The Standard - 2015 October 30 - Friday

VOL. XXIX NO. 260 3 Sections 32 Pages P18 frIday : OCTOBEr 30, 2015 www.thestandard.com.ph editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Grace hit for ‘cute’ reply to Mar barb

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Duterte baCk iN PDP-Laban bet quits, names mayor as substitute

By Joel E. Zurbano and Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

PRESIDENTIAL aspirant Martin Diño of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) on Thursday cancelled his Certificate of Candidacy for the 2016 elections and named Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte as his replacement.

But the Duterte camp remained silent Thursday and telephone calls went unanswered even as members of Duterte’s party, the PDP-Laban, said the Davao City mayor has until Dec. 10 to decide whether to run for President in next year’s election.

A reliable source who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak on the matter said Du-

terte was already aware of Diño’s withdrawal, but Duterte himself could not be reached for comment.

“The last time we spoke, [Duterte] said he will abide by the decision of the party,” the source said.

Diño, chairman of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption, said he decided to withdraw his candidacy after the legal department of the Com-

mission on Elections recommended to the commission en banc to declare him a nuisance candidate.

But Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista said the poll body would still have to review the Certificate of Candidacy of Diño, who was also given three days to explain why he should not be disqualified for being Next page a nuisance candidate.

Withdrawal. Martin Diño holds up the document withdrawing his candidacy for President that he filed at the Comelec and at the same time asking Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte to substitute for him. Danny Pata

No group action vs China, says State Dept.

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Palace: No reconciliation with Marcos kin

By Sandy araneta MALACAÑANG said Thursday that the Aquino family will not reconcile with the Marcoses if there is no justice.

“President Aquino has said time and again that there can be no reconciliation without justice,” said Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr.

during a press briefing in Malacañang.

“While it may be easy to say ‘just move on,’ we believe that in so doing, we will not be doing justice to the thousands of families whose members suffered violence during the dictatorship,” Coloma said.

Coloma was reacting to a statement by vice presidential candidate and Sen-

ator Ferdinand Marcos Jr., that President Benigno Aquino III should move on from the Martial Law years, and that the election of several Marcoses to public office was a sign of their vindication.

Coloma noted that the Human Rights Claims Board has received 75,000 claims against abuses committed during Martial Next page

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Duterte...

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Senatorial lineup. The senatorial candidates of presidential candidate Grace Poe’s Partidong Galing at Puso are seen here being introduced at the Club Filipino in Greenhills, San Juan, on Thursday. Lino SantoS

No anti-China group, Washington declares WASHINGTON—The US said Wednesday there is no anti-China bloc despite the support from several countries in the region for its recent military maneuvers in the South China Sea. In a press briefing, US State Department Press Secretary John Kirby noted that five out of the seven US treaty alliances are in the Asia-Pacific region.

“So we have serious commitments there, and they are not aimed at China. They are aimed at trying to decrease tensions and preserve stability, because that region is so vital to the rest of the world economically alone, but on other levels as well,” Kirby said.

Earlier this week, the USS Lassen, a guided missile destroyer, 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 denounced the move as a threat to its sovereignty.

But Kirby said the operation was not aimed at provoking China.

“Freedom of the seas is a fundamental principle which must be protected, and that is one of the reasons the US Navy exists,” he said. “They are operations in international waters and they are not meant to be nor should they be perceived to be by anybody as provocative.”

The US “rebalance” toward the AsiaPacific region is not aimed against any one nation, he added.

“It’s about preserving our own national security interests in that part of the world, the national security interests of our allies and partners,” Kirby said.

The White House reiterated that its military operation in the South China Sea was in accordance with international law.

“Our policies are intended to advance our strategic objectives in the Asia-Pacific region, including on maritime issues. This includes protecting the rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea and airspace guaranteed to all nations under international law,” said White House Deputy Secretary Eric Schultz.

“As the President stated, I believe in front of all of you that the United States is going to fly, sail, and operate anywhere where international law allows,” he added.

In Manila, militant groups scored President Benigno Aquino III for his inaction in the arms race between China and the United States, and promised mass protest actions against the two superpowers when they arrive in the Philippines for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in November.

“The Aquino government has shown itself to be unreliable when it comes to defending national sovereignty as its plans revolve around seeking US support and bringing back US bases to the country in exchange for false promises of support under a questionable Mutual Defense Treaty,” Renato Reyes Jr., secretary-general of Bayan, said in a statement.

Reyes also slammed the two superpowers for their continuous incursions over the disputed Philippine territory.

“We oppose in no uncertain terms the illegal occupation and reclamation activities of China in the West Philippine Sea. We condemn their continuing incursions in our country’s exclusive economic zone and their harassment of Filipino fishermen. We denounce their absurd claims over 90 percent of the South China Sea,” Reyes said.

“We likewise oppose the continuing military intervention of the US in the West Philippine Sea dispute. The US is using the dispute to justify its military pivot to Asia. The US wants to assert itself as a Pacific power and use its military might as leverage for

economic dictates. It is no coincidence that the US maneuvers in the West Philippine Sea come less than a month before the Apec meeting in Manila where other claimants in the maritime dispute will be present. The maneuvers are a pre-Apec show of force by the US.” The disputed waters of the South China Sea—claimed in part by Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and others—have become the stage for a burgeoning tussle between the world’s two largest economic and military powers as they struggle for regional dominance.

Australia’s Defense Minister Marise Payne said after Tuesday’s incident she supported the Americans’ right to freedom of navigation under international law, but added that Canberra was not involved in the US action.

A spokesman for Payne on Thursday said that contrary to reports, two Royal Australian Navy ships would still take part in exercises with their Chinese counterparts off the southeastern Chinese coast near the disputed Spratly Islands.

“HMAS ships Stuart and Arunta will visit Zhanjiang, in Guangdong province, China, soon during their North Asia deployment,” the spokesman said in a statement.

The exercises are expected to start in the coming days, although no precise dates were given.

The Australian Navy last conducted live-fire naval exercises with China in 2010.

Australia is a key Pacific ally of the United States and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said this month after talks in Washington the two nations were “on the same page” over the issue of freedom of navigation in the seas and skies.

Recently appointed Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said in September China should ease off island construction in the South China Sea if it wanted a reduced US presence in the region. Pna, John Paolo Bencito

“I was told that there was a bit of an error in the Certificate of Candidacy that was filed by Diño. But as I said, if they’re going to [correct the error], I hope that they do it sooner rather than later so we will have time to review the documents,” Bautista said.

Bautista was referring to an apparent error in Dino’s Certificate of Candidacy form where the head of the form read “Certificate of Candidacy for President” but a printed declaration said he was running for mayor.

Under the Omnibus Election Code, a nuisance is someone who files his candidacy to put the election process in mockery or disrepute, one who causes confusion among the voters by the similarity of the names of the registered candidates, and one who, based on demonstrable circumstances or acts, has no bona fide intention to run for office.

Diño was supposed to run for President under Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), a national party founded in 1982 by former Senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr. “The Comelec legal department sent a motu propio [document] declaring me as a nuisance candidate,” he said.

But he maintained that PDP-Laban, where he is a member and secretary-general, is a legitimate political party.

In his Facebook account, North Cotabato Gov. Manny Piñol said the PDP-Laban passed two resolutions Monday in connection with the party’s nomination.

The first resolution affirmed the party’s support for Diño while the second resolution stated that should Diño decide to withdraw from the race, the party was “compelling” Duterte to run as substitute.

The PDP-Laban reportedly passed a resolution last Monday naming Duterte as substitute in case Diño withdraws his CoC. Reports showed that the Comelec law department asked the Commission En Banc to cancel Diño’s CoC, stating that he was only a “stand-in” candidate for Duterte, who did not file his CoC for President on Oct. 16.

PDP-Laban vice president for Luzon John Castricciones said there is no official statement yet from Duterte whether he would accept the challenge to be the party’s standard bearer next year.

He, however, expressed confidence that Duterte would accept the decision of party officials.

Duterte, who filed his CoC to seek reelection in Davao City, earlier brushed aside reports that he would become a substitute candidate for Diño. He stood by his decision not to run for President, saying he is a man of his word.

Supporters remain hopeful Duterte will change his mind and run for President.

Election officials said Duterte may still run for President since he is a member of PDP-Laban and has until Dec. 10 to decide.

They said under the Commission on Elections rules, only partymates or those from same coalitions may substitute for one another.

Only recently, Duterte said that once he has spoken, that is it.

“The people know the truth but refuse to accept it. They should forget me,” he said.

Palace...

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Law under the senator’s late father, President Ferdinand Marcos.

Evidently, Coloma said, the 75,000 claimants did not accept Marcos’ view that election meant vindication.

“Moreover, the President also believes that it is important to educate the Filipino youth who were born after the 1986 Edsa People Power Revolution on the importance of the values of freedom and democracy,” Coloma said.

The senator is the only son of the late President 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 Marcos-Manotoc, is the governor of Ilocos Norte, while his mother, Imelda Marcos, is an elected representative of their province.

During 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.”

The Palace on Thursday also rejected Marcos’ suggestion that Aquino should apologize for the death of 44 Special Action Force (SAF) commandos who died in January while on a covert mission authorized by the President.

“This has long been discussed and that the President had delivered speeches before regarding what happened in Mamasapano,” Coloma said.

“The President has already assumed responsibility for the incident.”

The President also has said he will carry the Mamasapano incident with him until the end of his days, he added.

“In our opinion, it is enough that the President has already mentioned this during his speech,” Coloma said.

Coloma also rejected Marcos’ allegation that the government is doing nothing to attain justice for the families of the 44.

“How can he say that the government is not doing anything, as the Department of Justice is already investigating the incident?

They have filed an information against those involved and the process of the law is already moving,” Coloma said.

Last month, criminal complaints were lodged against 90 individuals, including members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and private armies for the deaths of 35 of the 44 SAF members. With Macon Ramos-araneta

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Poe’s ‘cute’ response criticized AN ALLY of the ruling Liberal Party on Thursday chided Senator Grace Poe over her alleged “showbiz response” to her critics and asked her to explain her credentials for the highest office in the land.

“Senator Poe’s cute ‘no excess baggage’ sound bite might make for good showbiz, but it does nothing to answer the substantial ques-

Aquino again slams Arroyo PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III on Thursday again slammed the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for its alleged rampant corruption.

“All of you here know how much easier it is to sell when you have an excellent product,” Aquino said in a speech at the 17th Asia-Pacific Retail Convention and Exhibition at the SMX Convention Center, Pasay City.

“The Philippines has always been that. We are blessed with an abundance of resources: strong human capital, an excellent location and vast potential for industry growth, among many others. These would seem to ensure that the job of Salesman-in-Chief would be very easy.

“However, these qualities had been obscured by the rampant corruption and impunity that plagued the past administration— to the point where we became the laggard among our neighbors in so many different aspects.”

Aquino made his statement even as the camp of Vice President Jejomar Binay urged him to be man enough to admit the reality that his administration had failed to deliver its promise to the people to address poverty.

Binay spokesman Rico Quicho said the Aquino administration should stop hiding behind its campaign slogan “If there is no corruption, there is no poverty” and instead explain why poverty had worsened during his term.

“The administration should retire this tired slogan,” Quicho said, adding “the population of poor increased after five years and many are starving while unemployment doubled.”

He said a Binay presidency will remedy the failure of the Liberal Party administration to alleviate poverty and uplift the lives of Filipinos.

Sandy Araneta and Vito Barcelo

tion on her experience and qualifications,” Team Daang Matuwid and Akbayan Rep. Ibarra Gutierrez said.

Gutierrez made his statement even as Poe, who is running as an independent under the Galing at Puso party, widened her lead over the other presidential candidates based on the first nationwide survey conducted immediately after the filing of Certificates of Candidacy by those running in 2016.

The Magdalo survey on Oct. 20 to 22 showed that Poe topped almost all regions with 43 percent of the respondents favoring her and had a 16-percent lead on the second placer.

Magdalo Party-list Rep. Francisco Ashley Acedillo said “(i)n this pre-election survey, we provided respondents with the list of known individuals who filed their certificate of candidacy for the position, and they were asked ‘If elections would be held today who among the possible candidates would you vote for?’”

Vice President Jejomar Binay, who is running under the United Nationalist Alliance, came in next with 27 percent. He was followed by Liberal Party standard bearer Manuel Roxas II with 17 percent and Senator Miriam Santiago of the Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino with 11 percent.

Gutierrez said he was amused after Poe de-

cided to shrug off his earlier statements in a television interview that Poe “really has the leanest resume.”

“I was somewhat surprised when Senator Poe took it upon herself to respond to this candid remark,” Gutierrez said.

“While admitting that her resume was indeed lean, she attempted to brush aside the significance of this point by saying that this meant she had no ‘excess baggage.’’’

“While I appreciate that she took time to answer the point, I do not think she came close to addressing the issue.” John Paolo Bencito and Macon Ramos-Araneta

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CBCP urges faith-full ‘Undas’

Lost opportunities. Senator

Ferdinand Marcos tells residents of La Union that the delays in the construction of foreign-assisted infrastructure projects could have jumpstarted economic growth had they been completed on time.

CHRISTINE JUNIO

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan LIPA Archbishop Ramon Arguelles on Thursday called on priests, religious, Catholic school heads, and parish leaders in his archdiocese to start “re-Christianizing” Halloween through activities that give special attention to the lives of the saints.

The prelate lamented that due to the Western influence, the “wholesome” observance of halloween (“All Hallow’s Eve”) has lost its religious character which is “bordering on the demonic.”

“Please introduce in our parishes and our communities the correct commemoration of the saints and the holy souls during our November celebration of the Church’s triumphs and sufferings,” the prelate stated in a circular posted in the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines’ official website.

Arguelles said, in a Christian calendar, on Nov. 1 and 2, Catholics worldwide traditionally take time to pray for the souls of the departed and to commemorate the Communion of Saints.

“Unfortunately, secular, consumerist, and pagan practices have also seeped into what is sacred and spiritual in our religious observances,” he said.

Arguelles then appealed to all ordained and unordained ministers of Lipa to help him revive the true meaning of the liturgical event.

“May I endorse the proposal of the Prayer Warriors of the Holy Souls to make the Halloween celebrations more focused on the proclamation of saintly life stories,” the prelate added.

Rains chase haze from Southeast Asian skies PERSISTENT rains have cleared the air across vast stretches of Southeast Asia that have choked for weeks on hazardous smoke from Indonesian fires, with officials and citizens expressing hope Thursday the crisis could soon end.

Parts of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore enjoyed the cleanest air in two months, while affected areas of the Philippines and Thailand also gained a respite from pollution that has sickened hundreds of thousands, disrupted air travel and fuelled anger at Jakarta.

“We can see clouds again!” Singapore Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen gushed in a Facebook posting that include a picture of nowunfamiliar blue skies taken from

his office.

“I am sure that all of us in Singapore woke up this morning and felt so good that we had clear blue skies again.”

Malaysia’s top weather forecaster declared the region’s rainy season—crucial to putting out the annual outbreak of smoke-belching Indonesian forest and agricultural fires—had begun.

“We should have blue skies and no more haze,” Che Gayah Ismail, director-general of the country’s

Meteorological Department, told AFP, adding that any further smoke would be blown away from the region.

The fires and resulting regionwide pollution occur to varying degrees each year during the dry season as vast Indonesian plantation lands are illegally cleared by burning.

Experts had warned that this year’s outbreak was on track to become the worst yet due to bonedry conditions caused by the El Niño, which alters weather patterns across the Pacific basin.

Fears had grown that the rainy season could be delayed for months, prolonging the health and environmental disaster.

Indonesian authorities say 19 people have died either fighting

the fires or due to the smoke, and that half a million Indonesians are suffering from respiratory illness.

Indonesian officials are yet to declare that the corner had been turned in the battle against the haze.

But its disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said recent rainfall on the huge islands of Sumatra and Borneo—where hundreds of fires have smouldered since July—has dramatically reduced the smoke, and that more precipitation was expected.

Affected communities “welcomed this with joy and said grace after two months of being held captive to haze”, Sutopo said in a statement.

Lumad denounce probe OVER 250 Manobo tribesmen in Lianga, Surigao del Sur denounced the Catholic Church-backed International Fact Finding Mission that is currently conducting an investigation into alleged military abuses against indigenous people, called lumad, the military said on Thursday.

According to a statement issued by the Army’s Fourth Infantry Division, the IFFM violated their “free and prior consent process” which supposedly requires that non-tribesmen who wish to enter a tribe’s ancestral domain should have the approval of the tribe concerned.

The military statement quoted Manobo Datu Ceasar Bat-ao as saying such approval should be determined according to the tribe’s customary laws and practices.

“They [IFFM] clearly do not respect our tribe. They cannot just intrude [into] our land and conduct an unsolicited investigation on our tribal conflict,” the military quoted Bat-ao

as saying.

“We have our husayan [tribal justice system] which is recognized by the government thru Republic Act No. 8371 [Indigenous People’s Rights Act of 1997],” he said.

“We are begging them [IFFM] to let us settle our tribal conflict thru our customary laws and stop interfering.

They are making it worst,” the statement added.

Sources in Surigao del Norte said Bat-ao was part of a group of Manobo leaders that has been dunning a mining company in the province for royalties although the mining firm’s claim covered an area that is supposedly the ancestral domain of the Mamanwa tribe.

The military statement also quoted one Datu Nahikyad, also known as Marcos Bocales, who described himself as a commander of the Bagani Tribal Territorial Forces, which is the group accused of executing three tribal leaders in Lianga town.

New bills. Bangko Sentral Deputy Governor Diwa Guinigundo shows the new P100 bill (left) which has a violet hue that differentiates it from the P1000 bill. The new bill will be circulated in January next year. DANNY PATA

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Poe-Chiz team bares Senate slate

By Macon Araneta Presidential aspirant senator Grace Poe and her running mate, senator Francis escudero, on Thursday announced their 12 offficial senatorial candidates under the “Partido Galing at Puso” lineup at Club Filipino in san Juan City.

Two of the GP bets were plucked from the Liberal Party, Senator Ralph Recto and Pasig Rep. Roman Romulo.

Except for Recto who was represented by his son Ryan Christian, the 11 other candidates appeared at the formal declaration of their senatorial bid under the Poe- Escudero tandem.

The senatorial bets under GP are reelectionist Vicente Sotto III, Pasig Rep. Roman Romulo LP, lawyer Lorna Kapunan, Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares, Valenzuela Rep. Sherwin Gatchalian, former Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, actor Edu Manzano, ACT Partylist Rep. Samuel Pagdilao, former Senator Richard Gordon (also Red Cross chairman), Manila Vice Mayor Isko Moreno and OFW advocate Susan Ople.

Romulo opted to run under GP. The other exclusive senatoriables of the partnership of Poe and Escudero are Gatchalian, Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC); Kapunan, Aksyon Demokratiko; Pagdilao and Manzano, both independent candidates.

The shared candidates are Sotto, NPC ; Gordon and Zubiri, both United Nationalist Alliance led by another presidential contender Jejomar Binay; Moreno, Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino and Ople, Nacionalista Party.

After the GP senatorial bets briefly talked on their platform, Poe explained why they were chosen and invited to their tandem. Poe and Escudero filed their candidacy as independent candidates for the coming May 2016 elections.

In making a decision about their choices, Poe revealed she was guided by the belief that excellence and intelligence would not suffice to serve the government. She noted that it is important that a candidate should have the heart and concern especially for the poor and needy.

GP campaign manager Cebu Rep. Ace Durano noted that in choosing their candidates, “we should go beyond the surface and look at the heart of the person.”

He related that during the times he spent with Poe, she found out that she is a mother and a wife. “It was clear to me that Senator Grace Poe has the heart of a mother, the heart of a wife and the heart that is truly concerned with the welfare of others He said Escudero, a former colleague in the House of Representatives, had overtaken all of them, but he has remained the same kind-hearted person.

Romualdez at PRC summit. Senatorial candidate and Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez (center) receives a plaque of appreciation from the Professional Regulation Commission Chairperson Angeline Chua Chiaco (2nd left) after delivering his keynote address to more than 2000 delegates from the Asean Economic Community during the 4th Philippine Professionals Summit at Manila Hotel. With them are (from right) Philippine Professional Summit Chairman Steve Mark Gan, PRC Commissioner Yolanda Reyes and Philippine Association of the Professional Regulatory Board Member Inc. president Leandro Conti. VER NoVENo

Lawyer finds ‘death squad’ yarn puzzling “IF THE Igesia ni Cristo has death squads, who are their victims? Where are the bodies?”

These were the questions asked by lawyer Harry Roque, who on Thursday said that the claims of former INC minister Lowell Menorca II of the existence of INC “death squads” needed to be backed up by prima facie evidence if Menorca insisted on publicly accusing the INC of employing hitmen.

“Menorca’s legal counsel would do well to advise him to exercise restraint with his public statements, given the gravity of his allegations,” said Roque, who is known for handling high profile cases and whose clients in-

clude the family of Jennifer Laude and the relatives of victims of the Ampatuan Massacre.

Menorca’s lawyer is Trixie Cruz-Angeles, who is also legal counsel for the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.

According to Roque, while Menorca gave details regarding the alleged “death squads,” he found it strange that “Menorca could not name a single victim.”

“If I were to publicly accuse someone of maintaining a stable of killers, the first thing I would do to support the allegation is rattle off a list of its purported victims,” said the lawyer, who also taught at his alma mater, the University of the

Philippines College of Law. “Paano mo iimbestigahan ang murder kung wala namang namatay [how can you investigate a murder if no one has died]?”

Roque stressed that the more damaging a public accusation, “the greater the burden of the accuser to prove this is true.”

“The reputations of a religious institution and its leaders are on the line.

Menorca’s accusations sound like something out of a Dan Brown novel, and it would be horribly unjust if his allegations are based on nothing more than an urban myth.”

Dan Brown is the writer of the best-selling novels “Da Vinci Code” and “Angels

and Demons.” Both feature religious orders and groups involved in criminal activity like murder.

Roque added that Menorca’s legal counsel “should teach him the difference between firsthand knowledge and hearsay.”

“Did he hear about them or did he actually see them in action? Malaking distinction yan. [That’s a big distinction.] His lawyer is doing him a great disservice by letting him bring what could possibly be a very weak case to the public,” lamented Roque.

“Baka sa TV uubra ang akusasyon na yan; pero sa korte, hindi.” [Maybe on TV that accusation can fly; but in court it won’t.]

SC urged: Extend voters’ list-up

By Rey E. Requejo

THE Supreme Court has been asked to compel the Commission on Elections to extend the Oct. 31 deadline for registration of voters for next year’s general elections.

In a 24-page urgent petition, Kabataan party-list Rep. Terry Ridon and his group appealed to the SC to issue a mandatory injunction ordering the Comelec to extend the period of registration up to Jan. 8 next year or more than two months.

Ridon, along with Anakbayan Vencer Crisostomo and National Union of Students of the Philippines president Sarah Jane Elago, national president of the National Union of Students of the Philippines, also asked for the nullification of the resolutions of the Comelec setting the deadline.

The petitioners cited aggravating circumstances to justify the extension of the registration period, which already lasted for a year and a half.

They cited, for instance, the latest ad-

mission of the poll body that some three million voters stand to be delisted as they still have no biometrics data a few days before the deadline.

“An aggravating factor in this issue is the respondent’s implementation of the ‘No Bio, No Boto’ policy, which automatically delists registered voters who fail to have their biometrics data captured, pursuant to Republic Act No. 10367 or the Mandatory Biometrics Voter Registration Act,” the petitioners stressed.

“With the very high volume of first-time registrants and voters in the May 9, 2016 elections, the Oct. 31, 2015 deadline set by respondent for the filing of application of registration of voters provides is utterly insufficient to accommodate first-time youth registrants, voters without biometrics, and voters highly eager to participate in the May 9, 2016 elections,” they said.

Another reason cited by petitioners was the suspension of the registration for voters last Oct. 12 to 16 to give way to the scheduled filing of Certificates of Candidacy of national and local candidates.

Extension. Kabataan party-list Representative Terry Ridon (right) leads the filing of a petition before the Supreme Court on Thursday Oct. 29 seeking to extend the voters’ registration period which will end today. DANNY PATA

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Brace for gridlock—MMDA

By Joel E. Zurbano

THE Metro Manila Development Authority on Thursday advised commuters and motorists to take steps to avoid traffic gridlock this weekend after it allowed road reblocking and other repairs to resume in Pasig, Makati and Quezon City.

Lawyer Emerson Carlos, MMDA officer-in-charge, said the Department of Public Works and Highways will commence the road works at 10 p.m. Friday (Oct. 30) up to 5 a.m.

Monday (Nov. 2) on the

following roads: Makati City: Along the southbound lane of Epifanio de los Santos from Estrella Street to Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue (formerly Buendia).

Pasig City: Along the

northbound innermost lane of Circumferential Road-5 (C-5) between SM Warehouse to FR Cement going to Lanuza Street.

Quezon City: Along the southbound lane of Edsa between Scout Borromeo and Timog Avenue (Service Road), 1st lane from sidewalk, and northbound lane of Edsa between Aurora Boulevard and K-10 Street, 1st lane from sidewalk.

The DPWH-National Capital Region has recommended the reblocking and repair of the said areas for maintenance purposes.

Carlos advised motorists and commuters to

avoid the affected area and used alternate routes instead. He added all affected roads will be fully passable by Monday. He assured motorists that the agency is managing the timing of numerous infrastructure and road projects in Metro Manila.

He said that steps are being made to avoid the overlaps that could lead to gridlocks on major throughfares.

The MMDA reminded the public on the full closure of Ayala Bridge beginning Friday (Oct. 30) until Monday (Nov. 2) to give way for maintenance work.

Areas to be affected by the bridge closure include major thoroughfares such as Quezon Boulevard, United Nations Avenue, Taft Avenue, Legarda Street, Quirino Avenue, Recto Avenue, Magsaysay Boulevard, and Roxas Boulevard.

Motorists may take the following alternate routes: Going southbound toward Otis or Pres. Quirino Avenue: From Magsaysay Blvd., Legarda St. and Lacson Ave., use Nagtahan or Mabini Bridge, turn right at M. Guanzon St., go straight toward UN Avenue and onward to destination.

From P. Casal St., turn right on Carlos Palanca Road going to McArthur Bridge and onward to destination.

Going northbound: From Romualdez St., turn left on Ayala Blvd. right on Taft Ave., and straight to Quezon or Jones Bridge onward to destination.

DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson said the bridge is expected to be fully opened to vehicles by Nov. 2 after the completion of post tensioning activities, a method of introducing internal forces or stress to the high strength steel or cables after the concrete placement.

Cash-awash TUP fails to upgrade facilities

By Rio N. Araja DESPITE a P745.9-million fund, the Technological University of the Philippines failed to upgrade its facilities in 2014, the Commission on Audit said on Thursday.

TUP’s failure to use the money from its Special Trust Fund is “depriving the students of the much-needed improvement in the physical facilities of the University,” CoA said in a report posted on its web site.

The non-utilization of the available funds resulted in the continuous accumulation of cash in the TUP’s bank account, CoA said.

For 2014, records showed 46 percent or P140.8 million of the P309.3 million STF budget intended for instruction, research, extension and other programs and projects of the TUP was not spent, including P45.4 million for the procurement projects of its Manila and Taguig campuses.

“The failure of Management

to implement again their procurement projects as targeted and to disburse the STF fund efficiently impact on the delivery of services to the students for a well-improved physical facilities and modern equipment,” the CoA report read.

On the other hand, the TUP management said while fiduciary funds were earmarked for projects as approved by the Board of Regents, several projects were not awarded due to failure of public bidding.

School officials must prioritize the improvement of the facilities and equipment, and fast-track the implementation of the planned procurement projects to provide maximum benefits to the paying students.

According to CoA, the TUP must also assess the necessity of collecting different fiduciary fees to reduce the financial burden of students since a great portion of it was added to the bank balance yearly but were not utilized for its purpose.

Halloween flowers. Buyers mill around a flower shop on Dos Castillas street to buy flowers ahead of All Saints’ Day. Prices of flowers and candles start to go up as Halloween nears. EY ACASIO

Health rules out ban on processed foods

Fire-prone. Firefighters train their hose on a warehouse along Esperanza St. in Barangay Marulas, Valenzuela City. It was also in Marulas where 72 people perished last May when a slipper factory was razed by fire. ANDREW RABULAN

AMID a recent pronouncement from the World Health Organization that processed meats are carcinogenic, the Department of Health on Thursday said there is no need to regulate or ban processed foods.

Health Assistant Secretary Gerardo Bayugo said eating processed meats such as bacon, sausage, and ham, is fine as long it is done in moderation, coupled with a healthy diet.

Since these types of meat are easy to prepare, Bayugo said it would be difficult to remove those from the menu.

“What we are advising is to ensure that there is balanced diet,” he said.

At present, Bayugo said they are recommending the Food and Nutrition and Research

Institute practice of “Pinggang Pinoy” (healthy food plate) as a strategy to promote healthy diet.

The plate is divided into four quadrants which consist of portions for carbohydrates, meat, fruits and vegetable.

“Still, basically, that plate should contain meat. Whether its white meat or red meat. It must contain protein. It must contain carbohydrate. It must contain fruits and vegetables for mineral and vitamins. It should be balanced. Without meat, which is a source of protein, diet will also be unhealthy,” he explained.

He added that meat, a good source of protein, is essential in rebuilding body muscles and tissues. PNA

F R I D AY : O C T O B E R 3 0 , 2 0 1 5

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NEWS

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Cotabato clan fight kills seven this week VIOLENCE between rival clans in the southern Philippines has claimed seven lives in one week with both sides clashing violently on Thursday, authorities said.

Two people were shot dead and two houses burned in the latest outbreak of violence in the strife-torn island of Mindanao, said regional military spokeswoman Captain Jo-Ann Petinglay.

The fighting on the outskirts of the city of Cotabato was in apparent retaliation for the ambush of a van on Monday, which left five people dead on the side of local clan leader Bimbo Ayunan, she told AFP. “This is connected to the ambush of the Ayunan family. They harassed the other group they suspected was behind the ambush,” she said.

About 50 armed men led by Ayunan arrived in the area by boat before dawn on Thursday and then immediately fired at the houses inhabited by the rival Karim family, said Petinglay.

The Karim family retaliated, resulting in a fire-fight that raged for half an hour before authorities arrived to stop the violence, she added.

The spokeswoman said there was a longstanding feud between the two clans but could not say if the latest fighting might be related to next year’s national and local elections.

Muslim clans in the southern Philippines are notorious for waging prolonged feuds, typically over land, political power or influence. They often use armed followers to attack each other.

The rush. Last-minute registrants fall in line for their biometrics at the Tacloban City Astrodome. MEL CASPE

Police chief sacks town cop for arrest of mayor’s in-law

By Ferdie G. Domingo

BALER, Aurora—The police station commander in this town has been relieved from his post Wednesday, a few days after operatives of the local police arrested the sister-in-law of Mayor Nelianto Bihasa for possession of illegal drugs.

The arrest reportedly earned the mayor’s ire.

Provincial police director, Senior Supt. Danilo Florentino, removed Chief Inspector Jun dela Cruz from his post, which the latter had occupied for just five months.

Dela Cruz was transferred to the administrative division of the provincial police headquarters in Camp Ravina. He was replaced by Senior

Inspector Ferdinand Usita, station commander of the nearby Dipaculao town.

Florentino said that the relief of Dela Cruz was approved by Region 3 police director, Chief Supt. Rudy Lacadin.

The relief of Dela Cruz came five days after operatives of the Baler police arrested Bihasa’s sister-in-law, Leila Sanchez-Bihasa in an opera-

tion in Barangay Suklayin on Saturday afternoon.

The PNP has filed an information for violations of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act before the Regional Trial Court here against Sanchez-Bihasa, wife of the mayor’s brother, Amay C. Bihasa.

Sanchez-Bihasa, who is listed in the top 10 of most wanted drug personalities in this capital town, yielded 1.9 grams of methamphetamine hydrochloride, or shabu. She was detained at the police stockade.

Earlier, Dela Cruz said the drug haul was one of the biggest, if not the biggest, seizure by the local police.

He added that the operation

only proved that no one would be spared and that there was no sacred cow in Baler when it comes to illegal drugs.

“We are just doing our job. And I want to deliver the message that we policemen are not being controlled by local politicians,” he said.

When asked whether his relief has something to do with the arrest of Sanchez-Bihasa, Dela Cruz replied: “Maybe, it’s possible.”

Florentino said Dela Cruz was tasked by Lacadin to neutralize half of the top 10 drug personalities in the town in two months. He said that Dela Cruz’s performance in the anti-drug campaign was good. Florentino admitted that Bihasa disliked Dela Cruz as police chief.

‘There is market for packed chopsuey in Asean’

By Dexter A. See

Looking forward. A sari-sari store owner in Kidapawan City sells multi-colored wrappers for Christmas. AMIEL MARK CAGAYAN

BAUKO, Mountain Province—Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said that there are already willing buyers for vacuum-packed chopsuey vegetables from the Cordillera region in time for the implementation of the free trade agreement in Southeast Asia by the end of this year.

Speaking before over 1,500 farmers at a forum here, Alcala said that aside from the buyers, the Department of Social Welfare and Development will also have use for the packed vegetables for the relief packs distributed to calamity victims.

“No amount of your produce will be wasted this time because there will be competitive prices for the different classifications that will be established by the management of the trading center. We want farmers to be able to maximize their earnings from their

produce unlike in the present setup where there are numerous rejects being declared by the traders,” Alcala stressed.

The secretary also underscored the importance of existing processing and packaging capabilities of the Benguet Agri Pinoy Trading Center so that high-end markets can have access to the pre-packed vegetables.

Alcala also reminded the farmers to continue shifting from the traditional chemical-based farming to organic farming to cope with the current practice of producing healthy agricultural crops through good practices by different stakeholders.

He recognized the fact that almost 80 percent of the semi-temperate vegetables being sold in the Metro Manila markets come from the Cordillera. Thus, he added, there was a need to introduce packaging and processing techniques in order to guarantee value added for locally produced crops.

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ADELLE CHUA EDITOR F R I D AY, O C T O B E R 3 0 , 2 0 1 5

OPINION [ EDI TORI A L ]

POOR BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT THE Philippines’ latest poor rating on the ease of doing business came hardly as a surprise. Foreign and local businessmen have often complained about the cumbersome steps required in opening a business in this country, not to mention the corruption one has to deal with in various transactions.

The Philippines lately slid six spots in the World Bank’s global ranking of countries in terms of ease of doing business this year.

It ranked 103rd among 189 economies in this year’s survey, dropping 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.

Compared with most of Southeast Asian nations, the Philippines did a poor job in making the country an ideal investment location. Malaysia placed 18th in the global ranking; Thailand, 49th; Brunei, 84th; Vietnam, 90th; Indonesia, 109th; Cambodia, 127th; and Laos, 134th.

The report noted that the Philippines in terms of starting a business slipped 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,” says Roberto Galang, operations officer of International Finance Corp., the investment arm of the World Bank.

The Philippines also fared poorly in the ease of making tax payments, ranking 126th globally. Galang noted that the Philippines was requiring up to 36 payments a year, costing small and medium enterprises 193 man hours of work.

The Philippines is not competitive, too, in dealing with construction permits. It dropped five spots from 94th in 2014 to 99th this year and fell four spots from 105th to 109th in 2015 in the ease of getting credit.

The current administration has vowed to improve the business climate in the Philippines in order to attract much-needed investments. Sadly, it is doing the opposite as shown by the latest global ranking of the Philippines in the World Bank report.

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.

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CALLING A SPADE A SPADE LOWDOWN JOJO A. ROBLES

I THINK it’s about time we all called a spade a government-issued shovel. I’m talking about the black propaganda operations, the likes of which we’ve probably never seen before, all attributed to administration Liberal Party candidate Manuel “Mar” Roxas II. It may be true, as LP vice presidential candidate Leni Robredo says, that the administration team has been getting its share of brickbats, especially from social media.

But whether Robredo admits it or not, it must be clear to anyone with half a brain that these are by no means cleverly contrived, well-funded and consistent—unlike, say, the attacks on the rivals of Roxas for the presidency.

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who has railed loud and long about the still-unfounded allegation that he has can-

cer, is only the latest victim of such a demolition campaign. And Duterte, who has since withdrawn from the race, has already identified Roxas and his camp followers as the perpetrators of the smear job against him.

Senator Grace Poe has also identified Roxas as the mastermind of continuing effort to disqualify her through legal means, in the Senate Electoral Tribunal and other venues, for alleged infirmities in her citizenship and residency. And while the getGrace campaign is more of a legal offensive than a propaganda war, it still has all the hallmarks of a wellorchestrated drive.

As for Vice President Jejomar Binay, he claims he’s the victim of the longestrunning smear job, intended, if not to cost him votes next May, to land him in jail on trumped-up corruption charges before the elections. And yes, in public and in private, Binay points to Roxas as the backer and the intended beneficiary of the attacks on him.

All of Roxas’ rivals are accusing him of using conducting demolition jobs, by legal or propaganda means, against them.

The late entry of Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago in the presidential derby could not have been predicted by anyone, including the Roxas camp.

But because Santiago has teamed up with Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., no less than President Noynoy Aquino (who anointed Roxas) has been leading the charge against the latest tandem.

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

Chairman President & Chief Executive Officer Board Member & Chief Legal Adviser Director of Operations Finance Officer Edgar M. Valmorida Circulation Manager

Perhaps, once the Roxas propaganda and legal operatives have dug up enough dirt on Miriam, they will launch direct attacks on her, as well. But in the meantime, they seem content with smearing her with the same anti-Marcos brush that Aquino himself is using against Bongbong.

What’s clear is that all of Roxas’ rivals are accusing him of using conducting demolition jobs, by legal or propaganda means, against them. None of these candidates has ever accused any other camp of going after them in this underhanded manner.

The political cognoscenti always point to two Roxas henchmen as the implementors of these campaigns. One is a prominent, well-connected lawyer known to be Roxas’ longtime legal adviser; the other is a disgraced former palace propagandist with a self-declared specialization in new media—even if he was really just a middling old-media practitioner.

Continued on A11

Rolando G. Estabillo Jojo A. Robles Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Francis Lagniton Joyce Pangco Pañares Adelle Chua Romel J. Mendez Roberto Cabrera

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

Emil P. Jurado Chairman Emeritus, Editiorial Board

A10 THE UNPARDONABLE SIN how egregiously unlawful or immoral they might be, and proclaims that only its perFR. RANHILIO CALLANGAN petuation in power can assure the nation of the reign of AQUINO righteousness. This is noth“WHOEVER blasphemes ing short of the corruption of against the Holy Spirit will public morals and the pervernever be forgiven”... that, in the sion of the social conscience Gospels, is the unforgivable by which right should be exsin, and theologians have been tolled and wrong, repudiated. hard put to tell us what consti- It is the arrogant appropriatutes “blaspheming against the tion of the power to define Holy Spirit” and how there can right and wrong: What we do be an unforgivable sin in the is right, no matter that it is light of the Church’s assurance blatant thievery; what all else that God’s mercy is boundless do that is different is wrong! and limitless in his power to This is the sin that brought forgive! about humankind’s fall according to the Adamic Myth: that irresistible temptation to “be like God,” with the power to establish the boundary between good and bad. It is the same sin that can bring ruination on a country, if it has not done so already!

The concomitant to this unforgivable sin is self-righteousness. The self-righteous person would be pitiable in his ignorance if he were not so pompous and conceited.

Self-righteousness is ignorance because it knows only one answer, its own; it recognizes only one way, its way.

It is intolerant because it lays exclusive claim to the true, the good and the beautiful. What room can there be then for any other choice? It is perforce unjust because the most elemental right is the right to participate in that discourse Not to know that one has by which society is organized sinned is really to be guiltless. and structured. And while a Ignorantia juris non excusat self-righteous regime will put does not make for sound eth- up the appearances of freedom ics. It is a principle of expe- of speech and expression, it diency—to prevent abuse of has no use of diverging opinthe ready excuse: “I did not ions and makes sport of disknow!” But when one knows sent, if it does not persecute it, what one ought to do, either using the machinery of invesby law or precept or by prac- tigation and prosecution that tical intelligence, and one it has conscripted! willfully acts in a contrary Because of its conceit, such manner, then one acts con- a regime will think society to tumaciously, when persisting be so needful of it and it will in that which one knows to be proclaim that it draws its capiin violation of duty or obliga- tal from a non-existent resertion. Contumacy is unfor- voir of good and godly deeds, givable because one will not when all that it can show are even admit mistake, error or the body bags that contain its fault! pitiful victims’ remains. SelfThe most insidious threat righteous regimes always creto the soul of a nation is a ate ghettoes and gulags. In leadership that canonizes our country, in our times, we the perpetrators of wrong, have seen versions of a “culconfers its seal of approval tural revolution” of sorts, and, on all of its acts, no matter in freer times, we shall also

PENSEES

The selfrighteous person would be pitiable in his ignorance if he were not so pompous and conceited.

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OPINION lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

CEMETERIES AS POLITICAL ARENAS IT IS only two days before this year’s Undas, and by now we know that the days immediately before and after it— Oct. 31, Saturday and Nov. 2, Monday—would be regular working days unlike in previous years when they were declared non-working holidays.

Back then, we would have days of more relaxed and pleasant traveling to and from cemeteries in our provinces where our departed loved ones were buried.

There is nobody to blame for this but the 21 Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders who are meeting in the National Capital Region two weeks after on Nov. 18 and 19.

In an apparent attempt to keep us home and enable foreign delegates and guests to travel to their meeting venues without the usual traffic jams, PNoy has declared these days as special non-working days in the NCR. In fact, in his overeagerness to be a perfect host, he is also closing down the entire NCR government bureaucracy for 4 days from Nov. 17 to 20.

Nov. 2, Monday is a day when most Filipinos would travel back to Metro Manila from their provincial cemeteries via air, land and sea but it will come to pass as a regular working day. This departure from previous practice is obviously PNoy’s way of appeasing the business community which has complained about the lost man-hours and productivity during the week of the Apec meeting.

Most Filipinos would then have to observe hurriedly this year’s Undas. They would have barely enough time to participate in traditional family reunions and spend less time showing their love and respect for their departed ancestors and relatives.

Of course, if they are already retired from work or unemployed, they still could have their extended traditional observance of the occasion. But if they are still employed, they have to take their leave of absence from work without pay.

We then expect Nov. 1 to be a very chaotic Sunday. Filipinos would be crisscrossing our major arterial roads— NLEX, SLEX, Cavitex, Edsa, and C5 —and other national, circumferential, and radial roads. During that Undas weekend, they would be rushing back and forth from their homes to the airports, bus terminals and piers.

Most would be visiting the cemeteries in the towns in the provinces where they were born and raised—the same places where they would return on May 9, 2016 to vote for their mayor and President.

Despite being chaotic, the exodus of homecoming voters would be a much-awaited event for astute politicians.

They know fully well that the campaign period is yet to start on Feb. 9, 2016 for national candidates and on March 25 for local candidates, but they would anyway be campaigning early in open defiance of Comelec.

The cemeteries are thus expected to be scenarios of festive celebration of early political campaigning.

But who cares—the administration presidential candidate Mar Roxas has started openly campaigning since the minute he declared his candidacy. In fact, the sitting President PNoy is also openly endorsing him and is acting as his campaign manager.

They should explain now how they could do this without spending the taxpayers’ money. Otherwise, they would be made to, anyway, right after they have lost control of government in the same way Laguna Gov. Ejercito was unseated for campaign overspending.

Some cities may even fight for ownership of public cemeteries.

Take for instance the Manila South Cemetery—one of

stand agape before the concentration camps and the crematoria where the good dispatched the bad!

Just when Adam and Even thought that they had attained the coveted supremacy of de-

ity that would have allowed them to determine right and wrong for themselves, they arrived at the paltry realization that they were naked, and were tremendously ashamed of it. Ultimately, that is what

FILIPINO PENSIONER HORACE TEMPLO

the largest cemeteries in Metro Manila. It is owned by the City of Manila but is located within the premises of Makati City, thus qualifying it to be called the “Manila Cemetery in Makati.”

And to show everybody who the undisputed cemetery owners are, the names and faces of Manila City’s incumbent top officials— Mayor Erap Estrada and Vice Mayor Isko Moreno—are prominently plastered in its entrance arch.

Would they want to be buried permanently there someday?

Uniquely, Manila South Cemetery has a section for the poor with a prominent but simple marker that says “Libingan ng Mahirap.” This must be to remind everybody of the social status of the people who are buried in this particular section of the cemetery.

It is a neglected outlier within Makati that Vice President Jejomar Binay would not claim as his bailiwick.

Otherwise, he would have it improved and made more appropriate for the lifestyle of the affluent residents of Makati.

As before, cemeteries would be venues of informal political debates despite the need of city folks to rush back to Manila on that same day Nov. 1.

The P2,000 pension increase, the lower income tax rate, and who our next President should be would likely dominate these small group discussions and debates in all cemeteries.

But the Friends of Rody Duterte would rather speculate on the candidacy or non-candidacy of their reluctant but popular presidential timber from Davao City—Mayor Digong or Rody or DU30 Duterte.

Would he become the eventual presidential nominee of Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan before Dec. 10?

He would be a favorite topic in these friendly debates in all cemeteries this Undas. an unrepentant, self-righteous regime turns out to be—stark naked. rannie_aquino@sanbeda.edu.ph rannie_aquino@csu.edu.ph rannie_aquino@yahoo.com

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OPINION lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

VIRTUAL REALITY TONY LOPEZ

HIGH NOON IN THE HIGH SEAS

FINALLY, after months of lip service, America has decided to sail the talk in the South China Sea. On Oct. 27, the US warship USS Lassen sailed past inside 12 miles of Subi Reef in disputed waters of the South China Sea. China, of course, is aghast and has made vague threats of retaliation.

According to The Economist, America called USS Lassen’s sail-by a routine “freedom of navigation” operation (FONOP in the jargon), of a type it conducts all over the world “in accordance with international law”. China reacted furiously, accusing America of having “illegally entered” its waters, threatening “China’s sovereignty and security interests.”

The leaders of 21 nations on the Pacific Ocean will meet in Manila mid-November for the so-called Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. They include United States President Barack Obama and China President Xi Jinping. Our very own President BS Aquino III, unabashedly pro-American, plays host.

Having demonstrated America’s firepower in the South

China Sea, Obama arrives in Manila with plenty of superpower gravitas. Xi, for his part, brings plenty of near gratis money—money for development. Cambodia is taking advantage of it. Indonesia too.

There is another reason why the US is making a show of force in the South China Sea. It wants our Supreme Court to declare the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement—the Edca—constitutional Edca is jargon for the return of US military bases. You don’t run a military base without nuclear weapons. But nuclear weapons in military bases are banned in the Constitution.

The Philippines cannot avail itself of Chinese money because supposedly, China is our enemy, although in truth, Filipinos have more relatives and friends in China than they do in America.

China is lending more money now to developing nations than does the World Bank.

Not only that, China has created its own World Bank—the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank. The Philippines did not join the AIIB again, because China is supposed to be our

enemy. What stupidity!

Meanwhile, Subi is one of seven reefs or rocks occupied by China. The others are: Gaven Reef, Fiery Cross Reef, Cuarteron Reef, Johnson Reef, Hughes Reef, and Mischief Reef. The seven reefs are inside a body of water measuring 150 miles in length and 180 miles in width, with Subi being north and Cuarteron being on the southwest. The nearest island to Philippine territory is Mischief Reef on the east. Mischief is, in fact, part of the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone.

Subi is claimed by the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.

In two of the reefs, China has built runways extending up to 3 kilometers—long enough to service jumbo jets like the 747.

The south, west and north edges of Subi have been reclaimed by China creating a lagoon or harbor better than Manila Bay, making it ideal for a naval base in the future. Since Subi now looks like an island and apparently habitable, China now claims a 12-mile territorial waters from its ouster edge.

Under the United Nations Law of the Sea, a nation can claim a 12-mile territorial wa-

ters from a structure’s shoreline if the structure is an island and is habitable—meaning human beings can live there. In addition to the 12 miles, an island would also be entitled to a 200mile Exclusive Economic Zone.

An EEZ does not entitle a nation to sovereignty but confers exclusive economic use of its waters, minerals, fisheries and other resources.

That is why the USS Lassen approached Subi because it is a reef and not an island, and therefore, it is not entitled to a 12-mile territorial claim, nor to a 200-mile EEZ. Subi, in fact, is often submerged in waters, making it clearly unqualified to be claimed as an island.

China, of course, protests the intrusion, as if indeed it owned Subi and that it was an island. Beijing claims Subi by reason of history, a claim which is not recognized under the UNCLOS. Creating islands by reclamation and insisting on a 12-mile territorial waters are also not allowed under the UNCLOS. The United States has not ratified the UNCLOS but has proclaimed itself the referee in the South China Sea disputes

on the basis of its being a military superpower. China has ratified the UNCLOS but uses only those provisions that help its claims.

In March 2013, China updated its nine-dash line map.

It became 10 dashes. The 10th dash is on the eastern side of Taiwan.

With China’s 10-dash line map, according to Justice Tony Carpio, the Philippines loses about 80 percent of its Exclusive Economic Zone facing the West Philippine Sea, including the entire Reed Bank and part of the Malampaya gas field.

Malaysia loses also about 80 percent of its EEZ in Sabah and Sarawak facing the South China Sea, as well as most of its active gas and oil fields in the same area.

Vietnam loses about 50 percent of its total EEZ. Brunei loses about 90 percent of its total EEZ. Indonesia loses about 30 percent of its EEZ facing the South China Sea in Natuna Islands, whose surrounding waters comprise the largest gas field in Southeast Asia.

biznewsasia@gmail.com

Calling... From A8

Palace. And if others will follow down this despicable stretch of the tuwid na daan. *** The urban planner Jun Palafox, who admits that all his proposals to the Aquino administration have been ignored, has suggested that the Philippines needs 200 more cities to decongest urban centers like Metro Manila. It’s not a bad idea—and it’s something that businesses and mass-housing developers are already implementing with no help from government.

Many manufacturers and

service providers in the business process outsourcing industry are already relocating the bulk of their operations to the countryside, mostly in nearby provinces like Cavite, Laguna and Batangas.

With the virtual collapse of the traffic and transport system in Metro Manila and the chronic congestion in highways leading to the metropolis, coupled with the lack of new public infrastructure development, Filipinos will have to wait for future administrations to do the job that this one spectacularly failed to do.

In the meantime, developers like Pro-Friends or the Property Company of Friends in Cavite are intent on making it unnecessary for people to travel far for work or school each day, by locating their developments outside of Metro Manila.

Pro-Friends’ huge Lancaster New City project, started in 2007 on 1,107 hectares in Kawit, Imus and General Trias in Cavite, was envisioned as a self-sustaining development project complete with housing, leisure, commercial and industrial elements. About 14,800 families have already moved

to their own houses in Lancaster New City, which is still conveniently 30 minutes away from Baclaran or Mall of Asia through the Cavitex toll road.

Lancaster will also have its own industrial enclave in the Suntech iPark, where many BPO and manufacturers could relocate in the future. Since 1999, Pro-Friends has completed 17 low and middle-income housing developments and has nine ongoing projects, including a six-tower, mid-rise condominium complex in Quezon City scheduled for turnover this year.

Roxas, quite naturally, has denied all of these allegations.

But no one—least of all his rivals—has been convinced.

Of course, politicians have used legal machinations and black propaganda operations to take down their rivals for the longest time. But no one, I think, has invested as much in such campaigns as Roxas has, if his opponents are to be believed.

Only time—and the final results of the 2016 elections— will tell if this is a viable strategy to get Roxas to Malacañang

#FAILOCRACY

CHONG ARDIVILLA

F RI DAY : O CTO B E R 3 0 , 2 0 1 5

A12

SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Wolves honor coach with win over LA LOS ANGELES —The Minnesota Timberwolves recorded an emotional season-opening victory Wednesday by toppling Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers 112111, just 72 hours after losing head coach Flip Saunders to cancer.

Magsanoc, Paras host NBA on ABS-CBN EVERYONE’S favorite basketball league is finally back in what seemed like a year of wait during the off-season.

The “NBA sa ABS-CBN” is back on ABS-CBN and ABSCBN Sports + Action and it is now better than ever.

ABS-CBN Sports is also excited to have one of the best 1-2 punches in Philippine basketball history in collegiate coaches Ronnie Magsanoc and Benjie Paras return on board and joins mainstays Boom Gonzalez and TJ Manotoc in the game panel to share their own basketball knowledge with Kapamilya viewers.

“We’re really excited to have the famed Point Laureate and Tower of Power to join us for the broadcasts of exciting NBA games both on ABS-CBN and ABSCBN Sports + Action,” ABS-CBN Sports head Dino Laurena said.

“Basketball is life here in our country. Most Filipinos want to be identified not with only the local stars, but also with the great players who fill the NBA landscape, and with ABS-CBN Sports giving them the opportunity to catch these stars play the game they love, its heaven,” said Magsanoc.

“What we’re really bringing to the table as far as the games are concerned is our knowledge first and foremost. And of course, that barkada vibe since everyone knows how close Ronnie and I are, which goes a long way back,” Paras said when asked about their broadcast duties.

“The NBA is universal. Most, if not all, really follow the league.

And the good thing with ABSCBN Sports’ broadcasts is that not only are they bringing the known stars closer to the Filipino people but letting them get to know up and coming stars like Anthony Davis (of the New Orleans Pelicans) and Stephen Curry (from the defending NBA champs, the Golden State Warriors),” Paras added.

Zach LaVine of the Minnesota Timberwolves scores on a layup past Nick Young (0) of the Los Angeles Lakers during a 112-111 Timberwolves win at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. AFP

Private support for sports sought

By Peter Atencio MORE private support is needed to help Filipino athletes prepare and compete in the Olympics and other international competitions.

Executive fitness coach and sports patron James Lafferty said this yesterday after six new sponsors came forward to help finance the training of Olympic qualifier Eric Shaun Cray.

“In the Philippines, the sports program is 100 percent government funded and through the taxpayers.

We need to have a different model.

We need to reduce the reliance in government and more on the private sector,” said Lafferty.

Lafferty talked about this dur-

ing a presentation yesterday at the Orchid Garden Suites in Vito Cruz, Manila.

The program to help track and field athletes qualify for the 2016 Rio de Janiero Olympics and other international meets are members of the Philippine chapter of the Young Presidents’ Organization, which Lafferty is a part of.

The roster includes SKI Group president and CEO Albert Altura, businessman Arnold Co, SSI Group’s Anton Huang, Republic Cement’s Don Lee, Hertz Rent A Car’s Felix Limcaoco, Carmen’s Best Ice Cream’s Ramon “Paco” Magsaysay Jr., and Philippine Stock Exchange’s Hans Sicat.

The sponsorship forms part of

the Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association’s Adopt an Olympian program.

The program aims to encourage private sector partners to provide the necessary funds for an Olympic training program.

Aside from Cray, the program also supports pole vault star EJ Obiena, and long-jump queen Marestella Torres.

Cray is currently training in the United States and recently signed an agreement with the PATAFA. “We’re happy that more and more private citizens and companies are getting involved in our national program,” said PATAFA president Philip Ella Juico.

Visayas reclaims MILO crown LAGUNA—After three years of missing out on the title, Team Visayas was finally crowned once again as overall National Champions at the recently concluded 2015 MILO Little Olympics National Finals.

Over 1,200 athletes representing their schools from all over the Philippines battled head-to-head in a three-day event on Oct. 23 to 25 in Sta. Cruz, Laguna. A total of 13 sports were played, namely, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Chess, Football, Gymnastics, Lawn Tennis, Swimming, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Volleyball, Sepak Takraw and Scrabble.

The opening ceremony, which preceded the games, was graced by prominent guests of honor including Hon. Ramil Hernandez, Governor of Laguna, and Sherilla Bayona, Senior Vice President, Nestle Philippines. Elite marathoner and MILO Champion Rio Dela Cruz also took part in the festivities.

Team Visayas held the overall champions crown for three

straight years from 2009 to 2011, before relinquishing the throne to Team NCR-South Luzon, which held the title from 2012-2014.

Victory eluded the Bisdaks for so long, but now, winning was indeed sweeter for them, as they were able to snatch the title on NCR-South Luzon’s home ground. The 2015 Perpetual Trophy is now in the hands of the Bisdaks after what was the closest fight between the two fierce rivals in the history of the MILO Little Olympics, with Visayas edging NCR-South Luzon by only 2.5 overall championship points.

Visayas, which fielded their strongest team to date to the competition with student-athletes from Iloilo, Bohol, Dumaguete, Aklan, Capiz, Rojas, Guimaras and Antique, reaped its rewards as they finished with a total of 577 overall championship points.

NCR-South Luzon settled for second place with 574.5 points, while Mindanao came in third with 422 points, and North-Central Luzon

Participants in the 110-meter hurdles try to outrun each other.

in fourth with 316.5 points.

In the secondary division, the Bisdaks excelled in individual and team sports, including football, volleyball, taekwondo, badminton and chess.

Visayas clinched the top spot with a total of 306.5, followed by NCR-South Luzon with 295.5 points, Mindanao with 196.5 points, and North-Central Luzon with 149.5 points.

Meanwhile, in the elementary division, NCR-South Luzon dominated in athletics, badminton, sepak takraw, table tennis and volleyball.

They placed first in the elementary division with 279.5 points, relegating Visayas to second place with 270.5 points, Mindanao in third place with 225.5 points, and North-Central Luzon in fourth place with 167 points.

The two NBA league doormats from last year put on an exciting display as the Timberwolves rallied from a nine-point half-time deficit then forced Lakers guard Louis Williams to miss a potential game-winning shot at the buzzer.

Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio dedicated the thrilling win to Saunders, who died at aged 60 from Hodgkin’s lymphoma on Sunday after a 17-year career that also saw him coach the Washington Wizards and Detroit Pistons.

“It has been tough. He was everything for us and I think he really helped us today. Wherever he is, we are going to miss him,” said Rubio.

“We came here to fight because that is the way he taught us.”

Playing with heavy hearts, they honored Saunders by unveiling new pre-game warmup shirts with “We” on them, followed by a moment of silence. The ‘Wolves will also wear a “Flip” patch on their jerseys this season.

It ended up being a disappointing return to the court for Bryant, who played just 35 games last season after suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in January.

The five-time NBA champion scored 24 points, but more importantly he set a record for most seasons played with the same franchise the moment he stepped onto the court at Staples Center arena to begin his 20th campaign with the Lakers.

Bryant, who surpassed former Utah Jazz point guard John Stockton’s mark of 19 consecutive seasons with the same club, managed just eight-of-24 shooting and missed 10-of-13 threepoint attempts.

It was Bryant’s first game in a reduced role as the Lakers continue their roster overhaul by bringing in a young nucleus of players, including 19-year-old D’Angelo Russell, who was the second overall pick in the June draft.

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Angeles City hosts Cebuana net meet JED Labasano and Michael Tuazon were the only local bets to survive the onslaught of visiting tennis players at the recent Cebuana Lhuillier Age Group Tennis Championship leg, hosted by the Angeles City Tennis Club and which attracted 158 entries in the singles and 24 in the doubles for a total of 182.

Labasano won the 16-under boys’ title, sweeping Metro Manila’s Joseph Gadon, 6-4, 6-2 in the finals, while Tuazon partnered with Cavite’s Rainier Selmar to rule the 14- under boys’ category of the tournament, one of the Luzon legs in the longrunning nation-wide and year-round tennis grassroots developmental program initiated by Cebuana Lhuillier President/CEO and Philippine Tennis Association Chairman Jean Henri Lhuillier, himself a competitive tennis player.

“We are heartened by

Cagayan quintet nails 2nd triumph CAGAYAN Valley picked up its second consecutive win as it whipped EuroMed, 89-78, in the PCBL Founders Cup at The Arena.

Led by CJ Isit, the Rising Suns were able to outscore Euro-Med, 19-5 in a fiveminute stretch of the third period to turn a close game into a rout and build a commanding 70-56 lead entering the fourth period of this tournament supported by Spalding, Ambucore, Accel and Aquabest.

But it was Cagayan’s defense on Euro-Med’s Bong Gallanza, which spelled the difference.

The sweet-shooting Gallanza scored 11 points in the first half, but was held scoreless by the relentless defense of Cagayan.

“Siya talaga ang marked man sa amin, so our game plan was to stop him. He did score a lot in the first half, but we paid a conscious effort on stopping him sa second half,” said Cagayan coach Ronnie Dojillo, whose team improved its record to 2-2 and forged a tie for second place of Group B standings with its victim.

Jumbo Plastic continued its streak as it blasted hapless Supremo Lex, 91-69, in the other game.

Jeff Viernes and JR Taganas combined in producing Jumbo Plastic’s inside-out game, scoring 16 points apiece to lead their team to its third straight victory and in the solo lead of Group A.

the big number of entries in this Angeles City leg of the series as it shows the wide acceptance of the tournament among young players, who came from different provinces and Metro manila to compete,” said Lhuillier.

Metro Manila bet Macie Carlos scored a twinkill as she beat Althea Faye Ong from Olongapo, 6-0, 6-0, for the 12-under girls’ crown, followed by another sweep, this time blanking Bulacan’s Nicole Mercado, 6-0, 6-0 for the 14-under title.

Bataan’s Collen Sioson emerged a double winner after defeating Patricia Lim, representing Quezon City, 6-1, 6-1 in the 16-under finals, before beating Aimea Rosales with the same score in the 18-under finale.

Ong and Anika Diwa, meanwhile, took the 18-under girls’ doubles title in the tournament supported by Dunlop Sports as the official ball.

Salvador Perez of the Kansas City Royals douses teammate Johnny Cueto (47) after their team defeated the New York Mets, 7-1, in Game 2 of the 2015 World Series at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. AFP

Royals rip Mets, stretch World Series lead to 2-0 KANSAS CITY—Kansas City’s Johnny Cueto pitched a two-hit, complete-game masterpiece Wednesday and the Royals ripped the New York Mets 7-1 to seize command of the 111th World Series.

The 29-year-old dreadlocked Dominican mystified a New York lineup that had belted at least one home run in 10 consecutive playoff games, holding the baffled Mets to their fewest hits ever in a playoff game and retiring 16 of the last 17 batters he faced without allowing a hit over the final five innings.

“Tonight was everything we expected Johnny to be,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “He was on the attack.

He kept the ball down. He changed speeds. It was just a spectacular performance.”

Kansas City grabbed a 2-0 lead in Major League Baseball’s best-of-seven final, which shifts to New York for games three and four on Fri-

day and Saturday.

Cueto became the first World series pitcher since Atlanta’s Greg Maddux in 1995, and the first American League pitcher since 1967, to throw a complete game while surrendering two hits or less. He struck out four and walked three while tossing 70 of 122 pitches for strikes.

“He was electric,” Royals slugger Eric Hosmer said. “He pretty much went out there and put the team on his back.”

Royals batters hammered New York starter Jacob deGrom for four

runs on five hits in the fifth inning and added three insurance runs in the eighth to ensure Cueto would pitch the final inning, becoming the first American League pitcher since 1991 to complete a World Series start.

“Thank God I got the opportunity to close this game out,” Cueto said.

“The longer the game goes the stronger I get. I felt relaxed. I knew I had a 7-1 lead and had to just attack the hitters.”

- Series ‘far from over’ No team has ever lost the first three games and

rallied to win the World Series, adding to the tension for Mets manager Terry Collins.

“We’re not hitting.

That’s what I see,” Collins said. “We have got to pick it up offensively. We’ve got to make some adjustments in our lineup to start getting some hits.”

The Royals won their only World Series title 30 years ago while the Mets last captured the crown in 1986. But Kansas City led San Francisco 2-1 in last year’s World Series and led in game four only to drop the Series in seven games. AFP

Phinman International Jr. tennis sets 2-week tilt

Top seed falls. Russia’s Maria Sharapova hits a return against top seed Romania’s Simona Halep during their women’s singles round robin tennis match at the WTA Finals in Singapore. Sharapova won, 6-4, 6-4. AFP

TOP junior players from the region, including the country’s rising stars, gear up for another two-week battle for tennis supremacy and ranking points when the PSCPhinma International Juniors Tennis Championships get going Nov. 17-22 at the Manila Polo Club in Makati City.

Five Thailand bets and four Japanese head the 22 players seeded into the 32-player main draw in the boys’ division based on their respective rankings with 26 more set to dispute the remaining 10 slots in the tournament proper in the twoday qualifiers on Nov. 15-16.

John Bryan Otico, one of the country’s upcoming stars, is the lone Filipino in the main draw of the week-

long event backed by major sponsors Phinma Group of Companies and the Philippine Sports Commission.

Meanwhile, the qualifying sign-in is on Nov. 14 up to 6 p.m., also at the posh Makati venue with the main draw sign-in set Nov. 16. Hostilities in Week I of the twostage meet starts Nov. 17.

There are actually 109 players in the alternate roster, including aspirants from Malaysia, Thailand, Great Britain, Russia, India, Singapore, Chinese-Taipei, Indonesia, Japan, Australia, Korea, Hong Kong and the Philippines, underscoring the annual event’s tremendous pull the world over in the Grade 4 ITF (International Tennis Federation) 18-Under category.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

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Bitoon ties Antonio; Pascua now 3

rd

GRANDMASTER Richard Bitoon posted a draw and a win in the last two rounds to climb into a tie for the lead with fellow GM Rogelio “Joey” Antonio, but it was the 22-year-old International Master Haridas Pascua who was the biggest gainer heading into the stretch of the 2015 Battle of Grandmasters-National Chess Championship at the Athletes Dining Hall, Philippine Sports Commission Bldg., RMSC, Vito Cruz, Manila.

Bitoon, a native of Medellin, Cebu, halved the point with Antonio in the 7th round, before outlasting NM Roel Abelgas after 61 moves in the 8th round to keep pace with Antonio, who agreed

to a draw with top seed GM John Paul Gomez in the eighth rounds.

Bitoon and Antonio have 10 points under the match-point scoring system apiece going into late yesterday’s (Thursday) ninth

round, and only half a point ahead of Pascua, who improved to solo third with nine points.

Pascua, a Pangasinan native, who graduated from University of Baguio, outsmarted Woman

C ami lm il, Calapan City 5200, Or iental M indor o

BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE

INVITATION TO BID IB No. GS-2015-191, 135 - A and 135 - A-1 The Provincial Government of Oriental Mindoro invites PhilGeps registered suppliers ( D e a l e r s / D i s t r i b u t o r s / C o n t r a c t o r s a n d A c c r e d i t e d N u r s e r y O p e r a t o r s) to A pply for Eligibility and to Bid for the hereunder list of item/p r o j e c t s .

Ap p r o v e d Bu d g e t fo r th e Co n tr a c t (ABC)

Bi d Do c u m e n t Fee

Source of Funding

2,443,636.00

P h p 5 , 00 0 . 0 0

20% D eve l o p m e n t Fu n d

2 ,7 2 0 , 0 0 0 . 0 0

Php 5,000.00

Trust Fund (HVCDP)

3 , 0 2 4 ,7 0 0 . 0 0

Php 5,000.00

Trust Fund (HVCDP)

1. S upply a n d d e livery o f C o n s t r u c t i o n Materials and Supplies for use in the Completion of Provincial Museum/One- Stop- Shop Center a t O l d C a p i t o l S i t e , C a l a p a n C i t y, Oriental Mindoro 2 . Supply and delivery of Ag r i c ultur al Pr o duc t s (S e e ds, S e e dlin g s, Plant s) fo r us e of Pr ov inc ial Ag r i c ultur e O f f i c e - Agr o Te c hn o l o g y Re s o ur c e M anag e m e nt S e r v i c e s (H VC D P) of O r i e nt al M in d o r o A . 1, 6 0 0 c a n s O n i o n B . Fr u i t Tr e e s 1. 3 0 , 0 0 0 p c s G r a f t e d M a n g o 2 . 8 ,7 5 0 p c s G r a f t e d R a m b u t a n 3. 20,000 pcs Budded Calamansi

The schedule of bidding activities is as follows: 1. Advertisement/Posting of ITB Ø B ulletin Board of the PGOM : O c tober 3 0,2015 Ø P GOM Website : O c tober 3 0,2015 Ø P hilGEPS Website : O c tober 3 0,2015 Ø N ewspaper of General Nationwide Circulation : O c tober 3 0,2015 2. Issuance of Bidding Documents : N ovember 0 5 -24, 2015 3. Pre-Bid Conference : N ovember 12, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. at BAC Office 4. Deadline of Submission of Bids : N ovember 24, 2015 at 1:3 0 p.m. at BAC Office 5. Opening of Bid in sealed envelope a).Eligibility Requirements and Technical Proposal : N ovember 24, 2015 at 2:00 pm at BAC Office b).Financial Proposal : N ovember 24, 2015 at 2:00 pm BAC Office Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using non-discretionary pass/fail criterion as specified in R.A. 9184 and its IRR otherwise known as the Government Procurement Reform Act. The complete set of bidding documents may be purchased at the BAC Secret ariat upon payment of nonrefundable price of bid documents indicated above.

Pre-Bid Conference shall be opened to all interested parties, however only those who purchased the Bidding Documents may participate in the discussion at said conference.

All particulars relative to eligibility requirements and screening, bid security, performance security, pre-bid conference, evaluation of bids, post qualification and award of contract shall be governed by the provision of R.A. 9184 and its IRR. The PGOM reserves the right to accept or reject bid to annul bidding process, and to reject all bids at anytime prior to contract award without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

For further information, please refer to: MR. JULIO R. ICAL Head, BAC Secretariat Provinc ial Capitol, Camilmil, Calapan City Tel. (043) 286-7120 (043) 286-7447

( S g d .) ENGR. ELMER V. DILAY Provincial Engineer BAC Chairman

(TS-O C T. 3 0 , 2015)

University of the Philippines Manila The Health Sciences Center BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE 3 2nd Floor, BAC 3 Office,Damian Hall, University of the Philippines Manila P.Faura St. corner Ma. Orosa St., Manila Telefax # 525-43-22 / 526-22-75

INVITATION TO BID The University of the Philippines Manila through its Bids and Awards Committee III (BAC 3), invites suppliers/manufacturer/distributors/contractors to apply for eligibility and to bid for the hereunder projects:

1.

Name of Project:

Supply of Various IT Equipment - NEGOTIATION

Requesting Unit/Location:

College of Nursing

Approved Budget for the Contract:

Php2,050,000.00

Bid Documents

Php5,000.00

Contract Duration:

120 days

PR No.:

CN-15-02

Source of Fund:

LRTE2015

Prospective bidders should have experience in undertaking a similar project within the last two (2) years with an amount of at least 50% of the proposed project for bidding. The Eligibility Check/ Screening as well as the Preliminary Examination of bids shall use non-discretionary “pass/fail” criteria. Post-qualification of the lowest calculated responsive bid shall be conducted.

All particulars relative to Eligibility Statement and Screening, Bid Security, Performance Security, Pre-Bidding Conference(s), Evaluation of Bids, Post-Qualification and Award of Contract shall be governed by the pertinent provisions of R.A. 9184 and its implementing Rules and Regulation (IRR).

The complete schedule of activities is listed, as follows:

2.

3.

4.

Activities

Schedule

1

Issuance of Bid Documents

Starting – October 30, 2015

2

Pre-bid Conference

3

Opening of Bids

November 6, 2015 – 1:30 p.m.

4

Bid Evaluation

Within two (2) weeks after the opening

5

Post-qualification

Within one (1) week after the bid evaluation

6

Issuance of Notice of Award

Seven (7) days after Post-qualification

5.

Bid Documents will be made available only to eligible bidders upon payment of a non-refundable amount stated above for each project to the U.P. Manila Cashier’s Office.

6.

UP Manila assumes no responsibility whatsoever to compensate or indemnify bidders for any expenses incurred in the preparation of the bid.

7.

The University of the Philippines Manila reserves the right to reject any or all bids, to waive any formality or defects therein, or to accept such as may be considered most advantageous to UP Manila.

8.

All inquiries shall be directed to the BAC III Secretariat at tel. no. 525-4322 / 526-2275. This is also posted at the UP Manila Official Web: http://www.upm.edu.ph/procurement.

Original Signed DR. TRISTAN NATHANIEL C. RAMOS Chair, Bids and Awards Committee III

Original Signed ARLENE A. SAMANIEGO, M.D. Vice-Chancellor For Administration

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

StandingS after 8 rounds (Open Division) – Bitoon, Antonio 10, Pascua 9, Gomez, Turqueza, Docena, Laylo 7, Torre, Bersamina, Abelgas 6, Frayna 5.

Standings after 6 rounds (Women’s Division) – Fronda, San Diego 9, Perena-Secopito, Mendoza 7, Lozano, Bernales 6, Suede, Enriquez 5, Membrere 4, Pineda 2.

Fiery finish nets Thai a 6-shot win

Republic of the Philippines

PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT OF ORIENTAL MINDORO

Item/De s c riptio n

International Master Janelle Mae Frayna in only 22 moves of a King’s Indian and drew with National Master Jerad Docena in the eighth.

Gomez, Fide Master Joseph Mari Turqueza, Docena and GM Darwin Laylo ended their matches in the 7th and 8th rounds in draws to emerge tied with seven points each, followed by GM Eugene Torre, IM Paulo Bersamina and Abelgas with six points each.

(TS-OCT.30, 2015)

CARMONA, Cavite—Thai Wannasiri Sirisampant marked her first stint on the ICTSI Ladies Philippine Golf Tour in style, uncorking a scorching windup for a solid 66 and winning the P500,000 Manila Southwoods Ladies Classic by six over Chihiro Ikeda at the Southwoods’ Legends course here yesterday.

Saving her best for last, Sirisampant birdied four of the last six holes and turned what was expected to be a down-to-thewire finish into a runaway victory as Ikeda and the rest of her pursuers, including second day leader Yuka Saso, hobbled with over par scores and faded out of the title race in the final leg of the eight-stage circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. Tied with Ikeda, Korean amateur Hwang Min Jeong and compatriot Saraporn Chamchoi at second after 36 holes, Sirisampant surged ahead with a one-birdie stint at the front and watched her rivals fall off the leaderboard with bogey-riddled starts.

Ikeda actually stayed within two with a birdie on No. 11, but Sirisampant birdied Nos. 13 and 14, holed out with routine pars in the next two before capping her bogeyfree round with back-to-back birdies to spike her runaway victory on her very first try in the circuit sponsored by International Container Terminal Services, Inc. She wound up with a 10-under 203 aggregate and took the top P100,000 as she became the second Thai to win on the tour this year after Meechai Wichanee likewise routed the field to reign at ICTSI Splendido last April.

“My irons clicked and made the most of my birdie chances,” said

Thai Wannasiri Sirisampant kisses her trophy after dominating the Manila Southwoods Ladies Classic in her first crack at the ICTSI Ladies Philippine Golf Tour.

Sirisampant, after nailing her second win in a five-year pro career.

The lanky 24-year-old shotmaker from Nakhonnayok scored her maiden win in Thailand Singha Championship in 2012.

Ikeda tied Saso for the lead with a birdie on the opening hole but dropped three shots in a five-hole stretch from No. 3 to fall behind again. She canned in a six-footer for birdie on No. 11 but failed to match Sirisampant’s fiery finish, ending up with a 72 for second at 209 worth P70,000 in the event backed by Nike Golf, Pacsports, Custom Clubmakers and Sharp.

Jayvie Agojo tried to rally from five strokes down with three bird-

ies in the first 10 holes but missed a couple of birdie putts in the closing holes and settled for a 68 and joint third at 210 with first round leader Mookharin Ladgratok, also of Thailand, who rallied with a 69, and ICTSI Mt. Malarayat winner Hwang, who limped with a 73.

Saso, who showed a lot of promise when she surged ahead of the pack with a 69 and 67, cracked under pressure, bogeying the par-3 7th and holing out with a disastrous triple bogey on No. 8. The amateur club bet tried to rebound with birdies on Nos. 11 and 14 but hit a wayward shot on No. 17 and made a double bogey for a 75 and a 211.

La Salle keeps women’s tablenet tiara DE LA SALLE completed an unbeaten season in the women’s division by sweeping Far Eastern University in the Finals yesterday of the UAAP table tennis tournament at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

The thrice-to-beat Archers blanked the Lady Tamaraws, 3-0, in the opener before clinching their second straight crown with a 3-1 victory in Game 2.

Winning its fourth championship overall, La Salle gave national team standout Ian Lariba a grand send off to her remarkable collegiate career.

Lariba took home her third MVP award as she credited her

teammates for sustaining the Lady Archers’ dominance in the sport.

“Sobrang overwhelming and happy kasi for five years minsan lang na mangyari na back-toback women’s champions ang La Salle table tennis,” said the pretty Lariba.“Lahat ng nasa line-up, nagtiyaga at nagsipag talaga. Our mindset is one game at a time. We did not too much forward looking and we took it step by step. We know that we will go a lot of different challenges,” she added.

Emy Rose Dael, who defeated Rose Fadol in the third singles, 11-7, 6-9, 11-9, 7-9, 11-9 that gave

the Lady Archers the victory, was named the Rookie of the Year.

FEU made it to the Finals after edging University of Santo Tomas, 3-1, in the do-or-die second step-ladder duel Wednesday.

De La Salle-Zobel, meanwhile, made history in the juniors’ division, by becoming the league’s first-ever girls’ champions.

The Junior Lady Archers swept University of the East in the bestof-three series, winning via a 3-2 scoreline in both matches.

La Salle-Zobel’s Phoebe Jumamoy bagged the tournament MVP honors while UE’s Sharlina Andino captured the Rookie of the Year plum.

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Blatter claims backroom deal on Russia ‘18 World Cup PARIS —Sepp Blatter has claimed there was a deal to give Russia the 2018 World Cup before voting took place, and blamed “bad losers” England and the US for the corruption scandal engulfing the organisation.

“In 2010, we (FIFA’s 22-strong executive committee) had taken a double decision, we were agreed to go to Russia (in 2018), then in 2022 we’d return to the United States,” the outgoing FIFA president told Russian news agency TASS. If the United States had won the right to host the 2022 World Cup, “all we’d be talking about now would be the marvellous 2018 World Cup in Russia and not about any problem at FIFA,” he said Wednesday.

Blatter’s comments prompted the head of the English Football Association Greg Dyke to say he would look into recouping around £21 million ($32.2 million, 29.1 million euros) spent on England’s failed 2018 bid.

Dyke said investigating the claims was a “good idea” as it would be “very nice to get taxpayers’ money back.”

In further revelations, Blatter hit out at UEFA president Michel Platini and former French president Nicolas Sarkozy, saying they skewered the 2022 plan by cosying up to eventual hosts Qatar.

Everything changed, he added, “after talks between Sarkozy and Qatar’s prince (Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani) who is now running the emirate” - a meeting followed by lunch between the two men and Platini.

As a result of that Franco-Qatari summit, at FIFA’s secret ballot in December 2010 “four European votes deserted the United States and the result was 14-8 (to Qatar)”, he said.

- Platini defiant Blatter accused Platini of being the original cause of the crisis at the top of football.

“Platini wanted to be FIFA president, but he didn’t have the courage to put himself forward,” he said, referring to the May 29 election in which Blatter saw off Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein for his fifth term in office.

“And now look where we are. And the victim of all this at the end of the day is Platini himself,” said the 79-year-old Swiss.

Platini is currently suspended from all football-related activities for 90 days while he is investigated over a clandestine $2 million payment he received from Blatter on behalf of FIFA in 2011 for consultancy work carried out years before.

Platini had been seen as a strong favourite to take over when Blatter announced in June he was standing down.

FIFA’s Electoral Committee confirmed Wednesday it had seven candidates running to be the new president in a February 26 election, including the Frenchman.

FIFA said the applications from the six others would be processed, but Platini’s case would only be considered once his ban is lifted. AFP

Alaska faces Blackwater, seeks share of PBA lead

By Jeric Lopez

ALASKA shoots for a second straight victory that will give it a piece of the tournament lead as it resumes its campaign in the 2015 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup. Following a resounding debut, the Aces (1-0) are looking for a follow-up victory when they clash with Blackwater at 4:15 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum today.

Succeeding this is an intriguing face off between Star (1-1) and GlobalPort (0-1) in the second game at 7 p.m.

Should last season’s runnerup emerge victorious again, it will tie Rain or Shine and

NLEX, which are both on 2-0 starts, at the top of the heap.

Alaska coach Alex Compton wants his Aces to preserve their hot start. ‘’We were able to have a good opening game against Talk ‘N Text and we want to play with the same energy against Blackwater,” said Compton. ‘’We’d like to sustain our good start.”

Alaska surprisingly handled loaded Talk ‘N Text with ease in

its debut, dishing out a 114-98 lating 86-78 victory against fordrubbing last Friday. mer coach Tim Cone and his The dynamic front-court duo Barangay Ginebra in a game it of Calvin Abueva and Vic Man- dominated from start to finish uel led the Aces’s charge against last Sunday. the Tropang Texters and they Webb hopes that this is just will be relied on the start for his Games Friday

by Compton once team and that his (Smart Araneta Coliseum): again to help their 4:15 p.m. - Alaska vs. Blackwater wards can carry 7 p.m. - Star vs. GlobalPort squad. the momentum On the other over when they hand, the Elite showed some take on this dangerous Batang glimpse of improvement in its Pier. debut against the Road War‘’We just want to keep playriors last Friday before eventu- ing with that intensity. The one ally falling short, 90-86. we had against Ginebra,’’ said Star is also looking for a sec- Webb. ‘’Our goal is to keep getond straight victory. ting better with more games in The Jason Webb-mentored the conference and this is ansquad bounced back from its other challenge for us against opening-day loss with a scintil- GlobalPort.’’

Foton’s Jaja Santiago scores against Cignal’s Arielle Usher and Mic Laborte.

ROMAN PROSPERO

Near-flawless show steers Foton past foe Games Thursday (The Arena, San Juan) 4:15 p.m.—Philips Gold vs Foton 6:15 p.m.—RC Cola vs Petron FOTON delivered a near-flawless performance in shocking heavyweight Cignal, 25-17, 25-19, 25-18, yesterday in the 2015 Philippine Superliga Grand Prix women’s volleyball tournament at The Arena in San Juan.

Banking on their well-balanced assault,

the Tornadoes were impressive from start to finish in clinching their third win in six games in this prestigious inter-club tourney presented by Asics and backed by Milo with Senoh, Mikasa and Mueller as technical partners and TV5 as official broadcaster.

Imports Katie Messing, Lindsay Stalzer and Filipino-American Kayla Williams delivered 13 points apiece, while Jaja Santiago finished with eight hits, while providing solid net defense that made it difficult for Cignal’s prolific import Ariel Usher to penetrate.

Federer urges ball kids to approach him at Aussie Open MELBOURNE—Swiss great Roger Federer Thursday encouraged ball kids to break their golden rule and approach him for photos and autographs at next year’s Australian Open in Melbourne.

Ball boys and girls are forbidden to make personal requests to players, but in a video message sent to the 380 children who will officiate at the 2016 tournament, Federer asked them to interact with him

during the Grand Slam.

“I was one of them (ball kids), I used to love chasing players down for autographs or pictures,” the 17-time major winner said.

“I’m not even sure if you’re allowed to do it, but if you’re not, you can always ask me. I’m totally cool about it.”

Tournament director Craig Tiley said being so accommodating might not be as easy as

Federer thinks.

“It’s no surprise he’s willing to be approached by the kids for a ‘selfie’ -- he’s incredibly generous and always makes time for his fans,” Tiley told Melbourne’s Herald Sun. “But with more than 380 in the Australian Open Ballkid Program, it might be a little ambitious, and we will rely on their outstanding professionalism to not break any rules.”

Meanwhile, third-seeded Rafael Nadal battled back from a break down in the final set to defeat Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 on Wednesday to reach the Swiss Indoors quarter-finals.

But second seed Stan Wawrinka suffered his eighth first round loss at the tournament as the French Open champion slumped to a 3-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-4 defeat to Ivo Karlovic. AFP

Usher notched 22 kills and a block to finish with 23 points for Cignal, which posted back-to-back setbacks after coming up with a clean sweep of the first round.

She, however, failed to draw enough support from the locals as the backline defense of the HD Spikers was non-existent during the match witnessed by another huge weekday crowd.

The HD Spikers fell to 5-2 to settle for the second spot as the league enters a long Halloween break.

LOTTO RESULTS

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

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK f r i D AY : o c t o b e r 3 0 , 2 0 1 5

A16

rierA U. MALL Ari EDITOR

reUeL viDAL A S S I S TA N T E D I T O R

sports@thestandard.com.ph

sports

Players, coaches and supporters of the Letran Knights celebrate their title conquest in the 91st NCAA men’s basketball tournament. The Knights dethroned the champion San Beda Red Lions following an 85-82 win in Game 3 of their titular series. lino sAntos

Knights end long title drought

By Peter Atencio

LETRAN’S decade-long wait is finally over.

Cebuano rookie Jomari Sollano made sure of this as he bailed the Knights out trouble in the overtime period as the Intramurosbased school captured its first collegiate title in 11 years in the 91st National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Sollano’s big basket in the last 6.4 seconds steered the Knights to a pulsating 85-82 overtime victory over the San Beda College Lions in Game 3 of their best-of-three finals series.

A product of the University of Southern Philippines, Sol-

lano scored four of six big points in the last 1:11 and his baskets helped the Knights overtake a 79-82 deficit in the remaining time of the extra five minutes.

Scoring 19 points and hauling seven rebounds, the 6’4” Sollano unloaded a triple in final 32.6 seconds, allowing Letran to move ahead, 83-82.

This came after Kevin Racal’s two charities off Olaide Adeogun’s foul with 1:11 left allowed them to close in at 81-82, and Baser Amer was caught in a 24-second violation in the next play.

wolves honor coAch with win over lA turn to A12

After Amer missed another attempt, Sollano split his charity off Adeogun’s foul with 6.4 seconds to go, 84-82, but the Lions couldn’t capitalize following a double-lane violation called by the referees.

The possession arrow was with Letran and Mark Cruz added a free throw with 3.7 seconds for the final tally.

Manny Pacquiao, the team’s main supporter, cheered quietly from the bench as SBC’s Art dela Cruz then made a desperation triple attempt that failed to hit its mark.

Letran, which lost twice to San Beda in the finals during the Red Lions’ five-year reign, collected its 17th collegiate crown and its first since 2003. The Knights,

however, still trail the Red Lions, who have 19 collegiate titles.

Kevin Racal led the Knights with 23 points and Cruz, the finals MVP, tallied 14.

Coach Aldin Ayo told his boys not to give up after they lost Game 2, 61-68, last Tuesday.

“This is not the time to give up.

This is still anybody’s ballgame, after we lost Game 2. I told them we can still do this,” said Ayo. The Knights took Game 1 with a 94-90 win, and finished series at 2-1.

With their setback, San Beda missed their of owning their sixth straight championship and becoming the collegiate squad with the longest streak of titles won.

royAls stretch world series leAd to 2-0 turn to A13

Cubs nail 7th straight junior title AN undermanned San Beda Red Cubs held their ground in the third quarter and outplayed the Arellano University Braves, 7061, yesterday to clinch a recordsetting seventh straight junior title in the 91st National Collegiate Athletic Association basketball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Finals MVP Evan Nelle tallied 13 points and drained three of five triples in the final four minutes to help the Red Cubs move away and pull off their second consecutive triumph in their finals’ series with the Braves.

San Beda is now the winningest high school team with 22 championships.

The 17-year-old Nelle connected with his treys during an 11-2 blast, and the Red Cubs went on to take charge, 48-35, in the last 2:38.

“Hindi namin binibilang iyung titles. Iyung challenges at present binilang namin,” said Red Cubs coach JB Sison, adding that it’s a big fulfillment for him to be involved in the team’s latest title conquest. Peter Atencio

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

B1

FRIDAY: OCTOBER 30, 2015

RAY S. EÑANO EDITOR

RODERICK T. DELA CRUZ ASSISTANT EDITOR

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

BUSINESS

Telstra investing $1b in PH

By Darwin G. Amojelar

TELSTRA Corp., the biggest telecommunications company in Australia, plans to invest about $1 billion in the Philippines for a mobile phone joint venture with San Miguel Corp.

Telstra, which recently confirmed talks with San Miguel, said in a presentation during its Investor Day in Australia the company allocated $1.5 billion for new businesses and mergers and acquisitions, including its planned expansion in the Philippines.

“These include investments in our capital program and start-up investments, such as investment in the Philippines, were we to pursue that opportunity,” Telstra chief financial officer Warwick Bray said.

Telstra currently operates customer service centers in the Philippines that serve its clients globally.

The Australian, a broadsheet published

by News Corp. Australia, on Thursday quoted Telstra chief Andy Penn as saying the telco giant would spend up to $1 billion, if the company would pursue its investment in the Philippines with San Miguel.

Penn, in a speech during the Investor Day, said the company’s priority next year was to accelerate its growth agenda. “Asia forms an integral part of our growth strat-

egy,” he said.

The planned joint venture between San Miguel and Telstra would see the local conglomerate holding the majority stake, in compliance with the 1987 Constitution, which limits the foreign ownership of utilities to a maximum of 40 percent.

San Miguel earlier said several companies had expressed interest in teaming up with the conglomerate, which bought out its Qatar partner in Liberty Telecoms Holdings Inc. Earlier, San Miguel’s unit Vega Telecom Inc. signed definitive agreements to acquire stakes of Qtel West Bay Holdings S.P.C., witribe Asia Ltd. and White Dawn Solution Holdings in Liberty Telecoms for P5.75 billion.

Qtel West Bay owned 23.36 percent of Liberty while White Dawn Solution and wi-tribe had 18.44-percent and 2.86-percent stakes in the company, respectively, as of end-March.

Prior to the transaction, Vega Telecom held 35.73-percent stake in Liberty Telecom, which offers 4G Internet to the consumer and corporate markets through Witribe.

San Miguel also announced that Vega Telecoms bought Express Telecommunications Inc. and Vega’s investment in High Frequency Telecommunications Inc. Extelcom, owned by the Ongpin Group and UKbased Ashmore Investment Management Ltd., is the country’s first mobile telephone operator.

Manila

Standard TOYOTA FINANCIAL SERVICES PHILIPPINES CORPORATION TODAY32nd Floor

G. T. Tower International, Ayala Avenue corner H. V. dela Costa Street,Salcedo Village, 1226 Makati City

STATEMENT OF CONDITION As of September 30, 2015 ASSETS Due from Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas P Deposit in Banks GS Purchased Under Reverse Repurchase Agreement with BSP GS Purchased Under RRA Sold Under Resale Agreement Loans and Receivables (Net) (Long-Term Portion of P29,840,507,821) Available-for-Sale Securities (Net) Real Estate for Sale/Lease (Net) Real Property, Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment (Net) Real and Other Properties Acquired (Net) Other Assets (Net) TOTAL ASSETS P

6,599,456,339 776,309,525 0 0 31,076,712,759 1,000,000 0 77,436,953 62,550,923 4,331,478,914 42,924,945,413

LIABILITIES

Tupperware’s new home. Tupperware Brands Philippines moves to a new home at the Five E-Com Center in the Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay City as the company aims to expand its sales force, reach out to more areas, launch innovative products and touch more Filipino lives. Shown are Tupperware executives (from left) national sales director Patrick Duavit; chief financial officer Cel Torres; marketing director Cris Nivera; area vice president for Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand Michael Tziallas; human resource director Jane Montilla; vice president for operations Mina Bato; and president and managing director Graciano Pangilinan Jr.

Philex extends Padcal mine in Benguet

By Anna Leah E. Gonzales PHILEX Mining Corp. said Thursday it discovered more ore reserves that will extend the life of Padcal’s mine in Benguet province by two more years from 2020 to 2022.

Philex said in a disclosure to the stock exchange an engineering study conducted on the mineral resource estimates from the 800 to 600-meter level identified an additional 20 million tons of ore reserves.

“The validation of additional reserves in the 800 to 600-meter level is indeed a very welcome development for the company,” said Philex Mining president and chief executive Eulalio Austin Jr. “Aside from extending Padcal’s life of mine, the incremental reserves also enhance the company’s value and provide us with more flexibility before the Silangan project [in Mindanao] comes on stream,” Austin said.

Philex Mining reported a 20-percent drop in net income in the first nine months of the year due to lower metal prices.

The company said net income in the JanuarySeptember period amounted to P756 million, down from P951 million registered in the same period last year.

Core net income dropped 9 percent to P811

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

million from P901 million a year ago. Net income attributable to equity holders of the parent company also went down by 29 percent to P851 million from P1.205 billion.

Revenues in the nine-month period also declined to P7.3 billion from P8.4 billion in 2014.

The company’s Padcal mine which operated for 269 days, produced 25.7 million pounds of copper and 81,599 ounces of gold.

The mining company said the price of gold during the period dropped 10 percent to $1,171 per ounce from $1, 299 per ounce in 2014.

Price of copper also went down by 19 percent from $3.03 per pound last year to $2.45 per pound this year.

Philex Mining operates the Padcal mine in Benguet. It is also developing the Silangan project in Surigao del Norte province.

“We are currently evaluating several techniques on waste materials handling and refining our mine design that will enable us to develop the Silangan project into an efficient and environmentfriendly mine operation,” said Silangan Mindanao and Mining Co. Inc. president Yulo Perez. “ These initiatives will extend the completion of the project’s definitive feasibility study to the first quarter of 2016 from our original projection this year,” Perez said.

Bills Payable Accrued Taxes and Other Expenses Other Liabilities TOTAL LIABILITIES

P P

33,053,179,821 335,692,728 5,285,368,429 38,674,240,978

CAPITAL ACCOUNTS Capital Stock Retained Earnings Sub - Total Less: Treasury Stock TOTAL CAPITAL ACCOUNTS

P

P

1,700,000,000 2,550,704,435 4,250,704,435 0 4,250,704,435

TOTAL LIABILITIES AND CAPITAL ACCOUNTS

P

42,924,945,413

P

COMMITMENT AND OTHER CONTINGENT ACCOUNTS Other Contingent Accounts Note: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

P

0

Held for Trading Securities comprise of Government Securities of P0 and Equity Securities - Common Shares of P0 Non-performing loans and ratio to total loan portfolio: P 567,620,254 ;1.50% Classified loans and other risk assets: P 1,326,282,061 General loan loss reserve: P 366,696,425 Specific loan loss reserve: P529,815,529 Return on equity (ROE): 13.37% DOSRI loans/advances and ratio to total loan portfolio: None Past due DOSRI loans/advances and ratio to total portfolio: None

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES) We, Ma. Theresa J. Ilao, Comptroller / Vice-President and Atsushi Murakami, President of the above-mentioned NBQB, do solemnly swear that all matters set forth in the statement of condition are true and correct to the best of our knowledge and belief.

(Sgd.) MA. THERESA J. ILAO Comptroller/Vice-President

(Sgd.) ATSUSHI MURAKAMI President

SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN to before me this 20th day of October 2015, affiants exhibiting to me their Driver’s License No. N2602004505 issued at Manila and Passport No. TG8260436 issued at Japan.

Doc. No. 507 Page No.103 Book No. 26 Series of 2015

(Sgd.) DUSTIN JAY A. CONDEZ Roll No.57112 PTR No. 4281921; 02-12-14; Makati City IBP No. 923340; 01-10-13;RSM Chapter Appointment No. M-241 (2014-2015) Suite 1015, 10F Cityland Condominium 10 Tower 1 Ayala Ave. cor. H.V. dela Costa Street, Makati City MCLE Compliance No. IV-0014243 Issued on March 21, 2013

FRIDAY: OCTOBER 30, 2015

B2

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

The STandard BuSineSS daily STockS review Thursday, OcTOber 29, 2015

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low

STOCKS

7.88 75.3 124.4 107 56.5 2.49 4.2 17 30.45 0.92 2.6 890 1.01 100 30.5 75 91.5 137 361.2 57 180 1700 124

2.5 66 88.05 88.1 45.45 1.97 1.68 12.02 19.6 0.74 1.02 625 0.225 78 17.8 58 62 88.35 276 41 118.2 1200 59

AG Finance Asia United Bank Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. Bank of PI China Bank BDO Leasing & Fin. INc. Bright Kindle Resources COL Financial Eastwest Bank First Abacus I-Remit Inc. Manulife Fin. Corp.

MEDCO Holdings Metrobank PB Bank Phil Bank of Comm Phil. National Bank Phil. Savings Bank PSE Inc. RCBC `A’ Security Bank Sun Life Financial Union Bank

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 2.89 17 31.8 109 15.3 9.4 0.98 241 4 74 33.9 90 13.26 293 5.25 12.98 6.75 15 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 1.06 8.61 20.2 71.5 13.24 5.34 0.395 173 1.63 33 23.35 17.3 5.88 250.2 3.87 8.45 3 10.04 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 Euro-Med Lab Federal Res. Inv. Group First Gen Corp.

First Holdings ‘A’ Holcim Philippines Inc. Integ. Micro-Electronics Ionics Inc Jollibee Foods Corp.

Mabuhay Vinyl Macay Holdings Manila Water Co. Inc. Maxs Group Megawide Mla. Elect. Co `A’ Pepsi-Cola Products Phil.

Petron Corporation Phil H2O Phinma Corporation 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 7.39 3.4 3.35 823.5 10.2 84 3.35 0.66 1455 76 9.25 0.85 17.3 5.53 6.55 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 6.62 0.23 0.23 634.5 7.390 12.8 2.6 0.152 837 49.55 4.84 0.59 12 4.2 4.5 0.030 0.550 2.26 59.3 751 1.13 0.93 170 80 0.211 0.179 0.310

Abacus Cons. `A’ Aboitiz Equity Alliance Global Inc. Anscor `A’ ATN Holdings A ATN Holdings B Ayala Corp `A’ Cosco Capital DMCI Holdings F&J Prince ‘A’ Forum Pacific GT Capital JG Summit Holdings Lopez Holdings Corp.

Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp.

LT Group Metro Pacific Inv. Corp.

Minerales Industrias Corp.

Pacifica `A’ Prime Orion Republic Glass ‘A’ San Miguel Corp `A’ 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 5.6

6.74 0.65 1.2 30.05 3.36

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

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

SHARES 13,811,686 51,250,337 148,364,033 152,938,308 197,722,252 690,693,004 1,257,179,870

Close

High

Low

FINANCIAL 3.1 2.89 48.8 47.5 105.00 101.50 86.50 84.45 40.4 40.25 2.51 2.49 1.95 1.82 15.7 15.4 19.96 19.9 0.65 0.65 1.82 1.73 765.00 760.00 0.610 0.570 87 84 19.12 19.00 25.45 24.00 54.40 54.00 104 104 302 296 32.2 31.3 144 142 1560.00 1550.00 57.00 56.90 INDUSTRIAL 41.9 42.3 41.9 1.85 1.88 1.72 0.89 0.91 0.89 1.59 1.61 1.57 11.02 11.02 10.52 90.00 95.10 95.00 17.34 17.46 17 22.8 22.85 22.05 45.7 45.8 45.6 2.54 2.58 2.48 1.78 1.78 1.74 10 10 10 10.180 10.260 9.95 8.30 8.37 7.90 6.90 6.91 6.63 7.67 7.70 7.60 1.66 1.67 1.66 11.8 11.8 11.78 26 26.45 25.35 72.55 73.85 70.45 13.10 13.64 13.50 5.94 5.95 5.96 2.410 2.450 2.330 208.20 209.00 205.60 3.79 3.5 3.5 41.40 40.00 40.00 24.25 24.4 24.05 24.4 24.9 23.35 6.75 6.7 6.13 328.80 328.80 323.20 4.28 4.34 4.28 7.96 8.33 8.00 4.8 5 4.8 11.48 11.50 11.40 3.75 3.78 3.67 2.00 2.05 2.01 2.69 2.76 2.51 4.12 4.27 4.11 5 5 5 140.5 140.1 137.5 3.9 3.9 3.8 2.19 2.2 2.12 0.161 0.163 0.157 1.23 1.25 1.19 2.21 2.22 2.18 205 205 199 4.73 4.73 4.55 0.67 0.67 0.66 1.22 1.21 1.18 HOLDING FIRMS 0.405 0.405 0.395 57.3000 58.0000 56.3500 18.88 19.00 18.46 6.50 6.60 6.50 0.248 0.250 0.247 0.250 0.25 0.250 778 79.35 777 7.52 7.52 7.44 12.80 12.80 12.38 4.01 4 3.8 0.255 0.260 2.500 1356 1356 1331 73.50 74.50 72.35 7 7.03 6.79 0.8 0.83 0.8 12.5 12.7 12.48 5.34 5.4 5.3 8.99 9.5 8.99 0.0320 0.0310 0.0300 1.900 1.930 1.900 2.73 2.82 2.82 50.00 52.00 49.15 882.50 882.50 869.50 1.20 1.20 1.20 0.80 0.82 0.76 180.00 180.00 170.00 108.500 108.500 106.300 0.3300 0.3650 0.3300 0.2400 0.2390 0.2250 0.320 0.325 0.310 PROPERTY 6.280 6.640 6.300 0.73 0.76 0.70 1.120 1.130 1.130 36.600 36.800 35.550 3.58 3.57 3.44 2.89 48.85 104.00 86.10 40.25 2.44 1.95 15.68 19.92 0.65 1.73 760.00 0.570 87 19.04 23.50 54.35 103.9 300 32.15 142.2 1540.00 57.00

Close

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

2.89 48.65 101.90 85.20 40.25 2.49 1.84 15.4 19.92 0.65 1.79 760.00 0.570 85.4 19.00 24.00 54.00 104 300 31.7 142.7 1560.00 57.00

0.00 -0.41 -2.02 -1.05 0.00 2.05 -5.64 -1.79 0.00 0.00 3.47 0.00 0.00 -1.84 -0.21 2.13 -0.64 0.10 0.00 -1.40 0.35 1.30 0.00

19,000 547,300 3,485,260 1,627,320 7,400 2,000 1,036,000 2,600 16,500 900,000 10,000 280 1,857,000 2,022,850 248,300 45,200 44,180 10 1,240 76,000 229,100 220 133,570

42.05 1.86 0.9 1.6 10.8 95.00 17.32 22.05 45.7 2.48 1.74 10 10.000 8.20 6.71 7.60 1.66 11.78 25.5 71 13.64 5.96 2.330 207.00 3.5 40.00 24.3 24.3 6.65 324.00 4.28 8.19 4.81 11.50 3.68 2.02 2.55 4.12 5 137.5 3.8 2.15 0.158 1.25 2.19 199 4.73 0.67 1.18

0.36 0.54 1.12 0.63 -2.00 5.56 -0.12 -3.29 0.00 -2.36 -2.25 0.00 -1.77 -1.20 -2.75 -0.91 0.00 -0.17 -1.92 -2.14 4.12 0.34 -3.32 -0.58 -7.65 -3.38 0.21 -0.41 -1.48 -1.46 0.00 2.89 0.21 0.17 -1.87 1.00 -5.20 0.00 0.00 -2.14 -2.56 -1.83 -1.86 1.63 -0.90 -2.93 0.00 0.00 -3.28

1,751,500 82,000 797,000 658,000 400 550 2,501,400 207,000 48,300 609,000 354,000 424,400 7,683,700 2,390,300 7,458,600 466,600 26,000 3,700 1,952,800 641,140 22,100 108,900 1,105,000 73,730 12,000 800 4,145,700 107,300 119,700 432,680 105,000 6,259,800 43,000 38,000 215,000 193,000 1,059,000 657,000 6,000 20,050 57,000 100,000 4,190,000 100,000 767,000 1,743,670 2,000 110,000 182,000

0.395 58.0000 18.52 6.50 0.250 0.250 780 7.45 12.38 3.8 0.250 1344 72.90 6.92 0.82 12.5 5.37 9.32 0.0300 1.920 2.82 50.35 871.50 1.20 0.76 170.00 108.500 0.3300 0.2390 0.310

-2.47 1.22 -1.91 0.00 0.81 0.00 0.26 -0.93 -3.28 -5.24 -1.96 -0.88 -0.82 -1.14 2.50 0.00 0.56 3.67 -6.25 1.05 3.30 0.70 -1.25 0.00 -5.00 -5.56 0.00 0.00 -0.42 -3.13

80,000 1,522,320 5,057,500 11,300 880,000 10,000 412,370 465,200 4,899,800 52,000 270,000 99,860 1,973,490 1,052,400 1,458,000 6,187,300 36,755,200 3,676,000 65,800,000 1,142,000 5,000 750,830 370,260 24,000 215,000 330 22,740 10,520,000 410,000 1,520,000

6.654 0.70 1.130 35.700 3.45

5.96 -4.11 0.89 -2.46 -3.63

2,532,700 3,038,391.00 2,374,000 15,000 10,227,500 -75,357,160.00 832,000 69,020.00

1,946,950.00 -124,592,261 21,133,227.50

-93,574.00 99,050.00 -62,849,234.50 127,200.00 -160,874.50 9,030.00 -961,390 -4,349,511.00 78,000.00 -5,620,530.00 -514,970.00

5,649,098.00 22,050.00 1,948,320 -20,080.00 -30,478,598.00 -7,139,003.00 -16,481,465.00 -2,011,387.00 -11,780.00 -34,814,285.00 8,789,361.00 231,608.00 115,609.00 6,990.00 -4,729,306.00 -79,525,805.00 389,000.00 28,597,906.00 432,340.00 -5,945.00

13,000.00 -993,410.00 -2,645,547.00 -213,130.00 16,100.00 -22,200.00 -180,999,219.00

3,950.00 -43,700,825.50 2,723,004.00

154,588,060.00 1,092,801.00 -8,517,238.00 -63,796,950.00 -25,448,791.00 -3,388,113.00 18,983,406.00 141,420,380.00 -277,720.00 31,000.00 5,660.00 -18,166,920.50 -192,908,300.00

-854,515.00 34,500.00 76,500.00

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low 5.59 1.44 1.48 0.201 0.69 10.96 0.97 2.22 2.1 1.8 8.4 5.94 0.180 0.470 0.72 8.54 31.8 2.29 4.9 21.35 1.06 7.56 1.62 8.59

4.96 0.79 0.97 0.083 0.415 2.4 0.83 1.15 1.42 1.27 3.1 4.13 0.090 0.290 0.39 2.69 22.15 1.6 3.1 15.08 0.69 3.38 0.83 5.73

10.5 66 1.09 14.88 28.5 15.82 0.1430 5.06 99.1 7.67 4 2720 8.41 1.97 119.5 12.5 0.017 0.8200 2.2800 12.28 3.32 1 2.46 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 18.2 8.6 0.0770 2.95 56.1 4.8 2.58 1600 5.95 1.23 102.6 8.72 0.011 0.041 1.200 6.5 1.91 0.650 1.8 6 0.335 0.37 79 4.39 2748 0.435 1.2 31.45 60.55

STOCKS

Close

Cebu Holdings Century Property Cityland Dev. `A’ Crown Equities Inc. Cyber Bay Corp.

Double Dragon Empire East Land Global-Estate Filinvest Land,Inc. Interport `A’ Keppel Properties Megaworld MRC Allied Ind. Phil. Estates Corp.

Phil. Realty `A’ Primex Corp.

Robinson’s Land `B’ Rockwell Shang Properties Inc. SM Prime Holdings Sta. Lucia Land Inc. Starmalls Suntrust Home Dev. Inc. Vista Land & Lifescapes

11.6 0.85 2.95 10 0.490 1.9

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

Cebu Air Inc. (5J) DFNN Inc. Easy Call “Common” Globe Telecom GMA Network Inc. Harbor Star I.C.T.S.I. IPeople Inc. `A’ IP E-Game Ventures Inc. Island Info ISM Communications Leisure & Resorts Liberty Telecom Manila Bulletin Manila Jockey 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

0.0098 5.45 17.24 0.330 1.19 1.62 9.5 4.2 0.48 0.420 0.440 0.022 0.023 8.2 49.2 4.27 1.030 3.06 0.020 7.67 12.88 10.42 0.040 420 9 0.016

0.0043 1.72 6.47 0.236 0.85 0.77 5.99 1.17 0.305 0.2130 0.2160 0.013 0.014 3.240 18.96 2.11 0.365 1.54 0.012 5.4 7.26 2.27 0.015 115.9 3.67 0.0100

Abra Mining Apex `A’ Atlas Cons. `A’ Basic Energy Corp.

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

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

TA Petroleum United Paragon

70 553 120 8.21 12.28 111 84.8

33 490 101.5 5.88 6.5 101 75

ABS-CBN Holdings Corp.

Ayala Corp. Pref `B1’ First Gen G GMA Holdings Inc. Leisure and Resort MWIDE PREF SMC Preferred C SMC Preferred E SMC Preferred F

6.98

0.8900 LR Warrant

15 88 12.88

3.5 13.5 5.95

130.7

105.6 First Metro ETF

Makati Fin. Corp.

IRipple E-Business Intl Xurpas

High

VALUE 879,282,459.86 1,306,761,317.27 1,741,689,147.288 1,467,989,801.50 944,522,710.81 146,024,606.608 6,525,495,068.34

FINANCIAL 1,577.06 (DOWN) 19.23 INDUSTRIAL 11,439.95 (DOWN) 172.81 HOLDING FIRMS 6,663.63 (DOWN) 37.98 PROPERTY 3,025.60 (DOWN) 71.99 SERVICES 1,751.69 (DOWN) 20.22 MINING & OIL 11,612.07 (DOWN) 196.04 PSEI 7,189.25 (DOWN) 100.01 All Shares Index 4,143.39 (DOWN) 45.86 Gainers: 57; Losers: 106; Unchanged: 48; Total: 211

Close

5.16 0.6 1.03 0.125 0.510 20.95 0.900 1.15 1.72 1.29 4.79 4.8 0.089 0.2950 0.4550 8.45 31.00 1.51 3.15 22.45 0.79 8.47 1.030 5.660

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

5.16 5.08 5.08 0.61 0.59 0.6 1.03 1.03 1.03 0.125 0.124 0.124 0.520 0.500 0.510 21 20.45 20.5 0.900 0.900 0.900 1.16 1.13 1.13 1.75 1.73 1.74 1.29 1.29 1.29 4.79 4.30 4.50 4.94 4.8 4.8 0.091 0.088 0.088 0.2900 0.2900 0.2900 0.4800 0.4500 0.4500 8.48 8.4 8.42 31.50 30.10 30.25 1.55 1.5 1.52 3.24 3.15 3.24 22.50 21.65 21.70 0.79 0.75 0.77 8.2 8.18 8.18 1.040 1.010 1.010 5.690 5.510 5.570 SERVICES 8.33 8.3 8.2 8.2 65.1 65.25 65.1 65.15 0.570 0.570 0.560 0.570 11.3 11.3 11.3 11.3 28 26.5 26.5 26.5 6.50 6.48 6.20 6.20 0.0550 0.0600 0.0560 0.0570 3.66 3.65 3.58 3.58 87 87.5 85.5 86.4 5.90 6.10 5.99 6.10 3.52 3.53 3.40 3.53 2320 2326 2274 2310 7.12 7.40 7.15 7.37 1.25 1.25 1.22 1.25 85.3 86.2 83.05 84.3 11.42 11.42 11.42 11.42 0.011 0.012 0.012 0.012 0.181 0.185 0.180 0.183 1.4200 1.4200 1.3800 1.3900 8.99 8.99 8.91 8.92 3.47 3.74 3.49 3.54 0.620 0.620 0.620 0.620 1.99 2 2 2 3.99 4 3.82 3.82 0.285 0.295 0.285 0.295 0.840 0.940 0.820 0.880 100.00 102.00 100.00 102.00 20.00 20.15 19.52 20.15 2288.00 2306.00 2250.00 2250.00 0.560 0.570 0.560 0.570 1.170 1.170 1.140 1.140 36.00 36.10 35.90 35.95 77.15 77.30 77.00 77.15 6.50 6.59 6.31 6.32 5.53 5.62 5.45 5.47 0.48 0.48 0.47 0.47 1.51 1.51 1.51 1.51 4.6 4.78 4.45 4.7 0.345 0.355 0.340 0.340 4.140 4.200 4.080 4.180 MINING & OIL 0.0049 0.0049 0.0048 0.0049 2.34 2.32 2.20 2.25 6.11 6.23 6.00 6.10 0.219 0.230 0.212 0.225 0.77 0.77 0.74 0.75 0.67 0.75 0.67 0.7 9.26 9.47 9.06 9.20 0.92 0.94 0.90 0.92 0.320 0.345 0.320 0.325 0.196 0.196 0.192 0.192 0.205 0.205 0.201 0.205 0.0110 0.0110 0.0110 0.0110 0.012 0.012 0.012 0.012 2.85 2.99 2.74 2.74 8.47 8.54 7.9 7.91 3.15 3.23 3.08 3.15 0.6400 0.6100 0.5900 0.5900 1.5400 1.6300 1.4800 1.5400 0.0110 0.0110 0.0100 0.0110 4.04 4.00 4.00 4.00 5.70 5.750 5.500 5.54 1.71 1.900 1.540 1.55 0.0140 0.0140 0.0130 0.0140 136.40 136.40 135.30 135.70 2.55 2.74 2.44 2.45 0.0080 0.0094 0.0083 0.0085 PREFERRED 66 66 65.9 66 520 513.5 513.5 513.5 115.6 116.5 116.5 116.5 7.05 7.15 7 7.11 1.13 1.13 1.13 1.13 110 112.7 112.7 112.7 82 82 82 82 78 78.8 78.5 78.5 80.1 80.05 80 80 WARRANTS & BONDS 3.050 3.010 2.900 3.000 SME 2.8 2.96 2.78 2.8 58.5 58.5 57.6 57.6 16.02 16.26 15.96 16 EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 119.3 119.2 117.5 117.6

T op g ainerS STOCKS

Low

-1.55 0.00 0.00 -0.80 0.00 -2.15 0.00 -1.74 1.16 0.00 -6.05 0.00 -1.12 -1.69 -1.10 -0.36 -2.42 0.66 2.86 -3.34 -2.53 -3.42 -1.94 -1.59

3,500 1,702,000 11,000 3,100,000 5,705,000 924,800 1,382,000 682,000 40,619,000 350,000 10,000 40,234,000 2,600,000 340,000 550,000 195,000 12,859,000 79,000 70,000 12,609,500 2,346,000 97,800 3,169,000 2,974,000

-12,700.00 -214,200.00

-1.56 0.08 0.00 0.00 -5.36 -4.62 3.64 -2.19 -0.69 3.39 0.28 -0.43 3.51 0.00 -1.17 0.00 9.09 1.10 -2.11 -0.78 2.02 0.00 0.50 -4.26 3.51 4.76 2.00 0.75 -1.66 1.79 -2.56 -0.14 0.00 -2.77 -1.08 -2.08 0.00 2.17 -1.45 0.97

60,100 18,460 1,385,000 778,980 800 -7,910.00 10,400 8,835,500 -23,443,024.00 100,190,000 184,000 517,400 22,165,978.00 591,300 19,000 67,170 -56,271,950.00 499,900 61,000 703,340 -2,547,608.50 100 0.00 2,000,000 4,320,000 -18,000.00 2,571,000 1,420.00 447,000 3,951,510.00 1,335,000 2,000 10,000 7,925,000 -11,092,900.00 290,000 37,922,000 -84,220.00 2,730 199,113.00 124,000 1,555,854.00 130,010 -80,955,260.00 978,000 1,465,000 -65,360.00 2,213,600 1,279,170.00 290,510 1,612,389.50 1,268,400 357,500.00 3,988,800 -1,439,863.00 2,080,000 -304,000.00 1,000 13,904,000 -10,662,090.00 350,000 34,500.00 320,000

0.00 -3.85 -0.16 2.74 -2.60 4.48 -0.65 0.00 1.56 -2.04 0.00 0.00 0.00 -3.86 -6.61 0.00 -7.81 0.00 0.00 -0.99 -2.81 -9.36 0.00 -0.51 -3.92 6.25

273,000,000 228,000 269,700 -285,783.00 110,000 486,000 11,071,000 63,500 220,383.00 8,054,000 1,316,920.00 990,000 4,330,000 -1,940.00 570,000 -100,500.00 51,500,000 900,000 1,842,000 -319,810.00 6,621,900 -6,733,650.00 441,000 31,900.00 170,000 318,000 -32,050.00 3,900,000 17,000 844,100 50,309.00 13,429,000 -1,755,770.00 247,900,000 -2,600.00 217,740 -6,648,716.00 909,000 69,480.00 62,000,000 -42,500.00

0.00 -1.25 0.78 0.85 0.00 2.45 0.00 0.64 -0.12

515,120 200 70 54,400 5,000 160 15,940 1,245,270 1,074,480

-1.64

60,000

0.00 -1.54 -0.12

27,000 3,660 2,360,700

5,600.00

-1.42

8,890

48,749.00

125,000.00 -451,660.00 -696,355.00 13,109,290.00 71,484,020.00

1,051,900.00 -61,769,835.00 -213,237,070.00 11,550.00 268,304.00 -34,340.00 -1,775,156.00

2,513,196.00 -102,700.00

82,000.00

18,343,246.00

T op L oSerS Close (P)

Change (%)

STOCKS

Close (P)

Change (%)

IP E-Game Ventures Inc.

0.012

9.09

PhilexPetroleum

1.55

-9.36

United Paragon

0.0085

6.25

Omico

0.5900

-7.81

8990 HLDG

6.654

5.96

Mabuhay Vinyl

3.5

-7.65

C. Azuc De Tarlac

95.00

5.56

Nickelasia

7.91

-6.61

NOW Corp.

0.880

4.76

Pacifica `A'

0.0300

-6.25 -6.05

Coal Asia

0.7

4.48

Keppel Properties

4.50

Holcim Philippines Inc.

13.64

4.12

Bright Kindle Resources

1.84

-5.64

Minerales Industrias Corp.

9.32

3.67

Transgrid

170.00

-5.56

Boulevard Holdings

0.0570

3.64

Berjaya Phils. Inc.

26.5

-5.36

GMA Network Inc.

7.37

3.51

F&J Prince 'A'

3.8

-5.24

FRIDAY: OCTOBER 30, 2015

B3

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

PLDT Capital investing $30m

By Darwin G. Amojelar

PLDT Capital, the new investment arm of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., expects to close three investment deals worth $15 million to $30 million before the end of the year.

“These are minor, small investments between $5 to $10 million each,” PLDT president and chief executive Napoleon Nazareno told reporters on the sidelines of

PLDT Group’s partnership with Airbnb.

He said the new investments were more of digital mobile platforms.

Stock market tumbles THE stock market tumbled Thursday on profit taking and after the US Federal Reserve hinted at a possible December interest rate hike.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index fell 100.01 points, or 1.4 percent, to 7,189.25 on a value turnover of P6.5 billion.

Robinsons Land Corp. of industrialist John Gokongwei dropped 2.4 percent to P30.25, while sister unit Universal Robina Corp., the biggest snack food maker, declined 2.9 percent to P199.

Major property developer Ayala Land Inc. lost 2.4 percent to P35.70, while BDO Unibank Inc., the largest lender in terms of assets, fell 2 percent to P101.90. Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., the biggest telecommunications firm, slipped 1.7 percent to P2,250.

The Fed on Wednesday kept interest rates at record lows but expressed faith in the outlook for the world’s top economy, brushing over recent weak spots—such as under-par jobs growth—and focusing on what it called “solid” consumer spending and business investment.

Policymakers dropped a warning from September that the muted global economy could affect the US, even as worries mount about slowing growth in China and falling commodity prices. With AFP

Sept. customs collections down THE Bureau of Customs said Thursday collection in September fell 0.8 percent to P32.65 billion from P32.91 billion year-on-year due to lower oil prices. The figure is also 21 percent short of the P41.1-billion target for the month.

Total value of importation in September decreased 5.4 percent while volume grew 20.5 percent.

Non-oil revenues climbed 11.3 percent to P26.59 billion while collections from petroleum products decreased 33 percent to P6 billion.

Revenues in the nine-month period rose 0.9 percent to P268.23 billion, but were 14.6 percent, or P45.942 billion, short of the target of P314.171 billion.

Non-oil collections from January to September increased 13.2 percent year-on-year to P218.85 billion. Both volume and imports rose 16 percent and 5.5 percent, respectively.

Volume of imports of oil products increased 20.6 percent in the nine-month period but the value dropped 32.4 percent. Collections from oil decreased 32 percent year on year, or P23.123 billion, after as the average oil prices for the period dropped 48 percent. Gabrielle H. Binaday

Regular trading on Nov. 17, 20 PHILIPPINE Stock Exchange Inc. and the Securities Clearing Corporation of the Philippines will have regular trading, clearing and settlement on November 17 and 20, 2015.

The two agencies announced the regular trading after the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said the Philippine Payments and Settlements System would be operational on the two dates.

“We are grateful to the BSP for making financial clearing and settlement operations available to the public on November 17 and 20. This development allows financial institutions, including the PSE, to continue their normal services to the investing public and various stakeholders even when government offices in NCR are closed on these dates,” said PSE president and chief executive Hans Sicat.

The PhilPaSS of the central bank is a vital component in the trading cycle as it operates the settlement of transactions of financial institutions.

November 17 and 20 were earlier declared as non-working holidays for the government in the National Capital Region in relation to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings.

Jenniffer B. Austria

MNTC sees increased traffic THE operator of North Luzon Expressway and Subic Clark

Tarlac Expressway expects traffic to increase by 10 percent to 15 percent during the All Saints Day. Manila North Tollways Corp. said NLEX had a daily average vehicle entries ofover 190,000 in NLEx and 35,000 in SCTEx. MNTC added the traffic was expected to build up in the afternoon of October 30 until the late morning of November 1 going north.

For vehicles traveling back to Manila, heavy traffic is expected to start in the early evening till midnight of October 31.

The next wave of increased traffic volume southbound is expected in the afternoon of November 1 (Sunday) until the morning of November 2.

NLEx will open spare lanes and additional layers of manual toll collection during peak hours at the Mindanao, Dau and Bocaue toll plazas. For SCTEX, an advance toll collection will be conducted at Mabalacat on October 30 and 31.

Darwin G. Amojelar

PLDT Capital earlier invested $10 million in Phunware, a USbased mobile services and application company.

Phunware, through its pioneering multiscreen service platform, gives companies everything they need to engage seamlessly with their customers through mobile devices, from indoor and outdoor location-based marketing and advertising to content management, notifications and analytics, to indoor mapping, navigation and way finding.

The partnership will enable PLDT’s subsidiary, ePLDT, to

market and exclusively distribute Phunware’s targeted mobile and multiscreen solutions in Southeast Asia.

PLDT Capital has an initial budget of $50 million to support PLDT business units, which include Smart, ePLDT, Digital5 and Voyage.

Meanwhile, Smart Communications Inc., along with PLDT and Voyager Innovations, announced a partnership with Airbnb, the world’s leading community-driven hospitality company.

“We’re excited to help bring yet another digital innovation closer

to more Filipinos nationwide, this time with a global pioneer in travel accommodations, Airbnb,” Smart executive vice president and head of consumer business Ariel Fermin Smart said.

“As more and more Filipinos, particularly the younger ones, find the time and resources to travel around the country and abroad, we are providing them convenient access to millions of the most unique accommodations around the world through our partnership with Airbnb, as part of the revolutionary ‘Smart Life’ experience,” Fermin said.

FRIDAY: OCTOBER 30, 2015

B4

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

Robinsons allots $200m in China

By Jenniffer B. Austria

ROBINSONS Land Corp., the property development arm of the Gokongwei group, said it spent $200 million to acquire an 8.5-hectare property in Chengdu, China and will likely spend “a few hundred million dollars” more to develop its first residential project overseas.

Robinsons Land president Frederick Go said in an interview at the sidelines of the 17th Asia Pacific Retailers Conference and Exhibitions at SMX Mall of Asia in Pasay City he expected the company to do very well in China, given its “knowhow and expertise.”

“We believe we will do well in this project. We are confident in

our ability to execute this project very well,” Go said.

Go said the company’s venture in China was also a good strategy to “expand the company’s base.”

Go said for the Chengdu property, Robinsons Land would target the upper-middle market which he said was a “very deep market” in China. The property will also be developed in phases.

He said at least 90 percent of the property would be developed for residential project while the remaining 10 percent would be for commercial development.

Go said the company was now finalizing a master plan for the property to be submitted to the Chinese government for approval.

He said he expected to begin development of the project as soon as it obtained all the required permits from the Chinese government.

He said while there were concerns that China’s economy was slowing down, the Chinese government made steps to relax some regulations which might be in favor of the real estate sector.

Robinsons Land, the real estate arm of conglomerate JG Summit Holdings Inc., is primarily

engaged in the development and operation of shopping malls and hotels, and the development of mixed-use properties, office and residential buildings, as well as land and residential housing developments, including socialized housing projects in key cities.

The property firm earlier said it was targeting to double net income to P9.4 billion by 2019 from P4.7 billion in 2014, as it continued to expand its four core businesses Robinsons Land is currently the second largest mall operator in the country, with 39 malls and gross leasable area of 1.08 million square meters.

It is also one of the largest BPO landlords with 10 office buildings and gross leasable space of 275,000 square meters.

The company also operates 10 hotels.

Frederick Go

CYAN MAGENTA YEL

Manila

Standard

Form 2B (Revised June 2014)

TODAY 16th to 19th Floors, Fort Legend Towers 31st Street corner 3rd Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City 1634 Statement of Condition (Head Office and Branches) As of September 30, 2015 AMOUNTS

ASSETS

CURRENT QUARTER

PREVIOUS QUARTER

Cash and Cash Items Due from Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) 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 Interbank Loans Receivable Loans and Receivables - Others General Loan Loss Provision Other Financial Assets Bank Premises, Furniture, Fixture and Equipment-Net Real and Other Properties Acquired-Net Other Assets-Net

PhP

340,190,729.80 3,349,213,132.61 2,549,413,728.18 722,616,129.71 1,013,862,578.43 299,567,931.77 126,594,597.54 12,440,816.63 19,829,040,442.52 989,294,915.26 19,053,936,027.18 214,190,499.92 103,440,062.58 201,491,864.13 7,927,444.40 625,717,906.59

289,201,429.49 2,876,435,543.98 1,708,910,322.82 597,720,109.98 978,059,832.70 310,384,350.91 143,541,743.84 12,440,816.63 20,789,801,728.14 1,390,093,762.98 19,614,321,589.08 214,613,623.92 110,900,130.49 204,797,881.99 8,254,062.13 682,267,573.16

TOTAL ASSETS

PhP

29,181,517,364.89

28,712,715,526.26

Financial Liabilities at Fair Value through Profit or Loss Deposit Liabilities Bills Payable a) Interbank Loans Payable Due to Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Other Financial Liabilities Other Liabilities

PhP

69,057,543.74 18,668,918,653.65 1,707,878,400.00 1,707,878,400.00 0.00 465,408,939.00 1,477,237,579.80

38,245,154.49 18,255,765,707.56 1,951,456,480.00 1,951,456,480.00 0.00 460,937,259.88 1,336,061,911.88

TOTAL LIABILITIES

PhP

22,388,501,116.19

22,042,466,513.81

Capital Stock Other Capital Accounts Retained Earnings

PhP

2,533,200,985.17 263,687,280.28 3,996,127,983.25

2,533,200,985.17 140,920,044.03 3,996,127,983.25

TOTAL STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

PhP

6,793,016,248.70

6,670,249,012.45

TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

PhP

29,181,517,364.89

28,712,715,526.26

Financial Standby Letters of Credit Performance Standby Letters of Credit Commercial Letters of Credit Trade Related Guarantees Spot Foreign Exchange Contracts Trust Department Accounts a) Trust and Other Fiduciary Accounts b) Agency Accounts Derivatives Others

PhP

0.00 1,285,047,035.43 397,210,987.46 0.00 2,558,238,468.60 1,337,156,070.32 682,903,825.71 654,252,244.61 23,042,076,583.70 1,804,013,291.85

45,090,000.00 925,384,818.10 316,264,024.01 2,919,265.88 3,292,570,825.33 1,334,699,975.55 665,373,324.85 669,326,650.70 22,526,688,461.17 697,257,514.17

TOTAL CONTINGENT ACCOUNTS

PhP

30,423,742,437.36

29,140,874,884.21

PhP PhP

20,279,842,479.83 236,611,537.39

21,246,030,874.51 241,615,522.45

PhP

352,143,947.69 1.74% 115,532,410.30 0.57%

365,040,429.64 1.72% 123,424,907.19 0.58%

PhP

528,638,072.31

560,852,288.42

PhP

20,669,218.89

21,128,132.05

PhP

0.10% 361,600.74

0.10% 9,030.80

LIABILITIES

STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

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 of allowance for credit losses Ratio of DOSRI Loans and receivables, gross of allowance for credit losses, to TLP (%) Gross Non-performing DOSRI loans and receivables Ratio of gross non-performing DOSRI loans and receivable 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 a. Total CAR (%) b. TIER 1 Ratio (%) c. CET 1 (%)

PhP

0.00%

0.00%

3.02% 4.93% 5.72%

3.25% 4.78% 4.85%

24.74% 23.97% 23.97%

24.22% 23.44% 23.44%

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) TAGUIG CITY ) S.S. I/We, ANDRE P. PAYAWAL and STEVE TSAI of the abovementioned Bank, do solemnly swear that all matters set forth in the above statement of condition are true and correct to the best of my/our knowledge and belief.

(Sgd.) ANDRE P. PAYAWAL Chief Finance Officer, FVP (Signature Over Printed Name)

(Sgd.) WEN-HSIUNG TSAI a.k.a. STEVE TSAI President and CEO (Signature Over Printed Name)

SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN to before me this October 21, 2015 affiants exhibiting to me his/their TIN 150-031779-000 and 462-868-631-000.

Doc. No. 479; Book No. IX; Page No. 97; Series of 2015

(Sgd.) ATTY. MARY ANGELINE S. TOL NOTARY PUBLIC FOR TAGUIG CITY UNTIL DECEMBER 31, 2015 16/F, Fort Legend Towers, Third Ave. corner 31st St. Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City APPT. NO. 86 / ROLL NO. 51630 PTR NO. A-2368197/01-06-15/TAGUIG CITY IBP NO. 983176/01-06-15/CAVITE

‘Planting’ a lucrative business at NAIA WE have to hand it to some transport security personnel at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport for showing a lot of entrepreneurial savvy. These people are such visionaries that they recognized the potential of NAIA as a rich field of opportunity where they can harvest a lot of profits by engaging in a different kind of agricultural practice -- planting bullets or drug or what is now popularly known as “tanim bala” and “tanim droga.”

People got to know about this practice about a month ago when a Filipina balikbayan on her way back to the US and a tourist on his way to Palawan complained that bullets were planted in their luggage. The Filipina, Rhed Austria de Guzman, was shocked to find two bullets in her bag during a scan at NAIA 2. The woman admitted that she paid the screening personnel when she was told to just “fix” it —perhaps anticipating the kind of trouble and hassle she could go through if she contested the issue. The other victim, an American missionary, refused to shut up and put up, complaining that some unscrupulous personnel were trying to mulct P30,000 from him to make the bullet allegedly found in the luggage “disappear.”

We’re convinced that some people manning the NAIA scanners and other security people are such big fans of the late action king Fernando Poe Jr. or FPJ because they found inspiration in Da King’s famous one-liner that was also a movie title: “Isang bala ka lang.”

Indeed, one tiny rusting bullet can destroy everything you’ve worked for if these ‘tards’ choose you as a target, like the nightmare that’s happening to the latest planting victim—a 56-year-old domestic worker named Gloria Ortinez who was on her way back to Hong Kong but is now facing charges of illegal possession of ammunition.

A furor has been raised and a lot of groups and personalities, like senatorial candidates Ralph Recto and Susan Ople, who is an OFW advocate, are urging the Department of Justice to immediately withdraw the case filed against Ortinez who is facing a 12-year prison term.

According to the victim’s lawyer Spocky Farolan, his client was deprived of counsel while they were grilling her and telling her to just own up —which is a violation of her rights. What’s also curious about it is that the bullet allegedly found in her bag was different from the “evidence” presented as basis for the case against the hapless migrant worker known as “Nanay Gloria.”

A lot of procedural irregularities were also reportedly committed in the case of Nanay Gloria.

For instance, her passport and her boarding pass were seized when the apprehending officers “talked” to her but the boarding pass was not returned. The

sad thing about it is that Nanay Gloria, who has been an OFW in Hong Kong for many years, having practically raised the child of her employer—said to be a single mother—like her own will probably find herself jobless because of her ordeal. Naturally, the employer will look for someone else because she cannot keep her and the child’s life on hold while waiting for the resolution of this case. Worse, Nanay Gloria’s reputation is being shot to pieces because of the accompanying publicity surrounding her case.

Ople, a former labor undersecretary, is right: the government should not be seen as inflicting its might and resources on a hapless overseas domestic worker who already spent two nights under detention for a crime that she did not commit.

“I join the call of millions of OFWs for the full liberty of Nanay Gloria, and for the State to allow her to leave for Hong Kong where her employer of 13 years awaits,” the labor advocate said.

For sure, these “tanim-bala” incidents have created a climate of fear among returning OFWs and will probably create a black mark again as far as tourists are concerned. “Yung tanim-bala naging tanim-takot na,” Ople said, adding that the OFW sector is appealing to President BS Aquino to personally look into this matter.

Ortinez for her part has vehemently denied ownership of the carbine bullet wrapped in red cloth, saying she would never bring in such ammunition knowing that Hong Kong has very strict security laws.

“I am urging the DoJ to withdraw its complaint since it is quite clear that Nanay Gloria is innocent. Why would she risk the job waiting for her in Hong Kong for one bullet? As a longtime OFW, she is quite aware that carrying ammunition is prohibited under Philippine and Hong Kong laws.”

Many agree with Ople’s assessment that if this government can’t even protect the rights of its own workers, then what moral ascendancy do we have to demand foreign governments to protect and observe the rights of our OFWs? The OFW advocate also called for reforms in airport and security management as she pointed out that the airport has become a hotbed of unprecedented cruelty directed against OFWs. Meantime, while all this furor is ongoing, how come we haven’t heard a peep from the MIAA chief? What’s his name again?

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

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CESAR BARRIOQUINTO EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Power struggle strangles Maldives COLOMBO—To honeymooners lounging on its sparkling sands, the Maldives may appear the closest thing to paradise on earth.

But away from the beaches, a gripping but vicious power struggle is playing out, which observers say has yet to run its course and in which outsiders show little inclination to intervene.

The vice-president is behind bars over claims he tried to blow up his boss on his speedboat, joining the island’s first democratically-elected leader.

The president’s election running mate is on the run, and the presidential spokesman was sacked last week.

Synonymous with the jet-set, the Maldives is perhaps the ideal setting for a drama with storylines fit for a Dallas-style soap opera and a cast including George Clooney’s wife Amal and rival lawyer Cherie Blair, wife of former British prime minister Tony Blair.

Largely operating behind the scenes is the patriarchal figure of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, a 77-year-old former ruler who, critics say, is using his half-brother, Abdulla Yameen, as a proxy president.

“What we are seeing today is the return of the dictator through his half-brother,” said opposition Maldivian Democratic Party spokesman Hamid Abdul Ghafoor.

Gayoom ruled with an iron fist for 30 years before losing the island’s first genuine elections to MDP leader and one-time prisoner Mohammed Nasheed.

Barely three years later, climate activist Nasheed was toppled when security chiefs and judges appointed by Gayoom revolted against attempted reforms.

Since then, observers say Gayoom’s clan has steadily re-exerted control, flattening anyone in its way.

When Nasheed attempted a comeback in 2013, the election was twice postponed before Yameen won a controversial run-off.

Nasheed was subsequently jailed for 13 years for “terrorism” related to the stand-off that ended in his ouster.

Allies have also run into trouble, with Vice President Ahmed Adeeb arrested last week for treason over the speedboat explosion that left Yameen unscathed but injured the first lady. AFP

WORLD Envoys seek unanimity on Syria in Vienna talks VIENNA—The key players in the diplomatic push to end the Syrian war were to meet in Vienna Thursday, seeking common ground over a political transition ahead of Iran’s first-time appearance at international talks on the conflict.

Holy water tank. An Indian Sikh devotee takes a dip in the holy water tank at The Sikh Shrine

Golden Temple in Amritsar on October 29, 2015. The ‘Jalau’ took place on the occasion of the birth anniversary of the fourth Sikh Guru Ramdass. Ramdass was born in Lahore in 1574 and is Chauthi Patshahi or the fourth Guru as well as the Guru who established the city of Amritsar. AFP

Top diplomats from Russia, the United States, Saudi Arabia and Turkey will hold the second round of talks on Syria in less than a week, ahead of the larger meeting of regional players, including Iran, on Friday.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif will join representatives from Britain, Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Lebanon and the European Union as the international community seeks to end more than four years of bloodshed.

It will be the first time all the major players in the conflict are in the same room, though there has been no mention of either the Syrian government or the opposition attending.

The inclusion of Iran—a key backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad—in this week’s meetings marks a crucial shift after Tehran was excluded from earlier talks, mainly because of opposition from Washington and Riyadh.

US Secretary of State John Kerry cautioned that this week’s talks would not secure an immediate political solution, but nevertheless represented the best hope available.

“While finding a way forward on Syria will not be easy—it’s not going to be automatic—it is the most promising opportunity for a political opening we have seen,” Kerry said just before he set off for Vienna.

“The challenge that we face in Syria today is nothing less than to chart a course out of hell,” he added.

Britain’s Foreign Office said the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Jordan will also attend Friday.

Washington is at loggerheads with Moscow over Syria, accusing Russian forces of concentrating their air campaign there on moderate opposition groups opposed to Assad’s rule.

Moscow says its bombing campaign is targeting Islamic State jihadists and also other “terrorist” groups.

But Kerry stressed that the US and Russia also shared “common ground”, arguing that both want “a united, secular Syria” in which citizens can choose their own leader through elections.

After months of failure, efforts to find a breakthrough have gained pace as hundreds of thousands of Syrians have fled their shattered country. AFP

Filmmakers turning an uncensored lens on Myanmar YANGON—Unshackled from decades of censorship by military rulers that choked creativity along with dissent, a new generation of Myanmar filmmakers are turning their cameras on to subjects once deemed taboo.

Once home to one of the most prolific movie industries in Southeast Asia, Myanmar’s film studios atrophied under nearly half a century of junta control.

But in the four years since outright army rule ended, a crop of emerging documentary-makers are telling long-neglected tales of

daily life—from homosexual relationships to the marginalisation of refugees.

Freedom of expression, although still imperfect inside a country where authorities retain a repressive reflex, is one of the clearest gains of the reforms so far.

Young filmmakers are hopeful the November 8 elections will be a watershed moment, with Aung San Suu Kyi’s pro-democracy opposition tipped to make major gains, raising hopes for greater opportunities to debate the nation’s issues through the arts.

“We have to reveal the true situation of our country. There are many hidden problems and sorrows which people keep to themselves,” said 36-year-old film student Nwaye Zar Che Soe at the nation’s only film school in Yangon.

Her documentary tackles land grabbing, an incendiary issue in Myanmar where the state and its powerful business allies are accused of displacing tens of thousands of people without due process.

Yet boundaries remain and two topics in

particular remain too sensitive for the silver screen: the military and religion.

In a country where the army still holds sway over the quasi-civilian government and radical Buddhism is on the rise, free speech has once again been cramped in recent months.

In October an activist was arrested over a satirical Facebook post about the military, while a bar manager from New Zealand languishes in jail over a cheap drinks promotion that used an image of the Buddha wearing headphones. AFP

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WORLD

CESAR BARRIOQUINTO EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Earthquake survivors desperate CHITRAL, Pakistan— Earthquake survivors in Pakistan and Afghanistan emerged from a third night without shelter Thursday, as village leaders warned they had nothing to protect children from the freezing conditions while rescuers struggle to reach isolated communities.

Desperate victims appealed for blankets, warm clothes and food after Monday’s 7.5-magnitude quake ripped through the region, killing nearly 390 people while leveling thousands of homes and forcing many to camp out in the open.

Rugged terrain, severed communication lines and an unstable security situation have impeded relief efforts since the disaster, and local officials said they had few supplies to hand after the region was devastated by floods just three months ago.

“We usually have our own stock but we already consumed it during the floods so we were running out of stock during this earthquake,” said Muhammad Bahadur, an official in the village of Darosh in Chitral, part of the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The northwestern region, which has been hit hardest by Monday’s earthquake, also saw thousands evacuated in July as floodwaters swept away dozens of roads and bridges in the district.

Bahadur’s village had just 70 tents on hand

when the quake struck, he said.

“Around 2,500 houses have been completely destroyed... Imagine how we can satisfy the need with only 70 tents?”

Hundreds of children are now sleeping under the open sky with little protection against sub-zero nighttime temperatures, he said. “We are trying to mobilize NGOs to help them because winter is approaching and it would be unbearable.”

Pakistan’s confirmed death toll so far stands at 272, with more than 1,800 people injured and 11,000 homes damaged. AFP

Republic of the Philippines Department of Education Region V (Bicol) DIVISION OF CATANDUANES Department of Education BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE (BAC) San Roque, Virac Catanduanes, Philippines Email Address:catanduanesdiv15@gmail.com INVITATION TO BID 1.

The Department of Education, Division of Catanduanes, through the 2015 Government Appropriation Act (GAA) intends to apply the sum of Eleven Million Seven Hundred Ninety One Thousand Eight Hundred Ninety Pesos Only (Php11,791,890.00) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payment under the contract for the CY 2015 Basic Educational Facilities Fund(BEFF)- Repair of Classrooms- Batch 1 and Batch 2. Bids received that exceed the ABC per lot/cluster shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

CY 2015 BEFF- Repair of Classroom- BATCH 1

Cluster No. 1

Recipient Schools

Location

Contract Duration

Scope of Work

Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC in Php)

Guinsaanan ES

Baras

Repair of One (1) Cl

Abihao ES

Baras

Repair of One (1) Cl

60 days

297,000.00

198,000.00 891,000.00

Paniquihan ES

Baras

Repair of Six (6) Cl

Moning ES

Baras

Repair of One (1) Cl

99,000.00

Biong ES

Gigmoto

Repair of Two (2) Cl

415,800.00

Dororian ES

Gigmoto

Repair of Four (4) Cl

574,200.00 2,475,000.00

Sub-Total 2

Opening night. Actress Helen Mirren attends the 29th Israel Film Festival

Repair of Three (3) Cl Repair of Three (3) Cl

60 days

455,400.00 242,550.00

Lumabao ES

Pandan

Repair of Three (3) Cl

148,500.00

Pandan CES

Pandan

Repair of Three (3) Cl

148,500.00

San Andres ES

Pandan

Repair of One (1) Cl

148,500.00

Tabugoc CES

Pandan

Repair of Three (3) Cl

148,500.00 148,500.00

Porot ES

Pandan

Repair of Three (3) Cl

Lourdes ES

Pandan

Repair of Three (3) Cl

99,000.00

Cavinitan ES

Virac

Repair of Three (3) Cl

99,000.00

Taytay ES

Virac

Repair of Three (3) Cl

148,500.00

Pajo Baguio ES

Virac

Repair of Three (3) Cl

156,420.00

Hawan Ilaya ES

Virac

Repair of Three (3) Cl

49,500.00 1,992,870.00

GRAND TOTAL (Batch 1)

4,467,870.00

CY 2015 BEFF- Repair of Classrooms- BATCH 2

China to work on world’s top super collider in 2020 edented scale.

“LHC is hitting its limits of energy level,” Wang told the China Daily, which is published by the government. “It seems not possible to escalate the energy dramatically at the existing facility.”

At a time when austerity measures have led many developed nations to reduce research funding for projects without clear applications, China is pouring huge sums of money into theoretical as well as practical science, hoping to become a world leader in fields from biology to cosmology.

Planning for the project began in 2013, shortly after the 2012 discovery of the Higgs boson, according to slides from a presentation by Wang in Geneva that appeared on his institute’s website.

He suggested Qinhuangdao, a northern port city that is the starting point of the Great Wall, as an ideal location for the underground facility, noting its favorable geological conditions and local wineries as important selling points.

China’s rapid economic growth and large population put it in a unique position to invest in basic scientific research, he wrote. AFP

Caramoran Pandan

Sub-Total

opening night gala in Los Angeles held at the Saban Theater on October 28, 2015, in Beverly Hills, California. AFP

BEIJING—China will begin work on the world’s largest super collider in 2020, state-run media reported Thursday, in an attempt to increase understanding of the Higgs boson, or “god particle”.

The facility, designed to smash subatomic particles together at enormous speed, will reportedly be at least twice the size of the Swiss-based CERN, where the Higgs boson was discovered.

Scientists believe the particle is one of the fundamental building blocks of the universe.

The final concept design for the project is on schedule to be completed by the end of next year, Wang Yifang, director of the Institute of High Energy Physics at the China Academy of Sciences, told the China Daily.

The facility is expected to generate millions of Higgs boson particles, far more than the capacity of Europe’s Large Hadron Collider or LHC, helping scientists to answer some fundamental questions about how the universe works.

As planned, the Chinese project will generate seven times the energy of the LHC, colliding electrons and protons at super high speeds to generate the elusive particles on an unprec-

Panique ES Canlubi ES

Cluster No. 1

Recipient Schools

Location

Contract Duration

Scope of Work

Viga CES

Viga

Repair of Three (3) Cl

Villa Aurora ES

Viga

Repair of One (1) Cl

Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC in Php)

60 days

891,000.00 297,000.00

Burabod ES

Panganiban

Repair of Three (3) Cl

891,000.00

Panay Com. Sc.

Panganiban

Repair of Five (5) Cl

964,260.00

Panganiban CES

Panganiban

Repair of Fourteen (14) Cl

Panganiban NHS

Panganiban

Repair of Ten (10) Cl

3,043,260.00

Sub-Total 2

60 days

3,201,660.00 1,079,100.00 4,280,760.00

Sub-Total GRAND TOTAL (Batch 2)

7,324,020.00

GRAND TOTAL (Batch 1 and 2)

11,791,890.00

2.

The DepEd, Division of Catanduanes, through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) now invites bids for the project CY 2015 BEFFRepair of Classrooms- Batch 1 and 2. Completion of works is required 60 days per lot/cluster. Bidders should have completed, within ten (10) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly in Section II, Instruction to Bidders.

3.

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

Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least seventy five percent (75%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines.

4.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from DepEd, Division of Catanduanes and inspects the Bidding Documents at the address given below from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday to Friday.

5.

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders from the address below and upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of Five Thousand Pesos (Php5,000.00) per cluster to DepEd Division Office Cashier.

Activity

Date and Time

Issuance of Bidding Documents

From October 30, 2015 office hours, to November 18, 2015 8:00 AM

Venue SDO, Information Technology Office

Pre-Bid Conference

November 6, 2015 at 9:00 o’clock AM

SDO Conference Hall-C

Submission and Opening of Bids

November 18, 2015 at 9:00 o’clock AM

DO Conference Hall-C

Prospective bidders are strongly encouraged to order from the PhilGEPS website: www.philgeps.net for them to be included in the Document Request List of the project.

6.

The DepEd, Division of Catanduanes will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on November 6, 2015 at 9:00 AM at SDO Conference Hall C which shall be open to all interested parties.

7.

Bids must be delivered to the address and on the date and time stated herein. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18. A valid Bid Securing Declaration must accompany the bid(s) in lieu of the bid security.

Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted.

8.

The DepEd, Division of Catanduanes, reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

For further information, please refer to:

MIGUEL C. OGALINOLA Chairman, Bids and Awards Committee DepEd, Division Office, Virac, Catanduanes CP No. 09214701435

(TS-OCT. 30, 2015)

(SGD.) MIGUEL C. OGALINOLA BAC Chairman

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MOTORING

RAMON L. TOMELDAN EDITOR

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

B7

Driving fun at Twin Ring Motegi Text and photos by Dino Ray V. Directo, III

MOTEGI —A few days before the start of the 44th staging of the Tokyo Motor Show, Honda Cars Philippines, Inc left no stone unturned in making our trip to Japan a memorable one. Although I have been to this motorsport complex a couple of times, every visit is as exhilarating as the previous ones.

Before letting loose the new BR-V compact SUV and the S660 sports “Kei” car, Honda arranged for a visit to its hallowed ground for its racing history, the Honda Collection Hall within the confines of the Twin Ring Motegi. The Twin Ring Motegi is situated in the town of Motegi, Eastern Tochigi prefecture.

The race track is set against the lush greenery and forest of Mount Hakko, and began operations in 1997. It was primarily built to promote open wheel racing, and has become one of the world’s most prestigious racing venues.

The Honda Collection

Hall is a museum containing 300 vehicles, most of which are race cars and moto GP bikes, which aims to highlight Honda’s rich racing heritage. It has three floors of both commercial and racing two and four wheeled racing machines.

“All the machines on display here at the Collection Hall embody the dreams and passion of not only the people who founded Honda, but also everyone who has never used and come to love a Honda product,” explains Toshio Kuwahara, GM and President of HCPI. An hour is not enough for a car guy like me, because there are so many

Honda’s cute and spiffy Kei car, the S660

historic race cars on display such as the Honda MotoGP bikes from the 1960’s up the present time; the Super GT cars, the Formula One race cars of John Surtees and Ayrton Senna; and the super cars such as the NSX and Integra Type

R which made the brand a household name in the realm of performance and tuning segments of the auto industry.

After spending an hour at Honda’s motorsports Museum, we were taken to one of Twin Rings many

test facilities, the South Course to test the S660 and the Jade RS turbo. The Jade RS turbo is a 2WD car which is slightly bigger than the Mobilio. It has the same engine as the Jazz and has a horsepower rating of 110ps and 203NM

of torque. The Honda S660 on the other hand is a small car with a displacement of 660cc and 104NM’s of torque. Like the Jade RS, it has a turbo-fed engine, and assures everyone of a fun open top driving experience.

The F1 car of racing legend Ayrton Senna on display at the Collection Hall

The race spec Civic which made the variant a commercial success

The superbikes which made MotoGP history

FASTLANE DESIGNED for the latest generation of cars where comfort, high-speed stability and safety are the essential requirements, one of America’s most trusted and sought-after tire brand Saffiro is letting consumers experience true performance with the SF6000. The Saffiro SF6000 tire suitable for all passenger or sports car. The unique tread design ensures excellent traction on wet road. Dry tread zone helps enhance handling and grip on dry pavement.

The SF6000 includes a technological platform that

All-weather Saffiro tires inspire confidence gives a special footprint (contact patch) making this model a reliable tire, which is secure on wet surfaces when braking, quiet on the road and resistant to all types of road stress.

The benefits are better grip and total stability, with less tire fatigue and thus longer

mileage. This model reduces fuel consumption and atmospheric pollution.

Saffiro is the only brand in the country today which has a 40,000-Mile Limited Warranty for H-Rated Size vehicles.

For more information on how to increase the level of performance and aesthetics of your vehicle, visit or call Concept One at 318 Santolan Road cor. M. Paterno, San Juan or call 7242739 or 726-0965 or log on to www.conceptonewheels. com. Saffiro tires are also available in select dealers nationwide.

Brembo, official equipment for Toyota Vios Cup FOR the second straight year, Brembo brakes, exclusively distributed by Autoperformance Ph Inc., is the official brake system of the Toyota Vios Cup. Each Vios Cup car is equipped with Brembo’s exclusive Red Shim brake pads. Engineered for street use, these pads were quality and race tested by the Tuason Racing team to assure the maximum safety and performance. “I like the pedal feel and consistency of the Brembo brake pads on my Vios Cup car. It gives me confidence in braking which is very important

in a one-make race. That is what Brembo pads gave me,” says Pauland Dumlao, one of the consistent top finishers of the Vios Cup. Brembo’s Red Shgim brake pads are available for most Japanese and European cars , as well as se-

lect Korean and American vehicles. Prices of the Red Shim brake pads start at P2,500 per set. “Brembo’s legendary quality, safety and performance at an affordable price,” adds Francis Aguila of Autoperformance.

F R I D AY : O C T O B E R 3 0 , 2 0 1 5

B8

RAMON L. TOMELDAN EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

MOTORING

A peek into the future of mobility Text and photo

by Dino Ray V. Directo III

The Isuzu D-Max with a new 3.0 engine is a joy to drive flat out.

MORE POWER, TORQUE FOR NEW ISUZU VARIANTS

Text and photos by Dino Ray V. Directo III

BANGKOK -A week prior to the launching of the 3.0 VGS Turbo variants of the Isuzu D-Max and MU-X SUV, Isuzu Philippines Corporation invited a select group of motoring media to a test drive at Isuzu’s massive Chachoengseng factory located at the Gateway Industrial Estate, Huasamoong, Plangyao Thailand. “I would like to welcome you all to our proving ground here in Thailand. Today you will experience Isuzu power, because the new 3.0 liter powered MU-X and D-MAX has power – a lot of power. But of course, all that power comes in a package that can only be made possible by Isuzu; a package that is also bundled with fuel efficiency, performance, and durability – the usual “must haves” of an Isuzu vehicle,” says Hajime Koso, IPC President in his welcome remarks before the vehicle testing.

Art Balmadrid, EVP for Business Development of Isuzu, explains the features of the new engine.

Isuzu Philippines President Hajime Koso (right) introduces the new 3.0 liter powered MU-X SUV

Isuzu prepared six media units, three each of the DMax and MU-X. Divided into groups of three, participants drove around an oval track, which had swooping corners and two main straights which allowed us to stretch the legs of the new 3.0 VGS turbo engine. The all-new engines employs the latest version of the 3.0-liter- DOHC, four-cylinder turbo-diesel with 163ps of power at 3200rpm and peak torque of 380Nm between 1800rpm and 2200rpm which equates to having a flat torque curve, a key to its quiet operation at cruising and excellent off-road prowess. The common-rail fuel injection system comes from DENSO and a new overhead camshaft design with stainless steel drive belts. Both the D-MAX and MU-X drives via either a five-speed manual or five-speed automatic. The new 4JJ1-TC engine also promotes Isuzu’s reputation of being reliable, durable and fuel-efficient. Its lifetime steel timing chain and anti-friction melt-in cylinder liners are among its advantages that ensure durability.

The engine also provides plenty of power, translating to less gear changes, effortless hill climbing and easier off-road driving. “This is our response to those who are looking for power, aside from that, these variant also boasts fuel-efficiency and durability at the most,”

Koso adds.

The new 3.0 VGS Turbo variants also has more premium features like LED Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) for the Isuzu MU-X LS-A – which not only adds to the sporty appearance of the SUV but also acts as an avoidance safety feature. This new set of lights increases the vehicle’s conspicuity, making it easier to detect as it approaches other vehicles on the road.

Adding to its already packed safety features, the Isuzu D-MAX LS 3.0 VGS Turbo has a new tailgate mounted Reverse Camera, which automatically activates when the driver engages the transmission to reverse. With this, the rearview will be projected on the 7-inch touchscreen entertainment system to help assist in reverse parking and alleviating blind spots.

Matching its impressive styling, the mu-X LS-A 3.0 VGS Turbo has a Chromed Muffler Cutter tailpipe, which rather completes the variant’s chrome finish – front grille, door handle, and rear door garnish.

The new 3.0 liter variants will be made available before Christmas, as a gesture of gratitude to the loyal patrons of Isuzu. “Shipments are on their way and our dealers are ready to take orders,” says Koso.

TOKYO—The 44th staging of the Tokyo Motor Show has kicked off early this week giving its visitors a glimpse of the future of mobility. The bi-annual event now ongoing at the massive Tokyo Big Sight in Koto Ward, featurses the innovative technologies and the latest trends of 30 vehicle manufacturers from around the World and 130 allied companies such as parts suppliers and accessory makers. “The Tokyo Motor Show is a must see event to check out what’s going on with the Japanese auto industry.

There will be 76 World premier launches, including 67 from the domestic market,” says Toyokazu Ishida, director general of the Tokyo Motor Show office at the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA).

This year, the highly anticipated launches during the show were those of the new Honda NSX, new Civic Type R, the S660 Kei car and the Clarity Fuel Cell Vehicle (FCV).

The all-new Civic Type R hits the Japanese market beginning this December across Japan.

Powered by Honda’s newly developed 2.0L VTEC Turbo engine and matted to a six-speed manual transmission, the Civic Type R embodies the company’s “Soul-shaking Superior Drive” concept. Prior to its launch, the Type R was tested on the North course of the famed Nurburgring circuit in Germany and has set a new World’s record of 7 minutes and 50 seconds lap time, the fastest for any FF production vehicle.

Like Honda, powerhouse Toyota Motor Corporation unveiled several concept vehicles including the FCV Plus, a hydrogen powered car with unconventional looks. Toyota also unveiled the S-FR Sports car and the KIKAI, a fusion of retro and futuristic designs.

Nissan on the other hand displayed their electric Kei car concepts, the Teatro for Dayz, the Nissan GRIPZ concept and quite possibly, the shape of the next generation GTR, the Nissan Concept 2020 Vision Gran Turismo. Other big launch events which made a buzz were the introduction of the new BMW M4 GTS Sports Coupe, Subaru with their Impreza five-door concept, the beefed up S207 Impreza STi and the 17-car display of Volkswagen which had its Polo R WRC on display.

The Tokyo Motor Show begins October 29 (Press Day) and will run up to November 8.

Volkswagen displays its World Rally Champion Polo R.

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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

ST Y L E & BE AU T Y

LIFE

Editorial photos for Swarovski’s Christmas collection with stylist, photographer and writer Margaret Zhang and Swarovski’s muse Miranda Kerr

Diapason Pierced Earrings

MIRANDA KERR SHINES IN SWAROVSKI’S HOLIDAY CAMPAIGN

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Duo Clover Pendant

Duo Evil Eye Bangle

Diapason All Around V Necklace

Crystalline Oval White Watch

Stardust Deluxe Double Bracelet Silver

warovski’s Christmas campaign sparkles with Miranda Kerr as its muse. Described as a powerful woman who knows what she wants, the brand muse brings her dazzling personal style and the values she holds dear to the collection that consists of two lines – Diapason and Duo. Diapason combines an organic feel with a contemporary touch of glamour, with fluid waterfall effects through dangling crystal components, V-shaped and Y-shaped necklaces, icicle designs and clear color palettes featuring accents of soft grey and midnight blue. The necklace pieces have a wide range of volume that run from the subtle to eye catching.

The first snowfall of winter, as imagined by Miranda, is the inspiration behind Diapason’s breathtaking frozen blooms that transform holiday looks with lustrous cascading crystals in glamorous cuts. The all-around V necklace and medium pierced earrings feature a feminine waterfall style, revisiting a classical and romantic design.

Duo meantime brings a fresh and modern twist to meaningful jewelry, with the symbols in subtle crystal pave and in cut-out rosegold plating, while gemstonecolored crystals adorn the chain for additional touches of sparkle.

“Every symbol in the collection is very important and personal to me,” says Kerr, adding that she loves mixing the rose-gold with the white gold – an important element of the collection that gives it a modern feel. Thin proportions make Duo ideal for layering, injecting a stylish and personal touch to everyday silhouettes.

Across the collection, from universal symbols and delicately frozen designs, to updated

Swarovski’s Christmas campaign with Miranda Kerr wearing the eye-catching Stardust Deluxe bracelet paired with the Crystalline Oval Watch

classics with a romantic edge, there’s something to suit every multifaceted woman. The collection harmoniously combines meaningful emotions with a festive tone, making the pieces ideal Christmas gifts and true fashion accessories, perfect for adding an instant touch of sparkle in any daytime or evening look.

The Christmas campaign showcases Swarovski’s refinement and perfect fit for festive occasions, highlighting key pieces of jewelry that add sparkle to any outfit and occasion. To celebrate the anniversary of its original launch, the gorgeous Stardust collection gets a Deluxe remix with new premium metallic netting for extraordinary sparkle. The monochromatic shades in rose gold, silver and gold hues carry a versatility that make minimal day looks pop, and are the perfect finishing touch to any evening look.

In the campaign, Miranda wears the eye-catching Stardust Deluxe bracelet paired with the Crystalline Oval Watch with an organic design and delicate color tone. Framed with 1,700 stunning crystals and accented with sophisticated details, the Crystalline Oval Watch Collection is the embodiment of everyday glamour. Its organic

design and classic nude toned palette is inspired by this season’s latest makeup shades.

With warm rose gold and other metallic hues to choose from, it’s perfect for mixing with the new “Stardust Deluxe” bracelets.

At the Los Angeles shoot of the highly personalized and charming Christmas collection directed by photographers Inez and Vinoodh, Swarovski also chose long-time collaborator and extremely talented global “friend of Swarovski” – stylist, photographer and writer Margaret Zhang to capture the personal style of Kerr through the editorial lens of Zhang, who identified the fashion looks for the shoot in collaboration with internationally renowned LA-based stylists Chloe and Mari-Lou Bartoli.

The images show a radiant Miranda Kerr, wearing a selection of her favorite collection pieces.

“Throughout our shoot for this editorial story, Miranda Kerr certainly embodied that understated sophistication, effortless transitioning between daytime and evening looks we built around each pendant, whether on its own for subtle sparkle, or layered on fingers, wrists and necklines for greater impact,” says Zhang.

Miranda’s universal appeal is in her effortless balance of femininity, everyday tailoring, and approachable charm – both in her highly coveted personal style, and now crystallized in this collection that she describes as being designed for the modern multifaceted woman. “I love the femininity of Miranda‘s collection, it strikes the right balance for day-to-night. For me, jewelry should always be the ‘look again’ factor. The smallest pieces of jewelry that only catch the light as you move have the incredible power to transform an everyday trench into eveningwear,” observes Zhang.

The Christmas visuals and TV commercial will be leveraged in November 2015 in selected countries around the world.

In the Philippines, Swarovski boutiques are owned and operated

by Stores Specialists, Inc., a member of SSI Group, Inc., and are located at Bonifacio High Street Central, Estancia at Capitol Commons, Newport Mall and Robinson’s Magnolia. Swarovski is also available through Rustan Commercial Corporation in Rustan’s Makati, Rustan’s ShangriLa, Rustan’s Alabang Town Center and Rustan’s Ayala Center Cebu.

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

SPANNING THE UNIVERSE WITH UNO DE 50

Spanish brand unveils handcrafted jewelry inspired by the earth and sky

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rtisanal jewelry and accessories reach high levels of craftsmanship from Spanish brand UNO de 50’s new line for Autumn/Winter 2015 dubbed as the Universe collection that takes inspiration from the earth and sky.

The collection is very much grounded on earth with terrestrial elements that evoke strength and energy, evident in the metal alloys that are made with hypoallergenic treatments, and leather tanned with vegetable dyes. Dragonfly pieces also complement some UNO de 50’s Universe Collection is inspired by the Earth of the earth elements, highlighting the sense and Sky. of freedom the pieces exude.

Today, Uno de 50 has more than 50 shops White and gray pearls representing the in Spain and over 25 located in lunar phases take one soaring to the sky some of the world’s top fashion as colored Swarovski crystals glitter capitals such as New York, like stars – evoking emotions that Miami, Las Vegas, Milan, Rome are simply divine, highlighted and Amsterdam. It opened its by bold, silver-plated chains. first store in Southeast Asia in Through its creativity, partnership with SM Retail unique style, bold spirit at SM Aura Premier earlier All Stars. Sparkle with this and 100 percent Spanish this year. short leather necklace handcrafted pieces, UNO with silver-plated belt de 50 is truly set apart Uno de 50 is located at hoops and natural colored from the rest. Founded the Second Level of SM triangular SWAROVSKI® crystals. Like all UNO de in the late 1990s by a Aura Premier, the Third 50 products, these are group of designers who Floor of SM Megamall’s handcrafted in Spain. resolved to establish a Mega Fashion Hall, at the brand of fashion jewelry Second Level of the SM Mall and accessories that would of Asia’s Main Hall, at the break all existing molds, the Ground Floor of SM Makati, brand started out with the and at the Ground Floor of SM original and exclusive philosophy Store’s Branded Accessories Section of creating only 50 units for each in SM City Cebu. design, thereby supplying the trademark name. This unorthodox approach soon Visit and like Uno de 50’s Facebook page at proved an unqualified success. https://www.facebook.com/unode50.es

Pluto. These small silver-plated, round-shaped earrings are handcrafted in Spain.

Star-Trick. Fine silver-plated chain bracelet with triangular shaped SWAROVSKI® crystals.

Like all UNO de 50 items, these are handcrafted in Spain.

In orbit. Long silver-plated necklace with irregular ovals will keep you in the style whirl.

Grapping. UNO de 50’s silver-plated ring has rectangular fasteners.

Orbiting. UNO de 50’s silver-plated ring has an orbit shape.

Star-bi. Silver-plated long chain earrings with gray double triangular SWAROVSKI® crystals.

Around the universe. This adjustable bracelet has blue pleated leather rows and a silver-plated clasp.

Star-Alone. A unique necklace with leather and smoky gray SWAROVSKI® crystal, handcrafted in Spain.

Star-Trick. Silver-plated ring shines with a classic SWAROVSKI® crystal.

All Stars bracelet. Silver-plated square keepers and a triangular SWAROVSKI® crystal make this bracelet unique.

Saturn. A unique and daring UNO de 50 silver-plated ring named after the planet has interlocking hoops.

Morbit. These silver-plated pieces with a rounded plaque and irregular hoop are handcrafted in Spain.

Cosmic-order. Silver-plated bracelet with irregular sized oval shapes and an adjustable clasp with a padlock.

Open Space.

This uniquely shaped UNO de 50 silver-plated ring is handcrafted in Spain.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

Silver plated triangular earrings with a natural SWAROVSKI® crystal. Handcrafted in Spain.

WRANGLER LAUNCHES UPGRADED VIP CARD WITH EXCITING NEW PERKS

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ere’s great news from iconic American denim brand Wrangler!

The spirit of adventure blazes anew with the launch of an upgraded VIP card that comes with exciting new perks for members.

The card, which can be availed through accumulated purchase of regular Wrangler products worth P2,500 within six months, earns the member one point for every P10 spent.

Plus, during their birthday month, members can get to earn four points for every P10

spent. Each point is equivalent to 50 cents and may be used to purchase more of Wrangler’s ready-for-adventure items.

More shopping privileges await members as the brand also extends the perks of the VIP card from its boutique to department stores, with

exclusive discounts and deals also offered in select establishments including Treetop Adventure, Chef ’s Barrel, Uncle Cheffy, Kuse, Imperial Ice Bar, The Distillery, Brew Haus, Draft Gastropub, Black Olive Cerveceria, Ace Water Spa, Mrs. Fields, Ersao, and Alterations Plus.

The Wrangler VIP Card is valid for one year from date of activation, with membership automatically renewed upon attaining P2,500 worth of purchased products within the year of validity.

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

FIVE YEARS OF BEAUTIFUL CREATIONS

BY BERNADETTE LUNAS

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ack in December 2010, armed with experience he learned as a hair stylist for other salons and the vision “to develop more creative breed of young talents,” Lourd Ramos set out on his own and established the first Creations by Lourd Ramos Salon at Greenbelt 5.

Fast forward to today, Creations by Lourd Ramos now has seven branches: Somerset Olympia, Greenfields Shaw, Eton Ortigas, One Archers Place Taft, BF Homes Parañaque, Bonifacio Global City Stopover, and the youngest of Lourd’s salon babies, Cedar Executive Bldg. on Arnaiz Avenue.

The past five years have been truly rewarding for Lourd and his brand. While growing Creations he also served as style ambassador and hair care expert for several brands, making him a trusted and respected name in the beauty industry and the goto stylist to a number of celebrities and ordinary people. It goes without saying that Creations has also become the favorite salon of many.

“Creations was a dream that became a reality,” enthuses Lourd, who built his “empire” through hard work and patience.

@LIFEatStandard

Hair meets fashion in ‘Re-Creation of Creations Salon’ campaign featuring Creations Salon’s top artists and the country’s top models. From left: Katarina Rodriguez, Jayare Doncillo, JV Pua, Lourd Ramos, Ann Casas, Nathan Carlisle, Catriona Gray, Carlo Garasin, Monika Sta Maria, Vin Lee, JR Doncillo, Kelly Misa, Lenard Dulza and Siegfred Tembrevilla.

Creations By Lourd Ramos Salon presents its top stylists called ‘Magic 8’ composed of hair and makeup artists (from left) Romeo Samellano, Clara Pettersen, JJ Gallego, Herbert Coralde, Elvis Rebanal, Lenard Dulza, Xtian Toledo and Chito Fabello.

The success of Creations is also due to the fact that Lourd is a hands on business owner, from planning, product developing, training, to execution.

As creative director, Lourd makes sure that all his employees are guided and trained by him before they serve their clients. They

also study at Davines Colour Academy to learn the latest trends and technical product knowledge, from shampoo to post home care products.

On its fifth year, Creations celebrates a milestone by introducing the top stylists in the flock. Called the Magic 8 –composed

of Romeo Samellano, Clara Pettersen, JJ Gallego, Herbert Coralde, Elvis Rebanal, Lenard Dulza, Xtian Toledo and Chito Fabello – they are the “new breed of talents honed and developed by Creations.” They are the salon’s spokespersons and Lourd’s counterparts in haircut, hair coloring, styling and makeup.

“They learned my language, my ways, my techniques, and even how I work. I’m proud to say that they have mastered their skills and love our job,” shares Lourd. Suffice it to say, the eight talents are their mentor’s left and right hands.

Creations also presented “Re-Creation of Creations Salon,” featuring the salon’s top artists and the new faces of Creations in a “hair meets fashion” campaign.

The stylists and models Kelly Misa, Monika Sta Maria, Katarina Rodriguez, Ann Casas, Catriona Gray and Mister Asian World 2014 Jayare Doncillo sport the latest hair style and color. Their luxurious garb made by designers John Sherwynn, Isabel Celdran-Koa, Boy Kastner Santos, Eric delos Santos, Joe San Antonio, Gil Granado, and Fashion House by Azucar are made more special with De Novo Diamonds.

PRIM, PROPER AND SPORTY

Primadonna launches Sports Luxe collection

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portswear, which was once only worn by athletes and people at the gym, has – since last year – been steadily taking the fashion world by storm. Suddenly, couture sneakers, designer varsity jackets and posh track pants are everywhere. Wearing sports-inspired outfits to a semi-formal affair has become acceptable, if not admirable, for the outfits exude an easy-going vibe, as if you’re ready to go anywhere.

Primadonna managing director Denise Reyes and marketing director Val Tanchip-Lim

BY BERNADETTE LUNAS But in truth, sportswear is tricky to pull off. Too much of it in the wrong places could make you look more lazy than trendy. The easiest way to “sportify” your look is by wearing sporty shoes. Hence the birth of Sports Luxe trend in footwear, first set by the likes of Alexander Wang and Helmut Lang.

It features thick-soled sneakers, structured platforms and “mandals.”

Local footwear brand for “women who love fashion and shoes,” Primadonna catches up on this trend as it recently launched its Sports Luxe collection for the pre-holiday 2015 season.

The latest collection is composed of 25 styles, 12 of which are already available in 62 Primadonna stores nationwide. It features sneakers in neutral and candy colors, chunky platform shoes in black and white, slip-ons with pop prints and “man repeller” slides as seen on some of the most stylish people here and abroad.

“The brand has been providing ladies of all ages with footwear that is up-to-date with the latest international designs, while making it more accessible to the local market,” says Primadona managing director Denise Reyes.

Reyes notes that this new collection targets college and young professionals. Although

Primadonna’s Sports Luxe collection for pre-holiday 2015 features 25 different styles of thick-soled sneakers, man repeller sandals and chunky platforms

the latest releases and the brand’s new ambassador Kathryn Bernardo appeal to the younger market, Primadonna officials say Sports Luxe can be worn even by the older crowd.

“Even if you’re forty-something, if you’re fashionable and you love to dress up, you can pull this off,” enthuses Primadona marketing

director Val Tanchip-Lim. “It depends on your personality and fashion sense.”

Primadonna further makes it easier to jump on the sports luxe trend as prices of the latest products range from P1,299 to P2,999.

Primadonna is located at SM, Robinsons and Ayala Malls nationwide.

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

THE NEW MATTES ON THE BLOCK

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have to admit, I’m addicted shimmer if the look calls for to lipsticks. And I don’t even a hint or a lot of shine. wear lip color. I used to have I know I just wrote about an entire makeup box just neutral matte lips being filled with bullets of lippies. the hot makeup item of the But I have to confess that as a season a couple of months makeup artist, I have a default ago. But I have received so lipstick texture of choice and POP-UP BEAUTY much feedback from readers

BY JIGS MAYUGA that’s matte. Why? Because about the article that I just it is quite easy to transform had to write more about matte matte into a creamier or frosted texture by lipsticks, specifically newer matte lippies just adding either gloss or a lip mix to change in the market, as well as brands that most the finish of the lip color. Matte lipsticks women never knew carried mattes in their always give excellent color payoff and they lipstick range. Besides, you can never have last longer. Which is why the majority too many matte lipsticks in your assortment. of the lipsticks in my collection are now Right, ladies? Have fun with these matte mostly matte and then I set aside a couple of colors from Happy Skin, L’Oreal Paris, Bobbi clear glosses and lip finishes with glitter or Brown, Estée Lauder and Inglot!

Joan Smalls

ESTÉE LAUDER Pure Color Envy Matte Sculpting Lipstick in Commanding, Rustan’s Makati Supermodel and Estée Lauder spokesperson Joan Smalls collaborates with the brand to create a new matte lipstick collection. Joan loves a bold, matte lip, so she handpicked each shade in this range of 12 lipsticks, which provides daring mattified color that feels luxuriously comfortable and never dry.

She even let her 1.2 million Instagram followers choose the name of her personal favorite shade, Commanding, a gorgeous deep burgundy.

BOBBI BROWN Creamy Matte Lipcolor in Pink Lily, SM Aura

We all know that Bobbi Brown is known for natural and wearable looking makeup and this product is no exception. From a matte stain to bold, opaque color, this lipstick can easily be blended to create your desired look.

If you’d like a lipstick that moisturizes lips while delivering true, crisp color that doesn’t fade or feather, then this product is for you. I used this vivid pink violet shade on Cheska GarciaKramer recently and it was the perfect color to brighten up the face.

INGLOT Matte Lipstick in 428, SM Megamall

HAPPY SKIN Shut Up & Kiss Me Moisturizing Matte Lippie in It Girl,

Beauty Bar Homegrown makeup brand Happy Skin expands its Shut Up & Kiss Me Moisturizing Matte Lippie range with two new lipsticks in its Holiday 2015 collection including a new favorite of mine called “It Girl.” It’s a nude pink that flatters most skin tones without making you look too washed out.

Perfect for day makeup and even into the night with a darker, smoky eye.

I’ve been a fan of Polish makeup brand Inglot ever since a good friend in the US introduced me to the line a number of years ago. When Inglot opened in the Philippines, it accumulated an impressive following especially with its range of matte lipsticks.

The brand recently added five new matte lipsticks to its awesome collection. My favorite is 428, a warm, brownish nude that’s definitely in trend for fall.

Each lipstick is still formulated with Vitamin E, macadamia oil, and avocado oil to moisturize and nourish the lips.

L’OREAL PARIS Tint Caresse in Rose Blossom,

Watsons This powder lipstick from L’Oreal Paris is a first from the brand; it sets into a matte finish and is quite long lasting. I don’t normally swatch lip products on myself but I just had to try this color to see how the technology works.

The powder is loaded onto the sponge tip, pen applicator from the cap of the product. It offers a diffused yet beautiful natural matte finish that is perfect for those who are a fan of lip stains. If you’d like more color payoff I suggest applying balm under the lip powder as a base for a more intense effect.

Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @jigsmayuga

F RIDAY : OCTOBER 3 0, 2015

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

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Kim Chiu stands out With Fatout ISAH V. RED

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1 Kim Chiu all smiles with Louie Albert (ATC Healthcare marketing manager), Derick Wong (ATC Healthcare CEO) and Albert Chua (ATC Healthcare president) at the Fat Out product launch last October 22 at Annabel’s Restaurant. 2 Ogie Diaz as host for the Fat Out launch last October 22 at Anabel’s Restaurant, shares a laugh with the bubbly Kim Chiu. 3 Newest endorser of Fat Out, Kim Chiu shares her experiences in the showbiz industry that made her stand out! 4 Kim Chiu during the contract signing for ATC Healthcare newest product, Fat Out with Louie Albert (ATC Healthcare marketing manager), Derick Wong (ATC Healthcare CEO) and Albert Chua (ATC Healthcare president). 5 Kim Chiu, one of the most promising stars of her generation and the newest business partner of ATC Healthcare International Corporation. 6 Derick Wong (ATC Healthcare CEO) together with the newest member of the ATC Healthcare family and also the endorser of Fat Out, Kim Chiu.

Do you ever wonder how Kim Chiu stays slim from the time she won Pinoy Big Brother Teen Edition in 2006 till today?

At the launch of FatOut, ATC Healthcare’s new product, the 25 –year–old Kapamilya star said, “It still takes a lot of effort to maintain her body and that includes exercise and diet.”

These days, though, she gets a little help from FatOut, a supplement to help her in detoxification and slimming.

ATC Healthcare recently signed her to be the brand’s ambassador.

According to ATC, today’s generation can be referred to as the narcissistic generation. With technology and social media modeling an extremely high regard for one self, it only makes sense that everyone tries so hard to look and feel good.

But, there are still those who walk around not feeling good enough.

Many still experience some kind of depression or low self esteem that affects behavior. And that is manifestly called insecurity.

Kim Chiu said, “There is an endless list of insecurities each of us face, there’s age, career, appearance, height and weight. ATC Healthcare strongly stands for the belief that we have the capability to end these waves of insecurity, if only we allow ourselves to do it.”

With the theme Beauty WithIN You, ATC Healthcare together with brand ambassador Kim Chiu tackled overcoming insecurities as a way of launching FatOut. They say a healthy tummy is a healthy body. Digestive problems such as constipation, diarrhea or flatulence can easily turn a peachy day into a ruined one. Consider colon cleansing. Proponents of colon cleansing believe that removing toxins and body wastes from the colon can help you feel better and improve your bodily functions. As an added bonus, if you’re trying to lessen heaviness and decrease your risk of acquiring colon cancer, colon cleansing achieves both. To aide you with colon cleansing, there’s FatOut. FatOut contains the revolutionary Sweep and Shred Formula which helps in cleansing your colon and trimming down your fat. Psyllium Husk sweeps and cleanses toxins in your colon, while Green Tea Extract shreds and burns your fat. Other ingredients include: Pu’er Tea Extract which eliminates hard-to-digest

fat, Aloe Vera Powder which detoxifies the colon, Alfalfa which nourishes the digestive system and Oat Fiber which suppresses the appetite. The combination of these ingredients can help you lose the pounds without putting your health at risk. Note that, FatOut is not a medicinal drug and should not be used to treat the symptoms of any disease.

ATC Healthcare CEO Derrick Wong, President Albert Chua and Marketing Manager Louie Albert had a lunch-cum-launch with the bloggers and press on Oct. 22 at Annabel’s Restaurant on Tomas Morato Avenue, Quezon City.

Comedian and show business reporter Ogie Diaz hosted the lunch-launch.

The launch also paved the way for Kim Chiu to announce FatOut’s Buy One, Take One Promo, which runs from Nov. 2 to May 30, 2016.

FatOut is available at Mercury Drug and other leading drugstores nationwide for only SRP P125.00 per piece. Dare to outshine your insecurities and Stand Out with FatOut!FatOut should be taken daily, before every meal, preferably with a warm glass of water.

HHHHH Who stays, Who goes StarStruck hopefuls will again experience cold sweat and as one is expected to leave the stage tonight. Who will be it? And who will be the lucky ones who will remain for another week?

After the elimination last week, the remaining Startstruck hopefuls faced another challenge and that was to appear in shows that are running on the Kapuso network.

They were ask to be part of The Half Sisters, Bubble Gang, Peipito Manaloto, and Destiny Rose.

Now, it’s up to the StarStruck Council to determine who among the remaining hopefuls deserve to go to the next level.

As I have always maintained, talent or skill should only be secondary to looks. Television is a cruel medium, especially now that we’re moving to High Definition TV. You can’t put a premium to talent and leave out the person’s appearance. That is if you want to create a star. A star has the looks of one, and it isn’t created by any means, whether workshops or medical procedure. And if the hopeful opts for the latter, it will even be detrimental in the long run. Only a few had medical procedures done on their physiognomies and survived the cruelty of television, and that was because at that time HD was not heard of, and there was no social media to speak of then. ➜ Continued on C7

F RIDAY : OCTOBER 3 0, 2015

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The pillars of Eat Bulaga, Tito, Vic and Joey

SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

PeOPle

...aRE taLking aBOUt

Eat BULaga The program that we used to call archaic has a new lease on life, so to speak. We’ve seen its astronomical rise (again) after AlDub pulled up its ratings, viewership and numbers of product placement all together. We guess, the show has earned more than enough that it was able to stage a twoand-a-half hour show without any commercial interruption.

Mikael Daez

MikaEL DaEZ While some talents are still waiting in the wings, the hunky actor is becoming very much visible on TV these days. In his resume´, he has My Faithful Husband, Ismol Family and Bubble Gang, not to mention his stint in Saksi as a food reporter, listed as his regular shows on GMA7. He’s practically occupied all day doing all these tapings. But wait there’s more!

Mikael adds Dangwa on the list and this makes him one of the busiest actors in the Kapuso lot.

LiZa SOBERanO When news broke that Angel Locsin was no longer considering her Darna comeback, fans easily came up with a name they believe more than fit to portray the iconic role.

It has been a rumor for weeks now that Liza is going to fly as Darna and it’s hard not believe that she’s perfect to wear the red costume since she has all the goods to become an onscreen heroine. We bet you’re imagining Liza as Darna now, aren’t you?

A fan made art featuring Liza as Darna

CROSSWORD PUZZLE 41 42 44 45 46 48 51 55 56 58 59 60 61

ANSWER FOR PREVIOUS PUZZLE ACROSS 1 Drop heavily 5 Flat-topped hills 10 “Waterloo” group 14 Malt-shop order 15 Taos dwelling 16 Skedaddled 17 Indigo plant 18 Car wash step 19 Tamper with dice 20 Determination 22 Hocus- —

23 24 26 29 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

Some campers — avis Mary — Moore Meaning Bristles Heroic exploits “Norma —” Electrical units Michael Caine role Ocean motion Hob follower Sky hunter

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JM de Guzman looks thin in a photo he posted on social media

Cloys — — Wenceslas (2 wds.)

Fred Astaire’s sister Latin 101 word Polynesian carving Invisible swimmer (var.)

Nothing special Tibetan monk Thrash about Mirth Way out Coffeehouse order “— — Old Cowhand” Give a ticket Wedding-party member Catches some z’s

DOWN 1 Jr.’s exam 2 Unfrequented 3 Wednesday’s god 4 Yaks 5 Actor Cheech — 6 Checks copy 7 Walkman brand 8 Tummy muscles 9 Realize 10 Not bankrupt

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015

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Coalition Belle’s admirer Says further Ford products Major-leaguers Pine tree product — up (pay) Flip-flop Search engine In-between state Clear the windshield Fuming Lint collector Migratory flocks Brief sparkle La Scala highlight Getting started (2 wds.)

Slimy veggie Rice wine Campaign event Heard many times Clock watcher Sir — Guinness Long dress Activate a Geiger counter Court ritual Soul, to Pedro Harvest Hankerings Unwanted bug Sixth notes

...aRE nOt taLking aBOUt

JM DE gUZMan Late last week, the actor became a victim of an Internet hoax that said he was found dead in Taytay, Rizal and that the cause of his death was unknown. Probably, people who noticed JM’s gaunt frame had a very pregnant imagination. The actor doesn’t have any known sickness at the moment. Had they spread that his career was dead, we could have easily believed it since that’s what everybody thinks about his showbiz career.

Vice Ganda

Elmo Magalona

ViCE ganDa We saw a very down to earth version of himself on Saturday when he made a public appeal during the culmination of It’s Showtime’s anniversary special. The television host said that they cannot beat Eat Bulaga and that the people behind the longest running noon time show are their idols. That humbling event on TV caught people’s attention praising Vice Ganda’s gesture as a sign of strength rather than defeat. But humble is not a word we can easily associate with the host, apparently.

ELMO MagaLOna Rumor has it that Maxene Magalona’s little brother is joining her in ABS-CBN. Speculations became rife when he was not cast as Janine Gutierrez’s leading man in an upcoming afternoon soap. Not much has been heard as well with the young actor, apart from his latest music project, since his contract with GMA-7 expired in August.

We think the mother has something to do with not renewing his contract. Or, maybe it was a mutual agreement between GMA Network and her mother/manager.

F RIDAY : OCTOBER 3 0, 2015

C7

SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

RichaRd and daWn, Jc and Jessy in ‘you’Re My hoMe’ From c5

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hen all the love and trust are gone, can a family still pick up the pieces and rebuild a shattered home?

From the makers of top-caliber family dramas, ABS-CBN tells the heartfelt story of a daughter who would do whatever it takes to fix her family in the newest powerhouse primetime drama You’re Me Home premiering on Nov. 9.

Get to know the Fontanilla family in the eyes of eldest daughter Grace Fontanilla (Jessy Mendiola).

After many years of living in simplicity, the lives of the Fontanillas suddenly changed when Gabriel (Richard Gomez) handled the frustrated homicide case against Christian Vergara (JC De Vera), son of a powerful senator (Tonton Gutierrez).

With their new and luxurious lifestyle, then 12-year old Grace realized that her dad and mom Marian (Dawn Zulueta) had no time for them anymore, thus turned rebellious.

One night, she left the house to be with her friends, and her brother Rahm together with the house help ran after her, leaving Vince alone inside the house.

Shortly after, the Fontanillas learned about the shocking news that will change their lives and test

Richard Gomez and Dawn Zulueta are back in a new Kapamilya soap

Sam Concepcion plays his first mature role in You're My Home

their family--- Vince is missing.

Twelve years later, the Fontanillas face the consequences of Vince’s disappearance. Marian and Gabriel are no longer together. Marian focused her time and strength on putting up her own clothing line while Gabriel found comfort in the arms of Roni (Lara Quigaman), the police officer who handled the kidnapping case. Rahm (Sam Concepcion), at an early age, already has a son and a wife while Grace continues to move on with life, still blaming herself for what happened.

Fate then comes into play as Grace crosses paths with Vince (Paul Salas). As Vince returns to their lives, will the Fontanillas become one whole family again?

Can Marian and Gabriel give love another chance? Can Rahm accept his brother despite the jealousy he is feeling? What if Grace falls in love Christian, the very man who got convicted for the kidnapping of her brother? Is her love for her family stronger than her love for Christian? What is the truth behind Vince’s disappearance?

Also included in the cast are Assunta De Rossi, Jobelle Salvador, Mika Dela Cruz, Minnie Aguilar, Peewee O’Hara, Belle Mariano, Bugoy Carino, and Raikko Mateo.

Jerry Lopez Sineneng directs for Star Creatives led by business unit head Malou Santos. Creative manager and MMK headwriter Arah Jell Badayos leads the team.

Jessy Mendiola and JC de Vera play pivotal roles in the new soap

Mark reyes happy and thankful for ‘the half sisters’

K

The cast of The Half Sisters

apuso director Mark Reyes couldn’t be prouder and happier that The Half Sisters never fails to entertain and touch the lives of the audiences.

The show continuous to deliver strong ratings performance in the Afternoon Prime block as it celebrated its first anniversary in June and it will now air until early January next year.

“By that time January hits, we’ll be one year and six months. Record breaker yun. Encantadia ran for a year, e. So ito yung pinakamahaba so far. Itong show na ito, mala-pusa na, e. We announced na we were ending, and then hindi pa pala. Siguro nakatatlong announcement kami na patapos na kami,” said Reyes.

He said avid viewers of the series should watch out for the finale because it will be very different and intriguing.

“Actually, we’re not yet allowed to announce the next story arc yet but it’s kind of edgy, controversial na you just have to watch it. It involves one of these two na or between them

(Barbie Forteza and Thea Tolentino). And since we’re on our final stretch, I think we’re going to stick to the universe of the family and wrap things up na lang. I think ang panggulat niyan is the story, not another guest star or what. Yung story na manggugulat sa audience.”

He further shared there is no secret for the show’s continued success but he has to credit the talent and hard work of his powerhouse cast.

“Ang gagaling ng mga artista ko, maybe that’s the secret.

Nag-gel sila right away. Festival of tears ang tawag ko sa show na to, e. From Jean Garcia to Barbie to Thea, walang tigil yan [sa pag-iyak].”

Meanwhile, viewers can expect more conflicts and plot twists to spice up the succeeding episodes of the series. Will Bradley’s condition get better or worse? What will happen to Diana and Bradley’s wedding?

Expect more revelations and twists as the drama continues in The Half Sisters weekdays after Eat Bulaga on GMA Afternoon Prime.

Famtastic Family Deals at the

FAMTASTIC SALE until November 1 only

By Gabriel Antonio O. Escasa THE country’s number one home broadband PLDT HOME DSL offers families a special treat with its Famtasic Sale! “The Famtastic Sale is one of our ways of making broadband available to more families across the country for a limited time only,” PLDT VP and HOME Marketing Head Gary Dujali said.

Celebrity couple Marc and Dannica Pingris unwind with their kids watching family movies from iflix and Fox International Channels that come with their HOME DSL connection.

Those who apply for a HOME DSL Fam Plan 1299 from October 23, 2015 to November 1, 2015 will save as much as P4,000 from discounts on installation, a free WiFi Modem and a free TVolution box that comes with iflix and Fox content for one year. PLDT HOME DSL’s broadband services go beyond basic Internet as they come with value-added packages at no cash-out, as well as unparalleled offers. Families can strengthen their bonding moments with their favorite TV shows and blockbuster movies from esteemed content providers.

“As a leader in digital services and a firm believer that the strongest connections are at home, our goal is to enrich our customers’ digital lifestyles with cost-efficient and convenient offers backed by our reliable family-sized broadband,” Dujali added.

True to leveling up its customer care experience, PLDT HOME opened new flagship stores in SM Southmall, SM City Lipa and Pasay earlier this year. These modern establishments combine retail with entertainment and experiential components to let customers experience firsthand the latest in telecommunications and multimedia.

PLDT HOME DSL lets subscribers enjoy family-sized connections with speeds of up to 8 Mbps. Plans start at P990. For more information, visit pldthome.com/dsl.

The TVolution Box is FREE with Plan 1299

Child Celebrity baby Baste watching his favorite cartoons on the Telpad.

Child star Ryzza Mae playing her favorite computer games on her TV with the tvolution stick.

The Tvolution Stick is FREE with Plans 999 above.

Exclusively available online at pldthome.com

Bb. Pilipinas 2015 and PLDT HOME DSL ambassadress Pia Wurtzbach goes around PLDT HOME booths nationwide to bring FAMTASTIC offers to subscribers.

FREE wifi modem with all Fam Plans!