The Standard - 2015 October 29 - Thursday by Manila Standard

VOL. XXIX  NO. 259  3 Sections 32 Pages P18  THURSDAY : OCTOBER 29, 2015  www.thestandard.com.ph  editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Romualdez advocacy gains more supporters

US VOWS TO SEND MORE WARSHIPS US DEFENSE Secretary Ashton Carter said Tuesday the US Navy will send more warships to sail close to artificial islands built by Beijing in disputed areas of the South China Sea.

sailed within 12 nautical miles of at least one of the land formations claimed by China in the disputed Spratly Islands chain early Tuesday. The move infuriated Beijing, which summoned the US ambassador and denounced what it called a threat to its sovereignty. “We will do it again,” a US official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “We “We will fly, sail and operate wherever sail in international waters at a time and international law permits and whenever place of our choosing.” The USS Lassen sailed through waters our operational needs require,” Carter told the US Senate Armed Services Committee claimed by China, the Philippines and Vietnam near Mischief Reef in the Spratlys. The official Tuesday. The USS Lassen guided missile destroyer said the sailing lasted about two hours.

China said two of its vessels had shadowed the USS Lassen. Another US official said there had been “routine” communication between the US and Chinese ships. Tensions have mounted since China transformed reefs in the area—also claimed by several neighboring countrie—into small islands capable of supporting military facilities, a move the US says threatens freedom of navigation. Washington has repeatedly said it does not recognize Chinese claims to territorial waters around the artificial islands. China’s Deputy Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui summoned US Ambassador Max Bau-

cus Tuesday to announce that the USS Lassen had engaged in a “serious provocation,” the official news agency Xinhua said. “The Chinese government will resolutely safeguard territorial sovereignty and legal sea interests, and China will do whatever necessary to oppose deliberate provocation from any country,” Zhang added. A foreign ministry spokesman said that the ship had “illegally entered” waters near the islands. The state-run tabloid the Global Times hinted in an editorial that Beijing could respond more strongly if the US made similar trips in the future. Next page

Bongbong to Noynoy: Move on already By Macon Ramos-Araneta SENATOR Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Wednesday that President Benigno Aquino III should move on as most Filipinos have moved on from Martial Law and forgiven his family following their election into public office. The senator is the only son of the late President Ferdinand Marcos, who ruled the country for two decades, nine years of which were under Martial Law.

Since Marcos’ ouster in 1986 in the People Power Revolution, members of the Marcos family have been elected to public office, with the senator having served for more than 20 years. His older sister, Imee MarcosManotoc, is the governor of Ilocos Norte, while his mother, Imelda Marcos, is an elected representative of their province. In an ABS-CBN public affairs program, Marcos was asked if being elected to public office was an indication that Filipinos had forgiven

them, Marcos answered: “Perhaps yes. They are voting for us.” Marcos said moving on was the key when Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile, a key Martial Law figure that turned against the older Marcos, raised his hand when he officially announced he would run for vice president. He said he and Enrile had talked about Martial Law, but added: “That was 30 years ago and many things have happened… Maybe we have both moved on.” Next page

Speech. President Benigno Aquino III delivers a speech during the 2015 Community-Based Forest Management-National Greening Program Congress at the World Trade Center on Wednesday. MALACAÑANG PHOTO BUREAU

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Homeward bound. People crowd inside a bus terminal in Cubao, Quezon City, for a ride to their provinces in preparation for All Saints’ Day. Lino SantoS

PH falls six places in WB ranking By Gabrielle Marie Consuelo H. Binaday

THE Philippines slid six spots in the World Bank’s global ranking of countries in terms of ease of doing business this year. In the “Ease of Doing Business 2016: Measuring Regulatory Quality and Efficiency” report released Wednesday, the Philippines ranked 103rd among 189 economies in this year’s survey, falling six notches from last year’s 97th place. The World Bank said the drop is reflected in nine of the 10 indicators used to compute the index score, with the Philippines managing 60.07 points. “There are 20 countries between 60 and 63, from Brunei and China to the Philippines. To achieve our target of being in the top third, we need to leapfrog the current

Bongbong... From A1

On Tuesday, the President said the Marcoses should apologize for the atrocities and transgressions committed by the late dictator against Filipinos during Martial Law. Asked during the presidential forum of the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines if the Marcoses have something to apologize for, the President replied: “ I have said that time and again for many decades, yes.” He said the Marcos children should apologize to the Filipino people. Aquino picked on the senator for the alleged wrongdoings perpetrated during the regime of the former strongman from 1965 to 1986. But the senator, who is running for vice president in the May 2016 elections, said he does not see why he and his family should say sorry for the horrors of Martial Law. He said his father’s administration did not intend

position holder of Azerbaijan, which is only seven… points ahead of us—still an achievable goal,” said Roberto Galang, operations officer of the International Finance Corp., the private lending arm of the World Bank. In starting a business, the country dipped eight spots from 157th in 2014 to 165th this year. “In starting a business, the Philippines falls among the lowest ranked countries at 165th. It takes 16 steps to do this in the country, which is higher than the average in the region,” Galang said. The Philippines also fared poorly in the ease of making tax payments, ranking 126th globally. “The reason we are not doing well in this indicator is that we are requiring up to 36 payments per year, costing our small and medium enterprises 193 man hours of work,” Galang said. In dealing with construction permits, the country also dropped five spots from 94th in 2014 to 99th this year. It also fell four spots from 105th to 109th in 2015 in the ease of getting credit.

the abuses that happened during that regime. He noted that the suffering was not a policy of the government led by his father. “If we planned to hurt people or make them suffer, then of course, we will apologize.... If it indeed happened, that was not the plan of my father’s administration,” he said. “What should I apologize for? Have I hurt anyone? If there is evidence that I did something which brought hardship and suffering, I am ready to apologize,” he added. Aquino, whose father was assassinated during the Martial Law years, said he was confident that Filipinos would not return the Marcoses to Malacañang Palace. Aquino also dismissed reports that there was a resurgence of support for Marcos in his vice presidential bid. Aquino said the Marcoses could have told the Filipino people: “We had this opportunity to turn this country great as our father promised—it didn’t happen. We apologize. We want to make amends. That, I think, would

Among Southeast Asian economies, the Philippines slid one spot to sixth place behind Brunei. Singapore still topped the ease of doing business not only in the region, but also globally followed by The Netherlands and Denmark. In global rankings, Malaysia placed 18th; Thailand, 49th; Brunei, 84th; Vietnam, 90th; Indonesia, 109th; Cambodia, 127th; and Laos, 134th. Among the Asean economies, the Philippines fared better only against Indonesia, Cambodia and Laos. Galang said this year’s survey took into account the quality of the implementation rather than just the presence of regulations. For example, this year’s survey measures the quality of the judicial process by determining if there is good case management, or whether there is an alternative process for dispute resolution. This year’s survey also examined the reliability and cost of electricity supply, transparency of tariffs, and the quality of land

have been acceptable. We are a forgiving people as a general rule. But they have statements that there’s nothing to apologize for.” Marcos’s presidential candidate Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago quoted the Bible in support of her running mate: “The sins of the father should not be visited upon the son... Marcos should be given the chance to redeem himself because he won as senator.” Santiago said this meant the greater majority did not oppose Marcos as a public servant. “I have not seen prima facie evidence that he killed someone, raped someone or burned a house, that he violated the Penal Code. No allegation that he personally committed a crime. During the time of Martial Law, he was just a small boy,” said Santiago noting that there was no allegation that he sinned against his neighbor. “We cannot punish someone on the basis of suspicion. I can’t support that as a lawyer,” said Santiago who was a Quezon City regional trial court judge during the Martial Law years.

administration. The National Competitiveness Council complained about the changes made to the annual survey, saying they made it difficult to determine if they were on the right track. “Despite our efforts to introduce reform projects to improve the ease of doing business in the Philippines, the IFC shows different sets of scores and rankings every year due to a change in methodology,” said NCC co-chairman Guillermo Luz. “This makes us difficult to tell whether we are on the right track.” World Bank Country Director for the Philippines Motoo Konishi said the country is moving in the right direction and they will continue to support reforms to achieve the ease of doing business. “I want to emphasize that the Philippines has risen and you are now in a much tougher, much more competitive environment…. The top is moving all the time, therefore we have to move faster for the Philippines to gain ground,” Konishi said.

US... From A1

“We should first track the US warships. If they, instead of passing by, stop for further actions, it is necessary for us to launch electronic interventions, and even send out warships, lock them by fire-control radar and fly over the US vessels,” it said. It added that: “At present, no country, the US included, is able to obstruct Beijing’s island reclamation in the region.” Despite the Chinese rhetoric, analysts said more such US maneuvers could be expected. Beijing’s so far limited response showed that it had had its bluff called, said Rory Medcalf, director of the international security program at the Lowy Institute in Sydney. “The US and its allies and partners should now help the Chinese leadership in saving face, by emphasizing that freedom of navigation operations are normal, not extraordinary,” he said. Taiwan called for a peaceful resolution of disputes in the South China Sea but reiterated its claim on the disputed territories there. “Whether from the perspective of history, geography, or international law, the Nansha (Spratly) Islands, Shisha (Paracel) Islands, Chungsha (Macclesfield Bank), and Tungsha (Pratas) Islands, as well as their surrounding waters, are an inherent part of ROC territory and waters,” the Taiwan government said in a statement.

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No conditions for guest UNA bets By Christine F. Herrera

THE opposition United Nationalist Alliance has set no conditions on its six guest candidates even if they will choose to back the rival presidential and vice presidential candidates of UNA’s standard bearer Vice President Jejomar Binay and his running mate Senator Gregorio Honasan. UNA president and Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco gave this assurance Wednesday after UNA guest bet for Senator Panfilo Lacson Jr., who was dropped by the Grace Poe-Francis Escudero camp also as guest candidate, announced he would campaign for Manuel Roxas II, the ruling Liberal Party standard bearer. He is not a member of the LP but it included him in its senatorial slate as a guest candidate. Lacson said he did not join the LP because many people found the party too “exclusive” by claiming the “tuwid na daan” as its own. “Nothing will change for our guest candidates. There are no conditions to their being guest candidates of UNA,” Tiangco said. Lacson on Tuesday said he would support the presidential bid of Roxas after Senator Grace Poe dropped him from her senatorial slate in favor of actor Edu Manzano. The Poe-Escudero tandem has scheduled a Thursday announcement on their 12 senatorial candidates at Club Filipino in Greenhills, San Juan. Tiangco said UNA would still campaign for their senatorial bets that include six regular candidates and six guest candidates that include Lacson, Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, former Senators Juan Miguel Zubiri and Richard Gordon, re-electionist Senator Vicente Tito Sotto III and Susan Toots Ople. The six others are former Special Action Force Commander Gen-

eral Getulio Napeñas, Sarangani Rep. and world boxing champion Emmanuel Manny Pacquiao, Jacel Kiram, actress Alma Moreno, labor lawyer Allan Montano and broadcast journalist Rey Langit. Zubiri, Gordon, Ople and Sotto, who is a member of the Nationalist People’s Coalition that is bankrolling Poe’s presidential bid, are also senatorial candidates of the Poe-Escudero tandem. Tiangco said UNA will not compel their guest candidates to join Binay-Honasan’s provincial sorties but they will nonetheless campaign for them even in their absence. And if it happened that UNA and LP would be mounting rallies in the same province, Tiangco said the guest candidates would be given leeway to decide to join the UNA sorties before or after the LP sorties. In vouching for Roxas, Lacson said he saw him as the “last person standing” in next year’s presidential race because he had no issue of corruption, disqualification or health. “We don’t know what awaits Senator Poe because she has a disqualification case or DQ case. Vice President [Jejomar] Binay has many issues. Of course, Senator Miriam [Defensor-Santiago]—I really don’t know. I can only wish her good luck and good health.” Poe is facing disqualification charges after several groups and individuals questioned her citizenship and residency status. They claim Poe violated the Constitution for running for Senator and now for President.

Gridlock. Traffic is bumper-to-bumper on Edsa and Kamuning in Quezon City in the early hours of Wednesday. Lino SantoS

Poe to proclaim ‘unifying’ Senate slate PRESIDENTIAL candidate Senator Grace Poe said Wednesday she will announce her “unifying” senatorial lineup with two “surprise candidates” during a simple ceremony at 10 a.m. today at the Club Filipino in San Juan City. She declined to name the members of her senatorial team who will run under the banner #PartidoGALINGatPUSO. But sources said among the possible candidates under the tandem of Poe and Francis Escudero were Reps. Sherwin Gatchalian and Roman Romulo of Valenzuela and Pasig, respectively; Makabayan party-list Rep. Neri Colmenares, ACTCIS party-list Samuel Pagdilao, Lorna Kapunan, actor Edu Manzano, Manila Vice Mayor Isko Moreno, Senators Vicente Sotto and Ralph Recto and re-

turning Senators Richard Gordon and Juan Miguel Zubiri. Poe and Escudero, who filed their candidacy as independent candidates, had earlier endorsed the senatorial bid of Colmenares, Moreno and Kapunan. In a phone patch interview in the Senate, Cebu Rep. Ace Durano said all the 12 senatorial candidates had confirmed their attendance in Club Filipino. He did not name them but described them as “highly accomplished individuals” representing a broad sector of society. He said there would be two surprise candidates whom he described as “really capable” and “accomplished individuals” and who were “first timers in the Senate.” Meanwhile, Senator Panfilo Lacson, who was initially re-

ported as among the senatorial candidates of Poe and Escudero, on Monday said he was dropped from the list in favor of Manzano. He said Poe called him up last Friday and asked if it was okay for him to give way to Manzano. The former rehabilitation czar and PNP director said Poe invited him to meet with her twice to request that he be included in her slate. He agreed with a clear understanding that there would be no obligations imposed on either party. Poe confirmed they invited Lacson to join them, but then they found out that he was also a guest candidate of two other strong political parties—the ruling Liberal Party and the opposition’s United Nationalist Alliance. Macon Ramosaraneta

Binay says poor left behind by economy

Ready for Christmas. A worker at the Araneta Center in Cubao, Quezon City, starts putting up Christmas lights, trees and lanterns in preparation for the holidays. Lino SantoS

VICE President Jejomar Binay on Wednesday slammed the government for boasting economic growth when he said many Filipinos remained mired in poverty. “It is regrettable to see many Filipino continue to suffer in poverty despite the Aquino administration’s continuing claim that the economy has improved,” Binay said. He vowed to alleviate poverty by improving the lives of Filipinos through the equal distribution of wealth. “To fight poverty, unemployment and hunger will be the United Nationalist Alliance priority program,” Binay said.

Binay also said he would revitalize the country’s railway systems which had deteriorated over the past years to the detriment of the riding public. He said next President should give priority to the repair and rehabilitation of the railway systems. He noted that the world’s most developed nations all had a traditional railway system: the United States had 224,792 kilometers and China 112,000 kilometers. Binay, who is in Bicol, also lamented the National Statistical Coordinating Board report that 58.1 percent of the population in Siruma, a town in Camarines

Sur, were considered poor. “My vision is for every Filipino to have an equal share in the nation’s progress. No one should be left behind,” he said. To achieve this goal, Binay said, his administration will focus on three areas: economic dynamism that creates more jobs, effective and inclusive basic services with a bias for the neediest sectors, and change in the structures that hamper growth. Binay also vowed that his administration will boost Camarines Norte’s status as the fiber optics gateway of the Philippines in the Pacific. Vito Barcelo

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Dinky: No more bunkhouses By John Paolo Bencito WITHIN the next three days, there will no longer be bunkhouses in Tacloban City, Social Welfare and Development Secretary Corazon Soliman said on Wednesday even as she twitted politicians for using disaster funds and management as issues in their electoral campaigns. “We are assuring [the public] that by the end of October, there will no longer be bunkhouses in Tacloban. These aren’t safe so we’ll remove them,” Soliman told The Standard in a chance interview at an anti-dengue activity in Marikina City. “They [politicians] should not use that the issue of the donations for [Typhoons] ‘‘Yolanda’’ and ‘‘Lando’’ for their campaigns,” Soliman said, disputing the claim of Vice President Jejomar Binay and Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for asking what happened to the aid for disaster victims. Soliman denied Binay’s accusations that the Aquino administration has been selective in distributing aid in non-LP local governments damaged by Typhoon Lando. At the same time, she defended Liberal Party standard bearer Manuel Roxas and his running mate Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo for using government funds and government activities to campaign for office. “If [Mar and Leni] were invited, they are invited by the people as resource persons. I do trust the people that they can’t be fooled. They cannot be used. The awareness of the beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino program is clear on what’s straight and what’s bent.” Soliman said. Also on Wednesday, Roxas tried to explain in a radio interview some of the incidents for which he has repeatedly been criticized. “I think it’s clear that the government has done everything we can. In fact, we were there even before Yolanda came. We were there and we have done everything,” Roxas said in an interview with radio dzMM. Roxas explained why he told Tacloban Mayor Alfred Romualdez in a meeting in Tacloban City in November 2013 that “You must remember that you are a Romualdez and the President is an Aquino” “What I want to say is that I don’t want that to be politicized,” Roxas said, adding that President Benigno Aquino III was also misinterpreted when he told a Tacloban City businessman complaint about the looting in the city: “Eh, buhay ka pa naman, di ba,” [Your’e still alive, aren’t you?]. Nonetheless, Soliman said there will no longer be any family living in the bunkhouses that were also criticized for being indecently small and substandard. According to government data, at least 992 families were still in bunkhouses and 613 are in temporary shelters, as of September.

Fight the abuse. Hundreds of women gathered at the

Mendiola Bridge in San Miguel, Manila to protest the military’s continued inaction and alleged support of militiamen who have been tagged as being responsible for abuses against tribal communities, called ‘lumad,’ in Mindanao. DANNY PATA

Rights group slams Reds By Florante S. Solmerin and Froilan Gallardo THE international watchdog Human Rights Watch condemned the communist New People’s Army for violating international humanitarian law when it executed Loreto, Agusan del Sur Mayor Dario Otaza and his son Daryl last Oct. 19. “Throughout its four-decade insurgency, the rebel group has frequently executed people found ‘guilty’ by its so-called people’s courts, which do not meet basic fair trial standards,” HRW said in a statement. “The killing of the Otazas—like other NPA executions—is just plain murder,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The NPA’s actions and claims of revolutionary justice handed down by people’s courts are flagrant violations of international law.” The NPA accused the Otazas of working for the Philippine military and masterminding the killing of at least three people. They also accused the

victims of taking part in attacks on and the forced displacement of indigenous peoples in the province, torturing children, attempted murders, and arson, among other crimes. As a party to an internal armed conflict, the NPA is obligated to abide by international humanitarian law, including Common Article 3 to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and its Second Additional Protocol of 1977 (Protocol II), to which the Philippines is party. International humanitarian law prohibits killing civilians, mistreating anyone in custody, and convicting anyone in proceedings that do not meet international fair trial standards. Article 6 of Protocol II specifies that criminal courts must be independent and impartial, and the accused shall have “all necessary rights and means of defense,” among other guarantees. Those tried by people’s courts are typically convicted in absentia, thus denied the right to be tried in one’s presence before an impartial court, HRW said.

Otaza, 53, and his 27-year-old Daryl were buried in Butuan City on Wednesday amid public expressions of grief and calls for justice. The slain mayor was given a 21-gun salute by the Philippine National Police while a pair of Philippine Air Force Huey choppers flew overhead as he and his son were laid to rest in Uraya Memorial Gardens in Butuan City. ‘‘Sleep well my husband and son. Your deaths will not be in vain. Justice will soon be served,’’ Ligaya, wife of the slain mayor said. Wilfredo Otaza, younger brother of the the slain mayor said it is up to the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines to bring the killers to justice. Mayor Otaza, a first termer, have already filed his Certificate of Candidacy when he was killed according to Wilfredo who said the slain official and his party is running unopposed in Loreto. Wilfredo said their family will meet and decide who will replace his brother and run for mayor of Loreto, a river town in Agusan del Sur.

PH-Viet ties ‘level up’ By Vito Barcelo THE Philippines and Vietnam have leveled up their bilateral relations and agreed to formalize a strategic partnership agreement at the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit that will be held in the country next month. At a joint press briefing with Vietnam Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario said the decision was reached after a comprehensive review of the bilateral relationship which will mark its 40th anniversary next year. Minh said the two countries have reached a high level of political trust via the regular exchange of visits while economic, trade, defense and security ties have made substantial progress even as the two countries agreed to increase two-way trade to at least $3 billion in 2016. The two sides pledged to accelerate the

signing of a protocol supplementing the bilateral rice trade agreement for 2014 to 16 that aims to maintain Vietnam’s rice supply to the Philippines to ensure food security for the country, the Vietnamese official said. Both sides highly appreciated the effective cooperation between the two nations in the field of defense and security. Del Rosario said that elevating bilateral ties to a strategic partnership level will help strengthen cooperation to benefit both countries. The two sides shared the view that maritime disputes should be settled in line with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Vietnam Sea, which was signed between China and Asean in 2002. All the related parties should accelerate the building of a code of conduct for the East Vietnam Sea, the two officials agreed.

Laid to rest. A picture of slain Loreto, Agusan del Sur Mayor Dario Otaza stands by the coffins of the assassinated mayor and his son Daryl during internment rites in Butuan City prior to their burial on Wednesday. FROILAN GALLARDO

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Search and destroy. Education Secretary Armin Luistro, Health Secretary Janet Loreto-Garin and Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman together with Marikina City Mayor Del De Guzman, Vice Mayor Jose Fabian Cadiz and Rep. Miro Quimbo embark on a search-and-destroy mission targeting mosquito breeding grounds at Parang Elementary School in Marikina. JOHN PAOLO BENCITO

Romualdez bid gaining support The advocacy of Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez to bring back compassion in governance has gained wide support across partylines as various political stalwarts endorsed his senatorial bid for the 2016 polls. Romualdez revealed that his Senate bid has received support from presidential candidate Vice President Jejomar Binay and from the tandem of Senators Miriam Defensor-Santiago and Ferdinand Marcos. He also thanked Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte for expressing support for his Senate run, ditto with former President and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada. “Their show of faith and confidence in me only serves to strengthen my resolve to continue to serve our country to the best of my abilities and “malasakit” [concern],” said Romualdez. Romualdez added that he has

also gotten an invitation from the Nationalist People’s Coalition for him to join their Senate lineup. “I am thankful and appreciative of everyone who has recognized the relevancy of my message to bring back ‘malasakit’ in our leadership, and in my case as a Senator of the Republic of the Philippines,” said Romualdez. “I am supportive of any presidential and vice presidential candidate, individually or as tandem, and any other candidate for other elective positions whose vision is consistent with my ‘malasakit’ message.” “I believe in my heart that now is the time to bring back genuine

concern for the people. It is my objective to bring back empathy in governance. By replacing indifference with compassion and responsiveness, we can as one people fight poverty and bring prosperity to our people.” Binay and Santiago are running for President, while Duterte has until Dec. 10 to accept his being named as a “replacement candidate” for president by PDP-Laban. Estrada was one of the first political leaders to express support for Romualdez. Duterte also urged his growing number of loyalists to support Romualdez . Romualdez said while he shares the same vision and stands on the same side in many of the important issues plaguing our nation today with Senators Grace Poe and Francis Escudero, he will not be joining the lineup of the two independent candidates.

Court: Transfer UCPB shares to govt By Rio N. Araja AFTER 28 years, the Sandiganbayan on Wednesday directed the United Coconut Planters Bank to turnover 72.2 percent of the bank’s shares under the name of businessman Eduardo Cojuangco Jr. to the government. In a 17-page resolution, the Second Division ordered Cojuangco to issue a writ of execution transferring shares of stock to the government.

“The PCA [Philippine Coconut Authority] and defendant Cojuangco Jr. are hereby ordered to surrender to the Court the necessary documents to effect the transfer of the subject shares of stock in favor of plaintiff Republic of the Philippines,” the decision read. “The UCPB is directed to cancel the subject shares of stock and to issue the equivalent number of shares in the name of the Republic of the Philippines.”

The decision was penned by Second Division chairman Associate Justice Teresita Diaz-Baldos and was concurred by Associate Justices Napoleon Inoturan and Maria Cristina Cornejo. The court ended 28 years of litigation on the ownership of the 72.2percent shareholdings in the bank put up in 1975 using P108.8 million from the Coconut Consumers Stabilization Fund.

DoJ summons MILF, BIFF rebels in ‘Mamasapano’ By Rey E. Requejo

SoME 90 commanders and members of Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and private armed groups have been summoned by the Department of Justice to a preliminary investigation hearing next month to answer the criminal charges filed against them in connection with the killing of the Special Action Force commandos during the Mamasapano clash last Jan. 25. In a subpoena, the DoJ panel of prosecutors directed the respondents to answer the complaint of direct assault with murder and theft filed against them by a government factfinding team last month. Prosecutor General Claro Arellano, chief of the DoJ’s prosecutorial arm, said the hearings for the preliminary investigation have been set on Nov. 11 and 27, both at 10 a.m. at the DoJ’s executive lounge. According to Arellano, the subpoena on the MILF respondents were served through the MILF leadership or the Coordination Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities. The subpoena for BIFFs and PAGs, on the other hand, was served through Mamasapano Mayor Benzar Ampatuan. The DoJ panel is chaired by Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Rosanne Balauag with Assistant State Prosecutors Aldrin Evangelista, Benito oliver Sales III, Rasssendell Rex Gingoyon and Alexander Suarez as members. The preliminary investigation hearing will determine if there exists probable cause to warrant the filing of the charges of direct assault with murder and theft against the

respondents. Facing the DoJ probe are 13 commanders of MILF and six commanders of BIFF. But the names of the respondents were not made public so as to prevent them from evading possible prosecution. The respondents were accused of acting “in conspiracy with one another to attack, employ force, seriously intimidate or resist the 35 SAF commandos, who were uniformed police officers and, thus persons in authority.” The fact-finding team of prosecutors and National Bureau of Investigation agents based the report on accounts of eyewitnesses—including alias Marathon—who identified the liable MILF and BIFF commanders and have been placed under witness protection program. The viral videos of the encounter that circulated in social media sites also helped in the investigation and that their sources have been traced. Based on the results of the probe, the killings of the SAF commandos appeared to be “spontaneous and not an institutional act of the MILF.” The charges covered the cases of 35 slain SAF men who belonged to the 55th SAF company that engaged MILF and BIFF fighters and PAGs in the cornfields of Barangay Tukanalipao. Earlier this month, the fact-finding team has released its second report involving the cases of the nine other slain commandos from the 84th SAF company in Barangay Pidsandawan as well as the five civilians and 18 MILF fighters who were also killed during the clash. No one was charged because probers failed to secure witnesses to identify the killers.

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INC ‘death squad’ rumor sparks undue fear—DPOS Amid allegations that the iglesia Ni Cristo was employing a “private army” and “death squad” to threaten its members, Quezon City department of Public Order and Safety Chief Gen. Elmo San diego on Wednesday cautioned against making hasty conclusions about the supposed existence of such armed groups without proof. “The parties should be careful about making these claims because there’s a public order and safety element at stake here, one that

affects not only the INC and its members but the general public as well,” warned San Diego. Such accusations, ac-

cording to San Diego, weaken confidence in the authorities and fuel conspiracy theories that undeservedly alarm the public. “What do you think the reaction would be if someone says the government tolerates the presence of armed groups in your community? It creates undue fear and tension, and reduces confidence in our police and other law enforcement agencies. Let’s not unduly scare the public,” San Diego said.

The public order and safety official urged both camps in the INC issue to be more responsible in their statements, adding he would “strongly admonish anyone against raising the spectre of violence or the possibility of violence from supposed armed groups, especially if these statements are not substantiated by evidence.” INC spokesperson Edwil Zabala, meanwhile, called on the INC membership to remain calm

and continue their prayers. “Rest assured that the Church leadership will face all the issues with dignity and with full confidence in the fairness of our justice system,” Zabala stressed. The INC spokesperson likewise appealed for “openmindedness, objectivity and understanding” from the general public, adding that people should be wary of “baseless speculation and reckless accusations” that “do not contribute to efforts to obtain justice for all those involved.”

Price is right. Trade and Industry Undersecretary Victorio Dimagiba posts suggested retail prices of bottled water at a bus terminal as a means to

prevent unscrupulous parties from taking advantage of passengers bound for the provinces in time for the All Saints’ Day commemoration. LiNo SANtoS

NCRPO on alert, deploys 18,000 By Joel E. Zurbano ThE Philippine National Police will be on full alert and will deploy 18,000 cops to man 92 cemeteries and 111 bus terminals in Metro Manila during the commemoration of All Saints’ Day. “All applications for leave of absences will be canceled starting Oct. 29. We will be on full alert until Nov. 3,” said NCRPO information officer Kimberly Molitas. At the same time, the Metro Manila Development Authority will also be fielding 3,000 men to manage traffic and assist passengers inside bus terminals in Pasay City and Quezon City. MMDA said it would lift the number coding scheme for vehicles on Friday (Oct. 30), according to lawyer Emerson Carlos, MMDA officer-in-charge. he added the agency has decided to lift the number coding scheme for both public and private vehicles to allow people in Metro Manila greater mobility as they start the exodus to the provinces. Carlos, however, said the coding scheme would resume on Monday (Nov. 2), a regular working day. he also said provincial buses would be exempted from the coding scheme on Nov. 2 in anticipation of the large number of people returning to Metro Manila. Southern Police District director Chief Supt. henry Ranola said his men will also provide security to both public and private cemeteries, bus terminal, ports, and commercial centers, as well as the Light Railway Transit and MRT stations. Ranola said they are now mapping out plans for installing checkpoints and conducting visibility patrol operations during All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days. he reminded the public that items such as bladed weapons, firearms, sound systems, liquor, illegal drugs and other prohibited items would be confiscated at the cemeteries’ gates to ensure a solemn commemoration of All Saints’ Day.

Transportation board officials clash over U-Hop application By Rio N. Araja TWO officials of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board are at loggerheads over the application for accreditation of another app-based car service which is “a 100 percent Filipino-owned corporation.” In an interview, LTFRB board member Ariel Enrile Inton Jr. on Wednesday challenged Chairman Winston Ginez for figuring out that the memorandum letter they recently sent to Transportation and Communications Secretary Emilio Joseph Abaya was an “order or a [board] resolution denying the accreditation application of U-hop [Transport Network Vehicle System].”

“I do not understand why the chairman posted on his Twitter account the alleged denial of U-hop accreditation. We wrote the Secretary to tell him that the requirements under Department Order 2015-011 would not apply to U-hop’s application. We even recommended to the Secretary to open a new category to be able to accommodate U-hop,” Inton told The Standard. he said Ginez has misinformed U-hop and the public for “making it appear that Uhop’s application was denied.” “What made him interpret that our letter to the Department of Transportation and Communications is an order or a board resolution, otherwise, it should

contain a board resolution number; should be addressed to Uhop, and not to the Secretary, and should contain an order, and not a recommendation,” he added. Ginez’s tweets fueled confusion and negative reactions from the netizens, according to Inton. “I, the chairman and another board member, Ronaldo Corpus, signed the letter. It was just a mere letter. But he [Ginez] is insisting it is a decision. It is very clear what the board signed is a memorandum letter addressed to the DOTC secretary,” he said. While Corpus continued to stay away from the issue, Inton said he will not remain silent and will speak out his mind.

No to hoarding. Workers at Harbour Center Port Terminal Inc. unload 6,000 tons of commercial rice on Wednesday, Oct. 28. The HCPTI also denies allegation of the National Coalition of Filipino Consumers of hoarding NFA rice in their warehouse. DANNY PAtA

T H U R S D AY : O C T O B E R 2 9, 2 0 1 5

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Guimaras residents ask Police to act on criminality By Joel E. Zurbano

Shrine of valor. The sun starts to set behind historic Mt. Samat in Pilar town, Bataan. The giant white cross marks the site of the most vicious battle between Filipinos and the Japanese army in 1942. VER NOVENO

Napolcom relieves, probes official in Facebook video By Florante S. Solmerin and Joel E. Zurbano

THE National Police Commission has sacked Ana Maria L. Paglinawan, acting chief of the Administrative Division of the National Police CommissionNational Capital Region after a video of her berating a village official and two uniformed policemen in defense of her nephew, who was allegedly creating trouble in a subdivision in Bacoor, Cavite, went viral. The video that has had more than 2 million social media views was posted Tuesday by a certain Mike Almanza in his Facebook account. In a statement, Napolcom Vice-Chairman Eduardo Escueta said Paglinawan has been relieved by Napolcom NCR Acting Regional Director Attorney Ferdaussi B. Masnar. Escueta said the video had earlier been posted in the Police Digest

Facebook page on Oct. 27, 2015. Escueta said he also ordered the creation of a team composed of senior officials from the Napolcom Inspection, Monitoring and Investigation Service to conduct motu proprio investigation on the said incident. “The Commission shall validate the initial investigation report within three days after its submission to the Napolcom. We want to assure the public that the

Commission shall not tolerate any wrongdoing committed by its officials and employees that may taint the good image of the Napolcom,” Escueta said. In his post, Almanza has appealed to the social media to “Like and Share” his video. “’Yung babae na iyan po na nasa video ay biglang sumugod dito sa Justinville Panapaan VII, Bacoor, Cavite. Dahil po ang aking kapitana ay nagpatawag ng pulis para rumisponde sa ginagawang kaguluhan ng aking kapitbahay na kamag-anak niya daw. Iyan po na babae na iyan ay nag-sisigaw na nagpakilalang Atty. siya ng Napolcom na isa raw siyang opisyal ng Napolcom,” Almanza said. “Kung makikita niyo po kung ano ang inasal ng babae na iyan na opisyal daw ng Napolcom pinagsisigawan niya ang mga police at itinulak pa niya ang asawa

ko na may kargang bata na idad 1 year old at sinasabi nya wala kami karatapan na kunan sya ng video. ‘Di pa sya nakuntento tinapon pa niya cellphone ko para di siya mavideo-han,” he continued. “’Yan po ba ang isang tao na taga gobyerno? Kaya po please paki-share na lang po ninyo. ‘Di po ako aalma kung alam kung mali ako. Sobra na po yong ginawa niya pang iinsulto sa akin at sa mga pulis pati sa mga kapitbahay dito. Maraming salamat po,” he added. Disgusted over Paglinawan’s behavior, Escueta said they will definitely act on the issue. “The Commission remains steadfast in preserving the integrity of Napolcom and will always take appropriate action against anyone who may try to tarnish the image of the Napolcom by committing acts inappropriate of a public official.”

RESIDENTS of Guimaras called on the Philippine National Police to act on the upsurge of criminality and vice in the island province. Members and officers of the Guimaras Concerned Citizens Group also expressed alarm at the rampant drug trafficking and its use, illegal gambling and criminality happening in the province. They claimed the province ranks number 2 in Region VI (Western Visayas) for illegal drug activities, with the massive proliferation of shabu especially in the remotest parts of the region. The group, led by lawyer Humabon Felixberto, asked PNP chief Ricardo Marquez to act against provincial commander Senior Supt. Ricardo de la Paz for his alleged “lackluster performance” to get rid of the drug trade and illegal gambling. He said despite the weekly apprehensions of suspected drug pushers and couriers by police and operatives of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, the illegal drug activities continue unabated. The group also said after 48 hours since their arrest, the pushers and couriers have gone scot-free. “The peace and order situation in the province is rapidly deteriorating as an offshoot of these illicit activities. The overwhelming clamor of the people of Guimaras and Iloilo, and those in neighboring provinces for change has fallen on deaf ears, to no avail,” said Felixberto in a statement. The group said De la Paz’s reassignment to another province has long been overdue and he has been staying in his post for more than the two-year period tour of duty as specified in the order of then PNP chief Alan Purisima in January 2013 that all PNP key personnel who have completed their two years of duty had to be reassigned. The group also claimed that political kingpins in the province are the ones calling the shots on who they want to designate as police chiefs. It added that these kingpins who are party mates of President Benigno Aquino III are starting to gear up for the 2016 elections. “Is this the political ploy of the untouchables? Is this a clear sign of Daang Matuwid or Daang Nakatuwad?” the group stated.

La Union city bans smoking in cemeteries By Dexter A. See

SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union—The city government here has prohibited cigarette smoking and gambling on All Saints’ and Souls’ Day to ensure the safety and security of people and visitors expected to flock to various cemeteries here. Ortega said authorities in cemeteries are also advised to strictly enforce ordinances on antilittering, burning of garbage, as well as drinking of liquor, carrying of firearms or any pointed and sharp objects. “Loud music that can disturb people in reminiscing and praying for their late loved ones is also prohibited,” Ortega said. Ortega added that vendors are also advised to use strategic areas to sell their goods to prevent obstruction in the congested and narrow pathways to allow smooth flow of people inside cemeteries. Ortega also called for the support and coopera-

tion of people to ensure a peaceful and orderly observance of All Saints’ and Souls’ Day. “These prohibitions would be posted in conspicuous places for proper information dissemination,” he said. Ortega said that the technical working group of the Oplan Undas 2015 have agreed that the prohibitions will be strictly implemented with the help of policemen headed by Supt. Julius Suriben and the Bureau of Fire Protection led by Senior Inspector Ma. Theresa Alqueza. “We are asking our cemetery goers to please follow these simple rules, since this is also for our safety. All violators shall be apprehended and dealt with accordingly,” said Suriben who has designated his personnel on a 24/7 monitoring of the cemeteries. During the All Saints’ Day, traffic rerouting schemes will be implemented due to road construction in the highways of the adjacent towns of Bauang and San Juan and San Fernando.

Yield. Farmers carry bundles of rice stalks in Koronadal City. AMIEL MARK CAGAYAN

T h u R S D AY : O c T O B E R 2 9, 2 0 1 5

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At A Baptist Church gathering in his home province of tarlac, President Benigno Aquino III once again displayed his fantastic disconnect from reality. Said the President: “When I was asked about our lack of infrastructure, I felt tempted to say: What other infrastructure had we not put in place?” At the third Asean Connectivity Forum held in Seoul last week, it was revealed the Philippines ranked eighth among 10 countries of the Asean in terms of quality infrastructure, better than only Vietnam and Myanmar. President Aquino said that in some provinces, his administration even exceeded its target, resulting in the lack of cement, steel and workers like carpenters, electricians and plumbers. Gravel and sand are also scarce in some areas, the President said. We wish we could share Mr. Aquino’s optimism, but it would run counter to common sense. We need not look farther than Metro Manila, where the punishing traffic has been blamed on the rising volume of vehicles without the corresponding improvement in road infrastructure. Public transport has not just stagnated, but worsened under this administration, which outrageously still blames its predecessor for all the things—and they are many—it has failed to fix. Mr. Aquino prattled on about various road projects in the works, but all we can see is the deterioration of the quality of life of the people and the inability to use their time and resources productively, precisely because of poor infrastructure. We can, however, understand the compulsion the President may feel in citing gains where there are gaps. After all, he is courting the people’s votes for his anointed one, former Secretary Manuel Roxas II who would keep him out of jail while continuing the straight and narrow path besides, whatever that means. What he perhaps does not get is how his imagined successes would always only highlight the actual failures. Imagine what a relief it must be to be rid of such a leader.

No, aNd that’s fiNal I dIdn’t believe it was going to happen. But I’m not really happy that it didn’t. For a while there, I thought the tide had really turned as far as the opposition of President noynoy Aquino to the reduction of personal and income taxes was concerned. Like many, I thought that when administration bigwigs like Senate President Franklin and House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte started to get behind the proposal to reduce tax rates that had originated in both their chambers, that there was hope for the salaried workers in

lOwDOwn JOJO a. RObles the formal sector. You know, people like you and me who get hit all the time by the confiscatory tax regime that has been with us for more than two decades which, to be fair, was not invented by this clueless administration. I’m talking about the millions of workers who get taxed at the source for their income and get taxed again when they

spend what’s left of what they’ve earned. Aquino told the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines, with finality, that there wasn’t going to be any income tax reduction. There probably isn’t going to be any indexation of taxes, or adjustment of tax brackets for inflation over the 18 years that the current tax scheme has been in effect, either. “We’re still operating under a budget deficit,” was the President’s latest excuse. “Perhaps if we’ve been enjoying a surplus for the past few years,

‘Just pay the taxman’ is the unmistakeable message, for the incompetence of government.

then I think we can sit down and talk about it.” But should taxpayers be penalized for causing a budget deficit that they did nothing to bring about? Of course not. no government in recent memory, especially not in this country, has ever erased the

budget deficit. And a deficit (or the disparity between budgeted expenditures and actual revenue collected) is created—in the Philippine context, especially—when revenue-generating agencies like the Bureau of Customs and the Bureau of Internal Revenue

don’t make their collection targets. In other words, the economics major President is saying that the taxpayers should get no relief because his own officials have failed to collect enough for government to pay for its programs. It might as well be the taxpayers’ fault that government can’t find the means to pay for its upkeep. It wouldn’t hurt so bad if Aquino didn’t also aggravate the deficit by underspending the funds that he had already collected from us, the taxpayers. But that’s exactly what Aquino did,

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-

when he allowed the underspending of P500 billion in government funds which his beloved department of Budget and Management then hoarded as savings. And that, apparently, is that. So “just pay the taxman” is the unmistakeable message, for the incompetence of government and for its avaricious and miserly stockpiling of funds that it doesn’t know how to use. *** Maybe it’s just me, but I suspect that Aquino is just trying to find another

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excuse not to grant tax breaks to the oppressed wage earner. After all, it’s the first time I’ve heard him use the budget deficit as the reason for not giving us some of our money back. Prior to the deficit excuse, Aquino was saying that granting tax breaks would jeopardize the Philippines’ credit rating. And what on earth does any government need a good credit rating for, if not to borrow more money that this administration will, if history is any indicator, once again fail to use? 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

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

Anita F. Grefal Treasury Manager Edgar M. Valmorida Circulation Manager

tHe constant refrain when it comes to solving the perennial traffic problem in the national Capital Region is the need for an efficient public transport system. This is true enough because then, people can leave their cars at home and instead, take public transport, thereby lessening the number of vehicles on the road. As we all know, though, this is only part of what government should do to solve the traffic problem. Currently, the bulk of public transport in the nCR is road-based. Buses, jeepneys and the ubiquitous tricycles carry a major portion of the riding public to where they are going. Rail, however, if only it can be developed to its full potential, could carry a lot more people. Sadly, nothing has happened in this area over the last five years. The jeepney, to be fair, is perhaps the best there is when it comes to door-todoor transport. Its greatest weakness, however, is that it occupies a lot of road space and does not carry a lot of passengers like the bus or the light rail. For the last 35 or so years, plans for rail transport have occupied the minds of national transport planners. during martial law under former President Marcos, the LRt1 was constructed under the stewardship of the late Minister Jose dans. Since that time in the early 1980s, MRt3 and LRt2 followed suit. MRt3 along edSA was started by former President Ramos and inaugurated by former President estrada. LRt2 from Recto passing through Quezon Boulevard going to part of Marikina was also started by President Ramos. no new rail project was undertaken by former President estrada because he did not stay in office long. The administration of former President Arroyo completed the rail tracks of MRt3 from north edsa to Caloocan City but only this time, the original plan for the MRt3 was completely changed. This change, as it happened, greatly contributed to the current traffic congestion along edsa and showed the caliber of our transport officials when it comes to strategic transport planning. What happened? The original plan for the MRt3 was from taft Avenue along edsa eventually ending in Monumento in Caloocan then to Sangandaan where the Philippine national Railway station is located. The intention being that if one takes 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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‘Just pay the taxman’ is the unmistakeable message, for the incompetence of government.

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

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Anita F. Grefal Treasury Manager Edgar M. Valmorida Circulation Manager

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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A10

OPINION

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Praise, not criticism To The PoinT

emil P. jurado

NExt school year, the high school department of Ateneo de Manila University at Loyola Heights, Quezon City, which has always been an all-boys’

school, will start accepting girls. This brings me back many years ago, in the 50s when I taught at the ADMU High School. Many things come to my mind now. If we had girls in our class back then, how would I have treated female students if they misbehaved? Would I have had the guts to discipline them as I did my boys, like making them write “I will never misbehave again” or sending them out of the classroom? On the other hand, being a co-ed high school would not be too bad after all. teenage boys would be inclined to behave better in front of girls their age. I would have not minded at all. Looking back, I wonder how former President Erap Estrada, now mayor of Manila, would have behaved in the presence of girls of his age when he was my student during his second year. I guess it’s for the best that the Jesuits have made ADMU a co-educational university, both in college and high school. The Ateneo Grade School remains exclusive to boys. That way, teenage boys will learn how to live with opposite sex. I know since I am a product of public schools from grade school to high school until I went to college at the old Ateneo de Manila Padre Faura ruins in 1947. I still recall that during my school elementary days, the worst punishment I got from my teacher whenever I misbehaved was to be seated together with a girl my age. Santa Banana, that was horrible since I would not even be able to talk to my seatmates. This is what the *** President Aquino President wants. was his usual self before the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines gathering. He lambasted some members of media who only want to sensationalize, highlight tragedy, point out supposed failures and make accusations. “Let me emphasize that I never asked that media refrain from reporting negative news. All I asked for was a reasonable balance,” the President added. BS Aquino III recalled that one of the local media personalities replied: “We are in business. It’s not our job to trumpet the positive,” adding that he was truly taken aback by her response. The President continued and asked this question: “Are we not all Filipinos? Does this mean that you are not concerned about what happens to our country?” “today, I also believe that there is enough reason to ask: Do we just take it as gospel truth that bad news sells?” Clearly, BS Aquino III is still ignorant what media (print and broadcast) are all about. When media headline the negative, it is not only because the negative sells and the positive don’t. Media also want to jolt policymakers to address problems, which are more often than not the fault of the President and his administration. Santa Banana, BS Aquino III forgets that the press is often called the “Fifth Column.” It is the one whose business is to raise concerns and jolt people in power to do what they are paid to do. My gulay, when people in government are incompetent, apathetic and so insensitive to the aggrieved, to the poor and the jobless, at times lacking empathy for them in their miseries, and so inept, lacking in sense of justice, we in media say so. The President forgets that everytime Malacañang and his administration are attacked for some shortcoming, he has enough spokesmen and apologists to balance the news. In fact, Malacañang has more than enough tools to counter negative news in print and broadcast—and this is all paid for by the people. Santa Banana, BS Aquino III even has conscripted members of the press defending him and trumpeting positive things he has allegedly done. I suggest the President should look at himself in front of the mirror. I would say that in my more than 65 years in media, having gone full circle in print, radio and television, the Aquino administration is the worst I have known. I have never known a President so vindictive and so

mental health forum today OUR society has long placed a stigma upon the mentally ill, at best shunning them, at worst making them objects of mockery, with among the biggest insults in our culture being aspersions on someone’s state of mental health—sira ulo, baliw, buang. But the truth, says the Philippine Psychiatric Association, is that mental health issues are far more prevalent than the average person might realize, and that these hit close to home—literally. “There is hardly a family,” says PPA public relations officer Rene Samaniego, M.D., “that hasn’t had a member who suffer from a mental health issue. Mental illness is common, and its prevalence in the Philippines is increasing, despite its manageability.” to bring this awareness to the public, PPA and the Philippine Mental Health Association have organized a multi-stakeholder forum on the Philippine Mental Health Act today at the PHMA auditorium in Quezon City, to discuss mental health care in the country and the steps to take to make it part of the country’s universal health care coverage. According to the PPA, the World Health Organization says that “one in four persons will have a mental illness at any given time in his or her life,” caused by biological, psychological, and social factors, the latter including conditions such as poverty, disaster, conflict, displacement, migration, even urban congestion. One of the leading causes of mental disability, says the WHO, is major depression. This is more common than we realize. Perhaps

we know friends and family who are suffering from this; it might be someone living with you, or it might even be you, if not now, then at some point in the future, depending on what life brings. We need to be discerning about the people in our lives who might already be bearing this burden unknown to us, and who need help. Almost everyday the media carry news about people committing suicide, quite a number of them young people; people running amok and injuring or killing random victims; people being unable to function normally in daily life. Perhaps some of these incidents might have been prevented had the person received professional help. Factors including stigma, fear, and ignorance result in a treatment gap, with patients unable to access treatment, or such treatment being unavailable. What we need, says the PPA, is a comprehensive multi-sectoral approach to mental health. “Key to this,” says the PPA, “is a comprehensive national mental health law that integrates mental health care into primary health care.” What is shocking to learn is that the Philippines has no such comprehensive law, one of the few countries in the world without one. There are two such laws being proposed progressive lawmakers. In the Senate, Sen. Pia Cayetano

filed HB No. 2910, and in the Lower House, Reps. Walden Bello, Leni Robredo, and others filed House Bill No. 5347. Both laws provide for access to an integrated, organized, and efficient mental health care system that cares for patients’ mental health in conjunction with their physical health: the two aspects being “interdependent and inseparable, that mental illness results in severe disability when untreated and unmanaged,” says the PPA. Dr. Samaniego says “everyone has a role to play in breaking the vicious cycle of stigma on, ignorance about, and fear of mental illness that causes the discrimination, abuse, and neglect of people with mental illness.” We must break the stigma, he said, and also “put prevention and treatment in place.” the passage of a rights-based comprehensive mental health care law will protect and respect the rights and freedoms of those with mental health issues, provide for their care, and set the direction “for a coherent, rational, and unified response” to the country’s various efforts in this matter. With forums such as this one and others that will be held in the future, the discourse on mental illness must, over time, bring about positive changes in the way we as individuals and as a society treat the mentally ill: with compassion and kindness, rather than fear and ridicule. Facebook: Jenny Ortuoste, Twitter: @jennyortuoste, Instagram: @jensdecember, Blog: http://jennyo.net

(Aquino’s anointed successor, Mar Roxas, also deserves special mention here, for saying that a tax break would lead to loss of government services. But then, Mar had already warmed up to the idea of tax breaks, as well—until Aquino shut down any hope for them during his Focap speech.) I have stopped trying to find a reason why Aquino refuses to give wage earners any relief by way of reducing taxes—or even adjusting them for inflation. Maybe it’s just his usual orneriness, which comes into play especially when someone else (Congress, in this case) comes up with an idea that could benefit a lot of people, like reducing income taxes for both individuals and businesses.

Whatever his motivation for not reducing taxes, it can’t be because he has the interest of the public in mind. After all, if even his most rabid supporters like Drilon, Belmonte and the self-confessed Malacañang “sipsip” who is chairman of the House ways and means committee, Marikina Rep. Miro Quimbo, are calling for lower taxes, you’d think that Aquino would give in a little—even in the small matter of updating tax brackets because of the ravages of 18 years of inflation. I really don’t know why Aquino acts the way he does, come to think of it. I’m just happy that, in a few months, I won’t have to even attempt to explain to anyone why he does it. I simply don’t have the psychoanalytical training for it. And, quite frankly, I’ve just given up trying.

ruthless to his political enemies. In my lifetime, I would like to see the next President healing political wounds and unifying the country to enable it to move forward. *** Obviously, BS Aquino III is worried sick that his candidate for vice president, Leni Robredo, will never make it. People outside of Naga City do not know her. This is probably why the President has started attacking Senator Bongbong Marcos’ candidacy for vice president. The President wants the people not to forget the Marcos Martial Law days where there were many instances of disappearances of critics and its enemies, torture and killings. Bongbong Marcos should apologize for all of them, the President intones. He also laments the fact that the Marcoses are still in power. My gulay, this is precisely what I mean by a President so vindictive and so obsessed against his political enemies that he would inflict the sins of the father against his children. The fact is that BS Aquino III is realizing that there are many people out there who would want Bongbong Marcos to become vice president, and possibly become Presi-

dent in 2022. I see this coming with the sudden rise of the approval and trust ratings of Bongbong in poll surveys, not too far behind poll survey frontrunner Senator Chiz Escudero for vice president. If the Marcoses and the Romualdezes are still in power, that’s up to the people as they do with the former First Lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos as Ilocos Norte representative, and Imee R. Marcos as Ilocos Norte governor. The fact is that many people also are aware of the many good things that were done during the Marcos regime, like the North Luzon Expressway and the South Luzon Expressway, and the Marcos Highway to Baguio. Marcos also broke the backbone of the communist insurgency movement until they were amnestied by the late Cory and made the secessionist movement of the Moro National Liberation Front irrelevant with the exile of Nur Misuari to Egypt, until Cory brought him back. I don’t know why BS Aquino III is so much against the Marcoses when it was Imelda that sent his late father, Ninoy, to the US for a heart bypass. Records also have shown that it was Imelda that supported the Aquinos then on exile at Boston, Massachusetts. How easily BS Aquino III forgets—or wants to forget!

no... From A9

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A11

OPINION lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

LUMAD LAST September we were treated to a view of how lawless elements have grown and become so emboldened in their brazen acts of criminality under this administration. Manifesting their murderous designs with impunity, an armed group allegedly with the backing of the military, marched into a lumad community and murdered Emerito ‘Tatay Emok’ Samarca, executive director of the Alternative Learning Center for Agriculture and Development Inc.; Dionel Campos, chairperson of Mapasu (Persevering Struggle for Future Manobo Generations); and, his cousin Aurelio “Bello” Sinzo. It should be emphasized that Tatay Emok was not just murdered. According to news reports he was hogtied, mercilessly shot and stabbed many times. If this wasn’t

enough, his killers still had to slit his throat with a knife from ear to ear. Due to the killings and other atrocities being committed in our lumad communities, including harassment and other forms of human-rights violations in the past six months alone, at least 4,000 lumad have been displaced from the provinces of Davao del Norte, Sarangani, Bukidnon and Surigao del Sur. Ironically, even with Administrative Order No. 35 which provides for creating the Inter-Agency Committee tasked to act on cases “which remain un-investigated and unsolved, with the perpetrators unidentified or unprosecuted giving rise to impunity”, the deafening silence of this administration regarding the lumads is a testament to the fact that the “tuwid na daan” and “kayo ang boss

ko” is mere administration propaganda. According to Kalumaran secretary-general Dulphing Ogan, there can be no other reason behind the attack but the frustration of some sectors regarding the persistence of the tribes not to allow the operations of mining and logging concessions in the area. Likewise Datu Hawadon Cesar Batao, provincial tribal chieftain of Surigao del Sur, said that the lumads feel that this administration is more keen on promoting the interests of investors—the mining and logging companies who exploit natural resources in their ancestral domain, —more than securing the

security and welfare of the lumads. These include the Xstrata-SMI’s open pit mine in the South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Davao del Sur and Sarangani; the mining companies Greenstone, as well as the Nickel Asia of Manny Zamora, Tag-anito HPAL of Gerard Brimo, and the San R Mining and Galeo Equipment and Mining (who are involved in the controversial nickel mines in the coastal town of Tubay, Agusan del Norte). SRMI lists Caloocan City Rep. Edgar Erice, a close ally of PNoy, as its president. Other owners of SRMI: Miguel Alberto Gutierrez and Eric Gutierrez, are said to be close political supporters of both President Benigno Aquino III and Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Mar Roxas. All these demonstrate a clear indication of this administra-

tion’s failure to protect and respect the inherent rights to life and dignity of its citizens. Together with the Lianga massacre, the number of killings of environmental advocates under this administration has gone way over those recorded within almost a decade under the previous supposedly corrupt Arroyo regime. Other cases have likely remained undocumented as according to data from the United Nations office on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, some 100 indigenous people were killed protecting their ancestral lands and environment over the past three years alone. It is high time that we get past this administration’s highly funded and misleading media campaign showing them to be pro-people and incorruptible. “Yolanda,’’ MRT mess, SAF 44, and now the lumad massacre—all these are the legacy of the yellow administration.

MAIL MATTERS

BASELESS, MALICIOUS, DEFAMATORY WE WRITE relative to the articles “Harbour Center accused of storing rice sans permit” (September 27, 2015) and “Group wants Harbour Center license revoked” (October 26, 2015) wherein it was intimated that Harbour Centre Port Terminal, Inc. is unlawfully conniving with the National Food Authority in illegally storing imported rice within the port premises. It is our position that the allegations contained in the subject article are baseless, malicious and defamatory. While it is true that HCPTI has done business and transacted with NFA, all dealings with the same agency are conducted transparently and more importantly, legally. All unloading operations concerning rice importation of NFA are carried

URBAN... From A9 the MRT anywhere along Edsa, one can be connected to LRT1 in monument or in Taft Avenue. It was a very simple and practical plan. Somewhere along the way, however, an Administrator of the LRT in the previous administration came up with the weird plan that instead of the MRT3 proceeding all the way to Caloocan, it will be the LRT1 that will turn to Edsa and end in Roosevelt where it is now. We can only speculate why this was allowed to happen. Suffice it to say that this administrator was able to effect the change by convincing the whole Cabinet to approve this major change which was against the Urban

out through DirectTo-Truck operations. Simply stated, all cargoes are directly loaded to truck of the consignee and are never stored or kept within the port premises. In fact, a certification to this effect was recently issued by the NFA amidst the allegations of the boisterous consumer group. In the interest of bringing light to the issue, we took the initiative to contact and locate the representatives of the involved consumer group but our efforts were futile as both their contact number and address, as reflected in their corporate papers, are inexistent. Further, Atty. Danilo Bonabon

Railway Network plan and contrary to the wishes of the Department of Transportation and Communications. This necessitated additional trips for the commuting public. Instead of one continuous trip from Monumento to Taft Avenue or vice versa, one must stop at either Roosevelt or North Edsa and take another jeepney trip in order to continue to Taft Avenue or Monumento. The trip has also become more expensive. The original plan to put it simply was bastardized and unfortunately, the current administration with all its socalled brilliant technocrats is unable or unwilling to correct the mistake not to mention

of NFA, in his report relative to the ocular inspection conducted at the HCPTI premises last September 28, 2015, was quoted to say that “During our visit to verify the veracity of said accusation which was being published in several newspapers, Kenneth Soldevilla, assistant vice president for Terminal Operation, assisted us in the conduct of inspection of the only warehouse standing inside the premises of Manila Harbour Centre to show that there is no NFA/Commercial Rice being stored but mostly are materials made of iron. Not even a single grain of NFA rice is stored and

what happened to the MRT4 plan. Going back to the original plan will undoubtedly cost the government. Overall, it is better to revert to the original plan than keep the two systems unconnected as they are now. Keeping the two apart will only reinforce the notion that transport officials are really incompetent. *** One news item that was published since the Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group took charge of traffic enforcement along Edsa was that travel time along the stretch of road has been reduced by one hour. I do not know how this was computed or what time of day the trip was taken but one hour

found at the said warehouse.” Hence, removing all doubts of existence of illegally stored rice within HCPTI premises. In this regard, we urge you to cease and desist from publishing further, any article which relate or pertain to the above baseless allegation of illegal storage of rice within our port premises. HCPTI has always been committed to faithful compliance with applicable rules and regulations set forth by any and all government agencies, and upholding the laws of the land in general. Any allegation to the contrary serves to malign, vilify and defame the good name of the company. Iran Isabelle J. Servillon Harbour Centre Port Terminal, Inc.

reduction in travel time along Edsa is perhaps too much. If, however, traffic is at least moving even during the socalled peak hours, this would be an improvement. But more has to be done. One that is a must is the relocation of all the bus terminals along Edsa. Even if this undertaking takes 18 months to two years, it would still be faster than bigticket engineering projects. The benefit will be enormous. Since these bus stations generate about 225,000 trips a day, relocating them will drastically reduce congestion. Let us assume that there are around 14 provincial bus companies along Edsa. Let us also assume that these bus companies go to an average eight destinations

and operate 24 hours a day. If the average passenger load is 40 people, these Edsa bus stations are generating roughly 107,520 outwards trips a day. If we factor in those who are arriving, then we double that figure. If the bus stations are transferred somewhere else, then traffic is distributed and could be better managed unlike what is happening now where Edsa is generating more trips than it can efficiently handle. We can therefore eliminate about 225,000 trips a day along Edsa by relocating the bus stations. We obviously can no longer transfer the malls, but the bus stations are doable and manageable. With government help, the task will be easier.

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sports sports@thestandard.com.ph

Royals outlast NY Mets, 5-4 KANSAS CITY—Unflinching despite on-field setbacks and off-field heartbreak, the Kansas City Royals outlasted the New York Mets, 5-4, in 14 innings Tuesday to win game one of the 111th World Series. Eric Hosmer drove in Alcides Escobar with a sacrifice fly to give the Royals an emotional victory in a thriller that matched the longest game by innings in the history of Major League Baseball’s best-ofseven final. “To grind through that game and win it in the 14th inning was big,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “Two things you don’t want in game one of the World Series -- one is to go 14 innings and the other is to lose.”

The intense matchup lasted five hours and nine minutes, the longest World Series opener by time or innings, and featured Escobar leading off with the first inside the park World Series home run in 86 years. But much of the joy was stolen from the achievement as players learned of the death of Royals starting pitcher Edinson Volquez’s father just hours earlier -- the third Royals player parent to die in the past three months. “I found out right before we won.

In the locker room, during the celebration, we all talked about it,” Royals slugger Alex Gordon said. “That’s tough. But we’re a family and we rallied around him and picked him up and hopefully everything is OK.” Volquez’s 63-year-old father Daniel died of heart disease before the game in their native Dominican Republic. Volquez’s wife asked that her husband not be told until he was out of the game, according to a Royals spokesman, and Volquez departed before the game ended. The Royals lost pitcher Chris Young’s father Charles to cancer last month and third baseman Mike Moustakas’ mother Connie died of cancer in August.

Hosmer redeems error Juan Lagares gave New York a 4-3 lead in the eighth, scoring from second base on a fielding error by first baseman Hosmer. But the drama stretched to extra innings when Gordon blasted a one-out homer over the centerfield wall in the ninth inning, the latest tying homer in a Series game since 2001. It came off Mets closing relief ace Jeurys Familia, his first blown save opportunity since July 30. “He doesn’t give up home runs so we were all shocked by it. We liked where we were at,” Mets manager Terry Collins said. “We’ve got to put them away. We’ve got to do a better job. In the same situation, he’ll be back out there.” AFP

CDO run listup set CDO-Foodsphere Inc. announced yesterday that the deadline of registration for CDO @ 40: Run for Odyssey is Nov. 4, 2015. Registrations are held at Chris Sports outlets in Glorietta, SM North Edsa, SM Megamall, SM MOA, SM BF Homes and Market Market until November 4, 2015. The fun run, sponsored by CDO, San Marino Tuna and Highlands Corned Beef, will take place on Nov. 8 at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig. Apart from the hundreds of CDO employees and industry partners joining the run, the general public are also enjoined to participate in the run for a cause event. The run will have 5k, 10k, and 21k groups for both male and female categories. Running enthusiasts, families, friends, and all who wants to support a worthy cause are welcome to join. “When you run for Odyssey, you not only get up to the challenge of proving yourself in your chosen run category but you also help nourish the lives of thousands of undernourished children in the country,” said Jules Burton, Senior Manager for Human Resources Department of CDO-Foodsphere.

Vera faces Brit champ By Peter Atencio

Kansa City’s Eric Hosmer (left), Mike Moustakas (center) and Jonny Gomes (right) celebrate after the Royals defeated the New York Mets, 5-4, in Game 1 of the 2015 World Series at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. AFP

PCU stuns ex-champ Sta. Lucia PHILIPPINE Christian University surprised former champ Sta. Lucia Land, 9791, as the action continued in the 5th DELeague Basketball Tournament Tuesday night at the Basketball Covered Court of the Marikina Sports Center. The Realtors dominated in the first quarter, but when the PCU Dolphins got the lead, 39-38, in the second, they continued to outsmart the league’s first-ever champ with a 13-point advantage, 72-59, in the third quarter. The Realtors went close at 1:57 with 8985 in the fourth quarter but still fell short. Chris Malto led the Dolphins to their first win with his 24 points, while Fidel Castro had 23 points that included his four three-pointers in the third quarter. Von Tambeling scored 20 points. Ngudjol Victor’s 28 points and 11 rebounds, and ex-PBA star Francis “Kiko”

Adriano’s 17 points, 3 rebounds and 5 steals were not good enough for the Realtors, who also got 16 points and 3 rebounds from Eluid “Eloy” Poligrates. In the other game, Macway Travel won against Philippine National Police-Quick Print, 96-69, with Paul Santiago scoring 22 points, hauling 7 rebounds and dishing off 6 assists. He was assisted by Floyd Dedicatoria scored 20 points to secure Macway Stallions’ second win. PNP-Quik Print Enforcers was led by ex-PBA star Ernesto “Estong” Ballesteros, with his 15 points and 5 rebounds and Ricky Cabrera, who scored 12 points. On Thursday, Mindanao Gilas will face Metro Pacific Toll Corporation in the first game, while Sta. Lucia Land will battle Power Innovation Philippines in the second game.

Sta. Lucia Land’s import Ngudjol Victor and Philippine Christian University’s import Obinna Ezeike battle for the rebound in the 5th DELeague Basketball Tournament at the Basketball Covered Court of the Marikina Sports Center. The PCU Dolphins won, 97-91.

FILIPINO-ITALIAN mixed martial arts fighter Brandon Vera said yesterday that fighting in the Philippines in front of his countrymen always gets his adrenalin going. During the presentation of the ONE Championship fight card, the 6’2” Vera, who holds a 13-7 win-loss record, said he is looking forward to fighting the unbeaten British kickboxing specialist Chie Lewis “Chopper” Parry, who has won all of his six fights since he started joining mixed martial arts events in 2012. Vera and Parry meet in the highly anticipated match between the top-ranked heavyweight contenders at the Mall of Asia Arena on Dec. 11, with the winner to be crowned as the inaugural ONE Heavyweight World Champion. “I’m gonna whoop his a__. I’m nervous and excited. It’s a double-edged sword. It’s really fine on one side, and big on the other. I’m really excited. It’s different feeling,” said Vera, who showed up at the presentation wearing a black shirt, black shorts, and sandals. De Vera, who is seeking a consecutive win after beating Igor Subora by technical knockout last Dec. 15, said he always loves to fight before his fans in his mother’s homeland.

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sports sports@thestandard.com.ph

Kunming hosts WBC Convention

Derrick Rose (center) of the Chicago Bulls is fouled as he tries to drive between Tristan Thompson (left) and Mo Williams of the Cleveland Cavaliers during the season opening game at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The Bulls defeated the Cavaliers, 97-95. AFP

Bulls hold on to whip Cavs LOS ANGELES—The Chicago Bulls upstaged LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, and league MVP Stephen Curry got his new campaign off to an emphatic start as the 2015-16 NBA season got under way. With President Barack Obama among a delighted Chicago crowd, the Bulls toppled the Cavaliers 97-95 on Tuesday in a thrilling opening night duel. Derrick Rose finished with 18 points and five assists, as four of the Bulls’ five starters finished in double figures. “I love our effort tonight. Who knows how good this team can be?” said Bulls guard Rose. “My teammates allowed me to play through my mistakes.” Curry became the first reigning MVP in history to score 40 or more points on opening night as the Golden State Warriors began their title defense by thumping the New Orleans Pelicans 111-95. In the other contest, the Detroit Pistons

dumped the Atlanta Hawks 106-94. There was a moment of silence before the games in honor of Flip Saunders. The Minnesota Timberwolves coach and team president passed away on Sunday after battling cancer. The only Chicago starter that didn’t shoot in double figures was Pau Gasol, but the Spaniard made his presence known with six blocks including a key denial of Cavaliers talisman James with three seconds left that helped secure the victory. Cleveland had another chance to tie the score as time expired but guard Jimmy Butler broke up a Cavs inbound pass to James, ending the game between the two top clubs in the

NBA’s Eastern Conference. Nikola Mirotic had 19 points, Butler delivered 17 points while Tony Snell and E’Twaun Moore each scored 11 for the Bulls, who gave their new head coach Fred Hoiberg his first NBA win. James tallied a game-high 25 points and 10 rebounds, Mo Williams finished with 19 points and Kevin Love scored 18 for the Cavaliers, who lost in the NBA Finals in six games last season to the Warriors. James said after the game that he struggled with his conditioning during the first and third quarters. He sat out for most of the past two weeks of preseason after receiving an anti-inflammatory injection for his back. It was his second shot in the past 10 months.

WHAT is expected to be a spectacular World Boxing Council 53rd Convention in Kunming, China opens in November with a star-studded cast of world champions and prominent figures in boxing confirming their attendance. The latest addition to the list of WBC world champions that reportedly caused “a roar of satisfaction,” according to the WBC website is the announcement that WBC Diamond and super bantamweight Champion Leo “Terremoto” Santa Cruz will attend the convention. “Leo joins an already glittering array of stars that will host this crucially important annual boxing event, which will include seminars on the skills of judging, the Referee’s craft, medical issues, ratings, WBC Cares, policy decisions, the sport’s greatest stars, and so much more from Nov. 1 to 7,” said the WBC. The Philippines is expected to be represented by a delegation from the Games and Amusements Board, headed by chairman Ramon “Monju” Guanzon, who is also a member of the WBC board. Prominent Filipino promoters attending the convention are Gabriel “Bebot’Elorde, Johnny and Liza Elorde, International referee Bruce McTavish who, for many years has conducted the referees seminar, but took a break from the task this year. Ronnie Nathanielsz

Diplomats, businessmen join Tantoco golf tourney GOLF enthusiasts from the diplomatic and business communities in Metro Manila will compete for the Ambassador Bienvenido Tantoco Sr. Cup on Nov. 16 at the Sta. Elena Golf and Country Club in Cabuyao. Laguna. The tournament will benefit the DFA Retirees Foundation Inc. Organized by the DFARFI in cooperation with the Philippine Jaycees Capitol Quezon City chapter, the tournament honors the former Philippine Ambassador to the Vatican and the Sovereign Order of Malta, business pioneer and leader, and the tournament’s principal sponsor, Amb. Tantoco. It aims to raise funds for the health and wellness projects of the DFARFI for the benefit of the retired personnel of the Department of Foreign Affairs. In his tournament message, Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alberto del Rosario lauded the DFARFI as “a manifestation that officers and employees of the Department continue after retirement to be a family, bound by an abiding concern for each other’s well-being.” Registration for the tourna-

ment is scheduled at 6 a.m. on the day of the golf meet. The ceremonial tee-off will be led by former President Fidel V. Ramos at 7 a.m. The tournament will be capped by a luncheon and program with entertainment, awarding of winners and a raffle with valuable prizes at stake donated by the Rustan Group of Companies and other tournament sponsors. The Ambassador Bienvenido R. Tantoco Sr. Golf Tournament committee is composed of Ambassador Isaias F. Begonia,chairman, DFARFI Chairman Lauro Baja, adviser, with members, Ambassadors Antonio Villamayor, Willy Gaa, Rora Navarro-Tolentino, Jaime J. Yambao, and Teresita Mendiola. The tournament director is Ambassador Jorge Arizabal, who will be assisted as co-director by Jaycee VJ Eugenio and other Jaycees Mark Anthony Aquino and Brian Tan. Those wishing to participate or contribute to the fund-raising event may contact the Tournament Secretariat, c/o Myrna Valero at tel. nos. 264-5303/0917897-6759.

Roy Jones is now a Russian citizen By Ronnie Nathanielsz FORMER multi-division world boxing champion and pound-for-pound king Roy Jones Jr. is now a Russian and has proudly shown his new Russian passport, which he received at during a ceremony in Moscow, yesterday. Jones Jr. stated “I am Russian,” in the Russian language and claimed it was one of the happiest days of his life. The Russian news agency TASS reported that Jones would fight for a World Boxing Assocition title in Moscow on Dec. 12. Russian president Vadimir Putin had previously met with Jones and given him the approval to become a Russian citizen, who will report-

edly face Denis Lebedev for the WBA cruiser weight title. In accepting his Russian passport, Jones told a news conference in Moscow he wanted to specifically thank President Putin for presenting him with a passport, which would make his job of training fighters and promoting fight cards much easier since he won’t have to go through the hassle of obtaining a visa every time he travels to Russia. “Feels nothing better than to be a citizen of both the USA and Russia. This is definitely something that was ordained by God and not myself,” said Jones, who wanted to encourage other people to go to Russia “because Russia is good and the people of Russia are good.”

Volley tourney. Philippine Volleyball Federation officials and participants in the third leg of the Tanduay Beach Volleyball Invitational are shown above before the start of the one-day event held at the sand-courts of the Cantada Sports Center last Saturday. Mike Abria and Alvin Avila of the Philippine Air Force won the men’s title, while Pau Soriano and Norie Jane Diaz of the Philippine Navy bagged the women’s title. The series is supported by sportsman Bong Tan and Tanduay.

ERRORS & OMISSIONS

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N OTICE Notice is hereby given that GoHotels Davao, Inc. with office address at 43rd Floor Robinsons Equitable Tower ADB Avenue corner Poveda Street, Ortigas Center, Pasig City, is applying for registration with the Board of Investments (BOI) as a new Operator of Tourist Accommodation Facility/Hotel (Go Hotels Lanang-Davao City) with a total capacity of 183 rooms on a non-pioneer status with project site at Km. 7 J.P. Laurel Avenue, Lanang, Davao City. Any person with valid objection/s on the abovementioned project may file his/her objection in writing, under oath, with the BOI within three (3) days from the date of this publication. (SGD.) RAFAELITO H. TARUC Director Infrastructure and Services Industries Service

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T H U R S DAY : O C T O B E R 2 9, 2 0 1 5

SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

NLEX’s Kevin Alas (right) alters the shot of Barako Bull’s Chico Lanete in a PBA Philippine Cup game won by the Road Warriors, 93-85.

(TS-OCT. 29, 2015)

PORT MANAGEMENT OFFICE OF AGUSAN Port Area, San Francisco Street, Butuan City 8600, PHILIPPINES Tel. No. (+6385) 342-5352,342-6451, 815-3449; Fax No. (+6385) 815-4434; Email: pmo_nasipit@yahoo.com

INVITATION TO BID FOR THE: PROJECT NRP-AGN-02-15: REPAIR OF DRAINAGE SYSTEM AT TMO BUTUAN The Philippine Ports Authority – PMO AGUSAN, through the Corporate Budget of the Authority for CY 2015, intends to apply the sum of 11,763,746.00 being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for the PROJECT NRP-AGN-02-15: REPAIR OF DRAINAGE SYSTEM AT TMO BUTUAN, Butuan City, Agusan del Norte. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at the bid opening. Required PCAB Registration: SMALL B – “Port, Harbor or Offshore Engineering” The Philippine Ports Authority, PMO-Agusan now invites bids for the following Scope of Works: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

By Jeric Lopez

DOLITION WORKS EXCAVATION WORKS CONSTRUCTION OF DRAINAGE CANAL CONSTRUCTION OF CATCH BASINS RESTORATION WORKS

Completion of the Works is required in ONE HUNDRED FIFTY (150) CALENDAR DAYS. Bidders should have completed, within the last three (3) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a single contract similar and with the same major categories of work to the Project to be bid having a value of at least 50% of the approved budget for the contract to be bid, updated to current prices using the NSO price indices and supported with corresponding certificate of completion/acceptance from project owner/agency. The Minimum Equipment Requirement (Owned/Leased) for this project are: 1. 1-Unit Mini Truck (3 Ton capacity) 2. 1-Unit Mini Dump Truck (3.0 cu.m. capacity) 3. 1-Unit Air Compressor 4. 1-Unit Bar Cutter 5. 1-Unit Jackhammer 6. 1-Unit One Bagger-Concrete Mixer 7. 1-Unit Concrete Vibrator (5 HP) 8. 1-Unt Concrete Cutter 9. 1-Unit Cutting Outfit 10. 1-Unit Plate compactor (12 HP engine driven) 11. 1-Unit Welding Machine (300A electric driven) Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using non-discretionary pass/ fail criterion as specified in the Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 (R.A. 9184), otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act.” Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships or organizations with at least 75% interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines. Interested bidders are required to submit to the BAC Secretariat of PPA, PMO Agusan machine and original copies of the following documents for authentication before the issuance of Bid Documents: a) Letter of Intent; b) PCAB License; c) Contractor’s Registration Certificate; d) Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) Order Form (Document Request List); e) CY 2014 CPES Rating; f) CY 2014 Income Tax Return (ITR) with Payment Slip thru the BIR Electronic Filing and Payment System (eFPS), and g) Certification of non-inclusion in the Consolidated Blacklisting Report issued by the GPPB. A complete set of Bidding Documents will be available to interested Bidders from the address below upon payment of a non-refundable fee for the Bidding Documents of Twenty Five Thousand Pesos (₱25,000.00), exclusive of VAT. Only the duly Authorized Representatives are allowed to purchase the Bidding Documents. This Office is not electronically-ready to handle documents, thus submission of bids/proposals electronically is not allowed. The schedule of procurement activities is as follows: Procurement Activities

Schedule Time

Date

Venue

Period of Availability/ Issuance 9:00 AM of Bidding Documents 5:00 PM

Oct. 27, 2015 – Nov. 18, 2015

PPA, PMO Agusan Admin Building, Port Area, Butuan City

Pre-Bid Conference

November 4, 2015

PPA, PMO Agusan Admin Building, Port Area, Butuan City

Deadline of Submission and 8:30 AM Receipt of Bids

November 18, 2015

PPA, PMO Agusan Admin Building, Port Area, Butuan City

Opening & Examination of Bids

November 18, 2015

PPA, PMO Agusan Admin Building, Port Area, Butuan City

9:00 AM

The Philippine Ports Authority, Port Management Office of Agusan will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on November 4, 2015 @ 9:00 o’clock in the morning at the PPA, PMO Agusan Administration Bldg., Port Area, San Francisco Street, Butuan City, which shall be open only to all interested bidders who have purchased the Bidding Documents Bidders must submit their bids on the date, time and place specified in the above schedule. Late bid/s will not be accepted. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the forms and corresponding amount stated in the Bidding Documents. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below. The Philippine Ports Authority, Port Management Office of Agusan 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. Similarly, the PPA Port Management Office of Agusan assumes no obligation, whatsoever, to compensate or indemnify any bidder of any expenses or loss that said bidder(s) may incur in its participation in the pre-bidding and bidding process nor does it guarantee that an award will be made. For further information, please refer to: MS. ELEANOR M. DE LA VICTORIA Records Officer A/Acting HRMO III Head, BAC Secretariat-Engineering Projects PPA, PMO-Agusan Port Area, San Francisco Street, Butuan City 8600 Tel. Nos. (085) 342-6451/342-5352 Fax No. (085) 815-4434 Email Address: pmo_nasipit@yahoo.com

(TS OCT. 29, 2015)

NLEX Warriors grab share of lead

(SGD) JUANCHO I. TALILI Executive Assistant A/ Acting Manager, Port Services Division BAC Chairperson, Engineering Projects

A VITAL rampage in the second half propelled NLEX to its second straight victory, a 93-85 trouncing of the debuting Barako Bull, to grab a share of the early lead in the 2015 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last night. The burly front-court duo of Asi Taulava and Sean Anthony continued to impress and power the assault of the promising Road Warriors. Both had double-double performances with Taulava dropping 14 points, 11 rebounds and four assists, while Anthony poured in 11 points and 19 whopping rebounds off the bench as they lifted NLEX to victory. As a result, the Road Warriors improved to 2-0, their best start in their young PBA stint, to tie Rain or Shine as the early tournament leaders. Barako Bull started its campaign at 0-1. NLEX coach Boyet Fernandez is happy with his team’s early success, giving his players credit for their efforts.

‘’We’re just happy that we won our second straight game and we’re having a good start. Hopefully, we can continue this,’’ said Fernandez. ‘’I give credit to my players. Without their efforts, we won’t be able to win. Our guys stepped up.’’ Following a lackluster first half where it trailed 38-45 at the half, NLEX suddenly woke up in the second to slowly but surely take the game away. The Road Warriors dominated the third, exploding or 35 points while holding the Energy to only 18 points to win the quarter by 17 points, snatching the lead and controlling the contest at 73-63, heading into the final period. That proved to be the decisive blow as Barako Bull, though it was able put up a fight in the final 12 minutes by trimming the gap to just three points, once with over three minutes left, never fully recovered to allow NLEX to come away with another victory. Mac Cardona had 12 points also as a sub, Kevin Alas scored 11 and Enrico Villanueva added 10 more points to complete five NLEX players in double-figures. Games Friday (Mall of Asia Arena, Pasay City) 4:15 p.m. • Alaska vs. Blackwater 7 p.m. • GlobalPort vs. Star

Saso storms to front with a 67 CARMONA, Cavite—Amateur Yuka Saso recovered from a bogey mishap on the 17th with a brilliant approach shot for a tap-in birdie on the finishing hole as she carded a four-under 67 and swept past a host of pros to wrest the lead in the second round of Manila Southwoods Ladies Classic at Southwoods’ Legends course here yesterday. Saso bucked the gale-force wind in the early going with a birdie on No. 4 then flashed her familiarity with the bunker-laden layout she calls home with three birdies in the first five holes at the back before flubbing a six-foot

par-putt bid on the par-5 17th. But she toughened up on the 18th, blasting a solid drive and hitting a superb wedge shot that landed two feet off the cup, highlighting a 34-33 card that shoved her from joint fifth to the top of the heap at six-under 136. “I did my best in every hole but I think I pushed myself too hard on No. 17. Otherwise, everything is okay,” said Saso, at 14 already a veteran of many international competitions, including the Queen Sirikit Cup last May, and trying to become the third amateur to win this year after Princess Superal at Wack Wack and Hwang Min Jeong

at Mt. Malarayat. Mookharin Ladgratok turned from awesome to awful as the Thai bet, who took the opening round lead with a 66, reeled back with four bogeys with no birdie to show in a 75 round, tumbling down to eighth at 141, five strokes off Saso. But four players, including fellow Fil-Japanese Chihiro Ikeda, stood just a stroke adrift at 137 while Lovelynn Guioguio rallied with a 68 for a 139, ensuring a spirited battle for the top P100,000 purse in the final leg of the eightstage Ladies Philippine Golf Tour sponsored by International Container Terminal Services Inc.

T H U R S DAY : O C T O B E R 2 9, 2 0 1 5

A15

SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Young Cebuana shines in V-League tournament FOR Isabel Molde, she would rather face the toughest team in the fold than face the camera. But with back-to-back scintillating games in the early going of the Shakey’s V-League Season 12 Reinforced Conference, the University of the Philippines’ prized find couldn’t help but oblige to the obligatory TV interview accorded the best player of each match. “I don’t feel nervous whenever I play, but I do whenever I’m interviewed on TV,” said the softspoken 17-year-old Cebuana who came through with an impressive 17-hit performance, helping the Lady Maroons rally past the Navy Lady Sailors, 19-25, 25-23, 25-23, 25-23, last Oct. 10. That netted the 5-6 1/2 Physical Education student the game’s top player honors then dished out another 15-point output in a 25-20, 25-22, 27-25 win over Coast Guard to emerge the first player to cop back-to-back Player of the Game honors in the season-ending conference of the country’s premier women’s volley league sponsored by Shakey’s. “No one as young as this girl from Cebu has ever debuted in our tournament with such a strong impact. She is definitely another star in the making in the mold, pardon the pun, of superstar Alyssa Valdez of Ateneo,” said Ricky Palou, president of the organizing Sports Vision. Truly, Molde, one of the two Cebuano aces in the UP fold, the other being Justine Dorog, made an impressive debut in the recently concluded Collegiate Conference where she proved the steadiest and most dominant Lady Maroon, leading the rookie-laden UP squad to the quarterfinals with 18-hit norms and clinching three Player of the Game honors. Early excellence in the sport didn’t come easy for daughter of elementary school principals in Cebu. Roving coach Jerry Yee, who also handles the Hope Christian High School team, spotted Molde and Dorog in one kiddie tournament in Cebu and immediately brought them to Manila upon their elementary graduation.

Standings after 6 rounds (Open Division) Antonio 8, Bitoon 7, Pascua, Turqueza 6, Torre, Laylo, Docena, Abelgas, Gomez, 5, Bersamina, Frayna 4. Standings after 5 rounds (Women’s Division) Fronda 8, San Diego 7, Lozano, Bernales 6, Perena-Secopito, Suede 5, Mendoza 5, Membrere 4, Enriquez 3, Pineda 1.

UP’s ace Open spiker Isabel Molde shows the other facet of her game

10 and Philips Gold last tourney presented by Games Today Oct. 17. Asics and backed by (The Arena, San Juan) But in their grudge Milo with Senoh, Muel- 4:15 pm -- Foton vs Cignal ler and Mikasa as tech- 6:15 pm -- RC Cola-Air Force match against the erstvs Petron while unbeaten HD nical partners and TV 5 Spikers Tuesday night, as official broadcaster. Despite being one of the strong- a more fluid and more motivated est teams on paper, the Blaze Spik- Petron squad showed up and had ers suffered some hiccups in the key adjustments down the stretch first round after absorbing a pair to pull off a dramatic 25-16, 14-25, of sorry losses to Cignal last Oct. 25-17, 22-25, 15-13 victory.

Disciplinary matters A LETTER from World SYLVIA LOPEZ Bridge FederALEJANDRO ation to Presidents of the WBF Zonal Conferences and WBF NBO President: “The WBF is under a duty to have in place appropriate rules and regulations for the orderly conduct of its affairs and the organization of the sport. As a continuing part of that process, the WBF has been updating its Disciplinary Code; the latest approved version will have effect from 1st January 2016. At this time the world of bridge is in turmoil following accusations of cheating and various proceedings have been started by Zonal Conferences and NBOs against the accused persons. Zero tolerance is and has to be our target, but any accused person has the right to a fair trial and to a fair verdct. This indisputable principle should govern our lives.

In Chennai the “cheating” matter has been discussed. The WBF has tried always to enforce and encourage ethical behavior in our sport, but unfortunately the three producing the rotten apples seems to be always fertile, mirroring the worse part of human nature. What is sure is that we neither want nor will accept such behavior. Together, with the cooperation of every component of our community, we will leave no stone unturned to rid us of this cancer. Let me repeat, once again, that fortunately Bridge (and I am referring to BRIDGE in capital letters) should not be like this. It is sport, culture, education, fair-play, respect for the rules, rejection of any discrimation: this is what we are promoting and are successfully teaching to the youth and to the school pupils, attracted by Bridge and its values.” -oOoAn account by Ron Klinger on

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

NM Abelgas posts lone win in day of draws

Petron Blaze Spikers test resolve of RC Cola-Airforce AFTER winning the last time, reigning champion Petron tests the resolve of a struggling RC Cola-Air Force side as second-round action of the 2015 Philippine Superliga women’s volleyball tournament heats up today at The Arena in San Juan. Game time is at 6:15 p.m. following the clash between pacesetter Cignal and Foton in the 4:15 p.m. curtain-raiser of this inter-club

LOTTO RESULTS

Brazilian reinforcement Rupia Inck came through with a stellar performance in the final stretch of the deciding set while playmaker Erica Adachi completely took control as the Blaze Spikers survived another action-packed and emotional battle that featured long rallies, booming smashes and dramatic finishes never before seen in any local club tournament in the country.

Showdown in Sanya, V. The final of 2014 Rosenblum Open Teams between team Zurkiewicz against team Monaco. Mazurkiewicz won the final by 131-80. Klinger recounts on board played which he called that Board 30 was a triumph for the skinny preempts. Board 29 presented problems in both bidding and play (neither side vulnerable): West East ♠Q942 ♠J5 ♥AKQ103 ♥J98 ♦832 ♦Q9 ♣6 ♣AK10984 With North-South silent, Mazurkiewicz-Jassem bid one club—one hear—two clubs—two spades— three hearts—four hearts. The defense began with three rounds of diamonds, thus ending any substantial hope of using East’s long clubs. Declarer ruffed in dummy and played a spade to the nine and ten. A trump lead now would have taken the contract two down, but Helness switched to a club winner, continued spades, and was able to ruff a spade loser: one down, minus 50.

NATIONAL Master Roel Abelgas posted the lone win on a day of standoffs late Tuesday that also saw Grandmasters Rogelio “Joey” Antonio hold on to the solo lead in the 2015 Battle of GrandmastersNational Chess Championship at the Philippine Sports Commission Athletes’ Dining Hall, RMSC, Vito Cruz, Manla. The Cavite native Abelgas dealt Woman International Master Janelle Mae Frayna her fourth straight defeat in a Gruenfeld match that ended with a checkmate after a marathon 80 moves. The checkmate came after Abelgas’ king, knight and bishop launched a determined hunt of Frayna’s king in the protracted match. “Ang hirap. Kailangan talaga precise para makorner mo ‘yung king,” said Abelgas, an undergraduate student from PCU-Dasmariñas. Antonio, meanwhile, halved the point with no. 2 seed GM Darwin Laylo to keep his grip of the solo lead with eight points on three wins, two draws against one loss. The many-time Olympian said that despite an earlier loss to NM Haridan Pascua, he still has good chances of winning the tournament organized by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines and supported by the PSC. “So far okay naman. Maganda naman ang preparation ko. Sana nga manalo,” said Antonio, who took a long break from active competition because of health issues.

In the Closed Room, FantoniNunes bid two clubs (five-plus clubs, unbalanced hand, 10-13 HCP)—two hearts—three hearts— pass. Gawrys led the heart seven. Declarer won with the ace and played club ace, club king, club ruff high to establish the suit, heart three to the nine, heart jack, and three club winners for 10 tricks, plus 170: 6 imps to MONACO. Board 30 was a triumph for skinny preempts: South dealer East-West vulnerable North ♠KJ5 ♥KQ432 ♦A ♣AQ64 West East ♠A872 ♠Q43 ♥AJ986 ♥1075 ♦KQ10 ♦98652 ♣3 ♣95 South ♠1096 ♥♦J743 ♣KJ10872

Open Room South

West

Mazurkeiwicz

Helgemo Jassem Helness

3♣ Pass

North East

Double 5♣ Pass Double (All Pass)

Closed Room South

West

North

East

Fanton

Klukowski

Nunes

Gawrys

3♣ Double 5♣ Pass Pass Double (All Pass) Both West led the diamond king to the ace. Mazurkeiwicz played a club to hand and crossruffed diamonds and hearts for four tricks. He drew the last trump, cashed the diamond jack, and lost two spade tricks to score 550. Fantoni crossed to hand with a trump at trick two, then played the spade six. Klukowski rose with the ace and switched to the heart ace. Declarer ruffed and had 12 tricks to score 650, winning 3 imps for MONACO. Comments to: sylvia.alejandro@ yahoo.com

A16

T H U R S DAY : O C T O B E R 2 9, 2 0 1 5 RIERA U. MALL ARI EDITOR

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

sports@thestandard.com.ph

SPORTS

Bulldogs stay alive, Tams th post 10 win By Reuel Vidal

THEY’RE still in the race. Defending champion National University Bulldogs got a big lift from JJay Alejandro to keep alive their flickering hopes of advancing into the Final Four of UAAP Season 78 men’s basketball tournament with an 81-73 victory over the La Salle University Green Archers at the Mall of Asia Arena yesterday. Alejandro exploded for 17 fourth quarter points to tow the Bulldogs to the scrambling victory over the Green Archers. He racked up nine consecutive points, capped by back-to-back triples, as NU forged ahead with a 10-point 68-58 advantage with 5:51 to go in the game. La Salle’s Jeron Teng then tried to take over the match, as he scored back-to-back field goals on strong moves to the basket as La Salle cut the gap to just six points, 68-62, with 4:06 to play. The Bulldogs again got some breathing room after a triple by Jeff Javillonar and a three-point play by Alejandro as NU extended its lead to nine points, 71-62, with 3:10 to go. But the Archers weren’t

done yet. Thomas Torres converted a fastbreak layup followed by a field goal by the veteran Teng and the Green Archers threatened again, 7166, with 2:42 left to play. The Green Archers crept even closer as Andrei Caracut and Torres each drilled a triple to go with two free throws by Teng to trail by just two points, 75-73, with 44 seconds left to play. NU big man Alfred Aroga then caught the Green Archers with their pants down. Instead of wasting away the seconds, he drove strong to the hoop immediately after receiving the pass. Aroga converted the layup and the bonus free throw to seal the outcome of the match, 78-73 with just 40

seconds left to play. With the victory the Bulldogs (5 wins, 7 losses) stayed in contention for a Final Four berth as they inched closer to the fourth-placed Green Archers (5-6). Meanwhile, Far Eastern University got a surprise lift from Russel Escoto and Raymar Jose who led powered the Tamaraws to their ninth consecutive victory, a rousing 82-69 demolition of the Adamson University Soaring Falcons. Instead of usual stars Mac Belo and Chester Tolomia lighting up the scoreboard, the unheralded Escoto and Jose racked up the points to power the Tamaraws to a league-best (10-1) record. Escoto topscored with 13 points, while Jose added 12 points and seven rebounds for the Tamaraws. Belo and Tolomia didn’t do too badly either with 10 and nine points, respectively. The victory assured the Tamaraws of at least a playoff for a twice-to-beat advantage in the Final Four. The Soaring Falcons (2-9) dropped to the bottom of the standings.

Adamson’s Joseph Nalos drives to the basket and defies the defense of two FEU defenders in the UAAP men’s basketball tournament. The Tamaraws won, 82-69. BROSI GONZALES

Letran Knights, SBC Red Lions fight for all the marbles today By Peter Atencio AGAINST a team which had won championships the past five seasons, the Letran Knights need to start strong and pour in more points, especially in the endgame. Letran coach Aldin Ayo made this clear minutes after the Knights dropped an 68-61 decision to the five-time champion San Beda Red Lions, who tied the

Bulls hold on to whip Cavs TURN TO A13

91st National Collegiate Athletic pinakaraming puntos, siya ang Association men’s basmananalo,” Ayo said. Games Today ketball finals at one win Game 3 is set at 4 p.m., Game 3, MOA Arena) at the Mall of Asia Arena apiece. 2 p.m. San Beda vs The Knights, who took with the Knights lookArellano (jrs) Game 1, 94-90, actually 4 p.m. San Beda vs ing to end a 10-year title Letran (srs) were still in the fight in drought, and the Red Lithe first three quarters, ons aspiring to annex an only to falter in the stretch, as they unprecedented sixth straight men’s missed basket after basket in the senior title. final three minutes. Despite the win, San Beda “Bottomline. Kung sino ang coach Jamike Jarin reminded the

Royals outlast NY Mets, 5 to 4 TURN TO A12

Red Lions to stick to their respective roles and the system in place. “It’s a matter of saying it. It has to start from each person that you have to embrace your responsibility and not be allowed to get beat. That’s how we started and I hope we maintain it,” said Jarin, who expects Game 3 to be another down-to-the-wire finish. The Red Lions in Game 2 shot the ball well, hitting 56 percent of

their field-goal attempts. In contrast, Knights finished with an paltry 29 percent. In the juniors’ side, the Arellano Braves attempts to post another win against the Red Cubs when Game 2 of their finals series set at 2 p.m. In Game 1, Guilmer de la Torre and Carlo Abadeza combined for 31 points to lead the Braves to an 72-68 upset of the defending champion San Beda Red Cubs.

THURSDAY: OCTOBER 29, 2015

RAY S. EÑANO EDITOR

RODERICK T. DELA CRUZ ASSISTANT EDITOR

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

BUSINESS

Organic food expo. Agriculture Undersecretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat (center) leads the ribbon-cutting ceremony to ofﬁcially open the 2nd PNOPEX 2015 (Philippine Natural and Organic Products Expo) at SM Megatrade Hall 2 on October 22. The exhibition offers a wide array of natural and organic products and the wonders of health beneﬁts from natural and organic foods. Joining Puyat are (from left) Region 1 director Valentino Perdido, National Organic Agriculture Program coordinator Elsa Parot, Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service director Bernadette San Juan and Region 4 regional technical director Brigida Mercado.

Govt warned on car plate row By Othel V. Campos

FOREIGN businessmen on Wednesday criticized the government for dishonoring a business contract, warning that the move will send a wrong signal to investors. The European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines expressed concern over the delay in government’s funding for new vehicle license plates, saying it represented a breach of contract that would discourage investors. The business group cited the delay in the release of car plates under the standardization project of the Land Transportation Office. “It is simply unfathomable that the common principle of sanctity of contract can be completely disregarded here. How can the country attract foreign investors

if even a signed contract offers no assurance that the other party, in this case the government, will respect it,” said chamber vice president Henry Schumacher. Schumacher referred to JKGPower Plates, the winning bidder in the Motor Vehicle License Plate Standardization Program of the LTO. Transportation signed a fiveyear, P3.18-billion contract with JKG-Power Plates in 2014 for the supply of vehicle license plates. JKG-Power Plates is a joint venture between Dutch and

Filipino companies JKG-Power Plates under the contract delivered 877,166 pairs of motor veheicle plates, 2,370,006 pieces of motorcycle plates and 12,685 pieces of trailer plates worth P620.35 million. The government, however, paid only P477.90 million to JKGPower. The Commission on Audit in July disallowed additional disbursements for the project. Faced with the prospects of not being paid for the plates delivered in excess of the initial payment received and possibly the suspension of the project, the company stopped delivering plates to LTO until it receives payment for past deliveries. The Supreme Court earlier dismissed a petition seeking to nullify a contract signed by the Transportation Department for

the license plate program. Despite the lack of adequate budgetary appropriations when the project was bid out, Transportation awarded the project to the joint venture of Netherlands-based J. Knieiriem B.V. Goes and local company Power Plates Development Concept. Schumacher noted that none of the supposed “defects” in the procurement process was attributable to the foreign supplier, adding the Chamber was hoping CoA would revisit its earlier position and abide by the Supreme Court decision. The business community warned that the uncertainty and unpredictability of policies stifled investment and would negate efforts of foreign chambers in promoting the Philippines as an investment hub in Asia.

PSe comPoSite 8000 7700 7400 7100 6800 6500

7,289.26 36.50

PeSo-dollar rate

Closing OCTOBER 28, 2015 43.50 44.60 45.40

P46.760

46.20

47.00

HIGH P46.750 LOW P46.820 AVERAGE P46.771 VOLUME 473.000M

P417.00-P640.00 LPG/11-kg tank P35.85-P43.35 Unleaded Gasoline P24.55-P28.00 Diesel

PAL seeks strategic investors to support expansion By Darwin G. Amojelar PHILIPPINE Airlines has revived a plan to take strategic investors who can support its expansion in Europe and other international markets. “We are considering some [potential strategic investors],” PAL president and chief operating officer Jaime Bautista said, adding the company tapped a financial adviser to seek new investors. “For example, we want to have more passengers, let’s say in Europe. We need to have maybe partners in Europe who can carry passengers of PAL from London, beyond. They can invest a small amount, but they will help us to carry our passengers to other destinations,” Bautista said. PAL flies between Manila and London and has entitlements to Germany,

Paris, Frankfurt, Spain and Amsterdam. “The loads are good and improving. The load factor is now at 70 percent,” Bautista said, referring to the London flights. Bautista said PAL was talking to “companies that will help us grow our international market.” Bautista, however, said the company was not in a hurry to get potential investors. “There’s no rush, but of course it will be good for the airline if there is a strategic investor as we expand, take delivery of more airplanes and as we compete more in Asia, US and Europe,” he said. PAL is spending $500 million to acquire seven brand-new aircraft next year as part of a re-fleeting program. Bautista said he expected to take delivery of five Airbus 321s and two Boeing 777-300s next year. The aircraft would be used for PAL’s

regional and long-haul destinations. The airline, which is aggressively expanding fights to international destinations, plans to fly to Port Moresby in October and Cairns, Australia and Auckland, New Zealand on Dec. 2, 2015. PAL’s parent firm, PAL Holdings Inc., earlier reported a consolidated comprehensive income of P5.94 billion in the January-June period, up 1,500 percent from just P362.4 million year-on-year. PAL Holdings’ comprehensive income rose 49 percent in the second quarter to P2.16 billion from P1.45 billion a year ago. Total revenues in the first half rose 14 percent to P55.95 billion from P48.95 billion. Tycoon Lucio Tan last year bought back a 49-percent stake in PAL that San Miguel Corp. purchased in 2012.

index

Closing October 28, 2015

il P PriceS today

P34.55-P39.15 Kerosene P20.75-P21.75 Auto LPG Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Wednesday, October 28, 2015

F oreign e xchange r ate Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

46.6550

Japan

Yen

0.008302

0.3873

Pound

1.530100

71.3868

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.129036

6.0202

Switzerland

Franc

1.013171

47.2695

Canada

Dollar

0.753864

Singapore

Dollar

0.716076

33.4085

Australia

Dollar

0.722387

33.7030

Bahrain

Dinar

2.655337

123.8847

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266645

12.4403

Brunei

Dollar

0.713521

33.2893

35.1715

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000073

0.0034

Thailand

Baht

0.028185

1.3150

UAE

Dirham

0.272301

12.7042

Euro

1.103900

51.5025

Korea

Won

0.000881

0.0411

China

Yuan

0.157401

7.3435

India

Rupee

0.015390

0.7180

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.234742

10.9519

New Zealand

Dollar

0.678794

Taiwan

Dollar

0.030838

31.6691 1.4387 Source: PDS Bridge

THURSDAY: OCTOBER 29, 2015

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

The STandard BuSineSS daily STockS review Wednesday, OctOber 28, 2015

52 Weeks

High Low

STOCKS

7.88 75.3 124.4 107 56.5 4.2 17 30.45 2.6 1.01 100 30.5 91.5 137 361.2 57 180 1700 124

2.5 66 88.05 88.1 45.45 1.68 12.02 19.6 1.02 0.225 78 17.8 62 88.35 276 41 118.2 1200 59

AG Finance Asia United Bank Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. Bank of PI China Bank Bright Kindle Resources COL Financial Eastwest Bank I-Remit Inc. MEDCO Holdings Metrobank PB Bank Phil. National Bank Phil. Savings Bank PSE Inc. RCBC `A’ Security Bank Sun Life Financial Union Bank

47 5 1.46 2.36 15.3 148 20.6 36 65.8 2.97 4.14 21.5 21.6 11.96 9.13 11.8 17 31.8 109 20.75 15.3 9.4 0.98 241 79 4 33.9 90 13.26 293 5 5.25 12.98 6.75 7.03 3.4 4.5 6.3 7.34 238 5.5 3.28 0.315 2.18 2.65 234 5.28 1.3 2.17

35.9 1.11 1.01 1.86 7.92 32 15.32 10.08 29.15 1.5 1.5 10.72 9.55 9.04 6.02 8.86 8.61 20.2 71.5 13.86 13.24 5.34 0.395 173 34.1 1.63 23.35 17.3 5.88 250.2 3.37 3.87 8.45 3 3.03 1.95 1 4.02 5.9 161 4.1 1.55 0.138 1.02 2.09 152 4.28 0.640 1.2

Aboitiz Power Corp. Agrinurture Inc. Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. Alsons Cons. Asiabest Group C. Azuc De Tarlac Century Food Cirtek Holdings (Chips) Concepcion Crown Asia Da Vinci Capital Del Monte DNL Industries Inc. Emperador Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) EEI 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. Liberty Flour Mabuhay Vinyl Manila Water Co. Inc. Maxs Group Megawide Mla. Elect. Co `A’ Panasonic Mfg Phil. Corp. Pepsi-Cola Products Phil. Petron Corporation Phil H2O Phoenix Petroleum Phils. Phoenix Semiconductor Pryce Corp. `A’ RFM Corporation 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. Vulcan Ind’l.

0.59 59.2 30.05 2.16 7.39 3.4 3.35 823.5 10.2 84 4.92 0.66 1455 76 6.5 9.25 0.85 17.3 0.71 5.53 6.55 9.66 0.0670 1.61 2.99 84.9 974 1.66 1.39 390 156 0.710 0.435 0.510

0.44 48.1 20.85 1.6 6.62 0.23 0.23 634.5 7.390 12.8 2.26 0.152 837 49.55 3.43 4.84 0.59 12 0.580 4.2 4.5 3 0.030 0.550 2.26 59.3 751 1.13 0.93 170 80 0.211 0.179 0.310

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 Filinvest Dev. Corp. Forum Pacific GT Capital JG Summit Holdings Jolliville Holdings Lopez Holdings Corp. Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp. LT Group Mabuhay Holdings À’ Metro Pacific Inv. Corp. Minerales Industrias Corp. MJCI Investments Inc. Pacifica À’ Prime Orion Republic Glass ‘A’ San Miguel Corp À’ SM Investments Inc. Solid Group Inc. South China Res. Inc. Transgrid Top Frontier Unioil Res. & Hldgs Wellex Industries Zeus Holdings

10.5 1.99 1.75 41.4

6.74 0.65 1.2 30.05

8990 HLDG A. Brown Co., Inc. Araneta Prop `A’ Ayala Land `B’

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

SHARES 20,890,707 78,349,247 656,208,523 137,463,567 140,571,005 1,114,446,526 21,493,859,171

High

Low

FINANCIAL 3.24 2.85 48.9 47 104.50 103.20 86.55 85.35 41 40 2.40 1.95 15.7 15.5 19.94 19.92 1.73 1.73 0.600 0.570 87.75 86.9 19.48 18.60 54.50 54.00 103.9 100 300 295.6 32.15 31.65 143.2 142 1540.00 1540.00 57.00 56.20 INDUSTRIAL 42.4 42.35 41.25 1.8 1.85 1.8 0.91 0.89 0.89 1.59 1.6 1.59 11 11.02 10.62 98.95 90.00 90.00 16.9 17.5 17.1 23 22.9 22 45.4 46 45.4 2.53 2.57 2.49 1.78 1.78 1.73 9.96 10.04 9.96 10.600 10.600 10.1 8.15 8.45 8.10 6.93 6.94 6.82 7.68 7.70 7.66 12 11.82 11.8 26.5 26.5 25.6 73.7 73.85 72.4 11.74 12.00 11.74 13.10 13.10 13.10 5.94 5.96 5.88 2.350 2.550 2.270 208.00 208.20 205.60 35.50 41.00 35.10 3.58 3.99 3.59 24.25 24.3 23.9 24 24.4 23.25 6.2 6.79 6 318.00 331.00 318.00 3.85 3.86 3.86 4.26 4.35 4.28 7.56 8.03 7.68 4.9 4.8 4.8 3.58 3.75 3.60 2.00 2.02 1.99 2.83 3.08 2.65 4.12 4.14 4.11 4.93 5 4.93 141.9 142.1 140.5 4 3.91 3.9 2.11 2.23 2.11 0.171 0.171 0.160 1.25 1.23 1.23 2.19 2.23 2.19 207 209 204.6 4.55 4.74 4.54 0.68 0.68 0.67 1.20 1.22 1.21 HOLDING FIRMS 0.400 0.405 0.405 57.0000 57.8000 56.7000 18.74 18.90 18.52 1.12 1.12 1.12 6.40 6.50 6.40 0.246 0.249 0.248 0.255 0.25 0.250 785 793 778 7.63 7.64 7.44 12.90 12.90 12.68 3.80 3.99 3.99 0.255 0.260 0.250 1375 1374 1340 72.00 74.75 72.00 3.9 3.92 3.92 7.07 7.07 6.78 0.87 0.88 0.8 12.7 12.7 12.48 0.54 0.53 0.52 5.34 5.42 5.3 9 9.01 8.97 3.79 2.8 2.8 0.0310 0.0320 0.0300 1.950 1.940 1.900 2.72 2.73 2.73 49.50 50.00 49.00 893.00 892.00 876.50 1.21 1.21 1.20 0.75 0.88 0.75 180.00 180.00 180.00 108.000 108.500 106.000 0.3300 0.3400 0.3250 0.2370 0.2400 0.2400 0.310 0.335 0.310 PROPERTY 6.350 6.420 6.280 0.71 0.79 0.72 1.170 1.120 1.120 37.250 37.150 36.150 3.24 48.9 104.00 85.60 40.95 2.19 15.6 19.94 1.73 0.590 87.4 18.60 53.90 100 300 31.65 141.6 1540.00 56.90

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

2.89 48.85 104.00 86.10 40.25 1.95 15.68 19.92 1.73 0.570 87 19.04 54.35 103.9 300 32.15 142.2 1540.00 57.00

-10.80 -0.10 0.00 0.58 -1.71 -10.96 0.51 -0.10 0.00 -3.39 -0.46 2.37 0.83 3.90 0.00 1.58 0.42 0.00 0.18

538,000 511,900 2,909,210 1,631,900 113,700 8,590,000 35,600 6,300 3,000 559,000 2,676,600 1,021,900 71,170 2,250 93,870 346,000 278,720 60 125,240

2,900.00 423,935.00 -75,497,906 38,566,131.50

41.9 1.85 0.89 1.59 11.02 90.00 17.34 22.8 45.7 2.54 1.78 10 10.180 8.30 6.90 7.67 11.8 26 72.55 12.00 13.10 5.94 2.410 208.20 35.10 3.79 24.25 24.4 6.75 328.80 3.86 4.28 7.96 4.8 3.75 2.00 2.69 4.12 5 140.5 3.9 2.19 0.161 1.23 2.21 205 4.73 0.67 1.22

-1.18 2.78 -2.20 0.00 0.18 -9.04 2.60 -0.87 0.66 0.40 0.00 0.40 -3.96 1.84 -0.43 -0.13 -1.67 -1.89 -1.56 2.21 0.00 0.00 2.55 0.10 -1.13 5.87 0.00 1.67 8.87 3.40 0.26 0.47 5.29 -2.04 4.75 0.00 -4.95 0.00 1.42 -0.99 -2.50 3.79 -5.85 -1.60 0.91 -0.97 3.96 -1.47 1.67

937,500 12,000 2,000 120,000 3,200 50 824,100 284,200 150,000 682,000 611,000 476,700 13,138,600 1,050,900 10,669,000 331,500 12,000 1,468,100 211,370 5,200 1,600 22,700 5,050,000 217,390 2,000 49,000 1,631,400 230,700 318,000 1,511,180 8,000 117,000 7,832,000 21,000 495,000 900,000 3,897,000 314,000 11,000 7,270 23,000 46,000 10,360,000 49,000 880,000 2,613,660 7,000 424,000 103,000

0.405 57.3000 18.88 1.12 6.50 0.248 0.250 778 7.52 12.80 3.99 0.255 1356 73.50 3.92 7 0.8 12.5 0.52 5.34 8.99 2.8 0.0320 1.900 2.73 50.00 882.50 1.20 0.80 180.00 108.500 0.3300 0.2400 0.320

1.25 0.53 0.75 0.00 1.56 0.81 -1.96 -0.89 -1.44 -0.78 5.00 0.00 -1.38 2.08 0.51 -0.99 -8.05 -1.57 -3.70 0.00 -0.11 -26.12 3.23 -2.56 0.37 1.01 -1.18 -0.83 6.67 0.00 0.46 0.00 1.27 3.23

20,000 575,570 4,389,700 5,000 11,500 240,000 40,000 203,350 417,700 3,188,200 7,000 410,000 68,480 2,646,430 18,000 8,404,900 27,469,000 1,369,800 615,000 34,153,200 1,629,700 3,000 87,000,000 920,000 71,000 201,800 297,010 83,000 885,000 800 4,560 3,820,000 90,000 1,270,000

6.280 0.73 1.120 36.600

-1.10 2.82 -4.27 -1.74

1,860,900 -6,018,172.00 11,315,000 -133,090.00 44,000 17,063,800 -92,575,365.00

453,800.00 -93,718.00 -9,280.00 113,112,014.00 -254,600.00 93,591.50 1,429,200.00 -3,588,605 1,828,866.00 92,400.00 -305,336.00 -21,001,625.00 7,330.00

52 Weeks

High Low 5.6 5.59 1.44 1.48 0.201 0.69 10.96 0.97 0.305 2.22 2.1 1.8 5.94 0.180 8.54 31.8 2.29 4.9 21.35 1.06 1.62 8.59

3.36 4.96 0.79 0.97 0.083 0.415 2.4 0.83 0.188 1.15 1.42 1.27 4.13 0.090 2.69 22.15 1.6 3.1 15.08 0.69 0.83 5.73

10.5 66 1.09 14.88 15.82 0.1430 5.06 99.1 7.67 4 1700 2720 8.41 1.97 119.5 12.5 0.017 0.8200 2.2800 5.93 12.28 3.32 95.5 1 15.2 0.62 1.040 185 22.9 3486 0.760 2.28 46.05 90.1

1.97 35.2 0.63 10.5 8.6 0.0770 2.95 56.1 4.8 2.58 830 1600 5.95 1.23 102.6 8.72 0.011 0.041 1.200 2.34 6.5 1.91 3.1 0.650 6 0.335 0.37 79 4.39 2748 0.435 1.2 31.45 60.55

STOCKS

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

11.6 0.85 2.95 10 0.490 1.9

2GO Group’ ABS-CBN APC Group, Inc. Asian Terminals Inc. Bloomberry Boulevard Holdings Calata Corp. Cebu Air Inc. (5J) DFNN Inc. Easy Call “Common” FEUI Globe Telecom GMA Network Inc. Harbor Star I.C.T.S.I. IPeople Inc. `A’ IP E-Game Ventures Inc. Island Info ISM Communications Jackstones Leisure & Resorts Liberty Telecom Manila Broadcasting Manila Bulletin Melco Crown MG Holdings NOW Corp. Phil. Seven Corp. Philweb.Com Inc. PLDT Common PremiereHorizon Premium Leisure Puregold Robinsons RTL SBS Phil. Corp. 7.59 SSI Group 0.63 STI Holdings 1.71 Transpacific Broadcast 5 Travellers 0.315 Waterfront Phils. 1.14 Yehey

13,438,134.00

0.0098 5.45 17.24 0.330 12.8 1.19 1.62 9.5 4.2 0.48 0.420 0.440 0.022 0.023 8.2 49.2 4.27 3.06 0.020 7.67 12.88 10.42 0.040 420 9 0.016

0.0043 1.72 6.47 0.236 5.11 0.85 0.77 5.99 1.17 0.305 0.2130 0.2160 0.013 0.014 3.240 18.96 2.11 1.54 0.012 5.4 7.26 2.27 0.015 115.9 3.67 0.0100

Abra Mining Apex À’ Atlas Cons. À’ Basic Energy Corp. 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 Oriental Peninsula Res. Oriental Pet. À’ Petroenergy Res. Corp. Philex À’ PhilexPetroleum Philodrill Corp. À’ Semirara Corp. TA Petroleum United Paragon

-2,895,510.00 -83,390,745.00

70 553 12.28 1047 78.95 84.8

33 490 6.5 1011 74.5 75

1.34

ABS-CBN Holdings Corp. Ayala Corp. Pref `B1’ Leisure and Resort PF Pref 2 SMC Preferred B SMC Preferred C SMC Preferred E SMC Preferred F Swift Pref

6.98

0.8900 LR Warrant

15 88 12.88

3.5 13.5 5.95

130.7

105.6 First Metro ETF

224,712.00 5,069,430 69,400.00 4,203,042.00 -986,090.00 7,125,743.00 -1,450,630.00 -20,014,905.00 -6,780,841.00 7,860.00 1,176.00 149,440.00 -901,360.00 -33,088,175.00 -167,825.00 157,631,960.00 445,120.00 -3,789,893.00 -47,750.00 40,000.00 -51,500.00 -972,470.00 -591,659.00 -89,730.00 80,500.00 -44,200.00 -31,315,128.00 22,700.00

-8,750,304.50 13,919,180.00

21,063,860.00 158,154.00 -3,888,218.00 8,761,565.00 58,633,939.50 -11,224,938.00 -5,471,630.00 3,043,938.00

-38,252.00

Makati Fin. Corp. IRipple E-Business Intl Xurpas

High

VALUE 966,091,719.49 1,796,033,591.985 33,719,526,674.35 1,510,169,628.30 932,534,159.91 205,674,731.67 39,152,627,732.00

FINANCIAL 1,596.29 (UP) 0.55 INDUSTRIAL 11,612.76 (DOWN) 4.39 HOLDING FIRMS 6,701.61 (DOWN) 15.89 PROPERTY 3,097.59 (DOWN) 44.19 SERVICES 1,771.91 (DOWN) 18.45 MINING & OIL 11,808.11 (UP) 45.13 PSEI 7,289.26 (DOWN) 36.50 All Shares Index 4,189.25 (DOWN) 12.29 Gainers: 84 Losers: 87; Unchanged: 38; Total: 209

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

3.54 5.05 0.6 1.06 0.129 0.520 21.4 0.900 0.161 1.16 1.76 1.28 4.79 0.092 8.48 31.90 1.52 3.1 22.70 0.8 1.020 5.770

3.58 3.43 3.58 5.16 5.06 5.16 0.61 0.59 0.6 1.03 1.03 1.03 0.128 0.125 0.125 0.520 0.500 0.510 21.75 20.7 20.95 0.910 0.900 0.900 0.161 0.161 0.161 1.18 1.15 1.15 1.76 1.71 1.72 1.31 1.29 1.29 4.87 4.77 4.8 0.090 0.089 0.089 8.48 8.4 8.45 33.25 30.80 31.00 1.55 1.5 1.51 3.15 3.15 3.15 22.65 22.35 22.45 0.81 0.77 0.79 1.070 1.020 1.030 5.780 5.660 5.660 SERVICES 8.39 8.39 8.1 8.33 65 65.2 64.85 65.1 0.570 0.580 0.560 0.570 11.32 11.34 11.3 11.3 6.69 6.72 6.44 6.50 0.0560 0.0580 0.0550 0.0550 3.7 3.73 3.66 3.66 87 87.25 86.5 87 5.98 5.99 5.90 5.90 3.52 3.52 3.52 3.52 970 955 955 955 2350 2350 2300 2320 7.12 7.18 7.04 7.12 1.23 1.25 1.23 1.25 85.5 86 85 85.3 11.42 11.42 11.42 11.42 0.011 0.011 0.011 0.011 0.182 0.182 0.181 0.181 1.4200 1.4300 1.4000 1.4200 2.25 2.3 2.25 2.28 8.91 8.99 8.90 8.99 3.45 3.50 3.43 3.47 32.00 32.00 32.00 32.00 0.630 0.620 0.620 0.620 4.08 4.12 3.9 3.99 0.290 0.290 0.285 0.285 0.870 0.890 0.820 0.840 100.00 104.90 100.00 100.00 20.25 20.25 19.50 20.00 2328.00 238.00 2280.00 2288.00 0.560 0.570 0.560 0.560 1.160 1.180 1.140 1.170 36.20 36.25 35.90 36.00 77.00 77.50 77.00 77.15 6.25 6.54 6.11 6.50 5.63 5.70 5.45 5.53 0.48 0.48 0.47 0.48 1.51 1.51 1.51 1.51 4.5 4.64 4.35 4.6 0.355 0.350 0.345 0.345 3.990 4.170 4.000 4.140 MINING & OIL 0.0050 0.0050 0.0048 0.0049 2.20 2.39 2.29 2.34 6.05 6.19 6.00 6.11 0.211 0.240 0.216 0.219 5.8100 5.82 5.82 5.8200 0.79 0.81 0.77 0.77 0.66 0.67 0.64 0.67 9.25 9.65 9.25 9.26 0.93 0.97 0.92 0.92 0.320 0.335 0.320 0.320 0.194 0.205 0.189 0.196 0.205 0.210 0.205 0.205 0.0100 0.0120 0.0100 0.0110 0.012 0.012 0.012 0.012 3.2 3.23 2.81 2.85 8.6 8.64 8.22 8.47 3.21 3.27 3.09 3.15 1.6300 1.6800 1.5000 1.5400 0.0110 0.0110 0.0100 0.0110 4.00 4.04 3.85 4.04 5.47 5.700 5.490 5.70 1.37 1.920 1.390 1.71 0.0130 0.0140 0.0130 0.0140 135.70 137.00 135.30 136.40 2.43 2.91 2.51 2.55 0.0083 0.0080 0.0080 0.0080 PREFERRED 65.95 66 65.95 66 513 520 520 520 1.13 1.13 1.13 1.13 1030 1030 1030 1030 78.2 79 79 79 82.1 82.1 82 82 78.5 78.8 78 78 80 80.1 80 80.1 2.78 2.88 2.45 2.8 WARRANTS & BONDS 3.040 3.050 2.930 3.050 SME 2.8 2.9 2.78 2.8 60 60.75 58.5 58.5 16.1 16.26 15.7 16.02 EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 119.5 119.7 118.9 119.3

T op g ainerS STOCKS

Low

1.13 2.18 0.00 -2.83 -3.10 -1.92 -2.10 0.00 0.00 -0.86 -2.27 0.78 0.21 -3.26 -0.35 -2.82 -0.66 1.61 -1.10 -1.25 0.98 -1.91

643,000 3,600 1,478,000 5,000 5,480,000 8,601,000 810,200 622,000 400,000 1,226,000 39,416,000 58,000 16,361,000 640,000 139,200 13,888,300 240,000 1,000 7,524,800 2,993,000 1,740,000 2,398,300

218,340.00

-0.72 0.15 0.00 -0.18 -2.84 -1.79 -1.08 0.00 -1.34 0.00 -1.55 -1.28 0.00 1.63 -0.23 0.00 0.00 -0.55 0.00 1.33 0.90 0.58 0.00 -1.59 -2.21 -1.72 -3.45 0.00 -1.23 -1.72 0.00 0.86 -0.55 0.19 4.00 -1.78 0.00 0.00 2.22 -2.82 3.76

68,800 28,770 291,000 17,800 6,935,800 45,470,000 192,000 239,780 3,651,100 3,000 110 21,620 304,900 7,000 330,330 900 3,600,000 1,610,000 301,000 22,000 418,500 262,000 100 3,000 12,913,000 1,870,000 16,571,000 701,880 76,600 133,365 290,000 2,030,000 1,470,900 1,073,610 9,183,200 4,118,700 13,080,000 1,000 8,904,000 550,000 578,000

-2.00 6.36 0.99 3.79 0.17 -2.53 1.52 0.11 -1.08 0.00 1.03 0.00 10.00 0.00 -10.94 -1.51 -1.87 -5.52 0.00 1.00 4.20 24.82 7.69 0.52 4.94 -3.61

93,000,000 53,900.00 709,000 -994,000.00 159,200 -210,162.00 550,000 100 910,000 -32,000.00 549,000 -2,731,200.00 481,700 -2,731,200.00 21,330,000 1,680,040.00 640,000 20,770,000 -1,900.00 3,740,000 45,580.00 836,400,000 29,700,000 -72,000.00 4,054,000 -58,500.00 3,521,800 7,571,178.00 298,000 32,100.00 442,000 46,020.00 7,900,000 37,000 2,385,300 -71,832.00 28,435,000 -509,820.00 47,000,000 271,260 -7,119,106.00 6,943,000 -168,780.00 4,000,000

0.08 1.36 0.00 0.00 1.02 -0.12 -0.64 0.12 0.72

88,460 10 20,000 200,375 1,500 33,350 120,410 131,060 13,000

0.33

126,000

0.00 -2.50 -0.50

87,000 2,290 1,366,100

-0.17

4,090

-84,000.00 -5,150.00 -7,680.00 -1,342,840.00 -10,703,680.00 -61,180.00 -222,800.00 -25,561,590.00 30,434,130.00 636,000.00 -28,060,180.00 -1,520.00 14,183,885.00 30,900.00 -1,917,240.00 -4,214.00 -22,632.00 -10,171,197.00 -17,100.00 1,572,889.50 19,268,810.00 4,135,200.00 4,628,790.50

4,270.00 2,096,200.00

-4,875,340.00 -177,000.00 69,980.00 -70,864,890.00 -152,440.00 -3,739,420.00 -12,730,666.00 -274,020.00 -8,370,576.00 -5,227,550.00 -5,974,280.00 -135,800.00 -4,000.00

-3,485,954.00

33,600.00 -3,844,468.00

T op L oSerS Close (P)

Change (%)

STOCKS

Close (P)

Change (%)

PhilexPetroleum

1.71

24.82

MJCI Investments Inc.

2.8

-26.12

Manila Mining `A'

0.0110

10.00

Bright Kindle Resources

1.95

-10.96

Megawide

6.75

8.87

Marcventures Hldgs., Inc.

2.85

-10.94

Philodrill Corp. `A'

0.0140

7.69

AG Finance

2.89

-10.80

South China Res. Inc.

0.80

6.67

C. Azuc De Tarlac

90.00

-9.04

Apex `A'

2.34

6.36

Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp.

0.8

-8.05

Mabuhay Vinyl

3.79

5.87

Swift Foods, Inc.

0.161

-5.85

Petron Corporation

7.96

5.29

Oriental Peninsula Res.

1.5400

-5.52

Filinvest Dev. Corp.

3.99

5.00

Pryce Corp. `A'

2.69

-4.95

TA Petroleum

2.55

4.94

Araneta Prop `A'

1.120

-4.27

THURSDAY: OCTOBER 29, 2015

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

PH oil exploration slows down By Alena Mae S; Flores

THE interest in Philippine oil and gas exploration has declined amid weak global oil prices. The Energy Department said Wednesday few companies joined the government’s fifth and latest round of auction for oil and gas exploration prospects and that it would award service contracts next month to only two winning bidders. “That’s the target,” Energy Secretary Zenaida Monsada said about the awarding schedule. The government evaluated the bid applications based on their work program (40 percent), financial qualification (40 percent) and technical qualification (20 percent). Only three companies submitted bids on four areas but the department qualified only two on three exploration sites after submitting complete application requirements. The department attributed the low turnout in the fifth round of bidding to the decline in world oil prices. The government offered 11 oil and gas prospects to the private sector for development. Energy director Ismael Ocampo said the department would likely hold the next auction of contract areas next year, hopefully when oil prices have stabilized or gone up. The areas offered included Area 7 (Recto Bank block) covering 468,000 hectares, which received an offer from Filipino company Colossal Petroleum Corp., an affiliate of listed Coal Asia Holdings Inc. led by businessman Dexter Tiu. “Of course, we consider Area 7 within our EEZ [Exclusive Economic Zone]... It’s part of our economic interest,” Abad said. Colossal also submitted a qualifying bid for Area 5 (Northeast Palawan block) covering 576,000 hectares. Ratio Oil Exploration Ltd., an Israeli company, meanwhile, applied for a service contract for Area 4 (Northeast Palawan Block) covering 416,000 hectares. The department accepted the offer of Ratio Oil after it submitted complete documentary requirements. The department, however, disqualified Yulaga Oil ad Exploration Enterprises for incomplete application documents for Area 1 (Ragay Block). Areas that were offered but did not receive applications include Area 2 (Panay Block), Area 3 (Panay Block), Area 6 (Southwest Palawan block), Area 8 (West Luzon block), Area 9 (West Luzon block), Area 10 (West Luzon block) and Area 11 (West Luzon block). Areas that did not receive offers will likely be included in the next bidding round.

Stocks snap 7-day rally; Meralco, JG Summit up THE stock market fell Wednesday on profit-taking and weak US economic data to end a seven-day rally. The Philippine Stock Exchange Index lost 36.50 points, or 0.5 percent, to 7,289.26 on a value turnover of P39.2 billion. Losers edged gainers, 87 to 84, with 38 issues unchanged. Major property developer Ayala Land Inc. slipped 1.7 percent to P36.60, while Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., the biggest telecommunications company, dropped 1.7 percent to P2,288. Robinsons Land Corp., the property unit of industrialist John Gokongwei, declined 2.8 percent to P31, while parent JG Summit Holdings Inc. climbed 2.1 percent to P73.50. Trading was boosted by the block sale of JG Summit shares worth P32.5 billion. A total of 475.37 million JG Summit shares were crossed at the PSE at P68.4 per share. JG Summit chief finance officer BJ Sebastian said in a text message the block sale involved the transfer of shares among family members. Manila Electric Co., the largest retailer of electricity, surged 3.4 percent to P328.80. The company said Monday consolidated net income grew 13 percent year-on-year in the first nine months to P16.1 billion, despite the weaker profit in the third quarter. Weak US economic data, meanwhile, dented confidence on Asian trading floors Wednesday, sending investors running for safe invest-

ments ahead of policy announcements by the Federal Reserve and Japan’s central bank. Dealers are nervous heading into the corporate earnings season, with equities and currency markets having suffered their worst quarter for four years during July-September. Asian equities were mostly lower, with Hong Kong ending down 0.80 percent. Shanghai sank 1.72 percent on worries about the effect of China’s faltering economy on corporate profits. Sydney ended down 0.21 percent, while Seoul shed 0.10 percent. But Tokyo gained 0.67 percent following a sell-off on Tuesday. Analysts warned against reading too much into better than expected sales in China for online giant Alibaba, which came in the face of a growth slowdown in the world’s number two economy. While global markets have enjoyed a broadly healthy run in October on expectations the Fed will delay raising interest rates until next year, another batch of figures indicating a stuttering US economic recovery dampened sentiment. On Tuesday the US Conference Board said an index of consumer confidence fell in September owing to a gloomier outlook for the economy, while the Commerce Department said durable goods orders dipped for a second straight month. With AFP

Upgraded LPG plant. Isla

Petroleum & Gas, the company that carries the Solane LPG brand, inaugurates its upgraded LPG storage plant in sitio Old San Vicente, Barangay Libjo, Batangas. Named Isla Gas Terminals, the state-of-the-art facility serves as an LPG storage and import facility to address the needs and development in the market. Shown at the inauguration ceremony are Isla LPG Corp. chief executive Ruben Domingo (far right) and IPG chief executive Shoichi Watanabe (center) with (from left) Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. refinery general manager Edward Geus, IPG chief financial officer Willie Sarmiento, ILC general manager for supply chain Jaypee Gonzales, Rev. Fr. Oscar Larry Famarin and IPG board member Bobby Kanapi. Manila

Standard

TODAY

METRO SOUTH COOPERATIVE BANK

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

040608 (Bank Code)

BALANCE SHEET

As of SEPTEMBER 30, 2015 ASSETS Cash and Cash Items Due from Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Due from Other Banks Financial Assets at Fair Value through Profit or Loss Available-for-Sale Financial Assets-Net Held-to-Maturity (HTM) Financial Assets-Net Unquoted Debt Securities Classified as Loans-Net Investments in Non-Marketable Equity Security-Net Loans and Receivables - Net Loans to Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Interbank Loans Receivable Loans and Receivables - Others Loans and Receivables Arising from RA/CA/PR/SLB General Loan Loss Provision Other Financial Assets Equity Investment in Subsidiaries, Associates and Joint Ventures-Net Bank Premises, Furniture, Fixture and Equipment-Net Real and Other Properties Acquired-Net Non-Current Assets Held for Sale Other Assets-Net Net Due from Head Office/Branches/Agencies, if any (Philippine branch of a foreign bank) TOTAL ASSETS LIABILITIES Financial Liabilities at Fair Value through Profit or Loss Deposit Liabilities Due to Other Banks Bills Payable a) BSP (Rediscounting and Other Advances) b) Interbank Loans Payable c) Other Deposit Substitute d) Others Bonds Payable-Net Unsecured Subordinated Debt-Net Redeemable Preferred Shares Special Time Deposit Due to Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Other Financial Liabilities Other Liabilities Net Due to Head Office/Branches/Agencies (Philippine branch of a foreign bank) TOTAL LIABILITIES Stockholders’ Equity Capital Stock Other Capital Accounts Retained Earnings Assigned Capital TOTAL STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY CONTINGENT ACCOUNTS Guarantees Issued Financial Standby Letters of Credit Performance Standby Letters of Credit Commercial Letters of Credit Trade Related Guarantees Commitments Spot Foreign Exchange Contracts Securities Held Under Custodianship by Bank Proper Trust Department Accounts a) Trust and Other Fiduciary Accounts b) Agency Accounts c) Advisory/Consultancy Derivatives Others TOTAL CONTINGENT ACCOUNTS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Gross total loan portfolio (TLP) Specific allowance for credit losses on the TLP Non-Performing Loans (NPLs) a. Gross NPLs b. Ratio of gross NPLs to gross TLP (%) c. Net NPLs d. Ratio of Net NPLs to gross TLP (%) Classified Loans & Other Risk Assets, gross of allowance for credit losses DOSRI Loans and receivables, gross allowance of credit losses Ratio of DOSRI loans and receivables, gross of allowance for credit losses, to gross TLP (%) Gross non-performing DOSRI loans and receivables Ratio of gross non-performing DOSRI loans and receivables to TLP (%) Percent Compliance with Magna Carta (%) a. 8% for Micro and Small Enterprises b. 2% for Medium Enterprises Return on Equity (ROE) (%) Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) on Solo Basis, as prescribed under existing regulations a. Total CAR (%) b. Tier 1 Ratio (%) c. Common Tier 1 Ratio (%) 1/ Deferred Charges not yet Written Down Unbooked Allowance for Credit Losses on Financial Instruments Received

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

Amount Current Quarter Previous Quarter 496,495.01 517,974.14 47,276,761.93 41,569,593.60 423,613,623.08 416,843,166.86 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 20,000,000.00 30,000,000.00 1,000,000.00 1,000,000.00 0.00 0.00 1,653,422,850.02 1,619,013,631.71 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1,693,032,812.76 1,645,123,594.45 0.00 0.00 39,609,962.74 26,109,962.74 29,132,480.73 25,348,491.32 0.00 0.00 43,623,636.23 44,713,105.11 15,219,645.31 9,346,998.45 0.00 0.00 9,934,191.18 11,387,101.97 0.00 0.00 2,243,719,683.49 2,199,740,063.16

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

0.00 1,512,003,678.72 0.00 181,650,000.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 181,650,000.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 4,806,897.72 40,387,852.45 0.00 1,738,848,428.89

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

335050000000000000 335100000000000000 315000000000000000 325200000000000000 300000000000000000 905000000000000000

368,939,672.70 32,138,873.98 103,792,707.92 0.00 504,871,254.60 2,243,719,683.49

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

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

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 4,267,612.91 4,267,612.91

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

499020000000000000 499300000000000000

1,699,566,133.16 6,533,320.40

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

499100500000000000 499150500000000000 499101000000000000 499151000000000000 499200000000000000 499400000000000000 499480000000000000 499500000000000000 499550000000000000

130,411,690.99 7.67 123,878,370.59 7.29 45.00 208,628,871.81 12.28 0.00 0.00

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

499050500000000000 499051000000000000 499350000000000000

19.03 8.84 9.00

19.21 7.05 9.00

499650500500000000 499650501000000000 499650501500000000 499700000000000000 499750000000000000

17.81 380.47 0.00 0.00 0.00

16.17 334.06 0.00 0.00 0.00

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

Republic of the Philippines ) Makati City

) s.s.

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

RENELIA V. ESTIOKO President

SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN to before me this 26th day of October, 2015 at Makati City, affiant exhibiting his/her/their Passport No.EB5924413 , issued at Manila City on July 13, 2012 and Passport No. EB6029990, issued at Manila City on July 25, 2012. Doc. No. 402 Page No. 82 Book No. LXXIII Series of 2015

B4 Company set to build Bukidnon hydro plant UNITED Holdings Power Corp. said Wednesday it expects to start the construction of the 8.4-megawatt Upper Maladugao hydro power plant in Bukidnon at a cost of P1.2 billion by the first quarter next year. UHPC Bukidnon Hydro Power I Corp., a subsidiary of UHPC, will develop the hydro project, which will will harness the Maladugao River in Kalilangan, Bukidnon. UPHC said its subsidiary recently sealed an P840-million loan with BDO Unibank Inc., representing 70 percent of the project cost. The remaining 30 percent or P360 million will be raised as equity. UPHC president Dominic Sytin told reporters the bidding for the engineering, procurement and construction contract would begin next month, while awarding of the project was targeted by December 2015 or January 2016. Bidding for the electro-mechanical equipment of the project is also ongoing. Prospective bidders for the construction contract are Sta. Clara International, JV Angeles Construction, Meralco Industrial Engineering Services Corp. and Phesco Inc., while bidders for the electro-mechanical equipment are European companies Andritz, Wassetkraft, Global Hydro and WKV. Meadowland Developers Inc. completed the detailed engineering design this month. UHPC business development officer Marti Sandino Espenido said “the project will benefit a big part of the local community, also the adjacent towns because of the livelihood, economic movement which will be on top of adding energy security in the power area.” Espenido said Bukidnon was still suffering from power outages during peak hours and that the additional capacity from the project would help ease the tight power supply in the area during peak hours. UHPC Bukidnon will sell bulk of the power plant’s output of around 5.5 MW to First Bukidnon Electric Cooperative, while the remaining output will be sold to the power grid. The project is expected to start commercial operations in 2018. Alena Mae S. Flores

SM partners. SM Prime Holdings Inc. president Hans Sy addresses retail partners during the SM Partners Summit in line with SM Supermalls’ 30th anniversary at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City. He said malls, which belong to the so-called ‘brick-and-mortar’ businesses, will continue to click despite the evolving retail landscape and the explosion of digital formats.

Aboitiz’s net profit falls 17% to P11.9b By Alena Mae S. Flores

ABOITIZ Equity Ventures Inc., the holding company of the Aboitiz family, said Wednesday net profit fell 17 percent in the first nine months to P11.9 billion from P14.3 billion a year ago, dragged down by lower income from power and banking businesses. “Despite the slight slide in profits, our strategic growth plans – whether at home or abroad – remain intact. Our recent foray into infrastructure through LRI [Lafarge Republic Inc.], for instance, represents an excellent opportunity to be involved in nation building and participate in the robust growth expectations in that sector,” AEV president and chief executive Erramon Aboitiz said in a statement. Aboitiz Equity said the lower

income in the nine-month period translated into P2.14 in earnings per share. Power accounted for 75 percent of the total earnings, followed by banking and financial services, food and land strategic business units with 12 percent, 11 percent and 2 percent, respectively. The company incurred a nonrecurring loss of P623.2 million in the January-September period, a turnaround from last year’s

gain of P379.6 million, which resulted from the revaluation of the power’s consolidated dollar-denominated liabilities and placements. Aboitiz Equity said adjusting for one-off items, core net income dropped 10 percent to P12.5 billion in the first nine months. Aboitiz Equity’s power arm Aboitiz Power Corp. recorded an 8-percent decline in consolidated net income to P12.2 billion from P13.2 billion a year earlier. The company’s core net income in the first nine months went down by 3 percent to P13 billion. “The country’s rapidly unfolding growth story fuels our commitment to provide the Philippines with reliable, ample, and reasonably priced power with the least impact on our environment and our host communities, “ Aboitiz Power president and chief operating officer Antonio

Moraza said. Aboitiz Power started commercial operations of the first unit of its Therma South baseload plant in Davao while the second unit is expected to be commissioned by the first half of 2016. Construction also commenced for the company’s 59-MW Negros solar energy project. “Our solar venture with SunEdison in Negros Occidental aligns with our efforts to boost our portfolio nationwide with a balanced mix of renewable and non-renewable energy sources,” Moraza said. Aboitiz Power’s attributable net generation rose 9 percent to 9,161 gigawatt-hours as of endSeptember from 8,395 gWh a year ago, as electricity sold through bilateral contracts, which made up 90 percent of total energy, increased 16 percent to 8,254 gWh.

Economy to keep growing despite election outcome—ANZ Bank By Julito G. Rada THE Philippine economy will keep growing in the coming years, despite the outcome of the presidential race next year, Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. said Wednesday. ANZ said in a report titled Economic Insight—the Philippines, the country was poised to sustain its growth because of the vital reforms that were put in place, even before the Aquino administration took office in 2010. “Regardless of who wins the

presidential elections in May 2016, we believe the Philippines is wellpositioned to maintain its growth momentum and outperform its regional peers, even amid fears of China’s slowdown,” ANZ said. “In sum, we believe that most of the structural changes in the Philippines needed for economic advancement were already in place before President Aquino assumed power in 2010,” it said. The bank said the economic fundamentals, which led to the country’s increased GDP growth and relative stability, especially

over the last five years, were now firmly entrenched in the country’s institutions. “In our view, the wheels of improvement in economic fundamentals were already in motion even before the Aquino administration came into power in June 2010,” it said. ANZ said the business process outsourcing sector, an industry which was a steady source of dollar revenues for the past years, was already flourishing even before Aquino assumed office due to incentives introduced in the

early 2000s. It said investment growth, though volatile, had been rising since 2001. Government debt has also declined since 2004, while the overall budget deficit would likely remain narrow, it said. The report said while an improvement in local sentiment supported growth during the Aquino administration, there could be a “little risk” of a reversal in the country’s growth momentum even after President Aquino steps down in June 2016. The succession of power in

Malacañang Palace in 2016 was one of the usual topics in several fora, with analysts unsure if the country’s growth momentum would be sustained in the years ahead. The Philippines has been outperforming its peers in the region over the past couple of years, given its sound macroeconomic fundamentals and less exposure to external trade. The economy grew 6.1 percent in 2015, slower than the 7.2-percent expansion registered in 2013, but was still one of the strongest in the region.

T H U R S D AY : O C T O B E R 2 9, 2 0 1 5

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

NLEx-SLEx link faces delays By Darwin G. Amojelar

CONSTRUCTION of the new toll road that aims to decongest Metro Manila traffic by connecting North Luzon Expressway and South Luzon Expressway is facing further delays because of the opposition by the Finance Department. Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson told reporters the Swiss Challenge for the NLExSLEx Connector road could not proceed, until an issue raised by the Finance Department was settled.

“Before we go to the Swiss Challenge, it has to be approved by Neda [National Economic and Development Authority]. [But] the DoF is questioning the rate of return because the previous approvals of the Neda board itself

was that the returns to the project proponent would be based on weighted average cost of capital,” Singson said. “DoF is saying computation should be based on PIRR or project internal rate of return. So we did another calculation using PIRR. So that has to go back to Neda. Then after that, we go to Swiss Challenge,” he said. Manila North Tollways Corp., the proponent of NLEx-SLEx Connector Road, earlier said the Swiss Challenge for the project might start this month, ahead of the election ban. “We have to do the Swiss Challenge early enough, so when you

award, it is not within the election ban. The election ban starts on March 25 or 26,” Singson said. The revised project cost of the eight-kilometer, six-lane elevated expressway linking the end of the Skyway in Buendia to Balintawak was P16.5 billion. The right-ofway acquisition cost, meanwhile, is estimated at over P5 billion. The new project estimate is lower than the original cost of P22 billion, after the NLEx-SLEx Connector Road was reduced to eight kilometers from 13.5 kilometers. Citra Metro Manila Tollways Corp., which is separately constructing the P26.7-billion Skyway Stage 3 Project, will

construct the five-kilometer common alignment from Polytechnic University of the Philippines in Sta. Mesa, Manila to Buendia in Makati City of the NLEx-SLEx project. The Neda board earlier approved the NLEx-SLEx Connector Project under the unsolicited mode, subject to a Swiss Challenge. The government decided to subject the project to a Swiss challenge after the Justice Department issued a legal opinion, saying the Neda board’s decision to implement the project as a joint venture was “without factual basis or jurisdiction.”

Palawan traders seek more partners By Othel V. Campos

Quezon City businessmen. Entrepreneur Daniel Ching (left) is the new president of the Quezon City Association of Filipino-Chinese Businessmen Inc. Ching, owner of Arizona Marketing and Integrated Technology, was recently inducted as the head of the businessmen’s group in ceremonies at Oriental Palace Restaurant along Tomas Morato Ave. Shown with Ching are (from left) Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industries Inc. president Angel Ngu, Mayor Herbert Baustista, vice mayor Ma. Josefina Belmonte and QCAFCBI outgoing president Luis De Jesus.

Proinso of UK bags 100-MW Subic solar contract By Alena Mae S. Flores PROINSO of the United Kingdom has won the engineering, procurement and management contract for a 100-megawatt solar farm in Subic Bay, Zambales. The $200-million alternative energy project, which also includes a 50-MW wind component, will be developed by Emerging Power Inc., a renewable energy firm controlled by Nickel Asia Corp., one of the country’s largest mining firms. Proinso said in a statement its involvement in the project would increase its penetration further in the highly competitive Asian photovoltaic market. “The Subic Bay engagement is a complex project demanding a high level of capability support across many disciplines provided via our EPM program. Our EPM

model is based on a collaborative approach working with local partners,” said Stuart Macfarlane, regional head for Asia Pacific of Proinso. “This way, Proinso is able to deliver world-class renewable assets and also invest in the development of a strong local industry,” Macfarlane said. The wind and solar development is located on an 800-hectare property in Mt. Sta. Rita in Zambales. The British company said it would work in partnership with local firm Asiacrest Marketing Corp. for the solar project, which would be one of the biggest in Southeast Asia. Lawrence Plata, president and chief executive of Asiacrest, said Proinso’s stellar reputation in the renewable energy sector attracted Asiacrest to get on board as the

exclusive distributor and country representative for the company in the Philippines. “We are tapping experts from the UK, Spain and Australia to design and execute the project. These experts will also engage in a knowledge transfer program to develop the skills of our young and dynamic team of local engineers,” Plata said. “We have more solar projects in the pipeline which we hope will help to speed up economic and social development,” he said. The project will also allow Proinso to increase its team in the Philippines to over 30 members. The UK Trade and Investment in Manila extensively supported Proinso’s entry into the Philippine market. Proinso also participated in British Embassy events such as the Great Campaign weekend and the

Cities of the Future Exhibition, which was also key to Proinso securing the Subic Bay contract. British Ambassador to the Philippines Asif Ahmad said the UK was committed to action on climate change and Proinso was a great example of business expertise in renewable energy and low-carbon initiatives. “A project of this scale will utilize the abundance of solar energy in the Philippines and help the country develop a cleaner energy mix,” he said. Proinso has an extensive experience of systems integration in grid-tied, off-grid, storage and diesel hybrid solutions across residential, commercial, industrial and utility applications for solar. Proinso is the only UK-based solar energy company with international markets accounting for 88 percent of sales.

A BUSINESS group in Brooke’s Point in Palawan province is seeking partnerships with other business chambers in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, after signing a cooperation agreement with Malaysia’s Labuan Chamber of Malay Entrepreneurs. Brooke’s Point Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Jamie Jane Lee, who is leading exploratory talks with other business chambers in Asean, said the plan was to make Brooke’s Point a gateway for Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asean Growth Area. “We solicited and secured the support of LCME to help Brooke’s Point become a gateway for the BIMP-EAGA region and a Halal hub that will make Palawan-based products and services accessible to the Muslim communities in the region. Now, we are very much excited to expand to the rest of the region,” she said. Lee’s family owns Agri-Bio Philippines and e-Telligent Solutions Inc., which are located in Brooke’s Point. Lee spearheaded the creation of Brooke’s Point Chamber which is now the voice of the business sector in enhancing relationships with international business groups. Meanwhile, Labuan Chamber is a business group registered under the Registrar of Society of Malaysia and based in the Federal Territory of Labuan. Brooke’s Point Chamber intends to develop and enhance entrepreneurship among local entrepreneurs in various profitable ventures, including with foreign business entities of similar interests and objectives. The Federal Territory of Labuan is a territory in Malaysia situated off the west coast of Borneo. It has thrived as a duty-free island, a duty-free port, an international business financial center and a Halal Hub, commanding sufficient facilities to undertake logistics and trade businesses.

THURSDAY: OCTOBER 29, 2015

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

Philex Petroleum trims losses State of the nation as 2015 winds down THE British people are very long on tradition, and even today, in public places like parks, the age old practice is for street lamps to be lit every evening by a lamplighter who turns on the lamps with a pole and then proclaims “It’s 6 o’clock and all is well.” As the administration of BS Aquino III goes into its evening and the nation’s lamps are being lit, can it be said that in this country “all is well”? Let’s do a tour of the national horizon and see. The nation has just gone through another filing-of-certificates-ofcandidacy exercise, and that exercise has produced certificates filed by several dozen candidates for the Presidency of the Republic (of which four can be considered serious), the Vice Presidency (of which perhaps 10 can be considered serious) and membership in the Senate (of which perhaps 50 can be regarded as reasonably serious). The best that can be said about the candidacies of the principal Presidential candidates is that they are not heart-stopping; the worst that can be said is that they are provocative of the question “Are they all that we’ve got?” Overall, it can be said that all is well with the Philippine economy. But if one did not wish to discuss the nation’s economic health in broad-strokes fashion, one would have to advert to the noninclusiveness of the GDP (gross domestic product) surge that this country has been experiencing in recent years, the continued high incidence of extreme or near-extreme poverty, the government’s persistent inability to get really serious about public spending on infrastructure and an Executive attitude toward corruption that has forced the Office of the Ombudsman to take on the role of dragonslayer. Other than that, a lamplighter lighting up the nation’s lamps at sundown these days would be able to say that all was well in this country. And in what kind of mood are (1) the Filipino people and (2) the foreign business community after having witnessed the COC filing spectacle and appraised the lists of candidates for national office, especially the candidates for the Presidency? The Filipino people, from my observation, are in a mood of resignation mixed with frustration in the face of a forced choice between individuals who either have been non-performing or are demonstrably corrupt or lack experience or have displayed erraticism in their public careers. The foreign business community, on the other hand, have become familiar with the candidates concerned, have been watching the present situation unfold and are maintaining an “I’ll believe it when I see it” posture. Given the style shown by the Department of Budget and Management in the management and deployment of public funds during the last five-and-a-half years—by turns devious and overcautious—it is little wonder that analysts of Philippine economic performance after the 2016 election have not been laying as much stress as in the past on the electoral impact of stepped-up public spending. This time around, they are placing more faith on the basic strength of the Philippine economy and less on the budget management capabilities of Florencio Abad and Co. That about sums up the condition of the Philippine ship of state and the mood of the Filipino people as they troop to the cemeteries and memorial parks and ponder the question whether the loved ones lying there are or are not now in a better place. E-mail: rudyromero777@yahoo.com

By Alena Mae S. Flores

Philex Petroleum Corp., the oil and gas exploration unit of Philex Mining Corp., incurred a consolidated net loss of P118.1 million in the first nine months of 2015, down from a loss of P376.9 million year-on-year. The company said in a disclosure to the stock exchange the net loss attributable to equity holders of the parent company amounted to P65.9 million compared with a net loss of P188.8 million during the same period last year. “The net loss primarily resulted from lower petroleum revenues contributed by its subsidiary, Forum Energy Plc, due to a drop in crude oil prices and a lower production from Service Contract 14C1 Galoc,” it said. Philex Petroleum said net loss decreased year-on-year due to a charge in impairment to Pitkin’s service contract 6a-Octon block during during the same period last year.

“The company will continue its efforts to reduce operating expenditures through the rationalization of the company’s business structure and asset portfolio particularly in the current low oilprice environment,” the company said. Philex Petroleum chairman Manuel Pangilinan expects the company to generate losses for now because that is “the nature of the beast because it is basically in exploratory stage.” “I don’t foresee Philex Petroleum going in the black for the next year. You just have to wait for developments on the exploration side,” Pangilinan said earlier. The Energy Department granted Philex Petroleum a force ma-

jeure on service contract 75 in offshore northwest Palawan recently, after the company sought clarification from the Energy Department. The SC 75 area is also located near SC 72 (Recto Bank) and SC 58 also in northwest Palawan,. Exploration in SC 72 and SC 58 has been suspended due to force majeure amid the ongoing territorial dispute with China. Under the terms of the force majeure, all exploration work at SC 75 will be immediately suspended effective from the end of the first subphase on December 27, 2015 until the date the department notifies the company to resume petroleum-related activities. Philex Petroleum holds a 60.49 percent voting interest and a 48.76 percent economic interest in Forum Energy plc, which holds a 70 percent operating interest in SC 72. Philex Petroleum is an upstream oil and gas company incorporated in the Philippines whose shares are listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange.

Blue crabs. Virgilio Geronimo of Tortosa village in Manapla, Negros Occidental prepares freshly caught blue swimming crabs for weighing as a staff from the local agriculture office looks on. The Tortosa Pumpboat Association is the proponent group of the first blue swimming crab production and marketing sub-project under the Agriculture Department’s Philippine Rural Development Project.

BPI Family Bank bullish, sees loans growing 15% next year By Julito G. Rada BPI Family Bank, the thrift bank unit of the Ayala-controlled Bank of the Philippine Islands, expects loans to rise 15 percent next year on the back of the country’s strong growth prospects that could translate into robust lending to consumers. “We are eyeing a 15-percent growth in lending next year, given the [positive] scenario in local and domestic economy,” BPI Family senior vice president Maria Cristina Go said in a briefing in Makati City Wednesday. “The sentiment of the business

community has been positive, despite the presidential elections happening next year, because of the country’s strong macroeconomic fundamentals,” Go said. She said total loan portfolio last year reached P173 billion, adding BPI Family was on track of hitting P200 billion this year. “We are eyeing to cross the P200-billion mark [this year].” Go said. “The Philippines is doing very well and consumer confidence could be translated into a disposable income for consumers.” She said the bank had been registering strong growth in

the past five years. The bulk of the loan growth this year, she said, would come from housing loans, estimated at P100 billion, and real estates and auto credits. She said of the P173-billion total loan portfolio last year, P60 billion came from provincial areas, reflectinh the strong growth prospects in the countryside. She also said migrant Filipino workers accounted for a significant portion of total loans. “Overseas Filipino workers have the highest propensity to own a house, car and business loans,” Go said.

“We see housing loans to continue to grow rapidly and account for the bulk of our total loan portfolio,” she said. Housing loans range between P1 million and P2.5 million and they usually hit the peak during the dry months, when construction of buildings and houses is ideal. Go said BPI Family’s client base was currently at 180,000. The bank remains the leading thrift bank in terms of assets. She said some factors could challenge BPI Family’s loan expansion. These include the strength of the economy and the

interest rate environment. “It will depend [mainly] on the resilience of the Philippine economy. Also, depending on the demand and supply condition and the movement of the foreign exchange rate. For one, the real estate will depend on interest rates. We don’t know if interest rates will move up quickly which could surely affect demand,” Go said. BPI Family has 180 branches nationwide. “We are planning to put up 19 more branches next year and most of these would be located outside Metro Manila,” Go said.

T H U R S D AY : O C T O B E R 2 9, 2 0 1 5

WORLD

CESAR BARRIOQUINTO EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

700,000 more refugees reach EU L J U B L JA NA , Slovenia—Europ e’s worst migration crisis since World War II risks triggering “tectonic changes”, a top EU official warned Tuesday, as figures showed more than 700,000 newcomers have reached the continent’s Mediterranean shores this year. “The situation will deteriorate even further,” European Council president Donald Tusk said, warning of a “new wave of refugees [arriving] from Aleppo and other Syrian regions under Russian bombardment”. “I have no doubt that this challenge has the potential to change the European Union we have built,” he told the European Parliament in Strasbourg. “And what is even more dangerous, it has the potential to create tectonic changes in the European political landscape. And these are not changes for the better.” E u r o p e a n Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker meanwhile slammed EU member states for providing less than half of the guards pledged to the bloc’s Frontex border agency in migrant hot spots Greece and Italy. “Member states have been moving slowly at a time when they should be running,” he said. Of the 775 border guards needed, EU countries have only provided 326 over the past month, Juncker said, adding that many bloc members had also failed so far to keep their promises of financial support. The stinging criticism came after the EU vowed to help set up 100,000 places in reception centres in Greece and along the migrant route through the Balkans as part of a 17-point action plan devised with the countries most affected by the crisis. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande held talks in Paris on Tuesday, with a French official saying afterwards the two shared “the same position on what should be done politically and... on the front line”. AFP

Taiwanese police free kidnapped HK tycoon TAIPEI—A kidnapped Hong Kong tycoon has been freed in a dramatic rescue after he was held captive for more than a month by criminals who demanded a $9-million ransom, Taiwan authorities said Wednesday. Wong Yuk-kwan, chairman of the Hong Kong-listed Pearl Oriental Oil exploration company, was found manacled and beaten up Tuesday in a shack in a western Taiwan village after being abducted outside Taipei on September 20, according to authorities. Television footage of the rescue operation showed the 67-year-old, also known as Wong Kwan, looking scrawny and frightened as he sat on the floor of a barren room with his feet cuffed. His face was bruised and he was clutching his legs, which were covered in cuts. Fifteen people were arrested over the abduction, including a man suspected of masterminding the kidnapping, according to the authorities. The kidnappers requested a ransom of HK$70 million (US$9 million) through emails to Wong’s office in Hong Kong and demanded to be paid in virtual currency bitcoins, authorities said. “We are assisting the Hong Kong police with the investigation on their end as well,” an official from New Taipei City police told AFP, adding that no ransom was paid. Wong’s company was unavailable for comment when contacted by AFP. The businessman, who was in Taipei for medical treatment according to Taiwan media reports, is still facing charges that were brought against him and Pearl Oriental Oil executives in 2013 by Hong Kong’s anti-corruption watchdog. He is accused along with three others of fraud and money laundering relating to the acquisition of an oil field in the United States. He has been on a HK$5-million bail since. Two of the defendants in the case were found guilty in May this year and

sentenced to seven years and five years in jail respectively. Pearl Oriental Oil’s main business is oil and gas exploration and the company is valued at HK$957 million. Its main asset is the oilfield in Utah and it also runs a plastic recycling business, according to its website. Hong Kong has a long history of kidnaps targeting high-profile members of the business community. In April, a Hong Kong textiles heiress was abducted and released three days later, after her family paid her captors a ransom of HK$28 million. Nine people were arrested over the abduction after Hong Kong authorities launched a massive operation to hunt down the suspected kidnappers. AFP

Dispersal. Israeli security forces walk as they fire tear gas to disperse

Palestinian protesters during clashes following a demonstration against the Israeli army in the West Bank city of Hebron on October 27, 2015. AFP

OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT NATIONAL HOUSING AUTHORITY BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE – HEAD OFFICE 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: Name of Requirement/ One (1) Lot – Supply, Delivery, Installation, Set-up and Brief Description Customization of the BSP Host Intrusion Prevention System (HIPS), as per BSP Terms of Reference Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC)

Php3,450,000.00, VAT inclusive

Completion Period

Within one hundred fifty (150) calendar days to commence on the date stipulated in the Notice to Proceed (NTP) to be issued by the Information Technology Sub-Sector (ITSS)

2. 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. 3. 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 right or privileges to Filipino citizens. 4. 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 R.A. No. 9184 and its IRR. Activity

Schedule

Venue

a. Issuance of Bid Documents

Starting 29 October 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. 3062832/708-7115

b. Pre-bid Conference

09 November 2015; 1:00 P.M.

MR2A Conference Room, 2nd Floor, 5-Storey Bldg., BSP Main Complex, Malate, Manila

c. Opening of Bids

23 November 2015; 2:00 P.M.

MR2A Conference Room, 2nd Floor, 5-Storey Bldg., BSP Main Complex, Malate, Manila

5. 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 the non-refundable fee of Php5,000.00 at the address above prior to, or upon submission of their bids. 6. 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. 7. The BSP assumes no responsibility whatsoever to compensate or indemnify any bidder for expenses incurred in the preparation of bid. 8. 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. ( T S - O C T, 2 9 , 2 015 )

(SGD) SILVINA Q. MAMARIL-ROXAS Chairperson

Invitation to Bid

The National Housing Authority (NHA), through the Corporate Budget approved by the NHA Board for the year 2015 intends to apply the sum of the Approved Budget for the Contracts (ABCs) to payments for the following contract: Ref. No.

Projects

ABC/ Source of Funds (P)

Duration (c.d.)

2015 -10151

Trucking Services to Transport Belongings of Informal Settler Families (ISF’s) Living along Waterways/ Danger Areas in Caloocan City and Bulacan (Re-bid)

10,214,548.60 NG Subsidy

Work Description Provision of trucks to transport belongings of ISFs affected by the clearing of waterways/ danger zone areas in difference barangays of Caloocan City to designated resettlement sites in Caloocan City & Bulacan

Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening. The NHA now invites bids for the above-cited contract. Delivery of the Goods is required within the duration herein cited upon receipt of Notice to Proceed. Bidders should have completed, within five years from the date of submission of bids, a single contract similar to the Project costing at least fifty percent (50%) of the ABC. 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 nondiscretionary pass/fail criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”. 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. A complete set of Bidding Documents shall be issued only to bidders/authorized official representatives or employees of the bidder who can show proof of Notarized Authority to secure bid documents for the specific Project and Official Company ID upon submission of a Letter of Intent (LOI) and upon Cash Payment of non-refundable fee of P10,000.00 at the Office of the NHA-BAC 2 Secretariat, 2nd Floor NHA Main Building, Diliman, Quezon City starting on October 29, 2015. For further information, the NHA BAC 2 Secretariat may be contacted at Tel/FAX. No. 928-8272. The NHA will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on November 12, 2015, 9:00 a.m. at the Operations Center, 3rd Floor NHA Main Building, Elliptical Road, Diliman, Quezon City, which shall be OPEN only to all interested parties who have purchased the Bidding Documents. Bids must be delivered at the Operations Center, 3rd Floor NHA Main Building, Elliptical Road, Diliman, Quezon City on December 1, 2015, not later than 9:00 a.m. All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount as stated in BDS. Bid opening shall follow immediately after the deadline of submission of bids at the same venue. Bids will be opened in the presence of the Bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address above. Late bids shall not be accepted. The NHA 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.

(TS-OCT. 29, 2015)

(SGD) VICTOR C. BALBA Chairperson, Bids and Awards Committee 2 (BAC 2) NATIONAL HOUSING AUTHORITY

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B8 Sentenced pilots ‘to seek drug case justice’ PARIS—Two French pilots given 20-year jail sentences in the Dominican Republic for cocainetrafficking slipped out of the country and went home “to clear their names”, one of them said Tuesday, but the Caribbean nation said it would seek their re-arrest. Pascal Fauret, 55, and co-pilot Bruno Odos, 56, were back with their families in France after traveling by boat from the Dominican Republic to the Franco-Dutch island of Saint Martin, before flying to Martinique and then on to France. And France suggested Wednesday that the two pilots, who were among four Frenchmen sentenced in Santo Domingo in August in a case dubbed “Air Cocaine”,would not be extradited. Fauret told reporters in Paris he felt the men had no choice but to leave the Dominican Republic, where they were not being held in detention pending a judicial appeal. “The justice system did not open an investigation, it did not listen to us and we were sentenced to 20 years in jail just because we’re French and not good Christians,” he said. “I’m sorry, but my first instinct was to return to my country where I could speak before a functional justice system and try to go back to a normal life.” Their lawyer Jean Reinhart insisted the men had not “fled” the Dominican Republic. “They are in France not to flee justice but to seek justice,” he told AFP. “They are not escapees, because they were not in prison,” he added, explaining that although they were not in jail they had been barred from leaving the Dominican Republic pending the appeal. Exactly how the pilots managed to leave remains shrouded in mystery. Eric Dupond-Moretti, a highprofile lawyer representing the pilots, said he could not give details of their journey because “it was not done alone, there were other people involved”. AFP

CESAR BARRIOQUINTO EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

WORLD Indonesians fight fires with meager resources PALANGKARAYA, Indonesia— Desperate civilians at the epicenter of Indonesia’s haze crisis are taking the fight into their own hands, using whatever meager resources they have to confront the fires ravaging their communities as they tire of waiting for the government to take action.

On the catwalk. Models parade creations of the OUDIFU Li Zuliang Collection designed by Li Zuliang during the China Fashion Week in Beijing on October 28, 2015. China Fashion Week runs from October 25 to November 2. AFP

Wearing an oversize T-shirt and ill-fitting rubber boots, 13-year-old Yosua Oktavianus assisted his father douse a fire burning outside their hometown in Borneo as acrid smoke belched from the scorched earth. “I just want to help my dad,” he told AFP near Palangkaraya, a city of 240,000 where respiratory illnesses have soared as the smog has worsened in recent weeks. Communities worst exposed to the toxic smog are becoming increasingly frustrated at authorities in Jakarta, insisting not enough is being done to aid their plight. The government has launched water-bombing raids dumping water over blazes on Borneo and neighboring Sumatra but has failed so far to bring thousands of fires under control. It has also sent warships to Kalimantan— Indonesia’s half of Borneo island—in case largescale evacuations are needed, but many on the ground are choosing to fight not flee, using wooden sticks, pails of water and anything else on hand to douse the flames. After watching children and the elderly in his hometown fall sick under the pall of haze—just some of the estimated half a million people who have suffered respiratory illnesses since the fires started in July—20-year-old Fery Auyadi decided enough was enough. Banding together with his friends, the college students pooled their resources and collected donations for supplies before heading to the fire front. “My friends and I were fed up of waiting for the government to act,” he told AFP, dripping in sweat and mud as he battled a blaze outside Palangkaraya, adding: “It is now everybody’s fight.” Another team in the area responded to reports of new fires and set off in pickup trucks, passing through a ruined, smoking landscape of charred earth and smoldering tree stumps. AFP

Cop in trafficking probe fears for his life BANGKOK—Thailand’s probe into human trafficking was wound up too quickly, the officer who led the investigation said Wednesday, adding he now fears for his life after implicating senior military figures in the grim trade. The kingdom’s role in a multimillion-dollar trade in humans emerged in May as people-smugglers abandoned thousands of migrants at sea or in jungle camps after a Thai crackdown. Thai officials stand accused of orchestrating smuggling routes through the south of their country and on to neighboring Malaysia. Major General Paween Pongsirin

headed the police investigation that uncovered camps on the ThaiMalaysia border where victims were held in appalling conditions until relatives paid for their release. The investigation has officially been closed and junta officials trumpeted the crackdown as evidence the kingdom was serious about pursuing traffickers regardless of their connections. But Paween told AFP the shutdown came too soon. “The case is not completely finished, there are more people involved because this problem has accumulated for a long time,” he said.

According to Paween’s latest tally, more than 90 people have been arrested over human trafficking, including senior army general Manas Kongpan who is charged with being a key player in the trade. A second army officer has been detained while two others and a navy official are still on the run. A sixth military official—an army officer—recently died, he said. “There are existing threats against me” linked to his unit’s pursuit of military figures, Paween added, saying messages had been relayed to him that he “should be cautious”. AFP

US tour. Singer Madonna performs during her ‘Rebel Heart’ tour at the Forum on October 27, 2015, in Inglewood, California. AFP

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TATUM ANCHETA EDITOR

BING PAREL

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

BERNADETTE LUNAS

life @ thestandard.com .ph

WRITER

@LIFEatStandard

W EL L BEING

LIFE HEALTH BULLETIN

TWO CANNED PINEAPPLES A DAY KEEP THE DOCTOR AWAY The rainy season brings with it colder weather that can also translate to illnesses, especially among children with a weak immune system. According to a study by Claire Johnson and Professor Ron Eccles of Cardiff University’s Common Cold Centre, people become more susceptible to sickness during the wet season because the blood vessels contract and prevent the flow and production of white blood cells, which serves as the body’s first line of defense against bacteria and viruses. Due to the lack of white blood cells circulating around the body, an individual becomes more at risk of contracting diseases. While we have no control over the shifting of weather, there are many ways to prevent illnesses in children through the strengthening of their immune system. It can be as simple as feeding them with

more fruits, such as two servings of canned pineapple a day. Dr. Leonora Panlasigui, Dean of the Philippine Women’s University’s School of Nutrition, found in her recent study that adding two servings of Del Monte Pineapple to the daily diet of children may help improve their overall immunity. The study shows a 27 percent increase in the production of granulocytes, a type of white blood cell vital to combating diseases, in children who ate two servings of pineapple a day. This results in reduced recovery time for bacterial and viral infections. Inspired by Dr. Panlasigui’s study and its results, Del Monte Philippines recently launched its advocacy dubbed #DMPineappleaDay to raise awareness all over the country on how incorporating pineapple in the daily diet of children may keep them free of diseases.

UNDERSTANDING THE CRITICAL IMPORTANCE OF HAND WASHING According to the World Health Organization, 13 children die every day because of diarrhea, accounting for almost 5,000 deaths annually. Records from the United Nations show that over 800 of the approximately 1,400 child deaths from diarrhea every day can be attributed to inadequate water and hygiene. But this troubling incidence can be alleviated with as simple as introducing kids to the importance of frequent hand washing with soap. A review of multiple studies reveal that maintaining the habit of washing hands cuts the incidence of diarrhea by nearly half, as clean hands will help prevent the transmission of diseases from one person to the next. However, here in the Philippines where diarrhea continues to be one of the top causes of child mortality, many are still not aware that disease-causing germs can be found everywhere, even in seemingly unlikely places and everyday items like

mobile phones, ATMs and water bottles, among others. This raises the urgency to further increase awareness of the importance of keeping our hands clean. Last October 15, during the 8th year of Global Handwashing Day, Procter and Gamble, through its flagship soap brand Safeguard brought this annual celebration simultaneously to three key cities in the country: Manila, Cebu and Davao. With the theme, “Linis Lusog sa Global Handwashing Day,” the hygienic affair focused on educating students and parents on proper hand washing to prevent diarrhea and even pneumonia. Through a fun scavenger hunt for germs, students searched through different locations like the school, home and playground for germs to collect. Participants were surprised to discover that as far as germs are concerned, there were more than meets the eye. A UV light revealed the invisible lotion that unknown to the students was applied on their skin while they searched through the locations. This lotion simulated the invisible, disease-causing germs from everyday items. P&G’s commitment to proper hygiene goes beyond the Global Handwashing Day event. The company has partnered with UNICEF and the Department of Education to build hand washing facilities, and also implements water, sanitation and hygiene programs in public schools nationwide.

HOW TO WIN MORE BY LOSING WEIGHT It is said that the only time a loser wins is when he loses weight. Shedding those extra pounds could spell a huge improvement in your health. But is it possible to win more? Cohen’s Lifestyle Center makes losing weight sweeter with its CLC Pounds for Cash Promo. Under this promotion, firsttimers who enrolled in CLC’s Cohen’s Lifestyle Program from September 15 to October 31, 2015 will be rewarded for making progress towards their weight-loss goals. CLC will offer a P5,000 cashback for a minimum of 10 pounds lost per monthly weigh-in, which they can redeem from December 1 to 31, 2015.

The Cohen’s Lifestyle Program is a rapid weight-loss and wellness solution developed by Dr. Rami Cohen, an international specialist renowned for his research on hormones involved in obesity and weight loss. Based on each person’s unique blood profile, the Cohen’s Lifestyle Program assigns a personalized eating plan that will correct the hormonal imbalance that causes obesity. In the Philippines, this is exclusively available at the CLC. For more information on the CLC Pounds for Cash promo, contact any of the CLC Philippines branches in Manila (02) 828-8251, Cebu (032) 236-2334 and Davao (082) 324-4611.

T H U R S D AY : O C T O B E R 2 9, 2 0 1 5

LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

The first MPIC Nursing Summit was supported by eight other health institutions in the Metro Pacific Investments Corporation hospital group.

From left: Medical Director Dr. Benjamin Alimurung, MPIC and MakatiMed chairman Manuel Pangilinan, MakatiMed president and CEO Rosalie Montenegro, Chief Operations Officer and SVP Renato Salud and MPIC Hospital Group president and CEO Augusto Palisoc Jr.

MAKATI MED HOLDS NURSING SUMMIT, SIGNS MOA WITH AFP

n a bid to improve and expand the services of the AFP Medical Center – the country’s prime hospital for soldiers – the Makati Medical Center Foundation (MakatiMed Foundation) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines recently renewed their publicprivate partnership for the organizational strengthening of AFP hospitals. MakatiMed Foundation Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan and AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Hernando Iriberri recently signed a memorandum of agreement at Camp Aguinaldo to extend the first MOA signed in June 2013 with then-AFP Chief of Staff Gen. (now Office of the President Undersecretary for the Security, Justice and Peace Cluster) Emmanuel Bautista. This was renewed in 2014 during the term of Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. as AFP chief. The MMC Foundation renewed the MOA with a larger coverage of partner public hospitals from the different major services of the Armed Forces, including the hospitals and medical facilities of the Philippine Army, Navy and the Air Force. This new strategic direction is being implemented under the leadership of Gen. Iriberri, and aims to help equip the AFP’s technical expertise towards delivering quality health care services to the hundreds of thousands of Filipino soldiers and their dependents. Also present at the ceremony were Usec. Bautista, MakatiMed Foundation vice chair Judy Araneta Roxas, MakatiMed Foundation president Dr. Victor Gisbert, MD and Conchitina Sevilla Bernardo, trustee. MakatiMed also recently hosted the first Metro Pacific Investments Corp. Nursing Summit titled “Exceeding Hospital Excellence through MPIC Alliance.” The one-day event, which was supported by eight other health institutions in the MPIC hospital group, served as a venue for MPIC nursing leaders to collaborate with the aim of standardizing the nursing practices across the hospital group. Participants came from the nursing divisions of MPIC hospitals in Metro Manila and key provinces that include Asian Hospital and Medical Center (Muntinlupa), Cardinal Santos Medical Center (San Juan), Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital (Manila), De Los Santos Medical Center (Quezon City),

Makati Medical Center and MakatiMed Foundation chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan and AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Hernando Iriberri sign a memorandum of agreement for a renewed public-private partnership for the organizational strengthening of AFP hospitals.

MPIC firmly supports the notion that leadership empowerment for our nurses is the best way to achieve optimal healthcare experience, says Manuel V. Pangilinan MegaClinic (Mandaluyong), Central Luzon Doctors’ Hospital (Tarlac City), Davao Doctors Hospital (Davao City) and Dr. Pablo O. Torre Memorial Hospital (Bacolod City). The event was the brainchild of Christine Donnelly, MakatiMed’s VP for Nursing and Patient Care Services. “Since we’re a part of the largest group of hospital systems, (we thought) why not gather all nursing leaders and together create more nursing initiatives?” Donnelly said, explaining how the MPIC Summit came into being.

According to MakatiMed president and CEO Rosalie Montenegro, it was the first time the different MPIC nursing groups collaborated at a clinical level. “We have collaborated on the corporate side, but not yet on the clinical side, and I think nursing is a good place to start, as our nurses are the face of our hospitals,” Montenegro remarked, adding that in MakatiMed, nursing leaders push the Triple Cs – competence, communication and compassion.

“If we have competent, communicative and compassionate healthcare, our nursing industry will be significantly enhanced. This Summit is just the beginning. I am happy that finally, nurses are taking their rightful role as collaborators in healthcare,” Montenegro said. In the keynote speech of Manny Pangilinan during the summit, he noted that the best nurses have the best chances to be leaders. “MPIC firmly supports the notion that leadership empowerment for our nurses is the best way to achieve optimal healthcare experience. Nurses should be strong enough to withstand everything and kind enough to understand patients,” he said. “I am here today not only in acknowledgement of your skills, but as an expression of gratitude to you as well. You are more vital than any health organization can ever express,” Pangilinan told the nurses.

T H U R S D AY : O C T O B E R 2 9, 2 0 1 5

LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

RUPM 2015 WRAPS UP ON AN EXCLUSIVE RED CARPET LANE ActiveHealth Village’s post-run recovery activities provided by Peakform

Participants line-up to get an ice cold glass of Enervon HP, the official recovery drink of RUPM 2015.

UPM 2015 wraps up the third leg of this year’s Run United Series in Esplanade, Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay City, headed by ActiveHealth (AH) – a total integrated solutions provider that empowers progressive athletes to perform better and achieve their goals – with about 12,000 running participants who joined the four categories. Known for its innovations to enhance every runner’s race experience and most talked about exclusive red carpet finish for full marathon runners, this year’s AH red carpet lane features four categories, namely events, training, nutrition, and gear. The Categories were introduced as a holistic integrated approach targeting the progressive athlete. Also introduced was a program called Exceed Yourself Training Plan created and engineered by Coach Ani de Leon Brown, the fastest Filipina Ironman triathlete who is a member and coach of Team ActiveHealth. Prominent coaches and sports science experts shared valuable tips on running. Dr. Carmelo Braganza talked about Runners’ Diarrhea, Jeaneth Aro of Nutrifit touched on Fuel Demands of Endurance Sports, and Coach Ani shared about Maximizing Your Training Zones. Aside from the motivational talks, there were plenty of pocket activities during the race expo with exclusive perks, freebies, and discounts available to participants. The race day also featured the new ActiveHealth apparel collection of sportswear for the progressive user and the soft launch for United Laboratories, Inc. (UNILAB) ActiveHealth CarbGel, an energy gel packed with a specialized combination of quick-acting and long-burning carbs to help runners and other athletes sustain their energy during their training or race. ActiveHealth CarbGel completes the ActiveHealth nutrition system composed of Enervon Activ, a supplement taken daily to help build stamina and immunity, and, Enervon HP, the ideal recovery drink best taken 45 minutes after workout. The top finishers for Filipino male in the full marathon category were Welfred Esporma (3:14:52), Argel Joseph Mendoza (3:22:30), and Arnel Agag (3:39:23); top three Filipino female finishers Anna Del Rosario (4:24:49), Mar Jean Buan (4:26:43), and Mercy Go (4:31:02); and top foreign finishers Steve Clarke (3:23:10), Chad Davis (3:56:06), Yasumito Hirao (4:09:06), and Carly Relf (4:32:32). RUPM 2015 was made possible through the support of Enervon Activ, Enervon HP, Alaxan FR, Gatorade, Premier, and One Esplanade. Run United Recovery Run will take place on December 12 at Filinvest, Alabang. ActiveHealth Carbgel is exclusively available at the ActiveHealth online shop. Visit shop.unilabactivehealth.com for more details. For more updates about the 2015 Run United Recovery Run, and to know more about how AH is pushing progressive Filipino athletes to exceed themselves, visit www. unilabactivehealth.com.

The ActiveHealth CarbGel 42K finishers were welcomed in red carpet fashion, claiming their finisher’s shirt and kits in an exclusive hall inside One Esplanade.

Stretching services provided by Peakform

Participants check out the new ActiveHealth apparel which came in a variety of new styles and colors.

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

#GRABITBEATIT:

GrabCar’s awareness campaign for early breast cancer detection

eople’s favorite taxi app service recently launched its support for the breast cancer awareness month with #GrabItBeatIt campaign across Southeast Asia. The campaign aims to stress the importance of early detection and encourage women to conduct self-examination. “We believe that early detection is the best protection against breast cancer as studies show that those detected early have high cure rates. Through this campaign, we want to extend the conversation to how women can stay healthy and fit, and encourage Filipino women to self-check before it’s too late,” says GrabCar head Natasha Bautista. The Philippines is said to have the second highest incidence of

breast cancer in Southeast Asia and the Department of Health encourages women as young as 20 to familiarize themselves with monthly self-examination for early detection. Oftentimes, it is usually late when people find out that they have breast cancer. Everyone is at risk, and it is important to know that breast cancer may be terminal but it is curable especially when detected early on. #GrabItBeatIt offers Breast Cancer Awareness kits which include a statement shirt by Malaysian clothing company Pestle and Mortar, plus a tote bag and pamphlet on how to conduct self-examination. All proceeds from the sale of the items will go to the ICanServe Foundation, the

non-profit organization that advocates early breast cancer detection through breast selfexamination, information campaigns and communitybased screening programs. “In our own way, we want to let more people know that early detection of breast cancer saves thousands of lives,” said Natasha Bautista. The #GrabItBeatIt campaign runs in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam as part of the GrabCar’s advocacy on women’s health and safety. For more information and for order inquiries, message GrabCar PH via Viber (0905487039 or 09054874027) or check out www.grabtaxi.com/ manila-philippines/2015/10/02/ grabitbeatit/.

A HEALTHY RETREAT

ore and more people have been embracing a healthy and balanced lifestyle and altering the many choices and decisions in their everyday life. The Farm at San Benito’s in Batangas – one of the country’s luxurious wellness centers that provides sustainable lifestyle guidance and holistic healing – helps those who want to kickstart and sustain a balanced mind, body and spirit through proper nourishment and fitness in an eco-friendly farm setting. A team of doctors and healthcare practitioners mans The Farm and provides customized programs for guests, tailored for their health objectives and body needs. Currently on offer is The Farm Lite package, a three-day healing retreat that focuses on organic food, a tranquil rejuvenation, and fitness options with use of their gym and yoga pavilions. Guests can experience a luxurious

healing journey within the three-day span and get educated on how to live a sustainable life even outside The Farm’s facilities. The package includes a guest’s choice of accommodation, set gourmet meals per night of stay, a wellness consultation with one of the integrated medical doctors upon arrival, a healing sanctuary consultation, nutritional assessment, choice of integrated medical services or healing sanctuary treatments and daily wellness activities (yoga, meditation, circuit training, aqua aerobics, Ab Blaster, Mandala flower arranging and guided walks). If you like to learn more about The Farm Lite package, visit www. thefarmatsanbenito.com or call the following numbers: (+632) 8848074, (+63918) 884-8080. You may also send an email to reservations@ thefarm.com.ph.

T HUR S DAY : OCTOBER 2 9, 2015

SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

ReCoRd-bReaking CRowd at alden and ai ai’s ConCeRt in Japan

MA Pinoy TV mounted another successful anniversary show with Kapuso stars Alden Richards, Aicelle Santos and Ai Ai delas Alas performing to a full house crowd at the New Pier Hall in Central Tokyo on Oct. 11. The concert titled Kapusong Pinoy Japan was staged in partnership with WorldCom Japan Ltd. “We have come full circle with this momentous event taking place where GMA Pinoy TV was first launched through the carrier IPS, Inc. in 2005,” says GMA First Vice President and Head of International Operations Joseph T. Francia. “The overwhelming turnout for Kapusong Pinoy Japan affirms our tireless efforts for the past 10 years in bringing a piece of home to our fellow Filipinos abroad and we are

grateful to all those who have supported and continue to support us in this endeavor,” Francia continued. The Kapusong Pinoy cast was warmly welcomed by their fellow Filipinos in Japan, with fans eager to take photos with the artists and giving them tokens to show their admiration and excitement at being able to see their favorite stars in person. Sending thrills throughout the crowd was Alden Richards, Pambansang Bae and other half of the phenomenal AlDub love team of Eat Bulaga’s “Kalyeserye” segment. Attesting to the tandem’s status as an international sensation, the “pabebe wave,” popularized in the Kalyeserye segment, was a huge hit among the crowd. Alden, who also co-hosts the comedy-musical variety program

Sunday PinaSaya, displayed his vocal talent through a number of songs he performed for an enthusiastic crowd. The multi-talented actor recently released the album Wish I May with a similarly-titled carrier single for GMA Records this month. Rock and Soul Diva Aicelle Santos mesmerized the audience with a repertoire that showcased her impressive vocal range. The Buena Familia star, who was also a lead actress in the hit musical Rak of Aegis for which she won Best Actress in a Musical at the 2014 Aliw Awards, was highly praised by Kapuso fans at the event. Proving that she is truly the Philippine Comedy Queen, Ai Ai delas Alas performed with a number of eye-catching costumes that thrilled the crowd to no end.

The Sunday PinaSaya and CelebriTV host kept the crowd laughing as she engaged in lively banter with her fellow Kapuso stars as well as the audience. Displaying more than just comedic wit, Ai Ai also prepared an equally engaging musical performance to the delight of the hundreds of Kapuso fans. Social media was abuzz with excitement over GMA Pinoy TV’s anniversary show as netizens posted photographs and messages about the highly entertaining program and the stellar cast using the hashtag #Sampuso. The official Twitter account of ALDub/Maiden Fans Club Japan Chapter thanked GMA Pinoy TV saying, “What a great show!! Thank you so much @gmapinoytv @gmanetwork @EatBulaga @ald-

enrichards02 #Sampuso.” Meanwhile, Facebook user Mabey was among the many fans glad to have the chance to watch their idols as she commented on Aicelle’s Facebook post on the event saying, “Thank you! Pinawi niyo ang lungkot ko! God bless Aicelle, Alden at Ms. Ai Ai.” Kapusong Pinoy Japan is the last in a series of concerts staged this year in celebration of GMA Pinoy TV’s tenth anniversary dubbed #Sampuso. Earlier this year, the Kapusong Pinoy concert series was successfully held in Vancouver, Anaheim and New York. For inquiries on subscriptions to GMA’s international channels, you may call the toll free number 0032-6444, the telephone number 03-3549-7627, or email voxtv_cs_ group@ipsism.co.jp

1 Aicelle Santos, Ai Ai delas Alas and Alden Richards entertain a full house at the New Pier Hall in Tokyo, Japan for Kapusong Pinoy Japan 2 Philippine Comedy Queen Ai Ai delas Alas and Pambansang Bae Alden Richards. 3 Aicelle livens up the crowd during her musical performance. 4 AiAi delas Alas injects comedy and fun into her performances with a variety of entertaining costumes. 5 Alden does the “pabebe wave” popularized by AlDub on Eat Bulaga’s Kalyeserye segment. 6 An enthusiastic Kapusong Pinoy Japan audience takes photos with Alden; Alden Richards shows he has more than just good looks, charm and acting abilities with his musical performance 7 Rock and Soul Diva Aicelle Santos amazes the crowd with her soulful performance. 8 The Kapusong Pinoy Japan cast does the “pabebe wave” with the audience at the New Pier Hall. 9 Loyal Kapuso viewers in Japan are all smiles after GMA Pinoy TV’s 10th anniversary concert. photo by Chino Caddarao

T HUR S DAY : OCTOBER 2 9, 2015

SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

AUStRALiAn BEAUty WinS MiSS GLoBAL 2015

statuesque, blonde beauty from Down Under, Jessica Peart, was crowned Miss Global 2015 at the glittering coronation finals at the Newport Performing Arts Theater in Resorts World Manila on Thursday night. Peart, a 22-year-old, 5-foot11, speech pathology student at Deakin University, bested more than 40 delegates from around the world, including Philippines’ Candice Ramos. Virginia Prak of Cambodia won first runner up with Miss Ireland Lorna Murphy and newcomer Miss Bulgaria’s Gergana Doncheva finishing second and third runners up, respectively. Ramos, 28-yearold, Tourism Management graduate of the University of the Philip-

MiChael V. and ‘The BuBBle BiBle’ “Thou shall finish reading this book laughing.” That is the ultimate commandment of The Bubble Bible by Bitoy, a collection of Michael V.’s 12 most famous characters on the long-running, much-loved GMA Network gag show Bubble Gang. The collection, out soon from Summit Books, lets readers enjoy the irreverent comedy of the comedian, actor, singer, composer, rapper, and parodist over 20 years of making Filipino audiences laugh in Bubble Gang. The Bubble Bible by Bitoy includes images of his memorable incarnations, the hilarious gags that have made

pines, settled for 4th runner up. The pageant on its third year was almost similar to the Miss Universe competition with the candidates naming a 20 semi-finalists competing in swimsuit. Then moving forward to the evening gown portion were the Top 11 candidates before the Top 5 finalists were announced making the Q&A final round of competition. The Top 11 also included USA’s Mariah Coogan, El Salvador’s Angie Durkee , Taiwan’s Jolie Chi, Myanmar’s Htet Htet Aung and South Africa’s Zandile Tanda. Others in the Top 20 were Guyana’s Ariella Basdeo, South Korea’s Jiyoung Jung, Dominican Republic’s Saudhi Rodriguez, Wales’ Rubie Marie, Poland’s Karolina Jazwins-

them unforgettable, and funny anecdotes from Bitoy himself. In The Bubble Bible by Bitoy, fans will be treated to the “tiis-ganda” secrets of Yaya Rosalinda

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ANSWER FOR PREVIOUS PUZZLE 23 24 26 27 29 31 32 33 36 40 41

Miss Global 2015 Jessica Peart and her court

ing money for charities. She was a finalist at the 2015 Miss Universe Australia pageant. She also worked as a part-time nanny and speaks German fluently. In her StarNow profile, Peart said, “Throughout my time in the industry, I have developed a real passion for modeling and acting and have been pleasantly overwhelmed with the number of opportunities that have come my way. I would love to

A collection of Michael V.’s most famous characters

CRoSSWoRD pUZZLE

ACROSS 1 Francis and Benedict 6 Authentic 10 Mr. Stravinsky 14 Jiggle 15 Karachi language 16 Mishmash 17 Silent screen slinker 18 E-musing? 19 Racquetball target 20 Likewise 21 Evaporates

ki, Colombia’s Luisa Millan, Vietnam’s Jane Huynh, England’s Sophie Rankin, Jordan’s Katia Zakaria and Israel’s Bareket Drori. Special awards were given to Tanda (Miss Photogenic,) Murphy (Miss Fitness), Doncheva (Miss Talent), Aung (Miss Fashion), Canada’s Eden Boutilier (Miss Goodwill), and Chi (Miss Congeniality). The delegates stayed for the duration of the pageant for two weeks with a visit to Caramoan Islands, charity work at a Children’s Orphanage and charity event with ex-pound for pound king and Congressman Manny Pacquiao. Peart, a model and actor with bit appearances in Neighbours, is into dancing and singing, playing kayak and paddleboard, and rais-

Eye color Chipmunk pouch More logical Regards with aversion Ski lifts (hyph.) Ad award Finishes a letter Poker stake Go on the lam (4 wds.) “Westworld” name Low voices

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Dry toast Gather after harvest Deep-space missions Quartet member Backup strategy (2 wds.) Mr. Karloff Comes unraveled Smog monitor Lost traction Body armor Funny Ms. Burnett Spice or ancient weapon Police squad Booster rocket 1917 abdicator Answered a judge Prospectors’ dreams

DOWN 1 Soft “Hey, you!” 2 Pittsburgh river 3 Narrow 4 — out a living 5 Fax user 6 Cube inventor 7 Perry’s penner 8 Hubbubs 9 Clumsy person

“Cha-Cha” Lucero, the hidden tattoos of Tata Lino, the untold riches of Don Miguel De Ayalabang, the workouts that Sexballs swears by, and the monologue that only Ce-

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015

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Amana folk Thin icing Fuel tanker Diner freebie Lawyer’s thing Grating Brit’s bonnet Closeout “— -Breaky Heart” Roquefort hue Wyoming range Derisive snorts Mlle. in Barcelona Spoke tearfully Threat ender Impatient chucks Collapses Mock butter Rust component Engineless plane Layer Rogue Rum mixers Ms. Jong Became ashen Cellar, briefly Miss the boat Paddy crop Corn concoction Woe is me! Athlete’s accolade Historian’s word

cilio Sasuman can do justice to. Laugh out loud at other unforgettable personalities that Michael V. has breathed life into, such as Junie Lee, Madam Rocha, Mr. Assimo,

photo By Joy ARGUiL

continue developing my modeling and acting skills as well as build a profile in the lifestyle and fitness sector, especially for young girls and women. A dream of mine is to eventually grace the pages/covers of magazines, campaigns and catalogues around the world. I cannot wait to expand my horizons, work with new people and see where the industry can take me.” – Eton B. ConCEpCion

Mr. Matapobre, Bonggang Bonggang Bongbong, DJ Bumbay, and Doña Yna Moran. The illustrations of the Bubble Gang characters in the book are also by Michael V., whose talent in drawing is well known. The book also features a foreword by veteran comedian Joey de Leon. Bubble Gang is the longest-running sketch comedy program in the Philippines, with Michael V. as its creative director and one of its pioneering cast members. The show, which first aired on GMA Network on Oct. 20, 1995, celebrates its 20th anniversary this month. Michael V. will launch the book on Dec. 6 at Glorietta 5 Atrium. The Bubble Bible by Bitoy will soon be out in bookstores and magazine stands nationwide for P250. For updates and more information, like Summit Books on Facebook via www.facebook.com/ SummitBooks and follow on Instagram via @summit.books.

T HUR S DAY : OCTOBER 2 9, 2015

SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

baRbie foRteza exCited to woRk with ate guy

Angel Locsin will no longer star as Darna in a movie

from C8

Barbie Forteza feels lucky to star with Nora Aunor in an indie film

ome actresses have all the luck. Barbie Forteza is the lead star in the long-running afternoon series The Half Sisters in which she performs with some of the actors she is idolizing till today. Now, the young actress can’t believe she will be working with her ultimate idol, Nora Aunor, in an indie film titled Tuos. Forteza was really starstruck when they met for the first time at a photoshoot. She didn’t mind that the production designer applied dark make up all over her to make her look darker than what she is in real life. Nora Aunor is the lead star of Tuos. She co-stars with Barbie Forteza

HHHHH angel loCsin giVes up daRna Role We received this official statement about Angel Locsin’s decision to drop the Darna role in an up and coming movie. We reprint the announcement in toto. “It is with deep regret that we announce that ABS-CBN, Star Cinema, and Angel Locsin have mutually agreed that Angel will no longer do the “Darna” movie due to health reasons. Because of her passion, dedication, and commitment to the project, she underwent various rigorous training regimens for two years. Unfortunately, this led her to developing a disc bulge in her spine. This then limits her from doing strenuous activities such as stunts, liftings, and the usage of harness, all of which will be required of her for the action scenes in the film. Aside from that, she will need to undergo rehabilitation and treatment. And so while we have envisioned her to do the iconic Filipino

heroine, Angel’s health and safety are both our primary concern. Hence, the decision. Fans need not worry. They can still look forward to seeing her in a movie that she is currently shooting with Vilma Santos. Angel’s physical condition does not prevent her from finishing the said project. Again, we sincerely thank Angel for her hard work and pray for her recovery.” Sgd. Kane Errol Choa- Head, Corporate Communications HHHHH Chiz suRpRises heaRt at beautiful stRangeRs taping While it’s true that Senator Chiz Escudero is busy as a politician, he still finds time to surprise his wife, Heart Evangelista. And Heart was overjoyed when her husband dropped by the set of Beautiful Strangers on Oct. 21. Heart did not waste time to post a photo of her husband on the set of her soap on GMA Network. “Haha! huli cam! Thanks Direk LA for this candid shot! :) my hubby visiting the set:) he surprised me,” Heart captioned the photo. Chiz is running for vice president with Sen, Grace Poe as president. The tandem leads in most poll surveys. The campaign has not even commenced, yet Heart calls her better half “busy bee” because of his very hectic schedule. Yet, Chiz makes sure he finds time to go on a date with his wife. In fact, the couple went to see Jerrold Tarog’s Heneral Luna.

DulCe anD son in ‘art 2 art’

Lisa Macuja with Dulce and her son David Ezra

rt to Art presents another round of insightful conversations between host Lisa Macuja and fellow artists from various disciplines this November. Produced by the Manila Broadcasting Company, Art 2 Art is aired every Sunday, 3:30 to 4 p.m., on DZRH (666 khz on the AM band), on cable television via RHTV and online through DZRH Live Streaming. On Nov. 1, visual artist Jonahmar Salvosa shares his four-decade journey in his field. A painter, sculptor and printmaker, Salvosa has particularly mastered

the medium of watercolor and is currently the president of Agos Kulay Maynila. On Nov. 8, Art 2 Art focuses on the Philippine Legitimage Stage Artists Group or Philstage, the only organization of professional performing arts companies in the country. Philstage president and stage actor Audie Gemora discusses the group’s continuing efforts to boost live performances on its 18th year, specially its annual Gawad Buhay awards. On Nov. 15, Victorette Joy Campilan talks about a feat she recently accomplished – joining the Palanca Awards for the first

time and winning the grand prize in her category with her first novel titled All My Lonely Islands. On Nov.22, iconic belter Dulce relates her early stints as a singer, entering contests at the age of just two years old and then performing in a cocktail lounge by age 13. Joining Dulce in this episode is her son, tenor David Ezra, who is now carving a name in music too. Mother and son perform together as a treat for Art 2 Art followers. For inquiries, please e-mail art2artdzrh@gmail.com. On Facebook, check out the account Ballerina ng Bayan for updates on Art 2 Art episodes.

Ryan Cayabyab ChRistmas speCial on Jepney tV

eepney TV once again showcases Ryan Cayabyab in the second Christmas special of his rebooted iconic musical program titled, Ryan Ryan Musikahan: Christmas from the Heart on Nov.6 at the Marriott Grand Ballroom, Resorts World Manila. Ryan Ryan Musikahan: Christmas from the Heart is a premiere concert and joint

project of Jeepney TV along with ABS-CBN’s cable channels Cinema One, Lifestyle, MYX, and Hero for the benefit of the Orchestra of the Filipino Youth. The concert features the best and timeless Christmas songs to be performed by celebrated actor and recording artist Piolo Pascual, actress and MYX VJ Nikki Gil, singing sensation Klarisse, The Ryan Cayabyab

Singers, the award-winning UST singers, and renowned singer-actor and composer Ogie Alcasid. “The concert celebrates the spirit of love and giving since its proceeds will augment the scholarship programs for young, very talented but marginalized musicians,” Jeepney TV channel head Cindy de Leon says. “Let us be early Santas to these kids by sup-

porting them in achieving their dreams,” she adds. Tickets for the Ryan Ryan Musikahan Christmas from the Heart are available at SM Ticket outlets. Jeepney TV aims to promote classic and timeless Filipino shows and music that are close to the hearts of Filipinos. It belongs to the family of cable channels under Creative Programs Inc., a subsidiary of ABS-CBN.

Poster for Ryan Ryan Musikahan at Marriott

T HUR S DAY : OCTOBER 2 9, 2015

ISAH V. RED EDITOR isahred @ gmail.com

SHOWBITZ

Director Cia Hermosa- Jorge with actors Villar and Aquino

Is anyone too old to be back to school? Angel Aquino plays the only daughter of Lola Fely

Buboy Villar plays the school bully in Old Skool

Lola Fely (Tessie Tomas) in her grade school uniform

ISAH V. RED When you’re 60 or over and realizes that you have missed school when you were younger because you devoted more than half of your life to your husband and children, would you consider going back to school? For Lola Fely, it’s as important as having her husband around. Now 69, Fely embarks on a journey to find ultimate happiness, and she thinks it’s in learning the things that she had sidelined when she got married and had children. With the demise of her husband, she tells her daughter that she doesn’t want to feel inutile or useless, so she decides to go back to school to finish elementary education. That’s the premise of a promising film of first-time director Cia Hermosa-Jorge. The film is called Old Skool. The quest for happiness is a universal journey and Old Skool shows us one roadmap to get there. The debut feature film of director Hermosa-Jorge produced by Till I’m 90 Films follows the story of Lola Fely (played by Tessie Tomas), who finds life meaningless after the death of her husband. Having spent five decades playing a role to fulfill the happiness of others, as a wife and as a mother, she is now faced with the ques-

is a huge responsibility. Only five years later, and of course through blood, sweat and tears, we have Old Skool. There really is no end date for following your dream and reinventing yourself.” Lead actress Tessie Tomas acknowledges Hermosa-Jorge’s deep insight in the character of Lola Fely having written the screenplay herself. “I felt the yearning to play the character in the screenplay,” says the comedienne/actress, “Because the opportunity is very rare. There aren’t many films about older people and what they feel and have in mind. This film, with Lola Fely going through the journey that she failed to experience when she was younger, should inspire a lot of older people to continue to seek the happiness they have been dreaming about.” Old Skool, starring Ms. Tessie Tomas, Angel Aquino and Buboy Villar, premieres on Nov. 4 at SM Cinema nationwide. ➜ continued on c7

tion of finding her own happiness. And the answer, she decided, is in fulfilling a lifelong dream - to receive her elementary diploma. With newfound determination, she goes back to school to finish Grade 6, only to discover the ruthless world of pre-teen campus life. The movie sees Lola Fely navigating lunchroom politics, bullying, making friends and dealing with the pressures of school. Through graceful storytelling, Old Skool tugs at the heartstrings with great subtlety. Generous on the comedy and punctuated with

genuine heartfelt moments, it is a movie with a bold message -- in your journey to happiness your dream is your north star. This theme resonates strongly with the director, who feels her own foray to filmmaking parallels Lola Fely’s journey. The mother of three first peered through the lens of a movie camera in 2010, under the direction of the late veteran director Marilou Diaz- Abaya. “Before studying film, I held a really good corporate job for over six years. At that time, my eldest son

was starting to develop into his own person and that’s when I knew I had to set a good example for him and follow my passion. I wanted him to see his mother put in 100 percent to pursue her dream because that’s how he’ll learn how to soar,” says Cia. “On the first day of film school, I was so nervous because I was 30 and everything was uncertain. But I was so hungry to learn. Direk Marilou taught me that being a filmmaker is a vocation, a calling. You touch people’s hearts, you inspire action, and you make people realize things through film. It

The quest for happiness is a universal journey and Old Skool shows us one roadmap to get there