The Standard - 2015 July 19 - Sunday

VOL. XXIX NO. 159 3 Sections 24 Pages P18 SuNday : JuLy 19, 2015 www.manilastandardtoday.com editorial@thestandard.com.ph

AMPAtUAn dies in QC HosPitAL FORMER Muslim Mindanao Gov. Andal Ampatuan, the primary suspect in the 2009 Maguindanao massacre, died in Quezon City on Friday, days after

he slipped into a coma.

The 74-year-old patriarch of a powerful political clan in Maguindanao passed away at 10:02 p.m.

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GRACE, CHIZ GO ON THE STUMP

By Vito Barcelo

SENATORS Grace Poe and Francis Escudero visited a bailiwick of the Nationalist People’s Coalition in South Cotabato over the weekend – their first public appearance together after a six-hour meeting with President Benigno Aquino III on the 2016 elections on Wednesday.

Poe, in her speech during the 16th T’nalak Festival and 49th anniversary of the province, took a shot at her critics who have questioned her lack of experience, comparing her to potential rivals Vice President Jejomar Binay and Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II. “My capital that afforded me the chance to serve the people are the memories of my father, FPJ (the late actor Fernando Poe Jr.) and the teachings of my mother. I carry with me their good reputation,” she Next page said.

BinAY: no sPAre tire VP Under MY WAtCH

By Maricel V. Cruz and Vito Barcelo ThE opposition United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) said there will be no ‘spare tire’ vice president under the presidency of Vice President Jejomar Binay even as Binay himself criticized President Noynoy Aquino’s government deliberately underspent funds which he said will be used for the 2016 elections.

Binay added that the underspending was the main reason

Best of friends. Senator Grace Poe gives her fellow senator Francis Escudero a kiss before a session in the Senate earlier this year. senAte PHoto

BRISTOL REVEALS SECRET BEHIND QUALITY SHOES

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THE WORLDCLASS MUSIC OF CORO SAN BENILDO

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MONSOON POUNDS 5 AREAS IN LUZON

By Francisco Tuyay

ALTHOUGH the low pressure area east of Batanes islands did not worsen into a tropical depression on Saturday, monsoon rain continued to pound several parts of the country with at least one town in Pangasinan declaring a state of calamity and scores of families being forcibly evacuated from their homes.

The town of Bani in Pangasinan declared a state of calamity as heavy rain poured on the province for the 15th straight day while at least 26 houses, a classroom and a chapel were destroyed when a tornado hit a village of Sual, Pangasinan.

No one was hurt in Pangasinan, but displaced families had to be relocated to a make-shift evacuation center even as authorities had to deal with rescue operations even without electricity which was cut by disconnected power lines.

At least 240 families were also

GRACE From A1...

“I have learned from FPJ that you need to be honest, you need to help your countrymen, and you need to be brave without being boastful. I have learned from my mother how to be a good housewife who supports her spouse and takes care of the family,” she added.

“These are things that cannot be learned in a week, in a day, or in a year. These values are learned from when you are young,” Poe said.

“Some have said that a leader must have the right experience and right skills.

I believe that. But it is also

evacuated in Bataan and Zambales provinces even as the the BaliwagCandaba Road was made impassable by flood.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said the LPA they were monitoring was 870 km east northeast of Basco, Batanes, but it strengthened the southwest monsoon, causing moderate to heavy rain.

The weather bureau warned that monsoon rain may trigger flash floods and landslides in the Ilocos region, Benguet, Central Luzon and the islands of Batanes, Calayan and Babuyan.

Occasional rains are expected over Metro Manila, Mindoro, CALABARZON and the rest of Cordillera and of Cagayan Valley. Partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated thunderstorms will prevail over the rest of the country.

Bani, Pangasinan Mayor Gwen Palafox Yamamoto said her town was placed under a state of calamity on Friday when they started evacuating people.

Yamamoto said 80 percent of Bani’s agricultural lands are now flooded and 90 percent of its fishponds were submerged by floodwater caused by a half month of monsoon rain.

A disaster agency report said Bani is the worst affected town in Pangasinan

important that a leader has the heart and loyalty to his or her countrymen. What will we do with a leader who is very intelligent but does not have the interest of the people at heart?”

Poe, who has expressed her preference to partner with Escudero once she decides to seek the presidency next year, is being pitted against Roxas as standard bearer of the administration coalition.

While Roxas remains the presumptive standard bearer of the Liberal Party, he has remained in the fourth spot in recent surveys among possible presidential candidates, way behind Poe who has taken over the top spot

BINAY: From A1... why the country’s economy slowed down in the first quarter of the year.

UNA interim president and Navotas City Rep. Tobias Tiangco said that if elected, Binay would give his successor the chance to shine unlike what Aquino did to the Vice President.

Tiangco said a president needs a partner “to ensure the efficient delivery of basic services especially among poorest of the poor.”

“Not just a good position but position in government where he or she will ably promote the programs and platforms of government.”

Last month, Binay tendered his irrevocable resignation from the Cabinet as chief of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) and as Presidential Adviser on overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) Affairs following a falling out with President Aquino.

Aside from having common platforms of government, Tiangco said Binay would guarantee that his running mate

so far with 50 families already evacuated to the town hall as well as Catholic and Iglesia ni Cristo churches.

Relief operations to the evacuees as well as other flood victims in Bani are ongoing and so far the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office has already released 600 relief packs to them, the provincial disaster agency reported.

A report said all of Bani’s 27 barangays are affected by the flood with eight of them considered as the worst hit areas.

Forced evacuation had to be undertaken on some families in Bani who ignored persistent calls for them to leave their homes despite the rising floodwaters in their areas.

However, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office chief Reuben Oro said it is not yet recommending that the entire province be placed under the state of calamity because the flooding is still confined to the towns of Bani, Sta. Barbara, Calasiao, Alaminos City, Labrador, Sual, Mangatarem, Bolinao and Bugallon.

Flood was also noted in several barangays of Dagupan City, a chartered city that is not under the political jurisdiction of Pangasinan province, but Mayor Belen Fernandez and other officials are supposedly preparing rescue operations.

from Binay.

Escudero, for his part, exhorted the voters of South Cotabato to remember the saying of Jose Rizal, the country’s national hero, in whatever they do.

“He who does not know how to look back at where he came from will never get to his destination,” Escudero said.

Poe also thanked the residents of South Cotabato for their support when she ran for senator in 2013, landing in the top spot among other candidates in the province.

She said the province has a special place in the heart of the Poe family as her father also won in the area in his failed presidential bid in

will be his partner in the next six years beginning 2016.

“The vice president who will succeed Vice President Binay will not be a spare tire. Vice President Binay himself said he wants his partner to be a ‘working’ partner in promoting the common good of the Filipino people,” Tiangco, who stressed the need for the next government to ensure that the economic growth will trickle down to the poor.

“If Vice President Binay will be given the chance to lead the country, he will prioritize the poor and the underprivileged, that the poor will be able to feel and see the economic gains of the government at hindi puro salita lang na economic growth” Tiangco said.

Tiangco also said that Binay and UNA’s search committee is now in the process of choosing potential vice president’s running mate from five individuals from different fields.

Tiangco had said the alleged political persecution of the ruling Liberal Party (LP) against the Binay family has been forcing its financial backers from the business community to hide and just secretly support his presidential bid.

2004.

On Friday, Poe said there was still no assurance that a consensus on a unified ticket would be reached in her next meeting with the President.

For his part, Senator Sergio Osmea III poked fun at Aquino’s failure to convince Poe to slide down to vice president and to run under the Liberal banner after so many meetings.

If he could not convince Poe, Osmeña said the President’s power to draw voters for his anointed candidate would be in question.

Osmeña said he believes Poe and Escudero will stick together and team up in 2016 despite efforts to stop the partnership from the

But Tiangco clarified that their backers are just taking necessary precautions to avoid being harassed, explaining their support remains.

At the same time, however, Tiangco admitted that the freezing of the bank accounts of the Binay family has sent a chilling effect on many of UNA’s campaign donors.

Binay is being investigated by the Ombudsman and the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee over allegations that he is harboring ill-gotten wealth from the alleged overpricing of the Makati City Hall Building II and Makati Science High School and has been involved in an allegedly anomalous land deal between the Boy Scouts of the Philippines and Alphaland.

The Court of Appeals (CA) issued last May a decision granting the Anti-Money Laundering Council’s (AMLC) petition to freeze the 242 bank accounts, including those belonging to Binay’s family and allies.

Binay, meanwhile, said the underspending of the government is deliberate to ensure that the administration’s bets will have the edge in the 2016 presidential elections.

AMPATUAN From A1... at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute where he was confined for liver cirrhosis, according to Insp. Aries Villaester, spokesman for the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology.

He had been confined at the NKTI since June 5 after being diagnosed with Stage 4 liver cancer and taken to the medical facility’s intensive care unit last Monday due to a heart attack-induced coma.

Ampatuan’s body was later taken to Bicutan at 2 a.m. Saturday and afterwards flown to Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao via Philippine Air Lines, and subsequently buried there at 2:45 p.m.

He and seven other members of the Ampatuan clan are among 100 people on trial for the slaughter of 58 people in the conflict-wracked southern province of Maguindanao in November 2009.

“It is with deep sadness that I announce to the public that former Maguindanao governor Andal Ampatuan Sr. has passed away a few minutes ago,” lawyer Ferdinand Topacio said in a statement.

“Details of his death are still sketchy. What is confirmed is that his mortal remains will be treated in accordance with Islamic customs.”

The trial over the murders in 2009 has moved excruciatingly slowly.

The victims, who included 32 journalists, some of whom were shot in their genitals, were buried in a hilltop grave using an excavator.

One of his sons and coaccused, Sajid Ampatuan, was released on bail in May. Many suspects, including Ampatuan clan members, remain at large while human rights groups and victims’ relatives say witnesses are being killed or intimidated to try to sabotage the case.

“Justice would have been better served for both our clients and the defendants if a decision were reached before Andal Ampatuan Sr. passed away,” said Harry Roque, a lawyer for the victims’ families “We know that the search for justice continues and we will persevere on behalf of our clients,” he said in a statement.

Widows of some of the victims said they could not for-

“That is the rule of the government, to underspend and pour it all in the coming elections,” Binay said over a radio interview.

During the interview, Binay also took a swipe on Budget Secretary Florencio Abad for not giving priority to education programs but has instead favored administration leaders and close friends including the junket in ITLOS in the Hague.

Binay, who was the key speaker during the 69th Annual Representative Assembly of Negros Occidental Teachers Federation in Bacolod, said the funds that should have been used for education were used to “bribe politicians to get rid of their political enemies.”

“The money was spent to fund programs of their favorite leaders and friends including the junket for ITLOS in Hague.

Only three made the oral arguments but over 35 high-ranking officials were sent on business class tickets and first-class accommodation.They are using the fund for politicking,” Binay said.

The vice president was referring to the delegation the government sent to The Hague to argue its case against China

give a powerful clan warlord who was one of the main suspects in the case.

“I could not forgive him because he has shown no remorse, and the fact that the case has dragged adds to our pain,” said Gloria Teodoro, whose newspaper reporter husband died in the carnage.

“When I saw news of his death today, it was mixed emotions. I was happy that he’s dead, but sad because we have not gotten justice,” the 46-year-old widow told AFP. Many of the victims’ widows have been left struggling, their children forced to drop out of school due to poverty.

Merly Perante, who lost her husband, also a journalist, in the massacre said she did not know how the case would proceed after the Ampatuan patriarch’s death.

“I cannot accept that he died due to sickness, that he died before he can be convicted. He should have paid for his sins in jail,” the 41-yearold told AFP. “It is very difficult to forgive him. I leave it to the Lord to judge him.”

Ampatuan ruled Maguindanao as governor for a decade with a private army tolerated by then-president Gloria Arroyo, who used his forces as a buffer against Muslim insurgents.

“Money talks and money walks in our case,” Teodoro said, as she dared President Benigno Aquino to fulfil his promise of concluding the massacre trial before he steps down in June next year.

“I want to hear him say it, that he will help us find justice,” she said, referring to the president’s annual address to parliament later this month.

Aquino is also frustrated with the pace of the trial, presidential spokeswoman Abigail Valte said.

“We understand their frustration. We share in their frustration,” Valte said.

Valte cited the huge number of accused, some of whom are still at large, as one of the reasons for the delay.

“The verdict in this case will be handed down by the presiding judge, not the president, but (he) is doing everything to speed up the case.”

over the territorial dispute in the South China Sea. Binay also hit the Conditional Cash Transfer program.

Binay said that according to a report by the Asian Development Bank, 30 percent of its beneficiaries are not poor.

The Vice President promised to institute reforms in the education system should he become president and pattern it after the “Makati model where elementary shooling is not only free. The pupils are also given free uniforms and supplemental nutrition. High school education is also free and tertiary education is subsidized at the University of Makati.”

Binay also promised to increase teachers’ salary to grade 19 which is equivalent to around P33,000.00 “We will be transparent in all our activities through careful planning, spending and meticulous execution.

We will not declare savings mid-year and divert the so-called savings to demonize political enemies. We will not ask for a huge budget and then underspend and pass off clear sloppy budgeting as budget reform and fiscal prudence.”

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NEWS

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US EYES GREATER PRESENCE THE Philippine defense establishment welcomed the remark of the new commander of the United States Pacific Fleet that Washington is prepared to act against threats in the South China Sea. Defense officials welcomed the reassurance of Admiral Scott Swift that the US Navy is “very interested” in increasing both drills and America’s presence in the region, largely in response to a perceived threat from China.

“The reason that people continue to ask about the long-term commitment and intentions of the Pacific Fleet is reflective really of all the uncertainty that has generated in the theater now,” Swift said while on a visit to Manila.

“If we had the entire United States Navy here in the region, I think people would still be asking, ‘Can you bring more?’,” he added Yet, even without a military buildup in the region, Swift remains confident that the US is prepared to meet any conflict that should arise. “[I am] very satisfied with the resources that I have available to me as the Pacific Fleet commander,” he said. “We are ready and prepared to respond to any contingency that the President may suggest would be necessary.”

Defense department spokesperson Dr. Peter Paul Galvez welcomed Swift’s remarks and said it showed US commitment to peace and stability in Asia.

“It’s always welcome to hear words of commitment from US officials particular as we face an oppressive neighbor,” Galvez said.

Philippine Navy flag-officer-in-command Vice Admiral Jesus C. Millan agreed with Galvez and said “his strong statement as Commander Pac Fleet indicates the US commitment to maintain stability in the region.”

“This is good for all those using the sea lanes, includ-

ing us as freedom of navigation and overflight will be maintained,” Millan said.

Despite the fact that the United States lies over 8,000 miles away from the waters of the South China Sea, the U.S. Navy currently has four coastal combat ships operating in the contested waterway.

Over the past few months, Washington has also increased military exercises with a number of Pacific allies, including Japan, Australia, and the Philippines.

Nearly a trillion in trade passes through the South China Sea each year and while China claim most of the sea, it also has overlapping claims with Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, and Taiwan.

Beijing’s construction of artificial islands in the Spratly archipelago has left the U.S. and many of its allies concerned, even though China has repeatedly stated that the islands will largely serve humanitarian purposes, and any military installations are only there for defensive purposes.

In the last few months, Washington has conducted a number of military exercises with regional allies, moves seen as provocative by the Chinese government.

Earlier this month, the U.S. began joint naval exercises with Singapore close to the South China Sea. Only one week prior, the U.S. also engaged in war games with Japan and Australia in the Northern Territory and Queensland.

Despite these demonstrations of military might, Swift reiterated that “the United States has been very clear that it does not support the use of coercion and force.” Pna

Eid Mubarak. Muslim children join the fun during an Eid’l Fitr bazaar at the Maharlika Madrasa in Taguig City on Saturday.

CONGRESSMEN AGAINST POLLS IN MALLS

by Maricel V. Cruz LEADERS of the House of Representatives on Saturday voiced concern over the Commission on Elections’ proposal to hold elections inside malls, citing security risks both for voters and to election ballots.

House Majority Leader and Mandaluyong Rep. Neptali Gonzales Jr. thinks it’s not a good idea that major malls in the country will be tapped as polling places for next year’s elections.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Gonzales told The Standard in a text message. “We might have a hard time monitoring, especially in local elections,” Gonzales said.

For instance in Mandaluyong, Gonzales said there are about 1,000 voting precincts.

“Will voters be allowed to vote in any of the precincts in the mall?” he asked.

Capiz Rep. Fredenil Cas-

tro, chairman of the House committee on electoral reforms and suffrage, echoed Gonzales’ concern, saying “malls are crowded places” and so “control is hard and difficult.”

Castro stressed that holding elections in malls would give unscrupulous elements an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

“Malls, being crowded, there is a possibility of comingling between voters and non-voters. In fact, election operators could easily mingle with voters who could easily employ all forms of fraudulent election practices and maneuvers,” Castro told The Standard.

“Unless, however, there are compelling reasons to transfer voting precincts in malls, I am not disposed to support the plan,” Castro added.

Castro said the idea of the Comelec “will entail another plan and effort which will be

purely experimental being one of first impression.”

“We cannot afford to gamble the outcome of our election on something that has not been tested,” Catsro said.

Reps. Ben Evardone of Easter Samar, Albee Benitez of Negros Occidental and Gus Tambunting of Paranaque also said the plan of the Comelec to hold elections in malls should be opposed.

But Isabela Rep. Rodolfo Albano III said he sees nothing wrong with the Comelec proposal so long as all contingency measures and security plans are in place.

“That is the best place for voting. Malls are air-conditioned and very comfortable for our people,” Albano, House contingent head for the Minority Bloc of the Commission on Appointments, said.

Benitez said “the air-conditioned environment defi-

nitely appeals to the voters...

But what about the security?” he asked.

Evardone said such a proposal of the Comelec should be studied carefully to ensure the integrity of the electoral process.

“Malls are business establishments that require permits from [local government units], so there is a possibility that the mall owners might be biased in favor of an incumbent local official,” Evardone said. “There should be caution before this policy is adopted,” Evardone added.

Tambunting, for his part, proposed that the voting be held in government offices.

“Most malls are privately owned, sometimes by politicians themselves or their relatives or associates. And there can be no assurance that the owners will not be influenced by partisan motives,” Tambunting pointed out.

LEFTIST-CATAMCO CLASH HEATS UP

by Maricel V. Cruz

SEEing daddy off. Two women head back home after seeing off their husbands who boarded the Saudia plane in the background at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal One for work in the Saudi Arabia. rudy SanToS

THE left-leaning Makabayan Bloc in the House of Representatives continued to lash at North Cotabato Rep. Nancy Catamco on Saturday, accusing her of “egregious disrespect for the sensitivities of Mindanao’s indigenous people” during a supposed dialogue in Davao City.

Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares denounced Catamco’s “unilateral decision” to inviting to the dialogue military officials whome he said were the ones harassing and intimidating tribesmen and forced them to seek sanctuary in places like the Haran Compound in Davao City.

“Instead of facilitating the dialogue and evincing empathy towards the lumads (tribesmen), Rep. Catamco made derogatory and humiliating statements

against the evacuees, their tribal leaders and support groups,” Makabayan said in a statement.

“She gruffly stopped Rep. Carlos I. Zarate when he tried to raise a point, telling him ‘I’m not talking to you.’ That prompted him to walk out of the dialogue, followed by the lumads and their supporters,” the group added.

The group said Catamco, along with Reps. Luz Ilagan of Gabriela, Carlos Zarate of Bayan Muna and Terry Ridon of Kabataan party-list were supposed to be the only ones invited by the nongovernment Save our Schools Network to join an investigative mission on the harassment and other human rights violations purportedly perpetrated by the military.

But in a text message to The Standard, Catamco denied the accusations of the Makabayan Bloc.

“It’s not true. They are liars. They detain the Ips in Haran Compound. The dialogue was properly documented.

We have video footage for the whole event,” Catamco said.

“The Haran Compound is not a sanctuary is not a sanctuary for the Ips, as they are saying. This is like a concentration camp. They are being treated inhumanely. This is not healthy and even more inhumane,” Catamco said.

“Imagine, they were crammed in make-shift tents with no proper beddings, food or toilets. And worse, they were not allowed to go home and the gate was padlocked. You visit them and see for yourself;” Catamco said.

The Makabayan Bloc said last last July 13, the mission went to Cateel, Davao Oriental and visited a school established by the lumads.

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OPINION

[ EDI TORI A L ] IN A little more than a week, President Benigno Aquino III will deliver his State of the Nation Address, his last, before an audience of 100 million Filipinos all waiting to hear if he would say something different this time around.

The past years have seen a recurring theme. Whatever the situation, Mr. Aquino has always found it convenient to 1) blame his predecessor, critics or political adversaries; 2) continue to extol the virtues of his own administration; and 3) caution the public that whoever is not with him is against him and is an enemy of reform and the public good.

When Mr. Aquino started his term six years ago, he succeeded in convincing Filipinos -- his bosses, he called us, and now we feel, patronizingly -- that the country is poised for social and political change.

The days of the conniving, the cunning and the corrupt would be over, we were told, because from then on, good governance would be the norm. The “straight path� was catchy, captivating.

What a ride we were taken for.

More than anything else, self-congratulation and self-righteousness have been the buzz words of this leadership. While there were laudable initiatives, and while the bulk of public servants continued to be faithful, diligent and honest in their own spheres, what

WHAT TO SAY stood out were the acts of doublespeak committed in the name of this now-notorious straight path.

The President and his allies can do no wrong.

They only have the best intentions of the country in mind. Why fault them for wanting to go around the bureaucratic mill so they could use unused funds to improve social services? This was how they justified the Disbursement Acceleration Program, later on struck down as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

Addressing poverty is of prime importance. This was why they adopted the dole program of the previous administration, despite the fact that it was supposed to have done nothing right, gave it another name and let it balloon into a multi-billion peso undertaking. This is the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, which has been unable to spur the change it was envisioned to do because there is still a gaping lack of job opportunities -- not short-term ones. Jobs, alongside the stopgap help, would have served as a constant reminder that the dole was not meant to foster mendicancy.

Infrastructure will drive the growth of the Philippine economy, and partnerships with the private sector are crucial to give rise to these infrastructure projects. This was trumpeted in the first SONA and now,

five years later, only one project has been finished.

Sadly, no balance was struck between ensuring that the projects meet governance requirements and that they are implemented swiftly and on time.

It was heartening to see patronage politics through the Priority Development Assistance Fund exposed.

Unfortunately, the efforts of the Aquino administration stopped with the arrest of its opponents. When the reports showed its allies may also have been involved in the use of fake organizations through which public funds were channeled, the administration decided the issue was no longer a priority. This caused a collective sigh of relief among those who likewise benefited from the same crooked system but happened to be on the right side of the political fence.

And now all the attention is on the choice of his successor, defined by considerations that are more for the party and the personalities rather than for the people.

What will the President say on his last chance to speak to us? He could heal wounds, assuage fears, occasion hope and show, humbly but firmly, concrete gains as he outlines the things that still have to be done.

Alas, we think the speech will be more of the same.

It makes us thankful the coming SONA is going to be Mr. Aquino’s last one.

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OPINION

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NOT JUST ABOUT LIP-SYNCING

SO WE now know that this matter of lip-syncing artists is actually something that is of serious concern because a seemingly off-the-cuff tweet from a 19-year old artist not only became viral, it got quite a number of major personalities in the local entertainment world to emerge from the woodwork to weigh in with their respective take on the issue.

Singer Rhap Salazar, who is best known for his appearances in the Ellen Degeneres Show, expressed his “hate” for lip-syncing artists in a tweet sent out to the world last week. When another artist made a rejoinder, he shot out another tweet about how these lip-syncing artists even get to have their own recording albums. The seemingly casual exchange of opinions became viral with the likes of international artist Lea Salonga and talent manager and talk show host Boy Abunda, among many, many others, throwing in their own twocents. Clearly, lip-syncing was just the proverbial tip of the iceberg because other issues —supposedly the more substantive ones – soon surfaced.

First off, let me express my disappointment with certain people whose general reaction to the issue was to shoot down the messenger. Quite a number of commentaries focused on Rhap Salazar, the person, rather than the issue he raised. One celebrity even went as far as to infer that envy was behind Salazar’s rant, suggesting that the fact that Salazar has not achieved superstar status despite his immense

talent must be gnawing on the young artist’s ego. Why can’t we just focus on the issues at hand?

This matter of lip-syncing artists hits a raw nerve among us because we happen to be a country of singers.

Singing is part of our DNA and this is proven by the fact that every occasion and every celebration in this country is incomplete without a singalong. There’s always a Filipino with a really great voice waiting to be discovered. Our standards are quite high when it comes to singers so much so that most Filipinos actually tune in to shows such as American Idol or The Voice only towards the end of the season when these shows have already winnowed performers down to the ones that are truly talented. Of course there will always be room for exceptions, such as when there are technical problems at hand, but in general the disappointment or dislike for singers who lip-sync is understandable.

When we really come to think about it, lip-syncing is not really the issue at hand but rather the star system that is at work in the local entertainment industry. It’s a system that capitalizes mainly on looks, or at the very least, good packaging. This is supposedly the logic behind the socalled blind auditions of shows like The Voice, where judges pick singers purely on the basis of singing talent.

The reality is that it’s just a gimmick because they do dig up the back story behind each artist and eventually play up the human interest angle with each performance. What we have is a system that seems to be grounded on the theory that singing talent alone is not sustainable; singers are eventually asked to do other things: become involved in love teams, appear in escapist movies, and constantly make their lives interesting – their singing soon

becomes something that they just happen to be able to do. Heck they can even lip-sync all they want provided their overall act is entertaining.

In fact, in the case of young celebrities, the singing is secondary to their ability to make their fans swoon. This formula has been at work even during the heyday of the Vilma Santos and Edgar Mortiz tandem and is still being used today.

The system also requires that celebrities, even actors and actresses who have already established their acting mettle, to sing or dance every single time they have a movie, a play, or an event coming up. Why they have to be reduced to clowns is perplexing. We are told this is what makes them endearing to the Filipino audience, but I suspect it’s really because of plain lack of creativity or just sheer laziness on the part of handlers.

Thus, it is hardly surprising really that people are forced to lip-sync. We have celebrities who are able to sell albums, mount sold-out concerts, and are made to perform regularly in television shows even if they have singing voices that grate on the ears – all because this is what the system nurtures. We are told this is what sells.

Of course there are genuine talents in the midst and there are singers who guard their artistic integrity fiercely.

Some of them are very successful and have a huge following, while others are minor stars in the local entertainment galaxy. These people rarely lip-sync and always pour themselves into each performance. If we want change in the system, we just have to keep on supporting these artists. The point is we are not actually powerless.

We have the power of choice. We will have less of the lip-syncing if we stop supporting artists who engage in lipsyncing.

IF CHINA ISN’T A GLOBAL RISK, WHAT IS?

By William Pesek THE international ratings agency Fitch was downplaying concerns that Chinese stocks are a systemic risk to global markets. Many investors, however, are far less sanguine.

Take hedge fund billionaire Paul Singer, who worries Beijing’s debt-fueled stock mania could do even more damage than the US subprime crisis.

Or Bill Ackman, who runs Pershing Square Capital Management. Asked about Greece, he said: “China is a bigger global threat by far. The Chinese stock market is a fairly remarkable phenomenon and I think kind of a frightening one.”

Who’s right—Fitch or market players? The deciding factor could be whether deflation rears its head in China—falling prices, and the prospect of a slowing national economy, would suggest the hedge funds are right.

Let’s consider the data. A common takeaway from China’s better-thanexpected data this week is that deflation’s grip is easing. The claimed seven percent GDP growth rate, rising middle-class incomes and a pickup in credit would seem to augur well for a stable price outlook in the world’s second-biggest economy.

But those numbers are deceiving.

For starters, China’s second-quarter performance was pumped up by a stock bubble that’s now losing air. Financial-sector growth combined with

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government stimulus (and some creative accounting, of course) to boost gross domestic product. Financial services alone surged 17.4 percent in the first six months of 2015, a dynamic that helped offset a weak real estate market. But, given the recent stock rout that wiped out almost $4 trillion in market value, it should be obvious this isn’t a durable source of growth.

Meanwhile, China’s housing slowdown is a major deflationary event.

Real estate has been China’s biggest growth engine since the 2008 global crisis. Now, it’s in negative-growth territory. And that’s having knock-on effects for local-government finances and vital sectors like manufacturing.

But there’s another deflationary force confronting President Xi Jinping: the fading of China’s credit super-cycle, in which people and businesses tried to borrow their way out of debt problems. “The world-beating growth in debt of recent years is unlikely to be repeated as worries about financial stability grow,” says Andrew Batson, China research director at consulting firm Gavekal Dragonomics. “This creates another barrier to China’s return to rude inflationary health.”

Let’s say China actually did grow seven percent between April and June.

That’s still markedly slower than the 12 percent jump in corporate and household borrowing last month. All that borrowing limits the ability of companies to increase employment and consumers to spend. Outstanding loans for

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companies and households are now a record 207 percent of GDP (and growing fast), compared with 125 percent in 2008.

While the government is sure to do more to stabilize growth, “we are far from certain that China is about to exit the deflationary dynamic of recent years,” Batson says. While China’s consumer prices rose 1.4 percent in June, producer prices plunged 4.8 percent.

That dynamic explains why commodity-currency nations Australia and New Zealand are under pressure to slash interest rates. Both the Aussie dollar and the kiwi tumbled to multiyear lows this week after fellow commodity exporter Canada eased monetary policy.

Meanwhile, waning Chinese demand has resulted in falling global prices for everything from oil to metals to milk. Those problems will be amplified if China begins exporting deflation to the region. Japan, which still has yet to beat its own multidecade bout with falling prices, is particularly vulnerable, as is South Korea.

The People’s Bank of China can always cut interest rates. (Its one-year benchmark rate is still 4.85 percent.)

But amid cratering growth, rate cuts might just exacerbate the debt troubles of Asia’s only engine of economic growth. In other words, it seems safe to say the hedge fund managers have it right: If China doesn’t count as a systemic economic risk, what does?

Bloomberg

TAKING STOCK OF THE HOPEFULS

Conclusion Last week I started writing about a scorecard for presidential candidates, as developed by a research team commissioned by the Management Association of the Philippines more than a decade ago.

The team sought to identify the major roles that a president of a country must assume. The roles were derived from various models by several leadership/management authors. Throwing in issues peculiar to the Philippines and inputs from two former presidents, a handful of top government officials, media, analysts, academics and representatives of different sectors, the team finally came up with five “must” roles of a president.

These five roles are: Navigator/ Strategist; Mobilizer; Servant Leader; Captivator; and Guardian of the National Wealth, Patrimony and Law and Order.

Under each role, there is a set of metrics—definition, rationale, associated behaviors and associated competencies—that any voter could use to evaluate each presidential candidate.

The idea is to be as objective as possible in assigning the ratings. Add them up, put the total side by side, and let the final number decide for you.

According to MAP, the scorecard can also be used for other executive positions such as governors or mayors.

Here are each of the roles: A navigator/ strategist steers the ship of state to the destination of a just and humane society. A leader must have a firm grasp and understanding of the complex issues hounding the country. He or she must be capable of analysis, and possess a clear vision of where and why.

A navigator/ strategist addresses the root causes of poverty and other social problems, works through the complexity of key national and global issues, identifies opportunities, discerns and prioritizes among conflicting interests with the common good in mind and effectively addresses crisis situations.

He or she must possess analytical skills, good judgment, decisiveness and visionary leadership.

As a mobilizer and leader of the executive branch, the president builds alliances with concerned sectors to achieve complex objectives and build consensus.

He or she gets support of various interest groups and power brokers to implement key initiatives, works with both houses of Congress to get bills passed, attracts the best people to the Cabinet and the bureaucracy and appoints the most competent people to the Judiciary.

A mobilizer attracts, empowers and retains people with the right skills and motivation for government service, ensures all agencies attain their objectives, anticipates and diffuses roadblocks to change initiatives, and uses appropriate persuasion techniques to gain support from interest groups and decision makers.

A mobilizer should possess lead-

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ership skills, influencing skills, talent for selecting people, sound judgment, orientation for results and a strong performance drive.

As a servant leader, a president should serve the people with a genuinely caring heart and is a good example to others.

He or she must have a genuine desire to serve the interests of the people instead of enriching self, relatives and friend. He or she must work hard and follow an exacting work pace. The leader must learn continuously to decipher and act effectively on the issues of the day.

The servant leader sacrifices personal, family or other vested interests for the common good, displays humility and reaches out to all sectors, practices good work ethic and learns continuously.

He or she must have integrity, humility, is a continuous learner, and is decisive.

As captivator, a president must inspire unity, trust and optimism among the people. He or she moves people away from cynicism and builds trust in the presidency and the government.

The captivator is able to do this in spite of the fractious nature of society.

He or she is able to win the hearts and minds of an increasingly cynical citizenry.

The leader understands the ideals and aspirations of the ordinary Filipino, conveys a simple but compelling picture of the country’s vision and goals, effectively partners with media to inform and build support for programs and advocacies, and shows consistency in speech and action.

The captivator has charisma, visionary leadership, and influencing and communication skills.

Finally, as guardian of the national wealth and patrimony, the president ensures that the nation’s wealth and resources are used properly. He or she demonstrates strong political will, champions the fight against graft and corruption, promotes competence and professionalism and upholds the rule of law.

The guardian should create a level playing field to stimulate growth and investments. He or she must also exert a decisive effort to stamp out lawlessness and provide peace and security to the general citizenry.

The president should advocate and practice meritocracy, champion reforms and stamp out graft and corruption, refuse to trade long-term benefits for short-term gain, display courage in making unpopular but necessary decisions, commit to the democratic process, uphold the rule of law and order, and ensure the physical security of Filipinos everywhere, all the time.

Competencies required of the guardian are integrity, analysis and judgment, initiative and innovation, communication, decisiveness and leadership.

These are, of course, mere guides to evaluating the various personalities vying for our votes and styling themselves as the best choice we could ever make. At a time when candidates mistake us for fools who are easily swayed by sound bytes or personality politics, it is time we take our right and obligation to vote and give the matter the deliberation it deserves. adellechua@gmail.com

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A7

NEWS editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Butuan fire leaves 1,350 homeless

By Alvin T. Guanzon

HUMANITARIAN CRISIS: Victims refuse to leave their land after a five-hour fire razed their houses. AlVIN GUANzoN

19 more filipinos return from iraq

By Vito Barcelo

NiNeteeN Filipino workers from iraq were repatriated by the Philippine embassy after violence flared up again in that country, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday.

The DFA said the first three of 19 Filipino employees of an upscale Baghdad restaurant were repatriated and scheduled to arrive in Manila anytime today.

“The rest will be repatriated before the end of the month,” Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Elmer Cato.

Several other Filipinos work-

ing in other establishments in the Iraqi capital have also reached out to request the assistance of the Department of Foreign Affairs in their repatriation.

More than 1,500 Filipinos in Iraq have already sought the embassy for their repatriation, Cato said.

The Filipinos were covered by

the mandatory repatriation program being offered by the Philippine Government after they nearly became casualties in two suicide car bomb explosions in Baghdad two months ago.

“A number of our kababayans here in Baghdad approached the Embassy and said they want to go home because they no longer want to unnecessarily worry their families in the Philippines,” Cato said.

Most of those who asked to be repatriated are waiters of a prominent restaurant who were billeted at a hotel in Baghdad’s downtown Karrada District, where a suicide car bomber deto-

nated his vehicle on 5 May. The vehicle exploded just five minutes after most of the Filipinos staying there and in an adjoining building have left for work. Several other Filipinos were inside the hotel when it was hit by the blast that killed four persons and wounded several others.

Later that month, another suicide bomb explosion hit two fivestar hotels in Baghdad, including one that employed 21 Filipinos, killing six persons and wounding several more. A bomb that detonated near one of the two hotels a few weeks earlier also resulted in several casualties.

founDation BuilDs multi-PurPose hall in CaPiz BDO Foundation, in partnership with the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), has built and turned over a multi-purpose hall for the Typhoon Yolanda-stricken community of Pawa in

Panay, Capiz Province.

Located at the center of Barangay Pawa, the structure is called the BDO Volunteer MultiPurpose Hall as it is fully funded by donations from BDO volunteers and officers.

BDo iloilo area head Glenn Birch ong (right), BDo roxas-Citymall branch head neil villarruz (left) and BDo roxas-roxas avenue branch head Genesis ambrocio (third from right) join BDo foundation program director rose espinosa (fourth from left) in turning over the multi-purpose hall to Pawa homeowners.

The hall will serve as an evacuation center, area for the distribution of relief goods, venue for community meetings and recreational area for members of the Pawa Homeowners Association.

The association has registered memberhouseholds, most of which are composed of fisherfolk, small traders, laborers, teachers and self-employed individuals.

Houses in the community were damaged by Typhoon Yolanda’s storm surge. The residents of Pawa are among the many beneficiaries of BDO Foundation’s rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts.

BDO Foundation president Maureen C. Abelardo lauded the partnership that made the construction of the BDO Volunteer MultiPurpose hall possible: “Thanks to the overwhelming support of BDO people and the partnership of the foundation and UN-Habitat, we have made a difference in the lives of people affected by the supertyphoon.”

“This is a BDO Foundation milestone, a symbol of our collective triumph against adversity,” she said.

BUTUAN CITY—The number of victims of the July 16 fire that hit Butuan City has risen to 298 families from 187 and barangay officials said that five were injured while fleeing their burning houses.

Butuan City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council officer Grace Burdeos Espere said that 1,350 individuals were displaced by the fire that razed 124 houses in two barangays, Tandang Sora and Limaha.

Espere said 34 families were among the victims in Limaha and 264 families more in Tandang Sora.

Barangay Kagawad Giginio Castaňares said he feared the rising number of victims could trigger a “humanitarian crisis” since majority of them did not want to leave the lots where their houses once stood.

“Majority of the fire victims here in Tandang Sora even wanted to build temporary shelter right at the lots t where their houses were built . Espere and Castaňares were one in saying the cause of last night’ fire was arson.

“This is because some of the eyewitness smelled gasoline in one of the houses moments before the fire while some allegedly saw two still unidentified strangers in the house where the fire started,” Castanares said.

Espere for her part said that although she and members of the CDRRMC also suspected arson, she said “we will wait for the official Bureau of Fire Protection findings.”

Butuan City Supervising Fire Officer Wilfredo Miras said the fire started around 9:54 p.m. On July 16, 2015 . Firemen declare fire out the next day at 3:00 a.m.

Butuan City Police were looking into the alleged looting incident.

Some of the victims complained they have not yet received food and other relief goods.

Sometime in 2013, fire razed 220 houses in also two barangays of Butuan City, Barangays Port Poyohon and Obrero rendering 1,300 people homeless Butuan City Fire Marshall Augusto Caesar Penaso said the year 2013 fire raged for almost five hours, but the firemen could only save a few houses because of weak water pressure from hydrants.

“If only there was water coming out of the fire hydrants, we could have saved half of the houses,” Port Poyohon Barangay Caption Julieto Llagas said.

Barangay Obrero Captain Cesar Berdera shared the same observation and said he was disgusted at their helplessness while their properties were being gobbled up by the fire.

Adonis Tulang and his wife Victoria, who lost their house in the fire, said they used to pass by the fire hydrant everyday and wondered if it would be useful during an emergency.

“Now, we know the hydrants are just decorations,” Tulang said.

A8

SUNDAY: JULY 19, 2015

editorial@the standard.com.ph

HIGHER SPENDING CAP PUSHED

By Maricel V. Cruz

CONGRESS will ask President Benigno S. Aquino III to certify as urgent a measure that would raise the campaign spending limit for candidates in local and national elections.

Capiz Rep. Fredenil Castro, chairman of the committee on electoral reforms and suffrage, stressed the need for the House of Representatives and the Senate to work double time in passing House Bill 5928 as there are only about 10 months before the May 2016 elections.

“We will ask the President to certify the bill as urgent,” Castro said.

Castro authored HB 5928 that seeks to amend Republic Act No.

7116 or the or the Synchronized Election Law of 1991.

Castro said that Congress has to amend the 24-year old RA 7166 “in keeping with the current consumer price index (CPI) so as to encourage candidates to declare their actual campaign expenses in the interest of transparency.”

Republic Act 7166 which provides for the authorized expenses of candidates and political parties during election campaign periods based on a per registered voter

basis.

House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, Jr. had earlier vowed that the House leadership would prioritize the passage of the measure which some lawmakers said would promote “transparency” among candidates in terms of their actual elections expenses.

Castro proposed to increase to P50 from P10 campaign spending limit per voter of candidates for president; and P35 from P10 vice president.

HB 5928 also proposes P30 campaign spending limit for senatorial candidates for every registered voted as well as for congressman and other local candidates for provinces, cities and municipalities for every voter currently registered in the con-

stituency where he filed his or her certificate of candidacy. This from the current P3 per voter as provides under RA 7166 Castro also proposed that a candidate without any political party to support him/her may be allowed to spend P35 for every voter. This from the current P5 per voter.

Castro said the current campaign finance law is “unrealistic and insufficient to say the least based on the many national and local elections in the past.”

“The actual finance expenditures of any candidate mounting an election campaign are a violation of the present limitations.

The law compels filing a report that is a distortion, if not suppression, of the actual figures,” Castro said.

NORTHBOUND.

A travel-tourism event dubbed ‘NLEX: TARA NA SA NORTE’ has just been launched in elaborate opening ceremonies Friday at the Glorietta Activity Center in Makati City. From left: Arthur Tugade, president of the Clark Development Corporation; Arnel P. Casanova, president of the Bases Conversion Development Authority; Rodrigo Franco, president of Manila North Tollways Corporation; and Glennifer Perigo, Miss Tourism Metropolitan International 2010. On display are native products of indigenous people from Northern Luzon. MANNY PALMERO

PRO-WORKER BETS TO GET LABOR BLOC SUPPORT A BIG labor group on Saturday pledges to support a presidential candidate and six senatorial bets who are ready to champion labor.

“We will endorse in 2016 the presidential candidate who is best prepared to champion the rights and welfare of workers. We will not support a candidate who is simply labor-friendly. We do not want a friend. We already have many friends. We want a champion,” said former senator and Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) president Ernesto Herrera.

“We are tired and sick of presidential and senatorial runners who pay lip service to labor during the campaign season. We will reject false hopes and empty promises,” Herrera said.

“TUCP will give its support to just six senatorial contenders so that our endorsement will carry greater weight, and we will distribute our own sample ballots to our union members,” he said.

The labor group is determined to rally around candidates who are able and willing to pledge in writing to the passage of specific measures, and to the adoption of definite policies and programs, that will help workers in a big way, according to Herrera.

“And we will ask the candidates to fulfill their promises within the first 365 days of assumption of office,” the former senator said.

He said TUCP leaders are now in the process of drawing up the list of clear-cut measures.

The measures may include a substantial, one-time legislated pay increase for the country’s more than five million minimum wage earners, plus the doubling of the monthly Personnel Economic Relief Allowance (PERA) of all government employees from P2,000 to P4,000, Herrera said.

“We may also push for highly improved paid maternity and paternity leave benefits, the absolute exemption of all overtime and night differential pay from income taxes, and greater health insurance protection for all workers,” the former senator said. Vito Barcelo

UP STUDENT COUNCIL CHAIR FACES IMPEACHMENT INCUMBENT UP Diliman Student Council Chairperson JP Delas Nieves is no stranger to challenges, but he just might be facing one of the biggest in his life.

Delas Nieves first captured the public’s imagination with his inspiring life story—his father works as a tricycle driver and his mother sells vegetables to support his education—but against these odds, he won in the student council elections as vice-chairperson in 2014 and again as chairperson in 2015 in the country’s premier state university.

This time, he faces a different kind of challenge.

On July 3, Delas Nieves was unceremoniously removed from UP Alyansa, the same student political party he carried to victory in campus elections just a few months earlier. On the same day, an impeachment complaint seeking his removal as student council chair was filed against him by one of his erstwhile party mates.

His removal from the party and the call for his impeachment stems from alleged bouts of fraternity violence on

campus. On June 16, a member of Upsilon Sigma Phi, the fraternity to which Delas Nieves belongs, was beaten up with lead pipes by masked men. Two days later, a member of Alpha Sigma was also mauled by masked men wielding lead pipes.

“Nung nalaman ko po, ni-report ko po agad yung mga insidente kay VC Santillan (UP Vice-Chancellor for Student Affairs Dr. Neil Santillan) kasi opisina niya po ang may kapangyarihan magimbistiga at umaksyon dyan, at sa ilan din pong miyembro ng konseho,” Delas Nieves said, when asked what he did upon learning of the incidents.

(When I found out, I immediately reported the incidents to VC Santillan, because his office has the power to investigate and act on them, and also to some members of the student council.)

Despite his actions, Delas Nieves said he was suspended by the student council for one month for his alleged failure to report the violent incidents. He was then removed from his party after refusing to comply with an ultimatum to resign from

his fraternity. Now, he faces an impeachment complaint. How does he feel about the turn of events?

“Syempre, masakit po. Personal, kasi parang nahusgahan na po ako na may pagkakasala kahit wala. Pero mas mahirap po bilang Chair, kasi alam kong hindi ko po lubusang magampanan yung mandato at tiwala na binigay sakin ng mga estudyante kasi suspendido po ako,” Delas Nieves shared.

(Of course, it hurts. Personally, I feel like I was judged to have done something wrong when I have not. But it’s more difficult as Chair, knowing I cannot fully carry out the mandate and trust the students gave me because I’m currently suspended.)

Delas Nieves won by more than a thousand votes against his closest opponent for chair, Mico Pangalanan, who, incidentally, is a member of the Alpha Sigma Fraternity.

But despite these challenges, Delas Nieves says he remains hopeful and positive—that he can overcome the impeachment complaint, that he can

help find a lasting solution to fraternity violence, and that he can deliver on his program of action for UP students before the end of his term.

“Mataas po ang kumpiyansa ko na malalampasan ‘yung impeachment complaint. Sa totoo lang, wala naman po kasing basehan para ma-impeach ako. Ang mas malaking pagsubok para sakin ay ‘yung makahanap ng pangmatagalang solusyon sa problema ng fraternity violence na higit singkwentang taon narin sigurong problema. Buo po ang paninindigan ko na dapat tuluyan na ‘yang mawakasan, at isa po ‘yan sa mga priority ko bilang Chair lalo’t pagkatapos nung mga nangyari noong mga nakaraang linggo,” Delas Nieves asserted.

(I am confident that I will overcome the impeachment complaint. Honestly, there is really no basis for my impeachment. The bigger challenge for me is to find a lasting solution to the problem of fraternity violence, which has persisted for over fifty years. I am firmly committed to finally finding an end to it, and

DELAS NIEVES

I will make it one of my priorities as Chair especially after all that has happened in the past weeks.)

“Bukod pa dito, gagawin ko po ang lahat ng aking makakaya para mabuo muli ang council namin, para naman matupad namin yung mga programa naming hinanda para sa mga estudyante bago matapos ang aming termino,” he added.

(Aside from this, I will do everything I can to reconcile our student council, so that we can implement the programs we’ve prepared for the students before our term ends.)

SUNDAY: JULY 19, 2015

Roderick T. dela Cruz EDITOR business@thestandard.com.ph extrastory2000@gmail.com

BUSINESS

B1

Bristol Shoes manager Francis Gerard Abacan

BRISTOL REVEALS SECRET BEHIND QUALITY SHOES

By John Almerc Dy

FRANCIS Gerard Abacan or simply Gee, the second child of Erlinda Abacan, is slowly but surely taking the helm of Bristol Shoes and Shoe Company, one of the producers of high-quality shoes in the country’s “shoe capital” —Marikina City.

Bristol was established in the late 1970s by Gee’s grandfather, Apolinario de Dios and originally thrived on “made to order” business model. Over the years, it has grown to be a producer of stylish, quality formal shoes for men. Now, Gee does his part to bring the company to the next level of growth by expanding the product line and exploring the export market again.

“The name Bristol originated when my grandfather, ApolinarCONTINUED ON B3

Bristol shoemakers at work

SUNDAY: JULY 19, 2015

B2

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

FUTURE MILLIONAIRES BET ON PH STOCK MARKET AN ASSET manager says of all the countries in the world, the Philippines offers first-time investors the best opportunity to become millionaires.

Philam Asset Management Inc. president Ferdinand Berba says by investing in the 30 largest corporations in the Philippines, through an equity index fund, an investor who places an initial P5,000 and adds P1,000 a month over a 10-year period, is poised to become a millionaire.

“If you put P5,000 in an index fund and top it up with P1,000 the next month and if you do it on a regular basis and you do it for over a period of, say 10 years, you will become a millionaire,” Berba says in a recent news briefing at Makati Diamond Residences during the launch of the Pami Equity Index Fund.

Pami Equity Index Fund is a new mutual fund that tracks the growth of the PSEi, the 30-company benchmark index of the Philippine Stock Exchange. It is recommended for aggressive investors who believe in the potential of the local stock market, he says.

“Many people think that millionaires are a select few. With an index fund, what we are saying is that if you ride with the growth of the Philippines, many will become millionaires. It is a part of that inclusive growth strategy. For Filipinos to start to invest, it does not have to be very expensive,” says Berba.

Berba says not even the 2016 elections will stand in the way of the Philippine growth trajectory, saying whoever becomes the next president will inherit a strong economy supported by more than $50 billion worth of foreign fund inflows annually. That will be good for the stock market, he says.

Philam Life’s head of equity fund management Eduardo Banaag Jr. agrees, saying the Philippines is the best place to grow wealth today. He says with large excess funds in the financial system, supported by the current account surplus, and the rise in earnings of listed companies, the local stock market is bound to set higher levels in the coming months and years.

Banaag says there is a strong correlation between the savings-investment gap and the stock market or between earnings of listed companies and the stock market. “If earnings are going up or increasing because we have a growing, robust, vibrant, resilient economy, then the [stock] index should go up as well,” he says.

Banaag says while gross domestic product grew at a disappointing 5.2 percent in the first quarter of 2015, the figure remains one of the fastest in Asia. The fact that a 5-percent growth is considered disappointing in the Philippines only proves that the country is expected to do very well, he says.

What keeps the stock market from rising faster is external in nature.

Banaag says the recent volatilities in the market caused by the debt crisis in Greece or the slowdown in China may be over. “Much of the foreign selling is now behind us. This has nothing to do with the Philippine

Philam Life head of equity fund management Eduardo Banaag Jr., Philam Asset Management Inc. president Ferdinand Berba and Philam Life chief marketing officer Jaime Jose Javier Jr. economy. It has nothing to do with earnings. Therefore, it should not be a concern,” says Banaag.

He says the stock market will continue to rise, given the sustained economic growth, excess funds in the country and rising income of publicly listed companies.

“Companies are making profits.

That is good for the stock market.

Fortunately, we think the market should be valued at where it is currently. Yes, it is expensive, but for the right reason. The most common metric for valuation is your price to earnings ratio. Today, it is at 18.5 times. We think it will stay there until yearend. After 2015, the market will live on. It will not be the end of the world. There is 2016 and earnings will continue to grow and the Philippine economy will continue to grow,” says Banaag.

He says the PSEi should climb past the 8,000-point level by end of 2015.

“We think that given the intrinsic value or the right valuation of this market, the index should be at 8,080 by yearend. That is our estimate,” he says. The PSEi closed at 7,617 on July 16.

“8,080 represents where we think it should be, but it may not necessarily end there. But we need to know where stock prices should be valued.

That’s how stock investors should be guided. We have a growing and stable economy. The fundamentals are very strong. We are the envy of many foreign fund managers. In many

occasions, it has been said that the Philippines is now a haven of equity investments,” says Banaag.

Banaag says with a current account surplus that implies a stable exchange rate and an extended period of low interest rate, “investors should be comforted by the fact that a domestically-driven demand implies that our stock market will weather any ups and down in the global economy.”

Berba says the current account surplus of the Philippines is supported by rising remittances, business process outsourcing revenues, tourism receipts and foreign direct investments.

“Many of the difficulties in the global economy today is because exports between countries are not as high as they used to be, because they are having problems. We don’t have that problem. When you look at our money-making capacity, we make our dollars through OFW remittances. Last year, it was about $24.1 billion. By the first quarter, that has grown by 6 to 8 percent. That is projected to continue to grow. The other nice thing about the Philippines is that it is not the only source of money we have. We have this BPO and call centers. Last year, they produced for us $18 billion. That is already close to the OFWs $24.1 billion,” says Berba.

“It is projected that the BPO/call center industry over the next two years will most likely equal OFW remittances or even exceed that. You

can imagine two sources of income that other countries do not have.

Plus, tourism. Last year, there has been an increase in tourist flow. We are also starting to see money flowing from tourism industry. That is projected to continue to grow. The other thing is you have foreign direct investments that is growing also,” he says.

Tourism contributed $4.7 billion to the economy as 5 million foreign tourists visited the country in 2014 while foreign direct investments yielded a net inflow of $5.8 billion.

Berba says other economic figures are also encouraging. “So far, all the stats are showing they are good.

This was projected last year. We are projected to grow 6 percent year-onyear. That is good. Very few economies could sustain that. Even if we had a bad first-quarter GDP growth of 5.2 percent, if you look at other countries, we are still number three in the Asian region. We are still growing faster than most countries.

Our inflation rate is controlled. It is projected to be 2.4 percent by the end of the year. Last month, it was down to 1.2 percent. So the likelihood that we will be able to maintain this is very high,” says Berba.

Berba says not even the 2016 elections will stop the economy from growing. “The economy continues to go up. That is foreseen to continue, regardless of who the next president will be. We are growing better than others,” he says.

The Asian Development Bank expects the Philippines to grow 6.4 percent in 2015 and 6.3 percent in 2016, making it the fastest growing economy in Southeast Asia.

Berba says the growth will be sustained over the next decades, as the country enters the so-called demographic sweet spot, where the younger population becomes part of the labor force. “Countries that have older population have difficulty in growing their economy...But we are just entering the sweet spot this year,” he says.

“Goldman Sachs says by 2050, we will be the 14th largest economy in the world. HSBC also says that the Philippines will be the 16th largest economy in the world and number one in Southeast Asia by 2050. More recently, the Centre for Economics and Business Research says the Philippines will be in the top 30 economies by 2028,” says Berba.

“If this is the view moving forward and you want to take advantage of that view, then you must be invested in the Philippines. And the best way to be invested in the Philippines is to do it via an index fund,” he says.

“An index fund mimics your market, mimics your economy. If your market is doing well, then the fund is doing well. That’s why we say for investors, whether you are old or new, this is a good fund to have because you don’t need to be very smart or to understand the basics of it,” he says.

“For us, it is also very easy to invest. All you need is P5,000. This is the easiest way for inclusive growth.

If each of us will put in P5,000 in an index fund with Pami, then we should be okay,” says Berba.

Banaag says the current volatilities in the market provide an opportunity for new investors. “As they say ‘buy low and sell high’. With volatility, in a sense it is not at all bad because it gives you a chance or that window to buy. These days offer a good window to buy. If you believe in the Philippine economy, if you believe in the extra savings and earnings of companies, then it [stock market] is definitely going up,” says Banaag.

Banaag says with Pami Equity Index Fund, investors can grow with the country’s 30 largest corporations that comprise the PSEi. These companies are spread among a range of industries and are key players in the Philippines’ economic growth, he says.

The equity fund, however, is classified as high risk because of the wide swings in the stock market.

Pami recommends it for aggressive investors who are aware of the risks in investing in stocks and those who believe in the upside potential of the Philippine stock market.

The fund will have a launch price of P50. Holding period is six months from the date of investment, with an early redemption fee of not more than 1 percent. Pami will collect 1.5 percent in annual management fee.

Pami is Philam Life’s asset management subsidiary, whose assets doubled to P40.698 billion in 2014 from P21.903 billion in 2004. It is one of the largest asset and wealth management companies in the country, managing mutual funds from different asset classes.

Pami is a wholly-owned company of Philam Life, a large life insurance company and a member of the AIA Group, the largest pan-Asian life insurance group.

Roderick T. dela Cruz

SUNDAY: JULY 19, 2015

B3

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

Stitching

Leather cutting

Quality control

BRISTOL REVEALS SECRET BEHIND QUALITY SHOES io de Dios saw the word ‘Bristol’ in Europe and because of its exceptional sound, it became the name of our company,” says Gee, a former tennis player of the Ateneo de Manila University.

Gee, 33, who belongs to the third-generation owners of Bristol Shoes, is currently the company’s manager. His vision is to be competitive in the market by taking advantage of the Bristol brand, which is associated with quality shoes.

With a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Master’s degree from Ateneo de Manila University, Gee helps his mother, Erlinda, run the company.

His desire to join the family business began when he realized he had a genuine interest in the shoe industry. He started learning the ropes, first with the marketing system and later on managing the entire company.

Gee says he realized early on they needed to improve business processes to increase efficiency by eliminating unnecessary costs.

“Your product is your best marketing tool,” Gee says.

Gee says improving the product is more important than having a lot of advertisements, as he found out that it is just a supplementary tool to improve their marketing strategy.

Despite the prevalence of innovative machineries in the market, Bristol chose to keep the manual process of shoe mak-

Bristol shoes

ing, doing it hand-crafted using some imported materials, even though it is more expensive, just to ensure the quality of the shoes.

“Our biggest challenge is to compete with the other imported shoes that are definitely cheap,” Gee says.

Bristol is now considered a trusted name in the shoe industry, producing 100 pairs a day and maintaining a network of 29

stores nationwide.

“Quality shoes are not all about the materials that we use. It is all about our very own skilled workers who persevere to preserve the trademark of our shoes,” Gee says.

Proudly, he says they have sufficient skilled workers—the real secret behind Bristol’s success.

“Bristol is fortunate to have these efficient workers who are doing their job well. They are

the real contributors in our success,” Gee says.

Gee says he is looking forward to resuming Bristol exports to Japan, after the company stopped the shipment in 2007 because of a tragedy that happened to their dealer.

“We needed to stop the exportation of our products in Japan when our contact person committed suicide. We don’t have any idea what really happened

FROM B1

back then, so we have no choice, but to stop the exportation,” Gee says.

Gee says despite the incident, he remains positive that if the company resumes exports, it will give them the success they want.

“Bristol’s vision is to have a better brand name, if we are going back to exports. It is possible to achieve this goal,” Gee says.

He says while export is in the plan, the company aims to expand the business gradually so that they can easily manage and identify the improvements needed.

Gee says to achieve the company’s goal, it is important that they love what they are doing.

“You are going to succeed if you really want what you are doing,” he says, referring to his business principle.

This principle is a concrete example of the famous quotation, “Let your passion be your profession,” something that aspiring entrepreneurs can learn from.

Gee says during his free time, he serves as the coach of the lawn tennis team of Ateneo High School and spends more time with his wife together with their nine-month-old child.

Bristol Shoes, in its almost 40 years of producing quality shoes, is one of the companies that have enabled Marikina City to gain and keep the title “Shoe Capital of the Philippines.”

HOW POLITICS BLOCKS PH PROGRESS A WEAK political system has been preventing the Philippines from achieving full development, governance experts say.

Experts from the academe, the private sector and civil society groups, in a recent forum organized by Stratbase ADR Institute at Tower Club, PhilAm Life Tower in Makati City, cite the need for deep reforms to strengthen the weak political system that has been stalling the country’s development and competitiveness.

“We have focused so much on personalities. We have lost substance and are wasting too much time on personal attacks instead of debating on critical issues that would create much needed jobs and boost the country’s competitiveness in the Asean economy,” ADR Institute president Dindo Manhit says during the Albert del Rosario’s Governance forum.

Danilo Reyes, a professor at the University of the Philippines’ National College of Public Administration and Governance, says the Philippines needs to tackle the is-

sue of globalization, which has been transforming international arrangements and relationships in the world.

He says with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations regional integration, the country needs to conduct and pursue more research in understanding the nature of international bureaucracies and Asean connectivity.

Management Association of the Philippines former president Gregorio Navarro says the Philippines needs to improve on a lot of areas to compete effectively in Asean.

Navarro says in the latest Corporate Governance Watch Asia, the Philippines ranked very low among 10 Asean countries in terms of corporate governance, particularly in the rule of law.

“Out of the highest possible rating of 100 points, we have 15, I think in the rule of law. We don’t lack laws, rules and regulations, we just don’t know how to implement them,” Navarro says.

He says in his own personal

survey among law firms where he asked how much corruption there is in the justice system, “the figure that I got from almost all of the lawyers I asked is 80 percent.”

Navarro says Brunei, considered the best in the region in terms of facilitating tax payments, has a 20 percent income tax rate. The number of taxes in Brunei is about 27 with a total tax rate of about 16.1 percent and it will take a taxpayer about 96 hours in a year to comply with taxes.

In comparison, the Philippines has a 30 percent income tax rate with 36 other taxes and a total tax rate of 44.5 percent. The country targets to reduce the number of hours spent on complying with taxes to 193.

Meanwhile, Ramon Casiple, chairman of Consortium for Electoral Reforms, says the patronage system basically poisons the entire political structure or framework in the country.

“Every time they change president, the new president has the

authority to appoint something like 17,500 positions. That is only in the Philippines wherein like the president can appoint up-to the sixth level of bureaucracy down to the provincial head of the national agency. Of course, that shows a very strong president. But it also reinforces what I call the patronage system,” he says.

Casiple says governance as a whole is tightly related to the patronage system because of the appointments and also because of the policies that would favor dynasties, families and politics.”

“You have to de-link that two.

The marriage of politics and governance is a disaster. Unless that is addressed, all the well-meaning reforms I think would go into nothing,” he says.

Casiple cites the need to have a political mechanism to enhance the vision for national unity. “That mechanism actually is the political party--a genuine political party that talks to other political parties on the basis of programs, platforms,

ideas and come up with a national agenda. You will have differences definitely but it is the differences of ideas, not personalities,” he says.

“Unless that political question is addressed, I fear that the Philippines, that would mean the government or even the private sector would not be prepared for Asean integration or for global competitiveness for that matter,” he says.

Francisco Magno, program convenor of ADR Institute, says the Stratbase ADRi’s Governance forum is part of a series of round table discussions attended by the country’s experts from the academe, government and the private sector to contribute valuable inputs that will be integrated with the institute’s flagship project called the strategic agenda for national development.

ADR Institute was launched in November 2014 as an independent, strategic and international research organization to deliver a meaningful response and contribute to the developmental debate within the East Asian region.

B4

WORLD

US President Barack Obama speaks during a press conference on the nuclear deal with Iran at the White House in Washington, DC. Obama said Wednesday that Israel was right to be concerned about Iran’s behavior, but insisted a nuclear-armed Iran would be more dangerous. “We have huge differences with Iran. Israel has legitimate concerns about its security relative to Iran,” Obama said, while defending the nuclear deal reached by the US and other world powers with Tehran. AFP

OBAMA REBUFFS CRITICS OF IRAN NUCLEAR PACT US PRESIDENT Barack Obama rebuffed critics of the Iran nuclear agreement Saturday, defending the historic accord amid skepticism from lawmakers reviewing the deal.

In his weekly address, Obama said that without the accord, “we’d risk another war in the most volatile region in the world,” underlining the limits now placed on Iran’s nuclear program.

“This deal actually pushes Iran further away from a bomb. And there’s a permanent prohibition on Iran ever having a nuclear weapon,” Obama said.

“We will have unprecedented, 24/7 monitoring of Iran’s key nuclear facilities.”

He said repercussions would be

swift if Iran did not stick to the agreement.

“If Iran violates this deal, the sanctions we imposed that have helped cripple the Iranian economy—the sanctions that helped make this deal possible—would snap back into place promptly.”

The agreement, signed Tuesday after two years of talks, aims to roll back Tehran’s nuclear program in return for lifting sanctions that have stunted Iran’s economy.

Under the deal, Iran will cut by about two-thirds the number

of centrifuges—which can make fuel for nuclear power stations but also the core of a nuclear bomb—from around 19,000 to just over 6,000.

The US Congress has 60 days to review the agreement, and can vote to approve or reject it.

Obama’s Republican rivals, who hope to scupper the agreement in a planned Congressional vote, have accused him of appeasement.

Obama said he was not scared of naysayers, and welcomed questions on the deal.

“I welcome all scrutiny. I fear no questions. As Commander-in-Chief, I make no apology for keeping this country safe and secure, he said.

“Does this deal resolve all of the threats Iran poses to its neigh-

bors and the world? No. Does it do more than anyone has done before to make sure Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon? Yes.” Under legislation passed in May, President Barack Obama is barred from lifting congressional sanctions on Iran during the review period, unless Congress approves the deal during that time.

Should Congress pass a resolution of disapproval, Obama would veto that resolution. Two-thirds of lawmakers would be needed to override a presidential veto.

Obama will address the national convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars next week, where he will continue his defense of the deal, which he said met the red lines set out by Washington. AFP

‘CHAPO’ ESCAPE PUTS MEXICO LEADER IN A BIND MEXICO’S president faced a public relations nightmare Friday as he confronted fallout from the escape of a notorious drug lord, but said he was “fully confident” the kingpin would be recaptured.

The weekend flight of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, the country’s most notorious capo, is a stinging embarrassment for a government that had pointed to his arrest last year as its biggest victory yet in the war on drugs.

As President Enrique Pena Nieto returned from France, seven prison officials from the jail where Guzman escaped were charged over the affair and taken to a federal detention center.

Pena Nieto had been flying to France Saturday when word broke that Guzman had escaped

Photo shows Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto (right) speaking with Mexican Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio Chong during a meeting on the progress of a manhunt for escaped fugitive drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. AFP

—for the second time in 14 years.

Rather than return home, he went ahead with the five-day visit, knowing a firestorm with his name all over it was brewing

back home.

Pena Nieto addressed the debacle from his presidential complex, acknowledging that the episode had outraged the Mexican people.

Guzman’s escape has “caused frustration and fury across broad sectors of society,” he said.

“I am sure and I am fully confident that, with the valor, courage and determination of our armed forces and federal security forces... we will again recapture him,” Pena Nieto said during the speech.

The Mexican president spoke to the public after a meeting with his security cabinet and prosecutor general on the progress of a manhunt for Guzman and investigation into his escape.

The country, weary of drugrelated violence, is furious and demanding measures to restore the government’s credibility.

Pena Nieto took no questions, nor did he dismiss his Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio Chong, as many have called for. AFP

‘SUPER MAX’ JAIL FOR BOSTON BOMBER

CONVICTED Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has been transferred to a high-security «supermax» prison in Colorado, US media and officials said, where he will be held until he is moved to federal death row.

Tsarnaev, a US citizen of Chechen decent, was sentenced to death for the 2013 attack at the Boston Marathon finish line that killed three people and wounded 264 others, including 17 who lost limbs.

The US Federal Bureau of Prisons listed Tsarnaev as an inmate at the administrative security prison in Florence, Colorado known as a supermax.

The Boston Globe said Tsarnaev, 21, was transferred to the penitentiary in Florence on Friday.

The high-security prison houses 418 inmates in total, including some of America’s most notorious criminals.

Zacarias Moussaoui, convicted over the September 11, 2001 attacks, is also held at the facility, along with «Unabomber» serial murderer Ted Kaczynski and convicted «Shoe bomber» Richard Colvin Reid.

It is expected that Tsarnaev will eventually sit on federal death row in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Earlier this month, Tsarnaev filed a motion demanding a new trial, less than two weeks after he was formally sentenced to death over the attacks, the bloodiest on US soil since 9/11. AFP

S U N D AY : J U LY 1 9, 2 0 1 5

B5

WORLD editorial@thestandard.com.ph

90 DIES AFTER IS BOMB RIPS THRU IRAQI TOWN

RESCUERS in the Iraqi town of Khan Bani Saad were searching collapsed buildings for bodies Saturday after a car bomb ripped through a busy market, killing at least 90 people.

The suicide attack by the Islamic State group was one of the deadliest since it took over swathes of Iraq last year and came as the country marked Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim feast that ends the fasting month of Ramadan.

Residents recounted scenes of horror in the aftermath of the attack, in which officials said at least 15 children were killed.

Muthanna Saadoun, a municipal employee whose work is to drive a street sweeper, used his truck to help put out the fires that the huge blast caused in the market area.

“People were burning in their cars because no ambulances or fire engines were able to reach them,” the 25-year-old said.

IS said the suicide attacker had three tonnes of explosives in his vehicle.

The crater the explosion left in the main street of the town’s central Khan neighbourhood was about five metres wide and two deep (16 feet wide and more than six deep).

Cuts of charred meat were still hanging from the hooks of one butcher’s stall that was ravaged by flames.

Several collapsed buildings were still smouldering 12 hours after the attack.

A child’s toy elephant lay in the middle of the street as a defence ministry bulldozer shovelled the debris and cleaners swept blood-

stained water.

“The toll so far is 90 martyrs and 120 wounded, and we have between 17 and 20 missing,” Abbas Hadi Saleh, the top official in Khan Bani Saad, told AFP. “Every year (during Ramadan) there’s a bombing. We are guilty of being Shiite,” he said.

“This is the biggest in Diyala since 2003.”

Sunni Muslims began marking Eid al-Fitr on Friday but Iraq’s majority Shiite community started celebrations on Saturday.

Markets are usually packed in the days before the holiday as people preparing for large family gatherings shop for food and clothes.

Somber Eid holiday Khan Bani Saad, which is only 20 kilometres (12 miles) from Baghdad’s northern outskirts, lies in Diyala province. The town is predominantly Shiite but has Sunni minority.

“We do not have an Eid,” said Hussein Yassin Khidayyer, a 45-year-old shop owner. The force of the

blast threw him to the back of his shop but he escaped unscathed.

“No-one wished each other a happy holiday,” he said.

Eid al-Fitr is one of the most important dates in the Islamic calendar and traditionally sees families gather to celebrate the end of a month during which many fast from dawn to dusk.

IS said in its claim that the attack targeted Shiite militias, a claim it often makes even when most of the victims are civilians.

According to witnesses and officials in Khan Bani Saad, the car bomb went off at a checkpoint guarding an entrance to the market.

Vehicles could be seen heading south from the town with coffins on their roofs taking some the bombing’s victims to be buried in the Shiite holy city of Najaf.

Baghdad announced in January that Iraqi forces had “liberated” Diyala, significant parts of which had been overrun by IS after the jihadists launched a brutally effective offensive last June.

The jihadists no longer have fixed positions in the province but have reverted to their old tactics of planting car bombs and carrying out suicide operations or hit-and-run attacks. AFP

Iraqi men look at a crater left by a massive suicide car bomb attack carried out the previous day by the Islamic State group in the predominantly Shiite town of Khan Bani Saad, 20 km north of Baghdad, on July 18, 2015. The suicide attack by the IS group was one of the deadliest since it took over swathes of Iraq last year and came as the country marked Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim feast that ends the fasting month of Ramadan. AFP

SCOUTS FLEE AS STORM HITS CAMP SOME 15,000 teenaged scouts from all over Europe had be evacuated from a camp in France in the early hours of Saturday after a violent storm hit the area, with more than a dozen injured.

Scouts and Guides France, which organised the jamboree in the eastern city of Strasbourg, said 15 of the children had suffered “sprains, fractures or dislocations,” but that there were no serious injuries.

The fire and rescue service in France’s Bas-Rhin region had earlier said 35 people had been “very lightly injured” during the storm, which forced organisers to evacuate the thousands of children in the middle of the night.

Organisers said the 15,000 youngsters, mostly aged between 14 and 17 and hailing from across Europe, were taken to a nearby theatre for shelter.

“There was no panic as we had been warned about the storm’s arrival half an hour before,” organisers said, adding that the children were able to return to their tents on Saturday morning.

Authorities had issued an alert around 2:00 am warning of a severe storm and strong winds in the city on the German border. AFP

DOUBTS RAISED OVER GREECE BAILOUT PLAN THE third rescue plan for Greece has not even been finalized but already the parties at the center of the deal are raising doubts over its viability.

The key players—Athens, Berlin and the International Monetary Fund —have all voiced criticisms of the conditions that have been sketched out so far.

Their skepticism, which comes from more than just a circle of economists, will have to be addressed if the detailed negotiations to begin soon on Greece’s third bailout operation in six years are to be a success.

Unsurprisingly the sharpest reservations come from Greece. The deal, squeezed out from grueling negotiations on Mon-

day with almost no time to spare, imposes yet more austerity on the country and to some extent leaves its economy subjugated to outside powers.

With his signature on the pact hardly dry, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras called it an accord he did «not believe in,» but said that he had accepted it to avoid a potentially catastrophic default and exit from the euro area.

“I had specific choices before me: One was to accept a deal I disagree with on many points, another was a disorderly default,” Tsipras told the Greek parliament.

“I don’t know if we did the right thing. I do know we did something we felt

we had no choice over,”said Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos.

The road then seems long before the authorities take “ownership” of the plan, as IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde hopes will happen.

Meanwhile Germany, Greece’s most powerful creditor, was hesitant over the deal, with some officials suggesting that it still might be better for Greece to exit the euro, at least for a fiveyear “time-out.”

Speaking to the Bundestag on Friday, Chancellor Angela Merkel urged legislators to support the deal, but not in the most convincing language.

“We would be grossly negligent, indeed acting irresponsibly, if we

People sit in one of the cafes at the Mavili square in central Athens, on 17 July 2015. The gilded youth of Athens -students of the most prestigious institutions- meets here, far away from the economic crisis. AFP

did not at least try this path,”she said.

The chancellor referred to “legitimate skepticism” and called it a “last try” even as she urged lawmakers to back

it, saying the alternative was “chaos and violence” in Greece.

Her Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble also urged German lawmakers to back the new deal, even

as he still suggested that a temporary Grexit might be the best.

“We can’t do it, we don’t want it... but that possibly would be the best solution,” he said. AFP

B6

S U N D AY : J U LY 1 9, 2 0 1 5

SPORTS

REUEL VIDAL EDITOR

sports@thestandard.com.ph

San Miguel Beer forward Arwind Santos (left) and Alaska Aces counterpart Calvin Abueva (8) battle for ball possession. San Miguel Beer swept the Alaska Aces, 4-0, in the Finals to win the 2015 Philippine Basketball Association Governors Cup title.

The San Miguel Beermen—led by season, conference and playoff Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo holding the championship trophy—rejoice after winning the 2015 Philippine Basketball Association Governors Cup title. San Miguel Beer swept the Alaska Aces, 4-0, in the Finals to win the title.

ADVERSITY PREPARED BEERMEN

By Homer Samson

SAN MIGUEL BEER defeated the Alaska Aces, 4-0, in the Finals to win the 2015 Philippine Basketball Association Governors Cup title.

The sweep by the Beermen was unexpected considering that just last conference the same two teams battled in a bitterly contested PBA Philippine Cup championship that was decided by a final field goal in the dying seconds of Game 7.

Plus, the two teams finished with identical 8-win, 3-loss records after the elimination round.

The Aces even had an easier time in the quarterfinals and the semifinals as they swept past Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and then the Star Hotshots.

In contrast the Beermen

had a tough road to the finals which prepared the team and helped San Miguel Beer become a better squad in the championship series.

San Miguel coach Leo Austria was at a loss for words to explain how they dispatched the Aces with relative ease.

“Hindi ko maisip kung paano namin na-sweep ang Alaska. It helped that we regrouped despite starting the conference poorly with a 0-2 start. We were playing catch up. Alaska ang naging barometer namin. We’re behind always behind kaya tinitingnan namin ang ginagawa nila,”

said Austria at how they had to study Aces and therefore became more prepared for the championship.

The Beermen had to scramble to catch up with the rest of the field after that disappointing start.

They passed all the other teams and eventually tied the Aces at the top of the standings after the eliminations but then lost the first game of the quarterfinals to Meralco, 99-106, despite the game-high 30 points by season Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo.

Meralco didn’t try to strangle the Beermen with their defense. They simply outscored the Beermen to set up a sudden-death match. The Beermen eventually prevailed in the door-die match and the experience gave the Beermen confidence and further strengthened the resolve

SMB coach Leo Austria

of the players.

The Aces dispatched the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, 114-108, in the first game of the quarterfinals to book the first seat to the semifinals. The Aces then breezed through the semifinals with a 3-0 mauling of the Star Hotshots.

The Beermen in contrast were tested as they went into a dog fight with the Rain Or Shine Elasto Painters before eventually advancing to the Finals. It was an experience which made the team better according to Austria.

“In the semifinals we were luckily to beat t h e Rain Or Shine Elasto Painters, 3-1. We had a hard time which helped. They (Elasto Painters) are one of the rea-

sons na our team matured,” said Austria.

Strengthened by the crucible of going through the ordeal of a poor start in the eliminations, a sudden death in the quarterfinals and surviving the dogged challenged of the Elasto Painters,the Beermen were ready to fight for a championship in the finals.

The Finals were all San Miguel with the Beermen beating the Aces inside and out.

The height limit for a reinforcement this conference is 6’5” and the Beermen had versatile Arizona Reid as their import.

But they had a decided advantage over the rest of the field not just because of the irrepressible Reid but because they had 6’10” Fajardo who played like a big import as he dominated inside the paint.

Fajardo was simply unstoppable one-on-one forcing the Aces the double, even triple-team him inside the paint. This allowed Reid

San Miguel Beer import Arizona Reid (right) posts up against Alaska Aces defender Vic Manuel (left).

to freelance on offense as he ran rings around the Alaska defenders.

“Reid, since the start of the conference, has been excellent. I knew he would help us a lot. He’s our best import. (Romeo) Travis is a team player,” said Austria charitably of the Alaska reinforcement who won the Best import award but who was a non-factor in the championship.

Reid played like the conference’s Best Import while best import, Alaska reinforcement Travis who officially won the award, did not.

The contribution of Travis gradually grew smaller and smaller in the Finals. He was outperformed by his San Miguel Beer counterpart in every game in the championship.

Reid outscored Travis by: 32 to 14 in Game 1; 37 to 23 in Game 2; 41 to 17 in Game 3, and 33 to 15 in Game 4.

By Game 4, Travis had just 15 points and seven rebounds and was outperformed even by local teammate Calvin Abueva who had 22 points and 17 rebounds despite playing considerably less minutes.

The Beermen took a troubled, challenging path to the championship. This served as a crucible which tempered the players and helped San Miguel become a better squad in the championship series.

The tough road prepared the Beermen for the finals and made them a better squad than Alaska as they swept the championship series.

LADY TAMS COULD UPSET FAVORITES IN SHAKEY’S V-LEAGUE ACTION

By Peter Atencio

Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws spiker Heather Anne Guinoo (4) hits a drop shot over the blocking hands of University of Batangas’ Carla Montenegro (7) while an FEU teammate looks on. Lalyn Garcia (5) of UB moves in to help defend the net. PETER ATENCIO

IF you asked the experts which teams are favored in the Shakey’s V-League Season 12 Collegiate Conference they’d probably say Ateneo De Manila, National University and Arellano University.

The Ateneo Lady Eagles are the University Athletic Association of the Philippines champion and boast of the country’s best volleyball athlete in Alyssa Valdez.

NU parades the country’s tallest female volleyball players in 6’4” Jaja Santiago and sister Dindin Santiago Manabat who is 6’2” plus its star studded

lineup which carried the team to second place in the past UAAP wars.

The Arellano Lady Chiefs are the defending National Collegiate Athletic Association champions.

Defending champion Far Eastern University Lady Tams have shown that they should be considered title threats.

Spikers from the University of Batangas learned that the hard way after they lost to FEU. The Batanguenas took control of the first set with their attacks. But adjustments in their floor defense eventually helped FEU come up with a 25-20, 25-18, 25-10 victory at

the Arena in San Juan.

“Maganda ang defense nila.

Maliliit ang spikers nila, pero magulang pumalo, at mataas tumalon. Pero, nakaadjust din kami,” said FEU coach Shaq de los Santos after the Lady Tams grabbed the early lead in the standings.

The Batanguenas vaulted ahead in the first set with Cyren Montecer and Lalyn Garcia leading the attack, 12-8.

FEU found its rhythm late in the set and move ahead, 2117, off Honey Royce Tubino’s drop shot, Toni Rose Basas’ kill and a couple of aces from Ma. Angelica Cayuna.

Basas showed the way for

FEU with 12 points, with six scored off her serves.

“Gigil kami sa first set.

Pero nakapag-adjust din kami sa defense,” said Basas, a sophomore player of the Lady Tams.

Two aces from Jerrilli Malabanan and Basas, who scored two of them, helped FEU move away, 20-13, in the second set.

In the final set, Basas delivered two more aces to lead FEU to a 16-6 advantage.

Ateneo, NU and Arellano are the teams to beat. But the Lady Tams are not that far behind and are legitimate title threats.

Republic of the Philippines ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION San Miguel Avenue, Pasig City IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION FOR APPROVAL OF THE SUPPLEMENT TO THE ENERGY SUPPLY AGREEMENT BETWEEN MISAMIS OCCIDENTAL I ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INC. (MOELCI I) AND THERMA MARINE, INC. (TMI), WITH MOTION FOR PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY AND MOTION FOR CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT OF INFORMATION

9.

2015

2016

2017

2018

CF

PhP/kW/mo

305

287

268

250

FOM

PhP/kW/mo

314

314

314

314

EF

PhP/kWh

0.15245

0.15245

0.15245

0.15245

HFCR

L/kWh

0.23580

0.23580

0.23580

0.23580

LOCR

L/kWh

0.00240

0.00240

0.00240

0.00240

9.1

MISAMIS OCCIDENTAL I ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INC.(MOELCI I) AND THERMA MARINE, INC. (TMI), Applicants.

INS1

=

PhP43,035,782.00 for the two barges, representing insurance cost included in the FOM

x- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

Total BC

=

TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES

9.2

Notice is hereby given that on May 6, 2015, Misamis Occidental I Electric Cooperative, Inc. (MOELCI I) and Therma Marine, Inc. (TMI) filed a joint application for the approval of their Supplement to the Energy Supply Agreement, with motion for provisional authority and motion for confidential treatment of information.

In the said joint application, MOELCI I and TMI alleged, among others, the following: MOELCI I is a non-stock, non-profit electric cooperative, organized and existing under and by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 269, as amended, otherwise known as the National Electrification Administration Decree, with principal office address at Magcamiguing, Calamba, Misamis Occidental.

It was granted a franchise by the National Electrification Commission to operate an electric light and power distribution service in the province of Misamis Occidental, particularly in the City of Oroquieta and the Municipalities of Aloran, Lopez Jaena, Plaridel, Calamba, Baliangao, Sapang Dalaga and Concepcion (Franchise Area); TMI is a generation company duly organized and existing under the laws of the Republic of the Philippines with principal office address in Mobile 2, Lawis, Sta. Ana, Nasipit, Agusan del Norte. Copies of TMI’s Securities and Exchange Commission Certificate of Registration, Articles of Incorporation and ByLaws, General Information Sheet and Audited Financial Statements are attached to the joint application as Annexes “A”, “B”, “C” and “D,” respectively; TMI owns and operates the 100 MW Power Barge No. 117 (PB 117) in Nasipit, Agusan Del Norte and the 100 MW Power Barge No. 118 (PB 118) in Maco, Compostela Valley, which it acquired from the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (PSALM) upon their privatization in accordance with Republic Act No. 9136, otherwise known as the “Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 (EPIRA); and TMI is joining MOELCI I as co-applicant in this case in order to assist it in securing approval of the terms and conditions of the Energy Supply Agreement dated October 7, 2011 (ESA),as supplemented by the Supplement to the Energy Supply Agreement dated March 27, 2015 (Supplement Agreement), entered into by and between MOELCI I and TMI; NATURE OF THE APPLICATION The instant joint application seeks approval by the Commission of the ESA, as amended by the Supplement Agreement, entered into by and between MOELCI I and TMI, pursuant to Rule 20 (B) of the Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure (ERC Rules).

Cost Component Capacity Fee (PhP/kW/month)

FC VC CF

= = =

FOM IFf BC INS

= = = =

278

2013

296

2014

323

2015 Fixed O&M Fee (PhP/kW/month) Energy Fee (PhP/kWh)

0.14864

Fuel and Lube Oil Rate

Pass thru cost based on fuel consumption rates of 0.2358 liter/kWh or actual, whichever is lower, for Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) and 0.0024 liter/kWh or actual, whichever is lower, for Lube Oil (LO)

5.

6.

7.

=

INS1

=

2015

6.55

5.76

(0.79)

5.5271

5.37

(0.15)

2017

5.48

5.31

(0.17)

20.

actual insurance cost for the two barges for the current year PhP43,035,782.00 for the two barges, representing insurance cost included in the FOM Inflation factor for Energy Fee

TotalBC

=

FLR EDm

= =

Total Billing Capacity for all Energy Supply Agreements entered into by Supplier which have achieved effectivity date and for the duration of such effectivity, as such terms and conditions are defined under the respective Energy Supply Agreements Fuel oil, lube oil and related fuel rate in Php/kWh The Sum of the hourly volumes of Contract Energy as found in the Contract Energy Schedule (or as revised by the Parties or by MSO/MSO RCC) for the Billing Period primarily associated with calendar month m (for example December 26-January 25 is associated with January) (and adjusted for transmission losses, if any, imputed by the transmission service provider if measured at a meter other than the Generator Metering Point), in kWh

The Fixed Charge (“FC”) shall be proportionately adjusted if: a.

The Contract Energy Delivery days in a Billing Period are less the total number of days in the Billing Period (to adjust to first and last Billing Periods of the ESA); and

b.

The non-delivery days (or fraction thereof) in any Billing Period caused

by Allowed Downtime described under Section 8 of the ESA. 9.3

Contract Energy. Under the ESA, TMI shall make available, on a monthly basis, the capacity of 2MW, to be delivered in accordance with the Schedule of Contract of Energy under the ESA;

12.

Additional Energy. TMI may, at its option, make available to MOELCI I such energy in excess of the contracted energy for which MOELCI I shall be liable to pay the Additional Energy Fee consisting of variable and fixed charges pro-rated for the hours of delivery of the additional energy, subject to annual adjustments. The same formula for the Additional Energy Fee Rate under the ESA shall continue to be in effect; Load Curtailment Adjustment. For Contract Energy subject of load curtailment, MOELCI I shall pay the Load Curtailment Adjustment in lieu of the Capacity Fee component of the electricity fees. The same formula for the Load Curtailment Adjustment Rate under the ESA shall continue to be in effect;

It is expected that the energy requirements of MOELCI I’s customers will significantly increase in the next few years as demonstrated by MOELCI I’s Distribution Development Plan (DDP), which is hereto attached as Annex “G”;

14.

The expiration of the Contract for the Supply of Electric Energy with PSALM on December 25, 2016, as well as the projected increase in the energy requirements of MOELCI I’s customers will result in a shortage of the energy available to it and its customers;

Replacement Energy. TMI has the option but not the obligation to source replacement or alternative supply from its own back-up facility and/or any third party to supply all or part of the Contract Energy;

15.

Security Deposit. No later than thirty (30) days before the commencement of the second (2nd) Contract Year and every year thereafter, MOELCI I shall provide TMI a Renewal Security Deposit in the form of a Standby Letter of Credit in an amount equivalent to the estimated average one (1) month Invoice projected for the next twelve (12) months as agreed by TMI and MOELCI I or, in case of disagreement, in an amount equal to the highest Invoice issued by TMI to MOELCI I in the twelve (12) months immediately preceding the commencement of such Contract Year;5

16.

Application Costs. The Supplement Agreement provides that MOELCI I shall bear the costs of all filing fees, costs of publication, legal fees and similar costs arising from the preparation and filing of the instant application;

17.

The extension of the Contract Term under the Supplement Agreement and the implementation thereof will redound to the benefit of MOELCI I’s consumers which may otherwise be forced to bear the cost of 2 MW purchased from the Interim Mindanao Electricity Market (IMEM) or to suffer a corresponding amount of brownouts. In undertaking the extension of the ESA under the Supplement to the ESA, MOELCI I seeks to comply with its obligation of providing stable and continuous power supply, pursuant to the Department Circular No. DC 2012-03-004 dated March 19, 2012 of the Department of Energy (DOE);

On March 17, 2015, MOELCI I and TMI executed the Supplement Agreement extending the term of the ESA for an additional period of three (3) years from the expiration of the term (Additional Term) and stipulating the rights and obligations of the Parties during the Additional Term, which shall be under the same terms and conditions of the ESA, subject to the following:

Additional Term. The Supplement to the ESA provides that the ESA shall remain in force for an additional period of three (3) years from the expiration of the Original Term, commencing on May 8, 2015, and shall terminate on May 8, 2018 unless either Party sends a written notice of pre-termination to the other Party at least sixty (60) days prior to the end of each contract year. The Supplement Agreement further provides that it may be terminated effective on the Operations Effective Date defined in the Energy Supply Agreement between MOELCI I and Therma South, Inc. (TSI), covering the supply of power from the coal-fired power plant of TSI or, if Operations Effective Date of the power plant of TSI has not yet occurred by the end of the Additional Term, the ESA shall be automatically renewed on a year-to-year basis, unless earlier terminated in accordance with the provisions of the ESA. Upon expiration of the Additional Term, and any extensions thereof, the Parties may agree to further extend the term of the Agreement under the same terms and conditions of the ESA, as supplemented by the Supplement Agreement;

SUBMISSIONS In support of the instant application and in compliance with Rule 20 (B) of the ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure, it submits the following additional documents:

Insufficiency of NPC/PSALM Supply. The reduction of the NPC/PSALM CSEE capacity from MOELCI I’s portfolio renders imperative a bilateral supply contract to answer for the equivalent capacity, lest MOELCI I be compelled to resort to the unpredictable and expectedly higher prices in the IMEM or worse, be curtailed for insufficient contracted capacity; and

c.

Continuing Demand Growth. As illustrated in its DDP, MOELCI I is expecting a growth in the total demand of its end-users so that, coupled with reduction of the NPC/PSALM capacity, there is a wide supply gap that urgently needs to be filled. Without the Supplement Agreement, MOELCI I will be incapable of satisfying the electricity requirements of its end-users who must be forced to suffer brownouts resulting from its curtailment;

23.

Under Rule 4 of the ERC Rules, the Commission may, upon request of a party and determination of the existence of conditions which would warrant such remedy, treat certain information submitted to it as confidential. Pursuant to its undertaking, MOELCI I and TMI move that Annexes“M”, “N”, “O”, “P”, and “Q”not be disclosed and be treated as confidential documents in accordance with Rule 4 of the ERC Rules and accordingly, not be disclosed to persons other than the officers and staff of the Commission, as necessary.

These documents contain certain non-public information, data and calculations involving business operations and financial trade secrets reflecting TMI’s investment and business calculations;

24.

They submitted one (1) copy of Annexes“M”, “N”, “O”,“P” and “Q” in a sealed envelope, with the envelope and each page of the document stamped with the word “Confidential”; and

25.

They pray that the Commission: a.

Issue an Order treating Annexes “M”, “N”, “O”, “P” and “Q” and the information contained therein as confidential, directing their non-disclosure to persons other than the officers and staff of the Commission, pursuant to Rule 4 of the ERC Rules, and prescribing the guidelines for the protection thereof;

b.

Pending trial on the merits, provisionally approve the ESA, as supplemented by the Supplement Agreement, effective May 8, 2015; and

c.

After trial on the merits, approve with finality the ESA, as supplemented by the Supplement Agreement, including the rates, Security Deposit and Application Costs which shall be for the account of MOELCI I.

The Commission has set the said application for jurisdictional hearing, pre-trial conference, expository presentation and evidentiary hearing on July 29, 2015 (Wednesday) at nine o’ clock in the morning (9:00 A.M.) at MOELCI I’s Principal Office, Magcamiguing, Calamba, Misamis Occidental.

All persons who have an interest in the subject matter of the proceeding may become a party by filing, at least five (5) days prior to the initial hearing and subject to the requirements in the ERC’s Rules of Practice and Procedure, a verified petition with the Commission giving the docket number and title of the proceeding and stating: (1) the petitioner’s name and address; (2) the nature of petitioner’s interest in the subject matter of the proceeding, and the way and manner in which such interest is affected by the issues involved in the proceeding; and (3) a statement of the relief desired.

All other persons who may want their views known to the Commission with respect to the subject matter of the proceeding may file their opposition to the application or comment thereon at any stage of the proceeding before the applicants conclude the presentation of their evidence. No particular form of opposition or comment is required, but the document, letter or writing should contain the name and address of such person and a concise statement of the opposition or comment and the grounds relied upon.

All such persons who may wish to have a copy of the application may request the applicants, prior to the date of the initial hearing, that they be furnished with a copy of the application. The applicants are hereby directed to furnish all those making a request with copies of the application and its attachments, subject to reimbursement of reasonable photocopying costs.

Likewise, any such person may examine the application and other pertinent records filed with the Commission during the usual office hours.

WITNESS, the Honorable Chairperson, ZENAIDA G. CRUZ-DUCUT, and the Honorable Commissioners, ALFREDO J. NON, GLORIA VICTORIA C. YAPTARUC, JOSEFINA PATRICIA A. MAGPALE-ASIRIT, and GERONIMO D. STA. ANA, Energy Regulatory Commission, this 22nd day of June, 2015 at Pasig City.

ATTY. FRANCIS SATURNINO C. JUAN

Executive Director III LBB/NJS ______________________________________________ 1

18.

b.

Under Section 13 of the ESA, each Party undertook to keep in strict confidence and not to disclose to any third party any and all Confidential Information of the other Party;

JCPIb = Japan CPI of 99.9 as of June 2011

11.

Mindanao Power Crisis. The power shortage in Mindanao has remained a critical problem for MOELCI I which continues to suffer rotating brownouts in the grid. A bilateral agreement, such as the Supplement Agreement, will significantly aid MOELCI I in minimizing or even eliminating the rotating brownouts in its franchise area which has had a debilitating impact upon the local economy;

22.

UCPIb = US CPI of 225.722 as of June 2011

Billing Capacity. In the event that TMI is required to reduce its installed capacity in order to remain compliant with Section 45 of the EPIRA, TMI shall have the right to reduce the Billing Capacity of MOELCI I to the extent of the reduction required under Section 45 of the EPIRA, provided that, the reduction in the Billing Capacity of MOELCI I shall not exceed its pro rata share in the total Billing Capacity of TMI in relation with other off takers of TMI4;

a.

Considering the foregoing, they request the Commission for the provisional approval of the ESA, as supplemented by the Supplement Agreement to enable MOELCI I to draw under the said agreement. This will avoid the power interruptions which have caused irreversible losses upon economic productivity within its franchise area. The Affidavit in support of the prayer for the issuance of Provisional Authority is attached to the joint application as Annex “V”;

Finally, the base indices in Item 3 (Inflation Factor) of Schedule III (Contract Energy Fee) of the ESA shall be deemed amended to read as follows:3

ECPIb = EURO CPI of 113.10 as of June 2011

They move for the issuance of a provisional approval of theESA, as supplemented by the Supplement Agreement, pending trial on the merits thereof, upon the following reasons:

21.

PCPIb = Philippine CPI of 126.4 as of June 2011

SALIENT PROVISIONS OF THE ESA AS SUPPLEMENTED BY THE SUPPLEMENT AGREEMENT 8.

Where: INSy

=

13.

Increase/ (Decrease) Php/kWh

2016

305 239

Scenario with TMI Php/kWh

*assumes that there will be deficiency in supply and that MOELCI I will resort to power curtailment

Contract Energy Fee in Php Energy Fee (before adding the applicable VAT) for the Billing Period in Php/kWh Fixed charge per month in Pesos Variable charge per month in Pesos the Capacity fee in Php/kW/month for the current Contract Year Fixed O&M fee in Php/kW/month Inflation factor for fixed O&M fee Billing Capacity in kW or 2,000kW INSy‒ INS1

IFv

Approved Rates 2012

Scenario without TMI Php/kWh*

MOTIONS FOR PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY AND CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT OF INFORMATION = =

10.

Board of Investments (BOI) Certificate of Registration of TMI (Annex “H” of the joint application); Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) issued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to TMI (Annex “I” of the joint application); Certification by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) (Annex “J” of the joint application); Certificate of Compliance (COC) issued by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to TMI (Annex “K” of the joint application); Relevant Technical and Economic Characteristics of TMI’s Power Barges (Annex “L” of the joint application); Sources of Funds/Financial Plans (Annex “M” of the joint application); Purchased Power Rate (Annex “N” of the joint application); Cash Flow (Annex “O” of the joint application); Financial Model (Annex “P”); Fuel Procurement Process of TMI (Annex “Q” of the joint application); Transmission Service Agreement (TSA) between MOELCI I and NGCP (Annex “R” of the joint application); Certification from the PSALM of the insufficiency of its supply to meet MOELCI I’s requirements (Annex “S” of the joint application); and Procurement Process of MOELCI I (Annex “T” of the joint application);

In further compliance with the requirements of the Commission, they considered several scenarios and derived a Rate Impact Simulation based on the said scenarios, which is attached to the joint application as Annex “U” and may be summarized as follows:

Year

Hence, the formula for Contract Energy Fee per Month as provided in the ESA shall be:2

CEF EF

MOELCI I currently sources its electricity requirements from the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (PSALM), King Energy Generation, Inc. (KEGI) and the remainder from TMI. On October 7, 2011, MOELCI I entered into an ESA with TMI for the supply of 2MW for a term of three (3) years from Effective Date (Original Term). The ESA was approved by the Commission in a Decision dated 26 November 2012 in ERC Case No. 2012-045 RC, with the following applicable rates:

19.

Where:

STATEMENT OF FACTS

4.1

m.

For calendar month m = 1, 2, ..., 12

Copies of the ESA and the Supplement Agreement are attached to the joint application as Annexes “E” and “F”, respectively;

4.

f. g. h. i. j.

Total Billing Capacity for the two barges under the existing energy supply agreements and existing ancillary service procurement agreements

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

3.

e.

l. actual insurance cost for the two barges for the current year

2.2

d.

k.

=

2.1

c.

The formula for FC in item 2 (Contract Energy Fee per month) of Schedule III (Contract Energy Fee) of the ESA shall be deemed amended to read as follows:1

INSy

2.

b.

Where:

ERC CASE NO. 2015-092 RC

1.

a.

Electricity Fees. Beginning on the expiration of the Renewal Term, the Electricity Fees shall be computed based on the following values:

2 3 4 5

S u p p l e m e n t A g r e e m e n t , S e c t i o n 2 .1 ESA , Schedule III, Item 2, as amended by the Section 2 of the Supplement Agreement.

Supplement Agreement, Section 2.3.

Supplement Agreement, Clause 2.9 E S A , C l a u s e 6 .1. 2 , a s a m e n d e d b y S e c t i o n 2 . 4 o f t h e S u p p l e m e n t a l A g r e e m e n t ( T S - J U L . 12 & 19 , 2 015 )

B8

S U N D AY : J U LY 1 9, 2 0 1 5

RIERA U. MALLARI EDITOR sports@thestandard.com.ph

SPORTS

June Mar Fajardo shows his Finals’ MVP title after his SMB team won the season-ending Governor’s Cup.

SKY’S THE LIMIT FOR JUNE MAR

By Jeric Lopez

A ROOKIE of the Year title, a Most Improved Player award, two Mythical Team selections, two-time AllStar norms, three Best Player of the Conference citations, two straight Most Valuable Players plums, a Finals MVP award and now, two championships all in just three seasons.

He’s just 25 years old and only in his third year in the Philippine Basketball Association and yet, June Mar Fajardo already has achieved all those accolades in this early part of his career.

No wonder he’s already being touted to become an all-time great.

And he’s just getting started.

How good can he get? Scary thought.

How much more can Fajardo achieve along the way given how skilled he is, with a powerhouse team built around him? ‘’Malayo pa ang mararating ni June Mar (Fajardo),’’ said San Miguel coach Leo Austria of his

prized ward. ‘’Nakikita naman natin ngayon na he’s the best player na in the league and still, marami pa siyang maipapakita at bata pa siya so we can expect more from him.’’ ‘’He’s (Fajardo) just in his third year pa lang sa league tapos ganito na siya maglaro, parang veteran na, what more pa if he becomes even better? We can only imagine how many MVP titles he can get pa,’’ said former PBA player and now analyst Renren Ritualo.

From his humble beginnings, all the way to his superstar status now, Fajardo, however, keeps his feet on the ground. And he is thrilled to see what was once only

a dream turn into reality. ‘’Pangarap ko lang talaga na makapasok sa PBA dati, tapos ngayon hindi ko inaakala na ganito ‘yung mga makukuha kong blessings. Sobrang blessed lang talaga ako,’’ said the SMB superstar. ‘’Masaya ako, kasi sa dami ng magagaling na players sa PBA, ako pa ‘yung nabibigyan ng mga nakukuha ko ngayon, so blessed talaga ako.’’

In total, Fajardo took home five individual awards last Friday night and more importantly, he led San Miguel to its second championship this season. He ended his tremendous season by taking home the Sporsmanship Award, being named in the Mythical First and the All-Defensive Teams, and winning both the Season and Finals’ MVP trophies.

Even when everyone is high on him and with everything he has accomplished so far, Fajardo deflected the praise and pointed credit to people around him, those who helped mold him to what he is today. ‘’Nagsimula lahat sa UC (Uni-

Players, coaches, officials and supporters of the San Miguel Beermen display the team’s championship trophy.

versity of Cebu), kaya sobrang thankful ako doon. And sa brother ko rin, kasi siya talaga ‘yung mahilig sa basketball dati.

Nagpapasalamat din ako na maganda ‘yung guidance ng parents ko and teammates ko sa akin kasi sila ‘yung nagpu-push sa’kin para mas maging mabuting player,’’ said Fajardo, who became just the fourth player in PBA history to win back-to-back MVP jewels.

Fajardo also shared that his second MVP award is way better than the first one he got last year for obvious reasons. ‘’Mas exciting ngayon na na-

kuha ko itong MVP, kasi ngayon nag-champion na kami. Iyon ‘yung pinakamalaking prize sa amin eh, iyong championship, kaya mas masaya,’’ added Fajardo.

As for what lies ahead for Fajardo, given he already reached the mountain top, he said that it is now about staying there with his team. ‘’Sana makakuha pa kami ng maraming championships, kaya tuloy pa rin ang hard work,’’ he said.

So how good can he be? With the way he’s playing, June Mar’s limit is the sky.

S U N D AY : J U LY 1 9 : 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

S U NDAY L IF E

LIFE

C1

Coro San Benildo is proof that the Philippines is home to world class talents in the field of music.

THE WORLDCLASS MUSIC OF CORO SAN BENILDO

BY BING PAREL

I Members of the student chorale ham it up and display the camaraderie that can translate into beautiful music.

magine putting together a group of young people with different quirks and personalities, conflicting views and opposing opinions, divergent interests or preoccupations and chances are, there would be utter chaos. But such is not the case with Coro San Benildo – the resident chorale of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde composed of current students who are making harmonious music together because they share one thing in common: a passion for music.

Founded in 1990 by Rodel Bugarin and a group of students, Coro has since grown into an inspiring powerhouse that has made a name as a worldclass singing group that has won international recognition barely six years since its first global exposure in 2009. On that first year of international competition, the choir group placed second at the Let the People Sing choir competition held in Oslo, Norway organized by the European Broadcasting Union.

During the 1st Vietnam International Choir Festival and Competition in Hoi An in 2011, the group was declared the overall champion in the Folklore Category. This was followed by the Platinum Award in the 1st Xinghai Prize Choir Championship in Guangzhou, China. In 2013, Coro San Benildo competed at Louisville, Kentucky’s Sing ‘n’ Joy International Choral Festival

(A1 Mixed Choir Category) where they earned a Gold Diploma Level V and the Fleur de Lis Medal.

Aside from local performances, they have been in many parts of Asia showcasing Filipino talent, the most recent of which is in Busan, South Korea where they bagged third place at the 10th Choral Festival and Competition under the Classical Mixes Category.

Those who have seen Coro San Benildo perform – whether live or through videos uploaded on YouTube – are impressed not only by the singing ability of the young men and women that make up the group – but the energy, the joy and the passion evident in every performance – and then some. For instance, their rendition of “Isang Linggong Pag-ibig” in their December 2013 concert dubbed “A Tribute to Timeless Music” almost brought the house down because of the humorous, contemporary twist injected in the performance.

Composed by Mon del Rosario and popularized by Imelda Papin in the ‘90s, “Isang Linggong Pag-ibig” tackles a whirlwind love affair that ends within a week. It starts with the solo rendition of a woman that runs a gamut of emotions from excitement to bewilderment and mortification, with the chorus intermittently teasing (“Uuuy!”), then condemning the woman (“Buti nga sa ‘yo” or “serves you right”) at being so gullible. The male part had a member

of the choir with a deep bass, cocky and preening like a macho at how easily he made the woman fall for his charms.

And then came the surprise – things started to go sour when a good-looking male entered the picture – but instead of the woman, it was the man who went after the guy! It was so funnily done that by the end of the performance, one is left chuckling and nodding at how, with such simple choreography, Coro San Benildo managed to inject not only humor but a commentary about contemporary times.

At the end of July, Coro San Benildo will once again compete in the international arena, this time in Gorizia, Italy for the Seghizzi 54th International Choral Singing Competition organized by Interkultur, a non-profit multilevel group that promotes international diplomacy and culture through music.

The chorale group managed by the DLS-CSB Office of the Culture and the Arts has found a major sponsor in the National Center for Culture and the Arts that has ponied up P300,000 for the airfare and other travel funds for the group. Led by veteran music director and Philippine Educational Theater Association vocal coach Maestro Lorenzo Gealogo, Coro San Benildo is proof that this country does not lack for musically talented young people who can hold their own on the global stage.

SUNDAY : J ULY 19 : 2015

C2

LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

WHAT’S IN A NAME? CAROTID ARTERY

BY TATUM ANCHETA

“I

’m sorry, Ma’am? That’s Tattoo? Ahhh… Patum?

Ok po Ma’am, I got it.”

A few minutes later, the barista was screaming, “Hot hibiscus tea for Tatung!

Tatung?!” I went to him to check the cup and there it was written in all caps – “TATUNG”.

Yes, this is a typical scenario whenever people ask about my name.

I always have to spell it louder or tell the story of how my dad is a fan of Tatum O’Neal (the youngest Oscar best supporting actress for the movie Paper Moon in 1973; she’s also the daughter of actors Joanna Moore and Ryan O’Neal), hence he named me after the actress, or for those who are not even aware who Tatum O’Neal is, I just say “like Channing Tatum,” only, mine is pronounced as Tah-tum because I grew up in the province and not Tey-tum, and “no, that’s not my surname,” and “yes, it is my real name.”

Though it is a good conversation starter, I get tired having to explain it again and again that I sometimes feel the need to create keynote slides so I can just play it on my phone when they ask. Such are the hassles of having a “not so common” name.

I do have another first name, “Jean.”

I never use it and dropped it on my byline 13 years ago when I started to write. My mother seems to be the only one who was not happy that I don’t use it anymore, since she gave me that name. I asked her why she added Jean to my name and she said “I think ‘cuz it meant something to me at that time, ahhh, oo! (wait for it…) Diyosa!” (now you may start to laugh). I find it so hilarious I looked it up and I couldn’t find “Diyosa” anywhere near the meaning of “Jean,” though it did mean “Gift from God.” She probably got a little confused, having to name my three other brothers and to think about her apos’ names as well.

Oh, these names our parents give us! According to the author of The Baby Name Wizard, Laura Wattenberg (she also runs a blog under name hunter’s paradise’ site www.babywizard.com), a child’s name reflects more on the parents’ personality who gave him that name than the children themselves, until the child grows older and claims his name as his own identity.

“Baby? Why will her parents name their kid ‘baby’?” says my officemate’s seven-year-old son after visiting the office and hearing our coordinator’s name.

We all laughed upon hearing it,

but then again, he made a good point, and he’s looking in to the parents’ motive.

Every Filipino family has a Tita Baby, Tito Boy, Junior, or Neneng – a moniker that is fondly used when they were still young but then it got carried over as they grew older – to foreigners and modern day gen kids, hearing these names does sound a little strange.

Modern generation kids are luckier because parents tend to make better decisions in naming their kids. Google baby names and you get 105,000,000 search results for different websites offering new parents’ suggestions on what to name their first born.

So many orgs and individuals already made millions with books, apps, blogs and websites, capitalizing on new parents looking for baby names.

During the old times there was no Google, or books to guide parents in finding the right name for their child, they had to tap in to their inner creative selves to find the right name for their kids, or simply name their kids after the name of their other relatives for sentimental reasons.

With the advent of ultrasound technology, it became even easier to prepare for a child’s name after knowing the gender.

“Yup, I’m ‘female’ already in my b-cert, after the court hearing,”

I need a gender change, court hearings and filing in the local registrar and NSO after I got the final decision from the court. In the hearing I had to bring an Ob-Gyne to prove that she examined me and I had ultrasound done also showing my uterus and ovaries in the film!” She adds, “So when you deliver your baby before signing the birth certificate make sure all the data are correct!”

“What’s your real name?”

I asked after finishing a meeting with my officemates and it took us an hour rounding up the table just saying our full names that no one in that room even identifies with. We were all used to calling each other by our nicknames that hearing real names makes it sound as if they’re new persons, with some even having two or three more first names. Some like their names for uniqueness, some hated writing their names when they were kids, some got teased as they were growing up, others tended to like their names as they grew older, and the remaining ones – too ashamed to even say their first names.

All we could ask ourselves was – “What was it that our parents were thinking when they gave us these names?” Aside from putting it on cheques and signing for our government ID’s, do we really need

Yup, I’m ‘female’ already in my b-cert, after the court hearing,” says my college housemate, who had to endure living under the “M” identity after her parents mistakenly put “male” on her birth certificate. says my college housemate, who had to endure living under the “M” identity after her parents mistakenly put “male” on her birth certificate. “My parents thought they were having a baby boy, they initially thought of ‘Jessie.’ My mother was disappointed to get a baby girl but she really liked Jessie, so she decided to name me Jessie.”

She eventually had to get a court order to have it changed because she was having problems with her papers for work. “It took me eight months to get the process done. From filing the petition, publishing in local circulation that

two or three more first names when we don’t really use it in our daily lives?

“It’s about identity, isn’t it?” explains film writer Wanggo Gallaga. “And the more names you have, the easier it is to identify you from anyone who may happen to have the same name as you do. It’s more specific for the legalities of the world. Sure, it is hell signing application forms and things like that, but it is harder to commit identity theft in official documents if people are not aware of your full name.”

He does have a point. Wanggo’s real name is “Liwanag,” meaning “The Light Bringer” or “Lucifer,” before “The Fall.”

“I don’t think I even knew my real name was Liwanag until I went to school and saw that my ID had a different name on it,” says Wanggo.

“I was named Liwanag because, after four children, my parents (Maddie Gallaga and Director Peque Gallaga) realised their children had very unFilipino sounding names. As I was to be the last, they wanted a very Filipino name for me so they chose Liwanag.”

What’s in a name? It’s the most important word connected to our individuality. We may or may not like it, heck you can even change it if you want – either way, let’s just be thankful our parents didn’t just call us “it.”

“Hello? Yes, I’d like to order food for delivery.” “May I have your name, Ma’am?” “T-A-T-U-M, Tatum.” “Come again, Ma’am?”

“Tatum, Tah – wait, Ana na lang ate, just put Ana. Okay na?”

SUNDAY : J ULY 19 : 2015

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@LIFEatStandard

‘IF LEAN LIVED¼ ’ A UP alumnus reminisces about a campus icon

THE GREAT LEAN RUN

BY SJ LAU

I

t is a phrase that comes up often for. “Sayang,” people said. We were during conversations with my just about to see what he could have college and high school friends. accomplished in a real democracy.

Those conversations in which that Sometimes, we wonder, if Lean phrase comes up are those that had lived, would he still be wearing usually start with some politician’s slippers? corruption (or accusation thereof), a Would he still walk in the heat and sigh, and someone saying, “He was one the rain like I remember he did in of the good guys once upon a time.” those countless marches after Ninoy Once upon a time meant when we died, when he headed the Justice for were in UP. Aquino, Justice for All Movement?

Our student numbers begin with Or would he be like those other 83. The year of the Diamond Jubilee of once-upon-a-time good guys, now the University of the Philippines, the talking about injustice and evil while year of Ninoy Aquino’s assassination. parking their SUVs in spaces meant It was also the year that marked for people with disabilities? the beginning of protests, mass Nah. actions, noise barrages and more, If Lean lived, he would probably until they culminated into the big wear shoes to Congress, and then the “demonstration” that toppled a 21Senate, and perhaps, Malacañang. year regime.

He was comfortable among the But yes, Lean Alejandro. I never politicians, even the traditional met him up close, just saw and heard ones. But he would probably still him as the Student Council head, wear slippers when he walked and in those protests after Ninoy was among everyone else. The students.

Leandro Alejandro, killed. But when he spoke, you could The tricycle drivers. The people of July 10, 1960-September 19, 1987 see and hear conviction and passion. the streets.

And he wore slippers. I always remembered the slippers.

Had Lean lived, and been elected, where would he be right I was at a shoot the day I learned of his death in 1987. now? What would he have accomplished?

There was grief, and disbelief. The man who survived being Silly questions. Because Lean lived. And accomplished more hunted throughout a dictatorship was assassinated– one year than people with triple the lifespan he had. into the newfound democracy we were all so proud of, the He united people. He fought, and he inspired. achievement of which the whole world was still praising us Lean lived. And still does.

Lean Alejandro was a slippers-wearing student activist who, at the height of Martial Law in the late 1970s and until a year after the EDSA People’s Revolt, rode the tumultuous waves of protests of the era that defined his generation. He was gone too soon, assassinated at 27, the age when the best rock stars die. Fellow student leader of his era Raffy Aquino remembers him as the “meteor that, for a brief moment, (marked) the dark heavens and (made) the night memorable.

By his luminescence, he (gave) us a rare glimpse of dawn. He was a thunderbolt rebelling against the darkness, a spark that denied night monopoly over our collective sensibility.”

As part of UP Diliman’s celebration of Leadership and Advocacy, the SAMASA Alumni Association and the Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Student Affairs of UP Diliman co-sponsor “The Great LEAN Run” to commemorate Lean’s 28th death anniversary and to remember the 43rd anniversary of martial law.

The Great LEAN Run will be on September 19, 2015 (Saturday) at the UP Sunken Garden and the Academic Oval. Assembly time is at 4 p.m. and the first wave will be at 5:00 p.m. Registration for the event is P800 for regular runners and P300 for students. Register online at https://regonline. activeglobal.com/thegreatleanrun For more details, email secretariat@withoutlimits. ph or call the Secretariat. Landlines: 2637768 or 4365683; mobile number: 09373726217. Look for Angeli or Irish Diane.

PORTRAIT

I

A ‘SLASHER’ NAMED PUNKY

t used to be that when one asked, “What is it that you do?” you’d get a simple answer like mom, wife, businesswoman.

Nowadays, the way people describe their work usually screams “slasher” – no, not one of those characters in a horror flick, but the description of a person who wears many hats. “Slashers” happen to be multitalented individuals who choose multitasking as their career path. One such person is Mareea Anais Dario-Villena, a.k.a. Punky Dario, a blogger/ entrepreneur/manager/real estate broker/ student currently finishing her Master’s Degree in Creative Writing.

“I wear several hats. I am the sole proprietor of my own small advertising business. I also manage a top fashion photographer. Recently, I received my license as a Real Estate Broker.

On top of all this, I am finishing my Master’s Degree in Creative Writing,” she discloses.

With all the responsibilities that go into being a slasher, Punky has no fixed schedule – and she likes it that way. Though she’s had fulltime jobs in the past, she always “found it hard to commit to a fixed work space,” which is why she kept going back to doing freelance work, eventually registering a sole proprietorship. “I like the greater control over my time and the ability to do other non-work things. My background is copywriting, but I also have to be my own account manager, collection department, and so on and so forth. It’s a constant exercise in time management, which I admit, is a skill

I am still trying to refine.”

Typical of talented multitaskers, she still looked for other opportunities to pursue, which is why she is now also a licensed real estate broker like her mother.

She a d m it s experiencing “burn out every once in a while” since she works and studies at the same time.

Not surprisingly, she’s been called a workaholic by friends and Punky Dario-Villena colleagues. “I’d like to think of these endeavors as investments in my knowledge and work opportunities while I still have my strength,” she avers.

The good side though, is that she gets to relax whenever she wants to, engaging in her hobbies, or working out at the gym. “I try to go to the gym three to five times a week as it relaxes me. I have an irregular heartbeat as well as depression and anxiety, so exercise is important

for maintaining good health. I love cooking and decorating.

Whipping up a healthy meal and sprucing up the small apartment that my husband and I live in are some of the things that I take great joy in. Some people hate cleaning their homes but it is almost therapeutic for me,” she says, adding that she has “a very small but loyal readership” on her Instagram account and the blog, punkyplayshouse. wordpress.com, that she recently started.

It comes as a surprise to many that Punky had been diagnosed with depression and anxiety and later, bipolar two disorder. “In the past nine years, I have been on and off medication. It is one of the worst things – to unravel to the point of hating yourself. I’ve self-harmed, overdosed, and ended up in the hospital. Because of my experiences, it has

become one of my missions to educate people on this disorder, which sadly, has been heavily stigmatized. As difficult as it is, depression has made me realize that I am capable of being strong,” she admits.

No wonder then that this spunky lady has developed such empathy for those who have their own struggles to deal with. “You can’t really tell anybody that they have no right to complain about their personal difficulties, followed by a tactless guilt trip. We are all trying to survive in this world but the more we suffer, the stronger we become as long as we allow ourselves to learn from our brokenness.”

Believing that one must take care of one’s self before taking care of others, she puts a lot of stock on being a “more productive citizen” and dreams of “being able to help those who are hungry. I am fortunate to have the education and the work I have but it is difficult to let the misery that is so prominent in the city pass us by. I hope to get involved in a feeding program in the near future. There are plans in the works and I am looking forward to seeing it come to fruition,” Punky shares.

PORTRAIT is a regular feature every Sunday. It will feature inspiring stories of real people from different walks of life. We encourage you to send us stories of people with remarkable tales to tell. Please email us at life@thestandard.com. ph or send us a private message on our TW or IG account @LIFEatStandard.

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COMMITMENTS

JP AND MINDA:

The journey to forever

BY BERNADETTE LUNAS PHOTOS COURTESY OF MINDA PONCE-RODRIGUEZ

S

even countries, 17 months, 42 people, one love story.

The way JP Rodriguez and Minda Ponce met is the kind of story straight out of a romantic movie: girl goes on a trip, girl meets boy, girl falls in love with boy, boy secretly loves girl from a distance, boy and girl come home from the trip starting as strangers and ending up as lovers.

Minda, a film producer and photographer, joined the Voyage of the Balangay book project to document the whole journey in stills. The voyage, which aimed to retrace the migration of Filipino ancestors, was a 17-month journey around the islands of the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries using the native sea craft known as balangay. She was there for work.

JP, a member of the Philippine Coast Guard Special Operations Group, was dispatched to accompany the group, man the sails, and be the mainsail trimmer for Masawa Hong Butuan (one of the balangays).

He was there for work.

They may be on the same boat, but they were on different missions. “We didn’t really get to casually speak as he was always left to tend to the boat when we dock, while I was off exploring the islands we visited,” relates Minda.

Not only were they separated by their duties but being opposites, it also seemed unlikely for them to get along. Minda shares, “He was the silent type and I liked to goof around.”

Born and raised in Palawan, JP had a simple upbringing and while growing up “worked his ass off,” from which he learned to live simply and not to fuss about things. Minda, on the other hand, admits that she can be worldly and complicated at times. “I always look for the deeper meaning of things.”

The two were opposite and yet the connection between them was so powerful it drew them to each other. Prior to their meeting, Minda had come out of a 10-year relationship with a guy “totally opposite” from JP. Despite her long relationship, she says it never dawned on her that she’ll ever get married. But this changed when she met JP. “I realized that he was the kind of guy that you marry,” she enthuses.

It took Minda a few months into the Balangay trip to notice and eventually get

JP Rodriguez and Minda Ponce met during the Voyage of the Balangay project, where they spent more than a year sailing around the Philippines and six other Southeast Asian countries in a native sea craft.

to know JP. Using her long lens, she secretly took photos of him on the side. But it was a different case for JP who instantly took notice of Minda right at the beginning of their journey.

“He admitted that he had a crush on me while we were still in the Philippines,” shares Minda.

But being the shy guy that he was, and with her strong and boyish personality, he didn’t approach her. “He told me that he approaches someone if he considers her a friend, but if he likes someone, he chooses to stay away.”

With the urging of their companions and JP’s obvious glances, Minda approached him and they have been together since. Technically, together for work – but Minda admits it wasn’t like her to have a relationship with someone while on the job. “With my job, I travel a lot and I’m always surrounded by men, but I’ve never had any relationship with the people I worked with.” But it was different with JP with whom she found refuge and happiness.

After more than a year on the sea, the two continued their journey together. They dated for two years until they decided to get married on May 30, 2012 at an old church by the beach in Cuyo, Palawan. Two years is a shorter time compared to Minda’s previous relationship, but they believe that when the feeling is right,

JP and Minda got married on May 30, 2012 at an old church by the beach in Cuyo, Palawan.

you just do it. Or as JP puts it: “If I knew you earlier I would have married you sooner.”

“He believes that when you’ve found that person you want to spend the rest of your life with, you start spending your life with that person as soon as possible,” shares Minda.

Married for three years, the couple continues to explore the world together (they look forward to backpacking around Europe soon and experience snow for the first time) as it was their curiosity to discover new things that made their worlds collide.

“When we talk about the times we’ve shared on that boat, we smile knowing we were meant to meet, fall in love, and spend the rest of our days remembering that oncein-a-lifetime experience,” says Minda.

That’s why It’s one of their goals to relive some of those moments when they were stripped of all comfort, and yet found themselves “happy in the midst of fear and uncertainty.” And if there’s one special place they want to visit again, it would have to be the island of Sibutu in TawiTawi where they first kissed.

Sure, finding that someone in the most unexpected place sounds scripted or too good to be true, but JP and Minda’s tale proves that when love finds you, it will hit you wherever you are.

The couple didn’t go through the usual engagement process where a man got down on his knees with a ring, they just decided it was time and asked for their parents’ approval; their promise ring is made of old silver coins made by a blind man from Maasin, an island in the Visayas.

SUNDAY : J ULY 19 : 2015

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

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PaTTi GrandidGe is PhysioGel’s F iMs MoVeMenT adVocaTe

T

V host, model/entrepreneur, and blogger Patti Grandidge is one of those who suffered from dry and sensitive skin. Yet, she remains as the brand’s advocate.

Grandidge embodies the Physiogel woman: smart, elegant, strong and empowered because she is free from dry and sensitive skin.

Patti shares her experience of suffering from dry and sensitive skin to women in the Philippine.

She says that she used to be more conscious and watchful of what others think about her skin. “That was sad. I would have liked to be out and about and go for more work, but a little thought would always be at the back of my mind wondering if my skin would be an issue or a hindrance. I was not free to do what I wanted to do!” she said at the launch of skin-care line.

Physiogel’s #FreeInMySkin Movement provides women with helpful guides like the Freedom List Challenge so they can share and talk about their skin “journeys” in their lives.

“Many of you may still remember what my life was like before I discovered Physiogel. I’m very proud to share with you the continuation of my journey towards being completely free in my skin. And I’m ready for more!” Patti says.

To fulfill its vision to help people do more and feel better, GSK is strongly encouraging Filipinas to discover their true selves by taking the New Physiogel Freedom List Challenge and join the #FreeInMySkin Movement. Log

on to www.freeinmyskin.com/ph and take the Challenge yourself.

“Sensitivity is a source of strength for women, not a weakness to be hidden away. This powerful consumer insight compels Physiogel to passionately advocate the #FreeInMySkin Movement in 2015. The Movement also coincides with the debut of the NEW Physiogel Daily Moisture Therapy line,” revealed Justin Alejandro Lladoc, GSK Skin Health senior product manager.

Lladoc says Physiogel’s #FreeInMySkin Movement starts with self-discovery. Physiogel aims to help women to be more sensitive about their own skin, hence lead them to uncover their full potential.

It challenges Filipinas to look past their skin insecurities in the hope of helping them fulfill dreams they have always wanted to achieve.

The #FreeInMySkin Movement, now made more exciting by new additions with the introduction of the #FreeInMySkin website and Freedom List Challenge, is more relevant than ever because it is able to reach many Filipinas digitally across the nation. And because of its continuous success, from its conception in 2014, it has caught the attention of Mercury Drug. They too were encouraged to free many more Filipinas from dry, sensitive skin by making Physiogel products available across the country.

“By the end of 2016, with its continued resonance with consumers, the Movement is expected to have rolled out to the rest of Asian markets,” Lladoc shares.

Patti Grandidge, Physiogel brand advocate

Justin Lladoc, GSK Skin Health Category lead

At the launch, Heather Pelier leads a toast to freedom with Lladoc

SubSCriberS party at #JuanVibe, Gimik nG bayan

Asia's Got Talent grand finalist Junior New System surprised the crowd with their appearance

Jugs Jugueta's Kelvin Yu performing for the crowd

Donna Nose hosts the Viber's #Juan Vibe, Gimik ng Bayan

A performance from one of the country's popular rock groups lighten up the afternoon

V

iber, the Philippines’ leading messaging app, is celebrating what matters most to Filipinos—our close personal relationships. Close family ties and life long friendships are unique Pinoy vibes that shine through our culture, values, and traditions and sets us apart from various cultures all over the world.

More and more real connections are being strengthened by the messaging service with 21 million users nationwide sharing the #JuanVibe that helps keep everyone together.

To keep building these connections, Viber is launching “#JuanVibe: Gimik Ng Bayan”, a series of mall tours in which Filipinos can enjoy their favorite Pinoy moments, from malling to eating and listening to their favorite music. “It is our way of saying thank you to all 21 million Viber users in the Philippines and celebrating our success with them,” says Crystal Lee, Viber regional manager for Southeast Asia.

Until Aug. 29, the Gimik Ng Bayan mall tour is a definite must-visit with a creative set-up inspired by iconic Filipino landmarks. Prepare to take groupfie’s with Viber’s setup of purple jeepney station, sari-sari store booth, tambayan benches, and merienda stalls. With free food and drinks, games, and entertainment for the family and barkadas, and of course, exclusive Viber T-shirts, USBs, and stickers to be won, every Viber user is sure to have plenty of fun.

Those who’ll join the party will also get to rock out with their favorite Pinoy bands and performers like Itchyworms, Rocksteddy, Jhong Hilario, and Asia’s Got Talent grand finalists Junior New System, whom fans will get the chance to meet at the meet-andgreet sessions. Free WiFi, an insta-photo booth, and Viber demos for mobile and desktop will also be available at the venue for nonstop fun with your loved ones.

Getting into the party of the nation is crazy easy: all you need is to show your Viber app or download Viber to claim your Gimik Pass and make the most out of every stop on the tour. Special prizes from Viber and event partners are also up for grabs such as Cherry Mobile smartphones, Globe goodies, Mang Juan snacks, Chatime milk tea, Digital Walker mobile accessories, and Cebu Pacific gift packs.

We can’t wait to meet our Pinoy users at the following malls: SM City Bacoor today; SM Megamall on July 26; Trinoma on Aug. 23; Market Market on Aug. 29.

Gimik Ng Bayan is in partnership with SM Cyberzone, PLDT Home, Smart, Globe, Cherry Mobile, Cebu Pacific, Mang Juan, Chatime, and Digital Walker.

See you sa Gimik Ng Bayan!

Follow #JuanVibe on Viber Public Chats at www.viber.com/ viberph and tweet us @ViberPH for more updates.

SUNDAY : J ULY 19 : 2015

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SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

JOviT BaLDivinO’S ‘JUkE BOx’ aLBUm

T

he singing champion from Batangas, Jovit Baldivino, is back with a new album, his fourth, for Star Music. It is titled Juke Box (JB) and now available nationwide.

Juke Box features the former siumai vendor’s renditions of great original jukebox hits – Jeremiah’s “Nanghihinayang” and April Boy Regino’s “Honey my Love So Sweet.”

The track list also includes “Forbidden” and originals “Low Batt,” “Bumangon Tayo,” “Bangon Pilipino,” “Apoy,” “Itong Aking Mundo,” “Hanggang Mayroong Bukas,” and

Pilipinas Got Talent champion Jovit Baldivino has a new album called Juke Bo

“Love na Love Kita,” most of which Benigno ‘Ben’ Aquino, one of the album producers, wrote.

The album also contains bonus tracks – Filipino favorite “Pusong Bato,” as well as Himig Handog P-Pop Love Songs “Sana’y Magbalik” and “Dito.”

The first grand winner of Pilipinas Got Talent, Baldivino’s albums have turned multiple platinum. His first three albums for Star Music were Faithfully, I’d Do Anything For Love, and OPM Greatest: Volume 1.

Malou Santos, Roxy Liquigan, Reynaldo L. Gan, and Aquino,

uncle of President Benigno Aquino III, produced Juke Box (JB).

It is now available at all record and video stores nationwide for only P250. Digital tracks can also be downloaded at leading record stores all over the country and on online music stores, like iTunes, Mymusicstore.com.ph, Amazon.com, and Starmusic.ph.

For more information, visit Starmusic.ph or follow Star Music’s official social media accounts –Facebook.com/starrecordsphil, Twitter. com/starrecordsph and Instagram. com/Starmusicph.

Take a look aT ‘Snoopy and Charlie Brown The peanuTS Movie’ Trailer

T

he latest trailer of the much-awaited movie animation of all time, Peanuts Movie has just been released from Blue Sky and 20th Century Fox: https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=oa2_ TyRkbns&list=PLcZs6n5iZPx_ywlQLdVPfhrggp59HWieA&index=3 Peanuts creator Charles Schulz once described himself as “born to draw comic strips.” A Minneapolis native, he was just two days old when an uncle nicknamed him “Sparky,” after the horse Spark Plug from the Barney Google comic strip.

Throughout his youth, he and his father shared a Sunday-morning ritual of reading the funnies.

After serving in the army during World War II, Schulz got his first big break in 1947 when he sold a cartoon feature called Li’l Folks to the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

In 1950, Schulz met with United Feature Syndicate, and on Oct. 2 of that year, Peanuts, so named by the syndicate, debuted in seven newspapers. Schulz died in Santa Rosa, Calif., Feb. 12, 2000 – just hours before his last original strip was to appear in Sunday papers.

Charles Schulz drew the most popular and influential comic strip of all time, which was read everyday by 355 million people in 75 countries. In addition to the famous strip, Peanuts holiday television specials such as It’s The

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

ANSWER FOR PREVIOUS PUZZLE ACROSS 1 Irislike flower 5 Vaults 10 Safari member 16 Founded 21 Nerve network 22 Bounces 23 Fuse unit 24 Coeur d’— 25 With, to monsieur 26 Sleeve part 27 Weigh down 28 Scope 29 Wheedled 31 H. Rider Haggard novel 33 Make a basket 35 Have a late meal 36 Peel, as paint 37 Linen vestments 40 Couple 41 Slid down 42 Banned insecticide 45 Ms. Merkel 46 Jaunty cap

48 50 52 54 55 57 58 59 60 62 66 67 69 71 72 74 76 78 79 80 83 85 88

Ooh companion Cancel Wiped out a floppy Male swans Empathize Livy’s lunchtime?

Sluggo’s girl, in the comics Blockhead Clapton of “Lay Down Sally” Adobe “Bus Stop” author Snowy period Cactus habitat Cel character Armstrong’s strolls Thole filler Yale of Yale Mai — cocktail Tint or shade Complains Pretentious talk More weird Female vampire

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Defeats Became sour False names Undiluted Left Bank pal REM phenomenon Flight dir.

Citrus confection Med. staffers Halvah ingredient Keanu of “Speed” Singer Burl — Grilled Half-asleep Finds fault Nautical miles Wheel buy (2 wds.)

Mold Flat-needled trees Teeny-tiny Sacred beetles D.C. gun lobby Country rtes.

Of, to Fritz Almost-grads Treaties end them Words of surprise Beloved of Leander Avant- — PC button Malpractice target Ms. Thurman The science of being Toward the rudder Crusty roll Bamboo-loving bear Halters Diameter halves Text mistakes Creep forth This one’s — —!

Collie’s charge Kind of column Titles like Tarzan’s Have on

Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown have won Emmy’s and continue to be among the highest rated prime time TV specials.

Craig Schulz, president, Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates, commented, “We have been working on this project for years. We finally felt the time was right and the technology is where we need it to be to create this film. I am thrilled we will be partnering with Blue Sky/ Fox to create a Peanuts movie that is true to the strip and will continue the legacy in honor of my father.”

Blue Sky animation and 20th Century Fox presentation, Snoopy and Charlie Brown The Peanuts Movie will open Jan. 8, 2016 in theatres nationwide.

Snoopy and Charlie Brown The Peanuts Movie hits Philippine theaters in January next year

SUNDAY, JULY 19, 2015

DOWN 1 — Zeppelin 2 Strauss of jeans 3 Nefertiti’s god 4 Coffee order 5 Prairie 6 Archimedes’ shout 7 Dramatist’s ploy 8 Qt. parts 9 Mach 1 breakers 10 Ill-fated tower 11 Down Under bird 12 IRS time 13 Lipstick shades 14 Standing tall 15 Fame 16 Expose or reveal 17 Tenn. neighbor 18 Karate instructor 19 Swallow up 20 Profoundly 30 Sticky 32 Stage emoters 34 Chef’s thickener 38 Vacuum part 39 Ranee’s wrap 41 Dally with 42 Sturdy fabric 43 Pipe unclogger 44 Dance in “True Lies” 46 Foot, slangily 47 Fully qualified 49 Bays and chestnuts 51 Freedom, briefly 53 Perfumed 54 Bop on the head 56 Canal to the Baltic 59 Grind down 61 Cattle stall 63 Greek vowels 64 Seashore 65 Does socks 67 Whey-faced 68 Loose-leaf lettuce 69 “Sister Carrie” writer

70 73 75 77 81 82 84 85 86 87 91 92

Brief “however” Globe Jordan’s capital Eclipse shadow Once and for — “Norma —” Direct route Florida city Run-down places Thirst quencher Sounds of hesitation Feat or title

93 94 95 96 99 102 103 104 105 107 109 111 114

Queen Hippolyta, e.g.

Slings mud at Chief exec Verbal stumbles Ever since (2 wds.)

MLB stats Admits openly Prevent Hairpin curves Burns or singes Incense resin Writer — Bagnold Spiral molecule

117 119 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 130 134 136 137 138

Bamboo swordplay “— Ben Adhem” “Diamond Lil” A blast — the past Doors Vows Algiers quarter Pinball palace Does a doggie trick Barbarian Steep cliff Not built-up Lost cause Macaroni type

140 Handy swab (hyph.)

141 Soprano — Te Kanawa 143 Nave neighbor 145 Sarah — Jewett 146 Vasco da — 147 Belgian river 149 Exclamation of yore 151 — Andreas Fault 152 LAX guess 154 — — glance

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SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

Secret beHind SucceSS of abS-cbn prograMS from c8

W Santos-Concio at the Fifty Shades of Marketing conference

ABS-CBN President and CEO Charo Santos-Concio receives token of appreciation from the Philippine Marketing Association

GMA7's new Sunday show hosts Aiai delas Alas, Marian Rivera, Wally Bayola and Jose Manalo

hat is ABS-CBN’s secret formula behind its successful TV programs, which have recently logged record-high ratings that boost the network’s overall audience share?

ABS-CBN President and CEO Charo Santos-Concio attributes it to content that affirms its viewers by paying tribute to Filipinos’ admirable qualities and values.

“It’s never about us anymore.

It’s about the inspiring nature of the Filipino,” said Santos-Concio in a speech at the “Fifty Shades of Marketing” conference at Sofitel Plaza Manila recently.

Top rating programs Be Careful With My Heart and Forevermore, she said, viewers loved because they highlighted values and mirrored the true stories of Filipinos.

Santos-Concio said that one of the things Filipinos treasure the most is the integrity of the family, which inspires them to persevere through hard times and cope with adversities. This was, besides kilig, what made the now defunct morning show Be Careful With My Heart hugely successful.

“To the Filipino, family is everything. They have the strength to rise in the morning because there’s a family they have to work hard for. They can take all physical and emotional punishment because there’s a family to heal their

wounds. All successes and failures are always appreciated in the context of family,” she elaborated.

Santos-Concio also said Forevermore, a primetime top-rating series highlighted the value of community in the fictional La Presa. “’Forevermore acknowledged the goodness of the Filipino as seen through pakikipagkapwa-tao in a community.”

Affirming the Filipino identity also makes ABS-CBN’s content “a source of inspiration and strength to recharge” one’s fighting spirit.

This is why Filipino viewers identify with the main characters in Kapamilya programs and Star Cinema films that endure painful experiences and fight back when they are mistreated, Santos-Concio said.

Almost half of the Philippine TV households tuned in to ABSCBN last June, when it hit an average national audience share of 47 percent, a strong 15-point lead over GMA’s 32 percent, according to data from Kantar Media.

The most watched programs in the country are also produced by ABS-CBN, with The Voice Kids, Pangako Sa ‘Yo, Pasion de Amor, and Nathaniel reaching their alltime high ratings this July.

Aside from TV viewership, ABS-CBN programs also gained audiences among online and smartphone users in June as proven by the 74.6-million page views garnered by the video-on-demand

and live-streaming service iWanTV for the month of June. Leading the most watched Kapamilya shows online are Pangako Sa’yo (4.2 million views), Bridges of Love (1.5 million views), Pasion de Amor (1.5 million views), Oh My G (1.2 million views), and Gandang Gabi Vice (866,777 views).

The Philippine Marketing Association organized the “Fifty Shades of Marketing,” headed by overall chairman, ABS-CBN chief digital officer Donald Lim. HHHHH ai-ai, joSe, WallY and Marian in gMa’S neW SundaY SHoW Beginning August, GMA Network will break the Sunday routine of the viewers with its upcoming noontime show Sunday PinaSaya. Top-billed by four of the brightest entertainers in the industry, the show promises to showcase talented performers and colorful sketches that will redefine the usual variety show.

Expect nothing but the best banters from hosts: Ai-Ai delas Alas, Jose Manalo and Wally Bayola, and Marian Rivera.

The show will feature performances by talents at the network.

This different take on a variety show will surely be a turning point in the quality of entertainment the Filipinos can experience, because Sundays are fun days with Sunday PinaSaya!

Value and reliability for eVery printing, imaging need The wide variety of printers and multi-function centers in the market today makes it harder for people to choose which ones to buy. It is thus best to know which brands can be trusted and which models best suit one’s needs.

Brother International Philippines Corporation (Brother Philippines), a leading provider of home and business IT peripherals here in the Philippines, is one of Filipinos’ most trusted brands for over a decade now. Throughout the years, Brother has brought to Filipino homes and offices reliable and value-for-money machines with the different printing and imaging needs of consumers in mind.

For one, Brother introduced to the Philippine market Color Inkjet Multi-function Centers with a wide range of business features, while at the same time offering users greater versatility. If you are looking to buy a color inkjet printer for either your home or office, the following key information on Brother’s wide array of Inkjet printers and multi-function centers can serve as your guide.

Super HigH Yield inkjet ModelS Brother’s entry-level Inkjet multi-function centers (MFCs)

Students and other budget-conscious consumers can print photos or presentation charts in Brotherís Inkjet color printers such as the DCP-J200 which has wireless printing and fax functions.

that are perfect for students have super high-yield printing and additional functionalities that students can really make use of to excel in their projects. This range includes the DCP-J100, the DCP-J105 and the MFC-J200 InkBenefit series models that can be had at affordable costs starting at P4,950.

MFCs combine the functions of a printer, fax machine, scanner, and copier in one powerful device, thereby enabling users to do away with several bulky machines, and instead have a one-stop shop for their printing and imaging needs. Users will definitely get superb value for their money with these Inkjet models’ low unit costs and 2,400page yield based on standard ISO print speed. Not to mention ad-

Brotherís Refill Tank System MFCs like the DCP-T700W is ideal for personal users, or business users printing from small office home office (SOHO) who seek bigger savings. The DCP-T700W has an ADF which can scan and copy legal documents

ditional functionalities such as scanning, copying, and wireless connectivity. Brother Philippines President Glenn P. Hocson said, “Brother offers machines that suit the needs and budgets of our consumers, as we understand that they prefer practical functionality when it comes to printing and imaging solutions.” refill tank SYSteM SerieS for HigH-voluMe printing Brother’s comprehensive line of Inkjet printers and multi-function centers also got a boost with the recent addition of the revolutionary Refill Tank System MFCs. The Refill Tank System MFCs that include the DCP-T300, DCP-T500W (with wireless net-

working capability) as well as DCP-T700W (with wireless networking and ADF for legal size documents) and MFC-T800W (with fax, wireless networking and ADF features) models are ideal for personal users, or business users printing from small office home office (SOHO) who seek bigger savings. The new Brother Refill Tank System series has low-cost inkbottles with 6,000 page-yield (A4) for black ink, and 5,000 page-yield for the three-color inkbottles for only P390. Brother Refill Tank System’s fast print speeds of up to 11 monochrome and 6 color images per minute (based on ISO/IEC 24734), is almost double that of competition’s, and is suited for high print volume users who value efficiency. Moreover, with

paper of up to 100-sheet capacity, users avoid consuming additional time in replenishing paper. Brother Refill Tank System’s smart design also takes the hassle out of ink refilling by simplifying the process while minimizing ink wastage. The new range’s built-in refill tank’s see-through cover at the front also makes it easy for users to check how much ink is left, while freeing up precious desktop space. Ink calibration time with the Brother Refill Tank System is also the fastest in the industry at seven minutes. “We at Brother always try our best to provide our customers quality printing, while keeping running costs low for them,” said Hocson, “Our new series provides our customers with greater value, reliability and convenience that all translate to generous savings for them.” All these models are available at Brother’s authorized dealers nationwide. What’s more, they come with a one-year standard warranty, plus a one-year extended warranty (or 30,000 pages, whichever comes first, for the Refill Tank System). All machines are supported as well

by Brother Philippines’ Customer Service Center located at the ground floor of Marajo Tower in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

SUNDAY : J ULY 19 : 2015

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ISAH V. RED EDITOR isahred @ gmail.com

SHOWBITZ

Multi-channel network launched ISAH V. RED ABS-CBN, the country’s largest multimedia conglomerate, recently launched its multi-channel network called “Chicken Pork Adobo” to boost its online content and build a roster of personalities with innovative ideas that will attract the fast-growing online audiences. “’Chicken Pork Adobo’ is the platform where we empower creators who may not have a chance to go on TV. ‘Chicken Pork Adobo’ democratizes it for everyone by harnessing and gathering all of them, and for them to leverage on each others’ strengths. We want to showcase the Filipino talent to the world, not only to Filipino audiences,” said Donald Lim, head of ABS-CBN Digital Media Division.

As of now, “Chicken Pork Adobo” has 90 creators whose channels on YouTube tackle a variety of topics: toys, fashion, comedy, music, lifestyle, vlogs, entertainment, arts and crafts, food, parenting, and inspirational.

As proven by the mid-year 2014 data from the Internet and Mobile Marketing Association of the Philippines (IMMAP), more and more Filipinos are consuming content online. According to IMMAP, 38 million Filipinos are Internet users, two-thirds of which are under 30 years old.

Recognizing that TV may not be the only platform to reach ABSCBN’s target audiences, Lim said “Chicken Pork Adobo” is meant to help online content creators make a mark in the digital space and help them become superstars “in

whatever way or form.”

These creators produce their own material on a regular basis and sometimes let their fans into their own private lives.

“They have different niches, personalities, and material that won’t make it on TV, but on YouTube they are popular, spectacular, fascinating, and have their own following,” Lim said.

“ABS-CBN is the master of content, but being the master doesn’t mean we want to produce all the content. We can also empower people so we just curate the content,” he added.

One of Chicken Pork Adobo’s creators is actress Melissa Ricks, who recently launched her own YouTube channel dedicated to parenting. Her first video documents her experience with her daughter Kiera joining a pictorial contest, showing Melissa’s foray into motherhood.

Another is It’s Showtime host Eric “Eruption” Tai, who showcases his dancing skills, often backed up by dance group XB Gensan, and sometimes lets his fans on his workout routines.

But “Chicken Pork Adobo” does not just sign up celebrities already known in the industry, but also those who have already gained a following or are known for their unique appeal.

The multi-channel network’s most subscribed and most viewed channel is Kids’ Toys that feature sisters Faye and Laurice Tendilla unboxing toys that range from doll houses and action figures to ice cream makers and play sets. Launched in May 2012, Kids’ Toys already has 1.14 million subscribers and has amassed almost 1.5 billion views.

“Chicken Pork Adobo’s” creators also include famous YouTuber

Lloyd Cadena, who gained popularity for his funny videos about love and school and parody videos; “The Soshal Network,” which features three lawyers commenting on anything and everything under the sun by poking fun at themselves, and “Plump Pinay,” headlined by Cai Cortez, who advocates being comfortable in one’s own skin and body acceptance.

Dennis Lim, head of ABSCBN Digital Media Services, said “Chicken Pork Adobo” is aiming to sign up more creators who have something original, exciting, and interesting to share online.

“Our main criteria for recruiting creators is first, they have to be passionate. It’s important for creators to be passionate in what they do because it’s hard to come up with new content on a regular basis. They have to like what they do,” he said.

Interested creators may e-mail chickenporkadobo@abs-cbn.com.

For updates, visit “Chicken Pork Adobo Network” on Facebook and chickenporkadobo.net.

Some of the creators under Chicken Pork Adobo, ABS-CBN's multi-channel network

Melissa Ricks, one of Chicken Pork Adobo's creators

Lloyd Cadena

Donald Lim, ABS-CBN Digital Media Division head

➜ continued on c7

..more and more Filipinos are consuming content online.

According to IMMAP, 38 million Filipinos are Internet users, two-thirds of which are under 30 years old

Jeffrey Hidalgo and AJ Dee

Kids' Toys are sisters Faye and Laurice Tendilla (with father Sanny), is Chicken Pork Adobo's most subscribed and most viewed channel