The Standard - 2015 November 18 - Wednesday

VOL. XXIX NO. 279 3 Sections 32 Pages P18 wedNeSday : NOVeMBeR 18, 2015 www.thestandard.com.ph editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Star Trek suits out, barong shirts in

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Poe in cloSe win Voting 5-4, tribunal junks bid to disqualify By rey E. requejo and Macon ramos-Araneta

BY a close 5-4 vote, the senate electoral Tribunal on Tuesday dismissed the disqualification case filed against senator Grace Poe that sought to oust her from the senate for not being a natural-born Filipino.

Those who voted to dismiss the case were Senators Vicente Sotto III, Bam Aquino, Pia Cayetano, Cynthia Villar and Loren Legarda.

All three Supreme Court justices sitting in the nine-member SET— Associate Justices Antonio Carpio, Teresita Leonardo de Castro and Arturo Brion—as well as Senator Nancy Binay, daughter of Poe’s rival for the presidency next year, Vice President Jejomar Binay Jr., voted in favor of granting the petition against Poe filed by Rizalito David.

Following the vote, Legarda said that based on the ruling, Poe as a foundling is considered a natural-born Filipino citizen—a requirement for being a senator or the President.

“Yes there was a vote, it was a vote of 5-4, five dismissing the petition of Mr. David and four concurring with the petition of Mr. David. In short, five voted to uphold the natural born citizenship of Senator Grace Poe and four decided against it,” Legarda told reporters after the SET session at Manila Polo Club in Makati City.

Legarda said there was no official announcement yet, as David—a losing senatorial candidate—may still petition the tribunal to reconsider the ruling.

Legarda said there was no lengthy discussion on the issue Tuesday as they had submitted their separate written opinions Next page before the meeting.

Vietnam, PH sign strategic agreement

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Arrival. US President Barack Obama arrives at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Tuesday to attend the Apec Leaders’ Meeting in Manila after disembarking from Air Force One. Eric Apolonio

Obama arrives, offers Philippines another warship aboard the Philippine Navy’s flagship, shortly after arriving in Manila for a summit of Asia-Pacific US PRESIDENT Barack Obama leaders to also be attended by Chion Tuesday offered the Philippines nese President Xi Jinping. a warship as part of a $250-million “My visit here underscores our aid package to Southeast Asian al- shared commitment to the security lies worried about Chinese efforts of the waters of this region and to to control the South China Sea. the freedom of navigation,” Obama Obama made the pledges said as he announced the assistance.

By Andrew Beatty and Joyce p. pañares

The offers were aimed at reassuring allies that the United States was committed to maintaining security in the region’s waters, following Chinese artificial island building in parts of the South China Sea. China claims nearly all of the sea, a strategically vital waterway home to some of the world’s most important shipping routes.

The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have competing claims to parts of the sea, which is also believed to sit atop vast oil and gas resources.

China’s building of artificial islands close to the Philippines prompted the US to deploy a missile destroyer and B-52 bombers to the area in recent weeks.

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Territorial rows to dominate summit Poe...

From A1

She said Carpio, chairman of the SET, merely asked the members to vote on the complaint after lunch.

If David files an appeal, Legarda said, the SET would have to decide on it before the deadline for the printing of ballots, Dec. 10.

Poe welcomed the SET decision, saying it sent a strong message that the Philippines considers itself a part of the global community that respects international law that recognizes a foundling as a citizen of the country where he or she was found.

She also expressed her gratitude to her five colleagues in the Senate who voted against her disqualification.

“I want to thank from the deepest part of my heart those who stood for justice, those who stood for the abandoned children and foundlings.

Thank you so much Senator Tito Sotto, Senator Loren Legarda, Senator Cynthia Villar, Senator Bam Aquino and Senator Pia Cayetano. This was not only my personal victory but also the victory of everyone who hopes the country can still be improved,” Poe said.

She also said she was pleased that Aquino, who is a member of the ruling Liberal Party and the campaign manager of its vice presidential candidate Rep. Leni Robredo, voted based on the basis of his beliefs and not party politics.

But Poe acknowledged there was still a tough fight ahead, given the many petitions filed against her with the Commission on Elections.

Poe, who learned of the SET decision on the way to the University of Perpetual Help System in Biñan, Laguna, smiled as she alighted her vehicle to greet students who chanted her name.

“Thank you. I thought I would be missing you,” she also told reporters who joined her for her Laguna events.

Poe then proceeded to the venue where she and her running mate, Senator Francis Escudero, and some senatorial bets held a dialogue with the students.

During the dialogue, Poe told the

Obama...

From A1

China was almost certain to react angrily to Obama’s announcement, as it insists the United States has no right to involve itself in disputes over waters that are far away from US coasts.

China had also repeatedly called for the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, which starts on Wednesday, to focus exclusively on trade and not be distracted by the rows.

In Beijing just before the US announcement, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin warned the other claimants that China could take control of the islands they occupy.

“The Chinese government has the right and the ability to recover the islands and reefs illegally occupied by neighboring countries,” Liu said.

The Philippines, which has one of the weakest militaries in Asia and is the most vocal critic of China’s actions in the sea, will receive the most support under the US package.

Obama said the Philippines would get a decommissioned US Coast Guard cutter to be turned into a new warship that will “bolster the navy’s ability to conduct long-endurance patrols.”

He said the Philippines would also get a research vessel to help map its territorial waters, while vowing US commitment to defend its longtime ally was “ironclad.”

The Philippines will receive a record $79 million in assistance to

crowd she would not forget the University of Perpetual Help System because this was the place where she received the good news about the SET decision.

Earlier that day, while in Calamba, Laguna, Poe shed tears when she spoke about her disqualification case.

“This day is a significant one. Today, the SET will decide if they will disqualify me as senator,” she told Calamba residents.

David scored the senator-judges who voted against his petition by recognizing Poe’s rights as an adopted child.

“The question was constitutional. It was of a legal nature, yet they decided along political lines. It was quite obvious that the decision was based on political accommodation because it’s quite hard for fellow senators to kick out their colleagues by that way,” David told The Standard in an interview.

He said the senators were washing their hands of the issue because the Supreme Court would “definitely” disqualify Poe. David, who filed several petitions before the Senate Electoral Tribunal and the Commission on Elections on the grounds questioning Poe’s natural-born status and residency, said that he already expected an unfavorable result to his petition from the senator-judges.

“I’ve heard that Senator Villar has already expressed her opinion that she will vote for Poe on a political basis. I already anticipated this. It’s really sad, because our senators should have [recognized] the law before anyone else,” David said.

Earlier, Villar told a radio interview she would use fairness as the basis for her vote.

“Not all of us are lawyers. So some of us will vote for what we think is fair,” she said.

On the other hand, David lauded the decision of the three justices of the Supreme Court, who all voted for Poe’s removal from the Senate.

He said this was a positive development, since he plans to appeal the SET decision before the Supreme Court on the basis of the “grave abuse of discretion” on the part of the senator-judges

who voted to dismiss his petition.

“We have to follow the Constitution,” David said. “It’s clear that aside from her being a naturalized citizen because she is a foundling, we have to question her residency.”

“I think the Supreme Court will vote to affirm my petition,” he added.

Officials of the ruling Liberal Party and the opposition United Nationalist Alliance said they saw a tightly contested presidential race with frontrunner Poe still the contender to beat.

But they also said Poe still faced many legal hurdles.

“The SET has already decided on the matter. The Vice President [Jejomar Binay] enjoins everyone to respect the decision,” said Rico Quicho, UNA spokesman.

“Poe’s legal battle is far from over as it is expected that a motion for reconsideration would be elevated to the Supreme Court,” said LP spokesman Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone.

“I congratulate presidential contender Senator Grace Poe... This is democracy at work and allows for a more interesting battle for the presidency,” said House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., LP vice chairman and campaign manager of the party’s tandem of Manuel Roxas II and Robredo.

“We all look forward to a healthy presidential campaign based on performance and platforms rather than mudslinging and character assassination of contenders, so that our voters are allowed to make informed and intelligent choices on who best can lead our nation,” Belmonte added.

LP campaign spokesman and Marikina Rep. Miro Quimbo said the SET decision clearly established that the LP was not part of any conspiracy to have Poe disqualified, as some parties have been saying.

“The lone LP member of the SET, Senator Bam Aquino, voted in her favor. It was Senator Bam’s vote that became decisive in her favor. This only underscores LP’s strong belief that Secretary Mar [Roxas] will win next year’s elections not on the weaknesses of his opponents but on the strength of his experience and untainted reputation,” Quimbo said. With Christine F. Herrera and Maricel V. Cruz

bolster maritime security this financial year, the biggest recipient in Southeast Asia, the White House said.

“This will be a significant contribution for our maritime security capability,” Philippine Defense Department spokesman Peter Galvez said.

Vietnam, a former US enemy that has also spoken out strongly against China’s regional assertiveness, will get $40.1 million in aid over this financial year and next, according to a White House statement.

Indonesia, which is not a claimant but has asked China to clarify its position in the sea, will get nearly $20 million to help “protect its maritime areas.”

Malaysia, where Obama will travel to on Friday for another regional political summit, will receive $2.5 million worth of maritime security aid.

The Philippines and Vietnam also signed on Tuesday in Manila a strategic partnership to deepen security ties, cementing an alliance built partly on their concerns over China.

Japan on Tuesday said it will not join the United States-led “freedom of navigation” patrols in the South China Sea aimed at addressing China’s massive reclamation projects in the disputed areas.

Japanese deputy press secretary Koichi Mizushima said Tokyo has “the same position” as the US but it has no plan of sending its own vessels to patrol the contested waters.

“We have no plan to join the operations although we support the US activities because we believe the US is

taking a lead role in order to achieve peace and security in the region...Our position is similar—that rule of law should be observed by any country, especially that China has been conducting large-scale reclamation. Even if China says ‘we will stop here,’ we cannot accept that. This changes the status quo,” Mizushima said.

“Japan, the US and the Philippines share the idea that no unilateral change by force or coercion should be allowed,” he added.

During the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe proposed three principles to address the maritime conflict in the region, namely claims should be based on international law; no country should resort to force or coercion; and any dispute should be resolved in a peaceful manner.

Mizushima underscored the importance of building the defense capability of the Philippines to ensure stability in the region.

The visiting official said Japan and Philippines will firm up a defense equipment supply agreement during a bilateral meeting between Abe and President Benigno Aquino III on Thursday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders’ Meeting.

“We are working very hard in doing our homework to start the negotiations. Japan has strict rules in exporting defense equipment and in order for us to export or share technology with other countries, we need to have a legal arrangement first,” he said.

By Andrew Beatty and Joyce Pangco Pañares

US PreSident Barack Obama and other AsiaPacific leaders arrived in the Philippines tuesday for a summit meant to foster trade unity but with terrorism and territorial rows likely to dominate.

The two-day Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit will begin Wednesday under the global shadow cast by last week’s jihadist rampage in Paris that killed at least 129 people.

While the 21-member Apec group’s mission is to promote trade, the leaders will undoubtedly discuss the events in the French capital and efforts to counter the Islamic State group, which has claimed responsibility for the carnage.

Obama, Chinese President Xi Jinping and a host of other leaders arrived in Manila from Turkey, where they attended a summit of the Group of 20 top economies that also focused heavily on IS and how to destroy the jihadist network.

Islamic State leaders “will have no safe haven anywhere,” Obama said at the G20 summit, vowing a ruthless pursuit of the group.

The member-economies of Apec condemned last Friday’s terrorist attack in Paris, and called for a “unity of nations and peoples” to bring the perpetrators to justice.

“There was a common refrain from the foreign ministers in terms of the Paris attacks... There was a call for unity of nations and peoples and there was additionally a call for bringing to justice those who perpetuated the horrific developments in Paris last Friday,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said in a briefing on Tuesday.

“Each minister who spoke started with the commentary on the terrorist attacks in Paris. I think that is the common refrain—these were personal expressions of sympathy and condemnation,” Del Rosario said.

“Everyone who spoke, spoke the same language,” he added.

The authorities, which had already deployed more than 20,000 police and soldiers for the summit, said security had been ratcheted up even higher because of the Paris attacks.

Parts of the chaotic capital of 12 million people have been brought to a standstill this week to ensure security for the leaders, with key roads closed, barricades erected and a deliberately visible presence of security forces.

Another sensitive issue this week will be China’s recent efforts to assert control over the South China Sea, which is home to some of the world’s most important shipping lanes.

The other claimants are Apec members Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.

The Philippines, one of Chi-

na’s most vocal critics in the row, has promised to be a “perfect host” to Xi. But while keeping the dispute off the official Apec agenda, President Benigno Aquino III appears to be using the summit as an opportunity to firm up alliances aimed at countering China.

Obama’s first public function in Manila will be to tour the Philippine Navy’s flagship vessel, the US-made Gregorio del Pilar, which is providing Apec security in Manila Bay. Obama’s aides had previously said Obama would tour the ship to showcase American commitment to providing maritime security in the region.

The US president is also due to give a speech to a pre-summit forum on Wednesday morning, which his aides have said would address maritime security, a term commonly used in reference to sea rows.

China’s building of artificial islands in parts of the South China Sea close to the Philippines had already prompted the US military to deploy a missile destroyer and B-52 bombers to the area.

The Philippines, which has one of the weakest militaries in Asia, has in recent years sought to draw longtime ally the United States into the dispute as a protector against China.

Aquino and Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang are also set to oversee on Tuesday afternoon the signing of a bilateral strategic partnership that will deepen defense ties.

The Philippines and Vietnam have been brought closer in recent years by their shared concerns over China, with the imminent strategic partnership the most significant development.

Any focus on the South China Sea in the Philippines will irk China, which has insisted the Apec forum should stick solely to trade issues.

It has also repeatedly said the United States has no role to play in the dispute.

Also on Tuesday, Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. urged military and police officials to intensify efforts to neutralize attempts by Malaysian militants hiding in Mindanao to form an official faction of the Islamic State.

He aired the call in the wake of the terror attacks in Paris and reports in the Straits Times saying militants aim to bring together to the fold of ISIS terror groups in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines including the Jemaah Islamiah and the Abu Sayyaf. With Macon Ramos Araneta

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This time, Aquino blames judiciary

Meeting in Quezon City. President Benigno Aquino III delivers a speech during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Small and Medium Enterprises Summit at the Green Sun-Arts/Creative Hub in Quezon City. MalaCañang Photo Bureau

Philippines, Vietnam sign strategic partnership pact THE Philippines and Vietnam on Tuesday signed a joint strategic partnership agreement at the sidelines of the AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation meeting that will boost their cooperation in several areas, including defense and maritime security, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.

Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose said the accord, the Philippines’ third after the United States and Japan, was signed by President Benigno Aquino III and Vietnamese President Troung Tan Sang.

In a press briefing at the International Media Center at the World Trade Center, Jose said the partnership will upgrade Vietnam’s relationship with the Philippines to a higher level, particularly in the field of security where both countries can intensify military exchanges, port visits, information-

sharing and joint activities.

The Philippines and Vietnam are both claimants to certain areas in the South China Sea, as are Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei and China.

Jose said the agreement will send a strong signal that smaller claimant countries can bond together to boost their collective strength in confronting China’s increasing assertiveness in the South China Sea. However, Foreign Affairs maintains that the agreement is not aimed at China but at boosting the Philippines’ relations

with Vietnam.

China claims almost 90 percent of the South China Sea under its so-called nine-dash line map and the cluster of islands, reefs and atolls further south that’s called the Spratlys.

Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said the territorial dispute in the South China Sea will not be discussed during the Apec leaders’ meeting.

“Apec is about economic methods. It is not the proper forum to discuss the issue,” Del Rosario said. Vito Barcelo

PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III on Tuesday again blamed the courts for what he claimed their slow action on the corruption cases pending with them.

He said the government’s anti-corruption efforts would be more effective if the courts acted more swiftly in sending wrongdoers to jail.

“We have three branches of government, and what I tell the Executive which I hold is that the key to the corruption fight is not the ability to file cases against somebody but actually sending somebody to jail,” Aquino told CN’s Andrew Stevens.

“If we can remove this belief that you can get away, literally, with murder then we will have achieved something.

But you know, we are expecting some major decisions on cases that have been pending.

Aquino cited the Constitution and said once a case was submitted for resolution, the Supreme Court had a maximum of two years to decide on that particular case.

He said the slow courts were also affecting the government’s infrastructure projects as those were being delayed by the long litigation process.

“For instance, they are not able to give a restraining order against obstruction,” Aquino said. Sandy araneta

Star Trek suits out, piña shirts in

By Joel guinto STAR Trek suits are out and pineapple shirts are in as the Philippines seeks to keep the world’s most powerful leaders off the list of global summit fashion train wrecks.

Boldly ignoring the ridicule leveled at past costumes, the Philippines is continuing the spotty tradition of dressing the heads of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation nations in the host country’s national garment.

Filipino designer to the stars Paul Cabral labored for four months creating a traditional barong shirt for each of the 21 Apec leaders, embroidered with individual symbols of their country.

The shirts, semi-sheer and partially made from pineapple fiber, will be worn at the

summit opening in Manila on Wednesday.

But shaking off the Apec red carpet’s reputation as a worst-dressed parade will be a tall order for Cabral if past attempts are anything to go by.

Last year, the tunics worn by the leaders in China went viral on the Internet for resembling Star Trek uniforms.

In the aftermath of the global financial crisis in 2008, the ponchos worn by the leaders in Peru were ridiculed as potato sacks, while global power players looked visibly uncomfortable two years earlier as they shuffled onto the stage for a photo-op wearing Vietnam’s ao dai tunics.

The tradition harks back to 1993 when US President Bill Clinton put his Apec colleagues in leather bomber

jackets—the kind worn by World War II fighter pilots.

The barong tagalog holds a special place in a Filipino man’s closet, reserved for special events like weddings.

It also serves as his burial shroud.

The cloth is made from the hard, spiked leaves from the pineapple’s crown, which are pounded and dried.

For the leaders’ shirts, Cabral mixed it with silk to make it more comfortable.

“This summit is the best showcase for the barong and for Filipino talent,” Cabral told AFP at his atelier in Manila as he marked the finished garments for delivery to the presidential palace.

“The whole world is your audience, nothing can be more grandiose than that.” aFP

lightning rally. Anti-riot police confront members of the League of Filipino Students during a lightning rally against the Apec meetings on Roxas Boulevard on Tuesday. lino SantoS

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Estrada denies poverty cover-up

By John Paolo Bencito MANILA Mayor Joseph Estrada denied on Tuesday that the clearing of homeless people from city streets was meant to whitewash poverty and claimed that he only meant to “rescue” the homeless from the dangers of the streets.

Estrada made the remarks as he visited the Manila-owned Boys’ Town complex in Marikina City to check on the families who were picked up from Manila streets ahead of the arrival of foreign dignitaries for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders’ Summit.

“What will [these foreigners] say to our country? That Filipinos are gravely hungry, sleeping on the street? Of course we won’t let that happen so we’ll clean up the streets,” Estrada said, stressing that it was part of a continuing city activity.

“It just happened that we rescue people all the time, not just during Apec,” Estrada said.

“What’s more important is that we protect the image of the country, there will be foreigners who will visit us here... This is our country. We need to protect the image of our country,” the mayor added.

“Even before the Apec, the city social welfare development department are already doing efforts to [keep streets scot-free from street dwellers],” said Boys’ Town administrator Jean Ramos.

She said the rescued street dwellers, counting 205 as of yesterday, “were all provided with education, livelihood trainings as such.”

Strategic partner.

Vietnam President Truong Tran Sang and his wife Mai Thi Hanh wave to welcomers at the Ninoy Aquino, International Airport after they arrived for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders Summit starting today.

DANNY PATA

Malacañang apologizes for bad traffic situation

By Sandy Araneta and Joel E. Zurbano MALACAÑANG apologized on Tuesday for the horrendous traffic situation in Metro Manila that caused many Filipinos to walk considerable distances to get a ride to their destinations.

“We would like to ask for an apology and understanding from the public for the security measures implemented that eventually caused them to walk to their destinations near the venues of the [Asia-Pacific Economic Summit],” said Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. “We hope that the public would understand the importance of this significant meeting that would

bring benefits to the future of the country,” Coloma said.

The idea to close major thoroughfares was adopted by the MMDA, led by its chairman Emerson Carlos, PNP chief Ricardo Marquez and Secretary to the Cabinet Jose Rene Almendras last monthwhere they discussed the government’s security and traffic plans for the four-day Apec meeting.

Almendras appealed to the public for understanding for the inconvenience because Apec delegations have their own security protocols. “That protocol is something we have to give to them when they come here,” he said.

Heavy traffic continued to plague areas near the venue of the Apec summit in Manila as authorities closed major thoroughfares on Tuesday morning while vehicles on streets that were open had to be stopped for at least 30 minutes as the motorcades of Apec delegates passed by.

More roads were closed on Tuesday to give way for the arrival of world leaders and delegates.

The Metro Manila Development Authority ordered the closure of

Ayala Avenue to Edsa Extension, all lanes of Ayala Tunnel and both directions of Quirino Avenue around 11:25 a.m.

The other roads affected were the Cavite Expressway (Cavitex) and the Coastal Road in Parañaque City.

The MMDA and the National Police-Highway Patrol Group also implemented a truck ban on south route from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. complementing the total closure of both lanes of Roxas Boulevard since Monday.

The MMDA and HPG personnel also activated the Apec lanes along Edsa for the exclusive use of vehicles of foreign and local delegates coming from the cities of Pasay, Makati and Mandaluyong.

Airlines admit Apec losses

By Joel E. Zurbano

Christmas colors. Poinsettias are ready for the selling in the Cordillera region as producers in Baguio City and Benguet put out plants that will sell from P250 to P800. DAVID CHAN

PHILIPPINE Airlines cancelled 699 flights resulting in losses amounting to $18.7 million during the first two days of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation event this week, an airline spokesperson said Tuesday.

“The loss revenue as a result of the cancellation of flights within Apec week reached $18.75 million. Our revenues per day, on a full run, is $7.5 million if we fully operate 260 plus flight a day,” said Villaluna in a radio interview.

She, however, said the long term benefits of Apec in the country “outweigh these losses.”

The flag carrier and other airlines announced last week the cancellation of Nov. 16 to 20 scheduled domestic and international flights to give way for the arrival and departure of heads of states participating in the Apec Summit in Manila.

On the said schedules, 115 affected PAL domestic flights are—to and from

Davao, Legazpi, Caticlan, Davao, Busuanga, Cebu, Dipolog, Cagayan de Oro, Naga, Bacolod, Puerto Princesa, Kalibo, Iloilo, Zamboanga, Laoag, Dumaguete, Tuguegarao, Tagbilaran and General Santos.

More than 90 international flights were also cancelled: between Manila and Tokyo, Xiamen, Nagoya, Sydney, Jinjiang, Abu Dhabi, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Singapore, Honolulu, Saigon, Beijing, Taipei, Busan, Seoul, Dammam, Jakarta, Fukuoka and Narita.

The cancellation came after the Manila International Airport Authority issued an advisory that there will be periodic temporary runway closures at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport during the arrival and departure of Apec delegates.

In its advisory, the PAL management sought understanding from affected passengers, stressing the need to give way to the arrival and departure of Apec leaders during which runway closures will be in effect.

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Justice junks cases vs INC for lack of proof

By Rey E. Requejo The Department of Justice has dismissed the criminal complaints filed against leaders of Iglesia Ni Cristo for lack of probable cause.

In two separate resolutions dated nov. 13, 2015, the DoJ dismissed the complaints of former Inc minister Isaias Samson and former member Jose norlito Fruto against respondents lawyer glicero Santos Jr., Radel cortez, BienvenidoSantiago Sr., Mathusalem Pareja, Rolando Esguerra, Eraño codera, Rodelio cabrerra and Maximo Bularan Jr. The resolution was approved by Prosecutor general claro arellano upon the recommendations made by Senior Deputy State Prosecutor Theodore Villanueva, along with asst. State Prosecutors Olivia Torevillas and Mark Roland Estepa.

In ruling against the complainants, the fiscals ruled that the respondents could not have been liable for grave coercion when they were accused of compelling Samson to admit that he was Ebanghelista and naming other ministers who gave information used in the blog. “complainant Isaias failed to offer proof that he was compelled to do something against his will when he was allegedly forced by respondent to execute a written statement admitting his culpability and complicity in the Ebanghelista blog. The record is bereft of any proof that indeed the subject statement exists,” the resolution stated.

The DoJ prosecutors noted that Samson “failed to offer an iota of evidence” on the matter of intimidation on confiscation of his passport, service vehicle, laptop, cellphone and other personal effects.

“There is nothing in the recitation of facts made by complainant which show that respondents resorted to threat, violence and intimidation when the said articles were taken allegedly upon orders of the Sanggunian,” they stressed.

“The element of force, threat and intimidation” was also “wanting” in relation to Samson’s complaint for the supposed forcible entry into his residence,” the DoJ prosecutors said.

They noted that Samson and his family members were not present at the time of the alleged forcible entry of their residence. charges of illegal detention and restraint on their liberty were found not to have been “coupled with threat, violence and intimidation,” with the DoJ repeatedly stressing that “there is no evidence” of physical harm or any form of intimidation against Samson or members of his family.

The investigating prosecutors also found Fruto’s complaint lacking of probable cause for illegal arrest, arbitrary detention and violation of abode.

Fruto’s charges of robbery were dismissed because he was not even in his house when the alleged robbery was committed.

On Fruto’s allegations that Inc officials were bent on silencing and harassing him through the filing of a string of criminal charges, a number of which were already pending in court, the DoJ emphasized that these were “already subject of judicial proceedings,” and Fruto’s claims of harassment should be raised as a matter of defense in the proper courts when they are being heard.

President Benigno S. Aquino III exchanges pleasantries with Colombia President Juan Manuel Santos who pays a courtesy call at the President’s Hall of the Malacañan Palace on Tuesday (Nov. 17, 2015). MAlAcAñAng Photo BuREAu

PH offers ‘2 cents’ on Colombia peace bid presence here will help,” Santos said later in a briefing with journalists at the aMID the Moro and commu- Diamond Hotel in Manila.

“President aquino congratnists insurgencies besetting the country, the Philippines has ulated President Santos on offered to help colombia on its significant developments in peace talks with a rebel group, columbia’s peace process and negotiations with the RevoluMalacañang said yesterday.

President Benigno aquino tionary armed Forces of coIII made the offer to colom- lombia and expressed good bian President Juan Manuel wishes on scheduled signing Santos during a courtesy call of final agreement in 2016,” in Malacañang ahead of the communications Secretary asia-Pacific Economic coop- Herminio coloma Jr. said.

“He [aquino] offered Phileration summit scheduled on ippines’ assistance and advice nov. 18 and 19.

Santos will be attending the in the peace process, if needapec summit as an observer ed,” said coloma.

“The two leaders noted but expressed interest in having his country become a their countries’ common concerns on combating illegal member of apec.

“For us to get into apec drug trade and drug abuse. is a priority and I hope my like colombia, Philippines is

By Sandy Araneta and Vito Barcelo

taking steps to improve peo- looking up to the Philippines ple’s quality of life by bringing as a vital resource in adapting social opportunities closer to to and mitigating the effects of them, thus channeling their climate change. energies to legitimate sources aquino said that the Philipof income,” coloma said. pines will share learnings and aquino shared the Philip- best practices in rebuilding pines experiences with such and establishing disaster reprograms as 4P’s, condition- siliency. al cash Transfer and Philaquino likewise thanked Health universal health care, Santos for accepting invito address poverty issues that tation to participate in the previously bred insurgency, apec-Pacific alliance infornoting common challenges mal conversation. faced by both countries, coaquino noted that efforts loma said. and initiatives of colombia Santos, on the other hand, to become a part of apec will offered colombia’s knowl- materialize soon, coloma edge and experience in anti- said. insurgency and anti-illegal Santos’ visit was the first by drugs campaign, citing dec- a colombian leader since the ades-long fight in these two Philippines and colombia esfronts. tablished bilateral relations in Santos also said colombia is 1946.

4 new CA justices named

By Rey E. Requejo

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrives at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 Tarmac on board a Canadian Air Force jet.

Malacañang has appointed four new associate justices of the court of appeals.

In separate transmittal letters sent to chief Justice Maria lourdes aranal-Sereno, Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. informed her that President Benigno aquino has appointed four new ca magistrates, namely: Marikina Regional Trial court Judge geraldine Fiel-Macaraig, Makati city RTc Judge Perpetua atal-Pano, Manila city RTc Judge Ruben Reynaldo Roxas and lawyer gabriel Robeniol.

The new magistrates will be assigned in the ca Mindanao, particularly in cagayan de Oro where the appellate court is located.

Macaraig was a Judicial Excellence awardee during her stint at the Regional Trial court, Branch 192, Marikina city wherein she received the chief Justice Jose abad Santos award in 2012.

In 2001, Fiel-Macaraig was appointed to the Judiciary as Presiding Judge of the Branch 192 of the Marikina Regional Trial

court. From 2005-2007, she served as Vice Executive Judge of the station and was eventually chosen as Executive Judge for two terms, from 2007-2011. atal-Pano started her career in the Supreme court as attorney before entering the judgeship at the Makati Metropolitan Trial court, while Robeniol is currently a law professor of the University of Santo Tomas college of law and a law practitioner.

The Judicial and Bar council shortlisted 14 names for the four vacant positions in the ca out of 52 applicants.

The seven-member council, which is constitutionally mandated to screen and vet nominees to the President for vacant posts in the judiciary and the Offices of the Ombudsman and Deputy Ombudsman, is headed by chief Justice Sereno, with exofficio members, namely Senator aquilino Pimentel III and Iloilo Rep. niel Tupas and Justice Secretary Benjamin caguioa.

Retired Sc Justice angelina Sandovalgutierrez is the head of the Executive committee and represents the Retired Sc Justice Sector.

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editorial@thestandard.com.ph

10 more aviation cops sacked over ‘bala’ mess

By Joel E. Zurbano

AT LEAST 10 more members of the National Police-Aviation Security Group in Metro Manila were relieved over the alleged bullet-planting extortion scheme victimizing passengers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport while the Department of Justice designated prosecutors at Naia to conduct “instant inquests” on the scheme.

Among those relieved were Avsegroup-NCR chief investigator Eugene Juaneza, Chief Insp. Adriano Junio, and Senior Police Officers Romy Navarro and Rolando Clarin.

Eight other members of the Avsegroup assigned to the Naia Terminal 3 were also relieved and placed under investigation.

Avsegroup spokesman Vicente Castor said those relieved were transferred temporarily to their main headquarters pending the

investigation initiated by the Department of Justice.

“This is a command decision in support of the ongoing investigation to determine the truth behind this,” he said.

Avsegroup-Metro Manila chief Senior Supt. Ricardo Layug Jr. was also relieved last week amid the controversy. He was replaced by former Las Pinas City police commander Senior Supt. Adolfo Samala.

Avsegroup director Chief Supt.

Pablo Francis Balagtas did not explain why Layug has been replaced but he said the move was just part of the “rotation process” of the Philippine National Police under the leadership of its director Ricardo Marquez.

He also clarified that Layug’s relief didn’t necessarily mean he was involved in the alleged extortion and other irregularities happening in the airports.

Last month, two other Avsegroup personnel—Careen De Padua and Rommel Ballesteros—were relieved from their post after the bullet in the investigation report on the case of an overseas Filipino worker did not match the one presented before the Pasay City prosecutors office.

The two policemen handled the case of 56-year-old Gloria Ortinez, who was placed under airport police custody, for allegedly bringing a bul-

let at the airport. Ortinez was about to take a connecting flight from Laoag Airport to Hong Kong on Oct. 25 when she was apprehended.

Lawmakers and some victims alleged there is a syndicate operating at Naia terminals victimizing passengers by “planting” bullets in their luggage Personnel from the Office for Transportation Security were also suspected of involvement in the scheme.

OTS chief Rolando Recomono admitted that at least 65 personnel were already dismissed since 2012 but he clarified that they acted on their own and were not part of a syndicate.

Meanwhile, Prosecutor General Claro Arellano deployed 12 prosecutors to man the NAIA terminals from Tuesday to Friday, with three of them assigned per day on an eight-hour duty. With Rey Requejo

Maximized. Stacks upon stacks of cooking oil cans fit into a pedicab traversing along M. H. del Pilar Street in Navotas. ANDREW RABULAN

P486-m CCTVs eyed to prevent bullet scam

By Joel E. Zurbano THE Manila International Airport Authority on Tuesday said it was pursuing a plan to buy P486 million worth of closed-circuit TV cameras under a negotiated contract amid the rash of “bullet planting” incidents at the airport terminals.

The Airport authority clarified that an attempt to bid out the supply contract for the CCTVs in February 201 was canceled following an advisory from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines that the CCTVs should not be wireless, thus prompting MIAA to change its terms for the project.

The succeeding public bidding—officially considered the first bidding which took place in August 2014—was declared a failure after bidders didn’t meet the project’s technical requirements.

The second bidding held in February this year was also declared a failure for the same reason.

MIAA general manager Jose Angel Honrado said that he hoped to settle any misunderstanding between the bidders and the airport management.

“The MIAA has always considered the CCTV project a priority. We also wish to build strong partnerships with our contractors to guarantee the success of the project,” Honrado said.

Lawmakers including House Independent Bloc leader Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez of Leyte suggested that Naia install additional CCTV cameras to catch airport personnel allegedly involved in the (bullet-planting scam) to extort money from unsuspecting passengers.

Last month, Honrado came under fire and was asked to resign over the controversy at the airport. But he said he would not do that because he serves at the pleasure of the President.

Chilean head makes strong pitch for women “However, much still needs to be done in terms of promoting gender equality. There are still lots of challenges to close the gender gaps...especially in “WOMEN can.”

President Michelle Bachelet of Chile on Tuesday terms of the political participation,” Bachelet said.

Citing the record of the United Nations urged the Philippine government to initiate policies and reforms that will ensure full participation of Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women (UN Women), Bachelet said the women in politics and in society in general.

In her speech at the culmination of the two-day Philippines only had about 26 percent female 4th National Women’s Summit held at the Miriam participation in politics.

But she was quick to say that the country fares College in Quezon City, Bachelet stressed the important role of Filipino women in nation building better than some of its Asian neighbors.

“Your record is, however, higher than the other and the struggle of the Filipino nation to close the gender gap between men and women towards the countries in Asia. In fact, your percentage in women participation in politics is higher than the “struggle for equity and justice.”

While the Philippines has achieved so much in percentage of the entire asian region which is only terms of the economy such as the growth in the 18.4 percent,” Bachelet said.

In Chile alone, Bachelet said there have been annual gross domestic product, reduced poverty rates, lower unemployment rate and wider coverage reforms instituted to improve its own percentage of social programs, Bachelet said, there is so much of women political participation, which is only at 16 percent. to be done to promote gender equality.

By Maricel V. Cruz

Courtesy call. Caloocan City Fire Marshall Supt. Antonio Razal Jr. (right) pays a courtesy call on City Mayor Oscar Malapitan at the mayor’s office.

ANDREW RABULAN

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NEWS

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Your lunch is cold. Schoolchildren at Kabuayao Elementary School in Mt. Santo Tomas eat their lunch garbed in their cold-weather garments. DAVID CHAN

Coastal residents to get shelter fund

By Mel Caspe

THE regional office of the Department of Social Welfare and Development has recommended the distribution of Emergency Shelter Assistance to those living in No Dwelling Zones in Tacloban City.

No Dwelling Zones are defined as areas less than 40 meters from the shore.

Region 7 Director Nestor Ramos on Tuesday sent a letter to Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman recommending financial assistance to survivors in the no-build zone as they await the completion of their permanent housing units.

Under the Emergency Shelter Assistance Program, households with totally damaged houses will receive P30,000 while those with partially damaged houses will receive P15,000.

Ramos action was interpreted to be a result of a dialogue between him and members of People Surge in the city.

A provision of Memorandum Circular No. 24 or the ESA guidelines prohibits the NDZs from receiving the cash assistance.

Pol Escalona of the Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (KADAMAY)-Tacloban Chapter said: “This is one step victory for us disaster survivors. DSWD “Dinky” Soliman should ultimately scrap the memorandum and give to NDZ dwellers what they duly deserve.

Two years of waiting is more than enough,” he added.

In the petition letter signed by several organizations under the banner of People Surge, the biggest alliance of disaster survivors in the country, the alliance argued that the ESA does not serve its purpose since its distribution has not been timely.

No less than Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Corazon Soliman conceded she said in a media interview that ESA should just be a “shelter assistance” and no longer an “emergency shelter assistance.”

In a statement, KUSOG Han Barangay 37, a local organization of KADAMAY in Barangay 37 Reclamation Area Tacloban and affiliate of People Surge, said that ESA and permanent housing should not be made mutually exclusive.

Police raise reward for info on judge’s slay

By Orlan L. Mauricio MALOLOS CITY—The cash reward for any information that may lead to the identity of the killers of Regional Trial Court Judge Wilfredo T. Nieves last week has reached P2.5 million according to police.

Sr. Supt. Ferdinand O. Divina, Bulacan police provincial director, said the cash incentive jumped from P1.5 million to P2.5 million over the weekend as a close friend of the victim, who requested anonymity, offered an additional P1-million cash.

Operatives are now tracing the whereabouts of a silver Toyota Innova and a gray Hyundai Tucson allegedly used by the assassins of Judge Nieves.

Nieves, presiding judge of the Regional Trial Court (Branch 84), was on his way home at about 5 p.m. last Nov. 11 when the Fortuner he was driving was peppered with bullets at a stop light along McArthur highway in front of the Bulacan Industrial Park in Barangay Tikay here.

Nieves’ ambush has sent jitters not

only to members of the Judiciary here but also to fiscals and law practitioners who have clamored for tighter security measures inside the whole provincial capitol compound here that houses all the RTC offices and the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office.

Yesterday, the Hall of Justice at the compound that houses the 27 salas of the RTC was unusually gloomy and silent as Nieves remains was scheduled to be cremated at the Loyola Memorial Homes along Commonwealth Avenue, QC where it has laid in estate since Thursday.

The door to the court staff room of RTC-Branch 84 was a mixture of grief and symbolic greetings which might send an eerie thoughts to superstitious people. “Welcome to Branch 84 with a black wreath.”

Also last Thursday, many of the judges of the Bulacan RTC applied for permit to purchase and possess guns as the PNP Firearms and Explosives Office sent a Mobile Team to expedite the processing of their licenses including their escorts.

Migration group, Canada give bancas to Zamboanga families over three canoe docking sites for the fisherfolk who are mostly engaged in ZAMBOANGA CITY, Zamboanga Agai-Agal (seaweed) farming The fisherfolk, temporarily residSibugay—The International Organization for Migration, in partnership ing in the coastal village of Mampang, with the Canadian government, dis- constructed themselves the new catributed last week at least 200 bancas noes which replaced their original sea to Muslim fisherfolk during the Sep- craft destroyed during the two-week tember 2013 siege perpetrated by the rebel invasion on this coastal city – Moro National Liberation Front reb- with the IOM and Canadian partner providing the necessary financial asels, a city official said.

City Information officer Belen sistance and materials which included Sheila Covarrubias said the IOM and special kind of hard plywood, nails Canadian government also turned and paints.

By A. Perez Rimando

Senior moment. Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez delivers a message to more than 10,000 senior citizens from Quezon province. VER NOVENO

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ADELLE CHUA EDITOR W E D N E S D AY, N O V E M B E R 1 8 , 2 0 1 5

OPINION [ EDI TORI A L ]

INDIFFERENT TO OUR SUFFERING

ONE of the most infuriating characteristics that we will remember about the Aquino administration long after it has faded into obscurity and inconsequence is its readiness to inflict pain on the people and to look on indifferently as they suffer.

Contrary to the President’s threadbare claim that the people are his boss, Mr. Aquino and his Cabinet members see common folk as an inconvenience that can be shoved aside whenever it suits their purposes.

This attitude was certainly evident Monday when authorities closed the entire stretch of Roxas Boulevard so that delegates to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) meetings could travel smoothly and securely on empty roads, while thousands of angry commuters were given no choice but to walk for more than an hour from Parañaque City to Manila to get to work. Adding insult to injury, the government again urged people to stay home to avoid the traffic caused by the road closures if they had no important business—as if the unfortunates walking to work under a punishing sun were out for a leisurely stroll, instead of trying to get to work because Monday had been left out of a string of holidays the President declared just to clear the streets for Apec. Elsewhere in the metropolis, motorists and commuters suffered hours-long traffic snarls because the authorities had closed off two of the six lanes on either side of Edsa so that Apec delegates in their motorcades could travel from point A to point B without stopping, while the rest of us fumed in our vehicles.

These are the latest examples of the government’s insensitivity to public suffering but they are hardly the worst.

Only recently, President Aquino and his anointed candidate for President in the elections next year, Manuel Roxas II, dismissed out of hand legislation that would have provided relief to millions of low- and middle-income employees, who see a third of their salaries go to the Bureau of Internal Revenue, making Filipino workers the most highly taxed workers in Southeast Asia.

In rejecting the House and Senate bills, Aquino and Roxas asserted that the government could ill afford to lose an estimated P30 billion in tax revenues for a year—but neglected to say that underspending by this administration had reached P526 billion from 2011 to 2014, or that more than P1 billion in donations for typhoon victims sit idle in government banks, according to the Commission on Audit.

Never mind if millions of hardworking Filipinos are seeing their take-home pay eroded by rising prices and by high taxes that provided them no commensurate benefits, or that tens of thousands who survived Typhoon “Yolanda” two years ago still live in temporary shelters.

Mr. Aquino and his economic advisers must have the funds on hand—just in case they decide to use it.

This pathological lack of empathy was perhaps most evident two years ago, when President Aquino all but told a businessman in Tacloban City to stop complaining about the breakdown of peace and order in the aftermath of Yolanda, which killed more than 6,000 people and devastated huge areas of Eastern Visayas.

“You’re still alive, aren’t you?” he told the flabbergasted businessman at a meeting with local officials to discuss relief and rescue operations. Not to be outdone, Mr. Aquino’s protege, Roxas, came up with his own one-liner, when Tacloban officials were reluctant to turn over their authority to the national government: “Bahala ka sa buhay mo” or “It’s up to you, it’s your life.”

Why should the people care for a government that treats them like second-class citizens in their own country? When this week’s brouhaha over Apec finally blows over and the roads are reopened, the President and his minions will no doubt beat their chests in triumph so loudly that they will block out all the criticism for inflicting pain on a long-suffering public.

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APEC FAIL LOWDOWN JOJO A. ROBLES THE two biggest local airlines, at least, have already figured out how much revenue they lost to the Philippines’ hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit being held in Manila this week. But despite taking a hit of P1.26 billion in foregone revenues for the entire week, neither Philippine Airlines nor Cebu Pacific are complaining—and understandably so, since they’re in an industry that is heavily regulated by the host government.

That government spent P10 billion in taxpayers’ money to bankroll the Apec shindig. And yet, apart from concrete lane dividers and hundreds of brand-new courtesy cars for the 20 visiting delegations, it won’t have anything to show for the expense that will outlive the summit itself.

Of course, I’m aware that the Philippines’ second hosting of the Apec summit is supposed to be a source

of pride. And that pride of hosting has been enviously hoarded by the Aquino administration, even if it has built not one road, bridge or flyover for all the three years that it has been planning the Apec meeting.

When the Philippines first hosted Apec in Subic in 1996 for five percent of the current cost, unadjusted for inflation, thenPresident Fidel Ramos was even able to sell the villas he had built for the Apec leaders. Because Ramos is a frugal Ilocano, as careful with taxpayers’ money as he is with his own, he even thought of a way to get back most of the country’s investment in Apec by selling the houses where Bill Clinton and other leaders slept for one night—chastely, it is hoped, in Clinton’s case—at the summit site.

But planning and wise spending have never been the strong suit of the man billed as the greatest President this poor, benighted country ever had. This is why even the privately built flyover that would connect the airport to the reclaimed area where the summiteers would gather—a project

Aquino’s hosting of Apec, like so many things devalued during his time, has been downgraded to a crime against the people.

conceived specifically with Apec 2015 in mind—wasn’t even completed in time for the meeting.

And that’s just the first of the many Apec failures of this government. (Let’s not even get into how President Noynoy Aquino has hijacked all his speaking engagements during Apec week in order to send the message to his hostaged audiences that, yes, things have never been better and that anything wrong that he happened is the fault of somebody else.)

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*** For instance, for the life of me, I still can’t understand why the Russian delegation was quartered at the Edsa Shangri-La hotel in Mandaluyong City, far, far away from the Philippine International Convention Center complex where most of the summit’s sessions and meetings are being conducted. The segregation of the Russians directly led to the establishment of those two hateful “Apec lanes” on Edsa this week from Shaw Boulevard to the Mall of Asia complex.

And so, the usually unbearable traffic on Metro Manila’s main circumferential highway was made that much worse by the loss of a third of Edsa’s real estate. And the salt of seeing Apec-accredited vehicles breeze by in the two deserted lanes was rubbed liberally on the wounds of the hundreds of thousands of Filipinos who use that stretch of the highway daily.

All this for a Russian delegation whose head, Vladimir Putin, decided at the very last moment that he couldn’t come to Manila.

How’s that for irony?

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

Continued on A11 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

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W E D N E S D AY: N O V E M B E R 1 8 , 2 0 1 5

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OPINION

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

LIES AND HYPOCRISY TO THE POINT EMIL P. JURADO PRESIDENT Aquino is at it again, lying through his teeth and blaming former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo for the growing incidence of poverty under his term. He referred to the Arroyo administration as the “lost decade.”

Santa Banana, everybody knows that poverty in the Philippines has been with us for decades, even during the late Cory Aquino regime.

Just look at statistics: Poverty has risen to over 22 percent, and incidence of hunger during the fiveyear BS Aquino III reign has increased. Joblessness remains a challenge— there are not enough foreign investors to provide jobs, simply because the President does not want restrictive and protectionist economic provisions of the Constitution amended. The reason: BS Aquino wants to protect his friends along Ayala Avenue from foreign competition.

Daang Matuwid, indeed.

The height of hypocrisy was BS Aquino’s boast to the delegates of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit: “Over the last five years, we cracked down on all those proven to have engaged in wrongdoing. Now, a former President is under hospital arrest after being charged with plunder. The former Chief Justice who had no compunction about being selective about implementing the law was removed through impeachment, after it was revealed that he violated our laws by failing to declare over 98 percent of his assets as mandated by our Constitution.”

My gulay, has Gloria been proven to have committed any wrongdoing when almost all her co-accused in that P336million Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office plunder case have been granted bail? She remains in hospital detention because BS Aquino III wants her to be the poster child for his straight path policy.

And what did BS Aquino and his cohorts do to convict former Chief Justice

Renato Corona? They used the Priority Development Assistance Fund and that mongrel called Disbursement Acceleration Program (declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court) to bribe members of Congress to oust Corona.

The President claimed that the former Chief Justice has no compunction about being selective about implementing the law. He must have been really hurt when Corona, as Chief Justice, wanted to increase the benefits given to the tenants of Hacienda Luisita, owned by the Cojuangcos.

For that, Corona became a target for conviction and ouster.

BS Aquino III accused Corona of being selective in implementing the law. Was the President not selective himself when he adopted a double standard of justice, one for his political enemies and another one for his friends and supporters?

True, he had three opposition Senators charged and now undergoing trial at the Sandiganbayan for plunder in connection with the pork barrel system. But, they are still presumed innocent unless convicted.

Can the President be equally resolute in going after his friends and supporters linked to the pork barrel scams? No—in fact, one of them is now running for the Senate under the administration ticket.

Again, Santa Banana, by playing up to the Apec delegates the “miracle” of Edsa One, BS Aquino III lied. It was not the making of his mother who was then hiding in a Pink Sisters convent. It was caused by the Reform the Armed Forces Movement led by now Senator Gringo Honasan.

The late Cory Aquino, BS Aquino III’s late mother, was just the beneficiary.

For five years of BS Aquino III’s reign, what has he done to solve poverty, hunger and joblessness?

Nothing, because he was more interested in trying to destroy the opposition and his political enemies. And now, the President is talking about inclusive growth by making economic gains trickle down to the poor.

Again, he’s being hypocritical. He refuses to open the doors for foreign investments, making the country the laggard in Asia insofar as foreign direct investments are concerned.

My friend, Mar Roxas, the administration candidate for President next year, is echoing the lines of BS Aquino III. Roxas does not want to amend the Constitution if only to get rid of its restrictive and protectionist provisions.

My gulay, President Aquino perhaps thinks the Apec delegates are all stupid to believe what he said.

With the Internet, every-

IS THE PHILIPPINES READY FOR I.S.?

IS THE Philippines ready for the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant?

The answer is no.

ISIL has branches in the Philippines, through members of the Abu Sayyaf Group and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters. ASG and BIFF pledged allegiance to the ISIL in 2014 making them local franchisees of ISIL’s brand of ruthless and mindless terror.

The reasons why Manila is not ready are cited in the 2014 United States State Department report on counterterrorism in the Philippines.

The US government complained of multiple agencies involved in counterterrorism, their limited capability and equipment, and corruption—resulting in inefficiency, confusion, and ineffectiveness. In addition, the agencies have a mixed record of accountability and respect for human rights.

Sometimes, if not often, the incompetence is self-inflicted. The Office for Transportation Security is supposed to screen for terrorist firearms at the Manila airport but it has been using the law to create a business for its people, the tanim-bala (plant-a -bullet) scam in the baggage of hapless airline passengers who must pay a bribe to be set free.

The result is a scandal that is now a-crying international shame. Yet, President BS Aquino III and his Department of Transportation and Communications people have not done anything concrete or positive about it.

A recent Senate investigation of the racket amply demonstrated how grossly incompetent and indifferent DOTC Secretary Joseph Emilio Aguinaldo Abaya and his subaltern, Jose Angel Honrado, the general of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport are about the tanim-bala racket. Both ex-military men, Abaya and Honrado were former security aides of the late President Corazon Aquino, Aquino III’s mother.

“Units with a specialized counterterrorism focus, including the National Bureau of Investigation [NBI] and the PNP Special Action Force [SAF], have limited investigations, crisis response, and border security capacity,” says the report submitted by the US State Department to the US Congress. Despite its low-key language, the US report is still stinging. It says: “Multiple agencies have jurisdiction over counterterrorism efforts, creating confusion and inefficiency in leading investigations and in response to terrorism incidents.

“Roles and responsibilities between law enforcement and military units that have a counterterrorism misbody knows what truly happening around the world! *** From BS Aquino III’s point of view, the Apec summit is a success and that all Filipinos should be proud of it. Major thoroughfares have been cordoned off and delegates are billeted in five-star hotels.

The country is spending P10 billion for this event.

At whose expense?

We have seen thousands of commuters walking along the boulevards and streets just to go home after a day’s work. My family’s household worker walked from Merville Park where we live all the way to Edsa

VIRTUAL REALITY TONY LOPEZ sion are often not well delineated.

Law enforcement units display moderate command and control capacity. Specialized law enforcement units possess some necessary equipment, but have many unfulfilled needs.

“Law enforcement units have a mixed record of accountability and respect for human rights.

“The ATC provides guidance to agencies responsible for enforcing terrorism laws, but its capacity and authority to ensure cooperation and coordination between agencies is limited.”

“The PNP maintains legal responsibility for ensuring peace and security throughout the county, including arresting terrorists and conducting terrorism investigations. In some of the conflict-affected areas, the PNP has relied upon the AFP to conduct counterterrorism operations.”

“The PNP SAF is the national operational support unit for law enforcement counterterrorism efforts.”

Yet, Aquino did not support his SAF (he stopped the Army near the area from providing air and combat support) when they faced an overwhelming number of murderous groups of bandits while carrying out a counterterrorism effort at Mamasapano last January 2015. The result was more deaths than was necessary—44 commandos killed on the SAF side.

In the prosecution of terrorist suspects, the US government notes that “an under-resourced and understaffed law enforcement and judicial system, coupled with widespread official corruption, resulted in limited domestic investigations, unexecuted arrest warrants, few prosecutions, and lengthy trials of cases.”

“Philippine investigators and prosecutors lacked necessary tools to build strong cases, including a lack of clear processes for requesting judicially-authorized interception of terrorist communications, entering into plea bargains with key witnesses, and seizing assets of those suspected in benefiting from terrorism,” says the US report.

Meanwhile, a major tool of the government against terrorism is the 2007 Human Security Act. The law defines terrorism and provides methods for investigating terrorist suspects. The US government finds the law restrictive on lawmen and wants President BS Aquino to work on its

just to take a ride, waiting for two hours because people were scrambling for a ride home. That’s not as bad as people walking from the Coastal Road all the way to Plaza Lawton also for a ride since Roxas Boulevard was “off-limits” to vehicles and was made into a special lane.

Contractual workers have no income these days because the rest of the week has been declared

by President Aquino as a holiday.

All these are an attempt to show the delegates that the Philippine President is a gracious host.

On the contrary, all

amendment.

“Many aspects of the law have not been used due to a number of strict procedural requirements in the law… including notification to subjects of surveillance before activities can begin and damages of approximately US$12,000 for every day of detention if an individual accused of terrorism is ultimately acquitted,” explains the US State Department report.

Accordingly, the US notes that “President Aquino has prioritized the adoption of amendments to the HSA in three main areas: revise the definition of terrorism to conform to international standards; ease the strict monetary penalties and prison terms against law enforcement officials involved in cases where individuals are wrongly accused and later acquitted; and remove barriers to support investigations.”

The ATC Project Management Center, in coordination with the Anti-Money Laundering Council Secretariat and the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office, ensured the final version of the HSA was fully in line with the Terrorism Financing Prevention Act and other Anti-Money Laundering Act and Philippine government initiatives prior to submission to the House of Representatives.

Four Philippine groups are tagged by the US government as terrorists—the ASG, the Jemaah Islamiya, the BIFF, and the communist New People’s Army.

ASG and BIFF elements are understood to be among the ISIL’s 25,000 foreign fighters (from 80 countries).

The 25,000 is triple their number from a year ago. Filipinos become jihadists without borders. Presumably, some of them have flown to Syria to undertake military training. They come back to the Philippines to recruit others or carry out missions like killings, bombings, kidnappings for ransom.

The most celebrated of the ASG kidnappings is the abduction in October 2015 of two Canadians and a Norwegian from a famous Davao resort. The ASG is demanding P1billion ransom for each or P3 billion ($63.8 million).

The ASG ands BIFF hideouts in Mindanao in southern Philippines could be considered among the overseas “provinces” and “sanctuaries” of ISIL. With the incompetence and corruption of the military, police and other agencies involved in counterterrorism, ordinary citizens have no recourse but be careful and to secure themselves against the ISIL. biznewsasia@gmail.com

these are indications of utter incompetence and ineptitude by people in power who could have used their common sense in making the Apec venue elsewhere like Subic, where it was held in 1996, Clark where there is need for more infrastructure and hotels, and even Cebu City, which is in need of government attention to make it a tourist destination.

I cannot believe as many others do that a President can spend that much just for a summit. He had years to seek private sector participation as then President Ramos did in 1996.

Incompetence.

Ineptitude. Lack of common sense. *** If the nine-member Senate Electoral Tribunal applies the law and on the disqualification cases against Mrs. Mary Grace Poe Llamanzares, she will surely be disqualified for not being a natural-born citizen as required by the Constitution.

However, if some of the SET members become personal and resort to political considerations, she may not be disqualified.

Certainly, as night follows day, the case will be elevated to the Supreme Court.

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OPINION

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STRAY BULLETS, SCANNERS AND SCAMMERS BACK CHANNEL ALEJANDRO DEL ROSARIO LISTENING to Roland Recomono, head of Naia’s Office for Transport Security, explain the bullet-planting incidents, one need not wonder why there are lapses and the extortion racket proliferated. Interviewed

by Ces Drilon on the ABS-CBN News Channel, a straight-faced Recomono said the discovery of bullets on airline passengers is more frequent than drugs hidden in their baggage because “drugs in airplanes do not pose as much danger as bullets.” The interviewer could not believe what she heard as she had posed the question why a single bullet is always discovered but millions of pesos worth of drugs are able to slip through the OTS scanners. She was referring to the four Filipino women nabbed in Hong Kong for trying to smuggle drugs from Manila.

Strangely no Filipino has been caught with bullets in other air-

ports abroad. It’s only here at the world’s worst and most dangerous airport.

Recomono’s reasoning raises serious questions about how he was placed in charge of a sensitive government agency.

And we thought no one else could out-nonsense his boss, Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya. Appearing before a Senate committee hearing, Abaya squirmed and assured Senator Grace Poe that a full investigation is under way even as he said earlier the bulletplanting incidents were blown up by the media and a plot by the political opposition to derail the presidential bid of ruling Liberal Party candidate Mar Roxas.

We will probably see less stray bullets finding their way into airline passengers’ bags during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting this week.

Or else, heads will roll for embarrassing the host country.

Former Senator Panfilo Lacson has a plausible explanation why the airport extortion racket could continue after Apec despite the media publicity and public outrage.

THIS week, we celebrate the memory of two good men who have made an impact on the lives of both past and present generations of Filipinos.

Last Monday, Nov. 16, was the 125th birth anniversary of a jail warden’s son who, more by accident of fate than ambition or design, became President of the Republic. Today, had he not been cut down by cancer, a man born with the pedigree of leaders in his veins, would have been celebrating his 87th year.

Elpidio Quirino y Rivera was vice president and secretary of foreign affairs when on April 16, 1948, the first elected President of the Republic was stricken by a massive heart attack after delivering a speech at Clark Air Base, then-territory of the former colonial master of the islands which was the United States of America.

When a military aide rushed into the bedroom of Quirino that fateful morning to show him a radio message of the tragic news, the vice president was stunned, blurting out, “I don’t believe it; someone must be joking.”

The following day, after weeping at the side of Roxas’ bier in Malacañang, he was sworn in as the country’s fifth President, the Third Republic’s second.

Much has been written about the man who presided over the

pair. Michael Ryan White and his son, Lane, were in the country to build a church in Coron, Palawan. Now, they cannot even leave because of a hold departure order against them On the other hand, the bullet possession case against domestic worker Gloria Ortinez was dismissed by the Pasay City fiscal’s office which found the charge against her as without basis. But because she was detained for a week and had to attend the hearing of her case, it is said Ortinez has lost her job in Hong Kong.

She should sue and file a criminal case against the two airport security screeners responsible for her economic dislocation.

How Apec affects us How does Apec affect us?

Retired Sandiganbayan Justice Raoul Victorino posed the question to me as a former ambassador and someone who had attended two Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings in Bangkok and Vancouver.

I told him that Apec is basically an economic gathering meant to improve the economies of the participating member countries through globalization, fair trade

and leveling the field of business competition. Sadly, I said, the poor in this country who are supposed to be beneficiaries of inclusive economic growth are swept under the rug or hidden from view of the guests so they won’t be an embarrassment to the host.

So how does Apec really affect us?

APECtado ang domestic and international flights. APECtado ang road traffic sa Metro Manila, APECtado at kanselado ang mga klase. APECtado ang hanap buhay ng mga sidewalk vendors. After APEC, everything will be back to normal—chaos at the airport and on Metro Manila’s streets.

The biggest beneficiary of the Manila-hosted Apec is the German carmaker BMW which won the lease contract for the fleet of brand-new, all-black limousines rented for the use of the heads of states attending the leaders’ summit. The Department of Foreign Affairs which signed the lease said the cars will be driven

by Philippine National Police personnel. The VIPs of course will still have their personal security with them and others following in another vehicle.

TWO GOOD FILIPINOS

SO I SEE LITO BANAYO

“For the people behind the scam to stop would be admitting such a racket exists, which is why there will be no let-up,” said Lacson, former Philippine National Police chief who knows how criminals think and operate.

Abaya was also grilled at the Senate inquiry for the Metro Rail Transit’s daily breakdown due to a crack in the rails, a nonworking signaling system, doors that won’t close or a roof that leaks when it rains. Abaya again assured the senators that the MRT service will improve when five additional wagons from the Chinese company Dalian are delivered and harnessed before the end of the year. It is doubtful though that five additional wagons will ease the problem of congestion with more than 500,000 commuters riding the public railway system daily to avoid the horrendous traffic on Edsa which Abaya said “does not kill.”

Meanwhile, the two American missionaries who were victims of the “tanim-bala” scam are pushing their complaints against two airport screeners who allegedly planted evidence and then tried to extort money from the

rehabilitation and reconstruction of the country that was so devastated by the Pacific War. He jumpstarted an economy laid to ruins; he fathered the foreign service; he built some of the most enduring public infrastructures, many of which remain of service to the people until today.

He was scorned and vilified by his political enemies, some of whom belonged to his own Liberal Party, but maintained his dignity and self-respect throughout.

One of the most ridiculous black propaganda charges leveled against him was that he used public funds to buy a golden bedpan (orinola) and a P5,000-brass bed (at the time a princely sum).

The truth later came out from the records of the budget office.

They had to buy a bed for him because the widow of the former President brought the bed with her when she left Malacañang for the new occupant, and it cost a fraction of the alleged amount.

And the “golden” orinola was made of stainless steel.

There are a thousand and one stories that could detail the greatness of Quirino, from how he rebuilt the economy, to how he insisted on regaining much of Philippine territory that the Americans used as military bases, as well as vignettes of his honesty and character. Let me choose something quite apropos to the times: It was President Quirino who chose a brash young “mechanic,”

Apec.. . From A8 But that wasn’t even the worst of it.

The insensitivity and hypocrisy of the Aquino government was in full display in the south of Metro Manila, where the chaos and suffering of last Monday was really unnecessary, had the summit organizers simply used their brains.

By not declaring a school and work holiday on the first day of the week, which coincided with the total closure of Roxas Boulevard and all the other

Ramon Magsaysay to become secretary of defense in 1950.

“I gave him all the support he needed to succeed…I assigned him all the necessary patronage and appropriations, gave him the credit for everything done, even where not directly attributable to his personal efforts, so that his prestige might grow and acquire national value.” (from the book of Raissa Espinosa Robles, “To Fight without End,” a biography of Elpidio Quirino, 1990, a book I keep reading and re-reading).

On a cold January morning in 1953, the President sat talking to his defense secretary, who was being prepared by Quirino’s political enemies and the American “pro-consuls” to run for President against his benefactor. The two were quite close, like a father to son. (Quirino was then 62, Magsaysay 46.)

He recounted a story about then Senate President Manuel Luis Quezon, against whom a political coup was being engineered and his position offered to then Senator Quirino. The latter refused, even if the position was “in the bag,” telling the plotters, “I might get to be President of the Senate…but I would not be a man.”

It was all about gratitude, all about honor. But Magsaysay ignored the lesson Quirino was trying to impress upon him. In that year’s elections, where American CIA operatives so visibly and blatantly interfered, Magsaysay

roads in the reclaimed area, the government showed just how callous it was.

Hundreds of thousands of workers and students who could not turn back for home in Parañaque City, Cavite province and all other points south because the Coastal Road was already gridlocked had to walk many kilometers into the city, as if they were reenacting the Death March that came after the Fall of Bataan in World War II. Sure, work and classes have been suspended since that crazy day, but why

defeated the man who appointed him and gave him the break of his public life.

How many such stories have peppered Philippine political life since? Of “made-to-order” presidents and ill-prepared men and women propped-up by either foreign puppeteers or the oligarchic elite? *** Salvador Laurel y Hidalgo was born Nov. 18, 1928, to a young politician who would soon rise to become a revered statesman and President of the Second Republic, Jose P. Laurel of Tanauan in Batangas.

The things I could write about him are so plenty, having worked under him closely during the dark yet inspiring years of the struggle against authoritarian rule. Enough to fill a book which I plan to write in the near future.

Days before the start of the “snap election” deadline for the filing of candidacies for President in 1985, Ninong Doy asked me, his niece Fely Laurel and nephew Benjie Laurel, to join him in a brief, overnight “meditation” at his Matabungkay beachfront house.

The nation was then caught in political frenzy. Laurel had earlier been proclaimed by the largest opposition party, the UNIDO, which I helped him organize and strengthen throughout the country, as presidential candidate against Ferdinand Marcos.

Meanwhile, a clamor was build-

have one day of mass, involuntary torture for the citizenry in the first place?

Why weren’t all offices and schools closed for the entire week, if the government of President Noynoy Aquino didn’t really want to inflict more misery on the put-upon people who were already paying for the summit?

Why on earth hold the summit in Metro Manila anyway? Why not, as both the Russians and Indonesians did a couple of years back, isolate the summit on an island, thus avoiding any inconvenience

ing up for Ninoy’s widow, Cory Aquino, to be the candidate of a “united opposition” against Marcos.

Doy had to make a fateful decision—whether to run and split the opposition against Marcos, even trigger a massive poll boycott; or support Cory. There in the serenity of his home province, with cool breezes fanning his “meditation,” I could sense that he would make a “supreme” sacrifice.

At one point, when only he and I were in the porch facing the sea, Tito Doy told me about the pain and humiliation that his father suffered after the war, a pain that he, then a young man shared with Ninoy, whose father Benigno Sr. was also incarcerated, labeled as “collaborators” by the triumphant “liberators.”

Wistfully, he said, in firm but low voice: “Alam mo Lito, like Papa always told us, when it becomes a choice between self and country, self has to surrender.”

“Ang bayan, higit sa lahat,” he quoted his old man.

At that point, with tears welling in my eyes, I knew he had already made a decision.

Days after, towards midnight, he and Cory joined each other to file their candidacies at the Comelec office in Intramuros— the latter as President, and Laurel as her vice president. It was one of the most memorable moments in my own life, to be a witness to history.

to the population for what is really a feelgood meeting that has very little impact on their daily lives?

All this time, I thought that hosting an international summit was an opportunity to showcase all that is good in the host country. But Aquino’s hosting of Apec, like so many things devalued during his time, has downgraded the event to the level of a crime against the very people footing the bill—and who lost so much else besides.

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Mavericks, Suns crush rivals LOS ANGELES—Dirk Nowitzki scored 21 points as the Dallas Mavericks sent the Philadelphia 76ers spinning to their 11th straight defeat since the new NBA season began, the worst record of any team in the league.

Nowitzki piled up the points in the final quarter as the 76ers slipped to a 92-86 defeat which left them at 0-11, the only team in the NBA without a win.

The Mavericks were well below their best, with Nowitzki missing 10 of 16 attempts from the floor.

But it was good enough to edge out the 76ers, who have already faced accusations from disgruntled fans that they have thrown in the towel with the new season barely three weeks old.

Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said despite the 76ers’ modest roster, they had been awkward opponents.

“This is a hard team to get good shots against,” Carlisle said. “They have young, motivated guys on small contracts. They’re playing their [butts] off. It’s good to see from a competitive standpoint but it makes it hard to get shots.”

Nowitzki was also generous in victory.

“They kept staying in the game, clawing and scratching and they’re obviously desperate to get their first win,” Nowitzki said. “We had to dig deep and grind it out.”

Nevertheless the stats don’t lie and Philadelphia is now in the grip of a desperate losing streak.

Including the tail-end of last sea-

son, the 76ers have now slumped to 21 straight defeats, just five shy of the all-time record for longest losing streak in NBA history—which the 76ers themselves share with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Sixers coach Brett Brown bemoaned his team’s high turnover total—27—which resulted in 28 Dallas points.

“You’re not going to win any basketball games with 27 turnovers,” Brown said.

Sixers rookie center Jahlil Okafor, who contributed 19 points, insists the team was close to turning a corner.

“We’re on the right path,” Okafor said. “We see the bigger picture, and I really believe that it’s all going to add up, and we’re definitely right there.”

In other matches on Monday, the Los Angeles Lakers’ disap-

pointing start to the season continued with the team crashing 120-101 at Phoenix.

The Suns guard Brandon Knight recorded the first triple-double of his career with 30 points as the Lakers faded in the fourth quarter.

The Lakers rested veteran Kobe Bryant and had kept pace with the Suns until the fourth quarter, when Phoenix broke clear with a 21-8 scoring run to settle the contest.

In Texas, the San Antonio Spurs recorded their fifth straight victory with a 93-80 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.

Forward Kawhi Leonard scored 19 points while veterans Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker both contributed key shots at pivotal moments of the match.

Ginobili finished with 17 points while Parker and Tim Duncan scored 10 points each. AFP

Brandon Knight (3) of the Phoenix Suns attempts to control the ball under pressure from Larry Nance Jr. (7) of the Los Angeles Lakers during the NBA game at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns defeated the Lakers, 120-101. AFP

PH wushu bet settles for silver TAICHI artist Agatha Chrystenzen Wong clinched the first medal— a silver in the compulsory taijiquan—of the lean and young nine-strong Philippine squad in the 13th World Wushu Championships in Jakarta, Indonesia on Nov. 16.

A worlds’ rookie, fresh from copping gold and bronze medals (42 forms taijiquan and 42 forms taijijian) in the Asian Junior Wushu Championships in Inner Mongolia, China, Wong, a 17-year-old from Quezon City, was edged for the gold by veteran Malaysian Lu Yi Chan.

Singaporean Lin Yin Ho rounded out the podium finishers.

In the sanda (combat) discipline, four of the five fighters barged into the medal round, assuring the Philippine Sports Commission-sponsored Team Philippines of four bronze medals.

Ilonggo Francisco Solis, 25, lone world championship veteran with 2014 Asian Games bronze and 2015 SEA Games silver medals under his belt, dominated hometown favorite Abdul Harris Sofyan in the 60kg quarterfinal bouts.

Damian stuns no. 8

‘Bangkok race error added extra miles’ BANGKOK—Organizers of a Bangkok run have apologized after they miscalculated the distance of a half-marathon, forcing runners to cover several extra kilometres (miles) though the sweltering city.

Participants wearing pedometers realized they had covered 27.6 kilometres (17 miles) instead of the standard 21.1 kilometers in Sunday’s early morning race.

“Our staff mistakenly marked a U-turn onto the course which added around six kilometres to the route,” said Songkram Kraisonthi of co-organisers the National Jogging Association of Thailand (NJAT) and Amazing Field.

“We admit our mistake and have apologized. Our staff worked hard but they were confused,” he said.

By way of compensation, runners will receive a special finisher shirt in recognition of the extra distance travelled, he added.

Gagalac, Guevarra shine in Albay netfest NAGA City’s Nolan Gagalac foiled top seed Kurt Molina to snare the boys’ 18-and-under crown then wore down Jennard Gonzales to pocket the 16-U title in the Palawan PawnshopPalawan Express Pera Padala regional age group tennis tournament at the DPWH-RES Tennis Club in Albay Monday.

Glydel Guevarra, Jan Harold Trillanes, and Nika Alanis, all from Iriga, matched that twotitle romp while Patricia Corporal, also from Iriga, pocketed the girls’ 14-U diadem in the four-day, Group 5 tournament sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop and presented by Technifibre.

The second seeded Gagalac broke Molina once in the first set then dominate his rival in the next to fashion out a 6-4, 6-2 win in a big follow up to his 6-4, 1-0 (ret.) victory in the

16-U finals of the event sanctioned by the Philippine Tennis Association headed by president and Paranaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez.

“We thank Palawan Pawnshop for bringing this tennis program to Albay for the first time,” said Rep. Al Francis Bichara. “We hope the circuit will further expand and hold tournaments in other parts of Bicol where youth tennis is on an upswing.”

Guevarra also upended top seed Benedict Aguilar, 4-2, 4-0, to bag the 10-unisex plum then scored a walkover win over Zea Arcangel in the girls’ 12-U finals, while Trillanes lived up to his top seeding and trampled JC Gonzales, 6-0, 6-2, to cop the boys’ 12-U title then bounced back from a second set meltdown to defeat Jennard Gonzales, 6-3, 3-6, 10-4, for the

14-U crown.

Alanis, on the other hand, dominated Corporal, 6-0, 6-2, to claim the girls’ 16-U plum then ripped Antonette Miranda, 6-3, 6-2, for the 18-U diadem while Corporal, also from Iriga, took the girls’ 14-U title with a 1-0(ret.) win over Arcangel.

“Tapping new venues is in line with Palawan Pawnshop’s commitment to develop the sport throughout the country and at the same time help in discovering talents,” said Palawan Pawnshop president and CEO Bobby Castro. “ Meanwhile, Registration for the next leg at Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao on Nov. 19-24 is ongoing. For details, call Bobby Mangunay, PPS-PEPP organizer and sports program development director at 09154046464.

NOEL Damian and Vince Salas sustained their strong showing in the two-day qualifier, turning back their Thai rivals in contrasting fashions to move into the second round of the PSC-Phinma International Juniors Tennis Championships Week 1 at the Manila Polo Club in Makati City yesterday.

Damian, who upended Justin Suarez, 6-2, 5-7, 6-2, to clinch one of the four slots staked in the elims Monday, pulled off another three-setter, this time, easing out No. 8 Thai Suphawit Sae-Oui, 4-6, 7-6, 6-4, to advance against Alester Magalit of Hong Kong, who trounced local bet Francis Atienza, 6-0, 6-1.

Salas, who upended Japanese Yusuke Nishitani, 7-6(1), 6-1, in the final day of elims, dominated Sirawit Daosaengwang, 6-3, 6-0, for a second round clash with Taiwan’s Ho Jun Lee, who scored a 3-6, 6-3, 3-3(ret.) win over No. 5 Shaheed Alam of Singapore.

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Cotto, Alvarez make weight

By Ronnie Nathanielsz WORLD Boxing Council middleweight champion Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico and popular young Mexican challenger Saul “Canelo” Alvarez have made the seven-day weigh in prior to their eagerly awaited showdown at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas on Sunday.

The WBC website reported that the champion Cotto tipped the scales at 157.8 pounds, while Alvarez registered 160.2 pounds.

Both fighters were reported in “great condition” and are “poised as well as keen to step into the ring” in what is predicted to be an epic battle, knowing the storied rivalry between Puerto Rico and Mexico.

The seven-day pre-fight weigh-in had been ordered by the WBC, headed by its president Mauricio Sulaiman, “to protect the physical integrity of the fighters.”

Freddie Roach, who trains Cotto said the Puerto Rican has the physical ability to do what it takes to win.

Spain’s Rafael Nadal returns the ball to Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka during their men’s singles group stage match on day two of the ATP World Tour Finals tennis tournament in London.

Nadal won the match 6-3, 6-2. AFP

Murray, Nadal dominate foes LONDON—Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal produced emphatic responses to the critics as they kicked off their ATP Tour Finals campaigns in dominant fashion on Monday.

Murray silenced the doubters who claimed he was distracted by dreams of Davis Cup glory with a gritty 6-4, 6-4 win over David Ferrer, while Nadal, beset by problems during the worst year of his career, showed he isn’t finished yet with a 6-3, 6-2 thrashing of French Open champion Stan Wawrinka.

Former Wimbledon champion Murray has made it clear his main priority in the closing weeks of the season is Great Britain’s attempt to win the Davis Cup for the first time since 1936 in their first final since 1978.

Britain face Belgium in the final on clay in Ghent next week and Murray had initially suggested he might pull out of the Tour Finals to fine-tune his preparations for the Davis Cup. After learning of potential sanctions from the ATP if he withdrew, Murray settled for spending most of last week practising his clay-court game across London at Queen’s Club before arriving at the O2 on Friday.

It was hardly ideal preparation and inevitably Murray’s commitment against Ferrer was under close scrutiny from cynics who doubted whether the world number two really wanted to risk in-

jury with the Davis Cup just around the corner.

But Murray assuaged those worries with a typically whole-hearted 90-minute display to see off Ferrer in his opening group match in the prestigious season-ending event.

“If I didn’t play here, I would have gone three weeks or something without playing a match before the Davis Cup Final,” Murray said.

“Obviously it’s a different surface here, but playing matches against the best players in the world is also fantastic preparation.

“I feel good just now. Hopefully I can perform well here and in Belgium.”

While Murray was unable to win a Grand Slam this year, his impressive consistency over the last 11 months has brought him to the verge of finishing second in the year-end world rankings for the first time.

The 28-year-old will now be guaranteed that milestone if he wins one of his remaining two group matches against Nadal and Wawrinka.

- Fallow period After winning at least one Grand Slam title in each of the last 10 years, 2015 has been a fallow period for Nadal. AFP

PH Azkals lend a hand in Football for Better Life FOOTBALL for a Better Life 2015, the grassroots football development program supported by Pru Life UK, concluded its tour for the year at the Army Support Command Football field recently.

Some 120 kids and eight community teams from Gawad Kalinga villages in Metro Manila took part in the football clinic wherein the children were taught by no less than members of the Philippine Azkals Men’s Football Team.

Current team captain Rob Gier and his teammates Daisuke Sato, Dennis Villanueva, Misagh Bahadoran, Simone Rota and former Azkals goal keeper Ref Cuaresma complemented the training given by former Azkals skipper Chieffy Caligdong and Pru Life UK Grassroots Football Director Chris Thomas.

Shane Clemente and Jacob Pedernal, members of the Little Azkals training team, assisted them.

The young footballers from Gawad Kalinga with ages ranging from 6 to 12 were taught skills in dribbling, passing, agility and body coordination. The clinic was capped with games and a minitournament wherein GK Tatalon emerged as the champion and Kevin Hadap was declared MVP. The following day’s tourna-

ments had more than 50 boys’ football teams/clubs vying for honors. Army FC cinched the top spot for the U-14 and U-8 age groups, while Nomads FC and Global FC were the champions in the U-12 age group and the U-10 age groups, respectively.

Football for a Better Life 2015 conducted clinics and tournaments in 10 key cities/provinces nationwide from March to November.

These were in Barotac, Nuevo Iloilo; Pampanga; San Carlos, Negros Occidental; Cagayan de Oro; Dumaguete; Naga; Laguna, Tarlac, Palawan and NCR. About 8,000 boys and girls have benefited from this year’s program.

“It’s been an amazing journey,” said Pru Life UK Chief Marketing Officer Belle Tiongco. “Our program gives hope for the future that we will find the best football athletes this part of Asia.”

“We intend to bring Football For A Better Life to 20 cities and provinces for 2016. I would like to thank Globe and Pru Life UK for sharing my vision and advocacy to help young footballers secure a good education through football,” said Globe and Pru Life UK football Ambassador Chieffy Caligdong.

St. Paul-Pasig 13-under cagers grab lead ST. PAUL College Pasig crushed erstwhile co-leader De la Salle-Zobel, 28-21, to claim the solo view from top of the 13-and-Under Division of the 28th Women’s Basketball League organized by the Best Center and backed by Milo recently.

The win was the fifth straight in as many matches for the Paulinians, while dealing DLS-Z its very first defeat in five games.

St. Pedro Poveda College

humbled winless PWU-JASMS in a low-scoring 6-1 result to stay within sight of the leaders at 3-1.

Miriam College walked over Assumption Antipolo, then demolished St. Stephen High School, 68-24, to remain in contention at 3-2.

The 17-and-Under Division saw St. Paul CollegePasig roll over St. Clare, 47-7; and Montessori International School beat Kalayaan National High School, 28-19,

in Group A; New Era High School defeat St. Stephen HS, 42-22, and walk over St. Mary’s College; before St. Mary’s trashed Colegio San Agustin-Makati, 3715, in Group B; Quezon City Academy make mincemeat to Casimiro Ynares Memorial National HS, 55-4; and St. Theresa’s Academy clip CYMNHS, 31-26, in Group C; and School of the Holy Spirit nip Colegio San Agustin-Makati, 36-34, in Group D.

I’ll bring you down with me. J.J. Watt (99) of the Houston Texans sacks Andy Dalton (14) of the Cincinnati Bengals during the fourth quarter at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. Houston defeated Cincinnati, 10-6. AFP

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

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Lascuña, Tabuena vs world’s best VETERAN Tony Lascuña and young Miguel Tabuena set out against a power-packed international roster that includes no fewer than 30 Asian Tour winners as they banner the locals bid in the $1 million RW Manila Masters firing off tomorrow at the Manila Southwoods Golf and Club’s Masters course in Carmona, Cavite.

Miguel Tabueña tries to rebound from a poor showing last year.

Santo Tomas judokas eye golden double UNIVERSITY of Santo Tomas seeks another golden double when the UAAP Season 78 judo tournament kicks off today at the La Salle-Greenhills gym.

The Growling Tigers swept the men’s and women’s championships in three of the last four years and the España-based judokas are tipped once more to reign in the league.

With MVP Al Rolan Llamas leading the way, UST collected 45 points to dethrone Ateneo, which finished second place with 43, in the men’s division last season.

The Tigresses banked on MVP Annie Ramirez and Princess Lucman to win the women’s championship with 42 points, beating the Lady Eagles in the process with 32 points.

The two-day event will start at 8:30 a.m.

Currently handled by coach Gege Arce, UST is the most successful judo program in the league, winning 11 men’s crowns

and seven women’s titles.

In the juniors division, Ateneo is tipped to rule against UST and De La Salle-Zobel.

Behind MVP Christian Clemente and top rookie Jose Ariel Querubin, the Blue Eaglets topped the high school side.

In juniors’ basketball, Aljun Melecio overcame offensive struggles as De La Salle-Zobel vaulted to its second straight win with a 72-61 decision over UP Integrated School yesterday in the UAAP Season 78 juniors basketball tournament at the Filoil Flying V Arena.

Former titlist National University overpowered University of Santo Tomas, 8054, to also move up to 2-0, with Winderlich Coyoca, Karl Penano and John Lloyd Clemente combining for 44 points.

Defending champion Ateneo, behind Jolo Mendoza’s 34 points, entered the win column with a 85-66 rout of Far Eastern University-Diliman, while Adamson

University also improved to 1-1 by overwhelming University of the East, 83-52.

Melecio, who scored 42 points in the Junior Archers’ 84-72 season-opening win against the Blue Eaglets Saturday, had 26 points this time on 9-of-25 shooting.

But Melecio somehow delivered an impressive all-around game with seven assists, six rebounds and five steals in 32 minutes of play for De La Salle-Zobel.

Bryan Andrade and Romulo Berjay also delivered the goods for Ateneo with 13 and 10 points, respectively.

Kenji Roman had 17 points and eight boards, while James Bieren and JJ Sapinit tossed in 13 markers apiece for the Baby Tamaraws, who tied the Eaglets and Baby Falcons at 1-1.

Jose Antiporda led Adamson with 12 points and seven boards while Jerry Abadiano also scored 12 points while Ralf Chua added 10 points and six assists.

Lascuña, a three-time Order of Merit winner on the ICTSI Philippine Golf Tour, is raring to slug it out with the best in the fold, confident of his chances for a breakthrough victory in the country’s richest golf championship after a dismal stint the last time out.

“I didn’t have much luck in 2014. My driving and putting were really off, including a number lipped outs,” said the 45-year-old Lascuna, who hobbled and wound up tied for 52nd last year.

“Hopefully, I’ll get some luck this week.”

The event, sanctioned by the Asian Tour and held in cooperation with the Manila Southwoods, is also staged to further boost pro golf in the country and in Asia and at the same time create opportunities for Filipino golfers to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics and promote the Philippines as a golfing haven and top class tourist destination.

Like Lascuña, Tabuena also had a poor finish in last year’s second staging of the event won by Singapore’s Mardan Mamat, ending up at joint 47th. But the young shotmaker hopes to make a big surge this time, given his fierce form that netted him the local tour’s OOM title.

“Having success on the local tour was a big achievement for me. I am so glad I did it but I hope the form will cross over to the Asian Tour,” said Tabuena.

Both aces, however, remain wary of the field’s depth and talent although they feel the local players have a slight edge playing on the hazardladen, wind-raked Masters Course.

“Most of us know Southwoods very well because we always play there. It will be good for us to shine and show. It will be a good chance for us to move up in the Asian Tour OOM,” said Tabuena.

Manila Southwoods chair Bob Sobrepeña said the course has been spruced up to championship form, making it a true test of golf for the elite field that includes Thais Thaworn Wiratchant, Prom Meesawat, Danthai Boonma and Thammanoon Sriroj, Swede Daniel Chopra, Aussie Marcus Both, Taiwan’s Lu Wei-chih, Chiragh Kumar of India and Sri Lanka’s Mithun Perera.

“We are privileged and honored to be the host venue again for what is now the country’s richest golf tournament on the Asian Tour,” said Sobrepeña.

Souped-up Home Ultera tossers upbeat on V-League chances Games Saturday 12:45 p.m. – Army vs Navy 3 p.m. – Home Ultera vs UP

PLDT Home Ultera hopes to cash in on its edge in manpower and experience when it shoots for one of the final berths in the Shakey’s V-League Season 12 Reinforced Conference against University of the Philippines at The Arena in San Juan on Saturday.

A pre-tournament favorite, Home Ultera’s campaign suffered a snag with the sidelining of ace spiker Alyssa Valdez due to back injury. But the Ultra Fast Hitters are back in the lead role after tapping a pair of talented American im-

ports late in the elims of the season-ending conference of the league where it all started.

And Victoria Hurtt and Sareea Freeman proved their worth with a pair of explosive games with the former unloading 21 hits and the latter adding 15 points as Home Ultera eased out Kia Forte, 25-12, 25-12, 23-25, 25-21, to clinch the No. 2 seeding and seal a Final Four duel with UP, which wound up No. 3.

“We have the advantage against UP because of our experience,” said Home Ultera coach Roger Gorayeb. “We also have two foreign players who I think will give us more options.”

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Home Ultera beat UP, 2512, 22-25, 25-15, 25-17, in their first round meeting.

But Gorayeb stressed the need for team cohesion, saying they would more practice time with Freeman and Hurtt to reach peak form in time for the championship.

“If you’re going to ask me, we haven’t really practiced that much. Hopefully, we could use this week to really get to familiarize with each other,” said Gorayeb.

In fact, Rubie de Leon, Home Ultera’s ace setter, struggled while trying to adjust their plays following the arrival of Freeman and Hurtt.

Home Ultera Coach Roger Gorayeb (right) tries to perfect a play for his wards.

WE DN E S DAY : N O V E M B E R 1 8 , 2 0 1 5

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Six share PSC chess tilt lead Standing after two rounds (Open Division) – Sivuk (UKR), Bitoon (PHI), Dimakiling (PHI), Savchenko (RUS), Laylo (PHI), Pascua (PHI) 2, Gupta (IND), Mozharov, Senador (PHI), Pimentel (PHI), Aravindh (IND), Kotanjian (ARM), Antonio (PHI), Torre (PHI) 1.5, Smirnov (RUS), Shomoev (RUS), Sean (INA), Lu (CHI), Demchenko (RUS), Rohan (IND), Garcia (PHI), Zubov (UKR), Belous (RUS) Nguyen (VIE) Sunilduth Lyna (IND), Puranik (IND), Docena (PHI), Lin (CHI), Deepan (IND), Liu (SIN), Bersamina (PHI), Nolte (PHI), Segarra ( PHI), San Diego (PHI).

GRANDMASTER Vitaly Sivuk of Ukraine continued where he left off, scoring two successive wins in the first two rounds to pace the 2015 Philippine Sports Commission-Puregold International Chess Challenge at the Subic Bay Peninsular at the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, Olangapo City.

The 23-year-old Sivuk, who topped the recent Philippine International Chess Championship held at the same venue, crushed Filipino upstart Jerad Docena after 45 moves of a King’s Indian (Classical Averbakh) in the first round and followed up with a win over International Master Abhimanyu Puranik of India to stay unbeaten with two points, along with five other bidders.

But in a pleasant turn, four of the six early co-leaders are Filipinos--reigning national champion GM Richard Bitoon, IM Oliver Dimakiling, GM Darwin Laylo and young IM Haridas Pascua, all of whom beat higher-seeded opponents, while the other twopointer is Russian GM Boris Savchenko.

It was the Cebu native and 24th seed Bitoon, however, who scored two huge upset victories early in the tournament organized by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines and supported by the PSC, the Philippine Olympic Committee, Puregold, Burlington Socks, Asia United Bank and Marc Ventures Mining and Development Corp., trashing no. 2 seed Alexander Zubov of Ukraine

after 48 moves of an English, and upended mo. 13th seed GM Duc Hoa in the second round.

The 28th seed Dimakiling was also off to a good start, as he toppled no. 6 seed GM Vladimir Belous after 49 moves of a Sicilian, and in the second round, lowered the ax against 14th seed Indian GM Narayanan Sinulduth Lyna.

No. 18 seed Laylo, meanwhile, turned back Woman International Master Janelle Mae Frayna after 36 pushes of a Caro-Kann (Modern Line) in the first round, and then upset no. 3 GM Pavel Smirnov of Russia in the second. The no. 20 seed Pascua, who defeated WIM Mikee Charlene Suede in the first round, scored his biggest win so far as he crushed no. 9 seed GM Anton Shomoev in the second round.

Hagdang Bato, Pugad Lawin among PCSO Gold Cup bets THE HOARSE WHISPEREER

JENNY ORTUOSTE HAGDANG Bato and Pugad Lawin are set to renew their track rivalry in the 2,000-meter Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office Presidential Gold Cup to be held Dec. 13 at San Lazaro Leisure Park.

The PCSO Racing Committee released the list of nine declared entries: #2 Dixie Gold, to be ridden by jockey Patricio Dilema, carrying 55 kgs.; #3 Kanlaon, Val Dilema, 55; #4 Low Profile, Mark Alvarez, 55; #6 Pugad Lawin, JPA Guce, 59; #7 Messi, JA Guce, 55; #7a (stall no. 5) Tap Dance, JB guce, 55; #8 Hagdang Bato, Jonathan Hernandez, 62; #8a (stall no. 1) Malaya, Kelvin Abobo, 54; #9 Penrith, Christopher Garganta, 56.

Handicapping for the PCSO Presidential Gold Cup is on a “points” system; weights are assigned based on previous wins of the entries in the race. Hagdang Bato was assigned 62 kgs. after having won the Gold Cup twice, in 2012 and 2014, while Pugad Lawin’s 59 results from his 2013 win in the Gold Cup.

They each have won the PCSO Silver Cup once, Hagdang Bato in 2013 and Pugad Lawin in 2014.

Both lost the 2015 edition to Skyway last June.

Mandaluyong City Mayor Benhur C. Abalos has filed an appeal to the PCSO Racing Committee to reduce the handicap weight of Hagdang Bato, saying that at 6YO, he is an older horse and no longer at his peak. The Racing Committee has yet to issue a reply. ***** Ruben Dimacuha’s Low Profile has an excellent chance of winning the Gold Cup next month if he shows the same stellar performance he pulled off when he won the Philracom Amb. Eduardo M. Cojuangco Jr. Cup last Nov. 8 at Santa Ana Park.

Sent off as the outstanding favorite, Low Profile broke cleanly out the gate under jockey Mark Alvarez.

The tandem took the lead and never looked back from there, winning by eight lengths wire-to-wire. Second choice Messi took second, followed by stablemate Tap Dance in third, and Eugenie fourth.

Low Profile (Tribal Rule x Lacquaria) posted 2:06 (24’-24-24’-2627) for the 2,000-meter race. The

MILO regulars. Bobby Tadlas and Michell Aclo both secured the highest

record of 2:04.4 for that distance remains unbroken. It is held by three horses: local-bred Yes Pogi set it in the 16th PCSO Silver Cup in 2011 with Manolito F. Daquis aboard, and in 2005 by imports Wild Orchid (Philracom Classic Open, with Fernando M. Raquel Jr.) and Stowaway Lass (Spkr. Jose de Venecia Cup, with Valentino R. Dilema). ***** Last weekend at Metroturf racecourse was an exciting one for fans, with two stakes races held.

On Saturday (Nov. 14), Cool Summer Farm’s Dance Again, steered by Pat Dilema, won the 1,400-meter PCSO Special Maiden Race. The placers were, in order, Guatemala, Nothing But Dtruth, and Love Hate. The time for the race was 1:25.8 (13-21’-23-28).

On Sunday, (Nov. 15), Mayor Abalos’s Malaya, guided by Jonathan Hernandez, won the 1,200-meter Philracom Grand Sprint Championship. Another Abalos entry, Never Cease, was second, followed

by Sharp Shooter and Pugad Lawin fourth and last. Time for the race was 1:10.6 (23-21’-26). *** Facebook: Gogirl Racing, Twitter: @gogirlracing, Instagram: @jensdecember, Blog: http://jennyo.net

Rivera, Del Rosario have a good chance to qualify LAS VEGAS, Nevada – Philippine champions Biboy Rivera and Liza del Rosario played well enough in eight games to stay in position to make the 24-man cut in the men’s and women’s divisions of the 51st Qubica AMF Bowling World Cup international finals yesterday at Sam’s Town, Las Vegas here.

Rivera, a former World FIQ titlist, is in ninth place with 3459 pinfalls while Del Rosario, considered one of Asia’s best, is in 16th place with 3228.

The two, as well as the rest of the campaigners in the world’s toughest individual kegfest, will play another games to determine who will make it to the top 24 in the men’s and women’s divisions.

Sandra Gongora of Mexico rolled the day’s high set of 1794 but it was only good for second place in the women’s competition with 3481, 22 pins behind new leader, two-time champion Shannon Pluhowsky of the United States, who posted 3559.

Isabelle Hultin of Sweden is now

Superliga semifinal round features 2 KO matches THE semifinals of the 2015 Philippine Superliga Grand Prix promises to be the wildest, most unpredictable battle in league history as powerhouse Philips Gold clashes with Foton and reigning champion Petron faces Cignal in a pair of knockout matches tomorrow at The Arena in San Juan.

Billed as the team to beat for having an intact lineup and sol-

id imports in Americans Bojana Todorovic and Alexis Olgard, the Lady Slammers coasted to eight wins in 10 games to finish the double-round eliminations on top of the team standings.

But Philips Gold is expected to have its hands full as it will be facing a hungry Foton side, which clobbered them in a fourset thriller last November 5; 25-

14, 25-22, 18-25, 25-18.

“Foton is a very solid team. It knows what it takes to win big games,” said Philips Gold coach Francis Vicente, wary of Foton’s explosive imports in Katie Messing and Lindsay Stalzer. “We just have to stick to our game plan and do those little things that made us successful in the past like reception and blocking. It’s going to be

a great matchup.”

Like Philips Gold, Petron also doesn’t take its foe lightly.

Despite riding the crest of a five-game winning streak before bowing to the Lady Slammers in the final day of the preliminaries last Tuesday, the Blaze Spikers suffered a rocky start, no thanks to the toughdefending Cignal squad.

third on 3444, Malaysia’s Siti Safiyah Amirah is fourth and defending champion Carla Guerrero of Colombia is fifth.

Overnight leader Aumi Guerra of Dominican Republic, after what she described as an awful day, dropped to 11th spot.

Singapore’s Muhammad Jaris Goh held on to the men’s lead after 16 games but he had to work hard to score 1746 for a 3601 total, 16 pins ahead of 17-year-old student Kamron Doyle of the US, with Alexei Parshukov of Russia in third, just two pins behind Kamron.

Only two players hit over 1800 – Alexei and Hong Kong’s Siu Hong Wu, who is now in eighth place.

Mohamed Al Saud, a prince of the Saudi royal family, shot the day’s high game of 277.

The final eight-game qualifying series will be played Wednesday.

UAE’s Shaker Ali Al Hassan is in 24th place but Germany’s Sven Garbotz is just six pins behind in 25th.

LOTTO RESULTS

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

P0.0 M+ P0.0 M+

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

A16

we dn e s day : n o v e m b e r 1 8 , 2 0 1 5 rIera U. maLL arI EDITOR

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

sports@thestandard.com.ph

sports

A Utah Utes cheerleader performs during the game between the Utes and the San Diego State Aztecs at the Jon M. Huntsman Center on November 16, 2015 in Salt Lake City, Utah. AFP

Barako Bull rips Mahindra

by Jeric lopez

Barako Bull leaned on its experience to post its second straight win at the expense of Mahindra, 93-85, in an outof-town clash in the 2015 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup at the Alonte Sports Arena in Binan, Laguna last night.

RR Garcia showcased his offensive repertoire by scoring a career-high 26 points on 10-of-14 shooting, and three rebounds to backstop the Energy while JC Intal also had a splendid game with 20 points of his own.

Barako Bull coach Koy Banal praised Garcia in his coming-out party. ‘’RR (Garcia) is smart and he

can do whatever it is you ask from him. I like his skills. I am thankful we’re not playing against him,’’ said Banal.

The prolific offensive duo proved to be vital throughout as their scoring allowed Barako Bull to keep Mahindra at bay.

The two-game winning streak allowed the Energy to move up to sixth place with its 3-2 mark while

MAvs, lAkers crush rivAls turn to A12

the Enforcers, after finally listing a win in its last game, was sent back to earth and dropped to 1-4 at 11th place.

Banal said his team’s desire to keep its place in the standings was a good motivation for this victory. ‘’We want to be above .500 and now we are with this win. We reminded the players before the game about that and they were reminded to just keep going and keep working hard.’’

Slowly but surely, the Energy, behind Intal’s leadership and scoring, built a comfortable cushion with a series of spurts in the first half and carried a 48-41 advantage.

In the third, Barako Bull erected several 10-point leads in the period,

and with a 69-59 spread heading the final 12 minutes of action.

After its lead fluctuated from around six to ten points in the early part of the fourth, Barako Bull delivered the finishing punch on Garcia’s 7-0 personal run midway the payoff period to put Mahindra away for good.

Garcia’s back-to-back lay-up followed by a three-point play gave Barako Bull a comfortable 78-65 advantage with exactly six minutes remaining and the Energy was never threatened until the final horn.

Mark Yee was the high-point man for Mahindra with his double-double performance of 17 points and 14 rebounds while LA Revilla had 14.

tAbuenA, lAscuñA tAke on world’s best turn to A14

Tamaraws face Archers

by Peter Atencio Games today (Araneta Coliseum) 2 p.m. UP vs UE 4 p.m. La Salle vs FEU

THE Far Eastern University Tamaraws have lost two in a row and this makes them a dangerous opponent, especially for a La Salle Green Archers’ team coming off a long layoff.

La Salle coach Juno Sauler said his Green Archers are in for a tough challenge when they play the Tamaraws, who will be aching to bounce back big with a win.

The Tamaraws and the Green Archers, who are trying to squeeze in for the no. 4 spot, tangle at 4 p.m., today, in the 78th University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball tournament at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

“FEU is a tough squad. They can shoot outside, and they can also shoot from the inside. Coach Nash knows what he is doing. It’s going to be a tough, tough game,” said Sauler, who hopes to get the most out of Thomas Torres, who has just recovered from an ankle injury.

WEDNESDAY: NOVEMBER 18, 2015

RAY S. EÑANO EDITOR

RODERICK T. DELA CRUZ ASSISTANT EDITOR

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

BUSINESS

B1

Aboitiz Equity cited. Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. is named one of the Top 50 Publicly Listed Companies in Southeast Asia on November 14 at the Manila Polo Club, Makati City during the Asean Corporate Governance Awards organized by the Asean Capital Markets Forum and the Securities and Exchange Commission. AEV president and chief executive Erramon Aboitiz (second from left) accepts the award from ACMF members. With him are (from right) are Institute of Corporate Directors chief executive Ricardo Jacinto and member of the board of trustees of the Indonesian Institute for Corporate Directorship James Simanjutak.

PSe comPoSite index Closing November 17, 2015

8000 7700 7400 7100 6800 6500

6,825.38 52.46

PeSo-dollar rate

Closing NOVEMBER 16, 2015 43.50 44.60 45.40

P47.140

46.20

CLOSE

47.00

HIGH P47.100 LOW P47.260 AVERAGE P47.196 VOLUME 670.500M

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

oPriceS il P today

P24.55-P28.00 Diesel P34.55-P39.15 Kerosene Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Monday, November 16, 2015

F oreign e xchange r ate Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

47.0320

Japan

Yen

0.008155

0.3835

UK

Pound

1.523300

71.6438

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.129017

6.0679

Switzerland

Franc

0.992753

46.6912

Canada

Dollar

0.750920

35.3173

Singapore

Dollar

0.702346

33.0327

Australia

Dollar

0.711794

33.4771

Bahrain

Dinar

2.656254

124.9289

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266660

12.5416

Brunei

Dollar

0.699888

32.9171

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000073

0.0034

Thailand

Baht

0.027832

1.3090

UAE

Dirham

0.272301

12.8069

Euro

Euro

1.075200

50.5688

Korea

Won

0.000855

0.0402

China

Yuan

0.156887

7.3787

India

Rupee

0.015120

0.7111

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.228833

10.7625

New Zealand

Dollar

0.652316

30.6797

Taiwan

Dollar

0.030447

1.4320 Source: PDS Bridge

Manila ranks low among Apec cities

By Gabrielle H. Binaday

MANILA ranks near the bottom of most livable and business-friendly cities in the Asia-Pacific region, according to a study by professional services company PricewaterhouseCoopers.

The country’s capital placed 22nd among the 28 cities included in the the study called “Building Better Cities,” which was launched at the sidelines of the Apec CEO Summit here. PwC said this was the first report that delved on the comparative rankings of cities within the Apec region.

“Our goal for this study is to spur dialog among city leaders who are tackling challenges ranging from technological developments that make large

investments outdated, to overstretched municipal budgets,” said Bob Moritz, chairman and senior partner of US-based PwC. Toronto, Vancouver and Singapore emerged as the top three most livable cities in Apec, where it is also easy to do business. Seattle and Los Angeles, the two US cities included in the survey, ranked fifth and ninth, respectively. At the bottom of the list are Cebu, Surabaya and Port Moresby.

PwC released the results of the

study, as the Philippines hosts the Apec Summit this week, forcing organizers to close several roads that affected the mobility of thousands of commuters in Metro Manila.

“This study provides a set of metrics and a diagnostic tool for mayors and urban planners to see how they can improve their communities to build better cities. We hope mayors use this information to see how they can evolve their cities into more livable, sustainable, and competitive places,” said National Competitiveness Council cochairman Guillermo Luz. Cebu ranked 26th among the 28 cities included in the study, ahead of Surabaya (Indonesia) and Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea).

The survey ranked the cities according to 39 different indica-

tors, which were grouped into five major indicators such culture and social health; connectivity; health and welfare; environmental sustainability; and economics.

Manila lagged behind other Southeast Asian cities such as Singapore (3rd), Kuala Lumpur (15th) and Bangkok (16th), but placed better than Jakarta (25th) and Ho Chi Minh (24th).

Among the five indicators, Manila’s lowest ranking was in health and welfare, as it placed 27th behind Cebu at 26th.

“Apec cities are struggling to keep pace with their population’s health care demands, and it’s not a new or exclusive problem. Topping the list for excellence in this category were Tokyo, Osaka and Toronto, while Cebu, Manila and Port Moresby are still working hard to resolve these issues,” PwC said.

PAL, Cebu Air lose P1.26b from canceled flights

By Darwin G. Amojelar PHILIPPINE Airlines and Cebu Air Inc. incurred a combined foregone revenues of P1.26 billion due to flight cancellations following the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting here in Manila.

“PAL’s foregone or lost revenue due to Apec cancellations is approximately $18.75 million [P860 million]. PAL’s gross revenue per day is an estimated $7.5 million,” PAL spokesperson Cielo Villaluna said.

Villaluna said close to 700 domestic and international flights

were cancelled during the Apec meeting, accounting for 45 percent of what PAL would normally operate within a six-day period.

The country’s flag carrier operates an estimated 260 flights a day.

“We must stress, however, that the long term benefits of Apec outweigh these aforementioned losses” she said.

Cebu Pacific corporate affairs officer-in-charge JR Mantaring said revenue loss from flight cancellations due to the Apec meeting was estimated at P400 million.

“As there may still be further changes in flight schedules within this week, this figure may still change,” Mantaring said.

Cebu Pacific Group has cancelled over 680 domestic and international flights during the international conference.

The runway of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport will be closed from November 16 to 20 due to the arrival and departure of Apec leaders.

Passengers of PAL and Cebu Air with confirmed tickets within November 16 to 20 period have the option to rebook their flights, with rebooking and pen-

alty charges waived.

PAL’s parent firm, PAL Holdings Inc., earlier reported a comprehensive income of P6.55 billion in the first nine months of the year from last year’s P169.1 million.

PAL Holdings attributed the sharp increase in comprehensive income during the period to strong revenues, which rose 10.8 percent to P81.98 billion from P73.98 billion a year ago.

PAL’s passenger revenue amounted to P68.37 billion in the first nine months of the year, up 12.5 percent from last year’s P60.78 billion.

WEDNESDAY: NOVEMBER 18, 2015

B2

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

The STandard BuSineSS daily STockS review Tuesday, November 17, 2015

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low 7.88 75.3 124.4 107 56.5 4.2 17 30.45 2.6 1.01 100 1.46 91.5 361.2 57 180 1700 124 47 5 1.46 2.36 15.3 20.6 36 65.8 2.97 4.14 21.5 21.6 11.96 9.13 11.8 2.89 31.8 109 20.75 15.3 9.4 0.98 241 4 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 0.59 59.2 30.05 2.16 7.39 3.4 3.35 823.5 10.2 84 3.35 4.92 0.66 1455 7.5 76 9.25 0.85 17.3 0.71 5.53 6.55 9.66 0.0670 2.31 1.61 84.9 3.5 974 1.66 1.39 156 0.710 0.435 0.510 10.5 1.99 1.75 0.375 41.4 5.6

STOCKS

Close

High

Low

FINANCIAL 2.78 2.55 49.2 48.5 101.40 99.20 85.35 83.50 39.7 39.5 1.65 1.60 15.7 15.4 19 18.88 1.60 1.60 0.485 0.460 81.5 80 0.95 0.95 51.00 50.50 299.6 296 32.35 32.1 134.7 132.6 1515.00 1515.00 57.00 56.15 INDUSTRIAL 35.9 Aboitiz Power Corp.

41.3 41.75 40.2 1.11 Agrinurture Inc. 3.08 3.78 3 1.01 Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. 0.88 0.84 0.84 1.86 Alsons Cons.

1.55 1.55 1.55 7.92 Asiabest Group 10.9 10.98 10.5 15.32 Century Food 17.7 18.2 17.64 10.08 Cirtek Holdings (Chips) 20.35 21 20.3 29.15 Concepcion 42 42 41 1.5 Crown Asia 2.31 2.4 2.34 1.5 Da Vinci Capital 1.4 1.64 1.4 10.72 Del Monte 9.9 9.9 9.9 9.55 DNL Industries Inc. 9.010 9.320 9.03 9.04 Emperador 8.98 9.13 9.01 6.02 Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) 5.70 5.89 5.75 8.86 EEI 5.55 5.65 5.52 1.06 Euro-Med Lab 1.69 1.71 1.71 20.2 First Gen Corp.

22.1 22.95 21.8 71.5 First Holdings ‘A’ 67.95 68.8 67.95 13.86 Ginebra San Miguel Inc. 11.80 11.80 11.80 13.24 Holcim Philippines Inc. 14.60 14.50 14.30 5.34 Integ. Micro-Electronics 5.93 6 5.9 0.395 Ionics Inc 2.460 2.590 2.360 173 Jollibee Foods Corp.

194.00 199.80 194.00 LBC Express 12.5 12.5 12 1.63 Mabuhay Vinyl 3.5 3.69 3.2 23.35 Manila Water Co. Inc. 23.9 24.05 23.85 17.3 Maxs Group 22.6 22.75 22.1 5.88 Megawide 6.34 6.43 6.2 250.2 Mla. Elect. Co `A’ 296.00 299.60 295.60 3.87 Pepsi-Cola Products Phil. 4.05 4.08 4.05 8.45 Petron Corporation 7.50 7.97 7.68 3 Phil H2O 3.4 3.2 3.15 10.04 Phinma Corporation 11.80 11.80 11.80 3.03 Phoenix Petroleum Phils. 3.61 3.75 3.52 1.95 Phoenix Semiconductor 1.90 1.98 1.87 1 Pryce Corp. `A’ 2.35 2.45 2.36 4.02 RFM Corporation 4.15 4.20 4.17 5.9 Roxas Holdings 4.9 5 5 161 San Miguel’Pure Foods `B’ 133 134.5 133.1 4.1 SPC Power Corp.

3.5 3.75 3.5 1.55 Splash Corporation 2.2 2.29 2.21 0.138 Swift Foods, Inc. 0.149 0.150 0.146 1.02 TKC Steel Corp.

1.08 1.14 1.07 2.09 Trans-Asia Oil 2.03 2.09 2.03 152 Universal Robina 197.5 202 198 4.28 Victorias Milling 4.54 4.7 4.7 0.640 Vitarich Corp.

0.62 0.64 0.63 1.2 Vulcan Ind’l.

1.23 1.23 1.15 HOLDING FIRMS 0.44 Abacus Cons. `A’ 0.395 0.405 0.400 48.1 Aboitiz Equity 55.2000 57.2000 55.2500 20.85 Alliance Global Inc. 17.78 17.96 17.68 1.6 Anglo Holdings A 1.04 1.12 1.10 6.62 Anscor `A’ 6.40 6.40 6.39 0.23 ATN Holdings A 0.244 0.244 0.235 0.23 ATN Holdings B 0.250 0.250 0.250 634.5 Ayala Corp `A’ 749 757 747.5 7.390 Cosco Capital 7.45 7.59 7.5 12.8 DMCI Holdings 12.98 13.00 12.74 2.6 F&J Prince ‘A’ 4.74 4.81 4.81 2.26 Filinvest Dev. Corp.

3.90 3.90 3.90 0.152 Forum Pacific 0.245 0.260 0.250 837 GT Capital 1298 1303 1285 5.3 House of Inv. 5.42 5.43 5.43 49.55 JG Summit Holdings 67.90 70.00 67.80 4.84 Lopez Holdings Corp.

7.3 7.6 7.29 0.59 Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp. 0.72 0.73 0.71 12 LT Group 13.7 14.4 13.64 0.580 Mabuhay Holdings `A’ 0.51 0.51 0.51 4.2 Metro Pacific Inv. Corp. 5.16 5.32 5.16 4.5 Minerales Industrias Corp. 9.64 9.68 9.64 3 MJCI Investments Inc. 3.01 3 3 0.030 Pacifica `A’ 0.0300 0.0330 0.0300 1.23 Prime Media Hldg 1.170 1.290 1.240 0.550 Prime Orion 1.760 1.810 1.760 59.3 San Miguel Corp `A’ 47.95 48.50 47.65 1.5 Seafront `A’ 2.95 2.68 2.68 751 SM Investments Inc. 831.00 851.50 834.00 1.13 Solid Group Inc. 1.16 1.22 1.18 0.93 South China Res. Inc. 0.75 0.75 0.70 80 Top Frontier 76.150 76.300 76.150 0.211 Unioil Res. & Hldgs 0.3150 0.3200 0.3150 0.179 Wellex Industries 0.2280 0.2270 0.2270 0.310 Zeus Holdings 0.280 0.280 0.255 PROPERTY 6.74 8990 HLDG 6.900 7.150 6.920 0.65 A. Brown Co., Inc. 0.82 0.90 0.81 1.2 Araneta Prop `A’ 1.180 1.200 1.180 0.192 Arthaland Corp.

0.203 0.209 0.208 30.05 Ayala Land `B’ 33.600 34.600 33.800 3.36 Belle Corp. `A’ 3.1 3.26 3.13 2.5 66 88.05 88.1 45.45 1.68 12.02 19.6 1.02 0.225 78 0.9 62 276 41 118.2 1200 59

AG Finance Asia United Bank Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. Bank of PI China Bank Bright Kindle Resources COL Financial Eastwest Bank I-Remit Inc. MEDCO Holdings Metrobank Natl. Reinsurance Corp.

Phil. National Bank PSE Inc. RCBC `A’ Security Bank Sun Life Financial Union Bank

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

SHARES 18,400,423 50,521,218 127,037,455 109,714,819 116,494,527 177,629,548 601,920,510

2.58 49.2 99.15 83.30 39.5 1.70 15.4 18.88 1.61 0.495 79.05 0.95 50.75 303 32 132.6 1550.00 56.95

Close

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

2.6 49.2 99.50 85.00 39.5 1.60 15.7 18.88 1.60 0.480 81.05 0.95 50.50 299.6 32.3 133 1515.00 57.00

0.78 0.00 0.35 2.04 0.00 -5.88 1.95 0.00 -0.62 -3.03 2.53 0.00 -0.49 -1.12 0.94 0.30 -2.26 0.09

5,000 26,000 2,550,630 3,306,770 40,700 36,000 8,300 42,200 12,000 240,000 2,243,790 50,000 27,550 1,160 16,000 240,170 5 50

41.6 3.2 0.84 1.55 10.98 17.66 21 41 2.36 1.51 9.9 9.270 9.13 5.82 5.53 1.71 21.8 68.75 11.80 14.50 5.99 2.360 195.50 12.5 3.69 24 22.4 6.34 296.20 4.05 7.80 3.15 11.80 3.70 1.87 2.36 4.18 5 134 3.5 2.26 0.149 1.12 2.05 199.7 4.7 0.64 1.21

0.73 3.90 -4.55 0.00 0.73 -0.23 3.19 -2.38 2.16 7.86 0.00 2.89 1.67 2.11 -0.36 1.18 -1.36 1.18 0.00 -0.68 1.01 -4.07 0.77 0.00 5.43 0.42 -0.88 0.00 0.07 0.00 4.00 -7.35 0.00 2.49 -1.58 0.43 0.72 2.04 0.75 0.00 2.73 0.00 3.70 0.99 1.11 3.52 3.23 -1.63

2,205,100 5,435 31,000 137,000 300 469,200 2,179,800 170,600 418,000 1,928,000 100 3,362,300 988,900 12,654,500 575,400 5,000 3,045,900 424,910 36,000 10,500 246,400 3,300,000 455,590 16,800 27,000 1,820,100 375,500 2,036,800 606,460 141,000 715,200 20,000 1,000 80,000 1,299,000 62,000 199,000 10,000 60,570 43,000 254,000 2,650,000 31,000 116,000 815,830 1,000 708,000 300,000

0.400 55.7000 17.76 1.11 6.39 0.238 0.250 755 7.55 12.88 4.81 3.90 0.260 1285 5.43 67.80 7.6 0.73 13.9 0.51 5.26 9.68 3 0.0310 1.270 1.760 48.00 2.68 840.00 1.12 0.72 76.300 0.3200 0.2270 0.260

1.27 0.91 -0.11 6.73 -0.16 -2.46 0.00 0.80 1.34 -0.77 1.48 0.00 6.12 -1.00 0.18 -0.15 4.11 1.39 1.46 0.00 1.94 0.41 -0.33 3.33 8.55 0.00 0.10 -9.15 1.08 -3.28 -4.00 0.20 1.59 -0.44 -7.14

460,000 1,512,280 3,039,000 31,000 1,400 5,290,000 20,000 222,870 2,364,500 1,824,900 4,000 31,000 610,000 105,855 8,200 2,380,840 3,317,300 188,000 6,519,500 40,000 22,561,100 4,220,800 5,000 66,500,000 16,000 2,011,000 362,500 39,000 278,140 17,000 574,000 60 1,580,000 200,000 560,000

7.150 0.85 1.190 0.208 33.950 3.13

3.62 3.66 0.85 2.46 1.04 0.97

334,500 8,341,000 120,000 100,000 6,638,700 589,000

924,665.00 -22,019,960 13,614,481.00 -79,200.00 -298,554.00 42,800.00 3,389,766.00 -737,858.50 -223,115 10,451,232.00

4,133,965.00 -32,670.00

-3,916,352.00 410,000 4,720.00 -65,200.00 5,475,673.00 -4,124,323.00 6,649,591.00 -2,216,841.00 -31,155,960.00 6,587,872.50 -375,240.00 1,101,624.00 -551,000.00 -6,781,678.00 -14,864,110.00 2,210,715.00 -12,672,392.00 -78,397,268.00 -463,900.00 -1,357,417.00

-5,290.00 639,300.00 50,000.00 -2,680,016.00 -145,530.00

2,050.00 2,366,600.00

-18,820,186.00 -13,399,270.00

-91,563,280.00 6,748,931.00 -12,083,986.00 78,000.00 -72,257,560.00 -61,682,139.00 -1,309,294.00 13,039,750.00 73,913,208.00 -361,018.00 48,000.00 44,000.00 -6,726,025.00 -156,892,855.00

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low

STOCKS

5.59 1.44 1.48 0.201 0.69 10.96 0.97 2.22 2.1 1.8 5.94 0.180 0.470 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 4.13 0.090 0.290 2.69 22.15 1.6 3.1 15.08 0.69 3.38 0.83 5.73

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’ Megaworld MRC Allied Ind. Phil. Estates Corp.

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

10.5 66 1.09 14.88 15.82 0.1430 5.06 99.1 7.67 1700 2720 8.41 1.97 119.5 12.5 0.017 0.8200 2.2800 12.28 3.32 3.2 95.5 1 2.46 15.2 0.62 1.040 6.41 185 22.9 3486 0.760 2.28 46.05 90.1

1.97 35.2 0.63 10.5 8.6 0.0770 2.95 56.1 4.8 830 1600 5.95 1.23 102.6 8.72 0.011 0.041 1.200 6.5 1.91 1.95 3.1 0.650 1.8 6 0.335 0.37 3 79 4.39 2748 0.435 1.2 31.45 60.55

11.6 0.85 2.95 10 1.9

7.59 0.63 1.71 5 1.14

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

Cebu Air Inc. (5J) DFNN Inc. FEUI Globe Telecom GMA Network Inc. Harbor Star I.C.T.S.I. IPeople Inc. `A’ IP E-Game Ventures Inc. Island Info ISM Communications Leisure & Resorts Liberty Telecom Macroasia Corp.

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

PAL Holdings Inc. Phil. Seven Corp.

Philweb.Com Inc. PLDT Common PremiereHorizon Premium Leisure Puregold Robinsons RTL SBS Phil. Corp.

SSI Group STI Holdings Transpacific Broadcast Travellers 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 3.06 0.020 7.67 12.88 10.42 0.040 420 9

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 1.54 0.012 5.4 7.26 2.27 0.015 115.9 3.67

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 Oriental Peninsula Res. Oriental Pet. `A’ Petroenergy Res. Corp.

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

TA Petroleum

70 553 525 120 515 8.21 111 1047 84.8

33 490 500 101.5 480 5.88 101 1011 75

ABS-CBN Holdings Corp.

Ayala Corp. Pref `B1’ Ayala Corp. Pref ‘B2’ First Gen G GLOBE PREF P GMA Holdings Inc. MWIDE PREF PF Pref 2 SMC Preferred C SMC Preferred D SMC Preferred E SMC Preferred F

6.98

0.8900 LR Warrant

-50,400.00

829,762.00

23,995,065.00 13,790.00

Close

Alterra Capital Makati Fin. Corp.

Xurpas

15 12.88

3.5 5.95

130.7

105.6 First Metro ETF

High

VALUE 1,551,357,679.152 924,478,304.21 1,196,623,008.35 1,250,783,344.65 1,088,837,883.31 57,935,892.473 6,106,851,311.142

FINANCIAL 1,533.66 (UP) 17.72 INDUSTRIAL 10,984.41 (UP) 102.83 HOLDING FIRMS 6,444.26 (UP) 37.99 PROPERTY 2,880.10 (UP) 21.82 SERVICES 1,530.10 (UP) 10.33 MINING & OIL 10,990.37 (UP) 138.02 PSEI 6,825.38 (UP) 52.46 All Shares Index 3,947.44 (UP) 33.01 Gainers: 119; Losers: 48; Unchanged: 44; Total: 211

Close

5.1 0.57 1.00 0.134 0.465 22.25 0.850 1.09 1.75 1.23 4.37 0.085 0.2550 8.4 30.50 1.46 3.15 20.30 0.73 3.89 0.870 5.280

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

5.1 5.1 5.1 0.58 0.56 0.56 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.138 0.134 0.135 0.470 0.465 0.465 23.1 22.25 22.9 0.860 0.860 0.860 1.10 1.08 1.08 1.79 1.75 1.79 1.24 1.24 1.24 4.49 4.36 4.36 0.085 0.080 0.081 0.2700 0.2700 0.2700 8.4 8.4 8.4 30.55 30.00 30.40 1.49 1.45 1.47 3.21 3.2 3.2 21.15 20.25 20.45 0.75 0.73 0.75 5.83 5.83 5.83 0.900 0.870 0.890 5.510 5.170 5.280 SERVICES 7.17 7.48 7.1 7.2 62.7 64.8 62.5 62.9 0.550 0.570 0.550 0.570 11.12 11.8 11.8 11.8 4.94 5.20 4.95 5.05 0.0480 0.0510 0.0490 0.0500 3.56 3.66 3.5 3.52 84.75 84.75 83.5 84.1 5.60 5.96 5.50 5.80 960 978 955 978 2002 2048 2010 2020 7.30 7.45 7.30 7.43 1.23 1.25 1.25 1.25 66.95 68.55 67 67.2 11.4 11.88 11.4 11.4 0.011 0.011 0.011 0.011 0.172 0.175 0.173 0.174 1.3700 1.4000 1.3700 1.3700 8.62 8.85 8.60 8.65 4.30 4.45 4.29 4.31 2.30 2.34 2.30 2.34 30.00 24.00 23.00 24.00 0.580 0.610 0.610 0.610 2 2 2 2 3.46 3.57 3.44 3.45 0.260 0.270 0.270 0.270 0.660 0.710 0.640 0.700 4.65 4.53 4.52 4.52 101.10 101.00 100.00 100.30 20.00 20.00 19.68 20.00 1964.00 2000.00 1963.00 1965.00 0.520 0.540 0.510 0.540 0.970 1.000 0.970 0.970 31.30 32.05 31.20 31.75 69.20 71.80 70.00 71.50 5.57 5.83 5.58 5.65 3.37 3.78 3.36 3.62 0.430 0.43 0.425 0.425 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 3.85 4 3.87 3.95 4.050 4.200 4.060 4.200 MINING & OIL 0.0050 0.0050 0.0049 0.0050 2.20 2.20 2.20 2.20 4.82 4.86 4.80 4.82 0.210 0.210 0.210 0.210 0.63 0.69 0.64 0.67 0.64 0.64 0.62 0.63 8.00 8.45 7.78 8.05 0.79 0.81 0.79 0.8 0.295 0.300 0.290 0.295 0.188 0.188 0.184 0.188 0.202 0.201 0.201 0.201 0.0110 0.0110 0.0100 0.0110 0.012 0.012 0.012 0.012 2.38 2.46 2.38 2.43 6.76 7.2 6.72 7 2.88 3.17 2.9 3 1.3800 1.4400 1.3600 1.4400 0.0110 0.0100 0.0100 0.0100 3.54 3.60 3.60 3.60 4.99 5.300 4.980 5.05 1.39 1.470 1.380 1.44 0.0120 0.0120 0.0120 0.0120 134.60 136.90 134.40 135.80 2.27 2.35 2.27 2.27 PREFERRED 64.8 64 62 62 519.5 519.5 519.5 519.5 530 530 525 525 116.2 116.2 116.2 116.2 519 520 520 520 7.18 7.25 7.24 7.25 109.5 109 109 109 1030 1018 1018 1018 82 83.5 81.7 81.7 79.05 79.1 79.05 79.05 79.25 79.3 79.2 79.3 80.3 80.35 80.2 80.35 WARRANTS & BONDS 2.650 2.700 2.640 2.640 SME 4 4 3.99 4 2.82 2.84 2.84 2.84 16 16.5 16.12 16.4 EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 111.1 112.7 111.3 111.5

T op g ainerS STOCKS

Low

0.00 -1.75 0.00 0.75 0.00 2.92 1.18 -0.92 2.29 0.81 -0.23 -4.71 5.88 0.00 -0.33 0.68 1.59 0.74 2.74 49.87 2.30 0.00

300 4,418,000 116,000 6,030,000 770,000 1,643,200 10,000 1,439,000 26,797,000 40,000 16,479,000 620,000 10,000 70,000 15,767,400 79,000 2,000 13,781,500 414,000 11,000 255,000 2,621,300

0.42 0.32 3.64 6.12 2.23 4.17 -1.12 -0.77 3.57 1.88 0.90 1.78 1.63 0.37 0.00 0.00 1.16 0.00 0.35 0.23 1.74 -20.00 5.17 0.00 -0.29 3.85 6.06 -2.80 -0.79 0.00 0.05 3.85 0.00 1.44 3.32 1.44 7.42 -1.16 0.00 2.60 3.70

86,600 36,920 258,000 300 3,725,000 18,800,000 3,270,000 349,160 44,400 120 119,005 508,900 18,000 1,187,840 300 200,000 670,000 97,000 97,300 996,000 5,000 600 3,000 10,000 1,889,000 10,000 10,448,000 10,000 3,530 46,500 140,025 971,000 7,141,000 4,036,700 121,740 2,295,400 52,175,000 6,120,000 10,000 208,000 21,000

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 6.35 -1.56 0.63 1.27 0.00 0.00 -0.50 0.00 0.00 2.10 3.55 4.17 4.35 -9.09 1.69 1.20 3.60 0.00 0.89 0.00

131,000,000 345,000 80,000 -343,130.00 1,780,000 214,000 225,000 6,100 3,776,000 -236,000.00 40,000 1,290,000 340,000 1,100,000 4,500,000 187,000 1,135,900 -1,579,729.00 2,329,000 31,000 3,000,000 2,000 119,000 -96,520.00 269,000 8,180.00 25,400,000 258,920 -332,134.00 55,000

-4.32 0.00 -0.94 0.00 0.19 0.97 -0.46 -1.17 -0.37 0.00 0.06 0.06

30,070 20 3,000 890 250 85,000 45,020 2,985 73,700 5,500 2,200 51,510

-0.38

162,000

0.00 0.71 2.50

3,000 10,000 2,085,100

0.36

24,420

-956,460.00 -13,400.00 -18,800.00 5,853,655.00 -192,100.00 16,407,060.00 -9,911,490.00

41,511,710.00 -29,800.00 -113,496,385.00 5,830.00 -6,189,245.00 -36,500.00

783,660.00 -4,900.00 -13,056,022.00 -179,065,660.00 -13,926,940.00

34,977.00 -86,200.00

-2,282,350.00 -22,700.00 212,307.00 -543,908.00 -55,028,795.00 -76,180.00 6,211,255.00 134,793.00 -1,685,983.00 -46,231,190.00 -1,251,300.00 -400,000.00

-816,750.00

-2,596,435.00

586,614.00

T op L oSerS Close (P)

Change (%)

STOCKS

Close (P)

Change (%)

Starmalls

5.83

49.87

Manila Broadcasting

24.00

-20.00

Prime Media Hldg

1.270

8.55

Seafront `A'

2.68

-9.15

Da Vinci Capital

1.51

7.86

Oriental Pet. `A'

0.0100

-9.09

SSI Group

3.62

7.42

Phil H2O

3.15

-7.35

Anglo Holdings A

1.11

6.73

Zeus Holdings

0.260

-7.14

Century Peak Metals Hldgs

0.67

6.35

Bright Kindle Resources

1.60

-5.88

Forum Pacific

0.260

6.12

MRC Allied Ind.

0.081

-4.71

Asian Terminals Inc.

11.8

6.12

Alliance Tuna Intl Inc.

0.84

-4.55

NOW Corp.

0.700

6.06

ABS-CBN Holdings Corp.

62

-4.32

Phil. Estates Corp.

0.2700

5.88

Ionics Inc

2.360

-4.07

WEDNESDAY: NOVEMBER 18, 2015

B3

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

Maynilad loses P4.9b in rate row

By Alena Mae S. Flores

MAYNILAD Water Services Inc. said Tuesday foregone revenues as a result of the government’s refusal to implement tariff adjustment soared to P4.9 billion.

The west zone concessionaire is awaiting the results of an arbitration case filed with the International Chamber of Commerce in Singapore.

Maynilad chief finance officer Randy Estrellado told reporters the pending arbitration was not complicated and could be resolved soon.

“This is not a complicated arbitration. We don’t expect it to take

long. Foregone revenues when we filed in February was P3.4 billion.

Now it’s P4.9 billion. It’s the difference of tariff that we charge and what we should be charging,” Estrellado said.

Estrellado said if Maynilad would win the arbitration case, “it gives us the right to go after the government.”

Maynilad is the water and wastewater services provider for

the 17 cities and municipalities that comprise the west zone in Metro Manila.

Maynilad said earlier this year it would pursue an appeal on the government’s decision to grant a lower water rate increase, despite a favorable ruling from an arbitration body.

Maynilad reiterated its position after the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System board granted the company a 7.52-percent adjustment in its basic water rate.

MWSS approved an average increase of P1.35 per cubic meter to Maynilad’s basic charge of P31.25 per cubic meter.

The currency exchange rate ad-

justment component of the basic charge was not included due to the implementation of a differential adjustment.

“This is a step in the right direction as we are entitled to a CPI adjustment and any delays will just increase future adjustments. Additionally, any positive adjustment now will reduce the continuing claim we have on the government undertaking,” Estrellado said earlier.

Maynilad customers who consume 10 cubic meters will see a decrease of P4.12 a month. Those who consume 20 cubic meters will see an increase of P2.22 per month, while those using up to

30 cubic meters will pay P15.52 more.

Estrellado said despite the rate adjustment, the company would still pursue the arbitration case in Singapore. The International Chamber of Commerce last year ruled in favor of Maynilad, approving a higher tariff, including passing the income tax to consumers.

The appeals panel’s decision translates into an average increase of P3.06 per cubic meter.

Maynilad earlier filed another arbitration case before the international arbitration court in Singapore against the government for its alleged refusal to implement a tariff increase.

Roxas names finance officer

By Anna Leah E. Gonzales ROXAS Holdings Inc., the country’s largest sugar producer, announced Tuesday the appointment of Celso Dimarucut as the company’s new chief finance officer.

Roxas Holdings chairman, president and chief executive Pedro Roxas said Dimarucut would serve as the new CFO and group head of finance effective Dec. 1, 2015.

Dimarucut will replace Armando Escobar, who will return to Roxas & Company Inc. as fulltime CFO. Dimarucut is a part of the MVP Group, where he recently served as senior executive vice president and chief finance officer of Landco Pacific Corp. and its subsidiaries.

He graduated cum laude at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines with a degree of BS Commerce - Accounting and started his career in auditing firm SGV, before moving to HuntURC and Rothman’s of Pall Mall (Australia).

Before moving to the MVP Group, Dimarucut had stints in Metrobank, Philippine Commercial Capital and Presto, Utomo and Co. (Indonesia).

Dimarucut served initially as finance head of Pilipino Telephone Corp. and later, as comptroller of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company after Piltel’s integration into Smart Communications Inc. where he managed the overall financial reporting functions of the PLDT Group.

He also worked as senior vice president and group finance officer of ePLDT Inc., the information and communications technology group of PLDT. After his PLDT stint, he moved to Mediaquest Holdings where he served as SVP and group finance officer.

Rice month. November is officially celebrated as National Rice Awareness Month under Proclamation No. 524. The directive calls for the wise consumption of rice. The month is also dedicated to the appreciation of the hard work of rice farmers to feed the Filipino people. This year’s celebration of NRAM include a feeding program held at the Mines Elementary School in Quezon City where young students are taught the importance of rice and how to prevent rice wastage.

Market ends 9-day slump; SSI, Metrobank advance STOCKS rose Tuesday to end a nine-day slump, as investors searched for bargains after the benchmark index reached a 17-month low.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index, the 30-company benchmark, added 52 points, or 0.8 percent, to close at 6,825.38. The gauge was still down 5.8 percent since the start of the year.

The heavier index, representing all shares, also gained 33 points, or 0.8 percent, to settle at 3,947.44, on a value turnover of P6.1 billion.

Gainers outnumbered losers, 119 to 48, while 44 issues were unchanged.

Seventeen of the 20 most active stocks ended in the green, led by retailer SSI Group Inc., which rebounded 7.4 percent to P3.62.

Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co., the second largest lender, rose 2.5

percent to P81.05, while Bank of the Philippine Islands, the third largest lender, climbed 2 percent to P85.

Conglomerate Metro Pacific Investments Corp. added 1.9 percent to close at P5.26. LT Group Inc., the investment company of tycoon Lucio Tan, rose 1.5 percent to P13.90.

Meanwhile, most Asian stock markets advanced strongly Tuesday, mirroring rallies in Europe and New York as the initial shock from the deadly Paris attacks wore off.

While Friday’s carnage, which left 129 people dead, fueled fears in the region about the effects on the already troubled European economy, confidence was buoyed by a defiant reaction around the world.

The three main markets on Wall Street each ended sharply higher, while London and Frankfurt also

advanced and Paris pared early selling to end only marginally lower.

That filtered through Tuesday to Asia’s trading floors, with Tokyo, Hong Kong and Sydney all posting healthy gains. However, Shanghai edged down in late deals after bucking the trend Monday and climbing.

“Good gains in overnight US markets should wash across” into Asia, said Tony Farnham, a strategist at Patersons Securities in Sydney. “Initial cautiousness has quickly dissipated.”

Energy firms were big gainers, rising in line with oil prices as it emerged that US-led jets targeted the Islamic State group’s oil operations in retaliation for the Paris horror.

The latest developments renewed the possibility of a rise in

the level of conflict in the SyriaIraq region that some fear could disrupt oil output.

Hong Kong-traded CNOOC surged almost seven percent, while Inpex in Tokyo added more than two percent, while JX Holdings jumped 3.4 percent. Sydney-listed Origin rallied 7.4 percent.

The euro, which turned down against the dollar and yen Monday, continued to face pressure after a key official at the European Central Bank suggested it would further loosen its monetary policy.

“It’s key for a central bank to keep inflation expectations anchored, especially in a period of slack in the economy, and we have some signals that these inflation expectations are still fragile,” Executive Board member Peter Praet said in a Bloomberg interview in Frankfurt Monday. With AFP

B4 Higher water supply okayed

By Anna Leah E. Gonzales THE National Water Resources Board approved a higher allocation for Metro Manila concessionaires.

NWRB executive director Sevillo David Jr. said in a text message the body increased the water allocation for Maynilad Water Services Inc. and Manila Water Co. Inc. to 45 cubic meters per second from 38 cms.

David said the higher allocation was effective until November 23.

“This is based on their request due to rapidly declining and depletion of water supply at Ipo Dam and with reduced local flows,” David said.

“We increased the allocation until November 23 for Ipo Dam to attain a good level and prevent or minimize water interruption,” he added.

Ipo dam’s water level on Tuesday stood at 100.75 meters, up 0.01 percent from 100.74 meters on November 16.

Angat dam’s water level also rose by 0.18 percent to 207.95 meters from the previous day’s 207.77 meters.

David said the NWRB Board would meet next week to review the water allocation for December.

West Zone concessionaire Maynilad said due to the higher allocation, it temporarily suspended the daily off-peak water service interruptions from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. that affected 56 percent of the company’s customers from November 13 to 15, and reverted to pressure management instead.

“This as the release of additional supply from Angat Dam increased water elevation at Ipo Dam and La Mesa portal facilities where the water concessionaires get their respective share of the allocation,” Maynilad said.

“With this increased allocation, Maynilad can meet the water requirements of its customers despite continued lack of rains over the Ipo watershed due to El Niño,” it added.

Maynilad on Nov. 13 was

CDO fun run. CDO-Foodsphere Inc. president Jerome Ong (right) turns over a check worth over P800,000, representing the proceeds from the fun run, to Odyssey Foundation officials Dr. Charmaine Ong-Castro (left) and Dindo Danao during the event. More than 2,000 running enthusiasts joined the fun run organized by food company CDO-Foodsphere on November 8, 2015 at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig in support of the campaign to fight malnutrition. Odyssey Foundation is a non-profit organization that conducts supplemental feeding programs for undernourished children in different parts of the country. The event was sponsored by CDO, Sana Marino Tuna and Highlands Corned Beef.

Megawide calls off Orthopedic contract

By Jenniffer B. Austria

MEGAWIDE World Citi Consortium Inc., a unit of listed Megawide Construction Corp., terminated a P5.7-billion contract with the Health Department to modernize the Philippine Orthopedic Center after a two-year delay in the awarding of the job.

“Megawide has terminated the contract for the modernization of the Philippine Orthopedic Center with the Department of Health. This is a decision driven by the two-year delay in awarding of the certificate of possession, among others, and not one that was made lightly,” the company said in a statement.

“We participated in the tender with the belief that our fellow

Filipinos deserve an efficient hospital facility to complement the care and service already shown by the staff of POC,” it added.

Megawide said despite the difficulties in getting the contract, it was committed supporting the Health Department’s vision for inclusive healthcare for all Filipinos.

Analysts said Megawide’s termination of the build-operatetransfer agreement with the gov-

ernment was not a good sign for the other Public Private Partnership projects in the pipeline that the Aquino administration plans to bid out.

Regina Capital Development Corp. said the termination again raised questions on the integrity of contracts under the PPP program.

When asked if Megawide would continue to purse other PPP projects given the setback, Megawide chief marketing officer Louie Ferrer said: “It is hard to comment on that. But this issue is a moving concern moving forward.”

The modernization of Philippine Orthopedic Center was one the five PPP projects that Megawide won in a public bidding.

The others were the P17.5billion Mactan Cebu International Airport expansion pro-

gram with Bangalore-based GMR Infrastructure; the P16.42-billion PPP for School Infrastructure project phase I; the P3.86-billion PSIP phase II; and the P2.5-billion Integrated Transport System-Southwest Terminal.

Megawide World Citi bagged the country’s first hospital PPP project in 2013.

It was the sole bidder for the project, which involves the construction, operation and maintenance of a 700-bed facility that will be built inside the National Kidney Transplant Institute compound along East Ave. in Quezon City.

The POC operates at Maria Clara corner Banawe Streets., also in Quezon City.

Several groups, including hospital employees, haved opposed the modernization project.

616 renewable energy projects with 12,000-MW output cleared

By Alena Mae S. Flores THE Energy Department approved around 616 renewable energy projects with a potential capacity of 12,138.41 megawatts as of end October, indicating the continued interest in the sector.

The bulk of the projects approved are in hydro-electric with 343 and with a potential combined capacity of 7,390.42 MW, followed by solar with 93 and an output of 2,554.81 MW. The department also approved 51 wind projects with a potential

capacity of 1,168 MW, followed by geothermal with 43 and 750 MW, biomass with 40 and with 249.07 MW capacity and seven ocean energy with an output of 26 MW. The Renewable Energy Law of 2008 ushered the entry of thousands of megawatts of renewable energy projects eligible under the feed-in tariff scheme.

The department, however, has yet to approve some 272 M of renewable projects with a total capacity of 5,031.82 MW as of end October.

The department issued certificate of confirmation of commerciality to 87 renewable energy projects with a combined capacity of 1,571.98 MW. Projects that have complied with the requirements for conversion from pre-development stage to development under the FIT-system are issued a certificate of confirmation of commerciality which will serve as notice to proceed under the development stage.

Around 26 projects with a potential capacity of 609.15 MW

were recommended certificate of endorsement to the Energy Regulatory Commission for eligibility under the feed-in tariff.

The 20-year feed-in tariff serves as incentive to renewable energy developers.

The regulator approved a feedin tariff of P7.40 per kilowatt for the second wave of wind installation targets.

The ERC earlier approved a feed-in tariff rate of P8.53 per kWh for the first 200 megawatts of wind projects under the first wave of installation targets.

The department increased the installation target to 400 MW due to strong investor interest.

The additional 200 MW capacity covers the approved P7.40 per kWh feed-in tariff rate.

The ERC also approved a feed-in tariff rate of P8.69 per kWh for the additional 450MW installation target for solar projects, bringing the total installation goal for solar to 500 MW. The ERC said solar developers must complete their project by March 2016 to avail of the feed-in tariff.

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Pepsi-Cola increases net profit to P706m

Obama pushes trade pact in Apec summit

By Jenniffer B. Austria BEVERAGE maker Pepsi-Cola Products Philippines Inc. said net income in the first nine months of the year rose 14 percent to P706 million from P618 million yearon-year on higher sales from both carbonated and non-carbonated beverages.

PCPPI said in a financial statement filed with the Philippine Stock Exchange nine-month net sales increased 8 percent to P20.1 billion from P18.6 billion a year ago, driven by the company’s strong focus on revenue management and overlapping of pricing rollback from last year.

“Our year-to-date performance can be attributed to the company’s strong focus on driving productivity and building revenues in a very challenging operating environment,” said PCPPI president Furqan Ahmed Syed.

“The quarter saw a sharp increase in sugar prices coupled with very challenging industry pricing. Despite that, we managed to grow our top line and bottom line for the quarter,” he added.

Net sales of carbonated soft drinks climbed 9.5 percent in the first nine months of the year to P14.83 billion, while those from non-carbonated beverages hit P5.3 billion, up 4.9 percent from P5.34 billion.

Net income in the third quarter rose 5 percent to P146 million from last year’s P138.9 million, while third quarter net sales reached P6.5 billion, up seven percent from P6.12 billion in 2014.

“Our net income margin has expanded by 18 basis points yearto-date. This is a fruitful outcome of the company’s drive to foster efficiency in our operations,” Syed said.

By Angela Greiling Keane

BARACK Obama heads to Asia on Tuesday with an ace in his hand that wasn’t there last time he visited the continent—a long-awaited Pacific trade pact that’s just off the printer.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership, years in the making, is a centerpiece of Obama’s self-proclaimed economic and security pivot to the region. Adding to the buoyancy for his trip as his presidency nears its end is a better-than-expected US jobs report this month and an overwhelming election win for Myanmar’s pro-democracy party led by Aung San Suu Kyi. The 12-nation TPP may give Obama leverage against China over issues such as its land reclamation in

the contested South China Sea and cyber attacks linked to China on US corporate and government sites.

While the TPP has a long road to be enacted and requires legislative approval in all nations, it goes beyond normal trade deals to include issues like intellectual property and stateowned enterprises.

“The TPP has long been the economic side of the president’s rebalance,” said Walter Lohman, director of the Heritage Foundation’s Asian Studies Center. “The region has been

waiting for this to happen for some time and now it’s upon us.”

The White House sees the TPP as a security boon by linking economics with defense.

“The TPP helps to underscore what the president determined when he came into office, and that is that America’s interests are integrally linked to the Asia-Pacific region,” White House National Security Adviser Susan Rice told reporters before Obama’s trip. “This is where our security interests meet our economic interests in an undeniable way, and as such, you can rest assured that we will remain present, engaged and active across the region.”

Obama will meet leaders at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Manila before traveling to Malaysia for the Association of

Southeast Asian Nations summit.

The trade pact and South China Sea may dominate discussions. The terrorist attacks on Paris on Friday that came as a crisis in Syria and Iraq sends migrants fleeing to other countries are also likely to be prominent on the agenda, as they were at the G-20 meeting in Turkey.

While Obama comes with the TPP—a deal that covers about 40 percent of the global economy—in his pocket, Chinese President Xi Jinping will probably use Apec to again set out his country’s commitment to development and trade in the region.

China has had success enlisting countries aside from the US to join its Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and is promoting investment related to its dual “Silk Road” trading routes to Europe—one overland and one by sea. Bloomberg

Mang Inasal award. Mang Inasal Philippines Inc. marks another milestone after bagging the Most Outstanding Filipino Franchise award

under the large scale food category in the recently concluded 2015 Franchise Excellence Awards. FEA is a biennial, and the Philippines’ first and only industry awards that recognize top homegrown and international franchisors in the country. The Mang Inasal leadership team headed by president JJ S. Alano III (fifth from left, standing) receive the award. Mang Inasal has over 450 branches across the country.

Clueless NOPE, we are not really referring to that cringe-worthy interview of Alma Moreno with Headstart’s Karen Davila that has gone viral on social media and is still trending on Twitter, but since we’re already on the subject, we felt uncomfortable while watching the interview, finding ourselves getting quite sympathetic to the plight of the actress-turned-politician who kept glancing at a certain direction as if asking someone for S.O.S. like “What did I get myself into?” or “How come this interview is turning out like this?”

Sure, we know we’re not voting for Moreno in the May 2016 senatorial race (we would probably consider the other Moreno who’s also gunning for the Senate) but did the show and its need to subject her to that kind of embarrassment?

We may be wrong but it felt like they set up Alma for a fall.

Many are familiar with her and those old jokes about “violins” and violence and all those “for here?” and “for Vandolph” kind of jokes (if you are old enough, you will be able to relate).

Certainly, people want to know the agenda of those who want to get elected, and we may be wrong in thinking that we sensed a certain kind of smug satisfaction at the way the interviewee was being put on the spot. We wonder, was Moreno given a briefing on the kind of questions she would be asked—specific questions, that is?

But we digress. We really wanted to talk about the “tanim bala” controversy and the video showing Senator Bongbong Marcos grilling Manila International Airport Authority general manager Jose Angel Honrado which by the way has also gone viral. The Senator (who’s also running for vice president in 2016) asked the questions we all want to ask of Honrado and expressed the kind of frustration and irritation we all feel at what’s happening at NAIA with everyone pointing fingers at each other for something that is so obviously a scam. The Senate hearing was an “interview” that made our blood pressure zoom up due to exasperation and frustration. With officials such as Honrado at the helm of MIAA, we shouldn’t be surprised that the business of these scammers and corrupt employees are thriving!

Honrado says he has no control over the other agencies manning the airport, so what exactly is he trying to manage?

It can’t be the operations because even without APEC, things were already going helter-skelter to start with. Honrado says he acts as coordinator but what exactly he is coordinating beats us. He seemed clueless about what’s going on at his turf, but he won’t resign—not unless and until his patron tells him so. Thick as...

We’re glad to hear though that Michael Lane White had been cleared (did you see that short video clip of that prosecutor who questioned the young man? Another example of ineptness. He had to ask someone to “interpret” the replies of White—“ano daw?”) and that “Nanay Gloria” Ortillo got her job back in Hong Kong. At least the kid she’s been taking care of for 13 years will no longer cry. We hope Ortillo and the other victims will pursue their cases against these “tanim bala” scammers who tried to shake them down.

By the way, what’s happening with the complaint filed by the VACC, NITA and Senator Alan Peter Cayetano to make DoTC Secretary Jun Abaya, Honrado and other airport security officials for command responsibility?

Philex does a turnaround, receives top honors Three years after Philex Mining suffered through an accidental spill in its Padcal mine in Benguet for which it was fined over P1 billion by the government, the country’s biggest gold producer has picked itself up, emerging as the country’s top publicly listed company in corporate governance during the Asean Corporate Governance Scorecard awards held at the Manila Polo Club last Saturday.

The recognition is a “very symbolic victory and morale booster for the company and the industry as a whole,” remarked Philex president Eulalio Austin Jr. “As a conscientious mineral resource development company, we are heavily engaged in environmental stewardship and social development initiatives. With this recognition, we can show the whole world that we are indeed a responsible and dutiful corporate citizen and a partner in nation building. We hope that this accomplishment will reawaken an authentic view on mining and its real benefits to the domestic economy,” he added.

Philex chairman Manny Pangilinan, who was on hand to receive the award, expressed his hope that the top ranking Philex received will “resonate across the industry, the entire business community and among regulatory bodies, to promote a stronger form of cooperation that underscores compliance and achievements. Being one of the beacons of good corporate governance in the country, we look forward to more local PLCs making it to this list to create a broader awareness and initiate a wave of transformation towards a more conducive, level, and investor-friendly business environment.”

••• 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!

WEDNESDAY: NOVEMBER 18, 2015

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Money earner. Travellers International Hotel Group Inc., owner and operator of Resorts World Manila, reports P20.4 billion in gross revenues in the first nine months of 2015. The company remains profitable with a net income of P2.8 billion and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization of P4.9 billion, even with the various ongoing expansion projects in place. Shown is Resorts World Manila complex in Parañaque City, the first one-stop, non-stop entertainment and leisure destination in the Philippines that features recreational thrills, world-class performances, unique events and exciting lifestyle options.

Banks’ total profits rise 0.9%

By Julito G. Rada

COMBINED profits of the country’s largest banks rose 0.9 percent year-on-year in the first nine months, data from Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas show.

The 36 universal and commercial banks posted a total net income of P87.3 billion as of end-September, slightly up from P86.5 billion a year ago.

Net interest income of the universal and commercial banks increased 8 percent in the nine-month period to P208.578 billion from P193.920 billion a year earlier.

Non-interest income, however, declined 1 percent in the January-September period to P86.282 billion from P87.255 billion in the same period last year.

Currently, there are 36 universal and commercial banks in the whole domestic banking system, 70 thrift banks and 532 rural banks.

Universal and commercial banks accounted for 90 percent of the total resources of the banking system.

Three of the country’s largest banks reported profit growth this year. BDO Unibank Inc., the largest lender, reported a net income of P17.6 billion in the first nine months, up 5.4 percent from P16.7 billion a year ago, on double-digit growth of loans and deposits.

Metropolitan Bank & Trust Company, the second largest bank, said unaudited consolidated net income slightly increased in the nine-month period to P13.3 billion from P13.1 billion.

Bank of the Philippine Islands said net income in the first nine months grew 8.1 percent to P13.8 from P12.8 billion.

Bangko Sentral Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. earlier said the Philippine banking

2Go’s net income rises 44% to P919m

By Darwin G. Amojelar LOGISTICS solutions provider 2Go Group Inc. said Tuesday net income grew 44 percent in the first nine months to P919.47 million from P633.76 million a year ago, on the back of a 17-percent growth in revenues.

The company said the ninemonth income also surpassed its P843-million full-year net income in 2014.

“The remarkable growth of 2Go is being propelled by its logistics and value-added services, with 2Go’s shipping operations providing a stable platform and a sustainable competitive advantage,” 2Go president and chief executive Sulficio Tagud Jr. said.

The company said the performance of the non-shipping group

in end-to-end logistics business outpaced the shipping group, as its revenues climbed 25 percent, compared to shipping’s growth of 8 percent.

Consolidated revenues rose 17 percent in the January-September period to P12.1 billion from P10.4 billion in the same period last year.

Freight revenues increased 7 percent, on higher volume arising from more round trips and optimized routing initiatives.

The passage business expanded 10 percent in terms of revenues, as the group continued to innovate and improve its service offerings.

2Go Travel continuously helps improve domestic tourism industry that has a positive impact on the surge in volume of sea travelers, it said.

system remained solid, with their balance sheets marked by a sustained growth in assets and deposits.

Global debt watcher Moody’s Investors Service cited Philippine banks, giving them a positive outlook.

Tetangco said despite the strength of domestic banks, they should continue to find ways on how to further solidify their operations amid the threats posed by foreign banks that were taking advantage of the more open banking industry.

Tetangco said the liberalized entry of foreign banks would result in stiffer competition. He said local banks should review their business models to see where they could continue to have comparative advantage.

Bangko Sentral put in place several regulations so that banks could expand, downsize or even consolidate.

Bangko Sentral’s Monetary Board increased the minimum capital requirement for all bank categories in line with efforts

to further strengthen the banking system.

The minimum capital level of universal and commercial banks will be tiered based on network size as indicated by the number of branches.

The Monetary Board issued the implementing rules and regulations of Republic Act 10641, which allowed the further entry of foreign banks into the country. With the approval of the IRR, additional foreign banks can now apply to operate in the Philippines either as a branch or as a whollyowned subsidiary. RA 10641 amended RA 7721, which was passed into law in May 1994.

Bangko Sentral approved the applications of six Asian banks to operate in the Philippines this year, including Singaporebased United Overseas Bank Ltd., Taiwanbased Yuanta Commercial Bank Co. Ltd., Industrial Bank of Korea, Shinhan Bank of Korea, the Japan-based Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. and Taiwan-based Cathay United Bank.

Various trade deals good for Apec

By Othel V. Campos TRADE ministers gathering in Manila for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation on Tuesday welcomed several free trade cooperation and alliances, saying these will help accelerate the formation of the broader Free Trade Agreement on Asia Pacific.

“All these trade agreements such as the TPP [Trans-Pacific Partnership], RCEP [Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership], bilateral trade agreements that are proliferating, the other regional trade agreements are all building blocks that are good even for the multi-lateral trading system which is WTO [World Trade Organization],” Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo,

who serves as the lead point person in Apec 2015, said in a news briefing.

Domingo said bilateral, regional and “plurilateral” agreements would make it easier for Asia-Pacific countries to have bilateral ties with bigger groups such as the European Free Trade Association and eventually the WTO. “Because having more of these regional and bilateral types of agreement, we actually advance the position of the free trade regime. These are all building blocks. That’s how it’s viewed [by Apec ministers],” Domingo said.

A sub-trade group on FTAAP targets to release its comprehensive study and set of recommendations by end of 2016. The creation of a

task force and a core drafting group will ensure that promises made during Apec 2014 in China and Apec 2015 in the Philippines will be met next year.

US-based think tank IHS Global Insight said in a study that strong interest for the Trans-Pacific Partnership might encourage Asia-Pacific countries that are not members of the TPP to strongly push for the establishment of FTAAP. Only six of the 21 Apec economies are not members of the US-led TPP, including China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Russia and Thailand.

FTAAP is an initiative of China proposed during Apec 2014.

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CESAR BARRIOQUINTO EDITOR

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Syrians shunned after Paris attacks WASHINGTON—Nearly half of the 50 US states moved Monday to shut the door on Syrian refugees as Republican lawmakers urged a halt to the resettlement program, citing security fears following the Paris attacks.

President Barack Obama pushed back, criticizing “shameful” calls to screen the refugees fleeing the war-torn country based on their religion.

But Obama faced a barrage of pressure from at least 22 Republican-led states, GOP presidential candidates, key members of Congress, and in one case a Democratic governor to suspend a program to resettle 10,000 Syrian refugees on US soil in 2016.

The discovery of a Syrian passport near the body of one Paris assailant has revived Europe’s debate on how hard a line to take on the record migrant influx.

In the United States, several Republican presidential hopefuls including Donald Trump, Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio said outright that America must not take in Syrian refugees because they might include Islamic State (IS) militants.

And Republican state governors lined up to demand the suspension of plans to resettle Syrians.

“Given the tragic attacks in Paris and the threats we have already seen, Texas cannot participate in any program that will result in Syrian refugees—any one of whom could be connected to terrorism— being resettled in Texas,” Governor Greg Abbott of the large southern state wrote Monday in a letter to Obama.

“I will do everything humanly possible to stop any plans from the Obama administration to put Syrian refugees in Mississippi,” added that state’s governor, Phil Bryant.

Obama’s policy of welcoming such individuals “is not only misguided, it is extremely dangerous,” he said.

Alabama and Michigan announced their opposition Sunday.

They have been joined by Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin.

New Hampshire Governor Maggie Hassan—a Democrat—has backed them. AFP

Bomber’s bar. A view of the bar Les Beguines, owned by Brahim Abdeslam, one of the suicide bombers implicated in the Paris attacks, on

November 17, 2015, in Brussels’ Molenbeek district. Abdeslam, 31, detonated his suicide vest outside the Comptoir Voltaire on Boulevard Voltaire on November 13, 2015, as part of a spate of coordinated attacks in Paris that left at least 129 dead and over 350 injured. AFP

Fresh raids as France bombs IS strongholds PARIS—French police launched dozens of fresh raids across the country Tuesday as warplanes strafed the Syrian stronghold of Islamic State jihadists that France has vowed to destroy after their attack on Paris.

Authorities in France and Belgium stepped up the hunt for more gunmen and possible accomplices to the shootings and suicide bombings on bars, restaurants and a sports stadium that killed 129 mostly young people on Friday night.

US Secretary of State John Kerry described those behind the massacre as “psychopathic monsters”.

“This is not a clash of civilizations. These terrorists have declared war against all civilization,” said Kerry on Monday as he arrived in the scarred French capital to meet President Francois Hollande on Tuesday morning to pledge Washington’s solidarity with Paris.

Police are on the trail of 26-yearold Salah Abdeslam, one of three brothers believed involved, and

investigators believe Belgian jihadist Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who is based in Syria, was the mastermind of the attacks.

“We don’t know if there are accomplices in Belgium and in France... we still don’t know the number of people involved in the attacks,” Prime Minister Manuel Valls said on France Inter radio.

French police carried out 128 raids targeting extremist networks across the country on Tuesday morning, a day after a similar sweep found “an arsenal of weapons” in the southeastern city of Lyon, according to Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve.

He said more than 100 people had been placed under house arrest and 23 arrested.

Meanwhile, French warplanes destroyed a command center and

training center in the Syrian city of Raqa, the stronghold of IS, in its second series of air strikes in 24 hours, the defense ministry said.

Hollande has vowed to hit back at IS “without mercy” after the attacks that stunned the nation less than a year after a three-day attack that left 17 dead, including on the Charlie Hebdo magazine and a Jewish supermarket.

Friday’s “acts of war... were decided and planned in Syria, prepared and organized in Belgium [and] perpetrated on our soil with French complicity,” Hollande told an extraordinary meeting of both houses of parliament in Versailles.

“The need to destroy Daesh [IS]... concerns the entire international community,” he told lawmakers, who burst into an emotional rendition of the Marseillaise national anthem after his speech.

Hollande said the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle would be deployed to the eastern Mediterranean to “triple our capacity to take action” against IS in Syria.

“We will continue the strikes in the weeks to come... There will be no respite and no truce,” he said.

The vessel, the flagship of the French navy, will take a few days to reach its destination, near Syria or Lebanon, whereas it was not due to reach the Gulf—its original destination—until next month.

On the domestic front, Hollande called for an extension of the state of emergency by three months and announced 8,500 new police and judicial jobs to help counter terrorism.

A government source told AFP that those returning from Syria could be placed under house arrest and said the presidency was considering amending the constitution to allow for tougher security measures.

Five of seven known attackers have been identified after the attacks.

Meanwhile, as soft rain fell on Paris, thousands of people continued to flock to pay their respects as shrines of candles and flowers at the attack sites. AFP

Streisand, Spielberg to get Presidential Medal of Freedom WASHINGTON—Movie mogul Steven Spielberg, singer-director Barbra Streisand, and songwriter James Taylor are among the 17 people to be awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom, the White House announced Monday.

“I look forward to presenting these 17 distinguished Americans with our nation’s highest civilian honor,” President Barack Obama said.

“From public servants who helped us meet defining challenges

of our time to artists who expanded our imaginations, from leaders who have made our union more perfect to athletes who have inspired millions of fans, these men and women have enriched our lives and helped define our shared experience as Americans,” he added.

Among the other entertainment stars to be honored are music producer Emilio Estefan and pop star Gloria Estefan, a Cuban American couple seen as trailblazers for being Spanish-language stars who

successfully crossed over to the English-language market.

Grammy-winner Itzhak Perlman and composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim also will receive the honor together with the likes of Spielberg, the director and philanthropist whose films include blockbusters such as “Jaws,” “Jurassic Park,” “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial,” and the “Indiana Jones” series.

Baseball great Willie Mays will be honored alongside fellow legend Yogi Berra, who will get a posthu-

mous award.

The public servants to be lauded include the late Shirley Chisholm, who became the first black US congresswoman in 1968. She later ran for President as a Democrat, and was a professor at Mount Holyoke College.

The late Minoru Yasui also is to be honored. The attorney challenged the constitutionality of a military curfew order during World War II on the grounds of racial discrimination. He was in soli-

tary confinement during the legal process and spent much of his life appealing his wartime conviction.

“At the time of his death in 1986, he had successfully convinced a trial court to vacate his arrest, and a case challenging the constitutionality of his conviction was pending before the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit,” a White House statement said.

The awards ceremony will take place at the White House on November 24. AFP

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B8 Global warming changing India fast NEW DELHI—Its Himalayan glaciers are melting fast, its agricultural heartland is drying up and its capital is choking on the world’s filthiest air.

Yet India’s government is one of the few major economies refusing to pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions, ahead of this month’s major climate conference in Paris.

Global warming is already changing the face of rapidly developing India, a nation forecast to become the world’s most populous, overtaking China, in less than a decade.

“No one has done less to contribute to global warming than India and Africa. No one can be more conscious of climate change than Indians and Africans,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi told a recent Delhi summit.

In the Himalayas of Kashmir, scientist Shakil Ahmad Romshoo fears for the future of the pristine region that relies heavily on its more than 100 glaciers for water.

At least two major ones have disappeared completely in the last 50 years, while those in a key basin have shrunk by more than 27 percent over the same period, Romshoo’s studies show.

“The impact of climate change in Kashmir is loud and clear. We have noticed a significant decline in stream flow from the glaciers,” the glaciologist, from the University of Kashmir, told AFP. In villages nestled in the foothills downstream, less water flowing into rivers and ponds has forced farmers to completely change their way of life.

Instead of rice paddies dotting the landscape, farmers have switched to growing apples that use less water, raising concerns about a drop in India’s grain supplies.

As snow melts faster on the peaks from warmer temperatures, farmers, who have stuck with traditional crops, have been thrown into turmoil.

“All the snow melt on the mountains now melts away by April when we actually start needing it for agriculture,” said Haji Mohammad Rajab Dar in Chandigam village. AFP

CESAR BARRIOQUINTO EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

WORLD Humanitys’ future up at UN climate summit PARIS—In two weeks’ time, world leaders gather for a crunch climate summit in terror-hit Paris to determine what kind of future awaits humankind.

Arrival. Actress/choreographer Tracy Phillips arrives at the World Choreography Awards at The Ricardo Montalban Theater on November 16, 2015, in Hollywood, California. AFP

Security fears threaten to overshadow the conference to be launched by some 120 heads of state after a coordinated spree of attacks by gunmen and suicide bombers killed 129 people in the French capital.

But US President Barack Obama has stood firm in his resolve to attend the November 30 opening, and France insists it won’t bend a knee to terrorism by postponing the event.

After all, the stakes are high.

Will we succeed in containing greenhouse gas emissions altering Earth’s climate? Or will we overshoot the critical warming level beyond which science says our planet could become inhospitable to humans?

The answer will be determined by what emerges from the November 30-December 11 haggle.

The conference represents the first bid for a truly universal climate rescue pact since the chaotic 2009 summit in Copenhagen ended in bitter disappointment.

Much has changed since then: evidence has accumulated for the planetary perils we face; lowcarbon technology has become cheaper and more readily available; and political, business and public pressure for a future powered by renewable energy has gained momentum.

At the same time, the window of opportunity for action has narrowed.

Just last week, Britain’s weather office said Earth has already heated by about 1 C—halfway to the UN target of limiting average global warming to two degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) above preIndustrial Revolution levels.

The World Meteorological Organization says greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere hit a new record in 2014.

“We have a dramatic increase in the extreme weather events connected to climate,” former US vice president and Nobel-awarded climate activist Al Gore told AFP last week.

“We’re seeing sea level rise [to] now flood the streets of many cities during high tides. We’re seeing refugee crises that have multiple causes, but we know they are made worse by, for example, the historic climate-related drought in Syria. AFP

Fear among Afghans at highest level KABUL—Afghans fear for their safety more than at any time in over a decade, according to an annual survey published Tuesday, which also found confidence in the government at its lowest since polling began.

Some 67.4 percent of Afghans say they are worried about their well-being at all times, often, or sometimes, the highest figure since the survey began in 2004, and up two percentage points from a year earlier.

Only around a third of the people questioned in the Asia Foundation’s annual survey believed the country is “moving in

the right direction”, down from over half in 2014 and 58 percent in 2013—record breaking years for optimism in a country ravaged by a war that has pitted foreign-backed government forces against Taliban rebels since 2001.

Some 57.5 percent of Afghans believe their country is not improving.

They cite insecurity, unemployment and corruption as the main scourges that plague Afghan society.

Optimism for the future was at its highest in the southern province of Helmand—a Taliban stronghold—and lowest in Kabul, according to the survey.

Bombings, kidnappings, unem-

ployment and an economy that has failed to take off are the most frequently cited factors for Afghans wishing to migrate, legally or illegally, to Europe.

Afghans are the second most numerous nationality after Syrians to be sweeping into Europe with the aid of human traffickers.

“This year’s survey shows that Afghan optimism about the overall direction of the country fell to the lowest point in a decade, after steadily rising through 2014,” noted the Asia Foundation, which highlighted the prevailing skepticism towards the government of President Ashraf Ghani. AFP

Tears of joy. A woman cries with her child after arriving on the Greek island of Lesbos along with other migrants and refugees on November 17, 2015, after crossing the Aegean Sea from Turkey. At least eight people drowned when a boat carrying migrants from Turkey sank off the Greek island of Kos, the coastguard said. AFP

WEDNESDAY : NOVEM B ER 18, 2015

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

H OME & L I V ING

LIFE

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3-D Model of an imagined Filipino City with smart technologies

FUTURE CITIES URBAN MATTERS

BY KARIMA PALAFOX More than half of the world’s seven billion population is currently living in cities. There has been a major shift since 1950, when only 30 percent of the world’s population was living in urban areas. It is projected that by 2050, 70 to 85 percent of the world’s nine billion population will be living in cities. This can possibly even be higher with changes such as China’s abolition of its onechild policy.

How can we possibly provide for the needs of at least an additional two billion people within 35 years? By 2050, economies will be more complex, weather conditions more extreme, and social issues will imaginably be more diverse. While a more connected world presents greater opportunities, each nation will be more sensitive to others’ political, financial and development climate.

What kind of city do you live in?

This is the century of the city, and the actions that we choose to do, or not do, will greatly affect the kind of urban environments that we will have in the decades to come. How can we provide the needs of the current generation while ensuring there are enough resources for future generations? What will the cities of the future look like, in terms of densities, landscapes and skylines, and natural environment? How will infrastructure and utilities support the needs of homes and businesses? How will people and goods move from one place to another? Will mass transit be encouraged, or will our cities have several levels of highways to accommodate private cars? How will driverless cars, and technologies we have yet to come up with, transform transport systems?

THE FUTURE CITIES EXHIBIT

Throughout the years, science has allowed people to create solutions for the world’s challenges. The first science museum in Asia allows children and adults to explore how we can design, build, and manage better cities. The Mind Museum, in partnership with Shell Philippines, recently launched its newest exhibition “Future Cities: PlanetFriendly Technologies.”

According to Manuel Blas II, the managing director of the Bonifacio Arts Foundation, “the Future Cities exhibition will hopefully seed the kind of imagination required in order for us to break free from how we currently think we can design cities.” The exhibit can educate its visitors on what kind of technology and engineering will be required to create smarter and more livable cities.

It includes three interactive displays – the City Quiz, Planet You and the model

Presenters at the exhibit launch - Mayor Del de Guzman of Marikina City, Guillermo Luz of the National Competitiveness Council, Architect Paulo Alcazaren, Manuel Blas of Bonifacio Global City, and Ed Chua of Shell

city. The City Quiz will give visitors the archetype of the city they prefer based on their own answers to questions regarding lifestyle preferences. There are 500 cities in the database, representative of the city archetypes identified by Shell and the Singapore-based Centre for Livable Cities. These include the underdeveloped urban centers, developing megahubs, sprawling metropolises, urban powerhouses, prosperous communities, and underprivileged crowded cities.

Planet You allows visitors to design the energy identity of their own planet. They can design their planet with their own prescription on the sources of food, power and water, as well as the footprint of the buildings and communities. A visual of “your planet” will be sent to visitors by email.

The most prominent feature in the Future Cities exhibit is a 3-D model of an imagined Filipino City that features planetfriendly technologies such as a geothermal

plant and solar-powered infrastructure.

It also shows underground farms and an underwater city that are powered by yet to be engineered technologies. The exhibit will feature QR codes which would give access to a related video or information on the proposed technologies.

Shell partnered with the Mind Museum because innovation requires inspired understanding. According to Shell Philippines chair Ed Chua, “as the largest human habitat of the future, cities should be an essential target for innovation.” Shell hopes that the exhibit will inspire shared perspectives and spark collective action among leaders in business and government, as well as Filipino citizens.

The Future Cities exhibit is a permanent exhibition at the Technology Gallery of the Mind Museum in Bonifacio Global City.

Follow me on Instagram @karmipalafox

WEDNESDAY : NOVEM B ER 18, 2015

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

SM City Cabanatuan will bring more exciting shopping, leisure, and entertainment to residents of Cabanatuan and the rest of Nueva Ecija

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@LIFEatStandard

The mall’s focal point is a dynamic ceiling that utilizes the dramatic height of the interior with large rectilinear objects that vary in depth

The SM Foodcourt with dynamic ceilings and leaf designs in green and brown

SM OPENS ITS 53RD MALL IN CABANATUAN CITY

new level of shopping, leisure and entertainment experience await residents of Nueva Ecija with the recent opening of SM City Cabanatuan.

Located on a four-hectare site in Barangay H. Concepcion along Maharlika Highway, the 153,756 square-meter five level mall will serve shoppers in Cabanatuan and nearby towns in Nueva Ecija, the largest province of Central Luzon and a top producer of agricultural products in the country.

SM City Cabanatuan, SM Prime’s 53rd supermall and the second in Nueva Ecija after SM Megacenter Cabanatuan which opened in April this year, will boost the status of Cabanatuan City as an important investment hub, with adequate infrastructure and support facilities that draw in not only tourists but prospective investors in banking, real estate, retail and other sectors.

Known as the economic heart of Nueva Ecija province, Cabanatuan City is fast becoming the IT hub of Central Luzon with a dynamic service sector and thriving agriculture that are driving the economy forward.

Certainly, SM City Cabanatuan will be a major landmark in this highly urbanized city. Its main mall entrance is elevated slightly from the main frontage road, with the sidewalk

The Garden Park is at the mall’s second level and is an outdoor elevated garden with canopied walkways

The SM Cinemas have six digital theaters, including a large screen cinema that can accommodate 507 guests in a stadium much like that of the IMAX Theater

From left: SM Prime Holdings president Hans Sy, Cabanatuan City mayor Julius Cesar Vergara, Rev. Roberto Mallari, Mrs. Felicidad Sy, vice mayor Jolly Garcia and SM Supermarket vice chairman Herbert Sy led the opening of SM City Cabanatuan

designed with generous landscape, strategic signage, and a unique stair ramp. It has two Sky Gardens – the Garden Park and the Roof Park – that are visible from the exterior of the building. The Garden Park with its canopied walkways is an outdoor elevated garden located at the second floor while the Roof Park serves as a little oasis above the mall. At the fourth level, a fully air-conditioned indoor park with waterscapes amid restaurants makes customers’ dining experience even more pleasant.

SM City Cabanatuan’s interiors are organized around a simple yet efficient plan that allows a clear line of sight to all shops in all levels at all times. Its focal point is a dynamic ceiling that utilizes the dramatic height of the interior with large rectilinear objects that vary in depth. Two large glass

wall systems that lead directly to outdoor terraces provide ample daylight.

The SM Store and SM Supermarket are the mall’s major retail anchors, leading the way with SM mainstays like the SM Appliance Center, ACE Hardware, Watsons, Surplus, and the Body Shop. There’s more shopping fun ahead as global brands Philip Stein, Guess, Guess Kids, The Face Shop, Melissa, and Ed Hardy open together with well loved local brand Human within the year. Iconic global brands Uniqlo and Terranova are scheduled to open in 2016.

With Cabanatuan emerging as Central Luzon’s IT hub, the mall’s Cyberzone will be an attraction with major players such as SMART, GLOBE, Huawei, as well as computer stores like Octagon, Asus, Game Gizmo, Digibabe, PC Square, Excellence, and Datablitz.

Get the best value at Daiso Japan Stores

From dining, party favors, kitchen gadgets, and more, shop for good quality Japanese products at Daiso Japan stores

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Dining at the mall will be an exciting experience with the two Sky Gardens as backdrop. International chains like Starbucks, Kenny Rogers, Bonchon, Burger King, Krispy Kreme, Mr. Donut, and Gong Cha; as well as well loved Filipino favorites like Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich, Pancake House, Classic Savory and homegrown restaurants like Edna’s Cakeland and Hapag Vicentecos as well as Desserts Chalet and Leticia Breads and Cakes provide a wide range of dining options for mall goers. More restaurants like McDonald’s, Red Ribbon, Mang Inasal, Pizza Hut, Dairy Queen, Shakey’s French Baker, Gerry’s Grill, Max’s, Giligan’s, Kuya J, and Razon’s of Guagua will also be opening within the next few months.

The mall will also have six digital cinemas, including a Large Screen Cinema that can accommodate 507 guests in a stadium much like that of the IMAX Theater. Amusement areas like Kidzoona and Sports Zone and wellness outlets like Laybare and Body Tune Spa complete the malling experience. For customer convenience, the mall will have 2,058 parking slots and 476 motorcycle parking slots.

lot of people are obsessed with buying Japanmade products that are affordable and accessible but oftentimes, you only get the same quality commensurate to the price of the product. However, with Daiso merchandise, you don’t just get affordability – you also get merchandise that are of good quality.

They say authenticity is king when it comes to getting the right products with the best value for money and the same goes for the trademark associated with high quality but affordable items that range from kawaii (cute) to household and office goods.

In Japan alone, Daiso has over 2,400 stores, and it has strong presence in at least 30

countries after the concept of “Yano Shoten” (street vending shop dealing with 100-yen products) was introduced by Daiso Industries Co., Ltd. founder and president Hirotake Yano in 1972. In August of 2008, Yano, Robinsons Retail Holdings Inc. vice chairman and deputy CEO Lance Gokongwei and COO Robina Gokongwei-Pe signed a distribution agreement authorizing Robinsons Retail Holdings Inc., to sell authentic and original Daiso Japan products and to use the Daiso Japan concept store. To date, Daiso Japan has 43 stores in the Philippines.

As the authentic purveyor of the Daiso brand in the country, the company stresses that Daiso Japan stores should not be confused with any other establishments bearing a “cunningly similar concept.”

WEDNESDAY : NOVEM B ER 18, 2015

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

For parties, create spaces and rearrange furniture in such a way that guests have the chance to engage with one another

CALEIDOSCOPE WORLD

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BY CAL TAVERA

NEW YEAR, NEW HOME RESOLUTIONS

n a few weeks, 2015 would be coming to an end. I am sure most of you can relate when I say, “Where did the time go??”

I can only hope you all have wonderful memories of this year and if you were faced with many challenges, I hope you learned how to overcome them and realize how these trials make you smarter and stronger.

I have had my share of the good and bad as well but I am pretty excited to see and experience what the next year has to offer all of us. I am personally looking forward to new adventures, meeting more people and haha... writing more columns. Another thing I am also looking forward to is a better home and environment.

When we talk about resolutions, we usually talk about losing weight, exercising daily or traveling more. I think another staple we should include in that list is our home.

We sometimes forget in the midst of all that excitement that the home is the place we spend most of our time in, a place we certainly should learn how to improve for the next year. No, I’m not talking about investing in a million peso kitchen showcase or doing a major renovation. Simple, practical tips like the ones we will discuss can go a long way without breaking the bank.

Tip #1: Get rid of that JUNK!

Yes, we have all heard it before but do we do it? I always feel great after a good detox. If there are clothes you have not worn this year, get rid of them or donate. Yes, we all have that one dress we tell ourselves we would fit into one day but it hasn’t happened for years. I’m not saying it isn’t great to have a goal to be fitter but it takes more than

Switch off all lights at night when everyone is asleep

This coming year bring in freshness by adding plants to your home interiors

Throw away everything that is broken

just having that piece of clothing hanging in our closet. I got rid of so many clothes two years ago that I had to organize 10 garage sales for them. With the sales, I was able to purchase a roundtrip ticket to Hawaii to attend a wedding and I still had some extra money to spend! This doesn’t apply to just clothes either. Sometimes, we accumulate a lot of items for the house because of an impulse. Go room to room and carefully assess the items. Share them with someone who may need them more. For example, if you have three scientific calculators lying around (guilty!), share them with students or friends. Also, get rid of items that bring negative energies like pictures that remind you of a bad or sad memory. Throw away everything that is broken. Next year, think

twice before buying an item for your home.

Will they add to the positive energy or will they contribute to more stress?

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Tip #2: Less wastage equals less expenses

• If there are clothes you have not worn this year, get rid of Choose items that will help you relax and de-stress them or donate

Not all of us can invest in solar panels for our home but in our little way, we can still make a difference and lower the bills through a little work and minor adjustments.

Try using the fan instead of airconditioner at night. My Meralco bill went down from P4,000 to P1,800 because of this habit. For cool nights during the rainy season and also “ber” months, it should still feel comfortable enough to sleep. Just remember to let some natural wind in as well.

Install compact fluorescent bulbs and LEDs. When I get scared at night (Yes, I get freaked out by the dark sometimes), I leave my LEDs on and my electric bill still remains low. Switch off all lights at night when everyone is asleep.

For home computers, make sure you switch off your power or set it to sleep mode when it is not being utilized.

Dry your clothes the old fashioned way if you have space. If you live in a

condominium, fill up the washing machine fully before running them.

Tip #3: Bring in easy updates for parties

After detoxing your place, keep or invest in a few pieces to update the look of your interiors. During the holidays, there will be several guests or parties so this is the perfect opportunity to upgrade. Bring in freshness by adding plants to the interiors. They not only bring in new energy, they also help clean the air. It is a great addition for a few pesos.

To bring a little drama, choose an exciting pot to add more character to the home and make it more personal. Make sure it flows with the existing interiors, of course. For parties, create spaces and rearrange furniture in such a way that guests have the chance to engage with one another. Make them feel comfortable and pave the way for new friendships to start this coming New year.

That didn’t hurt too much, right? Hope these resolutions will help in welcoming a better and brighter home for everyone! Wishing all in advance a very Happy New Year!

Follow me on Instagram @cal_tavera

WEDNESDAY : NOVEM B ER 18, 2015

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

A Spectacle of Lights and Sounds at The Manila Hotel

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he Manila Hotel is all geared up for the holidays with its festive decoration and series of activities for the Christmas season. The entrance of the hotel smells of freshly baked gingerbread from the Gingerbread House that delights every sweet tooth who passes by. Enter the lobby of the Grand Dame and enjoy the sights of the incandescent LED lights, pine trees, larger than life Antarctic friends like penguins and a polar bear, and the classic Christmas flower poinsettia.

In its recent Grand Lobby Lighting ceremony, more than 300 guests from leading corporations, the diplomatic community, media, and hotel friends were present to welcome the spirit of Christmas in The Manila Hotel. The hotel’s resident manager, Gerhard Doll, and president Atty. Joey Lina, welcomed the guests and Manila Vice Mayor Isko

Holiday Hamper

Enjoy the sights of the incandescent LED lights, pine trees, larger than life Antarctic friends like penguins and a polar bear, and the classic Christmas flower poinsettia only at The Manila Hotel

Moreno led the lighting of not only the Christmas tree but also the entire Grand Lobby. The world renowned Las Piñas Boys Choir, San Sebastian Chamber Singers a n d Har m on i a P i l ipi n a s serenaded the guests with their cheerful and catchy Christmas carol renditions during the event.

And to spread the merriment, the hotel also granted holiday gifts by Santa Claus to the kids of House of Refuge Foundation during the celebration.

“We at The Manila Hotel believe that Christmas is all about making grand and worthwhile memories, especially for the children, since it is true that ‘Christmas is for the children.’ So this year, we dedicated our time and efforts in coming up with the best Christmas experience for the young ones and even the young at heart,” says the assistant vice president for PR and Corporate Communications of The Manila Hotel Nian Liwanag-Rigor.

“We invite everyone to come visit us and experience The Manila Hotel Christmas with our holiday promos and exciting surprises.

Make it your ‘place to be’ this season and I assure everyone that it is worth the visit,” adds Dr. Enrique Yap Jr., executive vice president of The Manila Hotel.

The Manila Hotel also introduced “Willy, the Bear,” who will serve as everybody’s companion this Christmas season. The name “Willy” commemorates and pays tribute to The Manila Hotel’s prided landscape architect, William E. Parsons. Bring your family and kids and experience a stroll along a colonial-inspired street with lampposts, watch a movie and buy goodies from the Christmas Village which will open

its doors on December 1. The hotel also prepared its array of delectable sweets for your gift giving lists.

Indulge in the seasonal specialty hampers and lavish bottles of wine, French macarons, chocolate pralines, Christmas cookies and fruitcakes.

The festivity also opens its family holiday room packages starting at P7,999 per room with a stay period from December 1 to 31.

For more information, call 527 0011 or visit www.manila-hotel.com.ph; follow their Facebook account at The Manila Hotel and @ManilaHotel for Twitter and @manila_hotel for Instagram.

Have your items from Grassroots store gift wrapped to give them that perfectly stylish look

NO MORE GIFT WRAPPING BLUES

BY CLARENCE MANAOIS

D

uring the season of gift giving, some people find wrapping their gifts and creating specially designed wrappers therapeutic and relaxing – giving more meaning to gift giving. While DIY wrapping can be very interesting, more often than not, we are swamped by the busy Christmas season and never get the time to carefully wrap the gifts personally. Worse, our DIY projects usually don’t turn up how we imagined them to be.

“What’s that trash doing under my Christmas tree?”

Hmm… remember those?

The Grassroots store located at the Level 3 Greenbelt 5 Ayala Center recently launched its gift giving service with its holiday collection, Present Perfect, to accommodate your entire pre- and postChristmas gift giving blues. Grassroots is known for using premium and indigenous materials for its picture frames, storage boxes and furniture accents perfect for your home. For the holiday season, make your gift giving more special with Present Perfect wrapping products. The collection offers a wide

range of themed hand-crafted wrappers categorized into three sets: the Country Charm, eco-friendly kraft paper combined with classic Christmas or nautical accents; the Contemporary, made of bold red and black fabrics and silkscreened recycled materials; and the Elegance, which consists of gold, silver, and burgundy bows to decorate soft cream and metallic boxes, while silken abaca and gold leaves top them off with a stylish flourish. The sets are sure to highlight pieces under anyone’s Christmas tree.

Grassroots products are environment-friendly because of the use of recycled and indigenous materials. By partaking any of their gift-wrapping services you do not only get to take home unique gift pieces, customers also get to contribute to the livelihood of local communities.

Gift-wrapping services are exclusively available at Grassroots Greenbelt 5 branch until December 31 only. For more information, visit shopgrassroots.com and Shop Grassroots on Facebook.

W EDNES DAY : NOV EM BER 18, 2015

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

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JaCk Jones at kIa theatre C elebrate the Yuletide season with music icon Jack Jones with a two-night concert at the KIA Theatre (formerly New Frontier Theater), Araneta Center, 8 p.m. on Dec. 29 and 30.

Produced by ManCo Productions, Inc. and Royale Chimes Concerts and Events, Inc., the show is entitled Jack Jones Sings Songs From The Heart. This is Jack’s last concert in 2015 and he is excited to be doing it in the Philippines, a country very close to his heart.

“It is always a pleasure performing to the Filipino audience because of their love for music.

There’s a lot of good singers as well, so it’s like one sing-along party whenever I’m on stage trying to listen to them. I’m looking forward to this show because this is the first time I will be spending Christmas season, and almost Jones returns to Manila on Christmas

New Year, in the Philippines. I heard that Filipinos are one of the best in celebrating this time of the year,” says the great singer.

And yes, Jack will perform his signature songs plus well-loved covers and tracks from his recently released CD called Seriously Frank, an album which celebrates and pays tribute to what would have been the 100th birthday of THE Frank Sinatra.

Adding excitement to the show is special guest Jose Mari Chan.

When Jack learned that his friend Jose Mari will be appearing in the show, he immediately called him and both agreed to do a very special production number. This will surely become one of the highlights of the show.

Another guest who will definitely light up the stage is Asia’s Got Talent second-runner up Gerphil Flores. For those who were not able to watch her in the said talent show, Gerphil’s most applauded performance is her rendition of the Jack Jones classic “The Impossible Dream.” Expect Gerphil, dubbed as Asia’s Golden Girl, to bring the house down with her operatic style of singing that even got the attention of famous composer David Foster who is one of the judges in Asia’s Got Talent.

Jack’s disarming smile, effortlessly engaging wit and vocal style stands alone, making him one of the greatest singers of all-time.

Jack Jones is the very definition of a complete and total entertainer.

The New York Times raves, “he is arguably the most technically accomplished male pop singer...”

Frank Sinatra even once said, “Jack Jones is one of the major singers of our time.”

Jack’s commitment to his art has earned him two Grammy’s for Best Pop Male Vocal Performance with his singles “Lollipops and Roses” by Anthony Velona and Bacharach/David’s “Wives and Lovers”. His release, Jack Jones Paints A Tribute To Tony Bennett, was nominated for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance. He was also nominated for “The Impossible Dream,” and his recording of “Wives and Lovers” was nominated for Record of the Year. His hit records include “The Race Is On”, “Lady”, “Call Me Irresponsible”, “Love Boat”, “What I Did For Love”, to name a few. In April 1989, he was honored with his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

With over 50 recorded albums (17 of them charting Billboard’s Top 20) and consistently sold-out world tours, Jack Jones continues to charm audiences with his wit, sensitivity and vocal power.

“Bring the whole family to the show. We’ll make this an unforrgettable Yuletide celebration. Let’s all have a great time,” the Total Entertainer says.

Tickets to Jack Jones Sings Songs From The Heart are available at the Ticketnet box office and online (911-5555).

For sponsorships, special ticket discounts, and block buyers, call (0918) 4972121 or (0906) 4180786 and look for Murphy.

You can also search for the official Facebook page of the concert, Jack Jones Manila 2015.

Jack Jones loves performing for his Filipino fans

Gerphil Flores is Jack Jones' guest in his concert in Manila

Jose Marie Chan duets with Jones in his concert

New NBA SeASoN oN Fox SportS ANd NBA premium Hd viA CigNAl The world’s biggest basketball league is back for its 70th season, and PLDT HOME subscribers can now catch all the hard court action on their Triple Play Plans with Cignal via the NBA Premium HD and on their DSL and Fibr subscriptions via Fox Sports channels.

After the end of the pre-season games, the NBA 2015-16 season will officially open with the Detroit Pistons facing the Atlanta Hawks for the opening game. LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers will also see action against the Chicago Bulls while 2015 MVP Stephen Curry and current finals champion, the Golden State Warriors, are set to go up against the New Orleans Pelicans.

“NBA is an important part of our thriving and passionate basketball culture, and we’re excited to bring the new season to our subscribers, thanks to our partners at Cignal and Fox,” PLDT VP and Home Marketing Head Gary Dujali said. “The shared love for sports is one of the bonds that keep the strongest connections

The family that watches basketball together stays together: Marc Pingris, Mic, Cayla, and Danica Sotto

at home, and watching the NBA is definitely best experienced with the family using PLDT HOME’s reliable connection.”

PLDT HOME customers will get to enjoy the hard court action across multiple devices whether

on their TV, desktops, or telpads.

PLDT HOME Triple Play subscribers can watch it in HD quality on the NBA Premium HD Channel on Cignal while high-speed DSL and Fibr subscribers can access NBA and other top-notch

sports events for free on Fox Sports Channel via the Home Player App. The latest content offering from PLDT HOME comes at the heel of its groundbreaking partnerships with renowned international content providers if-

lix and Fox International Channels. The country’s multimedia services leader also recently announced the availability of its most powerful broadband package yet—the Fibr 1Gbps plan— which will certainly level up the way subscribers enjoy their favorite content.

Dujali added, “When it comes to world-class entertainment, our subscribers can always rely on PLDT HOME to provide easy access so they can enjoy the best content whenever they want it.”

NBA fans here in the Philippines can catch the Cleveland Cavaliers versus Chicago Bulls match on NBA Premium HD on Oct. 28, 8:00 a.m., followed by the New Orleans Pelicans and Golden State Warriors face-off at 10:30 a.m..

Meanwhile, basketball enthusiasts who want to catch the L.A. Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves game can head over to Fox Sports on Oct. 29, 10:30 AM. Visit pldthome.com for more NBA updates.

W EDNES DAY : NOV EM BER 18, 2015

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SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

JOhn LLOyD AnD BEA REUnitE niCKiE WAnG The 2003 romantic movie My First Romance became a box office hit. The film revolves around four lead characters that fall in love and leave it up to fate to decide their future together. John Lloyd Cruz and Bea Alonzo played two of the central characters.

Lloydie and Bea have starred since in a total of eight films together (all romance themed), with The Mistress (2012) as their most successful film project, which earned P262.82 million at the tills.

Each movie though was remarkable. But the most memorable Lloydie-Bea film, in terms of box office performance and its influence in pop culture, was the 2007 romantic movie One More Chance.

It gained a cult following on social media and was the highest-grossing film of that year. These are the very same reasons why moviego-

ers and solid fans anticipate the return of Popoy and Basha to the big screen this November.

In the 2007 movie, Popoy (John Lloyd) and Basha (Bea) are beautifully showcased as a young couple that decided to part ways to chart their individual careers – a typical story of college lovers.

They were once inseparable, that is why it is extremely difficult for them to remain apart from each other. This causes for old their old feelings to resurface hence the title One More Chance – allowing love to have another turn.

Meanwhile, in the sequel titled A Second Chance, Popoy and Basha are now depicted as a married couple that deals with the ups and downs in their relationship. Although the title could have been the better title of the prequel, it’s obvious that Star Cinema just wanted to establish the connection (as if making Lloydie and Bea reprise their roles is not a giveaway).

And besides, they never thought the movie would become that big a hit and a sequel during that time was not on the drawing board.

Nonetheless, A Second Chance is a much awaited romantic movie, not only because Lloydie and Bea have an undeniable onscreen chemistry and their tandem has proven to be one of the most successful big screen pairings, the plot has a promise of maturity and a much smarter romantic storytelling. And just like the first installment, fans are already waiting for a string of on point and painful “hugot lines.” You see, even before the more current romcoms used “hugot lines,” Popoy and Basha were already doing it. And that alone ups the pressure for the film to do well and meet moviegoers’ expectations.

BOx OffiCE hitS A Second Chance could be the last romantic film we are going to see before the Metro Manila Film Festival on Christmas day. So, all eyes are on the movie whether or not it will make another film history just like its prequel.

However, in terms of box office performance and the production of quotable “hugot” movie lines, Lloydie and Bea’s film has a tough

John Lloyd Cruz and Bea Alonzo play married couple in the new Star Cinema romantic film

competition to beat. It’s Daniel Padilla and Kathryn Bernardo starrer romcom Crazy Beautiful You, which reportedly earned P322 million. It’s also the most successful local film this year.

The romcom set the trend, after its release in February, a few other romantic movies followed suit and made impressive performance at the local tills. They were: You’re My Boss, which grossed P210 million;

The Love Affair that earned P300 million; The Breakup Playlist that raked in P160 million; the surprise box office That Thing Called Tadhanda with P120 million gross revenue; Just The Way You Are that registered P100 million gross earnings; and most recently, Everyday I love You which is on its third week at the movie houses amassing more than P100 million worth of gross receipts.

MiG AyesA And JoAnnA AMpil in Another MusiCAl

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MiG Ayesa and Joanna Ampil are together in Bridges of Madison Country

tlantis Theatrical Entertainment Group (ATEG)’s staging of the first international production of the 2014 Tony Award winning musical together with Metrobank Card Corporation, The Bridges Of Madison County opens on Nov. 20 and runs until Dec. 6 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati.

Leading the cast as Francesca and Robert are two iconic performers of the international musical theatre stage, Joanna Ampil and MiG Ayesa.

Joanna Ampil, who rose to stardom in London’s West End as Kim

CROSSWORD PUZZLE 45 46 48 50 51 52 54 58 62 63 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 ANSWER FOR PREVIOUS PUZZLE ACROSS 1 Maintain 5 Audit aces 9 Hotel employee 14 Vegas rival 15 Sarah — Jewett 16 Jung’s inner self 17 What rainbows are 18 Billion, in combos 19 Slippery fabric 20 Toothless whales 22 Bacon servings 24 Vagabond

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in Miss Saigon, Mary Magdalene in Jesus Christ Superstar Eponine and Fantine in Les Miserables and Christmas Eve in Avenue Q, says of her latest role, “It will be my first musical in Manila after a long hiatus. The last one was The Sound of Music in 2012. I’m hungry for a new challenge and this role of Francesca will certainly give me that challenge, stretch and creativity that I’m always craving for as an artist. Jason Robert Brown and I performed in London sometime ago way before he wrote Bridges and to be able to play a lead in one of his works will be a wonderful experience; because I know that he

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writes some amazing stuff. I look forward to sharing the stage with MiG Ayesa, also. But, the thing that appealed to me the most was the idea of working for Atlantis for the first time and being directed by Bobby Garcia.”

MiG Ayesa, who performed the role of Stacee Jaxx in Rock Of Ages on Broadway and in Manila, says, “I am so thrilled to be returning to the Manila stage with this production of The Bridges Of Madison County. The score written by Jason Robert Brown is so breathtakingly beautiful it has to be considered a modern classic, and well deserved of the Tony Awards it re-

ceived. I cannot wait to show such a different side to me, as the last time Manila audiences saw me was as the crazed rocker ‘Stacee Jaxx’ in Rock of Ages. The chance to be working opposite such a world class performer such as Jo Ampil, as well as under the direction of Bobby Garcia, promises to be an experience I will never forget. This will be my second stage production with ATEG, and it has always been a labour of love in that camp. Any excuse to visit the Philippines is worth the work! I cannot think of a better way than to return with such a production as beautiful as this.”

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SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

lovI, Heart to Help cHIz In 2016 vp campaIgn

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ovi Poe and Heart Evangelista-Escudero are best friends forever. And since they are, they will also be BCT (best campaign tandem) for Heart’s husband’s vice-presidential campaign in 2016.

The two will travel around the country to campaign not only for Chiz but also for Senator Grace Poe who is Chiz’s presidential bet. This was what Chiz told reporters covering the presidential race.

“Kapag umikot man si Heart, malamang ang kasama niya ay isa sa mga matalik niyang kaibigan na kapatid ni Senator Grace na si Lovi. Para pag umikot sila ay ‘Poe at Escudero’ rin sila,” Chiz added.

Chiz explained that he is not

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obliging Heart to join him in his campaign sorties since she is also busy in her career in show business, “Siyempre, priority pa rin niya ang trabaho niya. Mas pinili kasi namin na magkahiwalay yung mundo namin. ‘Ika nga, noong kami ay ikinasal, ang usapan namin ay kailanman hindi siya papasok sa pulitika at kailanman hindi rin ako papasok sa showbiz,” said Chiz.

“Para pag-uwi namin sa bahay mula sa trabaho namin ay at least iba yung pinag-uusapan namin at may natututunan kami sa isa’t isa.”

Chiz said in a joking manner that whenever Heart joins him in any political event, the attention is on her and not on him.

Dockers is bringing in the new Dockers Man (and everyone’s “Lucky”)—popular TV host Luis Manzano.

Kaths Laudit, Dockers Philippines Marketing Lead with Luis Manzano, new face of Dockers Philippines during the Dockers Key Retailers Meeting.

Heart and Lovi

HHHHH It’s your lucky day Have your lucky day with Dockers when the brand holds its VIP Sale from Nov. 28 to 30.

As a leading provider of khaki pants in the world, Dockers has a lot in store for both new and loyal Dockers lovers. The VIP Sale will entitle customers to a 30-percent discount on regular-priced items.

What’s more, a complimentary limited edition Dockers luggage tag and a Dockers leather bracelet will be given to customers with a minimum single-receipt purchase of P3,500.

It doesn’t end there. Dockers is bringing in the new Dockers Man (and everyone’s “Lucky”)—popular TV host Luis Manzano. The new face of Dockers Philippines will visit the store in Glorietta on Nov. 28 to engage with shoppers and give them tips on how to sport the perfect business casual look.

The brand can’t find a more impeccable fit than Manzano, who

AgorA mArketing CompAny of the yeAr ABS-CBN Corporation received the coveted 2015 Agora Award for Marketing Company of the Year from the Philippine Marketing Association (PMA) for its innovative, strategic, and effective marketing campaigns.

The Marketing Company of the Year award is the highest and most prestigious honor conferred by PMA in honoring excellence and contributions in the marketing field. ABS-CBN beat other companies across different industries nominated in the category that went through a stringent judging process by the Agora Board of Judges.

ABS-CBN COO Carlo Katigbak attributed the success of the company to its continuous effort to promote the Filipino spirit through the campaigns, programs, and projects.

“Our shows, our advocacies, and our new products reflect the stories of the admirable Filipino

ABS-CBN COO Carlo Katigbak receives the Marketing Company of the Year award at the 2015 Agora Awards

character. It is a privilege to help uphold the true wealth of our country. Through both traditional media and new digital platforms, we are happy to bring such inspiring Filipino stories to our local audiences, to overseas Filipinos, and even non-Filipino markets all over the world,” said Katigbak.

Some of ABS-CBN’s achievements include producing most of the top 20 programs nationwide as indicated by data from Kantar Media, as well as films that breached the ₱100 million mark in receipts, including The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin, the highest-grossing Filipino film in history.

While ABS-CBN has sustained its TV ratings dominance and box-office feat, it has also found success in other business ventures by remaining focused on its mission and vision of providing services to Filipinos.

The company’s groundbreaking ventures include its own mobile telephony brand ABS-CBNmobile, which satisfies its audiences’ craving for ABS-CBN content by giving subscribers access to exclusive content and programs whenever and wherever they are.

ABS-CBN displayed versatility, innovativeness and ingenuity in the launch of O Shopping, a

is one of the most in-demand events and television hosts in the country today. The young man is known for his sartorial flair and has earned respect not only for his success in the entertainment industry, but for his business and entrepreneurial savvy as well.

“No one could be more perfect for the brand than Luis Manzano.

We see him on TV almost every day wearing Dockers pants and sporting the perfect business casual look,” says Kaths Laudit, Dockers Philippines Marketing Lead. “When we asked him to be the newest face of the brand, he said ‘yes’ immediately and told us that he had been a Dockers fan for years.”

Luis Manzano says the perfect business casual look is all about layering essential piecesbut keeping it simple, polished, and effortless.

And this is what makes Dockers perfect for him. Mix-matching different pieces of clothing to project a casual and refined fashion statement

partnership with Korean company O Shopping that allows Filipinos to conveniently shop at their own homes, and ABS-CBN TVplus, which finally made digital TV a reality in the Philippines and gives Filipinos an enjoyable TV viewing experience.

Katigbak, however, said ABSCBN’s most successful marketing activity was the 2013 “Tulong Na, Tabang Na, Tayo Na” fund-raising campaign that motivated the country to unite and help the victims of Typhoon Yolanda through the selling of T-shirts and fund-raising concerts.

The simple yet innovative campaign raised close to P1 billion in cash and in kind donations – the most received by any private organization – and has given relief and rehabilitation to over 700,000 families. The rebuilding efforts led by ABS-CBN were in the areas of education, livelihood, and housing.

“This was not a proof of our marketing prowess. It was, in fact, a showcase of Filipino heroism, generosity, and ‘malasakit,’” said Katigbak.

Last year, ABS-CBN chief digital officer Donald Patrick Lim was also named the first awardee of the Agora Award for Outstanding

is the brand’s vision, which is in sync with Manzano’s personal style. The fashionable young man carefully considers each item for a sophisticated but not over-dressed look.

Through the years, Dockers has created a stamp for its core market, which opts for a casual and classy yet comfortable get-up rather than going for the rugged look.

Visit any Dockers Original Stores nationwide to get your new pair of Dockers pants and avail of the discount and other freebies at its LUCKY DAY VIP Sale.

Luis Manzano wearing Dockers pants and sporting the perfect business casual look.

Achievement in Marketing Communications for revolutionizing digital advertising in the country.

The Agora Awards, known as “the Oscars of marketing,” celebrates the programs and people who have created an indelible mark in marketing. Through the Agora, the Filipino is hailed as a world-class marketer endowed with a proven flair of outof-the-box thinking and trailblazing achievements.

Prior to the Agora Awards, ABS-CBN won the Gold Stevie Award in the Company of the Year – Media and Entertainment category at the International Business Awards and Gold Stevie Award in the Services Company of the Year category at the Asia Pacific Stevie Awards.

ABS-CBN COO Carlo Katigbak

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ISAH V. RED EDITOR isahred @ gmail.com

SHOWBITZ

Favorite Disney stars Live in ‘Disney on ice’

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ISAH V. RED The touring show that enchanted audiences from across the globe is back with yet again another exciting run of Disney On Ice at the Big Dome.

Starting Dec. 25 until Jan. 3, Disney On Ice presents Magical Ice Festival will feature magical moments from across the kingdom with a superstar lineup of Disney royalty.

See your favorite Disney characters from The Little Mermaid, Tangled, Beauty and the Beast, and for the first time ever – the Academy Award® winning and number one animated film of all time Frozen.

“This year’s Disney On Ice is truly magical with Disney properties that are packed with heart and personality. We have princesses that are exuberant and strong-willed, but we’ve also expanded the roles of spirited supporting characters, so that they’re more prominent in the show,” says Producer Nicole Feld.

Expect a spectacular production filled with adventurous and comical segments shared by well-loved Disney princesses Ariel, Rapunzel, Belle, and never-before-seen characters Anna and Elsa!

“We are taking a fresh new spin on how we’re presenting the Disney stories.

We are weaving together the four worlds of royal sisters Anna and Elsa, Ariel, Belle and Rapunzel as they each embark on their own epic journey,” says Producer Juliette Feld.

Sing and dance to popular Disney tunes with interactive and playful seg-

ments for kids to be led by Disney superstars Mickey and Minnie.

Also join Anna as she fearlessly sets off on an epic journey, together with Kristoff and reindeer Sven, to find her sister Elsa, whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom of Arendelle in perpetual winter.

Dazzling costume designs, spectacular set elements, and jaw-dropping stunts are also what make this year’s show even more exhilarating.

In Beauty and the Beast’s “Be Our Guest,” the theatrical elements of the glitzy napkins and silverware costumes will astound audiences. “The costumes are designed to emphasize the overwhelming amount of table décor that appears in the movie. The napkins unfold to increase their size and the forks tower over the heads of the performers. This is a big moment for Belle; the costumes need to reflect that,” says Costume Designer Cynthia Nordstrom.

Moreover, lighting plays a crucial role in giving the overall production a truly magical feel.

“The colors really pull you into the different worlds of the princesses, but it’s how the lights are arranged that command your attention when the characters are performing their acts. For example, when the Daughters of Triton are introduced, the lighting individually highlights each of them. Your eyes follow the spotlights,” says Lighting Designer Sam Doty.

Produced by Feld Entertainment, Disney On Ice presents Magical Ice Festival features an astounding display of creativity and talent, with spellbinding Disney stories we have all come to enjoy and love!

Buy your tickets early and visit TicketNet website or call 911-5555 for more details. ➜ continued on c7

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1 A taste of the happiest place on Earth: Mickey Mouse and friends will dazzle audiences, kids and kids at heart, with live performances starting on Christmas day. 2 Frozen makes a debut on Disney On Ice with Elsa 3 Little Mermaid’s Ariel and Prince Eric 4 Donald Duck 5 Tangled’s Rapunzel and Prince Charming 6 Minnie Mouse 7 Frozen’s Kristoff 8 The Beauty and the Beast