The Standard - 2015 August 24 - Monday by Manila Standard

VOL. XXIX  NO. 193  3 Sections 32 Pages P18  MONDAY : AUGUST 24, 2015  www.thestandard.com.ph  editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Congress to probe ‘padala’ box furor

CONSULTANTS ALL

Trillanes’ office funds pay for houseboy, newsmen By Christine F. Herrera

MORE than half of Senator Antonio Trillanes IV’s monthly budget allocation of P2.93 million for his office goes to the salaries of 63 consultants that include his houseboy, family drivers, media workers, campaign donors, ex-mutineer-friends and a brother who was getting P71,200 a month, Senate documents show.

Trillanes’ consultants were being paid a total of P1.63 million a month, official Senate documents show. The amount was also more than triple the allowed P506,262 monthly budget allocation for consultancy services, according to the Commission on Audit (COA), citing Senate records.

Highly reliable sources furnished The Standard a complete set of Senate documents after Trillanes denied that he had more than 60 consultants. The Standard previously reported that Trillanes only had 55 consultants that were being paid a total of P1.25 million a month. But Senate records now show

that Trillanes had 63 consultants, whose salaries totaled P1.63 million a month. From July to December 2014, Trillanes paid his consultants some P9.77 million, which exceeded by more than P6.74 million the allowable amount for consultancy services of only P3.03 million. Next page

Typhoon death toll reaches 13 in N. Luzon By Florante S. Solmerin THE death toll from typhoon “Ineng” rose to 13, including an infant in Benguet and a 10-yearold in Mountain Province, the Office of the Civil Defense said Sunday. Regional director of the OCD in the Cordillera Administrative Region Andrew Alex H. Uy said some 341 families or 1,242 people were affected by the typhoon in Mountain Province, Kalinga, Baguio City, Benguet, Apayao, and Abra. Many roads remained closed due to landslides in the region but electricity has been restored in all the affected areas, he said. Earlier, the provincial government of Ilocos Norte declared the entire province under a state of calamity after the storm did P457 million worth Next page of damage.

Flirting with danger. Scavengers pick up recyclable items along the seawall in Navotas despite the strong waves whipped by Typhoon “Ineng” on Sunday. MANNY PALMERO

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Congress seeks probe of ‘padala’ box furor “As I see it, this is just another scheme to further fleece hard-earned money from our OFWs and should be dropped immediately,” said Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate. His colleague from the same party-list group, Rep. Neri Colmenares, said the bureau should work to curb “the immense corruption” within its own ranks and focus on big-time smugglers, instead of harassing overseas Filipino workers. The two lawmakers said they would file a resolution to investigate the plan announced by Customs Commissioner Albert Lina to impose more stringent inspection of the gift boxes, about 400,000 of which are shipped here every month. “If continued, this practice would just be another source of corruption to expedite the inspection, as well as theft. This would also slow down the process and further congest the ports,” Colmenares said. Zarate added that the estimated revenue losses of P600 million from untaxed items in the balikbayan boxes pale in comparison to the billions lost due to corruption in the bureau. In Hong Kong, Eman Vil-

lanueva, a representative of Filipino workers there, said they would hold a rally on Aug. 30 as sign of protest against the new Customs policy. In Saudi Arabia, Migrante-Middle East leader John Leonard Monterona slammed the new plan. “The BOC and other agencies are up again to extort money from OFWs for the electoral campaign funds of the Liberal Party,” Monterona said. Earlier, Catholic Bishop Ruperto Santos expressed disgust at the Customs plan which he labeled “callous and cruel.” Despite the negative feedback, the Palace said it would not stop Lina from implementing his plan. Deputy presidential spokeswoman Abigail Valte acknowledged that the government has received a lot of negative feedback by way of open letters, Facebook messages and e-mail, and said these would be forwarded to the Customs bureau. “We understand the sentiments of those who sent feedback. We understand the sentiments of our countrymen,” she added. Quezon City Rep. Winston Castelo said the bureau

must first seek authorization from Congress before imposing additional taxes. “In the first place, balikbayan boxes are duty- and tax-free packages designed for overseas Filipino workers sending home gifts to their families,” Castelo said. “For the most part, what’s inside the box are household items and goods that are generally exempt from duties. This small favor is negligible compared to the great sacrifices and contributions that our OFW’s make that also benefit our national economy.” Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called on Customs to stop bullying overseas Filipino workers. “To the BoC, I ask, are you not ashamed? For OFW, a balikbayan box is the equivalent of his or her love letter to a spouse and the rest of the family. Every item in that box was bought with a specific person and purpose in mind, bought with the hardearned money... So if a single item there gets lost, do you imagine how it feels to an OFW who invested so much emotion and money just to get those goods home?” He also warned Lina to scrap plans to impose additional fees for forwarding costs. “Mr. Lina, you are a public servant. It is your duty to consult with stakeholders first, before embarking on any draconian measure that would turn their lives upside down. You seem bent on bullying our OFWs while turning a blind eye to the largescale smuggling that goes on

Typhoon

leaving 13 dead, and causing thousands of people to be evacuated off Taiwan’s east coast. On Sunday morning, Ineng, packing gusts of 170 kilometers per hour, was located 360 kilometers from the Philippines’ northernmost Batanes islands, moving northeast at 17 kilometers per hour, the weather bureau said. The Philippines was hit hardest by the storm, which triggered landslides and floods, killing at least 10 people and leaving 17 missing in the north of the main island of Luzon. “Pre-emptive evacuations have been conducted in most of the area but sad to note, some of the areas did not do a pre-emptive (evacuation) and some did real-time evacuation when the event was already starting to happen,” said Alexander Pama, the country’s civil defense chief. The 17 people missing were from a small mining

community that was buried by landslides, police in the area said. Although the weather bureau said most of the danger had now passed, 40 evacuation centers were still operational with over 4,000 people housed inside, said Tess Briones, disaster response chief at the Social Welfare Department. In the northern province of Ilocos Norte, an island town in the middle of a river had its bridge destroyed, leaving about 730 families stranded, officials said. The storm is the ninth out of an average of 20 that hit the Philippines each year. In Narvacan town in Ilocos Sur, Vice Mayor Regina Pilar Zaragoza reported that at least 30 villages remained under deep flood waters, rendering them isolated and emergency workers had a hard time bringing relief to affected residents. Three villages of Puro, Pantay-Tamurong and Villamarin the municipality of

By Rio N. Araja, Ronald O. Reyes, Macon Ramos-Araneta and Sandy Araneta

LAWMAKERS sought a probe Sunday into the Bureau of Customs plan to randomly open balikbayan boxes shipped home by overseas Filipino workers to their families to stop smuggling.

From A1...

The Provincial Disaster Risk and Reduction Management Council said damage to agriculture amounted to P55 million, while infrastructure losses came to P401.8 million. The council also reported that some 17,434 families or 75,348 people were affected by the typhoon in the province, and that the provincial government had already distributed P230,425 worth of relief. Gov. Imee Marcos said medical teams have reported widespread instances of respiratory tract infections, diarrhea, flu and dengue. She also requested assistance particularly for seeds and fertilizers for farmers and fingerlings for the fisheries sector. The weakened typhoon was headed towards Japan on Sunday, after battering the northern Philippines

in nearly all the ports across the archipelago.” He also dared Customs officials to justify their plan at the Senate during its forthcoming budget hearings. “Let them defend themselves during the budget deliberations. Specifically, I would like to know how many big-time smugglers have they managed to put behind bars during the five years under his administration,” Marcos said. Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, chairman of the Senate finance subcommittee reviewing the BOC budget said its officials will be grilled on the status of non-intrusive inspection techniques, which could detect contraband goods without opening tens of thousands of balikbayan boxes. “There are ways to catch the rat without burning the entire house down,” he said. He emphasized that programs to find big-time smugglers and not a few bars of bath soap in a balikbayan box” are already funded under the BOC’s operating budget this year. Senator Cynthia Villar, chairman of the committee on agriculture and food, said Customs should strengthen its drive against the smuggling of agricultural products. “Before branding them as smugglers, maybe an information drive should be done to inform the OFWs that these are the rules that apply to sending balikbayan boxes. Freight forwaders should also make sure they are handling boxes containing only what has been declared,” Villar said. Caoayan and the barangays of Oribin, Dammay, Calumbayan Casiber and Rancho in Santa town, all in Ilocos Sur were also isolated due to the collapse of the Calungbuyan Bailey Bridge. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said the villages were experiencing heavy rains and flooding. While torrential rain subsided, residents in Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur, reports said 90 percent of the two provinces were without power. The NDRRMV said one city, 39 municipalities and seven provinces wre experiencing power interruptions throughout Regions 1 and 2 and the Cordillera Administrative Region. The NDRRMC reported more than 10,000 people were badly affected by the typhoon that also damaged 197 houses across Regions 1,2 and CAR, while 36 roads, six bridges and one spillway. – Florante S. Solmerin, Francisco Tuyay, AFP

Consultants

From A1...

Senate President Franklin Drilon defended Trillanes and said the senator was allowed to realign his office budget. Trillanes also made his campaign donors—Robert Fong and Fabian Go— his highest paid consultants at P80,000 a month. Commission on Elections records show Fong and Go each contributed P500,000 in campaign funds in the 2013 elections where Trillanes ran and won a Senate seat. For six months last year, Fong and Go were paid a total of P480,000 each. “Trillanes has passed on to taxpayers his personal and household expense,” said the Senate source, who requested anonymity. “For P1.63 million a month, he has made the taxpayers shoulder his personal household expense, like payment for the salaries of his houseboy and family drivers, and pay back his campaign donors and friends for the favors they had given him in previous elections,” the Senate source added. Senate sources said at least 16 of his 63 consultants were Trillanes’ former subordinates in the military service that joined him in mounting the Oakwood and Manila Peninsula mutinies in a bid to oust then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. All of them were also incarcerated and dismissed from the service, but just like Trillanes, were granted amnesty by President Benigno Aquino III. Trillanes included in the payroll his houseboy Eddie Ybanez, who as a “consultant” was getting P3,500 a month. The senator’s payroll documents show family drivers Bernard Allen Marzan and Jay-Ar Caro were being paid as consultants, at P11,500 and P8,100 a month, respectively. Marzan and Caro and 14 other consultants, were members of the Magdalo. Trillanes has also made his brother, Juan Antonio Trillanes, one of the highest paid consultants in the Senate, which the COA said resulted in overspending. Juan Antonio raked in a total of P427,200 from July to December 2014, Senate documents show. Trillanes has defended the hiring of his brother, saying it was a position of trust, and that he represented him in confidential meetings.

He added that senators were allowed to spend their budgets, as long as they did not pocket the money. Earlier this year, the Commission on Audit asked Drilon to account for the Senate expenditures on consultants in 2014 that amounted to P231.88 million. In an Audit Observation Memorandum to Drilon dated Feb. 5, 2015 and signed by COA supervising auditor Mario Lipana, the COA said several senators’ offices incurred consultancy services expenses for 2014 “beyond the agency budgetary allocation.” The COA report added that one reason consultancy expenses were so high was that one senator’s office had hired more than 60 consultants, while another senator paid consultants as much as P94,000 a month. Senate documents show Senator Alan Peter Cayetano paid his consultants as high as P94,000 a month. Aside from Trillanes’ brother, three others were receiving P71,200 a month. These were Segundino Orfiano Jr., Ian Lee Punongbayan and Jayme Torrato. Sherwin Sanusie was getting P71,100 while Sonny Madarang received P71,300 a month. Orfiano, Punongbayan and Madarang belong to the Magdalo group. Columnist Herman Tiu Laurel was getting P23,000 a month while former journalist Christopher Cahilig was getting P57,500 a month. The others were getting P40,000, P50,000 and 60,000. The COA said the consultancies did not come with accomplishment reports because the services were confidential in nature. The audit agency also noted that none of the consultants submitted any resumes or documentary information to show their qualifications. In an interview on dzMM, Trillanes said he diverts some of his allocated budget to pay consultants, which senators are allowed to do. He added that he hires consultants to help him know more about issues in the different provinces. He said the amount he spends on consultants was a reflection of his priorities. Trillanes added that he can account for every consultant his office hires. “The money was not pocketed,” he said. “They are real people.”

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PH at crossroads, Aquino claims PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III on Sunday urged the people to vote for the right leader next year as the nation would again be in the crossroads.

Quorum matters. Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. talks to reporters about the House’s plan to solve its quorum woes on Tuesday. Maricel V. cruz rainy up north. Workers in Baguio City, Benguet and Mountain Province worked double time on Sunday after the rain brought by Typhoon Ineng uprooted trees and caused landslides. daVid chan

Ombudsman hit for reopening closed case By Macon r. araneta THE lawyer of former Makati Mayor Elenita Binay on Sunday slammed the Office of the Ombudsman for resurrecting a case dismissed by the previous Ombudsman six years ago and adding two complaints, one of which is based on an alleged incident that happened 15 years ago. Elaine Hernandez said the inclusion of the years-old cases violated the Ombudsman Act. She said the Ombudsman was prohibited from conducting an investigation based on a complaint filed “one year from the occurrence of the act or omission complained of.” She cited Section 20 of R.A. 6770, or the Ombudsman Act

of 1898, which says the Office of the Ombudsman may not conduct the investigation of any administrative act or omission complained of if it believes the complainant has an adequate remedy in another judicial or quasi-judicial body and has no sufficient personal interest in the subject matter of the grievance. The prohibition for the Ombudsman is also applicable if the complaint pertains to a matter outside the jurisdiction of the Office of the Ombudsman or if the complaint is trivial, frivolous, vexatious or made in bad faith, or if it was filed after one year from the occurrence of the act or omission complained of. Hernandez said the resur-

rected cases were included in a motion filed by the Ombudsman before the Sandiganbayan to admit amended information against Elenita Binay, the wife of Vice President Jejomar C. Binay. She said the complaint involving the purchase of two units of cryosurgical pressure and volumetric pressure pump for the Ospital ng Makati was filed seven years ago against Mrs. Binay and other Makati City officials. However, the Ombudsman at the time dismissed the complaint a year later due to insufficient evidence. The dismissal was contained in a Resolution dated Sept. 24, 2009. Still, Hernandez said, the Special Prosecutor of the Of-

fice of the Ombudsman decided to reinstate Mrs. Binay as one of the accused through a simple Memorandum dated May 11, 2015. “Worse, they did not even bother to inform her that her name has been inserted. That is a clear violation of her right to due process,” Hernandez said. “Mrs. Binay was not among the original accused in the 24 September 2009 Resolution and no probable cause was found against her, resulting in the dismissal of the charges. “Yet, the Special Prosecutor has asked the 4th Division of the Sandiganbayan to admit the Amended Informations to include Mrs. Binay as an accused in the two criminal cases.”

“In the coming year, the nation will face another crossroads. Hopefully, we would serve as a guide of our fellow citizens in choosing the right leader,” Aquino said during the charismatic group El Shaddai’s 31st anniversary celebration at the AMVEL Business Park in Paranaque City. He made his statement even as the camp of Vice President Jejomar Binay slammed deputy presidential spokeswoman Abigail Valte’s description of the track record of Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II, the Liberal Party’s standard bearer in 2016, as “spotless.” “The record of Secretary Roxas as an executive is indeed spotless,” Binay spokesman Joey Salgado said. “It is a record unblemished by competence and compassion for the poor.” Salgado noted that It was Roxas’ decision to replace Sumitomo as the maintenance provider for the MRT when he was Transport secretary. As a result, he said, MRT commuters were suffering due to Roxas’ callous and incompetent decision that favored a service provider owned by his ally in the Liberal Party. Salgado also noted that Tacloban was supposed to be Roxas’ proving ground as crisis manager. “Yet his management of the government’s response to the humanitarian crisis brought about by super-typhoon Yolanda can best be summed up in the Secretary’s own words: Bahala kayo sa buhay n’yo.” Salgado said that, as Interior secretary, Roxas was given billions of pesos by Budget Secretary Butch Abad for projects that were outside his agency’s mandate like water, climate change and housing. Sunday, the day Aquino

made his call to voters, was also the 76th birthday of El Shaddai leader Mike Velarde. Hours earlier, Vice President Jejomar Binay and daughter Senator Nancy Binay also attended El Shaddai’s healing mass at the AMVEL Business Park in Parañaque. Aquino was with Roxas and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin at the El Shaddai gathering. In his speech, Aquino praised Velarde for leading his group and inspiring a new generation of Catholic faithful. He said he hoped that after the 2016 elections, the reforms that he and his administration started would continue. “I am hoping that we will not divert from the good we have started,” Aquino said. “We know that we will face big challenges ahead, and that there are those who are trying to go back to the old ways. In all of these challenges, our strong weapon against these are prayers, concern and faith.” Aquino called on the people to make sacrifices and serve the country and God most of all. He asked them to fight corruption and give priority to the interests of the nation. The El Shaddai is considered as a bloc-voting group that earlier said it had five million members of whom many were voters. The Iglesia ni Cristo, which is also considered a bloc-voting group has around two million members. On the other hand, months before the 2016 elections, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines maintained that the Philippine Catholic Church would never endorse a candidate. Sandy araneta and Macon ramos-araneta

‘New doctrine’ used to free Enrile THE high court based its decision on a “new doctrine” when it granted bail to Senator Juan Ponce Enrile as that had never been done before and so must be clarified, Malacañang said Sunday. “The SC [Supreme Court] decision states that the motion to fix bail was granted based on humanitarian considerations. That’s the first time it has been used as a ground,” Deputy presidential spokeswoman Abigail Valte said in a text message to The Standard. “The grant of bail is usually accompanied by conditions. In this case, since it was granted on humanitarian conditions and Senator Enrile’s age was cited, it must be clarified what the terms of his bail are,” Valte said. She made her statement even as opposition Senator JV Ejercito on Sunday described as “frightening and alarming” the plan of Presi-

dent Benigno Aquino III to have his legal team study the Supreme Court ruling granting bail to Enrile over the plunder charges against him. Ejercito told dzBB radio that the review of the decision was too scary to hear especially coming from the President. “The judiciary should be a co-equal branch. It should be a co-equal branch in a democracy,” Ejercito said. “Whatever the jurisdiction of the court, especially the Supreme Court, it should be respected.” Ejercito said the President’s plan was also alarming because it would seem that a co-equal branch was not being respected. During Sunday’s interview over state-run dzRB, Valte said much clarification would be necessary to explain the high court decision. She said Aquino’s legal

team, which includes Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, would be reviewing the bail issue. She said De Lima was batting for the prosecution to file a motion for reconsideration of the Supreme Court decision. Last Saturday, Valte said Aquino wanted the high court’s decision to be studied and clarified because the grant of bail based on humanitarian reasons was “new.” Voting 8-4, the high court last week granted Enrile’s petition to post bail. The Court set the bail bond at P1.4 million on the plunder and graft charges Enrile is facing in connection with the P10-billion pork barrel scam. The high court cited in its ruling Enrile’s ill health and advanced age as among the reasons for granting the senator’s petition for bail. Sandy araneta and Macon ramos-araneta

reflections. The images of incoming passengers are reflected by the floors of Terminal 3 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Sunday. rudy c. SantoS

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‘Probe gambling in econ zones’ By Christine Herrera

A PARTY-LIST lawmaker has called for an inquiry into reports of alleged rampant, multi-billion illegal gambling activities by foreign groups in Philippine special economic zones. Abakada Rep. Jonathan Dela Cruz on Sunday also demanded that the government crack down on illegal gambling operations involving foreign nationals. He said these operations usually expand into and result in other crimes such as gun running and tax evasion. “Apart from possible violation of immigration, investment and IT laws and regulations, these illegal gambling operators have also been allegedly engaged in massive tax evasion, gun running and other

crimes,” Dela Cruz said. Dela Cruz filed House Resolution 2255, “directing the Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability to investigate, in aid of legislation, the reported proliferation of illegal gambling operations in the guise of gaming and information technology, principally in special economic zones and manned mainly by foreigners, to determine possible violations of existing laws and for other purposes.” Dela Cruz noted that in the

course of House deliberations on the alleged bribery and corruption activities involving Chinese national Wang Bo, a number of issues and concerns regarding possible violations of immigration, investment and taxation laws were unearthed. “One such issue involves the loose and oftentimes conflicting appreciation and implementation of immigration laws, tending to afford officials and personnel of the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation (BID) undue discretion, creating in the process an environment susceptible to pressure and corruption,” Dela Cruz said. The lawmaker also expressed concern over the seeming ease with which companies, especially those engaging in so-called “new and improved information and communications technology systems,” get to be registered by the

Securities and Exchange Commission and subsequently by the special economic zones. “The easy and loose manner by which these companies have been given legal status to conduct their businesses has resulted in a spike in criminal activities, including but not limited to money laundering, bribery and corruption of public officials,” he added. Dela Cruz further noted that “these illegal gambling operations have also merited the serious concern of foreign governments and agencies which, in the case of Wang Bo, resulted in his being charged with conducting large scale illegal online gambling operations.” The Chinese Embassy accused Wang of involvement in transnational crime and laundering some P91 billion in illegal gambling proceeds.

Greeting Mike. Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez greets Mariano “Brother Mike” Velarde of El Shaddai during the 31st Founding Anniversary of the

religious group at Amvel Business Park in Parañaque City. Romualdez expressed gratitude to Velarde for helping the victims of super typhoon Yolanda in Tacloban City and other parts of Leyte. VER NOVENO

Palace will not allow delisting of Davao site MALACAÑANG said on Sunday that it will not allow the delisting of a wildlife sanctuary as a United Nations “World Heritage Site” after a rare Philippine eagle was shot and killed there recently. “We have discussed the unfortunate incident of the Philippine eagle which we call ‘Pamana’,” said Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte during an interview over state-run dzRB yesterday. “We do not want [Mt. Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary] to be delisted as a World Heritage Site.” The government said over the weekend that it will take measures to ensure that the wildlife sanctuary in Davao Oriental would not lose its World Heritage Site status. Pamana was shot dead more than two months after the bird was released into the wild on June 12. The body of the threeyear-old female eagle was found by biologists from the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) and forest guards. A puncture and metal fragments on the eagle’s right breast indicated the bird had died of a bullet wound. Valte said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources is taking steps to avoid the sanctuary’s delisting by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Valte also said DENR has offered a P100,000 reward for any information that will lead to the arrest of Pamana’s killer or killers.

Funding for cash-for-work scheme pushed By Rio N. Araja PART of the P38.9 billion allocated for calamity funds in 2016 under the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund should be used to create jobs through cash-for-work programs, according to a party-list lawmaker. In the proposed 2016 General Appropriations Bill (GAB), the allocation is broken down into P19 billion “for rehabilitation, relief and other calamity-related services,” P18.9 billion for the Yolanda Comprehensive Rehabilitation and Recovery Plan and P1 billion for the People’s Survival Fund, according to House deputy minority leader and Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers Association (LPGMA) Rep. Arnel Ty. Ty said the P19 billion includes P5.7 billion in quick response funds in the budgets of six departments, while the P18.9 billion for the Yolanda Comprehensive Rehabilitation and Recovery

Plan is on top of the P25.6 billion that government has set aside next year for housing for Yolanda victims. The House minority is pushing for increased government spending for new cash-for-work programs over other forms of post-disaster humanitarian interventions, he said. Cash-for-work empowers beneficiaries to spend their money based on their own priorities, and also tends to have positive economic ripple effect on disaster-affected communities, he said. Some forms of humanitarian aid, such as foodfor-work, do not create any economic benefits beyond daily sustenance, he pointed out. “If food is exchanged for work, the benefit stops there. But if cash is paid for jobs, people may use the money to buy some food and other provisions based on their own needs, thus stimulating trade and creating secondary economic benefits,” Ty said.

Race representative. Joward Policarpio relates how he became the first Filipino to win in the Nissan GT Academy Asia Race Camp. Policarpio is one of six Filipinos who flew to Silverstone Circuit in the UK for the one-of-akind “virtual to reality” race competition, where they competed against the best of other Asian competitors for a chance to represent Asia at the Dubai 24-hour endurance race against fellow graduates and professional drivers. TEDDY PELAEZ

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Joint forces. The Philippine Red Cross and the Blas Ople Policy Center and Training Institute (Ople Center) have signed a memorandum of agreement aimed at alleviating the suffering of overseas Filipino workers. The MOA signed by PRC Chairman Richard J. Gordon and Ople Center founder-president Maria Susana “Toots” V. Ople, aims to extend psychosocial support and restoring family links assistance to OFWs and their families. PRC’s Social Services department will provide guidance and counselling sessions to OFWs and their families on how to cope with the changes brought about by family disintegration as a consequence of overseas employment.

SC voids order on hazard pay By Rey E. Requejo

The Supreme Court has granted the petition of public health workers assailing the circulars issued by the Department of health, Department of Budget Management and the Civil Service Commission that deprived them of hazard pay and other benefits under Republic Act No. 7305, or “The Magna Carta of Public health Workers.” In an en banc decision, the SC through Associate Justice Diosdado Peralta declared as invalid DBM-DOH Joint Circular dated November 29, 2012 “insofar as it lowers hazard pay at rates below the minimum” prescribed under the Magna Carta. The magna carta, specifically section 21 of R.A. 7305 and section 7.1.5 (a) of its Revised Implementing Rules and Regulation provide that public health workers shall be compensated hazard allowances equivalent to at least 25 percent of the monthly basic salary of health workers, receiving salary grade 19 and below, five percent for health workers

with salary grade 20 and above. Such benefits may be granted on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis, it said. But the petitioners who are officers and members of the Philippine Public Health Association Inc. (PPHAI) lamented that the joint DBM-DOH Circular made the hazard pay dependent on the actual days of exposure to the risk involved. “Thus, the rates embodied in Section 7.2 of DBM-DOH Joint Circular must be struck down as invalid for being contrary to the mandate of R.A. No. 7305 and its Revised IRR,” the high tribunal ruled. The SC also declared as “un-

enforceable” DBM-CSC Joint Circular issued on September 3, 2012, insofar as it provided that an official or employee authorized to be granted longevity pay under an existing law is not eligible for the grant of Step Increment due to length of service. In its review of R.A. 7305 and its RIRR, the high court noted that it is clear that the law does not impose a condition on the grant of longevity pay to public health workers (PHWs) in the government service. “As such, the DBM-CSC Joint Circular effectively created a new imposition which was not otherwise stipulated in the law it sought to interpret,” the SC said. The SC however affirmed the validity of the DBM-DOH Joint Circular as to the qualification of actual exposure to danger for the public health workers (PHWs) entitlement to hazard pay, the rates of P50 and P25 subsistence allowance, and the entitlement to longevity pay on the basis of the PHWs status in the plantilla.

Budget sets P9.5m Manila Met rehab

THe Department of Budget and Management has released P9.48 million to cover the initial conservation work on the Manila Metropolitan Theater after the National Commission for Culture and the Arts purchased the historic theater from the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) with a P270-million fund release made available by the budget agency. “The Aquino administration had made the first step in purchasing this iconic landmark from GSIS, and now the NCCA can begin the worthy task of restoring the MeT to its former glory. Ultimately, funding the MeT’s rehabilitation will not only preserve a piece of history from our country’s storied past. It is also a cultural investment for future generations of Filipinos,” Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said. Abad said the amount of P9.48 million is a special budget release that will be charged against the National endowment Fund for Culture and the Arts (NeFCA). He said the latter represents the NCCA’s 10-percent share from the travel tax collected by the Tourism Infrastructure and enterprise Zone Authority (TIeZA, formerly the Philippine Tourism Authority), and is treated as an Automatic Appropriation. The release will fund the conservation efforts to rehabilitate the theater, which includes the mobilization expenses for the physical cleaning as well as the establishment of security. “Rehabilitating the MeT will restore dignity to the Crown Jewel of Manila Theaters after years of neglect and disrepair. Bringing the MeT into the modern age will also boost our country’s tourism industry, as the proper management of our cultural heritage will support the gains of our economic growth,” Abad said. Designed by architect Juan Arellano and opened in 1931, the MeT was constructed in the Art Deco style. It had undergone restoration and rehabilitation several times through the years, especially in the wake of the damage it incurred after World War II. Despite being a National Cultural Treasure, it had been closed due to the theater’s state of decay and issues with regard to its ownership since 2012. Sandy Araneta

UP-Iloilo’s Lifetime Award for Miriam By Macon Araneta THe cancer-stricken Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago has won another citation after the University of the Philippines Alumni Association-Iloilo Chapter conferred on her the Lifetime Achievement Award on Sunday. Santiago was given the award at the premier state university’s alumni and faculty homecoming in Iloilo City. She was represented by

her sister, former Higher education Commissioner Nenalyn Defensor. “I am deeply grateful for the award. I would have gone if it were physically possible but I am inhibited by my lung cancer,” the senator said in a message. Santiago is one of the most prominent UP graduates in government. She graduated with a degree in Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from U.P. Visayas in 1965. UP alumni in Iloilo cited

Santiago “for truly living the U.P. culture of excellence” and “for putting the Ilonggos in the global map through the many awards, recognition, and citations she has received.” The senator also brought “honor to UP and the Ilonggos as graft-buster of the country and protector of the welfare of the Filipinos by adhering, at all cost, to truth, honesty, independent mindedness, and justice,” the citation read further.

Iconic landmark. Metropolitan Theatre is also a cultural treasure.

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School frats warned vs hazing By Sandy Araneta MalacaÑang on Sunday warned fraternities that the anti-Hazing law actually has “teeth” and has taken effect with the very first conviction in the country made by the laguna Trial court and upheld by the Supreme court. Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said on DZRB: “It’s one thing to have a law that is passed that criminalizes a certain act. It’s another to see that the law is actually in effect and it actually works and that it produces convictions.” Valte added: “So given that we have seen from the time that we have been serving in office, that there are fraternity-related and hazing-related violence happening. And, hopefully, this conviction would be able to contribute to the lowering of hazing-related incidence, especially for minors involved in this.” The Supreme Court recently upheld a Laguna trial court’s conviction of two suspects in the 2006 death of UP Los Baños student Marlon Villanueva —the first ever conviction under Republic Act No. 8049 or the Anti-hazing Law. At the same time, the tribunal pushed for amendments to the law, among them the consideration as well of psychological harm inflicted on victims when deciding the penalties to be imposed on hazing convicts. In a decision penned by Associate Justice Jose Mendoza, the high court’s Second Division affirmed the conviction of Alpha Phi Omega fraternity members Dandy Dungo and Gregorio Sibal by the Laguna Regional Trial Court Branch 36. The two were sentenced to reclusion perpetua or imprisonment of a minimum of 20 years and a day to 40 years. Villanueva, a 21-yearold agriculture economics student and neophyte of the fraternity, died after being subjected to physical initiation rites in Barangay Pansol, Calamba City on January 14, 2006. The two were found guilty by the Laguna

court on February 23, 2011. Their conviction was later affirmed by the Court of Appeals in 2013, prompting the two to elevate the case to the Supreme Court. In its ruling, the high tribunal said even if Dungo and Sibal were not proven to have participated in the initiation rites, evidence still showed the two bringing the victim to the venue of the initiation rites and later rushing him to the Jose P. Rizal Memorial hospital in Barangay halang where the victim was pronounced dead. “Because of the uncontroverted prima facie evidence against petitioners, it was shown that they performed an overt act in the furtherance of the criminal design of hazing,” ruled the SC. “Not only did they induce the victim to attend the hazing activity, the petitioners also actually participated in it based on prima facie evidence. These acts are sufficient to establish their roles in the conspiracy of hazing,” it added. The SC also said it was only logical and proper for the prosecution to have only presented circumstantial evidence, and not details of the initiation rites, given that hazing is “shrouded in secrecy... (and) fraternities and sororities are secretive in nature and their members are reluctant to give information regarding initiation rites.” The high court also thumbed down their alibis, saying they are “easy to concoct and fabricate.” The SC said it agreed with the RTC and the CA that circumstantial evidence presented by the prosecution was “overwhelming enough” to establish the guilt of the two beyond reasonable doubt.

PAF helicopters prepare to embark on a mission.

Air Force fuel bill soaring, says COA By Rio N. Araja The Philippine Air Force in 2014 incurred a fuel bill that for the first time exceeded the billion-peso mark, according to the Commission on Audit. CoA’s latest expense report said the Air Force spent P1,011,460,009.91 last year, which was up by 12.88 percent from P896.08 million in 2013. “This is the first time that PAF exceeded the billion-peso mark in its ‘fuel, oil, and lubricants (FOL) expenses’ although

it came close in 2012 when it craft and acquisition of more naval spent P922,692,000 for the same transport and patrol vessels in 2015 item previously listed in audit as and 2016, the figure could go higher, ‘gas, oil, and lubricants (GOL)’,” sources said. the COA report stated. In 2012, Philippine Navy topped The PAF’s 2014 FOL cost was the billion-peso mark at P1.292 bilthe highest among the three lion on GOL for that year. branches of service in the military Also in that same year, the three with the Philippine Navy coming branches posted the biggest total in second at P878,358,228.62, fol- expenditure on GOL. lowed by the Philippine Army at Based on CoA’s figures, the Air P425,739,893.95. Force had the biggest fuel bill in the The Air Force, Army and Navy last three years of P2.83 billion, spent a combined total of P2.316 bil- followed closely by the Navy with lion, CoA said. P2.758 billion, and the Army with With the delivery of additional air- P1.467 billion.

Care facilities get P20-m PCSO aid The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office board of directors recently approved the application of 20 charitable institutions for financial assistance under the agency’s Institutional Partnership (IP) program, allocating P19.86 million to orphanages and homes for street children and the elderly across the country. “PCSO affirms its support,” said vice-chairman and general manager Jose Ferdinand M. Rojas, “for residential and care facilities that provide needed social services for vulnerable sectors of society.” To be allocated varying amounts are, in the National Capital Region: White Cross Children’s home, Laura Vicuña

Foundation, Inc., hospicio de San Jose, Philippine National Red Cross, CRIBS Philippines, Inc., Kadiwa sa Pagkapari Foundation, Inc., and Reception and Study Center for Children. In Region 3: Nazareth home for Children, Tahanang Mapagpala ng Inmaculada, and Bahay ni San Jose Orphanage, Inc. In Region 4: Sta. Ana–San Joaquin Bahay Ampunan, Golden Acres haven for the elderly, Taw Kabui for a Child, Inc., and Casa Dei Bambini. In Region 5: Orphanage of the Virgin of Guadalupe. In Region 8: Western Samar Development Foundation, Inc. and SOS

Children’s Village. In Caraga: Balay Silonganan home for Street Children, Gesu eucaristo Children’s Inc., and Por Cristo Foundation, Inc. home of the Abandoned elderly. Partner facilities are selected for PCSO’s IP program based on stringent criteria. They must have DSWD accreditation and a license to operate. No more than 15 percent of the PCSO funding for IPs may be used for administrative costs; the rest is to be allocated for programs. Liquidation must be performed in line with applicable laws and PCSO and CoA rules and regulations, the agency said.

Anti-automation groups to blame for Comelec decision—Smartmatic SMARTMATIC Philippines president Cesar Flores has pointed out that it was not their company but anti-automation groups who caused the delays that left Comelec with no choice but to lease new Optical Mark Reader (OMR) machines. At the Bulong Pulungan media forum, Flores explained that Smartmatic had wanted to refurbish the machines as early as immediately after

the 2013 elections; and in fact there was already awarded a contract to refurbish the PCOS machines but anti-automation groups led a media campaign and kept filing cases in the Supreme Court which led to the contracts being voided and Comelec needing to explore different options to carry out its mandate of holding elections in 2016. had the refurbishment been

allowed earlier, as Smartmatic proposed, Comelec would not have had to lease 71,000 new machines for the 2016 elections but only supplement the existing machines with 23,000 new ones. “We offered (to repair) the machines. But first of all the decision making was delayed. When (Comelec) finally agreed to entertain a partial piece of the maintenance that we were offer-

ing, this was brought to the Supreme Court and was voided by the Supreme Court,” Flores said in a press statement. Flores questioned the motives of the anti-automation groups who incessantly file cases in the Supreme Court against automation suppliers, observing that every time a contract for automation is awarded by the Comelec, whether with Smartmatic or with another corporation, they ques-

tion it before the Comelec. “To no surprise (the cases against us) were filed by the same people who have been filing cases since 2004 (when Smartmatic was not yet in the picture),” Flores observed. “The same people who filed cases in 2004 for the Mega Pacific (contract for automation), who filed cases in 2009, in 2012 and now they filed 3 cases in the Supreme Court. Makes you wonder what they really want.”

m o n D AY : A u g u s t 24 , 2 0 1 5

NEWS

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Mt. Province tells quitters: Use smoking cessation clinic By Dexter A. See BONTOC, Mountain Province—The Provincial Health Office of Mountain Province has urged smokers who want to kick their habit to visit the provincial smoking cessation clinic. Health Education Promotions Officer (HEPO) II Prima Donna Te-elan said that the clinic offers support to smokers who intend to quit but are having difficulty doing so. Established last year, the clinic is currently serving 13 clients who avail themselves of its services any day from Monday to Friday at 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. According to Te-elan, smoking cessation is a program that uses techniques such as motivation, advice and guidance, and counseling to encourage and help smokers stop using tobacco and avoid relapse. Health workers who offer counseling to their clients say that quitting may not be easy Never fun. A farmer in Kapangan, Benguet goes about her daily farm chores. DAVID CHAN to smokers because of nicotine dependence. “Nevertheless, it is possible,” Te-elan added. Te-elan explained that symptoms of nicotine withdrawal may be experienced in the first days of quitting. These include craving, irritability, frustration or anger, anxiety, difficulty in concentrating, decreased heart rate, sleep disturbance, and increased in appetite. “All of these symptoms will stop as the smoker continues avoiding the habit,” she added. fragmentation grenade, 3 celluShe also gave tips to smokers By Florante S. Solmerin lar phones, 13 sim cards, P5,000 on how to quit smoking. “Throw cash, and personal belongings away all cigarettes, lighters, and ashtrays in your home and car; At leAst seven heavy equipment units of four dif- were recovered from Nebris. talk to family and friends about ferent private firms were separately burned satur- The incident was triggered by the NPA’s failure to collect “revhow they can help and encourage you to quit; plan how to han- day night by different groups of rebels aboard mo- olutionary tax” from the companies. dle the places and events that torcycles in sta. Cruz, Zamboanga del sur. Caber said the rebels used gasoyou know will make you want to line in burning the heavy equipsmoke; treat yourself with monment units being used for road ey you have saved from buying The almost-simultaneous” operations. widening projects in Sitio Kinucigarettes; delay smoking, deep burning at around 7:35 p.m. by Following the burning, a susbreathing, drink water, and make the NPA destroyed 4 backhoes, pected NPA liaison officer was kol, Baragay Darong; Baragay yourself busy with recreational 2 graders, a crane, and a dump arrested at a military and police Kurunon; Sitio Tacub, Barangay Zone 1; and Barangay Tagabuli; activities.” truck. checkpoint in Baragay Sirawan all in Sta. Cruz town. In relation to observance of NaEastern Mindanao Command in Toril district in Davao City. The 39th Infantry Battalion tional Lung Month and National public affairs chief Captain AlCaber identified the suspect as has operational jurisdiction in Tuberculosis Awareness Month berto Caber said that the mili- John Omega Nebris alias Part, this August, the PHO cautioned tary has declared a heightened alleged member of the Southern the area. Despite repeated claims by the the public especially the smokers alert in the province as the inci- Mindanao Regional Committee. Armed Forces of the Philippines and second-hand smokers on the dent showed that the New Peo- He was arrested at around 9 p.m. (AFP) that it had reduced the effect of smoking. ple’s Army had intensified its He said a caliber .45 pistol, a number of Red fighters to more

Communists torch heavy equipment in Zamboanga than 4,000 only from almost 24,000 in the 1980s, it admitted though that the NPA continues to be a force to reckon with and remains its priority for internal security operations. The military is currently concentrating its anti-insurgency campaign in Mindanao and event transferred sizable Army brigades from Luzon to battle the 46-yar-old NPA in Mindanao, the longest communist armed rebellion in Asia. Army chief Lieutenant General Eduardo Ano admitted that the NPA and other armed groups such as the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters BIFF, a faction of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, and several hundreds of Abu Sayyaf Group remain their priority.

Dredging pipe found in La Union By Christine Junio

Swept ashore. Residents of Bacnotan, La Union get curious about a 400-meter long pipe with Chinese characters on it. CHRISTINE JUNIO

BACNOTAN, La Union—The Philippine Coast Guard here faces a blank wall on a dredging machine pipe which was apparently swept by strong waves that ended up in Barangay Baroro Saturday afternoon. Milky Ocampo, a resident of the town, said that he saw it floating in the sea waters at about two to three in the afternoon, “Maybe it was slowly swept here on the shore.” Residents described the pipe as 400 meters in length and bigger than an average man and was supposedly used as a dredging machine, compared to that being used by the Chinese, who are in a stand-off with the Philippine government over several island territories in the West Philippine Sea. Eng. Simeon M. Dela Rosa, operations officer/PIO of the Coast Guard, however,

did not confirm if the said item came from an island where they have occupied which they were reported to have built several structures. “There is still no confirmation if where that big pipe came from and why it was here,” Dela Rosa added. Residents of Baroro gathered around the strange pipe; some even climbed on it, even as others hesitated to touch it for fear of contracting a virus. Ocampo said, “I am also worried because we do not know what is the component of that thing, it also looks strange to us, why is that there is a foreign looking words written on it, we don’t understand what was exactly written there.” Several personnel of the Coast Guard were detailed for the meantime, to safeguard the pipe for the safety and welfare of the residents while they were discussing what to do with it.

M O N D AY : A u G u S T 24 , 2 0 1 5

opinion

ADELLE chuA eDiTOr

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

opinion

those balikbayan boxes

[ EDI TORI A L ]

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De Lima’s banana repubLic

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reAcTinG to the release on bail of senator Juan Ponce enrile, Justice secretary Leila de Lima said the supreme court decision in favor of his petition has set back the country’s justice system back to a “banana republic.” enrile, accused of plunder, has been detained for more than a year, and had petitioned the supreme court to compel the sandiganbayan to grant him bail on the grounds that he is not a flight risk and that the evidence against him is weak. The supreme court ruled 8-4 in his favor, but did not touch on the legal aspects of his petition, and focused instead on his advanced age and his frail health, and cited humanitarian considerations for allowing his temporary release. one of the four justices who dissented decried the decision, saying there was no basis in the constitution for granting bail on humanitarian grounds, and that it represented a special political accommodation to the influential senator. This, he added, would cast serious doubts on the neutrality and objectivity of the court. eager to jump on the dissent, De Lima said the decision gave the impression that the court could be partial to the elite, and that its decisions can be grounded “not on what the law is, but on who the party is.” Without passing judgement on the validity of Associate Justice Marvic Leonen’s dissent, we can only marvel at the irony of De Lima warning about our becoming a banana republic, a term used to describe a politically unstable country whose economy is largely dependent on exporting one product, and whose society is stratified into a large, impoverished working class and a ruling plutocracy of business, political and military elites. Given the nature of our politics and society, one might argue that we have never stopped being a banana republic—and that the “bananas” we now export are our own people as cheap labor for other countries. The administration that De Lima so faithfully serves has done nothing over the last five years to change this state of affairs. official statistics will also bear out that the rich have become richer, while the poor continue to languish and grow in number under the Aquino administration. This administration, in fact, has reinforced the backward nature of our economy by failing to provide even the most basic of public services, and saddling us with a system where our main roads are perpetually clogged in traffic, and where not even the trains run on time. indeed, De Lima is hardly the person to throw stones at selective justice, being a prime proponent of using the justice system to persecute the administration’s political enemies while going easy on its erring friends and allies. The fact that only three opposition senators are today detained on plunder charges in a pork barrel scandal that has implicated scores of politicians, many of them allies of the administration, is a testament to De Lima’s prejudices. There may be many observers who can credibly argue the case against the supreme court decision on enrile, but De Lima, who has reinforced our status as a banana republic, is clearly not one of them.

Urgently needed: discoUrse pensées fr. ranhiLiO caLLangan aquinO “Discourse” is a popular word these days, and even the most inane of chattering over media gets glamorized as “discourse”. Were we more circumspect in our use of terms, we would reserve it for the vindication of contested

claims implicit in every speech act. When i tell you something, and you doubt either the truth of what i say, or my sincerity, and i endeavor to clear the air, that would be discourse. But some degree of acuity is required: i must know the implicit claim that is questioned; i must be familiar with what is required for its vindication; i must be able to tell whether the contention is resolved.

one has only to look up the comments to news posts on social media to be alarmed over the impoverished state of discourse in this country. it does not matter that high-level debates take place in academic circles. Like wealth that does not make its way to the hinterlands, unless discourse is inclusive, it will still be what Heidegger calls “idle talk” that will continue to wend its way through alleys and cafeterias and barbershops and weekly meetings and the assemblies of the pious in churches, lulling many who echo the drivel into a false sense of confidence about knowing what really

intellectual sloth is a matter of bad national habit.

remains opaque! The ad hominems and non sequiturs are no longer amusing. They are alarming. They are symptomatic of a fundamental incapacity for discourse! on the one hand, this malady indicts an educational system that has placed a

premium on rote memory and a senseless recall of a mass of information—a case of information overload without any processing! it should be better in faculties and institutes of law where, traditionally, critical thinking was highly prized, but it is

not, unfortunately. For many law professors, teaching law means getting students to master the provisions that one examiner or other may ask about in the Bar examination. The Philippine Association of Law schools recently met with the Legal education Board—and i hope to God that our law deans seriously took up the matter of the decadence of legal education! it is no better in many graduate schools that one finds in

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

every cranny of this archipelago. Hardly any discourse going on there; rather, one sophomoric report after the other by students who have hardly digested the material—and are required by the unimaginative manner of instruction so prolific in sub-standard graduate schools to regurgitate in boring reports, odd bits and pieces of disparate and wholly disjointed propositions! But it is also a matter of a bad

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national habit: intellectual sloth. Thinking critically is definitely more difficult than repeating the babble that rabble-rousers, in commentators’ chairs, as well as social media magpies proffer as oracular. it really does not take very much. Have anyone say the ugliest thing about a popular figure—and after you get a slew of wags repeating the same libel, it gets accepted as the truth. evidence is Continued on A10

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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GoinG by the latest figures, 5,031 Filipinos leave their country to work abroad every day. That’s one Airbus 320 full of oFWs taking off every 50 minutes. Monthly, the number of Filipinos joining their race’s Diaspora would come up to around 150,000—probably more than the number of refugees from troubled Arab states who stumbled on italian and Greek breaches during the same period. The only difference is that Pinoys don’t wade ashore from a rubber dinghy. They deplane, clutching legit papers. But essentially they’re on the same boat: economic refugees who have no choice but flee the desolate landscape of unemployment in their homeland. if you listen to a north African refugee’s woes, the plaint would sound familiar: on how they have sold everything for the chance to find work in europe. exactly the same wailing one hears on local TV, on how families would sell the only carabao or pawn the last piece of unmortgaged land to pay the deployment cost of having one family member, on whom the family’s fate would now rest, land a job abroad. so that’s the reason why extended clans convoy to naia on rented jeeps to bid the family member adieu. it’s not some tribal ritual. it’s coping with the fact that hard labor awaits the one who departs. Plus, it will be two years, the earliest, to his or her return, so long goodbyes are meant to hoard hugs, and pile two years’ worth of kisses. Part of the departure ritual of the would-be oFW is taking note of some of the “vital statistics” of his loved ones: the shoe size of a sister, a son’s waist measurements, a daughter’s dream doll, mom’s favorite scent, or father’s shirt size. These the oFW would send home soon, through what is called the balikbayan box. The fact is, it will take him time to wire money home. His first salaries would go to paying debts incurred for his deployment. The reality is that work contract he signed is like a cellphone load—it carries prepaid obligations. or if he is lucky, he can remit money earlier. What is sent, though, has long been earmarked to pay loans—like the one taken from the neighborhood 5-6 lender. so the only token of endearment he can immediately send home is the balikbayan box, which he fills with 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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opinion

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De Lima’s banana repubLic

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intellectual sloth is a matter of bad national habit.

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A10 CHINA’S THREAT OF DOMINATION AUTHOR Martin Jacques who wrote a book titled, “When China Rules the RITA LINDA World” in 2009 must V. JIMENO now be tossing and turning, regretting his bold predictions about China. The book captivated the interest of many due to its assertions that perhaps by 2020 China would be ruling the world and changing the world order which, right now, is still dominated by the West, especially the United States of America. Jacques said that although China, historically, has regarded itself as inherently superior, with racism embedded in the Chinese psyche, its ascent to world dominance will be a “peaceful rise.” The author claims that “in an important sense, China does not aspire to run the world because it already believes itself to be the centre of the world, this being its natural role and position.” J a c q u e s ’ downplaying of It would probably rule China’s military the world but its rise potential, saying would not, in any way, that China’s be a peaceful one. arms buildup was only aimed largely at blocking any possible Taiwanese moves towards independence rather than at achieving world domination, raised eyebrows, a commentator said. Jacques went on to say that China’s fast-growing economic power is what has transfixed the world. In the long term, he said, China would “operate both within and outside the existing international system, seeking to transform that system while at the same time, in effect, sponsoring a new China-centric international system which will exist alongside the present system and probably slowly begin to usurp it.” In what commentators say are Jacques’ most provocative assertions, he appears to defend the Chinese party’s failure to move towards democracy, stating that China has devoted itself to economic growth, concluding that it cannot afford to be diverted by what it “rightly deemed to be non-essential ends.” What Jacques failed to anticipate when he claimed that China would peacefully rise to domination, was that China would soon aggressively encroach into the maritime territories of countries that lie within the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea). He also did not anticipate that China would be preparing for arms buildup and declaring it was ready for war against any foreign country that tried to take what it claims to belonged to it. Supreme Court Justice Antonio T. Carpio calls China’s unperturbed reclamation of seven reefs and the destruction of 10 other reefs to use them as filling materials for its reclamation, a grand design of dominating Southeast Asia’s most important navigational waters. In the forum for employees of the Department of National Defense, Carpio said the nine-dash line claim of China which purportedly delineates Beijing’s maritime boundaries has spawned this expansive claims, encroaching into the territories of Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Taiwan, Vietnam and the Philippines. Justice Carpio said that China’s nine-dash line eats up 85.7 percent of the whole South China Sea and threatens to rob the Philippines of about 80 percent of its exclusive economic zone under the United Nation Convention of the Law of the Sea which China was a party to. The South China Sea is too important and very strategic for China, both economically and militarily,

OUT OF THE BOX

M O N D AY : A U G U S T 24 , 2 0 1 5

OPINION

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GIFT OF DANCE ON AUGUST 14 and 15, 2015, Maricar Drilon, artistic director of the Northwest Classical Ballet in Oregon, brought along 20 of her students to perform at the University of St. La Salle in Bacolod City during the Composition and Movement Analysis Program (CMAP) Choreographers Festival International. “The festival turned out to be bigger than we had thought,” she gushed upon her return to Manila. Maricar was impressed at how the Filipino children who participated in the festival had so much energy, with some saving their own money or looking for sponsors just so they could attend the event. “Filipinos have always been very passionate, giving 100 percent of themselves to their work.” Maricar added: “the children know they cannot take anything for granted.” Once upon a time, Maricar was one of those young dancers, deciding in her teen years that she would pursue ballet not as a hobby but as a career. Under the CCP Dance Company which later on became Ballet Philippines, she trained under the esteemed Alice Reyes who would later be named National Artist. Then again, the education started early—her mother Mercedes Lauchengco Drilon ran a dance school in their home in Los Baños, Laguna. Mercedes was the wife of the first Filipino executive of the International Rice Research Institute in the town, but she could not shake off the need to express herself through movement. After all, she had also been a ballerina, and one of the pioneer dance teachers at the National Arts Center in

CHASING HAPPY ADELLE CHUA Makiling in the 1970s. Maricar and her sister Marilou were both dance students of their mother. Marilou, who later on pursued a business education and is now an economist at the Asian Development Bank, said she was always reprimanded for goofing around during rehearsals. She, like her sister, attended summer classes at the CCP. But it was always Maricar who was serious about dancing. Maricar was so bent on pursuing dance that kept a grueling schedule as she balanced dancing with college—her father said no degree, no dancing— and even after finding out she had a hip condition called hyperplasia. She moved to the US at the age of 20 and became a member of several dance companies, eventually establishing Northwest. Years later, the hip resurfacing surgery could no longer be put off. “It was very painful at first, and you cannot even cross your legs.” She let this phase pass. And then, naturally, she danced again. *** And then, too, history repeated itself: Mom puts up a studio, kid learns to dance. Maricar’s son Derek, used to be only known as a “studio rat,” hanging out at the studio and making friends with his mother’s students. But he inevitably learned ballet—and excelled at it. Now 18, Derek won first prize at the Youth America Gran Prix in San Francisco in February this year. At the dance festival in Bacolod

URGENTLY... From A9 irrelevant, and the gratuitous assertion is evidence enough. Now, how does one cope with irrationality of this magnitude? In similar vein, it suffices that instantaneous admiration morphs into the adulation of a hero, unrecognizably humongous in comparison to life! Remind me again: What exactly was the heroic feat? From ISIS to utterly senseless explosions in the Carpio said. He added that China wants the South China Sea as a sanctuary for its nuclear submarines free from the submarine-hunting Poseidon and US attack submarines. Beijing also wants the international water for its fishing fleet, the largest in the world, and for its gas needs, being the world’s largest importer of petroleum, Carpio said. Unfortunately, the country cannot challenge China militarily and cannot rely on its existing Mutual Defense Treaty with the US because disputed territory is out of its scope, Carpio said. So where will the Philippines and the other Asian

earlier this month, Derek was most touched by the dancers’ eagerness to learn and their desire to pursue ballet whatever the odds. “I am glad to have been an inspiration to some of them,” he said. Derek will soon leave home and become a dancing apprentice at the the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago, to take his dream further and see where dance will take him. His mother will miss him, of course, especially since she has come to rely on him a great deal in running the studio, choreographing performances and producing shows. Then again, this is exactly where she was many years ago before leaving for the US: at the cusp of change but confident that she would always be home when dancing, wherever it may be. So what makes a ballet dancer stand out from similarlyclad and similarly-formed contemporaries? “It’s many things,” Maricar says. “Of course, it’s how physically fit and healthy you are. It’s also attitude: how receptive you are to criticism and correction. And it’s not just technique but passion —what you are willing to do and how far you are willing to make sacrifices for your dream.” The dance festival will happen again in 2017, this time aiming to have 12 countries participate in an event that is both collaborative and celebratory. “Governments should step in and be a more active supporter of the arts. What we have here are treasures,” Maricar says. And treasures need to be kept alive, passed from one generation to the next. adellechua@gmail.com

heart of Bangkok, from the slave-taking by Boko Haram and the unconscionable beheadings in Southern Philippines—ever so often, we are given stark reminders of the high costs of the absence, if not the rejection of discourse. Yet, that is a fault about which we definitely are not helpless! rannie_aquino@sanbeda.edu.ph rannie_aquino@csu.edu.ph rannie_aquino@yahoo.com nations whose territories are similarly being encroached into by China now go? While the Philippines has filed an arbitration case in the United Nations, its winning the proceedings is not a guarantee that China would respect the decision. What is apparent is that China seems determined to prove Martin Jacques wrong. It would probably rule the world but its rise would not, in any way, be a peaceful one. Email: ritalindaj@gmail.com Visit: www.jimenolaw.com.ph

M O N D AY : A U G U S T 24 , 2 0 1 5

A11

OPINION lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

OptiOns leT us take a look at the political events of the past weeks, from the time Manuel araneta roxas ii was “anointed” by the King of Daang Matuwid to be his chosen successor, subject to the nihil obstat of some 50 million registered voters of the benighted kingdom, otherwise known as a republic. The search for the successorin-waiting to the successorto-be, or simply put, a vicepresidential team-mate of the declared or soon-to-declare candidates has heated up. let us summarize their options: for Mar roxas, his options: • Grace Poe Llamanzares, a.k.a. grace Poe. State of courtship: no, but with no finality, according to Mar. according to grace, “look for someone else. i don’t want to keep you waiting…forever”. • Rodrigo Roa Duterte, a.k.a. digong in davao; rody in luzon; but pronounced “rudy”, kay Bisaya gid. State of courtship: “dili ko” (no). • Vilma Santos-Recto, a.k.a. ate vi. “ala eh … hindi” (no). “i might run for congress instead”. • Janette Loreto Garin. Para daw “Mar-garin”, coming from

Mar himself. corny. • Alan Peter Cayetano, a.k.a., alan, best friend nevermore (BFN) of VP Jojo. State of courtship: Pwede rin sana, pero mukhang hindi papayag si Pnoy. • Leni Gerona vda. de robredo, a.k.a. leni or len. State of courtship: The daughters say “no”. leni says she is not prepared. But the lP, of which she is a member in best standing, and Pnoy would likely prevail. • Benigno Simeon Aquino III, a.k.a. Pnoy, mismo! Suggested by cavite’s elpidio Barzaga, after Teddy Boy locsin mentioned the possibility in his Teditorial over Tina Muñoz Palma’s The World Tonight, which in turn was hatched over a Thursday lunch two weeks ago by no less than isabela’s rodito albano, seated beside Teddyboy. Status: coloma, lacierda, and even evardone said, “Pnoy will retire after June 30, 2016”. Bright idea trashed. So i See’s fearless forecast: Mar-Len for 2016. Or, pwede rin, Mar–Kris. *** For Jojo Binay, his options: • Mar Roxas, with an

thoSe... From A9 contents the way a kid drops coins in his piggy bank. he sees a t-shirt on sale, he buys it and it goes into the loot box, where it joins other stash acquired by installment, like the bar of soap or chocolate, until the pile reaches enough mass that can stuff one balikbayan box. Then, he lovingly labels each of the contents with the name of the recipient, and cram as many in a box, the way a bomb maker maximizes payload. To secure it from rain, or tear, he will crisscross the box with tape. for why won’t he not? Because all his pay has been, to borrow a financial term, “securitized”, the only fruits of his labor in an alien land that his family can relish are what’s inside the balikbayan box.

#failocracy

So I See LIto banayo immediate retort: “are you kidding?” • Grace Poe, a quick and curt, “no way!” • Digong Duterte: “I am not running”. • Manila Mayor and former President Joseph Ejercito estrada, a.k.a. erap: “Sorry, pare, re-election lang ako as Mayor of Manila”. • Darlene Berberabe, Jojo’s chosen Pag-ibig ceo: “Ala’y huwag po” (no). • Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr., a.k.a. Bongbong. Status: Wala namang impolite reactions, but does not seem excited about the public offer. • Last heard, Joselito Atienza, Buhay party-list representative and former Manila mayor, a.k.a. lito atienza, was requested to team up with Binay. Jojo and lito. Makati and Manila, say mo? fearless forecast: Wala. So i See is clueless. *** for davao city’s duterte:

So one can just imagine the chagrin the sender and the recipients would feel if the anticipated box would arrive in a molested state, devoid of some its contents, or held up in the Post office waiting to be ransomed for taxes that must be paid? The contents of the box are lunches skipped, or trips to the mall cancelled and other forms of scrimping and selfdeprivation. This explains the global outrage, the angst bellowed out in every time zone, of ofWs after one customs bureaucrat announced that more balikbayan boxes ofWs send will be subjected to inspection. The thought of another person rifling through the contents of their boxes is too much for ofWs to bear. it is akin to illegal search and seizure. They may

• Grace Poe and he met during the last days of January this year, in a common friend’s house here in Metro Manila. She asked him if he was running for president. he said “no”, his usual response. • Grace, for want of a better descriptive, “graciously” talked about the possibility of a teamup, if digong should decide to run for president. • Months later, when the June surveys showed she was numero Uno in the ratings, beating Binay and duterte who was third, grace y su Queso hinted at the big time, and the common friend asked digong if he could be numero dos to numero Uno instead. end of conversation. • Bongbong Marcos: A nacionalista Party stalwart, Bongbong has been to davao quite often these weeks, the last being Thursday the 20th. • Alan Cayetano: secretarygeneral of the nP. alan was also in davao last Monday the 17th, and spoke glowingly of a “genuine public clamor for duterte to run for president. The visits of the two nacionalista senators have sparked speculations about a possible

allow you to body frisk them on their way out of the country. But they’re telling us to please don’t ransack the boxes they send in. and clearly, they have the right to be apprehensive. first, if the aim is to catch some bigtime smugglers, then you won’t find oil or rice—two of the most commonly smuggled commodities today—inside a 3 feet by 3 feet carton. or who in his right mind would sneak in a bag of garlic, another favorite smuggled item, through a balikbayan box? yes, drugs and guns and other deadly contraband should be interdicted but random searches of ofWs’ padala is the wrong strategy. it is like searching for a milk can in a Payatas dump. if customs, however, as its chief has

nP-PdP laban alliance for the feisty davao mayor who keeps denying plans of a presidential run (kuno…). So i See’s fearless forecast: duterte will run for president. as for the vP, saka na muna. *** and now, current frontrunner grace Poe llamanzares: • Sonny Trillanes has announced that he will run for vice-president, regardless of whether his party, the nP, would back him or not. and though he is not seeking her endorsement, he will run as an independent, yet support Ms. Poe. Naks naman! • But as for Grace, it seems pretty obvious: She only has eyes for chiz. • Grace will run as an independent, and her Queso will run also as an independent, but with a gaggle of nPcs, and closet Poes in the lP riding on her popularity. So i See has an obvious forecast: from grace to her Queso: Eres tu y nadie mas que tu; only you and nobody else but you. like four coins (or rather, eight) in the fountain, who will the people bless?

explained, is just implementing a 1991 order which sets the maximum taxexempt value of a balikbayan box at $500, then i think this rate which has been existence for a quarter-of-a-century should be increased. To its credit, the Boc has done some traveller-friendly innovations lately, like putting up “nothing To declare” lanes in airports. it can do more for our ofWs by extending the same courtesy in our Post offices where the Boc has personnel assigned. and clarify, pronto, what this balikbayan box brouhaha is all about. and lastly, any policy on BBs should be taken against this backdrop: ofWs remitted P1 trillion last year. a policy of leniency on boxes they send is one Ty a grateful nation can give.

chong ardivilla

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sports sports@thestandard.com.ph

Ennis-Hill nears heptathlon gold BEIJING—Jessica Ennis-Hill was on the brink of adding world heptathlon gold to her Olympic title on Sunday, as Spain’s Miguel Angel Lopez broke Chinese hearts in the men’s 20km walk. Ennis-Hill, making her return to major competition with some panache after giving birth last year and battling a host of niggling injuries, enjoyed a 30-point overnight lead on British teammate Katarina JohnsonThompson. But there was drama in the first of three events when an astonishing show of bravado by JohnsonThompson spectacularly backfired as she fouled out with all three efforts in the long jump, her strongest discipline. The British team initially protested but withdrew their appeal after viewing the evidence and accept-

ing that her final jump was indeed a foul. That left Ennis-Hall atop the standings on 5706 points after she leapt 6.43m in the long jump and threw a best of 42.51m in the javelin with only the 800m to be raced. Dutchwoman Nadine Broersen was second on 5620pts, with Canada’s Brianne Theisen Eaton third (5612). Sunday’s action had kicked off with the men’s 20km race walk, Angel Lopez reeling in Olympic bronze medallist and home hope Wang Zhen, who had looked set to claim the host country’s first gold medal in Beijing

after bursting clear at the 13km mark. “The course was difficult and complicated, plus the heat. My last 200m were an incredible sensation —I remembered all the people who have helped me,” said the European champion. Angel Lopez timed a personal best of 1hr 19min 14sec, Wang taking silver (1:19:29) and Canada’s Benjamin Thorne claiming bronze in a national record of 1:19:57. Japan’s world record holder Yusuke Suzuki failed to finish, the hot gold medal favourite pulling out just after the halfway point in clear discomfort, blaming his problem on a pelvic injury. Round one of the women’s 100m saw all the usual favourites progress to the Monday’s semi-final. Jamaica’s double Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce began her quest to win an unprecedented

third sprint title with a new hair-do. Her long mane braided and bright green, the petite Jamaican also boasted a garland of yellow flowers as she ploughed through the line in 10.88sec, the joint fastest qualifying along with American Tori Bowie. “I was able to refocus after the false start, to focus on what is important,” she said. “Winning a third world title? Well every championship is different, this is a new championship. Today is just about getting through the rounds.” Bolt, Gatlin in men’s 100m Usain Bolt will later bid to retain his title as the world’s fastest man. The Jamaican and American rival Justin Gatlin, who set the fastest qualifying time of 9.83sec, still have to negotiate what promises to be a fast semi-final to advance to the 100m final scheduled for 1315 GMT. Afp

Del Rosario, Jarata gain in Palawan net meet

MARCUS del Rosario and Marc Jarata racked up three straight victories to barge into the quarterfinal round of their respective divisions in the Palawan PawnshopPalawan Express Pera Padala presented by Technifibre at the Celebrity Sports Plaza in QC over the weekend. The unranked Del Rosario, playing out of La Salle-Zobel, thumped Leyton Portin, 4-2, 4-0, in the first round then snatched a thrilling 4-2, 3-5, 5-4(6) victory over No. 11 Jonas Silva in the next before stunning fifth-ranked AJ Alejandre, 4-0, 4-2, to join the other seeded bets in the Last 8 of the boys’ 16-and-under class of the week-long Group 2 tournament sanctioned by the Philippine Tennis Association headed by president and Paranaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez. Top seed Cenon Gonzales Jr. held off Winston Fernandez, 5-3, 4-1, to arrange a quarters showdown with No. 8 Marraphael Teng, who repulsed Klyde Lagarde, 1-4, 4-2, 5-3; while third seed Justin Suarez clobbered Aljon Talatayod, 4-1, 4-1, to seal a duel with Del Rosario.

UP Maroons, Generals fight for survival Britain’s Jessica Ennis-Hill competes in the javelin throw of the women’s heptathlon athletics event at the 2015 IAAF World Championships at the “Bird’s Nest” National Stadium in Beijing. Afp

Jenner may face manslaughter charge over crash LOS ANGELES—Transgender Olympic champion Caitlyn Jenner could face misdemeanor manslaughter charges over a deadly car crash in February when Los Angeles police reveal the results of an investigation into the accident next week. Jenner—then still known as Bruce —was at the wheel of a large SUV that collided in Malibu with a smaller white car that then swerved into oncoming traffic. The 65-year-old Jenner walked away unhurt from the four-car crash, but one woman died and four other people were injured. “We have completed the investigation and will present the case to the DA’s Office next week,” Lieutenant Patrick Mathers of the Los Angeles County Sheriff ’s Malibu/Lost Hills Station said Thursday. Afp

MX3 trips Davao squad in cage tour THE visiting MX3 squad survived a gritty stand by host Davao All Stars-CMO to carve out a 122-113 win in the first stop of the MX3 Pilipinas Legends Tour recently at the jam-packed Almendras Gym in Davao City. Egay Billones, a former Air 21 stalwart in the Philippine Basketball Association, waxed hot in the second half as Team MX3 climbed back from a 61-63 halftime deficit en route to the rousing win that served as redemption of sorts for the team made up of former pros. MX3’s most popular players on the floor—Alvin Patrimonio, Nelson Asaytono and Johnny Abarrientos flashed their old, patented moves to the delight of the full-house crowd. But when push came to shove, the younger, able backups completed the job in the second half with Billones leading the visiting squad with 23 points, followed by Gherome Ejercito with 20, Asaytono 17, Rodney Santos 16, Chester Tolomia 15 and Gilbert Malabanan 12. A few months ago, a team also composed of former PBA players, was beaten by the same Davao-CMO squad led by the sweet-shooting Lawrence “Bong” Go, chief executive assistant of Davao City mayor Rody Duterte, and city sports consultant Glen Escandor. Go led Davao’s losing stand as he poured in 10 treys for a total of 44 points. Davao All Stars also paraded former PBA players like Dindo Pastor

Nelson Asaytono of Team MX3 scores on a jumper in his team’s match against Davao City-CMO All Stars in the recent MX3 Legends Tour in At the Almendras Gym in Davao City. Team MX3 won, 122-113.

and Cadel Mosqueda. Former Ginebra superstar and Pilipinas Legends commissioner Chito Loyzaga and MX3 general manager Gina Espejo graced the friendly game that was also supported by Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and part of the city’s celebration of the Kadayawan festival.

Games today 1 p.m. – UP vs EAC 3 p.m. – La Salle vs FEU 5 p.m. – NCBA vs Ateneo

EMILIO Aguinaldo College and University of the Philippines clash in a knockout duel with the winner staying in the semifinal hunt in the Spikers’ Turf Season 1-Collegiate Conference at The Arena in San Juan today. The Generals, in fifth spot with a 2-3 card, and the Maroons, hanging on with a 1-3 mark, face off in the 1 p.m. opener of another explosive triplebill that will either clear up or muddle the race to the semis in the league presented by PLDT Home Ultera. Though the winner will remain at fifth, it will stay in the thick of things heading to the last three playdates of the quarterfinals of the league, the first-ever inter-collegiate men’s tournament backed by Mikasa and organized by Sports Vision.

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sports sports@thestandard.com.ph

Djokovic eyes history in final against Federer

Tiger Woods lines up his putt on the fifth hole during the third round of the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina. AFP

Woods stalks Gore with a 68 GREENSBORO—Tiger Woods kept his bid for a first title since 2013 on track Saturday with a two-under par 68 that left him two shots behind third-round leader Jason Gore at the Wyndham Championship. The former world number one, also trying to play his way into the US PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup playoffs, began the day tied for the lead at 11-under par. He arrived at Sedgefield Country Club’s 18th hole in sole possession of second place on 14-under, but a bogey at the last saw him drop into a three-way tie for second behind Gore -who carded an eight-under par 62 for 195. Woods was joined on 197 by Sweden’s Jonas Blixt, who fired a 62 and American Scott Brown, who signed for a 66. “I need to go out there tomorrow and make a run and get myself up there and make some birdies,” said Woods. “There’s a bunch of guys ... at 13 (under).

“There’s a whole slew of guys at 12, 11, 10. Anybody can make a run and shoot the score Jason and Jonas did.” The resurgent Woods -- coming off a missed cut at the PGA Championship that marked his third straight early exit from a major championship -- drew huge crowds on Saturday and he didn’t disappoint. He opened with a birdie at the first hole to briefly take the outright lead. By the time he birdied the fifth, he was tied for the lead with Blixt on 13-under. Woods slid a 12-foot birdie attempt just past the hole at the sixth -- one of several birdie chances that failed to drop. He also made several good

par saves, including a 16-footer at the 10th. “The putter just felt really good,” Woods said. “My pace, I felt like I could be aggressive.” He rolled in a 12-footer for birdie at 16 to move within one shot of the lead, and made another par save with a testing four-foot downhill putt at 17. - Steady from the word go “I felt very steady from the word go,” said Woods, seeking an 80th US PGA Tour title but his first since the 2013 WGC Bridgestone Invitational. But at the 18th, Woods rolled his long first putt past the hole, and saw his par-saving attempt from seven feet circle the cup and fail to drop for his only bogey of the day. Even with that blemish, Woods posted a third straight round in the 60s for the first time this season, during which he has struggled to see the swing changes he’s made pay dividends. AFP

CINCINNATI—World number one Novak Djokovic will be aiming for a slice of ATP history on Sunday when he takes on six-time champion Roger Federer in the ATP Cincinnati Masters final. Djokovic battled back to beat Ukrainian qualifier Alexandr Dolgopolov 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-2 on Saturday to set up his 41st career meeting with Federer -- who dispatched last week’s Montreal winner Andy Murray 6-4, 7-6 (8/6). Djokovic, seeking a 20th ATP Masters 1000 title, will try to claim his first trophy on the hardcourts of Cincinnati after losing in the final four times. With a win he’d become the first player to triumph in all nine of the ATP’s elite Masters 1000 events -- a feat that Federer said would be “quite unbelievable.” “I gave myself another chance to fight for the trophy,” Djokovic said. “That was the goal and that was the wish coming here in Cincinnati. “Obviously the last couple of years it was always in the back of my mind, the potential history making, and obviously that motivates me even more. AFP

Land developments to rise around Metro Turf track BIGGER sales and a number of land developments in the future are two things that brighten the horizon at the MetroTurf, the newest racetrack not only in the country but also in Asia, which is situated in MalvarTanauan, Batangas. Now on its third year of operation, the home of the Metro Manila Turf Club is having good sales in its twicea-week racing operation because of the big support from all sectors of the horseracing industry. A number of land developments are already set to be implemented in the various parts of the sprawling 50-hectare lot that is very near the foot of the famous Mt. Makiling. “This is very good news to all our supporters and also to the racingfans who have been helping us build the name of the MetroTurf. We are No. 2 in terms of sales from our racing operation because of the exciting races that are being held here twice a week. We would like to thank the racingfans and also the various sectors of the industry for the big support we are getting since we started in 2013,” MMTCI chairman and president Dr.

Norberto Quisumbing Jr. Dr. Quisumbing also said that a number of land developments will be implemented soon in several parts of MetroTurf that will cater to the needs of the fast-developing Calabarzon area. “We have already identified the various developments we intend to implement soon in order to make full use of the idle lands we have inside MetroTurf. Our supporters should be assured that we are continuing non-stop in upgrading our facilities and services.” Although very young in operation, MetroTurf has already become a byword in racing and events not only in Batangas but also in the whole Calabarzon area. More than 1,000 horses are already stabled in its stabling complex and many more are lining up to have their base there because of the very cool weather throughout the year. Various major stakes races are also lined up until December and the cozy Clubhouse and the spacious Grandstand are being set up to serve as venues to various social events in the coming months.

Warriors stun Lancers in clash of leaders By Mikey Izumi IN an exciting battle of unbeaten teams, the University of San Carlos Warriors defeated 10-time champion University of Visayas Green Lancers, 7969, Saturday night in the 2015 Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. Basketball tournament at the Cebu Coliseum. USC was anchored by prolific scorers in import Shooster Olago and Ian Tagapan and rebounding demon Charles Pepito. They

proved to be the key players in the Warriors’ fifth straight win, while handing the Green Lancers their first loss of the season. The Warriors started off aggressively and raced to a 12-2 lead, while the Green Lancers groped to find their shooting touch. UV rallied behind Alfred Codilla, who scored 11 points to bring the Green Lancers within one point at 16-17, with just under three-and-a-half minutes remaining in the first

quarter, but the Warriors kept their poise and led, 23-20, at the end of the first period. Another big 14-4 run helped the USC Warriors establish a double-digit lead at the start of the 2nd quarter, but the Green Lancers clawed back with a 13-2 charge to end the first half with the Warriors ahead by a mere two points, 39-37. Both teams waxed hot during the first half, with USC shooting 47 percent from the field while UV shot 54 percent.

Although very young in operation, MetroTurf has already become a byword in racing and events not only in Batangas but also in the whole Calabarzon area.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Cray’s placing doesn’t worry Patafa By Peter Atencio

FIL-AMERICAN bet Eric Cray finished sixth in his heat in the men’s 400-meter hurdles of the ongoing 2015 International Amateur Athletic Federation World Championships in Beijing, China.

The Philippines’ Eric Cray (left), USA’s Bershawn Jackson (second from left), Russia’s Ivan Shablyuyev (third from left) and Estonia’s Rasmus Magi compete in the heats of the men’s 400 metres hurdles athletics event at the 2015 IAAF World Championships at the “Bird’s Nest” National Stadium in Beijing. AFP

National U wins

Draft surprise HE had no intention of doing it, but the thought of messing up other team’s off-season plans entered the mind of coach Yeng Guiao as soon as he drafted Fil-American Maverick Ahanmisi in yesterday’s Philippine Basketball Association RookieDraft. Guiao’s choice of Ahanmisi at number three was the biggest surprise in the annual event that officially opens the new season of the league. Fil-Tongan Moala Tautuaa and Troy Rosario of the National University Bulldogs were the consensus top two picks, but most teams were intrigued regarding the choice of the E-Painters. Players like Chris Newsome, Scottie

Thompson, Norbert Torres and Art Dela Cruz were names that were often mentioned as potential picks of Rain or Shine. In the end, it was Ahanmisi who came out as their best choice that will make the team better next season and would possibly hinder other ballclubs preparations. “’Yun din ang gusto namin na mangyari para naman magkaroon ng gulatan. It’s also an advantage for us dahil baka magkamali ‘yung ibang teams. We might mess their plans up,” said Guiao Initially, Guiao was looking at Thompson, Dela Cruz and Torre but with Ahanmisi being highly recommended by his deputies Mike Buendia and Caloy Garcia, Guiao became more convinced with their precious pick. It also helped Guiao that the sons of co-team owner Raymond Yu namely

Cray, the only Philippine representative to the Rio de Janeiro Olympics at the moment, clocked 50.04 seconds. It was below his target time, which was 49 seconds. Yasmani Copello clocked 48.89 seconds, a new record, and qualified to the semifinals with Rasmus Magi of Estonia, Thomas Barr of Ireland and Wen Chen of China. Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association secretary general Renato Unso said they are not worried about Cray’s performance. “Okay lang ‘yan, malayo pa ang Rio,” said Unso. Cray is making an effort to break the 49-second barrier and come within range of 48.5 seconds. He will next try his luck in the Thailand Open and in the Taiwan Open this September as he continues his preparations for the Rio Olympics. Davian Clarke, Cray’s coach over the last year, is confident that Cray can break that 49-second barrier this year. Last May, Cray already hit the qualifying standard for the world championships and the Olympics when he submitted a time of 49.12 seconds in the men’s 400-meter hurdles of the 2015 Cayman Invitational Athletics meet in Georgetown.

Redmond and Ryan have high regard for the D-League veteran. “Na overrule ako. Personally, ang nasa isip ko noon si Art Dela Cruz or si Scottie Thompson. Pero my two assistant coaches came to me highly recommending si Ahanmisi,” said Guiao. “We were also actually looking at Norbert Torres pero nakapag upgrade kami ng size namin.” Guiao said that with the addition of Jewel Ponferrada, who they acquired from GlobalPort by releasing Jervy Cruz, the fiery Pampanga congressman saw no need no get a big man. “He has a body of a PBA player. He is strong and athletic. He’s got a good outside range and more than his offense he can play defense. I think if you combine him with Paul (Lee) and Jeff (Chan), that’s going to upgrade our offense and the team even more,” said Guiao.

Games Aug. 29 12:45 p.m. – FEU vs Ateneo 3 p.m. – La Salle-Dasma vs FEU NATIONAL University dominated St. Benilde in all three sets and came away with a 25-19, 25-21, 25-18 victory to earn at least a playoff for the last semifinal berth in the Shakey’s V-League Season 12 Collegiate Conference at The Arena in San Juan yesterday. The 71-minute NU romp actually tied the Lady Bulldogs with the UST Tigresses at second at 4-1 but the former UAAP champions will still face two of the league’s fancied squads for their final two matches in the single round, carryover quarterfinal phase of the league presented by PLDT Home Ultera. Far Eastern University proved more unforgiving, disposing of La Salle-Dasmariñas in just 59 minutes, 25-7, 25-11, 25-11, in the other game as the Lady Tams forced a three-way tie for second heading to the last four playdates of the quarters. UST, NU and FEU also brace for a fierce battle for the last semifinal berth with Arellano, which despite toting a 2-3 card for fifth, is tipped to finish at 4-3 with ousted teams La Salle-Dasma and St. Benilde as its last two rivals.

Tautaa... From A16 The Bolts used their second firstround pick to take guard Baser Amer at No. 7. Star landed a big man in Norbert Torres at No. 8. while Blackwater tapped Arthur Dela Cruz, the leading MVP candidate in the NCAA this season, at No. 9. Rounding out the first round, NLEX picked again at No. 10 and got some toughness in Glenn Khobuntin. Alaska then took all-around player Kevin Racal at No. 11 before Rain or Shine rounded out the first round by selecting Josan Nimes. Tautuaa and Rosario were both unable to attend the draft as they are still in Estonia with the Smart Gilas Pilipinas National team in its training camp there. ‘’I’ve been pushing him for a longtime. I thank God for everything and it’s been a longtime coming for

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

him. It’s his time,’’ said Moala Tautuaa Sr., Tautuaa’s father who took the stage for his son. ‘’I’m so happy. It’s amazing. I don’t know what to say. We’re all excited,’’ said Romanita Tautuaa, the Filipina mother of Moala, who also played the role of proxy for her son. Mahindra deputy coach Chito Victolero immediately spoke about his squad’s prized acquisition and shared how Rosario will be able to help the sophomore franchise. ‘’Magiging malaking tulong siya (Rosario) sa amin kasi kailangan talaga namin ‘yung big man,’’ said Victolero. ‘’Troy can play power forward and small forward and can also stretch the floor for us. Magiging Malaki tulong talaga siya for us,’’ said Victolero. In the second round, Blackwater started by taking spitfire Almond

Vosotros at No. 13. Big man Bradwyn Guinto went to Mahindra at No. 14. Rain or Shine picked again at No. 15 and got Don Trollano. Ginebra selected a wing player in Aljon Mariano at No 16. The Painters who also had the No. 17 pick used it to take guard Simon Enciso. Alaska went big at No. 18 with Marion Magat. Rain or Shine passed on its No 19 pick. Barako Bull then used its first pick in the draft to take Fil-Am Chris Rosales. Alaska took Jaypee Mendoza at No. 20. Barako went big with its second pick and grabbed Michael Miranda at No. 21. Alaska picked again at No. 22 and took Fil-Am Abel Galliguez. Rain or Shine passed on its No. 24 pick. Jason Melano was taken first in the third round at No. 23 overall. Mahindra took Leo De Vera as the

No. 24 pick. NLEX got Jansen Rios at No. 25. One huge surprise in the draft was the snub of collegiate standout Roi Sumang of University of the East. Sumang was a projected firstround pick by experts, but his name was surprisingly passed on by all the teams and his name was never called until GlobalPort used its first pick in the draft and took him as the No. 26 overall selection. Yutien Andrada followed by being taken 27th overall by Barako Bull. Dennis Villamor was the 28th pick by Barangay Ginebra. Meralco followed with Michael Sedurifa with the 29th pick. Mark Cruz was taken 30th by Star. Talk ‘N Text then got Michole Sorela at No. 31. San Miguel used its only pick in the draft to take Michael Mabulac at No. 32. Alaska picked

again at No. 33 and took Nico Elorde to close out the third round. In the fourth round, Keith Agovida was taken by Blackwater at No. 34, Michael DiGregorio (35th) for Kia, Jerramy King (36th) for NLEX, Ryan Wetherell (37th) for GlobalPort, John Ray Alabanza (38th) for Barako Bull, Samboy De Leon (39th) for Star, Joshua Cobillo (40th) for Talk ‘N Text, Andretti Stevens (41st) for San Miguel and Robin Rono (42nd) for Alaska all followed. The fifth round started with Jawhar Purdy (42nd) for Blackwater and was followed by Alexander Austria (43rd) for Mahindra, Alfred Batino (44th) for NLEX, Bong Gallanza (45th) for GlobalPort and Emilian Vargas (46th) for Talk ‘N Text was the last name called as all the teams passed right after to end the draft.

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

PH whips Brunei in Asean football By Peter Atencio

STRIKER Mathew Custodio scored two goals in the first half as the Philippines beat Brunei, 2-1, in the opening match of the Asean Football Federation Under-19 Championship at the National Sports Complex Stadium on Saturday in Vientiane, Laos. Custodio got a pair of assists from Mark Anthony Winhoffer as he sent in his markers in the 17th and 32nd minutes. The two were able to hold their own against the solid defense mounted by Muhammad Hanif Hamir, according to results posted on aseanfootball.org. Brunei had several misses in the first half before finally breaking through in the 55th minute, when Muhammad Abdul Mateen Said scored. Coach Dan Padernal told The Standard that the Philippines would field a strong team in the tournament to be held from Aug. 22 to Sept. 5 in Vientiane, Laos Padernal said this will be the

strongest squad that he has assembled because members of the squad have been together for the last five years. “This is a strong team. They have been together since the national under-14 was formed,” said Padernal during a sendoff ceremony in Malate, Manila last Wednesday. Some of the players represented their respective regions in the recent Palarong Pambansa. Among the members of the squad are Michael Asong, Jeremiah Borlongan, Rexon Capellan, Marco Casambre, Jose Miguel Clarino, Matthew Custodio, Harel Dayan, Mar Diano, Kenneth Dizon, Major Ebarle,

Paulo Javier, Christian Lapas, Ross Lawagan, Dimitri Limbo, JR Malayo, Simplicio Mantal, Jerome Marzan, Josh Miller, James Oberiano, Chima Uzoka, Patrick Valenzuela, Jake Vicen and Mark Winhoffer. “I don’t expect this to be easy. They’re all prepared. We are also prepared,” said Padernal. The Philippines is bracketed in Group A with Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar and Brunei. “This is just the first of two under-19 delegations which we will send to international competitions this year,” said Philippine Football Federation General Secretary Ed Gastanes.

Former two-division world champion Brian Viloria (right) and undefeated World Boxing Council flyweight champion and pound-for-pound No. 2 Roman Gonzalez of Nicaragua put up a fighting stance during the news conference announcing their fight at the Madison Square Garden on Oct. 17.

Gabe Cabrera flashes the No. 1 sign after a hard-earned feat as Shifter KZ champion.

PH karters sweep titles in Asian tilt FILIPINO karters unleashed a dominant show as Gabe Cabrera of DCSeaoil Racing Team, Flynn Jackes of KartMaster Drakar Racing Team and Eduardo Coseteng Jr. of Eagle Cement fueled the country’s sweep of all the titles to keep Asian supremacy recently in the second leg of the 2015 Asian Karting Open Championships at the Carmona Racetrack in Brgy. Bangkal, Carmona, Cavite. Cabrera saved the best for last to emerge as the Shifter KZ champion, while Jackes captured the Formula 125 Open Junior crown. On the other hand, Coseteng Jr. made a big resurgence in the final race to clinch the Asian Mini-ROK plum of this annual series sanctioned and approved by the world governing Commission Internationale de Karting- Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile and sponsored by Petron, Petron Blaze 100 Euro 4, Petron XCS, Petron Ultron, Petron Xtra, Petron Sprint, Magnolia Pure Water and Yokohama the official tyres. Determination keyed Cabrera’s victory after finding himself in an unfamiliar No. 3 spot at the end of the Qualifying Heats. He moved up to second, checking in behind Vrei-AR Suba in the Pre-Final race and in the final race, he quickly grabbed the lead from Suba and preserved his post from there, before completing the 20lap race some 9.382 seconds ahead of his chief rival. Lean Linao claimed third place, while Michael Jordan of Formula-E Racing bagged the ROK Shifter Veteran title over William Tan of Palawan Racing Team. Jackes got his lucky break when he took over the top spot after top favorite Jacob Ang of Eagle Cement Racing

Team got tangled with Tai Zulberti and slipped to third. Even so, Jackes still struggled later in the race as Ang unleashed a rousing rally and came just inches behind him with two laps to go. But Jackes kept his composure and focus on the race as he banked on his defensive moves to seal the win and spoil Ang’s birthday wish for a backto-back triumph. Jordan of Formula-E Racing checked in third with John Dizon and Larco Cortez claiming fourth and fifth place honors, while Bianca Bustamante of Formula-E Racing copped the KF Jr. Restricted crown. Coseteng Jr. of Eagle Cement survived the neck-and-neck battle with Jarred Kim of Formula-E Racing to capture the Asian Mini-ROK plum. Kim, who surprisingly showed marked improvement, led most of the way but Coseteng Jr. found the light when he wrested the top spot on the first turn of the last lap. And as they went almost side-by-side going into the finish line, Coseteng Jr. managed to give his kart the crucial push to gain a slight edge and claim the checquered flag by a slim 0.041 of a second. Rap Rap Gutierrez took third place, while Zach David of Formula-E Racing and Constantin Reisch of CityKart Racing ended fourth and fifth. In the Formula Cadet division, Inigo Anton of Edgesport-Yokohama Team clinched his second Asian Karting Cadet Novice triumph, flaunting his top form as he posted the fastest laptime of 52.526 seconds to dictate the tempo, before completing the 16-lap race by a wide 15-second gap over Joaquin Garrido, who eventually copped the Cadet Expert title.

Viloria to train intensely for fight against Nicaraguan By Ronnie Nathanielsz FORMER two-division world champion Brian Viloria said training is going great as he prepares for what may well be an ultimate showdown with undefeated World Boxing Council flyweight champion and pound-for-pound No. 2 Roman Gonzalez of Nicaragua at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 17. Viloria told The Standard/boxing-

mirror.com that he will begin sparring in the first week of September as he continues training at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles. He said celebrated trainer Freddie Roach, his Filipino assistant Marvin Somodio and longtime trainer and friend Ruben are all working together in his preparation, pointing out “the whole gang is helping out.” He said his baby son is one of his “biggest inspirations” as he chases

the biggest fight of his career against Gonzalez, who he said he has been chasing for the past two years. Viloria, who has a record of 36-4 with 22 knockouts, and Gonzalez (43-0, 37 Kos), met for the first time at the Conga Room, to promote their fight which will be on the undercard of the Gennady GolovkinDavid Lemieux middleweight battle. The WBC reported that Viloria

was the first to talk, thankful for the opportunity of contesting the WBC flyweight crown. “I am grateful for this opportunity of fighting Gonzalez. It will be great for all fans. Thank God for all the support you gave me. You will see the best version of Viloria. My training has been just like at the beginning of my career. I have hunger to prove who I am, and what I can do,” said Viloria.

For his part, Gonzalez commented: “We will dish up a great fight On Oct. 17. This is the fight of my life, so I’m getting perfectly prepared for this fight. Being in a card starring Gennady Golovkin is an extraordinary blessing. I hope that you enjoy this bout and I want to promise Nicaragua and my family that you will have victory I am thankful to God, that I got the chance to fight against Brian Viloria”.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK m o n day : augus t 2 4 , 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

x 10 cm

How do you ant your news erved today?

ww.thestandard.com.ph Maverick Ahanmisi (center) holds up a symbolic paintbrush after being selected third overall by the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters during the 2015 Philippine Basketball Association Rookie Draft at the Robinsons Place Ermita on Sunday. With him are Rain or Shine Elasto Painters coach Yeng Guiao (second from left) and the other Elasto Painters.

Tautaa gives TNT an inside force By Jeric Lopez

HIGHLY-TOUTED Moala Tautuaa’s name was called first as the top overall pick in the 2015 Philippine Basketball Association Draft yesterday at Robinson’s Place in Ermita, Manila. As expected, Talk ‘N Text used its No. 1 pick to select the FilipinoTongan big man out of Chadron State and instantly upgrade its

is expected to provide the Tropang Texters with a lot of muscle in the paint. He is projected to be a constant double-double producer once he starts his career in the pros. Also as expected, versatile big man Troy Rosario was selected second by the Mahindra Enforcers (formerly KIA). Rosario is projected to make an immediate impact in the league with his talent. Capable of playing multiple front-court positions effectively,

5 col x 14 cm frontline. The talented 6’7” inside force, who was the PBA D-League Most Valuable Player in the Foundation Cup,

the 6’6” former National University standout will certainly give the Enforcers a lot with his reliable inside play at both ends. He has the strength and agility to play both forward positions. Given that Tautuaa and Rosario were already expected to be the top two picks, the intrigue started when the public waited for Rain or Shine to use its No. 3 pick as its choice remained a mystery until it was finally announced.

The Elasto Painters surprised everyone as they went with 6’2” Fil-American guard Maverick Ahanmisi with their No. 3 pick. Ahanmisi wasn’t seen to go that high on the pre-draft radar. Meralco followed by picking Chris Newsome at No.4. Barangay Ginebra got reigning National Collegiate Athletic Association MVP Scottie Thompson at No. 5. NLEX went to get its old cog in Garvo Lanete at No. 6. Turn to A14

Clarkson to help out Gilas Pilipinas 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)

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www.thestandard.com.ph

CURRENTLY in the middle of its training for next month’s FIBA-Asia Championship, Smart Gilas will get some morale booster as Filipino-American Jordan Clarkson is set to observe and support the National team. The vastly improving guard of the Los Angeles Lakers was signed by Smart yesterday to be its newest endorser and in line with that, he is set to attend and observe practices of Smart Gilas in the week ahead and also travel with the team to Taiwan to provide support for the upcoming William Jones Cup next week. Clarkson is scheduled to arrive today and will immediately take part in various activities that Smart prepared for him in his second visit to the country this year. He already had a productive three-day tour here last May. The 23-year-old Clarkson is excited yet again to be back in the country. “As a proud Fil-Am, I look forward to my upcoming visit to the Philippines,’’ he said. ‘’The Pinoy fans have been very supportive of me the entire year and I can’t wait to thank them again personally.’’ Like in previous interviews, Clarkson reiterated that should he be given a chance and should he become eligible in any way, he would love to be part of the National team according to the Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas. Jeric Lopez

MONDAY: AUGUST 24, 2015

RAY S. EÑANO EDITOR

RODERICK T. DELA CRUZ ASSISTANT EDITOR

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

BUSINESS

B1 A man stands on a Jeepney as pedestrians walk through the business district in Cebu, Philippines, on Aug. 3, 2015. The Philippine economy expanded 5.2 percent in the ﬁrst quarter from a year earlier, the weakest pace since 2011, on slower public spending. Second-quarter data are due Aug. 27. Bloomberg

PSe comPoSite index Closing August 20, 2015

8500 8000 7500 7000 6500 6000

7,278.98 65.75

PeSo-dollar rate

Closing AUGUST 20, 2015 42

P46.500

44 45 46

HIGH P46.265 LOW P46.500 AVERAGE P46.369 VOLUME 699.700M

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 Thursday, August 20, 2015

F oreign e xchange r ate Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

46.3060

Japan

Yen

0.008075

0.3739

Pound

1.568100

72.6124

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128984

5.9727

Switzerland

Franc

1.035947

47.9706

Canada

Dollar

0.762602

35.3130

Singapore

Dollar

0.712809

33.0073

Australia

Dollar

0.733192

33.9512

Bahrain

Dinar

2.651113

122.7624

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266610

12.3456

Brunei

Dollar

0.710278

32.8901

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000072

0.0033

Thailand

Baht

0.028121

1.3022

UAE

Dirham

0.272257

12.6071

Euro

1.112600

51.5201

Korea

Won

0.000845

0.0391

China

Yuan

0.156360

7.2404

India

Rupee

0.015352

0.7109

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.243659

11.2829

New Zealand

Dollar

0.656901

Taiwan

Dollar

0.030793

30.4185 1.4259 Source: PDS Bridge

Growth to accelerate in 2nd quarter—IMF By Julito G. Rada

THE International Monetary Fund expects Philippine economic growth to accelerate in the second quarter from a sluggish 5.2-percent expansion a quarter ago due mainly to improved government fiscal spending. “The IMF’s GDP forecast for 2015 is 6.2 percent, therefore we expect the economy to gradually pick up through the year from 5.2 percent in the first quarter of 2015,” IMF resident representative to the Philippines Shanaka Jayanath Peiris said in an e-mailed message over the weekend. “We would expect the economy to have picked up slightly in Q2 from the Q1 level on

improvement [in] government spending disbursements and bottoming out of the export decline, although manufacturing activity remained weak and may have dragged down growth,” Peiris said. The government will release the secondquarter GDP figures on Aug. 27. The manufacturing sector contracted in terms of volume and value in June due to a decrease in global demand and business interruptions during the rainy season. The sector’s volume of production index declined further by 3.6 percent from a 2-percent drop in May, a complete opposite from growth of 12.7 percent year-on-year. The value of production declined 7.3 percent year-on-year. Peiris expects the second half of 2015 to be stronger than the first half as global demand recovers and government spending accelerates further. The IMF in July reduced its growth forecast for the Philippines this year to 6.2 percent from the 6.7 percent estimate made in May due to weaker global growth and the country’s

below-target fiscal deficit. The multi-lateral lender expects growth to pick up in 2016 to 6.5 percent from the previous assumption of 6.3 percent. The latest WEO update reduced the growth outlook for the Asean-5 nations by 0.5 percentage point to 4.7 percent for 2015, and 0.2 percentage point to 5.1 percent for 2016. Asean-5 includes the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. The Philippine economy grew 5.2 percent in the first quarter this year, lower than 5.6 percent a year ago, due to the government’s lower fiscal expenditures. On Friday, Moody’s Analytics, a division of Moody’s Corp., said the economy might have grown by 6.8 percent in the second quarter, significantly higher than the quarter ago. “Philippine GDP likely accelerated after the March quarter’s disappointing 5.1 percent y/y gain. Stronger government spending thanks to delayed stimulus getting under way likely lifted investment and household consumption,” Moody’s said.

PAL: Airlines may cease Dubai-Manila ﬂights By Darwin G Amojelar LOCAL and other foreign carriers may cease operations between Manila and Dubai and Europe, if Middle East airlines succeed in securing new entitlements in the forthcoming bilateral air talks with the Philippines, Philippines Airlines said over the weekend. “Should the UAE airlines get the additional entitlements they seek during the coming Philippine-UAE air talks, this will undermine the investments PAL and

other airlines have made for the country in opening new routes to serve Philippine tourism and overseas Filipino workers,” PAL president and chief operating officer Jaime Bautista said. The Philippine air panel and its counterpart United Arab Emirates are set to hold air talks on August 27 to 28 at the headquarters of the Civil Aeronautics Board. At risk is the healthy state of competition in the Philippines’ global aviation network, after PAL launched vital new routes

to London in 2013, New York in March this year, Abu Dhabi in 2013, Dubai in 2013, and Riyadh and Dammam in 2014. Other Philippine and European airlines have opened their own routes to Dubai, Kuwait, Riyadh, Doha and Istanbul, which are vulnerable to another ill-timed onslaught by Emirates Airlines and Etihad Airways if the UAE government secures increased frequencies between Manila and the UAE. PAL said it was ready to compete on a level playing field. The

Middle East and Europe routes, however, are unique because the competitive field is distorted by the massive subsidies enjoyed by Gulf carriers such as Emirates Airlines and Etihad. PAL stopped flying to the United Arab Emirates in 1997, to Europe in 1998 and to Saudi Arabia in 2006 due to unfair competition, mainly because of massive and well-funded efforts by Mid-East carriers to siphon passenger traffic via their hubs in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and other airports in the Gulf region.

MONDAY: AUGUST 24, 2015

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

The STandard BuSineSS Weekly STockS revieW STOCKS

AUGUST 17-20, 2015 Close Volume

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

2.88 69 98.95 89.95 42 2.50 1.35 15.94 19.8 7.87 0.66 1.75 755.00 0.385 83.5 0.97 19.20 26.00 60.80 93 300 38.7 137 1520.00 56.45 3.24

Aboitiz Power Corp. Agrinurture Inc. Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. Alsons Cons. Asiabest Group C. Azuc De Tarlac Century Food Chemphil Cirtek Holdings (Chips) Concepcion Crown Asia Da Vinci Capital Del Monte DNL Industries Inc. Emperador Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) EEI Euro-Med Lab. Federal Res. Inv. Group First Gen Corp. First Holdings ‘A’ Ginebra San Miguel Inc. Holcim Philippines Inc. Integ. Micro-Electronics Ionics Inc Jollibee Foods Corp. Lafarge Rep Liberty Flour LMG Chemicals Mabuhay Vinyl Corp. Macay Holdings Manila Water Co. Inc. Maxs Group Megawide Mla. Elect. Co `A’ Panasonic Mfg Phil. Corp. Pepsi-Cola Products Phil. Petron Corporation Phil H2O Phinma Corporation Phoenix Petroleum Phils. Phoenix Semiconductor Pryce Corp. `A’ RFM Corporation Roxas and Co. Roxas Holdings San Miguel’Pure Foods `B’ SPC Power Corp. Splash Corporation Swift Foods, Inc. TKC Steel Corp. Trans-Asia Oil Universal Robina Victorias Milling Vitarich Corp. Vivant Corp. Vulcan Ind’l.

43.9 1.44 0.97 1.72 10.02 93.00 17.5 170 26.75 46.5 2.8 1.45 11.4 11.240 9.24 6.32 9.10 1.85 12.98 23.75 73.5 13.30 13.10 5.73 0.460 185.90 10.14 30.00 2 1.7 52.00 23.65 23.8 5.8 282.00 3.62 4.35 8.19 4 11.68 3.35 2.13 2.6 4.12 1.83 6.25 155 4.49 1.9 0.138 1.10 1.89 192.5 4.2 0.69 23.00 1.10

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

0.450 57.5000 20.15 1.15 6.85 0.240 0.24 755 7.15 11.60 3.2 2.87 4.28 0.185 1264 6.50 69.30 3.65 4.81 6.63 0.61 13.72 0.56 5.03 7.93 3.61 0.0570 1.910 2.6 56.00 2.20 897.00 1.21 0.66 140.00 77.600 0.2900 0.1690 0.245

8990 HLDG Anchor Land Holdings Inc. A. Brown Co., Inc. Araneta Prop À’ Arthaland Corp. Ayala Land `B’ Belle Corp. À’ Cebu Holdings Centennial City City & Land Dev. Cityland Dev. À’ Crown Equities Inc. Cyber Bay Corp.

7.100 7.80 0.70 1.200 0.220 37.10 3.2 5 0.77 1.03 1.00 0.112 0.435

Value

FINANCIAL 10,217,100.00 9,540,757.00 1,060,406,290.50 455,428,928.00 27,792,075.00 146,540.00 698,240.00 1,067,392.00 23,601,331.00 25,046 18,480 558,200.00 213,350.00 148,650.00 584,723,259.00 47,890.00 84,719,582.00 5,170.00 11,927,744.50 326,509.00 5,246,792.00 55,672,825.00 360,419,347.00 1,628,775.00 2,630,834.00 311,210.00 INDUSTRIAL 7,410,700 321,586,025.00 35,000 48,730.00 3,725,000 3,496,680.00 4,338,000 7,598,560.00 35,300 361,852.00 10 930.00 2,551,100 45,180,842 420 67,843.00 1,676,600 45,622,720.00 1,471,000 67,991,125 19,364,000 54,558,000.00 1,883,000 2,715,160.00 183,700 2,151,828.00 32,623,700 357,400,578.00 2,598,100 24,603,059.00 58,149,300 374,450,715.00 734,900 6,764,828.00 51,000 92,820.00 177,000 2,342,336.00 7,693,600 188,070,825.00 663,270 49,699,699.00 4,900 65,170.00 318,100 4,190,400.00 2,245,300 12,933,043.00 730,000 348,700.00 1,737,880 327,424,341.00 3,008,900 30,476,954.00 900 16,200.00 126,000 251,650.00 41,000 69,700.00 18,910 965,397.00 1,703,600 40,635,740.00 1,041,700 25,458,160.00 841,200 4,911,009.00 1,954,640 562,209,092.00 86,000 323,500.00 10,368,000 47,161,920.00 4,415,600 36,213,813.00 63,000 252,000.00 18,300 209,642.00 441,000 1,456,940.00 2,265,000 4,807,210.00 16,355,000 42,287,660.00 3,627,000 15,082,830.00 60,000 109,800.00 500 3,105.00 56,870 8,848,894.00 3,000 13,470.00 5,018,000 9,269,200.00 12,700,000 1,733,280.00 70,000 78,990.00 10,604,000 20,402,140.00 7,607,350 1,448,046,236.00 2,017,000 8,471,400.00 1,404,000 934,240.00 20,300 461,770.00 408,000 454,170.00 HOLDING FIRMS 250,000 111,000.00 5,694,980 379,047,656.50 49,523,400 1,039,421,480.00 37,000 42,650.00 26,107 185,472.00 4,700,000 1,157,930.00 500,000 121,670.00 680,960 519,297,685.00 11,409,800 83,745,525.00 25,977,500 193,916,976.00 1,064,000 3,059,310.00 177,000 506,290.00 130,000 557,450.00 1,440,000 271,230.00 1,086,260 1,398,190,530.00 126,600 813,849.00 7,946,250 544,579,386.50 2,000 7,300.00 100 481.00 8,468,600 57,128,529.00 348,000 219,470.00 8,592,800 120,755,486.00 1,395,000 765,660.00 106,671,800 529,907,556.00 3,457,200 27,490,185.00 3,000 10,830.00 1,419,300,000 72,124,690.00 48,478,000 99,677,730.00 607,000 1,698,850.00 661,460 36,580,544.00 65,000 143,030.00 847,400 761,169,520.00 284,000 343,320.00 201,000 133,390.00 80 11,200.00 11,940 927,684.50 10,300,000 3,017,600.00 3,070,000 510,660.00 2,040,000 504,950.00 PROPERTY 1,442,100 10,045,402.00 400 3,120.00 518,000 348,990.00 122,000 149,410.00 800,000 176,410.00 32,343,800 1,212,555,505.00 8,154,000 26,127,030.00 606,500 3,023,683.00 11,141,000 8,704,590.00 28,000 31,340.00 168,000 169,290.00 12,080,000 1,342,380.00 7,620,000 3,271,550.00 3,530,000 138,540 10,644,830 5,038,830 655,000 59,000 503,000 66,400 1,175,600 3,400 28,000 327,000 280 380,000 6,983,350 49,000 4,524,700 200 194,790 3,570 17,480 1,435,900 2,698,530 1,085 46,440 96,000

AUGUST 10-14, 2015 Volume Value

3.39 70.1 103.00 93.00 42.9 2.51 1.46 16 20.8 7.80

1,277,000 85,150 17,521,610 4,440,700 267,500 44,000 191,000 834,100 1,133,800 41,900

4,617,330.00 6,025,983.00 1,792,785,863.50 409,568,254.50 11,573,740.00 108,680.00 278,850.00 13,343,196.00 23,540,040.00 322,141

1.79 790.00 0.400 85 0.98 18.86 25.80 62.85 95 304 38.8 137.7 1500.00 58.20 3.24

519,000 290 1,760,000 12,384,440 8,000 1,370,900 4,700 487,300 150 122,822 2,654,200 1,694,260 865 168,860 175,000

896,100.00 231,500.00 725,300.00 1,078,489,182.00 7,840.00 25,969,578.00 121,550.00 30,734,125.50 13,700.00 3,971,384.00 102,947,845.00 238,450,152.00 1,295,195.00 9,945,073.00 569,290.00

43 1.43 1 1.86 11.18 93.00 18 183 27 45 2.92 1.51 12.34 21.650 9.50 6.65 9.30 1.78 14.1 25.6 75.8 13.86 13.30 5.98 0.480 188.40 10.12

11,162,700 126,000 2,273,000 3,587,000 444,300 2,870 2,350,600 360 1,569,400 912,810 28,552,000 3,950,000 113,100 21,343,500 3,799,100 60,594,700 2,513,200 46,000 292,800 9,915,200 2,126,350 12,500 175,100 2,206,100 106,000 1,923,000 7,831,900

478,600,845.00 178,940.00 2,184,720.00 6,715,070.00 4,523,854.00 283,798.50 42,583,554 54,960.00 42,959,955.00 47,674,623.50 87,413,790.00 5,997,080.00 1,390,262.00 468,328,265.00 36,121,027.00 509,664,256.00 23,645,673.00 80,250.00 4,100,058.00 255,756,910.00 162,071,519.50 167,556.00 2,344,290.00 13,073,966.00 52,420.00 364,892,677.00 78,990,494.00

2.02 1.74 52.90 24.05 25.9 6.14 297.40 3.85 4.64 8.40 4 11.70 3.28 2.23 3.66 4.28 1.82 6 165

61,000 638,000 67,980 3,022,500 1,896,700 1,403,700 2,580,070 11,000 4,671,000 35,268,700 17,000 19,000 2,908,000 5,092,000 13,523,000 6,107,000 36,000 400 16,000

122,350.00 1,171,490.00 3,470,909.00 72,913,005.00 49,344,920.00 8,732,607.00 775,507,546.00 42,360.00 21,332,240.00 297,846,024.00 68,000.00 220,748.00 9,660,150.00 11,465,300.00 48,742,810.00 26,233,630.00 66,110.00 2,410.00 2,581,343.00

1.82 0.140 1.15 2.07 190 4.22 0.69 22.95 1.13

1,251,000 28,390,000 81,000 5,900,000 12,332,310 1,548,000 1,695,000 500 999,000

2,284,510.00 4,051,260.00 94,080.00 12,333,990.00 2,397,637,715.00 6,548,090.00 1,159,330.00 11,430.00 1,184,490.00

0.440 57.5000 22.30 1.15 6.80 0.255 0.26 759 7.75 12.00 2.76 2.85 4.40 0.195 1312 6.50 69.30 3.65 5.6 6.95 0.63 15 0.59 5.01 8.1 3.6 0.0380 2.260 2.8 55.65 2.25 929.00 1.28

1,620,000 6,853,800 29,725,600 70,000 137,100 3,950,000 1,170,000 1,239,550 16,543,900 62,009,000 1,917,000 120,000 390,000 710,000 1,469,590 99,900 8,417,320 8,000 15,000 9,331,300 1,712,000 14,155,800 3,201,000 157,802,300 5,982,500 13,000 62,800,000 104,375,000 546,000 936,670 105,000 1,598,880 1,101,000

721,000.00 394,665,221.00 664,371,180.00 81,550.00 954,078.00 1,027,360.00 307,050.00 945,080,905.00 122,816,012.00 778,337,156.00 5,502,320.00 342,000.00 1,670,280.00 140,620.00 1,980,502,925.00 642,718.00 602,750,247.50 30,100.00 86,236.00 65,815,813.00 1,123,080.00 212,588,242.00 1,823,010.00 794,404,151.00 47,689,664.00 46,830.00 2,091,900.00 244,196,420.00 1,526,700.00 52,349,885.50 234,470.00 1,455,960,765.00 1,417,680.00

140.00 77.650 0.3100 0.1720 0.255

50 14,010 37,510,000 3,190,000 510,000

7,000.00 1,091,548.50 12,009,950.00 573,640.00 130,050.00

7.100

2,574,300

18,182,466.00

0.68 1.200 0.221 37.50 3.35 5.06 0.8 1.13 1.05 0.120 0.450

2,564,000 78,000 300,000 44,107,300 13,513,000 29,000 7,544,000 57,000 99,000 25,540,000 30,910,000

1,776,400.00 95,400.00 66,300.00 1,689,258,295.00 48,308,670.00 146,892.00 6,094,690.00 62,060.00 101,170.00 3,115,000.00 14,440,500.00

STOCKS

AUGUST 17-20, 2015 Close Volume

Double Dragon Empire East Land Ever Gotesco Global-Estate Filinvest Land,Inc. Interport `A’ Megaworld Corp. MRC Allied Ind. Phil. Estates Corp. Primex Corp. 1,053,990.00 Robinson’s Land `B’ Rockwell Shang Properties Inc. SM Prime Holdings Sta. Lucia Land Inc. Starmalls Suntrust Home Dev. Inc. Vista Land & Lifescapes

12.8 0.830 0.170 1.15 1.89 1.30 4.29 0.092 0.2750 7.35

3,178,400 331,000 1,540,000 16,643,000 75,981,000 3,390,000 146,511,000 6,950,000 1,200,000 356,200

28.70 1.63 3.25 20.00 0.72 7.16 0.800 6.800

6,529,100 1,663,000 45,000 46,754,600 3,627,000 35,100 161,000 13,858,200

2GO Group ABS-CBN Acesite Hotel APC Group, Inc. Asian Terminals Inc. Bloomberry Boulevard Holdings Calata Corp. Cebu Air Inc. (5J) Centro Esc. Univ. Discovery World DFNN Inc. FEUI Globe Telecom GMA Network Inc. Grand Plaza Hotel Harbor Star I.C.T.S.I. Imperial Res. `A’ IPeople Inc. `A’ IP E-Game Ventures Inc. Island Info ISM Communications Jackstones Leisure & Resorts Liberty Telecom Lorenzo Shipping Macroasia Corp. Manila Bulletin Manila Jockey Melco Crown 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 Retail SBS Phil. Corp. SSI Group STI Holdings Travellers Waterfront Phils. Yehey

9.53 60 1.15 0.560 12.88 7.18 0.0690 4.04 90.05 9.88 1.85 4.85 920.5 2624 6.45 17.20 1.22 101.5 5.40 11.88 0.011 0.177 1.3300 2.25 8.30 2.18 1.20 2.05 0.630 2 6.3 0.300 0.430 19.98 4.90 3 98.10 18.60 2750.00 0.630 1.280 33.95 71.50 5.14 6.80 0.62 4.7 0.325 2.470

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 United Paragon

0.0058 2.50 4.70 11.50 0.210 6.5000 7.2000 0.63 0.69 6.33 1.24 0.300 0.192 0.204 0.013 0.013 2.55 8.18 3.6 0.5800 1.6000 0.0091 0.0110 3.99 5.10 1.46 0.010 128.90 2.73 0.0080

ABS-CBN Holdings Corp. Ayala Corp. Pref ‘B1’ Ayala Corp. Pref ‘B2’ First Gen F First Gen G GLOBE PREF P GMA Holdings Inc. Leisure & Resort Pref. MWIDE PREF PCOR-Preferred A PCOR-Preferred B PF Pref 2 SMC Preferred A SMC Preferred C WARRANTS & BONDS Leisure & Resort Warr.

59 525 530 110.5 116 520 6.57 1.09 108 1046 1085 1018 75.4 80

Makati Fin. Corp. Ripple E-Business Intl Xurpas

5.12 64 10.9

First Metro ETF

118.7

3.520

Value

40,085,122.00 274,690.00 261,700.00 19,365,670.00 145,485,160.00 4,363,310.00 638,339,620.00 654,070.00 334,500.00 2,610,686.00

188,436,325.00 2,690,390.00 146,310.00 935,935,227.00 2,558,540.00 248,452.00 123,690.00 93,687,528.00 SERVICES 5,244,600 52,877,271.00 229,840 13,934,650.50 300,001 405,000.00 2,593,000 1,483,110.00 900 11,274.00 97,648,600 701,962,056.00 48,950,000 3,463,900.00 10,920,000 43,710,570.00 4,773,930 430,958,281.50 2,100 20,208.00 53,000 86,550 233,000 1,130,450.00 1,840 1,698,855.00 215,230 562,745,350 414,400 2,694,788.00 300 5,128 1,722,000 2,159,420.00 2,916,090 298,683,172.00 13,000 64,350 4,200 49,176.00 33,500,000 369,800.00 22,930,000 3,998,600.00 4,542,000 6,084,250.00 97,000 214,850.00 5,188,800 43,028,231.00 3,548,000 8,016,630.00 3,000 3,600.00 60,000 124,720.00 248,000 158,600.00 200,000 399,100.00 4,363,200 27,088,156.00 430,000 126,900.00 40,000 37,400.00 8,400 165,012.00 366,900 1,835,678 11,000 32,900.00 29,710 3,009,972.00 1,857,900 33,898,018.00 431,020 1,179,172,500.00 3,354,000 2,122,800.00 44,771,000 58,711,730.00 8,936,900 308,243,230.00 3,579,460 261,580,553.50 39,923,600 196,678,615.00 39,411,500 276,515,804.00 4,479,000 2,799,880.00 7,575,200 36,376,774.00 630,000 202,950.00 836,000 2,048,200.00 MINING & OIL 2,388,000,000 13,905,200.00 117,000 282,100.00 540,000 2,546,500.00 100 1,150.00 1,230,000 241,920.00 1,000 6,500.00 16,300 116,689.00 7,655,000 4,784,210.00 986,000 672,690.00 70,400 459,031.00 23,217,000 28,699,140.00 1,350,000 398,550.00 19,910,000 3,812,500.00 8,210,000 1,655,140.00 141,700,000 1,703,000.00 72,200,000 938,600.00 5,474,000 13,561,280.00 21,239,300 172,922,123.00 9,086,000 32,022,750.00 113,000 65,900.00 1,018,000 1,716,820.00 76,000,000 689,700.00 191,000,000 2,101,000.00 106,000 424,870.00 3,135,800 15,310,165.00 4,332,000 6,421,730.00 190,700,000 1,901,380.00 4,746,030 597,451,705.00 35,637,900 105,963,781.00 69,000,000 556,640.00 PREFERRED 692,200 41,498,479.00 13,440 7,091,540.00 20,710 10,977,800 50,000 5,525,000.00 16,680 1,934,900.00 70 36,400.00 2,130,900 14,044,916.00 112,000 123,100 154,540 16,717,720.00 5,020 5,246,620.00 3,605 3,904,090.00 14,325 14,590,520.00 364,850 27,533,681.50 52,760 5,420,953.50 629,000 2,181,490.00 SME 5,600 34,457.00 1,840 112,809.50 3,658,100 39,816,358.00 EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 46,530 5,565,106.00

AUGUST 10-14, 2015 Volume Value

12.82 0.870 0.170 1.22 1.85 1.29 4.6 0.098 0.2950 7.5

3,799,200 49,511,688.00 8,006,000 6,742,240.00 2,390,000 407,040.00 29,429,000 36,171,380.00 146,437,000 280,350,480.00 735,000 956,720.00 156,032,000 716,918,000.00 10,930,000 1,085,930.00 310,000 89,350.00 330,000,386,810

29.00 1.65 3.24 19.98 0.71 7 0.770 6.960

9,284,100 3,679,000 71,000 76,227,200 4,630,000 27,400 2,229,000 32,371,100

266,573,825.00 6,068,020.00 225,300.00 1,601,714,676.00 3,327,370.00 194,551.00 1,753,160.00 229,014,531.00

11.32 64.1 1.15 0.590 12.22 7.40 0.0740 4.18 94.15 10.1 1.62 4.89 920 2636 6.47

9,898,300 251,930 455,000 6,786,000 400 169,206,000 36,770,000 7,939,000 5,282,600 5,000 200,000 1,327,000 2,090 407,590 1,356,900

101,023,879.00 16,124,681.50 538,480.00 4,131,070.00 4,886.00 1,351,781,188.00 2,809,390.00 31,808,060.00 508,856,221.50 50,290.00 546,100 6,586,443.00 1,988,000.00 1,079,688,830 8,826,813.00

1.29 103.7 3.50 12.18 0.012 0.183 1.3100 2.34 9.20 2.17 1.20 2.08 0.640 2 6.11 0.310 0.430 19.8 5.10 3 102.00 18.40 2712.00 0.640 1.330 36.35 74.50 5.26 7.61 0.63 5.15 0.320 2.610

3,230,000 5,839,530 2,000 84,200 137,174,000 38,890,000 2,865,000 17,000 2,354,500 2,748,000 9,000 1,471,000 1,422,000 263,000 54,850,300 4,990,000 390,000 169,500 1,494,500 60,000 277,850 1,376,400 909,965 11,166,000 70,101,000 9,061,800 5,833,570 262,810,150 32,446,600 5,466,000 9,299,000 400,000 5,703,000

4,313,160.00 613,888,257.00 7,000 986,056.00 1,718,700.00 7,526,180.00 3,735,010.00 39,270.00 22,040,932.00 5,951,770.00 11,530.00 3,034,100.00 913,530.00 525,570.00 370,369,780.00 1,486,900.00 171,450.00 3,496,535.00 7,842,114 179,840.00 27,785,294.00 25,779,800.00 2,465,775,710.00 7,248,390.00 100,547,400.00 339,592,645.00 455,901,310.00 1,510,577,842.00 260,344,374.00 3,474,160.00 49,812,121.00 131,050.00 14,648,470.00

0.0059 2.38 4.90 11.74 0.208 6.4500 6.6400 0.67 0.7 6.83 1.27 0.300 0.204 0.210 0.013 0.013 2.64 9.11 3.6 0.5900 1.8400 0.0092 0.0110 4.13 5.30 1.59 0.010 129.50 8.98 0.0100

4,385,000,000 18,864,000 1,916,100 17,100 1,040,000 66,300 8,200 13,969,000 8,486,000 86,400 345,324,000 1,720,000 18,590,000 2,580,000 168,600,000 113,600,000 5,911,000 24,088,300 12,807,000 618,000 1,038,000 12,000,000 900,000 185,000 3,684,500 4,701,000 911,300,000 10,435,620 5,392,100 2,600,000

25,315,900.00 43,403,990.00 9,758,477.00 176,716.00 219,470.00 429,939.00 54,892.00 9,133,000.00 6,054,320.00 585,870.00 459,578,720.00 513,500.00 3,808,540.00 541,170.00 2,077,900.00 1,476,900.00 15,957,590.00 230,834,619.00 48,403,430.00 364,820.00 1,965,660.00 111,300.00 9,900.00 755,560.00 19,946,198.00 7,560,520.00 9,174,800.00 1,319,135,946.00 46,841,321.00 25,240.00

64.05 525 530

1,845,230 6,660 4,350

120,538,592.50 3,497,820.00 2,320,930

116 520 6.38 1.1 109 1045 1080 1020 75.5 80

30 100 574,000 336,000 43,880 2,060 1,015 29,540 550,100 345,140

3,480.00 52,000.00 3,689,400.00 370,820 4,808,480.00 2,158,030.00 1,096,250.00 30,131,000.00 41,525,818.50 27,823,134.50

3.630

1,358,000

5,064,030.00

5.11 69.5 11.2

2,500 490 6,350,800

14,541.00 31,835.00 74,159,300.00

121

84,130

10,310,672.00

WEEKLY MOST TRADED STOCKS Abra Mining Pacifica À’ Oriental Pet. `B’ Philodrill Corp. À’ Megaworld Corp. Manila Mining À’ Metro Pacific Inv. Corp. Bloomberry Oriental Pet. À’ Filinvest Land,Inc.

VOLUME 2,388,000,000 1,419,300,000 191,000,000 190,700,000 146,511,000 141,700,000 106,671,800 97,648,600 76,000,000 75,981,000

STOCKS Universal Robina GT Capital Ayala Land `B’ PLDT Common Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. Alliance Global Inc. SM Prime Holdings SM Investments Inc. Bloomberry Megaworld Corp.

VALUE 1,448,046,236.00 1,398,190,530.00 1,212,555,505.00 1,179,172,500.00 1,060,406,290.50 1,039,421,480.00 935,935,227.00 761,169,520.00 701,962,056.00 638,339,620.00

MONDAY: AUGUST 24, 2015

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

SEC wants 25% public float By Jenniffer B. Austria

PSALM wants to keep 116 Napocor paintings POWER Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp., the government agency in charge of selling the assets of National Power Corp., has not included some 116 artworks in its privatization list. PSALM president Lourdes Alzona said the paintings “will still have to be appraised and may just be placed in a museum.” “We have not included [the paintings] in the privatization list this year and next year,” Alzona said. An inventory conducted by PSALM in 2011 revealed that 116 artworks comprised the entire collection, with 60 paintings classified as done by professional artists, 55 by amateur artists and one was unclassified due to unavailability of information. The paintings were acquired from 1974 until the late 1980s. It included the works of professional artists like Jess Dizon’s oil painting “Maria Makiling,” which was acquired in 1982 for P23,000; Manuel Baldemor’s oil painting “Pistang Bayan” bought in May 1980 for P17,500; and Juvenal Sanso’s acrylic painting “Floral Series,” which was purchased in 1987 for P17,250. It also included two abstract oil paintings of Romula Olazo, which were acquired in 1988 for P30,000 each. PSALM has assumed ownership of the artwork collection on from Napocor’s asset and debt in October 2008. PSALM manages the assets and liabilities of Napocor as mandated under the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001. Alena Mae S. Flores

THE Securities and Exchange Commission wants the minimum public float of listed companies to gradually increase to 25 percent from the current 10 percent in a bid to deepen the local capital markets. SEC chairman Teresita Herbosa told The Standard a study was being finalized by the agency’s market securities and regulation department to increase the current minimum public ownership rule, subject to comments from concerned parties. “We are looking at 25 percent as minimum public ownership. But the increase will be gradual and we are also studying if the timing is okay for the implementation of this new rule,” Herbosa said. Share prices at the Philippine Stock Exchange are currently on

the downtrend, because of the movement of foreign funds from emerging markets, such as the Philippines, to developed economies. Herbosa said the move aimed to make the local capital markets at par with other Asean countries. Stock markets in Hong Kong, Singapore and Thailand impose a minimum float requirement of 10 percent to 25 percent. Herbosa said the move could also encourage small investors to invest in the stock market instead of putting their hard earned

money in investment scams. Several illegal investment-taking activities had recently proliferated in the country and duped many Filipinos. Herbosa said there were instances where institutional funds were crowding out local small investors. Thus, SEC sees the need to provide opportunity for small retail investors to increase the participation in the stock market, she said. Sources from the MSRD said the draft rules on the proposed measure would be presented to the SEC en banc this week. Once approved, SEC plans to start implementing the higher public ownership requirement by 2016. The PSE started implementing the 10-percent minimum public ownership for listed companies in 2011 to help improve liquidity and increase public participation in the local capital markets.

Filinvest taps Sir Chief as its newest endorser

After tapping the services of “queen of all media” and presidential sister Kris Aquino, property developer Filinvest Land Inc. announced that actor Richard Yap, who became famous for his role as “Sir Chief ” in a daytime drama, would be newest endorser for the company’s residential developments. Filinvest Land president Josephine Gotianun-Yap confirmed that Yap was selected as the company’s newest endorser because he embodies the current “I own My Dream” campaign and he was able to achieve his dreams through hard work. Yap, according to Gotianun-Yap, also represents most of Filinvest Land’s customers who are mostly self-made Filipinos aiming to achieve their dreams. An official launching for Yap being Filinvest Land’s endorser is scheduled later this month. By getting Yap as endorser, Filinvest Land is veering away from the usual strategy of getting a female endorser for real estate projects. SM Development Corp., for example, has Sarah Geronomino as product endorser while Sta. Lucia Land has Bea Alonzo and Robinsons Land has Maja Salvador. Jenniffer B. Austria

Filinvest parent teams up with 2 foreign partners on airports

Speaking of Filinvest Land, parent company Filinvest Development Corp. led by tycoon Andrew Gotianun Sr. has taken not one, but two new foreign parters in bidding for the P108.2-billion regional airports project of the Transportation Department. FDC president Josephine Gotianun-Yap, a daughter of Gotianun Sr., said the conglomerate, which previously teamed up with Changi Airport in the failed bid for the Mactan-Cebu International Airport project, had been approached by Sojitz and Jiatco of Japan this time to bid for the bundled airport projects. “They [Japanese partners] are very aggressive about investing in the Philippines and they approached us,” Gotianun-Yap said, when asked why it was not longer tapping Changi for the regional airports bidding. Does Filinvest group have a better chance of bagging the project this time, after emerging as the second highest bidder, next to Megawide-GMR consortium, for the MCIA project? Just like in the MCIA project, the Filinvest group will face a tough competition for the regional airport projects from other bidders, including Aboitiz Equity Ventures; Philippine Airports Consortium led by Metro Pacific Investments Corp.; San Miguel Holdings Corp-IIAC Airport Consortium; and Union EquitiesAirports Company South Africa. Jenniffer B. Austria

Autodesk solutions. Leading 3D design solutions provider Autodesk holds its AEC Day 2015 and

demonstrates its commitment to arming practitioners with the latest knowledge on the cutting-edge 3D design tools for the building and construction industry. Shown is Autodesk country manager Teddy Tiu as he highlights the future of how buildings and products are being designed.

GDP growth seen affecting market THE expected slower secondquarter economic growth is expected to affect trading at the Philippine Stock Exchange this week, analysts said over the weekend. BPI Asset Management said in its weekly report investors turned their attention to the release of second-quarter gross domestic product numbers on Aug. 27, after most companies reported their profits in the previous weeks. BPI Asset Management said initial signs pointed to a softer economic growth for the second quarter, given the weak exports figures, “We expect the PSEi to trade between 7,150 and 7,325 with a downward bias. We expect the local GDP numbers to be the main driver of the market [this week],” BPI Asset Management

said in its weekly outlook. Accord Capital Equities trader Justino Calaycay said the slew of negative news had pushed investors to stay on the sidelines. “Though investors have been on edge since the local market fell off its lofty heights in April, there were hopes that the drop is just part of the usual corrective phases – such hope still linger. But as the economy posted a slow 5.2-percent pace in 1Q and as corporate earnings tracked a correlative path, this mantle of hope slowly has given way to gnawing fears,” Calaycay said. “Fear is what will most probably greet the market place when trades resume Monday,” Calaycay said. The bellwether PSEi last week dropped 1.75 percent to close at 7.278.98 while the broader allshares index declined 2.05 per-

cent to 4,158.12. All major sub-indices ended in the red led by mining and oil (-3.52 percent), financials (-2.67 percent), holding firms (-2.59 percent) and property (-1.25 percent. “Investors remained cautious on the devaluation of the Chinese Yuan and expectations of slower economic growth during the second quarter of the year,” BDO Unibank chief investment strategist Jonathan Ravelas said. “Chartwise, the week’s close below 7,300 continues to support our view of a march towards the 7000 levels,” Ravelas said. Foreign investors were net sellers last week by P2.42 billion, as total foreign selling reached P13.33 billion while foreign buying amounted to P10.9 billion. Jenniffer B. Austria

OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR

Circular No. 885 Series of 2015

Subject:

Segregation of Customer Funds and Securities Received by Banks in the Performance of their Securities Brokering Functions.

The Monetary Board, in its Resolution No. 1176 dated 23 July 2015, approved the following guidelines governing the segregation of customer funds and securities received by banks that are duly registered by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to act as securities brokers. Section 1. Part IX of the Manual of Regulations for Banks (MORB) is hereby amended to read as follows: “x x x “C. SECURITIES BROKERING ACTIVITIES OF BANKS “Section X907 Segregation of customer funds and securities received by banks in the performance of their securities brokering functions. “Subsec. X907.1 Statement of Policy. Pursuant to the BSP’s policy of promoting the development of domestic capital markets by upholding investor protection and transparency in securities transactions, following are the guidelines relating to the segregation, handling and reporting of customer funds and securities received by banks in the performance of their securities brokering functions. The limited coverage of the guidelines shall not relieve the bank acting as securities broker of its obligation to comply with other requirements of the Securities Regulation Code (SRC) and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR).

“Subsec. X907.2 Definition of Terms

the receiver shall, pursuant to the instructions of the Monetary Board, proceed to close the securities business promptly and arrange for another Exchange Member, where such bank is a member of an Exchange, to take over any outstanding contracts and inform the affected customers in writing that their accounts have been transferred. Where the bank is not a member of an Exchange, the receiver, pursuant to the instructions of the Monetary Board, shall notify the affected customers, if any, of the placement of such bank under receivership and require that they transfer their accounts to another broker. “Subsec. X907.6 Reportorial Requirements. All banks with securities brokering license shall submit to the appropriate unit of the SES on a monthly basis an additional report attached as Annex A of this Circular. This report shall be considered a Category A-1 report and shall contain the end-of-week balances of cash and securities that are held in accordance with the securities brokering arrangement with its clients. “x x x

xxx

x x x”

Section 2. The indicated sections of the Financial Reporting Package (FRP) issued under Circular No. 512 dated 3 February 2006, as amended, shall be further amended, as follows: (a) Manual of Accounts “ BALANCE SHEET ACCOUNTS “x x x

xxx

“ Liability Accounts “xxx “30. Broker Customer Accounts for Settlement of Customer Trades - This refers to customer cash accounts and margin accounts received by banks which shall be used exclusively for the settlement of securities brokering transactions. “31. Other Liabilities – x x x” “32. Due to Head Office/Branches/Agencies Abroad (Philippine branch of a foreign bank) - x x x”

1. Securities Brokering – A securities brokering transaction refers to the act of buying and selling evidences of indebtedness, shares and all types of securities by order of and for the account of customers.

“33. Due to FCDU/RBU - x x x”

2. Securities Broker - A securities broker refers to an entity which is duly-registered by the SEC to engage in securities brokering transactions.

“ INCOME STATEMENT ACCOUNTS

3. Customer – A customer refers to any person from whom, or on whose behalf, a securities broker receives, acquires or holds funds or securities for the account of such person.

“ 5. Fees and Commissions Income

4. Customer Securities – Customer securities refer to (a) securities received by a securities broker in behalf of any customer; (b) securities carried long by a securities broker for the account of any customer; (c) securities sold to, or bought for, a customer, by a securities broker. 5. Customer Funds – This shall refer to funds received from a customer by a broker under a securities brokering arrangement. 6. Broker Customer Account for Settlement of Customer Trades – This shall refer to the separate cash account and margin account of the customer which shall be used exclusively for the settlement of securities brokering transactions. 7. Broker Customer Securities Account – This shall refer to customer securities held in accordance with securities brokering agreements such as securities held as margin and/or prior to the settlement of a customer securities transaction. “Subsec. X907.3 Segregation of Customer Funds and Securities. A bank which receives customer funds and securities in the performance of their securities brokering transactions shall keep these funds and securities separate from its own assets and liabilities. a. For securities brokering purposes, separate accounts, shall be opened and maintained by/for the customers, designated as follows: (1) “Broker Customer Account for Settlement of Customer Trades” where all funds pertinent to securities brokering transactions shall be lodged; and (2) “Broker Customer Securities Account” where all securities pertinent to securities brokering transaction of the customers shall be lodged. b. The bank must institute adequate risk management systems and controls to ensure protection of customer funds and securities, proper segregation of functions and prevention of conflict of interest situations that may arise in the conduct of securities brokering activities within the bank. “Subsec. X907.4 Accounting and Record Keeping. A bank shall make and keep current books and records relating to customer funds and securities which shall be maintained in the principal office of the bank. a. Customer Funds received by banks in its brokering activities shall be recorded in the liability account “Broker Customer Account for Settlement of Customer Trades”. This account shall be governed by the following guidelines: (1) All funds under this account are held by the bank in a fiduciary capacity. (2) It shall be free from any and all liens on the Bank’s assets and shall not be held to answer for any liability of the Bank. (3) It shall not earn interest and will not be included under the coverage of an insured deposit under Republic Act No. 3591, as amended. (4) It shall also be excluded from the monies/assets for which the BSP requires reserves. b. Securities received by banks in its brokering activities such as securities held as margin and/or held prior to the settlement of customer securities transaction shall be recorded as an off-balance sheet item under the “Broker Customer Securities Account” in the books of the bank proper. This account shall be governed by the following guidelines: (1) All securities under this account are held by the bank in a fiduciary capacity. (2) This shall be free from any and all liens on the Bank’s assets and shall not be held to answer for any liability of the Bank. (3) This shall also be excluded from the monies/assets for which the BSP provides reserve requirements. “Subsection X907.5 Receivership. Whenever a receiver is appointed by the Monetary Board for a bank which is authorized to engage in securities brokering activities,

“xxx “ xxx “xxx “ (e) Income From Securities Brokering Activities – This refers to fees and commissions income from securities brokering activities. “ (f) Securitization Activities – x x x “ (g) Income from Fiduciary Activities – x x x “ (h) Others - x x x “x x x “ CONTINGENT ACCOUNTS “ xxx “ 9. Others “ xxx “ (j) Broker Customer Securities Account – This refers to the customer securities representing the market value of securities held in accordance with securities brokering agreements such as securities held as margin and/or prior to the settlement of customer trade. “ (k) Other Contingent Accounts – x x x (b) Line Item Instructions “Schedule 1 – Cash and Other Cash Items (COCI) “x x x “Additional Information “Due from Philippine Clearing House Corporation (PCHC) – x x x “Cash Segregated for Customer Brokering Services – This refers to amount received from customer which shall be used exclusively for the settlement of securities brokering transactions. “Schedule 2 – Due from Other Banks “xxx “ Additional Information “ (1) x x x “(2) Special Reserve Bank Account For Securities Brokers – Report the amount of deposits maintained in another bank for the exclusive benefit of the customers in accordance with the provisions of Rule No. 49.2 of the Securities Regulation Code (SRC) on customer protection, in the case of banks and their financial allied subsidiaries that are duly registered by the SEC to act as securities brokers. “x x x “ Schedule 3 – Financial Assets Held for Trading “xxx “ On Debt Securities “ Report the fair value of the securities held for trading classified as to issuer of the securities. “ (a) Reserve and Liquidity Floor Requirement – x x x “ (c) Special Reserve Bank Account – Securities Held for the Exclusive Benefit of Customers – This refers to the net carrying amount of qualified securities held under a custody account with a BSP-authorized securities custodian, in accordance with the provisions of Rule No. 49.2 of the SRC on customer protection, in the case of banks and their financial allied subsidiaries that are duly-registered by the SEC to act as securities brokers. “x x x

M O N D AY : A U G U S T 24 , 2 0 1 5

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

Bloomberg TV Philippines a major milestone

Educational projects. Philab Industries Inc. signs a partnership agreement with China Educational

Instrument & Equipment Corp. to enhance science education in the Philippines. Philab chairman Tom Navasero (left) and CEIEC president Huang Gang discuss the partnership in China. The two companies will shortly implement a joint project to design, build and equip various educational facilities for the benefit of elementary to tertiary-level students in the Philippines.

THE recent launch of Bloomberg TV Philippines at the Makati Shangri-La augurs well as the country’s first ever 24hour business news channel is expected to elevate Filipinos’ business and financial literacy. This investment by PLDT through its media arm MediaQuest Holdings is a major milestone that will go a long way in highlighting the investment opportunities that the country has to offer to the international business community. As MediaQuest president and CEO Noel Lorenzana remarked, the partnership with Bloomberg will take business television programming to the next level.

Macy’s sock supplier ups Clark production dstrom in North America. “From 54 machines, we now have 200, so we’re up four times the knitting capacity, which was a lot A PREMIUM sock maker in Clark is of investment,” UET president Tommy Moose Jr. doubling its production next month in said. “Then we’ve added a beanie, scarves machines in anticipation of heavy pre-Christmas another building, then we added another factory in orders from clients in North America, the third building so it has been a very rapid investClark Development Corp. said Sunday. ment growth here in Clark,” he said. The company in the last five years quadrupled UET International Corp. has invested P276 mil- its production capacity. UET manufactures perforlion to produce as much as 10,00 pairs of high-end mance socks for athletes and sports enthusiasts for and specialized custom-end performance socks a 44 different customer-companies abroad. It ships day for shipment to stores such as Macy’s and Nor- 97 percent of the products to the United States. “Most of the designs are customized, designed by “Schedule 41 – Investment in Debt Securities Issued by LGUs and our customers and we make Loans Granted to LGUs – x x x samples here and we sent “x x x x x x” them, and then we go into Section 3. Revised Reports of the FRP under Circular No. 512, as production,” said Moose. Colorful performance amended dated 3 February 2006. Amendments to the Balance Sheet, Income Statements, Schedules 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 and 38 under Circular No. socks have found their way 512, as amended, dated 3 February 2006 are hereby attached as Annex B. in big leagues such as the National Basketball AssociSection 4. Revised reports of the Simplified FRP under Circular No. ation and the National Foot644, as amended dated 10 February 2009. Amendments to the Balance ball League in the US. Sheet, Income Statement, Schedules 1, 2, 6C, 7B and 38 under Circular Philippine Basketball No. 644, as amended, dated 10 February 2009 are hereby attached as Association players in the Annex C. Philippines have donned atSection 5. Transitory Provisions. Banks acting as securities brokers tractive socks that include shall report their securities brokering transactions in the FRP report format products of UET. (both solo and consolidated basis) issued under Circular No. 512, as UET is the maker of four amended dated 3 February 2006 and Circular No. 644, as amended dated major brands in Seattle, 10 February 2009, beginning with the reporting period ending 30 September Los Angeles, San Diego and 2015. North Carolina, and a small The submission of the additional report required under Section 1 of this portion of the athletic socks Circular shall commence from the reporting period ending 30 September are sold locally in the Philip2015. This report shall be submitted every 15th banking day after end of pines. One of its customers is reference month. The additional report shall be considered a provisional report template which may be revised by the BSP six (6) months from 30 Strideline, a leading socks September 2015 upon due notice to the concerned banks. brand in the US that has several product lines that Guidelines on the preparation and submission of the reports required include collegiate teams in under this Circular shall be covered by a separate issuance. the National Collegiate AthSection 6. Effectivity. This Circular shall take effect fifteen (15) letic Association, collection calendar days after its publication either in the Official Gazette or in a socks named after leading newspaper of general circulation. US cities and other custommade designs. UET employs 260 workers For the Monetary Board: in Clark working 12 hours daily and five says a week. Moose spent 25 years in (Sgd.) AMANDO M. TETANGCO, JR. the manufacturing business Governor in Shanghai, China. Aside from athletic socks, 14 August 2015 UET also manufactures scarves, headbands, beanies, Note: This Circular along with its annexes can be accessed at the BSP website: www.bsp.gov.ph under wristbands and other cold “Regulations\Circulars” weather and sports apparels.

By Othel V. Campos

With PLDT and Smart Communications president and CEO Napoleon L. Nazareno

Now more than ever, bringing crucial business information will come right smack in the center of our growing economy. Aside from focusing on local businessmen, executives and noteworthy individuals in the financial sector, Bloomberg TV Philippines will become a platform that would educate consumers and encourage aspiring entrepreneurs by helping viewers make sense of business news. While most of the content will be local, the news channel will also connect Filipinos to the goings-on outside the Philippines. Together with Noel Lorenzana and Cignal TV CEO Oscar “Ren-ren” Reyes Jr., the award-winning TV-5 news team will provide the journalistic backbone that is sure to change the way business news reporting is done in this country.

(Back row from left) Cignal TV’s Oscar Reyes Jr., Twink Macaraig, Mediaquest Holdings president and CEO Noel Lorenzana, Rod Nepomuceno, Digitel Mobile president and CEO Doy Vea. (Front row from left) Michael Alimurung, Shawn Yao, Jean De Castro, Regina Hing Lay, JP Ong and PLDT and SMART president and CEO Napoleon L. Nazareno

With (standing from left) Bloomberg TV Philippines hosts Rod Nepomuceno, Regina Hing Lay, Jean De Castro, Twink Macaraig, JP Ong and (seated from left) Michael Alimurung and Shawn Yao with Vic Agustin

With Ernesto “Bong “ Sta. Maria Jr., Chief Content Quality Audit Officer of TV5

TV-5 Director Atty. Ray Espinosa and PLDT SVP and Treasurer Anabelle Lim Chua

MONDAY: AUGUST 24, 2015

BUSINESS business@manilastandardtoday.com extrastory2000@gmail.com

GSIS selling 4 big properties Learnings from taking Graduate studies PURSUING higher education has taught me a lot of things. It has been a year of reports, case analysis and exams and I do HONEY MAE CASTILLO not have any regrets about it. Our professors always tell us that we should not stop learning new things, no matter how old we are. Although I am certain on pursuing my Graduate studies, I cannot deny the fact that I am still in the stage where I have so many questions. What am I passionate about? What career field do I really want to pursue? Will I pursue further studies after taking my master’s degree? What have I learned in my past experiences and mistakes that I will be able to share in the class? I think these are the questions that emerge when we reach a certain stage of maturity. We want to expose ourselves with various activities for additional knowledge and to measure how far we can go. Below are some of the realization and learnings that I had when I started taking my Master’s Degree.

Green LiGht

Strive for continuous improvement

I agree that as Lasallian Business Leaders, we should always aspire for excellence and continuous improvement. We must put in mind that everything we do is for the glory of God. I must learn how to share and communicate with other individuals. A good idea must not be kept to one’s self. It should be shared with others so they could also learn and enhance their knowledge. I graduated from Far Eastern University magna cum laude with a degree in BSC Finance. I have been trained to always do my best and to keep on pushing myself to learn new things. After graduation, I became a management trainee at Philippine National Bank and later on as an account officer with a rank of Assistant Manager 1 since January 2012. It has been a critical and challenging job but this did not hinder me from doing my best in servicing our clients. Stress is part of our daily transactions as we have to deliver the requirements of both internal and external customers. Despite the demands, I chose not to quit, as I am able to learn continuously. I have significantly developed my skills in negotiation, presentation and analysis of different industries through the preparation of credit recommendation. More than anything else, I am striving because I wanted to broaden my knowledge. I feel satisfied when I am able to achieve the target given to me. Efforts have paid off when I was promoted to Assistant Manager 2 in February 2015. I can relate this to the concept of kaizen, which is known as the practice of continuous improvement. Like various companies or firms, we have to aim for constant development to adapt to changes in the market and deliver the demands of our customers. We must not be afraid to accept change and embrace the fact that being complacent will not lead to success. This is one of the reasons why I took MBA, to discover and learn new things. We have to remember that it’s not the load that breaks us, it’s the way we carry it.

By Gabrielle H. Binaday

STATE pension fund Government Service Insurance System is set to auction three or four real estate properties, a top official said. GSIS president and general manager Robert Vergara told reporters the agency expects to prepare the three or four real estate properties for bidding “hopefully” by the last quarter. “Once we are able to determine the updated valuations for some of these properties, we’re hoping that we will be able to schedule one bidding or auction for our properties in the fourth quarter of the year,” said Vergara. Vergara did not identify the four real estate assets, but among the GSIS properties up for sale is the 18,500-square-meter lot being used by Metro Manila Development Authority in Barangay Ugong, Pasig City. Another big property is the 2,429-square-meter GSIS building in Legaspi Village, Makati City. Vergara earlier said the agency expected to raise P32 billion from

the privatization of its real estate assets, representing about 6 percent of the pension fund’s investment portfolio. Vergara said the fund would hang on to its 8,000-square-meter Bonifacio Global City property in Taguig. GSIS has not sold any sale real estate since the start of the year, after raising about P900 million from property sale in 2014. “We had not had a real estate sale yet this year. I think, we’re still trying to conduct an appraisal of all our properties. I just told our property group that there’s a lot of land in the provinces. Let’s see if there are any properties there that we might consider selling,” he said. Vergara said GSIS planned to hike its exposure to the stock market this year, despite the current market volatilities. He said the plan is to raise the

cap on equity investments to 30 percent of its total investible fund from the current l20 percent. GSIS saw net income plunge 69 percent in the first half to P29.6 billion from P94 billion a year ago, following the reclassification of its assets. “It’s about P64-billion drop, and that.. drop is not really a year-onyear drop because last year we reclassified all our healthy maturity portfolio at market value so we no longer have investments,” he said. Vergara said revenue in the first half also fell to P70 billion from P135 billion a year earlier. “We’re sort of struggling in 2015 both with equity market having hit a high in April and ...because our drawdown from peak in April,” he said. The agency’s claims and benefits and other expenses stood at P41.4 billion, almost the same with last year’s 41.3 billion. As of end-June, the pension fund investible income stood at P874 billion. Some P217 billion were allocated for loans, P409 billion for fixed income, P158 billion for equity, P31 billion for real estate and P57 billion cash.

Learn to prioritize things

I have learned to harmonize all aspects of my life. Things have changed and it will never be the same as before. I always thought of my priority list every time I have to make a decision. An example would be during the last Holy Week. I had a trip to Singapore on Mach 25 to 31, 2015 and I had an initial plan to stay in Manila to accomplish my school works and to review for my upcoming exams. However, I had misunderstanding with my boyfriend who is in the province taking up Medicine. My initial plan was to finish this term before I go home so I could set things straight and also to pay my parents a visit. It is quite hard to have a vacation and take a 12-hour bus travel when you know that you have so many upcoming deadlines and presentations. I was torn between staying in Manila and going home to Isabela. To be able to solve my dilemma, I went back to my priority list and reiterated to myself that family and loved ones are my top priority. After realizing this, I easily went home and visited everyone. If I hadn’t taken the time to go home then maybe, my boyfriend and I would have not settled our misunderstanding.

Learn to find contentment

Although we aim for excellence, we must learn how to be contented. At the start of each term, I always tell myself to perform better than in the previous term and if possible I should get a grade of four. However, there are things that we can’t control. The performance of a full-time student in college can no longer be compared to today’s situation. We are not just students’ anymore. We have other duties and responsibilities entrusted to us. I learned that not achieving your target does not mean that I am a failure. The maturity and learning of an individual cannot really be measured by numbers. The knowledge and skills that we acquired are found within us. An exam will not define who we really are.

Make new friends

Taking MBA helped me expand my network. More than the academic achievements, I was able to meet wonderful and fun people who became my buddies in completing each semester. I feel younger every time I go to class and see them. Since we only meet once or twice a week, we tend to catch up and help each other in assignments and projects. We were also able to attend our first school event, which is the Green Graduate Ball in February 2015. I saw a lot of people and really had a good time, considering the event was organized for a cause. Wherever we are, our friends make our world. I am currently in the stage where I want to discover what life has to offer. For now, I may not know what I really want to pursue or what I am passionate about. But one thing is for sure, taking MBA has significantly improved my understanding of life. With this, I will continue to aspire for excellence to become an inspiration to the other individuals. Life is indeed a continuous learning experience. Honey Mae Castillo is an MBA student at the Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business, De La Salle University. This article was taken from her blog written for the course Lasallian Business Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Social Responsibility. Visit her blog at https://hmrcastillo.wordpress.com/. The views expressed above are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official position of De La Salle University, its faculty, and its administrators.

Carmudi advocacy.

Online vehicle platform Carmudi has teamed up with Haribon Foundation to promote the conservation of the country’s rich biodiversity. The online ﬁrm joined as a “Katala” (Philippine Cockatoo) afﬁliate and will play a role of promoting pro-environment advocacies through Haribon’s online and social activities. Carmudi Philippines managing director Subir Lohani (left) said that being in the automotive industry, which has the reputation of one of the top contributors of carbon emission, is not a hindrance to safeguard the well-being of the planet.

Third-party energy consultants opposed By Alena Mae S. Flores FORMER Energy Secretary Francisco Viray has questioned the need for third-party consultants to conduct the competitive selection process for distribution utilities and electric cooperatives in securing power supply agreements. Viray, president of Trans-Asia Oil and Energy Development Corp., said the engagement of the third party would only create a new industry for consultants. The Energy Department earlier issued Circular No DC 2015-060008, which stated that after effectivity, “all DUs [distribution

utilities] shall procure PSAs only through CSP conducted through a third party duly recognized by the ERC [Energy Regulatory Commission] and DoE.” “In the case of ECs [electric cooperatives], the third party shall be dully recognized by the National Electrification Administration,” the circular said. The circular did not specify who will pay for the third party that would conduct the competitive selection process. The implementing guidelines of the circular has yet to be released. The qualifications or terms of reference for the selection of the

third party and engagement of the third party have also yet to be developed. The circular, according to industry stakeholders, is expected to affect distribution utilities that has sister companies engaged in power generation. “If that’s what is being targeted, then that is what should be addressed. Why allow cross ownership in the first place?” Viray said. The Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 allows cross ownership between distribution utilities and generation firms but sets a certain limit on the percentage of ownership.

M O N D AY : A U G U S T 24 , 2 0 1 5

WORLD

CESAR BARRIOQUINTO EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Koreas resume crisis talks Gunman grilled over links to Syria ARRAS, France— Authorities on Sunday interrogated a suspected jihadist gunman who was overpowered by passengers on a packed Amsterdam-Paris train, even as officials said he had visited Syria and was known to intelligence services. The alleged attacker, named as 25-year-old Moroccan national Ayob El Khazzani, opened fire with an assault rifle on Friday evening, but was wrestled to the floor by three American passengers who have been hailed as heroes. The shooting, which underlined the difficulties faced by intelligence services tracking an unprecedented number of potential jihadists, is expected to lead to tighter security for international train services in mainland Europe. Armed with a Kalashnikov assault rifle, a Luger automatic pistol, nine cartridge clips and a box-cutter, the attacker opened fire on board the highspeed train just after it crossed from Belgium into northern France. A French passenger tried to disarm Khazzani as he exited a toilet cubicle, but he got away and fired several shots. Then a FrancoAmerican traveler in his 50s clashed with the man and was shot and wounded. But the attack was quickly stopped when two off-duty US servicemen and their friend charged the gunman and restrained him. “I looked back and saw a guy enter with a Kalashnikov. My friends and I got down and then I said ‘Let’s get him’,” Alek Skarlatos, a 22-year-old member of the National Guard in Oregon who recently returned from Afghanistan, told France’s BFMTV. Spencer Stone, who serves in the US Air Force, was first to the gunman, who slashed him in the neck and almost sliced off his thumb with a box-cutter. AFP

SEOUL—North and South Korea resumed top-level crisis talks Sunday on avoiding a threatened military clash, even as Seoul accused Pyongyang of undermining the process with renewed naval and land deployments. The South Korean defense ministry said the North had doubled its artillery units at the border and deployed 50 submarines outside their bases. “The North is adopting a two-faced stance with the talks going on,” a ministry official said. The discussions at the border truce village of Panmunjom resumed in the afternoon after a marathon negotiating session the night before ended in the early hours without final agreement. Analysts saw the decision to keep talking as a positive sign, with the presidential Blue House in Seoul saying the two sides would “continue to narrow down differences”. But the gaps to be bridged are daunting, with both militaries on

maximum alert and flexing their weaponry across a border that has already seen one exchange of artillery fire. Pyongyang is threatening a concerted military attack unless Seoul switches off banks of loudspeakers that have been blasting high-decibel propaganda messages into North Korea for the past week. Seoul says Pyongyang must first apologize for the land mine explosions that maimed two members of a border patrol earlier this month. The North denies any role in those blasts and is extremely unlikely to apologize, while the South will not accept a compromise that might be seen to reward Pyongyang’s

belligerence. “The two sides may be able to come up with a statement in which some sort of ‘regret’ is expressed without explicitly naming the North as a responsible party,” said Jeung Young-Tae, an analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul. “But I don’t think such a vague statement will work this time,” Jeung said, stressing that the case of the maimed soldiers—both of whom lost legs—had become an emotional issue in the South. “So I think the best outcome of this meeting will be an agreement for another high-level meeting in the future, such as defense ministerial talks,” he added. That would leave open the issue of the propaganda broadcasts, which Seoul had vowed to continue in the face of an ultimatum from Pyongyang to desist or face military action. Despite Pyongyang’s past record of making

dramatic but largely unrealised threats, the ultimatum sent tensions soaring to their highest level for years, with the North re-positioning artillery units and South Korean and US fighter jets flying simulated

NOTICE OF DISSOLUTION Notice is hereby given that the Board of Directors of PINOY CNG-FUEL CORPORATION in its annual meeting on March 30, 2014 at Brgy. Tubigan, Biñan, Laguna unanimously approved to its resolution to dissolve/close the operation of aforesaid corporation effective May 31, 2014 for the reason that its intended business did not push through. (Sgd) Jane A. Lim, Corporate Secretary (TS-AUG. 24, 31 & SEPT. 7, 2015)

NOTICE OF DISSOLUTION Notice is hereby given that the Board of Directors of AMICO CNG TECH, INC. in its annual meeting on March 30, 2014 at Brgy. Tubigan, Biñan, Laguna unanimously approved to its resolution to dissolve/close the operation of aforesaid corporation effective May 31, 2014 for the reason that its intended business did not push through.

INVITATION TO BID 1.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), invites bidders to apply for eligibility and to bid for the hereunder requirement:

For fast ad results, please call Advertising Department 832-5547 (DL); 832-5550 (Telefax);

(Sgd) Jane A. Lim, Corporate Secretary

Republic of the Philippines Province of Bataan City of Balanga BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE OFFICE Invitation to Bid No. Goods-061-2015 The Provincial Government of Bataan, through the General Fund61 intends to apply the below listed procurement w/ corresponding Approved Budget of the Contract (ABC). Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening. Name of Project Supply & Delivery of Medicines for the use of Jose C. Payumo Memorial Hospital and Orani District Hospital

Approved Budget of the Contract (ABC) =P=3,388,587.75

The Provincial Government of Bataan now invites bids for the above listed Procurement. Delivery of goods is required on or before the maturity date stipulated on contract. Bidders should have completed, at least one (1) contract that is similar to the contract to be bid. 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 non-discretionary 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”. Bidding is open to all interested bidders, whether local or foreign, subject to the conditions for eligibility provided in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

Name of Requirement/Brief Description

Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC)

Interested bidders may obtain further information from Office of Bataan Bids & Awards Committee and inspect the Bidding Documents from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. at the same office.

One (1) Lot – Rental/Lease of Brand New Comfort Room Sanitizer Dispensers (maximum of 709 units), including fluid refill and maintenance, for use in the BSP Main Complex for a period of One (1) Year, as per BSP Terms of Reference

Php2,127,000.00, VAT inclusive

Bid documents will be available only to eligible bidders upon payment of a non-refundable amount of using standard rates approved by GPPB as stated on their Resolution No. 04-2012 listed below. Approved Budget for the Contract

Contract Period: One (1) year commencing from date of actual supply of comfort room sanitizers and complete installation/operation of a maximum of 709 units of dispenser. The installation of dispensers, which shall be undertaken during office hours, shall be completed within fifteen (15) calendar days reckoned from the date stipulated in the Notice to Proceed to be issued by the Facilities Management and Engineering Department.

North Korean counterpart Hwang Pyong-So, a close confidante of leader Kim Jong-Un. They were the highestlevel inter-Korean talks for nearly a year—a reflection of the seriousness of the situation. AFP

(TS-AUG. 24, 31 & SEPT. 7, 2015)

BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE – HEAD OFFICE

bombing runs. The negotiations in Panmunjom, where the 1950-53 Korean War ceasefire was signed, are being led by South Korean national security adviser Kim Kwan-Jin and his

Bidders should have completed from Y2010 to present a contract similar to the requirement. The Eligibility Check/Screening and Preliminary Examination of Bids shall use non-discretionary “pass/fail” criteria. Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships/partnerships/, or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines, and to citizens or organizations of a country the laws or regulations of which grant similar rights or privileges to Filipino citizens. All particulars and activities relative to Eligibility of Bidders, Bid Security, Performance Security, Pre-bid Conference(s), Evaluation of Bids, Post-qualification and Award of Contract shall be governed by Republic Act No. 9184 and its revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR). Activities a.Issuance of Bid Documents

Schedule

Venue

Starting 24 August 2015 (from 9:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. only)

Procurement Office, Room 212, 2/F, 5-Storey Bldg., BSP Main Complex, Malate, Manila Tel. / Fax Nos. 708-7118/3062567; 708-7115

b. Pre-bid Conference

09 September 2015; 9:30 A.M.

c. Opening of Bids

21 September 2015; 2:00 P.M.

MR2A Conference Room, 2/F, 5-Storey Bldg., BSP Main Complex, Malate, Manila

The bidding documents are posted at the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the BSP Website (www.bsp.gov.ph). Prospective bidders may download the bidding documents from any of these websites; provided that bidders shall pay a non-refundable fee of Php5,000.00 at the address above prior to, or upon submission of their bids.

The pre-bid conference shall be open to interested parties. However, only those who have purchased the bidding documents shall be allowed to participate in the pre-bid conference and raise or submit written queries or clarifications. To ensure completeness and compliance of bids, bidders are advised to send not more than two (2) technical and/ or administrative representatives who will prepare the bidding documents.

The BSP assumes no responsibility whatsoever to compensate or indemnify any bidder for expenses incurred in the preparation of bid.

The BSP reserves the right to reject any bid, declare a failure of bidding, not award the contract, annul the bidding process and reject all bids at any time prior to award of contract, without thereby incurring any liability to affected bidders. Further, the BSP reserves the right to waive any minor defects or formality and to accept the proposal most advantageous to the agency.

500,000 and below

500.00

More than 500,000 up to 1 Million

1,000.00

More than 1 Million up to 5 Million

5,000.00

More than 5 Million up to 10 Million

10,000.00

More than 10 Million up to 50 Million

25,000.00

More than 50 Million up to 500 Million

50,000.00

More than 500 Million

75,000.00

The Provincial Government of Bataan will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on August 27, 2015 at 10:00 A.M at Provincial BAC Office, PEO Capitol Compound, Balanga City, Bataan, which shall be open only to all interested parties who have purchased the Bidding Documents. Bids must be delivered on or before September 09, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. at Provincial BAC Office, PEO Capitol Compound, Balanga City, Bataan. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated on IRR of RA 9184 and Bid Securing Declaration in standard form. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend opening of Bids at Bataan BAC Office. Late bids shall not be accepted. In case of the above dates is declared a special Non-Working Holidays, it will automatically reset on the next working days. Other necessary information deemed relevant by the Provincial Government of Bataan Activities Schedule 1. Advertisement/Posting of Invitation to Bid August 20 – August 26, 2015 2. Eligibility Check Refer to date of Opening of Bids 3. Issuance and availability of Bidding Documents August 20 – September 09, 2015 4. Request for Clarification August 28, 2015 5. Opening of Bids September 09, 2015 The Provincial Government of Bataan 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: Engr. Josephine R. Valenzuela Provincial BAC / PEO Bataan Provincial BAC / PEO Office, Capitol Compound, Balanga City, Bataan 047-237-9316 bac@bataan.gov.ph

(SGD.) SILVINA Q. MAMARIL-ROXAS Chairperson ( T S - A U G U S T 2 4 , 2 015 )

Maximum Cost of Bidding Documents (in Philippine Peso)

(TS-AUG, 24, 2015)

(SGD) ENRICO T. YUZON BAC CHAIRMAN

M O N D AY : A U G U S T 24 , 2 0 1 5

ceSAr bArriOqUiNTO EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

world

Waiting for Francis. Tourists wait for Pope Francis’ Sunday Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s square at the Vatican on August 23, 2015. AFP

Two babies from giant panda Ukraine holidaymakers are flocking to Odessa ODESSA—Irina Chapravska has just snapped up the last room of a luxury hotel that costs 300 euros ($335) a night and offers a panoramic view of Ukraine’s serene Black Sea coastline. But this is not Crimea, whose pebble beaches have long been a favored summer destination for millions across the former Soviet Unionuntil, that is, Russia controversially seized the peninsula from Ukraine last year. The senior company manager and swarms of tourists around her are lounging instead in the historic port of Odessa, 150 kilometers to the west. “There is no more Crimea. So here I am in Odessa instead,” Chapravska said from behind a huge pair of sunglasses by a shimmering rooftop pool.

She and her nine-year-old son first caught the rays in Cyprus and Italy’s island of Sardinia before heading to Ukraine’s biggest port, a culturally diverse and thriving mecca. Most of New York’s exSoviet Jewish diaspora came from this city, which latterly has drawn younger generations seeking out its rather wild nightlife. But neither Odessa nor other noteworthy destinations farther west –from the ancient cultural capital Lviv to Ukraine’s patch of the Carpathian Mountains—have ever witnessed an influx of revelers similar to the one testing their creaky infrastructure today. Soviet-era boarding houses and basic flats are being rented out at daily rates approaching a third of Ukrainians’ average monthly incomes. AFP

WASHINGTON—A rare giant panda called Mei Xiang gave birth to twin cubs at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington on Saturday, apparently surprising delighted zoo officials who had expected just one baby. A first tiny cub—pink, hairless and only about the size of an adult mouse—was born at 5:35 pm (2135 GMT) and Mei Xiang reacted by tenderly picking up the cub. Immediately after the zoo announced the birth, the live video feed from her straw-lined enclosure appeared to have crashed, likely due to a high volume of viewers, the zoo said. “All of us are thrilled that Mei Xiang has given birth. The cub is vulnerable at this tiny size but we know Mei is an excellent mother,” zoo director Dennis Kelly said. Pandas are famously challenging to breed in captivity, but just when conservationists thought they had heard all the good news, the zoo tweeted just a few hours later: “We

can confirm a second cub was born at 10:07. It appears healthy. The birth of the twins appeared to be a surprise because the zoo’s Twitter feed had only previously referred to the expected birth of a single cub. The mother panda’s care team had begun preparing after they saw Mei Xiang’s water break about an hour before the first birth. They hope to carry out neonatal exams in the coming days and won’t know the cubs’ sex until a later date. Mei Xiang (“beautiful fragrance”), 17, was artificially inseminated in April with frozen semen from a male giant panda named Hui Hui that resides at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant

Panda in Sichuan province. She was also inseminated with fresh semen from the zoo’s male giant panda Tian Tian. DNA tests will establish which is the father. Mei Xiang had a cub in 2005 which was sent to China, and another, Bao Bao is now two years old and lives with her in Washington. But she also lost at least two other cubs, one that was stillborn in 2013 and another that lived just six days in 2012. This year, Mei Xiang exhibited signs of pregnancy in July that included sleeping more, eating less, building a nest and spending more time in her den. The zoo said Mei Xiang will spend almost all her time in her den for the next two weeks. The enclosure will be closed to provide quiet, though online “panda cams” provide a video stream of the creatures. On Tuesday, Malaysia announced that a giant panda at its National Zoo, Liang Liang, had given birth. The newborn’s sex has yet to be determined. AFP

Beaches closed after new shark attack SYDNEY—Several beaches on Australia’s east coast remained closed Sunday after a body boarder was seriously hurt in a shark attack, just weeks after two others were badly mauled at a nearby region. A 38-year-old man was body boarding with a friend off Lighthouse Beach, about 400 kilometers north of Sydney, late Saturday afternoon when he was attacked and suffered “life-threatening injuries”, New South Wales state police said. He was treated at Port Macquarie Hospital for stomach and back wounds and was in a stable condition on Sunday morning, a hospital

spokeswoman told AFP. Beaches in the Port Macquarie and Hastings area remained closed on Sunday. The latest attack came less than a month after a 52-year-old surfer sustained serious arm and leg injuries after being bitten at Evans Head, about 350 kilometers north of Lighthouse Beach. In the same area, a 32-yearold surfer’s legs were mauled by a shark in early July and in February, a 41-year-old Japanese surfer died after his legs were torn off in an attack. The spate of attacks prompted

authorities to boost the monitoring and tagging of sharks off the coast, with world-renowned experts temporarily based in the region to lead the project ahead of the busy summer season. But the latest encounter was “quite unusual as there haven’t been reports of shark activity in that (Port Macquarie) region for ages”, a Surf Life Saving spokeswoman told AFP. The state government has ruled out culling sharks, but is also undertaking a review of new control technologies with a report to be completed by next month. AFP

Hot in Japan. A young girl gets splashed from water guns at the Water Splash Run in an amusement park in Yokohama, in suburban Tokyo, on August 23. Some 12,000 summer vacationers were to have taken part in the two-day event to enjoy a water-soaked event. AFP

M O N D AY : A U G U S T 24 : 2 0 1 5

TATUM ANCHETA EDITOR

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

BERNADETTE LUNAS

life @ thestandard.com .ph

WRITER

@LIFEatStandard

E AT, DRINK , T R AV EL

LIFE

HOLED UP: The QC Edition BY IZZY WARREN GONZALEZ PHOTOS BY ALEXIES SANTIAGO

here does the term “hole-inthe-wall” come from? One of the world’s oldest holes in walls is the Hole in the Wall pub in Bristol, a small ways away from London in the UK, and its history says that this Hole in the Wall was named for a spy hole that enabled 18th century sailors and smugglers to keep watch for customs men and press gangs. The pub was allegedly a prime recruitment hub for the Royal Navy, and men would wake up after an inebriated night only to find themselves at sea. While people are in safe hands now, what with conscription laws being in place and everything, they’d be in for a surprise when

they check out these holes-inthe-wall in Quezon City. As San Miguel Pure Foods Culinary Center Service Manager Llena Arcenas said, “We’re very fortunate to have come across these entrepreneurs, who are, from the looks of it, dedicated to quality and integrity than sheer profitability,” indicating the food and beverage businesses included on the San Miguel Pure Foods Culinary Center Food Crawl (#smpfccfoodcrawl) held recently in and around Quezon City. “They have yet to decide whether or not to sacrifice taste for cost, flavor for consistency, satisfaction for turnaround. It’s a beautiful thing to behold, especially if you’re in the business of food, to see restaurateurs who live to cook, rather than proprietors who cook to live.”

1) Middle Eastern Madness

Meshwe, Z Compound, Maginhawa Street, Teacher’s Village, UP Campus, Quezon City

2) B bold, B better, B BIG

Big B, Magiting Street, Teacher’s Village, UP Campus, Quezon City

3) Lima Linamnam

Mantaro, Scout Tobias Street, Quezon City

Two of Big B's owners, Joelle Yuviengco and Pibo Bagadion

Bacon. Burgers. Fries covered in gravy. Awesomesauce. More bacon. Waffles. Pink Lemonade. The meat sweats. These are what one can expect from Big B, along with a 50 percent beef/50 percent bacon burger patty, clever non-sequitur titles such as “Poutine ng Ina Mo,” “Pink Potion With Feelings,” and a staff that is as excited to be working as the diners are to be eating (as they are the ones who serve things, With Feeling). Big B began when co-owners Erik Galvez and Joelle Yuvienco grilled up burgers during breaks while at college, and started selling them at the different tambayans on campus. When it started to look like a business opportunity more than just a very fun, very taxing hobby, the two approached their biggest (by this we mean staunchest) fan and asked him to invest. Today, it is going strong as ever – despite until recently buying their ingredients at retail prices rather than directly approaching distributors for their waffle mix, bacon, sausage patties, and the like. Truly an example of what happens when a passion project is given enough time, effort, and bacon to grease the wheels of progress.

Chef Luis Higa of Mantaro

Pollo con Arroz with Beet Salad

A small, clean, well-lit, brightly-colored chicken joint on a quiet residential street is not usually the first thing that pops into one’s mind upon hearing, “hole-in-the-wall” – except for the fact that it is so small that if you blink, you just might miss it. What sets Mantaro apart is that it is the brainchild of Chef Luis Higa and wife Candy of Don Andres fame. A Peruvian national of Japanese descent, Higa is the most adorable chef one could ever hope for, his gentle nature unperturbed by the fire and grit of running a kitchen. Succulent Pollo a la Brasa with three sauces, Salad Russe, and a heaping serving of rice is a plate big enough to keep you coming back.

4) Stomach for Adventure

Gourmet Gypsy, 25 Don A. Roces Ave., Diliman, Quezon City

Mini Pavlovas

Chicken Shawarma and Cheese Sambousak

Muhallabia

Meshwe owner Nathan Mounayer

Within the Z Compound, a destination food court famous for its offbeat character and artistic vibe, Meshwe is an oasis of Lebanese flavor among the burgers, pizzas, and poutines that populate Z. Born out of Nathaniel Mounayer’s desire to educate the Philippine palate on shawarma, kababs, and doners, Meshwe has been a delight to all since it opened in 2013. Mounayer himself grew up in the Middle East, came to the Philippines to study Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Santo Tomas, worked and trained in Jeddah, Beirut, and Dubai before returning to the Philippines to open shop with his brother Noel and their mother Aurora. If you’d like to sink your teeth into some Meshwe goodness, such as their Chicken Shawarma, Cheese Sambousak, or Muhallabia, show up early! Food runs out, especially on weekends. This is seemingly a problem any restaurateur would be glad to have.

Gourmet Gypsy Art Cafe

Saffron Arancini

Again, not exactly the best example of a “hole-in-thewall,” Gourmet Gypsy is a converted split-level house with beautiful accoutrements, clean structural lines, and a cozy garden. More of an “off-the-beaten-track” place than a “place I can’t bring my mother to,” Gourmet Gypsy is the brainchild of Chef Waya Araos, formerly of Kiss the Cook on Maginhawa street. Eclectic and exotic, the menu is just like the décor: saffron aroncini, eloté Mexicano, Vietnamese hot wings, and a tangy, scintillating passion fruit pavlova if you’re in the mood for something sweet that you won’t ever feel guilty about. Big B's original burger Big B (Beef x Bacon)

Poutine ng Ina Mo with Purefoods Bacon Crumble

Final word:

We all have one of those “dive places we know nearby that aren’t much to look at on the surface, but have certain special characteristics that make you look past the dodgy loo, the militant bum out by the corner, or the miles of sketchy neighborhood you have to pass through to get there.” This special characteristic can be anything; from the food, the drinks, the cute waitress with the dimples that always gives you extra coffee at no charge, and so on. One thing however remains clear: a hole-in-the-wall isn’t just any cavity in some structure somewhere. It’s yours.

M ONDAY : AUGUST 24 : 2015

LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

STAYCATION CHRONICLES: Hitting the slots If you're treating yourself to a weekend of pure pleasure – which may or may not include going THE GIST to the spa, BY ED BIADO lounging by the pool, some retail therapy, lots of good food and perhaps trying your luck out at a casino at one in the morning – you have to complete the experience by staying at a fivestar property, like the Marriott Hotel Manila. The Gist was fortunate enough to be invited to spend a night at this topnotch hotel, giving us the opportunity to enjoy one of the best hospitality options in the metropolis. The room we were billeted at, located on the seventh floor, has the most arresting view of the Villamor Golf Course with the Makati and Bonifacio Global City skyline serving as the backdrop. Each of the 342 guest rooms and suites are designed around the needs of the modern traveler, with such features as premium Wi-Fi capability, a 40-inch flatscreen TV with a full suite of input options, media player docks and an exclusive line of Thann aromatherapy bath and body amenities. The bathroom is luxuriously oversized, complete with bathtub and overhead shower, just how we like it.

View of Makati/BGC skyline from the seventh floor

Each guest room has an oversized bathroom

Deluxe guest room

Personalized welcome message on the TV screen

The welcome snack platter is a point of interest, as it features all things mango: mango juice, dried mango, what seems to be a bar of mango-flavored white chocolate and of course, a mango fruit. We're assuming that this is a nod to the local culture, which foreign guests will thoroughly be intrigued by. Another nice touch is the personalized welcome message flashed on the TV screen. There are lots to do at the hotel alone; you don't even have to venture out to the rest of Resorts World Manila. There's an outdoor pool open till 9 p.m. and a

24-hour health club with sauna, steam room and hot whirlpools. The Quan Spa is a focal point, the hotel's “signature spa that promises to revive the body and soul with a multitude of services” and exquisite treatments, which you'll need after a whole day of shopping, movies and gaming. While there, also try one or all of the hotel's restaurants; our favorite is Cru Steakhouse. Dining at Marriott is a guaranteed delight as the property was named the overall champion at this year's Philippine Culinary Cup (Professional Division) on the strength of three gold,

11 silver and eight bronze medals won by its world-class chefs. Marriott Hotel Manila has been going though a series of improvements lately. It recently launched the 31,000 square-feet Marriott Grand Ballroom, pegged as the country's “grandest and biggest ballroom” that's made to accommodate 2,500 guests banquet-style and 3,800 guests theaterstyle. The hotel is also set to open its West Wing in January 2016, housing an additional 228 rooms. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @EdBiado

Superior lounge experience from Etihad Airways

The new premium lounge of Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi offers a wide range of facilities for the diverse needs of business and luxury travelers.

he refurbished First and Business Class Lounge of Etihad Airways at Abu Dhabi Airport’s Terminal 1 is expected to enhance the experience of passengers. The recently reopened upgraded facility – measuring an impressive 1,044 square meters – has seating for 134 guests and a design inspired by the airline’s new branding. According to Shane O’Hare, Etihad Airways’ senior vice president for marketing, the upgraded lounge “embodies the contemporary design, attention to detail, and customer focus synonymous with Etihad Airways. Our guests travelling from and transiting through Abu Dhabi Terminal 3, and now Terminal 1, will start their journey with a superior lounge experience in a stylish and well-equipped environment where they can relax and re-charge.” Abu Dhabi is said to be the new luxury travel gateway to Europe for Filipino business and leisure travellers. The Terminal 1 Premium Lounge is open to Etihad Airways First and Business Class guests, qualifying Platinum Etihad Guest members and the equivalent-tier loyalty program members of Etihad

and beverage service with a choice of restaurant-style dining and a sumptuous buffet complemented by an extensive selection of beverages. The renowned Six Senses Spa in the lounge, which has also been completely refurbished, promotes health and wellbeing. Lounge guests can enjoy a refreshing, complimentary 15-minute spa session prior to boarding flights. A range of other spa treatments is also available by appointment.

Airways partner airlines flying from Abu Dhabi. Open 24 hours, the new Terminal 1 Premium Lounge offers a range of facilities catering to the diverse needs of today’s travelers. The upgraded facility includes comfortable armchairs, a dedicated dining area, state-of-the-art business amenities, complimentary Wi-Fi connectivity, USB power outlets, bathrooms with shower facilities, and a playroom for children. Lounge guests will also be treated to Etihad Airways’ signature food

The Terminal 1 Premium Lounge complements the existing suite of Etihad Airways lounges at Abu Dhabi International Airport. This includes the Terminal 3 Premium Lounge and the recently opened US Premium Lounge, located in the US Pre-clearance facility, which is available exclusively for First and Business Class guests travelling to the USA. The airline also offers the region’s only Arrivals Lounge for guests travelling to Abu Dhabi. Etihad’s lounge network is further expanding with a dedicated First Class Lounge in Abu Dhabi, and new facilities planned for New York, Los Angeles and Melbourne. For more information, visit: www.etihad.com

M ONDAY : AUGUST 24 : 2015

LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

A LOOK AT WINE OPENERS (Part 1)

Breaking a wine cork could be one of the most frustrating things in the world for a SIP BY SIP wine lover. BY SHERWIN A. LAO A perfectly good wine that will have cork droppings after a cork is removed is also tantamount to a major crime. Yet we encounter this quite often at home as well as in restaurants where waitstaffs struggle to open wines with their different wine openers. While drinking wine is relaxing, opening wine could be stressful to many. I think it is about time we take a more serious look at the different kinds of wine openers and see how each one functions in removing the cork that protects and preserves our wines.

SIX DIFFERENT KINDS OF WINE OPENERS

1. The Winged Corkscrew a.k.a. Butterfly Corkscrew This is probably the most common opener you will see in restaurants, supermarkets and liquor shops here in the country. All of these winged corkscrews are made in China and cheaply available at between P150.00 to P200.00. I really despise this opener as it is by far the most unreliable of all cork pullers. First, there is no sharp blade or knife in this corkscrew, so removing the foil of the bottle is already a

The Winged Corkscrew – the cheapest, most readily available, though My opener of choice, the Waiter's Friend, including my prized possession, The Ah-So Cork Puller - the opener that keeps the cork in pristine condition. the Laguiole corkscrew. unreliable wine opener.

challenge. Then the “screw part” or spiral bit is too coarse and more often than not, tears the cork apart. After the screw enters the cork, the butterfly wings go up in synchronized form, then you have to push both the wings down to release the cork. It may look aesthetically nice, but this opener sucks. 2. The Waiter’s Friend Corkscrew To me, any self-respecting wine person needs to have this waiter’s friend as his basic wine opener. Other openers can be part of a wine accessory collection. There are several models for this type of opener, but my favorite will be the double-lever version. This type of waiter’s friend allows the cork to be pulled out in two steps, leveraging each lift to avoid cracking the whole cork as the wine is being opened. There is still no guarantee of not breaking a cork with this opener, but the more you use, the more you will be adept to it.

The waiter’s friend is not very expensive, but if you long for the “Rolls-Royce” of waiter’s friend corkscrews, there is the French made Laguiole corkscrew. The Laguiole corkscrew is made in Auvergne, France, hand-crafted individually by artisans like an expensive Swiss watch, and uses traditional craftsmanship dating back to 1829. The Laguiole costs more than many premium wines, and is easily between P5,000.00 to P10,000.00 per corkscrew. 3. The `Ah-So’ a.k.a. Two-Prong Cork Puller This is a German engineered wine opener, using two unequal steel prongs to pull the cork out. The concept is to insert the two prongs in between the cork and the bottle, and then to twist and pull the cork until the cork slides out. I am not a huge fan of this opener in general, but for old vintage wines

that will have brittle corks, the Ah-So is by far the best opener to get the entire cork out. This opener can also rescue corks that break into half inside the bottle by pulling out the remaining cork piece better than other openers that tend to further shred the rest of the cork. Sadly though, this opener can be used by dishonest wine traders for substituting the actual wine content from its bottle, as the opener can leave no trace, nor hole on the original cork when being opened nor closed. We will continue with the last three kinds of wine openers in our next column. For comments, inquiries, wine event coverage, and other wine related concerns, please e-mail me at protegeinc@yahoo.com. I am a proud member of the Federation Internationale des Journalists et Ecrivains du Vin et des Spiritueux or FIJEV since 2010. You can also follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/sherwinlao.

HAPPY WHISKY SOUR DAY! If Catholics have days to celebrate s a i nt s , an d the government proclaims TIPPLE TALES national days to honor or BY ICY MARIÑAS re m e mb e r someone or something (and allow people to take a break from work/school/responsible life), we imbibers can take comfort in the fact that we, too, rejoice on specific days for specific drinks. I am pleased to announce that tomorrow, August 25, is National Whisky Sour Day (cue marching band and fireworks). This humble yet very charming cocktail belonging to the cocktail family of “sours” is primarily composed of a base liquor – in this case whisky – lime or lemon, and a sweetener – sugar, syrups, triple sec, etc. (and the optional egg white, which adds a silky, velvety texture to the drink, and softens the kick of the alcohol). If a bar doesn’t have those basic ingredients, they should just shut their doors forever! Though misjudged as a girly drink, trust me, this drink knows no gender. Cocktail snobs or novice drinkers, this will definitely hit the spot. First formally listed in Jerry Thomas’s 1862 book, How to Mix Drinks (though it has variations dating back to the 1700s), the whisky sour is probably the grandfather of all

Herbivore Galore

The 'Sour' is born

the sours and as such, demands our respect. Necessity is the mother of invention and this beverage came about to help English sailors prevent scurvy (a disease caused by Vitamin C deficiency) while crossing the vast seas. Of course, lemon by itself is hard to swallow, but add some liquor and you’ve got an enjoyable drink. The sailors brought it to the mainland and – as a play on the famous line – the ‘sour’ was born. It has the perfect combination of citrusy tartness, mild sweetness and warmth from the alcohol. I personally prefer it shaken and served straight up (with the egg white), so it stops the dilution. Some like it on the rocks. Whatever floats your boat!

Classic Whisky

As with all the classics, we need to be reminded that these serve as the foundation for the newer, more complex drinks out there. When all else fails, the whisky sour is an old reliable. Sounds boring, I know. But like the solid groundwork for unusual and innovative architecture, we can use the whisky sour as the basis for some really amusing and unexpected twists. In observance of this special day, I went to ABV Bar (along Jupiter St., Makati), to meet with Lee Watson and have some fun with this classic. Lee shares that the whisky sour is ABV’s best selling cocktail. Automatically, I knew the cocktail gods have guided me here. THIS is the right place! He first makes a simple classic whisky sour with Jim Beam. All ingredients in a

Angels Envy

cocktail shaker, dry shaken (Lee recommends to have one ice in it, against none) to create a foamy consistency, opened the shaker, added ice, sealed and shook that steel cocktail tin vigorously, strained into a chilled coupé and added a few dashes of Angostura bitters. The whisky sour is generally served neat with an elegant foamy presentation, but Lee personally prefers it on the rocks. The next whisky cocktail version he made had Glenfiddich 12, elderflower syrup, lemon juice, rosemary and basil (sans egg). Served on the rocks and garnished with fresh rosemary and basil, this drink is an herbal take on the whisky sour. It doesn’t have a name yet, so I christened it “Herbivore Galore.” Continued on C4

M O N D AY : A U G U S T 24 : 2 0 1 5

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HAPPY WHISKY SOUR DAY From C3

As the night and the conversations started getting more interesting, our whisky cocktails got more daring. Lee then prepared it with Angel’s Envy, a hard-to-find, not available in Manila bourbon, finished in port barrels, leaving a sweet finish. This is special, people! He designed the drink for a special customer who asked for something special. It’s made of port-finished bourbon, simple syrup, lime (instead of lemon), egg white and chocolate bitters and served straight up. The way the bitters react to the port finish bourbon gave off an aromatic, cinnamon nose to it. It has the perfect balance of tartness and sweetness; and most especially, the nose of this drink was just absolutely dreamy! You know when a whisky sour is good, you’re so into it, you don’t mind getting a white mustache from the egg foam, similar to the ‘”Got Milk?” advertising campaign. I thoroughly enjoyed wearing that mustache! I’ll leave you with the two most audacious, or as Lee would say, “inappropriate” whisky sour variations he came up with. Some of you may cringe and scream sacrilege! And say, “Why? Why oh why?!” We say, “It’s just 'cause we can!” LOL.

The awesome Chocolate Hills at sunset, lending its magic to the horizon.

MERCURY RISING BY BOB ZOZOBRADO

The captivating “man-made” forest en route to the Chocolate Hills.

THOSE MAGICAL HILLS

T F*ckin’ Around with Expensive Toys (P800)

Ingredients: 1 ½ oz. Thomas Handy (limited release, barrel proof, expensive and hard to get) ¼ Chartreuse yellow V.E.D. (barrel aged) ¼ apricot liqueur ¼ agave ¾ lemon juice egg white grapefruit peel Directions: Put all ingredients except for the grapefruit peel in a shaker with some ice and shake. Strain, put back in shaker and do a dry shake (without ice). Strain into chilled glass. Twist the grapefruit peel to release oil on the glass and top with grapefruit peel to garnish.

The Pineda (P1200)

1 ½ oz. Octomore (the peatiest single malt anywhere! And my personal favorite.) ¾ oz. fresh lemon juice ¾ oz. simple syrup Directions: Put all ingredients in a tin shaker. Ice it up. Shake vigorously. Strain into chilled old-fashioned glass with ice. Top with lemon oil and use peel as garnish. Disclaimer: I did not drink all these by myself, I had friends with me, honest! Happy National Whisky Sour Day, everyone! Drink up! ABV is located at the basement floor, 22 Jupiter corner Galaxy Street, Bel-Air, Makati City, Philippines. For more information call (02) 832 5330 or visit their website at www.abv.ph. Follow me on Instagram @sanvicentegirl

he approximately 1,700 Chocolate Hills of Bohol are dome-shaped, almost symmetrical mounds that go as high as 120 meters and are made of grass-covered limestone. They are scattered over an area of a little more than 50 square kilometers, covering the towns of Carmen, Batuan and Sagbayan. They are usually covered with green vegetation, but during the summer, the foliage dries up and turns brown, making the area look like endless rows of Hershey’s Kisses. Since these mounds are the province’s most famous tourist attraction, former governor Erico Aumentado made sure that none of the local townsfolk would embark on any activity that might damage them. He passed an ordinance prohibiting the issuance of quarry permits in the towns where the Chocolate Hills are found, to forestall any degradation of this unique geological wonder, including the plains between, connecting and surrounding them. There are many theories explaining how these unique land forms came about but the plaque at the Chocolate Hills’ viewing deck in the town of Carmen picks out one as the most logical – “they were formed ages ago by the uplift of coral deposits and the action of rain water and erosion.” Other theories have not been substantiated and thus, disregarded. But for those who prefer the magical approach, three legends explain how these hills were formed. The first one appeals to those who love action films. It tells the story of two feuding giants who hurled boulders and sand at each other for so many days. When they got exhausted, they forgot their feud and became friends. Happy with their newfound friendship, they scuttled off merrily, forgetting to clean up the mess they earlier made. The second tale is for those who cry over romantic telenovelas. It tells of an extremely powerful and youthful giant named Arogo. He fell in love with a mortal, Aloya. Their love for each other blossomed happily but, since there is “no forever,” Aloya died which caused Arogo much pain and misery. In his sorrow, he cried buckets of giant tears while pacing around. The Chocolate Hills were formed when his tears dried and hardened.

The Bellevue Resort’s relaxing pool.

The luxurious regular room at the Bellevue Resort.

The third story is NOT for the squeamish. It tells of a town being plagued by a giant carabao eating all its crops. Fed up with the animal’s misdeeds, the townsfolk took all of their spoiled food and offered it to the errant carabao. Its stomach could not handle the spoiled food, causing it to defecate all over the place until it had emptied its stomach of the spoiled food. The many mounds of “poo” then dried and the beautiful Chocolate Hills were formed. Yuck! Regardless of whichever tale or theory you want to believe, the province of Bohol is blessed to have these unique geological formations, something no other country has. The surreal sight of these uniformly shaped mounds, which some tourists say borders on the bizarre, boosts your senses up to a world that is wonderfully magical. I never get tired of looking at this awesome “gift” of nature, every time a trip takes me to that part of the Visayas. I guess what also makes all my Bohol trips extra special is my choice of accommodations. Even if it’s two hours away from the Chocolate Hills

(anyway, I enjoy passing through that beautiful man-made forest), I go for the luxurious facilities of the Bellevue Resort in Panglao. I just can’t resist its sun-bleached sands, the clear blue waters and the melodious swaying of the palm trees complementing the golden rays of the sun that city folks like me hunger for. So, even if the resort is far from the province’s other attractions – an hour away from where the Tarsius monkeys are, an hour-and-a-half away from the Loboc River Cruise which I also enjoy tremendously – it doesn’t matter to me. It’s the peace and quiet the resort offers, tucked away at a secluded beach in the southwestern tip of the province, which makes it my preferred “home.” No wonder the provincial government’s website labels Bohol as “God’s little paradise.” As far as I’m concerned, the luxurious serenity I get from my accommodations at Bellevue Resort added to my magical experience at the Chocolate Hills. It can’t be any less than that. For feedback, I’m at bobzozobrado@gmail.com

YOUR MONDAY CHUCKLE: It’s funny how the colors red, white and blue represent freedom¼ until they are flashing behind your car.

M ONDAY : AUGUST 24 : 2015

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

Easy Food trEats with ChEF BakEr Johnlu koa

rench appliance brand Moulinex and The French Baker recently staged Easy Food Treats with Chef Baker Johnlu Koa at the SM Megamall’s crowd-drawing Event Center on the Lower Ground Floor of Building A. Held in celebration of French Month in July as the Filipinos’ way of joining the local French community in observing French Bastille Day, Easy Food Treats with Chef Baker Johnlu Koa showcased easy-to-prepare but delicious and impressive food treats as demonstrated by no less than The French Baker’s founder and president. He used The French Baker breads and baked products to whip up great bites with the help of easyto-use Moulinex small kitchen appliances, and will engaged his audience in a hands-on cooking and baking experience as he picked members of the audience to join him on stage for every recipe that he demonstrated. Chef Baker Johnlu Koa featured six recipes in his cooking demonstration. After welcoming guests and participants (a number of whom pre-registered via The French Baker and Moulinex’s websites), he got the afternoon program rolling by presenting his first recipe, Chicken Liver Pate, a gourmet spread that is actually very easy to make but never fails to impress when you serve it on crostinis or toasted French bread. He processed the chicken liver into a smooth and delightful pate using Moulinex Food Processor then he transformed a loaf of day-old French Baguette into crusty toasted bread slices with the help of a Moulinex Bread Toaster. His second recipe was Cheese Quesadilla, a yummy Mexican-inspired three-cheese appetizer that is crunchy on the outside but gooey on the inside. He made several variations using The French Baker’s Tortilla Wraps in Flour, Whole Wheat, Tomato Basil and Spinach flavor variants. For even grating of the cheese, he used Moulinex Food Shredder; and to crunch up the tor-

tilla wraps, he lightly grilled them on an energy-efficient Krups Griddle. Third on the list was Chorizo Pizza, which can be easily assembled with a French Baker Pizza Crust for a regular pizza and Tortilla Wraps for thin crust pizza. The Moulinex Food Shredder comes in handy again for even grating of the mozzarella cheese. Chef Baker Johnlu Koa also shared his recipe of Fresh Mushroom Cream Pasta, which he served with The French Baker’s Focaccia Pesto Garlic Slices lightly grilled on a Krups Panini Griddle. He also whipped up two flavor-packed but light and healthy sandwiches, Grilled Panini Spanish Sardines Sandwich and Vegetarian Sandwich, for his last two recipes. For the former, he sliced The French Baker’s Panini Squares in half, spread pesto sauce on the bottom half then topped it with fresh basil leaves, Spanish sardines and onion rings before covering it with the top half of the bread spread with a little mayonnaise. To add a crunchy finish to the sandwich, he pressed down the Krups Panini Griddle on the sandwich to lightly grill it. For the latter, he turned to the flavorful and colorful combination of tomato and white cheese slices with fresh basil leaves and a little pesto sauce on The French Baker’s freshly baked Steak Roll. Moulinex’s Slicer and the Krups Griddle make the sandwich preparation easier and faster to finish. The six pocket cooking demonstrations, participated in by lucky members of the audience, was dotted with raffle draws with lots of prizes at stake. The raffle prizes are like icing on the cake for everyone who turned out for the live cooking event and went home with six new recipes, which they got to sample, too! Easy Food Treats with Chef Baker Johnlu Koa was brought to you by Moulinex and The French Baker in partnership with SM Megamall.

JK grilling a sandwhich

JK receives certificate of appreciation

Johnlu Koa

Marlon StoCkinger takeS fanS to a MuSeuM

i Marlon at The Mind Museum

Marlon with Anima Christi students

Marlon being interviewed by the students

Dan Horan of Globe Telecom

nternational racecar driver Marlon Stockinger was in the country recently for a series of events including Globe’s Slipstream 2.0, where he entertained local racing fans with a thrilling driving exhibition. And while the Filipino-Swiss Lotus F1 junior driver was busy with all his engagements during his visit, Stockinger spent time with his young fans from the Anima Christi Center for a visit to a museum. He took them to The Mind Museum, where Stockinger reached out and interacted with them. It also provided a kind of therapy and interventionsfor students with learning challenges. Before venturing on an exciting museum tour, Stockinger first led the students to a pit walk around the Bonifacio Global City grounds where he did his driving exhibition and showed them his racecar. Stockinger was also joined by Globe Telecom Senior Advi-

sor for Consumer Business Dan Horan in greeting the kids inside the massive educational hall which features numerous exhibits that help foster the youth and the public’s understanding of science. “I’m so glad to see all of you here today. It’s inspiring to see all of your excited faces as you look forward to a day of exploring here at the museum. I hope you guys have a great time learning and having fun with each other,” said Stockinger. Apart from the museum tour, the kids of Anima Christi Center were also treated to sumptuous lunch and snacks. They also got to play at the activity area and enjoyed a mascot show all courtesy of Ban Kee Trading. Currently the only Filipino racing internationally, Stockinger is also the first Filipino to win a formula race in Europe with his top finish at the Monaco GP3 series in 2012. He currently races for the Lotus F1 team.

M ONDAY : AUGUST 24 : 2015

SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

NEW LOvE tEam LaUNChED JOSEPh PEtER GONZaLES Andre Paras is happy and proud that his home studio, Viva Entertainment, is officially launching his love team with Yassi Pressman in the upcoming Girlfriend for Hire. Now tagged as “Yandre”, they will be the next tandem Viva would push after James Reid and Nadine Lustre’s or “JaDine.” It can be remembered that in the sleeper hit Diary ng Panget, Yassi and he provided able support to JaDine, which the fans lapped up. That meant they also have their own charm as a screen twosome. “It’s really an honor that our mother outfit is giving us this big break,” says Andre. “For me and Yassi, it’s a challenge. But we’re

grateful at the same time. It’s definitely one exciting step higher and I hope the public will support us!” For the handsome Kapuso lad, his screen partnership with Yassi is unique. “Actually, I call it funny and weird. Ha-ha-ha! I feel the fans will support us because we are very light as a love team, so to speak. For one, Yassi and I do this with the happiness of our followers as prime consideration. We simply love to entertain them,” Andre claims. Interestingly, how does he find Yassi? “She’s a nice gal…effortlessly beautiful and easy to get along with. On my part, I’m also fun and easy to get along with so, we perfectly jibe.” The actor has confidence in their launching vehicle. “Girlfriend for Hire is a popular Wattpad novel. I think it’s a good head start. It’s perfect for Yassi

and me. Its story line is different but still, the ‘kilig’ factor is there. I can assure the public that they will enjoy the film.” It’s clear that Andre is taking his career seriously at this point. “I’m passionate with my craft. I treasure it. In fact, I made sacrifices already for its growth like quality bonding time with both my family and friends. But still, I go on. I want my family to be proud of my accomplishments in the ‘biz,” he ends. HHHHH

Martin Nievera promises that his upcoming concert at the Solaire on Sept. 18 titled Martin Home at the Theater would be an unforgettable musical experience both for him and the audience. “It’s my 33 years in the industry so what better way to celebrate it than having a concert such as this? It’s my first in this fabulous venue plus we invited the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra and of

course, having Louie Ocampo as musical director, wow! Definitely, it’s a no brainer,” he states. What can the public expect from his repertoire? “I’ll be performing more ballads for this one. I’ll be singing all my hit ditties plus some unexpected numbers, like Vegas songs. It’ll definitely be an evening of nostalgia and reminiscences. My goal is for the viewers to be relaxed and just feel at home.” For the Concert King, his latest show is an attestation of his love for his craft over the years. “I believe I’m more seasoned, wiser and still loving to sing. That’s what keeps me going and what’s important. In my newest concert, I want to be the patrons’ Frank Sinatra even just for that night.” This stint is actually something that aims to revive those times when famous singers sing nightly at posh venues.

New love team on the block: Andre Paras and Yassi Pressman

Martin Nievera will be at The Theatre Solarie

“And I’m proud that I’m the first featured artist to be doing this at the Theater. Remember the legendary Barry Manilow? He did this routine for years and I think it’ll be good to bring this back here in our setting. I hope other local artists will follow suit,” says Martin.

Namesake Crosses ‘Borders aNd FeNCes’ to asia

With a youthful, driving sound, the American poprock group Namesake plans to electrify Asia with its release of “Borders and Fences,” the title track to its upcoming new album. Namesake, will release the new single “Borders and Fences” to Asia next month. Namesake, has previously toured with groups such as R5, Allstar Weekend, and Honor Society. The band combines their roots of southern rock with an innovative pop edge to obtain their unique sound. “The members of Namesake have been together since they were children which has assisted them in building a special chemistry that rings loud in their song writing,” remarked Morgan Rose, drummer of the band Sevendust and previous interim drummer for rock mega group Motley Crue.

Namesake has a new single

“Borders and Fences” genesis came when they had to go on tour away from family and friends. “It’s (Borders and Fences) about overcoming the borders and fences that we all face in our lives and prevailing with a positive outcome while making yourself a better person along the way,” said

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Will Crafton, the group’s lead vocalist. Accompanying Will Crafton on guitar and vocals are Brad Wagnor and JT O’Neil with Seth Van Dusen coming in on bass and Kevin Nordeste on drums. “Borders and Fences” is the perfect song to introduce to those fans who aren’t already familiar

MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2015

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with Namesake,” according to a spokesperson for Sanre Entertainment, who represents the band. “We’re very excited to introduce Asia to Namesake and see their electrifying sound and energy spread there and beyond.” Namesake is signed with Imagen Records, which is headed by

Bob Winegard with distribution through Warner/ADA. The entertainment giant Sanre Entertainment, which includes in its client list Asia’s own superstar Arnel Pineda lead vocalist of the rock band Journey and Billboard chart buster Erika Jayne, who broke records with her eight number one Billboard singles, among many other globally recognized artists has added Namesake to its roster. The band and video director Steven Nathan are currently filming the music video to be released in conjunction with the song. In a recent interview, the trio, Walter, Winegard and Rose stated “The talent level in Namesake is astounding, as is their versatility, we are very excited for the rest of the world to be introduced to this amazing band.”

M ONDAY : AUGUST 24 : 2015

SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

loyal kapuso subsCribers share #sampuso stories From C8

Gorospe Family

Edith Andres

uelled by the unending support of Kapuso subscribers across the globe, GMA International reaches 10 fruitful years of serving the Filipino people abroad and bringing them closer to home. The loyal subscribers all over the world testify to the success of GMA International. Edith Andres, from Anaheim, California, says she has been a GMA Pinoy TV subscriber for 10 years already. “I have three kids, they were born in the Philippines but raised here, and GMA particularly helped me connect them to our culture,” she shares. “When I’m at home, I’m in the Philippines, thanks to GMA,” she adds. GMA Pinoy TV, GMA Network’s flagship international channel, serves comprehensive and up-to-date news and public affairs programs and pure quality entertainment shows. The second international channel of GMA, GMA Life TV, reflects the vibrance of life to cater to the ever-changing preferences of Filipino audiences abroad. GMA News TV International provides the latest news straight from the Philippines and delivered to the viewers without delay. Meanwhile, the Vallesteros family, from Vancouver, Canada, relays their love for GMA and its programs, and admits that even though they have watched an episode of their favorite program, they patiently wait for the replay to be able to watch it again. Lola Ester and Lolo Simeon particularly love watching GMA News TV International. “Nagpapasalamat ako sa GMA dahil updated kami sa mga balita, alam naming kung anu-ano ang nangyayari sa ating bayan,” shares Lolo Simeon. The Abello, Gorospe and Lontoc families also share their favorite Kapuso programs and artists, and admitted that they feel the heart in every show. “Nakakatanggal ng pagod paguwi galing

Lontoc Family

Nick and Jeremy Enciso

ng trabaho, nakakamiss ang Pilipinas,” says the Gorospe family. “Hangga’t mayroong show yung Kapuso, hangga’t nandyaan ang GMA, solid kami.” Father and son Nick and Jeremy Enciso from Anaheim, California spend quality time together watching the latest news about the Philippines on GMA. Nick says GMA made it easier for him to instill Filipino tradition and culture on Jeremy while he was growing up. “Congratulations on your 10th year, when I have kids I will definitely have them watch GMA as well,” admits Jeremy. “It’s been a great 10 years of providing quality news and entertainment to our Kapuso subscribers abroad and we are grateful for their never ending support for GMA,” expresses GMA First Vice President and Head of International Operations Joseph T. Francia. “They can rest assured that GMA International will remain committed as we continue to nurture our relationship with Kapuso supporters abroad,” he adds. Watch these #Sampuso stories and more on the newly launched GMA International playlist http:// bit.do/GMAPinoyTV on GMA Network’s YouTube Channel http://bit.do/GMANetwork. (30) HHHHH

Cosmoskin ClariFies expired produCts issue Nino Bautista and Red Gatus, officers of Bargin Farmaceutici Phils Co. met the press last week to clarify the items that came out in the media that their company was involved in repacking expired goods. At Victorino’s Restaurant in Quezon City, their legal counsel, Atty. Mon Felicilda accompanied the two top officials of the pharmaceutical company. Jointlly, they told the press that the raid conducted by NBI at their warehouse was due to a complaint made by, according to Baustista,

Vallesteros Family

Neneth Abello

a former employee or group of employees, who were apparently disgruntled at why they were fired from their job. Bargn Farmaceutici Phils Co. (BFPC), says Bautista, is one of the most aggressive player in cosmeceuticals, nutraceuticals, food supplement and cosmetics, and has achieved significant presence in health and wellness segments. Founded on Feb. 22, 2006 by partners Bautista, an Industrial Pharmacist and John Redentor Gatus Jr., a nurse, the company is engaged in the manufacturing, selling and distributing Food Supplement/s under Food and Drug Administration under License No.: CFRR-RIV-FM-3044. The company’s competitive advantage stems from its “Current Good Manufacturing Practice” cGMP approved manufacturing facility. We would like to clarify that the BFPC is not engaged in the business of manufacturing/producing or selling/distributing ‘medicines.’ Instead, the BFPC is engaged in the business of manufacturing/ producing and selling/distributing FOOD SUPPLEMENTS. Bautista insisted, “BFPC is NOT selling/distributing expired food supplements. The expired food supplements seized by the NBI at the Tagaytay warehouse are there for disposal/destruction purposes. The same are properly segregated, labelled and placed in a separate area within the warehouse in accordance with FDA-approved procedure.” He added, “BFPC CANNOT unilaterally dispose any expired food supplements. The same is undertaken periodically in the presence of FDA representatives in accordance with FDA-approved procedure. Thus, from to time, expired food supplements are stored in the warehouse. Expired food supplements are food supplements, which have been returned by retailers/distributors because of either batch expiration or damaged packaging.

Red Gatus

Nino Bautista

Please note that the expired food supplements were seized in the warehouse NOT in our retailers’ stores. Our warehouse in Tagaytay is off-limits to the buying public. “ And on the rule of storing expired goods, Bautista added, “The FDA does not require for a separate warehouse re the storage of expired food supplements. What is required is that the expired food supplements be properly segregated, labeled and stored in a separate area within the warehouse. We emphasized that BFPC cannot unilaterally destroy/ dispose expired food supplements on its own, hence, the presence of

the expired food supplements in the Tagaytay warehouse.” Bautista furthered, “Our warehouse is located at Pag-ibig Street Tagaytay City with a 560 sq. meters floor area. What was shown on TV was our family’s small storage dedicated for the storage of carpentry materials. Occasionally, used/old marketing materials are also stored in the same area.” “Upon our own request, we have invited representatives from the Food and Drug Administration to conduct an inspection of the Tagaytay warehouse as soon as possible,” he concluded.

M ONDAY : AUGUST 24 : 2015

ISAH V. RED EDITOR isahred @ gmail.com

SHOWBITZ

Megan Young turns to acting after winning Miss World 2013 as Marimar

Tom Rodriguez is the new male sex symbol in Marimar

MariMar dances her way into viewers’ hearts starting tonight ISAH V. RED One of the highly anticipated programs this year, GMA Network reimagines television history’s most successful telenovela, Marimar, with the sizzling team up of Kapuso prime artists Tom Rodriguez and Megan Young. The primetime series begins tonight right after 24 Oras. Giving a fresh take on the role of Sergio Santibañez is Kapuso Prime leading man, Tom. With his devilishly good looks and compelling charisma, there is no doubt that the Kapuso prime leading man will have viewers swooning. Coming from the wealthy Santibañez family, Sergio is a spoiled trust fund kid who loves extreme sports and adventure. One day, he meets Marimar and decides to use her to get his inheritance from his father. Little did he know that he would soon fall for the girl who he once used for his selfish plan. Bringing life anew to the iconic character that exemplifies the best traits of the Filipina barrio lass is Kapuso multi-talented actress, Megan. She is definitely a fitting choice for the character as she represents a woman who is brave with her sense of purpose and has conquered the

world with her countenance. Despite being separated from her real parents at a young age, Marimar was raised filled with love by a couple that found her. Modest and carefree as she’s known to be, Marimar makes money out of being a pearl diver. To sell her pearls in the island, she dances her signature moves to get people’s attention. It is through this instance that Sergio noticed Marimar. Marimar brings together a roster of A-list actors and actresses including Jaclyn Jose as Señora Angelika Santibañez, the outrageously extravagant and flamboyantly dressed second wife of Renato who likes attention and loves being the center of it all; Zoren Legaspi as Gustavo Aldama, the biological father of Marimar who chooses to fight his love for Mia despite his family’s objection; Lauren Young as Antonia, the pretentious socialite daughter of Angelika who will join her mother in depriving Marimar of everything that was rightfully hers; and returning Kapuso, Alice Dixson, as Mia Aldama, the biological mother of Marimar who becomes determined in life after having a whirlwind romance with Gustavo. Marimar also takes pride in bringing to life once again colorful characters to be portrayed by Nova Villa as Lola Cruz, the woman who gives shelter to Marimar and treats

Alice Dixson chooses to return Ricardo Cepeda returns to GMA7 via a grand soap opera as Kapuso

Carmi Martin continues to play funny characters on TV

Frank Magalona as Franco, the outspoken companion of Sergio; Ashley Cabrera as Cruzita Santibañez, the charming sister of Sergio who will get close to Marimar; plus Boobay who will give voice to the adorable dog, Fulgoso. From the original format of Ines Rodena and license granted by Televisa, S.A. de C.V., Marimar is produced by GMA Network, Inc. supervised by the GMA Drama group. Bet ng Bayan Grand winner Hannah Precillas sings the theme song of Marimar while Maricris Garica belts the love theme titled “Iniibig Kita.” ➜ continued on c7

Frank Magalona plays Sergio's buddy

Candy Pangilinan plays a househelp in the Santibañez manse

her as her own child; Tommy Abuel as Lolo Pancho, the husband of Lola Cruz who will teach Marimar how to dive for pearls; Carmi Martin as Esperanza Aldama, the fabulous business-minded cousin of Gustavo; Ina Raymundo as Brenda, a social and sophisticated woman who will try her best to win Gustavo back; Dion Ignacio as Nicandro, the crooked and dishonest staff officer on the Santibañez Island who is envious of

Cris Villanueva is back on the drama front

Sergio; Ricardo Cepeda as Renato Santibañez, the kind-hearted and responsible father of Sergio; Jaya as Corazon, the trustworthy chambermaid of the Santibañez family; Cris Villanueva as Padresito Porres, the witty and kind-hearted priest on the island who always encourages Marimar to pursue her dreams; Candy Pangilinan as Perfecta, the personal assistant of Angelika and the greatest rival of Corazon in the mansion;

The Kapuso network brings back the hit Mexican televonela in a reimagined version with Tom Rodriguez and Megan Young as Marimar