The Standard - 2015 November 19 - Thursday by Manila Standard

VOL. XXIX NO. 280 3 Sections 32 Pages P18 thurSday : NOVEMBEr 19, 2015 www.thestandard.com.ph editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Razak condemns beheading by Sayyaf

obaMa, noy vow to StoP chineSe By Joyce Pangco Pañares

UNITED States President Barack Obama underscored Washington’s “rock solid commitment to the defense of the Philippines” as he and President Benigno Aquino III vowed to halt further Chinese reclamation in disputed territories in the region.

The two leaders made the pronouncement after an hour-long meeting Wednesday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders’ Meeting. “As a treaty ally, we have a rock solid commitment to the defense of the Philippines. We stand shoulder-to-shoulder: balikatan. Together, we support a rule-based order in the region, which is critical to regional security and the glo-

bal economy,” Obama said. “We are increasing our maritime security assistance to the Philippines to record levels, including two new vessels. We discussed the impact of China’s reclamation and construction activities on regional stability. We agreed on the need for bold steps to lower tensions, including pledging to halt further reclamation, new construction, and militarization of dis-

puted areas in the South China Sea,” the US leader added. Aquino stressed that freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea must be “continuously upheld, consistent with international law.” The Philippines has filed an arbitration case before the United Nations against Beijing’s nine-dash-line claim which covers the entire South Next page China Sea.

Address. Chinese President Xi Jinping listens as President Benigno Aquino III addresses the ABAC dialogue at the Apec summit on Wednesday. AFP

Poe: My victory is for all our foundlings

Pinay engineer shares stage with Potus By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan UNITED States President Barack Obama tried to persuade Asia-Pacific businesses on Wednesday to act on climate change and presented a Filipina engineer who invented a cheap lamp that runs for eight hours on salt water and that can charge a mobile phone.

After his speech at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO Summit, Obama moderated a panel discussion on doing business on clean energy with Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba, China’s biggest e-commerce company, and Aisa Mijeno, co-founder of Sustainable Alternative Lighting. Mijeno, who started the company

with her brother Rafael in 2012, said the $20 salt-water lamp they developed was safer and cleaner than the traditional kerosene lamps commonly used in remote communities. A consumable part that triggered a chemical reaction to produce electricity costs $2 to $3, she added, and needed to be changed twice a year. Next page

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A2 Pinay... From A1

“Climate change is real, it’s a fact. It’s not a myth that scientists created in order to get funding or grants. It’s real, it’s happening now,” said Mijeno. Mijeno then compared climate change to the stages of cancer, saying the earth was around stage two, where symptoms are beginning to show but can be treated. “You don’t want to get to stage four,” Obama replied. When Obama asked Mijeno what was the biggest challenge facing her company, she replied that they were trying to go into mass production and needed someone to fund the project. Obama then pointed to Ma, drawing laughter and cheers from the crowd. “I’m serving as a matchmaker here,” he said. In his speech during the CEO gathering, Obama urged all business owners to go for renewable energy technology as it can generate new jobs and investments. “Your business can be right by your bottom line and by our planet and future generations. The old rules that said we can’t grow our economy and protect our environment at the same time—these are outdated,” Obama said before thousands of chief executives. “We can transition to clean energy without squeezing businesses and consumers.” Obama said he was optimistic an elusive deal to contain global warming could be forged at an upcoming crunch summit in Paris, and insisted an ambitious deal would boost a flagging world economy. He said there was still a

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“lot of work to do” to ensure success at the United Nations summit. “Nevertheless, I’m optimistic that we can get an outcome that we’re all proud of, because we understand what’s at stake,” Obama said. The goal of the climate summit in the French capital, which begins on Nov. 30, is to forge a pact to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that are blamed for global warming. The meeting will try to negotiate a pact to keep global warming below two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) over pre-industrial levels. Scientists warn that unless drastic action is taken quickly, warming temperatures will lead to rising sea levels and natural catastrophes that threaten mankind. The Paris event represents the first bid for a truly global climate rescue pact since the chaotic 2009 summit in Copenhagen ended in bitter disappointment. Previous efforts have failed because governments and businesses have struggled to break free from fossil fuel dependency that has driven economic growth since the industrial revolution. “There is not a contradiction between growth, development and being good stewards of the planet, they are complementary,” Obama said at the conference. Obama insisted an ambitious deal in Paris would spur investment, as it would signal to businesses that they should “go all-in on renewable energy technologies.” “If we can get an agreement done, it could drive new jobs and opportunities, and investment in a global economy that, frankly, needs a boost right now.” With AFP

Obama... From A1

Other claimants to the territories, believed to be rich in oil and mineral deposits, include Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Brunei. Aquino said the other claimants “are very close to a decision” on whether to file a case before the UN similar to the Philippines’ own arbitration, which has been widely supported by Washington. As this developed, Obama expressed confidence that the Philippines-US Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement will soon hurdle the Supreme Court amid questions on its constitutionality. “Our Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, when implemented, will bring our military even closer together, and we are especially committed to ensuring maritime security in the region, including freedom of navigation,” Obama said. “Obviously, the Philippines has to go through its process in the Supreme Court review, but we are confident that it is going to get done and we are going to be able to implement effectively the provisions and the ideas that have come forward during the course of these discussions,” Obama added. Aquino said American presence in Philippine military bases will ensure regional stability. On Tuesday, Obama announced the Philippines would get a decommissioned US Coast Guard

Malaysia: Beheading ‘savage and barbaric’ MALAYSIAN Prime Minister Najib Razak said Wednesday that a man held for months by Islamic militants in the southern Philippines had been murdered, condemning what he called a “savage and barbaric” act. Najib’s comments came after the Philippine military said it was working to verify reports that Malaysian national Bernard Then had been beheaded by the Islamic militant group Abu Sayyaf, which is known for its kidnappings for ransom. “I, the government, and all Malaysians are shocked and sickened by the murder of our countryman Bernard Then, and we condemn it in its strongest terms,” Najib said in a statement on his Facebook page. Najib called for “action against those who have perpetrated this savage and barbaric act and ensure that they are brought to justice.” Then, a 39-year-old engineer, was abducted in May from a seaside restaurant in Malaysia’s Sabah state, across from the southern Philippines. A Malaysian woman, Thien Nyuk Fun, was seized along with him. They were taken by boat to the

cutter to be turned into a new warship that will “bolster the Navy’s ability to conduct long-endurance patrols” as well as a research vessel to help the Philippines map its territorial waters. The Philippines will also receive a record $79 million in assistance to bolster maritime security this financial year, the biggest recipient in Southeast Asia. Obama’s demand that China end artificial island building in the South China Sea increased pressure on Beijing at the annual Apec gathering that is usually focused exclusively on trade issues. The territorial row over the strategically vital South China Sea, as well as terrorism concerns following last week’s deadly Paris rampage, have dominated the build-up to this year’s meeting in the Philippines. China has repeatedly insisted its disputes with its Asian neighbors over the sea, home to some of the world’s most important shipping routes, should not be on the Apec agenda. But just hours before the two-day summit started, Obama voiced concerns over giant land reclamation works by China that have created new islands close to the Philippines. China reacted angrily on Wednesday to Obama’s efforts to bolster US allies in the dispute, as it insisted its construction work in the contested areas was “lawful, justified and reasonable.” “If there is something that should stop, it is the United States should

strife-torn southern Philippine island of Jolo. Thien was released last week following negotiations. A ransom was reportedly paid. Philippine military spokesman Colonel Restituto Padilla said Then was killed after ransom talks collapsed. “The [military] and [police] headquarters have indeed received news about the inhuman, barbaric and brutal incident in the island of Jolo,” he said, referring to the apparent beheading. He denied the killing had any link to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum that opened on Wednesday in Manila, attended by top world leaders including US President Barack Obama. Founded in the 1990s with the help of late Al-Qaeda mastermind Osama Bin Laden, the Abu Sayyaf has been blamed for some of the Philippines’ worst terror attacks, including bombings and kidnappings for ransom. The Abu Sayyaf last year pledged allegiance over the Internet to the Islamic State group that slaughtered 129 people in Paris on Friday. There was so far no indication that Then’s killing was related to the Paris attacks. Many analysts believe the Abu Sayyaf has little in common with the Islamic State group ideologically, and may have merely been

stop playing up the South China Sea issue, stop heightening tensions in the South China Sea,” foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said in Beijing. Earlier, the Chinese government also expressed disappointment after Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida brought up the issue of territorial dispute in the South China Sea on the sidelines of the Apec meeting. The Japanese foreign minister raised the issue during a discussion with Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, where both foreign ministers discussed the significant progress that would strengthen the strategic partnership between the Philippines and Japan. Del Rosario and Kishida also talked on the growing bilateral cooperation between the two countries, including the maritime security and the West Philippines Sea that dissatisfied the Chinese government. “Japan is not a party concerned in the South China Sea issue. Instead of watching its words and deeds, Japan has been hyping up the South China Sea issue,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei said in a statement posted on its Chinese Embassy website. “The Chinese side is dissatisfied with what the Japanese side has done,” Hong said. “Japan’s relevant words and deeds run counter to the momentum of improving bilateral ties and undercut regional stability and develop-

seeking to associate itself with the radical extremist movement’s rising profile. The Abu Sayyaf usually prefers to hold foreign captives for lengthy periods, sometimes years, in exchange for ransoms. It is believed to have just a few hundred gunmen, but thrives in lawless sections of the southern Philippines, where Muslim rebels have for decades fought for independence or autonomy. If reports of the manner of his murder are true, Then will be the second foreigner to have been beheaded by the group. The other was Guillermo Sobero, an American who was killed after being kidnapped among a group of people from a Philippine resort in 2001. Philippine authorities say the militant group is holding two Canadians, a Norwegian and a Filipina seized in September, as well as a Dutch bird-watcher abducted in the same region in 2012. They are also widely believed to be holding an Italian pizza restaurant owner snatched in October. The Abu Sayyaf has staged crossborder raids into Malaysia before, including in April 2000 when gunmen seized 21 European and Asian tourists from a dive resort. They were released in batches after a ransom was paid the following year. AFP

ment,” he added. DFA spokesperson Charles Jose earlier vowed not to comment on the territorial dispute, he, however, said that the Philippines will not stop others from calling out China over its aggressive behavior in the South China Sea. In a speech at a business forum in Manila ahead of the summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping did not directly mention the territorial disputes. But he did call on Pacific nations to resolve their differences “through dialogue and consultation.” “We must focus on development and spare no effort to foster an environment of peace conducive to development and never allow anything to disrupt the development process,” he said. Obama’s speech to the business forum focused mostly on the need for the world to tackle global warming, insisting fighting climate change would not hurt the economy. “We have to break out of the mindset that when we are doing something about climate change, we slow growth,” Obama said. While in Manila, Obama is also trying to promote a giant free trade pact signed last month that groups 12 Pacific nations but excludes China. Obama was met with the leaders of the other Trade-Pacific Partnership nations on the sidelines of Apec on Wednesday. But in his speech, Xi urged Asian economies to sign up to its own free trade agreement, warning rival

pacts risked hurting the regional economies. “With various new regional free trade arrangements cropping up there have been worries about the potential of fragmentation,” Xi said. “We therefore need to accelerate the realization of FTAAP and take regional economic integration forward.” The FTAAP is the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific, which China launched as Apec host last year. However, it is only in the preliminary planning stage. Obamas’ trip to Asia is the ninth of his presidency so far, and he had hoped it would showcase US focus on the region and not just on the Middle East or Europe. But once again his pivot has been blunted by events elsewhere, with Paris mourning the loss of at least 129 people in a rampage claimed by the Islamic State group. A draft of the Apec declaration due to be released on Thursday condemned the Paris attacks, describing them as “atrocities that demand a united voice from the global community.” Philippine authorities, which had already deployed more than 20,000 security forces for the summit, said security had been ratcheted up even higher because of the Paris attacks. About 100 protesters opposed to Apec’s free-trade agenda clashed with helmeted police carrying riot shields just outside the summit venue on Wednesday. With Vito Barcelo, AFP

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US to back Manila bid to join TPP US PRESIDENT Barack Obama on Wednesday committed to help the Philippines join the US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership. He said he and President Benigno Aquino III had directed their respective trade secretaries to start talks on how the Philippines could join the trade deal that initially included 12 Pacific Rim economies. “We had a chance to discuss the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which is a pillar of America’s rebalance in the region,” Obama said. “We welcome the Philippines’ interest in TPP and we have directed our trade ministers to have discussions about how TPP is going to be implemented among the original 12 countries and how we can work with the Philippines to follow through on their interest. “TPP is designed to be an open and inclusive trade pact for countries that can meet its high standards.” Aquino said he asked the US to help the Philippines meet the requirements for TPP accession. “I conveyed the keen interest of the Philippines in the TPP and we hope that the United States, as one of our most important economic partners, can assist us in the process,” Aquino said. He acknowledged that adopting more liberal trade policies was not a popular position for any political leader in the Philippines, especially with the coming elections in May. “We recognize the pressure to make populist statements at this point in time. At the end of the election period, there will be sobriety and the argument that not opening ourselves up to a bigger market and freer access to that bigger market cannot be made,” Aquino said. “Therefore, we think that once the elections are over, the current noise will die down and there will be new champions of increased free trade among all countries.” Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull expressed support for the Philippines’ bid to join the TPP. “We note your enthusiasm for acceding to that treaty in the future and that is something that we would welcome as well,” Turnbull said. The US-led TPP seeks to lower trade barriers to goods and services and set common standards in trade. The trade deal covers about 40 percent of the world economy and its members are Brunei, Chile, Singapore, New Zealand, the United States, Australia, Peru, Vietnam, Malaysia, Mexico, Canada and Japan. Joyce Pangco Pañares

PH signs four agreements after bilateral Apec talks THE Philippines signed four agreements— including a comprehensive partnership pact with Australia and an anti-narcotics accord with Russia—during President Benigno Aquino III’s bilateral meetings with his counterparts Wednesday at the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders’ Meeting.

Protest. Left-leaning protesters push back anti-riot police near the venue of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Manila on Wednesday, calling the Apec a tool for imperialism and oppression. Lino SantoS

Hotties from Mexico, Canada THE dashing good looks of Canada’s prime minister and Mexico’s president have sparked the unlikely hashtag “#APEChottie” to go viral at a gathering of world leaders in the Philippines. For much of the last week, Manila’s social media has been filled with tirades at the huge traffic disruption caused by security measures for the two-day Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. But in the last day the mood has improved as Filipinos lose themselves in the dreamy eyes of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and President Enrique Peña Nieto. Their arrival in the steamy Philippine capital has got tongues wagging and keyboards clicking, with both social and traditional media filled with compliments for the pair. But on Wednesday various groups on Wednesday assailed the “inclusive growth” promise to member-economies of the Apec, including the Philippines, as “ironic” after the Aquino administration showered its foreign “bosses” with special treatment. “The ‘Building Inclusive Economies, Building a Better World’ theme of the Philippine hosting is ironic,” Sonny Africa of the economic think tank IBON Foundation said. “The sub-themes of supporting SMEs, developing human resources, and resiliency sound appealing but should be interpreted in the context of the deeper exclusionary underdevelopment model that Apec is pushing.” “Inclusive growth is just propaganda,” Ed Tadem of the Freedom from Debt Coalition said. “There is no inclusive growth at all as we are being haunted with the same issues as before.” The Philippine National Police, mean-

while, denied claims that the security preparations for the ongoing Apec Leaders’ Meeting were an “overkill.” “We have standards in securing heads of state, and when you are securing 21 of them I think we should understand the level of security preparations and preparedness,” PNP chief Ricardo Marquez said. “This is standard for all countries, so when our President visits any of their countries, the same level of security is also provided.” For the diplomats, policy wonks and business leaders in Manila, US President Barack Obama and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping are the only show in town. Not so for the Philippine Daily Inquirer, which put the Mexican and Canadian leaders on its front page and asked readers: “Are you with Team Nieto or Team Trudeau?” Many Filipinos flocked to social media to declare which kind of political eye candy they preferred. “Not sure if Canadian prime minister or Disney prince” wrote @imjesstorres on Twitter, adding the hashtags #APECHottie and #PrinceEricIsReal. For @jochendria it was Nieto who came out on top. “Trudeau and Nieto. Hmmm... I choose the latter. #APECHottie”. “I’m sorry but he’s too attractive,” posted @anndiazpiquero, who used more than just words to express her admiration for Nieto and adding an emoji face with two hearts for eyes. Facebook user Santi Galasi summed up the APECHottie phenomenon as follows: “An example of that wonderful Filipino trait where, despite being screwed over by circumstances, we find a reason to be happy.” aFP, with John Paolo Bencito and Pna

Aquino signed the comprehensive partnership agreement covering the political, economic, defense and security, law enforcement, and counter-terrorism fields with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. “Since 1946, the Philippines and Australia have cooperated in all aspects of our relations, including that of humanitarian assistance and disaster response,” Aquino said. “It is this long legacy of cooperation that we pay tribute to today in signing the Joint Declaration on PhilippinesAustralia Comprehensive Partnership. The Declaration acknowledges the increasing breadth and depth of our relations, which sets the tone, pace and direction of our relationship in the years ahead.” Aquino and Turnbull also witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in technical vocational education and training between the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and Australia’s Department of Education and Training. In his bilateral meeting with South Korean President Park Gyeun-Hye, Aquino praised the close cooperation between the two countries in the area of defense acquisition. “We are pleased with the

robust logistics cooperation between our two countries as manifested by the Philippines’ acquisition of various defense materiel, most notably the FA-50 aircraft,” Aquino said. “We appreciate Korea’s donation of a patrol combat corvette, a landing craft utility, and 16 rubber boats to improve our military’s humanitarian assistance and disaster response capabilities.” Aquino also asked Park to “positively consider” the proposed amendments to the Social Security Agreement to maximize the benefits and protection enjoyed by migrant workers from both countries. He also signed two agreements on trade and campaign against illegal drugs with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. Aquino’s last bilateral meeting Wednesday was with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who expressed support to the Philippines’ possible accession to the United States-led TransPacific Partnership. He thanked Trudeau for making the Philippines one of Canada’s 25 countries of focus that will receive 90 percent of Ottawa’s bilateral official development assistance. Joyce Pangco Pañares and Sandy araneta

Vigil. A K-9 team

checks for explosives at the International Media Center in Manila during an Apec meeting on Wednesday. aFP

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Poe: My win for foundlings By Macon Ramos-Araneta

CELEBRATING the Senate Electoral Tribunal’s decision junking the disqualification case against her, Senator Grace Poe described the ruling as “a triumph for foundlings” and “for the over 20-million Filipinos who voted to make her the No. 1 senator in 2013.” Poe admitted that she was nervous about the entire case because it would have laid the basis for her disqualification to run for president, but the senator said she believe that what she was fighting for was right. Voting 5-4, the nine-man SET junked the disqualification case filed by Rizalito David, a senatorial candidate who was defeated in 2013 elections. Poe said she was elated that Senator Bam Aquino, cousin of President

Benigno Aquino III, voted to dismiss the case based on his beliefs and not because of party politics. Bam was one of the five senators who voted against Poe’s disqualification, the other four being Senators Vicente Sotto III, Cynthia Villar, Loren Legarda and Pia Cayetano. In voting to dismiss the disqualification case, Aquino said his thoughts were more focused on the ruling’s implications on the thousands of

abandoned children in our country. He said this was also the basis of the other members of SET. “The expectation is, in politics, all your decisions must be political. However, sometimes we need to think using our principles, conscience and the trust given to us by the people,” said Aquino. In fairness to his party mates, Senator Aquino said no one attempted to influence his decision. “It is provided there and we agree on that law that a child found in a country has a presumption that he came from that country. If you naturalized the foundlings, the privileges and the rights that can be given to the foundlings will be lost as natural born citizens and one can be considered a naturalized citizen,” explained Aquino. “That will become a problem in

looking for a profession, when you want to become a doctor, nurse and of course when they want to serve the government, that will also become a problem,” he added. While the SET rejected Poe’s disqualification from the Senate, Aquino said there are still other cases pending at the Comelec that seek to disqualify her. “In fact, you can expect that in the next couple of weeks, the Comelec will decide if she will be disqualified from running for president,” said Aquino. But Poe’s running mate, Sen. Francis Escudero is confident Poe will hurdle all the disqualificafion cases against her, noting that Republic Act 9925 recognized that a Filipino who renounced his citizenship reacquired his original status when he returned to the country.

Rare sight. Only a few vehicles could be seen at this stretch of Metro Manila’s main thoroughfare, Epifanio delos Santos Avenue, due to the public holiday for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. ANDREW RABULAN

FPA told to hasten pesticides laboratory By Vito Barcelo THE camp of Vice President Jejomar Binay urged the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority to maximize the use of P6.6 million worth of equipment for analysis of fertilizer and pesticide samples to help farmers and provide them timely data on pesticide safety and environmental protection. Office of the Vice President media affairs chief spokesperson Joey Salgado said a Commission on Audit report revealed that farmers paid laboratories P880,540 for analysis of pesticide products in 2014. “Had our government made the most out of our pesticide analysis equipment, we could have lowered the cost of the analysis to help our farmers defray some costs,” Salgado said in a statement. He also noted that a sixyear delay in the completion of the laboratory for pesticide analysis due to budget constraint and failure in the bidding process. “The FPA failed to immediately generate relevant information to ensure public health, safety, and environmental protection in the use of pesticides through analysis of pesticide products,” he said. He said there is a need to assist farmers in pesticide analysis by providing this service at a lower cost. “A Binay administration wants to strengthen the agricultural sector to ensure food security in the country. We want all Filipinos to have sufficient food to eat. Helping the farmers in every way we can is imperative in attaining food security,” he said.

Belmonte still hoping for tax cut bill By Maricel V. Cruz SPEAKER Feliciano Belmonte Jr. on Wednesday expressed hope that President Benigno Aquino III will decide favorably on the proposal to adjust the levels of taxable income to inflation, stressing that Congress has only a few session days left before the year ends. “We hope the President will finally give his blessings to Congress for the approval of the bill lowering income and corporate tax rates so that we will be able to approve it at least before we adjourn in December or before lawmakers get busy campaigning next year,” Belmonte said. Belmonte said congressional

leaders have yet to get any categorical statement from Aquino whether he supports the measure. Congress will adjourn on Dec. 19 for a Holiday break. It will resume session on Jan. 19, 2016 and will recess again on Feb. 5, 2016 for the national and local elections’ campaign season in May 2016. Should the President certify the bill as urgent, Belmonte said the Lower House can pass it before the year ends. With that, Belmonte said he believes President Aquino will decide “on what is favorable to the greater number and for the greater good.” Even if Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima has taken a hard position

on this matter, Belmonte said he is convinced the President will ultimately make decision in favor of his ‘bosses’. The Finance department had earlier said the proposal may cause the government to lose revenues totaling as much as 1.5 percent of the country’s gross domestic product or P30 billion. House Bill 4829 or the Tax Reform for Inclusive Growth, penned by Marikina Rep. Romero Federico Quimbo, chair of the House committee on ways and means, proposed a two-step reform in the current income taxes imposed on individuals and corporations.

Bilateral talks. President Benigno Aquino III thanks United States President Barack Obama after bilateral talks ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit which officially begins today. AFP

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Gridlock hits parts of Metro amid late advisories By Joel E. Zurbano

A walk to remember. President Benigno S. Aquino III (left) walks with other heads of nations during the official welcome for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders in Manila on Nov. 18, 2015. AFP

Lumad forced out of Liwasan, encamp in a Parañaque church By John Paolo Bencito After being evicted at the Liwasang Bonifacio due to alleged pressure from Malacañang, the lumad who are now encamped in a Catholic Church in Parañaque City on Wednesday cried foul over Manila Mayor Joseph estrada’s statements that the purging of Manila’s streets were meant to protect the image of the country. “It hurts us, what they are saying especially President aquino’s memorandum to Mayor estrada that we are dirty and gravely hungry for the image of Manila. For us, what they are saying is that we aren’t being recognized and respected of our rights as Filipi-

nos but instead, the government is prioritizing the foreigners who are here in Manila,” Datu Jumolito Goaynon, Kalumaran secretary-general and Manilakbayan spokesperson said in an interview over radio Veritas. estrada, in his visit to a city-

operated transient facility in Marikina, denied claims that the clearing of homeless people from city streets was meant to whitewash poverty, adding that the need to protect the “image” of the country to foreign dignitaries who arrived for the asiaPacific economic Cooperation Leaders’ Summit this week. “It just so happened. We have to be rabid because it’s embarrassing now that we have foreign visitors. What will they say to us? 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. “this is our country. We need to protect the image of this country,”

the mayor added. the lumads, who trekked all the way from Mindanao to air their grievances to the government— despite asserting their “right to stay” in Liwasang Bonifacio beyond apec week—were given until Nov. 13 to leave. Goaynon said that their eviction from Liwasang Bonifacio is “a clear manifestation of disrespect to them being Filipinos and indigenous people who are just asserting their rights because of the continuing atrocities being committed against them.” On Wednesday, the Redemptorist Vice-Province of Manila scored the aquino administration’s straight path policy for putting the indigenous peoples at cost over alleged “nation-building” initiatives.

Late traffic advisories caused widespread disruptions and made motorists and commuters angry at the authorities while the government is hosting the asia-Pacific economic Cooperation summit in Manila, an official of the Metro Manila Development authority admitted on Wednesday. Commuters and motorists alike continued to suffer traffic congestion in major roads in Metro Manila, particularly in the areas where the apec meetings are being held and in places visited by world leaders and delegates participating in the event. the government came up with an advisory last month informing motorists and commuters to brace for gridlock in the cities of Makati, Manila, Pasay and Parañaque from Nov. 16 to 20, saying major thoroughfares will be closed in connection with the apec summit. “this is still happening despite the two-day non-working holidays declared by the government,” said motorist Paul almin, a Makatibased business broker. In a television interview, MMDa general manager Corazon Jimenez apologized to the public for the disruption and inconvenience. “Because of what happened to our people, na consume ang kanilang oras sa paglalakad at dahil sa trapik, napinsala in terms of time... ang lesson dito siguro nga ay mahabang advisory or the other one is... some people are saying sana nagbakasyon na lang tayo mula Lunes. We also have to consider other things, the business, of course the government and the schools but it also depends on the organizers of the [apec] meetings, that is their decision,” said Jimenez in a television interview. In its advisory Wednesday, the MMDa announced the closure of epifanio de los Santos avenue from ayala avenue in Makati City to Pasay City.

Don’t drink and drive, Romualdez warns By Maricel V. Cruz HOuSe Independent Bloc leader and Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez on Wednesday voiced concern over the rising incidence of alcohol-induced accidents, especially during the Holiday season even as he urged the public to take precaution and protect themselves on the road. “Since drunk driving seems part of our holiday season which is celebrated longer in the Philippines, I am appealing for ‘masalakit’ driving because many lives are at stake here. Let us enjoy these days bonding with our loved ones and friends with care and responsibility,” Romualdez, a lawyer and president of the

Philippine Constitution association, said. “Please, do not drink when you have to drive or find a driver because a sound decision can save your life and the lives of others,” said Romualdez, a senatorial aspirant. Romualdez called on the authorities to step up the implementation of Republic act 10586 or the anti-Drunk and Drugged Driving act, stressing drunk driving is one of the most frequently committed violent crimes in the country today. “Our laws must be reinforced right away to address the problem of drivers who are under the influence of alcohol or illegal substance because this [drunk driving] has always been a seri-

ous public-safety issue,” Romualdez said, adding that studies show that road accidents in the country are behind the deaths of two people everyday. “Let us fight intoxicated driving as a show of malasakit to our people because this is always a cause for worry. the safety of defensive drivers and their passengers are not assured because of irresponsible drivers,” Romualdez explained. under the implementing rules and regulations issued by the transportation department under Ra 10586 or the antiDrunk and Drugged Driving act, violators face penalties ranging from three months to 20 years in prison and fines of P20,000 to P500,000.

Vegan summit. A Peta jeepney runs into a police blockade in Makati. Members of Peta (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animal) are hopeful that animalwelfare issues will be on the Apec summit agenda and that the leaders will recognize the part that animal agriculture plays in climate change and thus will recommend a vegan diet. LINO SANTOS

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Ex-warden loses plea to prevent forfeiture of assets

House measure curbs extra tariff on water bill

By Rey E. Requejo

A proposAl regulating the additional tariff imposed by concessionaires on water bills due to system losses or non-revenue water has been filed before the House of representatives.

tHe Court of Appeals has dismissed the petition filed by a former jail warden seeking to stop the office of the ombudsman from pursuing the forfeiture proceedings against his alleged ill-gotten wealth amounting to P52.9 million. In a 10-page decision, the CA’s Seventh Division through Associate Justice Magdangal de Leon sustained the resolution issued by the office of the Deputy ombudsman for the Military and other Law enforcement offices (Moleo) on Aug. 16, 2012 recommending that a forfeiture case be initiated in court against former Quezon City Jail warden Supt. nestor Velasquez Jr. the CA ruled that it has no jurisdiction to hear and resolve Velasquez’s appeals since decisions of the ombudsman in criminal cases are unappealable. But the appellate court stressed that if petitioner believes that the findings of the ombudsman on the existence of probable cause in criminal cases are tainted with grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack or excess of jurisdiction, the remedy is a petition for certiorari filed before the Supreme Court. “In no case then is this Court allowed to look into the criminal cases decided by the office of the ombudsman. only administrative cases are appealable before us,” the CA held. “Any and all matters pertaining to criminal cases, including the finding of probable cause which this case partakes of, decided by the office of the ombudsman, must be elevated before the Supreme Court via a petition for certiorari . . .” the appellate court pointed out. Associate Justices elihu Ybanez and Victoria Isabel Paredes concurred with the ruling.

By Maricel V. Cruz

Deputy Speaker Rep. Sergio Apostol of Leyte, in House Bill 6223, said he intends to secure the affordability of water and ensure that charges imposed on consumers are reasonable. “Water is a basic commodity, a daily necessity

significant to performing daily tasks, and is highly vital in securing proper sanitation and good health,” Apostol said. Apostol said everyone should be given proper access to water in a just manner, thus, consequences

due to some lapses in water system and management should not be passed on to the paying consumers. In filing the bill, Apostol cited the declared policy of the State to ensure the availability to consumers of affordable and high-quality basic and prime commodities. He said water companies should not heavily burden the consumers who are already saddled with other taxes by placing additional high tariffs to water bills due to nonRevenue Water. Apostol said non-Reve-

nue Water is defined as “the difference between system input volume and billed authorized consumption,” which is composed of apparent water losses and real water losses. “the amount of nRW can be easily used as an indicator of poor utility right to protect water consumers from higher water bills and consequently exhort these companies to improve their facilities and further enhance their system of management, delivery, monitoring and maintenance to reduce

nRW,” Apostol stressed. Under the bill, additional tariff added to water bills due to non-Revenue Water should be properly regulated and should not be more than 10 percent of the total percentage of nRW for each month. the national Water Resources Board should regulate the additional charges of water companies on nRW to its consumers and should ensure that the augmentation of the water bill due to nRW would not go beyond 10 percent of the nRW per month.

Fluvial protest. Fisherfolk groups lead a fluvial protest in Navotas Centennial Park, against the hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. ANDREW RABULAN

Marcos presses speedy help for kinsmen of 11 slain OFWs By Macon Araneta

Yuletide tree. Eton Centris welcomes the Yuletide with the lighting of its Christmas tree in

Quezon City on Nov. 17, 2015. From left: Marivic Santiago, AVP for Eton Centris Operations; Dennis Morada, VP for Business Development; Martha Herrera, AVP for Marketing; architect Jess Lucas, Deputy COO; Marie Angelie Samala, Gladys Uy, and Charles Matta. JANSEN ROMERO

SenAtoR Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Wednesday prodded the Department of Foreign Affairs and the overseas Workers Welfare Administration to ensure swift assistance to the families of the overseas Filipino workers killed in an accident in Saudi Arabia. At least 11 Filipino workers perished in Al-Asha, a province in eastern Saudi Arabia, when a delivery truck rammed the coaster they were riding on the way to their barracks. Marcos said the DFA should immediately complete all the requirements so the 11 bodies can be repatriated as soon as possible. He said the oWWA should ensure the speedy release of all assistance for the family of the

deceased oFWs and for those who were injured,” Marcos said. “It is in this time of distress of the families of the killed oFWs when they need most to feel the government really cares for them,” said Marcos. “It grieves us that they met this tragic fate while striving for a better future for their families back home. the last thing we want to hear now are complaints the government is not doing enough to help them,” he added. Marcos said the family of a deceased oWWA member is entitled to receive P220,000 in total financial assistance if an accident is the cause of death. Also per oWWA, survivors of a deceased oFW are also entitled to educational assis-

tance amounting to P5,000.00 for elementary; P8,000.00 for high school and P10,000.00 for college per school year, while livelihood assistance amounting to P15,000.00 is also given to the surviving spouse.” He said the government should adopt an aggressive job generation program so Filipinos will no longer have to leave the country just to find a job to support the needs of their families. If he wins as vice president in the 2016 elections and be asked for a portfolio, Marcos said he would choose the Department of Labor and employment because he has concrete plans to improve job generation while initiating better protection for the country’s laborers.

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Local exec to farmers: Adopt good agri practices By Dexter A. See

In memory of. A black ribbon is at the door of the sala of slain Bulacan Judge Wilfredo Nieves. His remains were cremated Tuesday. ORLAN MAURICIO

DILG reinstalls CDO mayor By Froilan Gallardo

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—The Department of Interior and Local Government on Wednesday reinstated dismissed Mayor Oscar Moreno as city mayor pending the resolution of the Ombudsman of his administrative case. DILG Region 10 director Nilo Castanares said the directive will end the confusion of who is the city mayor and end a fiveday standoff and avert any possible violence at

the city hall. “We cannot have two mayors. Moreno is recognized as mayor. Acenas will stay as vice mayor,” Castanares said. He added that Moreno

would stay as mayor until the Ombudsman decides on the motion of reconsideration filed by Moreno. He urged Vice Mayor Ian Acenas and his supporters from the Padayon Party to comply with the directive and step down as mayor of Cagayan de Oro. Castanares said they will hold Acenas and Councilor Candy Darimbang liable if they continue their functions as mayor and vice mayor. DILG Undersecretary

Austere Panadero issued the directive last Tuesday night; it was delivered to Acenas and Darimbang immediately. The DILG on Nov. 12 installed Acenas and Darimbang as mayor and vice mayor replacing Moreno following his dismissal by the Ombudsman. Castanares said Acenas had refused to sign and acknowledge the directive which was delivered to him on Tuesday night. “The DILG staff and the police have left a copy

in the office of Acenas. We deemed the directive as already delivered,” he said. Moreno won a 60-day reprieve from the Ombudsman order after the Court of Appeals issued a temporary restraining order a day after the DILG installed Acenas and Darimbang. Acenas refused to recognize the TRO from the Court of Appeals saying the issuance was “moot and academic” because they were already installed by the DILG.

BAUKO, Mountain Province—Organizations of agriculture industry stakeholders must guarantee that their members are strictly adhering to the standards of good agricultural practices to make locally produced agricultural crops competitive in the global market, this town’s mayor said. Mayor Abrahan Akilit underscored the performance of such practices in the context of the full implementation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations free trade agreement by the end of this year. The mayor said that for farmers to be able to master their compliance to GAP, there should be proper monitoring done by the concerned associations and the agriculture department. The objective is to make their produce compliant with prevailing standards. “Our farmers need to be closely monitored so that whatever lapses they commit will be immediately checked by those assigned by the organizations to look over their production of agricultural crops. We cannot immediately perfect GAP in just one sitting,” Akilit stressed. He likened the GAP implementation to a sports event where the farmers need to have coaches to immediately correct their mistakes. The mayor said it would take some time for the farmers to adjust to the stringent requirements of the GAP. “With the assistance of experts to monitor their planting activities, farmers will be able to adjust to the situation after one or two cropping seasons.” Thus, their GAP-compliant produce could be sold in different markets within the Asean member-countries.

WHO lauds Muslim Mindanao schools’ sanitation programs By A. Perez Rimando COTABATO CITY, Maguindanao—The World Health Organization has lauded the hygiene thrust in public schools of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao initiated in the second semester by Regional Education Secretary Jose Magno and Health Secretary Kadil Sinolinding Jr. The German organization Deutsche Gessellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit also recognized Global Handwashing Day conducted in the ARMM, which prompted public elementary schools across Maguindanao,

Lanao del Sur, Basilan, TawiTawi and Sulu, to install 1,500 washing facilities. In a recent communique for DepEd-ARMM, the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, acknowledged the regional education and health departments’ “extensive advocacy for hygiene among local Moro school-age children,” many of whom were reportedly not conscious about the health benefits of hand washing especially before eating. “It is wonderful to hear about the GHD now being undertaken regularly all over Muslim Mindanao,” the letter from WHO stated, adding that “such advocacy for hygiene ensures that all

children can be clean and healthy to attend school.” The WHO also commended ARMM and the national DepEd office for “working closely together to provide such strong support for this highly beneficial initiative.” Magno and Sinolinding said the region’s GHD is “a global advocacy dedicated to promoting awareness and public understanding on the importance of hand washing to prevent diseases.” The GHD is also supported by the Australian Assistance for International Development-funded Basic Education Assistance for Muslim Mindanao, Magno said.

Colder. A fog brought by a Siberian cold front envelopes Baguio City. DAVID CHAN

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ADELLE chuA EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

opinion

DuTy calls flOREncIO fIanza

The Travails of senaTor Poe

[ EDI TORI A L ]

Head of state, face of tHe nation The ongoing Asia-Pacific economic Cooperation summit gives us a chance to observe leaders in various shapes, sizes and temperaments. Out of the 21 economies of the Asia-Pacific region, two chief executives —those of Russia and Indonesia—were not able to attend this week’s meetings. Seeing President Vladimir Putin and President Joko Widodo, respectively, would have been good, too. They seem like interesting characters on their own. Recall how the latter, President Widodo, decided to halt the execution of a Filipina accused of smuggling drugs. The rest of the 19 leaders bring with them their own management style, political leanings, personalities, histories, even circumstances that surround their personal lives. Combined with their nations’ resources and infrastructure built by their predecessors, these leaders cause their countries to face the issues and their people to live as they do. Some of the leaders are good-looking or charismatic; some are strict and reserved; some are knowledgeable and experts in politics; others, merely swept into office by sheer popularity or supervening event. This brings us to ponder our own leaders, especially in the context of the coming elections in May. What were the considerations that made us put them in office? What attributes or skills do we think are negotiable and non-negotiable for those who ask us to vote for them? For good or bad, Filipinos are known to vote with their sentiments. We identify with underdogs—widows, orphans, those with a compelling personal story. Some go to the extent of believing that the presidency is a matter of destiny. This is why candidates tend to emphasize aspects of themselves that people can relate to and sympathize with, instead of highlighting how prepared they are for the daunting job ahead. That, or present themselves as the solution to all present ills—portraying themselves heaven sent, provider of all needs, nemesis of evil. To correct this skewed process of choosing leaders, some groups have devised methods for a more objective way of assessing the fitness of candidates for the job they aspire for. Different positions have different requirements. The presidency, for instance, is an executive role that would require the implementation of laws and the making of decisions that may at times be unpopular. It also requires representing the country to international events and establishing a reputation in the community of nations. Given all that, how is our chief executive standing his ground among his counterparts in Asia Pacific? has he convinced them that the Philippines, based on how we have been able to conduct these high-profile meetings, is a country to take seriously, a force to be reckoned with? Before the world, a nation’s president is its face and its presence. Let’s remember this when we choose our next one, next year.

abu strikes again TO GenerAl “Stormin” norman Schwarzkopf is (falsely) attributed the pithy quote, to the effect that terrorists will be judged by God while his job is to merely hurry up the meeting. The hoax-busting site Snopes notes that the quote has been around since 2001, but “in an odd instance of the tail wagging the dog, in 2003 the General is

on record as repeating a close version of the words years earlier attributed to him.” I am reminded of the quote—which is now being attributed by the Internet to tough-guy russian leader Vladimir Putin—because those homegrown Islamist bandits amongst us known as the Abu Sayyaf Group have decided to make their presence felt once again. And what a way and a time to do so, by beheading a Malaysian hostage while the government of President noynoy Aquino

is hosting the Asia-Pacific economic Cooperation summit in Manila. Malaysian Prime Minister najib razak, who is in town, was quite naturally incensed at the ISIS-like action of the Abu Sayyaf in killing Bernard Then in Sulu, following the failure to raise the ransom for the victim’s release. “We call upon authorities to take action against those who have perpetrated this savage and barbaric act and ensure that they are brought to justice,” said najib.

The government must spare no expense or effort to make these bandits pay for their latest headlinegrabbing atrocity.

The international media pounced on the story of Then’s beheading and gave it as much “play” as they possibly could, thus giving the terrorists the free publicity they sought. There is, after all, no reason why the Abu Sayyaf would kill Then at this time other than to embarrass the Philippine authorities, who were hoping for a hitch-free summit. “Our problem is that we in government play by the rules,” said Apec organizing head Ambassador Marciano Paynor, a former military man, echoing official anger at the beheading. “Our enemies, on the other hand,

do whatever they like.” The government must spare no expense or effort to make these bandits pay for their latest headlinegrabbing atrocity. While I may have criticized the Aquino administration for the way it has been hosting the summit, I hope that the military stamps out this bandit group once and for all, as soon as our visitors have left. Someone should hasten the Abu Sayyaf ’s meeting with God. That

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should be the military’s first job after the summit is done. *** Patriotism, said Samuel Johnson, is the last refuge of scoundrels. The application of this insight, in the current time and in this country, is to falsely accuse people who criticize the way the Asia-Pacific economic Cooperation summit is being hosted by the Philippine government of being less Filipino than those who would want us to simply join

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Aquino in singing the praises of his administration. It is by now common knowledge that Aquino has been misusing all of his speaking engagements during the summit to attack his predecessors, the Philippine courts and every one else who hasn’t agreed with him over the years. Because Aquino is just being his usual vindictive, blametossing self, he finds nothing wrong in using the Apec podium to paint

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SenATOr Grace Poe must be breathing a big sigh of relief. round one goes to her; it is a big psychological victory. The Senate electoral Tribunal’s decision is a setback to the liberal Party and the administration. Based on how the members of the SeT voted, all the members from the Supreme Court voted for disqualification, while five senators voted against. Only Senator nancy Binay among the senators voted for disqualification, which is understandable. With Senator Poe out, it would become a contest between her father, the Vice President and former Secretary Mar roxas. Senator Binay must be calculating that it is easier to beat roxas than Senator Poe. The vote of Senator Bam Aquino is a little surprising. One would have thought that he would vote for disqualification in line with the wishes of his cousin, the President. He did not. We can only speculate on the reasons behind his decision. Perhaps he is one of those politicians who believe that Mar roxas cannot win the election and it is better that Senator Poe be around to contest the election than hand over the presidency to Vice President Binay. Meanwhile, the votes of the four other senators are not surprising. Senator Tito Sotto has from the beginning worked hard for Senator Poe. The other three female senators also delivered for Poe. The war is by no means over. The Commission on elections will still decide and the SeT decision is appealable to the Supreme Court which guarantees that this issue will probably drag on until very close to election day. Until this issue is decided with finality, there will always be that doubt hanging over the candidacy of Senator Poe. Just before the SeT decision, I had it from a good source that contributions to her campaign was starting to dry up. With the favorable SeT decision, this is going to give her campaign a new lease on life. It will be energized and funds will start pouring in again. Poe’s political enemies, on the other hand, will double their efforts on the two remaining fronts, the Comelec and the Supreme Court. All the commissioners of the Comelec are appointees by this administration but, the final arbiter

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ADELLE chuA EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

opinion

DuTy calls flOREncIO fIanza

The Travails of senaTor Poe

[ EDI TORI A L ]

The government must spare no expense or effort to make these bandits pay for their latest headlinegrabbing atrocity.

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OPINION lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

Poe has a lot to worry about THE decision of the Senate Electoral Tribunal to dismiss, by a vote of 5-4, the disqualification case against Senator Mary Grace Poe Llamanzares says a lot. First, the fact that the three Supreme Court justices—Antonio Carpio, Teresita Leonardo de Castro and Justice Arturo Brion—voted for the disqualification showed that the three justices certainly know their Constitution. A foundling, which Mrs. Llamanzares was supposed to be before her adoption by Fernando Poe Jr. and Susan Roces, cannot automatically be a natural-born Filipino citizen. Santa Banana, if I were Mrs. Llamanzares, I’d be worried sick since the residency and disqualification case against her would certainly be elevated to the Supreme Court. With the three respected Supreme Court justices saying she is not natural born, that’s already three sticks against her at the Supreme Court. The second revelation is that some senators, like Bam Aquino, Loren Legarda, Pia Cayetano, Cynthia Villar and Tito Sotto, who are supposed to be legislators mandated to frame laws in accordance to the Constitution, voted on the basis of personal and political considerations. The fact that Villar said that she’d vote according to what the people want reveals much about her thinking as a senator. I am also disappointed in Loren and Pia. Pia is a lawyer, and she voted in favor of Poe for personal reasons. I thought, too, that Loren was in-

dependent-minded, so why did she not follow the Constitution? Well, that’s the Senate for you. Senators will always protect their kind. If I were Grace I would still be worried sick. All the election commissioners are lawyers and I assume they know their law. The Comelec must have a decision by December 10—when the

Lawyers know their Constitution.

ballots for the May 2016 are supposed to start printing. *** In an effort to show the leaders of the AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation economies that our country doesn’t hesitate to spend P10 billion of people’s money, we have thousands of commuters who go to work on foot. Street dwellers are rounded off and people suffer traffic gridlocks for hours on end. All for what? So that BS Aquino III can boast to the Apec leaders and their delegates that he is the most gracious host? Does BS Aquino really think that the Apec leaders are that stupid not to know the truth? It would seem so. He is upbeat that after the Apec summit, foreign investors would be scrambling to pour their investments to the Philippines. It does seem ironic that in the wake of all these preparations, PricewaterhouseCoopers said that Metro Manila ranks near the bottom of the most livable and businessfriendly city in the

ending islamic state inc. bloomberg editorial WHAT it means for a European nation and member of Nato to declare war against a stateless band of terrorists is an interesting and important question, made urgent by Islamic State’s brutal attack on Paris last Friday. As Europe and the West weigh their military and political responses, however, they should also avail themselves of a simpler strategy: Follow the money. Raising cash, it turns out, is something Islamic State excels at. It pulls in up to $10 million a month from oil smuggling. It has profitable side businesses in ransoming hostages, selling sex slaves and looting antiquities. And it specializes in shaking down locals for protection money and taxes. This plunder gives the group a lot of advantages. It can typically pay fighters more than rival terrorist factions, and— unlike their former colleagues in Al-Qaida—the terrorists of Islamic State don’t have to rely much on foreign benefactors or the international financial system. The group can also fund the rudiments of a civil service,

Asia-Pacific region. Metro Manila placed 22nd among 28 cities included in the study called “Building Cities.” Toronto, Vancouver and Singapore emerged the top three most livable cities. At the bottom are Cebu, Surabaya and Port Moresby. Metro Manila lagged behind the Southeast Asian cities like Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok, but ranked better than Jakarta and Ho Chi Minh. Whenever I travel to other countries, my heart bleeds a little. *** The fact that BS Aquino III is afflicted with the disease of finding fault with everybody else except himself for problems he cannot solve is no longer news. We have heard him tossing all the blame on his predecessor, former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, a sick woman languishing under hospital arrest without any means of getting relief from a vindictive President.

with some totalitarian flourishes, to cement its authority in areas it controls. All of which means that defeating Islamic State will require applying financial pressure as well as military might. There are some hopeful signs. The US military is bombing the group’s oil fields in eastern Syria and belatedly demolishing its smuggling trucks, which will hurt its bottom line. Many of Islamic State’s financial supporters have been hit with sanctions. International efforts to investigate and cut off its cash—such as the Counter-ISIL Finance Group—are also making some progress. But a few other steps would help. Countries should stop paying ransoms to Islamic State, for one thing, and encourage insurers to do the same. Intelligence agencies should better coordinate their investigations of the middlemen who facilitate its oil sales. Banks and auction houses must be more alert to cutting off trade in pilfered antiquities. Neighboring countries— notably Turkey—still need to do more to stop the flow of il-

Mr. Aquino has shown us that he has no iota of mercy and compassion in his yellow-stricken veins. He blames her for poverty which has remained a problem when it’s precisely his duty and obligation to address it. Santa Banana, BS Aquino III also blames the Judiciary for its slow process of not jailing immediately those who he said “committed wrongdoings.” The President obviously doesn’t believe in due process if he had his way. He’d want all those he charged with alleged acts of corruption jailed immediately. I know this for a fact that when a justice of the Sandiganbayan told me that as early as last year when the three opposition senators were indicated for plunder at the Sandiganbayan, Mr. Aquino wanted the justices to convict Jinggoy Estrada and Bong Revilla immediately. The justices resisted, knowing their law and due

licit money and goods through Iraq and Syria. And Iraq’s central bank must crack down on financial firms that funnel US dollars to Islamic State and its associates. The group’s expansive extortion apparatus presents a much more complicated problem. Dismantling it will require weakening its grip on local populations through airstrikes, diminishing its support among disaffected Sunnis and stabilizing the surrounding region after years of brutal warfare. In other words, it will require a comprehensive military and political solution—and comprehensive solutions are not abundant in Syria these days. The good news is that, while it is still capable of great harm, Islamic State almost certainly cannot sustain its fundraising. It is waging a multi-front war and attempting a global jihad while also trying to pick up the trash, fill the potholes and keep the electricity on for millions of people. Its dominion is economically devastated. As other countries get more aggressive in squeezing its funding, a day of reckoning is visible on the horizon.

process. Well, that’s BS Aquino III for you, ready to blame everybody else for the problems he should be solving. And he would like us to continue with Daang Matuwid? *** Anti-mining advocates claim that world doesn’t need mining and that economic development can be attained without it. They forget that responsible mining can produce a huge income per hectare of land used, have no off-site effects, and leave a useful rehabilitated landscape. One case in point is a study done by the Japan International Cooperation Agency which bounded off the alarm of Boracay’s “imminent loss” of its marine and ecosystems if the status quo of over-development prevails. In a five-year study of the tourist spot, Jica and a group of Japanese and Filipino scientists discovered that

the island’s coral reef and ecosystems have been seriously degraded by tourism activities. The study is part of a larger Jica project called Coastal Ecosystem Conservation and Adaptive Management. Analyzing satellite images, the team calculated that coral cover in Boracay declined by 70.5 percent between 1988 and 2011. They also noted that the highest decline over the 23-year period happened between 2008 and 2013 as tourist arrivals at Boracay rose by 38.14 percent. These findings by Jica prove the danger of over-development of tourism sites and that the environmental degradation is not caused by mining alone. What makes mining more viable is that mining firms are mandated by law to rehabilitate the areas which they have mined. Within their operational life span, they provide direct employment to the communities where they operate.

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OPINION lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

ThaT cringe-worThy inTerview In the midst of the sorrow over the terrorist attacks last week in Beirut, Paris, and Baghdad, and the continued harassment of the lumad community, Alma Moreno’s viral interview seemed like a comic relief—if she had been acting in a movie. But no, she spoke as a senatorial candidate of the opposition United nationalist Alliance. And there lies the awkwardness. Moreno appeared on AnC’s “headstart” last Wednesday (nov. 11) and dodged questions from a frustrated Karen Davila, who looked and sounded at that moment like a fed-up professor whose student clearly did not study for the oral exam. Moreno’s “Haaa…?” “Teka muna [wait a moment],” and “Kailangan ba’ng sagutin iyan? [Does that need to be answered]?” showed how out of her depth she is for the role she wants to play. When quizzed about her qualifications, she answered that, among them, she was “First Lady” of Parañaque

City for nine years, having been married to a former mayor. Asked about her advocacies, she answered “Women.” What about women, Davila asked patiently, and tried to help Moreno out by asking her guide questions. “Magna Carta for women,” Moreno finally replied. “But that law already exists,” said a wearylooking Davila. the clincher was Davila’s question about Moreno’s stand on the reproductive health law. Moreno was hedging; not wanting to appear for or against, not wanting to offend the Church and conservatives on one hand, and the rest of the populace on the other, she let out a forced “Oo naman.” What exactly about it, asked Davila. “Pills!” said Moreno brightly. her other contraceptive advice? “Kailangang laging bukas ang ilaw [the lights should always be on]!” Oh, she was joking—but this was not a comedy show, she was a train wreck without a script, and her ad-libs were shallow and without

the travails... From A9 will be the Supreme Court whose members, let us all hope, will decide purely on the merits of the case. *** the issue of the citizenship of Senator Poe has divided opinion writers and generated a lively debate among the many lawyers who inhabit our land. In addition, the issue of loyalty has been added to the mix. how is it so easy for Senator Poe to renounce her Filipino citizenship and reacquire it for the opportunity of becoming President is a question many are asking. I supposed that this issue has to be raised in a presidential contest. For Senator Poe, she does not only have to prove that she is a naturalborn Filipino citizen but also has to prove that she is a loyal citizen of this

abu... From A9 a picture of himself before the visiting foreigners as the best thing that has happened to the Philippines—and all the other governments that went before as severely lacking in every respect compared to his. What Aquino has been doing, when you think about it, is not to raise the Philippines but to sing hosannahs to himself. how else can he explain his tirades against Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and the members of the judiciary in Apec forums? Is it right for Aquino air the country’s

substance. the 23 minutes of the interview were painful to watch, and cringe-worthy. It was ‘do you want fries with that’ on a stick. Davila tried to mask her exasperation with an interviewee who was not only unprepared but also did not possess even stock knowledge about the most common issues, much less issues that she purports to support. Moreno herself knew that her lack of knowledge would tell against her, saying that she opposed “discrimination” against women, giving as an example, “‘‘Pag sinabihan ka na bobo ka… minamaliit ka… tulad sa akin! Discrimination iyon! [When you are told you’re stupid… when you’re put down…like me! that’s discrimination!]” the negative reaction, however, was not against Moreno as a woman, nor as an individual, nor even as a city councilor. It was against Moreno as a candidate for one of the highest offices of the land, after she showed her glaring lack of qualifica-

tions and even the most fundamental knowledge of what matters most in the country today. It is not discriminating against her to point this out, because it is part of the job of a senator—everyone in public office, in fact, including city councilors—to be aware of issues and have a good grasp of facts, in order to properly perform their duties and discharge their responsibilities. Karen Davila did the public a service by airing that interview. It showed the need to be more discerning about candidates, to insist they have a platform, and to demand that they have the intellectual capacity to comprehend and retain facts, laws, opinions, possible scenarios, courses of action, and the other myriad kinds of information about issues necessary to make decisions that will affect more than 100 million Filipinos. We need more than wellmeaning people; we need people who know what they are talking about and what

they are doing. We deserve all that, and more. *** Senshi Labs, a game development company run by Bea MV Lapa, PhD, is seeking votes on Steam for Mathoria: It All Adds Up, a math roleplaying game for ages 10 and below. It began as a capstone project of students from the De La Salle-College of St. Benilde, who wanted to make learning math fun for elementaryschool children. The game has three difficulty levels to choose from, and players learn and develop new math skills as they progress. the team needs votes at Steam Greenlight (http://tinyurl.com/qynulpr) in order for the game to be released and distributed to a wider audience who can benefit from Mathoria’s educational aspect. Facebook: Jenny Ortuoste, Twitter: @jennyortuoste, Instagram: @jensdecember, Blog: http://jennyo.net

country. to prove her being a natural-born citizen, she submitted some specimens for DnA testing. So far, the tests done on the daughter of the person who found her in a church in Jaro in 1968 tested negative. I am not surprised. the good senator seems to be limiting the testing to the relatives of the man who found her. Of course this has to be done but she should expand the testing to include relatives of her adopted father. As the legendary fictional detective Sherlock holmes once said, eliminate all the possibilities and whatever remains, no matter how improbable has to be the answer. I do not know the capability of the laboratory doing the DnA testing but the specimen submitted by senator should perhaps undergo more forensic analysis to include her DnA profile. Senator Poe is what we would call a

mestiza or a person with foreign blood. This is obvious because of the way she looks. It is therefore logical that she should be looking for persons with foreign blood for a match. eventually, I hope that she will find a result that will be favorable to her. to Rep. Leni Robredo, the Liberal Party vice presidential aspirant, it is also a moral issue as much as a legal one. Another former representative from Bicol also said that loyalty should not be trivialized and I agree. But does this mean that those politicians who did not renounce their Filipino citizenship are more loyal to the country than Senator Poe because at one time in her life, she renounced her citizenship? There are people in our midst who at one time in their lives went to the mountains and waged war against the duly constituted government. They have since given up their struggle, run

for public office and are now in government. During the Second World War, many Filipino leaders collaborated with the enemy. The grandfather of President Aquino was one. The collaborators were later amnestied. They ran for office, got elected and became productive citizens of the country. So which is worse—a person who commits treason by collaborating with enemy in times of war or a person who renounces her citizenship but acquires it back? two current candidates for vice president have committed rebellion by mounting coups d’ etat but no one seems to be complaining. Is it because both have no chance of winning? Loyalty to one’s country is a complex issue and difficult to judge. I believe however, that if Poe is allowed to run, it will be up to the Filipino people to judge whether she deserves to be their President or not.

dirty linen before Apec every time he speaks, when all the homeless people who have the slightest chance of being seen by summit delegates are hidden away in virtual concentration camps? You tell me. On the other hand, why do Aquino’s minions describe those who point out the failings of the government in holding the meeting as unpatriotic? Did the many, many thousands who walked several kilometers last Monday because the government could not even suspend classes and work that day love their country less than those

who want them to just grin and bear the hardship and inconvenience— or should the government be held accountable for this, the latest example of its incompetence? By and large, most Filipinos have just kept quiet about the summit hosting, in keeping with their natural courtesy and hospitality. But that doesn’t mean that they aren’t angry with the way our hosting duties have been performed, such as that brilliant scheme of taking away two lanes of edsa to make life easier for a delegation whose head did not even arrive. I believe that our right to point

out government’s stupidity and excesses has not been suspended just because a summit is going on. In like manner, Aquino shouldn’t really be talking about all the good things he’s supposedly done and all the bad things those before him have committed, just because there’s a worldwide gathering here. Raise the flag and fly it proudly during Apec week, by all means. But don’t do it because you just want to cover up all the incompetence and cupidity that’s been going on for the past five years under this do-nothing government.

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Cotto stripped of WBC crown UNITED STATES—Miguel Cotto was stripped of his World Boxing Council middleweight world title on Tuesday, days before his anticipated bout against Mexican Saul Alvarez in Las Vegas on Saturday. Amid reports that Cotto declined to pay the $300,000 sanctioning fee for a title fight, the WBC said in a statement only that the Puerto Rican and his camp failed to comply with WBC regulations. “The World Boxing Council worked tirelessly through

a process that began over two years ago to secure the celebration of the highly anticipated fight between Miguel Cotto and Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez,” the sanctioning body said. “The WBC is proud of that accomplishment that is giving boxing fans around the world a

very important fight to see. “After several weeks of communications, countless attempts and good faith time extensions trying to preserve the fight as a WBC world championship, Miguel Cotto and his promotion (Roc Nation Sports) did not agree to comply with the WBC rules and regulations, while Saul Alvarez has agreed to do so. Accordingly, the WBC must rule on the matter prior to the fight. The WBC hereby announces that effective immediately it has withdrawn recognition of

Miguel Cotto as WBC world middleweight champion.” Cotto, winner of world titles in four weight divisions, is still considered the lineal champion. The 34-year-old takes a record of 40-4 with 33 knockouts into the bout against Alvarez -- who can still claim the vacant title with a victory on Saturday. Alvarez, 25, has won 45 of his 47 fights, 32 by knockout with one draw and one defeat -- to American Floyd Mayweather on points in September of 2013.

Subic Sailing Team 2nd place in China Cup. The Subic Sailing team settled for second place at the 9th China Cup International Regatta under the Asian Sailing Federation class. Four days of extreme weather conditions and even breaking a spinnaker in the middle of the race didn’t stop these sailors from clinching victory. The awards night was held at Sheraton Hotel in Dameisha, Shenzhen. Members of the team are Ronald Tanco, Skipper; Emerson Villiena, Main Trimmer; Lester Troy Tayong, Jib/Spinnaker Trimmer; Marcus Avecilla, Pitman; Zed Avecilla, Bowman; and Jun Avecilla and Ricky Sandoval, Team managers. The team was backed by Judes Echauz and Seymour Saldavia of Standard Insurance. For complete race results, visit http://www.chncup. com. To learn more about the sailing efforts in the Philippines, log on to www.subicsailing.com for more details.

King’s Cup of Pool unwraps EIGHT of the finest pool sharks in the world battle starting today when the First Kings Cup of Pool unwraps at the posh Resorts World Hotel. Asia’s best Efren “Bata” Reyes and Francisco “Django” Bustamante of the Philippines and Chinese Taipei’s Ko Pin Yi and Ko Ping Chung clash with their international counterparts Mika Immonen of Finland, Shane Van Boening of the US, Darren Appleton of the United Kingdom and Albin Ouschan of Austria for three days. Dubbed as the “West versus the East,” the three-day event is aimed at deciding which continent possesses the greatest billiards players in the world. Immonen, team captain of the West Team, for instance, was a two-time world titlist; Boening owns four plums;

Appleton has three and Ouschan was a one-time no. 1. Bata, “The Magician,” skipper of the East side, was a 9-ball and 10- ball world champ and a Southeast Asian Games gold medalist, and so is his buddy Django. Ko Pin Yi is a four-time world kingpin, while Ko Ping Chung is a world Junior titleholer and currently ranked in the Top 10. Eddie Alinea This inaugural edition of the Kings Cup marks the first time Europe and USA are joining forces in representing the West in an international competition of this magnitude, where the Philippines and Taiwan will also be playing as a team Today’s acion starts at 6 p.m. with the centerpiece four-on-four team competitions. Eddie Alinea

Philracom stages 4 races in December THE Philippine Racing Commission will be staging four stakes races in December, including the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office Presidential Gold Cup of which it is co-sponsor, as a windup of the year’s racing calendar. “We anticipate that the racing fans,” said Philracom Chairman Andrew A. Sanchez, “will enjoy these important stakes races during the holiday season, and we encourage participants to join in the remaining major salvos of the year and make them even more memorable and interesting.” The 43rd PCSO Presidential Gold Cup will be held on Dec. 13 at SLLP. Philracom will provide P1 million of the total P4 million for the race, with the P3 million coming from the race organizer, PCSO. The declared entries for the PCSO Gold Cup are Dixie Gold, to be ridden by jockey Patricio Dilema, carrying 55 kgs.; Kanlaon, Val Dilema, 55; Low Profile, Mark Alvarez, 55; Pugad Lawin, JPA

Guce, 59; Messi, JA Guce, 55; Tap Dance, JB Guce, 55; Hagdang Bato, Jonathan Hernandez, 62; Malaya, Kelvin Abobo, 54; Penrith, Christopher Garganta, 56. To be held the same day is the Philracom Juvenile Championship mile, open to 2YO colts and fillies, with total prizes of P2.5 million for first to fourth places. On Dec. 20 at Santa Ana Park, Philracom will present the Chairman’s Cup, in honor of a past chairman of the agency. It is a mile race for 3YO local horses, with total prize money of P2 million. The last Philracom stakes race of the year, the Grand Derby, will be held on Dec. 27 at Metroturf racecourse. This 2,000-meter race will test the strength and stamina of 3YO local horses, and reward the winner and placers with a total of P1 million. The remaining stakes races for November are the 4th leg Juvenile Fillies and the 4th leg Juvenile Colts stakes, both 1,500-meter races set for Nov. 22 at San Lazaro Leisure Park.

Fontana hosts Tri United final leg THE highly successful 2015 season of Unilab Active Health’s Tri United will come to a close on Nov. 22 at 6 a.m. As the scenic Fontana Leisure Park in Clark, Pampanga hosts once again Tri United 4 which has attracted a large field of 650 participants from around the nation. Organized by Bike King (headed by Raul Cuevas), Tri United 4 will feature a sprint distance course of 600 meter swim at the water park’s Olympic-sized pool, 20-kilometer biking around the Clark grounds and 5 kilometers of running on the rolling paths of the resort. The race course was specially designed to be beginner-friendly. In the event supported by ULAH, Fontana, Active Health Carb Gel, Enervon Active, Enervon HP, Oral Rehydration Salts Hydrite Granules, WeatherPhilippines, TIMEX, Saucony, Orbea, Clark Freeport, Gardenia, Multisport, SwimBikeRun.ph, Spin.ph and RaceDay, athletes will start five at a time with a one-minute interval separating each wave of athletes. The rolling start style of execution will evenly distribute the athletes in the swimming pool and minimize physical contact, which normally happens in a traditional triathlon massed swim start. At stake are medals and gift packs for all Top 3 male and female category winners. The awarding ceremony will commence at 11:30 a.m. at the Active Health Village.

Iglupas, Rafa trounce foes

KHIM Iglupas and Rafa Villanueva came away with a pair of emphatic victories over separate foreign rivals yesterday to set in motion their bid in the girls’ side of the PSC-Phinma International Juniors Tennis Championships Week 1 at the Manila Polo Club in Makati City. Iglupas, seeking a repeat of her title romp here last year, overpowered Korean Hyeran Yun with her superb all-around game, dropping just two games in a 6-2, 6-0 victory while Villanueva trounced Thai Chanthel Thongphok, 6-2, 6-1, in the lower half of the 32-player draw headed by top seed and Week 2 winner Ayumi Miyamoto of Japand and second seed Naho Sato, also of Japan.

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Velez, Ringia lead stellar net roster

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic (R) walks off after losing his match to Switzerland’s Roger Federer during the singles group stage match on day three of the ATP World Tour Finals tennis tournament in London. Federer won the match 7-5, 6-2. AFP

Federer floors Novak, 7-5, 6-2 UNITED KINGDOM—Roger Federer got one over on world number one Novak Djokovic as the Swiss great booked his World Tour Finals last four spot with a straight sets victory on Tuesday. Federer triumphed 7-5, 6-2 in their group stage clash in the packed 17,800-capacity O2 Arena in London, winning the key points at crucial moments to hand the Serb his first indoor defeat in 39 matches -- a winning run stretching back to 2012. Triple defending champion Djokovic, on a 23-match winning streak, suffered his first defeat since losing to Federer in the Cincinnati final on August 23. But after becoming the first man through to this year’s semis, world number three Federer insisted Djokovic was still the favourite to win the season-ending

tournament, which is disputed between the top eight players on a hard court. Earlier in the same group of four, Japan’s Kei Nishikori gave his hopes of reaching the semis a major boost with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 victory over Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic. “I know it’s a big win. Could help me for what’s to come in this tournament,” Federer said. “It’s going to help me for next year. It’s always good beating Novak or any top player. “Still, to me, Novak is still the favourite of the tournament. “He should make his way to the

semis somehow... and he’ll be the favourite in that probably, too, with the year he’s had. He’s far from gone. “The way I know Novak, he’s going to find a way to be tougher to beat from now on.” Victory for Djokovic in the final group match against Berdych on Thursday would see the Serb through to the semis; it would also prevent Nishikori from progressing, regardless of whether the Japanese beats Federer. In the first set, Federer converted his second set point with a delicate backhand drop over the net that had the six-time champion’s numerous fans on their feet celebrating. Federer raced away in the second set, earning himself a match point with a tremendous backhand. However, Djokovic won a long rally to stay in the contest. AFP

DAVAO ace Patricia Velez and Janus Ringia from Koronadal City head the stellar cast clashing for top honors in the Kalimudan Tennis Festival which unfolds beginning today at the Isulan Capitol Tennis Club in Sultan Kudarat. Local aces Carlyn Bless Guarde, April Minette Bentillo, Ramon Bentillo and Vince EJ Tugade, Koronadal’s LJ Mangudadatu and Nicole Gorospe, siblings JV and Eric Comendador from Kidapawan and Davao’s Stephen Tubbs, John David Velez, Lordrenz Pacheco, Danna Abad, Nicole Bautista and Abdul Hannan Cariga also signed up for the week-long Group 2 event held as part of the long-running Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala regional age group circuit. “The best and the rising young players in Mindanao are competing this week and we are inviting all tennis aficionados to watch the Kalimudan Tennis Festival,” said host Sultan Pax Mangudadatu, who has ensured the successful staging of the event presented by Technifibre. Others seeing action are M’lang’s Jazelle and Tenielle Madis and Cedric Pamplona, Klyde Lagarde from Gen. Santos City, Angelica Novis from Malita and Cagayan de Oro bets Matt Steve Palasan, Gennifer Pagente, Aubrey Calma and Farrah Emata. “We are overwhelmed by the big response of our young players who continue to believe in our program,” said Palawan Pawnshop president and CEO Bobby Castro. “It further inspires us to put up as many tournaments in the countryside to further promote the sport and give our youth the venue where they could hone their talent and skills.”

Co overall champion of Gatorade Golf Cup PEPSI-COLA Products Philippines Inc. couldn’t have picked a better date than Nov. 11 to hold its third annual Gatorade Golf Cup, considering the mixed weather in the past weeks Gracing the event was Jae Hyuk Lee, CEO of Lotte Chilsung, who arrived from Korea to commemorate the event. Lotte Chilsung, one of Korea’s biggest beverage makers, is the lead shareholder of PCPPI. This year’s edition is unique because it’s part of celebrating Gatorade’s 50th year of fuelling athletes globally. Gruppo Guevarra’s Raymond Co, who had a 74, won as overall gross champion, leading the field of 80 players comprised of Pepsi officials, business partners and media friends, who showed up at the then18-hole, par-72 Ayala Greenfield Golf and Leisure Club on that sunny Wednesday. Roberto Umali of Lorenzo Shipping was overall net champion with 75, while Musong Castillo of Philippine DailyInquirer had an 81

to go with his two birdies, ruled the print media division. On the other hand, sports broadcaster and writer Anthony Suntay carded 87 for a net 71 topped the broadcast media division. Suntay also emceed the awarding ceremony, along with Jika Dalupan, PCPPI vice president for corporate affairs and communications. Marlon Dizon of ICI Systems, who submitted a 77 was the man to reckon with in the business partner/guest division, while Cielo Fregil scored a three-peat with a net 73 in the women’s division. In the PCPPI division, CEO Yong-Sang You hit a net 71 to walk away with the title, followed by CFO Imran Moid and special guest Lotte Chilsung CEO Lee, who had identical net 72. The Gatorade Golf Cup is an annual gathering of Pepsi-Cola Products Philippines, Inc. to celebrate the gains of the year with key partners in expanding the business. All the winners received crystal trophies, save the PCPPI players for being the event host.

2 PH bets reach world wushu finals SANDA fighters Divine Wally of Baguio City and Hergie Bacyadan of Kalinga Apayao surged to the finals of the ongoing biennial 13th World Wushu Championships in Jakarta, Indonesia. The 19-year-old diminutive Wally, a product of the 2012 Philippine National Games, made mincemeat of Korean Bokyeong Byeon in a 52-kg semifinal scrap. Assured already of her first-ever podium finish--in an international arena that on her maiden appearance on foreign soil, Bacy-

adan, 21, who belatedly took up the sport, outpointed Egyptian Walaa Mossa in a 65kg round-offour tussle. Wally, a 2013 SEA Games and Asian Junior Championships silver medalist, who had already bettered the bronze medal showing of Davao City’s Evita Zamora in the most recent previous worlds, will clash with Vietnamese Luan Thi Hoang for the gold. Bacyadan will go up the playing platform an underdog against Iranian Sharbano Man-

youran Semiromi in her quest for the top plum. Interestingly, the current titleholders in the 52kg and the 65kg are a Vietnamese and an Iranian, respectively. At press time, the other Philippine Sports Commissionbacked Team Philippines semifinalists—Francisco Solis and Arnel Mandal—have yet to see action. Solis will pit wits with a Chinese, while Mandal will face a Turkish in the 60kg and 52kg division, respectively.

The champions of the 2015 Gatorade Golf Cup from PCPPI, business partners, media, and ladies’ divisions gather around for a photo shoot at the end of the tournament.

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Biboy, Liza advance in BWC LAS VEGAS, Nevada – The Philippines’ Biboy Rivera and Liza del Rosario completed their 24-gamer series with 5107 and 4814, respectively, to advance to the next round of the QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup international finals yesterday at Sam’s Town, Las Vegas here. Former FIQ world champion Rivera finished eighth out of 86 participants in the men’s division while Del Rosario, one of Asia’s best, checked in 14th in the women’s competition. The top 24 men and top 24 women will play eight more games tomorrow morning for the top eight in both divisions and the round robin. After the head-to-head round-robin matches, the top three finishers will figure in knockout matches to determine this year’s champions. Defending champion Ciara Guerrero moved up to the top of the leader boardwith 5177, a 215.71, average, ahead of Mexico’s Sandra Gongora (5158) and the US’ Shannon Pluhowsky (5134). The day’s biggest scores in the women’s event were 259 (high game) by Russia’s Maria Bulanova, high sets of 1741 by Chiara, 1740 by Singapore’s Geraldine Ng Su Yi and 1738 by Bulanova. Belgium’s Catherine Durieux rolleds a 204 game to make the 24th spot. She said afterwards: “I was pretty sure I had made it but you never know until the scores go up.”

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Chairman Roberto Garcia (left) and defending champion Grandmaster Anton Demchenko of Russia shake hands after performing the ceremonial moves opening the Philippine Sports Commission/Puregold Puregold International Chess Challenge at the Subic Bay Peninsular Hotel in Olongapo City, Zambaes. Also in photo are National Chess Federation of the Philippines treasurer and Deputy Secretary-General Red Dumuk International Arbiter and Chief Arbiter Gene Poliarco, IA Elias Lao, Jr, (FA) Fide Arbiter Patrick Lee, (IM) International Master Yves Ranola and several other players.

Russian grabs chess lead RUSSIAN Grandmaster Boris Savchenko put a stop to Ukraine GM Vitaly Sivuk’s fivegame winning run, hacking out a 35-move win using an unusual line of the Queen’s Pawn Game to vault into the solo lead after four rounds in the Philippine Sports Commission-Puregold International Chess Challenge at the Subic Bay Peninsular Hotel, SBMA, Olongapo City, Standings after four rounds (Open Division) —Savchenko (RUS) 4.0 L:aylo (PHI) 3.5., Pimentel (PHI), Mozharov (RUS) Dimakiling (PHI), Sivuk (UKR), Demchenko (RUS), Torre (PHI), Lu (CHI), Deepan (IND) 3.0, Kotanjian (ARM) Puranik (IND), Sunilduth

Lyna (IND), Lin (CHI), Nguyen (VIE) 2.5, Bitoon (PHI), Senador (PHI), Smirnov (RUS), Aravindh (IND), Pascua (PHI), Rohan (IND), Garcia (PHI), Belous (RUS), Bersamina (PHI), Zubov (UKR), Sean (INA), Antonio, (PHI), Liu (SIN), Nolte (PHI), Severino (PHI) 2.0.

Ex-pros carry Kama 5 past Jumbo, 80 to 78 BEHIND big games from its ly, as Kama Motors came ex-pros JR Cawaling and Rudy from behind before pulling Lingganay, Kama Motors the rug from under erstpicked up its first back-to-back while leader Jumbo Plastic wins in the PCBL Founders’ in this tournament supCup capped by a hard-earned ported by Accel, Aquabest, 80-78 win over Jumbo Plastic Ambucore and Spalding. at the JCSGO Kama Motors’ gym late Tuesday victory put the Games Thursday (JCSGO Gym) night. squad in a three4 p.m. – Caida vs Sta. Lucia C a w a l i n g , 6 p.m. way tie from – Kama Motors vs Foton a member of fourth to sixth PBA grand slam places with Cachampions San Mig Coffee gayan Valley and Euro-Med, Mixers and who also played all carrying 4-4 win-loss for Blackwater and KIA, led slates. Jumbo Plastic dropped five players finishing in double into a tie for second and third figures for Kama Motors with with Sta. Lucia Realty with 18 markers, including four the same 5-3 cards. three-pointers. A 16-0 run by Kama MoTwo other former PBA tors turned a 61-68 deficit to players, Roider Cabrera and its biggest lead, 79-68, enterRudy Lingganay chipped in ing the final two minutes of 16 and 15 points, respective- the game.

The no. 8 seed Savchenko earlier defeated reigning national champion GM Richard Bitoon in the third round to set up the clash against the newly minted Philippine International Chess Championship titlist. Filipino GM Darwin Laylo, meanwhile, stayed half-a-point behind the solo leader with 3.5 points with a win and a draw in the two previous rounds. The 18th seeded Laylo downed International Master Oliver Dimakiling in the third round and split the point with Torre in the fourth. The draw dropped Torre to 3.0 points in the company of fellow Pinoys IM Joel Pimentel and Dimak-

iling, Sivuk, Russian GMs Mikhail Mozharov and Anton Demchenko, GM Shanglei Lu of China and GM Chakkravarthy Deepan of India. Mozharov, the no. 7 seed, and Pimentel agreed to a draw after 57 moves of a King’s Indian Fianchetto; Demchenko defeated GM Tigran Kotanjian of Armernia in 42 pushes of a King’s Indian Classical; Lu dealt Bitoon his second straight loss; while Deepan trounced Filipino IM Emmanuel Senador in 54 moves of a Sicilian Moria Gambit. Trailing behind with 2.5 points are Kotanjian, IM Abhimanyu Puranik and GM Narayanan Sunilduth Lyna of India, GM

Chen Lin of China and GM Duc Hoa Nguyen of Vietnam. In the Challenger Division of the tournament organized by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines and supported by the PSC, Philippine Olympic Committee, Puregold, Burlington Socks and Marc Ventures and Mining and Development Corp., eight players, led by top seed Franz Robert Grafil, share the lead with three points each after three rounds. The other players with three points are Lennon Hart Salgados, Davao’s James Infiesto, Sherwin Tiu, Erickson Marimla, Judith Pineda, Partick Erle Florendo and Rolly Parondo.

$1-m Resorts World Masters unwraps today at Southwoods CARMONA, Cavite—Defending champion Mardan Mamat and local ace Angelo Que face off in an early duel of the fancied bets while Miguel Tabuena slugs it out Thai ace Prom Meesawat in two of the featured flights in the kickoff of the $1 million Resorts World Manila Masters at the Manila Southwoods here today. Mamat put on a dominating performance to fashion out a six-shot romp here last year with the veteran Singaporean campaigner, who also won an Asian Tour event in Bangladesh last May, upbeat of his chances for a back-to-back feat in the country’s richest tournament hosted by the Manila Southwoods. “I’m looking forward to defend my title. Believe it or not, I like the Masters course by (Jack) Nicklaus which I think favors my game so much,” said Mamat, who opts for a conservative approach, particularly on a course like the Masters. “I like to make good use of my shots

Que

and take advantage of the par-5s,” added Mamat, who strung up solid rounds of 65-68-66-69 here last year to beat Frenchman Lionel Weber by six. But Que hopes to provide the early challenge in their 11:05 a.m. flight on No. 1 with Thai Danthai Boonma with the three-time Asian Tour winner coming in fresh and confident in what could be his best chance to end a long title spell. “I took time out from competitive

golf last week to prepare for the Masters. I sort of got burned out last year because I kept playing in every tournament towards the end of the year,” said Que. “But it will be different now since I am well rested and better prepared.” What motivates the long-hitting Filipino ace is his desire to make up for his missed cut stint here last year with a new mindset and a confidence built around his familiarity with the hazard-laden layout. “I really looked forward to this tournament and I hope I can do a big rebound this year,” said Que. “I’ve been playing Southwoods since I was an amateur and I know where to put the ball even if I miss the targets.” Tabuena also exudes confidence heading to the event, having won the local circuit’s Order of Merit title. But he will be as much tested as Que and Mamat as he faces Meesawat and Japanese Masahiro Kawamura in the 11:15 p.m. flight, also on No. 1.

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Tams send Archers packing, take on Eagles in Final Four By Peter Atencio

THE Far Eastern University Tamaraws banked on the big plays of Roger Pogoy, Monbert Arong and Joe Trinidad to fashion out a thrilling 71-68 win over the De La Salle Green Archers in the 78th University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball tournament last night at the Araneta Coliseum. Pogoy tallied 11 points, nine of them from Teng’s basket, 65-67, with 1:22 to go. The the three-point area, coming off the bench Archers, however, still had a chance to tie the in the final four minutes and 30 seconds as count, but Holmqvist bungled two charities in the Tamaraws avenged their loss the remaining 14.7 seconds. to the Green Archers in their last But the ball stayed in FEU’s Games Saturday assignment. possession after Thomas Tor(Araneta Coliseum) Behind by 10 points in the 3:30 p.m. FEU vs Ateneo res committed an out-of-bounds third, the Tamaraws cut down La violation, and Arong converted Salle’s lead by five in the fourth two charities off Teng’s foul, in off Fil-Norwegian cager Steve Holmqvist’s the final 12.8 seconds for a 69-66 count. driving layup, 52-57. Holmqvist later made up for his miscue The 6’2” Pogoy, who came in after Prince when he assisted Trinidad for a quick drive Orizu left due to a sprain, then scored all of as the seconds died down. his 11 points in the final 2:02 in the middle The Tams, back in the Final Four for a of a 13-4 run that put FEU on top, 65-61. third season, will face the Ateneo Blue EaLa Salle, which dropped out of contention gles in the Final Four on Saturday after they in the Final Four for the first time in four finished second behind University of Santo seasons, still managed to stay close on Jeron Tomas Tigers, who have the same 11-3 win-

loss card with them. Tams coach Nash Racela said they did their best to minimize the playing times of their main players Mac Belo, Achi Inigo, Pogoy and Russell in order to reserve them for the Final Four. “We wanted to get the win. I told the players to do their best to win every game. Ateneo is resting now, and it’s unfortunate that we had to play a no-bearing game. We play Ateneo in the Final Four. They’re a tough team,” said Racela. Jeron Teng had 20 points and Prince Rivero added 16 points for La Salle, which led by 11, 5746, in the last 7:40 off Teng’s three-point play. Earlier, the University of the East Warriors trounced the University of the Philippines Maroons, 79-67, to cap their season with a flourish. Clark Derige had 18 points, while Paul Varilla and Chris Javier combined for 26 points for the Warriors, who ended their season at sixth place with a 6-8 card. “We fell one game short of getting into a tie for fourth and fifth. That could have made us in contention for the playoffs. But, the team still exceeded expectations with nine rookies in the team,” said UE coach Derrick Pumaren.

Meralco’s Chris Newsome and Ginebra’s Chris Ellis engage in a mad scramble for the looseball as Gin King Japeth Aguilar looks on in a PBA Philippine Cup game won by the crowd favorites, 89-64, on Tuesday.

LOTTO RESULTS

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

Garcia slowly reaching his full potential By Jeric Lopez RR Garcia is Games Friday slowly but sure- (Smart Araneta Coliseum) 4:15 p.m. - GlobalPort ly reaching his vs. Alaska potential in the 7 p.m. - NLEX vs. Talk ‘N Text Philippine Basketball Association. So far this season, the former UAAP Most Valuable Player has been a steady force for Barako Bull and has helped the Energy to a fair start in the ongoing Philippine Cup. In the Energy’s 93-85 victory over Mahindra, Garcia registered a career-high 26 points, as he displayed both his scoring and playmaking abilities which had paid dividends for Barako Bull’s offense. Barako Bull coach Koy Banal said Garcia is slowly evolving into a better pro player. “RR (Garcia) keeps on improving. He’s a very smart player who will do whatever you ask from him,’’ said Banal. “We’re thankful we have him on our side.’’ Banal even added that Garcia still has a lot of upside in his game now that he is on his third year as a pro. “I really like his (Garcia) skills. If he continues to put the effort day in and day out both in games and in practice, the sky is the limit for him,’’ he said. Currently, Barako Bull is at the upper half of the echelon with its 3-2 slate and it is in a good place at the moment. Garcia’s tandem with veteran JC Intal is also becoming a key factor in the run of Barako Bull. “We’re at 3-2 now and we’re hoping we can sustain it,’’ said Banal. “We need to keep sharpening our iron and continue helping each other for the growth of our team.’’ And with the new addition to Barako Bull in sophomore Rodney Brondial, who fills the spot left by Jervy Cruz who was dealt to Barangay Ginebra, the Energy becomes an even potent force.

Lavazza wins EBL Champions’ Cup 2015 For the fifth time SYLVIA LOPEZ ALEJANDRO in a row the team GS Allegra from Turin (Italy), captained by Maria Teresa Lavazza, wins the EBL Champions’ Cup. Gold Medal - GS Allegra (Italy): Maria Teresa Lavazza (npc), Norberto Bocchi, Alejandro Bianchedi, Massimiliano Di Franco, Giorgio Duboin, Agustin Madala, Dennid bilde. Silver Mewdal - BC’t Onstein (Netherlands): Louk Verhees (pc), Berend van den Bos, Joris van Lankveld, Ricco van Prooijen, Richard Ritmeijer,

Magdalena Ticha Bronze Medal - England Ebu Team: Simon Gillis (pc), Boye Brogeland, Tom Hanlon, Espen Lindqvist, Zia Mahmood, Erik Saelensminde. The GS Allegra Lavazza team receives the ttitle of European Champion Club as well as the right to participate in the next edition of the EBL Champions’ Cup. The 14th Ebl Champions’ Cup was held from November 12 to 14,2014 in Milton Keynes (England). -oOoIBF-Special Ethics Committee: Updates (8) Fischer and Schwartz filed a

request the documents that they have filed with the Committee on November 8, 2015 shall not be forwarded to anyone except the members of the Committee, until the oral hearing before the Committee. Since the request was filed by Fischer and Schwartz urgently shortly after the Committee gave its decision to postpone the hearings, they are hereby given the opportunity to complete their written arguments on this matter by November 15, 1015 at 10 o’clock. The importance of the opening lead When my regular partner on

BBO golfermike opened his hand with One notrump, the bidding went on: Sylgen 1 two diamonds then North bid three clubs; golfermike three hearts and I went on to bid six hearts. Team # 8491 Board 6 North Allaru ♠10975 ♥4 ♦KQ3 ♣KQ863 West Sylgen 1 ♠KQ2

East Golfermike ♠AJ64

♥AQ87531 ♦104 ♣4

♥K5106 ♦J2 ♣AJ7

South Tony y gd ♠83 ♥9 ♦A97654 ♣10952 The opening lead: South led 10 clubs heeding partner’s bid of three clubs. This lead allowed golfermike to make six hearts. The Ace diamond lead would, followed by the king would have spelt curtains for us. Comments to: sylvia.alejandro@yahoo

A16

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

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

sports@thestandard.com.ph

SPORTS

A dozen wins and counting Richardson sisters Kyla, Kayla join US NCAA tilt By Peter Atencio RICHARDSON sisters THE Richardson twin sisters Kayla and Kyla Richardson will suit up for University of Southern California in Los Angeles. They were given athletic scholarship grants under the school’s athletic director Caryl Smith Gilbert, according to reports. The 17-year-old Kayla won in the gold for the Philippines in the women’s 100-meter sprints in the 2015 Southeast Asian Games, while Kyla is with the national women’s 4x100-meter relay team. Both will see action in NCAA Division I meets, which USC will join. Kayla will attend film school, while Kayla will take a degree in the health sciences. The two are part of the Philippine Amateur Track and Field’s national team. So far, hurdler Eric Shauwn Cray is the only Filipino to have earned a ticket to the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Stephen Curry had a 37-point, nine-assist effort as the Golden State Warriors edged the Toronto Raptors, 115110, at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. AFP

UNITED STATES—The Golden State Warriors made it an even dozen wins to start the NBA season on Tuesday, but their 115-110 victory over the Toronto Raptors was no cakewalk. The reigning NBA champion Warriors looked to be on cruise control when they rolled to an 18-point lead in the first half. But they had to battle to hang on for the win as the Raptors, led by Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, rallied to take a two-point lead with 5:54 to play on two free throws by Lowry. The free throws capped a 10-1 scoring run that saw the Raptors erase a seven-point deficit. However, the Warriors immediately countered with a surge of their own, triggered by an Andrew Bogut dunk on a lob from Draymond Green. Stephen Curry’s basket with 1:28 to play built the Warriors’ lead back to five points. But it had dwindled again to one, at 109-108, and the Raptors had the ball with 24.6 seconds remaining. Lowry committed a foul with a

moving screen with 15.4 seconds left to turn the ball over. Golden State made six free throws in the final 12 seconds to seal the win, Curry making four of them to complete a 37-point, nine-assist game. “It was actually too close down the stretch, but we got the job done,” said Curry, whose Warriors are closing in on the all-time best season start of 15-0, achieved by Washington in 1948-49 and the Houston Rockets in 1993-94. Shooting guard Klay Thompson, back from a one-game absence with a sore back, added 19 points for the Warriors and Australia’s Bogut chipped in 13. Golden State’s 53.8 percent shooting helped them overcome a 30-18 deficit at the foul line. Lowry and DeRozan scored 28 points each for the Raptors, who lost to the Warriors for the 10th straight time. With the win, the Warriors tied

their club record for consecutive regular-season wins with 16—a streak dating back to last season. It was their 25th straight regular-season home win. Cavs drop second straight The Cleveland Cavaliers, who fell to the Warriors in last season’s NBA Finals, dropped their second straight game—falling 104-99 at Detroit in a performance that had superstar LeBron James calling on his teammates to toughen up. “We’re too relaxed, too nice,” said James, who scored a gamehigh 30 points and passed Jerry West for 19th on the NBA’s alltime scoring list. James, who went into the contest needing 10 points to pass West’s total of 25,192 points, reached the milestone with a three-pointer in the first quarter. He finished the game with 25,213, but instead of celebrating the achievement James was chastising his Cavs teammates for seeming complacent against a Pistons team that snapped a fourgame losing streak.

Cotto stripped of WBC crown

Federer floors Novak in 2 sets

TURN TO A12

TURN TO A13

“We’re not entitled to a win, we’re not entitled to being Eastern Conference champions,” he said. “That’s last year.” Timberwolves douse Heat The Minnesota Timberwolves welcomed Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio back from a hamstring injury with a 103-91 victory over the Heat in Miami. Andrew Wiggins scored a gamehigh 24 points and Karl-Anthony Towns added 14 points and 14 rebounds as the Timberwolves rallied for the victory despite a tripledouble of 22 points, 14 rebounds and 10 blocked shots by Heat center Hassan Whiteside. Pelicans lose Davis in defeat The New Orleans Pelicans’ injury woes got even worse on Tuesday as AllStar forward Anthony Davis departed midway through the fourth quarter of their 115-98 loss to the Denver Nuggets with a left shoulder injury. The Pelicans lost for the 10th time in 11 games, and coach Alvin Gentry said he didn’t know if Davis would be able to play on Wednesday at Oklahoma City. AFP

THURSDAY: NOVEMBER 19, 2015

RAY S. EÑANO EDITOR

RODERICK T. DELA CRUZ ASSISTANT EDITOR

Globe’s awards. Globe

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

BUSINESS

Telecom Inc. receives two awards during the Asean Corporate Governance Awards, the region’s most prestigious event. Globe is recognized as Top 3 in corporate governance among listed companies in the Philippines and Top 50 among listed companies in Asean. Shown receiving the awards are Globe president and chief executive Ernest Cu (right) and Globe legal services head and compliance ofﬁcer Marisalve CiocsonCo (center) from Monetary Authority of Singapore executive director for market conduct department Paul Yuen.

PH is 3 poorest in Apec rd

By Othel V. Campos

THE Philippines is the third poorest economy among the 21 members of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation group, a World Bank study showed Wednesday. Data from the World Bank showed the Philippines was just ahead of Vietnam and Papua New Guinea with a gross domestic domestic product per capita of $1,581.4 in 2013. Vietnam ranked the poorest in the group with a GDP per capita of $1,028.6, followed by Papua New Guinea with $1,121.3. Senate Ways and means chairman Senator Sonny Angara said the Philippines should aim to go higher, attract more investments and put in more business friendly tax laws. “We have been alongside Indonesia, a decade ago. We should try to reach Thailand’s [GDP per capita],” he said. The Philippines’s per capita in

2005 was at $1,200.9, or near Indonesia’s $1,273.5. The Philippines’ per capita 10 years after lagged behind with only a 31.6 percent growth compared with Indonesia growth of 42.15 percent. Among Apec members, the US being the world’s biggest economy has the highest GDP per capita of $45,710 in 2013. Next to the US was Japan with $37,573.4 GDP per capita; Canada with $37,528.6; Australia, $37,491.5; and Singapore, $36,897.9. China, despite being the second biggest economy in the world, is the sixth poorest country in Apec with a GDP per capita of $3,583.4. Apec said claimed the com-

bined real GDP of the group doubled from just $16 trillion in 1989 to $31 trillion in 2013. Its 21 member economies are home to around 2.8 billion people and represent approximately 57 per cent of the world’s GDP and 47 percent of global trade in 2012. A study by professional services company PricewaterhouseCoopers earlier ranked Manila near the bottom of most livable and business-friendly cities in the Asia-Pacific region. 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 co-chairman Guillermo Luz. Cebu ranked 26th among the 28 cities included in the study, ahead of Surabaya (Indonesia) and Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea).

Meralco investing P154b over the next ﬁve years By Alena Mae S. Flores MANILA Electric Co., the biggest electricity retailer, plans to invest around P154 billon in the next five years, or until 2020, to expand its distribution and generation business and address the fast-changing needs of customers. Meralco first vice president and group treasurer Rafael Andrada said in an annual briefing for parent Metro Pacific Investments Corp. the investments in the distribution sector alone was estimated to reach P91 billion from

2016 to 2020. “Over the last six years, we’ve spent about P63 billion in our distribution and in order to meet the ever increasing demand for higher quality and more reliable quality service, Meralco will invest nearly P91 billion in the next five years, again primarily for distribution,” Andrada told reporters. He said the company was also investing around P68 billion in the generation business during the period. Meralco, through unit Meralco PowerGen Corp., is developing several power projects, includ-

ing the 1,200-megawatt coal-fired plant in Atimonan, Quezon province through Atimonan One Energy Inc. Meralco Power Gen is also a shareholder of San Buenaventura Power Ltd., which is building a 455-MW coal-fired power plant in Mauban, Quezon. Another Meralco PowerGenled project is the 600-MW coal fired plant of Redondo Peninsula Energy in Subic. Meralco PowerGen owns a stake in the 800-MW liquefied natural gas plant in Singapore, as well as the 82-MW coal station

in Cebu and another 150 MW in Panay owned by Global Business Power Corp. The entire portfolio of power generation projects has a total project cost of P440 billion. Meralco, meanwhile, has invested P63 billion in distribution and P20 billion in generation from 2010 to 2015. Andrada said the company was making “heavy capital expenditures in power distribution infrastructure and technologies and investments in highly efficient and reliable power generation.”

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

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

il P PriceS 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

Pound

1.523300

71.6438

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.129017

6.0679

Switzerland

Franc

0.992753

46.6912

Canada

Dollar

0.750920

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

35.3173

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000073

0.0034

Thailand

Baht

0.027832

1.3090

UAE

Dirham

0.272301

12.8069

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

Taiwan

Dollar

0.030447

30.6797 1.4320 Source: PDS Bridge

THURSDAY: NOVEMBER 19, 2015

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

Ernesto Tanmantiong, chief executive of Jollibee Foods Corp., speaks during a Bloomberg Television interview at the AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation CEO Summit in Manila. Jollibee, the fastfood company that outsells McDonald’s Corp. in the Philippines, is accelerating domestic and overseas expansion as it continues to seek foreign brands that will boost its portfolio, said Tanmantiong. Bloomberg

Jollibee Foods hungry for more acquisitions By Cecilia Yap and Clarissa Batino

JOLLIBEE Foods Corp., which took a stake in the American Smashburger chain last month, wants to buy more fast-food brands in the US, China and the Philippines to fire up its global expansion. The Philippines’ largest operator of restaurants will open about 300 stores globally next year, president Ernesto Tanmantiong said in an interview in Manila. That will boost growth in outlet openings to 10 percent in 2016 from 8 percent this year, he said Tuesday. “We’re still exploring in the three strategic markets: US, China and the Philippines,” he said. “We just beefed up our store development group and we are now ready for faster expansion.” Shares of the Philippine fast-food company rose as much as 3 percent

in Manila before closing 0.8 percent higher. The nation’s benchmark stock index rose 0.8 percent. Jollibee, whose mascot is a smiling crimson bee in a chef ’s hat, bought 40 percent of Smashburger Master units last month. The company wants to appeal to the almost 10 million Filipino nurses, nannies or engineers who work overseas before breaking into the mainstream, Tanmantiong said in a Bloomberg Television interview. Such “diaspora marketing” has brought the cheerful bee to more than 10 countries including China and

the US. Sovereign wealth funds and private equity firms have offered to partner with Jollibee and the company may consider acquisitions of at least $1 billion, chairman Tony Tan Caktiong said in a separate interview on the sidelines of the Apec Summit in Manila. It prefers tie-ups so long as Jollibee maintains control of acquired targets, he said. Going global helps diversify its sales base. Jollibee plans to get half its revenue from outside its home turf eventually, Tan Caktiong said. Apart from expanding geographically, it may also go into casual dining, he added. “Its strategy of expanding in areas with a high concentration of overseas Filipinos has worked in other markets, and together with acquisition could help it reach its target,” said Grace Aller, an analyst at Anping & Associates who has an overweight rat-

ing on Jollibee’s shares. The company opens at least 40 stores annually in China, a pace that will quicken once it starts to franchise, Tanmantiong said. It has budgeted P10.4 billion ($220.5 million) for capital spending in 2016, more than 70 percent of which will go toward new stores or the renovation of existing ones. Jollibee, which started as an ice-cream parlor in 1975, has six brands in the Philippines, including the nation’s biggest hamburger, pizza, chicken-barbecue and Chinese food chains. Profit in the third quarter rose 7.3 percent to P1.26 billion, faster than the 1.6 percent year-on-year increase in the previous three months, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The company on Nov. 9 said it plans to open stores in Malaysia, Oman, Canada, Italy and the U.K.

Isuzu’s car sales jump 67% By Othel V. Campos ISUZU Philippines Corp. said sales in the first 10 months jumped 67 percent to 18,335 vehicles from 11,007 units sold in the same period in 2014. Isuzu Philippines president Hajime Koso expressed optimism the company would sustain the brisk sales toward the end of the year. The company said total sales breached the 200,000 mark since its operations began in the country in 1996, with 200,665 units sold as of October 2015. “After reaching the 200,000-sales milestone last month, we believe that Isuzu has been a reliable partner to Filipinos. With that kind of confidence, combine it with the bullish economy and the buying power garnered as the country nears the yuletide season, IPC is adamant that it will enjoy a steady increase in sales,” Koso said. Company data showed that its flagship model, the Isuzu mu-X, helped sustain the robust sales. Some 8,794 units of mu-X were sold in the first 10 months, a 767-percent upsurge from 1,014 units sold a year ago. Another key contributor to the strong sales record was the reliable light, medium to heavy-duty trucks and buses, it said. Sales of the N-series light duty trucks grew 32 percent in the 10-month period to 3,234 units from 2,447 units sold in the previous year. Isuzu sold 385 trucks and buses in the first 10 months, up from 167 units delivered in the same period in 2014. Sales of Isuzu D-Max, however, dropped 21 percent to 2,507 units from 3,186 units rolled out in 2014. Sales of Isuzu Crosswind also declined 19 percent to 3,415 units from 4,193 units delivered a year earlier.

PH may achieve 8% growth after 2016—London think tank By Gabrielle H. Binaday THE Philippine economy is expected to achieve a faster annual growth of around 8 percent in the coming years, if the next administration adopts the right policies, London-based Capital Economics said in a report. Capital Economics, an economic research consultancy company, said in its “Emerging Asia Economic Weekly” the Philippines was in a well-placed position for economic growth of around 8 percent or more, even after the change of administration in 2016. “There is clearly a lot of uncertainty over who will replace Aquino and what kind of president they will turn out to be.What we can say with more certainty is that Aquino

will leave the country in better shape than it has been in for a long time,” economists Gareth Leather and Daniel Martin said in the report. “With the right policies in place, we see no reason why the Philippines should not be able to follow in the footsteps of other countries in the region, which at a similar stage of development were able to grow by around 8 percent-plus for a couple of decades,” the authors said. The average 5.8 percent economic growth since 2010, according to Capital Economics, is traced to the good governance of the present administration. “The improvement can, in large part, be credited to Aquino, whose tough antigraft stance has impressed investors,” the report said.

Capital Economics said there were still risks on the upcoming elections, because people tended to choose personality of the candidate over policies. “The Philippines has a poor track record when it comes to electing competent leaders who have their country’s best interests at heart,” Capital Economics said. The economy grew 5.3 percent in the first half, below the government’s target of 7 percent to 8 percent. The report said the country had healthy fundamentals such as low government debt and small budget deficit. The Philippines is at very low risk spot, according to the Capital Economics Risk Indicator which the company uses to assess the likelihood of a financial crisis.

Capital Economics also said remittances from Filipinos working overseas were expected to continue to grow at a steady pace, which would support consumption growth. “Healthy fiscal position means there is scope for the government to boost growth by increasing spending,” the report said. The report said the rapidly growing working age population would provide a major boost in the economy. This will aid the Philippines to enter into what is known as a demographic sweet spot, it said. Capital Economics said with the low labor cost in the country, the Philippines could be a major beneficiary, as low-end manufacturing leaves China in search of cheaper locations.

THURSDAY: NOVEMBER 19, 2015

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

US, China back green energy By Othel V. Campos

THE world’s two largest economies on Wednesday committed to promote renewable energy as a way of dealing with climate change. US President Barrack Obama and China President Xi Jinping, in separate messages at the Apec CEO Summit at Shangri-La Hotel in Makati City, stressed the need for countries to achieve goals on climate change. They also cited the need for cooperation among countries to sustain what is left of the planet by promoting the use of renewal energy and alternative sources of energy. “The urgent and growing threat of climate change is a chal-

lenge but I will argue, it is also an opportunity. No nation is immune to the consequences of the climate. With many low-lying islands, the coastal regions vulnerable to flooding and land loss, a few regions have more stake in meeting these challenges than the Asia Pacific,” Obama said in his keynote speech. Obama said typhoon Haiyan which hit the Philippines in 2013 was a reminder of the vulnerability of Pacific countries to extreme weather.

“Here in the Philippines you’re barely removed by about two years from super typhoon Haiyan , a storm that claimed thousands of lives and caused billions of dollars in damage,” he said. Obama cited Philippine efforts to boost wind and solar power in the country as well as Apec’s efforts to double renewable capacity in the region over the next two decades. Obama also cited China’s pledge “to peak and reduce its carbon emissions.” “The international community helps developing nations change and leapfrog from the dirtier phases of development. Right here in the Philippines, there are major investments in solar proj-

ects,” he said. Obama said there was no contradiction between growth, development and being good stewards of the environment. “They are complementary. We have to break out of that mindset,” he said. Meanwhile, China committed to strengthen its capacity to adapt to climate change. “In this regard, we also call on Asia Pacific countries to step up cooperation,” Xi said. China said efforts to conserve the environment prompted a joint solidarity statement with the US and another separate joint statement on climate change with France. “But we’ll stick to our basic strategy of resource conservation

and environmental protection,” Xi said. The two largest economies said they were still grappling with the challenge of a slowing global demand that would impact on the global economy. China said it was working vigorously to overcome difficulties and meet challenges by strengthening macro regulations and adopting a more open economy while the US confirmed that its economy was also impacted by weakening demand around the world. The two economies have yet to meet eye to eye on political issues, even as both have similar goals in clipping the effects of climate change on a global level.

DOTC set to bid out P1b worth of projects By Darwin G Amojelar THE Transportation Department said Wednesday it will bid out P1.08 billion worth of airport and port rehabilitation projects, ahead of the pre-election ban. The agency issued a letter of invitation, asking prospective bidders to join the auction for the P402.945-million Kalibo International Airport Development Project, involving the expansion/ rehabilitation of the existing passenger terminal building. It will also auction off the P374.56-million General Santos International Airport Project, which involves the expansion/ rehabilitation of the existing terminal with an area of about 6,000 square meters and vehicular parking area with covered walkway. Other airport projects for bidding are the P191.32-million Tacloban Airport Re-Development Project; P18.19-million Romblon Airport Development Project; P16.72-million Lubang Airport Development Project; and P14.221-million Busuanga Airport Development Project. The agency said it would also bid out the P16.50-million Quezon Port Development Project, which would involve the construction of a new wharf with an area of 261 square meters and improvement of back-up area. The P43.79-million Galas Port Development Project, which involves the extension of wharf with an area of 776 square meters, is also in the list. It set the deadline for bid submission for the projects on Dec. 11. The agency said prospective bidders for the projects should have an experience of having completed at least one similar contract. The agency said it has the right to reject any or all bids and accept the offer most advantageous to the government .

Xi Jinping, China’s president, waves as he leaves the stage at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO Summit. Xi acknowledged downside risks to growth while assuring fellow leaders that Asia’s biggest economy is resilient and will remain on the path of reform. Bloomberg

Govt, EDC negotiate bid for Leyte power plants By Alena Mae S. Flores STATE-run Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. said its board approved a negotiated bidding with a unit of Energy Development Corp. for the bulk energy contracts of the Unified Leyte Geothermal Power Plants. PSALM president Lourdes Alzona said the board decided that the “privatization of UL bulk is through negotiated sale before end of this year.”

Alzona said the Unified Leyte bulk energy privatization was the remaining big ticket power item up for privatization this year. PSALM declared as failed bidding the selection and appointment of the independent power producer administrator of the bulk energy contract in September, after only Unified Leyte Geothermal Energy Inc., a subsidiary of EDC, submitted a bid. “We manifested our willing-

ness to negotiate,” EDC executive vice president Ernesto Pantangco said earlier. Unified Leyte Geothermal of the Lopez Group emerged as the highest bidder with its P215million bid million in November 2013. The company, however, decided to withdraw from the privatization, citing damage of the plants suffered from typhoon Yolanda in 2013, forcing PSALM to rebid the bulk energy contract this year.

PSALM earlier awarded 200 MW total capacity from strips of energy from the Unified Leyte geothermal plants to the winning bidders. The Unified Leyte Geothermal Power Plants include the 125-MW Upper Mahiao, 232.5MW Malitbog, 180-MW Mahanagdong power plants and the 51-MW optimization plants. The power project is covered by power purchase agreements between National Power Corp. and EDC.

Semirara sees strong coal sales By Alena Mae S. Flores

SEMIRARA Mining and Power Corp. said Wednesday it expects coal sales to increase 41 percent this year, amid strong demand from new power plants and cement companies. Semirara Mining said domestic coal deliveries to the power, cement and other industrial sectors would reach 5.2 million metric tons by yearend, up 41 percent from 2014. Semirara made the projection despite the setback suffered by the company on July 17, due to a landslide at its open pit mine that claimed the lives of nine miners. The Energy Department ordered the closure of the north Panian mine in Caluya, Antique immediately after the incident. The open-pit mine was reopened two months later in September after the company complied with the safety conditions set by the agency. Semirara Mining said it was optimistic domestic coal sales in

2016 would increase by 35 percent to 54 percent to around 7 million MT to 8 million MT. “We want to focus on local consumers to contribute to the development of our country. Buying local eliminates foreign exchange risks and helps stabilize production costs in the power and cement industries,” said Semirara Mining president and chief operating officer Victor Consunji. Majority of the coal used by local power and cement producers come from Indonesia, China and Australia. The Energy Department reported 3,417 megawatts of committed capacity from private sector-funded thermal power plants as of end-October, which are ex-

pected to come online within the next two to three years. The department expects coal demand to reach 10,420.96 MW this year and 14,487.11 MW by 2020. Meanwhile, the continued pick-up in construction activities is pushing cement companies to boost their production capacity. The Cement Manufacturers Association of the Philippines said cement sales rose 18.6 percent in the third quarter. Eagle Cement plans to build new manufacturing facilities in Cebu and Davao while Holcim Philippines intends to expand its production capacity in Bulacan. Lafarge Republic expanded the capacity of its cement plant in Teresa, Rizal by half early this year. Semirara Mining, owned by the Consunji Group, is the largest coal producer in the Philippines and the only power generating company in the country that produces its own fuel. It currently provides 24 percent of the domestic coal supply.

CEO awardee. Raymond Arnedo Abrea (fifth from left), president and chief executive of Abrea

Consulting Group Inc., receives the Young Leader of the Year at the Asia CEO Awards 2015 at the Marriott Grand Ballroom, Pasay City. The Young Leader of the Year award category is sponsored by Capital One Philippine Support Services Corp. Also shown are COPSSC assistant general manager Ritin Dhawan (fourth from left) and head of operations Tom McCormick (sixth from right) as they recognize the finalists.

BSP shuts down Pangasinan rural bank By Julito G. Rada THE Monetary Board, the policy-making body of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, said Wednesday it placed the Pangasinan-based Rural Bank of Calasiao Inc. under the custody of Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. on Nov. 13 due to unsound financial condition. PDIC on Nov. 16 took over Rural Bank of Calasiao, the 12th rural bank closed by monetary authorities this year. Rural Bank of Calasiao is a single-unit rural bank located at RBCAL Bldg., Poblacion East, Calasiao, Pangasinan. Records from PDIC showed that as of June 30, Rural Bank of Calasiao was owned by Maximo Joaquin Abesamis with 30.89

percent. Other shareholders were members of the Abesamis family, Magnolito Joves Acosta, Remedios Cruz Zulueta, Angelita Jovellanos Torres, Florencio Latonio Gabrillo and Arturo Prado Doria. The bank was headed by Frederick Abesamis as chairman and president. Rural Bank of Calasiao had 3,019 accounts with total deposit liabilities of P102 million as of end-June. Total insured deposits amounted to P85.5 million, or 83.9 percent of total deposits. PDIC said during the takeover, all bank records would be gathered, verified and validated. The state deposit insurer assured depositors that all valid deposits would be paid up to the maximum deposit insurance coverage

of P500,000. Bangko Sentral earlier closed down 11 rural banks because of unhealthy financial condition. These were the Benguet-based Rural Bank of Buguias Inc., the Bukidnon-based Xavier-Punla Rural Bank Inc., the Batangasbased Farmers’ Rural Bank Inc., Rural Bank of Taysan (Batangas) Inc., the Surigao-based Siargao Bank (A Rural Bank), Rural Bank of Sta. Magdalena (Sorsogon), Community Rural Bank of Magsaysay (Davao del Sur) Inc.; the Surigao City-based Surigaonon Rural Banking Corp.; Rural Bank of Labrador (Pangasinan); Rural Bank of Magsingal (Ilocos Sur); and the Alfonso, Cavite-based Community Bank (Rural Bank of Alfonso Inc.).

The case for PH’s Apec 2015 hosting THE opponents of the Philippines’ hosting of the 2015 Apec (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation) Leaders’ Meeting have by now exhausted their arsenal of arguments against the Philippine government’s action. The arguments, not arranged in order of their importance, have been that Apec is overrated and the Leaders’ Meeting is a waste of resources, effort and time, that the resources expended by the Philippine government could have been better spent–more precisely, spent to alleviate poverty–that the Philippines does not stand to derive substantial economic benefit from the hosting and that the summit is causing unjustifiable disturbance and dislocation. Allow me to examine these arguments in turn. Anyone who claims that APEC is overrated and inconsequential and that the resources, effort and time expended by the Philippine government on the 2015 APEC Summit are wasted resources has never seen a map of the Pacific Ocean. That is obvious, for a look at that map will indicate to the looker that five of the world’s ten largest economies–those of the US, China, Japan, Russia and Canada–are to be found along the rim of the Pacific Ocean. Apec’s twenty-two member-economies together account for between forty and fifty percent of the world’s GDP (gross domestic product), external trade and population. No other regional group, whether or the trade or military kind spans four continents, if Australia and New Zealand are accepted as being a continent unto themselves. By what ratiocination, given these geopolitical facts, Apec can be regarded as being overrated and inconsequential? The 2015 Apec Leaders’ Meeting is only the second time in Apec’s history that the Philippines has played host. That is because the right to host the Summit – it is actually both a right and a privilege – is rotated among Apec’s members. It is not true, as some critics have insinuated, that the Philippines requested that the 2015 Summit be held in this country. Nor is it true that the expenditure of financial resources on the hosting of this year’s Leaders’ Meeting is tantamount to taking bread away from the mouths of this country’s babies. The General Appropriations Act has in recent years progressively scaled up government spending on social needs like education and healthcare and has sharply increased the appropriation for the 4Ps (Conditional Cash Transfer program). Indeed, the government has in the process been accused of doling out more and more resources to the nation’s poor and marginalized citizens. Criticism of the government spending on the 2015 Apec Summit would have some measure of validity if the spending mainly benefited foreigners and foreign goods. This claim is without validity. Virtually the entire budget for the 2015 Summit went toward local purchases and domestic supply arrangements. And whatever structures were erected are here to stay and will be utilizable for years to come. If the expenditures generated sales, employment and income for Philippine nationals, how can it be validly claimed that government spending on the Summit yielded no benefit to the Philippine economy? The opponents of this country’s hosting of this year’s Apec Leaders’ Meeting make it appear, likewise, that whatever total amount the government has spent on the event is a one-year thing. That is a patently flawed way to regard the spending. The benefits from the expended billions of pesos will be felt by the economy for many years to come; accordingly, the amount should not be booked as a four-day expense. The opponents to the Philippines’ hosting of this year’s Apec Leaders’ Meeting clearly have not taken full account of the fact that, despite the Philippine government’s efforts on investment and tourism promotion, the Philippines remains at the bottom of the Asian FDI (foreign direct investment) league and the total of foreign visitors to this country is considerably lower than the figures for the other leading East Asian destinations. The usual way of doing things has made little difference to the Philippines’ FDI and tourism performance. Clearly, what are needed are occasional big events that throw the world spotlight on the Philippines and place this country in the center of the world’s radar screen even if only for a few days. Prior to 1976 many of the world’s political leaders, businessmen and journalists had not seen for themselves what a great place the Philippines was to visit and to do business in. The IMF-World Bank joint annual meetings in that year changed all that. The Philippines needs a big international splash every now and again to draw foreign government, business and media people to this country. The benefits from this country’s investment on the 2015 Apec Meetings are not going to materialize overnight but experience and business logic assure that they will materialize in due time. This sums up the case for the Philippines’ hosting of the 2015 Apec Leaders Meeting.

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

BUSINESS Trade not a weapon —Alibaba executive ALIBABA Group Holding Ltd. co-founder Jack Ma urged business leaders Wednesday to help poorer nations and smaller businesses benefit from global trade, and he called for “a third world war” to eradicate poverty, climate change and disease. Speaking at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Manila, the chairman of China’s biggest e-commerce company touted his vision for a new trade agreement, dubbed “e-WTO” or “WTO 2.0,” formulated without considering political interests. One way to help “the small guy” would be to exclude duties on goods sold by companies with less than 1 million euros ($1.06 million) of annual revenue, Ma said during a presentation. “Trade is a freedom, trade is a human right,” Ma said. “Trade should not be used as a tool against other nations.” China’s second-richest man also discussed climate change with President Barack Obama and aPhilippine engineer who developed a lamp fueled by salt water. Ma is a proponent of environmental awareness in China, an increasingly important topic for an expanding middle class worried about standards of living. Ma said he will take up an offer from Microsoft Corp. cofounder Bill Gates to invest in clean energy technology. Ma has pledged to devote 0.3 percent of his company’s revenue, which came to about $12 billion in the last fiscal year, toward combating climate change. Alibaba also will promote startups focused on preventing climate change, he told Obama. “Where is the opportunity? The opportunity always lies where people worry,” he said. Ma reiterated his vision for helping small businesses by enabling e-commerce, which in turn furthers his company’s ambitions to expand outside China. “The businesses agree, the governments follow,” he said. “If the governments agree on a business treaty because of political reasons, because the governments hate each other, all the businesses go nowhere.” Bloomberg

Dollar holds gains; Asian stocks tepid

HONG KONG—Signs of a pick-up in US inflation reinforced expectations the Federal Reserve will hike interest rates next month, supporting the dollar in Asia Wednesday but regional stock markets were subdued after rallying the previous day. Traders are also awaiting the release later in the day of minutes from the US central bank’s October policy meeting, hoping for some clues about board members’ thinking and possible pointers to their plans for next month’s gathering. The Fed holds its last policy meeting of the year in mid-December and a recent spate of upbeat data on the world’s number one economy have fanned speculation it will tighten monetary policy for the first time in almost a decade. Talk of a hike comes despite a slowdown in the global economies, particularly in China,

while the central bank of Japan and Europe consider further stimulus measures. The Bank of Japan concludes a two-day policy meeting Thursday. “The Fed minutes will definitely be focused on tonight,” Ric Spooner, chief market analyst at CMC Markets Asia Pacific in Sydney told Bloomberg News. “There’s now an assumption that they are going to make a move in December. The bigger question now is whether they will be able to be as gently paced in their tightening as they plan to be as they monitor wage pressures.” The dollar sat near sevenmonth highs against the euro

and stood firm against the yen. Ongoing weakness in the eurozone and Japanese economies continues to put pressure on their central banks to increase stimulus, putting pressure on their respective currencies. The euro traded virtually unchanged at $1.0645 from $1.0644 Tuesday in New York, while the greenback dropped to 123.28 yen from 123.39 yen in US trade. Nervousness returned to markets on news that two Parisbound Air France flights from the United States were diverted because of anonymous bomb threats. Emerging currencies also retreated as dealers shift into the dollar looking to invest in the United States in search of better and safer returns. South Korea’s won dipped 0.2 percent, the Australian dollar eased 0.2 percent, Indonesia’s rupiah shed 0.3 percent and the Malaysian ringgit was 0.1 percent lower.

On equities markets Shanghai lost one percent as investors fret over the state of the economy and the imminent restart of initial public offerings that they fear will divert cash from established stocks. Hong Kong swung between negative and positive territory and Sydney ended slightly up. In Tokyo, the Nikkei ended a little higher, paring early gains as the yen recovered some strength against the dollar in the afternoon. Markets broadly rallied in Asia on Tuesday a day after suffering hefty selling in reaction to the Paris attacks. The bloodbath in the French capital Friday raised concerns about security in Europe and the possible effects on the region’s economy. The anaemic performance Wednesday came despite another positive lead from Europe, where Paris rallied 2.8 percent and Frankfurt was up 2.4 percent. London jumped 2.0 percent. AFP

Billionaire Jack Ma, chairman of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., speaks at the AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation CEO Summit in Manila on Nov. 18, 2015. Businesses and people should be free to trade because it’s a human right and represents freedom, Ma told the Apec summit. Bloomberg

Volkswagen scandal puts brakes on European car market PARIS—European car market growth slowed in October, the European Automobile Manufacturers Association said Tuesday, as the Volkswagen emissions scandal took its toll on auto sales. Passenger car registrations were up by just 2.9 percent from October 2014 in the EU, a sharp slowdown from the 9.8-percent rise reported in September. “October marks a break in the trend,” said Flavien Neuvy, head of Cetelem’s automobile research division. “The Volkswagen affair may have caused collateral damage. We can’t rule out that the size of

the scandal has been such that drivers have cancelled or postponed purchases,” he told AFP. Deliveries of Volkswagen group cars were down by 0.5 percent in October, but the German manufacturer remains European leader with a market share of 25.1 percent. The carmaker said last week sales of VW brand cars worldwide fell by 5.3 percent in October, as it halted deliveries of some diesel models it has admitted violate pollution standards. “Demand for new passenger cars saw momentum slowing down in all major markets,” the

ACEA noted. The UK market, Europe’s second-biggest, actually shrank, by 1.1 percent, in October. Other markets kept growing, but less so than in recent months. The German market rose by 1.1 percent, France by 1.0 percent, Italy by 8.6 percent and Spain by 5.2 percent. Despite the October downshift, the figures still confirmed an upward car market trend that has been unbroken for 26 months, the ACEA said. A total of 1.1 million new cars were registered across Europe in October.

Despite the sudden slowdown, October figures have put no more than a dent into the car market’s performance for all of 2015. For the first 10 months of the year, registrations were up by 8.2 percent, translating into 11.5 million new cars on European roads. Over that period European champions were Spain, up 20.5 percent and Italy, 14.7 percent higher, with both countries “benefiting from economic recovery and relatively low base comparisons”. The UK market was up 6.4 percent in the 10 months to October, France 5.7 percent higher and Germany up 5.1 percent.

Jean-Francois Belorgey, auto expert at consultants EY, said the release of November figures should give “a much clearer idea” on the lasting impact of Volkswagen’s emissions scandal because VW was still delivering cars ordered before the scandal broke. “They had a very big book of orders which they are now delivering,” he said. Volkswagen is struggling to cope with the biggest crisis of its history following its admission in September that it had fitted 11 million vehicles with devices designed to cheat pollution tests. AFP

THURSDAY: NOVEMBER 19, 2015

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

CEO forum. Tony Fernandes, group chief executive officer of AirAsia Bhd., speaks at the AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation CEO Summit in Manila on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015. Fernandes assumed 40 million ringgit of debt when he bought AirAsia for 1 ringgit in December 2001, according to the airline’s Web site. The airline had two old aircraft when Fernandes took charge. Now, the budget carrier has more than 100 planes with operations spanning India, the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand. Bloomberg

Britain to replace coal-fired stations LONDON—Britain is to signal the winding down of polluting coal-fired power plants, indicating they should be replaced with gas and nuclear stations, according to pre-released parts of a Wednesday speech. “It cannot be satisfactory for an advanced economy like the UK to be relying on polluting, carbonintensive 50-year-old coal-fired power stations,” Energy and Climate Change Secretary Amber Rudd is to say. “Let me be clear: this is not the future.” It comes as Britain struggles to meet its energy needs as its power capacity has dwindled due to plant closures, while it is under pressure to adopt cleaner energy sources to curb climate change. Rudd is to say that more investment will be made in nuclear energy, and that coal plants could be replaced with new gas-burning power stations. “One of the greatest and most cost-effective contributions we can make to emission reductions in electricity is by replacing coalfired power stations with gas,” Rudd will say. “Gas is central to our energysecure future. In the next 10 years, it’s imperative that we get new gas-fired power stations built.” While gas is less polluting than coal, environmentalists warn that burning gas still releases significant amounts of carbon dioxide and recommend investment in renewable energy sources such as wind or solar power instead. “Phasing out coal—if that’s what’s being suggested—is essential for the climate,” said Simon Bullock, senior energy campaigner for environmental group Friends of the Earth. “But switching from coal to gas is like an alcoholic switching from two bottles of whisky a day to two bottles of port.” AFP

Lotte loses license on duty free shops SEOUL—Troubled South Korean retail giant Lotte, already struggling with a prolonged founder-family feud, has seen its business woes deepen with the loss of the state license for one of its biggest duty-free shops ahead of a key IPO. The country’s fifth-largest business group suffered its latest body-blow at the weekend when South Korea’s customs agency awarded its concession to a rival bidder—the heavy industries giant Doosan Co. The license covered a 10,990-square-meter store in South Korea’s tallest skyscraper – the Lotte World Tower and Mall complex in downtown Seoul. Lotte, which had held the license for five years, had already invested 300 billion won ($255 million) in the store and the customs agency decision shattered its ambitions to grow it into the

world’s largest duty-free outlet over the next decade. The setback was particularly badly timed given the preparations for an initial public offering of shares in Lotte’s hotel unit, which runs the group’s duty-free business. The duty-free chain is the largest franchise of its kind in South Korea and the third-largest in the world, racking up sales of 4.2 trillion won last year. Hotel Lotte vowed Saturday to push ahead with the listing, but analysts said the loss of the license for the Lotte World store would be felt.

“Investors are concerned it will hurt Hotel Lotte’s overall profits,” said Park Jong-Dae, analyst at Hana Financial Securities. “As a result, the company’s valuation may fall when it goes public,” he said, noting that dutyfree shops accounted for more than 80 percent of Hotel Lotte’s overall sales. Founded in Tokyo in 1948 by Shin Kyuk-Ho, Lotte has a vast network of businesses including department stores, hotels and amusement parks in South Korea and Japan, with combined assets valued at more than $90 billion. A very public feud Many of South Korea’s familyrun conglomerates, or “chaebol,” are known for their byzantine structure of shareholdings, but Lotte Group’s cross-holdings dwarf the others in their number and complexity. The confusion surrounding who controls what, and how, has become the backdrop to a monu-

mental family feud pitting Shin and his first son Shin Dong-Joo in one corner against his second son—the current group chairman Shin Dong-Bin—in the other. The feud began in July after father and first son sought to dismiss a group of senior Lotte executive board members, including Shin Dong-Bin, questioning their management ability. But Shin Dong-Bin fought back, getting the board to not only nullify the dismissals but also remove his father as co-CEO. There followed a bout of highly public mudslinging between the two Shin siblings, with accusations of mismanagement and manipulating their frail, 92-year-old father whose mental faculties had been called into question. A temporary halt to hostilities came after Shin Dong-Bin won the overwhelming support of board members, labor union members and shareholders in August. AFP

Greece secures package to unlock €12-b bailout funds By Odile Duperry ATHENS—Greece announced Tuesday it has struck a deal with its international creditors to unblock some 12 billion euros in much-needed bailout loans. “We have reached agreement on everything, including the 48 additional measures” that should allow the 12 billion euros ($12.8 billion) to be paid out on Friday, Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos told reporters after marathon talks. “This is good news,” Eurogroup chief Jeroen Dijsselbloem said in a statement released in Brussels, adding that the funds

would be paid once the Greek parliament adopts fresh reforms on Thursday. “Upon the completion of the agreed conditionality and the implemented legislation, the Eurogroup stand ready to support the disbursement,” he said. Greece in July accepted a threeyear, 86-billion-euro ($93-billion) EU bailout that saved it from crashing out of the eurozone, but the deal came with strict conditions. Athens has since adopted a number of the unpopular reforms but creditors have wanted it to do more. “Our promise to the Greek

people that we would negotiate has been kept,” Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos said. “These negotiations were difficult, and we were under heavy time pressure,” he said. “Over the summer we were pressured by ‘Grexit,’ but this time the stranglehold was the banks’ recapitalization,” he said. Greek banks have been living under the threat of having their assets seized, like their Cyprus counterparts in 2013. Dijsselbloem, the Dutch finance minister, said that “substantive agreement has been reached on all outstanding issues” regarding the current steps that Athens

must take. The agreement covers streamlining home foreclosures, which the government was reluctant to accept in order to ensure a safety net for more vulnerable households. A Greek government source said the compromise reached will protect around 60 percent of indebted households from having their primary residence seized. The Greek government had sought to protect more than 70 percent of families at risk of losing their homes, while creditors had initially been willing to exclude no more than 20 percent from seizure. AFP

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

WORLD

CESAR BARRIOQUINTO EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Obama slams rivals over refugees WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama slammed US “hysteria” about the security risks posed by Syrian refugees Tuesday as Republicans took steps aimed at freezing White House programs to resettle them in the wake of the Paris attacks. In an unusually fierce rebuke, Obama struck out at his political foes, accusing them of demonizing “widows and orphans.” The discovery of a Syrian passport near the body of one assailant in the Paris attacks that killed 129 people last Friday has stirred fears among US lawmakers and governors that jihadists are seeking to blend in with refugee masses in order to strike later. “We are not well served when in response to a terrorist attack we descend into fear and panic,” Obama said. “We don’t make good decisions if it’s based on hysteria or an exaggeration of risks,” he added, speaking from Manila. “They are scared of widows and orphans coming into the United States of America.”

His comments came as House Speaker Paul Ryan called for a “pause” in the Syrian resettlement scheme, joining more than half of state governors urging Obama to suspend the program and fully review the vetting process to ensure that would-be attackers do not slip into the country as refugees. “Our nation has always been welcoming but we cannot let terrorists take advantage of our compassion,” Ryan told reporters. “This is a moment where it’s better to be safe than to be sorry.” Some Democrats shared similar views, including senior Senator Chuck Schumer who acknowledged it might be “necessary” to pause the program amid a review. Republican leaders and House committee chairs appeared to be coalescing around draft legislation that would freeze the program for Syrian as well as Iraqi refugees. It would require the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and the Director of National Intelligence to concur that each refugee is not a security threat, according to an aide to number two House Republican Kevin McCarthy. The FBI director also would need to certify that a background check has been done on each refugee before being admitted to the United States. AFP

Republic of the Philippines C AV I T E S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y (C v S U ) D o n S eve r i n o d e a l a s C a m p u s I n d a n g , c av i t e (0 4 6) 415 010 /415 - 0 011 415 - 0 012 w w w.c v s u .e d u c . p h

INVITATION TO BID Cavite State University, through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), invites all interested bidders to bid for the Construction of Five Storey Interdisciplinary Research, Phase I amounting to PHP 41, 186,062.37, contract duration is 270 calendar days: Proj ec t 1. C onstr uc tion of Researc h,Phase I

Five

Cont rac t Durat ion

A pp roved Bud g et for t he Cont rac t (A BC)

Storey

Interdisc iplinar y

PhP 41,18 6,0 62.37

270 CD

Prospective bidders should have completed, within ten (10) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly in Section II. Instruction to Bidders. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using nondiscretionary pass/fail criterion as specified in the Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”. Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnership, or organizations with at least seventy five percent (75%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizen of the Philippines. Bidding Documents may also be downloaded from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and CvSU Website, provided that bidders shall pay the fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids. The schedule of activities is listed as follows: 1.

Is suanc e of Bidding D oc ument s

N ovember 12, 2015 (8:0 0 A M) to D ec ember 1, 2015 (12N N)

Pre - bid C onferenc e

November 20,2015(3:00 PM) at S. L. Lasap Hall, CvSU, Indang, Cavite

Submission and Opening of Bids

December 1, 2015 (3:00 PM) at S. L. Lasap Hall, CvSU, Indang, Cavite

All particulars relative to Bid Security, Performance Security, Pre-Bidding Conference(s), Evaluation of Bids, Post-Qualification and Award of Contract shall be governed by the pertinent provisions of R.A. 9184 and its Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR). Interested bidders may purchase a complete set of Bidding Documents from the address below upon payment of the following nonrefundable fee: Proj e c t 1.

A m ount of Bi d ding D o cu m ent s PhP 2 2, 5 0 0.0 0

C onstr uc tion of Five Storey Interdisc iplinar y Researc h, Phase I

Pre-bid Conference shall be open only to all interested bidders who have purchased the Bidding Documents. Bids must be delivered to the Office of the BAC Chairman, Administration Building, CvSU, Indang, Cavite on or before the above mentioned date and time. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ authorized representatives who choose to attend the bidding. Late bids shall not be accepted. Cavite State University assumes no responsibility whatsoever to compensate or indemnify bidders for any expenses incurred in the preparation of the bid. Cavite State University reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders. (Sgd.) MA. AGNES P. NUESTRO, Ph.D. BAC Chairman 1F Administration Building Don Severinodelas Alas Campus Cavite State University Indang, Cavite (046) 862-0806 / 862-0853 / 415-0014 loc. 270 or 209 (TS-NOV. 12 & 19 2015)

Republic of the Philippines Office of the President National Irrigation Administration (PAMBANSANG PANGASIWAAN NG PATUBIG) UPPER PAMPANGA RIVER INTEGRATED IRRIGATION SYSTEM DIVISION I Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija Office Address : CLSU Cmpd. Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija TELEPHONE Nos. : (044) 456-0043/456 7346 Website : www.nia.gov.ph

TELEPHONE No. : (044) 456-0043 TIN No. : 005-154-569

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST NO. UPRIIS-DI-BSRIP- DE-201S-01 1.

The National Irrigation Administration-Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation Systems (NIA-UPRIIS) Division I, through the GAA CY 2015 intends to apply the sum of Six Million Nine Hundred Seventy Five Thousand and 00/100 Pesos (Php 6,975,000.00) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for Detailed Engineering (DE) Design of Balbalungao SRIP; UPRIIS-DI-BSRIP-DE-2015-01. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at the opening of the financial proposals. Table I

Package No.

Name of Project

Location

Approved Budget

BSRlP-DE2015-01

Detailed Engineering (DE) Design of Balbalungao Small Reservoir Irrigation Project

San Isidro, Lupao, Nueva Ecija (Congressional District II)

6,975,000.00

of Bid Contract Amount Duration Documents (Php) 180 CD

10,000.00

The National Irrigation Administration-Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation Systems (NIA-UPRIIS) Division I now calls for the submission of eligibility documents for the Detailed Engineering (DE) Design of Balbalungao SRlP; BSRlP-DE-2015-01. Interested consultants must submit their eligibility documents on or before November 23, 2015 at 12:00 NN at NIA-UPRlIS, Division 1, CLSU Compound, Science City of Munoz,Nueva Ecija. Applications for eligibility will be evaluated based on a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion.

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using non-discretionary “pass/fail criterion a ‘ specified in the IRR of RA 9184. Bidding is restricted to fililipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippine.

General audience. Pope Francis stands on the popemobile surrounded by bodyguards as he greets

Company fined over whale kills

The contract shall be completed within 180 Calendar Days.

The National Irrigation Administration-Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation Systems (NIA-UPRIIS) Division I reserves the right to reject any and all bids, annul the bidding process, or not award the contract at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by shortlisted eligible Consultants from the address below and upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount indicated on Table 1 above.

Pre-Bid Conference is on November 27, 2015 @ 2:00 P.M. at NIA-UPRIIS, Division I Conference Hall, CLSU Compound, Science City of Munoz, Nueva Ecija, which shall be open to an shortlisted and eligible Consultants.

Bids must be delivered on or before December 09, 2015 @ 12:00 NN at NIA-UPRIIS, Division I Conference Hall, CLSU Compound, Science City of Munoz, Nueva Ecija. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.

the crowd during his weekly general audience in St Peter’s square on November 18, 2015, at the Vatican.

SYDNEY—A Sydney court fined a Japanese firm Aus$1 million (US$709,300) Wednesday for repeatedly killing Antarctic minke whales in an Australian Southern Ocean sanctuary. The Federal Court found that Kyodo Senpaku Kaisha harpooned the animals in contravention of parts of Australia’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act over four seasons between 2008 and 2013. Justice Jayne Jagot ordered Kyodo to pay fines of Aus$250,000 for each of the seasons, after finding it guilty of willful contempt of a 2008 injunction against hunting the animals in the area. “Under Australian law, whales in the Australian Whale Sanctuary in Australian Antarctic waters are fully protected,” said Michael Kennedy, national director of Humane Society International (HSI), which initi-

ated the case. Kennedy said that Jagot had found Kyodo’s conduct in breaching the 2008 injunction to be “deliberate, systematic and sustained” and that she was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that tens, if not hundreds, of whales had been killed during the whaling campaigns. Despite international disapproval, Japan has hunted whales in the Southern Ocean for years under an exemption in the global whaling moratorium that allows for lethal research. It canceled its 2014-2015 Antarctic hunt after the United Nations’ highest court, the International Court of Justice, ruled in 2014 that Japan was abusing a scientific exemption set out in the 1986 moratorium on whaling. Japan said in June that it intends to resume hunts in the Antarctic this year, despite a call by global regulators for more evi-

dence that the expeditions have a scientific purpose. It makes no secret of the fact that meat from the mammals— killed ostensibly for research—is processed into food, and says the whale population in any case is big enough to allow sustainable whaling. HSI urged the Australian government to use the ruling to redouble diplomatic efforts to ensure Japan is aware the international community would condemn any resumption of whaling in the Southern Ocean. “We would also expect the Australian government to assess what further legal options are open to it under international law,” Kennedy said. Sea Shepherd Australia, which for years has hounded the Japanese fleet in the perilous waters off Antarctica trying to obstruct their hunt, described the ruling as “an incredible win for the whales”. AFP

The Procuring Entity shall evaluate bids using the Quality-Cost Based Evaluation/Selection (QCBE/QCBS) procedure. The criteria and rating system for the evaluation of bids shall be provided in the Instructions to Bidders.

10. The complete schedule of activities is listed, as follows: Table 2

1. Letter ofIntent (LOI) including Application of Eligibility 2. Pre-Bid Conference 3. Issuance of Bid Documents 4. Deadline of Submission of Bids 5. Opening of Bids

November 17 - 23, 2015 @ 8:00 AM - 5:00 P.M. November 27,2015 @ 2:00 P.M. Nov. 17 - Dec. 09, 2015 until 12:00 NN. Dec. 09, 2015 @ 12:00 NN. Dec. 09, 2015 @ 2:00P.M.

11. For further information, please refer to: WILFREDO C. RAMOS Chairman, Bids and Awards Committee Chief, Operations Unit NlA-UPRllS, Division I CLSU Compound, Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija Fax No. (044) 456-0043 Tel. No. (044) 456-7346 Email Address:niaupriis_division1@yahoo.com Approved by: (SGD) WILFREDO C. RAMOS Chairman, Bids and Awards Committee

(TS-NOV. 19, 2015)

Noted by: (SGD) FREDDIE M. TOQUERO, Ph.D. Manager, Division I (SGD) REYNALDO D. PUNO Department Manager, NIA UPRIIS

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CESAR BARRIOQUINTO EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

WORLD

Suicide bomber killed in assault PARIS—A female suicide bomber blew herself up and one other jihadist died in a police raid in Paris on Wednesday as explosions and automatic gunfire rang out in an operation targeting the suspected mastermind of last week’s attacks. The predawn raids in the northern suburb of Saint-Denis turned into an hours-long stand-off between security forces and up to four people holed up in an apartment, near the Stade de France stadium that was attacked by suicide bombers on Friday. The operation targeted the suspected mastermind of Friday’s deadly attacks in the capital, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, an Islamic State fighter who was previously thought to be in Syria after fleeing raids in his native Belgium earlier this year. A source close to the investigation said a woman in the apartment had blown herself up and one other person was killed, while police said five people had been arrested. Hayat, 26, had been leaving a friend’s apartment where she had spent the night when the shots rang out just after 4:00 am. “I heard gunfire,” she said. “I could have been hit by a bullet. I never thought terrorists could have hid here.” Dozens of soldiers had flooded into the area and heavily armed police were seen deploying along a street full of shops in the center of the district, while ambulances and fire engines filled the streets. Some residents were evacuated, some still in their underwear and authorities warned residents to keep away from windows. The raid came as Europe was placed on high alert after footage from the scene of one of Friday’s attacks in Paris, which killed 129 and injured 350, revealed a ninth suspect may have taken part. AFP

Raid. Policemen patrol in the northern Paris suburb of Saint-Denis city center on November 18, 2015, as French Police special forces raid an appartment for those behind the attacks that claimed 129 lives in the French capital five days ago. At least one person was killed in an apartment targeted in the operation aimed at the suspected mastermind of the attacks, Belgian Abdelhamid Abaaoud, and police had been wounded in the shootout. AFP

Belgian eyed in Paris attacks BRUSSELS—Belgian jihadist Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the suspected Paris attacks mastermind targeted in a French police raid on Wednesday, was a schoolyard bully who had recently taunted the West from an Islamic State base in Syria. Abaaoud, a 28-year-old from Brussels of Moroccan origin, has been linked to a series of Islamic extremist plots and recruitment efforts in Europe over the past two years and had bragged of how he had avoided arrest. French police said two suspected jihadists were killed, including a woman who blew herself up, and five people were arrested during a shootout with police in north Paris Wednesday in an operation aimed at Abaaoud. Abbaoud has in the past boasted of a

close call he had when he passed through a European checkpoint as police studied a photo of him. “The kuffar [unbelievers] were blinded by Allah. I was even stopped by an officer who contemplated me so as to compare me to the picture, but he let me go, as he did not see the resemblance!” Abaaoud told the Islamic State magazine Dabiq. “This was nothing but a gift from Allah,” said a bearded Abaaoud who appears in an accompanying photo holding up a Koran in one hand and a black Islamic State flag in the other in front of a US-made Humvee. Other pictures show him cracking a wide smile, wearing a turban-style scarf, woolen hat or military cap, as he poses with guns or alongside a comrade. He also bragged about escaping from Europe after Belgian police shot dead two of his fellow militants as they broke up a cell planning terror attacks on security personnel earlier this year, after which he hailed them

as martyrs. Mocking the “bloated image” of “crusader intelligence”, he gloated: “My name and picture were all over the news yet I was able to stay in their homeland, plan operations against them, and leave safely when doing so became necessary.” As early as last year Abdelhamid Abaaoud was already known to security forces after appearing, laughing, in an Islamic State video at the wheel of a car dragging mutilated bodies behind it. It was after the break-up of that terror cell in the eastern Belgian city of Verviers in January, shortly after the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris, that Abaaoud’s name began to widely circulate. In February, Abaaoud, who was reported at one time to be in Greece, claimed responsibility for the plot against police officers and said he had joined the Islamic State group in Syria. Abaaoud—who hails from Molenbeek, a

grimy Brussels district dubbed an extremist “hotbed”—was sentenced in absentia to 20 years in prison in July for running a network to recruit jihadists to Syria. Abaaoud then boasted in videos about planning attacks in Europe. Born in Molenbeek in 1987, he goes by the nom de guerres Abou Omar Soussi, after the name of the family home in southwest region of Morocco, and Abou Omar al-Baljiki, meaning Abou Omar the Belgian. “He was a little jerk,” recalled a former classmate from Brussels who told the Belgian newspaper La Derniere Heure that Abaaoud used to harass fellow pupils and teachers and also got into trouble for stealing wallets. Abaaoud apparently knows Salah Abdeslam, who also has roots in Molenbeek and who is wanted for allegedly taking part in the Paris attacks, and has appeared in Belgian police files linked to Abdeslam’s brother Brahim, who police say blew himself up outside a bar in Paris. AFP

2 flights diverted by bomb scare

Grief. A man pays tribute to the victims of the attacks in front of a makeshift memorial near the Bataclan theater in Paris on November 18, 2015. Three men were arrested during a police assault in Paris targeting the suspected mastermind of November 13’s attacks, police said. AFP

LOS ANGELES—Two Parisbound Air France flights from the United States were diverted Tuesday and landed safely after the airline received anonymous bomb threats, the carrier said. Flight 65 from Los Angeles and Flight 55 from Washington were “subject to anonymous threats received after their respective takeoff,” the airline said in a statement. The incidents took place just days after last week’s terror attacks in Paris that left 129 people dead and sowed fear in the French capital and beyond. Air France said both planes landed safely and were undergo-

ing safety checks. “As a precautionary measure and to conduct all necessary security checks, Air France... decided to request the landings of both aircraft,” the carrier said. “Local authorities are carrying out complete inspections of the aircraft, the passengers and their luggage.” Air France said authorities were also tracking the “source of the telephone calls.” It was unclear if the same person had called in both threats. The flight from Dulles International Airport outside Washington with 262 people on board was diverted to Halifax, Nova Scotia and landed at around

10:15 pm local time (0215 GMT, Wednesday). The flight from Los Angeles transporting 497 passengers and crew landed safely in Salt Lake City, Utah. “Several law enforcement agencies are working to determine the nature of the threats which caused the aircraft to divert,” FBI agent Todd Palmer, of the Salt Lake City division, told CNN. A man on board the plane that landed in Halifax told the network that passengers were informed that they were being diverted about two and a half hours into the flight “due to operational issues.” AFP

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

TATUM ANCHETA EDITOR

BING PAREL

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

BERNADETTE LUNAS

life @ thestandard.com .ph

WRITER

@LIFEatStandard

W EL L BEING

LIFE

CAN’T SLEEP? EAT THESE!

I FINE FETTLE BY BUBBLES PARAISO

was talking to my friend Tim Yap the other day about how I dozed off in the middle of a movie despite it being an action flick. Turns out, aside from the fact that I was dead tired that day, I found out that the food I was munching on was a sleep-inducing food. Since Tim is a nocturnal creature, he keeps these by his bedside table to

help him go snooze at times. The conversation inspired me to learn more about this little trivia, and was surprised to find out that there are more than a handful of natural food remedies for insomnia that could help you travel to dreamland better. Here are 10 sleep inducing food that you might want to munch on before hitting the sack:

ALMONDS

OATMEAL

CHERRIES

HERBAL TEA

HONEY

DARK CHOCOLATE

FLAXSEEDS

HUMMUS

BANANAS

CHEESE AND YOGURT

These were what I was chewing on before I fell asleep inside the cinema. Apparently, almonds contain tryptophan and a nice dose of magnesium, which is a natural muscle relaxant. They also supply proteins to your body that help maintain a stable blood sugar level while sleeping.

Cherries are a natural food source of melatonin, the chemical that regulates sleep by controlling the body’s internal clock. Eating them an hour before bedtime will help you catch those zzzz’s in no time.

I’ve tried this when I had problems sleeping and it sure worked. Taking a spoonful of honey can help you go to sleep. The natural sugar slightly raises out insulin and allows tryptophan to enter our brains easily; it also tells our brain to turn off orexin, a chemical known to trigger alertness.

Flaxseed oil is a rich source of omega 3, omega 6 and omega 9 fatty acids, which play a role in inducing sleep. Just a spoonful of this can help you get into deep slumber.

Bananas are a good source of potassium and magnesium, which are both natural muscle relaxants. They also contain the L-tryptophan amino acid, which gets converted to 5-HTP in the brain then gets converted once again to serotonin and melatonin.

Although more popularly known as a breakfast food, grains in oatmeal trigger insulin production, which raises your blood sugar naturally and makes you feel sleepy. Oats are also rich in melatonin, which helps you fall asleep.

Chamomile, passion fruit and lemon balm tea are the top three that may lull you to sleep. Herbal teas have numerous sleep-promoting properties, like giving your body an increase of glycine, a chemical that acts like a mild sedative.

This came as a surprise as I thought dark chocolate would keep you up. But apparently, since dark chocolate contains copious amounts of serotonin which relaxes the mind and body, having a little at night may help you snooze better.

Chickpeas are another great source of tryptophan. Munching on these during the day will also help you avoid waking up in the middle of the night looking for food.

The calcium found in these dairy products help the brain use tryptophan to manufacture melatonin. Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @bubblesparaiso

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

LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

Are your kids showing strange behavior?

umerous studies have shown that certain food can affect behavior, especially in children. Nutritionist Harvie de Baron – who conceptualized the Baron Method, has seen first hand the effect of food on children’s behavior in the course of his work with pediatricians and clients. “Look at a child who eats or drinks something that is very high in sugar,” he points out. “You will definitely see their activity jump up to another level. They become extremely hyperactive, they’re difficult to communicate with, and it becomes difficult for them to follow instructions. To a certain extent, they are almost difficult to deal with. And then right after that, they ‘crash,’ their energy drops way below to a level where their body is not going to respond,” he elaborates. The numerous attempts to explain the correlation between a child’s behavior and the food he eats is also explained by Dr. Cynthia Castillo, the developmental pediatrician who collaborates with De Baron. Years of research show that children manifest increased behavioral changes after consuming artificial flavors and preservatives. There’s also evidence to support the hypothesis that artificial food colors can contribute to symptoms of hyperactivity in some children. The behavioral reaction to food becomes more pronounced when it’s exhibited

Harvie De Baron advises parents to view food as an ally meant to heal our bodies, improve the quality of our lives, and bring out the best in us. For children – as well as adults – that simply means eating real food, void of preservatives and processed chemicals

by a child diagnosed with a chronic disorder like ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) or ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). “It’s magnified much, much more,” emphasizes De Baron. “Communicating with a child who has autism, ADD, or ADHD is difficult as it is, so when you give them the kind of food that doesn’t really enhance their communication skills, it will affect them more because it takes them a while to get rid of the stuff from their system.” But if food can cause strange behavior, then food can also help correct. De Baron advises parents to view food as an ally meant to heal our bodies, improve the quality of our lives, and bring out the best in us. Simply put, everyone – children and adults alike – need to eat the right kind of food: home cooked, real food that allows parents to see and regulate what ingredients are put in the dishes. Naturally, this rules out food

that comes in plastic, foil, or cardboard containers, say De Baron. “Parents, stop giving your kids fast foods, chips, dips, and artificial drinks. Junk food and processed food are bad for them,” the nutritionist stresses. The same goes for simple sugars, hydrogenated oils, MSG, and aspartame, “which either makes children extremely hyperactive or extremely lethargic.” For truly lasting change, eat healthily as a family, says Dr. Castillo, adding that families who are more willing to alter their dietary habits and nutritional preferences together have a better success rate, with the children showing more consistent and sustained behavioral improvements over time. But mothers know that children can be picky eaters, and De Baron’s advice is easier said than done. His solution? Cook the food that kids like and substitute them with healthier ingredients, or present them with healthier alternatives altogether. Kid got

a sweet tooth? Offer her fruits. Son craving for salt? Put out some raw nuts. Instead of boxed cereals for breakfast, give him muesli mixed with low fat yogurt. Parents can expect a struggle as they make changes in the way their children eat, but they can also anticipate improvements in the behavior as well. While De Baron has witnessed kids turn hyperactive from wrong food choices, he has also seen kids with autism, ADD, and ADHD show significant improvements with healthy tweaks to their eating habits. “Their learning curves have improved so much and they are able to function better as children,” the nutritionist says proudly. For more information, contact the Baron Method at (0917) 852-2854; behealthy@ baronmethod.com or visit www.baronmethod. com. Follow the Baron Method on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @baronmethod.

BREAST CANCER AWARENESS SHOULD NOT BE JUST A ONE-MONTH OCCURRENCE

ctober marked the breast cancer awareness month with numerous events held to help spread awareness about the illness which, according to data, afflicts one in every 13 Filipino women, making it the most prevalent type of cancer in the country. In fact, the Philippines is ranked the number one country in Asia with the highest incidence of breast cancer. According to the World Health Organization, “the Breast Cancer Awareness Month, marked in countries across the world every October, helps to increase attention and support for the awareness, early detection and treatment as well as palliative care of this disease. Currently there is not sufficient knowledge on the causes of breast cancer, therefore, early detection of the disease remains the cornerstone of breast cancer control.” Numerous organizations and health establishments helped spread awareness about breast cancer, among them Makati Medical Center that held a film showing organized by the Breast Clinic, and a breast cancer lay

The World Health Organizations says early detection remains the cornerstone of breast cancer control

forum, medical symposium and research forum organized by the Cancer Center and the Philippine Breast Cancer Society (PBCS). The Breast Clinic held “Pink Theater,” a free showing of Decoding Annie Parker that is based on the life of breast cancer survivor Annie Parker, whose mother and sister died of the

same type of cancer, and the story of Dr. Mary-Claire King who in 1990 found evidence of a genetic link in breast cancer. The Breast Clinic, which offers comprehensive diagnostic modalities that can help detect early stages of breast cancer, is headed by Dr. Fay A. Coloma. The Cancer Center, on the other hand, held a lay forum

“Breast Cancer & Survivorship”, which focused on how breast cancer patients can cope with stress brought by the disease and cancer treatment. The topics included “Rehab After Breast Cancer Surgery” by Dr. Melissa Zamuco-Mercado; “Anxiety, Depression and Fatigue” by Dr. Jose Victor Cruz; “Role of the

Oncology Nurse in the Immediate and Long-Term Care of a Cancer Patient” by Edelaida Garcia, RN; and “Nutrition, Lifestyle and Well-being” by Dr. Ma. Lourdes Gozali. A full-day Basic and Advanced Breast Ultrasound Workshop, headed by course director Dr. Alex Tan from the PBCS, was also conducted. Finally, the Cancer Center and the PBCS also held the 6th Breast Cancer Symposium and 5th Research Forum, featuring scientific sessions focused on the disease, with course directors Dr. Kathleen Baldivia, Dr. Victor Gozali, who is also head of the Cancer Center. Dr. Teresa Sy-Ortin, Radiology Consultant at MakatiMed, serves as President of the PBCS, a national organization made up of multispecialty medical professionals who are committed to help in the fight against breast cancer. Certainly, efforts to spread awareness should not start or end with during breast cancer awareness month – it should be a year long initiative with everyone participating.

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

LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

HEALTH BULLETIN TOP 3 AGING-RELATED HEALTH CONCERNS IN ASIA PACIFIC

In a few decades, the older population in the Asia Pacific region is expected to increase threefold, thus making it necessary to raise awareness on the need to address health issues that come with aging. According to data from the United Nations, one in four people in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, India, Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines is expected to be over 60 years old by 2050, and the number of the older population is seen to swell to 1.3 billion which is triple compared to 2010. To properly address these aging-related health issues, global nutrition company Herbalife and YouGov asked 1,200 Asia Pacific residents to determine which condition the region is most concerned with. The survey revealed that heart health was the major concern of respondents with 32 percent concurring with this. Meanwhile, 24 percent answered brain health, and 16 percent said they’re primarily concerned about their eye health. The survey also aimed to inculcate positive lifestyle habits for healthy aging. Fortunately, nine in 10 are already aware that a healthy and active brain, an active lifestyle and good nutrition habits are the keys to living a long and healthy life. “While our recent survey revealed widespread understanding on the importance of a healthy brain, an active lifestyle and positive nutrition habits to healthy aging, there is still a need to take active steps to keep our mind and body healthy every single day,” said William M. Rahn, senior vice president and managing director of Herbalife Asia Pacific. To fill in the gaps, Herbalife recently held its very own Nutrition Day which shared practical lifestyle habits people can inject into their lifestyle.

SENSITIVE SKIN SAVIOR

Many individuals dealing with sensitive skin usually suffer more during the colder season. They are prone to redness, itching and irritation, and often, some resort to taking antihistamines and experimenting with skin soothing products. Direct-selling company Tupperware Brands offers “the ultimate hand and body lotion” which promises to be your sensitive skin’s new best friend. The You & Your Body Ultra Healing Hand & Body Lotion is a fast-acting, mild and gentle lotion that provides soothing relief from skin irritation, itching, and discomfort. It’s formulated with natural ingredients, such as Shea butter and glycerin which provide long lasting skin hydration, and allantoin and chamomile which give that instant soothing relief, leaving skin healthy and hydrated. Dermatologisttested, the You & Your Body Ultra Healing Hand & Body Lotion is non-greasy, doesn’t clog pores and safe for daily use.

ACTIVITIES THAT EFFECTIVELY BURN CALORIES

There are many sports and fitness activities people can try to lose weight, tone muscles or keep the body in tiptop shape. For those whose goal is to burn those extra calories especially that the season of parties and reunions has come, here are the MediCard-recommended sports to try.

Swimming Burning up to 800 calories per hour, swimming is one of the best choices if you want to shed those extra pounds gained during the holidays. Apart from burning calories, it is also great for toning muscles, making it a good overall body workout. Racket Sports Racket sports such as tennis and badminton are fun sports you can do with your loved ones. Building lower body strength and endurance, as well as burning up to 900 calories per hour make these sports excellent workout options. Martial Arts Whether judo, tae kwon do or Muay Thai, martial arts is sure to help you tone muscles by burning up to 1,100 calories per hour. And you also learn self-defense which makes it a win-win. Running Burning up to 1,500 per hour, running is an ideal sport which works every part

of your body from calves to abs. For the best-calorie burning potential, try to keep your speed above 8 mph. Boxing Boxing, either traditional or kick boxing, burns up to 800 calories per hour. The sport also helps in improving your reflexes and mind and body coordination.

Basketball Aside from burning up to 900 calories per hour, playing basketball lets you develop flexibility, endurance and improve cardio-respiratory health. Visit MediCard’s fitness facility at #51 Paseo De Roxas cor. Sen Gil Puyat Avenue, Makati City to discover more effective ways to shed pounds and be fit and healthy all year-round.

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

LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

SAY GOODBYE TO UNCOMFORTABLE DAYS AND FEEL THE LOVE WITH WHISPER

omen can relate very well when we say that one of the most uncomfortable times is “that” period of the month when they suffer from cramps and back or tummy pains, feel bloated, lethargic, their confidence levels at a low and wearing white is a no-no out of fear that back leaks can result in a major embarrassment. Worse, they have to put up with wearing thick pads that aggravate the discomfort and make them feel hot and stuffy. At a recent event in Chi, The Spa at Edsa Shangri-La hosted by Cerah Hernandez, ladies were introduced to a product that can prove to be their best friend: the new Whisper Skin Love – the first and only pad with breathable protection. Whisper believes that “that” time of the month shouldn’t limit women’s freedom, and that ladies should pamper themselves and show their skin some love. “With Whisper Skin Love, we’re bringing Filipinas the best and most comfortable period experience so even during the most uncomfortable days, they can feel free to do whatever and wear whatever they want. It’s so thin yet absorbent, you’ll forget you’re even on your period,” said Whisper brand manager Jan Ang. During the event, Dr. Kaye Bautista discussed some tips on how one may find comfort during that uncomfortable time of the month. When one feels bloated, drink more water because this makes one pee and ease the water retention. Gentle exercises like yoga or cycling help take the mind off the cramps. “Give yourself some warmth,” Dr. Kaye said, as heat helps relax the contraction of muscles. This can be done by applying warm compress on the abdomen to help relax muscles and the uterus, also on areas that are sore like the abdomen or back. A warm bath will also help. Others may also opt to take painkillers.

During the event, a demonstration was made to prove that Whisper is more absorbent than the leading brand

Host Cerah Hernandez, Whisper ‘It’ girl Isabelle Daza and brand manager Jan Ang

Wear comfortable clothes instead of tight, skinny jeans because they can make muscle contractions worse. Eat the right food, which means avoiding those with high sugar, salt or caffeine content. Alcohol? Definitely not – but yes to fruits and vegetables. It’s also important to have a good skin regimen because hormonal changes in the body can cause skin breakouts as more oil is produced. More importantly, practice menstrual hygiene by washing the intimate area. Change your napkin regularly – and most of all, be smart about your choice of sanitary items, which means finding the right pad to avoid rashes and other skin irritation. Certainly, Whisper Skin Love is the “it” pad because of its breakthrough technology

that allows it to be soft and super absorbent yet ultra-thin. Its Japan-designed cushiony top sheet is made of soft curly fibers which are gentle to skin. Whisper Skin Love has an “Air Dry Cushion Topsheet” that allows two times more air flow that lets the skin breathe. And even at one-third the thickness, Whisper Skin Love guarantees three times more absorbency by pulling wetness deep into the bottom of the pad and away from the skin, so women stay dry, fresh, and confident. Fluids are also locked by gel crystals that can absorb 40x their own weight to protect from back leaks while still keeping the pad ultra-thin and light. With Whisper Skin Love, there’s less feeling of bulkiness but more breathable feeling.

Dr. Kaye Bautista shares some tips

Alongside the launch of Whisper’s latest product is the unveiling of its newest endorser Isabelle Daza – a star on the rise who juggles multiple projects, has a jam-packed social calendar and an active, athletic lifestyle – embodying what it means for women to be truly unstoppable. Ladies deserve to feel the love any time of the month, and they can now buy the new Whisper Skin Love Day pack of 8s (28cm) and All Night pack of 6s (31cm) in leading supermarkets, drugstores, and convenience stores nationwide for only P69 (SRP). Share your all new period experience with the hashtags #WhisperSkinLove and #FeeltheLOVE. For more information, visit https://www.everydayme.com.ph/tag/whisper

Share how you celebrate #LifeInTheBestLightPH and win a breathtaking trip to New Zealand

ransitions Adaptive Lenses, the world leading photochromic (adaptive) lenses brand, opened up a contest for the public to share their stories on how they celebrate their lives in the best light and pursue their passions. The contest is just part of the brand’s commitment to their customers to live richer and more vibrant lives. Submission of entries is open from November to December 12, and participants can look forward to winning travel giveaways worth more than $45,000 including seven breathtaking trips to New Zealand. Entry submission can be made via Transitions Optical Facebook Page or the participant’s public Instagram account via a video, photo, meme, poem, song, haiku, quotes or captions format. Each entry has to include the hashtag #LifeInTheBestLightPH. This

contest is open across seven AsiaPacific countries including China, Singapore, Philippines, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia and Thailand and

all of the countries will be sharing the prize pool. Transitions Optical’s panel of judges will award the top prizes to two entries

per country that are the most creative and original, of great quality and the most relevant to Transitions Adaptive Lenses. Participants with the most number of shares on Facebook and the most number of likes on Instagram will win the People’s Choice prize. The grand prize is a trip for two to New Zealand that includes a pair of economy airplane tickets, a five-days, four-nights accommodation and a pair of Transitions Adaptive Lenses fitted eyewear. Runners-up can win travel vouchers worth $1,000 and a pair of Transitions Adaptive Lenses fitted eyewear. And for the People’s Choice, the winner can get travel vouchers worth $500. To learn more about the contest, its rules and regulations and terms and conditions, visit www.transitions.com.

T HUR S DAY : NOV EMBER 19, 2015

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

Kyla celebrates her 15 years in music with a concert at the Kia Theater

Kyla at 15: a soulful walKthrough

yla soulfully took her fans on a journey of 15 years in music and remains as one of OPM’s most-celebrated female vocalists. Apart from That’s Entertainment and Tawag ng Tanghalan, Kyla actually made her big debut in 2000 with her first album Way To Your Heart with its carrier single “Bring It On” easing up on the charts. However, it was her sophomore single, “Hanggang Ngayon,” that turned out to be the breakthrough hit. The song’s music video, directed by Lyle Sacris boosted the song’s popularity. Kyla bagged MTV VMA South East Asia recognitions and two big honor trophies at the 2001 MTV Pilipinas Awards for Best New Artist and Video of the Year. Kyla also received Awit Awards recognition as Best New Female Artist. In 2001, Kyla went back to the competition loop as she joined ABS-CBN’s Himig Handog sa Makabagong Kabataan. Together with Kaya and V3, Kyla interpreted Jonathan Manalo’s entry “Tara Tena” and aced the said songwriting competition. A few years after, Kyla reunited with now Star Songs’ genius Manalo and returned to the Metropop Song Festival via “Buti Na Lang,” which placed third. She was also blessed with the Female Artist of the Year award from country’s top Pop-CHR radio stations, Magic 89.9 and Monster Radio RX 93.1. Kyla graced the MTV Asia Awards stage with British boy band Blue. They collaborated on the big hit “Flexin.” Not Your Ordinary Girl, Kyla’s 4th album in 2004, and one of her best-selling, generated smash singles such as “Because Of You,” “If the Feeling Is Gone” and “Not Your Ordinary Girl.” The singles all became no.1 in different charts. Not Your Ordinary Girl also became a gig at the Araneta Coliseum, Kyla’s first major and certified sold-out concert. Kyla continued to show her R&B chops in her albums, Beautiful Days, Heartfelt, Heart to Heart and the OPM breakthrough Private Affairs. Even if the albums showcased her own rendition of existing worldwide hits, Kyla proved that

originals could be hits. Her singles “Beautiful Days,” “Mahal Kita (‘Di Mo Pansin)” and “Don’t Tie Down” were evidence that OPM R&B was alive. Kyla also checked out other work area with “Huling Sayaw,” her rock collaboration with Kamikazee. After Kyla’s short hiatus when she settled down with PBA superstar Rich Alvarez and their son Toby Elsiah, she came back with a bang. Kyla released her ninth studio album, Journey, with its carrier neo-soul track “Kunwa-Kunwari Lang. ‘ Since Kyla brought a new flavor to her music, fans immediately embraced her back and hence the song zoomed to the top of the charts. The album also featured rankers “Dito Na Lang and My Heart,” her heart-warming collaboration with International R&B Superstar Brian McKnight. Her return also took her back to the music festivals as Kyla and OPM master Jungee Marcelo finished first at the Philpop Music Festival 2014 with their inspirational entry “Salbabida.” This year marks new beginnings for Kyla. After joining Cornerstone Entertainment, Kyla opened her doors to ABS-CBN. The R&B Queen appeared in different Kapamilya shows like Kris TV, Aquino & Abunda Tonight, It’s Showtime, Banana Split, and Gandang Gabi Vice. Kyla’s biggest Kapamilya surprise was when she appeared in ASAP’s 20th anniversary for the first time in fifteen years. Currently, Kyla is heard every night singing ‘On the Wings of Love,” the theme song of the drama series of the same title. To date, she had already graced two major events for ABS-CBN’s The Filipino Channel, in London and New Zealand. In her colorful and soulful 15 years in the industry, Kyla might have showcased everything already - but her remarkable sound and songs continue to inspire and touch music fans’ hearts. The R&B Queen continues to soar with Kyla : Flying High (The 15th Anniversary Concert) on Nov. 20 at 8:00 p.m. at the Kia Theater, Araneta Center with special guests Jay R, KZ and Erik Santos. With the G-Force. For tickets, call Ticketnet at 911-5555 or log on to www.ticketnet.com.ph.

Best foreign language film adapted as ‘seCret in their eyes’

cademy Award winner Julia Roberts stars in the crime thriller Secret In Their Eyes based on the 2010 Academy Award Best Foreign Language Film by Juan Jose Campanella El Secreto de Sus Ojos. Billy Ray directed the Hollywood adaptation that brings Julia Roberts in a surprising mystery that explores the personal themes of loss, betrayal, and a parent’s undying will to right a profound wrong. DA investigator Jess Cobb (Julia Roberts), FBI investigator Ray Kasten (Chiwetel Ejiofor), and Deputy District Attorney Claire Sloan (Nicole Kidman) are rising stars, having been selected to serve on an anti-terrorism joint task force in post 9/11 Los Angeles.

“El Secreto de Sus Ojos is spectacular,” says Billy, “I was completely floored by it, had a reverence for it that bordered on awe.” Every time he got frustrated tackling the weighty subject matter, he had an unabashed cheerleader in Juan Campanella, who directed the Argentine film. “Here was a man who wanted to solve a cold case but the reason why he wanted to solve it was not only to find the culprit but to find the root of his own loneliness,” Campanella says. “That to me was very original. Contrary to what people might think, I really like it when somebody takes a piece of work and turns it into something different.” Billy says an impetus for the American version lay in the events of 9/11. ”The horror of that

Julia Roberts in Secret In Their Eyes

event was so big and so indelible for anybody who was in America at that time. But it created a story opportunity for our movie that no other context could have.” “Billy found a great twist on the story,” Campanella says. “He re-

Nicole Kidman and Chiwetel Ejiofor join Roberts in the upcoming crime thriller

spected a lot of the emotion of the original but found a very American way of telling it.” Billy admits that he initially thought he was writing a movie about loss. “But it turns out that I was writing a movie about obsession. Stories do that sometimes,

they tell you what they are about. Secret In Their Eyes opens Dec. 2 in theatres nationwide from Axinite Digicinema. Check out the film’s trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=wNDJKnNvLtE

T HUR S DAY : NOV EMBER 19, 2015

SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

The two-story Ka Tunying's Cafe on Visayas Ave. in Quezon City

The popular Arroz ala Tunying

Ka TUnyIng PayS TRIbUTE TO hIS faThER

t all started with a small panaderya (bakery) in Nueva Ecija called Tunying’s Bread. The name of the bakery is a tribute to Antonio Taberna Sr., the father of the owner; the well knownhard-hitting Filipino broadcast journalist and radio commentatorAntonio Taberna Jr. also known as Tunying. Tunying and wife Ros-

sel Velasco- Taberna share their love for pastries rooted in their dream to build their own bakeshop. Raised in culture- cultivated families, Tunying and his wife thought of giving a Pinoy touch to every pastry they produce. As Tunying’s Bread gained popularity and became in demand from a small shop in Nueva Ecija to being partners with Puregold supermarkets - the couple decided to put the business on a higher notch. That brings us to the birth Ka Tunying and wife Rossel Velasco-Taberna

Ka Tunying, or DZMM's Anthony Taberna Jr. as a barista in his Ka Tunying's Cafe

CROSSWORD PUZZLE 43 44 45 46 48 51 52 54 59 60 62 63 64 65 66 67 68

Sci-fi or romance Lipstick holder TGIF part Housed a horse Adding staff Ben- — Parsley cousin Shelved for now Comparable Poetic foot Madrid art gallery Veneer wood Columbus’ smallest ship Spookily strange Bookie’s figures Smooth-tongued Grasping sort

ANSWER FOR PREVIOUS PUZZLE ACROSS 1 Called, as a crow 6 Fermi split it 10 Romantic island 14 Teresa’s town 15 Galactic firework 16 Mine exit 17 “Good Golly, Miss —” 18 Obi-Wan player 19 Go wild about 20 Young raptors

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More slow-moving Moon, in verse Piano fixers Wash Fictional collie Cugat specialty Succeed (2 wds.) Yuppie’s auto Nile wader Tempestuous Art-class model Wager

DOWN 1 Hunter’s wear 2 Declare solemnly 3 Resolve 4 She, in Calais 5 — 500 race 6 Compilation 7 Divulged 8 Plain as day 9 “History of England” penner 10 — in (interrupted) 11 Robin of balladry 12 Feline nine

of the two-story Ka Tunying’s Cafe (KTC), on Aug. 21 at 88 Visayas Avenue in Quezon City. In honor of the Tunying’s Bread’s success, the couple continuously serves their signature pastries such as Tunying’s Crinkles and Spanish bread at the KTC. As their market grows they also broadened the list of pastry options – still with Filipino touch. Some of the additional pastries include Kalabasa Ensaymada, Kamote Cheese Roll and Carrot Muffin. (Prices range from P30.00 – P35.00). KTC’s menu offers a wide array of Filipino food and not just a list of pastries/confectioneries, but also the very Pinoy kanin (rice) meals. KTC offers an All Day Breakfast menu that will surely make you say, Umagahang Kay Ganda! and will surely make you miss your hometown and luto ni nanay. One of KTC’s signature breakfasts is Batotay Longsilog- this is a classic Longganisa-Sinangag-ltlog recipe, using Cabanatuan’s signa-

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2015

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Caesar’s route Next year’s alums Pitbull sound Fall to Cattle stall Garage job Radiate Sit-ups firm them Above, in verse Crisp Ives of “Bluetail Fly” Dept. store inventory Unwanted plant Boxing ploy Worn-down pencil Silly smile Castle wall Hot dogs Famed mummy Yanked up a sock Old war story Knight’s quest “Elder” statesman All, in combos La — Tar Pits Carefree escapade Ms. Falco Active sort Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom (abbr.)

ture Batotay. And who wouldn’t miss nanay’s miryenda espesyalchamporado? KTC’s Champorado Supreme is a classic, they use Taal Tsokolate and Tablea and of course it is served with its best mate- Tuyo (dried fish). Also you can taste Pinoy fiesta food with the meaty Relyenong Bangus. These are just some of the mouth- watering All Day Breakfast dishes at KTC. (Prices range from P150.00 - P225.00) Oops... you might be thirsty; don’t worry, KTC also has the perfect drinks for you. From the hot to cold beverages; from the strong aroma of barako coffee to the sweet tasting pastillas smoothies; from luscious chocolate to detoxifying greens- KTC has it all for you. Their drinks also have the Pinoy touch. One of the signature drinks is Mochabayan

Frappe - it is a Barako espresso with Taal tsokolate and dark chocolate ice cream. Chocolate lovers will be addicted to Tsokolate Ala Eh - it is KTC’s version of Hot Choco with Batangas tablea and milk. Who wouldn’t miss their childhood with Tsoknat Frappe -with Peanut butter, roasted nuts, Ginger syrup, with Vanilla ice cream and milk. And to those on a diet, try Agimat- it’s the perfect blend of Calamansi, Cucumber, and Ginger syrup. (Prices range from P95.00 – P145.00) Looking for a perfect spot to have a break from the fast- pacedbusy city life? Nothing beats a Pinoy Taste! Satisfy your pinoy cravings and enjoy the pinoy ambiance at Ka Tunying’s Cafe at 88 Visayas Avenue, Quezon City for reservations please call (02) 366-1342.

T HUR S DAY : NOV EMBER 19, 2015

SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

the bIg one gathers bIg artIsts In one show

t takes Philippine Red Cross Rizal Chapter and Aqueos Events Management to gather big stars of the music arena to be on a single stage. And that will happen on Nov. 27…that’s a Friday…at 8 p.m. at the Ynares Sports Arena in Kapitolyo, Pasig right beside the new real estate development in the area called Capitol Commons. If you’re not familiar with the area it is just five minutes from Edsa-Shaw intersection. Billed The Big One: All-Star Concert, it features a powerhouse cast of young and in-demand artists of this generation including ASAP 20’s premier male singers and heartthrobs - Erik Santos, Richard Poon, Daryl Ong, and Markki Stroem; ABS-CBN’s primetime bida artists - Arron Villaflor of All of Me, Richard Juan and Mikee Agustin of PBB 737; The Voice of the Philippines top contenders - Thor, Suy Galvez, and Moira Dela Torre; YouTube and social media sensations - Upgrade, Bassilyo, Zendee Tenerefe, Monterozo Twins and Yexel Sebastian; stars from other singing-reality shows like-ABS-CBN’s Pinoy Dream Academy finalist Liezel Garcia, TV5 Philippine Idol semi-finalist Gail Blanco-Viduya and GMA7 Pinoy Pop Superstar finalist Brenan Espartinez. The producers also said there will be a lot of surprise special guests. Proceeds of the show will go to the Disaster-Preparedness Programs and Capacity-Building Initiatives of Philippine Red Cross-Rizal Chapter for fellow Filipinos who might encounter human challenges in times of disaster like storm, typhoon, earthquake, etc. Tickets are available stat SM Tickets outlets nationwide; or call 470-2222. Or click the link: https://smtickets. com/events/view/3795 HHHHH

From C8

Lutongnanay battLes maLnutrItIon According to Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the DOST, at least 5 million children in the Philippines are malnourished. It’s a staggering number that shows the issue is closer to home than we think. Wanting to take urgent action, Knorr, a brand committed to enhancing Filipino meals,started its LutongNanay Nutrition Program in various barangays and communities nationwide. In the fight against malnutrition, Knorr promotes the importance of healthy meals prepared by moms for their kids. Knorr partnered with Kabisig ng Kalahi for the Metro Manila leg of the initiative, to build a sustainable nutrition program that goes beyond simply distributing food. With simple, easy to follow, healthy meals, moms also learn to provide their kids with delicious and nutritious dishes. Knorr recently visited two barangays in Smokey Mountain, Barangay 101 and Barangay 128, with its ambassadors. Dimples Romana, Danica Sotto-Pingris and Sari Jorge joined forces to help educate moms and children the importance of a healthy diet for the family. Over a meal of afritada, they also shared their personal experiences, cooking secrets and how they entice their kids to eat a healthy, balanced meal with the help of Knorr. “It was a beautiful experience na makasama ang katulad kong Knorr Lutong Nanay moms together with our children in sending out a message to all the other Filipino moms like us to join in our fight against malnutrition,” said Dimples Romana. Meanwhile, ambassadors CarminaVillaroel and Chesca Kramer joined Knorr at the Cardinal Sin Village. Mothers and children collectively learned the importance of a vigorous diet for the family. The

program was a good exchange of insights, experience and learnings not only from the ambassador, but from resident mothers as well. “Feeding our families nutritious food doesn’t have to be expensive. What’s important is that we give them a well-balanced meal everyday,” said CarminaVillaroel. As the theme of sharing experiences and learnings continued, one mother shared,“Ngayon, kaya ko nang magluto ng pagkain na hindi lang masarap, masustansya pa.”Another participant shared how she realized the importance of preparing healthier meals for her family by incorporating vegetables in their meal plan unlike before, where they usually prepare meals with minimal consideration to nutritional value. With the help of Knorr’s Lutong Nanay nutrition program, more and more moms are inspired, motivated and informed about how important it is to serve healthy meals for their family. It’s a long way to go but Knorr’s ongoing program is a big step towards fighting malnutrition in Filipino children. Knorr continues to empower Filipinos to cook flavorful, nutritious and affordable meals everyday. It emphasizes that moms are the pillars to help alleviate malnutrition. Together, Knorr’s Lutong Nanay dishes and moms can diminish this issue that affects so many Filipinos, one momcooked meal at a time. To take an active role in alleviating malnutrition, Knorr and its partners had its first Lutong Nanay Nutrition Program Food Fair at the new Mercato Centrale. Proceeds from meals made with Knorr were donated to the program. To know more about this cause and join us in helping alleviate malnutrition in the Philippines, visit www. knorr.com.ph and follow Knorr Philippines on social media.

Dimples Romana serves food to children in Smokey Moutain

Cheska Kramer at Cardinal Sin Village Carmina Villarroel also feeds children at Cardinal Sin Village

4TH ImpaCT safe despITe member’s CondITIon The all-Filipino girl group 4TH Impact delivered another incredible performance bringing all four judges on their feet. It was Movie Week and the girls chose Beyoncé’s “Work It Out” from the Austin Powers In Goldmember soundtrack. With resounding applause from the judges and the audience plus the public vote, the girls are now in the Final 7 of The X Factor UK competition. Celina, the youngest in the group, fainted just before they were set to perform. An ambulance and medic were called in to check on her and was later cleared to go on stage. 4TH Impact were given the choice to use the dress rehearsal tapes but they opted to do their routine live on stage. Wearing glittering silver dresses, the girls gave an energetic and flawless routine with strong harmonies, strenuous choreography and hair flips. After the perfor-

4th Impact

That says a lot about what you girls can be.” 4TH Impact will compete next week with the remaining acts on The X Factor UK. These include Reggie n Bollie, Mason Noise, Ché Chesterman, Anton mance, Celina was visibly weak the pressure. Particularly after to- work. You breathe this. It shows Stephans, Louisa Johnson and and the sisters all hugged but they day, it was outstandingly good and and it really pays off and Celina, Lauren Murray. The X Factor UK airs first and were actually holding up Celi- I hope you are OK, sweetheart. you were a hero tonight.” Their mentor Cheryl Fernan- exclusive on RTL CBS Entertainna, who was feeling dizzy. They Girls, it was outstanding!” quickly sat her down on one of Judge Nick Grimshaw said the dez-Versini couldn’t be so much ment HD as live via satellite on the chairs used as a prop before performance was perfect. “It re- more delighted, “Celina, I am so Sundays and Mondays at 10:30 the judges gave their resounding ally was and you seem a lot more proud of you four girls for getting a.m. with a primetime encore at 9 support and appreciation. grown-up tonight. You grew into up there tonight. You had the p.m. The weekly episodes repeat Simon Cowell was impressed women before our eyes tonight. I opportunity to use the dress run on Thursdays at 9 p.m. and on by the professionalism of the girls, didn’t see 4TH Impact there, I saw takes. You said absolutely not. Saturdays at 10 a.m. and 4:40 p.m. That is what stars do. We suffer RTL CBS Entertainment HD “All I am going to tell you is, I have four Sasha Fierces,” he exclaimed. done this a lot of years. That was, Rita rallied for the girls and things like this. Sore throat, lose is available on SkyCable channels under the circumstances, one of said. “That was, to me, a really your voice. There are things that 53(SD) and 196(HD), Destiny the most incredible things we have inspiring performance. You see you have to just do and you girls Cable channel 53, Dream Satellite seen on the show. Unbelievable.” so much hunger in your eyes. brought that tonight without channel 17 and Cablelink channels He added, “You do actually forget People don’t see how hard you having professional experience. 37(SD), 313 and 800(HD).

T HUR S DAY : NOV EMBER 19, 2015

ISAH V. RED EDITOR isahred @ gmail.com

SHOWBITZ

The cast of A Family of Vampires; (From left) Benjie Paras is a botanist named Bu Wang; Pokwang is Malou the last virgin in her clan; Alonzo Muhlach is the youngest in the Wang family ; Yassi Pressman is Elenita Sera, the human who falls for Duke; and Andre Paras is Duke Wang

A fAmily of vAmpireS on Screen thiS week Screens new hot love team: Yassi Pressman and Andre Paras

ISAH V. RED If you still has a hangover of the Halloween season, then VIVA Films and all-time box-office director Wenn V. Deramas have something for you. Head to a mall and watch on the big screen this year’s biggest horror-comedy, Wang Fam showing in theaters now. Versatile comedienne Pokwang shares stellar billing in the film as Malou Wang with Benjie Paras (as Bu Wang), Andre Paras (as, Duke Wang), Abby Bautista (as Calls Wang, Yassi Pressman (as Elenita Sera) and showbiz’s newest child wonder Alonzo Muhlach (as Vey Wang). Wang Fam is one riotous blend of horrific chills and comic thrills. It starts off with Malou being the last virgin of the aswang clan. She is, thus, destined to be sacrificed for their race’s survival by only brother Jok-Jok (played by Wendell Ramos). However, the supposed rite of passage is aborted when Malou meets and falls in love with Bu, a botanist, who eventually marries her and gives her three children - Andre, Abby and Alonzo. Together, the Wang Family tries to lead a normal life way from Jok-Jek and the rest of Malou’s aswang clan. It is

then that they meet Kay Sera (Candy Pangilinan), the nosy landlady whose only daughter, Elenita (Yassi), catches the eye of the dashing Duke. Unfortunately, Jok-Jok is able to catch up with the Wang Family and hatches a plan urging Elenita and Duke to elope so he can carry out his plan of sacrificing a virgin. Will Jok-Jok’s evil design succeed or will the Wang family be able to save themselves from the clutches Malou’s scheming brother? With screenplay by Deramas and Mel Mendoza Del Rosario (Diary Ng Panget), Wang Fam will leave a heartwarming message for every family. Incidentally, this is also the first film together of father and son, Benjie and Andre Paras. Fans of YaNdre (Yassi and Andre) can feast their eyes on various kilig moments between the two. The gorgeous pair first heat up the screen in the smashing romcom of 2014, Diary Ng Panget. Adding zest to this film are Candy Pangilinan, Wendell Ramos, Joey Paras, Abby Bautista, Atak Arana, and Dyosa Pockoh, whose online videos earned him the title “Viral Diva.” Join Pokwang, Benjie, Andre, Yassi and Alonzo and the rest of the gang as they deliver the spookiest comedy around town via Direk Wenn’s Wang Fam in cinemas nationwide from VIVA Films. ➜ continued on c7