National Capital Region director Alex Avila and Labor Law Compliance director Joseph Vedasto of the Department of Labor and Employment, Bureau of Fire Protection officer in charge Alex Barayuga, Metro Manila’s Senior Supt. Sergio Soriano Jr., Valenzuela City’s Supt. Mel Jose Lagan, and fire safety enforcement section chief Ed Groover Ocullam. The complainants filed the criminal and administrative charges against the accused before the Office of the Ombuds-
man on Monday. They urged Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales to investigate the accountability of the respondents in the case. The victims made their move even as Malacañang said Monday it was not worried about the charges filed against Roxas and Baldoz. “What we are confident about is that [Baldoz and Roxas] will be able to respond to those allegations. We are not worried about the cases filed by the lawyer [of the complainants,” Lacierda said. A week ago, Morales said a motu propio fact-finding investigation into the Kentex fire was already being conducted. The families of the victims were carrying a big slipper to dramatize their call for justice.
Forty-nine of the survivors blamed the BFP, which is under the Interior Department, for its failure to file complaints or report that Kentex had failed the fire safety inspections in 2014 and 2015. Saladero said the complainants wanted the Ombudsman to “seek the formal investigation and the filing of appropriate charges” such as homicide, physical injuries and neglect in the performance of duties. Labor officials were sued over the issuance of a certificate of compliance to Kentex Manufacturing Co. on Sept. 18, 2014. “We have no other choice but to seek the assistance of your good office so that we could obtain the justice that we seek,” the complainants said in their letter-complaint to the Ombudsman. Rio N. Araja and Sandy Araneta
Drilon OKs Charter assembly SENATE President Franklin Drilon said Monday he favors a Constitutional Assembly instead of a Constitutional Convention as a means of amending the restrictive economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution. “As a Congress, we will be availing of a Con-Ass. There is nothing wrong. It is a question of policy and we are policy makers,” Drilon told ANC. He said the House of Representatives and the Senate can vote separately under a Constitutional Assembly. “We do not want a situation wherein the Senate will be overwhelmed by the greater numbers in the House if we vote jointly. We must vote separately,” Drilon said. He made his statement even as the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines said it had no stand yet on the proposal to amend the Constitution but urged lawmakers and stakeholders to act responsibly. “Before we rush into amending the Constitution, we, your bishops, urge all responsible to conduct serious studies in economics, so-
ciology, the law and related disciplines...that should provide us with clear answers,” CBCP president Socrates Villegas said. Rep. Neptali Gonzales II said the House was bent on passing the proposed amendments to the Constitution’s economic provisions during its last session day on Wednesday. “Last session day will be sine die, there is a ceremony and a lot of members will be attending,” Gonzales said. “We will vote on the Cha-cha. At least 220 could attend there.” Drilon said he had been favoring the Constitutional Assembly even during the time of former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. He said he supported the process adopted by the House in which two Houses would be voting on the proposed amendments. He said amending the Constitution through a Constitutional Convention would be expensive and could last for years. “Just imagine how lengthy it will be,” he said. Macon Ramos-Araneta, Sara Susanne D. Fabunan and Maricel V. Cruz
Before the demolition. Grade 1 pupil Maria Luisa Sanglay, 7, practices writing her name while her parents are busy packing their things during a demolition of the shanties on Road 10 in Navotas on Monday. DAnny PAtA
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Mers virus prompts call for travel curbs vs Korea By Vito Barcelo and Maricel Cruz THE Department of Foreign Affairs on Monday said that there are no travel restrictions issued on South Korea despite the spread of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome virus in that country, prompting a lawmaker to demand strict screening measures in Philipppine ports. “We did not impose any travel advisory or travel restrictions in going to and returning from South Korea,” DFA spokesperson Charles Jose said, adding that the World Health Organization has not yet issued an advisory regarding South Korea, where 1, 3000 people have been placed under quarantine for being sick with MERS. The Philippine Overseas Employment Authority said that there are 55,000 overseas Filipino workers in South Korea. The POEA reiterated its advisory to all Filipinos in South Korea to take the necessary precautions against the deadly MERS-CoV to avoid contracting the disease. At the Naia, doctors have gone on a Mers watch following the South Korean outbreak. On-duty quarantine doctor Roberto Salvador told Manila Standard that passengers coming from Incheon and Seoul are being monitored.
Witness got P4m in ‘pork’ bonuses By Rio N. Araja A WITNESS in the P10billion “pork barrel scam” on Monday admitted to receiving kickbacks and bonuses of P3 million to P4 million from Janet Lim Napoles in 16 years of her work with JLN Corp.
During a cross-examination before the Sandiganbayan’s Fifth Division, whistleblower Marina Sula said she was able to get a bonus as much as P150,000 and as small as P2,000 from Napoles, and that her commissions and other benefits reached an accumulated sum of P3 million to P4 million since she started working with Napoles’ firm in 1997. Sula said the money came from the proceeds of the ghost projects of Napoles-linked foundations, such as the Masaganang Ani Para sa Magsasaka Foundation (MAMFI), funded by the lawmakers’ PDAF. When she started work at JLN Corp., she was then receiving a P6,000 monthly wage, she said.
Back to normal. Commuters and school-goers are greeted with the usual chaotic situation on the street as soon as schools open on Monday.
LINO SANTOS
PH, Pacific nations team up to demand ‘climate justice’ By Macon Ramos-Araneta The Philippines and the Pacific Island nations— Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Kiribati and the Solomon Islands—on Monday sought ‘Climate Justice’ and held fossil fuel entities accountable for worsening climate change. The declaration coincides with the G7 Summit in Bonn, Germany, where world leaders will discuss efforts to reach a fair, ambitious and binding climate deal at this year’s United Nations Conference of Parties to be held in Paris in December. In Vanuatu, a Climate Change and Human Rights workshop was held onboard the Greenpeace ship, Rainbow Warrior, where Vanuatu President Baldwin Londsdale welcomed close to 40 delegates and civil society groups from Pacific Island nations. They were joined by representatives from the Philippines including former national climate negotiator Naderev “Yeb” Saño and Dolores, Samar Mayor Emiliana Villacarillo , who showed their solidarity with the Pacific Islands communities battered by Cyclone Pam in March. They also shared their experiences from super typhoons in the Philippines such as 2013’s Haiyan and 2014’s Hagupit. “It is now more important than ever before that we stand united as affected communities in the face of climate change, rising sea-levels and changing weather patterns. Let us continue to stand and work together in our fight against the threats of climate change,” said Londsdale.
Human-induced climate change is forecast to unleash increased hardship in the Philippines and Pacific Island nations due to stronger storms and cyclones. A new study suggested that with climate change, storms like Haiyan could get even stronger and more common. It projects the intensity of typhoons in the western Pacific Ocean to increase by as much as 14% – nearly equivalent to an increase of one category – by century’s end even under a moderate future scenario of greenhouse gas emissions. Greenpeace believes those most vulnerable will continue to suffer, representing a violation of their basic human rights. “Climate change is a borderless issue, gravely affecting millions of people worldwide,” said Zelda Soriano, Legal and Political Advisor from Greenpeace Southeast Asia. The UN Human Rights Council has recognized that climate change has serious repercussions on the enjoyment of human rights as it poses an immediate and far-reaching threat to people and communities around the world. “In this light, we view climate change as a social injustice that must be addressed by international governments and agencies, most especially those responsible for contributing to the
climate crisis,” she added. Recent research has shown that 90 entities—the largest multinational and state-owned producers of crude
oil, natural gas, coal and cement since 1854—have contributed the largest cumulative global carbon and methane emissions.
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SC upholds Herrera as TUCP head By Rey E. Requejo THE Supreme Court has affirmed with finality the leadership of former Senator Ernesto Herrera as the legitimate and constitutional president of the labor group Trade Union Congress of the Philippines.
In a resolution, The SC’s First Division denied Democrito Mendoza’s petition to refer the case to the Court en banc for decision, ending the four-year impasse in the TUCP leadership. “The Court further resolves to deny the petitioner’s prayer
to refer the case to the Court en banc en consulta, the latter not being an appellate court to which decisions or resolutions of the Divisions may be appealed, pursuant to SC Circular 2-89 dated February 7, 1989, as amended by the resolution dated November 18,
1993,” the high court ruled. Herrera, the former TUCP General Secretary who assumed the presidency of the country’s largest and most representative national labor center in November 2011, had been engaged in a legal struggle with Mendoza, the
former TUCP president who resigned then tried to take back his resignation, thus triggering a bitter intra-union dispute. “With the Supreme Courts’ decision, the TUCP will resume full operation and engagement with tripartite partners, without encumbrance,” Herrera said. ]“As the biggest trade union confederation in the Philippines, we reiterate our commitment towards equity, inclusive growth, workers’ protection, and decent work for all,” he added. The SC decision upheld the 2013 Court of Appeals (CA) Seventh Division decision declaring “Herrera, along with other elective members of the Executive Board as the lawful officers of the TUCP.” ]The appellate court decision “annulled and set aside” the status quo ante decision of the Department of Labor and Employment. ]The CA also declared “any act performed by Mendoza after his resignation has no legal effect and is not binding, for lack of authority.” The appellate court also ruled that Herrera is TUCP’s president in a holdover capacity until the labor union elects its new set of leaders. The CA said Herrera “validly assumed office upon Mendoza’s resignation” and the same principle applies to the rest of the elective members of the TUCP’s Executive Board.
Fire hits PNP-IA offices
A TWO-HOUR fire damaged the former building of the Philippine National Police Internal Affairs Service inside Camp Crame Sunday evening. The fire also destroyed four rooms adjacent to the IAS building. Minutes before the fire broke out, a smoke was seen billowing at the back portion of the former Prosecution Division office, just a few meters away from the IAS annex building. Firemen from the PNP base police tried to contain the fire but it quickly spread to nearby offices. Fire fighters from Quezon City, Camp Aguinaldo and San Juan eventually put out the fire two hours later. Among the damage offices were the former Intelligence Division Unit (IDU) Legal Affairs Division (LAD), Inspection and Audit Division (IAD) and the Intelligence and Investigation Division (IID). Police Sr. Supt Adriatico del Camat, IAS spokesperson said a civilian suffered wounds from shuttered glass while escaping from the burning structure. Francisco Tuyay
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88 MORE REPATRIATED
4 Pinoys hurt at Saudi-Yemen border
By Vito Barcelo FOUR Filipino workers suffered injuries as Houthis rebels resumed mortar shelling at the Saudi-Yemen border, the Department of Labor and Employment said on Monday even as 88 more workers were repatriated from war-torn Libya. “One of the mortar shells has apparently hit the staff accommodation of a Hyatt Hotel which fortunately only slightly injured four Filipinos who are now safe,” Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said in a statement. Philippine labor officials have mapped out safety measures for Filipinos in Saudi Arabia who could be affected by the shelling. KSA labor attache Jainal Rasul said the cross-border shelling had hit military establishments and some residential areas. The Philippine Overseas Employment Authority said there are some 2,000 OFWs in Najran, which is 900 kilometers south of Jeddah, or a 12hour travel by land. The DoLE said more than half of Filipinos there are working in hospitals. There are 711 OFWs working as staff in seven Ministry of Health hospitals in Najran, while another 306 work as nurses and other medical staff at the Armed Forces Hospital. “Other nurses are working in private hospitals and clinics across the city. The rest of our OFWs are in construction, services, maintenance, and other sectors,” the labor official said. On other fronts, 88 more Filipino workers fled from conflict-stricken areas in the Middle East. “The 88 OFWs arrived in two separate air flights, one via Emirates airlines from Dubai with 36 OFWs and another via Qatar Airways from Doha with 52 OFWs,” said Baldoz. “The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, through its Repatriation Assistance Division (RAD), provided the arrivals with proper assistance under the DOLE’s Assist WELL Program,” she added. Assist WELL is a DOLE special program
to help distressed OFW repatriates in their return to the Philippines. It stands for Welfare, Em-
ployment, Livelihood, and Legal assistance. “Under Assist WELL, the welfare assistance
given by the DOLE includes airport assistance, transport assistance to OFW residence, tempo-
rary shelter, and accommodation upon arrival in the country, as well as cash assistance amounting to
P10,000,” Baldoz said. Meanwhile, Baldoz also instructed the Philippine Overseas Employ-
ment Administration to convene a meeting of Philippine licensed recruitment agencies.
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opinion
[ EDI TORI A L ]
The leasT iT could do
The Standard Poll conducted last month showed that only a third of Filipinos believe that the country needs the two additional years in high school that come with the K to 12 program. Most of the first batch of students under the program begin Grade 10 this school year. Under the old scheme, they are supposed to be graduating high school and beginning college next year. With K to12, however, there will be no college freshmen next year – only Grade 11 students who are expected to have declared their fields of interest and take specialized subjects related to that field. According to the Department of education, the K to 12 program is the Philippines’ way of catching up with global standards for basic education.It is,
after all, only one of three countries worldwide with just a tenyear pre-university cycle. The two other countries are Angola and Djibouti. The majority of poll respondents, aside from believing that the country does not need the two additional years, are also not convinced that the government is ready to implement the program. Only in Mindanao are the percentage of supporters (49 percent) and oppositors (48 percent) of the K to 12 nearly equal. The rest of the other regions echo the sentiment of the entire nation. Southern Luzon/ Bicol, Northern and Central Luzon and the Visayas are even less convinced, with 61 percent, 74 percent and 73 percent respectively disagreeing that the new education scheme is at all needed.
The support dips further when respondents take into consideration the possibility that school personnel will be displaced. Teachers of general-education college subjects for freshmen will find themselves with no students at all next school year. These numbers tell us that the government has not been able to successfully convince the public that the two additional years in school will be worth it. Many Filipinos still view the K to 12 scheme as a burden, an unnecessary one at that, instead of a means to improve education and increase the global competitiveness of our graduates, given the globalization and integration in the Asean region. Petitions have been filed before the Supreme Court assailing the measure, but until an adverse
decision is handed down, it appears that the K to 12 program will be under way. What the government needs to do, if it cannot immediately establish the clear need for a policy change, is to show its readiness in embracing this new scheme in terms of additional infrastructure and skills training of educators. Do it well, and the rest may follow. Otherwise, the Deped’s failure to show it is even ready for these changes will weaken its argument that such a scheme is beneficial to our young people in the long run. Resistance to change is a natural human reaction, but if the government believes this is really what we need, then it must work harder at showing its readiness to take on this shift on top of addressing education’s same old problems.
T u e S d aY : J u N e 9, 2 0 1 5
OPINION
adelle chua EDITOR
lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph
A9
Dumb voters LOWDOWN
jOjO A. ROBLES THE best political joke I heard recently has to do with that scandalous practice of one mayor in Tarlac of painting the sides of the coffins he donates to his dead constituents with his name. The only time this practice is justified, a lawyerfriend of mine argued, is if the body of the mayor is actually inside the coffin. There ought to be a law, really, that prevents candidates from buying up airtime and doing all sorts of other gimmicks to get voted into office a full year (or even longer) before an actual election. But of course, a law like that would never stand a chance of passage, for the obvious reason that Congress cannot legislate against its own interest. If you’re one of those wondering how people running for office can get away with all the
early and constant “epal,” the noted election lawyer Romulo Makalintal has a ready answer: “It’s because politicians think that you, the voters, are dumb.” But Makalintal also offers hope to those incensed by the current state of epal affairs. These politicians should be sued for violation of the laws against corruption, especially if they used taxpayer’s money to buy airtime to publicize themselves upon their filing of a certificate of candidacy in October. “Filing a certificate is proof that they used public resources for their personal gain,” Makalintal said. “Then, if some are actually convicted, maybe the practice will end.” Asking Congress to pass a law preventing early campaigning is a futile exercise, Makalintal said, mainly because every politician does it. And the Commission on Elections has decided not to step in, on the cop-out grounds that there can be no illegal campaigning when the official campaign period has not yet started.
Asking Congress to pass a law preventing early campaigning is a futile exercise because every politician does it.
If no one takes these politicians to court, the practice will continue. And all our politicians will just keep using government funds to “promote advocacies” like power saving or fighting disease or spend millions supposedly coughed up dubious “friends” who are, in all likelihood, their drivers or household help. Perhaps it’s true that most
Filipino voters are dumb and will remember only the epal politician’s name on election day, without asking why they voted for him or her. But to say that all Filipinos are as dumb as this is to argue that we are just a nation of cattle – which I’m not ready to concede just yet. *** Speaking of dumb voters, it’s easy to be lulled into complacency by the statements of the pro-Malacañang majority in the House of Representatives that there is now simply no time to pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law before Congress adjourns on Thursday. But we’ve been Rufus-ed before. Even in the best of times, it’s hard to trust majority whip and Mandaluyong Rep. neptali “Boyet” Gonzales II. Gonzales’ constituency, to which I do not belong, must have its own reasons for believing him; people in the rest of the country can be forgiven if they aren’t as trusting as the good people of his city who keep voting Continued on A11 him into office.
Education and indEpEndEncE EAGLE EYES DEAN TONY LA VIÑA On June 12, 1898, General Emilio Aguinaldo proclaimed independence after more than 400 years of Spanish colonial rule. It was on this day that the Philippine flag was officially unfurled for the first time as the Marcha nacional Filipina was being played by the band of San Francisco de Malabon. Although the Philippine independence of 1898 was abortive because it was eventually snatched from the Filipino revolutionaries with the coming of the Americans, it none-
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theless signaled the forging of the Filipino national identity and sense of nationhood. It was an imperfect revolution, as we now know, with its leaders coming from the middle class having only modest political goals. These leaders certainly did not Include the liberation of the masses from their economic and social bondage, which would have been an act against self-interest for them. One thing that the Philippine revolution did show was that the pen was mightier than the sword. We know how Jose Rizal’s novels - El Filibusterismo and noli Me Tangere inspired and encouraged the Filipinos to stand up against colonial repression and to assert their equality vis-a-vis the
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Spanish colonizers. His execution as a result of his “subversive” novels galvanized Andres Bonifacio and the Katipuneros into action, triggering the Philippine Revolution of 1896. Clearly, it is the possession of knowledge that propels one into action. As Kofi Annan says “Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family.” In an ever-competitive global community characterized by fast paced technological advancement such as ours, knowledge is power and the key to advancement and opportunity. Knowledge can best be acquired through education. For this reason, every civilized na-
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tion allocates a lion’s share of its national budget for education. The best economies make it a priority to advance quality education. In particular, the Philippine enshrines in its Constitution its duty to “protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels, and take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all.” Among the measures taken to reach this objective is to “assign the highest budgetary priority to education.” Accordingly, out of the P2.265-trillion national Budget for 2014, the Department of Education has been given biggest budget among all national government agencies, with a 2014 allocation amounting to P309.43 billion. Continued on A11 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
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T U E S D AY : J U N E 9, 2 0 1 5
A10
OPINION lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph
DBP shoulD Be ProBeD FOR the past three years, I have been writing columns regarding the unfair Emil p. prosecution by DejURAdO velopment Bank of the Philippines Chairman Jose Nuñez Jr. and his cohorts at the state-owned DBP of businessman Roberto Ongpin. Nuñez was the former chief of staff of one of the Zamora brothers, Salvador “Buddy” Zamora, known all over town as one of the biggest contributors to the campaign of President Aquino in 2010. Soon after Nuñez was appointed to the DBP on the behest of Zamora, who was also known to have borrowed billions from the DBP, he and his allies launched a demolition job against businessman Ongpin, former trade minister of the Marcos regime. They also targeted former DBP President Rey David, together with the former board of directors, for allegedly conspiring to grant a loan. They say it is behest, a charge which is just ridiculous. Santa Banana, they even alleged that former First Gentleman Mike Arroyo was behind it! The DBP mafia headed by Nuñez, obviously with the encouragement of Malacañang, unfairly accused Ongpin of borrowing P660 million from the DBP to buy some Philex Mining shares. But DBP records show that the loan has already been paid long before maturity. More importantly, the DBP earned P1.3 billion from this transaction. Those alleged behest loan charges were the subject of a Senate inquiry led by Cebu Senator Serge Osmeña. The probe came to naught. Subsequently, a charge was filed at the Sandiganbayan against Ongpin, David and a dozen others, including bank employes. This also resulted in the suicide of Benjamin Pinpin. The young DBP lawyer was being forced by Nuñez and company to do something which he felt was not right. Somebody should be held accountable for the DBP lawyer’s suicide. Nuñez was on record that he wanted Pinpin to “show cause” why he should not be charged. The pressure was too much for Pinpin to bear. Last year, the Sandiganbayan quashed the case against Ongpin, David and others for lack of probable cause, saying that the case should not have reached the court in the first place. The DBP appealed the case, but the appeal was thrown out by the Sandiganbayan a few months ago. Now, Nuñez and his cohorts are getting a taste of their own medicine. This time, the charges are clearly valid. The amount involved in the so-called wash sale fiasco is P712 million. This is in contrast to the Ongpin/DBP case, where the state-owned bank profited by P1.3 billion. A wash sale occurs when a customer enters a purchase order and a sale order at the same time through the same broker/dealer. The ownership of the stock does not change. This is normally done to create the appearance of activity in a bond or security. But when banks, like the state-owned DBP, resort to this “wash sale,” it is manipulation of securities in any language. This is punishable not only by the Philippine Stock Exchange but by law. And when officials of the DBP are involved in it, this is graft and corruption, especially when public money is lost.
TO THE pOiNT
Now it’s the turn of Nuñez to be accused.
Missing the Point automatically implies wrongdoing on EqUAL employment opportunity is a ARE WE the part of industry. For example, great and noble concept. In our heart THERE YET? why limit the accusation to industry of hearts, we all want to champion fairand leave out the biggest employer of ness. The truth, however, is that such a BONG C. all - which is government? It would be concept is difficult to implement in the AUSTERO foolhardy for anyone to assume that Philippines. The reasons are many and it is sad that our legislators seem to think that it’s only government agencies do not set age limits. Worse, it so because industry practices discrimination. Thus, completely misses the whole point by about a mile. By Senator Pia Cayetano and company have been inter- legislating that age should not be a factor for employmittently crowing about the need to pass the proposed ment anymore, are we in effect saying retirement, and Anti-Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 2013. the prescribed retirement age, are already irrelevant? If Some officials at the local level have bought Cayetano’s we are to ban discrimination against age in the hiring advocacy and have started filing resolutions in various process, would it not be discriminatory as well to force city councils urging others to support the bill which people to retire at the government mandated cut-off seeks to penalize an employer, labor contractor or la- age? We must change the retirement law. And heavbor organization for discrimination against any person ens, shouldn’t we also talk about discrimination against because of age. There’s also an online petition that is people who are not yet of legal age? Just to be clear, we will join Senator Cayetano anygaining ground; last I looked, it had more than 5,000 time, anywhere in her quest for a more tolerant worksignatories. The proponents of the measure cite job notices and place. We will jump loops with her to push for meaadvertisements that specify age requirement. They sures that celebrate diversity and harness the distinct want the practice stopped. They also want to impose and unique contributions that different types of people prohibition against requiring candidates to declare age bring to the workplace. There is however the more important issues, which and birth date, declining an application by reason of age, discrimination in terms of compensation, condi- Cayetano and company choose to gloss over. And this tions or privileges because of age, etc. It is tempting is that there is a context around the supposed discrimito argue that the qualifications specified in job notices natory practice of industry. There is a dearth of scientific bases to convince evare not written in stone, but it is a lot easier to concede the point. Companies can do without it and I have eryone that age and certain biographical characterisreason to believe those who do specify age limits and tics associated with youth and consequently, physical other biographical characteristics do so only out of bad capabilities, are no longer relevant today. Government habit, laziness, and to add length to their job ads. But must drive the empirical studies that will justify the doing away with age requirements in job notices will movement. We must build the science that will create not guarantee that the supposed age-based discrimina- the principles and practices - only then can we have a tion will no longer be practiced. Also, the prohibition compelling reason to lift age limits in both hiring and against requiring candidates to declare age or birth date retirement. So perhaps our senators can fund those is funny because that kind of data is very easy to ac- studies. Passing a law that scolds and punishes industry and cess - all transactions with government from NBI certificates to drivers licenses require that data. If indus- people for supposedly practicing discrimination is a halftry truly wants to exclude certain populations from the baked idea in the face of the utter absence of structures employment process, there are many creative ways to that will support such a measure. There are quite a numdo it and unless government wants to police every hu- ber of statutory guidelines that make it prohibitive for man resource department in every company in every companies to hire “older people”, even insurance comcity, it would be difficult to prove discrimination be- panies have the law on their side for not allowing medical cover for senior employees, or in worst cases, tripling cause of age. First of all, there are a lot of business organizations premiums. Lets’ call a spade a dirty shovel - there are difthat actually practice equal employment opportunity ferences in physical abilities between a 20-year old and whenever they can. The business process outsourcing a 45-year old guy. Arguing that older workers should industry, for one, does not impose age limits among be given less strenuous, less hazardous jobs defeats the other biographical characteristics. Second, if and when whole idea of fighting for anti-discrimination because industry prescribes age limits, it would be for certain positive discrimination is still discrimination. The soluentry-level positions because it certainly does not make tion is to automate most processes so that there will be sense for any business organization to set age limits for less manual and physical jobs, but the shift in technology supervisory or managerial positions where maturity needs to be put in place first; remember that it took us and experience count. Why would we want senior peo- decades to put in place facilities to make it possible for ple with experience to apply for entry level positions? people with disabilities to come to work. In short, if we Third, like other things in a market economy, jobs are a want industry to revise its qualifications standards, we product of the supply and demand relationship. There must revise the laws that make it difficult to do it and are just more fresh graduates looking for jobs and it can build the structures that would support the change. And be argued that narrowing qualification standards can we’re not yet talking about the costs to industry! What is clear is the problem is larger than discrimihelp both candidates and employers find each other faster. All of these, however, can be conceded in the nation. Discrimination does not exist in a vacuum. Anyone who wants to change the behavior of ducks in name of better corporate governance. My main beef with measures such as Cayetano’s lat- a pond must first of all study the pond before forcing est wrinkle is that it is simplistic. It is accusatory and ducks to learn to swim underwater. That’s the reason why the Commission on Audit got alarmed. The DBP Employees Union filed a case against Nuñez and the DBP board members for the wash sale. Nakarma na sila. *** This wash sale should also be investigated by the Senate Yellow – I mean Blue – Ribbon Committee. The amount involved is P712 million – not peanuts, definitely. Now comes the DBP trying to justify its transactions, saying that the loss of the money in securities trading is legitimate. What baloney. They are playing with public funds!
Incidentally, the case against Nuñez and his cohorts in the bank is not the first that has been filed with the Ombudsman. The first case was the use by Nuñez of the private plane of the DBP borrower Buddy Zamora to play golf and allegedly visit DBP offices in the provinces. This is not only in violation of ethical standards for government officials and employees, but graft. Strangely, the case filed by “Concerned DBP officials and employees” before the Ombudsman was never taken up by Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales. Does Nuñez really enjoy the protection of the Aquino administration? It appears that way, doesn’t it?
T u e S d aY : J u N e 9, 2 0 1 5
OPINION
adelle chua EDITOR
lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph
HAIL TO THE CHAIR VICTOR AVECILLA
A11
CHARTER CHANGES OF BELMONTE, GONZALES ARE BAD FOR THE COUNTRY
The 1987 Constitution reserves certain areas of commerce to Filipino investors. Ownership of land and of media companies is limited to Filipinos. Aliens may make limited investments in the exploration, development, and utilization of natural resources, the public utility business, educational establishments, and the advertising industry. The Constitution generally limits alien investments to a maximum of sixty percent (60%). Proposals to amend constitutional restrictions may be made by Congress as a constituent assembly, or by a constitutional convention, or by the people themselves through a process called “initiative.” Amendments need approval in a nationwide plebiscite. The 1987 Constitution has never been amended. Past attempts of Congress to propose amendments failed because the people were against any charter change. For the same reason, no successful people’s initiative has been undertaken. Several years ago, the house of Representatives declared itself a constituent assembly without the participation of the Senate. Right after this move was challenged in the Supreme Court, its sponsors eventually gave up. From the foregoing, it may be reasonably deduced that if the people wanted amendments to the Constitution, they would have encouraged the constituent process through Congress or a constitutional convention, or they would have taken steps towards a people’s initiative. The people’s refusal to support any such move during the 28 years the Constitution has been in force indicates their dislike for charter change. Unfortunately, many politicians delib-
erately misunderstand the popular sentiment just to suit their own hidden political agenda. house Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, Jr. and majority leader Neptali Gonzales II are behind the latest move to amend the Constitution, particularly its provisions on the national economy and foreign investments. They want to insert the phrase “unless otherwise provided by law” in pertinent sections of the charter. This simple phrase has dire consequences – it converts firm, long-standing constitutional policies to mere general rules subject to the whim and caprice of Congress. Belmonte and Gonzales always say that their proposed amendments will not extend the terms of incumbent officials, but will encourage foreign investments in the country. Their statement is misleading. Just because their proposed amendments do not involve term extensions but are “merely economic amendments” does not automatically make their proposed changes good for the people. The conclusion is not warranted by the premises. Foreign investments are one thing; making the people really benefit from foreign investments is another. The Malampaya natural gas deposit discovered off the coast of Palawan in 1992 is an example. A multi-national company developing the deposit pays the government annual royalties in billions of pesos. ex-president Gloria Arroyo was accused of embezzling P999 million of the Malampaya fund. Three years later, top officials of the administration of President Benigno Aquino III – Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, and National Treasurer Rosalia de Leon – failed to satisfactorily explain to the Senate why P136 billion was miss-
ing from the fund. Another example is the on-going Camp John hay fiasco in Baguio City. Investors in the commercial development of the former American air base had to litigate because of fundamental disagreements with the government regulator. The dispute deprived the people of the anticipated revenues. In view of these examples, how can Belmonte and Gonzales sincerely say that eliminating the restrictions on foreign participation in the national economy and patrimony will be good for the country? Until and unless the large-scale corruption in the Philippines is eliminated, amending the Constitution to allow more foreign investments in the country will only create more opportunities for bigtime corruption. The Belmonte-Gonzales proposals for charter change erroneously assume that all foreign investments are good for the country. Look what happened to the civil aviation industry in the country. After the government eased up on its restrictions on the entry of foreign airlines in the Philippines, the government expected the foreign investors to develop the Clark airport facilities as an international hub. Although the foreign airlines initially put up their base in Clark, they eventually moved their operations to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Pasay City. As a result, the NAIA is now facing unprecedented traffic congestion in the air and on the tarmac. Many domestic flights unable to land at the NAIA runways are forced to return to their port of origin. Belmonte and Gonzales may not be aware of it but the house is suffering from
Dumb.. From A9
Education.. From A9
The voters of Cagayan de Oro City who have kept their own representative, the aforementioned Rufus Rodriguez, in Congress are the same. I’m sure there are many good reasons why the people in CDO have repeatedly voted for him. But trusting Rodriguez to do the right thing – or even just the things he promised to do – can be a really dicey proposition. If the former law school dean had made good on his promise to disallow the passage of the BBL in his ad hoc committee until eight “nonnegotiable” provisions were drastically changed, then things would have been way different. What happened, of course, was that nothing was changed in the BBL after President Noynoy Aquino held two meetings in the presidential palace with key members of the house who were set to vote in the committee level. And when Malacañang suddenly came up with a new version of the bill – basically throwing away all the time, money and effort consumed to parse, discuss and deliberate on the one that the house had labored over – Rodriguez simply vanished. Of course, the committee chairman reappeared just in time to sponsor the new, approved version before the plenary. And nothing else was heard about the huge farce perpetrated in the house ever again. So, if through some new (or old) scheme, the house once more performs the impossible and succeeds in ramming through the BBL in the plenary before the recess starts on Thursday, stop crying about how unprincipled and money-mad our members of Congress are. Congress doesn’t care what you think. Your role in this whole miscarriage and mockery of representative democracy is merely to ensure that the right congressmen are elected every three years. Any promises they make in the campaign are non-binding; those that they make while in office are even less so.
The most significant development however in the education sector is the adoption of the K to 12 program. According to the government website on K-12, the program covers Kindergarten and 12 years of basic education (six years of primary education, four years of Junior high School, and two years of Senior high School [ShS]) “to provide sufficient time for mastery of concepts and skills, develop lifelong learners, and prepare graduates for tertiary education, middle-level skills development, employment, and entrepreneurship.” One argument for K-12 is that the Philippines, as pointed out by the government, is the last country in Asia and one of only three countries worldwide (the other two being Angola and Djibouti) with a 10-year pre-university cycle. The net effect is that Filipino students cannot compete with their counterparts in a number of academic areas math, languages and science. To be globally competitive in the 21th century it is imperative to provide Filipino students the competence and skills at par or even better than those in other countries. As expected, there are those who oppose this change on the ground that adding two more years to basic education would create additional burden to families, especially the poor. Opponents also contend that the country is not ready for K-12; we do not have the teachers, we do not have the classrooms, and we do not have the resources. There is also the concern that
a serious credibility problem. It will be recalled that after the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) was submitted to the house, several representatives insisted that the BBL needed at least 60 substantial amendments to make it conform to the Constitution. Soon thereafter, President Aquino met up with leaders of the house. After that meeting, most of the representatives “forgot” about the constitutional infirmities of the BBL. The amendments to the Constitution proposed by Belmonte and Gonzales are likewise ill-timed. Their proposals come in the wake of the BBL, the most controversial and divisive piece of legislation the current Congress is threatening to impose on the people. Despite the obvious unconstitutional features of the BBL, many key figures in the house insist otherwise. Judging by how much public money the Aquino administration has so far spent to promote the BBL, the people will be surely saturated with endless government propaganda on the validity of the BBL – in the event that it obtains Senate approval. Like the BBL, the Belmonte-Gonzales proposed amendments will have to be approved in a plebiscite. In such an event, the endless constitutional issues to be considered by the voter may be too much for him to handle in one sitting. To force a plebiscite under such circumstances will be invalid for violating the doctrine of proper submission – that the voters must be given a realistic opportunity to make an intelligent decision on the fate of the proposed amendments submitted for their approval – enshrined in Philippine jurisprudence. Indeed, the unnecessary BelmonteGonzales amendments will only add to the endless problems of the Filipino people.
many college teachers and staff could lose their jobs during the transition. As a result of this objection, several lawsuits have now been filed to stop the implementation of K-12. While acknowledging the legitimacy of these concerns, all of which are essentially transition related, I hope the Supreme Court would stay out of this policy decision that the executive and Legislative branches have decided after considerable debate. The fact is we cannot deny Filipino students the minimum standards held globally just because we still need more classrooms, textbooks and other such things. Implementation of a major undertaking such as K-12 will never be seamless and hitches are always expected. But I cannot foresee impediments in its implementation that will prove insurmountable. The bottom line is: If we do not start now, when? To postpone K-12 for another day means that our educational system will lag farther behind our Asean neighbors and the rest of the world. In a perfect world, as in the case of the Conditional Cash Transfer program, I would have wished for better K-12 implementation, from planning to execution, among others for more phased implementation where we start reform processes with a pilots in a few schools to scaling them up first to a few cities, provinces and regions, and then finally nationwide. In China, they always do it that way and typically major reforms are undertaken with a minimum of 10 years
from the original policy decision to full scaling up. But that’s water under the bridge; the cat is out of the bag and we must proceed full speed ahead, problem-solving whatever issues have to be dealt with. Fortunately, we have an excellent Department of education leadership team led by Secretary Armin Luistro FSC who will pull us through the challenges of implementing K-12. Brother Armin has gathered together one of the best set of managers I have seen in any administration; with such exemplary, innovative and dedicated Undersecretaries and Assistant Secretaries such as Dina Ocampo, Lino Rivera, Mario Derequito, Francis Varela, Armando Ruiz, Albert Muyot, Rey Laguda, Tonisito Umali, and Jesus Mateo. More importantly behind the Deped leadership team is a battleworn and resilient bureaucracy of educational managers and teachers who have what it takes to get us through this difficult transition. The Philippine revolution of 1896 has been described as a failure, as incomplete, our independence as a sham. Today, if our people are to be really liberated from poverty and powerlessness, getting the right education is critical. My hope is that a successful implementation of the K-12 reform program can help us get there. Then we can say, as Rizal’s Pilosopo Tasyo hoped, that education gave us true independence. Facebook page: Dean Tony La Vina Twitter: tonylavs
T UE S DAY : J UN E 9 , 2 0 1 5
A12
SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph
Wawrinka dashes Novak’s dream to win French Open PARIS—Stan Wawrinka spectacularly shattered Novak Djokovic’s dream of a career Grand Slam on Sunday when he became the oldest winner of the French Open in 25 years. The 30-year-old Swiss claimed a famous 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 victory to secure his second career major after the 2014 Australian Open. It ended world number one Djokovic’s bid to become only the eighth man to secure a career Slam as he slumped to his third defeat in a Roland Garros final in four years. Wawrinka became the oldest champion in Paris since Andres Gomez in 1990 after just his fourth win in 21 meetings against the Serb. “It’s really hard to believe but it has finally happened,” said Wawrinka, who fired 60 winners past the Serb. “It was the match of my life. But bravo to Novak, it’s a great challenge, the biggest one to play him.” “It’s a special moment for me.” Sunday’s shock defeat, meanwhile, was only Djokovic’s third in 44 outings in 2015 and ended his 28-match win streak. It was also his eighth loss in 16 finals at the majors. “It’s hard for me to speak right now,” said Djokovic who was in tears on the presentation podium. “I’d like to say well done to Stan. He has a great heart and I have all respect for him. He is a deserving winner.” “But I’d like to say I will be back next year and I will try again.” Djokovic, playing in his 16th Grand Slam final to Wawrinka’s second, had the Swiss player under siege in the first set.
Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka kisses the trophy following his victory over Serbia’s Novak Djokovic at the end of their men’s final match of the Roland Garros 2015 French Tennis Open in Paris. AFP
Eighth-seeded Wawrinka had to save break points in the opening game —which featured a 39-shot rally— and the fifth. But the world number one broke through for a 4-3 lead when Wawrinka served up a double fault. The battling 30-year-old Swiss saved two set points in the 10th game —one after a botched forehand putaway by Djokovic—and then carved out a first break opportunity. That was swiftly saved and the Serb gobbled up the opener after 43 minutes, celebrating with a mighty, arenashaking roar. Wawrinka cranked up the forehand
winners early in the second set but was unable to convert two break points in the fourth game as Djokovic’s renowned powers of recovery made him an intimidating target to pass. Wawrinka saw another break point disappear in the sixth game. In the eighth, it was the same story as Djokovic saved another break point causing Wawrinka to violently smash his racquet into the net in frustration. But he wasn’t to be denied as Djokovic surrendered the set in the 10th game with a wild backhand, collecting a warning for destroying his racquet in the Paris clay. Djokovic was playing for the third
day in succession having needed five sets to beat Andy Murray in the semifinals. He looked suddenly jaded and unplugged, fighting off three break opportunities in the second game of the third set. He dropped serve again to trail 4-2 and when he carved out a break point in the next game it was his first such morsel since the seventh game of the opener. It was no surprise when Wawrinka wrapped up the set in the ninth game with Djokovic having no answer to his opponent’s lethal battery of down the line backhands and pinpoint accurate forehand winners. AFP
Lingmerth downs Rose for PGA Tour crown DUBLIN—Sweden’s David Lingmerth downed Justin Rose with a par at the third playoff hole on Sunday to win his first US PGA Tour title at the Memorial. Hours after 14-time major champion Tiger Woods wrapped up the worst-scoring tournament of his career with a lonely final round, Lingmerth and Rose took the tournament hosted by Jack Nicklaus the distance and beyond. Both twice parred the 18th in the playoff before moving to the 10th for the third hole of sudden death. Lingmerth found the fairway while Rose was in the right rough, the 2010 Memorial winner from England firing out through the green and into the gallery. His chip left him 17 feet to the cup, while Lingmerth was on the green in two. The Swede two-putted from 42 feet—draining his four-footer for par to seal the win. “I was pretty calm and collected for the most part,” said Lingmerth, who had missed the cut in four of his prior five tournaments. “My heart did start beating a little harder once I got over that final putt to close it out. But other than that, I think I handled myself pretty well.” Lingmerth and Rose finished regulation tied on 15-under 273, Lingmerth closing with a threeunder par 69. Rose shook off an errant shot from a bunker that struck a spectator at the final hole of regulation, hanging on to make par and complete a 72 and force the playoff. It was all of a piece with his late round—a bogey at 16 that saw him fall out of a share of the lead before he curled in a 10-footer at 17 to regain it. “It was definitely a tricky day,” Rose said. AFP
Hamilton praises team, dedicates F1 win to engineer M O N T R E A L —Tw o weeks after Mercedes’ pitstop fiasco at the Monaco Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton on Sunday dedicated his victory in the Canadian Grand Prix to his Mercedes team race engineer Peter ‘Bono’ Bonnington and his late father. Bonnington was cen-
tral to both Hamilton’s disappointment in Monte Carlo last month, when he looked certain to win but finished third, and his flawlessly controlled triumph at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Hamilton praised him warmly after his win for his “amazing” work just
days after the death of his father. “The team did an amazing job and I am so proud to be up here. My first Grand Prix win was here back in 2007 and to be back up here again feels really historic for me,” he said from the podium. “I’m sure I speak for the
team, too, when I want to dedicate this to my engineer Bono’s father “I know it has been a tough weekend for him, but he has been amazing all weekend and helped me win this today. So this is really dedicated to him.” Hamilton won the 70-
lap race in controlled fashion from lights to flag, but admitted he never felt it was a comfortable race for him. “I didn’t feel I had the most comfortable balance, there was a lot of understeer, but I never really felt too much under pressure,” he said.
“Nico was quick, but I always felt that I had it under control. I had a bit of time in my pocket to be able to pull it out when I needed to, so it was never too serious. “I don’t know how it was to watch, but it felt like it was intense and I really enjoyed it.” AFP
UST leads Toby’s Sports volley champs UNIVERSITY of Santo Tomas High School outplayed Kings’ Montessori in straight sets, 2516, 25-17, to lead all champions recently in the 2015 Toby’s SportsWilson Juniors’ Volleyball League Season 9 at the Toby’s Sports Arena in Pasig City. Led by Most Valuable Player Ejiya Laure, UST captured the girls’ 17-under title of the annual junior volleyball tournament supported by Toby’s Sports, Wilson, AQ SUPPORTS, Equipe Apparel, Lotto Footwear, Gatorade and Toby’s youth sports foundation. In other championship results, Kings’ Montessori School defeated Escuela De Sophia of Caloo-
can, 25-21, 8-25, 25-22, to win the girls’ 13-under crown, while and La Consolacion College-Novaliches blanked Escuela De Sophia of Caloocan, 25-21, 25-22, to cop the boys’ 13-under title. Escuela De Sophia bagged the boys’ 17-under title after beating Mayamot National High School, 15-25, 28-26, 25-20, behind the all-out effort of MVP winner Jhon Jurius Manuel. Faye Hernandez captured the girls’ 13-under class MVP and Paul Decano went home with the boys’ 13-under MVP trophy. The girls ‘ 17-under Mythical Six awardees were Remelyn Altomea, Lorie Lyn Bernardo and Elka
Nicole Dela Torre of Kings’ Montessori, Mary Rose Jauculan, Ejiya Laure and Ma. Regina Mangulabnan of University of Santo Tomas. The boys’ 17-under Mythical Six awardees were Michael Jay Ayuda, Earl Kenneth Gonzales and Mark Joshua Legaspi of Mayamot National High School, Jomar Manaog, Jhon Jurius Manuel and Renz Marvin Repuya of Escuela De Sophia. The girls’ 13-under Mythical Six awardees were Faye Hernandez, Trixie Mae Gojol, and Sunshine Layug of Kings’ Montessori, Ayena Gwen Espiritu, Jam Hennicy Matibag and Yasmein Matibag of Escuela De Sophia.
Awardees and champions in the recent Toby’s Sports-Wilson Juniors Volleyball League Season 9 are shown at the Toby’s Sports Arena in Pasig. With them are (from left) Rod Claudio and Neysa Bacani of Sports Resources Inc. (Distributor of Wilson) and Jojo Claudio (right) of Toby’s Sports
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Beermen aim for 7th straight win By Jeric Lopez CURRENTLY the league’s hottest team, San Miguel Beer shoots for a seventh win in a row when it takes on slumping Talk ‘N Text at 7 p.m. today in the 2015 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup. themselves in an The second-runGames Tuesday unfamiliar territo(Smart Araneta Coliseum): ning Beermen (6-2) 4:15 p.m. - Meralco vs. Alaska ry. They badly need will be putting their 7 p.m. - San Miguel vs. Talk ‘N Text this win to gain a streak on the line much-needed levagainst a rival badly in need of a win at the Smart Aran- erage in a tight race for a Top 8 slot. The Commissioner’s Cup chameta Coliseum. Prior to this, third-placer Alaska pion is struggling so far to find its (5-2) also wants to keep in step with winning formula as it is currently its fellow teams at the top when it in a three-way tie with Rain or faces a tough challenge against Shine and Star Hotshots at No. 7 to fourth-running Meralco (4-3) at 9 spots, having lost three straight with the last one at the hands of the 4:15 p.m. After a 0-2 start, San Miguel Beer Elasto Painters, 88-73, last Saturday suddenly started playing like the in Bacolo City. As for the Aces, they want to stay contender that it is, racking up six straight wins to jump near the top of where they are and also move closer the heap, only trailing pace-setting to a guaranteed slot in the Top 8 and the Top 4 as well, when they play the Barako Bull (6-1) at this juncture. Beermen coach Leo Austria Bolts, who are likewise playing well made it a point he doesn’t want this recently, having won two straight. Both squads are coming off imred-hot surge to end. ‘’I don’t want our streak to stop,’’ pressive performances in their last said Austria. ‘’Our target is first outings. Alaska handed KIA a 38-point make the playoffs and then finish in the Top 4 so we can have a twice- drubbing, 101-63, last Friday, while to-beat advantage in the quarterfi- Meralco surprisingly trounced Talk nals. Maybe ‘yung isang paa namin ‘N Text, 119-85. Aces’ coach Alaska Compton also ay nasa playoffs and Top 4 na, pero we’re still not sure kasi everyone’s expressed his desire for his wards to trying to win kaya we need to con- continue surging their way towards a Top 4 finish. tinue winning.’’ ‘’Medyo malaking advantage taSan Miguel’s last triumph came at the expense of NLEX on Friday, laga ‘yung twice-to-beat sa quarter96-92, with Arizona Reid continu- finals kaya I think buong liga hinaing his hot streak, scoring 30 points habol din ‘yung Top 4 for that. We need to keep working hard to get to lead the charge for the Beermen. Unlike the Beermen, the ailing Tro- that and another win will push us pang Texters have suddenly found further,’’ said Compton.
Star Hotshots’ James Yap (right) tries a one-hand shot against the defense of Barangay Ginebra’s Dorian Pena in a PBA Governor’s Cup game won by the Hotshots, 89-82.
Casimero determined to KO Thai champ By Ronnie Nathanielsz FORMER International Boxing Federation light flyweight champion Johnreil Casimero, the mandatory challenger to IBF flyweight titlist Amnat Ruenroeng, has a straightforward game plan to win his second world crown when he faces the Thai world champion at the Indoor Stadium in Bangkok on June 27. In an overseas telephone conversation with The Standard/boxingmirror.com, Casimero said: “If he runs (as he did in his title defense against Zou Shiming), I will chase him, catch him and knock him out.”
Casimero, who is used to fighting before hostile crowds, won the IBF light flyweight Interim title with a 10th-round TKO victory over Luis Alberto Lazarte in Buenos Aires in a fight that was marred by a riot after the decision was announced, with the Filipino and his promoter Sammy Gello-ani hit by debris. The 25-year-old Casimero, who has a record of 21-2 with 13 knockouts, lost his title on the scales when he failed to make the weight against Mauricio Fuentes, but proceeded to knock the Mexican out in the very first round in Makati City. Then, he stunned Armando Santos with a
second-round TKO in a title eliminator on Dec. 13, 2014 to set up the title clash with Ruenroeng. The Thai champion is 35 years old and is undefeated with a record of 15-0 with 5 knockouts and is a former Olympian. He won the vacant title with a unanimous 12-round decision over then OPBF champion Rocky Fuentes of the ALA Gym in Jan. 22, 2014, before scoring back-toback split decisions in title defenses against Kazuto Ioka on May 7, 2014 in Osaka and McWilliams Arroyo of Puerto Rico on Sept. 10, 2014 in Thailand.
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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph
Challenge Cup loss toughened PH Azkals THE Philippine Azkals will have the experience of their 2014 Asian Football Confederation Challenge Cup in mind when they begin their World Cup qualifying campaign against Bahrain on Thursday at the Philippine Stadium in Bulacan. “It was one of our toughest losses. We should have won, we should have progressed. But, now we have studied on it. We can go now and give our best,” said team captain Rob Gier, who spoke about his thoughts before the team plunged into training at the pitch in Bocaue. The Philippines, which is in Group H of the second round of Asian Football Confederation matches for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification, will fight Bahrain at 8 p.m., with coach Thomas Dooley confident of the team’s chances and its ability to pull off surprises. The Azkals are bracketed with Uzbekistan, North Korea and Yemen. It’s been a year since the Azkals took a 0-1 setback to Palestine in the finals of the Challenge Cup, but Gier believes the team has become more mature and tougher with the loss. Even Dooley is confident about the team’s chances. “I’m always confident with the team. I saw them in the camp. And with the new team we have here, I am confident we will have great results,” said Dooley. The Philippines next meets Yemen in Doha, Qatar on June 16, and Uzbekistan at the Philippine Arena on Sept. 8. Gier said he can feel the excitement during training. “You can see that in the training, the intensity’s sharp already and the quality throughout the squad is excellent,” he added. He added the Azkals are somehow familiar with their foes’ game as they have shared the field last March, when they held a training camp in Bahrain. Peter Atencio
Kobe Paras opened the competition by dunking over three teammates and a coach. FIBA.COM
Paras is dunk king again By Peter Atencio
KOBE Paras did it again. The 17-year-old Paras retained the Dunk Contest title Sunday (Monday in Manila) in the FIBA 3x3 U18 World Championships in Debrecen, Hungary. Paras, coached by La Salle Greenhills mentor John Flores, first won the title two years ago in Jakarta, Indonesia. This time around, he beat Jalek Felton of the United States by just one point, coming up with a perfect score of 30 points in his final attempt. Felton settled for the silver, while Agustin da Costa of Uru-
guay picked up the bronze medal. “Wouldn’t have won without my teammates, coaches and my dad! Big ups to my man. We put on one hell of a show!” said Paras in his twitter message. “Unreal man.” His winning move came on his final dunk, when he jumped over teammate Ricci Rivero. In this attempt, Paras grabbed
the ball from Rivero’s hands and threw down a two-handed pump slam. The youngest son of former Philippine Basketball Association great Benjie Paras, who was around to cheer his son on, Paras entered semifinal round the day before by finishing in the Top 4 of 19 competitors. He opened the competition by dunking over three teammates and a coach. Paras, a student of the Cathedral High School in Los Angeles, has committed to play for the UCLA Bruins. He joined the FIBA 3x3 tournament with Rivero and Russell Escoto.
Meanwhile, New Zealand regained the U18 crown, while France’s women won. The 2.05m Tai Wynyard led New Zealand to a thrilling 20-18 win against reigning champions Argentina in the final. Wynyard was the top scorer in the title game with 8 points and made his presence felt in defense, including an unbelievable block on Martin Ariel Fernandez. France upset USA in the final, 20-19, Since 2012, France has won all five 3x3 women’s competitions (U18 and senior). Lisa Berkani caught fire in the final game, scoring 11 points and received the MVP award.
Nagaowa crowned IBA international fly champion JUJEATH Nagaowa, the No. 6-ranked Filipino female boxer won the International Boxing Association international flyweight title with a 10-round
unanimous decision over China’s L Yu Jie in the Forum de Macau in China. It was the 27-year-old Nagaowa’s first win after four straight losses
and pushed her record to 13-15-1, with 8 knockouts. She also competes in MMA events. Lu Yu Jie dropped to 3 wins, 7 losses with 1 knockout.
Jie scored a big win in her fight on March 28 last year when she won by a sixth-round TKO over Tamami Tor Buemas in Osaka, Japan. Ronnie Nathanielsz
Sonsona faces ex-champ Dumaguete hosts grassroots football Gonzales in September MARVELOUS Marvin Sonsona, fresh from a majority decision victory over durable Jonathan “Lil’ Thund’r” Arellano of California on Sunday at the Stub Hub Center in Carson City despite hurting both hands in Round 4, is set to face former World Boxing Council featherweight champion Jhonny Gonzalez in what trainer Jhun Agrabio described as “a big fight” this September. In an overseas telephone conversation with The Standard/boxingmirror.com, Agrabio said: “There is no fracture on the hand of Marvin, but he will need to rest for two to three weeks before he resumes training at the Roy Jones Jr. gym in Las Vegas.” He said Sonsona was not satisfied
with his showing against Arellano, and even after his injury wanted to knock out his opponent, but Agrabio told him: “Don’t think of the injury, just jab, jab because this is the fight you need to win. You don’t need to finish him.” The hand of Sonsona was injured when he landed a hard punch on the head of the durable Arellano, but the lanky Filipino southpaw eventually prevailed with judges Pat Russell and Sergio Caiz turning in 96-94 scorecards for Sonsona, and the third judge Eddie Hernandez scoring it an even 95-95. The 33-year-old veteran Gonzalez is an experienced and tough opponent, who packs power in both hands. Ronnie Nathanielsz
FOOTBALL for a Better Life, the grassroots development program supported by Pru Life UK Philippines and run by former Azkals team captain Chieffy Caligdong and Pru Life UK Philippines Grassroots Football Director Chris Thomas, will have its next leg on June 13 and 14 in Dumaguete. This is the fifth installment of the nationwide series of football tournaments and clinics that began last March. Dumaguete holds a special place in Philippine football for being one of the centers of football in Eastern Visayas, and for producing Loyola Meralco Sparks’ striker Jake Morallo, and players-turned-coaches Marlon Maro, Rolando Piñero and
Edwin Cabalida. Maro is currently the coach of the national U-23 team, while Piñero and Cabalida were assistant coaches of the Azkals men’s national team. Cabalida is now among the board of directors of the Negros Oriental Football Association. “Sa pagbisita namin sa Dumaguete, gusto naming tumulong sa patuloy na paglago ng sport sa kanilang area at mas lalong patatagin ang kanilang football association,” said Caligdong. “Sana mas marami kaming maidentify na talent at ma-discover na quality players na balang araw magiging kasama sa national team.” After conducting clinics in Barotac in Nuevo Iloilo, Clark in Pam-
panga, San Carlos in Negros Occiental, and Cagayan de Oro, Thomas looks forward to experiencing the world of football in Dumaguete. “In every place we’ve been, the response has been very welcoming. From the players to the coaches to the parents—they’ve all been enthusiastic. Their efforts are second to none. This just goes to show that the Philippines is really a footballing nation,” said Thomas. Football for a Better Life in Dumaguete will be held at the Governor Mariano Perdices Memorial Stadium. Aside from the matches for different age groups and the clinics, there are plans for activities that would promote camaraderie between players and coaches.
T U E S D AY : J U N E 9, 2 0 1 5
SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph
PH athletics’ team eyes 2 golds today SINGAPORE—-Competitions in athletics go full swing on Tuesday with hammer thrower Caleb John Stewart and pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena expected to deliver two gold medals for Team Philippines in the 28th Southeast Asian Games. Stewart will be competing alongside veteran countryman Arniel Ferrera in the men’s hammer throw final that gets going at 9:30 a.m. at the state-of-theart Singapore National Stadium at the sprawling Sports Hub. They will vie against four other athletes, including the games’ record holder, Thailand’s Tantipong Phetchaiya. But Stewart, with his seasonbest of 67.24m, looked ripe for the gold. Phetchaiya owns the games’ record of 62.23m (Myanmar 2013), but only did
57.42 this season. Stewart’s other worthy opponent, Malaysia’s Jackie Siew Wong, owns a season- and personal best 63.71m. Ferreira has not done well this season with 57.34m, a far cry from his personal best 62.62m. Except for a Malaysian, Obiena has the six-athlete field under his command. His 5.21m, which he pulled off September last year, matched the games’ record of 5.21m Thai Kreeta Sintawacheewa, an absentee in these games, set in 2009 in
Laos. Only Malaysia’s Iskandar Alwi (5.20m) poses the biggest threat to Obiena. Also under the spotlight in Team Philippines’ campaign in athletics is Filipino-American Eric Shaen Cray, who recently qualified for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. The former three-time All-American Cray will run the 100m heats scheduled for 10:45 a.m. Kayla Richardson (11.78 seconds) and Princess Griffey (11.54s) will also run Tuesday’s heats of the women’s 100m, where the games’ record of 11.28s, which Lydia de Vega set in Jakarta in 1987 remains unbroken. De Vega is now based here as an athletics’ coach for a local high school team. Also competing Tuesday are Jesan Ramis Cid and Janry Ubas in decathlon and Mark Harry
Diones in men’s triple jump. Meanwhile, Marestella Torres, the 2009 Asian champion, who experienced a monumental collapse in last year’s Incheon Asian Games, where she fouled all her attempts in women’s long jump, said she learned her lessons well. “’Make sure the first jump is good,” she said. “After that, you’re in control.” Torres competes in her pet event on Wednesday at the Singapore National Stadium against 10 other athletes, including the gold winner in Incheon, Maria Natalia Londa of Indonesia. Londa leapt to 6.55m in Incheon, off Torres’s personal best 6.71m she registered in winning her third Sea Games gold medal in Palembang four years ago.
Efren ‘Bata’ Reyes of the Philippines plays a shot during his men’s 1 cushion carom semi-final match against Ma Minh Cam of Vietnam during the 28th SEA Games in Singapore. Reyes and Francisco de la Cruz settled for the bronze medal after respectively losing to Ma, 100-84, and Tran Phi Hung, 100-87. AFP
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Perlas, Sinag fives begin campaigns SINGAPORE—The basketball events of the 28th Southeast Asian Games start on Tuesday with the Philippine women’s team clashing early with the same team that denied the country of the gold medal twice in a row—Thailand. Game time is at 9 a.m. at the OCBC Arena Hall 1. Sinag Pilipinas, the cadet team of Gilas Pilipinas, opens its campaign against Indonesia in the men’s division at 1 p.m. on Wednesday in the same venue. Head coach Patrick Aquino of Perlas Pilipinas, as the women’s team is called, aims to reverse the outcome this time. “We certainly feel the pressure, knowing that everybody is curious on how we will perform,’’ Aquino said. Ewon Arayi, Analyn Almazan and Allana May Lim are back to avenge their back-to-back losses to the Thais. They will be backtopped by two MVPs of the past two UAAP seasons—NU’s Afril Bernardino and FEU’s Camille Sambile. Six teams are entered in women’s basketball. They play only one round and the team with the best record wins the gold. ``There’s nothing more to aspire for than the gold,’’ said Aquino, who steered the NU Lady Bulldogs to the UAAP women’s title last season. The team is also composed of Danica Jose, Shelley Ann Gupilan, Cindy Resultay, Clare Castro, Sofia Roman, Fria Bernardo and Raiza Palmera. Meanwhile, a bunch of youngsters none older than 19 sets out for the golf competitions of the 28th Southeast Asian Games beginning on Tuesday at the posh Sentosa Golf Club. First out is the men’s—or boys’—team whose average age is 17—Dan Emilio Cruz (19), Weiwei Gao (15), Aniceto Hermenegildo Mandanas (15) and Rupert Zaragoza III (17). The women, or girls, who will start play on Wednesday are even younger—Bianca Isabel Pagdanganan is 17, Lou Danielle Uy 18 and Harmie Nicole Constantino is only 13. Despite their young age, all seven golfers underwent tryouts set by the National Golf Association of the Philippines.
PH Blu Boys get back at Indonesian nine, 8-7
SINGAPORE—The Philippine Blu Boys needed one big inning to post a come-frombehind 8-7 win over perennial tormentor Indonesia on Monday and book one of the two top spots in the page system semifinals of the 28th Southeast Asian Games softball tournament at the Kallang Diamonds here. Down, 7-8, at the top of the of the seventh frame with two outs and the bases loaded, Oscar Bradshaw belted a three RBI (runs-battedin) double to left field to send home Joseph Orillana, Isidro Abello and Jasper Cabrera. Pitcher Gregorio Marquez, who came in to relief shellshocked starter Sonny Acuna, retired the next three Indon batters in the bottom seventh, preserving the defending champions’ third straight win in the eliminations. “Too many errors,” said coach Rey Pagkaliwagan, recalling that this was the same team that beat his charges, 7-8, in the world championship qualifiers held here last December. The Indonesians also handed their
only loss the last time softball was held in the 2011 Indonesia SEA Games. With the win, the Blu Boys will take either of the top two spots in the page system semis, with the winner advancing outright to finals, while the loser playing the winner of the No. 3 and No. 4 squads after the oneround elimination series. The defending Blu Girls, on the other hand, had a breezy time in picking up their fourth straight victory in blasting Malaysia, 12-0, sweeping their assignment in the elims and securing the top spot in the semis today. Their semis opponent will be the Singaporeans, who whipped the Indonesians, 8-1, in their final eliminations match. Although both Singapore and Indonesia closed out with similar 2-2 win-loss records, the latter advanced to the No. 2 spot in the semis because of the winnerover-the-other rule.
Hazel Bernadette Abiera and Riza Jane Domienios of the Philippines perform during the women’s 10-meter synchronised platform diving final at the 28th SEA Games in Singapore. AFP
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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
LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers gets the triple-team by Golden State’s Draymond Green (right) Andre Iguodala (left) and Klay Thompson in Game Two of the 2015 NBA Finals at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. The Cavaliers won in overtime, 95-93, to level the series with the Warriors at 1-1. AFP
Cavaliers bounce back OAKLAND—LeBron James produced one of the greatest performances in NBA Finals history and the Cleveland Cavaliers edged Golden State 95-93 in over-time Sunday to level their championship James scored 39 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and added 11 assists over 50 minutes in an epic effort that left the best-of-seven matchup at 1-1 with game three Tuesday in Cleveland, where the Cavaliers have won 26 of their past 28 starts. “For me to be able to go out on the biggest stage and to be able to make plays happen is the ultimate feeling,” James said. “Total team effort. (It took) everything. I tried to give it to my teammates and they gave it back to me.” The only similar all-around game in NBA Finals history was
the 36 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists of James Worthy in game seven of the 1988 final for the triumphant Los Angeles Lakers. No other Finals player has managed 35 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists. “It’s what needs to be done to help our team win,” James said. “Am I going to be in the 30s every game? I’m not sure. But if that’s what the case has to be to help us win, then I don’t have a choice.” The Cavaliers are trying to bring the city of Cleveland its first major sports champion since the 1964 Browns won the NFL crown, while the Warriors seek their first NBA
title in 40 years. Cleveland’s defense, led by Australian reserve guard Matthew Dellavedova, kept NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry to 19 points on 5-of-23 shooting, including only 2-of-15 from 3-point range, his worst shooting effort of the season. “It’s just a team defensive cover. Everybody has to be alert the whole game,” Dellavedova said. “Even if you play good defense, he’s going to hit some tough shots, so you’ve just got to keep defending him and just make it as hard as possible.” Dellavedova started in place of Kyrie Irving, who suffered a fractured left kneecap in Cleveland’s game one loss. When the Aussie defended him, Curry was 0-of-8 shooting from the floor, 0-for-5 from 3-point range, with four turnovers.
Wawrinka dashes Novak’s dream TURN TO A12
“It had everything to do with Delly,” James said. “He was spectacular.” Curry sets dubious mark Curry’s 13 missed 3-point shots were an NBA Finals record, two more than the old mark belonging to John Starks from 1994. “I don’t expect to shoot like this,” Curry said. “I’ve got to play better, find better shots and be more in a rhythm for us to really assert ourselves.” Cleveland squandered an 11-point lead in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, allowing Curry to force over-time with a layup to level at 87-87. Curry gave the Warriors their only lead after half-time with two free throws for a 93-92 edge, only to watch Dellavedova answer with two free throws of his own with 10 seconds remaining to put Cleveland ahead to stay. AFP
Paras crowned dunk king again TURN TO A14
Shooter gives PH its 7th gold SINGAPORE—Elvie Baldivino, a Navy special operations’ expert, brought her shooting skills to the 28th Southeast Asian Games arena, bagging for the Philippines its seventh gold medal on Monday at the National Shooting Center. Baldivino, 34 and a Seawoman First Class, defeated Norizan Mustafa of Singapore, 230-228, for the country’s first gold medal of the shooting competitions that offers a total of 26 mints. She reached the quarterfinals in second place with 1460 and was second again with 230 in the semifinals, which Mustafa topped, 234. Baldivino’s gold also towed the Philippine team that included Carmelita Guillermo and Franchette Shayne Quiros to the silver medal with 1700. Thailand won gold with 1723 in the event more popularly known as practical shooting. Boxing, meanwhile, became a potential source of gold medals after former world champion Josie Gabuco, Irish Magno and Nesthy Petecio advanced in the women’s division and Roger Ladon and Ian Bautista reached the finals in the men’s side also on Monday at the Expo Hall 1. Gabuco, also a three-time SEA Games gold medal winner, reached the lightweight finals after disposing of Leona Hui of Singapore, 3-0; Magno beat Ester Kalayukin of Indonesia, 3-0, to fight for the bantamweight gold and Petecio booted out Soyuda Satumrum of Thailand, 3-0, to vie for her first Sea Games mint in the flyweight division.
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TUESDAY: JUNE 9, 2015
RAY S. EÑANO EDITOR
RODERICK T. DELA CRUZ ASSISTANT EDITOR
business@thestandard.com.ph extrastory2000@gmail.com
BUSINESS
Govt awards Calax to MPIC By Darwin G. Amojelar
THE Public Works Department on Monday awarded the P35.4-billion Cavite-Laguna Expressway project to a unit of Metro Pacific Investments Corp., which submitted the top offer during the government’s second attempt to bid out the project. MPIC’s unit MPCala Holdings Inc. submitted a premium bid of P27.3 billion for the 47-kilometer toll road, beating the P22.2billion offer by San Miguel Corp.’s Optimal Infrastructure Development Inc.
The Public Works Department said MPCala had until June 29 to comply with all the requirements in the notice of award. Contract signing is scheduled on June 29. Construction period would cover July 2016 to July 2020, while op-
erations and maintenance would be from July 2020 to July 2050. “We are happy at MPCala to be formally given the notice of award in this major road infrastructure project,” Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. president Ramoncito Fernandez said. “Next is the signing of the concession agreement and 20 percent downpayment by end June,” he said. 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 Manila-
Cavite Expressway and South Luzon Expressway. The P35.4-billion expressway will start from Cavitex in Kawit, Cavite and end at the SLEXMamplasan 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. Ayala Corp. and Aboitiz Group, which emerged as the second
highest bidder in the first auction, did not participate in the second bidding. Other DPWH projects under PPP that had been awarded were the P15.5-billion NAIA Expressway and the P1.96-billion Daang Hari-SLEX Link. The government is also bidding out the P122.8-billion Laguna Lakeshore Expressway Dike project, which aims to provide a high-standard highway to speed up traffic between the southern part of Metro Manila and Laguna, as well as a dike that would mitigate flooding in the western coastal communities along Laguna Lake.
PSe comPoSite index Closing June 8, 2015
8500 8000 7500 7000 6500 6000
7,466.15 41.81
PeSo-dollar rate
Closing JUNE 8, 2015 47
P45.025
46
CLOSE
45 44 43
HIGH P45.020 LOW P45.150 AVERAGE P45.103 VOLUME 822.100M
Best consumer company. Universal Robina Corp. was voted as the best managed consumer company in Asia and its head Lance Gokongwei the best CEO for the Philippines. The company was also ranked among the top ten in the country awards in terms of investor relations, dividend payment, corporate governance and best managed as a public corporation by leading business magazine Finance Asia. Shown during the awarding ceremony are (from left) Maybank ATR Kim Eng Capital Partners Inc. president and chief executive Manuel Tordesillas, URC president and chief executive Lance Gokongwei, Maybank ATR Kim Eng Capital Partners chairman Ramon Arnaiz, URC branded consumer foods group executive vice president Cornelio Mapa and Maybank ATR Kim Eng Securities Inc. chairman and president Lorenzo Roxas.
Peso falls to 5-month low of 45.025 vs US dollar By Julito G. Rada THE peso weakened to a fivemonth low against the dollar on Monday, breaching the 45-to-adollar mark as strong US jobs data in May boosted the greenback versus most currencies. The local currency closed at 45.025 to a dollar, its weakest level since the 45.045 on Jan. 7 this year. It was also lower than the 44.87 at the close on Friday. Total volume traded reached $822 million, higher than Friday’s $671 million. “It is one of those ups and downs of the market. Remember, the exchange rate is one of those high-frequency market indicators that react quickly to market developments as much as with market noises,” Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Deputy Governor Diwa Guinigundo said in a text
message. Victor Abola, economist of the University of Asia & the Pacific, said the strong job creation numbers in US released last Friday pushed up 10-year bonds to 2.41 percent, a sizeable jump from 2.12 percent end of May. “This and the more promising outlook will attract capital flows into the US and make the dollar stronger,” Abola said in an e-mailed statement. He said the disappointing 5.2-percent first-quarter GDP numbers provided sufficient reason for foreign investors in the local stock market to exit for now. “We have witnessed six weeks of continuing outflows by foreigners from the stock market. Thus, the peso has depreciated logically,” Abola said. However, he said the peso’s
depreciation was not bad at all. The weaker peso will stimulate the local economy as migrant workers and exporters receive more peso equivalent from foreign exchange remittances and earnings, “… And this is needed because the government is slow to spend the money it has budgeted. Besides, our studies show that peso depreciation has very little effect on inflation, to which conclusion the BSP has reached from its own studies,” Abola said. Nicholas Antonio Mapa, associate economist of the Bank of the Philippine Islands, said he did not see the peso mounting a significant recovery for the rest of the week. “... Forty-five to a dollar could be the ‘floor’ for this week,” Mapa said. Mapa said a weak peso would not affect the monetary authorities’ decision to cut or not the benchmark
interest rates in its meeting on June 25. “I think it will still be ‘no change,’ because monetary authorities’ focus is on inflation numbers. And latest data showed that inflation was well within the target range [of 2 to 4 percent] for the year,” Mapa said. Data from the US Labor Department over the weekend showed that nonfarm payrolls increased 280,000 last month, the largest gain since December last year. After the data announcement, the dollar rose more than one percent against the euro, yen, and Swiss franc. Economists said the Fed’s first interest rate hike-probably earlier in September this year--is expected to boost the dollar by driving investment flows into the United States.
P500.00-P650.00 LPG/11-kg tank P41.85-P47.20 Unleaded Gasoline P29.35-P32.70 Diesel
oPriceS il P today
P34.55-P39.15 Kerosene P23.70-P24.40 Auto LPG Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Monday, June 8, 2015
F oreign e xchange r ate Currency
Unit
US Dollar
Peso
United States
Dollar
1.000000
44.9110
Japan
Yen
0.007963
0.3576
UK
Pound
1.527900
68.6195
Hong Kong
Dollar
0.128977
5.7925
Switzerland
Franc
1.064169
47.7929
Canada
Dollar
0.804182
36.1166
Singapore
Dollar
0.736703
33.0861
Australia
Dollar
0.763475
34.2884
Bahrain
Dinar
2.652379
119.1210
Saudi Arabia
Rial
0.266667
11.9763
Brunei
Dollar
0.733999
32.9646
Indonesia
Rupiah
0.000075
0.0034
Thailand
Baht
0.029713
1.3344
UAE
Dirham
0.272272
12.2280
Euro
Euro
1.111300
49.9096
Korea
Won
0.000892
0.0401
China
Yuan
0.161202
7.2397
India
Rupee
0.015684
0.7044
Malaysia
Ringgit
0.269034
12.0826
New Zealand
Dollar
0.704920
31.6587
Taiwan
Dollar
0.032219
1.4470 Source: PDS Bridge
TUESDAY: JUNE 9, 2015
B2
BUSINESS business@thestandard.com.ph extrastory2000@gmail.com
MST BuSineSS Daily STockS Review Monday, June 8, 2015
52 Weeks
Previous
High Low
STOCKS
75.3 124.4 104 63 2.49 4.2 18.48 31.6 9.5 99.4 1.46 30.5 94.95 361.2 59 174.8 1700 127.9 3.26
66 84.6 84.5 45.8 1.97 2.03 12.02 23.55 6.3 78 0.9 18.02 76.5 276 45 107.6 1200 66 2.65
Asia United Bank Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. Bank of PI China Bank BDO Leasing & Fin. INc. Bright Kindle Resources COL Financial Eastwest Bank Filipino Fund Inc. Metrobank Natl. Reinsurance Corp. PB Bank Phil. National Bank PSE Inc. RCBC `A’ Security Bank Sun Life Financial Union Bank Vantage Equities
73.4 107.00 99.00 46 2.46 1.84 16 20.8 6.28 90.2 1.02 18.00 70.00 305 42.05 159.1 1425.00 64.70 3.17
35.6 1.6 1.04 1.41 7.92 40.3 14.6 10.08 29.15
Aboitiz Power Corp. Agrinurture Inc. Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. Alsons Cons. Asiabest Group Bogo Medelin Century Food Cirtek Holdings (Chips) Concepcion Crown Asia Da Vinci Capital Del Monte DNL Industries Inc. Emperador Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) EEI Federal Res. Inv. Group First Gen Corp. First Holdings ‘A’ Holcim Philippines Inc. Integ. Micro-Electronics Ionics Inc Jollibee Foods Corp. Lafarge Rep LMG Chemicals Manila Water Co. Inc. Maxs Group Megawide Mla. Elect. Co `A’ Pepsi-Cola Products Phil. Petron Corporation Phil H2O Phoenix Petroleum Phils. Phoenix Semiconductor Pryce Corp. `A’ RFM Corporation Roxas and Co. Roxas Holdings San Miguel’Pure Foods `B’ SPC Power Corp. Splash Corporation Swift Foods, Inc. Trans-Asia Oil Universal Robina Vitarich Corp. Vivant Corp. Vulcan Ind’l.
42.75 1.47 1.04 1.97 10.52 49.25 18.78 27.2 57.5 1.9 1.61 12.3 19.500 10.06 7.68 9.70 11.94 26.7 88.5 14.56 6.29 0.520 199.00 9.8 2.1 24.6 25.3 6.38 284.80 4.52 9.64 4 3.97 2.19 2.2 4.50 2.17 6.25 179 4.5 1.6 0.160 2.23 187 0.76 22.50 1.27
0.465 55.60 22.55 6.86 0.260 0.280 770.5 7.8 13.20 3.15 4.41 0.206 1385 6.47 67.80 4.19 7.61 0.7 13.54 0.66 4.45 0.0340 1.030 2.59 62.15 2.96 974.50 1.24 82.800 0.3650 0.2080 7.450 0.75 1.340 0.230 38.80 3.7 5.29 0.83
47 5 1.66 2.36 15.3 113 20.6 32 65.8 4.57 23.35 21.6 12.98 9.13 12.34 17 31.8 109 15.3 9.4 0.98 241 12.5 3.95 33.9 90 13.98 292.4 5.25 13.04 6.8 7.03 3.4 4.5 6.68 7.86 8.1 253 5.5 3.28 0.315 2.68 226.6 1.3 26 2.17 0.7 59.2 31.85 7.39 3.4 3.35 800 11.06 84 3.35 5.14 0.66 1380 6.68 72.6 8.9 9.25 0.9 18.9
Close
High
Low
FINANCIAL 73.45 73 109.00 106.20 99.00 98.50 46.45 46 2.37 2.35 1.73 1.72 16 15.7 21.1 20.6 6.98 6.31 90 88.75 1 0.99 18.00 18.00 70.60 69.20 307 305 42.1 42 159.1 155.1 1445.00 1435.00 65.00 64.40 3.17 3.17 INDUSTRIAL 43.75 42.8 1.47 1.47 1.04 1.02 2 1.97 10.56 10.38 52 52 18.98 18.4 27 27 57.9 57.4 2.07 1.89 1.66 1.6 12.34 12.16 19.520 19.36 10.10 10.00 7.60 7.51 9.69 9.64 11.92 11.9 26.65 26.05 88.5 87.4 14.62 14.50 6.4 6.24 0.540 0.520 199.00 195.50 9.9 9.6 2.09 2.09 25 24.3 25.3 24.8 6.5 6.3 285.20 281.80 4.54 4.36 9.63 9.43 3.95 3.95 4.00 3.88 2.26 2.18 2.24 2.13 4.50 4.45 2.29 2 6.25 6 180 177.3 4.5 4.5 1.64 1.58 0.158 0.153 2.30 2.23 186 184 0.78 0.75 25.50 25.00 1.27 1.27 HOLDING FIRMS 0.465 0.460 55.6000 54.5000 22.50 22.25 6.87 6.86 0.270 0.265 0.290 0.290 772 756 7.84 7.78 13.22 13.02 3.15 3.15 4.42 4.40 0.228 0.205 1358 1348 6.47 6.47 68.40 66.80 4 3.9 7.61 7.53 0.7 0.67 13.62 13.5 0.66 0.63 4.46 4.43 0.0370 0.0340 1.190 1.010 2.59 2.59 63.00 60.50 2.94 2.65 880.00 869.00 1.25 1.22 83.000 82.500 0.3650 0.3600 0.2090 0.1900 PROPERTY 7.790 7.300 0.76 0.74 1.270 1.270 0.230 0.230 39.05 38.70 3.75 3.6 5.3 5.27 0.83 0.81
Close
%
Net Foreign
Change Volume
Trade/Buying
73.45 108.60 98.50 46 2.35 1.72 16 20.6 6.90 89.5 0.99 18.00 69.20 307 42 158 1445.00 64.50 3.17
0.07 1.50 -0.51 0.00 -4.47 -6.52 0.00 -0.96 9.87 -0.78 -2.94 0.00 -1.14 0.66 -0.12 -0.69 1.40 -0.31 0.00
9,200 958,380 260,060 43,700 15,000 43,000 800 117,500 3,400 4,926,180 10,000 5,000 80,770 1,380 5,800 161,810 165 12,650 22,000
43.1 1.47 1.04 1.98 10.5 52 18.4 27 57.9 1.95 1.65 12.16 19.360 10.08 7.53 9.68 11.92 26.1 87.7 14.62 6.25 0.520 196.00 9.85 2.09 24.3 25.3 6.3 284.00 4.4 9.48 3.95 3.88 2.22 2.2 4.50 2.2 6.25 180 4.5 1.64 0.153 2.27 184.5 0.75 25.00 1.27
0.82 0.00 0.00 0.51 -0.19 5.58 -2.02 -0.74 0.70 2.63 2.48 -1.14 -0.72 0.20 -1.95 -0.21 -0.17 -2.25 -0.90 0.41 -0.64 0.00 -1.51 0.51 -0.48 -1.22 0.00 -1.25 -0.28 -2.65 -1.66 -1.25 -2.27 1.37 0.00 0.00 1.38 0.00 0.56 0.00 2.50 -4.38 1.79 -1.34 -1.32 11.11 0.00
1,745,100 5,000 475,000 712,000 2,500 200 553,500 223,200 3,200 5,133,000 157,000 3,600 505,800 21,610,300 17,765,400 191,600 4,300 1,457,100 34,150 30,300 666,800 55,000 760,110 202,300 39,000 149,800 10,000 45,200 161,970 448,000 701,300 1,000 210,000 319,000 354,000 13,996,000 89,000 15,900 2,690 3,000 13,000 1,500,000 2,857,000 2,993,460 601,000 900 20,000
0.460 54.7000 22.30 6.87 0.265 0.290 760 7.81 13.08 3.15 4.42 0.219 1353 6.47 67.80 4 7.59 0.7 13.54 0.66 4.45 0.0370 1.170 2.59 61.00 2.90 876.00 1.24 82.500 0.3600 0.2090
-1.08 -1.62 -1.11 0.15 1.92 3.57 -1.36 0.13 -0.91 0.00 0.23 6.31 -2.31 0.00 0.00 -4.53 -0.26 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 8.82 13.59 0.00 -1.85 -2.03 -10.11 0.00 -0.36 -1.37 0.48
120,000 1,000,770 11,071,400 10,700 340,000 160,000 327,740 1,050,000 3,830,000 275,000 37,000 450,000 126,620 16,000 741,270 6,000 679,700 12,000 1,391,600 2,300,000 28,434,000 2,200,000 25,072,000 8,000 519,390 39,000 141,680 163,000 26,720 1,410,000 760,000
7.450 0.76 1.270 0.230 38.75 3.68 5.3 0.82
0.00 1.33 -5.22 0.00 -0.13 -0.54 0.19 -1.20
174,500 531,000 51,000 110,000 7,722,300 1,922,000 437,700 2,648,000
478,717.00 39,224,288.00 -10,928,227.00
-1,186,130.00 -15,979 18,086,679.50
52 Weeks
Previous
High Low
STOCKS
Close
High
Low
Close
%
Net Foreign
Change Volume
Trade/Buying
1.48 0.98 1.09 2.25 1.87 5.73 0.180 0.470 27 8.54 31.8 2.29 3.6 20.6 1.02 7.56 1.96 8.59
0.97 0.445 0.85 1.4 1.42 4.13 0.090 0.325 23 2.57 21.35 1.64 3.08 15.08 0.69 3.38 1 5.69
Cityland Dev. `A’ 1.10 Cyber Bay Corp. 0.430 Empire East Land 0.850 Global-Estate 1.24 Filinvest Land,Inc. 1.81 Megaworld 4.58 MRC Allied Ind. 0.113 Phil. Estates Corp. 0.3200 Phil. Tob. Flue Cur & Redry 24.45 Primex Corp. 7.19 Robinson’s Land `B’ 29.00 Rockwell 1.7 Shang Properties Inc. 3.25 SM Prime Holdings 19.40 Sta. Lucia Land Inc. 0.71 Starmalls 7.21 Suntrust Home Dev. Inc. 0.880 Vista Land & Lifescapes 7.250
1.12 1.06 1.12 0.440 0.420 0.430 0.850 0.850 0.850 1.27 1.24 1.25 1.85 1.80 1.82 4.79 4.58 4.64 0.119 0.112 0.112 0.3200 0.3100 0.3200 24.45 24.00 24.00 7.19 7.19 7.19 29.00 27.45 27.65 1.73 1.7 1.72 3.34 3.34 3.34 19.50 19.18 19.48 0.73 0.7 0.73 7.25 7.11 7.25 0.910 0.890 0.980 7.240 7.060 7.110 SERVICES 6.5 6.5 6.45 6.5 61.2 61.2 60.05 60.3 1.11 1.19 1.12 1.12 0.690 0.700 0.680 0.680 13.86 13.5 13.5 13.5 9.38 9.38 9.06 9.10 0.0960 0.0960 0.0950 0.0950 4.06 4.1 4.04 4.08 84.95 85.5 84.75 84.9 9.99 9.99 9.78 9.99 6.30 6.30 6.00 6.29 2.96 2.93 2.93 2.93 2702 2690 2652 2666 6.30 6.30 6.16 6.16 23.00 22.25 21.00 21.20 1.30 1.29 1.23 1.29 110.5 111 110.3 110.5 0.226 0.234 0.221 0.225 1.2700 1.2900 1.2500 1.2800 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.2 9.50 9.50 9.45 9.45 2.98 3.15 2.91 2.96 2.04 2.04 1.99 1.99 48.00 53.30 51.50 51.35 0.670 0.670 0.660 0.660 2 2 2 2 7.4 7.4 7.18 7.25 0.560 0.570 0.485 0.530 18.8 19.1 18.06 19.1 4.42 4.49 4.49 4.49 9 8.5 8.5 8.5 124.90 124.90 124.90 124.90 19.00 19.00 18.80 18.98 2784.00 2796.00 2780.00 2796.00 0.690 0.690 0.660 0.670 1.400 1.420 1.400 1.400 38.00 38.00 37.80 37.90 74.25 74.95 74.05 74.15 9.94 9.95 9.65 9.80 0.67 0.68 0.67 0.68 1.71 1.73 1.72 1.72 5.7 5.71 5.49 5.49 0.330 0.330 0.330 0.330 1.320 1.370 1.360 1.370 MINING & OIL 0.0049 0.0049 0.0048 0.0048 2.60 2.60 2.60 2.60 7.35 7.49 7.00 7.15 7.4000 7.4000 7.4000 7.4000 7.2000 8.4000 7.2000 7.5000 1.01 1 0.96 0.96 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 7.38 7.38 7.20 7.38 1.6 1.74 1.63 1.68 0.325 0.340 0.325 0.325 0.241 0.249 0.235 0.239 0.239 0.249 0.235 0.239 0.0140 0.0140 0.0140 0.0140 3.57 3.58 3.53 3.53 24.65 25.4 24.5 24.95 3.72 3.73 3.66 3.68 0.6700 0.6800 0.6700 0.6800 2.1500 2.1600 2.0900 2.0900 0.0120 0.0120 0.0110 0.0120 0.0130 0.0140 0.0120 0.0140 4.45 4.45 4.44 4.44 6.69 6.79 6.55 6.68 2.01 2.050 1.990 2.03 0.015 0.015 0.140 0.014 148.60 149.30 143.00 145.00 12.26 12.38 10.52 10.9 0.0100 0.0110 0.0100 0.0100 PREFERRED 61.2 60.85 60.8 60.8 121 122 121 122 111.5 111.1 111.1 111.1 1040 1050 1045 1045 75.4 75.55 75.3 75.4 82.2 83 80 80 86.5 87 86.8 86.8 WARRANTS & BONDS 3.870 4.020 3.880 3.980 SME 9.66 9.69 9.49 9.6 6.2 6.2 6.1 6.1 65.95 66 60.05 66 10.12 10.36 10 10.26 EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 122.7 123.2 122 122
1.82 0.00 0.00 0.81 0.55 1.31 -0.88 0.00 -1.84 0.00 -4.66 1.18 2.77 0.41 2.82 0.55 11.36 -1.93
21,000 2,490,000 8,000 128,000 4,725,000 20,508,000 160,000 210,000 1,000 1,500 2,549,700 143,000 1,000 3,095,900 605,000 196,200 5,000 8,144,800
10.5 66 1.44 1.09 12.46 15.82 0.1460 4.61 99.1 12.3 9 4 2090 8.41 33 1.97 119.5 0.8200 2.2800 5.93 12.28 2.85 3.2 5.9 1.97 2.46 15.2 1.040 22.8 6.41 18 110.2 14 3486 0.710 2.28 48.5 90.1 11.6 0.87 2.95 10.2 0.490 1.6
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 30 1.36 105 0.036 1.200 2.34 6.5 1.69 2 1.05 0.490 1.8 8.7 0.37 14.54 3 8.8 79 4.39 2726 0.380 0.32 31.45 60.55 7.59 0.63 1.71 6.45 0.305 1.04
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. Grand Plaza Hotel Harbor Star I.C.T.S.I. Island Info ISM Communications Jackstones Leisure & Resorts Liberty Telecom Macroasia Corp. Manila Broadcasting Manila Bulletin Manila Jockey Melco Crown NOW Corp. Pacific Online Sys. Corp. PAL Holdings 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. Yehey
0.00 -1.47 0.90 -1.45 -2.60 -2.99 -1.04 0.49 -0.06 0.00 -0.16 -1.01 -1.33 -2.22 -7.83 -0.77 0.00 -0.44 0.79 0.00 -0.53 -0.67 -2.45 6.98 -1.49 0.00 -2.03 -5.36 1.60 1.58 -5.56 0.00 -0.11 0.43 -2.90 0.00 -0.26 -0.13 -1.41 1.49 0.58 -3.68 0.00 3.79
13,700 15,050 2,000 282,000 600 6,286,900 9,810,000 138,000 123,720 1,300 54,800 45,000 53,450 44,600 5,300 289,000 594,330 4,020,000 113,000 5,000 1,135,500 1,339,000 25,000 200 213,000 10,000 2,077,000 228,000 5,100 1,000 700 450,000 21,324,300 29,115 13,064,000 5,234,000 292,900 952,170 2,142,500 1,491,000 45,000 1,560,300 250,000 20,000
0.0098 5.45 17.24 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 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’ 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
-2.04 0.00 -2.72 0.00 4.17 -4.95 0.00 0.00 5.00 -0.01 -0.83 0.00 0.00 -1.12 1.22 -1.08 1.49 -2.79 0.00 7.69 -0.22 -0.15 1.00 -6.67 -2.42 -11.09 0.00
29,000,000 1,000 196,800 1,000 2,300 382,000 177,000 1,700 28,006,000 220,000 11,370,000 12,280,000 27,300,000 84,000 2,538,800 309,000 342,000 82,000 10,100,000 68,000,000 18,000 439,400 4,601,000 1,300,000 760,510 2,330,000 18,900,000
70 120 111 1047 76.9 78.95 84.8
33 101.5 101 1011 74.2 74.5 75
ABS-CBN Holdings Corp. First Gen G MWIDE PREF PF Pref 2 SMC Preferred A SMC Preferred B SMC Preferred C
-0.65 0.83 -0.36 0.48 0.00 -2.68 0.35
153,240 3,050 100 8,925 105,400 72,000 67,250
6.98
0.8900 LR Warrant
2.84
365,000
-8,000.00
10.96 15 88 12.88
2.4 3.5 13.5 5.95
-0.62 -1.61 0.08 1.38
210,600 1,800 280 1,288,000
6,650.00
130.7
105.6 First Metro ETF
-0.57
94,710
12,240.00
451,000.00 -10,000.00 -930,550.00 3,223,110.00
-39,759,325.00 39,360.00
MST 1.04 10.72 8.44 9.79 5.43 9.54 8.61 18.06 67.9 13.24 3.12 0.395 168 8.65 2.3 24.4 16.2 7.62 250.2 3.87 9 3.7 3.03 2.22 1 4.72 1.65 6 201.6 4.1 1.67 0.122 2.01 143.4 0.670 9.01 1.39 0.45 48.1 20.85 6.62 1.4 1.6 600 7.390 14.18 2.6 4.25 0.144 818 5.3 46.6 4.96 4.43 0.59 12
5.53 0.0670 0.84 2.99 87 3.5 934 2.2 156 0.710 0.435
4.22 0.036 0.450 2.26 66.7 1.5 709.5 1.13 85.2 0.200 0.173
Abacus Cons. `A’ Aboitiz Equity Alliance Global Inc. Anscor `A’ ATN Holdings A ATN Holdings B Ayala Corp `A’ Cosco Capital DMCI Holdings F&J Prince ‘A’ Filinvest Dev. Corp. Forum Pacific GT Capital House of Inv. JG Summit Holdings Jolliville Holdings Lopez Holdings Corp. Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp. LT Group Mabuhay Holdings `B’ Metro Pacific Inv. 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
10.5 1.99 2.07 0.375 40 6.15 5.4 1.54
6.01 0.91 1.29 0.192 29.1 4.1 4.96 0.89
8990 HLDG A. Brown Co., Inc. Araneta Prop `A’ Arthaland Corp. Ayala Land `B’ Belle Corp. `A’ Cebu Holdings Century Property
Trading Summary FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL HOLDING FIRMS PROPERTY SERVICES MINING & OIL GRAND TOTAL
SHARES 6,677,259 77,834,684 83,519,783 56,598,578 73,707,168 218,946,191 518,879,077
-788,346.50 402,960.00 -105,060.00 597,225.00 237,225.00 754,350.00
37,772,870.00
-5,824,408.00
-8,625.00 -3,980.00 8,000.00
474,388.00 -1,447,004.00 -16,064,120.00 524,182.00
-8,353,540.00 27,708.00 23,160.00 8,190.00
-41,488,508.00 438,418.00 413,915.00
-10,400.00 14,578,000.00 346,440.00 584,473.00 97,780.00 96,180.00
-1,336,270.00 143,493.00
-98,500,728.00
-29,503,676.50 51,212,715.00 -68,600.00
-104,552,445.00 1,388,905.00 -3,996,840.00 145,280.00
-39,049,340.00
-1,628,026.50 2,507,964.00
4,861,920.00
3,070,140.00
-288,760.00 20,720.00 -20,953,750.00 -25,985,160.00
-1,941,461.00
-1,075,176.00
-38,965,960.00 -768,560.00 -693,820.00 672,400.00
Double Dragon Makati Fin. Corp. IRipple E-Business Intl Xurpas
T op g ainerS VALUE 608,774,288.95 1,544,714,615.431 1,266,114,032.824 608,371,848.76 1,011,871,528.00 272,335,758.379 5,338,973,633.125
STOCKS
FINANCIAL 1,730.70 (down) 0.23 INDUSTRIAL 11,468.75 (down) 112.60 HOLDING FIRMS 6,615.63 (down) 46.35 PROPERTY 3,060.17 (down) 18.35 SERVICES 2,096.13 (down) 5.91 MINING & OIL 14,200.39 (down) 169.92 PSEI 7,484.89 (down) 41.81 All Shares Index 4,320.34 (down) 20.53 Gainers: 64 Losers: 97; Unchanged: 46; Total: 207
-23,372,694.00
1,265,479.00 -7,337,879.00
2,700.00 -7,254,906.00 20,250.00 -1,897,788.50
-12,621,560.00
-300.00 26,384,228.00 0.00
10,645,550.00 771,940.00
-1,036,430.00 19,600.00 43,700.00
0.00 218,162.00 -4,051,660.00 -1,527,800.00 -7,288,530.00 -51,507,716.50 54,433.00 -47,600.00 -4,004,767.00
-31,528.00
-1,400,320.00
-120,980.00 -33,579,045.00 -47,970.00 -27,200.00
431,006.00 -149,920.00 -1,500.00 -8,774,341.00 -457,206.00 -89,377.00
2,025,998.00 -5,626,573.00
5,987,852.00
T op L oSerS Close (P)
Change (%)
STOCKS
Close (P)
Change (%)
Prime Orion
1.170
13.59
TA Petroleum
10.9
-11.09
Suntrust Home Dev. Inc.
0.980
11.36
SM Investments Inc.
876.00
-10.11
Vivant Corp.
25.00
11.11
Grand Plaza Hotel
21.20
-7.83
Filipino Fund Inc.
6.90
9.87
Philodrill Corp. `A'
0.014
-6.67
Pacifica `A'
0.0370
8.82
Bright Kindle Resources
1.72
-6.52
Oriental Pet. `B'
0.0140
7.69
Phil. Racing Club
8.5
-5.56
Manila Broadcasting
51.35
6.98
NOW Corp.
0.530
-5.36
Forum Pacific
0.219
6.31
Araneta Prop `A'
1.270
-5.22
Bogo Medelin
52
5.58
Century Peak Metals Hldgs
0.96
-4.95
Ferronickel
1.68
5.00
Robinson's Land `B'
27.65
-4.66
TUESDAY: JUNE 9, 2015
B3
BUSINESS business@thestandard.com.ph extrastory2000@gmail.com
Petron obtains BoI incentives By Othel V. Campos
THE Board of Investments granted fiscal incentives to Petron Corp. under a pioneer status for its P4-billion depot modernization program in 2015. Petron said in a document obtained from the Board of Investments it would improve its storage facilities in Navotas, Rosario in Cavite, Limay in Bataan, Mabini in Batangas and Manila North Harbor. All the depots, according to the document, will be upgraded and operational by January 2016. A company with approved registration from the BoI usually obtains fiscal and non-fiscal incentives under a pioneer status, including six years of income tax
holiday. Petron registered its depot modernization program with the BoI in February this year. Petron said last week all gasoline variants produced at its Bataan facility were now Euro-4 compliant, the first in the industry. The Euro-4 gasoline products are now available in Petron service stations in Mega Manila and will soon be available nationwide, meeting the government’s mandate ahead of schedule. The Energy Department is en-
couraging the oil companies to make the Euro 4 compliant fuels available starting June this year ahead of the January 2015 government schedule. Euro-4 is a globally-accepted European emission standard for vehicles, which require fuel with significantly low amounts of sulfur (0.005 percent or 50 parts per million) and benzene (maximum of 1 percent by volume). Reduced sulfur and benzene content in gasoline makes fuels more environment-friendly, as vehicles release less harmful emissions. The BoI recently approved the general policies and specific guidelines of the 2014-2016 Investments Priorities Plan. The agency approved about P96.2 billion in preferred investments for
new and expansion projects from 2010 to 2013. The 2014 IPP is a three-year document subject to annual review, unlike the previous listing which is drawn up annually The IPP focuses on the objectives of the Philippine Development Plan to ensure continuity, consistency and predictability, which are measures to improve business environment for domestic and foreign investors. The previous IPP contained a list of economic activities enumerated in Executive Order No. 226, or the Omnibus Investment Code of 1987, that are entitled to incentives. It also promotes inclusive business, corporate social responsibility and good corporate governance as tools for development.
EJAP partner. ING Bank Manila Branch teamed up with the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines for the fourth year to mount the ING-EJAP Forum. This year’s event, themed ‘The Philippines’ Transformation Story: Sustaining the Gains,’ featured Manuel Salak III (second from left), managing director and regional head for ING Asia-Commercial Banking Clients and Corporate Finance; Frederick Go (third from left), president of Robinsons Land Corp.; Budget Secretary Florencio Abad (sixth from left); and Giles Puno (seventh from left), president and chief operating officer of First Gen Corp. With them (from left) are EJAP president Paolo Montecillo of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, ING Bank country manager Consuelo Garcia (fourth), Thomson Reuters correspondent Karen Lema (fifth), and Forbes Philippines editor-in-chief Roel Landingin.
Stockholders okay capital hike of D&L Industries By Jenniffer B. Austria D&L INDUSTRIES Inc., a producer of food chemicals listed with the Philippine Stock Exchange, said shareholders approved a proposed increase in the company’s capital stock to P18 billion from P4 billion. D&L said the increase in the capital stock to P18 billion would enable the company to declare 100 percent stock dividend totaling 3.571 billion shares. The higher capital base will ensure the company’s financial flexibility in the future, while the stock dividends instead of equity sales will avoid shareholder dilu-
tion, D&L said. D&L also approved a regular cash dividend of P0.15 per share, or a total of P536 million, to shareholders of record at the close of business on June 30. Payment will be made on July 8. The dividend payment, excluding the special dividend of 100 percent stock, will bring the total cash returned to shareholders to P1.79 billion since the company listed on December 12, 2012. Meanwhile, D&L shareholders approved the sale of Chemrez Technologies’ property in Quezon City. The property comprises 6,000 square meters of land with building and other
improvements. D&L said the sale of the property was consistent with the company’s focus of deploying resources of the manufacturing group to core operations. Under the plan, the property will be sold to LBL Prime Properties, a real estate company also owned by the Lao family, for P335.4 million. LBL Prime specializes in the development of land and properties for industrial, commercial and hospitality use, D&L Industries in 2014 registered a proforma net income of P2.03 billion, or an earnings per share of P0.57, up 27 percent
from 2013. The company has committed to return to shareholders 25 percent of the prior year’s net income through dividends, with an option to declare special dividends. D&L Industries is a Filipino company engaged in product customization and specialization for the food, plastics and aerosol industries. Established in 1963, D&L has the largest market share in each of the industries it serves, as well as longstanding customer relationships with the Philippines’ leading consumer and manufacturing companies.
Stocks slump; Ayala declines THE stock market declined further Monday as strong US job figures increased the chances of a Fed interest rate hike before the end of the year. The Philippine Stock Exchange index fell 41.81 points, or 0.6 percent, to 7,484.89 on a value turnover of P5.3 billion. Emerging-market equities, meanwhile, headed for the longest slide since 1990 as China’s imports slumped, while the dollar retreated and European stocks fluctuated. Turkish shares plunged and the lira fell to a record after voters denied the ruling party a majority government. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index slid an 11th day, dropping 0.3 percent by 8:11 a.m. in London. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index swung between gains and losses, while US index futures were little changed. The dollar dropped, losing 0.4 percent against the yen and the euro. The lira weakened 4.2 percent and the Borsa Istanbul 100 Index tumbled the most in two years. Conglomerate Ayala Corp. dropped 1.4 percent to P760, while GT Capital Holdings Inc. of tycoon George Ty lost 2.3 percent to P1,353. Megaworld Corp., the biggest lessor of office spaces, slumped 2.7 percent to P4.64, while parent Alliance Global Group Inc. declined 1.1 percent P22.30. Shanghai stocks, meanwhile, ended at a seven-year high Monday after another round of weak Chinese data fueled hopes for fresh stimulus. Shanghai added 2.17 percent, or 108.78 points, to 5,131.88-the highest since January 2008--while Hong Kong rose 0.21 percent, or 56.12 points to close at 27,316.28. Tokyo pared earlier losses to end marginally lower, dipping 3.71 points to 20,457.19, while Seoul closed 0.14 percent down, giving up 2.91 points to 2,065.19. Sydney was closed for a public holiday. Official data Monday showed Chinese imports slumped 17.6 percent in May, a seventh straight fall, and much sharper than the median forecast of 10 percent by a Bloomberg News poll of economists. Imports had fallen 16.2 percent in April. Meanwhile, exports dropped for the third successive month, slipping 2.5 percent. With Bloomberg, AFP
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BUSINESS
BSP may reduce interest rates after inflation eased to 1.6% By Julito G. Rada THE Monetary Board, the policy-making body of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, may start reducing the policy interest rates in its next meeting this year, after inflation rate fell to a 20year low of 1.6 percent in May, an economist of ING Bank Asia said Monday. “The data raised the likelihood of BSP policy rate cut, though we retain our forecast that it will remain on hold in
2015 [Bloomberg consensus on hold],” ING Bank Asia chief economist Tim Condon said in a report. Condon said supply-side factors led to slower inflation in May, including food, housing, utilities and transportation. “We think the annual increase in tuition fees in June will provide a read on whether the low headline inflation has reduced inflation expectations. We consider the regular but infrequent sequential
increase a guide to inflation expectations. It averaged 4.5 percent in 2011 to 2014. Assuming a similar increase this year, we expect inflation to remain below the lower bound of the BSP’s 2 to 4 percent medium-term target for the rest of the year,” Condon said. The 1.6 percent May inflation brought the average in the first five months to 2.2 percent, at the lower end of the target range of 2 percent to 4 percent this year. Bangko Sentral Governor
Amando Tetangco Jr. earlier said monetary authorities would definitely consider the latest inflation reading in its next meeting on June 25 to see if there was a need to adjust the monetary policy stance. The Monetary Board in its last meeting on May 14 kept the key policy rates unchanged at 4 percent for overnight borrowing and 6 percent for overnight lending. The last time the board
changed the policy rates was on Sept. 11 last year, when overnight borrowing was increased by 25 basis points to 4 percent and overnight lending by 25 basis points to 6 percent. Bangko Sentral set an inflation rate target of 2 percent to 4 percent for 2015 to 2018. These targets were lower than the 2014 goal of 3 percent to 5 percent. Inflation rate averaged 4.1 percent in 2014, slightly above the mid-point of the target range of 3 to 5 percent.
SM buys Cherry’s 3 grocery outlets By Jenniffer B. Austria
THE group of tycoon Henry Sr. has acquired supermarket chain Cherry Foodarama, considered one of the pioneers in the domestic FTA preparation. The Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. and Philippine Trade Training Center a partnership in promoting awareness and understanding on the utilization of free trade agreements retail industry, in a move that is expected to signed among exporters. Shown sealing the partnership are (from left) PTTC information officer Leilani Arjonillo, PTTC further strengthen the conglomerate’s leading acting executive director Nestor Palabyab, PhilExport president Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr. and PhilExport managers Elsa Valenzuela and Gigi Digal. position in the business. Informed sources said the Sy Group acquired three supermarkets under the Cherry Foodarama chain located in Congressional Avenue in Quezon City, Marcos Highway in Antipolo, and Shaw Boulevard in Mandaluyong City for an undisclosed amount. Officials from Sy-led SM Prime Holdings Inc. and SM Investments Corp. did not immediately respond when asked for confirmation about the deal. Only two Cherry supermarkets, namely Cherry Foodarama Congressional and Cherry Foodarama Antipolo, are operational. Cherry Foodarama Shaw was originally rescheduled to reopen at its original site along Shaw Boulevard in Mandaluyong last month but this did not push through reportedly because of the entry of a new investor. Employees interviewed by The Standard at Cherry Foodarama, Congressional Avenue branch and Cherry Foodarama Antipolo outlet said they were informed by the management
last week that the supermarket chain had been acquired by the SM Group and that the existing stores would be closed down by June 25. The employees were not informed if they would be retained by the new owners and when would the stores be reopened. Cherry Foodarama, owned by the Ong family, in January celebrated its 62nd anniversary. The supermarket chain has been known to offer Filipino consumers low prices of local and imported brands and food items. SM group’s purchase of Cherry Foodarama would mark the second acquisition of a major local chain. SM Investments in 2013 signed a joint venture agreement with the Waltermart group through its units SM Retail Inc. and SM Prime Holdings Inc. SM’s retail operations as of end March 2015 had a total of 279 stores, comprising 50 The SM Stores, 40 SM Supermarkets, 43 SM Hypermarkets, 120 Savemore stores and 26 WalterMart stores.
BSP warns public against online scams BANGKO Sentral ng Pilipinas asked the public on Monday to refrain from answering suspicious e-mails and giving personal and financial information to avoid phishing scams. Phishing is a form of identity theft where someone steals or uses personal or sensitive information of another person without his knowledge or permission, through hacking into one’s personal account, hijacking one’s data and taking over one’s online identity, to commit fraudulent acts and crimes. “To avoid being victimized by phishing scams, do not reply to suspicious e-mails. Ignore and delete the message. Do not click any link in a suspicious message. Do not give personal and financial information requested through email,” Bangko Sentral said in
an advisory. “Instead, call your bank and send a letter to verify if such e-mail request is real. If you think you have given out information to a phisher, report the incident immediately to the company that was spoofed,” it said. The regulator said once the scammers obtained a person’s information, it might be possible for them to withdraw money or purchase items under one’s name, open a new bank or credit card account, use one’s present account to illegally deal with other people, or encash checks on other people’s behalf. Scammers may also install computer viruses and worms or embed them in another person’s e-mail and disseminate more phishing e-mails to other people. These fraudsters usually
send an e-mail with a generic greeting, such as “Dear customer” or “To our valued client” with an urgent message or content containing a threat such as “Verify your account”, “Update your account,” or “Failure to do so will result in account suspension.” The message is usually accompanied by a link that, when clicked, leads to a spoofed or fake Web site which requests personal and financial information such as user IDs, passwords and account and personal identification numbers. Phishing may be done in various methods other than e-mails, such as text messages, chat rooms, electronic fake banner advertisements or message boards, fake mailing lists, fake job search sites and job offers and fake browser toolbars. Julito G. Rada
T U E S D AY : J U N E 9, 2 0 1 5
BUSINESS business@thestandard.com.ph extrastory2000@gmail.com
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Why use Firefox? A FRIEND recently shifted from Mozilla Firefox to Google Chrome because his kids kept ragging him about it. “Papa, nobody uses Firefox anymore,” he quoted them as saying. This is a bit of an exaggeration, of course. In 2014, there were an estimated half a billion Firefox users around the world—which hardly qualifies as “nobody.” And while it is true that more people use Chrome than Firefox these days, we know that in computing as in life, the most popular isn’t always the best. So why do I still use Firefox? As a matter of principle, I don’t like having all my eggs in one basket. I already rely heavily on Google for search and for e-mail, so I don’t particularly want to give them greater control over my browser as well. This leads me to the first point: if you value privacy, use Firefox. Mozilla, the company that makes Firefox, was recognized as the Most Trusted Internet Company for Privacy by the Ponemon Institute. The company is serious about protecting user data, and spells it out clearly on its website. On the other hand, Google collects a lot of data from users through Chrome that can help its main business, which is advertising. While all of this is said to be aggregated and does not include information that can identify anyone specifically, I still do not want someone collecting data on my browsing habits. And this doesn’t even take into account Chrome extensions that can secretly install spyware on users’ systems. In April, Google removed 200 ad-injecting extensions from the Google Chrome Web Store after discovering they were serving up malicious software to some 14 million users, according to the website The State of Security. In one case alone, the website reports, Webpage Screenshot, a popular Chrome extension Screenshot with 1.2 million downloads, has been found to be collecting users’ browsing information with the purpose of selling the data to third parties. A second reason I stick to Firefox—and this may be surprising to some folks—is speed. The days when Google could claim that Chrome was the fastest browser in town are long over. In fact, independent benchmarks for 2015 show that Firefox is faster than Chrome in several categories, including JavaScript performance, an area that Google’s browser used to rule. And the performance improvements seem to come regularly, with each new release. Independent tests have also shown that Chrome now uses more memory than Firefox, which can have a significant impact on browser performance, particularly when multiple tabs are open. Although I’ve installed Chrome on both my Linux box and my MacBook Air and use it from time to time, I find that Firefox addresses one other requirement that Chrome does not: it gives me the ability to customize the browser. Themes let you dramatically change the way Firefox looks, and extensive customization options let you add, remove or move buttons and add sidebar menus. In comparison, Chrome’s customization options are downright paltry. Finally, I still fall back on a few invaluable Firefox extensions like DownThemAll the Chrome counterparts of which, to be honest, I’m too lazy to find on the Chrome Web Store. Despite all these advantages, Chrome continues to gain users, particularly among the young. Perhaps in this age of Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, privacy is no longer as valued as it should be. Or perhaps people still remember the days years ago when a stripped-down Chrome burst onto the scene with its promise of faster browsing—and before it fell victim to its own bloated memory use. Still, whether you use Firefox or Chrome, your employer should be happy. The Atlantic reports that researchers at Cornerstone OnDemand, which analyzed data from about 50,000 people who took a 45-minute job assessment, found that people who use a non-default browser such as Firefox and Chrome ended up staying at their jobs about 15 percent longer than those who stuck with Safari or Internet Explorer. Researchers haven’t established any causality, but chief analytics officer Michael Housman said they have a theory as to why the correlation exists. “I think that the fact that you took the time to install Firefox on your computer shows us something about you. It shows that you’re someone who is an informed consumer,” he told Freakonomics Radio. “You’ve made an active choice to do something that wasn’t default.” Column archives and blog at: http://www.chinwong.com
Tribal-Microsoft deal. Tribal Worldwide Philippines signed a technical partnership with Microsoft
Philippines to leverage Microsoft and open-source technologies to offer greater value for clients. Shown formalizing the partnership are (from left) Tribal managing partners Diane Chua and Jonathan Chua, Microsoft platform strategy manager Jojo Ayson, Tribal digital services head Ian Ong and Tribal executive creative director Eugene Demata.
Meralco customers to pay lower rates By Alena Mae S. Flores
Power distributor Manila Electric Co. said Tuesday electricity rates will go down for the second consecutive month in June on lower generation costs from suppliers. Meralco said rates would be lower by P0.58 per kilowatt-hour than prices in May, which would translate into monthly savings of P116 for a ]typical household consuming 200 kilowatt-hours a month. Meralco said in a statement the largest reduction in the overall rates came from the generation charge which went down by P0.36 per kWh to P4.45 this month from P4.81 in May. The generation charge in June
is also the lowest since October 2010, the company said. The reduction was mainly driven by lower charges from plants under the independent power producers and power supply agreements, owing to lower fuel costs and higher dispatch of the plants. Meralco said that after running for 19 days on alternate liquid fuel, while the Malampaya natural gas facility was on maintenance shutdown during the April sup-
ply month, the natural gas power plants, namely, Ilijan, First GasSta. Rita, and First Gas-San Lorenzo, operated on less expensive Malampaya natural gas in May. Meralco’s IPPs and PSAs registered reductions of P0.67 and P0.59 per kWh, respectively. “The reductions in IPP and PSA rates more than offset a P2.85 per kWh increase in charges from the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market,” Meralco said. WESM, the country’s trading floor of electricity, exhibited noticeable price spikes beginning the week of May 11, as a number of plants went on forced outages or reduced their output. The high WESM clearing prices, which at times approached P30 per kWh, were sustained for the rest of the May supply month.
Capiz technopark declared Peza zone PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III issued Proclamation No. 1034, declaring Pueblo de Panay Technopark in Roxas City as a special economic zone under the Philippine Economic Zone Authority. The presidential proclamation, signed on May 21, awarded the seven-hectare Pueblo de Panay TechnoPark inside the Pueblo de Panay township in Roxas City, Capiz province and its locators with tax and non-fiscal incentives. Pueblo de Panay also became the first IT - business process management park in Northern Panay in Western Visayas. “This important declaration brings us closer to our goal of creating a bustling IT-BPM industry in Northern Panay, which could boost economic activity and gen-
erate a significant amount of job opportunities in the region,” said PdP TechnoPark project head and chief operating officer Victoria Hariette Ong-Banzon. “We are working closely with the newly formed Capiz ICT Council who, like us, believe that Roxas City is ready to become the next IT-BPM destination in Western Visayas,” Ong-Banzon said. She said aside from the high quality of living and competitive business climate in Roxas City, there was a wealth of talent not only in Capiz, but also in the neighboring provinces of Antique, Aklan, Northern Iloilo, Masbate, Mindoro and Romblon. Under Republic Act 7916, otherwise known as the “Special Economic Zone Act of 1995”, certain
privileges are granted by the national government to the businessowners and investors operating inside the ecozone. The law provides special tax incentives and holidays to business establishments operating in the ecozone. PdP TechnoPark, with its strategic location in the 400-hectare multi-zoned Pueblo de Panay township, is envisioned to jumpstart an IT-BPM industry that puts a premium on work-life balance. The TechnoPark will rise in the IT zone of the township, close to the educational and leisure zones. Pueblo de Panay township is also home to the Roxas City integrated transport terminal and major establishments such as Robinsons Place.
TUESDAY: JUNE 9, 2015
B6
BUSINESS business@thestandard.com.ph extrastory2000@gmail.com
MNTC allots P8.6b for C5 link By Darwin G. Amojelar
MANILA North Tollways Corp. said it will spend P8.6 billion to extend the North Luzon Expressway to Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City. MNTC president and chief executive Rodrigo Franco told reporters the construction cost of the NLEX Segment 8.2 or the C5 link would amount to P8.6 billion, while the government would finance the right-of-way acquisition amounting to P1.9 billion. The 7.85-kilometer C5 link will start from the end of Segment 8.1 at Mindanao Ave. and end at Commonwealth Ave. in Quezon City. Franco said the C5 link aimed to decongest Metro Manila as it would provide alternative access to mainline NLEX further east
of Metro Manila, bypassing Edsa and Balintawak toll plaza. “It will Improve transport logistics and operational efficiency with more efficient movement of trucks and haulers in and out of the ports located in Manila,” he said. Franco said the company expected to start the construction of the project in the second half of 2015 and to be completed in 2019. “We’re now talking with the LGU [local government unit] of Quezon City and DPWH [Department of Public Works and Highways] so that we can clear the right of way,” he said.
The P11.5-billion Segment 10 of NLEX, which started construction in June last year, is expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2016. Daily traffic for Segment 10 is projected to reach 30,000 vehicles. The company is also building the P18-billion NLEX-SLEX connector road project, which is up for a Swiss Challenge in the third quarter of the year. The NLEX-SLEX connector will include a five-kilometer common alignment from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines campus to Buendia in Makati City. The common alignment would be financed by Citra Metro Manila Tollways Corp., which is separately constructing the P26.7billion Skyway Stage 3 Project. The NLEX-SLEX connector road is expected to be completed by 2017, about a year later than its original target of June 2015.
OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
NATIONAL HOUSING AUTHORITY Invitation to Bid The National Housing Authority (NHA), through the Corporate Budget approved by the NHA Board for the year 2015 intends to apply the sum of the Approved Budget for the Contracts (ABCs) to payments for the following contracts: Ref. No.
Projects
ABC/ Source of Funds (P)
Duration (c.d.)
Work Description
2015 -06125
Transport Services (Vans) for the Elderly, Women and Children of Informal Settler Families in Danger Areas of Navotas City
11,237,102.00 NG Subsidy
290
Provision of vans to transport elderly, women & children of ISFs living in danger areas in Navotas City to identified resettlement sites in Navotas City & Bulacan
2015 -06126
Trucking Services to Transport Belongings of Informal Settler Families Living along Waterways and Danger Areas in Valenzuela City
7,323,118.75 NG Subsidy
100
Provision of trucks to transport belongings of ISFs living along waterways and danger areas in Valenzuela City to identified resettlement sites in Valenzuela City
201506127
Transport Services (Vans) for the Elderly, Women and Children of Informal Settler Families in Danger Areas of Malabon City
6,068,376.75 NG Subsidy
154
Provision of vans to transport elderly, women & children of ISFs living in danger areas in Malabon City to identified resettlement sites in Malabon City & Bulacan
201506128
Transport Services (Vans) for the Elderly, Women and Children of Informal Settler Families in Danger Areas of Caloocan City
3,906,693.20 NG Subsidy
99
Provision of vans to transport elderly, women & children of ISFs living in danger areas in Caloocan City to identified resettlement sites in Caloocan City and Bulacan
201506129
Transport Services (Vans) for the Elderly, Women and Children of Informal Settler Families in Danger Areas of Valenzuela City
3,687,332.30 NG Subsidy
100
Provision of vans to transport elderly, women & children of ISFs living in danger areas in Valenzuela City to identified resettlement sites in Valenzuela City
Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening. The NHA now invites bids for the above-cited contracts. Delivery of the Goods is required within the duration herein cited upon receipt of Notice to Proceed. Bidders should have completed, within five years from the date of submission of bids, a single contract similar to the Project costing at least fifty percent (50%) of the ABC. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using nondiscretionary pass/fail criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”. Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines. A complete set of Bidding Documents shall be issued only to bidders/authorized official representatives or employees of the bidder who can show proof of Notarized Authority to secure bid documents for the specific Project and Official Company ID upon submission of a Letter of Intent (LOI) and upon Cash Payment of non-refundable fee of P10,500.00 for Ref. No. 2015-06-125, P7,000.00 for Ref. No. 2015-06-126, P6,000.00 for Ref. No. 2015-06-127 and P4,000.00 for Ref. Nos. 2015-06-128 & 2015-06-129 at the Office of the NHA-BAC 2 Secretariat, 2nd Floor NHA Main Building, Diliman, Quezon City starting on June 9, 2015. For further information, the NHA BAC 2 Secretariat may be contacted at Tel/FAX. No. 928-8272. The NHA will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on June 23, 2015, 9:00 a.m. at the NCR Conference Room, 3rd Floor NHA Main Building, Elliptical Road, Diliman, Quezon City, which shall be OPEN only to all interested parties who have purchased the Bidding Documents. Bids must be delivered at the Operations Center, 3rd Floor NHA Main Building, Elliptical Road, Diliman, Quezon City on July 9, 2015, not later than 9:00 a.m. All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount as stated in BDS. Bid opening shall follow immediately after the deadline of submission of bids at the same venue. Bids will be opened in the presence of the Bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address above. Late bids shall not be accepted. The NHA 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.
(SGD)VICTOR C. BALBA Chairperson, Bids and Awards Committee 2 (BAC 2) NATIONAL HOUSING AUTHORITY ( T S - J U N E 9 , 2 015 )
DD goes to main board of exchange By Jenniffer B. Austria DOUBLEDRAGON Properties Corp. said Monday it obtained the go-signal from the Philippine Stock Exchange to move up to the main board from the small and medium enterprise board due to the substantial improvement in its financial position. The effectivity date of DoubleDragon’s transfer to the main board will be set and announced by the PSE, the company said in a disclosure to the stock exchange. “We are looking forward to achieving even better trading multiples as we enter the big league and navigate through this exciting high growth stage over the next several years,” said Hannah Yulo, DD chief investment officer and senior vice president for corporate finance. “We believe that as several of our projects around the country near completion, coupled with the positive development of the PSE’s approval for DD to move up to the main board, the company will become more even more relevant to long term investors that recognize DD’s exceptional growth potential,” Yulo added. DoubleDragon is the 10th largest listed property company in terms of market capitalization. It aims to become one of the top five largest property companies in the Philippines by 2020. The company is implementing an expansion plan that will enable it to accumulate 1 million square meters (100 hectares) of prime leasable space in its portfolio over the next five years, primarily from 100 CityMalls being rolled out across the country.
K-to-12 opponents: Latter-day Luddites THE opponents of the government’s K-to-12 program, the curriculum revision program that seeks to add two years to the basic-education system in this country, reminds me of an early nineteenth century movement that threatened to impede the progress of the Industrial Revolution. K-to-12 program is being fully implemented this year. The Luddites, whose leader was a man surnamed Lud, were active in the Midlands of Great Britain, during the years 18111812. At that time, the series of technical developments that made Great Britain the West’s leading country--collectively known as the Industrial Revolution--was in full swing. The protest of the Luddites was not of the peaceful kind. Believing that the machines being introduced into the workplaces by the Industrial Revolution were causing the displacement of industrial workers, they set about vandalizing and destroying all the machinery that they could get their hands on. There was much destruction of property and many deaths and arrests. The Luddite movement never posed a serious threat to the forward march of the Industrial Revolution. It was largely confined to the Midlands area around Birmingham. But it was a distraction and created disruption and distress while it lasted. In the end, with Lud and his lieutenants subdued, the Luddite agitation came to the end. The Industrial Revolution, like any movement aimed at betterment, proceeded along its purposeful way to make Britain the greatest industrial power of the early nineteenth century. How do the Luddites connect with the opponents of the K-to-12 program? Like the Luddites, the people who have been assailing K-to12 program at every turn--even petitioning the Supreme Court to declare the program unconstitutional--have taken a position against progress. The great majority of the people of Great Britain gradually came to accept that while many jobs indeed were being taken away by machines, the overall impact of the Industrial Revolution on the British economy was economic expansion on the basis of greater industrial efficiency. The Industrial Revolution needed to be allowed to proceed unhampered if Great Britain was to maintain its newly attained position as the industrial leader of the Western world. The opponents of the K-to-12 program are behaving like the latter-day incarnation of the Luddites. A new government program that produces some pain or dislocation for a small segment of the population must be stopped even if the program’s overall impact is progress and prosperity for the rest of the nation. In proposing the long-studied K-to-12 program, the government was aware, and let the Filipino people know, that K-to-12 would produce some additional costs and losses for the education sector’s stakeholders, especially the government (more infrastructure spending), the parents (two more years of schooling costs) and the teachers (loss of college-level positions because of the restructuring of the high school system). In this regard, the government’s theme song should be “I Never Promised You a Rose Garden.” Of course, there would be attendant pain. As the saying goes, no pain, no gain. Something had to be done at last to correct the situation where the Philippines was one of only two East Asian countries that still had a 10-year basic-education system. A 12-year system had been discussed for so long. The present administration, under the leadership of Secretary of Education Armin Luistro, decided that the time for studying and talking was over. And so the K-to-12 program is being rolled out in the current school year. The original group of Luddites could not stop the Industrial Revolution. Neither will their 21st century brothers stop the K-to-12 program. E-mail: rudyromero777@yahoo.com
T U E S D AY : J U N E 9, 2 0 1 5
WORLD
CESAR BARRIOQUINTO EDITOR
editorial@thestandard.com.ph
B7
Abe again urged to apologize TOKYO—Japanese academics on Monday urged Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to renew apologies for the country’s imperialist past and offer to compensate the victims of its wartime brothel system, in the latest intervention from educationalists. The move comes as the nationalist Abe prepares a statement he is expected to deliver in August. It is being closely watched for any sign of backsliding on previous Japanese apologies. Nearly 200 academics including experts on Japanese and Korean history signed the statement imploring Abe to repeat previous explicit prime ministerial apologies for Japanese violence. The statement, also signed by dozens of journalists, lawyers and rights activists, said Abe’s expected announcement “must reaffirm that invasion and colonial control caused harm and pain to neighbor countries... and it must express renewed
People trafficker suspect shot dead DHAKA—A Rohingya man suspected of involvement in people trafficking has been shot dead in Bangladesh, police said Monday, as the country battles a migrant crisis. Police said the 30-year-old man died in an early morning gunfight between two groups of human traffickers in Teknaf near Bangladesh’s border with Myanmar. The area is home to 32,000 registered Rohingya refugees who are sheltering in two camps, as well as between 200,000 and 300,000 undocumented Rohingya. “He was charged with at least three human trafficking offences and his name was in the list of human traffickers prepared by the home ministry,” local police chief Ataur Rahman told AFP, referring to the dead suspect, who he identified only as Amanullah. However, a Rohingya community leader in the Nayapara refugee camp said Amanullah, a resident of the camp, had been shot dead while in police custody. AFP
sentiments of regret and apology”. Signatories say Tokyo must face up to its responsibility for the sexual enslavement of thousands of women, an issue at the heart of the bitter enmity between Japan and South Korea, from where most of the women came. “We emphasize resolution of the comfort women issue this time, as the relationship between Japan and South Korea has been strained,” said one of the organizers Haruki Wada, historian and professor emeritus of Tokyo University, using Japan’s preferred euphemism. “We hope Prime Minister Abe will reflect our voices in his state-
ment,” Wada told AFP. Abe’s predecessors offered explicit apologies for colonial rule and aggression on the 50th and 60th anniversaries of the war’s end, but he has hinted he is unlikely to repeat that -- saying instead he wants to issue a “forward-looking” statement. That sentiment has caused disquiet among Japanese liberals and anger in Beijing and Seoul, which insist Tokyo has not made amends. Japan offered an apology to former sex slaves in 1993 -- the words of which remain government policy -- but campaigners accuse Abe of playing down any official role by the country or its military. “A renewed effort is called for from the government of Japan” in taking steps “towards the fifty or so surviving victims”, the letter said. The latest open letter comes after a similar one last month signed by several hundred academics. Weeks later, six-
teen Japanese academic societies—including the Historical Science Society of Japan—issued a statement echoing the letter. 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 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. Abe has said he stands by previous pronouncements, but questions the need for Japan repeatedly to apologize for events more than seven decades ago. AFP
Nature’s bounty. This picture taken on June 7 shows a farmer arranging
lychees picked from a garden in Thanh Ha district in the northern province of Hai Duong. Thousands of tons of lychee are expected to be exported from Vietnam this year to new markets abroad including Australia and the USA. AFP PAMPUBLIKONG KAALAMAN SA PAGANGKAT PARA SA DIREKTONG PAGGAMIT NA PAGKAIN NG TAO, HAYOP AT PAGPROSESO MUNGKAHI PARA SA PAG-ANGKAT NG Soybean o Utaw na may Taglay na Event SYHT0H2 para sa Direktong Pag-gamit Bilang Pagkain ng Tao, Hayop at Pagproseso
S ECU R I T Y PL A N T C O M PL E X B I D S A N D AWA R D S CO M M I T T E E I N V I TAT I O N TO B I D The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), through its Bids and Awards Committee-Security Plant Complex (BaAC-SPC), invites bidders to apply for eligibility and to bid for the hereunder requirement: Requirement/Brief Description
Supply, delivery, installation, and commissioning of one (1) unit Shrink Wrapping Machine, per BSP Technical Specifications & Other Requirements and Terms & Conditions
Approved Budget for the Contract
USD 85,205.95, Delivery at Place (DAP) BSP-SPC, Quezon City, Philippines
Delivery/Completion Period
The delivery and commissioning of all equipment, including training of personnel shall be within one hundred twenty (120) calendar days from opening of letter of credit.
1. Bidders should have completed from Y2010 to present a contract similar to the requirement. The Eligibility Check/Screening and Preliminary Examination of Bids shall use non-discretionary “pass/fail” criteria. 2. All particulars and activities relative to Eligibility of Bidders, Bid Security, Performance Security, Pre-bid Conference(s), Evaluation of Bids, Post-qualification and Award of Contract shall be governed by Republic Act No. 9184 and its Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations.
Activities a. Issuance of Bid Documents
Schedule/Location b. Starting 08 June 2015 c. (from 9:00 A.M. to 2:00 P. M. only) d. Department of General Services, Rm. 405, 4th Floor, Bldg. A, BSP, East Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City Tel. No. 926-2575 / Fax No. 927-8457
e. Pre-bid Conference
19 June 2015 at 9:00 A.M. Rm. 401, BAC-SPC Conference Room, 4th Floor, Bldg. A, BSP, East Avenue, Diliman, QC
f.
03 July 2015 at 2:00 P.M. Rm. 401, BAC-SPC Conference Room, 4th Floor, Bldg. A, BSP, East Avenue, Diliman, QC
Opening of Bids
1. Applicant’s name, Address, Telephone Number,Facsimile Number, E-Mail address (Please contact this address for more information) Pangalan ng aplikante, address, numero ng telepono, numero ng fax, e-mail address (Mangyaring makipag-ugnayan sa address na ito para sa karagdagang impormasyon) SYNGENTA Philippines, Inc. 12/F Two World Square, #22 Upper McKinley Road, McKinley Town Center, Fort Bonifacio, 1630 Taguig City, Philippines, Tel: +63 2 3702623; Fax: +63 2 8569259 c/o ba_cau.duong@syngenta.com BAYER CROPSCIENCE, Inc. 3/F Bayer House, Canlubang Industrial Estate Calamba, Laguna 4028 Philippines Tel: +63 2 450 5400; Fax: +63 049 549 0498 c/o recher.ondap@bayer.com 2. Name of Responsible Officer/Authorized Representative Pangalan ng Kaukulang Opisyal/Awtorisadong Kinatawan Duong Ba Cau, Commercial Unit Head (Syngenta Philippines, Inc.) Recher E. Ondap, Seeds Head (Bayer CropScience, Inc.) Felipe S. dela Cruz, Jr., Regulatory Affairs Manager (Syngenta Philippines, Inc.) 3. Description of the Regulated Article for Importation (mention the crop, transformation event, new trait conferred, name of gene transferred,method of transformation, and advantages of the trait conferred) Paglalarawan ng produktong aangkatin (banggitin ang tanim, transformation event, bagong katangian na idinagdag, pangalan ng “gene” na inilipat, pamamaraan ng transformation, at kalamangan ng katangiang idinagdag) Soybean with Event SYHT0H2 was genetically modified using Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. It contains two novel genes. The first, the pat gene, encodes the phosphinothricin acetyltransferase (PAT) enzyme which when expressed in plants, acetylates L-phosphinothricin, the active form of the glufosinate-ammonium herbicide, resulting in post-emergence tolerance. The second gene, the avhppd-03 gene, encodes the p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase enzyme (AvHPPD-03) derived from oat. AvHPPD-03 has reduced binding affinity to certain HPPD-inhibiting herbicides compared to native soybean HPPD. When expressed in soybean, AvHPPD-03 results in pre- and post-emergence tolerance to HPPD-inhibiting herbicides, such as mesotrione. Soybean Event SYHT0H2 is a viable option for weed management in soybean production areas as pre- and post-emergence herbicide tolerant plant. Ang soybean o utaw na may taglay na SYHT0H2 ay nalikha sa pamamagitan ng makabagong pamamaran ng bioteknolohiya sa tulong ng bakteryang Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Ang utaw na ito ay nagtataglay ng dalawang naiibang “genes”. Ang una ay tinatawag na “pat gene”, na kapag ito ay nakapaloob sa halaman, ay gumagawa o bumubuo ng isang produkto upang mapawalang bisa ang epekto ng pamatay-damo na may glufosinate-ammonium. Sa pamamagitan nito, ang utaw ay magkakaroon ng kakayahan para hindi masunog ng pamatay-damo na may glufosinate habang ang mga damo sa paligid nito ay mamamatay. Ang pangalawang gene na nagmula sa halamang obena o oats ay ang “avhppd-03 gene”. Ito naman ay nagbibigay kakayahan sa halaman upang mapawalang bisa ang epekto ng pamatay-damong kagaya ng mesotrione. Dahil dito, ang utaw ay magiging matibay sa pamatay-damo bago sumibol o pagkatapos sumibol ang mga halaman. Ang SYHT0H2 ay magbibigay kakayahan sa utaw na maging matibay laban sa pamatay-damo bago sumibol o pagkatapos sumibol ng halaman. Ito ay isang mabuting paraan para sa pamamahala ng mga madadamong lugar kung saan ang utaw ay malawakang itinatanim. 4. If to be Imported, Country (ies) of Origin of the Regulated Article (Kung aangkatin, pangalan ng bansa o mga bansang panggagalingan ng produkto) USA and Canada 5. Brief Summary of Potential Effects on Human Health and the Environment (Maikling buod ng mga potensyal na epekto sa kalusugan ng tao, hayo at sa kapaligiran) SYHT0H2 soybean has been adequately assessed to demonstrate its safety as food and feed. Analysis of nutritional components and composition profile of forage and seeds from SYHT0H2 soybean showed no differences from conventional soybean that would affect human or animal health. Feeding studies showed no adverse effect on broiler chicken fed with SYHT0H2 soybean meal. Based on allergenicity and toxicity studies specifically conducted to assess its safety and from data currently available from the scientific literatures, SYHT0H2 soybean is substantially equivalent to and is as safe as conventional soybean. It is essentially the same as its conventional counterpart, except for its built-in tolerance to glufosinate-ammonium containing herbicide and tolerance to HPPD inhibiting herbicides, such as mesotrione. Ang utaw na may taglay na SYHT0H2 ay may sapat na pag-aaral upang maipakita na ito’y ligtas na pagkain ng tao at hayop. Ang pagsusuri sa nutrisyon at iba pang katangian ng halaman at buto galing sa utaw na may taglay na SYHT0H2 ay nagpakita na wala itong pagkakaiba sa tradisyunal na utaw. Ito rin ay katulad at kasing ligtas ng tradisyunal na utaw base sa mga isinagawang pag-aaral ukol sa kakayahan nitong makasanhi ng alerhiya at makalason, at base na din sa mga datos na kasalukuyang magagamit. Ang mga pagsusuring ito ay isinagawa upang malaman ang kaligtasan ng utaw na may SYHTOH2. Ang tanging kaibahan ng utaw na may SYHT0H2 sa tradisyunal na utaw ay ang taglay nitong lakas laban sa pamatay-damo na may glufosinate at mesotrione. Brief Summary of Potential Benefits (Describe how the new trait will benefit farming, the farmer, the farming environment, and society as a whole) Maikling buod ng mga potensyal na benepisyo. (Ilarawan kung paano mapakikinabangan ang bagong trait na ito sa pagsasaka, sa magsasaka, sa kapaligiran ng sakahan, at sa lipunan sa kabuuan.
3. The bidding documents are posted at the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the BSP Website (www.bsp.gov.ph). Prospective bidders may download the bidding documents from any of these websites; provided that bidders shall pay a non-refundable fee PhP5,000.00 at the address above prior to, or upon submission of their bids.
Since SYHT0H2 soybean will be a traded commodity, the society will be the main beneficiary in case importation will be required to supply the industry with grains for food, feed and for processing. Soybean oil is used in a wide variety of foods and is the predominant soybean-based product consumed by humans while soybean meal is widely used as a protein source in animal feed.
4. The pre-bid conference shall be open to interested parties. However, only those who have purchased the bidding documents shall be allowed to participate in the pre-bid conference and raise or submit written queries or clarifications. Technical/administrative representatives should attend the pre-bid conference to ensure completeness and compliance of bids. Attendance of representatives will be limited to two (2) personnel only.
Countries where Approvals have been granted (for FFP) (Mga bansa na may pahintulot sa paggamit ng produktong SYHT0H2 na soybean)
5. The BSP assumes no responsibility whatsoever to compensate or indemnify any bidder for expenses incurred in the preparation of bid.
The public is hereby invited to submit their comments to the BPI Director (within 30 days from the date of publication) on the Proposal for the Importation of Event SYHT0H2 Soybean for direct use as food and feed, or for processing.
6. The BSP reserves the right to reject any bid, declare a failure of bidding, not award the contract, annul the bidding process and reject all bids at any time prior to award of contract, without thereby incurring any liability to affected bidders. Further, the BSP reserves the right to waive any minor defects or formality and to accept the proposal most advantageous to the agency.
(TS-JUNE 9, 2015)
Dahil ang utaw na may taglay na SYHT0H2 ay ikakalakal, ang lipunan ang magiging pangunahing benepisyaryo kung sakaling kakailanganin ang importasyon upang matustusan ang industiya ng buto para sa pagkain ng tao at hayop, at para sa pagproseso. Ang mantikang galing sa utaw ay ginagamit sa iba’t-ibang uri ng pagkain at ito ang pangunahing produktong galing sa utaw na kinakain ng tao habang ito rin ang malaking pinagkukunan ng protina para sa pagkain ng mga hayop.
Event SYHT0H2 was approved in Australia/New Zealand (food), Taiwan (food), South Africa (food), US-FDA (food, feed, processing), USDA (cultivation), Russia (feed) and Canada (food, feed and cultivation). Ang utaw na may taglay na SYHT0H2 ay aprobado sa Australia/New Zealand (pagkain ng tao), Taiwan, (pagkain ng tao), South Africa ( pagkain ng tao), US-FDA (pagkain ng tao, hayop at sa pagproseso), USA (pagtatanim), Russia (pagkain ng hayop) at Canada (pagkain ng tao at hayop, at sa pagtatanim).
Ang publiko ay inaanyayahang magbigay ng kanilang komentaryo sa Direktor ng BPI (sa loob ng 30 araw mula sa petsa ng pagkakalathala) tungkol sa Panukalang Pag-angkat ng utaw na SYHT0H2 upang maging pagkain ng tao at hayop, at sa pagproseso. Director Bureau of Plant Industry San Andres, Malate, Manila Telephone Number 525-7857 Fax Number 521-7650 E-Mail: bpibiotechsecretariat@yahoo.com Approved for Publication: (SGD.) PAZ J. BENAVIDEZ II Assistant Secretary for Regulations and OIC-Director Bureau of Plant Industry
Sgd. CYNTHIA B. CASALME Vice Chairperson ( T S - J U N E 9 , 2 015 )
T U E S D AY : J U N E 9, 2 0 1 5
B8
CESAR BARRIOQUINTO EDITOR
editorial@thestandard.com.ph
WORLD
Heartache for Japan’s old, real-life male virgins TOKYO—Takashi Sakai is a healthy 41-year-old heterosexual man with a good job and a charming smile. But he’s never had sex, one of a growing number of middle-aged Japanese men who are still virgins. Sakai has never even had any kind of relationship with a woman, and says he has no idea how he might get to know one. “I’ve never had a girlfriend. It’s never happened,” he said. “It’s not like I’m not interested. I admire women. But I just cannot get on the right track.” It might sound like the subject for a Hollywood comedy, but far from being the social misfit portrayed by Steve Carell in 2005’s “The 40-Year-Old Virgin”, Sakai is one of a crowd. A 2010 survey by the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research found that around a quarter of unmarried Japanese men in their 30s were still virgins—even leading to the coining of a specific term, “yaramiso,” to describe them. The figure was up around three percentage points from a similar survey in 1992. The period corresponds with Japan’s prolonged economic slowdown, after a stock and asset bubble burst and the one-time financial powerhouse suffered years of lacklustre growth. Matchmaking expert Yoko Itamoto says the economic emasculation has taken its toll on Japan’s men, as more of them struggle to find secure, full-time jobs. “Many men seem to have lost confidence as they’ve lost their economic muscle,” she said. “In the past two decades, the situation for Japanese men has been very tough and competitive.” The pain caused by an inability to form emotional and physical relationships with women is something that one 49-year-old architect, who did not wish to be named, knows too well. Only twice in his life has he had romantic and sexual feelings for a woman—the first time in his midtwenties and then again two decades later. AFP
Joint operation. Soldiers of the Malian Armed Forces (front) and French soldiers of the 93rd Mountain Artillery Regiment patrol on June 6 in Timbuktu during the joint operation “La Madine 3” part of the French Army’s “Operation Barkhane,” an anti-terrorist operation in the Sahel. AFP
G7 leaders to be firm on Ukraine, insurgents ELMAU CASTLE, Germany—World leaders at a G7 summit in Germany were on Monday set to present a united front against global security threats ranging from jihadist insurgencies to what US President Barack Obama condemned as “Russian aggression in Ukraine”. Barring Russian President Vladimir Putin for a third time, the Group of Seven leaders have invited others beyond the club of rich nations, including Iraq’s pre-
mier and Nigeria’s president, both battling deadly Islamist violence. Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi was scheduled to discuss the US-led campaign to help his country fight the Islamic State extremists who launched a lightning offensive a year ago and have snatched over a third of the country’s territory. Abadi will also get one-on-one time with Obama to discuss the Washington-led campaign to help Baghdad recover territory lost to IS militants, whose self-proclaimed “caliphate” extends deep into neighboring Syria. The power summit, held in a tightly-secured resort in the picture-postcard Bavarian Alps, was also expected to hold talks on “foreign fighters” and the threat
Islamist extremism poses to their countries—Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States. Another visitor to the summit, Nigeria’s newly elected President Muhammadu Buhari, was to put a “shopping list” to the G7 leaders, seeking help to fight an insurgency by Boko Haram Islamists blamed for 15,000 deaths since 2009. Buhari has been tested with 11 separate attacks that have left at least 93 dead in the week he has been in the job. The first day of the G7 was dominated by the Ukraine conflict, as Obama and the summit host, Chancellor Angela Merkel, urged the global community to stand firm against Moscow until it complies with a Ukraine ceasefire deal
struck in the Belarussian capital Minsk. “I expect that we should send a firm signal here. Not sanctions as an end to itself, but sanctions... to reach a target,” Merkel told ZDF television. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Canada’s Stephen Harper on Saturday made a point of visiting Kiev on their way to the summit, to voice support for Ukraine’s embattled leaders, as a recent flareup in fighting in the east has left at least 28 dead. Although Putin has insisted that “there’s no need to be afraid of Russia”, the latest escalation has sparked fears that the hard-won ceasefire brokered by France and Germany four months ago could be derailed. AFP
China economy shows more weakness
After the tests. This picture taken on June 7 shows a student posing for photos after she completed the first day of the annual national college entrance examination, or the “Gaokao,” outside a high school in Beijing. Nearly 10 million high school students sat for China’s make-or-break college entrance exams under tight security on June 7 to June 8. AFP
BEIJING—Chinese imports fell for a seventh straight month in May while exports also sank, according to official data Monday, as the world’s second biggest economy shows a protracted weakness despite government easing measures. The disappointing figures also come as leaders try to transform the economy to one where growth is driven by consumer spending rather than by government investment and exports. Imports slumped 17.6 percent year-on-year to $131.26 billion, the General Administration of Customs said in a statement. The decline was much sharper
than the median forecast of a 10 percent fall in a Bloomberg News poll of economists and followed April’s 16.2 percent drop. “The May trade data... suggest both external and domestic demand remain weak,” said Julian Evans-Pritchard, an analyst with research firm Capital Economics, in a note. Exports dropped for the third consecutive month, falling 2.5 percent to $190.75 billion, Customs said, although that was better than the median estimate of a four percent fall in the Bloomberg survey. The sharp decrease in imports meant the trade surplus expand-
ed 65.6 percent year-on-year to $59.49 billion. In yuan terms imports fell 18.1 percent, exports decreased 2.8 percent and the trade surplus expanded 65.0 percent. The figures provided further evidence that frailty in the Chinese economy, a key driver of world growth, has extended into the current quarter despite intensified government stimulus measures. The gross domestic product grew 7.4 percent in 2014, the lowest rate in nearly a quarter of a century, while the new year has shown few signs of a reversal in the slowing trend. AFP
T U E S D AY : J U N E 0 9 : 2 0 1 5
BING PAREL A S S O C I AT E E D I T O R
BERNADETTE LUNAS WRITER life @ thestandard.com .ph
LIFE
C1
Café Ilang-Ilang
AROUND THE WORLD AT CAFÉ ILANG-ILANG G
Executive Pastry Chef Jerome Benda
astronomes will enjoy a virtual global tour simply by visiting the famed Café Ilang-Ilang of The Manila Hotel. The spacious restaurant is a renaissance of chic casual dining which brings together a vast array of cuisines from across all continents. Named as one of the best restaurants by Philippine Tatler in 2014, the all day dining café has nine uniquely-designed buffet stations showcasing some of the best dishes all over the globe. It also has live cooking stations where chefs prepare guests’ meals right before their very eyes. The Cigar Room or the Wine & Cheese Room is also available for intimate gatherings with family and friends. Head to the Japanese buffet station and enjoy your favorite tempura hot off the fryer or the freshly sliced sashimi. Have your fill of baby back ribs and roast beef with sauces at the Churrasco station. The restaurant also boasts of its Halal
kitchen, which adheres to all Islamic culinary practices all over the world. Pizza lovers meantime are in for a treat in the Italian station with a wide array of pizza flavors prepared in a wood-fired oven. Aside from the signature Pizza Manila Hotel, guests can also indulge in the freshly made pastas by the restaurant’s skillful team. The Desserts Station under the supervision of Chef Jerome, the new Executive Pastry Chef, is a feast of color and flavor with diners flocking to taste his signature macarons – one of the chef ’s specialties. Not to be missed are the station’s selection of sugar-free treats guaranteed to satiate the sweet tooth without busting the waistline. For inquiries and reservations, please call Café Ilang-Ilang at 527 00 11 local 1317 or 1318. For updates and promos, visit www.Facebook.com/ TheManilaHotel or via Twitter at @ManilaHotel.
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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph
KIDS AND ONLINE FORUMS ARE TOP TRAVEL-PLANNING INFLUENCERS BY ED BIADO
With the wealth of information available on the Internet for free, it makes sense that most tourists now prefer to consult online sources for tips and information on travel destinations. Hotel-booking service Agoda. com’s Travel Smarts survey found that almost three out of four travelers rely on the Web to help them with planning their trips. The most popular online source are forums (34 percent), which are a platform for consumers to exchange personal opinions, tips and anecdotes, as well as provide honest reviews in real time. Online folks also look to blogs and independent websites (28 percent) and travel apps (9 percent) for all sorts of travel-related information. Meanwhile, those who prefer things old school talk to locals for advice (13 percent) and still carry around printed guidebooks (12 percent). (For years since around the recession, the “rapid decline” of the printed travel guide has been widely discussed in the media, though some suggest that these books could be on the brink of a comeback.) Travelers who get their information online also share their experiences. Four out of five say they either post reviews, share on social media or comment on blogs and forums. Only 21 percent of Agoda’s survey respondents report not sharing anything online.
“It’s no surprise that more and more travelers trust online sources the most. When travelers turn to Internet resources, they benefit from the combined knowledge and experience of countless other travelers, and can also target their research to suit their particular needs in a way they never could before,” says Agoda COO John Brown. Being very active online, both as a consumer and creator of content, is characteristically millennial. And a separate survey, commissioned by vacation rental marketplace HomeAway, found that millennial parents are the most likely to give their children “full control” of choosing a vacation location, with one out of three allowing the tiny tots to make the final decision. This significantly contrasts from statistics from a decade ago, when moms were identified as the key decision makers in travel planning. While older family heads are not as flexible as younger ones – only two percent of the over-55 crowd leave their children in charge – an overwhelming majority of parents across generations (nine out of 10) lets kids have “some say” in planning for family vacations. “We are surprised the survey shows kids have such an extreme influence on family travel decisions,” quips HomeAway co-founder and CEO Brian Sharples. “The whole family is now invested in the experience, with kids bringing their own travel preferences to the table.”
MOMS’ QUESTIONS ADDRESSED BY EXPERTS BY MAE GIANINA C. PASCUAL
Representatives from Kimberly-Clark Philippines and PAP formalize their partnership
The doctors of the Perinatal Association of the Philippines during the launch of “Expert Panel”
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others encounter a lot of things that necessitate research on health issues and baby care. For many, it has become customary to look for free and instant answers with the help of Google. However, not all information one can get online is reliable. A lot of them are also not acknowledged by credible authorities such as doctors. With so many health and parenting blogs out there that contradict each other or feature myths as fact, moms end up more confused. The best answer or advice should still come from dependable sources backed by thorough study and research. One such reliable source is the Perinatal Association of the Philippines, a premier council of health professionals who have dedicated their lives to understanding baby healthcare and motherhood, and sharing the knowledge with those who seek the right information. PAP has collaborated with Huggies Philippines to launch the “Expert Panel,” a new online hub/consultation tool to help guide new and experienced moms through their motherhood journey by getting direct access to helpful tips and advice on maternal and baby care. Kimberly-Clark Philippines, the parent company of Huggies Phils. and PAP formalized their partnership through an official contract signing, recognizing their mutual efforts to provide easy access to tips that will ultimately help guide moms in raising their babies. According to a recent survey conducted by Kimberly-Clark Philippines, online information is one of the top sources moms use when getting tips about baby care and motherhood. “As the lead advocate and major advisory body on maternal and neonatal healthcare in the Philippines, we are very proud and excited with our partnership with Kimberly-Clark Philippines.
Together, we hope to continue advocating for optimal and ethical care among healthcare providers and our stakeholders, promoting harmonious collaboration between both parties,” said PAP president Dra. Ma. Theresa Hilario-Jimenez. “Kimberly-Clark Philippines understands the challenges of moms when they search online for any useful data about maternal and baby care. With so much information available and numerous sources claiming themselves as ‘experts’, you can never be too sure of whom you can trust. ‘Expert Panel’ breaks through the clutter and confusion, having been created by the real experts of maternal and baby care,” said Irish Tan Chua, Marketing Manager of Kimberly-Clark Philippines. When clicking on the ‘Expert Panel’ tab in the Huggies Philippines website, users will be given a list of commonly asked topics to choose from. Each topic will feature a set of previously answered questions that users can refer to at any time of the day while a text box will be provided for those who would like to ask a new question. Once submitted, the questions will be reviewed and answered by select doctors from PAP and an e-mail notification will be sent to the user if their questions have been answered. With the availability of the Expert Panel, moms now have access to expert advice straight from the trusted doctors of the PAP. Expert Panel will also compile all the information shared between active online moms and doctors, store it in the Huggies website, and make it available for free to anyone who wants to access it any time. This allows fellow moms to learn about key topics that other moms are asking about. To learn more, visit www.huggies.com.ph. To get daily updates on their latest products and services, like the official Huggies Philippines Facebook page (www.facebook.com/HuggiesPH).
T U E S D AY : J U N E 0 9 : 2 0 1 5
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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph
PINOY KITCHEN KINGS CCA Manila wins big at HOFEX-HKICC 2015
F Chef Michael Cheng’s Magellan’s Reef
Chefs Michael Cheng, Miguel Antonio Lorino and Kerwin Funtanilla with their medals
ilipino pride reigned supreme once more as three top master chefs from the Center of Culinary Arts, Manila delivered a fiery winning performance in four individual live-cooking categories – bagging several medals that include two silvers, a bronze and gold with distinction in the recent HOFEX-Hong Kong International Culinary Classic 2015. CCA’s winning team – composed of Chefs Kerwin Funtanilla, Michael Cheng and Miguel Antonio Soriano Lorino headed by team manager Chef Annali Mariano – was hailed the best and took home the prestigious professional honors in this year’s biggest culinary arts competition event in Asia. Instrumental in CCA’s successful HOFEX bid are Chancellor for Education Dr. Veritas Luna and Liza Morales, CCA School Operations Manager and this year’s overall Team Coordinator together with coaches and mentors Chef Josh Boutwood, Chef Sau del Rosario, CCA Culinary Director. Student-assistants Jade Claudine Quinsaat, Karla Pia Cardenas and Abigail Zandra Marie Ortiz were a big help to the team as well.
Chef Miguel Antonio Soriano Lorino earned the prestigious gold with distinction after his solo category masterpiece, “Il Agnello Pascuale” was judged the best cuisine in the Golden Bauhinia Cup Western Cuisine at the HKICC 2015. “It’s really an honor to win against some of Asia’s best chefs. The competition was tough as there were more than 50 entrants per professional category,” said Chef Miguel (who also won a silver medal in another individual competition – the Western Cuisine-Professional: Sustainable Fish category with his Spanish-inspired entry “Magellan’s Reef ”). Two-time HOFEX competitor and 2013 gold medalist Chef Michael Cheng, meanwhile, added another feather in his toque when he earned another silver medal at the Hot Cooking: Pork Loin category. He impressed judges with his creation named “The Hour of the Pig.” He bested 45 chefs from other Asian countries. Showcasing his signature techniques, ingredients and creative style, Chef Kerwin Funtanilla’s entry, “Campfire,” (braised beef in figs,
LECHON: A GLOBAL FAVORITE Family reunions and celebrations are always made special whenever the Filipino favorite roasted pig suckling – lechon – is served. Now on its 50th year, the well-loved Lydia’s Lechon Restaurant, a favorite venue for family celebrations and reunions, launched new products targeted at the OFW market during the recently-concluded International Food Expo held at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City. The well-loved lechon restaurant chain delighted food enthusiasts and exhibit visitors with its signature take on the famous Philippine roasted pig suckling and presented an array of sauces and condiments which include Lydia’s All-Around Sarsa (dressing). North Ridge Foods Import & Export exhibited Lydia’s Lechon Restaurant as one of its “Global Brands.” Wilfredo Cu, operations head of Lydia’s Lechon Restaurant, noted how overseas Filipino workers have been missing traditional Filipino food and the sauces and condiments that go with it, and so the restaurant chain is taking the lead. Established in 1964, Lydia’s Lechon Restaurant owned by Mrs. Lydia de Roca has pioneered and mastered the everevolving culinary craft of lechon, and coming up with the sauces and condiments that are used in daily dining operations. It now has 30 outlets and specialty restaurants all over Metro Manila. True to its standard of global quality and Philippine culinary excellence for the past 50 years, Lydia’s Lechon Restaurant looks to expand its vast culinary offerings into the global food scene, with plans to distribute its sauces and condiments to parts of Europe and Asia, and help propagate the popularity of Filipino cuisine worldwide.
Ricky de Roca (second from left) showcasing the famous Lydia’s lechon to visitors during the International Food Expo at SMX Convention Center.
coffee and bone marrow dish) merited him a bronze medal in the Hot Cooking-Beef Short Ribs category. “We are very proud of our chef-delegates. Their victories are tantamount to priceless. We commend them for showcasing their talents at their best, and for keeping the flame of excellence alive in whatever endeavor they do. Their success serves as an inspiration for the entire CCA community, and puts into perspective what CCA, Manila is doing earnestly in raising the bar of professional culinary education standards for the past years,” said Badjie Guerrero-Trinidad, CEO of CCA, Manila. All the winning chefs are among the successful alumni of CCA, Manila, whose internationally recognized culinary programs exemplify the breadth and depth of being a passionate and world-class culinarian. These memorable triumphs have established CCA, Manila as the “home” of worldclass culinary talents. For inquiries on the diploma or short courses, call CCA, Manila at 218-8566 or email marketing@cca-manila.com.
Cauli Rice, the first-ever long-life, ready-to-heat cauliflower rice developed by Gem Misa
CAULIFLOWER POWER
Filipina entrepreneur makes the first-ever microwavable cauliflower rice BY BERNADETTE LUNAS
Want to lose weight? Cut carbs. That is according to a number of studies and nutrition experts/enthusiasts. But a low-carb diet almost always fails to provide the same full meal satisfaction from a cup of rice, a plate of pasta, or a few slices of bread. Enter the healthy vegetable alternative that wishes to replace your daily servings of grain. Cauliflower rice, popularized by Paleo diet, is taking the nutrition world by storm as being the closest and healthiest substitute to rice, with only 34 calories for every 100 grams instead of white rice’s 141. Making it is not rocket science, too. But wouldn’t it be better if you can just pack it up, pop it in the microwave and then eat? Why, yes – you soon can. Thanks to London-based Filipina entrepreneur Gem Misa-Harris, the first longlife, ready-to-heat packaged cauliflower rice is set to be launched in the market. “My husband and I stumbled upon the cauliflower rice health trend three years ago and quickly saw the opportunity to develop a long-life, easy-cook version of this fantastic product,” says Misa. Because it has 75 percent less calories, low glycemic index and high nutritional density (cauliflower is high in dietary fiber, folate and Vitamin C), this rice alternative could help diabetics and people struggling with their weight by allowing them to enjoy meals that they previously had to avoid. “That was our big eureka moment: we thought that if we could create a convenient, retail-pack format for cauliflower rice, it could really make a big difference to so many people,” enthuses Misa. Armed with 14 years of marketing and brand management experience at Unilever, Misa, with the help of food technologists, spent the past three years developing and perfecting her product called Cauli Rice. “Our product is made from 100 percent cauliflower without any additives or preservatives,” she clarifies. Through the help of social media and crowdfunding platform, Crowdcube, Misa has managed to draw in hun-
dreds of investors on board who have helped her fund the business and get her product ready for mass production. As of this writing, Cauli Rice has already raised £498,710, exceeding its £300,000 target. Being the first product of its kind in the market, Cauli Rice earned a first mover advantage and Misa managed to land the patent for the production process and worldwide trademark for the brand name. With trademark established, patent granted, and enough money raised to get the product in the UK supermarkets, Cauli Rice makes Filipinos prouder and nutrition enthusiasts happier as it is now in the running for Virgin Media Business’ #VOOM Pitch to Rich 2015 Start-Up competition. The contest, which aims to find ambitious but realistic business pitches in the UK and give them support, has narrowed down hundreds of finalists to 32 pitches that made it through to the semi-finals. Cauli Rice is currently in the Top 10 list of semi-finalists under the Start-Up category, where Misa stands to win £150,000 in marketing support and a year of mentoring from Virgin StartUp’s business advisors. In her sales pitch, Misa shares, “While we’ve raised enough money to get Cauli Rice on supermarket shelves [in the UK] by July this year, we don’t have the funds to do a big marketing campaign that can tell people that we exist and where they can find us.” Cauli Rice Ltd. hopes to launch its product around Europe and North America by the end of 2015, and eventually turn Cauli Rice into a global brand in the next five years. “Winning Pitch to Rich can really give us the competitive edge and help us maximize our first mover advantage on a product that we’ve worked so hard to create,” Misa emphasizes. It’s all up to the voters to bring Cauli Rice to the finals. Go to http://www.virginmediabusiness.co.uk/PITCH-TO-RICH/ START-UP/ to vote. Voting is open worldwide until June 16, People’s Choice closes on June 22.
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T U E S D AY : J U N E 0 9 : 2 0 1 5
LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph
LAST THURSDAY AT COWRIE GRILL What would you consider a perfect meal? For starters, how about a serving of warm bread with different flavors of butter? A hearty soup and fresh greens before the main course sounds good. Now, follow that with PAULYNE a hefty portion of juicy, melt-in-yourFERMIN mouth steak. Imagine the meat to be so flavorful that there is really no need to pour on any kind of sauce (but there are three condiments, just in case). And for the consummate finale – a torched meringue dessert! I’m writing this from memory, by the way. I had a most enjoyable and delectable lunch last Thursday at the Cowrie Grill by The Manila Hotel. Loyal patrons of the famed Cowrie Grill are now frequenting its new location at the back of the Promenade Mall along Missouri St., Greenhills. The place exudes a quiet, rich elegance much like it did when it was still inside The Grande Dame. As expected, cowrie shells adorn the well-appointed interiors. On one side, a curtain of these stringed seashells is hung on the ceiling. Stylish booths that can seat up to four people offer privacy for diners making it the perfect venue for intimate occasions.
US Angus Beef Rib – served with baked potato, hollandaise, peppercorn and mushroom sauce
Soft rolls are served with three kinds of chilled butter – French, Mixed Herbs and Sundried Tomato
Cowrie Grill Dining Hall
Sorbet of the Day - A frozen dessert made from sweetened water and fresh watermelon
THE BQP ASKS THE CHEF WHAT SETS COWRIE GRILL APART FROM OTHER FINE DINING PLACES?
“We offer a first-rate selection of premium branded steaks and fresh seafood, fine wines and signature cocktails. People have also come to expect our exceptional service highlighted by visual drama in every table side preparation,” says Executive Chef Michael So Chan.
Left: Lobster Bisque – with lobster tail medallion, flambé with brandy. Right: Maitre’ D Caesar Salad – Romaine Lettuce, classic Caesar salad dressing, prepared table side
WHAT CAN LOYAL COWRIE GRILL HABITUÉS AND FIRST-TIME GUESTS EXPECT FROM THE FOUR-DECADE-OLD ESTABLISHMENT?
There is a reason for the longevity of Cowrie Grill. Aside from the sumptuous fare, the service is unparalleled. The food is served promptly and if you want to know what the ingredients are in the dish, expect a knowledgeable answer from the servers. After we had finished our meal, one waitperson (Art if I remember it correctly) graciously ushers us to the door and tells my son, “I hope you had a magical time, Sir.” My boy replied, “I sure did! We’re bringing Daddy back next time we visit!” He then turns to me with a big smile and says, “I’m glad you brought me to lunch today, Mom. I really enjoyed it.” With a pocketful of glitter,
“We want to introduce the menu to the new generation of diners. While we have retained the dishes that the regulars have come to love like the Caesar salad, Lobster Bisque, and Beef Rib to name a few, we have also added some new flavors to the menu – like the Italian dishes and other meat items. We also now feature a Cognac bar that lists the most exquisite cognacs and brandies of the world.”
SIGNATURE DISHES
I brought my son M to lunch that day and I must say that my normally picky eater of a boy totally enjoyed all of the Chef ’s recommendations. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration when I say he ate everything! He even consumed half of my steak!
Strawberry and vanilla ice cream, sponge cake, browned meringue, flambé with brandy whipped up by Chef Mike
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T UES DAY : J UNE 9 : 2015
SHOWBITZ
ISAH V. RED EDITOR
isahred @ gmail.com
LEVI’S RED TAB SNEAKERS
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hen it comes to cool and durable denim pants, the name Levi’s easily pops out. This season, the global brand is presenting a new range of sneakers inspired by the laid-back cool that is synonymous with California street style. Over the years, the iconic brand made its mark in denim jeans, spawning a cult following that eventually made a pitch for sneakers whose design is reminiscent of the classic Levi’s denim pants. This convinced Levi’s that it was time to give what the fans want— and Levi’s Red Tab sneakers came off the assembly line. As stylish as they are comfortable, Levi’s Red Tab sneakers are made from the highest quality denim and come in High Tops, Low Tops, and a range of other heights and shapes. This new collection takes inspiration from the renowned heritage of the brand, which is the iconic denim Levi’s is famous for. “We have received requests from our loyal fans to have sneakers that go with the classic denim pants that Levi’s is known for. We are proud of
this line because it represents what Levi’s is all about—and that is style and functionality,” said Kaths Laudit, Levi’s Philippines marketing head. “Levi’s Red Tab sneakers are perfect for various events—whether these call for rugged, casual, or even semi-formal wear.” What sets this new line of sneakers apart from other brands is the use of advanced performance materials that adapt to the way the owner wears them—just like everyone’s favorite pair of Levi’s jeans. Levi’s Red Tab sneakers are also perfect for people who are fond of denim-on-denim outfits. Boasting supreme comfort as one of its features, this pair of sneakers likewise offers versatility and aesthetically pleasing looks that will complement everybody’s outfit of the day. With details such as the iconic Red Tab label, signature stitching, and the use of authentic Cone denim, these sneakers are true classics that can be paired with everything. Levi’s Red Tab Sneakers is available at different Levi’s retail stores nationwide.
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This season, global brand Levi’s is presenting a new range of sneakers inspired by the laid-back cool that is synonymous with California street style.
Levi’s Red Tab collection is similar to the iconic denim pants Levi’s is famous for.
We have received requests from our loyal fans to have sneakers that go with the classic denim pants that Levi’s is known for. We are proud of this line because it represents what Levi’s is all about—and that is style and functionality
Levi’s Red Tab collection uses advanced performance materials that adapt to the way the owner wears them.
– Kaths Laudit, Levi’s Philippines marketing head Levi’s introduces its newest footwear, the original Red Tab Sneakers, that is made from the highest quality denim and come in High Tops, Low Tops, and a range of other heights and shapes. Boasting supreme comfort as one of its features, this collection offers versatility and aesthetically pleasing looks that will complement everyone’s outfit of the day.
FOCUS GLOBAL’S NEW BGC SHOWROOMS
T From Left to right : B&B Italia CEO Giorgio Busnelli, Miele Director for Export Sales Athmane Lakhlifi, Villeroy & Boch Board Member and 9th Generation family member Michel Von Boch, Sub-Zero and Wolf Sales Director for Asia Pacific Edmund Schorr, Focus Global EVP Loli Sy, Italian Ambassador, H.E. Massimo Roscigno, Focus Global President Stephen Sy, Ethan Allen Senior VP for Business Development Dan Grow, SieMatic Export Director Matthias Weiss, Managing Director of Dornbracht International Paul Heldens, and Hunter Douglas Asia VP Jim Tan
Guests looked on in delight as B&B Italia’s Luis Sofa, designed by Antonio Citterio, served as the perfect setting for this couple’s surprise rendition of O Sole Mio during the B&B showroom inauguration in Manila
Pinky Marquez belting out Broadway hits to the audience’s delight
Focus Global showroom inauguration Fernando and Kit Zobel with Stephen and Loli Sy
Richard and Lucy Gomez
he launching of the new Focus Global Inc. showrooms at Bonifacio Global City turned out to be a night of fun among business associates and friends. The company’s Founder and President Stephen Sy and wife, Executive Vice President Lolita Sy, played gracious hosts at the newest home for their partner brands. Present to congratulate the company on their latest successful endeavor were B&B Italia Chairman and CEO Giorgio Busnelli, Villeroy & Boch Board Member and 9th Generation Family owner Michel Von Boch, Ethan Allen Senior VP for Business Development Dan Grow, Hunter Douglas VP for Asia Jim Tan, SieMatic Export Director Matthias Weiss, Miele Director for Export Sales Athmane Lakhlifi, Sub-Zero and Wolf Sales Director for Asia Pacific Edmund Schorr, and Dornbracht International Managing Director Paul Heldens. Each gave a brief congratulatory toast for the launch of the biggest lifestyle home hub in the country to date. Guests enjoyed the appetizers and aperitifs while having a visual feast of kitchen layouts from Siematic and the technologically advanced appliances from Miele of Germany, Sub-Zero built-in refrigerators and Wolf cooking appliances. The latest bath and wellness tech-
nologies designed to pamper were also showcased, with inspiring selections from German brands Dornbracht and Villeroy & Boch displayed on the next stop of the tour. Guests were then treated to Italian musical performances of Jonathan Wagner and Stephanie Reese while on a tour of B & B Italia’s showroom. This was then followed by a trip to the floor that featured the modern lines as well as timeless furniture pieces from US-based Ethan Allen. Guests were also able to fully appreciate the design concepts from window treatment expert Hunter Douglas and Pella windows and doors from the US. Other event highlights included musical numbers by versatile artist Pinky Marquez, a grand flash mob by local classical singers and a Michael Jackson-inspired dance presentation by Focus Global employees. Johnny Litton was the night’s emcee. Situated at the newly constructed Twenty-four Seven McKinley building at the intersection of 24th Street, 7th Avenue and McKinley Parkway, Focus Global’s new showrooms are open Mondays to Saturdays from 10 am to 7 pm and on Sundays from 1 pm to 6 pm. For more information, please call 7059999 or visit www.focusglobalinc.com.
T UES DAY : J UNE 9 : 2015
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SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com
Scenes from the Bunshinsaba Trilogy
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TRIPLE THE TERROR, FUN WITH ‘BUNSHINSABA TRILOGY’
ired of the usual screamfests? Do you want more exotic fare? Then you might want to watch Bunshinsaba, a tantalizing trilogy of terror, on the leader in edge-ofyour-seat, nightmare-inducing channel, Thrill. The Bunshinsaba curse is an evil as old as time. A horror novelist and retreats to an old house with her son when she hears that her ex-husband, jailed for domestic violence, has been released from prison and is out looking for them. After finding some faded photos of a young
woman and her child whose faces have been cut out in a cupboard in the house, strange occurrences and visions begin to occur in the house. In Bunshinsaba 2, a group of friends uses an Ouija board and things turn horribly wrong when one of the girls in the group commits suicide. Two years later, everyone has moved on with their lives until one day, the group starts to die off one by one. In its Philippine TV debut, Bunshinsaba 3 follows a woman who is discharged from the hospital where she has been confined for five years, and moves in to the
ENTERTAINMENT MILESTONES WITH SKY
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n the last 25 years, SKY has become integral to Filipino homes. It is the forerunner in bringing families togeth-
er through premium entertainment. Through its pioneering products, SKYcable and SKYbroadband, it has always been at
CROSSWORD PUZZLE 42 43 45 46 47 48 51 53 56 58 60 61 62 63 64
ANSWER FOR PREVIOUS PUZZLE ACROSS 1 Fluid rock 6 Broker’s advice 10 Part of the range 14 Sirius follows him 15 Emmy relative 16 Catch the bus 17 Kind of toast 18 Like some plans (hyph.) 20 Heavy-hearted 21 Longbow’s sound 23 Al of Indy fame
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Wild hog EPA stat Hot and humid Hugged hard Dangerous Angle less than 90 degrees Flamenco shout Comes to a halt Braid Earthquake Passport datum Fern foliage
A Simpson Eject (2 wds.) Frothy dessert Pitch in Wyo. neighbor Fleeced Condescend Harpers Ferry st. Dark horse? Flute cousins Alice’s chronicler Elegant Two-wheelers Chirp Shrink’s reply (2 wds.) 65 Dozed off DOWN 1 Family members 2 Circle size 3 — the lily 4 Horde 5 Premed class 6 Cheap heat 7 Poet’s black 8 Ding-a- — 9 Relay race portion 10 Part of Roy G. Biv 11 Monsieur’s wines 12 Perimeter 13 Not e’en once 19 Madras money
family mansion with her daughter. Shortly after, she begins experiencing ghastly delusions, and is convinced the house is haunted. A friend offers to summon the house’s evil spirits by using a Bunshinsaba, a Oujia board like device, to cast out the demons. Dark secrets are soon revealed, and she begins to question her very sanity. Three movies, three stories, countless victims, but just one malevolent curse that terrorizes then destroys all in its path. Triple the terror means triple the fun for all Thrill junkies. At 11:00pm, just before the
witching hour, all Fridays of June starting June 12, Thrill will be airing the three installments of this one of a kind thrill-ogy, culminating in the Asian TV premiere of Bunshinsaba 3, the latest installment in this formidable franchise of fright. Thrill, Asia’s first and only movie channel dedicated 24/7 to the widely popular horror, thriller and suspense genres is available on Skycable Ch.107, Cablelink Ch.201, Destiny Cable Ch.11 and Cignal Ch.69. For more information, log on to www.thrill-tv.com or www.facebook.com/WatchThrill.
the forefront of bringing the best and most innovative services that helped Filipinos keep up with the rest of the world. Beyond the advancements in entertainment technology, there is nothing more worth celebrating than the joy and life-changing moments that entertainment brings to every Filipino home – this is what Sky is truly proud to deliver. These shared moments between Sky and its subscribers form a bond that
cannot be easily broken. This is personal and irrefutable. As SKY celebrates 25 years of milestones in entertainment, it promises to further strengthen its bond with every Filipino family with more exciting innovations. SKY aims to expand its already vast content offering across all possible devices anywhere in the country, so that consumers will have more opportunities to experience the
TUESDAY, JUNE 9, 2015
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Passage Happy hour sites Dog without papers Bundle Fiery dance Lightweight quilt Barely enough Tobacco chew Expands Cherbourg shes Raison — Felipe or Matty Cattle mover Bon —, Yves! Bluff Schmoozes with Drive-in employee Tilly or Ryan Sister’s girl Be impatient New employee Peer with a leer Dit opposites Buffalo’s lake Came to Prez’s stand-in Type of prof Roman 1101 Puppeteer — Baird
Three movies, three stories, countless victims, but just one malevolent curse that terrorizes then destroys all in its path. Triple the terror means triple the fun for all Thrill junkies
world and be connected wherever they are. More importantly, SKY understands that every Filipino family deserves only the best that is why it will continue to be a pioneer in offering superior and personalized services. Truly, great family bonding begins at home and SKY will always be there to ensure that every moment is worth spent. Here’s to more years of milestones and innovations for SKY.
T UES DAY : J UNE 9 : 2015
SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com
PINOY HIP-HOP RISES
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t was one helluva Pinoy hiphop party at Quirino Grandstand during the first edition of MTV Music Evolution in the Philippines and in Asia. Presented by the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), the live music concert spotlighted the emergence of hip-hop music while featuring the best of Philippine music and culture to international youth audiences. “MTV Music Evolution 2015 serves as one of the major pillars of Visit Philippines 2015 campaign”, say TPB COO Domingo Ramon Enerio, III. “This event will highlight the Philippines as a destination, not just for culture and adventure, but for entertainment as well. We are also fortunate to find the perfect partner with MTV as they have the global platform to promote the event and showcase our talented Filipino artists.” Around 22,000 hip-hoppers came to take part in the celebration, which opened with Gloc-9, Abra, Loonie, Ron Henley, and
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Lyrically Deranged Poets pumping up the crowd’s energy level with their jaw-dropping wordplay and head-nodding beats. Apl.de.ap also came to perform some of his original songs, including the mega-hit “Where Is The Love. “International hip-hop acts later took the stage to demonstrate how hip-hop go in the West Coast—DJ Cash Money, YG, DJ Goofy 500 and Slim 400. The party climaxed to the beats of the Grammy-award winning act, Naughty by Nature. Donning “Filipino by Nature” T-shirts, the trio performed their classic hits and played a clip of Francis M.’s “Kaleidoscope World” as a toast to the Pinoy hip-hop culture. All the artists later shared the stage with them to sing “Hip Hop Hooray!” along with the crowd. As the confetti exploded, Naughty By Nature hollered, “This is history in the making!” MTV Music Evolution Hip Hop is only one in the series
Ambeth Ocampo is featured in CNN Philippines' Profiles
of fun events featured by Visit the Philippines Year 2015 campaign. Catch more exciting parties and festivals happening this year at www.visitph2015.com. HHHHH AMBETH OCAMPO IN PROFILES On June 12, Mitzi Borromeo sits down with Filipino historian, Ambeth Ocampo. Ocampo has won awards and recognitions, the most recent of which was for his “Looking Back” column (2015 Gawad Tanglaw Best Newspaper Columnist). A man who wears different hats, Ocampo, apart from being a columnist, is also a professor and chairman of the National Historical Institute, Manila Historical Commission and National Commission for Culture and the Arts. Discover where the master story-teller began his early research on Rizal as he marks the 25th year of his most popular book Rizal Without the Overcoat.
MTV VJs Hanli Hoefer, Alan Wong, Chris Schneider and Yassi Pressman
All the featured artists gathered for the finale
Apl De.Ap
Dear Mr. Red,
EK (left) and Mike Victor
Tourism Promotions Board COO Domingo Ramon Enerio, III
TALK BACK
My name is Ralph Guzman, a former GMA News reporter. In late 2004, you wrote an article on the Manila Standard Today about 24 Oras overtaking TV Patrol. Aside from the anchors, you wrote that the reporters, too, contributed to the success of the program. I was relatively new then, but despite this, you mentioned me as one of the reporters that have made a contribution. I’m writing now to personally thank you for that. And my sincerest apologies too that it has taken this long to express my thanks. But when I saw your column on the today’s edition of the Standard, I looked for your email and found it. While it’s been a good 7 years since I left the industry (I’m now happily settled in the corporate world), seeing your name and reading your work always brings me back to that wonderful time when you published the article. It was a validation of all the hard work, something that I will always cherish. I appreciate it just as much today, as I appreciated it back then. And of course, more than a decade later, I still have the hard copy of the article with me. Thank you once again, Mr. Red. And may God bless you more and more! Sincerely, Ralph Guzman
C7
Jacie Go, Jolina Magdangal, and Suzi Entrata-Abrera endorse Calpol for kids
GO GINHAWA MOM MOVEMENT
D
ifferent worlds they may have come from, but actress/singer Jolina Magdangal, host Suzi Entrata-Abrera, and blogger Jackie Go all agree that motherhood is the best thing that has ever happened to them. The three celebrity moms recently kick-started Calpol’s Go Ginhawa Mom Movement, a community of mothers who advocate for nothing but the best for their children. Through the Go Ginhawa Mom Movement, mothers will be able to connect, communicate and share with one another best practices and best ideas in raising their children, especially in managing sickness like fever and flu. Paracetamol Calpol®, a product of GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare, provides effective fever relief for children. Aligned with GSK’s mission to enable people to do more, feel better and live longer, Paracetamol (Calpol®)’s mission is to provide children with ginhawa na maasahan from pain and fever incidences. First-time mom Jolina Magdangal-Escueta admits that she needs all the help she could get in rearing little Pele, now one-yearold. She is learning the ropes of motherhood by the day, and being in a community of mothers like the Go Ginhawa Mom Movement is very comforting and most welcome. ‘’Just recently, Pele had fever and I didn’t know it would be that difficult. I almost cried because he felt so weak and I wasn’t used to seeing him like that. I was very reliant on my pedia for advice. Now, being part of the Go Ginhawa community is such a comfort knowing that there are also others to share the experience with. It’s also a great way to find great products such as tried-and-tested, doctor-recommended solutions like Paracetamol (Calpol®),’’ Jolina says. Lifestyle and parenting blogger Jackie Go, mother to five year-old Gabbie and two yearold Juro, is living the ‘’cool mom’’ part to the hilt.
‘’I’ve always been a cool mom. Not worrying much about the little things. But when Gabbie was sick the first time, I remember trying to be strong even though I was panicking inside. It was such a blessing that I had my mother in-law to help me out. She assured me that fever is the body’s natural response to infection and that I shouldn’t be too scared when my daughter gets it. It was then that I realized the value of having other moms with you during these times. And that’s what I love about this movement.” Paracetamol (Calpol®), Jackie says, helps her stay a cool mom. ‘’It has immensely helped me manage my children’s fever. It’s my reliable partner in providing the feeling of ginhawa for my kids. We never go on a vacation (whether out of town or out of the country) without it,’’ she says. Meanwhile, among the three, Suzi Entrata-Abrera has seen the most action as a mother. After three children (Leona, 11; Jade, 10; and Nella, 9), Suzi still regards motherhood as that single experience that changed her life – heaps! After 11 years of being a mom, Suzi would like to believe she is now ‘’pretty chill’’ when it comes to the girls getting sick. ‘’Maybe because they are older, they are able to express specifically what they are feeling. Usually they will have some muscle pain from various activities or a bit of a fever. But still, it does not get easier on me when they are sick. My youngest is nine already, but I still get afraid whenever they have fever. I guess you never get over that. You still want to do everything for them, especially when they’re sick,” Suzi adds. These three Go Ginhawa moms all have found a reliable ally in fighting their children’s fever with GSK’s Calpol. “I’m very new to parenting, so the fact that Paracetamol (Calpol®) has been a trusted brand for many years gives me peace of mind. It’s one less thing to worry about for when Pele has a fever,” Jolina enthuses.
T UES DAY : J UNE 9 : 2015
C8
ISAH V. RED EDITOR isahred @ gmail.com
SHOWBITZ
ANDI MANZANO-REYES AND HER POWER POUT ISAH V. RED She has one of the best smiles in the industry, so why is she putting on a pout and encouraging everyone else to do the same? “It’s for one of the advocacies I am most passionate about-spreading awareness against cervical cancer, Andi Manzano-Reyes told the The Standard during the launch of the Put On Your Power Pout! campaign at Makati Shangri-La Hotel. “The partnership introduces a twist on spreading awareness: encouraging Filipino women to join the movement by wearing purple lipstick to show their support for the advocacy on cervical cancer prevention,” explained Manzano-Reyes who also hosted the event. Cervical cancer has become a very emotional topic for the former MTV VJ, whose mom was diagnosed with the disease a few years back. “It totally changed me,” she wrote in one of her blog entries. “…I remember her breaking the news to me in a restaurant, and when she did, I couldn’t cry as much as I wanted to, I couldn’t breakdown in front of her, I couldn’t. It was time to be strong for her. It was time to be there for her, as she has been by my side in everything. If you guys don’t know, we are 5 in the family. I’m the eldest, and not only did I have to be strong for her, but I had to be strong for everyone. Manzano-Reyes wrote she would at times go all the way to Antipolo to pick her mom up to drive her to UST and bring her home and go straight to work after. But it was watching her mom go through chemo therapy that proved to be more difficult. “Seeing the injection and chemo go through her veins made my heart break every second, yet I was smiling, forcing her to eat and making her laugh with all
Radio DJ Andi Manzano-Reyes spearheads Put On Your Power Pout movement Andi Manzano-Reyes, Vanee Gosiengfiao Business Development Director, GSK- Dr. Esther Ganzon, Gypsy Abilla, Marie Cortez, Mark Castillo
the silly jokes, but would run to the bathroom from time to time to shed my tears. It was so hard to see her that weak, helpless…She was at her weakest physically yet spiritually she was at her strongest. It was one of the most difficult things I’ve been through in my life. I would cry myself to sleep at night. There were even moments where I’m off air on radio and a tear would just fall from my eye, or driving home. Seeing a loved one suffer has to be the worst thing, even worse than a break up, cause a break up you know you’ll heal but with cancer, you’ll never know,” read the entry entitled “MY MOM” which she wrote in time for mother’s day last year. Although her mom has since
recovered, the Radio Dj and host says her passion to fight the disease has never wavered. “Every woman is at risk for cervical cancer. in fact seven Filipino women die of this dreaded disease every day and has become the second leading cause of cancer deaths so we have to let everyone know that we can do something about it.” This is the reason why GSK, one of the world’s leading research-based pharmaceutical companies ramps up its cervical cancer awareness efforts this year with the Power Over Cervical Cancer campaign which urges Filipinas to realize that they are empowered—that they can do some-
thing to prevent the disease from happening to them, so they don’t miss out on a colorful life ahead or leave their loved ones behind. Cervical cancer occurs when abnormal cells develop and spread in the cervix, the entrance between the vagina and the uterus. The human papillomavirus (HPV), a very common virus, is the necessary cause of cervical cancer. It has been shown that 99.7 percent of cervical cancer patients are positive for HPV infection. It is also estimated that up to 80 percent of women will be infected with HPV at some point in their lives. While HPV is primarily transmitted via sexual intercourse, skin-
to-skin genital contact is also a recognized mode of transmission. Lifestyle changes can help prevent the development of cervical cancer, such as being conscientious about one’s sexual activities. Beyond regular consultations and pap smears by your OB-GYN, vaccines that protect against cancer-causing HPV are also now readily available. In commemoration of Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, GSK Philippines launched its partnership with cosmetics manufacturer VMV Hypoallergenics. The partnership introduces a twist on spreading awareness: encouraging women to join the movement by wearing purple lipstick to show their support for the advocacy on cervical cancer prevention. “Cancer is quite a distant concept for women who are well. What might be more important to them is keeping up with the latest trends, especially in fashion and beauty. The lipstick is a woman’s own—when she wears it, she makes a statement about herself. Through this partnership with VMV, we hope to drive women to make a statement against cervical cancer,” says Mark Castillo, GSK product manager. Jacklyn Remo, assistant marketing manager for VMV Hypoallergenics, supports the movement: “We are fully committed toward this partnership with GSK Philippines. At VMV Hypoallergenics, we promise the safest, most proven effective care on the planet—and that extends to beauty. This unique combination of science, wellness and beauty means we also strongly stand for advocacies that help women, their health and happiness.” JOIN THE MOVEMENT NOW—take a photo of yourself wearing VMV Hypoallergenics’ Tutu or Chorus Line lipstick (or a photo of you holding your kiss mark from the lipstick) and post it on Instagram and Facebook with the hashtags #PowerPout and #PowerOverCervicalCancer ➜ Continued on C7