The Standard - 2016 March 20 - Sunday by Manila Standard

VOL. XXX  NO. 39  3 Sections 24 Pages P18  SUNDAY : MARCH 20, 2016  www.thestandard.com.ph  editorial@thestandard.com.ph

FOLLOW THE FAITHFUL

PH, US NAME 5 MILITARY BASES By John Paolo Bencito

THE Philippines and United States have finally agreed where the Americans can build facilities under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement which was affirmed by the Supreme Court last January.

CHOSEN LAND. File photo shows a man raising his arms at one of the entrances to Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, one of the ﬁve bases that have been chosen to host United States troops under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement.

According to a joint statement issued after the sixth Bilateral Strategic Dialogue in Washington DC earlier this week, the bases are the Antonio Bautista Air Base in Puerto Princesa City, the Basa Air Base in Floridablanca, Pampanga, Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, Lumbia Air Base in Cagayan de Oro and the MactanBenito Ebuen Air Base in Cebu. The agreement was reached after the dialogue which included Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Evan P. Garcia and Defense Undersecretary Pio Lorenzo F. Batino for the Philippines with US Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russel and US Assistant Secretary of Defense David Shear. “Both sides expressed their firm opposition to the ongoing militarization of outposts in the South China Sea,” the two countries said in the joint statement released on Saturday. The statement did not name a specific country in the context of militarization but the meeting took place as the United States steps up its criticism of China for its buildup of military equipment such as missile launchers and radars in disputed areas in the sea. Next page

ROUND TWO: MORE DEBATES, FEWER ADS By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan and Christine F. Herrera

THE Commission on Elections said on Saturday there will be less commercials in the television coverage of Pilipinas Debates 2016, the officiallysanctioned presidential confab, at the University of the Philippines campus in Cebu City on Sunday. “We will be having three hours of debate and there will be fewer commercials compared to the previous debate,” Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista said amid earlier complaints that the first debate in Cagayan de Oro last month had too many advertisements and too little talk time. “There will be two parts,” Bautista said. “The first seg-

ment will involve a panel of journalists throwing questions at the candidates, while the second part will give candidates the opportunity to ask each other questions.” But all questions will fall under the agreed themes, which include corruption and climate change adaptation, among others, Bautista said. “I think a three-hour program run is indeed an improvement and we have made adjustments in the allocated time for responses and rebuttals in consultation with the representatives of the campaign teams,” he said. The debate will be held from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday, and will be aired on TV 5 which will start its pre-debate program at 4:30 p.m. Next page

CAMPUS WELCOME. A student helps install drapes at the University of the Philippines in Cebu City where the second Pilipinas Debate will be held on Sunday afternoon. DANNY PATA

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PH,... From A1

PRESIDENTIAL GALLERY. Images of the five presidential candidates are installed at the Performing Arts Center at the University of the Philippines campus in Cebu on the eve of the debate on Sunday. DANNY PATA

un agency lauds sc tack on foundlings By John Paolo Bencito

A toP official of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in the Philippines on Saturday lauded the recent landmark ruling of the Supreme Court allowing Senator Grace Poe to run for president in the May elections, saying the decision favored “foundlings as citizens.” “We welcome this development to recognize foundlings as citizens of the Philippines. The country has a strong humanitarian tradition of international protection in support of those at risk of being stateless,” said Bernard Kerblat, UNHCR representative in the country. “UNHCR commends the government of the Philippines for its ongoing efforts to consider acceding to the 1961 Convention, which establishes an internation-

RoUnd... From A1

Except for Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, all candidates—Vice President Jejomar Binay of United Nationalist Alliance, former interior secretary Manuel Roxas II of the Liberal Party, independent candidate Senator Grace Poe and Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte of PDP-Laban—are expected to attend the debate. Santiago announced on Thursday she will not be joining the second debate because she will undergo a clinical trial for a new anti-cancer pill. But Santiago, like all other candidates, will be allowed 15 supporters to get inside UP Cebu’s Performing Arts Hall, which has a capacity of only 500 people. Binay tried to keep a step ahead of his rivals by preparing for the debate while he was holed up “incommunicado” in a resort in Mactan. Just like in Cagayan de Oro during the first round of the presidential debate last month, Binay came to the debate venue two days ahead of his rivals.

al framework to ensure the right of every person to a nationality by establishing safeguards to prevent statelessness,” he added. The Supreme Court, voting 9-6, said Poe was eligible to seek the highest position in the country, reversing an earlier decision of the Commission on Elections disqualifying her from the race on the grounds that she is not a natural-born citizen and has not met the 10-year residency requirement for presidential aspirants.

The High Court noted that international laws on the nationality of foundlings, including the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, “were designed to address the plight of a defenseless class which suffers from a misfortune not of their own making.” “The Philippines was the first country in the Southeast Asia to become party to the 1954 Convention on the Status of Stateless Persons, which defines who is considered stateless and establishes minimum standards of treatment. Today 10 million people around the world are without any clearly defined link to an established nationality,” Kerblat said. Kerblat said the ruling on Poe’s case is a “positive example” for other countries to follow, as foundlings are being “denied of their basic rights.”

Binay’s closest rival Senator Grace Poe of Partido Galing at Puso, upon arrival, went straight to barnstorm the city and province in areas where Binay passed through two days ago. But an independent vice presidential candidate, Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr., mounted his own sorties befitting a presidential campaign even a day ahead of other presidential candidates. Marcos went solo barnstorming the city and province with his own convoy in a motorcade. His standard bearer Santiago had to beg off from the debate and campaign sorties due to health reasons. “She has signified that she is not coming. We had planned to be together during the campaign. That was always the original plan. But I suppose her health issues have overtaken her and she has just to attend to that. And I think that she would be able to overcome this new obstacle and she will be joining us in the campaign soon enough,” Marcos told reporters during an ambush interview at the Waterfront Hotel, where he was billeted. Poe and her entourage were also

“A child is born stateless every ten minutes. They have no freedom of movement, no access to education, social services, employment and to own property,” he said. “This significant decision from the Supreme Court is an important step in the country’s history and once again, the Philippines is a shining example of humanitarianism in taking concrete steps to reduce statelessness in the region. It sets a positive example that member states may wish to follow,” Kerblat added. Poe, who was abandoned as a baby at a church in Jaro, Iloilo, was adopted by the late actor Fernando Poe Jr. and veteran actress Susan Roces. She said the Supreme Court ruling was a victory not only for her but for all foundlings in the country.

billeted at the same hotel as Marcos’ since the hotel is owned by the family of senatorial candidate Valenzuela City Rep. Sherwin Gatchalian, whose younger brother Valenzuela City Rep. Rex Gatchalian is Poe and Senator Francis Escudero’s campaign spokesman, and youngest brother Alay Buhay Rep. Wes Gatchalian was overheard during breakfast barking orders to hotel staff to prepare Poe’s room and to make sure she will have her “welcome basket of fruits.” Escudero went with Poe in barnstorming the city. “The ideal is for us to campaign together. But I think the other factor is that this election is different and that most of the candidates are campaigning individually be they presidential, vice presidential or even senatorial candidates—most if not all are campaigning individually,” Marcos said of Santiago. “So that seems to be the trend for this campaign, for this election. So I suppose it should not affect the campaign so much, seeing there is a new style of campaign that we have adopted for this election,” he added. Poe also went to Indiana Aero-

Washington and Manila “discussed their common view that the installation of new military assets on the outposts escalates tensions.” The US and Philippine governments will hold detailed discussions on the US military’s use of the five bases on upcoming occasions such as a planned visit by US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter to the Philippines next month. Washington and Manila also agreed they will urge Beijing to follow the ruling of a UN arbitral tribunal in The Hague when it hands down a decision over the legality of China’s territorial claims in the sea, according to the statement. The Edca was signed in 2014, but the pact was disputed before the Supreme Court which ruled on its legality only last January. The choice of the five military bases is expected to unlock millions of dollars in US military aid. US Ambassador Phillip Goldberg had earlier said that the US Congress would earmark more than $66 million to finance the construction of the US facilities to be built in the country. “Let me point out that we have about $66 million in foreign military funding in process for the Philippines and we expect that there will be additional sources of funds for both carrying out Edca to military construction funds and also to increases in what we call the maritime security initiative,” Goldberg said last month. “Edca is designed to support what the Philippines is trying to do in terms of building a minimum credible defense, in terms of modernizing and equipping its armed forces,” Goldberg added. But militant groups expressed opposition the plan on Saturday and called the agreement a “midnight deal” and a precedent for US bases to return to Philippine shores. “The Aquino government is desperately rushing the approval of these so-called “agreed locations” before Aquino steps down on June 30. Aquino, who previously negotiated the Edca in secret, also conducted secret talks for the agreed locations for new US bases,” Renato Reyes, Bayan secretary-general, said. Reyes added that they will make it an agenda for the next Philippine president to review the termination of the controversial security accord. “Since Edca is an executive agreement, it is well within the power of the next president to terminate it,” Reyes said. Even before the the approval the defense accord, locals have already expressed opposition to convert military camps and unused airports as launchpads for American forces. In Cagayan de Oro alone, local officials are already seeking to transfer ownership of the old airport to the City Government of Cagayan de Oro in direct opposition to any utilization of the old Lumbia airport by the US troops. The local city council want the old airport to be utilized for housing, recreational and commercial purposes.

space University in Cebu as guest of honor at the school’s graduation rites. Poe told Cebuanos she was a Visayan at heart, claiming she was found in the Visayas, particularly in Iloilo, also a known bailiwick of another rival, former Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II, standard bearer of the ruling Liberal Party. At lunch, Binay shared a light moment with vendors of sugba-tuwakilaw (grilled, stewed and raw seafood) stalls in Lapu-Lapu City. He was joined by UNA senatorial candidates broadcaster Rey Langit, former Special Action Force director Getulio Napeñas, Sulu Princess Jacel Kiram, Parañaque councilor Alma Moreno and Kabayan party-list candidate lawyer Harry Roque. On the eve of the debate, Binay issued a statement giving a preview of what he was to provide the country regarding health care, one of the topics to be explored in the debate. Binay vowed to increase the health budget by five percent of GDP or gross domestic product, as was the standard requirement of the World

Health Organization. He vowed to impose a “yellow card” policy that would make children and elderly avail of free health care. The Yellow Card program has been recognized by the United Nations-Habitat as one of the world’s best practices. “This will allow government to provide free medical treatment for serious illnesses that require prolonged hospitalization and often expensive treatments. It also replicates Makati’s globally-recognized Yellow Card health program that has significantly reduced out-of-pocket expenses for health care,” Joey Salgado, UNA campaign communications director, said. Salgado said these serious illnesses include leukemia, early stage breast cancer, prostate cancer, kidney transplant, heart disease and cervical cancer. Salgado cited data from the National Statistical Coordination Board that showed Filipino households still carry most of the spending burden for health care, despite total spending for health care increasing by 11.7 percent year on year to P526.3 billion in 2013.

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PH ACTED WELL TO CYBERHEIST, OFFICIAL SAYS By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

THE Philippines has shown the world that it is a responsible member of the banking community with its response to the $81-million bank heist in Bangladesh recently, in which the stolen money ended up in a Philippine bank and casinos, a Palace official said. In a radio interview Saturday, Undersecretary Manuel Quezon III said the Anti-Money Laundering Council, through the Office of the Solicitor General, filed ex parte petition for the issuance of a freeze order with the Court of Appeals against RCBC bank accounts that received inward remittance totaling $81 million under the account name William S. Go. When the money arrived in the Philippines, Quezon told dzRB Radyo ng Bayan that Philippine authorities sounded the alarm bells for a thorough investigation, he said. Other countries have been cooperating and there have been reports that AMLC is working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States. “We are working with everyone to ensure there is transparency and so

that we know what really happened and how we can prevent it from happening again,” he said. “We should be aware that the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas is taking this seriously, the AMLC is showing that it is fulfilling its work. The Senate is holding hearings in aid of legislation and in fact the Bangko Sentral and the BIR have been giving their recommendations,” Quezon said. And as the present Congress closes, the groundwork is being laid for future reforms that will further improve the system, the Palace official said. For those who fear about the impact of the controversy to the country’s financial system, Quezon made an assurance that the government will hold accountable those who are involved in the heist. With regards to calls to ease the Bank Secrecy Law in the country, Quezon said that while the BSP wants a stricter rules in the banking system, it hasn’t come up with specific recommendations it wants. The Palace will wait on the recommendations by the BSP, and by Congress about specific actions on how to ease the Bank Secrecy Law, he said.

PUBLIC ADVISED TO TAKE STEPS VS HEAT STROKE AFTER the weather bureau announced the official start of dry season, the Department of Health advised the public to avoid heat strokes by staying hydrated amid the usual scorching heat of the Philippine summer. “We should not forget to drink water,” Health Secretary Janette L. Garin said in an advisory after the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration declared on Friday the start of the dry season with the termination of the northeast monsoon. Aside from keeping oneself hydrated, Garin said people should also limit the amount of time you spend under the sun and wearing a widebrimmed hat, umbrella and long-sleeved clothing. People should also limit heavy activities to the beginning or end of the day, when it’s cooler. Heat stroke is the most severe form of heat injury and happens when

the body fails to cool down. It happens when the body temperature is between 104 and 105 degrees Fahrenheit which start to manifest once the body fails to recover from heat exhaustion. Under this condition, heat stroke victims are not able to sweat and release excessive heat due to dehydration and humid temperature. Although some age groups such as the elderly and young children are considered high-risk, everyone who is exposed directly to the sun can be a victim of heat stroke. Some signs of heat exhaustion include dizziness or fainting; anxiety; headache; intense thirst, dehydration; and weakness or discomfort. Other signs and symptoms (usually preceded by heat exhaustion) include delirium; unconsciousness or comatose; very high core body temperature of 400 Centigrade or more; hot, dry skin; rapid heartbeat; and convulsion. PNA

MAR ACCOUNTABLE, LAWYERS MAINTAIN

THE National Association of Lawyers for Justice and Peace dismissed as insufficient the defense by Liberal Party officials that presidential candidate Manuel Roxas II is not accountable for P7 billion in funds which he had handled as interior and local government secretary.

PALM SUNDAY READY. A woman arranges the palm fronds that will be used for Palm Sunday services in Catholic churches across the country. EY ACASIO

NALJP founding chairman lawyer Jesus Santos said Roxas should not pass the buck and take responsibility for the funds since he was the one who distributed the money. “Mr. Roxas must show the records of how much was given to each LGU, who received the money and how, when, where and for what purpose. Related documents such as project studies and accomplishment reports must also be presented,” Santos said. “Related to all these, Mr. Roxas must also clarify reports that he had allegedly failed to monitor the implementation of the supposed projects. If these are true, why did he fail to do so? If not, what was the status of the supposed projects until he stepped down as DILG secretary,’’ Santos pointed out “Considering the amount and the implications, mere words by Roxas or anyone else in the LP will never be enough assurance that there is nothing wrong with the handling of the P7 billion,” the lawyer said. “The truth must be proven immediately since it will be the people who will be the biggest losers in this issue. Let’s not forget that the P7 billion is the people’s money, and not anybody else’s,” Santos added. Unless Roxas comes out with a detailed and convinc-

ing explanation, Santos said the presidential aspirant should not cry foul if accusations start flying that the P7 billion is being spent for his campaign. The opposition United Nationalist Alliance raised the matter of the unliquidated fund transfers and charged that the funds are now being used in the campaign of Roxas and his running mate Leni Robredo. Citing a 2014 Commission on Audit report, UNA spokesman Mon Ilagan said the fund transfers also covered projects such as the Provision of Potable Water program (Salintubig), Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (Pamana), Bottom-Up Budgeting (BUB), Rehabilitation Assistance on Yolanda (RAY), and the Public Transport Assistance Program (PTAP). Ilagan said the receivables accounts accumulated to a huge amount of P7.040 billion because management failed to monitor the liquidations of the fund transfers and submission of the corresponding financial reports contrary to CoA Circular No. 94-013. Aside from the unliquidated fund transfers, the same report revealed that some P17 million in cash advances also remain unliquidated, Ilagan said.

FINALLY, CLEAN WATER. In its active charitable endeavors, the Wong Chu King Foundation (WCKF) has almost completed its construction of the Brgy. Calaoagan water system scheduled to be turned over on March 30, 2016, coinciding with the foundation’s 26th anniversary. The WCKF heeded the request of Calaoagan Brgy. Capt. Roel S. Baingan through Piat Mayor Camelo Black Villacete to help solve the barangay’s water problems. Once completed, the 24-hour water supply system will greatly improve the quality of life of 230 households of Piat’s northernmost barangay where water is scarce and most residents depend on farming as a source of living.

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OPINION

ADELLE CHUA EDITOR

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OPINION

CHINA’S SCHOOLYARD DEFENSE By Michael Schuman

[ EDI TORI A L ]

TUNING IN TODAY four out of five presidential candidates are expected to take the same stage and dazzle voters anew with their wit, charm and grasp of national issues. The objective is to sway the people that they should vote for them, and not their opponent, instead. The previous debate, held February 20, hardly achieved this objective. A survey taken by this newspaper’s resident pollster showed that nearly eight in 10 likely voters had already made up their minds on whom to vote for, regardless of how their preferred candidates actually performed in the debate held in Cagayan de Oro City. What does this imperviousness of four-fifths of the voting population tell us? It may indicate the still-strong appeal of personality politics. Regardless of what the candidates say or do, or what they don’t, people remain loyal to them as though they were brands whose qualities—whatever they are—do not waver. Truth is, the last debate also hardly provided an opportunity for the candidates to tell us what they know or plan to do, or even quiz their opponent about his or her answer. The questions were general and the candidates were given just a few minutes to respond to them or react to what an opponent said. There have been a few changes one month later. Senator Grace Poe’s candidacy no longer hangs in the balance after the Supreme Court declared she was eligible to run according to the provisions of the Constitution. Senator Miriam Santiago has begged off from this second round of debates, claiming she would try a new cancer treatment pill so that she could fully commit to the race. Muckraking between and among the candidates has intensified, making us wonder whether politicians could really rise beyond this level or whether they willfully engage in such to mask their inability to sustain a sober discussion of pressing issues. But we will tune in anyway, because we are still interested in finding out whether there is still anything worth adding into the equation. Are there things that have not been explored, questions that have not been asked? Are there positions that have not yet been articulated? Have the candidates been mouthing the same platitudes without substance, or are there advocacies close to their hearts and which we know they would see through, to the end? Is there any other game changer during this last stretch of the campaign, some new trick that has yet to be pulled? We will find out soon enough. So let’s know what we want to hear, and be uncompromising about whether the candidates would say something we can actually stew on.

JOHN KASICH IS WRECKING THE REPUBLICAN PARTY By Jonathan Bernstein COULD John Kasich be singlehandedly destroying a political party? Either by helping Donald Trump win the Republican nomination or by dragging the party into an ugly contested convention, Kasich seems to be causing a lot of trouble. Serious presidential candidates normally leave the race when they no longer have a chance to win. This is an important part of how the nomination system functions. If losers drop out, then voters in subsequent states—voters who might not follow politics enough to know which candidates are serious contenders and which

aren’t—won’t waste their voters on the also-rans. Winnowing is how most nomination fights are decided: Eventually, only one candidate, the winner, remains. That’s important, too, because (as we’re learning now) the national conventions aren’t really wellequipped to function as decisionmaking bodies. Decisions are supposed to be made in the primaries and caucuses. For a nomination season that has seemed chaotic at times, winnowing has—with this one exception—proceeded exactly as one would expect. Fears that super-PACs or social media or whatever else would disrupt the normal functioning of the system

Trump couldn’t have asked for a better opponent.

proved mostly unfounded. Scott Walker, Chris Christie, Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Marco Rubio: All of them proved capable of raising plenty of money, but none of them survived defeats at the polls. Except for John Kasich. The Ohio governor chose

to campaign as a moderate, despite having at least as conservative a record as previous GOP candidates such as John McCain and Mitt Romney, or as Chris Christie and Jeb Bush in the current cycle. Kasich instead campaigned as if he were Jon Huntsman, the former Utah governor who ran in 2012: by emphasizing his differences with conservative orthodoxy, instead of papering them over. Kasich then chose to skip Iowa and focus on New Hampshire. This strategy has never produced a nominee since the Iowa caucuses became the first contest back in 1972. Candidates don’t have to win in Iowa, but they do have to

compete there. After Iowa, there has never been a point where he should have remained in the race: • In New Hampshire, his 16 percent was disappointing: second place, but well behind Donald Trump, and only matching the 17 percent Huntsman won in 2016. • South Carolina (8 percent of the vote) and then Nevada (4 percent) were wipeouts. • On Super Tuesday, he lost one state he campaigned in— Vermont—and was clobbered in the other, Massachusetts. Meanwhile, he won less than 10 percent of the vote in the other nine states. • He targeted Michigan on March 8 and managed to finish

third there, while ignoring (and losing) several other states in the first half of the month. • Even on March 15, when he won in his own Ohio, he failed to impress overall, placing a distant third in Illinois and worse in the other three states. Yet Kasich’s choice to stay in the race has mattered. There’s a decent argument that he single-handedly destroyed Marco Rubio, who almost certainly would have had many more delegates if Kasich had dropped out when it made sense to. And his current campaign makes no sense at all. Kasich inexplicably declined to debate Ted Cruz on March 21 after

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Donald Trump dropped out of that debate, thus costing both candidates a decent-sized opportunity to impress voters. Even weirder is his decision to campaign in Utah before that state’s caucuses on March 22. Utah has a 50 percent winner-take-all trigger, and is thought to be a good Cruz state. If Kasich wants a contested convention, he needs Cruz to get that 50 percent and win all of Utah’s delegates, thereby locking out Trump. The Ohio governor has other states where he should be devoting his limited resources. It’s as if his campaign strategist was a

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Magic 8 Ball. If only Cruz and Trump remained, it’s possible Trump would just win. Cruz hasn’t shown the ability to win the votes of anyone but the most conservative Republicans, and perhaps he can’t. Theoretically, Kasich and Cruz could coordinate their efforts to focus on each candidate’s strengths (even given that Kasich’s strengths are still largely theoretical at this point). But apparently neither of these would-be Trump stoppers plays any better with others than does the man they’re chasing. All in all, Trump couldn’t have asked for a better opponent. Bloomberg

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EVER since global investors began questioning the competence of Chinese policymakers last summer, the latter have repeatedly fallen back on a familiar schoolyard defense: “I know you are, but what am I?” No matter how poor their judgment, egregious their miscues or dismal China’s economic results, Chinese leaders argue, the US economy and its stewards can hardly claim to have performed any better. Just last week, in a rare press conference, China’s finance minister Lou Jiwei tried to deflect a question about China’s worrying explosion of debt by comparing his country to the US. “Its current debt level is a lot higher than its 2008 standard but its economy is still recovering,” Lou contended. “So we can’t generalize the theory that high debts must lead to a crisis.” Similarly, at a conference ahead of the G-20 meeting in Shanghai in February, Chinese Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao couldn’t resist a swipe at US policymakers. Perhaps Chinese leaders did have to do a better job of explaining their economic decisions to the world, he admitted, but so did the Americans. Last August, Zhu used the same tactic when defending his government’s much-criticized, heavy-handed intervention in the stock market, arguing the US had employed similar methods before. “Other countries [did] the same thing,” he said. “You can see the case in [the] US.” Such retorts are all too familiar to anyone writing critically about China’s economy. Negative critiques are often dismissed as sour grapes or China-bashing. The US economy isn’t in such great shape either, China’s defenders snap, so what right do you have to tell anyone else what to do? In picking up the refrain, Chinese policymakers may believe they’re exposing the West’s hypocrisy. While Americans like to think of their economy as a model of freemarket virtues, in fact US policymakers do fool with market forces when they feel the need. Why should China be held to standards to which Westerners don’t adhere themselves? And for that matter, why are China’s mandarins expected to be any less fallible than their counterparts in the US or Europe? Those are fair points. However, by engaging in finger-pointing, leaders in Beijing suggest they’re either not taking seriously the issues that worry the world, or they don’t really understand the scope of their problems. That does little to restore faith in Chinese regulators or policymakers or markets, which should be the leadership’s main goal. The problem is that Beijing’s comparisons are ill-conceived. It’s simply laughable to equate the sledgehammer China wielded to prop up the Shanghai stock market last year—banning short-selling, suspending trading of many shares, forcing governmentlinked players to buy—with the minor, temporary intervention by US regulators in 2008. Nor does claiming the US has the same communications problems as China make any sense. Federal Reserve chairman Janet Yellen routinely holds press conferences and appears at congressional hearings. Until very recently, her counterpart, Zhou Xiaochuan, governor of China’s central bank, has operated in inscrutable silence. Continued on A6 Rolando G. Estabillo Jojo A. Robles Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Francis Lagniton Joyce Pangco Pañares Adelle Chua Romel J. Mendez Roberto Cabrera

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OPINION

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OPINION

CHINA’S SCHOOLYARD DEFENSE By Michael Schuman

[ EDI TORI A L ]

Trump couldn’t have asked for a better opponent.

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PUTIN’S SYRIA GAMBLE HAS ALREADY PAID OFF By Tobin Harshaw VLADIMIR Putin says he is withdrawing most Russian forces from Syria because his “objectives” have been achieved. How to judge that boast? On such goals as keeping the dictator Bashar al-Assad in power, increasing Russian influence in the Middle East, restoring Moscow’s seat at the table of global power, and sending a message of strength to Islamic extremists inside Russia’s own borders, the jury is still out. But it’s not too early to consider Russian success on another front: showcasing military strength to potential adversaries, allies and arms buyers. “Essentially, Russia is using their incursion into Syria as an operational proving ground,” retired Air Force general David Deptula told the New York Times last year. And Moscow proved quite a bit. The Russian military had not been in a conflict of this scale since its disastrous pullout from Afghanistan decades ago. The closest it came was the five-day border fracas with Georgia in

2008, and while the campaign was a political success, the Kremlin’s military was highly unimpressive against a weak opponent. Among other woes, its intelligence operations were slipshod, with troops being repeatedly being sent into ambushes; it lost six planes to either Georgian air defenses or “friendly fire” and its tanks proved under-armored and ill-suited to night fighting. There were reports that Russian troops took to stripping dead Georgian soldiers of their superior body armor. Just seven years later, the Russians have done a great deal to redeem themselves. In what was primarily an air campaign, they showed a good ability to keep up the tempo of sorties—by one estimate, at least 1,000 a month from its Syria-based squadrons of SU-24 fighter-bombers and SU-25 ground-support craft—indicating efficient base crews and impressive logistics. Long-range bomber attacks from bases in Russia hinted at improved air-to-air refueling capabilities. As for accuracy, it was hard to judge the efficiency of Russia’s upgraded GPS guidance system because the planes used

a lot of “dumb” munitions like the cluster bombs that devastated civilian areas. Russia also allowed brief glimpses of its new Mi-35M gunship helicopter. The red flag here is the shooting down of an SU-24 fighter by Turkey’s American-made F-16s in November. Given the unresolved ambiguities of the situation, it’s hard to draw any firm conclusions, and in any case the Russian plane wasn’t designed for the sort of dogfighting at which the F-16 excels. The Russians also showed surprising capabilities in smart weapons. In October, they launched 26 cruise missiles from Buyan-M-class corvettes floating in the Caspian Sea. While Western intelligence claims that some fell way short of the target—in Iran, actually—the fact that such small warships were capable of employing the sophisticated Kalibr NK missile system came as a shock. In December, cruise missiles fired underwater by a superstealthy Rostov-on-Don submarine in the Mediterranean struck targets near Islamic State’s de facto

capital, Raqqa. Given that such sea-based missiles are vastly more expensive than dropping bombs from planes, one can assume that the real aim was sending a message to Washington. Russia also deployed some hardware that there was little reason to suppose would ever be used: sending the missile cruiser Moskva off the coast of Syria and placing advanced S-400 ground-to-air missile systems at the airbase near Latakia. This impressive air-defense assemblage might have seemed a bit much given that the Syrian rebels and Islamic State jihadists didn’t have a single plane, but the real point was flexing muscles, and the US clearly took notice. The Syria campaign should do nothing to hamper Russia’s soaring arms sales, at 25 percent of the global market as compared to America’s 33 percent over the last five years, despite Ukraine-related sanctions. Moscow is rumored to be locking its top client, India, into $7 billion in purchases including S-400 air defenses and three Admiral Grigorovich-class frigates now under construction.

THE WAR TO SAVE AFRICA’S ELEPHANTS By Tristan McConnell GARAMBA National Park, DR Congo—We flew into Garamba National Park in a single-prop aircraft, buffeted by hot winds above a roadless, tinder dry land dotted with thatched villages. As we approached the park the flatness below became rumpled and patchily forested, hills with rocky domes burst from the ground and narrow twisting rivers sparkled through the haze thrown up by bush fires. Photographer Tony Karumba and I visited Garamba in the northeast corner of the Democratic Republic of Congo to report on a war to protect Africa’s elephants, pitting park rangers against armed groups that profit from the sale of illegal ivory. Win or lose? Last year, Garamba’s elephants were literally decimated, but even so the number killed was fewer than in the previous year. In the fight to save Africa’s wildlife winning and losing can look pretty similar. During the week we spent in Garamba we watched elephants being darted and fitted with radio collars and witnessed rangers trained by former South African soldiers then deployed with them in the park’s deep north, leaping out of the helicopter because the thick bush made it impossible to set down. We interviewed rangers and the park authorities, military trainers and conservation experts to build up a picture of the scale of the challenge in Garamba. Gunshots were reported but no elephants were killed during our stay. The rangers told us that when the poachers come the elephants don’t stand a chance. The gunmen creep towards the elephant families armed with AK-47 assault rifles, PKM belt-fed machine guns and grenade launchers, their approach obscured by the tall grass that covers the plains. From a few meters away they fire volleys of bullets. Some elephants fall at once. Others charge away in panic only to be tracked down and shot. Some escape, but many don’t. Using axes the poachers quickly chop away

A scout stands next to elephant tusks confiscated from poachers. AFP the tusks leaving a bloody absence where the ivory was. Populations decimated Last year, 114 elephants died this way in Garamba. The year before it was 134. Back in the 1970s there were 22,000 and 500 northern white rhinos here but poaching means that today the rhinos are gone and there are perhaps 1,300 elephants left. Across the continent—from Tanzania in the east to Mali in the west—the odds are stacked against Africa’s elephants. Over 20,000 were killed last year for their ivory. In China, at the demand end of an illegal global supply chain controlled by international criminal gangs, raw tusks sell for over $1,100 (990 euros) a kilo. In the strong room at Garamba we were shown a metal trunk full of confiscated tusks, some as short as a baby’s arm, others taller than me. The heaviest of them weighed more than 32 kilos. A few meters away, across the red earth, was the old park headquarters, smashed and burned in a rebel attack seven years ago. Elephant killing is hugely profitable and Garamba’s are among the most threatened on earth, but they have allies. South Africa-based conservation organization African

Parks took over the management of Garamba a decade ago, just before poachers killed the last wild northern white rhino, and now it is fighting to stop the elephants from meeting the same fate. What they do is called conservation, but it looks more like war. Four Garamba rangers were killed last year—we told the story of two of them, friends and comrades, who died in October—and there were 28 separate firefights with poachers, among them renegade soldiers, rebel fighters, raiders on horseback and armed cattleherders. On one occasion, an unidentified helicopter flew in from the north and, after it left, eight elephants were found killed, all of them shot in the top of the skull. No one knows where that helicopter, or the three that preceded it since 2012, came from. The man tasked with halting the slaughter and giving the park a future is Erik Mararv whom I met at the new park headquarters on the southern bank of the tree-lined Dungu, one of the Congo River’s countless tributaries. The young Swede has fitted more into his 30 years than many manage in lifetime: born and brought up in the Central African Republic, he

dropped out of school at 15 to train as a safari guide and hunter, spent six miserable months of 2012 in a Bangui jail—on false charges —and was once abducted by the extravagantly brutal Lord’s Resistance Army. New threat from South Sudan The LRA does still poach elephants in Garamba but is now a bit player, albeit one that gets undue attention, thanks to its notorious violence and a frequently-applied “terrorist” label that helps fuel wrong-headed arguments that ivory poaching funds terrorism. Mararv told me the biggest threat to Garamba’s elephants was neither LRA rebels, nor Janjaweed horsemen, nor mysterious helicopters, but gangs from South Sudan, some wearing national army uniforms. “I see the whole of South Sudan as an armed group,” he said of the war-torn nation to Garamba’s north whose violent chaos is spilling over borders in unpredictable ways. In South Sudan too, animals have fallen victim to the civil war, killed for bushmeat or for profit. There are plenty of shortages in Garamba’s ivory war—rangers, weapons, bullets, communication and tracking equipment—but the landscape itself is an obstacle money can’t overcome. When it rains (which it does for more than half of the year) the land is inundated and the grass grows nearly three meters tall and is almost impenetrable. The few dirt roads become impassable. It can take hours to walk just a few hundred meters; visibility is close to zero: shootouts between rangers and poachers occur at extremely close range. But in the dry season, the savannah has a monotonous, hypnotic beauty, scorched by fire, dotted with sausage trees and mostly empty of people. One day we saw a small herd of elephants close by. Hearing the car’s engine they stopped, raised their heads, then quickly turned and made for the golden light spreading across the late afternoon horizon. The elephants have learned that people mean danger and, until that’s no longer true, knowing it might help keep them alive. AFP

The two nations have long discussed a joint building operation of a next-generation fighter jet. India’s mortal enemy, Pakistan, made its first-ever deal with Moscow for four helicopters last summer, and more may be on the way, especially if a Republicanled group in Congress continues to try to block fighter-jet sales to Islamabad. What most concerns the US and its Middle Eastern allies, though, is Moscow’s courtship of Iran. After the signing of the nuclear-weapons deal last summer, Russia agreed to make good on a long-promised sale of an advanced air-defense system to Tehran, and discussed possible sales of multirole Su-30 aircraft and Russia’s main battle tank. Republicans in Congress are pressuring the Barack Obama administration to block any such sales using United Nations sanctions, but in the long run there’s little doubt that Moscow and Tehran will strengthen ties over weapons deals—another Putin objective furthered by his risky decision to make Assad’s war his own. Bloomberg

CHINA’S... From A5 The comparison of China’s debt problems to America’s doesn’t hold up, either. Looking at total (not government) debt—which is what concerns investors most in China—US levels appear to be on a healthy trend. Meanwhile, China has witnessed the largest build-up of debt, relative to the size of its economy, in the emerging world over the past decade. Chinese leaders are missing the point of their own examples. Instead of seizing on US failings as a cover for its own, China would be better served by learning from them. For instance, a more careful study of US regulators’ suspension of certain short-selling during the 2008 financial crisis would have made clear that such measures wouldn’t work in China either. In his rosy assessment of China’s debt levels, Lou, China’s finance minister, seems to have forgotten that a mountain of risky debt flattened the US economy only seven years ago, a disaster it’s still paying for today. In fact, the US may be the world’s best laboratory for studying not just how to create economic mayhem, but how to restore stability. America’s economy has endured all sorts of bubbles and booms created by irrational exuberance, made worse by policy missteps, throughout its history—not all that different from what China’s facing today. But each and every time, the US has rebooted, reformed and recovered precisely because it’s been willing to confront its mistakes honestly and quickly. (In his press conference, Lou admitted as much when he praised the US bank bailout after the 2008 crash.) China would be wise to emulate America’s resilience, not just its problems. Bloomberg

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lenten ceasefire sought By Maricel V. Cruz HOUSE Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. on Saturday asked all candidates to declare a political ceasefire this coming Holy Week for a proper and genuine observance of the Lenten season. “It is a time of prayer, meditation and looking inward which is the essence of the entire season. Let us focus therefore on the call for sacrifice, the practice of humility, compassion, repentance and forgiveness,” Belmonte said. “We hope that all the political mudslinging and black propaganda will cease this Holy Week and candidates instead also assess how they can best serve our people and articulate this to voters in the weeks ahead,” Belmonte added. Belmonte said the Holy Week offers enough time for candidates to review their platforms and ensure these are beneficial to needs and development of the people or constituencies they serve especially in the long term. “Do their platforms adequately address the need for jobs, peace and security, educational opportunities, justice, and better infrastructures in our country? If not, then they are not ready to lead the people,” Belmonte noted. Belmonte stressed that every campaign should take the high road and be informative in terms of a candidate’s real qualifications and his program of governance. “Instead of obsessing on the downfall or defeat of their political foes, candidates should think positively and kindly this Holy Week by focusing on how to adjust further their platforms for the betterment of the lives of Filipinos,” Belmonte, vice chairman of the ruling Liberal Party, said, adding that, “We have a smart electorate who will not just believe nice pictures presented in front of empty promises. They deserve clear plans and the candidate stating exactly how he or she intends to achieve these promises they make.” “With only two months left before the May 9 elections, it is time candidates reject a campaign defined by lies and demolition against their political opponents. There is no time to waste. We urge them to show selflessness and statesmanship now by highlighting their platforms and clearly expounding on the means to achieve these,” Belmonte pointed out.

DEATH, DESTRUCTION IF ‘BIG ONE’ HITS MM By Joel Zurbano

There will be 35,000 deaths in the event the “Big One,” a phrase used to describe a major earthquake, strikes the National Capital region, according to Metro Manila Development Authority chairman emerson Carlos. “Should the ‘Big One’ occur, which experts believe would happen anytime, there will be 35,000 deaths in Metro Manila in the first hour alone; over 100,000 injured, and at least 500 instantaneous fires, most of which are in [the City of] Manila,” Carlos said during the recently held Manila Disaster Relief Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Conference in Pasay City. Being one of the oldest cities in the country, Manila is most vulnerable to the expected “Big One,” a powerful 7.2-magnitude earthquake, Carlos warned. But the MMDA chief praised Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada and

the city government’s “renewed vigor” to improve and re-equip its disaster response unit—the Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office. “In terms of preparedness, Manila has improved. They allocated more funds and they were able to tap it. And then they were able to utilize all the 897 barangays of the city. If you train 10 in each barangay, you will have almost 9,000 responders. That’s a big force,” Carlos said. In case of the expected powerful 7.2-magnitude earthquake, Carlos said most parts of Manila will either be destroyed by huge fires or

swept away by hundred-meter tall tsunamis, causing horrific number of deaths and massive destruction. Carlos is citing the earthquake damage scenario contained in the 2004 Metro Manila Earthquake Impact Reduction Study by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, the MMDA and Japan International Cooperation Agency, which grimly details the seemingly end-of-theworld situation when a powerful quake hits the NCR as a result of the sudden movement of the West Valley Fault. To prevent or lessen the number of casualties in case of the disaster, Estrada has allocated P617 million in additional funds to the city government’s continuous disaster risk reduction capabilitybuilding program. “Our plans also include the purchase of a long-range public address system, weather forecasting system, a mobile command and

control vehicle and more ambulances,” said Estrada. Based on the study’s Urban Vulnerability against Earthquake Damage, the Manila North Port Area, South-Eastern Manila, and Central Manila Bay Area are the “most vulnerable to flammability” and the evacuation would be “very difficult.” In this scenario, 170,000 residential houses will collapse, fires will burn approximately 1,710 hectares of land and properties, and 18,000 additional persons will be killed by the secondary disaster, the study stated. The MMDA initiated last year the conduct of a metro-wide shake drill after the Phivolcs came up with a warning of a massive quake if the Valley Fault System moves. The system is comprised of the 10-kilometer East Valley Fault in Rizal, and the 100-kilometer West Valley Fault, which passes through six Metro Manila cities and parts of the Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal provinces.

annual exodus. province-bound commuters queue up at a bus terminal to start their journey to the provinces, beating the holy week rush.

eY aCasIo

aguilar: 563 tech-voc grads await better opportunities

gatewaY. workers are pictured at the construction site of a flyover near the ninoy

aquino international airport, a public-private partnership project, in pasay city. the project aims to improve access to Manila’s international gateway. MannY PalMeRo

BETTER opportunities await 563 graduates of vocational and technical courses from Las Piñas City Manpower and Training Center to apply for work locally or abroad and can even start their own business. Las Piñas City Mayor Vergel “Nene” Aguilar said the city government will always find means to improve the living conditions of all Las Piñeros. He said the free training on various courses is aimed at helping the residents find gainful employment or start their own home-based or backyard business to aug-

ment their family’s meager income. The Manpower Training Center offers automotive servicing, commercial cooking, consumer electronics, food and beverages services, hairdressing, massage therapy, personal computer operations, refrigeration and aircon servicing, shielded metal arc welding, industrial electricity, cellphone repair, housekeeping and travel services. Aguilar said the center offers these training services to out of school youths and unemployed adults.

Graduates in the center were trained for various courses and specializations. These graduates are now ready to give quality and world-class service in all parts of the globe, he added. Aguilar encouraged out of school youths and those unemployed to avail the free skills training program to further enhance their skills and capabilities to gain employment. Additional training courses or specialization on courses have better opportunities to immediately gain employment, he said.

A8 CREATE ECOLOGY WARRIORS, SAYS SOLON By Maricel V. Cruz THE Philippine government should take its cue from former US Vice President Al Gore who tagged the Philippines as one of the world’s most vulnerable countries due to climate change by creating an army of so-called eco-warriors while generating tens of thousands of employment, a House leader said on Saturday. House deputy majority leader and Davao City Rep. Karlo Alexei Nograles, at the same time, pushed for the signing into law of the proposed Philippine Green Jobs Act of 2016 which has been approved by both chambers of Congress and pending for President Benigno Aquino III’s signature. Nograles is the principal author of the proposed law at the House of Representatives. The measure seeks to promote work that produce goods and services that benefit and preserve the environment. These particularly involve business enterprises that use fewer natural resources in their production processes. Nograles said that Gore’s observation on the impact of climate change should be taken very seriously by the government and that the Filipino people, including the leaders and policy makers, we must learn from the hard lessons of past weather-related calamities that destroyed communities and caused the death of many people. Nograles noted Gore’s claim that at least 13 million Filipinos will have to be relocated due to the rapidly rising sea level as a result of global warming because of the continuing skepticism among policy makers. “Even here in the Philippines, there’s a lot of skepticism when it comes to the extent of long term effects of climate change. While there is an increasing interest in the use of renewable energy and a growing awareness on the issue of climate change, the Philippines still has a long way to go before our policy makers and our people in general can truly embrace the concept of environmental protection and conservation,” Nograles said. Nograles stressed the government must step up efforts to ensure that the people becomes more adaptive to the rapidly changing weather conditions and harness people’s support and participation in the global movement to heal Mother Earth. He said that the Philippine Green Jobs Act can jumpstart the country’s contribution in generating environment warriors who would be in the frontline of the global campaign against climate change.

SUNDAY: MARCH 20, 2016

NEWS editorial@thestandard.com.ph

FIL-AMS VOUCH FOR POE’S LOYALTY TO PH COMING to the defense of presidential frontrunner Grace Poe, Global Pinoys and FilAm leaders from various US states expressed dismay over the continued attack by Associate Justice Antonio Carpio and other critics against the landmark majority ruling of the Supreme Court on Senator Grace Poe declaring her as a natural-born Filipino who has also met the 10year residency requirement to run for president. “We laud the Supreme Court led by Chief Justice Lourdes Sereno and the eight other magistrates for affirming the inherent rights of foundlings as natural-born citizens and the basic rights of overseas Filipino workers and Fil-Ams as represented by Senator Grace Poe. Her victory at the Supreme Court is not only her victory but the greater winners are the Filipino people themselves to include all Fil-Ams and overseas Filipinos,” said Fil-Am lawyer

Noriel L. Flores, one of the key leaders of Team Grace Poe Chiz Movement based in Los Angeles. “We look forward to seeing Grace Poe as the first Fil-Am to win the presidency as an affirmation of our status and role as part and parcel on the growth and rebuilding of our beloved Philippines as she will lead us to a new era of unity, peace, progress and sustainability to meet the challenges of the millennial times,” added Flores.

Former president of Pangasinan Brotherhood and a charter organizer of the Advocates for a Better Philippines Mel Castelo lamented the double standard being shown by Carpio and supporters of other presidential candidates on the status and treatment of Grace Poe, the Fil-Ams and OFWs: “We are not second-class citizens, much more as lesser Filipinos than the rest of our countrymen when we decide to settle overseas and work to have better life for our family. The same thing goes to Senator Grace Poe. Just like the majority of Fil-Ams, taking the oath of allegiance in another country is required as a responsible and grateful citizen in recognition of the adopted country’s legal requirements as well as appreciation for its responsibility to protect the immigrant’s rights.” On Grace Poe staying in the US, Castelo has this to say: “Just like all the rest of Fil-Ams, she cooked for her family, drove her children to school and herself to work, washed

clothes, cleaned the house, supported her husband in raising their children, braved winter and snow in the East Coast, sacrificed her comfort and convenience away from her parents celebrity FPJ and Susan in order to play best in her role as mother and wife. She was never a “Doña” or a “Señorita” while she stayed here.” He also praised Grace Poe for being a responsible and good citizen with American standard work ethic which she would carry on when she becomes Philippine president: “Just like the rest of Fil-Ams, she played by the rules and embraced the American standard and ethics of hard work, fairness, culture of excellence and equality. Living in America does not give you special treatment and privileges and Grace Poe just like many of us, lined up in groceries and malls to pay for the goodies she bought, paid her taxes dutifully, and, most importantly, just like all Fil-Ams, she always took pride of her roots as a Filipino and showing her stuff in the various jobs she experienced while staying here.”

MISS SINIGAYON. Leyte’s first district congressional candidate Yedda Romualdez (center) crowns Miss Sinigayon 2016 Queen Chainney Mae Ang during the 20th Sinigayon Festival at the public plaza of Sagay City. Looking on is Yedda’s husband senatorial bet Rep. Martin Romualdez. VER NOVENO

YOUTH VOICE HIGHLIGHTS ‘EARTH HOUR’ FORUM By Ronald O. Reyes

PEACE COVENANT.

Local officials and candidates, together with the police, firemen, military and civil society, sign up for a covenant to promote a peaceful and fair election during the signing ceremony held at the San Bartolome Church in Malabon City on Saturday. ANDREW RABULAN

TACLOBAN CITY—A student alliance of Philippine Science High School-Eastern Visayas campus on Saturday led the “Earth Hour” activity here through a forum and videomaking contest on climate change. “We would like to encourage you, to commit to a contribution against climate change through your everyday actions, from pledges like promising to never leave the water open while brushing your teeth to bringing a shopping bag with you instead of using plastic in the grocery store,” said Raiza Arielle Espina, a student leader of the school during the official launching of their social media advocacy campaign “Mission ASCEND [Actions to Save the Changing Environment through Network Development]”. “We believe that by creating a network of young dedicated individuals through

our generation’s superpower: social media we can be catalysts towards a global movement that aims towards the protection of our environment through individual contributions,” she added. Espina, in her speech, said that by using social media “we can reach the farthest corners of the Earth to connect as one voice.” “We are faced now with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. We call the youth of Eastern Visayas to use their voice. To use our voice to send a clear message to our global, national and local leaders that we should start transitioning to renewable energy and that we should start to create and live by a global policy on adaption and that we should make climate change a top government agenda,” said Andrea Alma Culibar, youth director of Tingog Kabataan, the youth volunteer group

of regional party-list group Tingog Sinirangan. “Climate change threatens the entire world. Yet it also provides an opportunity to come together and forge a collective response to a global problem,” she added. Meanwhile, Rey Garnace, campus director of Philippine Science High School in Palo, Leyte, urged the participants and the public to support the movement. “We only have one home to live— Earth. Let us take care of our home,” he said, recalling how climate change created an impact to schools and students after Super Typhoon ‘Yolanda’ hit the region in November 2013. According to Garnace, there is a need for local government units to establish permanent evacuation centers and not to use schools for the same purpose, saying it would disrupt classes and also incurred further damages.

SUNDAY: MARCH 20, 2016

Roderick T. dela Cruz EDITOR business@thestandard.com.ph extrastory2000@gmail.com

BUSINESS

F5 Networks Inc. senior manager for global security David Holmes (left) and country manager Oscar Visaya

CYBER EXPERTS WARN

BANKS OF MORE ATTACKS

GLOBAL cyber security experts visited Manila last week, amid a high-profile Senate probe into an $81-million theft of Bangladesh central bank’s money that reportedly ended up in a Philippine bank and three casinos, only to be withdrawn by unknown individuals later. “It was the first time it happened, to the best of my knowledge,” David Holmes, senior manager for global security of F5 Networks Inc., says in an interview at Makati Shangri-La Hotel, referring to the attack on the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication or Swift network, which handles messaging among international banks. “To the extent of my knowledge, there has not been a Swift compromise before. That’s not necessarily my expertise, but from the people I talked to, they said it is the first one and it is very significant. Now people know that it could be done, and you could pull off a heist of $100 million, every hacker in the world who deals with banks may be focused on that right now,” says Holmes, who is based in Colorado. Holmes, who was born in Quezon City but grew up in the US, says the risk was much higher last week, than it was a year ago. “But the protection will be better a year from now because of this,” he says. Holmes, who has a 25-year experience in security and product engineering, says many Philippine banks are already customers of F5 Networks, a US company which specializes in application delivery

networking technology. “We have a lot of banking customers here in the Philippines. It is a problem everywhere. When the amount is $100 million, I expect some finger pointing in the months to come,” he says, referring to the Bangladesh’s heist, allegedly perpetuated by a group that used Philippine banks and casinos as conduits. Holmes says as the banking technology becomes more digital, the sector will be more exposed to threats, and there will be a greater demand for cyber security experts. He says based on a study by research firm IDC, some 20 million jobs in cyber security will be unfilled globally by 2020. Cybercrime is estimated to cost the global economy some $455 billion annually, according to F5 Networks. In 2014 alone, around 42.8 million security incidents were detected by businesses, up 48 percent from 2013. Kapersky Lab, an international software security group, says in a separate report that in the third quarter of 2015, the Philippines ranked as the 33rd most malware infected country in the world. These attacks included mobile threats and money stolen from on-

line bank accounts. Meanwhile, Derek Manky, a global security strategist of Vancouver-based Fortinet Inc., says the state of cyber security now lags behind cybercrime in countries such as the Philippines. He says cybercrime is now valued anywhere between $500 billion and $1 trillion. Fortinet is a $1.2-billion cyber security organization, with 4,100 employees, with a goal to become the world’s leading cyber security solutions provider by 2020.

Now people know that it could be done, and you could pull off a heist of $100 million, every hacker in the world who deals with banks may be focused on that right now.

“Cybercrime has no borders. When we look at the global cybercrime trend, it is incredibly busy. We are seeing almost 500,000 hacking attempts in just one minute. In terms of malware, we are

seeing 100,000 attempts to plant malicious software,” Manky says in an interview at a restaurant in Makati City. Manky, who formulates security strategy, has more than a decade of advanced threat research. His ultimate goal is to make a positive impact towards the global war on cybercrime. He is in the board of the Cyber Threat Alliance where he works to shape the future of actionable threat intelligence. “When it comes to threat of cybercrime, there is no single silver bullet. Activities are happening at all levels. Cyber criminals are coming from all these verticals,” he says. “These attacks are spreading from anything around home automation, healthcare, medical, smartphones, infrastructure. Everything that is being connected to the Internet, in things that are becoming a part of our daily lives, we are seeing attacks on these networks,” says Manky. Money, he says, is the top motivation of cybercriminals. “What is driving all these numbers? Now, there is a lot of middlemen. There are affiliates that get paid to infect systems by criminal organizations,” he says. He says malware, or malicious code implanted in computer systems, increased 10 times in just two years from May 2013 to July 2015. “Mobile malware is very active in the Philippines...We are seeing worms that are affecting things like smart television, like routers. These worms are sitting on the routers and changing DNS

settings, so they can possibly filter and steal credentials for online banking,” he says. “We are in a big problem for 2016 and beyond when we will see a massive outbreak of big infection, surpassing the largest botnets [zombie army] in PC. I am talking 40 million to 50 million devices more,” says Manky. Manky, however, says going after the people behind cybercrimes such as the Bangladesh’s heist will take months, if not years. “I have heard three or four theories over the last day. They are jumping to conclusions. It took four years to investigate TJ Maxx, to get evidence. It takes time to understand these things,” he says, referring to the hacking of TJ Maxx credit cards. Philippine banks are now under pressure to increase their protection, after a branch of Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. was reportedly used by hackers to transfer $81 million from an account of Bangladesh central bank at the New York Federal Reserve. Hackers reportedly used a malware, similar to the one carried out by the Carbanak gang, to commit the illegal transfer to a Philippine bank. Carbanak gang reportedly stole $1 billion from financial institutions from 2013 to 2015. In the Bangladesh’s heist, the money transferred to RCBC was converted into Philippine pesos by remittance company Philrem Service Corp., through RCBC Treasury Remittance. It was then TURN TO B3

SUNDAY: MARCH 20, 2016

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

DAVID Minol, who grew up in the Czech Republic, describes the Philippines as a hot country, not only because of its tropical climate but also in terms of its rapidly growing economy. His company, Home Credit Philippines, is taking advantage of the large Filipino population and their growing penchant for appliances, electronics, mobile devices, computers and other gadgets. Home Credit Philippines lends to ‘unbanked’ people aiming to buy appliances, electronics or furniture on an installment basis. Two and a half years after it set up its shop in the country, the company lent nearly P2 billion to 200,000 borrowers and recruited 1,700 Filipinos mostly for its salesforce. “We call it consumer finance, which means we are in financial services, but in retail business. Our customers are in our mind. Our company is a customercentric organization, focused on the retail,” Minol says in an interview at a restaurant in Makati City. “Our customers are unbanked. Typically, they do not have the bank account, they do not have access to the traditional banking system. We are the ones that are giving them the first-time experience in financial services. We try to support the financial literacy program here,” he says. Minol says Home Credit Philippines is a non-banking financial institution, accredited by the Securities and Exchange Commission. “Having the experience from other countries, the application process and obtaining the license from SEC was one of the quickest in the Asian market. We really had very professional experience from the SEC,” he says. Home Credit, the parent company based in the Czech Republic, infused P2 billion worth of equity capital in the Philippine unit, which has offices in Ortigas and Cubao. Minol, who first arrived in the Philippines in July 2013, now lives in Dasmariñas Village, Makati City, along with his wife and two children. His daughter, the youngest, was born in the country. “We operate in mostly emerging markets. First, typically a significant proportion of the population is unbanked. There is a strong demand for financial services by the middle and lower-middle class. This is actually the spot, and the market segment that we are looking at. We are serving the people who are not served by traditional banking organizations,” says Minol. “If they go to the shop of SM Appliances, Automatic Centre and other big retailers, instead of paying cash or using the credit card, they can buy the goods and enjoy an affordable installment plan from Home Credit. This is our operation. We have our own people in the shop. We help customers in application process,

Home Credit Philippines president and chief executive David Minol (right) and public relations head Dmitry Borisenko

CZECH CEO BOOSTS FILIPINO SPENDING within 30 minutes. It is really easy, simple and fast procedure for the customer to get a loan, and he can leave the shop already with the electronic or mobile phone for example in his hand. That is our value proposition,” he says. Minol says borrowers prefer to pay in installment because they want to keep their cash. “We recently ran some marketing research about that. It is really about the available cash. For some of the customers, they prefer to keep their cash for other purposes. They would rather pay the downpayment, and pay in installment. For some of them, it is about upgrade. Instead of buying cheap feature phones, they prefer smartphones, with Internet functions, that they can use to find jobs. So they would use the money for the downpayment or upgrade ... We can really see a rich demand from mass and submass population for installment financing,” he says. The company, encouraged by the rapid pace of growth in the Philippines, now plans to introduce more financial products and even apply for a quasi-banking license with Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. Minol says the mass market comprises Home Credit’s customers. “It is the people who have income, either employed or self-employed or recipients of remittances from abroad, and who typically do not have credit cards,” he says. He says Home Credit also teaches financial literacy among

customers. While customers ventilate their grievances in the Internet over the alleged aggressive collection tactics by Home Credit collectors, Minol says it is important for the company to exercise risk management. “That is the cornerstone of our business. We manage the risk to make it a value proposition for the client,” he says.

We don’t do this business for the short term. It is for the long term. The point here is to be in the Philippines basically forever.

Home Credit provided its first loan in the Philippines in October 2013, making the country its youngest market in Asia. It provides loans ranging from P2,000 to P60,000, with an average size of P8,000. Average tenor is 12 months, although it could range from six months to 18 months, depending on the

commodity and the preference of customers. “We are growing. We already have 200,000 customers. Our average loan is P8,000. If you do the calculation, we will be already lending P2 billion in the first two and a half years of operation. We have invested significantly in the technology and the people. We are looking for profitability in the coming years,” he says. Minol, a chartered certified accountant and who has a Master’s degree in finance from the University of Economics, Prague, has worked with Home Credit since 2006, acting as deputy to the CEO and later chief financial officer for Home Credit China. He served as chief financial officer for Asia from 2011 to 2013, before he was tapped to form the Philippine unit in July 2013. Borrowers can apply for instore financing to purchase consumer durable goods by presenting at least two valid IDs, completing an application form and paying the downpayment. Applications are processed within 30 minutes, says Minol. Minol says Home Credit is now present in nearly 1,000 stores nationwide. Among its merchant partners are Acer, Automatic Centre, Lenovo, Memo Xpress, MyPhone, Oppo, Samsung, Silicon Valley, SM Appliance and Robinsons Appliances. “Our people are physically present in those shops. If you go to the Automatic Centre, for example, you can see Home Credit employees wearing the red

uniform. You can immediately apply for a loan from Home Credit. Instead of paying cash, you will get the gadget and pay in installment,” he says. Monthly installments are settled at BDO, RCBC, Malayan Bank, SM Stores, Bayad Center, LBC, Villarica Pawnshop, Prime Asia Pawnshop, Cebuana Lhuillier, 7-Eleven and various payments centers. The company is on an expansion mode and began operating outside Metro Manila, including Cavite, Pampanga, Cebu and recently Isabela. Home Credit started in 1997 in a village near Brno, the second biggest city in the Czech Republic. Its parent company is PPF (První privatizační fond), which is owned by billionaire Petr Kellner, the richest person in the Czech Republic. “Having a strong leadership and capital for expansion, he is one of the elements behind the Home Credit expansion as well,” Minol says. “After a couple of years, we expanded to Russia. It is still one of the biggest markets for us. Then we went to ex-Soviet Union countries. We have business for years already in Kazakhstan, Belarus and in 2006, we started operating in Asia. It is the first wave of Asian expansion, which had China and Vietnam,” he says. “I went in 2006 to China. Three or four years ago, we started looking at other opportunities in Asia. So we opened in India, TURN TO B3

SUNDAY: MARCH 20, 2016

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

CZECH... FROM B2 Indonesia and the Philippines. So the Philippines is the youngest market. Now, the last country that we are going to open in is the US. We have already signed a joint venture agreement. We will be opening our US operation in a month’s time,” he says. “We can see that the business is strictly diversified. It is in Europe, Russia, Asia and now the US. We are finally becoming a global company. We started in Czech Republic 20 years ago,” Minol says. On what makes Home Credit different, Minol says “the essence of the business is risk management.” “We believe that over the years, we have developed a unique know-how for the emerging market. If you look at most of our countries, they are emerging countries. We develop a set of procedures and train the people on how we do the risk management,” he says. Minol says Home Credit now has a significant operation in terms of the number of people. “Here in the Philippines today, we have 1,700 employees, which is after two and a half years of operation. That is a significant number. We keep hiring 100 to 200 people every month. In the horizon of next two to three years, we should be aiming at 5,000 people. Majority of the employees are in the sales force,” he says. Home Credit has emerged as the biggest employer among Czech companies in the Philippines. “In April, we will be opening our 1,000th shop. Today, that number is

960 something, so we will have 1,000 shops operating. And we will keep growing. We still see the potential, as the customer demand is much bigger than 1,000 shops. So we will continue with the expansion to bring our services to the broader population,” says Minol. “As of today, we have 200,000 customers. It is really the beginning. We have to be careful. We are looking for a significant number in terms of customers,” he says. Minol says the Philippines is an interesting market, because it has a long history of consumer finance that began in the 1960s. He says interest rates on Home Credit products range from 4 percent to 5 percent, depending on the commodity and maturity of the loan. “We now have selective producers and retailers with zero interest campaign, where customers do not pay any interest. We also have this campaign that if you pay all the installment on time, the last month is a gift from us. Instead of paying the 12th month installment, and you paid all the 11 months on time, the 12th month is for you and it is a gift. So it is a combination of different products. On average, I would say the interest is about 4 percent to 5 percent, monthly,” he says. Minol says Home Credit is in the Philippines for the long term, with a target to have 1 million customers in the coming years. “We don’t do this business for the short term. It is for the long term. The point here is to be in the Philippines basically forever. That’s why we don’t like the short cut. We want to build the business from the beginning,” he says. Roderick T. dela Cruz

‘GREEN VOTE’ AND THE ECONOMY THE ‘Green Vote’ campaign by non-government organizations should go beyond politics and involve a comprehensive discussion about the environment and economy, private think tank ADR Institute on Strategic and International Studies said. ADRI president Dindo Manhit said ‘green vote’ manifests the loud call for the next government to approach the issues of environment and economics as one comprehensive agenda. Renowned geologist and ADRI trustee CP David agreed, saying that environmental issues facing the country are complex and will need to be seriously addressed by the candidates. “Aside from mining, politicians vying for national positions should debate on marine protection, forestry, solid waste management and, of course climate change in relation to disaster risk management,” he said. Environment advocacy group Philippine Business for Environmental Stewardship also said the ‘green vote’ for the upcoming 2016 elections should be about policy reform and not politics. “A ‘green vote’ can be the vehicle to force solutions to the environment issues into the election debate and adopted in their platforms,” said PBEST secretary general Ysan Castillo. More than discrediting candidates because of their associations with mining, the ‘green vote’ should distinguish between the legitimate and highly regulated mining operations and illegal mining. “Mining by itself is not bad, but illegal practices and poor regulation resulting in damage to the environment gives a negative image to the industry that has the potential to be an economic game changer not just on a national but on far flung local areas with rich mineral deposits,” Castillo said. PBEST cited three of the country’s biggest mines that voluntary submitted their operations to third-party scrutiny last year to assess compliance with relevant environmental regulations. The Padcal mine of Philex in Benguet; the mine of Taganito Mining Corp., a Nickel Asia Corp. subsidiary in Surigao del Norte; and the mine of Carmen Copper Corp., subsidiary of Atlas Consolidated Mining and Development Corp. in Cebu all scored top marks in the PBEST Environmental Performance Tracking Program (EPTP). “The environment had never figured prominently in any administration’s agenda,” Manhit said. “So, the real task for the next president is determining how to strike a balance between environmental stewardship and development,” he said.

Fortinet Inc. global security strategist Derek Manky

CYBER...

FROM B1

transferred to three casinos before it was delivered to unknown individuals. “These sort of things have been happening for a long time now. Transferring money to offshore account is one thing. But [banks] need to secure from the inside out. Traditionally, security has been focused on the outside, keeping hackers out of the systems. What about the insider threat? If you have proper protection, you can quarantine threats...so that the attacker cannot even communicate,” Manky says. Manky says the alleged theft of nearly $100 million from Bangladesh’s central bank to banks in the Philippines would have not have happened without a middleman or an inside person. “I would not be quick to conclude that these are hackers. It could be an inside job,” he says. “People were quick to attribute that to Russia or China. We don’t know. The case of malicious code planted in cyber network, that could be used to transfer money out. That is case No. 1. The other case is insider job.” Jeff Castillo, country manager of Fortinet Philippines, says technology alone is not enough to execute a multi-million-dollar theft. “It always involved a person...a middleman,” he says. Fortinet, in its latest cyber threat assessment program, says no country is immune to security risks and attacks and computer networks around the world

are now at risk with sophisticated markets being no exception. The company says that in the first quarter of 2015, malware attacks in the Philippines mostly leveraged the use of JS (Java Script) and PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) based malware. “The key contributors to this growth are the WM and Android malware, both of which have since exploded by as much as 4 digit percentage points. The current top malware is WM/ TrojanDownloader.9BB7!tr and serves as a downloader for malicious executables using enabled Word macros,” Fortinet says. The study says among mobile malware, Triada is currently the top mobile malware in the Philippines. Triada is a sophisticated and modular Android malware that seeks to redirect the money used in in-app purchases to the threat actors. Kaspersky Lab says Triada, a new Trojan targeting Android devices, is stealthy, modular, persistent and written by very professional cybercriminals. The stealth capabilities of this malware are very advanced. After getting into the user’s device, Triada implements in nearly every working process and continues to exist in the short-term memory. This makes it almost impossible to detect and delete using antimalware solutions, according to Kaspersky Lab. The Philippines is among the countries attacked by the Triada malware. The percentage of users attacked in the country is not as many as the incidents recorded

in Russia, India and China. However, Kaspersky Lab says makers of Triada are still actively lurking and waiting for more prey. “Kaspersky Lab has recorded a few incidents of Triada infection in the country last year. This clearly shows Filipino Android users are not safe. With nine out of 10 Filipino mobile users using Android-powered devices, the Philippines is definitely at risk of more Android malware infections,” says Anthony Chua, territory channel manager for the Philippines and Singapore at Kaspersky Lab Southeast Asia. “The Triada malware is a stealthy and continuously evolving malware with the sole target of infecting more and more Android devices. Because it is modular, it can expand and upgrade and we cannot tell exactly who their next targets would be,” Chua says. Kaspersky Lab says Triada is yet another sign that malware developers are taking Android seriously, and the latest samples are almost as complex and hard to withstand, as their Windows-based kin. The only good way to fight all these threats is to be proactive, and so a good security solution is a must, it says. John Maddison, senior vice president of products and solutions at Fortinet, says in a statement that businesses, being constantly under cyber attack, should be more prepared. “With the attack surface dramatically increased and a mature attackers ecosystem, companies have to be ever more vigilant across all their IT assets,” says Maddison. Roderick T. dela Cruz

WORLD

ROMNEY BACKS TED TO BEAT DONALD

AMBASSADOR. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon designates Angry Bird Red as Honorary Ambassador for Green along with Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad, and Maya Rudolph at the United Nations General Assembly Hall during the celebrations of the International Day of Happiness in New York. AFP

GROUPS SLAM BEIJING OVER MISSING JOURNO HONG KONG—Rights groups have condemned China after a Beijing-based journalist went missing, linking his disappearance to an unusual open letter calling for President Xi Jinping’s resignation. Jia Jia, a freelance journalist, has not been seen since Tuesday, his lawyer told AFP, without giving further details. Amnesty International said a close friend of Jia told the group he disappeared some time after going through customs at Beijing airport when about to board a flight to Hong Kong.

“He went missing on the 15th,” lawyer Yan Xin said, citing the journalist’s wife. City University of Hong Kong also confirmed to AFP that Jia had not turned up to a seminar he was due to give on Thursday. “We are deeply concerned by Chinese journalist Jia Jia’s disappearance,” said Bob Dietz, Asia program coordi-

nator for the Committee to Protect Journalists. “If he is in police custody, officials must disclose where they are holding him and why. If anyone else knows where he is, they should step forward and clarify this worrisome mystery.” Under Xi, China’s ruling Communist Party has tightened controls over civil society, detaining or interrogating more than 200 human rights lawyers and activists last year in what analysts have called one of the biggest crackdowns on dissent in recent times. Sophie Richardson, China

director for Human Rights Watch, voiced concern over Jia on Twitter. “#China disapps journo— no longer enough to just erase all trace of criticism. Trend now is to erase critics, too,” she tweeted. Both Amnesty and the CPJ have linked Jia’s disappearance to an open letter published on the news website Wujie News earlier this month calling for Xi’s resignation. The letter, which was rapidly removed, was signed “Loyal Communist Party members,” but little else is known about its authorship.

“His going missing is most likely related to the publishing of the letter and perhaps the authorities’ implication of his involvement or knowledge of the letter,” Amnesty China researcher William Nee told AFP. “Journalists and activists are forced all the time to ‘drink tea’ with the authorities... but it generally doesn’t last this long,” he said, adding that officials usually try to extract information during such meetings. However, Jia’s lawyer Yan said his disappearance may not be connected to the letter. AFP

WA S H I N G T O N — MITT Romney, the 2012 Republican nominee for the White House, said Friday he will vote for Ted Cruz in next week’s Utah primary, all but endorsing the arch-conservative senator as he seeks to derail Donald Trump’s nomination bid. Romney, who has led the charge among party elites to prevent the celebrity billionaire from becoming the Republican standard-bearer, said on Facebook that he was encouraging others to vote for Cruz as a firewall against what he called “Trumpism.” “Through the calculated statements of its leader, Trumpism has become associated with racism, misogyny, bigotry, xenophobia, vulgarity and, most recently, threats and violence. I am repulsed by each and every one of these,” Romney said. “The only path that remains to nominate a Republican rather than Mr. Trump is to have an open convention,” Romney added, referring to the rare situation in which delegates gather for their party convention with no candidate having the majority needed to seize the nomination outright. “At this stage, the only way we can reach an open convention is for Senator Cruz to be successful in as many of the remaining nominating elections as possible.” Romney still holds considerable sway in Utah after overseeing the rescue of the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, which were called into jeopardy amid a bribery scandal. The state votes next Tuesday along with Arizona. AFP

RUSSIA PLANE CRASH KILLS 62

HAPPINESS. Young Indian revellers covered in coloured powder celebrate Lathmar Holi

in the village of Nandgaon on March 18, 2016. Holi, also called the Festival of Colours, is a popular Hindu spring festival observed in India at the end of the winter season on the last full moon day of the lunar month. AFP

ROSTOV-ON-DON—ALL sixty-two people on board a flydubai Boeing 737 were killed when the plane crashed and burst into flames as it was landing in Rostov-on-Don, in Southern Russia on Saturday morning, officials said. The plane was making its second attempt to land in bad weather when it missed the runway, erupting in a huge fireball as it crashed and leaving debris scattered across a wide area. “Flydubai regrets to confirm that flight FZ981 crashed on landing and that fatalities have been confirmed as a result of this tragic accident,” the airline said on its Facebook page. Russian investigators confirmed that all 62 people on board were killed, raising the initial toll by one.

“According to the initial information, there were 55 passengers and seven crew members on board. They are all dead,” investigators said. The passengers were all Russian nationals, including four children, local news channel LifeNews reported, describing the crew as unspecified “foreigners.” Footage shown on local media showed a huge fireball engulfing a wide area after the plane went down. The authorities took more than an hour to get the blaze under control, the emergencies ministry said. More than 500 rescuers and 60 vehicles were dispatched to the crash site, the ministry added. “The plane skimmed the ground and broke into several

pieces,” the investigators said, and LifeNews reported that fragments of the Boeing 737 were scattered up to 1.5 kilometers (one mile) from the crash site. A strong wind warning was in place and it was raining hard at the time of the crash, and according to LifeNews, the plane had been circling the area trying to land for two hours because of the poor weather. Other flights had been diverted to Krasnodar airport, 300 kilometers south of Rostov-on-Don. A criminal investigation into the accident has been launched to determine whether any safety regulations were violated and if negligence played any part in the crash. AFP

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WORLD editorial@thestandard.com.ph

‘EUROPE’S MOST WANTED’ NABBED BRUSSELS— TOP Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam, Europe’s most wanted man, was wounded and captured in a dramatic raid by armed police in the Belgian capital on Friday. Abdeslam, 26, and four other suspects were arrested in the gritty Brussels neighbourhood of Molenbeek, where the Franco-Moroccan allegedly helped plan the November 13 attacks in which 130 people were killed and 350 injured. Abdeslam was lightly wounded in the leg during the raid, prosecutors said. “The battle against terrorism does not end tonight, even though this is a victory,” French President Francois Hollande told a news conference in Brussels with Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel. “I think of the victims of November 13, because Salah Abdeslam was directly linked to the preparation, the organisation and unfortunately the perpetration of these attacks.” Hollande, whose embattled presidency will be defined by his response to the worst terror attacks on French soil, said Paris would request Abdeslam’s extradition from Belgium “as rapidly as possible”. “Our fight is not over, and tomorrow morning, in the light of the information that has been given to me, I will chair a meeting of the defense council,” Hollande said. The meeting will bring together ministers and senior officials in charge of security. Michel, who rushed out of an EU summit for a crisis meeting with Hollande, said Abdeslam’s capture was “extremely important in the battle for democracy against this abominable form of extremism”. Also arrested was a man known by the fake name Amine Choukri, who also used a false Syrian name Monir Ahmed Alaaj. Abdeslam and Choukri were fingerprinted by police in Germany on October 5, a month before the terror assault.

Choukri could also be a Soufiane Kayal who was pulled over by police on the Austrian border with Hungary in September, again with Abdeslam. The only man known for sure to be still be on the run is Mohamed Abrini, who was filmed with Abdeslam two days before the attacks at a

petrol station on a motorway close to Paris. Former small-time criminal Abdeslam is believed to be the last surviving member of the 10-man jihadist team that carried out attacks on the Bataclan rock venue, restaurants, bars and the Stade de France stadium. He apparently fled

by car to his hometown Brussels the day after the rampage, having refused to blow himself up, and is believed to have spent much if not all of the subsequent four months in the city. Prosecutors said special forces raided a house in Molenbeek on Friday because of evidence found in an operation in

Brussels on Tuesday, in which a Paris-linked suspect died in a gun battle with police and two other people escaped. One of Abdeslam’s fingerprints was found at the scene of Tuesday’s raid, sparking the huge manhunt that led to his capture. A witness told AFP the operation began

at around 1530 GMT when dozens of police cars swooped into the run-down Molenbeek neighbourhood. “I heard about three or four shots fired, but they were muffled, as if taking place indoors,” said Karim, a charity employee who lives in the largely Muslim Molenbeek. Footage on Belgian

media appeared to show a white-hooded Abdeslam being dragged to a waiting police car by armed special forces officers. Belgium has been at the centre of the investigation into the Paris attacks almost from day one, and has been accused of blunders that let the perpetrators slip under the radar. AFP

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2015 www.thestandard .com.ph editorial@thesta ndard.com.ph

Davao’s safe image a myth, LP says

E TAKES 2N D HIT cites ‘misrepresen

Comelec 1st Divisi on cancels her CoC,

eta dy Aran By San Paolo Bencito III and John Aquino

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Like the 2nd Division that ruled against last week on a similar Poe said Poe committed petition, the 1st Division material misrepresenta in her CoC when tion she claimed she was born citizen and that she had resided a naturalippines for 10 years—both in the Philrequirements for ning for president. run-

in defen for the parties President , As the blamed other Transit system and Davao at the Metro Rail e stopped runsertroubles uter train servicmaintenance the comm —just as a new over. that g ning twiceder was takin a announced by vice provi same day, Abay rtium led a On the n-Filipino conso . had signed the Corp the Korea portation contract with sere Trans e enanc Busan maint maintenanc had three-year t to provide reports that it congovernmen MRT despite deal amid in a the gled negotiated vices to out of the become entan consorbacked it would an-Filipino cerns that by a Germ Industrietechnik filed ology -und lawsuit k Bahn and TechnTranstium, Schun m Builders against e the -Com B&T, GmbH . or SBI-C Abaya befor Phils. Corp ls, including railway port officia yan. Busan ithe of Sandiganba g their techn operator “With theSouth Korea sharin can expect an in and public network tise, the riding running trains a in cal exper the number of Abaya said page in Next increase ncy of operations,” ing. the efficie Friday morn statement

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tation’

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan and Macon Ramos-Ara neta

THE Commission Division cancelled on Elections 1st the Certificate of Candidacy of Senator Grace Poe on Friday, dealing to her run for the a second blow presidency.

Voting 2-1, the 1st missioner Christian Division headed by ComRobert Lim favored tions of former Senator the petiFrancisco Tatad, sity of the East Law UniverLa Salle University Dean Amado Valdez, and De professor Antonio “Upon reviews Contreras. of and jurisprudence the facts, applicable laws, , grant the petitions the Commission resolves to and cancel the Certificate Candidacy of respondent,” the resolution said. of Poe twitted the the facts and said commissioners for ignoring it identity was being was “hurtful” that her very taken away from her. “We submitted evidence of my citizenship residence, putting and our full faith in a Poe said. just process,” “However, it is sad has chosen to ignore the Comelec 1st Division the facts just to deny chance to better me the serve our countrymen, deny our people and also their choices in an tion. “I am a true Filipino from birth. open elecas a Filipino, lived, I was studied, got married raised Philippines, and in the wish to serve my nos as a Filipino,” fellow Filipishe Poe’s lawyer, Georgesaid. Garcia, said vision decision would not stop the 1st Dicandidacy. the senator’s Next page

Losing her identity.

Elections again

Independent presidential candidate Senator ruled against her on Friday, but was Grace Poe says she hurt by attempts was not surprised to take away her that the Commission very identity.

Mar no expert in

By Vito Barcelo

helping people—B inay

two to a group of students in Dumagete THE camp of Vice City in Negros Oriental, law,” Quicho said. nay lashed back President Jejomar BiRoxas “commended” a Roxas bailiwick. “This is something Friday at Liberal that is lost to SecParty for sharing his “expertise”the vice president retary Roxas standard bearer Manuel and the LP administration on the subject. ing him of disrespecting Roxas II, accusBinays spokesman, , Rico Quicho shot who do not respect the rule of and twisting the back law to advance his law and Friday. twist the law to advance own On Thursday, Roxas selfish agenda. “The vice president selfish political agenda.” their narrow and mocked Binay an “expert in graft lawyer. The difference was speaking as a Quicho also twitted and corruption,” as between graft and Roxas, saying the he explained the after corruption is something administration had difference between no expertise the and those who understandclear to lawyers proving the lives of poor Filipinos. in imand respect the

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Opposition mayor gets suspended in Cebu

* For more details, please contact the following : Baldwin Felipe 0905-502-6548 brfelipe@thestandard.com.ph Mitos Lusterio 0917-206-1376 mllusterio@thestandard.com.ph Aaron Morissey J. Tolosa 0917-2015987 ajtolosa@thestandard.com.ph Aileen Frugal 0906-2200627 amfrugal@thestandard.com.ph

S u N d aY : M a r C H 2 0 , 2 0 1 6

SPORTS

reuel vidal EDITOR

sports@thestandard.com.ph

Melecio, Ayo set to teAM up in uAAp wArs

By Peter Atencio

Alaska Aces forward Calvin Abueva (8) gallops down court at full speed leaving behind Barangay Ginebra import Othyus Jeffers (12) and Earl Scottie Thompson (6).

By Reuel Vidal

CALVIN Abueva has been living up to his moniker The Beast with monster numbers in the 2016 Oppo-Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup. Last week he won back-toback PBA Player of the Week citations after leading Alaska to five consecutive victories. Abueva hasn’t been dominant just the past two weeks, he’s been working hard the whole conference. The imports of the 12 teams have been dominating the individual statistics this conference but fired up by the upgraded competition Abueva is in the top 10 in five statistical categories. He is seventh in scoring (16.33 points), fourth in rebounds (8.67), eighth in steals (1.33) and blocks (0.83), and tenth in assists (3.5). The last conference he played this well, he helped Alaska win the 2013 PBA Commissioner’s Cup crown and then went on to win Rookie of the Year as well. This bodes well for Alaska fans who are hoping for another PBA title for their favorite team. Thanks to Abueva’s efforts the Aces (5 wins, 2 losses) are now in second place in the standings behind only the surprising Meralco Bolts (62). Trailing them are the San Miguel Beermen (4-2), Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (3-2) and the Rain Or Shine Elasto Painters (4-3). The other teams include the Star Hotshots (4-4), the NLEX Road Warriors (3-4), Tropang TNT (3-4), the Mahindra Enforcers (3-4), the Blackwater Elite (3-5), the Phoenix Petroleum Fuel Masters (2-4) and the GlobalPort Batang Pier (2-6).

Can abueva lead alaska

to 15th Pba Crown? Abueva was at his best against Barangay Ginebra when he stood out at both ends of the court. He hounded Barangay Ginebra import Othyus Jeffers all game long limiting the high-scoring import’s production early on to help the Aces put up a big lead and then eventually hang on to post a scrambling 86-80 victory. Abueva finished with 17 points, nine rebounds and four assists to help the Alaska snap Ginebra’s three-game winning streak. Three days later Abueva showcased his frightening will as he led the Aces past GlobalPort Batang Pier 103101. Not even a sprained right

Alaska Aces forward Calvin Abueva (8) dribbles past Rain Or Shine Elasto Painters guard Gabe Norwood (5) as he drives strong into the paint.

ankle in the first half could slow him down as he finished with a career-high 29 points to go with 14 rebounds, four assists and two blocks to win Player of the Game Honors. Abueva twisted his ankle as he charged after a loose ball and smashed into the sideline advertising billboards. He came back to will the Aces to victory past an equally determined GlobalPort crew. Jonathan Uyloan drilled back-to-back triples as the Aces found themselves trailing, 83-87, with 7:33 to go in the game. Ping Exciminiano and RJ Jazul each drilled a three-pointer to go with a pair of free throws by Abueva to tie the count at 91-all with 5:06 left to play. Abueva seemed to be everywhere at that point. He was defending, rebounding, dishing off or putting up the points as he scored on a hook shot and a pair of free throws to push Alaska ahead by three points, 97-94, with 3:07 remaining. GlobalPort import Shaw n Taggart countered with a jumpshot to cut the Alaska lead to one, 97-96, with 2:46 left to play. The Aces missed on their next attempt b u t Abue-

va grabbed the offensive rebound and then as he went out of bounds, he dished off to Shane Edwards who was underneath the goal. The Alaska import scored from underneath the goal to push the Aces ahead by three points, 99-96, with 2:29 to go in the game. GlobalPort could not score in their next possession. Chris Banchero then dribbled past Jeric Fortuna and drilled a jumper to virtually seal the outcome of the match, 101-96. This is a conference that is supposed to be dominated by imports. But instead of taking a backseat Abueva is actually playing like an import. He’s obviously fired up by the bigger, athletic reinforcements and showing that a local homegrown talent can compete against the best from overseas. Abueva hasn’t won a Best Player of the Conference award yet. The Alaska system distributes the minutes allocated to the players which means that no individual Alaska player gets enough minutes to jack up his individual statistics enough to win the award. The welcome tradeoff is a better performance by the team overall. Alaska seems to have settled into a pattern of winning a PBA title every three years. They won PBA titles during the 2000 All-Filipino, 2003 Invitational, 2007 Fiesta, 2010 Fiesta and 2013 Commissioner’s. They are doing well and are among the leaders this conference. So again the question: can Calvin Abueva lead the Alaska Aces to their 15th PBA crown?

NOW that his junior basketball days are over, University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) 78th season junior basketball Most Valuable Player Aljun Melecio is set to reunite with National Collegiate Athletic Association senior basketball champion coach Aldin Ayo. Both Melecio and Ayo were discovered by the JrNBA Presented by Alaska annual search for the best basketball talent in the country. At the end of the 2012 National Training Camp, Melecio was named MVP while Ayo was selected Coach of the Year. They will be reunited when Melecio joins the La Salle University Green Archers. Ayo, after transferring from the Letran Knights, wants Melecio to be a member of the Green Archers. Ayo is working on having a well-balanced and wellrounded team just like the Letran Knights which won the 91st National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball crown. Ayo said he has always kept an eye out for Melecio, who has shown vast improvement after playing in the UAAP junior cagefest. He has watched him play, and has seen how Melecio has improved over the last four years. “Maraming papahirapan iyan. In four years, ang laki ng improvement,” said Ayo last December when he received the coach of the year award in the Collegiate Basketball Awards presented by the UAAP-NCAA Press Corps and Smart Sports at the Saisaki-Kamayan restaurant in EDSA. The 17-year-old Melecio first caught the eye of Ayo when the youth joined the JrNBA Presented by Alaska camp four years ago. The shifty point guard, a product of Lourdes School Mandaluyong, has gone places afterwards. Melecio ended the 78th UAAP junior cage season with a bang as he snatched MVP honors from National University big man Justine Baltazar. He averaged 22.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.3 steals for Junior Archers, who eventually lost the crown to the NU Bullpups. As he enters the Green Archers’ den, Melecio feels that a different ballgame awaits him. “Kailangan ko bigyan si Coach Aldin ng quality minutes para masanay rin ako at makacontribute sa La Salle,” said Melecio. The Green Archers, according to Ayo, is getting strong under the boards, and speedier with the new and old players who have joined the practices in preparation for UAAP Season 79. Graduating players Jeron Teng, Thomas Torres, Julian Sargent and Jason Perkins have reported back to practice since Ayo replaced Juno Sauler. And they are looking forward to bringing the Green Archers to the finals, and a better finish before they leave the collegiate ranks. To date, Ayo has assembled a 17-man pool, which also includes the come-backing Ben Mbala, Abu Tratter, Andrew Langston, Enzo Navarro, Prince Rivero, Amiel Joson, Joshua Torralba, Andrei Caracut, Daryl Pascual, Jollo Go, Thomas Torres, Larry Muyang and John Gob. He will add La Salle Greenhills cager Ricci Rivero another product of JrNBA Presented by Alaska. Both Melecio and Rivero have committed to playing for the team after having a word with team manager and patron Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco Jr.

La Salle’s Aljun Melecio (11) dribbles past three Ateneo Blue Eaglets during the UAAP junior basketball stepladder semis which La Salle won. PeteR Atencio

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SPORTS

ArmAN Armero EDITOR

sports@thestandard.com.ph

uaap 2016 Baseball Champion.de la salle university skipper Carlos munoz holds aloft the championship trophy as he poses with his teammates duringthe awarding ceremony of the 2016 Season UAAP Baseball championship held last Monday at the Rizal Memorial Ballpark. The Green Archers finally won the baseball championship after 13 years at the expense of deposed champion Ateneo Blue Eagles with a comefrom-behind victory, 11-9 in Game 2 to complete a a 2-0 sweep in their best-of -three finals. DLSU 2003 top player Joseph Orillana also took his first crown as head coach of de la salle. munoz played his last remarkable season as an archer. Danny Simon

finally, dlsu iX are champs again By Danny Simon

AFTER thirteen years, the long wait is over for the De La Salle Green Batters. And it was indeed satisfying for coach Joseph Orillana, who was part of the team that gave De La Salle its last baseball championship (20022003) in the UniversityAthletic Association of the Philippines. With Orillana’s guidance, the De La Salle IX toppled its archrival in a tight 11-9 victory in Game 2 of the 2016 UAAP baseball finals at the Rizal Memorial ballpark. The win capped the The Taft-based batters sweep of the best-of-three championship series, 2-0 that also

stopped the grandslam bid of the Katipunan sluggers of coach Randy Dizer. Green Batters pitchers Boo Barandiaran and rookie Diego Lozano, who dominated the mound and were spectacular in neutralizing Ateneo’s hitting prowess in the crucial stretches, were later named Finals coMVP’s . “Fulfilled na ako as a player and as a coach of my alma mater,” said the 35 years old Orillana, a former national baseball team standout, who was a pitcher in their back-to-back championship for La Salle more than a decade ago. DLSU skipper Carlos Munoz, who is in his last season, expressed his happiness over the championship as it came before he leaves La

Salle for good. “”It’s a very special feeling, Finally I won a championship before I’ll kiss my collegiate baseball career goodbye,” said Munoz who acknowledged the full support and trust of the De La Salle management his teammates, his coaches Orillana, Alex Estipular and Fulgencio Rances, sports director Nong Calanog and team manager/father Pepe Munoz. Despite the graduation of some of the team’s key players, including his son Carlos, the elder Munoz, however, remains upbeat that De La Salle will have another fruitful baseball season next year as the team remains intact and formidable for another back-toback title conquest.

dlsu sports director nong Calanog and team manager pepe munoz are shown here in photo during the championship game.

Cavs, Thunder ClinCh playoff spoTs, Warriors Thump mavs ThE Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder clinched NBA playoff berths on Friday as reigning champions Golden State continued to roll toward the postseason with a win at Dallas. In Orlando, Kyrie Irving scored 26 points and added five assists to lead the Cavaliers to a 109-103 victory over the Magic. Irving, who had 33 points Wednesday in a victory over Dallas, scored 10 points in the decisive fourth quarter as the Cavs overcame a big night from Magic guard Victor Oladipo. Oladipo scored a career-high 45 points, but only six in the fourth period. Cleveland superstar LeBron

James, back after resting one game, had 18 points, eight assists and seven rebounds as the Cavs improved their East-leading record to 49-19. They made their playoff spot official, but coach Tyronn Lue said there was no time to celebrate. “We thought we were going to make the playoffs, so it wasn’t really a big deal to clinch,” Lue said. “We have bigger things ahead of us.” Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant again led the way for the Oklahoma City Thunder as the Northwest Division clinched a playoff berth with a 111-97 victory over the lowly 76ers in Philadelphia. Westbrook delivered his

league-leading 13th triple-double of the season with 20 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists. “I come out and compete every night at a high level and try to keep my energy up for my teammates,” Westbrook said. “I think it’s fun to see where we’re playing the right way. It’s fun for our guys to see everybody happy playing the right way.” Durant added 26 points, 13 rebounds and six assists, scoring at least 20 points for the 54th straight game. Enes Kanter scored 16 points and Steven Adams had 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Thunder, who improved to 47-22. They are third in the Western

Conference behind the Golden State Warriors and the San Antonio Spurs. The Warriors improved to 62-6 with a 130-112 triumph over the Dallas Mavericks. The Warriors avenged one of their six defeats this season—a loss in Dallas on December 30 when reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry was sidelined with a minor injury. This time Curry scored 31 points, Klay Thompson scored 39 and made 10 of 15 from threepoint range as the Warriors warmed-up for their marquee matchup with the Spurs in San Antonio on Saturday. The showdown between the

two best in the West, neither of whom has lost at home yet this season, will see the Warriors without Australian big man Andrew Bogut. he departed at halftime with a left big toe injury. Coach Steve Kerr said Bogut wouldn’t play on Saturday and in a nod to the fatigue his players are feeling added: “If I had any guts, I’d sit everybody.” Curry, however, said the Warriors would be ready to go in San Antonio. “We’ll be fine,” he told ESPN. “They’re playing really well right now and we have an opportunity to go in, and it’s going to be a tough test for us.”

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reUel viDAl EDITOR sports@thestandard.com.ph

sports

Aldus Brigino of PayMaya (left), Gilas coach Tab Baldwin (center) and Mel Macasaquit of Melmac Sports, the official licensee of Gilas Merchandise, holds the latest Gilas 4.0 shirt.

GILAS 4.0

The To By Randy Caluag

oad io

AMERICAN coach Tab Baldwin is busy building the Gilas 4.0 Team faced with the gargantuan task of bringing back the Philippine flag to the Olympics. Taking time out from his usual coaching chores, Baldwin made a sales pitch for t-shirts, which he said, have the unique ability of making a beautiful future for basketball in the Philippines. These shirts are not you ordinary daily wear, though. Not because they will make the wearer fly like Michael Jordan, nor will they allow you to shoot the ball from way, way out ala-Steph Curry. These shirts are official Gilas merchandise, whose proceeds will go the Gilas and Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas grassroots program. “The reason for me doing this is the genuine passion for the sport. Knowing that was enough for me to get on board,” said Baldwin, during the Gilas Official Merchandise launch recently. Baldwin has recognized the big potential of the brand Gilas becoming a hit internationally, but before savvy entrepreneurs take advantage of its growing populari-

ty, it must be used for a great cause. “This isn’t just about branding, this is all about what the whole campaign of Gilas means to this country and that this merchandise is the best way for all people of this country who love the sport of basketball to enjoy the Gilas brand, to be part of the Gilas brand, the large Gilas family. In a small way, all those buying this official merchandise, gives back to the future of the game in this country,” added Baldwin. Mel Macasaquit of Melmac Sport, was given a license by the SBP, to manufacture and market official Gilas merchandise, on the condition that they would be affordable to ordinary Filipino basketball fans. Major proceeds, too, will have to go to the grassroots program of basketball. “There are a lot of Gilas items in the market today and only a few are reaping the benefits from it. So one night, I met with the SBP and

MVP Sports Foundation to hatch the idea. Now, here are the Gilas merchandise, officially licensed, very affordable and profits going back to basketball,” said Macasaquit. And Baldwin was quick to appeal to the fans not to patronize the “fake ones.” “It doesn’t make any sense to buy any shirt that has no (official) tag on it, so that’s my appeal to the fans. It’s important, that when we look at the kids in this country, who love the sport and play the game, whether it’s on street corners, on makeshift gyms, on beaches with a basketball nailed to a coconut tree, these are the people that needs SBP support, these are the kids that need coaches, these are the kids that need basketball in their hands, these are the kids that need to shoot a real hoop on which to shoot, and that takes money,” he said. “And if some of that money will come from these shirts, then would we go to any other place to support to these kids playing basketball? To me, it’s common sense, I’m proud to promote the legiti-

macy of these project. Let’s make this place a better place to live in,” Baldwin continued. Gilas merchandise can be bought online by simply logging onto the Gilas site operated by Melmac and Takatack.com and can be paid using PayMaya card. Fans can also visit Robinson Malls nationwide and buy through cash or use PayMaya card for debit payment. Olympic Qualifier When asked about his main task of forming the best for the Olympic qualifying in July at the Mall of Asia Arena, Baldwin said he is confident that he will be able to form the best team possible. Baldwin is hailed by the Kiwis for bringing their national team— the Tall Blacks—to their highest achievement--the semifinals of the 2001 World Championships. He made Filipinos proud by steering the Gilas team to silver medals in the William Jones Cup in Taipei and the FIBA Asia Cup in China last year. And what made it all the more impressive was the fact that the Gilas team that took part was without the PBA’s best players.

Terrence Romeo is one player high on the list of coach Tab Baldwin. (FIBA.COM)

“We’re looking good. It’s great working with a great organization like the MVP Group. In all the experience that I had gone through around the world and in all the coaching that I had done, I had never seen the kind of support that we have been getting from an organization like the MVP. If it can be done, it will be done by this organization,” Baldwin said. Dubbed as underdogs, Gilas will be up against powerhouse teams New Zealand and France, which will be bannered by NBA stars Tony Parker, Boris Diaw, Nicolas Batum, and Rudy Gobert. New Zealand may have Oklahoma City Thunder’s Steven Adams in its roster. Gilas has to get at least three wins to clinch one of the three remaining berths to the Olympics set in August in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Baldwin said any team is beatable, even France, and he is banking on Gilas’ spirit, plus the full support of the Filipino fans. “I think our players want to show the other teams that we are equal, if not the better team. That’s what we’re all hoping for,” he said. Dedication and character Baldwin is now on daily grind of picking the best candidates for the Gilas 4.0 squad and if there is one player that he definitely wants to have in his roster, it’s Terrence Romeo of GlobalPort. “I’ll tell you this, if we have basketball players in this country that have the work ethics and dedication like Terrence Romeo’s, we would have some NBA players right now. Because I have never seen a basketball player who is dedicated to his craft like this kid is. He makes the most of what God has given him. I have a lot of respect and admiration for Terrence,” said Baldwin.

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TATUm ANchETA EDITOR

BING PArEL

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

BErNADETTE LUNAS WRITER

life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIfEatStandard

S U NDAY L If E

LIFE

Fun SummER ACTIvITIES TO kEEp kIDS hAppIly buSy “N o more classes, no more books, no more teachers’ dirty looks! Summer time!” This is a phrase familiar with fans of that pesky wabbit Bugs Bunny, and one that many school kids love to chant at the end of school. After all, summer is all about having fun under the sun, lazing around without having to worry about quizzes, long exams, homework and school projects. For parents however, summer

brings on another challenge – how to keep kids from getting bored and prevent them from getting on the nerves of mom with their endless whining that “there’s nothing to do here!” Fortunately, there are a lot of activities that can keep restless little tykes happily occupied. Whether it’s sports, arts and crafts, acting or science and technology, there’s a workshop or activity suited to various ages and interests. Here’s the lowdown.

A GOOD WAy TO ST’ART SummER

DO-ThE-ROnAlD WITh mCDOnAlD’S kIDDIE CREW

Ayala Museum partners with the Department of Tourism and Faber-Castell for this arts and craft workshop inspired by Philippine festivals. Targeted for kids aged 7-12, participants will learn new art techniques, painting, floral arrangement, decorations, fan making, and many other artistic pursuits while getting immersed in the stories and cultures in our regions. Sessions will be held every Saturday starting from April 9 until May 28 from 2:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. Pre-registration is required, and workshop fees are P650 per session and P4,550 for a season pass. The fees cover one child and come with basic materials and handouts. Guardians will be allowed to wait in designated areas only. For inquiries and reservations, call 7598288 local 35 or email santiago.mf@ayalamuseum.org. Look for Sofie Santiago or any Tours and Education associate.

It’s never too early to teach kids the value of hard work, and McDonald’s 5-day summer workshop is an opportunity to teach children about discipline, hard work, teamwork, responsibility and sharing through art workshops, onthe-floor training, and other fun group activities. The workshop is geared for children 6-12 years of age, with a minimal fee of P650 that comes with a t-shirt, cap, bag, ID, workshop materials, and meals for five days. As kiddie crew, children will also get onthe-floor training like greeting customers and assisting the crew at the drive-thru and front counters in the participating branches nationwide. Plus, they will also discover their artistic skills as they go through creative art workshops that spell fun! They will make their own scrapbook, get acquainted with burger making, and will enjoy the talent workshop as they learn to sing and dance to the Kiddie Crew Theme Song, Do-theRonald, and Dance Exercise. Registration is ongoing until April 30 with workshops conducted by batches starting midMarch. For more information or to enlist your kids, visit mcdonalds.com.ph.

21ST CEnTuRy lEARnInG WITh pOWER mAC CEnTER

Most kids nowadays can run circles around their parents when it comes to tech and smart gadgets. Mention “apple” and more likely than not, they know you’re not talking about the fruit either. For sure, young ones will enjoy the activities offered by premier Apple reseller Power Mac Center (PMC) that promise to be both fun and educational. PMC’s Apple Authorized Training Center (AATC) will be conducting the annual Summer Workshops, now on its ninth year, with the theme “ReCREATE LEARNING: Shaping Kids for the Information Age.” The series features specialized topics integrated to 21st century skills, a set of abilities including critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity that students need to develop in order to succeed in the information age. Children aged 7-12 will enjoy a techie summer as they learn digital skills with Apple authorized trainers as mentors who will help enhance kids’ use of advanced digital tools and bring their imagination to life with lectures, demonstrations, guided hands-on activities, and actual project creation. Participants may choose from specialized courses designed to familiarize students with various functions and programs that maximize the use of their Mac and iOS devices like Basic Electronic Engineering, Robotics Programming with Sphero, Game Creation, 3D Design to 3D Printing, App Development, Augmented Reality, Stop Motion Video Creation, and Interactive eBooks Creation. Each topic will have three sessions for a fee of P3,500 per participant, and a packaged fee for two topics at P6,000 per participant. The workshops will start in Manila locations on April 4 and run until April 30. Scheduled workshops in Cebu will run from April 25 to May 6, and from April 11 to May 6 in Davao City. Participants are encouraged to register in advance due to limited slots. Register online via http://tinyurl.com/PMCsummerworkshops2016. For detailed schedules and other information, call 553-4211 or 6399, or email workshops@powermaccenter.com.

JOllIbEE’S FuTuRE ‘mInI mAnAGERS’

Jolly Kiddie Club (JKC) members can look forward to an exciting summer with the Jollibee Mini Managers Camp, a fun and productive way for children to learn the value of work through fun and games. Targeted for JKC members aged 4-7, the weeklong, fun-filled workshop that starts on April 4 is seen to make JKC members become better individuals in the future. Though fun activities, participants will be taught about the importance of excellence, respect for individuals, honesty and integrity, leadership, teamwork, and other core values that a Jollibee restaurant manager embodies. The Mini Managers’ hands-on and interactive role-play activity will expose kids to Jollibee’s best store practices. The campers will be asked to carry out what they have learned as they are assigned to different food, service, and cleanliness stations in the store. Kids will feel like a manager dressed up in their own Jollibee Manager uniform during the exercise. Registration for the Jollibee Mini Managers Camp runs for the whole March nationwide, and the workshop proper will last until May. If your kids are not yet JKC members, visit a Jollibee store to apply for membership and register for the Mini Managers Camp now. For more details, visit www.facebook.com/JollibeePhilippines. Continued on C2

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C2 FUN SUmmEr ActIvItIES... From C1

BasketBall at B.e.s.t. Center

Does your son have ambitions to become the next Chris Tiu? He will probably have better chances if you enroll him at the B.E.S.T. (Basketball Efficiency and Scientific Training) Center founded by former national coach Nicanor “Nic” Jorge. The country’s premiere basketball school, which has Tiu for its alumni, will be holding basketball clinics in several areas for various levels from Preparatory to Level 6 for kids aged five and above.

LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

Starting April 1, classes will be held in Amoranto Sports Complex and Starmall Alabang on Tuesdays and Fridays while Caloocan High School, Xavier School and Malate Catholic School will be the venue for clinics every Wednesday and Saturday starting April 2. Meantime, classes will be held at Perpetual Help Las Piñas on Mondays and Thursdays starting on April 4 while the Ateneo College Covered Courts will be the venue for Preparatory and 1-6 levels beginning April 11. In Lancaster New City in Imus, Cavite, Sunday classes will be held starting April 17 to May 22. For inquiries and other information, like B.E.S.T. Center on Facebook or call 4116260 or 3723066 from Tuesday to Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Hit tHe Bull’s eye witH tHe arCHery aCaDeMy Fans of Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games can channel their idol with help from The Archery Academy. Starting on March 28, summer lessons will be conducted by batches with MWF or TTHS schedules either in the morning from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. or from noon until 2:00 p.m. Located in Greenhills in San Juan, the Archery Academy was put up by “a group of passionate archers who want to expand the archery community by exposing more people to the sport.” Their mission is to make sure that every student gets to understand the fundamentals and safety rules and be able to enjoy the sport with their peers. Hourly classes are offered with full programs for first timers and refresher courses for returning archers.

Fees for beginners is at P8,500 and P6,500 for returning students. For more information, check out http://thearcheryacademy.wix.com or like it on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TheArcheryAcademy/?fref=ts.

s.t.e.p. taekwonDo

Martial arts students say that one of the greatest things that they learn is the value of self-discipline – something that will benefit them not only in their personal life but in dealing with others in the professional world. Parents can take the first step in instilling discipline and other values in their children by enrolling them in martial arts like taekwondo for example. Scientific Taekwondo Efficiency Program (STEP Taekwondo) offers that opportunity with summer classes that begin this April until June at various venues like Makati (Movement Performance MNL), Quezon City (Kalayaan Badminton Center, Xtreme Boxing Gym, Precious Gem), and Mandaluyong and Pasig. Kids from age four and above will enjoy learning taekwondo commands like kyung rea (bow); chareyut (attention), choon be (ready), si jak (begin) and ku mahn (stop) that go with hand and body gestures.

kiCk up soMe Fun witH FutBol FunatiCs’ CaMp

Kids who get a kick out of scoring a goal will enjoy the Futbol Funatics summer camp that kicks off this April 2 in several venues in Metro Manila that include the Meralco Center (Pasig City), Tahanan Village Park (BF Homes Parañaque City), BGC-TURF (Bonifacio Global City, Taguig), and Cuenca Park (Ayala Alabang Village, Muntinlupa). The camp offers training for beginners and kids as young as three up to teens according to the following age brackets: Beckham Buddies, 3-6; Messi Magicians, 7-9; Ronaldo Runners, 10-13; and Cannavaro Captains,14-17. There will be 10 sessions per module and participants can choose weekdays or weekends for their sessions. Fees are P3,000 for the 10-session module, P330 per session for 8-9 sessions, and P400 per session for seven and below sessions. Uniform fee is P600 for two shirts; black long socks at P350 per pair and black shorts (optional) at P450-P500. Interested participants are required to make reservations. Text the name, age, selected camp venue, and the date the participant plans to start to 0917-329-00-11. You may also email to futbolfunatics@yahoo.com or call 622-2898/ 0917-329-0011. For more information and updates on schedules, like Futbol Funatics on Facebook.

DanCe, DanCe, DanCe!

Shake the boredom away with the Acts Dance and Arts Academy workshop at the third level of Orange Bridge along Shaw Boulevard in Mandaluyong City (beside the Shaw MRT station). Whether it’s hiphop (including the contemporary and lyrical kind), ballet, jazzfunk, breakdance or KPop, there’s a kind of dance that will bring the groove into your vacation. Classes start this March 28 to April 23 for Batch 1 and April 25 to May 21 for Batch 2. The recital is scheduled on June 11.

For inquiries, schedules and other details, call or text 09176420123, or like Scientific Taekwondo Efficiency Program (STEP Taekwondo) on Facebook to get updates.

For more detailed information, like Acts Dance and Arts Academy on Facebook or call 904 3604 /+63 917 9237453. You may also log on to www.actsdanceacademy.net.

kiDs are aCting up!

a liBrary oF learning

Kids Acts Philippines, a non-profit professional theater company that stages original and adapted youth and children’s plays will be running TheCampArt Performing School: Summer Musical Recital featuring “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” Adapted from the popular Hans Christian Andersen tale that we have all come to love, the summer musical recital is set to music by Eugene Belbis with script and lyrics by Luigi Nacario. The three times a week summer workshop will be held from March 20 until May 29 at Unit 260, 2F Cityland Pasong Tamo Condominium in Makati with schedules starting at 9:00 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. for different age brackets starting at three years old until 17, from Kinder theater to Teen theater. For fees, schedules, classes and other information, call 507.3396 / 09154478959 / 0919.4338565 or email kidsactsphilippines@yahoo.com.ph. You may also like Kids Act Philippines on Facebook. Photo by Eugene Belbis from Kids Act Philippines Facebook page.

We know its summer and kids are supposed to be off books and anything that reminds of school, but the little bookworms will have the time of their life with The Learning Library that offers Beginning Reading, Reading Comprehension, Writing, Public Speaking and Filipino workshops for children ages three to 16. Classes begin on April 4. Visit http://www.learninglibraries.com for schedules at Loyola Heights, Greenmeadows, Makati, Alabang, Pasig, New Manila, West Avenue, San Juan, Mandaluyong and Marikina branches. You may also call 294 8081/09178282669 or email inquiry@ learninglibraries.com to reserve a slot and get exact schedules, locations and other details. You may also check out its account on Facebook.

singapore MatHe-Magisians

go tHeatriCal witH 9 works’ stage CaMp

For more details, visit www.mathemagis.com or check out https://www.facebook.com/mathemagis. singaporemaths on Facebook. You may also call their branches in Serendra (833-7374), Makati (556-5109), Katipunan (225-6330), Timog Avenue (261-1611) and SM Pasig (209-8128). Photo courtesy of www.mathemagis.com.

You may contact Camille at 0917.554.5560 or check out info@9workstheatrical.com for additional information on schedules and more importantly, to reserve a slot now!

Those old enough to have watched Stand and Deliver will remember this inspiring movie about a math teacher who gives problematic students a shot at college by teaching them complicated math concepts. Like they say, math is the great equalizer, and you can give your kids that extra edge through Singapore Math classes offered by MatheMagis Singapore Maths from children aged 4-14. Classes are conducted in a creative and understandable manner to demystify the notion that math is complicated. Sessions begin on April 4 with one hour per session for 10 sessions.

Want to be in theater? Then make your dreams come closer to reality with 9 Works Theatrical’s STAGE CAMP summer theater workshops for kiddies, pre-teens, teens and even adults. The workshop will start on April 11 until May 29 from Monday to Friday. The seven-week workshop will be conducted at The Loft, Rockwell Club in Rockwell Center, Makati City with culminating showcases at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium in RCBC Plaza, Makati City. Stage camp teachers are Onyl Torres (for Kiddie and Pre-teen camps), Sab Jose for Teen Camp and Robbie Guevara for Adult camp.

S U N D AY : m A r c h 2 0 , 2 0 1 6

LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

Cita Rodriguez, Mayeth Bacay, Gladys Aurin, Melody Lumbao, and Reno Donor from Quezon City shopped at the SM Store with their MasterCard and brought home an AUDI A3 during the recent The SM Store and MasterCard promotion. MasterCard VP Jo-Ann Camacho (left) and The SM Store VP for Marketing Quennielyn Cua welcomed the winners and led the symbolic awarding at the Audi Edsa-Ortigas Showroom

SM STORE AND MASTERCARD PROMOTION WINNERS DRIVE HOME WITH NEW AUDI

ive lucky shoppers of SM drove home with a new Audi A3 2.0 TDI after their names were picked as winners of the recent The SM Store and MasterCard promotion. Cita Rodriguez from Guagua, Pampanga, Melody Lumbao from Legaspi City, Albay; Mayeth Bacay from Bauan, Batangas; Gladys Aurin from Los Baños, Laguna; and Reno Donor from

Quezon City, shopping at The SM Store using their Mastercard became doubly rewarding because they ended up winning a brand new vehicle. Cita Rodriguez bought presents for family friends and various charitable institutions she supports from the SM Store in Pampanga, while Melody Lumbao’s winning entry came from shopping for

appliances at SM Makati. Gladys Aurin, who loves shopping at SM because of the SM Advantage Card rewards, bought several items from The SM Store in Calamba while Mayeth Bacay bought shoes at the SM Store in Lipa where she is a regular shopper. Reno Donor meantime bought gifts as well as a mobile phone at The SM Store in Marikina.

A joint project between The SM Store and MasterCard, shoppers were entitled to one electronic raffle entry for every P5,000 single receipt purchase from The SM Store using a Philippine-issued MasterCard, and five lucky shoppers were amply rewarded with the AUDI A3 2.0 TDI cars that each one won.

JcI manila Welcomes New Board of Directors

JCI Manila, formerly known as the Manila Jaycees, is a premiere leadership development organization that empowers young people to become better leaders and create positive change in a community by spearheading projects anchored to aiding the government in community development, encouraging entrepreneurship, protecting the environment, and responding to disasters. Since 1947, JCI Manila has been committed in developing young leaders and making positive change in the nation. JCI Manila is the first and premier leadership development organization in Asia and last year, it was recognized as the Most Outstanding Local Organization in the World – besting over 5,000 Junior Chamber International chapters worldwide. This 2016 ushers in a new board of directors as JCI continues its mission under the leadership of Ramiro N. Villavicencio as president. For this year, JCI Manila is set to create positive change with highlight on its project dubbed The Sea of Life Program. This project started last 2011 and has been focused on reef rehabilitation such as reef deployment through artificial domes that are dropped in damaged reefs, as well as coral transplantation to help revitalize marine life in affected areas. The project has been practiced nationwide and the organization is committed to expanding its reach to various coastal communities. Another project that JCI Manila is focusing on is the Ramon V. Del Rosario Award, an award giving body that recognizes exemplary individuals

JCI Manila accepting the recognition last year as the 2015 Most Outstanding Local Organization in the World, besting over 5,000 Junior Chamber International chapters worldwide

who have significantly contributed to nation building. Lastly, one of the newest projects on their table is Golden Heart

that aims to help children with cerebral palsy by providing them with treatment and care to help enrich their lives.

For more information about JCI Manila, how to join and know more about its projects, visit www.jcimanila.org.

S U N D AY : m A r c h 2 0 , 2 0 1 6

LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

Five-star accommodation at The Peninsula Hong Kong for Marvin Hiponia, who is given a personal welcome by senior manager of Trade Development Alec Chan

@LIFEatStandard

Marvin Hiponia and Nilo Penado get the VIP treatment with a Rolls Royce limo that brought them from the airport to The Peninsula Hong Kong

Who Wants to be a millionaire?

Filipino gets Vip treatment with hKtB’s ‘return liKe a millionaire’ promo

ong Kong has one of the most vibrant lifestyles, aptly dubbed “Asia’s World City” where there is never a dull moment and everything teems with energy. The city is where Asia’s richest man lives, and it is also home to so many multi-millionaires that has earned for it the moniker of “multi-millionaire capital of the world.” A lot of people dream of visiting Hong Kong and wish they could experience the city’s high life and of course, get to live the life of a millionaire as well. This is exactly what Filipino Marvin Hiponia – a frequent traveler to Hong Kong – got: an experience of a lifetime when he emerged as one of the lucky winners of the Hong Kong Tourism Board’s “Return to Hong Kong Like a Millionaire” raffle. Marvin was one of the 10 lucky travelers who visited Hong Kong last year during the Hong Kong Summer Fun promotion which had a raffle that gave visitors the opportunity to revisit the city. Raffle winners got to choose one friend who would accompany them on their return to Hong Kong where a super fabulous VIP treatment awaits: travel via Cathay Pacific business class, five-star accommodation at The Peninsula Hong Kong, airport transfers on a private Rolls-Royce limousine, exclusive use of a Mini Cooper throughout their stay, luxury smart phone Vertu for their use, fivestar spa treatments, deluxe dining daily (from the fabulous, hip and multi-awarded 3 Michelin-starred Bo Innovation to 1 Michelin-starred Seasons by Olivier Elzer), a personal shopper at T-Galleria by DFS, plus HK$50,000 (P290,000) spending money. Marvin, who chose to share his good fortune with friend Nilo Penado, said he was completely surprised at having his name picked out of the millions who visited Hong Kong last year. Marvin and Nilo returned to Hong Kong at the latter part of February for a four-day visit, and also invited Nilo’s family along. “We dropped our entries for the Hong Kong Return like a Millionaire (raffle) as a group so it was but natural that we come back as a group,” Marvin shares. Traveling together made the experience even more memorable, and the whole group was completely enthralled by their luxurious new experience of Hong Kong. While Marvin has been regularly visiting the city since 1988, the experience allowed him to discover new must-see places and new must-dos that he recommends to other Filipinos: the wide array of shopping choices at Harbour City, the best-tasting roast goose that can be found at Kam’s Roast Goose, and a visit to Disneyland where he got to meet Mickey and Minnie Mouse exclusively, and a trip to Ocean Park where he got a thrill out of feeding the penguins. But like all memorable trips, the best part is when you get to share the experience with friends and family – which is what Marvin and his friend Nilo did. For more information about Asia’s World City, log on to DiscoverHongKong.com.

1010 Center presents the Vertu Aster T – a luxury ‘mobile for millionaires’ known for its careful craftsmanship and cutting-edge specifications

Marvin shares the great experience with friend Nilo Penado and the latter’s family

Exploring Hong Kong districts in a Mini Cooper, the duo’s exclusive ride throughout their stay courtesy of The Peninsula Hong Kong

VIP shopping with a personal shopper at T-Galleria by DFS. Marvin had HK$50,000 (P290,000) spending money as part of his Return Like a Millionaire prize

Marvin and Nilo with Michelin-starred Chef Olivier Elzer at Seasons, Hong Kong’s hotspot for creative French cuisine

Shop till you drop at T Galleria by DFS

SunDAy : m A RcH 20, 2016

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

KapamIlya sTaRs ThanK aDvERTIsERs

BS-CBN’s brightest stars and biggest love teams gave out a one-night only Kapamilya experience as they thanked the advertisers’ unwavering support through their spectacular performances at the recently held Ad Summit Pilipinas 2016. The Kapamilya Network made sure that the delegates of Ad Summit were the winners of the night as ABS-CBN gave away big prizes and cool gimmicks that brought entertainment to the advertisers. Kicking off the night was It’s Showtime’s” hit “Tawag ng Tanghalan” segment, led by Vice Ganda, Anne Curtis, and Mariel Padilla. Three delegates battled it out and showcased their singing prowess to their fellow advertisers. Norman Agatep of 4A’s was declared champion and won P50,000. The crowd also went wild as the lead star of FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano Coco Martin rocked the stage with his sidekicks Xymon ‘Onyok’ Pineda and Pepe Herrera. Apart from the good vibes, love also won at Ad Summit with love teams KathNiel, LizQuen, KimXi, and DanRich bringing intense kilig with their song numbers. The kiligfest continued as Kapamilya leading men Piolo Pascual, Sam Milby, Matteo Guidicelli, and Xian Lim serenaded the advertisers. Joining them were Zanjoe Marudo, Jake Cuenca, Daniel Matsunaga, Ejay Falcon, Tommy Esguerra, and Joseph Marco. ABS-CBN also introduced the hit US TV show Jane the Virgin and the Koreanovela My Love Donna as the shows viewers should watch out for this month. The singing competition The Voice Kids and the reality-based talent competition Star Circle Kid Quest are also slated to return soon. Aside from the fun, the whole Kapamilya experience was capped off with the giving away of several prizes for the advertisers. ABS-CBN raffled off items such as Platinum Karaoke Set, Jason Derulo concert tickets, Monster Jam tickets, and 20 ABS-CBN TVplus boxes. Two lucky delegates, meanwhile, brought home P100,000 each. Pilipinas Got Talent Season 5 semifinalists along with The Voice Philippines alumni Lyca Gairanod, Elha Nympha, Morissette, and Darren Espanto; the first-ever Dance Kids grand champion Lucky Aces; and I Love OPM’s Tourist Stars ended the show with world-class sing and dance performances.

Daniel matsunaga, Zanjoe marudo, and Tommy Esguerra with the delegates of Ad Summit PH 2016

mariel Padilla, Vice Ganda, and Anne curtis kick off the event

Joseph marco, Jake cuenca, and Ejay Falcon entertaining the delegates

Top Kapamilya male stars Piolo Pascual and Sam milby

Daniel Padilla and Kathryn Bernardo

Real-life couple and “Be my Lady” lead stars Erich Gonzales and Daniel matsunaga

“Dolce Amore” stars Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil

Stars of “Story of us” Xian Lim and Kim chiu

Action star and “PGT” judge Robin Padilla

“FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano” actor coco martin

maine mendoza wins Favorite Pinoy Personality Maine Mendoza’s phenomenal appeal reigned supreme at Nickelodeon’s 2016 Kids’ Choice Awards as she wins the Favorite Pinoy Personality Award. The other half of the sensational AlDub tandem joins the roster of Adele, Jenifer Lawrence, Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, and Fifth Harmony, among others, to bring home coveted orange blimps that represent the best of everything that kids love in pop culture. “Yaya Dub” extended her gratitude in a video message saying that it was such an honor to receive the award, and that she is very grateful to everyone who voted for her despite not being present at the awards show to personally receive it. Apart from Maine, fellow Filipino and basketball star player, JeronTeng, beats other international nominees in the new Favorite Asian Sports Star category. The Kids’ Choice Awards held at the “Fabulous” Forum in Inglewood, California, and hosted by country music superstar and coach on NBC’s The Voice, Blake Shelton, premiered March 14 in Nickelodeon Asia.

maine mendoza is now a recipient of the coveted orange blimp from nickelodeon

It kicked off with host, Shelton, getting pep talks from celebrity friends including Adam Levine, Pharrell Williams, Nick Jonas, Selena Gomez, Chewbacca and BB-8. After being alerted that the Stormtroopers were trying to take over the 2016 Kids’ Choice Awards, Shelton jumped into action and battled his way onto the show stage via a supercharged chair from The Voice.

During the show, singer-songwriter Charlie Puth and hip-hop star Wiz Khalifa performed a medley of “One Call Away” and “See You Again,” right before taking home the blimp for Favorite Collaboration. Rapper Silento appeared as well to sing his mega-hit “Watch Me (Whip/NaeNae),” and DNCE closed the show with a performance of their chart-topping single “Cake by the Ocean”, that culminated with an ultimate slime-dousing of the audience. The 2016 Kids’ Choice Awards proved to be a mega slime fest, from kids in the audience awarding Shelton with an epic finale sliming, to Jace Norman dumping a bucket of green goo on John Stamos, to Fifth Harmony getting drenched after their win for Favorite Music Group, and Shelton welcoming Jason Sudeikis and Josh Gad to the green side. Additional celebrities in attendance included: Robert Downey Jr., Amy Poehler, Rob Gronkowski, Ellen DeGeneres, Chris

Evans, Meghan Trainor, Fifth Harmony, Heidi Klum, Keke Palmer, Anthony Anderson, John Stamos, Chloe Bennet, Buddy Valastro, Sarah Hyland, Dove Cameron, Grant Gustin, Laura Marano, Zendaya, Will Arnett, Debby Ryan, and cast members from Dance Moms, plus stars of Nickelodeon’s hit series Game Shakers (Kel Mitchell, Benjamin Flores Jr., Cree Cicchino, Madisyn Shipman, Thomas Kuc) and The Thundermans (Jack Griffo and Kira Kosarin). Kids and families cast votes in 22 categories, including two new ones, Favorite Cooking Show and Favorite Collaboration. In Asia, Nickelodeon introduced the Favorite Asian Sports Star category, in which Jeron Teng was the winner. The fans were able to vote for their top picks across all of Nickelodeon’s digital platforms including KCA2016.com and Twitter using #KCA. Catch the replay of the awards today at 10:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. tomorrow.

SunDAy : m A RcH 20, 2016

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

marian Rivera is Philippines’ Facebook Queen

FIlIpInO In TOp 20 lIsT OF mOsT lIkED FacEbOOk pagEs wORlDwIDE

apuso Primetime Queen Marian Rivera continues to make headlines after her Facebook page ranked 19th in the most liked public figure Facebook pages worldwide according to social media analytics site Quintly. She is the only Filipino who made it to the Top 20 list which includes international celebrities like Nicki Minaj, Kim Kardashian, Ellen DeGeneres, Hugh Jackman, etc. At present, Marian’s Facebook page has almost 15 million likes.

Marian couldn’t be prouder and happier for this good news and she immediately thanked her avid fans and followers for their non-stop support and love for her. She posted on her Instagram account, “Wow! Maraming salamat....” Following her much awaited comeback last month, Marian has become busy with her hosting stint in Sunday Pinasaya and is doubly excited to start working on her two new projects in GMA this year: a talk show and the prequel to Encantadia, where she

was the unanimous choice to play the important role of Ynang Reyna. As for her upcoming talk show, Marian shared, “Yung talk show na ito hindi pilit. Base ito sa experiences ko, doon iikot. Syempre, gusto ko yung alam ko ang sinasabi ko kapag nag host ako at makaka relate ang bawat isa.” This upcoming talk show will fit Marian as she will share with her fans and avid Kapuso viewers her life experiences as a wife and a mom.

A new breed of boy band The Juans is an emerging Filipino boy band that does not only have hot guys, but seriously has fun jams – the members play their own instruments, write their songs and can sing. Just in case you haven’t added these guys in your playlist, you may want to start listening to them now. It’s only a matter of time until they dominate the local music scene. Composed of Carl Guevarra, 25; Jason De Mesa, 24; Jiad Arroyo, 22; Daniel Grospe, 25, and Japs Mendoza, 19, these cuties have also built an impressive social media fan base. What’s in store for The Juans in 2016? “So many plans for this year, we will be releasing some new songs and we are in the process of recording right now. We are so excited to share these new songs. But there’s a big project coming up but we don’t want to jinx it. We will soon be exposed on television a lot,” said Guevarra, during the band’s break at Alba’s Restaurant, The Prism Plaza, 4th Floor, TwoEComCenter, Mall of Asia Complex, Harbor Drive, Pasay City.

The upcoming songs are follow-up to the band’s eponymous released album, which contains three songs “Atin Ang Mundo,” “Prom,” and “Magkasama” for Viva Records. Added to their busy schedule in the coming months are the provincial and campus tours and their regular appearance for MTV Sessions. The band has also appeared in ASAP on ABS-CBN. For more than one year now, the boy band has been playing at The Prism Plaza every Friday, where they have enjoyed a big following, “The Prism Plaza is a favorite place for us because the venue is just beautiful and friendly. It is clean, decent and very ideal for bands like us. We don’t experience any stigma here unlike in other places which is really dark and uncomfortable,” Guevarra said. They describe the crowd at the Prism Plaza as “combonistas” who give their all-out support to their shows. “These are the people who promote us aggressively in social media. They are the ones who go to

cROsswORD puzzlE

answer PreVIOUs PUZZLe ACROSS 1 Wielded a broom 6 Sons and uncles 11 Blockbuster 16 Prefix for wave 21 Less exciting 22 Disconcert 23 Ammonia compound 24 Regular’s order 25 — Kurosawa of film 26 Nina — of fashion 27 Port near Hong Kong 28 Enriches, in a way 29 What antibiotics commit 31 Hold the —! 33 Cartoon frame 35 Embroider, maybe 36 Mdse. 37 Sweetened the soil 38 Osiris’ beloved 39 Centurion’s place 41 Scale meas. 42 Musical finales

44 46 51 52 53 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 65 66 67 68 69 71 72 73 74

Damsel Department stores Specify Email option Baseball VIPs Lead ore “Holy cow!” Snow crystal Gold medal org. Urges on Witches’ band Abdul or Zahn Result of action Comic-strip prince Bergman’s “Gaslight” costar Works, as yeast Flew or sang alone Umbrella spokes —— Hubbard of sci-fi Mother’s sisters Some Spanish speakers Grottos

76 Course finales 77 Pandemonium 78 Book appendixes 81 Makes yawn 82 Tent dweller 83 Follow, as a gumshoe 87 Jungle vines 88 Long coats 89 Wind-borne silt 90 Suffix for forfeit 91 To date (2 wds.) 92 Prove false 93 M*A*S*H milieu 94 Televised again 96 201, to Claudius 97 Telescope lens 98 Appliances 99 Burbank’s field 100 Thoughtful 102 Horse color 103 Girl in “Dracula” 104 Hanging plant that flowers 105 Heavy-duty engine 107 Grumpy moods 109 Chiang — -shek 110 Slow, in music 112 Rider’s command 113 Goes yachting 115 Haw opposite 118 Myrna of old films 119 Explosive letters 121 Japanese poem 123 Fajita wraps 125 “— Arden” 127 Barters 129 Look pleasant 131 Clink glasses 132 Pantyhose shade 133 Deadly volcano of 1902 134 Lox outlets 135 See eye to eye 136 Fur magnate 137 Nuts, actually 138 FBI member

our gigs all the time wherever we play,” he said. With inspirations from popular boy bands namely One Direction, The Vamps, 1975, Five Seconds of Summer, the band has come up with the “glam-pop” sound for their fans. “It’s a sound that’s very accessible to all. It’s like for general patronage. Even teenagers and their moms can relate to our sound which is vibrant, colorful and happy,” Guevarra said. In terms of musical arrangements, even if they do covers, the band simply put their own flavor to it so that the songs would sound special. Not too long ago, the band mates live under roof for several months to get a feel of their music and focus themselves as a group. “There was a time that we have to live together for three months. We told ourselves that if we really want to have our own sound, we felt there was a need to live together and experiment on music,” Guevarra said. The band then was discovered by executives of Viva Records who watched them perform in one of their shows. The group decided

SUNDAY, MARCH 20, 2016 139 Bulrushes DOWN 1 Alonzo of football 2 Roused up 3 Sultans’ cousins 4 Long-lasting do 5 Do gumshoe work 6 Xylophone kin 7 Tolerates 8 Fastened a Nike 9 PC key 10 Ocean goer 11 Champagne and orange juice 12 Muscat residents 13 Weaknesses 14 Ms. Lupino 15 Fair-hiring org. 16 Reflected on 17 This — — stickup! 18 It makes waves (2 wds.) 19 AM or FM 20 Ole of vaudeville 30 Paramecium legs 32 Goes to earth 34 “Forget” a letter 40 Valuable mineral 42 Prance 43 Bad or good sign 44 Lunch and dinner 45 “Diana” singer 46 Samantha — of “Doctor Dolittle” 47 Early New Zealander 48 Backup strategy (2 wds.) 49 U.K. lexicon 50 TLC providers 51 Fogg portrayer 52 Veers off-course 54 Bard’s teen 55 Large amount 57 Vacillates (hyph.) 58 Lays off food 61 Jazz’s Chick —

62 Ale servings 63 Geisha’s zither 64 Prime invitees (hyph.) 66 Wide sts. 67 Clever ploys 68 Swedish cars 70 Vista 72 Hawk’s lair 73 Tibet’s capital 75 Pre-med class 76 Like locoweed 77 Hudson Bay tribe 78 — and alas! 79 Field-event missiles 80 All the time (4 wds.) 81 Ina of “The Black Orchid” 82 Ventricle neighbor 84 Mystiques 85 Baha’i devotee 86 Actress Lotte — 88 Bronze, for one 89 Cuts of meat 92 Lodge letters 93 Do socks 94 Fabled bird 95 Afr. nation 97 Welles or Bean 98 Boat made of skins 99 Constructed 101 Archaeological site 104 Clearest 106 One of two 107 Molded 108 Dins 109 White clay 110 Prince Valiant’s wife 111 Ladies of Spain 112 Ambergris source 113 Farm gate 114 Ravi’s forte 115 Brightness 116 Cut some slack 117 — Park, Colorado 120 Recipe amts. 122 Egg-grading org. 124 Balcony section 126 Navy noncom 128 Like some hours 130 Tilly or Ryan

music artists carl Guevarra, Jason De mesa, Jiad Arroyo, Daniel Grospe and Japs mendoza otherwise known as The Juans

to carry the name Juan which refers to a Filipino and eventually change the impression that Juan is “tamad” and other negative affinities to it. “We were in a coffee shop and we were exploring names for the band. We thought of Juan to symbolize the Filipino. And we also want to change the other tags associated to it like Juan Tamad. We’ve always thought that Juan will go far,” Guevarra said. These days, even after their shows, the band members bond

together to assess their performances if there were things to be done or corrected. Guevarra said that his band mates have also grown mature in terms of dealing with one another and choosing the playlist. “You cannot avoid that. But we have now outgrown that. Even in choosing our songs, we’ve grown mature.” No doubt that these guys will be making headlines in the music scene soon so jump on The Juans bandwagon.

SunDAy : m A RcH 20, 2016

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

BEsT fRIEnDs LOVI anD HEaRT campaIgnED In ILOcOs

I-Bilib host chris Tiu (second from left) with cohosts moymoy Palaboy and Alodia Gosiengfiao

What’s in ‘I-Bilib’ today? Have you seen loose that can produce electricity” Watch I-Bilib! and you might be surprises as Chris Tiu shows how in the “Coin Battery Experiment.” Chris also shows his audience another kind of experiment. And he calls it “Amazing Colored Lava Experiment.” This will sure-

ly make science more colorful, only in I-Bilib. The guys from Discover Science will show that sound is mighty. Can the human voice break a glass? Those are the amazing things you have to watch out for in I-Bilib, every Sunday morning on GMA 7.

he Lovi Poe-Heart Evangelista tandem, avid supporters of Senators Grace Poe and Francis “Chiz” Escudero are all set to join the candidates’ campaign sorties. First stop: Ilocos Norte. The Poes and Escuderos treat each other like family, and Lovi and Heart are the best of friends. Lovi and Heart were excited when they found out they would be together in Ilocos. Heart had gone to Davao, Bacolod, and

Cebu, but it was Lovi’s first time to join her sister’s campaign sortie. They even posted photos on their respective Instagram accounts. The two were wearing identical shirts embroidered with “Poe” and “Escudero” and printed with “Say Chiz.” Also, the best friends posed for a photo with Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos and immediately posted it on their Instagram accounts. Many are wondering why they posed with a Marcos

when in fact they’re from different political parties. “Politics should not be bitter or acrimonious. Took a pic with Imee Marcos before leaving for #Laoag to campaign #PoeEscudero2016. I’d like to think this world would be a better place if we can all do the same,” Heart captioned the photo on Instagram. “Indeed the world would be a better place if we were all friendly and nice to each other. Took a photo with Ms. Imee. #PoeEscudero2016,” Lovi posted as well.

Over 190 cable channels free to browse on Sky Sky Cable Corporation continues to give its subscribers more reasons to celebrate its 25th anniversary as it opens once again over 190 of its cable channels for free until today. The big announcement was made during the opening program of “SKY Alive!,” the company’s first and exclusive experiential cable fair for families over the weekend at SMX, Mall of Asia. The auto-activation of over 190 free channels is the widest cable TV channel lineup that SKYcable showcases to its strong base of subscribers. It also features the most varied TV content options perfect for the entire family. SKYcable’s extensive and rich channel line-up was showcased over the weekend during “SKY Alive!” where thousands of families experienced the world of their favorite cable TV shows and characters in real life. In “SKY Alive!,” families had the rare opportunity to meet their favorite TV characters like The Powerpuff Girls, OO-Kun, Spongebob Squarepants, Patrick Star, Dora The Explorer, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; meet and greet celebrities like Cinema One’s Shaina Magdayao, MYX and MTV VJs, Hero’s Myrtle Sarrosa and Animax’s Ashley Gosiengfiao, and PBO’s Meg Imperial; snap selfies with cosplayers, experience the set of hit TV programs like HBO Game of Thrones and History’s The Vikings; play fun games in the various channel booths, and catch a mini concert of Kapamilya stars Hashtag, Morisette, Darren Espanto, Erik Santos, and Jed Madela among others. “We wanted to ensure that families can actually experience the content they see on SKYcable so we asked our channel partners to support this event and they did so wholeheartedly,” said March Ventosa, Sky Cable Corporation chief operating officer. SKY also treated three lucky families from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao to a “SKY Alive!” and Kidzania experience to thank them for making SKY a part of their daily lives. Among those who visited “SKY Alive!” were ABS-CBN President and CEO Carlo Katigbak and his family; ABS-CBN Executive Adviser to the Chairman, Chief Content Officer, and President of ABS-CBN University Charo Santos-Concio with her granddaughters Julia and Talia, and ABSCBN head of Integrated Sports Dino Laurena. Ventosa assured subscribers that as the country’s largest cable TV provider, SKY will continue to lead innovation and service quality in the industry. Sky Cable Corporation was founded in 1990 and has since established a solid reputation as a trusted cable TV brand. It currently has over 700,000 subscribers and has continued to expand beyond postpaid cable TV service to introduce other innovations that can further strengthen the bond of Filipino families like “SKYcable Prepaid,” the country’s first-ever prepaid cable TV service in the country, “SKYbroadband,” “SKYmobi,” and “SKY on Demand,” among others. Visit www.mysky.com.ph/freeskychannels for more details.

SKy management team with SKy cOO march Ventosa, charo Santos-concio and SKy Alive host Kc montero

ABS-cBn president and cEO carlo Katigbak supports the advocacy of Knowledge channel

charo Santos-concio with granddaughters Julia and Talia in one of the booths in the cable television fair

Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman onstage at the SKy Alive event

myrtle Sarrosa in full cosplay gear in the Hero booth at the SmX, mall of Asia

Kapamilya star Shaina magdayao at the cinema One Sky Alive booth

s unday : m a rch 20, 2016

Isah V. rEd eDitOr nIcKIE WanG Writer

isahred @ gmail.com

SHOWBITZ

hOOQ Philippines Team with Kapamilya stars and brand ambassadors Jessy mendiola (third from left) and Xian Lim (fifth from right)

HOOQ celebrates 1 year in tHe business st

ISAH V. RED

sia’s first and largest premium video streaming service, marks its first anniversary in the country and is very proud to be the no.1 paid video OTT service in the Philippines with over 100,000 paying subscribers. In addition, HOOQ was also recently named Best Mobile App in the Media, Film, TV or Video category at the GSMA’s Global Mobile (GLOMO) Awards 2016 in Barcelona. The start-up venture of Singtel, Warner Bros. Entertainment and Sony Pictures Television was launched first in the Philippines, before expanding to Thailand and India. With over 35,000 hours of Hollywood, regional and Filipino movies and TV shows made available to every Filipino through

any smart device, HOOQ has become an integral part of the Pinoy tech and entertainment driven lifestyle. “It’s been a year of milestones for HOOQ and we have been running at overdrive to always keep our customers entertained. From exclusive superhero content and merchandise to same day as US telecast TV series, we never stop to ensure that there is always something to put a smile on our customers’ faces,” said Jane Cruz-Walker, HOOQ Country Manager. “The number of our paid subscribers is a testament to HOOQ’s acceptance in the Philippines. Thank you Philippines for the encouraging support! We will continue to work hard to deliver more surprises,” she added. HOOQ customers can now binge on Spartacus, White Queen and The Player, another HOOQ exclusive series, which debuted on the service a couple of weeks ago. In addition, the cult hit Community will also be available in April. This critically acclaimed Hollywood TV series follows a cast of characters played by Joel McHale, Gil-

lian Jacobs and Danny Pudi at a fictional community college in Colorado. Offering the best of Hollywood and the best of local remains at the heart of HOOQ’s selection of content. Local celebrities Xian Lim and Jessy Mendiola signed up as the brand ambassadors to get more Filipinos “HOOQd” on this convenient and accessible way to watch their favorite shows over and over again. Xian’s My Cactus Heart, The Reunion and Bakit Hindi Ka Crush Ng Crush Mo will soon be available on the service, along with other ABSCBN hits like Sisterakas, The Mistress, One More Try, Suddenly, Its Magic and My Binondo Girl. Regal Films will debut The Prenup, No Boyfriend Since Birth and Haunted Mansion in April, while Viva will be adding Wang Fam, Girlfriend for Hire and Lumayo Ka Nga Sa Akin. To round off the new Pinoy content additions, GMA will be bringing in the Regine Velasquez-Alcasid starrer Poor Señorita to its growing number of catch-up TV shows on HOOQ. PMPC’s winner for Best Tele-

vision Drama, The Rich Man’s Daughter will also premiere on HOOQ, alongside all episodes of Destiny Rose, top billed by Ken Chan, Katrina Hallili and Fabio Ide. It’s easy to get “HOOQ’d.” Simply download the HOOQ app from the Apple Store or Google Play, sign up or log in, and your device is ready to access HOOQ’s library of Hollywood and local hits. Viewing movies and TV series on HOOQ is made even better with Chromecast support, now available on the iOS and Android apps. Sign up today for a 30-day free trial on www.HOOQ.tv. Globe customers can get up to 45 days of free trial with Globe GoSURF 99 and below for prepaid customers, and up to 90 days of free trial for prepaid and postpaid customers availing of GoSURF 299 and up. Broadband customers also get HOOQ for free on Globe Home Broadband Plan 1299 and up. Currently, HOOQ is raffling off a trip for 2 to Warner Bros. Movieworld in Australia to HOOQ users who have signed up through Globe. Check out www.hooq.ph/ ineedahero for more details.

hOOQ male ambassador Xian Lim

TJ Trinidad and Janelle squires

hOOQ female celebrity ambassador Jessy mendiola

marvin agustin and arnold Vegafria

derek ramsay and Joanne Villablanca