The Standard - 2015 July 31 - Friday

VOL. XXIX NO. 171 3 Sections 32 Pages P18 FRIDAY: JULY 31, 2015 www.thestandard.com.ph editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Roxas gets Aquino’s okay as successor

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‘SECRET POLL FUNDS’ Ex-Treasury head: Hiked budget items could be used for elections

By Christine F. Herrera and Macon Ramos-Araneta

PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III has two lump sum budgets that can be used for the election campaign next year, former national treasurer Leonor Magtolis Briones warned Thursday.

At the Kapihan sa Serye forum, Briones said the President has increased the lump sum Special Purpose Funds from P368.72 billion for this year to P430.43 billion next year without details.

“That’s P368.72 billion and P430.43 billion all under the sole discretion of the President. Only

the President can release the amount and can decide where the money would go,” she said.

Highlighting the importance of local governments in elections, the President also increased the budget allocation to local government units from P33.47 billion this year to P56.52 billion for 2016, Briones said.

Clearly, the national spending plans for 2015 (P2.608 trillion) and 2016 (P3.002 trillion) were designed as “election budgets,” she added.

These revelations came as former senator Panfilo Lacson said he would challenge the insertion of pork barrel in the 2015 budget before the Next page

Shake drill. A Coast Guard

officer gets ready to rappel from a chopper to rescue a “victim” in Pasay City during the Metro-wide earthquake drill on Thursday. DANNY PATA

Binay: I’m still underdog vs Mar

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Electoral sabotage suit filed vs Smartmatic

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan FORMER elections commissioner Gus Lagman filed an electoral sabotage complaint Thursday against officials of Smartmatic-Total Information Management (TIM) Corp. for allegedly altering the source code of the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines on Election

Day in May 2013.

The petition filed with the Commission on Elections (Comelec), Lagman and members of the Automated Election System (AES) Watch accused Smartmatic president Cesar Flores; global services director Albert Castro Rico; and technology manager for deployment, Marlon Garcia, of changing the source code two

hours after the voting period closed.

“We knew that that happened but it was only now that we realized that they (Smartmatic) can’t do that,” Lagman said when asked why his group took two years to file their complaint.

The complaint accuses the respondents of violating the Automated Election System Law. Next page

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Secret From A1...

New suit. Former Comelec commissioner Gus Lagman leads the filing of an electoral sabotage case against the officials of Smartmatic-Tim. SARA FABUNAN

2 years after, Yolanda response still a failure

By Christine F. Herrera and Maricel V. Cruz

PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III’s record in providing assistance to victims of super typhoon Yolanda in Tacloban City remains a dismal failure two years after the killer storm struck, Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said in a press conference Thursday.

“We in Tacloban have seen the snailpaced progress and we see how it was omitted in the report of the President,” said Romualdez, referring to Aquino’s final State-of-the-Nation Address (SONA) Monday.

“Yolanda affected thousands of people. Thousands were killed and thousands remain in shelters that are temporary at best. It would be very hard on the minds of our people who were affected to accept they are easily forgotten because if you cannot even take care of something that had attracted unprecedented worldwide international media attention... then I don’t know what else

is more important,” Romualdez said.

Romualdez said that while the President mentioned some areas that received government assistance in his SONA, Tacloban was not one of them.

“Yolanda seems to be away from the President’s memory,” Romualdez said, adding that Aquino should have outlined what still needed to be done in areas like Tacloban where the government’s help is lacking.

Romualdez pointed out that more than P170 billion had been set aside for the victims but almost two years after the tragedy, only P47 billion has been released and used as of June 2015, with

Electoral From A1...

“Smartmatic officials and personnel inexplicably changed the scripts of the unreviewed source code at or about the time of the consolidation and canvassing during the said elections,” the complainants said.

“This action on the part of Smartmatic as well as the Election Management System constitutes the crime of electoral sabotage,” they added.

The source code is made up of human-readable instructions that dictate what the automated election system will do.

The alteration of the source code allegedly took place at the Command Center of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) about two hours after voting closed, and after

no breakdown on how the money was spent.

“We also want details and physical proof that the rest of the rehabilitation funds are still there and have not been stolen or diverted.

Except for the victims themselves, the public is in the dark on what really is going on with rehabilitation efforts for Yolanda’ survivors.

Considering the dismal results so far, this should not go on forever,” Romualdez said.

The Leyte congressman said he was saddened that the President and his men have turned Yolanda into a political issue.

“We’ve seen the dismal failure.

Of course it is political. Because they made it so. The government’s reaction to Yolanda was definitely a dismal failure. Obviously, the President did not want to have anything to do with helping the victims. That’s his Waterloo,” he said.

about 12 million votes for the senatorial elections had already been received in the PPCRV transparency server.

This rendered the setting up of the transparency server meaningless, the complainants said.

The complainants also charged that these actions were taken without the required notification of political parties or their representatives.

The Automated Election System Law prohibits interfering with or impeding the processing, storage, generation and transmission of election results. The penalty for electoral sabotage is life imprisonment.

Lagman’s suit came as the Comelec announced that it was ready to award Smartmatic a contract to supply 70,977 optical mark reader (OMR) machines at a cost of P6.29 billion for the 2016 elections.

Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista said the

“The President sent Interior Secretary Mar Roxas to Tacloban and we all knew he fell short and his statements reeked of politics,” said Romualdez.

During his visit to Tacloban shortly after the super typhoon battered the city, Roxas told Mayor Alfred Romualdez that he needed to surrender his authority so that the national government could step in, telling him: “You have to understand you are a Romualdez and the President is an Aquino so so we just want to legalize [the turnover of authority, or if] you are in charge, we can’t help you. Bahala na kayo sa buhay niyo (Your life is your own lookout.).”

Buhay Rep. Lito Atienza, a member of the minority bloc, said the entire country saw the way the government mishandled the aftermath of Yolanda in Tacloban— which he said mirrored how it mismanaged the entire nation.

special bids and awards committee had submitted its recommendation that Smartmatic, the lowest price bidder, be awarded the contract for the lease of the OMR machines with an option to buy.

The Comelec earlier announced that it was ready to issue a notice to proceed with Smartmatic’s contract to provide 23,000 OMR machines for P1.2 billion, despite a temporary restraining order issued by a Manila regional trial court.

Comelec commissioner Christian Robert Lim said the Manila RTC had no jurisdiction over the poll body and had no authority to issue a TRO against it.

“The Comelec voted 6-1 to proceed (the awarding of the 23,000 OMR to Smartmatic) The position there of the en banc is the RTC has no jurisdiction. It is only the Supreme Court that can decide that,” Lim said.

Supreme Court, while Kabataan party-list Rep. Terry Ridon questioned the realignment of P323.6 billion in the 2014 national budget.

At the Kapihan sa Serye, former Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez and former Anakpawis Rep. Rafael Mariano noted that during elections, government resources and machinery are usually coursed through LGUs, which can be counted upon to deliver 20 percent of the votes.

The former lawmakers also hit the government’s Conditional Cash Transfer program that doled government funds to 4.5 million recipients, saying these were being used for political patronage.

Under the automatic appropriations that are not subject to scrutiny by Congress, Briones said, the Internal Revenue Allotment of LGUs was also increased from P372.86 billion this year to P428.61 billion next year.

“There is no doubt about it. The 2015 budget is an election budget. The 2016 that was increased by 15.2 percent is also an election budget. The President should have been more transparent and made sure that details of where this money will go should have been disclosed,” Briones said.

She said the billions in taxpayers’ money that would go to allocations to LGUs but are not told why these allocations have increased.

“There was no explanation why the allocation to LGUs had been increased. Is it because the LGUs became poorer?” she said. “Whatever happened to the previous allocations? Did it not improve the standing of the LGUs?” “For as long as there is no breakdown as to where the allocations under SPF would go, and which LGUs were recipients, no one but the President and the Department of Budget and Management would know.

And that’s where the government’s transparency and accountability are put to question,” Briones added.

She said the budget for infrastructure, supplies and communications had also been increased.

“What are these supplies? Of course these come in paper, tarpaulins, packed lunches, cell phones and pens used for the campaign,” Briones said. “And all the procurement has begun this year.”

The Department of the Interior and Local Government headed by the presumptive Liberal Party standard bearer in 2016, Secretary Manuel Roxas II, saw its budget rise from P100 billion in 2014, to P108 billion in 2015 to P124 billion in 2016, Briones said.

The Public Works budget has been increased from P206 billion in 2014 to P219 billion in 2015 and to P378 billion in 2016.

The Department of Education was allocated P281 billion in 2014, P321 billion in 2015 and P411 billion in 2016.

“Tell us if the P100-billion increase for DepEd is not election-related,” Briones said.

Also on Thursday, Lacson said he would challenge the 2015 budget before the Supreme Court, saying that pork barrel that had been ruled unconstitutional was still present in the national spending plan.

“Whether the identification of the projects was made before or after the approval of the 2015 budget, legislators have no business identifying projects,” Lacson said.

He said legislators who identified projects for the Budget Department would be named in the petition, since their names are on the documents that will be used to prove that pork barrel—officially known as Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF)-still exists.

“We have sufficient evidence that PDAF has been resurrected in the national budget, at least in the 2015,” he said.

Revelations that billions in public funds from PDAF and the Aquino administration’s Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) ended up in several non-government organizations used by politicians as clearinghouses for kickbacks sparked public outrage.

Three opposition senators—Ramon Revilla Jr., Jinggoy Estrada and Juan Ponce Enrile—have been detained on plunder charges related to PDAF. “I am willing to spearhead the move to go to the Supreme Court,” Lacson said at a forum Thursday.

“The justices themselves are victimes here because their decision was circumvented.”

“We have up to next week to file a petition for prohibition before the Supreme Cout. We have sufficient evidence and we are still gathering more…PDAF was resurrected…pork barrel is very much alive and kicking,” Lacson said.

Based on his research and analysis on the budget, Lacson said, an estimated P424 billion can be considered as “lump sum appropriations” in the national budget.

He said pork was present in at least four departments: Agriculture, Public Works, Health and Social Welfare and Development.

At the Agriculture Department alone, at least P6.25 billion can be classified as pork barrel, he said.

Lacson said several members of the House of Representatives could be held liable with the supposed insertion of pork barrel into the budget in apparent violation of the Supreme Court ruling.

Ridon, meanwhile, said the administration realigned P323.6 billion in the 2014 budget, citing data from the 2016 National Expenditure Program.

In page 951 of the recently-released NEP, it is shown that the Aquino administration pooled P90.4 billion from various departments and agencies and P233.2 billion from the Special Purpose Funds and subsequently transferred these funds to several agencies and SPFs, Ridon said.

The Budget Department submitted to Congress last Wednesday the proposed P3-trillion General Appropriations Act (GAA) of 2016.

“A specter is haunting the national budget – the specter of the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP). Even if the government supposedly discontinued DAP in 2013, the President and the executive department were still able to tinker with hundreds of billions of public funds, transferring them from the original object of expenditure in the Congress-approved budget to another. This is basically usurpation of the congressional power of the purse,” Ridon said. With Francisco Tuyay and Sandy Araneta

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PNoy endorses Roxas today THE Liberal Party, through Rep. Ben Evardone, on Thursday said President Benigno Aquino III will proclaim Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II as the “presidential candidate of the ruling Liberal Party in the May 9, 2016 elections,” and that such proclamation “will coincide with the birthday of Roxas’ mother.”

Promotion. Police Chief Ricardo Marquez, left, congratulates Joel Pagdilao’s appointment as the new head of the Metro Manila Police Command in Camp Bagong Diwa on Wednesday. Danny Pata

Binay: I’m still the underdog in 2nd match VICE President Jejomar Binay says he has never been overconfident and always considers himself the underdog during his entire political career as he prepares for his return match with Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II,whom he defeated in 2010.

“I’ve never been overconfident for all the time that I have been engaged in political activities,” Binay said at the sidelines of the 9th Annual Asia Pacific Information Security Leadership Achievements Ceremony in Pasay City Wednesday night.

Binay made his statement even as a top UNA official said the vice president will be delivering his “true” State-of-the-Nation Address at the Cavite Pro-

vincial Capitol on Aug. 3.

United Nationalist Alliance Secretary-General JV Bautista said Binay’s address “will be much shorter than the President’s twohour-long speech.”

“VP Binay will definitely deliver a presentation of the true state of the nation, which we believe is customary in any democratic government setup especially for the leader of the opposition to set an alternative view,” Bautista said.

Meanwhile, Binay said Rep. Manny Pacquiao will not bolt UNA and will be included in the party’s senatorial ticket.

He also said he respected the decision of the sisters of President Benigno Aquino III to support other candi-

dates for President in the 2016 elections and that his family will still continue to support the Aquinos, whom they consider friends.

“We have to respect their decision. But on our part, we will continue to be the best of friends despite the fact that we might be coming from different directions in the coming elections,” Binay said.

The Binay and Aquino families are longtime friends and have maintained a close relationship since the 1980s.

Binay was President Corazon Aquino’s first appointee after she was sworn in as President in 1986.

Binay said despite the Aquino sisters’ ambivalence, he still had the support of the

former Tarlac representative Jose “Peping” Cojuangco Jr., one of the President’s uncles.

Asked if he was confident he would win against Roxas, Binay said one only had to look at the survey results.

Roxas has consistently trailed Binayin all “topof-mind” surveys for the presidential contenders of Pulse Asia and Social Weather Stations.

But as the anointed candidate of President Aquino, Roxas will benefit from government resources and has the entire government machinery behind him.

The Liberal Party’s officials have confirmed Roxas is set to be endorsed Friday

by Aquino as the party’s standard bearer. Vito Bar-

celo and John Paolo Bencito

But election expert Romulo Macalintal on Thursday warned that the plan of the Aquino-led Liberal Party to proclaim Roxas as its standard bearer today may be illegal.

Macalintal made his statement even as Rep. Lito Atienza, a member of the the House Independent Minority Bloc, on Thursday said Aquino’s expected endorsement of Roxas would be a “kiss of death” because of Aquino’s sins.

Atienza cited the increase in the prices of rice from the previous administration’s P19-P20 a kilo against today’s P42-P46, the poor Metro Rail Transit service, the Mamasapano massacre and the delayed response to help typhoon Yolanda’s victims, among other things.

“It’s not only the failure of the government in Tacloban that will affect his power to endorse or the effects of his endorsement,” Atienza said.

“We believe that his [Aquino’s] failure in governing the country is affecting his endorsability, so let us not get excited about his endorsement or the coming endorsement of anyone.

“The President’s endorsement will not amount to much because this government has been very insensitive and not responding to the real problems of the people.”

Atienza said the price of rice today was P42-P46 a kilo when it used to be P19P20 a kilo in the previous

administration.

“Aren’t the people complaining about that? Our people are grumbling quietly and I am sure at the right time, during the campaign, all of these issues are going to be ventilated,” he said.

Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romuldez said the chosen one would not be able to use the slogan “Kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap.”

“The poor became poorer and there are more poor now than ever, so it means this was a result of more corruption,” Romualdez said.

While the Commission on Elections has yet to determine what electoral system to use in the 2016 elections, Macalintal warned that Aquino might face election offenses including premature political meetings.

“The following provisions of our election laws need further review by our political parties. As of now, we are not yet sure what electoral system will be implemented by the Comelec, whether manual or automated,” Macalintal said.

“Any violation of these provisions constitutes an election offense punishable by imprisonment and perpetual disqualification from holding public office.”

So far, Macalintal said, the Comelec had not yet issued its calendar of activities to guide the parties and the public about what to do and what not to do.

Sara Susanne D. Fabunan and Christine F. Herrera

‘Grace-Chiz not necessarily a pair’ SENATOR Grace Poe said Thursday Senator Francis Escudero, a prospective candidate for vice president, could still run in the 2016 elections in case she does not run for President and vice versa.

She said that since both of them were independent candidates, they had no political party to consider in making any decisions about their respective plans.

“This is the important thing,” Poe said.

“What is important in being an independent is that no party will make any plan for us. This is solely our own initiative or

decision.”

Poe said she had not yet decided if she would be seeking a higher office in the coming elections.

President Benigno Aquino III met her five times before he delivered his State-of-the Nation Address on July 27, but Poe said there was no offer from him to help her run for whatever higher position.

But it was clear that Aquino wanted her to be the running mate of Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II, the Liberal Party’s standard bearer.

Aquino is expected to endorse Roxas’ presidential bid

in Club Filipino in Greenhills today.

Poe said she had not received any calls from Aquino after their last meeting as part of “last efforts” to convince her to run along with Roxas.

“They are very much prepared for tomorrow.

Nobody has talked to me.

I believe it was clear during our meetings that we will respect each other’s decisions,” Poe said.

Poe stressed that although she was not an Aquino ally in “Tuwid na Daan,” what was important is that they were taking the same path. Macon Ramos-araneta

Fellowship meeting. Retired general Edilberto Adan, head of the Association of General and Flag Officers Inc., hands over a plaque of appreciation to Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during the group’s fellowship meeting in Camp Aguinaldo on Thursday. Lino SantoS

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Celebs shine as Noy watches

By Joel E. Zurbano and Sandy Araneta

THE Metro Manila-wide earthquake drill was recognized as a success as as thousands of residents heeded the social media appeals of showbiz celebrities who encouraged people to prepare and be aware of a big earthquake that may cause tens of thousands of deaths in the metropolis.

But the man who ordered the metro-wide earthquake drill, President Benigno Aquino III, chose to skip the exercise that was meant to encourage people to prepare for the “Big One” instead of sitting around doing nothing.

“He was receiving reports from the [National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council] and continuing to monitor the reports from the different authorities and agencies of the government that participated in the exercise,” said Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma III. “The President did what was necessary based on his decision.

It was his decision,” Coloma said, adding that Presidential Security Group had sufficient protocols to secure the President.

Aquino’s absence was again highlighted, leading people to wonder if Aquino, who had seven coughing fits in his Stateof-the-Nation Address, had health issues, but Coloma said the President was not sick and was monitoring reports at Bahay Pangarap in Malacañang.

But local celebrities Zsa Zsa Padilla, Miriam QuiambaoRoberto, Judy Ann Santos, Bianca

Golzales, Angel Locsin and Anne Curtis-Smith all contributed to the information campaign by posting appropriate messages and images in their social media accounts.

Metro Manila Development Authority chairman Francis Tolentino, who led the implementationo f the drill, was evidently happy with the success of the exercise and called on Congress to pass a law making earthquake preparedness a regular exercise.

“This is historical and not just a drill, but a dream fulfilled,” Tolentino said.

“Expect another shake drill on July 30, 2016 and 2017. This should be made yearly for us to have comparison. This should be turned into a law to include the regions and even Palawan which does not have a fault line,” said Tolentino.

The scenarios were based on a simulated 7.2-magnitude earthquake with Intensity 8 occurred in Metro Manila.

With an Intensity 8 tremor, the scenarios of fire incidents, collapsed structures and hazardous traffic incidents would occur.

K cool. Members of the Korean boy band Big Bang acknowledge the cheers of their fans as they walk a

Terminal One concourse after arriving at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Thursday ahed of their concert at the Mall of Asia. RUDY C. SANTOS

5 ‘missing’ ministers surface

By Rio N. Araja FIVE of the 10 Iglesia ni Cristo ministers who have been reported missing by members of the Manalo clan emerged on Thursday and denied claims that they were abducted or tortured or expelled from the politically-powerful church because of revelations of supposed corruption.

The five ministers – Jojo Nemis, Arnel Tumanan, Nolan Olarte, Joel San Pedro and Lowell Menorca II – surfaced at the INC-owned Net25 and said there was no truth to claims that they were abducted because of their opposition to the INC leadership.

“There was no abduction that happened to us. I have not gone missing. There are some who

were just sowing disunity among members, an issue that would do the church no good. I will always serve the INC, the religion wherein I grew up,” Nemis said.

The claims were made public by Felix Nathaniel “Angel” Manalo, brother of INC executive minister Eduardo Manalo, and their mother Cristina “Tenny” Manalo who posted a video on YouTube Thursday last week claiming that the ministers were abducted.

INC ministers Isaias Samson Jr. and Joy Yuson confirmed the claim and said it was part of widespread opposition in the 101year old neo-Christian sect.

But last Sunday, Tumanan appeared on Net25 program, hosted by INC spokesman Edwil Zabala and disputed the claim of

the Manalo faction.

“I came here wholeheartedly and decisively to help clarify wrong reports that cast doubts,” Tumanan said. “I was not forced to go (Net25). In fact, I have just come from our Unity Games (in Bulacan).”

Olarte also dismissed assertions of the camp of Angel that he was one of the abducted and tortured ministers.

“It’s a lie. There is no truth that I was tortured. The entire family is intact, and that we are well taken care of by our church. We will continue to love the church.

I was never hurt or detained,” he said.

Zabala also interviewed San Pedro, who defended the church council against verbal attacks.

‘Beijing validates PH claim’

By Francisco Tuyay CHINA’S supposed destruction of coral reefs to obtain filling materials for a submarine base in the South China Sea only validates the country’s claim before an arbitral tribunal of the United Nations, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said on Thursday.

“They validated our claims,” Gazmin said at the side lines of the metro-wide earthquake drill in Camp Aguinaldo. “It only reinforced our position that we are correct in our allegations against them before the Arbitral Tribunal.”

Gazmin said China has virtually destroyed the environment in the West Philippine Sea and created regional tensions in the area after it broke the status quo that its was supposed to observe.

“They violated even the Declaration of Conduct (DOC) by parties in the area,” Gazmin said after Supreme Court Senior Justice Antonio Carpio, one of the leading experts on the maritime dispute, claimed

that China was setting up a submarine base and was destroying 10 reefs to obtain materials.

On Tuesday, China’s navy carried out a “live firing drill” in the South China Sea 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.

It added that dozens of missiles and torpedoes, as well as thousands of shells and jamming bombs, were fired during the drill, which tested the navy’s air defence and early warning system.

It also “improved its ability to react quickly”, Xinhua said.

China has rapidly expanded its navy in recent years, commissioning its first aircraft carrier in 2012 and adding to its submarine and surface fleets.

Street language. A vehicle, allegedly driven by former Pangsanjan, Laguna

mayor Abner Afuang, is spotted cruising the streets of Metro Manila during the region-wide earthquake drill on Thursday. EY ACASIO

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Water crisis ruled out amid El Niño

By Anna Leah E. Gonzales The National Water Resources Board and water concessionaires on Thursday assured Metro Manila consumers they will have a continuous supply of water until next year despite the el Nino prolonging its efffects in the last quarter of 2015.

The Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines for 2015 receive their awards from TOSP founder businessman Jose Concepcion Jr., his son Joey Concepcion III, Commission on Higher Education Secretary Patricia Licuanan and Cabinet Secretary Jose Almendras. The TOSP include Khenn Arquiza from Western Mindanao State University, Ma. Nerissa Nicolas of Dr. Yangas Colleges Inc., Adriel Gamier Sanches of University of San Jose Recoletos, Gregg Louise Tolentino of De La Salle Manila, Ryan Carl Yu of Ateneo University Manila, Apolinario Bagano Jr . of Benguet State University, Maria Stephanie Gana of Far Eastern University, Lynrose Jane Genon of Mindanao State University, Raphael Aaron Letaba of University of the Philippines, and Fharnieza Mohammad of Western Mindanao State University.

MALACAÑANG PHOTO BUREAU

Smuggle raps on Canadian waste importer

By Vito Barcelo FoR importing 48 container vans of Canadian waste, the owner of Live Green Enterprises, was charged with smuggling before the Department of Justice, according to the Bureau of Customs.

Charged was Nelson Mario, owner and proprietor of LGE for the illegal importation of container vans loaded with baled municipal solid wastes from Canada that were declared as importable ‘plastic scraps’.

Under the law, only homogeneous plastic scrap materials are allowable regulated imports but with necessary pre-shipment importation clearance (PSIC) from Environmental Management Bureau-Department of Environment and Natural Resources (MB-DENR). only recently, the DoJ filed smuggling charges against Adelfa H. Eduardo, owner of Chronic Plastics; and the company’s customs brokers Leonora M. Flores, and Sherjun N. Saldon for importing toxic waste,.

Mario, along with Eduardo, Flores and Saldon were facing Republic Act 6969 or

the Act to Control Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Wastes, Tariffs and Customs Code and falsification charges before the DoJ. The 48 shipments were discovered by the BoC last May a week after Customs chief Alberto Lina was installed, instructed all ports to submit an inventory list of all overstaying cargoes.

Based on the import documents of the shipments, the exporter is a certain Demetrios Jim Makris of Chronic Inc. Canada, the same exporter of the 55 container vans of heterogeneous wastes discovered last year consigned to Chronic Plastics.

This caused BoC to suspect the contents of the shipments which arrived December 6, 2013.

The Chronic shipments arrived, on the other hand, arrived in six batches from June 10 to August, 2013 at the Manila International Container Port and were subsequently seized by Customs police and operatives of the Enforcement Group following report that the shipment contains toxic wastes

Physicians seek PRC probe of eye doctors in fund mess the payments should have been suspended or disallowed.

With the huge sin tax funds added A GRoUP of medical doctors on Thursday called on the Philippine to Philhealth coffers, he said, the Regulations Commission to conduct people deserve a better system.

“I have not seen the full force of its own investigation on the alleged fraud involving P2-billion the law being used on this matter.

Philhealth funds which included “sin People are waiting,“ said the PCP official. tax” money.

He pointed out that the Tobacco and Dr. Anthony Leachon, president of the Philippine College of Physicians Alcohol Tax, signed by President Aquino said PRC should immediately on Dec. 29, 2012, gives the government address the case of the erring eye the financial capacity to cover the full doctors, and revoke their licenses, if subsidy of the premium coverage of 14.7 million poor Filipino families or more deemed necessary.

He warned that public trust than 45 million Filipinos amounting to on Philhealth will be eroded if the P37 billion for 2015.

He said this also led to the rise in anomaly is not addressed as soon as Department of Health budget to P103 possible.

He said irregularities should billion, an increase never received have been detected early on and before.

By Macon Araneta

Upon inspection, the shipments valued at P3.9-million turned out to be consisted of “heterogeneous” plastic materials, including household garbage and even adult diapers and not scrap materials as declared by the importers.

“The importation made by Chronic of the declared ‘plastic scrap’… were made without acquiring a prior importation clearance (IC) from the DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources) at least thirty days preceding the actual importation,” the BoC said.

“This is a wakeup call for all of us. It is very clear that these waste materials were shipped to the Philippines illegally. That is why we have filed the necessary case against Live Green Enterprises, to make sure that those responsible for importing these waste materials be punished in accordance with the law,” Lina said.

“Aside from filing charges, we are making sure that the Customs accreditation of companies engaged in the importation of heterogeneous waste like Live Green Enterprise and Chronic Plastics is cancelled.”

“ We do not see a water crisis because of El Nino. I think there is enough supply so far but we have to manage it carefully in order to make it last until the summer of next year,” said NWRB Executive Director Sevillo David Jr. PAGASA annouced that El Nino will intensify from moderate in the third quarter to strong in the last three months of 2015.

Below normal rainfall is expected to affect most areas in the country.

“We are trying to manage the releases.

Currently, there is still no water allocation for the irrigation. We also reduced the water supply for Metro Manila to prevent the possible issues on water supply constraints if ever the El Nino persists,” David said.

Starting July 1, the approved water allocation for domestic and municipal use is 41 cubic meters per second, a reduction of two cms from June.

The 41 cms allocation and zero allocation for irrigation will continue until August despite the slight increase of water because the level is still considered as low.

David said as of July 29, the water level in the Angat dam is 180.74 meters. The said level is higher than the 170.65 meters during the same period last year but is still 29.26 meters short of the normal high water level of 210 meters.

“We are still not lifting the cut in irrigation allocation because we are still not in a comfortable level but I think there is no significant impact since most farmers have water supply due to the rain,” David said.

“Under the water code , if there’s shortage of supply the priority is domestic and municipal use,” David added.

Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System Senior Deputy Administrator Atty. Nathaniel Santos assured that water concessionaires are closely coordinating with the management of Angat Dam to effectively manage the water supply.

“I would like to emphasize that although water concessionaires have 41 cms allocation, they do not draw that entire volume. They are closely coordinating with the Angat Dam to lessen the release specially when its raining,” Santos said.

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NEWS

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Lobo mining project ‘socially acceptable,’ say residents SOME 1,200 residents from all twenty-four barangays of the municipality of Lobo, Batangas staged a pro-mining rally on Monday to demonstrate their support for the implementation of Egerton Gold Philippines’ gold mining project.

This was the response of the Lobo residents after the Lobo Municipal Council expressed the need for evidence of “social acceptability” of the gold mining project.

During the rally, Lobo residents expressed their support for the mining project, presenting an advance copy of a petition signed by 3,400 residents of the municipality.

As a result of the demonstration, the council meeting was delayed two hours, but eventually com-

menced as the rally continued.

“This petition comes entirely from the local community,” said Nilo Villanueva Germedia, a former professor who hails from Barangay Malabrigo, Lobo.

“These are the people that will actually benefit from the mining project. They are saying yes to decreased poverty, increased social development, and the general improvement in quality of life that this project will bring,” said Villanueva.

The final petition, signed by over 3,400 people, all local to the Lobo area, was presented to the Municipal Council last Monday.

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 President of Egerton Gold Philippines, Edsel Abrasaldo. “We sympathize with them.”

“They have been subjected to intense pressure by outside interests and they are rightfully concerned about this. We will deal in a fair, professional and friendly way with the Municipal Council as has been our practice for the past 12 years,” Abrasaldo said.

Many members of the community chimed in to express their support for the project. “The company helps the local community by providing jobs during the exploration

period on a weekly rotation basis in order that more jobless residents can benefit,” remarked Roger Lontoc, Barangay Secretary of Mabilog na Bundok, one of the ten barangays affected by the project.

“They improved our barangay hall and day care center for pre-school children, gave a hundred of cement bags every year for the construction of feeder roads and three basketball courts. [They also] implemented tree planting near river banks and gave forest and fruit tree seedlings to the community,” Vilma Atienza, one of the residents of Barangay Calumpit sitio Itaas Silyaran said “I am enjoying the water coming to our house and lot from the well that Egerton drilled on our land 8 years ago.”

Ampatuan stripped of benefits

After the ‘Big One’. From Marikina to Makati and other parts of Metro Manila, local authorities and volunteers conduct an hour-long Metrowide Shake Drill while Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson and MMDA chairman Francis Tolentino get evaluation update on how Metro Manila reacts in case a major earthquake hits.

(Story on A4) PHOTOS BY LINO SANTOS, EY ACASIO AND JOEL ZURBANO

By Rio N. Araja

THE Office of the Ombudsman on Thursday ordered the dismissal from government service of one of the principal suspects in the Maguindanao massacre—Zaldy Ampatuan—in his capacity as governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao from 2000 to 2009.

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales said Ampatuan was found administratively liable for serious dishonesty and grave misconduct for his willful failure to disclose his assets in his Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth during his incumbency.

In case the penalty of dismissal can no longer be executed, the Ombudsman directed the imposition of the alternative penalty of fine equivalent to his salary for one year, in addition to the accessory penalties of cancellation of eligibility, forfeiture of retirement benefits, perpetual disqualification from holding public office, and bar from taking civil service examinations.

Based on the Ombudsman’s lifestyle check investigation, Ampatuan failed to disclose 14 pieces of real estate worth P12,336,416.90 situated in Davao, Cotobato and Makati cities.

In addition, Ampatuan also failed to declare his ownership of 15 vehicles amounting to P25,476,116.00 and 26 firearms worth P5,914,000.

Aside from the nondisclosure of assets in his SALNs, the aggregate amount of his properties was established to be

manifestly and grossly disproportionate to his lawful and legitimate income during his incumbency.

The decision stated that “respondent not only failed to disclose all his and his wife’s assets but he also failed to provide any explanation as to how he and/ or his wife acquired these assets.”

It added that “an honest public servant will have no difficulty in gathering, collating and presenting evidence that will prove his credibility, but a dishonest one will only provide shallow excuses in his explanations.”

“Respondent’s repeated failure to make truthful statements in all his SALNs not only transgressed established rules but is also an indicia of his willful intent” to circumvent the law, the Decision ruled.

Section 8(a) of Republic Act 6713 mandates public officials and employees to accomplish and submit declarations under oath of their assets, liabilities, net worth and financial and business interests while Sections 7 and 8 of RA 3019 require all public officers and employees to accomplish and submit a true, detailed and sworn statement of their assets and liabilities.

All ten affected barangay councils in Lobo had unanimously granted their consent for the project by January 23, with the municipality council following suit on April 20, reflecting the social and economic interests of their constituencies. This followed a tour of an operating mine run by Oceana Gold in Nueva Viscaya last January 3-5, 2015 where LGU officials witnessed the mining operation and its resultant socioeconomic benefits to surrounding communities.

However, since then, anti-development advocates have been pushing them to reverse their support, even though the development project will generate approximately PHP600 million in taxes during its operation.

Student prods court to cite school in contempt PUBLIC Attorney’s Office chief Persida Rueda Acosta on Thursday urged the Court of Appeals to cite the Sto. Niño Parochial School in indirect contempt over its refusal to issue graduate salutatorian Krisel Mallari a good moral conduct certificate.

In an 11-page very urgent manifestation with motion, Mallari through Acosta also asked the appellate court to issue a bench warrant against the school officials, including registrar Yolanda Casero.

Acosta complained that they went to the Sto. Nino school located in Quezon City after the Court of Appeals issued an order in favor of Mal-

lari directing the school to issue her a certification.

She said they waited 30 minutes, to no avail.

But the school management told them that they had not yet received a copy of the order, Acosta said.

She, however, said the court’s server validated that the school had already received the decision.

Mallari has two days to submit her good moral certificate to enable her to enroll at the University of Sto. Tomas.

“As the petitioner repeatedly emphasizes, even a day or two of delay would spell doom on Krisel’s future with UST. A month or so of delay

would entirely put her education at a halt,” the motion read.

Last Wednesday, Associate Justice Socorro Inting of the Second Division granted Mallari’s motion for a temporary restraining order and/or writ of preliminary injunction and ordered the issuance of the certificate to Mallari.

The student, who graduated from the Sto. Nino Parochial School inMarch, delivered her speech that turned out to be different from the one she submitted and approved by school officials.

She questioned the school’s alleged lack of fairness, questioning alleged cheating of grades. Rio N. Araja

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news

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

‘Aquino ignored plight of workers in SONA’

By Alvin T Guanzon

Surf’s up. A man rides the waves off Baler Coast in Aurora Province. DAVID CHAN

Cordillera’s economic growth slows to 3.2%

By Dexter A. See

BAGUIO CITY—The Cordillera office of the Philippine Statistics Authority this week said the region’s economy declined from 5.4 percent in 2013 to 3.2 percent last year. This is due to the reported slowdown in industry and services and the significant drop in agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing.

As a result, from 10th place in 2013, the CAR dropped to 15th place among the 17 regions in terms of economic growth in 2014.

Engineer Olivia Gulla, PSA-CAR interim regional director, cited the industry sector reportedly slowed down from 4.1 percent in 2013 to a dismal 2.7 percent in 2014 primarily because of the decline in the manufacturing, still the sector’s biggest contributor which dropped from 1.4 percent to 0.9 percent; construction that dropped from 18.4 percent to only 11.2 percent; and electricity, gas and water supply that slowed down from 15.4 percent to a low 3.7 percent.

Gulla however revealed mining and quarrying

increased from 9.3 percent to 12.4 percent because of the stable mineral production amidst the decline in global metal prices and the increase in construction activities in the region.

On the other hand, the PSA-CAR official cited the services sector also slowed down from 8.4 percent in 2013 to 4.8 percent last year. Its sub-sectors, except trade and public administration and defense, also slowed down.

“Trade accelerated to 8.1 percent from 5.5 percent. Public administration and defense also accelerated from 2.2 percent to 2.5 percent. Both finance and real estate, renting and business activities (REBA) dropped from 16.3 percent to

7.1 percent and from 19.7 percent to 6.8 percent, respectively,”Gulla added.

Further, AHFF contracted from 1.3 percent in 2013 to 0.4 percent in 2014 because of the recorded slower growths of agriculture and forestry, which declined by 0.5 percent in 2014 and of fishing, that dropped from 2.6 percent to 2.2 percent last year.

She explained services and industry sectors contributed 1.8 percentage points and 1.4 percentage points, respectively, to the region’s overall gross regional domestic product while AHFF pulled down the region’s economic growth by 0.05 percentage points.

Jadedea Aquino, assistant regional director of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) in the Cordillera, said the region’s gross domestic product measures the goods and services produced in each of the geo-political regions of the country and provides for an analysis of the regional distribution of the country’s gross domestic product, the industries and factors that contribute to the regional economics, and the pace at which these economics are moving on an annual basis.

BUTUAN CITY—Former ambassador, National Labor Relations Commission and now OFW-Family party-list Rep. Roy Seňeres said President Aquino ignored the plight of 15 million contractual workers who cannot find job security and the 12 million who are jobless and failed to pay tribute to overseas Filipino workers during his last State-of-the-Nation Address.

“As usual, President Aquino did not pay tribute to migrants who had been responsible for the uninterrupted growth of the economy by sending billions of dollar remittances despite the pain of leaving their homes,” he said.

Seneres said Aquino’s jobless rate of 6 percent comes from the National Census and Statistics Office, which is a government agency. “I believe the Social Weather Stations survey of 12 million jobless Filipinos is more accurate than what is painted by government agencies which are in reality, all lies to cover up their deficiencies and lackluster performance” Seneres said.

The President also failed to address the “contractualization” practice which is victimizing workers and their families.

“President Aquino failed to mention the workers laid off every five months by their employers. They are everywhere in giant and small shopping malls, restaurant chains, hardware, general merchandise stores in the provinces and yes, even, the government.”

“The Supreme Court has condemned contractualization as ‘deceitful agreement’ which enable employers to reap undeserved profits at the expense of his or her employees as in the case of Cielo vs. NLRC,” Seňeres added.

Expressway links C5 to Cavitex

Waiting game. A child waits for his father who repairs old ships in Ouano Port, Mandaue City.

MICHELLE ALVAREZ

A new expressway linking C5 Road to Cavitex Coastal Expressway will ease the traffic woes of thousands of Paranaque residents, according to Cavitex Infrastructure Corporation, a member of the Metro Pacific Tollways group of companies.

The C5 Link Expressway is a 7.7-kilometer urban expressway which is part of the government’s plan for the development of Metro Manila, and is the last unbuilt segment of the Circumferential Road No. 5 loop around the metropolis.

The expressway will provide fast, safe and convenient travel for Paranaque residents, who have long been restricted by the congested roads and slow travel to and from the city.

“This is a welcome addition to the new roads being constructed in Paranaque City. The alignment will help decongest the service roads of South Super Highway as it provides an alternative road for the residents of

Barangays Merville, Moonwalk, Marcelo Green, Sun Valley, Don Bosco, Sto. Nino, Don Galo and BF who are headed towards Pasay, Makati, Manila and other areas north of our city” Mayor Edwin Olivarez said.

The project will benefit Metro Manila travellers on an overall system-wide context because it will not only decongest several Paranaque barangays, but it will also provide easier travel from Taguig, Makati, Pasay, Pasig, Quezon City and northern areas of Manila, Las Pinas and Cavite province.

The expressway has been endorsed by the Department of Public Works and Highways and the Paranaque city government, and has been issued the environmental compliance certificate by the Department of Natural Resources. Recently, Metro Manila mayors and officials comprising the Regional Development Council have also expressed full support for the project.

A8

ADELLE chuA edITor F R I D AY, J u LY 3 1 , 2 0 1 5

opinion [ EDI TORI A L ]

The budgeT musT be spenT Congress will shortly deliberate next year’s P3-trillion budget as proposed by President Benigno Aquino III. The spending plan essentially details the priority of the government in furthering its objectives of providing social, health and educational services to the public, as well as meeting certain economic objectives.

The government, however, will just be mocking the goals of the budget if it continues to underspend, especially in capital outlays.

Any amount of underspending will translate into lower job generation and lop off some percentage points in the projected growth of the gross domestic product. Public services to the needy will be curtailed and the poor will continue to be neglected by the state. senate President Pro-Tempore ralph recto is obviously aware of the ramifications of underspending, declaring that the issue will dominate the discussions on the administration’s sixth and last budget bill. recto noted the 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,” said the lawmaker.

President Aquino, meanwhile, boasted that the 2016 budget would make inclusive growth an achievable goal, and not a mere aspiration, by focusing scarce resources on programs that have the greatest impact on improving the lives of the people, especially those in the poorest communities.

But Aquino’s promise will just be lip service if he does not correct the bottlenecks that attended the annual spending program in 2014 and the first six months of 2015. The Philippine economy, as a result of underspending, grew just 5.2 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2015, its slowest pace in three years.

The government is wasting opportunities when it failed to do its pump-priming role. It slowed down economic expansion and failed to take advantage of falling oil prices in the world market.

The 2016 budget will not be an effective tool if it is not spent as designed by each government department and agency.

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Erap takEs poE to INC lowdown jojo a. robles Is former President and current Manila Mayor Joseph estrada still pushing the presidential bid of his United nationalist Alliance party-mate Vice President Jejomar Binay? or is estrada now backing another bet – senator grace Poe – in next year’s elections?

Well, it looks like the latter, if my informants are to be believed.

That’s because estrada recently went to the headquarters of the Iglesia ni Cristo in Quezon City with Poe, to seek the bloc-voting church’s endorsement of his late best buddy’s adoptive daughter.

I’m told that InC executive Minister eduardo Manalo himself met erap and grace when they visited.

And that Manalo was receptive to estrada’s proposal for the InC to vote for Poe in May next year.

But Manalo was said to have set a condition for supporting Poe. The InC head said he could ask the church to vote for the senator – as long as senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. doesn’t run for the presidency himself.

It turns out that Manalo and

other leaders of the church had conducted a survey among InC members prior to estrada’s and Poe’s visit. The all-InC opinion poll reportedly found that Marcos was the church’s members’ preferred candidate for President, which is why Manalo told his two visitors that he would support Poe only if Marcos did not run.

The visit to ‘sentral’ should give poe more incentive to run independent of her main political patron, aquino.

The same internal InC survey supposedly discovered that the church’s members favored Marcos, Poe and Binay, in that order, at the time the poll was taken. That was good enough for estrada and Poe and they left happy after the audience, I’m told. of course, Poe has not yet declared her intentions, although she

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has already turned down President noynoy Aquino’s repeated requests for her to become the running mate of his presumptive anointed, secretary Mar roxas. But the visit with erap to the InC’s “sentral,” as members call the church headquarters, should have given her more incentive to run for the highest post in the land independent of her main political patron, Aquino. no one is certain if Marcos would run, with or without the InC’s support. But assuming – as many have assumed – that Ferdinand and Imelda’s son runs for vice president, it looks like he will have a lock on the Iglesia’s all-important vote.

As for roxas, who is supposedly going to declare his presidential intentions today, the InC’s conditional endorsement of Poe can only mean bad news. At the rate things are going, he will only be able to count on the support of a small, ever-dwindling core of Liberal Party members who are also roxas diehards by May. Aquino’s endorsement, already of doubtful efficacy, could even work against roxas. And, if Aquino decides that staying out of jail is more important than fulfilling his promise to support his BFF, it may not even happen.

Continued on A13

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

A10

f r i D AY : j u lY 3 1 , 2 0 1 5

CSR MONTH 2015: COMMUNITIES AND CORPORATIONS

NATION BUILDING, ONE COMMUNITY AT A TIME In a country that needs all the help it can get, the involvement of business, whether big, medium or small, is essential. The Philippines is blessed with a great number of companies who have made it part of their mission to invest in the communities within which they operate.

While there are still many corporations who have token CSR activities as part of either compliance or marketing/branding efforts, there are those who have made Corporate Social Responsibility an integral part of their operations.

Whether a company is still in the compliance / branding mode of CSR (think philanthropy and doleouts) or grown into one that has fully embedded CSR into the corporate structure, communities improve. As we have said earlier, every little bit helps.

There is a difference between the two types, it is clear that the latter provides more, and lasting benefits to the community. The bigger benefit, however, lies in the benefit back to the company.

Creating Shared Value The concept of creating shared value is based on the principle that social development is strongly tied in with economic development.

The two go hand in hand– thus, true CSR must go beyond the old concept of simple philanthropy.

Sustainability is perhaps the biggest benefit of CSR based on creating shared value.

The fact that business and philanthropy overlap ensures that the practice and benefits are long-term.

Because it is longterm, it invites participation from the

Are We Ready For K-12?

The country has begun the shift towards a K-12 educational system.

But are we ready? Find out more from educators and education experts at our August Standard Talks.

different stakeholders in a corporation– investors, employees, donors from outside, and most importantly, the members of the community it benefits.

Done right, a CSR program based on the concept of creating shared value often ends up with the community itself being

its biggest participants.

Nestlé Philippines, for example, has a strong CSR program involving farmers from the coffee-growing regions. Called The Nescafé Plan, it involves farmer training, soil assessment, providing coffee plants and a buy-back Continued on A11

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CSR MONTH 2015: COMMUNITIES AND CORPORATIONS

Nation From A10...

program. Using this plan, it not just provides much-needed jobs and economic development to the areas it serves, it also has managed to embed responsible sourcing as part of its corporate structure. the Ayala Foundation has several efforts based on this principle as well. At the forefront is the UP-Ayala techno Business incubator, which aims to identify, develop, and promote social entrepreneurs who provide innovative solutions to social problems. As their site states, the UP-Ayala tBi ‘does not only support business startups working in the field of technology, but also those that seek entrepreneurship opportunities focusing on clients who belong to the base of the economic pyramid.’ the dearth of good jobs have left around 10 million Filipinos who are either unemployed (three million) or underemployed (seven million) as far back as 2012, with the number increasing by around 1.3 million every year. Filipino companies have stepped up not just in the hiring process, but in educating the people and preparing them for quickly changing environments where the skills produced by the education system are often not relevant or quickly become obsolete.

Relief, Recovery, Rebuilding and Growth in a nation that experiences around 20 typhoons a rainy season that brings calamitous floods, and various disasters annually, the contribution of corporations and their CsR efforts have been vital for the survival and recovery of the country. san Miguel Corporation, at the forefront of the CsR movement in the Philippines has already breached the 1 billion mark in CsR spending as far back as 2012., more than half of which were spent on rebuilding homes for victims of typhoon sendong.

Yolanda, the strongest typhoon recorded in these times, is a wonderful example of how the country’s business communities have stepped up to bridge the gaps in the government’s programs.

Rebuilding in Leyte for both houses and schools was a united effort of countless business, large and small alike.

The Rise of Social Media the rise of social media has also proven to be a key ingredient in the growth of CsR efforts in the country. social media has not just helped encourage participation and volunteerism from employees and other participants, but it has increased the value of these efforts toward building corporate and brand image as well aside from serving as an effective communication, feedback and engagement tool.

A11

Flood-prone areas in Marikina get One Meralco Foundation’s salba-bote Improvised flotation device to help communities during emergencies PCGA conducted proved Residents of that salba-bote is innovative Marikina’s flood-prone and effective. areas recently became “We are certain that this the first recipients of an iFd will definitely enhance improvised flotation our organization’s rescue device (iFd) called capabilities and assist salba-bote which One communities in risk areas Meralco Foundation to better prepare for floods (OMF) is distributing to and typhoons,” he said. communities and rescue the salba-bote is the organizations as part of product of a collaboration its disaster preparedness among Meralco, One program.

Meralco Foundation and Local government advertising agency ddB officials led by Mayor del Meralco Improvised Flotation Device. Avolunteer de Guzman joined officers demonstrates the use of the salba-bote during the project’s Philippines, in partnership with Pepsi and Glad. of OMF and Meralco as public launch along the Marikina River Bank.

As a major partner, well as its partners in the Pepsi is providing newly iFd project which include Philippine Red Cross (PRC), Philippine Coast Guard manufactured bottles that serve as floaters for the initial batch of the iFds. Glad, on the other hand, provides reAuxiliary (PCGA), Pepsi and Glad. in ceremonies to launch the salba-bote held along sealable bags to keep disaster essentials dry inside the front the Marikina River bank in Barangay Jesus de la Pena, pocket. the PRC and PCGA have been fully supporting the residents from 12 barangays along the river received initiative by helping develop the salba-bote’s design their iFds. OMF President Jeffrey tarayao said the launch marked and specifications. Last year, PCGA conducted tests to the start of an organized distribution of the salba-bote to determine the iFd’s effectiveness. the salba-bote is made up of empty Pet bottles (new various flood-prone communities and groups needing the or recycled) placed inside a PVC-coated mesh tote bag iFd. “We selected communities which are most vulnerable with a water-resistant pocket for emergency supplies like to floods and made them our priority in distributing the flashlights, mobile phones, medicines and bottled water. it iFds. We also partnered with local government units and can hold a 200-pound individual afloat. intended to provide buoyancy to individuals or groups organizations which are the frontliners when it comes to during times of emergencies, the salba-boteillustrates the emergency response,” he noted.

Rear Admiral Valentin Prieto, who is PCGA’s deputy resourcefulness of Filipinos in making use of affordable national director for operations, pointed out that the tests and readily available local materials.

F R I D AY, J U LY 3 1 , 2 0 1 5

A12

OPINION lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

WHY THE SILENCE? tions remain -- especially since its “typologizing” stratFR. RANHILIO egy, to me, infringed on vestCALLANGAN ed rights and, more imporAQUINO tantly, on academic freedom.

Very soon, it will be De- But I have since embraced cember, 2015, and, of course, the concept of outcomesaside from the concern of based education, insofar as management with Christmas it demands of higher edubonuses and cash gifts (real- cation institutions that they ly hardly ‘gifts’ at all because clearly define outcomes -mandated) and parents with not only in terms of program filling out children’s orders outcomes, but also “human placed with Santa Claus, resource” outcomes. We can these is ASeAN Integration. no longer teach accountanAnd we are not making as cy as if our graduates were much noise about it as we destined from the womb to ought to. It merited barely practice accountancy only in a whisper in the last State- the Philippines. The teachof-the-Nation Address of the ing of the law on sales, in President.

The integration of the region is a bundle of opportunities and challenges, and unless we get pretty soon excited about it, we will squander the opportunities and be ill-equipped to cope with the challenges. In the field of education alone (with which I am directly concerned), the student is offered the possibility of availing himself of the best that Asean has to offer. Within the ambit of integration is the full-faithand-credit that universities in the region grant each other’s academic programs. An accountancy student therefore from the Philippines should, in theory at least, be able to do third year in Indonesia and fourth year in Singapore without any of the rigmarole and the night- Colleges of Law, to take anmarish requirements that other example, would be senow beguile the student who riously inadequate were we wants to go Asean. Profes- to deal with sales as transacsors and specialists should tions taking place within the be able likewise to freely confines of our archipelago move within the member- (whose boundaries on the states, their expertise avail- western side are hotly conable to the entire region. tested!).

But that demands of our What educators should universities and colleges in be doing now is asking the Philippines that bench- themselves what outcomes marking and goal-setting go Asean integration calls for. regional, at least, as the very In the determination of outfirst step towards that much- comes therefore, aside from ballyhooed but seldom con- the corollaries of a sound cretized desideratum of philosophy of the human globalization. The Commis- person, there should likesion on Higher education’s wise be -- and urgently -“outcomes-based education” a serious and empirically as embodied in its Memo- grounded consideration of randum Order No. 46 was a the demands of Asean inprogram to which I initially tegration. What worries had strong reservations -- me is that many colleges and many of those reserva- and universities are so busy

PENSEES

the Asean integration is coming and we better be prepared.

No more excuses!

TruTH aNd opTImISm THe sixth and last State-ofthe-Nation Address of President Benigno S. Aquino III last Monday was supposed to be truthful and optimistic.

That was how the dutiful Secretary Sonny Coloma of the Presidential Communications Operations Office described it the day before it was delivered. Pretending that he had not seen its final copy, Secretary Coloma must have been jesting while pre-conditioning us into thinking so.

Still, my fellow retirees and I patiently watched it over television in the comfort of our homes, concerned all the time about the hundreds of militant protesters along Commonwealth Avenue who demonstrated their discontentment and displeasure with PNoy on that cold rainy day.

They never stopped chanting anti-PNoy slogans and kept denouncing the lies that they claimed PNoy was telling in his last SONA as they marched toward the Batasang Pambansa Complex. expectedly, they were stopped by thousands of policemen who employed barbed wires, concrete barricades and water cannons. As in the previous five years, the protesters had to contend themselves eventually by burning effigies of PNoy. In truth, we were only interested in hearing announcements about pension increases and left the rest of the SONA for scrutiny to the more serious social analysts.

But for two long hours, we heard nothing optimistic to inspire us.

Instead, PNoy jolted us by asking Congress for the “urgent passage of the Unified Uniformed Personnel Pension reform Bill …so that we can finally set up a sustainable and just pension system for our uniformed services.”

He even bewildered us by citing the seldom discussed reason for its urgency – “I cannot stress just how important the passage of this law is: at present, we already need trillions of pesos to fund the pensions of our servicemen. We need the authorifilling out forms, attending seminars and symposia and familiarizing themselves with the meandering ways of CMO 46 that they fail to grasp the true spirit and intent of OBe. In many cases, we come on the scene breathless and panting. That is what hap-

FILIPINO PENSIONER HORACE tEmPLO zation from Congress to address this very complicated situation.”

Dramatic and convincing as he has always been, he really sounded as if he urgently needed those trillions of pesos, and was serious about releasing them.

Did he really think that members of both chambers would still authorize a lame duck president like him with such a huge amount of money?

In fact, he did not speak the whole truth and should have informed us about the ramifications of these trillions of pesos for the sake of transparency and “Daang Matuwid.”

At status quo, the pension of servicemen is definitely just – its amount is equal to their last salary and adjusted whenever their counterparts in active service get salary increases. These pensions are sustainable since they are funded via the annual General Appropriations Act. Unjust is the pension scheme of the Social Security System which awards an average of only P3,540 monthly retirement pension.

If PNoy did speak the truth – as some nonetheless believed – we pensioners could be in for a lot of trouble. We can start bidding goodbye to any hope that general revenues would be used to increase our social pensions of P500 and meager SSS pensions.

In fact, taxpayers now pay for the pensions of uniformed personnel through general taxes on a pay-as-you-go basis. PNoy must have been told and made to believe that the one and only better way to do this is to gradually accumulate or immediately raise those trillions of pesos years before they are needed under a fully funded scheme.

Why must we do this? Indeed, there are many justifications for a fully funded pened to K to 12. We saw it coming. We were witnesses to its enactment into law. And as 2016 dawns and the first batch of Grade 10 students prepares to go to Grades 11 and 12, we cry out in silly panic: “We are not prepared” and call on the Supreme Court to resolve what

scheme, but one of the consequential responsibilities is investing them in safe and high-yielding assets. Difficult, but others consider this responsibility a profitable undertaking.

But it is risky.

Like the huge reserve funds of SSS, the Government Service Insurance System and PhilHealth that now total at least P1.5 trillion, the Uniformed Personnel Pension reserve funds could only be invested controversially. Lucky would we be if they would not suffer the same dismal financial fate of the controversial retirement and Separation Benefits System of the military.

And how would we raise these trillions of pesos?

Henceforth, the General Appropriations Act must set aside annually enough funds to pay the current pension obligations and build up those trillions of pesos of reserves.

In the process, other social and infrastructure projects of government would have to give way to this build up of reserve funds. Those projects would no longer be funded.

PNoy publicly expressed his gratitude to his bosom friends and loyal supporters who have faithfully served him personally at Malacanang Palace and at home. Thus, PNoy did speak the truth.

But we wanted to hear instead the true state of the nation in important issues.

We somehow recovered some of our senses when he declared that “our countrymen are confident in the stability of their future” that “even newly hired employees today can make regular payments on cars or condominium units.”

How we wished that he were speaking the truth and not only dreaming optimistically of a far remote future!

Granting it were true, these newly hired employees would instantly turn their optimism into pessimism if and when they realize that an almostworthless SSS pension awaits them at old age. is essentially a curricular matter. enough of this silliness. We know that Asean Integration is coming up and we better be prepared for it.

There can be no more excuse! rannie_aquino@sanbeda.edu.ph rannie_aquino@csu.edu.ph rannie_aquino@yahoo.com

F R I d aY, J u lY 3 1 , 2 0 1 5

OPINION

adelle chua EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

A13

BongBong Marcos, capitalisM, poverty (1) VIRTUAL REALITY TONY LOPEZ among my most read columns were those about Sen. ferdinand “Bongbong” marcos Jr. on July 29, he spoke before cEos in a forum arranged by asia cEo. he spoke about capitalism, poverty, and reforming society.

Bongbong has not made up his mind yet—whether to seek reelection as senator (he is no. 3 in the surveys) or a higher office, like vice president or even president.

Excerpts from Bongbong marcos’s asia cEo speech: “my vision of our country is one that can overcome its economic and social challenges by drawing on our own strengths and drawing on our unity. it is a vision of the Philippines that is prosperous, rich in opportunity, and home to happy, morally upright, and productive citizens whose lives are meaningful because theirs is a just society, because theirs is a nation that has become great again. “i will immediately work to restore in all filipinos the lost sense of pride in themselves and pride in being citizens of the republic of the Philippines. We had at some point in our history that pride, that sense of nationhood but we see it to have gone astray and we have lost it.

Erap.. From A8 *** Speaking of roxas’ dwindling chances, it should be noted that his endorser has found yet another group of people to annoy and alienate in last monday’s State-of-thenation address. i’m talking about the faculty, students and alumni of the University of Santo Tomas, who are up in arms after the President allud-

“This administration should govern our country with special attention to the needs of the more than 26% of our population who are the poorest, and the almost 70% who are called ‘unpoor’ but actually mean that they live only precariously above the poverty line. “first, i believe business should take the lead in nationbuilding, in poverty reduction, in developing our shared future. you have demonstrated in your work your ability to do so with your wealth, your skills, and your imagination in raising our economy to a level that has attracted positive elements.

But it has happened under a system that has distributed the benefits inequitably.

“The success of our nation depends on national unity, but it is hard for me to imagine how unity can be even be possible when nearly 97 percent of our people do not feel they are sharing in our so-called ‘economic miracle.’ “despite our economic gains of recent years, at least 3,700 filipinos leave for jobs abroad every single day. nearly one in 10 of us are already abroad, meeting our families’ basic needs with the earnings from foreign jobs. it is distressing to see the most desperate of our people even consigned to the streets, or falling prey to sexual or other forms of exploitation simply because

of a lack of opportunities.

“These people are our workforce, and our market. They are our greatest resource, a resource that only grows in strength and does not diminish if it is used for the benefit of all. “asking business to lead us in nation-building is a tall request, and one that government cannot rightly ask if it is not willing to equally share the burden, or take the lead.

Which brings me to the second, but no less important point: how can government help business do business? “it is perhaps understandable if many doubt whether government actually has the ability (to help business), because recent problems have revealed shortcomings in our efforts to eliminate corruption and improve performance.

The P62.3-billion conditional cash Transfer Program, directed at the poorest of our poor filipino families, has not helped all that it could because of leakages, because of weaknesses in the implementation, and because of lack of clarity in principle and in concept as to what the program was meant to achieve.

“The modest efforts towards upgrading our armed forces have been hampered by anomalous deals and irregular transactions with suppliers of questionable competence.

“Every day, hundreds of

thousands of commuters – our workers, our students, our shoppers – face the challenges of using an aging, inadequate commuter rail service that has become unreliable under the best of circumstances, and actually dangerous to life and limb at its worst. “government as well as business must change. The “trickle-down” concept of economics, pursuit of profit for profit’s sake with the expectation that the benefits will eventually find their way to the lower levels of our society, is a failure. for the common good. “most recently even Pope francis, who has offered strong words. in 2013, in his apostolic exhortation ‘Evangelii gaudium,’ he argued that ‘trickle down’ economics wrongly demand ‘a crude and naïve trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power.’ and as recently as this past July 10, while visiting Bolivia, he condemned the unbridled greed of naked capitalism: ‘once capital becomes an idol and guides people’s decisions, once greed for money presides over the entire socio-economic system, it ruins society, it condemns and enslaves men and women, it destroys the human fraternity, it sets people against one another and, as we can clearly see, it even puts at risk our common home: the planet Earth.’ “capitalism as we know it,

whether we like it or not, is becoming socially unacceptable. “do not take it as a damnation of the capitalist society or the capitalist principle. But merely to say that government must take and must institute and have a mechanism that actively pursue the principle of distribution of wealth. i think even the most recent rock star of the economics fraternity, a gentleman by the name of Piketty, on his large and rather hard-going book on capital, again seems to have confirmed the same observation that growth in value of capital is never matched, if left to its own devices, by the growth in value of each individual in that economy.

“By focusing on poverty, we focus on the fundamental strength of this nation, and our greatest resource, our people. it will require government and business working hand in hand.

“But neither business nor the great population of filipinos can have confidence in a government that does not demonstrate the competence and the ethical commitment to good performance. i was disappointed that in the Sona that we heard a couple of days ago, he neglected to mention the freedom of information Bill, a freedom of information bill that he actually can take note.” (To be continued)

ed to them – without naming them, as usual – as opposing a flood control project because of their inordinate love for several old buildings.

The situation created by the atenean President was exacerbated by his la Sallite spokesman, Edwin lacierda, who explained that the UST community must sacrifice instead of giving priority to “a prized soccer field.” The UST administration has not officially reacted to

the one-two attack from malacanang – but their online communities were understandably worked up. one online response from a group calling itself STand UST said that aquino should not ask the university to sacrifice some more because they already suffer from government neglect and private overdevelopment around their manila campus.

“The continuous elevation of roads surrounding UST have

made our campus a catch basin of flood throughout time,” the group said. “it is important for the administration to consider clearing natural waterways in manila,” the group said, instead of digging up the campus to build an underground “retarding tank” under the university, it said. The remark is “yet another immature and arrogant innuendo” from the President, the group said.

no wonder mar roxas took so long praying before the graves of his dead ancestors before agreeing to becoming aquino’s chosen one. By the time the polls open, it’s perfectly possible for aquino’s endorsement to be the political equivalent of an anvil tied to the endorsee’s neck. oh, well. aquino only promised his endorsement to roxas, after all; he never said it was going to make mar win.

#failocracy

biznewsasia@gmail.com

chong ardivilla

A14

F R I D AY : J U LY 3 1 , 2 0 1 5

SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Viloria-Gonzalez gets WBC support

By Ronnie Nathanielsz

WORLD Boxing Council President Mauricio Sulaiman said that former two-division world champion Brian Viloria is “acceptable” to the WBC as a possible opponent of undefeated champion and pound--for-pound No. 2 Roman Gonzalez of Nicaragua, who returns to the ring on Oct. 17 at New York’s famed Madison Squre Garden on the card highlighted by the battle between the popular, hardhitting Gennady Golovkin and David Lemieux.

Aside from Viloria, who is coming off a smashing first-round TKO of Omar Soto last Saturday at the Florentin Gardens in California, the other possible opponent of Gonzalez is Mexican Giovanni Segura who, some years ago was mauled by the Fil-Hawaiian into submission by an eighth-round TKO. The fight card will be telecast by the premier HBO Sports network.

Gonzalez is coming off a secondround TKO of former world champion Edgar Sosa at the Inglewood Forum in California last May 16.

Sulaiman was quoted by the WBC website as telling ESPN: “We are very happy for Gonzales as he’s going to be part of this card.”

Regarding the possible rivals of Gonzalez, Mauricio commented: “Giovanni Segura and Brian Viloria

are the main possibilities, and both of them are acceptable for the WBC. ” Boxing Scene quoted Gonzalez, who indicated he would like to fight Viloria if the price is right after the latter claimed the undefeated Nicaraguan had avoided him the last two years.

“I’m not running from anyone.

I am ready to fight anyone, but all I want is a good purse,” said Gonzalez.

While the name of former champion Segura has been mentioned as a possible opponent, Gonzalez said: “It will be a good fight but will pay me less.”

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 revealed that he is in negotiations with the Gonzalez people but that it would not be productive to say anything more so as not to jeopardize the talks.

Salud, Narvasa start new roles today

By Jeric Lopez

Foton teams make volley quarterfinals. Foton’s two teams, the Tornadoes and the Hurricanes, both entered the quarterfinals of the ongoing Philippine Superliga Beach Volleyball Tournament and are eyeing semifinal seats this Saturday when action resumes. Photo shows Patty Jane Orendain and Fiola Ceballos, who make up the Tornadoes, and the duo of Pau Soriano and Bea Tan, who banner the Hurricanes.

CHITO Salud and Chito Narvasa will officially start their new roles in the Philippine Basketball Association today.

After serving as the league’s commissioner for the last five years, Salud will now move over to being the PBA’s first president and Chief Operating Officer in the league’s new corporate set-up.

Taking Salud’s place is Narvasa, the former head of the Basketball Coaches Association of the Philippines.

Salud will now focus more on the PBA’s business and corporate side, while Narvasa will be taking over the supervision of the league’s games and operations. ‘’It will be a new challenge for me and also for Commissioner Chito (Narvasa), but the goal always remains the same and that is to be able to do our best to make the PBA even better,’’ said Salud.

After being chosen to succeed Salud just right before the past Governors’ Cup, Narvasa immediately acted as deputy to Salud as he was already in training and visible in most games of the last tournament to observe.

Aside from being the former leader of BCAP, Narvasa also served as a coach for Shell in the late 1990s and early 2000s and a commissioner in various collegiate leagues.

F R I D AY : J U LY 3 1 , 2 0 1 5

SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

LOTTO RESULTS

Last-hole eagle gives Pactoleron 1-shot lead LIPA, Batangas—Robert Pactolerin mastered the last four holes of Mt. Lubo for the second straight day, even beating his four-birdie splurge the first time out with a closing eagle up to move up the crowded leaderboard with a 68 halfway through the P1.5 million ICTSI Classic at the Mt. Malarayat Golf and Country Club here yesterday.

Facing the specter of an overpar finish after back-to-back bogeys from No. 1 on his homeward trip, Pactolerin recalled the form he showed in stringing four straight birdies from No. 6 that spiked his opening 69 Wednesday, ramming in three straight then holing out with a five-foot eagle on the par-5 ninth off a solid rescue second shot from 210 yards for a 33-35 card.

“It just came together – driving, short game and putting,”

said Pactolerin, now on track for a best finish after so-so stints in the first nine legs of this year’s ICTSI Philippine Golf Tour marred by four missed cuts.

“I always believe that if my irons and putting go together, I can still be able to contend against the young guns,” said the veteran shotmaker, a former Philippine Open champion and many-time Masters winner who last tasted victory in 2012 at home in Bacolod.

But at 137, Pactolerin, who bucked a second straight bogey on the par-3 11th with birdies on Nos. 15 and 17, also for the second straight day, believes he has to toughen up more and putt better as a potent mix of players are in hot pursuit of the lead and the top P270,000 purse heading to the last 36 holes of the event organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.

6/49 00-00-00-00-00-00 P0.0 M+ 6/42 00-00-00-00-00-00 P0.0 M+ 6 DIGITS 00-00-00-00-00-00 3 DIGITS 00-00-00 2 EZ2 00-00

Eye-opener for NLEX Coach

Lee Seongki gets a little help from his caddie as they read the line of his putt on No. 3

Indonesia swimmer stripped of silver; Fil-Am gets medal

By Peter Atencio

A DOPING offense has been committed by the Indonesian silver medal winner in the men’s 100-meter backstroke during the swimming competitions of the 2013 Southeast Asian Games in Myanmar.

Because of this, Fil-American swimmer Joshua Hall, the bronze medalist in that event, will get the silver medal.

The second placer, Indra Gunawan, will be stripped of his medal, Philippine Olympic Committee Chairman Tom Carrasco confirmed in a weekly radio interview yesterday.

Carrasco said the Indonesia Olympic Committee has already

turned over the silver medal to the POC, and they will soon hand it over to Hall.

During the SEA Games, Radomyos Matjur of Thailand won the gold in one minute and 3.06 seconds, while Gunawan clocked 1:03.18. Hall submitted a time of 1:03.32.

Hall is currently at the World Championships in Spain , where he and three other Pinoys are try-

FIBA bans Russian teams MOSCOW—Russia on Wednesday said its national basketball teams have been banned from all competitions by the sports ruling body FIBA. “The Russian basketball federation received a letter from FIBA, which said that all Russian national teams have been banned,” Sergei Chernov, honorary president of the Russian basketball federation, told the TASS news agency.

“For the moment Russia’s FIBA membership was also temporarily suspended. The FIBA final verdict on the case will be announced at its conference on August 8-9.”

Chernov added that the Russian men national men’s squad is under threat of missing the European championships in September and next year’s Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

The FIBA letter said: “The FIBA Executive Committee decided to suspend with immediate effect the Russian Basketball

Federation (RBF) in view of the fact that the RBF has been unable to resolve longstanding institutional and legal issues preventing the Federation to work under proper conditions and maintain full control and governance in the country, as proven by the recently published Court decision against the RBF.” “As a consequence, the RBF forfeits its rights as member of FIBA, and its teams and officials may not participate in official competitions or activities.”

A dispute between the previous national basketball federation head and the new president Yulia Anikeyeva, who was elected in 2013, was reportedly the reason for the ban.

On June 18 one of Moscow’s regional courts ordered the national basketball federation to hold fresh elections for the post of president and its executive board within 60 days. AFP

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ing to qualify for the Rio De Janeiro Olympics.

Recently, Hall took the bronze in the recent Singapore Games in the same 100-meter breaststroke event, and had a silver in the 50-meter breaststroke.

Meanwhile, Rachelle Cabralde la Cruz’s bid to earn a slot to the Rio de Janeiro Olympics has ended.

She absorbed a first-round setback in the Olympic round of the women’s recurve at the ongoing World Archery Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The 30-year-old London Olympian, seeded 88th, lost to World Cup champion and 25th seed Qi Yuhong of China, 0-3, in a best-of-five match involv-

ing 3 arrows per set, according to results released on the official website.

In the first set, Dela Cruz tried to hold her ground against the Chinese archer, with a 2428 result.

The rest of the 6-man national team, composed of two-time Olympian Mark Javier, Youth Olympic Games doubles’ gold winner Gabby Moreno, Florante Matan, Bianca Gotuaco and Kareel Hongitan, advanced to the Olympic Round.

Another shot at Olympic slots will come their way in the Continental Qualifying Asian Championships in Bangkok, Thailand this November and in the September World Cup in Colombia.

Juniors take centerstage as Olivarez Cup unwraps TOP seed Chris Prulla and No. 2 Dave Mosqueda set out against a pair of lesser lights, upbeat of their chances in the boys’ 18-andunder play of the sixth Olivarez Cup Age Group Tennis Championship unfolding today at the Olivarez Sports Center in Sucat, Parañaque.

Prulla collides with Allen Manlangit while Mosqueda tests July Mauring’s mettle in the lower half of the 64-player draw in the centerpiece division of the juniors category of the event presented by Palawan Pawnshop which also features the cream of the crop in the Open men’s and singles, and the men’s and ladies interclub team competitions and the inter-collegiate team event.

Third seed Abson Alejandre takes on Rafael Halili, No. 4 Emmanuel Fuellas battles Mark Cabahug, fifth-ranked Jeremiah Macias III clashes with Lance Sy and No.

6 Julian Dayrit mixes it up with Mikael Ilumin, all looking for a big start in the Group I tournament, backed by Dunlop AllClay Court as the official ball, which stakes precious ranking points.

Also on tap in the opening day of the week-long tournament are matches in the boys’ 16-U and 10-unisex, which, along with the 14- and 12-U sections, all lured full-packed rosters, underscoring the tremendous pull of the annual event to the country’s rising and leading juniors.

“This has been the scenario since we put up the inaugural Olivarez Cup in 2010. There are just too many young players taking up the sport and we thank Palawan Pawnshop for their commitment to boost tennis through its annual nationwide junior circuit,” said Philippine Tennis Association president and Parañaque Mayor Edwin Olivarez.

NLEX Road Warriors head coach Boyet Fernandez just had an experience that made him realize why learning coaching techniques is an ongoing process regardless of the number of titles a coach has won.

Last week, Fernandez came back from a two-day coaching seminar in Las Vegas called “Coaching U Live,” where the likes of New Orleans Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry and San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Chip Engelland spoke about their respective expertise.

But what inspired Fernandez the most was when he saw the PBA’s most successful coach and incoming Brgy. Ginebra guru Tim Cone attending the seminar.

“It gave me a satisfaction na tama ‘yung decision ko na mag-seminar kasi kung ‘yung winningest coach ng PBA andu’n, dapat siguro mas lalo akong magpunta du’n,” said Fernandez.

Fernandez said seeing Cone in that seminar gave him enough reason to work harder and continue to find more coaching techniques to improve his skills.

“Siyempre, Tim Cone na ‘yun na nakita mo attending a coaching seminar. It only shows na it is not enough na as a former player dumaan ka sa mga champion coaches kung gusto mong magkaroon ng coaching career,’ said Fernandez.

Fernandez, who celebrated his 44th birthday yesterday, played under champion coaches Norman Black, Ryan Gregorio and Cone and was even considered by former National team head coach Ron Jacobs as the league’s best back-up point guard.

Fernandez, meanwhile, thanked the support of NLEX management, led by team governor Ramoncito Fernandez, alternate governor Rod Franco and team manager Ronald Dulatre for allowing him to attend the seminar.

GUIAO ON TIU. Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao believes third-year guard Chris Tiu has more reason to continue his PBA career.

This was the reaction of Guiao when asked about the future of Tiu, who is said to be contemplating on retiring from playing professionally.

Guiao said Tiu can still be of help to his team despite submitting supposed measly averages of 5.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists in his three-year PBA career.

The numbers, Guiao insists, do not reflect the kind of improvement the former Ateneo standout has been doing specifically in last season’s Governors’ Cup. “Nakukuha na niya laro niya lalo na last conference. He has been contributing to the team at ‘yun ang pinanghihinayangan ko,” said Guiao “Bakit naman siya magreretire kung kalian gumaganda ang laro niya?”

Guiao actually gave Tiu quality minutes during the most crucial moments of their semis series opposite eventual champion San Miguel Beer during the season-ending tournament.

The 57-year-old Guiao still saw a lot of potentials despite crucial lapses by Tiu in that Final Four showdown against San Miguel.

“I have trust in his ability, intelligence and judgment so you allow for those things which can happen to anybody. I would rather have it happen sa isang tao na alam mo naman na yung chances of making a mistake is less than somebody else,” said Guiao.

The 30-year-old Tiu was Rain or Shine’s 7th pick overall during the 2012 Rookie Draft, where the likes of June Mar Fajardo, Calvin Abueva and Alex Malalri were his batchmates.

Meantime, Tiu recently released a statement that denied reports he has already made up his mind about ending his PBA career.

“I initially intended to play in the PBA for just one contract period, but now I’m reconsidering because I never thought I would enjoy playing basketball this much in this level,” said Tiu “I’ve been learning a lot and it’s only recently that I’ve really been able to adjust and get my confidence and rhythm going somewhat.”

F R I D AY : J U LY 3 1 , 2 0 1 5

A16

RIERA U. MALL ARI EDITOR

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

sports@thestandard.com.ph

SPORTS

Surfing USA. Professional surfer Nathan Yeomans of the US competes during his round two men’s heat of the US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach, California. The event celebrates it’s 56th year beside the historic Huntington Pier which is considered the birth place of California’s surfing culture. AFP

PH’s finest vs world’s best in Ironman 70.3

By Reuel Vidal

MACTAN ISLAND, Lapu Lapu City— The best triathlon athletes in the Philippines get a chance to race against the best in the world when the Cobra Ironman 70.3 Philippines holds its seventh edition at the Shangri-La Mactan Resort & Spa, Cebu on Aug. 2.

Cebu, dubbed as the “Crown Jewel of Asia” in triathlon racing, again hosts the destination race of triathletes from all over the globe.

The race remains the biggest, the best and most popular Ironman 70.3 race in this part of the world with 2,618 participants from 52 countries across six continents.

“It is an exciting time for us at Sunrise to be staging this event, for the fourth time in festive Cebu where the Cobra Energy Drink Ironman 70.3 Philippines Powered by FORD has finally made its

mark as a truly world class event earning it the recognition of being the gold standard of racing in the AsiaPacific region,” said Wilfred Steven Uytengsu, President of Sunrise Events, Inc. and Alaska Milk Corporation.

Some of the best triathlon athletes in the world will participate. These include defending Cobra Ironman 70.3 champion and six-time Ironman 70.3 winner Brent McMahon; three-time Ironman World Champion and two-time Ironman 70.3 World Champion Craig Alexander; and 2012

Ironman World Champion and three-time Cobra Ironman 70.3 Philippines champion of team Alaska Tri-Aspire Pete Jacobs.

The women include defending champion and two-time 2nd Placer Ironman World Championships of team Alaska Tri-Aspire Caroline Steffen, former Cobra Ironman 70.3 Philippines champion Belinda Granger and Dimity Lee-Duke.

The Cobra Ironman 70.3 is more than triathlon race. It is an experience like no other especially because it will be held in the number one tourist destination in the Philippines, Cebu Province.

The race starts with the swim at the beautiful ShangriLa Mactan Beach with its crystal clear waters. The bike ride traverses four cities which showcases urban Cebu.

The run is along the roads of Punta Engaño with tens of thousands of Cebuanos, who

virtually reenact the Sinulog Festival, lining the route and cheering the participants.

Cobra Energy Drink also goes the extra mile for the benefit of Manipis Elementary School in Talisay City. Finishers are invited to run an extra mile with Cobra donating P1,000 for every race participant who does.

Those interested may register though Cobra Energy Drink’s official Facebook account or email at cobraenergydrink.phil@gmail.com.

They should send their name, age, race category, mobile number and email address upon listup.

Additionally, the Cobra Ironman 70.3 also offers 40 qualifying slots to the 2016 Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Mooloolaba, Sunshine Coast, Australia.

For more information, check out the Cobra Ironman 70.3 Philippines website at www. ironman703phil.com.

Knights seek 6th straight win T H E Games today L e t r a n (The Arena, San Juan) K n i g h t s 8 a.m.- San Sebastian vs EAC (jrs) 10 a.m.- Lyceum vs Mapua (jrs) have the San Sebastian vs EAC (srs) p o t e n t i a l 122nn.p.m.- Lyceum vs Mapua (srs) of having 4 p.m.- Letran vs Arellano (srs) 6 p.m.- Letran vs Arellano (jrs) a deeper bench as Season 91 of the National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball tournament progresses.

Coach Aldin Ayo said this as the Knights seek a sixth straight win and a firmer grip on the solo lead when they clash with Arellano University Chiefs at 4 p.m. today at The Arena in San Juan City.

The Knights have been drawing their firepower from their unrelenting defense and high-octane offense provided by Mark Cruz, Rey Nambatac and Kevin Racal.

“Given na sila Mark, Rey and K-Racs. But, my 15 players in the bench are also capable of playing,” said Ayo. The Knights are coming off a 71-79 beating of the University of Perpetual Help Altas last week, wherein Nambatac and Cruz had 15 points apiece.

Meanwhile, San Sebastian clashes with Emilio Aguinaldo College at 12 noon, while Mapua fights Lyceum at 2 p.m.

In the junior division, the Mapua Red Robins (4-1) take on the Lyceum Pirates at 10 a.m., eyeing their fifth win in six matches.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK FRIDAY: JULY 31, 2015

RAY S. EÑANO EDITOR

RODERICK T. DELA CRUZ ASSISTANT EDITOR

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

BUSINESS

PSe comPoSite index Closing July 30, 2015

8500 8000 7500 7000 6500 6000

7,510.39 27.56

PeSo-dollar rate

Closing JULY 30, 2015 42

P45.620

43

CLOSE

44

Nation builder. First Pacific managing director and chief executive Manuel Pangilinan (center) was recently awarded the Ramon V. del Rosario Award for his contribution to nation building and exemplary corporate citizenship annually celebrated by the JCI Manila together with the Asian Institute of Management RVR Center for Corporate Responsibility. With Pangilinan are (from left) JCI Manila president Steve Baltao, 2015 RVR Awards board of judges chairman and former Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban, Phinma Group chief executive Ramon del Rosario Jr. and AIM president Steven Dekrey.

Okada plans to hike casino budget to $4b

By Ian Sayson and Siegfrid Alegado

45 46

HIGH P45.550 LOW P45.650 AVERAGE P45.618 VOLUME 690.550M

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

JAPANESE tycoon Kazuo Okada increased its budget for the first phase of a Philippine casino by a third to $2 billion, in return for obtaining a government extension on the delayed project in the capital city Manila.

The total investment on the entire complex may reach about $4 billion, said Kenji Sugiyama, president at Okada’s Tiger Resort, Leisure and Entertainment Inc. The initial phase is scheduled to open in December next year and will have two hotel towers with 1,000 rooms, 500 gaming tables, a nightclub and an outdoor beach, he said.

P23.70-P24.40 Auto LPG Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Thursday, July 30, 2015

F oreign e xchange r ate Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

45.4780

Japan

Yen

0.008070

0.3670

UK

Pound

1.560500

70.9684

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.129007

5.8670

Switzerland

Franc

1.033699

47.0106

Canada

Dollar

0.772678

35.1399

Singapore

Dollar

0.730620

33.2271

Australia

Dollar

0.730674

33.2296

Bahrain

Dinar

2.652238

120.6185

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266667

12.1275

Brunei

Dollar

0.727961

33.1062

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000074

0.0034

Thailand

Baht

0.028620

1.3016

UAE

Dirham

0.272272

12.3824

Euro

Euro

1.098800

49.9712

Korea

Won

0.000863

0.0392

China

Yuan

0.161054

7.3244

India

Rupee

0.015661

0.7122

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.262281

11.9280

New Zealand

Dollar

0.668315

30.3936

Taiwan

Dollar

0.031832

1.4477 Source: PDS Bridge

B1

“Part of our vision is to be the one-stop destination.,” Sugiyama said in an interview in Manila.

“Once they come here, they don’t need to go out -- everything is here.” The company will hire 8,000 employees for the first phase, he said.

Tiger Resort had sought to postpone the opening of its casino to December 2016, after it missed an earlier March 2015 deadline as Okada encountered delays finding a local partner, which was needed to meet a cap on foreign land ownership.

Okada’s group has teamed up with local businessman Antonio Cojuangco for the Manila casino, after selling its stake in a company that controls the project’s land site to a firm owned by Cojuangco, Sugiyama said.

State-owned gaming regulator Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. confirmed it had approved the request of Okada to delay the opening of the resort.

“Yes. It has been approved by the board,” Pagcor vice president for gaming license and development Thadeo Francis Hernando told reporters at the sidelines of the topping off ceremony of the project.

Among the conditions set by Pagcor in granting the extension, which Tiger Resorts agreed to comply, were proof that the company had available resource to complete the project, improvement of its good governance and appointment of independent directors in its board.

“They have submitted a couple of letters from their potential funders and we expect them to give us a more definitive letter in the coming weeks,” Hernando said.

Hernando said Tiger Resort requested for a delay in the opening of its casino project because it planned increase the scale of the project.

Tiger Resorts executive vice president Matt Hurst said in an interview phase 1 of the Manila Bay Resorts would include 1,000 luxurious hotels room, 500 gaming tables and 3,000 slot machines, 80,000 square meters of retail space, beach club and night club, an iconic dome, and the dancing water fountain.

Phase 1 covers 25 hectares out of the 44 hectares owned by Tiger Resort, with total investment cost of $2 billion. Bloomberg, with Jenniffer B. Austria

Tonyboy Cojuangco returns to limelight with casino deal

By Jenniffer B. Austria BUSINESSMAN Antonio “Tonyboy” Cojuangco is back in the business limelight, after agreeing to become the joint venture partner of Japanese billionaire Kazuo Okada for the $4-billion Manila Bay Resorts in Parañaque City.

Cojuangco chatted with business journalists, who witnessed the topping-off ceremony for the first hotel development in Manila Bay Resorts, for 30 minutes and candidly answered all questions thrown at him about his other businesses like AirA-

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

sia and his plans to venture again into telecommunications.

He was no longer shy and timid, responding with a smile when teased that people came to know he was the new local partner of Okada afterhis long-time companion Gretchen Barreto posted several pictures of him with Okada on her Instagram account even before the official announcement.

Cojuangco said he got the Okada deal not because of his “close link to Malacañang.” Cojuangco, known in the business circle as ‘Tonyboy,’ is a second cousin of President Benigno Aquino III.

“I never went to the president for this. They [Tiger Resort, Leisure and Entertainment Inc.] got the license way, way back,” Cojuangco said.

Cojuangco, the former owner of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. and TV 5, was the biggest contributor to the presidential bid of Aquino in 2010.

“I intentionally did not go to Malacañang for this. In fairness to the president, he is very serious about his statement na walang kamag-anak [There are no relatives in government],” he said.

Cojuangco said he did not know

about Manila Bay Resorts until the last minute.

“I learned this project in March last year,” he said.

Okada was earlier in talks with Robinsons Land Corp. of tycoon John Gokongwei and Century Properties Group Inc. of Ambassador Jose Antonio to form a joint venture for Manila Bay Resorts.

Negotiations with both parties did not push through.

Okada’s Tiger Resort then teamed up with Cojuangco’s All Seasons Hotel and Resort Corp. to develop Manila Bay Resorts.

FRIDAY: JULY 31, 2015

B2

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

The STandard BuSineSS daily STockS review Thursday, July 30, 2015

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low 7.88 75.3 124.4 107 56.5 2.49 4.2 17 30.45 10.4 2.6 1.01 100 1.46 30.5 75 91.5 137 361.2 57 180 1700 124 3.26 47 5 1.46 2.36 15.3 148 20.6 36 65.8 2.97 4.14 21.5 21.6 11.96 9.13 11.8 31.8 109 15.3 9.4 0.98 241 12.5 79 4 74 33.9 90 13.26 293 5 5.25 12.98 6.75 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 2.17 0.59 59.2 30.05 2.16 7.39 3.4 3.35 823.5 10.2 84 4.92 0.66 1455 7.5 76 9.25 0.85 17.3 5.53 6.55 0.0670 2.31 1.61 2.99 84.9 974 1.66 156 0.710 0.435 0.510 10.5 1.99 41.4 5.6 5.59

STOCKS

Close

High

Low

FINANCIAL 4.5 4.38 73.35 72.35 100.20 99.50 96.40 96.00 46.35 46.1 2.52 2.52 1.51 1.51 16.3 16.2 21.45 20.6 7.15 7.15 1.78 1.77 0.400 0.400 90 88.95 1.01 0.97 20.80 19.30 26.10 26.00 64.20 63.35 93.5 93.5 315 305.8 39 38.45 150 147 1455.00 1445.00 59.85 59.00 3.32 3.3 INDUSTRIAL 35.9 Aboitiz Power Corp.

43.95 44 43.8 1.11 Agrinurture Inc. 1.48 1.48 1.47 1.01 Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. 1.03 1.03 1.01 1.86 Alsons Cons.

1.89 1.91 1.88 7.92 Asiabest Group 10.26 10.38 10.22 32 C. Azuc De Tarlac 91.00 91.00 91.00 15.32 Century Food 18.14 18.3 17.98 10.08 Cirtek Holdings (Chips) 26.05 26.4 26 29.15 Concepcion 55.4 55.1 55 1.5 Crown Asia 2.6 2.73 2.6 1.5 Da Vinci Capital 1.75 1.73 1.6 10.72 Del Monte 12.5 12.6 12.46 9.55 DNL Industries Inc. 21.450 22.500 21.45 9.04 Emperador 9.00 9.00 8.85 6.02 Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) 7.10 7.34 7.09 8.86 EEI 9.82 10.08 9.80 20.2 First Gen Corp.

26.45 26.7 26 71.5 First Holdings ‘A’ 79.4 82 79.8 13.24 Holcim Philippines Inc. 13.14 13.14 13.14 5.34 Integ. Micro-Electronics 6.06 6.13 6.06 0.395 Ionics Inc 0.520 0.500 0.500 173 Jollibee Foods Corp.

189.00 189.90 188.50 8.65 Lafarge Rep 10.4 10.4 10.32 34.1 Liberty Flour 30.00 30.00 30.00 1.63 Mabuhay Vinyl 2.6 2.6 2.6 33 Macay Holdings 56.40 55.45 52.05 23.35 Manila Water Co. Inc. 25 25 24.65 17.3 Maxs Group 25.5 25.5 24.5 5.88 Megawide 5.8 6 5.8 250.2 Mla. Elect. Co `A’ 298.00 299.00 297.40 3.37 Panasonic Mfg Phil. Corp. 3.90 3.90 3.90 3.87 Pepsi-Cola Products Phil. 4.74 4.74 4.55 8.45 Petron Corporation 7.50 7.81 7.45 3 Phil H2O 4.39 4.27 4 10.04 Phinma Corporation 11.90 11.50 11.50 3.03 Phoenix Petroleum Phils. 3.41 3.43 3.39 1.95 Phoenix Semiconductor 2.30 2.35 2.26 1 Pryce Corp. `A’ 3.65 3.82 3.67 4.02 RFM Corporation 4.31 4.32 4.29 1.65 Roxas and Co. 1.94 1.85 1.85 161 San Miguel’Pure Foods `B’ 167 166.9 162 1.55 Splash Corporation 1.79 1.81 1.74 0.138 Swift Foods, Inc. 0.147 0.147 0.147 1.02 TKC Steel Corp.

1.40 1.22 1.22 2.09 Trans-Asia Oil 2.20 2.22 2.15 152 Universal Robina 192 192 190 4.28 Victorias Milling 4.3 4.41 4.4 0.640 Vitarich Corp.

0.7 0.71 0.69 1.2 Vulcan Ind’l.

1.20 1.22 1.20 HOLDING FIRMS 0.44 Abacus Cons. `A’ 0.475 0.475 0.465 48.1 Aboitiz Equity 58.6000 59.0000 58.6000 20.85 Alliance Global Inc. 22.30 22.60 22.25 1.6 Anglo Holdings A 1.20 1.27 1.27 6.62 Anscor `A’ 6.84 6.85 6.80 0.23 ATN Holdings A 0.247 0.247 0.246 0.23 ATN Holdings B 0.250 0.250 0.250 634.5 Ayala Corp `A’ 771 774 767 7.390 Cosco Capital 7.52 7.62 7.5 12.8 DMCI Holdings 11.80 12.18 11.84 2.26 Filinvest Dev. Corp.

4.20 4.21 4.20 0.152 Forum Pacific 0.199 0.199 0.197 837 GT Capital 1390 1388 1356 5.3 House of Inv. 6.44 6.44 6.44 49.55 JG Summit Holdings 72.30 72.50 72.00 4.84 Lopez Holdings Corp.

7.15 7.28 7.1 0.59 Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp. 0.66 0.68 0.66 12 LT Group 14.8 15 14.8 4.2 Metro Pacific Inv. Corp. 4.6 4.86 4.6 4.5 Minerales Industrias Corp. 7.48 7.75 7.3 0.030 Pacifica `A’ 0.0300 0.0310 0.0300 1.23 Prime Media Hldg 1.300 1.220 1.080 0.550 Prime Orion 2.080 2.070 2.050 2.26 Republic Glass ‘A’ 2.61 2.75 2.62 59.3 San Miguel Corp `A’ 56.50 57.00 56.50 751 SM Investments Inc. 876.00 880.00 876.00 1.13 Solid Group Inc. 1.18 1.19 1.18 80 Top Frontier 77.000 79.950 77.000 0.211 Unioil Res. & Hldgs 0.3150 0.3150 0.3050 0.179 Wellex Industries 0.1940 0.1940 0.1780 0.310 Zeus Holdings 0.270 0.270 0.265 PROPERTY 6.74 8990 HLDG 7.600 7.640 7.390 0.65 A. Brown Co., Inc. 0.70 0.73 0.71 30.05 Ayala Land `B’ 37.00 37.80 37.05 3.36 Belle Corp. `A’ 3.55 3.61 3.53 4.96 Cebu Holdings 5.08 5.15 5.15 2.5 66 88.05 88.1 45.45 1.97 1.68 12.02 19.6 6.12 1.02 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. I-Remit Inc. 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

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

SHARES 8,541,757 70,744,052 57,836,162 111,309,253 104,722,212 1,141,909,987 1,496,226,143

4.5 72.95 99.50 96.00 46.05 2.52 1.55 16.2 20.6 7.70 1.79 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

Close

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

4.38 73 99.50 96.30 46.25 2.52 1.51 16.2 21.2 7.15 1.78 0.400 89 1.01 19.80 26.10 63.50 93.5 314 38.8 147.1 1445.00 59.75 3.3

-2.67 0.07 0.00 0.31 0.43 0.00 -2.58 0.00 2.91 -7.14 -0.56 1.27 0.23 0.00 3.02 0.38 0.00 -1.48 2.61 0.52 -0.20 2.85 -0.17 0.00

201,000 20,010 1,295,800 1,110,300 50,300 13,000 14,000 1,400 357,700 600 56,000 50,000 3,209,580 132,000 707,400 10,700 18,580 30 21,660 88,500 462,820 190 32,640 685,000

43.85 1.47 1.02 1.89 10.38 91.00 18.3 26 55 2.66 1.65 12.6 22.200 9.00 7.11 10.00 26.1 80 13.14 6.1 0.500 188.70 10.36 30.00 2.6 55.45 25 25.45 6 298.20 3.90 4.69 7.45 4 11.50 3.40 2.30 3.82 4.29 1.85 165 1.75 0.147 1.22 2.16 191.2 4.4 0.7 1.20

-0.23 -0.68 -0.97 0.00 1.17 0.00 0.88 -0.19 -0.72 2.31 -5.71 0.80 3.50 0.00 0.14 1.83 -1.32 0.76 0.00 0.66 -3.85 -0.16 -0.38 0.00 0.00 -1.68 0.00 -0.20 3.45 0.07 0.00 -1.05 -0.67 -8.88 -3.36 -0.29 0.00 4.66 -0.46 -4.64 -1.20 -2.23 0.00 -12.86 -1.82 -0.42 2.33 0.00 0.00

8,152,700 7,000 511,000 499,000 12,100 482,680 416,500 295,600 349,960 5,759,000 1,327,000 114,900 9,576,300 117,700 17,918,000 2,657,600 2,131,000 172,860 25,100 211,000 1,000 759,090 413,500 6,000 4,000 150 2,896,700 284,600 324,100 449,570 20,000 248,000 3,556,200 39,000 300 307,000 535,000 5,331,000 1,754,000 11,000 4,870 375,000 130,000 6,000 1,117,000 1,023,990 37,000 130,000 33,000

0.475 58.9000 22.25 1.27 6.85 0.247 0.250 767 7.5 11.84 4.21 0.197 1385 6.44 72.00 7.2 0.66 14.82 4.74 7.75 0.0300 1.100 2.070 2.75 56.60 877.50 1.18 79.900 0.3150 0.1900 0.265

0.00 0.51 -0.22 5.83 0.15 0.00 0.00 -0.52 -0.27 0.34 0.24 -1.01 -0.36 0.00 -0.41 0.70 0.00 0.14 3.04 3.61 0.00 -15.38 -0.48 5.36 0.18 0.17 0.00 3.77 0.00 -2.06 -1.85

80,000 1,111,590 11,643,100 1,000 43,000 190,000 100,000 247,330 5,229,400 6,204,300 5,000 440,000 155,845 29,000 1,508,360 2,546,400 861,000 1,416,600 20,340,000 295,900 3,000,000 416,000 1,038,000 163,000 65,730 308,390 51,000 1,180 500,000 2,260,000 140,000

7.400 0.71 37.20 3.54 5.15

-2.63 1.43 0.54 -0.28 1.38

1,458,800 230,000 7,583,400 1,988,000 1,000

631,265.00 -7,421,348.00 -2,229,810.50 -463,045.00 -25,200.00 5,623,410.00

-1,098,183.00 -101,000.00 210,460.00 -65,846.00 -6,426,000.00 2,077,530.00 -19,965,769.00 -1,212,612.50 85,695,795.00

6,049,618.00 -124,800.00 -18,906,841.00 -828,760.00 -189,000.00 30,838,085.00 645,980.00 -47,348,925.00 20,443,398.00 -25,385,005.00 3,213,320.50 -13,420.00 -75,358,442.00 1,935,404.00

-4,093,600.00 24,500.00 23,504,936.00 874,600.00 1,261,727.00 354,940.00 15,980.00 -404,050.00 1,909,710.00 -301,662.00

219,000.00 -16,827,418.00

19,642,722.50 130,651,260.00

-25,000.00 -105,180,835.00 16,105,482.00 -16,156,058.00 14,009,395.00 22,851,450.50 3,559,222.00 -351,960.00 -11,761,694.00 -25,053,990.00 -400.00 -178,750.00 -360,341.50 -149,992,120.00 -16,199.00

-7,453,665.00 31,457,255.00 3,042,610.00

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low

STOCKS

Close

High

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

0.79 1.1 0.97 0.083 0.415 2.4 0.83 0.188 1.15 1.42 1.27 2.75 0.090 0.290 23 2.69 22.15 1.6 3.1 15.08 0.69 0.83 5.73

Century Property 0.82 City & Land Dev. 1.05 Cityland Dev. `A’ 1.04 Crown Equities Inc. 0.127 Cyber Bay Corp.

0.430 Double Dragon 13.92 Empire East Land 0.860 Ever Gotesco 0.174 Global-Estate 1.25 Filinvest Land,Inc. 1.93 Interport `A’ 1.30 Megaworld Corp.

4.6 MRC Allied Ind. 0.105 Phil. Estates Corp.

0.2900 Phil. Tob. Flue Cur & Redry 22.00 Primex Corp.

7.26 Robinson’s Land `B’ 28.20 Rockwell 1.64 Shang Properties Inc. 3.32 SM Prime Holdings 21.00 Sta. Lucia Land Inc. 0.74 Suntrust Home Dev. Inc. 0.820 Vista Land & Lifescapes 6.900

2.44 -1.90 -3.85 0.79 3.49 -0.43 0.00 2.87 3.20 -1.04 -0.77 0.87 4.76 -1.72 4.55 -0.28 1.42 0.00 0.30 1.19 1.35 -2.44 1.74

302,000 50,000 2,000 210,000 10,000 2,809,200 1,000 3,530,000 1,319,000 40,857,000 27,000 25,636,000 1,280,000 40,000 1,200 23,600 906,800 57,000 3,000 18,289,900 358,000 322,000 3,999,200

10.5 66 1.44 1.09 14.88 15.82 0.1430 5.06 99.1 7.67 4 1700 2720 8.41 1.97 119.5 0.017 0.8200 2.2800 5.93 12.28 3.32 2.53 3.2 95.5 1 2.46 15.2 0.62 1.040 22.8 6.41 185 22.9 3486 0.760 2.28 46.05 90.1 11.6 0.85 10 0.490 1.9

1.97 35.2 1 0.63 10.5 8.6 0.0770 2.95 56.1 4.8 2.58 830 1600 5.95 1.23 102.6 0.011 0.041 1.200 2.34 6.5 1.91 1.01 1.95 3.1 0.650 1.8 6 0.335 0.37 14.54 3 79 4.39 2748 0.435 1.2 31.45 60.55 7.59 0.63 5 0.315 1.14

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

Cebu Air Inc. (5J) DFNN Inc. Easy Call “Common” FEUI Globe Telecom GMA Network Inc. Harbor Star I.C.T.S.I. IP E-Game Ventures Inc. Island Info ISM Communications Jackstones Leisure & Resorts Liberty Telecom Lorenzo Shipping Macroasia Corp.

Manila Broadcasting Manila Bulletin Manila Jockey Melco Crown MG Holdings NOW Corp.

Pacific Online Sys. Corp.

PAL Holdings Inc. Phil. Seven Corp.

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

Yehey

2.47 -0.57 0.90 1.64 0.00 1.02 -1.25 -0.30 -1.70 -4.05 16.85 -1.02 1.34 1.25 0.77 1.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 3.98 2.35 -2.27 -5.51 -0.91 -0.12 -2.94 0.00 3.18 0.00 0.00 -1.58 5.33 -1.91 0.00 1.32 -2.90 1.95 -0.13 -1.63 0.82 -1.52 -2.20 0.00 0.00

1,019,000 25,940 5,000 300,000 70,000 5,095,900 19,440,000 87,000 758,160 306,500 20,000 10 261,605 120,600 83,000 1,043,250 4,600,000 1,560,000 1,117,000 103,000 912,700 1,702,000 700 45,000 800 132,000 15,000 12,714,300 10,000 40,000 5,000 2,000 1,030 223,400 157,125 1,766,000 35,963,000 3,090,200 554,080 2,095,000 505,000 1,526,900 150,000 2,655,000

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 0.021 7.67 12.88 10.42 0.040 420 9 0.016

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 0.013 5.4 7.26 2.27 0.015 115.9 3.67 0.0100

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

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

TA Petroleum United Paragon

1.52 0.00 1.82 -2.86 -6.58 0.00 1.53 -2.90 1.69 -0.99 3.64 7.69 -7.14 -0.31 0.00 -0.26 0.00 -1.50 1.01 0.00 -0.24 -0.55 0.61 9.09 0.00 -10.01 -10.00

890,000,000 -6,500.00 140,000 -225,000.00 106,500 88,702.00 13,000 1,460,000 -25,550.00 129,000 1,700 12,265,000 -7,232,110.00 450,000 10,310,000 20,000 13,200,000 2,000,000 386,000 -174,550.00 2,620,300 13,550,432.00 919,000 -382,100.00 6,000 132,000 82,000,000 800,000 23,000 244,200 164,300.00 453,000 110,600,000 2,239,770 -94,050,712.00 2,700,500 266,160.00 8,200,000

70 553 515 8.21 12.28 1047 76.9 84.8

33 490 480 5.88 6.5 1011 74.2 75

ABS-CBN Holdings Corp.

Ayala Corp. Pref `B1’ GLOBE PREF P GMA Holdings Inc. Leisure and Resort PF Pref 2 SMC Preferred A SMC Preferred C

-0.98 -0.09 0.00 0.00 0.00 -0.39 -0.40 0.00

279,590 4,000 600 3,928,200 7,000 3,990 2,000 44,650

6.98

0.8900 LR Warrant

-1.87

99,000

20,750.00

88 12.88

13.5 5.95

-1.79 3.81

2,150 1,158,200

27,198.00

130.7

105.6 First Metro ETF

0.33

2,370

IRipple E-Business Intl Xurpas

STOCKS

FINANCIAL 1,661.11 (up) 3.71 INDUSTRIAL 11,373.23 (down) 7.31 HOLDING FIRMS 6,750.37 (up) 6.12 PROPERTY 3,085.89 (up) 26.17 SERVICES 2,146.86 (up) 18.27 MINING & OIL 12,005.35 (up) 29.42 PSEI 7,510.39 (up) 27.56 All Shares Index 4,308.88 (up) 13.69 Gainers: 80 Losers: 87; Unchanged: 48; Total: 215

Close

1.44 1.97 1.48 0.201 0.69 10.96 0.97 0.305 2.22 2.1 1.8 4.88 0.180 0.470 27 8.54 31.8 2.29 4.9 21.35 1.06 1.62 8.59

0.84 0.82 0.84 1.15 1.03 1.03 1.04 1.00 1.00 0.128 0.126 0.128 0.445 0.445 0.445 13.98 13.56 13.86 0.860 0.860 0.860 0.191 0.175 0.179 1.29 1.27 1.29 1.96 1.90 1.91 1.30 1.29 1.29 4.68 4.55 4.64 0.110 0.102 0.110 0.2850 0.2850 0.2850 23.00 22.00 23.00 7.25 7.24 7.24 28.60 28.00 28.60 1.65 1.64 1.64 3.33 3.33 3.33 21.80 21.00 21.25 0.75 0.74 0.75 0.800 0.800 0.800 7.070 6.880 7.020 SERVICES 8.1 8.7 8.15 8.3 61.2 61.2 60.5 60.85 1.11 1.12 1.12 1.12 0.610 0.630 0.610 0.620 13 13 13 13 9.80 10.10 9.70 9.90 0.0800 0.0810 0.0790 0.0790 3.33 3.32 3.32 3.32 94.1 94 92.1 92.5 5.68 5.60 5.36 5.45 2.73 3.19 3.00 3.19 980 970 970 970 2538 2582 2540 2572 6.40 6.48 6.40 6.48 1.30 1.32 1.31 1.31 108.9 110.4 108.9 110 0.011 0.011 0.010 0.011 0.206 0.206 0.205 0.206 1.4300 1.4600 1.4100 1.4300 2.26 2.35 2.3 2.35 10.22 10.50 10.22 10.46 2.20 2.19 2.15 2.15 1.27 1.27 1.20 1.20 2.19 2.18 2.15 2.17 43.00 42.95 42.95 42.95 0.680 0.670 0.660 0.660 2 2 2 2 7.85 8.22 7.86 8.1 0.320 0.320 0.320 0.320 0.445 0.445 0.445 0.445 20.2 19.88 19.88 19.88 4.50 4.74 4.74 4.74 110.00 112.00 107.00 107.90 18.86 18.86 18.50 18.86 2876.00 2926.00 2890.00 2914.00 0.690 0.680 0.660 0.670 1.540 1.580 1.520 1.570 37.35 37.65 37.15 37.30 76.60 78.00 75.20 75.35 8.53 8.79 8.52 8.60 0.66 0.67 0.65 0.65 5.45 5.56 5.33 5.33 0.320 0.320 0.320 0.320 2.890 3.060 2.810 2.890 MINING & OIL 0.0066 67.0000 0.0064 0.0067 2.50 2.50 2.50 2.50 5.50 5.60 5.50 5.60 7.0000 6.8000 6.8000 6.8000 0.76 0.74 0.71 0.71 0.76 0.78 0.75 0.76 6.55 6.76 6.56 6.65 1.38 1.4 1.34 1.34 0.295 0.300 0.290 0.300 0.202 0.209 0.200 0.200 0.220 0.228 0.220 0.228 0.013 0.014 0.013 0.014 0.014 0.013 0.013 0.013 3.18 3.25 3.16 3.17 10.64 10.78 10.58 10.64 3.82 3.85 3.76 3.81 0.6500 0.6500 0.6500 0.6500 2.0000 1.9800 1.9700 1.9700 0.0099 0.0100 0.0100 0.0100 0.0110 0.0110 0.0110 0.0110 4.18 4.17 4.17 4.17 5.48 5.540 5.440 5.45 1.65 1.670 1.640 1.66 0.011 0.012 0.010 0.012 119.00 120.10 118.70 119.00 9.89 9.98 8.9 8.9 0.0100 0.0090 0.0090 0.0090 PREFERRED 61.2 61.5 60.6 60.6 528 528 527.5 527.5 522 522 522 522 6.4 6.4 6.4 6.4 1.11 1.11 1.11 1.11 1032 1032 1027 1028 75.8 75.5 75.5 75.5 84.5 84.7 84.5 84.5 WARRANTS & BONDS 4.280 4.300 4.140 4.200 SME 69.9 69 65 68.65 11.54 12 11.6 11.98 EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 122 122.7 122.3 122.4

T op g ainerS VALUE 632,731,477.38 1,560,479,934.47 1,463,525,012.35 985,867,770.07 2,097,042,892.214 355,470,229.987 7,109,330,167.974

Low

727,416.00 59,700.00 -190,260.00 -707,230.00 253,160.00

5,227,945.00 -82,500.00 -95,203,780.00 -5,271,276.00 344,751.00

1,300.00 -7,707,924.00 16,800.00 1,830,277.00

44,010,990.00 49,118,900.00 259,900.00 2,827,860.00 131,400.00

54,492,899.00

-62,120.00 244,902.00 7,985,100.00 3,908,760.00 27,439,295.00 5,240,690.00 4,550,809.00 -321,240.00 669,333.00 -216,500.00

-13,078,085.00 -25,140,480.00

T op L oSerS Close (P)

Change (%)

STOCKS

Close (P)

Change (%)

Easy Call "Common"

3.19

16.85

Prime Media Hldg

1.100

-15.38

Philodrill Corp. `A'

0.012

9.09

TKC Steel Corp.

1.22

-12.86

Manila Mining `A'

0.014

7.69

TA Petroleum

8.9

-10.01

Anglo Holdings A

1.27

5.83

United Paragon

0.0090

-10.00

Republic Glass 'A'

2.75

5.36

Phil H2O

4

-8.88

PAL Holdings Inc.

4.74

5.33

Manila Mining `B'

0.013

-7.14

MRC Allied Ind.

0.110

4.76

Filipino Fund Inc.

7.15

-7.14

Pryce Corp. `A'

3.82

4.66

Century Peak Metals Hldgs

0.71

-6.58

Phil. Tob. Flue Cur & Redry

23.00

4.55

Da Vinci Capital

1.65

-5.71

Jackstones

2.35

3.98

Lorenzo Shipping

1.20

-5.51

FRIDAY: JULY 31, 2015

B3

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

LBC firms up backdoor listing Market advances; telecom firms up

By Jenniffer B. Austria

FEDERAL Resources Investment Group Inc. has acquired LBC Express Inc., paving the way for the backdoor listing of the Aranetaowned courier and freight forwarding service company, after a failed attempt to conduct a initial public offering.

Resources said.

The company’s board of directors approved the issuance of shares out of the unissued capital stock following the increase in the capital base to new investors and existing stockholders to fund the acquisition, as well as the listing of the shares with the Philippine Stock Exchange.

The board also approved the issuance of shares in one or more tranches, whether out of the increase in authorized capital stock or out of the unissued capital stock of the corporation to LBC Development at P1 apiece.

LBC Express in February last year filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission an application to conduct an IPO and hired UBS as the sole international bookrunner and underwriter.

LBC Express would have used proceeds from the IPO to finance strategic acquisitions, organic ex-

pansion, information technology system upgrades and refleeting of delivery vehicles.

LBC Express, however, withdrew the IPO application, saying “other fund raising opportunities have presented themselves and that it has decided to explore the same.”

With over 60 years of operating history, LBC is a leading provider of courier and freight forwarding services and a leading non-bank provider of remittances services in the Philippines.

It has two operating segments, namely logistics, which is the company’s primary revenue driver, and money transfer services.

LBC Express, formerly known as Luzon Brokerage Corp., was founded in the 1950s as a brokerage and air cargo company. It initially operated as an air cargo forwarding service provider and was the first to introduce 24-hour air cargo delivery service.

STOCKS climbed Thursday in Federal Resources, which was to P3 billion from P100 milstep with gains in the regional recently bought by LBC Devel- lion to fund the acquisition of market, with Philippine Long opment Corp., said its board ap- LBC Express. The higher capital Distance Telephone Co. and rival proved the acquisition of 1.04 stock is divided into 3 billion Globe Telecom Inc. leading the billion issued and outstanding common shares with a par value advancers. shares of stock LBC Express of P1 apiece.

The Philippine Stock Exchange worth at least P1 billion.

Parent LBC Development will Index rose 27.56 points, or 0.4 Federal Resources said in a dis- subscribe to up to 25 percent of percent, to 7,510.39 on a value closure to the stock exchange its the 3 billion common shares. turnover of P7.1 billion. Losers, board also approved the change in “The company needs to raise adhowever, edged gainers, 87 to 80, the company’s corporate name to ditional capital in preparation for LBC Express Holdings Inc. the purchase of up to 1,041,180,493 with 48 issues unchanged.

Federal Resources said it issued and outstanding shares of PLDT, the biggest telecommunications firm, gained by 1.3 per- would increase its capital stock stock of LBC Express Inc,” Federal cent to P2,914, while Globe, the second-largest, advanced BDO Elite Savings Bank, Inc. 1.3 percent to P2,572.

(Formerly: GE Money Bank) Megaworld Corp., the 14th Floor Net Cube Center 30th Street 3rd Avenue Crescent Park, West Bonifacio Global City, City of Taguig 1634 biggest lessor of office BALANCE SHEET spaces, rose 2 percent to (Head Office Branch) P4.64, while InternationAs of June 30, 2015 Cu r r e n t Q u a r t e r P r ev i o u s Q u a r t e r al Container Terminal ASSETS Cash and Cash Items P 0.00 P 0.00 Services Inc., the largest D u e f r o m B a n g ko S e n t r a l n g P i l i p i n a s 191, 4 8 8 , 2 8 6 . 8 2 191, 87 9,76 9 . 42 Due from Other Banks 10 ,110 . 6 4 10 ,10 5 . 6 5 port operator, added 1 F i n a n c i a l A s s e t s a t Fa i r Va l u e t h r o u g h P r o f i t o r L o s s 0.00 0.00 Ava i l a b l e - f o r- S a l e F i n a n c i a l A s s e t s - N e t 519, 2 9 5 , 6 9 5 . 5 4 5 2 0 , 018 , 478 . 5 0 percent to P110.

H e l d - t o - M a t u r i t y ( H T M) F i n a n c i a l A s s e t s - N e t 0.00 0.00 nquoted Debt Securities Classified as Loans- Net 0.00 0.00 ICTSI on Wednesday UI nve s t m e n t s i n N o n - M a r ke t a b l e Eq u i t y S e c u r i t y - N e t 7,16 6 , 5 9 5 . 0 0 7,16 6 , 5 9 5 . 0 0 bles - Net 0.00 0.00 joined four other groups L o aLnosa nasn dt oReB acnegi va ko S e n t r a l n g P i l i p i n a s 0.00 0.00 I n t e r b a n k L o a n s Re c e i va b l e 0 .

0 0 0 .00 that submitted pre-qualL o a n s a n d Re c e i va b l e s - O t h e r s 0.00 0.00 L o a n s a n d Re c e i va b l e s A r i s i n g f r o m R A / C A / P R / S L B 0.00 0.00 ification documents for G e n e r a l L o a n L o s s P r ov i s i o n 0.00 0.00 nancial Assets 9, 07 7, 9 4 4 . 4 6 4 , 4 97, 5 2 7.78 the government’s first OEqt huei try FI inve s t m e n t i n S u b s i d i a r i e s , A s s o c i a t e s a n d J o i n t Ve n t u r e s - N e t 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 seaport project under BRea na kl aPnrde mOitsheesr, PFur orpnei trut iree,s FAicxqt uuri reeadn- Nd eEqt u i p m e n t - N e t 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 the public-private part- NO ot hne- rCAu rsrseentts -ANses te t s H e l d f o r S a l e 8 6 ,151, 421.70 8 6 ,151, 421.70 N e t D u e f r o m H e a d O f f i c e / B r a n c h e s /A g e n c i e s , i f a ny ( P h i l i p p i n e b r a n c h o f a f o r e i g n b a n k) 0.00 0.00 nership scheme.

P 813 ,19 0 , 0 5 4 .16 P 8 0 9 ,7 2 3 , 8 9 8 . 0 5 The Transport Depart- TOTA L A S S E T S L I A B I L I T I E S P 0.00 P 0.00 ment said the submission FDienpaonsciitaLl iLaibaibl iitliiet ise s a t Fa i r Va l u e t h r o u g h P r o f i t o r L o s s 0.00 0.00 o Other Banks 0.00 0.00 and opening of bids for DB iul les tPaya ble 0.00 0.00 a) B S P ( Re d i s c o u n t i n g a n d O t h e r A d va n c e s) 0.00 0.00 the P18.99-billion Davao b) I n t e r b a n k L o a n s Paya b l e 0.00 0.00 c) O t h e r D e p o s i t S u b s t i t u t e 0.00 0.00 Sasa Port modernization d) O t h e r s 0.00 0.00 project would be held in B o n d s Paya b l e - N e t 0.00 0.00 Unsecured Subordinated Debt- Net 0.00 0.00 the fourth quarter of this Re d e e m a b l e P r e f e r r e d S h a r e s 0.00 0.00 Special Time Deposit 0.00 0.00 year. The award of the D u e t o B a n g ko S e n t r a l n g P i l i p i n a s 0.00 0.00 2 , 4 3 0 , 8 5 7. 4 5 2 , 4 3 2 ,113 . 07 30-year contract is ex- OO tt hh ee rr FL ii an ba inl ictiiaels L i a b i l i t i e s 4 8 4 ,7 70 . 31 612 , 8 6 4 .78 N e t D u e t o H e a d O f f i c e / B r a n c h e s /A g e n c i e s ( P h i l i p p i n e b r a n c h o f a f o r e i g n b a n k) 0.00 0.00 pected in April next year. TOTA L L I A B I L I T I E S P 2 , 915 , 6 2 7.76 P 3 , 0 4 4 , 9 7 7. 8 5 The winning bidder S TO C K H O L D E R S ’ E Q U I T Y P 4 ,7 2 0 , 8 41, 4 6 8 . 2 9 P 4 ,7 2 0 , 8 41, 4 6 8 . 2 9 will build a new apron CO at hpei traCl Sa pt oi tcakl A c c o u n t s ( 7 7 3 , 374 , 8 5 4 .78) ( 7 76 , 970 , 3 6 0 . 9 8) Re t a i n e d E a r n i n g s (3 ,137,19 2 ,187.11) (3 ,137,19 2 ,187.11) and linear quay, expand A s s i g n e d C a p i t a l 0.00 0.00 806,678,920.20 TOTA L S TO C K H O L D E R S ’ E Q U I T Y P 810 , 2 74 , 4 2 6 . 4 0 P the back-up area, con- TOTA L L I A B I L I T I E S A N D S TO C K H O L D E R S ’ E Q U I T Y P 813 ,19 0 , 0 5 4 .16 P 8 0 9 ,7 2 3 , 8 9 8 . 0 5 tainer yards and wareC O N T I N G E N T AC C O U N T S Guarantees Issued P 0.00 P 0.00 houses and install ship- F i n a n c i a l S t a n d by L e t t e r s o f C r e d i t 0.00 0.00 Pe r f o r m a n c e S t a n d by L e t t e r s o f C r e d i t 0 .

0 0 0 .00 to-shore cranes and C o m m e r c i a l L e t t e r s o f C r e d i t 0.00 0.00 Tr a d e Re l a t e d G u a r a n t e e s 0.00 0.00 rubber-tyred gantry.

Commitments 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 Tokyo, meanwhile, SS pe co ut rFoi t i reesi gHne El dxcUhnadnegr eCCu sotnotdr ai acnt ss h i p by B a n k P r o p e r 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 jumped 1.08 percent, Tr u sa)t DTreupsatr at mn de nOt tAhcecr oFui nd tusc i a r y A c c o u n t s 0.00 0.00 b) A g e n c y A c c o u n t s 0.00 0.00 or 219.92 points, to c) A d v i s o r y/ C o n s u l t a n c y 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 20,522.83 as the yen OD et hr ei var st i ve s 0.00 0.00 weakened against the TOTA L C O N T I N G E N T AC C O U N T S P 0.00 P 0.00 greenback and top firms G r o s s t o t a l l o a nApDoDr tIfToIl Oi oN(AT LL P)I N FO R M AT I O N 0.00 0.00 ific allowance for credit losses on the TLP 0.00 0.00 including Nintendo re- SN po en c- Pe r f o r m i n g L o a n s ( N P L s) a. Gross NPLs 0.00 0.00 ported strong earnings. b. R a t i o o f G r o s s N P L s t o g r o s s T L P (%) 0.00% 0.00% c. Net NPLs 0.00 0.00 Sydney rose 0.81 perd. R a t i o o f N e t N P L s t o g r o s s T L P (%) 0.00% 0.00% 0.00 0.00 cent, or 45.3 points, to CD lOaSs sRi If iLeodaLnosaannsd&r eOctehievar Rb lies sk , Agsr soes tss ,a lgl or owsasnoc fe af lol or wc raendciet lfoosr scerse d i t l o s s e s 0.00 0.00 0.00% 0.00% close at 5,669.5 thanks R a t i o o f D O S R I l o a n s a n d r e c e i va b l e s , g r o s s o f a l l o w a n c e f o r c r e d i t l o s s e s , t o g r o s s T P L (%) G r o s s n o n - p e r f o r m i n g D O S R I l o a n s a n d r e c e i va b l e s 0.00 0.00 0.00% 0.00% to a pick-up in iron ore R a t i o o f g r o s s n o n - p e r f o r m i n g D O S R I l o a n s a n d r e c e i va b l e s t o T L P (%) Pe r c e n t C o m p l i a n c e w i t h M a g n a C a r t a (%) prices. a . 8% f o r M i c r o a n d S m a l l En t e r p r i s e s 0.00% 0.00% b. 2 % f o r M e d i u m En t e r p r i s e s 0.00% 0.00% Shanghai suffered a Re t u r n o n Eq u i t y ( R O E) (%) 2 . 3 8% 2 .71% R a t i o (C A R) o n S o l o B a s i s , a s p r e s c r i b e d u n d e r ex i s t i n g r e g u l a t i o n s late sell-off to end 2.20 C a pai t. a lToAtdael qCuAa Rc y(%) 4 5 4 . 51% 452.49% b. T i e r 1 R a t i o (%) 4 5 4 . 51% 452.49% percent lower, dropc . C o m m o n T i e r 1 R a t i o (%) 1/ 4 5 4 . 51% 452.49% D e f e r r e d C h a r g e s n o t ye t Wr i t t e n D o w n 0.00% 0.00% ping 83.40 points to U n b o o ke d A l l o w a n c e f o r C r e d i t L o s s e s o n F i n a n c i a l I n s t r u m e n t s Re c e i ve d 0.00% 0.00% 3,705.77, while Hong 1/ C o m m o n Eq u i t y T i e r 1 i s o n l y a p p l i c a b l e t o a l l U n i ve r s a l a n d C o m m e r c i a l B a n k s a n d t h e i r s u b s i d i a r y b a n k s . p u b l i c o f t h e P h i l i p p i n e s) Kong followed the losses Re City of Makati to close down 0.49 perWe, L u c y C o D y a n d Wa l t e r C . Wa s s m e r o f t h e a b ove - m e n t i o n e d b a n k d o s o l e m n l y s w e a r t h a t a l l m a t t e r s s e t f o r t h i n t h e a b ove b a l a n c e s h e e t a r e t r u e a n d c o r r e c t t o cent, or 121.47 points, at t h e b e s t o f o u r k n o w l e d g e a n d b e l i e f.

LU CY C O DY ( s g D ) WA LT E R C. WA s s M E R ( s g D ) 24,497.98.

PresiDent Director e m e t h i s 2 2 n d d ay o f J u l y 2 015 a t C i t y o f M a k a t i , a f f i a n t ex h i b i t i n g t h e i r C o m m u n i t y Ta x C e r t i f i c a t e N o. 0 4 9 5 215 9 i s s u e d a t M a k a t i Seoul dropped 0.91 C i t y So nU BFeSbCrRu IaBr Ey D2 7,A N2 D015S W, SOSRSNNt oo. b0 e3 f-o4r074 3 42- 5 a n d C o m m u n i t y Ta x C e r t i f i c a t e N o. 0 24 4 5 75 5 i s s u e d a t M a k a t i C i t y o n J a n u a r y 21, 2 015 , S S S N o. 0 3 - 4 8 516 9 9 -7. percent, or 18.59 points, A t t y. C L AU D E A L B E R T D. M O R A L E S (s g d ) N o t a r y P u b l i c f o r M a k a t i C i t y, P h i l i p p i n e s to 2,019.03, hurt by sell- D o c . N o. 3 4 Pa g e N o. 8 u n t i l 31 D e c e m b e r 2 015 A p p o i n t m e n t N o. M - 3 8 2 ing in heavyweight Sam- B o o k N o. I I S e r i e s o f 2 015 14 / F B D O N o r t h To w e r, B D O C o r p o r a t e C e n t e r sung Electronics after it 78 9 9 M a k a t i Ave n u e, M a k a t i C i t y R o l l N o. 4 8 3 9 4 reported disappointing I B P N o. 0 9 812 6 4 , 1/ 5 / 2 015 , Q u e z o n C i t y P T R N o. 475 4 5 6 5 , 1/ 6 / 2 015 , M a k a t i C i t y earnings. With AFP M C L E C o m p l i a n c e N o. I V- 0 019 0 8 9, 4 /18 / 2 013

BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND SENIOR OFFICERS Walter C. Wassmer Chairman Jaime C. Yu Director Lucy Co Dy Director Rolando C. Tanchanco Director Pedro M. Florescio III Director Teodoro B. Montecillo Independent Director Ma. Leonora V. De Jesus Independent Director

B4

FRIDAY: JULY 31, 2015

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

Marubeni to build gas plant

By Alena Mae S. Flores

What PPP accomplishment?

IT’S STILL 336 days until President BS Aquino’s final day in office, and we wonder if some people in his Cabinet are starting to feel the dreadful truth of the old Neil Sedaka song that goes, “… and my world keeps getting smaller everyday…”

They can savor that brief moment of glory when their faces were flashed on national TV while the president heaped praises on them—because there’s no such thing as happy days forever.

It’s just too bad though that the record two-hour recital of the president on the administration’s supposed “highs” was overshadowed by the “pasasalamat” portion that reminded many of TV hosts and celebrities thanking their sponsors for the hair, makeup, clothes, shoes… heck, even hair gel and pomade! As expected, reaction from the business community was mixed, with some sectors erupting in fulsome praise of the investment status achieved by the Philippines, while others gave it a minimal passing grade due to the missed opportunities to optimize the full growth potential of this country.

Many believe more could have been done by the Aquino government if it focused on the work at hand and the solutions staring them on the face, rather than waste a lot of energy blaming his predecessor year in and year out for almost every problem, inherited or otherwise. Nevertheless, many keep hoping that President BS would be able to catch up in the remaining 11 months of his term—and he should start by focusing on certain reforms that would drive sustainable and inclusive growth for the benefit of those at the bottom of the social and economic ladder.

There was a glaring gap in the president’s accomplishment report with regard to potential and actual performance, for instance in the president’s pet program, the Public-Private Partnership and other big-ticket infrastructure projects which have been rolled out so sluggishly that we seriously wonder if any of them will be finished at all by 2020! The thing is, these PPP projects could go a long way in creating jobs and therefore stimulate the domestic economy to such an extent that majority of poor Filipinos would feel a difference in their existence. After all, aren’t the masses the “bosses” of PNoy? In his two-hour plus litany of accomplishments (complete with videotaped endorsements and testimonials), the president trumpeted what he considered as the “record” implementation of public infrastructure during his term, foremost of which is the Muntinlupa-Cavite Expressway that recently opened, the first two stages of the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway or TPLEX and Phase 2 of the STAR Toll.

“When the Cavite-Laguna Expressway Project, the C-6 Phase 1, the Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3, and the NLEX-SLEX Connector Road are completed – all the more will the benefits of our infrastructure strategy reach even more people,” boasted the president to the enthusiastic applause of the KKK members.

“Under our watch, the number of solicited PPP project: 50. Of this number, 10 have been awarded; 13 are being bidded out, while 27 are still in the pipeline. You can judge the difference for yourselves,” he challenged.

Apparently, the president is unaware that that the Muntinlupa-Cavite Expressway or MCX which he boasted about used to be called the Daang Hari-SLEX Link Road. This was built by Ayala Corporation’s AC Infrastructure—the only PPP road project that has been completed since 2010. And he boasts of 50 PPP projects?

MCX’s completion has been delayed by a year due to delays in resulting rightof-way issues compounded by unexpected changes in project design. More PPP road projects have originally been targeted for completion by the end of his term, and many will be in varying stages of construction when he finally steps out of Malacañang next year due to right-of-way issues or infighting among concerned government agencies or worse, the Palace’s dilly-dallying itself as the president (or his alter-egos) sit on their tushes, unable to decide whether to give the green light to a project or not.

As noted by the Institute of International Finance, the slow rollout of PPP projects coupled with government under-spending have hampered economic growth.

In the words of the IIF, the PPP initiative has been “disappointing so far” – taking the Aquino government years “to get the PPP framework up and running, and it is still unclear… if PPP will really take off in the second half of the year.”

There you have it. Or don’t.

An exceptional Dalmore dinner Some of the biggest names in business came together for the Philippines’ first ever, whisky dinner led by The Dalmore master distiller Richard Patterson. The Dalmore is British luxury brand and considered as the most world’s revered single malt whisky that’s steeped in heritage. The exclusive gathering, hosted by Emperador chairman Andrew Tan, saw the discriminating and well-heeled guests enjoying a five-course dinner prepared by Chef Cyrille Soenen of the toney Impressions Restaurant at Maxim’s Tower in Resorts World Manila.

And since it is a Dalmore whisky dinner, bottles of the following The Dalmore expressions were shared: The Dalmore 15, The Dalmore King Alexander III, The Dalmore 25, The Dalmore Cigar Malt Reserve and the very expensive The Dalmore Constellation 1973—a very rare drink aged for over 30 years in oak barrels.

According to our stoolie, a certain tycoon enjoyed the experience so much that he bought for himself a bottle of the 1973 Constellation worth P1.8 million. Not to be outdone, two other tycoons are reportedly purchasing a bottle each before the week is over.

••• For comments, reactions, photos, stories and related concerns, readers may email to happyhourtoday2012@yahoo.com. You may also visit and like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/happyhourmanilastandard. We’d be very happy to hear from you. Cheers!

MARUBENI Corp. of Japan plans to put up a 250-megawatt mobile gas turbine power plant in Barangay Libjo, Batangas City, data from the Energy Department show.

Marubeni is negotiating with various electric cooperatives for bilateral supply agreement and plans to sell power to the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market, the trading floor of electricity in Luzon, according to document filed with the Energy Department.

“The project will last only for eight years since the gas supply [from Malampaya natural gas platform] will be depleted by 2024,” the document said.

The report said Marubeni was seeking approval to

conduct the grid impact study for the power plant.

“Marubeni emphasized that they only need to secure a right of way from Shell,” the report said.

Shell Philippines Exploration B.V. operates the Malampaya gas to power project in northwest Palawan.

Marubeni is a part of TeaM Energy Philippines, which owns a 20-percent stake in the Ilijan natural gas power plant also in Batangas.

TeaM Energy also operates the Pagbilao coal plant in Quezon and the Sual coal plant in Pangasinan.

The document did not indicate if Marubeni would utilize gas from the Malampaya plant, but the company earlier expressed interest in the banked gas offered by the government and the Malampaya consortium.

Marubeni earlier offered to put up a 200-MW gas plant to help ease the projected power shortage during the dry months but the plan did not push through.

IN BRIEF PH seeks ‘A’ debt rating JAPAN Rating and Investment Information Inc. on Thursday affirmed the Philippines’ investment-grade debt rating of “BBB” with a stable outlook, but the Finance Department said the country deserves a higher credit score of ‘A’.

“Japan’s Rating and Investment Information Inc. [R&I] upheld the country’s seal of good housekeeping as it affirmed the Philippines’ foreign currency issuer investment grade rating of ‘BBB’ with stable outlook. However, we believe that the country’s rating should be higher,” Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima said in a statement.

R&I’s ‘BBB’ rating means creditworthiness is sufficient, although some factors require attention in times of major environmental changes. ‘A’ represents high creditworthiness supported by a few excellent factors.

Finance Secretary Purisima said he was confident that a higher credit rating was achievable.

“We have institutionalized a host of economic and fiscal reforms to ensure that these gains will be sustained. The ‘A’ category is in sight: we ought to remain steadfast in our commitment to good governance and sound economic policies,” said Purisima.

Gabrielle H. Binaday

Transport hub atTHEVeterans up Integrated Transport System North Terminal will be built near the Veterans Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City, the Transportation Department said Thursday.

“We’re working with the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office. That seems to be the site,” Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said, referring to VMMC and its golf course at the corner of North Ave. and Mindanao Ave. Abaya said the agency was talking to the Defense Department, which supervises PVAO, which in turn oversees the VMMC and its golf course, to finalize the memorandum of understanding for the transport hub.

Meanwhile, the submission and opening of bids for the P4-billion ITS South Terminal Project was scheduled on July 31.

“This project will enable commuters to have seamless transfers from one mode of transport to another. Creating a central terminal for all types of public transportation will not only give access to our daily commuters, but also help those who are unfamiliar with PUV routes and services,” Abaya said.

Darwin G. Amojelar

Skyjet flies to Boracay.

Skyjet Airlines officials led by president Dino Carlo Reyes Chua (second from right) and chief operating officer Ted Fojas (left) toss up a champagne upon arrival at Caticlan Airport in Malay, Aklan, the gateway to the resort island of Boracay. Also shown are (from left) first officer John Jatico, chief pilot Edgardo Tamayo and senior crew Jeanie De Luna.

PhilJets gets AMO license PHILJETS successfully obtained an aircraft maintenance organization license in early July, allowing the company to service aircraft directly in-house and provide a complete range of services an aviation firm can offer.

It’s the first year that PhilJets obtained the AMO certificate. The official license, issued and certified by the Civil Aviation Authorities of the Philippines, authorizes the company to engage and perform maintenance work and modification on commercially or privately operated aircrafts.

“This new license represents another step forward for PhilJets in its goal to develop a nose-to-tail approach to Aviation services in the Philippines and for all its customers,” said PhilJets managing director Thierry Tea. In parallel of this certification, PhilJets also renewed this year its aircraft material distributor certificate. The company wants to further expand its spare parts activities around Asia and especially in the Asean region, by importing aircraft spare parts and consumables, and thus service the Asian market needs for replacement components, both for commercial aviation and business aviation clients.

PhilJets said by strengthening aircraft management services as its core business, it takes part in all stages of the business aviation cycle, through-

out the life of an aircraft from consulting, sales and importation, to operations, maintenance, spare parts procurement and servicing.

The company can now provide expert aircraft maintenance and repairs, efficient services, spare parts sales for aircrafts to its customers and other aviation industry’ actors.

The company said it illustrates the wish for PhilJets to better understand, help and accompany its customers, both current partners and future prospects.

It said by providing an independent yet professional range of services, PhilJets favors long-term relationships and a commitment to both excellence and better customer service.

The acquisition of aircraft AMO license and the AMDC renewal of PhilJets Group are a pledge to better support its customers, and a first step for the company towards building its own MRO workshop, the company said.

Concurrently to this, PhilJets Group is also welcoming a new Robinson R44 helicopter that will complement its two H130 (formerly EC130T2) and one AS350B2 helicopters.

“This new aircraft provides an excellent reliability, responsive handling, and flexibility, making it, an ideal light helicopter for private, business, and tourism applications,” said PhileJets Group business development manager Michiko Soriano.

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CESAR BARRIOQUINTO EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Aussie PM slams veto of MH17

by Russia SYDNEY—Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said Thursday Russia’s “outrageous” veto of a UN resolution to establish a special tribunal to try those who shot down flight MH17 over Ukraine reinforced concerns Moscow was protecting the perpetrators.

Eleven of the 15 members of the Security Council voted in favor late Wednesday of the resolution, drafted by Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Ukraine.

But Russia exercised its veto while Angola, China and Venezuela abstained.

All 298 passengers and crew on board the Boeing 777 were killed when the Malaysia Airlines plane was blown out of the sky over Ukraine during a routine flight between Amsterdam and Kuala Lumpur on July 17 last year.

The majority of those who died were Dutch, but 38 were Australian citizens and residents, and Canberra has been vocal in its desire to find those who committed the atrocity.

“Russia’s veto of the United Nations Security Council resolution to establish a tribunal to prosecute those responsible for the MH17 atrocity is outrageous,” Abbott said in a statement.

“By its actions, Russia has shown complete disregard for the families’ right to know who was responsible and to see these criminals face justice.”

Countries including Australia, Britain, France and the US accuse pro-Russian separatist rebels of shooting down the Boeing 777 with a Buk surface-to-air missile supplied by Russia.

Moscow denies involvement and blames the Ukrainian military.

Abbott, who once famously vowed to “shirtfront” an Australian Rules football term in which a player charges an opponent Russian President Vladimir Putin over the plane’s downing, said Moscow’s veto was telling.

“Russia had an opportunity to join the international community in this effort,” he said. AFP

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Investigators scramble to see plane wreckage SAINT-ANDRE, France— Investigators headed to a tiny Indian Ocean island Thursday to inspect whether a plane wreckage that drifted ashore was from the missing flight MH370, raising hopes of solving one of aviation’s greatest mysteries.

There for the screening. Actress Elise Luthman attends the screening of GKIDS’ “Kahlil Gibran’s the Prophet” at Bing Theatre at LACMA on July 29 in Los Angeles, California. AFP

Australia described Wednesday’s discovery of the six-foot-long piece of wreckage, which appeared to be part of a wing, as an “important development” after more than 16 months of searching.

But Malaysia Airlines and the authorities involved in the search, who are yet to make a thorough inspection of the debris on the French island of La Reunion, cautioned against jumping to quick conclusions.

“Whatever wreckage is found needs to be further verified before we can further confirm whether it belongs to MH370,” Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai told reporters in New York, saying he hoped for answers “as soon as possible”.

French, Malaysian, and Australian authorities have all begun looking into the object’s origin, with Malaysia saying it was sending a team of experts to the island.

Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777, traveling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, vanished on March 8 last year shortly after takeoff over the South China Sea with 239 people on board Authorities involved in an Australian-led search at sea believe it eventually went down in the southern Indian Ocean.

But no confirmed physical evidence has ever been found and Malaysian authorities in January declared that all on board were presumed dead.

“This obviously is a very important development and if it is indeed wreckage from MH370, it starts to provide some closure for the families of the people on board,” said Australia’s Transport and Infrastructure Minister Warren Truss.

Malaysia’s deputy transport minister, Abdul Aziz Kaprawi, also said investigators in Malaysia who examined photos of the object believed it could be a Boeing 777 flaperon, a wing component.

“It is almost certain that it is similar to that of a Boeing 777,” he told AFP. AFP

‘Rolling Stone’ sued over gang rape story WASHINGTON’s Former fraternity members and graduates from the University of Virginia have sued Rolling Stone magazine over a gang rape story that sparked outrage and eventually had to be retracted, the New York Times reported.

The defamation lawsuit came as news emerged that the editor who oversaw the flawed story which was retracted after unprecedented criticism and scrutiny of the iconic publication was leaving the magazine.

Managing editor Will Dana will leave more than eight months after the story alleging

a gang rape on campus was published, the Times also reported Wednesday.

Titled “A Rape on Campus,” the story horrified many when it appeared in November with its explosive claims of a violent gang rape at a fraternity house, as recounted by the anonymous victim, identified only as “Jackie.”

The story was later redacted and retracted after the facts in the article did not check out and a Columbia University investigation found basic journalistic failures during the story’s reporting and editing.

Three former members of Phi Kappa Psi, the fraternity from the University of Virginia where Rolling Stone had said the alleged rape took place, fi led their lawsuit against the magazine saying the story had a “devastating effect” on them, The New York Times said.

One of the plaintiffs said friends and family members were able to identify him in the story as an accused attacker, the Times reported.

An associate dean from the university also fi led a $7.5-million defamation lawsuit in May against Rolling Stone over the article. AFP

Cultured corals. A person takes care of cultured corals at the Coral Biome sea farm on July 28 in Marseille, southern France. Coral Biome is a marine biologist and aquaculturist company proposing cultured corals to researchers, hobbyists and public aquariums. AFP

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CESAR BARRIOQUINTO EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Murder raps on US traffic cop CHICAGO—A white Ohio police officer who shot a black man during a routine traffic stop was charged with murder Wednesday in what prosecutors called a “senseless” act motivated by anger.

The case comes as the United States grapples with heightened racial tensions in the wake of a series of high-profi le incidents of unarmed African Americans being killed by police in disputed circumstances.

“He wasn’t dealing with someone who was wanted for murder he was dealing with someone with a missing license plate,” Hamilton County Prosecutor Joseph Deters told reporters.

“This is in the vernacular a pretty ‘chicken crap’ stop. If he started rolling away, seriously, let him go. You don’t have to shoot him in the head.”

University of Cincinnati campus police officer Ray Tensing initially told investigators that he shot Sam DuBose in the head after DuBose tried to drive away and dragged the officer along with him.

But a review of the officer’s body camera footage showed Tensing was never in danger during the July 19 incident.

The university shut down its campus and placed barricades at entrances, in concern over possible violent protests as has been seen in the in response to other high-profi le police shootings over the past year.

City officials pressed for calm and said they were prepared “for any scenarios that present themselves.”

Despite concerns, there appeared to be no flare-up of violent protesting Wednesday night.

A small group of marchers gathered, waving “Black Lives Matter” placards, in reference to the grassroots movement opposing violence by law enforcement against blacks.

One sign read “They kill our daddies then make fun of us for being fatherless.”

Deters said he hopes the swift action by his office will show that justice is being done in this case.

“I feel so sorry for his family and I feel sorry for the community,” Deters said.

“People want to believe that #SamDubose did something violent against the officer. He did not.”

Deters said Tensing pulled out his gun and shot DuBose very quickly.

“It’s incredible. And so senseless,” Deters said as he prepared to release the video.

against him means he’s functioning in a system set up to protect him,” outraged writer Daniel Jose Older said on Twitter.

Tensing should never have been allowed to carry a badge and gun, Deters said, adding that the University of Cincinnati should hand policing duties over to the city’s force.

“This is the most asinine act I have ever seen a police officer make,” he said.

“It was totally unwarranted and it’s an absolute tragedy that in 2015 anyone would behave in this manner.”

Cincinnati was struck by days of violent unrest following the police shooting of an unarmed black man in 2001.

“There is obviously reason for people to be angry,” Mayor John Cranley said. AFP

Republic of the Philippines CITY OF SAN PEDRO Province of Laguna

Republic of the Philippines Department of Agriculture Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, Philippines www.philmech.gov.ph `

“I think he lost his temper because Mr. DuBose wouldn’t get out of his vehicle.”

The video shows Tensing approaching the black car and asking DuBose for his license and registration.

DuBose calmly asks why he was pulled over and eventually tells Tensing that he left his license at home.

Then less than two minutes into the exchange DuBose reaches for the keys and Tensing can be heard shouting “STOP! STOP!” In the blink of an eye, a gun pops into view and DuBose slumps over in his seat. The video bounces as Tensing chases after the car as it rolls down the street.

DuBose died instantly, Deters said.

“For a cop to lie on paperwork knowing there’s video evidence

BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE

INVITATION TO BID Supply, Delivery, Testing and Commissioning of 10 units PHilMech- Design Compact Corn Mill (PHilMech Goods 15-07-08)

INVITATION TO APPLY FOR ELIGIBILITY AND TO BID PR No. 2015 - 1459 1.

The City Government of San Pedro Laguna through the 2015 Budget Approved

by Sangguniang Panglunsod intends to apply the sum of Php5,000,000.00 being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for Consultancy Services for Comprehensive Study of San Pedro City Drainage System Master Plan and Feasibility Study for San Pedro City’s Sewerage System Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

1. The Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PHilMech) through its Regular Fund intends to apply the sum of PhP 3,300,000.00 being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) as indicated herein to payments under the contract for the Supply, Delivery, Testing and Commissioning of 10 units PHilMech- Design Compact Corn Mill. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at Bid opening.

2.

2. The Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization now invites Bids from all PHilMech Licensed Manufacturers of PHilMechDesign Compact Corn Mill for the following items:

3.

Delivery of the services is required within one hundred eighty (180) days upon receipt of Notice to Proceed. Bidders should have completed, within one (1) year from the date of submissions and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders.

4.

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive procedures using a non-disretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

5.

In addition, bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines, and to citizens or organizations of a country the laws or regulations of which grant rights or privileges to Filipino citizens, pursuant to RA 5183 and subject to Commonwealth Act 138.

6.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from the City Government of San Pedro, Laguna and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from 8:30AM to 9:30AM only.

ITEMS Supply, Delivery, Testing and Commissioning of 10 units PHilMech- Design Compact Corn Mill Total

QTY 1

ABC PhP 3,300,000.00 PhP 3,300,000.00

Delivery of the GOODS is required within Sixty (60) calendar days from receipt of the Notice to Proceed. Bidders should have completed, within three (3) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a similar contract equivalent to at least fifty percent (50%) of the ABC. The description of an eligible Bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents.

3. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using non-discretionary pass/fail criteria as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations Part A (IRR-A) of Republic Act 9184 (R.A. 9184), otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

6.

6. The Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization will hold a Pre-Bid Conference open to all interested parties on August 3, 2015, 10:00am at PHilMech Liaison Office, 3rd Floor ATI Bldg., Elliptical Road, Diliman, Quezon City.

7. Bids and eligibility requirements must be delivered to the address below on or before August 17, 2015. All Bids must be accompanied by a Bid security in the form and amount stated in the Bid Data Sheet or an equivalent amount in a freely convertible currency. Late Bids shall not be accepted.

7.

8. Bid opening shall be on August 17, 2015, 10:00am at PHilMech Liaison Office, 3rd Floor ATI Bldg., Elliptical Road, Diliman, Quezon City. Bids will be opened in the presence of the Bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below.

9. The Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization reserves the right to accept or reject any Bid, to annul the bidding process, and to reject all Bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected Bidder or Bidders.

PHILIPPINE CENTER FOR POSTHARVEST DEVELOPMENT AND MECHANIZATION (Formerly BUREAU OF POSTHARVEST RESEARCH AND EXTENSION) Main Office :CLSU Cmpd., Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija Tel. No. (044) 4560287 / 4560213 FAX No. (044) 4560110 Liaison Office : 3F ATI Bldg., Elliptical Road, Diliman, Quezon City Tel. No. 9274019 / 9274029 FAX No. 9268159

DESCRIPTION

Lot

Comprehensive Study of San Pedro City Drainage System Master Plan and Feasibility Study for San Pedro City’s Sewerage System

8.

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders from the date, time and below and upon payment of a non-refundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of PESOS: (Php 5,000.00) ISSUANCE OF ELIGIBILITY AND July 31 – August 17, 2015 BIDDING DOCUMENTS 8:30AM – 9:30AM BAC Secretariat 4/f Conference Room City Administrator’s Office City Hall of San Pedro The City Government of San Pedro Laguna, will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on the date, time and address specified below, which shall be open only to all interested parties who have purchased the Bidding Documents.

PRE-BID CONFENRENCE August 4, 2015 10:00 AM BAC Secretariat 4/f Conference Room City Administrator’s Office City Hall of San Pedro Bids must be delivered to the address given below on or before the specified date and time. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable form and in the amount sated in ITB Clause 18.

DEADLINE OF SUBMSSION OF August 17, 2015 ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS AND 10:00AM OPENING OF BIDS BAC Secretariat 4/f Conference Room City Administrator’s Office City Hall of San Pedro Bid opening shall be on the date and time specified above for deadline of submission of eligibility requirements and submission of bids and shall be conducted at the Office of the BAC Secretariat. Bids will be opened in the presence of the Bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address given above. Late bids shall not be accepted.

The City Government of San Pedro, Laguna assumes no responsibility whatsoever to compensate or indemnify bidders for any expenses incurred in the preparation of their bid.

Further, City Government of San Pedro, Laguna, reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annual the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

9.

For Further information, please refer to: Mr. Merlin B. Paala Office of the BAC Secretariat City Hall of San Pedro San Pedro, Laguna / Telefax No. 847-1722

(SGD) RAUL R. PAZ BAC Chairman (TS-JULY 27 & 31, 2015)

UNIT

Office of the BAC Secretariat 4/f Conference Room City Administrator’s Office City Hall of San Pedro

4. Interested Bidders may obtain further information from the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.

5. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be acquired by interested Bidders from the address below and upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents, pursuant to the latest Guidelines issued by the GPPB, in the amount of PhP 5,000.00. The method of payment will be in cash. The Bidding Documents shall be received personally by the prospective Bidder or his authorized representative.

The City Government of San Pedro, Laguna now invites bids for the following :

(TS-JULY 31, 2015)

(SGD) ENGR. FILEMON I. SIBULO Chairman Bids and Awards Committee

Study says fat must be 6th taste WASHINGTON—Fat needs its place alongside the basic tastes of sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami because it evokes unique sensations, US researchers said in a new study.

The sixth flavor should be known as “oleogustus,” a combination of oily and taste in Latin, according to Purdue University scientists who published their study in the journal Chemical Senses.

“The taste component of fat is often described as bitter or sour because it is unpleasant, but new evidence reveals fatty acids evoke a unique sensation satisfying another element of the criteria for what constitutes a basic taste,” said Richard Mattes, a professor of science and nutrition.

In their study, researchers asked participants to organize foods according to basic tastes. The testers determined that fat was unique and different from other tastes.

Mattes pointed out that in high doses the taste of fat is unpleasant and can seem rancid.

“At the same time, low concentrations of fatty acids in food may add to their appeal just like unpleasant bitter chemicals can enhance the pleasantness of foods like chocolate, coffee and wine,” Mattes said.

Moving fat into a taste category of its own could help the food industry produce better substitutes for the flavor, researchers said. AFP

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MOTORING

RAMON L. TOMELDAN EDITOR

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

ON A HIGH NOTE Mitsubishi chalks up record monthly sales

Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation capped the first semester of the year with June sales recording the highest monthly at 4,607 units, the company said.

First semester sales hit 25,198 units for a slight growth 0.5%. Despite the modest growth, MMPC was able to keep its number two position in the local automotive industry with a market share of 19.2%.

Sales for the month of June reflected a modest growth of 1.6% compared to 4,535 units sold during the same period last year.

Passenger cars sales also increased by 32.3% with 1,499 units sold compared to 1,133 units sold during the same month last year.

Sales for Fuso Trucks and Rosa Bus also posted increases. Fuso Trucks’ sales improved by 28.9% with 98 units sold while Rosa Bus sales grew by 25%.

Combined sales data from the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. and Truck Manufacturers Association for June of 24,185 units was also the highest monthly retail sales for the industry.

In addition, first half total sales of 131,465 units is also the highest recorded 6-month sales for the whole industry. The total industry sales for the first half also improved by almost 21% compared to the same period last year.

MMPC closed the first semester of the year with 25,198 units for a slight growth 0.5%. In spite of this modest growth, MMPC was able to keep its number two position in the local automotive industry with a market share of 19.2%.

For the first half of the year, sales of Mitsubishi passenger cars significantly grew by 28.9%. MMPC sold a total of 8,002 units which accounts for 4,673 units of Mirage G4 sedan, 2,834 units of Mirage and 495 units of Lancer EX. With this significant performance, MMPC also managed to become the second bestselling brand in the passenger car cat-

egory in the first half.

With the Mirage and Mirage G4’s features offering practicality, fuel efficiency and value for money these sub-compact cars remain attractive to a big market of car buyers looking for an affordable and practical car.

MMPC’s performance was also complemented with the recently launched the all new Strada. This new pick up model generated interest from both new pickup buyers and loyal Strada owners and easily catapulted its way to becoming one of favor-

ite pickups in the market given its new styling, spacious and car like cabin, excellent riding comfort and proven performance.

MMPC sold a total of 2,495 Strada pickups in the market capturing 18% share of the total pick up segment.

Froilan Dytianquin, MMPC’s First Vice President for Marketing Division said that “We are optimistic that sales will still accelerate for the remaining months given upgrades to our core models such as the Mirage, Mirage G4, Montero

Sport and Strada. In addition, we will introduce attractive promotions and financing payment schemes making it more affordable for buyers to purchase the Mitsubishi vehicle they’ve always wanted”. With MMPC’s aggressive marketing efforts, and expected higher sales trend in the 2nd semester, MMPC will be able to sustain its sales growth and keep abreast with the industry’s growth.

For 2015 MMPC is aiming to sell a total of 62,000 units accounting for 20% market share.

Lexus: You’ve got it made THE sight of a luxury car parked at one’s driveway has “you’ve got it made” written all over it. But for some, which car brand to pick largely depends on a feature not directly tied to the car itself. Japanese carmaker Lexus, a most respected company that produces the most reli-

able vehicles, stands out for its distinct and exceptional kind of customer service. Lexus Manila, Inc. president Danny Isla attributes the substantial annual growth the company has been enjoying, six years into the business, to referrals made by Lexus’ own customers. New

owners are all too happy to endorse the brand or refer prospective clients to them. Besides genuine customer service and a lean sales force of only 10 hardworking people, Lexus has only one dealership in the Philippines. This is very important for buyers as they only need to go to

one outlet for parts and service. Availability of genuine spare parts is not a problem as Lexus’ team policy is to make sure issues are resolved always within 24 hours of occurrence. Lexus is currently renovating its showroom in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig to best serve pro-

spective buyers and existing customers. It should be ready for a September opening. Beside the Lexus flagship model are (rom left) Lexus Manila sales and marketing director Spencer Yu, president Danny Isla and executive vice-president Toshihiko Hiranuma .

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FAST FASTLANE New City certified Euro 4 compliant

Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. says that the new City has officially acquired EURO 4 emission standard certification from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

This is the first vehicle in Honda’s line-up to be locally certified with EURO 4 level emission standards. The certification is pursuant to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Administrative Order (DAO) No. 2015-04which mandates that all new passenger and light vehicles, and heavy duty motor vehicles made available in the market should comply with EURO 4 emission standards by January 2016 from the present EURO 2 emissionstandards. HCPI first introduced EURO 4 level ready products in 2004 and by the end of 2006, all Honda models sold in thePhilippines were already at EURO 4 emission level.DENR stresses the importance of adopting EURO 4 emission standards for the sake of minimizing pollutants inthe environment and for the assurance of the quality of air that we breathe.

A EURO 4 compliant emits a much lower harmful substances such as carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC) and nitrogen oxide.

In line with the idea to minimize pollutants, Honda says it always keeps in mind leaving behind a cleaner and greener environment, which is why Honda produces products that are environment friendly, of high-quality, and safe to use. Honda assures customers that the emissions coming from their vehicles have minimal effect on the environment.

Suzuki expands network in Sta. Rosa

Suzuki Philippine Inc. (SPH), the only integrated motorcycle and automobile company in the country, recently conducted a groundbreaking ceremony for its latest car dealership, Suzuki Auto Sta. Rosa. Soon to rise along Tagaytay Balibago Road, it is the newest addition to the current roster of 32 Suzuki dealers nationwide, making the brand more accessible to motorists in the Southern Tagalog region.

Suzuki Auto Sta. Rosa is owned and managed by The Shaw Motor Plaza, and is the first Suzuki 3S dealership in the automotive row of Sta.Rosa. This dealership will offer Sales, Spare parts, and Services and promises to be a one-stop shop for all the automotive needs of motorists in the area.

SPH President Mr. Hiroshi Suzuki shares, “Today, we mark another milestone for Suzuki Philippines. The city of Sta. Rosa has been on our target expansion areas for some time now, owing to its rapid growth, intense land development and great potential to bloom in business in the coming years. Now it will begin to come to fruition, and we are filled with pride and excitement to bring our great value, fuel-efficient and top quality automobile lineup to the vibrant community of Laguna.”

Suzuki’s newest 3S dealership is strategically located in Tagaytay Balibago Road, corner Greenfield Parkway, Sta. Rosa Laguna.

Target completion of the project is on the third week of December of this year.

The groundbreaking ceremony was headed by SPH President Hiroshi Suzuki, General Manager Shuzo Hoshikura, guests from the Laguna local government office, Shaw Motor Plaza Corporation President Felix K. Limcaoco III, Vice President Tey R. Sornet, Group General Manager Robert Salomon, and Greenfield executives.

At the groundbreaking rites are(from left): Shaw Motor Plaza Corporation Group General Manager Robert Salomon, Barangay Don Jose Chairman Jose Joel Aala, Shaw Motor Plaza Corporation Vice President Tey R. Sornet, President Felix K. Limcaoco III, Sta. Rosa City Mayor Arlene Arcillas, SPH President Hiroshi Suzuki, SPH General Manager for Automobile Shuzo Hoshikura, and SPH Managing Director and Treasurer Norminio Mojica.

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RAMON L. TOMELDAN EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

MOTORING

The convoy drives its way up the muddy trail of Baan Pang in Chiang Rai.

FORD

SET TO REDEFINE THE LOCAL SUV MARKET Text and photos

by Dino Ray V. Directo III

After making a splash in a sneak peek launch early this year, Ford’s all new Everest is set to redefine the domestic SUV market with a bolder and more technology laden mid-size SUV.

Trevor Worthington, VP for Product Development, Ford Asia Pacific. “It is a unique blend of tough capability and exceptional on-road comfort will go far beyond what our customers have come to expect from a seven-seat SUV,” adds Worthington.

Led by Ford’s Asia Pacific design and development product teams, members of the media got a hands-on experience with the third generation Everest by way of a 140kms drive around Chiang Rai. After an early product briefing, a convoy of 13 4x2 and 4x4 Everest units with teams of two mediamen were flagged off from the Le Meridian Hotel up to the hinterlands of Baan Pang Klang Hill Tribe Village.

Huge is the proper word to describe the new Everest as it evolved from a box type SUV to a luxurious brawler engineered for urban use that can take the punishment of an off-road trail with plenty of space for camping equip-

torsional strength required when venturing into roads less travelled.

The uphill portions of the trail were a cinch for the Everest as the powerful 3.2 Duratorq five-cylinder TDCi delivered the torque necessary for us to conquer the muddy and hilly Baan Pang trail. Ford’s Terrain Management System is probably the best in its class as driving modes were as easy as pushing a button on the center dash console.

“This advanced and first in class Terrain Management System was developed in four continents which subjected the Everest to desert conditions, snow, and extreme tropical weather during its design and development phase,” explains Kay Hart, president of Ford Group Philippines, who gamely joined us in hitting the trails of Baan Pang.

“Beyond its exceptional on and off road capabilities,

The Ford Everest is at home on and off the road.

Ford left no stone unturned with the regional launch of the all-new Everest as media from the different Southeast Asian countries have been flying in to Chiang Rai, Thailand to experience how it measures up to real world scenarios. “The new Ford Everest is a hugely versatile vehicle that is equally at home in busy urban traffic and in the most extreme off-road environments the world has to offer,” said

ment. The organizers cleverly set up a 4x4 trail along the rice fields of Baan Pang that allowed the participants to test the different off-road settings. This writer particularly liked the ride and steering feel of the Everest. Despite the punishing terrain, the experience of letting loose on the muddy and uphill terrain of Baan Pang was a pleasant experience due to the bodyon-frame design, assuring

it’s the Everest smart features and driver assists technologies that help it to stand apart from the usual SUV crowd, giving drivers confidence in any situation. This latest version demonstrates our commitment to meeting and exceeding customer expectations, and is an important contribution to our product footprint here in Asia Pacific,” Worthington says.

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TATUM ANCHETA EDITOR

BING PAREL

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

BERNADETTE LUNAS WRITER

life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

ST Y L E & BE AU T Y

LIFE

IT’S IN THE BAG!

As with shoes, a woman can never have enough bags. Check out which one suits your lifestyle.

TEXT AND STYLING BY KAI MAGSANOC STUDIO PHOTOGRAPHY BY SONNY ESPIRITU

T

he bag is not only a necessity in the modern woman’s wardrobe; it is also an important fashion accessory. The bag is also a form of self-expression and culture.

Have you ever looked at a bag and it reminded you of someone you know? Have you ever seen your friend carrying a bag and found yourself exclaiming, “That’s so you!”?

That’s what we mean: a bag – like anything else we attach to our bodies – can reflect our personality.

It can also help us in our everyday lives, taking us from day to night or work to weekend.

DAYTIME BOHEMIAN

If you’re the type who likes to dress in simple basics or monochrome, make a statement with a bold bag that could also be the only accessory you need – unless you want to go super strong and prefer to wear bold earrings or layers of bracelets with it. This cloth carry-all from Om Lifestyle + Café is light, so weight won’t be a problem. It is also big enough to carry a laptop and other gadgets.

Bag and journal from Om Lifestyle + Café, Fox Square, Greenhills; fragrance, eyeshadow palette, and hand lotion from The Body Shop, SM Makati; shades, mirror, and makeup brushes from Forever 21, SM Makati; blush and eyeliner from Avon; bracelets from Sfera

EVENING ENCHANTRESS

Nighttime requires more glitter and glam, and this embellished purse from Sfera does the trick. You have the option to wear it as a shoulder bag (it hides a thin chain strap) in case you need your hands free to hold your drink and cellphone. It doesn’t hold much space for all your makeup except the ones you need for retouching, so make sure you’re all made up before you step out.

Bag and necklace from Sfera, SM Makati; watch from Avon; elephant cuff from Om Lifestyle + Café, Fox Square, Greenhills; Majolica Majorca mascara and Lancome mirror from Beauty by SM, SM Makati; fragrance and lip balm from The Body Shop, SM Makati

WEEKEND WARRIOR

FOR THE WORKING GIRL: A STYLISH TOTE

Bag, scarf, shades, and makeup brushes from Forever 21, SM Makati; eyeshadow palette and fragrance from The Body Shop, SM Makati; Apple iPhone 6 from Globe; mala necklaces, stylist’s own

Bag and scarf from Sfera, SM Makati; shades and makeup brushes from Forever 21, SM Makati; hand lotion and fragrance from The Body Shop, SM Makati; purse from Avon; Samsung Galaxy Note 4 from Globe

It’s nice to go off work mode by changing your gear, and this includes the bag you carry. From a tote, switch to a more compact satchel that can accommodate the things you need for a weekend shopping or out of town trip, like this one from Forever 21.

This is perfect for the woman who makes sure her gadgets are complete, and loves to carry toiletries and makeup to make sure she stays fresh for the family selfie.

The modern working woman makes sure she not only does her job excellently, but that she looks flawless, too. The bag that carries her work must-haves does not need to look too serious, either (read: it doesn’t always have to be black). This leatherette tote from Sfera has space for a laptop or work files. Add in a bag organizer and you can be sure you’ve got everything you need to get the job done.

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

HOUSE OF HEIRLOOM THE BUSY QUEEN P

BY PAULYNE FERMIN

Wearable Works of Art

THE BQP’S TOP PICKS

Y

ou cannot miss Tan Arellano-Vitug’s creations.

Her one-of-a-kind accessories under the brand House of Heirloom are unapologetically bold but understated, visually arresting yet classic and very, very limited.

“It was quite a long journey getting to where I am now as a designer,” shares Tan. “I studied nursing, passed both the Philippines and US board exams but did not pursue that as a career. Then I joined the corporate world for a few years but something was amiss. That’s when I decided to try my hand at making fashion accessories.

With a former officemate, I put up Andie and Chelsea.

The brand carried our daughters’ names which some say is good for business. Then I decided to go solo and put up Spotted – which was a short-lived venture. House of Heirloom is the final rebirth of my label.”

I really can’t hide my excitement about this brand! My first purchase was a necklace made of multiple layers of winecolored resin chains. Every time I wear it, people would always compliment me and ask where I bought it. I like the fact that a singular piece of accessory not only enhances my outfit but completes it as well. In addition, I appreciate that everything is 100 percent handmade. The uniformly cut cured leather fringes, the tassels, the pompoms – all of them are painstakingly done by hand. The best part is that Tan’s price range is very reasonable. Truly, there’s nothing not to love about this label! Even the snooty sounding aristocratic Spanish names that she christens her masterpieces with make her designs more appealing and desirable.

The bestseller CLEOPATRA bib is an ode to the beauteous Egyptian queen.

This fabric fringe necklace comes in a variety of colors. Due to client demands, it is one of the few designs that are reproduced, albeit sparingly, every other season.

HER HOUSE, HER RULES

Looking at the House of Heirloom Instagram account where the designer posts her wares, it’s noticeable that the she is a stickler to her design aesthetics. “I love my clients.

Some have been ordering from me for years already.

Once in a while though, I would get requests that I have to politely decline – like that time when a woman asked if I could make a pink and purple necklace. In order to keep my brand’s identity, I have to stay true to my look.”

Willingly chained. My first heirloom piece is the PETROLINA multi-chain necklace in red.

Designer and entrepreneur Tan Arellano-Vitug wearing her taupe AURORA scarf necklace made from jersey fabric.

INSPIRED BLUEPRINTS

Tan reveals that she finds inspiration in anything and everything. The artist in her sees the possibilities in the most mundane things. “Once, I was in the hardware store and I saw these little wooden hoops. Immediately, I knew that I could make bracelets and pendants from those. I also find inspiration from places I’ve visited and from books and magazines I’ve read. The process certainly cannot be hurried. I use mood boards to concretize my thoughts, make rough sketches and translate my drawings to mock-ups. Sometimes, it works. Other times, it doesn’t. My first customer is myself. When I create something, I always ask myself – Is this something I would buy and wear?”

BARAN tassel bracelets in ecru, navy blue and rust.

The ALEGRA leather fringe necklace is another sought-after piece.

To purchase the latest heirloom collections, visit House of Heirloom on Facebook and Instagram or call 0917807-8747.

With a pocketful of glitter,

Left: Born from a hardware find. The SANDRINE necklaces are made from fabric-wrapped bangles used as pendants. Gold wire details are used to give the pieces a polished finish. Right: The CANSECO 2 layer necklace is made of white semiprecious beads with cross pendant.

Follow me on Twitter, IG and Facebook.

Visit www.thebusyqueenp.com for more interesting reads!

Must have! The CAMILLA loop cord bib in gold.

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

THE SCIENCE, SEASON AND SWIPE-RIGHT POTENTIAL OF SCRUFF Not enough hair growth for a beard

THE GIST

BY ED BIADO Let’s just get one thing out of the way: I, like many other Asian men, cannot grow a beard (or actually even grow any hair between my chin and sideburns) and that frustrates me. I want to know how I’ll look with scruff – if I’ll be more attractive or appear like a complete and total douche. It’s just hair anyway and if I don’t like it, I can always shave it off.

Making things worse for me is finding out that beardedness is seen as a positive attribute by both men and women.

Full beard

Heavy stubble

This is according to research by the University of New South Wales published in Evolution & Human Behavior in 2013. Their findings show that: • The heavy stubble is the most attractive amount of facial hair to women. Heavy beards, light stubble and clean-shaven mugs, not so much.

• The heavy stubble and full beard are equally rated most attractive by men. The other two are considered less attractive.

• Both genders believe that a full beard is a sign of superior parenting ability and health.

• Perception of masculinity is thought to increase as facial hair increases, “and this effect was more pronounced in women in the fertile phase of the menstrual cycle.”

Tinder and Gillette disagree. A study that the two brands conducted earlier this year reveals that guys who “cleaned up” received 74 percent of right swipes. “Well groomed guys” had a 37-percent higher match rate than “guys with scruff.”

When bearded

men shave, the study says, “they get a 19 percent lift in right swipes.” But perhaps the most notable statistic they found is the one claiming that “nine in 10 women agree that well-groomed men are more attractive.”

Two separate studies, lots of opposing opinions. Could these differences be due to the influence of seasonal trends? Another paper, this time at Biology Letters in 2014, suggests that the attractiveness of the amount of facial hair on someone is judged based on rarity – as in, if you’re the only bearded guy in a room full of clean-shaven bros, then you’re easily perceived as more attractive than most.

The researchers wrote, “Women and men judged heavy stubble and full beards more attractive when presented in treatments where beards were rare than when they were common, with intermediate preferences when intermediate frequencies of beardedness were presented. Likewise, clean-shaven faces were least attractive when cleanshaven faces were most common and more attractive when rare.”

How about you, what’s your stand on beards?

Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @EdBiado

Light stubble

‘Made in Marikina’ labels go global

T

he Marikina City government collaborated with leading courier company LBC (Luzon Brokerage Corporation) Express-Lubrocor Commerce Corporation to launch marikinashoes.theshop. ph, the exclusive online store for Marikina-made leatherskinned shoes.

Featured in the exclusive online shoe shop are wellknown local brands that include Valentino, Gibson Shoes, Check Point, Fontelle, Medz Shoes,

Valentino, Pads Shuz, Ellen & Mae, Alicia and A-fit-tizer whose products were also showcased during the exhibit that accompanied the formal launch.

According to Marikina Mayor Del de Guzman, the online shop will give the local brands an opportunity to be known worldwide. Marikina is known as the “shoe capital of the Philippines,” and thanks to modern technology particularly the Internet, the industry that has provided livelihood to residents for decades will receive a big boost.

Also gracing the event were Footwear and Leathercraft Industry chairman and Councilor Mario de Leon, and LBC-

LCC Chief Operating Officer Philips Yu. Owners and managers of the city’s shoe companies and key personalities in the local shoe industry were also on hand to showcase their products.

“I believe that an online shop has an average of 100,000 visitors a day and that equals to three million visitors in a month’s time. We hope to have [even] only a small percentage of that with marikinashoes.theshop.ph. Through the use of modern technology, we can introduce and promote the products of our city to distant places especially nowadays when there is tight competition in the global market,” the Marikina mayor said.

The “shoe capital of the Philippines” gets a boost as it goes online with marikinashoes.theshop.ph

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

BESPOKE BARBERSHOPS

I

grew up getting haircuts from our friendly, neighborhood barber. Every two weeks my Dad and I would walk to the barbershop a couple of blocks away from our house to get a regular trim. We would be sitting on adjacent barber chairs, a small wooden stool propped on my seat to add height of course, as I would watch grown men getting their hair styled, having their beard shaved or even getting massage. To this day, as much as I’ve grown to appreciate POP-UP BEAUTY agetting an edgy new hairstyle from swanky salons, there’s

BY JIGS MAYUGA something about getting a haircut from a barbershop that just makes the man I am feel extremely dapper.

With the revival of the pompadour and the rise in popularity of facial hair among men in their twenties and thirties, there has been a demand for barbering not just for straightforward and no-frills haircuts and shaves, but for a more refined approach to the typical services you would find in a regular barbershop.

Bespoke is all about custom-made products and services that appeal to the male market and offer a certain air of luxury. As our economy continues to grow, Filipino men have cultivated a certain taste for the finer things in life, which in turn also translates to a more sophisticated approach to grooming. Here are two gems that can be found in the metro that truly embody this spirit: Felipe & Sons

FELIPE & SONS

Mezzanine A, LPL Mansions, 122 San Agustin Street, Salcedo Village, Makati IG: @felipeandsons Established in 2013 by partners Marco Katigbak, Martin Warner and Paolo Canivel, Felipe & Sons is described as a “barberdashery.”

To quote their website: “Felipe & Sons was borne out of a desire to find an establishment that caters to all the grooming and styling needs of the modern gentlemen. A place where a man could get a proper shave and a clean hair cut,

fit a well tailored suit and a crisp white shirt, and maybe enjoy a glass of fine whiskey, or if too early, a cup of freshly brewed coffee. A place where a man can relax as a man.”

And that’s exactly how I felt as I entered the shop. An array of grooming, shaving and men’s accessories can be purchased at the reception desk on the ground floor. Pomades from Layrite and popular local brand, Eight Wolves, are also available. On the mezzanine level you can find the haberdashery area where you can get custom suits and other essentials made from a choice of in-house fabrics. They also offer made-toorder bespoke shoes from Sapatero Manila.

The barbering floor is laid out with nine vintage barber chairs sourced from around the world, with a staff of 12 barbers. Haircuts start at an awesome P280. Their special service called “The Felipe,” which is a cut and a shave with a drink (beer or wine), is P590. I opted for their “beard sculpting” service since I had just gotten a trim from days before. The staff looked über cool in their tailored outfits as they went about their business. If you’re looking for a hip place to relax and look your best, then this place is definitely for you.

THE JOHN BARBERS GROOMERS

Somerset Millennium Makati, 104 Aguirre St., Legaspi Village, Makati IG: @johnbarbers For the young professional or the established CEO who is looking for a place to get groomed and pampered in the middle of the central business district, The John Barbers Groomers is the perfect sanctuary to their fast-paced lifestyle.

I noticed the awesome interiors and attention to detail as I walked into the barbershop. What makes John Barbers unique are the small things that matter to a person who just wants to relax while making sure he looks his best. There are

six custom barber chairs, each with its own electric outlets, USB chargers, shampoo bowl and a mirror with a built-in TV for each client.

If you’d like to feel refreshed before heading for a night out or evening meeting, they also have a nap room, a shower room as well as steaming and pressing services for suits. As managing partner George Salud (businessman and owner of men’s retail stores Tie Line and Merger) describes, “John Barbers is for the man who wants to take his time to be relaxed and get pampered.” I had a shave, treatment, massage, facial and a foot spa and I have to say I felt like a million bucks after spending a couple of hours at John Barbers.

Pretty soon they will be offering custom, bespoke suits and shirts from tailors in Hong Kong. Measurements are to be taken at the shop, styled to the customer’s liking and the suits are flown in to Manila two weeks from the date they are ordered. Hair products from men’s grooming brands such as Suavecito and Teddy Boy are also available for purchase. Truly a luxurious experience in men’s grooming with reasonable prices as haircuts start at P280 and a beard/mustache trim is only P200.

Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @jigsmayuga

LIPS UNSEALED¼

SM Beauty Celebrates International Lipstick Day

T

here’s nothing like a bold, red lipstick to make a woman feel confident, and this is what SM Beauty wants to convey to all ladies out there when it celebrated International Lipstick Day recently.

SM Beauty issued the “Lip Art Challenge,” encouraging women to pucker up and be creative in painting their lips with the hundreds of lip care products – from lip balms to liners to glosses – available at the SM Beauty Store.

Top brands like Shiseido, L’Oreal, Revlon, Maxfactor, NYX, Maybelline, Ever Bilena, BYS and others offered lip makeup services and gave discounts of up to 50 percent. Other special promotions will

run until August 26. SM Makati shoppers can also get the latest trends in lip color from luxury brands like Dior, MAC, Clinique and Shu Uemura.

You want to achieve that famous Angelina Jolie pucker? It’s never been easier with SM Beauty, where the journey of finding the best shade that fits any personality, mood or occasion begins.

Whether you’re looking for the most affordable to the most luxurious brands, the boldest red to the subtlest nude lipstick color, So Much beauty is within your reach at SM. Share your Instagram-worthy photos with #SMLipfie, tag @SMBeautyPH and get a chance to win special prizes.

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SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

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Celebrities CHeCk Out Frank MagalOna’s tHe Mind FaCt

O

nly an artist like Axe Black Ambassador Frank Magalona could be creative to come up with a unique concept that brings to life the persona of the Axe Black man.

On July 22 at the Mind Museum, Frank, along with his teammates DJ Tony Toni , Celebrity and Events connoisseur Raymond Gutierrez, artist Dean Africa and events expert Cecille de Dios, showed the subtlety and finese of the understated Axe Man through the pop-up bar The Mind Fact.

The second in a series of Axe Black pop-up bars, Frank transformed the Mind Museum into his interpretation of what it means to be understated and refined. Highlighting science, art and music, The Mind Fact showed that a man is made up of different elements and interests. “There’s more to a man than meets the eye, and Axe Black pop up bar took a deeper look at the artist inside,” said Axe Black Man Frank.

Upon entering the venue, guests were given a single marble used to activate the Rube Goldberg Machine – an interesting contraption that allowed guests to experience the fragrance of Axe Black. As the marble passed through the machine, small mechanisms slowly activated each other in a chain reaction that triggered the unveiling of the light and refined Axe Black fragrance.

Combining jazz horns and modern beats performed by the Buwan Buwan Collective, complex equations written in glass panels, and his signature Kolorproof drink at the AXEperiment pop up bar, Frank showed everyone what Less Effort, More Style meant.

Guests also kept themselves amused by visiting Frank’s ParallAXE selfie-prism booth, a new take on the conventional photowall, and the InterAXE station where they learned about the light and refined fragrance of Axe Black by creating their own beats.

Support Frank Magalona’s pop-up bar by using the hashtag #AxeBlackFrank on social media. Log on to www. axephilippines.com to learn more about the Axe Black pop up bar series.

Rupert Friend is Agent 47

The man of the hour Frank Magalona by his bar that served his signature drink called Koloproof

Model and TV host Phoemela Barranda

Frank's Rube Goldberg Machine

Elmo Magalona

Sisters Saab Magalona Bacarro and Maxene Magalona

Pia Magalona

Unilever head of PR Apples Aberin

‘Hitman: agent 47’ new trailer

H

is name is 47. Based on the highly successful game, the film Hitman: Agent 47 has just released its second trailer. The film stars Rupert Friend, Zachary Quinto, Hannah Ware, and Thomas Kretschman. Aleksander Bach directed the film.

A standalone film, the latest breed of new superhuman rises in Hitman: Agent 47. Friend takes on the titular role as an elite assassin genetically engineered to be the perfect killing machine. He is known only by the last two digits on the barcode tattooed on the back of his neck. Bred as superhuman, which makes Agent 47 an object of obsession for organizations who want to extract his genetic core to control the world, the

stylish superhuman sets out to bring down the group behind the mayhem he’s dragged into.

Agent 47 is relentlessly pursuing his creator so they can discontinue the program that’s starting to wreak havoc, “He’s actually a clone, a gun for hire, he kills people for money,” says Friend of his role as Agent 47. “I was intrigued by the idea of someone who’s had their emotions genetically removed” Hitman: Agent 47 opens on Aug. 19 nationwide from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

Watch the film’s second trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=Nev_uxrW9B0&index=2&list=PL cZs6n5iZPx9Ma6rUxxGMHGGIiI0r4NSG

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SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

...aRE TaLKinG abOUT

PeOPle

JaDine

JaDinE

Excitement is building up as James Reid and Nandine Lustre diehard fans show their support to their idols.

Just a few days after the release of On the Wings of Love trailer, it already has become one of the most talked about topics on social media and video sharing sites. The anticipation on the series reminds us of another Kapamilya drama that made headlines even before it hit primetime. Let’s see if they can sustain this fever.

...aRE nOT TaLKinG abOUT Daniel Padilla

ThE VOiCE KiDS

Coach Bamboo

Gab Valenciano

The reality-singing search is on its second stage of competition called “The Battle Round.” It is refreshing to see that the judges now choose the kids who are superior on vocals and stage presence rather than picking someone who had a better story sell. This move shows that the judges can still regain their credibility, which we thought had vanished after the end of the first season.

Gab VaLEnCianO

His viral Super Selfie series on YouTube has garnered over 12 million views and has been picked up by international media like People Magazine and Huffington Post. This media exposure inspired Beyoncé to use his choreography in the 7/11-music video. Now, everything is paying off, Gab is cited in Beyoncé’s nomination for Best Choreography at MTV VMAs 2015. Look what happens when someone tries to be original.

DaniEL PaDiLLa

The young actor defended himself for using vape, the popular alternative for people who are trying to quit smoking but are not prepared to let go of the habit. What happened was, Daniel was photographed with smoke coming out from his mouth while taping for Pangako Sa ‘Yo. People were quick to say that he was smoking cigarette. Although he’s old enough to do whatever he pleases, he must also consider the young people that look up to him. He could have done it secretly because vape, just like cigarettes, has a number of side effects.

KRiS aqUinO Kris Aquino

Piolo Pascual

Is she popular? No doubt. Influential?

Most definitely. The most beautiful star?

Well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

However, if we are to ask a popular showbiz magazine, Kris is now the standard of beauty as they named the television actress and host this year’s Most Beautiful Star. For sure, whatever criteria they used in choosing Kris were definitely not the same standards most people use when they measure physical beauty.

PiOLO PaSCUaL

The 38-year-old actor almost walked out on ASAP stage when teen star Liza Soberano addressed him “Tito Piolo.” Although the latter was apologetic, it didn’t sit well with the ace star.

He even said, “Huwag mo nang uulitin yun.” Obviously, Piolo is not ready to embrace his getting old. But mind you, reality bites, Papa P.

Culinary journey with Korean Chef edward Kwon

n

ext month, CNN Culinary Journeys features Korean chef Edward Kwon, who has spent most of his career moving through high-end-hotel kitchens. Kwon has settled down in Seoul, South Korea, where he has launched an arsenal of restaurants in an attempt to expose his country to a variety of different cuisines. Yet his main mission still remains to globalize Korean cuisine.

Kwon’s journey takes him south, down to the UNESCO City of Gastronomy, Jeonju. Here, Chef Kwon explores how the ten flavors of Jeonju have shaped one of Korea’s most famous dishes, Bibimbap.

While on his journey, Kwon meets Chef Yu Inja from restaurant Goong, with a hands-on lesson to see how a simple combination of ingredients won over the palates of Korea and could win over the rest of the world.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE 39 40 41 43 44 45 46 47 48 51 52 53 56 57

ANSWER FOR PREVIOUS PUZZLE ACROSS 1 Meditative martial art (2 wds.)

7 Sinbad’s transport 10 Weigh, as evidence 14 “Venus” singer 15 Ostrich cousin 16 Comics pooch 17 Thin layer 18 Four qts.

19 Descartes or Coty 20 Hobo’s need (2 wds.)

23 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 37 38

Leans against Meadow murmur Domineering Outlaws Bond Common query Pacino and Hirt Happy sighs Approval Weathervane dir.

“He Got Game” director

58 62 63 64 65 66 67

Byron work Seat on the aisle Gives refuge Natural — That vessel Half of “deux” Wabash loc.

Minute opening Keeps away from Turkish honorific Complete range Glass, for one Linear measure Thurman of “The Golden Bowl” Soothes Edit out Sardine holder Doubles, in a way Got a load of RR terminal Cruel king

DOWN 1 Hebrew T 2 Forum hello 3 Mr. Fleming 4 Fissures 5 Cultivators 6 As to (2 wds.)

7 Jamaican music 8 Plains tribe 9 Extremist sect

Culinary Journeys is a series of monthly half-hour shows on CNN International, which feature world-renowned chefs on a journey to explore the cuisine of one of the world’s food hotspots. In each episode, the cookery travelogue sees a chef leaves the bustle of their own kitchen to discover a culinary experience in another country Culinary Journeys air on CNN International on Aug. 7 at 11:30 p.m. with replays until Aug. 12.

FRIDAY, JULY 31, 2015

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Woes Game plans End Really small Wading birds Steak orders (hyph.)

Embarrass Hobby shop wood Auto-racing family That place Surfer slang Maria Conchita — Fine brandy — salts (old remedy) Hindu statesman Twitter output Clustered together Mexican lizard Seldom-used room Catty Nectar, finally Cry of defeat Usher in “Good —, Miss Molly” Acorns, e.g.

Savoir-faire Collection of tales Urge Mach 2 flier

Korean chef Edward Kwon on CNN Culinary Journeys

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SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

gMA news’ sonA 2015 CoveRAge ToPs RATings

T

Mel Tiango

Mike Enriquez

From C8

he coverage of GMA News and Public Affairs of President Benigno S. Aquino’s State of the Nation Address last Monday topped the ratings race among networks.

In the July 27 overnight data from Nielsen TV Audience Measurement, it showed more viewers nationwide, particularly in the viewer-rich areas of Urban Luzon and Mega Manila, watched the GMA News’ SONA 2015 special coverage anchored by Mel Tiangco and Mike Enriquez.

In the National Urban Television Audience Measurement (NUTAM), the GMA News coverage posted an average people share of 37.1 percent, leading a slim margin over ABSCBN, which managed a 36.2 percent.

GMA News’ SONA 2015 was the top choice in Urban Luzon with an average people share of 42.9 percent against the 29.7 percent of ABSCBN. In its bailiwick Mega Manila, GMA’s special coverage recorded an even bigger margin over competition after it tallied 44.7 percent compared to ABS-CBN’s 25.8 percent.

Netizens also lauded GMA News’ efforts online. They were also able to catch the latest on the President’s SONA through GMA News Online’s special microsite, www.gmanews.tv/ sona2015. The site’s liveblog and livestream pages became the top destination for people online and on the go.

It also highlighted unique content featuring data journalism and insights on the President’s last five years in office.

GMA News also engaged social media users who follow its accounts

on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Viber, YouTube and FireChat.

HHHHH CAndy PAngilinAn is lolA RAPPeR She wowed the Eat Bulaga Dabarkads when she showed her rapping talent in the program’s “Juan For All, All For Juan” segment, which then led to a number of guest appearances.

Lola Priscilla Renala, more popularly known as Lola Rap, has a wonderful love story to share and viewers get to witness it in this Saturday’s episode of Wagas.

Lola Rapper recalls being raised as a “dalagang Pilipina,” yet, even if she had strict parents, she had had a number of suitors. Only one man managed to win her heart though, and it’s her childhood friend Isidro.

Both grew up in the province where their love story began. Even if Lola Priscilla had to stay in the farm and plant all day, she remained cheerful and sang the way one recites a poem—qualities that Isidro found adorable. Isidro chopped wood for Priscilla, helped her with the household chores, and sang to her at night.

Living at a time where everyone was conservative, it was an accidental hug from Isidro that forced Lola Rapper to wed him. Both their parents asked for their immediate wedding.

Lola Rapper and Isidro raised a family facing and overcoming challenges along the way.

Candy Pangilinan and John Feir play Lola Rapper and Isidro respectively in Wagas, 7 p.m. Saturday on GMA News TV.

John Feir as Isidro

Candy Pangilinan as Lola Rapper

‘Ride N’ Seek’ pRemieReS oN HiStoRy

A American biker chic, Jaime Dempsey, takes on unique activities as she immerses herself in the different spots of the Philippines in the motorcycle travel documentary: Ride N Seek.

China’s Longest War takes on a narrative approach with host, Oxford Historian, Rana Mitter traveling across China to learn about the war from surviving veterans, hidden archives, and family members of those who were part of it

ugust spells adventure as the motorcycle travel documentary Ride N’ Seek premieres on HISTORY, with epic trips by host Jaime Dempsey in the Philippines.

Beginning Aug. 24 at 10 p.m., join the American biker chick from California as she sets out on an epic sojourn across the country in this one-of-a-kind travel show. Rediscover the hidden gems of the country as Jaime sets foot on jungles, mountains, volcanoes, and beaches all the while meeting the ever-fascinating Filipino folks who give her a taste of local culture. Be one in the thrill as Jaime also takes on unique activities in each location as she fully immerses herself in the different spots of the Philippines.

Also premiering this August is China’s Longest War, a series that sheds new light on China’s contribution to the Second World War. While the world was focused on the battles between the Axis Powers and the Allied Forces, another important war was waging in the East: Japan’s invasion of China.

Taking place years before the Nazis invaded Poland, the Sino-Japanese War became the largest Asian war of the 20th century that claimed 14 million Chinese lives.

Hosted by Oxford historian Rana Mitter, China’s Longest War takes on a narrative approach with Mitter traveling across China to learn about the war from surviving veterans, hidden archives, and family members of those who were part of it. The two-part local production series kicks off August 26 at 11PM. History also commemorates the legacy of former Philippine Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, Jr. with the Ninoy Aquino Day Special on Aug. 21. The assassination of the celebrated Filipino politician started a series of monumental events in Philippine history from the fall of a dictator to the election of the country’s first woman president. Learn about these events and revisit an integral part of the Philippine story with the specials The Assassination of Benigno Aquino, Jr., Cory Aquino: The Housewife

Who Led A Revolution, and Marcos: The Downfall of a Dictator. 10 a.m. on Aug. 21.

History also joins Filipinos’ celebration of National Heroes Day on Aug. 31 with local production shows that highlight the courage of modern heroes and the culture of Manila and its people. Beginning at 10a.m,, get to know some of the Philippines’ toughest soldiers in Special Forces – Philippine Marine Force Recon and find out how this small, elite team prepares and combats insurgency with intelligence gathering, counter-terrorism, and unconventional warfare.

Also see some of the country’s most famous cities in a whole new light as Hidden Cities Extreme features Manila and Cebu with host Simon Yin exploring each city’s extraordinary spots and engaging in local activities. Finally, witness how the country’s deep Catholic faith resonates in stories of inspiration and miracles in My Miracle.

Don’t miss the entertainment and learning-packed journeys and stories this month on History.

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ISAH V. RED EDITOR isahred @ gmail.com

SHOWBITZ

The members of Star Magic Angels

Star Magic angelS launched Myrtle Sarrosa

Karen Reyes

Hanna Ladesma

Jed Montero

ISAH V. RED Celebrating 23 magical years in the industry, Star Magic launches a new batch of artists. They will be known from now on as Star Magic Angels. And they are: FranceSca FlOirendO, THE ARTIST The 20-year-old Fine Arts and Interior Design graduate at Ateneo de Manila University is a passionate lady who strives to make her dreams come true. She is deeply in love with fashion, thanks to the influence of her relatives Gloria Diaz, Isabelle Daza, and Georgina Wilson. When she joined reality contest “I Am Meg” and beauty pageant Miss Manila 2015, she knew she was one step closer to her dream of becoming a star.

lOren BurgOS, ONE OF THE BOYS Born in the Philippines but raised in the US, she joined the police academy when she was still in high school. The former beauty queen, who considers herself ‘one of the boys,’ has a great sense of humor, which she inherited from her family. A former student at California University Northridge, she would like to pursue acting full-time.

Loren Burgos

Francesca Floirendo

SheY BuStaMante, THE SONGWRITER When she entered the Pinoy Big Brother House, viewers would always see her playing the guitar or writing songs. She does not know from whom she inherited the talent for music. Early memories bring her back to grade school. In writing the three songs, she realized good songs must have good lyrics that people can relate to. For Shey, it’s the words that touch her rather than the melody.

Yana aSiStiO, THE CHEF Showbiz runs in her blood being a daughter of actress Nadia Montenegro. If given the chance, she would like to try acting in romcom films with John Lloyd Cruz, Piolo Pascual, and Gerald Anderson as her leading men. Yana wants to be a singer, too. Yana is currently a Culinary Arts student focusing on in Italian cuisine.

aiKO cliMacO, THE DANCER She auditioned to be a Pinoy Big Brother housemate but fate led her to a different path and she became one of the star dancers in Wowowee. With numerous appearances on variety shows and television series, Aiko considers being part of the gag show Banana Split her biggest break to date.

Aiko Climaco

Yana Asistio

Shey Bustamante

➜ continued on c7

MYrtle SarrOSa, THE PLAYFUL GIRL Dubbed as the “Cosplay Cutie ng Iloilo,” she rose to prominence after emerging as the Big Winner in Pinoy Big Brother: Teen Edition 4.. Currently, taking a Broadcast Communication stident at the University of the Philippines Diliman, education is her top priority..

Karen reYeS, THE JOLOGS Former Pinoy Big Brother housemate, she became known as the “Hagikgik Chic ng Mindoro.” Her bubbly personality won the audience’s hearts that landed her in “PBB Teen Edition’s” Big 4. Initially, Karen admitted she felt intimidated because she considered herself “jologs.”

hanna ledeSMa, THE GO-GETTER Who could forget Contestant # 5 in Bb. Pilipinas 2014? Former Miss Mandaluyong, Hannah used to work in IT but gave it up as she has decided to pursue a career in showbiz. Versatility is what she always looks for in every artist— that’s why her favorite actors include Benedict Cumberbatch, Johnny Depp, and Meryl Streep.

Jed MOnterO, THE ATHLETE She has the gift of gab and worked as a host for Bingo Million, Shakey’s V-League, and Philippine Super Liga. When asked to hos the then noontime-show Wowowee, she did not hesitate. Jed has a competitive side and once part of the University of the Phillipines’ varsity volleyball team. The athlete in Jed also wants to be an action star.

Star Magic gather’s its sexiest females stars and they are known collectively as Star Magic Angels.

Can their career zoom up high as angels without wings?