The Standard - 2015 July 30 - Thursday by Manila Standard

VOL. XXIX NO. 170 3 Sections 32 Pages P18 thurSday: JuLy 30, 2015 www.thestandard.com.ph editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Officials: Video of K-12 grad ‘a mistake’

Looking back. In this file photo taken on March 17 this year, Senator Grace Poe gestures as she holds up a copy of the results of the investigation on the Mamasapano operation in Maguindanao on Jan. 25, 2015, in which 44 police commandos died, and for which she said President Benigno Aquino had been responsible because she approved the operation.

POe On sAf 44: nOy still resPOnsible By Macon Ramos-Araneta

SENATOR Grace Poe said Wednesday her committee stands by its findings that President Benigno Aquino III was “ultimately responsible” for the covert Mamasapano operation in which 44 police commandos were killed by Muslim rebels in January. “We must not forget that we have seen who were responsible,” said Poe, chairman of the Senate committee on public order, which investigated the incident. Poe, however, said she respected the decision of the Ombudsman not to include the President in the list of persons who should be charged for the deaths of the 44 Special Action Force (SAF) commandos.

VP slams Aquino’s ‘gutter language’

Reacting to a proposal from Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, she said the committee could reopen the probe if new facts about the case surface. First, however, the plenary would have to discuss Cayetano’s proposal. Senate President Franklin Drilon said this has already been calendared. Next page

fOi not urgent, palace explains

China building sub base at reef By Francisco Tuyay SUPREME Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio accused China Wednesday of setting up a submarine base and destroying 10 reefs in disputed areas of the West Philippine Sea to obtain filling materials for its construction. Speaking at a forum for employees of the Department of National Defense, Carpio said that China’s ongoing reclamation, aside from invading all floating reefs and shallow islets, is establishing a sanctuary for their submarines free from detection. “China wants the South China Sea as a sanctuary for its nuclear submarines free from the submarine-hunting Posiedon and US attack submarines,” Carpio said. Carpio’s claim came as the Armed Forces urged China to be transparent in their military exercises after Chinese vessels conducted live fire exercises near the Paracel Island, an area that the Philippines claims. Next page

t h u r s d ay: j u ly 3 0 , 2 0 1 5

NEWS

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Sona video of K-12 grad ‘a mistake,’ says Palace By Sandy Araneta and Maricel V. Cruz

THE producer of a video used by President Benigno Aquino III in his State-of-the-Nation Address (SONA) admitted Wednesday that it was a mistake to present a 19-year-old student as a graduate of the K-12 program when she did not go through the 13 years of basic schooling that the system requires. Answers to questions posed by The Standard were forwarded through Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr., who refused to divulge the identity of the producer. “The video established at the start that she is a member of the pilot batch of K-12 Senior High School graduates, not a K-12 graduate. However, we’d like to apologize for the last part of the video which should have stated she is a K-12 SHS graduate, not just a K-12 graduate. My apologies for the oversight,” the producer said in response to the question “Did the girl in the video spend 13 years under the K-12 program?” The producer sent a timeline that said Jianoran graduated from four years of high school at San Pedro Relocation Center National High School, but her parents said they could not finance her college education. But her school, a vocational high school, was chosen by the Education Department to carry out the Senior High School Modeling Program. “Instead of stopping school, Rezia signed up for the pilot implementation of Senior High School where she entered as a Grade 11 student. She is one of 192 students who voluntarily signed-up for the Senior High School Modeling program at SPRCNHS,” the timeline said. “During the same school year, the school started sending their students for on-the-job training. The said training was discussed extensively during orientation sessions and parentteacher consultations. The school also asked for parental consent for their children to undergo the OJT program,” the producer said. “Rezia was sent to be trained at CLP Industries, a metal fabrication company. Rezia rendered 300 hours of service work under the school’s career immersion program.

“Rezia graduated Grade 12 at SPRCNHS. Despite termination of her training program, CLP industries extended Rezia’s contract (which the school allowed under the experimental system) and eventually employed her after graduation as a Grade 12 student at SPRCNHS,” the producer said. In the video, Jianoran said she was a K-12 graduate even though the full implementation of the program only began this school year. “I am very proud to be a K-12 graduate because I was able to support my family and I am learning while earning,” she added. The video elicited questions from social networking sites, where people pointed out that there could be no product of the K-12 system as yet because the first graduages are scheduled to finish two years from now. Opposition lawmakers lambasted Aquino, saying he lied through his teeth when he presented Jianoran as living proof that the K-12 program works. “I would say that [Aquino] had again misled the public with this inaccurate tearjerker,” Ridon said. “Far worse is his insistence that we can proceed with K-12 next year despite the shortages which he himself admitted in the SONA,” Ridon added. Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Carlos Zarate deplored the Aquino government for insisting that the program that was “experimental.” “It was a classic duplicity of the Aquino administration. and a callous insult on the intellectual capacity of the people,” Zarate said, noting that Jianoran was a product of the old educational system. “This administration misleads the people in this program. It surely misleads and lies to us in the many out-of-reality figures that Aquino presented during his last SONA,” Zarate said.

Report. Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada cites the improvements that he said he introduced in Manila when he became Mayor during his State-of-the-City Address at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City on Wednesday. DANNY PATA

Poe

From A1... “If Senator Grace Poe wants to sponsor it, that’s in order. It is already part of our calendar. There is nothing unusual about that,” he said. He said the senators must vote on reopening the investigation in plenary because the committee report was already before all the senators. “It is outside the jurisdiction of the Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs since the report has been submitted. It is in the calendar for ordinary business of the Senate as a whole. To bring it back to the Committee will require the vote of the plenary,”

China From A1...

Carpio said China’s reclamation activities and encroachment into maritime territories of other countries was part of its plan to dominate Southeast Asia’s vital sea lanes. In setting-up the submarine base, China destroyed at least 10 reefs, aside from the total of 17 reefs they reclaimed, using them as the source of filling materials for seven other reefs that China occupies. China has conducted massive reclamation in the West Philippine Sea, the name the country uses to refer to areas of the South China Sea that it claims. Its activities have extended to the Panganiban Reef off Palawan and the Scarborough Shoal off Zambales.

Drilon said. Two days after delivering a two-hour valedictory State-of-the-Nation Address, Aquino continued to draw flak for failing to mention the sacrifices made by the slain police commandos. Reps. Neri Colmenares and Carlos Zarate of Bayan Muna; Luz Ilagan of Gabriela; and Fernando Hicap of Anakpawis, said the President did not really report to the true state of the country, just his accomplishments. “The SONA is the chance to report to the people the real state of the nation, and not an accomplishment report,” Colmenares said. Zarate added that the SONA was far from reality. “The SONA was like twohour daydreaming narra-

tive made by President. It was a daydream where the country was supposedly prosperous, development was creeping into the longforgotten rural cities and the bad guys were in prison. Now we wake up, back to reality about the Filipino people’s miserable plight,” Zarate said. Both Hicap and Zarate scored the President for failing to mention the SAF 44 or efforts to bring their killers to justice. “It has been 183 days since the gruesome Mamasapano incident and yet the President appeared to have forgotten already the SAF 44,” Zarate said. Ilagan also lambasted the President for mentioning the past and the future, but failing to talk about the

present. “He has mentioned the past as far back as Martial Law...[and the future] even up to 2055. But what about the present?” Ilagan said, who dismissed the President’s speech as empty, with no mention of women’s concerns, or the worsening power situation in the Visayas and Mindanao. On Tuesday, relatives of the slain police commandos took the President to task for failing to mention the sacrifice made by the SAF 44 in his SONA. “It was very sad. Imagine, he was able to thank even his barber but he never mentioned the fallen SAF 44,” said Celesino Bilog, father of PO1 Russel Bilog, one of the slain police commandos.

Carpio said China has also encroached into the territories of Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan, and Vietnam using Beijing’s illegally delineated nine-dash line. Carpio, one of the authors behind the arbitral case against China, said the ninedash line covers 85.7 percent of the entire South China Sea and threatened to steal from the Philippines about 80 percent of its exclusive economiic zone, which is recognized by international law. “China does not need to explain the nine-dash line, you just have to see what it is doing in the South China Sea,” Caprio said. He said the country had no military capability to challenge China and cannot solely rely on its existing mutual defense treaty with the United States. Carpio said bringing the

case of China to arbitration is the only available remedy to challenge Beijing’s expansionism in the South China Sea as the series of diplomatic efforts to resolve the matter have failed. The magistrate said the South China Sea was too vital and strategic for China, both economically and militarily. He added that China wanted the international waters for its gas needs, being the largest importer of petroleum in the world. Also on Wednesday, Armed Forces spokesman Col. Restituto Padilla said China should be transparent about its military exercises so that its actions would not be misconstrued. “It’s the right of any sovereign nation to conduct any kind of exercises that they think are relevant to their own security interest,”

Padilla said, but noted that the Philippines has been transparent about its own military drills by inviting international observers. “In the case of China, everybody in the region, the United States included, is encouraging them to be transparent so that all of their motives, all of their activities will not be questioned,” said Padilla. China’s navy carried out a live firing drill in the South China Sea Tuesday in a bid to improve its maritime combat ability, state media reported, as tensions flare over the disputed waters. The exercise involved at least 100 naval vessels, dozens of aircraft, missile launch battalions of the Second Artillery Corps and information warfare troops, Xinhua news agency said, citing navy sources. - With AFP, PNA

t h u r s d ay: j u ly 3 0 , 2 0 1 5

NEWS

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

VP hits ‘gutter language’ in Sona THE camp of Vice President Jejomar Binay on Wednesday took a swipe at the manner President Benigno Aquino delivered his last State-of-theNation Address, saying the President should not be using “gutter language” during a solemn occasion. UNA Secretary-General JV Bautista said Aquino should consider “apologizing for the kind of language that he used during the SONA.” “[The President] should not engage in petty bantering or using gutter language. Where is this guy bringing our country? What he is teaching our children?” Bautista said. “I think it is the duty of the President to preserve a high level of discussion. It has to be with dignity and this must be done in the most dignified language.” Bautista made his statement even as the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan said Aquino’s final SONA left out the unresolved crisis issues that had defined his presidency in a bid to whitewash and erase them from the collective memory. Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. said those crisis points were the devastating Yolanda typhoon, the Mamasapano massacre, the pork barrel, Mary Jane Veloso, the power rates and human rights violations that rocked the Aquino administration. “The omission was so glaring that the unresolved crisis points became even more obvious to the listeners of his speech,” Reyes said. “Aquino simply wanted these issues erased from our collective memory, like they never happened.” Also on Wednesday, a Catholic priest urged Aquino to stop blaming others and start owning up to the shortcomings of his administration. With less than a year to go before Aquino steps down, Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo said it was no longer right for Aquino to keep blaming former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for the country’s problems, particularly corruption in the government “It’s been a long time. He has been there for more than five years already, but he did nothing and he keeps blaming others instead,” Pabillo said. John Paolo Bencito, Christine F. Herrera and Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

Earthquake drill. Government employees in Pasay City step out of their offices on Wednesday during an earthquake drill on the eve of the Metro-Manila-wide earthquake drill. EY ACASIO

Noy: Budget will help successor PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III said Wednesday the P3.002trillion 2016 national budget was meant to ensure that his successor inherited a healthy treasury. For this reason, he said, next year’s P3.002- trillion budget— an increase of 15.2 percent increase from this year’s P2.606trillion budget-was designed to dramatically boost revenue collections, reduce the debt burden, contain the fiscal deficit, and keep public spending within the authority set by Congress. Aquino made his statement even as Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph G. Recto said the “issue of underspending will dominate the discussions” on the administration’s sixth and last budget bill.

He said government underspent to the tune of P827 million a day last year as the disbursements fell short of program by P302.7 billion. “We could have built around 1,000 classrooms a day or 80 kilometers of road every 24 hours out of the amount not spent,” Recto said. He said lawmakers in both chambers would like to “turbocharge spending but without sacrificing transparency, or how to increase the volume of spending without violating laws.” In Aquino’s message to Congress, Defense will get P129.1 billion to finance the Armed Forces’ modernization in light of the territorial disputes in the

West Philippine Sea. General Public Services will get P517.9 billion, debt service P419.3 billion, and interest payment P392.8 billion. According to Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab, chairman of the House committee on appropriations, the budget hearings and deliberations will start on August 10. House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. led the members of the House in receiving the proposed P3.002-trillion 2016 national budget from President Aquino through Budget Secretary Florencio Abad last Tuesday, the day after the President delivered his final State-of-the-Nation Address. The budget proposal consisted of five books and the President’s

Budget Message, Belmonte said. He congratulated Abad for again being able to submit the budget proposal early. He said Congress will study the budget proposal well to ensure government programs and their funding are justified. “We intend to scrutinize it carefully and do our proper job of acting on the 2016 national budget,” Belmonte said. In his Budget Message to Congress, President Aquino said the proposed 2016 national budget was designed to consolidate the reforms the government had introduced since 2010 and provide a strong foundation for inclusive development. Christine F. Herrera and Macon Ramos-Araneta

Sani is new MNLF deputy

New stamps. Aquino sisters Ballsy Cruz and Pinky Abellada pose in front of the newly

unveiled second series of Philpost stamps featuring their mother Corazon Aquino at the Sofitel hotel on Wednesday. DANNY PAtA

THE Moro National Liberation Front has recently elected a new vice chairman following the expulsion of its former deputy whom Nur Misuari had described as a government collaborator, an official said Wednesday. Sultan Firdausi Abbas, who started the formation of the Moro National Liberation Front, disclosed the appointment of Sultan Pundama Sani, the Sultan of Guimba in Lanao del Sur, as the group’s new vice chairman replacing Jimmy Labawan, who was ordered ejected by Misuari for insubordination. Sani, according to Abbas, was unanimously elected on the imprimatur of Misuari and other high-ranking political and military officers of

the MNLF during a conference in an undisclosed site in Southern Mindanao, as part of the group’s reorganization process. “The new vice chairman is one of the three living active veterans of the top 90—the first batch of Moro trainees including Chairman Misuari who were sent to train in Sabah, Malaysia, in 1969 by the Union of Islamic Forces Organization under the leadership of Sultan of Bayang, Rashid Lucman, chairman and then Congressman of Lanao del Sur, and Sultan of Dayawan, Macapanton Yahya Abbas Jr., Secretary-General pursuant to the agreement with then Prime Minister Tungku Abdul Rahman of Malaysia in 1969, which was forged in

Penang,” Abbas said. Labawan was booted out by Misuari after he was accused by Misuari of misrepresenting the MNLF in recent negotiations with the government relating to the resumption of the stalled tripartite review talks of the 1996 final peace agreement between the Philippines and the MNLF. Labawan reportedly represented himself unilaterally as the official delegate of the MNLF to the scheduled GRP-MNLF talks in Jakarta, which was perceived to be a form of mutiny as he allegedly allowed himself to be used by the government to undermined the authority and the privilege that belonged only to Misuari. Francisco Tuyay

t h u r s d ay : J u ly 3 0 , 2 0 1 5

NEWS

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

‘FOI, anti-dynasty bills needed, but not urgent’ By Sandy Araneta

DESPITE his public pronouncements in support of bills on Freedom of Information (FOI) and political dynasties, President Benigno Aquino III will likely not certify the two proposed bills as urgent. “We’ll see first because [the FOI bill] lacks second reading only. So, hopefully, the majority floor leader can schedule it for second reading and hopefully it will be done as soon as possible,” Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said on Tuesday. Lacierda said Malacañang’s proposed version of the FOI bill has already been

submitted to Congress an has been discussed by the House Committee on Information, headed by Misamis Occidental Rep. Jorge Almonte, said Lacierda. Although Aquino did not mention the importance of the FOI bill in his Stateof-the-Nation Address, Malacañang did reiterate the need for its passage in its

budget message to Congress. “The budget message is powerful, if not more powerful, than the State of the Nation Address,” Lacierda claimed. “It comes with perspective. It’s there, but not made public, so it’s a question of perspective on where you’re coming from.” Laciera also claimed FOI advocates are very pleased by the inclusion of the FOI bill in the budget message. “So we’re just hoping that the House leadership will schedule it for second reading already. [Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr.] already mentioned publicly that he will pass the FOI Bill. So we will just ask the majority floor leader if he can calendar the FOI Bill for second

reading,” he said. While Aquino did propose in his SONA the passage of bill against political dynasties, Lacierda said it also may not be certified as urgent. “No one political family, no one politician should be allowed to stay forever in a position, in power, because the evil perhaps overwhelms. The evil sought to be corrected. The evil is present and we should correct that particular evil,” Lacierda said. Lacierda said several bills against political dynasties have already been filed in the House, citing the bills filed by Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares, Capiz Rep. Fredenil Castro and Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice.

“[But] the language, the version, has to be finalized first,” Lacierda said. “They have to discuss amongst themselves what would be the final provisions for the Anti-Dynasty Bill.” “It’s still evolving. The language is evolving and we hope to find satisfaction in effectuating the provisions of the anti-dynasty provisions of the Constitution, one that will really put into effect what and how the framers of the Constitution envisioned the AntiDynasty Bill,” he said. “At the very least, at the very least, the President has made his views very public that this is the solution to ‘unli-power’. This is what we need,” stressed Lacierda.

Goodbye worms. Pupils of the Mandaluyong Elementary School wave goodbye to intestinal worms during a ceremony launching the Department of Health’s school deworming program. LINO SANTOS

CHR probes Manalo claims By Rio N. Araja IGLESIA ni Cristo minister Felix Nathaniel “Angel” Manalo has asked the Commission on Human Rights to dispatch agents to his residence inside the Iglesia in Cristo compound in Quezon City to ensure that they are not harassed by policemen. The commission announced they will dispatch at least one field investigator to the Manalo residence even as Justice Secretary Leila de Lima has not shut down the investigation of the National Bureau of Investigation and the case is still considered open. “We will keep on sending our field investigators every now and then since the Manalo compound is just near the CHR office,” Banuar Falcon, chief of the commission’s Human Rights Information and Communication Division, told The Standard. The commissioners in an en banc meeting will come up with a decision to resolve the request of Angel Manalo, he said. “As of now, we are monitoring the situation in the Manalo area,” Falcon added. Also on Wednesday, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said the NBI has not yet completed its investigation of the alleged abduction of some INC ministers and alleged hostage-taking inside the Manalo residence. De Lima said the NBI investigators have already submitted an initial report about the abduction and hostage-taking allegations, but she could not disclose the result yet until the agency submits its complete report on the matter. The justice secretary ordered the probe after Angel and his mother Cristina Manalo called for help, claiming their lives are in danger as well as those of 10 other INC ministers. Cristina and Angel posted a video message on YouTube appealing for help, saying there were threats to their lives and that some ministers had been taken.

Asian apps offer love via group dates or with chaperones MOVE over Tinder—a crop of dating apps in smartphone-addicted Asia is offering to recruit friends for group dates or send along a chaperone to steer the course of romance. While dating apps developed in the West encourage one-on-one, often nostrings-attached meetings, many in Asia are as much about old-school courtship or friendship in a region where meeting a stranger in a bar can still be a taboo. “My upbringing was very close to my parents, religious, traditional and old-fashioned. You couldn’t go on dates if your parents didn’t know the guy,” said Valenice Balace, who developed the Peekawoo service in the Philippines two years ago. “I grew up with chaperoned dates and even when I was in college my kid sister was always with me on dates.” Too shy to make eye contact in bars as a singleton, the 26-year-old turned to apps similar to Tinder, which boasts tens of millions of active users, where photos of potential matches are in-

stantly liked or rejected. But after one man suggested he come to her house after their first online conversation, Balace realized the set-up was not for her. And so the Filipina entrepreneur created an app which not only discouraged users from meeting one-onone but also offered a chaperone service for those who requested it. As Peekawoo expanded—it now has around 7,000 members—it was no longer practical for the small company to provide a chaperone for every couple who asked for one, and so Balace’s team started organizing meet-ups instead. It is a model shared by Hong Kongbased app Grouvly, which sets up groups of six people for dates. “When I came to Asia, I realised it was hard to meet people,” explains Colombian-born CEO Camilo Paredes. “I also realised that most of the Asians were somewhat shy, they’re not confrontational, they don’t put themselves out there.” His solution was to mimic Ameri-

can Grouper, which matches two people according to the information on their Facebook profiles, then asks them to bring two friends with them to a bar for a six-person meet up. While the majority of pairings are men meeting women, there is also the option of all-male or all-female dates. “One-on-one can be super awkward. Two-on-two is still slightly awkward, but three-on-three is the magic number,” says Paredes. Alongside expats, Hong Kongers now make up 50 percent of Grouvly’s users. In Singapore, most users are locals and there are plans to roll out the service to Japan, South Korea, Australia and China. “For me, if somebody else likes the guy, they can have them,” says Aly, a 24-year-old blogger from the UK and Grouvly regular. “Ok, they’re nice, but I’ve met them for what, two hours? I’m not going to cry about it.” Aly finds these apps can be as much about making friends as looking for

love, with Peekawoo’s founder saying this change of focus also allows women to take back control. “There was one Peekawoo event where a Filipino-American guy offended a Filipina girl by asking her to go home with him,” Balace remembered. “I told her, ‘I’m proud of you’. We told the guy what he did was wrong, and we never invited him again.” Even if the Singapore-based Paktor —which claims 3.5 million registered users—is less averse to hook ups, it has recently also added functions such as group chats. “People either organize a group meeting or they reach out to one person in that chat to have a conversation with them,” explains Joseph Phua, 31, co-founder of the app. “It’s true that people here tend to be more reserved, less direct,” he added. “Asian society feels failure or rejection more strongly, it’s just part of the fabric of society. That carries on into the dating space as well.”

While apps are being created or tweaked to adapt to tamer local sensibilities, others like China’s WeChat can lead to casual trysts with a locationbased “Shake” function. But meeting a partner online in a global hub like Hong Kong still remains less common than in the West—despite 62.80 percent of people owning a smartphone, according to Google figures. A 2011 survey led by Emil Ng ManLun of Hong Kong University’s Family Institute found that just five percent of locals had met a partner online or via an app, compared to 22 percent of Americans, according to Stanford University research published that year. “Our impression is that this is rising. But by how much it is rising, we are not sure yet,” Ng says. “People think they are a sign of promiscuity. They worry that they get into intimacy too early, without sufficient time for knowing each other. It seems, however, that these theories have not stopped people from using them.” AFP

t h u r s d ay : J u ly 3 0 , 2 0 1 5

NEWS

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Probe of anomalous deals set

Romualdez bloc cites possible corrupt acts under Aquino’s watch By Maricel V. Cruz

The Independent Bloc in the house of Representatives on Wednesday pushed for a congressional probe of major cases of possible corruption under the present administration which President Aquino did not mention in his State-of-the-Nation Address (SONA) on Monday. The Bloc’s Leader, Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez also lamented the fact that the President has forgotten the SAF 44 who died in the Jan. 25 Mamasapano incident. “On top of our list is the continued failure of the Justice department and the Office of the Ombudsman to file court cases against Aquino Administration allies who had been linked to

the ‘pork barrel’ scam by the alleged mastermind Janet Lim Napoles. It’s been more than a year since allies of the Administration were linked along with members of the opposition. “Charges have been filed against the suspected opposition members. At least three of them, all senators, have been jailed. But when it comes to the suspects who are known allies or support-

ers of the President, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima has never run out of alibis for not filing a case yet against anyone. If this is not selective justice, we are very interested to hear how will the justice secretary describe and defend this,” Romualdez told reporters at a news conference. Romualdez said his group would also want to exercise its oversight function in looking into the reported rampant smuggling in the country and the government’s resolve to the problem. “Not even Customs officials can deny that smuggling goes on unabated. But the people have yet to hear of how widespread it really is and how much is the government actually losing in duties and other revenues. Interceptions and seizures of smuggled items are reported in

media but these come far in between. There are consistent reports of supposed reforms but Customs collections always fall short of their target,” Romualdez said. he said “charges have supposedly been filed against smugglers but we hardly learn of any conviction.” “And if you will note, almost all of supposed smuggling activities reported in media are only in Manila. Practically nothing is heard from other ports and airports in the rest of the country,” the house opposition leader said. Romualdez said his group would also want to look into the decrepit condition of the mass transit system. “The MRT and its continued deterioration alongside the highly questionable actions related to its operations [is reflection of how the Aqui-

no government has been so competent in dealing with the proble],” Romualdez said. “Among others, we want to thoroughly clarify from the Office of the Ombudsman why was Department of Transportation and Communications Secretary Joseph emilio Abaya excluded from criminal charges over the anomalous maintenance contract when he was the one who signed it, including its renewal. “We also want to know why no legal action was initiated earlier by DOTC and MRT officials against the maintenance contractor and where exactly did the approximately P50 million monthly maintenance fee go to?” Romualdez asked. The issue on rice sufficiency was the most pressing issue that the President failed to mention in his SONA.

“Department of Agriculture officials had claimed in earlier media reports that the rice inventory is sufficient and we have just had one of the most productive years in history. But still, the government plans to import 1.2 million metric tons of rice. For what? Why should we still spend hundreds of millions or billions in taxpayers’ money if we have enough of what we need? What’s the basis and whose brainchild is this importation?” Romualdez asked. Most of all, Romualdez said the Aquino government had refused to mention about government’s inability to deliver for the Yolanda victims. “It’s high time for the people to know the whole truth behind the snail-paced rehabilitation efforts for victims of super typhoon ‘Yolanda’,” Romualdez said.

Justice creates panel on One Dream scheme By Rey E. Requejo

Probing team. Independent Minority Bloc leader Rep. Ferdinand Martin “FM” Romualdez of Leyte(center) stresses that his group will initiate investigations into the status of major cases of possible corruption under the present administration which Presiden Aquino did not mention in his last State of the Nation Address. Romualdez is flanked by Abakada Party List Rep. Jonathan De la Cruz (left) and Buhay Party List Rep. Lito Atienza. VER NoVENo

Grace: PNoy endorsement not expected (SONA) last Monday, she was told “they would still be together or to that effect.” She said the President talked about SeNATOR Grace Poe on Wednesday said she no longer expected any this after indicating to him she has a difendorsement from President Benigno ferent political plan. But Poe said until now, she has not yet S. Aquino III after informing him “we might trek a different path or go on a decided if she will seek higher office in the 2016 elections. She earlier said the different journey.” In an ambush interview, Poe told re- resignation of Senator Chiz escudero as porters it would be difficult to expect chairman of the senate finance commitbecause it is also difficult to be disap- tee and co-chairman of the Joint Congressional Oversight Committee is not pointed. “So for me, I’m using my own views an indication of their possible team up. Poe has maintained that if she would as basis on this matter-- if I can endure this and the preparations... If it would be run for President, she would be more comfortable in having escudero, a close good for our people,” she said. She recalled that during her last friend, as her running mate. Since their last meeting, Poe said meeting with the President before he delivered his State-of-Nation Address she has not yet received any invitation

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

from the President. “None. I respect that. I won’t be surprised if our President will endorse Secretary Mar (Roxas). Firstly, they are partymates. But the President has always been telling us he understands if we do what we believe is good for the country. So whatever the decision of the President, he has reasons for that. I am grateful that I was considered,” Poe said. While the President had never made any offer to her to run for whatever higher position in next year’s election, Poe said it was however clear to her that he wanted her to run as vice president of Roxas. When she met the President during the SONA, Poe said they talked, but nothing about politics.

“But I can’t tell you the exact things we talked. I can’t tell you exactly. It’s not also about Mamasapano which you might think of, not about politics but about governance,” said Poe. Pressed on what they talked about, Poe replied: “because it’s classified. Officially classified.” Meanwhile, escudero noted that while he still has no final decision about running for vice president, he however considered it serious enough to quit his favorite committee in the Senate. Asked if he was preparing for his run that prompted his resignation, escudero said this involved a major decision. But if Poe decides not to run, escudero said he will have to decide on his own on what to do- Whether to run or not.

The Department of Justice has formed a three-member panel to conduct preliminary investigation of the syndicated estafa charges filed against executives of One Dream Global Marketing Inc. for their role in the alleged P3-billion investment scam. Prosecutor General Claro Arellano designated Assistant State Prosecutors Susan Villanueva, Rohaira Lao and Mary Ann Parong to determine whether there is a probable cause to warrant the filing of criminal complaint before the trial court against the respondents. Named respondents in both complaints were One Dream’s president and chief executive officer Arnel Gacer; his girlfriend, and vice president Jobelle de Guzman; and other officers identified as Ariel Gacer, Richard Ramos; Jay-ar de Guzman; Marlon de Guzman; Judith Itoh; Jun de Guzman; Lui de Guzman; Linda de Guzman; and Joel de Guzman. Based on the complaint, One Dream’s operation and recruitment of prospective investors was administered using the system profit scheme. Under the scheme a “pay-in” of P888, which is equivalent to one slot will result in an “exit “ or “payout” of P1,300 after four days. The complainants also said the company offer a P44 per slot as commission for every direct referral. They added that they became more convince to invest in the profit scheme after One Dream showed them rags to riches stories of their investors. however, the complainants said they were surprised when One Dream stopped its operation last July 11 following various complaints concerning the company’s failure to pay the investing public the promised pay-out.

T H U R S d ay : j U ly 3 0 , 2 0 1 5

news

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

MRT mess blamed on Transport errors Pagdilao new NCR police head CHIEF Supt. Joel Pagdilao of the Quezon City Police District is the new director of the National Police Capital Region. Pagdilao belongs to the PMA’s Maharlika Class 1984. The NCRPO has been vacant since July 12 due to the retirement of director Carmelo Valmoria. Pagdilao was appointed head of QCPD head in October 2014 when his predecessor, Chief Supt. Richard Albano, was relieved due to the high incidence of crime in the city. He is the younger brother of Anti-Crime and Terrorism- Community Involvement and Support (ACT-CIS) party-list Rep. Samuel Pagdilao, former PNP chief from March 2011 up to Feb. 13, 2013. Rio N. Araja

By Rey E. Requejo

If there is anyone to blame for the sorry state of the Metro Rail Transit-3, it should be the Department of Transportation and Communications, a spokesman for the private owners of the Edsa railway system said on Wednesday. Lawyer David Narvasa, spokesman of MRT Holdings II (MRTHII), said President Benigno Aquino III should not have exonerated the DOTC while blaming “political decisions” made by his predecessor, former president and now Pam-

panga Rep. Gloria Arroyo for neglecting the MRT-3. In his last State of the Nation Address, Aquino took a swipe at MRT Corporation for allegedly “forgetting its obligation” to maintain the train system and implement a general overhaul. The President, citing a DOTC report, claimed “only token cosmetic changes were undertaken” and that this “practically guaranteed the breakdown of the trains.” Narvasa, however, countered the allegation, saying the general overhaul of the trains, through maintenance provider Sumitomo Corp., began in 2007 and was fully completed in 2009. He said proof of the completion was the acceptance and approval of the DOTC of the General Overhaul Acceptance Report for each of the

73 light rail vehicles (LRVs). DOTC consultant Systra Philippines also conducted an audit report in 2010 on the maintenance practices of Sumitomo, which prompted the government to favorably recommend all of the extensions for Sumitomo’s maintenance contract for four times. “During the time that MRTC was handling the technical maintenance of the MRT-3 system, through Sumitomo, the MRT-3 was hardly a news item because of maintenance and train problems,” Narvasa said. The MRTH-II official stressed that when the DOTC took over the maintenance, at least 20 trains were running, with four back-up trains, to ferry more than 500,000 passengers a day. “Today, the DOTC-maintained MRT-3 system has only seven to

12 trains running and carries only 350,000 passengers,” he noted. Narvasa also scored the DOTC and its appointed maintenance providers PH Trams/ CB&T for not purchasing spare parts as required in their maintenance contracts. “At the time DOTC took over, over 6 months-inventory of spare parts valued at around $15 million were turned over by Sumitomo to DOTC and PH Trams/CB&T. Since then, DTC-appointed maintenance providers not only exhausted the 6-months inventory but also did not purchase new spare parts whereas Sumitomo used 60 percent their maintenance budget to purchase spare parts,” he added Narvasa also belied the President’s claim that MRTC passed the job of improving the train system onto the government “at very short notice.”

School told to vouch for ‘grumbling’ student

THE Court of Appeals has ordered the Santo Niño Parochial School to issue a certificate of good moral character to its salutatorian Krisel Mallari who criticized her school during her graduation speech. The CA’s Second Division through Associate Justice Soocorro B. Inting granted the plea of Mallari for the issuance of a writ of preliminary mandatory injunction to compel her school to release the certificate, which she needed to be able to qualify for admission in the University of Santo Tomas’s accountancy program where she already has a reserved slot. The appellate court stressed that since the UST will start its class next month, it is necessary for the school to immediately release Mallari’s certificate of good moral character. “Kristel, just like any other child, commits transgressions and therefore, must be disciplined. However, the manner by which she is disciplined should not go to the extent of spoiling or destroying her dreams and aspirations,” the CA emphasized. Rey E. Requejo

Global bid. The Philippines will host the Miss Global 2015 beauty pageant on October 24, 2015 at the City of Deams in Pasay City.- The announcement was made by Global Tourism Foundation officials in a press conferenced also attended by 4th runner up Benazir Thaha of Sri Lanka, 2nd runnerup Catherine Almirante of thePhilippines , reigning Miss Global Ela Mino of Canada and 3rd runner-up Aizhan Lighg of Kazakhstan. SONNY ESPIRITU

15 more Filipinos in UAE jail freed; PH grateful By Vito Barcelo

Health kit. Mandaluyong City Mayor Ben Hur Abalos confers with Health Ssecretary Janette Loreto-Garin while Dr. Julie Lyn Hall WHO Representative to the Philippines looks on during the distribution of hygiene kit held at Mandaluyong Elementary School on Wednesday. LINO SANTOS

ANOTHER batch of 15 Filipinos detained in Abu Dhabi was ordered released by Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Abu Dhabi during the holy month of Ramadan, the Department of Foreign Affairs said pon Wednesday. The 15 were among the 879 foreigners detained in Abu Dhabi Central jail. Philippine Ambassador to UAE Grace Relucio Princesa thanked the UAE for the release of the jailed Filipinos. “We know some of those who were released because we were able to speak to them during our regular weekly jail visits, and all they wished then is to be able to be with

their loved ones again in the Philippines. I am sure they are very grateful for having been given a new opportunity to start again,” Princesa added. The Embassy continues to remind Filipinos across the Emirates to respect UAE’s laws, as well as their culture and tradition. It has supported recently the publication of a guidebook for overseas Filipinos in the UAE, in addition to hosting legal aid and seminars in the Embassy on a regular basis. Only last week, at least 11 Filipinos jailed in the UAE were among the 734 pardoned by Vice President and prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to mark the beginning of Ramadan. Al-Maktoum ordered the pardon to 734 prisoners in Dubai ahead of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.

T H U R S d ay : j U ly 3 0 , 2 0 1 5

news

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Shark-ravaged body found floating off Misamis town EL SALVADOR CITY, Misamis Oriental—Rescuers tried to retrieve a body, kept at bay by two aggressive sharks, found floating off the coast here on Tuesday. Joel Caballa, a member of the local Bantay Dagat, called up a local radio station and reported an unidentified dead male body being ravaged by sharks 10 kilometers off the shore of Molugan, a coastal village of El Salvador in Misamis Oriental. He said local fishermen discovered the floating body Tuesday morning, prompting a flotilla of Bantay Dagat and fishing boats to sail to the scene to retrieve it. “We could not get near the body because the big sharks, more than two meters long, are circling the body. The sharks were eating the limbs,” a horrified Caballa said over the radio. He said the sharks have already consumed the body’s legs and hands. “The head and the torso are still intact, but we are afraid that the sharks would consume it all unless the sharks are driven away,” Caballa said. He said five fishing boats were staying at a distance of six meters away from the body as the sharks would poise to attack the boat “every time we attempt to get near.” “We could not get near for fear that the sharks might inflict damage on the boat and cause it to capsize,” he said. Caballo said they would wait for the police to come because the local fishermen and the Bantay Dagat were not equipped to drive the sharks away.

Food for the father. A child is in a hurry to bring lunch for her father who works in a salt farm in Guimaras Island. MICHELLE ALVAREZ

Campus journ training to revive R-VIII school papers By Ronald O. Reyes

TACLOBAN CITY—At least 400 high school campus paper advisers from 13 division in Eastern Visayas started their four-day training on campus journalism Wednesday at the Leyte National High School gymnasium. “After typhoon Yolanda in 2013, we were dropped from the rank of hall of fame in the national level…But if all of you will transfer

satisfactorily the training here to your respective division and school, then for the first time we will have very competitive, strong, and quality schools papers in the division, regional, and national,” said Dr. Alejandrito L. Yman, chief of the curriculum and learning management division. According to Cesar Montaño, president of the Regional Secondary School Paper Advisers Association, the training will also prepare the region for the next year’s national school press conference in in Koronadal City. In the recent NSPC in Taguig City, the region only bagged 21 awards in the competition. Dr. Gertrudes Mabutin, regional journalism coordinator of the Curriculum and Learning Management Division, said she is hoping that

the training will lead the pool of division trainers into “one team working for a common goal for campus journalism in the region.” Journalism competencies covered during the training include copy reading and headline writing, feature writing, science and technology writing, news writing, photojournalism, editorial cartooning, on-line collaborative publishing, script and radio broadcasting, editorial writing, and sports writing. Also discussed were current trends in campus journalism and in digital media, effective school paper management and editorial technique. A second batch of training for elementary school paper advisers in the region is also set on August 6 to 9.

‘Mabini inspired Albay’s risk reduction, adaptation feats’ LEGAZPI CITY — Filipino hero Apolinario Mabini, whose 151st birth anniversary the country celebrated recently, is Albay province’s model in resilience, particularly in disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation. Gov. Joey Salceda said his province’s DRR-CCA initiatives were inspired by Mabini’s transcendence of his disability during the Philippine Revolution in the 1890s. Albay held a special program commemorating the birth anniversary of Mabini’s birth anniversary on July 23. Mabini is also known as the “brains of the revolution.”

Salceda said Mabini inspired their disaster risk reduction management and climate change adaptation efforts because the hero fought within the context of the disadvantaged and disabled to achieve social justice. “Even if he was vulnerable, he fought using his intelligence,” he stressed. Albay’s pioneering CCA and DRR programs have earned awards ans recognitions from both national and international institutions. Among such honors are three Gawad Kalasag Awards and a Hall of Fame niche from the National Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Council.

A farmer’s day. A vegetable farmer from Sudion Dos, Cebu goes about his business. MICHELLE ALVAREZ

T H U R S D AY : J U LY 3 0 , 2 0 1 5

OPINION

ADELLE CHUA EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

OPINION

VIEW FROM MALCOM ATTY. HARRY ROQUE JR.

A LOUSY SPEECH

[ EDI TORI A L ]

SIMULATION AT 10:30 this morning, local government units in Metro Manila and other places in the country will pretend that a magnitude 7.2 earthquake is happening. Residents have been encouraged to drop, cover and hold while the quake is going on, estimated to be at around 45 seconds. Alarms will be sounded. After the “quake,” participants will evacuate their buildings and clear obstructions to their path. They will take their emergency kits with them, ascertain where each family member is, stay away from structures that are likely to fall, and watch out for possible causes of fire. These would be, after all, real concerns in the event of an actual temblor. The shake drill is a project of MovePH and the Metro Manila Development Authority, aimed at instilling a culture of preparedness among Filipinos. We live in a country vulnerable to natural disasters like earthquakes and typhoons, and must thus include in our way of life the possibility that these would happen when we least expect them. With typhoons, we have had plenty of practice, and in varying degrees of success. Some typhoons and even only monsoon rain took us by surprise. Many people died and more became homeless. Local government units, depending on their compliance to the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management law, performed well or poorly. In other instances, however, zero-casualty objectives were met. While there was considerable damage to agriculture and infrastructure, the risks were identified early on and measures were taken to ensure these risks were reduced and mitigated. Earthquakes are far trickier, because we have not had a strong one for years and scientists tell us we are due for one. The problem is that unlike typhoons, earthquakes announce their presence only when they happen, leaving little time and opportunity for people to execute their planned response — if they even had a plan. Holding simulation activities are commendable especially if more people participate, not going through the motions but truly understanding and internalizing that presence of mind is key to survival and safety during such events. Whatever one’s political bent is, whatever one’s socio-economic status or educational attainment, nobody will be spared from disaster even as some may be better equipped to recover faster than others. Developing a culture of preparedness while eschewing exaggerations or alarmist, doomsday tendencies will help Filipinos be more resilient, not in rebuilding after a disaster but in reducing their vulnerability. The aim is not to fall as hard and take as long to recover.

MOVING ON LOWDOWN JOJO A. ROBLES YOU may remember Roselle Nacino, the young widow of PO2 Nicky Nacino, one of the 44 Special Action Force commandos killed in Mamasapano, Maguindanao last January 25. Roselle was the SAF wife who was still able to talk to her husband and his equally besieged fellow commandos by cellular phone at 3 p.m. on that fateful day. “Dondon” managed to tell Roselle briefly about how they were being beset on all sides

by Muslim rebels and asked for P100 in “pasa load” so he could continue calling her as the enemy bullets were flying all around them. By 5 p.m., Dondon could no longer be reached. Roselle’s baby, Nathan Inigo, was a month old when the massacre took place. The boy is eight months old now. Roselle has since returned to work, she told me. She has a baby to bring up, after all, and cannot wait for the government to help her when she can still do that herself. All Roselle wants now is justice, she says, and the promised Medal of Valor for her slain husband and his comrades-inarms. Neither seems to be forth-

coming, many months since the massacre. Last Monday, Roselle listened to President Noynoy Aquino make his final State-of-theNation Address. Like the other relatives of the SAF 44, she was aghast when Aquino didn’t even mention the slaughter of her husband and his fellow policemen. Instead of recognizing the commandos’ bloody sacrifice, Aquino rubbed salt on the still-fresh wounds of their kin. He asked Congress to pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law, oblivious to the fact that some of the killers of PO2 Nacino were going to be the direct beneficiaries of his favorite piece of legislation.

‘There should be justice for the SAF 44 before the BBL is passed,’ Roselle told me.

“There should be justice for the SAF 44 before the BBL is passed,” Roselle told me. “How can the President ask for the approval of the BBL, when there is still no justice for them?” Roselle spoke calmly, matter-of-factly. But every word was freighted with sincerity and deep, deep disappointment. The people who sent Dondon Nacino and his comrades to their early deaths and who never thought to rescue them when they were facing certain annihilation last January have “moved on” since then, apparently. Aquino can’t even seem to understand that what happened in Mamasapano was still important – his spokesman practically dares anyone to dispute this position, saying the President has already said that he would take

this incident with him to the grave. Roselle Nacino doesn’t have that luxury. She and her son need to keep going in the here and now. And they don’t even need any money from Aquino, unlike all those bums on his P60-billion dole program. Just justice and recognition of the heroism of Dondon and his fellow SAF troops. But the President, who has no problem with praising his yaya, his manservant and his hairdresser in his SONA, will deny them even the little that they ask. Let Aquino, our egotistical, insensitive leader, take that to his grave, as well.

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

*** An even younger woman, Rezia Joy Jianoran, 19, is also a victim of the awesome powers that rule the land. Rezia was the young worker who was proclaimed by Aquino himself in his SONA as a graduate of the K to 12 educational program – even if the program was only started this year. Rezia was the girl whose father was a driver and whose mother was incapacitated by a stroke, something that prevented her from pursuing a college degree. Aquino held her up as an example of a student who graduated under the K

5550. P.O. Box 2933, Manila Central Post Office, Manila. Website: www. manilastandardtoday.com E-mail: contact@thestandard.com.ph

MST ONLINE

can be accessed at: www.manilastandardtoday.com

MEMBER

PPI

Philippine Press Institute The National Association of Philippine Newspapers

to12 program who immediately got a job. “I am very proud to be a K to 12 graduate because I was able to support my family and I am learning while I am earning,” Rezia said, obviously reading from a script prepared by the people who decided to include a video of her in the President’s speech. It turns out that she was not the graduate of a program that had just started, but of a different “pilot” scheme that allowed graduating high school students to focus on vocational courses; the first K to 12 graduates will leave school two years from now. Continued on A11

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

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

Ma. Isabel “Gina” P. Verzosa Head, Advertising Solutions Anita F. Grefal Treasury Manager Edgar M. Valmorida Circulation Manager

THAT was the lousiest State-of-the-Nation Address I have ever heard. To begin with, the President showed disrespect to his listeners by speaking for more than two hours. The duty to report on the state of the nation is mandated by the Constitution itself. In the discharge of this obligation, the President should have been more considerate to the Filipino people struggling to survive on a day-to-day basis. Simply put, it was gross disrespect for the people- whom he described as his bosses- when he took more than two hours of their time largely for matters that should not have been included in a SONA in the first place. After five years, the people have earned the right to expect that the President will summarize his accomplishments thus far in the SONA. He instead wasted the first 50 minutes of his speech engaging in his favorite pasttime: bashing everyone for the mess that he found when he assumed office. This would be fine had this been his first and second SONA in order to lay the basis for the Herculean task of rebuilding. But five years later, this is wholly unacceptable. Yes, there were obstacles in the beginning of his term which could be attributed to his predecessor. But after five years in office, he should have been able to address these challenges had he only governed well. The reality is that PNoy spent a lot of time condemning the past regime because he has failed to govern. In other words, he continues to rant about the past because he did nothing to clear the mess that he found at the beginning of his term. Ironically, his never-ending tirades against PGMA are also a strong condemnation of his own malfeasance and misfeasance. Then he enumerated his alleged accomplishments. He began by singling out his appointees for their integrity. But shouldn’t the accomplishments of these appointees be attributed to them and not to the appointing power? He cited Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales, Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, former Commission on Audit Chairperson Grace Pulido-Tan, and Bureau of Interval Revenue Chief Kim Henares as examples of his appointees with integrity. But what about the scoundrels such as former Philippine National Police chief Alan Purisima, Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala, Technology Education Skills Development Authority Secretary Joel Villanueva, Transportation and Communication Secretary Joseph Abaya, former Health Secretary Enrique Ona, Budget Secretary Butch Abad, Moro Islamic Liberation Front collaborator Teresita Deles, PEACE bond scam mastermind Corazon Soliman, all of whom have been embroiled in one scandal after another? It seems clear that while PNoy cited four gems among his appointees, they simply were outnumbered by rotten appointees embroiled in never ending scandals. Continued on A11 Rolando G. Estabillo Jojo A. Robles Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Francis Lagniton Joyce Pangco Pañares Adelle Chua Romel J. Mendez Roberto Cabrera

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

Emil P. Jurado Chairman Emeritus, Editiorial Board

T H U R S D AY : J U LY 3 0 , 2 0 1 5

OPINION

ADELLE CHUA EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

OPINION

VIEW FROM MALCOM ATTY. HARRY ROQUE JR.

A LOUSY SPEECH

[ EDI TORI A L ]

‘There should be justice for the SAF 44 before the BBL is passed,’ Roselle told me.

5550. P.O. Box 2933, Manila Central Post Office, Manila. Website: www. manilastandardtoday.com E-mail: contact@thestandard.com.ph

MST ONLINE

can be accessed at: www.manilastandardtoday.com

MEMBER

PPI

Philippine Press Institute The National Association of Philippine Newspapers

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

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

Ma. Isabel “Gina” P. Verzosa Head, Advertising Solutions Anita F. Grefal Treasury Manager Edgar M. Valmorida Circulation Manager

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

Emil P. Jurado Chairman Emeritus, Editiorial Board

T H U R S D AY : J U LY 3 0 , 2 0 1 5

A10

OPINION lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

INSULTING THE FALLEN 44 TO THE POINT EMIL P. JURADO

A FOREIGN businessman I met recently asked me why there are so many columnists in national broadsheets. This, after I introduced myself as a columnist of The Standard. I was quick to answer him: “Columns make the difference in newspapers.” I added: “If you read the newspapers, almost always, they have the same headlines and front-page news.” Actually, this was not the first time I have been asked this question. Santa Banana, if you include all columns, including entertainment, business, lifestyle, food, architecture, realty and tabloid columns, there must over a thousand of us columnists. I must admit that during my generation as a journalist, one must earn his spurs to be able to write a column. That’s the reason why in postwar Philippines, there were only about a dozen respectable columnists writing in newspapers. Now, everyone, even former public officials and members of the clergy who think they can write are columnists. I say this not because I feel threatened with so many columns appearing in newspapers. I can compete in whatever form because of my 65 years in journalism. I have been writing columns for decades. It’s a good thing, actually. I believe that the more columnists expressing contrary and different opinions in newspapers, the better for the reading public. This will enable the people to form their own judgment on issues, be they political, economic, or just on entertainment and whathave-you. Having said that, believe it or not, I try to read every column in the five broadsheets I read early in the morning. They help me a lot in writing my own views on issues of the day. *** My heart goes out to my good friend, Palace spokesman Sonny Coloma, whenever he defends his boss, President Aquino. On television,

Sonny looks so tired and pathetic trying to defend the indefensible. Yesterday, for instance, he said that while the President omitted mentioning the Fallen 44, the Mr. Aquino had already stated that he would carry the Mamasapano debacle to his grave. By not mentioning the sacrifice of the Fallen 44 during the Sona, President Aquino might as well have said it is just not important to him. After all, he mentioned all the people close to his heart, even his barber and his yaya. My gulay, this was a clear insult! *** A pro-mining rally was recently held in Lobo town, Batangas. Over 1,200 local residents from all 24 Lobo barangays demonstrated their sup-

The fact that they were not mentioned means they are not important.

port for the implementation of Egerton Gold Philippines’ gold mining project. Lobo has been a fourth-class municipality for hundreds of years without showing any signs of progress. Residents there understand that their salvation is now within reach, and a responsible mining company operating in their midst will lift them up from the doldrums. The rallyists egged the municipal council to have the moral and political courage to act on their petition. The residents have been holding consultations with officials of Egerton, who guaranteed that the environment, through the latest mining technology, would not be harmed and would in fact benefit from their rehabilitation program. The Lobo Municipal Council is requiring evidence of “social acceptability” of the project

TRAFFIC GRIDLOCK DUTY CALLS FLORENCIO FIANZA THE 101st anniversary celebration of the Iglesia ni Cristo last July 27 along the North Luzon Expressway created a traffic gridlock that frayed the nerves of the motoring public. Media reports of traffic slowdown were an understatement. It took three hours and 30 minutes to navigate a fiveand-a-half kilometer stretch. I anticipated that the traffic would be slowmoving that day but did not expect that it would virtually ground to a halt. There were times when there was no movement at all for about ten minutes. When this happens in a four lane expressway, the vehicle build up would result in traffic chaos. Surprisingly, however, apart from some drivers wanting to get ahead of others, everyone seemed to have behaved reasonably well. There was no open display of anger and frustration that I witnessed in the vicinity where I was. How the gridlock happened and why should be investigated to prevent it from happening every time there is an event in the Philippine Arena. From what I was able to find out, it appears that members of the Iglesia ni Cristo joining the celebration started to park along the expressway when they ran out of parking spaces inside the sports complex. The parking was stretched for over a kilometer north and south of which the residents readily provided to the council yesterday. They voiced their support for the mining project with cries of “Yes na Yes to mining in Lobo” and “Pusong Minero sa Lobo,” and presented a petition signed by residents supporting the mine. According to reports, the residents are obviously smarting from an earlier incident when during one of their consultations with Egerton, a prominent personality belonging to a powerful clan herded more than 300 anti-mining activists with a TV crew in tow. The petition to support Egerton comes from the local community and was signed entirely by residents of Lobo, who would directly benefit from the

the entrance. When the traffic enforcers started to prohibit them from parking, they got mad at the police, prompting the policemen to simply allow everyone to park beside the road. This was what one of the policemen told me when I inquired. They seemed afraid to confront the celebrants who were also having a hard time because of the difficulty of getting to the venue. As one got closer to the entrance, the parking situation became uncontrollable until there was only one lane left. This should never have been allowed at any cost by the traffic enforces. One does not have to be a traffic expert to know that when a very busy freeway with four lanes is reduced to one, traffic will virtually stop. Those buses parked with all the people walking along the road slowed traffic to a crawl. Those motorists fortunate enough to take the counter-flow lane did not suffer as much but even the vehicles there were slow moving. Traffic management simply broke down. I assume that there must have been some kind of planning and coordination between the police, the NLEX management and the Iglesia ni Cristo on how to handle the traffic. Whatever plan that was devised however, was a complete failure. For one, there were not enough policemen and not all the personnel who were there were trained in traffic. There were other traffic enforces wearing blue uniforms but I do not know whether they were from the NLEX mining project. They are saying “yes” to reduce poverty, increase social development, and the general improvement in their quality of life. The Board of Egerton Gold Philippines reiterated its support for the Municipality of Lobo’s council. “We recognize that the local government officials are caught between outside vested interests and their own community interests,” said Edsel Abrasaldo, president of Egerton Gold Philippines who added that “we sympathize with them. They have been subjected to intense pressure from outside interests and they are rightfully concerned about this. We all deal in a fair, professional and friendly way with the Municipal Council as has been

management or from the INC. Nonetheless, they were also total failures. For such a huge event, there should have been better planning and coordination. As it turned out, the planning underestimated the problem that ensued. People pay toll so that they can get to their destinations at the quickest possible time and not to get stuck in traffic in a freeway. Given that there will be more activities in the Philippine Arena in the future, the NLEX management must look into this problem seriously so that solutions can be planned and undertaken. Using the celebration as a reason is unacceptable nor is it fair to simply ask the motoring public to be patient. The NLEX management must ensure that what happened on July 27 will not happen again. It is their responsibility. ***** The Iglesia ni Cristo has come a long way from its humble beginnings when the late Executive Minister Felix Manalo founded it on July 27, 1914. Today, the INC has become truly global being located in 102 countries and territories throughout the globe. The first foreign mission was established in Hawaii in 1968. Now, congregations are found in the Americas, Europe, Asia and even in the Middle East. As of March 2014, there are about 5,545 congregations. The INC has therefore every reason to be proud of this accomplishment. Although there are no official figures in the country as to how many

consider themselves members of the INC, the National Statistics Office estimate that 2.45 percent of the population is affiliated with the INC making it the third largest religious denomination after Christianity and Islam. The church, however, is not without its critics. Some say that the INC is a “state within a state”. Its political clout is strong. Some of our politicians go to the extent of genuflecting to local ministers just to get the INC support. This kind of behavior is shameful to say the least but that is the reality of our politics today. But as the church celebrates its 101st founding anniversary with a bang, it is embroiled in an internal conflict which is threatening to create what might be the most serious problem of the church since Teofilo D. Ora, split with the INC in 1922 to form his own church. To outsiders, the expulsion of the mother and two siblings of Executive Minister Eduardo Manalo together with some ministers may appear extreme and is obviously a hard-line approach. The problem does not seem to involve a challenge to the authority of the Executive Minister but a plea to investigate corruption allegations against certain subordinate officials which the church leadership is refusing to do until the dissenters repent and ask for forgiveness. There seems to be no resolution in sight but it is not in the interest of the INC to drag this problem very long.

our practice for the past 12 years. Many members of the community chimed in to express their support for the mine project.” It is on record that all 10 affected barangays in Lobo unanimously endorsed the project on June 23, 2015 with the Lobo Municipal Council following suit in April 20, reflecting the social and economic interests of their constituencies. This followed a tour of an operating mine being run by Oceana Gold in Nueva Vizcaya last January 2-5, 2015 where LGU officials witnessed the mining operation and its resultant socio-economic benefits to surrounding communities. However, since then, anti-development advocates have been pushing them to reverse

their support. The feasibility study for planning of the development project started two years ago, and at a cost of approximately P90 million to date, staff, and local and international consultants have designed a mine and processing facilities to the best international standards which safeguards the people, the environment and the Verde Island Passage. Egerton Gold Philippines is a Filipino company partly funded by MRL Gold Inc., Egerton has been exploring for gold for over 12 years. And the company has discovered a gold resource of comprising 444,000 ounces of gold and some silver including a 137,000 oz. mineral reserve planned for mining.

T H U R S D AY : J U LY 3 0 , 2 0 1 5

OPINION

ADELLE CHUA EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

A11

A lousy.. From A9

OVERSIGHT DANILO SUAREZ

ONLY THE ‘GOOD NEWS’

PRESIDENT Aquino’s sixth and final State of the Nation Address last Monday epitomized what every yellow administration is known for: passing the buck when it comes to failings and taking the credit for things one did not earn. Much like putting on a fresh, perfume-spattered shirt on an un-bathed and unkempt body, the President’s SONA miserably tried and failed to mask the pervading stench of incompetency, broken promises and the putrid aroma of neglect, callousness and absentee leadership of this administration. PNoy conveniently heaped all the blame for his inequities on the past administration while taking credit for economic accomplishments the groundwork for which have been laid by previous administrations. In the course of his self aggrandizement, he failed to mention that the harsh reality is that the Philippines is the least attractive investment destination among the ASEAN-6 economies, the triennial peak in the country’s economic performance. Foreign direct investments and GDP Contrary to his speech, foreign direct investments have been slowing down since last year, and for the most part, this administration has been useless to attract as many investors as its ASEAN-6 peers. Data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas showed that net inflow of FDIs was actually lower by 71 percent year-onyear at the start of 2015. The 2014 United Nations Human Development Report similarly states that only 1.12 percent of the Philippines’ gross domestic product came from FDI, the lowest again compared to its ASEAN-6 neigh-

bors. Aside from FDIs, the Philippines also ranked as the second lowest in international trade with 64.79 percent of GDP. Tarnished reputation as an investment hub Government spending net of interest payments has been shrinking under this administration. Coupled with the burden of cancelled government projects like the Laguna Lake Dredging Project, we echo Professor Benjamin Diokno’s comment that one might rightfully say that the government took more taxes from the Filipino people than what it gave back to them in terms of public goods, services, and public infrastructure. What PNoy conveniently left out is that the unilateral breach of these contract, based on the flimsy excuse that all government contracts entered into by the previous administration are graft-ridden, will cost the Philippines billions of pesos in damages and in fact is already costing us millions more in legal expenses. This does not take into account the billions worth of investment that will no longer be invested in the country since this administration already established a reputation of not respecting the sanctity of a contract. Credit grabbing Truth be told, it was the previous administration’s prudent management of the national government debt, the passage of legislation in support of financial market development like the reformed value added tax, strong focus on tax reforms and infrastructure development like the Strong Republic Nautical Highway, which have collectively contributed to the strong fiscal performance of

the country resulting in later credit outlook upgrades. Even Fitch’s upgrade in March 2013 noted that it was Arroyo’s “improvements in fiscal management…that made general government debt dynamics more resilient to shocks.” PNoy’s claim therefore that it has been the one true reason for the rosy numbers the country has garnered is just pure imagination. Agriculture This kind of hogwash was also evident in the claims of support this administration has allegedly given the agriculture sector, the backbone of our economy. Reality according to data from the Department of Budget and Management, only a meager 4.6 percent or P350.45 billion of the national government’s expenditures (totaling over P7.66 trillion in the past four years) went to agriculturerelated programs and projects. Hence, while the economy posted high growth, official poverty statistics show that the concentration of the poor has been in the entire agriculture sector. Until now, some 1.2 million farmers rely on tenancy arrangements because seven in every 10 farmers do not have their own land, while a third of landowners hold 80 percent of agricultural lands in the country. Maguindanao massacre The glaring insensitivity of this administration to the plight of the Filipino has similarly been pronounced in the manner of how it has handled crisis upon crisis that has rocked the yellow land of Daang Matuwid, particularly that of the Maguindanao massacre and that of the Fallen SAF 44. While the Maguindanao Massacre happened during the previous

administration, the wheels of justice turned fast during the previous administration where the perpetrators were immediately incarcerated and indicted of charges. But within this administration, those cases languished and were even complicated by allegations of bribery reaching all the way to the Department of Justice. Five years after the Maguindanao massacre, the cases are still inching through the Philippine court system and not a single person has been held to account while witnesses are being systematically eliminated or paid. Mr. President, it was your administration which dropped the ball on this issue. SAF 44 The most gut-wrenching of all was that during the SONA, PNoy unabashedly pushed for the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law, and even gave honor to everyone and his uncle including his barbero, while totally and conveniently leaving out any mention of the gallantry of the Fallen SAF 44 or a shared statement of grief with their surviving families. Adding salt to the wound, the official representative of the group responsible for the murder of our troops was even shown on TV having a reserved seat at the plenary hall. This most traitorous act of insistence to ram the BBL against the overwhelming opposition shows that we are not really the bosses of this cacique President.

Moving..From A9

last part of the video should have stated that she is a [member of the pilot batch of senior high school students], not a K to 12 graduate,” Coloma quoted the unnamed producer as say-

ing, after this newspaper pointed out the apparent anomaly. If no one had noticed the strange case of Rezia Joy, I doubt if Aquino, Coloma or anyone else in Malacanang

would have apologized for it. But that’s how they roll over there by the Pasig – you have to catch them in a lie first before they can even be bothered to explain anything.

The producer of the video apologized through Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma for the “oversight.” “The

#FAILOCRACY

POP GOES THE WORLD JENNY ORTUOSTE Ms. Ortuoste’s column will resume next week.

He cited alleged gains in the economic front including unprecedented GNP and GDP growth, increase in foreign direct investments, and supposed increase in employment. While all these economic indicators may have indeed increased, the question is: did it benefit the poor among us? The answer is a resounding NO! Bayan Muna Party -List Rep Neri Colmenares cites that the wealth of Filipino billionaires listed by Forbes magazine increased by 250 percent from 2010 to 2015. Compare this to the increase in the minimum wage for the same period, which increased by a measly 3.5 percent. This means that while economic indicators indeed increased, it did not translate to inclusive growth. Hence, the rich became even richer and the poor became poorer. He then enumerated one infrastructure project after another. Goodness! This should not have been included in a SONA simply because any government, provided there is a national budget, could have built the infrastructure. He also boasted about the Conditional Cash Transfer. How can he claim credit for a program started and implemented by his predecessor? If at all, PNoy could only claim credit for legislation such as the RH Law, the Competition Law and the Cabotage Law. The problem here is that credit should go to Congress for these laws and not to the President. Moreover, for every law passed, there was a bill not enacted to law. The FOI bill is one such bill. The worst part of the speech was the never-ending expression of gratitude to his family, hairdresser and Yaya. At one point, I thought PNoy had to thank his yaya and hair dresser because they were true members of his Cabinet, responsible for his lousy policies. Levity aside, when the Constitution required the State-ofthe-Nation Address, it was not so that the President could thank everyone in his life, both private and public. He can do that as he leaves Malacanang before noon on June 30, 2016. So what did he not say? Plenty. There was nothing on his promise to protect and promote human rights. This is consistent with his policy to completely ignore human rights, including the fight against extra-legal killings, enforced disappearances and torture. There was no mention of what he intends to do to the SAF 44. Maybe this too is consistent with his position that the SAF 44 had to be sacrificed to appease his new BFF, the MILF. There was no mention of how he would oversee clean and peaceful elections. Maybe because he could not care less and simply wants to end his term. Maybe because his anointed one, who is currently lagging in the polls, intends to cheat? Who knows! Despite all the shortcomings in the last SONA, the best news is that it was indeed his last! This was the good news in the SONA. Good riddance, PNoy, and may the nation never choose a college council President ever again, particularly one who was also a foreigner for 13 years.

CHONG ARDIVILLA

T HURS DAY : J ULY 3 0 , 2 0 1 5

A12

SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Republic of the Phillippines Department of Health National Capital Regional Office VALENZUELA MEDICAL CENTER BIDS AND AWARD COMMITTEE

Suspended for doping.

Jenrry Mejia of the New York Mets celebrates after getting the final out of the tenth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citi Field on in Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. Major League Baseball suspended Mejia for 162 games after the Dominican failed a second drug test this season. Mejia, 25, returned on July 12 from an 80-game suspension that began in April for using a performanceenhancing drug. The latest suspension reportedly involved a positive test for the anabolic steroids stanozolol and boldenone. AFP

Padrigal St., Karuhatan, Valenzuela City Telefax No. 294-4625 Email addressvmc_bac@yahoo.com INVITATION TO BID PUBLIC BIDDING NO.: VMC-2015-018 The VALENZUELA MEDICAL CENTER invites all eligible bidders to bid on: DESCRIPTION PROJECT NON-REFUNDABLE FEE ALLOCATION Procurement of Drugs & P10,000.00 Medicines & Some Medical P1M-5M Supplies CY 2015 (Re-Bid) P 5,933,296.84 P5M up-P10M The bidding documents shall be available to interested bidders at the BAC Secretariat, BAC Office, 2/F, VMC, Padrigal St., Karuhatan, Valenzuela City from 9:00AM to 3:00PM, starting July 30, 2015 upon payment of non-refundable fee as indicated above. Only those who have purchased the bidding documents shall be allowed to participate in the pre bid conference and raise or submit written queries (see revised IRR of RA 9184). The pre-bidding conference will be on August 7, 2015 10:00 am at the BAC Mini-Conference Room, 2/F, VMC Annex Bldg., Padrigal St., Karuhatan, Valenzuela City. Bid opening will be on August 20, 2015, 10:00AM at the 2/F, VMC BAC-Mini Conference Room, Padrigal St., Karuhatan, Valenzuela City. All particulars relative to bid evaluation and award of contract shall be governed by the provisions of R.A. 9184 otherwise known as the Government Procurement Reform Act. Bids received in excess of the Approved Budget of the Contract (ABC) shall be automatically rejected at bid opening. LATE BIDS SHALL NOT BE ACCEPTED. ALTERNATIVE BIDS SHALL BE REJECTED. Bid bond shall be in form of cash, cashier’s check or manager’s check equivalent to two percent (2%) of the approved budget of the contract. This invitation is also advertised with the Government Electronic Procurement System (G-EPS) at www.procurementservice.org and posted at the VMC BAC bulletin board. For inquiry, please call the BAC Secretariat Office at Telephone No. 294-4625 . VALENZUELA MEDICAL CENTER RESERVES THE RIGHT TO 1) REVIEW ALL THE REQUIREMENTS; 2) REJECT ANY OR ALL BIDS; 3) CONFISCATE THE BID BOND AND/OR PURSUE APPROPRIATE LEGAL ACTION SHOULD A BIDDER BE FOUND TO HAVE VIOLATED R.A. 9184; 4) WAIVE ANY DEFECTS CONTAINED THEREIN; and/or 5) ACCEPT THE OFFER MOST ADVANTAGEOUS TO THE GOVERNMENT. ANY DECISION MADE BY THE VALENZUELA MEDICAL CENTER IS FINAL AND EXECUTORY. FURTHER, VALENZUELA MEDICAL CENTER ASSUMES NO OBLIGATION WHATSOEVER TO COMPENSATE OR INDEMNIFY THE BIDDER OR WINNING BIDDER. AS THE CASE MAY BE, FOR ANY EXPENSE OR LOSS THAT SAID PARTY (IES) MAY INCUR IN ITS PARTICIPATION IN THE PRE-BIDDING AND BIDDING PROCESS NOR DOES IT GUARANTEE THAT AN AWARD WILL BE MADE. (SGD)DONA D. SALMOS, RN, MAN Chairman, BAC (TS-JULY 30, 2015)

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES) CITY OF BCOLOD………………..)s.s.

AFFIDAVIT OF LOSS I, ELENITA P. AZCONA, of legal age, Filipino citizen, widow, and with residence address at Sunnyville Subdivision, Mandalagan, Bacolod City, Philippines, do hereby deposed and declare that: 1. I am the Vice-President and Treasurer of G.V. & SONS, INC., a corporation duly organized and existing under Philippine laws, with principal office at No. 50 Burgos Street, Bacolod City, Negros Occidental. 2. G.V. & Sons, Inc. is the registered stockholder of the shares of stock covered by the following stock certificates (the “subject Stock Certificates”), to wit: Stock Certificate No.

Issuer RFM Corporation

No. of Shares

7000002376

7000002772

7000003306

7000004067

7000005126

250

7000005856

7000006534

7000007032

140

7000008184

1,075

7000008353

270

7000009153

2,325

7000011203

2,235

7000014486

3,355

7000017441

Total No. of Shares

5,030

15,095

3. The aforementioned stocks certificates issued to G.V. & Sons, Inc. have been missing or misplaced in the office of the corporation and despite diligent and exhausted search, all efforts proved futile. 4. Hence, said certificates of stocks are considered lost for all intents and purposes. 5. The subject stock certificates have not been sold, pledged or in any way encumbered to any third party in any manner whatsoever and as of this request, G.V. & Sons, Inc. remains to be the absolute owner of the shares of stocks covered by the Subject Stock Certificates, free from all liens and encumbrances. 6. I, for and in behalf of G.V. & Sons, Inc. hereby agree to indemnify and hold the Issuer and its stock transfer agent, the Securities Transfer Services, Inc. (the “Corporation”), their respective stockholders, directors, officers, employees and representatives, as well as their assigns and successorsin-interest, fee and harmless from any and all losses, claims, suits, liabilities and/or damages that the latter may incur as a result of or arising from my request for the replacement and/or actual replacement of the Subject Stock Certificates. In the event of such losses, claims, suits, liabilities and/or damages, G.V. & Sons, Inc. hereby agree to pay the Corporation and/or Issuer liquidated damages equivalent to twice the fair market value or the par value of the shares of stock covered by the Subject Stock Certificates, whichever is higher, in addition to actual damages and attorney’sfees that the Corporation and/or Issuer, their respective stockholders, directors, officers, employees and representatives, as well as their assigns and successors-in-interest, may suffer as a result of this request. 7. In the event that the missing stock certificates are recovered, I shall immediately notify the Corporation and/or the Issuer thereof and surrender the same to the latter. 8. I am executing this Affidavit to attest to the truth of the foregoing statements and to request the Corporation and/or the Issuer to replace the Subject Stock Certificates at G.V. & Sons, Inc.’s expense. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 13th day of July 2015 at Bacolod City, Philippines. (signed) ELENITA P. AZCONA Authorized Representative of G.V. & Sons, Inc. (Stockholder) SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN TO before me this 13th day of July 2015 in Bacolod City, Philippines, affiant Elenita P. Azcona exhibiting to me her Community Tax Certificate No. 02912592 issued on January 12, 2015 at Bacolod City and her TIN ID No. 108575828 with her picture and signature as competent evidence of her identity. (signed) ELIAS A. GATANELA, JR. NOTARY PUBLIC FOR BACOLOD & TALISAY CITIES, MURCIA & SALVADOR BENEDICTO NOTARIAL COMMISSION NO. 0035-15 COMMISSION UNTIL DEC. 31, 2015 ROLL NO. 45552 IBP LIFETIME NO. 08536 PTR N0. 0005139 / 1-6-2015/ Bacolod City Doc.No. 34 Page No. 07 Book No. XVI Series of 2015. (TS-JULY 23,30 AUG. 6, 2015)

MJ loses China trademark suit

BEIJING —A Beijing court has dismissed a trademark case brought by US basketball superstar Michael Jordan against a company using a similar name and logo to his Nikeproduced brand, a report said. The former Chicago Bull is arguably the most popular international basketball star in China and is known in the country as “Qiaodan”, a Chinese version of his name. He asked Chinese authorities in 2012 to revoke the trademark of Qiaodan Sports Co, accusing the sportswear firm of misleading consumers about its ties to the six-time NBA champion. As well as the name, Qiaodan’s products carry a silhouette of a leaping basketball player resembling the “Jumpman” logo used by US sporting goods giant Nike to promote its Air Jordan brand. Authorities refused Jordan’s request, and a lower court in Beijing did the same. He appealed

to the Beijing Higher People’s Court, which has ruled against him, the Chinese news portal Sohu reported. “’Jordan’ is not the only possible reference for ‘Qiaodan’ in the trademark under dispute,” it cited a transcript of the verdict as saying. “In addition, ‘Jordan’ is a common surname used by Americans,” the court added according to the report Monday, and the logo was in the shape of a person with no facial features, so that it was “hard” for consumers to identify it as Jordan. There was insufficient evidence to prove the trademark referred to the US star, it concluded. Jordan retired from the sport in 2003. China has long been seen as a counterfeiters’ haven and has constantly been criticised by its trade partners over lax protection of intellectual property rights. It remained on this year’s US Priority Watch List of trading partners that fail to protect such rights “despite certain improvements”. Qiaodan Sports Co, based in the eastern province of Fujian, could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

National U netters seek net repeat NATIONAL University sets out for another dominant run in the inter-college tournament in the Olivarez Cup 2015 presented by Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala which fires off Friday at the Olivarez Sports Center in Sucat, Parañaque. The Bulldogs overwhelmed the field in the last two staging of the annual tournament but expect a tough challenge this time with Ateneo, St. Benilde and University of Santo Tomas shoring up their respective rosters to foil the Bustillos-based squad’s three-peat bid. Also in the fold are San Sebastian, University of the Philippines, University of the East and Arellano U. NU-A beat UST-A in the finals to

cop the men’s team championship while NU-A defeated NU-B to rule the ladies side of the inter-college tilt, which is actually set to start next with hostilities in the juniors division ushering in the two-weeklong top ranking tournament held in honor of the former Parañaque City Mayor Dr. Pablo Olivarez. Chris Prulla, Dave Mosqueda, Abson Alejandre and Emmanuela Fuellas headline the boys’ roster in the 18-and-under section while Monica Therese Cruz, Shaira Rivera, Rafaella Villanueva and Bettina Bautista banner the girls’ side of the premier class. “It will be two-week showcase of the best in the tennis with so many young, promising players raring to showcase their wares against the veterans,” said Philta president

and incumbent Parañaque Mayor Edwin Olivarez, who helped put up the event along with Rep. Eric Olivarez and Dr. Pablo Olivarez as part of the family’s long-time commitment to develop the sport and help in the talent-search. Last year’s winners Johnny Arcilla and Khim Iglupas lead the elite rosters in the men’s and women’s Open singles with Elbert Anasta out to seek revenge along with Francis Casey Alcantara, Jurence Mendoza, PJ Tierro and Rolando Ruel Jr. Top juniors Albert Lim Jr. and Eric Jed Olivarez Jr. will also join the centerpiece Open singles, both hoping to spring a surprise or two and contend for top honors and prizes against the veteran campaigners.

T HURS DAY : J ULY 3 0 , 2 0 1 5

A13

SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Gonzales to fight Viloria if price is right By Ronnie Nathanielsz

UNDEFEATED World Boxing Council flyweight champion and pound-for- pound No. 2 Roman Gonzalez of Nicaragua is willing to fight former two-division world champion Brian Viloria, provided the price is right. Gonzalez, who is 28 and has a record of 43-0 with 37 knockouts, was quoted by

boxingscene.com that he is ready to face Viloria on the big Gennady Golovkin-Da-

vid Lemieux card at New York’s famed Madison Square Garden on Oct. 17 over HBO Sports. Viloria earlier claimed that Gonzalez had avoided fighting him over the last two years, to which Gonzalez retorted that he would face the Filipino in the United States, but that “the issue is getting paid well, because I will not fight just

to fight. I’m not running from anyone. I am ready to fight anyone, but all I want is a good purse.” While the name of former champion Giovanni Segura has been mentioned as a possible opponent, Gonzalez said: “It will be a good fight, but will pay me less.” He also emphasized he wants to fight Viloria, who is coming off a spectacular

first-round TKO of Omar Soto in a rematch last Saturday, after which he called out Gonzalez. Trainer Freddie Roach, according to Viloria in a post-fight interview with The Standard/boxingmirror.com, told him that if he trained hard, he could beat Gonzalez. Viloria’s manager Gary Gittelsohn said yesterday that

it’s counter productive for him to discuss fight negotiations until they have a deal.” Gonzalez himself is coming off a rousing second-round TKO of former world champion Edgar Sosa last May 16. He had earlier won by a sixthround TKO over former OPBF champion Rocky Fuentes of the famed ALA Gym on Nov. 22, 2014.

Meralco spikers keeping the faith

Proposed Winter Olympic venue. This picture taken on January 17, 2015 shows a man skiing at the Yunding Ski Field, one of the proposed venues for Alpine skiing if Beijing wins the bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics, in Chongli town, near Zhangjiakou, in China’s Hebei Province. China came of age as an Olympic power when it hosted the spectacular Beijing 2008, a display of the unlimited resources and political will some say are essential to its bid for the 2022 Winter Games. AFP

Now or never for Concepcion By Randy Caluag

Bernabe Concepcion during the public workout yesterday at the Elorde Gym at Starmall Mandaluyong.

LOSING is not an option when the come-backing Bernabe Concepcion goes up in the ring against Tanzanian Juma Fundi in their battle for the vacant World Boxing Organization Oriental superbantamweight title tomorrow at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City. “Para sa akin huling hirit ko na ito. Do or die talaga ako sa laban na ito. Kaya naman buong puso kong pinaghandaan ang laban na ito,” said the two-time world title contender. Concepcion showed yesterday his newly-polished skills during a public workout at the Elorde Gym at Starmall in Mandaluyong City. He later said he feels faster and stronger more than ever. “Nakikita ko naman na mas

komportable siya ngayon sa timbang niya. Mas mabilis at mas malakas siya sa mga kalaban niya compared dati na mas malalaki sa kanya,” said Concepcion’s manager Ryan Gabriel. Gabriel’s Arci is also co-promoting the 11-fight card dubbed “Mandirigmang Pinoy,” with Saved by the Bell Promotion. “I still have faith in Abe. He is now a more matured boxer. ‘Yung development niya as a boxer went with his age. Parang ito na ‘yung peak niya,” added Gabriel on the reason why he is betting his cards on the 27-year-old Concepcion. Gabriel took over the boxing career of Concepcion since last year and has slowly put back the former world-rated fighter into his old form that had made him one of the top Filipino contenders. If he wins the crown, Concep-

cion needs to defend it successfully so that Gabriel can arrange another shot for his boxer at a world title. Concepcion, who owns a ring record of 33 wins (19 by KOs), 6 losses and 2 draws, aimed for the WBO featherweight title twice, but failed on both occasions, losing to Steve Luano in 2009 and Juan Manuel Lopez in 2010. This time, he will be fighting in the lighter superbantamweight division. Concepcion last climbed the ring in January against Indonesian Rasmanudin, who he stopped in the second round. Concepcion said he doesn’t know much about Fundi (27-12-3), but he’s ready to figure him out in the earlier rounds then go for the finish when he sees an opening. “Boxing po kasi ito kaya isang kurap lang baka may mangyari,” Concecpion said.

Nadal recovers from 1st-set loss, crushes Verdasco HAMBURG—Top seed Rafael Nadal bidding to rediscover some semblance of his former all-conquering form recovered from losing the first set to beat fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco 3-6,

6-1, 6-1 and reach the second round of Hamburg’s ATP tournament on Tuesday. The 29-year-old former world number one, who has slipped to 10 in the rankings after a run of poor results,

struggled in the first set but recovered to take the second before earning a critical break in the decider for a 2-1 lead. He saved all four break points he faced in the final set to eventually clinch vic-

tory and set up a secondround clash with the winner of the Jiri Vesely and Andreas Haider-Maurer match. Nadal, who has had a tortuous year in which he lost his French Open title

and went out in the second round of Wimbledon, is making his first appearance in Hamburg since winning the tournament in 2008 when he beat long-time rival Roger Federer. AFP

THEY may not be the tallest, most skilled and the most experienced, but Jusabelle Brillo and Jem Gutierrez of Meralco trust each other and hope to carry through as the PLDT Home Ultera Philippine Superliga Beach Volleyball 2015 powered by Smart Live More enters its crucial stretch this Saturday at the Sands By the Bay in SM Mall of Asia. A seasoned spiker from University of the Visayas, Brillo and the 19-year-old Gutierrez had a solid start by crushing Benguet Electric Cooperative (Beneco) of Cindy Benitez and Florence May Madulid in the opener of this prestigious tournament organized by Sports Core, with Accel as official outfitter, Sands By the Bay as venue partner and Maynilad as official water provider. But they suffered a fiveset meltdown against Fiola Ceballos and Patty Orendain of Foton Tornadoes last week, their game affected by the strong wind and a thunderstorm that struck the metro over the weekend. But Brillo and Gutierrez are still keeping the faith. “Ang beach volleyball, hindi po ‘yan puro lang height, skills o experience. Dapat may tiwala din po sa isa’t isa,” said Brillo, a veteran of the past two editions of the Asian Beach Games in Bali, Indonesia and Phuket, Thailand. “Kahit natalo po kami sa Foton dahil malakas ang hangin at medyo bumabagyo, hindi na po namin iniisip ‘yun. Ang importante ay magtiwala lang kami sa isa’t isa. Kasi kung magiging solid po kami, kahit sino pa man ang makalaban namin, makakaya naming talunin.” Brillo and Gutierrez were not the original choices as tandem in this highlycompetitive tourney that is also being aired live over TV 5.

T H U R S D AY : J U LY 3 0 , 2 0 1 5

A14

SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

‘Azkals’ World Cup chances promising’ ONLY four countries in Asia will qualify for the World Cup Finals in 2018 in Russia and Azkals manager Dan Palami called the Philippine national football team’s chances as “promising.”

Blazing finish.

Arnold Villacencio flashed his local knowledge of Mt. Malarayat’s composite courses, blazing home with four birdies and coming away with a six-under 66 for a one-stroke lead over title-hungry Jhonnel Ababa and unheralded Chris Mamaril at the start of the ICTSI Classic yesterday. Villacencio, seeking a followup to his playoff breakthrough victory over Miguel Tabuena at ICTSI Summit Point last year, came through with a strong start at Mt. Malipunyo, bucked a lost-ball mishap on the par-5 14th with a birdie on the 18th then rattled off a bogey-free 32 at the Mt. Lubo side that shoved him past a mix of 25 others who turned in under-par scores.

Palami is hoping that “everything would fall in place” for the Philippine national football team to make it to the world’s largest international team sport competition. “It’s a tall order for us to make the third round, especially with our group that includes some very strong teams. But the team (Azkals) got off to a good start with two wins and the performance was also very satisfying, so it’s really promising,” Palami said. The Philippine Team, recently described by a FIFA.com article as “fast-progressing,” beat Bahrain for the first time, 2-1, at the Philippine Sports Stadium in Bocaue, Bulacan, last June 11 then trounced Yemen, 2-0, on the road last June 16. It will face tough Uzbekistan on Sept. 8 at the Philippine Sports Stadium. Palami cited teams like South Korea, Japan and Australia and Middle East squads such as the United Arab Emirates, Iran and Iraq as powerhouses in Asia, one of the six FIFA continental zones where the qualifying rounds are being held. The other zones are Europe, North and Central America and Caribbean, South America, Africa, and Oceania. From a large field of over 200 countries, the ongoing qualifying process will reduce Republic of the Philippines

Republic of the Philippines

DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE

Roxas Boulevard Corner Pablo Ocampo, Sr. Street Manila 1004

Request foR expRession of inteRest foR the pRocuRement of A consultAncy seRvices foR the DesiGn, Development AnD implementAtion of An executive pRoGRAm foR A mAsteRAl DeGRee in puBlic mAnAGement/ Development mAnAGement With speciAliZAtion in puBlic finAnce 1.

The Department of Finance (DOF), through the General Appropriations Act for CY 2015, intends to apply the sum of Twenty Seven Million Pesos (PhP27,000,000.00), being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC), to payments under the contract for the Procurement of Consultancy Services for the Design, Development and Implementation of an Executive Program for a Masteral Degree in Public Management/ Development Management with Specialization in Public Finance. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at the opening of the financial proposals.

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST PROCUREMENT OF INTEGRATING SERVICES FOR THE WELCOME RECEPTION OF THE APEC FINANCE MINISTERS MEETING ON 10 SEPTEMBER 2015 IN MACTAN, CEBU 1.

The DOF-SBAC shall adopt a two-stage process of selection of winning bidder: First Stage – Shortlisting of qualified bidders and Second Stage – Submission and evaluation of Technical and Financial Proposals of shortlisted bidders.

The DOF-SBAC now calls for the submission of eligibility documents for the Project. Eligibility documents may be purchased at the General Services Division, 7th/F, EDPC Building, BSP Complex, Roxas Boulevard, Manila upon payment of a non-refundable amount of Php5,000.00. It may also be downloaded at the PhilGEPS and DOF website, provided the interested bidders shall pay the non-refundable fee not later than the date of submission of bids. Only shortlisted bidders will be allowed to purchase bidding documents for the Second Stage upon payment of non-refundable amount of Php10,000.00 for the bidding documents.

Interested bidders must submit their eligibility documents on or before August 7, 2015, 10:00 am, which will be opened on the same date and time at the IFG Conference Room, 5th/F DOF Building, BSP Complex, Roxas Boulevard, Manila. The SBAC reserves the right to accept any eligibility document submitted beyond the stated time but only for meritorious circumstances which are beyond the control of interested bidders as determined by the SBAC. Applications for eligibility/ short listing will be evaluated based on an evaluation criteria and rating system provided hereunder.

The SBAC shall draw up the shortlist of bidders from those who have submitted Expressions of Interest and other required documents and have been determined as eligible in accordance with the provisions of Republic Act No. 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”, and its Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (RIRR).

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

The shortlist shall consist of top five (5) bidders and those who have not received a score of zero (0) in any aspect of the criteria. Should less than five (5) bidders apply for eligibility check and/or do not receive a score of zero (0) in any aspect of the criteria, the SBAC shall consider said number of eligible bidders in the shortlist. The criteria and rating system for shortlisting are the following using multi-level weighted scoring: Evaluation Criteria Maximum Score Company Experience and 50% Reference Team Competence 35% Workload Capacity 15%

The Procuring Entity shall evaluate bids using the Quality Based Evaluation/ Selection (QBE/QBS) procedure. The criteria and rating system for the evaluation of bids shall be provided in the Instructions to Bidders.

The SBAC shall evaluate the technical and financial bids using the Quality-Cost Based Evaluation (QCBE) procedure. The weights allocated are seventy percent (70%) for the Technical Proposal and thirty percent (30%) for the Financial Proposal. The criteria and rating system for the evaluation of bids shall be provided in the Instructions to Bidders.

The Project shall be completed on 10 September 2015.

The SBAC reserves the right to reject documents which do not comply with the requirements, waive any formalities of documents or consider any submission of documents as substantial compliance, reject any and all bids, declare a failure of bidding, annul the bidding process, or not award the contract, or if the funds/allotment for the program/project/activity has been withheld or reduced through no fault of the procuring entity without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

The Procuring Entity’s Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) now calls for the submission of eligibility documents for the procurement of consulting services for the Project. Interested consultants must submit their eligibility documents on or before August 10, 2015, 9:45 am at the BAC Secretariat, 7th Floor EDPC Building, BSP Complex, Roxas Blvd., Malate, Manila. Applications for eligibility will be evaluated based on a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion.

The BAC shall draw up the short list of consultants from those who have submitted eligibility documents and have been determined as eligible in accordance with the provisions of Republic Act No. 9184 (R.A. No. 9184), otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”, and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR). The short list shall consist of at least one (1) prospective bidder who will be entitled to submit bids. The criteria and rating system for short listing are: I. Applicable Experience II. Quality of Personnel to be Assigned III. Capacity to Execute the Consultancy Project Total

– 30% – 50% – 20% – 100%

The passing score is seventy percent (70%).

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the IRR of R.A. No. 9184.

The contract shall be completed within a period of twelve (12) months from issuance of Notice to Proceed.

The Procuring Entity reserves the right to reject any and all bids, annul the bidding process, or not award the contract at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders

The Department of Finance (DOF) through its Special Bids and Awards Committee, (SBAC) and through the General Appropriations Act for FY 2015, Republic Act No. 10652, intends to apply the sum of Thirteen Million Pesos (Php13,000,000.00), inclusive of all applicable taxes, being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for the Procurement of Integrating Services for the Welcome Reception of the APEC Finance Ministers Meeting on 10 September 2015 in Mactan, Cebu (“the Project”). Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at the opening of the financial proposals.

the competition to just 32 countries for the World Cup Finals. “These Asian teams are always expected to figure prominently in the qualifiers,” said Palami. He admitted there’s plenty of work ahead “and we need some luck along the way to make the next round.” “But, as they say, anything’s possible,” he added. In the present Group H where the Philippines is bracketed, Uzbekistan is the top seed but it lost to North Korea last June 16, “so that makes North Korea a favorite in our group as well, ” Palami said. The Philippine Azkals will face North Korea on Oct. 8 this year in its capital Pyongyang, one of three remaining games in the ongoing qualifying round scheduled to be played outside of Manila. Palami said the present team has a nice mix of veteran and young players “who seemed to have adjusted to coach Thomas Dooley’s system.” “We are not only winning but playing good football as well. It’s a team that the country can be proud of, which is what I always wanted to form,” said Palami, who is in charge of recruiting players.

For further information, please refer to: Ms. Lilia R. Tan, Tel No. 526-84-75 / ltan@dof.gov.ph (SGD) GIL S. BELTRAN Undersecretary and Chairman Bids and Awards Committee

(TS-JULY 30, 2015)

10. For more information, please refer to: SBAC Secretariat Department of Finance 5th Floor, DOF Building, BSP Complex, Roxas Boulevard, City of Manila Tel. No. 4007446 Email Address: rtanbengco@dof.gov.ph 30 July 2015

(TS-JULY 30, 2015)

(Signed) GIL S. BELTRAN Undersecretary and Chairperson Special Bids and Awards Committee

Diamond Belt at stake By Ronnie Nathanielsz WORLD Boxing Council president Mauricio Sulaiman announced that the WBC Diamond belt will be at stake when Leon Santa Cruz battles Abner Mares in an eagerly awaited showdown on Aug. 29 in Los Angeles, California. The WBC website reported that the Board of Governors voted in favor of approving the highly prestigious WBC Diamond belt to the extraordinary fight between Mares and Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz is a world champion in two divisions and current WBC super bantamweight champion while Mares, a world champion in three divisions, will finally clash after years of anticipation for this great fight. Five-division world champion Nonito Donaire had earlier indicated he was interested in facing Santa Cruz for his 122-pound title with the possibility that the Filipino, who has had two solid wins after a crushing sixth-round TKO loss to the bigger and stronger Nicholas Walters in a featherweight title fight, may now consider facing the winner of the Santa Cruz-Mares title fight.

T H U R S D AY : J U LY 3 0 , 2 0 1 5

A15

SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

LOTTO RESULTS

6/55 00-00-00-00-00-00 P0 M+ 6/45 00-00-00-00-00-00 P0 M 4 DIGITS 0-0-0-0 3 DIGITS 0-0-0 2 EZ2 0-0

Defined roles key SMB’s title conquest By Jeric Lopez

Two-time MVP June Mar Fajardo, one-time MVP Arwind Santos and sweet-shooting Marcio Lassiter, shown here ganging up on an opposing player, had clearly defined roles that had the Beermen performing like a one, well-oiled machine.

Parks won’t join PBA draft to focus on NBA By Dennis Principe

NATIONAL Basketball Association prospect Bobby Ray Parks won’t be joining the upcoming Philippine Basketball Association Rookie Draft. According to his agent Charlie Dy, Parks has decided to exclusively focus on his attempt to become the first Filipino homegrown talent to play for an NBA team. US-bred Jordan Clarkson, whose mother is Annette Davis is a Filipina, is currently part of the Los Angeles Lakers line-up. Parks is coming off a meaningful campaign in the recent NBA Summer League where he played for the Dallas

Mavericks. Parks is the first-ever homegrown talent to have played in an NBA pre-season tournament. “100% na siya na hindi magpapa-draft kasi gusto niyang mag-focus talaga sa NBA plans niya. He’s been training three times a day so importante sa kaniya na wala na siyang ibang iniisip other than the NBA,” said Dy. Local-born players have until August 7 to file their application

and submit the necessary requirements, while the PBA Rookie Draft will be held on Aug. 23. Dy revealed they are in talks with teams in their attempt to make Parks become part of an NBA team’s training camp. “Initially, they are saying he is a tall guard pero ang nangyari sa summer league, hindi naman siya naglaro as point guard. We are really presenting him that he is capable of playing at point. Feeling lang kasi nila, he has to be more aggressive kasi nakikita nila is parang mahiyain si Ray.” Making the NBA training gives players a 95% chance of breaking into an NBA team.

Omar Sharif 1932-2015 SYLVIA LOPEZ ALEJANDRO WHAT a great chance happening! In a fine restaurant in Geneva, I saw Omar Sharif dining. I was there in Geneva as Philippine Airlines Director of Industry Affairs attending the meeting of the IATA Aeropolitical Advisory Group composed of 12 select members. With this, I share this unique tribute to Omar Sharif by the World Bridge Federation expressed July 10, 2015. “Omar Sharif, actor and bridge player died yesterday of a heart attack in a Cairo hospital. Omar Sharif, the Franco-Ar-

abic actor best known for playing Sherif Ali in Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and the title role in Doctor Zhivago (1965), was born Michell Demitri Shalhoub on April 10, 1932 in Alexandra, Egypt. Of Lebanese and Syrian extraction, the young Michel was raised a Roman Catholic. He was educated at Victoria College in Alexandria and took a degree in mathematics and physics from Cairo University with a major. Afterward graduating from university, he entered the family lumber business. He developed an interest in acting and studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. Before making his Englishlanguage film debut with Lawrence of Arabia, for which he earned a Best Supporting Actor

Academy Award nomination and international fame, along with two Golden Globe awards, Sharif became a star in Egyptian cinema. His first movie was the Egyptian film Siraa Fil-Wadi (1954) (The Blazing Sun) in 1953, opposite the renowed Egyptian actress Faten Hamama whom he married in 1955. He converted to Islam to marry Hamama and took the name Omar al-Sharif. The couple had one child (Tarek Sharif, who was born in 1957 and portrayed the young Zhivago in the eponymous picture) and divorced in 1974. Sharif never remarried. He was a fine sportsman, representing Egyptian at football, but his passion was bridge. Beginning in the 1960’s, he earned a reputation as one of

This is because the NBA adjusted its rule wherein a team can now waive four players, instead of three, and make those four individuals their D-League affiliate players provided those players sign a D-League contract. NBA teams are allowed to recruit as many as 20 players, but can name only 15 on their roster spot where only 13 can be active during the regular season. Beginning this season’s D-League, there will be a total of 19 teams, 18 of which will be either affiliated or owned by an NBA team. The NBA D-League will start this coming November and will run until April 2016.

the world’s best known players. In the 1970’s and 80’s, with Charles Goren, he co-wrote a syndicated newspaper bridge column for the Chicago Tribune. He wrote several books on bridge and licensed his name to Omar Sharif Bridge, which was first marketed in 1992. In 1967 he founded the Omar Sharif Bridge Circus, which included energetic and quickwitted Egyptian Leon Yallouze as the coordinator, young Mike Ledeen (later to become a world renown terrorism expert) who served as the American Manager of the Circus, Benito Garozzo, (considered by many as the greatest bridge player of all time) plus his Italian compatriots Pietro Forque and Giorgio Belladonna and handsome Parisian internationalist, Claude Delmouly. In the early 70’s Omar set up a Rubber Bridge match in Lon-

SAN Miguel Beer coach Leo Austria said “role definition” held the key to the Beermen’s success in the 40th season of the Philippine Basketball Association. Austria said that immediately after he was tapped to take over the Beermen’s coaching job, he already knew that he needed to address some issues to a team that boasts of a lot of talent and depth. While the team’s previous coaches failed to find the right chemistry and formula to turn San Miguel’s innate talent into success, the mentor from Bicol found a way to make things work for the Beermen as he made the entire team come together by defining their roles. “Noong pagpasok ko sa San Miguel, sinabi ko na sa sarili ko na dapat maging balanced itong team at mabigyan ng tamang roles ‘yung mga players para makakuha kami ng championship. That’s the first thing I did with San Miguel,’’ said Austria, who is now a two-time champion coach. ‘’I know we had to have chemistry.’’ He turned out to be right on target. The Beermen’s successful turnaround was evident as Austria and San Miguel took home two of the three championships (Philippine Cup and Governors’ Cup) this past season. Austria said he felt confident that if every player on San Miguel’s talented roster can be utilized well, the team will be successful and it certainly turned out that way. “From every position kasi may scorer sa amin, so pinaliwanag ko sa kanila kung papaano namin magagawan ng paraan iyon. Lahat sila alam nila ‘yung roles nila at kung sino ang papalitan kapag papasok sila. Tinanggap nila iyon kaya maganda naging takbo namin,’’ said Austria. Though Austria got the job done for San Miguel, he admitted that winning two championships and getting the team on the same page wasn’t exactly a walk in the park. “It’s not that easy. It was very challenging, but iyon ang kailangan ng every team. Kailangan talagang i-define ang roles nila.’’ Now that Austria and San Miguel Beer already found the right formula to success, it’ll be interesting to see how far they can go come next season.

don against Jeremy Flint and Jonathan Cansino at the then unheard of stakes of £1 a point. He won £7,000 but lost £100,000 on a film of the match, which was never shown to the public. In 1991, Omar was a special guest at the World Bridge Championships in Yokohama. A boat trip was organized around the harbour and the TV cameras were out in force. Omar was a bad sailor but when the time came for him to be interviewed he gave a bravura performance. He had two separate bridge careers: in 1964 and 1968 he captained (and played on) the Egyptian team in the Olympiad, finishing 21st on both occasions. Then, in 1997 he was a member of the Committee of Honour for the Bermuda Bowl on the first occasion that this was organized in an Arab country,

Tunisia. He competend in a truly transnational team (with French, German and Lebanese players) and finished 11th. Two years later, Omar was asked to join a French entry for the senior teams at the European Championships in Malta. Omar’s team finished second. Another year later, at Maastricht, Omar Sharif joined Egypt’s senior team, finishing in a creditable ninth place. The French Senior teams in Malta finished in the first three positions and, as was customary at the time, this would mean the public would get to hear the “Marsellaise” performed three times. The Organizers decided to play the nostalgic theme to the film Doctor Zhivago instead, which was greeted with great cheers.” Comments to: sylvia.alejandro@yahoo.com

A16

T H U R S D AY : J U LY 3 0 , 2 0 1 5

RIERA U. MALL ARI EDITOR

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

sports@thestandard.com.ph

SPORTS

What now, Tiger? PH archer advances to Olympic round By Peter Atencio LONDON Olympian Rachel Dela Cruz survived a tough qualification round to advance into the Olympic round of the women’s recurve competitions in the 2015 World Archery Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark. The 30-year-old De la Cruz was the only member of the 6-man Philippine squad, who gained a chance to claim a seat to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro competition following Monday’s eliminations. She ranked 88th out of 157 entries with 610 points. Dela Cruz is set to meet 25th seed Qi Yuhong of China, a World Cup champion, in the Olympic round. National coach Joy Marino, in a radio interview, said Dela Cruz is confident with her coming showdown against the Chinese ace. Still, she needs to win at least three matches to make it to the last eight, and earn a place in the Rio De Janeiro Olympic Games. Philippine Archers’ National Network and Alliance, Inc. Secretary General Atty. Clint Aranas likes Dela Cruz’s chances. Meanwhile, Filipino archers Florante Matan, Luis Gabriel Moreno and Mark Javier all missed the cut to the Olympic round. Matan was 129th with 611 points, Moreno landed 143rd with 606, while Javier ended up 159th with 598.

US golfer Tiger Woods reacts to missing a putt on the 18th green during the completion of his second round 75, on day three of the 2015 British Open Golf Championship on The Old Course at St Andrews in Scotland. Woods missed the cut at the British Open for just the second time in ais career at St Andrews on Saturday. He carded a second round of 75 to go with his opening 76 and at seven over he was well outside the cut mark which stood at level par. AFP

GAINESVILLE—A frustrated Tiger Woods never imagined it would take so long to regain top form after back surgery and swing changes, but he will stick with his comeback plan. “Is it frustrating to not win golf tournaments? Yeah. But I know how close it feels. I just need a couple shots here and there to turn the tide,” Woods said Tuesday. Woods serves as host for this week’s US PGA National at the par-71 Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, a 7,385-yard layout last used by top stars for the 2005 Presidents Cup. Woods, a 14-time major champion whose last major title came at the 2008 US Open, has fallen to 266th in the world rankings as he struggles to rebuild his game. He has not won a title since he world number one at Firestone in 2013, a two-year drought with a “perfect storm” of back surgery and swing change

struggles setting him back. “I didn’t think it would take this long, but I thought I would have my short game, which I didn’t at the beginning of the year,” Woods said. “Things are starting to come together. I’m sticking with the process and trying to make progress every day. “Is it fun going through this? No, it’s hard. I’m not scoring. Rounds that should be 70s are turning into 74s if not worse.” Woods, 39, has missed the cut in three of his eight starts this year, including the US and British Opens, with his best result a share of 17th at the Masters. He shot 82 at Phoenix and 85 at the Memorial, his worst pro rounds, and shared 32nd at

the Greenbrier only to finish a woeful 147th of 156 over the first 36 holes in the British Open at St. Andrews, where he twice won the Claret Jug. Woods took a week off in the Bahamas without touching a club, snorkeling and fishing with his children while Jordan Spieth narrowly saw his bid for a third major title of the year spoiled by Zach Johnson. - Spieth impresses Tiger “For him to play St. Andrews for the first time, see it under different winds and play it that well, it was very impressive,” Woods said of Spieth. “Unbelievable chance to win the golf tournament. He was only a couple putts off.” Spieth is playing like Woods once did and as Woods hopes he might again in two weeks in the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits. “Do I want to be in that position again? Absolutely,” Woods said. “I’ve had chances to make those

Parks to focus on NBA dream

Now or never for Bernabe

TURN TO A15

TURN TO A13

runs. I just haven’t done it. It’s a matter of making a big putt here or there.” Woods, who says he has no pain in his swing and has not consulted a sports psychologist about his poor play, marvels at the top young players he sees at PGA events now. “You see all these new, fresh faces and you look down the range and don’t recognize anybody,” Woods said. “I go to the (50-and-over) Champions Tour and I know every guy. It’s the nature of the game. Our careers are so long now. The guys I practiced against are all gone.” Woods, whose 79 career titles are only three off Sam Snead’s all-time PGA record, will play alongside fellow Americans Bill Haas and Nick Watney in the first two rounds. Defending champion Justin Rose is in the group behind him starting Thursday afternoon alongside Sweden’s David Lingmerth and American Jimmy Walker. AFP

THURSDAY: JULY 30, 2015

RAY S. EÑANO EDITOR

RODERICK T. DELA CRUZ ASSISTANT EDITOR

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

BUSINESS

ICTSI joins Davao port bidding PSe comPoSite index Closing July 29, 2015

8500 8000 7500 7000 6500 6000

7,482.83 3.80

PeSo-dollar rate

Closing JULY 29, 2015 42

P45.530

44 45

By Darwin G. Amojelar

PORT operator International Container Terminal Services Inc. on Wednesday joined four other groups that submitted pre-qualification documents for the government’s first seaport project under the public-private partnership scheme. Conglomerate San Miguel Corp. teamed up with global port operator APM Terminals of the Netherlands to bid for the P18.99billion Davao Sasa Port modernization project. APM Terminals operates a global terminal network of 63 operating port and terminal facilities in 38 countries and 200

inland services operations in 39 countries, while San Miguel is a frequent bidder in the government’s PPP projects. Other groups that submitted prequalification documents for the Davao Sasa Port project are Bollore Ports of France, Singapore-based Portek International Pte. Ltd. and the joint venture of Asian Termi-

nals Inc. and Dubai Ports World. According to the Transport Department, the submission and opening of bids would be held in the fourth quarter of this year. The award of the 30-year contract is expected in April next year. The winning bidder will build a new apron and linear quay, expand the back-up area, container yards and warehouses and install ship-to-shore cranes and rubbertyred gantry. Once the first phases of the project are completed in 2018, the Sasa Port will be comparable to the country’s top ports in terms of speed and quality of service, cutting down cargo unloading from three days to three hours by using modern ship-to-shore cranes and port operating systems.

The Davao area thrives in banana exports, being the second largest exporter of the fruit in the world. A study conducted by International Finance Corp. and the Development Bank of the Philippines showed that container traffic in the Davao area would increase by at least 6 percent annually over the next 25 years. Without the added capacity of a modernized Sasa Port, there will be a strong chance of shortage in port capacity in Davao Bay, which may affect small-medium banana growers, according to the government. Apart from added capacity, the proximity of the Sasa Port to banana plantations will help growers save at least P8,000 in trucking costs per delivery.

HIGH P45.440 LOW P45.535 AVERAGE P45.478 VOLUME 507.700M

P475.00-P675.00 LPG/11-kg tank P40.55-P46.70 Unleaded Gasoline P27.90-P31.15 Diesel

oPriceS il P today

P34.55-P39.15 Kerosene P23.70-P24.40 Auto LPG Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Wednesday, July 29, 2015

F oreign e xchange r ate Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

45.5040

Japan

Yen

0.008095

0.3684

Pound

1.561300

71.0454

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.129021

5.8710

Switzerland

Franc

1.038961

47.2769

Canada

Dollar

0.773395

35.1926

Singapore

Dollar

0.733407

33.3730

Australia

Dollar

0.732225

33.3192

Bahrain

Dinar

2.652238

120.6874

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266674

12.1347

Brunei

Dollar

0.730727

33.2510

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000074

0.0034

Thailand

Baht

0.028670

1.3046

UAE

Dirham

0.272257

12.3888

Euro

1.105900

50.3229

Korea

Won

0.000860

0.0391

China

Yuan

0.161046

7.3282

India

Rupee

0.015681

0.7135

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.262254

11.9336

New Zealand

Dollar

0.668583

30.4232

Taiwan

Dollar

0.031842

1.4489 Source: PDS Bridge

LandBank-Voyager award. The LandBank Mobile Loan Saver, which is fueled by Voyager Innovations Inc., the digital unit of Philippine Long Distance Co. and Smart Communications Inc., won Best Core Banking System Initiative and Best Mobile Banking Initiative at the 10th Asian Banking and Finance Retail Banking Awards. Shown receiving the awards are (from left) Voyager head of FinTech, digital inclusion and alliances Lito Villanueva, PLDT and Smart president and chief executive Napoleon Nazareno, PLDT chairman Manuel Pangilinan, LandBank president and chief executive Gilda Pico, Voyager president and chief executive Orlando Vea and Voyager chief operations ofﬁcer Benjie Fernandez.

July inﬂation likely below 1%, the lowest on record—DoF By Gabrielle H. Binaday INFLATION rate in July likely fell below 1 percent, the lowest in decades, giving the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas flexibility to keep interest rates low in support of the economy, an official of the Finance Department said Wednesday. The Finance Department said inflation rate in July likely settled at 0.7 percent to 1 percent, given the lower prices of fuel products

and electricity rates. “Lower inflation will allow BSP [Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas] to maintain accommodative monetary policy that will sustain rapid economic growth. It will dampen the adverse impact of external volatilities, including the Chinese slowdown, the Fed normalization and the Greece exit,” Finance Undersecretary and chief economist Gil Beltran said. Beltran said the low inflation rate would also help reduce

poverty incidence and move the country closer to its millennium development goal. The Finance Department’s inflation forecast is slightly lower than Bangko Sentral’s estimate of 0.5 percent to 1.3 percent inflation rate in July. The Philippine Statistics Authority will release the actual July inflation figure in the first week of August. Bangko Sentral Government Amando Tetangco Jr. earlier said

inflation in July would settle at 0.5 percent to 1.3 percent, amid lower petroleum pump prices and power rates. The Asian Development Bank in it Supplemental Outlook 2015 said it maintained country’s inflation rate for 2015 at 2.8 percent and 3.3 percent on 2016, on weak oil prices and falling food prices Data from the PSA showed inflation rate dropped to 1.2 percent in June, the slowest in

two decades, on sufficient supply of food and moderate price pressures from energy and oil. The National Economic and Development Authority said inflation rate in June decelerated from 1.6 percent in May and 4.4 percent in June 2014. This pulled down the average inflation rate in the first half of the year to 2.05 percent, near the low end of the government’s target range of 2 percent to 4 percent for 2015.

THURSDAY: JULY 30, 2015

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

The STandard BuSineSS daily STockS review Wednesday, July 29, 2015

52 Weeks

High Low

STOCKS

7.88 75.3 124.4 107 56.5 2.49 4.2 17 30.45 10.4 0.92 1.01 100 1.46 30.5 75 91.5 137 361.2 57 180 1700 124 3.26

2.5 66 88.05 88.1 45.45 1.97 1.68 12.02 19.6 6.12 0.74 0.225 78 0.9 17.8 58 62 88.35 276 41 118.2 1200 59 2.65

AG Finance Asia United Bank Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. Bank of PI China Bank BDO Leasing & Fin. INc. Bright Kindle Resources COL Financial Eastwest Bank Filipino Fund Inc. First Abacus MEDCO Holdings Metrobank Natl. Reinsurance Corp. PB Bank Phil Bank of Comm Phil. National Bank Phil. Savings Bank PSE Inc. RCBC `A’ Security Bank Sun Life Financial Union Bank Vantage Equities

4.5 72.3 98.60 94.10 45.9 2.43 1.60 16.28 20.2 7.76 0.68 0.400 88.5 0.98 18.90 26.00 63.10 94.95 308.8 38.4 147.5 1415.00 59.90 3.25

47 5 1.46 2.36 15.3 148 20.6 125 36 65.8 2.97 4.14 21.5 21.6 11.96 9.13 11.8 2.89 17 31.8 109 20.75 15.3 9.4 0.98 241 12.5 74 33.9 90 13.26 293 5.25 12.98 15 7.03 3.4 4.5 6.3 7.86 238 3.28 0.315 2.18 2.65 234 5.28 1.3 26 2.17

35.9 1.11 1.01 1.86 7.92 32 15.32 62.5 10.08 29.15 1.5 1.5 10.72 9.55 9.04 6.02 8.86 1.06 8.61 20.2 71.5 13.86 13.24 5.34 0.395 173 8.65 33 23.35 17.3 5.88 250.2 3.87 8.45 10.04 3.03 1.95 1 4.02 1.65 161 1.55 0.138 1.02 2.09 152 4.28 0.640 10.02 1.2

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

43.85 1.34 1.02 1.89 10.2 92.00 18.14 189.9 26.1 56 2.53 1.74 12.1 20.650 9.00 7.35 9.65 1.71 14.7 25.45 80.05 13.36 13.14 6.08 0.500 189.50 10.4 55.00 24.7 25.2 5.8 296.20 4.6 7.81 11.90 3.40 2.35 3.44 4.26 1.9 167.9 1.8 0.146 1.40 2.18 190 4.29 0.69 23.50 1.16

0.59 59.2 30.05 2.16 7.39 3.4 823.5 10.2 84 4.92 0.66 1455 7.5 76 6.5 5.29 9.25 0.85 17.3 0.71 5.53 6.55 9.66 1.61 84.9 3.5 974 1.66 390 156 0.710 0.435 0.510

0.44 48.1 20.85 1.6 6.62 0.23 634.5 7.390 12.8 2.26 0.152 837 5.3 49.55 3.43 3 4.84 0.59 12 0.580 4.2 4.5 3 0.550 59.3 1.5 751 1.13 170 80 0.211 0.179 0.310

Abacus Cons. À’ Aboitiz Equity Alliance Global Inc. Anglo Holdings A Anscor À’ ATN Holdings A Ayala Corp À’ Cosco Capital DMCI Holdings Filinvest Dev. Corp. Forum Pacific GT Capital House of Inv. JG Summit Holdings Jolliville Holdings Keppel Holdings À’ Lopez Holdings Corp. Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp. LT Group Mabuhay Holdings À’ Metro Pacific Inv. Corp. Minerales Industrias Corp. MJCI Investments Inc. Prime Orion San Miguel Corp À’ Seafront À’ SM Investments Inc. Solid Group Inc. Transgrid Top Frontier Unioil Res. & Hldgs Wellex Industries Zeus Holdings

0.470 57.8000 22.00 1.22 6.80 0.245 771 7.64 12.02 4.25 0.210 1381 6.44 71.60 3.98 4.99 7.23 0.67 15 0.6 4.6 7.5 3.74 2.040 57.00 2.54 890.00 1.18 146.00 77.000 0.3150 0.1960 0.280

10.5 26.95

6.74 12

8990 HLDG 7.660 Anchor Land Holdings Inc. 8.05

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

SHARES 25534968 79885974 51714371 80024945 107390938 3411776985 3756665221

High

Low

FINANCIAL 4.75 4.45 72.95 72.5 99.50 98.20 96.25 94.10 46.35 45.55 2.52 2.50 1.60 1.55 16.3 16.1 20.7 20.15 7.70 7.12 0.68 0.68 0.410 0.395 89.9 88.45 1.1 1 19.30 18.60 26.00 26.00 64.20 63.20 94.9 94.9 316 306 38.65 38.45 150.6 146.7 1416.00 1400.00 59.90 59.30 3.4 3.25 INDUSTRIAL 44.1 43.85 1.48 1.44 1.03 1.02 1.91 1.89 10.26 10.12 91.00 91.00 18.3 18 187 187 26.45 26.05 56 55.4 2.64 2.55 1.82 1.74 12.5 12.04 21.450 20.45 9.00 8.80 7.50 7.10 10.00 9.81 1.71 1.71 14.88 14.5 27 26.15 80.5 79.4 13.88 13.88 13.60 13.14 6.11 6.02 0.520 0.520 190.00 187.70 10.5 10.4 56.40 53.00 25 24.35 25.5 24.75 5.8 5.74 298.80 296.20 4.74 4.58 7.81 7.43 11.90 10.84 3.49 3.32 2.40 2.25 3.69 3.44 4.36 4.26 1.94 1.9 167.8 167 1.79 1.71 0.147 0.147 1.40 1.40 2.33 2.19 193.4 189.5 4.3 4.3 0.73 0.69 23.50 23.50 1.22 1.20 HOLDING FIRMS 0.475 0.465 59.0000 57.8000 22.85 22.00 1.22 1.20 6.84 6.84 0.250 0.245 774 768 7.72 7.52 12.30 11.70 4.25 4.20 0.213 0.198 1398 1371 6.44 6.44 72.90 71.65 3.95 3.94 4.24 4.24 7.24 7 0.67 0.65 15.02 14.7 0.6 0.56 4.74 4.6 7.4 7.5 3.8 3.8 2.100 2.050 57.05 56.35 2.50 2.22 890.00 871.00 1.19 1.18 147.00 146.00 77.500 77.000 0.3150 0.3150 0.1960 0.1810 0.275 0.265 PROPERTY 7.710 7.590 8.03 7.90

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

4.5 72.95 99.50 96.00 46.05 2.52 1.55 16.2 20.6 7.70 0.68 0.395 88.8 1.01 19.22 26.00 63.50 94.9 306 38.6 147.4 1405.00 59.85 3.3

0.00 0.90 0.91 2.02 0.33 3.70 -3.13 -0.49 1.98 -0.77 0.00 -1.25 0.34 3.06 1.69 0.00 0.63 -0.05 -0.91 0.52 -0.07 -0.71 -0.08 1.54

135,000 9,210 5,137,890 1,087,890 65,900 31,000 59,000 11,200 909,200 5,000 22,000 720,000 10,323,520 723,000 1,615,100 6,000 33,290 100 27,660 53,300 2,481,650 2,220 37,250 2,036,000

43.95 1.48 1.03 1.89 10.26 91.00 18.14 187 26.05 55.4 2.6 1.75 12.5 21.450 9.00 7.10 9.82 1.71 14.86 26.45 79.4 13.88 13.14 6.06 0.520 189.00 10.4 56.40 25 25.5 5.8 298.00 4.74 7.50 11.90 3.41 2.30 3.65 4.31 1.94 167 1.79 0.147 1.40 2.20 192 4.3 0.7 23.50 1.20

0.23 10.45 0.98 0.00 0.59 -1.09 0.00 -1.53 -0.19 -1.07 2.77 0.57 3.31 3.87 0.00 -3.40 1.76 0.00 1.09 3.93 -0.81 3.89 0.00 -0.33 4.00 -0.26 0.00 2.55 1.21 1.19 0.00 0.61 3.04 -3.97 0.00 0.29 -2.13 6.10 1.17 2.11 -0.54 -0.56 0.68 0.00 0.92 1.05 0.23 1.45 0.00 3.45

2,027,700 7,000 233,000 773,000 300 20 1,138,600 10 297,000 34,830 1,643,000 2,780,000 56,500 5,879,500 557,400 24,934,900 186,700 2,000 1,800 5,051,800 187,940 1,300 6,100 516,000 5,000 659,430 29,200 110 548,100 34,000 386,500 542,780 136,000 10,250,900 15,600 558,000 1,518,000 2,331,000 680,000 8,000 170 275,000 460,000 10,000 11,209,000 1,951,250 25,000 457,000 3,100 118,000

0.475 58.6000 22.30 1.20 6.84 0.247 771 7.52 11.80 4.20 0.199 1390 6.44 72.30 3.95 4.24 7.15 0.66 14.8 0.56 4.6 7.48 3.8 2.080 56.50 2.50 876.00 1.18 147.00 77.000 0.3150 0.1940 0.270

1.06 1.38 1.36 -1.64 0.59 0.82 0.00 -1.57 -1.83 -1.18 -5.24 0.65 0.00 0.98 -0.75 -15.03 -1.11 -1.49 -1.33 -6.67 0.00 -0.27 1.60 1.96 -0.88 -1.57 -1.57 0.00 0.68 0.00 0.00 -1.02 -3.57

880,000 1,312,020 1,936,200 57,000 37,600 940,000 269,270 3,085,500 11,006,700 20,000 750,000 117,360 8,400 2,660,660 3,000 700 2,403,900 78,000 2,568,100 7,000 17,582,000 235,300 9,000 2,159,000 204,810 5,000 282,180 189,000 350 4,380 40,000 850,000 1,770,000

7.600 8.03

-0.78 -0.25

1,006,200 2,100

52 Weeks

High Low

STOCKS

1.99 1.75 41.4 5.6 5.59 1.44 1.97 0.201 10.96 0.97 0.305 2.22 2.1 1.8 5.94 0.180 8.54 31.8 2.29 4.9 21.35 1.06 7.56 1.62 8.59

0.65 1.2 30.05 3.36 4.96 0.79 1.1 0.083 2.4 0.83 0.188 1.15 1.42 1.27 4.13 0.090 2.69 22.15 1.6 3.1 15.08 0.69 3.38 0.83 5.73

A. Brown Co., Inc. Araneta Prop À’ Ayala Land `B’ Belle Corp. À’ Cebu Holdings Century Property City & Land Dev. Crown Equities Inc. Double Dragon Empire East Land Ever Gotesco Global-Estate Filinvest Land,Inc. Interport À’ Megaworld MRC Allied Ind. Primex Corp. Robinson’s Land `B’ Rockwell Shang Properties Inc. SM Prime Holdings Sta. Lucia Land Inc. Starmalls Suntrust Home Dev. Inc. Vista Land & Lifescapes

10.5 66 1.09 14.88 15.82 0.1430 5.06 99.1 12.3 2.6 7.67 1700 2720 8.41 1.97 119.5 12.5 0.017 0.8200 2.2800 5.93 12.28 3.32 2.53 3.2 1 2.46 15.2 1.040 6.41 4 18 185 22.9 3486 0.760 2.28 46.05 90.1 11.6 0.85 10 1.9

1.97 35.2 0.63 10.5 8.6 0.0770 2.95 56.1 10.14 1.6 4.8 830 1600 5.95 1.23 102.6 8.72 0.011 0.041 1.200 2.34 6.5 1.91 1.01 1.95 0.650 1.8 6 0.37 3 2.28 8.8 79 4.39 2748 0.435 1.2 31.45 60.55 7.59 0.63 5 1.14

2GO Group’ ABS-CBN APC Group, Inc. Asian Terminals Inc. Bloomberry Boulevard Holdings Calata Corp. Cebu Air Inc. (5J) Centro Esc. Univ. Discovery World DFNN Inc. FEUI Globe Telecom GMA Network Inc. Harbor Star I.C.T.S.I. IPeople Inc. `A’ IP E-Game Ventures Inc. Island Info ISM Communications Jackstones Leisure & Resorts Liberty Telecom Lorenzo Shipping Macroasia Corp. Manila Bulletin Manila Jockey Melco Crown NOW Corp. PAL Holdings Inc. Paxys Inc. Phil. Racing Club Phil. Seven Corp. Philweb.Com Inc. PLDT Common PremiereHorizon Premium Leisure Puregold Robinsons RTL SSI Group STI Holdings Travellers Yehey

0.0098 5.45 17.24 12.7 1.19 1.62 9.5 4.2 0.48 0.420 0.440 0.022 0.023 8.2 49.2 4.27 1.030 3.06 0.020 7.67 12.88 10.42 0.040 420 9

0.0043 1.72 6.47 6.5 0.85 0.77 5.99 1.17 0.305 0.2130 0.2160 0.013 0.014 3.240 18.96 2.11 0.365 1.54 0.012 5.4 7.26 2.27 0.015 115.9 3.67

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

70 553

33 490

515 1060

480 997

-126,462,755.00

1047 76.9 84.8

1011 74.2 75

ABS-CBN Holdings Corp. Ayala Corp. Pref `B1’ FPH Pref C GLOBE PREF P PCOR-Preferred A PCOR-Preferred B PF Pref 2 SMC Preferred A SMC Preferred C

-227,170.00

6.98

0.8900 LR Warrant

15 12.88

3.5 5.95

130.7

105.6 First Metro ETF

423,931.00 -74,581,098.50 35,697,600.50 785,050.00

-1,440,385.00 -14,960 1,568,513.00 -100,000.00 727,301.00 -8,000,356.00 360,455.00 57,005,917.00 14,050.00 -935,411.50 25,390,065.00 -37,800.00 15,830,034.00 -1,621,760.00 -65,440.00 32,662,545.00 2,049,593.00 -96,862,737.00 -1,066,919.00 -3,420.00 -19,126,950.00 -4,401,552.00

2,498,651.00 104,000.00 7,071,155.00 4,327,032.00 541,980.00 -3,895,859.00 614,530.00 47,270.00 153,220.00 -9,500.00 -3,348.00 -19,110.00 -42,500.00 113,150,173.00

60,152,726.50 2,457,485.00 -20,460.00 -27,246,250.00 1,185,639.00 18,960,674.00 -26,009,470.00 100,301,769.00 1,889,256.00 -12,464,264.00 -25,211,890.00 -20,700.00 -8,001,492.00

-6,712,108.00 16,720.00

Makati Fin. Corp. Xurpas

High

VALUE 1979087053.67 1431566028.78 1262550355.22 835103820.29 2640788047.1975 375955562.094 8529345032.2475

FINANCIAL 1,657.40 (up) 14.82 INDUSTRIAL 11,380.54 (up) 9.62 HOLDING FIRMS 6,744.25 (down) 8.24 PROPERTY 3,059.72 (up) 10.92 SERVICES 2,128.59 (up) 9.14 MINING & OIL 11,975.93 (down) 22.04 PSEI 7,482.83 (up) 3.80 All Shares Index 4,295.19 (up) 11.14 Gainers: 92 Losers: 75; Unchanged: 48; Total: 215

0.74 1.190 37.45 3.46 5.06 0.81 1.06 0.128 13.02 0.860 0.175 1.26 1.89 1.30 4.62 0.103 7.37 28.45 1.64 3.30 20.85 0.74 7.16 0.820 6.900

0.73 0.70 0.70 1.200 1.200 1.200 38.00 37.00 37.00 3.58 3.48 3.55 5.08 5.06 5.08 0.83 0.81 0.82 1.05 1.04 1.05 0.128 0.127 0.127 13.98 13.2 13.92 0.860 0.860 0.860 0.174 0.173 0.174 1.29 1.25 1.25 1.95 1.90 1.93 1.32 1.30 1.30 4.72 4.55 4.55 0.105 0.105 0.105 7.28 7.26 7.26 28.45 27.85 28.20 1.65 1.64 1.64 3.32 3.30 3.32 21.30 20.90 21.00 0.72 0.74 0.74 7.16 7.16 7.16 0.820 0.800 0.820 6.980 6.840 6.900 SERVICES 8.1 8.28 8.1 8.1 61.55 61.6 61.2 61.2 0.620 0.630 0.610 0.610 13 13 13 13 9.40 9.93 9.42 9.80 0.0810 0.0830 0.0800 0.0800 3.39 3.4 3.32 3.33 92 94.1 92 94.1 9.78 10.36 10.32 10.36 1.67 1.68 1.68 1.68 5.60 5.88 5.50 5.68 985 980 980 980 2500 2550 2520 2538 6.48 6.48 6.40 6.40 1.29 1.32 1.27 1.30 109 109.3 108 108.9 11.52 12 11.28 12 0.012 0.011 0.011 0.011 0.205 0.208 0.206 0.206 1.4000 1.4400 1.4000 1.4300 2.25 2.27 2.26 2.26 10.22 10.22 10.48 10.60 2.20 2.21 2.17 2.20 1.27 1.27 1.24 1.27 2.20 2.21 2.12 2.19 0.670 0.680 0.680 0.680 2 2 1.99 2 7.1 7.85 7.15 7.85 0.455 0.445 0.445 0.445 4.50 4.50 4.50 4.50 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2 8.61 9.5 9.39 9.5 109.50 110.00 110.00 110.00 18.86 18.86 18.86 18.86 2888.00 2890.00 2876.00 2876.00 0.670 0.700 0.670 0.690 1.480 1.560 1.500 1.540 37.10 37.60 37.15 37.35 77.00 78.90 76.10 76.60 8.58 8.79 8.50 8.53 0.66 0.67 0.66 0.66 5.22 5.48 5.28 5.45 2.680 2.980 2.690 2.890 MINING & OIL 0.0069 0.0070 0.0066 0.0066 2.52 2.60 2.50 2.50 5.49 5.55 5.50 5.50 7.0000 7.0000 7.0000 7.0000 0.75 0.77 0.75 0.76 0.76 0.77 0.75 0.76 6.55 6.60 6.55 6.55 1.39 1.42 1.38 1.38 0.300 0.305 0.295 0.295 0.212 0.212 0.200 0.202 0.226 0.226 0.220 0.220 0.013 0.013 0.013 0.013 0.014 0.014 0.013 0.014 3.26 3.3 3.16 3.18 10.5 10.76 10.52 10.64 3.81 3.84 3.77 3.82 0.6200 0.6500 0.6000 0.6500 2.0100 2.0000 2.0000 2.0000 0.0096 0.0100 0.0099 0.0099 4.18 4.20 4.18 4.18 5.55 5.540 5.480 5.48 1.65 1.63 1.690 1.650 0.011 0.011 0.011 0.011 118.50 120.40 118.50 119.00 9.89 10.1 9.62 9.89 PREFERRED 61 61.5 61 61.2 528 528 528 528 500 505 505 505 522 522 522 522 1080 1080 1080 1080 1100 1105 1100 1105 1028 1034 1032 1032 75.5 75.8 75.45 75.8 86 86 84.5 84.5 WARRANTS & BONDS 4.250 4.300 4.150 4.280 SME 6.85 6.5 6.3 6.5 11.52 11.88 11.54 11.54 EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 122 122.4 121.9 122

T op g ainerS STOCKS

Low

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

-5.41 0.84 -1.20 2.60 0.40 1.23 -0.94 -0.78 6.91 0.00 -0.57 -0.79 2.12 0.00 -1.52 1.94 -1.49 -0.88 0.00 0.61 0.72 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

1,723,000 46,000 6,825,300 1,755,000 166,600 1,175,000 6,000 2,270,000 5,107,600 2,000 20,000 1,569,000 9,008,000 116,000 19,859,000 10,000 11,900 2,060,700 184,000 26,000 10,928,400 1,155,000 2,000 2,000 9,696,000

14,000.00 -18,000.00 -56,874,755.00 479,240.00 -768,096.00 -318,220.00

0.00 -0.57 -1.61 0.00 4.26 -1.23 -1.77 2.28 5.93 0.60 1.43 -0.51 1.52 -1.23 0.78 -0.09 4.17 -8.33 0.49 2.14 0.44 -2.48 0.00 0.00 -0.45 1.49 0.00 10.56 -2.20 0.00 0.00 10.34 0.46 0.00 -0.42 2.99 4.05 0.67 -0.52 -0.58 0.00 4.41 7.84

552,900 26,030 1,252,000 179,300 10,038,200 17,650,000 127,000 1,784,410 2,300 1,000 1,103,000 23,530 164,050 318,700 494,000 1,299,480 5,400 4,400,000 3,350,000 253,000 5,000 2,441,100 1,195,000 21,000 386,000 20,000 227,000 5,585,800 80,000 5,000 70,000 256,000 10 1,500 393,930 1,863,000 28,365,000 1,846,000 451,310 3,545,100 13,371,000 875,000 2,924,000

-4.35 -0.79 0.18 0.00 1.33 0.00 0.00 -0.72 -1.67 -4.72 -2.65 0.00 0.00 -2.45 1.33 0.26 4.84 -0.50 3.13 0.00 -1.26 1.23 0.00 0.42 0.00

2,924,000,000 -21,600.00 651,000 -1,227,500.00 53,500 -84,284.00 8,200 2,439,000 2,439,000 3,000 2,223,000 -1,147,400.00 3,520,000 8,900,000 7,420,000 -203,420.00 39,800,000 313,400,000 1,300.00 983,000 -569,460.00 1,602,900 7,149,154.00 684,000 101,000 1,000 6,000,000 66,000 441,000 -12,742.00 423,000 94,300,000 2,588,520 -71,568,944.00 346,700

0.33 0.00 1.00 0.00 0.00 0.45 0.39 0.40 -1.74

201,910 1,000 10 100 4,440 1,040 4,840 164,010 75,520

0.71

69,000

-5.11 0.17

700 333,000

0.00

3,340

17,722,522.00 -502,610.00 -1,140,750.00 -49,696,890.00 -8,466,265.00 -112,200.00 86,630,840.00

-40,700,544.00 459,270.00 2,330,900.00 1,436,377.00 810.00 -99,700.00 424,095.00 -49,790.00 36,804,220.00 76,200.00 13,911,556.00 -128,170.00 1,430.00 6,556,720.00 -130,450.00 24,920.00

19,477,531.00 22,250.00

-317,441,700.00 -2,152,630.00 17,067,235.00 1,142,073.50 -5,373,073.00 -7,330,620.00 1,353,453.00 -153,140.00

-8,882,299.00

-1,509,000.00 -5,919,934.50

64,748.00

T op L oSerS Close (P)

Change (%)

STOCKS

Close (P)

Change (%)

Melco Crown

7.85

10.56

Keppel Holdings `A'

4.24

-15.03

Agrinurture Inc.

1.48

10.45

IP E-Game Ventures Inc.

0.011

-8.33

Phil. Racing Club

9.5

10.34

Mabuhay Holdings `A'

0.56

-6.67

Yehey

2.890

7.84

A. Brown Co., Inc.

0.70

-5.41

Double Dragon

13.92

6.91

Forum Pacific

0.199

-5.24

Pryce Corp. `A'

3.65

6.10

Makati Fin. Corp.

6.5

-5.11

Centro Esc. Univ.

10.36

5.93

Lepanto `A'

0.202

-4.72

Omico

0.6500

4.84

Abra Mining

0.0066

-4.35

Travellers

5.45

4.41

Petron Corporation

7.50

-3.97

Bloomberry

9.80

4.26

Zeus Holdings

0.270

-3.57

THURSDAY: JULY 30, 2015

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

DMCI hikes net profit to P6b By Jenniffer B. Austria

Rating Aquino’s 5-year performance RATING the performance of a chief executive who has yet to complete his term of office can be done in an objective, reasonably scientific way--with the use of numbers--or in an impression-based way, using adjectives like ‘excellent,’ ‘mediocre’ and ‘poor.’ Either way, rating something like PNoy Aquino’s lessthan-full-term performance is a perilous exercise that can easily partake of unfairness. Rating PNoy after five years in office is the preoccupation of the day, and I will participate in that exercise with trepidation. But I will do so by citing the Aquino administration’s accomplishments and its non-accomplishments and see if I can objectively arrive at a numerical characterization of its performance. Let’s start on a positive note. Truth to tell, the only major economic plusses that one can attribute to the Aquino administration after five years in office are the much-improved performance of the Department of Finance, particularly the Bureau of Internal Revenue--though I hasten to point out that not one non-showbiz big fish has been prosecuted during the Aquino administration’s five years in office--and the continued surge of the BPO (business process outsourcing) industry toward world leadership. I have said numerous times before, and I’m saying it again here, that there should be no chest beating about the performances of the fiscal and monetary authorities. What they have been able to accomplish is almost entirely due to the sacrifices of the millions of OFW (overseas Filipino workers) who have been shoring up this country’s financial position with the approximately $20 billion that they remit home every year. Without the volume of OFW remittances, the fiscal authorities would not have been able to sharply improve the Philippines’ external financial fundamentals--such as the external debt to GDP ratio--and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas would not have been able to maintain a benign posture on interest rates and bank lending. That clarification having been made, the reader will please allow me to cite the non-accomplishments--a less harsh word than failures--of the Aquino administration after five years in office. First, the Aquino administration has not been able to reverse the long-time stagnation of FDI (foreign direct investments), with the result that the Philippines continues to languish near the bottom of the Asean FDI ranking, just above Laos and Cambodia. Obviously, there are many things that this country is not doing right, for even a politically incorrect country like Vietnam has overtaken the Philippines in the FDI ranking. No excuses here, please. Second, Philippine agriculture in general is arguably worse off today than it was when PNoy came into office. Imports, rotting stocks, diversion of funds, a dearth of new ideas--these continue to be the order of the day. In his first SONA, PNoy promised the nation a turnaround in a sector that accounts for most of the nation’s poorest and most of its unemployed. Then he immediately turned around and appointed a political ally with no managerial credentials to run a department as vital as the Department of Agriculture. Expectedly, the Philippines has remained one of the world’s three largest rice importers. Third, at the rate that he is going, PNoy would have left the transportation sector--the sector regulated by CAAP, Marina, LTFRB, LTO, PNR and the MRT Authority--in pretty much the same state of inefficiency and mismanagement that he found it in five years ago. The atmosphere of procrastination and slowmotion action in Malacañang has compounded the situation on the nation’s roads, waterways and skies. Fourth, along with its non-accomplishment with regard to FDI, the Aquino administration since 2010 has presided over the continued decline of the Philippine manufacturing sector. Thus far it has not produced any kind of blueprint for trend reversal, and it is unlikely to do so in the next eleven months. How is the Philippine manufacturing sector expected to withstand the onslaught of lower cost Asean products after January 1, 2016 when the Asean Economic Community comes into being? Then there is tourism. Three years ago, PNoy recklessly proclaimed that the tourist arrivals in this country would have risen to 10 million annually by the time he left office. I don’t know if anyone outside the Department of Tourism believed PNoy, but I certainly didn’t, and I said so. Is 10-million-arrivals doable? I have no doubt that it is, but it is not doable if the Philippine tourism industry is run in a business-as-usual manner. There is also the Public-Private Partnership program. The Aquino administration’s performance with regard to the PPP can justly lay claim to being its greatest non-accomplishment. In 2010 PNoy’s PPP people did not hit the ground running. They hit it crawling. The scorecard on the day of PNoy’s last SONA was 11 PPP contracts awarded out of around 80. Anyone who considers that as an accomplishment has to be a die-hard fan of the No-Wangwang man. Finally, the Freedom of Information Bill. PNoy’s apologists can do all the explaining they want for his failure to push the passage of the bill. But it’s really quite simple. Without an FOI law,there can be no full transparency in government transactions. Again, no excuses here, please. So, what rating does B.S. Aquino III deserve after five years in office? Considering that all the non-accomplishments that I have enumerated are all vital elements of this country’s economic life, I think that a “Fail” rating is not unfair. If forced to reduce that judgment to a number, I think that 5 out of 10 is a fair equivalence. E-mail: rudyromero777@yahoo.com

DMCI Holdings Inc. of the Consunji family said Wednesday first-half net income reached P6 billion, up 17 percent from P5.13 billion year-on-year. DMCI president Isidro Consunji said in an interview at the sidelines of the annual stockholders’ meeting that coal mining and power generation unit

Semirara Mining and Power Corp. registered a first-half net profit of P4.5 billion, nearly 70 percent up from P2.65 billion on year. Consunji said the

company was on track meet its P12.5billion to P13-billion net income target for 2015. He said the company was keeping net income target for meantime, despite the temporary shutdown of Semirara’s coal mining operations following a landslide accident that killed 9 people, Consjuni said Semirara had 500,000 tons of stockpile worth P1 bil-

lion, or good for one month of consumption. “We hope to be able to resume operations before our stockpile runs out,” Consunji said. Semirara, however, stopped its coal exports because of the shutdown ordered by the Energy Department. Consunji said the company asked the Energy Department to clarify an order to “stop coal operations in af-

fected areas” because other sectors in the Semirara mine operations were not affected by the landslide. “Only the north Panian or the block 5 is affected. Other areas like Narra is not affected. So we want the Energy Department to clarify,” Consunji said. Semirara has undertaken steps to prevent a similar situation from happening again in the future.

Balance Sheet As of JUNE 30, 2015 ASSETS

CURRENT QUARTER

PREVIOUS QUARTER

14,672,811.41 6,757,321,885.31 4,918,064,874.21 6,221,231.00 4,712,600.00 2,115,960,079.54 2,140,660,079.54 24,700,000.00 5,380,470.78 21,868,348.92 14,310,036.19 -

12,724,161.17 7,096,846,233.13 5,649,639,834.87 5,028,556.00 4,712,600.00 1,415,768,634.44 1,436,168,638.44 20,400,004.00 4,867,429.91 12,185,026.28 40,957,982.98 46,939,418.59

13,858,512,337.36

14,289,669,877.36

5,635,036.00 11,092,771,932.49 322,351.88 352,547,860.80 242,015,585.38 69,158,365.61

4,549,748.00 11,791,627,575.50 2,522,574.77 292,516,334.74 102,392,439.15 -

11,762,451,132.16

12,193,608,672.16

2,096,061,205.20

Cash and Cash Items Due from Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Due from Other Banks Financial Assets at Fair Value through Profit or Loss Available-for-Sale Financial Assets-Net Held-to-Maturity (HTM) Financial Assets-Net Unquoted Debt Securities Classified as Loans-Net Investments in Non-Marketable Equity Security-Net Loans and Receivables-Net Loans to Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Interbank Loans Receivable Loans and Receivables - Others Loans and Receivables Arising from RA/CA/PR/SLB General Loan Loss Provision Other Financial Assets Equity Investment in Subsidiaries, Associates and Joint Ventures-Net Bank Premises, Furniture, Fixture and Equipment-Net Real and Other Properties Acquired - Net Non-Current Assets Held for Sale Other Assets-Net Net Due from Head Office/Branches/Agencies Abroad TOTAL ASSETS LIABILITIES Financial Liabilities at Fair Value through Profit or Loss Deposit Liabilities Due to Other Banks Bills Payable a) BSP - (Rediscounting and Other Advances) b) Interbank Loans Payable c) Other Deposit Substitute d) Others Bonds Payable - Net Unsecured Subordinated Debt - Net Redeemable Preferred Shares Special Time Deposit Due to BSP Other Financial Liabilities Other Liabilities Net Due to Head Office/Branches/Agencies (Philippine branch of a foreign bank) TOTAL LIABILITIES STOCKHOLDER’S EQUITY Capital Stock Other Capital Accounts Retained Earnings Assigned Capital TOTAL STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY CONTINGENT ACCOUNTS Guarantees Issued Financial Standby Letters of Credit Performance Standby Letters of Credit Commercial Letters of Credit Trade Related Guarantees Commitments Spot Foreign Exchange Contracts Securities Held Under Custodianship by Bank Proper Trust Department Accounts a) Trust and Other Fiduciary Accounts b) Agency Accoutns c) Advisory/ Consultancy Derivatives Others TOTAL CONTINGENT ACCOUNTS

2,096,061,205.20

13,858,512,337.36

14,289,669,877.36

304,404,361.32 3,675,132.00 1,128,951.11 314,047,053.33 918,045,837.27 27,161,913.61

309,818,016.18 34,687,452.10 448,131.17 331,380,000.05 846,886,737.74 1,738,714,352.37

1,568,463,248.64

3,261,934,689.62

2,140,660,079.54 4.00 0.00 4.00 0.00 5,614,000.00 38,939,797.65 1.82 0.00

1,436,168,638.44 4.00 0.00 4.00 0.00 5,614,000.00 41,548,547.66 2.87 0.00

0.00 0.00 0.44

0.00 0.00 -0.10

36.86 36.42 -

37.91 37.54 -

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Gross total loan portfolio (TLP) Specific allowance for credit losses on the TLP Non-Performing Loans (NPLs) a) Gross NPLs b) Ratio of gross NPLs to gross TLP (%) c) Net NPLs d) Ratio of Net NPLs to gross TLP (%) Classified Loans and Other Risk Assets, gross of allowance fro credit losses DOSRI Loans and Receivables, gross of allowance fro credit losses Ratio of DOSRI Loans and Receivables, gross of allowance for credit losses, to TLP (%) Gross non-performing DOSRI loans and receivables Ratio of gross non-performing DOSRI loans and receivables to TLP (%) Percent Compliance with Magna Carta (%) a. 8% for Micro and Small Enterprises b. 2% for Medium Enterprises Return on Equity (ROE) (%) Capital Adequacy Ratio ( CAR for Solo Basis) as prescibed under existing regulations a. Total CAR (%) b. Tier 1CAR (%) Deferred Charges Not yet Written Down Unbooked Allowance for Probable Losses on Financial Instruments Received REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES) )S.S. I/We HENRY T. PELAEZ and MA. CHRISTINA J. DEL CARMEN of the above-mentioned bank do solemnly swear that all matters set forth in the above statement of condition are true and correct to the best of my/our knowledge and belief. _____________________ _________________________________ (Sgd) MA. CHRISTINA J. DEL CARMEN (Sgd) HENRY T. PELAEZ VP-Manager SVP - Country Manager Finance-Philippines SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN to before me this 30th day of January 2015 at affiants exhibiting their Passport Numbers EC1793124 dated August 4, 2014 issued on DFA, NCR EAST and EB9067348 dated September 05, 2013 issued on DFA, NCR East, respectively. Doc. No. 389 Book No. 357 Page No. 79 Series of 2015

(Sgd) ATTY. EMMANUEL C. PARAS Notary Public for Makati City Appointment No. M-56 until Dec.31, 2015 Roll of Attorney No.27192 PTR No. 4756278MC; 01/07/15; Makati City IBP NO. 0979769; 01/15/15; Makati Chapter MCLE Compliance No. IV-0007564; 9/5/12 Makati Sycip Law Center, 105 Paseo de Roxas Makati City, 1226 Metro Manila Philippines

PRINCIPAL OFFICERS HENRY T. PELAEZ SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT COUNTRY MANAGER JULIAN G. H DEL PILAR VICE PRESIDENT SENIOR TREASURY SALES OFFICER TERESA BALITA VICE PRESIDENT COUNTRY COMPLIANCE MANAGER

Sterling’s award. Sterling Bank of Asia’s new president and chief executive Cecilio Paul San Pedro (second from right) accepts the award for Outstanding PhilPaSS Servicing Customer ePayments for Thrift Bank Category during the 12th Awards Ceremony and Appreciation Lunch for Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas stakeholders on July 14, 2015 at the BSP Complex in Manila. With San Pedro are (from left) Monetary Board member and chairman of the board of judges Juan De Zuñiga Jr., Sterling Bank of Asia’s first vice president and head of business support services group Luisito Mayor and Bangko Sentral Governor Amando Tetangco Jr.

Insurance premium to hit P500b By Gabrielle H. Binaday

INSURANCE Commissioner Emmanuel Dooc said Wednesday the industry is expected to generate P250 billion in premium income this year and P500 billion by 2019. Dooc said he was confident the insurance industry would continue to grow and reach half a trillion in total premium by the end of his term in 2019. “We will hit well over P200 billion this year. In fact my prediction is that we may post premium income of P240 billion to P250 billion this year much better than banner year in 2013, where we hit about P200 billion, the highest so

far in insurance industry,” Dooc said at the sidelines of the 65th anniversary of Philippine Life Insurance Association. The insurance industry’s ended 2014 with total premium of P188.96 billion, down 4.6 percent from P198.13 billion in 2013. Total premium income in the first quarter this year surged 45.5 percent to P56.29 billion from

year-ago’s P38.7 billion. “My fearless forecast is that by the time I leave the insurance commission or [at the end of] my tenure in December 2019, we will be hitting total premium of half a trillion,” he said. Dooc said the forecast was based on a 20 to 25 percent compounded annual growth over the next four years. The industry generated about P80 billion in 2009. Dooc said his growth forecast would be driven mainly by the robust growth in the life sector. The rising threat of calamities such as typhoons and earthquakes was also helping drive the overall growth in the sector. He said the sector was growing “because necessity requires re-

sponse from the insuring public.” Dooc said the introduction of insurance products that are investment-linked contributed to the growth. The life insurance sector posted P157.83 billion in premium assets as of end-2014. He said the P500-billion income target was achievable, on the assumption that the insurance sector would grow faster than the economy. “Hopefully, GDP [gross domestic product] growth will not outpace us, because at that growth rate, GDP may not be higher than our growth, so our penetration rate will go up. At that rate, we’ll be hitting 3 percent [in penetration rate] from 1.5 percent,” he said.

Microsoft sees more devices switching to Windows 10 By Othel V. Campos MICROSOFT Philippines said Wednesday it expects the migration of mobile handsets and tablets to the Windows operations system with the launch of Windows 10 in the Philippines Microsoft Philippines Windows business lead Mae Moreno said the company expected an increase in the number of devices carrying Windows OS. “We’re very optimistic about the phone and tablet business. We think that with Windows 10, both markets will definitely propel to even better heights,” she said during the Philippine launch of Windows 10 in Makati City. Moreno said while the com-

pany’s entry into the tablet space was a bit delayed compared to competitors, “we are intent on increasing our share of the tablet space.” Windows remains the single biggest OS provider in the world with more than 11 billion devices globally. About 90 to 95 percent of users are on the personal computer segment, leaving a wide opportunity to catch up with the mobile phone and tablet segments. Microsoft Philippines said the PC market still had a lot of growth potential as many Filipino families still had no access to installed devices like PC. “User base in the Philippines

has remained steady. In fact if you look at the recent market numbers, PC is actually still growing. Its share hasn’t really shrunk. Window phones and tablets still has a long way to go for us but its growing. We see a lot of growth in tablets for Windows,” Moreno said. Microsoft has a number of hardware partners in the Philippines. Among them are Acer,

We are intent on increasing our share of the tablet space.

Hewlett Packard, Lenovo, Dell, Asus, Cloud Phone, Star Mobile, Cherry Mobile and Red Fox. These are carrying Windows as preferred OS for PC, laptops, phones and tablets. Microsoft is giving users one full year free to upgrade to Windows 10. “We actually feel good about the features that we have. This OS is very smart and usersensitive that it can detect migrations from different applications and devices and will automatically adjust itself,” Moreno. Windows 10 is now available in 190 countries around the world including the Philippines.

Globe tapped to draw tourists By Darwin G. Amojelar THE Tourism Promotions Board has tapped Globe Telecom Inc. to help the government in attracting more foreign tourists to the Philippines. Under the partnership, the Ayala-led telco will give free subscriber identification modules to foreign tourists and overseas Filipinos returning to the Philippines. “The partnership is really to encourage more and more foreign friends to travel around the country and with the SIM card they will able to communicate more through social media, posting on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and whatever platform,” TPB president Domingo Ramon Enerio III told reporters. This is one way of promoting the Philippines, Enerio said. “By working with Globe, we are optimistic that more tourists in the Philippines will enjoy seamless connectivity to share wonderful moments to their friends and families anywhere around the world,” he said. According to the Tourism Department, the Philippines registered a total of 2.23 million international visitors in the first five months, up by 8.15 percent from a year ago.

T H U R S D AY : J U LY 3 0 , 2 0 1 5

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

Security Bank’s profit up 29% By Julito G. Rada

SECURITY Bank Corp., the country’s seventh largest lender, said Wednesday net income grew 29 percent in the first half to P4.657 billion from a year ago, on double-digit growth in deposits and loans. Security Bank said in a statement the first-half profit translated into a 19-percent return on shareholders’ equity. Security Bank president and chief executive Alfonso Salcedo Jr. said the bank focused on the execution of its strategy aimed at growing its retail banking business into a strong third pillar complementing the strengths in wholesale banking and financial markets. “Retail banking is a steadygrowth, sustainable and higher margin business which is less volatile than cyclical businesses,” Salcedo said. Loans posted a 20-percent yearon-year growth to P207 billion and deposits grew 18 percent to P257

billion, which fueled a 15-percent increase in total assets to P442 billion. Loan growth was broad-based, with corporate/commercial loans growing 18 percent and consumer loans surging 90 percent. The loan-to-deposit ratio was 81 percent and the return on assets stood at 2.2 percent. Interest income on loans increased 17 percent year-on-year, which contributed to total interest income growth of 11 percent. Interest expense increased 46 percent year-on-year, reflecting the expected effect of the longer-term funding that the bank issued such as the P10-billion Basel III-compliant Tier 2 capital in July 2014 and the $300-million senior unsecured

notes in February 2015. As a result, net interest income stood at P5.8 billion, which is the same level a year ago. Net interest margin was 3.2 percent in the first half, versus the 3.4 percent average in 2014. Non-interest income increased 69 percent to P4.4 billion, which included extraordinary trading gains of P2.1 billion. Excluding extraordinary trading gains, non-interest income was P2.3 billion, up by 58-percent year-on-year. Trading gains from trading portfolio and customer flows amounted to P906 million in the first half. Fee-based income inclusive of asset management was P947 million, an 11-percent increase year-on year. Security Bank’s total operating income increased 22 percent to P10.2 billion. Operating expense (excluding provisions for credit losses and impairments) grew 28 percent due to taxes incurred from the sale of securities in the first quarter of 2015, and marketing and advertising expenses in support of the bank’s retail banking strategy.

Education supporter. The Department of Education has lauded the Aboitiz Group for being its biggest contributor and a long-standing partner in the bid to uplift the state of the country’s public education system. Aboitiz Foundation chaimanErramon Aboitiz (second from left) reaffirms its support to DepEd’s ‘Adopta-School’ program as it signs a memorandum of understanding with Education Secretary Armin Luistro (third from left). With them are Aboitiz Foundation president Susan Valdez (left) and executive vice president and chief operating officer Sonny Carpio.

Banks’ bad loans hit 1.96% in April NON-PERFORMING loans of universal and commercial banks reached 1.96 percent in April, marking the sixth straight month the ratio was below 2 percent of total loans, data from Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas show. “The gross non-performing loans of universal and commercial banks represented 1.96 percent of the banks’ total loan portfolio at end-April this year,” Bangko Sentral said in a statement. Non-performing loans refer to loan accounts whose principal and/or interest is unpaid for 30 days or more after due date. “The industry’s gross NPL ratio in April was practically unchanged from the 1.95 percent

recorded in March. The loan quality indicator has been below two percent since November last year,” it said. Gross non-performing loans slightly increased to P97.87 billion in April from P97.36 billion a month earlier. Total loans went up to P5 trillion from P4.99 trillion registered in March. “The U/KBs’ gross NPL ratio moved sideways month-onmonth with both the industry’s gross NPLs and TLP showing marginal increases,” Bangko Sentral said. Large banks continued to set aside substantial reserves for potential credit losses as the industry provisioned for 138.99 percent

of its gross NPLs in April, which was higher than the 138.19 percent registered a month earlier. Across economic sectors, the NPL ratio also remained manageable. This was seen in financial and insurance activities; real estate; manufacturing; wholesale and retail trade; and electricity, gas, steam and air-conditioning supply, which accounted for 68.8 percent of the industry’s TLP in April. Bangko Sentral said it was monitoring the loan quality of universal and commercial banks as it remained vigilant in ensuring the soundness of the banking system, in line with the broader objective of promoting financial stability. Julito G. Rada

Ayala developing new core businesses CONGLOMERATE Ayala Corp. is finding itself in more uncommon business grounds, after long been associated with property development, banking and shopping centers. Ayala, the oldest family-owned company in the Philippines, since then has expanded to telecommunications, water distribution, electronics, power generation, infrastructure and hospitals. The group, through unit Ayala Education Inc., lately acquired a 60-percent interest in University of Nueva Caceres in Naga, Camarines Sur for P450 million. The Bicol school will emerge as Ayala Education’s flagship university. Ayala’s bid to expand its business empire into non-core but equally profitable operations is just starting. The Ayala Group now plans to venture into the broadcasting business to further boost the content of its unit Globe Telecom Inc. A partnership with broadcaster GMA Network Inc., or equity investment in the media firm, is not far-fetched. “We are always looking for new opportunities on that front [broadcasting], the telecommunication business is changing, you have seen some of the arrangements that Globe has been reaching with entertainment companies,” Ayala chairman and chief executive Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala told reporters, when asked if his company was interested to invest in GMA Network, which airs on Channel 7 on free TV. “The lines are blurring, it’s an exciting new area that’s developing on that front,” Zobel de Ayala said, adding his company was always in talks for possible partnership. The Ayala group’s interest surfaced after the majority shareholders of GMA Network terminated year-long talks to sell a minority stake in the network to San Miguel Corp. president Ramon Ang. The partnership or direct investment in GMA Network followed Globe Telecom’s successful bid to take over the ownership of Bayan Telecommunications Holdings Corp. from the Lopez Group. Lopez Holdings Corp. and BayanTel have just agreed to sell to Globe all their equity in BayanTel for P1.83 billion. Business partners Ayala’s ambitious expansion program has driven the conglomerate to forge a possible partnership with another aggressive group. It confirmed talks with Metro Pacific Investments Corp. of Indonesian billionaire Anthoni Salim to jointly bid for the biggest railway project so far under the government’s public-private partnership program. “We will continue to selectively participate in the auction of PPP projects. PNR [Philippine National Railways], we will definitely take a look at that, it is a massive project. We will do it in a consortium we’re now mobilizing in terms of preparing for that project,” John Eric Francia, managing director of Ayala, told reporters after the opening of the P2.2-billion Muntinlupa-Cavite Expressway Project, or MCX. Francia said his company was in talks with Metro Pacific “but nothing has been formalized yet in terms of consortium.” “We are definitely talking to partners and MPIC is the most advanced in that regard,” he said. The Transport Department last week invited prospective bidders to join the auction for the P170.7-billion South Line of the North-South Railway Project. A two-stage bidding process will be adopted, with the pre-qualification date targeted within the fourth quarter of 2015. Ayala is also looking at the P74.56-billion Ninoy Aquino International Airport Development Project to add to its growing infrastructure portfolio. It just completed the construction of the four-kilometer MCX connecting the Daang Hari Road to the South Luzon Expressway. Besides MCX, Ayala won the P1.7-billion Automated Fare Collection Systems for Metro Manila’s three overhead train system and the P64.9-billion LRT Line 1 Cavite Extension Project in partnership with Metro Pacific. Unit Ayala Land Inc., meanwhile, forged a joint venture agreement with Entenso Equities Inc., a wholly-owned unit of Puregold Price Club Inc. of retail tycoon Lucio Co to develop and operate mid-market supermarkets for some of Ayala Land’s new integrated and mixed-use developments. Ayala, in addition, has recognized the huge potential of the tourism and retirement business in the Philippines by joining the hospital sector. Its mixed-use communities, especially in high-end areas, will inevitably require hospital facilities for the elderly population. Ayala has acquired Whiteknight Holdings Inc., which is wholly-owned by the Mercado family, and a 33-percent equity in Mercado General Hospital Inc. Whiteknight owns hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers in Batangas, Cebu and Manila, and is building another facility in Iloilo. E-mail: rayenano@yahoo.com or extrastory2000@gmail.com or business@thestandard.com.ph

following documents: (a) A comprehensive study/report showing the existence of any of the grounds for the classification of the GOCC as ln-Active/Non-Operational; (b) Certified copies of the charter, articles of incorporation and by-laws of the GOCC;

GCG MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO. 2015 - 02

SUBJECT :

(d) Audited Financial Statements for the last five (5) years stamped and received by the Bureau of lnternal Revenue (BlR) or certified true copies of the same from the Commission on Audit (COA);

GUIDELINES IN THE CLASSIFICATION OF GOCCs INTO THE “IN-ACTIVE NONOPERATIONAL”STATUS

(e) Action Plan for the Personnel of the GOCC, in the event that the subject GOCC is still operational; and

DATE : 16 APRIL 2015 ____________________________________________________ 1.

(f) Other documents as may be required on the Citizen’s Charter on the Governance Commission’s website.

PURPOSE, LEGAL AUTHORITY AND COVERAGE

5.4. Coordination with Supervising Agency / Parent GOCC. The Governance Commission shall conduct an evaluation of a GOCC for purposes of possible De-Activation in coordination with the GOCC’s Supervising Agency, Parent GOCC, and the subject GOCC.

The circular covers the underlying principles, policies and procedures covering the exercise by the Governance Commission of its mandate under Sections 5(a) and 5(b) of Republic Act (R.A.) No. 10149 to: (a) ascertain whether a GOCC should be classified as In-Active/Non-Operational; De-Activation of an operational GOCC; and Re-Activation of GOCCs previously classified as ln-Active/Non-operational.

5.5. Formal De-Activation of a GOCC. - ln the event the Governance Commission determines that there is sufficient basis to De-Activate and classify a GOCC as ln-Active/Non-Operational, it shall formally issue the corresponding Memorandum Order (MO) to that effect.

The process of classifying as ln-Active/Non-operational and Re-Activation shall cover all GOCCs within the coverage of R.A. No. 10149. 2.

The Governance Commission shall formally transmit the MO and notify the following government agencies of GCG’,s determination and reclassification of a GOCC as ln-Active/Non-Operational:

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

The Governance Commission shall be guided by the standards set forth under Section 5(a) of R.A. No. 10149 when determining whether to classify a GOCC as InActive/ Non-Operational, and when a GOCC, previously classified as In-Active/NonOperational, will be Reactivated, thus:

(a) The Supervising Agency; (b) The Parent GOCC, when applicable; and (c) The CEO and Governing Board of the De-Activated GOCC’ whenever Possible.

SEC.5. Creation of the Governance Commission for Government Owned or -Controlled Corporations. - There is hereby created a central advisory, monitoring, and oversight body with authority- to formulate, implement and coordinate policies to be known as the Governance Commission for Government-Owned or -Controlled Corporations, hereinafter referred to as the GCG, which shall be attached to the Office of the President. The GCG shall have the following powers and functions:

ln addition, for Nonchartered GOCCs, a copy of the MO shall be formally transmitted to the SEC. The SEC shall also be notified of any instructions from the Supervising Agency and/or the office of the President for the retention of the juridical personality of the ln-Active/Non-Operational GOCC. 5.6. Legal Effects of Classification of a GOCC as ln-Active/Non-Operational. -The issuance and formal transmittal of the MO shall have the following legal effects:

(a) Evaluate the performance and determine the relevance of the GOCC, to ascertain whether such GOCC should be reorganized, merged, streamlined, abolished or privatized, in consultation with the department or agency to which a GOCC is attached. For this purpose, the GCG shall be guided by any of the following standards

(a) The De-Activated GOCC formally ceases to be a going concern and shall have no power or competence to enter in to any contractor transactions, which seeks to pursue its ordinary course of business’

(1) The functions or purposes for which the GOCC was created are no longer relevant to the State or no longer consistent with the national development policy of the State;

(b) The Governing Board, if still constituted, shall undertake measures to wind-down the affairs of the GOCC and to preserve its assets to await the final disPosition thereof.

(2) The GOCC’s functions or purposes duplicate or unnecessarily overlap with functions, programs, activities or projects already provided by a Government Agency;

(c) The GOCC shall maintain any personnel it may have to assist in the -,winding-down of the corporate affairs, and no further hiring of any personnel shall be allowed.

(3) The GOCC is not producing the desired outcomes, or no longer achieving the objectives and purposes for which it was originally designed and implemented, and/or not cost efficient and does not generate the level of social, physical and economic returns vis-á-vis the resource in Puts;

(d) The GOCC ceases to be entitled to a Corporate Operating Budget (CoB),nor avail of the benefits provided for in the GOCC Sector,such as Collective Negotiation Agreement (CNA), Performance-Based Bonus (PBB) and Performance-Based lncentives (PBl).

(4) The GOCC is in fact dormant or nonoperational;

(e) The GOCC is deemed under evaluation for formal abolition under the Provisions of R.A. No. 10149.

(5) The GOCC is involved in an activity best carried out by the private sector; and

5.7. Establishment of a Technical Working Group (TWG). -Within 30 working days from the issuance of a GCG-MO classifying a GOCC as lnActive/NonOperational, the Governance Commission will establish a TWG, primarily tasked to do the following:

(6) The functional, purpose or nature of operations of any group of GOCCs requires consolidation under a holding company. 3.

DEFINITION OF TERMS

(a) Recommend to the Governance Commission, not later than 60 working days from the constitution of the TWG the dispositive actions with reference to the function, personnel, assets and liabilities of the GOCC;

(a) “ln-Active/Non-Operational” refers to the status or classification of a GOCC, whether Chartered or Nonchartered, where it has ceased to be a going concern by the fact that it has become dormant and non-operational, or in the case of a Nonchartered GOCC, that its charter has been suspended or revoked by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

(b) lmplement the disposition of functions, assets and liabilities, as well as programs and projects, if any, as approved by the Governance Commission; (c) lmplement the action plan for the personnel of the GOCC, in the event the subject GOCC is still operational;

(b) “De-Activation” refers to the process of ceasing the operations of a GOCC, whether chartered or Nonchartered, and classifying it as “ln-Active/Non operational,” which means that although its juridical personality remains existing and unaffected, nonetheless, it ceases to be a business enterprise or a going concern.

(d) Safeguard the assets of the concerned GOCC pending their disposition; (e) Ensure safeguarding of books of accounts financial records, and other pertinent records for COA auditing purposes;

(c) “Re-Activation” refers to the process of including a GOCC formerly classified as “ln-Active/Non-Operational,” into the official list of active GOCCs whose mandates shall be pursued as a going concern. 4.

(f) Cause the filing of criminal and/or administrative cases against any party who may be found liable for any wrong doing in the course of audit of the GOCC’s operations; and

CLASSIFICATION OF GOCCs AS IN-ACTIVE

The Governance Commission may motu proprio evaluate any GOCC under R A No 10149 and classify it as being in fact ln-Active/Non-Operational based on the following grounds:

(g) Perform other tasks as may be assigned by the Governance Commission. 6.

6.1. GOCCs previously classified as ln-Active/Non-Operational and which have not been abolished may be reactivated and reclassified through an MO from the Governance Commission’ for the purpose of reviving their operations as provided under their Charters and/or Articles of lncorporation.

(a) Continuous non-operation for at least three (3) years; (b) For Nonchartered GOCCs, the following additional grounds: i.

Failure to file and register its By-laws with the SEC;

ii.

Failure to organize and commence business within two (2) Years from incorporation; 1

6.2. The process of Re-Activation shall follow the same procedures as the process for De-Activation, but the application for Re-Activation must also be accompanied by a study showing the feasibility of reviving the operations of the De-Activated GOCC.

iii. The corporate franchise or certificates of incorporation has been suspended or revoked by the SEC;’2

6.3. For Nonchartered GOCC, the re-activation process shall be subject to further compliance with the mandatory provisions of the corporation code of the Philippines3 on the filing of documentary requirements with the SEC.4

iv. The operations conducted are contrary to or beyond the, mandates of its charter. ln the event the Governance Commission determines that a GOCC is in fact lnActive/Non-Operational, it shall formally issue the corresponding Memorandum Order (MO) to that effect in order to officially notify other government agencies and the general public of the actual status of the GOCC. 5.

DE-ACTIVATION OF GOCCs

6.4. The formal Re-Activation of a GOCCs shall be implemented through an MO. 7.

5.2. lnitiation of the Evaluative Process for De-Activation. -Apart from the power of the Governance Commission under Section 5 (a) and (b) of R.A. No. 10149 to motu proprio evaluate any GOCC under its supervision for possible classification into ln-Active/Non-Operational status, the following may initiate the evaluation of a GOCC for possible De-Activation, thus: (a) Directive from the President of the Philippines, in the exercise of supervisory powers over the GCG, and the power to reorganize the Executive Department as provided in the Administrative Code of 1987;

5.3. Required Documents for an Application for Evaluation. -A request for the evaluation of a GOCC shall be in the form of a written application letter from the Supervising Agency and/or Parent GOCC, and accompanled by the

CESAR L. VILLANUEVA VILLANUEV Chairman

CESAR V. V PURISIMA DOF Secretary

MA. ANGELA E. IGNACIO Commissioner

FLORENCIO B. ABAD DBM Secretary

RAINIER B. BUTALID BUT Commissioner

(b) Request from the Supervising Agency; or

Any other request for the De-Activation of a GOCC must be accompanied -a by favorable recommendation from any of the immediately preceding agencies and/ or the President of the Philippines. without such favorable relcommendation, the Governance Commission may conduct motu proprio an evaluation of the request or refer the matter for comment to the Supervising Agency and/or the Parent GOCC.

EFFECTIVITY

This Circular shall take effect immediately upon its publication in a newspaper of General Circulation and the Governance Commission’s website at www.gcg.gov.ph.

5.1 . Grounds for De-Activation. -The Governance Commission may De-Activate a GOCC and thereafter classify it as ln-Active/Non-Operational under Section 4 above or whenever it meets any of the grounds for abolition under R.A. No. 10149.

RE-ACTIVATION OF GOCCs

______________________________________________ 1

2 3 4

Batas Pambansa Silang 68, Corporation Code of the Philippines, Section 22, Effects on non-use of corporate charter and continuous inoperalton of a corporation. - If a corporation does not formally organize and commence the transaction of its business or the construction of its works within two (2) years from lhe date of its incorporation, its corporate powers cease and the corporation shaJi be deemed dissolved. However. if a corporation has commenced the transacMn of its business but subsequently becomes continuously inoperative for a period of at least five (5) years, the same shall be a ground for the suspension or revocation of its corporate franchise or certificate of incorporation. This provision shall not apply if the failure to organize, commence the transaction of its businesses or the construction of its works, or to continuously operate is due 10 causes beyond the control of the corporation as may be determined by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Id. Batas Pambansa Silang 68 . RA. No 8799, Securities Regulation Code. Section 17 and Section 18. (TS-JUL. 30, 2015)

THURSDAY: JULY 30, 2015

Stocks climb; Globe, BDO up THE stock market rose slightly Wednesday, taking a lead from Wall Street, which climbed Tuesday for the first time after five sessions of losses as dealers await a key US Federal Reserve policy meeting later in the day. The Philippine Stock Exchange Index added 3.80 points, or 0.05 percent, to 7,482.83 on a value turnover of P8.5 billion. Gainers beat losers, 92 to 75, with 48 issues unchanged. Globe Telecom Inc., the second-biggest telecommunications firm, climbed 1.5 percent to P2,538, while BDO Unibank Inc., the largest lender in terms of assets, gained 0.9 percent to P99.50. Universal Robina Corp. of industrialist John Gokongwei, the biggest snack food maker, advanced 1 percent to P192, while sister unit Cebu Air Inc. rose 2.3 percent to P94.10. Shanghai stocks, meanwhile, recovered Wednesday after plunging more than 11 percent in the past three sessions but there were mixed results for other Asian markets, with some unable to sustain a morning rally. Shanghai closed up 3.44 percent or 126.17 points at 3,789.17 on easing concerns about government measures to support share prices instituted at the start of the month to prevent a market meltdown. Hong Kong was up 0.51 percent in the afternoon and Sydney advanced 0.71 percent, or 39.52 points, to end at 5,624.2. Tokyo ended 0.13 percent, or 25.98 points, lower at 20,302.91 and Seoul was marginally down, shedding 1.48 points to 2,037.62. The region started with a burst after US and European bourses surged Tuesday after the previous day’s losses that were sparked by Shanghai’s 8.48 percent Monday plunge--its worst in eight years. Wall Street snapped a five-day losing streak thanks to strong earnings from shipping giant UPS as well as a bump in petroleum stocks. The Dow climbed 1.08 percent, the S&P 500 gained 1.24 percent and the Nasdaq jumped 0.98 percent. That followed healthy rises in London, Paris and Frankfurt. With AFP

assist officers and employees affected by organizational restructuring transition to new jobs outside the organization or new positions within the GOCC. 3.2.3

GCG MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO. 2015 04 SUBJECT

: REORGANIZATION, RATIONALIZATION AND PERSONNEL PLANNING IN THE GOCC SECTOR DATE : 08 APRIL 2015 _____________________________________________________________ 1.

3.3.

PURPOSE AND LEGAL AUTHORITY

This Memorandum Circular covers the public policy, guidelines and procedures followed by the Governance Commission pursuant to its mandate under Republic Act (RA) No, 10149 actively exercise the State’s ownership rights in GOCCs through the reorganization or streamlining of GOCCs1 to ensure that their operations support nalional goals,2 Corollary lhereto, the exercise of the Stale’s ownership rights musl be balanced with the provision of adequate operational flexibility in light of the principle of “Board Autonomy” under Article 9-10 of the “Ownership and Operations Manual for the GOCC Sector”.3

3.3.1.

The following Officers shall report directly to the Governing Board: (a) Internal Audit Officer; (b) Corporate Secretary; (c) Corporate Treasurer; and (d) Compliance Officer.

3.3.2.

Nothing herein shall preclude the Governing Board of a GOCC from: (a) Designating an Officer within the GOCC, such as but not limited to the General Counsel, to perform the functions of the Corporate Secretary5 and/or the Compliance Officer6 as an additional duty, or other such combinations that will best serve the interest of the GOCC.

(a) The organizational structure and staffing of GOCCs are aligned with their strategy; (b) The organizational structure and practices embody the highest standards of corporate governance, particularly through effective decision-making processes: (c) The organizational structure and staffing of GOCCs embody industry best practices in organizational development and workforce planning to the extent that these are relevant to the GOCC’s strategy and particular circumstances: and (d) GOCCs develop the capacity to review and restructure their organizational structure as a key lever to improving performance. DEFINITION OF TERMS, (a) “Branch Staffing Model” determines (i) the job grade of the Head of the Branch Manager and the Officer nexl-in-rank; and (ii) Personnel Services budget based on the required personnel based on appropriate parameters for the GOCC’s operations (e.g. projected sales, population density, area). (b) “Career Bands” refer to relative groupings of jobs to help determine the nature (i,e., either management or individual contributor) and assess the level of contribution of a particular role in the organization. (c) “Career Levels” are discemible broad steps in a Career Band that reflect progression of jobs requiring higher levels of competence and knowledge. (d) “Job Grade (JG)”4 is a numerical representation of the relative internal values of a job in a GOCC’s plantilla/staffing pattern, determined by using quantifiable factors to assess the minimum requirements to perform a job as defined in the job description The JG will dictate the Monthly Basic Salary of the job based on the Salary Structure (e) “Reorganization or Rationalization” refers to changes in the Organization Structure and Staffing Pattern geared towards improving the delivery of services and overall performance of the GOCC. For purposes of this Circular, no distinction is made between reorganization and rationalization. 3.

3.3.3.

3.2.

3.4.

3.2.1.

3.2.2

Design Framework. -The RP should demonstrate a clear link between the GOCC’s business strategy and proposed changes in the OSSP It should identify the major criteria that guided the formulation of the plan. It should likewise identify success indicators of the Plan, the annual target for each indicator, and the units accountable for achieving the targets. The Governing Board shall take the lead in formulating the business strategy and the design framework, and shall be accountable for the RP. Design Process. -In addition to a clear and sound framework, the RP shall include the following components to indicate that the GOCC adhered to a transparent and evidence-based process in formulating the RP: (a) Current State Assessment. - To ensure an objective and speedy identification of the problems and needs of the GOCC, the Governing Board shall cause the conduct of a current state assessment by a third party. The Governing Board shall provide the Commission the final report of the current state assessment. (b) Governance Structure. - To ensure orderly and efficient process, the GOCC shall at the start of the process issue clear guidelines and establish a governance structure in the formulation of the RP in accordance with this Circular. (c) Participatory Process. - To promote meaningful consultation and participation of employees and key stakeholders, the Governing Board and Management shall provide mechanisms for consultation and participation, establish a governance structure and guidelines, and define boundaries of decision-making. Such mechanism shall include the constitution of a Change Management Team (CMT), which shall include among its membership a representative from the employees’ association, and which shall have the following functions: To be the forum where employees and other affected stakeholders express their concerns and recommendations on the manner by which the Governing Board and Management develop the RP; II. To recommend to the Governing Board and Management revisions to the final proposed RP to be submitted to the Governance Commission; III. To cascade to the officers and employees the features of the RP once it has been approved for implementation by the Governance Commission; and iv. To assist officers and employees whose terms of employment are affected by the implementation of the approved RP.

3.4.2. 3.4.3.

3.4.4.

Nothing herein shall be interpreted to mean that the Goveming Board shall delegate its decision-making powers or that key decisions should be arrived at by consensus. (d) Cost-Benefit Analysis - To determine the financial viability of the proposed changes to the OS, the GOCC shall conduct an analysis of the revenue and cost implications the proposed changes and their impact on the financial position of the GOCC. (e) Workforce Analysis and Planning - The GOCC shall conduct an analysis of the existing workforce by career band and job level. It shall prepare mediumterm plan showing projected staffing levels by career band and job level over the next five (5) years. (f)

Transition Program for Affected Officers and Employees - The RP shall provide for a program to

The revised Organizational Structure (OS) or Table of Organization (TO); The Job Grade of the Heads and next-in-rank officers of units provided in the OS/TO; The staffing model for branches, stores, district offices, or project management units following a classification system approved by the Governance Commission; and The total budget for personnel services based on approved Job Grades of the Heads and next-in-rank officers of units together with the indicative workforce level/headcount and corresponding compensation of the various units of the OSITO. Where applicable, this budget shall be for personnel services in the central office only. The total budget for personnel services of branches shall be accounted for separately based on the implementation of the approved staffing model.

4.1.

FUNDING OF PERSONNEL SERVICES. -Any increase in the budget for personnel services (annual total compensation for all personnel) resulting from any change in the Organizational Structure and/or Staffing Pattem shall be charged to corporate funds. It shall be prohibited to source payment for the increase from any of the following: (a) Loans; (b) Subsidy; and (c) Sale of assets for the sale purpose of paying the increase in personnel services budget and not otherwise in the ordinary course of business

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF NEWLY CREATED GOCCs.The Organizational Structure of newly created GOCCs shall require approval by the Governance Commission prior to its implementation. The provisions of Ihis Circular shall also cover applications for approval of a !leW Organizational Structure and Staffing Pattern

EARLY RETIREMENT INCENTIVE PROGRAM AND SEPARATION PAY. -The applicable Early Retirement Incentive Program (ERIP) and Separation Pay shal’ be pursuant to existing laws and regulations.

CHECKLIST OF DOCUMENTS. -All reports required herein Shall follow the checklist of documents and forms in the Citizens’ Charter section of the Governance Commission’s website.

RETAINING EXPERTISE. -Each GOCC is encouraged to procure the consulting services of reputable HR consulting firms. companies or individual consultants. as well as market information that may be used for external benchmarks for the operations of the GOCC. The engagement shall ensure knowledge and technology transfer in line with the Government Procurement Reform Act (RA No. 9184). The expenses that will be incurred in procuring the services of such expert individuals or institutions shall be considered as necessa ry expenses of the GOCC.

10. TRANSITORY PROVISIONS. 10.1. All GOCCs shall submit the required workforce analysis reports following the forms in the Citizens’ Charter of the GCG website within three (3) months from the effectivity of this Circular. The workforce analysis reports shall identify the business outcomes / performance measures of each unit. and group existing staff into the following career bands and job levels

Operational Flexibility. -Pursuant to the provision of adequate operational flexibility, the Goveming Board shall have conditional authority to implement the actions below provided the same is first reported to the Governance Commission in the forms required under its Citizens’ Charter at least thirty (30) working days prior to implementation, and there was no communication from the Governance Commission to the contrary, to wit: 4.1.1. Changes in Scope of Responsibilities and Reporting Lines. The Governing Board may change the scope of responsibilities and reporting lines of organizational units. subject to the mandatory provisions herein and the Code of Corporate Governance for GOCCs (GCG MC No. 2012-07), provided, that the creation or abolition of units or substantive changes in organizational structure not limited to the creation or abolition of units shall be approved by the Governance Commission. 4.1.2. Staffing -The staffing of positions below the Heads and next-in -rank officer of units, including the number of job positions, the job titles, the salary grades, and the number of positions per job title. 4.1.3. Titling. -Subject to the formal approval of the Civil Service Commission (CSC), whenever applicable, the titles of Organizational Units and Executives may be determined by the Governing Board, provided the titles clearly distinguish between the various units and levels in the organization based on size, scope of responsibility or other relevant parameters. Any changes to the framework for titling organizational units and Executives must first be reported to the Governance Commission and the CSC at least thirty (30) working days prior to implementation. 4.1.4. Career Pathing. -Incumbent personnel (i.e. change of rank with increase in job level/grade) may be promoted within the career path of the particular item, provided, the incumbent meets the approved qualification standards of the new rank.

(a) Management. which consists of the following career bands: i. ii

Chief Legal Counsel (I-III)

Career Path Senior Vice-President (VP) VP Assistant VP

4.1.5.

4.1.6.

4.1.7.

4.1.8.

4.1.9.

Job Grade

i. ii. iii. iv. v. vi.

JG 15

Professionals; Customer/Client Management: Sales Staff; Technical Support Staff, General Staff; and Labor

10.2 Individuals under Contracts of Services/Job Orders shall also be grouped accordingly. 10.3. All vacant positions shall be excluded from the grouping, except for those that have been identified as still relevant and have been vacant for not more than six (6) months. 10.4. Total Cash Compensation (Iotal guaranteed compensation9 plus variable pay) for each Job Level and within each career band shall also be reported for costing analysis. 10.5. The filled positions within each GOCe and all positions that have only been vacant for not more than four (4) months from the effectivity of this circular shall be deemed the authorized workforce level of the GOCC, and all other vacant position s shall be deemed abolished 10.6. Governing Boards may exercise the conditional authority herein only after sixty (60) working days from the time their workforce analysis reports are received by the Governance Commission.

Qualification Standards Bachelor of Laws. 6 years managerial experience

Executives; and Middle Management/Supervisors,

(b) Individual Contributors, which consists bands;

Example

Plantilla Item

Regulatory Intervention. -The authority of the Governing Board is without prejudice to the authority of the Governance Commission to exercise oversight over the GOCC. The Governing Board must inform the Governance Commission in writing of its plan to undertake any of the above actions within thirty (30) working days after the same is approved by the Governing Board, or at least thirty (30) working days prior to its implementation, whichever is earlier. The written report must follow the forms required in the Governance Commission’s Citizens’ Charter. 4.3.1 Technical Working Group (TWG) Meeting. -The Governance Commission may require TWG meetings to make adjustments to any of the actions above when they compromise the operations or the financial health of the GOCC, constitute gross abuse of discretion to the detriment of officers and employees or do not comply with the standards established herein or that were approved specifically for the GOCC. The call for a TWG meeting shall suspend the implementation of the actions in question until the issuance of a written formal notice that the GOCC may proceed, subject to any adjustments made. 4.3.2 Organizational Audit. -Whenever it deems fit, the Governance Commission may conduct an audit of the organizational structure, people practices, rewards system and other related matters to evaluate their effectiveness in achieving the objectives of the GOCC and the projected business outcomes. On the basis of the audit results, the Governance Commission shall direct the Governing Board to implement changes in the organizational structure to address identified gaps and issues and improve overall performance. 4.3.3. Non-Compliance to Rules and Regulations. -Any action that is contrary to laws, rules or regulations shall be invalid even if no adjustments are made by the Governance Commission without prejudice to further action by the Commission on Audit (COA). 4.3.4. Requirement on Comprehensive and Concise Reporting. -In order to facilitate evaluation by the Govemance Commission within the 30-day period and to avoid repetitive and piecemeal reports that would render nugatory the approved workforce actions, the GOCCs concemed should ensure that the reports submitted are comprehensive and concise so as to cover the desired outcomes for the entire calendar year. The Governing Board shall perform a strategic and holistic review of its Organizational Structure and Staffing Pattern in its annual planning.

AUTHORITY OF THE GOVERNING BOARD .

The GOCC’s Human Resource unit shall act as the secretariat of the CMT to ensure proper documentation of the planning and implementation of the RP.

Nonetheless, the designated officer shall report directly to the Board insofar as the duties and responsibilities of Corporate Secretary and/or Compliance Officer are concerned, and may be entitled to a salary increase pursuant to the GOCC’s existing compensation framework; or (b) Filling up the position of Corporate Secretary by engaging an individual from the private sector on a part-time basis, to be compensated with an amount comparable to honoraria for actual attendance at meetings in accordance with the rate for Members under National Budget Circular 2007-5107 or the applicable rate for Committee per diems, whichever is lower, Provided, the total annual cost of the honoraria shall not exceed 75% of the total annual personnel services budget for the position of Corporate Secretary. The individual from the private sector should have no conflict of interest with the GOCC, and shall be considered a public officer subject to filing of the Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) and other accountability requirements even though not a regular employee of the GOCC. The highest ranking officers for the following functions shall report directly to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO):

Nothing herein shall preclude the Governing Board or GCG from combining the functions of the foregoing Officers into such combinations that will best serve the interest of the GOCC. Upon recommendation of the CEO, the Governing Board may issue orders for the foregoing to be supervised by another Officer before directly reporting to him/her, but such orders shall apply only during the tenure of the CEO. Authority to Implement RP. -Upon evaluation of the proposed RP, the Commission shall issue a Memorandum Order (MO) authorizing the Governing Board to implement the RP as approved by the Commission. The MO shall provide among others for the following: 3.4.1.

Approval Process. -Applications for approval of the RP shall undergo the process prescribed by the Governance Commission, including: 3.1.1 Submission of the prelirninary information required in the Citizen’s Charter on the GCG website; 3.1.2 Presentation of the RP to the Governance Commission; 3.1.3 Evaluation by the Technical Working Group (TWG) composed of representatives of the Governance Commission and the GOCC; 3.1 4 Discussion between the Governance Commission and the GOCC Governing Board of any issues not agreed upon at the TWG level; and 3.1.5 Issuance of Memorandum Order by the Governance Commission authorizing, or of a letter denying the implementation of the proposed Organizational Structure and Staffing Pattern (OSSP), Evaluation Criteria. -The RP shall be evaluated on the basis of the following major criteria:

4.3.

(a) Finance; (b) Management Information Systems; (c) Strategic Communications; and (d) Corporate Planning.

REORGANIZATION OR RATIONALIZATION PLAN (RP)-Pursuant to the authority granted under Section 5(a)(6) of R.A. No. 10149, the Governance Commission shall approve changes in the Organizational Structure of all GOCCs covered by R.A No. 10149 prior to their implementation. The GOCC shall submit for review and approval of the Governance Commission a Reorganization or Rationalization Plan (RP) embodying the proposed changes in the Organizational Structure. 3.1.

Compliance to Standards. - The RP should comply with existing laws, rules or regulations. Parts thereof that are not compliant with existing laws, rules or regulations shall be invalid even if no adjustments are made by the Governance Commission and without prejudice to further action by the Commission on Audit (COA).

Mandatory Lines of Authority. - Regardless of whether a GOCC has already undergone rationalization or reorganization with the Governance Commission, the following organizational hierarchies / lines of authority shall be mandatory for all GOCCs:

Towards this end, the Governance Commission shalt ensure that:

Commission. In the case of GOCCs without branches or similar geographical units prior to issuance of this Circular, the creation of such units shall require approval by the Governance Commission and shall undergo the same process of review as a RP.

11. EFFECTIVITY. -This Circular shall take effect immediately upon its publication in a newspaper of general circulation and on the Governance Commission·s website at www.gcg.gov.ph.

Bachelor of laws, 5 years managerial experience Bachelor of laws, 4 years managerial experience

Scrap and Build Flexibility. -Obsolete positions may be scrapped and replaced with new positions to meet new market conditions, provided the authorized workforce levels for career bands and job levels is maintained. Chartered GOCCs shall be responsible for securing from the CSC the applicable Qualification Standards for newly created positions. Reassignment/Transfer. -Incumbent personnel and/or vacant positions may be transferred from one unit to another unit or grouped to form a new organizational unit, subject to compliance with pertinent Civil Service rules and regulations on personnel actions.8 Reduction of Workforce. -Positions, whether filled or vacant, may be abolished when the same are deemed obsolete, redundant or due to the closure of branches, satellite offices or other equivalent units, or technological advances. Abolition of Co-Terminous Positions. -The Governing Board may implement the abolition of positions classified as coterminous with incumbent (CTI) as a result of a Reorganization Plan approved under E.O. 366 upon satisfaction of the conditions for the abolition of such positions, provided, no additional positions shall be classified CTI. Creation and Closure of Branches. -The Governing Board of a GOCC that at the time of issuance of this Circular is operating branches, stores, or project management units shall be authorized to create new or close such units in accordance with the branch staffing model approved by the Governance

CESAR L. VILLANUEV VILLANUEVA Chairman

CESAR V V. PURISIMA DOF Secretary

MA. ANGELA E. IGNACIO Commissioner

FLORENCIO B. ABAD DBM Secretary

RAINIER B. BUT BUTALID Commissioner _______________________________ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Sec. 5(a), R.A. No. 10149 See Art. 4.5, GCG MC No. 2012-06 GCG Memorandum Circular No. 2012-06. Also known as “Salary Grade” under the framework of the Salary Standardization Law (SSL). Section 15.3 GCG MC No. 2012-07 Section 16.4 GCG MC No. 2012-07 Under OBM National Budget Circular No. 2007-510, the rate of honoraria shall not exceed 25% of the monthly RATA of the deputy chief operating officer of the collegial body for every meeting actually attended. For the purposes of this Circular. the ceiling of four (4) paid meetings per month shall not apply See generally Book. V. Chapter 5, Section 26(3), E.O. No. 292. s. 1989. defining “Transfer.” See also Omnibus Civil Service Rules and Regulations. Rule VII, Sec. 5 on “Transfer and Sec.10 on “Reassignment.” Total Guaranteed Compensation refers to basic guaranteed compensation plus fixed cash allowances (TS-JUL. 30, 2015)

T H U R S D AY : J U LY 3 0 , 2 0 1 5

ceSAR bARRioqUinTo EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Girl, 13, abused over 500 times PERTH—Eight men have been charged with hundreds of child sex offenses against a 13-year-old girl in Australia, including her father whom police alleged Wednesday organized the horrific abuse over two years. The pedophile ring was smashed last week when detectives in Western Australia arrested the men, aged between 35 and 47, after a tip-off from the public. They face a total of 503 charges, including sexual penetration of a child under 13, stupefying the girl potentially with drugs or alcohol, sexual servitude, indecently recording abuse and distributing child exploitation material. As an example of the nature of the alleged offenses, police said one man alone was in possession of 200,000

videos and four million images, although they were not only of the Perth teenager. Around 150 pictures and videos were of the girl. “It’s disgusting material. There’s no words to describe it,” Detective Superintendent Glenn Feeney told reporters in Perth, adding that the 13-year-old was rescued before the men were rounded up. “The victim is now a 13-year-old child. At the time of the offenses alleged she was between the ages of 11 and 13,” he said. “She was rescued from this horrible situation she was in. She is safe, she is receiving the care that she requires and that will be an ongoing situation.” The teenager was physically okay when taken away by police, “but psychologically, I can’t answer”, said Feeney. AFP

world

Waiting for the tourists. This picture taken on July 20, 2015, shows boat drivers waiting for tourists to transport around the Unesco-listed town of Hoi An in the central Vietnamese province of Quang Nam. AFP

Tech men fear ‘killer robots’ BUENOS AIRES—It sounds like a science-fiction nightmare. But “killer robots” have the likes of British scientist Stephen Hawking and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak fretting, and warning they could fuel ethnic cleansing and an arms race.

Autonomous weapons, which use artificial intelligence to select targets without human intervention, have been described as “the third revolution in warfare, after gunpowder and nuclear arms,” around 1,000 technology chiefs wrote in an open letter. Unlike drones, which require a human hand in their action, this kind of robot would have some autonomous decision-making ability and capacity to act. “The key question for humanity today is

whether to start a global AI [artificial intelligence] arms race or to prevent it from starting,” they wrote. “If any major military power pushes ahead with AI weapon development, a global arms race is virtually inevitable,” said the letter released at the opening of the 2015 International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Buenos Aires. The idea of an automated killing machine—made famous by Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “Terminator”—is moving swiftly from science fiction to reality, according to the scientists. “The deployment of such systems is— practically if not legally—feasible within years, not decades,” the letter said. The scientists painted the doomsday scenario of autonomous weapons falling into the hands of terrorists, dictators or warlords hoping to carry out ethnic cleansing. “There are many ways in which AI can make battlefields safer for humans, especially

civilians, without creating new tools for killing people,” the letter said. In addition, the development of such weapons, while potentially reducing the extent of battlefield casualties, might also lower the threshold for going to battle, noted the scientists. The group concluded with an appeal for a “ban on offensive autonomous weapons beyond meaningful human control.” Elon Musk, the billionaire co-founder of PayPal and head of SpaceX, a private spacetravel technology venture, also urged the public to join the campaign. “If you’re against a military AI arms race, please sign this open letter,” tweeted the tech boss. Sounding a touch more moderate, however, was Australia’s Toby Walsh. The artificial intelligence professor at NICTA and the University of New South Wales noted that all technologies have potential for being used for good and evil ends.

Ricardo Rodriguez, an AI researcher at the University of Buenos Aires, also said worries could be overstated. “Hawking believes that we are closing in on the Apocalypse with robots, and that in the end, AI will be competing with human intelligence,” he said. “But the fact is that we are far from making killer military robots.” Authorities are gradually waking up to the risk of robot wars. Last May, for the first time, governments began talks on the so-called “lethal autonomous weapons systems.” In 2012, Washington imposed a 10-year human control requirement on automated weapons, which was welcomed by campaigners even though they said it should go further. There have been examples of weapons being stopped in their infancy. After UN-backed talks, blinding laser weapons were banned in 1998 before they ever hit the battlefield. AFP

Floods kill at least 26 in India

Visit to Tehran. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (second, left), and his French counterpart Laurent Fabius hold talks with their respective delegations in Tehran on July 29. Fabius’s visit to Iran comes after the conclusion of a landmark deal with the United States over the Islamic republic’s controversial nuclear program. AFP

AHMEDABAD, India—Flash floods triggered by torrential monsoon rain have killed at least 26 people in a west Indian state in the past 48 hours, authorities said Wednesday. The rain and high winds have also cut power and communications across the north of Gujarat state, raising concerns that villagers may be stranded. “Over 2,000 villages of north Gujarat have been affected due to the floods,” the duty officer in the state’s emergency control room told AFP. “We have lost contact with most of these villages and there is no information coming in from those areas.” Rescue teams have been deployed to several hard-hit areas, including the district of Banaskantha where eight people have been killed in rain-related incidents including drownings, local official Dilip Rana said.

“Efforts are on to first rescue those stranded in floodwaters,” district collector Rana told AFP. Another four people died in Kutch district after several houses collapsed, while more than 1,000 people there have been relocated to higher ground, reported local official M S Patel. Six fatalities have also been recorded in the main city of Ahmedabad and eight in other districts, the control room officer said. The Indian weather bureau forecast that heavy rain will continue to inundate Gujarat for another 48 hours. Last month, more than 50 people were killed in the coastal state as the annual monsoon swept across the country. The monsoon is vital for South Asia especially for crop production. India receives nearly 80 percent of its annual rainfall from June to September. AFP

T H U R S D AY : J U LY 3 0 : 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

W EL L BEING

LIFE

HOW TO EAT CLEAN AND LIVE GREEN Cocogreen offers food options that care for people’s health and the environment BY BERNADETTE LUNAS PHOTOS BY SONNY ESPIRITU

Evolve Norwalk Pressed Juice Cleanse (not diluted, and unsweetened)

Gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free breads: Better baguette and No Baggage bagel

Organic purple cabbage Probiotic Sauerkraut and Plantbased Great Ruler Kim-Chi

id you know that a lowcalorie diet actually makes you fat? Calories have been constantly considered since the 1950s as one of the – if not the major – culprits of weight gain. In fact, a number of nutritionists and dietitians suggest that a simple way to lose weight is to cut down calories from our diet. “Calories in, calories out” became a favorite weight loss mantra, and this led to the birth of calorie counting, which means the number of calories a person takes in should be smaller than the calories burned. That should make the mathematics of weight loss quite simple. However, Cornell University-educated, wholefoods business owner Weizel Gulfan begs to differ. “A low-calorie diet that is not balanced, incomplete and empty in nutrients will only make you hungry and crave more because your body’s going to signal the brain that you’re still hungry, that you still need more nutrients,” says Gulfan, adding, “so you’ll end up eating more and you’ll get fat.” What she instead recommends is high-calorie, nutrient-dense, unprocessed wholefoods in lieu of low-calorie processed food, which she offers – together with her business partners at Cocogreen – in spades. Founded in 2012, Cocogreen Plantbased Wholefoods. Inc. is a sustainable healthy food corporation that offers glutenfree, dairy-free, egg-free, low

Figs and Dates Power balls and Fireball Chewy Choco-chips Cayenne Cookies (brown rice based; soy-free, dairy-free dark chocolate chips; cacao nibs; coco nectar; spiked with cayenne)

Weizel Gulfan (Photo by Louie Araneta)

carbohydrates, high-protein, and nutrient-dense options. Gulfan (a yogini, environment advocate and vegan for eight years and counting) discloses that it was her mother, Cecille Gulfan, who made the vision come to life as “she is the heart and hands behind Cocogreen’s many bestsellers.” The business evolved throughout the years with the help of her partners, who are all health junkies themselves. “My partners: Andrew is a triathlete, he handpicks the brands we bring in and handles our logistics; Toni is an MMA fighter who manages Cocogreen; Mheo is an athlete behind our digital marketing online; and Henry helps fund the entire expansion with his team of international consultants,” shares Gulfan. Gulfan also works with a team of nutritionists and chefs, all of

Mountain Rose Herbs Organics

whom have a big heart for the environment and want to play an active role in the growing efforts towards sustainability. Like Gulfan, they believe that “nothing could be more impactful than offering food alternatives that are healthy, easy on the environment, and support the local farmers.” Cocogreen’s team personally develops, produces and markets most of their products so consumers are assured that what they’re eating is “real food.” Most of the ingredients for the meals and pastries are locally sourced from partner farms,

Cecille Gulfan and Meeta Nanda

and these ingredients are then processed at their commissary in Jupiter, Makati. The superfoods, meanwhile, are from Mountain Rose Herbs Organics in Oregon in the US which according to Gulfan employs the strictest regulation to make sure that the superfoods are the purest and finest available in the market. Cocogreen offers a wide range of products, from cooked meals and pressed juices to basic produce and pantry items, at its outlet in Picasso Hotel in Salcedo Village, at the Salcedo Saturday Market, as well as at Sprout, Manila Polo Club,

and Blue Kitchen in Makati. Healthy food items include rice variants (from brown to red; definitely not white), condiments and spices (Himalayan fine salt and roasted sea salt), teas, noodles and pasta (Shirataki noodles), and dried fruits, among others. Guilt-free snack options such as kale crisps, the bestselling raw food I’ve Got Balls (made of figs, chia seeds, dates, pili nuts and cashew rolled into glutinous ball of energy) and pastries baked by the elder Gulfan who according to her daughter is “the best vegan chef who is not vegan” are also available. Continued on C3

T H U R S D AY : J U LY 3 0 : 2 0 1 5

LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

FILIPINO MILLENNIALS OPEN UP ABOUT VIRGINITY Sex is a topic that Filipinos don’t usually talk about in the open. We’ve always been prudes that way. In a way, we still are. Knowledge is power, and the lack of it is probably part of the reason behind teenage and unwanted pregnancies, as well THE GIST as the alarmingly continuous BY ED BIADO and rapid rise of HIV infections in the Philippines. But society is loosening up and we’re now a lot more comfortable discussing our sex lives – at the water cooler, over coffee or beer, on the Internet. Millennials are notably vocal about their views on the matter and willing to share their experiences. To know more about Filipino sexuality and attitudes towards sex, particularly the millennial kind, The Gist spoke to some friends in their twenties and early thirties. We’re obviously not identifying them by name because while these folks may be happy to talk to us, they don’t want their parents reading about their sexcapades. First topic: cherry-popping. The question we posed is “At what age did you lose your virginity? Do you think it was too early, too late or just the right time?” Here are the responses:

I lost my V-card when I was 17 years old. I guess it was just the right time. I, for one, felt like it was normal. It was something special but it didn’t change who I was. I also thought that I was okay not being a virgin anymore since it was part of growing up. You’ll lose it one way or another.

I was 15, way too early. I didn’t really feel anything emotionally. I mean, it already happened. It was so surreal that time. I don’t even remember the experience. I just know that it was full of firsts, including my first real kiss, so the memory has sentimental value even if it’s a really vague one. – A, male

I lost it when I was 16. I was in a relationship with the person so it felt okay during that time. Then we broke up in college and I was on a dry spell for more than five years. Looking back, it would have been better if I gave it to someone more special. I’m not saying I’m for or against premarital sex. But I’m for knowing the dos and don’ts – being protected and having a check-up. – C, female

I lost it at 14. It was too early but I felt like it was a rite of passage that I just had to get over with. The experience wasn’t satisfying. But as I grew up, I understood m ore that it’s really like that sometimes. – B, male

Officials of the Asian Cancer Institute (from left): Dr. Karl Morales, Coordinator of Emmanuel Center; Dr. Johanna Canal, Head and Coordinator of Conquer C; Dr. Corazon Ngelangel, Director; Andres M. Licaros Jr., President and CEO; Dr. Joven Q. Tanchuco, Chief Medical Officer; Dr. Enrico D. Tangco, Coordinator of Special Projects, CME, MDT; Dr. Gerardo H. Cornelio, Coordinator of Quality Management; and Dr. Rumalie A. Corvera, Coordinator of Chrys 2.

I was 29. It was with my boyfriend and it was at the right time. I didn’t look for sex before that because I (did not) only want to have sex in a relationship. – G, female

I lost my virginity when I was 19 and I don’t think it was too early nor too late. I think it was proper timing because I did it when I was ready and with someone I loved. – I, female

I was 27. It was perfect. I really wanted it to be with someone I will not regret giving it to. I had an instinctive feeling that if I just let someone take it away from me, something would be lost that I would never be able to recover. – E, female

Oral, Grade 3: too early. Penetrative, college: just right. – D, male

According to conventional wisdom, males tend to lose their virginity earlier than females; and that the latter group associates sexual activity with emotions more than the former. This casual survey supports those theories. We also notice that individuals who reported having sex for the first time later in their teenage years are more at peace with the timing and those who did it even later think of the act as a positive experience. Now we want to know – what do you think?

– F, male

Asian Hospital and Medical Center (AHMC) launched its new Asian Cancer Institute (ACI), a one-stop integrated and multi-disciplinary cancer prevention and management facility. The facility is located at 2205 Civic Drive, Filinvest City, Alabang, Muntilupa City.

It happened when I was 18. Just right. It was kind of special. I never really cared about locker-room talk about ‘banging chicks’ earlier than that. I wanted it to be with someone I liked enough. – H, male

Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @EdBiado

Socks that stem the stink

oms love to kiss and smell the tiny, delicate feet of their babies, but not when those sweet-smelling tootsies turn into lethal stink bombs as they grow. When kids go to school, they become more prone to foot odor because their feet are enclosed in shoes and socks. These tots use up a lot of energy playing and indulging in all kinds of physical activities, making their feet sweat more – triggering that ugh! smell. Bacteria on the skin and shoes trigger the production of acidic byproducts that cause the stink. However, this smelly predicament can be avoided with the right socks made of right materials. There are various kinds of socks in the market today designed for specific foot care needs, but there is one created specifically to provide antibacterial protection and to control odor – the Burlington Best Ever!

P o w e r e d with Microban® technology, the Burlington Best Ever, a product of the country’s leading manufacturer of international quality socks Burlington Philippines, has antimicrobial properties that protect your kid’s feet from odor-causing bacteria, leaving them fresh and clean all day. The Microban® technology, pioneered by Microban International, the global leader in built-in antimicrobial product protection, gives long-lasting protection and fights the growth of harmful bacteria. It works by penetrating deep into the bacteria’s cell wall, neutralizing the bacteria’s abilities to develop and reproduce. Ensuring your children’s hygiene is not easy, especially when they’re not at home, but with Burlington’s Microban® technology socks, 100 percent protection is guaranteed. It is made of cotton so it absorbs sweat and let your kids’ feet breathe.

T H U R S D AY : J U LY 3 0 : 2 0 1 5

LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

HOW TO EAT CLEAN AND LIVE GREEN From C1

Gluten-free, dairy-free and egg-free cookies and biscuits include Fireball (chewy chocolate chip cookies with Maca root, cacao nibs, coco nectar, soy-free dark chocolate chips, spiked with Cayenne), Glutenfree Biscotti, Bear Hugs Lemon Butter Cookies and more. Some of the bread options are Better Baguette and No Baggage Bagel, all made without the unhealthy stuff. And if there’s bread, Cocogreen also offers spreads such as almond butter, cashew butter, pili cheddar (non-dairy cheese alternative) and pili butter (non-dairy butter alternative). Their meal menu is courtesy of their chefs and is further improved with the help of Meeta Nanda, the woman behind Heart2Hearth’s non-dairy, egg-free and nut-free baked goods. Cocogreen meals include Jackfruit Jerky Sandwich, Macrobiotic burger in Paleo bun, Green Falafel with Buckwheat Tabouleh, Heirloom Tomato Lentil Stew and more. Since Nanda joined the team, Cocogreen now offers daily meal deliveries, which unlike many others, are not calorie-counted. “We don’t really do calorie-count because these are very healthy meals. Everything is organic and wholefood,” explains Nanda, who specializes in allergen-free food. Last year, the plant-based company also started offering all-natural pressed juices. “We don’t dilute, we don’t sweeten and its coldpressed by Norwalk, the only juice press accredited by Gerson Therapy to treat cancer, diabetes, autoimmune disease and promote healthy weightmanagement. Each bottle is guaranteed to give you a kilo worth of your greens,” says Gulfan. The juice variants are all natural, mostly organic and are loaded with superfoods such as Chlorella, Maca, Acai, Camucamu, Spirulina Elderberry and Activated charcoal without the added cost. These superfoods in powder and liquid forms are also for sale at Cocogreen. Thriving businesses like Cocogreen proves that people are starting to turn to nutrition and choose healthier alternatives for their health. Health is indeed an investment but many hesitate to take the healthy plunge because of price concerns. Gulfan argues, “Why is processed food so cheap? Because over time they can cause obesity, diabetes, cancer, osteoporosis and auto-immune deficiencies.” It actually makes sense.

Children eagerly participate in a Philips Simply Healthy learning session.

LITTLE THINGS, BIG DIFFERENCE Philips visits barangay for Simply Healthy project

nergy conservation, climate change and environmental awareness are issues that impact the lives of Filipinos, and this is what Philips sought to highlight in its most recent Simply Healthy learning session in Barangay Balagtas in Pamplona Uno, Las Piñas city. Simply Healthy is a global program that aims to promote health and wellness among residents in grassroots communities. Part of the advocacy is also to ingrain environmental sensitivity among residents. Conducted in partnership with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines, the Las Piñas City Health Office and the leadership of Barangay Balagtas Pamplona Uno, the families learned about climate change, the use and life cycle of plastics, and proper hygiene as well as waste segregation through lectures by WWF Philippines. The residents were also taught energy conservation facts and tips through

H Human Nature GK Village in Tambulilid, Ormoc, Leyte

Citronella farmer in Bukidnon

Kids have fun painting a rubber barrel that has since been turned into a trash bin.

the Philips Bright Kids module. The concluding activity saw the families painting rubber trash bins that are now being used for proper waste management within the barangay. “Safeguarding the wellness and environment of the community really is a team effort,” said Philips Country Manager Fabia TetterooBueno. “The greatest strides forward are made when government comes together with households and with businesses. That’s something that we aim to achieve with Simply Healthy.”

Trash bins painted by residents of Barangay Balagtas.

Philips believes in empowering the Filipino people and its communities, with its vision of nation building, and message of hope, wellness and change. This vision is in line with Philips’ sustainable policy, and its mission of improving lives and creating meaningful innovation. For more information, visit www.philips. com.ph or check out the Philips Philippines Facebook fan page.

FIGHT MOSQUITO BITE THE NATURAL WAY

ere in the Philippines, the mosquito population spikes during the wet months starting in June or July, thus making insect repellent a rainy day essential. But the alarming thing is, most insect repellents contain DEET (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide), an active ingredient that was originally developed as a pesticide. DEET’s strong chemical smell and ability to melt plastic on contact has led consumers to seek natural alternatives. Human Nature, a brand that offers genuinely natural personal care, cosmetics and home care products, offers a DEET-free Bug Shield line that deters dengue-carrying aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Included in this range are 100 percent Natural Bug Shield Mosquito Repellent Oil (available in 50ml and 100ml) and 100 percent Natural Bug Shield Mosquito Repellent Lotion (50ml). Both products provide natural protection with Citronella Oil and are infused with soy bean oil and eucalyptus oil – giving an added boost of protection and scent. For those who are allergic to soy, Human

Nature also has a G6PD-Friendly, Soybean-Free Bug Shield Oil variant. These formulations also have sunflower oil that keeps skin soft and supple. Aside from being natural, what makes Human Nature’s Bug Shield line a way better alternative is that all profits from the purchase of these products fund the sustainable livelihood program for citronella farming communities in Kanapawan, Camarines Norte; Imapalutao, Bukidnon; and Imbayao, Malaybalay. Proceeds from the Bug Shield products also helped build over a hundred houses for typhoon Yolanda survivors in Ormoc, Leyte and Cadiz, Negros Occidental through the Goodness Rising project with Gawad Kalinga. Income was also used to repair three elementary school buildings, distribute textbooks to 352 school children, and provide health care to 55 citronella farmers in Kanapawan. Human Nature 100% Natural Bug Shield Oil is priced at P99.75 (50ml) and P149.75 (100ml). Human Nature 100% Natural Bug Shield Lotion is P99.75 (50ml) and the 100% Natural Bug Shield Soybean-Free Oil is priced at P149.75 (100ml).

Bug Shield DEET-Free Lotion and Bug Shield DEET-Free Oil

T H U R S D AY : J U LY 3 0 : 2 0 1 5

LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

THE MAGIC OF APPLE CIDER VINEGAR FINE FETTLE BY BUBBLES PARAISO

riginally used for cooking or food preservation by individuals seeking a healthy alternative to the usual white vinegar, apple cider vinegar’s uses and health benefits are finally coming to light. Traditionally, vinegar is made through a long and slow fermentation process that leaves it rich in bioactive components that give it many beneficial properties. Nowadays, vinegar is no longer just for cooking, it is now also used for a lot of health and hygiene purposes as well as for cleaning, gardening and many more. A cobweb-like amino acid-based substance found in unprocessed, unfiltered vinegar means that it is of best quality. When it comes to apple cider vinegar, the murkier it is, the better. Apple cider vinegar or ACV has been somewhat an obsession of mine for a few months now. After reading an article on how it curbs your appetite and aids in weight loss, I got curious. But could a dose of ACV before every meal really keep the pounds away? It seems to be working for me, as I have been eating less than normal – and normal for me is usually A LOT. But that’s not the only reason why I got hooked. Weight loss is just one

of the claims that this little pantry staple is making. This fermented goodness seems to be making waves that a lot of people are already on the ACV train, and it is already quite a challenge to find a bottle or two in any health store nowadays. Nevertheless, let me cite some other reasons why YOU should start drinking this wonder drink, too. • Apple cider vinegar is made by fermenting the sugar from

apples, which turns into acetic acid which has potent biological effects. According to research, acetic acid is a potent antimicrobial and can kill certain types of bacteria. • ACV keeps your blood sugar levels regulated. Multiple studies show that drinking ACV can improve insulin sensitivity to high carbohydrate meals as it slows the rise in blood sugar levels.

• It aids in weight loss or weight management. Just take 1-2 tablespoons mixed with eight ounces of water two to three times a day. • ACV keeps your body maintain a healthy alkaline pH level. When alkalinity in your body is restored, it helps boost metabolism and strengthen your immunity. • As it balances your body’s pH level, ACV helps stimulate your cardiovascular circulation

and helps detoxify your body, particularly your liver. • It helps break up mucus through the body and cleanse the lymph nodes –which makes ACV consumption very beneficial to your lymphatic system and your sinuses. • ACV’s anti-bacterial properties may help break down plaque and kill bacteria that cause bad breath. Say no to halitosis. • Adding a little bit of honey to your ACV + water mixture is a great way to boost your energy. This is because it contains potassium and enzymes to help banish fatigue, plus amino acids that help prevent lactic acid build up in your body. • ACV with water also helps cure an upset stomach, many thanks to its anti-bacterial and antiviral properties mentioned earlier. • It helps aid digestion and acid reflux. Since acid reflux is sait to be a result of having too little acid in the stomach, it is suggested to take an ACV + water mixture daily to improve the acid content of your stomach. • The anti-bacterial properties of ACV may be useful for sore throats as well. Instead of drinking the solution though, you gargle using ACV with warm water when needed. • Taking ACV improves your heart’s health as one study showed that the vinegar could lower cholesterol, while another study showed that acetic acid could lower blood pressure in animal tests. It has also been found to decrease triglyceride levels in animal studies. Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @bubblesparaiso

H E A LT H B U L L E T I N

The easiest way to boost children’s immune system

t is a known fact that a weak immune system makes a person more susceptible to diseases and infections. And for children below 14 years old, weak immunity is identified as a major cause of viral and bacterial infections that can lead to serious diseases. A recent clinical study, jointly conducted by the School of Nutrition of the Philippine Women’s University, the Clinical Nutrition Services of St. Luke’s Medical Center, and the School of Statistics of the University of the Philippines-Diliman, revealed that said infections can be traced to the responsiveness of the innate and adaptive immune systems of young individuals. Hence, strengthening immunity is a must to reduce these incidents of infection. According to the study, “Among the known factors that influence the strength of the immune system is malnutrition. And the relationship between macroand micronutrient deficiencies and immunity has been clearly established.”

This study, however, revealed that a can or two of pineapple juice may be the easiest solution to strengthen a weak immune system. The researchers checked the possible effects of canned pineapples as a practical and easily available immunity booster through a nine-week randomized, controlled trial on 98 elementary school children in Paco, Manila who were divided into three groups. Two groups were given canned Del Monte Pineapple Tidbits for nine weeks, after which the researchers checked the effects of regular pineapple consumption on various immune markers as well as the children’s nutritional status and physical health. The third group served as the control group and was not given any canned pineapples. The trial results showed a decrease in the incidence of

viral and bacterial infections in two of the groups after regular consumption of canned pineapples. Results suggest that intake of both one 140g serving and two servings (280g) of Del Monte Pineapple Tidbits may shorten the duration and incidence of infection and may increase the production of granulocytes, with intake of two servings (280g) demonstrating higher granulocyte production. Granulocytes make up 60 percent of the white blood cells and help the body fight infection such as bacteria, viruses and other parasites. They contain granules of enzymes that help kill the invading microbes. The third group that served as the control group did not show any increase in granulocyte production.

T HUR S DAY : J ULY 3 0 : 2015

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

Grand winner/Conventional Category “Going Home” Elvira Tankiamco Bayombong, Nueva Viscaya

Grand winner/Conventional Category “Mano Po” Phoebelyn Gullunan San Ildefonso, Bulacan

Grand winner/Conventional Category “Bato Balani” Ariel Salupan Cebu City

Grand winner/Mobile Category “Pinoy Dips” Arlene Catañeda Ibaan, Batangas

Grand winner/Conventional Category “Heaven on Earth” Donald Tapan Mt. Pulag, Benguet

Grand winner/Mobile Category “Tuyo at Champorado” Anthony Into Marilao, Bulacan

PAGCOR’s PhOtOGRAPhy COntest winneRs

fter screening some 7,389 entries, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) chose the 24 grand winners in its 3rd PAGCOR National Photography Competition. According to Maricar L. Bautista, PAGCOR’s assistant VP for Corporate Communications, the 24 grand winners came from diverse backgrounds yet they were all brought together because of their love for photography and the opportunity to showcase their innate talent. “We are glad that in this year’s photo contest, practically people from all walks of life took interest in PAGCOR’s photo competition. We have a housewife, a call center agent, government employees, students, professional and award-winning photographers. The oldest photographer who joined was a 79-year-old foreigner residing in Quezon City,” Bautista said. Of the 24 grand winners, 12 were Mobile Category winners and the other 12 Conventional Category winners. The Mobile Category included photos taken using all types of mobile devices like smart phones and tablets while those in the Conventional Category were photos taken with traditional or conventional cameras like SLR or Digital SLR, compact cameras and the like. “Just like in our previous photo competitions, the winning entries this year went through an exhaustive evaluation process. The fact that they got the nod of our panel of judges and stood out from thousands of entries mean that

they are indeed outstanding photos,” Bautista said. Each of the 12 grand winners for the Conventional Category received P75,000 plus trophy, while the 12 grand winners for the Mobile Category took home P30,000 plus trophy. The winning photos will be featured in the 2016 calendar of PAGCOR. Award-winning freelance photographer Donald Tapan was one of the 12 grand winners under the Conventional Category. His entry, “Heaven on Earth”, shows the majestic view of the clouds while at the summit of Mt. Pulag in Benguet. “This is my first time to join PAGCOR’s photo contest. Nagpapa-salamat ako sa PAGCOR dahil ginagawa nila itong ganitong photo contest na makaka-tulong sa pag-promote ng turismo,” he said. Tapan also received P5,000 plus Certificate of Merit for winning the “Most Popular Photo” (Conventional Category). His entry got a total of 13,312 likes on PAGCOR’s Facebook page. Meantime, Rocky Evans Llona, a clerical aide from Daraga, Albay won the “Most Popular Photo” (Mobile Category) for his entry, “Relaxed and Calm”. His breathtaking photo of the Mayon Volcano garnered 10,912 likes on PAGCOR’s Facebook page. Apart from the P5,000 plus Certificate of Merit, Llona is also a grand winner under the Mobile Category. Another Conventional Category grand winner, Elvira Tankiamco, is a 50-year old retired bank employee. She earned the judges’ approval with her dramatic photo of a fami-

ly of farmers heading home at dusk after a hard day’s work at the farm. Despite undergoing dialysis twice a week, Tankiamco’s passion for photography never diminished. In fact, it became her therapy and has somehow helped her pay for her medical needs. “The cash prize I bagged from the competition will help me with my medical bills,” she said. PAGCOR President and COO Jorge Sarmiento, chairman of the photo contest’s board of judges, said they had a hard time choosing exceptional photos since all grand finalists from which they selected the 24 grand winners were visually appealing. “All the images we viewed were really impressive regardless of whether they were taken using conventional cameras or mobile phones. Every photo has a distinct story in it. Unfortunately we only had to pick the ones that were really outstanding in every sense over the others,” Sarmiento explained. Meantime, Wig Tysmans said the winning photos this year exceeded his expectations. “Looking at the winning entries, it makes you want to travel to places where the images were taken. Ganoong quality ng mga litrato ang gusto naming makita dahil may epekto sa tumitingin,” he said. George Tapan, also a juror, shared that his choice of the winning images was based on their unique reflection of the Filipino culture. “Kapag sinabi mong tatak pinoy, ang unang-una mong titingnan sa litrato ay kung nagpapa-kita ba ito ng magandang kulturang Pinoy o kinunan lang para manalo ng premyo. Sa mga litratong na-judge namin, mas pinili

TOP awardees in the Mobile and Conventional categories of the 3rd PAGCOR National Photography Competition with them (third row) PAGCOR Assistant VP for Corporate Communications and Services Department Maricar Bautista (2nd from right), Camera Club of the Philippines board member Tony Lilles (extreme left), renowned travel photographer George Tapan (3rd from left), PAGCOR Director Jose Tanjuatco (9th from left), PAGCOR President and COO Jorge Sarmiento (10th from left), and Canon Image Nation ambassador Wig Tysmans (last row, extreme right).

ko yung mga images na nagpapa-kita ng Pilipino ngayon,” Tapan said. Tapan inhibited himself from judging the grand finals round for the Conventional Category since his brother, Donald Tapan was a Conventional Category grand finalist. Apart from Tapan and Tankiamco, the other grand winners in the Conventional Category were Aldrin Cuadra (“Palaspas”); Meralco employee Lemuel Ragasa (“Pagkalinga”); housewife Phoebelyn Gullunan (“Mano Po”); government employee Raniel Jose Castañeda (“The Philippine Tricycle Overload”); camera technician Jose Maluya (“Farmer’s Best Friend”); Advertising Specialist Ariel Salupan (“Bato Balani”); events photographer Earl Ryan Janubas (“A Modest Means of Transportation”); store officer Mirasol Beradio (“Flicker of Hope”); freelance photographer Rhonson Ng (“T’boli Transportation”); and freelance layout artist Romado Javillonar for his photo entry,

“Sabong”. Javillionar is also a grand winner in the 1st PAGCOR Photography Competition. Meanwhile, joining Llona as grand winners in the Mobile Category were sales supervisor Alfred Anthony Yap (“A Colorful Musical Culture”); college student Harold Jay Doregios (“Balsa”); education student Kristobal John Gonzales (“Bulad” or “Tuyo”); government employee Lindy Vivien Aldaba (“Trumpo”); art director Mariano Sayno (“We believe We Can Fly”); Olegario Rillon, Jr. (“Balut Vendor in the Middle of the Night”); computer programmer Arlene Castañeda (“Pinoy Dips”); Andy Mark Coralde (“Playground of the Gods”); call center agent Anthony Into (“Tuyo at Champorado”), clerical aide Rocky Evans Leona (“Relaxed and Calm”); graphic designer Crisanto Etorma (“Of Flip-flops and Fun!”); and Dennis Gamarcha, a Qatar-based OFW for his entry, “Palengke”.

T HUR S DAY : J ULY 3 0 : 2015

SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

AsiA’s got tALent WinneR in ARmm’s eid AL-FitR FeAst By AyunAn g. gunting

The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) commemorated this year’s Eid-al-Fitr with a feast as seven cultural tribes celebrated Bangsamoro culture by serving food to guests for three days. The end of Ramadan concludes a month of fasting, renewal of faith, five daily prayers, generosity towards others and pilgrimage. “Filipino Muslims have been meditating on the pillars of the Islam religion, on how to be better humans, to be better to our loved ones, family, friends and guests,” said Atty. Laisa Masahud Alamia, ARMM executive secretary. Cultural villages that represent ARMM’s seven tribes – Maguindanaon, Tausug, Sama, Maranao, Yakan, Iranon, and Teduray – were highlighted in a history and lifestyle exhibition called “Discover ARMM in 100 Days Journey.” “We invite our fellow Filipinos and guests from all over the world to get to know these seven tribes by visiting the exhibition,” added Alamia Activities And guests Special guests included shadow-dance group El Gamma Penumbra, this year’s winner in AXN’s Asia’s Got Talent. The had one show at Sharief Kabunsuan Hall was for the benefit of NGOs and another show at ORG Quadrangle. Their visit was made possible through ARMM Heart headed by Atty. Kirby Matalam.

Min Yasmien and Nickki Bacolod with executives from Malaysia and PolyEast recording companies

Afternoon soAp extended El Gamma Penubra

Based on audience attendance, their show now holds the record for the most watched event in the history of ARMM. Other activities during the three-day feast included a weekend market that featured organic farmers and producers of natural foods as well as zumba, hataw (an aerobic dance class), yoga and outdoor sports. upcoming events “Discover ARMM in 100 Days Journey” runs until Sept. 22 at the ARMM Compound in Cotabato City. “The exhibition showcases the architectural signatures of these tribes as well as cultural artifacts such as agriculture and aquaculture implements,” said Alamia. “Rituals will be staged so that the public can appreciate the uniqueness of each tribe. We will portray how a Yakan wedding is different from a Maranao wedding. Weavers from each tribe will put on a demonstration in the silong (basement) of their traditional houses. These indigenous fabrics and banig (mats) will

be for sale,” she added. At the Shariff Kabunsuan Cultural Complex, cultural groups will present dances, songs, poetry and dramas about the history of different sultanates. ARMM RegionalGovernor Mujiv Hataman is continuously pursuing in the ARMM are part of promoting the peace process in preparation for the eventual signing of the peace agreement. “The reforms that are being undertaken in the region are also geared towards helping the government and the MILF eradicate corruption, poverty and unstable peace and order, prior to the agreement signing,” Hataman said. “There is a need for political and economic reforms in the region once the Bangsamoro takes over the existing ARMM structure,” Hataman added. Hataman restored confidence in the ARMM as a working government institution, ushering in remarkable growth in the region’s economy.

cRossWoRd puZZLe 44 45 46 48 51 52 54 59 60 62 63 64 65 66 67 68

ANSWER FOR PREVIOUS PUZZLE ACROSS 1 Varieties 6 Mme. Gluck 10 Decides on 14 Concerning 15 Refreshing 16 Roll tightly 17 Quay 18 Lobster order 19 Skip town 20 Glorifies 22 Like many redheads 24 Family mem.

26 27 31 32 33 36 39 40 41 42 43

Departure Small flute Orbison or Acuff Prey grabber Meddle Good name for a cook? In a tizzy Ballpark figure “L’—, c’est moi” Harley, to some “Easy Rider” star

Make jump Pierre’s monarch Geishas’ attire Feels sorrow Poker card Tissue-paper art Went on the lam Linchpin locale Neatnik opposite Gridiron deal Polygraph flunker FitzGerald’s poet Unearthly Jam or pickle AutoZone rival Units of force

DOWN 1 Curly-leafed veggie 2 Wild goat 3 PBS series 4 Sword fight 5 Ten-gallon hat 6 Not delay 7 Form of sugar 8 Watered silk 9 Brisk musical passages 10 Not in tune (hyph.) 11 Yanks at 12 Anagram of steer 13 Malamute’s load 21 Part of RSVP

THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2015

23 25 27 28 29 30 34 35 36 37 38 40 41 43 44 45 47 48 49 50 52 53 55 56 57 58 61

Bumper — Petty officer Memphis world-shaper Moor betrayer Drain problem Gear tooth Beatty of “Network” Honshu port Bandleader — Kenton Poi plant Colorado tribe Happenings (hyph.) “Green” prefix Knock — — loop Refined metal Monarchs but not butterflies Swelling reducer Spunk Clay pots Alabama town Reassure Lather Heavy hydrogen discoverer Drat! Ms. Falco David has two Bikini half

gLenn RegondoLA The members of the cast of ABS CBN afternoon series Nasaan Ka Nang Kailangan Kita are extremely happy. The show has been extended for several weeks more. Denise Laurel said, “This show, they became a family to me. I just thank God everyday that we all love what we’re doing, the production people, the staff, our directors and writers –- they all love what they’re doing. And, who wouldn’t? Super blessed. Thank you.” Vina Morales and Christian Vasquez said the same thing and promised everyone that they would still do their best to keep viewers glued to the show. The young members of the cast also expressed their feelings. This is their first show together after being housemates in the reality show Pinoy Big Brother. Joshua Garcia said, “I’m very, very happy that our

first show is a success. Also, we became close to each other. That’s it!” Eloisa Andalio, the youngest among them added, “ I’m glad for the opportunity given to me. It’s a happy set because we are like a family here. Every time we see each other and do the scenes, we all enjoyed it and make the best out of t.” Was it hard for them to portray their roles considering they are all new in the acting department? Lead actor Jerome Ponce explained, “At the start of the show, we really found it hard to do our roles. In one scene, we had several takes before we got the director’s nod. But now, we’re happy that all of us are improving.” Jane Oineza, the “veteran’ among the newbies had a different view. “I feel so blessed that right after PBB, I already had some projects. But this one, I’m so proud of because I’m in the poster. I am so proud and even prouder ‘cause the audience loves this show. All the hardships were immaterial and all feel blessed,” she ended. HHHHH Singer-actor Young JV celebrated his 25th birthday on July 25 at the AFPCOC in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City with the beneficiaries

Young JV

of the HERO Foundation, which he has been supporting in the last four years. The HERO Foundation benefits the children of the so-called fallen soldiers in the military. The foundation helps in sending them to school (elementary, high school and college). In the short program, Young JV entertained his audience with his hit song “Ale”, a cut from his YJV album being released by Star Music. The kids were all thrilled as he sang, danced and rapped for them. Highlight of the celebration were their testimonies of how grateful they are for the support Young JV has given them. Later, they gave him gifts. A boodle fight followed. The singer-actor joined them for lunch. After the hearty lunch, everyone had this photo taken with the Young JV. Obviously, Ret. Col. Red Kapunan (of the EDSA I fame) and wife Elsa, the proud parents of Young JV, were very happy. They described their son as a loving kid. On the acting front, YJV is currently busy in ABS CBN TV series Nathaniel.” Last year, he was in Dyesebel” as David.He was also in a couple of episodes of Maalaala Mo Kaya.

T HUR S DAY : J ULY 3 0 : 2015

SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

Judy Ann Santos- Agoncillo

The Ateneo Chamber Singers

Judy ann SantoS-agonCillo payS it forward

he has been RiteMed’s brand ambassador for two years and Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo is happy to endorse a brand that she believes in and to have found a company that allows her to make a difference in the lives of many Filipinos. “RiteMed’s products are products that we really use at home. I only endorse brands that I believe in. When it concerns our own family’s health and well-being, we must be very cautious and careful with our choices,” says Judy Ann. The actress, who is expecting her third child by husband Ryan Agoncillo, really takes to heart the message of her latest television commercial (TVC) for RiteMed—“Maging Ligtas sa Duda” (Be Safe from Doubts). As a family woman, Judy Ann does not take anything for granted to ensure her children and husband’s safety. From the meals she personally prepares to the medicines or vita-

from C8

mins she gives them, Judy Ann is careful with her choices. As she cited in her TVC, one should pay attention to doubts, however small, to avoid trouble or danger. Judy Ann as a wife, mother and chef goes for quality and safety at all times. In the TVC, a woman at a pharmacy is not sure if the medicine/ product is of high-quality. And Judy Ann appears on screen to warn the woman to pay serious attention to her doubt (duda) and dispel it by going for premium manufactured RiteMed products. “High quality does not need to be expensive. It can be affordable. The most important consideration for me is that the products are healthy and safe for my family. Madalas kung ano pa ang mura, yun pa ang mas effective (most of the time, the affordable ones are more effective). Just like in cooking, you can substitute expensive ingredients with affordable but healthier and high-quality ones,” says Judy Ann.

The celebrity endorser recently launched her cookbook, Judy Ann’s Kitchen, which contains her favorite recipes (from comfort foods to kids’ snacks). She said she really made a conscious effort to make her recipes simple and not to appear as expensive gourmet cuisines. “I do not want people to be intimidated. I want the recipes to be easy-to-do, so anyone can try it,” Chef Judy Ann says. A second cookbook may be in the offing and she said it will be about healthy cooking and eating. According to Judy Ann, she and Ryan have become more conscious about leading a healthy and active lifestyle. Judy Ann is thankful to RiteMed for also supporting her cookbook project. “I am just so happy that I found a company that takes care of my needs just like a family. I am thankful to be part of the RiteMed family. They are very supportive. Madaling kausap (easy to deal with),” she cites.

Through RiteMed, Judy Ann feels fortunate to be given the opportunity to help Filipinos get access to affordably priced high-quality medicines. “I believe in the advocacy of RiteMed in promoting access to affordable but high-quality medicines. We share the same goal of giving back or paying it forward to the people,” she adds. RiteMed, launched in 2002, is the leading unibranded line of medicines in the country. It has a comprehensive portfolio of therapeutic and over-the-counter medicines. Recently, it launched an app which provides access to information regarding the availability and price of its products. The RiteMed app can be downloaded at the Google Play Store for Android users and the Apple Store for iOS users. HHHHH Celebrating 13 yearS of Choral exCellenCe The Ateneo Chamber Singers with conductor Jonathan Mon-

temayor Velasco will have a free concert called Salmo, featuring psalms as well as poetry and related readings. Psalms, or sacred hymns, are a fitting theme to the group’s 13th anniversary concert as the ACS has specialized in sacred choral music since its inception in 2002. The group was the Champion in the Musica Sacra Category at the 8th World Choir Games in Latvia in 2014, a victory that has validated the ACS’ chosen ministry. Tenor ErvinLumauag and ACS with fellow Jesuit Communications Artist Noel Cabangon, singing a song especially written and arranged for this occasion by gospel artist Arnel De Pano, will treat the audience to a performance. Salmo will be on Aug. 1, 7 p.m. at the Church of the Gesu, Ateneo de Manila University Campus. Admission is free. For more details, visit www.ateneochambersingers.com.

New reality series oN lifetime

t I Killed My BFF

Arrange

The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe

his August, spend your nights at the edge of your seat as Lifetime brings onscreen suspense to a whole new level. From the thrill of diving into new love to shivers up the spine over dead lovers, the go-to entertainment destination is offering nothing less than the highest quality dramas, movies, and reality shows sure to give viewers their fill of excitement. Entering a new relationship can be terrifying—more so when it’s with someone you hardly know. All-new series Arranged follows the journeys of three couples from different cultures but who all share a belief in arranged marriage. While it might seem like happily ever after at the beginning, Christian and Maria are teenage Romani gypsy couple from New York who quickly learn that being married is no stroll in the park when she moves in with his family. Meanwhile, southern belle

Meghan and her husband Josh struggle to find a way to manage their finances together. Finally, Indian couple Ragini and Veeral have to jump through all sorts of hoops standing in the way of their lavish wedding. Don’t miss the domestic drama beginning Aug.10, 20 p.m. Mondays. Meanwhile, everyone’s favorite culinary show is turning up the heat with the MasterChef Australia Season 7 Finale. After a series of cutthroat challenges and all sorts of sizzling spectacles, the remaining chefs embark on their last chance to prove their skills in the culinary arts. Watch as they crown a new master in the season finale that’s sure to keep you hungry for more, airing 8 p.m. on Aug. 25. The mystery surrounding the story of one of Hollywood’s greatest icons once again graces the screens in The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe, a two-part special airing 8 p.m. on Aug. 30 and 31.

Witness the unveiling of the untold chapters and characters that turned young, wide-eyed Norma Jeane Mortenson into the blonde bombshell hailed by the world as Marilyn Monroe featuring acclaimed performances from Academy Award-winner Susan Sarandon and Kelli Garner. Bringing a new dimension to “keep your friends close and your enemies closer” is the TV film I Killed My BFF, inspired by a true story. Once inseparable, Shane and Heather slowly become entangled in problems that extend from their own lives into each other’s, leaving one of them murdered. Try to catch the killer before she strikes in this Sunday night thriller, airing 8 p.m. on Aug. 23. Lifetime™ is available on Cable Link Ch 223, Destiny Cable Ch 44 (Analogue) Ch 65 (Digital), Dream Satellite TV Ch 10, SKYCable SD Ch 65 and HD Ch 199, and other select provincial channels.

T HUR S DAY : J ULY 3 0 : 2015

ISAH V. RED EDITOR isahred @ gmail.com

SHOWBITZ

Cebuana beauty Jennifer Helen Weigel bags two major awards at the recently concluded Mrs Asia International pageant

FiliPinas sweeP Mrs. asia international 2015 Pilipinas Overseas Communities. The three top winners of the beauty pageant will represent the country in elite international competitions including the Miss Tourism Queen of the Year International, Miss Asia Pacific International and the Miss Tourism International in Vietnam this year. On July 28, Mutya ng Pilipinas held the Designer’s Competition, prior to the a pre-judging activity today at House Manila in Remington Hotel leading up to the grand finals and coronation night on Aug.t 2 at the Newport Performing Arts Theater to be televised in ABS-CBN’s Sunday’s Best.

The candidates to this year's Mutya ng Pilipinas

ISAH V. RED Three Filipinas who exude beauty, sophistication, good will and strength were crowned and awarded at the recently concluded Mrs. Asia International 2015 World in Malaysia. Winlove McLaren, 26-year-old Ilongga, won the Mrs. Asia International Metropolitan 2015 and the first ever Alex Liu Award given to candidate who exudes the best performance, shows good attitude and with the potential to be the next big thing. Meanwhile, Jennifer Helen Weigel, 49-year-old businesswoman from Cebu, bagged the Classic Mrs. Asia International Metropolitan 2015 and the Best in Traditional Costume Award by Philipp Tampus. Lastly, Mrs. Philippines-Globe Asia International Sonia Mendoza, a 43-year-old, a public servant, won the Mrs. Top Model and Mrs. Popularity awards. Started in 2012, Mrs. Asia International Pageant is a platform for married and even senior ladies to showcase their beauty, talents and achievements. Aside from beauty,

➜ Continued on C7

contestants are judged according to how they express their opinions about marriage and current events. Above all, every candidate must demonstrate the true essence of the modern empowered woman, who nurtures not only herself and her family, but also the society. This year, 31 candidates vied for the most coveted titles and awards. Alongside Filipina beauty queens were candidates from Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, China, Sri Lanka, Macao, Japan and India.

The pageant usually has three to five representatives per country. For more details about the Filipina representatives, visit https://www. facebook.com/OfficialMrsPhilippinesAsiaInternational?fref=ts for complete pageant information. HHHHH Mutya ng PiliPinas beauties Members of the press finally met the 30 candidates of the 47th edition of the annual Mutya ng Pilipinas beauty pageant. The country’s

premier lifestyle destination Resorts World Manila (RWM), continues to host some of the annual pageant’s major activities including the grand coronation night. This year 21 beauty tourism crusaders will represent the various parts of the country while nine others from Filipino communities in other parts of the world vie for three titles – Mutya Ng Pilipinas Asia-Pacific International, Mutya ng Pilipinas Tourism International, and Mutya ng

Started in 2012, Mrs. Asia International Pageant is a platform for married and even senior ladies to showcase their beauty, talents and achievements