The Standard - 2015 August 05 - Wednesday by Manila Standard

VOL. XXIX  NO. 176  3 Sections 32 Pages P18  WEDNESDAY : AUGUST 5, 2015  www.thestandard.com.ph  editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Aquino did not heed my advice, Binay says

NPC: POE WILL RUN Party president says proclamation will happen next month By Maricel V. Cruz and Macon Ramos-Araneta

THE leader of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) on Tuesday said Senator Grace Poe was sure to run for president in 2016 with Senator Francis Escudero as her running mate, and with the support of the second largest political party in the country.

“I’ve been told that proclamations will be made by Septemeber,” said NPC president and House deputy speaker Giorgidi Agabbao, adding that Poe and Escudero were expected to meet with NPC officials to thresh out details of the alliance. Aggabao played down reports that Poe is still undecided and that

she might slide down to run as the running mate of Liberal Party (LP)’s presidential bet, Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II. “From what I gathered, Senator Poe has fixed her mind on running for president. I also gathered that that is immutable,” Aggabao said. Aggabao said the NPC is all set

to support a Poe-Escudero tandem; and that the party is just waiting for the two to formally declare their candidacies. “What I can tell you now is that the NPC has made a decision on who to support. Now, whether that decision is final or not would depend on Next page

Time to sing. President Benigno Aquino III, Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II, and Justice Secretary Leila de Lima break into song during a gathering of Liberal Party leaders supporting Roxas’ candidacy for President at the Gloria Maris Restaurant in Greenhills, San Juan, on Tuesday. (Story on A5) LINO SANTOS

Tacloban trader put down by PNoy dead at 42 By Ronald O. Reyes TACLOBAN CITY--The businessman to whom President Benigno Aquino III famously said: “You’re still alive, aren’t you?” in the aftermath of super typhoon Yolanda died of a heart attack

last month. Kenneth Uy, who went the extra mile to help Tacloban recover from the killer storm two years ago, was dead at 42. “While I am glad that you are now in a better place, I weep for your sudden passing and the great memories that we

were sure to have made but will not,” said Tecson John S. Lim, former city administrator, on his social media account. Locals and storm survivors remember Uy, the director of the local Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce, as the business-

man who complained to the President of lawlessness and looting in Tacloban the aftermath of Yolanda. “You’re still alive, aren’t you?” the President replied in that tense meeting with storm survivors in Tacloban two years ago.

Erased footage cuts Wang quiz short

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Atienza offers to run as Binay’s Veep bet BUHAY party-list Rep. Lito Atienza on Tuesday said he was willing to run as Vice President Jejomar Binay’s running mate in the 2016 presidential elections, even though no formal invitation has been made to him. “I am open to the possibility to run for vice president with Vice President Binay as the presidential bet,” Atienza told reporters when asked about running for higher office next year. But Atienza admitted he and

Binay have not discussed the matter as they have yet to file their certificates of candidacy. “We never discussed that, but if there is a formal invitation for me to be his running mate, I am willing to accept the challenge,”

Atienza said. At the same time, Atienza said he will not seek a senatorial seat despite public perception that he is getting ready for a run. “I am not running for the Senate,” he said. Earlier, reports said Binay was considering detained Sen. Jinggoy Estrada as his running mate. House deputy minority

leader and 1-BAP party-list Rep. Silvestre Bello III said he believed Binay still had the “overwhelming” support of the Filipino people despite the corruption allegations hurled against him. “The allegations of corruption against the Vice President have never been proven; those are unfounded allegations,” Bello said. –

Maricel V. Cruz

Ambush interview. Reporters ask United Nationalist Alliance interim president Rep. Toby Tiangco to comment on Binay’s speech on Monday slamming President Benigno Aquino III’s last State-of-the-Nation Address last week. MARICEL CRUZ

NPC

From A1... whether the candidates we would be supporting have made that important operative fact, which is to declare that they are running for president and vice president,” Aggabao said. “I would tell you that the NPC, informally anyway, will be supporting the presidential aspirations of Senator Grace Poe and Senator Chiz Escudero for vice president,” he added. Aggabao said the NPC would be willing to adopt Poe and Es-

cudero as the party’s presidential and vice presidential candidates should they decide to run as independents. “Our position in this is that we will support them, we will use the entire apparatus, the infrastructure of the party to advance the candidacies of both,” he said. He added that the consensus among NPC members was to support the Poe-Escudero tandem, although they have yet to formalize the decision in a political convention. “I think nearly all, if not all of the NPC members, are supportive

of a Poe-Escudero candidacy,” he said. Aggabao said this would signal a falling out with the Liberal Party, with which the NPC is allied. “We still do consider ourselves as part of the coalition, we are fully supportive of the administration, particularly in the legislative fate of important matters like the budget and the BBL... But perhaps at a later time when we have our own candidates to support, there probably would be a falling out in our coalition but only with respect to our candidacies,” he said. Escudero on Tuesday said he

Tacloban From A1... Before his death from a heart attack on July 15, Uy was seen as a “big brother, a Santa Claus, and a humanitarian.” “He never left Tacloban in the aftermath of Yolanda. He gave hope to everyone and helped rebuild the city,” said Vicky Arnaiz, project coordinator of the chamber and a board secretary of the Philippine Red Cross-Leyte chapter. The chamber was at the forefront of building classrooms and providing health and livelihood support in the city and in nearby towns before and after Yolanda. Fellow businessmen remember Uy for reopening his hotel and grocery store a week after the storm to meet he needs of local residents, even amid looting that occurred in those days. “I was saddened by the death of Big Boss Daddy Kenneth Uy, our very own Daddy in Tacloban…You will surely be missed,” posted another local, Arlene Gabon. “I wasn’t able to personally thank you for accommodating my parents in Asia Stars Hotel during the storm, the basketball clinic of my son, the numerous takeouts in Cindy’s, our basketball games LNU vs. Sacred Heart way back were all legendary games. “You were the public servant who wasn’t a politician though very much ready to extend a helping hand and produce some of the most unforgettable moments in the city of Tacloban,” said Roy Manuel Espina online. “You are a true definition of the true spirit of how it is like to be a Waraynon. Resilient. Wacky amidst the challenges. Classy not bossy. A born leader. You left the city with a wonderful memory,” he added. In the House, two opposition lawmakers called for the joint congressional oversight committee on public expenditures to convene and provide stricter scrutiny over the Aquino administration’s use of funds appropriated for Yolanda rehabilitation and reconstruction. Abakada party-list Rep. Jonathan de la Cruz, a member of the independent minority bloc, said the Aquino government should be able to account for every centavo of the funds and donations that had been allotted and given to rebuild and rehabilitate the calamity-stricken cities such as Tacloban. Kabataan party-list Rep. Terry Ridon also voiced concern over the slow release of funds for Yolanda rehabilitation, as affirmed by former presidential adviser on rehabilitation and recovery Panfilo Lacson. “It’s not only Senator Lacson who’s sounding the alarm. Even the United Nations, through the UN special rapporteur Chaloka Beyani, has taken notice of the snail-paced rebuilding and rehabilitation efforts in Yolanda-stricken areas. There is an immediate need for Congress to review how the Department of Budget and Management and our national government agencies are handling the rehabilitation funds,” Ridon said. – With

Maricel V. Cruz and Macon Ramos-Araneta

and Poe would never contest the same position. “Senator Poe and I will never slug it out with each other for whatever position,” Escudero said in an interview with reporters. In response to a question, Escudero also said he had no intention of running against Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II, the Liberal Party’s standard bearer in the 2016 presidential elections. Escudero also declined to comment on Poe’s intentions to run for the presidency, saying it was her decision and that he would

not preempt her. President Benigno Aquino III has said he is still hoping they can convince Poe to run for vice president as Roxas’ running mate. But Poe said she has not received any direct invitation from the Liberal party to run with Roxas. “They have been telling this to the media,” she said. She also recalled telling the President during their meetings that she will remain an independent candidate. She also said she has had no formal talks with the NPC.

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China-Asean spat escalates CHINA was on a diplomatic collision course with some of its neighbors and the United States over its controversial islandbuilding as regional security talks opened Tuesday in Kuala Lumpur.

Failure of government. Former rehabilitation czar Panfilo Lacson told a forum at the Pamantasan ng Lunsod ng

Maynila on Tuesday that the government failed to complete the release of funds to rehabilitate the areas devastated by super typhoon “Yolanda” in 2013. Danny Pata

Binay: Aquino never listened to my advice VICE President Jejomar Binay on Tuesday said President Benigno Aquino III accorded him respect when he was a member of the Cabinet, but claimed that Aquino ignored all his suggestions, recommendations and comments. Binay, who also took a swipe at Senator Antonio Trillanes IV for lawyering without being a lawyer and for trying to be an economist without understanding economics. “There were memorandums submitted to Aquino similar to the recommendations to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, but those were ignored,” Binay said. He made his statement even as Senate Majority

Leader Alan Peter Cayetano said Binay should have come out first with his true Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net worth before talking bout the True State of the Nation on Monday. Reacting to Binay’s “True State-of-the-Nation Address” on Monday, Cayetano renewed his call for Binay to explain the alleged discrepancies in his latest statement of net worth. In his 2014 statement of assets Binay declared that he had P38.843 million worth of cash on hand and in the banks. But Cayetano said the evidence showed that Binay had over P600 million worth of cash deposited in several bank accounts jointly owned by him and his dummies. “Up to now he has not pro-

vided a clear-cut explanation regarding his alleged ill-gotten wealth,” Cayetano said. Asked if he and Aquino had talked in private, Binay said they did but that they their talks were always short. “I can count with my fingers on how many occasions we talked to each other,” Binay said in a radio interview. He said that during Aquino’s State-of-the-Nation Addresses, he clapped for Aquino for five years but he clapped only when Aquino was telling the truth. “He clapped for what was right and refused to clap for what he believed was wrong,” Binay spokesman Joey Salgado said. “If it’s wrong I don’t clap, but if it’s right I clap because I am a team player,”

Binay said. “For example, the drama of Secretary Abad,” Binay said referring to last year’s Cabinet meeting when Aquino announced he would not be accepting Budget Secretary Florencio Abad’s resignation in the wake of the Supreme Court decision declaring the Disbursement Acceleration Program unconstitutional. “Secretary Abad, knowing that his resignation would not be accepted by Aquino, tendered his resignation but the President did not accept it. They all clapped except me,” Binay said. “I was a member of the Cabinet but if there was something wrong, I protested.” Vito Barcelo and Macon Ramos-Araneta

Beijing is expanding tiny reefs in the flash-point South China Sea into islands and topping some with military posts to reinforce its claims over the strategic waters, fanning fears of a conflict. Ahead of the gathering hosted by the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations that kicked off on Tuesday in Malaysia, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi signaled no compromise. During a stop in Singapore on Monday, Wang insisted that the issue should not be raised at the talks, and that China would press ahead with its controversial land-reclamation works. “China has never believed that multilateral fora are the appropriate place for discussing specific bilateral disputes,” Wang told reporters before traveling to Malaysia. The attempts to bring the issue up were “counter-productive” and “heighten confrontation,” he warned. However, US and Southeast Asian officials say the hot-button issue will be raised in Malaysia this week. Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario on Tuesday said the United States and the Philippines will raise the issue in Kuala Lumpur and call for a stop to island building work and military deployments that raise tensions in the area. In his opening remarks Tuesday, Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman took a swipe at Beijing’s refusal to address the thorny issue with its neigh-

bors at the talks. “Asean can and should play a vital part in effecting an amicable settlement” on the South China Sea, he told fellow foreign ministers. “Above all, we must be seen to address this issue peacefully and cooperatively. We have made a positive start but we need to do more.” Beijing claims control over nearly all of the strategically important South China Sea, a key shipping route thought to hold rich oil and gas reserves. Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei all ASEAN members also have various claims to the South China Sea, as does Taiwan. Beijing has long insisted that disputes must be handled on a bilateral basis with rival claimants, rather than with a united bloc. Adding to the tensions, a Washington-based think tank said this week Beijing could be preparing to build a second airstrip on an artificial island. China is already building a 3,000-meter runway on Fiery Cross reef, which could ultimately be used for combat operations, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Wang rejected calls by some rival claimants and the United States to suspend the land reclamation. “The freeze proposal may seem even-handed on the surface but it is actually unrealistic and will not work in practice,” he said. aFP, with Vito Barcelo

Typhoon gathers strength before hitting PH TYPHOON “Soudelor” continues to gain strength and is expected to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility Wednesday morning, the weather bureau said Tuesday. The agency said Soudelor had a high chance of intensifying into a super typhoon but would not directly affect the country, although it was expected

to enhance the southwest monsoon and bring rain to the Visayas and Mindanao. Weathermen said the typhoon will be named “Hanna” once it enters the Philippines. It will be the eighth tropical cyclone to enter the country this year and the first in August. The storm was 1,855 kilometers East of Luzon as of 10 am on Tuesday and

continues to move westnorthwest at 20 kph. The typhoon’s maximum sustained winds has increased to 215 kilometers per hour from 210 kph, and its gustiness to 250 kph from 245 kph. A report from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center said Soudelor reached Category 5 hurricane status Monday afternoon

with sustained winds of 178 mph. The report said Soudelor was now the strongest tropical cyclone on Earth since Super Typhoon Hagupit hit in December 2014 and peaked with winds of 180 mph. The typhoon is expected to enter the Philippines today and to leave by Saturday morning. Pna

Forgotten. A Customs official checks out the umbrellas

and baby strollers left by arriving passengers at Terminal 1 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. RuDy C. SantoS

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Trillanes ordered to prove bribery By Rey E. Requejo

Frustrated. Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez (right) stresses a point as he expressed frustration with the expensive closed-circuit

television system of the House of Representatives which proved useless in the probe of bribery claims involving Chinese businessman Wang Bo. Beside Romualdez is Las Pinas Rep. Mark Villar. LINO SANTOS

Erased footage cuts Wang Bo probe short By Maricel V. Cruz THE House committee on good government on Tuesday ended its investigation of the Wang Bo controversy and the alleged bribery in exchange for the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), concluding there was no evidence to support the allegation. “It is with sadness and frustration that the state of our closed-circuit television cameras is not as good as we had hoped for. We don’t have the footage that would have actually proven discharged all members (lawmakers) of (bribery) allegations,” Romualdez told the panel, chaired by Pampanga Rep.

Oscar Rodriguez, said. The committee, upon the motion of 1-BAP party-list Rep. Silvestre Bello III, decided to put a stop to the probe because no evidence was established. Also during the hearing, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, in a letter sent to the committee, said that the team of the National

Bureau of Investigations which also conducted an investigation found no evidence to support the allegations of bribery—both on the part of Immigration officials and lawmakers. “The team did not find any direct or indirect pieces of evidence pointing to payoffs between the party of Bong Wang and any official/ employee of the Bureau of Immigration. Neither did the team find any evidence to substantiate the allegations that Wang Bo financed the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law in the House of Representatives; nor was there any lead found to suggest the monetary contribution from the camp of Bo Wang favoring the Liberal

President’s pay to reach P1M By Macon Ramos-Araneta FROM P120,000 a month, the salary of the President of the Philippine will be increased to P1 million once the proposed Senate Bill 2671, or the Salary Standardization Law 4 (SSL 4), is enacted into law, said Senator Antonio Trillanes lV. Trillanes, chairman of the Senate Committee on Civil Service and Government Reorganization, noted that SSL 4, which is on second reading, will be discourage corruption because of the hefty increases in the salaries of public servants. In the improved salary scale, the base pay of the lowest grade government employee will be increased from the current PHP 9,000 to PHP 16,000. For military and uniformed personnel, base pay will range from PHP 23,200 for a candidate soldier to PHP 550,000 for a fourstar general. Under this measure, he said current base pay schedule will be updated and government structure will be reinvented.

Salary grades will be rearranged with Salary Grade 1 being the entry level and Salary 33, the President, being the highest level. The re-classification of salary grades will be based on the competencies, nature of work, and accountability required of each job, he said. Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph G. Recto, said “serious discussions” on adjusting government pay should go hand in hand with 2016 national budget deliberations. Last week, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad was reported as “hinting” that a round of salary adjustments in the public sector “is possible” before Aquino steps down from office in June next year. He said government pay is governed by a SSL 4. The last and third edition of the SSL was enacted in 2009, and was implemented in four annual tranches which ended in 2012. However, he said one critical aspect is the funding – clear sources of funds must be identified. It is easy to pick a figure. The challenge is to raise the cash to fund the increase,” he said.

Party or any political party for the matter,” de Lima said in her letter. “Further, no iota of evidence was discovered that would give credence to the malicious allegation that Bo Wang’s camp contributed money for the senatorial campaign of the Honorable Secretary of Justice or any official for that matter,” De Lima said, referring to herself. “Nonetheless, few individuals interviewed insisted, without going on record, that money indeed exchanged hands within the Immigration Bureau. Besides according to them, the figures (ranging from a low of P5 million to a high of P10 million) are all hearsay,” de Lima added.

Where is the money?

Senator JV Ejercito questioned the pace of the rehabilitation efforts for areas stricken by Typhoon Yolanda in November 2013. Despite the local and foreign aid that flooded the country shortly after the disaster, the UN reported that the government has done little to improve the victims’ dire straits. MACON ARANETA

THE Court of Appeals summoned Senator Antonio Trillanes IV to explain his claim that two CA magistrates were each paid P25 million to issue an injunction against the Ombudsman’s first preventive suspension of Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay Jr. In a July 28, 2015 order penned by Associate Justice Stephen Cruz, the CA’s Special Fifth Division ordered Trillanes to appear before the court on August 14 at 2 p.m. for the hearing on the contempt petition filed against him by Binay. The appellate court ordered Trillanes to explain why he should not be cited in contempt and penalized over his allegations against CA Associate Justices Jose Reyes Jr. and Francisco Acosta of the former sixth division that issued the temporary restraining order and writ of preliminary injunction. The CA set the case for oral arguments, citing the need to clarify certain issues in the case. “Be that as it may, we believe that there are matters to be clarified, hence, there is a need to set a hearing to allow parties to be heard and for this Court to propound classificatory questions to the parties or their witnesses,” the order stated. The camp of Binay was also required to attend the hearing to present their side and witnesses. Associate Justices Ramon Paul Hernando and Maria Luisa Quijano-Padilla concurred with the ruling. In his 11-page petition last April, Binay specifically asked the appellate court to cite the senator in indirect contempt and impose maximum penalty under the law for such offense. According to him, Trillanes destroyed the integrity and authority of the courts with his accusation that members of the CA’s sixth division were bribed into issuing the temporary restraining order and writ of preliminary injunction.

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PNoy in show of support for Mar By John Paolo Bencito President Benigno Aquino iii showed up at a restaurant in san Juan City on tuesday as the 1,200 members of the Liberal Party gathered in a “show of force” to support the presidential bid of interior and Local Government secretary Manuel roxas ii. rumored LP vice-presidential candidates Camarines Sur representative Leni robredo and Batangas Governor Vilma Santos-recto shared the table with roxas and Aquino. the event, organized by the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines , dubbed as “Ituloy ang Daang Matuwid” gathered both local and national leaders of the Liberal Party and other political allies in an attempt to unify the administration coalition in preparation for the 2016 presidential derby. roxas accompanied the President at the Gloria Maris restaurant in San Juan together with Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, technical education and Skills Development Authority Director-General Joel Villanueva and Budget Secretary

Florencio Abad around noon. During the affair, President Aquino pitched for roxas, saying it was “difficult to sell an obscure product and it is easy to make promises.” “In our five years, we did not do any magic, we persevered in doing what is right and we are benefiting from it today,” Aquino said. roxas then lambasted his political rival, Vice President Jejomar Binay, who on Monday attacked him and the administration in his “true state of the nation address” for their supposed “incompetence and thievery.” “yesterday you saw how others started their machinery. this is just the start and this will intensify,” roxas said. An apologetic roxas addressed the

audience, mostly local and grassroots leaders of the Liberal Party, saying that he was “courting” got their support. “I am said to be aloof, that’s okay, we can smile,” he said. “I am said to be elitist and arrogant. I ask for pardon,” Aquino’s “anointed” one said. He then vowed that “in the coming days you will see the real me,” adding, “my heart is open, clean and sincere and I want us to be together.” “I am courting for your support... We’re not here just because PNoy said, and not just because we belong from the same political party, but because we do have same beliefs,” roxas said. “But because you like me also,” he added as local government officials cheered. Local LP leaders meanwhile made a commitment to support roxas. Albay Governor Joey Salceda, who came along with mayors and councilors of his province, said they are solidly behind roxas in 2016. “It’s time to level up to ensure continuity for the present administration’s gains,” Salceda said. edmond Abesamis, president of the

Liga ng mga Barangay promised “not to leave (roxas) on the straight path.” Mayor Leonardo Javier Jr. of Javier, Leyte, president of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines added that, “as frontliners,” roxas could vouch for the local government executives’ support. He also described the Interior secretary as “hardworking and diligent” and “does not leave any stone unturned.” roxas remains steadfast that his ratings will soon see a rise despite lagging behind in surveys, saying “I will just be myself.” “I’ll just be sincere, be truthful. that’s what I’ve been doing ever since despite the allegations and gossips that aren’t true,” he said. “I’m responsible for myself - what I do, what I say and that’s where I hold my ground firm,” roxas said in an interview over dzMM radio. Although the event was attended by mostly members from the Liberal Party, members from LP’s coalition partners - Nationalist People’s Coalition, the National Unity Party and other proadministration party-lists like Akbayan and yACAP also showed up.

Former Tourism Secretary Gemma Cruz-Araneta,2nd from left, joins the petitioners from the Knights of Rizal while DMCI lawyer Roberto Dio converses with Asst. Solicitor General Vida San Vicente before the resumption of oral arguments on Torre de Manila project at the Supreme Court. Ey AcAsio

Torre de Manila’s defense fortified By Rey E. Requejo ProPerty developer DMCI Project Developers, Inc. has beefed up its legal defense for the construction of the 49-storey torre de Manila, which is considered by critics as photobomb to the sight line of rizal Park, saying that it has secured all the necessary permits to implement the project. During the continuation of the oral arguments tuesday on the petition filed by the Knights of rizal (Kor) seeking to stop the project, DMCI pleaded the SC justices to immediately lift the temporary restraining order (tro) they issued enjoining further construction of the building. Arguing for DMCI, lawyer Victor Lazatin stressed that the company has been incurring losses since the issuance of the tro, which it may not be able to recover. “the construction workers have been out of work since the tro. only a few of them were absorbed in other DMCI projects. other laborers are also affected, mostly paid on a daily basis. No work, no pay. Some materials have also deteriorated. there’s most likely no recovery of the loss since petition has filed injunction,” Lazatin told the high court.

He debunked insinuations that it received special treatment from agencies that issued permits for the project. “Bad faith is a question of fact which must be determined through trial of facts because bad faith never presumed. DMCI has openly applied all approvals for a 49-story building. there is no evidence of special treatment,” DMCI counsel said. Lazatin’s arguments contradicted the position of Solicitor General Florin Hilbay that DMCI’s building permits “are patently invalid.” Lazatin asserted that DMCI did not violate the height permit issued to it considering that it has a maximum allowable height of 66 stories, but availed only of 49 stories. the lawyer urged the SC to reject the arguments of heritage enthusiasts, but to also give equal importance to the rule of law and rule of fairness. “Conservation should also be balanced against other rights of the people, not only due process, equal protection,” Lazatin said. He said the SC should not overlook the fact that DMCI is selling units 20 percent cheaper in order to provide decent housing for citizens.

DMCI also branded as “trick shots” the photos showing the condominium dominating the background of the rizal Monument. Lazatin said taking photographs near the monument belie the photobombing accusation against torre de Manila. “We took photos from the point of view of an average visitor and compared to those in social media. Using a normal camera, it is still possible to show the monument without torre de Manila. rizal monument still towers over,” he added. Lazatin noted that the internationally accepted solution to protect cultural sites was to create a special law designating a buffer zone and not by judicial discretion. He pointed out that the National Historical Commission of the Philippines has not delineated a buffer zone covering the monument. In its position paper submitted to the SC, the DMCI insisted that photobombing issue against the P2.7 billion torre de Manila project has no legal basis in law. It also described Kor’s petition as “high on political drama but short on the facts and the law.”

Govt workers obtain writs vs AFP, PNP for hearing and to decide the case within 30 days after its tHe Supreme Court granted submission,” Atty. te stressed. “the Court noted that the the writs of Amparo and habeas data sought by officers and material allegations of the members of militant labor group petition show that the petitioners Confederation for the Unity, are entitled to the protection of recognition, and Advancement the writs of Amparo and habeas of Government employees data,” he said. In their 41-page petition (Courage). During its en banc session, the filed last July 14, Courage said officers and members SC justices resolved to grant the their relief sought by petitioners who have been “hounded by constant threats, and complained of harassment and surveillance, surveillance by operatives of the harassment from suspected Armed Forces of the Philippines military and police intelligence (AFP) and the Philippine personnel.” Besides writs of Amparo National Police (PNP). In a media briefing, SC and habeas data, the 20 spokesman theodore te revealed petitioners led by rosalinda that the high court also remanded Nartates also sought issuance the case to the Court of Appeals of temporary protection order (tPo) for their protection (CA) for summary hearing. te said the AFP and PNP were and protection also of their also directed to “submit their immediate family. Petitioners told the SC that verified returns to the writs killings have to the Court of Appeals within unexplained 15 days from notice and to continued under the Aquino citing the comment on the petition within administration, statistics of Human rights the same period.” “the Court directed the CA watchdogs showing 238 cases as to immediately set the petition of March 2015.

By Rey E. Requejo

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Smartmatic clinches poll deal P500-m scam in Parañaque Parañaque City Mayor edwin Olivarez on Tuesday warned the public of a swindling syndicate following the arrest of a businesswoman who allegedly used his name and other city government officials in their “double-your-money” investment scheme. Police said the suspect Mary angelaine Martirez, 25-year old and resident of BF resort Village, Talon, Las Pinas City, allegedly duped scores of people of a total of P500 million. Martirez was arrested after 30 persons went to the Paranaque City Police - Special Operations Group and filed complaints against her. The victims told investigators that they coughed up hard-earned money in exchange for non-existent city projects in Paranaque. Martirez is now detained at the Paranaque City jail and was charged with syndicated estafa before the prosecutors office. Her accomplice identified as Mark anthony Martirez was being hunted by police. Olivarez said the modus operandi was to introduce herself as a city hall employee to win the trust and confidence of her victims after which she would ask them to join in her business ventures in the city government. Joel E. Zurbano

By Sara D. Fabunan

The Commission on elections on Tuesday said it has officially signed a document allowing Smartmatic-TIM to being talks for the manufacture 23,000 Optical Mark Reader machines to be used as primary backup for the conduct of elections in 2016. Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said that the commission en banc issued a Notice of award to Smartmatic-TIM last Friday for the P1.72-billion leasing contract involving 23,000 OMr units. “We issued it (Notice of award) last Friday. The parties are holding talks preparatory to the contract being actually signed,” Jimenez said. Jimenez said that after the notice of award, the Comelec will now start negotiations with Smart-

matic-TIM, a process which may run for about two weeks before the poll body can issue a notice to proceed. after the notice to proceed, Smartmatic, will then start producing the 23,000 OMr units, he said. The decision was made despite the issuance by the Manila regional Trial Court of a temporary restraining order against Comelec’s plan to enter into a deal with Smartmatic to provide the 23,000 OMr, as its primary backup machines in the 2016 polls. Comelec commissioner Christian robert Lim confirmed the TrO stressing that the Manila rTC has no jurisdiction over the poll body and authority to file a TrO against them “The Comelec yesterday voted 6-1; 1 abstained ; 6 voted to proceed with 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 who can decide that,” Lim said. “So for us, we will proceed (despite the TrO), it seems like they are derailing our election prepara-

tion,” he said. The Commission en banc has already denied the two Motions for reconsideration (Mrs) filed by Indra Sistemas S.a. and Miru Systems Co. aginst the bid of Smartmatic-TIM. The re-use of the 81,896 PCOS machines to be supplemented by the 23,000 OMr units is one of the two options eyed by the Comelec for the 2016 polls ; the other one is the use of all new OMr units by combining the 23,000 and the 70,977 OMr units, Comelec said. In another development, the Comelec said that the move to extend the election campaign period to 120 days from 90, the spending limit for condidates stays. under the law, dandidates for president and vice president may spend no more than P10 per voter while other candidates are limited to P3 for every voter. Political parties are limited to P5 per voter while independent bets are each allowed as much as P5 per voter in areas where they filed their certificates of candidacy.

Fuentebella appeals for prudence on Iglesia case FOrMer House Speaker Noli Fuentebella on Tuesday made an appeal to everyone to respect the doctrines and processes of the Iglesia ni Cristo and to refrain from injecting any shade of politics into what is happening in this religious institution. “Let us not interfere in the INC’s internal affairs and ignore any allegation made without any solid proof,” Fuentebella said. “ Our Constitution explicitly guarantees freedom of religion. It is but proper that we exercise due prudence in passing judgment and casting aspersions on whatever creed or faith others embrace. “ a Catholic, Fuentebella enjoined leaders to pray for the Iglesia ni Cristo, so that its leaders and members may “continue to be our steadfast partners in building our nation.”

Sports complex soon to rise. Caloocan City Mayor Oscar Malapitan leads the ground breaking ceremony for the first Caloocan sports complex at Barangay 171 in Bagumbong district. With Malapitan are Vice Mayor Maca Asistio and City Administrator Oliver Hernandez. The complex’s amenities include full-size indoor basketball court, fully airconditioned stadium which can accomodate more than 3000 persons, a semi-Olympic swimming pool, rentable spaces, gazebos, outdoor badminton and tennis court. JUN DAVID

Tuason wraps up Sandigan testimony

Tarlac rejects Canadian garbage

By Rio N. Araja

auTHOrITIeS are now scouting for a site to dump the controversial shipment of garbage from Canada after the Tarlac government refused to host it. This was revealed by ecowaste Coalition, a group of environmentalists, who urged local government officials in Bulacan, Cavite, rizal and Metro Manila hosting landfills, cement kilns or incinerators where the shipment may be transported for final disposal to take precaution against such threat. “To prevent such eventu-

THe Sandiganbayan on Tuesday concluded the testimony of its last witness in the bail plea of Janet Lim Napoles, alleged mastermind of the pork barrel fund scam. ruby Tuason took the witness stand before the anti-graft court’s Third Division, saying she received the commissions for Senator Juan Ponce enrile from Napoles at the JLN Corp. in Ortigas, Pasig City. She maintained she was also the one who delivered enrile’s commission to Jessica Lucille “Gigi” reyes, the senator’s chief of staff, at some restaurants and that sometimes, reyes would pick up the money from her house. She told the court that enrile would also join her and reyes for a coffee. associate Justice Samuel Martires asked Tuason if she had witnessed reyes receiving the supposed kickbacks from her. “No, I did not,” Tuason told Martires.

By Joel E. Zurbano

ality, we call upon concerned LGus to pass preemptive measures that will prohibit the disposal of garbage from Canada or any other countries in facilities under their jurisdiction,” said aileen Lucero, ecowaste coordinator. ecowaste said local ordinances or resolutions would frustrate any move by the Bureau of Customs to dispose the imported waste and would prompt the agency to ship it back to its origin. “LGus should enact a blanket prohibition on foreign waste disposal to send an unambiguous message to Canada and the entire world

that no part of the country is willing to be a global trash bin. It is a patriotic and precautionary act in the name of public health and the environment that will surely draw the respect and support of their constituents,” Lucero said. “While Gov. Wilhelmino Sy-alvarado had verbally rejected the potential dumping of Canada’s garbage in Bulacan, we think it is vital for the Provincial Board, as well as for the concerned municipal or city councils, to formally say no to foreign waste disposal in their province be it through dumping or burning,” she added.

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Masbate ambush results in five deaths By Florante Solmerin A soldier and four suspected members of the New People’s Army were killed while three other soldiers were wounded in an ambush that resulted in a firefight early Monday evening in Barangay Tuburan, Cawayan, Masbate. southern luzon Command chief lieutenant General ricardo Visaya said the ambush-firefight happened at around 4:30 p.m. while the convoy of soldiers and elements of the Criminal investigation and detection Group were conducting operations against suspected leaders and members of private armed groups in said town. Visaya ordered 903rd infantry Brigade commander Colonel Cesar idio to deploy more soldiers for hot-pursuit operations against the retreating rebels who left behind their four dead comrades. “More or less 20 NPA rebels were involved in the ambush against our platoon of soldiers with CidG men on board two civilian trucks,” Visaya said. The security forces also recovered a caliber .45 pistol and an improvised explosive device from the dead rebels. regional CidG chief senior superintendent Benjie silo said the convoy had just served search warrants against two village chiefs and on their way to serve another warrant of arrest against dindo Monsanto, one of the regional Most Wanted Persons in Bicol, in Barangay Cabungahan, Cawayan, when the ambush-firefight ensued. The anti-PAGs operation yielded an M16 rifle, an ingram and a short firearm.

Weaving woman. 52-year-old Jum Asari from Jolo, Sulu weaves “pis syabit,” a traditional head wear for Tausug men at the Sulu tribal village in Cotabato City. OMAR MANGORSI

Chief mate ignores captain’s order to abandon ship, dies By Florante S. Solmerin

The chief mate of a cargo ship died Sunday after refusing to abandon the sinking ship that took encountered trouble in the sea lane of Barangay Baganian, Tabina, Zamboanga del Sur, Inspector Dahlan Samuddin, spokesperson of the Police Regional Office 9, said Tuesday.

samuddin identified the victim as Nashruddin Ayunan. “He refused to leave the sinking ship after their captain, rogelio regala, ordered them to abandon it,” samuddin said. investigator Police officer 3 Nimrod B. Baja said Ayunan has been missing since the lCT emelia 2 sank at around 4 p.m. scuba divers were still trying to retrieve the body believed to be trapped inside the sunken ship. Aside from regala, rescued were Jonas sevilla, 2nd Mate; lexter Penuliar, engine Apprentice; Ferdie Jay Nipales, engine Apprentice; Paul Justin Barrameda, deck Cadet; Joepit Ticoy, engine Apprentice; Gerundio Nazari,

ordinary seaman; rex P. Malolot, Chief Mechanic; ruel C. Baidiango, 2nd Mate Mechanic; Conrado s. Pakig, Chief Cook; Avelino d. Casao, ordinary seaman; ricky dionio and eduardo Baldado, Checkers; and Jovito de leon. The ship is owned by Mike Abubakar Construction and engineering. it left Polloc port, North Cotabato on July 28 going to lamitan City when it encountered engine trouble. The ship was loaded with more or less 432 cubic meters of river-sand. it took an emergency dock at the coast of Baganian on August 1. Bad weather and resulting big waves caused the ship to tilt to its side and sink.

Cordillera food industry lags behind Asean counterparts By Dexter A. See BAGUio CiTY—Food manufacturers in the Cordillera are lagging behind their Asean counterparts in complying with the standards of the department of Trade and industry because they are unable to obtain clearances from the Food and drug Administration on the food grade of their products. Carmelita Usman, dTi-CAr assistant regional director, said food manufacturers in the region usually fall under the category of micro-producers. The regional office is this coordinating with other agencies to help improve the quality of their products as well as packaging and labelling to boost competitiveness. Because most food manufacturers in the region fall under the micro category, processing areas have difficulty complying with the standards of the FdA in terms of food grade among other major

requirements. The food producers are now receiving help to comply with minimum standards. “our food manufacturers are being left out by the food producers from other regions because of the magnitude of their operations that is why we are networking with other agencies in order to uplift the state of food manufacturing regionwide,” Usman stressed. Aside from the shared service facilities being provided by the agency to qualified entrepreneurs in the different parts of the region, Usman disclosed the Cordillera offices of the department of science and Technology (dosT-CAr), department of labor and employment (dole-CAr) and department of Agrarian reform (dAr-CAr) are also contributing to uplift the status of micro-small and medium enterprises (MsMes) to help them comply with the standards of the Asean integration.

Happy tourists. European tourists enjoy the less crowded beaches of Baler, Aurora.

DAVID CHAN

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OPINION

ADELLE CHUA EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

OPINION

BACK CHANNEL ALEJANDRO DEL ROSARIO

ZEROING IN ON MAR

[ EDI TORI A L ]

‘I’M A LIAR?’ WHAT constitutes a lie? The question is relevant today because President Aquino declared this week that he does not lie. “I have no record [of telling] lies to anyone,” the President said, as he defended his two-hour State-of-the-Nation Address (SONA) that critics have dismissed as being far too long and far removed from reality. The dictionary tells us that to lie is: 1.) To present false information with the intention of deceiving; and 2.) To convey a false image or impression. By both these measures, the President was lying through his teeth during his tiresome SONA. He continued this tendency to spread untruths when he claimed that he had no record of lying to anyone. Here are just a few of the President’s SONA lies. Fewer Filipinos are poor today, the President said, citing official poverty statistics. Regardless of the numbers that the Philippine Statistics Authority releases, this statement is a lie because it conveys the false impression that the government is winning the war on poverty when the reverse is true. Official statistics are based on a poverty threshold of P58 per day for a person’s food and non-food needs, an unrealistically low figure that effectively reduces the number of poor by the millions. In contrast, the latest poll by the Social Weather Stations shows that one in two Filipinos considers himself poor and that 37 percent of Filipinos consider themselves foodpoor, which translates to 8.1 million families. In his speech, the President also boasted about reforms in the national budgeting process but failed to mention his disgraced Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP), which illegally transferred public funds without congressional approval; or the re-insertion of pork barrel—legally barred by the Supreme Court—into the 2015 and 2016 national budgets. The President also blamed the decrepit service state of the MRT on the state’s private sector partners, a full five years after his government assumed control of the city train system. For the record, it was the President’s appointed managers who replaced the existing maintenance service provider with a less experienced—and some would say, less qualified—company without the benefit of a public bidding. The anomalous contract is now the subject of a graft complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman—but of course, the President said nothing about this, again giving the false impression that everything is all right. The President likes to pass himself off as an honest man but his self-aggrandizing propaganda tells us otherwise. Perhaps he really believes the lies he is telling. “I’m a liar? Are you calling me a liar?” we can almost hear him say indignantly as we call into question his claims. Indubitably yes, Mr. President—is the only conclusion we can reach.

THE DAVAO DEBACLE LOWDOWN JOJO A. ROBLES FOR now, at least, it’s a twoman race. A rematch between Jejomar Binay, now Vice President and former ally of Malacanang, and Mar Roxas, currently the chosen successor of President Noynoy Aquino and the Chief Executive’s former running mate. Other presidential candidates may join the race between now and the October filing deadline. But until Grace Poe, Rodrigo

Duterte, Miriam Defensor Santiago, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. or whoever else wants to go for the big prize actually declare their intentions, there are only two in the running. So let’s talk about Binay and Roxas and the history they have between them. It’s a compelling story, after all, with one seeking a second, consecutive victory over his familiar foe and the other looking for a chance to exact revenge, this time for the whole enchilada, over his old tormentor. How did Binay defeat Roxas in the last election? And will the victory have any bearing on the

rematch next May? For those who still remember, Roxas, the running mate of Aquino, was the leader in virtually all the pre-election surveys before the polls opened on May 10, 2010. Binay, the vice presidential bet of eventual presidential second-placer ex-President Joseph Estrada, was a poor second at the start of the surveys, but gained steadily against his rival in the end. By the time the results of one of the last pre-election polls, conducted by Social Weather Stations (May 2-3, 2010) were released, the former Makati mayor was already in a statis-

There’s a lesson for Roxas here somewhere, and maybe he’s learned from his painful experience.

tical tie with the former frontrunner, 37.2 to 37 percent. Only less than two weeks earlier, a Pulse Asia survey (April 23-25) showed Roxas still holding a substantial lead, 37 percent to 28 percent, over Binay. On election day, an exit poll conducted by SWS showed just how close the fight for Number Two would be, with Binay getting 42.52 percent to Roxas’ 39.17 percent. The final official Commission on Elections tally for what is reportedly the second-closest vice presidential race in Philippine history was even tighter. Binay eventually got 41.65 percent of all the votes cast, or 14,645,574 votes, against Roxas’ 39.58 percent, or 13,918,490.

That’s a final difference of 2.65 percent, or 727,084 votes. *** Various theories have been floated about Roxas’ narrow loss to Binay, after Aquino’s running mate had led most of the way in the surveys during the campaign period. But the most compelling I’ve heard has to do with overconfidence on the part of Roxas; in particular, it has to do with how Roxas lost the battle for Mindanao, which Binay carried, 47 percent to 31 percent, for his biggest lead broken down by super-

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region (Metro Manila, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao). A story related to me by several sources is typically held up as proof of the theory; it has Roxas, in the homestretch of the campaign, seeking a morning meeting with a prominent Mindanao businessman and his friends at the latter’s home in Davao City. The businessman promised to bring his fellow big local traders to the sit-down and all of them were present at the appointed time, waiting for Roxas to arrive from Manila.

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But Roxas didn’t appear that morning. He called the businessman and asked to reset the meeting for the evening of that same day; the group in Davao consented and waited for Roxas some more. Roxas failed to arrive again that night, irritating the entire group, which had already been waiting for him the whole day. The businessman decided to take matters into his own hands – he told a trusted aide of his to fly to Manila the very next day and set up a meeting immediately with Binay in Davao. Continued on A11

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

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THE battle lines are drawn. With Mar Roxas formally endorsed by President Aquino as the ruling Liberal Party’s 2016 standard bearer, the opposition United Nationalist Alliance has started zeroing in on him. Until Grace Poe and Rodrigo Duterte decide to run, they are for now just a side show to the Mar Roxas-Jojo Binay rematch. With all cylinders blazing, UNA senatorial candidate Lito Atienza fired the first salvo against Roxas signaling the start of the political fireworks in the runup to 2016 I chanced upon Lito at the lobby of the Manila Peninsula where I had taken refuge from a heavy downpour Saturday afternoon. Over coffee, Lito said he had just come from Cavite with Vice President Jejomar Binay who had met with local leaders. As I had no line to UNA and I was not going anywhere with the rain not letting up, I thought I might as well make the most of the afternoon and get a story. So, what do you think of Mar Roxas being anointed by Aquino as LP candidate for president? “Good, now that he’s no longer just LP ‘presumptive candidate’ we in the opposition know the real opponent is,” said the Buhay Party List congressman. That was just for starters as Atienza then proceeded to pick Roxas apart on the issue of local government. As a former mayor of Manila who served an unprecedented three terms, local government is a subject visceral and intrinsic to Atienza’s politics “All politics is local, and Roxas miserably failed as Interior and Local Government Secretary,” said Atienza who tracked Mar’s record in five years with the Aquino administration. The problem of the Metro Rail Transit started with Mar as Department of Transportation and Communication secretary when he failed to take inventory of MRT assets and did not stockpile on spare parts to keep the trains running without disruption, according to Atienza. “An efficient public transport system for moving people to and from work is basic and essential to good local governance. Sadly, the MRT is a monument to the failure of both Aquino and Roxas,” said Atienza. I pointed out that Mar served for only a year as DOTC secretary before he was moved to the Department of the Interior and Local Government after the death of then-Secretary Jesse Robredo. “Yes, but Mar Roxas handpicked Jun Abaya who still consults and takes orders from him,” said Atienza. Continued on A11 Rolando G. Estabillo Jojo A. Robles Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Francis Lagniton Joyce Pangco Pañares Adelle Chua Romel J. Mendez Roberto Cabrera

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ADELLE CHUA EDITOR

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OPINION

BACK CHANNEL ALEJANDRO DEL ROSARIO

ZEROING IN ON MAR

[ EDI TORI A L ]

There’s a lesson for Roxas here somewhere, and maybe he’s learned from his painful experience.

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

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

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Emil P. Jurado Chairman Emeritus, Editiorial Board

A10 CHANGING THE COUNTRY from? The incumbent will use funds coming from the people under EMIL P. the guise of the national JURADO budget, hidden from the SANTA Banana, Interior public eye in the form of Secretary and adminis- lump discretionary funds, tration presidential can- pork barrel system funds didate Manuel Roxas and graft and corruption II has already said his – plus, of course, contrigoodbyes to his office butions from the usual staff and the entire DILG, sources. For newcomers, the Philippine National the funds would come Police and all those un- from contributions from der him. And here comes people who expect payPresident Aquino asking back time, promoting a vicious cycle of corruphim to stay on. My gulay, is the tion. This is a country where President trying to make there are only winners his anointed one lose in and those who claim they 2016? It would seem so, were cheated. since the longer Mar stays From the winners, we on at his job, the more he can expect more promises would lose time and opand vows for change. portunity to focus on his The big question is this: campaign. Will those changes really It’s bad enough that come, especially for the President Aquino told poor and the jobless? Mar that he would be To my mind, the only campaigning for him. change that matters is This would make the substan2016 elective change tions a ref– the kind erendum on that the new the Aquino movement administraEven if of retired tion – speS u p r eme cifically the we change Court Chief failures and J u s t i c e mistakes of everything R e y n at o the President Puno, and during his but retain our others like six years in values and f o r m e r office. Senator Nene My respect priorities, Pimentel, for Mar returned when nothing would former Vice President and he resigned Senator Tito happen. “out of deliGuingona, cadeza” afformer UP ter he was P r e s i d e nt anointed. Pepe Abueva, But I will and former lose that reBudget Secretary Jun spect again if he spends Enriquez called “Bagong one minute longer in office just because the Pag-asa” is championing. I also believe that more President asks him to stay. than changing the struc*** ture of government from From the start of the the highly centralized, campaign period until unitary-presidential form May 8, 2016, it will be a of government to a federpolitical circus all over again. Candidates will real-parliamentary form, a gale the people with their change in values is imporrhetoric – what they can tant. We find ourselves in do to uplift people’s lives this rut because political and make the country patronage has become a virtue. great again. I may be a voice in the Senatorial bets will wilderness, but I honestly spend P500 million to and sincerely believe that P700 and presidential even if there’s a shift to candidates, P3 billion a federal-parliamentary to P5 billion. Election spending gets more ex- form, nothing will change pensive as the years go by. if we do not change our Santa Banana, I’m not priorities and values. The problem as I see counting local candiit is that aside from a dates, like congressmen, change in morals, the governors, mayors, vice “Bagong Sistema, Bagong mayors. Pag-asa” movement canWhere do you think not reach first base unall that money will come

TO THE POINT

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BONGBONG MARCOS, CAPITALISM AND POVERTY (2) OF the seven or eight declared or undeclared presidential candidates, only Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has come up with policy or program of government, a fighting faith he must pursue if ever he becomes vice president or president. Nearly all the other presidential wannabes are frustratingly one dimensional – Mar Roxas will continue Matuwid na Daan, VP Jojo Binay will parlay his Makati experience nationwide, Grace Poe is the new Virgin Mary and Mother Teresa of dirty politics, Rodrigo Duterte will eliminate all the criminals and drown them in polluted Manila Bay, and Ping Lacson will pursue peace and order and won’t touch pork barrel. Hardly anyone talks about how he or she will create two million jobs per year, reduce or eliminate poverty at 5 percentage points per year, or how the Philippines can regain its capacity to compete as a modern economy. In this second and last part of his speech before CEOs recently, the only son and namesake of the country’s longest serving and, many now say, the best president of the Philippines, tells us why he is in favor of the freedom of information bill, meritocracy in government (no favoritism, no corruption, and which he says will lead to peace and order) including the Armed Forces and the Philippine National Police; an upgraded armed forces; boosting infrastructure and mass transit systems, and why government must lower the prices of electricity, telephony and water; the cost of doing business, and taxes. In his Asia CEO speech, Bongbong showed an amazing grasp of issues –ranging from galunggong to guns. The Freedom of Information Act, he says, “is a tool to build trust— something that we have to rebuild in our country as we have been set in a political system and even in a social system where we must take sides against each other. The FOI is a tool that encourages government to carry out its mandates honestly, competently, and with due regard to all stakeholders in critical issues and challenges facing the nation. Government cannot, after all, exhort those it serves to practice discipline and follow the law if it does not set the exless the 1987 Constitution gets amended. With the kind of people we elect to the House of Representatives and the Senate, hope for a constitutional change is nil since that would mean losing their positions. The next President will never go for it. I am in my sunset years, now 87 years old, going 88 next month. I cannot imagine change happening during my lifetime. I will leave it to the young-

VIRTUAL REALITY TONY LOPEZ ample by respecting the separation of authority and responsibilities of the individual branches of government, or to utilize collaborative tools like the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council, or LEDAC, or pursue long-overdue peace arrangements with enemies of the state with a sincere objective to improve the lives of all who are affected by any such conflict.” “Neither the people nor you, as leaders of our vibrant business sector, can have the confidence and trust in the competence and commitment of government as a partner in advancing the nation if doubt is created by perceptions of corruption, of lack of ability, or of favoritism towards special interests,” Bongbong points out. Meanwhile, you need meritocracy “if the next administration is to succeed.” “The next leader should surround himself or herself with the best of the best in the Cabinet. Our country is blessed with such great human talent and we must engage that great human talent in the service of nation-building. Meritocracy must govern all appointments, not only in high-level appointments, but throughout the entire bureaucracy.” Bongbong says the critical top leadership positions in our AFP and the PNP will no longer be subject to the “revolving-door policy,” wherein, for political considerations, just make up a queue and say you will be the head for six months, and then the next, and next, and next, immaterial of what your performance has been or if you have shown any special qualities that put you above the rank and file. Marcos told the CEOs: “By focusing on meritocracy, efficiency, and integrity in government, in national defense, and in law enforcement, this government will lay the firm foundation needed to ‘democratize capitalism’ and to encourage the sharing of the fruits of our collective effort with all Filipinos. It is the firm foundation that we need to be able to ask you, the business leaders of our country, to take the lead in

er generation to work for this. This might be utopian, but we can always hope for the best. *** Two things--the rise of criminality and the rising incidence of drug addiction and trafficking--pose a threat to national security. They pose danger not only to individuals but society as a whole. It is now a fact that crime rate has been on the

nation-building for all Filipinos. It is the firm foundation we need to be able to help you in that role, and to create a business environment of more opportunities for investors, an environment in which innovation, competition, and customer choice, value-added, drives our growth, and an environment in which businesses and consumers alike can be confident in fair, consistent, and uncompromised regulation.” On electricity, whose price is the second highest in Asia, Bongbong wont allow firms “to pass on to consumers costs not directly connected to the production and delivery of the commodity they are purchasing.” Like corporate income taxes, capital expenditures for the development and roll-out of a prepaid electricity program that already provides electricity distributors with the bonus of guaranteed, up-front income, and further traps poor consumers in a subsistencelevel existence; ‘system losses’ due to inefficiency, poor maintenance, or outright thievery, and cost such as the electricity used to power the electric generator’s or distributor’s own facilities. On another front, Bongbong is aghast that a duopoly has captured telecom. “We are forced to tolerate service that is consistently rated as some of the worst in the world, and some of the highestpriced,” he winces. “A reliable, competitively-priced telecommunications system whose performance is on par with our partners and competitors throughout the region is not just a matter of convenience; it is a matter of national security,” he contends. Right away, Senator Marcos is challenging Big Business and the oligarchy which has stranglehold on major businesses like electricity, telecom, water, infra and banks, and their brand of capitalism. Courageous is the politician who sounds like he is a socialist, proletariat, anti-Big Business, and a reformer while still out of power. There is only one conclusion I make of Marcos’s statements – he will finance his own candidacy and will not be a captive of entrenched vested interests. The Marcos name remains a strong brand in politics. The more it resonates now considering the presidents we have had in the last 30 years.

rise nationwide, although the PNP claims otherwise. In fact, many of the crimes committed do not reach police blotters because many believe that it’s the police themselves committing the crime or are involved in them. It’s also a fact that 95 percent of barangays in Metro Manila and many more nationwide are afflicted with illegal drug abuse and drug addiction. The sad part of it all is that the Aquino admin-

istration does not seem to realize how serious the problem is. Santa Banana, the dreaded Mexican drug cartel Sinaloa is now operating in the Philippines because of the fact that the country has become a transshipment point of drug syndicates. These are two problems which must be attended to right away by President Aquino who has only about 11 months more in office.

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OPINION

ADELLE CHUA EDITOR

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A11

ANG MANGGA, BOW! SO I SEE LITO BANAYO FUNNY how the political circus has become a fruit instead of animal show. And the current metaphor used is the Philippine national fruit, the mango. We take pride in the Philippine mango, to us the sweetest and the most luscious in the world. In 1978, my mother and I ate in a restaurant at the Via Barberini in Rome, near the famous Via Venetto, and when the secondi piatto was done, we asked for the dessert selection. The waiter proudly said they had mangoes, and we could choose how we wanted it --- flambéed, with cream or gelato, or just plain mangoes. I asked where they came from, delighted at the thought of eating mangoes in Europe. “From Madagascar,” he enthused. My mom said, “No, we only eat Philippine mangoes; nothing else is good enough”. And so we had tiramisu. On a Greyhound trip from Atlanta to New Orleans in much younger days, I befriended a Jamaican couple, and when talk came to fruits, they waxed poetic about the Jamaican mango being the best in the world, which I naturally could not accept. If it happened these days, it would have been so convenient to just “un-friend” them, as Kris Aquino does all too often to anyone who says anything critical of brother PNoy.

Zeroing.. From A9 Going on to Mar’s present turf as DILG chief, Atienza rattled off instances and cases that were mishandled—the Moro National Liberation Front siege of Zamboanga: the relief and rehabilitation of typhoon Yolanda victims, and the Mamasapano massacre of 44 members of the PNP-Special Action Force at the hands of Moro Islamic Liberation Front ILF rebels. Again, I pointed out that Mar was not involved in the Mamasapano police operation as he was kept out of the loop by President Aquino who put suspended PNP chief Gen. Alan Purisima in charge. “Well, the PNP is directly under Mar Roxas. In both the Zamboanga siege and the Mamasapano incident, he didn’t

In Mexico City once, on a trip to a Mayan archaeological site, the tour guide, upon learning that I was Filipino, drooled, “mangas de Manila…sin igual!” But you should try Palawan Governor Pepito Alvarez’ mango, planted in the slopes which separate Cagayan de Oro from Bukidnon, ten kilometers or so from where the fabled Garci of Hello,Garci farms corn and veggies in retirement. JCA, as he is known in Palawan and Mindanao where he grew up, has produced a hybrid of the Philippine carabao mango and a Thai variety, and it is absolutely incomparable in size, taste, texture and shelf life. Now back to the political circus. I don’t know who started the mango metaphor. I was out of the country when PNoy delivered his last SONA and days later anointed Mar as crown prince, dauphin, rey infanta, tagapag-mana, whatever. Must have been Egay Erice, who shall be the next speaker of the HOR, should Mar make it to the presidency in 2016. Mar, the LP’s claim, is “hinog” for the presidency. But Senadora Grace retorts that sometimes people prefer “yung hindi pa masyadong hinog, para mas tumagal.” In Bulacan where my maternal grandma came from, they call it “manibalang”. If you have the “piko” variety, and it’s manibalang, it’s heavenly. Taste and textureperfect, and is of course best with bagoong, a perfect condiment, as in Grace with Chiz as bagoong to complement. (You should try The White House in Davao City, where Tonyboy Floirendo’s better half, Cathy, a chef sans pareil, cooks kare-kare so well, but more so, the bagoong that she herself concocts from

know what was happening on the ground until the shooting started. As Interior and Local Government secretary, he should have built a good intelligence network of barangay and village officials,” said Atienza. He chided Mar for not resigning when he was bypassed and kept in the dark on the Mamasapano operation by Aquino. Coordination and supervision of local governments is key in the campaign against crime, particularly drug trafficking and illegal gambling, said Atienza. He cited the Atimonan, Quezon rubout as a turf war by rival law enforcement groups over jueteng. If jueteng was widespread during the time of former President Erap Estrada, don’t think it has been stopped during Mar Roxas’ watch as DILG

#FAILOCRACY

fresh alamang she buys from Davao’s market. And duck confit as well, divinely ambrosial!) But the Philippine mango known the world over is the “kalabaw” or carabao variety, such as those in Guimaras, or Zambales, or Cebu’s Guadalupe area. Pangasinan and Imus, Cavite as well, lest my friends from these places curse me for taking favorites on their mango pride. The kalabaw variety is something my lola never served “hilaw”. Only piko for manggang hilaw, as well as the occasional manggang “paho”, dimunitive but sourly tart. Both varieties are perfect for burong mangga, stocked in Ball glass jars, and perfect for condiment to fried or grilled Filipino ulam, whether fish or meat. Sadly, both piko and paho are getting to be so rare. I get them these days, seasonally at that, by motoring to two markets in the metropolis. I won’t write where, baka maubusan pa ako. An MST reader sent in a rejoinder to the story on Senadora Grace preferring her mangoes manibalang. But it was unkind. He described Veep Jojo as “overripe at pabulok na”; Grace as “bubot at hilaw pa”, and his idol Mar as “tamangtama na ang pagkahinog”. Because Digong Duterte reads The Standard, not necessarily because of Pastor Apollo Quiboloy who writes for this paper, but because the Davao mayor reads practically all the broadsheets daily and is a voracious reader of books (I once gifted him with a book by Robert D. Kaplan entitled Asia’s Cauldron, about the South China Sea, a.k.a. West Philippine Sea, and a week later, in his extemporaneous speech about federal-

chief, said Atienza. How does UNA stack up against the administration party’s political machinery and campaign chest of discretionary lump sum at the President’s disposal? “Fortunately, Vice President Binay has a good head start in building up a nationwide organization at the grassroots level as early as 2010 when he first campaigned as VP. That network is intact and will be UNA’s foil to the LP’s vaunted political machinery, said Atienza, adding “you’ll see a defection of local politicians from a lame-duck president to an emerging one.” It stopped raining and the sky had cleared outside. On that bright note, the man who had become familiar in his signature floral shirt and I parted ways at the Manila Pen.

ism, he was quoting from memory the observations of Kaplan). Curiously, on the day the MST story about the mango metaphor came out, Digong was regaling his audience in Mindanao with “manggang hilaw nga aslum”, “manggang sobra na ka hinog, hapit na mabulok”, and “mangga nga kinarburo, hinog pero lain ang lami”. (For the non-Bisaya, this translates as: green mangoes that are sour; over-ripe mangoes that are almost going to rot; and force-ripened mangoes using karburo, or calcium carbonate, which taste rather awful, for Filipinos who know their mangoes). And then he segues into (Tagalog), “mas masarap ang manggang hinog sa puno at sa tamang panahon. Pwedeng galing sa Cebu kung saan ang mga Duterte nagmula, or sa Zambales at Pangasinan, kung saan ang gobernador kaibigan ko, or dito sa atin sa Mindanao”. With the audience already in stitches, he says “Labi na ug gikan sa Davao”. (Especially the one from Davao). *** Walden Bello, the Akbayan congressman, does not delve in the mango metaphors, though. He describes all four candidates in rather acerbic manner, thus: “Mar Roxas is a “hollow man” (ampaw daw); Grace Poe as a “blank slate” (wala kang mababasa); Jojo Binay as “bad news”, and Rodrigo Duterte as “the second coming of the Marcos regime”. Hala, take your pick. If you don’t like the mango metaphors, choose Walden’s descriptives. Or, as PNoy once advised Walden, “Why don’t you run for president yourself?”

The Davao.. From A9 The aide did as he was instructed and secured Binay’s agreement. Binay was to fly to Davao on the day immediately following, to meet the businessmen whom Roxas had stood up. Before the noontime meeting at the Davao businessman’s home, the traders decided to arrive early, at 11:30. They were pleasantly surprised to find that Binay was already there, having arrived at 11 a.m. The meeting was a congenial one, with the vice presidential candidate gamely fielding any and all questions thrown at him by the businessmen. When lunch ended, the host took Binay aside: they had decided, he told the candidate, that they were no longer interested in

meeting Roxas and that they were throwing their collective support for the Makati mayor. Roxas, for his part, never tried contacting the Mindanao businessmen again. Perhaps he had been lulled into believing that his survey numbers would give him the victory, with or without the support of the people in Davao whom he had originally solicited help from. The rest is now political history. Binay beat Roxas in the national capital region and Luzon, while Roxas handily beat Binay in the Visayas. In Mindanao, as I’ve already said, Binay completely dominated the two-man race of frontrunners. There’s a lesson for Roxas here somewhere, and maybe he’s learned from his painful experience.

CHONG ARDIVILLA

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Tria, Rivera make Olivarez net semis TOP seed Nio Tria grounded out a tough quarterfinal win in the boys’ 14-U while No. 2 Shaira Hope Rivera took an easier route in the girls’ 18-U semis in juniors action of the sixth Olivarez Cup Age Group Tennis Championships at Olivarez Sports Center in Paranaque yesterday. Tria had to summon all his strength and willpower against No. 8 Daniel Estanislao, who pushed him to the limit, before scoring a 7-6 (3), 4-6, 10-8, for a spot in the Last-4 of the weeklong event featuring the country’s leading and rising junior players. Tria next faces the winner between third seed Tim Adrian Gumban and Laurenz Quitara. Gumban came off a 6-2, 6-1 win over Loucas Fernandez while Quitara pulled the rug from under No. 6 John Alexander Bulilan, 6-2, 7-6 (6) in the previous round. Rivera, on the other hand, hardly broke out a sweat in hammering out a 6-0, 6-0 shutout of Ibiza Mae Perez, to grab her expected place in the semis in the girls’ premier class of the Group I tournament, backed by Dunlop AllClay Court as the official ball, Stronghold Insurance and Aseana City. She goes up against either Melanie Faye Dizon or Bettina Bautista, who were playing quarterfinal match at presstime.

Filipina softbelles turn back California DELAWARE—Team Manila–Philippines launched its bid to reclaim the world crown in the 2015 World Series Girls Big League Softball Championship with a brilliant win over a game Antelope Valley– California side, 8 – 2, in a match that needed only seven innings at the jampacked Layton Field of the Pyles Center in Lower Sussex here. Standout veteran pitcher Mary Ann Antolihao delivered a sterling performance with a total of eight strike outs, including six no run innings and three skillful defensive stops to lead the Manila batters to their first win in the Series. But a stunning homerun by catcher Celestine Palma coupled with a run by right fielder Riflayca Basa from 2nd base off a sacrifice bunt by catcher Delyrose Covarrubias jump-started the Big City softbelles’ scoring spree to lead the match, 2 – 0, at the bottom of the second inning. At the top of the third inning, Antolihao, the 18-year-old daughter of a laborer from Cebu City and a sports scholar at the University of Sto. Tomas, capped her dazzling performance with three straight strike outs that had the Californians winded and awed.

Ball control.

Canada and USA vie for the ball during the 2015 World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby, BC. The USA won, 15-13, in the final minute with a drop kick to score 3 points. AFP

Rivera is also in the hunt in the girls’ 16-U as she got through to the quarters after disposing off Lila Salvacion, 6-0, 6-0. The girls’ 14- and 16-U categories also stakes berths for the WTA Future Stars Tournament featuring some of the top juniors in Asia-Pacific on Oct. 20-27 in Singapore. “We expect a spirited battle in those two girls’ categories with so much at stake, including a chance to play with the region’s best,” said Philta president and Paranaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez, who also cited Palawan Pawnshop’s continuing commitment, through COO Bobby Castro, to boost and develop the sport with its yearlong, nationwide annual circuit. In the boys’ 18-U, giant-killer Allen Manlangit continued his fine form and reached the Round of 16. After claiming the scalp of top seed Chris Justine Prulla, 6-3, 6-0, in the opener, Manlangit followed through with a 6-2, 6-1 drubbing of Jaffary Cariga. The big guns lived up to billing in the boys’ 16-U with No. 1 Cenon Gonzalez, Jr. securing a quarterfinal berth at the expense of No. 14 Aljohn Talatayod, 6-2, 6-2, and second seed Manuel Balce III advancing after a 6-0, 6-3 victory over No. 15 Athan Arejola.

Athletics’ chief vows zero tolerance for tainted results KUALA LUMPUR—IOC president Thomas Bach on Monday vowed “zero tolerance” for any Olympics athletics results tainted by doping, but the head of world athletics said new revelations were part of a campaign to “redistribute” medals. Allegations of mass doping made by German broadcaster ARD and the Sunday Times newspaper of Britain have plunged athletics into a new cheating crisis less than three weeks before the world championships start in Beijing. ARD and the Sunday

Times obtained an athletics world body database that they said indicated up to one third of medals involving endurance events at world championships and Olympics from 2001 to 2012 were won by competitors who have given suspicious doping tests.

“If there should be cases involving results at Olympic Games, the IOC will act with zero tolerance with our usual policy,” Bach told a press conference in Kuala Lumpur. “But at this time we have nothing more than allegations and we have to respect the presumption of innocence for the athletes.” International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) president Lamine Diack told an IOC meeting that the world body would answer the allegations. “Behind all this there is a desire to redistribute med-

als, take care of this,” Diack, who will stand down as IAAF president this month, warned IOC members. - ‘Very alarmed’ It is the second time in seven months that the IAAF has been thrown onto the defensive by doping. An ARD documentary in December claimed there was widespread doping in Russian athletics. Both sets of allegations are being investigated by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) which said it was “very alarmed”. Athletics chiefs around the world have called for a

thorough inquiry. “The accusations made must be properly investigated. We welcome the World Anti-Doping Agency’s decision to probe the allegations made,” said Athletics Australia president Phil Jones. ARD and the Sunday Times newspaper said a “whistleblower” had handed over the IAAF database giving details of 12,000 blood tests from 5,000 competitors which revealed “extraordinary” levels of doping. Russian and Kenyan athletes feature strongly in the new claims. AFP

PH karatekas confident

Philippine Karate National Team’s Mae Soriano (left) announces the readiness of the team for the coming SEA Games in Malaysia. She is joined by Raymund Lee Reyes, Coach Ali Parvinfar and OJ delos Santos at the PSA Forum. EY ACASIO

THE four gold medals the Philippine karatedo team won in the recent Thailand Open hopefully translates to success when the sport returns to the Southeast Asian Games calendar of events two years from now. Veteran Mae Soriano led the Filipinos’ golden feat, with the three others coming from the team’s junior side, assuring the Philippine Karatedo Federation of possible potential gold medalists in the 2017 edition of the SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Karate was not part of this year’s SEA Games in Singapore. “We’re targeting Ma-

laysia (SEA Games),” said Philippine Karatedo Federation secretary-general Raymond Lee in the weekly Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at Shakey’s Malate. “We hope to at least win three gold medals in Kuala Lumpur.” Karate’s absence in the SEA Games this year prompted the team, handled by Iranian coach Ali Parvinfar, to see action in the Thailand Open, where aside from the four golds, the Filipinos also took home eight silver and 12 bronze medals to finish fifth overall in the 30-country field.

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Van der Burgh rips world swim mark KAZAN—South Africa’s Cameron van der Burgh broke the 50m breaststroke world record in Tuesday morning’s heats at the world swimming championships as his battle with Britain’s Adam Peaty resumed. Van der Burgh, defending his title, clocked 26.62sec to shave 0.05sec off his own record he set at the 2009 championships in the era when the performance-enhancing neoprene suits were still permitted.

Britain’s Peaty had swum exactly the same time of 26.62sec at the European championships in Berlin last August, but the time has still not been ratified by swimming’s governing body FINA. Van der Burgh, the

Olympic 100m champion, lost out to Peaty on the wall in Monday’s world championship final over the same distance. The rivals are set to resume their battle over the shorter distance in Tuesday night’s semi and Wednesday’s final. “I am really happy after the bitter-sweet disappointment of last night, when I didn’t get the luck of the touch. But I guess I had it today,” said Van der Burgh.

“We are all so close, it’s not going to be a one- or two-horse race, there are a lot of guys in the mix and it’s going to very tight.” Peaty, who was second fastest into the semi-finals just 0.06sec slower than the South African in his heat, admitted he was confused as to who held the world record after Van der Burgh matched his Berlin time. “It will be nice to get out there tonight with my full game head on to focus on the race,” he said.

5-school UCSAA launched today WITH St. Dominic Savio College as host, the fifth season of the Universities, Colleges and Schools Athletic Association will be formally launched today at the Aberdeen Court along Quezon Ave., Quezon City. UCSAA president Dr. Nestor V. de la Cruz will lead top officials during the formal launching of the event, which has the theme: “One Vision , One Spirit, One Team: UCSAA Reaching Greater Heights.” Dr. De la Cruz will deliver the welcome remarks during the 5 p.m. launch. He will also formally introduce the presidents of the four other UCSAA member-schools. Highlight of the launching is the presentation of the candidates for Ms. UCSAA 2015 and Ms. Teen UCSAA 2015. Aside from St. Dominic Savio College, the other UCSAA members are Colegio de San Lorenzo, De la Salle-Araneta University, Pasig Catholic College and University of Makati. The St. Dominic Savio College Cultural Dance Troupe will perform during intermission. Juvy de Guzman of DWBL’s “Let’s Talk On Air” will be the master of ceremony. Last year, CdSL made history by beating Pasig Catholic College, 76-68, to complete a rare grandslam at the San Juan Coliseum. Handled by multi-titled coach Boni Garcia, CdSL completed another dominant season by winning all its 11 matches—10 in the double-round eliminations and the championship game. The Griffins also bagged the title in 2012 against St. Dominic Savio and 2013 against PCC. St. Dominic bagged the inaugural title in 2011.

“I am fully capable of going faster than... my old, well, equal world record.” Slovenia’s Damir Dugonjic (26.70) and Kevin Cordes of the USA (26.93) also posted fast times going into the semis while Australia’s Christian Sprenger, who won silver in the event two years ago in Barcelona, missed the semis by just 0.03sec with 27.54. This is the fifth time a world record has been broken in Kazan and it is the first time a men’s record

has been broken at a world championships since 2011. Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom broke the women’s 100m butterfly record twice in the space of 24 hours en route to retaining her world title on Monday. Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu broke the women’s 200m individual medley record as she won gold on Monday night and Katie Ledecky of the USA bettered her own 1500m freestyle record in Monday morning’s heats. AFP

South Africa’s Cameron Van Der Burgh dives for a preliminary heat of the men’s 50m breaststroke swimming event at the 2015 FINA World Championships in Kazan. AFP

Ateneo spikers seek 4th win in a row 3x3 cage fever rages on REIGNING University “The win-loss record in with Black Mamba tilt Athletic Association of the Philippines champion Ateneo seeks a fourth victory in row as it faces off with winless Arellano University today in the Spikers’ Turf Season 1-Collegiate Conference at The Arena in San Juan City. Already ensured of a quarterfinal spot after racking up three wins in row, the Eagles will be Federation of Touch Football Pilipinas President Claire Barberis (center) is flanked by fellow officers Aleth Feliciano (left) and Bianca Arco during the launch of their upcoming Beach Touch Football tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena during Tuesday’s PSA Forum at Shakey’s Restaurant in Malate, in Manila. EY ACASIO

Games today (The Arena, San Juan)

1 p.m.- La Salle-Dasma vs UP 3 p.m.- NU vs FEU 5 p.m.- Ateneo vs Arellano

eyeing win No. 4 in their 5 p.m. encounter with the Chiefs, who are still winless in three starts. Ateneo coach Oliver Almandro said they’re hoping to win as many games as they can entering the quarters.

the group stage will be carried over into the quarters so every win counts,” said Almandro, who steered the Loyola-based spikers to last season’s UAAP crown by unseating former titlist National University. NU likewise hopes to remain unscathed as it squares off with an unpredictable Far Eastern U at 3 p.m.

THE 3x3 fever in the country rages on as a new tournament featuring basketball’s latest craze is set to be launched. Black Mamba 3x3 basketball tournament kicks off its inaugural edition on Sept. 8 in Quezon City for the first of a 16-city leg tour within the National Capital Region. The meet will be composed of the first 30 teams to register per leg, and is open to all players 16-yearold and above, including former professionals. The tournament, to be held simultaneously with the launching of the Black Mamba energy drink in the local market, is going to be held every Saturday and Sunday, with the elimination round culminating on Nov. 8, prior to the grand finals on Nov. 15 to be held at Harrison Plaza. “As we all know, 3x3 basketball is a fast-rising tournament that has been worldwide now. Kasi lagi na lang puro 5-on-5 espe-

cially sa mga barangays. So we deemed it best to develop and promote 3x3 basketball naman,” said Black Mamba advertising consultant Joel Salindong during the event launching at the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at Shakey’s Malate on Tuesday. The holding of the event comes on the heels of the country’s successful hosting of the Manila leg of the FIBA 3x3 World Tour held at Robinson’s Place in Manila. Organizers of the tournament, led by commissioner Igmidio ‘Boy’ Cahanding Jr., hope to ride the crest of the FIBA 3x3 World Tour staging as they are also adopting FIBA rules. After Quezon City, other legs include Manila, Mandaluyong, Paranaque, Malabon, Navotas, Marikina, Pasay, Kalookan, Las Pinas, Muntinlupa, Pasig, Pateros, Taguig, Makati, and San Juan.

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‘Gilas 3.0 good enough’ choosing from among those names his final line-up that will compete in next month’s Olympic qualifier in China. “I think they’re the easiest guys to get that done with because they believe in themselves, so they’re not looking for somebody to come in and help them,” said Baldwin “They believe that what we have here can get the job done and that’s exactly the way that I want them to believe.” Gilas Pilipinas stalwart Ranidel De Ocampo was one of the 16, who attended the session but did not join the oncourt activities as he is still recuperating from an injured hamstring. Retired player and Talk ‘N Text team manager Jimmy Alapag also joined the play-

By Dennis Principe

WHILE Gilas Pilipinas head coach Baldwin admitted he is still longing to see a few more Philippine Basketball Association stars join them in the coming days, the American-Kiwi guru believes the players, who are currently practicing at the Meralco Gym can get the job done. The 16 players, led by naturalized center Andray Blatche, were present during Day 1 of training camp Monday night that went on smoothly except for an incident that saw Talk ‘N Text gunner Kelly Williams bang his knee on the floor that cut short the former MVP’s stint that night. FIBA 2013’s top Asian point guard Jayson Castro led the 3.0 Gilas training pool in during

the first day and was joined in by Talk ‘N Text teammate Matt Ganuelas-Rosser; Asi Taulava and Aldrech Ramos of NLEX; Gary David of Meralco; Terrence Romeo of GlobalPort; Alaska’s Calvin Abueva, Sonny Thoss and Dondon Hontiveros; JC Intal of Barako, Gabe Norwood of Rain or Shine and collegiate standout Troy Rosario. Baldwin sees no problem

NOTICE OF EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT

ers, bolstering reports that the former Gilas captain is ready to make a comeback with the National team. Baldwin said he is leaving it all up to PBA chairman Pato Gregorio and league president and CEO Chito Salud to find ways of getting the likes of Paul Lee, Marc Pingris, LA Tenorio and JuneMar Fajardo on board. “I don’t give myself the luxury of having those kinds of emotions. I have a job to do and the task that has been given to me is a tough task no matter what player shows up,” said Baldwin “But I’m a very competitive guy, these are very competitive basketball players and by the time we’ve done the work necessary to win games, I think we will believe in ourselves.”

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Notice is hereby given that the estate of BENJAMIN GUINA LUMANLAN, was extrajudicially settled among his heirs as per Doc. No. 36; Page No. 08; Book No. 131; Series of 2015 under Notary Public Atty. Dwight M. Galarrita

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(TS-JULY 29,AUG. 5, 12, 2015)

Republic of the Philippines Province of Ilocos Sur MUNCIPALITY OF SINAIT OFFICE OF THE BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE (BAC) INVITATION TO BID FOR GOODS August 5, 2015 The Municipal Government of Sinait, through the R.A. 7171 – Mun. Share intends to apply the sum specified below as being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for the following projects to wit: Name of Projects 1.

CLUSTER XI-1ST [Construction of Farmers Food Court (Rangay), Improvement of Farmers Municipal Hall, Continuation of Sinait Food Terminal Center (Phase II) , Improvement of Multi-purpose Hall (Brgy. Nagongburan), Completion of Potable Water System Project (Brgy. Barikir)]

Location

Approved Budget Cost (ABC)

Source of Fund

Rang-ay, Municipal Hall, Sinait Public P 15,300,000.00 R.A. 7171Market, Nagongburan, Mun.Share Barikir Sinait, Ilocos Sur

Duration of Works / Delivery Period 250 cd

Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening. The Municipal Government of Sinait now invites bids for the said Projects stated above. Completion of the Works is required as stated above under Duration of Works/Delivery Period. Bidders should have completed, within ten (10) years from the date of submission 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. Instruction to Bidders. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using nondiscretionary pass/fail criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”. Interested bidders may obtain further information from Municipal Government of Sinait BAC Office and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. BAC Office or MPDC Office – Sinait Municipal Hall, Sinait, Ilocos Sur. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders from the address above and upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents ISSUANCE OF BID DOCUMENTS – August 5- August 26, 2015 The Municipal Government of Sinai thru BAC will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on August 14, 2015 @ 10:00 A.M. at Mun. Treasurer’s Office Sinait Mun. Hall, Sinait, Ilocos Sur which shall be open to all interested parties. Bids must be delivered to the address above on or before August 26, 2015@ 9:30 A.M. at Sinait Municipal Hall Main Bldg., Sinait, Ilocos Sur. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18. OPENING OF BIDS – August 26, 2015@ 9:30 A.M. @ Sinait Municipal Hall, Sinait, Ilocos Sur. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives with the Authority of the Signatory who choose to attend at the address above. Late bids shall not be accepted. The Municipal Government of Sinait 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. For further information, please refer to: BAC SECRETARIAT MPDC Office Sinait Mun. Hall Main Bldg. (1st floor) Mobile # 09166725419 e-mail address: jr_seni67@yahoo.com

( T S - A U G . 5 , 2 015 )

(Sgd) EMELFA C. INES BAC Chairman

Three-time Asian Tour winner Angelo Que will be pitting guts and skills against an elite field in the $100,000 Aboitiz Invitational.

Que joins hunt as Aboitiz golf begins

CARMONA, Cavite—Angelo Que didn’t let the rare chance to slug it out with the strongest cast ever assembled in years slip as he joins the hunt for top honors and world ranking points in the $100,000 Aboitiz Invitational unfolding today at Manila Southwoods’ Legends course here. The three-time Asian Tour winner was quoted in Monday’s traditional pro-am that he would skip the tournament proper to take a muchneeded rest. But what he said, according to the two-leg winner of this year’s ICTSI Philippine Golf Tour, was he would only take a break yesterday (Tuesday). “There was a misunderstanding. What I said was I would take a rest today (yesterday),” said Que. Whatever, the long-hitting shotmaker hopes to start out strong against Kiwi Sean Riordan and Taiwanese Shih Chang Tai in the 7:20 a.m. flight on No. 10 as the 126-player field, featuring the cream of the local crop

and the top 10 in the current Asian Development Tour ranking, set out for what looms to be a four-day shootout for the $17,500 purse and points in the race for Olympic berths. In fact, defending champion Tony Lascuna predicts a 20-under winning total given the depth of the competing field and a course, though spruced up to championship condition and turned into a par-71, that may not be able to withstand the impending assault of the power-hitters. “An 18-under total might not be enough. I think 20- or more should do it,” said the 45-year-old Lascuna, brimming with confidence following back-to-back victories at ICTSI Apo and ICTSI Classic the last three weeks. “I got my rhythm back so I believe this will be a great week for me,” said Lascuna,seeking to match Elmer Salvador’s back-to-back title feat in this event put up by Aboitiz Ventures, Inc. and co-sanctioned by ADT and Pilipinas Golf Tournaments.

#Pharoahtoga? IN his first outing after his impressive Triple Crown slam, track star American Pharoah proved his star status isn’t a fluke by dominating the $1.75 million William Haskell Invitational (G1) last July 31. The nine-furlong (1,800 meters) race held at Monmouth Park featured six other runners. Competitive Edge grabbed the lead, with American Pharoah running off-the-pace a very close second, his jockey Victor Espinoza keeping a tight rein. Espinoza made his move at the half mile and took the lead at the quarter pole, American Pharoah eating up ground like it was oats. There was no need to whip nor urge the famous colt, who was eased into a canter in the final stage of the race and still won by 2-1/4 lengths. Keen Ice placed second, followed by Upstart in third and Competitive Edge in fourth. Total time for the race was 1:47.95. A record crowd of 60,983, the biggest in Monmouth Park history, turned out to watch American Pharoah add yet another jewel to his crown. Although he lost his debut race a year ago, he has won eight straight since then, with seven of them G1 races on six different racetracks, and five of them within this year – the Arkansas Derby, Kentucky Derby, Preakness, Belmont, and Haskell. The 146th Travers Stakes (G1) on August 29 at Saratoga is beckoning, with the New York Racing Association set to increase the purse from $1.25 million to $1.6 million if American Pharoah joins the field. Already, social media is bursting with the canny marketing hashtag #Pharoahtoga. Right after American Pharoah’s win, owner Ahmed Zayat and Bob Baffert said “the horse comes first,” and will consider the horse’s condition before deciding where to run him next. Kentucky-born American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile x Littleprincessemma) was bred by Zayat Stables. In addition to his other honors, he was also named Eclipse Champion 2YO Male in 2014. “This horse is more than the Horse of the Year,” said racing fan Scott Purington on the TVG Network Facebook page. “This horse is a legend.” ***** On Aug. 16, the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office National Grand Derby will be held at Santa Ana Park. The mile race is open to 3YO who were 2YO PCSO Maiden Race runners in 2014. On Aug. 23, it’ll be the fifth leg of the Philracom Import/Local Challenge, to be run over 2,000 meters at Metroturf Racecourse. Preparations are also ongoing for the 7th running of the Mayor Ramon Bagatsing Memorial Racing Festival, with the big day set for Aug. 30 at San Lazaro Leisure Park. This coincides with the first leg of the Philippine Racing Commission Juvenile Colts and Fillies stakes. *** Facebook: Gogirl Racing, Twitter: @gogirlracing, Instagram: @jensdecember, Blog: http://jennyo.net

W E D N E S D AY : A U G U S T 5 , 2 0 1 5

A15

SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Stronger Nishikori seeks return to US Open ﬁnal WASHINGTON—Japan’s fifthranked Kei Nishikori made history by reaching last year’s US Open final and he feels stronger, smarter and more confident as he begins the quest to repeat the feat. Nishikori opens his hardcourt run to this year’s Flushing Meadows fortnight with a firstround match Tuesday against 95th-ranked Australian James

Duckworth at the ATP Washington Open. “My tennis is going a good way. I’m feeling stronger and more confident,” Nishikori said. “Looking forward to playing this week.” Nishikori beat top-six rivals Milos Raonic and Stan Wawrinka in five sets and then ousted topranked Novak Djokovic to reach last year’s US Open final, becom-

ing the first Asian man to reach a Grand Slam singles final. Croatia’s Marin Cilic beat Nishikori in the championship match, but the 25-yearold has renewed confidence that he has what it takes to return to a Grand Slam final and perhaps make more history by winning it. “The biggest thing was expe-

rience -- first time in a Grand Slam final, I played five sets twice -- I learned a lot of things,” Nishikori said. “This year is different. Mentally I got a little stronger. Beating Novak, Stan, top 10 guys, I could believe in myself a little bit more. I was staying tough. I hope I can play good tennis these next few weeks.” AFP

LOTTO RESULTS

6/49 00-00-00-00-00-00 6/42 00-00-00-00-00-00 6 DIGITS 0-0-0-0-0-0 3 DIGITS 0-0-0 2 EZ2 0-0

P0.0 M+ P0.0 M+

Bubka: Coaches, athletes must be developed at the same time By Peter Atencio

RETIRED pole vault Olympic champion Sergey Bubka yesterday emphasized that coaches and athletes should be developed at the same time and be given support so they can perform better. The 51-year-old of Bubka is in the country to visit officials of the Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association and seek their support for his candidacy for the presidency of the International Amateur Athletic Federation in its election to be held next month. Bubka’s main rival for the IAAF’s top post is no less than retired track and field superstar Sebastian Coe in the on Aug. 15 elections in Beijing, China. “We should assist and provide support to the national federations with development on education of coaches, development of the skills of athletes. This knowledge is useful and helpful,” said Bubka, who was welcomed in the country by PATAFA Chairman Go Teng Kok in the absence of PATAFA president Philip Ella Juico, who is indisposed due to pneumonia. Go, along with board members Terry Capistrano and Emily Obiena, hosted a lunch with Bubka at the Sheraton Hotel in Malate, Manila. In seeking IAAF’s top post, Bubka said he believes that it is his duty to bring new stars into the sport, who he said would help strengthen the federation. “For me, it is my duty to give back,” added Bubka. Bubka, who is president of the Ukraine National Olympic Committee, has been involved with the

IAAF since 2001 and has served as its Vice President since 2007. In 1996, Bubka was elected as a member of the Athletes’ Commission of the International Olympic Committee. He became an official IOC Member in 1999 and has served in various commissions, including as Chairman of the Evaluation Commission, and the Coordination Commissions for the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore in 2010. As an athlete, Bubka won six consecutive IAAF World Championships, an Olympic gold medal and broke the world record for men’s pole vault 35 times. He was also the first pole vaulter to clear 6.0 meters, and was also the first to clear 6.10 meters. Young Filipino pole vaulter EJ Obiena is one of the Filipino athletes whom Bubka has helped through the IAAF development commission, which he heads. Obiena, along with his father, moved to Italy since last June for training and improved his leap under coach Vitaly Petrov. Since undergoing training over the last three years under Petrov, Obiena has improved his personal best from 4.9 meters to 5.3 meters. “He has incredible progress, and a fantastic possibility for next year’s Olympics,” said Bubka of Obiena.

Top board duel. Billy Samuel Ventanilla (right) of Villarica Elementary School ponders on his next move against Loribina Carrasco of West City Central, whom he beat to sweep his way to the kiddies’ championship in the 23rd Shell National Youth Active Chess Championship Northern Mindanao leg at SM CDO City Event Center in Cagayan de Oro recently. Carrasco ﬁnished tied for third place with seven points and took the top female berth in the grand ﬁnals slated from Sept. 19 to 20 at SM Megamall.

Pole vault legend Sergey Bubka emphasizes that coaches and athletes should be developed at the same time and be given support so they can perform better during a brief media session. He is joined here by athletics’ chairman Go Teng Kok. PETER ATENCIO

Wrestling completes stunning comeback KUALA LUMPUR—The head of wrestling’s world body Nenad Lalovic secured a place on the International Olympic Committee on Monday, completing a remarkable comeback after his sport was threatened with exclusion from the Olympics. The Serbian, one of two new entrants onto the IOC with Senegal’s Mamadou Diagna

Ndiaye, won the backing of all 83 members who voted. The IOC dropped wrestling as an Olympic event in February 2013, sparking a crisis in the sport which has been in the Olympics since it started. Lalovic became president of the global federation now known as United World Wrestling. Following an aggressive campaign it was voted back

onto the programme for the 2020 Tokyo Games in September the same year. The burly Belgrade businessman has since introduced a series of reforms to make wrestling more television-friendly, saying it was a question of “survival”. Rules have been changed to give more points to aggressive tactics rather than defensive. AFP

US cagers to play friendly games in PH THE Athletes In Action, a basketball team composed of American college players, will play friendly exhibition matches against a pair of Philippine Basketball Association teams and some of the country’s top collegiate squads. The AIA will also hold clinics and outreach programs on the side. AIA has already played a “friendly” with Far Eastern University at the FERN Campus in Diliman, University of the East and Blackwater on Tuesday. They will play Ateneo today, and will face reigning UAAP champion NU on Thursday. They will also go up against De La Salle on Friday and KIA on Saturday. Suiting up for the AIA team

are Tyler Lewis of Butler, Eric Garcia of Wofford, Chris Hass of Bucknell, TK Edogi of Tulsa, Andre Yates of Cleveland State, Winston Shepard of San Diego State, Tryell Nelson of GardnerWebb, Javis Howard of Charleston Southern, D’Andre Wright of Tulsa and Greg Lewis of Rutgers. The team is managed and at the same time being coached by Morris Michalski, with his assistant coaches Phil Bolier and former North Carolina assistant Alan Major. Aside from playing games, AIA will conduct an outreach program at the Bilibid Prison, Tondo, Boystown in Marikina, East Avenue and UP Village and hold clinics in Clark, Pampanga,

the Technological Institute of the Philippines, University of Makati and Valenzuela. Capping up the team’s stay here, which was made possible by support from Smart, Maynilad, Alaska Milk, Freego, Microtel, Shacman, SM City Clark and Samaritan’s Feet, is a game against its AIA Philippines’ counterparts on Aug. 9. AIA is a non-stock, non-profit organization aimed at spreading God’s Word through basketball. Some of its famous products are Rain or Shine’s Gabe Norwood, the Los Angeles Clippers’ Chris Paul, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kevin Durant and the legendary David Robinson of the San Antonio Spurs. Peter Atencio

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK W E D N E S D AY : A u g u S t 5 , 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

Shaq Alanes (left) of Lyceum drives tothe basket but is rejected by Letran’s Rey Publico in an NCAA game won by the Knights, 83-78, their seventh straight. SONNY ESPIRITU

Blazers, Knights win by peter Atencio

JONATHAN Grey and Pons Saavedra carried College of St. Benilde on their backs all game long, as the Blazers routed the San Sebastian Stags, 88-66, to end a three-game skid with their second win in five games in the National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball tournament at the San Juan Arena. Grey sizzled with a season-high 29 points, while Saavedra added 20 including six crucial treys for the Blazers. “They carried us in this game,” said St. Benilde coach Gabby Velasco. The Stags got off to strong start behind an 8-0 blitz, but the Blazers came charging back behind Grey,

vAn der burgh shAtters world swim record turn to A13

games tomorrow (San Juan Arena) 10 a.m.—Jose Rizal vs San Beda (jrs) 12 nn. —Arellano vs Perpetual Help (jrs) 2 p.m. —Jose Rizal vs San Beda (srs) 4 p.m. —Arellano vs Perpetual (srs)

who scored 20 points in the first half. Grey’s prolific shooting had

the Blazers moving away from a 20-15 first quarter lead to a 43-30 advantage at the half. Saavedra then picked up, where Grey left, as he scored all of his 20 points, 18 of which came from the three point arc. In juniors’ action, Lyceum turned back Letran, 76-73, while La SalleGreenhills routed San Sebastian, 6948, to improve to 4-3 records. Generoso Cecilio paced the Junior Pirates with 19 points, while Makki Santos, Chester Jungco and McLaude Guadana chipped in 17, 12 and 12, respectively. Ricci Rivero, a FIBA World 3x3 veteran, finished with a doubledouble of 23 points, 12 rebounds and added four steals, four blocks

Athletes, coAches must be developed At sAme time turn to A15

and three assists, while John Mallillin also had a double-double of 17 points and 15 rebounds for the Junior Blazers. In the other seniors’ match, Letran Knights survived a huge scare from the Lyceum Pirates en route to a close 83-78 victory. The Pirates launched repeated rallies but fell short in the end as Jomari Sollano rose to the challenge, taking over the scoring chores after Rey Nambatac injured his nose after he was hit by a wayward elbow from Pirate Allyn Malabanan., The win kept the Knights spotless with seven wins and the solo lead, matching their 7-0 record during the time of Raymund Almazan.

Blatche: We have legit shot at gold by Jeric lopez SMART Gilas Pilipinas has just started its first official training for the FIBA-Asia Championship but this early, naturalized star Andray Blatche believes that the nationals have a legit shot at the gold. The 6’11” forward/center said he’s convinced that the soon-tobe formed national squad will be in serious contention in the continent’s biggest basketball tournament next month. Even if China and Iran are considered as the two toughest teams in Asia based on paper, Blatche thinks that the Philippines will be a force to reckon with as well. ‘’I feel like we have one of the strongest teams in Asia,’’ said Blatche. ‘’As long as we work hard and give it our all, we’ll have a good chance at winning. I’m excited. We’re definitely looking forward to the tournament.’’ Blatche and the rest of the nationals are looking to win the tournament and earn a spot in the Rio Olympics next year in Brazil. In addition to his confidence on his team, Blatche, who looked a bit overweight due to a five-month layoff after his stint with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers in the Chinese Basketball Association tournament, also made the assurance that he’ll be in tip-top shape in time for the FIBA-Asia event.

WEDNESDAY: AUGUST 5, 2015

RAY S. EÑANO EDITOR

RODERICK T. DELA CRUZ ASSISTANT EDITOR

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

BUSINESS

All Home in Las Piñas.

All Value chairman Manuel Villar (second from left) opens the ninth branch of AllHome, a one-stop-shop of home essentials that caters to contractors, architects, interior designers and homeowners who are building their own homes, or ﬁxing up their current ones. Shown with Villar during the ribbon cutting ceremony are (from left) AllHome president Benjamarie Therese Serrano, former beauty queen and TV host Miriam Quiambao and AllHome chief operating ofﬁcer Sally Coloma.

Globe’s income rose to P8.6b in 6 months By Darwin G. Amojelar

GLOBE Telecom Inc said Tuesday core profit rose 14 percent in the first semester of 2015, boosted by its mobile and broadband businesses. The company, a unit of conglomerate Ayala Corp., said core net income, which excludes the impact of non-recurring items, amounted to P8.6 billion in the January-to-June period from P7.6 billion year-on-year Globe’s core profit in the second

quarter reached P4.4 billion from P4.2 billion on year. The second-ranked telecommunications company reported a net income of P8.7 billion in the first six months of the year from P6.8 billion on yea. Net profit in the second quarter amounted to P4.5 bil-

lion from P3.9 billion on year. “Amidst the heightened level of competition, Globe soared to new record levels in terms of service revenues, EBITDA [earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization], net income and core net income,” Globe president and chief executive Ernest Cu said. He said the company’s data revenues exceeded expectations, maintaining a robust double-digit growth during the first half of the year. “We remain confident that we can sustain this growth momen-

PLDT hikes spending to P43b PHILIPPINE Long Distance Telephone Co. said Tuesday it will increase capital expenditures this year to P43 billion, after net income in the first half fell 6 percent to P18.73 billion from P20 billion a year ago. PLDT, controlled by First Pacific Co. Ltd. of Hong Kong and NTT Group of Japan, said excluding the impact of non-recurring items, core income dropped 5 percent in the January to June period to P18.9 billion from P19.8 billion in the same period last year. Consolidated revenues dropped 2 percent to P81.2 billion in the first semester, as revenues from the international and national long distance segments continued to sag. Wireless service revenues

amounted to P55.59 billion while data broadband revenues reached P23.02 billion. PLDT Group’s mobile phone subscriber stood at 68.9 million as of end-June while broadband subscriber base reached 4.9 million. “The rapid decline in our toll revenues continues to beard down on our medium-term revenue growth, with the onslaught of the Internet causing adverse substitution,” PLDT chairman Manuel Pangilinan said. The company set a core profit guidance of P35 billion this year, or 6.4 percent lower than last year. Pangilinan said the company raised its planned capital expenditures to P43 billion this year from the original guidance of

P39 billion. “We also allocated $100 million for the investment in digital space,” he said, adding the new investment was not the same size of the Rocket Internet. Meanwhile, Pangilinan said PLDT was open to a content deal with GMA Network Inc. amid controversy hounding the broadcasting network and businessman Ramon Ang. “No discussion. I think for the moment we are focusing on PLDT,” Pangilinan told reporters when asked if the company would revive acquisition talks with the owners of GMA Network. Pangilinan, however, said his company was open to a partnership with GMA Network on the content side. Darwin G. Amojelar

tum going forward as Globe is now well-positioned and wellequipped more than ever to offer the best products and services to cater to the market’s growing demand for quality digital content, given our topnotch global and local partnerships, and backed by our improved and modernized network,” Cu added. Globe’s consolidated service revenues stood at P53.8 billion, 13 percent higher than P47.7 billion a year ago, on the strength of robust revenue gains on mobile data and broadband, as more customers adopted a digital lifestyle. Globe posted its highest ever consolidated service revenues of P27.6 billion in the second quarter of the year from P24.5 billion on year. The mobile business posted a 10 percent year-on-year growth in revenues to P41.6 billion in the six-month period from P37.8 billion on year, due to the strong contributions across all brands. Globe’s mobile subscriber base reached 48.4 million at the end of June, up a solid 13 percent from 42.7 million a year ago driven by record gross acquisitions this period. The healthy growth in mobile revenues was fueled by the surge in mobile data revenues, which reached P9.5 billion as of endJune, up a solid 53 percent from P6.2 billion reported a year ago. Broadband revenues stood at P7.6 billion as of end June 2015, with total subscriber base now reaching close to 3.5 million.

PSe comPoSite index Closing August 4, 2015

8500 8000 7500 7000 6500 6000

7,598.29 25.03

PeSo-dollar rate

Closing AUGUST 4, 2015 42

P45.610

44 45 46

HIGH P45.610 LOW P45.780 AVERAGE P45.722 VOLUME 683.400M

P475.00-P675.00 LPG/11-kg tank P39.10-P45.35 Unleaded Gasoline P25.30-P28.55 Diesel

oPriceS il P today

P34.55-P39.15 Kerosene P23.70-P24.40 Auto LPG Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Tuesday, August 4, 2015

F oreign e xchange r ate Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

45.6740

Japan

Yen

0.008066

0.3684

Pound

1.558500

71.1829

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128981

5.8911

Switzerland

Franc

1.031247

47.1012

Canada

Dollar

0.759705

34.6988

Singapore

Dollar

0.725689

33.1451

Australia

Dollar

0.727484

33.2271

Bahrain

Dinar

2.652168

121.1351

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266652

12.1791

Brunei

Dollar

0.723066

33.0253

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000074

0.0034

Thailand

Baht

0.028531

1.3031

UAE

Dirham

0.272257

12.4351

Euro

1.095400

50.0313

Korea

Won

0.000856

0.0391

China

Yuan

0.161038

7.3552

India

Rupee

0.015631

0.7139

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.259727

11.8628

New Zealand

Dollar

0.659979

30.1439

Taiwan

Dollar

0.031567

1.4418 Source: PDS Bridge

WEDNESDAY: AUGUST 5, 2015

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

The STandard BuSineSS daily STockS review Tuesday, augusT 4, 2015

52 Weeks

High Low 7.88 75.3 124.4 107 56.5 4.2 17 30.45 10.4 2.6 890 1.01 100 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 9.4 0.98 241 12.5 79 3.95 4 33.9 90 13.26 293 5 5.25 12.98 15 7.03 3.4 4.5 6.3 7.86 7.34 238 5.5 3.28 0.315 2.65 234 1.3 26 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 0.71 5.53 6.55 0.0670 2.31 1.61 84.9 3.5 974 1.66 1.39 156 0.710 0.435 0.510 10.5 1.99 1.75 0.375 41.4 5.6 5.59 7.1

STOCKS

High

Low

FINANCIAL 3.96 3.65 73.35 71.8 103.90 100.20 95.70 95.00 46.8 46.45 1.48 1.47 16.28 16 21.85 21.05 7.66 7.66 1.69 1.68 775.00 775.00 0.435 0.390 88.8 87.95 19.36 19.08 26.00 26.00 64.80 64.25 94 93.5 306 304.8 40 39.4 148.5 148 1445.00 1435.00 60.00 59.00 3.3 3.3 INDUSTRIAL 35.9 Aboitiz Power Corp. 43.3 43.3 43.1 1.11 Agrinurture Inc. 1.61 1.66 1.44 1.01 Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. 1.03 1.03 1.03 1.86 Alsons Cons. 1.88 1.9 1.88 7.92 Asiabest Group 10.62 11.1 10.62 32 C. Azuc De Tarlac 80.00 81.05 81.05 15.32 Century Food 18 18 17.98 10.08 Cirtek Holdings (Chips) 26 26 25.3 29.15 Concepcion 55.9 55.8 55 1.5 Crown Asia 2.95 3.05 2.95 1.5 Da Vinci Capital 1.58 1.6 1.51 10.72 Del Monte 12.94 12.9 12.54 9.55 DNL Industries Inc. 21.900 22.150 21.9 9.04 Emperador 9.10 9.15 8.95 6.02 Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) 7.15 7.33 7.18 8.86 EEI 9.82 10.00 9.80 20.2 First Gen Corp. 26.5 27 26.5 71.5 First Holdings ‘A’ 82 82 81.75 5.34 Integ. Micro-Electronics 6.09 6.1 6 0.395 Ionics Inc 0.500 0.490 0.490 173 Jollibee Foods Corp. 195.00 194.10 191.50 8.65 Lafarge Rep 10.18 10.06 10.2 34.1 Liberty Flour 30.00 28.05 28.05 2.3 LMG Chemicals 2 2.16 2.16 1.63 Mabuhay Vinyl 2.53 2.53 2.48 23.35 Manila Water Co. Inc. 25.15 25.1 24.95 17.3 Maxs Group 25.5 25.65 24.9 5.88 Megawide 6.31 6.53 6.4 250.2 Mla. Elect. Co À’ 299.80 310.00 299.80 3.37 Panasonic Mfg Phil. Corp. 3.90 3.88 3.88 3.87 Pepsi-Cola Products Phil. 4.74 4.73 4.66 8.45 Petron Corporation 7.78 7.84 7.65 10.04 Phinma Corporation 11.90 11.88 11.20 3.03 Phoenix Petroleum Phils. 3.45 3.46 3.40 1.95 Phoenix Semiconductor 2.32 2.44 2.33 1 Pryce Corp. À’ 3.87 4.07 3.86 4.02 RFM Corporation 4.30 4.38 4.30 1.65 Roxas and Co. 1.85 1.85 1.85 5.9 Roxas Holdings 5.72 5.72 5.7 161 San Miguel’Pure Foods `B’ 165 165 164 4.1 SPC Power Corp. 4.4 4.49 4.49 1.55 Splash Corporation 1.78 1.78 1.72 0.138 Swift Foods, Inc. 0.147 0.155 0.146 2.09 Trans-Asia Oil 2.16 2.16 2.12 152 Universal Robina 192.1 196.5 190.7 0.640 Vitarich Corp. 0.7 0.7 0.69 10.02 Vivant Corp. 22.50 23.90 22.50 1.2 Vulcan Ind’l. 1.19 1.19 1.19 HOLDING FIRMS 0.44 Abacus Cons. À’ 0.470 0.470 0.450 48.1 Aboitiz Equity 58.3000 58.7500 58.3000 20.85 Alliance Global Inc. 22.35 22.60 22.35 1.6 Anglo Holdings A 1.24 1.20 1.20 6.62 Anscor À’ 6.90 6.95 6.90 0.23 ATN Holdings A 0.248 0.250 0.248 0.23 ATN Holdings B 0.245 0.250 0.247 634.5 Ayala Corp À’ 795 788 780 7.390 Cosco Capital 7.36 7.55 7.28 12.8 DMCI Holdings 12.02 12.12 11.90 2.26 Filinvest Dev. Corp. 4.20 4.22 4.22 0.152 Forum Pacific 0.193 0.218 0.200 837 GT Capital 1404 1419 1376 5.3 House of Inv. 6.44 6.50 6.49 49.55 JG Summit Holdings 72.50 72.60 72.05 4.84 Lopez Holdings Corp. 7.18 7.15 7.02 0.59 Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp. 0.66 0.66 0.64 12 LT Group 15 15.2 15.04 0.580 Mabuhay Holdings À’ 0.6 0.6 0.59 4.2 Metro Pacific Inv. Corp. 5 5.11 5 4.5 Minerales Industrias Corp. 7.5 7.6 7.33 0.030 Pacifica À’ 0.0300 0.0290 0.0290 1.23 Prime Media Hldg 1.080 1.100 1.080 0.550 Prime Orion 2.100 2.110 2.070 59.3 San Miguel Corp À’ 56.20 56.25 55.60 1.5 Seafront À’ 2.25 2.50 2.23 751 SM Investments Inc. 901.50 910.00 890.00 1.13 Solid Group Inc. 1.25 1.26 1.19 0.93 South China Res. Inc. 0.71 0.69 0.69 80 Top Frontier 80.000 80.000 77.150 0.211 Unioil Res. & Hldgs 0.3100 0.3800 0.3050 0.179 Wellex Industries 0.1880 0.1920 0.1870 0.310 Zeus Holdings 0.260 0.260 0.260 PROPERTY 6.74 8990 HLDG 7.200 7.290 7.210 0.65 A. Brown Co., Inc. 0.70 0.72 0.70 1.2 Araneta Prop À’ 1.330 1.310 1.300 0.192 Arthaland Corp. 0.220 0.235 0.220 30.05 Ayala Land `B’ 37.05 37.20 36.75 3.36 Belle Corp. À’ 3.68 3.7 3.62 4.96 Cebu Holdings 5.15 5.15 5.06 4.6 Cebu Prop. `B’ 6.48 6.41 6.41 2.5 66 88.05 88.1 45.45 1.68 12.02 19.6 6.12 1.02 625 0.225 78 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 Bright Kindle Resources COL Financial Eastwest Bank Filipino Fund Inc. I-Remit Inc. Manulife Fin. Corp. MEDCO Holdings Metrobank 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 16,090,367 65,498,972 157,446,493 155,949,400 71,400,369 11,303,987,619 11,774,002,800

3.95 73.35 100.60 95.65 46.8 1.50 16.26 21.8 7.20 1.69 780.00 0.395 88.05 19.08 26.00 64.80 94.9 306 39.5 148.5 1450.00 60.00 3.3

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

3.66 71.8 102.50 95.60 46.8 1.48 16.2 21.6 7.66 1.68 775.00 0.435 88.5 19.36 26.00 64.50 93.5 305 40 148.3 1435.00 59.00 3.3

-7.34 -2.11 1.89 -0.05 0.00 -1.33 -0.37 -0.92 6.39 -0.59 -0.64 10.13 0.51 1.47 0.00 -0.46 -1.48 -0.33 1.27 -0.13 -1.03 -1.67 0.00

178,000 32,540 1,727,430 2,283,230 136,800 26,000 114,800 1,132,300 1,000 50,000 70 1,220,000 7,462,580 56,300 2,000 36,510 200 41,650 114,700 1,233,150 105 17,480 221,000

43.3 1.56 1.03 1.88 11.08 81.05 18 25.95 55.5 2.95 1.52 12.6 21.950 9.10 7.33 9.90 26.95 81.9 6.09 0.490 194.10 10.1 28.05 2.16 2.48 25.1 25.5 6.46 308.00 3.88 4.7 7.75 11.86 3.43 2.42 4.07 4.35 1.85 5.7 164.5 4.49 1.72 0.150 2.14 195 0.69 22.50 1.19

0.00 -3.11 0.00 0.00 4.33 1.31 0.00 -0.19 -0.72 0.00 -3.80 -2.63 0.23 0.00 2.52 0.81 1.70 -0.12 0.00 -2.00 -0.46 -0.79 -6.50 8.00 -1.98 -0.20 0.00 2.38 2.74 -0.51 -0.84 -0.39 -0.34 -0.58 4.31 5.17 1.16 0.00 -0.35 -0.30 2.05 -3.37 2.04 -0.93 1.51 -1.43 0.00 0.00

2,216,500 138,000 45,000 409,000 18,000 200 2,105,000 447,500 152,260 11,674,000 405,000 35,000 6,772,600 1,866,000 7,988,300 140,800 1,198,400 45,570 231,900 3,000 446,150 1,991,200 300 1,000 223,000 255,000 333,200 240,800 1,293,810 9,000 91,000 4,042,400 14,200 504,000 1,397,000 7,285,000 1,204,000 22,000 15,700 5,800 4,000 11,000 6,500,000 614,000 2,433,350 35,000 40,300 533,000

0.470 58.7500 22.55 1.20 6.95 0.248 0.250 785 7.35 12.00 4.22 0.203 1410 6.49 72.45 7.14 0.65 15.14 0.6 5.04 7.5 0.0290 1.080 2.070 55.60 2.23 910.00 1.26 0.69 77.150 0.3700 0.1920 0.260

0.00 0.77 0.89 -3.23 0.72 0.00 2.04 -1.26 -0.14 -0.17 0.48 5.18 0.43 0.78 -0.07 -0.56 -1.52 0.93 0.00 0.80 0.00 -3.33 0.00 -1.43 -1.07 -0.89 0.94 0.80 -2.82 -3.56 19.35 2.13 0.00

330,000 1,308,440 8,206,500 133,000 70,200 1,100,000 210,000 229,520 4,714,500 2,287,800 14,000 2,030,000 34,510 304,000 3,181,400 7,864,400 416,000 8,613,900 70,000 62,471,200 505,900 1,100,000 17,000 3,230,000 359,240 19,000 255,890 10,000 20,000 1,580 47,470,000 190,000 440,000

7.220 0.72 1.300 0.220 36.85 3.66 5.15 6.41

0.28 2.86 -2.26 0.00 -0.54 -0.54 0.00 -1.08

320,800 8,000 5,000 130,000 16,223,100 3,028,000 60,900 2,000

1,773,361.00 52,347,145.00 -46,767,609.50 2,465,995.00 23,653,490.00 15,500.00 -34,300.00 182,948,144.00 -386,850.00 -9,973,534.00 751,320.00 -18,424,860.00 -6,750.00 -52,309,665.00 -16,480.00 188,000.00 -8,784.00 -7,190,960.00 -3,438,963.00 518,850.00 85,570,880.00 644,897.00 2,624,228.00 -47,936.00 -4,305,960.00 -1,058,706.00 -33,241,922.00 824,874.00

478,820.00 354,630.00 59,780.00 106,797,920.00 -75,390.00 3,103,754.00 585,520.00 -43,380.00 1,089,180.00 -47,110.00 508,120.00 12,110.00 9,987,400.00 884,250.00 -135,000.00 12,283,456.00 -40,927,345.00

-61,979,260.00 -6,973,997.00 -5,532,156.00 19,394,880.00 1,298,000.00 -44,464,010.50 -5,339,099.00 -110,695,958.00 83,863,794.00

-103,500.00 -13,807,450.00 24,574,850.00 -13,800.00 -105,409.00 -62,900.00

-901,550.00

-164,398,780.00 -19,450.00 75,696.00

52 Weeks

High Low

STOCKS

1.44 1.97 0.201 0.69 10.96 0.97 0.305 2.22 2.1 1.8 8.4 5.94 0.180 31.8 2.29 4.9 21.35 1.06 7.56 1.62 8.59

0.79 1.1 0.083 0.415 2.4 0.83 0.188 1.15 1.42 1.27 3.1 4.13 0.090 22.15 1.6 3.1 15.08 0.69 3.38 0.83 5.73

Century Property City & Land Dev. Crown Equities Inc. Cyber Bay Corp. Double Dragon Empire East Land Ever Gotesco Global-Estate Filinvest Land,Inc. Interport `A’ Keppel Properties Megaworld MRC Allied Ind. Robinson’s Land `B’ Rockwell Shang Properties Inc. SM Prime Holdings Sta. Lucia Land Inc. Starmalls Suntrust Home Dev. Inc. Vista Land & Lifescapes

10.5 66 1.09 14.88 15.82 0.1430 5.06 99.1 7.67 1700 2720 8.41 1.97 119.5 0.017 0.8200 2.2800 5.93 12.28 3.32 95.5 1 2.46 15.2 0.62 1.040 22.8 6.41 4 185 22.9 3486 0.760 2.28 46.05 90.1 11.6 0.85 2.95 10 0.490 1.9

1.97 35.2 0.63 10.5 8.6 0.0770 2.95 56.1 4.8 830 1600 5.95 1.23 102.6 0.011 0.041 1.200 2.34 6.5 1.91 3.1 0.650 1.8 6 0.335 0.37 14.54 3 2.28 79 4.39 2748 0.435 1.2 31.45 60.55 7.59 0.63 1.71 5 0.315 1.14

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

0.0098 5.45 17.24 25 0.330 12.7 12.8 1.19 1.62 9.5 4.2 0.48 0.420 0.440 0.022 0.023 8.2 49.2 4.27 1.030 3.06 0.020 0.021 7.67 12.88 10.42 0.040 420 9

0.0043 1.72 6.47 9.43 0.236 6.5 5.11 0.85 0.77 5.99 1.17 0.305 0.2130 0.2160 0.013 0.014 3.240 18.96 2.11 0.365 1.54 0.012 0.013 5.4 7.26 2.27 0.015 115.9 3.67

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

70 553 120

33 ABS-CBN Holdings Corp. 490 Ayala Corp. Pref `B1’ 101.5 First Gen G FPH Pref C 5.88 GMA Holdings Inc. 6.5 Leisure and Resort 101 MWIDE PREF PCOR-Preferred B 1011 PF Pref 2 74.2 SMC Preferred A 74.5 SMC Preferred B 75 SMC Preferred C

8.21 12.28 111 1047 76.9 78.95 84.8 6.98

0.8900 LR Warrant

15 88 12.88

3.5 13.5 5.95

130.7

105.6 First Metro ETF

Makati Fin. Corp. IRipple E-Business Intl Xurpas

High

VALUE 1,293,860,303.77 1,546,846,368.36 1,585,325,015.75 1,402,431,822.17 2,042,358,706.05 281,618,824.5172 8,198,582,487.62

FINANCIAL 1,671.78 (UP) 8.28 INDUSTRIAL 11,565.29 (UP) 97.43 HOLDING FIRMS 6,885.22 (UP) 18.18 PROPERTY 3,113.98 (UP) 5.65 SERVICES 2,133.07 (DOWN) 10.68 MINING & OIL 11,826.74 (DOWN) 47.84 PSEI 7,598.29 (UP) 25.03 All Shares Index 4,348.81 (UP) 12.28 Gainers: 69 Losers: 106; Unchanged: 46; Total: 221

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

0.82 1.11 0.126 0.420 13.78 0.860 0.181 1.26 1.99 1.29 3.30 4.74 0.102 28.55 1.64 3.32 21.60 0.74 7.16 0.800 7.050

0.83 0.82 0.82 1.11 1.06 1.06 0.126 0.126 0.126 0.440 0.430 0.435 13.92 13.6 13.62 0.860 0.860 0.860 0.182 0.172 0.182 1.28 1.25 1.25 2.02 1.92 1.93 1.31 1.29 1.29 4.90 4.85 4.88 4.95 4.8 4.92 0.102 0.100 0.102 28.60 28.15 28.25 1.65 1.63 1.64 3.33 3.30 3.33 22.05 21.60 21.80 0.75 0.72 0.75 7.16 6.78 7.16 0.800 0.790 0.790 7.240 7.050 7.220 SERVICES 8.41 8.5 8.23 8.4 61.9 61.9 61 61.3 0.610 0.620 0.610 0.610 13 13 13 13 9.69 9.76 9.61 9.75 0.0790 0.0810 0.0780 0.0800 3.28 3.28 3.22 3.22 94 96.85 94.05 96.35 5.40 5.52 5.12 5.20 970 970 970 970 2634 2684 2622 2670 6.52 6.54 6.33 6.35 1.29 1.32 1.26 1.28 109.1 110.1 109.5 110 0.012 0.012 0.011 0.012 0.207 0.210 0.204 0.206 1.3100 1.3300 1.2800 1.3100 2.21 2.34 2.22 2.22 10.38 10.38 9.98 9.99 2.16 2.17 2.14 2.15 40.00 42.95 41.50 41.50 0.680 0.730 0.660 0.680 2 2 1.99 2 7.89 7.87 7.3 7.85 0.310 0.325 0.325 0.325 0.470 0.465 0.465 0.465 20.95 20.95 20.9 20.9 4.74 4.90 4.74 4.80 2.63 3.2 3.1 3.15 107.50 107.50 107.00 107.00 18.90 18.90 18.80 18.90 2898.00 2900.00 2850.00 2850.00 0.660 0.670 0.660 0.660 1.560 1.550 1.510 1.520 36.90 36.95 36.80 36.85 76.50 79.00 75.40 76.35 8.72 8.72 8.56 8.57 0.68 0.71 0.67 0.67 1.79 1.71 1.7 1.7 5.31 5.41 5.28 5.4 0.320 0.330 0.320 0.330 2.900 2.960 2.700 2.800 MINING & OIL 0.0065 0.0066 0.0058 0.0058 2.50 2.43 2.40 2.40 5.63 5.61 5.55 5.55 11.50 11.84 11.50 11.84 0.218 0.218 0.215 0.215 6.7000 7.5000 6.6000 6.6000 6.8400 6.84 6.8 6.8000 0.7 0.69 0.65 0.67 0.76 0.75 0.75 0.75 6.80 7.05 6.75 6.76 1.3 1.34 1.26 1.27 0.295 0.305 0.300 0.300 0.200 0.204 0.199 0.202 0.215 0.229 0.214 0.214 0.013 0.014 0.013 0.013 0.013 0.014 0.013 0.014 3 3 2.76 2.81 10.42 10.46 10.34 10.4 3.98 4.03 3.87 3.87 0.6300 0.6300 0.6300 0.6300 1.9900 1.9900 1.9500 1.9900 0.0095 0.0095 0.0095 0.0095 0.0110 0.0110 0.0110 0.0110 4.15 4.27 4.11 4.12 5.35 5.400 5.330 5.36 1.63 1.660 1.630 1.65 0.011 0.011 0.011 0.011 119.20 119.40 118.20 119.00 8.91 9.32 8.8 8.88 PREFERRED 60.5 60.3 59.8 59.8 528 527.5 527 527 118 118 118 118 505 500 500 500 6.4 6.49 6.32 6.49 1.11 1.12 1.11 1.12 111.5 110.5 110 110 1105 1105 1091 1091 1024 1025 1024 1025 75.55 75.7 75.5 75.5 82 80 80 80 83 84 83 83 WARRANTS & BONDS 4.050 4.120 3.900 3.930 SME 6.3 6.3 5.5 6.3 68.65 65.95 60.2 65.95 12.36 12.64 12.32 12.58 EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 123.5 123.5 123 123.5

T op g ainerS STOCKS

Low

0.00 -4.50 0.00 3.57 -1.16 0.00 0.55 -0.79 -3.02 0.00 47.88 3.80 0.00 -1.05 0.00 0.30 0.93 1.35 0.00 -1.25 2.41

1,160,000 8,000 4,120,000 1,480,000 1,469,900 3,000 390,000 1,679,000 26,901,000 270,000 5,000 80,635,000 1,840,000 1,843,000 348,000 20,000 11,237,000 28,000 6,200 100,000 2,612,000

-0.12 -0.97 0.00 0.00 0.62 1.27 -1.83 2.50 -3.70 0.00 1.37 -2.61 -0.78 0.82 0.00 -0.48 0.00 0.45 -3.76 -0.46 3.75 0.00 0.00 -0.51 4.84 -1.06 -0.24 1.27 19.77 -0.47 0.00 -1.66 0.00 -2.56 -0.14 -0.20 -1.72 -1.47 -5.03 1.69 3.13 -3.45

401,600 19,440 1,927,000 100 8,997,400 14,040,000 90,000 2,845,190 76,500 1,220 290,020 184,900 473,000 1,365,960 1,800,000 1,540,000 1,672,000 3,000 3,144,200 718,000 2,000 40,000 122,000 2,670,200 160,000 20,000 5,200 106,000 4,000 350 29,100 166,160 1,073,000 8,570,000 677,900 811,600 2,396,500 10,605,000 14,000 709,500 20,000 2,551,000

-10.77 -4.00 -1.42 2.96 -1.38 -1.49 -0.58 -4.29 -1.32 -0.59 -2.31 1.69 1.00 -0.47 0.00 7.69 -6.33 -0.19 -2.76 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 -0.72 0.19 1.23 0.00 -0.17 -0.34

11,163,000,000-88,300.00 168,000 43,500 200 450,000 -45,220.00 7,200 5,300 2,101,000 -66,110.00 392,000 39,400 35,000.00 10,537,000 -3,399,070.00 80,000 4,130,000 190,000 16,800,000 55,200,000 3,908,000 272,160.00 1,259,800 3,819,104.00 8,430,000 -2,018,540.00 99,000 23,000 1,000,000 9,400,000 -103,400.00 223,000 197,710.00 381,800 5,360.00 353,000 23,500,000 1,064,520 -26,559,924.00 834,700 36,069.00

-1.16 -0.19 0.00 -0.99 1.41 0.90 -1.35 -1.27 0.10 -0.07 -2.44 0.00

221,570 6,400 20,800 7,990 26,900 412,000 11,200 4,910 10,590 107,050 5,000 87,510

-2.96

360,000

0.00 -3.93 1.78

2,900 520 3,620,700

0.00

5,460

-166,000.00 -129,000.00 350,534.00 -315,840.00 -9,540,850.00 16,433,360.00 -2,891,095.00 -42,900.00 -42,015,430.00 678.00 2,243,950.00 304,245.00

-31,087,825.00 158,000.00 48,300.00 137,060,248.50 20,520.00 -255,329,520.00 -14,160,548.00 -13,000.00 -3,037,774.00 10,750.00

685,561.00

-37,760.00 -72,864,230.00 -2,891,010.00 612,475.00 25,181,026.00 -5,619,448.00 -3,213,570.00 565,636.00 27,500.00

3,492,458.00

50,564.00 -1,092,780.00

-16,800.00

13,114,912.00

T op L oSerS Close (P)

Change (%)

STOCKS

Close (P)

Change (%)

Keppel Properties

4.88

47.88

Abra Mining

0.0058

-10.77

Paxys Inc.

3.15

19.77

AG Finance

3.66

-7.34

Unioil Res. & Hldgs

0.3700

19.35

Liberty Flour

28.05

-6.50

MEDCO Holdings

0.435

10.13

Marcventures Hldgs., Inc.

2.81

-6.33

LMG Chemicals

2.16

8.00

Transpacific Broadcast

1.7

-5.03

Manila Mining `B'

0.014

7.69

City & Land Dev.

1.06

-4.50

Filipino Fund Inc.

7.66

6.39

Century Peak Metals Hldgs

0.67

-4.29

Forum Pacific

0.203

5.18

Apex `A'

2.40

-4.00

Pryce Corp. `A'

4.07

5.17

IRipple E-Business Intl

65.95

-3.93

MG Holdings

0.325

4.84

Da Vinci Capital

1.52

-3.80

WEDNESDAY: AUGUST 5, 2015

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

Stocks extend gains to 5th day STOCKS rose for the fifth straight day, on positive corporate earnings and as investors searched for bargains. The Philippine Stock Exchange index, the 30-company benchmark, gained 25 points, or 0.3 percent, to close at 7,598.29 Tuesday. The gauge was up 5.1 percent since the start of the year. The heavier index, representing all shares, also advanced 12 points, or 0.3 percent, to settle at 4,348.81 on a value turnover of P8.2 billion. Losers outnumbered gainers, 106 to 69, while 46 issues were unchanged. Power retailer Manila Electric Co. was the biggest gainers among the 20 most active stocks, as it climbed 2.7 percent to P308. Property developer Megaworld Corp. advanced 2.5 percent to P4.92, while airline operator Cebu Air Inc. rose 2.5 percent to P96.35. BDO Unibank Inc., the largest lender, added 1.9 percent to close at P102.50. Meanwhile, Asian stocks were mixed in afternoon trading, as China announced new rules restricting short selling after a recent market rout and Australia held interest rates at rock-bottom levels. Tokyo eased 0.14 percent or 27.75 points to close at 20,520.36, while Seoul gained 0.97 percent or 19.50 points to close at 2,027.99. In Australia, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index advanced 0.33 percent, or 18.6 points to close at 5,697.9. Hong Kong rose 0.15 percent while Shanghai jumped 3.69 percent. Shanghai enjoyed a late spurt after China’s two stock exchanges announced new rules that effectively restrict short selling, declaring Monday that investors who borrow shares must wait until the next day to pay back the loans, instead of settling the same day as under previous

rules. Since the Shanghai market crashed 30 percent from its peak in mid-June, China has announced a series of stabilizing measures, including a ban on major shareholders selling stocks and suspension of new share offerings. The Shanghai exchange statement said the move aimed to improve risk management and protect market order. “All the government’s measures including restrictions on short selling are working now,” Wu Kan, a Shanghai-based fund manager at JK Life Insurance Co., told Bloomberg News. “It’s a rebound and given the momentum, it may last for some days.” In Australia, the central bank held interest rates at a record low of 2.0 percent while keeping the possibility of further easing on the table. The Reserve Bank of Australia has slashed rates by 250 basis points since November 2011, with the latest 25 basis points cuts coming in February and May, as the economy adjusts to a shift away from an unprecedented boom in mining investment. China receives most of Australia’s iron ore and coal exports, and central bank governor Glenn Stevens said in June the country was “more sensitive to fluctuations in China’s performance than other countries”. Investor nervousness has been compounded by weak Chinese manufacturing activity last month, with similarly negative data announced in the United States on Monday. On Monday, Wall Street fell with petroleum-linked equities retreating on a big drop in oil prices. With AFP

Tosoh plans to delist unit Mabuhay Vinyl By Jenniffer B. Austria TOSOH Corp. of Japan plans to delist chemical manufacturer Mabuhay Vinyl Corp. from the Philippine Stock Exchange, after acquiring majority ownership of the local company. Tosoh last month signed an agreement to acquire nearly 235 million common shares, consisting of a 35.47-percent stake in MVC owned by BDO Unibank Inc., to boost its stake in the chemical company to 75.39 percent. The Japanese firm also launched a tender offer to acquire the remaining stake in the company owned by minority shareholders. Prior to the agreement with BDO, Tosoh already owned a 39.92-percent stake in MVC. “The bidder [Tosoh] may pursue a proposal to delist the shares of MVC from the PSE subject to compliance with applicable rules and after the tender offer and before complying with the requirements for delisting,” the company said. Tosoh will acquired the remaining

162.730 million MVC shares owned by minority shareholders at P1.70 per share, based on the terms of the tender offer. The tender offer price represents a a 34-percent discount to MVC’s closing price of P2.57 on July 24 when the deal between Tosoh and BDO was announced. BDO will receive P431 million from the sale of MVC shares, based on the tender offer of P1.70 per share. Assuming all minority shareholders of MVC tender their shares, Tosoh will spend another P276.6 million to fund the tender offer. Offer period will be from Aug. 6 to Sept. 7 while settlement date is on Sept. 17. MVC is the first and the largest chor-alkali producer in the Philippines. It produces four basic chemicals with a wide range of industrial and household applications. Tosoh is one of Asia’s largest manufacturers of plastic resins and produces several important vinyl-related chemicals from fully integrated operations.

Power Mac center. Power Mac Center, an Apple partner in the Philippines, recently opened a new facility that delivers comprehensive training solutions for its growing roster of clients in the Visayas. The Apple Authorized Training Center in Cebu, located at Cebu Business Park, is Power Mac Center’s second training hub in the country, with the ﬁrst one headquartered in Makati City. Shown are Power Mac staff and customers during an ofﬁcial dinner at the Sampaguita Ballroom 3 of Cebu City Marriott Hotel. Manila

Standard

TODAY

METRO SOUTH COOPERATIVE BANK

IDC Centre, Zapote Street cor. Kalayaan Avenue, Brgy. Sta. Cruz, Makati City

040608 (Bank Code)

BALANCE SHEET As of JUNE 30, 2015

ASSETS Cash and Cash Items Due from Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Due from Other Banks Financial Assets at Fair Value through Profit or Loss Available-for-Sale Financial Assets-Net Held-to-Maturity (HTM) Financial Assets-Net Unquoted Debt Securities Classified as Loans-Net Investments in Non-Marketable Equity Security-Net Loans and Receivables - Net Loans to Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Interbank Loans Receivable Loans and Receivables - Others Loans and Receivables Arising from RA/CA/PR/SLB General Loan Loss Provision Other Financial Assets Equity Investment in Subsidiaries, Associates and Joint Ventures-Net Bank Premises, Furniture, Fixture and Equipment-Net Real and Other Properties Acquired-Net Non-Current Assets Held for Sale Other Assets-Net Net Due from Head Office/Branches/Agencies, if any (Philippine branch of a foreign bank) TOTAL ASSETS LIABILITIES Financial Liabilities at Fair Value through Profit or Loss Deposit Liabilities Due to Other Banks Bills Payable a) BSP (Rediscounting and Other Advances) b) Interbank Loans Payable c) Other Deposit Substitute d) Others Bonds Payable-Net Unsecured Subordinated Debt-Net Redeemable Preferred Shares Special Time Deposit Due to Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Other Financial Liabilities Other Liabilities Net Due to Head Office/Branches/Agencies (Philippine branch of a foreign bank) TOTAL LIABILITIES Stockholders’ Equity Capital Stock Other Capital Accounts Retained Earnings Assigned Capital TOTAL STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY CONTINGENT ACCOUNTS Guarantees Issued Financial Standby Letters of Credit Performance Standby Letters of Credit Commercial Letters of Credit Trade Related Guarantees Commitments Spot Foreign Exchange Contracts Securities Held Under Custodianship by Bank Proper Trust Department Accounts a) Trust and Other Fiduciary Accounts b) Agency Accounts c) Advisory/Consultancy Derivatives Others TOTAL CONTINGENT ACCOUNTS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Gross total loan portfolio (TLP) Specific allowance for credit losses on the TLP Non-Performing Loans (NPLs) a. Gross NPLs b. Ratio of gross NPLs to gross TLP (%) c. Net NPLs d. Ratio of Net NPLs to gross TLP (%) Classified Loans & Other Risk Assets, gross of allowance for credit losses DOSRI Loans and receivables, gross allowance of credit losses Ratio of DOSRI loans and receivables, gross of allowance for credit losses, to gross TLP (%) Gross non-performing DOSRI loans and receivables Ratio of gross non-performing DOSRI loans and receivables to TLP (%) Percent Compliance with Magna Carta (%) a. 8% for Micro and Small Enterprises b. 2% for Medium Enterprises Return on Equity (ROE) (%) Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) on Solo Basis, as prescribed under existing regulations a. Total CAR (%) b. Tier 1 Ratio (%) c. Common Tier 1 Ratio (%) 1/ Deferred Charges not yet Written Down Unbooked Allowance for Credit Losses on Financial Instruments Received

Account Code 108000000000000000 105150000000000000 105200000000000000 112000000000000000 195200000000000000 195250000000000000 195300000000000000 195350000000000000 195400000000000000 140050000000000000 195401000000000000 140150500000000000 195402000000000000 175150000000000000 148000000000000000 195452500000000000 195500500000000000 195501000000000000 150150000000000000 152000000000000000 155250000000000000 100000000000000000

Amount Current Quarter Previous Quarter 517,974.14 371,983.55 41,569,593.60 35,069,593.60 416,843,166.86 354,437,582.99 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 30,000,000.00 50,000,000.00 1,000,000.00 1,000,000.00 0.00 0.00 1,619,013,631.71 1,435,564,888.27 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1,645,123,594.45 1,455,524,373.01 0.00 0.00 26,109,962.74 19,959,484.74 25,348,491.32 17,431,148.58 0.00 0.00 44,713,105.11 45,711,134.29 9,346,998.45 17,692,731.02 0.00 0.00 11,387,101.97 10,074,757.69 0.00 2,199,740,063.16 1,967,353,819.99

208000000000000000 215000000000000000 220050000000000000 220100000000000000 220100001500000000 220100002000000000 220100002500000000 220100003000000000 295201500000000000 295202000000000000 220250000000000000 220300000000000000 230350000000000000 240050000000000000 240100000000000000 230850000000000000 200000000000000000

0.00 1,377,186,299.87 0.00 297,700,000.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 297,700,000.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 4,700,795.98 40,682,439.78 0.00 1,720,269,535.63

0.00 1,148,418,016.60 0.00 282,850,000.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 282,850,000.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 5,763,094.50 61,632,598.51 0.00 1,498,663,709.61

335050000000000000 335100000000000000 315000000000000000 325200000000000000 300000000000000000 905000000000000000

354,358,212.53 20,690,598.09 104,421,716.91 0.00 479,470,527.53 2,199,740,063.16

351,727,044.80 11,072,368.23 105,890,697.35 0.00 468,690,110.38 1,967,353,819.99

405000000000000000 410050000000000000 410100000000000000 415000000000000000 420000000000000000 425000000000000000 430000000000000000 495220000000000000 495250000000000000 495250500000000000 495251000000000000 495251500000000000 435000000000000000 440000000000000000 400000000000000000

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 4,106,582.98 4,106,582.98

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 4,206,306.98 4,206,306.98

499020000000000000 499300000000000000

1,651,656,914.85 6,533,320.40

1,462,057,693.41 6,533,320.40

499100500000000000 499150500000000000 499101000000000000 499151000000000000 499200000000000000 499400000000000000 499480000000000000 499500000000000000 499550000000000000

120,092,605.41 7.27 113,559,285.01 6.88 45.00 235,263,036.59 14.24 0.00 0.00

67,338,648.20 4.61 60,805,327.80 4.16 45.00 205,865,144.09 14.08 0.00 0.00

499050500000000000 499051000000000000 499350000000000000

19.21 7.05 9.00

21.53 10.16 9.00

499650500500000000 499650501000000000 499650501500000000 499700000000000000 499750000000000000

16.17 334.06 0.00 0.00 0.00

19.47 354.74 0.00 0.00 0.00

1/ Common Equity Tier 1 is only applicable to all Universal and Commercial Banks and their subsidiary banks.

Republic of the Philippines ) Makati City

) s.s.

I/We, RODA L. CRUZ and RENELIA V. ESTIOKO of the above-mentioned bank do solemnly swear that all matters set forth in the above balance sheet are true and correct to the best of my/our knowledge and belief. RODA L. CRUZ Finance Head

RENELIA V. ESTIOKO President

SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN to before me this 21st day of July, 2015 at Makati City, affiant exhibiting his/her/their Passport No.EB5924413 , issued at Manila City on July 13, 2012 and Passport No. EB6029990, issued at Manila City on July 25, 2012. Doc. No. 370 Book No. LXXI Page No. 75 Series of 2015

Standard Insurance anniversary. Leading motorcar insurer Standard Insurance marked its 57th year in the industry with the theme ‘In Pursuit of Excellence,’ beﬁtting its global recognition for excellence in insurance service and innovations. Standard Insurance president and chief executive Patricia Echauz-Chilip (left) announced in her anniversary speech the company was rededicating its corporate social responsibility to help those who needed the most. Standard Insurance has been awarded twice as the best non-life insurance company in the Philippines by World Finance and the Global Banking & Finance Review.

Water company to expand in Boracay By Anna Leah E. Gonzales BORACAY Island Water Company Inc., a unit of Manila Water Co. Inc., said Tuesday it will expand its business operations in the province of Aklan. Boracay Water said during a recent investment forum in Aklan that it signed an agreement with the local government to expand the coverage of its services from three barangays in Malay to the entire province. Aklan is expected to benefit from an estimated P20 billion worth of public and private investments in agriculture, tourism and manufacturing sectors in the next two to three years. Boracay Water general manager Joseph Michael Santos said a key component in sustaining tourism and economic opportunities was efficient water services. “Since it started operations in 2010, Boracay Water has shown its support for Aklan’s continued development by implementing projects amounting to over P1 billion, centered on improving the provision of water and used water services in its concession area,” said Santos. He added Boracay Water had financed two major projects with a combined cost of almost P600 million in line with the investment forecast. These include the construction of the Nabaoy water transmission line, which will increase water supply capacity from 14.5 million liters per day to 20 MLD by the end of this year. The completion of the Manocmanoc Sewer Network and Sewage Treatment Plant in 2016 with a capacity to treat 5 MLD, meanwhile, will increase used water coverage in the Boracay Island to 75 percent from 35 percent in 2014.

PNB posted proﬁt of P3.6b in 1st half By Julito G. Rada

PHILIPPINE National Bank, the country’s fourth largest private commercial lender, registered a net income of P3.6 billion in the first six months of 2015, up 12 percent from P3.2 billion a year ago, due to the strong performance of core businesses. The bank, controlled by tobacco tycoon Lucio Tan, said in a disclosure to the stock exchange Tuesday net income in the second quarter stood at P2.4 billion, almost twice the net profit in the first quarter this year. The bank’s income in the April-to-June period was up 26 percent year-on-year. “The strong performance during the quarter was driven by the sustained growth in the bank’s core business as net interest income increased by 10 percent

year-on-year while fee-based and other income excluding treasuryrelated income rose by 19 percent,” the bank said. Comprising 65 percent of total operating income, the bank’s net interest income increased 2.5 percent to P8.7 billion. If not for the redemption of non-performing assets in 2014, the bank’s core net interest income grew rose 11 percent. Excluding trading and foreign exchange gains, non-interest income increased 20 percent. The

bank attributed the higher income to increases in net insurance premiums and gains from sale of assets, which included the sale of P1 billion worth of Heritage Park memorial lot inventory to STI Group’s pre-need affi liate PhilPlans First Inc. The 36-percent improvement in the net profits of PNB’s subsidiaries also contributed to the bank’s solid performance. PNB ended the first half of 2015 with consolidated assets of P644.7 billion. Loan portfolio grew 25 percent year-on-year to P331.9 billion, boosted by the doubledigit increases in corporate and commercial/SME loans. “Notwithstanding the aggressive loan expansion, asset quality continued to improve as the bank reduced significantly its non-performing loans through negotiated settlements and other collection initiatives. As a conse-

quence, NPL ratios declined further to 0.30 percent [net of valuation reserves] and 2.87 percent [at gross] from 1.16 percent and 4.14 percent, respectively, a year ago,” it said. PNB’s consolidated risk-based capital adequacy ratio has consistently exceeded the minimum regulatory requirement of 10 percent by the end of June, with total CAR at 19.6 percent and Tier 1 CAR ratio 16.6 percent. Global credit watcher Moody’s Investors Service in May upgraded the credit rating of PNB to investment grade, reflecting the consistent improvement in the bank’s credit profi le. PNB’s long-term and shortterm ratings were raised two levels up from Ba2/NP to Baa3/P-3. The ratings agency also raised PNB’s baseline credit assessment and adjusted BCA to ba1 from ba3.

DM Wenceslao bares P21.7-b initial public offering By Jenniffer B. Austria DM WENCESLAO & Associates Inc., the holding company of the Wenceslao family, is raising as much as P21.7 billion ($480 million) in what could the the biggest initial public offering in 2015. DM Wenceslao said in a fi ling with the Securities and Exchange Commission it was selling up to 493.54 million shares at a maximum price of P44 per share in November. The shares consist of 429 million common stocks, while DM Wenceslao’s selling shareholder Wendel Holdings Inc. granted underwriters an option to sell another 64.375 million in secondary shares to cover over-allotment.

The company has tapped BPI Capital Corp., CLSA Limited, Deutsche Bank AG and Maybank ATR Kim Eng Securities Pte. as the joint global coordinators and book runners for the IPO. “Our company intends to use majority of the net proceeds from the firm offer to fund the development of its pipeline projects, purchase land assets through share acquisition, develop infrastructure within Aseana City and for other general corporate purposes,” DM Wenceslao said. At least 70 percent of the offer shares, consisting of 300.419 million shares, will be sold to international investors, while the balance will be earmarked to small local investors and trading participants of the Philippine Stock

Exchange. The offering period is scheduled be from Nov. 2 to Nov 6. The pricing is expected to be fi xed on Oct. 29 while the listing date is tentatively set on Nov. 12. Founded in 1960 as a general construction firm, D.M. Wenceslao has expanded into land banking, real estate development, land development and mass housing. DM Wenceslao also owns the 204-hectare Aseana City project beside Entertainment City, the Philippines’ smaller version of the Las Vegas gaming strip. The company offers land development, land banking, dredging and reclamation services, roads and bridge construction, foundation works vertical construction

and equipment rentals. It also provides wall and housing systems, pavement and hollow blocks and concrete supply. DM Wenceslao posted a net income of P531 million in the first six months of 2015, significantly higher P34 million recorded in the same period last year. First-half revenues, which include rental revenues and construction contracts, amounted to P926 million from P210 on year. Most of the pending IPOs are considered “bite-size” with the expected proceeds ranging rom P1.2 billion and below. Among the companies with pending IPO applications are SBS Capital Corp., Italpinas Development Corp., Gweilo Corp., and Philstocks Financial Inc.

W E D N E S D AY : A U G U S T 5 , 2 0 1 5

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

Breast assault LADIES, be warned: Breasts are considered dangerous and can land you in jail. That’s the sum total of what happened to a Hong Kong female who was sentenced by a judge to more than three months in prison for assaulting a police officer with her breasts during a March protest rally against mainland Chinese traders who buy products from Hong Kong to sell across the border. According to reports, the woman had accused a senior police officer of touching her breast during the protest that saw her falling on the ground, scraping her face and getting arrested. However, the policeman countersued, saying she attacked him with her bazooms. The judge sided with the man, saying the female protester trumped up the (chesty) allegations to put the officer in a bad light, adding that the sentence was handed down to deter others from thinking it is a “trivial matter to assault police officers during protests.” The verdict has spawned another wave of protest--a bra protest that is, with men unabashedly wearing boobie hats and boulder holders, describing the ruling as ridiculous. Chanting “breast are not weapons,” the bra-clad protesters accused the judge of being sexist, with the men warning others to watch out or they might also find themselves thrown into the slammer on charges of buttocks or penis assault. We can only surmise that in his younger days, the judge must have watched too many Mazinger Z mecha robot episodes, and totally disliked the female robot named Aphrodite A that was fitted with Oppai (Japanese slang for breasts) missiles that she could fire from her chest. Four reasons why Mar Roxas will likely win... not! It must have been a wonderful birthday gift for the mother of now resigned-but-can’t-be-let-go-yet Interior Secretary Mar Roxas when the president finally anointed him as the Liberal Party presidential candidate for the May 2016 elections. There’s an ongoing debate, however, on whether the presidential anointment will turn out to be boon or bane. A blog entry from getrealphilippines.com lists several reasons why it would be difficult for Roxas to capture the imagination of the voting public. According to the author (http://getrealphilippines.com/blog/2015/08/4-reasons-why-mar-roxas-will-not-win-the2016-philippine-presidential-elections/), Mar just doesn’t have the “it” factor--that certain something that makes a person appealing or allows him to make a connection with the crowd. No sob story, no rags-to-riches tale. Even his numerous personifications (Mr. Palengke, Boy Padyak, Boy Bawang, Boy Martilyo, etc.) have not been enough to capture the imagination. Next: people think he is not his own man--as seen in the way he bungled the Mamasapano tragedy, going with the tall-tale that it was a “mis-encounter” and the revelation that he was kept out of the loop by his BFF President BS. Third reason, the blog said, is that he is hot headed and cannot handle stress well. Case in point: his verbal skirmish with CNN’s Andrew Stevens over the body bags that littered the road in the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda, and his haranguing of Tacloban Mayor Alfred Romualdez, repeatedly asking for paper requirements before the national government would step in to help the beleaguered LGU. But the deal breaker—his broadcaster wife, described as a “potential gaffe machine” and PR liability. Remember how she earned the ire of many when she criticized the popular “360” host and CNN senior reporter Anderson Cooper, saying he didn’t know what he was talking about despite the fact that he was on the ground and she was doing her commentating within the comfort of her home studio? “Roxas can be nice to deal with if your name is an Aquino but a bully if your name is Romualdez,” the post concluded. Like they say, ‘nuff said. #DiAko4Sale campaign Cheers! to our OFW friends who celebrated World Day vs. Trafficking by posting selfies with the hashtag #DiAko4Sale to support the campaign of the Blas F. Ople Policy Center and the Pinoy Blog/OFW Awards who have been at the forefront of the fight against modern-day slavery. According to the US Trafficking in Persons 2015 Report, the Philippines is in Tier 2, meaning while not fully compliant, it has made significant efforts to eliminate trafficking. Ople Center president Susan Ople said social media has a huge role to play in raising public awareness and information about the crime of human trafficking among Filipino migrant workers. “As an NGO, we receive several cases involving trafficked overseas workers via Facebook and Twitter. The use of social media has become the norm, rather than the exception, when it comes to handling urgent OFW cases, particularly those involving maltreatment and sexual exploitation,” she said. Ople pointed out that the Center and PEBA have decided to team up to promote awareness about human trafficking through social media since human trafficking syndicates and illegal recruiters use the Internet to recruit victims. ••• 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!

Meralco rates set to climb in August By Alena Mae S. Flores

THE series of yellow alerts and one red alert in the Luzon grid last month will likely put pressure on generation charges of Manila Electric Co. in the August billing of consumers, officials said Tuesday. “There are upward pressures because of the numerous yellow and one red alert at the start of the month. The intermittent Malampaya restrictions also meant First Gas plants resorted to the use of liquid fuel, while the scheduled maintenance of Ilijan Block A led to a much lower dispatch of Ilijan,” Lawrence Fernandez, head of utility economics and senior vice president, said. He said Meralco was still waiting for the quarterly pricing of the Malampaya natural gas field. The gas project in northwest Pal-

awan supplies around 40 percent of Luzon’s power requirements through three power plants in Batangas. “We need to wait for all the billings from our suppliers to have an actual view of the August rates,” Meralco spokesman Joe Zaldarriaga said. Data earlier showed that a number of power plants went on maintenance shutdown in June and July, after most stations did the same during the dry months. The Sta. Rita natural gas plant shut down from June 24 to June 28, affecting 250 megawatts of its

capacity. The Pagbilao unit 1 (375 MW) was on maintenance shutdown until June 28 while one unit of the Ilijan natural gas facility (300 MW) closed down from June 29 to August 5. Pagbilao unit 2 (375 MW) went on shutdown from July 4 until August 2, while Sual 1 (600 MW) would go offline from August 8 to September 6. Meralco’s generation charges rose in last month’s billing to consumers but they were offset by the lower distribution rates of the electricity retailer, resulting in a reduction in overall rates of P0.02 per kilowatt-hour. “It will be recalled that rates have gone down over the last three months with the generation charge in June having the same level as that of rates way back in 2010,” Zaldarriaga said. Generation charges increased P0.28 per kWh increase to P4.73 per kWh from P4.45 per kWh.

DTSI award. The Diversified Technology Solutions International Inc. Group bagged the much-coveted

Avaya Asean Top Unified Communications Partner Award for 2015, during the the recent Asia Pacific Avaya Connect Channel Partner Awards for 2015. The award added another feather to DTSI’s cap. DTSI has consistently won awards from Avaya in the past 12 years for its overall exemplary business performance in terms of value selling and revenue among all its partners in the Philippines. Shown receiving the award are (from left) Edgar Doctolero, Avaya country manager-Philippines; Richard Spence, Asean managing director; Jesus Romero, executive vice president and chief operating officer, DTSI Group; Monica Cubacub, product manager, DTSI Group; and Nephtali Gabasa, product head, DTSI Group.

Japanese firm owns Daiso brand—SC THE Supreme Court issued a final ruling preventing local company Japan Home Center from using the trademark Daiso. In an entry of judgment issued in June, the high court affirmed an earlier decision of the Court of Appeals that Japan Home Center registered the trademark Daiso and its Japanese equivalent with the Intellectual Property Office in bad faith in 2005. It said Japan Home Center did not offer any plausible reason why it chose to use the word Daiso as its trademark. It created an impression that Japan Home’s goods were also obtained from Daiso (Industries), the court said. Japan Home Center’s use of the Daiso name was fraudulent, Daiso Industries said. It said Japan Home

Center had intended to ride on the pre-existing goodwill and feign an affiliation with the Daiso name. Daiso Industries claimed that it is well known in at least 30 countries, including the Philippines, that it is the long-time prior user of the Daiso trademark since 1977. The Court of Appeals, meanwhile, noted that the Daiso Industries trademark was protected by the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property. Any mark which is confusingly similar must be struck down or refused registration, it concluded. In a ruling issued on September 12, 2013, the Court of Appeals affirmed the IPO Director-General finding that various bills of lading, packing lists and invoices indicating shipments to Manila proved

that Daiso Industries had been selling hundreds of thousands of merchandise in the Philippines since 2006. Daiso Industries, Japan’s no. 1 price-point store, owns the Daiso trademark. Daiso Industries filed a complaint in 2009 with the IPO to clear the air as to who exactly holds the exclusive right to use the Daiso brand in the Philippines at the same year it appointed Robinsons Retail Holdings Inc. in 2009 as its authorized distributor. Thus, RRHI’s 38 Daiso Japan stores are the only stores that sell products bearing the authentic Daiso mark. In January this year, the IPO issued a ruling again favoring Daiso Industries in a case against another local retailer using the Daiso brand, MySmart One-Shop Daiso.

WEDNESDAY: AUGUST 5, 2015

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

STX submits lower bid for Malaya plant By Alena Mae S. Flores

TWO companies submitted bids for the oneyear operation and maintenance contract of the 650-megawatt Malaya thermal power plant in Pililla, Rizal, Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. said Tuesday. STX Marine Services Co. Ltd. of Korea submitted a lower bid, compared with the offer of SPC Malaya Power Corp., for the operation and

maintenance service contract of the Malaya plant in Pililla, Rizal, sources said Tuesday. “There are two bidders who submitted bids, STX and Salcon. This is still subject to post-qualification of bidders,” PSALM president Lourdes Alzona said. Sources said among the two bidders, current operator STX submitted the lower bid. STX’s temporary contract is good only

until Sept. 25. The operations and maintenance contract of the Malaya thermal power plant has an approved budget of P457.27 million. Alzona said any investigation on the allegations of concerned Malaya power plant employees would have to wait until the postqualification was completed. “Post-qualification will cover both the technical and financial.

Need to wait for the BAC [bids and awards committee] report before the [PSALM board],” Alzona said. Sources called for a more transparent post-qualification process. Malaya employees earlier asked PSALM board to look into the issue, claiming that the repair of Malaya unit 1 by STX was delayed. “Up to now, Malaya unit 1 is not completely commissioned. The requirement is to reach 150 MW but up to now it is only producing 65 MW,” the source said. The Malaya power plant is a 40-year-old plant, composed of two units with dependable capacity of 290 megawatts and 340 MW. The employees said in a position paper they were not agreeable to the renewal or extension of

STX Marine’s OMSC agreement with PSALM. The employees said STX Marine’s experience was on marine transportation and it had no track record on managing a power plant as big as Malaya plant. They said Korean personnel managing the power plant onsite were not well versed in the operation and maintenance of equipment and system of the model of the power plant. Employees accused STX personnel of “sometimes overriding some standard operating procedure of manufacturers and pretending to know, causing the damage on the operation of equipment and system.” The employees said the site management always disagreed on suggestions even though expenditures were very minimal.

Agriculture grant. Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala (left) awards to Cotabato City Mayor Japal Guiani Jr. (center) a project grant amounting to P9.9 million for the concreting of Poblacion 1 farm-to-market road in support of the Food Staples Sufficiency Program of the government. With them is Agriculture Department Region XII executive director Amalia Jayag-Datukan.

Health spending below target By Gabrielle H. Binaday THE government failed to meet five of the eight healthcare financing indicators, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority. Data from the Philippine National Health Accounts showed three of eight healthcare financing indicators surpassed their respective targets as of 2013, including health expenditure as a percentage of the gross domestic product, government spending as a percentage of total health expenditure and government spending for public health. Health spending accounted for 4.6 percent of GDP in 2013, exceeding the 4.5 percent target set by the Health Department while government spending represented 11.9 percent of total health spending, above the 10-percent target. National government spending for public health amounted to P21.8 billion in 2013, or double the P10-billion target. Meanwhile, five financing indicators were below the target, including government spending on health as percentage of total government spending with 4.9 percent, or 1.1 percent below the 6.0 percent target; the out-of-pocket health spending as percentage of total health expenditure with 56.3 percent or almost 10 percent higher than the 45 percent goal. Local government spending as percentage of the total health expenditure fell short at 7 percent compared to 11 percent target. Local government spending for public health amounted to only P16.6 percent billion, below the P29-billion goal. PhilHealth spending as percentage of the total health expenditure accounted for only 11.5 percent, below the 19-percent target. Total health expenditure rose 11.7 percent to P526.3 billion in 2013 from P471.1 billion in the previous year.

Business process outsourcing companies to add 150,000 jobs in 2015 By Othel V. Campos BUSINESS process outsourcing companies are expected to add 150,000 jobs this year, boosted by the expansion of the healthcare segment, an industry group said Tuesday. The Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines said the local industry aimed to take advantage of the rising need among US companies for talents adept at handling a special

type of healthcare support. ITBPAP president and chief executive Jose Mari Mercado told reporters the US was looking for Filipino talents to support the US migration to the International Code for Diseases 10 from the current ICD 9. “This is a highly technical process that will require our nurses to get US nursing certification to be able to qualify for the job. We have the numbers, but we need

to build competency. For those with medical background, several weeks of additional education and having them assessed and certified will enable them to enter the US health space,” Mercado said Tuesday in a news briefing announcing the IT-BPM Summit slated on Oct. 5 to 6, 2015. The US migration to ICD 10 from ICD 9, a health coding system requiring 10 digits coding system for disease identification and subse-

quent data processing, will require thousands of encoders. ITBPAP said of the 150,000 BPO jobs needed in 2015, around 20 percent would come from the healthcare space. ITBPAP expects total BPO revenues to rise from $18.9 billion in 2014 to $21.9 billion in 2015 and $25 billion in 2016. Contact centers still dominate the BPO industry with revenues of $11 billion in 2014. Healthcare

contributed $3 billion and employed 87,000 people last year. “We’re lagging behind healthcare but with this new opportunity, we hope to catch up. We expect to bridge the gap in competency soon enough,” Mercado said. He said a number of companies in the Philippines were now investing in having Filipino nurses acquire US nursing accreditation to serve the UDS demand for remote healthcare.

W e D n e s D aY : a u G u s t 5 , 2 0 1 5

WORLD

cesar barrioquinto EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

India flood kills 180

CALCUTTA—Floods from days of torrential rain have claimed at least 180 lives in India with one million people sheltering in relief camps after fleeing surging waters, officials said Tuesday. Rivers have burst their banks, hitting thousands of villages in parts of West Bengal as well as northeastern Manipur state, where roads and bridges have been cut and communications are patchy. Most of the 180 died from drowning, while at least four people have been killed in a landslide that buried a remote village in Manipur bordering Myanmar, where heavy monsoon rain has also wreaked havoc. The death toll jumped from around 120 on Monday, after the discovery of more bodies in West Bengal and the western state of Gujarat where water levels have receded, allowing families to return home. “The death toll due to flooding in West Bengal rose to 70, with roads and farms in 13,200 villages remaining under water,” disaster management minister Javed Ahmad Khan told AFP. “Nearly 1.2 million people are now staying in around 1,600 relief camps opened in schools and government offices,” he said. The release of water from brimming dams has exacerbated the flooding in West Bengal after Cyclone Komen struck the east coast on Friday, Khan said. “Rivers in 13 districts are flowing over their danger marks. The situation is grim.” Another five people have died in Orissa and 35 in northern Rajasthan state, officials there said. “The worst is over. Now we are focusing on relief and rehabilitation of affected people,” Rajasthan’s disaster minister, Gulab Singh Kataria, told AFP. In Manipur, television footage showed villagers erecting a bamboo bridge over a muddy river after flood waters left them stranded, and a child trying to cross by floating in a rubber tyre. AFP

Up to $5 trillion required for UN anti-poverty plan UNITED NATIONS—The price tag for a bold global new anti-poverty agenda comes to between $3.5 and $5 trillion annually over the next 15 years, part of a United Nations’ “to-do list” for the world. The UN’s 193 member states agreed on a draft plan for the sustainable development goals at the weekend and world leaders are set to endorse them at a summit in New York from September 25 to 27. The 17 goals and 169 targets to end poverty, ensure healthy lives, promote education and combat climate change are even more sweeping than the UN’s Millennium Development Goals that expire at the end of this year. UN Secretary-General Ban Kimoon described the new agenda as “a to-do list for people and the planet,” but warned that implementing it would be a challenge. “We are resolved to free the human race within this generation from the tyranny of poverty,” Ban said in a statement. Kenyan Ambassador Macharia Kamau, who shepherded negotiations

along with Irish Ambassador David Donoghue, acknowledged that the funding required to achieve the goals was “astronomical.” Trillions of dollars would need to be spent by member states and international organizations for each country to reach its goals. “But let’s understand what it is that we are trying to do here. We are engaged in an agenda that seeks to address economic, social and environmental transformation,” Kamau told a news conference at UN headquarters. The United Nations is hoping that businesses will step up along with national governments to redirect their development aid toward achieving the new global goals. “There is no reason that we cannot see a remarkable transformation in the next 15 years,” said Kamau. The goals are non-binding, but

Donoghue said failing to meet them would create “a degree of political embarrassment or discomfort” for governments who flout such agreed objectives as gender equality. Launched in 2012, the negotiations on the new agenda were to build on the success of the MDGs that have helped reduce poverty rates while setting education and health targets, in particular for infant mortality. But the new goals have come under criticism for being ill-defined in some instances and far too broad in scope, undermining prospects for achieving measurable success. Bill and Melinda Gates, who head a mega-billion-dollar foundation, have complained that the new goals stray too far away from the UN’s previous focus on health and education. “Yes, they are ambitious,” said Donoghue, but he added: “There is a much greater sense of a collective purpose this time around.” The agenda revolves around the five Ps—people, planet, prosperity, peace and partnership—and encompasses such hard-to-measure objectives as promoting peaceful and inclusive so-

Republic of the Philippine

cieties. Contrary to the MDGs, the new global goals apply to both developing and developed countries and negotiations were opened up to governments and civil society, not only to UN experts. Negotiations ran into hurdles over references to climate change that are part of separate UN-led talks leading to the Paris conference in December, but the document does call for urgent action to combat global warming. There was also resistance to language on women’s reproductive rights, good governance and on ensuring accountability to meet the global goals. The United Nations is planning to roll out some 300 indicators to measure progress by countries towards achieving the new goals and provide data on how governments are working to improve the lives of their citizens. The UN General Assembly is due to formally adopt the document in the coming weeks and Pope Francis will deliver an address to the United Nations on September 25 as world leaders prepare to endorse the antipoverty agenda. AFP

Republic of the Philippine

CITY OF NAGA BIDS & AWARDS COMMITTEE

INVITATION TO BID FOR THE SERVICES FOR LOADING AND HAULING OF SEDIMENTS

INVITATION TO BID FOR THE SUPPLY AND DELIVERY OF FAMILY PLANNING MATERIALS

The City Government of Naga, through the Naga River Rehabilitation Fund-Local Development Fund (LDF) Program, intends to apply the sum of Two Million Five Hundred Ninety Nine Thousand Seven Hundred Seventy Six (P 2,599,776.00) Pesos, being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for the Services for Loading and Hauling of Sediments collected from Naga River Station I and II to identified disposal sites within Naga City, Contract Reference Number: 2015-031. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

The City Government of Naga, through the Drugs and Medicines Expense of the City Population and Nutrition Office (CPNO), intends to apply the sum of Two Million Five Hundred Seven Thousand Five Hundred (P 2,507,500.00) Pesos, being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for the Supply and Delivery of Family Planning Materials for distribution to Nutri-Ataman and NutriNanay program recipients, Contract Reference Number: 2015-032. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

Item No.

Items Services for Loading and Hauling of Sediments (dredged and siltation materials) which were collected from Naga River Station I and II to identified disposal sites within Naga City. Estimated sediments to be hauled is 12,999-13,000 cu.m. at P 200.00/ cu.m., this also includes barging and loading to dump trucks for hauling to disposal sites. Additional information: 1. Amphibious excavator capacity – 110.16 cu.m./day (dredged materials), 2. Period – until December 31, 2015 (excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays), 3. Progress billing of 50 to 100% work accomplishment.

Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC)

P 2,599,776.00

The City Government of Naga now invites bids for Services for Loading and Hauling of Sediments collected from Naga River Station I and II to identified disposal sites within Naga City. Bidders should have completed, within ten (10) years, from the date of submission 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. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using a non-discretionary “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”. Bidding is open to all interested bidders, whether local or foreign, subject to the conditions for eligibility provided in the IRR of RA 9184. Interested bidders may obtain further information from the City Government of Naga and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below starting from 8 AM until 5 PM. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders starting on Wednesday, August 5 to 26, 2015, from the Office of the BAC Secretariat c/o City Planning & Development Office, 2nd Floor City Hall Building, City Hall Compound, Naga City, and upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of Five Thousand (P 5,000.00) Pesos and an Annual Registration Fee of Three Thousand (P 3,000.00) Pesos, and upon presentation of Document Request List (DRL) from PhilGEPS showing your company name. It may also be downloaded from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity (www.naga.gov.ph), provided that Bidders shall pay the nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids. The City Government of Naga will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on Friday, August 14, 2015 at 3:00 PM at City Procurement Office, Ground Floor, City Hall Building, City Hall Compound, Naga City, which shall be open to all interested parties who have purchased the Bidding Documents. Bids must be delivered to the City Procurement Office, Ground Floor, City Hall Building, City Hall Compound, Naga City, on or before Wednesday, August 26, 2015 at 3:00 PM. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security, either in the form of cash or cashier’s/manager’s check issued by a universal or commercial bank (2% of ABC), or, Bid Securing Declaration (BSD). Bids will be opened in the presence of the Bidders’ representatives who choose to attend on Wednesday, August 26, 2015 at 3:00 PM at the City Procurement Office, Ground Floor, City Hall Building, City Hall Compound, Naga City. Late bids shall not be accepted. The City Government of Naga 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. For further information, please refer to: MR. FLORENCIO T. MONGOSO, JR. Acting City Administrator, City Hall Compound, J. Miranda Avenue, Naga City Telephone Number: 054-4732240, 054-4723235 Email address: bac@naga.gov.ph, Website: www.naga.gov.ph

Item No.

Qty.

Unit

30,000

cycles

Combined Oral Contraceptive Pills

900,000.00

3,000

cycles

Breastfeeding Pills

300,000.00

3,000

vials

Injectable Family Planning Method

240,000.00

80,000

pcs.

Condom

480,000.00

200

pcs.

Oral Thermometer (for BBT Method)

20,000.00

5,000

pcs.

3 cc. Disposable Syringe with gauge 23 needle

30,000.00

5,000

pcs.

Disposable Needle, gauge 23

3,250

bots.

Multivitamins Syrup

7,500.00 377,000.00

5,000

tabs.

Multivitamins for pregnant mothers

150

tabs.

Antihelmentic Drugs

15,000.00

3,000

tabs.

Ferrous sulfate

48,000.00

90,000.00

TOTAL

P 2,507,500.00

The City Government of Naga now invites bids for Supply and Delivery of Family Planning Materials for distribution to Nutri-Ataman and Nutri-Nanay program recipients. Delivery of the Goods is required within thirty (30) calendar days. Bidders should have completed, within ten (10) years, from the date of submission 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. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using a non-discretionary “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”. Bidding is open to all interested bidders, whether local or foreign, subject to the conditions for eligibility provided in the IRR of RA 9184. Interested bidders may obtain further information from the City Government of Naga and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below starting from 8 AM until 5 PM. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders starting on Wednesday, August 5 to 26, 2015, from the Office of the BAC Secretariat c/o City Planning & Development Office, 2nd Floor City Hall Building, City Hall Compound, Naga City, and upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of Five Thousand (P 5,000.00) Pesos and an Annual Registration Fee of Three Thousand (P 3,000.00) Pesos, and upon presentation of Document Request List (DRL) from PhilGEPS showing your company name. It may also be downloaded from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity (www.naga.gov.ph), provided that Bidders shall pay the nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids. The City Government of Naga will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on Friday, August 14, 2015 at 3:00 PM at City Procurement Office, Ground Floor, City Hall Building, City Hall Compound, Naga City, which shall be open to all interested parties who have purchased the Bidding Documents. Bids must be delivered to the City Procurement Office, Ground Floor, City Hall Building, City Hall Compound, Naga City, on or before Wednesday, August 26, 2015 at 3:00 PM. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security, either in the form of cash or cashier’s/ manager’s check issued by a universal or commercial bank (2% of ABC), or, Bid Securing Declaration (BSD). Bids will be opened in the presence of the Bidders’ representatives who choose to attend on Wednesday, August 26, 2015, at 3:00 PM at the City Procurement Office, Ground Floor, City Hall Building, City Hall Compound, Naga City. Late bids shall not be accepted. The City Government of Naga 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. For further information, please refer to: MR. FLORENCIO T. MONGOSO, JR. Acting City Administrator, City Hall Compound, J. Miranda Avenue, Naga City Telephone Number: 054-4732240, 054-4723235 Email address: bac@naga.gov.ph, Website: www.naga.gov.ph

(SGD) FLORENCIO T. MONGOSO, JR. BAC Chairperson ( T S - A U G . 5 , 2 015 )

Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC)

Items

(SGD) FLORENCIO T. MONGOSO, JR. BAC Chairperson ( T S - A U G . 5 , 2 015 )

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B8 Wallabies roaming villages near Paris EMANCE, France—A tiny French village in Paris’s leafy western suburbs is ringed by scores of wild wallabies, who now thrive in a nearby forest a world away from their native Australia. The colony of the red-necked Bennett’s wallabies, which look similar but are much smaller than kangaroos, are originally from Tasmania and were brought into a zoological reserve in the village of Emance, about 70 kilometers southwest of Paris. A group of them escaped through holes in the fencing in the 1970s into the surrounding verdant forests. They subsequently bred and researchers now believe that there are about 100 of the marsupials living in the wild in a climate very similar to that of Tasmania. The spottings have sparked incredulity and light-hearted exchanges and banter. “A neighbor asked me: ‘Did you see the kangaroo?’” said Marylene, a grocer in the village of Hermeray, about 10 kilometers from Emance. “I said: ‘Are you high?” she recalled about an exchange in June last year. But it was no hallucination. Marylene saw the evidence for herself. The animal was there, “in front of the gate as if it was waiting for the grocery to open. Then it went off down the road with little regard for traffic signs,” she said. Bruno Munilla from the forestry center in nearby Rambouillet, said their numbers could range from between 100 and 150. Most of them live around Emance but some have migrated as far as Ulis, some 40 kilometers farther east. Wallaby researcher Laure Raad said the marsupials—whose life span can go up to 15 years— ”integrated really well into the local ecosystem because they found food and shelter here.” “They’re safe because the forest gives them shelter and they find plenty to eat, feeding mostly on wild berries and green plants.” AFP

cESAr bArrioqUiNTo EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

world Super storm Soudelor targeting Japan, China HAGATNA, United States—Super Typhoon Soudelor developed into the world’s most powerful storm of the year Tuesday as it took aim at Japan, Taiwan and China after trashing the Northern Marianas.

Showcase. Indian Bollywood film actress Juhi Chwla, center, showcases a creation during India International Jewelery Week 2015 in Mumbai on August 3. AFP

The storm was roaring across the western Pacific Ocean packing wind gusts up to 220 miles per hour (354 kph), according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center that rated it a maximum category five. It was stronger than Cyclone Pam, the previous strongest storm of 2015, which killed at least 15 people when it slammed into Vanuatu, also in the Pacific, five months ago. No deaths have been attributed to Soudelor, but it left a trail of destruction across the Northern Marianas where acting governor Ralph Torres declared a “state of major disaster and significant emergency” after it struck late Sunday. Nearly 400 people were packed in emergency shelters after Soudelor ripped roofs off houses and left residents without power, water and wastewater services. “I’ve seen multiple primary power poles down; I’ve seen cars flipped over the road; I’ve seen lots of torn roofs,” John Hirsh, executive director of the American Red Cross in Saipan, told Pacific Daily News. Damage was “extensive” across the island and there had been significant damage to public infrastructure, he said. Many roads were impassable in Saipan— the Northern Marianas main island, the seat of government and hub of the local economy—while in the harbor at least three vessels were ripped from their moorings. In Hagatna, on neighboring Guam, the weather service warned boats to stay away from exposed reefs and beaches because of “hazardous surf ” and “life-threatening” rip currents. AFP

$27.4-million Picasso painting seized PARIS—A Picasso worth 25 million euros ($27.4 million) and considered a national treasure by Spanish authorities—who had barred it from being exported—has been seized from a boat docked in Corsica, French authorities said Tuesday. An attempt to export the painting, “Head of a Young Woman,” to Switzerland on Thursday “drew the attention of French officials,” the country’s customs authorities said, with officers on the French island boarding the vessel the next day. The ship’s captain could only present two documents regarding the work of art, one of which was a May 2015 Spanish court judgment labeling the painting a work of art and ordering that it not be taken out of the country, French officials said in a statement. The painting, which French customs said

was valued at “more than 25 million euros,” is owned by Jaime Botin, a well-known Spanish banker whose family founded the Santander banking group. The 79-year-old, who was formerly the banking giant’s vice chairman, was not aboard the vessel, which is owned by the bank and flying a British flag, a customs authority spokesman said. According to the spokesman, the export request was also not in Botin’s name. An export request was filed for the painting in December 2012 to move it to London, but was opposed by Spain’s culture minister. This year, a Spanish court sided with the authorities and declared the work of art “unexportable” on the grounds that it was of “cultural interest” and could not leave the country. AFP

Harvest time. In this photo taken on August 3, an Afghan farmer bundles wheat during harvest at sunset on the outskirts of Mazar-i-Sharif. AFP

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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

H OME & L I V ING

LIFE

Walk-ins can rest and hang out by the Rain Gardens

With a minimal fee, get to pick vegetables and bring them back home to the city.

Terrain biking trail

A view of Manila from Timberland Heights

A NEW PLACE OF SANCTUARY: Timberland Heights

Perspective drawing of St. John Paul II Shrine, scheduled to be commissioned by 2017. It will house a first class blood relic of Saint Pope John Paul II when it is finally built.

BY TATUM ANCHETA

very now and then it’s nice to leave Manila for some well deserved R&R. If you want to relax, smell some fresh air, you’d think Tagaytay. If you want a little peace and quiet but still overlooking the city, you’d think Antipolo. If you want a fun safari adventure, you’d think Subic. But then again, you’d say to yourself, “na naman?” But then there is San Mateo. I woke up to lush greens and a view of Manila from a higher altitude, after a short 40 minute ride from Quezon City to a breezy place called Timberland Heights. One of 13 municipalities in the Province of Rizal, San Mateo is a first class urban municipality. Though it’s just 35 minutes from neighboring Antipolo, it is not a common “go to” in mind when you think of a quick road trip getaway from the city, unless you are a biking enthusiast. The place is popular for off-road mountain bikers because of the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) certified Timberland Heights’ eco-trail. The ‘membership only’ estate is not open to the public but recently it has started to open up some of the realty’s amenities to bikers and some walk-in adventurers. “Whether you’re here for the day, you’re here for the weekend, or you’re here for life, we’d like to be able to widen that experience for everyone, “ shares

The Leaf expansion development perspective

Twin room in The Leaf

Francis V. Ceballos, senior vice president and North East Cluster head of Filinvest Land Inc. Timberland Heights is an expansive 677hectare development in San Mateo that offers a 360 degree scenic view overlooking the Sierra Madre, Mt. Arayat, Tagaytay and Manila. The estate houses exclusive villages and upscale residential spaces surrounded by trees and mountains – Mandalas 1 and 2, the 6.3-hectare Banyan Ridge, the 15-hectare Banyan Crest, the 5.7-hectare The Ranch, The Leaf mountain resort condotel, and The Glades which is still lined up for development. Though you still can’t just walk-in and ask to dine at the country club (which is available only to shareholders, homeowners, and club members), the public can enjoy leisurely walks amidst the beautiful surroundings or go off-road biking on the terrain’s trail. All

you have to do is register before you enter the gate. During weekends, the country club opens a breakfast setup by the gate where bikers can partake of breakfast congee or suman and other treats from the club’s menu. Currently, the adventure farm is open to people who want to enjoy the butterfly sanctuary, tour the peaceful rain gardens, or pick some vegetables by the veggie valley. You may also enjoy a day by the hilltop haven for picnic or ‘glamping’ (camping in style), or have the kids play by the mini lagoon and feed the kois and tilapias. If you want to partake of the exclusive amenities like the pool (overlooking Manila), the restaurants, the condotels, the spa, the sports club, or rent them out for weddings and big events, a requirement is the purchase of the time sharing option on the condotel properties or get some shares of the country clubs.

During Holy Week, Timberland Heights is also becoming popular among pilgrims. Starting on Ash Wednesday, pilgrims put up stations of the cross for people to complete. According to Noel Advincula, senior project development officer of Timberland Heights, last year they recorded a collective number of 3000 pilgrims, but the number most have likely doubled this year. By 2017, a new church is expected to rise at the estate. the St. John Paul II Shrine, inspired by the Nebraska Thorncrown Chapel in Arkansas of the same name, will house a first class blood relic of Saint Pope John Paul II. The design of the holy place is set to inspire a whole new set of devotees to join the regular pilgrims. “We envisioned Timberland Heights as a recreational township destination, not just a place to live in but a destination that allows you to discover and experience life the extraordinary way while being cradled by nature’s own perfection,” shares Ceballos. So where are you off to for the weekend? Get your off road gear and head for San Mateo and find the sanctuary called Timberland Heights. For more information, call (02) 850 0888 or (0917) 877 0888. Check out FLI’s website www.filinvestland.com or follow Filinvest Group on Facebook and @filinvest at Twitter.

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

PET PULSE

Kai Magsanoc with Bryan

Frodo

Max the cat and Rambo

A pet’s pure love BY BERNADETTE LUNAS

ai Magsanoc never planned to become a pet owner. She’s always been drawn to animals when she was a kid, but she never really owned one. It wasn’t until 2007, while Magsanoc, a freelance lifestyle journalist, was on coverage in a mall in Pasay City when a tiny applehead Chihuahua caught her attention. “He was banging his head against the door of his cage,” says Magsanoc. She continues, “I went in and asked if I could hold him. Immediately, he kissed me and licked my face. I remember feeling a certain kind of happiness for the first time in my life that day.” It was a love at first sight, or first touch, to say the least, but before Magsanoc could do anything, the shop owner revealed that no one was interested in buying the Chihuahua. “The shop owner told me he had a defect: his testicles did not develop outside his body,” she recalls. In spite of that, with the pure and sincere love that she felt and her innate devotion to rescue animals that are hurt or abused, or in this case, unwanted, she got him, brought him home and called him Frodo.

“I felt that his soul needed me, belonged to me.” From then, Magsanoc has gone on to rescue, adopt and buy pets until she had six furry pals in her pack. “After I welcomed Frodo into my life, it was easier to let others in,” she enthuses. She bought Rambo, a teacup Chihuahua from her former boss; adopted Tyra the mini pinscher from a neighbor; got Mocha the chowchow from her cousin; rescued Max, a stray kitten she found running blindly from a pile of garbage towards the road, and adopted Bryan, an Aspin (Asong Pinoy) from the Philippine Animal Welfare Society. As with Frodo, the way Magsanoc met Bryan was special. She went to PAWS in 2008 to do a story on executive director Anna Cabrera, who gave her a tour of the center. “When I approached the corral where dogs ready for adoption were kept, almost all the dogs came towards me, eager to get noticed. All but one, and that was Bryan,” she relates. An Aspin rescued from the dog meat trade, Bryan was calm and stayed in a corner. He was the alpha dog of the

Bryan appeared in an ad with Heart Evangelista

Kai with Rambo

corral. Magsanoc immediately fell in love with Bryan, so she adopted him and took him home. During a time when Magsanoc was living in a sketchy community, Bryan’s presence made her feel safe. “I slept soundly at night because I knew he was there,” she shares. When Bryan passed away in 2011, Magsanoc brought him home to PAWS, where he lies under a tree at the top of the driveway. “That way, Bryan can still welcome the other visitors and rescues, the way he would welcome us and our visitors at home.” Being a parent to these pets, Magsanoc learns the true meaning of unconditional love and how to live a full, happy life. “Life is too short to spend dwelling on pain and

misfortunes. A dog’s life is even shorter; they’d be lucky if they get to live 15 years. But in those 15 years, a lot of them have lived more than most humans do,” she shares. “That is how I want to live.” When Magsanoc moved into a condominium unit in 2013, she had to find a new home for her bigger dogs, Tyra and Mocha. They are now fostered by a family friend. At the moment, she only has Frodo, Rambo and Max with her, but her other pets will always occupy a space in her heart. “My pets are an extension to my soul. They are my children. They are me. They remind me that life is good. No matter how hard or hopeless something may seem, there will always be one good reason to wag our invisible tail,” she closes.

LEADING KIDS TO FINANCIAL WISDOM WITH JUNIOR SMART SAVERS SAVINGS ACCOUNT

abits and behavior are developed early in life, and the same is true with saving – which is key to building wealth. When developed in young children, a mindset of saving, and the discipline that goes with it, will yield great returns that go well beyond financial benefits when these kids grow up. Bank of Commerce, one of the country’s progressive banks, has launched a first-of-itskind innovation that will not just encourage kids to save up, but will actually teach them how to make sound financial decisions – in a fun, easy, and readily accessible way. Dubbed the Junior Smart Savers Savings Account, the first-ever kiddie savings account with a smartphone application (available for download on iOS and Android devices), it teaches kids and teens about money smarts. It features rewards, games that help kids learn more about saving, a virtual card for exclusive promos, tips that provide assistance for their savings account, and an “Ask Mom and Dad” corner that allows kids to create a wish list of items for purchase and share it with their parents.

•

need it, why do I really want it? Is there any risk in delaying this purchase? Remember: Once you spend your savings on things you don’t need, it’ll be gone before you know it. Don’t shop for entertainment. When you hang out at the mall, you see things that you don’t need. But because you see them, you want them. Shop for gifts in advance, instead of the last minute. If you can’t find just the right thing, you might blow your budget on something else out of desperation. Every amount counts. Pick up every little coin you see. No matter how much you spend – or save – it will make a difference in the long run. When you start a savings account, be sure you don’t plan on taking out money right away.

•

The Junior Smart Savers Savings Account from Bank of Commerce, the country’s first kiddie savings account with a mobile app, helps kids learn how to save and manage their finances with their parents.

Here are a few nuggets of financial wisdom from the Junior Smart Savers app, to get kids started on the road to financial wisdom: • Get a piggy bank or other means of storage. Wallets might not be the best choice as they tempt you to spend money due to its portability and easy access. • If you will hang out with friends, do something that doesn’t involve spending money. For example, go to the park, hang out at home, or play football. • Tell someone that you are saving money, so that they can keep you from spending it.

•

Never buy food items you like with saved money. The treat will likely only last about 10 minutes, then it’s gone. And so is your money. Resist impulse buying. Advertisers study buyers and buying habits all the time, and they have got some pretty clever ways to convince you that you must have what they’re selling. They want you to buy right now. But if you stop to think, you might realize that you don’t need to buy the item. Before buying something, ask yourself: Do I really need this item? If I don’t

•

Bank of Commerce’s Junior Smart Savers account is available at all Bank of Commerce branches, with a minimum deposit of P200.00

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

LIV.E SIMPLY

@LIFEatStandard

EVOLUTION OF A PARENT IN SONG

BY LIV E.

ong before there were words, there was music. I imagine it must have been there from the very beginning, in the whistling of wind, the rustling of leaves, the whispering of waves. Perhaps there was even something slightly melodic in the grunts of weaponwielding cavemen. Today we have symphonic orchestras and Madonna and Beyonce. Music has come a long way, baby, and so have we. Have you ever wondered, if the evolution of parents was set to a soundtrack, what would it sound like? I’ve found the answers, so go ahead and plug in those earphones. We’re going on a musical timeline here, folks!

1. THE POSITIVE TEST STICK

I Will Survive (Gloria Gaynor) + I’m So Excited (Pointer Sisters) “At first I was afraid, I was petrified” + “I’m so excited, and I just can’t hide it!” Finding the two blue lines that tell you that yes, you’re going to have a baby can be both terrifying and exhilarating news. You alternate between thinking, “I don’t know anything about raising a baby” and “Oh my goodness, we’re having a baby, isn’t that awesome!” Luckily, once the news has sunk in, you’ll be singing along to the Pointer Sisters and will forget about Gloria Gaynor.

2. LABOR PAINS

I Am Woman (Helen Reddy) “I am woman, hear me roar!” The moment those contractions start coming a minute apart, you’re going to beat Helen Reddy’s roar. Trust me on this. (A word of advice: don’t apologize for all

the bellowing when you’re done. Because you’re parents, and boy, you’ve just played a major part in what must be the greatest miracle ever: creating a new life!).

3. RIGHT AFTER CHILDBIRTH

first time, as you push his swing to the sound of his merry squeals, as you plant a kiss on his forehead and tuck him in bed at night. Few things bring more joy than being irrevocably in love with your little ray of sunshine!

Danny’s Song (Kenny Loggins) “And even though we ain’t got money, I’m so in love with you, honey, and everything will bring a chain of love.” Gentle sunrays stream through the hospital room curtains, fresh flowers sit by your bedside, you’re done with the whole sweaty contortionist act, and they put your fresh, pink, perfect baby in your arms. You can’t help it; you just have to croon along with Kenny, because, really, everything will bring a chain of love. (Bonus points: you and your spouse can even sing the chorus together).

6. CHILDHOOD

4. THE FIRST YEAR

7. TEENAGE YEARS

Every Breath You Take (Sting) “Every breath you take, every move you make… every step you take, I’ll be watching you.” You find you can’t get enough of your precious little babe. You watch him while he sleeps. You raise your arms and cheer when she takes her first step. You might be kinda stalker-ish, yes, but you’re forgiven. You’re a new parent, after all.

5. TODDLERHOOD

You Are the Sunshine of my Life (Stevie Wonder) “That’s why I’ll always be around… You are the apple of my eye, forever you’ll stay in my heart” This is surely on your playlistloop as you gaze at your toddler tasting sand on the beach for the

Tips to Let Kids Enjoy Their Meals At School

A Hard Day’s Night (Beatles) “It’s been a hard day’s night and I’ve been working like a dog… But when I get home to you I find the things that you do will make me feel all right” Yes, it’s tiring to work hard, and most nights you’re ready to flop as soon as you get home. But, as a parent, suddenly you have a wonderful driving force, and he’s there, holding his chubby arms out to you in a welcoming hug as you walk in. And that’s when it hits you: This is why I work so hard. And everything really is all right. Come On Feel the Noize (Quiet Riot) “I don’t know why, I don’t know why anymore… Come on feel the noise…” Who are these angst-ridden, rebellious, touchy strangers and what have they done to your easygoing children? The turbulent teenage years are like the Red Sea: scary, befuddling, and seemingly insurmountable, but once you get through it, you’re home free. You just need to keep rocking along and try not to mind the noise too much. Keep in mind that your teenager will one day morph into an adult and will probably have teenagers of his own. Then you can sing Quiet Riot’s anthem (and let’s try to keep the vengeful glee toned down, okay?).

8. EARLY ADULT YEARS

Slipping Through My Fingers (Abba) “Do I really see what’s in her mind? Each time I think I’m close to knowing, she keeps on growing, slipping through my fingers all the time” Right when you think you’ve figured out all the answers, they change the questions, and you find yourself face to face with a full-fledged adult. Some days you’re delighted that you’ve got a grown-up kid-and-friend rolled into one, and some days you find yourself wistfully remembering the days when she needed you to kiss her booboo and put her on your lap.

9. THE ADULT YEARS

Sunrise, Sunset (Fiddler on the Roof) “Is this the little girl I carried? Is this the little boy at play? I don’t remember growing older. When did they?” And just like that, they’re all grown up. And probably living on their own. And probably with kids of their own. Even so, in your eyes, they’re still – and always will be – your little kiddos.

10. THE EMPTY NEST

Little Wonders (Rob Thomas) “Let it go, let it roll right off your shoulder. Don’t you know, the hardest part is over… Time falls away, but these small hours still remain.” Who knew it would be so tough to have a quiet, orderly, quiet house all over again (Did I mention quiet already?). It’s a good thing you and your spouse are best friends,

ids are fussy eaters, and it’s a challenge for every mom to prepare a healthy meal that will not be left untouched or half-eaten. This becomes even more worrisome when they reach school age and have to eat packed lunch with food that is new to them. Save yourself the worry by reviving the fun in a child’s meal. Here are a few tips that may help:

ESTABLISH GROUND RULES.

Start a “No-Thank-You Bite Rule” where every time your kids says no, he is required to at least take one big bite or two small bites of the food. That way, you will still get to make them have some food in their stomach. But remember, children know when they are full so allow them to stop eating when they want to. To avoid food wastage, serve them small portions but give them an opportunity to ask for more.

WELCOME KIDS IN THE KITCHEN.

Invite your kids to help out in the kitchen to give them an idea on what it takes to prepare their food. Letting them help in the kitchen will make them want to try and sample the food they’ve helped prepare.

BE CREATIVE!

because that means even without the kids to talk about, you still have interesting talks and tight hugs to share with each other.

11. THE SENIOR YEARS

Family (Dreamgirls) “We are a family, like a giant tree branching out to the sky. We are a family, we are so much more than just you and I…” In your golden years, you look around you and are filled with quiet pride, gentle wisdom, and overwhelming love for your children (perhaps with their own children, too, by now). And you are so grateful that you were given the job of being a parent, because, in the words of the Dreamgirls, “we’re not alone anymore now. There are others there, and that dream’s big enough for all of us to share.” The dream of love making this world a better place. Through you, and through your children, and through your children’s children. And, really now, think about it: wouldn’t that be a pretty amazing evolved state to be in? Follow me on Twitter @LivE_LiveSimply Like my page and send me feedback @ Facebook/liv.esimplywithLiv

Presentation is key. Children may be more persuaded to eat if the meal looks attractive. This is also one way of masking nourishing ingredients for your little ones. The best hiding options? Grate, wrap, blend, or mix! Attractive containers also make healthy meals look pleasing. Tupperware Brands’ Small Square Rounds can help solve that for you. The products have virtually airtight seals that keep food fresh and flavorful. You may use it in the fridge, bring to outdoor activities, or use for organizing. The Small Square Rounds comes in four great colors: lime aid, grape fizz, pink punch, and orange peel. Pair up your kids’ Tupperware Small Square Rounds with the Kids Eco Bottle that comes with a sipper seal spout for convenient drinking and a tight-screw-on cap that prevents leaks. Make it a habit to prepare well-balanced and healthy meals that make every mealtime at school fun for kids. Tupperware Brands Philippines distributes wellloved brands including Tupperware, Baby Care Plus+, Kids Plus+, Colour Collection, Ivana and White Result. For your questions and inquiries on how to be a dealer, log on to www.tupperwarebrands. ph, email us at questions@Tupperware.ph, or call the hotline number 867-2222. Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/tupperwarebrandsph.

W E D N E S D AY : A U G U S T 5 : 2 0 1 5

LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

Artist Massimo Trulli first started with luxury bags before venturing into a home line.

@LIFEatStandard

While Massimo Trulli has several stores worldwide, the Manila branch is the first to introduce the brand in a boutique, restaurant and furniture store concept.

MASSIMO’S MASTERPIECE “Try the Blu Ramandolo, it belongs to the family of blue cheese,” suggested Atty. Gale the CALEIDOSCOPE Atienza, co-owner WORLD of Massimo BY CAL TAVERA Trulli. She s h a re s , “ L o c a l l y, blue cheese is often presented in the form of Gorgonzola, an acquired taste. However, the Blu Ramandolo appeals also to cheese lovers who shy away from the blue-green mold. The veined Italian cheese can also be enjoyed with fruits. There are no hard and fast rules about it. ” Wrapped by the pomace of the grape, it creates an experience through its play on sweetness and piquancy. As a personal lover of Spanish and French cheeses, this introduction was a pleasant surprise. I was already making a mental note to acquaint my girlfriends with it at our next wine and cheese night. A few sentences into the article, you might be wondering why I am discussing cheeses when this column is reserved for interiors and design. Well, welcome to Massimo Trulli, Manila’s lifestyle store that embraces Italian furniture, fashion and even food. When sourcing furniture for clients at the LRI Design Plaza in Makati, I would pass by the shop, curious. It is an original idea, something I have not encountered here. The owners reveal that the idea is quite new as well in Europe with a few pioneering ones in Milano and a couple in Barcelona. In the Philippines, they are the first to actualize the furniture, boutique and restaurant concept. Gale shares, “Together with my business partner, former diplomat Adriano Stefanutti, we explored the possibility of offering something unique to the Filipinos. We feel that the local market is ready for something different with more Filipinos traveling and getting exposed and familiar with Italian products.” The idea gave birth when Gale, who is both a patron and friend of the artist Massimo Trulli, considered sharing her love for his products with Manila. The love affair started with the leather bags, pop-art masterpieces designed by the artist with inspiration derived from the '50s and '60s era. The usual

figures in his artworks are the iconic women Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe and Sofia Loren. They serve as muses when he paints. The artwork is then transferred onto genuine leather before transforming them into bags. These famous Italian prints have now made their way into furniture, a line that he recently ventured into. Each model comes with a certificate of authenticity, signed by the artist. The collection also made its debut last year during the Salone del Mobile in Milan. I was informed it doesn’t stop there and the artist now has plans to expand into clothing. When Gale and Adriano finally found the right location for these luxury goods, they were told that the space they wanted was reserved for a restaurant. Since the owners have a fondness for Italian culture, they decided to fuse all the senses into this 120-square meter space and the Massimo Trulli Lifestyle Store was launched. While the whole concept is certainly innovative enough to pique one’s interest, Adriano admits that their presence still helps in explaining the products. Most homes here rarely graduate from the tried-and-tested formula of the minimalist, modern look. We still experience difficulty committing to prints and bold colors and find solace in our safe and conservative, neutral walls. The collection in this showroom does not display the modern, sleek lines that most stores exhibit but the owners want clients to know their furniture can blend seamlessly with different styles. Gale shares, ”We believe you can still have modern pieces and combine them with one of our chairs. Modern homes don’t necessarily have to be confined to contemporary pieces. Look at the bar we have in the store. The bar stool fits right in and creates a statement at the same time. In fact, these pieces are comfortable in my own modern space as well as in Adriano’s more classic place.” Gale continues, “We believe in the design and quality of Massimo Trulli’s art and we want to share it with others. We also want to deliver the whole experience for our guests. People can dine and wine and be surrounded by beauty when they come to our store.” Massimo Trulli is located at Suites 102/104 G/F LRI Design Plaza, 210 Nicanor Garcia Street, Bel Air II 1209 Makati City. For more information you may contact them via +639154181407 or email at contact@massimotrulli.ph Follow me on Instagram @cal_tavera

Owner Gale Atienza admits that on some nights, they close at 1 or 2 a.m. because guests enjoy the dine and wine experience.

The bar stool creates a statement within a classic or contemporary home.

Detailed shot of chair by Italian artist Massimo Trulli.

EDNESDAY DAY: :AUGUST J ULY 155: :2015 WWEDNES 2015

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ISAH V. RED EDITOR

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W EDNES DAY : AUGUST 5 : 2015

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Another poliCemAn in misters 2015 pAgeAnt

Asia’s Got Talent judge Vanness Wu says that he’s scared to perform in the country after learning that Filipinos are very talented.

F4 alum Vanness Wu gives an exciting performance at the launching of Levi’s new Women’s Denim collection at the Valkyrie Nightclub

Cory Qurino encourages everyone to drink Organique Acai Premium Blend, a powerful antioxidant

VannESS WU hOPES fOR f4 REUniOn niCKiE WanG Taiwanese star Vanness Wu is hopeful that the boy band he was part of for three years would reunite after their successful reunion tour in 2007 and 2013. The group, consisting of Jerry Yan, Vanness, Ken Chu, and Vic Chou, was formed in 2001 after the Taiwanese drama Meteor Garden that they starred in became widely successful. “We keep in contact once in a while and we are excited that hopefully one day we might be back together,” the Asia’s Got Talent judge told reporters in Manila last Friday. The 36-year-old singer actor was in the country to headline the Levi’s fashion show at the Valkyrie club where he dished out a few mandopop songs to delight his fans that waited 11 years to see him again in the flesh. “I feel really glad and happy that I’m finally here again. It’s been such an amazing time so far being here. A lot of memories

are coming back from the last time we were here. I believe it was 2004,” Vanness told the media. Vanness also announced that he is currently working on a new album, which he plans to release across the region. The new material will have a few English songs and will feature more R&B and hip hop tracks. CORy QUiRinO’S fOUntain Of yOUth Do you want to live beyond 100 years? Sure Cory Quirino does. Last week, the Miss World Philippines national director and wellness guru joined a few members of the press in an intimate event to launch a new product. Right at the venue, the 61-year-old Cory made rounds and started talking to the people as if she was the main host of the program. She instantly built rapport with the scribes. “Hi, I want to invite you in a fun run this October. It’s a 4-in-1 lifestyle event, you can run, bike or just walk. PWDs can also join,” she beamed at everyone while handing out her business card.

The fun run she was talking about coincides with her grandfather’s (Elpidio Quirino) birthday and Cory was stoked to share with the media why she’s excited about the event, which is also free for everyone who’s interested to join. Cory’s lifestyle revolves around giving out health and beauty advices. She believes that the key to a longer life is over-all wellness. “Look at my Dyosa card,” Cory held up her senior citizen card for everyone to see, “I got this last year and the staff at the city hall in Mandaluyong couldn’t believe that I’m already a senior citizen. They said I was in denial, I told them that my secret is just the lifestyle that I have, the food I eat, and how I deal with everyday life.” She also mentioned that taking in supplements can help delay aging process hence, together with dancer and fitness enthusiast Regine Tolentino, Cory proudly endorsers Organique Acai Premium Blend, a powerful antioxidant that encapsulated acai (pronounced as ahsah-ee) berries in a bottle. Acai berry is dark pur-

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

ANSWER FOR PREVIOUS PUZZLE ACROSS 1 Spill hot coffee on 6 Lay it on thick 10 Troubadour 14 Mary — Moore 15 Wildlife refuge 16 Heavy hydrogen discoverer 17 Premier Zhou — 18 Loosen 19 Riviera resort 20 Tooth-puller’s org.

21 24 26 27 28 30 33 34 37 38 39

Napa Valley wish (2 wds.) Most gracious Fathoms Villain’s laugh Flu strain Rush off Lunch and brunch Software problem Felt certain Socked in Galileo’s home

40 41 42 43 44 45 48 52 55 56 57 58 60 61 62 63 64 65

Not Dem. or Rep. Dress lengths Put up clapboards Sugar plants Raven maven? Curly or Moe Snort with glee Simple (3 wds.) Hearing aid? Penny — Blarney Stone site Marx brother Anatomical canal Vehicle on runners Got wrong Folk wisdom Get fresh Writer’s concern

DOWN 1 Vegan’s taboo 2 Ms. Lauper 3 Adventurer — Quatermain 4 Meadow 5 Imply (2 wds.) 6 Outspoken 7 Rave 8 Verdi princess 9 Sleepily 10 Fabled lumberjack 11 March sign 12 Summary

ple in color and has been a staple in the diet of the indigenous people of Brazil for centuries. Touted by many as the king of super foods, the acai berry is rich in antioxidants, which combat cell damage. It contains omega oil, which is necessary for the proper function of the brain and cardiovascular system. It has all the basic vitamins and minerals that our body needs aside from being high in dietary fiber. According to Cathy Salimbangon, vice-president for Marketing of Organique Inc., Cory is endorsing the product free of charge. “I’ve known the acai berry for so many years that’s why when I heard that it’s now available in the Philippines, I instantly said yes when they approached me to endorse the product. I feel young and look young because this has been part of my diet,” she mused. As her parting words, she said, “If you embrace a wellness lifestyle you can live for 120 years, and there are a few studies that can support that. Just go back to natural way…go back to fruits and vegetables.”

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 2015

13 22 23

Batik workers Comic Kabibble Gaslight and Big Band 25 Red Sea vessel 28 Patronage 29 Droops 30 Travel on powder 31 Larry King’s network 32 U.K. lexicon 33 Manner 34 Buy at auction 35 Avail oneself of 36 Run around a lot 38 Gemstone quality 39 Wharf 41 Pageant figures 42 Calms 43 Stick together 44 Frat letter 45 Aquarium denizen 46 Kemo Sabe’s friend 47 Web-footed mammal 48 Campus women (hyph.) 49 Bathrobe fabric 50 Suit coat feature 51 Carve a canyon 53 — monster 54 Three, in Baja 59 Landscape or portrait

ast year, Police Officer 2 Mariano P. Flormata, Jr. aka Neil Perez made headlines by entering a male beauty contest and eventually winning Mister International 2014 in Seoul, Korea. This year, another equally good-looking cop is trying to follow the same path, emboldened by his co-officer’s achievement Don Mcgyver Licup Cochico, a 26-year-old, 6-foot-tall, graduate of the Philippine College of Criminology is competing in Misters 2015 pageant from which the country’s bets in Mister International, Mister Global, Mister Tourism International and Mister Model International pageants in 2015 will be chosen. “I feel so lucky to make it among the 16 official candidates, mostly from the National Capital Region (NCR), of Misters 2015, as I thought everyone of the applicants were deserving,” Cochico, who is from Sta. Cruz, Manila, said after the elimination round held recently at the Activity Hall of Fisher Mall in Quezon City. An only child of Carlitos, a Barangay Kagawad and Divina, he is assigned at the PNP Crime Laboratory-Polygraph Division. The Batch 2010 - Makisig member specializes in the conduct of lie detector tests. “My advocacy in joining the Misters 2015 search is to be a

friend or big brother to the people, one who they can easily approach to tell their problems to, win their trusts, so we could help and work together for the good of the community. I want to help bring the message of our new PNP Chief, Director Ricardo C. Marquez to bring the police closer to the people,” the determined and confident Cochico said. “What makes a policeman different from an ordinary civilian is being disciplined in everything that you do, to do good in your job and to everyone. You need to be always on time, that’s the hardest thing in being a cop,” Cochico’s reply on what he found challenging in his chosen profession. Cochico added he has started cutting on his rice intake as he is going on a strict diet to be in shape for the finals of the competition. While getting any of the four titles at stake would be very much appreciated, he admitted that he would like to take a shot at Neil’s title as Mister International Philippines, and also hoped that he would get the same support from PNP given to PO2 Flormata. Will Neil Perez hand over his title to a fellow cop? That will be answered during the Misters 2015 finals to be held at Resorts World Manila on Sept.13. – EtOn B. COnCEPCiOn

Don Mcgyver Licup Cochico, a 26-year-old, 6-foot-tall, graduate of the Philippine College of Criminology is competing in Misters 2015

PHOTO BY PO2 SALVADOR GILI

W EDNES DAY : AUGUST 5 : 2015

SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

Senator Chiz Escudero hosted a birthday dinner for his in-law Rey Ongpauco at his and Heart's home. With him is his wife Cecile

GraCe, Chiz friendship remains stronG

hile both administration and opposition parties are wooing Senator Grace Poe to be in their respective slates in the coming 2016 elections, she wont drop Senator Chiz Escudero who is touted to be gunning to run for vice president. Their friendship has remained intact despite rumors that she would soon break the chain that bind the two. Poe repeatedly admitted that if she would seek the presidency, she’d be happy to have Escudero as running mate. “ I am comfortable with him because we share the same beliefs and stand up for the rights of our countrymen,” she said. “We’ve been together for quite a time, way back when my father, run for president. Our family has trusted him,” added Poe. Escudero was the spokesman of Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino, the party under which Fernando Poe, Jr. of simply FPJ ran for president in 2004. While Philippine cinema’s action king’s popularity with the masses was indubitable, his opponents hurled a variety of issues against him, ranging from being inexperienced politically to his being a college drop out. His citizenship was also questioned. FPJ became elusive to the media, and Escudero stood up to face them. In December 2004, when FPJ became comatose after a severe attack, Escudero called for a press conference at Quezon City Sports Club to update the media on the actor’s condition, while Susan Roces, and daughter, Grace Poe Llamanzares, were in the actor’s room watching over him. “It is common knowledge that Senator Chiz had been by my father’s side during his campaign in 2004. In 2013 we were together in our sorties around the country. He has been a big help to me and to our family from the very start,” explains Poe.

from C8

Escudero believes that whatever decision Poe makes for 2016, she would be as steadfast as FPJ when he decided to run for president in 2004. He added that she would need guts and gumption to make that decision. This early, even if Poe hasn’t made concrete plans for 2016, people known to be allied to personalities who have expressed their plans for the next elections have been hurling unfavourable statements about her. Says Escudero, “When FPJ ran for president 11 years ago, I stood up for him and defended him against the issues of residency, citizenship, inexperience and pagiging mangmang daw. I am ready to do the same for his daughter who I know is sincere, hard-working and honest public servant.” HHHHH Chiz throWs birthday party for in-laW After mending ties with wife Heart Evangelista’s parents last May, Senator Chiz Escudero welcomed his in-laws at their home and hosted a birthday dinner for Heart’s dad whom he now fondly calls “Daddy Rey.” The senator even posted a family picture in his Twitter account with the caption, “Birthday dinner for Daddy Rey at our house with the whole family.” Before the birthday dinner hosted by the couple, Rey Ongpauco, Evangelista’s father, already celebrated his birthday with his family, as seen in a photo posted by Evangelista in her Instgram account, where Escudero posed with his wife’s parents and siblings Cam and Mich Ongpauco. The senator’s siblings Bernadette and Philip and mother, Sorsogon Congressman Evelina Escudero, were also present at the birthday dinner along with Evangelista’s family. Escudero was all smiles in the picture together with his parentsin-law, which Evangelista posted in her Twitter and Instagram ac-

counts, during Cecile Ongpauco’s birthday dinner. Evangelista also said she is still on Cloud 9 and couldn’t believe that everything has been settled and that her husband is finally in good terms with her parents. “Nakakapanibago at masarap na parang nabunutan ako ng tinik,” Evangelista said. “Ang sarap ng pakiramdam na buo ang pamilya.” HHHHH all roads lead to Casino filipino Sitti proves, time and again, that she is truly the country’s one and only bossa nova queen. She has successfully reintroduced bossa nova as a new kind of music to a modern era of listening public. She has a new album under MCA. Sitti will captivate the audience once more with her relaxing and cool numbers as she returns onstage on Aug. 14 (Mimosa Satellite). Catch Ariel Rivera tonight at Casino Filipino Angeles. He is a regular fixture in various drama series. Music remains his first love. Mitch Valdez goes live at Casino Filipino Iloilo also tonight. See for yourself why she is one of the most respected and brilliant artists in the industry. Jam with RnB sensation Duncan Ramos as he unleashes his highly charged performance on tonight at Carmona Satellite. His passion for music explains his versatility as an artist. Michael Pangilinan will take center stage on Aug. 6 (Parkmall Satellite) and Aug. 7 (Malabon Satellite). Michael is one of the most promising young artists of his generation. He is behind the hit song “Pare, Mahal Mo Raw Ako.” Pretty Young Thing (PYT) will make the audience feel pretty and young as they groove onstage on Aug. 6 at Casino Filipino Malate. For inquiries, call the PAGCOR Entertainment Department at (02) 708-2046, 526-0337 loc 2401 or 2403. Check and ‘Like’ us on Facebook: www.facebook. com/pagcor.artists

Senators Grace Poe and Chiz Escudero remain as close as when the former campaigned for her election in 2013

W EDNES DAY : AUGUST 5 : 2015

ISAH V. RED EDITOR isahred @ gmail.com

Drew Arellano with chefs Llena Tan-Arcenas, Rene Ruz and RJ Garcia

SHOWBITZ

AHA! DreW ArellAno is A Home fooDie ISAH V. RED Believe me, this guy who hosts the once-a-week show called Aha! And Biyahe ni Drew is really one. The former is aired on GMA 7 and the latter on GMA News TV. Aha! Drew Arellano is also in another show. Well, not really, because it’s not an hour or half- anhour show. It’s just a three-minute show in what network people call “interstitials” or something between two full-length (meaning a half-an-hour or full-hour) shows. It’s called Home Foodie and that’s self-explanatory for those who love eating or cooking, or even experimenting with whatever is in the refrigerator or pantry. Anyone with a zest for discovering exciting new flavors can be considered a foodie nowadays, say the guys from San Miguel Pure Foods, which is underwriting the mini-show for Arellano that will air on GMA 7 Monday to Friday after Unang Hirit beginning Aug. 10, and within Balitanghali on GMA News TV every Saturday and Sunday from Aug. 15. San Miguel Pure Foods believes that aside from dining out, foodies should come home and harness their passion for food by cooking in their own kitchens and creating their own food experience. Home Foodie is all about inspiring home cooks to reinvent favorites and recreate dishes from food discoveries using San

Miguel Pure Foods products. Thus, Home Foodie dishes are “masarap, masusustansya at kayang-kaya.” Even home foodie newbies can do the recipes. Home Foodie will not only appeal to women but also to men. It also wants men to cook; to be active in the kitchen, hence, Drew Arellano, the people behind the show think, is the perfect host for the show. He has wide mass appeal, they added, and is non-alienating and a true blue foodie. “After doing, Biyahe ni Drew,” he said, “I have learned what foodie is. I have tried the most exotic and the tastiest from the places we’ve visited. Apart from that, my wife (Iya Villania) and I also try out a lot of new eating places and new dishes. And if we have time, we try cooking them at home.” Drew, the San Miguel Pure Foods people believe, can inspire and encourage men to enjoy food by spending time in his kitchen. Home Foodie viewers are expected to learn new twists, tips and techniques in food preparation with the experts from the San Miguel Pure Foods Culinary Center led by chefs Llena Tan-Arcenas, Rene Ruz and RJ Garcia. HHHHH H.G. Wells’ ‘Absolutely AnytHinG’ The idea for the latest family adventure film from Terry Jones, starring Kate Beckinsale and Simon Pegg, began many years ago when the former Python imagined a movie inspired by a short story written by H.G. Wells at the end of the 19th

century — the comedic fantasy The Man Who Could Work Miracles. Absolutely Anything tells the tale of a disillusioned schoolteacher, Neil Clarke (Pegg), who is suddenly granted the ability to do anything he wishes. These powers are bestowed upon him by a group of aliens, who are watching him from outer space. While struggling with these miraculous powers, Neil is also bidding to win the heart of the girl who lives in the flat downstairs, Catherine (Beckinsale), and he calls upon his loyal canine companion Dennis (voiced by Robin Williams in his last-ever film role) to help him along the way. Catherine’s former boyfriend (Riggle), meanwhile, appears on the scene to prove an exacting nemesis. Terry Jones explains how the film opens. “Aliens intercept the Pioneer spacecraft as it’s leaving the solar system and decide to assess planet Earth and its inhabitants.” Absolutely Anything opens Aug. 12 nationwide from Axinite Digicinema. ➜ Continued on C7

Arellano, host of shows AHA! and Biyahe ni Drew is hosting Home Foodie and encourages fellow men to try cooking at home

Pegg with co-star Kate Beckinsale'

Home Foodie is all about inspiring home cooks to reinvent favorites and recreate dishes from food discoveries using San Miguel Pure Foods products Simon Pegg in Absolutely Anything

...and with Rob Wriggle