The Standard - 2015 July 07 - Tuesday by Manila Standard

VOL. XXIX NO. 137 3 Sections 32 Pages P18 TUESday : JULy 7, 2015 www.thestandard.com.ph editorial@thestandard.com.ph

House hears case of Wang Bo anew By Maricel V. Cruz THE House resumes its hearings of the Wang Bo case today, but an administration lawmaker said Monday the Senate should be the one to investigate allegations that high-ranking Immigration officials ordered the release of the suspected Chinese crime lord in

Mers-positive MAn Arrives froM sAudi A FOREIGNER who flew to the Philippines from the Middle East has become the second confirmed case of MERS in the country, the Health Department said Monday as a deadly outbreak in South Korea spread alarm across Asia.

The 36-year-old male patient, whose nationality was not disclosed, has been put in isolation at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in Mandaluyong City to contain the Corona virus that causes Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS),

Health Secretary Janette Garin said. “We can see he is getting better,” Garin told a news conference, adding the man had a “low viral load” indicating his infection was not extremely serious. “There is no reason to panic and

we appeal to the public to respect the privacy of the patient.” The man fell ill on July 2, having earlier arrived in the country from Saudi Arabia by way of Dubai, she said, declining to give more details.

MERS scare. Store clerks of Duty Free Philippines at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport wear masks to avoid contracting the MERS-Coronavirus from arriving passengers. Rudy C. SantoS

American survivor hits rescue workers

Malacañang suspends work, school too late

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MerS-positive From A1...

A Filipina nurse who returned from Saudi Arabia in February became the first person in the Philippines to test positive for MERS but she later recovered. Although Garin said there had been no cases of MERS infection through casual contact in the Philippines, the Health Department was tracing people who may have had contact with the patient. They include about 200 passengers who were on the same flight as the infected man, Garin said. The Health Department has been on alert in recent weeks for the possible entry of the virus, particularly among the 88,000 South Koreans living in the country. Health authorities earlier examined three South Korean expatriates who developed respiratory ailments, but all tested negative for MERS, department spokesman Lyndon Lee Suy said. Suy said the second MERS victim did not exhibit the usual symptoms of the illness when he entered the Philippines, which explains why the thermal scanners at the airport did not raise an alarm. MERS, which has a fatality rate of about 30 percent, is an influenza-like illness characterized by fever, cough and shortness of breath, often with diarrhea. In the Palace, President Benigno Aquino III ordered the tightening of surveillance and quarantine measures at all ports of entry. At the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, employees of the Duty Free Philippines began wearing protective masks as a precaution against MERS, following the example of Immigration and Customs personnel. “We are also front-liners like the Immigration officers and the Customs examiners who deal with incoming passengers from around the world,” said Rogelio Malate, who works at Duty Free Philippines. In South Korea, which is suffering the worst outbreak of MERS outside Saudi Arabia, 185 people have been diagnosed with the disease with 33 fatalities, the government there said. Of those infected, 41 remain hospitalized, with 11 in a critical condition. Elsewhere in Asia, Malaysia reported a case before the South Korean outbreak in May, while China reported a person with MERS who had travelled to the country after recent exposure in South Korea, the World Health Organization said. As of June 2015, WHO listed 1,338 laboratory-confirmed cases since 2012 in 26 countries, including 475 deaths. – AFP, Macon RamosAraneta, Sandy Araneta, Rudy C. Santos

Budget matters. President Benigno Aquino III addresses the members of his Cabinet during a meeting on the proposed national budget for 2016 at Malacanang Palace. (Story on A5) MALACANANG PHOTO BUREAU

Ahead of arbitration, China seeks new talks By Vito Barcelo

ON the eve of an international arbitral hearing of the maritime dispute in the South China Sea, China again suggested that Beijing and Manila can settle their differences on their own. Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua conveyed China’s offer to hold bilateral talks with the Philippine government on their maritime conflicts, saying the door for consultation “is still open and will be open forever.” China has insisted the best way to solve the conflict is through bilateral talks. But Foreign Affairs spokesman

House From A1...

exchange for millions of pesos that were used to bribe congressmen into passing the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL). “It would be best if Senate pursues the Wang Bo issue instead of the House just to erase the doubt that the House will cover up the issue or harass the witnesses considering that the payoff allegations were directed at members of the House,” said Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano, vice chairman of the ad hoc committee on the BBL. Alejano’s remarks came as the House committee on good government and public accountability headed by Pampanga Rep. Oscar Rodriguez, was set to resume its hearings. During today’s hearing, House personnel in charge of the closed-circuit television system in the House of Representatives are

Charles Jose said bringing the case to the UN arbitral tribunal is the best option to resolve the country’s issues with China, which has questioned the court’s jurisdiction over the dispute. “We need to resume our bilateral negotiation without any condition. I think this is the best way that we can discuss how to peacefully settle these disputes,” Zhao said. However, Jose said the Philippines is guided by the principles of peaceful settlements of dispute and the arbitration case was the best way. “If the Netherlands-based court decides it has jurisdiction, the Philippines would be asked to argue the merits of its case in another round of hearings,” Jose said. “We have prepared well enough for these oral arguments,” Jose said. The Philippines is among the most vocal critics of China’s South China Sea claims, which also over-

expected to explain why video footage on the day of the alleged bribery was no longer available. But Alejano said two hearings by the Rodriguez panel were enough to help the congressmen draft laws related to immigration. House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, Jr. maintained that the allegations of a payoff to lawmakers was mere hearsay unless proven otherwise. “To me everything is hearsay and of little value until [we get a] statement that specific congressmen admitted receiving money,” Belmonte said. He added that the payola allegations were unfair as they put everybody under suspicion. Abakada party-list Rep. Jonathan de la Cruz, a member of the independent minority bloc in the House, said new legislation could be drafterd from the House probe. “The issue involves serious crimes--breach of immigration laws, illegal transnational gambling, bribery, money laundering and

lap with those of Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei. Beijing has reinforced its claim by building artificial islands on disputed reefs. Jose said Manila has “a plan B” if the UN court decides it has no jurisdiction, but said he could not disclose what this was “considering how sensitive this issue is.” “We’ve been talking to China since 1995 when they illegally occupied Mischief Reef and even during the Scarborough standoff in 2012,” he said. Jose said they are confident that the Philippines will get a favorable decision both on the issue of jurisdiction and merits of the case. China has reclaimed the vast expanse of the West Philippines Sea, including areas that Manila claims under its exclusive economic zone, as defined by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) where both countries are

corruption of public officials; maybe even breach of investment and labor laws; and the Sotto Law,” De la Cruz said. The last refers to the move by Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga to cite Manila Standard reporter Christine Herrera for contempt for refusing to divulge her sources in her expose. Under the Sotto Law, it is illegal to compel a journalist to divulge his or her sources except in cases involving national security. The Standard broke the Wang Bo story in a series of articles written by Herrera, who quoted sources as saying P440 million of the bribe money had been allocated to pay off lawmakers to secure the swift passage of the BBL. But Congress failed to pass the BBL when it adjourned sine die on June 11. Herrera has been invited by the panel again to shed light on the matter. With his bureau embroiled in the Wang Bo scandal, Immigration Commissioner Siegred Mison filed charges Monday against an intel-

signatories. In 2013, the Philippines lodged the case against China with the UNCLOS arbitral tribunal. It submitted its 4,000-page memorial, its written argument, on March 30, 2014, which it supplemented on March 16, 2015. Jose said the Philippines legal team, headed by Solicitor General Florin Hilbay, is set to defend the case from July 7 to 13 at The Netherlands-based UN court. “It will be more of an elaboration, clarification of the two memorial we submitted, but we will be focusing more on the issue of jurisdiction,” said Jose. Jose said the if China does not heed the UN court’s ruling, it would be up to the international community to convince it that it would be to its best interest to follow the decision. China refused to participate in the arbitration.

ligence officer for serious dishonesty, grave misconduct and falsification of public documents. In a complaint filed before the Office of the Ombudsman, Mison accused Faisal U. Hussin of misrepresenting the date of his birth on his personal data sheet to extend his tenure at the bureau. Until 2013, Hussin, a lawyer, had listed his birthday as Jan. 30, 1948—the same date given on his marriage certificate, the birth certificates of his children and the personal data sheet that he filed with the Integrated Bar of the Philippines. In 2013, however, Hussin changed his date of birth to June 30, 1950 to defer his retirement to 2015, Mison said. Because government employees are mandated to retire when they reach 65, Hussin’s falsification of his date of birth extended his employment by two years, during which he continuously received his salary and benefits, Mison said. – With Vito Barcelo

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American survivor hits Ormoc rescue team AN AMERICAN survivor of the ferry sinking in Ormoc on Monday claimed that the Coast Guard’s rescue team arrived 30 minutes late after the MB Kim Nirvana sank Thursday last week and killed 61 people. Larry Drake, a retired New York firefighter and one of the survivors of the ferry sinking, said it took the coast guard rescuers about half an hour before they started getting survivors out of the water. “The coast guards were taking the dead before the living,” Drake said. But Coast Guard spokesman Armand Balilo refused to comment on the American’s allegation and said the incident was now under investigation. Still, PCG Eastern Visayas District Commander Pedro Tinampay belied Drake’s allegations. “Don’t believe him. We were very tired but we were in the boat in five, 10 minutes,” he said. In the Senate, Senator Bam Aquino on Monday renewed his call to investigate the seaworthiness of the maritime vessels in the country following the sinking of the MB Kim Nirvana. In 2014 Aquino filed a resolution calling for such investigation, but it was never heard by the appropriate Senate committee. “Let us not wait for another Ormoc tragedy before we conduct an investigation,” he said. Drake claimed that when the first coast guard boat arrived, the rescuers attended to the dead first before reaching out to those crying for help. Balilo said the owner of the vessel, its captain and its 17 crew members were now facing multiple-murder raps. The ferry owner, Jorge Bong Zarco, and its captain Warren Oliviero are already in police custody. Coast Guard officials said they were looking at the possibility that the ship captain might have committed a maneuvering error while the vessel was being battered by moderate waves. Drake also testified that the Coast Guard knew that the boat was overloaded when it set sail on July 2, and that the life vests in it were not enough for all the passengers. “Everybody said [the boat] was overloaded and the coast guards counted. I saw them personally count heads, so they knew how many were in that boat,” he said. Vito Barcelo and Macon Ramos-Araneta

3 Korean divers reported lost at height of typhoon THE Coast Guard said Monday three Koreans went missing after diving off Mactan while seven fishermen also went missing after their fishing boat sank at the height of Tropical Storm “Egay.”

Learning hazard. Schoolchildren wade in ankle-deep floodwaters to get home along Araneta Avenue in Quezon City. LINO SANTOS

Malacañang suspends work, school late MALACAÑANG suspended work in government offices and classes in schools in Metro Manila on Monday because of the heavy rain, but only a little over an hour before 5 pm, when the workers would have called it a day anyway and gone home. The Palace issued the order after disaster officials recommended it. Some Malacañang employees

who declined to be named said they read about the suspension order from the Malacañang Press Corps only after they had received a copy of it via email. The Office of the President issued Memorandum Circular 77 to send the workers home, and it was signed by Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. by authority of the President. Communications Secretary

said Malacañang issued the order based on the accumulated rainfall that, he said, reached critical levels in the afternoon. Malacanang had several times in the past suspended work and classes in Metro Manila only after workers and students had gone to work or school, when going home became an ordeal because of the heavy rain and flooded streets. Sandy Araneta

Coast Guard men and rescuers from the disaster management office in Cebu were still searching for the Koreans who went diving off Punta Engano on Mactan Island Sunday morning, officials said. But bad weather kept the Coast Guard’s Central-Eastern Visayas Command from searching for the seven fishermen whose boat reportedly sank off Bantayan Island in Cebu, Commoddore Enrico Evangelista said. Meanwhile, 3,108 families or 13,004 people in 148 villages in La Union, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur and Pangasinan were marooned as a result of the heavy flooding brought by Egay, which also left many areas without electricity. Weathermen said another severe tropical storm was brewing and could enter the Philippine area of responsibility this week even as Egay continued to enhance the southwest monsoon and to trigger rain in Luzon including Metro Manila. They said the weather disturbance will be named “Falcon” once it enters the country. Officials said the fishing boat sank between Tanguingu Islet off Madridejos town and Gigantes Island in Panay minutes after one of the seven fishermen on board called a relative to ask for help after encountering big waves. “The coast guard is doing all it can to search for the missing persons in Cebu, including the continuing search and rescue operations being conducted by the Cebu-PCG in Ormoc, where the ill-fated ferry Kim Nirvana-B capsized, killing at least 61 persons,” Coast Guard spokesman Armand Balilo said. Meanwhile, more than 670 passengers were stranded in the major ports in Luzon and the Visayas, the Coast Guard said. It said 53 ships and 31 outriggers were also grounded due to heavy rain and strong winds. Vito Barcelo Francisco Tuyay and Rio N. Araja

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC In compliance with the Memorandum Order dated 03 April 1998 of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), BAYANTEL publishes herewith its applicable Foreign Currency Adjustment (FCA) to be collected from BAYANTEL subscribers of its local exchange service. The FCA shall be added to BAYANTEL’s approved Monthly Recurring Rate (MRR) under Case No. 95-390, as modified under Case No. 97-055.

LOCAL SERVICE RATES (In Philippine Peso)

Effective 18 JULY, 2015

FCA

RES

BUS

Trunk 1 & 2

Trunk 3 & up

218.07

458.42

919.23

604.77

NTC Determined FX rate (for July 2015): P44.98 to US$1.00

Ferry sinking victims. Vice President Jejomar Binay attends the wake of Abigail Salenas and her son Jobert dela Cruz, who both died in the sinking of a ferry boat off Ormoc City.

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What prosperity? UNA asks By Vito Barcelo and Maricel V. Cruz THE camp of Vice President Jejomar Binay continued to harp on the insensitivity of the Aquino administration and challenged officials to ride a train or visit povertystricken areas so they can understand what kind of economic growth they have been bragging about.

Seal of good governance. Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas turns over to Caloocan City Mayor Oscar Malapitan the 2015 Seal of Good Local Governance and its accompanying P5-million financial incentive during simple rites at the city hall plaza on Monday. Looking on is Caloocan Vice Mayor Macario Asisitio III. JUN DAVID

Read first, Abaya tells Poe By John Paolo Bencito and Sandy Araneta TRANSPORTATION Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya told Senator Grace Poe on Monday to first read and understand the Ombudsman’s resolution on the controversial maintenance contracts for the Metro Rail Transit-3 before commenting on the matter. Abaya made the remark as Malacañang scrambled to deny allegations that the Aquino administration is protecting him and current Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, who preceded Abay at the DOTC, from prosecution over the deal that is now being blamed from the problems of the train system. “[Poe] admitted that she had not read the resolution so it would be better if she first reads the full resolution why the Ombudsman’s decisions was like that,” Abaya said in a television interview.

“It would seem unseemly that she would believe one page and question the others,” added, referring to the Ombudsman’s resolution announced on July 3 ordering the filing of charges against some MRT officials, but not Abaya and Roxas. In the resolution, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales found probable cause that former MRT manager Al Vitangcol III and five others for irregularities in the MRT3’s interim maintenance contract. At the same time, Malacanang also denied Poe’s claim that Abaya appears to be an “untouchable” because the Aquino administration is protecting him from prosecution. “No one is untouchable,” said Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. “The filing of cases before the [Department of Justice] and the executive is based on evidence.” Coloma said the Ombudsman,

which cleared Abaya from charges, is a government body not influenced by the administration of President Benigno Aquino III. “The Office of the Ombudsman is a separate and independent constitutional body,” Coloma added. Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda even went a step further and described as gfools h those who even suggest that Malacañang can influence Carpio in her decisions as Ombudsman. “[The opposition United Nationalist Alliance] must be a fool to even think one can dictate on Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales,” Lacierda said in a text message. Lacierda made the remark in response to the charge of UNA secretary general JV Bautista that the Ombudsman is afraid to go after the “big fish” in the controversial deal because of their positions in the Liberal Party.

“They should ride the [Metro Rail Transit] at rush hour without bodyguards or visit Baseco, Escopa, Tumana and other urban poor communities so they will see for themselves whether their vaunted economic prosperity is being felt below,” said “They take a while to visit job fairs where thousands are looking for work or the [Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office] where even the sick patiently wait in line to be served,” Quicho said. Quicho scored the administration’s flip-flopping stance on the issue of poverty as it recently touted its poverty reduction measures. “Malacañang recently boasted of wht they have done to win the fight against poverty. This contradicts the earlier statement of Secretary Edwin Lacierda last Marso that it will take many decades before we can lick poverty. So which is which?” Quicho asked. Quicho said that while the economy has grown steadily under the Aquino administration, economic gains have not been felt by the poor with the IBON Foundation’s reporting that six out of 10 Filipinos still consider themselves poor. Quicho reiterated Vice President Jejomar C. Binay’s call for government to not be insensitive to the people’s needs, and urged government officials to do the rounds to see the real plight of the people. “The Department of Agriculture, headed by

Secretary Proceso Alcala, a Liberal Party stalwart, misused some P14 billion in funds, including more than P6 billion for farm-tomarket roads which were never built,” Quicho said. “Secretary Alcala has likewise been tagged in the alleged transfer of P39 million linked to Janet LimNapoles. The [Commission on Audit] itself was the one who said this,” he added. At the same time, Binay’s United Nationalist Alliance maintained that the core of good governance is strengthening institutions and not disrespecting the constitutional designs of “checks and balances” and fiscal autonomy. UNA interim president and Navotas City Rep. Tobias Tiangco explained that UNA’s platform of government also includes an anti-corruption agenda but it is anchored on the rule of law and fiscal rules to all levels of government. “Our fight against corruption, against corrupt government officials are clear proof that UNA is sincere in its advocacy against corruption aimed at strengthening the three separate branches of government, like Congress and the Judiciary, which has been weakened by force and political threats,” Tiangco said. Tiangco made the remark to dispute the claim of Sen. Chiz Escudero, an administration ally who is gearing up to run for vice president in 2016, that UNA lacks an anti-corruption agenda.

Grace open to LP coalition By Macon Ramos-Araneta SENATOR Grace Poe maintained on Monday that she will not run under the Liberal Party, but she is open to a possible coalition with the ruling Liberal Party when she announces her bid for the presidency next year. “Now, if there will be a coalition, it would be much better because I joined them (in 2013) not only due to the Liberal Party, but also because of [President Benigno Aquino III]. I believe in his honesty,” Poe said in a radio interview with radio station dzBB. Interviewed over radio DZBB, Poe raised the possibility of a coalition with LP similar to the set up she had in the last midterm elections. She said joining LP for the purpose of running for a higher position would leave a “bad taste in the mouth.” “I would rather remain an independent,” said Poe who is currently the most-preferred presidential candidate according to all recent

opinion polls. The first-term senator said it would also be unfair to card-bearing members of LP is she suddenly enters their fold. Poe reiterated that she had already made her sentiments clear to Aquino when they met on two occasions to talk about 2016. “Even when the President talked to me. I was honest to him. He too was honest to me. I told him it would not be in ‘good taste’ for our people that I will join LP just because I’m running,” Poe said, recalling her meetings with Aquino in Malacanang. Senator Chiz Escudero, whom Poe considers her most ardent ally in the Senate, has also repeatedly said he will stay an independent candidate in case he decides to run as Poe’s vice president next year. But Escudero reiterated that they have not yet decided on the possible partnership even as he admitted that aside from having no political party, they have no resources to launch a national campaign.

Birthday dame. Leyte Rep.Ferdinand Martin Romualdez greets his aunt, Ilocos Norte Rep.Imelda Romualdez Marcos, who celebrated her 86th birthday at the Edsa Shangrila Hotel in Mandaluyong City on Monday. Senator Cynthia Villar (left) and movie icon German Moreno (right) also attended Mrs. Marcos’ birthday bash. VER NOVENO

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S’porean defrauds PH hotel, gets 4-yr jail term

Save the schools.

Members of the “Save Our Schools” Movement flash the thumbs-down sign in protest against attacks on Indigenous People’s schools in some parts of Mindanao. They blame military units for the attacks and ask for the granting of unconditional permits to these schools. Ey ACASIO

By Rey E. Requejo A SingAporeAn national who once dared authorities “to catch him if they can” has been convicted by a regional trial court in Dumaguete City for estafa after he was found guilty of non-payment of fees at a local hotel in 2013. in a 15-page decision released by the Department of Justice, Judge rosendo Bandal Jr. of Dumaguete City rTC-Branch 34, found Jonathan Lee Seng Tan guilty beyond reasonable doubt of violating Article 315 of the revised penal Code. The judge meted Tan with a prison term ranging from four years and two months to eight years. The court also ordered Tan to pay Bethel guest House, a hotel in the city, the amount of p19,506.52 representing the accommodation, food and other services he availed of during his stay from August 19 to September 1, but did not pay, plus legal interest of 12 percent per annum until fully paid. Currently detained at the Dumaguete city jail, Tan was ordered transferred to the new Bilibid prison in Muntinlupa City. “The willful and deliberate act of the accused in defrauding the hotel on the payment of his hotel bill is very manifest and evident,” the decision stated. “it appears obvious that the allegation of the accused that the bag containing his money and personal belongings were stolen while sitting in the park is a mere concoction and fabrication on his part,” the court said. Court records showed that Tan checked into the hotel after claiming he was robbed of his belongings at Quezon park. He was assisted by hotel staff to contact his relatives in Singapore and the Singaporeanembassy so he could replace his stolen passport and settle his obligations with the hotel. A hotel staff communicated with Tan’s brother via e-mail, but still no money was sent to pay for his bill. The accused left the hotel on Sept.1, 2013 without paying his bill.

PNoy okays P3-trillion spending plan for 2016 By Sandy Araneta and Maricel Cruz President Aquino on Monday approved the proposed 2016 national budget amounting to P3 trillion and gave the Cabinet the go-signal to firm up the corresponding plans, programs and projects. The budget, or national spending plan, the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law and Charter change, are on top of the agenda when Congress opens its third regular session that precedes the delivery of president Aquino’s state of the nation address on July 27, 2015. Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr said the proposed budget for 2016 represents a 15.2 percent increase from the 2015 budget and comprises 19.5 percent of the country’s gross Domestic product. education and public Works get the lion’s share of the proposed appropriation. The budget with the theme, “paggugol na Matuwid: Saligan sa Tuloy-Tuloy na pag-Unlad,” is anchored on the following principles: (1) Spending within means; (2) investing in the right priorities; (3) Delivering measurable results; and (4) empowering citizens through fiscal transparency, accountability

and participation. Budget and Management Secretary Florencio Abad said the spending priorities focus on the following areas of the administration’s 2011 to 2016 development program: (1) good governance and AntiCorruption; (2) ensuring inclusive growth; (3) Sustaining the growth Momentum;(4) Managing Disaster risks; and (5) Forging Just and Lasting peace. Coloma said the biggest chunk of the budget will be earmarked for the Department of education (Deped) with p436.5 billion. The second biggest allocation is for the Department of public Works and Highways (DpWH) with p401.14 billion. Third biggest allocation is the Department of national Defense (DnD) with p172 billion. next are the Department of interior and Local government (DiLg), p156 billion; the Department of Health (DoH),

p128.5 billion; and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), p107.6 billion. The combined budgets of the Deped and the DpWH represent more than a quarter of the total 2016 national Budget. Among all the agencies in the executive Department, the DpWH and DoH received the highest increases in their annual budgets at 32 percent and 25.2 percent, respectively, as part of efforts to boost public infrastructure development and support economic expansion as well as to improve health care services especially to the poor and most vulnerable sectors of society. The president also directed all Cabinet members to intensify efforts at completing the delivery of programs, especially those on public infrastructure, including the rehabilitation of ‘“Yolanda”-affected and other calamity areas, and on strengthening public institutions. At the House, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte said the draft BBL is now on second reading and being fine-tuned to ensure greater inclusiveness and greater efficiency in practice. “We want to ensure a more meaningful autonomy while likewise paving the way towards a more effective provision of

vital services to our people. We want a peace that is lasting and sustainable.” The House adjourned sine die last June 11 without having passed the controversial measure as embodied in House Bill 5811 in substitution for HB 4994 (An Act providing Basic Law for Bangsamoro Autonomous region). Belmonte and several House leaders had earlier vowed to work for the removal of the controversial provision to ensure a smooth sailing for the controversial measure. When the measure was in the committee level, Cagayan de oro rep. rufus rodriguez, chair of the ad hoc panel on the BBL, said his panel would excise the eight contentious provisions from the measure, including the ‘opt-in’ provision, for fear that it would be eventually declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. However, six of these eight provisions were retained in the committee version of the bill and only two were removed: the provision requiring a coordination protocol between the AFp and the Bangsamoro government prior to every operation in the area and another one creating a disciplinary authority over officials in the region which is similar to the office of the ombudsman.

Lawmaker seeks to raise farmers’ pay By MaconAraneta SenATor Francis “Chiz” escudero has asked the Aquino administration to come up with measures to address the plight of the country’s 12 million farm workers who comprise one-third of the country’s entire workforce. The senator issued the statement after Budget Secretary Florencio Abad admitted that not being able to enforce a wage increase for farmers was the country’s biggest missed opportunity under the Aquino administration. Data from the philippine Statistics Authority show that the agriculture sector employed 11.84 million individuals in 2013, representing 31 percent of the national employment. in the first half of 2013, the daily nominal wage rates were p256.52 for palay farm workers and p206.04 for corn farm workers. escudero said the dire conditions of Filipino

farmers merely highlight the sorry state of the country’s agricultural sector. “it’s sad to say but agriculture remains to be a poor man’s sector. Despite being a huge asset to national development, agriculture has been the most neglected and least understood sector of the nation’s economy,” escudero lamented. The senator was confident that helping farmers improve their living condition standards would eventually result in increased production of homegrown staple and steady supply of agricultural products. He said impoverished farmers play a crucial role in achieving food security and self-sufficiency. According to the senators, measures must be drawn up to ensure decent wages to farm workers and improve their status in society.” “This is the best way to make our country’s economic growth inclusive because it will target the most impoverished sector in our society.”

Alternative learning. Quezon City Jail inmates graduate from the

Alternative Learning System Program for school year 2014-2015. Twenty four inmates were able to avail of the program while under detention, a project of the QCJ Inmates Welfare and Development Office and the Department of Education. LINO SANTOS

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‘Witness has 89 bank accounts’ By Rio N. Araja

THE camp of Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada on Monday said state witness Ruby Tuason has at least 89 bank accounts. After his bail hearing at the Sandiganbayan’s Fifth Division, Estrada said Tuason’s list of bank accounts only showed that she had the money to return the supposed P40 million in kickbacks that she allegedly received from his Priority Development Assistance Fund that was funneled to the foundations linked to Janet Lim Napoles. Estrada added that there was no truth that Tuason had to dispose of her house just to be able to return the money to the government. He accused Tuason as mastermind behind the Malampaya fund scam, and that her commissions were deposited to her various bank accounts. “It only showed she has a lot of money. She did not need to sell her properties (as what she was claiming) just to pay the government. P40 million is small compared to what she was able to get from the Malampaya scam,” he said. Some of Tuason’s accounts in her name or in the names of Henry Chan Laygo, Henry Joseph Chan Laygo and Ralph Chan were the Hong Kong Shanghai Bank Corp., Bank of Commerce, Banco de Oro, Metrobank, Philippine Bank of Communications, Philam Strategic Growth Fund, Philippine American Life and General Insurance Co., Toyota Financial Services Philippines Corp., Security Bank and Union Bank Philippines. Estrada said the information came from the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC)

which was earlier summoned by the court. Tuason is one of the respondents being investigated in connection with the P900-million Malampaya fund scam. Her co-accused were Napoles, former president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Arroyo, exsecretary Eduardo Ermita, ex-budget secretary Rolando Andaya, ex-undersecretary Rafael Nieto, ex-agrarian reform chief Nasser Pangandaman, agrarian reform finance officer Teresita Panlilio, and budget bndersecretary Mario Relampagos. During her cross-examination, Tuason denied having 89 bank accounts simultaneously. “She is the brains of the Malampaya scam,” Estrada said. Tuason would get irritated at Estrada’s lawyer —Sabino Acut. At one point during the hearing, Tuason got offended when Acut would always point a finger at her. Estrada also slammed Tuason for her alleged arrogance in the witness stand. “The problem with her is, she is too arrogant. She could not stand by what she had said. Can you imagine that? She would even question my lawyer, even his gesture. Who is she anyway? She would tell that she is nobody. She is so arrogant. Who do you think she is?” he asked. Tuason earlier told the anti-graft court that she delivered P19 million to Estrada from his pork barrel fund that went to Napoles-linked ghost foundations, and that she was his agent in 2004 and 2008.

Potshots. San Juan City Mayor Guia Gomez delivers her State of the City Address on Monday, taking potshots at Vice Mayor Francis Zamora. LINO SANTOS

Clash of San Juan clans rages By John Paolo Bencito

THE “word war” continues in San Juan City as Mayor Guia Gomez takes her turn to hit back at Vice Mayor Francis Zamora and dares him to reveal his political plans. “It would have been better if you said it to me straight that you wanted to be mayor,” an emotional Gomez addressed her “open letter” to the young Zamora in Filipino on Monday, a few days after the vice mayor accused the mayor of trying to perpetuate the Ejercito-Estrada dynasty in San Juan. Gomez, during her “State of the City Address” in the new city hall yesterday denied

that her clan “unceremoniously dumped” the Zamoras. Rather, it’s the other way around, Gomez said. “Your accusations, that the Estrada family and allies are planning to unseat you as Vice Mayor, is very far from reality,” said Gomez. “Kami ba ng nagtaksil? O ako ang pinagtutulungan ninyong pagtaksilan?” Gomez also denied the alleged secret meeting between her family and the city officials in Camp Crame in which the plan to “perpetuate the Estrada’s 46-year rule” in San Juan was allegedly hatched. “Your alleged secret meeting at Crame that you say as ‘betrayal’ is a big lie. Your’e not even there, so whoever

US supply glut causes dip in local pump prices By Alena Mae S. Flores THE country’s oil firms cut pump prices by as much as P0.70 per liter to reflect the continuing oversupply of oil products in the US, the world’s largest oil consumer , and uncertainties in the Middle East. The oil firms issued separate announcements of the rollback amounting to P0.70 per liter for diesel and P0.65 per liter for gasoline and diesel. Petron Corp., Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp., Seaoil Philippines, PTT Philippines, Phoenix Petroleum Corp.,

Eastern Petroleum Corp. and other oil firms announced that the oil price rollback was effective 12:01 am on Tuesday. Fernando Martinez, Eastern Petroleum Chairman and Chief Executive, attributed the price cut to weaker trading in the world oil market last week. “Geopolitical factors, according to analysts, such as the debt crisis in Greece and the uncertainty in the Iranian nuclear deal may have weakened trading last week, thus resulting in lower local prices of petroleum products this week,” Martinez said. This is the second weekly

consecutive oil price rollback. The oil firms also rolled back the price of diesel by P0.25 per liter effective June 23 to reflect the movement in world oil prices.They did not did not move gasoline and kerosene prices. The Philippines imports more than 90 percent of its fuel requirements from other countries. Last week, members of the Philippine Institute of Petroleum and stakeholders signed the implementing guidelines of the memorandum of agreement signed last year detailing fuel continuity in the event of disasters.

told you that is a liar”, Gomez said. San Juan, even as it is the smallest city in the Metro Manila, has acquired strategic importance since its former mayor, Joseph Ejercito Estrada who became president of the republic, is patriarch of of the Estrada-Ejercito clan. Gomez claimed that Janella Ejercito will remain as councilor of the Second District and Precy Ejercito, wife of detained senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada, isn’t interested in politics. She also reminded the Zamoras that Senator JV Ejercito even argued for their inclusion in their 2013 slate, “breaking family ties”.

The mayor expressed her wish to finish her third and last term before retiring in 2019. She aid that they gave the Zamoras every opportunity to state their case so that they can maintain their alliance but neither confirmed nor denied any issues against them. Gomez said she still hoped that the Zamoras and Estradas will resolve this matter soon. “Friendship should be beyond politics, beyond everything. Siguro after all of this, we will remain friends. I always consider them as a friend. There are no permanent friends, only personal interest. So, I hope we still remain friends,” Gomez said.

Bagatsing’s view.

Manila congressman Amado S. Bagatsing presents a copy of the correspondence he received from a UST historian to the members of the media. According to Bagatsing, Prof. Robert Paul V. Jurado wrote his office to ask for the conduct of further studies on the position of the statue of Dr. Jose Rizal at Luneta Park, which became the basis for the challenge posed by the congressman to the National Historical Commission during the congressional hearing conducted on the Torre de Manila issue earlier Thursday. EY ACASIO

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Agriculture agencies test 766 rice varieties By Ferdie G.Domingo

SCIENCE CITY OF MUÑOZ, Nueva Ecija—The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), which have developed climate-resilient rice varieties, have pilot-tested 766 of these for planting in multiple locations. The rice varieties include higher yielding in-bred and hybrid lines that are resistant to major pests, diseases and hostile environments. The collaborative project, titled “Accelerating the development and adoption of next-generation (NextGen) rice varieties for major ecosystems in the Philippines,” is an initiative under the Food Staples Sufficiency Program (FSSP) of the Department of Agriculture (DA), PhilRice and IRRI in partnership with the University of the Philippines (UP) Los Baños, state colleges and universities, local government units (LGUs) and farmers. It involves the fielding of 206 PhilRice-bred lines, 488 IRRI lines and 72 other lines. Dr. Georgina Vergara, IRRI scientist, said that the 766 varieties have been nominated for multi-location environment testing (MET). Vergara said the project is intended to mitigate the impact of climate change on rice production and food security with the development of varieties that could withstand multiple biotic and abiotic stresses. The project, which was unveiled during an assessment and planning workshop in Subic, Zambales last month, also approved 24 new promising inbred and hybrids. Vergara said in 2014, over 2,000 lines were screened for submergence, 12, 000 for salinity, and 80 lines for drought. To help the country achieve food security, the project aims to produce higher yields by over 5 percent of previous varieties using marker-assisted breeding and selection, multi-location testing, increased breeder/foundation seed production and dissemination. Thelma F. Padolina, PhilRice senior research fellow, said that conventionally, it takes six years of breeding work, three years of testing, and two years of commercial seed production before farmers can plant a new variety.

Clearing Kennon. Public works officials rush to clear Kennon Road which became impassable as typhoon Egay slammed Luzon. DAVID CHAN

Customs foils smuggling attempt in Zamboanga By Vito Barcelo

THE Bureau of Customs has foiled an attempt to smuggle more than P10 million worth of sugar, rice and cigarettes at the Port of Zamboanga. Confiscated were 2,500 sacks of imported white sugar worth P6.3 million, and rice and cigarettes worth at least P4 million aboard two vessels, according to BOC Port of Zamboanga

District Collector Jerry Loresco. The vessels, ML Nur Enaand, carrying sugar, and MV Kristel Jane 3, carrying rice and cigarettes, came from Jolo, Sulu

when intercepted by the BOC and the Philippine Coast Guard at the Zamboanga port. Authorities found that M/V Kristel Jane crew hid the sacks of rice inside the ship’s cabin, chimney, and engine bilges to avoid detection. Several boxes of cigarettes were also found inside the cabinet of the ship’s life jackets. The seized goods were turned over to the BOC Port

of Zamboanga for processing and filing of charges including the issuance of the warrant of seizure and detention, Loresco said. “We would like to thank the various government agencies as well as the local authorities for helping us apprehend smugglers in Zamboanga. We will continue the BOC mandate to intensify anti-smuggling efforts in Mindanao ports,” he added.

Mayor, 16 others face plunder charges for overpriced city hall THE Mayor of San Jose Del Monte City and 16 other officials are facing plunder charges in connection with the alleged overpricing and anomalous construction of the new city hall building amounting to over P130 million. A15-page affidavit complaint against Mayor Reynaldo San Pedro of the National Unity Party, a coalition party of the Liberal Party, and 16 others was filed before the Office of the Ombudsman. by SJDM city councilor Romeo Agapito. Agapito alleged that the four-story building project, approved by San Pedro at a price of at least half a billion pesos, was estimated to cost only P300 million. “Mayor San Pedro and his cohorts illegally spent millions of pesos from the government funds which could have helped less fortunate residents who are in dire need of amelioration for their difficulties, and for social services,” Agapito said. The complainant also revealed that the mayor and the other co-accused conspired for their personal interest and wasted public funds by procur-

ing Consulting Services for the Master Planning and Detailed Engineering of the San Jose del Monte City Hall from Arce Bailon Arce Architects despite the fact that there was already one procured for in the amount of P3.9 million during the time of then Mayor Eduardo Roquero. “San Pedro wasted the City’s money in securing the services of Arce Bailon-Arce Architects which costs more than four hundred times greater than the one procured by the previous administration,” Agapito said. City Engineering Office chief Engr. Rufino Gravador, Jr. estimated the four story building project at P300 million and not P500 million as approved by San Pedro, Agapito said. “The computation was duly submitted by Engr. Gravador to the Mayor but the same was disregarded despite its merit. Because of Engr. Gravador’s refusal to accept the illicit offers of the Mayor, he was constructively dismissed, and reassigned for two years as City Agriculturist without any valid reason which is a clear violation of Civil Service Rules,” Agapito explained.

The new gold. Locals of Bgy. Cabahug, Mandaue City dig for scrap metal from debris. MICHELLE ALVAREZ

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opinion

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How to improve our cities

[ EDI TORI A L ]

A lAte Announcement A LATE announcement The adage tells us “better late than never,” but in the case of yesterday’s suspension of work and classes, the late announcement brought as much distress as it would have had it not been made at all. In Metro Manila, where heavy rain brought by “Egay” and “habagat” started Saturday night, there was much concern about the suspension of classes. In the old days, one had to stay glued to the radio to wait for an announcement by officials of the Education Department. Eventually that responsibility was devolved, and rightly so, to local chief executives who would be in a better position to assess whether suspensions were needed at all. These days, there are numerous ways through which to relay the message. Aside from the usual television and radio, the Internet offers a real-time platform for dissemination of information. Social media sites are a handy tool in relaying such announcements, straight from the source. Given the percentage of Metro Manila households with access to the Internet, it would be laughable to still be behind the news and be kept in the dark about what is going on. But that is exactly what happened Monday morning. Some LGUs for their part took to this platform, but not all. The weather remained inclement during the day, however, and by midday all other LGUs that had not issued announcements in the morning did so, eventually. only after all these did the Palace issue a circular announcing that work and classes would be suspended for the rest of the day. The memorandum circular was time-stamped at 3:25 in the afternoon, only a little over an hour before government employees were due to head for home, anyway. “This circular shall take effect immediately,” the order said. That the Palace even bothered to dignify its belated realization would be laughable if it did not inconvenience thousands of commuters who decided to brave the bad weather just so they could show up for work or class. In a way, the Palace’s lag betrays this administration’s disconnect to the plight of the common people. It had all the time to decide on the matter, and all the tools were at its disposal. Given all these, we are reminded that the best advice workers and students could take on days like this is their own. Health and safety are paramount, and we ourselves can assess if it’s worth going out or not. We really don’t need insensitive officials telling us what to do – if they even remember it is their duty to make our lives easier.

LP’s finaL soLution lowDown jojo A. RobleS SEnAToR Grace Poe has thumbed down running for the presidency under the administration Liberal Party, because that “would look bad” for an independent politician like her. But according to the up-and-coming news Web site politiko.com.ph, Poe has not closed the door to a coalition with the LP, be-

cause she remains a fervent admirer of President noynoy Aquino. If that means Poe will agree to run for President with presumptive LP standard-bearer Mar Roxas as her running mate, perhaps she should think twice. or many, many times. I’ve been told that the legal wizards of the Roxas campaign have hit upon what I think they should call “the final solution” in their bid to make the interior secretary President. And yes, it’s criti-

cal that they convince Poe to run for the highest post in the land with Mar and get them both to win in next year’s elections. It’s like this, according to my informants: LP runs a Poe-Roxas tandem (probably with the senator, like she was in 2013, as a “guest candidate,” in deference to her wishes and sensibilities) and wins the top two positions, a rare phenomenon last witnessed when both Gloria Arroyo and noli de Castro won in 2004.

the party is pushing Poe to run for President with Roxas because it is convinced that she is ineligible.

As soon as Poe is sworn into office, the move to disqualify her on citizenship and/or residency grounds commences. A simultaneous legal and propaganda campaign will be launched to oust Poe (or to force her to quit on her own) by the same Team Roxas that she ran with. The endgame is the assumption of Roxas to the presidency that he did not run for and which he will serve out until the end of Poe’s term. If this scenario gives you flashbacks of the untimely end of the Joseph Estrada presidency, you real-

ly shouldn’t be surprised: the same legal eagles who helped engineer Arroyo’s serving out the remainder of Erap’s term after he was impeached are also involved in Roxas’ supposed plot. So, if I were Grace Poe, I’d be very, very careful. The people in LP pushing her to run for President with Roxas are convinced that she is ineligible—which is why they are offering it to her. You’re welcome to dismiss this

Published Monday to Sunday by Philippine Manila Standard Publishing Inc. at 6/F Universal Re Building, 106 Paseo de Roxas, corner Perea St., Legaspi Village, Makati City. Telephone numbers 832-5554, 832-5556, 832-5558 (connecting all departments), (Editorial), 832-5546, (Advertising), 832-

plot as idle speculation. But if it comes to pass, I hope I’ll still be writing about it, even if only to refresh your memory. *** Speaking of the Liberal Party, what’s become increasingly clear lately is that its leaders are hewing to the strategy to vilify and prosecute rivals, perceived political opponents and all other people whose cooperation they require but who balk at their demands. And because its

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President and titular head is of the same strange persuasion, this has been the political strategy from the beginning and, in all likelihood, until the end of noynoy Aquino’s term. As far as I can recall, the strategy was first used on former ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, who was unwilling to be a tool of the LP in the prosecution of the party’s perceived enemies. She was forced from office under pain of Continued on A11 impeachment.

MST Management, Inc. Philip G. Romualdez Arnold C. Liong Former Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno Jocelyn F. Domingo Ron Ryan S. Buguis

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PoPE Francis is not a stranger to cities, having grown up and lived, for decades, in Buenos Aires. Indeed, one of the more famous images of Jorge Cardinal Bergoglio, before he was elected Pope, is that of him as a bus rider and ordinary commuter in his home city. When he was Archbishop of that great city of Argentina, Cardinal Bergoglio also celebrated masses regularly in poor neighborhoods, the slums of Buenos Aires; he knew intimately what people had to put up with in such places. Given this background, it does not come as a surprise that Laudato Si’ mentions and reflects on cities a number of times. Pope Francis recognizes the challenges and ugly aspects of urban life: among others, pollution, privatization of spaces, lack of housing, and poor transportation systems. At the same time, he offers solutions for urban renewal, such as better design, onsite development, and mass transit. In the earlier sections of the papal encyclical (LS 44 and 45), Pope Francis takes note of the “disproportionate and unruly growth of many cities, which have become unhealthy to live in, not only because of pollution caused by toxic emissions but also as a result of urban chaos, poor transportation, and visual pollution and noise.” He also observes that: “Many cities are huge, inefficient structures, excessively wasteful of energy and water. neighborhoods, even those recently built, are congested, chaotic and lacking in sufficient green space.” Pope Francis then asserts: “We were not meant to be inundated by cement, asphalt, glass and metal, and deprived of physical contact with nature.” Pope Francis also laments the privatization of spaces which has resulted in restricting people’s access to beautiful places. He condemns how so-called “ecological” neighborhoods have been created but with the feature of being closed to outsiders. According to the Pope, this ensures an “artificial tranquility” - “beautiful and carefully manicured green spaces in so-called “safer” areas of cities, but not in the more hidden areas where the disposable of society live.” Laudato Si’ points at lack of housing as a serious problem in many parts of the world. Pope Francis considers this a major issue for human ecology. After all, “having a home has much to do with a sense of personal dignity and the growth of families”. To solve this issue, the Pope sides with those who advocate on-site development, pointing out how slums and shantytowns must be redeveloped rather than razed, ensuring that no displacement happens. 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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the party is pushing Poe to run for President with Roxas because it is convinced that she is ineligible.

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A10

OPINION lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

WHAT THEY TALKED ABOUT TO THE POINT EMIL P. JURADO

THIS is A-1information from my sources in Malacanang, who swear they know what’s happening there. President Aquino had a talk recently with Senator Grace Poe, triggering speculations that the adopted daughter of the late movie icon Fernando Poe Jr. would be his alternative candidate for president. Poe is more “winnable” than Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II. There have been speculations that Poe is being favored by the President because of her good poll survey ratings. She recently surpassed the numbers of Vice President Jejomar Binay who earlier topped all poll ratings. My source said that the real reason the President talked to Grace was not the 2016 presidential elections or the possibility that Poe would be his anointed candidate. They talked, rather, about the Senate committee report pinning responsibility and accountability on the President for the death of the 44 police commandos during the Mamasapano encounter. The report also recommended that suspended former Police Chief Alan Purisima, a good friend of the President, be made to face graft and plunder charges. The President reportedly wanted Grace to amend her committee report such that it would no longer blame him but Purisima instead. The latter fell out of grace because he had been ordered dismissed by the Ombudsman. I was not told how the President’s talk with Grace Poe ended. But this account seems to jibe with Senator Poe’s statements that she would rather run as an independent candidate, with Senator Francis Escudero as her running mate. In any case, Poe is reportedly waiting for another call from the President. For what, we can only speculate.

*** If it has been taking President Aquino some time to appoint a new PNP chief, there is a reason for it – and it is all about politics. This late date, the choice for PNP police chief has boiled down to two, between Danilo Constantino, chief of the PNP directorial staff, and Ricardo Marquez, director of PNP operations. My Palace sources said that the President is torn between one of them being a candidate of the politically powerful Iglesia Ni Kristo, and the so-called “Balay” group loyal to the President and headed by Mar Roxas, the presumptive candidate of the President and the Liberal Party.

Mr. Aquino and Ms. Poe discussed the Senate committee report on Mamasapano.

It is said that the President is in a quandary because he could lose the support of the INC in next year’s polls if he chooses the wrong man. He could also displease the other group made up mostly of Hyatt 10 people. In other words, the President wants to have his cake and eat it, too. Whom will he choose? *** When I read that news report that the Ombudsman had indicted former MRT3 general manager Al Vitangcol III and his cohorts over the alleged anomalous P11.5-million maintenance contract for the Metro Rail Transit Line 3, and alleged extortion of $30 million from Inekon and its chairman Joseph Husek in the residence of Czech Ambassador Josef Rychtar, I said to myself that something was wrong somewhere when the Ombudsman

THE EDSA ROAD-SHARING SCHEME A GROUP called the Share the Road Movement has launched “Bayanihan sa Daan,” an experimental road-sharing plan aimed at allotting half of Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (Edsa) – the most important national road in Metropolitan Manila – for the exclusive use of pedestrians and bikers. The proponents of this experiment want their plan to become something permanent, purportedly to reduce air pollution in the metropolis. Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Francis Tolentino consented immediately. The experiment was set for Sunday, June 28 at the Pasay City segment of Edsa. Tolentino eventually postponed it after his traffic engineers revealed that on-going road repairs and a lack of a sufficient information campaign will worsen the traffic problem for motorists. Obviously, Tolentino acted on impulse when he consented before studying the proposal. Tolentino is eyeing a seat in the Senate in the May 2016 polls, and his impulsive behavior may be an indication of how he will comport himself if elected senator. The organizers insist that roads are meant to move people, not motor vehicles. They cite Section 9 of Executive Order No. 774 issued by then President Gloria Arroyo in December 2008. This EO borrows from President Ramon Magsaysay and states that “those who have less in wheels must have more in road.” Edsa is a national road, and only Congress, in the exercise claimed that there was no probable cause to charge Abaya. Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales claimed there was no probable cause to charge Abaya. Santa Banana, no probable cause to charge Abaya when he signed the contract? Something is rotten here! When then-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo endorsed the P336-million transfer of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office intelligence fund, she was indicted for plunder, which caused her hospital arrest. She is still in detention, despite the fact that all her codefendants have been released on bail. Senator Poe is now asking why there are no charges against Abaya.

HAIL TO THE CHAIR VICTOR AVECILLA of its legislative power, may impose limitations on its use, subject to the restraints imposed by the Constitution. An executive order cannot substitute for a legislative act. There is nothing in EO No. 774 which authorizes allotting half of Edsa for the exclusive use of pedestrians and bikers. Even if EO No. 774 contains such an authorization, that authorization is unconstitutional because it amounts to a usurpation by the executive department of an exclusive prerogative of Congress. Allowing the road-sharing experiment to ripen into something permanent requires the exercise of the police power of the state – the power to restrict individual freedoms to protect public welfare and public safety. The Supreme Court has consistently ruled that the MMDA has no police power. Thus, if Tolentino consents to the plan, he will be acting beyond the authority vested in him by law, and he will be courting prosecution for violating the anti-graft law and related statutes. Another legal obstacle is Republic Act No. 8794 or the law which requires all motor vehicle users to pay a road user’s tax (euphemistically called a “motor vehicle user’s charge” in the text of the law). This fee is paid by every motorist who registers his

It’s a clear case of selective justice that the administration and the Ombudsman have become so well known for. When it comes to members of the Cabinet, there’s one brand of justice for them, and another for the political opposition. Speaking of selective justice, I wonder what happened to the cases against the third batch of officials to be indicted for their involvement in the PDAF scam. Among them are Technology Education and Skills Development Authority director general Joel Villanueva and Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez. Rodriguez is the chairman of the ad hoc committee on the Bangsamoro Basic Law review, the

vehicle with the Land Transportation Office. Revenues from this tax go largely to the maintenance of national primary roads, Edsa included. Pedestrians and bikers are not subjected to this tax. Thus, if motorists, as road users, are required to pay this specific tax for road maintenance, then the proposition that “the roads are meant to move people, not motor vehicles” is substantially diluted. Likewise, the road-sharing experiment raises issues concerning International Law. The Philippines is a signatory to the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. Under this treaty, the country is bound by international standards regarding roadway use. Sharing half of a major highway with pedestrians and bikers is not contemplated in the treaty. Tolentino ought to know that traffic along Edsa is heavy as it is, and the road-sharing experiment, which reduces road space available for vehicles, will make the problem worse. It appears that back in February 2014, the group behind the road-sharing experiment filed a petition with the Supreme Court to allow their idea to ripen into a legal norm. The news archives are silent on what happened to that initiative. Continuned on A11

ARE WE THERE YET? BONG C. AUSTERO Mr. Austero’s column will resume soon.

same lawmaker who said he had several amendments to the law but who changed his mind after meeting with the President. It does look like De Lima also has her own brand of selective justice. *** Here’s a depressing report. Over 7.1 million of Filipinos do not have toilets in their homes, according to the World Health Organization and the United Nation Children’s Fund. Citing data prepared by two international organizations, some 570,000 Filipinos also use unsanitary facilities such as bucket and open-pit latrines, on top of 2.3 million of Filipinos using untreated surface water from polluted rivers, dams and canals

for drinking and another 6.1 million more who source their drinking water from “unimproved” sources like unprotected wells and springs. Santa Banana, where do you think these 7.1 million Filipinos without toilets defecate. The study said that they do it everywhere, in open fields, along canals and riverbanks, like the Pasig River. This study and report could well reflect on us all Filipinos, and how unsanitary we have become, despite all efforts by government. It reflects on the kind of people we are, my gulay! *** Senator Miriam Santiago has asked for prayers so that she could cope with her cancer. My wife and I are praying for her.

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MAIL MATTERS

How.. From A9

PRO-FRIENDS DOES NOT HAVE A PENDING LISTING APPLICATION THIS pertains to the writeup in MST Chatter entitled “Several PSE employees are anti Pro-Friends”, written by Ms. Jenniffer B. Austria which was published in the June 22, 2015 issue of The Standard. The article states, “[r]eal estate developer Pro-Friends Group Inc. is having a hard time securing regulatory approval for an initial public offering, apparently because of an anti Pro-Friends lobby instigated by several employees of the Philippine Stock Exchange itself.” The succeeding items in the article also mentions that PSE employees lobbied for the application to be rejected. The Philippine Stock Exchange, Inc. (PSE) categorically refutes these allegations and would like to raise clarifications on what was stated in the article. Pro-Friends, Inc. (the “Company”) does not have a pending listing application with the PSE. While it did file in the second half of 2014 an application to list, the said

listing application was deemed abandoned as of March 2015, in light of outstanding issues not addressed by the Company. The PSE rules explicitly provide that an applicant’s failure to comply with listing requirements within the prescribed period constitutes abandonment of the application. The reason why the Company’s application to undertake an initial public offering (IPO) did not prosper was solely due to its non-compliance with standard requirements that the PSE requires of all IPO applicants. Likewise, there is no regulatory approval that can be sought by the Company for the simple reason that there is no active application filed with the PSE. The PSE can receive complaints from the public on companies applying for listing and these grievances are submitted to the Listings Department of PSE for consideration. If there would be PSE employees who may have issues about

LP’s.. From A9 Former Chief Justice Renato Corona, when he did not yield to pressure to vacate his post, was impeached by way of an orchestrated smear campaign that included highly irregular reports emanating from the Anti-Money Laundering Council. And the Ombudsman who replaced Gutierrez, Conchita Carpio-Morales, wowed everyone with her feat of adding up all the transactions in Corona’s accounts to come up with a fabulous figure to paint a false picture of Corona’s actual net worth. Of course, the Senate played a huge role in Corona’s conviction, including those unaligned with the palace but who voted to convict any-

The Edsa.. From A10

the applicant companies, these complaints would be treated in the same manner as those that come from the public at large. In sum, the PSE, as a self-regulatory organization pursuant to the Securities Regulation Code, has a list of standard requirements and set rules and regulations for companies who would like to tap the equities market to raise funds. Applicant companies must abide by these requirements, in addition to the requirements, in addition to the requirements ot the Securities and Exchange Commission, for their application to be considered. The write-up in

way. And when the notorious Disbursement Acceleration Program funds were exposed, three senators became expendable and were jailed in order to pacify the mob. Dozens of current and former legislators were exposed for misusing their pork barrel funds in a monumental scandal involving fraudulent non-government organizations controlled by Janet Lim Napoles, but only legislators not aligned with the LP and Aquino faction have been prosecuted with undue haste. Cases involving legislators aligned with Aquino, especially those included in the so-called “third batch” of cases, have still not been charged by Justice Secretary Leila de Lima. Of course, the biggest target of LP’s political assassination jugger-

doing in the first place, there may be no need for Actually, the reason why road sharing. Bicycle lanes are already pedestrians feel a need to get a share of a major high- a reality in many metropolway like Edsa is that almost itan roads other than Edsa, all sidewalks in Metropoli- but they are hardly used tan Manila are either gone, by bikers. This is true for diminished, or are not suit- the bicycle lane around the ed for pedestrians. Side- Quezon Circle in Diliman. walks have been taken over Therefore, before bicycle by adjacent commercial es- lanes are created on EDSA, tablishments or converted a thorough study should as parking slots. They are be made to know why exdominated by vendors or isting bicycle lanes remain are cluttered with trash. unused. Even if bicycle lanes are In some areas in the cities of Pasig and Mandaluy- established on Edsa, it is ong, sidewalks are blocked doubtful if the MMDA can by concrete markers an- protect bikers from recknouncing the names of less, undisciplined bus barangay officials. If the drivers who use EDSA like MMDA clears these side- a racetrack, who shift lanes walks, which it should be indiscriminately, and who

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MST Chatter last June 22, 2015 failed to mention that the PSE is guided by the listing rules and policies. The professional nature of the organization ensures that filings and other submitted requirements are reviewed and assessed based on their own merit and that the procedure for application is not influenced by employees. Our employees adhere to the highest standards of professional conduct; hence, any statement to the effect that PSE employees “stormed” the Listings Department for their complaints is incorrect and without any factual basis. We hope we have made our points clear for the benefit of the investing public and the companies who wish to list in the PSE in the future. We hope that our views can be included in the succeeding issues of your newspaper. ROEL A. REFRAN Chief Operating Officer The Philippine Stock Exchange Inc.

naut lately is Vice President Jejomar Binay. After long-running Senate hearings on accusations against Binay were conducted, supposedly by presumptive LP presidential candidate Mar Roxas, AMLAC was again used to great effect, with accounts owned by Binay and many others associated with him were arbitrarily frozen. With Binay’s resignation from the Aquino Cabinet, the vilification campaign against him has intensified. The LP endgame supposedly has Binay getting jailed, since he will not withdraw from the race. And all of that is planned even before the elections happen. I shudder to think about what’s in store for us beyond that.

have no regard for small the four corners of Edsa vehicles, much less bicy- and Quezon Avenue in flacles. grant violation of road reAs of this writing, there strictions visibly displayed are still many buses plying on MMDA signs. MMDA the Edsa route which belch traffic enforcers stationed smoke in violation of the nearby pay no attention to Clean Air Act, thus mak- this disregard of the law. ing Edsa unsafe for bikers. Considering that Tolen This law must be strictly tino admits that he is in enforced before bicycle favor of increasing nonlanes are created on Edsa. motorized means of transTolentino has been in portation in Metropolitan office for five years already Manila, motorists should and the major roads of expect those troublesome Metropolitan Manila are pedicabs to remain on mastill dotted with pedicabs jor roads, and that the trafwhich block the smooth fic situation in the metropflow of traffic or slow olis will not improve under down traffic pace. Of- him. Since his attention ten, these pedicabs travel is obviously on the 2016 the wrong way in one-way polls, Tolentino should restreets. In Quezon City sign his MMDA post imalone, pedicabs dominate mediately.

Metro Manilans would definitely agree with Pope Francis that a good quality of life in a city has a lot to do with its system of transport and our mobility, i.e. our ability to move back and forth from our houses to our places of work, leisure, etcetera. Lack of mobility, exemplified by the unsafe rail system we have or the traffic we have to endure in Manila, is indeed a source of much suffering for us. We will agree with this observation in Laudato Si’: “Many cars, used by one or more people, circulate in cities, causing traffic congestion, raising the level of pollution, and consuming enormous quantities of non-renewable energy. This makes it necessary to build more roads and parking areas which spoil the urban landscape. Many specialists agree on the need to give priority to public transportation. Yet some measures needed will not prove easily acceptable to society unless substantial improvements are made in the systems themselves, which in many cities force people to put up with undignified conditions due to crowding, inconvenience, infrequent service and lack of safety.” (LS 153) In later sections of Laudato Si, Pope Francis does provide a positive vision of urban life and what we can do to get there. For example, Pope Francis encourages designers of buildings, neighborhoods, public spaces and cities, “to draw on the various disciplines which help us to understand people’s thought processes, symbolic language and ways of acting.. According to Laudato Si’: “It is not enough to seek the beauty of design. More precious still is the service we offer to another kind of beauty: people’s quality of life, their adaptation to the environment, encounter and mutual assistance. Here too, we see how important it is that urban planning always take into consideration the views of those who will live in these areas.” (LS 150) Pope Francis calls for the protection of places within a city which includes us and brings us together, spaces - common areas, visual landmarks and urban landscapes - which make us belong, feel rooted, and at home. Laudato Si points out how important it is for the different parts of a city to be well integrated, for its resident to have a sense of the whole, rather than being confined to one neighborhood and failing to see the larger city as space which they share with others. Thus, according to Pope Francis: “Interventions which affect the urban or rural landscape should take into account how various elements combine to form a whole which is perceived by its inhabitants as a coherent and meaningful framework for their lives. Others will then no longer be seen as strangers, but as part of a “we; which all of us are working to create. For this same reason, in both urban and rural settings, it is helpful to set aside some places which can be preserved and protected from constant changes brought by human intervention.” (LS 151) Finally, Laudato Si’, true to its vision of integral ecology and the interconnectedness of humans to nature and with each other, emphasizes the importance of creativity and innovation in integrating rundown neighborhoods into a welcoming city. Quoting from his own Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis proclaims: “How beautiful those cities which overcome paralyzing mistrust, integrate those who are different and make this very integration a new factor of development! How attractive are those cities which, even in their architectural design, are full of spaces which connect, relate and favor the recognition of others!” (LS 152)

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Lakers nab 6th Man of the Year LOS ANGELES—Guard Lou Williams, who won Sixth Man of the Year honors as the NBA’s top reserve, is reportedly headed to the Los Angeles Lakers. Multiple media outlets reported that Williams, a prime target in the free agent market after playing for the Toronto Raptors last season, has agreed to a three-year, $21 million deal with the Lakers. No contract can be finalized until the free agent signing period begins on Thursday. Williams averaged a career-best 15.5 points in 80 games for Toronto last season. In March, he set a Raptors’ record for points in a quarter with 21 against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the fourth quarter. With coveted forward LaMarcus Aldridge apparently set for a move from Portland to the San Antonio Spurs and center DeAndre Jordan headed

to Dallas, the biggest names on this season’s free agent market are accounted for. But not all situations are settled. Cavs superstar LeBron James and Memphis big man Marc Gasol are both free agents—although both seem sure to remain with their current teams. ESPN reported that James and the Cavaliers are not yet discussing a new contract for the fourtime NBA Most Valuable Player, with James preferring to wait until the club re-signs restricted free agent Tristan Thompson. Gasol, also a free agent, hasn’t negotiated with teams other than the Grizzlies, but has yet to confirm he’s reached agreement on a new deal with the club.

Cudiamat leads net cast MICHAEL Kevin Cudiamat gained the top seeding in a full-packed Open men’s singles roster while Sarah Joy Barredo headlines the 32-player women’s field in the 2015 FDG Cup 2015 Open and Invitational Badminton Championships which gets under way Thursday at Powersmash in Makati City. Cudiamat of Team Prima is all primed up for the event, raring to atone for his quarterfinal setback to eventual runner-up Kenneth Monterubio in last year’s staging of the annual event held in honor of Robinsons Land Corp. president Frederick D. Go, a long-time backer of the sport, and sanctioned by the Philippine Badminton Association,

Barredo also bowed out in the quarters last year but the top PBA-Smash Pilipinas bet looms as the player to beat in the four-day tournament that also drew Pauline Marie Tan, Airah Nicole Albo, Arianne Rivera, Jochelle Alvarez, Mikaela Aquino, Patricia Barredo, Beatriz Bernardo, Jiselle Capillo, Gelita Castillo, Rae Concepcion and Malvinne Alcala. A spirited battle for top honors is also expected in the men’s singles which drew a slew of foreign aces, including Malaysians Cheerandeev Arutchelvan, Ikmal Hussain Bin Jaafar, Jhothiswaran Karupathevan, Kiran Raj Maniraj. Eizlan Sha Bin Misfahul Muneer and Japanese Tomoya Takashina.

Triathlon winner. John Chicano, 23, emerged as the top finisher at the recently concluded Tri United 2 2015, organized by Bike King and presented by Unilab Active Health. Over 800 participants took on the sprint and long-distance categories at the triathlon held on Sunday in San Juan, Batangas. The swim leg was cancelled due to bad weather brought about by typhoon Egay.

Lee wins playoff; Tiger shows progress WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS—New Zealand’s Danny Lee defeated David Hearn on the second playoff hole to capture The Greenbrier Classic and claim his first USPGA Tour title on Sunday. Lee fired a closing round three-under 67 to finish at 13-under 267 to set up a four-man playoff with Canada’s Hearn (67) and Americans Robert Streb (65) and Kevin Kisner (64) in the $6.7 million event. “All I can say is wow,” said Lee after two-putting on the second playoff hole for the win. “It feels amazing. I was so close a lot of times this year and I finally did it. “Now I understand what winning on the PGA Tour feels like.” Tiger Woods showed signs of returning to form Sunday by firing a three-under 67—his first bogey-free round since August 2013. Woods finished tied for 32nd, six strokes back of

the leaders. Lee and Hearn both sank 20 foot putts to make birdie on the first playoff hole—the par-three 18th—where Streb and Kisner were eliminated. The sudden-death showdown on the Old White course continued at the par-five 17th. Hearn landed his tee shot in the tree-lined rough and couldn’t recover while Lee—who was born in South Korea but grew up in Rotorua— reached the green in three. He landed a six-iron some 60 feet away from the hole and two-putted for the win. Lee not only earned his first US tour title but the world No. 158 will move into the top 100 when the new rankings come out. This was Lee’s fourth international victory as he has won once previously on the European Tour, Asian Tour and PGA Tour of Australasia.

Heading into the final round Lee and Hearn were just one stroke off the lead on a crowded board that included 27 players within four strokes of the four 54-hole co-leaders. Robert Streb was the biggest surprise of the four playoff participants after he accidently broke his putter halfway through his round and had to putt the back nine with a sand wedge. Former world number one Woods snapped a string of 55 straight rounds with a bogey or worse—a stretch dating back to his last bogey free round at The Barclays in 2013. “That is the best I have hit in a very long time,” said Woods. Woods rolled in three birdies and had 15 pars to finish the tournament at seven-under 273. Woods, who entered the final round seven shots back of the leaders, said if his putting was better he would have been in contention for a title. AFP

F1 king Hamilton ‘living a dream’

Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team’s British driver Lewis Hamilton (left) sprays champagne on second placed teammate Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team’s German driver Nico Rosberg on the podium after winning the British Formula One Grand Prix at the Silverstone circuit in Silverstone. AFP

SILVERSTONE—Lewis Hamilton is the British Grand Prix’s most modern home-made hero. This was clear when he claimed his third British Grand Prix at Silverstone on Sunday. But he is also a global icon and a happy man of the world. Clearly comfortable with his status as a double world champion, he revels in his connection with Britain’s younger generation of sports fans as much as he enjoys the trappings of fame and fortune. After several years of occasional public tantrums and impetuous reactions, the

30-year-old Englishman appears to have found himself. He seems to be at ease with life as he races with unprecedented speed, elan and control and, between Grands Prix, flies from one red carpet to the next. From Cannes to Glastonbury and Manhattan to some of the Mediterranean’s most glamorous resorts via various recording studios and film sets, Hamilton has indulged in what he concedes is a “rock ‘n roll lifestyle”. “Yes, I’m living my dream,” he said. “I love it and I want to do it now because you never know if you will have the opportunity

again if you don’t take it. So, yes, I’m on a lot of planes and I’m in a lot of hotels!” His flamboyance, in appearance and lifestyle, is approved of by some including F1’s long-serving ring-master Bernie Ecclestone, 84, but questioned by others, including another fellow-British world champion Damon Hill. Hamilton cares not a jot. He has retained his connection with his fans in Britain and beyond, giving Formula One a marketing platform that Ecclestone appreciates. At Silverstone, he feels the support gives him energy. AFP

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

DN Steel, Akcezz win SJ cage opener By Peter Atencio THE DN Steel Group of Companies and Akcezz International turned back separate rivals Saturday at the start of the first San Juan City Invitational Basketball Tournament at the San Juan Knights’ gym. Elcar Agcaoili had 22 points and Ralf Ryan Rubi had 21 to lead DN Steel past Baguio Oil, 89-50. John Rizos had 17 and Joseph del Carmen added 11 for Baguio Oil. Meanwhile, Archie Tan scored 23 points and Jeric Torres added 14 for Akcezz, which prevailed over MAA General Assurance, 86-44. A total of eight teams participated in the tournament, which was held with the support of organizing committee chairperson, councilor Janella Ejercito Estrada and the San Juan City local government, headed by Mayor Guia Gomez. The cagefest is also known as the Intercorporate 6-feet Below Basketball League for employees of the participating corporate teams.

Councilor Janella Ejercito Estrada makes the ceremonial toss to open the first San Juan City Invitational Basketball Tournament at the San Juan Knights’ gym last Saturday. PETER ATENCIO

Superliga to hold beach, regional event THE Philippine Superliga, the country’s pioneering club volleyball league for both men and women, celebrates its second anniversary with more firsts when it introduces the PLDT Home UlteraPhilippine Superliga Beach Volleyball Challenge Cup 2015 on July 18, and by leading the formation of a regional tournament set to fire off soon. But its mission to reestablish the Philippines as among the regional centers of the sport does not end there, according to Superliga President Ramon ‘Tat’s Suzara, whose presence in the or-

ganizing SportsCore, helped the Superliga to gain quick recognition from the International Volleyball Federation and the Asian Volleyball Confederation despite the Philippines’ earlier suspen-

sion of international recognition due to mismanagement of the old federation. Aside from the women’s club league, it was the Superliga which first organized a men’s club league in the country, also in 2014. The corporate club beach volleyball tournament, Suzara said, will help establish the Philippines as among the most active volleyball centers in Southeast Asia as his Score team sets its eyes on establishing a regional women’s volleyball tournament together with club leagues from Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia in the near

future. Suzara bared that only the finishing touches are needed before the regional tourney fires off, with the Philippines battling its Southeast Asian rivals in an ultimate battle for volleyball supremacy. The regional tournament has yet to come up with an official name, but Suzara guaranteed that it will be patterned after the largely successful Asean Basketball League, where the Philippines used to have a team. “As the Philippine Superliga reaches its second year, it is only fitting that we increase the level

of competition of volleyball in the country,” said Suzara, who is a member of the AVC executive council. “This is an important milestone for Philippine volleyball. Not only we get the foreign exposure we badly need, but we also improve our relationship with our Southeast Asian neighbors that makes the transfer of technology much easier for our officials, coaches and players. I’m sure this endeavor will benefit everyone —even the volleyball-loving Filipinos.”

Football for a Better Villajuan bags Shell Cebu jr chess crown Life visits Naga City FOOTBALL players and enthusiasts in Bicol will be treated to free football clinics and tournaments as Football for a Better Life goes to Naga City on July 11 and 12. This will be the sixth leg of the nationwide grassroots development program backed by Pru Life UK Philippines, with former Azkals team captain and Green Archers United player Chieffy Caligdong and British football coach Chris Thomas spearheading the program. Teams from all over the Bicol region are expected to converge at the Metro Naga Sports Complex for this football festival. “Bicol is very active in Philippine football and the region displayed a good standing in the recent Palarong Pambansa,” said Chieffy. “In our visit to Naga, we hope to help the local football associations and contribute to pushing football further in the Bicol region.” Chieffy and Chris want Football for a Better Life to motivate the young footballers to aim to be national players. “We want them to be inspired,” said Chris, who is FFABL’s Grassroots Development Director. “In every place that the program has visited, we have found great talent. The passion of Filipinos for football is truly heartening. We want to give the talent support and exposure so they can be recognized and appreciated.” Previous legs have yielded scholarships in Metro Manila high schools as well as media exposure for some young footballers from the provinces. The FFABL leg in Naga will have tournaments in six categories: 6-8 years old, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, 15-16 and Ladies’ Open. Ferdinand Tuy, secretary general of the Football Council of Naga, said that Chris and Chieffy’s forthcoming trip comes at a good time since Naga’s Under-15 team will be participating in the Philippine Sports Commission-sponsored Batang Pinoy games to be held in Malolos, on July 18. Pru Life UK Philippines Football for a Better Life’s Naga event is also supported by the City Government of Naga, the Football Council of Naga and the Camarines Norte Football Association.

PHILGYMN Villajuan racked up 3.5 points in the last four rounds, including a sweep of the last three, to clinch the solo championship in the kiddies’ division of the 23rd Shell National Youth Active Chess Championship 2015 Visayas leg at SM Cebu Event Center in Cebu City last Sunday. Villajuan, a mainstay of Brgy. Legaspi Elementary School, was held to a draw by Regina Quiñanola in the sixth

round, but bounced back strong with victories over No. 7 James Paraon, No. 14 Angel Bagano and sixth seed Gil Casa Jr. to emerge solo champion with eight points in the 7-12 division of the three-category tournament sponsored by Pilipinas Shell. The No. 17-ranked Villajuan’s romp thus completed the lesserlights domination of the second leg of the five-stage regional elims after No. 74 Genesis Borromeo of Diaz

College topped the juniors’ division and No. 12 Adrian dela Cruz reigned in senior play of the event sanctioned by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines. Top seed Adrian De Luna rebounded from a shaky stint in the first five rounds with a sweep of the last four to finish solo second with 7.5 points and gain the other berth in the national finals slated in September at SM Megamall.

Robinsons’ Fit & Fun Wellness Buddy Run. Around 4,500 wellness enthusiasts joined in the Robinson’s Fit & Fun Buddy Run held Sunday at the Bonifacio Global City. Athletes including SEA Games Triathlon Gold Medalist Nikko Huelgas, members of the Philippine Volcanoes and celebrities James Reid and Jessie Mendiola also joined the event. Now on its eighth year, the Fit&Fun Buddy Run wants to promote healthy living and wellness among Filipinos.

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Kyrgios reaffirms promise to Aussies’ Davis Cup team SYDNEY—Nick Kyrgios Monday reaffirmed his commitment to Australia’s Davis Cup team amid fears he could pull out in protest at Tennis Australia dumping Bernard Tomic.

By Peter Atencio ALBERTO “AJ” Lim Jr. is in the main draw of the Wimbledon junior tennis championships. The 16-yea-old Lim made it to the round of 64 after he turned back his opponents in the qualifying round at the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club in London. The world no. 75 ranked Lim first got past Spanish netter Nicolas Moreno de Alboran, 6-4, 6-7(5-7), 6-1, in the first qualifying round. Then he held back Yuya Ito of Japan, 1-6 7-6(3) 13-11, to make it to the main draw. He will fight it out with another British qualifying round entry Jonathan Gray. The 150th world ranked Gray advanced to the next round after he first won over Wu Yibing of China, 6-4, 6-4. Then he stopped Miguel Semmler of Spain, 6-4, 6-2. Lim’s good fortune came as Fil-American Davis Cupper Treat Huey and British partner Scott Lipsky bowed out of contention in the men’s doubles. Huey and Lipsky started their campaign with a 7-6(7-2), 6-2, 6-4 win over Uruguay’s Pablo Cueva and David Marrero of Spain. But, Germans Jonathan Ehlrich and Philip Petzchner halted them with a 3-6, 5-7, 6-7(3-7) beating.

During an extraordinary tirade against Tennis Australia and former national team coach Pat Rafter at Wimbledon last week, Tomic suggested Kyrgios may sit out this month’s Davis Cup quarter-final against Kazakhstan in support if he did not play. TA subsequently axed Tomic for the July 17-19 tie in Darwin for his “disparaging and disrespectful comments”. However Kyrgios, who was scheduled to play Frenchman Richard Gasquet in the Wimbledon fourth round on Monday, moved quickly to ease doubts over his future. “As a proud Australian it’s a pleasure and privilege to be able to represent my country in Davis Cup,” he said on his Facebook page. “As long as I’m able, fit and healthy, It’s an opportunity I will never pass up. #Darwin #DavisCup.” Kyrgios has divided the All England Club between those that believe his colourful antics are good for a sport in

need of characters, and others who claim his behaviour is petulant and disrespectful. Even Australian fans are uncertain whether to embrace the brash 20-year-old, who swept into the last 16 for the second successive year with a typically chaotic 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 victory over Canadian seventh seed Milos Raonic on Friday. The Sydney Daily Telegraph on Monday ran a front page splash under the headline “Game, Set and Brats”, focusing on Tomic and Kyrgios with a comment piece saying the pair were rapidly climbing the list of “Most Hated Young People in Australia”. Tomic complained about a lack of financial support from Tennis Australia during his media conference rant following his fourth round exit to defending champion Novak Djokovic on Friday. He also incensed tennis figures when he insulted Rafter, one of the country’s sports icons. AFP

Forum tackles volleyball

Australia’s Nick Kyrgios hits the ball through his legs as he returns to Canada’s Milos Raonic during their men’s singles third-round match on Day 5 of the 2015 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London. AFP

IT’S an all-volleyball theme in today’s session of the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum as the coming Collegiate Conference of the Shakey’s V-League and Spikers’ Turf are the featured topic of discussion at Shakey’s Malate. Talking about the matter in the public sports program aired live over DZSR Sports Radio 918 and presented by San Miguel Corp, Accel,

Shakey’s, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. are tournament commissioner Tony Boy Liao, Sports Vision chairman and president Moying Martelino and Ricky Palou, also secretary general of Larong Volleyball ng Pilipinas Inc., respectively. The V-League comes off the wraps on July 11, while the Spikers’ Turf follows on July 13.

PH sports tourism heats up

The Philippines has become a destination for international wakeboarding events.

JUNE was an exciting month for both local and international athletes and sports enthusiasts as Visit the Philippines Year 2015 campaign of the Tourism Promotions Board featured some of the biggest sporting events across the country. The CamSur Watersports Complex held the adrenaline-pumping triathlon adventure, the Challenge CamSur 2015, where international triathletes joined in the thrill and competed with local triathlon champions. The event was a spinoff of Challenge Philippines Triathlon, one of the country’s biggest endurance events. Football fans headed to the Nuvali Football Field in Laguna for the 10th European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines Football Cup. Participated by em-

ployees from different companies, organizations and NGOs, the fun cup aimed to build strong bonds with colleagues and to appreciate the game of football. Monster trucks roared into the SM Mall of Asia Arena for the country’s first Monster Jam. Fans from around the globe came to see the world famous monster trucks and their drivers as they competed in racing and freestyle events. Aside from enjoying the roaring engines and crushing actions, spectators took turns taking selfies with El Toro Loco, Grave Digger and other famous monster trucks. Sailing enthusiasts were treated to a fun sailing and navigation challenge for catamarans, yachts, jet skis, and kayaks at the Romblon 3 Islands Challenge in Romblon

City. Windsurfers, meanwhile, traveled to Anilao, Batangas for the Philippine Windsurfing Camp. Cooling down the adrenaline were running events that promoted fitness and socialization for everyone. Pro and amateur runners celebrated Father’s Day with their families at the Run with Dad 2015 marathon in Camp Aguinaldo Grandstand. Marathoners were also in full force at Bonifacio Global City for the Fortune Care Run for a Healthier You, a fun run for the Philippine Children’s Medical Center. With all these fun and energetic sporting events for local and foreign tourists to enjoy, this is indeed a dynamic time to visit the Philippines. Check out more exciting events and festivals that bring out the fun in you at www.visitph2015.com.

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

LOTTO RESULTS 6/55 00-00-00-00-00-00 6/45 00-00-00-00-00-00 4 DIGITS 0-0-0-0 3 DIGITS 0-0-0 2 EZ2 0-0

P0 M+ P0 M

‘Pledges good, but training funds better’ BENEFACTORS can pledge all the money they can give to potential Olympic gold winners, but for one Olympian, the move may not be enough to end the country’s gold medal drought in the quadrennial meet. The Philippine Sports Commission already pledged a P5-million prize money for whoever will win a gold in the upcoming Rio Olympics, while Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao also promised the same amount to a gold winner. But for two-time Olympian Hidilyn Diaz, it would be more effective if athletes like her get the needed support, while they are preparing for the Olympiad. The Philippines’ top lady weightlifter, Diaz was a qualifier in the 2008 Beijing Olympics before becoming the country’s flag bearer during the 2012 London Games. “‘Yung sa akin sana tulungan nila at suportahan nila ‘yung preparasyon. Hindi ‘yung iniisip nila ‘pag nakuha na. Dapat tulungan nila ‘yung atleta na maabot ‘yun,” said Diaz. The Zamboanga-native Diaz is coming off a gold-winning performance in the first-ever Southeast Asian weightlifting championship held in Thailand last month. “Hindi naman imposible na makuha ‘yung gold pero sana, ‘yung tulong nila sa atleta is habang nagte-training kami,” added Diaz. Meantime, Diaz feels good about her chances in Rio now that she finds it easy campaigning in the 53-kg class after competing for several years in the 58-kg division. “Sa 58 kasi malalayo ‘yung score ng kalaban ko pero dito sa 53 kilos, dikit lang halos ang score ko sa mga kalaban,” said Diaz. The 24-year-old Diaz will be eyeing a stint in the 2016 Olympics by competing in two qualifying events this year in Phuket, Thailand in September and the World championships this November in Houston. Dennis Principe

Coach Baldwin: That’s not my 26-player list By Dennis Principe

GILAS Pilipinas head coach Tab Baldwin laughed off a report that purportedly claimed to have gotten hold of a list of his 26-man training pool for the upcoming FIBA Asia championships in China. A report came out supposedly detailing Baldwin’s wish list, which the Gilas coach already submitted to the PBA. A former coach of the New Zealand national team, Baldwin insisted that the list has been concealed so as not to affect players, who are still performing in the ongoing PBA Governors’ Cup. “It wasn’t my list of 26 players

and in fact, it wasn’t really that close. Wherever it came from, in my opinion, it shouldn’t have been reported. But it was and you have to deal with these things,” said Baldwin. Baldwin added he is also concerned about the impact of the report to players he wishes to have on his pool and those who are on the list that came out, but will not be actually part

Baldwin

of his pool. “May angst I guess with the report really is on behalf of the players. Those that were named but won’t be on the list and those who were not named that will be on the list. It’s unfair to them because they don’t know. Nobody among the players know,”

said Baldwin. In the end, Baldwin is asking for patience and understanding as he sees this process an important step in forming a national team that will lead the country to a return trip to the Olympics. “There has to be integrity in this process and when we get situations like this, this kind of announcement really impede our ability to do our job the best we can,” said Baldwin. The 57-year-old Baldwin is tasked to form Gilas 3.0 that will campaign in the FIBA Asia championship in Wuhan, China. The Asian joust will serve as the region’s Olympic qualifier, where only the gold winner will advance to the 2016 Rio Games.

Romeo Travis of Alaska defies two Star Hotshot defenders in a PBA semifinal game won by the Aces, 82-77. The Aces advanced to the finals, where they will play the winner of the San Miguel Beer-Rain or Shine semifinal war.

Altas to unleash 2 rebounding aces By Peter Atencio

Bright Akhuetie is in the act of completing a slam dunk in the ﬁnal quarter of the University of Perpetual Help Altas’ game with the College of St. Benilde Blazers Friday at the Arena in San Juan. Bright came up 44 points in their 77-69 win over the Blazers in the 91st NCAA men’s basketball tournament. The Altas scored their second straight win and now share the lead with the San Beda Red Lions and Letran. PETER ATENCIO

UNIVERSITY of Perpetual Help Altas will unleash two rebounding demons in Nigerians Bright Akhuyetie and the returning Prinze Eze when they take on the Mapua Cardinals today in the featured game at 4 p.m. in the 91st National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball tournament at the San Juan Arena. With Akhuetie and Eze manning the boards, the Altas are heavily favored to post their third straight at the Cardinals’ expense. “Masaya ako sa nilalaro niya. Sana mag-stepup iyung iba para di siya mahirapan,” said Altas coach Aric del Rosario, referring to Akhuyetie.

Eze, who is back My teammates are Games Today after a one-game helping and they (San Juan Arena) suspension when 10 a.m. LSGH vs EAC-ICA (jrs) are making me the Altas played 12 nn UPHSD vs Mapua (jrs) look good,” said 2 p.m. CSB vs EAC (srs) the Lyceum Pirates Akhuetie, who 4 p.m. UPHSD vs Mapua (srs) last week, is also exsaid he’s excited pected to help man about his matchthe boards and in scoring. up with Mapua’s Nigerian imEze is the league’s fourth port Allwell Oraeme. highest scoring player with Oraeme, who averages 14 21 points a game, behind Jo- points a game, is actually the san Nimes of Cardinals, who league’s top rebounder with 22 is averaging 21.5. boards ahead of Akhuetie’s 19. Akhuetie, the league’s leadAside from the two Nigeing scorer, compiled a 26.5 rians, the Altas will also rely points average and 22 re- on Earl Thompson, who had bounds in the Altas’ victories been averaging 13 points and over the Pirates and the Col- 11 rebounds agame. lege of St. Benilde Blazers, The Cardinals, who lost to capped by a 44 points perfor- the San Beda Red Lions, 89-102 mance against the Blazers. in the opener but won their sec“I don’t really care about ond game against the Pirates, the score. I care about the win. are looking for win no. 2.

T U E S D AY : J U LY 7, 2 0 1 5

A16

RIERA U. MALL ARI EDITOR

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

sports@thestandard.com.ph

SPORTS

Christie Rampone (3) of the United States of America holds the World Cup Trophy after their 5-2 win over Japan in the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015 Final at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, Canada. AFP

Lloyd’s hattrick keys US triumph

Coach Compton: We’re doing something special By Jeric Lopez

IT is no no accident that Alaska is now headed to its second finals appearance in the 40th season of the Philippine Basketball Association. Although Alaska coach Alex Compton’s fingerprints are all over the Aces’ success this season, the humble mentor quickly pointed credit to his wards, saying that the players were the main reasons why their squad has another crack at a championship. “I love to coach my guys. They’re doing something incredibly special,’’ said Compton of his cagers. ‘’Our guys are playing big and their versatility is showing. I’m really happy we’re back in the finals.’’ The Aces continued playing their steady basketball and command-

Living F1 the dream TURN TO A12

ingly swept and dethroned the Star Hotshots in the semifinals, 3-0, to advance to the finals for the second time in the last three conferences. Alaska took Game 3, 82-77, against Star last Sunday night to punch the first ticket to the finals. Two of the Aces’ three semis victories were carved out via a come-frombehind fashion as they were never rattled despite facing adversities and huge deficits. Compton credits this to the team’s immovable character. “These are guys who got tremendous character and they’re showing that every time we face trials,’’ said

Compton. ‘’Our guys don’t quit. They settle down and they just play. I really have good character guys out there and it makes things easier.’’ Since Compton took over starting the Governors’ Cup last season, the Aces now have two finals appearances and three semifinals berths in those four conferences, where the crafty tactician handled the team thus far. Unlike in the Philippine Cup, where they fell short of winning the title in a classic Game 7 in the finals, the Aces are looking to turn things around and be on the winning side this time as they seek their first championship since winning the Commissioner’s Cup in 2013. “We have the tools to win a championship. Our guys will definitely battle for that,’’ said Compton. As to who Compton wants his Aces to face in the best-of-seven finals, he

Altas to unleash rebound aces TURN TO A15

said he is in no position to pick a preferred opponent between San Miguel Beer and Rain or Shine, who are still in the thick of their dogfight in the other semifinals clash with their bestof-five series tied up at 1-1. “It’s not my place to pick our opponent. That’s something we don’t control, but we just have to be ready. Those two teams (San Miguel and Rain or Shine) are great teams but for now, we’re happy we’re in the finals.’’ The pivotal Game 3 between the Beermen and the Elasto Painters is currently being played as of this writing with the victor getting a crucial 2-1 lead and will move a step closer to the second and last finals berth. The finals will either start late this week or this coming weekend, depending on how the semis clash between San Miguel and Rain or Shine goes.

VANCOUVER—Carli Lloyd became the first woman to score a hattrick in a World Cup final as she inspired the United States to a 5-2 demolition of defending champions Japan on Sunday. The United States, winners in 1991 and 1999, became the first nation to win the crown three times and avenged their loss to Japan on penalties in the 2011 final. Lloyd, 32, scored a 13-minute hattrick opening with her first after just three minutes on the pitch at Vancouver’s BC Place Stadium with the second coming two minutes later, and her third after 16 minutes. “I was on a mission today,” said Lloyd, whose teammates Lauren Holiday (14) and Tobin Heath (54) also found the net. Yuki Ogimi got one back on 27 minutes for the Asian champions with their second coming thanks to a 52nd-minute own-goal by US defender Julie Johnson, in what was the highest-scoring final ever in the women’s tournament. “It’s unreal, it just hasn’t sunk in yet,” Lloyd said. “I’m mentally fried. “We knew that if we took it to Japan they would get nervous on the pitch.” Coach Jill Ellis said her only thought after the early goal-fest was: “Pinch me, wake me up!” “We’d talked about starting fast, and I just knew that the players could deliver. “These players were born for the big moments,” she added. “I envisaged us winning the trophy. I think five (goals) is a dream come true.” It was the third meeting between the two teams in a major championship with the Americans winning the Olympic gold ahead of Japan in 2012, when Lloyd scored both goals in a 2-1 win. The stunned ‘Nadeshiko’ were in disarray just minutes into their title defence. AFP

TUESDAY: JULY 7, 2015

RAY S. EÑANO EDITOR

RODERICK T. DELA CRUZ ASSISTANT EDITOR

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

BUSINESS

PH-China forum. Key think tank ﬁgures, business leaders and government agency representatives gathered recently to discuss the status of Philippines-China trade and

investments relations at a roundtable discussion organized by the Asia Paciﬁc Pathways to Progress Foundation Inc., in cooperation with the Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. at the Astoria Plaza in Pasig City. The forum aims to provide a platform to assess whether and in what ways political tensions arising from the West Philippine Sea disputes were affecting economic ties, especially Philippine exports to China and Chinese investments in the Philippines. Shown are the participants who shared on-the-ground experiences, including private sector views on recent trends and developments.

Markets sink on Greece vote THE stock market sank Monday, along with the rest of Asian equities, after Greece overwhelmingly rejected further austerity measures, pushing it closer to a eurozone exit. The peso fell to 45.10 against the US dollar from 45.02 Friday, while the Philippine Stock Exchange Index tumbled 80.15 points, or 1.1 percent, to 7,455.15 on a value turnover of P5.8 billion. Losers overwhelmed gainers, 131 to 31, with 42 issues unchanged, Globe Telecom Inc., the second-biggest telecommunications firm, dropped 3.3 percent to P2,400, while Security Bank Corp., the seventh largest lender, slumped 4.4 percent to P153. Alliance Global Group Inc. of tycoon Andrew Tan fell 1.6 percent to P21.80, while Jollibee Foods Corp., the biggest fastfood chain, lost 1.6 percent to P192.50. JG Summit Holdings Inc. of industrialist John Gokongwei declined 2.4 percent to P69.95.

Shanghai, meanwhile, underwent another day of volatility as China introduced a raft of measures to shore up the slumping market Despite growing concerns about Athens’ place in the eurozone, the single currency rallied after Greece’s combative Finance Minister Yannis Varoufakis announced his shock resignation just hours after winning Sunday’s referendum. Tokyo fell 2.08 percent, or 427.67 points, to 20,112.12, Seoul shed 2.40 percent, or 50.48 points, to 2,053.93 and Sydney lost 1.11 percent, or 61.60 points, to 5,476.70. Shanghai soared 7.82 percent at the open before sinking rapidly again--losing almost one

percent briefly in the afternoon. But it ended the day 2.41 percent higher, adding 89.00 points, to 3,775.91. Hong Kong plunged 3.18 percent, or 827.83 points, to 25236.28--wiping out a 0.70 percent rise in the opening minutes that came on the coat-tails of the mainland gains. More than 60 percent of Greece’s voters heeded the government’s call to vote “No,” brushing aside warnings from European leaders that it was effectively an in-out poll on the euro. While the euro sank to $1.0963 in US electronic trade immediately after the poll, it recovered throughout Monday and ticked even higher after Varoufakis’ announcement. The combative Varoufakis-who has been at the center of Athens’ high-profile debt negotiations for months--clashed with Greece’s creditors and refused to bow to their demands for tough

austerity. “Soon after the announcement of the referendum results, I was made aware of a certain preference by some Eurogroup participants, and assorted ‘partners’, for my ‘absence’ from its meetings,” he wrote in a blog. It was “an idea that the Prime Minister [Alexis Tsipras] judged to be potentially helpful to him in reaching an agreement. For this reason I am leaving the Ministry of Finance today.” The single currency was also at 135.45 yen compared with 134.91 yen in the US. “There’s nothing we can do now except lower our risk and wait,” said Ayako Sera, a strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank, told Bloomberg News. “The euro was created based on this great dream of a unified Europe, and if they withdraw from the euro then the whole system is going to come into question.” With AFP

Govt raises P16.9b as Treasury bill rates decline By Gabrielle H. Binaday THE government on Monday raised P16.945 billion from the sale of debt papers, as investors demanded lower interest rates while weighing the impact of Greek debt problem on the local market. The Bureau of Treasury fully awarded P8 billion worth of 91day Treasury bills and P6 billion worth of 182-day paper during the auction. It partially awarded P2.945 billion worth of 364-day debt instruments, amid sluggish demand.

Interest rate on 91-day or threemonth debt facilities settled at 2.078 percent, or 6.4 basis points lower than the previous rate of 2.142 percent. Tender for the three-month papers reached P26.945 billion, or more than thrice the original offer of P8 billion. Interest rate on the 182-day or six-month debt papers settled also went down by 1.7 basis points to 2.333 percent from 2.350 percent in the previous auction. Tenders for the six-month debt papers reached P16.5 billion or more

PH nears ‘A’ category rating

than twice the original offer of P6 billion. While the 91- and 182-day treasury bills fetched lower interest rates, the rate for the 364-day debt facilities gained 4 basis points to 2.552 percent. Tenders for the one-year debt facility reached P6.445 billion, just slightly higher than the government’s offer of P6 billion. Finance Undersecretary Gil Beltran said the increase in interest in the one-year debt facilities was due to lower bills accepted in the previous auction.

“There’s trouble in the market, in the international market and they are looking at the great problem so that’s the reason,” said Beltran. Beltran, however, said the Greek crisis would have a minimal impact on the Philippines, given the little trade linkage between the two countries. “It will not affect not us but the economies of the countries we trade with because they are much more linked to Europe than us. We have very strong fundamentals,” he said.

20 Banco Filipino officials sued

PSe comPoSite index Closing July 6, 2015

8500 8000 7500 7000 6500 6000

7,455.15 80.15

PeSo-dollar rate

Closing JULY 6, 2015 42

P45.100

44 45 46

HIGH P45.100 LOW P45.150 AVERAGE P45.124 VOLUME 406.800M

P480.00-P680.00 LPG/11-kg tank P41.20-P47.85 Unleaded Gasoline P28.85-P32.20 Diesel

oPriceS il P today

P34.55-P39.15 Kerosene P23.70-P24.40 Auto LPG Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Monday, July 6, 2015

F oreign e xchange r ate Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

45.0760

Japan

Yen

0.008149

0.3673

Pound

1.559900

70.3141

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128989

5.8143

Switzerland

Franc

1.064056

47.9634

Canada

Dollar

0.796242

35.8914

Singapore

Dollar

0.743052

33.4938

Australia

Dollar

0.751202

33.8612

Bahrain

Dinar

2.652520

119.5650

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266652

12.0196

Brunei

Dollar

0.740302

33.3699

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000075

0.0034

Thailand

Baht

0.029596

1.3341

UAE

Dirham

0.272301

12.2742

Euro

1.110500

50.0569

Korea

Won

0.000892

0.0402

China

Yuan

0.161142

7.2636

India

Rupee

0.015764

0.7106

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.264760

11.9343

New Zealand

Dollar

0.667601

30.0928

Taiwan

Dollar

0.032377

1.4594 Source: PDS Bridge

TUESDAY: JULY 7, 2015

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

The STandard BuSineSS daily STockS review Monday, July 6, 2015

52 Weeks

High Low

STOCKS

7.88 75.3 124.4 107 56.5 17 30.45 10.4 0.92 2.6 1.01 100 30.5 75 91.5 361.2 57 180 124 3.26

2.5 66 88.05 88.1 45.45 12.02 19.6 6.12 0.74 1.02 0.225 78 17.8 58 62 276 41 118.2 59 2.65

AG Finance Asia United Bank Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. Bank of PI China Bank COL Financial Eastwest Bank Filipino Fund Inc. First Abacus I-Remit Inc. MEDCO Holdings Metrobank PB Bank Phil Bank of Comm Phil. National Bank PSE Inc. RCBC `A’ Security Bank Union Bank Vantage Equities

7.4 73 108.00 94.25 45.4 15.94 19.4 6.43 0.7 1.79 0.415 93.5 19.06 28.40 66.05 306.6 38.5 160.1 60.00 3.15

47 5 1.46 2.36 15.3 20.6 36 65.8 2.97 4.14 21.5 21.6 11.96 9.13 11.8 2.89 17 31.8 109 15.3 9.4 0.98 241 12.5 33.9 90 13.26 293 5 5.25 12.98 15 7.03 3.4 4.5 6.3 7.86 238 3.28 0.315 2.65 234 5.28 1.3 2.17

35.9 1.11 1.01 1.86 7.92 15.32 10.08 29.15 1.5 1.5 10.72 9.55 9.04 6.02 8.86 1.06 8.61 20.2 71.5 13.24 5.34 0.395 173 8.65 23.35 17.3 5.88 250.2 3.37 3.87 8.45 10.04 3.03 1.95 1 4.02 1.65 161 1.55 0.138 2.09 152 4.28 0.640 1.2

Aboitiz Power Corp. Agrinurture Inc. Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. Alsons Cons. Asiabest Group Century Food Cirtek Holdings (Chips) Concepcion Crown Asia Da Vinci Capital Del Monte DNL Industries Inc. Emperador Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) EEI Euro-Med Lab Federal Res. Inv. Group First Gen Corp. First Holdings ‘A’ Holcim Philippines Inc. Integ. Micro-Electronics Ionics Inc Jollibee Foods Corp. Lafarge Rep Manila Water Co. Inc. Maxs Group Megawide Mla. Elect. Co `A’ Panasonic Mfg Phil. Corp. Pepsi-Cola Products Phil. Petron Corporation Phinma Corporation Phoenix Petroleum Phils. Phoenix Semiconductor Pryce Corp. `A’ RFM Corporation Roxas and Co. San Miguel’Pure Foods `B’ Splash Corporation Swift Foods, Inc. Trans-Asia Oil Universal Robina Victorias Milling Vitarich Corp. Vulcan Ind’l.

44 1.37 1.04 1.96 10.32 18.38 26.95 57.2 2.48 1.4 12.5 20.400 9.00 7.45 10.22 1.7 11.88 26.15 82.5 13.78 5.87 0.510 195.70 10.14 24 25.6 5.98 296.00 3.98 4.8 9.00 11.98 3.33 1.97 3.46 4.15 1.97 166 1.63 0.142 2.17 193.8 4.49 0.74 1.21

0.59 59.2 30.05 2.16 7.39 3.4 3.35 823.5 10.2 84 0.66 1455 7.5 76 9.25 0.85 17.3 0.71 5.53 6.55 0.0670 2.31 1.61 84.9 974 1.39 156 0.710 0.435 0.510

0.44 48.1 20.85 1.6 6.62 0.23 0.23 634.5 7.390 12.8 0.152 837 5.3 49.55 4.84 0.59 12 0.580 4.2 4.5 0.030 1.23 0.550 59.3 751 0.93 80 0.211 0.179 0.310

Abacus Cons. À’ Aboitiz Equity Alliance Global Inc. Anglo Holdings A Anscor À’ ATN Holdings A ATN Holdings B Ayala Corp À’ Cosco Capital DMCI Holdings Forum Pacific GT Capital House of Inv. JG Summit Holdings Lopez Holdings Corp. Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp. LT Group Mabuhay Holdings À’ Metro Pacific Inv. Corp. Minerales Industrias Corp. Pacifica À’ Prime Media Hldg Prime Orion San Miguel Corp À’ SM Investments Inc. South China Res. Inc. Top Frontier Unioil Res. & Hldgs Wellex Industries Zeus Holdings

0.470 57.0000 22.15 1.17 7.00 0.245 0.270 772 7.62 13.44 0.214 1345 6.56 71.70 7.3 0.66 13.62 0.63 4.62 6.5 0.0330 1.280 2.010 59.45 886.00 0.75 81.300 0.3350 0.2080 0.290

10.5 1.99 0.375 41.4 5.6 5.59 7.1 1.44

6.74 0.65 0.192 30.05 3.36 4.96 4.6 0.79

8990 HLDG A. Brown Co., Inc. Arthaland Corp. Ayala Land `B’ Belle Corp. `A’ Cebu Holdings Cebu Prop. `B’ Century Property

7.300 0.71 0.228 36.80 3.33 5.25 5.61 0.84

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

SHARES 15,928,273 49,857,669 43,917,301 58,049,201 150,739,214 198,665,187 519,545,015

High

Low

FINANCIAL 7.4 6.88 73.3 73 108.50 106.10 94.25 92.95 45.4 45 15.96 15.88 19.96 19.4 6.42 6.41 0.68 0.68 1.66 1.61 0.415 0.410 93.55 93 19.06 18.70 27.40 27.00 66.10 65.00 306 302 39 38 161 153 60.90 60.00 3.16 3.16 INDUSTRIAL 44.8 43.6 1.45 1.42 1.05 1.02 1.96 1.92 10.42 10.32 18.4 18.26 27.4 26.7 57 55.25 2.52 2.32 1.47 1.42 12.9 12.44 20.300 19.78 9.10 8.70 7.46 7.21 10.22 9.82 1.75 1.75 11.96 11.52 26.5 25.8 82.5 79 13.78 13.04 5.96 5.84 0.510 0.500 199.00 192.20 10.16 10.1 24.25 23.8 25.4 25 5.95 5.9 294.00 290.00 3.98 3.98 4.85 4.8 9.00 8.81 11.98 11.70 3.33 3.27 2.00 1.95 3.64 3.43 4.15 4.13 1.97 1.96 169 165.5 1.62 1.6 0.148 0.140 2.16 2.13 193.5 191.9 4.41 4.11 0.75 0.73 1.22 1.22 HOLDING FIRMS 0.475 0.470 58.0000 57.0000 22.05 21.75 1.17 1.17 7.04 7.00 0.245 0.230 0.260 0.260 779 761.5 7.78 7.52 13.66 13.12 0.215 0.214 1354 1343 6.70 6.70 71.70 69.20 7.3 7 0.66 0.65 13.52 13.14 0.61 0.61 4.62 4.51 6.53 6.44 0.0350 0.0330 1.200 1.200 2.010 1.860 60.00 59.35 886.00 880.50 0.72 0.70 81.200 81.000 0.3300 0.3300 0.2080 0.2070 0.260 0.246 PROPERTY 7.200 6.980 0.71 0.69 0.228 0.228 36.90 36.20 3.37 3.21 5.27 5.27 6.5 6.5 0.84 0.82

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

6.99 73 106.50 92.95 45 15.9 19.5 6.41 0.68 1.64 0.410 93.2 18.70 27.00 65.00 306 38 153 60.80 3.16

-5.54 0.00 -1.39 -1.38 -0.88 -0.25 0.52 -0.31 -2.86 -8.38 -1.20 -0.32 -1.89 -4.93 -1.59 -0.20 -1.30 -4.43 1.33 0.32

37,300 47,230 2,810,190 629,050 160,800 60,700 2,943,900 1,800 33,000 22,000 120,000 7,027,260 49,000 5,500 246,460 4,000 224,800 1,486,040 3,910 15,000

43.6 1.45 1.05 1.96 10.32 18.28 27.4 57 2.37 1.43 12.82 19.820 9.10 7.26 9.82 1.75 11.9 26 79 13.62 5.89 0.510 192.50 10.12 23.8 25.1 5.9 291.00 3.98 4.81 8.99 11.96 3.28 1.96 3.43 4.15 1.97 166 1.62 0.146 2.15 192.6 4.41 0.74 1.22

-0.91 5.84 0.96 0.00 0.00 -0.54 1.67 -0.35 -4.44 2.14 2.56 -2.84 1.11 -2.55 -3.91 2.94 0.17 -0.57 -4.24 -1.16 0.34 0.00 -1.64 -0.20 -0.83 -1.95 -1.34 -1.69 0.00 0.21 -0.11 -0.17 -1.50 -0.51 -0.87 0.00 0.00 0.00 -0.61 2.82 -0.92 -0.62 -1.78 0.00 0.83

1,552,100 9,000 418,000 169,000 200 501,800 546,000 4,980 3,729,000 49,000 76,700 3,056,400 4,404,700 9,610,500 402,700 9,000 4,700 1,065,200 476,980 3,000 1,008,800 15,000 801,720 197,100 902,600 250,600 70,000 219,110 1,000 692,000 587,300 3,600 163,000 625,000 6,789,000 239,000 6,000 1,220 39,000 2,870,000 1,256,000 2,139,610 417,000 1,704,000 13,000

0.475 58.0000 21.80 1.17 7.00 0.245 0.260 763 7.52 13.40 0.214 1343 6.70 69.95 7.3 0.66 13.16 0.61 4.53 6.44 0.0330 1.200 1.880 60.00 881.50 0.70 81.200 0.3300 0.2080 0.260

1.06 1.75 -1.58 0.00 0.00 0.00 -3.70 -1.17 -1.31 -0.30 0.00 -0.15 2.13 -2.44 0.00 0.00 -3.38 -3.17 -1.95 -0.92 0.00 -6.25 -6.47 0.93 -0.51 -6.67 -0.12 -1.49 0.00 -10.34

60,000 1,129,550 8,971,300 1,000 5,000 40,000 10,000 138,240 536,500 1,710,300 280,000 19,012 14,100 1,638,270 605,200 283,000 3,638,600 211,000 7,125,000 529,500 2,400,000 1,000 12,983,000 64,530 431,680 259,000 4,750 200,000 240,000 50,000

7.000 0.71 0.228 36.30 3.21 5.27 6.5 0.83

-4.11 0.00 0.00 -1.36 -3.60 0.38 15.86 -1.19

1,330,200 126,000 100,000 9,955,900 1,158,000 500 500 1,132,000

2,629,717.00 -22,077,360.00 -25,974,999.00 -5,050,755.00 396,370.00 53,548.00

69,378,659.00 19,060.00 -5,053,994.50 -618,235.00 -74,534,394.00 -24,080.00 -25,280.00 -20,666,705.00

2,466,184.00 -204,440.00 283,450.00 334,396.00 13,177,124.00 -4,343,026.00 -22,006,329.00 -1,318,194.00 -9,977,870.00 -6,294,259.00 8.00 4,880,683.00 -23,728,207.00 1,227,560.00 -3,455,440.00 934,620.00 4,982,536.00 124,910.00 -277,140.00 -330,000.00 21,510.00 -226,780.00 293,890.00 -45,320.00 21,600.00 87,750,754.00

1,351,659.00 -7,812,835.00

-30,470,625.00 -499,737.00 -2,470,050.00 22,964,330.00 -10,731,937.50 -1,804,085.00 -10,256,208.00 -7,521,880.00 -642,200.00 4,060,120.00 -206,537.50 -4,832,790.00 -385,256.00

-5,253,282.00 -156,080,235.00 -1,478,180.00 534,900.00

52 Weeks

High Low

STOCKS

High

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

1.1 0.97 0.083 0.415 0.83 0.188 1.15 1.42 1.27 4.13 23 2.69 22.15 1.6 3.1 15.08 0.69 3.38 0.83 5.73

City & Land Dev. 1.25 Cityland Dev. `A’ 1.08 Crown Equities Inc. 0.134 Cyber Bay Corp. 0.440 Empire East Land 0.870 Ever Gotesco 0.174 Global-Estate 1.21 Filinvest Land,Inc. 1.99 Interport `A’ 1.29 Megaworld 4.88 Phil. Tob. Flue Cur & Redry 23.25 Primex Corp. 7.2 Robinson’s Land `B’ 29.00 Rockwell 1.72 Shang Properties Inc. 3.34 SM Prime Holdings 20.35 Sta. Lucia Land Inc. 0.75 Starmalls 7.2 Suntrust Home Dev. Inc. 0.840 Vista Land & Lifescapes 6.780

-35.20 -0.93 -4.48 -1.14 0.00 0.00 0.00 -5.03 -0.78 -1.23 -1.08 -0.56 -2.07 -0.58 -1.20 -1.92 -1.33 0.00 -1.19 -2.65

18,000 1,000 3,500,000 200,000 1,000 40,000 401,000 14,115,000 1,047,000 11,078,000 1,900 14,800 2,212,300 71,000 23,000 5,392,000 714,000 1,000 24,000 3,682,000

2,200.00

10.5 66 1.09 14.88 15.82 0.1430 5.06 99.1 7.67 1700 2720 8.41 1.97 119.5 0.017 0.8200 2.2800 12.28 3.32 2.53 3.2 95.5 1 2.46 15.2 0.62 22.8 6.41 185 22.9 3486 0.760 2.28 46.05 90.1 11.6 0.85 10 0.490 1.9

1.97 35.2 0.63 10.5 8.6 0.0770 2.95 56.1 4.8 830 1600 5.95 1.23 102.6 0.011 0.041 1.200 6.5 1.91 1.01 1.95 3.1 0.650 1.8 6 0.335 14.54 3 79 4.39 2748 0.435 1.2 31.45 60.55 7.59 0.63 5 0.315 1.14

2GO Group’ ABS-CBN APC Group, Inc. Asian Terminals Inc. Bloomberry Boulevard Holdings Calata Corp. Cebu Air Inc. (5J) DFNN Inc. FEUI Globe Telecom GMA Network Inc. Harbor Star I.C.T.S.I. IP E-Game Ventures Inc. Island Info ISM Communications Leisure & Resorts Liberty Telecom Lorenzo Shipping Macroasia Corp. Manila Broadcasting Manila Bulletin Manila Jockey Melco Crown MG Holdings Pacific Online Sys. Corp. PAL Holdings Inc. Phil. Seven Corp. Philweb.Com Inc. PLDT Common PremiereHorizon Premium Leisure Puregold Robinsons RTL SSI Group STI Holdings Travellers Waterfront Phils. Yehey

3.61 0.00 0.00 1.09 -4.27 1.25 2.27 -4.74 0.00 0.00 -3.30 -2.01 1.54 -1.07 0.00 -4.11 -1.54 -0.54 -3.01 -4.96 -6.48 -2.13 -1.47 -2.00 -6.20 -2.94 -0.44 -5.66 -2.91 0.00 -0.07 -1.49 -3.15 -1.48 -3.68 -7.39 1.56 -0.93 -3.03 -3.26

95,800 15,680 546,000 6,000 3,138,600 2,240,000 374,000 273,030 8,900 80 106,620 14,300 38,000 1,676,740 12,100,000 22,270,000 151,000 306,000 41,000 50,000 15,000 400 1,000 292,000 3,787,100 610,000 15,000 4,000 220 104,200 130,115 3,321,000 33,580,000 166,500 496,530 15,969,100 3,374,000 389,600 110,000 44,614,000

639.00

0.0098 5.45 17.24 12.8 1.19 1.62 9.5 4.2 0.48 0.420 0.440 0.022 0.023 8.2 49.2 4.27 3.06 0.020 7.67 12.88 10.42 0.040 420 9 0.016

0.0043 1.72 6.47 5.11 0.85 0.77 5.99 1.17 0.305 0.2130 0.2160 0.013 0.014 3.240 18.96 2.11 1.54 0.012 5.4 7.26 2.27 0.015 115.9 3.67 0.0100

Abra Mining Apex À’ Atlas Cons. À’ Benguet Corp `B’ Century Peak Metals Hldgs Coal Asia Dizon Ferronickel Geograce Res. Phil. Inc. Lepanto À’ Lepanto `B’ Manila Mining À’ Manila Mining `B’ Marcventures Hldgs., Inc. Nickelasia Nihao Mineral Resources Oriental Peninsula Res. Oriental Pet. À’ Petroenergy Res. Corp. Philex À’ PhilexPetroleum Philodrill Corp. À’ Semirara Corp. TA Petroleum United Paragon

0.00 0.00 -3.29 0.00 0.00 0.00 -0.43 -3.03 1.61 -0.45 -4.22 7.69 -7.14 -3.35 -3.52 -1.85 0.00 0.00 0.00 -0.66 -1.16 0.00 -2.22 -1.15 0.00

43,000,000 1,000 594,900 7,000 6,337,000 70,000 1,400 20,646,000 690,000 20,690,000 680,000 56,200,000 100,000 172,000 4,436,500 118,000 100,000 12,000 689,100 2,329,000 39,300,000 552,650 265,300 100,000

70 553 120 515 8.21 111 1060 1047 76.9 78.95 84.8

33 490 101.5 480 5.88 101 997 1011 74.2 74.5 75

ABS-CBN Holdings Corp. Ayala Corp. Pref `B1’ First Gen G GLOBE PREF P GMA Holdings Inc. MWIDE PREF PCOR-Preferred A PF Pref 2 SMC Preferred A SMC Preferred B SMC Preferred C

-1.27 0.00 0.00 -0.19 -0.33 0.00 -1.30 -0.38 0.07 0.06 -0.56

77,890 1,000 300 350 1,000 4,370 305 100 132,100 20,000 11,010

6.98

0.8900 LR Warrant

-1.62

220,000

10.96 88 12.88

2.4 13.5 5.95

-13.21 -0.08 -2.45

1,704,800 170 2,376,600

130.7

105.6 First Metro ETF

-1.54

11,400

STOCKS

FINANCIAL 1,692.21 (down) 23.17 INDUSTRIAL 11,416.46 (down) 134.82 HOLDING FIRMS 6,686.76 (down) 54.90 PROPERTY 2,988.35 (down) 54.59 SERVICES 2,050.78 (down) 27.18 MINING & OIL 13,269.33 (down) 296.83 PSEI 7,455.15 (down) 80.15 All Shares Index 4,265.22 (down) 55.21 Gainers: 31 Losers: 131; Unchanged: 42; Total: 204

1.97 1.48 0.201 0.69 0.97 0.305 2.22 2.1 1.8 5.94 27 8.54 31.8 2.29 4.9 21.35 1.06 7.56 1.62 8.59

Double Dragon IRipple E-Business Intl Xurpas

1.10 0.81 0.81 1.07 1.07 1.07 0.130 0.127 0.128 0.435 0.435 0.435 0.870 0.870 0.870 0.174 0.174 0.174 1.22 1.20 1.21 1.98 1.89 1.89 1.36 1.28 1.28 4.9 4.78 4.82 24.00 23.00 23.00 7.17 7.16 7.16 29.00 28.40 28.40 1.73 1.71 1.71 3.36 3.30 3.30 20.25 19.86 19.96 0.74 0.73 0.74 7.2 7.2 7.2 0.830 0.830 0.830 6.780 6.510 6.600 SERVICES 6.09 6.48 6.1 6.31 62.4 62.6 62.35 62.4 0.640 0.640 0.630 0.640 12.86 13 13 13 9.14 9.10 8.68 8.75 0.0800 0.0820 0.0800 0.0810 3.52 3.7 3.55 3.6 88.7 88.65 84.5 84.5 6.65 6.65 6.19 6.65 930 930 930 930 2482 2482 2390 2400 6.48 6.45 6.35 6.35 1.30 1.33 1.28 1.32 111.8 112.7 110 110.6 0.011 0.011 0.010 0.011 0.219 0.227 0.209 0.210 1.3000 1.2900 1.2800 1.2800 9.30 9.25 9.20 9.25 2.66 2.65 2.55 2.58 1.21 1.18 1.15 1.15 2.16 2.16 2.02 2.02 47.00 47.00 42.00 46.00 0.680 0.670 0.670 0.670 2 2 1.96 1.96 5.81 5.9 5.41 5.45 0.340 0.330 0.300 0.330 18.12 18.08 18.04 18.04 4.77 4.50 4.50 4.50 113.50 113.50 110.20 110.20 18.78 18.78 18.12 18.78 2800.00 2822.00 2792.00 2798.00 0.670 0.670 0.660 0.660 1.270 1.270 1.220 1.230 37.05 37.10 36.50 36.50 74.80 74.60 72.05 72.05 9.47 9.47 8.72 8.77 0.64 0.65 0.64 0.65 5.35 5.34 5.26 5.3 0.330 0.320 0.320 0.320 1.840 1.840 1.560 1.780 MINING & OIL 0.0050 0.0050 0.0049 0.0050 2.65 2.65 2.65 2.65 6.39 6.40 6.18 6.18 6.8000 6.8 6.8 6.8000 0.93 0.93 0.9 0.93 0.79 0.8 0.78 0.79 6.95 7.00 6.92 6.92 1.65 1.65 1.55 1.6 0.310 0.315 0.310 0.315 0.224 0.226 0.220 0.223 0.237 0.228 0.227 0.227 0.0130 0.0140 0.0130 0.0140 0.0140 0.0130 0.0130 0.0130 3.28 3.28 3.16 3.17 22.7 22.7 21.55 21.9 3.78 3.82 3.71 3.71 2.0400 2.0500 2.0400 2.0400 0.0120 0.0120 0.0120 0.0120 4.29 4.30 4.29 4.29 6.08 6.080 6.040 6.04 1.73 1.740 1.710 1.71 0.015 0.015 0.014 0.015 144.00 144.00 139.10 140.80 10.4 1054 10.1 10.28 0.0100 0.0100 0.0100 0.0100 PREFERRED 62.9 62.7 62.1 62.1 526 526 526 526 118 118 118 118 523 522 522 522 6.1 6.08 6.08 6.08 114 114 112 114 1080 1119 1066 1066 1055 1051 1051 1051 75.3 75.35 75.3 75.35 85 85.05 85 85.05 89 88.95 88.5 88.5 WARRANTS & BONDS 3.700 3.700 3.640 3.640 SME 10.22 10.2 9.86 8.87 65.95 65.9 60 65.9 11.44 11.44 11 11.16 EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 123 123 121.1 121.1

T op g ainerS VALUE 1,341,995,656.80 1,073,978,036.33 1,276,892,107.69 673,151,329.28 1,205,187,633.58 242,059,584.59 5,841,216,677.77

Low

-24,200.00 -6,867,130.00 9.00 4,844,365.00 -29,410.00 -23,341,167.00

-13,882,948.00

-9,043,484.00 -5,306,634.50 -108,961,780.00 6,768,805.00 -13,620.00 2,735,800.00

-6,495,069.00 6,600.00 2,270.00 -813,264.00 106,161,190.00 12,051,130.00 -791,105.00 -21,047,742.00 -48,479,085.00 -2,156,800.00 1,523,658.00 9,600.00

-743,877.00

-3,213,470.00

-112,020.00 -55,998,870.00 -36,720.00 -1,406,290.00 2,565,000.00 -21,295,510.00 1,000.00 455,031.50

23,940.00 -117,260.00

1,176,938.00 13,065,286.00

T op L oSerS Close (P)

Change (%)

STOCKS

Close (P)

Change (%)

Cebu Prop. `B'

6.5

15.86

City & Land Dev.

0.81

-35.20

Manila Mining `A'

0.0140

7.69

Double Dragon

8.87

-13.21

Agrinurture Inc.

1.45

5.84

Zeus Holdings

0.260

-10.34

2GO Group'

6.31

3.61

I-Remit Inc.

1.64

-8.38

Euro-Med Lab

1.75

2.94

SSI Group

8.77

-7.39

Swift Foods, Inc.

0.146

2.82

Manila Mining `B'

0.0130

-7.14

Del Monte

12.82

2.56

South China Res. Inc.

0.70

-6.67

Calata Corp.

3.6

2.27

Macroasia Corp.

2.02

-6.48

Da Vinci Capital

1.43

2.14

Prime Orion

1.880

-6.47

House of Inv.

6.70

2.13

Prime Media Hldg

1.200

-6.25

TUESDAY: JULY 7, 2015

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

PH nears ‘A’ category rating By Julito G. Rada

JAPAN Credit Rating Agency on Monday raised the Philippines’ credit rating a notch higher to BBB+ from BBB, saying the economy may sustain an annual growth of around 6 percent in the years ahead. The Investor Relations Office of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said the country was now just a notch away from the minimum score in the “A” category and the highest rating the country would ever achieve. “The latest upgrade from JCR is the 22nd positive rating action [covering both improvement in outlook and actual credit scores] for the Philippines from major international credit rating agencies since 2010,” the IRO said.

The development placed the Philippines’ credit rating two places ahead of Indonesia’s BBBand at par with that of India, whose economy is seven times the size of that of the Philippines. “JCR is of the view that the Philippine economy will, by and large, sustain an annual growth of around 6 percent in the years to come driven by strong domestic demand,” the rating agency said in a report released Monday.

In the report, JCR highlighted the ability of the Philippines to maintain sound fiscal position, high external liquidity and solid economic growth. It also cited general stability in the country’s political situation even as potential candidates for national positions gear up for the 2016 elections. JCR noted the stable social situation amid inroads in poverty reduction, with the poverty rate falling from 28.6 percent in 2009 to 25.8 percent in the first half of 2014. The new credit rating is assigned a “stable” outlook, which means adjustment is unlikely in the short term. Government economic officials welcomed the upgrade, which marked the third positive rating action from JCR over the past five years. “The latest ratings decision of JCR, which makes the Philippines very close

to securing a rating within the ‘A’ category, appropriately reflects the strength exhibited by the economy. Inflation has remained low, external liquidity ample, and banking system sound. All this has been achieved despite a challenging external environment,” Bangko Sentral Governor Amando Tetangco said in a statement. “The upgrade to BBB+ is a recognition partly of how the country’s fiscal sector has transformed since 2010. Fiscal reforms, both legislative and administrative, have resulted in more buoyant revenue collections, manageable deficits, and lower debt service burden. The pace by which the debt burden has declined over the years is one solid proof of the rare kind of fiscal discipline that the Philippines exercises,” Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima said.

Mitsubishi donation.

Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. turned over a cash donation worth P7.368 million to the Philippines Red Cross during a fund-raising kickoff event at the Midas Hotel. Shown during the symbolic turnover are (from left) Junya Masuda, MMPC executive vice president for marketing; Richard Gordon, PRC chairman; Yoshiaki Kato, MMPC president and chief executive; and Gwendolyn Pang, PRC secretarygeneral.

Cirtex to introduce pioneering wafer technology By Jenniffer B. Austria LAGUNA-BASED semiconductor Cirtek Philippines Holdings Corp. said it will introduce a pioneering wafer technology that is expected to significantly increase the company’s revenues. Cirtek vice president for sales and marketing Antonio Callueng said the company, through unit Cirtek Electronics Corp., was launching in the Philippines the Gallium Nitride wafer technology used in various applications such as telecom, Wi-Fi, data, network, satcom, broadband and consumer RF applications. GaN technology refers to the use of gallium nitride as a semi-

conductor material that offers a high level of mechanical stability, hardness, heat capacity and thermal conductivity, and very low sensitivity to ionizing radiation, thereby permitting devices to operate at much higher voltages, frequencies and temperature. “We are working with several customers in various stages of development; we expect initial product release late this year,” Callueng said. “To be one of the pioneers to utilize GaN technology puts CEC in an advantageous position, allowing it to quickly acquire valuable market share,” said CEC president Jorge Aguilar.

Cirtek’s RF/Microwave/Millimeterwave division also recently launched its mobile point-of-sale terminal. The mobile POS has multifunction features, is compact and portable, making it an ideal solution for payment processing anywhere. The mobile POS terminal has huge application potential in diverse businesses such as utility billing, financing, inventory management, distribution, ticketing, and food stalls/kiosk, among others. The mobile POS’ GPRS modem and Wifi interface also allows for real-time data transfer, minimizing the risk of fraud and pilferage.

The company’s mobile POS terminal has a longer rechargeable lithium-Ion battery life, an essential factor that enables the POS to be used away from the power supply for extended hours. The POS product by Cirtek ATS is used in the local transportation sector for bus ticketing and continually being explored introduce to different sectors. Last week, the board of Cirtek approved an increase in the authorized capital of the company to P560 million from the current P399 million and the issuance of additional 300 million preferred shares with a par value of P0.10 per share.

Rehab of Subic toll road readied By Darwin G. Amojelar MANILA North Tollways Corp. will spend P1.5 billion over the next three years to rehabilitate the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway. “We will start spending immediately upon takeover, which we hope will happen later this month,” MNTC president and chief executive Rodrigo Franco said. Franco added the company expects the Toll Regulatory Board to issue the toll operating permit for the SCTEx. “We are also working on the integration of the North Luzon Expressway and SCTEx,” he said. The company, which expects to complete the integration by November this year, has allotted nearly P700 million for the project. The integration will bring to SCTEx the modern features of NLEX’s toll collection system. These include the use of dedicated short-range communication tags, contactless and magnetic cards and the radio frequency identification sticker tags soon as means of paying toll. Some toll barriers and toll plaza will be removed or transferred to pave the way for the integrated system. Among the barriers that will be removed are the NLEX Dau and the SCTEx Mabalacat gates. State-run Bases Conversion and Development Authority in February awarded the operations and maintenance contract for SCTEx to the operator of North Luzon Expressway. BCDA in 2008 signed a business and operating agreement with MNTC for the operation of the SCTEx for 28 years, or until 2043, but President Benigno Aquino III ordered the price challenge. The SCTEx is a 94-kilometer four-lane expressway traversing the provinces of Bataan, Pampanga and Tarlac. The road, which has an average daily traffic of 30,855, provides a direct link to Metro Manila through the NLEx. MNTC earlier said it would spend P8.6 billion to extend the NLEx to Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City. Franco told said the construction cost of the NLEx Segment 8.2, or the C5, link would amount to P8.6 billion, with the government financing the rightof-way acquisition amounting to P1.9 billion.

B4 Queen in Cavite.

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands (third from left) recently visited one of CARD Mutually Reinforcing Institutions’ successful clients, Melissa Garcia (second from right) in Silang, Cavite. The queen, who is the United Nations Secretary General’s special advocate for inclusive finance development, took time to chat with Garcia about the family’s pineapple farming business. Garcia has been a member of CARD SME Bank Inc. for five years.

20 Banco Filipino officials sued By Julito G. Rada

STATE-RUN Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. said Monday it filed criminal charges against former officials of the closed Banco Filipino Savings and Mortgage Bank and its related companies for allegedly conducting business in an unsafe and unsound manner that resulted in estimated losses of P1.4 billion. PDIC said included in the complaint were 20 former stockholders and officers of Banco Filipino. Banco Filipino is a 62-unit bank ordered closed by the Monetary Board of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and placed under receiver-

ship of PDIC on March 17, 2011. “Conducting business in an unsafe and unsound manner is in violation of Republic Act 3591, as amended or the PDIC Charter, and of RA 8791 or the General Banking Law of 2000,” PDIC said

in a statement. PDIC said among those charged was Albert Aguirre, Banco Filipino director and vice chairman who was also stockholder of BF Citi and sole receiver of BF Homes Inc. at the time the alleged violation was committed. Also in the complaint sheet were Teodoro Arcenas Jr., director and chairman; Orlando Samson, director and executive vice president; Lualhati Nicolas, executive vice president; Jovito Hernandez, executive vice president; Serafin Tongco, senior vice president; Romeo Avila, senior vice president; Delfin Dimagiba, director and treasurer; Elena Pal-

lasigue, assistant vice president; and Dionisio Domingo, vice president. PDIC also charged directors Conrado Banzon and Cesar Paguio; Grace Daguna, assistant manager; Maxy Abad, executive VP (also chairman and president of Filipino Vastland Co., director and vice chairman of BF Citi, BF General Insurance Co. Inc. and BF Life Insurance Corp. and treasurer of BF Homes); and officers of related entities including Virginia Serrano, director and president of BF Citi and assistant treasurer of Glamor World Inc. (and stockholder of Pro Managers Inc.); BF Homes vice presidents

Rosalina Tacolod and Mary Lou Vasquez; Antonio Calleja, executive VP of BF Citi; Jerome Velhagen, treasurer of Glamor; and Joseph Velhagen Sr., director of Glamor and Vastland. PDIC said BF Homes, BF Citi, BF General, BF Life, Glamor and Vastland were entities related to the bank. The complaint alleged that in 2001, the respondents took advantage of their positions and connived with officers and stockholders of Banco Filipino and its related entities to sell the bank’s head office property to BF Homes for P685 million and use the bank’s funds to pay for the purchase.

Phoenix invests P200m to buy new equipment By Jenniffer B. Austria PHOENIX Semiconductor Philippines Corp., a Korean-owned semiconductor company, said it spent close to P200 million in the first half of the year to acquire new equipment as a part of an expansion program. PSPC said in a disclosure to the stock exchange the P200-million capital spending in the first half was a part of the P435-million programmed spending for the whole 2015. “The capital program is a key element to securing the growth momentum of PSPC in 2015,” said PSPC vice president and chief finance officer Dongjoo Kim. The company said of the P200-million capital expenditure in the first six months, P153.45 million was used for the acquisition of production machinery for branded memory cards and for dual in- line memory modules to increase the output of both product categories. He said aside from the more familiar flash memory cards used for mobile phones, gadgets and digital cameras, PSPC also produced memory modules for desktop and server computers. PSPC also recently completed the installation of a semi-automatic blister pack production line in the existing Clark Freeport plant, which is a packaging line for secured digital flash memory products for Samsung. This new line expected to be fully operational this month. Kim said the extension line was a testament to the continued trust and confidence of Samsung in PSPC’s electronics manufacturing capability and efficiency.

Ambulant tellers.

Manila North Tollways Corp. has equipped toll tellers with personal digital assistants, bringing new speed in processing payments by motorists and issuing receipts to eight seconds. In the past, ambulant tellers process payments manually in 30 seconds. Shown is an ambulant teller as she uses her PDA to expedite toll payment transactions.

T U E S D AY : J U LY 7, 2 0 1 5

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

Cardboard power HOW do you get a few pieces of cardboard with holes cut out of them to popularize a cutting-edge technology? Answer: You add an Android phone (any brand will do) and load it with some cool 3D software and slip it into what is essentially a cardboard box with holes cut out of it so you can look into your phone— much like you might have done with a ViewMaster stereoscope when you were a kid. Made up of low-cost components like cardboard, 45 mm focal length lenses, magnets, some Velcro and a rubber band, the Google Cardboard isn’t exactly the kind of device that gadget gonzos would go gaga over or brag about. Still, there is something quite compelling about making such a complex technology such as virtual reality (VR) available to anyone with a smart phone, using the most mundane materials and packaged as a do-it-yourself kit. Google Cardboard, introduced at the Google I/O developers conference in 2014, is hardly at the forefront of the resurgence of VR initiatives. That distinction would probably belong to Oculus Rift, a head mounted display being developed for gaming by Oculus VR, a company that Facebook bought for $2billion last year. But the Oculus Rift is still in development, and is expected to cost about $1,500, which includes the price of the computer that powers it. Google Cardboard, on the other hand, is available today and sells for less than $50 from a number of companies that build the kits according to Google’s specifications. There is even a third-party clone (made in China, of course) selling on Abubot.com for only P460 (plus P80 shipping in Metro Manila). If you just want to get your feet wet in VR, you can’t get any cheaper. Once you’ve assembled your Google Cardboard, you can download the Cardboard app from Google Play to explore some VR demos and discover other apps developed for Cardboard. Apps developed for the Cardboard viewer split the phone’s display into two, one for each eye, while the lenses create the impression of a stereoscopic 3D image. Turn your head in any direction and the viewer will show you what items are in there, giving you the sensation of actually being at the scene. There’s been quite a lot of interest in the Cardboard since it was introduced a year ago. The Cardboard app has been downloaded more than 1 million times and Google itself has shipped half a million viewers. At the Google I/O developer conference this May, Google announced a new version of Cardboard, designed to fit larger phones (up to six inches) and replaced the magnet controller with a cardboard button. Cardboard 2.0 is also supposed to take fewer steps to assemble. The company also announced the Cardboard app for iOS, to expand its market for VR apps. Given Cardboard’s surprising popularity, third-party manufacturers have begun to sell compatible viewers, making the VR system even more widely available. A “Works with Google Cardboard” certification program launched in April is supposed to assure consumers that the thirdparty viewers they buy will work with apps developed for Cardboard. Of course, if you are so inclined, you can even build a Cardboard viewer yourself by downloading the PDF template from Google. Glue the template onto cardboard, cut it out and follow the assembly instructions. Be warned, however: this is not for the arts-and-craft challenged set—and after the whole exercise, you’d still need to find the lenses and the magnet. Whether you decide to buy or build your own, there’s a definite ViewMaster vibe to Google Cardboard. Which makes it somewhat appropriate that Google teamed up with Mattel, maker of the View-Master, to develop new version of the iconic stereoscopic viewer that ought to go on sale in time for the holiday season this year. Geek.com reports that Mattel plans to sell the new Cardboarddriven View-Master for $30. The old disc has been renamed an “experience reel” and will help you navigate a virtual world. Column archives and blog at: http://www.chinwong.com

PMFC award. Livestock feed maker Philippine Foremost Milling Corp. bagged top honors from the Bureau of Animal Industry for strict adherence to international manufacturing and food safety standards. Cited were PMFC’s state-of-the-art facilities in Manila and Iloilo City, the country’s only commercial feed mills that are ISO 22000:2005 Food Safety Management System certiﬁed. Shown is PMFC vice president Terence Uygongco (right) receiving the awards from BAI director Rubina Cresensio.

Bat-Man 1 pipeline bidding faces delays By Alena Mae S. Flores

THE bidding for the 100-kilometer BatangasManila natural gas pipeline phase 1 is facing delays, following questions raised by the Energy Department. Energy Department officerin-charge Zenaida Monsada told reporters certain clarifications needed to be raised with the Rebel Group International BV, which conducted the feasibility study and served as the transaction advisor. “It was approved by Neda ICC [National Economic and Development Authority Investment Coordinating Council] but with questions. We don’t want the project to become a white elephant,” Monsada told reporters. Monsada said the project

would be elevated for approval to the Cabinet once the questions raised by Neda and the Finance Department were addressed. “In principle, this is a government project. We don’t want it to be delayed but we want to be sure that once it’s tackled by the board, everything will go smoothly,” she said. Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. country chairman Edgar Chua said the gas pipeline project should have off-takers or buyers of electricity. “If you have a pipeline, you

have a start and end, so where is your starting point? You should have an import facility or if there is additional gas from Malampaya or another Malampaya, you have a source. Now, who is the customer? There should be customers,” he said. He said the pipeline must be an “end-to-end” system where the ideal scenario would be having a gas plant in the area of the decommissioned Sucat power plant. Former Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla earlier said he wanted a new study on the BatMan1 natural gas pipeline project to generate more consumer demand. Petilla said the study commissioned by the Public-Private Partnership Center of the Philippines showed the proposed pipeline should be constructed from end to end.

MPIC to settle P5.4-b Calax downpayment By Darwin G. Amojelar THE Public Works Department said Monday it expects a unit of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. to sign the P35.4-billion contract for the Cavite-Laguna Expressway project and settle the P5.46billion downpayment this week. “The notice of compliance was sent to MPCala Holdings Inc. on June 30 and they received it [Monday]. Under the Build-Operate-Transfer law, they have five days to sign the contract upon the receipt of the notice and pay the downpayment of 20 percent of the total premium bid,” Ariel Angeles, director of the PPP Service of the Public Works Depart-

ment, said. “So, they [MPCALA] have until Friday or Saturday to sign the contract and pay the P5.46 billion,” he said. MPIC’s unit MPCala Holdings Inc. submitted a premium bid of P27.3 billion for the 47-kilometer toll road, beating the P22.2-billion offer by San Miguel Corp.’s Optimal Infrastructure Development Inc. Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. president and chief executive Ramoncito Fernandez said “we are ready to sign and pay.” Construction period would cover July 2016 to July 2020, while operations and maintenance would be from July 2020 to

July 2050. 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 ManilaCavite 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.

TUESDAY: JULY 7, 2015

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

PH selling $750-m bonds in ’16 THE Philippines may offer about $750 milStandard lion ofTODAY global bonds in 2016 while seeking to keep domestic funding elevated, according to Treasurer Roberto Tan. Manila

The Asian nation plans to borrow P747 billion ($16.6 billion) next year, and will probably sell P33 billion of global bonds, Tan said in a July 4 interview at the Clark economic zone in Pampanga province. About P643 billion, or 86 percent, will be raised locally as the market remains very liquid, he said. The Philippines has increased reliance on the local market to fund its budget as money supply almost doubled in the five years under President Benigno Aquino III. A steady flow of remittance by overseas workers and revenue from the outsourcing industry boosted liquidity to P7.6 trillion in May, compared with about P4 trillion at end-2009. “The government has cut foreign debt component to 34 per-

cent of the total, reducing our vulnerability to fluctuations in the foreign currency,” Tan said separately in a speech at an event by the National Association of Securities Broker Salesmen Inc. “Ample domestic liquidity has allowed government to source majority of its financing requirement locally.” Of the P104 billion the nation plans to raise internationally in 2016, P71 billion will probably come from official development loans, Tan said, citing preliminary data pending approval from the economic team. In 2016, local debt sales may increase by 9 percent to P643 billion, compared with P590 billion this year, while external borrowing may drop by 6 percent from P111 billion, according to Tan. “The environment is changing

and there are potential risks, such as threats of an El Niño and rising US rates,” BDO Unibank Inc. market strategist Jonathan Ravelas said. “It makes sense to borrow now to pre-fund next year’s requirement.” The Philippines sold $2 billion worth of 25-year notes in January at a record-low coupon for the country’s similar-dated overseas debt, using $1.5 billion to finance the purchase of shorter-dated securities to extend maturity. The nation is looking out for the possibility of a similar debt exchange, as well as opportunities for selling overseas debt earlier than its typical schedule at the start of the year, Tan said. The government wants to hold a peso-denominated debt exchange this quarter, probably offering longer-dated bonds including a 25year tenor in exchange for shorter, illiquid debt, Tan said. It also wants to start an interbank Specials Repo program this year that will allow more efficient pricing for government securities. Bloomberg

ERRATUM

FOR FAST AD RESULTS, PLEASE CALL

There was an error in the ad placement of Province of Bataan dated April 29, 2015. The date of Opening of Bids should have been May 18, 2015 instead of May 8, 2015.

Advertising depArtment 832-5547 (DL); 832-5550 (TeleFax) Republic of the Philippines

DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE

Roxas Boulevard Corner Pablo Ocampo, Sr. Street Manila 1004

InvItatIon to BId for the SUPPLY and deLIverY of SYSteMS fUrnItUre/WorKStatIonS (for dof 8th fLoor, PhaSe 2) 1.

The DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE (DOF), through the Government of the Philippines under the General Appropriations Act for FY 2015, intends to apply the sum of Three Million Six Hundred Seventy Thousand Pesos (PhP3,670,000.00) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for the Supply and Delivery of Systems Furniture/Workstations (For DOF 8th Floor, Phase 2) (the “Project”). Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

The DOF, through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), now invites Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) registered contractors to apply for eligibility and to bid for the Supply and Delivery of Systems Furniture/Workstations (For DOF 8th Floor, Phase 2). Bidders should have completed, within three (3) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project which is equivalent to at least fifty percent (50%) of the ABC for the Project. 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 a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (R-IRR) of Republic Act (RA) No. 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”. 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.

Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines, and to citizens or organizations of a country the laws or regulations of which grant similar rights or privileges to Filipino citizens, pursuant to RA No. 5183 and subject to Commonwealth Act No. 138.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from the BAC Secretariat and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below during office hours. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be acquired by interested Bidders on July 7, 2015 at the General Services Division, 7th Floor EDPC Building, BSP Complex, Pablo Ocampo Sr. St., Roxas Blvd., Manila upon payment of a non-refundable fee of Five Thousand Pesos (PhP5,000.00), not later than the submission of their bids. The Bidding Documents may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the PhilGEPS and the website of the DOF, provided that the Bidders shall pay the nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids.

The schedule of bidding activities are as follows: ACTIVITIES Posting of Invitation to Bid

Schedules July 7, 2015

Issuance and Availability of Bid Documents

Starting July 7, 2015

Pre-Bid Conference

July 14, 2015, 11:00 a.m.

Request for Clarification

July 17, 2015

Issuance of Supplemental Bid Bulletin

July 20, 2015

Deadline for Submission of Bids

July 27, 2015, 9:45 a.m.

Opening of Bids

July 27, 2015, 10:00 a.m.

Bids must be delivered to General Services Division, 7th Floor EDPC Building, BSP Complex, Pablo Ocampo Sr. St., Roxas Blvd., Manila on or before July 27, 2015, 9:45 a.m. The bidders shall drop their duly accomplished eligibility requirements, technical and financial proposals in two (2) separate envelopes in the bid box located at the abovementioned address. All the Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18. 7.

Bid opening shall be on the date indicated above at the DFG Conference Room, 4th Floor DOF Building. Bids will be opened in the presence of the Bidders’ representatives who choose to attend. “LATE BIDS SHALL NOT BE ACCEPTED”

DOF reserves the right to accept or reject any and all bids, 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.

(TS-JULY 7, 2015)

(SGD) GIL S. BELTRAN Undersecretary and DOF-BAC Chairman

1 more Asian bank to join PH By Julito G. Rada THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas is expected to approve soon the entry of another Asian bank in the country, in addition to the five others approved in the first half of 2015. Bangko Sentral Deputy Governor Nestor Espenilla Jr. said the bank regulator was evaluating the application of the Asian lender. “We are waiting for one more that is currently being evaluated...,” Espenilla said at the sidelines of the National Union of Bank Employees conference held at the Century Park Hotel in Manila on Monday. Espenilla over the weekend announced the approval of the application of the Taiwanbased Yuanta Commercial Bank Co. Ltd., which is taking full control of the Makatibased thrift bank Tongyang Savings Bank from its affiliate Yuanta Securities Korea. Yuanta’s application became the fifth approved this year by the Bangko Sentral since the domestic banking industry was further liberalized in 2014 to lure more foreign direct investors. Earlier this year, the Bangko Sentral approved the applications of Industrial Bank of Korea, Shinhan Bank of Korea, Japan-based Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. and Taiwanbased Cathay United Bank. Espenilla said there was no limit for the number of foreign bank applications that the Bangko Sentral could approve because the domestic banking industry was “open-ended.”

CYAN MAGENTA YELL

Time to develop new Boracays IT IS probably beyond dispute that, besides this country’s principal cities— Manila, Cebu and Davao—and the Ifugao Rice Terraces, Boracay has become the best-known Philippine destination in the world. Boracay’s rise from just-another-beautiful-beach to a beach of world-class character has taken place over a comparatively short span of time, to wit, around two decades. Prior to the arrival of the new millennium, “Bora” was not on most travel agents’ recommended-destination list; today it is. Despite the clear success of their efforts, Boracay’s proponents and advocates—the government, private investors, the travel industry and, of course, the government of the province of Aklan—are continuing to devote a great deal of time and enormous amounts of public and private resources to the promotion of Boracay as a premier destination for foreign and domestic tourists. A key indicator of the extent to which Boracay’s proponents and advocates have succeeded in placing the island on the world tourism map is the steady rise in real estate prices resulting from the growths in Boracay’s economic activity and population density. Clearly, Boracay has arrived. Indeed, the fact that people know what is being referred to when they hear “Bora” is proof certain that the island municipality off the coast of Aklan has established its brand here and abroad. This being the case, I suggest that the time has come for the government and the travel industry to stop thinking less of further enhancing Boracay and start thinking about developing new island or area resorts in this country. In other words, I am suggesting that the time has come to think of a new Boracay or Boracays. There is no shortage of possible new Boracays. True, Boracay has incredibly white sandy beaches and equally incredibly clear waters, which has earned for the island the title of one of top five beaches in the world. But the Philippines is one country with literally an abundance of beaches filled with fine white sand washed by clear pristine waters. For government planners and private investors it is just a matter of choosing the best from numerous good possibilities. Three factors have to be taken into account, though, for the successful development of a successor, or successors, to Boracay. Given the geo-environmental status of the Philippines, the first factor, obviously, is climate. A new Boracay cannot be located along the entire eastern side of this country. Places like the Surigao provinces, Samar, Leyte, Aurora and Catanduanes cannot be included in a list of sites of potential new Boracays. The present Boracay has the good fortune of being shielded by the land masses of the islands of Panay, Masbate and Leyte. Thus far—keep fingers crossed—no major typhoon has hit Boracay with great force. Another factor that needs to be taken into account in planning the development of future Boracays is the existence of reasonably proximate infrastructure, especially an airport and a major road. Fortunately for Boracay, the existence of Kalibo Airport not too far away meant that there was no need to start from scratch, air transportation-wise, and tourists did not have to be brought into the island—administratively known as the Municipality of Malay—by sea. For foreign tourists, efficient and comfortable air transportation is of the essence. The third factor to be taken into account in the development of new Boracays is political in nature. There must be political stability in the places identified as potential new Boracays. The sands in the beaches of the Bangsamoro localities may be pearly white, and the surrounding waters may be pristinely clear, but foreign tourists-or local tourists, for that matter—are unlikely to want to patronize resorts located in places characterized by political tension and uncertainty. With last week’s terroristic attack on a Tunisian beach resort, that Mediterranean country’s tourist industry has taken a hit from which it will not quickly recover. The point of this column is that, Boracay having by now established itself as one of the world’s best beach resorts, the time has come to reduce the levels of attention and focus on that admittedly-precious island. The Philippine government— particularly the Department of Tourism—the travel industry and the media should begin to think in terms of developing other Boracays. Eggs-all-in-one-basket is not a good strategy for achieving the broad tourism infrastructure of which this country is highly capable. E-mail: rudyromeroy777@yahoo.com

t u e s D aY : J u LY 7, 2 0 1 5

WORLD

cesar barrioquinto EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Aboriginals recognized soon SYDNEY—Australia moved closer to recognizing Aboriginal people in its constitution Monday after talks with indigenous leaders, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said as he urged an end to the “echoing silence” in the founding document. Written more than a century ago, Australia’s constitution fails to mention Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people and a campaign has been underway for several years to “recognize” the continent’s first inhabitants via a referendum. “I am confident that the time is right to move down this path,” Abbott said after unprecedented bipartisan talks in Sydney with some 40 indigenous leaders and Labor opposition leader Bill Shorten. “I think that there is an abundance of goodwill. I think we are good enough, big enough and brave enough to do this, but it is important that we get it right.” Abbott praised Australia with its indigenous heritage, British foundation, and multicultural character but said: “What we now need to do is to end that echoing silence in our constitution... the omission of indigenous people.” The debate on the content of the changes has already begun, and Abbott said he was ruling nothing in or out, but that both he and Shorten were committed to holding a recognition referendum. “Based on today’s discussions, we consider that the referendum could not be held before the next term of parliament and should be outside the politics of the election cycle,” they said in a joint statement. “We agree the referendum should be held when there is the best possible chance of success.” Both politicians also agreed to a broad national conversation on the issue, and proposed a series of community conferences across the country starting as soon as September. They also plan a referendum council broadly reflective of the Australian people to consider the referendum question, timing and constitutional issues. No time frame was settled but Abbott said he was hopeful the question’s wording could be framed by mid-2016 with a referendum held as early as 2017. “I would be very disappointed, I would feel that we have not lived up to our high expectations and we haven’t quite been our best selves if we weren’t able to do this in the next term of parliament,” he said. Support for the “recognize” movement is high, with a Fairfax Ipsos national poll in The Sydney Morning Herald Monday putting it at a record 85 percent. Eleven percent were opposed. Australian lawmakers formally recognized indigenous people as the country’s first inhabitants in 2013, but there has been debate about how the constitution should be changed. Aboriginal leader Pat Dodson called Monday’s discussions “historic and terribly meaningful” while Kirstie Parker, from the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples, said the meeting had been constructive. “We believe that this process must bring about substantial recognition, we don’t believe that symbolic change is enough,” she told reporters after the talks. AFP

Celebration. Tibetan children sing a Tibetan song during the celebration of the Dalai Lama’s 80th birthday in New Delhi on July

6. Fellow Nobel Peace laureates joined thousands of followers of the Dalai Lama on July 5 to celebrate the Tibetan spiritual leader’s 80th birthday, kicking off a three-day honorary bash in California. AFP

Japan hails new Unesco listing of 23 sites TOKYO—Japan on Monday celebrated the inscription of Meiji-era industrial sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage list, despite initial opposition from Seoul over the use of forced Korean laborers in the early 20th century. Unescos World Heritage committee on Sunday added 23 sites considered representative of Japan’s industrial revolution around the reign of Emperor Meiji (18681912) to its vaunted list. They included a steelworks, a shipbuilding yard and a coal mine. In southwestern Fukuoka, home to the Miike mine, governor Hiroshi Ogawa pledged: “I will make a good use of this precious heritage to stimulate the economy and hand it down to future generations”. Inclusion on Unescos World Heritage list can bring economic benefits, because as well as being a powerful tourist draw, world heritage sites are eligible for financial assistance towards preservation. But Tokyo’s bid to have the sites listed touched off a diplomatic spat because South Korea and China say that seven of the locations became centers for deportation and forced labor during their respective Japanese occupations.

Japan annexed the Korean peninsula in 1910, ruling until its World War II defeat in 1945. The increasingly militaristic regime invaded Manchuria in 1931, where it established a puppet government and a base from which to agitate against China. The Unesco bid further inflamed already-strained relations between Japan and its Asian neighbors, with disputed wartime history—particularly Tokyo’s system of sex slavery—an irritant. But in an apparent bid to ease the tension, the Japanese delegation said it was prepared to acknowledge some of the concerns. Japan will “incorporate measures ... to remember the victims such as the establishment of (an) information center”, it said, an assurance that led Seoul to lift its opposition to the listing. The South Korean foreign ministry welcomed what it saw as a concession. “For the first time Japan mentioned the historical fact that Koreans were drafted against their will and forced into labor under harsh conditions in the 1940s,” it said in a statement. “Given that this matter was resolved

smoothly through dialogue, the government hopes it will help the further development of South Korea and Japan relations,” Seoul said. However, Japan insisted its stance remained fundamentally unchanged. “The government’s position over those recruited from Korea has not changed,” top government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said Monday. Tokyo insists issues involving reparations for individuals and their right to demand state compensation were fully settled when the two countries normalized ties in 1965. The 1965 treaty included a reparations package of about $800 million in grants and cheap loans. The Japanese government has also issued numerous apologies for its wartime wrongs, but these are regularly undermined in Korean eyes by apparent backtracking by a minority of right wing politicians, including Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Chinese ambassador to Unesco, Zhang Xiuqin, said Japan needed to address those who denied there had been forced labor. AFP

Animals used to predict earthquakes

Fashion show. A model presents a creation for Schiaparelli during the 2015-2016 fall/winter Haute Couture collection fashion show on July 6 in Paris. AFP

BEIJING—Chinese government researchers are using chickens, fish and toads to try to predict earthquakes, media reported. The seismological bureau in the eastern city of Nanjing has transformed seven animal farms into seismic stations, the China Daily newspaper reported last week. Breeders on the farms are asked to update the bureau about the behavior of the animals twice a day, the report said. Possible abnormal behavior that could indicate imminent

earthquakes includes chickens flying atop trees, fish leaping out of water or toads moving in a group, it added. Nanjing plans to recruit seven more farms into the scheme this year, it said. Facilities need to house more than three species to be eligible. But some animal keepers seemed reluctant to become involved. “Our zoo is not being transformed into a monitor station because the animals will display abnormal behavior when they

are teased by visitors,” the report quoted a local zookeeper as saying. Using animals to predict earthquakes is not new in China. Staterun media said last year that the central city of Nanchang was using dogs to predict tremors. China is regularly hit by seismic incidents, with hundreds of thousands killed in major disasters in the past. Three people died in the latest fatal earthquake last week, in the far western region of Xinjiang. AFP

T U E S D AY : J U LY 7, 2 0 1 5

cESAr bArrioqUinTo EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

world

Success as lions return to Rwanda AKAGERA, Rwanda—Groggy on their paws after waking from tranquilizers, lions have returned to Rwanda for the first time since the endangered animal was wiped out following the country’s 1994 genocide. Seven lions—two males and five females—were transported in a marathon 30-hour journey from South Africa: first by air, then the final stretch by road to Rwanda’s eastern Akagera National Park. Schoolgirls sang outside the park in Akagera, a 112,000-hectare park bordering Tanzania, welcoming the predators as they ended their journey. One by one, they were released into a giant pen—where they will stay for initial quarantine of around two weeks, before being allowed out into the wild of the park itself. “It is a huge conservation milestone, it is a beginning of a fantastic chapter for lions in Rwanda,” Akagera park director Jes Gruner said. Lions in Rwanda were stamped out in the years following the 1994 genocide that left an estimated 800,000 people dead. Fleeing refugees and displaced people occupied part of the park, with the lion being driven out or killed as people tried to protect their livestock. “I still have the pictures of the last three lions that were poisoned... it was very sad,” said vet Tony Mudakikwa. So the return of lions symbolizes more than a conservation success. “We are excited as a nation,” said Yamina Karitanyi, head of tourism at the Rwanda Development Board. “We are proud to welcome the lions.” Some two hours by vehicle from the capital Kigali, it is an important tourist destination, with some 28,000 visitors in 2014, and the return of the lions is hoped to give an important boost. Much preparation was needed: the park is ringed with electric fencing, and the cats are equipped with satellite collars to reduce the risk of them entering inhabited areas. AFP

Hot in Berlin. People cool down on the street as fire brigades use their equipment to refresh residents and visitors during a hot summer day on July 5 in Berlin’s Prenzlauer Berg district. The tTemperatures in the German capital reached 37 degrees Celsius. AFP

All eyes now on ECB after Greek ‘No’ vote FRANKFURT—All eyes were on the European Central Bank on Monday following the resounding ‘No’ in the Greek referendum, with the ECB seen as the only institution capable of calming market panic and preventing the Greek economy from collapsing. In the final tally early Monday, 61.31 percent of the Greeks had rejected creditor demands for further austerity in return for more bailout funds, sending Greece’s eurozone partners scrambling to respond and

European stock markets tumbling. Until now, the ECB has agreed to keep Greek banks—and, by extension, the debt-wracked Greek economy afloat—on life support via the eurozone’s Emergency Liquidity Assistance or ELA facility. But the overwhelming ‘No’ vote has made the ECB’s position far more difficult. “Without a clear prospect of an immediate bailout deal that could prevent a full-scale sovereign default after Greece’s de facto default on the IMF last week ... it is very hard for the ECB to authorize continuing emergency support for Greek banks, let alone to allow an increase in such support,” said Berenberg Bank economist Holger Schmieding. Among the flurry of meetings by European policymakers to de-

cide how to respond to the referendum, ECB president Mario Draghi was scheduled to talk via telephone conference with EU Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker, Eurogroup head Jeroen Dijsselbloem and the head of the European Council Donald Tusk on Monday morning. Draghi would then head a meeting of the ECB’s governing council later in the day to discuss ELA, after the Bank of Greece requested that the ELA ceiling be lifted. “While politicians in the eurozone are preparing for possible new talks, it is once again up to the ECB to do the dirty work,” said ING DiBa economist Carsten Brzeski. “The ‘No’ has not made the ECB’s life any easier. With every step that Greece is moving closer to total

default or even a Grexit and Greek banks are losing deposits, it will be harder for the ECB to label Greek banks as solvent, and thereby eligible for ELA,” Brzeski said. In Paris, French Finance Minister Michel Sapin insisted that the ELA “cannot be lowered.” ELA is currently the only source of financing for Greek banks, and therefore the Greek economy. But with Greece’s bailout program now officially expired and no new program on the table, the conditions for ELA to be kept open are no longer fulfilled. The ECB defines ELA as support given by eurozone national central banks in “exceptional circumstances and on a case-by-case basis to temporarily illiquid institutions and markets”. AFP

Finance chief resigns after referendum

Fiesta. Participants hold red scarves as they mark the kickoff at noon

sharp of the San Fermin Festival in front of the Town Hall of Pamplona, northern Spain, on July 6. AFP

ATHENS—Greece’s Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Monday sacrificed his finance minister in a gesture aimed at placating eurozone creditors, which must now decide whether to lend more money to the debt-wracked country or prepare for a “Grexit.” A day after the Greeks said a resounding “No” to further austerity measures in return for bailout funds in a crunch referendum, finance minister Yanis Varoufakis said he was stepping down immediately and at Tsipras’s request. The flamboyant minister, who had openly irritated his European counterparts, said on his blog announcing

his resignation that “I shall wear the creditors’ loathing with pride.” The euro had tumbled as much as 1.6 percent in electronic trading immediately on the 61-percent ‘No’ result from the referendum, but recovered after Varoufakis’s shock resignation to $1.1086, just 0.25 percent lower. European markets also gave a relatively muted reaction, with losses limited in mid-morning trade at around 1.5 percent. German Chancellor Angela Merkel was to meet with French leader Francois Hollande in Paris amid a flurry of other meetings to size up the implications of the vote,

a victory for Greece’s radical leftwing Tsipras, who insisted it did not mean a “rupture” with Europe. Eurozone leaders were also due to hold an emergency summit on Tuesday, and several of them had described the vote as an in-out decision on Greece’s euro membership. With capital controls shuttering banks and rationing euros from ATMs, Greece urgently needs a cash injection from the European Central Bank to prevent its economy grinding to a halt. Failing that, it could be forced to print IOUs or return to the drachma—effectively heralding a Greece exit from the euro, or Grexit. AFP

T U E S D AY : J U LY 0 7 : 2 0 1 5

TATUM ANCHETA EDITOR

BING PAREL A S S O C I AT E E D I T O R

BERNADETTE LUNAS

life @ thestandard.com .ph

WRITER

@LIFEatStandard

A RTS, CU LT U RE , & T ECH

LIFE

IYAN DE JESUS IS NO PUNK ARTIST BY BING PAREL

nyone who gets to see the creations of Iyan de Jesus would not easily dismiss this twenty-something young artist who unabashedly admits that she was selftaught. Instead of being turned off by the cold unemotional appeal one would expect from an artist whose work is influenced by Steampunk – that sci-fi sub-genre where elements of technology and aesthetics combine to evoke the 19th-century industrial era where the steam powered machinery reigned supreme – one is drawn to the sylph-like cyborgs with their curiously soft and human expressions. A former architecture student, Iyan learned the basics of painting through sheer persistence, going through a series of trials and errors when she took a break from the world, cloistering herself inside her room and drawing nonstop for almost two years (2009 and 2010) before she felt confident enough to emerge from her cocoon.

Cervidae (Black), Resin, 2015

Cosmic Conspiracy, Oil on Canvas, 2015

“I tried different types of mediums, from watercolors to pencils to oils, and then by early 2010 I managed to discover my own style. That’s also when I felt this sort of self-satisfaction and I knew I had to take [painting] seriously from there on.” Back then, though, she had no idea how to showcase her work. “I had no connections whatsoever in the local art scene so I told myself I’ll just keep doing my thing until they find me. I was actually scared they wouldn’t. Luckily they did in 2012,” she laughs. Indeed, 2012 proved to be her breakout year when she took part in a series of Group Art shows (“Volition and Stability,” “Iconopop,” “PMS”) at the Vinyl on Vinyl Gallery and the Collective in Makati. Her focus on details plus the geometric compositions, clean lines and smooth surfaces are evidence of the training she had in architecture, “a great advantage when it comes to developing my style,” she avers, adding that she really appreciates it when people try to focus on the details she painstakingly puts in her paintings because “that’s where the stories are written. I also want them to feel like they are part of the world I created,” she reveals – a world suffused with techno-fantasy in a kaleidoscope of colors where each element has a meaning, and no object or detail is placed by accident or at random. “My most recent artworks were mostly inspired by stories – some I made up while others were inspired by the books I read or stuff I experience. I often focus mainly on things or thoughts that I am fascinated about, and then I let that moment of fascination linger until I’m ready to put it on canvas,” she discloses. “I’m a hard worker; I take pride in all my struggles and all the hard work I put in my art. I’m a bit of a workaholic actually so I guess one of my most satisfying moments is when I’m

Narkotikum

looking at my paintings, and I tell myself that I’m a person who risked her own health to finish all of it. I really wanted to write stories, but words aren’t my thing so I’m really glad [that] at least I know how to paint,” Iyan shares. But then again, what’s that saying about a picture that paints a thousand words?

T U E S D AY : J U LY 0 7 : 2 0 1 5

LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

TECH TALK

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MICROSOFT

Augmented reality done right

Enter the HoloLens – Microsoft’s newest gadget that made me squeal like the nerd that I am when I watched the intro of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace when it came out years ago. (Too bad the movie wasn’t as great as I wanted it to be mostly because of JarJar Binks but that’s for another discussion.) The HoloLens is a wearable device that gives you more than just a HUD, but holographic overlays of whatever is programmed into it. Absorb that for a minute and think of all the times you wished for holograms. The 2Pac hologram back then that we all thought was cool pales in comparison to this one. Are you smiling now? Good, because folks and fellow nerds, it’s about to become a reality.

BY ELI GONZALEZ

The HoloLens

few years ago, Google announced a wearable device that would help consumers with everyday tasks like navigation, taking pictures and communicating with peers without even having to take out one’s phone. It was called the Google Glass. It was a device you wear like normal sunglasses but allows you to augment reality with a heads up display or HUD. To some, it was the perfect complement to their lifestyle and the potential was deemed limitless. But it failed. By January 2015, Google had announced it would stop producing Glass prototypes for consumers but would still look into its possible uses. So what went wrong? It wasn’t because it was useless. In fact, I see a lot of ways it can be used. Doctors can review patient records on the fly or during operations. The police and the military can record encounters and later study what went wrong or right, or even see a layout of the building they’re infiltrating. Photojournalists can instantly take photos of moving subjects with a wink. There are other applications but as I see it, most are for professional use. Sounds awesome but only if you’re using it for work. It’s such a shame that Google passed it off as a consumer product for everyday use, because the capabilities of the device gave rise to sensitive issues like security and privacy for instance. Imagine being a lady in a bar and some dude just takes a photo of your cleavage without you even knowing it. No wonder the term “glasshole” was coined. Google clearly had a great intention but they announced it to people without considering the potential damage the Glass’ features can cause. However, Microsoft’s recent announcement of their latest innovation convinces me that wearable augmented reality devices just took a step in the right direction. They listened to what people said about the Glass and didn’t make the same mistake Google did.

For me, the HoloLens is a million times better than Google Glass because Microsoft clearly defined its role. This is a device meant for use indoors to augment your activities at home or in the office. Imagine you’re an architect. You can create scale models that you can zoom in and out of with a few hand gestures and make instant changes without physically building one. Don’t want to miss Game of Thrones because you have to take a bathroom break? Watch the episode while sitting on your throne. The wall becomes the TV! Think how immersive video games could become, with bullets flying right before your eyes, or have NPCs (nonplayable characters) feel like they’re right there beside you. Feeling artistic and want to sculpt? You can do that since you can lock down the piece to an area and walk around it to make modifications then send it to your 3D printer. Oh, and some of you are probably thinking of ways to use this for porn. Admit it. See the difference between this and Glass now? It can do so much more without the privacy and security issues – though there’s a possibility that it could also surface but not on the same scale as Glass. Plus, you’d look like an idiot walking down the street wearing this so keep it at home or at the office.

A gamer playing Minecraft with HoloLens.

Surf the web with the world as your screen.

If you want to get one now, too bad. It won’t be available for a while. No word on the exact launch date or how much damage it’ll cause our wallets just yet but we’ll let you know the moment those are announced. In the meantime, search YouTube for HoloLens demos and feel your jaw drop.

3D renders come to life.

7 of today’s best social apps THE GIST BY ED BIADO

Spring.me – Formerly known as Formspring, the app version of the then-popular website is getting a lot of attention again for having an “older” market than similar question-and-answer services, such as Ask.fm. Commentators say that because it caters to more mature audiences, the conversations are more meaningful and users are less prone to cyberbullying.

There is a whole other world outside Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. These three social networking apps are the most popular but it doesn’t mean that they’re the only ones that people use. New services enter the app stores constantly, and we’ve rounded up some of the most interesting (and thriving) ones for you to check out. Spring.me app.

Free – This app has a simple purpose: to let your friends know you’re free to hangout without sounding too desperate. Patterned after status updates found in old IM services like Yahoo Messenger, you have the option to broadcast whether you’re “Going Out,” “Flexible” or “Busy.” The app serves as a middleman so you don’t have to blindly ask people if they’re available to do something with you when you’re bored. Shots – Limiting your uploads to pictures and videos taken by your phone’s front-facing camera, Shots is the true selfie app. It’s like a cross between Instagram and SnapChat, and there’s no room to comment, which the developers say is a way to minimize cyberbullying. But there’s a private chat feature so you can connect with your followers.

Jott – This app is said to be replacing Snapchat among teens. It’s a really nifty tool because it does something that most other messaging apps don’t – it lets you chat with your friends without Internet connection as long as they’re within 100 feet. Jott’s AirChat feature uses Bluetooth and Wi-Fi radios to create a private network of nearby devices. As of June, the three-month-old app reportedly has half a million active users and a million installs. Periscope – The live-steaming app gives everyone the opportunity to easily broadcast their activities without the tedious setup process typical of streaming events. Users, so far, have found a lot of different ways to utilize Periscope – celebrities have used it to give fans a behind-the-scenes look at their lives while reporters have used it for news coverage.

Match – Relaunched last year, the newand-improved Match app takes cues from rival Tinder. Since then, it’s been slowly gaining ground in the app-dating market as it transitions from being a solely web service, thanks in part to celebrity endorsements. (The app is featured prominently in Mariah Carey’s recent music video for the song “Infinity.”)

Moovz – Billed as “the global LGBT social network,” this new platform focuses less on dating and random hookups, and more on building a community. Flirting of course is part of the equation but there are tons of other things you can do on the app, like share stories, receive top news alerts and get to know people all over the world with the same interests.

T U E S D AY : J U LY 0 7 : 2 0 1 5

LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

A SWEET ADDITION TO RAK OF AEGIS BY VIC ALTICHE

No stranger to the stage, Sweet Plantado-Tiongson of the premier vocal group The Company joins Barangay Venizia of the Philippine Educational Theater Association’s (PETA)-Rak of Aegis as Kapitana Mary Jane. Having been immersed in the performing arts industry for 22 years, she fits right in with the talented cast of Rak of Aegis. Known for her resonating vocals and commanding stage presence, Sweet has proven to be an ultimate performer having worked on and off stage for a number of prestigious theater companies such as TRUMPETS, 9Works Theatricals, and Tanghalang Pilipino where she started her theatrical career. Aside from her impressive acting and musical theater credits, Sweet is also a revered voice coach and musical theater teacher having passed on her skills to the students of the University of Asia and the Pacific and currently, the Meridian International College (MINT) in McKinley.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF RAFFY YLLANA

Sweet has kept the ball rolling career-wise since 2013 as she kicked it off with a role as the Wicked Stepmom in Cinderella the Musical at the Newport Performing Arts Theater where she received rave reviews. In the same year, she was nominated at the 2013 Gawad Buhay as the Best Musical Director for her notable work in 9Works Theatrical’s GREASE. Continuing her winning musical streak, she nabbed the award for the Best Ensemble Performance and Best Children’s Musical for TRUMPETS’ Blue Bird of Happiness. In 2014, she took on the job of musical director for 9Works Theatricals’ La Cage Aux Folles which received positive reviews from several critics.

Having watched the show twice, Sweet is a self-proclaimed fan of the production. “Nakita ko talaga ang sarili ko sa production”, she explains when asked about her first Rak experience, adding that she has waited for the opportunity to be with the Rak family since the beginning. When she received the call to audition, she was ecstatic about taking on the challenge. Originally aspiring for the role of Mercy (Aileen’s mother), Sweet was surprised to land the role of the strong Kapitana. “I feel like MJ’s voice should be bigger and alto, and I’m a soprano,” Sweet articulates when asked about the challenges of the role. Although she perceives this as a challenge, she remains positive as she trusts in the process of Director Maribel Legarda, and the entire cast. Sweet is really optimistic that she will be able to put in a different twist to the character of Mary Jane. She is enjoying rehearsals with the Rak family as if she’s been working with them for so long. Catch Sweet Plantado showcase her incredible voice in Rak of Aegis’ rerun with other new powerhouse cast members Renz Verano (Kiel), Lorenz Martinez (Kiel), Lani Ligot (Mercy), Benj Manalo (Tolits), Via Antonio, Teetin Villanueva, Roi Calilong, Raflesia Bravo (Ensemble), and other talented cast members. Rak of Aegis will run until August 16 from Tuesdays to Sundays at the PETA Theater Center. For tickets, contact Ticket World (632) 891-9999, ticketworld.com.ph, or visit www.petatheater.com for show buyer information.

THE LIBRARY

Rainy Day Reads: 5 books to curl up with on stormy days The rainy season is the time when staying in the warm and cozy comfort of our home is a better idea than venturing in the damp and cold world outside. While you’re stuck, or decided to be stuck at home, you can go on an adventure or two with these books that will keep you and your hot beverage of choice company.

1. ILLUSIVE (BY EMILY LLOYDJONES)

A thrilling and fastpaced dystopian novel about a band of criminals who developed super powers deemed as the adverse effects of a vaccine created to stop an epidemic that swept across the planet. Multiple plot twists ensue as 17-year-old Ciere Giba, an illusionist (illusive), chooses a life of crime and teams up with a group of fellow super-powered criminals as they attempt to find the supposedly destroyed vaccine formula while running away from the government, a terrorist group and a mob syndicate.

2. MR. MERCEDES (BY STEPHEN KING)

In a war between good and evil, retired cop Bill Hodges races against time to catch ice cream truck driver Brady Hartfield who killed 23 people at a job fair with a stolen Mercedes. Hodges allies with a teenage neighbor and one of the victims’ sister as he plays cat-and-mouse with Hartfield whose next murderous spree, if it succeeds, will kill or maim thousands.

3. ONE PLUS ONE (BY JOJO MOYES)

A story about family, trust and love generously peppered with humor and romance, this novel follows the life of likable and relatable characters who go on a riotous road trip together. Single mother Jess together with her bullied teenage stepson Nicky, math whiz daughter Tanzie and their 80-pound dog drive to the Math Olympiad with the help of obnoxious tech millionaire Ed Nicholls, who accompanies them and volunteers his top-of-the-range Audi.

4. WHERE THEY FOUND HER (BY KIMBERLY MCCREIGHT)

In this suspenseful and moving novel, told from three different perspectives, freelance journalist Molly Sanderson uncovers her suburban town’s decades-old dark secrets while covering disturbing news about a dead newborn found in the woods.

5. GREY: FIFTY SHADES OF GREY AS TOLD BY CHRISTIAN (BY E.L. JAMES)

From Anastasia Steele’s tale of her relationship with the charismatic and controlling billionaire comes a story as seen through Christian Grey’s eyes. Christian’s candid narrative reveals his raw and passionate side as well as his deepest and darkest thoughts haunted by his traumatic childhood.

BE A CRIME SCENE DETECTIVE FOR A DAY We’ve had our share of watching too much serial killer TV shows and crime scene investigation series, all for the rush of solving a crime and learning who did it or who will get killed next. But ever wonder how it is like to be a real crime scene investigator? Put those DVDs and RPG game consoles in their boxes and play detective for a day with Breakout Interactive Theater (BIT). Breakout Philippines, the country’s premiere escape room game, unlocks its first public event called “WHODUNNIT” on July 25, 2015 at Commercenter Mall Alabang. Call your friends and form a group of five and immerse yourselves in a crime scene investigation. Get to interact with actors, interrogate suspects, uncover clues, figure out “WHODUNNIT,” and solve the crime! This experience comes with a two-course dinner and prizes for the top groups. For more information and how to register, please visit www.breakout.com. ph/whodunnit and let them walk you through how the game works.

T U E S D AY : J U LY 0 7 : 2 0 1 5

LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

EXHIBIT ROUNDUP ARTISTSPACE

G/F Ayala Museum Annex, Greenbelt Park, Makati City

FINALE ART FILE

Warehouse 17, La Fuerza Compound, Makati City

BLANC GALLERY

145, Katipunan Ave., Quezon City

PRESENT TENSE Ongoing until July 25 A group exhibit featuring Robert Langenegger, Redd Nacpil, Nikki Ocean, Ian Quirante, Liv Vinluan, and Paulo Vinluan.

AVENIDA KARNABAL: MAX BALATBAT July 12 to 26 In his 9th solo exhibition, Max Balatbat uncovers, celebrates and memorializes the colors and characters of what was once the commercial capital of Manila but now a forgotten corner, Avenida. A son of an architect born in the area, Avenida was Balatbat’s playground where the people he met, from street beggars to key duplicators to prostitutes, became the very inspiration to his work.

EL TEXTO SUPER PUESTO Ongoing until July 24 A group show featuring artists Dean Africa, Francis Bejar, Gino Bueza, Potchie Lazaro, Nam Tibon, and Chalk Zaldivar.

SILVERLENS GALLERIES

2/F YMC Bldg. 2, Chino Roces Ave. Ext., Makati City PRISM PANES AND THOSE VOICES IN THE WILDERNESS Ongoing until July 25 A solo exhibition of visual artist Nikki Ocean, who graduated from University of the Philippines, her show is about the emotional turmoil of human life.

HOW TO OPEN A MOUNTAIN: CHATI CORONEL Ongoing until July 11 A series three months in the making that’s composed of one work on canvas and four on paper showcases visual representation of resonance. Coronel transforms sounds into flesh – that translates into shape and meaning – as they reverberate across her materials.

LINE OF FLIGHT Ongoing until July 24 A solo exhibition of Shell National Students Art Competition 7th placer Buen Abrigo

CARIÑO BRUTAL Ongoing until July 25

THE WEEK ENDS THE WEEK BEGINS: CORINNE DE SAN JOSE Ongoing until July 11

A solo exhibition of Liv Vinluan who’s known for creating art pieces that merge realism and fantasy.

PABLO GALLERIES

Corrine de San Jose’s new show, divided in photography and video sections, is influenced by the process and effect of repetition. This exhibit shows how she explores the push and pull of opposing meanings.

11th Ave. Taguig City

MO SPACE

3/F MOs Design Bldg. Bonifacio High Street, Taguig AND IN ARCADIA July 11 to August 9 In this exhibit, Vic Balanon attempts to investigate the nature of image-production and answer the essence of images in today’s fast-paced age.

CYBORG REPUBLIC Ongoing until July 25 A mixed media exhibit of contemporary artist Mideo M. Cruz who is skilled in the production of images and forms teeming with social and political commentary.

IN SEARCH OF THE BIONIK BOOGER Ongoing until July 25 In his fourth solo exhibition, Albert Sy explores the transformation of thought and matter into an art piece and compares the process of doing such to picking a booger, wherein one must dig into himself until he finds that one thing in him that has to come out.

T UES DAY : J ULY 7 : 2015

SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

Heart Evangelista with hosts of Pinoy Fiesta and Trade Show sa Toronto

GmA At the heArt oF FiliPiNo FiestAs AbroAd

ollowing the recent success of Kapusong Pinoy concerts in Vancouver and Anaheim, GMA International continues to ignite the Filipino spirit around the world through its participation in various events celebrating the Philippines’ 117th Independence Day this June. “It has been ten fruitful years of bringing Filipinos abroad closer to home through our flagship international channel GMA Pinoy TV and we look forward to many more years of serving our kababayans abroad,” expresses GMA Vice President and Head of International Operations Joseph T. Francia. “We will continue to instill and nurture a sense of pride and love for country among our fellow Filipinos abroad through our programs on GMA Pinoy TV, GMA Life TV and GMA News TV-International and on-ground events,” he adds. The series of events opened with the Philippine Independence Day celebration in Carson City, California on June 6, graced by Alden Richards who was also one of the featured artists in the recent Kapusong Pinoy events in North America, once again charmed the audience and was presented three certificates of recognition by the Mayor Pro Tem and Grand Marshall Elito Santarino.

Simultaneously, Pagdiriwang 2015 spearheaded by the Filipino Cultural Heritage Society of Washington (FCHSW) was held in Seattle, Washington on June 6 and 7. Alden also joined the celebration. Meanwhile, Mabuhay Festival 2015 organized by the Mabuhay Foundation was held in San Diego, California on June 13. Apart from the celebrations in the US, the Pinoy Fiesta and Trade Show in Toronto held its successful 5th anniversary celebration onJune 27. And just like the last four years, thousands of Filipino Canadian Kapuso joined the celebration. Heart Evangelista graced the event, and received a warm welcome from the crowd who came despite heavy rains. Organized by the Philippine Canadian Charitable Foundation (PCCF), the event was attended by thousands including dignitaries – ministers, senators and members of Parliament, Philippine Ambassador to Canada Petronila P. Garcia, and Toronto Mayor John Tory. From North AmericA to the middle eAst Aside from the festivities in North America, GMA International also participated in celebrations in UAE and Kuwait. On June 12, Rochelle Pan-

gilinan and Betong Sumaya joined the celebrations in Dubai organized by the Philippine Independence Day Organizing Committee. Some 4,000 Filipinos enjoyed Rochelle’s and Betong’s performance along with Dubai-based Filipino artists. The GMA Pinoy TV booth also stood out as games like Pinoy Henyo, Dice, and GPTV Q&A’s drew in crowds of Kapuso fans. On the same day, another celebration in the UAE took place as Musika at Tawanan 5, mounted by the Alliance of Filipino Organizations in Kuwait (ALLFILL-OK) in cooperation with the Philippine Embassy, kicked off in Kuwait. Lovi Poe performed much to the delight of the audience. She was able to visit the Philippine Consular and Overseas Labor Offices, and had her picture taken with Filipinos who also made impromptu performances. more PiNoy celebrAtioNs Are uNderwAy GMA International’s support of Filipino fiestas abroad will continue. The 6th Annual Tribute to the Philippines will be held from July 17 to 19 at the Music Pier, Moorlyn Terrace, Ocean City, New Jersey, USA while on Aug. 1 and 2, the 10th Annual Adobo Festival at the Kennedy Park in Union City, California.

Evangelista sings for fellow Filipinos in Toronto, Canada

Alden with the PIDC Carson crowd

Rochelle Pangilinan peforming

Love Poe sings for Filipinos in Dubai

T UES DAY : J ULY 7 : 2015

SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

ShE’S in LOvE

he won Best Female New TV Personality in 2013 and Most Promising Female Star of This year, she is considered one of the most sought-after personalities on television and the movies. Showbiz’s newest sweetheart --Janella Salvador – finally is in the fashion limelight with one of the most remarkable local retail brands in the Philippines -- Bayo. Bayo, one of the country’s

Beauty queens pose before a house they painted

Keeping the bayanihan spirit alive In celebration of National Bayanihan Day on May 27, the Binibining Pilipinas queens helped paint houses in Barangay Tandang Kutyo, Tanay, Rizal. The activity was organized by the J Amado Araneta Foundation (JAAF), which donated 25 gallons of paint for Gawad Kalinga’s (GK) house building program. With the theme “Barangay Walang Iwanan”, the nationwide campaign seeks to foster solidarity and cooperation among communities and organizations through developing a lifestyle of volunteerism. Amid hot weather, the beauty queens spent the afternoon painting houses rehabilitated by residents relocated there after typhoon Ondoy hit the country in 2009. The beauty queens also interacted with the locals especially kids who referred to them as ates. The government officials and the beauty queens also participated in a boodle fight with the locals. They also shared stories with one another. The trip was long and the work was hard, but it surely was rewarding! To cap the day off, the beauty queens handed out presents, including notebooks/story books, water jug, and goodies, which brought smiles to a hundred children.

Based on the best seller by author John Green of the phenomenal Fault In Our Stars, the coming of age story Paper Towns introduces us to Quentin Jacobson who has been besotted with Margo Roth Spiegelman ever since she and her family moved in next door. Friends as children, they have barely spoken for years and have little in common. He is academic, nerdy and romantic; she is super cool, beautiful and unattainable. It is unrequited love! Then late one night, Margo suddenly appears at Q’s window and takes him on a wild adventure around town, which involves a series of outrageous pranks. The next day, she disappears together with his friends,

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ACROSS 1 Wk. day 5 Good buddies 10 Ms. Bombeck 14 Wine served warm 15 Synthetic fabric 16 Lowest high tide 17 Chicken style 18 Voles (2 wds.) 20 Forest quaker 22 Bookshop browser 23 Went it alone

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Club — (resorts) Lebanese capital Distant Courtesy env. Depend on Huge-cast films “Como — usted?” Yada yada ... Super Bowl roar Paycheck abbr. At the drop of — — Scarf down (2 wds.)

With Natt Wolf, Delevingne drops her British accent for an American twang

CaRa DELEvingnE’S jOURnEy tO SELf-DiSCOvERy

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

ANSWER FOR PREVIOUS PUZZLE

most trusted and leading fashion label, officially launched its newest brand, Love by Bayo, with this generation’s “IT girl” Janella Salvador as its brand ambassador. Love by Bayo is the youthful and charming, new brand that caters to young women who love to have fun and like trendy styles that celebrate femininity. The new brand offers a fresh, original, and exciting take on the local style market sure to make all the young fashionistas fall in LOVE.

Penshoppe model Cara Delevingne stars in Paper Towns

– EtOn B. COnCEPCiOn

Cone producer Waiter’s offering Want — Dead Sea land Dry, in combos Mini-vise (hyph.) Of the Altiplano Plank Thigh muscle Kitchen addition? A law — itself Nuzzles Charged particles Snake eyes Painter’s undercoat Makes after taxes

DOWN 1 For shame! 2 Yes, in Yokohama 3 Hilo strings 4 Children may engage in it 5 Enter a 10K 6 Animal category 7 Joie de vivre 8 “Maggie May” singer 9 Night rumblers 10 All together (2 wds.) 11 Green Hornet’s alter ego

Janella Salvador is the new face of Bayo

TUESDAY, JULY 7, 2015

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Armor crusher Mimic Get spliced —’wester Barely boil Garage squirter Temple city — Picchu Freshwater fish Decrees Hindu retreat Meryl of movies Flip-chart stand Madrid art gallery Formal wear Taking home “Guernica” painter Old car, maybe (hyph.) 35mm camera Hearing aid? Rises to the occasion Swimming pool hue Now, to Caesar An evening out She preceded Mamie David Allan — Boot part Explosive ltrs. Lisper’s problem

Ben and Radar (Justice Smith) as well as two girls, Lacey and Angela. Q embarks on a hilarious and bonding road trip, intent on finding the mysterious Margo. They are on a mission and time is of the essence. A fantastic and endearing teenage movie, Paper Towns stars Nat Wolff, (who played Isaac in The Fault In Our Stars) and the charismatic supermodel and actress Cara Delevingne as Margo. In casting the pivotal role of Margo Roth Spiegelman, John Green talks about creating the character from real-life experience. “I knew a boy who was like Margo growing up,” he recalls. “He once won a $100 bet by hopping on a freight train and traveling from Alabama to Tennessee. Then he had to pay well more than $100 to take the bus back. He was that kind of guy who would lose money to win a bet. Here’s a young woman who’s been mis-imagined her entire life,” Green continues. “There’s always that girl in high school who is so beautiful and so cool, she seems to be walking in slow motion. And who knows that better than Carla Delevingne? Who has a better idea of what it’s like to be the person behind the mirror, than this

wonderfully-talented young actress who is also a wildly-famous supermodel?” “It was an immensely tricky casting decision,” director Jake Schreier confirms. “We had to honor Margo’s energy and find the girl who, when she comes to your window at midnight, you’d jump out of it for her, and then when she disappears, you’d drive 1200 miles to find her.” “So we were lucky to find Cara,” producer Wyck Godfrey continues. “She has incredible warmth, kindness, and a sense of fun that really comes across onscreen. What touched me the most about Cara was her ability to access how Margo has created this persona that she feels she has to live up to. That’s not the true Margo, so she decides that her only path to self-discovery is to leave town. Cara really tapped into that.” To play an American high school student, the young Brit all but lost any trace of her accent and spoke American English through most of the production, both on and off camera. She had seen the film adaptation of The Fault in Our Stars and read Paper Towns and felt this was a project she had to be a part of. “I started reading the novel and noted the similarities between Margo and me,” Delevingne says. “I remember when I went to my first audition for the part of Margo, I said ‘I used to be like her.’ I think that’s probably part of the reason I got the role – because I was able to explore the part in myself.” Paper Towns opens July 22 in cinemas nationwide from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

T UES DAY : J ULY 7 : 2015

SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

LoVi poe buSy wiTh TV, fiLm projecTS from c8

he has just returned from the Middle East after a successful show for Filipinos in that part of the globe. Now, Lovi Poe, is preparing for her return to primetime television in the series called Beautiful Strangers that will premiere soon. Lovi is most excited about this new soap opera on GMA7 because the challenging character that she is going to play – a woman betrayed and seeks revenge on the family who wronged her. Meanwhile, she is all set to work on Lakambini in which she essays the role of Gregoria ‘Oryang’ De Jesus, founder of the women’s chapter of the Katipunan. The historical film is also a love story between Oryang and Andres Bonifacio and later between Julio Nakpil, the Filipino musician and composer. Paulo Avelino plays Nakpil and this marks Lovi’s third team-up with Avelino. “It’s a a dream role for me, and it’s such a big challenge to be working

with the best people in the industry,”says the award-winning Actress. The actor who will play Andres Bonifacio will be announced soon. Meanwhile, Beautiful Strangers premieres this month on GMA. HHHHH AnAk TV LAroLympicS AmbASSAdorS GMA Artist Center’s youngest love team Miguel Tanfelix and Bianca Umali were the new ambassadors of Anak TV’s Larolympics on June 27 in Barangay Daang Tubo, Quezon City. Larolympics aims to develop children’s physical health through traditional Filipino street games. These games include Piko, Patintero, and Tumbang Preso. Miguel, who matriculated for a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship at De La Salle University - Dasmariñas, emphasized the importance of physical activities to a child’s development. He says, “I am privileged to be part of Anak

TV’s Larolympics because I believe in the holistic development of children. A balance of school and fun is essential to their growth.” Meanwhile, Bianca reminisced her childhood and pointed out that technology then was not as prominent as it is now. “We all know that technology has caught children’s attention these days and they don’t go out to play anymore. Ako, kahit paano, naabutan ko yung time na nakakapaglaro kami sa streets ng Larong Pinoy and it saddens me that most of the children nga don’t play street games na such as patintero. These games don’t just entertain us but also help us socialize,” expresses the young star. She adds, “Socialization is a very important process to enhance our communication skills para yung mga bata hindi sila mahiyain or they will know how to deal with different kinds of people. It shapes our personality to fit in the kind of environment that we have and

Fans of Lovi Poe are anticipating her return to prime time TV this month

also to be flexible whenever there are difficult situations.” Miguel Tanfelix and Bianca Umali are currently in GMA Network’s Ismol Family and Sunday All Stars. HHHHH kApAmiLyA’S reAcTion To neTizenS’ TAke on pbb houSemATeS I’ve got e-mail and it’s about Pinoy Big Brother 737 housemates Bailey May, 12, and Kenzo Gutierrez, 18. Recently, the two have been the subject of malicious posts on social media, which according to the Kapamilya executives behind the reality TV series were from “irresponsible netizens who maliciously take screenshots from the program’s live stream and weave a narrative that is not only far from the truth, but also attempts to put the housemates in a bad light. They mislead the public by manipulating the images to put malice to otherwise innocent acts.” The statement from the broad-

Bianca Umali and Miguel Tanfelix are Anak TV Larolympics ambassadors

The Zombies aT araneTa and solaire

ark your calendars for The Zombies’ much anticipated two concerts in the country: on July 10 at the Araneta Coliseum and on July 12 at the grand ballroom of Solaire Resort & Casino. Guest performer is the Rockin’ 60s Band. The Zombies, featuring Colin Blunstone and Rod Argent, is currently on its 2015 world tour while finishing their new studio album, which they plan to release within the year. The new album will be the focus of a PledgeMusic Campaign (www. pledgemusic.com/thezombies), giving fans the first-time opportunity to see behind-the-scenes activities as the band writes and records. The UK Government is also sponsoring The Zombies as part of their Great Britain Campaign, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the British Invasion, and the band will serve as ambassadors for Music Unites, an organization that empowers inner-city youth through music. The Zombies distinguished themselves as the second UK group who scored a No. 2 hit in America. The first group who achieved that feat was The Beatles. The Zombies be-

came known in the 60s for their sophisticated melodies, breathy vocals, choral back-up harmonies and jazzy keyboard riffs as evidenced by their hit singles, among them “She’s Not There” and “Tell Her No.” Ironically, the group broke up in 1968 just before achieving their greatest success - the chart-topping single “Time of the Season” from their swan-song album “Odessey & Oracle” which recently ranked #100 in the Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Times. Lead singer Blunstone went on a solo career and keyboardist/songwriter Argent rocked the 70s arenas with his eponymous band Argent. Decades later, Blunstone and Argent resurrected The Zombies, recruiting bassist Jim Rodford (formerly of Argent and The Kinks), Rodford’s son Steve on drums, and renowned session guitarist Tom Toomey. Their latest album is entitled Breathe Out, Breathe In and it features 10 impeccably crafted songs, described by music critics as “inspired,” “classy” and “a gloriously uplifting record.” The Zombies’ Manila Concert is presented by Solaire Resort & Casino and Steve O’Neal Productions.

casting company furthers, “ABSCBN vehemently condemns these irresponsible social media posts that malign the reputation of the housemates. We are concerned with the welfare of our young housemates and it is our responsibility to protect them. We will not allow them to be subjected to cyberbullying. We will not tolerate the abuse of social media.” And so, what did you think the Kapamilya management did? “To put a stop to this, ABSCBN is taking a stand on the issue by shutting down the free 24/7 live streaming of the program on cable TV (SkyCable) and online (iWant TV and TFC.tv) starting tonight. We appeal to the public to stop perpetuating abuse and use social media responsibly.” That was on the day before the weekend. Should this affect the viewership of the show? We will see how when the new data from survey companies come out this week.

The Zombies will perform at the Araneta Coliseum and Solaire

T UES DAY : J ULY 7 : 2015

ISAH V. RED EDITOR isahred @ gmail.com

SHOWBITZ AJ Ajrouche Louie Pedroso

MJ Magno

JP Palanca

‘To The Top’ premieres July 18 on GmA7 ISAH V. RED

Bryan Olano

Joshua Jacobe

Edric Ulang

Adrian Pascual

GMA Network launched its first-ever multi-platform boy band competition –To The Top. Produced by GMA Public Affairs, it will be telecast on July 18 as a twice-a-week reality-based, talent development show featuring 18 young and gifted male singers. Ryan Cayabyab is chairs the competition board of judges that includes Moy Ortiz, Sweet Plantado, and OJ Mariano of The CompanY and also act as vocal coaches. Two-time World Hip Hop Champions Philippine Allstars alumni Madelle and Prince Paltu-ob as well as international breakdancing champion Jesse “Reflex” Gotangco, and the Sound Squad of musical arrangers and sound engineers led by Jonathan Ong and his team from Sonic State Audio -- Chino David, Chrisanthony Vinzons, and Brian Lotho. Photographer Mark Nicdao was also in the early part of the competition helping the guys before the camera. Luis Gragera

To The Top didn’t conduct open auditions, but the men behind the show invited the best male singer from different schools and organizations to join the auditions to determine the finalists. The show also documented the journey of the young men from being solo artists or members of singing groups to becoming part of the country’s newest boy band. All these experiences were seen by the public when GMA made the competition initially available online via www.gmanetwork.com/ tothetop. In the program’s webisodes, Julian Trono, who recently underwent intensive training under the KPop system, was the host. The 25 finalists were later trimmed down to 14. The netizens were tasked to vote for their favorites who were earlier eliminated in the series to become the competition’s wildcards to make up the 18 finalists and they are AJ Ajrouche, Lance Busa, Ken Carpena, Mico Cruz, Cholo dela Cruz, Martin de Vera, Luis Gragera, Joshua Jacobe, MJ Magno, Miko Manguba, Seph Manlapaz, Bryan Olano, JP Palanca, Adrian Pascual, Louie Pedroso, Lharby Policarpio, Edric Ulang, and Chris Yumang. Throughout the season, the finalMico C.

Lance Busa

ists will be divided into three groups and will stay together in one house as they undergo intensive vocal and dance trainings for their upcoming performances and evaluations. Who among them will make it To The Top? Find out on July 18, 7:30 p.m. on GMA7. ➜ Continued on C7

‘To The Top’ didn’t conduct open auditions, but the men behind the show invited the best male singers from different schools and organizations to join the auditions to determine the finalists

Martin De Vera

Ken Carpena

Miko M.